Loc on The Drink Tank 168 & 169 (Chris Garcia, ed.)
Dear Chris:

I’ve got The Drink Tank 168 and 169, and you’re working on 170! Time for some fast loccing! Something intelligent and pertinent? Not at this speed, guy…

168…Handicapping the Hugos…I haven’t paid much attention to them this year, because we’re not going to Denver, and never bought a membership of any kind. However, doing this in a year will be very interesting.

I keep hearing that anthologies are going away, that no one reads them. I cut my skiffy eyeteeth on anthologies, so I hope they stay. I would think books of short stories would be a no-brainer, but I keep hearing the opposite.

Dan Steffan and Kurt Erichsen, not to mention Marc Schirmeister, are always left off the Best Fan Artist list, and they should be at least nominated. Do we wonder to ourselves, who did we nominate and vote for last time, and do it again? Steve Stiles is on the ballot, and he’s overdue, too.

Bless your heart for listing me as being left off the list for Best Fan Writer! I am hoping that I might be on the ballot in Montreal. Hope does spring eternal, but many Canadian fans have no idea that I write for fanzines. I do plug for Guy Lillian and Challenger. He has always wanted a silver rocket, and he has worked hard to produce a good fanzine. If I had a vote, I’d vote for him.

Seeing Steve Green is here…he sent me an invitation this very morning to come and join FAPA. I’d like nothing better than to join the apa, but I have little enough time as it is, and I must still devote a big chunk of time to jobhunting. As I’ve done before, Steve, I must turn you and FAPA down. But, who knows what will come down the timeline? Never say never.

169…Costume Con came to Toronto some years ago, but it was so quiet, I never knew it had been here. We’d volunteered to help with it, too… Big ideas are often torn down by small people with smaller brains. It is so easy for others to try to ruin your idea, as friends of mine in British Columbia found out as they tried to set up a ren faire, and others came around to try to ruin things for them. Some of them were SCA types, and others were totally unknown factors. Think the BArea could stand another Westercon?

You must join up with us who at least try to inhabit the Bill Mills’ Virtual Fan Lounge. I’ve missed the last couple of them because of just being busy, but I hope to hit more. I’ll need to be satisfied with the Virtual Fan Lounge because I have no idea how I’d ever justify the money for Seattle. I think Las Vegas was it for me as far as Corflus go.

I don’t think anyone would laugh at four Hugo nominations, especially none of us who have none at all. If I was to call anyone a #2 Fan Face, I’d have to seriously qualify and explain the term… Rob Sawyer will be in Las Vegas himself soon at Xanadu, the convention Scott Anderson is chairing. I hope lots of Vegas-types will get a chance to meet Rob; he’s always up and ready to talk.

Hope this makes it into issue 170. Tonight is a regular local fannish pubnight (Third Monday), so we must shortly get ready to go and party. It’s a long weekend this weekend (Victoria Day), so we’re at home relaxing, doing a little cooking and ready to party tonight. Thank you again for more good zines with lots of fine pictures, and I am certain 170 will be fun.

Yours, Lloyd Penney.