David Barr Kirtley

Science fiction author and podcaster

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Road Trip

July 8, 2007 by David Barr Kirtley Leave a Comment

So on Friday afternoon I got a call from my mom (who’s in Sweden). She asked, “Did you talk to Elizabeth?” (My cousin.) I said, “No.” Mom said, “She said she called you.” I said, “Nope. Haven’t heard from her.” Mom said, “She wanted to know if you’re going to Amanda’s wedding.” (Another cousin.) I said, “Yeah, probably. When is it?” Mom said, “Tomorrow.” Whoops. I guess I should have been paying closer attention to that. It seemed doubtful that I was going to be able to make it. I’m in L.A., and the wedding was going to be in Sonoma (north of San Fransisco). Later that evening my cell phone rang and I listened to a message from my cousins Elizabeth and Lucas, who urged me to come to the wedding. (My cell phone is kind of a piece of crap, and often messages don’t seem to reach it until hours or days after they’ve been left, but I mostly keep in touch with people through email, so I don’t usually care that much.) I thought, Geez, I really should try to make it. I’d had a pretty active day, and was already feeling kind of tired, so I didn’t think I’d be able to pull an all-nighter of driving, but it occurred to me that if I downed a Red Bull or four I could probably stay awake until 1:00 or 2:00 a.m., by which point I’d be about halfway there. I could check into a hotel, sleep for a few hours, and then get up and keep driving, and then I could probably make it in time, assuming the wedding didn’t start until late afternoon (I had no idea) and that I didn’t get lost too many times. I also didn’t know exactly where the wedding was going to be. I decided that if I sat around thinking much longer, my window of opportunity would pass, so I tossed a few things in my backpack, walked out to my car, and started driving. I figured that I’d work out the details as I drove, and that if I decided it just wasn’t going to work I could always turn around and go home. All went according to plan, except for an unscheduled trip through the middle of downtown San Fransisco when I’d been trying to avoid the city entirely. Then Elizabeth’s message vanished from my piece of crap cell phone, so I couldn’t call her back to find out exactly where the wedding was going to be. Fortunately, I was able to reach my grandma in Connecticut (hi grandma!) who gave me the lowdown. I made it to the wedding with a solid two hours to spare, and had a great time.

Anyway, I just got back to L.A. and I’m totally exhausted, so I’ll leave it at that for now.

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Geeks Guide to the Galaxy

Geeks Guide to the Galaxy

Geek's Guide to the Galaxy is a podcast hosted by author David Barr Kirtley and produced by Lightspeed Magazine editor John Joseph Adams. The show features conversations about fantasy & science … Read more

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Geeks Guide to the Galaxy

Geeks Guide to the Galaxy

Geek's Guide to the Galaxy is a podcast hosted by author David Barr Kirtley and produced by Lightspeed Magazine editor John Joseph Adams. The show features conversations about fantasy & science … Read more

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My grandfather Roger Barr passed away early this morning at the age of 98. He was my mom’s father, and was my last surviving grandparent. He was being cared for by my uncle Steve (his son) and aunt Denice — both medical professionals — and was still sharp and good-humored in his final days. Yesterday […]

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David Barr Kirtley

David Barr Kirtley is the host of the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast, for which he’s interviewed over four hundred guests, including George R. R. Martin, Richard Dawkins, Paul Krugman, Simon Pegg, Margaret Atwood, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Ursula K. Le Guin. His short fiction appears in the book Save Me Plz and Other Stories.
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