Ask Carter Hall Anything, Part 3

I had a post where you could--still can, for the rest of today--ask Carter Hall anything. Here are more of the questions and answers:

So what's Janet like, *really*?

Janet? She's like her gran, but faster. I would say, "and better with a stick," but no, I think just faster. Up until now I was not a praying man, despite Granny Laird's best attempts, but I think now I will thank God that Granny Laird was never given a stick. Um.

And moving briefly out of the realm of anonymity, pameladean asks: If it's not too personal, why did your father give you away to Janet?

Huh? I don't know what you're talking about. My dad didn't give me shit. Didn't give me to shit. Didn't stick around long enough. As far as I'm concerned, Uncle Larry's my real dad, and the other guy is just the--I don't know. The raw material. And in case you're thinking this is one of the stories where the guy's dad comes back and they have this tearful reunion, you can get that out of your head. He died a long way from here, doing something stupid that had nothing to do with me. I was 19. And honestly it was kind of a relief, knowing I would never have him showing up slapping me on the back and going, "Heh heh, well, water under the bridge, right, kid?" Because that kind of water drowns people. It sure drowned my mom. Aw, hell. I don't want to talk about this.

Janet Laird: I think I know what you're talking about. I can get this one, Carter.

Carter's dad didn't give him to me, Pamela. My dad did.

( the rest of how Janet got given Carter )

And also non-anonymously, seagrit asks: Carter, do you cross train in the summer? Or is it just hockey, hockey, hockey year round?

Naw, can't be just hockey, hockey, hockey, that's the way to sprain something or tear something or whatever. I lift weights, and I run--although real runners like you would laugh at me--and sometimes I play pickup hoops or whatever with the guys. They like to change stuff up on us. One time Coach made us do yoga. I am not used to that shit. There are bits of you that are not supposed to bend that way. And then they tell you to breathe into your eye sockets or your elbow or whatever? and the weird thing is sometimes you get what they mean? I'm not so sure about that. I'm kind of hoping Coach doesn't get another notion that way. But I'll do it if he says to.

Ask Carter Hall Anything, Part 4

On we go from the post where you can ask my fictional hockey player anything:

So, you do any fishing up there?

Yah, sure. You do any breathing where you're from?

What do you think of dogs?

I like dogs, especially big dogs. I don't have time for one now, but I expect I'll get a Mastiff or something when I'm done playing. Nice to have a dog you can take out in the woods with you when it's cold and not worry too much about snow in its paws. My luck I'll get some princess of a hound that wants to flop on the couch and watch Due South reruns. That's okay too.

Are you in love with Mrissa or just in like? Like that?

mrissa, are you serious? Dude, she's worse than Janet. The only question Janet ever asks me is, "Carter, what did you do?" And when she asks it, she wants the short version, and she usually cuts me off halfway through the short version and says, "Oh, never mind, we will just deal with it, but don't you ever say that to a hujing again, you hear me?" or something like that. And she never, ever tries to get me to say how I feel about anything. Which is totally, totally not like mrissa.

Also there have been two times now when I just wanted to tell a story to jonsinger and mrissa insisted that the only way I could do that was through her. Which is rude. (You can tell which chapters they are because they have lots of food in them.) So--in love? Not even.