Dear Indiana

   Thank you, Oscar Wilde, for your timely poetry.

Reading the Classics

    Seriously, folks.  I would have a way better attitude about reading the classics if they'd make these sort of changes to the storyline.

Britishisms for the Day

   I mean, really.  What possible reason can be given for calling them a Boot and a Bonnet?

Book Excerpt for the Day

    “It sounds like he was an honorable man.”

    “He was.  But still money was short, and he was forced to do the one thing that sorcerers should never do.  An act of such gross betrayal to his art that if it were made common knowledge, his reputation would be destroyed forever, and he would die a broken man, humiliated and shunned by his peers.”

    “You mean-?”

    “Right.  He did children’s parties.”

    (from The Last Dragonslayer, by Jasper Fforde)

    8*/10.  The full review is here.

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Music Lyrics

    Example #1 : Mike Oldfield's Five Miles Out.  I always thought the lyrics carried the thought of a deep philosophical sense of alienation.  Turns out Oldfield was just writing about landing in an airplane.

Conan The Librarian

    Or Magic The Gathering card of the day.  Whichever.

Happy Tolkien Reading Day!

    I will of course be reading, since I do that every night.  But it won't be Tolkien.

Reading is Surreal

Food Fantasy

    Truth be told, this is photoshopped.  But wouldn't it be great if Nabisco really made some of these?

Book Excerpt for the Day

    Rain was not a bad thing, of course, as his brother had reminded him on more than one occasion.  But his brother was a farmer, and he was talking about proper rain: the sort that cascaded from the heavens to water the earth and fill the aqueducts and wash the drains.  British rain was rarely that simple.  For days on end, instead of falling, it simply hung around in the air like a wife waiting for you to notice she was sulking.

    (from Terra Incognita, by Ruth Downie)

    8*/10.  The full review is here.

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Death Metal Saturday

International Francophonie Day

    Zut alors!  Aujourd'hui, c'est la Journée Internationale de la Francophonie!  Donc :

RIF ("Reading Is Fun") Thursday

    FWIW, Of Mice and Men is a powerful (yet short) book.

Art Appreciation Wednesday

    Van Goghing, Goghing, Gone.

Book Excerpt for the Day

    “So what are you going to do for work in Seattle?” (. . .)

    “I’ve applied for some internships.  I’m waiting to hear.”

    “Have you applied to my company as I suggested?”

    I flush. . . Of course not.  “Um. . .no.”

    “And what’s wrong with my company?”

    “Your company or your company?” I smirk..

    (from Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James)

    7*/10.  The complete review is here.

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The Start of Summer

    Tomorrow's high in Phoenix is expected to be 91°F.  And technically, it's still Winter.

    Contrary to popular belief, Phoenix does have 4 seasons.  There's Winter, Summer, F*ck-But-It's-Hot Summer, and When-Will-It-End Summer.

Iran vs. Israel

   Gotta love the logic here.

Happy Pi Day!

    If the posts on my FaceBook wall are indicative, Pi Day seems to gradually be gaining in popularity.  I saw a number of witty pics about it today, but I like the one above because it clearly shows what Pi is all about.

RIP, Sir Terry Pratchett

    Without a doubt, my favorite "Light Fantasy" author.

Book Excerpt for the Day

    “Oh, Toto!” shrieked Dorothy suddenly. 

    “He’s wandered off to do his business,” said the Lion.  “Just between you and me, it’s about time he learned to be private about it.  I know you dote on him, but there is a limit.”

    “He’ll be lost,” she cried.  “He couldn’t find his way out of a cracker barrel.  He’s not very bright, you know.”

    After a respectful pause, the Tin Woodman observed, “I think we’ve all noticed that.”

    (from Son Of A Witch, by Gregory Maguire)

     7*/10.  The full review is here.

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Pot Brownies

   Okay, the truth.  I did put laxatives in one of my sandwiches at work once.  But it was to catch a coworker on the night shift who kept stealing everybody's uneaten lunches.  My ploy didn't work.  The sandwich got too soggy, and he knew t avoid it.

    Also, the wife of one of my coworkers once sneaked some pot into his lunch-dessert brownies, unbeknownst to him.  Which made for a most interesting afternoon shift.

Good Witch - Bad Witch

    A timely piece of witticism, since I'm reading Son of a Witch, Gregory Maguire's sequel to the book Wicked.

Quote for the Day

    Truly an inspiring quote.

Daylight Savings Time

    Happy Daylight Savings Time to everybody else, from one of the two states (Hawaii, Arizona) that views it as a Communist plot.  I used to think that Alaska and a couple counties in Indiana also refused to change their clocks, but apparently I'm behind the times (pun intended).

Book Excerpt for the Day

    “Sydney can go as your date, Carlos.”

    “Sydney has her own date.  An old widower on the Board who inherited billions and once grabbed her boob.”

    “He did not grab my boob,” Sydney groaned with disgust.  “He fell against it when he had a mini-stroke during the centennial parade.”

    (from Finding Clarity, by Laura Novak)

     5½*/10.  The full review is here.

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E-Card Friday

    Yeah.  That's pretty much true.

Best. Movie. Ever.

    We can debate what the second-greatest movie ever is.  The Princess Bride, The Wall, 2001 : A Space Odyssey, Once Upon A Time In The West, Fantasia, etc.

    But there can be no debate that Monty Python's The Holy Grail is the best movie ever.

Surreal Wednesday

    Just cuz we haven't posted one in a long time.

Spiritual Search

    Really, it beats magic panties or speaking gibberish.

Quote for the Day (Shakespearean edition)

    A powerful quote from Shakespeare's King Lear.  I came across it in the book in yesterday's post, Fever Dream.  I went looking for an image to accompany it, and discovered it is also used on a Magic The Gathering card.  How kewl is that?!