Deviant Dispatches

I don't buy Darth Vader's zero-to-evil-in-five-seconds shtick. Source A few minutes before the whole " slaughtering younglings " scene, Anakin Skywalker had turned Chancellor Palpatine over to the Jedi. He recognized Palpatine as evil and an enemy. (I just want to add that I hate the use of younglings instead of children - as if that makes this galaxy any cooler/farther away. They're freaking children , George Lucas. You don't need a new word for them.) Anyway. Anakin had questions, and he was confused, but he still had enough sense to recognize evil and right and wrong. Then suddenly, he makes his decision. Source I have no problem with that. What I have a problem with is that when Palpatine says, "Time to go slaughter some kids so you can learn how to save your hunny-bunny," Anakin just says, "Okay." Even as a newly initiated Sith Lord - who earlier that same day turned in his friend for being an evil beeyotch - you...

I do not always cuddle, but when I do, it's 4 a.m. and your leg looks like a scratching post.  I do not always hide in shopping bags, but when I do, I seem to be plotting your demise... because I am. They are the most average cats in the world. But not to me.

Over the weekend, I rearranged the library a bit, making room for a new bookcase and shifting subjects. I'm not sure why, but I picked up the book Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose , about Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Undaunted Courage Ambrose was a pretty famous history writer and very well respected. Among other things, he wrote Band of Brothers , on which the TV show of the same name was based. While reading the dust jacket, I flipped to the back cover and found some newspaper articles about him. There was also a letter from UW-Madison geology professor Robert H. Dott, Jr., written to Ambrose in 1996 to ask whether the Lewis and Clark expedition had tents, having spent many cold, wet nights camping himself. ... And there was a reply from Ambrose (a UW history professor at the time), saying that they had buffalo hide tepees on the journey there, but slept "a la the geologists" on the trip back. As far as I can tell, it's...

I really ought to put some effort into writing a nice post for y'all this morning. But the sky is so dreary, and it's pouring quite steadily outside. I slept late and want to keep sleeping, even though this is the start of a four-day week and my workday will be shorter than usual. I do have to give myself some writing slack: I missed a day this weekend, but what I wrote yesterday was so strange and remarkable and ... disturbing.  It might seriously be the best part of my book. So. When it comes to writing, I can take a break now and then. Especially when I'll be finishing this book in a few days. Then come the edits. For now, though, we have only sunsets.

Last night, I met one of my favorite authors, and by the time I'd left for the night, I was convinced he hated me. This is likely just what my weird brain has conjured up. At most, I probably induced mild panic in someone who had already signed his name a lot that day. But here's the story. John Scalzi spoke at A Room of One's Own in Madison last night, thanks to my friend Gretchen's amazing author-getting skills. He was as funny in person as he is on the Internet, read from his new book The Human Division , and was terribly gracious when someone commented (not unkindly) that "You look much better than the last time I saw you." ("It's the slimming yellow," he responded.) So slimming, that Gamma Rabbit .   After his reading, he took questions, and I was lucky enough to be selected. So I asked him what part of the writing process makes him bang his head on the desk repeatedly. ("Starting," he said, "which is why ...

Ages ago, I found this picture. From this place . I immediately knew I wanted to make it for my friend Kaelin's birthday. So this weekend, I set to it. I made my melted ice cream cake (from the Cake Mix Doctor cookbook): a pint of Chocolate Explosion Ben and Jerry's, a chocolate fudge cake mix, and three eggs, baked at 350 for about 40 minutes. Unfortunately, this was the weekend in which I learned exactly why  you don't put a whole cake mix into an 8-inch round pan. The cake ended up with a muffin top. No problem; once it cooled, I needed to cut part of the top off to frost it, anyway. So while it cooled, I made fondant piggies. I've never worked with fondant, before, but it was a lot like clay. Except if the fondant is perfect and your hands are slightly moist, you end up with glop in your hands. But the piggies turned out well. (There is a little pig-butt in the upper left corner.) Next, I sliced the top off of the cake, so I could work o...

A friend pointed out that I haven't posted sunset pictures in quite a while. This is partially because with the changing of the seasons, the sun has moved out of range in the evening. Much like the Death Star waited on Yavin, we at the Batcave now wait for the sun to move back in range. Or we could, you know, go outside . This sunset was the day of my friend's wedding. They are the same sunset.

It was a busy weekend, but I have some great pictures to show for it! I went to my friend Liz's wedding, and it was gorgeous and fun and full of love. I saw friends I haven't seen in a long time. Spousal Unit rode a tractor. I took artistic photos of random stuff. (Or I tried to be artistic, anyway.) There was a gorgeous moon above a white farmhouse. And there was happiness. All of the greatest things for Liz's wedding. (I include the tractor in that, too.)

Lack of sleep has made me loopy and zombified. To conserve energy, all I'm posting today are these cat pictures. Enjoy.

Republic of Tea is my favorite of the more commercial tea companies. Their teas are tasty, their teaware is gorgeous, and they have a sense of humor, referring to themselves as "ministers of the Republic of Tea." I've loved everything I've gotten from them. Until now. Get Clean I bought this Get Clean tea to see if it would help relieve some of the general "yucky" I've felt lately. I'd never tried detoxing tea before; it sounded like it would taste of pigs' feet and smell of elderberries . Not so, according to the website's reviews. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the tea's flavor. The least favorable reviewer just said she wasn't "that crazy" about the taste, which implies it's in the middle ground. I decided those reviews were good enough, so I ordered and waited. Boys and girls: you should never trust strangers on the internet. The tea arrived and I gleefully made a cup, ready to feel more ...

On Saturday, Spousal Unit and I were driving home and this song by the National came on. The day had been long. It started out lovely, but something shifted when I went to buy a dress for upcoming weddings. I think it had something to do with my self-consciousness about my body. I didn't terribly feel like putting on different skins, analyzing them, scrutinizing myself. But I did it, because it needed doing. I went to run a few other errands, and there were more of bad drivers out than usual, giving me heart attacks at every turn and making me seethe at their idiocy. I called errands off early and went home, where Spousal Unit reminded me of his need for dress shoes. So we went out again, because it needed doing. Something about the song Runaway speaks to the softest part of me - the part I'm always trying to protect, the part I rarely show. Part of it is the lyrics , but I think more of it is the emotion in the lead singer's voice. Sitting at a stop light, thi...

*Spousal Unit works at a medical supply company. He sent this letter last week to the woman who orders company supplies. He really did.* Hi Michelle, I had a question about the pens that we have. Well, it's really more of an issue. You see, earlier today, I took a pen out of the supply closet for use on an Official Document. This document was not time sensitive, though it could very well have been. I could have had need to write a note on an important certificate for a doctor's signature, or I could have needed a pen to correct an authorization request to Medicaid. What if the patient's house had been on fire and I needed to sign an attestation in order for Medicare to cover replacement equipment, but the patient was cold, hungry, and without their medical equipment until I could do so? I hope I've impressed upon you the gravity of this situation. So I took a pen from the supply closet for use on an Official Document. At this point, I'd like to refer you to ...

As we headed toward the Overture Center for the big concert, Spousal Unit and I still had time to kill, so we went to the art museum next door. We stood in awe of the beautiful interior for a moment, then asked the guy at reception what the coolest piece in the museum was at the moment. "Well, we're technically closed right now," he said. "But I think it's the painting over there." The painting was more or less an upskirt shot of a lady's crossed legs under a table. She seemed to have a tuba or something draped over one foot. Art is weird sometimes, but awesome at others. Through the glass wall next to the painting was an exhibit of children's art, and I saw this piece of glory. It's GIR from Invader Zim! At a distance, it was hard to tell the medium, but I think the black parts are felt and the green is papier mache. Anyway. You want to hear about the concert . We sat in the front row of the second balcony (there are three...

Last night, Spousal Unit and I went on a date to see Shen Yun. With a trailer like this, we were really excited, and have been since we bought the tickets. Which was in March. That's a long time to sustain such excitement. We went out to dinner at Gino's on State Street. It's basically Spousal Unit's favorite place ever, and they made us yet another stellar Chicago-style pizza. After dinner, we headed back to the car (parked across from the fire department) so I could put on fancy shoes for the performance. Across the street at the fire department, we noticed a pink hardhat on the other side of the window that had a smiley face on top. I was about to take a picture when an ambulance pulled up. "You're going to get run over," Spousal Unit pointed out. I quickly moved, and we were about to go on our way without a picture when... "You're welcome to come inside, if you'd like!" one of the fire-guys said enthusiatically. ...

Source Today, I'm backing up the blog. Enjoy another gorgeous day - go for a walk, plant some flowers, throw a frisbee, or throw on a black cloak and pretend you're a vampire. I'll see you Thursday.

Yesterday, I painted a bookshelf I found for $7. And the paint was free, too. The shelf used to be a dark brown shade, kind of sickly, and splattered with white paint in some places for no good reason. I decided it was my job to make this thing presentable and hella cool. The paint was from a coworker who had trouble finding the right shade for her kitchen - I chose two of the nicest-looking tans and went to work. I think it turned out pretty well... Or I did until I brought it inside. To my dismay, without natural lighting, this shade looks exactly like the ugly old radiators at my former high school. High School Radiator is a terrible bookshelf color. I do have a few other paint colors that I can splash around, though in much smaller quantities. Maybe it would help to paint the front of each shelf green. My big hope, though, is that it will be salvaged once I write book quotes all over it. So far I'm planning on quotes from Lord of the Rings , the Dark Tower ...

I've shared this xkcd a million times. Never gets old. When your 10:30 bedtime rolls around, you can say, "Nah... Time for another episode of Arrested Development." You worry about the little fuzzballs/poopers when you go away, but it's oddly satisfying that you have a little someone to worry about. Mama always said you could be whatever you want when you grow up. Turns out you're not limited to one choice! You can be an astronaut, a firefighter, and a teacher! (Though why would you ever quit being an astronaut ?) Learning doesn't stop after school is done. (Check out the Richat Structure !) Dancing to your favorite songs for half an hour is totally exercise. There are lots of fun ways to exercise as an adult... It's harder to make new friends as an adult, but you can pick your friends' traits, to a degree. Want to make friends with an artist? Take an art class . A marine biologist? Talk to the people who run the local aquarium . Yo...

Emerging Adulthood You can do whatever you want, whenever you want! ...But people look at you strangely when you make monkey noises at the post office. You can watch R-rated movies anytime. But if you re-watch any of your favorite childhood movies, you discover that they've magically stopped being awesome. It's like they've gone through puberty too. Your job gives you money. And you have to decide whether to spend it on a Darth Vader mask or on rent. (Often, it's not a choice. Your geeky stuff needs a place to stay, after all.) High school is over, but some people never evolve. They are stuck in high-school mode and force you to suffer through their personal, debilitating dramas. You can choose your own direction, but you do so at your own peril. There is no academic adviser to help you, and there are no save points to which you can return later. All of the video games and cool outfits in the world are right at your fingertips, without Mom there to tell y...