And now we take les dogs to their first obedience class. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
(Actually, Emma knows a lot of it already from a class she did when she was at the shelter, but Puck not so much.)
Updated: And of course Puck did beautifully and Emma was her first-obedience-class, don’t-tell-me-what-to-do stubborn self. (Although she did pretty good too.) But fun!
Pray for Us Sinners Read More »
The feisty and fabulous Melissa Moorer has weighed in on Always, and I don’t want y’all to miss it. So consider this a brief Always Week revival. Among the things she has to say is:
So, since I’m in a brain cloud, I’m going to do what shouldn’t be done and talk about the queer thing. I realize that this is a no-no. There’s the fear that this will somehow ghettoize these books (and therefore doom them to mediocre sales) and Yes, I know, we’re supposed to be talking about the writing, the structure, the characters, but Aud’s gay! And strong! And this is (surprisingly) not a combination I see very often. In fact, I’ve seen the argument repeatedly that we shouldn’t want strong female characters to be gay (I’ve seen this argument most around Starbuck, and typically made by lesbians) because that would somehow stereotype all strong women as lesbians. Why is this so terrible? Apparently it is. Most of the lesbians in media are very…well, they certainly couldn’t kill anyone with a flashlight. In fact, I’m pretty sure they couldn’t change a tire or make a fist either. They’re almost always stripped of strength, power, and anything that signifies butch and or even queer. They read as straight girls (and I mean that in the worst possible, hyper-feminized way)…who just happen to like other girls. And the tough women? They’re almost always straight (Starbuck, Ripley, The new Bionic Woman, Faith, Buffy, Sydney, Veronica Mars). I’ve even seen people argue vehemently that Vasquez in Aliens was straight, which completely breaks my brain, but it’s not like there’s any concrete evidence to the contrary.
You’ll really, really want to go read the rest.
Meanwhile over at the LBC, Levi Asher has taken over the discussion reins and is doing some fun stuff in honor of Katharine Weber’s Triangle. Don’t miss: this excellent interview, her 5X5 books, and some thoughts from Scott Esposito.
And the LBC Goes On (+ Always Redux) Read More »
Christopher won third last night in the latest Alleycat bike race, a superhero-themed scavenger hunt. His costume was Corvus Rex, Lord of All Crows, and involved a bike helmet impressively festooned with feathers and a beak, among other elements (the camera wasn’t working! but there might be pictures from somebody else later!). And now comes the news that his story "Another Word for Map is Faith" is up for a World Fantasy Award — yay! I say again: yay!
This is a fantastic ballot through and through. So many yays — for Mary, Susan, Susan (again!) and David, Jeff, Ben, Geoff, Ysa, Klima, and, well, seriously congratulations to everybody. It’s a great ballot. (Behind the cut, gacked from Locus.)
Oh and, yeah, now we’re strongly considering going to WFC. Although I’ve been told there are no hotel rooms to be had in Saratoga Springs? True? Untrue?
…
And Always week wraps up today with a podcast by the Amazing Carolyn Kellogg aka Pinky. Music and talking from Nicola! (And embarrassing babbling by yours truly.)
And yesterday Hannah Wolf Bowen posted a nice review of the book you should check out.
Thanks to all y’all for commenting and following along. Please, if I haven’t convinced you yet, buy this book and read it. I’ll try to round up all the festivities in one big post over at the LBC tomorrow for easy revisiting.
Don’t Miss Friday! Read More »
One of my very favorite blogs in the world is Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. They do these lovely, long interviews, which they always finish with the Pivot Questionnaire — you may know it from The Actor’s Theatre (which must be pronounced theat-ah). Inspired by Jules and Eisha at SITBB, I asked Nicola these questions while impersonating James Lipton. If these were not paricularly what you wanted her to answer, well, she’s over at the LBC today guest blogging and you can bring your own. Here we go.
1. What is you favorite word?
Mine!
2. What is your least favorite word?
Share.
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Focus, clarity, enthusiasm.
4. What turns you off?
Wittering and whingeing.
5. What sound or noise do you love?
Wind in the trees.
6. What sound or noise do you hate?
The yapping of small dogs.
7. What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck.
8. What profession other than your own would like to attempt?
Something to do with flow, literally or emotionally. In science, studying wave mechanics or surface tension. In arts and crafts, pot throwing or bronze sculpting. In corporate life, the fostering of innovation — idea flow.
9. What profession would you not like to do?
Driving a school bus.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Fancy a pint?
Nicola Griffith Gets Pivoted Read More »
Joelle Anthony read hundreds of YA novels in 24 months and has now put together a list of 20 things that showed up repeatedly in the books. Since it’s blog against racism week, let’s focus on this one:
#14 – Using coffee, cappuccino, and café latte to describe black people’s skin
Um, just: Don’t. Ever. Do. This.
(Via J.L. Bell.)
Wednesday Hangovers Read More »
Don’t Miss Wednesday Read More »