Norabelle414's part VI: In Which Nora Volunteers at the Zoo

Perhaps a shiny new thread will pull me out of my funk



I took this one at the National Aquarium in Baltimore on my birthday. He was just hangin' out ~3 feet above my head.

(click here for sexy David Tennant)

Goals for 2013:

• Attend the big giant Philadelphia spring LT meet-up
  
• Read 75 books
  
• Catch up on my LTER reading / reviewing
  
• Read more books than I acquire (acquire fewer books than I read?)
  
• Be less hermit-y
  
• Tag all of my books owned and read by decade in which they take place
  

Previous Threads:
2013, part V
2013, part IV
2013, part III
2013, part II
2013, part I
2012, module eta

Books read in 2013:

January:
1) The Country of the Blind and Other Science-Fiction Stories by H. G. Wells
2) Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
3) In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber by L. A. Meyer
4) The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin
5) The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge by Jeremy Narby
6) Redshirts by John Scalzi
7) Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
8) Mississippi Jack: Being an Account of the Further Waterborne Adventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman, Fine Lady, and Lily of the West by L. A. Meyer

February:
9) Looking for Alaska by John Green
10) John Dies at the End by David Wong
11) Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
12) The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson
13) Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
14) Paper Towns by John Green
15) My Bonny Light Horseman: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, in Love and War by L. A. Meyer
16) The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

March:
17) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
18) Graceling by Kristin Cashore
19) Rapture of the Deep: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Soldier, Sailor, Mermaid, Spy by L. A. Meyer
20) Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy
21) Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
22) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

April:
23) I am Legend and Other Stories by Richard Matheson
24) The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book I: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
25) Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
26) The Wake of the Lorelei Lee: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, On Her Way to Botany Bay by L. A. Meyer
27) The Incorrible Children of Ashton Place, Book II: The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood

May:
28) The Incorrible Children of Ashton Place, Book III: The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood
29) The Gunslinger by Stephen King
30) Wool by Hugh Howey
31) Watership Down by Richard Adams
32) Babette's Feast by Isak Dinesen

June:
33) Fables Vol. 5: The Mean Seasons
34) The Grand Tour, or The Purloined Coronation Regalia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
35)

I'm going to try keeping a closer eye on the books I acquire throughout the year. Perhaps that will keep the numbers down.

Books acquired in 2013:

January:
1) Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger (free)

February:
None!

March:
2) Feminism in the Worlds of Neil Gaiman by Tara Prescott (free)

April:
3) Wool by Hugh Howey (new, $12)
4) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (used, $7.99)
5) Zone One by Colson Whitehead (used, $7)
6) The White Queen by Philippa Gregory (used, $7)

May:
7) Matched by Ally Condie (used, $.50)
8) Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce (used, $.50)
9) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling (used, $1)
10) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling (used, $1)
11) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling (used, $1)
12) Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (used, $1)
13) Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare (used, $1)
14) 11/22/63 by Stephen King (used, $3)
15) The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Two-volumes (used, $3)
16) Bullfinch's Mythology - 1947 edition (used, $3)
17) The Tesseract by Alex Garland (used, $3)
18) The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (used, $3)
19) Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (used, $3)
20) In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson (used, $3)
21) The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor (used, $.10)
22) Wicked by Gregory Maguire (used, $.10)
23) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (used, $.10)
24) The Maze Runner by James Dashner (used, $.10)

June:
25) Vogue Knitting Knitopedia edited by Carla Scott (new, $18.98)
26) Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore (new, $5.98)
27) Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi (new, $13.95)
28) Maus I: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman (new, $15.95)
29) Cursed Pirate Girl by Jeremy A. Bastian (new, $24.95)
30) Changeless (used, $1.50) and
31) Blameless by Gail Carriger (used, $1.50)
32) The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume II by Diana Wynne Jones (used, $1.50)
33) Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams (used, $3) - first edition
34) Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card (used, $1.50)
35) Old Man's War by John Scalzi (used, $1.50)
36)

Book #25: Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury - In 1815, a young woman on the verge of her debut to London society attends the mummy-unwrapping party of an extremely eligible bachelor. She finds something she isn't supposed to, and ends up in the middle of a vast conspiracy that could affect all of Europe.

Not particularly original, but very good. The ending, especially.




Book #26: The Wake of the Lorelei Lee: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, On Her Way to Botany Bay by L.A. Meyer, read by ♥Katherine Kellgren♥ - audiobook - Once again, Jacky is arrested, this time for stealing gold from the British Crown during Rapture of the Deep. (Though does it really count as stealing from Britain if she was just skimming off the top while helping them steal from the Spanish??). She is tried, found guilty, and sent on a ship full of prostitutes (HER ship, in fact, which was sold by the British to the East India Company) to the British penal colony in Australia.

This is where things start to get really weird. Jacky somehow ends up marrying her valet, John Higgins, so that he can save face in front of the rest of the crew. (Though they don't do anything since he is obviously gay.) The ship stops at many ports along the way, at which the prostitutes are allowed to ply their trade. That whole "sailing around the ENTIRE CONTINENT OF AFRICA" thing takes about half a chapter. They stop in India and are horribly insensitive to everyone. Then Jacky is captured by Chinese pirates and ends up as a "special friend" to a vicious lady pirate.

But it's Jacky, and I love her, so it's all a good time. Plus, the author's note reveals that, in fact, a very large portion of the book is completely true. And that's always fun.




Book #27: The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book II: The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood, read by ♥Katherine Kellgren♥ - While Ashton Place is being repaired due to the damage caused by the Incorrigibles at the Christmas party, the entire household rents a house in London for a few weeks. Miss Lumley meets an attractive young playwright, and the children have a BLAST. But of course, more mysteries arise and the children run wild and cause another catastrophe.

This book is even better than the first, most likely due to the fact that it takes place in London instead of a mansion in the middle of nowhere. But don't expect any answers from this one either. It reveals nothing and raises even MORE questions.



Currently reading:
Wool by Hugh Howey
The Gunslinger by Stephen King
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Currently listening to:
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book III: The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood

Coming soon:
??

BOOKS READ: 27
BOOKS BOUGHT: 4
BOOKS ACQUIRED: 6
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 0

DAYS REMAINING: 245
BOOKS REMAINING: 48
DAYS PER BOOK: 5.10

Happy New Thread! I love the photo at the top. At first glance it looked like an illustration rather than a photo. I can see it in a children's picture book.

How is the Jacky Faber audio working for you? I've got the first one (I think) on my Overdrive wish list.

>5 cbl_tn: Hi Carrie! The reason that photo looks like an illustration is because I took it with my phone so it is terrible quality ;-)

The Jacky Faber audiobooks are AMAZING!!! I'm completely addicted to them. I just finished the 8th book and my library doesn't have the 9th book in audio yet and I want to curl up under my desk and cry. I hope you like them too!

Even if it's only a phone-quality photo, the colors are striking - the splash of orange in the middle of all that green.

Hello there, Nora!! *Smooches and hugs excitedly* :)

The picture is adorable. Oh, and I love aquariums so much, they are my favorite part of any zoo. I haven't been in one since I was a child, but I could sit in them all day, if it weren't weird for a man to do that, by himself... :P

A man sitting in an aquarium by himself is not weird. People do that at the zoo all the time.

Volunteering at the zoo definitely helps with your goal of being less hermit-y!

Oh...okay...

Do I have to wear pants?

Yes.

But it's harder to masturbate that way.

*sigh* sometimes I don't know why I bother.

Because you think I'm wonderful company? :D

...no...?

>15 Ape: I don't know if you're wonderful company or not because you refuse to hang out with me.

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Argh. Work is really boring today. But I have zoo training at 6:30!

I don't refuse! I'm just incapable. I totally would have hung out with you in December, but you wouldn't come to Columbus to meet me. :(

Hmm, which seems more exciting... traveling to Washington, D.C. (home of the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, and a bunch of other cool stuff) or going to Columbus, Ohio to see a replica of Christopher Columbus' ship?

Also, hi Nora! Happy new thread!

We took a field trip to the replica ship when I was in elementary school. For some reason I got a nose bleed when we went below deck.

Hi Nora, stopping by to admire your shiny new thread and to wish you a great week, what is left of it anyways! ;-)

Thanks Lori! It's going to be a rough one, but really fun. Hopefully.

Wow, you're kinda busy. But the zoo stuff sounds like it'll be fun.

I remember fondly the days of being able to sleep in until 7am, but I also remember thinking 7am was too early, so I can still sympathize. Ha!

Waking up at 7am is not bad at all, it's just that's the very LATEST I get to wake up for several more weeks. On Mondays I wake up at 5:45, and most other days I wake up at 6:30.

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Zoo training yesterday was good. We didn't learn about any animals but it was still fun. Today is my usual Library Book Sale agenda: margaritas and tacos with my friend, and then buying ~13-18 books at the sale. Tomorrow is more zoo training.

Haha, I do remember that you always have margaritas ant tacos, is there a specific reason for that or is it just random?

I'm glad the zoo training went well. :D

my favorite taco and margarita place is a block from the library, and my book-sale-buddy loves tacos and margaritas

Oh, tacos - YUM.

I forgot to mention that I read the first ~50 pages of Delirium a couple days ago and I hated it so I'm taking it back to the library today.

>27 norabelle414: Good call. I struggled to get through that book.

Your zoo training sounds like a lot of fun, Nora. I hope you are scoring lots of great finds at the library book sale!

>28 _Zoe_: The first couple chapters were EXACTLY like Uglies and Divergent, and I didn't like either of those. So screw that!

Ok. I'm back from the book sale. As per tradition, I had too many margaritas at dinner and ended up buying what I don't think is actually a LOT of books, they're just REALLY HEAVY!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - all three BRITISH HARDCOVER EDITIONS. Sober Nora said "you don't need these!" and tipsy Nora said "BUT I WANT THEM AND THEY'RE ONE DOLLAR"

11/22/63 by Stephen King
The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Two-volume hardcover edition. It looks fairly old but I'm not even sure how to tell what year it was published. This makes SIX Sherlock Holmes books/collections I own, and I've only ever read The Hound of the Baskervilles. But at least this collection includes the first book in the series. So I have one fewer excuse to not read them.
Bullfinch's Mythology - really pretty 1947 hardcover edition. Yes, I already own a paperback 1991 edition. Shut up.
Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card - This is a signed copy. I actually suspect that it is MY MOTHER'S signed copy because she loaned it to someone who lives in her neighborhood (the library neighborhood) and they never returned it. Either way I'm giving it to her for mother's day.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
The Tesseract by Alex Garland
(all of the above were $3 each)

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
(the above were $1 each)

Matched by Ally Condie
Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce
(the above were $0.50 each)

So that's 14 books for $33. That's average amount of books but more-than-average amount of money because I got so many hardcovers. Phew!

Wouldn't it be funny if it really was yu rmother's signed edition?

Oh, and by the way, I think it's super awesome that your mom reads Orson Scott Card!

OHMYGODTHEBRITISHHARDCOVEREDITIONS!?!?

I kinda hate you right now.

>33 scaifea: There's still a (very poor condition) copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone at the sale waiting for you, if you want it.

>32 Ape: My mom is really, REALLY into OSC. She likes his politics a lot. Which I don't like. At all. She once tried to get me to drive to Greensboro with her so she could try to find his house, or something. It was weird.

>34 norabelle414:: Wow, thanks, Nora. Super nice of you and all. Sheesh.

>35 norabelle414:: I like his Ender stuff (by which I mean I like the first 2-3 books before it goes kinda dumb), but demonstrably do NOT like his politics.

I actually think his terrible politics make him an excellent science fiction writer. I've read a ton of his stuff, including a GIANT collection of short stories, and I really liked most of it. But my mother, who likes his politics, doesn't like most of his harder science fiction stuff. (She doesn't like most hard science fiction in general)

35: Oh my god! You have a weird fangirl mom. I'm kind of jealous.

My mom is a weird fangirl about a lot of things, but OSC's politics is not one of my favorites.

I love the commentary provided along with your book haul!

In the Garden of Beasts is my RL book club book for May. I'm looking forward to it.

Oh, stars... I almost lost you for a minute, Nora! Jeepers. Luckily, I was tidying some things up, and I realized I missed your link to your new thread!

♥

Love the widdle guy up top!

What a great book haul at the sale! You got some good ones there.

Fourteen books for such a low sum! Congratulations! Now that I found your thread, I plan to visit more often.

>40 katiekrug: Katie, you can thank the margaritas for the snarky comments.

>41 Esquiress: Es, Phew! I'm so glad you found me again.

>42 UnrulySun: Kathy, He was so adorable. He kept looking at everyone like "Why are you staring at me!?! I'm just taking a nap!"

>43 Whisper1: Thanks Linda! I do hope you visit more often. Though forgive me if things get weird and shirtless Canadians start showing up.

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Zoo training was excellent today. We learned all about Red Pandas and the keeper who taught us about them was really funny and personable. And then we gave informal presentations in small groups and that was fun. Except one of the women (I really need to start calling females my age "women" instead of "girls"....) in my group thought that she should get special treatment because she has a 9-5 job (almost everyone in the class has a full-time job). She told the instructor that she was not prepared and just assumed that she would be allowed to present next time instead. The instructor told her no, she had to present, and then she started to cry...... it was weird. But I don't feel bad for her because really?? who expects special treatment just because they didn't prepare for class??

Tomorrow I have a "light" day, in that I only have to work for 8 hours and then I get to do things like grocery shop and drop off books at the library and do laundry and prepare lunch/dinner for the next week. Then Saturday morning I get up at 5:30 so I can leave at 6:15 to go to my brother's graduation. BUT I found out that we probably are not having dinner together after his graduation so I might be home by 4 or 5PM.

ALSO I almost completely forgot that Mother's Day is in like a week and so I need to knit something really fast . . . . any ideas??

I find the whole woman/girl thing to be incredibly confusing, and I never know what is proper or what what could possibly be considered insulting.

Technically anyone 18 or older should be called a woman. But I have trouble considering MYSELF to be a woman sometimes, so I tend to call women my own age "girls". I wish there was a more age-neutral term, like "guys" for men.

Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking, "guys" is perfect for...well, guys. I also have trouble calling myself a 'man' sometimes, for some reason I always think of men as a guy with a house/job/family. It's like I don't feel worthy of the title.

"Young lady" works pretty well though, that's what I tend to use for young ladies like yourself. ;)

I like "gals," myself. Or "chicks."

I tend to go with "ladies", myself.

Going back to your haul, I give thumbs to The Statistical Probability... and Alias Grace. Both really enjoyable in very different ways. :)

I prefer "ladies", too.

I use "lasses" sometimes too :)

If it's a group of them I definitely call them "ladies". But just "lady" sounds kind of weird sometimes.

ah, cry baby girls who don't meet expectations drive me nuts....

Nora - Admire your zoo training escapades ~ definitely not for me as I would be more concerned that I may be captured and returned to the Monkey House.

On the use of gender titles, I do think it depends on how it is used. Ladies is very nice if the intent of its use is neither patronising or condescending. I have a habit of using it frequently but I think of it as being respectful!

I remember breaking up a fight between two girls when I was teaching... I was running across the cafeteria, screaming "Ladies! Ladies! Stop this!" until I got to them and had to throw myself between them...

Hey, I took my nephew to the zoo yesterday, was looking around for you. No luck though! I did see a bunch of volunteers having fun feeding the animals and was glad the training is going well. :)

>53 Whisper1: Me too, Linda! I have so much sympathy for people who cry out of stress or frustration, because I have been there, but no sympathy for people who expect special treatment! If you didn't have time to do your work that is understandable, but take responsibility for it!

>54 PaulCranswick: Oh, Paul. I would think you would feel right at home on the Asia Trail!

>55 Esquiress: Yikes, Es. I don't envy you. Fighting girls can be brutal.

>56 drneutron: Oh no, Jim! Saturday was pretty much the ONE day last week that I was not at the zoo. If you had come out on Sunday you would have seen me interpreting at the Clouded Leopard exhibit, though :-)

Oh! Jim, your innocent stroll with your nephew just gave me an excellent idea! Now that I know where Nora will be, I can totally stalk her at the zoo! Hurray!

I'll wear a panda costume, so she'll never recognize me.

I know what you are thinking, it'll be easier to spot me now that I've mentioned I'll be in a panda costume, right? That's why my panda costume is going to be a 'panda wearing a tiger costume' costume. She'll never expect it!

Oh, uhh, hello there, Nora. *Smooches and flits off*

This week is another busy one as I have Zoo training on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Training yesterday went very well. In the morning I learned about Asian Small-Clawed Otters and Giant Pandas, and in the afternoon I did my first interpretation in public (though it was for a small group of my peers. But there were other people around!)

Tomorrow I get to learn about the Japanese Giant Salamander.

____________________________________

>58 Ape: The tigers are all the way down at the other end of the zoo from me, so you would be extremely conspicuous.

Zoo volunteering sounds fun!

And I call those younger than me "girls" too... though I sometimes say ladies or gals. But I'm equal opportunity... any male younger than me is a "kid." Unfortunately, that now covers 'most anyone on a pro sports team so I really should come up with new habits for both genders. :)

>57 norabelle414:: I just thought it was funny that I called them "ladies" while they were punching each other and trying to pull each others' hair out :)

Book #28: The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book III: The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood, read by ♥Katherine Kellgren♥ - The Ashtons, Incorrigibles, and Penelope have been back from London for only a few days when Lord Frederick's mother shows up, with a new boyfriend in tow. The boyfriend is obsessed with his latest money-making scheme, racing ostriches, but he seems a bit too interested in the children for Penelope's taste.

Well, not very many answers here either. And also more questions. Reading these books is like watching an episode of Lost: each book gives you 1 kind-of-answer and 5 huge new questions. But they're still really entertaining. Penelope is a perfect unexpected heroine, and the villains are never too villain-y, nor not villain-y enough. The children are adorable, and all of the supporting characters are excellent.

My library doesn't have any more of these audiobooks, so that's all for now.



Currently reading:
Wool by Hugh Howey
The Gunslinger by Stephen King
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Currently listening to:
Watership Down by Richard Adams, read by Ralph Cosham

Coming soon:
??

BOOKS READ: 28
BOOKS BOUGHT: 19
BOOKS ACQUIRED: 21
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 0

DAYS REMAINING: 238
BOOKS REMAINING: 47
DAYS PER BOOK: 5.06

The fourth Incorrigibles book isn't even coming out until December--and I think it's already been postponed multiple times now.

WHAT

I lost you but you are found again! Whew! I'm glad that you are enjoying your time at the zoo. It sounds wonderful. And BOOKS! Yay books!

Anxiously waiting to see what you think of Wool since I forced you to buy it. ;)

I just finished part 2 and I'm liking it a LOT.

Glad to hear you're liking Wool!

*waiting impatiently for more panda pics*

>67 UnrulySun: On Sunday we learned about Giant Pandas and we spent about 40 minutes looking at pictures and watching videos of Pandas trying (and mostly failing) to mate.

Yeah what was up with the mating videos?! I'm not sure you'll need to illustrate that point to the school groups that pass through.

I have not read even the first book of the Incorrigibles series. I am going to have to remedy that!

>69 UnrulySun: well, the problem is that neither of the zoo's pandas have ever had sex with a panda besides each other. so they have NO IDEA what they're doing. And they only have 24 hours once a year in which they can try. so we watched a video of them flailing around not knowing what they're doing. And one of the ways that zoos try to remedy this is by showing the pandas videos of other pandas successfully having sex, to see if they can learn from that. (this method has supposedly worked in China but has not yet worked anywhere else) So we watched one of those videos. It was an interesting day.

>70 alcottacre: I know you will like the Incorrigibles a lot, Stasia!

I hope so!

My completely exhausting 3 weeks is almost over! On Tuesday I learned all about Japanese Giant Salamanders and got scoffed at by a cranky old herpetologist for asking if the 25-year-old Japanese Giant Salamander had a name. ("We don't give our animals PET NAMES here!!"). Yesterday I learned about what to do if there is a "Code Green" at the zoo. ("Code Green" is when a) an animal escapes, b) a feral animal gets into one of the zoo enclosures, or c) a person gets into one of the zoo enclosures. Personally I feel like all of those should have different code names, but whatever.) Today I get to go on a tour of the Asia Trail with the architect of the trail and she'll tell us about all the cool stuff there. (The Asia Trail is one of the newer parts of the zoo.) And then on Sunday I learn about Clouded Leopards and Fishing Cats, and then I have my "final exam" where I'm interpreting to the public, and then I'm DONE!

I'm signing up to work shifts in June right now and it's so exciting!

Yay, congratulations on the zoo shift sign-ups!

Thanks Zoe! I've requested the following shifts:

2 Jun - 10AM
15 Jun - 10AM
22 Jun - 1PM
29 Jun - 1PM

but the final list won't be posted until Sunday or Monday. It's possible I might also work a shift over Memorial Day weekend.

*Hugs* Hurray! And I wouldn't give the herpetologist much thought, he probably gave the salamander an embarrassing name and didn't want to admit it in public. ;)

>77 Ape: We have a running joke amongst the trainee volunteers that all of the keepers we've talked to so far act exactly like their animals. The Cranky Old Herpetologist did not let us down.

__________________________________________

Quick update on my quest to tag all of my books by decade in which they take place:

I've tagged 772 out of 963 books. Most of the rest are the difficult ones, so it's going to take me awhile to get through them. And then I think maybe 5% of the already-tagged ones are wrong.

As far as my 2013 reading goes:
1800s (5)
1810s (1)
1850s (2)
1870s (1)
1880s (1)
1890s (1)
1900s (2)
1920s (1)
1940s (1)
1970s (2)
1980s (1)
1990s (1)
2000s (4)
2010s (6)
2020s (1)
2470s (1)

The only ones this year I haven't tagged with a date are the Incorrigible Children books. They're obviously Victorian (1830s-1890s) but there isn't much more detail than that since all the books & plays mentioned are made up and no wars or other news items are mentioned.

Hi Nora!

Sorry I won't be joining you in Philly, but we'll see what happens in June. I hope to get to see you, Zoe, Mark, and Jim then...at least for a little while.

It's so exciting about your volunteering at the zoo. What fun! My daughter volunteers at the Baltimore City animal shelter and fosters mother cats and kittens. She and her fiancé have two cats, but after her first foster experience she ended up with her two "already" cats and one new kitten! I hope that doesn't mean that she adopts one kitten with each foster experience. :O

Haha! So funny about the pandas mating. When I used to breed hamsters, the newbie male did not know what to do either. It's not just pandas. He started at the wrong end of the female! It was hysterical watching him. Eventually, he figured out what to do, though. Hey! I never thought of having him watch a hamster sex video. That's quite a unique idea. It would've had to have been on a *very* small screen. Too bad because back then there was no such thing as a smart phone. :)

Have a great trip to Philly, and say hi to the LT gang up there for me.

Yay!

Excellent!

Cool!

*High fives*

Whoo hoo! She's official!

Double Yay!

>79 SqueakyChu: Hi Madeline! I actually won't be able to make it to Philadelphia this weekend, due to some work- and zoo-related things that have come up. I'm very disappointed!
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Thanks Zoe, Jim, Madeline, Stephen, Morphy, and Lori!

My BookCrossing group makes a yearly trip to the zoo to do a themed release of animal books. I've never joined them for that, but it sounds like fun. I should join them this year and see if we can find you at the zoo! I think they do that in September for some reason. I haven't been to the zoo in years, but now that I'll soon have a grandson...who knows?

My daughter became an animal shelter volunteer last year and fostered a cat family. Then she kept one kitten...so now she and her fiancé have three cats. Any chance of your fostering baby zoo animals at home?

Another friend of mine wants to become an volunteer at an animal rescue farm. I told her about your activities in case she has any questions. What you do sounds like so much fun. I love animals and nature so much.

That is SO COOL! I'm sohappy for you, Nora (and pretty jealous, but that's fine).

Yay for zoo volunteering!

Huzzah for an official name tag!

>88 SqueakyChu: That sounds really fun, Madeline! The zoo would be a perfect place to release books.

>89 PawsforThought:, 90, 91 Thanks Paws, Leah, and Es!

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Tags-by-decade update: 831 tagged out of 968!

Today I'm making flashcards for all of my zoo animals to help me remember stuff about them :-)

I need all of you to ask me questions about giant pandas, red pandas, Japanese giant salamanders, fishing cats, Asian small-clawed otters, sloth bears, or clouded leopards. (Even stupid questions. We get all kinds of weird questions at the zoo, and I need to be ready!)

If you help me I'll reward you with pictures :-)

Why are red pandas called "red pandas"?

>94 Esquiress: Red pandas are called "red" because their fur is a rusty color that helps them blend in with the reddish-brown moss on the trees in their native habitat. Although they share the name "panda" with the giant pandas, the two species are not very closely related. The word "panda" means "bamboo eater", and red pandas eat bamboo almost exclusively, just like giant pandas.

Do fishing cats dive?

>96 drneutron: Fishing cats do dive occasionally to catch fish. They prefer to lure the fish to them by tapping their paws on the surface of the water, but if that doesn't work they will jump completely into the water and swim. Fishing cats have long, narrow skulls which help them move faster underwater, and short, muscular tails which help them propel and steer themselves toward their dinner.


This is Lek, our male fishing cat, who is 4 years old. We just found out last week that his mate, Electra, is pregnant :-)

Are they really cats? Like, are they like the cats I have at home?

Are sloth bears sloths or bears?

>98 Esquiress: Fishing cats are solitary and not friendly. They will ferociously attack people and make terrible pets. However, fishing cats are classified as "small cats", which means they do share lots of characteristics with your cats:
- they can purr and yowl (and they can't roar)
- they have very sharp teeth
- they must eat meat (unlike dogs which can survive without meat)
- their babies are called "kittens"
- they love "enrichment activities" like finding hidden food and playing with cardboard boxes
- they eat cat kibble (along with other food)
- they weigh 15-30 lbs (a little larger than housecats)
- they're nocturnal
- they usually live to an average of 18 years old (in captivity)

>99 PawsforThought: Sloth bears are bears, which are completely unrelated to sloths. They were given the name "sloth bears" because they look and act a little like sloths: they move very slowly (unless they are threatened!); they have long, blunt, curved claws; and they are missing their upper two front teeth.

>99 PawsforThought:
This is Hank! He's our baby sloth bear, just 5 months old. He's not on display yet because he's so tiny that he could walk right between the bars of his enclosure.

I can't see Hank :(

We had red pandas at the zoo at my high school (yes, we had a zoo, it was cool) and I lurved them.

I cannot think of a question so am leaving inane comments.

Happy Wednesday :-)

oh no! I'll find a better picture of Hank when I get home.

Can you see spots on a clouded leopard? Or are they blurred?

I think you should give the Japanese giant salamander a name. How did a salamander get in there with all those mammals? So completely cool that you're working at the zoo! Sorry you won't get to Philadelphia.

Are there Asian large-clawed otter as well? Wait, what's the plural on that: otter or otters?

>105 cbl_tn: The spots on a clouded leopard aren't cloudy, but that's a good guess! Its spots are shaped like clouds, which is how it got its name.

>106 qebo: I totally am going to give it a name! But don't tell the cranky old herpetologist. The Japanese giant salamander is sacred in Japan, so the powers that be decided it would be a better fit on the Asia Trail than in the Reptile Discovery Center! Personally, I like the variety :-)

>107 Esquiress: There are not Asian large-clawed otters, but most otters have long(ish) claws. The Asian small-clawed otters' claws don't extend pats the end of their fingers, and they actually look a lot like human fingernails. (The plural is "otters")

> 97

We just found out last week that his mate, Electra, is pregnant

Mazal tov! :D

OK, I don't have a very exact question, but I'm very curious about the Japanese giant salamander! Is it like the salamanders we have here, only bigger? Why is it sacred?

>110 bell7: The Japanese Giant Salamander (JGS) is a member of the family Cryptobranchidae ("hidden gills"). There are three members of the family: JGS, Chinese Giant Salamander, and the North American Hellbender. The Chinese species is the largest, growing up to 6 feet long. JGS can grow up to 5 feet long, and hellbenders up to 2.5 feet. Aside from their size, the only real difference between the cryptobranchids and other salamanders is that the cryptobranchids almost never leave the water. JGS adults weigh over 50lbs, and can live to be 40 or 50 years old.

JGS is a major character in a lot of Japanese mythology, and is believed to be the inspiration for the Kappa. JGS used to be hunted for food and medical purposes, because it was believed that eating salamander meat increased female fertility. However in 1951 Japan declared JGS a "special national monument" and now they are fully protected in all the provinces in which they are found. There are parades and festivals in honor of the JGS, and an entire museum devoted to this single species.

Are sloth bears realated to sloths, bears, or neither? Have they been bred in captivity?

I wondered whether JGS were related to hellbenders so good to know. We have hellbenders in the Smokeys but, despite their size, they are unusually difficult to find. We had a huge project here to catalog all the species in the park (salamanders were a major focus because we have the highest species density in the world) so I spent a summer tramping around local creeks looking for hellbenders. I think I found maybe 4 total.

I bought a few books on Friday, from the 10 cent cart at the library:

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire - to replace my old copy which had its cover chewed off by a dog
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling - another British first-edition hardcover. This one is in significantly worse condition than the ones I bought earlier this month but, um, 10 cents!
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

Book #29: The Gunslinger by Stephen King - A man known only as "The Gunslinger" is tracking a man known only as "the man in black" through a mostly deserted world. Not a lot actually happens, but you learn about The Gunslingers past as he goes along.
I probably would have enjoyed this more if I had read it all in one go instead of slowly over the course of two months. It was good, but I didn't absorb much of it. I'll read the sequels eventually I'm sure.




Book #30: Wool by Hugh Howey - The silo is a very well-structured society. Everyone has a job to do and everyone does their job. Anyone who questions the system is sent outside the silo to clean the sensors which provide the residents of the silo with their only view of the outside. The air outside is toxic, and the cleaners die just after doing their job. That's really only a synopsis of the first 20 pages or so of this 500+ page chunkster. But discovering this world for yourself is half the fun, so I won't say any more.

I loved every little thing about this dystopic story, especially the straightforward and matter-of-fact writing style. It is fitting to life in the silo, and to Juliette herself, much more than flowery prose would be. Definitely recommended to anyone who likes dystopias.



Currently reading:
Babette's Feast by Isak Dinesen
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Currently listening to:
Watership Down by Richard Adams, read by Ralph Cosham (75%)

Coming soon:
The Iron Thorn
The War for the Oaks

BOOKS READ: 30
BOOKS BOUGHT: 22
BOOKS ACQUIRED: 24
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 0

DAYS REMAINING: 226
BOOKS REMAINING: 45
DAYS PER BOOK: 5.02

I've added Wool to my wishlist. I love dystopias, but I've been cautious about recent books in that genre after it became super-popular. I trust your recommendation, though.

Oh yay! I'm so happy (and relieved) that you loved Wool so much. The last couple of recommendations I've made to people have been a bit unsuccessful but I think Wool is just amazing. I'm about to start First Shift, so I'll let you know if it's as good.

Oops, caught by the Wool bullet.

I went to see Star Trek last night and it was so good! I thought it was just going to be okay and then Chris Pine looked at the camera and my brain went to MUSH.

You got me with a book bullet for Wool.

I'm sorry, did you say Chris Pine? I wasn't aware there was anyone other than Benedict Cumberbatch in that movie.

Yay for the Star Trek love! :-) (With Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Bruce Greenwood, and Benedict Cumberbatch all in one movie, I'm lucky my brain didn't stay mushed.)

I have a soft spot for Anton Yelchin too.

ETA: and John Cho was really good in this one too. I'm so used to thinking of him as a dumb stoner.

Oops, looks like I skipped some people! Sorry!

>112 MDGentleReader: MDGentleReader: Sloth bears are bears, and are completely unrelated to sloths. They were given the name "sloth bears" because they look and act a little like sloths: they move very slowly (unless they are threatened!); they have long, blunt, curved claws; and they are missing their upper two front teeth.

We do breed sloth bears at the National Zoo. In December one of our females, Hana, had a baby who is named Hank. Hank and Hana are not on display right now because Hank is so small that he can slip right through the bars of his enclosure!
We're currently trying to breed Hank's father, Francois, with our other female, Khali.

>113 leahbird: Leah: Cryptobrachids (I love that word!) are especially difficult to find because they are almost completely aquatic, and they don't have any bright colors like some smaller salamanders do. They just find a rock in a stream or river and hide under it for literally days at a time.

>116 _Zoe_:, 118, 120 Zoe, Es, Morphy: You'll all like Wool, I promise. It's completely unangsty. There are no characters under ~24 and the vast majority of the characters are over 30. Characters definitely have romantic feelings, but they don't sit around thinking about how in love they are when they should be worrying about how everyone is dying, or something. And the women are strong and don't just think about dudes all the time! It's great.

Probably my least favorite thing about Wool is the title. It's just weird. I kept expecting some random sheep to show up.

Hahahahaha, silo sheep! I kind of understood Wool as the title for the original short story but it makes very little sense once the story moves past that.

Nora: Wool looks great! And those reasons are probably exactly why I so often seem to develop crushes on women in their 30's over women closer to my own age, haha. -.-

Book #31: Watership Down by Richard Adams, read by Ralph Cosham - A group of rabbits leave their warren (which they believe is doomed) and go through many trials before settling down in their own utopia.

I had always been told that Watership Down was really traumatizing, but I'm not sure why. Most of it isn't exactly happy, but I've read much, much worse. It's really solidly well written. I especially liked the occasional switches in perspective to show the story from different points of view. Definitely recommended to anyone who hasn't read it yet.




Book #32: Babette's Feast by Isak Dinesen - Sisters Martine and Philippa belong to a ascetic, minimalist sect in Norway. They are happy to offer asylum to a French chef, Babette, who is on the run from the French government, but they will only allow her to cook simple Norwegian meals so they can give as much of their money as possible to the poor. Many years later, the girls are concerned that their beloved Babette will leave them, because she has recently come into some money. Babette is mum on the matter but asks permission to cook one real French meal for the founder of the sect, the sisters' late father.

A beautiful, poignant, borderline-perfect short story. You all know of my love for fancy food, so it should come as no surprise that this story really touched me. And I love short stories so I will be on the lookout for more by Dinesen/Karen Blixen.



Currently reading:
The Iron Thorn
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Currently listening to:
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, read by Geraldine Brooks (5%)

Coming soon:
The War for the Oaks

BOOKS READ: 32
BOOKS BOUGHT: 22
BOOKS ACQUIRED: 24
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 0

DAYS REMAINING: 220
BOOKS REMAINING: 43
DAYS PER BOOK: 5.12

I'm off to see Star Trek in about an hour... *squeeeee*

And that said, Wool goes directly on the list. I am INTRIGUED.

I miss you! *Hugs*

I've not gone anywhere. I'm even up-to-date on your thread, I think.

I saw the movie Babette's Feast and really liked it up until the end. I didn't like that part!

I can't wait to hear what you think of Year of Wonders. I've read everything Brooks has written.

I miss you anyway! :)

I got a new roommate today! His current name is Jammie but I hate that name so I need to come up with a new one! Something totally nerdy, I think.

What a cutie! He reminds me of my dear departed Fig (short for Fezziwig). Hope he's a good roommate.

He is handsome!

> 134 - what a great new roommate! Is he a cuddly kitty? I just want to reach out and pick him up... that, and play with his paws. Crazy, I know. My sister has an orange tabby that is a lot of fun and very playful, but he's not a cuddly kitty.... he tends to get freaked out when someone manages to pick him up.

He is very cuddly! Currently he is under the bed but I don't blame him because he has had a very stressful day!

I feel like his name might be Rory Pond.

I have the camera at the computer because I’m organizing garden photos and this was just too tempting... SNiP: Single Nucleotide Polymorphism. Named by my microbiologist niece, not me. (Her husband is severely allergic so the cat had to go elsewhere. He moped in the attic for weeks.)

A cat named Rory Pond is EPICALLY awesome.

>139 qebo: SNip! That's such a cute name! They could be brothers.

Awwww, cute! My sister has a cat that looks just like him and he's super cuddly/friendly. :)

Anything is better than what I've called my cats.

Itty Bitty
Puff
Sweetie

Okay, I was kid, but still.

I named the cat I had when I was a kid Chocolate Swirl, but my parents told me that was too long and I had to come up with a nickname. So my parents called her Cocoa but I always called her Chocolate Swirl.

I woke up to this this morning:

I have a marmalade kitty too :) Yours is very handsome. I'll have to post a picture of Mortimer soon.

Awwww! *Swoons* Well, it looks like he is comfortable in his new home. :)

Awwww, cutie pie kitties! "Rory Pond" is a mouthful but I like it.

>147 UnrulySun: I usually just call him "Rory", unless he's being naughty.

When Halloween rolls around, will you dress him up as The Last Centurion? ;) Also, make sure to double check your apartment for time cracks.

>144 norabelle414: Aww, Rory Pond is an excellent cat name. He looks adorable!

I'm headed to the shelter tonight myself to pick up a cat but whichever one I get, I already have his name picked out. :)

>150 MickyFine: You're going to name him Stephen, aren't you?? I know it!

Just when I was starting to pull out of my book funk, my current book is getting tedious. But I should have some library holds coming up soon so I can switch to something else for a bit.

Haha, nope, I didn't name him Stephen. Pic and name are over on my thread. :)

Tired from playing with toys all day:



This is what happens every time I go to the bathroom to wash my face or brush my teeth:

Yay, kitties! Man, I leave LT for a few weeks and when I get back everyone had such cute new cats. (My cat, Neko, is similar in color - love it!)

I love your new cat! He looks like a cat named Kitty (who happened to be male) a friend of mine had for years.

My daughter has three cats - named Nimbus, Noodle, and Bug. Bug went without a name for a long, long time. My daughter and I do NOT agree on cat names.

My three (feral) cats are Lord Bravery (her choice of name for this female cat), Mama Cat (a name that came about by default because she was the, er, mama cat of the others) and Uglifruit (whose name I chose).

I say: Be creative with cat names! It gives distinction to those felines. :)

< 155

My cat, Neko, is similar in color

Uh oh! I friend of mine had a new baby (the human kind) two months ago. His name is also Niko (a slightly different spelling...and short for Nikola). :D

There is a web site devoted to cats in sinks though it seems to be down at the moment.

157:

Ha ha ha, the human kind. I love the name Nikola and Niko is a cute shortening of it. :)

I named my cat Neko because I had been going through a Neko Case phase (a singer) and also Neko means cat in Japanese so I thought it worked on two levels.

> 159

Neko means cat in Japanese

I'll have to let my (human) friend know this! :)

This is Mortimer. He chose me in a cemetery while I was attending a funeral. He was dropped off in the woods across the street from the cemetery earlier that day, and he came and found me and a loving home. We adore him.

We also have four other cats and a rabbit. The cats are: Mystery, Sheik, Kitteh, and Spectre. The rabbit came with the name Lucky.

Thanks for sharing, Es! Hooray for male orange cats!

He's a love bug. I hope yours is too!

He is a love bug! It even says so on the paper that the shelter gave me.

He's currently mad at me though, because I am trying to leash-train him and so he has to wear a harness.

Aww! I try to harness and walk my rabbit, and she has NONE of it :) When I take the kitties to the vet, I mostly do the harness/ leash thing b/c they hate the crate so much.

Ah that's a good point! I don't have a car so I take a cab to the vet and the cabs require a carrier. I do think I'm going to walk him to the pet store across the street one day though :-)

My cat Ollie used to travel with me a lot. When we'd stop at rest areas he'd get to walk around on his leash and ocassionally climb a tree. It was definitely an attention grabber. He also got to ride around Charleston SC in the basket of my bike a lot.

Good luck with the leash-training! I gave up trying to leash-train my previous cat, Sandino as he would promptly lie down on the ground and not move when the harness was in place. We were able to train him and another cat we had to respond on command and for the most part they were good about that but to this day I can still remember weeding the front flower bed of my parent's yard when Sandino, outside with me, decided to 'stalk' the neighbor's collie as the collie and his owner were walking passed on the sidewalk. Sandino never left the yard and it was funny how he promptly acted very nonchalant and casual when I verbally reprimanded him. Fun times!

Hey, Nora - come join the six-word memoir-writing party over on my thread :) Great way to end the month!

I am watching the party ardently, Es! But I'm afraid I'm too a) verbose and b) averse to memoirs to make up my own.

Oh, you would do just fine! It's all about cutting down to the most important words in your life :)

Nora? Defined in six words? Impossible!

A six-word memoir right there!

I'm putting The Iron Thorn on the back burner for a bit; mostly because the writing is TERRIBLE. I want to like it because the story is, um, different. But the writing is just sooooo bad.

Today I picked up from the library Fables Vol. 5: The Mean Seasons by Bill Willingham and The Grand Tour, or, The Purloined Coronation Regalia: being a revelation of matters of High Confidentiality and Greatest Importance, including extracts from the intimate diary of a Noblewoman and the sworn testimony of a Lady of Quality by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. I've got holds on two more books but I can't remember what they are right now.

I also bought The Maze Runner by James Dashner for 10 cents.

The Maze Runner is fun and fast, great find!

I popped in to show you this red panda picture. It was captured on Pandacam. :)

http://news.yahoo.com/lightbox/pandas-and-more-caught-on-secret-cam-1369932747-s...

>175 UnrulySun: Thanks Kathy!

____________________________________

You reminded me to post that I'll be working the following hours at the zoo in June:

Sat, 15 Jun, 10am-1pm
Sat, 22 Jun, 1pm-4pm
Sat, 29 Jun, 1pm-4pm

Ooooh, I could come harass you on the 22nd before the hubs and I leave DC :)

Those are perfectly respectable volunteer hours. I once volunteered for a library association conference that was being held in my home town that year while I was still in library school and they gave me a 10 hour shift (which ended up being 8 because registration dropped off) and I was not impressed. :P

I'm so behind. Love the new kitty (is everyone getting kitties atm?). And of course you'd give him a Whovian name, what else? :)

As a cat owner you say things you never thought you'd have to say, such as "Rory Pond! Stop biting my toes!" :-)

Book #33: Fables Vol 5: The Mean Seasons by Bill Willingham - I don't remember exactly what happened in Volume 4, as I read it several years ago, but The Mean Seasons starts out with Prince Charming running against the incumbent King Cole for Mayor of Fabletown, and Snow White is pregnant with Bigby Wolf's baby, or something.

When I first started reading these graphic novels, fairytale retellings weren't so common, but now they're HUGE. Fables still stands up as one of the best, though. The interpretations are interesting and feel original, and the artwork, of course, is to die for.



Currently reading:
The Grand Tour, or The Purloined Coronation Regalia by Patricia C. Wrede and Carolyn Stevermer
The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Currently listening to:
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, read by Geraldine Brooks (45%)

Coming soon:
The War for the Oaks

BOOKS READ: 33
BOOKS BOUGHT: 23
BOOKS ACQUIRED: 25
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 0

DAYS REMAINING: 210
BOOKS REMAINING: 42
DAYS PER BOOK: 5.00

>180 norabelle414: Lol. Very true.

Aaaaaaand I just read an article that says Fables is being optioned for a movie. Squee!

I just started reading the Fables GN series this year. I have made it to Vol 4 so it sounds like Vol. 5 picks up exactly where Vol. 4 left off. I do love this series!

ETA: My bad.... I have only read up to the end of Vol. 3 so curious as to what Vol. 4 is since I wasn't noticing any gaps in the story from your review.....

> 183 - Double Squee!!

Fables a movie? I'm intrigued! (Have yet to actually read them, but I keep meaning to!)

We need more pictures of Rory. Stat.

>180 norabelle414: Of course no one in all the universes would tell Rory Pond to stop nibbling on their toes! The thought!

>183 norabelle414: I've been hearing rumors about the Fables movie but I'm not sold on the idea. A miniseries would be better I think because there was is just so much there to work with.

>184 lkernagh: I used to have Vol. 1-4, which would have been very helpful to skim through, but I loaned them to someone who has yet to return them. I really don't remember what happened in Vol. 4.

>185 UnrulySun: He's not very photogenic, as he rarely holds still long enough for a picture. He was in bat-shit-crazy mode yesterday evening, and all night long, and all of this morning. Hopefully he'll wear himself out by the time I get home. We're still working on leash training, so maybe a walk outside will wear him out and/or scare him into submission.

>186 leahbird: Miniseries are always better, it's true. There was actually a Fables TV show in development for awhile. Production was cancelled and a lot of the people who were working on it moved to Once Upon A Time. The writers and producers of OUaT have said in interviews that they are heavily influenced by Fables. I like to think of OUaT as "Fables-lite". (i.e. less sex and violence and cursing)

I got the feeling that Once Upon a Time was Fables inspired and it's probably a large part of why I like the show (although I'm starting to get a bit bored...). For me, Fables takes a weird kind of repetitive turn in the teens, but the current volumes, around #17, are getting quite good again. And I love the companion books.

I'd love to see HBO tackle Fables as a show since they seem to be able to be more creative and true to the crazy source material. But then I'd also hate that the show was, essentially, behind a pay wall all the time so fewer people could enjoy it. I always maintain an HBO subscription but I know that a lot of people who would watch and love Fables don't.

Ehhh I'm not a huge HBO fan. I think they can do great things with mediocre sources (usually by adding sex...) but I think they would ruin something as awesome as Fables.

Rory's in a calm mood today so you all can get some pictures:


A couple days ago when he was being crazy and wrestling with the chair


Taking a nap after his visit to the vet today


relaxing in the window


sitting in my lap for the first time ever! (he's not much of a lap cat)


just plain cute.

Adorable kitty! Purr-fect!

Random question: are you familiar with Southside 815 on Washington St in Alexandria? I used to love it and see that it's still open. I was thinking of taking the hubs and my MIL there one night but didn't know if it was still good?

ETA: love the kitty! Very cute (and I'm not a huge cat person)...

Southside 815 is pretty good! I like the food, but the other patrons can be kind of annoying sometimes (high schoolers, families with noisy kids, etc.). I like to go on Mondays when po'boys are 1/2 price.

A similar restaurant I love is Jackson 20, on King street across from Market Square. They serve southern food; more expensive than Southside 815 but I love the atmosphere. The shrimp and grits are to.die.for.

Good to know - thanks!

Hi Rory! He's definitely adorable. Mycroft isn't much of a lapsitter either. He'll tolerate being held for a while and he'll even perch on my chest or stomach for a while. But then he usually settles down next to me.

>195 MickyFine: Yeah Rory likes to be ascloseaspossible to me, without actually being on top of me. The last picture is him on a chair cushion I've placed on top of the coffee table, because he LOVES to sit on the coffee table while I'm in the chair next to it. And I hate having the back cushion on the chair! We were made for each other.

Oooooh, Rory, you are a heartbreaker! I wanna squish him!

And I can never get over the amazing view from your window. So clean and neat, like a Lego village.

Crazy Rory wrestling with the chair...... that is such a great picture!

What a cool-looking cat - congrats!

Does Rory like his harness? My cat is not a fan...but he does like baths, and laps...he's a strange one.

>197 UnrulySun: I will squish him for you, Kathy!

>198 lkernagh: Thanks Lori! He really, really likes wrestling with the chair when he's in crazy kitty mode.

>199 scaifea: Thanks Amber!

>200 RosyLibrarian: Rory is okay with his harness. He was a bit peeved at first but now he has come to terms with it, since he wears it 24/7

_____________________________________

I had a lovely mini-meetup with Zoe today, and her boyfriend Mark. We went to Politics and Prose and drank coffee/tea and bought lots of books, and then went to Comet Ping Pong and had pizza and ice cream. The only way it could have been a better day is if it wasn't pouring rain almost all day.

We'll be getting together again on Sunday, with SqueakyChu.

Looking forward to seeing the three of you!

ETA: Pray for sunshine...

>201 norabelle414: Heh. When I first met Mycroft at the shelter, I callled him my squishy. I have awesome friends who got the reference. :) Give Rory all the squishes!

The books I bought at Politics & Prose yesterday:

Vogue Knitting Knitopedia edited by Carla Scott (new, $18.98)
Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore (new, $5.98)
Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi (new, $13.95)
Maus I: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman (new, $15.95)
Cursed Pirate Girl by Jeremy A. Bastian (new, $24.95)

I was on a graphic novel jag, apparently. But they're soooo pretty. Especially Cursed Pirate Girl.

I have Bite Me: A Love Story on my shelves to read :)

> 24

Persepolis 2 is good, but Maus I* is amazing.

See you soon! :)

Shall we quickly hit a used book store tomorrow? All books $2-3 with a good selection. My nearest FOTL book store (in which I practically live!).

*...but then you're also going to have to read Maus II.

Maus (I and II) was my first real exposure to graphic novels and I have a lot of love for it.

>206 SqueakyChu:: I actually only ever read Maus I. I've been meaning to read Maus II, it just hasn't happened.

>205 Esquiress: I bought Bite Me because I own You Suck and I knew there was a book that came before it. I thought it was Bite Me, but turns out it is Bloodsucking Fiends. Ah well! (I know I don't *have* read them in order, but I don't like doing things out of order!)

>206 SqueakyChu:, 207, 208 I'm excited for Maus I! Hopefully I will get to it soon.

_____________________________________

Today, Madeline, Zoe, Zoe's boyfriend Mark, and I went out to brunch and then to two bookstores! I bought some books at the first bookstore, Friends of the Library Bookstore - Rockville:

Changeless (used, $1.50) and
Blameless by Gail Carriger (used, $1.50) - both of which I have read but did not own
The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume II by Diana Wynne Jones (used, $1.50) - read long ago but did not own. Also I don't own Volume I so this was probably a pretty silly purchase.
Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams (used, $3) - first edition
Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card (used, $1.50) - I know my mother owned this at some point because I added it to my catalog with page numbers and everything and I never would have done that if I didn't have a physical copy in the house. But she claims she never owned it (Only book 1 and books 3-8? Yeah, right.)
Old Man's War by John Scalzi (used, $1.50) - the only one of the 6 that is justified. oh well.

(I didn't buy anything at the other bookstore we went to, Second Story Books - Rockville

I had a lovely time and I already can't wait to see Madeline and Zoe again in September!

Maus (both parts) and Persepolis are two of my absolute favourite GNs. Persepolis was one of the first GNs I ever read and the one that really got me interested in them.

ETA: Deleted - - something REALLY WEIRD is going on right now.

#211 - Well, that's a mysterious message :-) Hope all is well...

>212 katiekrug: My previous message (#209) did not look like it had posted. I reloaded the page and went to other parts of LT and restarted my browser and it STILL did not appear on the page. So then I wrote a rant-y message about how my previous message never showed up and of course after I posted that rant, the first message appeared, along with Paws' post. Argh.

Oh, okay. I thought a tall, dark and mysterious stranger was at your door or something. I obviously need to rein in my imagination!

Ehhh I'm not a huge HBO fan. I think they can do great things with mediocre sources (usually by adding sex...)

Sex is like bacon, everything is better with it!

Book #34: The Grand Tour, or The Purloined Coronation Regalia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer - Kate, Thomas, Cecelia, and James go on their honeymoon together - the "Grand Tour" of Europe. However, trouble of a magical nature seems to follow them wherever they go, and none of them is the type to sit back and not fight against it.

The same things that made Sorcery & Cecelia great are the ones that make this sequel fall a bit flat. Kate and Cecelia have complementary personalities, which is great! And they fell in love with and married men who have complementary personalities to themselves, which is also great! However, it results in Cecelia being a lot like Thomas and Kate being a lot like James, and they end up having a lot of conversations with and spending time with each other's husbands. It is both a) confusing and b) a little weird. Also, the epistolary format that was so spectacular and original in the first book is just awkward when the girls are together for the whole novel.

However, the plot was good and the ending was excellent, so I'm eager to read the next installment.



Currently reading:
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Currently listening to:
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, read by Geraldine Brooks (45%)

Coming soon:
Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi
Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

BOOKS READ: 34
BOOKS BOUGHT: 33
BOOKS ACQUIRED: 35
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 0

DAYS REMAINING: 205
BOOKS REMAINING: 41
DAYS PER BOOK: 5.00

> 216

BOOKS BOUGHT: 33

Thirty-three?!

Heh!

It was fun seeing you, Zoe and Mark today. Glad you were able to pick up some extra reading material. :)

>217 SqueakyChu: Heh. Yeah. I was doing SO well and didn't buy anything for THREE WHOLE MONTHS but now my numbers are way up. Maybe I can hold out until the next Library Book Sale in October!

No purchases in September then...even signed books at the National Book Festival?!

*raises eyebrows* (which makes me look funny...) :D

I would highly suggest reading Bloodsucking Fiends first because pretty much every dynamic you need to understand for the rest of the series is set up there. Also, it's the best of the lot.

Hearing you talk of Rockville reminds me of visiting my sister right outside of DC. She lives in Chevy Chase, MD, and we were in Rockville the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. We also went to the Washingtonian Center, which we really like. I know Gaithersburg, Rockville, and a few other places relatively well.

I even recognized the name of Politics and Prose, the bookstore :)

I. Can't. Wait. To go to the National Book Festival.

>219 SqueakyChu: I can usually avoid buying books at the National Book Festival because they're so darn expensive! If I really want to get something signed (which I don't think I do this year) I'll bring my own copy.

>220 leahbird: Oh great. Well, thanks for the warning!

>221 Esquiress: I can't wait for you to come either! I'll be making a planning thread sometime this week and I'll leave a note on your thread when it is up.

I look forward to seeing what you think of War for the Oaks. It's considered one of the original urban fantasy novels and it's set here right in Minneapolis. Also, The Tough Guide but that's because it's on my TBR One Day list.

>223 Morphidae: I'm really loving War for the Oaks! It's a little dated, but that's okay. It makes me wish I had had more free time to wander around when I was in Minneapolis.
Tough Guide to Fantasyland is definitely a browsing-type book. It doesn't have any kind of plot.

Thanks, Nora!

War for the Oaks has been on my TBR list for a few years now because of a glowing rec on Smart Bitches Trashy Books. Maybe your review will spur me into actually picking it up. :)

222: I'm anticipating going to the Texas Book Fest in October, and according to the website, in order to have anything signed, you HAVE to buy it at the Barnes and Noble table and show your receipt at the signing table. Yeesh, you can't even bring your own special copy or older titles! I think that's pretty rotten.

227: That's incredibly lame.

>228 Ape:: Lather, rinse, repeat.

I've posted the meetup thread for the National Book Festival in DC!
http://www.librarything.com/topic/155277

*tamps down Book Festival envy*

*me too* X(

You should both come!

Definitely not in the budget this year. :(

230: I'm going to try!

I can safely say that I cant make it :)/:(

Sounds like fun!

*Hides*