I first learned about the U.S. Marine Corps' involvement with John Brown's attempt to capture the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry while reading the original 1975 edition of U. S. Marine Corps Story by J. Robert Moskin. Updated several times since, to squeeze in the history of the subsequent 34 years, the book has suffered as Moskin has cut out many of the stories of the 19th century Corps. Among those losses is the story of Private Luke Quinn.

On that fateful day in October 1859, Luke Quinn was the senior enlisted Marine in the storming party Lieutenant Israel Green tasked with breaking down the door of the firehouse where Brown and his confederates had barricaded themselves. In Moskin's original account, I read that he was a young Irish immigrant, well established as a man who could be depended on, and in his second enlistment. He stood a good chance of making Corporal in under eight years, which was pretty respectable for that time.

But fate, or destiny, or perhaps the fact that like most Marines Quinn chose to lead from the front, brought Luke Quinn the odd sort of notability which goes with being the first to fall. Charging into the smokey room after battering down the door with a sledgehammer, Quinn was shot in the abdomen by John Brown himself. He died in the street shortly thereafter.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, some would say that Harpers Ferry was the first battle. If so, Luke Quinn was the first casualty of that war. In any case, Lt. Green buried Luke Quinn there on the hillside in the old Harpers Ferry city cemetery, where his grave remains today.

2nd woman awarded British Military Cross

LONDON, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- A 5-foot-tall medical assistant became the second woman in Britain to be awarded the Military Cross in a ceremony Friday at Buckingham Palace.

Kate Nesbitt, 21, of Plymouth, Devon, was the first woman serving in the Navy to receive the medal, given for actions of gallantry on land. She was honored for treating a badly injured soldier while under Taliban fire in Afghanistan in March, The Times of London reported.

She received the decoration from Prince Charles.

More at the link.

The Military Cross is the UK's third highest award for conspicuous heroism. It is roughly equal to the US Distinguished Service Medal. As a Royal Marine Colour Sergeant of my acquaintance once put it, "They don't pass them out with the rations."

Made it to OryCon shortly after noon. Took a couple of hours rest time then launched into the whirlwind: two panels, up to the car to fetch the musical gear, over to the room to do a quick run-through with my band-mates, then onstage in the Oregon room at 7pm. Concert set went mostly okay, I thought. I was relieved that my voice didn't buckle under the strain, but I know it showed some. Short night's sleep and two hours talking in a loud environment with limited water and two hours of panels are the worst possible lead-in to a concert set, alas. Oh well. I survived, and sounded okay, so the hard part of the con is done as far as I'm concerned.

Got to the Art Show reception this evening. A few nice visual pieces, a lot of very interesting bead and glass art, but seems like a less varied selection than usual for an OryCon. Wonder what's up with that.

Like the new hotel (Doubletree Lloyd Center) very much. All the panels and concerts are on the main floor. So is the restaurant - which is staying open later than their usual on the con's behalf, and all of the staff I've spoken with here seem to be enjoying themselves and us. The sleeping rooms (at least in the xx50-and-up group) are quite spacious - and quiet. We happen to have lucked into an odd-numbered room, which means that we have lovely panoramic views of the Willamette River and downtown Portland.

Set list, for anyone who cares, from our Friday concert:

Circle Round
Autumn Leaves
Jack Frost
Blowing Winter In
The Fox
Nemesis
Landscapes
October Country
Really Been There

So, one "anon", three Faber/Hills collaborations, one "trad", three Rivkis/et al collaborations (different tunesmiths on each one), and one Owen/Faber song. Most everything came off pretty well, and both Autumn Leaves and Really Been There got hearteningly favorable receptions.

After our concert I wandered in and out listening to other performers, then wandered off to catch up with a friend from the Tri-Cities whom I hadn't seen in years. Was really nice to be able to catch up with him and his wife and hear how things are going with them - mostly pretty well, though their house sounds like it is as... interesting... in its own ways as what phoenixpdx has reported about her domicile.

Tonight's open filk was bardic-style, and moved rather slowly, but some good stuff was performed nonetheless. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's circle even more, though.

Oh yeah. I have a new car.
( New car. )

I am heading to bedtimeland, but I feel compelled to sing the praises of the new Orycon hotel (Doubletree Portland Lloyd Center) before I drift off. MAN it's the best con hotel I've ever stayed at so far. The rooms are huge and either new or newly renovated - everything is immaculate. The hotel restaurant is cheap and delicious. (It's crazy, I know!) There's a coffee/snack bar in the lobby that was still open at 1:00 AM when I walked by. The staff are cheerful and very amused by/accomodating of the fen. The function rooms are big, there are plenty of them, and almost everything is all on one level. The filk roomS (a panel room and a neighbouring concert/open filk room) are in a little nook separate from the rest of programming and not adjacent to any sleeping rooms, so there's no sound issue. The elevators are zippy, haven't broken yet, and aren't haunted. And Ory has a multi-year contract with this hotel. Calloo, callay, &c.!

I was serenaded about slugs by Alexandre tonight! Jeffrey sang a song promoting Conflikt, which warmed my little publicity princess heart! Other Jeffrey has been singing many hilarious songs that hurt my brain! Char is here AND has been dragged up on stage AND has sung her hilarious gamer widow song! Dixon is ACTUALLY NOT AT BOEING ON A FRIDAY NIGHT! Vixy has reunited me with my postcards and I wrote so many that I ran out of stamps, which actually only means about 15, but that's more than a few. Angelica is here and okay I was about to tell you her room number because it's hilarious but what if I lead her papparazzi stalker fan club minions right to her door and she is buried alive under the weight of her unbearable fame and doesn't sing tomorrow?!! Uh... bedtime, right.

• 15:24 A carol for Black Friday: www.thefump.com/fump.php?id=1112 #
• 16:05 @VirginMobileUS Muppets #
• 16:59 It's 11am, it's Black Friday, LET'S DO THIS THING!!! #
• 17:11 First day of Christmas shopping, and Ed's is playing "Monster Mash". Awesome. #
• 18:17 Star Trek ep. "Tomorrow is Yesterday" Wow, that whole slingshot around the sun thing sure looked like a model spaceship on a wire wobbling. #
• 18:53 @budsharpe @nimah @devospice Gloveathon: Where fun is at hand! Gloveathon: We've got you fingered! Gloveathon: 2 Thumbs Up!... #
• 20:26 Star Trek ep. "The Return Of The Archons" People calm during the day, clock strikes 6, they go ape-shit crazy partying. Sounds like Archon. #
• 00:17 Star Trek ep. "Space Seed" What happened to the Khan stayed with the Khan. 'Space Seed' also female crewmember's nick name for Captain Kirk. #
• 06:17 Star Trek ep. "This Side Of Paradise" Spores reproduce by having a plant shoot them in your face, making Spock the first Moneyshot Cosmonaut #

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Okay well not that you get better seats if you register later, they'll just cost more. Conflikt! January 29-31, 2010 in Seattle! Tom Smith, Andrew Ross, October Country! Mixed in a blender with cranberry sauce! Wait, I just dreamed that part. It's midnight and I'm in a bardic circle and I'm a little punchy.

ANYWAY! If you haven't got your Conflikt membership yet, you have until November 30 to grab one before the price jumps up! If you can't REMEMBER if you got your Conflikt membership yet, or if you're just snoopy, you can check the list of registered members here.

That list will also tell you if you remembered to buy a brunch ticket yet! Which you totally should! It's tasty. Also it comes with a sweet CD with tracks from our guests. I mean sweet in a metaphorical way, it's not in pastry format. Also, did you book your hotel room yet? All the cool kids who don't sleep in pup tents in the parking lot are doing it.

Sleepily,
I remain,
Your publicity princess,
Brooke Lunderville.

Playing with Pandora on the iPhone before I go back to bed, and now have a new station going, seeded only by Scruffy the Cat.

YUM. YUM INDEED. A whole bunch of jangly roots rock power pop YUM.


Incidentally, if you haven't heard either Scruffy the Cat or Charlie Chesterman's solo work before now, go do it. It's great stuff ("Time Never Forgets" is another one of the Perfect Songs in either version), and one of approximately seven zillion things that I'm eternally grateful to quantumduck for.

Rough draft. To the tune of "We all just wanna be big rock stars", or for those of you in the filk community who don't listen to mainstream stuff, "(I Wanna Be A) Filkstar" by Curt "The Camera Guy"

I'm sick of being told I need to want all these things
Mansions, limos and yachts, purses, high heels and bling
That life comes with stuff that just isn't right for me.

(tell me what you want)

I want a good paying job and a decent boss,
Time to worship at the altar of Joss
A good sci-fi store and terrific library

(what, not lots of fame?)

I wanna choose my clothes because I like 'em
Wear pants without always having to hike 'em
Or a denim skirt that goes below halfway to my knee.

(Not the power and the fans?)

I wanna visit my family cross the nation
Get a nice one bedroom in a great location
Some coastal foodie city with museums and galleries.

(You're clearly nuts.)
I'm gonna shun that life of fortune and fame
I'm gonna stay a nerd and relentlessly lame

Cause I don't wanna be a big pop star
I don't like bling and I don't like cars.
My apartment's small and I like it that way
Don't wanna have to care what the tabloids say
They have to hang out with the Pussycat girls
Or Britney Spears, god I want to hurl
Supposed to be skinny and always chic
Buy all their clothes at some designer's boutique
Just no...
No no don't wanna be a pop star
No no don't wanna be a pop star

I wanna learn to throw pots and carve and sew
Make furniture and soap and help green things grow
Make blankets for the babies of folks that matter to me

(Another niece- need some more yarn)

I wanna have a kitchen with all the right pots
Make great comfort food but still eat out a lot
And all my dates will be with people that I want to see

(So here's what I'm gonna do)

I'm gonna shun that life of fortune and fame
I'm gonna stay a nerd and relentlessly lame

Cause I don't wanna be a big pop star
I don't like bling and I don't like cars.
My apartment's small and I like it that way
Don't wanna have to care what the tabloids say
They have to go to parties in designer dresses
Worry 'bout dropped food and other messes
Supposed to be gracious and never shy
Look cool even when the heat makes them fry
But I'll put my feet up in my favorite chair
Make a pot of earl green and let down my hair
Here's a stack of good books, haven't read 'em in a while
By Flint, Huff, Weber, Bujold, Lackey and Lisle.
Well...
Why, why would I wanna be a pop star?

Gonna expand my mind and indulge my senses
Live without starving or stylish pretenses
Hold a job I love, working on databases
And travel each year to all kinds of places.

Cause I don't wanna be a big pop star
I don't like bling and I don't like cars.
My apartment's small and I like it that way
Don't wanna have to care what the tabloids say
They have to wear jewels on each ear
And deck themselves with bling like a chandelier
Never leave the house in less than perfect style
Step onto the carpet to posture and smile
Meanwhile, I'm curled up in comfy old PJs
A pot of roiboos and fruit plate to graze
Haven't got any chores or appointments for a while
I think I'll start with that book by Holly Lisle.
Well...
Why, why would I wanna be a pop star?
Why, why, why would I wanna be a pop star?

"Sometimes a baby will get lost in the tunnels and be raised by moles."
Digger.

Or raised by Humans.

( Warning! Wombat Cute! )

Last night we stayed up rather late. As we emerged from the computer room to go to sleep around 1am, we came to find that the softly thumpy music noise coming from our neighbors is, in fact, a rather loud thumpy music noise. Sleeping with this on would just not be an option. We could, I suppose, go over and ask them to turn it down...

And then, I had a better ok, different idea. And so, we went over to the loud neighbors, informed them that we lived next door, and said that it sounded like a fun party. Over the course of the next 3 hours we sampled Pisco (which is a Chilean grape liqeur, and tasty), had some turkey with Salvadorean-style potatoes, danced (which is to say club-style bounced, but with lots of cuban hip motion), chatted with three couples who mostly spoke Spanish amongst themselves, and felt a bit sorry about the neighbors on the _other_ side. We called it a night (again) by 4am, by which point the party was fizzling out, allowing us to finally get some sleep. In other words, party-crashing proved a success. (Next time I may well bring a bottle of wine.)

And it's really short. Karl took to me with a No. 3 comb on the clippers.

While DH was taking pictures of me, we decided to take one of the Safety Hat too.

( Pictures back here )

YouTube, 3:49

I'm posting from Dunkelpig's new Macbook, so I'm more fumblefingered than usual for this time of night.