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Laura "Tegan" Gjovaag

Saturday, October 02, 2004

Sketchbook - Kathleen Webb

I got this sketch at the first annual Emerald City Comicon in Feb 2003. Like some artists, Kathleen didn't feel like attempting to draw a character she'd never drawn before, so she did an Archie character in a mermaid suit.


MERMAID SUIT
by Kathleen Webb
09 February 2003
(permission to post given 12 September 2004 in person)
www.billykat.com


As a reminder: Almost every sketch in my sketchbook was non-commissioned and done on the floor of a con. These are not the best works of the artists. These are only representative of what the artist can do under pressure in a loud, crowded, and often stressed-out environment. Most of them were done as quickly as possible, to prevent huge lines from forming. Don't judge any of these artists negatively by the artwork you see, instead be as impressed as I am by what they accomplished in far-from-ideal conditions.

To see all the sketches I have permission to post so far, check out my Sketchbook Page. If you have any contact information for any of the other artists I'm trying to contact, please e-mail me. Click for a random Aquaman sketch.

The Saturday Sketch ™ is brought to you by the letters "K", "W" and the number "68", and also courtesy the fine artists who pour their lives into producing wonderful comic books, then come to conventions only to get asked by geeky fangirls for a sketch of Aquaman. Support an artist, buy a comic book.

by Tegan at 8:38 PM Seattle time - Permalink  


Random Thoughts

How exactly does Robin draw like that? Doesn't the cat wiggle? Cat hairs on the artwork?

Speaking of cats, here's a review of a computer room accessory: Juvenile felis catus. Via /.

Lovely Marshmallow Bunny Survival Tests. I really like the text in this one. I love how the "volunteer bunnies" are cowed into sticking around. I particularly enjoyed the Radiation Tolerance test. Via Elayne.

Mike Sterling has been blogging good lately. Yes, Mike, it did say "KRYP/TUCK". Heh. And I really don't want to know what a Spider-Man Dance Contest would be like.

Ichiro is a class act. He broke the record for hits in a season yesterday, and George Sisler's daughter was there. George Sisler held the record for 84 years, since 1920 (and some wags will claim he still has it, because he did it in fewer games, forgetting that the game has changed a lot since then, including the addition of relief pitching which makes hits harder to get in later innings). The daughter of George Sisler, Frances Sisler Drochelman, was there and after the record-breaking hit Ichiro went over and shook her hand. Four other members of Sisler's family were there, including three grandsons and a great-grandson.


by Tegan at 6:16 PM Seattle time - Permalink  


Review Copy Reviews

I answered the call for reviewers on Monitor Duty, and was sent this book. In the interests of full disclosure, Scott McCullar, who is involved in the book, is a friend of mine, so I was expecting to like it anyway. The book is available at Shooting Star Comics.

Job Wanted: There have been a lot of excellent anthologies out in the world of comic books recently, and this is another one. In fact, I'll go so far as to recommend this one to just about anyone, as there's something in it that would appeal to almost any reader. Like I do with some anthology reviews, I'm going to tackle this one story by story.


  • "Behind the Fuzz": The weakest story in the bunch, it's meant to be a quick intro to the concept and the team. It's funny, but that's about all to recommend it.
  • "Gone to Texas: Rogue": The art is a little too stylish for my tastes, but the more I looked at it the more I enjoyed it. The story is simple and evocative. I found myself wanting to read more about the character, to learn more about how he became a cowboy. An excellent short tale.
  • "The Slime": Predictable from the start, it's still pretty nicely done with a couple of cute twists.
  • "Night Route": The art was slightly confusing, which meant I had to read it a couple of times before I got the key sequence. It could have been made more clear. Even with thhise small lack of clarity, it was a good story.
  • "Enigma in Outer Space": Nice little mystery which shows the dangers of paranoia. Great artwork, and a strong narrative make this one of the strongest stories in the book.
  • "Beekeeper": Brutal story. Could have used a little more set up with the beekeeper and his son to make their fates more powerful, but the focus was definitely on the main character instead. Not bad at all. Good art.
  • "Devil in the Playbox": This one meandered a bit and lost focus, but the artwork is great and the concept was fun.
  • "Evil, Inc.": Um. It's cute. A little off the beaten path, but then it's nice to learn how all those villains get their thugs.

Overall, a very strong anthology with a lot of good stories in it. Recommended. 4 starfish

by Tegan at 8:35 AM Seattle time - Permalink  


Friday, October 01, 2004

Rapid Reviews - Exercise Shows

Farscape [1-19]: Nerve: Continuity strikes... and this is part one of a two episode story, to boot! Very daring of Crichton to take the risks he took. Very nice of Chiana to actually accomplish the mission without him. But I really have to wonder what is going to happen next. It was interesting how the continuity wasn't just from the last issue, but from a slightly earlier one also. I mostly enjoyed this one. Looking forward to seeing the next episode, of course. That's what motivates me to exercise... the desire to see the next episode. After I finish this season I think I'll start the next season of Farscape instead of going on to Buffy as I originally planned. 3 1/2 starfish

Farscape [1-20]: The Hidden Memory: A solid finish to the story. Very satisfying. Ok, so it wasn't really a happy ending, but it was well done. This episode felt like a season-ender. The characters all came together to pull off the job, and there's a new status quo at the end of it. But there appear to be two episode after this one... hmmm... must watch. 4 starfish

Farscape [1-21]: Bone to be Wild: As usual, the villain isn't who you expect it to be at any given moment. I wasn't all that surprised by the revelation about Zhaan, she'd been hinting at it frequently. I really liked Aeryn bonding with little Moya, and what Moya asked for at the end. A cool little episode, with only one problem. What happened to the guy that joined the crew at the Peacekeeper base? One more in the season after this. 3 1/2 starfish

Farscape [1-22]: Family Ties: Wow, what a season closer this is! We've got a triple cliff-hanger with a possibly permanently altered status quo. My biggest beef with the story was that I didn't think there was any way the gang would have trusted Crais enough to let him wander freely around the ship. That's a pretty minor complaint when I consider how cool the episode was overall. 4 starfish

And there's the first season... ok, gonna have to watch the next season. I have to know what happens.

by Tegan at 10:32 PM Seattle time - Permalink  


Rapid Reviews - 29 September 2004 - Part III

Smallville [4-02]: Gone: Well, that plotline was resolved much faster than I expected it to be resolved. I'm not sure I like it, either. The thought that Lois in this universe couldn't connect Clark to Superman is laughable, by the way. She didn't only see him without his glasses, she also saw "little Clark" as she put it. Not a great episode, but certainly watchable. That's naked Clark in two episodes in a row... will they make it three? 3 1/2 starfish

Futurama #19: Well, that was one way to end the story. I'm always left vaguely dissatisfied with this book, and that's where I'm at with this issue. 3 starfish

JLA #106: The cover promises "No More Pain!" and I hope that's the case. This is the last issue of this incredibly poor storyarc, right? Anyway, not much worth commenting on here. Superman continues to stalk, and brings in the rest of the JLA to stalk with him. This was marginally better than the last issue, but that's still not saying much. 2 1/2 starfish

Amazing Spider-Man #71/512: What little I know about the mythos of Spider-Man makes this issue a definite "wow". And all the little technical details are explained within the issue so a slight Spidey fan like me is able to keep up. Pretty good. 4 starfish

Superman #209: I got this thinking that the cliff-hanger featuring Aquaman in the last issue might lead to Aquaman being in this issue as well. Ha. That would make narrative sense! No Aquaman in this one. At least there is a story in this issue, unlike the last issue. Not a good one, but there's one in there. 3 starfish

Tune in next week...

by Tegan at 2:30 PM Seattle time - Permalink  


Friday Fitness Blogging


  • Weight = X
  • Change From Last Week = +1
  • Met Exercise Goal? No
    Goal was fifteen minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least six days.
  • Current Exercise Goal = fifteen minutes a day (walk/bike/swim) at least six days.
  • Kept food diary? No.

I had a really, really bad week. I didn't pay attention to what I ate, and I didn't get my full exercising in. I expected the result to be worse on the weigh-in, but it's bad enough. I need to do better this week.

by Tegan at 8:41 AM Seattle time - Permalink  


Thursday, September 30, 2004

Random Thoughts

Seems like a few folks hadn't heard about the Halloween Ashcans I mentioned in my first review for this week. Here's the scoop. If you have a July/Sep Previews magazine, they are on page 2 as a series of "featured items". It might be too late to preorder, but check with your retailer. They are supposed to come in bundles of 25. The codes are:

  • JUL04 0001 - SABRINA VS ARCHIES ASHCAN 2004
  • JUL04 0002 - DH 2004 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL
  • JUL04 0003 - MARVEL AGE HALLOWEEN SPEC 2004

Yes, that's basically the first, second, and third items from the July order form. For some reason, I just assumed that after last year everyone would know about the ashcan giveaways. I mean, heck, didn't everyone know that is why my husband keeps commenting that he wants to eat my brains?

Loren Coleman took issue with my review of Bigfoot!, but only on a couple of points. Says Coleman: "Actually, those in the field have been telling me I was able to find many new things they'd never heard of and found to be challenges to their thinking - like the sexuality of the beasts, the interplay with crime figures, the aggressiveness to dogs, the specifics of some old stories with new details - like the Patterson interview or the kidnapping accounts." Being only casually acquainted with Bigfoot lore, slightly more than the average person but not as deeply as some, I didn't realize that these would be revelations to "serious Bigfoot experts", as I called them in my review. If what Coleman says is true (and I have no reason to doubt it) then this book is definitely for anyone even slightly interested in Bigfoot. In any case it's a good read.

The BBC news page makes the possibility of an eruption of Mount Saint Helens sound much more excitingly dangerous than it is. Frankly, I'd be far more worried if we were hearing rumblings from sleeping Mt Rainier. If you are curious, here are the current conditions of Mt St Helens, and a volcano cam so you can look at the mountain in her current glory.

Oh yes, I am definitely keeping my eyes on SpaceShipOne.

A statistical analysis suggests that women will eventually be faster than men in the 100-meter dash. But don't hold your breath. Only if current trends continue... it won't happen until 2156.

Over in the comics world, check out Will Pfeifer's FROG. Very very cool. I used to put together "magazines", but I'm pretty sure none of them survived the years to come back and haunt me.

Polite Dissent rips up Strange #1 in his lovely standard way. I love having a real doctor's opinion on the medical knowledge in comic books.

Shane Bailey has been linkblogging again, scroll down to get the total joy.

Mike Sterling continues to be well worth visiting, particularly for his nice reviews.

Going back to the challenged books list for Banned Books Week, I know I've read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. There are a lot of books I think I've read on the list, and a few I haven't. One I've been meaning to read for some time is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, so I checked that out of the library and started it yesterday. I won't make some silly vow to read every challenged book... I'm not for banning books, but that doesn't mean I'm inclined to read stuff I don't think I'd like... but I will try to read at least one challenged/banned book each year during Banned Books Week.

And lastly, a flower from Nancy's Garden:


by Tegan at 6:09 PM Seattle time - Permalink  


Rapid Reviews - 29 September 2004 - Part II

DC: The New Frontier #6 (Of 6): Within the first couple of pages, I knew what role Aquaman was going to play in this issue. And I was right. I won't say that this was predictable overall, but bits of it were. That did not detract from it at all. It was a fun ride. And I really like Aquaman in this book. 4 starfish

Adam Strange #1: Ok, that's a good start. In fact, I'm really glad I got to read this. I've never been a big fan of the science fiction part of the DCU, goodness knows the cosmic GL stories drive me away, but this is great love story as well as a good old fashioned space hero tale. I'm really looking forward to the next issue. 4 starfish

Outsiders #16: My main criticism of this book is not just addressed, it's tackled with both fists. And I appreciate the result. I may never get to the point where I love this book, but I may get to like it someday. 3 1/2 starfish

Green Lantern #181: Good riddance. 3 1/2 starfish

Still to review: JLA, Amazing Spider-Man, and Futurama.

by Tegan at 10:00 AM Seattle time - Permalink  


Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Rapid Reviews - 29 September 2004 - Part I

The Batman: Traction: Ah. Bane. Is there really anything more that need be said about this one? Let's see... nice batbot. Nice to get a little more of this version of Alfred's history. Bane was about what I've expect from him in his first appearance. Overall, ok, but nothing special. Three episodes in, and I'm still definitely just lukewarm to this show. 3 1/2 starfish

Halloween Ashcans:

  • Sabrina vs Archies Ashcan 2004: I really don't like the attempt at a Manga look. It just looks odd. I guess it's just as well I'm not the intended audience for this book. The story was fine, but the art... yuck. 3 starfish
  • Dark Horse 2004 Halloween Special: Oh, this is good. This is nicely creepy, nicely Dark Horse, and just plain cool. I didn't know this would have art by Jill Thompson, but it's absolutely perfect for the story (which is written by Evan Dorkin). This says it's a reprint from the Dark Horse Book of Hauntings, and this sample is enough to tempt me to get that book if I can lay hands on it. Excellent book, and I'm looking forward to handing this one out on Halloween. 4 starfish
  • Marvel Age Halloween Special 2004: I liked the Mini-Marvels better. This is a sampler of some of the Marvel Age books, and it comes across ok. It's also a reprint book, but you get a number of characters (including two pages of Hulk). Not bad for its purpose, I guess. 3 1/2 starfish

Vagabond Vol 2: Young and reckless, Takezo is covered in violence due to the insanity of the battlefield. In this volume, he's brought back to his senses with a little help from an old friend and a new one. The book is pretty gory, but there's a reason for it. Everything in the book serves the story. I still don't see this guy becoming the "most renowned samurai of all time", but that's why I'm reading the story. 4 starfish

Life Eaters: The first section of this book covers the original short story, "Thor Meets Captain America", which I read a long time ago in an alternate history anthology. It was an amazing story then, and the expansion of the story into three parts only makes it better. The artwork is pretty good, but I would have liked to see more of the other "gods" that showed up. If you are going to bring in a whole bunch of mythology, it seems only right to actually show them in the book. But for that, it was a really good read. 4 starfish

Still to review: Adam Strange, New Frontier, Green Lantern, JLA, Outsiders, Amazing Spider-Man, and Futurama.

by Tegan at 7:28 PM Seattle time - Permalink  


Rapid Review - Movie Night

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: I haven't been overall impressed with the movie adaptations of the Harry Potter books. They aren't awful, but they compress the stories enough to be annoying. So I really wasn't expecting all that much from the third movie. And I got about what I was expecting. The "character" of Hogwarts itself was much better in this movie than in previous ones, with Hagrid's hut actually being out of the way and down near the woods, as described in the books. The landscape matched what I imagined when I first read the books better than the first two movies. The characters were as good as ever, but the story itself was compressed as usual to fit it into a movie. I dread the movie of the next book. I'm still waiting for the definitive mini-series to be made in a couple of decades. In the meantime, this was ok. Nothing special. 3 1/2 starfish

by Tegan at 9:29 AM Seattle time - Permalink  


Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Random Thoughts

Gordon finds himself addicted to Firefox, partly in thanks to my reviews of it. I noted that my mom is still using the security issue laden IE when I visited her last night, and I recommended switching to Firefox. Mom, the link is here, and it's worth changing over. Firefox is faster, more compliant with HTML standards, and more secure. There are still some very poorly designed websites that require IE, but use Firefox for your main browsing. It's much, MUCH better.

And don't forget to check out the extensions, ways to customize your browser to fit your needs. I love tabbed browsing, and there's no way I could survive now without "Close Tab On Double Click".

Fanboy Rampage has an interesting little question about how many people the internet represents. It's odd, Bullock says that there's a myth that one internet fan represents the opinion of ten people, which isn't how I learned it. I was taught that for every one person who bothered to comment/post, there were ten people who didn't. The difference is that the folks who are vocal aren't assumed to represent those who aren't vocal. It's also assumed that all the ten who don't speak up are also on-line and reading the thing being commented on, not off-line. So Bullock must run in different circles than I do to come up with that strange interpretation of the old chestnut.

As an aside, this old concept is one reason getting a comment is so gratifying for a lot of bloggers. The idea being that if one person is commenting, there's another ten folks reading that simply don't have anything to say. It's like a security blanket for fragile egos.

Postmodern Barney likes PS238 too.

The auction for CrossGen has been delayed due to Hurricane action.

Still looking at Challenged Books for Banned Books Week. Next ones I've read on the list are the Harry Potter books and Bridge to Terabithia, which is really depressing. A lot of books that people want to ban are depressing. I just don't like reading them because I'm already depressed enough.

Let's finish off this entry with a picture from Nancy's garden:


by Tegan at 9:46 PM Seattle time - Permalink  


Rapid Reviews - Library Books

coverBigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America by Loren Coleman. Do I believe in Bigfoot? Depends on what you mean. If by "Bigfoot" you mean some terrifying creature of the night that is superhumanly intelligent, attacks people, and has an affinity for UFOs, no. If you mean some sort of unknown North American primate, yes. There have been way too many sightings, consistent over the years, for me to think that there isn't something there. The "what" of that something evades us, but I figure there is definitely more to it than a bunch of pranksters. After all, Bigfoot sightings go back hundreds of years. Before reading this book I had done some very slight research, enough to know what not to say when talking about Bigfoot, but not much more. This book was written for people like me, who have little or no knowledge of the mystery, but are interested in learning a bit more.

The book has a strange organization, almost a stream of consciousness instead of neatly categorized. While this doesn't detract from the book too much, there were moments that I expected more than I got because the author would finish with a topic before I thought he ought to be done. It's a minor quibble, but definitely impacts how much some people will enjoy the book.

Coleman covers the legends of Bigfoot from a handpicked few of the earliest native legends up to the latest sightings. He takes care to point out which sightings he feels are real events while also deconstructing some of the ones that are probably fake. While he does this, he lays out the patterns of fraud and tricksterism in the Bigfoot world so that the reader can judge. There is no shortage of incredible characters in the modern story of bigfoot. From self-proclaimed Bigfoot hoaxer Ray Wallace to feuding modern "experts", the story is rife with controversy and pig-headed adventurers intent on doing their own thing. Coleman puts it all in, yet even with the insanity, the patterns of sightings go on relentlessly... arguing the case that there really is something out there.

Coleman's book also answered a question I never thought to ask about regional differences between sightings. From reading the book, you might conclude that there are at least three distinct species that are known to the world as "Bigfoot". Luckily for me, the most peaceful type apparently lives around here in the Pacific Northwest. Coleman also shows some distaste for a local Bigfoot hunter who lives in my hometown of Bothell, Cliff Crook. After hunting down Crook's website for more information, I wasn't too impressed with the guy, either. People who feel secure about themselves don't make pages that say "I'm not a hoaxer" on free webhosting services.

Overall, this is not a book I'd recommend to serious Bigfoot experts who have already spent years in the field and have set ideas about all the stories surrounding the mystery. But for anyone who has a limited knowledge of the subject and wants to read some ripping good tales and understand the background of Bigfoot research, including some dirty laundry, this is your book. Recommended. 4 starfish

by Tegan at 6:15 PM Seattle time - Permalink  


Review Copy Reviews

Here are two more books sent to me by Atomeka to review for you.

Bricktop A1 Special: Um. Not my style. Not something I enjoy at all. Lots of violence, gore, and just odd things happening. Art isn't too bad, except for what it's depicting. I'm sure this kind of book has an audience, but I'm not in it. Not recommended. 2 starfish

Mr Monster Versus the Nazi From Mars or Mr Monster: Worlds War Two ("whichever you feel is the catchier title", according to the indicia): I have a sketch from Michael T Gilbert, but this is the first full Mr Monster story I've read. I liked it. Lots of fun. It's a goofy little tale with lots of action and not much depth. I like the art a lot. It's not something I'd recommend to just anyone, but if you are in the mood for something strange and different with a pulp mag feel to it, get this. 3 1/2 starfish

Still to review: Job Wanted by Shooting Star Comics. And there might be something more in this big pile of "to read" stuff, I'll have to get through more of it first before I can tell for sure.

by Tegan at 8:55 AM Seattle time - Permalink  


Monday, September 27, 2004

Give Blood

So one thing I did today while I was out and about was donate blood. Let me tell you about my donating blood. I've had some very bad experiences with it. I passed out my very first time, and have nearly passed out twice since. I once got a first-time nurse who turned my inside-right elbow into a giant bruise and had to give up and let another person draw from my left arm. I have small veins and often end up being poked in both arms before they can find one that will work.

But giving blood is important, and as long as I'm healthy enough to do it, I probably will.

Today went well. There was a little more pain than I expected, but nothing I couldn't deal with and even forget about after a couple of minutes. The techs brought me apple juice instead of letting me walk over to the waiting area (because of my previous problems). And while I felt pretty weak most of the afternoon, as evening rolled around I started to feel genuinely good. I even picked up my nephew when I shouldn't have.

by Tegan at 10:25 PM Seattle time - Permalink  


Random Thoughts

Been gone all day because they turned off the water to our house. Here's some thoughts I collected both before and after my return.

There is a piece of original artwork on eBay from a Batman daily strip... featuring Aquaman. Ok, now I want to learn more about the Batman daily. The date on the strip is 12/4/1968, and it was written by Whitney Ellsworth and drawn by Al Plastino. I'm not rich enough to get the original art, but I would like to see more of the story.

Garrett tells us about a hike and some artwork in an unexpected place. He also points out that Mt St Helens is waking up. One of my more vivid childhood memories is when she originally blew her top.

Eat More People wonders why some TV shows haven't yet made it to DVD. I'm right there with him on Tiny Toons.

Ringwood suggests that we stop worrying about being geeky with our love of comic books. I'm right there with him, too.

And here's a statue from the Winchester Mystery House. Enjoy.


by Tegan at 8:15 PM Seattle time - Permalink  


Review Copy Reviews

Here's another book that was sent to me to review from AIT/Planet Lar. Thanks again, Larry!

Bad Mojo: This book is really very good except for one major, huge, enormous flaw. More on that in a bit. Larry sent it to me with a nice note in which he worried I might not like this because it's a bit creepy. Actually, the creepiness worked well and was not overdone in this one. It wasn't a very scary story at all, and from that angle I enjoyed it a lot.

And let me mention here that I really wanted to order this when I saw it in Previews, but couldn't swing it with that month's budget. I was delighted to have it sent to me to review. Admittedly, I would have preferred more baseball in the story, since it's about a baseball player, but that wasn't the focus of the tale and I can accept it. The art is very nice, reminds me of Eric Shanower's work. The horror bits are nicely creepy without excessive gore.

In fact, this book rates at least four starfish all the way through... except for one major problem. There is no end. The book doesn't resolve at all. If this were solicited as part of a mini-series or on-going, I could accept the lack of ending, but for a book that should be a standalone, it is too irritating. But for that, this is a very strong book. I will recommend it, but mildly, with the warning that there is no ending. Because it really is quite a good book. 3 1/2 starfish

As an almost unrelated aside: I'm still waiting for someone to do an excellent baseball comic book that doesn't involve baseball stars turning into superheroes (like in the awful Mariners comic book in which the stadium had a secret base underneath it and the stars of the team had to battle evil sasquatch *shudder*). I think the comic book form would be an excellent one to explore sports in, if only there were a writer/artist team willing to tackle it. I have ideas, but I don't have the writing skill to turn them into plots, and my artwork is... rudimentary. I know first-graders who draw more convincingly than I do.

by Tegan at 7:36 AM Seattle time - Permalink  


Sunday, September 26, 2004

Random Thoughts

And very happy birthday wishes to Amanda!

Happy birthday to Trash Heap, also.

Black Aquaman, Doin' the Wash, Yo! Generally speaking, The Stranger isn't very friendly to Aquaman, but the cartoon was funny... and actually somewhat educational. See, it's in the back-to-school issue aimed at college students, and it's about... oh, just read the title.

This brings back memories. Via Boing Boing.

Just go check out Near Mint Heroes. Shane is linkblogging up a storm again and you don't want to miss it.

H over at The Comic Treadmill has a pretty fun theory as to who the killer in Identity Crisis might be. I would not be surprised if he got it right. There is also a new poll related to IC on the blog. I think Yoko Ono is definitely the one.

Monitor Duty reports that The Incredibles is going to rock.

Legomancer has an opinion on sympathy cards.

Johnny B has a book out. I want a copy. Too bad I'm still flat broke, but maybe I can score one in awhile, once I've got some cash again.

Cool Hand shadow puppets. It's a Gutenberg text with woodcut illustrations. Very cool. I gotta try the "grandpa" one.

An abandoned boy is raised by a guard dog. Via Boing Boing.

Stuart Hughes tells us about wheelchairs in the paralympics, including the need for a good repair shop. He also tells us about a runner who might challenge our perceptions in just a couple of years.

Now that we're actually in Banned Books Week, I'm looking at the list of challenged book and was looking at the next book I've read on the list, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. It's been awhile since I read it, but I recall the teacher in whose class I read it. She told us that Huck Finn was a very important book, that everyone should read it, but that Tom Sawyer wasn't worth reading. When she said this, my friend Tammy raised her hand and asked, "Have you ever actually read Tom Sawyer?" The teacher admitted, a little shame-faced, that she hadn't. I think every one of us then went out and got a copy of Tom Sawyer to read so we could quote bits of the book in class and compare it to Huck Finn, just for the teacher's benefit.

How about a picture of hubby-Eric tormenting pugs to finish off this post?


by Tegan at 3:23 PM Seattle time - Permalink  


Rapid Reviews - Exercise Shows

Farscape [1-15]: Durka Returns: Rygel's worst nightmare walks onto Moya, along with a new member for the crew. This one fascinated me because I'd seen pictures of Chiana before, but this was the first time I saw her in action. An interesting story that leaves some questions unanswered, including the important question that Crichton asks Chiana right at the very end. There was also the disturbing aspect of mind control and memory alteration in this one. 4 starfish

Farscape [1-16]: A Human Reaction: So John goes home... or does he? I wasn't sure if it was real or not, despite the certainty that he wasn't going to stay home. The end result was good. Not excellent, but quite good. The way John figures out what he hasn't seen before is pretty funny. Overall, quite excellent. 3 1/2 starfish

Farscape [1-17]: Through the Looking Glass: This one was really cool. The multi-color, multi-problemed alternate Moyas was sweet. I liked how D'Argo counted once John showed him how. Another nice touch was the pure "Mad Hatter Tea Party" feel of both the opening and the closing. Combined with the title of the episode and the ways that John moved through the various places, it all fit together very nicely. I also liked the references back to Aeryn's melding with Pilot. I really liked this one. 4 starfish

Farscape [1-18]: A Bug's Life: An intelligent virus. Not something you want to mess with, but it's very natural who ends up messing with it. In most ways this one was fairly predictable. There were a few little twists, but it wasn't anything special. 3 1/2 starfish

by Tegan at 11:42 AM Seattle time - Permalink  


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