Sarah Monette's Blog, page 89
July 9, 2009
UBC: The SS: Alibi of a Nation
Reitlinger, Gerald. The SS: Alibi of a Nation, 1922-1945. 1956. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 1981.
This is, unfortunately, not a very good book. Mr. Reitlinger lacks the gift of explication almost entirely, and to explain the SS, you need the jumbo super-size gift of explication. Also . . . well, the word that keeps floating around my head is "gossipy." He says things like "Bouhler was a really silly man whom no one thought anything of." His argument, which he finally gets around to making explicit in t
This is, unfortunately, not a very good book. Mr. Reitlinger lacks the gift of explication almost entirely, and to explain the SS, you need the jumbo super-size gift of explication. Also . . . well, the word that keeps floating around my head is "gossipy." He says things like "Bouhler was a really silly man whom no one thought anything of." His argument, which he finally gets around to making explicit in t
July 8, 2009
Waterlog
TIME: 43 min.
DISTANCE: 5.3 mi.
TOTAL: 222 mi.
DISTRACTION: The Dead Zone 1.2, "What It Seems"
SHIRE RECKONING: Still slogging toward Weathertop.
Okay, I'm sorry, that is not Sheriff Bannerman. There are many other things I could say about melodrama and undoing all the really lovely subtle stuff King does in the novel about the part wherein Johnny Smith is NOT a hero, and knows it, but I'll just go with the complaint that, you know, King HAS an explanation of what the "dead zone" is, and it's (a.) cr
DISTANCE: 5.3 mi.
TOTAL: 222 mi.
DISTRACTION: The Dead Zone 1.2, "What It Seems"
SHIRE RECKONING: Still slogging toward Weathertop.
Okay, I'm sorry, that is not Sheriff Bannerman. There are many other things I could say about melodrama and undoing all the really lovely subtle stuff King does in the novel about the part wherein Johnny Smith is NOT a hero, and knows it, but I'll just go with the complaint that, you know, King HAS an explanation of what the "dead zone" is, and it's (a.) cr
July 7, 2009
they think so small, they use small words
words since last report: 315
words total: 4,094
tyop du jour: n/a
darling: n/a
mean things: Roommates who forget to buy toilet paper.
quirks: The only quirks today were mine.
reason for stopping: There was some retrograde motion today, as I realized that I was trying my favorite trick of introducing a new complication three-quarters of the way through the story. So burning that out and getting back on track is actually not bad as a day's work. Also, time for bed.
exercise: Wii.
work outside the box: Sto
words total: 4,094
tyop du jour: n/a
darling: n/a
mean things: Roommates who forget to buy toilet paper.
quirks: The only quirks today were mine.
reason for stopping: There was some retrograde motion today, as I realized that I was trying my favorite trick of introducing a new complication three-quarters of the way through the story. So burning that out and getting back on track is actually not bad as a day's work. Also, time for bed.
exercise: Wii.
work outside the box: Sto
Storytellers Unplugged for July
"When Last We Left Our Heroes," about the competing models of genre series, is up at Storytellers Unplugged.
July 6, 2009
you get so dizzy even walking in a straight line
words since last report: 558
words total: 3,833
word goal: unchanged at 5-7 k, looking more like 7 than 5
tyop du jour: n/a
darling: The half-elf pushed her blue dreadlocks back behind her shoulder and flicked her ears to make her earrings chime. "You can do better than a werewolf, sweetie."
mean things: Misinformation and pornography on the internet.
quirks: Quentin keeps getting propositioned by girls he isn't interested in.
reason for stopping: Bedtime!
exercise: I rowed. See previous rock.
work outsi
words total: 3,833
word goal: unchanged at 5-7 k, looking more like 7 than 5
tyop du jour: n/a
darling: The half-elf pushed her blue dreadlocks back behind her shoulder and flicked her ears to make her earrings chime. "You can do better than a werewolf, sweetie."
mean things: Misinformation and pornography on the internet.
quirks: Quentin keeps getting propositioned by girls he isn't interested in.
reason for stopping: Bedtime!
exercise: I rowed. See previous rock.
work outsi
Waterlog
TIME: 41 min.
DISTANCE: 5 mi.
TOTAL DISTANCE: 216.7
DISTRACTION: The Dead Zone 1.1, "Wheel of Fortune"
NOTES: So the weight-lifting gloves keep me from getting blisters on my palms, but now I get blisters on my fingers instead.
SHIRE RECKONING: Still slogging toward Weathertop.
The Dead Zone is possibly my favorite Stephen King novel. So you will understand that my reaction to the TV show is to nitpick every deviation from the source material TO DEATH. That said, I am actually legitimately grumpy with
DISTANCE: 5 mi.
TOTAL DISTANCE: 216.7
DISTRACTION: The Dead Zone 1.1, "Wheel of Fortune"
NOTES: So the weight-lifting gloves keep me from getting blisters on my palms, but now I get blisters on my fingers instead.
SHIRE RECKONING: Still slogging toward Weathertop.
The Dead Zone is possibly my favorite Stephen King novel. So you will understand that my reaction to the TV show is to nitpick every deviation from the source material TO DEATH. That said, I am actually legitimately grumpy with
PSA
If your comment is:
(a.) anonymous
(b.) extremely short
(c.) in a language I can't read*
(d.) any combination of the above
I will assume it is spam and delete it.
If it was a sincere effort to communicate, please try again.
---
*Languages I can read: English, French, Middle English if you give me a dictionary and plenty of time, Anglo-Saxon ditto, Latin ditto, ancient Greek ditto only more so. I have German and Italian dictionaries, and I thought I had a Spanish dictionary, but that seems to be a myth.
(a.) anonymous
(b.) extremely short
(c.) in a language I can't read*
(d.) any combination of the above
I will assume it is spam and delete it.
If it was a sincere effort to communicate, please try again.
---
*Languages I can read: English, French, Middle English if you give me a dictionary and plenty of time, Anglo-Saxon ditto, Latin ditto, ancient Greek ditto only more so. I have German and Italian dictionaries, and I thought I had a Spanish dictionary, but that seems to be a myth.
July 5, 2009
i drove around the city, looking for a room
words since last report: 820, plus structural conceptualizing so as to retrofit the plot into the story.
word total: 3275
word goal: cruising for 5-7k
tyop du jour: n/a
darling: Her grip was strong but not painful, and her palm was furry.
mean things: Unwanted attention of the lycanthropic persuasion. Plus, that lecture on Wordsworth has fallout in discussion sections.
quirks: Werewolves are not nice people.
reason for stopping: Time to start going to bed. (Yes, it is a lengthy process.)
exercise: Wii,
word total: 3275
word goal: cruising for 5-7k
tyop du jour: n/a
darling: Her grip was strong but not painful, and her palm was furry.
mean things: Unwanted attention of the lycanthropic persuasion. Plus, that lecture on Wordsworth has fallout in discussion sections.
quirks: Werewolves are not nice people.
reason for stopping: Time to start going to bed. (Yes, it is a lengthy process.)
exercise: Wii,
Happy birthday, stillsostrange!
Happy birthday,
![[info:]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1380438177i/889613.gif)
stillsostrange!
stillsostrange!
July 4, 2009
the Glorious Fourth
I admit, I love fireworks to the depths of my unregenerate twelve-year-old soul.
Happy birthday, America!
Happy birthday, America!
