Flights of Fantasy discussion
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Randomnessosity
message 401:
by
HomeInMyShoes
(new)
Jan 09, 2014 06:55AM
You know those lists where people vote for books on it? We need one for this group so we can see as a whole the books everyone here has read and really enjoyed. A favourite Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, YA/MG list. It's easier to scroll through than the recommendations thread which is fun to read, but is going to get unwieldy to find things again.
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We did talk about setting up a group Listopia but felt it would be difficult to curate. That was for one that contained our group reads, though -- a list that is just for members' favourite books might be more manageable, although it is likely to attract votes from non-members as well.
I *might* be willing to curate a "favorites" list - if we compile the list prior to Listiopia AND everyone adds their own choices.
Chris wrote: "This is pretty much a non-issue with me (whether to read or not) because I've never been interested in the Enders stuff anyway. I've read some of his Alvin Maker stuff years ago and found it so lac..."^This
Alvin the Maker hit the worst sin: boring as crap. Whiny and boring as crap. Never looked at Ender's Game or any Card work since then.
Hubby isn't into the idea of child soldiers so I don't even have to worry about watching a crappy movie.
http://youtu.be/lcOxhH8N3BoAnd I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight
We'll be holding on forever
And we'll only be making it right
'Cause we'll never be wrong together
We can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time
I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
Once upon a time I was falling in love
But now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life
But now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart
I don't know exactly where to share this, but I can no longer keep it to myself. http://bookriot.com/2011/11/30/when-u...
Emily wrote: "I don't know exactly where to share this, but I can no longer keep it to myself. http://bookriot.com/2011/11/30/when-u..."OMG that book looks vile!
MrsJoseph (taking back my data & giving GR the middle finger) wrote: "http://youtu.be/lcOxhH8N3BoAnd I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight
We'll be holding on forever
And we'll only be making it right
'Cause we'll never ..."
Hey! No making fun of Bonnie. I like that song!
Emily wrote: "I don't know exactly where to share this, but I can no longer keep it to myself. http://bookriot.com/2011/11/30/when-u..."THIS is tooooooo funny.
Emily wrote: "I don't know exactly where to share this, but I can no longer keep it to myself. http://bookriot.com/2011/11/30/when-u..."Wow, that banana candle looks like sure crowd pleaser! O_O
I'm thinking of serving that banana candle at my next dinner party. Totally normal, right?
Emily wrote: "I'm thinking of serving that banana candle at my next dinner party. Totally normal, right?"Yeah.
Totes McGoats.
Cray cray adorb
We like BT that's why the songs get stuck in the head.
Every once in awhile, someone reminds me of The Girl next door by Ketchum, and of course my mind goes right to the actual story and makes me want to make sure people remember what happened and remember the girl that had it happen to.If you have the time, please read :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude...
Emily wrote: "I don't know exactly where to share this, but I can no longer keep it to myself. http://bookriot.com/2011/11/30/when-u..."Just saw this. So glad I wasn't eating at the time! I love the commentary in the post as well.
Paul wrote: "Emily wrote: "I don't know exactly where to share this, but I can no longer keep it to myself. http://bookriot.com/2011/11/30/when-u..."Just saw this. So glad I wasn'..."
that was sad
Emily wrote: "I don't know exactly where to share this, but I can no longer keep it to myself. http://bookriot.com/2011/11/30/when-u..."I make a pretty good cuban stew with pork and bananas, but that candle is unholy!
This is cool- hidden pictures painted on the edges of pages that you can see when they're bent: http://themetapicture.com/hidden-mess...
I wonder how many of those have been lost.By the way...try that with an E book.
Jackie wrote: "This is cool- hidden pictures painted on the edges of pages that you can see when they're bent: http://themetapicture.com/hidden-mess..."I love that! I wish I could have a book like that...
Though I'd probably never read it...or touch it.
Ha! Right. I would have it wrapped in plastic or in a glass case. I wonder with today's technology how easy it would be to do something like that. It would be cool to have a picture fitting the theme of the story. Of course, publishers would probably charge a crazy amount for it.
Jackie wrote: "Ha! Right. I would have it wrapped in plastic or in a glass case. I wonder with today's technology how easy it would be to do something like that. It would be cool to have a picture fitting the t..."
Yeah, out of the nose, I'd imagine.
That is so cool! I've never seen that before. It is a shame no one does this anymore. I would pay a little extra for some of my big favorites. I'm thinking a deluxe version of Lord of the Rings. Drooling.
Nienna wrote: "That is so cool! I've never seen that before. It is a shame no one does this anymore. I would pay a little extra for some of my big favorites. I'm thinking a deluxe version of Lord of the Rings. Dr..."That would be gorgeous!
Almost as good as the the three wolf shirt.Read the reviews, you'll lose hours of your day.
There's another one for bic for her pens or something that was equally hilarious.
MrsJoseph (taking back my data & giving GR the middle finger) wrote: "http://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelrusch/...O. M. God!!!
This is tooooo funny!"
Wow, I had no clue gummies could so intestinally lethal! I will never think of Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the same way again. LOL
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Almost as good as the the three wolf shirt.Read the reviews, you'll lose hours of your day.
There's another one for bic for her pens or something that was equally hilarious."
I loved the pen reviews.
Jackie wrote: "MrsJoseph (taking back my data & giving GR the middle finger) wrote: "http://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelrusch/...O. M. God!!!
This is t..."
IKR??! I was dying
OMG, those gummies come with a intestinal stress warning. O_O - http://www.amazon.com/Haribo-Gummy-Ca...The pen reviews were awesome too. I have to read the Wolf shirt ones.
OMG. That just makes it worse.I should buy those for someone I don't like...
Random Question of the Day:What word do you use, other than "book" to describe the next book in a series? I am tired of using " book". The best I can come up with is "installment", however, I would like a little more variety.
Entry. Volume. Chapter.
Chris wrote: "Entry. Volume. Chapter."Thank you!
I have used "chapter" for a series made up of short stories....
That works. Also might try "episode".
Looking for a mass of opinions / experience to guide me..I'm currently trying to book a honeymoon. Everyone said definitely go through a travel agent, so that's what we are trying to do. A friend recommended one to us that she loved, so we have been emailing her.
Here's the thing though.. I don't understand the benefit. Anyone who's used a travel agent before - tell me if this makes any sense.
She sent us several emails with several hotel options each for different locations in Mexico / Jamaica / etc. The prices seemed slightly higher than expected, so I went to expedia and looked up all of the same hotel / flight / room combinations and did a comparison. As I thought, all of her options were $200 - $500 more. For some places in Cancun:
El Dorado: $2,755 vs. $3,275
Ocean: $2,320 vs. $2,694
Catalonia: $2,406 vs. $2,997
Valentin: $2,540 vs. $2,997
Secrets: $3,110 vs. $3,482
Does anyone know how to explain this difference? Am I missing something? I emailed her to ask the same, but I wanted to get outside opinions as well. I'm not rolling in the bucks right now seeing as though I'm paying for my own wedding.. $500 difference is $500 that can go towards my dress / decorations / food / etc. I just want to make a smart, informed decision!
Dawn wrote: "Looking for a mass of opinions / experience to guide me..I'm currently trying to book a honeymoon. Everyone said definitely go through a travel agent, so that's what we are trying to do. A friend..."
Well, a lot of the time - I've been told - the travel agent is able to get slightly better stuff (and sometimes swag for you) but you have to pay for that. They also are familiar with places you might not try by yourself.
I ran into the same problem. In the end, I just went with Expedia and was fine. I picked this GREAT spot in Negril, Jamaica and loved it.
We had no plans to do off-site so really didn't need the travel agent.
Of course, I highly recommend the place we went: Couples Swept Away: http://couples.com/swept-away/
No children allowed on property. It's a very tropical atmosphere - it doesn't look like a hotel. The only thing is that there's no room service. But we LOVE that place.
I never use a travel agent to travel. IMO, they're only useful if you want a family package holiday, or if you have more money than time and just need someone to pick you a decent hotel without needing to do research. If you have the time to research, you're much better off picking your own flights and hotel, and hiring a local guide if you intend to go off the beaten path.
In theory though, it shouldn't cost more through a travel agent.. We're going to an all inclusive resort either way, and travel agents don't add a service fee, they just get paid based on referring people to different places.Ours replied and said that Expedia may not be including transfers from the airport to the resort and that's likely where the difference comes in. She also said if we find something cheaper on Expedia to let her know and she can lock it in for that price.. So it seems like not a bad deal. If there are issues with the hotel or flight the travel agent hounds them for you and gets it fixed. Plus my friends who used her said she got them upgrades to first class and other stuff like that for free.
We are going to look into these transfer prices she is speaking of and see how it equates.
Mexico, here I come! In July.
Dawn wrote: "In theory though, it shouldn't cost more through a travel agent.. We're going to an all inclusive resort either way, and travel agents don't add a service fee, they just get paid based on referring..."Bullshit with the airport transfers. Unless far from the airport it should be that high.
I would suggest going to a resort that includes transfers, however. Couples picks us up at the airport and drops us at the resort. There's a reserved waiting area while you wait for the pick up. They serve free Red Stripe while you wait. Because the trip to the resort takes about an hour and the driver stops along the way...I usually am a little tipsy by the time I get to the resort. :-D
I don't know if I'd say bullshit. She said if we see it cheaper to definitely bring it to her attention, just in case she missed something and so she can book that instead. Doesn't seem like she is hiding anything, she's checking into the differences now. Part of her prices is non-stop transfers, so I don't need to worry about that. I added transfers to my expedia and it brings the price closer, but not all the way. But hey... This is what we figure. We will go through her options and pick where we want to go. We'll then double check the price she gave us and email her with any discrepancies. She'll either match it or tell us what's different and we or she can adjust. Then we book through her.
Why? Because it's less hassle. Same price as booking through expedia, but I don't have to deal with problems that come up. Problem with flight? She'll take care of it. Problem with hotel? She'll take care of it. Plus, after we book, there is a good chance she will be able to get extra upgrades (first class on flights, etc). Either way, as long as it matches Expedia there is no downside to booking through her.
Dawn wrote: "I don't know if I'd say bullshit. She said if we see it cheaper to definitely bring it to her attention, just in case she missed something and so she can book that instead. Doesn't seem like she is..."Cool. Sounds like you're all set.
I am raging about Dish!!! Worst customer service ever!!!!!Since I signed up with Dish in July of 2012 I have had nothing but problems. For no reason whatsoever they set up my TV and internet on different accounts. I was still getting my bundle deals so at first it wasn't really a big deal. Then last summer my debit card expired and I got the new card and had to reset up the autopay. When I logged in online my name, social and phone number were only tied with my TV account so I was only able to set up the autopay for my TV account. I went for two months without paying my internet bill because I couldn't access it online nor could anybody help me when I called in because they would either claim the account didn't exist or they couldn't access it. So I had to get mean before someone could help me and the best they could do was set it up so I would receive paper statements. So since last summer I've had to pay the bill with checks and send them in the mail. Which I hate because this is 2014 and check should be obsolete. This month I missed placed my little stamp packet so I was late in sending out the bill. Somebody mentioned that I should just set up the bill pay through my bank so I wouldn't have to worry about writing a check. I tried to set that up but got an email notification from Dish that the account number I was using didn't exist in their system. So at this point I'm pulling my hair out.
So last Saturday I finally decide to call in since my internet is getting choppy and slow and I know it's because I haven't paid the bill yet. So it takes me 20 minutes to figure out how to dodge the automated system since it keeps autoconnecting me to my TV account and asking me if I want to pay that bill which is already set up on auto pay. I'm finally talking with a human being and this is how the conversation goes.
Direct TV Rep: 'Hello, This is Dish Network. Are you calling about account XYZ that includes a TV package?'
Me: 'No. I'm calling about my internet account.'
Direct TV Rep: 'I don't see an internet package associated with your account.'
Me: 'Yes. For some reason you guys have set them up separately. I need to pay the internet bill but I can't access it online and the system is defaulting me to my TV account. Can you help me get this paid today?'
Direct TV Rep: 'Sure. Give me your account number.'
Me: 'XYZ account number'
She takes 5 minutes to pull it up.
Direct TV Rep: 'Okay. Your internet account is actually serviced by Century Link so you'll need to call them directly to pay your bill.'
Me: *stifling rage* 'Sure. Can you provide me with their number?'
Direct TV Rep: 'No. I'm sorry. Their number should be on your Century Link bill.'
Me: 'I don't receive a bill from Century Link. I receive the bill from Dish.'
Direct TV Rep: 'That is not correct. Your account shows that you are with Century Link. When you look at the bill you will see a service number for Century Link.'
Me: 'I am looking at my bill right now and it says Dish on the top. And it references my Dish account number which I have just provided to you so you could pull up my account. I am also instructed to call Dish's service number for help which I called in order to talk with you. So you are telling me that I need to call a completely different company to pay my bill that is clearly sent from you and you can't provide me with the number for this company that you claim to be associated with.'
Direct TV Rep: 'Umm....well....yes. You need to talk with Century Link. I'm sorry I can't provide you with more information.'
Me: 'Oh no problem. Before I hang up to find Century Link's number through arbitrary means can you please forward me to someone who can help me cancel my account with Dish effective immediately?'
Direct TV Rep: 'Oh. Yes. One moment. I'm sorry. One moment.'
On hold for another 5 minutes.
Direct TV Account Specialist: 'Hello. I understand that you are unhappy with your service. How can I help you?'
Me: 'I need to cancel my account as soon as possible.'
Direct TV Account Specialist: 'I'm sorry to hear that. Why do you want to cancel your account? You have been a great customer and we certainly don't want to lose you.'
Me: *And I said all this with the nicest and most even toned voice you can imagine* 'Because its been a shit show since day one when I was set up on two different accounts and nobody could or can tell me why and nobody seems to know how to help me. I've called in at least a dozen times and talked with people who are either to incompetent to help me or unwilling to help me. It's been a bullshit hassle and I'm fucking sick of it.'
Direct TV Account Specialist: 'I'm sorry to hear that. I can see that you are set up on two separate accounts and I am adding them together right now. That should be completed within the hour. I am also going to take $30 off your bill for the next 6 months because of the inconvenience. And I can transfer you over to someone who can take your internet payment right now to get that corrected for you. I am sorry this has happened and your service was bad but we value you as a customer and would really like to keep you.'
Me: 'THANK YOU! I'm so happy to be talking with someone who is trying to help me. I really appreciate this. You have been extraordinarily helpful.'
So he get me transferred to some chick who takes my card information and processes my payment for me. Everything appears to be handled!
Cut to this morning, which is the first time during this insanely busy week that I've had a second to myself to balance my check book and what do I find! A double deduction for my internet. Excellent! I love wasted money first thing in the morning. Guess I'll eat breakfast and watch some TV before I call in to get that refunded. Oh what's this? The only channels I have are the Paid Viewing movie channels and the Pay to view sports channels. Excellent! I'm so happy they've corrected everything.
So tomorrow I am calling and canceling for good. I'll take my internet to Comcast and cut the cord officially on TV.
Fuck you, Dish!
Wait are you talking about Dish Network or DirecTV? It's two different companies...I'd be surprised if it's DirecTV, and I've heard that Dish Network is pretty awful, but either way, yeah they sucked in this situation!
We never had a problem customer service issue, with DirecTV, but canceled them anyway due to cost.
Ha ha. It's Dish. I didn't notice I'd switched them around in the story.
Flights of Fantasy
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Authors mentioned in this topic
John Scalzi (other topics)Bertrice Small (other topics)
John W. Campbell Jr. (other topics)
John W. Campbell Jr. (other topics)
John W. Campbell Jr. (other topics)
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