2 Nov 11

Last Meal

Day two of NaBloPoMo! Today’s question is: If you knew that whatever you ate next would be your last meal, what would you want it to be?

At first I thought that I would like to have my favourite goodies. Maybe some tasty potato chips, some poutine, some pasta. You know, pig out on all the things I love to eat (and probably already eat too much of). But, you know, I think I would want something special, like very fresh salmon sashimi, tuna and salmon sushi, filet mignon teppanyaki, baked bire with cranberries spread over a soft French loaf, and a pitcher of cold, clean water. And for dessert, fresh, light, delicious strawberry cheese cake.

Yum, yum! Maybe I should save this for my birthday menu? lol!

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1 Nov 11

NaBloPoMo

November is a lot of things: Movember (which I can’t participate in for obvious reasons, and the husband can only grow a creepy Asian guy moustache that is likely to get him put on a sexual offenders list), NaNoWriMo (which I can’t participate in as I have a 3 1/2 year old child at home who demands feeding and bathing, and there are all those Christmas gifts I need to make still…), and NaBloPoMo. And since NaBloPoMo only requires a short blog entry every day (prompts provided if needed), I can manage that.

Except, well, I didn’t find out about it until November 2nd. So, I’ve actually backdated this post. Yeah, that is kinda cheating. But! I did post on my other blog, Reflections in the Pond, yesterday, so I figure I’m still good. Will I be able to post on both blogs every day this month? Doubtful, but I will try.

So, the prompt for November 1st is: What is your favourite part about writing?

My favourite part about writing is getting the thoughts out of my head and on to paper/the computer screen. Sometimes there are just too many of them bouncing around inside for me to be able to sort them out. When I get them on the screen, I can figure out what I believe, or what I know, or what I want to know.

My second favourite thing about writing is sharing knowledge or ideas with other people. And it is always fantastic when a conversation is started, and all the participants learn something.

And my third favourite thing about writing is entertaining, although I think I need to work some more on that. I think I’m funny, but it doesn’t come across in my writing.

 

If you are interested in taking part in NaBloPoMo, head over here to sign up.

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31 Oct 11

Happy Halloween!

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14 Oct 11

Visiting Las Vegas

Last month the husband and I managed to escape to Las Vegas for a much needed, if somewhat short, holiday. We stayed in a fabulous room at the Cosmopolitan, ate some great food, and saw a wonderful show.

Even though the view from our room was amazing…

Veiw of the Bellagio Fountains from Balcony

… that really wasn’t the best part. If you look around in Vegas, you will find quite a bit of beauty mixed in with all the harsh glamour and brittle façades. One of my favourite places to look for beauty is the little rain-forest garden in the middle of the Mirage.

Old fashioned three reel slot machines may be next to impossible to find in Vegas now, but at least there is still some really beauty tucked away in some very unlikely places.

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23 Aug 11

Slowing Down to a Snail’s Pace

I’m not the most relaxed person in the world. I like to get things done rather than doddle along. I don’t spend a lot of time standing around thinking about how to do something, nor do I stop to smell the roses along the way. I want my errands done and all my tasks taken care of so I can get back to my book or my stitching. But, having a preschooler to shepherd around all the time is making me slow down and notice things.

Banded wood snail, Cepaea nemorialis

 

Field Bindweed

 

Vine

 

Funny how pests can be so pretty.

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16 Aug 11

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Top 100

I was lucky enough to recently be given a Kobo by my husband. And, while I have never really given up reading (I currently average about four books a month), it has more than rekindled my love affair with a good book. Being able to have so many books at hand all the time has meant that I’ve been searching out really good reads, and coincidentally, NPR has just released their list top sci-fi and fantasy novels as voted by their listeners. It looks like there is a good several years of great books here.  (I have read all the bolded titles, and read at least part of the ones in italics.)

 

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien

2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

3. Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card

4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert – My favourite sci-fi book is Dune, without a doubt.

5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin – Well, I’ve only read book one, but I have all the rest.

6. 1984, by George Orwell

7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov

9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman

11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan – I gave up after book 1. It was kinda boring to me. Maybe I will try it again one day.

13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell – My high school boyfriend did a report on this book. I doubt I will ever read it. (Bitter, much?)

14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson

15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore

16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov – I’ve read all his Robot series, actually.

17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein – Meh.

18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss – Fabulous!!

19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick

22. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King – I’ve only read the first book, way back in high school.

24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke

25. The Stand, by Stephen King – I read the long version, back in high school again. I was on a bit of a Stephen King kick for a little while.

26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson

27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury

28. Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut

29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman

30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess

31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein

32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams

33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey

34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein

35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller – Weird.

36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells

37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne

38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys

39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells

40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny

41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings

42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley

43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson

44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven

45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin – I highly recommend this.

46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien –  I read this quite a long time ago, so I don’t remember much about it.

47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White

48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman

49. Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke

50. Contact, by Carl Sagan

51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons – I’ve read this a few times. Weird but good.

52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson

54. World War Z, by Max Brooks

55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle

56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman

57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett – I’ve read every Discworld book. They are really good, and lots of fun.

58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson

59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold – On my list to read very soon.

60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett

61. The Mote In God’s Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind

63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke

65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson

66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist

67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks

68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard

69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb

70. The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger

71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson

72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne

73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore

74. Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi

75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson

76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke

77. The Kushiel’s Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey

78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin

79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury

80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire

81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson

82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde

83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks

84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart – I’ve read the whole series, at least three times.

85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson

86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher

87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe

88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn

89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan

90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock

91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury

92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley

93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge

94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov

95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson

96. Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis

98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville

99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony – I haven’t read any of the books from the past few years.

100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis

 

Well, that sure is an interesting list. I would add:

– The Sheep Look Up and Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner
– Ilium/Olymos series by Dan Simmons
– Otherlands series by Tad Williams
– Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
– Foundation series by Issac Asimov

And if the list were expanded to historical fiction, I could add a whole pile more. I loves me a good book. 😉

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9 Aug 11

Increasing Happiness

I’ve been hearing a lot about happiness over the past year or so. I read Gretchen Rubin’s book The Happiness Project and the study that ranked the world’s countries in order of happiness (Canada came in at a respectable number 8, tied with Costa Rica, New Zealand and Israel; the US came in at number fourteen, tied with Austria), and there was also the Ted Talk from the Babble.com publishers that examined the highs and lows of happiness throughout our lives.


Happiness, I think, is both transitory and absolutely necessary. And, as a mother of a rambunctious  pre-schooler. and also in the midst  of some unknown health problem that completely saps my energy, I’m trending a little bit down in my happiness. (You can only say “no” to a pre-schooler so many times before you wish your head would just fall off.) At the same time, I have these fabulous moments of pure joy, like when we realized that Baby Man can read a few words or write his name, or when finishing a big project, or even just when my husband hugs me.

What I would love to do is find a way to bring more happiness into my life. Not necessarily those moments of pure joy, but just sort of a low level of happiness and contentment that is always with me. And, wouldn’t you know, I found the perfect post on Tiny Buddha.

What it comes down to is finding out where I am happy, what I am doing when I am happy, and what makes me unhappy. Some things I can’t change. Baby Man is a pre-schooler, and they are difficult to deal with sometimes, but I can try to change the way I deal with him. As for other things, well, I guess I have my work cut out for me.

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6 May 11

Advice from Samuel Butler

A little while ago I posted a bit about [amazon_link id=”006158326X” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Happiness Project[/amazon_link] and some of the guidelines I came up with for myself. One of the most important to me was “What you like is what you like, and realize it is okay to want to like things but still not like them.” And, today, just when I needed a reminder, this quote showed up in my inbox this morning, from the Happiness Project daily email:

“I should like to like Schumann’s music better than I do; I dare say I could make myself like it better if I tried; but I do not like having to try to make myself like things; I like things that make me like them at once and no trying at all.”
— Samuel Butler

It’s kind of reassuring to know that there are lots of people out there who struggle with being themselves, even successful Victorian authors.

Oh, and for the record, I actually do like Schumann’s music. 😉

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3 May 11

Protests, Earthqaukes, Weddings and More

Well, it sure has been an exciting year so far, hasn’t it? Protests in the Middle East, an earthquake New Zealand and another one in Japan that has nearly lead to a serious nuclear event, more protest in the Middle East, the royal wedding in Britain, the death of Osama bin Laden (that means terrorism is over right? Yeah, I didn’t think so), and finally, a federal election here in Canada.

At the risk of sounding trite, the world really is a small place now. A century ago, many of these events would have barely registered up here in Canada. But, today all of these events resonate deeply with us. We raise money for the earthquake victims and worry about how the potential meltdown of a nuclear reactor on the opposite side of the globe will effect our air and water. We can view a satellite picture of Osama Bin Laden’s compound on Google Maps, and watch a video of President Obama watching the mission happen. And as for the royal wedding, if you missed any part of it, just head over to YouTube and watch it until your heart’s content. (Anyone else remember having to be awake to see Diana and Charles get married?) And, thanks to CCTV, we can even see the celebrations after the fact.

The federal election is a bit of a different animal. While our political parties did make some use of the Internet in their campaign, it seemed to be more of an afterthought rather than a fully realized plan. And, there are laws in Canada that make early reporting of poll results through services like Twitter and Facebook illegal. (Actually, all early reporting is illegal. This is partly because the amount of voters living in the middle of the country. Officials do not want the results of those votes to effect how voters further west, in different time zones, vote.)

Once polls are closed, though, the  Internet comes into its own. Results are shown, comments made, videos show up on all the news sites. And, we can see who was and wasn’t elected. And, the story of last night was the Conservative majority government and how the leader of the Liberal party, Michael Ignatieff, was not elected. (He was running in my riding, which is historically strongly Liberal. But this time around a Conservative was elected.)

It will be interesting to see what the remainder of the year brings. More protests in the Middle East, I’m sure. And, hopefully they will lead to more democratic reforms. And, with luck, we may hear about a royal pregnancy. And, I’m pretty sure there will be some brouhaha up here in Canada with regards to Internet pricing and surveillance. Hopefully the outcome of bin Laden’s death will only be positive, and hopefully things in Japan continue to improve. Most of all, hopefully we all end 2011 better than we began it.

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24 Apr 11

Happy Easter

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