Shaken & Stirred

In Olympia

You Are Archery

You are a bit of a traditionalist. You like old fashioned things with deep traditions. You also like to see the result of your accomplishments right in front of you. If practice makes perfect, that's fine by you. You like to practice a skill.

What Olympic Sport Are You?

Me and Geena Davis, right? (Via Hannah.)

I Am Master of Exposition

Your result for The What Middle Earth race do you belong to Test...

Wizard

You scored 0% Size & Strength, 82% Morality, 35% Aggression, and 71% Intelligence.

   

You scored high in morality and intelligence, but lower in physical strength and aggression, which means you're probably a Wizard.  Counted among the very wise and (with that one exception) good creatures of Middle Earth are the Wizards, or Istari.  Though they appear as old men, the Istari are actually powerful Maiar spirits sent from Valinor to Middle Earth to act as caretakers of the land and guides to men and beasts.  Their supernatural heritage means they're also the only line of defense against rogue Maiar like Balrogs.  Though only Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast are named through the novels, there are two other Wizards at large in Middle Earth, quietly working to bring tranquility to their surroundings.  Your polar opposite is the Urûk-Hai.

Take The What Middle Earth race do you belong to Test at HelloQuizzy
(Via everybody!)

1930s Style

100 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

-18 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure) Take the test!

(Via Hannah.)

Counter Meme

And Janni Simner springs a meme of her own "because most memes fail to ask the things we really want to know" -- I'm going to employ the same one word answer rule. (Compound nouns count!)

1. Have you ever killed a man? no
2. With your own hands? no
3. What, in your opinion, is the best way to transport contraband across state and country lines? Burt Reynolds
4. Even if you're transporting explosives? yes
5. Really? yes
6. Have you ever stolen a library book? yes
7. On purpose, or only because you found it under your bed years after you reported it lost and paid the fine? purposefully
8. Where were you on November 1, 2007? home
9. Can you prove it? yep
10. You had to think about that, didn't you? yep
11. How much is it worth to you for me to pretend I didn't notice? nada
12. Have you spent years building up an immunity to iocane powder? (And if you know a faster method, will you share it?) no
13. Name three different ways to start a fire. Drew Barrymore, Human Torch, matches
14. Now try to convince me you only know that because you were a Girl/Boy Scout/Guide once. wasn't
15. How many digits of pi can you recite from memory? zero
16. Did you have to count out the digits on your fingers to answer that? no
17. Did you check online to make sure you remembered right before answering? no
18. Does all this talk about numbers make you uncomfortable? very
19. Or are you just wondering what it has to do with the rest of the meme? no
20. Seriously, where did you bury the body? permafrost
21. Where were you on March 16, 2036? why
22. If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump, too? yep (note: only because they would probably have a very good reason -- smart friends)
23. What is the ninja replacement score for your life? none

Friday Words

Via the one and only Reechard Butner:

You know the drill: one word answers only.
1. Where is your mobile phone? desk
2. Your significant other? Sillyhead
3. Your hair? blond
4. Your mother? smart
5. Your father? cranky
6. Your favorite thing? unexpected
7. Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your favorite drink? champagne
9. Your dream/goal? flexible
10. The room you're in? windowed
11. Your ex? forgotten
12. Your fear? luck
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
14. Where were you last night? bedrace
15. What you're not? flighty
16. Muffins? maybe
17. One of your wish list items? scooter
18. Where you grew up? country
19. The last thing you did? chat
20. What are you wearing? green
21. Your TV? shows
22. Your pets? groomer
23. Your computer? currently
24. Your life? good
25. Your mood? tired
26. Missing someone? yep
27. Your car? cute
28. Something you're not wearing? tiara
29. Favorite Store? Lush
30. Your summer? hot
31. Like someone? lots
32. Your favorite color? blue
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? PMS

Two Silly Monkey Quizzes

      

Your Score: Eeyore

      

You scored 14 Ego, 17 Anxiety,  and 11 Agency!

      

      

      "Do you know what A means, little Piglet?"        

"No, Eeyore, I don't."        

"It  means  Learning,  it means Education, it means all the things that you and Pooh haven't got. That's what A means."        

"Oh,"  said  Piglet  again.  "I  mean,  does  it?"   he explained quickly.        

"I'm  telling  you.  People come and go in this Forest, and they say, 'It's only Eeyore, so  it  doesn't  count.'  They walk to and fro saying 'Ha ha!' But do they know anything about A?  They  don't.  It's  just  three  sticks to them. But to the Educated--mark  this,  little  Piglet--to  the  Educated,   not meaning  Poohs  and Piglets, it's a great and glorious A.

You scored as Eeyore!

ABOUT EEYORE: Eeyore lives in his own thistley corner of the forest and wonders why people don't come to visit him more often. He is master of the Guilt Trip, and is always gently forgiving his visitors for neglecting him. Eeyore considers himself to be smarter than the other inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood, and is often exasperated by their habit of having adventures and general merriment.

WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are an anxious person, and you tend to expect the worst. Your friends find you somewhat cynical at times, because you have found that it is best to expect disappointment. You often feel unappreciated by the people you work with, but you rarely actually try and do anything to change that fact.

Your close friends admire you more than you think they do. They wish that you would learn to stop worrying so much and actually start trying to fix what is bothering you. If something is making you unhappy... change it!       

Link: The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test written by wolfcaroling

Your Reputation Is: Mystery Girl

You're the girl that everyone is trying to figure out. Men are attracted to your intriguing persona - and women want to copy it!

Do You Have A Bad Girl Reputation?

Powerless

Not to take this quiz:

Which TV Dog is Your Ideal Pet?

Created by BuddyTV

(Via Max.)

Ha

Which Buffy the Vampire Slayer Character Are You?

Created by BuddyTV

(Via Haddayr.)

Wasn't Even On My Game

91 words

Via everybody!

Library Things

So, I'm finding myself getting a slow start on this faux-Monday morning, after an afternoon and evening spent in the sublime company of Sunshine, Mr. Cavin, and the inimitable Bet. Christopher suggested last week that everyone post a list of the books they have out from the library. Mine after the cut (though I'm taking a bunch back so the "block" on my account will come off and I can pick up Skin Hunger and Innocence) -- lack of caps can be blamed on the library ELF:

Janey

Which PLAIN Jane Are You? Main Jane

As the leader of the pack, you are always looking out for your friends and working to make your group pretty tight knit.

Take This Quiz  More Quizzes

(Via the Lady Cecil!)

So Risque

Apparently based on the presence of the words hell, crap, death, and pain. Interesting... I'm beginning to think that Someone's Grandma designed the criteria. (Via Finding Wonderland.)

The Basic 8

The wonderful Susan at Chicken Spaghetti tagged me for the 8 things meme. Sayeth the rules:

For this meme, each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. Working a window shade or blinds -- of any kind except the Roman variety -- is like doing extreme physics for me. Christopher swears this is easy to do and most people learn to deal with them as children. I'm very skeptical.

2. I floss every day. And I don't really understand you non-daily flossers.

3. I grew up in a county with only one stoplight, fifteen minutes away from my house.

4. I read the complete works of William Shakespeare between the ages of 11 and 13.

5. In high school, I wrote a lot of poetry about George Bush, Sr. If you'd like, I might be persuaded to humiliate my younger selfpost one.

6. So many of these are about my youth because we are at my parents' house right now, in Bond, Ky.

7.  I often pretend to be a spy. Sometimes I wonder if now I really am one.

8. Nine times out of ten, I know whether I'm going to like a book by the end of the first paragraph. And why.

I would tag, but I am too the lazy to go posting in comments. Also, I can't remember who has already done this one and who hasn't, so if you haven't done it yet and want to then go forth and listicate.

An Unproductive Game

But what the hell?

At age 30:

Mark Twain published his first short story, "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog."

Danish novelist Hans Christian Andersen published his book of fairy tales.

Nat Turner led a slave rebellion.

U.S. mariner Moses Rogers made the first ocean steamboat voyage.

Donald Trump persuaded bankers to lend him $80 million so he could buy the Commodore Hotel.

Samuel Morse's assistant, Alfred Lewis Vail, devised Morse code.

Physicist Armand H. L. Fizeau measured the speed of light.

Dr. Narinder Kapany invented fiber optics and designed a glass gastroscope which can be snaked down the throat for a detailed view of the stomach.

Hank Williams overdosed on drugs and alcohol.

Bill Gates was the first person ever to become a billionaire by age 30.

Earl Vickers started the Dollar Project, in which dollar bills were rubber-stamped as being lost, with a reward offered for their safe return.

Susan Smith figured out where all the plain wire hangers come from. It took her a long time because she never goes to the dry cleaners.

(Via Kameron.)

This One Never Gets Old

Your Score: Rosalind Russell

You scored 26% grit, 57% wit, 23% flair, and 11% class!

You are one wise-cracking lady, always quick with a clever remark and easily able to keep up with the quips and puns that come along with the nutty situations you find yourself in. You're usually able to talk your way out of any jam, and even if you can't, you at least make it more interesting with your biting wit. You can match the smartest guy around line for line, and you've got an open mind that allows you to get what you want, even if you don't recognize it at first. Your leading men include Cary Grant and Clark Gable, men who can keep up with you.

Find out what kind of classic leading man you'd make by taking the
Classic Leading Man Test.

Link: The Classic Dames Test written by gidgetgoes on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

(Via Literaticat.)

Two Silly Quizzes

Gacked from Betsy at Fusenumber8, because I'm too swamped for real content today. (I was a-scared of the Dickens test.)

I am an Iris What Flower Are You?

Numero 2 behind the cut:

Oh, Why Not?

Everybody else is doing it...

Playing Favorites

Cloudscome over at A Wrung Sponge tagged me for the five favorite non-book blogs meme, in which I happily participate. There are a few, you know, non-book blogs out there. Or so I've heard. And I read some of them, mostly of the science and musical persuasion, but this is actually hard because even the blogs I read that don't deal with the fictional arts very often are mostly written by writers and thus ineligible. Still, I'm actually going to cheat and do six. So, in no particular order:

• Aetiology by epidemiologist Tara C. Smith - This is one of my favorite science blogs. As its tagline says, it focuses on "discussing causes, origins, evolution, and implications of disease and other phenomena." Yeah, I'm a big nerd. Like you didn't know that.
• About Last Night by Terry Teachout and Our Girl in Chicago - So, yeah, this one's kind of a cheat, but they talk about so much other stuff it hardly seems like it. Terry was one of the very first people I ever "met" online in the litblog worldiverse, way back when I discovered it existed (several years ago now), and he was as erudite and welcoming and NICE as anyone could have been. I love both these guys and reading about their whirlwind interests is never, ever dull. Now if only they had a full post RSS feed, I could keep up with them every day rather than once a week...
• Homo Sum by Chris McLaren - Well, Chris is my favorite big-headed Canadian whiskey man in the world entire, so of course he's on the list. Yes, he also posts about books and reads a lot, but he posts about life and politics and etcetera just as frequently. And he's high-larious some days, lyrical and nostalgic others, and sometimes both at once.
• Lux Lotus by Lauren Cerand -   Yes, yes, Lauren's also a book person and compiles the fabulous Smart Set for Maud, BUT her blog is a lovely beacon of style in a style-challenged world. I love it for her links to beautiful things and unusual things, for pointers to the art and music she's enjoying. Basically, I love Lux Lotus; the Windowlicker is my favorite.
• Pullquote by the Cinetrix - My favorite movie blog, which also features enough miscellaneous posts to keep you on your toes. You never know exactly what you'll get, but you know it will be good. Trixie always has the best mix of sass and smarts, class and cacophony.
• Said the Gramophone by various - Somehow the tracks I find here are always the ones I fall most in love with. And I really do think this blog has some of the best music writing out there.

And a posthumous shout-out to Dana's deceased Number One Hit Song, which was my favorite non-books-all-the-time blog ever. It's worth losing your day to the archives.

(Um, I don't consider this to really be a blog, it's just pictures of puppies, but yeah, it's one of the first stops in the morning. I'm also a big ole puppy softie.)

I tag any and all y'all, because I'm always curious to see what people are reading outside of blogs about books.

Death by Meme

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

(Via Dave, who bought it from an infected toe at midnight in the parlor with Colonel Mustard and some mutated Ninja Turtles.)

Monstrous

Get Your Monster Name

(Via.)

I Heart You

Get your own valentinr

(This craze started by Jennifer. It's like the Internerd equivalent of your desk in elementary school on V-Day.)

Via

Everybody on LJ:

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a gwenda.

Which movie was this quote from?

Get your own quotes:

Also:

I'm melting! Melting! Oh, what a gwenda! What a gwenda!

Which movie was this quote from?

Get your own quotes:

And because this is fun, a couple more behind the cut:

Happy Holidays from

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Honourable Lady Gwenda the Bewildered of Hardy St Thomas Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

&

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Lord Christopher the Wholesome of Larkhill under Porton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Prophecy This

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

(Via Darice ... or should I say NICOLA TESLA!)

Unacceptable!

I did the Muppet quiz, but I refuse to accept Elmo. I hate Elmo! I am not Elmo-esque!

Now that we're clear on that, don't expect much of anything else from me for a few days (besides the Friday song, of course). Houseguests arriving sorta eminently and &tc.

Soundtracks, Lives, On Random

Because I'm not in the mood to do a real post, a long musical-type thing stolen from E Bear.

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...

The results behind the cut...

p.s. Since I just started putting stuff in iTunes a couple of months ago, there's gonna be a lot of recent stuff. I'm still being honest. Promise! (Our huge music library from our converting CDs digital is on the external hard drive and I haven't moved any of it over yet.) But this is all stuff I've been listening to lately.

Title!

Get a title for your very own best-selling young adult novel. Mine's

Help!  I Turned into a Somewhat Underage Sexpot.

Via Literaticat, who made it.

Also, an end-of-the-world scenario.

Senior Year Rock

It's the senior year quiz, via E. Lockhart, via Eric Luper.

1. Who was your best friend?
Satan. (Or at least, that's how I refer to her now.)

2. What sports did you play?
I was a quitter senior year, but before that I was a cheerleader (& before that it was basketball and dance team). Gasp. Does academic team count as a sport? 

3. What kind of car did you drive?:
Some year maroon Grand Prix.

4. It's Friday night, where were you?:
Probably in a parking lot, hanging out. Or driving around in circles. Possibly at the movies.

5. Were you a party animal?:
I can't tell a lie: pretty much.

6. Were you considered a flirt?
I don't think so.

7. Ever skip school?
Oh my, yes.

9. Were you a nerd?
I'm always a nerd, but in this sense probably not. I was more of an oddball.

10. Ever get suspended/expelled?
No -- but I did do some time in detention. Since my mom was principal, this gave everyone great glee, the calling out of my name over the loudspeaker those mornings. I remember being in it once for cutting and there was this kid named Duke who had a boombox (which he couldn't play in detention, natch) and the smelliest feet on Earth. Detention was presided over by our lecherous, idiot gym teacher, which upped the creep factor. The upside to detention was that I had chosen the classical music they played to torture its inhabitants, so I was less miserable than others.

11. Can you sing the Alma mater?
Not anymore.

12. Who was your favorite teacher?:
Billy Roy Farmer. English.

13. Favorite class?
AP English.

14. What was your school's full name?:
Jackson County High School.

15. School mascot?:
The Generals, baby!

16. Did you go to Prom?
Yes, with Satan and six of our guy friends, most of who dumped their chicks so we could just do the fun group thing. This went over really well.

17. If you could go back and do it over, would you?
You know, never. But, that said, I grew up in a super-small town and always felt like those years were kind of free, in the sense that I knew the situation of high school utterly sucked. So I was into elaborate pranks and hijinks and entertaining myself. It could have been worse. But, no, I'd never volunteer to go back.

18. What do you remember most about graduation?
I read a poem I wrote for my friend Jamie, who died when we were sixteen. I remember her mom hugging me after the ceremony. (And after that, the only other clear thing is the after party, which got way dramatique.)

19. Favorite memory of your Senior Year?
The thing I remember most is driving into the parking lot every morning the last month blasting REM's "It's the End of the World As We Know It," and singing along.

20. Were you ever posted up on the senior wall?:
The senior wall? We didn't have that. We had "the doors" -- which were the gym doors -- but we basically just stood next to them on days when we felt cool.

21. Did you have a job?
Nope.

22. Whom did you date?
Nobody, mostly.

23. Where did you go most often for lunch?:
The cafeteria, home of The Great Cracker Controversy. (This involved the salad bar, not race.)

24. Have you gained weight since then?
Thank god, yes. I was way too fit back then; all that sports.

25. What did you do after graduation?
Got a boyfriend. Went to college.

26. Who was your crush?
I can't remember. Isn't that sad? The pickings were slim.

27. When did you graduate?
1994. Oh yeah.

My Secret TV Life

So, it's Friday, and why not do one of those listy things? This one comes courtesy of Erin at Rarely Likable. Bold the ones you've seen at least three episodes of, add italics for those you've seen every episode of, and I'm adding a star to the ones I actually loved/love, etc. The others I just liked enough to watch at least three episodes.

Follow the clicky.

I Like This One

What Teen Angst Novel are You? - funny, lots of results, with pix, from the author of The Boyfriend List

LOOKING FOR ALASKA, by John Green.  Sad, Funny, boozy, thought-provoking. Go read it. It's you.
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

 

(Via Cecil.)

Because

It's been one of those weeks and the questions are more interesting than normal. (Via Dave.)

Behind the cut.

Ooh-lala

 

Katharine Hepburn You scored 21% grit, 47% wit, 38% flair,  and 14% class!

You are the fabulously quirky and independent woman of character. You go your own way, follow your own drummer, take your own lead. You stand head and shoulders next to your partner, but you are perfectly willing and able to stand alone. Others might be more classically beautiful or conventionally woman-like, but you possess a more fundamental common sense and off-kilter charm, making interesting men fall at your feet. You can pick them up or leave them there as you see fit. You share the screen with the likes of Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant, thinking men who like strong women. Find out what kind of classic leading man you'd make by taking the Classic Leading Man Test.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on grit You scored higher than 99% on wit You scored higher than 99% on flair You scored higher than 99% on class

Link: The Classic Dames Test written by gidgetgoes on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

And for gender balance:  

Jimmy Stewart You scored 23% Tough, 14% Roguish, 42% Friendly,  and 19% Charming!

You are the fun and friendly boy next door, the classic nice guy who still manages to get the girl most of the time. You're every nice girl's dreamboat, open and kind, nutty and charming, even a little mischievous at times, but always a real stand up guy. You're dependable and forthright, and women are drawn to your reliability, even as they're dazzled by your sense of adventure and fun. You try to be tough when you need to be, and will gladly stand up for any damsel in distress, but you'd rather catch a girl with a little bit of flair. Your leading ladies include Jean Arthur and Donna Reed, those sweet girl-next-door types. Find out what kind of classic dame you'd make by taking the Classic Dames Test.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on Tough You scored higher than 99% on Roguish You scored higher than 99% on Friendly You scored higher than 99% on Charming

Link: The Classic Leading Man Test written by gidgetgoes on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

(Via Literaticat.)

Do Not Be Upset

take the WHAT BAD BOOK ARE YOU test.
and go to mewing.net. not as good as reading a good book, but way better than a bad one.

Via La Gringa.

Trivial Birthday

Have to start again sometime, so why not? The wikipedia birthday meme that everyone is doing. (3 events, 2 birthdays and 1 death)

July 12 (and I'm a bit distressed to find that the Rollerdome I want to rent out for my 30th birthday party has no information about said rentals on its Web site...)

Events
1812 - War of 1812: The United States invades Canada at Windsor, Ontario.
1892 - A hidden lake bursts out of a glacier on the side of Mont Blanc, flooding the valley below and killing around 200 villagers and holidaymakers in Saint Gervais.
1973 - The 1973 National Archives Fire destroys the entire 6th floor of the National Personnel Records Center.

Births
100 BC - Gaius Julius Caesar, Roman soldier and politician (d. 44 BC)
1880 - Tod Browning, American film director (d. 1962) (and in Ky., natch)

Death
1926 - Gertrude Bell, English archaeologist, writer, spy, and administrator (b. 1868)

Random Images

Because this is kind of amusing and I'm useless for anything more today... Snitched from here via here.

The Rule is that you take the best picture you like from the first page of Google Images results:

The city and state of the town in which you grew up, no quotation marks.
The town in which you currently reside. (Note: Pleasingly weird and not current.)
Your name, first and last, with no quotation marks. Tied with this.
Your grandmother's name. (I did both and chose my favorite.)
Your favorite drink.
Your favorite food. Another tie.
Your favorite smell.

Better Than iPod

Yesterday, Rarely Likable proposed to memefy this New York Magazine feature wherein Colson Whitehead talks about five books chosen from his bookshelves by the interviewer. She says: If there's no one nearby to choose books at random, figure out how your bookshelves/piles are divisible by five. Go to each one however many times as needed. Close eyes, spin around a couple of times (I'm totally serious about that part, it's necessary) and touch a book. Be right back with my own results. (You can see her excellent results at the link above.)

This seemed like a great fun idea, so I made Christopher randomly choose some books for me. (Miraculously, he didn't come up with all weird little nonfiction books.) And they are:

Goodbye, Little Rock and Roller by Marshall Chapman - I discovered Marshall Chapman by way of a Bob Edwards interview on Morning Edition. Which is geekily appropriate, since one of the things that defines Chapman's cool is these flashes of nerdiness (some spirituality stuff) or bad taste (touring with Jimmy Buffett). But the thing is, Chapman herself is such a magnetic personality that you really don't care if sometimes her songs get a little bit twee -- the ones from the '60s are hard core (see, er, hear "Rode Hard and Put Up Wet") and, in fact, I bet she could still set them up and knock them down with the best. Anyway, her anecdotes are fabulous and that's what this book is, and what she was promoting on ME. But they're actually funnier from her. So I'd recommend the book, sure, but only after you've listened to the interview (with outtakes) and heard her rap in Middle English. We went to see her read and play a few years ago and this is part of what I said then:

The guy who Marshall went out on her first date with at Vanderbilt showed up before the reading, got a book signed and left. He had on leather tassled loafers; freaky. Another couple in the audience had met Marshall in Switzerland in the late '60s and had the pictures of her sleeping on the floor to prove it. Marshall asked them politely, "You know we had forged Eurail passes, right? They were forged. They caught up with us in Italy."

How can you not love this woman?

The Panic Hand by Jonathan Carroll - Ha. The first time I read Jonathan Carroll, I was in high school. I lucked onto a copy of Bones of the Moon (which I still think is the one of his novels you should read first) at our Usually Doesn't Have a Great Selection of Fiction local miscellany/bookstore Sqecial Media. I had heard of Jonathan Carroll, had heard friends from far away talking about how wonderful his writing was. I spent the next few years combing bookstores, used and new, for Carroll scraps, without any more luck smiling on the search. I don't know if Amazon didn't quite exist yet or I just didn't use it then; probably a little of both. I think I'd finally managed to find another of the novels remaindered (From the Teeth of Angels), but the short story collection, The Panic Hand, eluded me. Anyway, in college, I drove up to Chapel Hill for a weekend visit to my friend Blair. Blair was a VW mechanic, among other things, and had this excellent house and this excellent dog, Samantha, and it was a good weekend. The night I arrived, he talked me into town via cell phone, to the bar where he was. We proceeded to traverse streets and bars late into the night. When we got back to his house (by taxi), I discovered he was in possession of a number of our mutual friend John's books (John had recently moved elsewhere). I dug around in the boxes, drunkenly, and found The Panic Hand. Oh happiness! I was so smashed I had to close one eye to make the lines stay steady while attempting to read it. Needless to say, I got a lot more out of it the next day, even with the terrible hangover. I eventually picked up a copy, probably at Dreamhaven or another specialty store. I had occasion to pull it out not too long ago and reread one of my favorite Carroll stories, "Friend's Best Man," because someone in the writing class turned in a similar story. I also ended up rereading "Uh-Oh City" and "The Panic Hand." They held up beautifully. Oh, I love this collection.

The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey - I love this novel quite a lot, but I don't have as much to say about it. I picked this one up circa mid-90s when I was trying to read more mysteries (I also read a lot of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett that summer). The most vivid memory I have of reading it is being in my parents' big jaccuzzi tub with some sort of really stiff clay face mask on (which did nothing except create a kabuki effect and dry out my skin). I read all her books that I could get my hands on in short order, but this one's my favorite. (Man in the Queue was the only one that disappointed me. I should probably give it another try.)

A Hammock Beneath the Mangoes, edited by Thomas Colchie - I bought this at Hawley-Cooke Booksellers in Louisville on a "class" field trip when I was at Governor's School for the Arts in 1993. It has a truly great TOC (do a find for Hammock). These stories were the genesis of my love affair with Latin American fiction, and even in a sideways fashion led me to Eduardo Galeano (author of what on many days is my favorite book in the world, The Book of Embraces). When we got home from GSA, I photocopied the second story, Julio Cortazar's "Axolotl," and mailed it to several people from our class that I felt could not live another moment without reading it. That story still knocks me out. To say that this anthology changed who I was as a person, a reader and a writer would not be overstating it. One of my dirty little secrets as a reader of SF is that I started out reading wayyyyy more of it in translation from other parts of the world or from the "literature" section, labeled all respectable. I didn't care about respectablility, that's just how it happened. Every now and then I reread a story or two from Hammock and think about writing an essay about it. Or a review to try and bring it some rediscovery. I would be oh so happy if a bunch of people respond that they've already read it (but only if you LOVE it!!!).

True Thai by Victor Sodsook - Oh happiness, again. And a fitting fifth book. This book was a present to us from Richard and Barb, following the first magnificent Thai Thanksgiving, which necessitated us taking this book out from the library. Our Thanksgivings are all about our family of friends and the new trappings we've given the holiday. Mostly, this involves me (and Alan!) drinking and taking pictures of the action in the kitchen. The action in the kitchen starts way before the big meal, with the making of index cards for each ingredient and for each dish, detailing every step to perfection. The riot of cooking begins, with ingredients being handed off according to card, and more drinking. The result is always wonderful.

Now you.

119 Shopping Days Left

Until my age is an even number again, that is. Birthday fun facts behind the cut. Then go get yours. (Via Jeff, soon to be southern again.)

That's When I Reach For My Snot Revolver

See silliness behind the cut.

Such a Romantic

(Real post later, but for now, candy heart behind the cut.)

Tell Me Something

Ten Top Trivia Tips about BondGirl!

1. Contrary to popular belief, BondGirl is not successful at sobering up a drunk person, and in many cases she may actually increase the adverse effects of alcohol!
2. Olympic badminton rules say that BondGirl must have exactly fourteen feathers.
3. BondGirl has only one weakness - the colour yellow.
4. Julius Caesar wore a laurel wreath to cover up BondGirl!
5. You can tell if BondGirl has been hard-boiled by spinning her. If she stands up, she is hard-boiled.
6. BondGirl will always turn right when leaving a cave!
7. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching BondGirl!
8. BondGirl became extinct in England in 1486.
9. Lightning strikes BondGirl over seven times every hour.
10. BondGirl cannot be detected by infrared cameras.

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

 

Via the fabulous Eek. And because I can, I do it again with my actual name:

The Stuff of Happiness

Snitched from Meghan. Stuff I like, because sometimes it's good to stop and think about good stuff.

1. Wallaby brand Australian-style yogurt. Seriously, the most delicious yogurt in the world. You must try. You will be happy. Orange Passion Fruit flavor. Any flavor. Yum.

2. Magic. Not the kind with the K. The kind with magicians and tricks and fascinating histories, etc. 

3. Freaks. Obviously. But for lots of reasons, including an innate pull toward outsiders of any kind. (Also, related to the link: anything that Rosamond Purcell does.)

4. Television. Unapologetically, I love it. (Only good television, obvs., or at least so bad it's entertaining.) After a long day, after a short day. I try not to watch it in huge lumps of time, but I don't feel guilty when I do. And what would you do when you were sick if TV didn't exist?

5. The VA parking garage. We just got a permit for the VA parking garage, which is across the street from our gym. Previously, going to the gym involved vulture-circling for a spot and paying way too much into a meter. Now it just involves a half-a-block walk. It's the little things.

6. Hawaii. I very much want to go back. It's a magic place (again, not with the K, but this time not with the tricks either). All this Jack London and Mark Twain talk of late is making me long.

7. These shoes. (With kudos to the Style Queen.) Now if only I could find/afford a pair.

8. Being in motion. Even if it's in my chair, typing away.

9. A really great conversation. Especially with someone I just met.

10. Mr. T. Because he defies logic.

11. Music with some space. I like music that has a landscape in it that you can freefall through.

12. Songs you can't help singing along to. "Jessica," "Who's Got the Crack?" (or anything by The Moldy Peaches, really), "Moonshiner," "Heliopolis by Night," etc.

13. The South. Which shall not rise again.

14. Teenagers. They rock, they're infuriating, they're like matches waiting to throw sparks. It's why I write about and for them.

15. A new Karen Joy Fowler novel. This is an official request of the universe and Karen. (Actually, KJF in general would be perfectly at home on this list too.)

16. Giving someone a present. Is there anything better? (Obligatory Xmas pressies not included.)

17. You. Assuming you're not creepy.

(p.s. Gmail has been down (for me, anyway) all day, but seems to be back up. So if I owe you a reply from the last couple days, expect it later tonight.)

Um.

Slightly horrifying results (poor wooden Ione), but still amusement to be had:

Congratulations! You are a BRAINY BEAUTY.

The 80s teen film heroine you are most like is IONE SKYE from SAY ANYTHING. Your good grades and preppie style make you the classic overachiever. Still, you long to shed your good-girl image and have some fun, but are afraid of what everyone will think. May we suggest you find a kick-boxing iconoclast along the lines of JOHN CUSACK's Lloyd Dobbler to show you that can make straight As and still have time for making out?

Tagged

Weirdness and movies, behind the cut.

Where You Been

Copying Tito, places I spent at least a night in 2005:

Lexington, KY
Hickory, NC
Asheville, NC
Chicago
Madison, WI
Glasgow
Atlanta
Anneville, KY

A pretty ish-ish year on travel. Am thinking this year, in addition to Wiscon, I may do BEA, and at some point we'll probably be in New York. Also, Roanoke Island. And possibly LA and/or Austin, depending as well. I am determined to get somewhere tropical. We'll see. Y tu?

Whoa, That's Some Canon.

It's a new week and so Scalzi has a new book out (I kid because I love, it's not like he's caught up with the award-winning Scott or anything), The Rough Guide to Science Fiction Movies. Therein lies a list of movies referred to reverentially as The Canon. Bold the ones you've seen, etc. List after the cut. I should confess that I took a science fiction film genre course in The College Days.

Also, I wish Them! had made it. I love me some giant ants.