Mundania 24

This is a catch-all for things I haven't had time to post.

Perfectly Bad... These Youtube videos make me laugh even when I'm not watching them. Firstly: it's a joke. And the longer you watch, the funnier the joke is. This particular video is my favorite because it's a "serious acting song." I discovered them via Amy J's blog.

Candy Corn Literature... A friend of mine said that reading a particular author's books is like eating too many candy-corns: you can't stop yourself until you get to the end and think, "Ugh. I ate the whole bag?" That's how I feel about Walter Jon Williams' books. I've read This Is Not A Game and Implied Spaces, and both books irritated me in a variety of ways. I didn't like his pacing, his characters don't develop so much as spontaneously evolve however the plot requires, he can't seem to fathom any male-female relationship that doesn't involve a past sexual encounter... but I start a book and read it straight through, anxious to know what happens. That's the most irritating part of all. Implied Spaces doesn't tell the story it claims to be telling, which was a disappointment; but it also features a villain who (perhaps accidentally) is a dead ringer for the angel of light and original rebel against God, Lucifer.

Misplaced Decimal... I saw an advertisement in a magazine, one of those companies that produces porcelain figurines of nauseatingly cute babies and pert little fairies. This was a realistic cast of Hannah Montana. The doll came complete with a dark wig and change of clothes so you could transform her into her alter ego, Miley Stewart. Also, there was tiny print that said, "This doll is not a toy." Also, the decimal got in the wrong place when they printed the price. Because surely nobody sane would pay $150 for a Hannah Montana doll.

Randomizer quote of the week: "That's a bit of good luck in the shape of a Mama!"

A Homerun, Or At Least a Triple... The Brooklyn Nine was a good juvenile/middle-grade book find recently. It follows nine generations of a family through nine short stories, all of which have to do with baseball somehow. After reading most of the stories, I realized that many of them end sadly; but it's still an engaging book with an interesting format. Well-written, and references family connections without overdoing it.

What She Said... Lindsay's post is a great response to a cultural assumption that bothers me, too.

Grunt Grunt Hum... That's what it's like living with Stuart these days. It started when he was eating: he'd grunt or hum at regular intervals under his breath. After about three weeks of it Darren and I were both ready to throw dishes. But then it got even better: now he does it when he's reading, too. And he doesn't know he's doing it until a parent nearby suddenly explodes. Pray for us.

No! Bad Parents!... Do not name your child "Fender." Nor should you name your child "Kobby," because Kobby might one day want to become a financial advisor, and it would be detrimental to Kobby's career if people saw Kobby's name on an envelope and burst out laughing. Furthermore, it's hard to know if Kobby is male or female.

Why Darren Likes New Babies... Because it's the only time his wife will watch a regular show at night with him. Thanks to C., we've borrowed the entire five seasons of Babylon 5, and watch them to while away time until Phillip wakes up or falls asleep, whichever is on the docket that particular night.

This post brought to you by Darren, who cooked supper while I blogged.

-- SJ