Random Walk

Here is the pattern for the "popple" string bag:

http://ursula1972.livejournal.com/570.html

There are more comments in later posts on that livejournal.

I use a Number 3 crochet cotton with a 2.5 mm hook, which gives a bag the size of my fist balled up, and about the size of a standard plastic bag when used. I need about 1.5 balls of #3 cotton for one bag.

To Weave a Web of Magic - Claire Delacroix, Patricia McKillip, Lynn Kurland, Sharon Shinn - a nice collection of "romantic fantasy" novellas; I very much enjoyed.

Year's Total: 91

The Curse of Sagamore - Kara Dalkey - not a bad read; amusing. I am not keeping it, as I have enough books with a hero growing up and finding himself.

Year's Total: 90

The Forest Lord - Susan Krinard - I have been anxious about reading this book and writing something about it, because the author's husband is an internet-friend of mine (Hi Serge!). I am very pleased to report that this is an excellent book, with many more plot twists and turns than I expect from a romance novel. The characters are nicely drawn, and I would recommend it to anyone who is a romance or a fantasy reader.

Year's total: 89

Treasure Box - Orson Scott Card - not particularly good. I am listing most of my osc books on bookmooch to get them out of the house, and I realized I had not read this one. The characterizations did not connect with me, and I had some other criticisms, which contain spoilers, so...

Year's total: 88


( SPOILERS! )

Death for Old Times Sake - A.J. Orde (Sheri Tepper) - very good murder mystery.

Carmen Dog - Carol Emshwiller - a feminist fairytale of some sort. What if women began turning into animals, and animals into women. It was a good book, and I think I need to reread it and think about it more to have something more coherent to say about it. I am also not sure if I should file it under fantasy or science fiction. Probably, I will file it under both.

Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady - Florence King - interesting. She has a breezy and engaging style. I looked her up on Wikipedia, and she is a conservative and columnist for the National Review. This is an autobiography, and part of the story takes place in the '50s and '60s, and she seems to want the benefits of feminism for herself, but doesn't really care if any other women get them. (I think she actually states that.)

Year's total: 87

Miss Wonderful - Loretta Chase - a nice romance novel; for once, the heroine is older than the hero, and she chases him.

A Taste for Murder - Claudia Bishop - First of the Hemlock Falls mysteries - a pretty good one, too!

Year's Total: 84

• Heel and toe of sock in one color, the rest in another
  
• Solid sock foot, patterned leg
  
• Patterned glove fingers, the rest solid
  
• Modular scarf
  
• Wristers/pulse warmers
  
• Crazy mismatched socks
  
  

A Touch of the Grape - Claudia Bishop - another of the Hemlock Falls mysteries. Pretty good.

Year's Total: 82

Rusalka - C.J. Cherryh - interesting; I may need to reread to really appreciate. Set in old Russia, and uses Russian folk/fairy tales. A lot of interior stuff that I didn't really sort out. Would recommend.

Year's Total: 81

Coding is an endless cycle of frustration and euphoria

Adam and Eve are in the garden and God comes down and is giving out gifts. He’s just about done andno, he say’s to Eve and Adam, ” I’ve got two gifts left, now who would like to be able to pee standing up?” Adam jumps up and says “Oooh, me me!! I’ll take that one!” “well alright”, says God “sorry Eve, guess your stuck with multiple orgasms.”

Never After - Rebecca Lickiss - amusing light reading; a neat take on fairytales.

Year's Total: 80

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLsTUN1wVrc

Chinese Cinderella - Adeline Yen Mah - 6th grade autobiography. Interesting book, which I will probably pass on to my nieces. I don't know whether or not I am expecting too much, but I was curious about the motivations of the wicked stepmother - why was she so mean?

Year's total: 79

Last Friday, we made a beer run, and I had a chance to consult a beer person about what I might like.

I don't like beer much at all; I've only found 2 that I actually like, Ithaca Apricot Wheat Beer and Dinkelacker Dark. No one has ever heard of the second, but the beer person had some advice based on the fact that I like the Ithaca.

Look for wheat beers, look for "white" beer, keep an eye out for "Belgian-style" beers, and try out a "Hefeweisen."

The Blind Assassain - Margaret Atwood - Very interesting read. A book within a book, oddly structured. Fun to figure out the connections. I am not sure if I will keep my copy, or let it go.

Year's total: 78

Ceres: Celestial Legend - (14 book manga series) - Yû Watase - Fascinating series, some cathartic crying on my part. Awesome books!

Year's total: 77

visited 42 states (84%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or Best time to visit Burano

I've actually been in KY and WV, but for minutes at a time, so I didn't count them. And maybe NH, but I don't remember.

I signed up at dreamwidth, because all the cool kids are doing it. Also because I will be able to crosspost with this journal, it's ad-free, and I don't completely trust SixApart.

My username there is the same as here, less the numbers.