Hey, all! I need a basic head count of those folks who plan on attending this year's F2F in Madison. I'll be talking to the hotel today to start hammering out the details and one of those will be how large a block of rooms we can guarantee. Could those of you planning to attend pop into the F2F thread and give me a holler? Thanks much!

Held over another week by popular demand (ok and scheduling conflicts) tonight is the final Firefly watch n' post for Objects In Space arguably one of the best episode of the bunch. It starts at 7pm on the west coast, 10pm on the east coast and somewhere in between for you no-coasters (you are invited even though your drinks tend to leave water marks on tables). By not showing up tonight the terrorist truly win. Thanks.

It's on your side. You know as much as it to you reveals. It flies, is money, and waits for no man. And it's our Super-Special Topic for The High Hat No. 10: It's Time.

Yes, 10! Can you believe it? Ten issues of America's little webzine that could! And we want YOU to be a part of this Ultra-Special Issue.

Of course, if you're not interested in writing about our Extra-Special Topic (Had we but world enough and it...), we're also interested in your thoughts on movies, music, tv, books and arts, and life itself.

Please send your pitches to highhatsubmissions@gmail.com by April 30th. We're looking for finished articles by May 15 so we can go to press in June. It is of the essence, so be on it!

Ever yours, The Editors

Victor D. Infante returns to his occasional column, "How to Succeed As A Failing Writer" with an aptly named installment: Long Time Quiet Now: A brief break in the silence. Go read!

This is mostly for anyone who might have sent me baby clothes...

I regularly read a blog written by Mel who runs a non-profit that provides doula services and bags of clothes to poor women in South Africa. I am planning on sending her a package of used baby clothes - stuff that Frisco has now outgrown. However, much of that stuff was very kindly sent to me by buffistas. I just want to be sure that no one has a problem with me sending their clothes on to South Africa. (I did get a few things that were requested to be returned when we are done with them. I am, of course, not sending those things to SA.)

Anyway, please e me if you would like anything back. I'll be mailing the package on Wednesday, I think.

Does everyone know that the cover of this week's Newsweek has an offer from Target for a reusable shopping bag. Using the cover of the magazine as a mailer, you can send in your plastic Target bags in for a coupon for one of Target's reusable bags.

One offer per household.

SoCal-istas:

We are in the fight of our lives and urgently need every person reading this to volunteer for just one day over the next two weeks. The Equality for All campaign needs 1,000 volunteers in the next two weeks to stop the ballot initiative that would change the state constitution to prohibit marriage for same-sex couples for generations.

Proponents of this initiative are paying people for each signature they collect and reports are coming in from all over the state about the misleading tactics and outright lies these paid gatherers are using to get people to sign their petitions. That is why over 2,000 volunteers with the Equality for All campaign are talking to Californians from Eureka to San Diego and throughout the Central Valley, telling the truth about this initiative.

Join Equality For All’s Rapid Response Teams TODAY! Clearly, these efforts are having an impact. Here’s what proponents of the initiative are saying about Equality For All’s campaign:

“We are facing a major obstacle that could derail our effort to protect marriage…Our opponents have launched a counterattack to disrupt the petition drive and keep the Marriage Amendment from qualifying for the ballot….This is slowing down our daily signature totals”—ProtectMarriage.com email, April 7.

We can’t let up now and we need your help more than ever in these last critical weeks before their deadline to submit signatures to the counties. We need you to help tell the truth about what this amendment means for millions of California families.

Please join Equality For All’s Rapid Response Teams and they will contact you within 24 hours to sign up for one of the shifts listed below. Volunteers are needed every day. If you don’t live in one of these areas, please drive to the closest office. Bring your friends and work as a team! If you can’t volunteer yourself, please forward this email to 5 of your friends.

Riverside:

10:00 am 2:30 pm and 1:00 pm 5:30 pm

San Bernardino:

10:00 am 2:30 pm and 1:00 pm 5:30 pm

Burbank:

9:30 am 2:30 pm and 1:00 pm 6:00 pm

Pasadena:

9:30 am 2:30 pm and 1:00 pm 6:00 pm

Orange County:

10:00 am 2:00 pm and 2:00 pm 6:00 pm

We can have the proponents of this discriminatory and destructive amendment on the run. But we simply don’t have enough people on the ground in key areas, which is why your help is critical right now. Please sign up today to help—we don’t have much time and we need you now!

Sincerely,

Equality for All Campaign >[link]

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We now have a website for the F2F. The link is also available in the F2F thread.

Information on room reservations is there, as is a ton of stuff to do around Madison, copies of the catering menu, etc.

Those wishing to contribute to the debauchery party fund may PayPal me at:

dinky40 at charter dot net

Hope to see you there!

New teaching blog entry over at my site: Scheduling My Tiny Little Breakdown.