Ape's 2011 Challenge (20)

Prequel
Thread #1 (Book 1)
Thread #2 (Book 2)
Thread #3 (Books 3-5)
Thread #4 (Books 6-10)
Thread #5 (Books 11-13)
Thread #6 (Books 14-15)
Thread #7 (Books 16-22)
Thread #8 (Books 23-25)
Thread #9 (Books 26-28)
Thread #10 (Books 28-32)
Thread #11 (Books 33-34)
Thread #12 (Books 34-37)
Thread #13 (Books 38-41)
Thread #14 (Books 42-44)
Thread #15 (Books 44-48)
Thread #16 (Books 48-51)
Thread #17 (Books 52-55)
Thread #18 (Books 56-58)

Books Read: 65
Pages Read: 15,606

January:
1. Wave of Terror by Theodore Odrach
2. Southern Storm by Terri Blackstock
3. The Ten Thousand by Michael Curtis Ford
4. The Medical Detective by Sandra Hempel
5. Biohazard by Ken Alibek

February:
6. The Atlantic Sound by Cary Phillips
7. The Killers Within by Michael Shnayerson
8. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
9. Book of Clouds by Chloe Aridjis
10. Victorian Painting by Julian Treuherz

March:
11. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
12. Zombie Haiku by Ryan Mecum
13. Vampire Haiku by Ryan Mecum
14. Gods and Legions by Micahel Curtis Ford
15. Day by Day Armageddon by J. L. Bourne

April
16. Never Suck a Dead Man's Hand by Dana Kollmann
17. Terror on Troll Mountain by M.D. Spenser
18. Plague by Edward Marriott
19. Where the Sky Ends by M. G. Stephens
20. What I Was by Meg Rosoff
21. I Am Zoe Handke by Eric Larsen
22. Leonardo da Vinci (DK Art Book)
23. The End of the Alphabet by C. S. Richardson

May
24. The Bounty by Caroline Alexander
25. Muse of Fire by Dan Simmons
26. Peace by Richard Bausch
27. Prisons of Light by Kitty Ferguson
28. Van Gogh (DK Art Book)
29. Riddled with Life by Marlene Zuk
30. The Wild Trees by Richard Preston
31. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
32. Rembrandt (DK Art Book)

June
33. The Sword of Hannibal by Terry McCarthy
34. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
35. Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs by Adrienne Mayor
36. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
37. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
38. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
39. The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck
40. Aristotle Leads the Way by Joy Hakim
41. Tribes by Arthur Slade

July
42. The Plague by Albert Camus
43. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde
44. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
45. Charlatan by Pope Brock
46. Dead City by Joe McKinney
47. Wicked Bugs by Amy Stewart
48. Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart
49. Achilles by Elizabeth Cook

August
50. Dark Banquet by Bill Schutt
51. The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
52. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
53. America (The Book) by Jon Stewart
54. Plague Year by Jeff Carlson
55. Plague War by Jeff Carlson
56. Plague Zone by Jeff Carlson

September
57. Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer
58. ESPN Guide to Psycho Fan Behavior by Warren St. John
59. The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell
60. Trauma by Graham Masterton
61. No Reservations by Anthony Bourdain
62. God of War by Matthew Stover
63. Second Genesis by Jeffrey Anderson
64. The Soul of a Man Under Socialism by Oscar Wilde
65. The Tattoo Chronicles by Kat Von D

First! YES! Hiiiii Stephen!!!

And to answer the previous thread, Santa's postal is H0H 0H0. :D

Woot woot! I'm here!

Love the new pic, Stefano. Certainly fits my mood today.

Hi Micky! Yep, that's what I read on Google.

Hi Caro! Yeah, unfortunately that's been my mood for over a week now. =/ I'm getting to the point where I figure I'm just going to have to live with it, it doesn't seem like it's going to just make itself better like it usually does.

Noooo.... don't let it be a lingering mood, Stefano ...sending you the antidote:

HI Stephen!

Fitting image....but hopefully you will feel more cheery in due time. :)

Oh, wow. keeping up with threads will be difficult with this hectic schedule of mine if you keep getting 90 some-odd posts every couple of days. I skimmed it. In reply to your question, no I wasn't paying attention, but that app makes me want a smart phone.

And I believe this is what Luxx was trying to link to. I recently came across it, and if it doesn't come to my state I will do something drastic. At least I get time to train. My friend wants me to do Tough Mudder next summer. . . . I don't think I have enough time to train o_0;;

star

Wow a new thread already, and we just got the Canadian corner decorated. Poor Mickey has to drag her moose over here now. This time we Canadians are planning on serving snacks of Nanaimo Bars and Butter Tarts. If Ilana arrives she can bring some genuine Quebecois Maple Syrup Pie.

I'm here, and bringing maple syrup candy to the Canadian corner :)

Here! Wow, what is maple syrup pie? THat sounds too sweet to eat!

Dropping my star so I can find my way back...

I love that picture, though I hope you feel better soon.

Caro: Unfortunately I don't seem to have much choice in the matter. The rainbow sure is purdy though. :)

Valerie: Hello! Yeah, I hope so too...

Hi Katie! It does go fast sometimes. I'll try to talk to myself a little less often so you don't fall too far behind. That should cut the post-count down by AT LEAST 20 percent. :)

Kath: *Poke*

Judy: *Drools*

Gogs: Maple syrup candy. That seems so incredibly obvious, how come I've never heard of it?

Kim: I dunno, my google image results are all over the place.

Hi Luxx! *Hugs* :)

Oh, hello there Zoe. Yeah, I like it too, in fact I found a lot of appealing pictures when searching for something like that. I mostly picked that one because I liked the size of it. *Shrug*

#11 Berly: Maple Syrup Pie is an incredibly rich and overly sweet pie that I have only ever seen served in Quebec. A French-Canadian dessert.



Needs lots of whipped cream.

Just catching up with you! Did I see that you are feeling down?

Ahem. (clears throat)

"The sun'll come OUT...TOMORROW!"

If you don't feel better soon, I'll just have to keep singing, and we don't want that, do we??? (no, we don't!)

Bet your bottom dollar that tomorroooooooow
There'll be sun

Stephen needs cheering? Well, there's this new video game coming out about a zombie hunter. . . who's a cheerleader. . . so, clearly, she is scantily clad. . . and wields a chainsaw that sparks in pink, sometimes hearts. Do an image search. It's pretty funny.

#1: But there's a person in that pic! Block him out and it's perfect. :)

*smooch* for sad-eyed puppydog Stephen

#16 THanks for the pic! Looks yummy. Stephen, I'll share a piece with you...!

Basically maple syrup and sugar that melts in your mouth. De-lish!

DeltaQueen that pie looks YUM!!

Judy: Looks delicious!

Angela: I haven't been feeling well for awhile now. I always go through this, periods of senseless despair, but this bout seems to be a losing one. I can't shake it. :(

Nora: It's FREEZING so far. Brrrr.

Katie: Haha, looks terrible...or amusing, I'm not sure. :)

Sara: Hm, well, people ain't so bad as long as they aren't on my book covers. :P

Thanks, Richard. :)

Kim: Okay! But I'll take a small piece, since I'm trying to lose a few pounds.

Gogs: Yum-looking! :)

I'm back to add a comment from your last thread about the nice guys/bad boys discussion.

Guys like you are definitely NOT leftovers.

When I was a teenager, I was a "good girl" who liked a few "bad boys." Kind of stereotypical, in a way, but it's true. I don't know what the appeal was at the time. But it didn't take me long to mature a little bit and figure out exactly what I wanted. By the time I was 20 or 21 I had it figured out. I knew I wanted a nice guy - in fact, I realized that I liked the SHY guys the best!! It didn't take any nasty divorces or anything like that - just a little growing up on my part.

(I know there are other women out there who feel the same way I did.)

In the meantime, the man for me was a shy man who usually preferred to admire from afar, rather than actually ask a girl out - although he had done it a few times. Most ladies didn't pay much attention to him - but I noticed.

We got to know each other as friends first, which was perfect, since it gave him a chance to get comfortable being around me, before things turned romantic.

Now that we've been married a while, some of the women who never paid any attention to him can see what a good husband he is and what they passed up. But it's too late because he's MINE. ;) I married a shy gentleman and he was definitely not "leftovers". I'm thankful that those other women didn't notice him - their loss is my gain. It did take him a little longer than he wanted, to find love - because of his shyness. But he says it was worth the wait.

I know you will find Ms. Right and I believe you will eventually say that it was worth the wait.

That video game just looks like Buffy But With Zombies Instead of Vampires. Sigh. Nothing new under the sun, and all that.

I love mayple syrup candy, but I can feel my teeth rotting just looking at it. Again I say, Sigh.

Oh, hi, Stephen! *waves*

*looks around for the books*

*shrugs*

*sits down to eat maple syrup candy*

Oh yeah, maple sugar. I haven't eaten it in years but it was always a favorite. Yum.

I don't think I've ever had maple sugar candy. What a shame.

Thanks for all that, Angela. I hope it is so. So much of my problems stem from insecurity, and feelings of inadequacy. I've just never been a very confident person, and that seems to get increasingly worse with time the longer I spend time away from people.

It doesn't help that even bookish women, who I like to think of as a bit more down to earth, are just as well attracted to men who look like...errr, well, this, if romance covers are any indication. (Go ahead and fawn over him everyone, if you must. *Sigh*) Hey, I can't fault anyone for pure physical attraction, but it doesn't help with the insecurity and inadequacy issues.

I, at least, can by sympathetic towards women who struggle with self-image issues when seeing the types of women that men tend to lust after. Ugh. *Rolls eyes* I guess I have the same problem as they do. =/

Hi Amber! *Waves back*

Faith: Hey, c'mon, no fair, I only just created this thread yesterday. There'll be a book here no later than Sunday, I promise...unless I get distracted by football and don't read.

EBT: Never had maple sugar either! And my state shares a great lake with Canada. Sheesh. :P

Valerie: Me either! But then, I'm American so I have an excuse. :)

30- Hi Stephen, hope I didn't overshare, but I thought it might give you some hope, because in so many ways you remind me of a younger version of my husband. Except you are much better with words, and he doesn't like to read! :) He has/had all the insecurities (and depression) too.

He felt like things finally started getting better as he got older and he started to "force" himself to do things that were out of his comfort zone, because he felt like it was the right thing to do. Things got easier for him with practice. He lived alone and didn't have much support at the time, so I'm really amazed and proud of him for how far he's come. Today, he has no depression symptoms. He's still a shy/quiet person and he will always be, but the social issues and confidence are a million times better.

I clicked on the link. :) Actually, extremely muscular men never appealed to me that much - I think they are intimidating. I would have to look like a supermodel to stand next to them! :) I tend to like average looking guys. But maybe that's just me.

No worries, Angela. Considering some of the stuff I've shared around here, I doubt there is any issue with oversharing. ;)

As for the muscular men...yeah, the excessively-bulging veins always creep me out. 0.0 I don't find myself very attracted to the types of women that 'typical men are supposed to be attracted to.' My celebrity crushes, for example, tend to be personality-based. Which is to say that I have crushes are CHARACTERS. Or, I develop crushes based on how I perceive their personality.

(This is going to be long-winded, I'll bold-text when this little string of thought finished, for anyone who wants to skip it.)

Take, for example, Kari Byron from Mythbusters. I naturally find her attractive because, quite simply, she makes an appearance on a SCIENCE show. But the major attraction was her personality, which was...well, 'sweet and innocent.' There was an episode where they were testing pyramid power, Tori shaved with a dull razor and had a cut up face, and he jokingly hit on Kari, and her reaction was priceless. She mostly just giggled and blushed and pushed him away, and it was adorable!

The reason I'm using this as an example is because, some time ago, she did this internet video where she wore a lab coat with red lingerie underneath, and squirted various liquids on herself. (picture.) Now, in theory, I should have really liked this, right? It's a lady in a lab coat, for starters, and liquids, and general sexiness. The problem was, I was attracted to her 'cute and innocent' personality, so this sort of diminished that aspect of her image.

That seems unfair, and real-life crushes don't work that way, but when you are attracted to someone you see on tv, it is only just a glimpse of who they are, and I sort of fleshed out her personality myself based on what I saw. The video, while I'm sure it is sexy and incredibly enjoyable to watch, makes me slightly less attracted to the PERSON.

If I were attracted to bodies, the video would only have increased my attraction, instead of having the opposite effect.

Okay done.

*Ahem* Sorry for all of that. I type too much. Anyway, I rarely develop an attraction of any kind to anyone based purely on what they look like. If I do, it's because they dress a certain way that allows me to apply a stereotypical personality to them. Show me a girl in a library wearing glasses and I'M INTERESTED, simply because I can assume they share my interests.

Just to give you an idea, other celebrity/author crushes include:

Mary Roach: Smart, funny, science writer, ahhh. *Dreamy sigh*
Amy Farrah Fowler (Big Bang Theory): Need I elaborate? *Dreamy sigh*
Emma Watson as Hermione Granger: *Continues sighing dreamily*

I'm sure I'm forgetting someone...

*drags moose over to Canadian corner* Good boy, Mo. Now, stay... *pulls out maple fudge and starts to nibble*

Hey Stephen. I think there's a difference between aesthetic appreciation of certain types of men (your link to guy with abs above, for example) and then actual real attraction which does take physical appearance into consideration but also personality and behaviour into account. I can sigh over someone's abs all I want, but when I look for a man to date, him not having a six-pack is not a deal-breaker.

I don't think I'd ever like to date a guy with a six-pack. It sounds like he'd be high-maintenance. But I still like to look.

TOO much pressure. I don't want a man that other women and possibly men will gawk over. Someone nice on the eyes is good but a lot of that has to do with personality as well. Six pack is NOT even on my list of things to look for...
But great conversationalist, funny, and witty, now those are worthy traits to drool over. :)

That guy in your picture looks high maintenance to say the least, imagine how much time he must spend at the gym and checking himself out. NOT INTERESTED thanks.
Im with you Book Angel (#25)
And I totally get what you mean in your rant Stephen (#33)

Ooh, celebrity crushes....let me join in. Ill start with a girl crush....
Christina Ricci (smokin'!)
The tall nerdy guy in Criminal Minds (yum!)
Ewan McGregor (particularly in Moulin Rouge, sensitive writer types, mmmm)
Michael Stipe (I cant help it)
Jim Mora (a middle aged overweight radio host here in NZ- he's super smart and lovely)
Gok Wan (pity he's gay)

Ok that might have to do it for now.

#30: I'd be lying if I said his abs weren't amazing. But the first thing that popped into my head was, "Oh damn, I haven't done my ab exercises today," NOT, "Oh damn, I'd chase him down the street."

And what's with the maple candy?? Am I the only one who hates the stuff? XP

(pets Mo)

I've found it! Something that will make you like book sex scenes once and for all!

http://www.susanandersen.com/newsletter/susanandersen_11-Sep8.htm

You're welcome.

Micky: Sure, sure, I believe you. *Is reminded of all the hunky men Micky always posts on her thread* ;)

Nora: See? But I'm not even fond of looking. If a woman with a large chest walks into the room wearing a very low-cut shirt, I'll confess such a sight is always eye-catching, but I'm liable to roll my eyes directly afterwards. Unless I'm in a library, and she's walking in with books. Then I'm interested again, breasts or no breasts.

Valerie: Agreed. Great conversationalist is probably critical, since I need someone to make up for my half of the conversation.

Megan: Yes, few things are more unattractive (to me) than narcissism. Good thing you clarified which Jim Mora you meant, here Jim Mora is a famous former NFL football coach is known for some of the silly things he says during press conferences. :D

Sara: I confess abs on women look nice too, I guess. *Shrug*

Nora: HAHA! Hilarious! One of the few excerpts from a romance novel that isn't depressing. :)

62. God of War by Matthew Stover



Pages: 293
Rating: 2/5

Fiction: Fantasy, Video Game Novelization

Oh, Kratos, what have they done to you? After all the hours I have spent playing your video games, and replaying your video games, and eagerly anticipating future video games, I feel as though I know you. While your methods were questionable, your pursuits were always honorable ones, your entreaty reasonable. Plus your blind fury, unquenchable blood thirst, uncontrollable rage, and your blatant disregard for anything barring your path made for very satisfying gameplay.

So what happened? What did they do? They created this haphazard novelization of your quest to slay the god of war, Ares; which stiffly recounts the events of the first video game. The major events are there; the battle with the hydra, the ruin of Athens, the search for Cronos, the Temple of Pandora, all that. They even added some extra goings on, Athena's reasoning for favoring you, why various gods decide to bless you with their powers, and other explanations for the events in the game. That's all fine and good, but...but it's not YOU.

You do not whisper prayers to the gods before a battle, you defy them. You do not rescue Greek soldiers, you're a Spartan. You're a machine, an uncaring one with only one goal, one reason for existing. That is you, and the Kratos found in these pages is not the Kratos I know. Where is the anger? Where is the defiant, insolent, bullheaded Spartan I know and love? He is not here.

What purpose, then, does this book serve? It would be an atrocity for someone to experience the God of War story for the first time through it, and those who have played the game will surely be disappointed. So why? It is nothing but a ruse, a way to cash in on the name of our favorite tragic hero, and a poor one at that. I heartily recommend avoiding the book unless you are desperate for a fresh dose of Kratos...and even then, I'd encourage resisting the craving.

eww

Eww the book or eww the picture? I had a tough time picking a picture to post with the review. I liked this one and this one too.

>41 Ape: Skipping that one, ewww

What we're attracted to in partners is, ideally, an evolving subject. What I liked as a young man (anyone remember Merrit Butrick from Star Trek the Wrath of Khan? I thought he was nummydelish then, saw the movie again not long ago and could.not.believe. I'd given him a second glance!) I do not care about now.

Women aplenty will notice you. Some will even take it upon themselves to let you know they notice you. But they can't if you're not somewhere to be noticed. I hope you'll force yourself out of the house, and soon, just to break the habit of solitude.

It's hard to get out more when there really isn't any place to go herein small town Ohio. *Shrug*

*Thumb* from me for a good, funny review! Of a book! On this thread! ;)

Seriously, guys with lots of muscles don't do anything for me or any other of my girl friends. Actually, it's creepy and kind of grosses me out. Sure, if someone is a little "in shape", or whatever you want to call it, that's nice, but not at all something that myself of my friends are ever looking for. Too scary and intimidating, especially because none of us are model-ish specimens. I don't want whomever I'm with to be prettier than me. And Stephen, we all have our hang-ups, physical, mental, whatever, but so does everyone else. Really.

I know gas is expensive and not working = no $$$, but to get out of the house, sometimes I force myself to just drive for 5 minutes in any direction and turn down a street I don't know. Then, I make myself get out at the first store I see and go in, even if it's just for 2 minutes total. And then I get back in my car and head home. It's a small thing, and maybe dopey, but it gets me out of the house and shakes up my day a bit. I'm completely a person who would be perfectly happy to stay home by myself almost constantly, but this small thing (usually 15 minutes total) gets me out in the fresh air. Just a thought. :)

Thanks, Laura, I haven't been getting many thumbs lately. I don't think people come here for the review. :P

Thanks for the encouragement, and I love that idea...the problem is I live 10-15 minutes away from the town I 'live in,' so that's a lot of money to spend just to...errr, spend money.

You are one very special guy. 47 messages on this thread already!

Hello to you!

Hi Linda, thanks for stopping by! *Hugs* :)

>44 richardderus: lets just say if that guy changed his hair do....he'd be doing himself a favour!

>47 Ape: 10-15 minutes away by car? That's quite far...

lol @ the eww comments. Yeah, I think I'll just start saying eww to everything Stephen says from now on. :P

#43: The other two links are taking too long for me to load, so I'll just say I like the one you posted. Anything on fire--or remotely looks like it's on fire--gets my vote. :)

#44: Holy crap, I didn't know he actually came with a name. And yes, I (unfortunately) remember bits and pieces of old Star Trek movies. The Wrath of Khan . . . is that the one where they dropped slug creatures in their ears? XP

#47: Aaww, poor, Stephen. Not getting thumbed like you used to? At least Laura's there to give you a thumb or two. ;)

Megan: Yep! I can track how many miles I drive with my car. I once went into town, got gas, went to the library, then went home and I logged 18 miles of driving. I believe I'm a little over 7 miles from the town I 'live in.' Worse, the nearest city with remotely anything to do (malls, non-Walmart stores, movie theater, etc) is over 30 minutes away. *Shrug*

Sara: I can always count on Laura for that. :P

Hugs Stephen.

Thanks, Heather. *Hugs back*

I could never live that far out. Literally. I don't drive, so I need to be in an actual city.

*feeds Mo some grass*

I would definitely prefer to live closer to civilization but right now I can't really be picky.

>55 MickyFine: Doesn't drive. DOES have a moose. ::confused::

The Canadians are coming for you, Stephen. The Columbus zoo just adopted 3 baby meese.

Richard: It's Canada, Richard, a 'city' is just a small collection if igloos. She rides the moose.

Nora: Oh noes! This could have disastrous implications for the local ecosystems! What devastating effect they could have! I must do something aboot this...wait...what did I just say!? WAHHH!!

Movie update (Seriously considering making an ApeMovies account...)

D-Wars: Dragon Wars: Blech!! Giant Snake Movie in disguise. -.-

Orphan: Errr...watchable, I guess.

30 Days of Night: Errr...watchable, I guess. Cool idea for a story, for sure!

I believe 30 Days of Night was a 3 issue comic before it was a movie. I haven't read it, but it might be worth checking out if you like the concept.

Katie: Yeah, my library has at least 1 issue but it's...errr...sticky. The first 15 pages or so are all stuck together for some reason...

#60: Yep, D-Wars sucked (though I still bought a copy because Jason Behr's in it). I liked Orphan, but if you know the twist at the end beforehand, it ruins the whole movie, kind of like all M. Night Shyamalan's movies. And 30 Days of Night--what? How could you not like that one?

Sara: The reason I tend to not like those sorts of movies is because they tend to be a bit too predictable. "Yes, yes, the core group of main charcters are going to survive and everyone else won't. Oh gee, I wonder which order I get to watch them be killed in." Yawn.

I liked the ending though. And the concept. The imagery was good. I was just bored. Watching people be killed for 90 minutes gets tiring.

Ok, agreed--most movies are predictable about who gets killed and in what order, etc.--but I still loved 30 Days of Night, especially the end. Are you sure you don't want to try Feast then, giant monster testicles and all? I doubt you'll be able to guess who survives.

Mo is a very good guard moose. Keeps those pesky undesirables *coughStephencough* on the right side of the border. ;)

Sara: No testicles, please!! :o

Micky: *Cackles at the thought of Canada using a moose for their border patrol* Haha, sorry Micky! You said that one, not me... :P

Tomm and Charlie and I will be visiting Ohio just after Christmas, starting in Cincy, then driving up to Columbus to see the Zoo Lights. Get ready - we'll stop by and pick you up and take you to the zoo lights with us! C'mon, you *know* you want to spend the day with Charlie and me...oh, and Tomm too (actually, you and Tomm would get along really well - he's very shy and totally quiet around people, so the 2 of you could be shy at each other!)...

But...but Tomm's not a 75er!! *Hides*

So did every LTer here marry a shy and quiet guy or what? :P

Just stopped by to see if anyone was behaving here..
..........nope! Things are normal here..

>69 Ape:: My husband isn't quiet or shy, but he's a "nice guy" -- not a bad boy by any stretch, and he doesn't have a 6-pack. But he's dedicated, devoted, driven, kind, sincere, and shares my sense of humor. Honestly, our relationship and subsequent marriage was 90% an intellectual decision for me. Maybe that removes the "romance" aspect, but if you're going to share your life with someone, I think a conscious decision has to pervade over an emotional one (and for me, that's much more "romantic"). It was his personality, his character, that drew me to him, and then physical attraction developed. For me, connecting with the person is so much more important than emotional impulse (ie. lust) when looking for a "romantic" partner. So I completely 100% get what you're saying about Kari up in message #33!

Also... yay, a book! However... booooo... it sounds terrible. Sounds like they gave someone a synopsis of the game and said "write this up" and forgot to include, you know, a profile of the actual main character.

Kath: Yeah, so...we're behaving normally, right? :)

Faith: Well it's comforting to know that 75ers (and thus, hopefully book readers in general) seem to like shy and quiet guys.

As for the book, yeah... Well, at times Kratos did behave the way he ought to. For example, the incident inside the Hydra with the captain made an appearance...AND the sex minigame was incorporated into the book (Yes, really.) I think the major problem was, being a book, the author had to add a lot more dialogue and...well, Kratos really wasn't much of a talker...

Good morning Stephen. :)

Just swinging by to see how MO is doing. Looks like he's getting lots of love and attention.

Normally for this group.....

Good afternoon, Valerie! Yeah, Mo gets all the attention. It's the fur and antlers, how's a guy like me supposed to compete with that!?

Kath: Normalcy is relative, for sure.

Arrrgh, me scurvy lad...how you be?

*Damn this Pirate Speak!*

Can't keep up with all these posts but....in my experience...every girl wants a 'bad boy" at least once in her life...then, she grows up. If "bad boy" is still on the menu...she has to deal with him and whatever fallout ensues...oftimes it ain't pretty

Me, I like 'em smart...not necessarily pretty...and self-sufficient (i ain't anybody's mother/maid)......with a decent vocabulary and a healthy respect for the Ironic

;-P

Oh Mo doesn't work for the official border patrol, Stephen. He's a vigilante moose. *giggles*

Hi Jude. I'm arrrrrlright... ...Ok, that didn't work out so well. :P

Pffft, vocabularies are overrated.

Micky: *Smacks forehead* That's okay, I'll just sneak across the border wearing this.

Yeah, that should work. Run fast enough and you may avoid getting shot in the rear end. :)

My poor rear end! Oh well, there are worse things that could happen to it while wearing a moose costume. They must call 'em mounties for a reason. :o

I stumbled upon the most curious thing earlier! One of the featured authors on the LT homepage was William Short. His picture caught my eye, it...interesting, so I had to click it to see more. After browsing his books, I visited his profile, where he has a comment from someone posted. At this point I was ready to head to the Talk page, but out of sheer curiosity I clicked on Cemanuel's profile...and the comment there is marvelous! Just some random and intriguing things the internet allows its users to stumble upon.

gidday, just flying by....

*Waves* Hi Megan. You MUST teach me to fly without falling sometime.

Bad boys, bad boys whacha gonna do when .....sorry got carried away.
Yup, had a bad boy when I was 19 - he dropped me because I wasn't a bad girl - whacha gonna do!
Then waited along time till I found a decent guy and he was worth the wait. Definately no six pack abs here and I personally don't care for them - then I would have to look buff and that's just not happening.

I married a farm boy who turned into a CPA. Doesn't get much duller than that. But, yes, he was and is a nice guy. We've been happily married for 43 years now. Stephen, you are way too young to be worried about finding Ms. Right. Both of my sons were married in their mid-30s. You have plenty of time.

Oh yeah, nice new thread here. It's tough keeping up with you, Mr. Popularity!

Lynda: 19!? So, so long ago. *Sighs wistfully* :)

Donna: But...I'm impatient! :(

Bah! Female/male relationships are highly over-rated, Stephen. Self-love is where it's at. *snerk*

.
.
.
.
.

:PPPPP

Sara: I wouldn't know!

Katie: Haha! Fine...

*Starts singing I Want It Now from Willy Wonky and the Chocolate Factory*

I want the works
I want the whole works
Presents and prizes and sweets and surprises
Of all shapes and sizes
And now
Don't care how
I want it now
Don't care how
I want it now

What? Don't look at me that way! That outburst was completely unrelated to the discussion above, It's abit wanting a goose that lays golden eggs, you perverts! :P

Ohohoh, one of my favorite movies!! Best line: "Where are all the good men dead, in the heart or in the head?"

Me too! And Wizard of Oz. Shhh, don't tell anyone. ;)

Wizard of Oz is the best movie E.V.E.R.

Men in their 20's are allowed to like those movies too, right!? :D

Yes. It is encouraged.

*Sigh of relief* Phew, thank you! I'm allowed to hate American Pie as well, aren't I? Puh-leeeeaase! And all those other high school/college hormor-driven comedies as well? :(

And all those other high school/college hormor-driven comedies as well? :(

You and me both, sir. Bleh. I just don't see the attraction.

Although I loved "Knocked Up."

Also encouraged. The only excuse for liking movies that are stupid is if they are cute. And/or musicals.

Stupid musicals and bad horror movies are comfort films for me...

I love bad horror films...!

95: That's okay, one of my favorite films is The 40-Year-Old Virgin. It's a vague twist on the typical 'male trying to seduce women' story but MUCH more relatable...for me, anyway. :P

96: I think I need to watch more musicals. I can only think of one I don't like (The Sound of Music, SORRY!!)

97/98: Oh, I hate bad horror films so much! Probably my least favorite thing ever. Heck, I hate most of the 'good' ones too. :( Kind of odd considering I'm usually a fan of morbid imagery, and my mom sort of raised me on horror movies but...I just can't do it anymore.

Watching musicals is great for loners, because no one cares if I sing at the top of my lungs if I'm alone!

Oh dear! No no, that's what this album is for. And never you mind it's a female vocalist! >:(

You don't like The Sound of Music, Stephen? But, but, but, it has EVERYTHING! Teen romance, nuns, adult romance, nazis, and marionettes. How can you not love a film that has an entire song about a lonely goatherd?

I love musicals. I highly recommend you hunt down Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. It should be right in your wheelhouse...

Once someone asked Dan Savage what the best song was to have gay sex to. He said that was a nonsense question, and then answered with "The Lonely Goatherd". And now that song always makes me laugh. I mean, more than it did before.

I wish I could find the column that question was in.

YODELAY-EEEEEE!!!

...now I'll have that song stuck in my head all week... THANKS A LOT.

lol

Micky: Just the title of that blog sounds unloadable on my dial-up connection. :(

Nora: Haha! Well, the movie just became about 10 percent more watchable after that.

Hi Faith! :)

Have you seen Little Shop of Horrors? I LOVE that one! Steve Martin with black hair!!

There's always The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Or I liked Moulin Rouge.

I hate musicals.
(but I love Moulin Rouge, and the Sound of Music!)

Nora: Oh yeah! I've seen it, not my favorite but I liked it. :)

Katie: For some inexplicable reason I'm naturally resistant to watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I have no idea why...

Ohh! Do Tim Burton's animated films count as musicals? I do so love The Nightmare Before Christmas, many fond memories watching it repeatedly throughout my childhood. :)

Oh, I thought of another. Grease, of course! ...meh...

Hi Megan! That's okay, I tend to hate most movies in general, so... :P

Good musicals: "Funny Face" with Audrey Hepburn floating down the staircase in the Louvre, in the same pose as "Winged Victory of Samothrace" behind her...romance made flesh!

"The Harvey Girls" with sexy, brooding John Hodiak as the non-singing hero, desultorily "wooing" Miss Judy Garland; all the chemistry of Ferdinand and Isabella, but one uber-good song: "The Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe"

But I share the disdain for "The Sound of Music" because it felt like I was being force-fed sweetened condensed milk-topped fudge. We used to play a drinking game during the movie, adding our own shouted additions to the lyrics spoken in rhythm to the song. First one who forgot a line, and couldn't make a new one up sharpish, had to do a beer-bong hit and drink a shot.

(all nuns)
How do you solve a problem like maria? (spoken in rhythm: Get an axe!)
How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? (Flame thrower!)
How do you find a word that means Maria? (Look up slut!!)

(one nun at a time)
A flibbertigibbet?

A will of a whisp

a clown

(all nuns)
Many a thing you know you'd like tell her (Diaphragm!}
Many a thing she ought to understand (don't spit!)

But how do you make her stay? (dog collar!)
And listen to all you say (ha ha!)

how do you keep a wave upon the sand?

Oh how do you solve a problem like Maria? (shot gun!)
How do you hold a moon beam in your hand? (get a tissue!)

ROFL, yes, drinking games might make that musical tolerable... actually, no, probably not, but I'm glad you managed to find a way to make it enjoyable, Richard! :)

rd :P~~~~~~~~~~~

I love Sound of Music. My kids did too.. Amy used to call it Yay on the Mountain :)
I like musicals.. and have been enjoying the music from Book of Mormon

>105 Ape: It's not actually a blog, Stephen. It was a musical that Joss Whedon wrote and directed during the Writer's Strike of 2008. It was released on the internet (and you can still find it on YouTube) but it's also available on DVD. And maybe if you're lucky, the library will have it... :D

Yay on the Mountain...sounds like something I would have screamed after drinking a Mountain Dew before bouncing off the walls and doing front flips off the kitchen table. :P

Micky: *Checks* Nope, looks like I'm not lucky. :(

Bummer. :(

Nope, I'm not that kind of lucky either.

I don't understand...

Me neither.

It's okay, that side effect is perfectly natural.

*Demonstrates point by walking in circles and speaking gibberish*

http://www.librarything.com/er/list#11202676

Just making sure you've seen this.

Thanks Nora! Yep, I saw it, and requested it, even though I already have 3 ER books to read. D'oh! In my defense, though, 2 of them haven't still haven't shown up.

*Kicks gift horse in the ass*

I'm doing the same thing I did last year for October this year, even though I said I wouldn't.

I'll be reading 1 horror novel for each of the popular/stereotypical Halloween monsters. Werewolves, vampires, zombies, and ghosts. If I have time and if I can find anything I'll try demons and witches too.

Last year I read World War Z, They Hunger, The Wereling, and The Haunting of Hill House and I had mixed results. Zombies and ghosts were great, werewolves not so much, and vampires were freaking horrible.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes! I have a couple options for everything...except zombies, but it shouldn't be too hard to find something for that.

Oh, and in other news, I'm playing my sister's copy of Dragon Age: Origins and I'm ADDICTED. None of this will matter if I can't get myself to go read! :P

I have 3 ER books to review, and only one of them hasn't arrived yet. One is from the May batch, and one is from February. I should probably review the February one soon, in order to receive more books that will sit on my shelf for months ;-)

I'm sure our zombie book will arrive before the end of October.

Don't forget to read a book about the scariest stereotypical Halloween monsters of all: Sluts.

I love that Google suggests the grammatically incorrect option as well. "Did you mean womens halloween costumes?" Oh Google.

Yeah I noticed that. *grumble grumble*

I am so late but

WAVING NOT DROWNING

i'm with #86...self-love is better than trying to mollycoddle a guy when he can't "perform"....and makes me feel guilty after the fact

Bad horror films rock...remember Elvira, Queen of the Dark?

Jeesh, i'm a poet

Nora: Haha! Yes, I forgot those. Do they count as necromancers? They definitely flood the room with zombie.

I could definitely read the ER book, but there's this person I know on this website I visit from time to time who mentioned reading it with me, even though she lets her ER book sit on her shelves for several months at a time, one from as far back as February! Now that I think about it, I believe I posted a review of her...I'll link you to it sometime. ;)

Micky: I believe Google recommendations are based on what other people have typed, so... *Sigh* Then again, I don't pay a terrible lot of attention to grammar when typing things into an image search box.

Jude: What!? There are no guys who can't perform, just those who refuse to. :)

63. Second Genesis by Jeffrey Anderson



Pages: 366
Rating: 3/5

Fiction: Science Thriller (Genetically Modified Apes)

Deep in the Amazon Rainforest, a field biologist counting insects and questioning the importance of her work stumbles upon a hidden laboratory fenced in with barb wire and a veil of secrecy. When she witnesses a chimpanzee behaving oddly, building a altar of some sort and then writing words in the dirt with a stick, she realizes this could be an opportunity of a lifetime.

Cue the incredibly derivative plot. Shady scientists, hyper-intelligent apes, humans at the mercy of their own creation, and so on. There's plenty of Planet of the Apes and Frankenstein here, with all the hundreds of pages of excess fluffy thriller additive to make it all the more 'readable.' There's adventure in an exotic locale, disastrous implications, a love story, horrible monsters, theological meanderings, and perhaps some animal rights commentary if you read into it a bit. Yep, all that, and not done horribly either, although it still left the mundane taste of a cheap thriller in my mind after completing it. Meh. I'd rather read science non-thrillers, personally. The science alone is often thrilling enough, I can do without the gun fights and chase scenes.

>128 Ape: Sounds perfectly boring to me. I shall avoid with all thanks and credit given to you.

Genetically Modified Apes? Ha! So, you're being genetically modified now, are you? ;)

I'm gonna have to join Richard on skipping Second Genesis. Sci fi's not really my thing, as I've probably mentioned a billion times. Besides, I'm reading The Cookie Sutra, and nothing beats food sex. :P

I don't blame either of you. I will say, however, that it wasn't bad enough to dissuade me from trying his other book, Sleeper Cell.

Do you really want to bring up food sex on my thread, Sara, I know I can find some more nightmare-inducing things on Google if you insist. >:)

>127 Ape: Don't worry, the zombie ER book is top priority. The ones pending review are dry non-fiction, which I'm not really in the mood for now.

You should read Jane Slayre, which I'm listening to the audiobook of right now. It has vampires, zombies, and voodoo magicians so far (and I'm pretty sure there's a werewolf later on)

But I never read the original! :(

Unless you plan to read the original in the future and are worried about ruining the plot, that won't matter in the least.

#131: I was gonna beat you to it, but I had too many coworkers lurking about. (grumble, grumble)

Nora: Well, you never know...

Sara: Curse your work's blazingly fast internet, allowing you to see more horrible thing per hour than I can even imagine. o.o

Well, that's what libraries are for--looking at as much porn as you possibly can within a short amount of time. ;)

Really? I guess I've haven't been taking full advantage of my library in that case. Are you sure that's what they are for? ...nah! Next you are going to tell me my penis has more uses than just emptying my bladder. Pffft, yeah right. *Rolls eyes*

(scratches head) Hmm, nope. Can't think of much a penis does. ;)

I remembered a good musical out of nowhere today at work. . . . Cry Baby! It's a parody of the rebel/good girl relationship movies and musicals set in the 50s starring Johnny Depp. It also has Willem Dafoe and Iggy Pop :)

Didn't read a page today. Sick, some kind of cough/sore throat that as of this morning is now a full-blown head cold. I don't EVER get sick. EVER! But this is the 2nd time I've been sick this year, I think. Blech!

Sara: *Scratches head* Me either...

Katie: Oh! That sounds interesting, but unfortunately my library doesn't carry it. :(

Sorry about the cold, Stephen. Tea and soup and lots of lazing around a couch/bed ought to fix that up fine. Throw in some cold medicine if it's really nasty. And I hear you on the getting sick thing. Usually I get sick once or twice a year, and this year I've had 4 or 5 colds of varying severity. Stupid immune system. Feel better soon!

Oh no! I'm sending you "get better" vibes right away!

Thanks Micky and Nora! I'd give you hugs but I'm contagious right now... :P

I don't seem to have soup...except Cambell's Chunky Chicken and Dumplings. The chunkiness makes it very non-souplike.

Ack! I'm sick too! Slept 24hrs in the last two nights (for a slight insomniac, that's very disturbing). Let's have a contagion party.

Lucky! I'm having the opposite problem, slept a total of maybe 4 hours over the past couple nights because the cough is keeping me awake.

As far as parties go, contagion parties definitely sound the most appealing... :D

That's why god made Nyquil

I tend to go for Benylin All-in-One. No gross syrups and it really tackles all symptoms. However, it does make me feel really spacey which I dislike. However, if the cold is bad enough I'll take spacey over the other option...

Little late coming back to the party...

108 - I both love and loathe Moulin Rouge. It's visually stunning. I'd probably loathe it less if I didn't find Nicole Kidman so unattractive.

109 - I do so love The Nightmare Before Christmas Oh goodness, so do I - and I am pleased to say that the monsters are falling right in line! I love listening to B sing "Jack's Lament"

Nora: Boo! Nu uh, a wonderful, brilliant scientist made Nyquil to help better the world and make it a happier place. God made these people.

Micky: Spacey sounds preferable. I just tried some Tussin DM. We'll see if it helps any.

Luxx: Cool! My own mom got me hooked on the movie, actually It's so weird because it doesn't seem like anything she would like, considering she's a self-proclaimed 'tomboy' country-girl type who likes non-poppy country music doesn't like musicals of any kinds. Still, we watched it AT LEAST a couple times a year, for Halloween and Christmas. I miss it, I don't have it on DVD or anything so I never get to watch it anymore. :(

#150: Hee hee @ God made these people. I see I've made it onto that lovely man's shirt. Aawww. :)

>150 Ape: Yesss that's why it's funnnyyy. Nobody understands me *sob*

Sara: Sadly I'm not so sure I did! I should be ashamed. :(

Nora: Of course I understand you! *Wraps self in saran wrap and gives Nora a hug* There there, it'll be okay. Granted I don't know what biosafety grade saran wrap has so I can't guarantee an infection-free future for, but I promise I understand you perfectly, provided you haven't been drinking. Drunk people rarely make sense.

64. The Soul of a Man Under Socialism by Oscar Wilde



Pages: 42
Rating: 3/5

While Oscar Wilde was at times a truly brilliant man, he was also capable of being hopelessly naive. This book was almost cute, at times, like watching a child give a speech at a fundraiser or something. Still, even when I felt the things he was saying were head-slappingly simple-minded, I enjoyed his eloquent way of expressing it. His writing and his thought processes were wonderful, even if his opinions were rather simplistic.

Hola Stephen, just passing through to catch up. Sorry to hear you're feeling like poop, and hope you feel like your old self again soon! (((Hugs)))

Thanks Laura. *Hugs* Nice to see you. Not much luck on the 'getting better' front, but on the bright side I've been wonderfully addicted to a video game my sister let me barrow which is giving me something to do in lieu of reading, which is difficult when you cough your lungs out ever other sentence. Yay videogames, I guess. :D

Succinct review, Stephen. I've never read that particular work, but I understand your sentiment exactly.

I hope you keep your lungs down.

Bring on Meeeechigan. Ya think OSU will be stoked from their two recent wins?

Thanks, Luxx, I really love his writing! Unfortunately the only other 'book' of his my library carries is The Importance of Being Earnest, and I'm hesitant to read it because it's a play...

Hi Lynda! Oh dear, Michigan might actually have a chance this year, huh? I'm glad to see they are still playing pretty good though...but I'm nervous about the Big 10 schedule. They have a guantlet coming up...Michigan State, Nebraska, Illinois, and finally Wisconsin? Ouch!

Stephen, his plays are really delightful (especially Earnest), but I understand not enjoying the genre.

Well, I definitely trust your judgement when it comes to Wilde. I'll keep it on my radar. :)

Stephen have you been hanging around my thread catching my germs? I too have got a lurgy. And as far as sleep goes, I'm on your team- erring on the side of very little. Ich.

>150 Ape: and your these people picture!? LOL, seriously!

I second Luxx on Wilde's plays, Stephen (although I have to admit I've only seen them and have yet to read them). If you're still hesitant about reading the format, might I suggest watching the film adaptation to see if it suits you? The version of Earnest with Colin Firth is quite enjoyable. :)

Megan: So it's YOUR fault! I shoulda known. One thing is good to know, while I might be an earlier bird I can still function perfectly well on an hour's sleep. At least every once in awhile.

Micky: Crap! My library doesn't have it, of course. :(

What about big library?

I can't justify spending the money for gas to trek back and forth to 2 libraries for movies every week. If only they were allowed to be checked out for a month (or 3 weeks) like the books! :(

Sad face. But totally understandable. How's the cold?

*gives Mo vitamin C so he won't catch Stephen's bug*

Ha! Too late. Poor Mo.

Hi Micky. I'm still coughing like crazy unfortunately. So sick of coughing...

Sara: Did I do that? Does that make me a biological weapon? I'm sorry Mo!! *Evil laugh...cough cough cough*

I saw a shirt online today that you would like: it says "Keep it real" and then has a picture of an e-reader with an X through it.

Awesome! Do you think anyone would understand it? :(

Good thing Mo's white cells dress in ninja outfits and fight germs with swords. They could teach your white cells if you want, Stephen.

>170 norabelle414: what?
(just joking)

Micky: I've never found ninjas very appealing, unfortunately. I've always been an orc'n'barbarian type myself.

Megan: You're not fooling any of us, missy! :P

What are you thoughts on the Mortal Kombat ninjas?

Meh, last game I played I was more a fan of Baraka. 8-)

>174 Ape: I am an information ninja. Thus ninjas are appealing. Perfect logic there. :P Hope the cold is dying quickly.

I think I'm finally getting over the cold...but I can't read. Just can't seem to focus, might be from the cough syrup... I got 5 hours of sleep last night though, so woohoo!

Interesting story. I seem to have been bitten by an insect...on my eyelid...and it's making half of my eye bloodshot. I'm not going to think about spiders crawling on my face in the middle of the night. Not going to!

Oh, and a movie update:

Dan in Real Life: Just as charming as it is depressing.

When the World Ended: I thought this was absolutely terrible at first, but once I got into it I kind of liked it. It's a fake documentary filmed in a post-apocalypse San Francisco, so I just pretended the reason the acting was so bad was because they were all nervous to be in front of a camera. It totally took me by surprise when I saw Adam Savage in the movie. I had no idea! His acting wasn't bad at all either...actually a lot better than the skits they do on Mythbusters.

Glad to see your cold is clearing up, Stephen, but bites on eyelids give me the shivers.

I've just learned my 12 year old is deathly afraid of zombies. Any advice?

Advice? Don't let him see this picture, for starters... :P

Seriously though, phobias are complicated. I can say there are plenty of humorous takes on zombies, but I can't seem to think of any that would be appropriate for a 12 year old.

Glad you're on the mend, Stephen. Means I can take the medical mask off of Mo. :)

Me too! It's ALLLLLMOST gone, still coughing a little but...ALLLLLMOST. Except at night, still only getting a few hours but...oh well.

Well, I've had a busy couple of days, at least for my standards. My mom is visiting Chicago for 5 days (ending tomorrow) so yesterday I spent most of the day over there with my sister and her boyfriend. I went into town for pizza and there was some video game playing to be had.

Highlights include me winning in a Madden football game 42-14 at halftime (he quit) and many jokes about my having slept with a gay elf assassin in Dragon Age: Origins. In my defense, he came onto me...plus I only did it for the trophy!

My mom, for all I can tell, is expecting to come home tomorrow to an overgrown lawn. She didn't ask ME to mow or anything, so I'm assuming they are planning on doing it the day after they get home. As a bit of a surprise I went over there today and took care of it. She has a lot of grass. A LOT!

Aww, you're such a great guy, mowing the lawn. I did that exactly once this summer because my parents were about to go away on vacation. My hands were so sore (gas-powered push mower) that I remembered why I tend to avoid that chore.

Any good reading, going on there Stephen?

#178: lol @ the bug bite on the eyelid. I've gotten them in much worse places, but yeah, it kind of sucks having them in plain sight. People avoid you like the plague for some reason. (scooches away from Stephen)

Dan in Real Life...hmm, I don't remember much about that movie except for the cover. It's completely turned me off pancakes for some reason. I haven't heard of When the World Ended, but it sounds interesting. I like fake documentaries and such.

#180: Advice? Don't let him see this picture, for starters... :P -- Ah, yes. One more reason why Stephen shouldn't have kids. :P

And really, people are seriously afraid of zombies? Why? If I were a boy and had my choice of monsters to be afraid of, it'd have to be the ghosts of Michael Jackson and Jeffrey Dahmer, not decomposing bodies you can easily outrun or behead. Well, unless you're in 28 Days Later, then you're just screwed.

#182: Gay elf trophies?? XD Oh gross. Blame it on the cough syrup or you'll never live that one down.

#183: I know, isn't he such a great guy? Hint, hint: mow my lawn, Stephen. Unfortunately for you, it just rained and we only have an electric lawn mower. >:)

Thanks for saying so, Micky. I used a self-propelled mower, so that helped a little! :)

I finished a book last night, just need to review it sometime this morning. Then I'm spending today and tomorrow watching football before starting my October Horror reads on Monday, beginning with Dead of Night/Zombies!

Sara: Don't worry, people already avoid me like the plague, so no big change there. :)

Don't make fun of my gay elf trophy! :( You don't know what I had to go through to earn that. It was incredibly awkward!

Hint, hint: mow my lawn, Stephen. Unfortunately for you, it just rained and we only have an electric lawn mower.

ROFL! Sorry, all this takes on a whole different meaning coming from you, Sara... :P

65. The Tattoo Chronicles by Kat Von D



Pages: 237
Rating: 3/5

Nonfiction: Memoir, Art/Tattoos

The Tattoo Chronicles details a year in the life of Kat Von D, tattooer and star of the TV series LA Ink. Her shop is in Hollywood and she frequently tattoos celebrities, as well as anyone who wants to pay the bloated price to be tattooed by her, and she always seems to have something insightful to say about everyone who enters her shop.

The book claims to be taken from her journals, which she is frequently shown writing in during the show, but if this is the case it has been heavily edited for the book. She frequently goes in depth describing who certain people are for the reader, which wouldn't be necessary if she were writing in her own personal diary.

The book is also a bit clogged with descriptions of her relationship (at the time) with Nikki Sixx. It became a bit nauseating, really. She's a sweet girl and I'm sure all that was important to her, but it probably could have been cut out of the tattoo book.

With all that said, I still rather enjoyed the book. Her art is amazing and is on full display here, and I really did enjoy her commentary. I'll definitely consider reading her previous book, at the very least. Not bad.

September summary

Books: 9
Pages: 2,099

Fiction: 4
Nonfiction: 5

Male authors: 8
Female authors: 1

Kat Von D gives me gas pains.

I didn't like her much either, until I read the book. Which, again, makes me wonder how much of it was her writing. Then again, I certainly express my self better in text than I do verbally, so who am I to judge? *Shrug*

Nice son to mow the lawn for your mum!

I've never heard of Kat Von D....well strictly speaking, I have heard of her now....but hadn't til 3 minutes ago......anyway...I dont think I need to find out much more about her based on your review (and Richard's opinion :->).

Aww, but I like Kat Von D, and I don't hate her show. I mean, I like the ART, but all the drama and reality-TV-ness is...less than enjoyable. Not her fault though! :(

My sister is the one who is a fan of the show, and I got the book for her to read primarily (and succeeded, she's read 3 books now!) My sister loves art in general, and is into tattoos. She says her dream job would be to tattoo for a living, so she is kind of a big fan of the show.

I guess that means free tattoos for me if she ever does pursue that as a career. :P

Glad you (mostly) enjoyed your latest read, Stephen, but I think I'll skip it. I'm not really into Kat Von D or tattoos, so not much appeal. Have fun watching football. Don't cheer yourself hoarse or anything. :)

Stephen, I've been meaning to tell you that there's a commercial that reminds me of you. Have you seen the tic tac commercial where the girl in the library bounces the tic tac on her pencil, and then into her mouth?

The guy who is watching her and smiles at her reminds me of you. Not that you look alike, but the way he acts reminds me of the way YOU would probably react if you spotted a girl doing that during your trip to the library. :)

You can find the commercial here:
http://tictacusa.com/

You have to click on "tic tac on TV" to see the commercial.

Does this remind anyone else of Stephen, or is it just me? ;)

Micky: Not much cheering today, unforatunately! Ohio State did not play well. :(

Angela: Haha, yes, I've seen that commercial. I can't watch it on my internet connection so I can't recall exactly how he reacted, but if he grins stupidly or acts utterly amazed then I must confess it's probably the way I act whenever I see any girl my age at the library! :P

194- He kind of stares at her in amazement, and then when she looks at him and smiles, he looks embarrassed and tries to turn away. But then he gives a little smile and looks back again. It's all very sweet. :)

Swinging by to catch up Stephen! Maybe it was a good thing I wasn't around for a couple of days seeing how you should be pass your germie spreading phase. :)
Glad to hear you're feeling better tho! There is nothing worse than coughing all night and not being able to sleep. Hopefully that will be the end of sick days for you in 2011.

Angela: Replace sweet with creepy and that's me alright! :P

Thanks Valerie, I'm certainly hoping the same. :)

Bummer about your team. Not a huge sports fan myself, but I'm glad someone enjoys it. :)

*feeds Mo some Vitamin C to ensure he gets none of Stephen's leftover germs*

Yeah, I don't consider myself a sport fanatic but I thoroughly enjoy watching football a couple days a week (and Monday and Thursday nights...) a few months a year. If I had something better to do I would, it's not like it dominates the top of my priority list or anything, but I'm here anyway so I watch it. :)

I don't generally watch sports but I did watch football from 6pm to 11:30pm last night. But I knitted and drank tea the whole time so it all evens out :-)

Yes, it's good to do something entirely feminine to balance out all the raw masculinity on display while watching such things. Personally I massage my breasts and do kegel exercises during commercials.

I meant I was doing things that were skillful and healthy while sitting on my ass watching tv, but sure, feminine too, I guess.

#185: Ok, ok, so I won't make fun of your gay elf trophy. (pouts) And "awkward"? Don't you mean painful? :P

Hint, hint: mow my lawn, Stephen -- OMG! That does sound gross! XD Ew ew ew. I had really meant for you to mow my lawn, not . . . no, never mind, I'm not talking again for awhile. (puts soap in her mouth)

#186: I checked that book out once, but I don't think it ever left my bag until it was due. Oh well.

Hello and Happy Sunday to you

Nora: Oh! Right. I don't think I ever do anything that is skillfull and healthy...or does masturbation count?

Sara: The great thing about video games is it allows you to experience all kinds of things without the actual physical anguish involved in doing them in person, like social interaction, being attacked by an orc with a battle axe, and having gay elf sex.

Hello there, Linda. Hope you have had a nice day yourself. *Hugs*

You have a point there. I guess an elf dick is better to have in you than an orc's battle axe. (cringes) I can't believe I said that.

LOLOLOL! This was good procrastinations :P

>205 Ape: Masturbation is healthy, and can be skillful depending on how you do it. But I dunno if you want to do that while watching football. Regardless of sexual orientation, there are better things to watch.

Sara: Haha, well if you put it that way I think I'd rather take it from the orc battle axe. I've taken a pounding from far more orc weapons than I have elf dicks in the game...SO FAR!

Katie: You're welcome. :P

Nora: Actually, I find pornography depressing and have recently discovered that it no longer 'works.' Weird, huh? I've spoken out against the stuff for awhile but it always had it uses...but no longer, it seems! Scary...

Wow. Just when I thought it couldn't get any weirder in here...

Oh, hi, Stephen!

#180 Advice? Don't let him see this picture, for starters...

Even I did not click on that link, Stephen! Perhaps fear of zombies is hereditary.
On your possible careers list, cross off child psycholigist ;}

As for the other posts..........*walks off, shaking head "oh, you young whipersnapers"*

Amber: You really thought it couldn't get weirder around here? It can ALWAYS get weirder, trust me... :P

Lynda: No, no, I should definitely stay away from the child psychology field, if the things discussed on my thread is any indication...

not catching up.. just checking in...
in my journey to the bottom of the page .. all I really noticed was
gay elf trophies.. so clearly nothing has changed here..

:)

Glad you missed the masturbation discussion, Kath. Errr, I mean, HELLO!! :D

Stephen, how can you talk about such things in front of Mo?! Shame on you! :P

Yeah, I know I know. I shouldn't talk about such things in front of Mo, otherwise he'll get totally jealous once he hears what we can do with our opposable thumbs. Sorry Mo...

uh oh, Mo has migrated....

Is that who I keep seeing outside my window at night? He's a bit of a voyeur, really. Kind of creepy...

I used to have this bumper sticker on my grad. school cubicle wall:

In space, weirder is better, so support your local munchkin death squad.

Amber: o.O!

Kath: I'm all for geek girls taking over the world, naturally! ^_^

That article is good but doesn't even mention all the amazing geeky ladies on the SciFi channel. Or Kari Byron.

I, for one, am disappointed by the lack of pictures of said geek girls.

*breezes through noting absence of book discussions*

You say that like it's my fault. :(

Um, Stephen, did you leave some books unattended in Mo's corner? Because I think he may have eaten one or two...

Those were Canadian tourism guides...ah well, no big loss. :P

If all Mo has had to eat today is Canadian tourism guides, he is probably still very very very hungry.

You know I love our Canadian corner, but these piles of moose droppings are getting a little messy. Maybe Mo needs to wear diapers!

Those aren't moose droppings...

Mo is house-trained. :D

Canadian tourism books...? Books about Canadians as tourists? Do Canadians *do* tourism? I'd think it'd be too hard to mush the sled dogs fast enough for the planes to reach escape velocity.

#219: Awesome. :) I need to get a sign like that.

#230: Well, if they're not Mo's, then whose are they? 0_o

I wonder if someone is spitting out the raisins from the Butter Tarts we are serving over here. Please don't tell me they're not raisins!

And my apologies to Mo - the poor animals are always the first to get blamed!

Nora: You're right, I didn't think of that. Poor Mo, everyone is so abusive to him. :(

Judy: Ewww!


Micky: Oh...well, that's a relief. For me, anyway, not for Mo. :P

Richard: I've seen Canada on the Travel channel, so they must! Then again, the host went to a 'bar' where they were fed maple-syrup-on-a-stick dipped in snow. Yeah really...

Sara: Oh dear, I didn't think of that. *Eyes the Canadians* What are you DOING in that corner!?!?

Judy: Raisins, sure... *Puts Canadian corner under quarantine*

Oh! Tourism *INTO* Canada! I get it now. But really, how many igloos and mooseseses can one look at? And a diet of snow and maple syrup and Labatt's sounds...hmmm...pretty darn good.

Tally-ho, Mo!

LOL, only Stephen's thread would you suddenly have an adopted Canadian Moose as a permanent fixture.

Found something you could ask for for Christmas!

I Am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas
Stores: USA | UK | Canada | UK Kindle
By Adam Roberts
ISBN: 0575091541
Publisher: Gollancz
Publication date: October 1, 2011
Binding: Hardcover
Estimated price: $9.04

Re: 237.........if only it featured a kinky moose, it'd be the perfect Christmas story for you Stephen!

Hey now, let's straighten this out. Canadians both travel to other places and our country is totally worth visiting. Don't make me pull out Google images...

I would tour Canada in a heartbeat! Starting with Nov Scotia...moving west :)

pssst Micky over here Don't tell anybody, but I'm a big Canuckophile and love visiting Canuckistan and even have Canucki friends but NO ONE CAN KNOW kthxbye

Richard: Oh yes, obviously Canadians would want to escapevisit other countries.

Valerie: There's a whole swarm of mooses on Sara's thread, actually. :P

Roni: Ha! Awesome. Love the cover art. :)

Megan: It's true, what book isn't made better by a kinky moose?

Micky: Oh god, Google Images. Whenever I google Canada it's always women in Canadian underwear. Can't imagine why. It's Google's fault!

Kath: Booo! Come to Ohio, we have...errr...cows...

Richard: Oh, yes, Canada is lovely, but it's always fun to pick on Canadians. Micky knows I love her! And I'm not just saying that because she has an attack moose that will try to impregnate me if I don't be nice to her.

Ohio also has some beautiful areas..
I used to spend summers in Cleveland.
I was an ill used child.
:P

*Pat pat* Well, Kath, I'm glad you survived with (most of) your sanity intact. ;)

#242: The moose are still alive on my thread? Well, I haven't been feeding them. :o

You know how your underwear keeps going missing? Yeah, the mooses ate them! Definitely.

Goose:geese::Moose:meese

>247 richardderus: Agreed.

I refuse to say meese. Will not do it. If someone is incapable of figuring out what I mean when I say 'mooses' it's their problem, not mine.

THREAD #21 IS UP! Guess that means my threads can buy alcohol now. :o