Because Jim posted his pictures

Here are some of the rituals we enact at the Los Gatos Public Library. I'm not totally sure if the copying and pasting of pictures is going to work well from flickr, but you can go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/losgatoslibrary/
and see some hokeying and pokeying action. And "Stay Awake Sally," which, if you haven't already read it, I'd totally recommend.

p.s. I'm going to have to speak to someone about the differences between people named "jen" and people named "jenn." :)

Addiction Update

So I've finished reading the three books in the Twilight series. And then I went through and read books one and three over again. And then I sort of sunk into a funk, pleased with how they ended, but sad that they did in fact end. Sure, they are making a movie (thanks Dad!) but I'm not at all optimistic that it'll be all that good.

Good news, though, my coworker (you remember, the one who makes up the puns?) had read only the third one, and he'd done some research on wikipedia, and it turns out, she's writing not one but TWO more books in the series. The fourth one is just what I needed (I need to see someone go from being human to being a vampire) and the fifth one is a retelling of the first one from a different perspective. So, though there's no instant gratification (well, there is one chapter from book five on Stephanie's website, so there was some small gratification instantly.) I suppose it's good to draw it out some.

However, I'm in the phase where I can't really imagine liking other books.

Still, there is hope!

I went to a class this week, or a talk, or a presentation, well, whatever...by an "expert" in Young Adult Literature. (How cool is it that this is part of my *job*! A whole day listening to someone list their favorite new books for young adults?) And he gave us a LIST! You know how I love a list! A list of things to read, really my favorite kind of list!! Want to see it? Here it is.

I've read two books from the list already. Just because, even though new books might not ever be interesting again, still, you should read them. I read "The Beautiful Miscellaneous" by Dominic Smith and "Hush" by Donna Jo Napoli (which is in the kids section at our library as of now, but I'm going to suggest we move it to teens.) Both were just okay. They had their moments, but they weren't quite enough to restore my faith and interest in the world of literature beyond Stephanie Meyer. :)

First Day

It's my first day of school! My first "first day" since 1992. Wow! I'm getting to be such a grown up kid. :)

So far, I have nothing interesting to report. I have "introduced" myself in both classes, and I have some reading I need to do. Who didn't see that coming.

Return from Hawaii

We're back after five lovely days on the island of Oahu. We visited Nathan's aunt and grandma, and saw many lovely parts of their home island. We saw turtles, and hiked to the top of an extinct volcano. We walked in the ocean, and ate some great pie. We went to the Pearl Harbor Memorial, and visited Costco. You know they have Costco-sized mochi in Hawaii? True story. We drove almost the entire perimeter of the island, and saw spectacular sunsets. Here are pictures of all of it!

Addictions

I've been obsessed by a series of books lately. By "lately" I mean "the last four days." Not longer than that, because I get through them too quickly. The first in the series, "Twilight" by Stephanie Meyer, I had as an audio book, and I listened to it compulsively. I contemplated taking my iPod to the kids desk, and trying to listen while answering reference questions. Like the classic sitcom moment with the doofus dad trying to listen to some sporting event while in church. I talked myself out of it. The second book, "New Moon," I just read in book form. In a day. That was yesterday. I had to give myself a pretty strict talking to, so as to avoid launching right into the third (and I believe final) book. I have to have something to do while we fly to Hawaii.

Now, it's important that I be clear. These books aren't (strictly speaking) great literature. I don't think I'd even recommend them to any of you Teos reading this blog. I think you'd find them trite. And perhaps you'd be right to think so. But I seriously can't get them out of my head. At the moment, I can't imagine ever finding another new book (see what I did there, exempting old favorites) that I would enjoy more. I think I have an unhealthy relationship with these books.

These have been a sensation in the world of Young Adult literature, and they are, you'll probably be surprised to hear me write it, vampire stories. Yep. Addicted to a vampire story. But really, the "vampire" is just the gloss that surrounds a pair of star-crossed lovers. See, she's human, and he's a vampire. See the problem? I thought you would. And oohhhhhhh, every Santa Cruz Feminist would simply tear her hair out, if she saw how these books I was loving were setting back the cause of the sisters. It's really quite shocking. She's not only human, but in constant need of rescue and shockingly devoid of much self esteem. I can't help it!! These books are like Cheetos. On every level, I know they aren't good for me, and yet, I can't stop obsessing over them. Perhaps our heroine will kick butt in the third book. I can't say it matters to me if she does or doesn't.

On the plus side, I think we might like the author. She could come to one of our fictional dinner parties where we try and mix interesting musicians and authors just to see what they'd say to each other. I haven't worked out yet who else would come, but from the interviews I've read (see what I mean about obsessed, I've been tracking down interviews with her. I've been to her blog!) she has a good sense of humor and a fair sense of her place in the world. I mean, she did a fine job writing the books, they are clean and funny and age appropriate, I'd say, and aside from the wimpy heroine thing I'd say they were harmless.

Maybe it's the cover design that's altered my mind. All three volumes of the trilogy are as pretty as the one above, and I know how nice they look because I speedwalked to the bookstore (a chain bookstore even) on my lunch hour and bought the set (in HARDBACK!!)

I'm just saying, y'all may have to stage an intervention at some point. I'll keep you posted. (Get it? This is a blog, "posted?" Get it? It really wasn't worth getting was it?)

As the kids say "OMFG"

Every once in awhile, you stumble upon something that really makes you understand your place in the dork universe. The Dorkverse, if you will.

Sometimes you just have to applaud those who outrank you in dorkiness.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, "The Battle of Pelennor Fields" made entirely out of candy. Also note the link for last year's effort "The Battle of Helm's Deep" made out of candy.

Friend of a Friend

I just heard on the radio this morning that Sir Edmund Hillary died. And while I can't say he was ever a particular hero of mine (don't get me wrong, he was definitely cool, but he wasn't often on my radar, as it were) I feel sad for New Zealanders generally, and specifically our LOTR friends.

The NPR interviewer I woke up to was talking to a reporter in New Zealand. It was nice to wake up to the New Zealand accent, a little mini-vacation. I missed the first part of the story, but once I was awake enough to understand they were talking about Hillary, (Sir Edmund, not the Hillary we have here) I knew how bummed the whole country would be.

There's a great bit of commentary about the day Hillary came to the LOTR set, and how excited everyone was. In fact, I think it's in two places, because I can hear Peter Jackson telling the story (which would be the directors commentary, clearly) and also Elijah Wood (which would be a totally separate commentary track, which you clearly know already.)

Anyhow, this is just my way of saying to New Zealand, "I'm sorry you lost a friend."

M

I was leaving Safeway a few days ago, pocketing the Safeway Club Card that I've been using for years. I picked it up off the ground in a parking lot once, as part of a plot to help a friend secure a large amount of a particular soup he enjoyed that was on sale. I've used it ever since, you know, to confuse "the man," and keep my shopping habits to myself, thank you very much. As a side note, there's a YA book out there, don't ask me which one now, where the trading of supermarket cards is the secret handshake of the inhabitants of the town wherein the book is set. When you meet someone on the street, they hold out their card, and you exchange, even if you don't even say hello. Anyway, I digress.

What I love about my Safeway card is that it's original owner was named (probably still IS named, truth be told) Suzanne Mailloux. And almost invariably, with only one memorable exception, when they Safeway clerks hand me a receipt and go to wish me a personalized farewell, it comes out "Have a great day, Mrs. um... Malox?" And I happily nod, and say, "Yes, that's right. Malox. You have a nice day too."

So I was leaving Safeway, enjoying my secret laxative identity, when it hit me:

All my aliases start with the letter M.

Think about it. Meg. Meteowrite. Mrs. Malox. Marigold. Heck, even my middle name starts with M.

I stopped in the middle of the parking lot and scratched my head.

I still don't know what it means, but I haven't given up the idea that it's hugely significant.

Post Backlog

I'm going to spend a few minutes and try and get caught up on all the "mental blog posts" I have swimming in my brain. One of my resolutions was to be a better blog correspondent, and well, here I am blogging in a clump. :)