tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post4982188237923505569..comments2023-05-14T21:11:23.699-04:00Comments on CHEESEBURGER BROWN: Story Wallah: The Secret Mathematic - Chapter ElevenCheeseburger Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01384136287767500794noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-2283755002931581522008-02-20T14:35:00.000-05:002008-02-20T14:35:00.000-05:00At last, I put in my order for Simon of Space. I h...At last, I put in my order for <EM>Simon of Space</EM>. I had to find something else to order with it (to qualify for Amazon's free shipping). I finally settled on <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/Son-Stitch-Bitch-Projects-Crochet/dp/0761146172" REL="nofollow">Son of Stitch 'n Bitch: 45 Projects to Knit and Crochet for Men</A> Guess I better finish the man's 14 ft. Tom Baker Dr. Who scarf before my order get here.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, it should add some interest to the "people who bought this book also bought" feature. Just in case you're wondering.<BR/><BR/><EM>3) "Cultural appropriation" is a criticism launched only by prescriptivist dickweeds.</EM><BR/><BR/>Huzzah, CBB. Ain't Toronto grand?Bridgethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07259309555394112308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-18888313592847949062008-02-20T12:30:00.000-05:002008-02-20T12:30:00.000-05:00Simon, Has your friend begun reading now that Ro...Simon,<BR/><BR/> Has your friend begun reading now that Robert Jordan has passed on before completing what he claimed was the final book?<BR/><BR/> I was pretty disappointed when I found out that George Martin still had a long way to go too... fortunately the Dark Tower series is finished, so if I decide to keep going I won't have to worry about that.<BR/><BR/> CBB, be careful out there on the road, and take good care of yourself!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-29509758719811768352008-02-20T11:00:00.000-05:002008-02-20T11:00:00.000-05:00Foo,A friend of mine who used to work in a booksto...Foo,<BR/><BR/>A friend of mine who used to work in a bookstore encountered a fella who had his own work-around for the pause between books in a series. Every couple years the same guy would come into the bookstore and snatch Robert Jordan's newest book off the shelf and then take it home to join the others he had purchased and NEVER READ. He was going to wait until the series was finished before even starting the entire hardcover collection.<BR/><BR/>I was staggered by the expense, patience and, I can only imagine, high potential for disappointment that poses.<BR/><BR/>One of the reasons I thrive so much in these comment threads is because I rely heavily on this sort of "collective" to prompt my remembory and fish out the salient details that make the enjoyment of these stories even more enjoyment-able.Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06946639624660520997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-63415898493923210132008-02-20T09:33:00.000-05:002008-02-20T09:33:00.000-05:00fooburger, I wondered about the time between books...fooburger, I wondered about the time between books phenomenon, too. When you have a mind like a steel sieve (like me), you don't do well at remembering characters or events from stories long past.<BR/><BR/>I've never read series books, really, so I have no experience to compare to this.<BR/><BR/>I would think that now, even with books published in the traditional manner, the simplicity of discussing them online would help keep one book fresh in the mind while waiting for the next. Whereas in many small towns it may be difficult to find someone who's reading Piers Anthony's <EM>Magic of Xanth</EM> series or Keith Laumer's <EM>Retief</EM> series (just examples from friends I had), the Internet changes all that.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08722639974320971726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-90691988869321856292008-02-20T05:41:00.000-05:002008-02-20T05:41:00.000-05:00That's a good point Teddy... Tenny is my vote for ...That's a good point Teddy... Tenny is my vote for most neglected character in CBB-verse... Loved it... probably my favorite character... get to work on that CBB.. :)<BR/><BR/>I'm glad that story was brought up, because I'd almost forgotten about it. My mind had almost rummaged it out.<BR/><BR/>Sometimes I wonder if the people who wait for an author's entire series to be finished before diving in and reading everything at once are the ones who better see how all the dots connect.<BR/>I couldn't imagine reading Zelazny's Amber series over the course of (well, it was years, I assume?). When I got hold of the series I just dropped everything from my schedule, including sleep, and went flat-out.<BR/><BR/>There really are different forces at work in a serialized medium like this. It has its benefits (sticking around in your mind more) and its drawback (dust in the mind). It would be interesting to hear what things work better/worse than they do in book-at-a-time series.fooburgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00598732577922981025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-3215073899827906412008-02-19T15:31:00.000-05:002008-02-19T15:31:00.000-05:00I also noticed that Plight of the Transformer was ...I also noticed that Plight of the Transformer was in the related reading. I think if he hasn't shown up yet, he won't be a major player in this chapter if he does show, and that particular story was just as much about Lallo and releasing information about the Long as it was about Tenny, and we've already seen Lallo in this story. I do hope he shows, though. As devious as he is (he works for the government, I don't trust him), I like him.<BR/><BR/>TRHTeddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06429915965397673079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-29993843290244898482008-02-19T14:43:00.000-05:002008-02-19T14:43:00.000-05:00Dan, welcome back! I can't imagine how much that ...Dan, welcome back! I can't imagine how much that trip must have cost...<BR/><BR/>I also can't imagine anything called "cath up" <I>(shudder)</I> being referred to as "delightful"... so I'm thinking that's a typo :)<BR/><BR/>Man, I didn't even notice that Bad Traffic wasn't up there.<BR/><BR/>Can't wait for Tenny to find his way into a plotline...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-19555852702708724062008-02-19T12:30:00.000-05:002008-02-19T12:30:00.000-05:00I just returned from a two and a half week vation ...I just returned from a two and a half week vation to the happiest place on earth with my 7 younguns. What a delightful game of cath up awaited me here! As always, the chapters are wonderful. "Bad Traffic" should be added to the related reading. the only complaint I have is way back in chap 8. "Yves double-clutches, gears down and hits the hammer." is uber cheesey! I've also ordered the hardcover.<BR/><BR/>Thanks, CBB<BR/><BR/>THE DanimalDanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01657614872089173887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-52560788964367497912008-02-18T14:57:00.000-05:002008-02-18T14:57:00.000-05:00"I work in the most multicultural city on the whol...<I>"I work in the most multicultural city on the whole planet (according to the demographics), and mixing professionally and socially with people of all sorts of colourful backgrounds defines my sense of "normal." I really don't know what to say when I'm asked to explain including such diversity in my stories."</I><BR/><BR/>That seems like the perfect reply to the original question. Of course, it's way easier to come up with that in writing than on the spot. If only we could UNDO, SEND and DELETE in conversation, we could all sound a lot smarter.<BR/><BR/>Plus, more topical to the post, I really liked the "lead" and "collar" line that Wainwright ended with. The wordplay on "lead" was delightful.Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06946639624660520997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-12549240252998633982008-02-18T14:26:00.000-05:002008-02-18T14:26:00.000-05:00Woohoo! Maybe I'm not alone, but I knew exactly w...Woohoo! Maybe I'm not alone, but I knew exactly where we were in the first paragraph. Nice to have a little more backstory (but I can't wait to see what action is born of this exposition).<BR/><BR/>CBB, thanks for letting us know what happened to Creek, sad though it may be.<BR/><BR/>To preservation of the characters' ethnic heritage, hear hear! Also, I didn't have any trouble with the "pair" line.Shadowphonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18057272303269328647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-24887253714504177702008-02-18T14:15:00.000-05:002008-02-18T14:15:00.000-05:00Mateo said,It would be nice to have the actor Nati...Mateo said,<BR/><BR/><I>It would be nice to have the actor Native.</I><BR/><BR/>Damn straight. There's little that offends me more in an adaptation than changing the ethnicity of characters for marketing purposes (for example, see the movie trailer currently running about the kids who gamed the Las Vegas card tables -- in the movie they're white, in real life, they were Asian).<BR/><BR/>If they ever do make a movie adaptation of <I>Simon of Space</I>, my first demand is that Simon retain his genetic ethnicity as an Asian man.<BR/><BR/>If somebody ever tried to do an adaption of a Mr. Miss story and wanted to cast him white, I'd officially shit a brick.<BR/><BR/>The ethnicity of my characters is something I've been challenged on before. Each time I find the discussion utterly surreal. I think I've mentioned here before how I was once asked by the CBC to "justify" the fact that my main supporting character in a TV show premise was East Indian.<BR/><BR/>My lame answer (which failed to impress anyone): "Well, he was born in India."<BR/><BR/>I work in the most multicultural city on the whole planet (according to the demographics), and mixing professionally and socially with people of all sorts of colourful backgrounds defines my sense of "normal." I really don't know what to say when I'm asked to explain including such diversity in my stories.<BR/><BR/>All I know is this:<BR/><BR/>1) Not everyone can best relate to pretty white people.<BR/><BR/>2) Different cultures and sub-cultures are interesting, and lend characters colour and depth.<BR/><BR/>3) "Cultural appropriation" is a criticism launched only by prescriptivist dickweeds.<BR/><BR/><I>CBB have you ever thought of putting one of your stories into script form and possibly make a movie?</I><BR/><BR/>Matt Chapman down in LA had been working hard toward that very goal, but I'm afraid a serious wrench has been tossed in the works by the Writer's Strike. It may be over now, but I have no idea how long it will be until Hollywood powers-that-be become interested in new pitches again. They've got quite a backlog to work through, first.<BR/><BR/>Love,<BR/>Cheeseburger BrownCheeseburger Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384136287767500794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-42315143651381850032008-02-18T13:46:00.000-05:002008-02-18T13:46:00.000-05:00Mr. Miss was my favourite from the moment he stepp...Mr. Miss was my favourite from the moment he stepped off the plane and into the Hot Foo. I find others' reactions to him endlessly entertaining, but it's usually more interesting to see the ones who "get" him than the ones who don't, like Wainwright, Aglakti or his Dad. Makes me wonder how <I>I</I> would react to him<BR/><BR/><I>"Assessment of the victim's property does not indicate goddamn creepy-assed indian."</I><BR/><BR/>Heh. That's about right, yep.Bridgethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07259309555394112308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-46162051620165815822008-02-18T12:31:00.000-05:002008-02-18T12:31:00.000-05:00Mr. Miss is definatly in the top 3 favorite chract...Mr. Miss is definatly in the top 3 favorite chracters, along with Mike and Lallo. I have a friend "horse" from North Dokota, he is 6'4", and has bad knees and wears a trench coat and eats out of cans. I often put him in my mental movie. He makes a pretty good Mr. Miss. Wes Studi is too short. Graham Green is close but not tall enough and maybe too round in the face. It would be nice to have the actor Native. I would love to play the part but I am also too round in the face.<BR/><BR/>FooBurger is right, we need a diagram or something for reference, I use the comments to help, these guys always give enough feedback to spark my memory. CBB I have forgotten, is Mr.Miss's mother Native? <BR/><BR/>I too have to ask the "old lady" for permission, not that she's controlling, she is just better with money than I am. I tend to get myself in trouble.<BR/><BR/>CBB have you ever thought of putting one of your stories into script form and possibly make a movie? Better work on getting a book deal first Huh, sorry I get exited easy.Big thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03728437300843445339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-26761414341308223532008-02-18T08:57:00.001-05:002008-02-18T08:57:00.001-05:00Oops, also: hello Mandrill!Love,CBBOops, also: hello Mandrill!<BR/><BR/>Love,<BR/>CBBCheeseburger Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384136287767500794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-73098058614247477092008-02-18T08:57:00.000-05:002008-02-18T08:57:00.000-05:00Simon says,For some reason, I've always pictured a...Simon says,<BR/><BR/><I>For some reason, I've always pictured a slimmer version of Graham Green as Mr. Miss...</I><BR/><BR/>Indeed we would have to adjust the vertical hold a smidge -- a sort of stretched-out version. For reference: <A HREF="http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2007/05/15/greene460.jpg" REL="nofollow">Graham Green</A><BR/><BR/>Fooburger asked,<BR/><BR/><I>Who's the Stephen McWhoever again?</I><BR/><BR/>Some low-life who offed his buddy, possibly over something trivial. I don't expect we'll meet him: he exists only to demonstrate Mr. Miss' prowess at sifting the scene for clues and coming up with the right connections.<BR/><BR/><I>"A pair with filters over their faces"..."</I><BR/><BR/>Noted, thanks kindly.<BR/><BR/>Sash mentioned,<BR/><BR/><I>Oh, and yea! for a new copy of Simon of Space! Do you mind if I BookCross a copy? Its usually a good way to get new readers. www.bookcrossing.com</I><BR/><BR/>That sounds like a brilliant idea, Sash!<BR/><BR/>Teddy argued,<BR/><BR/><I>We've never heard of this George, because I VERY seriously doubt that Novice George's name would come up in a murder case.</I><BR/><BR/>Quite right -- beyond the fact that I'm pretty sure Novice George would be nothing but a twinkle in his parent's eyes at this point, and his parents would probably be playing Pokémon and listening to Hannah Montana all day.<BR/><BR/>Mark mentioned,<BR/><BR/><I>I'm still wondering when we'll see how he came to eat lukewarm Campbell's Scotch Broth.</I><BR/><BR/>I think his first inspiration on that front was probably the way he was drugged by Dean Willoughby. How he settled on his exact brand and flavour of safety food, though, I'm not at all yet sure.<BR/><BR/>gl. said,<BR/><BR/><I>...maybe if his supervisor requested it, but certainly not from wainwright.</I><BR/><BR/>That's a good point. I'd imagined that it was indeed someone higher than both of them that gave Mr. Miss' assignment the nod, but perhaps I should make that explicit in the chapter so we're not left wondering about Blake's apparent inconsistency.<BR/><BR/>And al chimed in,<BR/><BR/><I>As for who should play him in the upcoming movie...</I><BR/><BR/>I'm iffy on Simon's Graham Green plug, but I'm not sure Christian Bale would be appropriate for Mr. Miss, either. Maybe I should do some digging on my own to see if I can't come up with a fantasy cast that fits my own mental images. Let me noodle it for a bit and see what I come up with...<BR/><BR/>Love,<BR/>Cheeseburger BrownCheeseburger Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01384136287767500794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-4694249929259140422008-02-18T04:05:00.000-05:002008-02-18T04:05:00.000-05:00I am liking this chapter a lot. I love how you wri...I am liking this chapter a lot. I love how you write the reactions of people to Mr. Miss. <BR/><BR/>As for who should play him in the upcoming movie, who better to play the worlds greatest detective than the worlds greatest detective... Batman!! or a skinny Christian Bale if he's not available.alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12330912850864917649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-65235861481872815832008-02-18T02:25:00.000-05:002008-02-18T02:25:00.000-05:00if blake is such a hardass, i'm having a hard time...if blake is such a hardass, i'm having a hard time believing he'd be willing to allow a rogue "consultant" to take an extra 30 minutes on a case with such little significance and which he already thinks is solved. maybe if his supervisor requested it, but certainly not from wainwright.gl.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11890196589573443189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-77040921260443214982008-02-18T00:48:00.000-05:002008-02-18T00:48:00.000-05:00A chapter with Mr. Miss is always a good one. I'm...A chapter with Mr. Miss is always a good one. I'm still wondering when we'll see how he came to eat lukewarm Campbell's Scotch Broth.<BR/><BR/>But more than that (by a little), I can't wait to see how he first comes upon the damage done to the time-space continuum thingie.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08722639974320971726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-4286580594910461502008-02-17T22:28:00.000-05:002008-02-17T22:28:00.000-05:00We've never heard of this George, because I VERY s...We've never heard of this George, because I VERY seriously doubt that Novice George's name would come up in a murder case. Although, it could be that Mr. Miss is simply pointing them at somebody who knows more about the case than he does...<BR/><BR/>I like Tim most, because he's the quintessential improbable hero. Difficult to like, not popular, EXTREMELY nerdy, very much like me. Also, the whole time traveller thing, that's pretty freaking cool.<BR/><BR/>TRHTeddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06429915965397673079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-65722290586526730512008-02-17T20:48:00.000-05:002008-02-17T20:48:00.000-05:00Simon,I'm with you on the underdogs, but I still t...Simon,<BR/>I'm with you on the underdogs, but I still think Mike is my favorite. There are so many tied for second though, including Mississauga. <BR/><BR/>CBB,<BR/>I think I'm starting to see where all these could tie together - you're withholding just enough information to make me uncertain about my theories. That's great on your part as a writer and extremely frustrating on mine as the reader. <BR/><BR/>Oh, and yea! for a new copy of <I>Simon of Space</I>! Do you mind if I BookCross a copy? Its usually a good way to get new readers. www.bookcrossing.comSashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686577019173406075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-37759322143041155632008-02-17T19:10:00.000-05:002008-02-17T19:10:00.000-05:00thanks for the chapter...Who's the Stephen McWhoev...thanks for the chapter...<BR/><BR/>Who's the Stephen McWhoever again? <BR/>Sounds kinda familiar...<BR/><BR/>Need a diagram or something to keep the names straight. :) I think this is mainly because we're reading a lot of these names over long periods of time (in the installments), rather than fresh as-book-read. Almost would be nice to have a script auto-index names with links to stories in which they've been referenced... I think this hits at a fundamental difference between this format and the standard novel.<BR/><BR/>This wording stumbled the read a bit, for me... Obviously it's a pair of police officers, but the reference caused a 'look back' for me just to make sure.<BR/><BR/>"A pair with filters over their faces"<BR/><BR/>dunno.. just thought maybe 'pair of them with...' or 'pair of officers with...'<BR/><BR/>I can't wait for the big rumble royale where Lallo, Sky, Zoran, and all the others mix it up in a big cage match.. :) Wait.. that's probably the wrong channel.fooburgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00598732577922981025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-57537741990638396682008-02-17T18:56:00.000-05:002008-02-17T18:56:00.000-05:00Huzzah, and congrats on the book. I'll be asking t...Huzzah, and congrats on the book. I'll be asking the wife's permission to order one momentarily.<BR/><BR/>Enjoying the current story immensely, even though I'm not commenting as much.Mandrillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03968818764660945524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16435271.post-17814903134610221032008-02-17T17:09:00.000-05:002008-02-17T17:09:00.000-05:00Just idly trolling my feeds on a Sunday afternoon ...Just idly trolling my feeds on a Sunday afternoon to come across this little gem. Nice.<BR/><BR/>I'm fairly certain that Mr. Miss is becoming rather firmly entrenched in the annals of CBB characters as my favourite. His is quite nearly the most unique situation of them all, so he does have that going for him. I do so love rooting for the underdog.<BR/><BR/>It was nice to see Wainwright again. She's had Miss's back for quite some time, hasn't she? And paid for it over the years too, judging by her situation in The Extra Cars. I guess a decent ass will only get you so far, even in the forces.<BR/><BR/>For some reason, I've always pictured a slimmer version of Graham Green as Mr. Miss. sort of like his character in Dances with Wolves, but with a crew cut. Maybe a little bit of Wes Studi, but I think Green has more of the eyes for it.Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06946639624660520997noreply@blogger.com