The Times They Are A-Changin

I'm incredibly susceptible to song suggestion. I am constantly getting songs stuck in my head, normally because I have heard a part of it. You mention even part of a lyric and hours later I find myself still singing the song. Hum a couple bars and I'll find myself whistling the same tune. My family is also susceptible and some of us make it a game to get songs stuck in each other heads. My sisters fiance loves to whistle a couple bars of "The Hustle" just to piss the rest of us off. My brothers and sisters have been known to call each other, sing a line, and hang up. It's a sick game.

So this morning I have to wonder why I have Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin" in my head. I know I didn't hear the song. Jeff hates Bob Dylan and refuses to have his voice in the house. (to note, its the voice that Jeff hates, not the songwriting) But driving in to work I'm singing the song at the top of my lungs. A coworker caught me humming and asked the song. Of course it was the same. It'll be stuck there probably until I go to bed tonight.

Now I'm not superstitious but the first thing I saw when I got to work this morning was a soaring eagle. It rose from behind my office building and I stood (in the negative temperatures) and watched it until it disappeared. We have the occasional eagle downtown but this was the closest one I had seen. And today it seemed like a sign. That, mixed with Bob Dylan, seems to signify to me that some change is coming. And I have to admit I'm really excited.

Movie Comparisons

A while ago I reviewed the graphic novel V for Vendetta on this blog. I had just finished reading it and had been blown away by the depth and power of it. It is a striking novel about some incredibly tough subjects. It is violent, dark, inspiring, and thought provoking. And I absolutely loved it. I loved the imagery and the dialogue. I loved the setting and the main characters. I even loved the darkness of it.

So last night I was a little nervous when I sat down to watch the film. It is very rare that I enjoy a film based on a book I've loved. The movies are just never as good. But last night I was blown away by this film. I will not say that it was better than the book but it definitely stood its own. The movie was downright wonderful. I was enthralled from the opening recitation of the Guy Fawkes rhyme up until the final moments.

Perhaps the reason I loved the film so much was that it stayed relatively true to the book. There were some sections that were changed but the majority of the film followed the images in the book. And even if the scenes were not totally true (the raid on the TV station was changed to include Evie), they stayed true to the spirit of the novel. The scene at the end of the film where everyone arrives in their own Guy Fawkes masks was not in the book but it was an immensely powerful scene and I felt stayed true to the spirit of the book.

I was surprised to see that Alan Moore was not involved in the making of the film. I will have to do some digging to see what he thought of it. I thought Natalie Portman did beautifully going from helpless victim to heroine. Her transformation, although horrific, was done well and you can see the character develop. V (portrayed by Hugo Weaving) was wonderful. His verbosity and grandour made the role that much more powerful. The character of V has to be one of the more powerful heroes/anti-heroes of these last couple decades. I found myself crying at the last scene and I don't normally weep tears of joy for treasonous or seditious acts. :-)

The rest of the cast was very good and the film maintained the dark atmosphere of the book nicely. I was not particularly impressed with the character Stephen Fry played. The problem was not his acting but the character himself. He seemed to add almost too much light to a very dark political film. This character simply doesn't exist in the book. The violence was done well and was not simply for shock value. It, like in the book, always had a purpose. In fact, one of the best things about the book and the film is that it reminded me of the power of fear and wisdom and violence. Particularly in the last decade as we have seen fear be used as a tactic of control and I'm reminded how close we are to V's society. As V says, "The people should not be afraid of their government, the government should be afraid of its people."

I was very nervous going into the film but I'm happy to say that I loved it. It can happily sit on my shelves right next to the graphic novel that bears the same name. One of the few times that a film lives up to the book.

Lazy Weekends and Wintery Weather

This past weekend was dubbed a pajama weekend. The weather on Friday night was supposed to be icy so Jeff and I ran out for dinner and then went home. I got home, put on my warmest pajamas and pretty much stayed home for the entire weekend. It was bliss. I haven't done a pajama weekend in at least a year and it was so amazing to not have to be anywhere. We lounged around reading and playing WoW and eating ourselves sick. I caught up on all my laundry and cleaned the house. Time felt endless. It was an amazing weekend.

This morning the alarm announced a harsh return to reality. Not only did I have to get up at 6 but I was going to have to deal with four or so inches of snow and a blizzard. Always good. I've reached that "I'm tired" point. I'm pretty much done with winter now. At least this year I can drive in it but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Although there is one bonus to this time of year. On January 5th the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival began and I always love to see the pictures that come out of it. The festival began in 1985 and has some of the most beautiful buildings and sculptures made entirely of snow or ice. The most amazing for me has to be the ice lantern buildings.

Ice lanterns are an old tradition started back in the 1600s. They were created by placing a bucket of water out to freeze. After it had frozen it would be brought in to be gently warmed. A hole was cut in the top of the ice and the ice was hollowed out. A candle was then placed in the hollowed out ice to make a lantern. While the blocks used for these structures are not created with such simple methods, I find the sheer size and complexity of these buildings magnificent.

Harbin is in Northeast China and is frozen for a good period of the year. Temperatures during the festival (which runs all month) can reach as low as -40 at night. Still it might be worth it for me to make a trek out to see these glorious structures. There is a snow sculpture contest as well which draws over 600 participants. All and all, it makes a nasty time of year a little more magical.

Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons...

for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

I learned that last night with my first heroic in WoW. For my non-WoW readers a heroic is an instance, either five or ten man, set on a much higher difficulty level then the regular instance. I'd never done a heroic in Burning Crusade, so I got my first taste last night with Oculus. Yeah Oculus. Not the easiest heroic to start with.

Now I've never been to Oculus on regular but I had heard plenty of stories. I knew that the last boss was done on dragonback and I was not terribly excited about that. I have problems with the quests where you have to control something else. But I was still excited to get a chance to go. Heroics are tougher, and I need the practice. They also drop much better gear.

My group had a hunter (Jeff of course), a druid, a paladin, a priest, and me. The other four are seasoned instancers. They have been through Kara more times than they can count and done most, if not all, of the instances in Northrend (Naxx excepted). So we had no difficulties with the trash up to the first boss. Drakos the Interrogator is really just a tank and spank, while avoiding the bright pink bombs he sends out. Nothing difficult. DOT and keep moving. We killed him quick and I got my first Emblem of Heroism. Yay!!

Then you get your dragon, do some simple aerial combat (actually very easy) and find the next boss area. We had some initial trouble getting to the next boss. A wipe or two where Jeff and I had forgotten to clear the snowflakes. Varos Cloudstrider is not an easy boss. Many groups simply can't get past him, particularly on heroic. He shoots out lightning doing large quantities of damage. You have to stay behind him the whole time. It was a lot of moving, not good for a caster, but with my dots I felt that I could contribute a little. He was tough intense fight. The tank died quickly in the fight but was battle rezzed to survive to the end.

Mage Lord Urom offered only a couple problems but we managed to bring him down with only a couple deaths (me included :-( ). The adds weren't the issue. We killed them quick. But on the fight with him alone we lost me, the hunter, and the paladin. Somehow the tank and the priest were able to finish him.

Then we mounted up on the dragons for Ley-Guardian Eregos. If I never hear that name again, it will be too soon. This fight took us well into when the second session was supposed to start. We tried several combinations of dragons (each does a different type of damage). We tried several different strategies. And we did way too many rezzes and corpse runs. We made nine or ten attempts on this guy until we finally had had enough. The best attempt I think we only managed to bring him down to 40%. It was discouraging.

We were all mentally exhausted. I had a terrible headache, left over from my illness, and was thinking of calling it a night. My repair bill was awful. Then one of the group suggested Violet Hold heroic. Okay so bed can wait. In twenty minutes we ran through heroic Violet Hold. There was not one death. My first successful heroic. It helped leave a better taste in my mouth. It was an incredibly frustrating night but well worth the effort. I'd do it again, but hopefully next time with some better plan of attack.

RPGs and Reveling in my Inner Geek

I started playing RPGs (role playing games for my non-geek readers) when I was about 8 years old. Like most kids my first exposure was D&D. I created a halfling cleric which was ripped apart by kobolds within the first twenty minutes of gameplay. Not my finest RPG moment. That was where my love/hate relationship began with dice. The reason I don't play craps is because I've played too many role playing games and know how I often roll. I'm known in my gaming circles as the only one who can roll multiple critical failures in a row.

D&D is a great game for an afternoon but I was 12 when my brother introduced me to my first RPG love, Shadowrun. This was a game with a story, with settings, with strategy. It was not simply hack and slash. It required planning and I loved it for that. I loved the gritty story and the unique characters. I loved the mix of magic and technology and crime. It was acting outside the boundaries of what I had done before. And I spent all of high school and a good chunk of college reveling in it. With a little Chill, Paranoia, Rifts.... mixed in.

I'm not sure why but I've always played magic users. Every character that I have ever loved was a magic user, from my humble beginnings as a cleric, through priests, through shamans, through mages, and now warlock. Not sure where the connection comes from but those are the characters I am drawn to.

But the problem for me is that I haven't had a chance to play in several years. I just don't have a dedicated group of friends who are willing to play and I haven't been brave enough to seek out a group. So I was so excited when Jeff found WereGeek for me, the webcomic by Alina Pete. This webcomic, really a graphic novel online, tells the story of Mark. Mark finds out one evening that he is...gasp...a geek. He is drawn to d20s and SciFi and role playing. He tries to hide his geekiness but with the help of friends enters the world of RPGs and is slowly more drawn in. I haven't caught up on all the backstory but what I have read is fabulous.

The best part about the story is that Alina mixes in various RPGs and LARPs (Live Action Role Playing) and helps to explain them to the readers. She touches on everything from Firefly (one of the best series ever created) to Shadowrun to Vampire (a LARP game that I bought but never tried) to console games. She pokes gentle fun at the geeks but even more fun at the non-geek. Reading this reminds me of why I love RPGs and why I embrace my geekiness. Check out this strip.

Rules for Nonreaders

The previous library I worked in subscribed to the Horn Book. The Horn Book is a children's literature review magazine. It covers hundreds of children's books in each edition giving out stars to the best enjoyed titles. When we would weed out the collection I would go through each issue looking for books that looked interested or good articles. It was in the March/April 2001 issue that I found the "Rules for Raising a Nonreader" and I knew I had to pull out that list. My parents had raised me (and all my brothers and sisters) as readers and I'm happy to say they never did any of the things on this list.

I've been something of a nonreader recently in that I haven't been working on a book every night. I read every couple of days and for me that seems almost scandelous. But I have friends who don't have books in their house. (unfathomable for me) Whose kids never pick up a book for fun. Last year a U.S.A. Today poll found that one in four people had not read a single book in the previous year. I get testy if it's been more than five days since I last read for fun.

So without further ado, here is the way to make sure your child grows up as a non-reader. Remember people, that TV's not going to watch itself.

1. Never read where your children see you
2. Put a TV or a computer in every room. Don't neglect kitchen or bathrooms.
3. Correct your child every time he or she mispronounces a word.
4. Schedule activites every day after school so your child will never be bored.
5. Once your child can read independently, toss out the picture books. They're for babies.
6. Don't play board games together. Too dull.
7. Give little rewards for reading. Stickers and plastic toys are nice. Money is better.
8. Don't expect your child to enjoy reading. Kid's books are for teaching vocabulary, proper study skills, and good morals.
9. Buy only 40 watt bulbs for your lamps.
10. Under no circumstances read your child the same book over and over. He or she heard it once and should remember it.
11. Never allow your child to listen to books on tape; that's cheating.
12. Make sure your kids only read books that are "challenging". Easy books are a complete waste of time. That goes double for comic books and Mad magazine.
13. Absolutely, positively, no reading in bed.

Unlucky Arithmetic: Thirteen Ways to Raise a Nonreader. Dean Schneider and Robin Smith. The Horn Book, March/April 2001.

I can remember whole days spent lounging on some sofa reading. My parents encouraged us to read and read to us (normally the same books over and over) from the time we were very small. Mom would read picture books to us so many times we would easily have them memorized. Dad read the chapter books to us in the evenings. And once we were old enough to read for ourselves, we devoured every book we could get our hands on. I continue to read picture books (no they're not for babies) and young adult chapter books. I read fiction and nonfiction and almost any genre out there. I will pick up whatever book is handy if I'm waiting somewhere with nothing to do. Reading for me is like breathing. I can't go too long without it. I'm a librarian because I love to read. And I love to read because my parents raised us as readers. Thanks.

Tis the Season

Cold and flu season is what I mean. I had plans for a very nice blog post yesterday. My idea was to write it during my lunch hour. But by noon yesterday I was curled up in bed upping my fluids and trying to stay warm. It was five o'clock before I decided to try eating anything, which for me is very late. I can go without sleep, I can go without caffeine, heck I could even go without internet access, but food is another story completely. I love food. So when I tell you that I've done nothing for the last day but eat crackers (and those I had to force myself to eat) you'll understand how badly I'm feeling. I'm back at work this morning and hoping to be feeling better.

Hellboy 2

For those of you who've been reading for a while I did a post many months ago about my desire to see Hellboy 2 in the theaters. I wrote a post here about Guillermo del Toro. I love his work. I'm always blown away by his imagery, and captured by the stories he tells. So when my blockbuster movies came due Jeff turned them into the store and picked up both Hellboy 2 and Wall-E for me. Both of which I have wanted to see for a long time.

Hellboy was hilarious. It was campy and fun and riotous. It was beautiful and action packed and filled with just enough one liners to not feel cheesy. Ron Perlman was downright funny and the interactions between him and the agent John Myers was engaging. Hellboy 2 was still visually beautiful but...well...something was missing. Not just the character of Myers who brought that wide-eyed amazement, combined with naive banter. What seemed to be missing was the humor.

Hellboy 2 tackles issues of relationship stress, blood feuds, and fatherhood, all of which are too heavy a subject for this type of film. Even simple scenes like a battle between Hellboy and an elemental turns into a serious environmental message. The scenes with Hellboy and Liz are well done and there appears to be a connection between the two. Doug Jones as Abe is his standard amazing self. But the new administrator (an ectoplasmic steam punk creation with a German accent) is simply bizarre and not in a good way. He lacks any real chemistry with any of the characters and seems inconsistent. Jeff and I kept expecting him to turn out to be a bad guy.

The visuals for this film are amazing, like any good Guillermo film. They are a fantastic mix of light and dark and color and depth. I am so in love with his images. But once it comes to dialogue this movie falls flat. The first one was incredible because of the humor. The one liners, and incredibly campy scenes. The only scene that I found hilarious in this whole film was a locker room scene between Hellboy and the administrator. Other than that the movie tried to hard to make me think. Which is fine with a drama, but not fine with a character named Hellboy.

I Can Quit Anytime I Like

This phrase gets bandied around my house a lot lately, sometimes by Jeff and lately sometimes by me. And it seems so appropriate for this post. I've always been a moderation person so these past couple of weeks have been odd. Then again there are worse things to be addicted to.

First I have to say that I am humbled and awed by the fact that people read this thing. I do it mostly for fun, mostly for an excuse to write, and mostly because I'm forgetful. This is a great way to remember things. But it is a little off putting when you have just finished bringing down the second boss in Utgarde Pinnacle (Gortok Palehoof) and you are still dealing with some sort of curse. I was bright green and dropping health at an alarming rate. (squishies don't do well with curses) So I'm wondering where my heals are coming from when my guild leader, who happens to be the healer, mentions that sorry he was reading my blog and got distracted. My first thought is "Really!! Yay". The fact that my guild leader reads my blog is exciting. The second thought I had was "hello, still dying". So after I was decursed and healed I whispered him with a "thanks for reading". He said he enjoyed the blog but wanted more WoW stuff. So Nereeza, this is for you! :-)

I can quit anytime I like! Really I'm not addicted. I just don't want to. And no I haven't gone into withdrawl, or dreamt about WoW. No I have never told my husband to hurry his shopping up (at Target no less) so I can get home and play. No I haven't spent an entire weekend in front of the computer only leaving it for breakfast each morning. No I have never spent more time playing WoW in one day then I have working. No I've never eaten dinner in front of the computer. (And if you believe all this I have some very nice oceanfront property in New Mexico to sell you.)

I'm seriously addicted. I figured I would slack off a little once I hit 80. The lure of leveling would be over. But that has simply not been the case. I'm almost ashamed to say that I spent well over 25 hours in front of the computer this weekend. (note the almost) I finished all my Ice Crown solo quests, pugged an Ahn'hahet-Old Kingdom run for a fellow guildy, ran The Culling of Stratholme (literally minutes after finishing Old Kingdom, and last night did Utgarde Pinnacle. I'm signing up for Naxxramas this week. I'm scheduling time to do instances. And I'm desperatly trying to get my tailoring up. I spent part of my day on Friday figuring out all the Knights of Ebon Hold quests so I can get my rep up. I actually played more than Jeff this weekend. (And that is saying a lot)

So this morning I had a touch of guilt that I was not more productive this weekend. I'm supposed to be working on a scarf to give to charity. That didn't even get touched. The poor cat is lonely and bored and only really sees me when she jumps up and plays behind the computer. I keep telling myself that I should be reading, or professional development, or writing books. But for the first time in a while I'm being selfish. I'm letting myself play as much as I want to. But I can quit anytime I like. (Really!!....Maybe....)

Memorials

One of my favorite parts of my job is that I get to find data and pictures of different cities. I love to imagine living in different places throughout the country. Google's street view maps are one of my favorite new toys. I just checked out CNN Money's new list for top 25 places for affordable houses. This was a list of cities that had very nice homes for a very cheap price. Des Moines was on the list so I had to go there. And one of the other cities listed was Bella Vista, Arkansas.

I had never heard of this city but I'm always interested in looking at cities south of me so I pulled up the city-data information on the place. City-data offers demographic, climate, education, and attraction data for locations. It also offers pictures. And that is where I saw this structure.

I've always said that I want to be turned into a firework when I die. A company will turn your cremated remains into a firework that can be shot up in a private ceremony. I love the idea of going out with a bang, but this is truly a memorial.
Now for anyone who knows me, you know that religion plays a very small role in my life. I don't attend church, don't practice any organized religion, and don't even really believe, but this is different. I wouldn't have it as a chapel. I would just have it as a resting place where people could go to soak up the beauty of nature. The memorial, dedicated to Mildred B. Cooper (a prominent citizen of the area), seems to me more about communion with nature and the beauty of nature then communing with any higher power. It is a place for introspection among some of the prettiest surroundings I can think of. It is a place that I would spend some time.

I am going to have to make a trip south. Bella Vista is a tiny town (the area only has 16,000) but I will go down just to see this structure. Of all the memorials I have ever seen this is the most beautiful. And the most fitting with what I would want.

Resolving to be less Resolute

Every year at this time I sit down and write out my resolutions. And sadly they are always the same resolutions: lose weight, get more organized, write more...etc. Since I use the same ones every year you can safely assume that I only follow them for about three weeks until I slip up, decided that it isn't going to work, and return to my normal habits. Every year is the same.

This year though I have decided not to be so general. Lose weight is an incredibly general idea. It normally means dieting for me, which I hate. So this year I actually have a plan of attack. I won't say that I want to lose weight. Instead I'll say that I plan to write down what I eat each day. Starting today. Five years ago I decided that I was going to lose weight and I bought a food journal. I wrote down everything I ate, walked more, and managed to lose 60 pounds. I maintained the exercise but stopped writing things down about three years ago. And slowly gained back 50 of those pounds. So I know that a food journal works. I'll just go back to that. Not with the idea that I will lose weight but with the idea that I will make food journaling a habit. If I lose weight, great. If not I have developed a habit that will improve my overall heath.

I keep a paper journal just because I find it more convenient, but for anyone who would prefer an electronic version I recommend SparkPeople. This site is free and allows you to track both food and exercise. Plus you just have to let them know what you eat and they keep track of the calories for you.

As for getting organized, I am also creating a plan. Rather then the vague statement "I'll get organized" my plan is to focus on each room of the house. My first will be my library. That is the one that needs the most work. I'll be starting tonight with three boxes: one to keep, one to give away, and one to toss. And if I keep doing that each day, I should be leaner in two weeks or so. Then I just have to focus on making organization a habit. Putting things in their place rather than just leave them on the counter to do later. We'll see how it goes. But I'm focused on daily improvement, not just some general ideas of what to improve.

80!!!

Just had to share that my character turned 80 yesterday in World of Warcraft. For my non-WoW readers that means that I am at the very top level for this expansion. I'm actually very excited about this because it means that now I can do more instancing with the guild. I'm ready to try Halls of Lightning again. Plus now I can work on improving my gear and my tailoring and enchanting. I was working on Ice Crown quests yesterday with the full knowledge that I would level right at Ice Crown Citadel. (of course this was shortly before I blew it up. :-) ).

The picture was stolen from a website I found recently. This player's blog includes some amazing screen shots from all over the game. It actually reminds me how beautiful this game can be. When I'm questing or just flying I don't often think about how gorgeous the backgrounds of this game are. She hasn't posted recently but check out Lucindya's blog for some incredible pictures.

Thinking about Drinking

Today I'm thinking about coffee. Not surprising, of course, since most days I think about coffee. I have a serious coffee addiction. But the issue for today is less on the actual drink and more on the atmosphere that it is imbibed in. I am a coffeehouse person. I love the feeling and setting of a good coffeehouse. I feel at home there. I can trace each stage of my life to the different coffeehouses I have been in. I fell in love with a city ones based entirely on its coffeehouses. My older sister is a bar person. And this distinction interests me.

A couple years ago I read Tom Standage's excellent book "The History of the World in Six Glasses". This fascinating book told the entire history of the world through beverages. It includes most of history of the human race starting with the brewing of beer by the Mesopotamians, wine in Greek and Roman time, spirits that brought about a new world, the proliferation of coffeehouses, the tea trade, all the way down to the creation of soda. But it was the section on coffee that fascinated me the most. Standage says that the history of coffee can be linked to some of the greatest innovations and scientific advances of our lives. The rise of the coffeehouse was linked with the exchange of ideas, philosophies, and advances.

One of the things that Standage says is that the coffeehouses were so popular because of their differentiation from the bars. And I have to say that bar people and coffeehouse people are very different types of people. I can see that in my own life. It's New Years Eve and there is no way you'll catch me out at the bars. It is just not my place. I go to bars occasionally but I am never at home there. I just never really feel comfortable. The bars are too social, too loud, and too unpredictable for me. They are places for extroverts and pleasure seekers. They are retreats of night owls where no work will ever get done. Coffeehouses on the other hand are all about industry. Alcohol is a depressant. Coffee is a stimulant. Coffeehouses are all about work and ideas and caffeine-induced writing. :-) They are about productivity and introversion.

I am a morning person, an introvert, and in some instances, a workaholic. People will tell you that I am boring, and it is probably true in their eyes. I am happier reading a book or writing a story, then drinking and playing pool. My older sister had a big influence on me when I was growing up. For a long time I wanted to be her. She was all about going out to the bars and meeting tons of people. She always seems to have way more friends than I do and have more fun than I do. I always thought that was what I wanted. That I was supposed to be like that. It is only in the last couple years that I have realized that I don't want to be her. Not that she doesn't have a great life...but that I'm not like her. She is a bar person...I am a coffeehouse person.

So tonight I am going out to dinner with my husband and a friend. Then we will go back to my house to open a bottle of wine and knit. I'll make some coffee and we'll sit and chat. And that sounds like a great New Years Eve for me. I won't be out at the bars. Call it boring but for the first time in my life, I know where I want to be.

New Books!

So one of the gifts I was given for Christmas were some gift cards to Barnes and Noble. What a perfect gift! I can always buy more books. So last night, my sister-in-law, my brother, my dad, and Jeff and I went out to Barnes and Noble to knit. I'm working on an ear warmer for a friend of mine and almost finished it last night. My sister-in-law is working on an awesome felted bag. It looks fantastic. The boys (all of them) were working on scarves. We had a really good time and Jeff learned some new knitting stitches from my sister-in-law. But before we left I went upstairs to pick out some books. I've been focusing for a while on children's books so that is what I picked up. All three are books that I've wanted to pick up for along time. They are all favorites, all Caldecott winners, and all very different.

The first and perhaps the newest is Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems. This sweet story of a stuffed animal and a laundromat was an instant classic. Perhaps it is because the story is timeless. All kids can identify with the emotions in this story. But what drew me to the book were the illustrations. Willems uses sepiaed photographs as his background and successfully weaves his cartoon like characters into those settings. The images, rather than jarring, are simply enchanting. But this a sweet warm story that anyone will love.

The next book was The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. If Knuffle Bunny was sweet, this is the exact opposite. The book is inventive and hilarious but with a touch of maniacal. The stories are fairy tales turned on their heads. The little red hen just complains all the way through the book, even extending to the front pages and back of the book. Jack, who is our narrator, continues to elude the giant throughout the book. And of course there is the Stinky Cheese Man, (a takeoff on the gingerbread man) who no one wants to chase. Scieszka's writing is inspired and downright hilarious. Lane Smith's illustrations are silly and fun and a little mischievous. This may be one of my favorite books of all.

The last book I picked up was Tuesday by David Wiesner. Wiesner has made a name for himself with wordless picture books and this is definitely my favorite. Tuesday is about the strange going-ons of a mid-summer tuesday night. A night just like any other, except for the frogs. In this delightful story, frogs rise up on their lily pads and fly around the city at night, causing havoc wherever they go. The illustration are beautiful with more than a little touch of silly. The premise is odd but seems more magical than anything. Cute story.

So three new books for me to add to my ever expanding children's book collections. One of these days I will need to add another bookcase up there to contain my growing collection. Until then I'm not about to stop buying them. Or reading them.

Overwhelmed

So I'm back at work after the holiday weekend. My brother and his family are still in town so I have had no time for blogging or even WoW playing. (not completely true...I snuck in two hours yesterday...but not much) But now I'm back at work and things are starting to return to normal. For those of you keeping score at home, I will be turning 80 either later this week or early next. Yay!!

But my real reason for the title is my new cubicle neighbor. For those of you who have never had the honor...nay the priviledge (please note the intense sarcasm) of sitting in a cubicle you will not understand how little space you call your own. I'm lucky in that I only share a wall with one and half people. One wall backs to the new girl who just started 3 weeks ago and then my corner is shared with another old timer (10 years at the job).

So I'm getting used to this new neighbor and she has recently started a new (and terrible) trend. She has started (or perhaps restarted) wearing perfume. And it is a might overwhelming. Now I'm not incredibly sensitive to smells. Most people say I have a smoker's nose (even though I don't smoke). I can hardly smell things at all. So if I can smell this woman's perfume, others have to be drowning in it. It surrounds her and walks with her like a little cartoon raincloud. I'm actually lightheaded while typing this. And I'm wondering what to do about it. As I've mentioned before I'm terrible at confrontation. But this might have to be discussed. At least for the sake of my nose.