As I mentioned in this post, I have, as of the first week of January, achieved one of my “theoretical” New Year’s Resolutions – my books are officially cataloged. The project took the better part of several days, but overall it was far less painful than I had anticipated, thanks to the joys of modern technology, and of course, now I wonder why it took me so long to get around to it, although I […]
Month: January 2008
Wiki Wednesday 1-9-08
Time to learn something! 1. Go to Wikipedia.2. Click on “Random article” in the left-hand sidebar box.3. Post it! Today’s episode: everything you always wanted to know about the midsection! The waist is the part of the abdomen between the bellybutton and breasts. On proportionate people, the waist is the narrowest part of the torso. Waistline refers to the horizontal line where the waist is narrowest, or to the general appearance of the waist. People […]
Not-quite Ten on Tuesday – Five Favorite Photos of 2007
I really hadn’t planned on participating in this week’s Ten on Tuesday, since the prompt is “10 Best Moments of Last Year” and I had enough of a challenge coming up with three memorable moments, so never mind ten of them! But I thought I might give the optional topic, “Photo 10 on Tuesday – 10 Best Pictures of Last Year,” a go. Tall Paul is the family photographer, and I mostly play around with […]
Words begone!
Via book blogger and LAist contributor Callie Miller, here’s a list of “Banished Words” for 2008, as compiled by Lake Superior State University (LSSU). They’ve selected words and expressions that have been so overused that, while they may not necessarily need to be retired permanently, they should take a nice long vacation until they’re missed and would actually be welcome again; for example, “truthiness” has been reclaimed for 2008 after banishment for 2007. LSSU accepts […]
Somewhere around the 12th day of Christmas…
…the Christmas decorations have been taken down and put away till next year. They only made it till about the tenth day. In anticipation of an unusually wet weekend in SoCal, we decided to go ahead and dismantle everything and pack it up on Friday, so we wouldn’t be slogging back and forth to our outdoor storage unit in the rain. I don’t seem to be having much of a post-holiday letdown this year – […]
Weekend assignment #197: “Missing Words”
This is assignment #1 for me – the original post, with instructions, is at Outpost Mavarin (via Whatever, which I found via Pamie.com, which I knew of from my days hanging out over at TWoP…the internets are just a big ol’ chain). It won’t be wrapped up until Thursday 1/10, so you can still join in even if the weekend is winding down. Weekend Assignment #197: Now that the WGA strike has had lots of […]
Soundtrack
This is a variation on the iPod Random Ten that gives the results a little bit of structure, and I thought I’d try it this way for a change. As happens so often around here, it comes via Literary Feline. If your life were a soundtrack, what would the music be? Here’s how it works:1. open your library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod)2. put it on shuffle3. press play4. for every section, type the song […]
Book talk: “The Emperor’s Children”
The last book read in 2007 was finished at 9:30 AM on January 1 and becomes the subject of the first review posted in 2008. The review format is somewhat new, borrowed and adapted from Literary Feline. The Emperor’s ChildrenClaire Messud Vintage paperback, 2007 (ISBN 978-0-27666-7)Fiction; 479 pgs First Sentence: “Darlings! Welcome! And you must be Danielle?” Sleek and small, her wide eyes rendered enormous by kohl, Lucy Leverett, in spite of her resemblance to […]
Booking Through Thursday 1-2: “Anticipation”
Last week we talked about the books you liked best from 2007. So this week, what with it being a new year, and all, we’re looking forward…. What new books are you looking forward to most in 2008? Something new being published this year? Something you got as a gift for the holidays? Anything in particular that you’re planning to read in 2008 that you’re looking forward to? A classic, or maybe a best-seller from […]
Driving under the influence…of crazy laws
The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is vacation time for many people, but I worked that week (half-days only, though, since my son and his girlfriend were in town). It’s actually not a bad time to be at work – since so many people aren’t there, it’s quieter and often more productive. And since so many people aren’t off to work, they’re off the road too, and the commute is…well, almost fun, or […]
Wiki Wednesday 1-2-08
Time to learn something! 1. Go to Wikipedia.2. Click on “Random article” in the left-hand sidebar box.3. Post it! Going to the movies this week! Beyond the Forest (1949) is a Warner Brothers film noir directed by King Vidor, produced by Henry Blanke with Jack L. Warner as executive producer from a screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee based on a novel by Stuart Engstrand. The film stars Bette Davis, Joseph Cotten, David Brian, Ruth Roman, […]
The “literate city” rankings – where does your town stand?
Thanks to Pop Culture Junk Mail for the tip-off on this. An annual study of the “literacy rankings” of the 69 largest cities in the US has just released its 2007 results, and America’s most-literate city is…well, technically there are two. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota occupy first and third place on the list, separated by 2006’s number-one ranked city, Seattle, Washington. USA Today has reported on the results and some summary interpretations, […]
