Circadian Spring

Okay. I’m going to tell a little story. But for it to make sense, you’re going to have to understand two things…

First, my sleep schedule is wildly variable. When I’m in the thick of revisions, it’s not odd for me to be up until 5 or 6 AM. Neither is it odd for me to sleep until 2 or three in the afternoon.

Second, spring is a confusing time in Wisconsin.

Don’t get me wrong. Spring is great. In Wisconsin we appreciate spring way more than most other folks because we spend half the year buried in snow. In more temperate parts of the world, if the thermometer dips to 68 degrees people start putting on sweaters and shutting their windows.

Not here in Wisconsin. Our winters can easily dip to -40 Fahrenheit (Which, for those of you who are all metric, is the same as -40 Celsius.) So when we get a sunny spring day that hits, say, 55 degrees, we’re all putting on our shorts and playing Frisbee. To us, 55 degrees is like getting a kiss from God…

The main problem with spring in Wisconsin is that Mother Nature is beginning fresh after the hard winter. She’s effectively starting her whole life over again.

That means in April and May Mother Nature is the equivalent of a 14 year old girl. Which is to say she’s insane.

So on May 13th, she can be sunny, happy, and sweet. She can wear a pretty sundress and hug puppies. Then, 12 hours later, she’s weeping inconsolably in her room. By May 15th she’s listening to NIN, wearing black lipstick, and burning herself with cigarettes.

That’s what a Wisconsin spring is like: Sun. Warm breeze. Two inches of snow. Lilacs. Birds singing. Hail. Tornado.

But even in her less extreme mood swings, a Wisconsin spring can be troublesome. Lately I’ve been heading out to my writing space at night, and it’s been chilly, if not chilly and damp. So I put on my coat and hat, walk over there, and write most of the night. Then, if it’s gotten really late, I sleep on the futon mattress I have over there just for that purpose. (Yeah. I know. Pretty glamorous, huh?)

The point is, when I wake up the next day at 1:00 in the afternoon, it’s lovely and sunny. I don’t want to wear my coat home and get sweaty, so I leave it at work and enjoy the weather on my way home.

The first day this happened it wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t have my black leather duster, so I went to the back of the closet and pulled out my old, grey denim duster that I wore for 9 years back in college. It’s tatty, but it’s warm. I also found a weird furry hat that was too small for me, and stuck up about a 8 inches off the top of my head.

So I walk, write, and sleep again. Then when I get up it’s lovely, so I walk home coatless to see Sarah and Oot.

But the third night I was out of options. I don’t own multiple coats. It goes against my whole philosophy. And while Sarah has roughly one Billion hats, they’re all too small for me.

Normally I wouldn’t mind walking a mile or so if it’s just a little chilly. I’m built like a bear, after all. But I was fighting off a bit of a headcold, and I didn’t want it to get worse just a before heading off to so a reading down near Madison.

So, for all these reasons, I ended up walking through downtown Stevens Point at 1:30 in the morning wearing a cloak.

I’d forgotten I owned it. I bought it back when me and my friends used to hit the Ren Fair. Or maybe when we were doing our fantasy LARP. It’s green and black, and in many ways, it was the perfect garment for the job, as it had a hood, too.

But wearing it made me realize two surprising things.

First, the silhouetted figure on the cover of The Wise Man’s Fear is absolutely perfect.

(Click to Embiggen)

I know it’s perfect because when I was walking down the street, the shadow that splayed out in front of me on the sidewalk looked exactly like that. Almost to an uncanny degree.

The second thing that surprised me was how amazingly self-conscious I felt. I don’t like to admit it, but I was really mortified at the thought of anyone seeing me walking around in a cloak.

I think I’m vain. The old denim duster I’d worn the night before was really ragged and awful looking. It’s frayed and torn. Holes in the pockets. The furry hat looked stupid, but not nearly as stupid as the hat that I wear the rest of the time.

So if I’m not vain, why was I so uncomfortable with the thought of someone seeing me in this cloak? It couldn’t be that I was worried I might look stupid. I’m fine with looking stupid. I go out of my way to look stupid sometimes.

I think my worry was that someone would recognize me as, “That Local Fantasy Author,” and then that they’d assume I dressed up in a cloak because I was desperately trying to be… I dunno… extra fantasy author-y. (Which would make me a poser.) Or that I was trying to dress up as Kvothe. (Which is worse.)

All whys aside, I was trying to stay out of sight. But it quickly occurred to me that trying to be inconspicuous while wearing a cloak looks really, really suspicious. And if there’s one thing worse than being identified as “that local fantasy author who dresses up in a cloak.” It would be people thinking of me as, “That local fantasy author who dresses up in a cloak and hides in the bushes outside your house.”

Plus, there are some places you simply can’t hide. I have to cross a couple parking lots to get where I’m going.

So, of course, when I’m crossing one of these parking lots, that’s when the cop car drives by. He’s trolling along Main Street at bar time, looking for drunk college kids. I’m the middle of the empty parking lot, wearing my cloak.

I knew the cop was going to circle back and come talk to me. He would drive up and say, “Um, hello?”

And then I would get my ass in trouble because when I’m put in a situation like that, I just can’t take it seriously. The urge to flap around like Batman would be overwhelming. Or I’d pretend to cast Magic Missile when he talked to me. Or when he asked “Who are you?” I’d say something like, “I am the servant of a secret fire! Wielder of the flame or Anor!” and then get my stupid, sarcastic ass would get tazered and put in jail for the night.

But the thing is, as soon as I saw the cop, I wasn’t nervous any more. If one person sees you doing something kinda weird, it’s really embarrassing. But getting thrown in jail because you wore a cloak and then quoted Gandalf? That’s awesome. That’s a story I’d tell for the rest of my life.

Unfortunately, the cop didn’t circle around. It would have been the perfect ending to this little adventure, but real life rarely gives us that sort of satisfying closure. That’s why we love stories: they give events the pleasing shape the real world so seldom provides.

pat

This entry was posted in day in the life, my dumbness, small adventuresBy Pat90 Responses

90 Comments

  1. Shnargen
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 12:30 AM | Permalink

    you are just so full of win, pat. i wish i knew you.

    • hobbs
      Posted May 21, 2010 at 5:05 AM | Permalink

      While I admit that upstate NY doesn’t get as cold…it did snow last weekend and is now 80. Thanks so much for the chuckle first thing in the morning.

    • salvia
      Posted May 22, 2010 at 8:18 AM | Permalink

      you are unique in a very subline world do not worry about apperances that is what makes each of us special

  2. Shnargen
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 12:32 AM | Permalink

    by the way, why couldn’t you have the same person who did the cover art for the first book do it for WMF? it was so awesome, and it would be cool if they matched.

    • Shnargen
      Posted May 21, 2010 at 12:35 AM | Permalink

      and i want to hear more about this work place. is it a cabin in the woods? a treehouse? a cave you dug with your own two hands?

  3. saintburns
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 12:32 AM | Permalink

    I know how that bipolar weather thing goes, South Dakota also experiences that mad whims of Mother Nature.

  4. desert rat
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 12:33 AM | Permalink

    I had a little squee moment when I embiggened the cover art from TWMF.
    Sorry to say I wasn’t disappointed that the cop didn’t interrogate you while wandering through town in the middle of the night. While wearing a cloak. That’s enough adventure for a workday/night. But the fact that you were prepared with a Gandalf quote is pretty cool.

  5. North00
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 12:48 AM | Permalink

    Good story. The worst thing to happen to me when I wore a cloak home one time was someone honking at me at shouting something as they drove past.

  6. Valon
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 1:17 AM | Permalink

    I remember having my mind blown when I read “The Name of the Wind” during the part where Kvothe talks about how a cloak is one of the most important things for a traveler to have.

    When he talked about all the hidden pouches, and how it could keep you warm at night, my mind was blown at the fact that there was actually a purpose to cloaks other than looking cool.

    Needless to say, that particular passage made me sad that cloaks have gone out of style.

    Now we have lame down jackets and pea coats. And sure, maybe they’re more “efficient” than cloaks and we’re warmer because of them, BUT AT WHAT COST?

  7. jasuncarr
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 1:19 AM | Permalink

    Ok: Best. Wisconsin. Weather. Description. EVER.

    But, as I am that guy, you have a typo in the Gandalf quote.
    We still love you though.

    • Posted May 21, 2010 at 1:30 AM | Permalink

      Thanks. I’d rather catch it early…

  8. Eledhwen
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 1:28 AM | Permalink

    I understand the inability to take such situations seriously. And if the cop had come back around, that would have been the BEST THING EVER to say! From four states away I would totally have made your bail! (If, you know, you knew me and called.)

  9. esther
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 1:57 AM | Permalink

    i think we here in the netherlands have the same insane teenager spring this year to
    it’s totally out of control
    and it sucks but calling the weather an insane teenager just totally rocked my day thanks man

  10. Matt
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 2:23 AM | Permalink

    [pedant]” …and then get my stupid, sarcastic ass would get tazered and put in jail for the night.” Pat, your punchline needs to be rid of either that first “get” or the later “would get.” Personally, I think it reads better with the “would get.” [/pedant]

    Why do writers wander around on foot in the dead of night? I do it. I know a couple of writerly dudes who do it. I remember reading something by Ray Bradbury in which he confessed to the same habit.

    Is it possible to be a writer and a morning person?

    Sometimes I cross some stranger’s path in the dark, and he/she starts walking faster, looking away nervously, as if afraid I might try to hurt them. That always makes me sad.

    • Posted May 21, 2010 at 4:53 AM | Permalink

      Honestly I think it might be something about a person who is majorly creative that causes this.

      I find that I’m most creative in the dead of night. I find that my mind thinks clearer in the dead of night.

      Also I usually don’t start any of my creative work until evening and I get wrapped up in in until the very AM…

      All of us creative types are odd people.

    • Posted May 21, 2010 at 2:08 PM | Permalink

      It’s just a typo. The technical term for that is an artifact. It’s something left over from an earlier version of the sentence….

  11. Tyson
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 2:26 AM | Permalink

    I own a leather duster. Or maybe it’s suede. In any case, I’m generally too self-conscious to wear it . So I felt your pain about the cloak, but it sounds like you’d otherwise rock my duster. Er, that came out wrong.

  12. malendras
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 3:00 AM | Permalink

    Hey, someone else with my weird sleep cycle!

  13. Posted May 21, 2010 at 4:48 AM | Permalink

    I have a similar philosophy on life as you do. I find that a lot of people don’t really understand it, and it boggles my mind.

    Also, I live in Michigan, our mother nature is that same 14 year old girl.

    And THAT is the best description EVER!

  14. Posted May 21, 2010 at 5:13 AM | Permalink

    Haha! Fantasy authors are hardly in need of stereotype reinforcement but thanks for the laugh, nothing like snorting coffee in the morning.

    -40? That’s just brutal! I live in northern Sweden and –at least here on the coast– a dip below -30 Celsius is very unusual. I get the moody weather through but I suspect without weather tantrums people here would loose at least 1/4 of their sense of national identity.

    And this might be the first time I’ve been able to use my actual name as user name. Fantastic.

    • Posted May 21, 2010 at 7:30 AM | Permalink

      Yea I actually like the log in thing, juat so our comments can have some sort of identity.

      I approve of having identity.

  15. The Little Lee
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 6:55 AM | Permalink

    I know it sounds sad but i check your blog daily to see if a new post has arrived. I do this for two reasons, 1) I’m obsessed with information and so even though we know when the next book is coming out any new miniscule bit of information is worth it, and 2) your blogs are for the most part a perfect blend of wit, humor and storytelling that always put a smile on my face and make my day that much better! Thank you.

    • Posted May 21, 2010 at 7:38 AM | Permalink

      Doll, get into the Readers. Google Reader is the one I use. So much less work to keep track of Pat.

      I agree whole heatedly, that Pat’s blog rocks for those reasons.

      • The Little Lee
        Posted May 21, 2010 at 1:57 PM | Permalink

        Thanks for the tip! I’ll check it out. By the way that hat is awesome Pat.

  16. jsmith
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 7:18 AM | Permalink

    Epic truth FTW. I’m five hours from Steven’s point across the lake in kalamazoo (Michigan) your description as Rex said just brilliant. Today its 40 and rainy yesterday it was like 80. And my cloak has dissappeared but if your ever in this neck of the woods i will buy a new one and wear it in tribute.

    • Posted May 21, 2010 at 7:32 AM | Permalink

      Lol, I’m in Kalamazoo as well!

  17. Baldsilver
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 7:28 AM | Permalink

    Was that last bit from your book? About stories providing a semblance of normalcy that the real world lacks? I think so but I can’t remember where, this is going to bug me. Rather than me flip through the whole book, could you just tell me?

  18. Captain Joe
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 7:29 AM | Permalink

    Pat, it’s me Joe, your most loyal fan.

    Just registered for Word Press. What’s the deal with that captcha? It was like 50 characters long? Anyway, please note you continue to be awesome. Wise Man’s Fear remains anticipated, and I urge you to try weathering an Australian summer in a leather duster/cloak and awesome rainbow hat.

    We would make you our king.

    That is all.

    Joe out.

  19. Posted May 21, 2010 at 7:42 AM | Permalink

    You getting arrested could have been the landmark case that opened the world’s eyes to cape discrimination, ushering in a new era of fashion. Though I predict hipsters would quickly assume the fashion of the Fantasy Author scene, ’cause I’m sure there are a lot of irony points in wearing a cape.

  20. skinner
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 8:50 AM | Permalink

    Pat, I’m still waiting on the blog update where you tell us of your new love, disc golf. ;) I live outside of Chicago, so I know all too well the fickle bitch we call Spring. I think it makes you want nature more.

  21. Posted May 21, 2010 at 9:19 AM | Permalink

    Once I was doing a final fitting (of myself) for a dress I was making for a costume party. I was going as Eowyn, and I’d made the white dress she wears when she first meets Our Heros in the Two Towers film.
    It laces up the back and takes rather a long time to take off. I was thus attired when the doorbell rang.

    It was the UPS man, whom I greeted, without shame, robed as Eowyn.

    And just to corroborate Pat’s feelings about Wisconsin weather:

    On May 7, we received 5 inches of snow here.

    Yesterday, May 20, the high was 79 degrees.

    And today it’s 40.

  22. alafel
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 9:20 AM | Permalink

    Dude, your powers of inspired pontification are off the charts. Plus, how can one go wrong when quoting Gandalf? Epic!

  23. Posted May 21, 2010 at 9:33 AM | Permalink

    Minnesota is very similar to Wisconsin. Don’t like the weather? Wait 5 minutes – it’ll change. The weather here has been perfect all week – mid 70s and sunny. Today it’s sad and rainy. By tomorrow it should be sunny again and by Sunday it’s supposed to be almost 90.

    I have a cloak. I haven’t worn it in years. I used to go to the MN Ren Fest every year, and it really came in handy for those late-September weekends. Aside from a few Halloween costumes, it never really got used. I didn’t want to be the weirdo in the cloak.

  24. guessingo
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 10:15 AM | Permalink

    would have been a better story if the copy offered to let you stay out of jail if he could be a beta reader.

    or maybe he would arrest you and take you in for processing while giving you advice on how to finish your novel.

    or best of all, he is a want to be fantasy author and wants you to read his manuscript.

  25. Wafaa
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 10:37 AM | Permalink

    That was funny. I don’t really comprehend what -40 degrees means. I don’t think I’ve ever been subjected to weather that was colder that 32F (0C), and I thought that was really cold :|

    • Marcus Cox
      Posted May 21, 2010 at 12:09 PM | Permalink

      -40 basically means “stay the hell inside and hope your heater can keep up. Fear the utility bills.”

      • kungfusinger
        Posted May 25, 2010 at 9:51 AM | Permalink

        or if you have to go outside, make sure you breathe through a scarf, otherwise the air could freeze your lungs solid…

  26. BPL
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 11:52 AM | Permalink

    Hated ‘The Name of the Wind’ cover. Love the new cover.

    Just finished NotW for the first time. Good stuff!

    Let’s see, in NotW, the three things a wise man fears were described as (if memory serves): a storm at sea, a moonless night, and the anger of a gentle man. That line made an impression for some reason, and stuck with me even before I learned the title of Book Two. So of course I wonder if the title “The Wise Man’s Fear” draws on that line. If so, I’m thinking a gentle man, made angry, is going to be involved in the storyline. It brims with the potential for character driven drama. But this gentle man is not, I think, Kvothe. “Gentle” is just not a word I associate with him (though he can be gentle). While not overtly violent, neither is he conspicuously gentle – not famously enough to have a reputation for being “gentle,” which seemingly is what the adage refers to.

    Anyone else have a guess as to what the new title refers to?

  27. Marcus Cox
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 12:07 PM | Permalink

    Hey Pat,

    Love your description of spring time. The same comparison can be made to Minnesota springs. Back at the beginning of March my friends and I drove out to see your reading in Merril and the weather was amazing. Since then it’s been cold, warm, warmer, snowing, warm, coldish, hot as hell, cold again and I could keep going. Lately it’s been too hot for my taste but it’s a gloomy day today. I’m loving it.

    Anyway, only because you mentioned them in your blog post and I can’t recall you using too many musical references in the past, what is your opinion of NIN? For that matter, what are your music tastes like?

  28. guessingo
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 12:08 PM | Permalink

    @wafaa: -40 degrees means when your nose runs because its cold, the snot freezes on your face before you can wipe it off.

    it means if you are outside in winter clothes for 30-45 minutes, the bones in your legs will get cold. You will go home and turn the heat up and get under the covers and an hour later the bones in your leg will still be cold.

    it means if you try to make yellow snow, you will end up with yellow icicibles that you need to break off.

  29. guessingo
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 12:09 PM | Permalink

    This story gives me an idea. I think an interesting area of fan fiction would be stories about Patrick Rothfuss and his whacky adventures. We could write some quality crazy pat stories.

    • Scari
      Posted May 22, 2010 at 6:42 PM | Permalink

      That would be amazing!

  30. drgnlvr
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 12:49 PM | Permalink

    Okay… I grew up in MN. I totally get the Spring y’all are talking about. But, now, I live in Fairbanks, AK, and I gotta tell you… -40 is just the beginning.

  31. pablohunny
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 12:51 PM | Permalink

    That there was pure gold.

    *deeply respectful* -A-

  32. senkura
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 1:10 PM | Permalink

    Pat,

    What a brilliant anecdote that would have been. I suppose wearing capes is slightly out the ordinary in Wisconsin? If you had happened to be in Camden Market or Soho in London at that time of night, wearing said cloak, I assure you that no-one would have batted an eyelid.

    Something a little similar happened to my uncle. He works as the manager of a supermarket here in England, and one day, for a charity event, he had dressed up as batman, cloak, rubber-muscles and all. There happened to be a shoplifter in the shop that day, and completely forgetting what he was wearing, my uncle chased him down the highstreet dressed as batman, in full daylight in front of all the shoppers, just like that episode of Only Fools And Horses (have you heard of it?). The shoplifter must have crapped himself, because my uncle caught him and actually held him until the police arrived. Apparently they pissed themselves laughing when they heard. I’ve actually seen the newspaper articles; too funny.

    Anyway, just be glad it was only a dark cloak and not a superhero costume.

    Senkura.

    • Posted May 21, 2010 at 2:13 PM | Permalink

      That’s awesome…

      • senkura
        Posted May 23, 2010 at 7:02 AM | Permalink

        I use this story to torture my uncle every time I see him, and then he goes and puts on the costume to re-enact it. For shame…

    • Rob
      Posted May 23, 2010 at 8:54 PM | Permalink

      Awesome, indeed! I’ve read a lot of great stuff on Pat’s blog, but that’s just priceless!

  33. Shane
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 2:06 PM | Permalink

    Geek admission: I had a custom hooded cloak made on Etsy mid-way through reading TheName of the Wind. Secrect pockets and all. I seriously wore it when reading the rest of the book. I even bought hard cheese and crackers to snack on while reading. It made me feel more connected to the story.

    Tech request: I still can’t log on using Firefox. Hitting the “login” link just reloads the page.

    • Posted May 21, 2010 at 2:14 PM | Permalink

      I use firefox and it works just fine for me…

      pat

    • Lymond
      Posted May 21, 2010 at 5:19 PM | Permalink

      Clear your cookies:
      Tools, Clear Recent History. Check Cookies and Active Logins.
      Keep in mind it will clear your other logins and cookies too.

  34. ASamuelson
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 3:09 PM | Permalink

    When I was on the job market for faculty positions I met one Assistant Professor who was probably the biggest Dr. Who fan ever. Not only did he have miniature Dr. Who figures all over his desk, but he wore everywhere what looked to be his very own custom made Dr. Who jacket. It takes a certain amount of brass to do that. Nice guy.

    • ASamuelson
      Posted May 21, 2010 at 3:11 PM | Permalink

      BTW, we just moved to Rochester NY from Boston and mother nature is very fickle here too. We went from 79 degrees on a Friday to snow on Monday a few weeks ago (right around Mother’s Day).

  35. Pravda
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 3:45 PM | Permalink

    Pat,

    This being my first comment, I would love nothing more than to wax eloquent as I praise your book, your blog, and, yes, even your name! Since that is something I cannot do, I will settle for this:

    YOU ARE EPIC!

    Your fan,
    Pravda

  36. Lymond
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 5:17 PM | Permalink

    Oh, you youngsters with your Gandalf quotes. If you’re wearing a hooded cloak, and a police cruiser rolls up next to you and asks your business, the proper response is to slowly pull your hood back, perform the Jedi hand wave, and suggest to the officers that “These are not the droids you’re looking for.”

    And as they get out of the car to taze you, continue with the Jedi hand wave and act very concerned that it isn’t working properly. Mumbling helps. Helps your lawyer with the insanity plea.

    • Matt
      Posted May 21, 2010 at 8:35 PM | Permalink

      “You don’t need to see my identification.”

      Cops love that one.

      • Posted May 24, 2010 at 1:16 PM | Permalink

        Ha! The comments are almost as good as the story! :)

  37. Antho
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 5:39 PM | Permalink

    Firefox for the win!

  38. bremon
    Posted May 21, 2010 at 11:43 PM | Permalink

    That’s just the coolest thing ever.
    I want a cloak now.
    especially since it’s freezing.
    I live in Pardeeville – by Portage, and the other day (80 degrees temperature) i told my mom that “based on past weather trends, next week it’ll snow.”
    Just in time for graduation.
    i remember playing in band for graduation, like, two years ago, and it was tornado-ing.
    the power went out, the generator died, and our valedictorian gave her speech through a megaphone. and we plaing the most stirring rendition of “gonna fly now” and “final countdown” ever.

    of course, now I’m going to U of North Dakota for college. which should be interesting, weatherwise…

  39. Arien
    Posted May 22, 2010 at 12:24 AM | Permalink

    Hehe! Dressing up in cloaks or black trench coats isn’t as bad as you would think.

    The company building my mother used to work, for as a Computer Engineer had really looong hallways. More often then not, wait five minutes in one and you would see a “Techie” rolling by in a trenchcoat or cloak, on a pair rollerblades going from one end of the building to the other.

  40. Mickey
    Posted May 22, 2010 at 6:55 AM | Permalink

    You got it easy !

    Many years ago when Mickey was young and happy and handsome, he forked out an enormous wad of cash for just about the coolest ankle-length-black-leather-trench-coat in the WORLD !!! Then about 3 months later along comes Mr Smarty Pants Matrix movie and steals all my thunder !

    It would have been okay if the movie had sucked and nobody watched it, but I think we can all say with confidence that that was not the case.

    Still got the trench though !

  41. Posted May 22, 2010 at 7:41 AM | Permalink

    I have lamented the sad lack of cloak wearing for many a long year. Loved this story.

  42. ChaosAthena
    Posted May 22, 2010 at 9:23 AM | Permalink

    Heh, I wear a cloak in winter when I’m giving a concert. It wraps easily around my flute, to keep it warm, and it’s all fancy.

    …people still look at me funny.

    And, I think it’s hilarious!

  43. lendondain
    Posted May 22, 2010 at 12:37 PM | Permalink

    Okay, Pat. I think we now need to see a picture of you in said cloak.

    • Mickey
      Posted May 22, 2010 at 4:01 PM | Permalink

      I second the motion. All in favour of seeing Pat in the cloak ? Vote now !!!!

  44. Dream Art
    Posted May 22, 2010 at 5:09 PM | Permalink

    LOL!

  45. Scari
    Posted May 22, 2010 at 6:43 PM | Permalink

    I feel like getting a cloak now. Maybe we should bringer them back into style.

  46. Rachel Heslin
    Posted May 22, 2010 at 6:53 PM | Permalink

    You are such a geek. But, yeah. Not everyone gets to have as cool a story ending as my friend’s friend who was walking home from an SCA event through a dark area and some guy tried to mug him — until he pulled out his broadsword.

    • senkura
      Posted May 23, 2010 at 7:05 AM | Permalink

      That’s just brilliant…

    • Little My
      Posted May 23, 2010 at 11:01 AM | Permalink

      But wait. I thought SCAers have to use swords made out of PVC, wrapped in foam, or something.

      • kungfusinger
        Posted May 25, 2010 at 9:46 AM | Permalink

        The “safety swords” are for weapons practice and events like tournaments, but a fair number of SCAdians wear live steel swords for show.

    • Posted May 24, 2010 at 1:15 PM | Permalink

      Ha!!

  47. capblye
    Posted May 22, 2010 at 8:21 PM | Permalink

    Pic of Pat wearing cloak and too small hat?

    Uhm … YES PLEASE!

    • capblye
      Posted May 22, 2010 at 8:26 PM | Permalink

      Something that seems to have been overlooked here …
      Why are you walking to and fro?

      Do we need to get up a collection and get you a scooter?

      Maybe a good rugged mountain bike?

      Maybe one of these: http://www.smartusa.com/

  48. Quazzza
    Posted May 23, 2010 at 2:31 AM | Permalink

    I just finished “The Name of the Wind” ten minutes ago and had to find a site to talk about it! So far, I love the picture with the kitty face and mittens. I thought that it was fitting that the author lives in a cold state because inspiration and imagination grows like lichen on trees there. That’s part of the reason why I’m going to school next year some place rainy- as soon as I visited, I felt like Sidhe were streaming out of the (green! green!) woods, beckoning me. Most don’t understand why I’d want to leave the Golden State (“Rain? Maahhn…that blows”) but then again I’ve neglected my attention span long enough living in a place with perfect, mild weather all year round and lots of distracting things to do outside. So next time people ask why I want to leave, I’ll just hold up a copy of NOTW or another favorite book of mine and say, “See? I want to write like this.”

  49. Walnutbutter
    Posted May 23, 2010 at 3:16 AM | Permalink

    Man, I’ve always wanted a cloak. We really need to bring them back into style, whatcha say gang?

  50. Shar
    Posted May 23, 2010 at 11:47 AM | Permalink

    I would like to add my vote to see a pic of Pat in the cloak and hat.

    I teach stage combat for actors in Chicago. (meaning that I teach actors how to fight with swords without killing eachother). In the fall, if its a nice day, I take my class out to a little corner of Grant Park. One particular day, I brought my Rapier class out to the park. About half-way through the class, two “Horse-Cops” ride up and one of them inquires after what I am doing with a bunch of swords and college students in a public park. The other cop, still on his horse, says “Shut up, dude! This is awesome!” turning to me, “Wow! Is that a Rapier? Can I see it?” At which point I handed him my sword and he proceeded to swing it over his head while trotting around in a circle.
    The moral of the story – cops can be as big, if not bigger geeks than anyone else. If you had whipped out the Gandalf quote, the cop may have countered with his opinion on the Balrog/Wings debate. You never know!

  51. Smashkilleat
    Posted May 23, 2010 at 5:35 PM | Permalink

    Living in South Florida my whole life makes me genuinely jealous of you Northerners and your crazy weather. There’s 2 season in Florida. “Chilly” and hot as balls. It’s “chilly” for roughly 2 months, and then the rest of year it’s between 100-120 factoring in humidity. During that “Chilly” season, it never goes below 60ish. Then there’s the sporadic days in the middle of what should be winter when it hits 90. I’ve never seen snow. When people tell me I’m an angry person, I blame it on the on the heat. I don’t think people are “supposed” to live in places like Florida.

    • Chocolate Fanatic
      Posted May 25, 2010 at 12:10 PM | Permalink

      yeah i wish that were true when i unfortunately visited on the coldest day in like 30 yrs. that was a vacation fail

  52. Rob
    Posted May 23, 2010 at 9:30 PM | Permalink

    My heart goes out to you, Pat. I’ve been in a similar situation myself. Incidentally, I own 2 cloaks . . . both are “Half Moons” (http://www.hmoon.com for those wanting them), made of half inch thick wool, and cost north of $200. “Hot in the extreme” doesn’t really begin to describe how warm they are. When I’ve worn one, it’s usually been on Halloween, but I’ve needed them in public on occasion. Although I live in Lower Michigan now, I’m from Upper Michigan, so, to digress, I always thought Mother Nature preferred Type-O Negative to Nine Inch Nails. But when I left the Southern climes for my parents’ home one weekend and I forgot to check the weather, I too was forced to be “that guy who dresses up in a cloak”. I was spotted in a parking lot in broad daylight by this guy I went to high school with. All he said was, “Hey Rob, nice cloak.” All I said was, “Thanks!”

    The cops know those fuckin’ posers won’t lay down serious coin for a quality garment like a full length cloak. It’s no wonder they didn’t bother you. It’s not like you were hiding in somebody’s bushes or something . . . .

  53. Musereader
    Posted May 24, 2010 at 3:47 AM | Permalink

    Upredictable and erratic weather is but a daily feature of the english weather. To have an entire day with the same weather is highly unlikely, let alone 2 days in a row, or a week (except for in the past few years we have a blazingly hot week followed by our usual weather several times). So english people are either prepared or just tough it out if it changes. So the weather happening to you now happens here all the time, Winter, spring, summer and Autumn.

    Cloaks sound cool, I wish i had one. I really wish I could get Kahlan’s white dress in Legend of the Seeker too.

  54. Cremades
    Posted May 24, 2010 at 5:51 AM | Permalink

    Mr Rothfuss, I would like to know the date of publication of “Fear of a wise man” in Spain. Thanks

  55. Posted May 24, 2010 at 1:13 PM | Permalink

    That was awesome. Kept reading, kept laughing.

  56. megan lynae
    Posted May 24, 2010 at 2:13 PM | Permalink

    A fantastic story. I just have one question. Why not carry your coat home? I get not wanting to wear it if it’s warm out, but…

  57. Jodel
    Posted May 24, 2010 at 8:00 PM | Permalink

    wow. wisconsin spring sounds like wyoming spring…
    started out a sunny day, then thunderstorm warning and tornado watch, followed by hail turning into snow. then the snow stopped and the sun sort of peaked out. expecting freesing temps tonight.

  58. Wander
    Posted May 25, 2010 at 11:35 AM | Permalink

    Canadian spring (at least in Alberta) sounds as fickle as Wisconsin. This week the temperature dropped from around 35 degrees and sunny to 4 degrees Celsius and almost snowing in the span of a few days (that’s a drop from 95 to 39 degrees in Fahrenheit).

    Anyways, I like the idea of this Diogenes-inspired, simple lifestyle. I own about 10 pairs of pants, but only actually ever wear maybe two of them. The rest just clutter my closet. You have inspired me to purge my room of such articles.

    Also, Hi! This is my first post here. Love the book. You do have a readership up here in the Great White North (in case you had any doubts).

    Cheers,
    Andrew

  59. Harvir
    Posted May 25, 2010 at 1:35 PM | Permalink

    Those last two lines have been stored for future quotation.

  60. Foxsilhouette
    Posted June 4, 2010 at 12:26 PM | Permalink

    Laugh-out-loud fun, Pat. Thank you for making my morning.

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