Thank you, Oscar Wilde, for your timely poetry.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Reading the Classics
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Britishisms for the Day
I mean, really. What possible reason can be given for calling them a Boot and a Bonnet?
Saturday, March 28, 2015
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.
.
Friday, March 27, 2015
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.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Happy Tolkien Reading Day!
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
Food Fantasy
Truth be told, this is photoshopped. But wouldn't it be great if Nabisco really made some of these?
Sunday, March 22, 2015
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.
.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Friday, March 20, 2015
International Francophonie Day
Zut alors! Aujourd'hui, c'est la Journée Internationale de la Francophonie! Donc :
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
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.
.
Monday, March 16, 2015
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.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Saturday, March 14, 2015
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.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Thursday, March 12, 2015
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.
.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
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.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
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.
Monday, March 09, 2015
Sunday, March 08, 2015
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).
Saturday, March 07, 2015
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.
.
Friday, March 06, 2015
Thursday, March 05, 2015
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.
Wednesday, March 04, 2015
Monday, March 02, 2015
Sunday, March 01, 2015
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?!
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Book Excerpt for the Day
“I
won’t allow my husband to go in there alone,” said Helen. “It would be too dangerous. The poor dear might get mauled – or worse.”
“Thank
you, Helen, for your confidence,” said Pendergast.
“Well,
you know, Aloysius, you did miss that
duiker at two hundred yards. That was as
easy as hitting a barn door from the inside.”
“Come now, there was a strong cross-wind. And the animal moved at the last moment.”
“You
spent too long setting up your shot. You
think too much, that’s your problem.”
(from Fever Dream by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child)
8½*/10. The complete review is here.
.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Uzi Takes King. Checkmate.
I did win one (rated) chess game when the opponent played "Uzi Kills Everything". He was rated 400 points higher than me, and I beat him with an unsound opening, while his friend, the state champion looked on.
I have also seen several Risk games end this way.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Book Excerpt for the Day
“Keep the seer back, Mazuran. Her powers will be of no use against
axes.” He turned and took a step towards
the doors, then looked back. “The Yull
will not retreat.”
Carveth looked at her gun, as if unable to believe that it would
work. “Oh, arse.”
“We will have to slay them all,” Suruk said. “Still, there is at least a bright side to
this situation.”
“Which is?”
“We will have to slay them all.”
(from Wrath of the
Lemming Men by Toby Frost)
7½*/10. The full review is here.
.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Cenk Akyol
Meet Cenk Akyol. 10 years ago, the Atlanta Hawks drafted him. 2nd Round; 59th pick overall. From 2005 until now, he has never played in the NBA.
Yet incredibly, within the past year, he has been traded three times. Hawks to the Clippers; Clippers to the 76ers; and today, 76ers to the Nuggets.
I suppose technically, it's the rights to (negotiate with) him that have been traded. I don't know if he profits from this one bit. But I'm thinking about turning professional.
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