random babbling

Review: The Fuller Memorandum

2011-12-31T10:33:00.001-08:00

The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Got a bit more into the occult/necromancy stuff, which is not so much to my taste. I like the tech, and the idea of programming zombies is the nicest way I can think of interacting with them.

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Review: Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson

2011-12-31T10:31:00.001-08:00

Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson by William McKeen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes I don't feel so crazy. Those times often coincide with learning about other people's craziness. Still, it sounds like it was never boring to be Hunter. Now I want to read some of the stuff he's actually written instead of just something written about him.

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2011-12-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

Good news on the phone front is that I have acquired said physical object, gone through the trouble of activation (a supposedly-easy process which took longer than promised but after one phone call with a very helpful customer service lady got sorted out). Not yet finished loading it up with all my old apps, but I have achieved an understanding with a couple of essentials. I was hoping for full-on Google Voice integration because Virgin Mobile is somehow subsumed by Sprint, but that's a no-go. However, the GV app has been updated enough to send texts to multiple numbers so the Sprint-style entanglement is of very little use to me and I'm happy with how things are working now. I can make and receive calls and texts on the phone using my GV number. 3G, not 4G, but I'll manage. 8pen has apparently redesigned everything, which is a little disappointing because I'll need to readjust and some of the reviews of the new layout are not favorable.

Also, it appears that there's good news on the Blogger integration with G+. I haven't been on here in awhile but I'm going to see if it solved my no-autopost complaints.

Review: The Scorpio Races

2011-11-18T11:15:00.001-08:00

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I look forward to reading more from this author, especially if she writes more in this setting. I know she has some other books already out, so I'll investigate those.
Enough detail in it to paint pictures without bogging down the story, which used some familiar elements but twisted them into a new and exciting setting. Reminded me a bit of [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293504845s/2767052.jpg|2792775] trilogy.
It also made me miss horses.

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Review: The Jennifer Morgue

2011-10-31T19:38:00.001-07:00

The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have the urge to go read some James Bond novels, and/or watch some Bond films. The fact that the Bond references turned out to be so integral to the story made up for the fact that it wasn't as techy as some of the author's other work. And his word choice continues to delight me; the description at the beginning of the book of driving a Smart ForTwo down the Autobahn cracked me up.

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Review: Atrocity Archives: Laundry Files Series, Book 1

2011-10-26T14:11:00.001-07:00

Atrocity Archives: Laundry Files Series, Book 1 by Charles Stross

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm quite tickled by Charles Stross's work thus far. Started with Halting State and then found this one in my library's audio downloads. It's got a bit more horror than I would normally go for, but the geekery is such that I'm too amused to mind. At least until the nightmares hit, which they haven't done yet.
One particularly fun part about listening to this one (as opposed to reading it in print) was that the first time I heard a reference to demons, the setting was such that I assumed daemons (and not the Philip Pullman kind). Turns out I was wrong.
Anyway, whether or not there are hell dimensions involved, fictional books which quickly reference Turing tend to grab my attention in a favorable manner (have I mentioned lately how much I adored Cryptonomicon?).

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Review: Icefall

2011-10-24T07:24:00.001-07:00

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I got this from browsing my library's audiobooks (yes, my library has audiobooks I can download from home and listen to on my iPod!), and I'm glad I stumbled across it.
The setting put me slightly in mind of Ronia, the Robber's Daughter, but grew into a tale more subtle and advanced (not to say that I don't love Ronia!). The characters were engaging, and the plot twisted nicely (even though I did figure out some parts of the mystery before they were revealed, the foreshadowing was not heavy-handed, I think I'm probably just a little older than the target audience).
I am pleased that the interview with the author at the end of the audiobook hinted at more to come with these characters; the world was beautiful and I would like to go back there. I look forward to more from him, not the least because he wrote a young girl very convincingly with a refreshing lack of unnecessary gender issues (of course there the necessary gender issues to deal with, but Kirby dealt with them as part of Solveig's whole and they felt genuine and not tacked-on).

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I am ashamed to say that this was the first I'd ever heard of old Norse tales of Fenrir (which all of a sudden made that name choice by J.K. Rowling make more sense*), but I was proud that I understood references to trials at the Thing. Yay for friends with senior thesis subjects involving Icelandic sagas and history!
It also reminded me of a book I read as a young adult about a girl with a family curse who went to visit her relatives in Sweden for the summer, simply because of the Norse mythology. I would like to track that book down again, although I'm a bit scared that it wouldn't stand up to my memory.

* Most of her names and spells are quite clever, but they often give the impression that Wizarding parents have a great deal of foresight when naming their children! I mean, naming your baby Fenrir or Remus just seems to be asking for a werewolf bite, doesn't it? And Professor Sprout teaching Herbology? (Just one of many, many examples.) Yet most of the children of Harry's generation had names without such an obvious meaning, giving the characters more flexibility. Just something which has struck me from time to time.Return to post.

with my feet on the air and my head on the ground

2011-09-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

Post title: I was catching up on some Hulu last night and today and Claudia from Warehouse 13 * sang the Pixies song and it seemed appropriate for my life of late.

I've fallen down, but I'm getting back into it. Biked home from work yesterday. Ran yesterday and today. As always, I have trouble with making haste slowly and will likely crash again if I remain ambitious. I am trying to find a happy medium. I've been trying to find it for years now.

Why I have not yet bought a tablet: handwriting. (Yes, we do abrupt subject changes here, pay attention!) I want to be able to take notes in my handwriting and preserve that visual, yet have handwriting recognition go on in the background so that they're searchable later. I suppose there could be an option to turn it into a typed version, but I really want to keep the scribbles AND the functionality. I don't ask half much, do I? (And yes, I'm aware of HTC and its Scribe-compatible slates, and I'm actually keeping my eye on the Microsoft's Metro interface, but I haven't seen what I want yet.)

It is unfortunate that my foresight in buying an extra condolence card the last time I needed one was borne out.

* I started that show on Hulu because Hulu recommended it to me. It's a bit hokey at times (especially in the first season) but I've grown to be quite entertained by it. I don't pay to watch it during the season (unlike Eureka, but I'm enjoying catching up now that they're releasing chunks of episodes to Hulu. And I am tickled by the crossover episodes between those shows, although it is strange that Saul Rubinek showed up as a different character early in Eureka and then Fargo and Claudia crossed over as characters later. Wouldn't Fargo recognize him as Carl Carlson? Hmm. I may be a little bit too invested in this.Return to post.

Just a few things

2011-09-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

Over at EPBOT, someone else is experiencing the shutdown I'm going through this weekend. I love the title of the post: "Sometimes It's OK To Not Be OK."
Which leads me to... nothing's really changed since I lost yesterday.

That was quite the episode of Doctor Who.

I am resisting the Steep and Cheap sale of pocketknives I don't need. Even though I lost one recently. These are by the same company, but not so pretty. And I don't need them.

Yup. That's all I've got for today. Think I'm probably going to rewatch some Who (not this newest episode, yet, but a bit farther back).

Lost day

2011-09-17T18:14:00.001-07:00

I had a lovely chat with a friend (AIM seems to be dead, but GoogleTalk suffices). That reminded me pleasantly of my freshman year of college, although it is difficult to believe that it was eight years ago. If I'd known then what I know now... but I wasn't the same person then; I've changed so much andthat process of change was vital in shaping who I am now. Forgive my rambles - I always get maudlin when school starts up again.
I had some hot cocoa (albeit without whipped cream) and I started listening to Stephen Fry read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which I am ashamed to admit I had neglected until this point. The good news there is that it's utterly delightful and provides incentive for me to get around to other books I keep meaning to read.
The bad news is that I did nothing else all day. And not in a good way. In the way where I want to be accomplishing something but simply don't. Not even knitting while I listen to my book, just staring or playing silly games on my phone and trying to go to sleep at 5pm not because I'm tired but because I'm not doing anything else and just want the day to be over so I can try again.
The wonderful news is that this lost day was a Saturday, and my only plans for the day involved myself and non-time-sensitive tasks, so I haven't really endangered anything by dropping out of reality. Unspeakably better than when this happens on a weekday. The trick is to snap out of it tomorrow before it starts to collect consequences.

forever starting over

2011-09-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm always trying to start over.
It was easier when I was in school. Each new term was a clean slate, a new opportunity to do well without having to dig myself out of the holes I had fallen into the previous term. (This was more of an issue in college than at any point before that.)
The real world doesn't have that forgiveness.
I've let everything slide. My work, my fitness level, my home comforts, and my eating habits. Even my hobbies. Remember how I've often described myself as an avid knitter? I haven't worked on a serious project since... June? July?
I'm not going to get a fresh start this time.
But that's no reason not to work towards the place I would like to be in each of those areas. And the good news about the knitting is that I don't have to catch up on anything, or even start new projects. That's why it's a hobby. So that's one area in which I'm already caught up! Other parts of my life are going to take more work. And some of them are going to require me to work up to my goals over time. Even catching up to previous achievements is going to take some effort, and a lot of time.
I'm not good at this. I'm really quite bad at pacing myself. Once I get it into my head that I want to change my life, I want to change ALL the things, ALL at once. This is a bad idea for many reasons. Some things, like changing my eating habits, could potentially benefit from a radical change of this sort. In other areas, such as fitness, it's physically impossible for me to resume some of my previous training at the level I used to be at. I honestly cannot run three miles without walking right now. A year ago I was one week away from completing a marathon. (Granted, I did walk quite a bit during that experience, but it did not take me 40 minutes to go three miles at the very beginning of the race.) My natural tendency is to be discouraged by this slippage (and the additional 20 pounds that have accompanied it), but I'm slowly coming to listen to the part of my brain that recognizes that that sort of negative thinking is at best unhelpful and often actually harmful. I don't subscribe to the theory that we can control what we think, but I do believe that we can ADD helpful thoughts to the mix, and maybe doing that often enough will eventually eliminate the knee-jerk negative responses which prevent those of us with anxiety and depression from living the lives we would like to lead. So that little voice in the back of my mind who takes my decreased fitness level as evidence of my failure to continue in the healthy lifestyle I aspire to isn't about to shut up, but I'm going to try to put a box around it and state very loudly that the fact that I completed a marathon last year means that I am capable of the sustained discipline and effort required to get where I'd like to go on the physical fitness scale.
Reframing these initial, negative responses requires effort. It's a form of self control, and that takes energy (see this Scientific American Mind article). Piling too many different changes on top of each other is simply dooming many of them to failure, in my case, because I get overwhelmed and worn out and then I miss out on more of the goals I've set for myself and that reinforces the idea that what I was shooting for was unrealistic in the first place.
It's a fine balancing act between pushing myself towards my goals and not tipping the scales to the point where I retreat from the world because I can't handle it. I have high expectations for myself, and the necessary act of making compromises on them makes me feel like I'm already giving in by lowering my opinion of what I can do. Well. That voice needs to be boxed off and I'm going to shout to the rest of my mind that taking small steps is the way to eventually get where I would like to be.
Which brings me back to starting over.
I'm going to start over. Instead of framing the challenges that have been holding me back as things I need to catch up on, I'm simply going to add them to the pile of tasks that I'm writing on that blank slate. I'm bringing myself up to level ground, and although the mountain of challenges ahead of me remains the same height, I'm not staring at it from inside a dark pit anymore.
I hope that change in perspective makes enough of a difference. (And if that doesn't do it, maybe the new meds will.)

Grrrgh

2011-09-10T08:58:00.000-07:00

It would also appear that Blogger has lost my left sidebar items, despite assuring me on the layout settings page that they do exist. This is sad-making. However, I am going to eat my oatmeal and go for a run because that's more important to my life right now. And maybe if I wait awhile they'll magically reappear. Right?
ETA: OR I could do a quick google around, figure out that the last time GoodReads posted a review for me it didn't close a div tag, fix that, and get my post dates all screwed up.

Well, that's new*

2011-09-10T08:49:00.000-07:00

Just opened iTunes (10.4.1) to check for the latest Doctor Who episode and discovered that it shows me my entire purchase history within the storefront section. This includes the seasons of Scrubs and BSG that I lost four years ago before I started doing regular backups.
Of course, I don't actually have space to download all that video right now, but it's nice to know that I could access it without paying again if I freed up enough room.

*It's entirely possible that this feature was introduced before 10.4.1 and I just didn't notice it. I know Apple's been working on iCloud for awhile now.

The joys of pet ownership.

2011-08-20T20:59:00.001-07:00

I don't know why my cat feels compelled to throw up on my bed, but she does. Seems that every time she has a hairball she runs to my sleeping place to dispose of it. I'm going to spend more at the cleaners' than I did on the quilt in the first place! I guess it's what I get for only thinking about using an old sheet as protection after I got the quilt back last month instead of actually doing it.

Review: Halting State

2011-08-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

Halting State by Charles Stross

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a younger sibling of [b:Cryptonomicon|816|Cryptonomicon|Neal Stephenson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1157396454s/816.jpg|1166797]. Same vein, but not quite on par with the writing or plot. That said, I found it HILARIOUS in many nerdish ways. It's really only going to appeal to a narrow audience, and I'm right on the edge of that target group; I'm not a gamer myself, but I have spent enough time near them to understand most of the references.
Add the nerd love to the fact that I was recently in Edinburgh, so I get to do that "Cool! I've been there!" thing, and that I've recently started watching the TV show Misfits so I know what an ASBO is, it felt like the perfect book for me at this time. Nothing weighty or substantial there, nothing particular to set it apart from run-of-the-mill scifi, but it was just the light-hearted entertainment I needed at the moment.

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sometimes

2011-08-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things are hard.

A break in the weather turns out to be a break for me

2011-08-07T09:13:00.001-07:00

My ability to face the world increases by an order of magnitude when the temperature drops below 70. Thanks be to the weather gods.
I actually feel like I might be able to get some traction. Can we just skip August, please?

teach me to play among the stars when you fly me to the moon tonight

2011-07-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Listening to old jazz standards. Ella, Frank, Bing. Yummy.
I've discovered that So You Think You Can Dance is now available on Hulu.
This has reawakened my desire to learn how to dance better. I would love to have a partner and get good enough to do some choreographed routines. I'm not talking about SYTYCD level. Or even competition level. Just listening to "Teach Me Tonight" and I want to learn a routine that fits it. I love free dancing and think it's one of the best ways to exercise partnering skills. But some of these songs make me want a specially designed dance for them.
Somewhat irrelevant at this point. Need to get better first! Time for lessons.

Maybe I have actually moved

2011-07-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

I finally unsubscribed from the emailing list for my old co-op. The memberships there are lifetime, but I live over 50 miles away now and it makes me lonely to get the updates.
I also miss the Arts Guild's community theater productions and dance classes.

I've been hit with nostalgia recently and I'm trying to figure out ways to be happy where I am. Most of the time in my daily life I'm pleased to be living where I am, but sometimes I miss the college town community.

Follow Friday #FF

2011-07-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

I always forget Follow Friday on Twitter. I'm scheduling this blog post so it'll autotweet with the #ff hash in its title. (I think I'm pretty clever.)

@cookies_of_doom: Never fails to make me laugh despite myself.
@DalekThay and @HipsterDalek. I pretty much want to retweet everything those two post.

Live and learn

2011-07-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

My original guess was correct: I really only want to bike home from work. Tried it the other direction this morning since the weather finally cooperated. From leaving the apartment to getting changed and back to my desk was about an hour, so it wasn't so bad, time-wise, but I think that I'm not going to do it this direction again unless we get showers in the building. I know there are plenty of people who bike-commute without that luxury, but I don't think I'm one of them. I'll take my bike on the bus in the morning and ride it home when I don't feel like I need to hurry or worry about getting icky.

Timmy's SDCC costumes

2011-07-20T14:22:00.001-07:00

Timmy's SDCC costumes, a set by thinkgeekmonkeys on Flickr.

Thinkgeek.com's mascot monkey, Timmy, gets costumes from fans for ComicCon. TOO AWESOME.

Google Music Beta - mini review

2011-07-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

+It's lovely that I don't need to move all my music to my work computer to access it there.
-I wish I could get gapless playback.
-/+I miss the hardware play/pause from iTunes, although this Chrome extension works nicely for faster access to some of the controls.

bits and pieces

2011-07-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Putting together random thoughts throughout the week. Sort of Twitter-like thoughts, but instead of spamming there, collecting them here and auto-posting on the first of each week.
12 July
1:40pm:
My French braids are always off-center.
Someday I want a chaise lounge: big, squishy, comfortable. Saw one wheeled down the hallways of the building.
8:31pm:
Every time I start a new profile somewhere (yes, this is prompted by Google+) I realize that I don't have a ton of pictures of myself. I take pictures, but that means I'm not in them. I default to images of my cat instead.
13 July
5:45pm:
"Cephalopodlike" is a cool word. Reading Scientific American Mind magazine at the bus stop.

14 July
7:00am:
The "Code Monkey" song by Jonathan Coulton sounds like a Beatles song from the next room, but I'm not sure which one. This may be because yesterday's Piano Puzzler was a Beatles song, or possibly because I've got several Beatles songs on the same wake-up mix where I was hearing it. I've never observed this before, though. It's interesting, how different things can sound from a little ways away. What part wasn't I hearing from the next room, that all of a sudden it sounded different to me?

17 July
5:23pm:
In an email response to a friend of mine, I wrote the following:

Benedict Cumberbatch's voice reminds me of Alan Rickman's. Deep, dark, and dusky. Yes, please. It's one reason I won't watch Harry Potter movies - I don't think Alan Rickman's voice is Snape's, and I don't want to make the association. (For me, Alan Rickman is always Colonel Brandon from Sense & Sensibility, and his voice suits there.)

︙
Well done, ma'am! (Doesn't have quite the same ring as "Well done, sir!" but I'm going to put it in a British accent from some military people in Doctor Who or Torchwood and it'll do. I wonder if they ever use "miss" instead of "ma'am" as a salute...)

profile pic, all the way there with a little help

2011-07-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks very much to @cookies_of_doom for taking my profile picture to concept completion.

Incidentally, I recommend following @cookies_of_doom. His dark humor never fails to raise a chuckle.

Added reactions buttons

2011-07-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

After making the last post, Blogger kindly asked me if I would like to add reaction buttons to my posts. Perhaps more people would enjoy reading this if I had an idea of what they liked to read and what was boring.
If anybody cares, go ahead and click. Then I can decide if I care enough about what you care about to influence what I post about.

This is not the only place I write things down.

2011-07-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

I just completed 11.5 pages in my personal journal, which I write by hand. I enjoy the feeling of liquid ink (I use a fountain pen) on quality paper (I favor in Moleskines).

My wrist and hand are sore.*

*I thought about making that the title of my blog post, but it sounded dirty. Still does, especially now that I've pointed it out.

squeaky shoes!

2011-07-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

I'm running on 2.5-3 hours of sleep after a week of insomnia. Insomnia is something new to me; historically I've never had trouble falling asleep, given the opportunity. Typically when my mood disorders are acting up I end up erring in the other direction and sleeping too much,* but I digress (and now I'm realizing I don't have a copy of Strunk & White — not to be confused with Strunk/White — to tell me about asterisk placement relative to commas** and periods, and that absence is more upsetting to me today than it usually is, but I will go with my instinct and place the asterisk outside the punctuation). Time to stop with the parenthesis and footnotes! This is starting to look like a post from Robin McKinley's blog or a book by Oliver Sachs! (I quite enjoy Robin McKinley's writing, but the footnotes on her blog got to be a bit much for me so I switched to following her on Twitter. You will note that I have provided links at the end of my footnotes to return you to the place in the text where you left off, should you choose to read the footnotes).

BACK TO THE POINT! I haven't been sleeping much this week; and although I am tired, I'm in the stage of sleep deprivation that results in acting in a very energetic way (this stage is accompanied by a dull fatigue headache). I'm bouncing around the office flouncing my dress and shaking my hair, and my shoes squeak. I love these black ballet flats, but the squeak. Loudly. Consistently. Today it fits my mood. And that, dear reader(s),† is the point of this runaway, rambling blog post with inconsistent footnotes and parenthetical expressions.

*There's a song my little sister put on a mix for me called "Satellite Mind" by Metric which has a line "I'm not suicidal I just can't get out of bed" which pretty much sums up my non-anxious depressive episodes. In Season 6, Epsisode 3 ("The Maggots in the Meathead") of the TV show Bones, one of the "squinterns" expresses a very similar experience with depression; after coming back from a break he talks about how he slept 20 hours a day for two months, and although he never attempted suicide, he ended up spending time in a mental health facility. Back

**Another song from a little-sister mix is "Oxford Comma" by Vampire Weekend. I do happen to give a fuck about an Oxford comma. Can you guess where I come down on this issue? Back

†I assume, of course, that no-one actually reads this, but write in the happy expectation that it will bring joy to anyone who does suffer that misfortune. Back

Farewell, Celia

2011-07-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

My cat is Cassidy Rose. She was my sister's before she was mine.

Growing up we had Esmerelda and Grey Cat. They were both born several years before I was and lived to elderly cathood.

When I was in high school the family adopted Rosalind and Celia from Feline Rescue. They had other names, but when they came to live with us they acquired Shakespearean names which ended up suiting their personalities; Rosalind is bold and friendly, demanding of attention, while Celia was slightly more retiring. She did love her people, though. When we first brought the cats home she started a week or two of waking me up in the early morning by climbing onto my pillow above my head. Later, she discoverd that I would give her belly rubs if she flipped over, which she started doing whenever I entered the room. She used to curl up at my little sister's feet while my sister read or used her computer in bed. Winter break of junior year of college when I was so depressed, she came and snuggled with me every day. I would read in bed and she would cuddle up on my right side and then we both drifted into naps. She loved my father very much and would often climb onto the back of the couch behind him so he could reach back behind his head and pet her. One or two of her whiskers vibrated when she purred, just on one side of her face. For the past several years she slept at my mother's feet, getting up when my father came in later to come up and let him pet her until he fell asleep and then back to keeping my mother's toes toasty.

I have many pictures of Cassidy. I have several of Rosalind, almost all of which are actually pictures of people upon whom Rosalind is sitting.

I have one picture of Celia.

Why 'stelepami'?

2011-07-13T14:43:00.001-07:00

More than 10 years ago, I came across a meme for creating a Star Wars name. Mine came out as "stelepami." I liked the sound of that, and often use it for my handle online.
Instructions for creating your own name are as follows:
First 3 letters of your last name + first 2 of your first name + first 3 of your mother's maiden name + first 2 of city where you were born. Discard ≤ 1 letter.

Tweeted up

2011-07-12T18:53:00.001-07:00

I finally got around to trying TwitterFeed. Still haven't hooked my knitting blog to repost in here, but that's supposed to be feeding my tweets as well.ETA: Now I'm just waiting to get my Google+ integration going (and figure out its role in relation to Twitter).

Today in ProLang, Part II

2011-07-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

Bounded wildcards in Java generics! Sections 4.1 and 9 of Java's tutorial on generics [pdf] were new to me. Makes sense, I just had never spent time paying attention to the differences in wildcard generics before.

One or t'other, but don't tease!

2011-07-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

Some doctors' offices allow online scheduling. Miracles of modern times! Those of us who have trouble with anxiety and phone calls have found this option more than just a convenience, it is invaluable. I do understand that it's not a small undertaking to switch to such a system. So, while I am disappointed when some places don't offer online scheduling, I don't blame them.
What I cannot stand, what throws me into a fury, what makes me cry, what sends me to a different office or keeps me from making an appointment at all is when a clinic or office offers online scheduling but immediately sends me a form rejection telling me that I have to call to make the kind of appointment I want to make. If it's not an option to make appointment type A online, I'm going to be sad, but if you first tell me that it's an option by including it in your drop-down menu, and then immediately, automatically reject my request, I'm going to get angry. Don't include the frakking option if it's not allowed at this time. Simple.
And even when I speak up about my frustration, I invariably come up against "that's the way the system is." Pass along my complaint to those who are in charge, don't just pass on responsibility because you don't know how to fix it yourself.

Edited to add:
And even worse, don't forget to put in an option for site feedback and bug reports so when I'm trying to look at my read messages and they don't show up, I can complain to the right people.

Review: Seabird

2011-07-10T09:46:00.001-07:00

Seabird by Holling Clancy Holling

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been years since I've read a book by Holling Clancy Holling. The detail remains fascinating and the illustrations incredible. The story was sadder than I remembered, however. There is so much detail and focus on Ezra right before and after he makes Seabird, and then all of a sudden the years are flying by at an incredible rate and so much is summed up in so few words.
Something I had never noticed before was that the women in the story are nameless and faceless. I think the only reason they're mentioned at all is because they are needed for the sons to be born and the male line to continue.
I still want to reread Paddle-To-The-Sea and the others. They were a part of my childhood and remain fascinating.

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backwards fandom

2011-07-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

I did not grow up in a household with SciFi leanings. Tolkein sat on the shelves and I had been to Narnia before the age of 10, but that was all the fantasy that we had around. When the Star Wars movies were rereleased I got to see those with my friends. The rest I learned on my own, or, in more recent years, via recommendations. So I didn't grow up watching Star Trek, and for many years I've felt that I'm not a proper geek because of this.
Recently, Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation were added to Netflix's instant viewing offerings (along with several other incarnations of the series). Yesterday I spent the day bouncing between the original series and TNG. And you know what I couldn't get out of my head when I was watching the shows?

Star Trek: The Next Generation felt like Babylon 5.

Chronologically, TNG came out before B5. But I saw B5 first. Nobody would deny the similarities, but most people would draw them the other direction. It's just my stumbling way of bumbling into the SciFi world that brings me to this erroneous but unshakable conclusion. To top it off, LeVar Burton brings to mind Reading Rainbow every time I see him on screen (Roots is still on my to-see list).

I'm a little backwards. By the time I got around to reading Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, I'd gotten through enough derivative works that it felt like I was reading something by Melissa Scott and Tad Williams, or any other combination of later authors.

But back to the shows. It seems that one area where B5 shows its youth is in its season- and series-long plot arcs. Sure, the first season starts off in an extremely episodic manner as we accustom ourselves to the premise and characters, but then it takes off into longer stories which keep the audience invested. Without that lure of something more than a series of alien encounters and space-faring catastrophes, I'm not sure I'll be consuming TNG (or any other Trek-related shows) with the same voracious appetite that gets me through most modern TV series.

I am not a runner, but maybe someday I could be.

2011-07-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

Last fall I completed a marathon. I did not run the entire time, but I finished before the cut-off. It went through a state park in Wisconsin and was gorgeous and mostly solitary. I would like to do it again. I would like to do a better job of training for it next time. I had thought I would repeat it this year, but that isn't happening, and my decision not to train this summer was a relief for several reasons. I still want to run that marathon again, and I want to do a better job.

I played soccer growing up. In my freshman English class in high school my teacher asked me if I played basketball, and when I said no, she recommended that I join the nordic (cross-country) ski team, which her husband coached. I did. We had poor snow for three out of the four years that I was in high school, so I came into running that way. I also bought myself some rollerblades for the summer and started using those.

I was an inconsistent exerciser throughout college. Now and then I would rollerblade (weather permitting) and sometimes I would run. Although there were kilometers of (semi) groomed trails available for skiing in the Arboretum in the winter, I found myself too busy. I took some P.E. classes - social and swing dance, ballet and weight training for women. The summer before my senior year I went to step aerobics three times a week and lifted weights two or three times. I felt incredible.

After college I tried to start running and skiing again. I tried some yoga classes. Running was the easiest because it took the least preparation to get out the door. And once I settled into audiobooks for my running companions, I didn't get bored.

Last summer I ran three to four times a week in preparation for the marathon. I didn't do a very good job of training, as I found out. But I was running on a regular basis. I did a bit more running in the fall, and some more in the spring. I'm inconsistent because I'll run three days a week for two weeks and then stop altogether. Once I realized how many bike paths there are in my new neighborhood and the snow melted off them, I started rollerblading again. I bought new rollerblades. I joined the YWCA and started lifting weights (again, three days a week for two weeks, then I fall behind).

Today I tried running again for the first time in a month. I had forgotten how hard running is, compared with rollerblading. On my skates I skim along, with "hang time" where I can be idle but I'm still moving. If I need to catch my breath I just slow down and take longer strokes. The miles zip past. I can easily go 10 miles on my first time out in a couple weeks. In running I must be in constant motion in order to be moving at all; there's no glide. Skiing and skating have that advantage.

I barely made 15 minutes before calling it a day and walking home. I could have pushed harder, but I didn't. I would give up on running altogether in favor of the sports which are easier, but I remember the feelings from a good run. Very similar to those of a good rollerblading session, but it doesn't take as long to get to the same emotional place. And when the days turn shorter and it's black in the morning I'm not going to be out skating or skiing at six in the morning. But I might be running.

I've never gotten any coaching with my running. Last summer I chose a training plan which was based solely on mileage because that was easiest and most comfortable for me. But I think it's time for a change. I'm going to find a 5K I would like to run and start on a couch-to-5K plan. I may feel silly in the first week or two when I'll be walking all the time, but I hope to use the time to improve on my speed when I am running and I can supplement those days with a good skate if I plan enough time.

Caveat: I am planning all this now in a fairly good mood (I am discouraged by how hard this morning's run was, and I'm acutely aware of extra weight that I'm carrying making this harder, but still I'm not feeling too bad). It's entirely possible that I'll swing down again and be unable to complete these plans.

In which I have a lazy Saturday

2011-07-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

Today could have been a great day to get things done. Could have been. Instead I spent the day rereading Harry Potter. Someday I've got to get my hands on the original British edition because this book in particular is very Americanized. What's wrong with calling it the philosopher's stone, anyway? Hasn't every American child already read Gone-Away Lake and Return to Gone-Away, in which the concept of a philosopher's stone is clearly explained? No? Well, they should. Speaking of which, it's probably about time to get them out again.
I did decide that I needed to get out the rollerblades and the temperature has dropped enough that I thought I wouldn't kill myself by the time I got around to it (5:00ish). The problem was that I was 12 hours too late. The trails around the lakes were crowded with people, including children on bicycles who don't understand what it means when I want to pass on their left. Ah, well. Motivation to get out first thing in the mornings, then. Or run if it's going to be busy. I have more control when I'm running.
Now I'm going to clean my keyboard. It's disgusting.

Today in ProLang

2011-07-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today at work included a refresher from Programming Languages about how Java passes parameters. It's been awhile and my brain had "always-by-value" stuck in it, so when I came across some code wrapping an int into an enclosing object in order to allow it work as an in-out parameter, I sort of had a meltdown. A little Googling brought me back to reality and sanity (or something near it). Here's the best explanation I found, by Scott Stanchfield. I would sum it up, but he really does such an excellent job that I think the best way to learn is by following the link.

I was in the midst of finding out that I've spent so much time in Python that the syntax for variable declarations took me more than one try, and my right pinkie finger has forgotten the automatic semicolon.; We're back in training on that one.;

My life on the Internet

2011-06-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

I've used Livejournal and AIM. I spent a lot of time in Carleton's online Caucus community (almost, but not entirely, exclusively in the User Files).
I joined Twitter to use it as a subscription service regarding transport alerts; it can have all the beauty of the Observer pattern. I got hooked. Eventually I joined Facebook - I had resisted because I knew that I spend too much time online already.
I tried Buzz and Wave but neither of them caught on.
I've been going back and forth about Facebook lately. My current feeling is that I spent too much time there so I'm going to take a break. Caucus was migrated to a new system that I have yet to explore enough to bend it to my will. I tried forgetting about Twitter.

But I wanted a place to share with anybody who might be interested; I love these online tools because people only have to pay attention if they want to - it's the beauty of the subscription model. So I came back to this blog and I'm using it for more than book reviews (which are only copies of what I've put on Goodreads, and I'm keeping my Twitter. If I get into Google+ I'll give that a whirl. I'm sure I'll get back to Facebook eventually.

I have vague plans to update my bio and get better integration with my knitting blog (which I haven't updated in ages) and Twitter feeds, but it's late (for me) tonight and I need to sleep.

The only reason I'm still awake is that I'm listening to a mix my little sister sent me. She filled two CDs with oldies that we used to listen to on the radio and mailed them to me. I can't express how awesome this is. I'll see if I can get the tracklists from her (she usually writes out the tracks for her mixes by hand, but deliberately witheld them this time so each song is a lovely surprise) and post it for anybody out there who misses the songs KOOL108 played from the mid-90s to the mid-2000s (which were from the 50s through 70s, but it was 107.9 FM which shared them with my sister and me).

So I'm still a little bitter

2011-06-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

From my first draft of a summary document:

This document is an after-the-fact reckoning of differences in what [they] delivered, created after reading the code and piecing together the information from the ground up, whereas that document was written as a top-down guide for a cohesive porting plan.

This is regarding a project which I had been originally hoping to complete, but ended up being contracted out, and which I now need to review, a task which I find overwhelming. I am a top-down person, which is particularly evident in my development work; I am a huge proponent of documentation, and I don't just mean in-code comments. I like READMEs and summary statements because they preserve and share knowledge in a concise way. Just because I can read your code to find out what it does, doesn't meant that I want to, and it certainly doesn't mean that it's the most efficient way to explain a library or program.

someday sink

2011-06-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

Someday I will have a sink with two basins. This will facilitate dishwashing in a way that does not waste as much water.

Someday I'll have a dishwasher, but right now I'm just dreaming of two basins in the sink. Let's not get greedy.

Nerve (w)racking

2011-06-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

In an email today my colleague used the phrase "nerve racking" and my brain immediately thought it looked weird. Turns out that (at least according to Apple's Dictionary app*) there isn't really a right or wrong in these situations.

USAGE The relationship between the forms rack and wrack is complicated. The most common noun sense of rack, ‘a framework for holding and storing things,’ is always spelled rack, never wrack. The figurative senses of the verb, deriving from the type of torture in which someone is stretched on a rack, can, however, be spelled either rack or wrack: thus, : racked with guilt or : wracked with guilt;: rack your brains or : wrack your brains. In addition, the phrase : rack and ruin can also be spelled : wrack and ruin

*I only use Apple's Dashboard widget instead of an Ultralingua lookup because I never actually have proper datasets installed. One of the perils of working with the importers is that I try to look something up and find that the only words in my dictionary are variants of "example word" and "Leah's special etymology example goes here." It is sad.

Review: The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ

2011-06-14T12:16:00.001-07:00

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman

Saw an ad on the wall of the London Underground, Paddington station.

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Makes me so mad

2011-06-02T23:59:00.001-07:00

(Via Epbot and Geek Feminism).

This shirt makes me so mad. I want one that says "I'm too pretty not to do math." In black and white that would look at home over at ThinkGeek.

I didn't read all the comments on the Epbot post, but I like the shirt mentioned here: Mathematicians Do It Rigorously.

What I want

2011-05-29T09:29:00.001-07:00

What I want in a social media client.

-Multiple Twitter accounts
-Facebook
-Ability to post to one or more accounts simultaneously
-Sync across platforms
-Post & view pictures in-app
-Be able to retweet across accounts, in my chosen RT style
-Fine-grained notification control
-Easy list viewing
-Easy list management
-FB pms, event notifications, and friend requests
-Easy user search
-Easy follow/unfollow options with adding to lists as part of the process
-Good mobile widget (I'm talking Android, here) shows me which lists have updates
-The ability to skip to latest updates without scrolling through everything I haven't read

These things are in my head at the moment. TweetDeck gets so close but then fails in a few places. Right now I'm not happy with the lack of syncing read across platforms, among a few other things.

Review and more

2011-05-23T13:06:00.001-07:00

Still Life by Louise Penny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A mystery written like a portrait. The artist made a careful study of a small town in Québec and its residents. It was easy to forget the dark murder behind the descriptions of the inhabitants and investigators. Poetry shone through the plot and opened windows into the inner lives of the characters. I feel that I'm going to have to consider immigrating to French Canada after living there for the past few days (and remembering my old desire to live in Montréal sparked by passing through it after my high school month of summer immersion). I'm certainly going to have to investigate this author further and see if she can continue to charm me; in addition to the beauty of the book, the plot crept in and surprised me continually. Enough obvious clues were given to me as the reader which took the investigators too long to discover that the vital clues slipped past my eyes to come together just as they were discovered by the police. Excellent pacing.

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So, I think I'm going to try writing more here. I make no promises, but I've had thoughts which I want to express in a place that is more visible than my paper journal, my defunct LiveJournal account, or the online community for my alma mater, and allow for more depth than Twitter or Facebook. I'm not certain what I'll say, beyond continuing to cross-post my GoodReads reviews, but sometimes there are thoughts which I imagine I might wish to share. If I ever get back to blogging about my knitting, I may integrate that here, or cross-post it. I'm not yet sure about Twitter and Facebook integration. But it's my publishing space, so I get to experiment whenever I get curious and find the time.

Review: Consciousness Explained

2011-05-22T19:26:00.001-07:00

Consciousness Explained by Daniel C. Dennett

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Review: Mockingjay

2011-05-22T19:22:00.001-07:00

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Review: Catching Fire

2011-05-22T19:21:00.001-07:00

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Review: The Hunger Games

2011-05-09T18:50:00.001-07:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Now I understand what everybody's been talking about! I'm looking forward to the next two books, and anything else the author is putting out. I loved the transition from pageant contestants into gladiators and survivalists. Engaging, with just the right level of detail to paint a picture without getting bogged down. Plot twists kept me guessing.

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Review: Doctor Who and Philosophy

2011-04-24T12:34:00.001-07:00

Doctor Who and Philosophy by Courtland Lewis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun dip into philosophy by examining different aspects of the show. Not having a fantastic classic Who education, some of the examples weren't recognizable to me, but I was inspired to work on furthering my knowledge of pre-2005 episodes.

It was a survey of philosophy, which could spark further investigation into any of the topics broached in the various chapters. Obvious subjects include time travel, the nature of time, ethical definitions, and an exploration of what constitutes a person (or Time Lord, as the case may be). Areas I wasn't expecting were also put to good use; for example, looking at the Daleks in order to ponder a definition of beauty.

I think I'm going to have fun with some of the other books in this pop culture and philosophy series.

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Review: The Brave

2011-02-23T11:28:00.001-08:00

The Brave by Nicholas Evans

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this one up because of the horses on the cover and a desire for a Western-themed book. It turned out to be so much more. Weaving between the main character's childhood and his current life, the author transitions well and ties it all together while painting vivid pictures in each scene.

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Review: Bloomability

2011-02-23T11:25:00.001-08:00

Bloomability by Sharon Creech

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was in love with this book for awhile while I was growing up. It hasn't aged so well, although I still adore the idea of going to a Swiss boarding school.

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Review: The Name of the Wind

2011-02-16T12:48:00.001-08:00

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Again. Speechless with the wonder. Can't wait for the next one. Too busy for a proper review.

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Review: Trouble and Her Friends

2011-01-31T08:19:00.001-08:00

Trouble and Her Friends by Melissa Scott

Again, it doesn't hold up as well as it did years ago when I first read it, especially now that I have some idea of what powers the cyberworld that Trouble and Cerise walk. Still, it has a visceral appeal, and nostalgia. It also amazes me how big a difference a dozen years can make when it comes to technology. It struck me as significant that all the connections made throughout the story are hardwired - there's no wireless. The detectives don't even appear to carry cell phones!

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Oops.

2010-12-15T18:46:00.001-08:00

Clearly I've been double-posting all my reviews by mistake. I blame the interface over at Goodreads. It looks like it doesn't accomplish the blog publishing after the first step, so I've been hitting the button again.
However, I am lazy and no-one reads this, so I'm not going back and deleting them. Deal.

Review: Magic Study

2010-12-15T18:44:00.001-08:00

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm digging Maria V. Snyder's world. Excellent YAish escape fantasy, reminds me of Tamora Pierce's circle quartet in some ways.

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Review: Magic Study

2010-12-15T18:43:00.001-08:00

Review: Landing

2010-12-06T07:02:00.003-08:00

Landing by Emma Donoghue

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Picked this one up on the sale shelf at my local library.

Emma Donoghue's imagery is engaging. The plot, of course, is nothing new; two people meet by chance and fall in love, but are kept apart by circumstance. I loved how Donoghue showed parts of communications between the two women but not the whole of it because it led me to wonder and try to fill in the blanks on my own. I got attached to the characters and would be interested in hearing how their lives continued after the book ended.

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Review: Landing

2010-12-06T07:02:00.001-08:00

Review: Quatrain

2010-12-02T12:43:00.003-08:00

Quatrain by Sharon Shinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Four stories in four different worlds Sharon Shinn has created. I saved the Samaria story for last because it is my favorite.

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Review: Quatrain

2010-12-02T12:43:00.001-08:00

Quatrain by Sharon Shinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Four stories in four different worlds Sharon Shinn has created. I saved the Samaria story for last because it is my favorite.

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Review: Jovah's Angel

2010-12-02T12:41:00.001-08:00

Jovah's Angel by Sharon Shinn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I finished Archangel I had to continue with this one. I want to live in Sharon Shinn's Samaria. This book brings up some issues about morality and religion which I find intriguing and thought-provoking beyond the typical escapist fantasy.

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Review: Jovah's Angel

2010-12-02T12:40:00.001-08:00

Review: Archangel

2010-12-02T12:37:00.001-08:00

Archangel by Sharon Shinn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The world Sharon Shinn creates with this book is one of my favorite fantasy worlds. Beautiful harmonies, exquisite settings, philosophy on morals, ethics, and religion, and strong characters.

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Review: Archangel

2010-12-02T12:36:00.001-08:00

Review: The Andromeda Strain

2010-11-16T10:39:00.003-08:00

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm pretty good at not getting distracted by sci-fi predictions from the past which haven't come true. I was caught up in the story and read the book within a 24-hour period. The ending was abrupt and confused me a bit. All the foreshadowing about mistakes made added up to an expectation of widespread disaster which was not fulfilled (a good thing, but a bit of an anticlimax).
The careful thought and research for the book is evident. I love the framework of the story as a report which is maintained throughout the novel, referencing nonexistent archives and directives.
Reading this book was almost like being dragged to the edge of a cliff, adrenaline pumping, only to discover that the cliff is a two-foot drop.

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Review: The Andromeda Strain

2010-11-16T10:39:00.001-08:00

Review: Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France

2010-11-08T16:48:00.003-08:00

Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France by Peter Mayle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Again, the author paints such a picture of the life, food, and wine in Provence that I can hardly cope with another night of egg noodles and green beans for dinner.

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Review: Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France

2010-11-08T16:48:00.001-08:00

Review: Toujours Provence

2010-11-08T16:45:00.001-08:00

Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am thrice a fool because I do not eat meat, do not enjoy wine, and do not live in France. Reading this book makes me wish that I were not a fool.

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Review: Toujours Provence

2010-11-08T16:44:00.001-08:00

Review: Realms of the Gods

2010-11-08T16:42:00.001-08:00

Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce

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Review: Discovery: The Autobiography of Vilhjalmur Stefansson

2010-10-22T11:06:00.001-07:00

Discovery: The Autobiography of Vilhjalmur Stefansson by Vilhjalmur Stefansson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My father lent this to me after my (semi) recent kick on fiction and nonfiction regarding the search for Franklin in the 19th-century Arctic. I have long been fascinated by accounts of life in the Far North, probably starting with my first reading of Julie of the Wolves in fifth grade.
Stefansson clearly accomplished wonders in his lifetime. I think the scope of his accomplishments is most apparent not in the excellent descriptions of living off the frozen land, but in the casual tone with which he mentions journeys of hundreds of miles he or others undertook on foot, while surviving on what they could hunt.
He gives the impression of having been a remarkable fellow in both character and physical endurance. I would like to read some of his earlier books with more detailed accounts of his various journeys.

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Review: Pontoon

2010-10-22T10:19:00.003-07:00

Pontoon by Garrison Keillor

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, it was an extended "News From Lake Wobegon" from Garrison Keillor's radio show, "A Prairie Home Companion." It had its moments, and it also had its rambling side stories that sometimes didn't tie in to the main threads.
I did realize fairly early into it that this was not a good audiobook for running; it is an excellent book for listening to as I fall asleep at night.

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Review: Pontoon

2010-10-22T10:19:00.001-07:00

Review: Dark Moon Defender

2010-10-01T20:03:00.003-07:00

Dark Moon Defender by Sharon Shinn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another chapter in Shinn's Twelve Houses series, this one had elements which reminded me strongly of her Samaria books. That's a good thing for this book because her works set on the world of angels are my favorites.
Stock YA-Fantasy read.

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Review: Dark Moon Defender

2010-10-01T20:03:00.001-07:00

Review: Late Nights on Air

2010-10-01T19:55:00.001-07:00

Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This exquisite novel captured my heart; the author's craft is dazzling as she tells her tale. Small details make the scenes come alive, but are carefully chosen so they don't overwhelm the reader, only the relevant descriptions are included. Hay is gifted with leaving just enough touches of foreshadowing to tantalize the reader and keep her engaged and begging for more.

Reading this book was a joy and makes me yearn to go canoing north of the sixtieth parallel (even though the mosquitoes and flies were not left out of the book).

I'm in love with this book, and look forward to reading more by this author; I know I've picked one or two of her other books off the shelves of the library while browsing, but I don't think I ever read them. Next time I see her name on the spine, the book's coming home with me.

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Review: Turkish Gambit

2010-09-22T07:40:00.001-07:00

Turkish Gambit by Boris Akunin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Picked this one up at a used book sale because I read The Winter Queen years ago for a Russian culture class and enjoyed it.
It has been several years since I read The Winter Queen, and I'd forgotten some of the characters, also there was apparently another book in between that one and this, which I missed. Still, it stood well enough on its own, and did a plot twist I was not expecting. I am, of course, sad at the characteristic callousness with respect to the lives of appealing characters, but I appreciate the style nonetheless.

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Review: Poison Study

2010-09-20T07:02:00.001-07:00

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fun YA fantasy-type book. I came at this one after having read the duo which take place after this trilogy finishes so I was already familiar with the world. Was excellent for running (this book accompanied me through some training, a 15K race, and a marathon). I'd put this author about on par with Tamora Pierce in both style and skill.

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Into Russia

2010-09-14T11:47:00.001-07:00

In the First Circle by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is full of complete characters, each of whom has a detailed background and a complex mental landscape. Exploring the many different people is a fascinating joy.

I recalled from reading One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich ten years ago that Aleksander I. Solzhenitsyn had a particular gift for emphasizing every little detail in a way that is not overwhelming, but instead emphasizes how little was to be had and therefore how much importance was given to every object.

I only wish that the book would have continued further because I felt that it had just reached the apex of the plot when it abruptly stopped. I wanted to see how these individuals with whom I had formed a close bond dealt with the aftermath of their respective crises, however I can respect the artistic decision to stop right at that moment as if to say "this does not deserve more attention because it happens all the time" and simply close the window through which we've been spying. The effect of stopping the story at the point of arrest and relocation and before anyone is released leaves me, as the reader, in a state similar to that of the characters I just left; people I've come to love have disappeared and I am uncertain about their fates. Pointing out that horrific events are commonplace within the story's world emphasizes the tragedy that they have become so unremarkable.

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I then proceeded to start The Turkish Gambit, to continue my Russian trend.

2010-07-18T20:24:00.001-07:00

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think it's still my favorite.

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More Stephenson, please.

2010-07-14T20:37:00.001-07:00

Interface by Neal Stephenson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Politics and dubious ethics and experimental neuroscience. About what I expected, didn't blow me away, but I did so love the writing style. A couple twists I didn't see coming.

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run a lot, read (listen) a lot

2010-07-08T18:45:00.001-07:00

I've run about 130 miles since the middle of April. I've managed to get some good listening in during that time. Finished this one early in my nine-mile run yesterday morning.

Villette by Charlotte Brontë

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My first Brontë, which I admit I picked for the low price-to-length ratio when it was on sale on Audible.I enjoyed the read (listen), and pleased myself by picking up about 80 percent of the spoken French scattered throughout. The plot was fairly predictable once we got into it, and it felt like the resolution was a bit rushed, but overall I was quite pleased with the main character's general temperament and how she read others' characters.

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flew through this one

2010-06-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

The Thirteenth House by Sharon Shinn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Simple, harmless fantasy. Shapeshifting is high on the list of things I would like to be able to do, so I rather enjoyed that part of the book. Plot was mostly romance, a tiny bit of intrigue. Wouldn't stand alone, but followed the first book well.

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I have a new author I like!

2010-05-30T10:51:00.001-07:00

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I'm so excited that there are more of these (implied by the "Gentlemen Bastards, #1" part of the title on the Goodreads page)! I picked this one off the bookshelf at my local library on a whim, thinking it might be set in Scotland (my mind was not on spelling, I guess).
Not surprised to see it highly rated by Patrick Rothfuss.

Fantastic book! Con men worthy of The Sting or Ocean's Eleven, indeed, mixed into an alternative-universe Venice. I got hints of the best of Melissa Scott from Burning Bright and Point of Hopes. But truly, I can do nothing but echo George R. R. Martin's quote from the cover: "Fresh, original, and engrossing... gorgeously realized." I would only add that Scott Lynch manages to make me mad at him the same way Martin and Philip Pullman do, with their fantastic characterization and brutal penchant for disregarding the reader's love for their characters in favor of creating an amazing plot.

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Scholarly and silly

2010-05-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
As he is wont to do, Steven Pinker uses precise wordchoice, illuminating metaphors, and excellent examples to make his point. I always learn fascinating facts while reading his work, and I admire his ability to keep a conversational tone while presenting scholarly findings from his various fields of study.
His linguistic analysis never causes me to question him (perhaps because I know so little on the subject) but sometimes the leaps he makes from that subject to psychology and cognitive evolution strike me as straining a point. Or maybe it's simply the know-it-all tone of voice that I hear in my head when I read his books that makes me want to double check his conclusions.
In The Stuff of Thought, Pinker states his purpose as using language to understand how people think. I found that he did an excellent job of sticking to that purpose in the first few chapters (I especially found the chapter on verbs to be enlightening), and then drifted away from the strict goals of the book in the later chapters as he presented more theories and less linguistic evidence to back them up (or at least he did not show the details of how the studies backed his claims).
I think I would have preferred to have a whole book on each of the topics Pinker presented instead of just a chapter. At that depth, he might have convinced me of his case more thoroughly. On the other hand, I never did finish The Blank Slate because his tone was just too arrogant for me to stomach.

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And I also finished an audiobook recently.

Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Mreh. Another Full-Cast Audio book by Tamora Pierce. Not even my favorite world of hers, either. It was just about the same as I remember it being when I read it in sixth or seventh grade. Nothing remarkable, but it keeps my mind off in another world, which is what I was aiming for.

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Better run for you life if you can, little girl

2010-04-21T11:09:00.001-07:00

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I listened to this book while starting my training for my first marathon. It was inspirational; how could I not finish my puny three miles when I was hearing about the experience of running an ultramarathon (62 miles)? I don't agree with everything in the book, either regarding running or life, but I enjoyed the clear, precise style and attention to word choice. The author did not translate this edition, so I must give credit to Philip Gabriel for the styling, whether he was faithful to Murakami or not, I don't know, but I enjoyed the precision and attention to detail. The narrator, Ray Porter, has a pleasant speaking voice.

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grngh

2010-03-31T20:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't been reading much lately. I read my March copy of Discover magazine all the way through, and I'm somewhere in the middle of The Stuff of Thought by Steven Pinker, but I haven't had the mental energy to sit with it lately, and it's not the kind of book I can read in snatches. In fact, I tried picking it up yesterday and found that I couldn't understand half of what I was reading because I had forgotten the previous chapter's details.
I've yet to stop in at the local library to renew my library card. I'm holding off because I know that if I have a new fun-reading book, I will NEVER finish unpacking in my new place. It sure is tempting, though.

sad socks

2010-03-11T09:52:00.001-08:00

The Shetland Lace socks are out for a trial run today and drooping badly. I think that if I could have made them taller and finished the calf shaping they wouldn't have this problem. However, I ran out of yarn. I guess I'll have to get ribbons or some elastic.

what now?

2010-03-10T22:32:00.001-08:00

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
New narrator from the previous books in the series! I loved the old narrator. I'm not sure how I feel about this new one yet. Thus far he's displayed an unfortunate tendency to overenunciate. Still in the prolog, though, so maybe I'll get used to it.

-------
While perhaps overly gory (hence the four stars instead of five), it was another top-notch installment. Martin has the trick of making me both love and hate all of his characters.

The audio version ends with a note from 2005 saying that the next book should be out in a year. Uh-huh.

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I don't know what audiobook to read now. Considering that my whole iTunes scheme is borked at the moment, I don't think I have to decide right away because I wouldn't be able to put it on my iPod anyway.

mreh. At least it gave me a reading list in the back.

2009-12-28T08:13:00.001-08:00

Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Some of the jokes were funny. A few philosophical concepts were cleared up for me, but not many. Often the authors simply mentioned concept x, then told a joke and seemed to assume that the reader now understood concept x.
It was a quick read, and I appreciate the timeline in the back, along with the suggested reading list.

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book therapy

2009-12-21T09:04:00.001-08:00

Tough and horrible week last week led to my boss lending me a joke book and a visit to the library on Friday right after work to pick up a book for fun, which I then spent the rest of the weekend reading.

Pretty Good Joke Book by Garrison Keillor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Just the pick-me-up I needed at the end of a terrible week. I actually laughed out loud while reading it silently to myself with no one but the cat to hear me.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Having come to this book a bit later than some others, it's hard for me to read it and not think of work that has followed it; several books by Melissa Scott and Tad Williams' Otherland epic come to mind immediately.
This book was a fantastic escape. The real world was gritty and pessimistic. The virtual world was slightly primitive, but such is the pace of technology; this fantastic imagining of 17 years ago sounds blasé in comparison with both what we can do today, and what we can imagine.
I'm not sure I'm completely on board with the neurolinguistic angle of the story. I found it a little hard to follow in places (possibly because I'm not well-read in early history) and I'm not sure that I can swallow it. Every now and then Stephenson throws in something a little too mystical for my taste.
I truly enjoyed the read, but it certainly did not elicit the same reaction as did Cryptonomicon. Had this been the first Stephenson I'd read, I probably would have put him down as a good sci-fi author and left it at that.

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some post title (too tired to be clever)

2009-12-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

Crown of Shadows by C.S. Friedman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This series was one of those addictive ones where I had to finish it because I really wanted to know what would happen between Vryce and the Hunter. I didn't really enjoy the books so much, mostly because they got pretty gruesome. I got sucked in and would read for hours on end, but I'm glad I'm done with the trilogy. Not sure if I'm going to try more by the author.

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A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Doesn't get five stars because it's too gory for five stars. But I loved it. I loved to hate parts of it.
I knew about one of the main deaths going in because I had accidentally read the beginning of the blurb for A Feast for Crows and it was mentioned. I'm glad I was braced for that, or I'm sure I would have ended up sobbing.
I may want to name a daughter "Arya."

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Spoiler!

2009-11-30T10:16:00.001-08:00

When True Night Falls by C.S. Friedman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I am upset that the author killed Hesseth. She was my favorite!

Otherwise, more of the same. i have to read the last one to find out what happens between Tarrant and Vryce, but I'm not really impressed.

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too late!

2009-11-15T13:25:00.000-08:00

I've been remiss in writing up reviews of my reading lately. I went on a Betrand Russell kick with Growing Up and The Good Times, which briefly sparked my interest in journalism.

I just finished rereading Arcadia in search of an audition piece. I did a short write-up on it.

Arcadia: A Play by Tom Stoppard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Theater and maths! The combination gives me a thrill, and Stoppard knows how to weave them together to keep the audience engaged and guessing. The sharing of the single room between the two timelines is a stroke of staging genius.

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I also finished Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman, and have the next one in the trilogy on loan to start at my leisure.
Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoyed the world and magic system created in the book. The plot didn't strike me as anything particularly wonderful. I also wasn't impressed by the moral quandaries.
The latter part of the book reminded me far too much of the part of the Tad Williams book about cats which I didn't like - the whole underground setting with mutated scary creatures is not my cup of tea.

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roses and Scots . . .

2009-09-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

I read Voyager. It's the third book in a series by Diana Gabaldon which I started reading because the second book was on sale at Audible and I didn't know it was part of a series (and who can resist time travel to 180th century Scotland?). As it turns out, it's rather a long series and there's another book coming out soon. Also, it's much more of a romance novel than I had anticipated, but at least there's intrigue and plot and (in the audio versions) Scottish accents. However, I seem to be a bit hooked and will likely get the next one in the series out of the library sometime soon.

More recently, I fell for the cover of a book at the library.

Winter Rose by Patricia A. McKillip

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I've read some Patricia A. McKillip before, but I can't remember exactly what or when. This book reminded me so strongly of my favorite parts of Robin McKinley's work that I'm going to have to read more McKillip.
The book is set in the same sort of fairy-tale, peasant era that so many fantasy worlds employ, and goes from there to a world beyond and back, as many fantasy novels do. However, McKillip paints this world with images too beautiful to consign to the ordinary. There is a section of cloudy-and-confusing on the part of the protagonist (again, à la McKinley), but the images used carried me along without making me shake my head to cast out the static.
It felt more like a fragment than an entire story, and I wish there were more of it to read.

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a rash of rereading

2009-08-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

I finished zipping through Jane Yolen's Pit trilogy. Yay dragons! Then I waded back into good ol' HP. I'm now starting the seventh book. I think this is my third time reading it, and it's been long enough since I last read it that the details are fuzzy and I get a little bit of the discovery thrills.
I have a few books out of the library that I've never read before, and which I plan to read after finishing out HP7.

Can't go wrong with a little Farley Mowat

2009-07-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

The Boat Who Wouldn't Float by Farley Mowat

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
First edition, signed.

Farley Mowat has the happy knack for making himself the butt of humorous stories which seem just unlikely enough to be true. I admit that much of the sailing jargon was lost on me, but Mowat's skill is such that I was able to laugh along, if not as heartily as a seafaring reader.

There is a similarity of style between Farley Mowat and James Thurber. If you like one of the two, I highly recommend reading something by the other.

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