Beauty and the Beast

I grew up watching Beauty and the Beast, and I loved that show.  I was just the right age to get into it; I thought it was the most romantic thing I'd ever seen!  So, when a friend mentioned the CW announced a remake as part of their new fall lineup, I was immediately filled with dread.  After all, this is the same channel that brought us such gems as Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girls, and Ringer.  Now I know they also put out decent shows - I did like the first few seasons of Smallville, and I have friends who love Supernatural and Hart of Dixie.  I just think I'm too old for their target audience.

So I was already prejudiced about this particular venture of theirs.  And then I saw The Trailer  Seriously, click on the link, I'll wait.




Now, just how BAD was that?  I forced Joe to sit through it, mostly because I laughed so hard at it, that I thought he deserved to see it.  I think there is a possibility the show's plot will be salvagable, but Kristen Kreuk's particular "acting talents" give the actress who plays Bella from the Twilight movies a run for her money.  It is just bad bad bad.  *shakes head sadly*

Muslims in American History

One of my co-workers learned of my interest in other cultures, and loaned me this book.  I was hesitant at first, because I thought it would be an angry Muslim book, detailing all the ways in which white America has trod on their ancestors.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that is not the case.  The book does talk about the hidden history of Muslims in America, but the author does it with a clinical eye that understands history is (usually) written by the winners.

The book starts with the idea that Muslims visited the Americas even before Eric the Red, and had trade already established by the time Columbus decided to make his voyage.  Next, it weaves its way through history, and outlines the contributions Muslims have made to America.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.  I love learning about other cultures, and by seeing a fresh perspective it helps me to better understand how all the puzzle pieces fit together.

http://www.amazon.com/Muslims-American-History-Forgotten-Legacy/dp/1590080440

Carol Lynne

I can remember the first time I discovered Carol Lynne.  At the time, she was publishing on what was then Ellora's Cave, now Ravenous Romance.  Before that, I'd never read a poly/multiple partner's book, so it was a revelation to me.  I didn't know it was a whole genre, which means it was 4 years or so ago. At the time I just thought "Wow! An author who writes for my life!"  I devoured everything she wrote on that site, and I've followed her to others since then.

The first series I read was called Men in Love.  It was the first time I read about a loving relationship between multiple partners.  Later in the series, an even larger family is created between the characters of a couple different books.  Finally, a romance novel I could read that didn't make me crazy!

 Romance novels are my brain candy, and like other things in my life, I indulge frequently.  So anytime I read something where the main drama was whether the heroine would choose hero A or hero B just made me frustrated.  In my life, unless the heroes had a problem with it, there wouldn't need to be this decision.  She could have her cake and eat it, too!

And this is what Ms. Lynne did for me.  She opened a whole new world of loving relationships of all different formations.  Later series include Cattle Valley, which is about an entire town of kinky, mostly gay, happy folk.  And who doesn't love cowboy p0rn?

Her latest is an exploration of the seasons of a relationship, called Season of Love.  The series followed two men from the beginning of  their relationship in Spring, through their whole lives until Winter comes, and with it the end of everything.  I really enjoyed it because I often wonder what happens next in these stories, and also because it felt like it gave me a glimpse of my future with my husbands, as we get old.

Ms. Lynne will forever be one of those authors that as soon as they announce their new books, I'm right there purchasing it.

Nomophobia

Nomophobia - the fear of being without a mobile phone.  


My family lovingly teases me about my iPhone addiction, and when Joe came across this Wikipedia page, he knew it explained me.  I showed it to David, and without explanation he instantly declared it fit me.  I will admit that I have a certain fondness for being attached to both my phone and the Online Repository of All Knowledge that is Google.  So, when things go wrong with my phone (my Precioussssss) I start to lose it a little.

My problem started last Thursday.  Suddenly, I couldn’t hear out of the receiver.  I could still use my headphones (with line-in mic) and speakerphone to make a call, but otherwise I couldn’t use the phone normally.  I did not panic, yet, as a patch had just come through, and it wouldn’t be the first time a patch messed up my phone.  So I waited, and I made an appointment with the Genius Bar for first thing Saturday morning.  

Now, I like the Genius Bar.  I’ve always had really good service from them, and I like that I don’t have to ship my phone off for repairs (as Tam and Joe would with their Motorolas).  Joe has even gotten his iTouch replaced once, even though technically it should have been his fault.  Saturday was no exception.  Unfortunately, my Genius was a bit frazzled, because not only was he dealing with my problem, but a couple of Self-Important kids (couldn’t have been older than 10) came in with a problem with their phone.  He knew them by name, so I get the feeling it wasn’t the first time he’d dealt with them.  They were rude to me and him, so he must have had the patience of Job, to use a biblical reference.  Unfortunately, he did all he could for me but in the end it was a hardware problem, and my phone was 96 days out of warranty.

Now, a decision had to be made.  I could pay $149 then and there, and get a replacement phone of the exact same model, or I could wait until the next available line upgrade on our Verizon plan (Oct) and get a new phone.  We didn’t really have the money now, and while we could have made room in our budgets, it would have messed up other plans.

So I made the very painful decision to keep my poor broken phone, and just deal with it as it is for the next 5 months.  Sometimes, being an adult really sucks.

However, I still have a phone.  No panic attacks for me!

Ready Player One

A mere four days after it came out, I finished listening to Ready Player One, an incredible debut novel by Ernie Cline (of Nern Porn Auteur and other comedy gems) and performed by Wil Wheaton. Originally, I picked this audiobook up based on the mere fact that Wil read it. (I've done this before, with Fuzzy Nation, to great success so I'm at a point where if he is the voice actor I will try any book he reads. I'll be starting Andriod Dreams next.) 

However, two pages into this book and I was utterly hooked. I had to force myself NOT to listen to it at night because I wanted to have something fun to look forward to during the workday. 

RPO is the story of an 18 year old boy as he solves the world's greatest puzzle and becomes a man in the process. Wade lives in a not-so-distant future where a game called "The Oasis" allows people to live virtual lives in as many worlds and settings as you can imagine. The children even have the option to go to school virtually, solving many of the overcrowding problems plaguing public schooling. 

The inventor of The Oasis is a reclusive genius that dies and then leaves control of his company as well as his fortune to the first person who can find an Easter Egg in his game. And thus the race begins to solve multiple puzzles in an attempt to find keys and open gates. 

This book is an 80s fan's dream. I grew up in the 80s, even though I am a bit young for some of the references. Overall, I got most of the references, except for the anime characters. The books and movies were a blast from the past, and several of the game situations make me wish something similar exists in today's society. 

The information on this book indicates that the day after the rights were bought up in a fierce bidding war, the movie rights were purchased with Ernie Cline himself as a screenwriter. I can't tell you how excited I am for this as well. 

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy today. 

Beltane

Today, the family and I journeyed to the wilds of Springfield to attend the Church of the Living Earth's Beltane celebration.  This was my first Beltane, and coincidentally, our first ritual with the CLE.  I was impressed.

First, Michele, who is the high priestess but don't call her that, was such a welcome and inviting presence.  She made us feel wanted mostly because she made us feel like it was natural that we were a part of it all, and not newcomers to her celebrations. (Also, she took time to explain the ceremony with warmth and kindness that made me feel like it was ok to ask questions, and not that I was intruding on her time at all.)

By and large the rest of the group that gathered were so friendly and warm that even I, a devout anti-social hermit, got into conversations with total strangers.  I talked to Angela about her life, and her family and her hair.  I talked to Jayme about dresses and bugs and Words with Friends.  I talked to Robert about phones and data plans.  Do you see a trend here?  Even though this was a pagan celebration, I was delighted to find things I could talk about with others that didn't showcase my pagan-newbieness.

I enjoyed the two workshops we attended.  The one was an overview on Divination, and the different methods.  She quickly defined each type, and showed the implements used during that type.  She was very non-judgmental about each of the types, but instead talked in such a way that allowed the listener to come to their own conclusions.  That was quite a feat, when such things as a Ouija board and crystal scrying are brought up, even among the open-minded.

The ritual was informative and spiritually fulfilling.  Because Beltane is a celebration of the marriage between the Lord and Lady, the ritual was a joyful celebration between us and them.  There was no calling of the elements, since we were already outside and in the elements.  We didn't close the circle, for the same reason.  We heard a poem spoken between Michele (as the Lady) and Mark (as the Lord), and then a brief explanation of the reason for the celebration.  One of the younger members of the CLE performed a song, which was really cool even though she was feeling shy.  The Maypole dance was chaotic at first, but once people got the hang of it, the pattern the ribbons made on the pole was beautiful.

Yes, I would absolutely attend another ceremony or ritual this church leads.  I feel like I made some real connections with people there, and it was a very fulfilling feeling.

Red State

Tonight, husband#1 and I watched Red State, the thriller by Kevin Smith. I'm not sure why exactly we keep watching fucked up movies together, but it just seems to work out that way.

Overall, it was an ok movie. There were some pacing problems, and some character questions, but all in all I'm glad I saw it. I'm no longer the Kevin Smith fanatic I once was - Zac and Mirni cured me of that! - but he's still enough to get my attention.

I just wish he'd grow out of the dick and fart jokes. Funny when you're in your twenties - not do much in your forties.