Winter Fans

    Well, winter's finally arrived in Arizona, but we've yet to turn the heat on.  But when we do, we will still have not one, but two fans going in the bedroom.

Book Excerpt for the Day

    Tagwen struggled to his feet, straightening his rumpled clothes and squaring his stocky body away.  “Who are you?” he asked boldly.  “What are you doing out here?  How do you know so much about Pen and his father?”

    “So many questions,” the old man said softly.  “Life is full of them, and we spend it seeking their answers, first of one, then of another.  It is our passion, as thinking creatures, to do so.”

    (from High Druid of Shannara – Jarka Ruus by Terry Brooks)

    6½*/10.  The complete review is here.

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Word for the Day : Pleonasm

    Pleonasm : (n.) : the use of more words than are necessary (e.g.: "to see with one's own eyes") either as a fault of style, or for emphasis.

When music took talent

    True dis.  There was a time when your success as a musician was all about the talent you were blessed with, the motivation you could generate, and the amount of hours you were willing to devote to building on that talent.

    Nowadays, musicians are judged by the dance choreography in their videos and their ability to twerk.  Very sad.

Inspirational Quote for the Day

    That's me, folks.  Mr. Inspirational.

Book Excerpt for the Day

    “I want you to take a team of men with rifles and search the whole forest,” she said.

    “Um, right.”  Dieter sounded confused.  “Sorry, did you say rifles?”

    “Rifles.  Rhymes with ‘stifles’.  I want you to search every square centimetre, and if you find a unicorn, or a white horse with a horn sticking out of its head, I want it shot and brought to me immediately.  You got that?”

    “Sure,” Dieter replied, making a note.  “Unicorns.  What if we don’t find any?”

    “Keep looking till you do.”

    (from Blonde Bombshell by Tom Holt)

  8*/10.  The complete review is here.

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Obligatory Holiday Greetings

    Happy Thanksgiving Day anyway!

24th Century English

    A glimpse into the future.

Camping

    "Go camping," they said.  "It'll be fun!" they said.

Kurt Vonnegut Quote

    Perceptive, and presumably a legitimate Kurt Vonnegut quote.

Book Excerpt for the Day

    You may find a lone mouse or a whole lot of mice,

    But the plural of house is houses not hice.

    If the plural of man is always called men,

    Why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen?

    The cow in a plural may be cows or kine,

    But the plural of vow is vows and not vine.

    And I speak of foot and you show me your feet,

    But I give you a boot … would a pair be called beet?

    (from The Adventure of English  by Melvyn Bragg)

  9½*/10.  The complete review is here.

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Jackson Pollock Saturday!

    We are committed to posting any and all Jackson Pollock references at this blog.

Young Earth Evolutionism

    I'm thinking of becoming one of these.

Reading Possibilities

    It's true.  I have about 150 reading possibilities at the moment.  Well, that doesn't include the Kindle, where there are another 200 possibilities or so.

Linguistics Wednesday

    Although, she really ought to be sipping a RED wine.

Tetris on the Road

    I will never look at this road sign the same way again.

Book Excerpt for the Day

    Rome awoke to the great, collective hangover of the day after Saturnalia.  All over the city hundreds of thousands of bleary eyes opened, the merciless light of morning pierced through them, and a vast groan ascended unto Olympus.  Patrician and plebeian, slave and freedman, citizen and foreigner, all were afflicted and were half certain that Pluto had them by the ankle and was dragging them toward the yawning abyss; and, on the whole, they viewed the oblivion of the trans-Stygian world as not such a bad prospect at all.  Even Stoic philosophers were retching into the chamberpot that morning.

    (from Saturnalia, by John Maddox Roberts)

     8*/10.  The full review is here.

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Science Sunday

    Dark Matter matters.

Today's Headline

    The headline in this morning's USA Today (along with this photo) : "Racist Graffiti Greets Trump Win Across USA".

     And so it begins.  When you elect a bigot, you can expect bigotry.

Oldies Music Reference Thursday

    And oldie but a goody.

Social Vegan

    True dis.

Monday Punday

Book Excerpt for the Day

    The Deevels, the residents of Deva, were known as the best traders and negotiators.  Now, granted, Aahz as a Pervect, could be tight with a penny, but as Aahz had warned, a Deevel could trade you out of the penny and the pocket you kept it in, and leave you naked and thinking you were better off for the deal.

    (from Myth-ion Improbable by Robert Asprin)

  4½*/10.  The complete review is here.

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Shower Activities

    I do this all the time.  It can come in handy.

Obscure Music Reference Friday!

    Admit it.  You're singing the lyrics in your head even as you read this,.

Work

    True dis.

Hilarious!

Party Animal

    True dis.  I like to hobnob with party animals.