November Already?

Posted on 10/31/2007 by chick

November starts tomorrow, and with November comes NaNoWriMo.

I haven’t come up with a plot for my novel yet. I thought I might as well take the “leap of faith” thing all the way. I’ll be starting at an additional disadvantage. I have to drive to and from CT tomorrow, meaning that I might not get any writing done on the first day, and I won’t be able to attend the first writing get-together. Last year, meeting up with the other writers helped me to get started. I’m on my own this time.

Wish me luck.

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Happy Halloween!

Posted on 10/31/2007 by chick

Halloween may not be my favorite holiday, but I can’t help getting nostalgic about it. As a kid, I looked forward to the day with an excitement that I can only vaguely recall now. I had a limited budget, so I chose my costumes with care, though as you’ll soon see, I did not always choose wisely!

My Most Notable Halloween Costumes

  • Butterfly: I bought posterboard, cut it into wings, reinforced the wings with “veins” of metal cut from wire hangers, painted the wings with poster paints, and then sewed them to the back of my jacket. Far and away my most creative costume.
  • Old lady: I bummed some baggy clothes, put my hair up in a bun and painted it silver. I think I even borrowed a cane. Then I went door-to-door calling everyone I met a “whippersnapper.”
  • Easter Bunny: I used cotton balls to make a cotton tail, then sewed it to the back of my white sweatpants. I bought a pair of bunny ears, painted whiskers on my face, and hopped from house to house, wishing everyone a happy Easter.
  • Prostitute: During my early teens, I thought it would be fun to dress as a prostitute, so I borrowed a miniskirt and bought some fishnet stockings. My parents were more than a little furious, especially since they had unwittingly provided funds for part of my getup. I got plenty of candy, but I was a good girl and didn’t pick up any Sugar Daddies.

What were your most notable costumes?

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Tori, Tori, Bo-Bori (and Yoav, Too)

Posted on 10/30/2007 by chick

It was two weeks ago today that we went to CT to see Tori Amos in concert. We had good tickets (tenth row center) and we got there early enough to catch the opening act.

The opening act was a strange guitar-playing guy named Yoav. He used his guitar, voice, and some sort of loop-playing recording device to make sound effects and beats for his songs. It might have gotten tiresome if he had played more than just that tiny set, but I loved the experimental nature of his music. His lyrics had some tacky bits of cliche stuck to them, and he wailed a little too much, but I say the kid has something. Just give him some time to refine his act.

I thought Tori had an up-and-down performance. There were several nondescript songs in the set list; I couldn’t even tell you which albums they were from. And I have never heard a more lackluster version of “Hey Jupiter.” But when she played her classics “Mother” and “Cornflake Girl,” and a cover of “Let It Be,” she was inspirational.

I’ve only seen Tori in concert twice. The first time she was amazing, and this time she was pretty good, so I can’t complain and I’ll pay to see her the next time around.

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A Need for Perfection

Posted on 10/30/2007 by chick

Computers are good at games. If a computer is given all the rules and programmed to follow them consistently, then it cannot make a mistake. It will therefore play better than I, and faster. I don’t mind. I rely heavily on the computer’s accuracy and speed every day. I let it do the grunt work while I take care of the creative tasks. I have come to expect perfection from computers, even to depend upon it, so I get mad when computers make mistakes.

I got mad today. During a game of spider solitaire, the program informed me that I had lost and that there were no more legal moves. I knew there were more plays, so I closed the message window and continued playing. I went on to win that game, proving that the program was wrong.

It turns out to be a very stupid and lazy program. It only looks at surface cards, so it misses a lot of plays. But it’s not really the computer’s fault, is it? After all, it’s only as smart as its programmer. So I wag the Dumb Toe of Ugliness at you, Game Programmer!

This post is dedicated to fat ladies everywhere. Nothing is ever well and truly over until one of you sings.

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Hot Stuff

Posted on 10/29/2007 by chick

I am grateful for hot water.

This place is going to be freezing cold during the winter. I got a taste of it last February, and I didn’t like it one bit. But we seem to have an abundant supply of hot water, so I will relish my daily hot shower.

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It’s Just a Game

Posted on 10/28/2007 by chick

Krondor, the Betrayal by Raymond E. Feist

Grade: D+

In Krondor, the Betrayal, Feist returns to the world he introduced in the Riftwar Saga. Reading the afterword, I discovered that the story for this book was based on a video game, and thank goodness for that, because otherwise I might never have forgiven the author for this awful addition to the series. The characters were flat and spent way too much time plodding from one location to another. I’m glad that Feist decided to show another side to the moredhel, a race of beings he had previously described as evil, but I never learned to like the representative character.

My opinion of the book plummeted as the author explained that magic was possible because of a substance called mana. Some of the characters found mana on the ground here and there. It looked like a golden plant. And then they started picking it up with their magical staves as they passed by. Ugh! Mana is for video games, not novels!

I’m in the middle of reading the sequel (Krondor, the Assassins), which is tolerable so far, but unless it turns out to be one heck of a read, both books are headed for the Chopping Block.

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Catching Up

Posted on 10/27/2007 by chick

It’s time to catch you up on my reading.

Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon: A Meg Langslow Mystery by Donna Andrews

Grade: B

I was drawn to this author by her cute titles, many of which feature birds, and I bought this particular book because the price was right ($3.99 new!). Did I get my money’s worth? Absolutely.

Amateur sleuth Meg Langslow is helping out at her brother’s software company, where they’re working on the follow-up to an enormously popular video game. As temporary office manager, Meg has to deal with such difficulties as the company mascot (a stinky buzzard that they keep in the waiting room), a rabid fan who repeatedly tries to sneak in, and the wacky staff of computer geeks employed by her brother. When the automated mail cart rolls into the reception area laden with a dead body, the police pick her brother as their #1 suspect, and Meg starts her own investigation to clear his name.

This book had to work extra hard to impress me. I’m not a big fan of mysteries and I generally dislike books written in the first person. It turned out to be the right kind of mystery for me, light and fluffy and free of gore, and though I initially found the narrator’s tone to be grating, she grew on me. Overall Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon is a fun read, perfect for a day at the beach. The excerpt of the next book in the series, Owl’s Well That Ends Well, sounds interesting and I may well pick it up the next time I need some light reading.

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An Afternoon Walk

Posted on 10/23/2007 by chick

Images from an afternoon walk—

Duck Trails

Sections of the canal covered with floating autumn leaves. Zigzagging trails of clear water marking the passage of ducks. A capped jug bobbing cheerfully in the river. What’s in the jug? Moonshine, maybe. Or maple syrup. Don’t you want to know? Butter-and-eggs, still fresh and yellow, growing along the sides of the path, a sign that summer has yet to leave town.

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Spicing Things Up

Posted on 10/20/2007 by chick

Did you know that the cinnamon you find at the grocery store is really cassia? I was unaware of this until recently, but once I found out, I had to get some real Ceylon cinnamon. The order that I placed last week arrived today. In addition to the real cinnamon, I got cassia cinnamon, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, sage, cayenne, turmeric, fenugreek, and cumin seeds, as well as a free jar of chicken taco seasoning and another of an Italian blend.

I might have to celebrate by cooking something! 🙂

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Brrr!

Posted on 10/15/2007 by chick

Walking at this time of year also requires a leap of faith. You have to trust that you’ll warm up as you go. If you can’t make yourself believe that, you’ll either wimp out and stay home or go out and sweat to death under the excess layers of clothing that you thought you needed.

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