So, I was talking to Kevin at lunch today, telling him where I am in the novel, whats going on with the characters... Right now there's the making of lots of tension and drama amongst three of the main ones that'll play out through the rest of the book. One character doesn't like that his lover is spending time with his ward, because he's jealous, only (at the moment) he doesn't know which one he's jealous of-
And Kevin says "Why don't they all just have a polygamist relationship? Then they won't have to be jealous of each other. I mean, if they're all happy with that."
I told Kayla about it, and she pretty much asked "...then what's the rest of the novel about?"
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Irony
Funny-in-a-horrible-way story:
I had to drive to Athens yesterday for research for one of my classes; since I drove all the way there and back, today I decided I'd take the car in for an oil change. When I was leaving KSU and taking the sharp turns in the parking garage the car made a rrrrr sort of noise when I made the turns, then was silent by the time I was actually on Frey Road. Got home and my tax return was waiting for me, but since I wasn't expecting it until April or later I hadn't actually thought of anything to buy with it (except for sort of wanting a bike). Called Goodyear, told them the whole story, brought it in, got the oil change and then they come out with their funeral faces on and they're like 'You have to see this, it's going to be hard to explain...'
And basically, that rrrrr noise was the sound of my entire tax return being spent.
Good news: I actually have the money to do the repair, because of the tax return.
Bad news: No tax return means I have no money.
Good news: I don't have to pay for the car to be fixed.
Bad news: No bike.
(and because one person already asked, no, do not buy me a bike.)
I had to drive to Athens yesterday for research for one of my classes; since I drove all the way there and back, today I decided I'd take the car in for an oil change. When I was leaving KSU and taking the sharp turns in the parking garage the car made a rrrrr sort of noise when I made the turns, then was silent by the time I was actually on Frey Road. Got home and my tax return was waiting for me, but since I wasn't expecting it until April or later I hadn't actually thought of anything to buy with it (except for sort of wanting a bike). Called Goodyear, told them the whole story, brought it in, got the oil change and then they come out with their funeral faces on and they're like 'You have to see this, it's going to be hard to explain...'
And basically, that rrrrr noise was the sound of my entire tax return being spent.
Good news: I actually have the money to do the repair, because of the tax return.
Bad news: No tax return means I have no money.
Good news: I don't have to pay for the car to be fixed.
Bad news: No bike.
(and because one person already asked, no, do not buy me a bike.)
Monday, March 16, 2009
What I did on my Spring Break
Mostly: nothing.
The booksale was the last day before break, so I had plenty to read. Made some headway into Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, read chapters here and there in Sitchin's Cosmic Code, flipped through the Esperanto book and tried to explain to mom why it's a brilliant idea.
Did a lot of knitting. Hobby Lobby isn't what I usually think of when I think 'yarn shop' but they have their own in house brand of yarn and it's mostly insane artsy acrylics which, when that type of yarn's time is over, go on sale for $1.99. Which isn't bad for a skein of yarn; it's even better when it's neat yarn with bright colors, all sorts of unusual styles and types. I bought this lemon-lime yarn that reminded me of those subliminal message Sprite commercials from last year and did a thin summer weight scarf out of it; Mom went nuts seeing it so I gave it to her. Another yarn I bought was this purple furry yarn with bits of sewed stuff in it; it's called ragg yarn and it looks like it's spun out of lumber jack shirts and muppets. Mom started giving it the 'that's mine' look but I told her I'd just knitted her something (and it's not like she doesn't know how to knit). I finished the purple scarf in South Carolina and Aunt Marilyn got the same look.
Monday we watched Castle, which was funnier than I thought it would be.
Thursday we drove down to Hilton Head to visit my Aunt and Uncle at their vacation home, which is in one of those golf course resort neighborhoods. I hadn't seen them in a year or two, and I loved taking pictures of the Spanish moss covered oaks in the area. We couldn't play golf with them because I have no idea what I'm doing, and secondly I brought clothes and then a dress, and the clothes weren't nice enough for golfing and the dress was too nice, and thirdly I don't even have golf shoes. Apparently golf is such a historical sport you have to dress up for it. I just found the whole thing a little silly and weird; I mean, how are you supposed to try it out?
We went to the beach once, so I could see it, and it was freezing and the wind was blowing like a hurricane- It was still stunning, especially since there was enough fog on the ocean to make the horizon invisible. The Savannah River side of Hilton Head was somewhat warmer- I poked around the beach there picking up seashells and looking at a few beached jelly fish; the largest was the size of a colander.
Friday night we ate at a local place called Pepper's Porch where I had fantastic jambalaya. I got to watch Bones on my laptop that afternoon, since we missed it the night before- Booth and Brennan continue to be the highlight of my tv week.
Headed back today and I made the mistake of taking Dramamine on an empty stomach- I slept eight hours last night, the entire ride back up, and a five hour nap this after noon. Went to get the dogs from Fred's house just in time to catch the premier of Kings...
Kings was epic. I like the drama of it, and the politicking, the uniforms, and David. David spent the whole episode being badass without even noticing it; he can't sleep so he rescues his fellow soldiers, he faces his court martial without reservations, hides from the King's party to play the piano... Spends money buying his fellow soldiers beer and video games.
Which reminded me this has been an incredible year for television. Not just since January 1st because a lot of shows have been on midseason break, but this season since last fall. Fringe. Bones. Leverage. Castle. Lie to Me. Kings. Being Human. Dollhouse. (i'm probably forgetting something) Practically everything that's been on has been fantastic. I was eating dinner the other night and turned to Mom and said "I miss Leverage." right out of the blue and she was like "Me too.". At least there will be more of that this summer. Fringe there's still something like 20 days until a new episode. Bones is going to be new until the season is over. I have no idea what Kings' schedule is going to be like, but I'll be glued to my seat when it's on.
Yay for tv!
In other news, I remain jobless. I'm trying to keep my chin up about the whole thing, but it's really depressing and aggravating. I'm the next person to be hired at two places, if anyone leaves. But who's going to leave right now? No one. Mom's got the same thing going on. Since I got home I've filled out at least two or three applications a day, more when I wasn't in class, and I've had one interview. One. I got the job at Aero because of how awesome Kevin is and the fact I'm an epic employee- I was supposed to be seasonal for Thanksgiving, not until January. I just worked like a powerhouse and impressed everyone and they kept me on until they couldn't anymore. It's even more ridiculous when you're on these job finding sites and they're like "Now Hiring!" so you rush to fill out the application only to get a reply back asking if you have a commercial drivers license when they weren't advertising for *drivers*.
Anyway, we got home from South Carolina early so I can make it to my England to 1688 class tomorrow- it the best thing I'm taking this semester.
The booksale was the last day before break, so I had plenty to read. Made some headway into Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, read chapters here and there in Sitchin's Cosmic Code, flipped through the Esperanto book and tried to explain to mom why it's a brilliant idea.
Did a lot of knitting. Hobby Lobby isn't what I usually think of when I think 'yarn shop' but they have their own in house brand of yarn and it's mostly insane artsy acrylics which, when that type of yarn's time is over, go on sale for $1.99. Which isn't bad for a skein of yarn; it's even better when it's neat yarn with bright colors, all sorts of unusual styles and types. I bought this lemon-lime yarn that reminded me of those subliminal message Sprite commercials from last year and did a thin summer weight scarf out of it; Mom went nuts seeing it so I gave it to her. Another yarn I bought was this purple furry yarn with bits of sewed stuff in it; it's called ragg yarn and it looks like it's spun out of lumber jack shirts and muppets. Mom started giving it the 'that's mine' look but I told her I'd just knitted her something (and it's not like she doesn't know how to knit). I finished the purple scarf in South Carolina and Aunt Marilyn got the same look.
Monday we watched Castle, which was funnier than I thought it would be.
Thursday we drove down to Hilton Head to visit my Aunt and Uncle at their vacation home, which is in one of those golf course resort neighborhoods. I hadn't seen them in a year or two, and I loved taking pictures of the Spanish moss covered oaks in the area. We couldn't play golf with them because I have no idea what I'm doing, and secondly I brought clothes and then a dress, and the clothes weren't nice enough for golfing and the dress was too nice, and thirdly I don't even have golf shoes. Apparently golf is such a historical sport you have to dress up for it. I just found the whole thing a little silly and weird; I mean, how are you supposed to try it out?
We went to the beach once, so I could see it, and it was freezing and the wind was blowing like a hurricane- It was still stunning, especially since there was enough fog on the ocean to make the horizon invisible. The Savannah River side of Hilton Head was somewhat warmer- I poked around the beach there picking up seashells and looking at a few beached jelly fish; the largest was the size of a colander.
Friday night we ate at a local place called Pepper's Porch where I had fantastic jambalaya. I got to watch Bones on my laptop that afternoon, since we missed it the night before- Booth and Brennan continue to be the highlight of my tv week.
Headed back today and I made the mistake of taking Dramamine on an empty stomach- I slept eight hours last night, the entire ride back up, and a five hour nap this after noon. Went to get the dogs from Fred's house just in time to catch the premier of Kings...
Kings was epic. I like the drama of it, and the politicking, the uniforms, and David. David spent the whole episode being badass without even noticing it; he can't sleep so he rescues his fellow soldiers, he faces his court martial without reservations, hides from the King's party to play the piano... Spends money buying his fellow soldiers beer and video games.
Which reminded me this has been an incredible year for television. Not just since January 1st because a lot of shows have been on midseason break, but this season since last fall. Fringe. Bones. Leverage. Castle. Lie to Me. Kings. Being Human. Dollhouse. (i'm probably forgetting something) Practically everything that's been on has been fantastic. I was eating dinner the other night and turned to Mom and said "I miss Leverage." right out of the blue and she was like "Me too.". At least there will be more of that this summer. Fringe there's still something like 20 days until a new episode. Bones is going to be new until the season is over. I have no idea what Kings' schedule is going to be like, but I'll be glued to my seat when it's on.
Yay for tv!
In other news, I remain jobless. I'm trying to keep my chin up about the whole thing, but it's really depressing and aggravating. I'm the next person to be hired at two places, if anyone leaves. But who's going to leave right now? No one. Mom's got the same thing going on. Since I got home I've filled out at least two or three applications a day, more when I wasn't in class, and I've had one interview. One. I got the job at Aero because of how awesome Kevin is and the fact I'm an epic employee- I was supposed to be seasonal for Thanksgiving, not until January. I just worked like a powerhouse and impressed everyone and they kept me on until they couldn't anymore. It's even more ridiculous when you're on these job finding sites and they're like "Now Hiring!" so you rush to fill out the application only to get a reply back asking if you have a commercial drivers license when they weren't advertising for *drivers*.
Anyway, we got home from South Carolina early so I can make it to my England to 1688 class tomorrow- it the best thing I'm taking this semester.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
This book is seriously awesome.
There's magic, and fair folk, and the Regency Era, and the word 'showed' is spelled 'shewed', and there are *footnotes*. They're fake ones that go to books that aren't really real, but *footnotes* for god's sake in a fiction book. Referencing fictional stuff.
It's even written like that era. Here's the first sentence so you can see: "Some years ago there was in the city of York a society of magicians."
And it's one of those massive, tome-sized things that they keep coming out with these days. I remember when I was a kid and the Narnia books could keep me busy for hours; now they're maybe an hour and a half's reading (and when I clocked that it was outloud reading). This thing feels good in your hands.
And apparently they're going to make a movie of it.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Book Sale
Had a great time at the Cobb County Library Book Sale this morning- went with Kevin and Anna Short, which was a lot of fun. Hadn't seen Anna in a long time. It was cold, but it wasn't as cold as I thought it might be, waiting outside the exposition centers for an hour. It was kinda funny, there's a moment where there's only about fifteen people in line and then suddenly people start streaming up and the line grows exponentially.
So, we got in the door and you could kinda tell this was a small year for the sale- I guess more people kept their books or didn't buy any at all... (jeeze economy!)
I had more luck in the nonfiction section than fiction... It was sort of funny, I was hoping to find hardcovers of all the Keys to the Kingdom books so I went to the kid's section first and this lady rushed up to me, sort of frantically shouting "IF YOU SEE ANY HARD COVER HARRY POTTERS PLEASE LET ME KNOW!" (it's like when I used to work for Arby's and I'd be at Kroger after work, and someone would ask me what isle something was in). I found three of them while I was looking for my own things (no luck for me though...)
Found one of those Rogue Angel books; it's a little odd they openly admit to being entirely written *not* by the author on the cover but hey, swords and stuff.
The book I was the most astounded to see was KJ Bishop's The Etched City- it's this astoundingly strange book I checked out from the library once, sort of about an assassin and a healer where one of the assassin's swords is named 'Not My Funeral'.
A hardcover of Vivian Vande Velde's Dragon's Bait, which I've already got as a paperback, but I love the way Velde doesn't quite nail down the ending of her books; I keep rereading them, wishing for sequels.
The hugenormous hardcover of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell...
As for nonfiction: a Field Guide to Prehistoric Life (for those pesky time travel situations), Teach Yourself Esperanto, three Zecharia Sitchin books (omg there was a whole stack!!), a humorous history of England (promising to be short and bloody without "the boring bits"), and a book on the effects of language on evolution (I actually wrote a paper on the same subject in Anthropology class a year ago).
Kevin got about 400 Grisham and Crichton books. Yay!
So, we got in the door and you could kinda tell this was a small year for the sale- I guess more people kept their books or didn't buy any at all... (jeeze economy!)
I had more luck in the nonfiction section than fiction... It was sort of funny, I was hoping to find hardcovers of all the Keys to the Kingdom books so I went to the kid's section first and this lady rushed up to me, sort of frantically shouting "IF YOU SEE ANY HARD COVER HARRY POTTERS PLEASE LET ME KNOW!" (it's like when I used to work for Arby's and I'd be at Kroger after work, and someone would ask me what isle something was in). I found three of them while I was looking for my own things (no luck for me though...)
Found one of those Rogue Angel books; it's a little odd they openly admit to being entirely written *not* by the author on the cover but hey, swords and stuff.
The book I was the most astounded to see was KJ Bishop's The Etched City- it's this astoundingly strange book I checked out from the library once, sort of about an assassin and a healer where one of the assassin's swords is named 'Not My Funeral'.
A hardcover of Vivian Vande Velde's Dragon's Bait, which I've already got as a paperback, but I love the way Velde doesn't quite nail down the ending of her books; I keep rereading them, wishing for sequels.
The hugenormous hardcover of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell...
As for nonfiction: a Field Guide to Prehistoric Life (for those pesky time travel situations), Teach Yourself Esperanto, three Zecharia Sitchin books (omg there was a whole stack!!), a humorous history of England (promising to be short and bloody without "the boring bits"), and a book on the effects of language on evolution (I actually wrote a paper on the same subject in Anthropology class a year ago).
Kevin got about 400 Grisham and Crichton books. Yay!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
4.5 Book Weekend
Drowned Wednesday, Sir Thursday, Lady Friday, and Superior Saturday.
When I sat down with them all in a row like that my level of impressed with the series only grew. I read Garth Nix's Sabriel when I was much younger and found it incredible, the world he'd created, the magic in it, even though at the same time I found it sort of mopey. The Keys to the Kingdom series delivers on the magic, world building, and sheer too-much-fantasy-is-just-enough. Now I've got to wait until June (hopefully) for the last book in the series. Considering all the things left to tie up I'm thinking there might be another book after that... (What the sheer happy fantasy part of it reminds me of is the Abarat series)
(both series are supposed to have sequels this summer. yay!)
Started in on Kirith Kirin which I got by inter library loan. It's really pretty good.
Oh, and the Cobb County Library Book Sale is coming up this next weekend.
When I sat down with them all in a row like that my level of impressed with the series only grew. I read Garth Nix's Sabriel when I was much younger and found it incredible, the world he'd created, the magic in it, even though at the same time I found it sort of mopey. The Keys to the Kingdom series delivers on the magic, world building, and sheer too-much-fantasy-is-just-enough. Now I've got to wait until June (hopefully) for the last book in the series. Considering all the things left to tie up I'm thinking there might be another book after that... (What the sheer happy fantasy part of it reminds me of is the Abarat series)
(both series are supposed to have sequels this summer. yay!)
Started in on Kirith Kirin which I got by inter library loan. It's really pretty good.
Oh, and the Cobb County Library Book Sale is coming up this next weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
