Survivor

I'm finally getting around to watching Survivor from Thursday. Some people don't think it's as good this time around. I don't see it. I'm still enjoying it. Here we go...

Okay, Aitu's getting back from Tribal Council from last week. I really hate all the footage of the crabs and rats. It's so disturbing. I could go without food and showers and wouldn't really mind the dirty clothes but the constant rat infestation would really get on my nerves. Ugh. I'm shuddering just thinking about it.

Now (my favorite) Yul's saying TC was really tough. I guess he didn't believe Cao Boi and Flicka would really vote for Cecelia. He could've been in real trouble if Becky was gone. Or he would've been forced to use his idol waaaaay too soon.

Ozzy looks devastated. He obviously was blindsided by the vote and is feeling really alone. He doesn't seem interested in participating in tribal life. He better wake up or he'll be voted off next.

Candace is being brought back from Exile Island. The way they're shooting the shot of her in the boat makes it look like she doesn't have anything on below the waist. Now they're asking her why she thinks the other tribe choose her. Like she has any idea. I don't think even the other team knew why they did. I swear she had a tongue piercing. She's talking really oddly. And the way she opens up her eyes so widely -- makes her seem kinda dumb.

Okay, over to the other tribe, Raro. Oh, Parvati is so annoying. Can she act any more blond? The guys are getting a little big-headed. "Oh, we're so strong!" Too bad they don't have mirrors, they could just admire themselves all day.

Ah, the reward challenge. I love when they're attached together by ropes. Seems like this one might be rather easy. So...they've chosen the littlest people to be attached to the ropes. It's pretty funny to see them get manhandled. I don't think they'll be too happy at the end. Bruised for sure. Yea! Aitu's winning! Swim, Ozzy, swim! Now they just have to figure out the puzzle. Oh, Raro's catching up. Brad's swimming hard and he's back. Who will solve it first?

JP's trying to eavesdrop. He's evil. Aitu thinks they've got it....yes! They've got it. Now who will they send to the island? Not exempt from TC this time...Adam's going. Not that it matters. He'll be back for the immunity challenge and the idol's already been found. Aitu gets to fight over the reward hammock and pillows now.

What's that? Ozzy's catching fish? I guess he woke up and decided he needs to prove his worth to the team. Wow, that's a big fish!

Raro's bummed now. All the women are still doing all the work. JP is playing the king in camp. Get me this, do this. Like I said, evil. Parvati's trying to get in with the guys. She's got Nate wrapped around her finger. I hope they lose the immunity challenge just to see what might happen.

Back to Aitu. Oh, here comes the scene they showed at the end of last week: Cao Boi molesting the wildlife like the madman he is. He's climbing the tree to get the bird's eggs. I hope he loses an eye. That poor bird. Jonathan just found the chick that fell out with the nest. Geez. Now they're trying to put the nest back up. Like the bird is going to want that nestling now that it's got Jon's cooties all over it. "We're so sorry!" Stupids.

Now to the immunity challenge. Adam's back and they didn't even show him on EI. I guess he did nothing interesting. I do love Jeff's hat this season. Very sexy. Hmm. A rescue challenge. I wonder why. Have the challenge producers been watching too much Baywatch? I think the Raro boys have an advantage in this. They should be able to run through the jungle as a well-matched quartet.

Wow, they have to swim a long way. You definitely have to be good in the water to be successful on Survivor. Let's see if the girls can keep up on the swim back. They're pretty close. I still think the Raro boys will be able to run better through the jungle. Oh, Aitu's back already! Build that fire! That crazy Cao Boi is good with fire. Raro has no idea. Jenny just got cut! She needs first aid right away. Looks like they're going to TC. Aitu wins!

So Raro has four guys and five girls. The boys are for sure sticking together, it seems. Will Parvati vote with them in exchange for staying longer? So who will it be: Stephannie? Jenny? Rebecca? They didn't do so hot with the fire. (ha ha)

Oh, Stephannie. Now why'd you do that? Volunteering yourself? Easy out for the rest of them. Unless the women can vote together. Man, looks like I was right about Parvati. I hate her. Brad? With the women? Could it work? I do like that they don't seem to be voting along ethnic lines. I'm not sure it's better to vote along gender lines though.

Now they're at Tribal Council. Who will it be? I do love how Jeff seems to relish putting them all on the spot. Adam still is saying nothing. I think the producers have it in for him. So it's down to Steph and JP and the deciding votes are Brad and Parvati, I think.

Here we go....Steph...JP....Steph...JP... Don't you love how they always re-shuffle the votes so they go back and forth...JP...ooo, out of order! Could Steph have only received the two votes?...JP...Again! He's out! JP's gone. He's can't believe it. The king is dead, long live who?

Jeff has a good point. They just voted off a strong player. It might bite them in the ass in challenges.

Let's see the votes: Both Brad AND Adam voted for JP! And Parvati. Why did we never hear anyone talking to Adam? Brad must've gotten to him. Nate's gonna feel so out of it now. He and JP were the only votes for Steph.

So next week Cao Boi gets upset with the girls doing no work. Why, oh why must we watch them comparing their underarm hair? I really don't need to see that!

I like this stage of the game when there are so many people in each tribe that even with some firm alliances, there are enough people that each week the votes are uncertain. Both tribes are unsettled enough that new alliances can form up in an instant. Can't wait until Thursday!

A's Win! On to the ALCS!

A's win! A's win! Oakland swept the Twins today to advance to the American League Championship Series against either New York or Detroit who play Game 3 tonight. Woo hoo!!!

Sal's Gone Home

I just got back from taking Sal to the airport for her day-long trip back to MN. She's flying through Arizona so she won't get in until after 8pm. It was soft weather this morning; a bit of a shower here and there. The bay looked amazing -- calm and reflecting the soft grey light coming through the big fluffy clouds. I wish I had taken my camera.

Yesterday we spent watching TV (A's win! A's win!! now up 2-0, sorry Sal) and reading and napping. I cooked a bit but mostly we were just relaxing. In the evening we did some trip planning. We've decided that while we have the car and will be as far north as the Lake District that we should go on up to Carlisle and visit Hadrian's Wall. So we researched the best places to do that that won't be too far out of our way.

Then we researched entrance fees and hours so we can make sure we have enough cash for each day. We determined which sights had highest priority for us and which ones we'll do if we have extra time. It's hard to gauge how much time it will take to walk from place to place. I don't know how big these towns are.

I think Cardiff will be the tightest schedule because we're doing two out-of-town sights: Caerphilly Castle and The Museum of Welsh Life in St. Fagans. We're heading to Bath that evening which isn't a long trip (1 hour) but our B&B in Bath would like us to check in by 6pm. I might contact them and see if we can check in later. That would give us more time at the Museum because we have to take the bus back to Cardiff and then go collect our bags before catching the train to Bath.

We had a bit of a scare yesterday when I checked Sal's flight; the price had gone up by $60. We'd been holding off on purchasing it, hoping the price would go down because it was at $527 which was $80 more than mine (and I'm coming from San Fran!). We checked again this morning and the price for hers had gone back down to $527 so we purchased it immediately. She had a $300 voucher from getting bumped off a flight a few months ago so she's only going to have to pay $227. Pretty good for a flight to London!

Spending Too Much Money

Yesterday Sal and I watched the A's beat the Twins and a little of the Cards/Padres game before going to REI to check out rain gear. She wanted to see what they had but likes to shop at Cabela's (which we don't have in Cali).

I was also looking for a long-sleeved top I can wear like long underwear to keep me warm while trekking about in the rainy UK in November. We checked the men's section and I found some nasty feeling capilene tops but they feel like plastic. How anyone could wear that next to their skin, I don't know. I finally found a satiny one that came in both long- and short-sleeved but I decided to check the women's section in case they had any larger sizes.

I found the perfect shirt but it only came as large as 1x. It felt so nice and soft (and was a v-neck!) so I tried it on anyway. It wasn't too small and for the purpose of wearing it close to my skin, I thought it would work fine. They didn't have it in a short-sleeved version so I decided to get one of the satiny men's shirts as well.

I also found a toiletries bag and some plastic flip-top bottles for shampoo, etc. They had a couple varieties of money belts, so I got a nice soft smaller one that I think will work great. Gotta protect that passport!

While we were down in Fremont we just had to eat at the Outback (okay, that's why we were there in the first place). We ate way too much so when we went to CostCo you'd think I wouldn't want to buy anything. Guess again. I got tomato soup, chicken stock, a roast (it's in the oven now), hot dogs, Kashii bars, aluminum foil, tylenol and what I was there for in the first place: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Sallie got X-Men: The Last Stand which we watched last night (it's so good!). At least we were able to resist the temptation of the glorious hand-dipped ice cream bar. We were just too full.

Today it's a triple-header of baseball playoff games, plus the opening of hockey season. I have to record Lost and The Nine for Sal and Dancing with the Stars, Top Model and Project Runway for me. Sal will be up late tonight! She's flying back to MN at noon so won't have any time for TV tomorrow.

A's Win! A's Win!!

The A's won a close game this morning 3-2 against the Minnesota Twins to go up 1-0 in the American League Division Series. Barry Zito walked the first batter who was subsequently thrown out at 2nd base and Zito didn't look back. He gave up only four hits (the first in the 5th!) including one home run to Rondell White in the 7th. The Twins didn't score again until the 9th when they benefited from a fly ball the A's right fielder lost in the Metrodome roof resulting in a triple for Michael Cuddyer who then scored on a ground ball. A's closer Huston Street got the save in his first opportunity in the playoffs.

The Big Hurt, Frank Thomas, was the offensive hero for the A's with two solo home runs to left field, one off starting pitcher Johan Santana who gave up only two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts but took the loss, his first at home since August 2005. Both pitchers were very impressive.

The second game is tomorrow morning. We'll see if Oakland can pull out another one, or if the Twins rookie starter Boof Bonser can stop the A's.

Go A's!!!

Don't Drive in the City

Why is it when you need a street to go a certain direction it's a one way street or you can't make a left turn or you can't go straight or turn right? Seriously, we had all those problems today driving around in San Fran.

We left for the North Bay and Muir Woods at 10:30 after a leisurely morning of breakfast, showering, the post office and getting gas. The sky was cloudy but the air was clear; we could see for miles. We took the Richmond/San Rafael bridge over to Larkspur and down to Highway 1 and over the tiny twisty turns out to the Woods. I had my camera so our planned 1 hour walk turned into a stop-n-go tour that took 2 hours after our decision to take the longest walking route. We enjoyed every minute.

We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge down to the City and (after stopping at Fort Miley for more views, pictures and walking) had a really late lunch at the Bistro in the Cliff House. The view was fantastic and the food was pretty good (though super pricey).

Sal had not been to Coit Tower so we made our way across the City through a few tunnels making not a few wrong turns. A word of advice: Don't drive through Chinatown and especially avoid Grant Street whenever possible. We finally made it to Coit Tower and after walking around and taking some more photos we headed for home taking some more wrong turns before finally getting on the Bay Bridge right during rush hour. It was a long trip home and we're sure glad to be here.

Here are some photos from the day. For more, check out my photo album.


Sal is in this photo. Can you spot her? (Muir Woods)


Roots are so cool. (Muir Woods)


My favorite photo from the Woods


This trip seemed to be all about trees. Here are some hella cool ones at Fort Miley.


Sal is much more easily seen in this pic. (Fort Miley)



The Golden Gate Bridge from Fort Miley



The Bay Bridge from Coit Tower



Coit Tower

A Whole Week

I can't believe it's been a whole week since I posted. I guess I didn't feel like sharing. I hope you weren't too worried.

Today I pickd up Sal at her hotel over on the peninsula. She's all done with her Borders job in SF. I visited the store on opening day on Thursday. It was pretty busy! We had lunch in the new food court and got grilled chicked kabobs at Asqew. It was terrific. For dinner we ate at one of the restaurants on the fourth floor (same as Borders), Straits. Instead of ordering entrees, we got several "small plates." I like the chicken satay and the spring rolls the best. Sal liked the samosas.

We ate pretty good for a couple days cuz the night before I went with all the Borders trainers to The Stinking Rose in North Beach. I usually order the 40 clove chicken but I branched out and got the meatloaf. It was super and just a tiny bit spicy. A successful trip off the beaten path.

For lunch on Friday I went with Paul to the new food court. We decided to try out the SF Soup Company. I tasted the split pea but wasn't impressed so got the tomato bisque. So yummy. I'll be getting that again for sure. We had a much harder time finding seats in the open area than Sal and I did the day before. There were so many people! I hope it settles down in a month or so.

So Sal's here until Thursday and I've taken the week off. We're going to Muir Woods and the City tomorrow and then the Oakland Zoo and shopping on Tuesday. Wednesday we're going to watch baseball and Harry Potter movies and let Sallie rest up before heading back to work in MN.

Today we're watching the Twins game on my DVR. We purposefully don't know if the Tigers won so we can folllow along with the emotions of the race for the AL Central Division. I just hope whoever ends up playing the Yankees kicks some butt. I could happily cheer for any of the other three teams: A's, Tigers or Twins.

Well, my lunch is done so I better eat it before it gets cold.
Go A's!

My Saturday

Yesterday I woke up pretty early so decided to watch my NetFlix offerings before running my usual Saturday errands.

First up was Legally Blond 2: Red, White & Blond. I wasn't expecting much but it was suprisingly okay. The wackiest characters didn't appear until near the end and they had small roles. The plot wasn't entirely predictable. And Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe from 24) was in it!

Second was In Her Shoes with Toni Collette (Muriel's Wedding/About a Boy) and Cameron Diaz. This is a super movie; I don't think I've cried so much in a long time. It's the story of two sisters who are polar opposites: Rose, a hard-working, plain-looking laywer, and Maggie, an unemployable, beautiful party girl. After yet another night of drunkeness, Rose finds herself saddled with Maggie yet again. When Rose comes home one night after work to find Maggie in bed with Rose's current hot boyfriend, she throws her out and subsequently can't find her. Maggie discovers a long-lost secret and we gradually learn the reason behind why she is so unsuccessful in school and getting a job. I found the most touching part (most tissues used) when she finds someone to help her through her problem.

I skipped the library (I didn't have any books due and nothing on the hold shelf) and went straight to Trader Joe's and then the farmers market. My usual organic farm stand was out of my usual yellow tomatoes so I had to settle for red ones (oh no!). And it must be approaching the end of nectarine season, because the ones I was looking at were really big and not very pretty. I bought a couple anyway. We'll see if they're any good.

When I got back I watched some Michigan football and then the A's game. After beating the second-place Angels Friday night in 12 innings (with another walk-off hit by Marco Scutaro), their magic number was 2 and they could clinch the West with a win. They didn't win. Maybe today. I hope they do it today and can celebrate at home.

I started watching the Giants game afterwards but I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer so went to lay down. I'm not normally a successful napper but when I woke up it was dark. I had slept for three hours! So my evening was spent zoned out trying to recover from the nap. I really hate that post-nap feeling of lethargy and mental muddiness. By the time my mind felt clear, it was bedtime. Luckily my long nap didn't prevent me from falling right to sleep, though I couldn't sleep in this morning. That why I'm posting at 8 in the morning!

A's Game on Sunday

Sal met me at the A's/White Sox game on Sunday and brought a couple other people from her job. We had already gotten tickets so the boys got tix when they got there and sat a couple sections over. They moved over to our section when the people in front of us left with a few innings to go. They'd had enough sun as it was. We were sitting under an overhang so were in the shade. It was a beautiful day for baseball. I'm guessing mid- to high 70s and breezy.

I had remembered to stick a couple score sheets in my bag so Sal and I could score the game. I wasn't able find a extra pen before I left home and Sal couldn't find one in her bag so after she filled out a contest form at the GMC booth outside we stole a pen from them. She got a white A's t-shirt for her troubles. She didn't put it on but I was pleased she had thought to wear green.

Sal was cheering twice for the price of one as she likes the A's but her home team, the Twins, want the White Sox to lose to help their post-season picture. Regardless of how Chicago's doing, those Tigers better keep winning cuz the Twins are really breathing up the back of their necks!

Tigers? Tigers! Oh, My!

It's only the bottom of the 6th inning and the Tigers are already leading the O's 15-2. Crazy! Inge just hit a grand slam. Crazy!!

And did I just see Matt Stairs in a Tigers uni? When did that happen? Ah, I remember the good ol' days when Stairs was playing for the A's behind Giambi in left.

Is Fainting Contagious?

This morning when I got on BART there were no seats to be had. So I leaned up against the wall near the doors and took out my book. When we got to the Coliseum, a bunch of people got on, probably coming from the Oakland Airport. So we were rather tightly packed in.

The woman standing to my left was having a hard time staying upright. She kept losing control and almost falling into me as her eyes would close and her head would drop. Several times I had to put my book up to block her falling into my face. I don't know if she was feeling faint or just falling asleep.

Whatever her problem was it must have been catching because when we were in the tube and not quite yet to Embarcadero I started feeling weak and tingly. I began to sweat and my skin felt cold. I was losing touch with my world, its edges fading and spinning. I turned and faced the wall, closed my eyes, and tried to concentrate on breathing in and out, in and out. I really thought I was going to black out.

I was able to hold it together until we arrived at Embarcadero and I snagged a seat freed up by the exodus of commuters. As soon as I sat down, I felt better. My vision began clearing and my heartbeat slowed down though my feet began to tingle. I was glad to have a couple stops to rest a bit before heading out into the sunshine and work.

Since I've here at the office I've had a headache the whole time and it's been hard to concentrate. Yeah, I'll be leaving work early today, no doubt.

JJ is Neglecting Her Blog

JJ has not posted since last Thursday. I'm just saying.
(not like I've been posting much either. what's up with us?)

Sittin' in the Club

Our accountants gave us two free tickets to the Giants game last night so Leti and I went. She was sick the whole day and we tried to find someone else to go but they were either sick or had other plans. As I'm not a Giants fan and the tickets were free, I was willing to forget it. But Leti insisted she was well enough to go and I'm glad she did cuz we had fun.

The seats were in the Club level which is one level up from the field. You take a special escalator and there are special concessions just for the Club that are all inside. There are a lot of glass walls to see out into the ballpark. It'd be the best place to hang out for those cold foggy evenings. We had it pretty nice. (Other than the loud obnoxious guys sitting right behind us. Can anyone clap any louder?! My ears hurt until I moved down a few seats. Our section was not full by any means.)

I got a hot dog from the fancy concession stand for $5.25. It was totally worth it: a Hebrew National ballpark frank with brown mustard. I even ate the soft bun.

Sal & I are going to the A's game on Sunday. I tried to get us seats in the shade. I'll let you know how that goes next week.

UK Trip Planning Update

Sal got here on time and happy last night. We stayed up late discussing and exploring housing options and preferences for our November UK trip. I sent a bunch of emails out to B&Bs last night and this morning and we've gotten several replies already. We even made one reservation (at Austins Guesthouse in Cardiff) and are ready to reserve two more if we get responses back to questions I sent.

Everyone who's replied so far has had a room available so we're not too late. Not that I'm surprised at that but I did stress out about it a bit while falling asleep last night. We want to stay at our first choices and not have to settle. We got a reply back from our first choice in London, The George Hotel in Bloomsbury. They even have a special price for 4+ night stay in the off-peak season so we're getting a good deal. We'll be staying 5 nights (4 days) there to end our trip.

We haven't heard back from our first choice in Bath yet, The Henry. I hope they reply positively soon. We'll be in Bath for 3 nights right before London. Those are the longest stays we have. We'll be two nights each in York and then Bacup (near Elizabeth's) to start out the trip. In the middle we have one night stays in the Lake District (Keswick), Chester and then Cardiff. Our other possible day stops along the way will be Carlyle (to see Hadrian's Wall) and Salisbury.

We have to wait until October to buy our railpasses. We can get them at 25% off if we wait, so we will. I think we'll be buying our plane tickets any day now. We're coordinating flights so I'll meet up with Sal when I get to Minneapolis and we'll fly to London Gatwick together. Our flights are the same price ($553) even though I'm flying from San Fran. I think I'll be getting mine through my Visa rewards program so I can use some points to get $100 off. I have enough points right now for a free round-trip ticket but it's only good for domestic travel for no more than $500. I fail on both those counts.

We decided while we were over at the mall today (Target, then Pirates at the cinema, then lunch at Chili's) to check out the luggage departments at Kohl's and Macy's. Sallie and I have the same 21" wheeled bag we bought at Kohl's with Anne a few years ago. I was thinking I could pack light enough to get by with it but it'd be tight with wedding clothes & shoes. Sallie also has a larger wheeled duffle bag that she loves but it's a bit too much for our trip. So we were looking for an in-between option and found one at Macy's. They're having a 50%-off sale this weekend. Lucky us. We bought High Sierra 26" wheeled duffles with backpack straps that are just right. Sal got the grey and I got the black. And we got them for only $80 each (sticker price $240) cuz Sal signed up for a Macy's card so we got even more off!

I'm going to have to stop myself from packing too much now. But I'll try to be strong. There'll just be more room for souvenirs!

Broken Frames

I was fiddling with my glasses last night and they broke. Yes, you read that correctly. The left temple broke right off.

I searched and searched for my other pair but couldn't find them. I did find my old glasses so I'm wearing them today. I feel kinda woozy and tired. I'm hoping to find my other pair tonight while I'm cleaning up for when Sal gets here tomorrow. I just can't remember where I put them. I may have to wear my sunglasses all day if I can't deal with my old ones.

Maybe Sal and I will be shopping for new frames this weekend!

VW Stands for Very Wacked-Out

Why does VW think that showing us people having a nice conversation in a car, tooling down the road, and then getting violently slammed into a car crash makes us more likely to buy their cars?

It makes me angry and not just a bit violated. I don't care that the people in the car survive the crash without injuries. I don't like being surprised like that. It's unfair.

I shouldn't watch TV live anymore. I'll be fast-forwarding through those awful comercials from now on.

Fly Trap

Not too long ago I accidentally left some grapes out for a few days. When I found finally them they were pretty nasty but even nastier was the sudden infestation of fruit flies. They're too quick to catch and too small to swat. How was I ever going to control these pests?

Enter my good friend, jj, and her pearls of home pest control wisdom. She said to put some yummy fly food at the bottom of a bread bag and let it sit open for a few days. Soon the flies will all congregate around the bait and you can close the top of the bag, trapping those annoying pests.

Well, I didn't have a bread bag but I figured any long-necked bag would do so I grabbed a plastic produce bag from the farmers market and tossed in some nectarine pits. I was making banana nut muffins from frozen bananas that day too so I dropped in a couple slimy blackened peels. Boy, did the flies love those! Within a couple days almost all the flies had fallen into the trap. I tied off the top of the bag and now my place is nearly fruit-fly-free.

Thanks for the great advice!

My Annual Test

I work for a non-profit and in order to qualify for workplace giving campaigns (and other reasons) we have an independent audit of our financial records every year. As the bookkeeper, it's my responsibility to prepare documents for the audit and to answer the auditors' questions while they're at our office testing our paperwork and procedures.

The fieldwork was this past week (one of the reasons for being absent from this space all week). All three of the auditors who came to the office were ones who did the audit last year. It was nice to have the same people because they were somewhat familiar with our operation so they didn't have to ask as many questions. Plus I like all three of them and I find it easy to communicate with them (which has not been so true in the past).

I've never had any formal training in accounting or bookkeeping so I depend on the audit to teach me how I can do my job better. This year we focused on our procedures for incoming funds, payroll, authorizing expenditures, etc. It's important that certain responsibilities are kept separate so one person doesn't control too much. In a small non-profit, it's often hard to have enough people to keep things separated. I tend to be in charge of a little bit too much and therefore there's potential for fraud. In our internal culture of trust, we tend to scoff at those risks but that's why we have the auditors -- to keep that risk at a minimum.

I feel really good about the audit this year. I felt more confident in my answers to their questions and didn't feel like I had to pass them over to my boss for more complete or accurate responses. I also made an effort to improve my audit documents and to get advice from the auditors on how I can help make their fieldwork more efficient.

They didn't find any adjustments that had to be made which means that all the items that they tested were done correctly. I'm sure we'll have some recommendations from them on how we should improve our procedures, especially for decisions regarding how funds are spent. It's often been just me and my boss making those decisions but with our new organizational structure we have department directors who will be doing most of that. So our authorization procedures have to change, but that was in the works already.

It'll be an interesting year coming up with all the changes and I hope when my annual test comes around next summer I'll be just as pleased with the results.

What Was Lost Was Found

About eight months ago I received a gift card for local booksellers in the Bay Area as part the holiday bonus my employers gave to the staff. I promptly lost it.

I searched many places where I keep my plastic and many others where I might have put it for safe-keeping. Never did I think to look in the place where I happened to look today.

I pay my bills electronically for the most part. Most are automatic payments to my debit card or my Visa. The one check I write a month is for rent. So a book of checks might last me a long time. It just so happened I wrote September's rent on the last check in my current book today. I removed the stub from my checkbook cover only to see the back of a plastic card hidden beneath it. I wrestled it out and flipped it over.

It was the booksellers gift card from last December. I hope it's still valid! Now, whatever shall I buy?

I Hate Birds

My apartment manager was going to be power-washing the parking places Saturday morning and needed our cars out by 10am. Fine with me. That's when I run errands.

I went to the library and then decided to get my car washed to extend the time I would be away from home in case he got done before I got back. After some shopping at TJs and then at the farmers' market, I returned but he wasn't finished and wouldn't be for awhile. So I parked on the street.

When I went out to my car on Sunday, I was greeted with white crap on my car including the hugest bird dropping I'd ever seen right in the middle of my windshield. Lovely. I guess I parked directly beneath a favorite pooping place. I wouldn't have cared so much but for the car-washing the day before. Stupid birds.

BART Book: Luck in the Shadows

Luck in the Shadows
Lynn Flewelling, 1996
first in the Nightrunner series
Lynn's Author Page at sff.net

Who can resist the story of an orphaned boy rescued from certain death by a mysterious stranger with an even more mysterious past who takes him on as an apprentice and teaches him the ways of his mysterious occupation? Add in a kindly old wizard, a good-natured sidekick with a loving family and danger around every corner and you get a book for the ages. Anyone remember The Belgariad? Well, Luck sure reminded me of it an awful lot. And that has to be one of my favorite stories of all time.

Alec of Kerry, the son of a woodsman, found himself in a bit of difficulty when he was captured while minding his own business. When a passing bard was also thrown into his dungeon cell, his life was changed forever. Seregil, a bard sometimes, a lord sometimes and a lot of other things some other times, recognized something in Alec and took him along when he escaped from the far northern castle. When they ran afoul of angry marines and then later some really really bad black magic, Alec returned the favor and saved Seregil's life taking him home to be healed by the wizard Nysander.

I enjoyed this book throughly and can't wait to get the other two books in the series to see what other trouble these two boys can get themselves and their friends into.

Favorite part: when Nysander performs the innate nature spell on Alec
Least favorite part: that necromancers never die, you have to divide up the body parts so they don't recombine, ugh

Next BART Book: The Art of Detection by Laurie R. King
Previous BART Book: Shark Island by Joan Druett

Books on the Shelf:
Virgin Earth, Philippa Gregory
Out of Circulation, Jo Dereske
Books on Hold:
Dark Tort, Diane Mott Davidson
Final Notice, Jo Dereske
Miss Zukas and the Raven's Dance, Jo Dereske
Stalking Darkness, Lynn Flewelling
Traitor's Moon, Lynn Flewelling
Proven Guilty, Jim Butcher

BART Book: Shark Island

Shark Island
Joan Druett, 2006
second in the Wiki Coffin series
Joan's website

In this second Wiki adventure on the open seas with the U.S. Exploring Expedition, the New Zealander is sent, along with his friend and captain, George Rochester, and others, to check out reports of pirates along the Brazilian coastline at Shark Island.

There they encounter a sealing ship that is damaged and taking on water at an alarming rate. The captain of the sealer is subsequently murdered and Wiki takes on the task of investigating when it appears one of his navy colleagues is a likely suspect. A face from Wiki's past, stories of hidden treasure and another murder, this time of a navy man, combine to make Shark Island intriguing and entertaining.

I could've used a diagram or two during the descriptions of repairing the ship. A lot of the terminology and methods went right over my head. Maybe I should've checked Wikipedia (ha ha).

Favorite part: Wiki's stick
Least favorite part: burnt parrot

Next BART Book: Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling
Previous BART Book: Dead in Vineyard Sand by Philip R. Craig

Books on the Shelf:
The Art of Detection, Laurie R. King
Virgin Earth, Philippa Gregory
Out of Circulation, Jo Dereske

Senior Dental Moment

I knew I had a dentist appointment on Thursday for a cleaning and exam but when I checked my my calendar at work earlier this week it just said I was to leave at 3pm but not what time the actual appointment was. Good thing they called on Wednesday confirming the time (3:30pm). That was my first senior moment.

So on Thursday I left the office right about at 3pm even tho' I knew it wasn't going to take me that long to walk up the hill to the dentist's office. I had finished the book I was reading on the way in to work that morning so I stopped at Borders (it's on the way) to see if anything caught my eye. I figured if I had to sit for any length of time in the waiting room I'd want a book.

Obviously it'd been awhile since I'd been in this Borders. They'd moved the new paperbacks table somewhere I couldn't find it so I headed upstairs to the sci-fi section only to discover that it had been moved too. I finally found it and then walked around trying to remember the author's name who I knew had a new book out. I was seriously having another senior moment.

I finally found Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and grabbed one thinking it was the new one and that I'd not read it yet. I paid the outrageous price (has it been that long since I bought a paperback? the library's seriously spoiled me!) and walked the rest of the way up the hill to the dentist.

I walked in the lobby and realized I had no idea what floor I needed to go to. I'd only been there a couple times when I was getting my crown about a month and a half ago. And checking the directory wasn't going to help me because I couldn't even remember the dentist's name! Yes, I was having a senior day all around. But I knew the floor was somewhere in the 20s but not the 24th which was where my former dentist has his office.

So I took the elevator up to the 22nd floor but that wasn't it. I checked a couple more floors still not finding it and none of the names on the floor directories were ringing any bells. My watch was saying I was going to be late if I didn't figure something out soon and my bladder was saying it needed some attention too which made me remember when I had used the restroom the last time I was there. The men's and women's rooms are on alternate floors and my dentist's floor has a men's room. I had had to go up one flight on my previous visit.

So I went up to the top floor (the 26th) and walked down the stairs checking the floors that had men's rooms. Finallly I found my dentist's office on the 20th floor. Whew!

After getting the key for the restroom and taking care of my bladder, I sat the waiting room for a few minutes reading my new book and wondering why it seemed so familiar. Yes, I had already read it!

BART Book: Dead in Vineyard Sand

Dead in Vineyard Sand
Philip R. Craig, 2006
latest in the J.W. Jackson Martha's Vineyard series
www.philiprcraig.com

Former Boston cop J.W. Jackson isn't supposed to get involved in any murder investigations in his laid-back life on Martha's Vineyard but when he's persuaded to play a round of golf and discovers a body in a sand trap he just can't help himself. Especially since he had an altercation with the deceased in the fish market not long before and with a possible sighting of his banged-up old pick-up he quickly becomes everyone's favorite suspect. Where does J.W. and this latest murder fit in the controversy between golfers, cyclists and long-time island residents? He's never shy about telling you his opinions which is a great reason to read these mysteries.

But it's not all murder and mayhem. There's plenty of Vineyard fun in the sun -- swimming, clamming and sunning with his wife and family. While he's not investigating or thinking about the case, he's planning and building a rope bridge off the backyard treehouse with his two kids who, along with J.W., are big Tarzan fans. I only wish the author had included a diagram so we could see how it was constructed.

Favorite part: I always love it when J.W. goes to the library, and I adore any scene with his kids.
Least favorite part: What's not to like about the Vineyard series? This book is just more of the same.

Next BART Book: Shark Island by Joan Druett
Previous Book: Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton

Books on the Shelf:
The Art of Detection, Laurie R. King
Magic or Madness, Justine Larbalestier
Luck in the Shadows, Lynn Flewelling
Site Unseen, Dana Cameron
Virgin Earth, Philippa Gregory
Out of Circulation, Jo Dereske

Chaise Book: Danse Macabre

Danse Macabre
Laurell K. Hamilton, 2006
latest in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, series
www.laurellkhamilton.org

Wow. This book was a non-stop personal adventure for Anita. She's still dealing with the ardeur and since she's in two triumverates (Jean-Claude/Richard, Nathaniel/Damian) any power she takes from those guys takes away power from herself so she has to find someone else she can feed from until the ardeur cools down (so to speak).

To this end, she and Jean-Claude are "interviewing" possible candidates being offered by visiting Masters of the City while they're in town for a performance of the vampire ballet corps. Anita's not too happy about having to increase her stable but she doesn't have much choice. The sons of a siren and werelions from Chicago are among the possibilities.

Add in a pregnancy scare, dealing with her inner lioness and a visit with the Mother of Darkness and this book had enough stuff going on for several months, much less the few days the book spans. Don't expect a resolution of any ongoing storylines; not much is decided so we're left hanging on for the next book which LKH is writing right now (Edward's in it! Woo hoo!)

Favorite part: the scene in the hospital when they get the results of her pregnancy test
Least favorite part: the ballet, that Adonis guy scared me

Next BART Book: Dead in Vineyard Sand by Philip R. Craig
Previous BART Book: Miss Zukas and the Stroke of Death by Jo Dereske

Books on the Shelf:
Shark Island, Joan Druett
The Art of Detection, Laurie R. King
Magic or Madness, Justine Larbalestier
Luck in the Shadows, Lynn Flewelling
Site Unseen, Dana Cameron
Virgin Earth, Philippa Gregory
Out of Circulation, Jo Dereske

Words I've Looked Up Recently

ersatz: (of a product) made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else

alacrity: brisk and cheerful readiness

dram: a small drink of whiskey or other spirits (often used in humorous imitation of Scottish speech)

theobromine: chemistry: a bitter, volatile compound obtained from cacao seeds. It is an alkaloid resembling caffeine in its physiological effects

viscid: glutinous; sticky

puissant: archaic or poetic/literary: having great power or influence.

assiduity: constant or close attention to what one is doing

redolent: strongly reminiscent or suggestive of (something), poetic/literary: strongly smelling of something

BART Book: Miss Zukas and the Stroke of Death

Miss Zukas and the Stroke of Death
Jo Dereske, 1995
third in the Miss Zukas library mysteries
www.jodereske.com

Miss Helma Zukas has very definite opinions on a lot of things. When her new boss, the past-her-bloom flower-child Ms. Moon (or Moonbeam), was passing out a box of orange slips with dates for her new brain-child, "Camp-Out in a Book," Miss Zukas refused at first to take one because "she never considered committing herself to the unknown." She was smart to be wary because she certainly would not have wanted to spend the night in the library with an unruly passel of ten-year-olds. In fact, she accepted, albeit reluctantly, the offer to be on the library's team for the annual Snow to Surf relay race which just happened to be on the same day as the date on her orange slip. Moonbean had to cover that night's sleep-over. Hee hee.

Her father had introduced her as a young girl to the joys of M&Ms but she ate only the plain ones, slipping one under her tongue. "Helma had never tried a peanut M&M." She took her food out of the fridge and let it sit on the countertop to come to room temperature. "Helma Zukas disliked overly hot or overly cold foods." She chose not wear sunglasses when she went canoeing down the river. She didn't like how they "altered the color of the world."

One of my favorite ongoing quirks of Miss Zukas is that she refuses to acknowledge that the stray cat she paid a vet's bill for is her cat. She calls it Boy Cat Zukas because that's what the vet's office called it and she makes sure he never gets in her apartment. But she somehow bought kitty treats at the grocery store just because they were on sale. Hmm. Not your cat, eh, Miss Zukas?

Favorite part: the descriptions of canoeing down the river, just beautiful
Least favorite part: can't think of one

Next BART Book: Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton
(I may actually read this one at home as it might a little too sexy to read in public.)
Previous BART Book: Black Powder War by Naomi Novik

Books on the Shelf:
Shark Island, Joan Druett
The Art of Detection, Laurie R. King
Magic or Madness, Justine Larbalestier
Luck in the Shadows, Lynn Flewelling
Site Unseen, Dana Cameron
Virgin Earth, Philippa Gregory
Out of Circulation, Jo Dereske
Dead in Vineyard Sand, Philip R. Craig

The Ants Crawl In

Do I win because I kill all the ants that get in? Or do the ants win because they just find another way in while I'm at work or sleeping?

I was shocked to get home this evening and find but one ant to smush. This morning when I went over to my kitchen sink they were streaming in through a crack between the window and its frame. My apartment is just not weather-tight; there are so many places for those tiny insects to get in. I've tried various things to plug up that window but I haven't found anything that works. It really bugs me. I like being able to open that window so I don't want to seal it closed.

I have to say my sink and counter area is the cleanest it's been in awhile. I figure if I leave no food for the ants maybe they'll get the idea and leave.

BART Book: Black Powder War

Black Powder War
Naomi Novik, 2006
third in the Temeraire series
www.temeraire.org

Temeraire, the Celestial dragon, and his captain Wil Laurence have left China and receive orders to collect three eggs in Turkey and return home to England. Instead of taking the more familiar sea route, they hire a guide and travel overland from Macao. They encounter difficulties and dangerous situations along the way but the most interesting is their interaction with a group (covert?) of feral dragons in the mountains. Novik's poignant description of this "uncivilized" society rings true as they have a mismash of personalities—some abrasive, some adorable—and a leader and followers, the same in any place anywhere.

Temeraire continues to push forward his fervent beliefs in a more equal role for dragons in society which were only made stronger by his experiences with his relatives in China. And Laurence, being a voice of reason, tries to bring Temeraire back down to earth (so to speak) with the realities of the current attitudes toward dragons' rights and how, in these times of war, there is little hope of huge change any time soon.

I can't wait to read more in this series to see how far Novik will take her analogy of human rights and slavery in respect to the role of dragons in her fascinating universe.

Favorite part: the hatching of one of the eggs
Least favorite part: the unending battle scenes, they're just not my thing

Next BART Book: Miss Zukas and the Stroke of Death by Jo Dereske
Books on the Shelf:
Shark Island, Joan Druett
The Art of Detection, Laurie R. King
Danse Macabre, Laurell K. Hamilton
Magic or Madness, Justine Larbalestier
Luck in the Shadows, Lynn Flewelling
Site Unseen, Dana Cameron
Virgin Earth, Philippa Gregory
Quidditch Through the Ages, JK Rowling
Out of Circulation, Jo Dereske
Dead in Vineyard Sand, Philip R. Craig

BIRTW on Hiatus

Books I've Read This Week is going on hiatus until I can successfully report that I have indeed read more than one book in a week. I'm concentrating on other things right now which are taking up my time leaving only BART rides for books. I'll report on BART Books in irregular postings as I finish them.

I hope you've enjoyed BIRTW over the last few months as I have enjoyed writing it. Its time may yet come again. Happy Reading!

Scripting Proudly

One of my co-workers left me a list of fixes she needed for the database I'm developing for her group and when I read it the first time I didn't think I'd be able to figure out one of the things she wanted. She wanted the database to search to see if when a new person or organization is entered whether they already existed in the database.

I was able to write a script that finds the combined first and last names or organization name and if there are more than one record in the found set, you get a message saying that you've entered a duplicate name. I was quite proud and excited. Now we'll see if it works when they try to use that script for real.

I Feel the Earth Move

Just had another earthquake. This one felt a lot different than the last few I've felt. Instead of a shortish hard jerk, this one rumbled a bit then got stronger then tapered off. All of that in a just a few seconds.

My TV is the best indicator of an earthquake. It must not be very tightly secured to its base because it creaks quite loudly. I would've thought that my hanging lamp would've moved more than it did. It's still swinging but only just slightly.

I hope my heartbeat calms down soon. I might have to have a cup of tea.

Update: The USGS is saying that it was a 4.4 centered near Santa Rosa, which is quite a ways away from me. I should watch the news tonight and see if there was any damage up that way.

For Lunch Today

I'm finally getting to eat lunch at 2:30! Our IT Manager is leaving in a few weeks so today we had an interview at 1pm for a replacement. But I forgot to eat beforehand so I ran down here afterwards only to get a call from my boss saying can we discuss where we are with the hiring process. That took over a half hour!

So here's what I'm having (finally!): Milton's 100% whole wheat bread (2 slices, toasted), mayo (organic), yellow tomato (organic), peppered turkey breast, salad greens (organic). It sure is tasty! Oh, and I'm drinking milk (non-fat) and might have a nectarine for dessert.

Can't Feel My Legs

My legs felt really weird today. After wearing shorts for the entire week, the temps were finally cool enough to warrant long pants. I was very aware of the soft rub of denim on my shins and the flap of the hems around my ankles as I walked. It felt good.

Books I've Read This Week (July 28)

Back again with BIRTW quickly after the last one, but without much news, I'm afraid. I finished Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik and I'm just into Black Powder War.

In the second book of Novik's delicious Temeraire series, Throne of Jade, we find Temeraire, the Celestial dragon, and his companion, Wil Laurence, on their way to China after being forced to leave England. A Chinese delegation had arrived and the British government, not wanting to insult a world power, agrees to return the dragon to China. The Chinese view Laurence's attachment to Temeraire with disdain but the dragon refuses to go without him. So off they sail around Africa and through the Indian Ocean narrowly escaping an attack of a sea serpent when Temeraire saves the day.

They find the treatment of dragons to be very different in the Far East where the number of indivduals and species is much greater than in Europe. Some dragons are celebrated and indeed worshipped while others are beasts of burden and even go hungry in the streets. Temeraire meets his mother, finds himself courting, and learns how to read and write Chinese characters while Laurence struggles with jealousy, culture shock and the loss of one of his crew, Willoughby, in an attack on their quarters. Temeraire becomes intrigued by the possibilities of dragons having free will, earning wages, and not being bound by the British goverment into military servitude. I'm sure that attitude will not be looked on favorably once our two heroes are back in England.

They have to make it there though which is the focus of Black Powder War. Right now they're struggling overland through deserts and mountains on their way to Turkey to escort some dragon eggs back home. I'll be sad when this book is over and I don't have any more Temeraire and Laurence adventures on my shelf.

Unread books on my shelf at home (too embarrassing!):
If You Could See Me Now, Cecelia Ahern
Shark Island, Joan Druett
Darcy & Elizabeth, Linda Berdoll
The Art of Detection, Laurie R. King
Danse Macabre, Laurell K. Hamilton
Magic or Madness, Justine Larbalestier
Dead Secret, Diane Connor
Luck in the Shadows, Lynn Flewelling
Site Unseen, Dana Cameron
Virgin Earth, Philippa Gregory
Quidditch Through the Ages, JK Rowling
Dead Guilty, Diane Connor

Books on hold at the library:
Dark Tort, Diane Mott Davidson (18 of 19 holds)
Miss Zukas and the Stroke of Death, Jo Dereske (ready for pickup)
Out of Circulation, Jo Dereske (ready for pickup)
Final Notice, Jo Dereske (check shelf)
Miss Zukas and the Raven's Dance Jo Dereske (1 of 1 holds)
Dead in Vineyard Sand, Philip R. Craig (in transit)

I really need to snap out of my slow reading malaise and trim down this list. I'm just distracted by other things right now. I hope I have more to report next time on Books I've Read This Week. Happy Reading!

Too Many Plugs, Not Enough Holes

My officemate Katherine moved back to Tennessee a few weeks ago and I inherited her mini-fridge. I love having my own little icebox to keep all my snacks and lunch ingredients cool. I'm not much of a sharing person when it comes to space and territory. Katherine (and her replacement) had been keeping things in the fridge that really needed to be in a freezer so the temperature setting had been set to the coolest setting. When I moved it over into my space, there was quite a build-up of ice around the tiny freezer shelf. I knew I'd need to de-frost it pretty soon. But I didn't mean last night.

I have a fan, a lamp, a paper shredder, a printing calculator and the refrigerator all vying for one three-pronged extension cord. It's just not enough. Especially yesterday when it was hot (fan) and dark (lamp) and I needed to scan something. So I unplugged the fridge, scanned my documents, and promptly forgot to re-insert the fridge plug.

I arrived in my office this morning to a pool of water surrounding the fridge and when I opened it the ice had fallen from around the freezer shelf onto my food. Damn. I mopped it up as well I could and then unhappily had to dissasemble the pile of boxes from behind the fridge to get to the one on the bottom which had been soaked through from below. I'm glad it had binders in it and not file folders full of bookkeeping papers. That just would not have been fun.

Moral of the story: "don't have more plugs than you have holes" or "Radio Shack is right around the corner and sells power strips, stupid!"

Books I've Read This Week (well, last week July 21)

The temperature in my house was still over 90º when I got home tonight, but since I got a request, I will try to put my brain in motion (no promises). At least there's a bit of a breeze tonight.

As I waited for more Miss Zukas books to come in (see my previous column) I picked up a new author I found on the new book shelf. Well, she wasn't there, silly, but her second book, Shark Island, was. It had a historical and nautical theme and with my recent success with Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon, I thought I would give it a try. And I was lucky enough to find the first book in the Wiki series, A Watery Grave, in the stacks too. Yea!

Wiki, or William, Coffin, the illegitimate son of an American sea captain and a New Zealand Maori native, moved to America when he was 12 and soon after some schooling headed out to sea and served on a variety of ships, mostly whalers. When Grave begins, he is 24 and has signed on to be the interpreter for the U.S. South Seas Exploring Expedition, a real-life mission in 1838. Before even leaving dry land though he is embroiled in a murder, accused, set free, and then appointed a deputy by the local Virginia sheriff to investigate aboard the convoy of ships, where they believe the murderer is.

If you like to read about life onboard big ships and sailing and guns and murder, then this book is for you. I liked it and I'm not that big a ship and gun fan. Wiki is undeniably fascinating and I'm looking forward to seeing what he gets into next in Shark Island.

I finished Grave on my way to work one day so had nothing with me to read on my BART ride home but just happened to have Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at work so I threw it in my bag. That was a bit of a mistake seeing as how I had many books at home which I have not read yet but once I started I couldn't stop. (I do love it so: Dudley and the dementors, the thestrals, the awfully horrifying awful Umbridge, the DA, ah, no, Sirius!) It took me awhile to re-read it so by the time Friday came, and it was too hot to do much but gaze blindly at the television, I found that I hadn't read but one new book the whole week. I suck.

Unread books on my shelf at home (before heading to the library Saturday morning):
If You Could See Me Now, Cecelia Ahern
Shark Island, Joan Druett
Darcy & Elizabeth, Linda Berdoll
The Art of Detection, Laurie R. King
Danse Macabre, Laurell K. Hamilton
Black Powder War, Naomi Novik
Magic or Madness, Justine Larbalestier
Throne of Jade, Naomi Novik
Dead Secret, Diane Connor
Luck in the Shadows, Lynn Flewelling
Site Unseen, Dana Cameron

Books on hold at the library:
Virgin Earth, Philippa Gregory (ready for pickup)
Dark Tort, Diane Mott Davidson (26 of 27 holds)
Miss Zukas and the Stroke of Death, Jo Dereske (in transit)
Out of Circulation, Jo Dereske (in transit)
Dead Guilty, Diane Connor (ready for pickup)
Final Notice, Jo Dereske (check shelf)
Miss Zukas and the Raven's Dance Jo Dereske (1 of 1 holds)
Dead in Vineyard Sand, Philip R. Craig (1 of 1 holds)
Quidditch Through the Ages, JK Rowling (ready for pickup)

Sorry for making you wait so many days for just one book's worth of BIRTW. I'm hoping I can get back to reading more soon as I have many many books whining over there on my shelf. I'm reading Throne of Jade right now and am loving it. Catch you next time on Books I've Read This Week. Happy reading!

Announcement: BIRTW Delayed

Due to over 100º temperatures, the usual Friday column of BIRTW has been postponed indefinitely. Please check back later when I can do more than just sit here and blankly stare at the TV.

your faithful blogger,
bj

Landis is God

Could you believe Floyd Landis this morning at the Tour? After yesterday's bonk and loss of 10 minutes and the yellow jersey, he took over the alpine stage today. On the first climb of the day his Phonak team launched him on a solo breakaway of over 120k. He was flying up those mountains and flying back down. Quite a sight to see. I was proud of him and his response to losing yesterday. He's only 30 seconds out of first with the all-important individual time trial on Saturday. Can he pull back that half-minute? We'll all be waiting on Saturday!

Close Your Ears

Was it just me or was everyone on Rock Star last night singing out of tune? Even my faves, Magni and Toby, were off. I had to fast forward, fast. I'm not sure I care who's getting offed tonight. I'm sure I'll be watching though. I'm such a sucker for mediocre reality TV.

Boycotting Blogging

Now that someone else has returned to blogging, I will too! Yeah! I'm sure you've all missed hearing about all the boring things I've been doing. Like reading and watching baseball. And working. Don't forget the working. Thankfully, the magazine is almost done. Just a few more days of craziness before I can move on to totally immersing myself in bookkeeping. At least, that's what I'm planning. We'll see if that's what I get to do.

We'll I better publish this before Blogger's scheduled outage in four minutes. I can just sneak under the wire.

Auxiliary Library Day

I have to remember to stop at the library tonight on my way home. I remembered this morning to put my book bag in the car so I can go straight there from the BART station. I have so many books due today that I haven't read. I feel bad. But there are some good ones waiting for me when I get there. That should cheer me up.

I hope you all are in a nice cool location. Drink lots of fluids!

My Butt Hurts

I've been sitting way too long in one place without moving around. I need to get out of the office and go home. I'm afraid to go to the East Bay though cuz it was 95º at my house yesterday and it's only about 75º here in SF. I had to use all the available fans in my house in my bedroom to get to sleep last night. Guh. It looks like it's going to be like this all week too. Where is the fog? Where is my natural air conditioning?!

Books I've Read This Week (July 14)

Happy Bastille Day! I wish I could say I was reading a book about France or one taking place in France or even one with some French words in it but, alas no, the book I finished today takes place in Cleveland. Joy.

So, last week I read two new authors that I really enjoyed (Naomi Novik & Beverly Connor) and this week I went 1 for 2. I really enjoyed the Miss Zukas books but I wasn't very impressed with Casey Daniels' Don of the Dead. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

First on the list this week was Micah, Laurell K. Hamilton's first novella in which Anita Blake, vampire hunter, goes out of town on an adventure with only one of her (many) boyfriends. According to LKH's blog (which I read faithfully), she might write a series like this one featuring Anita's various men (I'd like to vote for the werewolf Jason, myself).

In this story, Anita's zombie-raising colleague Larry was scheduled to go to Philly to raise a recently-deceased trial witness but had to cancel at the last second so Anita went instead, along with her wereleopard boyfriend Micah. I always like it when Anita's doing more necromancy or work with the cops than vampire or were politics. I just like mysteries I guess. I also wish that LKH would've spent more time in Anita's storyline on her necromancy training with her witch friend. Oh well. Her books are always good. Why am I complaining? I should be getting the next regular book, Danse Macabre, soon. Can't wait. I hear Richard's back with a vengeance and that Anita might be preggers. Somehow I doubt it.

Next were the first two books in Jo Dereske's Miss Zukas mystery series, Miss Zukas and the Library Murders and Miss Zukas and the Island Murders. Miss Zukas is a librarian in a small city north of Seattle and happily lives alone in a two-bedroom apartment. I have to say I kinda fell in love with her almost immediately. She wouldn't swear, no, but says, "Oh, Faulkner!" instead. She wouldn't throw away a gift she didn't like, no, she keeps them all in her second bedroom, including a painting by her loud and colorful friend, Ruth. Yes, she has a crazy sidekick!

But those things aren't the only reasons why I found myself liking the Miss Zukas books more and more. It turns out that Miss Zukas (and the author) are from Michigan and not too far from where I grew up. I couldn't help exclaiming and laughing out loud when places like Cadillac, Manistee and Frankfort were mentioned in the stories. I'm definitely going to be reading more books by Jo Dereske.

And then there was Don of the Dead. I probably should've realized from the title that it was a mob boss story which is really not my cup of tea. I thought it was going to be a paranormal mystery but the rather unappealing main character Pepper just hit her head on a tombstone (she works in a cemetery) and now can see ghosts. Oh whoop-de-doo. Her first ghost was gunned down in front of his favorite pasta joint and he wants her to figure out who killed him. I'm surprised at the end that she actually got it done what with all her flirting and dating and wearing tight clothes over her humongous boobs. I'd rather read more Charlaine Harris and her great Sookie Stackhouse books.

Unread books on my shelf at home:
Sleep, Pale Sister, Joanne Harris
The Fan, Peter Abrahams
The Memory of Whiteness, Kim Stanley Robinson
Predator, Patricia Cornwell
Gone, Jonathan Kellerman
If You Could See Me Now, Cecelia Ahern

Books on hold at the library:
Virgin Earth, Philippa Gregory (due 7/18)
Darcy & Elizabeth, Linda Berdoll (ready for pickup)
Danse Macabre, Laurell K. Hamilton (in transit)
The Art of Detection, Laurie R. King (in transit)
Dark Tort, Diane Mott Davidson (27 of 27 holds)
Magic or Madness, Justine Larbalestier (ready for pickup)
Throne of Jade, Naomi Novik (ready for pickup)
Black Powder War, Naomi Novik (ready for pickup)
Dead Secret, Beverly Connor (ready for pickup)
Luck in the Shadows, Lynn Flewelling (in transit)
Site Unseen, Dana Cameron (in transit, which is odd since I returned it unread last week and didn't re-reserve it. huh.)

Well, it looks like my hold list might be clearing itself out soon. I'll have to see what's on my unread list in my books database. (I seem to remember there being something like over 40 books...) I'll catch you next week on Books I've Read This Week. Happy reading!

Busy Week

Man, I'm so tired. I can't believe it's only 9:00. I feel like I should've been in bed already for a couple hours.

The magazine schedule got pushed back by a couple weeks so I'm laying it out this week and next, right when I should be spending my time doing the books for June and getting other year-end bookkeeping tasks done so I can start prepping for our annual audit. So I've been working late and hard on the magazine and trying to squeeze in some bookkeeping on the side. Not too mention I have to figure out a lot of magazine-related stuff in the database. Ugh. I sure am glad it's the weekend!

Rockstar: Supernova

So I missed the first week of Rockstar: Supernova. I’m not sure I missed much. The singers don't seem as good as the first season. We’ll see though. There are a couple I hope make it far. I like the Icelander Magni and the Aussie Toby. They can both sing and they look good doing it.

Another reason I might not like this season is that I’m just not that into Tommy Lee (one of the members of Supernova). He’s kinda weird and kinda weird looking. I especially think he reallllly needs to pull up his pants. I'm just seeing way too much TL. I love Jason Newsted though. He was always my old roommate Marla’s favorite Metallican. All I can say about the other dude is please lose the ’stache; it’s really bad.

The website is seriously killer. They've got great animation effects and if you go to the Supernova page you can click on, say, Jason's music picks and listen to the songs in his list (even buy them if you want). Well, supposedly. They don't happen to support my browsers. Thanks a lot, Microsoft.

Well, I'm off to watch the Elimnation Show. I hope Magni and Toby make it through. Then it’s two Project Runway episodes back-to-back. Yes, kids, it’s that time again. Woo hoo!!!!

More Words

Now I'm starting to look up words just for the fun of it. Which one is your favorite?

anneal: heat (metal or glass) and allow it to cool slowly, in order to remove internal stresses and toughen it

cresset: a metal container of oil, grease, wood, or coal burned as a torch and typically mounted on a pole

mnemonic: a device such as a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations that assists in remembering something

epithet: an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned; such a word or phrase as a term of abuse; a descriptive title

tessellate: decorate (a floor) with mosaics, in mathematics: cover (a plane surface) by repeated use of a single shape, without gaps or overlapping (bj: this word was used in reference to an Escher print)

effulgent: shining brightly; radiant; (of a person or their expression) emanating joy or goodness

Poem for Jodi

Rush, rush, rush
Stand to the right, rush on the left
The tread of my sneakers grips the metal stairs
As I descend into the tunnel
Rush, rush, rush
Turn to the right, rush straight ahead
Fremont, Dublin/Pleasanton
Train just arrived
Rush, rush, rush

Can I Do It?

Tonight I'm going to try to leave the TV off. Shocking, I know. But it's the Monday before the All-Star game so there's no baseball games on. I'm not a fan of the Home Run Derby so I'm not going to watch it. And it's a rest day at the Tour so there's no stage to watch again (I slept in this morning!). Hockey's over and so is the World Cup and Wimbledon.

What am I going to do instead? Listen to some podcasts and my newly-downloaded albums from the iTMS? Read a book (with no game on in the background)? Maybe work on my books database? Or download my bank statement to Quicken? So many choices!

Oh, a little red-headed bird just was just on my balcony peeping away. I couldn't reach the camera in time to snap a shot. I'll have to keep it close in case the little birdie comes back. Maybe that's what I'll do tonight. Stalk some birds!

Database of Books

I never seem to know when new books by my favorite authors are coming out. I'm often sheepishly surprised to see one on the new book shelf. I feel like I'm not doing my job as a Faithful Reader when I didn't even know they had released a new book!

So I decided to create a little database this weekend and enter authors, books and series along with websites so I can just click a button and go see what the latest news is. I set up a system for entering when their next book is due to come out and if I've read all their books or not. So can find books soon to be released and I can find books I haven't read yet.

So far I've entered 69 authors, 64 series and 281 books (232 that I've read). I added a whole bunch of authors that I haven't entered books for yet. So I have a ways to go. I was happy to have my BIRTW columns to get my most recent information. I may go back through my emails from the library to get more.

I thought about adding a field for when I read a book, but that just sounds like too much work. I'm not sure I need to track that anyway.

Here's a screenshot of my Authors database (I borrowed the design from our contacts database at work).

Books I've Read This Week (July 7)

Yes, I've dated this BIRTW as the 7th even though I'm writing it Saturday morning while watching the Tour (Lang still leading at 1:02:47 in the ITT). It was just too late after I got done reading last night. After quite a long list last week, I only have a few books this time.

I finished Moving is Murder by Sara Rosett. As I suspected last week, it remained rather boring and unbelievable to the end. Even the culprit was uninteresting and pathetic. Please don't waste your time.

Next was His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik. I had read about this book on a blog I next-blogged into one night. The description of dragons combined with Napoleonic-era British Navy themes was just too interesting to ignore. I reserved it immediately and I am now so happy I did. I loved this book.

Englishman Will Laurence is a mild-mannered captain in His Majesty's Navy when he captures a French man 0' war with an unusual and valuable cargo: a dragon egg. It was already hard and only a few days from hatching so someone on board would have to harness the dragon or it would go feral and its value would be lost. Laurence is relieved when someone else pulls the short straw but the new dragon has other plans and chooses the captain when he speaks to Laurence first. Laurence offers him the name of Temeraire which the dragon accepts. Laurence realizes his life as he knows it is over as the riders in the Aerial Corps live far separate from his now-former cultured life as the son of a gentleman.

So it's on to Scotland and then to the Channel where Laurence and Temeraire (and we readers) learn what it means to be a rider and dragon together in the war against France. I won't reveal more details because part of the fun is learning along with the two boys. There are some good other characters as well; my favorite is one of the young cadets at the Loch Laggan Covert. A nice thing is the author has written two more books in the series that are out already and has more in the works. I can't wait to get Throne of Jade and Black Powder War. You Pern fans out there must check out these books.

Next was a piece of paranormal fluff by Katie MacAlister, Even Vampires Get The Blues. It was fun but nothing special.

I was going to read Don of the Dead by Casey Daniels next as I was feeling paranormal, but I couldn't renew a couple Link+ books that are due today so I started One Grave Too Many by Beverly Connor instead. I wasn't sure about this one at the beginning but I gave it a chance and gradually warmed to the story and the characters as more and more details were revealed.

Diane Fallon, a forensic anthropologist, is the new director at a natural history museum near Atlanta. She was burned out from excavating one mass grave after another in South America so had taken this job in the interest of having a quieter life. She knew she shouldn't but she couldn't say no when a friend asked her to analyze a human bone. A mess of bones, assaults and insults later, the identity of the victim was discovered, the story told, and the murdered caught, all while deflecting a mutiny by her Board of Directors at the museum (and playing a drawn-out and often remote game of chess with her new curator of archeology).

I enjoyed the mystery and science in this book, but I think I enjoyed the interplay of the characters in the museum even more. And Diane has the knack of being able to say to those who challenge her exactly what you would hope she would (see her conversation with the self-serving mayor). After a slow start, she became a well-drawn, sympathetic character with lots of depth and history. I look forward to reading more Diane Fallon forensic investigations (and other books) by Beverly Connor.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to Site Unseen by Dana Cameron, an archeology mystery, and it has to go back today. I'll have to keep it on my Books to Reserve list and actually read it next time!

Unread books on my shelf at home:
Sleep, Pale Sister, Joanne Harris
The Fan, Peter Abrahams
The Memory of Whiteness, Kim Stanley Robinson
Predator, Patricia Cornwell
Gone, Jonathan Kellerman
Miss Zukas & the Island Murders, Jo Dereske
Don of the Dead, Casey Daniels
If You Could See Me Now, Cecelia Ahern

Books on hold at the library:
Virgin Earth, Philippa Gregory (due 7/18)
Micah, Laurell K. Hamilton (ready for pickup!)
Darcy & Elizabeth, Linda Berdoll (1 of 8 holds)
Danse Macabre, Laurell K. Hamilton (3 of 21 holds)
The Art of Detection, Laurie R. King (5 of 13 holds)
Dark Tort, Diane Mott Davidson (29 of 29 holds)
Miss Zukas & the Library Murders, Jo Dereske (ready for pickup)
Magic or Madness, Justine Larbalestier (in transit)
Throne of Jade, Naomi Novik (in transit)
Black Powder War, Naomi Novik (in transit)

So it looks like it'll be a good week for reading at my house this next week. I'll let you know how it goes next time on Books I've Read This Week. Happy reading!

Key, A Key

At the office we have a lockable fireproof filing cabinet that we call the safe. I keep my blank checks in there as well as originals of important papers like audits and tax forms and checks yet to be deposited. I have a key to it on my key chain. Today I unlocked it to look for a letter from our auditors.

I was walking towards my apartment door a few minutes ago and reached into my right pocket where my keys normally hang out. They weren't there. Where were they? Yes, back in the safe keyhole. Great.

I do have two extra keys to my apartment. Where were they? INSIDE MY APARTMENT! Where they could do no good. You must have assumed by now that since I'm happily typing away to you so soon after this realization that I was saved. And I was.

Luckily Jim, my apartment manager, was home and more than willing to let me in. First he had to commiserate with me about being locked out and try to push on me several potential solutions to any future keyless dilemmas. I just really wanted to get inside out of the hot sun and take off my shoes (and other things).

I promise to get a BIRTW done as soon as I've finished up some reading tonight. I have two non-renewable books due tomorrow that I really must read before any more blogging may commence. So I'll just get right to it.

Weaver Traded to Cardinals

So Jeff is now a Cardinal and will join the St. Louis rotation according to Yahoo! Sports (don't believe the story that he's 6-10; he's not, he's 3-10). That's okay with me. At least it wasn't the Yankees or Red Sox or Mariners. I can get behind the Cards. I even have family in the area. I wonder when he'll start. They need pitching help with Mulder hurt and their other starters not doing so hot.

p.s. so sorry, jenjen, Verlander didn't make it. I do enjoy AJ though.

Final All-Star Voting

I'm not that tied into the MLB All-Star Game this year. It just doesn't interest me that much.

However, while chatting with Mike this evening he posed the question of who I would be voting for for the final roster spot. I didn't understand what he was getting at until I mentioned Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers (10-4, 3.13 ERA) and he was understandably upset I hadn't chosen Francisco Liriano of his Minnesota Twins (9-1, 1.99).

As I have not much loyalty either way, the first person to leave me a comment requesting my vote will get it. So let's see some comments!

Words I Looked Up Recently

I spent most of the day reading today. Here's another list of words I looked up recently:

limn: depict or describe in painting or words

sumptuary: relating to or denoting laws that limit private expenditure on food and personal item

cantrip: a mischievous or playful act; a trick

atropine: a poisonous compound found in deadly nightshade and related plants. It is used in medicine as a muscle relaxant, e.g., in dilating the pupil of the eye

venn diagram: a diagram representing mathematical or logical sets pictorially as circles or closed curves within an enclosing rectangle (the universal set), common elements of the sets being represented by the areas of overlap among the circles

meme: an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, esp. imitation

spurious: not being what it purports to be; false or fake; (of a line of reasoning) apparently but not actually valid

trope: a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression

extant: still in existence; surviving (especially of a document)

prodigious: remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree

encomium: a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly

provenance: the place of origin or earliest known history of something

bugbear: a cause of obsessive fear, irritation, or loathing

inculcate: instill (an attitude, idea, or habit) by persistent instruction

solecism: a breach of good manners; a piece of incorrect behavior; a grammatical mistake in speech or writing

Not the Big One

I just felt an earthquake about 10 minutes ago. The USGS says it was only a 2.5 but, since it was so close, it sure felt like more than that. My hanging things didn't swing very much though. That's always a good sign.

Pixel Patterns

Here's something fun in Photoshop: creating your own patterns. I found this tutorial today so I made a couple patterns. I'm not sure exactly how useful they might be, but it was fun to create something small and see the patterns it makes when multiplied a few times. Here's the progression of one my attempts.

The quarter pattern I first created with the pencil tool:



The quarter copied and rotated into the full block pattern:



Used as a pattern in Photoshop:


(click for a larger image)

Lost Words

I discovered digg today and found a link to The Phrontistery and its list of words that have been lost to the English language. Very amusing.

Here's ee23246's original comment:

"Lost words" are words that were removed from dictionary since they were assumed to be out-dated or unfit for modern English.Here's a comprehensive list of such words."

read more | digg story

Best Tour on (Google) Earth

The other night while I was looking around for cycling and Tour de France news, I found a link to download the Tour route to Google Earth. It is so cool. It shows the climbs and sprints and feeding stations as well as the kilometer marks and waystation points along the way so you can follow along from town to town with the cyclists. It has a live function too but I have to admit that I haven't been getting up early enough for that. I'm just following along with Phil and Paul on my DVR.

I wish OLN would give us the town names more often though. I can't always see the physical landmarks well enough to figure out where they are. It seems, for the first couple stages anyway, that Google Earth doesn't have the highest resolution images in France. I was able to see really close yesterday only for a little while. In fact, the bridge they used to cross the Rhine into Germany from France wasn't built yet when the Google Earth images were taken. It looked, according to Google Earth, that they were riding right across the water!

No, No, on the No-No

I finally attended my first A’s game of the season this afternoon and, boy, was it fun. I met up with Sarah at the BART station and then with Tree, Ron and Tree’s dad, Mat, inside in section 119—primo seats in the shade. The match-up was uninspiring on paper: Loaiza for the A’s vs. Batista for the D-backs. I kinda expected both of them to get hit around. I couldn't have been more wrong (at first).

Arizona went down 1-2-3 in the first—as did the A’s. Then Loaiza walked Gonzo and hit Shawn Green in the second but a fielder's choice and a pop-up left them both on base—the A’s were out 1-2-3. For the third inning we had matching 1-2-3s. Gonzo got on again in the fourth, this time with a double, but was left stranded again—the A’s were out 1-2-3. The fifth saw an amazing running catch by Kotsay then a long fly ball he couldn't catch by DaVanon but he too was left on—the A’s were out 1-2-3. Are you getting the picture?

The D-backs got two guys on again in the sixth only to strand them—the A’s were out 1-2-3. Have you been counting along? That's a perfect game by Batista through six innings. Pretty cool. However, we were rooting for the A’s (except Mat who's from Tempe). Arizona had threatened with guys in scoring position in four innings but had left six guys on without scoring. It was a pretty exciting 0-0 tie. That was all to end in the seventh.

Can you say "batted around"? Loaiza gave up a double and four singles and his replacement Saurbeck gave up one of each allowing the D-backs to score six runs in the top of the seventh. But the question remained: Could Batista hold on to his perfect game? The answer was happily no. With two out, Bobby Crosby drew a walk and the perfect game was gone. Then up came The Big Hurt and out went the baseball. The no-hitter and shutout were history. Sorry, Batista, you'll have to make do with a 7–2 win on the road and a series win vs. the A's. Not bad for you guys.

Oakland will try to salvage a win tomorrow with Zito on the mound. Let's hope the A’s bats can squeak out more than three hits against 8-3 Brandon Webb who’s lost his last three straight decisions. Go A’s!