Ah, the world of blogs. Every time I read, I learn something.
I’ve been reading the blog of SF author John Scalzi off and on for the last year, and he keeps getting better. (Plus, have you read Old Man’s War? Seamless. Good stuff. Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded? Hilarious — yet also has its poignant moments, like the man’s blog. And he’s written a YA book, which I am procuring soonest! Okay, enough with the fangirling.) His teensy rant the other day about strangers asking authors for favors regarding their manuscripts made me smile. Hasn’t happened much yet, but and I’m grateful, but I have to tell you — if I OFFER to read your work, that’s one thing, and that happens occasionally with friends. But if you’re a stranger: please don’t offer it TO me. Mr. Scalzi will tell you why. (The gentleman who told me he’d offer a prayer for me when I told him no STILL has me a little bemused…)
I love reading blogs. I know it can be a waste of time, but it can also just open up the world of the …completely bizarre. I check in with my girl Ananka to find out just what’s up in the world of weird. Answer: a snake with a leg. Yes. There was a mix-up at the reptile egg factory.
mental_floss provided me my next “Huh?!” moment in the form of a great story on recycling… Yes. “Recycle, Reduce, Reuse” has never been a more appropriate mantra for recycling the sucked out bodyfat cells of people who’ve had a little work done.
No, seriously. You can use recycled adipose cells to make guilt-free (if you were feeling guilty) stem cells. 1.) Get liposuction 2.) Probably sign all kinds of forms. 3.) Possibly cure cancer. It’s a win-win, don’t you think? You recycle and reduce, they re-use! Get it? No….?
Okay, maybe you’re not needing any liposuction. But here’s an idea you can get excited about — a new theme park. Via Gratz Industries we find that Universal Orlando is opening a Potter theme park. You know you want to go and play Q… What? It’s a theme park for kids? Right. Got that. You know you want to take your nieces and nephews and the neighbors grandkids. Just to see what it’s like, of course. 2010. Seems a long time to… for the poor kids to wait…
Well, that’s what I found wandering through the world of blogs today. Hope you’ve been equally well amused!
Isn’t that a nice view of the quad at the University of Glasgow? It is very Hogswartsesque.
Oh, we all think that sounds cool.
I heard something from, I think, Sara Lewis Holmes about the Hogsmeade they are building. If they have the actual prank store, and a pub with butterbeer, now THAT would be cool.
Okay, yeah, I'm a dork.
Charlotte: Now, THERE's an irony.
I followed the snake link, and am very found of this bit about two headed snakes:
Such animals are often caught and preserved as lucky tokens but have very little chance of surviving in the wild anyway, especially as the heads have a tendency to attack each other.
I hear you! Sometimes I worry I'll never manage to write another book because I have short stories coming to me in my Google Reader, stacks of books next to my bed, and boxes of books I intend to donate, but end up sitting on the floor rereading when I'm supposed to be taking them from the shelves.
And I **KNOW** I'm going to have to get to Universal Studios Florida. Can you believe I've never been???
I want to be above these things, but I freaking LOVE Universal's studio and theme park in Orlando, so I'll probably love the HP one, too (although nothing, NOTHING trumps the earthquake ride there–love that thing).
On a related note, Lucas and I have started reading HP#1 aloud to each other in the mornings before school. I thought it would be a nice way to pass the time, but we are both loving it in a deep way. I mean, you can pick on Rowling's writing style here and there, but reading it aloud, I'm appreciating her skill. Must reread more. And read for the first time more. Sometimes it's a little worrisome to me, how much I love to read.