weddings

Dear Malkalips,


I still miss you. It was five years ago today that I had to let you go. That was the hardest thing I've ever done.

You were with me from the time you were three days old. The person who threw you out of a moving car was the definition of evil, but something wonderful came out of it. I've always had pets, but you were far and away more than that. For eighteen years, you were my almost constant companion. And you were one of the best friends anyone could ever hope for.

I still miss you. But you were so sick, and in so much pain that I promised that when the bad days outnumbered the good ones I would let you go. And I did, but it hurt me more than anything else ever has.

I have other cats, one of which you knew. And I love them, they're good pets. But there will never again be another you.

It's been five years, and I still miss you. Thank you for having been so important to me and for having been the greatest cat ever.

Really compelling essay: Why I Won't Be Attending My High School Reunion

So many comments that it broke the blog.

A gorgeous (and short!) essay on Alexandria and the tradition of learning there by sannion, for anyone interested in the world of Hand of Isis and Stealing Fire.

Since I'm all gummed up...had another shitty day, but I've decided I'm not going to let summer school get me down (and I'm watching 300...I don't care that it's a politically incorrect, jingoistic piece of testerosterone laden machismo, I find it highly entertaining and always puts me into a good mood.)...I noticed I've been very out of the LJ loop, so to speak, I thought I'd share some book reviews. I'm not nearly as quick as tk42one is, but here's a few recent reads:

First up is Aurelia by Anne Osterlund. This book caught me by surprise. I don't remember exactly how I found it, but having read a sample somewhere online I picked it up. Now clearly I am not the demo for this, but considering I wanted to do some research on writing about a princess, I thought I might give it a try. And I wasn't disappointed. In many ways it reminded me, very superficially, of A Games of Thrones in that it's a murder mystery (which when you think about it, that's all AGOT is...and that's why it's brilliant...anyway, I digress). It's not presented as a fantasy, but it's clearly a fantasy world (in the same way Alexander's Westmark is a fantasy...another series I have to read). There are two POV character and they are both likable. Princess Aurelia isn't as annoying as most fictional princesses and Osterlund knows how to play with the trope, making her interesting and sympathetic. The same can go for the spymaster's son, Robert. He's every bit the country bumpkin Ben is in Winter's Discord at times, but others times he is not. The world is familiar, but unique enough that there are hints at greater conflicts that could be explored in later volumes. There are a few moments where Osterlund gets caught up in some of the teenaged mellodrama but they are few and far between. I highly recommend the book.

Second, sleigh 's A Magic of Twilight. Now considering the hype this book was getting, it'd have to have been A Storm of Swords for it to live up to that hype, which is unfortunate, because it is an excellent book but the hype was so much that I finished it feeling "disappointed." Again, it's unfortunate, because it's really, really good. I loved the "mini-chapters" in "macro-chapter" format that seems to be all the rage now in fantasy novels (Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie, Brian Ruckley) and the characters are all very good. It had all the plot twists and turns that I love in a novel of this type, I just had trouble really getting into the whole religion vs. science theme that drove the primary conflict. Also, while I understood why it was done, but I could have done without the complicated naming traditions and the titles that make the first third of the book cumbersome to read. Even when I got used to what they meant, I still found myself thumbing to the back to see what things meant. I would have been satisfied with "mage" or "wizard" or "priest/priestess" instead of "teni" or "empress" instead of "kraljiki" and not thought less of the story. A great book that was maybe a bit overhyped, but a great book I'd recommend.

Third book of the day to review...a bit of a surprise...Reiksguard by Richard Williams. A media tie-in novel to the Warhammer universe, this book caught me totally off guard. I read a sample online and thought. "Why not?" I mean a book about an elite order of knights in a powerful nation dealing with provincial rivalries in the face of the great danger...hmm, sounds vaguely familiar...is right up my alley. And I loved it! Combine nonsensical rivalries based on where someone lives and the way they talk mixed with military politics along with some great battle scenes along the way and you've got a good book. It's not perfect. It drags a bit at times and there's some funky character turns, but for the most part it's a quick, entertaining read that has a great tone for what I'm looking for in my own writing sometimes. I didn't feel like I needed to understand game mechanics to enjoy the story (a regretful flaw in too many tie-ins) and while I had to study up on the Warhammer universe a little bit, it didn't take long to understand the world and what was going on in it. Only negative: a severe lack of compelling female characters. But considering I'm watching 300, maybe this was a good book to end on.

I'm presently reading a coupling of things....The Steel Remains, The Heart of Darkness and Friday Night Lights.

http://twolumps.net/d/20090717.html

Two Lumps comic for Friday, July 17, 2009

Okay, so Lia wanted to make her own wedding cake. That's cool and U'i was all for it (our chef in the making). I told the girls test out the intended recipe before committing to this action, know what I mean?

Of course, it never happened. U'i made the cake yesterday. Do you see me shaking my head? The wedding is on Saturday and they made the cake on Thursday (For the first time mind you). Did I mention how expensive cake "stuff" is? O man! I bought 10 bottles of red food coloring that varied in price from $3 to almost $4...?!? 4 boxes of cake flour at $3+ a box, and then the regular stuff that (thankfully!) I had on hand. Yes, I know there are cheaper places to get the stuff, and in bigger quantities, but Lia was supposed to get it months ago, not me at the last second.



The first two layers came out fine, but the biggest turned out dry. The girls had to leave for Lia's pre-wedding party, so they couldn't bake a new one. Hopefully, they will finish up today so the cake can settle and cool down in the fridge before decorating. Nothing like waiting til the last second!



Well, I'm off today, so I can help where I'm needed. Still need to finish cleaning the house and getting ready for "company". I still don't know who's actually coming or how many. Here's U'i after the cake:



O yea! Guess what else happened? If you look at the above picture, you can see a beautiful blue bag that contained 5 satin ties to match the bridesmaids' dresses. U'i's friend's mom made them for Lia. Her poor struggles are legendary (; ) ). Anyway, Lia wanted to make sure they were safe (the ties), so she took them with her and promptly lost them. I kid you not! They are gone, along with a brand new pair of Vans shoes for the best man.

When is the wedding again? Saturday? U'i's friend is frantically trying to make new ties ('cuz Lia can't find the colors she wants- she tried everywhere) in time for Saturday. Huh!

Well, I need to get my butt off the computer and get to work. I'll post pics when this is over and life returns to "normal".

I love it!



Some threads *I* think you should comment on:

Sarah Walker
Jo Harvelle
Parker (Leverage)
Vala Mal Doran
Elle Bishop
Claire Bennet

How Rodney decided the entire future of the Pegasus Galaxy in his first ten minutes in Atlantis.

( Dialing Athos )

Other people on my flist are posting about weird dreams they had and I figured I would do the same.

Last night I had a very vivid and detailed dream about my old dance studio. Complete with people I took dance lessons with back then. We were all grown up but there learning a dance for some kind of reunion thing. It was weird because I haven't thought about any of that stuff in aaaaaages. I was a dancer for thirteen years but I quit in high school because I got involved in marching band and it took up a lot of my time.

I'm half tempted to look up some of those folks on Facebook now. Except for the part where I don't know that I'd necessarily have anything to say to them. Speaking of FB, I got two friend requests from people I knew in High School that I don't even think I would consider old friends and I haven't decided if I want to accept them or not. The whole reason I made my FB unsearchable was because I didn't want random people finding me. But I made the mistake of adding one of the few people from high school I still don't mind being in contact with and... *sigh*

Anyway, it's Friday and I have Starbucks. So woo for that.

dear tinkerbell,

you know i love you, but you drive me (and mommy j) completely insane today.
the "i'm a rebel i'll take the house apart" behaviour is getting old very fast, love.
especially when we're both not feeling so well.

get back down to earth ok?
you're so adorable when you're not trying to chew our hands off.

thanks and love,
mommy

I just wanted to add a thank you to everyone who has supported and/or been a loyal friend over that time. You guys rock ! :D

Kate Out

Today is exactly 18 months since I started Hormones - yay boobies! :P

That is all .. other than to note, with hindsight, things happen faster than you expect - so when looking ahead, waiting, one should always remember that and make sure the message hits the patience gene :)

Kate Out

Dear ye with no self-preservation instincts to speak of:

Get away from the door.

On the other side of the door are over-excitable big doggies that, while okay with cats individually, will quite literally mob-mentality you, and you will not win.

So get away from the door, quit using your old tricks to open it (I've foiled that, my pretties), and quit meowing over it before I snap. IT IS 3:30AM. LET THE REST OF THE HOUSE SLEEP.



Love, mommy.