Out of Lascaux

My Favorite SF Authors Who Blog

SF Signal has a list of SF Authors who blog. As to be expected, it's a very long list. However, I'm still waiting for Catherine Asaro and Elizabeth Moon to join the ranks, and I have to give a big "tsk, tsk" to Lois McMaster Bujold for blogging on Myspace (I'm sorry, but Myspace is where people go when they want to be part of the teen crowd.) Anyway, here's a list of my personal favorites (the authors, not necessarily the blog).

Lois McMaster Bujold, author of the Miles Vorkosigan series, and the Chalion fantasy series.

Laurell K Hamilton, author of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, and Merry Gentry (not as good, IMHO).

Lyda Moorehouse author of Archangel Protocol and several others in the series which appears to be out of print (hmph).

Naomi Novik, author of His Majesty's Dragon.

And of interest:
John Ringo. Now, I'm not sure if he's a favorite yet. I'm still reading A Hymn Before Battle. It's pretty good so far.

David Brin, author of the Uplift War series. I like his books, but I wouldn't consider him a favorite. However, his blog is what you might call "intellectually stimulating," you know, interesting.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr. Author of the Chaos series. See Brin above.

I won't comment on the fact that all my favorites are women, and all the "of interest" are men. It's kind of normal for me. C'est la vie.

Meme-thingy

I don't think I've ever done one of these "tell us about yourself" meme thingies. So, since Lynn deigned to do one, so shall I.

What do you think about Ouija boards?
On the one hand, very silly. On the other, more dangerous than hand guns.

Your favorite TV shows?
I just got into Gilmore Girls, so I'm watching that every day. Current shows - House, Boston Legal, Ghost Hunters. All time favorites - Highlander, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kung Fu (ones I own entire DVD sets of).

Favorite Board Game?
Trivial Pursuit

Favorite Magazine?
Smithsonian

Favorite smells?
Vanilla, burning leaves.

Worst feeling in the world?
Having to put your beloved pet down.

Best feeling in the world?
Walking along an empty beach on a cool autumn day.

Favorite Soundtrack?
Jesus Christ Superstar (does that count as a soundtrack?)

What is the first thing you think when you wake in the morning?
"I wonder if Achilles has crapped in my living room."

Roller coaster - scary of exciting?
Exciting.

How many rings before you answer the phone?
As few as possible because the big dog goes nuts when it rings. Cats wind up on high places, and books and papers scatter.

Favorite foods?
Ice Cream, Hot & Sour Soup, pork chops, mashed potatoes.

Chocolate or vanilla?
Oh, please, chocolate, of course.

Do you like to drive?
Hate it. Would rather take the bus of walk whenever possible.

Storms - cool or scary?
Scary. I've always hated thunder storms, but since moving into my not-so-waterproof house, I dread any kind of heavy rain storm.

What type was your first car?
Well, my husband's '82(?) Toyota Corona was the first one I drove. I didn't get my license until I was 30. Our first car we bought together was a '91 Saturn.

If you could meet one person dead or alive - who would it be?
My great grandmother Elna Van Sweringen. I know nothing about her, but she has a mischievous twinkle in her eye in the pictures I have of her. I also want to know - as a genealogist - who her parents were (if she even knew).

Favorite alcoholic drink?
Kahlua and milk.

What is your zodiac sign?
Pisces

Who is your favorite poet?
Don't read poetry, though I'm fond of Jabberwocky.

Do you eat the stems of broccoli?
Um, yeah, the parts that don't get thrown away because they are inedible.

If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be?
Urban Archaeologist.

If you could dye your hair any color, what would it be?
I've died it many colors in the past (normal ones, no pink) and red is the one I stick with most often.

Is the glass half empty or half full?
Depends on what's in the glass.

What is your favorite Snapple?
Don't drink it enough to have a favorite. I prefer Tazo teas.

Favorite movies?
Far too many to list here.

Are you a lefty, righty, or ambidextrous?
Righty.

Do you type with your fingers on the proper keys?
Hell, no, I never learned to touch type. I use three fingers on each hand. I can hunt & peck at 40 words per minute.

What is your favorite number?
32

Favorite sport to watch?
Horse racing.

Favorite quote?
"He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad" - Rafael Sabatini, Scaramouche.

Greek Art At the Met

Apparently, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has revamped their Greco-Roman galleries. From the pictures in the New York Times article, they look pretty spectacular. Hope I get to see them at some point.

The slide show that goes with the article is very nice, too. But more importantly, it has a picture of my favorite Greek statue.

Veiled and Masked Dancer

She's only 8 inches high, and was made around the 3rd-2nd century BC. I find the drape of her veil incredibly sensuous, and even though I know it's bronze, I feel I have to touch it to make sure it isn't real silk. Just beautiful. Worth going to see the Met's new galleries for all by herself.

Homeschool Blogger Awards

Here's an unofficial award list that I can get behind. Evolved Homeschooler Blog Awards. Check out their logo, which has a link somewhere down in the comments, which are pretty interesting in their own right.

(Via Mother Crone.)

Around the Blogosphere

I have to point you to Urville. Urville is a thriving metropolis on the coast of France, with a population of over 20 million. It is also completely imaginary. Urville was developed by Gilles Trehin, a man with Autism. He is also a man with extraordinary talent. His architectural drawings of the city are amazing works of art. He has created a city complete within itself, from its history to its modern demographics. Check it out. (via Plep.)

Bill over at Ideofact is writing again. Always interesting to see what he has to say about culture and such.

So why do so many of us take these "sabbaticals" from blogging? With me, I just lost interest in everything, including blogging, around the time my mother died. And now that I'm blogging again, I find my interests have changed. Well, not my interests so much - I'm still in love with Art History - but what I find interesting to talk about. I feel like I've already said the "important" things and don't wish to repeat myself. Also, with the expansion of the blogosphere, plenty of other people are talking about art, so I don't feel the need to do it so much anymore.
Plenty of things to say about quilting and TV, though. And occasionally something art-related will capture my attention long enough to urge me to post about it.

More Quilting Adventures

So I want to know who decided that the "correct" way to do hand quilting meant contorting your hands and fingers into the most unnatural position possible. They always say, "Oh, it just takes practice! Give it time!" Hmph. By the time I might ever be able to make decent stitches in that position, my hands would be cramped beyond recognition and my arthritis would be screaming. No, it isn't worth it. It's not like anyone has ever said what the advantage to doing in that way is. (For those unfamiliar with this technique, it involves using your middle finger as the control finger, and can be seen here.)

Being the rebel that I am, I have decided to quilt the way that feels best for me, and that means the thumb - our strongest finger - is the control. But they don't make thimbles for your thumb. Or at least they didn't. I splurged on this baby, and I have to say I'm lovin' it. It was worth every penny.

The Riches

Friday night. The FX channel. The Riches marathon. Be there (if you have this cable channel.)

I have been watching this show from the start, mainly because of Eddie Izzard, but also because it has a unique concept. Wayne Molloy (Eddie Izzard) and his family are Travellers, also known as Tinkers in Europe, though I haven't heard anyone use it for the Molloys. Wayne wants the best for his family, and right now, it's the American dream. And the only way this family can get it is to steal it. That's how they get everything. But now, living in a dead family's house, living their lives, they may be in over their heads.

The show is quirky, funny, suspenseful and intense at times. The writing is great, and the acting is top-notch. Ok, Minnie Driver plays Wayne's wife. So we have two Brits playing Americans from the south. They killed me when they were pretending to be British, kind of a Victor/Victoria thing: Brits, pretending to be Americans, pretending to be Brits. And they did it well!

So now I'm seriously into Eddie Izzard. I have liked him since my mom bought a couple of DVD's of his comedy concerts. He is hilarious. And did I mention that he's a transvestite? An action transvestite, mind you, not one of those pansy ones. He fancies girls, not boys. He just likes to wear women's clothes and make-up. I find myself wondering what it would be like to be married to an action transvestite. Would he want to wear my dresses? Would he even like my dresses?!? A cool thing would be shopping. Imagine being able to go clothes shopping with your husband and actually have him give you fashion tips. And you could do the same for him. Very cool.