Heard nothing but good things about you over on Ursula Vernon's blog.

No rest for the wicked.
Have a great time at Oddcon. :)

I've just spent a few days clearing out almost 500 emails from my inbox if that makes you feel any better. Emails suck sometimes - especially when they're all someone wanting something.

Every time I hear or see a story about the TSA I am reminded of how Scrooge McDuck got his start.

When Unca Scrooge was a wee nipper he got his first job. Wanting to leave a good impression the young drake went all out and practically wore himself to a frazzle. He got himself home and wound up plopping into bed utterly exhausted. The next morning his father told him (as best I recall), "The trick is not to work harder, the trick is to work smarter."

If only the TSA was made up of cartoon ducks instead of real life apparatchiks.

450 emails in 3 days?! My god, how do you ever read them all?

(insert rant about airlines and the TSA here)

Did they make you take your nipple rings out too?

It was great meeting you at Technicon. Thanks for all the questions you answered and the books you signed. I hope we didn't bug you too much! I thought about the answers you gave to the questions asked of you in both the formal panels and the informal meet and greet sessions and was driven to write more on my novel. I think that what you said about character development and world building made a few things click for me. So thanks! I for one am glad you take the time to meet the fans. I hope to see you at another appearance sometime.

The simple fact of the matter is that there is more than enough technology available to make the boarding process smooth and problem free.

At least three companies have developed systems that would be referred to as early forms of the scanners presented in 'Total Recall.'

Current chemical detectors can be mounted in the top of an xray device, and can distinguish between hand lotion, shampoo, lighter fluid and liquid explosives.

You could even set the above to sound an alarm if innocent compounds are present that could be combined into a liquid explosive.

However, The Department of Homeland Security would much rather push for nationwide ID cards, and laws that are in violation of the bill of rights.

The present NSA personnel will be perfectly suited HR1955 is passed and Ideological based Terrorism is so broadly defined to allow someone who loses their temper at the delay and can be arrested for spouting off a few obscenities laced with a couple of threats involving the insertion of the passengers foot up a tsa employee's rectum.

GRRM: I'm sure the convention planners have you booked, but if you'd like to try to do a mass bar outing with your local nerd fans on, say, Thursday night, we can recommend many a good place in town!

Blacksburg??! -groan- That's less than an hour from my parent's house where I used to live.

I would of sooo came and seen you if I was in town.
=(

Have a great time and don't let the security dingbats get you down.

I live in Virginia!!!!! How come you didn't let us know in this forum when and where? or did I miss something.. :(

Thanks very much for the info! I am still a newbie to this mode..

:) Chris

Have a great time, and hope you get some well-earned rest. :D

*waves* I'm in Madison! *waves*

I can't wait!

Hope everything goes well with your travel plans! See you on Thursday.

Hello, Mr. Martin. I'm verry sorry to bother you. But a'll try a bit. My name is Aglaya, and I am admire your novels. But I have one problem with it. This summer I and my friend are going to a live role playing game based on your Song Of Ice and Fire. And we have very interesting ideas how to play Maesters. But the people who organise the game say that only men in the books could me Maesters. We answered them, that there are not very many roles for girls in the game, and we really know, how to play Maesters and make them a really intellectual institution and in the spirit of the Book, and that a rpg has at least many other conventions. But they said, that the only way for us to play Maesters is to ask your permission. So that's what I do now.
In any case, thank you for your attention and for your books.

I suppose it'd be too much to hope that those 450 mails include a lot of spam, and not actually all stuff that actually call on your attention... Eww.

have a blast at your next con. thanks for answering my email too. that was quite an unexpected surprise!

I would just like to thank you for your time and company on Saturday. I know I speak for the entire group when I say we enjoyed dinner and our evening with you immensely.

Man, 450 emails is too much. I left one comment back when you mentioned that you are like Hemingway cause you both "write with your blood", but I've gotta leave another one. I check your blog every other day to see what's up, and even as biased as I am and as bad as I know it is to give advice, I have to say it weighs heavy on my heart to see the blog sucking the blood through your fingers. I read Robin Hobb's warning and I just worry your talent is being sucked from you. They're great blogs. Too good; the diction is too God damned good for a blog. Good luck.

Thanks for coming to Blackburg George. Was a pleasure to hear you speak and, however limitedly, get to know you in person.

George it was great to have you visit our humble town and finally get to say hey. My first edition feels complete now with that little bit of ink. Hope a little NFC East talk broke up all the grilling about your work you get at these things. Like i said come on back to VT next fall and catch a Hokie game.