sprite writes
broodings from the burrow

May 14, 2006


i want…
posted by soe 8:09 pm

…the President to pardon Toby and Zoe and Charlie to end up together. Really, that’s all. Those are my two unresolved storylines. Then it can all end happily ever after.

Update: Well, I got half… And the Charlie moment was the most touching of the show…

Category: life -- uncategorized. There is/are 2 Comments.

May 12, 2006


it’s authors night and the place looks like a who’s who
posted by soe 3:46 pm

It’s not that I mean to gloat. Really. But I am doing a little happy dance today because I have tickets to a charity author’s night in August at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Who am I going to see?

Why, Stephen King, John Irving, and … J.K. Rowling.

Yes, that’s right. I will be in the same room with the author of Harry Potter!

::shiver::

Rudi can attest that while I am hardly nonplussed by musicians and politicians and other luminaries, that a few years ago when I met Laurent de Brunhoff, author of the later Babar books, that I just about melted into the floor and blathered something ridiculous while starting at him adoringly.

Having bought the tickets does entitle me to submit a question for each of the authors, so if you have anything you’ve been dying to ask any of them, leave it in the comments.

Category: books,travel. There is/are 1 Comment.

May 11, 2006


weight lifted, patio, and giving presents
posted by soe 4:04 pm

From the last week, I offer you three beautiful things:

1. The terrific feeling of handing in the first draft of something that’s been hanging over your head for a while. The obesity book still has to go through the office head and reviewers, but that’s cake in comparison to getting it all down in print initially.

2. On Tuesday, it was lovely and still sunny out when I left work. I headed to the Starbucks by the house and found myself an outdoor seat. Rudi joined me when he got home. And Rudi caught sight of our friend John on his way home from a meeting, so he bought a coffee and sat down for a while too. Little birds clamored for handouts, children scampered around while their dad had coffee with his friends, multiple languages filled the air (this seems to be the coffeehouse of choice for foreigners), and a dog kept coming over to see if we were interested in playing. All that for the price of a cup of tea.

3. I am bad about getting presents to people. I buy them, but somehow actually getting to the post office seems to elude me with regularity. But last week, two people got to receive their backlogged gifts. Jason sent me an email saying he received the hat I mailed him — and that it fits! And I sent Eri home with gifts I bought her over the course of several years — including Jasper Fforde’s The Eyre Affair. The bag of delinquent presents is growing lighter; maybe we’ll finally get it cleared out sometime next month!

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May 9, 2006


pals in the paper
posted by soe 11:20 am

Now if you don’t normally troll my blogroll for additional reading material, you can be forgiven (for now) for overlooking one of the best comics out there — “Unshelved.” Created by two guys from the Seattle area, the comic focuses on the goings-on at a fictitious library. The main character is Dewey, the slacker young adult librarian who’d rather be curled up in the corner with his graphic novels than answering some of the inane questions you get when you’re perceived to be “an authority.” His world is shared by his coworkers, the library patrons, his cranky grandmother, and the school-teacher/volleyball player who is in love with — and frustrated by — him.

I met Bill (who draws the strip) more than three years ago when we were both stuck in the corner of a conference exhibition hall that time (and librarians) had forgotten. Bill and I tried to encourage the crowd to actually come down the rest of the aisle to see the ten booths past the post office. Admittedly, his comic strip may have been more of a draw than my health books and I may have ridden his coat tails to get my books into people’s hands…

Since then, Gene, Bill, and I usually manage to find one night during the conferences we all attend to have dinner. They are witty and quick and I usually feel rather dull in their presence, like Julia Roberts’ kid sister with braces might feel. Even if I do have to have them re-explain the new Battlestar Galactica series to me every time I see them, it is always a pleasure to spend a little time with them and their entourage of comics and graphic novel folks.

Today the Seattle Times covers the comic and gives you a hint of Bill and Gene’s personalities. Check out the article if you want, but definitely read the comic strip. You can even have it delivered free to your inbox every day. They’re more reliable than your paper carrier and the comic never gets wet if a freak rainstorm shows up between its delivery and your chance to pick it up. And their apparel is a great way to start up random conversations with people. My two t-shirts have started conversations with everyone from a random librarian on the Metro to the actors who play Maria on Sesame Street and Mr. McFeeley on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.

Category: arts,books. There is/are 2 Comments.


in which our heroine belatedly learns of a secret compartment
posted by soe 12:34 am

brown alpaca

When last we left our heroine, she was just turning out of the driveway of the Howard County Fairgrounds following an exhausting and exhaustive day at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. The bags were stashed in the back, the windows were down, and Brenda Dayne was chatting it up on the iPod — our heroine thought life was good. Find out how her optimism would be tested after this break.

(more…)

Category: arts,knitting,sports. There is/are 6 Comments.

May 8, 2006


in which our heroine overwhelms her knitting senses
posted by soe 2:16 am

We last left our heroine trundling off to her bed, sleeping off the all-nighter she is really too old now to pull off painlessly.

Would she fall asleep? Would she awaken in time for the festival? Would she miss out on all the cute animals and pretty yarn? Tune in after this break to find out… (more…)

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