Books Books Books!
Posted by Cyn | Filed under Reading
Yes, the girl and I managed a library run (to the GOOD library) on Friday. It took more time and energy than expected, of course, but we got a bunch of very good books.
I read My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon last night, with much giggling. The stories were a bit uneven (normal for an anthology), but worthwhile overall.
I especially liked “Heorot,” the Harry Dresden piece from Jim Butcher. I love the way he brings in mythology from so many different cultures.
Kelly Armstrong’s “Stalked” was fun, too. Her werewolves are just more wolfish than most, in my opinion.
P.N. Elrod’s “Her Mother’s Daughter” wasn’t bad at all. I’ve obviously missed some of her Jack Fleming novels, and I’m looking forward to catching up.
I want to find some of Marjorie M. Liu’s longer works, as “Where the Heart Lives” isn’t the first of her short stories that have impressed me. What’s even better is that WtHL is a total departure from the earlier stories I remember.
Tags: Harry Dresden, Jack Fleming, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, library, Marjorie M. Liu, Otherworld, P.N. Elrod, Vampire Files
SBQ: Sick of a WIP?
Posted by Cyn | Filed under Relationships, SBQ
The Stitching Blogger’s Question of the Week is:
Do you ever get to a point working on a project that you’ve had for so
long, you start to wonder what possessed you to start it in the first
place?
Of course! It has always happened with patterns I chose to do for someone else, though, rather than those I chose because I was interested in them. There are a few WIPs that have outlived the relationships that inspired them, and they may never be finished. That’s a bit embarrassing, but in at least one case I wouldn’t have ever started the piece if I’d really known what an unstable, vicious being the intended recipient was.
Tags: SBQ
Book Review at Fibrant Living
Posted by Cyn | Filed under Health, Reading
I finally got the book review up for Women, Work and Autoimmune Disease over at Fibrant Living.
Tags: careers, chronic illness, employment, Fibrant Living
Vicious Teacher Leads Bullying of Disabled Child
Posted by Cyn | Filed under News
Teacher lets kindergarten students vote 5‑year-old “out of the class”
After each classmate was allowed to say what they didn’t like about Barton’s 5‑year-old son, Alex, his Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo said they were going to take a vote, Barton said.
By a 14 to 2 margin, the students voted Alex — who is in the process of being diagnosed with autism — out of the class.
The teacher, Wendy Portillo (portillow@stlucie.k12.fl.us), has acknowledged that the incident happened. She had been participating in the child’s IEP team since February, so she knew that Alex was being evaluated for a disability (most likely Asberger’s syndrome, from the information in the article).
There isn’t be any excuse for any adult treating any child that way, but a teacher to encourage children to ostracize a disabled child? That’s even worse.
The school district has refused to fire Portillo, but claims that she has been moved to non-classroom duties. That isn’t nearly enough.
Tags: Alex Barton, Asperger's Syndrome, child abuse, Florida, Morningside Elementary, Port St. Lucie, Wendy Portillo
Fibrant Living — Oxygen for CFS
Posted by Cyn | Filed under Health
Today’s post is at Fibrant Living.
Tags: chronic+fatigue+syndrome, Fibrant+Living, oxygen
Civil Rights Win in Florida
Posted by Cyn | Filed under Civil Rights, Education
Months ago, I posted about Ponce de Leon High School in Florida banning the wear or display of any kind of gay pride symbols or words, claiming that they indicated involvement in an “illegal organization.” I later found out that the problem started last fall, when a lesbian student complained that she was being harassed. Instead of investigating or trying to stop the harassment, the school administration cracked down on any show of support for her. The principal later said that he was sure that gay pride symbols would cause students to visualize gay people having sex, leading to disruption.1
Anyway, Florida managed to get something right, or at least one judge there did so. Oh, wait–he was a federal judge, not a state authority. Anyway, on May 13 he issued a permanent injunction against the school! He told them that they must stop their unconstitutional censorship of expressions of support for gay people, and warned them not to try retaliating against anyone involved in the case.
1 Damn, those are powerful rainbows! Wonder what kind of porn they’d find in a raid of his house?
Tags: ACLU, Florida, GLBTQ, Ponce de Leon High School
Review: From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
Posted by Cyn | Filed under Reading
After reading From Dead to Worse, I feel as if Charlaine Harris is finished with the Southern Vampire Mysteries. If so, she’s doing so well, as volume seven is the most satisfying book of the series.
This is not a “happily ever after” book, but it isn’t an “oh my God what’s going to happen next,” either. I’m sure that more could be written about Sookie Stackhouse and her very interesting life, but Harris has a history of leaving series on a high note. The Aurora Teagarden and Shakespeare sequences felt a bit more “done” at the end, so maybe I’m wrong. I certainly don’t hold Ms. Harris’ confidences.
In any case, I hope that we’ll see more books by Harris before long. She’s a good author, and I enjoy her ideas.
Tags: Charlaine Harris, From Dead to Worse, reviews, Sookie Stackhouse, Southern Vampire
Fibrant Living: FMS or Depression?
Posted by Cyn | Filed under Health
I posted over at Fibrant Living today, about the difference between fibromyalgia and depression.
Tags: depression, Fibrant Living, Fibromyalgia, FMS, psychology
Diane Duane Rocks
Posted by Cyn | Filed under Blogging, College, CYLC, Love, Reading, Spirituality
Back when the Meisha Merlin warehouse was being cleaned out, Sam picked up a copy of The Sword and the Dragon, first volume of the Epic Tales of the Five by Diane Duane that MM put out. It contains The Door Into Fire and The Door Into Shadow.
I’ve wanted my own copies of the first three Tales of the Five books for decades, since reading an old friend’s copies. I’m still disappointed that MM never put out the next volume, which should have included The Door Into Sunset and the never-before-published The Door Into Starlight. But then, there are other people who have far more reason to be disappointed about MM matters than I do, so I can’t fuss too much. And I have this volume, and will continue to hold out hope that Duane will find a new publisher who will bring out the others sometime in my lifetime.
Anyway, I had to stop reading to show this bit to Sam. It sums up much of what I love about Duane’s philosophy.
…death is inevitable. But we have one power, as men and beasts and creatures of other planes. We can slow down the Death, we can die hard, and help all the worlds die hard. To live with vigor, to love powerfully and without caring whether we’re loved back, to let loose building and teaching and healing and all the arts that try to slow down the great Death. Especially joy, just joy itself. A joy flares bright and goes out like the stars that fall, but the little flare it makes slows down the great Death ever so slightly. That’s a triumph, that it can be slowed down at all, and by such a simple thing.
Tags: death, Diane Duane, entropy, Epic Tales of the Five, GLBT, joy, Love, Middle Kingdoms, polyamory
R.I.P. Robert Asprin
Posted by Cyn | Filed under Reading
I only encountered him personally once, on a panel the first time I attended a con (Dragon Con, 1988 or so?). I thought he was an arrogant jerk. I’ve heard from others that he could be quite nice, so maybe it was some kind of schtick. I did enjoy all the Thieves World books, despite their unrelenting darkness.
He was scheduled to be at MarCon this weekend, so it seems his death was sudden and unexpected. I wish the best to his family and friends.
Tags: deaths, Fantasy, Robert Lynn Asprin