I'm a better researcher than I knew! ho ho

It's quite gratifying to do something in your story that's a bit anachronistic, and then discover it's not!

In the back history of the book I'm writing, it's 1918 and the heroine has a film company in early Hollywood. Turns out there were a lot of women involved in early filmmaking, and then they were all phased out during the '20s. It's très exciting. I've ordered this book.

lolcats à la majeur

What can I say, I'm one of those people who love lolcats.

This one reminded me of Evil Minion, since she was handfed by humans in her kittenhood.

Series: My Best Reads of 2010 #4 & 5

BEST BOOKS I READ IN 2010 - PUBLISHED IN 2010


Non-fiction:
Stuff - Randy O. Frost & Gail Steketee - American academics (April 2010)
Hoarding hasn't been studied much, so not much is known about it yet--you won't learn the secrets to healing hoarding, but that's because no one's found a smoking gun yet. But the book is a good start. Each chapter deals with a different hoarding case, and the authors' attempts to understand them. It's a more sympathetic approach than some of the sensationalistic TV shows, and you might see bits of yourself in these folk.

Do you always see bits of yourself in various mental illnesses? I do. In this case, I definitely struggle with book and music hoarding.


Further Reading: I don't have any great recommends, but if you're interested in books on getting organized, I'm a fan of Julie Morgenstern. I'm good at cleaning up messes and creating systems to keep things organized, and I find her approach is very intuitive--her tips similar to the methods I follow.

 _______


Graphic Novel:
Scott Pilgrim - Bryan Lee O'Malley - Canadian author (Last edition published July 2010)

I don't have much to say, it's just a fun, well-done series. Everyday life for a bunch of 20somethings in Toronto, Canada, except this universe includes Mad Fighting Skillz and Epic Battles with Your Girlfriend's Exes. What's lost in the movie is the character growth of both Scott and Ramona, which brings more depth than you expect.

Best Humour: Scott's roommate. And I loved the Vegan Police.


Further Reading: I'm still trying to get people to read the Top Ten series by Alan Moore! Like Pilgrim it's a funny series, but with great world building.

 Wallace the Roommate

Series: My Best Reads of 2010 #3

BEST BOOKS I READ IN 2010 - PUBLISHED IN 2010

Historical / Science Fiction:

Blackout and All Clear - Connie Willis - American author (February & October 2010)

Follows the story of three time travel historians who get stuck in London during the Blitz, and have to figure out what's gone wrong or they'll be trapped in the past (or worse.) This one's a mixed bag because Willis could have used a tougher editor, and I found one of her protagonists uninteresting. But.

(1) Willis is fascinated by this moment in time, and she drew me into her fascination with her meticulous research (including a random meeting with a bunch of ladies who drove ambulances in WWII.) (2) Willis always works with a theme. This time it was heroism: the Grand Gesture vs the Everyday Hero. She perfectly and touchingly weaved it into the ending, so I got Full Closure.

(3) I loved Eileen, the seemingly most fragile of the three historians, and I loved the people she drew in around her--the curate, and the two most evil children on the side of the Allies, the Hodbins. Alf and Binnie Hodbin alone made this series for me.

Special Relationship: Polly and the Shakespearean actor Sir Godfrey--his acting moved me to tears and I was just reading about it! And there's a nice parallel with Prospero and Miranda from The Tempest.

Did I get teary? Yes, a few times. And one good lol involving tanks.

Further Reading: If you want to know the-big-deal-with-Connie-Willis then you have to read The Doomsday Book. I bought it years ago simply because it had won so many awards, and I can remember where I was as I read the first chapter (bus, 203 route), and where I was when I read the ending (this living room, listening to Gordon Lightfoot.) Theme, characters, juggled storylines, historical research, horror, beauty, humour--all brilliantly handled.

Imaginary Casting: Christopher Plummer as Sir Godfrey

Other Covers

Minion Vs the Christmas Tree: scaaary stuff

As I'm expecting Minion's siege against the Christmas tree to come in many episodes, I've created a new link on the right that you can click on to keep up to date. We'll have to award Minion a point from yesterday, for pulling a branch off; and another for banishing cranberries.

TREE 0

MINION 2

Today's Attempts...

CHAPTER ONE

This morning Minion made her first pattes-off-the-floor go at the tree. She fell right off.

TREE 1

MINION 2

 

  

CHAPTER TWO 

This evening I decorated the tree. When I put on the lights I noticed some of them weren't working. I found a bulbless socket, filled it, and everything lit up. I retired to the kitchen to start supper, and when I returned to the living room the same lights weren't working. [Scratches head.] [I could have sworn I fixed this.] [Once again goes bulb by bulb, looking for a missing or loose ligh.t] I finally located a loose lightbulb... with chew marks around it. She crept in while I wasn't looking and chewed on a light.

TREE 1

MINION 3

CHAPTER THREE

I proceeded to decorate the tree. I declined to use the delicate handmade pieces by Fernando's foster mother.

From my stupidly-large collection, I chose:

- styrofoam dollar store balls, including some at the bottom for Minion to bat at

 

- a couple metal ornaments along the bottom which I hope are chew-proof

 - as many stars on the lights, in hopes that she'll eat those instead of the lights

- WOOD fake cranberries

and a star for her to impale herself upon if she gets that high.

Then I sat back to see what Minion would do.

CHAPTER FOUR

Minion zeroed right in on a foam ball.

 

Paused & posed for this photo.

 
 

Got the ball off the tree.

Batted it around the apartment.

Holed up with it in her tunnel.

 

TREE 1

MINION 4

CHAPTER FIVE

I took the foam balls off the bottom of the tree. I don't mind if she bats them around, but I forgot she might EAT them. I replaced them with the hard plastic Rudolph claymation figurines. Chew on THAT, kittay!

 

To show there's no hard feelings I placed a pillow under the tree for her.

 

 TUNE IN NEXT TIME TO FIND OUT IF THE TREE SURVIVES!

Christmas with Chitties

Christmas is a calm enough affair with Haley. Here she is sitting in her favourite eggplant tray, watching A Miracle on 34th Street.

Yesterday I put together my Christmas tree. I've had it for more than ten years, and very little damage has ever been inflicted upon it by Sherry, Nombly or Haley. Years ago I attached fake cranberries and pine cones to it--thinking these safe from kitty paws--and I always put the least breakable decorations on the bottom, where the cats can bat at them.

But we all know this won't be enough for Evil Minion, right? As I was piecing the tree together last night, Minion walked around it in awe, saying: OF ALL THE CAT TOYS THEY'VE EVER GOTTEN ME, THIS IS THE BIGGEST ONE OF ALL! WHY IT'LL BE FIVE FEET WHEN IT'S DONE!!

She got to work straight away, chewing on the branches.  Then she sat hidden inside the fake tree's box, where some of the branches were waiting for me to put them up. And I heard this...

CRRRRUNCH! Munch munch munch. 

CRRRRUNCH!! Nom nom nom.

When I opened the box, I found her cracking the hard shell off the fake cranberries.

 

I've had to remove them all from the tree and throw them out, so she won't swallow any pieces.

A little while later I heard a KERPLUNK. She'd pulled off her first branch. There's the poor corpse lying on the floor.

This morning started off peacefully enough... just sitting under her toy.

Then a little munching, here and there.

 And finally a little climb up the tree, looking for the tastiest branches. She even arched her back, and looked back at me with Cheeky Expression.

The tree isn't even decorated yet.

The Fairy on the Christmas Tree

I got Fernando an alarm clock that lets you record your own wake-up sound. So I recorded a piece of this song on it.