And after all that BS

Its back to more normal stuff!


You're a lollipop!! You're known for your coolness,
for you are a trend setter. You're a natural
leader, and are good under pressure. People
often seek you out for advice, for you have
great insight.


Which kind of candy are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I Pledge Allegiance to the RNC

We get the most interesting things at work! Today, I got my hands on an "Emergency 2004 Republican Platform Survey" (Thanks BBS!) Right off the bat they ask for cash. Okay, seems to be the same as any other Political mailing. It moves on to General Demographic info, and then we get to the good stuff. Just so I don't have to fill it out and hand it in, I'll post my answers here.

1. Do you support making President Bush's tax cuts permanent?
Um....no.

2. Do you support a complete overhaul of the tax code?
Well, I suppose. What did you have in mind?

3. Do you favor the elimination of the estate or "death" taxes?
DEATH TO TAXES!

Okay, that was easy! On to Section 2!

1. Do you support renewing the Patriot Act--which gives President George W. Bush the resources needed to win the war against terrorism here in America?
HELL NO! Renew?! RENEW?! Does he support renewing the Patriot Act? He just lost my vote.

2. Do you think the U.S. Congress should place tougher penalties on illegal immigration?
Would that be tougher penalities on Cuban illegal immigrants or Haitian illegal immigrants....

3. Do you support President Bush's efforts to rebuild our national defenses so we can win the war against terrorism?
Does this have anything to do with a color coded fear system? Color me Blue for "cool to this idea."

All right! Another section down. Let's move on to Domestic Issues! Only 2 questions here!

1. Do you support President Bush's Medicare plan, which lowered the costs of Prescription Drugs for America's seniors?
I would have if it had lowered the prescription drugs for America's seniors. I guess that is a no.

2. Do you think parents should have more of a say in their children's education?
I don't have kids, but I was one once. I seem to remember my parents have a whole LOT to say about my education. Of course, I actually was there every day and not sent off to some posh prep school where they only saw me on holidays.

Okay, done with dirty domestic issues. (And my therapeutic venting about nosy parental overinvolvement in my schoolaffairs!) Let's move on to Social Issues!

1. Do you support a Constitutional Amendment officially defining marriage as only between a man and a woman?
Well, the Constitution is a little boring in that it always is granting those pesky rights. Its about time we took some away! What? We tried that already? Well, how did it end up? Repealed? Oh.

2. Do you support the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms?
I plan to keep and bear both of mine, so I guess yes.

3. Do you continue to support the ban on Partial-Birth Abortion?
This is a leading question!

Whew! Seems like I just barely made it out of that section. Republicans ask tricky questions. This next section looks like its multiple choice!

1. Which three (3) of the following issues are most important to you?
Creating jobs (high paying ones or minimum wage?)
Lowering Taxes (for the rich or for everyone else?)
Improving Health Care (for the rich or for everyone else?)
Protecting our Homeland (I like this one!)
Saving Social Security (from who?)
Stopping Homosexual Marriage (stopping it from what?)
Fighting Illegal Immigration (I'm a lover, not a fighter.)
Other _______________

2. In general, what is the political orientation of your neighborhood?
Very conservative
Slightly conservative
Moderate/Independent
Slightly Liberal
Very Liberal Does this disqualify me?

3. what are the three types of campaign communications the Republican Party should focus on in your area?
TV/Radio Ads
Yard Signs
Rallies/Events
Door-to-Door
Direct Mail
Telephone
Email
Other_None of the above?_____________

4. What is your main source for campaign news and information?
Television
Newspaper
Internet
Radio
Magazines
Other______________

Whew. Well, I got through that minefield as well. Last Section! Again, just two (2) questions.

1. Do you continue to support President George W. Bush for a second term in the White House?
No. (and its still a leading question!)

2. Do you want the U.S. Congress to continue to be led by our Republican Majority?
No.

Another plea for bucks, and there you have it! The Emergency Survey! Run right out and find a copy to send it. I'm sure they would LOVE to hear from both of my readers.

Again, not surprising.

I never score out of the realm of possibility on these dumb quizzes! Ever so predictable...


Pirates of the Caribbean!


What movie Do you Belong in?(many different outcomes!)
brought to you by Quizilla

Monday Morning Blues

Greetings--

Life in Indianapolis is good today. The sun is shining, the weather is warm (but not hot) and it seems like everyone wants to wear their "friendly face" today. Library patrons (aside from the crazy lady in this morning) were all on their best behavior. What more can a girl ask for in a workday, huh?


So, we got our July-December 2003 bookstock reports. The people who don't find the soccer news of interest, will probably find this interesting. I have widely different people reading this blog, I've found. ANYWAY, bookstock reports. This is the fascinating report that tells us how many items we have in our area, and how they often they circulate. There are 23 branches in our system, but this report is just for the specific building where I work. (Central.) What this report tells me is that my area has expanded. Dramatically. In the Jan-June report, I had 53154 items. Not bad. Now, its 77840! I have more items in my section than some small libraries have in their entire library! All of this is leading to the fact that:

I need a raise.

I won't bore you (anymore) by going into why I have such a large collection. And, once school starts, it'll be interesting to see just how much gets done with this large collection. If I can't get a raise, can I get an assistant? I'd rather have the money, though.

In other news: Liverpool accomplished one of their major summer objectives, by getting Steven Gerrard to stay put at Anfield. We needed this one, and I'm hoping that this will lead to Michael Owen following suit. I'm having a good feeling about this year. New blood swirling around, healthy (hopefully) players and a new outlook on the game. Viva Benitez indeed!

The Greek Slingshot

They must have had their bibles out, reading David and Goliath at half time, because this was something NO ONE (probably not even the Greek fans) expected. Well, they probably did expect this:




I can't say enough about Fabien Barthez. He's magnificent. But, the French guns (or gunners) weren't firing. They haven't been out this trip. Its a team loaded with superstars, and I don't know if there were ego problems, or what. I wouldn't think so, they are kind of used to playing together. I just....I was surprised by this result, and by the way they have been playing in this tournament. I think they are stunned as well. I was at work, so I didn't get a chance to see the game. By the time I remembered to gamecast it, it was nearly over. Still, you can see the result here.



In other news: As predicted, the calls for Beckham's armband sounded almost on schedule. Sky Sports, however, did one of their incredibly accurate polls (because all polls are accurate) and 71% still supported DB as captain of the England team. I honestly have no feeling either way (not being British) and he is awfully nice to look at even with the shaved head....but I don't see any reason why he should step down as captain. Sven, on the other hand, is a different story entirely.

At any rate, its been a very exciting EURO 2004 thus far.

The Roof, The Roof, The Roof is on Fire....

Evening folks,

Today, for a Saturday, was much busier than I intented. Laundry, slipcovering chairs, and I watched 3 movies! Two at home, one in the theater. I KNOW I will not have time to keep up once school starts in the fall so I'm getting all caught up right now. At home it, unintentionally, turned into a Keanu Reeves day with Matrix: Revolutions and Something's Gotta Give. Now, I'm as much a romantic as the next girl (well, maybe not) but I HATED the end of Something's Gotta Give. Loved the movie up until the end. Everyone in the world has probably seen this before me, but I'm still not going to spoil the ending. I was not impressed. Matrix Revolutions was good.

In the theater I saw Fahrenheit 9/11. Wow. That was an intense movie. I have to disagree with Mr. Moore, however, on the rating of his film. He wanted a PG-13, but it deserved the R rating that it got. There were some intense injury scenes showing real violence against real people. Its amazing to me how anyone, ANYONE, could vote for Bush in 2004. As a Democrat, of course, I didn't vote for him in 2000 either, but I could see how some Republicans could get pulled in by party loyalty. They saw an end to the 8 year Clinton tunnel, and were looking forward to one of their own in the White House. Little did they know, huh? But now, four years later, I just don't see how they could vote for him again. I know, I know. They don't think he's done anything wrong. Some of them don't think he's done anything wrong. There are also some VERY unhappy Republicans out there, and I'm hoping their conscience will help them pull the opposite lever. Bush has got to go. However many times I have to vote.... Its amazing how far the United States has fallen in four short years. Credibility in the International community? Gone. Gone, right out the door with jobs, civil rights, personal freedoms....

Which reminds me of one criticism I had about Michael Moore's movie. No mention of librarians. Just who have been on the front line as far as fighting the Patriot Act? That's right, librarians. Not a single mention of us in the movie. Dammit, where are our fifteen minutes of box office fame?!

Ah well, other than that, it was a great movie. Highly recommended, but you were all gonna see it anyway, I know. You don't need my endorsement. Just remember, though: A vote for Bush is a vote for John Ashcroft. If that doesn't scare you, please stay home on Novemeber 2nd.

Is someone out there ready for their close up?

The new law-based reality show is now casting! Check out the application, though. Maybe one of my loyal readers will be the next reality superstar?

I'm so glad.....

That the Bush/Cheney team brought honor and respectability back to Washington! I mean, just look at what Cheney has done for the Senate!

And the best excuse they have is that the Senate wasn't technically in session? Give me a break. Is it November yet?


Just reminded me that I need to buy my ticket to visit Fandango and buy my ticket for Fahrenheit 9/11.

Friday Morning Nutcases

This would refer to me! I was up bright and early this morning and still managed to leave the house without all of the (overdue) books I had planned to return today. I'm much too young to be forgetting things like that! At least, that's what I'm told....

We got our pretend tests back last night in class and I hate to say it, but it wasn't that illuminating. Maybe they're trying not to scare us, but when I read the comments I just thought...Ok. I see how I could have done that better. I see how I could have done this better. But, it doesn't say anything about how you actually did. Was this an A test (not hardly!) a B test? Lower? Middle? I don't know, maybe I'm expecting too much. It wasn't ripped to shreds so does that mean there was so much wrong with it that it couldn't be fixed, or does it mean that I basically did ok except for the few problems that they marked?

In other law school news, I re-worked the paper I finished on Wednesday night. It was good to have that day in between first draft and revision. I think it is a much stronger argument now. The only thing is, I don't think we'll be getting them back before the final. But, instead of hanging on to it for another day (its due today at 5:30) I turned it in last night and its now out of my hair.

Heartbreak in the Stadium of Light

Heartbreaking 

This picture, taken before the game, seems to forshadow what's to come. England loses a heartbreaker on penalty kicks. I didn't get a chance to watch the game live, but I did "watch" it on Soccernet's gamecast. It was an interesting experience, and I loved the commentators pithy little comments. But, even with the filter, it was a tough loss. I was hoping that England would pull it out in the end. And, of course, the media will blame it all on Beckham, but I truly don't think its all his fault. They had it won and collapsed at the end, just like in the game against France.

Reference Question of the Day

The day is only half over, but I'm pretty sure no one is going to beat this question:

"What's the address of the Department of State? There is a terrorist there I want to write a letter to."

The patron did name the particular person she was wishing to write, and I'll decline to name said person. But, I did tell her she might want to tone down the rhetoric a bit. She hung up on me after I gave her the address so I'm not thinking she took my advice.
Oh well.

Happy Fixture Day!

For those of you who could care less about the world's most popular sport, you can just ignore the top half of this post. For all the rest of you, check out the schedule for the 2004-5 English Premier League. Liverpool opens up away at Tottenham so that means we need to get together, get our boys signed and get busy. We were a very distant 4th this year, 15 points behind Man U, and 30 (!!!) points behind league winners, Arsenal. Arsenal lost not one game last season. Not one. Twelve draws, twenty six wins. Liverpool also had twelve draws but TEN losses and sixteen wins. If some of those losses had been wins....well, that's the good thing about seasons. A new one will always roll around. Hopefully, everyone is recuperating, and not expending themselves too heavily playing for God and Country. (EURO 2004, World cup Qualifying...)

In other Premiership news:

Last year's #2 and #3 (Chelsea and Man U)meet up on day one of the Season. (August 14th by the way) Its always good to see two powerhouses meeting on opening day. Kind of sets the tone for the rest of the season.

Newcomers Crystal Palace and Norwich also square off on opening day. This will also set the stage for next season, although you typically want to see how a new team will fare against an existing Premiership team.

In other, non Premiership news:

I got my paper done two days early! I had it outlined, and then I had my meeting with C and completely changed it around. I outlined again, then sat down to write it. I looked at the outline, looked at the 30 or so lines I already had (we had a line limit of 120 for this assignment) and decided it need further reworking. So, 4 hours later, I was finished at 116 lines. Its not due until Friday so I'll let it rest, and then see if it needs any more changes. I'm happy with it, though. I think it says what I need it to say, the way I need to say it. IRAC is a lot harder than I thought it would be, especially when someone (not mentioning any professorial names) is not the most adept at explaining what we're supposed to be doing. But, given the comments from my last paper (which wasn't that bad!) and what I've gleaned from the conferences and the notes, I think I'm on the right track. Of course, you all know what a perfectionist I am.

Okay, I'm off to do some work before the staff meeting. Getting here at 7 sure makes for a peaceful morning. I'm turning into a morning person.

You gotta be kiddin' me!

"We won the game and still were eliminated?!" Italy's keeper Gianluigi Buffon hears the news with disbelief.

Heartbreaking EURO 2004 News for Italians. Tough break, but they were at the mercy of the Swedes, who managed to come away from their match with a draw, thus eliminating the Italians.

In other football (soccer) news, Thursday is Fixture Day in the English Premier League. It is almost as exciting as opening day. Its the day the schedules are handed down from the magic fixture computer.


 

Tuesday is the best day of the week!

Well, it used to be when 24 was still on tv. Now, not so much.

There is a lot of news going on today in the world, but none as important as this. You know, I may be missing the point here, but is this really news? I mean, its news in the sense that we didn't know about it. But, is it important news? It needs to be on the front page of CNN? I don't think this is the most important news event of the day/week/month....

In other non-news, I only have two classes left before the final exam. It seems like these last two months have gone by extremely fast. Now if only the next four years will go by with a similar speed, all will be well. I've been assured, however, that this is not likely to happen.

In EURO 2004 news: France and England both made it to the quarterfinals. England v. Portugal (the home team!) on Thursday. France v. Greece on Friday. Am I thinking about being sick one or both of those days? Absolutely not! That would be wrong of me. It might not stop me, but at least I know it would be wrong! More likely, though, I'll tape and watch later. It isn't like EURO 2004 will be covered during the local news! You know, for something to be the most popular sport in the world, there is precious little coverage in the US Press. I guess we're just not in step with the rest of the world. It wouldn't be the first time.

A Plug for Toshiba

Maybe not so much of a plug if you tend to always see the glass as half empty. But, the AC adapter on my new toshiba laptop just up and stopped working. No warning. Just, nope. Don't feel like it anymore. So, after liberally grumbling about Toshiba, I went to Circuit City and bought a "universal adapter." Now it saidit should work on my computer. $129 later, not so much with the working. So, I check out the toshiba help center loaded on my computer and find an authorized repair service less than five minutes from my house. I call them, explain the problem, and she tells me that they would be happy to send out a replacement adapter. It should arrive on Thursday or Friday. This was on Wednesday afternoon. Friday morning, it was on my doorstep! Wow. I was pretty impressed. I thought I would be without my new toy for at least a week, and it turned out to be only a few days! And, on top of that, it was free. I went back to CC and got my dollars back. Toshiba won me over just like that.

Now let's see if I'll have that kind of luck in class tonight.

A Plug for Toshiba

Maybe not so much of a plug if you tend to always see the glass as half empty. But, the AC adapter on my new toshiba laptop just up and stopped working. No warning. Just, nope. Don't feel like it anymore. So, after liberally grumbling about Toshiba, I went to Circuit City and bought a "universal adapter." Now it saidit should work on my computer. $129 later, not so much with the working. So, I check out the toshiba help center loaded on my computer and find an authorized repair service less than five minutes from my house. I call them, explain the problem, and she tells me that they would be happy to send out a replacement adapter. It should arrive on Thursday or Friday. This was on Wednesday afternoon. Friday morning, it was on my doorstep! Wow. I was pretty impressed. I thought I would be without my new toy for at least a week, and it turned out to be only a few days! And, on top of that, it was free. I went back to CC and got my dollars back. Toshiba won me over just like that.

Now let's see if I'll have that kind of luck in class tonight.

Happy Monday

So, do any other law students out there hate IRAC as much as I do? Just wondering. That's probably a bad attitude to have when school hasn't even started yet. I'll work on my attitude, I promise. Just not until after we turn in our final papers on Thursday. I am liking how we can turn these in online. That makes life so much easier. It doesn't make IRAC easier, but it makes handing it in easier.

So, you can probably guess what I did this weekend. I was only average on my last paper, and I prefer to be above average. So, I actually started working on it early. Although, in my defense, I was gone the entire weekend before the last paper was due. But, that's neither here nor there. Above average or bust!

What else did I do this weekend? I saw Tom Hanks in The Terminal. Now, I like Tom as much as the next person, but this was not my favorite movie. He was good in it, don't get me wrong. In fact, I liked all the performances, especially Diego Luna (who you may recognize from Y Tu Mama Tambien and Frida) But, what was wrong with this movie had nothing to do with acting. It was just so ridiculously implausible that it distracted me from the rest of the movie. Its New York City. They can't call in a translator for this guy? He's there for over nine months and they can't get a translator? I mean, come on. And, even worse, they end up using HIM from a translator?! There were parts of the movie that got a laugh out of the audience (me included) but, overall, the bad kept you from focusing on the good. I recommend waiting for video. Just my opinion.

Speaking of videos, I watched Rounders on dvd yesterday. I promise I did work on my paper this weekend! Anyway, Rounders was a great movie. I have recently hopped aboard the Matt Damon bandwagon (next stop, The Bourne Supremacy, July 23) so now I want to see everything that I've missed. I think I purposefully avoided Rounders because it has lots of people in it that I generally like. Ed Norton, John Turturro, John Malkovich. It was a fantastic movie and I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it. It wasn't anything like what I thought it would be. And,in addition to the above mentioned stars, I was surprised to see the likes of Goran Visnjic (ER); Melina Kanakaredes (Providence); Michael Rispoli (Sopranos) and former Presidential advisor, Vernon Jordan! So, check it out.

Let's see....the sinus infection is fighting back, but I don't think its going to win. Biaxin is a powerful enemy. Other than that, everything is A-OK. Have a good Monday, everybody!

Viva Benitez!!

Greetings all! I am feeling MUCH better now. And one thing I've learned, there are few things more miserable than going to class when you're sick! Speaking of class, we haven't gotten our tests back yet. Or, I should say, our practice tests. Its hard to believe that this summer class is almost over. Three more classes and then the final! We really need to get those test tests back!

Anyway, Liverpool has hired a new manager! Rafael Benitez comes to Liverpool from Valencia. Welcome aboard, and I hope his first order of business is to get Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen signed to nice, fat, LONG contracts.

In new toy news....
I just got satellite radio. Can I just tell you how much I'm loving it? Can I? As if the music wasn't enough to adore, all the talk radio a girl could want! I can listen to Air America Radio without booting up my computer. (you do all listen to AAR don't you? Of course you do.) I have it in the house at the moment, but will probably break down and buy the car adapter so I can have it on the go. Radio here in Indy isn't great, so this is the best possible alternative. I would recommend this to anyone. Satellite radio. Please make a note of it.

Of all the strange things....

The pharmacy called yesterday and told me they had run out of medicine to fill my prescription. Okay....THAT has never happened before.


And, Harry Potter fans, check out this quiz. I was sure I'd end up in Gryffindor, but this would have been my second choice anyway.


be sorted @ nimbo.net
Can't very well complain about that!

And Good night Lakers! Congratulations to the Pistons(and, by extension, the Eastern Conference) for capturing the NBA trophy. They certainly deserved it.

I'm really enjoying...

Kelley Armstrong's "Women of the Otherworld" series. I just finished book 2, Stolen. I find that I am pretty predictable in the characters I prefer, but there aren't any characters in this book that I don't like. Well, other than the ones I'm not supposed to like, of course, but even those aren't so bad. I enjoyed reading this book as much as I liked reading the first one, Bitten. I'm looking forward to the third one, Dime Store Magic, whenever it comes in for me. And, I'm reading them so fast, it isn't even interfering with my law school reading! Although, I suspect that will all change when I have more than one class to read for.

If I had to make a comparison to these books, if you forced me, I would compare them to the early Anita Blake books. I won't say back when those books were good because I still read them. I'll say, back when the Anita Blake series was better. It seems to have lost its way a bit, if you ask me. And, maybe that's just a characteristic of having a long running series. Anyway, if you're interested in werewolves and the like, I would check this series out.

OW

My head hurts. The cold I thought I had is actually a sinus infection. And, although I feel much better today than I did on Friday (or Saturday, or Sunday or Monday) today is still no picnic. But, on a scale of 1-10, today is definitely a 5. Yesterday was a -14 as a point of reference.

Not much other news to report, I'm afraid. Hopefully as I work tonight, I'll get something good to post. In the meantime, check out the metacritic website. I don't usually read reviews of a movie until after I've seen it. So, I had to check the reviews of the three I saw last Friday. Metacritic is good because it takes all the "major" reviews, assigns a number and then gives an overall score. It also does music, video games and movies new to video/dvd.

Wow

If any of you watch soccer and you didn't see the amazing France v. England match from Euro 2004, you missed out on something special. This, quite honestly, was the most amazing soccer match I have seen in my short time watching the game. It was outstanding. England played absolutely flawless football the first half. They played decent football the second half, but they left the door open for France, and France took advantage to tie it up. Thanks to added time, and a moment of insanity from England keeper David James, France took the lead and won the match. There are a million details I could mention, Fabien Barthez's amazing save on David Beckham's penalty kick, for one. The defense practically shutting out Thierry Henry was another high point. England had the game won! Heartbreaking...unless you're a fan of France, of course. France was the favorite, though, and England had the game won. (You can guess who I was rooting for, huh?)

And I saw a commercial for adiddas where they pronounced it AH-dee-das instead of Ah-DEE-Das. Anyone know what the correct pronounciation is? Just curious.

In other news, I saw three movies on dvd this weekend. Yes, I'm trying to get it all in before school starts in the fall. My dad told me yesterday that my eyes should hurt since I saw three movies in the theater on Friday and three more at home on Saturday and Sunday. Plus the soccer match, some baseball and some NBA finals. Of course, I also worked on Saturday and I was sick so I wasn't exactly doing much (outside of work) that didn't involve my couch. So, what I saw:

The Rainmaker: I am a new Matt Damon fan. This movie was decent. I hadn't read the book, so I'm sure that helped. My favorite performance was Danny Glover in his uncredited role as the judge. Claire Danes wasn't bad either. It was a decent movie.

Sinbad: Legend of the seven seas: Wow. A movie with a plot, adventure, romance, friendship, and great characters...and its a cartoon. I think more filmmakers should worry less about their special effects and put more effort into the things I just mentioned. This was a great movie. Michelle Pfeiffer was excellent as Eris, and Brad Pitt did a good job as well. Dennis Haysbert's voice (as Kale) is now even more recognizable (for those of you who don't know him as President David Palmer) through his Allstate commericals. Great movie.

Legally Blonde: Everyone said that I should see this movie, and it really was cute. The end was contrived, as nearly all movies that deal with the law are, but it was cute.

All in all, I think I fared better at the theater than in the home video arena. I have plenty more movies on my coffee table to watch before summer is over, though. Stay tuned.

Am I the only one

Who never saw a cicada? Granted, I live in a fairly large city, but I never saw one. Not one! I'm sure they were around, but not nearly enough to warrant the hype. Come on, I wanna hear cicada horror stories!

Marathon Cinema

Three movies. One Day. Could she do it? Of course she could. Even though I feel considerably less than 100%, I spent the entire day at the movies. And, I have to admit, it was pretty awesome. I'm tempted to put another dvd in right now.....I think I'm on a roll. Anyway, the reviews:

"That's why no one will remember your name"
Troy: Fantastic. Visually fantastic. The story was adapted nicely. There were some good parts missing, of course, but its Hollywood not Homer. Acting was great. I think Eric Bana was perfect as Hector. Truly, I can find no fault in his role. He should get some recognition for it, but he won't of course. He was great though. Sean Bean, naturally, was superb. He very rarely disappoints in his roles, though. I would love to see The Odyssey now with Sean Bean reprising his Odysseus role. (hint hint...) Brad Pitt was good too. I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't expecting much and I got more than I bargained for. I don't think he was as good as Eric Bana, but he was very good. Helen and Paris should have been thrown from the parapets together. But, I couldn't help but think of Legolas when Paris started in with the bow and arrow. I really didn't like Orlando Bloom in this movie. Not just the sniveling character of Paris, but Orlando Bloom as Paris. Maybe it was just me. All in all, it was a great movie. I'd see it again. Right now.


"Look at you now, all at the back of the bus and shit."
The Chronicles of Riddick: Now, most of you who read this blog know me. If you know me, you know I am a HUGE Vin Diesel fan. And, yes, its just because he's hot. No, okay, its not. Its the voice too. The voice makes him even hotter. Honestly, though, I really do like his movies. I wasn't so crazy about XXX, but I REALLY liked Fast and the Furious, A Man Apart, and Pitch Black. And Knockaround Guys. Okay, you get the point. I wasn't crazy about Chronicles. It got better as it went along, I will say that. And I liked that they didn't just give Vin all the good lines and make everyone else be his straight man. There were parts of it that had me shaking my head with the predictability, and parts that had me cracking up. I think the problem is that Pitch Black was SO good, it was hard to compete with it. It was a movie that didn't need a sequel and any sequel suffers in the comparison. There was some magic in that movie, and maybe part of the magic was the fact that it was this unassuming little indie picture with a great cast and a great story. Pitch Black is a movie that gets better each time you see it. If anyone out there hasn't seen it, go rent the dvd. I guarantee you, you will miss things the first time around. Watch it closely. There were scenes in that movie I didn't get until I watched the commentary. That is the sign of a great movie. Chronicles does not compare. But, that said, it still was far from a bad movie. Far from it. But, just don't go into it thinking its going to be of the same caliber as its predecessor. Oh yes, and for any
of you who watch the show 24, Thandie Newton does one hell of a great Sherry Palmer impression in this movie.

"Is that really what my hair looks like from the back?!"
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: This book, up until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out, was my favorite HP book. I was expecting a lot and I wasn't exactly disappointed. I like all of the HP movies, and this one was good as well. I just....maybe I was tired. I kept waiting for it to be over. Now, I know you're all thinking "Then it must not have been very good." But that's just it. It WAS good. I was thoroughly enjoying it. The acting was great, as always. Gary Oldman is on my short list of all time favorite actors. Ever. He is a chameleon when it comes to his roles, and he plays each and every one of them brilliantly. I could not have picked a better Sirius. Alan Rickman delights me as he always does. You can just see in him, as in the books, the layers that make up Severus Snape. I hope he's still around for Order of the Phoenix. If they even get that far with the movies. Who knows. At any rate, Emma, Rupert and Daniel were all great. Emma Thompson and David Thewlis were equally good too. Everyone was fantastic. I just....kept looking at my watch.

So, that sums it up. No bad movies today. Now I'm going to bed with Advil Cold and Sinus and hopefully I'll be good for work tomorrow!

The Big Day

Well, that's it. Our first test is over and done. I think I will be opting to take future tests (when available) on pc. You know, its a shame really. I used to be able to write for hours on end, no hand cramps. Honestly. Hours. There are some in the world who can vouch for that statement. Now, I was writing for about a half hour and my hand started to hurt. Its shameful, but that's progress, I guess. And, while I like my handwriting, there may be others who don't, namely professor chestek.

But anyway, the test. It was, I guess, your typical law school test. Here is a scenario, tell us what the outcome should be. Identify the ratio decidendi in such and such case, the major rd in this case, a minor rd in this case and which rd from all these cases would most conform to stare decisis, therefore the one we should apply to our own case. I didn't think it was so bad, which probably means I failed. BUT, the up side is that this is just a practice test. Of course, no one wants to be the lame-o who bombs the practice test, do they?

All in all, I think I did all right. I am SOOOOO glad that I'm taking this class this summer, though. A nice, gradual learning curve is good. I know you'll all be waiting with bated breath for the results. I have no idea if we get them back on Monday or not. Plus, we also have our first graded papers outstanding yet. I'm MUCH more concerned about that than this test. Graded vs. Ungraded.

Okay, I'm off to watch the Piston whip some Laker behind. Tomorrow, I'm going to attempt (!) to go see three, yes three, movies. Troy, The Chronicles of Riddick and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabahan. We'll see, eh? I already bought tickets to all three, so I'm going to give it my best shot!

Brother Ray

So, I was just about to post about the beautifulness of Strawberry Fest, when an email popped into my box about the death of Ray Charles. The article from the Chicago Tribune is here. Its much more eloquent than anything that I could ever say. He will always be a music icon, at least in my house.

Aspiring Scribes

Check out the magazine Poets & Writers. Its an excellent resource for things like writing competitions, conferences and residencies, grants and awards. This may be a "duh" to those of you who are familiar with the magazine, but it just came across my desk and I was pretty impressed.

HUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMER

Morning!

The Great Liberal Debate:
My attorney has a hummer and, I know, they are the liberal whipping posts right now, but dammit, I still think they're cool. So, when he brought over some papers for me to sign (he lives right around the corner, but....how much did I get charged for THAT?!) I couldn't help but ogle. As I ogle, he couldn't help but ask me if I wanted a ride. (duh!) I think the funniest part was seeing me try to get into it. Many of you out there don't know this, but I'm short. Hummers---not short. It was fun. The stereo was incredible, and ride....incredible. I think I sensed some sadness from it, having to be driven around the city like a pet instead of the wild animal it wants to be. In the end, I felt guilty riding in it. I guess I really am a liberal at heart. (told you, BBS!) Maybe I should take up a crusade "Hummers against City Living" or something like that. "Just say NO to Hummer Carpools." At least it didn't have a car seat in the back. That really would have broken my heart. And at least it wasn't that sickly yellow color. It was a nice, respectable, gray.

Speaking of HH (Hummer Hating):

I know you all watch the Tavis Smiley show, right? Its on PBS weeknights at 11 (or whatever. But you know what time its on because you all watch, right?) Anyway, Henry Rollins will be on tonight. He's an HH, but I love him anyway. You have to just admire a man who does as much as he does for other people, especially veterans. I believe he either just came back from Iraq/Afghanistan, or he's just about to go. At any rate, check him out on that show you all watch.

Euro 2004

So, there is a HUGE game coming up on Sunday. France v. England. Now, I normally only follow the Premiership and internation football that the USA participates in, but I have kinda gotten EURO fever. I can't WAIT until Sunday. I'm glued to EURO news, and who knows what floodgates might open after the big game. Obviously, I'm rooting for England, but France is going to be a huge test.

to study group or not to study group

For our test, which we aren't supposed to be studying for, some people are getting a study group together. I opted out this time, mainly because I had to come home and do some things and pick up my book expo boxes (yay!!!) But, I don't know if I would want to study in a group. I mean, the potential for disaster there (especially with the types in our class. mr. x for example) is enormous. Yet, it would be nice to have a group of smart people to bounce (or steal) ideas off of. I guess what it comes down to is that I want to study in a group full of people smarter than me. But then, why would they want me in their group? The short answer is: the wouldn't. The long answer is: they would not. I'll ask around and see how it went. I think it will be different when school starts in the fall and I'm in with a group that has similar (or even more) outside responsibilities. I think they'll be more likely to take things more seriously. Of course, that could just be me being incredibly prejudicial against my fellow younger students. :o)

For those of your keeping score on the other thing:
And I know a few of you are, my sister apologize to me today for leaving me at the McCormick Center. I suspect my dad got hold of her and made her feel guilty. Or, maybe she just realized she didn't tell me where she was going, she only thought she had. Who knows. I think that was the end of our traveling days. Its too bad because I was really looking forward to our trip to Jackson, MS next year. I can tell you right now, I have no plans on going anywhere with her again. Dog bites you the first time, shame on the dog....

Lastly, I have no more fun old ads today. The book has gone home to its rightful owner. So, instead I give you gross stories about random acts of painting (see post below) and a link to another great time waster. I could play this game all day. Don't say you haven't been warned.

Off to study!

Gross!

Okay, I like art as much as the next gal, but this is ridiculous.

Deep Morning Thoughts

Anyone who knows me knows how funny that is. My pseudo-deep morning thought for today is this:

What is it about Cranberry juice that drives the need to combine with everything under the sun? Today, I just enjoyed a nice Cranberry-Apple-Strawberry juice from Minute Maid. Know what it tasted like? Cranberry juice. Seriously, why is it that manufacturers feel the need to combine a long string of juices together to get the great, refreshing taste of cranberry juice?

My other early thought/observation for today is that my boxes from Book Expo already came! I shipped them on Sunday, they showed up looking for homes on Tuesday. Last year, my box got lost and I didn't see it for about a month (or longer) after the show.

Old Stuff

I know a couple of my readers (and I only have a couple) just took offense! See? This post isn't even about YOU. This time. Anyway, I'm addicted to looking through old magazines. Whenever we get some from storage, I'm checking them out, mostly looking at the fascinating ads. So, a reference book came across my desk today. Those Were the Good Old Days: A Happy Look at American Advertising, 1880-1930. Here are some of the highlights:

Dr. Scott's Electric Hair Brush: An Honest Remedy. It is warranted to cure Nervous Headache in 5 minutes! Dandruff and Disease of the Scalp! Prevent Faling Hair and Baldness! Promptly Arrest Premature Grayness! Make the hair grow long and glossy! (1884)

FAT FOLKS using "Anti-Corpulene Pills" lose 15lbs a month. They cause no sickness, contain no poison and never fail. Wilcox Specific Co. Phila, Pa. (1885)

The Portraits of Healthy Infants
Sent by Thankful Parents
Offer Irrefutable Evidence
Of the Excellence of
Mellin's Food for Infants and Invalids (1891)

Study Law at Home! Take a course in the Sprague Correspondence School of Law. (Incorporated) Send 10¢ stamps for particulars...(1894) Yes!

Ear Cap. For remedying Prominent Ears, Preventing Disfigurement in after life. In all sizes. Price $1.25 (1892)

American Mercedes 70 H.P. Demi Limousine Touring Car. $10,000. This is the Handsomest Car in the World. Something Entirely New. Immediate Delivery. (1907)

You know, I'm thinking that if Ivory Soap is still only 99 and 44/100ths pure after all this time (there is an ad in here dated 1885) then it might as well just give it up.
I'm not quite halfway through the book, but my favorite ad so far is this:

The Men we Love and
The Men we Marry.
Are there generally two men in a woman's life-- the man she loves and the man she marries?
A woman, keenly observant, and who has seen much of girls and women, holds that it is more often true than many suppose. Then she explains how it comes about: what it can mean, in suffering, to a woman, and what is the duty of a woman to be the wife of the man she married, not that of the man she wishes she had married.
A thoroughly feminine article is this. Men will not undestand it, but women will.
It is in the October Ladies' Home Journal 15 cents Everywhere (1910)

More ads tomorrow.

Its great being a librarian!

See? Products for the discriminating yet pissed-off librarian.
A librarian thong is outta line, but what librarian doesn't love a tote bag?

Yikes

So, I get to work today and I have 39 suggestions for purchase waiting for me. Please add those to the 65 I have from last week. Well, those 65 are just books. I have another 37 from last week that are audiobook. Its silly, really. Its silly that I don't have time to do them, and its silly that people have too MUCH time to ask for them.

On another note

I heard an interesting story today. My dad tells me that my nephew (god help him) had to walk home the other night from Rock Island to East Moline at 3 in the morning. It took him 3 hours to get there. Now, most of you don't realize how far that it, but its pretty far. His "friend" that he'd gone there with had left him. An interesting tale. My dad then went on to tell me that someone who would leave you stranded is no friend. This is absolutely true, as I found out over the weekend. And, on top of that, my dad is most upset with my sister for leaving me. He was also disappointed in the other person in the car because we've been friends for such a long time, but he wasn't surprised by it. She had no obligation to me, and friend can be just a word. This guy said he was my nephew's friend too, and that got him a nice three hour walk in the middle of the night. But my sister wasn't raised like that. You don't leave your sister anywhere. Never. Ever. He said he wouldn't even treat a dog like that. God bless Dads. As he points out, anything could have happened to me (or to them) and neither one of us would have been the wiser. You don't leave without everyone you came with. Its real simple and he says he taught her better. Maybe it didn't take. Its funny, though. Every time I tell this story to people at work they're shocked. It seems everyone knows you don't do that. As my friend Michael said "For a damn laptop?" Exactly.

And in other news

There is something incredibly fun about giving someone something when they least expect it. At BookExpo I got many things, and most of them I'll end up giving away. But there were a few things I got specifically for people I work with. Those are things I carried back, instead of shipping back, and I gave them out yesterday and today. None of these people expected to get anything and they looks on their faces when I gave them their presents was priceless. There is something to this random act of kindness, although it wasn't really random now was it? Still, it was nice doing something for people who absolutely don't expect it.

Speaking of books....

Book suggestion title of the day: The Three-Martini Playdate: A Practical Guide to Happy Parenting Great title. I guess I'll order it.


Speaking of ordering
Before I came to work this morning I ordered the new Marc Anthony CD. Amar Sin Mentiras. Now I know you're asking me what that means. I know what all three words mean, but I have no idea if the phrase is idiomatic. I guess the textbook definition would be Love without Lies? That's my guess and I'm sticking to it. So, his life has been so angsty lately, I'm sure the cd is great! And now that he's (allegedly) Mr. Jennifer Lopez the third, it might get even more angsty? Ladbrokes (the great British betting agency) is just giving them 3-1 odds. Of course, Ladbrokes didn't give Liverpool very good odds to win the Premiership last year...and they didn't. Hmmm, well that doesn't mean anything! I'm going to go against the odds and say they'll make it. I'm such a romantic. Actually, make that a Romantic.

Off to deal with patron suggestions. Wish me luck.

Yawn

You know, there are good parts and bad parts to working at night and they both involve sleep. On the one hand, I get to sleep late. On the other hand, I'm sleeping late and throwing everything off. But, I was still up early enough to catch Unfiltered. What can I say, its an addiction?


So, we have our first "test" exam on Thursday. Would that be a test test? Anyway, so they tell us not to study for it. I'm sorry, but isn't this setting a bad precedent for test taking? I'm going to study anyway, instructions be damned! I mean, at this point in our summer session, isn't it a little too late for diagnostic tests? Its open book, open note, open brain, neighbor's bluebook....no probably not that last one. Other notes from class:

Mr. X was actually bearable today. To those of you who know who Mr. X is, you realize the significance.

Our legal writing class consisted of exam taking techniques.

I wasn't the last one in my legal writing section to get the assignment in. After the disaster in Chicago, plus being sick on Monday, I was sure I wouldn't get it done until 5:29. It was done at 3:30 and there were plenty of people done after me.

So I saw these cute little ducks today. Baby ducks and parental ducks. All of the baby ducks were walking in a single file line. Is that just a mammal thing? It was so funny. You just associate single file lines with little kids, and here it holds true even with ducks. They were awfully fuzzy and cute. I've seen a lot of baby ducks lately, many more than before.

My computer battery drains much too quickly. I'm not happy about this.

Strangely Enough

The older I get, the smarter my dad gets. I hate to admit that, but its true. He told me things a long time ago and I brushed him off thinking he was old. He was wrong. He was from a different generation and things weren't like that anymore. Well, they are most certainly still like that and boy, he was right. I'm sorry I didn't believe him. It would have saved me a lot of time and trouble.

Book Expo Dos and More

Did I mention the walking? I don't know if it was the walking or the walking w/carrying, but my feet were very angry with me. The carrying was my own fault, of course. I was grabby. I admit it. There was free stuff to be had, and I wanted to have it! I shipped two boxes back this year which is 1 box more than last year. Although, to be fair, the second box wasn't nearly as full....It only weighed 25lbs. The first box weighed 38lbs! Greed is good. Most of it will probably be given away, though. The fun is in the collection, not the keeping.

The food was MUCH better this year than in LA. The convention center in LA (connected to the Staples Center where the Lakers lost game 1 last night to the Pistons) had crap for food. McCormick place had a food court, a restaurant and little booths set up in the exhibit hall. I had ice cream one day. There was no ice cream last year! Cinnamon Sugared Pecans too, but I didn't partake there. The walking, the walking.... on the bright side, though, it should serve as a nice boost for my mini training. Assuming I don't just sit for the next six months.

Sopranos
Yikes. Now what? I guess that's the sign of a good season, when you say "now what?" So that's what I'm saying. It was good.

Phylicia Rashad
She's the first black woman to win a Tony in a leading role?! In 2004?! Congrats to her, of course, but sheesh. That's kinda ridiculous.

Work
Why was my mailbox full when I got back? I was only gone two days! Catalogs, catalog cards, suggestions for purchase, unsolicited books to add to the collection....and at my desk, a big box of paperbacks! Do you think all of these things would have shown up if I had been here? To top it all off, I forgot I had a meeting this afternoon before class. On the bright side, I turned in my reimbursements, and I see a new sleeper sofa in my future.....and coffee table. What, exactly, is the history of the "coffee table?" Anyone know?


Line of the day: On my favorite radio show, Unfiltered, Chuck D had this to say about all the good pub being paid to Reagan now. "They're trying to turn a rat into a hamster." Absolutely.

Book Expo

Book expo was good. I had a good time up until Sunday when my two best friends decided to ditch me. But, they're in the wind now, and so I'm left with the good parts. I met a lot of interesting authors. No one that I necessarily went there to see, but who were nice all the same. I also met a group of really funny booksellers on Sunday morning while I was waiting for the aforementioned former friends. These ladies gave me great insights on how to get the good stuff, and next year I'll be employing their techniques. When I go alone. NYC.

Two great restaurants, though, if you're ever in Chicago. Geja's Cafe and Frontera Grill. Fine places to eat, believe you me. Quick note about Frontera, though. They only serve wine, beer and tequila drinks. Damn, they should tell you that up front! I was brokenhearted.


Damn. Homework. This is the downside to school, believe me.

Another quiz?!

I can't resist.
Third Level of Hell

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the third circle, you find yourself amidst eternal rain, maledict, cold, and heavy. The gluttons are punished here, lying in the filthy mixture of shadows and of putrid water. Because you consumed in excess, you meet your fate beneath the cold, dirty rain, amidst the other souls that there lay unhappily in the stinking mud. Cerebus, a canine monster cruel and uncouth with his three heads and red eyes, dwells in this level. He growls and tears at the damned with his teeth and claws.


The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Third Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Very High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	High
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Very High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test

Geeky Librarians

I didn't find this particulary brain neutral....I guess maybe they mean the content. Seeing as how I haven't read some of the more popular SF series (Discworld, for instance) my numbers are fairly low.....Its still fun though. The numbers got mixed up around the 340s/350s. I have no idea how. I didn't bother to fix it, though.

A brain-neutral exercise for a post-con mind

*bold those you've read
*italicise started-but-never-finished
*underline those you own but haven't gotten to yet
*add three of your own
*post to your livejournal (You can do this somehow)


1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. 1984, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Susskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
101. Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
103. The Beach, Alex Garland
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker
105. Point Blanc, Anthony Horowitz
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
107. Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz
108. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
110. The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson
111. Jude The Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 1/2, Sue Townsend
113. The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat
114. Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
115. The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
116. The Dare Game, Jacqueline Wilson
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
121. Lola Rose, Jacqueline Wilson
122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy (and the mini-series is FANTASTIC)
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
125. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
127. Angus, Thongs And Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison (cute book)
128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt
130. The Master And Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
131. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny The Champion Of The World, Roald Dahl
133. East Of Eden, John Steinbeck
134. George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
138. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
139. Girls In Tears, Jacqueline Wilson
140. Sleepovers, Jacqueline Wilson
141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
142. Behind The Scenes At The Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
158. Heart Of Darkness, Joseph Conrad ick
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville (ick!)
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
164. The Shipping News, Annie Proulx
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
166. Lorna Doone, R. D. Blackmore
167. Girls Out Late, Jacqueline Wilson
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
170. Charlotte's Web, E. B. White
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
173. The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway
174. The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder (Reading this now)
176. Dustbin Baby, Jacqueline Wilson
177. Fantastic Mr. Fox, Roald Dahl
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
179. Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
181. The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
183. The Power Of One, Bryce Courtenay
184. Silas Marner, George Eliot
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
186. The Diary Of A Nobody, George and Weedon Gross-mith
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine (I’ve read one…)
189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. Lawrence
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
192. Man And Boy, Tony Parsons
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
194. The War Of The Worlds, H. G. Wells
195. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
198. The Once And Future King, T. H. White
199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
200. Flowers In The Attic, Virginia Andrews
201. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
202. The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan
203. The Great Hunt, Robert Jordan
204. The Dragon Reborn, Robert Jordan
205. Fires of Heaven, Robert Jordan
206. Lord of Chaos, Robert Jordan
207. Winter's Heart, Robert Jordan
208. A Crown of Swords, Robert Jordan
209. Crossroads of Twilight, Robert Jordan
210. A Path of Daggers, Robert Jordan
211. As Nature Made Him, John Colapinto
212. Microserfs, Douglas Coupland
213. The Married Man, Edmund White
214. Winter's Tale, Mark Helprin
215. The History of Sexuality, Michel Foucault
216. Cry to Heaven, Anne Rice
217. Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe, John Boswell
218. Equus, Peter Shaffer
219. The Man Who Ate Everything, Jeffrey Steingarten
220. Letters To A Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
221. Ella Minnow Pea, Mark Dunn
222. The Vampire Lestat, Anne Rice
223. Anthem, Ayn Rand
224. The Bridge To Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
225. Tartuffe, Moliere
226. The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
227. The Crucible, Arthur Miller
228. The Trial, Franz Kafka
229. Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
230. Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles
231. Death Be Not Proud, John Gunther
232. A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen
233. Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen
234. Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton
235. A Raisin In The Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
236. ALIVE!, Piers Paul Read
237. Grapefruit, Yoko Ono
238. Trickster Makes This World, Lewis Hyde
240. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
241. Chronicles of Thomas Convenant, Unbeliever, Stephen Donaldson
242. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
242. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
243. Summerland, Michael Chabon
244. A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
245. Candide, Voltaire
246. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, Roald Dahl
247. Ringworld, Larry Niven
248. The King Must Die, Mary Renault
249. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein
250. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle
251. The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde
252. The House Of The Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne
253. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne
254. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
255. The Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson
256. Chocolate Fever, Robert Kimmel Smith
257. Xanth: The Quest for Magic, Piers Anthony
258. The Lost Princess of Oz, L. Frank Baum
259. Wonder Boys, Michael Chabon
260. Lost In A Good Book, Jasper Fforde
261. Well Of Lost Plots, Jasper Fforde
261. Life Of Pi, Yann Martel
263. The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver
264. A Yellow Raft In Blue Water, Michael Dorris
265. Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder
267. Where The Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls268. Griffin & Sabine, Nick Bantock
269. Witch of Black Bird Pond, Joyce Friedland
270. Mrs. Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH, Robert C. O'Brien
271. Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt
272. The Cay, Theodore Taylor
273. From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg
274. The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Jester
275. The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
276. The Kitchen God's Wife, Amy Tan
277. The Bone Setter's Daughter, Amy Tan
278. Relic, Duglas Preston & Lincolon Child
279. Wicked, Gregory Maguire
280. American Gods, Neil Gaiman
281. Misty of Chincoteague, Marguerite Henry
282. The Girl Next Door, Jack Ketchum
283. Haunted, Judith St. George
284. Singularity, William Sleator
285. A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson
286. Different Seasons, Stephen King
287. Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk
288. About a Boy, Nick Hornby
289. The Bookman's Wake, John Dunning
290. The Church of Dead Girls, Stephen Dobyns
291. Illusions, Richard Bach
292. Magic's Pawn, Mercedes Lackey
293. Magic's Promise, Mercedes Lackey
294. Magic's Price, Mercedes Lackey295. The Dancing Wu Li Masters, Gary Zukav
296. Spirits of Flux and Anchor, Jack L. Chalker
297. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
298. The Encyclopedia of Unusual Sex Practices, Brenda Love
299. Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace
300. The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
301. The Cider House Rules, John Irving
302. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
303. Girlfriend in a Coma, Douglas Coupland
304. The Lion's Game, Nelson Demille
305. The Sun, The Moon, and the Stars, Stephen Brust
306. Cyteen, C. J. Cherryh
307. Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco
308. Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson
309. Invisible Monsters, Chuck Palahniuk
310. Camber of Culdi, Kathryn Kurtz
311. The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
312. War and Rememberance, Herman Wouk
313. The Art of War, Sun Tzu
314. The Giver, Lois Lowry
315. The Telling, Ursula Le Guin
316. Xenogenesis (or Lilith's Brood), Octavia Butler (Dawn, Adulthood Rites,
Imago)
317. A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold
318. The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold
319. The Aeneid, Publius Vergilius Maro (Vergil)
320. Hanta Yo, Ruth Beebe Hill
321. The Princess Bride, S. Morganstern (or William Goldman)
322. Beowulf, Anonymous
323. The Sparrow, Maria Doria Russell
324. Deerskin, Robin McKinley
325. Dragonsong, Anne McCaffrey
326. Passage, Connie Willis
327. Otherland, Tad Williams
328. Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay
329. Number the Stars, Lois Lowry
330. Beloved, Toni Morrison331. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore
332. The mysterious disappearance of Leon, I mean Noel, Ellen Raskin
333. Summer Sisters, Judy Blume
334. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo
335. The Island on Bird Street, Uri Orlev
336. Midnight in the Dollhouse, Marjorie Filley Stover
337. The Miracle Worker, William Gibson
338. The Genesis Code, John Case
339. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevensen
340. Paradise Lost, John Milton (ick)
341. Phantom, Susan Kay
342. The Mummy or Ramses the Damned, Anne Rice
343. Anno Dracula, Kim Newman
344: The Dresden Files: Grave Peril, Jim Butcher
345: Tokyo Suckerpunch, Issac Adamson
346: The Winter of Magic's Return, Pamela Service
347: The Oddkins, Dean R. Koontz
348. My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok
349. The Last Goodbye, Raymond Chandler
350. At Swim, Two Boys, Jaime O'Neill
351. Othello, by William Shakespeare
352. The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas
353. The Collected Poems of William Butler Yeats
354. Sati, Christopher Pike
355. The Inferno, Dante
356. The Apology, Plato
357. The Small Rain, Madeline L'Engle
358. The Man Who Tasted Shapes, Richard E Cytowick
359. 5 Novels, Daniel Pinkwater
360. The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Juliet Marillier
361. Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
362. To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
363. Our Town, Thorton Wilder
364. Green Grass Running Water, Thomas King
335. The Interpreter, Suzanne Glass
336. The Moor's Last Sigh, Salman Rushdie
337. The Mother Tongue, Bill Bryson
338. A Passage to India, E.M. Forster
339. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
340. The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux
341. Pages for You, Sylvia Brownrigg
342. The Changeover, Margaret Mahy
343. Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
344. Angels and Demons, Dan Brown
345. Johnny Got His Gun, Dalton Trumbo
346. Shosha, Isaac Bashevis Singer
347. Travels With Charley, John Steinbeck
348. The Diving-bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
349. The Lunatic at Large by J. Storer Clouston
350. Time for Bed by David Baddiel
351. Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
352. Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre
353. The Bloody Sun by Marion Zimmer Bradley
354. Sewer, Gas, and Eletric by Matt Ruff
355. Jhereg by Steven Brust
356. So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane
357. Perdido Street Station, China Mieville
358. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte
359. Road-side Dog, Czeslaw Milosz
360. The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje
361. Neuromancer, William Gibson
362. The Epistemology of the Closet, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
363. A Canticle for Liebowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr
364. The Mask of Apollo, Mary Renault
365. The Gunslinger, Stephen King
366. Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
367. Absalom, Absalom, William Faulkner (my son, my son)
368. The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway
369. Dreamhouse, Alison Habens
370. Hyperion, by Dan Simmons
371. Prospero's Children, Jan Siegel
372. Gaudy Night, Dorothy Sayers
373. Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond
374. Enchantment, Orson Scott Card
375. Cetaganda, Lois McMaster Bujold
376. Beauty, Sheri S. Tepper
377. The Hour of the Star, Clarice Lispector
378. The Patron Saint of Liars, Ann Patchett
379. Sexing the Cherry, Jeanette Winterson
380. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula Le Guin
381. Assassin's Apprentice, Robin Hobb
382. The Axis Trilogy, Sara Douglass
383. Peter Pan, J. M. Barrie
384. Sabriel, Garth Nix
385. Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman
386. The Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris
387. The Hot Zone, Richard Preston
388. The Dispossessed, Ursula K. Le Guin
389. The House with a Clock in its Walls, John Bellairs
390. The Wings of a Falcon, Cynthia Voigt
391. Gain, by Richard Powers
392. White Noise, by Don DeLillo
393. Koko, Peter Straub
394. Giles Goat-Boy, John Barth
395. Tam Lin, Pamela Dean
396. Was, Geoff Ryman
397. The Onion Girl, Charles de Lint
398. Days of the Dear, Barbara Hambly
399. The Game, Laurie R. King
400. The Foreigner, CJ Cherryh
401. Convergence, Charles Sheffield
402. Gateway, Fredrick Pohl
403. Time and Again, Jack Finney
404. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Gregory Maguire
405. The Andromeda Strain, Michael Crichton
406. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, John le Carre
407. Jaws, Peter Benchley
408. Ghost Story, Peter Straus
409. The Illiad, Homer
410 The Deal Breaker, Harlan Coban
411 The Last Detective, Robert Crais
412. Right as Rain, George Pelecanos
413. Married Men, Carl Webber
414. The Bourne Identity, Robert Ludlum

New Attitude, New Day

Why does Patti Labelle have big hits with songs that have "new" in the title? Just a question.

So, its BEA day. For those of you who don't know, BEA is BookExpoAmerica. Lots of fun, lots of free stuff and I cannot WAIT to get up there. I'll bring goodies for all my faithful readers. You know who you are!

Also in the news: Those of you from Illinois probably know the name Matt Hale. If not, click on his name to get his greatest hits. Anyway, looks like he'll be sentened in August of this year. And, as repulsive as he is, I think I still prefer his brand of racism to the sneaky, stab you in the back kind of some others. Of course, that's just my preference.

Pacers lost. It was heartbreaking and I'm not even an NBA fan! I'm not going to pile on Ron Artest either. He's been good (relatively) all year and it looked like he took a pretty cheap shot to me. Of course the announcers were quick to say it wasn't "intentional" And how do they know this? Oh, that's right. It was unintentional because it was SOMEONE else. Give me a break.

So, here is a little fun for you. I LOVE quizzes. Most of you already know that already. So, here is one for today. I love to hate. I hate to love.



You are the color red. You are the most
controversial of all the colors. You are often
easily angered, but as easily as you got
excited, you come down. When angered, do you
have the tendency to be malicious? Afterwards,
do you end up begging for forgiveness? Maybe.
But you're incredibly generous, and, odd
enough, needy. You love to hate, and
sometimes, you hate to love. This color
describes you as generally edgy. When in a bad
situation, you're pessimistic, and when you're
in a good situation, you're extremely
optimistic. You're painfully tempermental, and
sometimes it hurts the ones you love. But with
an exciting and stimulating attitude, you enjoy
talking to people and being social. But aside
from your bold and outgoing attitude, you're
attention-needing and attention-getting. This
color is associated with lust and desire--and
you are both lust and desirous. You're a
protective person when it comes to the people
you love. You're incredibly sharp-witted and
powerful (not to mention intelligent!).


What color are you? (Amazingly detailed & accurate--with pics!)
brought to you by Quizilla

And another thing!

So, I have a new place for comments. This one should be much easier to use. Instead of the comments right after my name and the time, use the one below that. It says comments and then trackback. use the comments. It should be much easier that the other one.

ass u me

I committed the primary law school infraction today. Yes, I'm so ashamed. I assumed. I know, I know. I didn't MEAN to. It just happened!

So, I assumed, but I still passed the assignment. This next one (due on Monday) is graded, so I'm going to have to assume no more. Overall, the conference went ok. And, Chestek complimented me on my writing. Glad to know that all those other degrees were of some use!

And I forgot add

GO PACERS!!! Tonight is, truly, a must win game. MUST WIN. As in, if we don't, we're done. I believe the boys will step up tonight. Funny, but I think I'm becoming a fan.

Oh no he didn't! Some man just walked by the desk saying the Pacers were gonna lose! That must be a sign. He walks by at the exact moment when I'm typing this, it has to be a sign. That man is obviously misguided, and needs help. Maybe I should direct him to my blog.

I also forgot to add that today would have been my parent's 47th wedding anniversary. That's a long time, if you ask me. My dad always teases me that he doesn't think he'll be getting married again. He always leaves it open though. Men. Its also, coincidentally enough, the 1 month anniversary for my friend Shannon and her husband John. Congratulations!

Yikes

What makes the hours of 8am-12noon seem like the LONGEST stretch of time in the world? When you have a meeting that completely saps all life, air and brain cells out of the room, that's what. If someone says to you "Feasibility Training" in ANY form (training of feasibility, FT, feasible training, trains to the planet of Feasibility) run. Run like the wind. I've had root canals (2 to be exact.) I've had oral surgery. I've watched the Raiders lose the superbowl to the Tampa Bay Bucs. THAT was painful. Feasibility Training is worse than that. And, at the risk of hurting someone's feelings, it isn't so much topic as the instructor! I'm sure she won't be reading my blog, but just in case....I won't mention any names. Horrible. I would never advocate violence (in such a public forum) but at one point we decided we wanted to rip her hair out strand by strand. I'm sure she's a very nice person away from here...

It was so bad that I was actually GLAD to get back to the library and my normal, everyday activities. There is this really strange man who comes in and stares at me. I mean, he's walking past the desk and almost runs into people to stare at me. It freaks me out.

In other news, Julia Roberts announced today that she is pregnant with twins. What I want to know is why I'm supposed to care. I mean, I'm happy for her and Danny. If she invited me to the baby shower I'm sure I could clear my schedule. Other than that, not really my concern.

In more "other news", I got completely hooked on this show yesterday. TRIO had a little marathon, and it was highly entertaining. Trouble is, its hit or miss seeing it here in the states. They were showing episodes from Season 1, and I believe Season 4 is now about to start in the UK. I will say this: there are some FINE LOOKING MEN on that show. In all their naked butt glory. Ladies (and gentlemen who are interested in such things) all I can say is.....wow. Hot. Hot. Hot. That's the good news. The bad news is that its available on dvd in the UK. We can't play their dvds. I am VERY sad about that. Hopefully TRIO will come through. Maybe I should write my congressman.

Speaking of congressmen, did anyone else see the dedication of the World War II monument? It was incredibly moving, and all the speeches that I watched were wonderful. Tom hanks, Tom Brokaw, even Bob Dole was good. When what's his name came on, though, I had to turn the channel. How many more days until election day?