I'm pretty much convinced you can find people on the internet with interests in anything and everything possible. When I find this stuff, I just have to share it. Will you forgive me?
Take, for example, a blog I found the other day (I think I was sent there from a comment in Making Light, but I'm not sure how I found it now) Dr. Toast’s Amazing World of Toast. Wherein we learn about the number of things the blogger has put through toast, National Bread Month, toast recipes, etc. Yep, it's almost all about toast. I'm sure if I went back in the archives I'd find stuff about the Miraculous Image of the Madonna Toasted Cheese Sandwich. He (she?) even has his own Technorati tag. This is a person after my own heart. (after writing this I went and made some toast - really. It had no divine images at all upon it.)
My friends, together we've explored the world of folk who dress up and film their Roombas, cats in sinks and people who knit things you wouldn't expect to see knitted. I promise to continue looking for links where obsessing about the weird, trivial and obscure are the whole point, here at NVNC ID VIDES, NVNC NE VIDES.
NVNC ID VIDES, NVNC NE VIDES means (loosely) "Now you see it, now you don't." Isn't that the very essence of the internet? It's such a hyper-dynamic medium - stuff moves off the front pages of sites in the blink of an eye. Of course, you can look for yesterday's news and you can research through billions of web pages for information about past events, but really, for the most part the web is about what's going on right this second - and if things on one link haven't changed since the last time, folk move on looking for something new.
I didn't consciously use that phrase as the title of my blog because I'm subtle or clever. I've had this blog for quite some time and just now figured it out! Truth is, I'm a Terry Pratchett fan and it's the motto of the Unseen University of the Wizards of Discworld. If I had been looking to say something about blogging and the blogiverse, I couldn't have done better anyway. Maybe I have a really clever subconscious? *shrug*
Moving on to the category of "stuff writers need to know" there's a post at At Last! Writer Beware Blogs! A.C. Crispin and Victoria Strauss Reveal All! where Victoria Strauss says to Cris Robins " Go Ahead. Make My Day." The 'agent' in question has one sale listed on her site - her own book. She charges a fee of approximately 3k to 'represent' you. Read also the thread about her in the Absolute Write "Bewares" forum.
Well, I'm in a real "nesting" mood - the office needs a good re-organization and I need to update the 'bookshelf' here as well as my real one. Have a wonderful weekend.
Dawno, MakingLight, Dr. Toast, Roomba, cats in sinks, knitting, Unseen University, Discworld, Terry Pratchett, internet, Blogs, Blogging, Absolute Write, Writer Beware, literary agent, literary scams, organizing
Two dunks double Parker's pleasure
Heard this on NPR earlier in the day. It was quite a big story - ABC even broke into their sports coverage of the NBA to show the dunks. Her team (#6 seeded Tennesee Lady Vol's) beat Army 102 to 54 in their first round game of the Women's NCAA tournament.
Army has a woman's basketball team. I have to pause and marvel at that for a bit. When I was in High School women couldn't go to West Point. And now there's not only women at West Point, (getting ready to celebrate 30 years since the first woman enrolled) but a woman playing basketball against them not only broke away and dunked the ball, but did it twice. Wow.
I've said this before, so forgive me as I say it again. Thank you Mary Wollstonecraft and Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul and Lucy Burns and Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem and countless other women, who, although I may not agree entirely with their goals, broke the trail, widened it to a path, and countless other footsteps have continued to create a roadway that my daughter can more easily follow. There are a number of worthy articles to read collected at About.com if you care to read further. Wikipedia's article on "feminist" is a good read, too. While I'm not a big sports fan, this is a milestone on that road that is worthy of notice.
Then I think about the law in South Dakota, and I picture that road as still not safely paved in something solid and resistant like a true road -- it's vulnerable to people like Governor Mike Rounds who would scatter mines along it and see it become impassable and overgrown.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to figure it out and do something. One thing we can do is stop by BitchPHD's blog and those of other bloggers on her blogroll. We should support each other. I'm not a liberal but I'm a feminist. Those two words are not mutually exclusive, whatever some idiots of the far right would have you believe. Feminism is the belief in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. I'm not a true 'conservative' either, in the current climate around the meaning of that word, politically. Closest I come is Libertarian, I guess.
Anyway - I don't care what your political leanings are as long as you agree that we cannot allow the United States to become a place there is no women's Army Basketball team. We need to become a place where hearing about a woman making two dunks in a game is *not* news. We need to make this happen for my daughter and my granddaughter(s). I want them to look back and be proud of us as I am of the feminists of the 60s and 70s.
Dawno, Candace Parker, NPR, Women's NCAA Tournament, Women's Liberation, South Dakota, Mike Rounds
Medievalist, Fahim, Moondancer - thank you for your help - all the credit and/or blame for the stylistic choices or weirdness goes to me, but you were patient and helpful and now I can play.
seeing what happens when I post date the entry...
The Oscars Meme
1. Which award was the biggest surprise to you?
2. Which award was exactly what you expected?
3. Which nominee do you feel got the award for some reason other than being the best in their category? Explain.
4. What scared you the most about Dolly Parton?
5. On a scale of one to ten, rate Jon Stewart's hosting.
6. Who would you like to see host next year's awards? Why?
7. Did the film montages seem like a ridiculous self-congratulatory waste of time to you? Why or why not? (gee, my feelings aren't obvious here, are they?)
8. Favorite gown?
9. Express your opinion of whether or not writers of western novels who write award winning screenplays should get to wear jeans to the ceremony.
10. Tom Hanks - what's with the long hair?
11. Who's hotter, George Clooney or Heath Ledger?
12. How come we love Aussie/Kiwi/Brit/Welsh/Irish/Scots actors so much?
13. Reese - blonde or brunette?
My answers are "under the fold"
1. Reese Witherspoon - I was sure the academy wouldn't think she's ready for it yet. I'm happy they rewarded a good portrayal.
2. Best Actor to Philip Seymour Hoffman - he was incredible as Capote - it was amazing.
3. Visual effects to King Kong. I think Narnia was superior.
4. Besides the way her mouth looks, I was afraid she'd fall off those shoes and break a hip!
5. 7 - he's not an insider so it'll take a while for the audience to warm up to him - hope he gets to try again next year - those "political ad" clips were very funny.
6. Jon - see above
7. Yes. We watch the Oscars to see things about current movies and current stars. If we want to watch old movies that's what A&E and Turner Classic are for
8. I thought Jennifer Anniston's gown was lovely. But her hair? ick.
9. Why not. The jeans look better with the boots than tuxedo pants would.
10. I hope it's for a movie that makes him a lot of money, because he looks ridiculous.
11. George Clooney
12. It's so much fun to hear them speak!
13. Brunette actually - she looks so washed out as a blonde.