>> I’m “guest-professoring” the Weekend Assignment at Outpost Mâvarin again. Care to join in? Here’s the topic:

Post your answer on your own blog, and leave a link to it in the comments here.

>> Here’s another writing assignment for this weekend, and this one comes with a prize! Your 10-word short story about a dysfunctional family could win you a copy of Karen Harrington’s novel Janeology. Enter the contest at her blog – it’s open until Monday (2/2/09) at 5 PM CST, and multiple entries are permitted.

>> The next Bookworms Carnival will be hosted by Jessica at The Bluestocking Society. The theme is a fun one: “Books into Movies.” Details and submission instructions are here, and the deadline is Friday, February 13. (Don’t let that scare you!)

The Caffeinatrix
Aberration Nation, author Penelope Przekop’s blog

Also…members of the Silicon Valley Moms Group sites are supporting each other by subscribing to each other’s personal blogs (and following each other on Twitter). This adds too many new blogs to my Reader to list them all individually, but it will provide so many more places to find linkage for the Review!

One of the themes discussed in this week’s SVMG Book Club for Who By Fire was family members attempting to rescue one another – here’s a “rescue” attempt that didn’t take, and that just might turn out OK. But sometimes, rescues just aren’t possible: trying to understand a suicide

Confronting cultural differences while traveling as a single woman in Morocco

Still catching up on posts from last week: a reflection on the first president from my generation. Or, as I (born in 1964) said to my husband (born in 1962), “We’re the ones in charge now. YIKES!”

Lefties are all right with me – after all, I am the mother of one. And I’ve had experience being the only female in the house, too…

A biological explanation for the vicious cycle of weight maintenance; an effective weight-loss method with some miserable side effects

Most of these perks of being a working mom have applied to me, too, at one time or another

Ten more reasons to appreciate living in Southern California in January, via Minnesota

25 maybe-almost-universally-true things about citizens of the blogiverse

A theory that “most bloggers are introverts” – do you agree? Take the poll, and join the discussion! Also, not connecting=unsociable social media usage; and can you successfully assume a new blogging identity? Via a Twitter contact (of course), a really good explanation of Twitter for the non-Twitterer (or the merely confused); tweeting through journalism class (as part of the assignment!)
 
“Which blonde is witch?,” via Not Always Right:

(A woman who had gone through my line earlier that day came up to me.)

Customer: “Give me back my g****** keys!”

Me: “Excuse me?”

Customer: “My car keys! Give them back!”

Me: “I wasn’t aware that I had them. Ma’am, are your keys lost? I can get someone to help you find them if you want.”

Customer: “No! I know it was you who took them! I put them up on this little tray– *points to the tray next to the debit machine* “–and when I got home I couldn’t find them anywhere!”

Me: “When…when you got home? Ma’am, did you drive home?”

Customer: “Well, duh! What kind of idiot are you? Do you think I’m poor?” *gives a disgusted look*

Me: “No…how did you get back here, ma’am?”

Customer: “I drove here, of course!”

Me: “With your car keys?”

Customer: “Yes! Now give them back!”

Me: “Ma’am…if I had taken your car keys, would you have been able to drive home and back here?”

Customer: “No! But I know you took them!”

(I then notice the keys shining in her hand.)

Me:: “Open your hand please, ma’am?”

Customer: *upon seeing her keys in her hand* “Oh, you little witch! What did you do, ‘magic’ them back into my hand?! What kind of store lets witches work for them?!”

Me: “Ma’am, I’m not a witch…but you are a complete stereotypical blonde.”

Customer: “Oh, how dare you! I demand to speak to your manager.”

(My manager, who is a Wiccan and has been listening to this exchange for the past few minutes, comes up behind me, playing with her five-pointed star necklace.)

Manager: *in a mystical voice* “Well, hello there, earth-walker. What can I do for you?”

Customer: *sputters curse words and quickly storms out*

Goofy Blogthings Quiz of the Week:

You Are “Love Shack”

If you were transported back to the 80s, you would enjoy anything and everything underground. You love the alternative aspects of 80s culture, and you’re a bit disappointed that they’ve been forgotten over time. You’d be goth, punk, new wave, or a rapper. Just not a yuppie, a preppy, or a jock! You would relish living in a time where identifying with a subculture actually meant something.

What’s Your 80s Karaoke Song?

I should note that if I went back to the ’80’s knowing what I know now, this is probably about right. It’s not exactly on target about the actual me-in-the-’80’s, though. Also, would it be possible for me to swap this for “Roam” or “Deadbeat Club”? “Love Shack” doesn’t have a great melody line.

I’m not sure I plan to read The Samaritan’s Dilemma, but this response to it, and the related discussion about charity, were definitely worth reading. From the same blog, following up on this week’s Booking Through Thursday question: a defense of e-books and a theory about how they could help bookstores

Putting limits on the library

One blogger’s award list of books that should have received awards for 2008

A very useful FAQ listing for new (and not-so-new) book bloggers

Judging “books for women”  by their covers; also, women don’t have the book-blogging arena all to themselves (and that’s good!)

Books that caught my eye this week:
Maps and Legends, by Michael Chabon

** Hope y’all enjoy this week’s link roundup, and enjoy your weekend!

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