michaeldthomas

Elisabeth Sladen and Colin Baker were the main guests at that same convention. Lis called Cait “sweetiepop,” held her hand for the photo, and commented that she must be at least nine, since she looked such a lady. Caitlin grinned, and preened, and generally was really excited to meet Lis (she’s also a big fan of The Sarah Jane Adventures). When we got Lis’s autograph, I happily paid for a glossy, but she insisted that Caitlin pick out a second one, gratis, from Father Christmas, and signed both photos extra with kisses on them just for her. Lis also went out of her way to say goodbye to Caitlin as she was checking out of the hotel while we were in the lobby.

Lynne M. Thomas, “Marrying Into the TARDIS Tribe,” Chicks Dig Time Lords

We're gutted. We haven't felt this sad about the passing of a celebrity since the world lost Jim Henson. Lynne and I both cried many times yesterday. Lis played the most iconic Doctor Who companion. She was my first. She was also Caitlin's favorite. Lis's performance as the plucky adventuress reporter Sarah Jane Smith transcended the show. She was a role model to my wife and daughter. Numerous essays in our book are love letters to Lis and her most famous character.

She will be missed. Our thoughts go out to her friends and family.

How the hell is it 2011 already?!?! Seriously, it feels like we just did that whole Millennium thing. I am not a fan of this whole time-moving-quicker-as-I-get-older thing.

We had a quiet evening last night. Caitlin spent most of the morning crying every 20 minutes due to cramping and soreness. Thankfully, she felt better by the afternoon. Lynne and I "celebrated" New Year's Eve with Chinese food and awful television. At least we were together and not in a hospital. We should have friends stopping by today and tomorrow. That will be nice.

2010 was a phenomenal year for us. Like any year, it had highs and lows.

The bad:

1- My grandfather passed away.
2- Caitlin's hip surgery.
3- My big nonfiction commission was put on indefinite hiatus.
4- I didn't write anything good enough for publication.

The wonderful:

1- Caitlin stayed healthy and had a successful surgery.
2- We continued to have amazing friendships and met some new wonderful people.
3- Chicks Dig Time Lords was a major success for Lynne and Tara, leading to book signings, our first Gallifrey One convention, fanart, fanvids, interviews, convention guest invitations, and fantastic reviews. We even impressed a few famous people who worked on the show. It's been an phenomenal ride.
4- I met all of my writing goals and completed another novel.
5- Lynne and Deb finished Whedonistas.
6- The NIU SF collection grew and Lynne was even interviewed for Locus.
7- Caitlin rocked her communication device and had a smooth transition to a new school.
8- We went on an amazing Make-A-Wish trip.
9- Lynne started two SEEKRIT PROJECTS that will be big deals in the next couple of months.

2010 was a magical year for us. Let's hope 2011 continues this trend.

We couldn't have done it without all of you. Thank you for your love and support last year. You made us feel like the richest people in Bedford Falls. :-)

Musician Alex Chilton passed away yesterday. He was known as the lead singer of The Box Tops and their hit "The Letter" in the 1960s when he was only in his teens. For aging hipsters like myself, he's best known for being the main creative force (after Chris Bell left) of the extremely influential band Big Star in the early 70s. They were unknown at the time, but influenced bands like R.E.M., The Replacements (they did a tribute song called "Alex Chilton"), and Matthew Sweet. Most people know their song "In the Street" after it became the theme song to That 70's Show.
( Thoughts about Alex and my life... )

We spent the weekend at the hospital. My grandfather was in acute pain on Saturday, but I got to talk to him a bit. On Sunday, they increased his pain meds to the point where he's fairly out of it. He didn't talk much, but he recognized me and held my hand.

My uncle and his family are now in town. It was nice to see them.

The doctor doesn't think that Pa will make it through the week. Even though I always knew this day would come (he's 86), it's like learning that the moon will disappear forever next week.

This entry has been bouncing around my brain since Saturday night. I felt about a dozen different emotions during the memorial. I missed Scott and was sad for his passing too soon, but I also felt a joyous warmth from the celebration of his amazing life.

The event itself was perfect. It encompassed all of the good memories I had about IMSA's open mic night of music, readings, and cheesy, derivative sketch comedy. Scott would have loved it.

I went into the memorial with a great deal of anxiety. I'm not very proud of the spazzy teen version of me. I made a lot of mistakes. IMSA was an intense experience. At the time, I didn't possess the maturity or mental stability to handle a residential school for the gifted-- thus my flaming out after a Junior year of DRAMA. These people saw me at my worst.

It seems that all of that crap doesn't matter. Caitlin and I had a wonderful time. I reconnected with friends and buried the hatchet with some people who I left on bad terms. I'm glad I went.

Scott had one last gift for us all; he made sure that our friendships would last forever.

Patrick McGoohan passed away.

Not only was he a fine actor, he created, produced, wrote, directed, and starred in The Prisoner, one of the greatest shows in television history.

He will be missed.

David Foster Wallace committed suicide.

I only met him once, but I was very close to his mother. She was one of my mentors in college. I'm just shocked and upset.