Normally, I wouldn't need such a thing, but my teacher is requiring information about Orson Scott Card that I can't find anywhere, so maybe someone here will know any of the following: - OSC's favorite book, food OR movie. - OSC's favorite song. - OSC's six most important people in his life. - OSC's favorite thing to do in his spare time. - OSC's goal in life.
Mr. Card... A little help here! Posted by AntiCool (Member # 7386) on :
For movies, check out his all-time movie list.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
I'm going to report this post and hope that our esteemed host notices. Because short of a personal reply, I'm not sure how you're going to get some of those answers. *grin*
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
Your teacher is requiring this information? Heck, I don't even think I could answer those questions about myself!
Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :
Ooh, ooh, these are easy.
Favorite movie: American Beauty
Favorite Food: American Chocolate
Favorite thing to do in spare time: Watch Sponge Bob Square Pants
Most Important People in his Life: Michael Moore, John Kerry, Arnold Schwartzenegger,
OSC's Goal in life: To make Science Fiction more "Elite" and "Literary."
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Posted by aragorn64 (Member # 4204) on :
What docmagik said. ^^;;
Posted by AntiCool (Member # 7386) on :
Posted by Puppy (Member # 6721) on :
Holly, I'm OSC's kid, and though I can't really answer for him, I can give you a few better guesses than the lies Doc is feeding you
- OSC's favorite book, food OR movie. Honestly, I think he has so many of these, there is no way to pick one. But one of the earliest influential novels in his life was Foundation by Isaac Asimov.
- OSC's favorite song. Again, he listens to music incessantly, and is always trying out new artists. He does have a rare appreciation for Broadway, however, and loves to sing around a piano with friends and family members.
- OSC's six most important people in his life. He would probably immediately list off his wife and five children if you asked him this.
- OSC's favorite thing to do in his spare time. He plays Sid Meier's Civilization II incessantly while preparing to write. He also spends a lot of time jogging, watching movies, and picking up favorite TV shows on his DVR.
- OSC's goal in life. He has a lot, most having to do with the happiness and success of other people. He is a very generous man, and cannot stand to watch a friend or family member suffer a setback without offering some kind of help or support.
Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :
Those were my next guess.
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
- OSC's favorite book, food OR movie. Let's go with food. Many favorites come and go, but over the whole length of my life, on average, the food that emerges most often right at the top of my sensual pleasure list is: Baskin-Robbins chocolate chip ice cream.
- OSC's favorite song. My sentimental favorite is Melissa Manchester singing "Midnight Blue," because it was part of my romance with the love of my life. Fortunately, that also happens to be my wife. But a close second is "Away in a Manger," which I sang every night, over and over, for hours at a time to one of my children who could not go to sleep without daddy-singing-time. And not far behind is "Teach Me to Walk in the Light," which is tied up with my own childhood and then the life of my son Charlie Ben. And then, probably, Captain and Tenille singing "Love Will Keep Us Together" - again because of that romance thing ...
- OSC's six most important people in his life. Kristine. Geoffrey. Emily. Charlie Ben. Zina. Erin Louisa.
- OSC's favorite thing to do in his spare time. It used to be Civilization II, but four months ago, in the crush of getting Magic Street and Shadow of the Giant written against seemingly impossible deadlines, I gave it up, and having broken the habit, I haven't gone back. My favorite thing now is to sit in front of our obscenely widescreen TV with Kristine and Zina and watch American Idol while making snide or appreciative comments.
- OSC's goal in life. To write and direct a romantic comedy that's even better and more successful than You've Got Mail. And no, I'm not joking.
Posted by Occasional (Member # 5860) on :
I'm still at the "What kind of assignment is that?" phase. Reading actual answers to the questions seems so secondary to that nagging feeling.
Posted by A Rat Named Dog (Member # 699) on :
You stopped playing Civ II?! Awesome! Now I can finally get you hooked on something else!
Heh heh, and by the way folks, my dad is being very kind not to embarrass me, but I'll admit that I was the kid who tortured him with insomnia and made him sing Away in the Manger all the time. Lucky for him, now it's my wife who has to deal with my inability to sleep ...
[ March 10, 2005, 01:14 AM: Message edited by: A Rat Named Dog ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
This is TERRIBLE! I have now lost all respect for Scott.
American Idol? REALLY?! Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
Rivka, American Idol represents the Road Not Taken for me. I wanted to be a singer but lacked the courage to put myself on the line. It all ended when I sang a song in public that I was not adequately prepared to sing - forgot the words and humiliated myself. My confidence was shot. I took a different road. But on American Idol I see kids with the courage and determination (and talent!) that I didn't have. I admire them. Even the annoying ones.
Then, too, there's the fact that Simon Cowell is my hero. I think he is sometimes needlessly harsh or uncompassionate, but most of the time he is simply candid and absolutely right. For me, he is the true protagonist of the melodrama.
Meanwhile, Kristine and Zina and I watch and discuss and vote with passion and enthusiasm.
Hey, American Idol isn't a moral deathtrap like Survivor, where people are induced to stab each other in the back. The Idol contestants aren't also the voters. And in the end, the winners really do end up with recording careers. You may not be a fan of the winners, but then, I'm not a fan of a lot of singers who have extremely remunerative careers, but I don't mind that they exist or that their fans are happy with their miserable, contemptible performances and I would never say a word against them. It's live and let live, I say.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Actually, I rather like many of the winners and near-winners. It's the show itself -- and its focus, as most of the "reality" shows, on humiliating participants -- that disturbs me.
The only reality show to date that I have been able to remotely stand was The Mole -- and even then, only the first one.
I think it was the chemist in me. Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
I just don't appreciate the fact that the contestants all fit neatly into vocal stereotypes. Not a huge fan of reality TV at all.
Posted by Mormo (Member # 5799) on :
Mr. Card, while you are feeling chatty, will you answer one question for me? Okay, 2 including that one.
Is Alvin really based on Joseph Smith as some have written here at Hatrack?
I am just curious. Whether it's true or not, I have enjoyed that series immensely. The dialoge is especially superb.
I also enjoy Hatrack.com very much, it means a great deal to me. Thank you and Kristine for starting and maintaining it.
Alan
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
SPOILER ALERT. [added later, after a complaint - though I've been saying this information for fifteen years ...]
I used Joseph Smith's life as a skeleton on which to hang the whole Alvin Maker story, but as with many of my plans, it quickly grew beyond the original conception. Seventh Son is markedly tied to JS's life, but the later books aren't particulary tied to him at all. I simply followed where the storylines led me. However, in the final volume Alvin's death will definitely resemble JS's murder in government custody, and Arthur Stuart will vaguely represent Brigham Young and Peggy will more closely resemble Emma Smith.
In the end, though, the Alvin Maker series turned out to be FAR more about American history than about Joseph Smith. And that's how it will be in the last volume as well.
[ March 10, 2005, 09:18 AM: Message edited by: Orson Scott Card ]
Posted by Mormo (Member # 5799) on :
Thank you for the quick answer! Very interesting.
quote: as with many of my plans, it quickly grew beyond the original conception... I simply followed where the storylines led me.
The best plots and characters seem to evolve like that.
Morbo
[ March 10, 2005, 02:22 AM: Message edited by: Mormo ]
Posted by Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged (Member # 7476) on :
Geoff, you should get your dad to play Rome Total War. Of course he'll need a fairly powerfull computer, but it's well worth the invesment.
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
Darn it, OSC (edit: Or Mr. Card.. if you prefer. I forget politeness on the internet), spoiler tags!! Just because the book's not been written yet doesn't mean you can spoil it for everybody... Gosh!
Seriously though, in my heart I knew it, but my mind didn't want to think of it.
Edit: I think that the new addiction should be Hatrack... Joiiiin us... We are your fanbase...
[ March 10, 2005, 02:50 AM: Message edited by: Ryuko ]
Posted by Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged (Member # 7476) on :
What's the surprise? All of OSC's major characters die*.
*Except in the Enderverse, where you can go "outside" and return in a new body.
Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
Wow. You should play Morrowind, Mr. Card. It's really a great game, and the only RPG I ever played at for more than one hour, because there's so much paths possibles that it's not boring at all and really a personal experiment !
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
That this has morphed into a "recommend a new computer game for OSC" thread is both surprising and oddly sweet. Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
HollyCarp... you have no idea how fortunate you are that you actually got a direct response to these questions, and so quickly. It must be your lucky day.
FG
[ March 10, 2005, 08:53 AM: Message edited by: Farmgirl ]
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
From the sounds of it, OSC's finished a few projects lately. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
You know, Civ IV is in development.
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
So let me get this straight ...
If I had just announced that for the past four months I'd been clean and sober from my wine addiction, would you folks be suggesting different alcoholic beverages I could try?
[ March 10, 2005, 10:35 AM: Message edited by: Orson Scott Card ]
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
Have you tried Knights of the Old Republic? BEST starwars plot ever. Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
I'm SO sorry I did that ! *bursts in tears* *looks through eyelashes to check that everyone realizes it's a joke*
[ March 10, 2005, 10:48 AM: Message edited by: Anna ]
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
quote:It used to be Civilization II, but four months ago, in the crush of getting Magic Street and Shadow of the Giant written against seemingly impossible deadlines, I gave it up, and having broken the habit, I haven't gone back.
What, you never made the switch to Civ III? Civ IV will be out by the end of the year, supposedly.
Not that I'm one to criticize people who play old games. I play my NES at least as often as my GameCube. I had a computer specially built for me with obsolete parts just so I could play the original Civ again. So, yeah. . . .
quote:Darn it, OSC (edit: Or Mr. Card.. if you prefer. I forget politeness on the internet), spoiler tags!! Just because the book's not been written yet doesn't mean you can spoil it for everybody... Gosh!
What spoiler? That Alvin's going to die? We already knew that. Peggy said it right in one of the books. He's going to die in Carthage City. It's called "foreshadowing". Posted by Sid Meier (Member # 6965) on :
Actually while I agree Civ2 and civ3 were great games in there own right there were sooo many things that annoyed me and they were somewhat lacking. Like sure I could guide a civilization throughtout the millenia the battle system was lacking. HOWEVER Hearts of Iron II is great and that is the game I REALLY REALLY suggest. a WWII rts were the grand campaign lasts from 1936 to 1949. Think of it as a combination of Risk and Axis and Allies but its all real time. You can pause the game or set the game speed to an acceptable speed. Its a grand strategy game were you can choose theoretically ANY nation in the 1936-1949 period (like denmark, nationalist china, etc) However for a busy writer like yourself sir I suggest it only as a game to play when you have free time or a holiday. It is a VERY flexible game you can save your multiplayer game and load it in single player and vice versa. So yeah very GOOD Game...
... though I got grounded for playing it too often...
[ March 10, 2005, 11:14 AM: Message edited by: Sid Meier ]
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
I vote for a good ole game of Scrabble, meself -
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
quote:So let me get this straight ...
If I had just announced that for the past four months I'd been clean and sober from my wine addiction, would you folks be suggesting different alcoholic beverages I could try?
In the spirit of the thread title and of the suggesting addictions I want to ask something that's been bugging me for a while. You never review West Wing in your columns, is this because you just don't watch it, or you watched it once or twice and didn't like it? (If it's the former and you want to try it, rent season one/two/three on DVD when Aaron Sorkin was still writing, the newer ones are just, in my opinion, aren't that great, typical TV drama writ large in American politics).
Hobbes Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
West Wing was and is very well written and well-performed. It was the writers' smugness about leftwing political positions and their onesidedness that finally drove me away. But what's there to say in a review? It's well done, but I disagree ... people who want to be reassured in the vast superiority of the Left will be able to have a very well-written and well-acted reassurance. Those who don't think either side has any particular patent on virtue are still waiting for a political show to watch.
Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
Haha...give in to the temptation Mr. Card...try an MMPORG. Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
Fair enough, I wasn't so much wondering why you didn't write about it as if that meant you didn't watch it, since minus the left-wing bias (which I agree exists in heaping quantities) it seemed right up your alley.
Hobbes Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
I enjoy the West Wing, and I think that the addition of Alan Alda to the cast helps flesh out the grey areas that exist between the left wing and the right wing. This is especially nice for the 95% of us live our lives in that grey area.
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
My problem is that I spend much of my life straddling the grey area, with one foot in the Left and the other in the Right. Which places all those gray area people in between. This is why I never wear kilts.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
So who are you guys pulling for in this season of American Idol?
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
I'm so pulling for Bo. Jamie is too, when last I checked.
Posted by aragorn64 (Member # 4204) on :
quote:But a close second is "Away in a Manger," which I sang every night, over and over, for hours at a time to one of my children who could not go to sleep without daddy-singing-time.
Heh, I seem to remember Maps in a Mirror stating a slighty different song was sung...
quote:So let me get this straight ...
If I had just announced that for the past four months I'd been clean and sober from my wine addiction, would you folks be suggesting different alcoholic beverages I could try?
Nah, just for computer games. (Well, probably not computer games since I own a Mac...which means my game addictions generally are limited to consoles.)
Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
quote: My problem is that I spend much of my life straddling the grey area, with one foot in the Left and the other in the Right. Which places all those gray area people in between. This is why I never wear kilts.
Well, we all appreciate your modesty. I'd imagine that the terrible draft has somethign to do with it also.
Posted by beatnix19 (Member # 5836) on :
I'm a fan of Bo as well. He has a great voice, knows his style, and just is way cooler than all the Usher and Britney spears look alikes. I also like the music teacher guy (froget his name) he just seams like he would be an awesome teacher to have. Haven't been really impressed with thegirls, although the fro headed girl (I know that's an aweful description, but it's the best I have) is pretty good. She was reall good the other night.
Of course the very fact that I'm typing all this is evidence to the fact that I'm actually still watching. I usually quit after the original try-outs, but my wife has me hooked on still watching.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
Mr. Card-
I know of something I'm sure your son Geoff would be happy to get you addicted to, Katamari Damachy ; I think I spelt that right. It is totally addictive and fun. Or you could always get addicted to Hatrack, like many others have suggested. The two things I am addicted to are your fault, that is not a bad thing; in fact I thank you for them, Virtual Battle School, I love it; especially commanding Salamander Army, and, of course, the Hatrack River Forum. I'll stop babbling now.
[ March 10, 2005, 05:55 PM: Message edited by: SteveRogers ]
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
Mr. Card:
I'd really appreciate it if you came to Utah sometime between September and April. That way, I could meet you and get you to sign something for my mom. Right now the weather's gorgeous, though I hear Provo's even better in the summer. Maybe not so much excema-inducing dryness, which even gets me down sometimes, so I can't blame you for not wanting to come.
Or, even better, you can just come to Arkansas between April and August, where rain actually comes out of the sky and it's woods beauty instead of desert beauty. There's a really nice Barnes and Noble in North Little Rock, then I can take my mom to meet you personally, even at the expense of having a potentially really nice Mother's Day present for her (if you were to come to Utah between September and April, that is).
I'm glad you have spare time between writing to kick back and talk to use on Hatrack, and I hope you have fun with the Bootcamp this year.
Sincerely, Ashley
[ March 10, 2005, 07:21 PM: Message edited by: sarcasticmuppet ]
Posted by Sid Meier (Member # 6965) on :
Hearts of Iron II! Best Grand Strategy Game EVER! voted game of the year several times! Ranked 9.7 on soem websites the lowest was 8.4!
Posted by HollyCarp (Member # 7493) on :
Oh my! I didn't think the topic would get this great of a response.
Thank you so much guys! You are all so great. I have no idea why my teacher did that, it is so hard to find information on authors, and I thought I was going to have to make up something.. of course watching Spongebob was at the top of the list. Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
If I suggested to my publisher that my signing tour for Magic Street should include Little Rock Arkansas, I'm not sure they'd even understand what I was saying. In planning tours, the publishers generally skip over the same areas that political candidates fly over. Tours aren't about selling books, actually. They're about hitting the lists - so they need to pump the numbers and spur a rush of sales all at once, early on.
That said, I want it known that when I got to suggest a tour for Sarah, I pushed for signings right up the middle of the country. So next time I'm the one making key decisions, I'll try to include Arkansas in the mix.
As for why I don't go to Utah between Sep. and Apr., it's because part of our reason to go is so that our ten-year-old can see grandparents and cousins. During the school year, we can't take her out of school that long without an "educational purpose." So we try to go in the summer ...
Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
So what's with no L.A. stops this time? *sob*
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
Sounds good. I was beginning to think you just didn't like me.
Re: Political candidates, yeah the 2004 election seemed pretty boring for us except for the Rock the Vote that came by. I think W came by in 2000, but neither he nor Kerry decided to drop by in 2004.
edit: Pop you and I are constantly posting simultaneously!
[ March 11, 2005, 12:01 AM: Message edited by: sarcasticmuppet ]
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
Who said he didn't?
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
Didn't not like me? I must admit that I hadn't not thought of that.
[ March 10, 2005, 11:31 PM: Message edited by: sarcasticmuppet ]
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
ARG! Curse my horrible mastery of the English language! How can one make sly insults without that knowledge!?
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
quote:In planning tours, the publishers generally skip over the same areas that political candidates fly over. Tours aren't about selling books, actually. They're about hitting the lists - so they need to pump the numbers and spur a rush of sales all at once, early on.
Does that mean you're never going to come up here to Alaska for a book-signing? Posted by mimsies (Member # 7418) on :
I also want Mr. Card to come to New mexico for a book signing! Posted by accio (Member # 3040) on :
What is preventing you from coming to Atlanta? You don’t have to be in downtown or midtown. There is a Barns and Noble in Alpharetta.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
Missouri, St. Louis area is really nice. You should stop by sometime. *wink wink*
Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
Condoleeza Rice did came in France, I think (or was it Belgium ?). Does that count ?
Posted by Sid Meier (Member # 6965) on :
Hearts of Iron 2! NO better way to tell who is the better strategist!
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Hey guys, if you all keep harrassing him with the name of every city he should visit, he'll just get bored with this thread.
Anyway, politicians come to Florida all the time.
I'm just sayin' . . .
Posted by AntiCool (Member # 7386) on :
Politicians and hurricanes? Who could ask for anything more?
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
This is all my fault. Posted by starlooker (Member # 7495) on :
So... I'm guessing North Dakota is out of the question, then?
Ah, well. Fortunately, North Dakota is used to being ignored (who'd've thought? Big metropolitan center of commerce that we are). And at least I got to meet Mr. Card at a signing once when I was living in North Carolina.
By the way, if you're reading this Mr. Card, my cousin's reaction when he saw I had a book signed for him was truly something to behold. He just stared at the page for a minute and then his jaw just about hit his knees. "You've got to be kidding me." Unfortunately, he refuses to read the book for fear of damaging it now, and so had to buy a new one. All the same, bar none, best reaction I've ever had to a gift I've given someone.
He and his brother introduced me to your work -- he used to entertain me on car trips by telling me the plots of different stories you'd written and asking me what I'd do with the moral dilemmas from The Worthing Saga, and his brother bought me Ender's Game for Christmas when I was 11. So that's three of us who would show up should you ever make it to our fair and frozen state. Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
quote:Hey guys, if you all keep harrassing him with the name of every city he should visit, he'll just get bored with this thread.
Your point is well taken, and no doubt it's true. But in my defense, I have been campaigning for an Alaskan OSC book-signing for some time now. There's a lot I love about my home state, but sometimes it really does suck to live in the most forgotten state in the Union.
Not quite as remote as Hawaii, it nevertheless has the disadvantage of not being particularly warm. People love Hawaii and don't think of it as remote. They think of it as a tropical paradise. Alaska they think of as . . . well, most people don't think of Alaska. Everyone knows it's a real state, but nobody really knows anything about it except "it's cold", and they would no more think of coming here than they would think of going to Nunavut.
As an Alaskan who does not have the monetary means to travel readily to other places to see authors I like, or concerts, or stage shows, it's depressing to look at the lists of tour dates for this or that person or show and find that, once again, Alaska isn't on the list. People who live in other states don't know what that's like. People who live in other states can drive to other states to see someone or something they want to see. (Except Hawaii, but again, people love Hawaii. People go to Hawaii, so people who live in Hawaii don't get neglected.) Even to drive to Washington, the closest state, takes several days. It's cheaper to fly--and even then, not all of us can afford to just get on an airplane and go somewhere whenever we feel like it. Don't get me wrong; I love my homeland. But it's a forgotten frontier land.
[ March 11, 2005, 11:12 AM: Message edited by: Verily the Younger ]
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
I'm sorry, Verily the Younger, but North Dakota is the most forgotten state in the union. Well, second most. The MOST forgotten state is ... is ... oh @#$%, I can't think of ...
Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
So let's say I go to Alaska. WHERE in Alaska? Juneau? Anchorage? Fairbanks? Nome? Sitka? Kodiak Island? The North Slope? Is there a Barnes and Noble or Borders? Do i need to bring my own books to sign?
Posted by alluvion (Member # 7462) on :
quick question on Alaska:
Could I bring my parrot (to the presumed book-signing) or is there a quarantine period?
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Admit it, you're avoiding Florida now because Bob Scopatz left, aren't you?
I grant you it's not the same now, but me, Icarus, zgator, Storm, and others would love to have you...
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Storm wouldn't be able to actually, you know, attend, but he'd just love for you to visit anyway. Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
quote:So let's say I go to Alaska. WHERE in Alaska? Juneau? Anchorage? Fairbanks? Nome? Sitka? Kodiak Island? The North Slope? Is there a Barnes and Noble or Borders? Do i need to bring my own books to sign?
Anchorage is the largest city (just slightly larger than Greensboro, in fact), so if you're just talking signings, that would be your best bet. No book signing in Alaska would be large, but you'd get the highest turnout here. We have both a Borders and a Barnes & Noble.
Fairbanks is the second largest city, though in any other state it would be called a "town". You could probably have a decent turnout there, too. I couldn't tell you what bookstores they have there.
Honestly, and this is the part where I shoot myself in the foot, it probably wouldn't be worth it to go anywhere else here for a signing. There's a reason we're called "The Last Frontier", and it ain't that we like competing with Star Trek. I went into more detail in the other thread (because I hadn't seen your response to me in this one yet), but if you really want to come here to fill in the final remaining gap of states visited, your best bet would be to come here just to come here. A couple of quick signings would be almost beside the point, but if you're into smaller, more intimate signings, I think it would be worth it for you.
And even if you didn't do any signings, Alaska's still worth visiting just for the sake of doing it. Saying that defeats the purpose of my campaigning to get you to do a signing here, of course, but I can't be entirely selfish. Even if I don't get to meet you, I still think you and your family would enjoy a summertime visit to this state. And if you've already got forty-nine of the fifty, why not go ahead and finish it off?
Then you could write a Review of your trip and tell everyone how beautiful and scenic Alaska is, and how relaxed and informal the atmosphere is. And how you almost got eaten by a bear. That way we could scare potential tourists and keep them away. We don't like tourists here.
(Um . . . that last part was a joke. Just in case anyone didn't catch that. )
Posted by starlooker (Member # 7495) on :
ND is the most forgotten state in the Union.
When I tell people I'm from North Dakota, they invariably laugh. My dearest friend desperately wants me to move somewhere else so that she doesn't have to try to explain to people why on earth I moved here.
(Of course, for me personally ND is not the most forgotten state. I always forget Delaware when I'm naming the 50 states. It doesn't sound like a state. When I do remember it, I have to double check with myself on the order of, "wait... is that really a state? because I feel like I'm making it up, and perhaps it's a city. Or just sounds cool.")
However, as I'm pretty sure there will never be a book signing here, maybe the next time you're making a reference to an obscure midwestern state in a book (e.g., Idaho & Kansas in SotG) you can use us?
ND needs all the help it can get reminding people it is a state. There have actually been movements to declare it a territory again. I kid you not.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Washington has threatened to split in two for decades now - politicians just need something to focus on besides the real work, and the threat of changing statehood is always prime . . .
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
Wait, there are people in North Dakota who want to turn the state back into a territory? Wanting to divide the state or declare independence, I could see. (There's a small and not even slightly significant faction in Alaska that wants to secede. I think Vermont has one too, though I don't know why.) But what on earth would be the advantage of regressing to territorial status?
Edit: Come to think of it, how could North Dakota possibly be the most forgotten state? If you remember South Dakota, you remember North Dakota. They go together. That would be like remembering West Virginia while forgetting Virginia. Or remembering Bud Abbott and forgetting Lou Costello.
[ March 12, 2005, 02:58 PM: Message edited by: Verily the Younger ]
Posted by starlooker (Member # 7495) on :
Not people in ND as I understand it. People outside ND. I honestly don't know too much about it, but I know my uncle once wrote a column protesting it...
Not that it would ever happen anymore than the stupid campaigns to change the name of ND to Dakota are going to happen. (For some reason, people think the reason people don't come here is the name "North" Dakota makes it *sound* too cold. The fact that it actually IS cold seems, in their minds, to have precious little to do with it. There's nothing like waking up, looking at the weather channel, and realizing Moscow has it better than you do.)
And just how many people do you know remember South Dakota?
But they're more liable to remember it due to Mt. Rushmore. Also, a lot of times people attribute cities and monuments that are actually in North Dakota to South Dakota (e.g., "Bismarck, that's in South Dakota, right?" "Oh, yeah, you were telling me you had family in South Dakota?" "Now where in South Dakota are you from?")
Just trust me on this one. Everything you said about Alaska applied to ND, except for the driving time.
Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :
Perhaps you should try Bush Alaska... interesting place, there. If I'm not mistaken the only way in and out is by helicopter.
This is a... random question. Mr. Card, have you ever played Dance Dance Revolution?
Posted by mothertree (Member # 4999) on :
quote: Arthur Stuart will vaguely represent Brigham Young and Peggy will more closely resemble Emma Smith
This parallelism isn't going to be stretched to the marriage proposal, is it? I am glad for your clarification, it is what I understood about the series, though I often get at odds with folks who insist on the word "parallel".
Welcome to hatrack, Holly Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
This is all very interesting, but can we go back a bit to Mr. Card's statement on North Dakota? I'd just like to say:
We have a North Dakota!?!?!?! I thought it was just a myth. Sort of like West Virginia and South Carolina.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
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Seriously though, in my heart I knew it, but my mind didn't want to think of it.![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
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