Failure of #53

Ah, well, I've failed item 53 of my 101 in 1001 list: Complete the NaNoWriMo 2006 challenge. Sure, November isn't over yet, but I'll have only an hour or so each day (except for maybe Sunday where I might have two or three) until November 30 to write the remaining 36,015 words to complete this year's NaNoWriMo challenge. My inner editor keeps holding me back from any productive writing sections (2000 words or more in an hour should be easy). Where's my inspiration? It's flown away, along with the rest of the month. *shrugs* There's always next year.

I think I'll just do more prep work on my story, more research, plotting, character development. I don't want to abandon the story entirely. :)

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a relaxing day filled with friends, family and good food and that you have much to be thankful for next year, too. ;)

Codename: Celery*

While my fellow Scapers are hanging out in Burbank, I've been writing and researching my NaNoWriMo novel (NanaMoomoo). I'm glad today's very chilly because I've been feeling like, as my mom would say, a chicken with its head cut off lately, so today I have the perfect excuse to sit, watch movies, enjoy some soup and write! I felt creative last night and actually enjoyed what I wrote (still have to update my word count) even though it might not be any good; I'm resisting my natural inclination to rewrite each sentence until I'm happy with it before moving on to the next section. I did that last year, and as you may imagine I didn't get very far. So this time I'm not turning back and rereading the passages until I have to.

I'm feeling positive about crossing off #53 on my 101 in 1001 list at the end of this month.

Oh, and for anyone who's interested, I've posted my review of the DVD "The Gift" over at the movieblog site. =)

* obscure reference to a conversation at the Boston NanNoWriMo kickoff party at Applebee's *g*

Signal Room in Burbank, CA!


Click Above!

gif from TerraFirmaScapers.com
Signal Room

Con Book List 2006

Creation's Official Farscape Convention takes place in Burbank in November, and once again con book season is upon us.

The deadlines are approaching, so if you'd like to send a message, picture, poem, recipe, whatever (no nudity! no fan fiction or unpublished fiction!) to be hand delivered to the cast of Farscape, now's your chance. (And yes, if you're wondering, they *do* read every note that's sent to them and look forward to the con books every year.)

The list is here: http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?p=765709 and below:

* Gigi Edgley (Chiana): LilMiss - due October 1 - send to Calijirl@gmail.com

* David Franklin (Braca): jagwriter78 - due October 8 - send to davidsbook@farscape-online.de

* Raelee Hill (Sikozu): teddybear82 - due October 8 - send to raeleesbook@farscape-online.de

* Ben Browder (John): Elnea - due October 15 - send to BensFanBook@mac.com. (See additional info in Post 36, below.)

* Dave & Lou Elsey (Creature Shop): Aruna7 - due October 15 - send to nana_fleur_de_ren@yahoo.fr

* Paul Goddard (Stark): deadman - due October 15 - send to lastrideusa@yahoo.com. Put "Paul's Book" in title of e-mail.

* Kent McCord (Jack Crichton): deadman - due October 15 - send to lastrideusa@yahoo.com. Put "Kent's Book" in title of e-mail.

* Claudia Black (Aeryn): blueaeryn - due October 15 - send to blueaeryn@gmail.com

* Francesca Buller (M'Lee, roNA, Raxil, Ahkna): camerascaper - due October 15 - send to camerascaper@cinci.rr.com. Send any pictures in jpeg format.

* Jonathan Hardy (Rygel's voice): camerascaper - due October 15 - send to camerascaper@cinci.rr.com. Send any pictures in jpeg format.

* Lani Tupu (Crais): Aruna7 - due October 15 - send to nana_fleur_de_ren@yahoo.fr

* Wayne Pygram (Scorpius): Aruna7 - due October 15 - send to nana_fleur_de_ren@yahoo.fr

* Anthony Simcoe (D'Argo): kalishjirl - due October 23 - send to katratzi66@freenet.de

* Tammy Macintosh: kalishjirl - due October 23 - send to katratzi66@freenet.de

* Rebecca Riggs (Grayza): kalishjirl - due October 23 - send to katratzi66@freenet.de

* Guy Gross (Music): divinedaydreams - due October 31 - send to bookscaping@comcast.net

* Virginia Hey (Zhaan): divinedaydreams - due October 31 - send to bookscaping@comcast.net

Signal Room in Burbank 2006

As most of you know, the Creation Farscape Convention in Burbank's coming up soon .. November 3-5. Ben Browder (John Crichton), Wayne Pygram (Scorpius), Raelee Hill (Sikozu), Gigi Edgley (Chiana), Kent McCord (Jack Crichton), Anthony Simcoe (D'Argo), Paul Goddard(Stark) and Dave & Lou Elsey (Farscape makeup & creature designers) are all going to be there.

Wayne and Anthony's band (Signal Room) will be there as well. The tickets are sold seperately from the regular convention tickets so I'm posting this as a reminder to anyone who's planning on attending the convention - if you want to see Signal Room play, buy your tickets now! If enough tickets aren't sold, Signal Room won't be coming. The cut off date for the final decision is going to be October 15. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door assuming enough tickets are sold in advance! The ticket price is covering the cost of flying the band in, putting them up in the hotel and equipment rental - that's it. Stephen Edwards put it very plainly here.

So if you want to see them play and were figuring on buying your tickets when you arrive, rethink that and buy the tickets now. Not only is it $10 cheaper, but if you wait until you arrive in Burbank to pick up tickets, you might not get to see Signal Room play at all because they might not be there. Just a little FYI.

There's a nice little message from Anthony & the gang at Creation's site and at the band's website. For anyone who's on My Space and hasn't realized it yet, Signal Room is there, too, which is kinda cool.

Lastly, they're holding a competition for a backup singer (assuming they get to play in Burbank, that is). So if you ever imagined yourself singing on stage with Scorpius (hee!), check out their website for the details. SignalRoom.com

BNU

Well, I failed miserably in my attempts at avoiding Mochaccinos at lunch time. I felt really stressed yesterday and immediately got one while out at the bank, out of habit. *sigh* I got one today on purpose. ;P

So I haven't saved any money this week .. S'okay, I guess. There's always tomorrow. I *did* sign up for a class at Barnes & Noble University and ordered the books online (since they aren't available at my local library). I can't afford it, but I really wanted to try out the online classes. I'll figure it all out somehow. :)

Caffeine for Books

This week I'm not having any Moccachinos because they're so expensive and because all that sugar and caffeine is not good for me. Hopefully with the extra cash I'll save, I'll have enough to purchase a book or two for one of the classes at Barnes and Noble University. There are several classes that I'd like to take. All the classes are free, but you must buy the books for the course you're taking. This wouldn't be a problem normally, but with the restricted cash flow I'm dealing with, I can't justify spending $40 or more on books that I won't want to keep as reference and that I'll have a hard time selling back online. *sigh* Classes start this week, but I think the signup date is until June 12th (next week) so I have a little time yet.

Seven on Sunday: Dream House


from Patrick's Weekender

Consider your "Dream House." Now name seven features, either of the house or the lot itself, that would be required for it to really be your "Dream House."

Okay, since it's a "Dream House," I'm going to go with my "dream" house. :) By the way, it's difficult narrowing it down to only seven features. *g*

1. Large property with a very big backyard
2. At least one hidden/secret room
3. Guest House on the property
4. Labyrinth-like gardens
5. Library
6. Theater/Video Screening Room
7. Big Front Porch

Recent Finishes

Booking Through Thursday

1. What are the last five books that you finished reading? J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," Noah Lukeman's "The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile," the Little Golden Book "The Lion's Paw," "Owen & Mzee: The True Story Of A Remarkable Friendship" and "The Rescuers"


2. How long did it take you to read them? Collectively? One to two years .. I haven't had much time to actually finish any of the books I've started. *sigh* The last five books I've read have all been fairly short (*g*); the longest book of the five was "The Socerer's Stone." lol "Harry Potter" took me about a month or so to read because I was doing other things at the time and never really sat down to read it. I received "The First Five Pages" one or two years ago as a Christmas gift and read that over a few days. I read "Owen & Mzee" though while browsing in a bookstore so that was only a few minutes to finish that one. "The Lion's Paw" and "The Rescuers" were read to my niece recently. :)


3. Did you enjoy reading these books? Why or why not? Yes. "Harry Potter" was better than I was expecting. I originally skimmed the book when it first came out but never took the time to read it properly (until a few months ago). At my sister's urging I set aside time to read it recently and was pleased; I'm looking forward to the other books in the series. I liked "The First Five Pages," but it really didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I've always liked "The Lion's Paw" and the story of "The Rescuers" so it was fun to read them to my niece. I enjoyed "Owen & Mzee" a lot; that book was a real treat. The cover caught my attention as I was browsing one day, and I ended up reading the book in the aisle. It was a very interesting, touching story, and the pictures were great. I instantly fell in love with the orphaned baby hippo and the giant tortoise. When I get some pocket money, I'm buying that book for my niece.

Teacher Appreciation Week

I found this on the LJ of tarzanic and thought I'd pass along.

**
Copied from tarzanic's post and the original post about Teacher Appreciation Week on the LJ of nickless:

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, with Tuesday being National Teacher Day. It's not always on the calendar and other than a photocopied note in your mailbox from the principal, a generic email from the superintendent, and maybe a potluck lunch from the parent association, it's not like there's a lot of fanfare. But sometimes during that week, you'll get a card from a student, former or current, that makes it seem like Christmas.

So do me a favor. Sometime in the next week or so, drop a note to one of your former teachers. Include your name, what subject/grade they taught, and which year(s) you were in their class - they'll probably remember you. Tell your second grade teacher that she was your favorite. Tell your Lit teacher thanks for inspiring your love of British poetry. Tell your fine arts teacher that even though you know you had no talent, you appreciated having a place where you could indulge your love of music/sculpture/whatever. Tell your Bio teacher how you still remember that one lab that was so interesting. Tell your Civ teacher that while you hated his class because he made you work so hard, once you got to college you realized that he had prepared you for life after high school more than anyone else. Tell your Algebra teacher thanks for putting up with you, period.

It doesn't have to be fancy - hell, it doesn't even have to be a real card; an email is fine. If you're not sure where they're at, just send it to them in care of the school. Chances are, the staff there will know where they've gone to and how to get in touch with them, even if they've retired. And nowadays, most schools have a website with email addys or links.

When you see all the junk in the papers about testing requirements and budget cuts and low salaries and apathetic kids & parents, a short paragraph on a notecard might seem like a little thing - but trust me, it makes the job worth all the other crap.

If you decide to participate, be sure to let her know. :)

**
I think this is a wonderful idea so I just might do this next week. Unfortunately one of my favorite teachers is now in prison, and I don't really think it'd be appropriate to send him a note (though he'll probably appreciate it). I'll have to choose another teacher; I really liked most of them actually. : )

May the Fourth Be With You

May the Fourth Be With You! I saw that link on yahoo and couldn't resist clicking on it. What Star Wars fan could?

There's a little poll on today's (May 4, 2006) page at Star Wars: What's New asking if you acknowledge May 4th as Star Wars day. Most people (58% as of this post in my blog) have answered What? Why? The poll closes May 9 so you have time to make your opinion known. ; )

Oh! From September 12th through December 31st there will be a special DVD release of the Star Wars trilogy which will include the original theatrical versions of the trilogy. "That means you'll be able to enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977, Empire in 1980, and Jedi in 1983." Yes!!!!

** for fun, here's a little quiz: Which Fantasy/SciFi Character Are You?

Who am I? Well, I've taken this quiz before, and it seems I always get the same result (no matter how much I want the result to be Princess Leia! *g*):

A venerated sage with vast power and knowledge, you gently guide forces around you while serving as a champion of the light.

Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not - for my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminescent beings are we, not this crude matter! You must feel the Force around you, everywhere.

Six Degrees of Booking

Booking Through Thursday

This was suggested by Mary.

Connect any six books in your library to each other by any way you want. One book will remind you of another because the author's name is similar, a fictional character shows up in someone else's book, another author is talked about by characters in a book, maybe the same friend recommended both books, or whatever. Books from a series count as one entry in your list.

1. In Weiss & Hickman's Dragonlance Chronicles: Dragons of Autumn Twilight lifelong friends, newly reunited, find themselves on a quest whose success or failure will determine the survival of their world - Krynn. The Companions, who include a kender, a knight, a dwarf, a half-elf, and a mage, always remind me of another group of travelers on a similar quest except this group is known as

2. The Fellowship of the Ring. In Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring there are hobbits, a knight, a dwarf, an elf and a wise, powerful, very old, bearded wizard called Gandalf the Grey. Another wise, powerful, very old, bearded wizard appears in

3. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. Dumbledore is the head of Hogwarts, the school for wizards that Harry Potter attends. Harry isn't the only boy wizard destined for greatness who learns his craft at a school for wizards, but unlike Harry, who had no idea that he'd any magic ability until he was accepted into Hogwarts,

4. Ged had been taught simple magic skills and spells by his aunt before receiving any formal training in magic. Talented but impatient Ged chooses to continue his studies on Roke Island at the School (for sorcery) instead of staying with his mentor Ogion. In much the same way that Ged had originally left his village to follow Ogion in Ursula K. LeGuin's A Wizard of Earthsea, becoming Ogion's apprentice and developing his magical abilities,

5. Luke had left his home on Tatooine and learned how to "feel" the Force from the Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi whose presence is still felt, at least by Luke, in Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire, a novel which takes place five years after the movie Return of the Jedi. In the original Star Wars films, Obi Wan Kenobi was played by actor

6. Alec Guiness, author of My Name Escapes Me.

Seven on Sunday: Languages

from Patrick's Weekender

Not counting English, name seven languages you'd like to be able to speak fluently.

(in no particular order)

1. French
2. Portuguese
3. German
4. Gaelic
5. Welsh
6. Russian
7. Japanese

Booked by 3 for April: ABC

from Shelly's Book Shelf

Name 3 books you liked, titles which start with A, B, C (one per letter).
1. "The Annotated Alice," Lewis Carroll (author), Martin Gardner (editor), John Tenniel (illustrator)
2. "Black Beauty," Anna Sewell
3. "The Complete Film Production Handbook, Third Edition," Eve Light Hothaner

Name 3 authors you like whose names (given or surname) start with A, B, C (one per letter).
1. Isaac Asimov
2. Ray Bradbury
3. Lewis Carroll

Name 3 books on your To Read list with titles starting with A, B, C (one per letter).
1. "Arthur the King," Graeme Fife
2. "The Beekeeper's Apprentice," Laurie R. King
3. "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy", C.S. Lewis

Walk for Hunger

On Sunday May 7 I'll be participating in Project Bread's 38th Annual Walk for Hunger in Massachusetts. The money that I raise by walking the 20-mile route of the Walk will go directly to help hungry people across the state receive a hot meal and groceries in their own neighborhood.

Through the Walk for Hunger, Project Bread feeds hungry people throughout the state by supporting 400 emergency food programs, as well as making nutritious food available through other kinds of community organizations such as health care centers, after-school programs, and summer programs for children.

Please consider sponsoring me in my walk or making a donation directly to Project Bread.

Are you considering walking and want to find out what to expect? Visit The Walk for Hunger: Event Information!

Booked by 3 for March: Repeats

from Shelly's Book Shelf

1. Do you reread books? Yes, sometimes. I wish I had more time to reread more.

2. If yes, which ones have you reread and why?
Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass because they're my favorite stories. I've also reread Ray Bradbury's Farenheit 451. I reread reference books, history books, puzzle books and some others like that when I want to look up certain information or work on puzzles and such. I also reread children's books because my little niece likes to read certain ones over again. Right now, one of her favorites is the Little Golden Book The Lion's Paw.

3. If not, would you want to if you had the time and if yes, which ones?
I plan on rereading the Earthsea books, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and a few others.

Jill Carroll Released

If you haven't heard or read the news yet, Christian Science monitor writer Jill Carroll has been released in Iraq. I'm sure we'll be hearing more about it in the upcoming weeks.

On a side note, my friend S. will not be traveling again to Iraq to help the CPT as she first thought. That's all on hold for now.

The remaining three CPT hostages (Harmeet Singh Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember) were rescued by a joint U.S. and British military operation. They're unharmed, and I'm sure they and their families are not only grateful but ecstatic.

There are a lot of articles out there related to their rescue if you google for them. Here are a few.

Reassing Presence in Iraq
CPT Press Release
More of the Rescue

Still missing is Christian Science Monitor journalist Jill Carroll. Prayers and good thoughts are with her and her family. I hope they receive good news as well soon.

Tom Fox

I've been meaning to post this for a week now.

Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) member Tom Fox, along with three of his colleagues - Harmeet Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember, was abducted on November 26, 2005. His body was found on March 10, 2006; he'd been murdered. His teammates are still missing, held hostage by the people who took him, and there's been no word on how they are, as far as I know.

Tom's blog: Waiting in the Light
CPT photo gallery: http://www.cpt.org/gallery/
Memorial for Tom on CPT site: http://www.cpt.org/memorial/tomfox/main.php
Letter from Sheila* to Tom: I want you all to know him more
from AP, 3/11/2006: Quakers Remember U.S. Hostage's Mission

I wanted to make a little list of sites for others to visit, to learn about Tom Fox and about the group he worked with. I wanted to post quickly so anyone who's surfing through or stopping by my site to see what's up with me will see the little collection of links and will hopefully visit them, read through them, and if not, then, in the very least, I hope whoever stops by will take one moment to remember Tom and all the others who've been kidnapped or tortured in Iraq & elsewhere, remember their families and friends. What I ask is that you think about the people. not the governments, not the war. Think about the people living there, dying there, the family & friends left behind. Soldiers, police, peace activists, shopkeepers, taxi drivers, children in the street .. I think many of us tend to forget that each of those people has a face, a family, a story of his or her own. In the news, it all blurs, and everyone on all sides becomes nameless and faceless. It's not done on purpose, but it makes it easier for the rest of us to forget and for some of us (on any & all sides of an issue) to place blame and to hate the others. We're all others. It just depends on what side of the fence you're standing on.

Please take a moment to read through, look at the photos and reflect.

* I just read an email from my friend Sheila*, a former CPTer who knew Tom while she was over in Iraq. She's decided to return to Iraq for a month to help out the CPTeams in Baghdad because of staffing problems and to relieve the current team that's there. Please keep her in your thoughts. Thanks. :)

Music and Ployes

On Friday the 19th I went to see Cristina Branco perform which, of course, inspired me to download some of the songs she sang from Ulysses along with some more songs by Amalia Rodrigues (see also Wikipedia or a host of other sites on the web) and Misia. :) I'd planned on seeing Cyanide Valentine at T.T. the Bear's Place in Central Square (Cambridge) tonight since it'd tick off an item from my 101 in 1001 list. More than that, I'd really like to see Jake perform. :) The timing is wrong though with the train, and I'm too tired to deal with cabs tonight. I didn't budget for a taxi or an overnight stay in town so .. I guess I'll have to wait for next time to see Cyanide Valentine.

I bought a package of ployes from the Bouchard Family Farm (in the supermarket - I didn't actually visit the farm itself) last weekend and am anxious to give it a try. No milk, no eggs, no fat, no cholesterol - just add water! (hee!) I figured since it's a French Acadian thing my uncles would get a kick out of it, too, so I showed it to my sis for her next hiking trip, when it's her turn to cook. She thought it most excellent. : )

10 to Try

*originally posted on my livejournal

from 10 on Tuesday

10 Things You'd Tell Other People to Try
1. Farscape
2. Caldo Verde aka Kale Soup
3. Whale watch
4. Snorkeling
5. Taking a cruise
6. Seeing some of the sights in their favorite city as if they were a tourist
7. Swan boats in the Public Garden, Boston
8. Attending an awards show that they usually watch on TV (instead of just wondering what it'd be like to be there)
9. Stargazing
10. Something they never tried before

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I watched that last night for the first time. Wow. And .. Wow. That was fantastic!

I've only read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," but now, I really want to get a hold of the other books if only to read Goblet of Fire for myself. That movie rocked. The stakes have gone up in a major way.

My sis promises me they get better, too. J.K. Rowling's strategy of writing each book so the readers will grow up with Harry Potter is ingenious. What I mean is that each story and the method of telling that story matures with each book, as Harry matures, and as the reader herself matures with each book. It makes perfect sense to do it that way, and wow, it works in this film.

I'll have to rewatch before making any sensical statements. For now .. Wow.

Signed by the Author

from Booking Through Thursday

This week's questions are from Cate.

1. Do you have any books that are signed by the author? Yes, I have four.


2. Do you have a story behind the autograph? The first autograph is from Keith R.A. DeCandido for "House of Cards." He signed it at my first Farscape convention (my second science fiction convention ever) in NYC (2001). I have a copy of "Neverwhere" signed by Neil Gaiman that I had signed at Worldcon in Boston (Noreascon Four) 2004. I also have two books signed by writer Traci Briery.

Your Brain's Pattern

Your mind is a creative hotbed of artistic talent. You're always making pictures in your mind, especially when you're bored. You are easily inspired to think colorful, interesting thoughts. And although it may be hard to express these thoughts, it won't always be.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Some thoughts on The Sorcerer's Stone

A few weeks ago I finally finished "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling, much to my sister's delight. Having only skimmed the book when it first came to the states, I couldn't remember much of what had happened when the I went to see "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the theater. I really enjoyed that movie and the sequels I've seen so far (I haven't had the opportunity to see "The Goblet of Fire" yet!), but my sister kept insisting that I read the book. "You have to read the book," she said. "If nothing else, I'll have someone to talk to about it." So I did.

It was much better than when I'd skimmed through it the first time. There's something to be said for actually reading a book and not simply skipping through the pages to get a sense of it. *g* I was expecting to find in the book a lot of extra material that couldn't be in the movie; there's always more information in the book form of a story. I noticed two things (the most). First, I think they did a great job making the book into a movie. Most of the parts that were changed didn't differ greatly from the book; they were more of a summary of what was going on. That said, I have to mention the second thing I noticed. There was a fundamental change in the frequency that one character appeared in the movie as compared to the book. I was really surprised that Neville Longbottom had more of a role in the original story than we were led to believe in the movie. He was present when the students performed their detention in the woods with Hagrid, not Ron. My sister tells me that Neville plays a growing role of importance in the books that follow. I find this very interesting. Just what is the significance of Neville Longbottom? There must be a reason for it. Hm.

Soon I'll be adding the next book to my To-Read list.

Traveling the Silk Road

While surfing the net last night, I found a wonderful site called Riversleigh Manor. It's a collaboration of websites and blogs meant to inspire, and inspire they do. I really enjoyed looking at 2005 The Silk Road Advent Calendar; each numbered day is a link to a "map" of the silk road with creative projects, writings and a little bit of history.

Mentioned (and pictured) often were altered books. They looked really cool, and so I searched online for more on altered books. It turns out there's a whole society of Altered Book Artists, The International Society of Altered Book Artists (ISABA). There's a wonderful site showing how to make mini altered books. More on altered books can be found here. I want to make one now! :)

A sampling other sites connected to the ones above:
Soul Food Cafe
Cave of Enchantress
Hermitage Publications
Nina's Treehouse
Riversleigh and The Lemurian Faraway Tree

Have fun exploring!


*(I added the labyrinth pic to emphasize the way I see these sites interconnecting. The way they link up makes surfing through the sites an artistic journey of sorts. Too cool)

St. Valentine's Day

My little neice called earlier to wish us a happy Valentine's Day or, more precisely, "Happy Christmas Tree Valentine's Day"! *g*

I actually didn't remember it was Valentine's Day for most of the day except when others reminded me. I've never been involved with anyone on this holiday so I've never really celebrated it. My mom, however, gave me a box of chocolate. :) So yay for chocolate! :D

I thought I'd post a few links on the history of Valentine's Day for anyone who's ever wondered. The History Channel's site has fun trivia facts among other things. Did you know there were 192 million Valentine’s Day cards exchanged annually? Well, according to The History Channel's site, there were.

This site has interesting tidbits, too, including a section on Valentine traditions. For example, in Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. It doesn't say when this was a tradition so it might not be in practice anymore.

AmericanCatholic.org gives a little history as well.

Of course, Wikipedia has a section on St. Valentine's Day, too.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Booked by 3: Children's Books

from February's Booked by 3

Name your 3 favorite children's series.

1. Alice in Wonderland books
2. LeGuin's Earthsea books
3. The Chronicles of Narnia books

*runners up might be Mary Norton's Borrowers books and the Choose Your Own Adventure Series

Name your 3 favorite non-series children's books.

1. The Velveteen Rabbit (Margery Williams)
2. The Rocking Horse Secret (Rumer Godden)
3. Where the Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendak)

*"The Velveteen Rabbit" is a definite favorite. I love the other two as well, but since I can't think of any other books at the moment, I'm not sure if they're really favorites or just in the top 10-25 favorites. *g*

Name 3 favorite children's book characters.

1. Alice from Lewis Carroll's Wonderland books
2. Laura Ingalls
3. Nancy Drew

* runners up: Pippi Longstocking, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Gandalf (from "The Hobbit"), Winnie the Pooh, the pokey little puppy (hee!), and Anne of Green Gables!

****
"A good book is the best of friends, the same to-day and for ever." - Martin Farquhar Tupper (1810 - 1889)
quote from Book Quote of the Month

Reason to Blog

from Question of the Day

Why did you start blogging in the first place?

It happened suddenly. I'd heard about blogging for awhile, and my sister kept telling me how cool it was. I didn't quite understand how it was different than any other website until one of my friends sent me a link to her blog. From there I followed a link to another (mutual) friend's blog (on Live Journal). So I was lurking at some friends' blogs and suddenly the blogging-bug hit me; I wanted a way to share online finds, thoughts that plague me during the day, fun tests & quotes, without bulk-mailing my friends. *g* I started my own blog (this one) and realized that weblogging is a bit addictive. lol Since then I've started other blogs as well. *g*

Somehow the world of web logs fascinates me. I might actually starting video-blogging soon. ;-)

"Interlopers" Audiobook and Paperback (signed by Ben Browder)

There are only three days left to place your bid in the special Farscape Webmasters Association auction.

From the website:

You may remember that Ben Browder did the reading on the Buzzy Multimedia
audio book of Alan Dean Foster's novel, Interlopers. Ben signed an audiobook
set for the Farscape Webmaster's Association to auction off as a fundraiser,
and to our surprise and delight, he included the paperback copy of the novel
which he read in preparation for doing the audiobook! Both items are signed by
Ben, and the book has a great note on the title page. The books are now up
on eBay in an auction that ends Feb-11-06 10:17:26 PST.

All proceeds of this auction go to the Farscape Webmaster's Association's "To
Be Continued...." Fund to support fan efforts to promote Farscape, including
fan tables at conventions this coming con season!
Check it out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6603060541_

Genius Test

But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.

-- Carl Sagan (1934-1996)


** I happen to like this quote a lot. (hee!)

Oscar Nom for Dave Elsey!

Congratulations to Dave Elsey (Farscape alum!) and Nikki Gooley for their joint Achievement in Makeup nomination for “Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith” (20th Century Fox)!

“Crash” (Lions Gate) got a nomination for Best Screenplay (Screenplay by Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco and Story by Paul Haggis), Film Editing, Directing (Paul Haggis) and Best Picture (Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman, Producers). I haven't seen this one, but Paul Haggis is the man who brought us "Due South"! *bg* I will forever love Paul Haggis, Paul Gross and Jay Semko in much the same way that I get warm and fuzzy over Chris Carter, David & Gillian, and Mark Snow. Just like I will forever adore David Kemper & Brian Henson, Ben & Claudia, and Guy Gross.

Yay for the Wallace and Gromit nomination! :D

I'm curious to see who ends up winning the Oscar for Visual Effects, too. The competition seems tough in that category:
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”
“King Kong"
“War of the Worlds”

To see the complete list on nominations, click here.

* cross-posted from my live journal

A Killer Within on Lifetime!

Next week's a treat for Ben Browder and C.T. Howell fans. "A Killer Within," the independent murder mystery film by Brad Keller, comes to Lifetime this Tuesday. This suspense/thriller stars C. Thomas Howell, Sean Young, Ben Browder, Dedee Pfeiffer and Giancarlo Esposito. I'm both a Ben fan (no, really? *g*) and also a fan of independent films (and filmmaking) so this is a cool combo for me. =)

"A Killer Within" premieres on Lifetime this Tuesday (1/17) at 9pm est and repeats on Wednesday (1/18) at 4pm est.

* Please pass the word and tune in Tuesday night!



The movie's site is really cool, too, if you want to check that out as well. ; )

101 in 1001 Days

from 101 in 1001 days.

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Start Date: Friday, January 13, 2006
End Date: Friday, October 10, 2008

My 101
1. Get my ears repierced.
2. Publish this list on the web. (posted 1/12/06)
3. Go to the Chinese New Year celebrations in Boston’s Chinatown.
4. Video some of the Chinese New Year celebrations.
5. Read M.A. Bernier’s “Dragonstone.”
6. Read one of the Pratchett books that Digger lent me.
7. Cook something in my crockpot.
8. Take a dance class.
9. Get my driver’s permit.
10. Spend a day without once going online. (completed 11/24/07)
11. Go on a real, honest-to-goodness date.
20. Take a class through either the BCAE or the CCAE.
13. Complete at least five things on my 2006 New Years Resolutions list. (failed - alas!)
14. Write in my diary at least once a month until the 1001 days are over. (failed!)
15. Read at least two of the unread books on my bookshelf. (failed)
16. Get my driver’s license.
17. Take a film/video class. (completed 6/1/07: Making Media Now)
18. Read a book by Lois McMasters Bujold (the author Mreen always recommends to me).
19. Start an IRA.
20. Get my finances back under control (pre-2004 at least), specifically my credit cards. (failed)
21. Make a dentist appointment. (completed 2/22/06)
22. Go to the doctor’s. (completed April 2007)
23. Go one week without soda. (completed 3/8/06)
24. Go one week without a sweet frozen coffee drink. (completed 3/3/06)
25. Go one week without a sugary sweet junky snack food. (completed 3/8/06)
26. Go for a walk after I get out of work at night at least three times a week come this Spring. (failed! - it's already June, and I haven't been getting out of work early enough this Spring to go on any walks)
27. Take a Tai Chi or martial arts class.
28. Try one new thing every month, no matter how small, for at least six months. :)
29. Take a cruise.
30. Visit Missy.
31. Visit Martha’s Vineyard.
32. Visit Canada.
33. Take a Boston Duck Tour.
34. Go to Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. (completed 8/2/07)
35. Visit the Quincy Tea Room.
36. Finish a cross-stitch project.
37. Go on a picnic.
38. Go snorkelling again.
39. Take the MENSA test.
40. Buy Sims2. (completed 06/08/06)
41. Complete (and then post) the WIP meme that I saw on someone’s LJ awhile back.
42. Attend a fancy, dress up event in Boston or NYC (other than the Emmys).
43. See a play or musical. (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
44. Take a tour at the Day House.
45. Get a pen pal. (I used to have many. *g*)
46. Work on the possibility of an Escapade 2007/2008 convention. (it's not a financial possibility)
47. Get the Boston Scapers site up and running.
48. Look into having a FS or a film table for Norwoodopia Day.
49. Attend another Farscape convention.
50. Work on a film with Solonia.
51. Make another music video.
52. Submit the above music video to the 2006 Farscape Creation Con in Burbank. (completed 10/6/06)
53. Complete the NaNoWriMo 2006 challenge. (failed)
54. Finish at least one of my written works in progress. (failed)
55. Submit one of my finished stories for publication in a magazine.
56. Submit one of my finished stories for publication with a book publisher.
57. Film a movie of my own.
58. Submit the film to at least three festivals.
59. Finish my torturemazes website.
60. Work with S. on her video web series or make a video web series of my own. (failed)
61. Participate in the 26 Things meme.
62. Make the FS commercial I’ve wanted to make.
63. Produce something for the purpose of airing it on my local cable station.
64. Write a screenplay. (failed)
65. Organize Ella photos in an album.
66. Replace at least five of my VHS tapes with DVDs.
67. Make a plan for a family reunion.
68. Catalogue all the CDs I own.
69. Catalogue of all the DVDs I own.
70. Catalogue of all the VHS tapes I own.
71. Copy all least ten pages from one of my old diaries (from elementary school)
72. Put the VHS tape my aunt & uncle had made for my grandmother onto DVD.
73. Make a list of all the books I own. (in progress)
74. Get my old LCIII files onto my current laptop .. somehow. (in progress)
75. Buy a back up hard drive. (one was actually given to me as a gift; I'll consider this item completed)
76. Watch at least two of the Chinese videos my dad sent me. (completed 4/1/06)
77. Transfer T.’s vids to digital form as she had requested.
78. Write an actual letter (not an email, not a card) to a friend.
79. Visit M&B and little Liam. (completed!)
80. Go to a film festival.
81. List my top 100 movies. (in progress)
82. List my top 100 books. (in progress)
83. Watch three episodes of Firefly in full. (completed 3/18/06)
84. Watch the new Battlestar Galactica mini series. (completed 4/1/06)
85. Get together with my friend C.T. (technically completed 3/25/06, though the circumstances weren't happy)
86. Call Gno. (completed 3/9/06)
87. Make an audio blog post.
88. Visit my local library and get reaquainted with it since it was re-done.
89. Visit my great aunt Esmeralda.
90. Visit with my living grandmother. (completed 07/11/08)
91. Visit my dad more. (failed)
92. Get better aquainted with all the bells and whistles on my laptop. (failed)
93. Get better aquainted with all the bells and whistles on my camcorder.
94. Get better aquainted with all the bells and whistles on my new digital camera.
95. Dye my hair auburn.
96. See Cyanide Valentine live.
97. Give Laura her Emmy tape back. (completed)
98. Introduce my dad to his granddaughter.
99. Sell 10 items on ebay.
100. Start another 101 things to do when the 1001 days near their end.
101. Complete all the items on this list. (failed *sigh*)

Days Left: 0
Tasks Remaining: 69

Happy New Year!

I wrote for more than an hour in my diary today. I feel semi-accomplished. Before I return to either video editing or playing with my Sims families, I decided to skim the Daily Meme for some posting inspiration and found one I liked.

My first meme of the new year. :)

Don't think of them as Resolutions. Think of them as Goals or even just "Things You'd Like." But list up to seven things you hope to accomplish before 2006 draws to a close.

1. Make a dentist appointment.
2. Start an IRA or another such retirement plan for myself.
3. Get my finances back under control (pre-2004 at least).
4. Finish at least one of my written works in progress.
5. Film. (either on my own or working with someone else)
6. Complete the 2006 NaNoWriMo challenge.
7. Submit one of my finished stories for publication. (hopefully for publication)

Posted as part of this week's Sunday Seven challenge.