Ohmygod. So. It turns out that the Cabinet des Fées (you remember, they're going to publish my latest short story) has previously published short stories by Catherynne M. Valente.
Like, short stories by an author who is fast becoming a Big Deal in contemporary fantasy literature.
Like, short stories from the author of The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden, short stories from an author who has had said stories reprinted in Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. (And yes, she was at this point already when her work appeared in Cabinet des Fées.
Short stories that I myself read and analyzed last year for my independent study in fantasy writing. And by next month we'll have been published in the same place. I AM BEING PLACED ON THE SAME LEVEL AS HER. AHGOEHABIAHGIAHGKLANVZX.
Like, short stories by an author who is fast becoming a Big Deal in contemporary fantasy literature.
Like, short stories from the author of The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden, short stories from an author who has had said stories reprinted in Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. (And yes, she was at this point already when her work appeared in Cabinet des Fées.
Short stories that I myself read and analyzed last year for my independent study in fantasy writing. And by next month we'll have been published in the same place. I AM BEING PLACED ON THE SAME LEVEL AS HER. AHGOEHABIAHGIAHGKLANVZX.
mood: 
indescribable
indescribableI found a post in my archives entitled "Tedious Lists 2003, Part One". Although this suggests that there should be a part two or three, none seems to exist. I did find a year-end survey that was making the rounds back then and included that as a bonus.
( 2003 Lists )
( 2003 Survey )
( 2003 Lists )
( 2003 Survey )
Fellow Workers,
Does your state or city allow for collecting partial unemployment when your hours have been reduced? If so have you taken advantage of that benefit and how has it worked out for you?
Thanks for any stories you might share.
Does your state or city allow for collecting partial unemployment when your hours have been reduced? If so have you taken advantage of that benefit and how has it worked out for you?
Thanks for any stories you might share.
- 01:18 Video: In honor of the holidays, here’s a Christmas cartoon that’s offensive to ALL races and cultures! tumblr.com/xpy4l1jne #
- 13:16 @NowIsStrange Well, Mighty Mouse would almost certainly win at an elocution contest. #
- 14:12 "I don't like to feel good! I like to feel evil!" -Skeletor #
- 17:41 Glamour has Sarah Jessica Parker on the cover. Woman's Day has blueberry pancakes. I know which one I find more attractive. #
- 17:44 Cosmopolitan, please stop existing. Nobody needs a magazine to tell them how to titillate a man. #
- 19:25 @OfficialKat The Arctic mammal or the guy who's married to Heidi Klum? #
- 20:17 I noticed that, on the New Releases rack at Target, the Chris Brown and Rihanna albums were in opposite corners. Gotta keep 'em separated! #
- 20:18 I'm not sure I've ever even heard any music by Chris Brown. As far as I know, his main claim to fame is being abusive. #
- 21:57 "Going Rogue" IS a book about Sarah Palin not wearing her underwear, right? #
- 22:03 @billyhc I guess SOMEONE must, or they wouldn't keep playing it. #
- 22:06 @InBloomers Yeah, like Us Weekly, for instance. #
- 22:10 @huggythuggy Some people might see that as a compliment. #
tags: twitter
Once I quit I will unload so much horrifying info about this company that Borders employees will be the only ones not shocked. Enough to, uh, write a book . . . But I have to share something that was emailed to us today from our DM, in an attempt to shame us into upping our book drive donations. We beat our goal every day even after we had our goal number dramatically raised by these jerks.
"Think of all those kids who aren't getting their gifts from Borders this Christmas because we lost some steam."
Way to lead and motivate.
"Think of all those kids who aren't getting their gifts from Borders this Christmas because we lost some steam."
Way to lead and motivate.
BSR again here. Our liquidation is an absolute joke. I'm actually sick at seeing what our store looks like now and our oldest employee (10+ years) cried when she walked in. Huge big neon signs everywhere, boxes of crap sent to us from BSS on our old display tables. I have never felt so used in my entire life.
It appears our DM has either been fired or just given up on us completely. All attempts to contact them have failed. Bounced emails, full voicemail box. Absolutely no communication. No "thank you for your service" or anything, we have been kicked in the balls by Borders and sent out the door. We look like a bargain basement, a former shadow of our lovely, clean store. We all took pride in how everything looked, had fun with endcaps and displays, and now... this. Absolutely demoralizing.
Our liquidator is also a giant asshole. They walked in without a word to anyone and demanded to see the manager. No "Hi, my name is So-and-so from the Liquidators" just a demand to see the manager. We thought they were an angry customer. They constantly belittled us while we ran around putting up their ugly, tacky signs. "If you had been better booksellers, your store would still be open!" they said. "I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to move this crap out!" they said. So much for the compassion we heard about on that disgusting conference call! The liquidator and my manager even got into an argument over placement and stock.
All of this during the busiest season of the year.
I have never felt so used and abused in my entire life.
It appears our DM has either been fired or just given up on us completely. All attempts to contact them have failed. Bounced emails, full voicemail box. Absolutely no communication. No "thank you for your service" or anything, we have been kicked in the balls by Borders and sent out the door. We look like a bargain basement, a former shadow of our lovely, clean store. We all took pride in how everything looked, had fun with endcaps and displays, and now... this. Absolutely demoralizing.
Our liquidator is also a giant asshole. They walked in without a word to anyone and demanded to see the manager. No "Hi, my name is So-and-so from the Liquidators" just a demand to see the manager. We thought they were an angry customer. They constantly belittled us while we ran around putting up their ugly, tacky signs. "If you had been better booksellers, your store would still be open!" they said. "I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to move this crap out!" they said. So much for the compassion we heard about on that disgusting conference call! The liquidator and my manager even got into an argument over placement and stock.
All of this during the busiest season of the year.
I have never felt so used and abused in my entire life.
Are the payroll restrictions being lifted?
What was the message of the GM conference call this morning?
We have no staff! This is no way to run a business!
What was the message of the GM conference call this morning?
We have no staff! This is no way to run a business!
Somebody didn't have their GOJI BERRIES!!!!
just kidding.
but this you tube video of inappropriate yoga guy that![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
polyphonicvegan posted is STILL cracking me up... i had to go buy Goji berries after i saw it.
just kidding.
but this you tube video of inappropriate yoga guy that
polyphonicvegan posted is STILL cracking me up... i had to go buy Goji berries after i saw it.![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/newsinfo.gif){kind=small}
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Holiday vgifts are here!
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Introducing: LJLimericks
We cordially here do invite youTo craft a fine limerick. Might you?
Each week, a new theme,
Then a poll, that's our dream
Winner posted on news to delight you!
In honor of all the brilliant writers on LiveJournal, we've created a brand new community: ljlimericks! Each week, we'll enter a handful of limericks into a poll (which we'll tuck snugly under an LJ-Cut). The winning poem will be published in the following newsletter. In addition, the author will receive a virtual blue ribbon! If you have the time, come drop us a rhyme. Please keep the "Nantucket" stuff on the downlow, since this is a youth-friendly community. Our first prompt is: Insomnia in winter.
Photos of the week
We're back with more incredible images from our global photography community. Congratulations to sempre_marseeya, who has been awarded a virtual blue ribbon as the winner of our second lj_photophile poll.
Curtains
Thanks, again, for joining us. Stay warm and safe out there!
from THESTREET.com
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Borders(BGP Quote) is bouncing after the book retailer made a change to its by-laws and elected a former Lowe's exec to its board of directors.
The change allows investors with a stake of at least 10% to assemble a special shareholders meeting. One of Border's biggest shareholders is William Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management, which holds a 17.6% stake.
Borders also elected David Shelton, former senior vice president at home-improvement retailer Lowe's, to its board of directors.
Shares of Border's are spiking 8.6% to $1.39 in afternoon trading.
In other book news, the price wars are heating up, but this time the fight has been taken to the digital battlefield. Amazon and Barnes & Noble are lowering prices on some popular new releases by Sarah Palin and Stephen King for their e-reader devices, the New York Times reported.
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Borders(BGP Quote) is bouncing after the book retailer made a change to its by-laws and elected a former Lowe's exec to its board of directors.
The change allows investors with a stake of at least 10% to assemble a special shareholders meeting. One of Border's biggest shareholders is William Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management, which holds a 17.6% stake.
Borders also elected David Shelton, former senior vice president at home-improvement retailer Lowe's, to its board of directors.
Shares of Border's are spiking 8.6% to $1.39 in afternoon trading.
In other book news, the price wars are heating up, but this time the fight has been taken to the digital battlefield. Amazon and Barnes & Noble are lowering prices on some popular new releases by Sarah Palin and Stephen King for their e-reader devices, the New York Times reported.
So now that Ron Marshall and his grocery-store myrmidons have elevated their browbeating of GMs and booksellers to Soviet levels, I think it’s time to point out to interested observers what the inevitable consequences of such domineering are. Just as the factory quotas demanded by Soviet officials resulted in the production of useless products that nevertheless met quotas (e.g. a demand to produce 10,000 shoes could result in the production of 10,000 size-6, left-foot shoes), the plainly ludicrous and unreasonable commands to sell quantities of specified “make books” will inevitably lead—and no doubt has already led—to creative ways of fulfilling the quota without actually doing anything useful. (Of course, to any rational person, even straightforward selling of make titles is clearly not useful in any meaningful sense, but we’ll set that consideration aside for the moment.)
As I am not a manager and work in a store with managers that are too conscientious/timid to employ anything but forthright methods to sell make books, the following methods of meeting make-book quotas are pure supposition on my part, but suppositions I believe have a distinct ring of reality to them.
1. When a customer is buying an item the same price as a make book, type in the BINC number for the make book and report the sale of the make book to your DM. I can hear quibblers objecting already, “But the make book is still in the store, and when it comes time to do RPL or inventory, your devious scheme will be revealed.” There is a simple remedy to this difficulty, however: surreptitiously bury the make books you “sold” in the trash. Yes, this will show up on your LP report come year’s end, but so what? If you “sell” $1000 worth of make books in this manner in a store that sells $3 million annually, your LP percentage would only be increased by .03%. That’s a very small price to pay to meet your make book quota in a stress-free manner, without having to hound your customers and employees or waste precious payroll hours.
2. Pay a friend or relative to buy a make book with a coupon (or do it yourself when alone at the register), take the make book home, and sell it on eBay, Amazon, or any number of online book entrepots. You may lose a few dollars in shipping costs, but you should be able to make out approximately even.
3. Pay a friend or relative to buy a make book, get a gift receipt, and return it 60 days later. Yes, the book will be traceable to your store and may eventually be counted against you, but at least this buys you a couple months reprieve. Furthermore, you could deface the coupon in such a subtle way as to render the store number unreadable and return it to a different store, telling the cashier that you bought it at that store.
Option #1 is the easiest method and has the virtue of being virtually impossible to detect without employing private spies. My guess is that there are dozens of GMs already doing something similar. Of course, when doing this, it would be wise to spread out your “dumpster” make-book sales in as random a way as possible so as to escape all possibility of detection, though given the level of competence in Ann Arbor, I would not anticipate their being able to detect even the most blatant make-book fraud.
As I am not a manager and work in a store with managers that are too conscientious/timid to employ anything but forthright methods to sell make books, the following methods of meeting make-book quotas are pure supposition on my part, but suppositions I believe have a distinct ring of reality to them.
1. When a customer is buying an item the same price as a make book, type in the BINC number for the make book and report the sale of the make book to your DM. I can hear quibblers objecting already, “But the make book is still in the store, and when it comes time to do RPL or inventory, your devious scheme will be revealed.” There is a simple remedy to this difficulty, however: surreptitiously bury the make books you “sold” in the trash. Yes, this will show up on your LP report come year’s end, but so what? If you “sell” $1000 worth of make books in this manner in a store that sells $3 million annually, your LP percentage would only be increased by .03%. That’s a very small price to pay to meet your make book quota in a stress-free manner, without having to hound your customers and employees or waste precious payroll hours.
2. Pay a friend or relative to buy a make book with a coupon (or do it yourself when alone at the register), take the make book home, and sell it on eBay, Amazon, or any number of online book entrepots. You may lose a few dollars in shipping costs, but you should be able to make out approximately even.
3. Pay a friend or relative to buy a make book, get a gift receipt, and return it 60 days later. Yes, the book will be traceable to your store and may eventually be counted against you, but at least this buys you a couple months reprieve. Furthermore, you could deface the coupon in such a subtle way as to render the store number unreadable and return it to a different store, telling the cashier that you bought it at that store.
Option #1 is the easiest method and has the virtue of being virtually impossible to detect without employing private spies. My guess is that there are dozens of GMs already doing something similar. Of course, when doing this, it would be wise to spread out your “dumpster” make-book sales in as random a way as possible so as to escape all possibility of detection, though given the level of competence in Ann Arbor, I would not anticipate their being able to detect even the most blatant make-book fraud.
More lists of the decade, you say? These were postmarked December 18th, 2002. I no longer post my year-end lists before the year ends. It seems fairer that way. ( 2002 )
I noticed that the Nostalgia Critic did a review of the He-Man and She-Ra Christmas special. I haven't yet watched his review, but I found the special on YouTube, and thought I might want to get in my own two cents first. I remember watching He-Man occasionally as a kid, but I don't think I've ever seen this before. Since these cartoons take place on another planet, it's kind of weird that they'd have a Christmas special, right? Well, I don't know. The Whos live on a microscopic world, and they celebrate Christmas. So do the Flintstones, who were supposed to have lived some time Before Christ. Really, I have to give the He-Man special credit for explaining why the planet Eternia would have an Earth holiday. While decorating for a birthday party for He-Man and She-Ra, the Queen comments that it reminds her of preparing for Christmas back on Earth. This becomes relevant to the plot when Orko, with his typical tendency to screw everything up, accidentally launches Man-at-Arms' spy rocketship into space and flies it to Earth. Personally, I blame Man-at-Arms for building a ship that starts when you break a lever. Anyway, it hardly takes any time at all for Orko to reach Earth, which presumably means that either Eternia is actually quite close, or that this ship that was apparently never intended to leave the atmosphere is capable of exceeding the speed of light. At least the Ninja Turtles cartoon tended to use trans-dimensional portals when a plot involved interstellar travel.
So anyway, Orko meets two children, who tell him about both the religious and secular aspects of Christmas. The cartoon seems to want to avoid being too specific about the former, however, as the only part of this discussion shown onscreen simply has a kid mentioning the wise men following a star to Bethlehem. Man-at-Arms transports Orko and the kids to Eternia, where the natives decide it's an excellent idea to start celebrating a holiday from some other planet. In fact, the very presence of the kids brings Christmas Spirit to the planet, and this terrifies Horde Prime. Under his orders, Skeletor captures the kids, but the Christmas Spirit causes him to change his mind and save the children at the last minute. If it's that simple, how come people still do bad things on and around Christmas? But then, we ARE talking about Skeletor, who talks about being evil a lot more than he really does anything. I have to imagine that the poor guy really didn't have much choice as to his lot in life, having a skull for a head and all.
By the way, has it ever been revealed what Orko actually looks like? And how does She-Ra's horse fly in space? Also, couldn't Eternian and Etherian zoologists come up with better names than "Snow Beast" and "Beast Monster"? Then again, when one of your superheroes is "He-Man," perhaps lazy naming is to be expected. But anyway, while I could go on nitpicking this eighties cartoon for some time, I have to say that it WAS fun to watch.
So anyway, Orko meets two children, who tell him about both the religious and secular aspects of Christmas. The cartoon seems to want to avoid being too specific about the former, however, as the only part of this discussion shown onscreen simply has a kid mentioning the wise men following a star to Bethlehem. Man-at-Arms transports Orko and the kids to Eternia, where the natives decide it's an excellent idea to start celebrating a holiday from some other planet. In fact, the very presence of the kids brings Christmas Spirit to the planet, and this terrifies Horde Prime. Under his orders, Skeletor captures the kids, but the Christmas Spirit causes him to change his mind and save the children at the last minute. If it's that simple, how come people still do bad things on and around Christmas? But then, we ARE talking about Skeletor, who talks about being evil a lot more than he really does anything. I have to imagine that the poor guy really didn't have much choice as to his lot in life, having a skull for a head and all.
By the way, has it ever been revealed what Orko actually looks like? And how does She-Ra's horse fly in space? Also, couldn't Eternian and Etherian zoologists come up with better names than "Snow Beast" and "Beast Monster"? Then again, when one of your superheroes is "He-Man," perhaps lazy naming is to be expected. But anyway, while I could go on nitpicking this eighties cartoon for some time, I have to say that it WAS fun to watch.
tags: holidays, television
Thumbing through the Ebook post and noticed an anonymous post about three midwest stores. So who's the expert?
There's been no announcements for that area yet. Naperville is in a rich area, DeKalb in a college town, and Geneva is in a super rich area. Neither of those leases are up. DeKalb's been there over ten years. Theyre in good shape.
Geneva has always been a great performer. Even in the glory days of Borders. Naperville is dearly loved store.
They'd be fools to shut those three.
On the other hand, my Borders has been DEAD since Black Friday. On the one hand theyve shaved hours...and we have a ton of boxes...still in the back.
But, we've seriously been dead. I mean you'd think it was Mid-January.
No ones coming in. If we were there longer, we'd be bored.
We're 2 weeks from Christmas, and people are being conservative with their money. Yep employee appreciation..but the feeling at work is that you can either shop at Borders..or work there. cant do both.
How do you like the 'Sell Sell Sell' sign in the break room. Crazy.
Do we think the GM's know now whats up with closings?
I wish the stores were independent. These three stores do well with regulars who will gladly throw things at the movers. Its a great location.
DeKalbs Borders is constantly in the newspaper for their book signings and community outreach and off sites. Several times a month. They've kinda broken away from the pack, if you follow their news releases. Their couples night CONSTANTLY is in the the paper/and on the local radio. They pack their cafe for events. And the times I've gone out there, I've seen drum sets, hard rock groups, string bands, praise and worship bands, and a slew of authors, with newspaper reporters in tow. They're fine. They probably make most of their money off events. I mean just google that store.
Geneva has a great staff and layout..and people in both Geneva and Naperville have money! Geneva used to pack the cafe for their open mic nights. Not uncommon to see drums, electric guitars and and couples at that store too.
Just because they might all be Phoenix stores doesn't mean they dont have loyal followings both in their customers and the local media.
These three are the heart and soul of Borders out here when it comes to outreach, and events. That would be in their 'worst' interest to shut those doors. I can see a ton of angry customers. Especially for people in Geneva and DeKalb that have Barnes and Nobles within a few feet away. People around there HATE the sight of BN. Chairs will go crashing through those Barnes walls the day the Geneva/Naperville or DeKalb stores close.
No seriously, from what I hear both Geneva and DeKalb have a rabid following, considering they both have Barnes and Nobles within a few blocks. Personally I prefer the live bands at DeKalbs college town store. They turned their cafe into a live music venue for local bands ad singers, which is probably a snide move 'against' AA. They have to make money! I always see their book signings and live music in the local papers. Its not a soccer mom store.
Geneva had a successful run with their open mic nights, and St Charles always draws near to 50 people for their open mic nights for live music. I love their huge cafe.
The stores with massive community support will hopefully survive.
See BN does nearly zero live bands, church singers, madrigals, or anything. I walk into St Charles or DeKalb and I never know what to expect. They both amped up their events calenders and with it came numerous newspaper, radio spots and a rabid following.
Scaling that stuff back earlier in the year I think hurt some stores. Quit having a million authors at Oak Book, and spread it out over all the stores. But wait....Grinch Fest? Becket storytime? Thats a huge load of BS. People go to those for the free snacks. LOL.
The three communities will rally their stores and keep them. Hopefully.
Don't post closing unless you know FOR SURE.
There's been no announcements for that area yet. Naperville is in a rich area, DeKalb in a college town, and Geneva is in a super rich area. Neither of those leases are up. DeKalb's been there over ten years. Theyre in good shape.
Geneva has always been a great performer. Even in the glory days of Borders. Naperville is dearly loved store.
They'd be fools to shut those three.
On the other hand, my Borders has been DEAD since Black Friday. On the one hand theyve shaved hours...and we have a ton of boxes...still in the back.
But, we've seriously been dead. I mean you'd think it was Mid-January.
No ones coming in. If we were there longer, we'd be bored.
We're 2 weeks from Christmas, and people are being conservative with their money. Yep employee appreciation..but the feeling at work is that you can either shop at Borders..or work there. cant do both.
How do you like the 'Sell Sell Sell' sign in the break room. Crazy.
Do we think the GM's know now whats up with closings?
I wish the stores were independent. These three stores do well with regulars who will gladly throw things at the movers. Its a great location.
DeKalbs Borders is constantly in the newspaper for their book signings and community outreach and off sites. Several times a month. They've kinda broken away from the pack, if you follow their news releases. Their couples night CONSTANTLY is in the the paper/and on the local radio. They pack their cafe for events. And the times I've gone out there, I've seen drum sets, hard rock groups, string bands, praise and worship bands, and a slew of authors, with newspaper reporters in tow. They're fine. They probably make most of their money off events. I mean just google that store.
Geneva has a great staff and layout..and people in both Geneva and Naperville have money! Geneva used to pack the cafe for their open mic nights. Not uncommon to see drums, electric guitars and and couples at that store too.
Just because they might all be Phoenix stores doesn't mean they dont have loyal followings both in their customers and the local media.
These three are the heart and soul of Borders out here when it comes to outreach, and events. That would be in their 'worst' interest to shut those doors. I can see a ton of angry customers. Especially for people in Geneva and DeKalb that have Barnes and Nobles within a few feet away. People around there HATE the sight of BN. Chairs will go crashing through those Barnes walls the day the Geneva/Naperville or DeKalb stores close.
No seriously, from what I hear both Geneva and DeKalb have a rabid following, considering they both have Barnes and Nobles within a few blocks. Personally I prefer the live bands at DeKalbs college town store. They turned their cafe into a live music venue for local bands ad singers, which is probably a snide move 'against' AA. They have to make money! I always see their book signings and live music in the local papers. Its not a soccer mom store.
Geneva had a successful run with their open mic nights, and St Charles always draws near to 50 people for their open mic nights for live music. I love their huge cafe.
The stores with massive community support will hopefully survive.
See BN does nearly zero live bands, church singers, madrigals, or anything. I walk into St Charles or DeKalb and I never know what to expect. They both amped up their events calenders and with it came numerous newspaper, radio spots and a rabid following.
Scaling that stuff back earlier in the year I think hurt some stores. Quit having a million authors at Oak Book, and spread it out over all the stores. But wait....Grinch Fest? Becket storytime? Thats a huge load of BS. People go to those for the free snacks. LOL.
The three communities will rally their stores and keep them. Hopefully.
Don't post closing unless you know FOR SURE.
mood: 
artistic
artisticAll right, time for this letter to Santa meme:
Do I EVER win out with these things? The randomizer must hate me. I mean, I wasn't REALLY that bad this year, was I? Well, let's take a look at the first sentence (or sometimes first few sentences) of every month, to see if that provides any indication.
January:bethje and I just got back from ringing in the new year with They Might Be Giants at the TLA.
February: So, I'm not sure anyone in Ireland reads this journal, but I'll wish you people a happy St. Brigid's Day anyway.
March: I watched Into the Wild Green Yonder, the last of the four made-for-DVD Futurama movies, last night.
April: Ah, April Fool's Day. I thought it was amusing as a kid, but now I find it pretty irritating.
May: So, it's May Day, isn't it? It's not a particularly major holiday in the United States, but it's more significant in other countries.
June: It's Dorothy Gale who's the first major protagonist in the Oz series, and quite possibly the one who appears the most as a major character (although the Scarecrow comes close).
July: The instruction booklet for the original Super Mario Bros. refers to Princess Toadstool (later to be called Princess Peach) as the daughter of the Mushroom King, but her father is not to be seen in this game or any other.
August: We all know that the lion is often considered the King of Beasts, but how did this reputation arise? I can't say I know.
September: Okay, it took us a while, butbethje and I have finished checking out the Simpsons Season 11 box set, and watching all of the episodes with commentary. I'm sure I'm not alone in my opinion that this was a weak season overall, despite some high points.
October: Man, I wrote this hours ago, but I wanted to get my pictures up before posting it. That took much longer than I thought it would, so here it is, at long last.bethje and I are back home from Oregon now. If you've been following my tweets, you know a little bit of what went on, but I'm going to describe the whole trip in this post.
November: Today, we turn to Mary Magdalene, a figure about whom the Bible says very little. Even the widely held belief that she was a prostitute is treated with skepticism these days.
December: As sort of a counterpart to my last Oz post, and a way of beating the coming winter blues, today's topic is fire.
 Dear Santa...Dear Santa, This year I've been busy! Last month I helped suegypt hide a body (-173 points). Last Saturday I broke colbyucb's X-Box (-12 points). In July vee_ecks and I robbed a bank (-50 points). In June I invaded Iraq, broke it, and couldn't glue it back together before Mom got home (-1012 points). Last Wednesday I stole graycardinal's purse (-30 points). Overall, I've been naughty (-1277 points). For Christmas I deserve a moldy sandwich! Sincerely, |
Do I EVER win out with these things? The randomizer must hate me. I mean, I wasn't REALLY that bad this year, was I? Well, let's take a look at the first sentence (or sometimes first few sentences) of every month, to see if that provides any indication.
January:
bethje and I just got back from ringing in the new year with They Might Be Giants at the TLA.February: So, I'm not sure anyone in Ireland reads this journal, but I'll wish you people a happy St. Brigid's Day anyway.
March: I watched Into the Wild Green Yonder, the last of the four made-for-DVD Futurama movies, last night.
April: Ah, April Fool's Day. I thought it was amusing as a kid, but now I find it pretty irritating.
May: So, it's May Day, isn't it? It's not a particularly major holiday in the United States, but it's more significant in other countries.
June: It's Dorothy Gale who's the first major protagonist in the Oz series, and quite possibly the one who appears the most as a major character (although the Scarecrow comes close).
July: The instruction booklet for the original Super Mario Bros. refers to Princess Toadstool (later to be called Princess Peach) as the daughter of the Mushroom King, but her father is not to be seen in this game or any other.
August: We all know that the lion is often considered the King of Beasts, but how did this reputation arise? I can't say I know.
September: Okay, it took us a while, but
bethje and I have finished checking out the Simpsons Season 11 box set, and watching all of the episodes with commentary. I'm sure I'm not alone in my opinion that this was a weak season overall, despite some high points.October: Man, I wrote this hours ago, but I wanted to get my pictures up before posting it. That took much longer than I thought it would, so here it is, at long last.
bethje and I are back home from Oregon now. If you've been following my tweets, you know a little bit of what went on, but I'm going to describe the whole trip in this post.November: Today, we turn to Mary Magdalene, a figure about whom the Bible says very little. Even the widely held belief that she was a prostitute is treated with skepticism these days.
December: As sort of a counterpart to my last Oz post, and a way of beating the coming winter blues, today's topic is fire.
mood: unaccomplished
The Nook has an early review in the Times now and Pogue didn't have much at all nice to say about it.
Maybe people should wait for the second version.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/techn
excerpt:
Well, here comes the hotly awaited Nook from Barnes & Noble: an electronic book reader in the style of the Amazon Kindle.
Actually, not just in the style of; this thing is ripped right out of the Kindle’s master playbook. Same price ($259), same off-white plastic frame around the same six-inch E Ink screen (crisp, black type against a light gray background). Same screen saver showing woodcuts of famous authors. Same ability to display your own photos and play music files. Same free cellular connection so that you can download books wherever you happen to be. Same compatibility with iPhone or computer.
But according to the Nook Web site, there are differences. Oh, what differences. “A beautiful color touch screen.” A catalog of “over one million titles.” (Kindle: only 385,000.) “Browse e-books, magazines and newspapers on AT&T’s 3G Wireless Network or on Wi-Fi.” Cool! The Kindle doesn’t have Wi-Fi.
“Loan e-books to friends, free of charge.” Wow, that’s a first; until the Nook, buying an e-book meant locking it to your account — not lending, nor donating or selling. You can even “read entire e-books for free at your local Barnes & Noble.”
Unfortunately, we, the salivating public, might be afflicted with a little holiday disease of our own: Sucker Syndrome. Every one of the Nook’s vaunted distinctions comes fraught with buzz kill footnotes.
Maybe people should wait for the second version.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/techn
excerpt:
Well, here comes the hotly awaited Nook from Barnes & Noble: an electronic book reader in the style of the Amazon Kindle.
Actually, not just in the style of; this thing is ripped right out of the Kindle’s master playbook. Same price ($259), same off-white plastic frame around the same six-inch E Ink screen (crisp, black type against a light gray background). Same screen saver showing woodcuts of famous authors. Same ability to display your own photos and play music files. Same free cellular connection so that you can download books wherever you happen to be. Same compatibility with iPhone or computer.
But according to the Nook Web site, there are differences. Oh, what differences. “A beautiful color touch screen.” A catalog of “over one million titles.” (Kindle: only 385,000.) “Browse e-books, magazines and newspapers on AT&T’s 3G Wireless Network or on Wi-Fi.” Cool! The Kindle doesn’t have Wi-Fi.
“Loan e-books to friends, free of charge.” Wow, that’s a first; until the Nook, buying an e-book meant locking it to your account — not lending, nor donating or selling. You can even “read entire e-books for free at your local Barnes & Noble.”
Unfortunately, we, the salivating public, might be afflicted with a little holiday disease of our own: Sucker Syndrome. Every one of the Nook’s vaunted distinctions comes fraught with buzz kill footnotes.
- 00:28 @NowIsStrange She was probably the best-looking female character in the movie, but maybe that was mostly because she wasn't dirty. #
- 01:48 Link: 6 Adorable Cat Behaviors with Shockingly Evil Explanations tumblr.com/xpy4k7a29 #
- 06:51 Video: Hey, did you know atheists are jealous of Christians, because they have Christmas? Well, except the... tumblr.com/xpy4kbzy8 #
- 07:38 Do they really improve the Hess truck every year? #
- 08:09 My favorite Christmas song is the one that starts out with, "Seasons' gree
tings in our souls, yummy Fruity Pebbles in the bowls." # - 08:10 Father Christmas, give us some money! Don't mess around with those silly Outback Steakhouse gift cards! #
- 08:17 I wonder when we'll see the Grinch in a commercial for home security systems. Come to think of it, the Cat in the Hat would also work. #
- 08:17 @JaredofMo Or Don Quixote "Don." #
- 20:07 Oh, the old tom cat with his meow meow meow, old hound dog with his bow-wow-wow. #
- 20:18 Video: Minnie’s Yoo Hoo Oh, the old tom cat with his meow meow meow, old hound dog with his bow
-bow-wow. tumblr.com/xpy4ktamd # - 22:03 Come on, O'Reillyites, you really expect overworked cashiers to say "Merry Christmas"? You're lucky if they bother to nod at you. #
tags: twitter
So fellow BSRs, what did you think of the call today? I really wanted to give a fake name and ask why they were closing us and see them fumble. It was a really condescending call and they couldn't even get the passcodes right!
Did everyone get their liquidation signs up yet? Lovely and garish, aren't they? We are going out with absolutely no dignity what so ever and I am fuming about it. We also received no instruction on how to set everything up. Fun times.
This is evil and it sucks and I hope we all find better things. Hang in there, everyone. Brace yourselves.
Did everyone get their liquidation signs up yet? Lovely and garish, aren't they? We are going out with absolutely no dignity what so ever and I am fuming about it. We also received no instruction on how to set everything up. Fun times.
This is evil and it sucks and I hope we all find better things. Hang in there, everyone. Brace yourselves.
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