I was looking through books yesterday at the shops and saw all the Twilight 
books, which I know basically nothing about. What I do know is that I’m beginning to feel like I’m the *only* person who knows nothing about them. Despite being almost broke and trying to save money, I almost bought the expensive book (Australian book prices are often completely nutty) just because I felt the need to be ‘up’ on what everyone else was reading.Have you ever felt pressured to read something because ‘everyone else’ was reading it? Have you ever given in and read the book(s) in question or do you resist? If you are a reviewer, etc, do you feel it’s your duty to keep up on current trends?
Until recently I would have said absolutely not. My reading time is my own, and I read what I want to read. In fact, I prefer falling in love with a book that isn’t popular because no one can spoiler it for me. I hate spoilers. I dreaded overhearing conversations each and every time the new Harry Potter book came out. Right now I’m reading Neverwhere and no one is talking about it, so I can just enjoy it.
The truth is, I’ve never been a trends follower. It shocked me when anime went mainstream. I was into it and suddenly everyone else was too. It shocked me when the whole knitting craze hit. Jason watched me knitting one day and said, “You know, that’s really popular right now.” I looked at him and said, “Really?” Because I honestly hadn’t known.
One thing changed back in February, and that was that Sharron bought me a Kindle. When I started drooling over this wonderful device, all that was in my mind was the ease of organizing and storing hundreds of books when they were electronic, the display that’s a tad easier on the eyes than even paper, the longevity of books that can’t yellow or fall apart or be lost in the shelves, and the simple convenience of having my morning paper delivered to my bedside before sunrise. I knew I could get a sample chapter of any book in their inventory on request. I didn’t realize how much I’d use that feature. Since I can request the chapter from the device itself, and I don’t need to be at a computer or find a USB cable and sync files, whenever I hear a lot of buzz about a book, I have Amazon drop me a chapter. If I get around to reading it, and if I like it, I buy the rest of the book. I don’t know if that counts as beig pressured into reading it, but I’m more prone now to give a book a shot, based on nothing but it being popular.
I sometimes feel I need to listen to the podiobook, 7th Son, because it’s so popular in the podisphere. I listened to the first episode, and even though it’s probably considered blasphemy to say this, I didn’t care for it. Now it’s referred to everywhere and I feel I need to be familiar with it, so I’ll trudge through it.
As to being a reviewer, right now I only review books for The WritingCast and that’s based on what kind of contact I have with the author or their publisher to get a review copy. It’s not something I do seriously, but if I did, I would feel compelled to keep up with the trends.
September 4th, 2008
Jane has posted a prayer request for her cat, Venus. Please go take a look at it and say a prayer for this kitty. She’s not in good shape right now.
September 3rd, 2008
I buy and listen to audiobooks. I don’t know why this shocks you, or why you consider it contraband, but I really do. I know there are some wonderful free ones at podiobooks.com, as well as a variety of other websites. I listen to those too. I know I can get a variety of them free from my local library, and that’s really cool, but more often than you seem to want to believe I buy audiobooks, from Audible.com. In fact, I’m a subscriber, which is what triggers that charge every month on the same day of the month.
This is also what triggers you putting my credit card into the fraud early warning unit on the same day of the month, every month. Please, tell me what I have to do to convince you I buy audiobooks. I listen to audiobooks. You can test me on it if you want to. You can inspect my iPod. There are audiobooks there. Why do you think I’m sending you a check to cover the charge every month?
I really don’t need you putting a freeze on my account and calling me in a panic every single time this subscription payment is posted. Look, if I told you the subscription was legitimate last month, the month before, the month before that, and the month before that, can you maybe assume it’s still legitimate this month? I’ve had this subscription for five years. How long must this go on? Would it help if I promise to tell you before I cancel the subscription?
We will have our monthly conversation again today. Do try to have some good hold music.
September 3rd, 2008
I am in the process of finishing this sock, the second of the pair, finally.
I am on the last beaded row. I need to put one bead on the bottom of each ankh and I have two ankhs left. No big deal, right? Except
That’s the only bead I have left. I can’t finish the socks for want of one, stupid bead. I’m have to run to midtown over lunch to pick up Candy’s prescription food anyway, so while I’m there I’ll stop off at the bead shop and pick up a vial of beads, assuming as they have another.
September 2nd, 2008
As we are still going through this process with Hikari (though he is eating more and more on his own) I wanted to share some tips on how to successfully force a cat to eat when he doesn’t want to.
Step 1. Invest in whatever company produces the bandages and first aid supplies you use most.
Step 2. Restock bandages, a first aid kit, antiseptic, and enough gauze to wrap a 450 pound mummy. You’ll need it all by the end of the first week, so buy in bulk. Make sure your shots are up to date.
Step 3. This is a two-person operation, so designate one person as holder and the other as feeder.
Step 4. If you are the holder, first pick up the cat. Take your cat to the day’s designated feeding area. Don’t do it at the same time or the same place every day. It’s easier if you catch him off guard. Take his front paws in your hand. Remove his rear claws from your arm. Have the second person staunch the bleeding while you maintain hold on at least those front two paws and wonder if this might not go easier if you just cover your arm in cat food, seeing as how he’s gnawing on it anyway. Grab the rear paws. Retrieve the front paws. Don’t worry that the cat is half-dangling off the table. He’ll keep putting himself in that position. Have the feeder pour antiseptic on, and wrap, the parts of your arm that are oozing blood from the cat’s teeth. Once the cat is effectively hog-tied, you’re done and it’s time for the feeder to step up.
Step 5. If you are the feeder, you have the harder job. Yes, the holder has dealt with the claws, but you’ve got the teeth to contend with and you’ll spend most of the process in close contact with them. Also, your second is now occupied holding the cat and can’t deal with the various injuries you’ll sustain in this. Above all else, remember not to let the cat swallow any of your body parts that he manages to bite off. The vet or his assistant will do an alien magic trick where you can put the food in with a tongue depressor. This is one of those tricks that does not work at home. The food sticks to the wood and never gets into the cat. Instead you have to get down and dirty with the hand feeding. Pet the cat to try to get him into a good mood. It doesn’t work, but it makes for a great stall tactic. Then scoop up a fingerful of food with your right hand, force open the cat’s mouth with your left hand, place the food on the roof of the cat’s mouth with your right hand. Extract the cat’s teeth from your left hand and let him eat. Once in a while he’ll actually eat it and not spit it out. On average, about 1/3rd of the food extracted from the can ends up in the cat. Just shy of 2/3rds ends up on you, with the remaining bit all over the table. Be certain to step well away from the cat when you are done and before the holder releases the cat.
Step 6. Once the feeder is well away from the cat, the holder must release the cat and jump back as fast as possible. The cat will want to get away as quiclkly as possible. Your job here is to make certain that running over you claws extended is the least desireable route.
Step 7. Both parties should then check for wounds deep enough to require stitches, have a stiff drink to numb the pain, and try to heal up enough for the next meal.
September 1st, 2008
I found a nice audio program over at Mr. Achievement’s blog–it’s two files, one is subliminal messages and one is as a meditation tape with the words audible. They’re free. The music is nice. I’m laughing at the subliminal one now, because as I’m playing it, I can just about hear him speaking under the music, which I don’t think I’m supposed to be able to do.
The whole thing led me to run a few questions around in my head, the first of which was answered quickly. Is this worth it? Well, I like listening to this kind of music while I knit, so it’s worth it on the basis of just being nice music. Anything more is gravy anyway.
The next is, do subliminal messges like this actually work? I only know of one study, where a movie theater flashed an image of a cup of Coke for one flash and a rush of people went to the concession stand for soda. One study doesn’t proove much and I don’t have any others to judge by.
The third, which is the one that really interests me in all this, is for this type of application, for the day to day uses people put this sort of material to, is there a difference between actually efficacy and a placebo effect? Here’s what I mean. Let’s say a student wants to be more dilligent in his studies. So he buys a study tape that says, under the music, “I am a good student. I study every day. I am attentive in class. I finish my assignments on time.” Let’s say he beleives this will help him, and because of that beleif, he studies every day, pays attention in class, and finishes his assignments on time. Does that not accomplish the goal anyway, and if that is the case, doesn’t it work in a sort of roundabout way?
August 30th, 2008
In a spot of good news. Hikari ate a few cat treats on his own last night. This morning he took one small lick of breakfast.
I was intrigued by this week’s Booking Through Thursday question, so I’ve opted to answer it.
If you’re anything like me, one of your favorite reasons to read is for the story. Not for the character development and interaction. Not because of the descriptive, emotive powers of the writer. Not because of deep, literary meaning hidden beneath layers of metaphor. (Even though those are all good things.) No … it’s because you want to know what happens next?
Or, um, is it just me?
I’m rereading the Dragonlance series right now, which is a series you’ve read if you’re a fantasy fan, and if you’re fantasy fan who hasn’t read it, you should. It’s really good. It’s been more than ten years since I read it last, and I can’t tell you much of what happened. I remember the main story line, but many of the sub-plots are long forgotten. What I remember is what I read for, the characters and the “something special”.
Every great book has a “something special”. For The Last Herald Mage it was the way Vanyel got everything he wanted in exactly the way that would hurt him the most. He wanted the Bardic Gift, but look at the final cost of that. He wanted the ice in the very beginning–he used the dreams as a way to hide from his father and the world–but look what those dreams portened.
For Seven Archangels: Annihilation, it was the pervading sense of hope. No matter how bad things got, they could always swing good. Even one of the evil characters had about him a sense that, should things shift just so, should one choice go differently, then maybe it could all be all right in the end. Most books want the reader to worry. This book wants the reader to worry and hope at the same time, creating a powerful dynamic tention.
For Dragonlance it’s the contraditions. Of the two brothers, Raistlin is the smarter, but Caramon is the one who knows his own heart. Raistlin is in contrant flux between being proud of, then envious of, his brother, depending on, then resenting his dependence on, Caramon. The noble knight, Sturm, the supposed embodiment of courtesy, treated the female Bupu like trash, while the self-centered, evil (okay neutral) mage was kind to her. At each turn the contraditictions make sense, but they keep the dynamic amazing.
And the characters must be amazing. This is why I don’t follow “and then in the next generation” variations of favorite stories. The characters are gone. I don’t like Yu-Gi-Oh GX and I care nothing for the new thing that’s set in the far future. I don’t like the Dragonlance stories that have nothing to do with the Heroes of the Lance. I don’t like trying the same trick with different people. Give them their own story. Give me the characters I love. And back to The Last Herald Mage series, give me a character I care about and I’ll cry if he fails his entrance exam. Give me a dull character, and I won’t care if he lives or dies. No amount of plot can make up for poor characterization.
In podcasts, I have a WritingCast episode about why it’s a bad idea to let an unfinished story sit too long. On Knit Spirit I discuss a few ways to join a new ball of yarn.
August 29th, 2008
Yes, I’m sure at least half of you are tired of hearing about Hikari by now. For the other half, I spoke to the vet just now. I realized it was time, when I almost opened a can of vitrulence on some poor guy in the lunch room because he made a derogatory comment about people who read. It might have been funny any other time. My nerves are shot over this kitty.
My big fear has been that, because Hikari still isn’t eating on his own, this is a sign of impending doom. That we’re not going to restart his system. That even though we’re forcing food into him, he’s going to waste away, or not process it, and that he’s going to die a very young cat.
Turns out, Dr. C is not that upset about it. He said it could take another few days before he starts to eat on his own, and thought it might be an issue of finicky cat syndrome. I told him we tried a can of tuna with no luck and he crossed that off the option list. He was surprised we were able to force feed a cat at home, and that he’s putting on a little weight. He also thinks it’s a good sign he’s more active and playful. So we’re to keep up doing what we’re doing and see him in a week.
The cat will, however, chew on yarn if given the chance. Does anyone know how to spin cat food?
August 28th, 2008
I realized that I have a direct ratio of complexity of TV to complexity of knitting.
When I’m knitting a garter stitch scarf, I can happily watch the Teaching Company series on String Theory. When I’m knitting beaded lace, like Secret of the Stole III (I love this pattern) my viewing selections tend to turn to remakes of 1980s cartoons. Right now I’m watching the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It’s not bad, actually. It’s darker than the original, with the kind of plot continuity and character development that shows how it was influenced by anime.
And yes, stress does figure into that. Hikari has started nibbling just a bit on his own, but he’s not really eating and I’m not happy about that. Sharron has been doing such a good job force-feeding him, that he’s gained a little weight back at least and all the jaundice yellow is gone from his ears. We won’t have definite information for about a week and a half, when we get the blood results.
August 28th, 2008
This is from Wolf over on the Fantasy Writers Yahoo group.
- Has NRA Magazine subscription
- Confiscates money from the bad-guys to “support the war”
- Thinks 120 dead mobsters is a “work in progress”
- Uses .357 instead of flyswatter at home
- He is opposed to gun control (I also like Andrea’s amendment “Thinks gun control is hitting what you aim at”)
- Was trained by an assassin/mercenary/Bernhard Goetz
- Gives Charles Bronson a standing ovation during all the Death Wish movies
- He thinks Mack Bolan was too soft on crime
- Thinks a good defense is a good M-60 machine gun
- Is a substitute teacher at an inner city school
August 27th, 2008
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