So many books
I’ve read heaps over the last while. Lots for ASif!, but all of those have been ones that I’ve enjoyed too, so it’s not like it’s a hardship!
Days of Allison by Eric Shapiro – robots, as partners that you can programme, basically. A novella, so you don’t really have time to get jack of Louis, your utterly spineless (for most of the book) protagonist. I guessed one of the twists, but not the last.
Monster Blood Tattoo by DW Cornish, which it turns out girlie jones hated; there you go. I really liked it – an interesting take on monsters, where they’re pretty much like the Huns or Goths: barbarians at the gate, to be kept away, but not all of whom might be bad. It’s the start of the series, and I don’t mind that there will be more – I hope they’re as good as this. Rossamund (male; a bit of a Boy Named Sue thing happening, I think) is a fun little hero.
There have been others, but they escape me right now. And I just found out yesterday that Lady Friday has been published!! Hurrah!!!
Michael Mori is my hero
He didn’t have to take this case on so strongly. He didn’t have to take the US government on just because it’s the truth and justice and it would be right.
But he has. And continues to do so. Despite what I imagine it’s doing to his reputation – at least in the military; I imagine he will be able to get a job with any human rights legal group anywhere after this.
What A Star.
Joy joy joy
Oh yes, joy joy joy: Lady Friday has been released! Woohoo! I thought I was going to have to wait until June or so, but turns out I can buy it this weekend! Yay!
Unless, of course, Readings is stating what will be published this month, meaning I have to wait another couple of weeks… oh, that would make me sad sad sad.
Johnny Cash
ABC 2 is showing Johnny Cash at the Tenessee State Prison at the moment – I was expecting a concert like at the start of Walk the Line, but no, it’s a proper-looking stadium, just with all the audience seated and wearing identical clothes.
I’ve liked Cash for as long as I can remember. Blame my dad. The Highwaymen will always have a special place in my heart. Plus “The Wanderer” – that Cash did with U2 – is up there as one of the coolest songs yet.
Besides, the other option on TV is the Oscars, and having heard the spoilers this afternoon I don’t care. Actually I don’t care at all, since I don’t think I’ve seen any of the movies except The Queen anyway.
Zero, and all that
I’m reading Zero: Biography of a Dangerous Idea at the moment. It’s spinning my head a little bit, and I have to admit that I am skipping the serious maths bits. But it is enjoyable, and it is truly bizarre to think about the consequences of zero and infinity in maths, physics, and… everything else…. I should finish it tonight; I’ll write more about it once my brain recovers.
BSG baby
We bought the pilot of the new BSG a couple of weeks ago. We’re watching it right now. Gosh it’s good. And it’s interesting on a couple of levels, having almost got to the end of season 3 (not quite up to where America is, because our friend hasn’t come through with them yet…). The blokes who put on weight and lost hair; Starbuck looking quite young, although just as cocky and arrogant as I remember enjoying. And spotting the people I now know are Cylons! Eeek.
Ooooh Helo giving up his seat for Baltar… makes me mad.
And hearing the music for the first time, again – like when the raiders arrive – very poignant.
I do like this series, I have a friend who refuses to watch it because she loved the original so much… I think the original is one old series I won’t watch, because I like this one so much.
The U2 lads
ABC2 is showing the making of Joshua Tree at the moment, which I’ve got in the background as I read a Ben Peek story to review for ASif! It’s quite interesting, musically, and I have to say – the lads have all distinctly improved in looks over the years! The long hair was really not a happy time for Bono. And Adam Clayton looks heaps better with the spiky short blonde. Interesting.
Unification??
Catholics and Anglicans to unify?? You cannot be serious! That just really, really wouldn’t work. I don’t need some dude to mediate between me and God – that’s why Jesus died, for His sake. Besides, I think that 500 years is a very, very long time to be separate and then think you can rejoin….
Pish. That’s what I say: pish. And I’m not even that attached to the Anglican church; it’s just where I am at the moment. How must full-on Anglicans be feeling? A bit weird and a bit queasy, many of them, I would bet… although I guess there are some who like the idea. To which I say: go be a Catholic! It’s allowed in most societies where you’re already a Christian, so why force all the other Anglicans to go with you?
The word ”archaeology”
I’m watching Time Team, and I’m really enjoying it – they’re at Cirencester, which we visited in January, and they’ve found some really cool stuff – the mosaic in particular is brilliant, and I can’t imagine how thrilling it must have been to discover it.
However, they really pain me when they use the word “archaeology” to mean the stuff that they find: “there’s some really interesting archaeology still to be found.” No, there isn’t. There are some interesting ruins and artifacts to be found, and some arduous digging and cleaning to go through as well, The process of finding the stuff is ‘doing archaeology’, along with figuring out how it all works together and what it means.
Bugs me. Grrr.
Happy Bombing of Darwin Day
Yes, today is the anniversary of the first Japanese bombing of Darwin during WWII. A serious amount of damage was done, and a number of ships were sunk, and lots of people were killed. Nasty. No one expected that it would actually happen… and then it did.
Randomly Yours, Alex 