Archive for October, 2011

Culling the Wardrobe


21 Oct

Every Wednesday I wear the exact same sweater. It has short sleeves and is a cardigan type, so it can be worn in the summer over shells or in the winter over long sleeved tops. It is kind of striped in various shades of blue, so it goes with every pair of slacks I own. I love it, and it always helps me get over the hump day blahs.

I’ve worn it every Wednesday for 6 months or so. If anyone has noticed, no one’s said anything. I take this as proof that I can cull my wardrobe without ramifications.

MythBusters (ep 174)


20 Oct

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a MythBusters where everything was plausible or confirmed. Even with that, here are the lessons I took away from the episode:

Guys who operate excavators are crazy. Actually, I’ve met a number of heavy machine operators, and I think crazy might be a good adjective for all of them. They say don’t try this at home, but they only got these “myths” because the excavator guys already had.

I would rather take a ride in the duct tape sailboat than in the duct tape plane. I can swim, but I can’t fly.

Can I be done now?


19 Oct

It’s one of those “when it rains, it pours” weeks. At work, it’s been a week full of little issues, combined with it being the month my projections are due, generally with a less than 24 hour turnaround time from when I get the final data from last quarter.

In addition, today my mother-in-law goes in for total knee replacement surgery. She’ll be in the hospital for 3-4 days and then in a skilled care facility for another two weeks or so.

And then, my husband got food poisoning and spent last night sick.

Can the week be over, please?

Movie Review: Knights of Bloodsteel


18 Oct

I know it’s true that there is no such thing as a truly original story. And I know the classic tropes are classics for a reason; still, it would be nice if people could try and inject a little originality into their characters.

Knights of Bloodsteel was a 2 part Syfy event, lasting somewhere between 3-4 hours long. The story itself wasn’t bad, but every single character was a classic trope, and a badly written one at that. (Nor was the acting great.) But really, did the loner swordsman who was “not from these lands” really need a Scottish accent?

Ode to Al Davis, Asshole – RIP


17 Oct

I am a Raiders fan. I have been a Raiders fan ever since my older brother became one 25 or more years ago. I had no idea who Al Davis was, no real idea about football, just that we hated the Broncos, and the Raiders hated the Broncos, so we loved the Raiders.

It’s really perfect logic for a Raiders fan.

The NFL wouldn’t be what it is today without Al Davis, and part of that is precisely because the man was an ass. “Just Win, Baby” isn’t the motto of a “nice guy.” And, you know what, that’s okay.

Kraken!


16 Oct

Or, as I prefer to think of it- giant, ancient Cuttlefish! The actual Cthulu monster!

 

So I realize that there’s a lot of speculation in this. But I am in love with the idea that an ancient Coleoidea was killing ichthyosaurs and dragging them to its lair. It just brings out the fan girl in me.

And there is good science involved. The evidence at this time is mostly circumstantial, but since soft bodied creatures do not leave fossils, we are pretty much forced to speculate about their past existence. I hope to hear more evidence of the kraken soon.

Book Review: Agatha H and the Airship City by Phil & Kaja Foglio


15 Oct

This is the written novelization of the first two volumes of the Girl Genius graphic novels. In other words, if you are already a fan, there is nothing new here, at least not technically. But I still recommend reading it, and not just from a “completist” perspective.

There are things that can be done in a traditional novel that can not be accomplished in a graphic novel (and vice versa), including some deeper character introspection.

This was a fun, fast read, and I hope that Phil & Kaja Foglio are able to do more novelizations of the Girl Genius stories.

Movie Review: Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant


14 Oct

Someone please tell me that the books aren’t as bad as this movie. As my husband said, ham-fisted is too gentle a descriptor. No scene could make a point without it being followed up by someone explaining the point in the next scene.

The acting was terrible (and I like a lot of the actors in this). We had to assume it was because the script was so bad, they couldn’t get through it without the camp.

I really am all for anything that gets kids to read, but could we limit the movie making to stuff that’s actually good?

MythBusters (ep 173)


13 Oct

People naturally walk in circles, who knew? Apparently lots of people since that was the actual myth Adam and Jamie were testing. I did wonder why they used the earphones, blocking out additional sensory information. This wasn’t a myth about people who couldn’t see and hear walking in circles, just about people who couldn’t see. I think it would’ve been a truer test without blocking hearing.

Watching a truck go flying at 300mph toward a parked car in slow motion is cool. But no explosion. Apparently, there’s a reason special effects people choose to work with this stuff- it’s safe.

Geek Girl Con: Writing Through Real Life


12 Oct

I attended 2 panels at Geek Girl Con.

I could’ve been on the panel for Writing Through Real Life. Their advice was advice I’ve given, though I’m at a point in my writing that I need to hear this stuff again, from people outside my regular critique group. The content was solid.

 I should’ve been on the panel, or the panel shouldn’t have been made up of people from the same MFA program. This wasn’t meant to be a recruiting event for one, or any, MFA program. It was supposed to be about finding time to write in real life.

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