My dearest, darling Snady

[gwyn]

(For some reason, none of my recent DW posts are cross-posting.)

No doubt a lot of you have seen the posts about Sandy sherrold today, whom we often typed as Snady (if you see people referring to her that way, don't freak -- it was a thing). For those who haven't seen the others posts, movies_michelle has an update here with some info on things you can do, and why it's been so quiet about this. I hope people can understand how difficult it's been to watch this unfold, and how much those of us in town wanted to respect privacy, and also, simply, that we had hoped this was just a temporary setback.

I was talking about this yesterday with some other fans -- how, even though she and I lived ten minutes away from each other, and saw each other all the time, I didn't really enjoy going to cons when she wasn't there. Which is completely nuts, but as so many others have noted, she IS fandom to a lot of people, and her presence at a con was undeniable. You could hear here everywhere, her loud laugh (she once joked to me, the first time I had the Media Cannibals at my house, "Now you know why everyone wishes I came with a volume button!"), her infectious enthusiasm. And up till, really, two days ago, she was still planning to go to VVC. And who knows? Maybe she will. She has gone far beyond their predictions many times already in this.

Snady is the very definition of the phrase "force of nature." When we started hanging out, she welcomed me in and let me participate in making vids with the group, and even though for years we bickered and quibbled about things, she was always this person who meant so much to me that the bickering and quibbling weren't enough to drivve me away. And she and I made good vids together! I loved working with her on them, and I always, always learned something I never thought of before.

One thing I don't think many people realize is how influential she has been even to vidders who don't know her. Sandy was one of the early vidders who pushed this fannish art form into new directions, did things no one else had done previously. Her ideas about technique and style and theme have flown down to younger vidders, and they don't even know it. I wish more than anything I could spread that word -- that a lot of what many of us do right now came about because of Sandy pushing those envelopes back in the days when we made vids with bearskins and knives. Sandy is the original vidding hipster, babies.

I chatted with her yesterday and told her about remastering Hair and the new Media Cannibals site we're putting up with all the old vids. I could tell she wasn't well enough to see what I've got so far with Hair, and I'm really sad about that, but I could also tell that made her feel so comforted and happy. Even though she may not get to see it, I'm still going ahead with it. She is, and always will be, fandom to me, and to so many others, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that her legacy is not forgotten.

Comments

[minim_calibre]

I honestly hope that a hundred years from now, generations of fans as of yet unborn will still speak of her. She's just that kind of person.

Let me know if you need anything, sweetheart.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I liked your comment about the blue garden in talking sock's journal. That was one thing she and I shared -- we loved blue and purple flowers and that's most of what we planted. I was saving her some seeds from my blue columbines -- I'm still going to save them, and bring them over to plant in their yard for next year.

I'm hoping to have a backyard warming party later this summer. If you come, maybe we can plant some blue flowers in her name.

[minim_calibre]

My mother has some gorgeous dark purple columbines. I'll share my seeds from them with you in her honor.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Yeah, she is the original vidding hipster. There were certainly vidders before her, but she is like the Tigger version of a standard-bearer. She bounces into the room and you go "It's Snady! I love vids and vidders!"

Aside from her myriad contributions to fandom, though--I was just saying to a fan who doesn't know her that if you haven't been hugged by Snady then you've never really been hugged. And that's a truth.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

THAT? Is the god's honest truth. Me and Alex and Jo have always had HUGE personal space issues, but Sandy hugged that out of us over the years and now we all more or less hug other people to some degree; we always hug her. Even the last time I saw her in the hospital, she was getting up and she was so, so weak, but she hugged me so hard for a really long time. Even in the face of that pain, she will still squish your guts out.

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

So all that crying I wasn't doing yesterday? I've been making up for today.

All I keep thinking of is the very first time I ever heard her laugh. I had no idea who she was, but I still remember the time and place.

[deejay.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[zebra363.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this update. I've made a donation to ERW as suggested in movies_michelle's post.

[batwrangler.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[kerithwyn.livejournal.com]

All my best thoughts going her way, and yours.

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

Hey, so I'll be donating to ERW, too, but I wondered if you were organizing flowers this weekend, and if I could send you some money to be included.

My email addy: raveninthewind84 at yahoo.com

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

Just back online and so sad to hear this. She's in my thoughts, as are you.