Dad's Instructions for Optimal Viewing of The Wire
1 disc per viewing
2 rotations through each season
watch in order season by season
My father and I have found a shared fandom. He's going to mail me his DVDs of The Wire so I can get caught up. The above method was recommended to maximize noticing the little details that will be important in later episodes.
Warriors In the Library
During my time as student librarian in a local elementary school this past semester, Erin Hunter's Warriors series was flying off the shelves. Kids would have the next one on hold before the library could finish processing the books. So, now that my semester is over and I have some free time, I read the first one. The series is about clans of wild cats prowling the forest and warring over territory. The clans are structured like tribes with a leader, a medicine cat, warriors, mothers caring for kits and warriors-in-training: our protagonists. The series begins with a house cat, referred to by the warriors of ThunderClan as a kittypet, joining up with the clan. It had one little off-putting thing at the beginning: a male tortoiseshell cat. (Tortoiseshell cats are always female, I think it's the red color in the fur that is genetically sex linked). But I let it slide, and ended up enjoying the book.
Then while I was sleeping that night I had an idea. I frequently have ideas in my sleep. A Warriors themed library program. You could put up little posters of cats with library instructions on them. Call them InfoClan. They could have names like Bookheart and Shelfclaw. Maybe their leader could be Searchingstar- the leaders' names always end in -star. Anyway, it would be a cute way to hook the kids. They would be interested in finding and looking at the different cats and that would encourage them to read the library tips.
As a side note, www.warriorcats.com is quite a site (quite a sight?). I just checked it out now so I could make the above link, and it has an animated intro and lots of neat things once you get into the site. According to "StarClan," my warrior name is Rainfire. Nice. Definitely something to look at for the next time I find myself in an elementary school.
...And Speaking of Books and Websites
Audrey, Wait! came in for me today. I originally heard about it on the YA YA YAs and thought it sounded like fun-- when Audrey breaks up with her boyfriend, he writes a song and gets famous, leaving Audrey to deal with the paparazzi (and it's blurbed by Meg Cabot and Rachel Cohn!). I had a quick look at the website while I was at work today and it looked bright and exciting. There was a soundtrack posted for the book as well as a tabloid generator.
I must remember, when I have a library of my own, to make connections between books and websites. There is fun and probably something educational in there.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Media Consumed This Weekend
**SPOILERS**
1. Latest episode of Battlestar Galactica, "The Road Less Traveled"
I am somewhat concerned with the bleak, dark tone my favorite show has taken on of late, but I am trying to remind myself that the darkest hour is just before the dawn. This episode felt like we were waiting for something to happen, but didn't quite get there yet. I accuse Helo of being a "plot-blocker" for not following Kara's orders, but I understand that resistance to making peace with cylons other than Athena is something we're going to have to go through before the Colonials can get over it and advance their progress towards Earth.
Random thoughts:
Leoben is still creepy in a good way.
Earth is looking more and more metaphorical the more I watch.
Gauis Baltar is starting to make far too much sense spiritually. This should perhaps bother me more than it does.
I look forward to next week.
**spoilers over, feel free to read again if you were planning on getting caught up on BSG**
2. Old episodes from the first season of ER:
Everyone looks so little. Even George Clooney, who was still very handsome before his super stardom. ER is as to Scrubs as realism is to cartoons. Dr. Carter's early days of being mostly terrified, but occasionally triumphant is comforting to watch, anticipating my own transition from student to professional. (Though I am certain that fewer lives hang in the balance for librarians).
This is a series I should look into owning on DVD.
3. Several Stories from The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet, a compilation from the zine edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant.
I've just been going through, reading the first line of each and then reading the ones that sound interesting. Mostly I'm liking the ones that are tinged with fairy tales or fairy folk. Particular favorites at this moment (if the cat will kindly get off of the book):
Three Letters from Elfland by Sarah Monette
Serpents by Veronica Schanoes
and
The Ichthyomancer Writes His Friend With an Account of the Yeti's Birthday Party by David J. Schwartz
I should, perhaps, look into subscribing to LCRW, I like the idea of zine plus chocolate.
Things that are Kelly Link related in general, I like. If you like strange genre-bending (not gender bending, I mean genre bending) "slipstream" or "new wave fabulist" type of stories, you should look into reading:
Stranger Things Happen
and
Magic for Beginners
The eponymous story from the latter is my favorite. It features The Free People's World Tree Library, the place, if it existed, I would most want to work.
4. Still reading Runemarks by Joanne Harris, a Norse myth inspired children's book (YA book?) by the author of Chocolat. It has some ups and downs, I like the way the magic works and the idea that the world needs to end every now and then to refresh itself. The main character has, thus far, been overly trusting of Loki, which, as I have seen in many other stories, is never a good idea.
I wonder if my favorite YA book blog The YA YA YAs reviewed this one. I think they did. Blogs should have more extensive search functions. Though, I realize that's probably up to us bloggers to make our tags more organized and/or extensive.
5. Music:
The Arcade Fire- Funeral
tracks from various albums by Iron and Wine
and INORAN
6. I have not yet seen Iron Man. I would like to do so, and soon. Will write more when I do.
1. Latest episode of Battlestar Galactica, "The Road Less Traveled"
I am somewhat concerned with the bleak, dark tone my favorite show has taken on of late, but I am trying to remind myself that the darkest hour is just before the dawn. This episode felt like we were waiting for something to happen, but didn't quite get there yet. I accuse Helo of being a "plot-blocker" for not following Kara's orders, but I understand that resistance to making peace with cylons other than Athena is something we're going to have to go through before the Colonials can get over it and advance their progress towards Earth.
Random thoughts:
Leoben is still creepy in a good way.
Earth is looking more and more metaphorical the more I watch.
Gauis Baltar is starting to make far too much sense spiritually. This should perhaps bother me more than it does.
I look forward to next week.
**spoilers over, feel free to read again if you were planning on getting caught up on BSG**
2. Old episodes from the first season of ER:
Everyone looks so little. Even George Clooney, who was still very handsome before his super stardom. ER is as to Scrubs as realism is to cartoons. Dr. Carter's early days of being mostly terrified, but occasionally triumphant is comforting to watch, anticipating my own transition from student to professional. (Though I am certain that fewer lives hang in the balance for librarians).
This is a series I should look into owning on DVD.
3. Several Stories from The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet, a compilation from the zine edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant.
I've just been going through, reading the first line of each and then reading the ones that sound interesting. Mostly I'm liking the ones that are tinged with fairy tales or fairy folk. Particular favorites at this moment (if the cat will kindly get off of the book):
Three Letters from Elfland by Sarah Monette
Serpents by Veronica Schanoes
and
The Ichthyomancer Writes His Friend With an Account of the Yeti's Birthday Party by David J. Schwartz
I should, perhaps, look into subscribing to LCRW, I like the idea of zine plus chocolate.
Things that are Kelly Link related in general, I like. If you like strange genre-bending (not gender bending, I mean genre bending) "slipstream" or "new wave fabulist" type of stories, you should look into reading:
Stranger Things Happen
and
Magic for Beginners
The eponymous story from the latter is my favorite. It features The Free People's World Tree Library, the place, if it existed, I would most want to work.
4. Still reading Runemarks by Joanne Harris, a Norse myth inspired children's book (YA book?) by the author of Chocolat. It has some ups and downs, I like the way the magic works and the idea that the world needs to end every now and then to refresh itself. The main character has, thus far, been overly trusting of Loki, which, as I have seen in many other stories, is never a good idea.
I wonder if my favorite YA book blog The YA YA YAs reviewed this one. I think they did. Blogs should have more extensive search functions. Though, I realize that's probably up to us bloggers to make our tags more organized and/or extensive.
5. Music:
The Arcade Fire- Funeral
tracks from various albums by Iron and Wine
and INORAN
6. I have not yet seen Iron Man. I would like to do so, and soon. Will write more when I do.
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