I have just now managed to get through the last of my e-mail backlog that built up while I was on tour. Who ever knew that it would take so long to work my way through a mere 2000 messages.
Next on my list is going through the 600 or so pieces of fanmail that have built up while I was gone. These are mostly e-mail too, though I do have a couple dozen old-fashioned envelopey messages too.
I used to respond personally to every message. But those days are long gone. I just don’t have the time anymore. But I do read them all. I don’t have anyone filter or pre-sort them for me.
On the home front, I’m having a good time hanging out with my baby. Little Oot is 18 months now, and he’s picking up words like crazy. When I came home on the 7th, after a week of touring, I found out that he had learned how to say “Monkey.” I was impressed, but also kinda sad that I hadn’t been the one to teach him this word. Because… y’know… monkey.
I’d been home for about 10 minutes when Sarah said, “What did we eat for the first time today?”
Oot gave her a look that wasn’t exactly blank, but let her know that he needed a little more help.
“Did we eat hummus?” Sarah prompted.
“Hummus,” Oot said. He said the word with a particular intensity. It wasn’t: “Hummus!” Not an exclamation. But it really wasn’t just “hummus,” either. It said it with emphasis. “Hummus.”
He pronounced it “haahmis.” With a tiny bit of a lisp on the s. It was, quite possibly, the cutest thing I’d ever heard.
“Haahmis….” he said again. “Haahmis.” A two-second pause. “Haahmis.” Another pause. “Hummus nummus,” he said. Expressing the opinion that hummus was, in fact, delicious. (Yummy = Nummy. Nummy ~ Nummus.)
I quickly had to revise my cuteness scale. “Hummus Nummus” was now top of the cuteness chart.
He then proceeded to say nothing but “hummus” for the next ten minutes.
And you know what? It never stopped being cute. Why? Because my baby is fucking adorable.
In other news, (for those of you who have been asking) I’ve made my first tentative steps into playing Dragon Age II. I’ve only played 6-7 hours or so, and thus far my feelings are mixed.
More soon, including news of a few more signings, and stories from the tour.
pat
73 Comments
Ok I have to say, that is the cutest baby in the world. I can say that cause mine is 5 and therefore no longer technically a “baby”.
Also, hummus nummus is GREAT! I thought I was the only freak in the world that fed my small child food like that. My mom about had a fit when I gave my son things like that. Meanwhile now he’s five and his favorite foods are Garlic Stuffed Green Olives, Feta, and yes Hummus. Sometimes all three together with some other stuff piled high in a pita bread.
Dammit, now I’m hungry … what was my point again?
Oh, yeah, your kid is way cute!
Here’s another freak then, if you’re collecting data points. Although sometimes they continue to like the food and sometimes get picky anyhow (that was my experience). Or sometimes they’re picky about regular foods: I have a nine year old who likes raw sushi, tofu straight from the box, and broccoli but won’t eat pizza (“I don’t like the cheese they use.”), nor red sauce on spaghetti. What a weirdling.
Apropos of an earlier post of yours: if you don’t mind sharing, what are three recent books you enjoyed besides Twilight (and WMF, of course)?
Yeah, he’s 5 now, and getting picky about weird things. Like, he still loves the things I listed, but I can’t get the kid to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the life of me. He loves shredded wheat, old school not the frosted mini wheats, but I had to harass him into even trying ice cream. We had to put peanut butter and banana on fudge for him to even try it. I love it, but it makes shopping strange. “Boychild, what do you want for dinner, spaghetti or ravioli?” “RAVIOLI!” “Cheese or spinach?” “SPINACH!!!” Heehee, I love the looks that gets us.
I don’t mind sharing at all. I am currently reading American Gods by Gaiman (I think … maybe Pratchett … grr, either way it’s one of them because Pat recommends them both so highly) and I am enjoying it a lot. Before that I killed the entire Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Those books are AMAZING! Don’t let the movie fool you, the books are great. My reading is really eclectic and I can go from Stephen King to Stephenie Meyer in the same day. Speaking of Stephenie Meyer, she has another book, that’s not in the Twilight series, called The Host. It’s great, much better than the Twilight books. It’s kind of sci-fi-ish rather than fantasy, and it drags a bit in the beginning, but if you have read the others you’ll definitely see the change in her writing style. She’s growing for sure.
My daughter really liked Olympians; maybe I should pick that up. Most of the stuff she reads strikes me as shallow or juvenile but I really liked Bartimaeus, e.g. Hey, you should read Good Omens – that’s both Pratchett AND Gaiman. Also hilarious. Haven’t read Twilight yet. . .
Hummus is marvelous baby food. It was one of my first baby’s first foods.
Now, that wasn’t really on purpose. I was trying to go by the book, and had waited until six months to give anything other than more of me–and as a mother, let me tell you it’s awesome to look at a six month old baby and think “That all came from me!” (O.K., except for some very important genetic material from the man mother)
Ack, my digressions have digressions.
Anyway, I was going by the book, only one new food every 3-4 days, but we met a bunch of people at a Cypriot restaurant and the baby was making the rounds of friendly laps. I looked over and someone was feeding her hummus. Why not? It looks like baby food. I started counting ingredients in my mind: chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice. . . I’ve never seen a kid with allergies to any of these items, so I decided to roll with it. She loved it.
Of course, her favorite food at 9 months was salmon risotto. At 15 months, she was eating spicy salsa. At 7, she won’t touch spicy foods. You never can tell how these things will go. Still, she drinks more water than anything else and she refuses to drink soft drinks of any sort, so I think we’re doing pretty well.
Oot is cute personified, and I’m a connoisseur of cute kids.
What color should Oot’s words be?
Agreed! Now that Oot’s talking he needs a color of his own. :o)
I fed my daughter salmon when she was 2 and the fish oil raised a large red welt on her cheek! Both of my kids grew up eating everything we ate, which was a basically low sugar, lots of vegetables, low fat “diabetic” diet I had been raised on (my dad was diabetic). Kids are so cute, and yours is adorable.
I’ve seen citrus allergies, but they’re pretty uncommon. But yeah, I was trying to do the “by the book” thing too, until my loving mother decided to give my 9 month old pepsi and cupcakes. Thanks mom… *sigh*
2 points for “encutenate”
“Mixed feelings” pretty much sums up how most of us feel about DA2 unfortunately.
After reading this blog post, I quickly had to revise my cuteness scale. “Encutenate” was now top of the cuteness chart.
Fucking Adorable. Srsly.
Come on, I cant be the only one. He’s “Oot-dorable”
Heehee, I love it.
Haha! Well played. I defer to your wise words.
That picture of Oot just made my morning. Look at that little almost-a-smirk on his face! He’s just thinking “Yeah, I’m cute AND a badass. You can tell by this green coat and hat. Jealous?”
Yes, Oot. Yes I am.
“Hi, my dad is a very, very awesome writer, did I mention? U jelly?”
Well I know I am a late comer on the whole Wise Man’s Fear wagon, but thus far its an awesomely epic book. On another point what is the problem with DA2(I just don’t want to waste 70$ on a game thats so-so)
I might talk about this a bit in next week’s blogs….
holy crap– with the addition of the occasional video game review, I might never have need to go to another website.
Yes. This site is like broccoli and potatoes. You get all the nutrients you need.
“Might talk about i”t. Not “upcoming blog”. Finally learned did you? ;)
Good for you, good for us. And most og all, thank you for every word.
I made the mistake of choosing Two Worlds 2 over Dragon Age 2, man does that game suck. Should have gone for DA2.
Need an RPG Kingkiller Chronicles game . . . or even just a D&D equivalent.
I believe that is the very definition of smug. I didn’t learn hummus till my twenties. I’d be smug about it too at his age.
So – this will be short and sweet as the little people in our lives are. Loving The Wise Man’s fear I give myself a solid 90 minutes each evening to devour your minds splurge. Also…Little Oot is epically cute but then I have to say with true knowledge that my own bundle of baby is also quite the sweetie pie. Her cute-o-meter today was off the scale as she decided she would carry her nappies in from the car, she huffed and puffed op the drive but was very happy with herself. Giving the packet a self-assured pat as she left in the doorway xx
Dragon Age II has been controversial so far, to say the least :P Personally, I was turned off from the game with every new announcement, and the demo didn’t sway me. I’d very interested to hear your opinion on the game, Pat :)
I’m glad to hear you’re getting to spend some quality time with Oot after all the signing tour stress!
It’s time to start the board games with Oot. Our favorites to play with my kids was Memory and Charades for Kids. Two that did not require reading. Charades for Kids was good because it had options for non readers all the way up to the adults. Other readers may have newer games that are out there (my youngest is 14).
That’s one adorable kiddo. Freaking. Adorable. If you don’t mind sharing, what kinds of books does he like? I’m a librarian-to-be, and I’m always curious about these things. Is he mostly interested how they feel in his mouth, or is he developing preferences for different genres?
Also, I wanted to make sure you didn’t forget that Sarah talks in pink!
Oh man. I forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me.
Thats Funny! i came by to see if there was a new blog up, skimmed this one again and saw that her “talking” was now in pink.
You can’t imagine why I am so happy today.. And its not that I have already read WMF, because I am still waiting for it.. But for the first time I can read your blog on my phone! And now I will be able to brighten my day with little Oot’s cuteness everywhere! :D
Thanks for doing the tour, we all appreciate your sacrifice just to please us fan boys and girls. My buddy and I drove all the way from Paoli, IN to Dayton, OH, in the snow, just to hear you speak and get our books signed. Totally worth it. And Hummus is Nummus, I make mine with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts.
1) I blogged about my ‘problem’ with Wise Man’s Fear here:
http://akajanerandom.blogspot.com/2011/03/well-played-mr-rothfuss-well-played.html
2) That baby is freaking awesome.
It puts a smile on my face the way you talk about your son. It’s nice to just read about pure goodness rather than all the terrible crap going on in the world. =]
Oh, and while I didn’t come to a signing*, thanks for taking the time out of your life to do it.
*I’m in MD so I could have gone to either one there, but… I don’t know, getting people’s signatures is a little too weird for me. I really love your books and ya seem like a cool guy from your blog, but – I don’t even know how to put it. Signatures are just weird. That’s all I can say.
Also, I’m not saying anyone that goes to signings is weird. If you like them, cool, they’re just not for me.
I finished DA2 yesterday. On a scale, I’d have rated Origins as a 95 and DA2 as an 85 – still a wonderful game, but it lacked a lot of the charm and humor that made Origins so much fun.
Ah, babies… one very lucky day, I hope. Thank you for sharing, meanwhile.
That said, DA:II is actually not an awful game. But it took me an enormously long time to get over hating it for not, in essence, being a sequel to DA:O. It’s essentially a more action oriented romper stomper set in the DA universe. The reason I mention this is that I think I’d have enjoyed the game more if I had let got of my anger and just played it as “unknown new rpg”.
@770312 – The important part of the signings isn’t getting the book signed – it’s the author talk beforehand. And in the case of the Boston signing, we also got to see the incredible cuteness Oot! Who is indeed the cutest baby since my son arrived 19 years ago ;-)
Hi Pat, I finaly took the jump and got me a pc. I have been following your blog on my work pc since I first read NOTW. I’m 43 and have consumed a million book’s. I never thought I would EVER find a book that grabbed me like LOTR, I know you have heard it before, but NOTW realy blowed anything else I have EVER read away by far and I mean that from my soul. I just started WMF and I got the same chill’s starting up my arm’s as before. I just had to let you know Brother……Thanks!
Oot is Cute. Then again most babies are. Just wait till he’s 18+ has a big scraggly beard, a tattoo of a red dragon on his back and a shirt that says “There’s no place like 192.168.1.1”.
Dragon Age 2 is definitely different then the first DA. A lot more hack n’ slash. I noticed too that rather then doing a mission that takes hours and hours to complete, there are several smaller missions that can be completed within 15-20 minutes. I really like what they did with the Qunari though.
I don’t know, I think 18+, big beard, tattoo, etc. is pretty cute. ^_^
Double Plus Cute!
I’ve been hosting a Tournament of Cuteness on my blog (we’re in the final four right now), and Oot would have a legitimate chance against the top baby contender (cats, dogs, and babies were eligible for the tournament). Here’s the baby that the voters have determined the cutest: http://jameystegmaier.com/2011/03/tournament-of-cuteness-final-four/
(Not sure if it’s okay to put links here. If not, I apologize.)
Hey Patrick,
No reason you should remember me but I was at SF in SF when you did your reading with Gail; I was the guy with the very pregnant wife who was near the start of the line for the autographing. Just wanted to say that we’ve both enjoyed Wise Man’s Fear and getting to hear you read. Take care!
Is it wrong that I was just imagining Oot with a beard to look like his daddy?
You mean it would be wrong? Because that’s what I thought everyone did…
I hope you remember to say “Earmuffs, Oot” if you ever end up saying “my baby is fucking adorable” in his vicinity, like in Old School..lol. Though with that being said, yes, your baby is fucking adorable, especially in that puffy little green jumpsuit of his. He looks like he’s ready to survive a post apocalyptic ice age, which is awesome. I can hear the movie announcer guy right now, “In a world, where cold never sleeps and the number of man has dwindled, there stands one fucking adorable baby in his jumpsuit, Oot the conqueror.”
Btw, does he still play that “no” game where he tries to ask you about breast feeding him when he sees you shirtless? That story was just too amusing.
Hello Pat,
I am a long time follower of this blog and a big fan but haven’t before posted a comment.
I just wanted to say thank you for giving the world a wonderful story and for sharing pieces of your own life story with your fans on this site. The anecdotes you choose to share are no less captivating or touching as Kvothe’s story and it lends further evidence to your greatness…not just as a writer, but as a good person. It also makes waiting for the next book so much more bearable. Oh, and little Oot is precious. Yours is truly a blessed life!
I (and I suspect many others as well) feel that had we ever had a chance to meet under normal circumstances, we would have become good friends. I hope to one day get a chance to meet you and seeing as how I reside in the nearby state of MN, I hope that you will manage a signing here soon. Congratulations on your well-deserved success!
~Renee Anne
ps. I noticed Sarah talks in pink but what about Oot?
Question: do you care at all about Hugo awards? Because I see other people advocating for votes for their titles, and it really fires me up.
If you don’t care, then fine. But it would be nice to crush the competition if it was one.
The reason I care is because I think lobbying for votes is pathetic. And I know a lot of authors do it. But there is a fine line between letting fans know about something, and keeping them ignorant.
Also, too… I wonder if the whole inverse relationship between ‘literature’ and ‘commercially viable’ is the same for the Hugo. Perhaps, the novels that sell the best don’t get the love in voting because…I don’t know.
I don’t think I’m eligible for this year’s hugos. Am I? I think I’d be in the running for next year….
Either way, I’m not a big one for going out and stumping for votes for things like that. Early on I did. But these days, the thought kinda makes me uncomfortable.
Also, I don’t know what your contract looks like, but if you’re at all following the whole digital publishing phenomenon, I think you have a unique opportunity.
I know print books is important to you, but I’m thinking of your House on the Rock blog, and how well-written that was. The way you write lends itself well to the short form. And I could see you writing short stories and publishing them on Amazon, Barnes…
Not because you need the money, but it might be another fairly easy way to raise money for your charities. I would certainly buy a short story if I was prewarned how short it was. And especially if it was modern. House on the Rock made so many of us feel that I think lots of people would be into that. But if you sold a short for a dollar or even 5 shorts for 2.99, then 70% of that profit could go to Worldbuilders.
Just saying… you might raise more that way than you think. And you’d be giving gifts twice. To those of us who like to read you, and to the people that need the help.
Now that’s a tot that will put a smile on anyone’s face! Reminds me of my son when he was little, which was almost 2 decades ago. I’m enjoying the 2nd book immensely and should read slower to savor it but hey….it’s great! Oh and as a fellow browncoat, I offer you a bona fide hand knit Jayne Hat to you whenever you want one. Just let me know where to send it!
If you read ~~~> https://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2007/08/faq-if-i-mail-you-my-book-will-you-sign-it/ <~~~ that blog, it will give you an address. It's normally for people sending books to be signed, in addition to "cool stuff" …
Hope that helps :o)
Oh I get to knit another Jayne! YAY!
It’s a first time I see saying “f*** adorable” about a baby. Bu hear it from you, the great storytelleler… So sad.
To those of us who realize that “curse” words are just words, and therefore part of our vocabulary “fucking adorable” is the perfect way to describe a baby. Especially one as cute as Oot.
A great storyteller doesn’t leave words out of his vocabulary just because they might offend some. All words are beautiful and have their purpose.
I’m not trying to flame you, nor to speak for Pat, but this is my opinion. If you’re shocked at that phrase you must be pretty new to this blog.
Of course, fuck is my favorite word, so perhaps I’m a little biased.
Agree. With all of this. Fuck is definitely one of my favorite words. Especially in reference to something cute like a child or a pet. Or to express incredulity. (See https://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2011/02/our-story-thus-far/ panel 13 for a perfect example – seriously, I laughed for days).
I 100% agree.
Also?
I love you, Oatmeal =D
Awww, thanks. *blush*
Ok, I see. I am a foreigner and still learning of your incredible language. Not trying to understand, just learn.
In my country one would loose half his fans after using this combination of words, especially involving children. We speak what we mean.
I love hummus! You’re raising your kid right. Not that we had any doubt.
Hey, my picture thingy worked!
congrats! after trying myself to get mine working on my blog, it’s cool to see it over here.
What a cutie patootie! You are going to have to work ‘hummus nummus’ into a book, its epic. lol
Dude your kid IS awesome lol.
By the way if the shirts i gave you in St. Louis don’t fit him, just let me know what size you need and i’ll send you new ones.
Also, almost done with WMF’. LOVE IT!
Your son is truly a miniature you. Dragon Age 2 gets better, its a class above the first of the series.
On the subject of DA2 — I agree that it’s not up to snuff.
On the subject of the video gaming industry: I’m surprised they don’t ask for more than $60-$70 in all honesty. I can’t figure out how most studios make money. I’ve worked as a tester for almost two years now, and I have an all new appreciation for what *any* software takes to create.
Games — especially like Fallout, etc — catch a lot of flak for being buggy. I can say this, though: There is no way in heck that the testers are going to find all or even most of the bugs in a game. The amount of time and effort it would take for iterative testing that caught absolutely everything big or bad before it went to market would mean paying far, far more for games. As much as the consumer may not like it, they’re the most crucial part of the testing phase.
Keep in mind that a conservative estimate of QA costs alone is $5 mil for around a 30-35 person team for a game that’s spent 2 years in development. And that’s not including project managers, licensing fees (one of the largest expenses), or development costs (each of these costs more than the QA team). Obviously, people make money off of games…but there’s no way the people involved in making the games would make enough to justify their risks if they didn’t ask for as much as they do when the game hits the market. There’s a reason so many gaming developers have folded over the years. It ain’t easy.
On another note, AC Brotherhood is really killer so far. Amazing game.
is that a foot massager thingy on the bottom left of the pic?
At what age will Oot get a color? :D I saw him during his brief appearance in Brooklyn, and dear god almighty, that is a cute baby. The words “cute baby” do not adequately prepare one for Oot.
Looking forward to your Borders Babel Clash blog thing with Jim Butcher this week!
Dragon Age II…What class did you use? I chose a warrior class and I’m at level 19 now and I LOVE the game! Yeah there are A TON of bug-ish problems with the rendering and cut scenes, but the story has kept my attention and I enjoy the fighting waaay more than the 1st Dragon Age installment. Maybe choosing a certain class changes the game experience? I say stick with it Pat and maybe you will enjoy the later quests.
that’s great, haha. People kept walking by my bride’s office cocking their heads as I kept saying Haahmith out loud.
Oot is one cute kid. And the things he’ll say and do will only get cuter and more funny.
My 2nd is 2 1/2 and he used to call “peanut butter” well… “penis butter”. It was so damn funny that he caught on that he must be saying it wrong and now he won’t say it anymore. Another good one was when he was ~18 months and he realized farts=funny. He let one go and started giggling hysterically, then commented “Bobby fart”.
Enjoy the ride. It’s great.
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