LJ Idol Week 24 What THEY say

[puppetmaker]

From one of the letters of recommendation that was sent to the Yale School of Drama for my application into the stage management graduate program.

I have had the pleasure to work with Kathy in her capacity as stage manager on several shows at Theater Emory. She is very good at her job with excellent organizational skills that has always made my job as director easier. I know if I have a concern, she will make sure that it is addressed. Her sense of calm humor has also been a valuable asset during shows.

This from a professor I thought I was going to kill each and every time we were working together but I was one of the few student stage managers that could work with him or he was willing to work with. So that is a compliment in itself I think.

I found out from a friend of mine about how the actors had nicknames for the various stage managers that worked in Atlanta. Mine had been "firm but fair". He said that I was respected by the acting community because I never showed favoritism to anyone on the projects I worked on. I projected a level of professionalism that I expected from each and every member of the group. I had friends outside the stage door but I never let them get away with more than anyone else which apparently was not the norm.

From the moderator of a panel I was on at a convention

To my far left is Kathleen O'Shea David. Who is a book editor, writer, costumer, puppeteer and probably half a dozen other things that I am currently forgetting. But she is a real cool person and I am glad she agreed to do this panel.

When Peter and I first started dating his friends were concerned. They knew I had attended conventions for a long time and I think they were worried that I was latching onto Peter because of his fame. They held me pretty much at arms length until they got to know me. After we announced that we were engaged, I found myself having a lot of conversations with people who were rather protective of Peter. He had gone through a rather nasty divorce and they wanted to make sure that I was there for the long haul because they didn't want to see him go through that sort of pain again.

I remember Peter told Andreas Katsulas that Peter and I had gotten engaged. I had been introduced before that to him as Peter's girlfriend. It might have been Farpoint or I-Con but it was 2001 and I am pretty sure it was Farpoint. Peter and I went to say Hi to Andreas. He was signing stuff but there was a lull. He saw us and rumbled to me "So you and Peter are to be married?" I told him yes that it was set for May. He said, "I need to talk to you." He asked the people starting to line up for his autograph to give him a minute. He got up and we stepped away from the signing tables just him and me.

He told me that he considered Peter a friend and Andreas was concerned for his welfare since Peter is such a special guy. He asked if I loved Peter. I said of course. He asked me about how Peter and I met and a number of other questions.
Then he asked, "Does he make you laugh?"
"Yes. All the time. It is one of the reasons I love him." I replied.
"Do you make him laugh?"
"I try."
"Then you have my blessing. Be good to him."
I promised I would and we returned to the signing table.

I found out later that Andreas had gone back and told the cast members of Babylon 5 that I was a fine person and Peter and I were very happy together.

From George Takei's web log June 2001(copyright George Takei)

I was off to Atlanta, Georgia, for Vulcon, another Star Trek convention.

The lucky bonus with this trip was that my good friend, gifted writer Peter David, was getting married to his love, Kathleen, a stage manager, puppeteer, editor and all around renaissance woman, in Atlanta on the same weekend as the convention. What blessed serendipity! I arranged with Joe Motes, the organizer of the convention, so that I could manage both the wedding and the convention. He was most cooperative.

Peter and Kathleen were married in a charming chapel on the picturesque campus of Emory University. It was a lovely ceremony. But it was the reception that really captured the spirit of the couple. The venue was a converted former warehouse now called the Shakespeare Tavern. It is a theater patterned after the old Globe Theater of Elizabethan London. So eminently appropriate. Both Peter and Kathleen are theatrical people - she literally and Peter in every sense of the word. His personality, if anything, is colorfully theatrical. His bountiful talent is of the theater as well as literature. Indeed, he even looks like he could play Shakespeare's Falstaff. To top off the theatricality of the reception, the best man at the wedding also became the master of the revels of the reception. He was none other than literary lion, incendiary raconteur and volcanically outspoken convention speaker - Harlan Ellison. He was touching in his fondness of the couple; he was hilarious with anecdotes about their relationship; he was ribald with his jokes; he was inexhaustible and never-ending. Finally, Peter broke in. Peter too is an expert raconteur. The afternoon became a bountiful banquet table of words, words, words as well as good food. Among the guests was Bill Mumy, who you might remember as young Will Robinson in the television series, "Lost In Space." We laughed, we ate and we drank - much too much. It was a fantastical wedding reception - as it should be for Peter and Kathleen. May this marriage live long and prosper..

I know that what people say is not all good. Some insist on bringing my attention to where people have said mean things about me. I know at least one person who's nose became very out of joint because Peter and I got together and told everyone and anyone why I was bad for Peter and how I was just trying to get him because he was famous.

I have been told that other people think I am full of my own self-importance. That I am condescending to others. That I play a game of one ups-manship like nobody's business and I usually win so it is better not to start that with me. Oh and I am a big meanie poppy head for pointing out that some information on the Internet is not true and have proof of it ruining their special little fantasy that they created.

One of my recent personal favorites was that I am that bitch who wouldn't give a fan a chance at getting close to Matthew Lewis at DragonCon. That just had me laughing because about 15 years early I was that bitch who wouldn't give a fan a chance to get close to Neil Gaiman and a couple ago it was Jewel Staite. I do tend to play bad cop for my friends so the fans will be mad at me rather than them. I fully cop to that.

I have been called a snob and an elitist. Well yeah, I grew up in the ivory towers of academia because both of my parents are college professors so I know my view of the world is slightly different than most folks. I know I had it good as a child and young adult and am proud of my parents for giving me that.

But there also the nice things people say about me here in this web log and other places on the Internet. That sort of makes up for the trash talk.

Overall I am pretty comfortable about what people have to say about me. I know who I am and what I have done. No matter what anyone says, that can never be taken away from me. Believe me, that realization did not come easy to me but over time I learned that it was true.

So having read this, what do you say about me? Or do you have any questions about me?

Comments

[adpaz.livejournal.com]

I say that I am lucky to call you friend. Granted, my main interaction with you has been through this blog and a few e-mails that we have exchanged. But I've always found you kind, friendly, funny, a wonderful mom, brimming with knowledge and experience and one of the kindest hearts I've had the pleasure of getting to know. Maybe I've been lucky enough not to see the bad parts. But everyone needs a little imperfection. And yours all balances out nicely.

Well done entry, my friend. *hugs*

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Awww thanks *blush*

I just try to be me and hope that I can be accepted as me.

[1-rhiannon-1.livejournal.com]

I say that I am honored to have met you (even though it's only the virtual sense). :-) I love the way you write and your magnificent story-telling ability. You're funny and charming and, seriously, is it really such a bad thing to be called a bitch? ;-)

And is it a bad thing that I went all fangirly when you mentioned Andreas Katsulas, Bill Mumy, and Babylon 5? Cause I did *bashful smile*

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Nope. I kinda went all fangirly when I met them but managed to keep it off my face.

But there are still times that I am sitting down and breaking bread with someone I have admired for years and I can't believe they consider me one of their buddies.

[popfiend.livejournal.com]

How do I feel?

<3

You are my friend. Period.

*HUGS*

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

*HUGS* Yep you're my friend too.

[artnouveauho.livejournal.com]

I have only just started reading your journal, but I think you are quite a lovely writer.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I hope to continue to entertain and enlighten.

[caersidi.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad we've become LJ friends as I enjoy reading your writings.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I enjoy yours too. *grin*

[querldox.livejournal.com]

I find the bits about people thinking you latched onto Peter amusing because I recall what he's written about how y'all got together; namely him surprising you at the very end of a con by basically babbling out something like "My marriage is ending, I've found you interesting for a while but of course wouldn't have done anything about it as I was married, but now I'd like to see if something romantic could happen, gotta catch my plane, will talk more later, bye..." to your reaction of "Huh, what did he just say?". : -)

I mean, from everything I've seen him write or heard him say, he's the one who initiated things between y'all. Come to think of it, since I know he's written at least one play, maybe he was trying to latch onto you for theater world cred. : -)

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

He did. But you have to consider what the divorce put him through. He was pretty crushed and his friends were being protective of him. As to some fans and that one woman in particular, I still hear little whisperings at a couple of conventions that we go to. Much less since the Con Com has embraced me as a part of the family but still there.

[geekgrl64.livejournal.com]

We met a long, long time ago when you were living here in Atlanta. We passed at many conventions. One of those I know who you are, but you don't know me. :-)

We have a commmon friend. I attend most of the parties that your brothers throw at Dragon Con. We have never really sat down and chatted, but after having read your journal here, I feel like I have gotten to know a little slice of your life. I look froward to Dragon Con this year so I can try and meet you in person and say hi and chat for a minute or two.

So, I say that you are a stand up person and I love to see what you have to say and your POV on things in general and in fandom!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Please do. I really like to meet people.

Who's the common friend?

And Sean's parties kick serious butt don't they?

[rosepurr.livejournal.com]

YAY!! I wish I was this far along in my own comfort level.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Believe me. It took me a long time and a lot of mis-steps before I got to that point.

[spydielives.livejournal.com]

Do you have your own signing table yet?

If not yet, then soon.

*grin*

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I signed stuff at NYCC. I co-adapted the first 4 issues of Negima and people brought them by when I was tending the table to get me to sign them too.

Now I just need to get that bloody novel done and sold and I'll have more of a reason. *grin*

[spydielives.livejournal.com]

Firstly, SWEET!

Secondly, uh... me too!

*grin*

[n-decisive.livejournal.com]

I say I like you a lot, because you're willing to tell the world unapologetically that you're proud to be who you are no matter HOW anyone else sees that.

In my book, that's makes you high-quality. Well done. :)

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Aww shucks... now I am blushing.

Thank you.

Strangely it was a person I really didn't care for who gave me the insight on how to be comfortable with myself. I still don't care of them but I am grateful that they sat me down and talked to me.

[monkeysugarmama.livejournal.com]

I say we should meet up at Dragon*Con in September!

It's amazing how people make such assumptions about our motivation for doing things. I am glad you have come to such a comfortable place with other people's opinions.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I agree.

I want to make a panel called Meet Puppetmaker40 so everyone can plan but I don't think D'Con is going to go for it *grin*

[kradical.livejournal.com]

My recollection is that that conversation with Andreas happened at I-Con in '01, actually. That was the year that Peter was taking pictures with his wrist camera at the banquet....

[laura47.livejournal.com]

Your wedding reception sounds lovely, i only hope i can have such a joyous one if/when I get married...