Lotsa books
I’ve read a couple of books over the last week or so. It’s been fun to be on holidays.
Something Rotten – by Mr Fforde, whom I saw last Thursday – more about that later.
Grim Tuesday – by Garth Nix, which again was awfully entertaining. I can’t wait to read Wednesday.
Artemis Fowl – by Eoin Cowler. Also very entertaining, looking forward to reading the rest of them. I like the idea of the main character being a 12yo criminal matermind with some family issues.
The Gutenberg Revolution – by John Man, just for something slightly different.
Right not I’m reading two books. This is because the one I was already reading, the Empyrion omnibus by Stephen Lawhead (yes, like a cross between Hyperion and Endymion, but very very different and hopefully not so disappointing as that’s conclusion was… I’m still not over that), was too enormous to carry to the HTAA conference I went to today (and tomorrow, and Thursday). So I took along Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which I’ve been meaning to read for ages – it’s all about what it’s like in “Girl World”: aimed at mothers and daughters, but I think it will be really useful to read as a teacher too. So far it’s been pretty good; not entirely sure if/whether I’ll be able to put it into practice.
A disappointing Firebird
Have just finished Michael Asher’s Firebird, one of the books I got from Walkerville Library. It was an excellent story… right up to about a fifth to go. Then it got stupid. It was almost like he had this great story going and couldn’t really figure out a way to end up, and so added in this stupid bit (aliens; rarely a good idea outside of good scifi, and only then when it’s obvious they will feature) in order to bring it a not-very-dramatic conclusion.
Sigh. And I decided to finish reading that rather than jump straight into Fforde’s fourth, Something Rotten. My restraint is incredible… I’m writing this rather than starting it, even now!
And people think it's ME who's obsessed with the snail
Oh no. It isn’t me. On the grounds that I would like to stay married, I shall forebear from mentioning any names… but a Certain Person had a dream the other night about Ajax.
In the dream, Ajax bit him on the hand.
Hard.
Mussel
When the mussel is open – which it is mostly; when it is closed, I get very worried that it has died – there is the odd bit at one end. While the rest of it is covered in this film – I guess it’s like mucous or something – this bit at the end reminds me of whale baleen. We’ve decided it must be where the mussel actually does its filtering work, since there’s nowhere else for water to go in. It’s actually quite exciting.
The word you are searching for is ‘incorrigible’
I went to Coburg yesterday.
I really wanted to get some gourami, but the girl said normal ones can get to be 8-10″ long, and also get quite aggressive when they’re that big, so I decided to leave off. I did, however, buy 4 yiddle black and white angels; they’re so cute. They’re only about 2cm long, if that, in the body. It will be fun to watch them grow. I also got mussel, just for the heck of it. Doesn’t do much… apparently they can move, so I’m looking forward to having that happen…
Plants
Very exciting: I raided Robyn’s garden in the ‘Rat, and have a big lot of succulents to pot. She has lots, thanks to the former owners, which is very nice for me. I also have a bit of rosemary, which I really hope will take – didn’t, last time.
Too, when I came home, I swear the roses had doubled in buds over the weekend. Which was nice. I also decided that I wasn’t going to leave my flowers out in the garden where few people see them – not even me that much – so I cut the daffs and brought them in, and some moonlights too. I really hope I get some jonqs – they haven’t flowered yet…
Dropsy!
One of the Colombians seems to have dropsy… he is looking decidedly pine cone-ish. I’m sad. And he refuses to be caught; he’s still very quick.
The chain plant is doing very well.
Catfish
I have given my cute little bristlenose catfish a name. It isn’t very original, but I like it: Fido.
There are three or four bits of the chain plant that have spouted their own suckers, which are going in different directions; that’s fairly exciting.
The angels appear quite happy in the main tank. I caught one of them having a nip at Fido the other day; I told him off. Bad angel.
Thunder storm
And there it started; hail and all. Fairly heavy rain for a few minutes, although it’s settled down now. Everything electrical flickered – the DVD player reset itself and the stereo started itself up. How exciting.
Tears of the Sun
I watched this movie today because a good friend of mine suggested it as for a film study with my Human Rights class. I had intended that they do Cry Freedom – and we did watch it – but they didn’t like it, and many paid no attention, so I threw that out the window (it wasn’t my assignment anyway) and decided to find something else. And while this is fictional, I am so going with this; it’s a good movie, easy to watch – Cry Freedom was a bit too long and too old for most of the students to tolerate without a big incentive, and no an assignment is not a big enough incentive. Pretty brutal, too, which I think might be useful for the students to see… most hadn’t even heard of Sudan (“do you mean Saddam, miss?”) at the start of the semester, and that was when it was finally getting into the papers! Anyway… enough of that rant… it was a good movie.
Randomly Yours, Alex 