(posted @ Tumblr, copied here)

So, somewhere on one of these silly sites, probably FB, I commented as a part of contest entry a month or two ago. I think I signed up for a book reviews newsletter. And then I promptly forgot about it.

Last week I got an email saying I'd won and asking for my address; a shiny new copy of Neil Gaiman's Ocean at ( Read more... )

Looking for depictions of Native Americans swordfishing for a presentation for work and came upon this story, which is based on the Chumash legend, namely that the swordfish speared whales and threw them on the beach, thus providing people with food.

Swordfish StorySwordfish seem to be a bit cruel, but then so do a lot of large predators ( Read more... )

Happy Groundhog Day! If we had groundhogs here, they'd fershure be seeing their shadows, as it's sunny but blowing gusty Santa Ana winds (do gophers work instead?). And by the way, Groundhog Day is one of my favorite movies.

( Dad update... )

No pics for this one but a couple of other things I almost forgot...

• I was surprised to come across Peter S. Beagle in a booth in the (absolutely huge, so big we only it made it down two aisles) Vendor's room, selling books; I guess a new edition of The Last Unicorn is coming out soon and they were taking pre-orders for it. He looked dead tired ( Read more... )

The kids don't have summer school this year because of budget cuts, so we're trying to make an effort to go over to John's mom's place; it's a senior mobile home park, but kids are allowed to use the pool between 9am and 1pm. Given that the city pool here costs $5 for free swim, which is pretty much prohibitive for 3 kids, not to mention adults, ( Read more... )

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I'm sorry but the subtitle for the Monitor's review of New Moon, just made me laugh.

"The latest in the 'Twilight' series, 'New Moon' follows a moping Bella who continues to have poor choice in men."

As much as I used to be a big fan of vampires (is Fred Saberhagen's The Dracula Tapes still in print?), the more I hear of the Twilight series, the ( Read more... )

On the way home from my book group at Barnes & Marmoset, Avalon announced:

"Mom, when I get big, I'm gonna make a book. And it's going to be called:

Get Out of the Tub! You're Pruning!

...and it's going to have chapters."

Well, I don't know why I allowed myself to get sucked into Code Geass: Lalouche of the Rebellion,as I try to avoid series based on political intrigue and masked antiheroes. Not to mention mecha, although I don't mind them. It finally finished last night. I think you could tell how it had to end, as it was leading inevitably in that direction. ( Read more... )

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