The Week in Review

Posted on 09/08/2007 by chick

It was an exciting week.

My Faithful Reader hung the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. It looks good and it’s wonderful to have somewhere to put all those miscellaneous bottles and tubes and jars of the pills and pastes and gels necessary to maintain this gorgeous body of mine. Soon this apartment will really feel like home (probably just before it’s time to move again!).

Our new food processor arrived. It chops like a samurai on amphetamines. Woohoo!

But most importantly, my Faithful Reader and I got our marriage license with as much ease, if not more, as we might have attained a fishing license. We flashed a couple of official documents, signed a form, and slipped them some cash. They rewarded us with the right wed. But only each other. And only in this state. And only during the next 90 days. And only because we’re straight. Should one of us have a change of heart and wish to marry a same-sex partner next year in Idaho, we’ll be SOL.

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On Rejection

Posted on 09/07/2007 by chick

Giuseppe Verdi wrote amazing music. Even if you don’t like opera, Aida will knock your socks off. Something interesting about Verdi: he was turned down by the Conservatory in Milan. They said that he was privo di talento musicale (lacking in musical talent). Verdi was not a quitter. He found someone to teach him privately and though I don’t know his story beyond that point, he clearly succeeded in becoming a great composer. We can only hope that those idiots in Milan had to eat their words.

According to popular anecdote, something similar happened to Fred Astaire. He had a screen test at a studio and this is how they summed him up: “Can’t sing, can’t act, slightly balding, can dance a little.” This tale is part of Hollywood legend, so it may or may not be factual, but it has the ring of truth, doesn’t it? Astaire was a funny-looking guy, nearly awkward. At first glance, he wouldn’t have seemed like star material. In any event, he didn’t let that or anything else get in his way. He succeeded magnificently as a singer, an actor, and a dancer. He never became a hair model, but had that been his goal, who knows what might have happened? 😉

And here’s an example fitting for today. Madeleine L’Engle’s most famous book, A Wrinkle in Time, was rejected by 26 publishers before she was finally able to sell it. L’Engle died today. The only reason that I know and care is because she didn’t give up on that book.

If you give up too easily, you rob not only yourself but also every person who might appreciate your special talents.

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Lunch

Posted on 09/06/2007 by chick

I am grateful for lunch breaks.

Sometimes I forget to take them. Like today. I realized it was 4:30 and I hadn’t taken a break yet and I said, “Hey, Chick. Go do something else for a while.” And so here I am, being grateful.

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DARE to READ?

Posted on 09/05/2007 by chick

The eyes, they see what these phrases all have in common.

MEETING OF SOUL BUDS
BIG, UNMOLESTED UFOs
GENIUS BUM FELT GOOD
DUMB TOE OF UGLINESS
OFT-GLUED OMNIBUSES
SUBLIMEST EGO FOUND

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The Wind Singer

Posted on 09/03/2007 by chick

I just finished a book by William Nicholson called The Wind Singer.

Grade: D

Sadly, when I say that I finished this book, what I really mean is that I read most of it but skimmed through the last few chapters because it had gotten so bad. The characters were like angry little stick figures being pushed around on a game board. Nothing was fleshed out. Nothing was ever really explained. Why was the Hath family so different? Why did they suddenly rebel? What made the Old Children old? What was with the Emperor and his chocolate? Why were the wolves and eagles waiting to fight the Morah? Who built the Wind Singer, why, and how does it work?

This story reminded me of Jeanne DuPrau’s The City of Ember, a much better book which I would recommend in place of The Wind Singer.

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The Story, Part V

Posted on 09/02/2007 by chick

For the start of the story and links to other installments, see this post.

Phil had forgotten to ask Mr. Gabriel where the Frozen Foods department was, but he found it easily. He just headed down the coolest hallway. The room itself was bitterly cold and dry. Fred was already there, pacing to keep the shivers at bay. He greeted Phil, who said, “I was really sorry to hear about Dave.”

“Yeah,” said Fred. “That piano thing…you’d think he’d have gone out another way, you know?” Continue reading →

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The Story, Part IV

Posted on 09/02/2007 by chick

For the start of the story and links to the other installments, see this post.

When Phil returned to work on Monday morning, he was looking forward to the chance to pick Dave’s brain. His happy mood ended abruptly when he opened the door to the Sock room and found Mr. Gabriel waiting for him. He didn’t know if it was because his coworkers had complained about him or if it was because he hadn’t found very many sock pairs during his first two weeks, but he was certain that Mr. Gabriel’s presence could only herald bad news. He was about to be fired.

“Phil,” said Mr. Gabriel, “Good to see you. How are things going?” Continue reading →

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Vonnewho?

Posted on 08/28/2007 by chick

“What can any one person do?” he said.
“Each person does a little something,” I said, “and there you are.”
He sighed heavily. “It all adds up,” he said. “People don’t realize.”
–excerpt from Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut

Just a little thought from Vonnegut to warm us up as we prepare to continue the marathon. Yes, the marathon. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already? Not me. I’m behind schedule, but not for long!

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Sunday Sorrow

Posted on 08/27/2007 by chick

Sunday is over and there was no story. I goofed up. To make up for it, there will be two installments next weekend.

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Feistiness

Posted on 08/25/2007 by chick

Being sick, I spent a lot of time in bed with nothing better to do than read, read, read and then read some more. I went on a Raymond Feist binge, devouring four more of his books.

Grades:
Silverthorn, Lovable
A Darkness at Sethanon, Lovable
Shadow of a Dark Queen, C+
Rise of a Merchant Prince, B

Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon have everything you could ever want from a fantasy series: adventure, magic, exotic lands, unusual creatures, and characters that you can’t help falling in love with.

Shadow of a Dark Queen takes place in the same world, but many years have passed and the main character from the previous books is mentioned to have died after falling and breaking his hip. How depressing! It’s bad enough that he died, but to have died like that . . . Though Shadow is an OK read, I cannot find it within myself to love any of its characters, not even the ones carried over from previous books. It’s a battle-oriented book, with wars, whores, rapes, and rapiers, but little to inspire wonder.

Its sequel, Rise of a Merchant Prince, is a little better, perhaps because it takes place primarily in the arena of business and not war, but its main character is, to put it kindly, a jerk.

Unless the next book of the series is amazingly good, Shadow and Rise will probably end up on the Chopping Block.

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