Ravencon 2010 will be held April 9-11, 2010 at the Holiday Inn Koger Center in Richmond, Virginia. Announced GOHs are Rachel Caine (Author), R. Cat (Artist), and Steve Long (Gaming).

Memberships are $30 until December 31, $35 until April 1, and $40 at the door. More information can be found at the Ravencon website:

http://www.ravencon.com

Ravencon is being brought to you by some of the same people who will be putting on the 2010 NASFIC, ReConStruction.

For those of you who may not know it, today is a special anniversary for NOTA. After meeting for a few months -- and arguing about what we should call this group -- we finally took a vote on October 15, 1989. After nobody's favorite suggestion could get enough votes, Michael Baugh opened his mouth, and suggested "NOTA" as a name for the group. Before he could take the suggestion back, everyone else pounced on the idea, and the group became known as NOTA.

So, now you know. It's all Michael's fault. :)

And even though we had been meeting for a few months, I suppose today is as good as any a date to consider as NOTA's "birthday." So, Happy Birthday, NOTA!

The October NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, October 17, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. Janie Broughton will be the host for this month's meeting, and the topic will be Halloween Pictionary and party.

The meeting will run from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM, and as always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

And please not that we are back to the library this month. Last month's switch was just a one-off thing.

As I mentioned a few days ago, the Bon Air library needed the meeting room this Saturday for a children's program, and as a result, we can't use the room for this month's NOTA meeting. I'm pretty certain that this is just a one-time thing.

I did suggest an alternate meeting place for this month. Since no one else had a better suggestion, we're going to go with that.

The September NOTA meeting will be this Sunday, September 20, at Heine Brothers Coffee, 2200 Bardstown Road. This is the Heine Brothers at the corner of Bardstown Road and Douglass Boulevard. Johnny Carruthers will be in charge of the meeting, and the topic will be a discussion of recent conventions.

The meeting will run from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Heine Brothers offers free wifi, and I rather suspect that they will prefer that we buy a drink. It might also be a good idea to limit the outside refreshments.

I will try to get there a little early, to ensure that we will get a good table. And this might be a chance to attract new attendees.

Last night, I had a message from the Bon Air Library on my answering machine. The library is having some sort of program on September 19, and they need the meeting room. Which means that we aren't going to be able to use it for our meeting.

How do all of you want to handle this? Do we want to meet somewhere else for the September meeting? Do we want to meet at the library, and decide where to go from there? Or do we want to reschedule the meeting date? The message said that they would try to find another date for us, if possible.

I will be talking with the librarian in charge of scheduling the meeting room tomorrow. Give me an idea of what we want to do by then. Thanks.

From what I can tell, everything at the library is more or less back to normal. Full Internet access and printing is back, and most of Polaris has been restored. The "My Account" function is still inoperative, unfortunately. Considering how hard the main library was hit in the flash flood, though, I would have to say that LFPL has done pretty well to restore as much as they have as quickly as they have. The main library remains closed, and I have heard that it may not reopen until the beginning of the year.

And as a public service, I thought I should alert you to the reemergence of a threat thought long extinct -- killer unicorns. More information can be found at the website of the National Unicorn Control Agency (NUCA):

http://www.killerunicorns.org

Watch the video, then click on the other links on the page to learn more.

As I mentioned in the meeting announcement, the Bon Air library did not suffer any flood damage last week. It's open, and we shouldn't have any problem with the meeting tomorrow.

As of last night, the LFPL website was partially back, and the branches have limited Internet access. Polaris (the catalog database) is still down, but I was told that it should be back up within the next week. Printing is also not quite running normally yet; if I'm understanding things correctly, it will be running normally once Polaris is running again.

If we want, we can probably ask one of the librarians to give us an update at the meeting tomorrow.

The August NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, August 15, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. This month's meeting will be a group discussion of what makes good science fiction.

The meeting will run from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM, and as always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

The Bon Air library did not suffer any flood damage during last week's storm, and has been open, so the meeting shouldn't be affected. There is no internet access, and the LFPL website is still down. That is supposed to change this week, though. It just hasn't happened yet.

As far as I can tell, site selection results for the 2011 Worldcon and 2010 NASFIC were announced last night at Anticipation's Masquerade, because the masquerade issue of the at-con newsletter gave a barebones announcement of the results. I suspect a more detailed announcement will come in a subsequent issue, but this is all I have at the moment.

Reno, NV won the site selection for the 2011 Worldcon, and will be called Renovation. Dates for the convention are August 17-21, 2011. GOHs are Ellen Asher, Charles N Brown, Tim Powers, and Boris Vallejo. Renovation's website, which I am certain will have more details, is:

http://www.renovationsf.org

Raleigh, NC won the site selection for the 2010 NASFIC, and will be called ReConStruction. Dates for the convention are August 5-8, 2010. GOHs are Eric Flint, Brad Foster, Juanita Coulson, and Toni Weisskopf. ReConStruction's website, which again should have more information, is:

http://www.reconstructionsf.org

Both websites are up and running, and I should have more information before Saturday's NOTA meeting.

The July NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, July 18, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. Susan Baugh will be the host for this month's meeting, and the discussion will focus on this question:

"Which do you think is scarier -- mythical/fictional monsters or human monsters? And why?"

The meeting will run from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM, and as always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

And if you're a member of Anticipation (this year's Worldcon), the deadline for mailing your site selection ballots for the 2011 Worldcon and the 2010 NASFIC is July 15. I believe that Joe and Lisa Major will be attending Anticipation, so they may be willing to deliver your ballots to the convention.

And while the only bid listed on the NASFIC site ballot is Raleigh, I have heard that the group hosting the 2010 Westercon (in Pasadena) is attempting a write-in campaign. Let's vote for Raleigh, and make next year's NASFIC easier for us to attend.

For those of you who are members of this year's Worldcon, Anticipation, the deadline for submitting your ballots for the Hugo Awards is fast approaching. Ballots must be received by July 3, 2009 at 23:59 PM EDT.

If you need a copy of the mail-in ballot, a PDF can be found here:

http://www.anticipationsf.ca/files/uploads/Hugo_Ballot_2009.pdf

And the online ballot can be found here:

http://vote.anticipationsf.ca/hugo.php

The June NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, June 20, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. The topic for this month's meeting will be Godzilla.

The meeting will run from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM, and as always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

The May NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, May 16, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. Carol Clarke will be the host for this month's meeting, and the topic for the meeting will be time travel.

The meeting will run from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM, and as always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

Wonderfest will also be held this weekend. It will run Saturday and Sunday, May 16-17, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (formerly the Executive West). Adult admission for one day is $20 (either day), or $28 for both days. Same hotel, just a new name and owners.

The theme for this year's Wonderfest is a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the movie Alien, as well as Wonderfest's 20th anniversary. Announced guests include Veronica Cartwright, Angela Cartwright, Bob & Kathy Burns, Mark Schultz, and William Stout, among others. More information cam be found on the Wonderfest website:

http://www.wonderfest.com

This is the only local convention this year (and let's face it, the only decent one for the past few years), and it's usually fun.

A "Mutant Bar Party" will be held Friday, May 1, at Chatter's Grill in Stonybrook Cinemas, 2745 S. Hurstbourne. The party will begin at 8:00 PM, and will be held in conjunction with the premiere of Wolverine. More information can be found by clicking on the link below:

http://www.meetup.com/movie-maniacs

According to this site, The Great Escape will be putting a Wolverine comic in the hands of everyone attending the party.

The April NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, April 18, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. Jim Seay will be the host for this month's meeting, and the topic for the meeting will be military science fiction.

The meeting will run from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM, and as always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

My brother sent me this link today in honor of St. Patrick's Day. This is too good not to share with as many people as possible. Just click on the link below; the video really speaks for itself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK2Lx_gSr5k

I hope you have a Happy St. Patrick's Day, and that you don't go to quite the excesses some of the people in the video apparently did.

The March NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, March 21, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. Lee Muncy will be the host for this month's meeting, and the topic for this month's meeting will be a preview of the upcoming Star Trek movie.

The meeting will run from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM, and as always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

If you were a member of last year's Worldcon, Denvention 3, or joined this year's Worldcon, Anticipation, before January 31, there is one thing to keep in mind. The deadline for submitting your nominating ballots for this year's Hugo Awards is March 1. Or as it states on the ballot, "All ballots must be received prior to 23:59 PST on Saturday, February 28, 2009.

You should have received your nominating ballot with Progress Report 3. Ballots can be submitted by mail, or online. Anticipation's Hugo page can be found here:

http://www.anticipationsf.ca/English/Hugos

You will need your Hugo PIN to submit your ballot online, and you will have received that with Progress Report 3 as well.

The February NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, February 21, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. Michael Baugh will be the host for this month's meeting, and the topic for this month's meeting will be a review and discussion of the Auto X-Prize.

The meeting will run from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM, and as always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

The January NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, January 17, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. Lee Muncy will be the host for this month's meeting, and this month's meeting will be a review and preview of recent and upcoming movies.

The meeting will run from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM, and as always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

The Zone will soon be moving. On January 31, they will move to the Woodlawn Shopping Center, 291 Hubbards Lane. This only a block or so from their current location at 4121 Shelbyville Road in St. Matthews, next to Big Lots.

Between now and then, it looks like The Zone is holding a moving sale. I know that they have more than a few bins of $1 back issues, and they probably have more merchandise on sale as well.

The December NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, December 20, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. The topic for this month's meeting will be the election of officers, and setting the schedule for 2009.

The meeting room has already been scheduled for 2009. When I filled out the reservation form, I requested the third Saturday, and and I got the request in before anyone else, so all meetings will be on Saturday in 2009.

As always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

Starting this Saturday, The Great Escape will be holding their annual Twelve Days Of Christmas Sale. Each day, something new will go on sale and stay on sale until Christmas Eve. The list of savings is as follows:

Saturday, December 13 -- Books and Magazines 25% off
Sunday, December 14 -- Posters, Prints, Patches, and Stickers 25% off
Monday, December 15 -- VHS, Cassettes, and Laser Discs 25% off
Tuesday, December 16 -- Gaming (except for CCG Cards) 25% off
Wednesday, December 17 -- New Comics and Trade Paperbacks 25% off
Thursday, December 18 -- Magic, Gaming Cards, and Trading Cards 25% off
Friday, December 19 -- LP Records and 45s 25% off
Saturday, December 20 -- Toys, Action Figures, and Statues 25% off
Sunday, December 21 -- CDs 25% off
Monday, December 22 -- Video Games 25% off
Tuesday, December 23 -- DVDs 25% off
Wednesday, December 24 -- EVERYTHING in the store 25% off (except for Gift Certificates and Online Special orders)

So keep this in mind for the fellow fan on your gift list.

At last month's NOTA meeting, nominations were held for leadership for the next year. Lee Muncy was the sole nominee for the post of Grand Pooh-Bah, and Johnny Carruthers was the sole nominee for Minister Of Propaganda. (In other words, no one else wanted the jobs.)

The elections will be held at this month's meeting, which will be Saturday, December 20, at the Bon Air Regional Library.

Now through December 32, The Zone is holding a "December To Remember" Sale. The Zone is discounting everything 50%, with the exception of new arrivals, supplies, and cafe items. There are also $3.00 Clearance DVDs, $3.00 Clearance Manga, $3.00 Clearance Trades & Graphic Novels, $4.00 Clearance Toys, $5.00 Anime Soundtracks, and bins of 25-cent Back Issues.

The Zone is located at 4121 Shelbyville Road in St. Matthews, next to Big Lots.

The November NOTA meeting will be this Sunday, November 16, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. Lee Muncy and Jim Seay will be the hosts for the meeting, and the topic will be "Military SF -- So Do They Know What They Are Doing?"

Please note that the meeting date is on a Sunday this month. This is the final Sunday meeting this year. The meeting will begin at its usual time of 2:00 PM.

The meeting room has already been scheduled for 2009. When I filled out the reservation form, I requested the third Saturday, and the library staff hasn't had me reschedule any of the dates, so I am assuming that the meetings will all be on the third Saturday of the month.

As always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

I saw this in the TV listings, and it's just strange enough that I have to let everyone know about it. If you've been watching Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader recently, you know that they have had some celebrity contestants, playing for their favorite charities. Well, tonight, the celebrity contestant will be Gene Simmons of KISS. I'm guessing that he won't show up in costume or makeup, but wouldn't it be great if he did? And the thought of seeing Gene Simmons and Jeff Foxworthy together on the same stage is one of those things that just boggles the mind.

Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader airs here in Louisville on WDRB-41 at 8:00 PM. For those of you outside the Louisville area, check your local listings for your local FOX affiliate, at 8PM EST/7PM CST.

This is something I never thought I would be writing. Tomorrow night, My Network TV will be airing The Rocky Horror Picture Show in prime time. Here in Louisville, it will air on WMYO, channel 58, beginning at 8:00 PM. If you live outside the Louisville area, check your local listings for station and time.

The October NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, October 18, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. This topic for this month's meeting will be Halloween Pictionary, and I think Janie Broughton will be the host. The meeting will be from 2:00 to 4:30 PM.

As always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

As I mentioned last time, the Bon Air library was out of power because of Sunday's windstorm. I was just informed that the power has finally been restored. I'm not at Bon Air at the moment -- I'm at Okolona, and I asked one of the librarians -- but it looks as though we can go ahead with the meeting as originally scheduled.

The September NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, September 20, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. This topic for this month's meeting will be a discussion of the movie Serenity. The meeting will be from 2:00 to 4:30 PM.

That is the plan, anyway. At the moment, only about seven of the library branches have power. As of sometime around noon today, Bon Air was not one of them. We may have to decide for alternate plans for this month's meeting.

As always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

The August NOTA meeting will be this Sunday, August 17, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. Johnny Carruthers will be the host for the meeting, and as he has previously announced, the originally-announced "SF Jeopardy!" will not be the topic for the meeting.

Please note that the meeting date is on a Sunday this month. There will be one more Sunday meeting this year, in November. The meeting will begin at its usual time of 2:00 PM.

As always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

The July NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, July 19, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. This month's meeting will be Movie Night, and Lee Muncy will be showing I Am Legend. The meeting will be from 2:00 to 4:30 PM.

Please note that this month's meeting also coincides with this year's Wonderfest.

As always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

This month, The Zone is holding what it calls a "Huge Sale." The store is offering 35% off trades & graphic novels, back issues & vintage comics, toys, clothing, and manga; 25% off Magic cards; $5.00 anime DVDs; and several bins of $.10 back issues. The sale excludes new arrivals, supplies, and food & drinks.

The Zone is located at 4121 Shelbyville Road.

Comic artist Bernie Wrightson will be making an in-store appearance at The Great Escape, 2433 Bardstown Road. The appearance will be this Friday, July 18, from 4:00-7:00 PM, and will be made in conjunction with this year's Wonderfest.

Archon 32 will be held October 3-5, 2008, at the Gateway Center in Collinsville, IL (St. Louis area). Guests will be Laurel K. Hamilton (Featured GOH), John Kovalic (Artist & Gaming GOH), Rich & Michelle Zellich (Fan GOHs), and Vic Milan (TM/Masquerade MC).

I received the Archon progress report a couple of days ago, and listed among the "Other Notables" were our own Susan Baugh and Linda Wyatt. (Shouldn't that be "Other NOTAbles"?)

Memberships are $50 through July 31, $55 from August 1-September 15, and $60 at the door. One-day rates will be available at the door and are TBD. For more information, the Archon website is:

http://www.archonstl.org

Just a reminder: If you haven't cast your ballot for this year's Hugo Awards, time is running out! All ballots must be received by midnight PDT on July 7, 2008.

At this point, the best way to ensure that your ballot is received in time is to vote online at the Denvention website:

https://www.denvention3.org/wcdb/08hugostart.php

If you are voting online, you will need your Hugo PIN, which was sent with PR3. The above website also has instructions on how to request your PIN.

Wonderfest USA will be held July 19-20, 2008, at the Executive West Hotel in Louisville. Because of the current renovation of the Executive West, the daytime events will be held across the street in the South Wing of the Kentucky Fair & Expo Center. Shuttles will be running between the Executive West, Executive Inn (which is the overflow hotel), and the Expo Center.

Admission will be $20 for one day, or $28 for both days. The daytime events will run from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM both days.

For more information, including the guest list and probably a much better explanation of how Wonderfest will be dealing with the Executive West renovation this year, can be found on the Wonderfest website:

http://www.wonderfest.com

Click on the "Hot News" and "On-Line Flyer" links.

For those of you who are members of Denvention 3, please keep in mind that the deadline for voting on this year's Hugo Awards is approaching. All ballots must be received by midnight PDT on July 7, 2008.

The ballot was included with Progress Report 3, which you should have received in May. Online voting can be done at the Denvention website:

https://www.denvention3.org/wcdb/08hugostart.php

If you are voting online, you will need your Hugo PIN, which was sent with PR3. The above website also has instructions on how to request your PIN.

As the ballot website requests, please vote early.

The June NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, June 21, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. The topic for this month's meeting will be British Sci-Fi, and Carol Clarke will be the host for the meeting. The meeting will be from 2:00 to 4:30 PM.

And yes, we're back to Saturdays this month!

As always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

The May NOTA meeting will be this Sunday, May 18, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. The topic for this month's meeting will be a fan favorite discussion of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The meeting will be from 2:00 to 4:30 PM.

Please note that the meeting date is on a Sunday this month.

As always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

The March NOTA meeting will be this Sunday, March 16, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. The topic for this month's meeting will be "Which Are Scarier: Human Monsters, Or Other Types Of Monsters?" The meeting will be from 2:00 to 4:30 PM.

Please note that the meeting date is on a Sunday this month.

As always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

Just remember, a day like today comes around only once every four years. I hope you are doing something interesting with your Leap Day.

The deadline for submitting your nominations for this year's Hugo Awards is Saturday, March 1, 2008. If you are a member of this year's Worldcon, Denvention 3, or were a member of last year's Worldcon, Nippon 2007, you are eligible to cast a nominating ballot. Only members of Denvention 3 will be eligible to vote on the final ballot.

At this point, you should probably submit your nominations online at Denvention's website:

http://www.denvention.org

Click on the "Hugo Awards" link from the main page.

And I would like to suggest nominating our own Joseph T. Major in the Best Fan Writer category, as well as nominating Alexiad for Best Fanzine.

The February NOTA meeting will be this Sunday, February 24, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. The topic for this month's meeting will be "Space Exploration" and Janie Broughton will be the host for the meeting. The meeting will be from 2:00 to 4:30 PM.

As always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

I probably should have posted this a couple of weeks ago. My only excuse is that other things have been taking priority, and I apologize. I did think that the information had been clearly discussed at the December and January NOTA meetings, though.

As I mentioned at those two meetings, when I turned in the room reservation for NOTA, I was told that the meeting room had already been reserved on the third Saturday of February, March, May, August, and November. Someone -- or multiple someones -- turned in reservation form(s) for those dates before I did. Unfortunately, it happens.

Working with the librarian in charge of scheduling the meeting room, I found alternate meeting dates for those months:

February 24 -- fourth Sunday
March 16 -- third Sunday
May 18 -- third Sunday
August 17 -- third Sunday
November 16 -- third Sunday

As I said, I thought I had clearly mentioned them at the December and January NOTA meetings, and I did post the information with the entire meeting schedule a few weeks ago. As those meeting dates come up, I will be sure to make special note of the Sunday dates.

Here is the schedule of meeting topics for the 2008 NOTA meetings.


JANUARY 19 -- Books You Would Like To Make Into Movies

FEBRUARY 24 -- Space Exploration (NOTE: Sunday!)

MARCH 16 -- Which Are Scarier: Human Monsters, Or Other Types Of Monsters? (NOTE: Sunday!)

APRIL 19 -- April's meeting date coincides with a local convention. TBD.

MAY 18 -- Fan Favorite Discussion: Star Trek: The Next Generation (NOTE: Sunday!)

JUNE 21 -- British Sci-Fi

JULY 19 -- I Am Legend -- Movie Night

AUGUST 17 -- Sci-Fi Jeopardy! (NOTE: Sunday!)

SEPTEMBER 20 -- Discussion And Video -- Serenity

OCTOBER 18 -- Halloween/Pictionary

NOVEMBER 16 -- Military Science Fiction: So, Do They Know What They Are Doing? (NOTE: Sunday!)

DECEMBER 20 -- How To Get People To Read More Science Fiction/Business Meeting/Dinner

Keep in mind that some or all of these may be subject to change.

The January NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, January 19, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. The topic for this month's meeting will be "Books You Would Like To Make Into Movies," and Lee Muncy will be the host for the meeting. The meeting will be from 2:00 to 4:30 PM.

As always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.

This is a follow-up on something I mentioned in yesterday's post. For those of you who haven't heard, Mike and Susan Baugh became grandparents again last Friday. Cadence Rayne Justice was born a little past noon on December 7 (hey, a Pearl Harbor baby!). She weigned 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 19 inches long. According to Susan, all are doing well.

Also according to Susan, Nathaniel is really excited about being a big brother. She told me that he now has a T-shirt that says on the front, "I'm the big brother." On the back, it says, "Big Brother is watching you."

The December NOTA meeting will be this Saturday, December 15, at the Bon Air Regional Library, 2816 Del Rio Place. This month's meeting will be the annual holiday party, and we will be discussing the meeting schedule for 2008. The meeting will be from 2:00 to 4:30 PM.

Susan Baugh has promised to bring plenty of photos of the new arrival. We will, of course, insist that Erinn bring the baby at the earliest possible convenience.

As always, NOTA meetings are free and open to the public.