My holiday shopping is more or less done. I just need to think of one more small thing and then I'm through. Yay!

I have a sooper seecret project that needs working on and I need to do some talking (and possibly work with) a web designer or 5.

If you're interested, leave your email address and we'll talk. (If you can keep a secret)

It is very hard for me to choose three books I like as my favorites all are a part of one series or another. So my immediate disclaimer is that the books that follow stand below Anne Bishop's Black Jewels Saga and George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire saga. They are also in no particular order.

I think I have to start with Poppy Z. Btite's Wormwoord. It was the first book of short stories I had ever read and it really stuck with me. I know that PBZ is a polarizing literary figure but I really fell in love with her writing after that book. The stories are expertly written and perfect in their length, it was something I had never experienced in whole before. And her writing style opened another venue for me, one I found almost lyrical.

Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion was a surprise for me. I had never read of any of her work before this and the plot and summary of the book are deceptively simple. Even looking back on the story itself it seems ridiculously easy. But it isn't. It is a tightly woven work of politics and magic pulled off in a way I don't think many have the skill to try.

The third book? I don't know. Part of me wants to say Heart Shaped Box or Twentieth Century Ghosts by Joe Hill or The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfus but it I'm not sure they are. (They ARE fabulous books and should be bought and devoured) Maybe Fathom or Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest?

The problem with reading so much is that you have so many fabulous books to choose from and it's difficult to pull out the best of the best. At least it is for me. That might have something to do with my chronic indecision, however. So I am going to end this half of the list with George R. R. Martin's Tuff Voyaging. It's a humorous science fiction novel about a rather interesting man with a love of cats stumbling upon a ship that's nearly magic in it's technological advances. It's the only one of its kind left and in the wrong hands it could be the worst weapon imaginable (in fact, it had been originally developed as a weapon) But Tuff is a spectacularly good man. And his choices are fabulous.

As far as the three worst books I have read? As onogoro said, bad books are rather forgettable. It is hard to remember how awful they are after you've cleansed your palate with a masterpiece.

I do remember Hater by David Moody, however. I had to write the review for Revenant Issue 0 and I really despised this book. The protagonist was so unsympathetic and given that it was first person present tense you had to be in his head, thinking all of his horrible thoughts, it made it a very difficult read. The whole point of the book is that you have to agree with this lunatic's assessment of the world because at the end you're supposed to feel joy when he finds the place he's meant to be. But a man who so thoroughly hates everything in his life, even blaming others for things that are obviously his fault, is not some one I can get behind. He only makes me angry. And I don't read fiction to be enraged for long periods at a time.

Another book I found particularly terrible was Lightbreaker by Mark Teppo. I feel horrible about this one because Mark seems like a really nice guy but this book was just not for me. I won't get into my issues with it because, like I said, he seems like a really nice guy and I'm fairly certain that he and I could be friends (based on his other friends and his taste in music) and, honestly, as much as I disliked his book, I like him enough that I would rather other people make their own decisions about its quality.

The final book I think of as the worst? Hmmm... I have entire shelf at home dedicated to books I didn't like or couldn't get through but can't find it in me to rid myself of just yet.

Twilight is on that, of course. And a couple books by Mercedes Lackey. There is one that stands out to me on this self but since I am not at home I can't remember the name. So I think I will round this off with a series.

Diana Pharaoh Francis wrote a trilogy of books with the words "path" in the titles (Path of Fate, Path of Honor, Path of Blood). They are terrible. And as I read them I found myself getting angry. Only unlike Hater, where I was angry that some one wanted me to sympathize with an asshole, I was angry that these books were published. Diana reuses words constantly, sometimes within a paragraph of each other. Her grasp of language is ok but certainly not exemplary. Her characters are about two-and-a-half-dimensional and the plot, after the first book, feels forced, very, very unnatural. The first book includes a needlessly elaborate and stereotypical rape scene and later in the series (I believe the second book but I can't quite recall) she inexplicably spends far too many pages describing a man getting his eye removed. From the POV of that man. Maybe in a horror story or something with a lot of gore this would have been simply cringe worthy but given that the violence of the books was largely glossed over, the trauma carefully written about here stuck out like a giant, oozing, sore thumb. One with maggots growing in it that some one at a family styled dinner is obliviously dipping into all of the dishes.

I suppose, having read some of Revenant's submissions and work by the wonderful Nickolous Pacione, I can say that there is much worse out there but it doesn't seem like a good enough excuse to publish crap like this.

*grumble*

I will round this gigantic entry out with a hope for the future.

On the cusp of my "quarter of a century" on this planet I am trying, desperately, to finish a novel by early 2010. I would love to see this question asked again two to four years from now and see my novel on the first half of a similar list. I know that's a pretty big wish but it's been my goal my whole life, to write something that some people will enjoy and see it professionally published. And I hope that soon, very soon, I can realize that.

So yes, Mercury Saturday for a couple hours. Earlier in the night. As much as I miss dancing I am happy I am healthy now and don't like the idea of tempting fate.

BUT on Sunday I've decided that I'm A: a cheapskate and B: lazy so instead of three movies I just want to do one. There are two reasons for this, A: I'm pretty broke and three movies is about $30 even with a matinee in there and B: there are only two theaters playing all three movies that I want to see and I don't want to pay for parking downtown all day/fighting holiday shoppers for parking but I feel uncomfortable asking everyone to come up to Everett because it's a really long drive for a lot of you.

So I was thinking that we could do the 2:40 showing of Planet 51 (if you don't know why I am so obsessed with this movie you obviously haven't seen this enough times) at the Thornton Pace Theaters at Northgate Mall. We could meet for a quick lunch at 12:30 at the Red Robin at the mall since it's close, easy to find, not TOO terribly expensive and there is more or less something for everyone on the menu. (More or less)

So I understand if there are those of you who aren't interested or who can't make it but I'd like to see you all if you get a chance.

So Saturday I will be at the Mercury but I won't be there long. I will get there sometime before ten and probably leave shortly after 11. I CAN'T let myself get exhausted. I don't want to get sick again.

Sunday there will be movies. Starting with matinees. I want to see Planet 51, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Men Who Stare at Goats and possibly something else though I'm not sure what yet. I don't know where yet because I can't find any movie times on line right now for some reason. I would like to try to avoid downtown but I'm not sure I can...

I will let everyone one know when I figure out the movie stuff...


ETA: The choice is between the Regal Cinema in Everett and the Regal Meridian 16 downtown. I can't find showtimes for them on the 29th though.

But I am thinking of doing dancing some where the Saturday before my birthday (IE next Saturday), maybe, and movies the next day (Sunday.) Who is with me?

Yes, I know my birthday is coming up but I have something else in mind.

I was reading about 12th Night and Yuletide earlier and was thinking that a 12th Night Celebration would be sort of fun. It might be a fun way to wrap up the holidays after everyone else is done with them. It's not exactly a Christmas thing and we can focus on the dancing and revelry and wassail rather than the commercial thing that the holidays have become. And I might even finish burning a Yule log!

Twelfth Night is January 6th. If you're interested in this let me know. If enough people want to join in on this I'll rent the party room my complex has...

If you're interested in my struggles to get published check out my journal rejectedrefuse. Good times.

I have a new computer.

I do. And it's portable.

I want more pets.

I want a second dog. One I can take for walks and adventures since Fenris is all gimpy.

I also want two rats. Even though I have a cat and a dog I miss my fuzzy rat-kids.

I can't afford to do any of these things but I want to. :(

So the end of the month is my birthday.

Like the last day.

It's a Sunday and I'm notoriously bad at planning these things. But I'll be 25, a quarter of a century old. It's not THAT big of a deal on the one hand but on the other that breeds pretty heavy thoughts.

Anyway, all I have by way of ideas is going to a theater and watching a bunch of movies for the day. Planet 51 will be out on Thanksgiving and since it has that adorable little Alien dog you know I have to watch it. The Fantastic Mr. Fox will have also been released on the 25th and I'm sure there will be a few more films I'm interested in seeing and I wouldn't mind spending ALL DAY in a theater. (It allows me to be lazy) with lunch before or dinner after (or not)

But I was informed that it might not be the best way to spend that time given that people might want to connect with me without my staring slack-jawed at a screen.

So does any one have any suggestions about how I should celebrate my cresting the quarter century mark?

Fenris is having problems eating his dry food so I've decided I need to start making him food again.

I was wondering if anyone would be willing to take a poor girl to Costco so she can stock up cheap meat and other dog-food makings.

Since I'm living "way up north" these days it would be easier for you (and me) if you do too...

And not enough energy to utilize the ones I have to their full potential.

Greatly upset with the whole of the human race tonight.

But hey, at least I've been exercising again.

My place.

Remember?

Please?

It's my pre-Halloween Halloween party.

The book one.

I love Fenris, I love him more than just about anything. But I miss having a dog to walk with, to hike with, to jog with.

Siouxsie is doing fabulously (in all of her crazy glory) with Gord but I am left alone without a walking companion. This upsets me greatly.

Why does he have to be broken?!

Part of me wants to go out tonight. Part of me wants to go down to Seattle. Part of me wants to stay up north. Part of me wants to stay home and sleep.

All of me wants to not spend any money. Or spend as little as possible.

Then I get to go to Portland tomorrow.

Guillermo del Toro signed that retched petition.

You would think that some one who spends so much of his creativity showing how horrible it is to torture children would think a little harder about doing something like this.

So much for my hero worship.

ETA:
Or maybe it's because he figures that a horrible rapist WOULD make for an excellent villain in his next movie about torturing children and thinks this is an excellent way to get information on it...

1) What have Hard Candy and Last House on the Left taught us?

Don't rape and abuse women/girls and you won't get castrated.

2) What have the cases of Judge Samuel B. Kent and Roman Polanski taught us?

If you don't rape and/or perform "non-consensual sexual conduct" on the girls and women around you you WON'T have that stigma of a rapist or performer of "non-consensual sexual conduct" attached to you and you'll be free to live your life as you want.

3) What lesson have we learned from both of these.

If you don't want to lose your penis or you don't want to be labeled a rapist don't rape anyone!

###

What's bothering me about the two cases I mention in #2 is that these are two men who essentially tortured other people and yet there are supporters around them who don't think it's FAIR to treat them as they deserve. There is a REASON that being branded a "RAPIST" is such a bad thing and that's because it's an awful crime.

What these two men did was awful, unforgivable and inexcusable. They EARNED the title of "RAPIST" because that is what they are. Their punishment is nothing more than the result of the actions they chose. Both of them have been convicted of a crime. To say that either of them have been treated unjustly is ridiculous. They behaved in a way that is contrary to human behavior and something that we as a society has decided it wrong. They NEED to be punished for their actions, and punished accordingly.

You know what this makes me think of?

I'm sure most of you know about the murder of Kitty Genovese. Her assailant, Winston Moseley, was caught and convicted but in 1968 he managed to escape at which time he took five hostages and raped another woman.

At a parole hearing in 1984 he had this to say about himself and about his victims:
For a victim outside, it's a one-time or one-hour or one-minute affair, but for the person who's caught, it's forever.

You can't tell me that this attitude isn't the exact same one that's driving Polanski, Kent and their supporters to rally and soften the blows to these two heartless criminals. Maybe Moseley, in his obvious insanity, said it a little more honestly than any member of the Hollywood elite or Texas Judicial System ever would but it still means the same thing:
"So what? She's done physically suffering now. You shouldn't make a rich man suffer just because he did so to some one else. That will actually take time!"

I think Whmyer has an abscess.

And getting the vet? Yeah. Not sure how that's going to happen. *sigh*

Life can get better at any point. Really. Truly.