The word “grandiose”, in my family, is a loaded word. When one of us uses the word “grandiose” to describe someone, we understand that we actually mean “might possibly benefit from medication; updates as warranted”. I bring that up because if I had been traveling in Communist China with a girl I didn’t know very well, and she had started talking about the project she was working on that was going to be important to national security, I’d have called home and said, “Claire is waxing grandiose,” and my parents would have said, “You get her on a plane and…
41 CommentsReading the End Posts
But first, can I say? The puppy is monster-sized now. Every time I stop by my parents’ house, Jasmine M. Puppy has gotten huger. At the start of February I already thought she was massive, if fluffy: Monstrous, right? Can’t possibly get any bigger than that? Already the world’s largest ever puppy? Aha, but this is before she got groomed. I talked to my mother the day after Jasmine got groomed, and I asked her how the puppy looked, and she said tragically, “They groomed her like a poodle!” (Which is what she is.) And then my mother said, continuing…
49 CommentsI love it that this author’s name is Francisco X. Stork. There is nothing about that name that I do not love. I would read more of this guy’s books based solely on the fact that his name is Francisco X. Stork. I wish my name were Stork, except Jenny Stork is not nearly as amazing as Francisco X. Stork. So never mind, I guess. Marcelo Sandoval has an autism spectrum mental issue that doctors have been unable to identify. Since first grade he has attended a special education school, but when he is seventeen his father tells him that…
46 CommentsI noticed the other day that the ads on my Facebook sidebar had little X icons to let you close them. I thought, Hey, great, I will get rid of this Facebook Mobile ad. Facebook Mobile is of no use to me as I do not have that functionality on my little crappy phone. But when I clicked the X to get rid of the ad, it popped up a little notification that said, “Why don’t you like this ad? Choose reason,” and all the reasons were hurtful. They were all “Offensive” or “Uninteresting” or “Irrelevant”, and I kept picturing…
30 CommentsI am being awesome at the Graphic Novels Challenge but completely falling down on the other ones. Women Unbound, nothing since The Group though in fact I suppose I could have used The Opposite House. Or, hey, Committed! Actually, Committed totally is one. I’m going back and editing that post and using Committed for the Women Unbound Challenge. Time Traveling, couldn’t manage to get anywhere with the Stephen Fry. And Horns and Halos? UTTERLY have not read anything for it. I started and stopped Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, and that is it. Until now! The Vintner’s Luck is about a…
29 CommentsY’all, at some point, I’m going to do a mental illness reading challenge. Is there already one? I’m going to do one if there isn’t already one. I love mental illness (I mean I do not love it. It is awful and ruins people’s lives. I just find it very interesting). As soon as I think of a clever name and invent an adorable button, I will be all over this, and Swallow Me Whole is one of the books you can read for it. PREPARE YOURSELVES. I read Swallow Me Whole for the Graphic Novels Challenge! Swallow Me Whole…
29 CommentsWhen I do not expect to enjoy a book all that much, but I need to get it read so I can return it to the library, I leave it in my loo and read it in tiny increments when I am cleaning my teeth and contact lenses, or waiting for the hot water to heat up (my hot water acts like it’s ready to go and then turns from a gush to a trickle; you have to wait SO LONG to get it going properly. Many lukewarm showers before I figured it out). If the book turns out better…
20 CommentsSo here are two things that have been weighing on my mind. I read about the Bechdel Rule recently. Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home, says that for a movie to be worth her time, it has to meet three conditions. 1) There have to be two female characters that are 2) having a conversation about 3) something other than a guy. So I went and counted my movies, and checked to see how many of them would qualify under this rule. I own 107 movies right now, of which nine met these criteria. That’s ridiculous. (I’m counting Breakfast on…
43 Comments