I had to shoot through glass (they close off that entrance after 11 p.m.–go figure!) so you can’t read it, but the shield with “Harris Teeter salutes the Wounded Warrior Project” is on the front to the lower left.
The Pentagon Row Harris Teeter, the one across I-395 from the Pentagon has a 1280-pound sculpture celebrating the Wounded Warrior Program.
In cheese.
I saw it today. All unsuspecting, I went into the store to pick up a few things for dinner. The doors whooshed open, My first thought was: What is that odor? It smells like Greg left something out of the refrigerator too long. Then I realized there were an awful lot of balloons in the display area to my left. Slowly, I turned… Yes, I do know that old Burles-Que routine, and no, the trigger has nothing to do with falls.
It's all about the cheese.
Orange. Glassy. Ripe. Carved into a replica of a famous statue embellished with a big shield proclaiming, "Harris Teeter Salutes the Wounded Warrior Project."
In cheese.
According to this article, the sculpture's been around since at least Veterans Day. Based on personal observation, it's starting to separate in places. (See it while you can!) Store management tells me it's going to be taken away to the local homeless shelter any day now.
Words fail. My mouth opens. It closes. Somebody, somewhere thought it was a really cool idea to honor our veterans' service and sacrifice by memorializing it–
In cheese.
A half ton of cheese, people. With little packages of Harris Teeter cheddar, the artist's chosen medium, artistically displayed around the base of the sculpture to let customers know that they, too, can buy a piece of (say it with me!)…
CHEESE!
I apologize in advance, but somebody's got to say it: This gives a whole new meaning to the word "cheesy".
And people wonder where I get my ideas. No way, NO FRACKING WAY could I make this stuff up. *headdesk*headdesk*headdesk*
More chewy video goodness. This one dates to Dragon*Con 2011 and features authors Leanna Renee Hieber, Gray Rinehart and Princess Alethea–Alethea Kontis–herself.
A little Halloween pressie from your Capital City. 
Sir Terry Pratchett is scheduled to speak at Capclave tomorrow afternoon. Squeee! Now you really should come. 
And as a result of Sir Terry's appearance, you'll get an extra chance to see me. "From Idea to Story" was rescheduled to 10 p.m., and due to the late hour, they needed some extra panelists. Heh heh. Have I got some tales to share!
With no Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading in sight (sob), this year's Capclave schedule is a peach. I'll be participating in just three program items
Friday, 7 p.m.
Magical Worlds–The various uses of magic in fantasy, science fiction, horror and mainstream fiction. From the Force to spells, the panel will also look at unique forms of magic in a variety of books. Panelists: Danny Birt, Stuart Jaffe (moderator) and Jean Marie Ward
Saturday, 8 p.m.
Capclave Mass Autograph Session–A gathering of all the Capclave authors in one place, ready to sign books and chat!
Saturday, 9 p.m.
Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press Award and Party–Join us for the announcement of the winner of the WSFA Small Press Award. There will also be some other surprises revealed, plus cake! (Have I mentioned I'm nominated? With Capclave guests of honor Carrie Vaughn and Catherynne M. Valente? And Sarah Monette? And Jack McDevitt? And RJ Astruc? (You can't see it on the page, but my grin's reeeeeeaaaaaalllly wide right now. Heck yeah, there will be cake! And photos, too.)
This leaves me a lot of time to hang with friends, take pictues and, hopefully, shoot a few new author videos for Buzzy. So drop by and take in a few panels–they don't even have to be mine. You'll be glad you did. Promise!
For those of you who view clicking through picture galleries with the same horror our parents reserved for slide shows of Aunt Ermintrude's trip to the Catskills, today's post at Beyond the Veil is for you. I've cherry-picked some of my best photos of Dragon*Con 2011 and wrapped them in the lightest of all possible con reports. And there isn't a panel table anywhere in sight. Enjoy!
This one totally blew me away. Lord Bai’s Discovery” from the anthology Dragon’s Lure has made the short list for the Washington Science Fiction Association’s 2011 Small Press Award, along with stories by Sarah Monette, Carrie Vaughn, Jack McDevitt, Catherynne M. Valente and RJ Astruc. The awards will be presented at Capclave, October 14-16, in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
I’m still pinching myself–to think my story about a foodie dragon is being read in such company… I may need a glass of champagne just to calm down.
And to think the only news I thought I’d have today was the posting of Michael Swanwick’s Balticon interview. Which you should totally read. He’s one of the best raconteur’s ever. Then you can go back to watching me shriek and caper around the computer.
I’m not the only one who thinks the cover for Hellebore & Rue is simply gorgeous. The cover made it to the finals in the first round of Rainbow Awards judging. So did a cover by one of my favorite people: Anne Cain. Let the best cover win, even if I really, really hope it’s ours. 
Cruxshadows violinist JoHanna Moresco demonstrates violin technique to a young friend before Monday morning's concert.
It’s been a challenging week here at Casa Ward/Uchrin. Days of rain succeeded in doing what earthquake and hurricane failed to do: postpone my work on my Dragon*Con photos and videos.
We’re still dealing with the aftermath of the flood, but the photos are sorted and posted at Flickr. I plan to post a Thursday Thirteen at Beyond the Veil in the near future, but Flickr’s the place if you want to see the complete set.
Meanwhile, Buzzy Multimedia has posted my interviews with authors Maria V. Snyder and Paolo Bacigalupi. We’re also tweaking my Tour of Tor. I’ll post the link soon.
Finally, I want to remind everybody that my story “Billy’s Monster” will be published in Hellfire Lounge II: Rat Pack Redux. The story leans more toward horror than my usual, but with a scheduled publication date of late September/early October, it’s certainly in keeping with the season.
Appearances
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April 13-15, 2012
Richmond, VA
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May 25-28, 2012
Baltimore, MD
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August 31 -
September 3, 2012
Atlanta, GA
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Coming Soon
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March 2012: "Fixed" in The Modern Fae's Guide to Surviving Humanity
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About the Art
Contact
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