Month: February 2016

Dolphin Spotting

BumpWeek 23 and things are heating up, literally. Speck is about 29cm long and growing daily. Rasa is experiencing a textbook pregnancy, meaning if the book (we’re using the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, which we like better than the super scary What to Expect When You’re Expecting) says you might experience this, she’s experiencing it. Weird cravings (eating potato chips which she hates), muscle cramps, nausea earlier, low blood pressure, all of it.  Continue reading “Dolphin Spotting” →

IF Magazine: Internet Archive

54-05,IF2

One of the things I love about the Internet is the amazing amount of things which would be nigh on impossible to find elsewhere. For example, the Internet Archive, which collects and stores vast quantities of really stuff has just released the complete run of  IF Magazine (1952-1974).

I absolutely dig living in the future only written about in these magazines!

Review: The Paper Magician

The Paper Magician
The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ceony Twill is a 19 year old recent graduate of a magic academy and despite her wishes, she has been apprenticed to Paper Magician Emery Thane. See, in this world, magicians can only work with (by being “bonded” to one material, and a man-made one at that. And, well, paper-folding is the lamest of the lame. Not nearly as impressive, we are told (not shown) as working with metal or glass. Continue reading “Review: The Paper Magician” →

Confessions of a Vinyl Junkie | David Bowie’s 25 Favorite Albums

The Record CollectorA little while ago, my friend JR made the comment that even though it’s been more than a month since David Bowie’s death, he’s still listening to the man’s music.

So am I.

Along those lines, I present a little tidbit which says that while we’re all listening to Bowie’s music, he was probably listening to other things. This is a great list and the commentary notes are fantastic.

Source: Confessions of a Vinyl Junkie | David Bowie’s 25 Favorite Albums

Review: An Anthropologist on Mars and Lost At Sea

An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales
An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales by Oliver Sacks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

Lost At Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries
Lost At Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries by Jon Ronson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 

I’m putting these two books together becuase they both strike me as similar reads and I found the same issue with each. That said, they are different books and cover different subject matter. Continue reading “Review: An Anthropologist on Mars and Lost At Sea” →

Up and Down the Dial

85740-fullOne of the most interesting things about being in a relationship with someone who is both from a different culture and has a significant age difference is that you get to share things which may seem old hat or fond memory to you, but become something new and fun to them. With us, this happens whenever we’re talking about TV shows or commercials or music… pop culture references, really. Continue reading “Up and Down the Dial” →

Naming Rites

hello-my-name-isSo, we’re having a baby, right?

We’re in week 20, half way along, and it’s pretty spectacular. Rasa is showing, has been for a few weeks now, and the baby is kicking its little heart out. We figure Speck is going to be either a ninja, kung fu master or drummer at this rate. We also expect it to come out with perfect muscle tone and prepared to run a 100 meter dash.  Continue reading “Naming Rites” →

Review: Secondhand Souls

Secondhand Souls
Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I enjoy Christopher Moore‘s books. Despite the fact he won’t own up to his writing fantasy, all of his books have wonderfully fantastical elements, from horny sea monsters to loser vampires to crazy whale boys to the best friend of the son of god, they’re all fun, entertaining reads. Continue reading “Review: Secondhand Souls” →

Review: Web

WebWeb by John Wyndham

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’ve become a bit of a John Wyndham enthusiast ever since I became a bonafide book collector with the addition of a first edition of Wyndham’s The Kraken Wakes to my library. So now, I’m on the lookout for affordable first editions of his work, and while I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to afford a copy of The Day of the Triffids or The Midwich Cuckoos, there are others out there I can get…Web being one of them – one which I happened to find on sale in the first edition. Since I’m also trying to read or re-read all of the collectible books I get, just to keep them fresh in my mind, this one came up in rotation and so I was able to enjoy it. Continue reading “Review: Web” →