[ 
Mood: Happy ]
[ 
Currently: Watching Old Doctor Who – John Pewtree ]
So it is snowing in Ottawa again. Yup – again – in April. How much fun is that?
Luckily it is warm enough that it should melt away rather than stick around.
Oh well – spring will come soon – I hope.
[ 
Mood: Silly ]
[ 
Currently: Eating Breakfast ]
One of the good things about weekly (or bi-weekly) Doctor’s appointments coupled with your report cards being done, is that you have time to do a lot of reading.
The fourth book of the Weather Wardens series finds our heroine Joanne Baldwin working as a weather girl in Florida. The job requires her to dress up in ridiculous costumes and get dumped with water. In short she is second banana to the egotistical main weather man . . . who despite having no powers, has an amazing average in predicting the weather.
Meanwhile, Joanne is under suspicion for manipulating the weather, wardens are being killed, the Djinn are in the middle of a civil war and her sister has shown up. All of these plots weave together and pull against each other, leading to a tense, fast moving novel.
Good stuff, and again, author Rachel Caine keeps this series from being formulaic. Good read.
[ Currently: Watching Astros-Padres Game ]
Salon has produced this amazing Battlestar Galactica primer that includes summaries of all the seasons, a character guide, and answers to some nagging questions.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
| Quote: |
| What’s the deal with the superlong hiatus between seasons?
It certainly wasn’t Ronald Moore’s idea. When asked about the hiatus at the recent Season Four press conference, he said, sarcastically: “Like we wanted that.” According to the Sci Fi channel’s executive vice president of original programming, Mark Stern, the lengthy delay between seasons was due to “economics and scheduling.” But get ready for another potentially long wait. Although the show has completed filming on the first half of the fourth season, the second half is likely to be delayed — probably by several months — because of the fallout from the writers’ strike. |
Everything you were afraid to ask about BSG was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon
[ 
Mood: Sleepy ]
[ Currently: Eating Breakfast ]
I know, I know, I am late coming to the party on this series.
First published in 1996, this book tells the complicated tale of the eruption of a dynastic civil war in the land of Westeros. There is also the laying out of the beginning of the plots for Daenerys,the sole remain heir of the usurped king and the rise of the Others (not the ones from Lost) in the north.
This is thick, dense, complex fantasy. At 700 pages, this is not a quick read. It was also not a quick read because I kept taking breaks. It was good, but there were times that it was too intense and I needed some time away. The author, George R. R. Martin is not afraid to kill off characters he has spent much of the book developing and getting you all excited about.
But this was an awesome book. I recommend it strongly. Go get it.
My new column Nexus Graphica, co-written with Mark London Williams, premieres today at SF Site.
| Quote: |
| Nexus Graphica, the column about graphic novels and comics, grew out of our discussions. It just seemed natural to record our observations.
We will alternate columns for every issue of SF Site. Similar to my “Geeks with Books,” the nature and subject of each piece will vary from month to month, but it will always have something to do with graphic novels or comic books. |
The first entry, stereotypically titled “Secret Origins”, relates the evolution of the column.
| Quote: |
| We met after a panel on lettering at the 1990 San Diego Comic Con. Not that either of us really gave a rat’s ass about lettering. We both were there to talk with Lewis Shiner, who not only co-wrote (with fellow Texan ex-pat Bob Wayne) the Illuminati-infused mini-series The Time Masters, but also lettered the comic. We both came from the literary side of things, fans since Shiner’s 1988 novel Deserted Cities of the Heart, which masterfully related the impending end of the world, according to Mayan prophesy in a real-world Mexico City. |
Also included is a selection of recent books of interest.
My new SF Site column was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon
Brian Conin of Comics Should Be Good put together this excellent, thorough FAQ on the whole Superman Copyright issue.
| Quote: |
| So, who owns the copyright of Superman? As of this moment, as per the ruling by Judge Stephen Larson on March 26, 2008, Superman’s copyright is owned in two equal parts by DC Comics/Time Warner and the heirs of Superman co-creator, Jerry Siegel. Why do the Siegels own half? |
Superman Copyright FAQ was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon
[ 
Mood: Amused ]
The New York Times, of all places, offers this sensational interactive gallery of Al Jaffe‘s surprisingly prescient Mad fold-ins.
(Thanks to Mark Williams for the link.)
Fold-Ins, Past and Present was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon
[ Mood: Sleepy ]
[ Currently: Eating Breakfast ]
Okay – first off – don’t panic. Husband Unit and I are still together. I have just passed this book so many times in the book store and been intrigued by its title, that I ordered it from the library.
Boy do I wish this book had been around when I was still on the dating scene. It would have saved me a lot of heartache when relationships went south. I am not saying that this is the cure to all your problems, but Greg Behrendt is quite funny and reminds all women that when a relationship ends, it ends for a reason. Women have a bad tendency to think they can fix things.
This one is good for a laugh and good for that female friend who has just had a relationship end, and is going off the deep end.
[ Mood: Silly ]
[ Currently: Eating My 22g of carbs snack ]
So I was surfing this morning through the Huffington Post when I cam across this article.
Being a Stephen Colbert fan, I scrolled right to that part.
Here’s the most biting part, where the author, Greg Mitchell, talks about Stephen skewering the Washington Press Corps:
| Quote: |
| Here is the key passage: "Let’s review the rules. Here’s how it works. The president makes decisions, he’s the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know — fiction." |
Ouch!
[ 
Mood: In Love ]
[ Currently: Watching CSI:NY ]
So in preparation for the arrival of Geeklet, I decided to make myself some nursing pads.
What are nursing pads, you ask yourself? They are the fabric circles that nursing women slip into their bras to mop up leaks. You can buy these, but they cost money.
You can also get disposible ones. But those cost money and aren’t good for the environment.
So I decided to make my own out of old T-Shirts. Especially since I have wanted to learn how to sew for awhile now. This would be a perfect project.
So I went to the Artisan’s house to make them. She and her mom are expert sewers. She makes quilts. Her mom was trained as a seamstress after WWII.
It took forever to cut-out the circles. Once that was done, I pined them and ended up with four piles.
I then learned how to wind a bobbin and thread the needle. Then I got to drive the machine. It has a peddle like a car. It went vroom! 
I got two made. I go back next week to finish the rest. But I have also used the down time during my videogame night to cut out more circles from the T-Shirts. So I should be able to finish them next week.
After that, who knows? Maybe I will make a Black Canary costume.