Five Things That Didn't Happen in The Children of Earth

( Spoilers  )

I have five dreamwidth codes to give away. First come first serve ...


ETA: include your email in you comment. I'm screening them for privacy.

I didn't do too well on resolutions this year. I only kept one - breaking up with Smallville. Pretty much failed on the less-junkfood and more sleep ones. I read 77 books this year, about 10 more than last year, so that's an improvement.

Below the cut is list of the books I read in 2008, in the form of a poll.
( Which of these books have you (ever) read? )
If I had to pick my top five they would be:

1. Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) by Carol Tavris
   
2. Superstition: Belief in the Age of Science by Robert L Park
   
3. Half a Crown by Jo Walton
   
4. Torchwood: Almost Perfect by James Goss
   
5. Abortion & Life by Jennifer Baumgardner
   

Resolutions for this year:

1. Read more good novels so my top five list won't be so dominated by non-fiction.
   
2. Improve my lifestyle (gets sleep, diet, and exercise in one resolution, so if I break it I only break one.)
   
3. Learn a new skill.
   
4. Declutter my home.
   
   

Gakked from fajrdrako



Considering that today I made my first political donation since, well, possibly ever, (to No on 8) this is probably the right result.

That was fun! We could nitpick the science to death, but that's usually the case. But ( I was rather amazed that )

A manip contest sponsered by cracked.com.

( My favorites are )

( I finally watched the last four episodes of Smallville. )

So Battlestar Galactica is almost over. How long until we get the rest of this season? ( About that last cylon ... )

11 movies saved by historical inaccuracy and other lists at that link, particularly this one and, in honor of the Oscars, if Oscar acceptance speeches told the truth.

Another reason to love Emma Thompson although I'm not sure if her presence in a new version of Brideshead Revisited is enough to make it preferable to the one with Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews.

Anyone ever read a book called something like "Morville the Magician"? I'm entering books I read a decade ago into Librarything and neither google nor amazon recognize the name I have in my notes. Google doesn't even give any useful spelling suggestions.

Any guesses at the real title?

ETA: gottit. It was Millroy the Magician by Paul Theroux.

(Image from slumbering.lungfish.com)

The folks at Hubblesite put together some great astronomical holiday cards that you can print yourselves. My favorite is

which uses a picture of the Sagittarius Star Cloud to ornament the tree.

For those who haven't already heard it, the best Christmas letter ever: Chiron Beta Prime by Jonathan Coulton

Lastly, a different version of the Christmas story.

1. Hot chocolate or apple cider?
Hot chocolate, unless I have a cold. Then it's hot spiced cider. I have mulling spice teabags that make it easy.

2. Turkey or Ham?
Roast beast! Well, beef tenderloin.

3. Do you get a Fake or Real Christmas tree?
Real. We go on a big expedition to a local tree farm. Next year, though, I'm going to have to put my foot down and insist we get one that doesn't take up 1/3 the room.

4. Decorations on the outside of your house?
Lights, definitely. Otherwise it gets too depressing that it is dark so early. Also a wreath.

5. Snowball fights or sledding?
Sledding! Last year I could only watch since I'd just had ankle surgery, but this year for sure.

6. Do you like hanging around the fireplace because it’s warm?
Warm and to keep my 4yo from playing with the fire tools.

7. Do you enjoy going downtown shopping?
Only if I have lots of time and nothing particular to get. Otherwise it's too stressful. I do most of my shopping online.

8. Favorite Christmas song?
Don't really have a favorite.

9. How do you feel about Christmas movies?
I like the classics.

10. When is it too early to start listening to Christmas music?
Before Thanksgiving.

11. Stockings before or after presents?
After. When you've unwrapped all the presents, then realize there is still something left.

12. Carolers, do you or do you not listen to them?
I go caroling with my chorus.

13. Go to someone else’s house or they come to you?
It varies. I prefer to be at home.

14. Do you read the Christmas Story the night before Christmas?
Not generally, but I will probably read it to my 4yo a lot during the next few weeks (if I can find it).

15. What do you do after presents?
Collapse for a bit, then make breakfast.

16. What is your favorite holiday smell?
Cookies baking

17. Ice skating or walking around the mall?
Ice skating.

18. Favorite Christmas memory:
My brother surreptitiously knocking on the wall to convince me Santa was coming so I'd go to bed.

19. Favorite Part about winter?
Snow, the first few times. Fire in the fireplace.

20. Food you eat this time of year that you may not during the others seasons.
Yorkshire puddings, chocolate trifle.

21. Do you have winter sheets for your bed?
Yes.

22. Do you eat ice cream in the winter?
Yup.

23. Mittens or gloves?
Gloves definitely.

I don't think the movie could possibly be as entertaining as this review is.

ETA: I found the link to the picture on reddit I didn't carve it myself.

Ten References You Expect Your Nearest and Dearest To Get:

1) And you, a Muncie girl!

2) Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks 'Hey, this could be a little more sonic?'

3) Tell me more about this man Houdini.

4) Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb.

5) Yeah... That went well.

6) Don't speak Latin in front of the books.

7) You, too, will be emperor.

8) So you see, children, the Bible clearly teaches us you can never trust an employer.

9) Oh, Lisa, that's just a load of rich creamery butter.

10) Teach it phenomenology.

A recent Home on the Strange web comic:

( Read more... )

Saw this elsewhere. Decided to record my thoughts:

Series 3

The Runaway Bride 1/5

Smith & Jones 3.5/5

The Shakespeare Code 3.5/5

Gridlock 3.5/5

Daleks in Manhattan 1/5

Evolution of the Daleks 1/5

The Lazarus Experiment 2/5

42 3/5

Human Nature 4.5/5

Family of Blood 4.5/5

Blink 5/5

Utopia 4.5/5

The Sound of Drums 3.5/5

Last of the Time Lords 3.5/5


Series 2

The Christmas Invasion 4/5

New Earth 3/5

Tooth and Claw 3/5

School Reunion 5/5

The Girl in the Fireplace 5/5

Rise of the Cybermen 4/5

The Age of Steel 4/5

The Idiot’s Lantern 2/5

The Impossible Planet 2/5

The Satan Pit 2/5

Love and Monsters - 4.5/5

Fear Her 1/5

Army of Ghosts 4.5/5

Doomsday 4.5/5


Series 1

Rose 4/5

The End of the World 3/5

The Unquiet Dead 3/5

Aliens of London 3/5

World War III 3/5

Dalek 4/5

The Long Game 2/5

Father’s Day 3.5/5

The Empty Child 5/5

The Doctor Dances 5/5

Boomtown 4/5

Bad Wolf 4.5/5

Parting of the Ways 4.5/5

Oh! That was lovely!

But they didn't do one think I was hoping for: ( minor spoiler for teaser and credits )

I've been rewatching series two of the new Dr Who and just finished Age Of Steel. I can't believe I'd forgotten Mrs Moore! She was one of my favorite characters. One thing I love about Dr Who is the inclusion of strong female characters. Blon Fel Fetch. Harriet Jones. Jackie Tyler. That is not to say that I don't like the young folks. Jack, Micky, both doctors, Martha and Rose. But it is nice to see people more like me playing a significant role in that world.

Mrs Moore said she took the name from a book. Does anyone know which one?

I'm not sure how often I'll actually use it, since I tend to keep this journal rather sedate, but after hearing Al Murray's impression of what "Dr Who for adults," aka Torchwood, would sound like, I couldn't resist making this:

I didn't like Imperium by Robert Harris as much as his other books. The first half, about Cicero's early legal career was more interesting than the second half, which I think ended too early.

Warchild by Karin Lowachee reminded me of early C.J. Cherryh, before she got so long winded that a whole novel covered less than 24 hours. I think there are two more in this series that I will have to track down.

Keeper by Greg Rucka was a decent thriller that kept my pro-choice hackles raised throughout.

I read Sorcery and Cecelia six years ago and didn't realize there were sequels until I saw the third book, The Mislaid Magician, in a bookstore last month. I got the second book, The Grand Tour, from the library. It was perhaps not as good as the first and I was acutely aware of both class issues (these girls have money for a year abroad, personal maids, etc) and technology issues (I had never thought about how cold and uncomfortable carriage travel could be. Overall, a fun book. The third is already on request at the library.

I just finished reading The Tale of Despereaux to my daughters. A good tale, although I found the author's interjections a bit tedious after a while. I think they are making a movie of this, so I'm glad we read the book first.

The first half of Steel Drivin' Man - John Henry - The untold story of an American Legend by Scott Reynolds Nelson was fascinating. It described how he tracked down who John Henry really was and the roll of the steam drill in his death. It was a historical mystery with lots of interesting tidbits thrown in. The second half was a bit drier and described the evolution of the folksong and it's roll in different communities, but there were still interesting details. The sad thing is, writing this more than a week after finishing the book, I can remember enjoying it, but not many of these interesting tidbits. But, hey! There was a Superman tie-in: John Henry as a proto-man-of-steel in early comics and John Henry Steel in Adventures of Superman #500.

I was actually kind of hoping Smallville would be my last fandom. But now I find myself rewatching scenes from Torchwood and trying to figure out how long until we get more Captain Jack.

Does anyone know when the new season starts? or the next season of Dr Who?

Any recommended TW fic ljs or communities?

I liked this episode overall,

( (spoilers) )

The guy who runs the bad astronomy website posted a link to someone else's flash movie showing the so-called Face on Mars as seen with more recent probes. It is really cool.

While I'm on the topic, he blogged about another film which shows how the full moon changes its appearance over the year due to the slight non-circularity of it's orbit and some wobbling around it's axis.


On a non-science note, I finished book 2 for the year: Voices by Ursula K. Le Guin. This was a young adult novel, a sequel to Gifts which had more of a fantasy element (paranormal abilities). This one was more anthropological. Le Guin has yet to write anything that I prefer to my old favorites of hers (The Left Hand of Darkness and The Tombs of Atuan) but this was a good story.