It's a major award! I won it!

I've been given one of those award/tag types of things by Cooper. Who had GREAT books on his list and also tagged Lime, and she had some of my favorite books on her list too.

Also, neither of them followed the rules (list 5 books) so I feel better about my inability to do so.

Here is my first choice.

 It is, um, a multi-volume poetry anthology, yeah, that's the ticket.

I still need to add a couple books to the set, but I am still pretty happy with it.That is book #1. 

Book #2 The Scarlet Pimpernel.

 This is a book my mom read to us at bedtime over the course of a month or so and it carried me away completely in a way that is hard to describe. I  was about 13 at the time, and loved this story beyond any comprehension.

Book #3 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

 Strictly speaking, I am referring to the first of the 5 books in the trilogy, but I find the entire set transporting. 

A non-fiction collection of essays might seem an odd inclusion on a list of books for people who refuse to live in the real world, but if anyone could write essays that transport me from the real world, it's David Foster Wallace.

# 4 Consider the Lobster

Lastly,

#5 The Baroque Cycle

Although this is classified as sci-fi it is some of the best historical fiction ever, and it is total geeknip (like catnip, but for geeks). If you are looking to be transported for a couple weeks, this is a great way to do it (each book is approximately 1,000 pages). Stephenson definitely creates a world for his readers, in all his books, and by the way, I really sort of wanted to include a couple others in this list, but decided to just go with this. Alternately, if this is just too geeky for you, you can get your transportation away from the real world time-travel-y style via Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.

I am not super into the tagging thing, but

Actonbell, Grunt, and Jocelyn,

if you want in on this action, consider yourselves invited.

The news

Mr. Logo has a new job, w00t!
He starts at the beginning of next month and will be doing the same  sort of work (process improvement).
This is a good thing because we need a new dishwasher, and new struts on his car, and a cord of firewood.

Thing Two and Mr. Logo are in a community play scheduled for November performances, it has a Thanksgiving theme. Thing One has been the most active actor in the family of late but with his 4 AP classes just getting started he figured he better allot plenty of time for his studies. 

He half-assed his summer AP English assignment thinking he was going to have the same teacher he had last year and could get away with it. HOWEVER, she moved. His teacher this year has a very sensitive bullshit meter and I am impressed with him. Thing One is regretting the lame effort he put forth this summer and feeling some  pressure to do well on his first paper. Mama like.

I am preparing to teach a class based on the book Mini-weapons of Mass Destruction 2. We will do a little discussing of the physics behind the weaponry but really, it is going to be a lot of building cool stuff. :D should be awesome.

I am also teaching a current events class... which should be interesting. If the parents come after me with pitchforks and torches I will have Mr. Logo post a nice eulogy. We are going to start out with a conversation about poverty and illiteracy around the world and especially here in the US.

I am also teaching an online literature and writing class with a friend. This will be our first foray into online instruction and this class is serving as our little lab rats. Not sure how it will go but I have high hopes.

ALSO, since the grand plan calls for Thing Two to head off to high school next year so I am starting the application process for the University of Washington Library Science program. I really hope they want me, I hope, I hope, I hope...

My theme song for today

Change your Mind

RIP, Molly

Today is the birthday of Molly Ivins, who once said: 

"I am not anti-gun. I'm pro-knife. Consider the merits of the knife. In the first place, you have to catch up with someone in order to stab him. A general substitution of knives for guns would promote physical fitness. We'd turn into a whole nation of great runners. Plus, knives don't ricochet. And people are seldom killed while cleaning their knives." 
Regardless of your stance on gun rights, you have to admit that is funny. Knives, one must also admit regardless of the stance of gun rights, are somewhat impractical for hunting larger animals.

Of Bill Clinton she wrote—"If left to my own devices, I'd spend all my time pointing out that he's weaker than bus-station chili. But the man is so constantly subjected to such hideous and unfair abuse that I wind up standing up for him on the general principle that some fairness should be applied. Besides, no one but a fool or a Republican ever took him for a liberal." 

Of George W. Bush she said— "The next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be president of the Unites states, please, pay attention."

Molly died in 2007 of breast cancer. She was 62.

I made this!

So, I likes the art.

I think we've discussed this.

I decided to take an art survey class about ancient art. 

It seemed like it would be fun, interesting, and educational. 

Yeaaaaaaaah...

well, turns out the very enthusiastic instructor is of the opinion that the best way to appreciate ancient art is to replicate it. I am entirely convinced but here are my efforts, by era.

Cave painting, a la French caves. 

Merde.

hieroglyph panel of spending eternity in the afterlife doing the stuff I like to do now, reading, riding my motorcycle (make sure you bury that with me) and playing around online. There are laptops and interwebz in the afterlife, yah?

Here is my version of a Greek vase using red-figure and black-figure techniques. 

 Here is my, badly lit, mosaic. It is possible I phoned this one in.

So there ya have it, everything I know about ancient art.

Hyperbole is the best thing EVER!

Seen this lately?  I have. Researched it. This chart overstates and doesn't credit sources. *sigh*
The real US statistic is closer to half this one, which is bad enough. Why lie?

In other news,
Thing One and Thing Two are seeing the end of summer loom menacingly before them. They have new school clothes and fresh pencils. Soon, soon it will begin.

My dad decided to sell his house. My sister and I went to help him sort out my mom's stuff. It was quite a job. Her toothpaste and toothbrush were still in the bathroom drawer. Everything was exactly as she left it.
We also had to empty the whole house, and believe me, there was no shortage of stuff.
10,000 pounds went to the dump. 5 SUV loads went to local thrift shops, and we still have more to go.
That doesn't count the furniture, odd and ends, and 40 some-odd Rubbermaid tubs full of stuff dad decided to keep.

My bro-in-law is currently replacing walls, windows, toilets, flooring, and miscellaneous odd and ends.We are all headed over there to help paint this week, which should be the tail end of the prep. I am just hoping it sells fast.

My sister plans to move and the bro-in-law is going to add a little cottage for dad to live in. He will divide his time between my house and hers, and that is probably better for him in the long run, especially since home maintenance has never been his passion.

Also, Mr. Logo has been offered a job. That is a pretty good thing.

Need a button?

Shakespeare is the man, this STILL works.

I thought when my kids got older, this would get better... turns out no.

This political cycle, this is occurred to me more than once.

Check out beanforest.

I can never scroll though without laughing out loud, no really, not like "lol" but REALLY laughing.