Things on a Thursday
I got to bed late last night (don't ask) and up extra early today (part of the new schedule), so my brain already feels addled. I am therefore resorting to a list, alliteratively named "Things on a Thursday."
1. Today is the first day of school here. S had to be up particularly early, since the bus to high school comes at 7:15. This means two things: a) We were up early; b) S has started high school. *Cue music from Fiddler: "Is this the little girl I carried?"* Thank God I didn't think of that earlier, or it might've made me cry. The song, not the going to high school. (M left 45 minutes later to catch the bus to middle school, where she's safely ensconced in 7th grade.)
2. Luciano Pavarotti has died. He was a force to be reckoned with, one of the voices who popularized (or re-popularized) opera for so many people in the 20th century. He also did a lot of good things to encourage younger opera singers on the way up, including organizing a competition in Philadelphia (not far from where I live). Why, then, did the Inquirer post what amounts to a scathing obituary for the man? Fie on those music critics who saw his death as an opportunity to offer further criticism.
3. It's been reported that sometime last week, a B-52 bomber was loaded with 6 nuclear warheads and flown across at least part of the United States. The Administration is upset. People are in trouble. Investigations are being launched. The thing is (*glances side to side to see if anyone's listening*), I always thought they were doing stuff like that. I even thought maybe they had the right to do it. Although perhaps Iraq and others should send in weapons inspectors, just to make sure we have a handle on our WMDs.
4. Hank Green is a genius. Yes, I'm talking about John Green's brother, the co-creator of Brotherhood 2.0, the forum "My Pants", the force behind ecogeek.com and more. Yesterday's song, I'm Gonne Kill You, is a comedic tour de force, not only because Hank says what so many of us have thought about people in checkout lines, or having loud late-night parties, or those who waste resources driving oversized vehicles for no good purpose, but also because Hank is such a peaceful sort of person that the entire thing is pretty ironic. And catchy. You've been warned.
5. Today is the first day of fall writing season for me. (See #1, above.)
6. The ladies at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast have made my week -- today they've got an interview with Adam Rex, author of Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and other books. Adam has two new books coming out, both of which were reviewed by 7-Imp yesterday.
(I interviewed Adam here back in March, and am a huge fan of his work.)
7. I'm preparing to be on a panel for a college lit course on Monday, hosted by the lovely and talented Paul Acampora (acampora), author of Defining Dulcie.
8. I found a new favorite movie: "Possession", starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart as modern-day academics looking into a possible Victorian scandal involving two poets, played by Jeremy Northam and Jennifer Ehle. With that cast, one cannot go wrong. I love it even though there's an inexplicable weirdness to the developing relationship between Eckhart an Paltrow ("I don't like you." "I like you, but that's it." "Let's snog." "No, let's do it." "No! We can only be friends." "Oh, we're off." "On." "Confused and in high dudgeon." "My hero!" "Together.") I have now bought the book, by A.S. Byars, which I hear is very good from Linda Urban (lurban), even though Linda impardonably skipped the poems in the book.
9. Speaking of Linda, I'll be interviewing her here sometime very soon.
10. Speaking of interviews, I'm going to be interviewed by Jules and Eisha over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast soon. Must go get ready for my head shots!
1. Today is the first day of school here. S had to be up particularly early, since the bus to high school comes at 7:15. This means two things: a) We were up early; b) S has started high school. *Cue music from Fiddler: "Is this the little girl I carried?"* Thank God I didn't think of that earlier, or it might've made me cry. The song, not the going to high school. (M left 45 minutes later to catch the bus to middle school, where she's safely ensconced in 7th grade.)
2. Luciano Pavarotti has died. He was a force to be reckoned with, one of the voices who popularized (or re-popularized) opera for so many people in the 20th century. He also did a lot of good things to encourage younger opera singers on the way up, including organizing a competition in Philadelphia (not far from where I live). Why, then, did the Inquirer post what amounts to a scathing obituary for the man? Fie on those music critics who saw his death as an opportunity to offer further criticism.
3. It's been reported that sometime last week, a B-52 bomber was loaded with 6 nuclear warheads and flown across at least part of the United States. The Administration is upset. People are in trouble. Investigations are being launched. The thing is (*glances side to side to see if anyone's listening*), I always thought they were doing stuff like that. I even thought maybe they had the right to do it. Although perhaps Iraq and others should send in weapons inspectors, just to make sure we have a handle on our WMDs.
4. Hank Green is a genius. Yes, I'm talking about John Green's brother, the co-creator of Brotherhood 2.0, the forum "My Pants", the force behind ecogeek.com and more. Yesterday's song, I'm Gonne Kill You, is a comedic tour de force, not only because Hank says what so many of us have thought about people in checkout lines, or having loud late-night parties, or those who waste resources driving oversized vehicles for no good purpose, but also because Hank is such a peaceful sort of person that the entire thing is pretty ironic. And catchy. You've been warned.
5. Today is the first day of fall writing season for me. (See #1, above.)
6. The ladies at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast have made my week -- today they've got an interview with Adam Rex, author of Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and other books. Adam has two new books coming out, both of which were reviewed by 7-Imp yesterday.
(I interviewed Adam here back in March, and am a huge fan of his work.)
7. I'm preparing to be on a panel for a college lit course on Monday, hosted by the lovely and talented Paul Acampora (acampora), author of Defining Dulcie.
8. I found a new favorite movie: "Possession", starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart as modern-day academics looking into a possible Victorian scandal involving two poets, played by Jeremy Northam and Jennifer Ehle. With that cast, one cannot go wrong. I love it even though there's an inexplicable weirdness to the developing relationship between Eckhart an Paltrow ("I don't like you." "I like you, but that's it." "Let's snog." "No, let's do it." "No! We can only be friends." "Oh, we're off." "On." "Confused and in high dudgeon." "My hero!" "Together.") I have now bought the book, by A.S. Byars, which I hear is very good from Linda Urban (lurban), even though Linda impardonably skipped the poems in the book.
9. Speaking of Linda, I'll be interviewing her here sometime very soon.
10. Speaking of interviews, I'm going to be interviewed by Jules and Eisha over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast soon. Must go get ready for my head shots!