Hey, no prob. I'm just practicing my "what if" abilities. Not bad, eh?

pay no attention to the man on painkillers...

That would be very cool if they moved it here and it was funded by the UNC school system, but everything's a little premature at this point. I'm hoping to hear from Lister Matheson, who runs Clarion, pretty soon, and I can give out more details. This just happened today.

As far as scholarships and financial aid, that all comes from donors and past alumni who donate; I don't see these going away.

Like I said, once I hear something more definitive, I'll let you all know.

"So, we heard from Lister [Matheson] today that Clarion lost its funding from Michigan State."

So, what would be really cool is if John Kessel, or someone similar could convice them to move it here. We have plenty of colleges in the area to help fund it.

But yes, that sucks. If it goes indy, does that mean it might cost more and potentially lack the scholorships they currently (or used to) have?


Keep me (and all the other lurkers) posted.

Thanks, Rachel. Janet's definitely my soulmate, the piece of me that I never knew was missing. Plus, she's a great kisser. :)

That is a wonderful story. I'm a full believer in the whole destiny/soul-mates thing. Good for you for recognizing (and going after) it!

Well, Andreas, it's one of many reasons I advocate Clarion, but it is one of the biggies. And I'm not the first to meet my future wife at Clarion; Alex Irvine did it too.

This just in from Cathy Morrison, who is currently at Clarion:

So, we heard from Lister [Matheson] today that Clarion lost its funding from Michigan State. They are looking at alternate funding methods including moving the workshop or taking it independent.

Bleh. This sucks!

This sucks beyond belief. And I don't understand why; they've funded Clarion for 36 years now, and it's regarded as the most prestigious sf workshop out there. I just don't get it. More news when I hear it.

Ah... Now I know why you're such an advocate of Clarion!

Very nice story though. And the nifty thing is: It's just the beginning of the story.

Thanks, Jon and Vera. It's one of the defining moments of my life, and I thank the gods I took the correct path. Janet has been an unbelievable blessing, and I'm never going to let her go.

Jeez, no pressure indeed. I remember after Janet left, feeling like an absolute shit that I'd sabotaged the relationship before it had even started, and that I was just tired of it. Tired of being untrusting, tired of being alone, tired of not taking chances. I was so pissed at myself. When I went over to her room, hers felt like The Door of Destiny as well, and that I'd better get it right this time. I'm so glad I did.

A lovely story indeed, thanks for sharing it!

On my side of the events, after I got accepted into Clarion but before I left for the US, I was told that the Chui family fortune-teller predicted I'd likely meet, that year, the person I'd marry. When that fortune cookie turned up, I hadn't been thinking about the prediction at all. What was running through my head at that dinner was, "If this bloke beside me doesn't actually like me, he's going to worry that I'm going to get ideas to chase him." It took one week of finding out about Jason's journal and sessions of gossip to find out what was more likely going on, and many hours of working up courage. Before first knocking on Jason's door, I swear there was this heavy feeling the door emanated, that practically screamed: "This is the door to the rest of your life!" No pressure or anything.

That was sweet. And a good thing you both took a chance.

Geez, I'm turning into a romantic softy in my middle age. Go figure.

Thanks, Greg. I don't think I've ever told anybody else that story until now. I was feeling sad and sentimental yesterday, and felt like expressing why.

Celia, yeah, it was weird when Janet and first dating at Clarion, I wanted to shout it out from the rooftops, tell everyone about this magnificent woman that actually liked me back, but I had to restrain myself, especially in this journal. We were trying to keep it to ourselves at the beginning, something that was just for us. Plus, it was kinda fun sneaking around. :)

You never know. You could still end up with Brendan.

I don't remember dinner and fortunes--I may not have gone out--but I remember watching the movie and realizing I was just exactly where I wanted to be. My journal entry from that day though is just bragging about the waterfight. It's funny, remembering the differences between what I wrote down for public eyes and what I would have written for my own.

Okay, that's just a beautiful story. You guys win the workshop.