THANK YOU, FICTIONAL CITY OF CHICAGO
YOU MAY NOW BEGIN DISMANTLING your tall buildings of paste and papier mache.
IT WAS A LOVELY VISIT with both Lawrence Weschler at the Humanities Festival
AND OF COURSE, the late night Malort club.
I GO TO ANN ARBOR NOW to say hello to the ancient BORDERS #1.
MEANWHILE, I STAND CORRECTED. As per @nickcatal, the photo of me in a viper from my FIRST visit to space is indeed on the Internet.
THAT IS ALL
Uh, you may want to double check that image…
Comment by Folcon — November 11, 2009 @ 12:09 pm
Wish I could have been there, John, because at least then I’d have a payoff to all the stapling and unstapling involved in constructing a glittering mirage out of our barren Midwestern plain. Really pleased you’re including the Miami Book Fair in your schedule, too. I lived in Miami for three years during grad school and the fair (along with a magical bar-from-another-era called Fox’s on Route 1) was about all I found redeeming about the place. Hope your appearance goes well and hope you also have time to slip into a reading or two; lots of great authors descend on the city every year.
Comment by Scott Tobias — November 11, 2009 @ 12:10 pm
The Malort Club was great! As the one that chugged the last of the second (”tainted”) bottle I’d like to apologize to anybody who didn’t get any as a result (or rather, you are welcome).
Come back soon, but don’t forget to tell us in advance(papier mache takes a while to dry)
Comment by gimbu — November 11, 2009 @ 4:46 pm
My first reaction upon reading the world “viper” was that you would be in some sort of snake-costume, and then I assumed maybe a Dodge Viper, and then, upon seeing the photo, I thought you were in some kind of X-Wing or something. In related news, I have never seen Battlestar Galactus or whatever it’s called.
Comment by Jacob — November 12, 2009 @ 1:32 am
uh…the WORD “viper”
Comment by Jacob — November 12, 2009 @ 1:32 am
Clearly Wiki Battlestar doesn’t know who they’re dealing with. What kind of a global paradox do we live in where John Hodgman can be seen in a giant ad across the front page of YouTube, but on the same day he’s refused permission to post a picture of himself as himself on his own blog.
Comment by Kim — November 12, 2009 @ 12:56 pm
Dear HodgMan:
I see from your note above that you have given permission to the Very Large City of Chicago to dismantle all of its buildings following your recent visit (something that the Extremely Lovely City of San Francisco did not have to do because its buildings are Very Real and Substantial and Michael Tilson Thomas needs some place to conduct his orchestra).
Do you suppose you could use your Mighty Power to arrange to have the City of Chicago, rather than putting its parts into storage, send its parts to the City in Which I Reside, Emeryville, California? This way, on your next visit, you could enjoy the beautiful architecture of Emeryville (where it is warmer) instead of San Francisco (where it is colder).
There would be very many benefits to this Course of Action, besides replacing the moon-sized mall next to where I live and the Earth-sized Ikea Shopping Center where I purchased all of my furniture before I realized I had no idea how to assemble any of it (which I learned only after suffering a skull fracture).
We have two bookstores in Emeryville: a Stupendous Borders and a Very Grand and Palatial Barnes and Noble (I do not visit either of them at this time, unfortunately. My wife Gladys forbids me from visiting any bookstore until I promise not to draw in their coloring books. She also took my crayons away from me.).
You could also stay at my house and meet me and my Very Interesting Family. Pixar Studios is also located a short walk from my house, but do not be afraid. I will not permit Pixar Studios to kidnap and imprison you in one of their computer animated castle dungeons with my other toys they stole from me.
Please have the City of Chicago contact me about shipping their dismantled buildings to Emeryville. I am very confident that the Sears Tower will look very impressive on the spot where the Black & White Liquor Store now stands.
Thank you for your help.
Comment by Hugh Lafferty — November 12, 2009 @ 1:29 pm
Bad hotlinker. Bad!
http://media.battlestarwiki.org/images/9/98/John_Hodgman_in_Hot_Dog’s_Viper.jpg
Comment by El Payo — November 12, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
gazing up at you through a foggy haze of malort and ennui i could picture you stumbling down a great chicago street such as state street tears streaming down your face malort in hand the sun rising also what did you think of dune
Comment by franklin — November 12, 2009 @ 6:56 pm
best. secret show. ever.
thanks jh.
captcha: intel codger
Comment by cpt. joy — November 12, 2009 @ 7:47 pm
I think that “anti-hotlinking” graphic is much cooler than any image that could have existed in its place.
Comment by Jon — November 13, 2009 @ 3:31 pm
You really screwed up breakfast didnt you mr No hotlinking
Comment by otto — November 14, 2009 @ 5:29 pm
I am saddened by the fact that I missed your re-arrival in Chicago. That is what I get for being away from the internet for so long.
I am back now and it won’t happen again!
Comment by Aron — November 16, 2009 @ 9:48 am
GoPiano…
Hello
Thanks heaps for this indeed!… if anyone else has anything, it would be much appreciated. Great website Super Piano Links http://www.en.Grand-Pianos.org Enjoy!…
Trackback by GoPiano — November 23, 2009 @ 10:21 am
Every time I look for famous minor television personalities in my city, I always notice the tall buildings disappearing right after the date of the appearance. Somehow I never notice them go up. Drat. Didn’t even know you were on a kind of book tour!
…
Come back soon.
Comment by Samson Felshman — November 24, 2009 @ 1:42 am
Fortepian…
Kilka fotografia z Sensation 2009 w Wrocławiu. Reszta materiału została oddana do MSM Events[ www. msmevents. com]…
Trackback by Fortepian — November 27, 2009 @ 7:46 am
You can use this copy of the image if you so wish.
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/5674/johnhodgmaninhotdogsvip.jpg
Comment by Chris Heath — December 2, 2009 @ 9:58 am