What is one thing someone has done for you that just melts/melted your heart?

Do you think you could ever do the same thing to that person who did it to you?

Yes or No? Why or Why not?

There are no more secrets in the queue (after this next one I'm posting shortly after this). If you have any questions you'd like to pose to the community for the weekly secret submission, please do so!

Just create a journal entry as normal, make sure you're posting it to this community, make sure the entry is public and anonymous commenting is enabled, and submit! That's it. It will post to the queue to await mod approval. You'll even get a notification when your entry is posted.

Any questions, please don't hesitate to comment with them here and we'll respond as soon as we're able.

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Made a trip down to San Diego today, ostensibly for a project staff meeting and to deliver things from our office to theirs, but also to take Bob, who is retiring, out to lunch. The Karl Straus Brewery there is situated right next to a beautiful Japanese garden. This was part of the view from our table. Good food, too - I heard the beer was great as well, but I'm not a beer drinker, so I'm no judge. Supposedly, Sony was supposed to move some corporate offices here and installed the garden in the office park, then backed out of the deal.

Karl Straus Brewery
Sorrento Mesa CA
Canon EOS 1000D
30 July 2009

( +2 )

If I have a Sony Vaio VGN-NS330D laptop with a Mobile Intel® 4 Series Express Chipset Family video card in it, am I going to be able to play WoW? (And by play, I mean with some degree if not-suckage.)

I am getting conflicting reports from various Google sources, and I don't want to try installing everything and getting all excited to play again and discovering that no, it sucks big time on my laptop. :(

Thanks! :)

So far behind posting, so my reviews will be minimal

71.  I'm Down by Mishna Wolff - Wolff is a white woman who remembers her childhood growing up in a black neighborhood.  I'm not doubting that these were Wolff's experiences, but I found the repeated use of "black" stereotypes to be a bit off-putting.  Rating:  2.5

72.  The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry - Charming short novel about the Willoughbys children, who want to divorce their horrible parents.  I love how Lowry brought in so many classic works of literature, such as Mary Poppins and Anne of Green Gables.  Rating:  4.0

73.  Kenny and the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi - The author of the Spiderwick chronicles brings us this story of a rabbit friending a dragon.  The problem:  the rest of the community views dragons as fire-breathing monsters and want to slay Kenny's friend.  Cute story.  Rating:  3.5

74.  Extreme Animals:  The Toughest Creatures on Earth by Nicola Davies - Using comic drawings, this books presents lots of interesting, unknown facts about animals who survive extreme cold, heat, etc.  Very interesting read.  Rating:  3.0

75.  This Is Just to Say by Joyce Sidman - A collection of poems that apologies and responses to those apologies.  Some were cute, but not an outstanding collection.  Rating:  1.5

76.  The Long Gone Lonesome History of Country Music by Bret Bertholf - The title provides its own synopsis.  I wasn't that interested in this book, and I doubt many of my students will be either.  Rating:  1.0

77.  Stranger Than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk - An interesting collection of essays.  I was shocked to learn Palahniuk had such a tragic family history.  I enjoyed this book because it gave me a lot of insight into the ideas behind Palahniuk's work.  Rating:  4.5

78.  The White Queen by Philippa Gregory - In this historical fiction novel about the War of the Roses, our narrator is Elizabeth Woodville, queen to Edward IV and mother of the princes in the tower.  I enjoy historical fiction and Gregory's work so this novel did not disappoint.  Rating:  4.0

79.  Diamond Willow by Helen Frost - This story is told through poems, each in the shape of a diamond.  Willow is a lonely tween girl who get stuck in a blizzard when she decides to take the sled and the dogs out on a trip to her grandparents' house.  The Native American belief in reincarnation is included whereas many of the animals are relatives of Willow and look after her during the blizzard.  Rating:  3.5

80.  Edward's Eyes by Patricia MacLachlan - Edward has a talent for baseball and a special relationship with is baby sister.  He also has beautiful eyes.  MacLachlan is the talented author of Sarah, Plain and Tall, but I didn't really "get" this book.  Rating:  1.5

81.  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - This is the sequel to the Hunger Games.  I do not want to spoil either book for anyone so I will just say that I LOVE this series and think you all should read it.  Can't wait for the third book to be released!  Rating:  5.0

82.  Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri - A book of short stories by one of my favorite authors.  I enjoyed reading this so much.  Rating:  4.5

83.  Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson - Book 4 of  the 39 Clues takes Amy and Dan to Egypt fo search for more information about the Cahill fortune.  Like the others, this one was action-packed and left me wanting more.  Rating:  4.0

84.  Charlotte's Web by E.B. White - How fitting that the first chapter book that I read my eldest daughter was my favorite children's book ever.  I definitely teared up when Charlotte died.  My daughter's favorite character was Templeton the rat; she thought he was hilarious.  Rating:  5.0

85.  The Magician's Elephant by Kate diCamillo - An untalented magician manages to conjure an elephant out of thin air.  The elephant's presence brings magic to the entire town, leading to the reunion of a brother and sister.  I love diCamillo's work and enjoyed this story a lot.  Rating:  4.0

86.  Outlander by Diana Galbadon - The first in a series of seven (?) books about Claire who goes back in time from the 1940s to the 1740s where she meets and falls in love with Scottish rebel, Jamie.  I enjoyed the time travel and adventure elements of this book, but the sex scenes got really old.  Also, Galbadon is overly wordy and she could have delivered this book in 400 pp. instead of 600+  Not sure when (or if) I 'll continue the series.  Rating:  3.0

87.  Toy Dance Party by Emily Jenkins - In the second of the series, Jenkins tells more stories of Lumpy the Buffalo, Stingray and Plastic, who is a ball.  The concept reminds me a lot of Toy Story.  These books are cute and fun reads.  Rating:  3.0

88.  Junie B. First Grader:  BOO...and I mean it! by Barbara Park - I read this to my daughter.    In this installment, Junie B. is scared of Halloween and decides to dress up as a scary clown so she can scare away the things she is afraid of before they can scare her.   Junie B is not a favorite character of mine; she is sassy and I hate her incorrect grammar. Hopefully, I can get my daughter interested in Ramona instead.

That catches me up through October.  I've already read 3 books in November so that means I only have 9 left to reach my goal of 100 books for the year.

( 1-55 )

56. The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicole Kraus - It was okay, I kind of enjoyed the movie a little better mostly because of the happy ending. But the book wasn't that bad. Read if you're bored and if it was at the Goodwill for $1...that's how I got it, haha.

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So, I think most folks on the flist are aware that there's another Fanfic Award thing going around - Words on the Wind. I know zilch about it, I have little to no intention of becoming half as involved as I am/was in the CoT awards, and for me, it's mostly been under the radar.

Today, I got a notification that one of my stories was nominated. So first, thank you to whoever nominated it. I'm very flattered that you remembered the story and took the time to enter it! I don't get many nominations, so I treasure every one of them.

Moving on....I'm not sure I should accept the nomination. The nominated story? Is the remix I wrote a few months ago. Specifically, Finding Rose (The Forty-three Days Remix) from the chips_remixed challenge over the summer. The story is mine - but it's based off something someone else originally wrote.

One could argue that I'm simply describing fanfic in general. Hush, you.

So I'm not exactly sure this is something I should accept, and I remember this seemed to be a discussion a while back. (Or maybe this was strictly among the mods at CoT, I can't remember.) Should an author be nominated for a remixed fic? Is it fair to the author of the original fic on which it was based?

Hence...poll. What thinketh you, flist? Do I accept the nomination or not? Mind, I don't have a CLUE what category it's in, although I suppose I should find out.

I sent a note to the original author to see what she says. If I don't accept the nomination...eh. I don't accept the nomination. It's not like I would have won, anyway, I don't write that sort of fic.

I am pleased to have been nominated, though - so whoever did that, thank you very much, and please don't take my dithering personally. I feel as though I'm always complaining about these types of awards, regardless of the outcome, and I really don't mean to be.

Poll #1483634
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 15

Should I accept the nomination?

This stretches from June through November. My ultimate goal is 100, but I know that's not happening. Being in a non-English-speaking country for five months does not make reading easy.

37. Emma by Jane Austen - My second forage into the world of Jane Austen aside from Pride & Prejudice, and although it was good, Emma's character definitely got on my nerves for most of the book.

38. Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston - The survival story of a mountaineer who became trapped when his arm got pinned between a cliff and a huge boulder. On the one hand, it was fascinating to me as someone who loves the outdoors. But on the other hand, it was exasperating for the same reason, because he made some seriously stupid mistakes.

39. The Bromeliad Trilogy by Terry Pratchett - The amusing tale of gnomes trying to survive in a world so much bigger than them, when humans just won't seem to let them alone. Typically wonderful Pterry genius.

40. Fluke, or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore - A hilariously bizarre story about a couple of whale watching scientists, in which Moore invents a whole new world and reinvents aviation history. Good for laughs.

41. Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce - The second part in the Beka Cooper story, where we learn that being a Dog isn't quite all it's cracked up to be. There's a huge counterfeiting scheme going on, and Beka's got to solve this one on her own. Although still hampered by the diary format, this sequel is far better than Terrier was, both in character and plot.

42. Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones - People have told me to read this for years, and I think that honestly I refused because I associated it with the Miyazaki movie. I still have yet to see the movie, and I don't think I will, because the book was brilliant. The story of a girl turned into an old woman, and caught between the struggles of a powerful wizard and witch is more captivating than I ever thought it would be.

43. They Do it with Mirrors by Agatha Christie - Four months later, I no longer remember what this was about. I'm sure a murder happened, and it was suspenseful and all that.

44. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt - Although I definitely like McCourt's style and think he is a great storyteller, the story of his impoverished childhood in Ireland didn't feel so much like a story as a list of how horrible his life was. Although ultimately moving, sometimes reading it felt like a chore.

45. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - This definitely goes on the list of best books I've ever read. It's the strange turn of events that occur when revolutionaries in an unnamed South American country take hostage the guests of an international party at the vice president's house. But it turns from a hostage situation into a stalemate. Ranging from female revolutionaries to Japanese translators to German bankers to American opera singers, they begin to inhabit a world of their own where status does not exist, and time does not matter. It's one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. I can't recommend it enough.

46. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - As much as I tried to love this book, it was so much darker than Jane Eyre. Everyone was so angry and vengeful all of the time, and though they had reason, I just couldn't enjoy reading the novel.

47. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke - A sort of cross between epic fantasy and 19th century literature, this tells the story of two magicians trying to restore long-lost magic to England. Sometimes friends, sometimes enemies, the decisions they make and the deals they strike affect a whole country and beyond. Really engrossing and well-written. Despite it's immense length, I enjoyed the entire thing.

48. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks - A nice romance. Quite cute, but not necessarily good prose.

49. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - 12 people get killed off one by one on an island. You knew what was going to happen, so the fun was in trying to figure out how.

50. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger - A beautiful story about a Midwestern family of an asthmatic boy, his writer sister, his janitor father, and his outlaw older brother. The journey they take to find each other is full of troubles, but also full of miracles. It was so beautiful, and not at all overdone like I thought it might be.

51. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby - When very different four people decide to jump off the same building on New Year's Eve, they all end up walking down instead. And it's not a story about the end of life, really, it's a story about what happens when it just keeps going. Bizarre things happen.

51 out of 100 books read

http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_11/i_spy_christmas.html

I think we now own all of the original I Spy Books. I Spy Christmas is one of the early ones and as the title implies is Christmas themed. It's like "Too Many Christmas Trees" the book.

The Christmas theme makes for a rather bland book. There's a lot of red, a lot of green and a lot of fake snow. I always want to rush through the book instead of linger of over the photos like I do in some of the others (I Spy Spooky Night and I Spy Treasure Hunt). That being said, it's one of the hardest books because of all the similarities in color.

As with most of the these early books, the items included in the book are vintage. There are antiques and retro santas, decorations and toys. An antique dealer specializing in Christmas would get more enjoyment out of the book that I have.

books | childrens | Jean Marzollo | 1992

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Yes, it's time once again (past time, actually) for another Diversity Roll Call. This week's assignment comes from Mary Ann of Great Kid Books.

I have an idea for a color challenge that I would LOVE help with: finding books for early readers (1st and 2nd grade) with children of color as the main characters.

I loved discovering Nikki & Deja last year, but I find it very hard to find either early readers or early chapter books with kids from different backgrounds. There are lots of picture books out there, but not many books that young kids can read for themselves.

So, your assignment is one of the following:

1. Find a book for Mary Ann's library.
2. Write the blurb for the book you'd like kids of that age to see on the shelves, or
3. Was this an issue for you when you were first reading books on your own? Tell us about it.
4. Got a diversity issue on your mind lately? We'd love to read your thoughts. Who knows, you may spark the next C.O.R.A. question!

When I read the newest assignment, my first though was "good question!" My plan of action was to go to the library. The first two books on my list of recommendations are ones I found at my library. There were many others I could have picked; my library does an excellent job of providing a diverse range of books. These though are the two that caught my attention first.

My recommendations:

• Rules of the Net by Jennifer Guess McKerley.
  It's part of the "Character Education" series of books. I didn't pick it because it teaches a moral (trustworthiness in this case). I chose it because of the cover which has a diverse cast of characters who are all members of a volley ball team.
  
  The book is easy to read and is about one of my favorite sports (volley ball). Carlos (the boy with the broken arm on the cover) is asked to help count points and fouls while the coach picks who will be the starters in the next day's game. He ends up making the foul call that will prevent his best friend (the girl on the cover) from being a starter. It takes the next day's game for her to realize he's done the right thing.
  
  
• Don't Say Ain't by Irene Smalls-Hector.
  This book is a picture book but there are enough words to be a challenge to an early reader. I chose it though for the lovely illustrations. Here a girl gets a chance at a better education, having tested well enough to go to an advanced school. To go there, she has to leave behind her neighborhood friends. Will going to the new school mean the end of their long time friendship?
  
  
• An African Tale by Enna Neru.
  This book arrived in my mail box yesterday. It's not an early reader book but I want to mention it anyway. I haven't read it yet but it came all the way from Botswana in an envelope completely covered in stamps. It's a young adult book and I'm eager to start reading it.
  
  Here's part of the blurb:
  "Africa, the land of extremes, drought, floods, beauty, devastation, vibrant life and miserable death. Into this land are born two children with a shared destiny and two very different backgrounds. One from a rural village in the Okavango Delta Botswana, with mud huts, no electricity and no mod cons. The other from Gaborone the capital city with all its westernizations of cell phones, TV's, cars etc."
  

CORA

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Only noticed it late tonight, but no matter how hard I try, I can't log in to my two Battle.net linked WoW accounts at the same time. In fact the second copy of WoW just refuses to load up at all.

What the heck Blizzard, one would think that you would *want* me to pay you 2 subscriptions per month, rather than one or none?

I checked with others on Ghostlands trade chat last night and they reported the same issue. Has anyone on other servers had the same problem?

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