[  Mood: Sleepy ]
[  Currently: Watching Coronation Street ]
I decided to revisit Raymond E. Feist’s Riftwar series. And boy, was it fun!

Pug is a young man who has been chosen as a magician’s apprentice. Suddenly the kingdom is invaded by people who don’t appear to be from this world. Pug is swept up into the conflict with surprising results.

I read this series years ago and loved it so much. Now revisiting it, it is still wonderful. I am looking forward to re-reading the rest and then moving on to the ones I haven’t.

Yeah!

[  Mood: Sick ]
[  Currently: Eating A fabulous diabetic breakfast! Yum! ]
This originally started as response to Dharma’s blog. But then I realized I would be hijacking his forum with my opinions, so I switched them here.

The news from Northern Illinois University yesterday was very sad.

Of course I am wondering how long it will be until someone blames video games or violence on TV, rather than what I see as the real problem, the breakdown of the family.

Now I am not talking about the neo-conservative buzz word here. A family to me is a group of people who come together and commit to looking after each other. Man+woman, two women, two men, woman+kids, Man+kids, grandparents + kids, I don’t really care about the make-up, it is the commitment to each other that counts.

In my job, I am increasingly seeing parents who really can’t be bothered raising the children they gave birth to. Oh sure, they will buy them everything they could possibly need or want, but the parents/cargivers have "too much else to do" or "want time for themselves". So the children are raising themselves. And when that happens, you get isolation and disconnection.

And it is my opinion that when isolation and disconnection occur, this kind of stuff happens. It becomes very easy to take a gun and shoot people, because you have no empathy for them. What we need to realize is that, as much as you want to work those extra hours so you can afford the PSP for your child, they would be far better off if you didn’t and spent that time with them.

The sheer size of your academic campuses doesn’t help. High schools in my city are no bigger than 1500 kids. Some of the US ones I have seen are three to five thousand. We have universities that are smaller than that.

Does this mean that Canada is immune to this kind of violence? No. We have had our own tragedies. But being in that smaller environment means that you can get to know most of the kids. And you can show them that some one gives a damn about them. And that connection may be the one thing that stops a child from becoming so disconnected that they bring a gun to school and start shooting.

And because you know them, it also allows you to start interventions for the ones that you see as disturbed, alone, hurting. It may be why we haven’t had as many or as severe.

That’s my take on how to solve this problem. We have to reach out to a generation or two that has learned that they matter little. Let them know that people care about them and that they count for something in this world.

Then maybe the madness will stop.

[  Mood: Fed Up WIth Life ]
[  Currently: Working on the never ending chores of the house. ]
Well it’s official. I am a Gestational Diabetic. Given that I meet 4 of the 7 risk factors, no one is surprised. (Over 35, overweight, family history of diabetes on my mom’s side and polycystic ovaries syndrom – very mild) Good news is that I can diet control. Bad news is I get to stick myself with a needle twice a day in order to test my blood sugar! Fun!

Spent over four hours at the Civic Hospital learning all about this fun new way for me to eat. I can have all the peanut butter I want, but a limited the amount of fruit. And according to the diabetic diet, tomatoes are a vegetable. (Don’t tell my dad.) Who knew? Which is good cause I get to eat a lot of vegetables. Like 2 cups at a time.

They gave me a lovely box with a photo album and a glucose tester and tester strips. And I got another doctor too, so I now have three. OHIP is probably regretting this whole free medical care thing. I have enough strips for 5 days, and a prescription for refills. So thoughtful.

Then I got to fill up the car and then I went to the grocery store to get some food. I then went to the book store to get some diabetic cookbooks and Husband Unit’s Valentine’s Day gift. (No I am not telling, you will just have to guess!) I got home at 2:30 so I decided to have my lunch and snack at the same time.

This whole diabetic thing means my timetable changes. No more big brunches for me. I have to eat every 2 to 3 hours. Little meals, but every 2 to 3 hours.

I forgot one more thing. I get to go back to the Civic next Thursday for more ultrasounds and appointments. Yeah! This is way more fun that Disneyworld! Forget Six Flags! Become a high risk pregnancy!

[  Mood: Silly ]
[  Currently: Eating Breakfast ]
So two nights ago, I had the weirdest dream. Bones and Booth had a romantic, hurt comfort filled sex in my dream.

No, I wasn’t Bones. Nor was I Booth for that matter. It was a third person dream and it was angsty and quite sappy. And no, it wasn’t a porn inspired, sex gymnastic fest. Just sweet and slow. Very Harlequiny.

But here’s the thing, I have gone on record as saying as soon as those two hit the sack, the show is over. In fact, I was pleased when the writers/producers gave us Angela and Hodgins so that our relationship meter would be full. Cause it meant the show would keep running.

So why the dream? Well it’s not because the Husband Unit isn’t attentive. He is the most romantic man I have ever met. In fact there is a line up of people waiting to take him if we ever break-up. Seriously, I would loose most of my friends. At the front is a lesbian friend who just wants him for the caretaking stuff he does.

Maybe it’s pregnancy. Dreams are more vivid when you are pregnant. I just didn’t realize they were sponsored by fanfic.net.

Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, editors extraordinare, have announced a contest to promote their new anthology, The New Weird.

And the prize is pretty damn cool…

For official rules, visit Ecstatic Days.

New Weird contest… was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

[  Mood: Happy ]
[  Currently: Watching Project Runway First Season ]
Besty Taylor is having a really bad 30th birthday. She’s been laid off from her job as a secretary, her cat’s run away and she hit by a car and killed.

She wakes up the next day in the funeral home wearing a pink suit (she does not look good in pink) and cheap pink shoes. She arrives home to find that her stepmother has stolen all her desinger shoes.

And she’s a vampire.

But not just any vampire, the prophesised Queen of the Vampires.

MaryJanice Davidson has created a very tongue in cheek look at the supernatural world. Betsy is a vain, self-centered young woman who wants nothing to do with with the prophecy. She actually just wants more designer shoes.

This book’s not going to change your life but it is an enjoyable way to burn through two hours or so.

[  Mood: Cool ]
[  Currently: Watching Project Runway First Season ]
Shampoo Planet is the second of Coupland’s books. It tells the story of Tyler, a conspicuous consumer who has come of age in the Regan era. Surrounded by quirky characters that are a Coupland specialty, Tyler tries to navigate a crazy life of being the son of an ex-hippie who has abandoned her ideals. He idolizes a Trumplike figure and wants desperately to work for him, despite the fact that his mother claims to have firebombed the head office.

Like all Coupland books, this is not a quick or easy read. He makes you think about things and pushes you to look at life.

I am looking forward to the next one of his books.

[  Mood: Happy ]
[  Currently: Listening to CBC Radio One ]
The second book of the Temeraire series finds our title dragon off to China with his captain, Laurence. The Chinese want the black celestial dragon back, and the British are putting preassure on Laurence to give up his dragon. He is refusing. So’s Temeraire.

A fun ride, not to the same calibre of the first, but still original and engrossing.

[  Mood: Happy ]
This humourous little book was given to me by the Husband Unit. A very funny board book that gives you the dos and don’ts of child rearing. From the people at WryBaby.com who have the funniest outfits for your little one.

Apparently there is a prequel – Safe Pregnancy Tips which I must have.

Enjoyable.

[  Mood: Happy ]
[ Currently: Getting ready for work ]
Whooooohooooooo!

New posts soon!