| It's a Monday, all right |
[May. 12th, 2008|10:38 pm] |
Point the first: Someone was cranky just about all night last night; no matter how soundly asleep she'd be on my shoulder, she'd wake up and start wailing the instant any part of her touched her crib. I don't sleep very soundly (nor well) propped up on a recliner with a baby on my shoulder. (Nor when one is waking up wailing in the next room every 45-90 minutes, all night long.)
Point the second: I had a dental appointment this morning for a cleaning. Those of you who've known me for a while know that the thought of this does not fill me with rainbows and kittens. So when I quick check LJ while letting Miss Crankypants get a few extra z's, what greets my eyes on the top of my friendslist? This. -sigh- (The bad news was that the dentist found one cracked filling and one veneer that is slightly chipped and "leaking". The good news was that he didn't find any new problems, and he didn't tell me that there are any potential new problem areas they're watching. So when I go back next week, it won't be a cheap appointment, but it also won't be $OMG,WTF.OO like the one four months ago was, when I had to get a crown replaced.)
Point the third: A couple months ago I'd agreed to co-present an hour-long session on graphic novels in libraries at an area conference for paraprofessionals. Almost a month ago, I met with my two co-presenters to hash out what should be in the presention. Two weeks ago, I put together two sets of PowerPoint slides for my part of the presentation. This morning I get an e-mail from one of the presenters wondering if I was okay, since I hadn't shown up and hadn't let them know I couldn't make it. I checked my calendar--and discovered I'd written down the day of the conference as May 19 rather than when it actually was, May 9.
Point the fourth: At work, I was recently informed that the children's librarians (whose material makes up the bulk of my workload) still have approximately $17K left in their book budget, which has to be spent before the end of the fiscal year, June 30. However, when the summer reading program starts June 1, they won't have time to do any selection, so they actually have to get that all spent by the end of May. $17K buys you a LOT of children's books...
At the rate things are going, it looks like tomorrow is going to be Monday, too. And the next day. And the next week. And the next month.
-sigh-
Feudalism: Serf & Turf |
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| House Republicans "support" Mother's Day by voting against it |
[May. 10th, 2008|08:39 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | politics | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  annoyed | ] |
via the Washington Post, Countdown with Keith Olberman, and other places:
On Wednesday, the House voted 412-0 in favor of House Resolution 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day,". As soon as the voting was done, a Republican representative from Kansas protested and moved to reconsider the vote, which ended up going to a revote. This time, 178 Republicans voted against the ideals of Mother's Day.
The real reason for this is simply to abuse Robert's Rules of Order on pretty much every vote in order to bog down the House in procedural nonsense so that very little actually gets done, as a protest against what they feel is a lack of bipartisanship. (The Democrats pull the same shenanigans when they are in the minority and they think the majority isn't cooperating with them, especially when election season rolls around.)
However, when House Minority Leader John Boehner was asked why he and many of his colleagues switched their votes, his answer was, "Oh, we just wanted to make sure that everyone was on record in support of Mother's Day."
O RLY?
Feudalism: Serf & Turf |
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| Books that I read in March |
[Apr. 24th, 2008|09:56 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | books | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  tired | ] |
8. Jacques, Brian; adapted by Stuart Moore; ill. by Bret Blevins. Redwall: The Graphic Novel (143 p.)
9. Shakespeare, William; adapted by Richard Appignanesi; ill. by Sonia Leong. Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet (195 p.)
10. ibid.; adapted by Richard Appignanesi; ill. by Emma Vieceli. Manga Shakespeare: Hamlet (195 p.)
11. Beland, Tom. True Story, Swear to God [2nd series], vol. 1 (170 p.)
12. Crilley, Mark. Akiko: Flights of Fancy, The High-Flying Expanded Edition (257 p.)
13. Edginton, Ian, & Ron Marz, writers; Greg Land & Sergio Cariello, pencillers. Sojourn, vol. 6: The Berzerker's Tale (140 p.)
14. Rosenberg, Joel. The Heir Apparent (319 p.)
15. Heinlein, Robert. Podkayne of Mars (159 p.)
16. ibid. The Puppet Masters (175 p.)
March total: 1753 pages
YTD total: 5402 pages
My comic shop had "misplaced" a bunch of the graphic novels that I'd ordered over the past year, and after finally asking the shop owner to see what happened, most of them suddenly turned up. (They'd apparently apparently been set aside in the general "non-comics" pull box all along, but a reminder sheet for the clerk to pull them out for me somehow never got put in my pull box, so I never learned that they'd arrived.) So I spent some time this month catching up on graphic novels in addition to my prose reading.
( Redwall )
( Manga Shakespeare )
( True Story, Swear to God )
( Akiko: Flights of Fancy )
( Sojourn )
( The Heir Apparent )
( Podkayne of Mars )
( Puppet Masters )
Feudalism: Serf & Turf |
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| Meme: The first comic book you remember reading |
[Apr. 10th, 2008|11:08 pm] |
From ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) dvandom:
What was the first comic you can remember reading, or the first to make enough of an impression on you that you do remember reading it, assuming that you were reading comics as a wee little kiddie? Bonus if you can find the cover on CoverBrowser or some similar site and link it in.
The first comic book I remember reading is one whose identity was a mystery to me for many years; I only knew I'd read it in the pediatrician's office when I was very young. There it was, in a loose pile with random issues from several years of Highlights. There may have been other comics there that day that I also read, but this is the only one that I remember. I don't even remember how old I was or why we were at the doctor's office that time, though given that I could read it, it was probably sometime between 1976 & 1979.
One of the main impediments for tracking down that issue later on was that the only things I could remember were a blue furry guy who could change into Al Capone, a short guy with an orange suit and a collar of grey tabs around his neck who could bounce off the walls, a big guy with white hair, an angular white mustache and a weird outfit, and a large red alien with wavy lips and tentacles. And, while I don't normally have a true photographic memory, I definitely did have a photograph in memory of the page with that red alien.
When I got into Marvel comics later in life, through kateshort, I guessed it was probably some early issue of Giant Size-era Uncanny X-Men, once I figured out that the first two of those characters were Beast and Toad. But then we completed our collection back to Giant Size X-Men #1, and it wasn't in there--and the previous issues of Uncanny X-Men before GSX#1 were published so much earlier the chances of any of them still being in the doctor's office by the time I'd've been there were slim.
Then I started compiling the Exhaustive Completist's Annotated Index of X-Men Guest Appearances in the mid-90's--buying back issues of many other Marvel comics in the process (thanks in large part to an area comic store liquidating its back stock at fire sale prices) and reading every one of them--and there it was, exactly like I remembered it:
Avengers #138, August 1975.
(The page I remembered best is towards the end of the issue, and was exactly the same, panel for panel, the way I remembered it.)
After that, I repeatedly read "Superman from the 30s to the 70s", "Secret Origins of the DC Heroes" (the earlier version sans Martian Manhunter), a "Wonder Woman" archive, an omnibus collection of early Buck Rogers strips, and most of the Nostalgia Press collections of Flash Gordon strips--as my father had bought those around the time they came out. Those are what I consider the most important and the most formative "nostalgia" comics for me. I also read some Archie comics (the Spire version) and Disney comics a friend down the street had.
However, what truly got me hooked on reading monthly comics as they came out was John Byrne's 1986 relaunch of Superman with Man of Steel #1, and, that same year, being allowed to read a family friend's copies of Transformers #1-25 or so--especially Transformers #5. That love of comics is one of the things that let me to kateshort, so I'm very, very glad for it.
Feudalism: Serf & Turf |
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| Work w00t |
[Mar. 27th, 2008|12:23 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | work | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | exhausted | ] |
Today at work I assigned call numbers to 216 books. I'm mentally exhausted.
(An average day for me involves assigning call numbers to around 10-40 books, and an average month involves assigning call numbers to around 300-400 books.)
Admittedly, 105 of those were simply multiple added copies of the books that have been nominated for a statewide award; but even if you ignore those, that still leaves 111 books handled today alone...
Feudalism: Serf & Turf |
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| Music quiz answers #10 |
[Mar. 23rd, 2008|06:47 am] |
| 10. |
None shall sleep! None shall sleep!
You too, oh princess!
In your cold room,
Look at the stars
That tremble with love and with hope!
But my secret is hidden within me,
None will know my name!
No! No! On your mouth will I tell it
When the light shines!
And my kiss will dissolve the silence
That makes you mine!
| Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma!
Tu pure, o Principessa,
nella tua fredda stanza,
guardi le stelle
che tremano d'amore, e di speranza!
Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me;
il nome mio nessun saprà!
No, No! Sulla tua bocca lo dirò
quando la luce splenderà!
Ed il mio bacio scioglierà il silenzio
che ti fa mia! |
Full lyrics
Answer: Giacomo Puccini. Nessun Dorma (None Shall Sleep), from Turandot, 1924. (Guessed by dolique and sigma7)
Where you've probably heard it: This was Luciano Pavarotti's signature aria, so if you've heard The Three Tenors sing, this song was probably included somewhere in the performance. A Pavarotti performance of it was the theme song of the BBC's coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup (apparently reaching #2 on the UK singles chart as a result); Pavarotti also sang it in the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. It's been used in many films over the years, including The Killing Fields, The Island, and Bend It Like Beckham; and it's been used in several tv shows, including Six Feet Under and House M.D..
(For some reason, I always mentally associate this song--as well as Vesti la Giubba from Pagliacci--with Godfather-like mobster movies, though other than the latter being used in The Untouchables, I can't find any evidence of either of those songs being used in those sorts of movies.)
Feudalism: Serf & Turf |
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| Music quiz answers #9 |
[Mar. 22nd, 2008|07:34 am] |
| 9. |
See! The gloomy remains of night
is cast off by the immense skies;
It seems like a widow who at last lays aside
The dark clothes that enveloped her.
To work! To work!
Ready, hammer.
Who brightens the gypsy man's day?
Who brightens the gypsy man's day?
Who brightens the day?
Who brightens the gypsy man's day?
The gypsy maiden!
| Vedi! Le fosche notturne spoglie
De' cieli sveste l'immensa volta;
Sembra una vedova che alfin si toglie
i bruni panni ond'era involta.
All'opra! all'opra!
Dàgli, martella.
Chi del gitano i giorni abbella?
Chi del gitano i giorni abbella,
chi? chi i giorni abbella?
Chi del gitano i giorni abbella?
La zingarella! |
Full lyrics
Answer: Giuseppe Verdi. Coro di zingari, from Il trovatore (Gypsy Chorus, a.k.a. The Anvil Chorus, from The Troubador), 1853.
Where you've probably heard it: It was used in the Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera and the Tiny Toons episode "It's Buster Bunny Time", where anvils of all sizes rain out of the sky onto Plucky Duck (the segment starts at 3:00), among many other places.
Feudalism: Serf & Turf |
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| Music quiz answers #8 |
[Mar. 21st, 2008|07:50 am] |
| 8. |
Jesus shall remain my gladness,
My heart's comfort and lifeblood,
Jesus fights all sorrow,
He is my life-force,
My eye's pleasure and sun,
My soul's treasure and bliss;
So let me not remove Jesus
From my heart and vision.
| Jesu bleibet meine Freude,
meines Herzens Trost und Saft,
Jesus wehret allem Leide,
er ist meines Lebens Kraft,
meiner Augen Lust und Sonne,
meiner Seele Schatz und Wonne;
darum lass' ich Jesum nicht
aus dem Herzen und Gesicht. |
Full lyrics
Answer: Johann Sebastian Bach. Jesu bleibet meine Freude, from Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (Cantata 147, Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life), 1723. a.k.a. "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring".
Where you've probably heard it: Like the Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring is extremely popular at weddings (including weddings in movies and television shows), though it has a slight edge over the Bridal Chorus in that it was actually written for church use and thus doesn't get banned as often. It has been used all over the place, appears on just about every album of "wedding music" out there, and actually hit #6 on the U.S. pop singles chart via the 1972 rocked-up version by Apollo 100, which itself has turned up in a few movies.
Feudalism: Serf & Turf |
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| Music quiz answers #7 |
[Mar. 20th, 2008|08:19 am] |
| 7. |
Faithfully led, drawn there,
Where the blessing of love shall preserve you both!
Triumphant courage, the reward of love
Joins you in fidelity as the happiest couple.
Champion of virtue, proceed!
Jewel of youth, proceed!
You both have now escaped the roar of the feast,
You both have won the pleasure of the heart!
Fragrant room, decorated for love,
Now takes in you both, away from the splendor.
| Treulich geführt ziehet dahin,
wo euch der Segen der Liebe bewahr'!
Siegreicher Mut, Minnegewinn
eint euch in Treue zum seligsten Paar.
Streiter der Tugend, schreite voran!
Zierde der Jugend, schreite voran!
Rauschen des Festes seid nun entronnen,
Wonne des Herzens sei euch gewonnen!
Duftender Raum, zur Liebe geschmückt,
nehm' euch nun auf, dem Glanze entrückt. |
Full lyrics
Answer: Richard Wagner. Brautleid (Bridal Chorus), from Lohengrin (1848).
Where you've probably heard it: It's better known as "Here Comes the Bride", and as such is so overplayed and cliché at weddings that it is probably always being played at any given minute somewhere in the world as a bride walks down the aisle.
However, in the opera, the song is sung by the bridesmaids and groomsmen after the wedding and the reception, as they separately escort the bride and groom to their wedding bed and the pleasures thereof.[1] The non-religious, thinly veiled tee-heeing about the post-wedding nookie is one of several reasons some churches balk at allowing it to be played in a house of worship, even just as an instrumental piece.
[1] (However, the happy couple don't actually get around to consummating the marriage, as they make the mistake of having a conversation first, and the opera naturally picks that point to suddenly build up to a Wagnerian tragic finale.)
Feudalism: Serf & Turf |
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| Music quiz answers #6 |
[Mar. 19th, 2008|08:27 am] |
| 6. |
Love is a rebellious bird
That nobody can tame,
And you call him quite in vain
If it suits him not to come.
Nothing helps, neither threat nor
prayer.
One man talks well, the other's
mum;
It's the other one that I prefer.
He's silent but I like his looks.
Love! Love! Love! Love!
| L'amour est un oiseau rebelle
que nul ne peut apprivoiser,
et c'est bien en vain qu'on
l'appelle,
s'il lui convient de refuser.
Rien n'y fait, menace ou prière,
l'un parle bien, l'autre se tait:
Et c'est l'autre que je préfère,
Il n'a rien dit mais il me plaît.
L'amour! L'amour! L'amour!
L'amour! |
Full lyrics
Answer: Georges Bizet. Habanera, from Carmen 1874. (Guessed by anw)
Where you've probably heard it: It's often used as a show-piece by sopranos, and has also cropped up in many different places over the years, including Sesame Street, Ren & Stimpy, and Superman Returns. The introduction to the song is included in the Tom & Jerry short Carmen Get It! (at about 6:25; the song stops suddenly when the singer sees a mouse...).
Feudalism: Serf & Turf |
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