Emily’s Neighborhood

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11:41 @MikeHasTweets A parade in Lombard no doubt. #
12:31 Blog Post: Hey La My Netbook's Back! - Vox bit.ly/1aJkF2 #

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Ordered a refurbished Acer Aspire netbook offa Woot! a couple of weeks ago. At a bit over $200 it was $100 cheaper than the new one the Mrs. got an while back, so it was a hard deal to pass up. Lasted a grand total of 4 days before the hard disk died. Woot! basically provides no support at all for the items they sell. Acer said that they had sold the unit to a company called Revonate/Seneca Data for refurbishment so they wouldn't support it either.

I must say that when I finally got in touch with the right people they were very helpful. I sent the unit back to them and they sent me another one which arrived today. Turned it around in about a week. Now going through the agony of getting everything set up and removing all the crap that comes pre-installed. Another way to avoid doing anything actually productive, I guess.

For the money, these are nice little machines. Hope this one lasts...

What I want to know is ....

Emjay
2 days ago
25 comments

`

With us all diligently slapping hand sanitizer on our hands to kill 99.99% of everything that might make us sick..... where do all the killed germs go?

These have nothing to do with dead things on hands - I just thought they were pretty. Taken on walk around the neighbourhood next to ours on the weekend:

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Where my nose was stuck in October.

Definitely Dead (Book 6 [Southern Vampire Series #6](Book Club Edition)

Whisper to the Blood: A Novel (Kate Shugak Novels)

The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon--and me, Ruby Oliver

I decided that I would undertake more of Scott Westerfeld's books, since I was writing summaries of the Uglies series for the RFI website. I decided to embark on the Midnighters series, and started with book one: The Silent Hour. It is the story of five teenagers who all were born at Midnight, and therefore can see things that others can't. They get a whole extra hour at Midnight, where the rest of the world is frozen, and their powers come alive. On can fly, one can mind cast. You get the picture. They discover that there are ancient creatures that can only move during this 25th hr, and they have a dangerous power, and are evil. This book was fun. Fluff but fun. Westerfeld is an engaging author, and not overly verbose. It is a quick read.

The Books of Umber: Happenstance Found was a formulaic book that really didn't seem to have much of a story. Sure there was stuff going on. Lord Umber is clearly a man from our world who escaped into another one just as we succeed In destroying ourselves. He is struggling to find meaning, and documenting everything he finds. He comes across Happenstance, a young boy with startling eyes, who has no recollection of his past. There is some conflict, but for the most part this was a fairly bland story. It seems like it's mostly exposition for later volumes in the series. I'd read another, but only if it promised more action.

Love, Stargirl is the sequel to Stargirl, both by Jerry Spinelli. I loved these books, and this one is written as a letter from Stargirl to the boy she loves, Leo. She's dealing with the heartbreak of the last year, and the move from Arizona to Pennsylvania. We meet Dootsie, the adorable 5-yr-old. The "Honeybee's" and a myriad of other characters, all a part of Stargirls new entourage. It was so good watching this unusual girl rediscover herself in the midst of a new world. I highly recommend these books, especially for girls. It's such a great lesson in how important it is to be yourself.

Then I skated through the next in the "Trueblood" series. I'm so enjoying them. Such a delightful guilty pleasure. Life is so much more fun with vampires, shifters, faeries, and Sookie Stackhouse. Definitely Dead was no exception. Sookie has started dating a Were-Tiger, Quinn, and is going to pack up her murdered cousin's apartment. In the middle she saves Louisiana's vampire Queen a lot of Disappointment, and even Death. She also discovers some horrible things about Bill, the first love of her life, and Civil war Veteran (yes, in case you hadn't figured it out, Bill's a vampire). Sometimes Sookie gets a tad tiresome, but if you listen to it, like I do, the soft southern lilt of the reader makes up for any poor editing :)

Kate DiCamillo never fails to win my heart, and The Tiger Rising is no exception. This story follows a young boy who's miserably picked on at school, and ignored at home. He lives in a small motel where his father is the maintenance man. It's been their home since his mother died of a long illness. There is heartbreak and hope intertwined all through this book. Kate DiCamillo creates characters of depth and life. You just want to reach through the book and hug them. Then, of course, there is the Tiger.

Push by Sapphire is a novel that is coming out in theaters this week. It's the story of Precious, a 16yr old African-American girl who's father has repeatedly raped her. She's pregnant with her second child by him, and has just been kicked out of school. She's illiterate, and abused by her mother, who has stood idly by as Precious has been abused by her father. What makes this novel even more authentic is that it's written in Precious's voice, just like she would speak it. A daring and heartbreaking book.

My second Russian Novel. Crime and Punishment was not near as enjoyable as Anna Karenina. I really was not impressed with Raskolnikov. He really was just a user who thought he was superior to everyone, and therefore entitled to live by a different set of rules. Bah. I wasn't fooled. He really needed a good spanking! That being said, some of the other characters were interesting. Razumhikin, Donia, and Svid...whatever the rest of his name is. I might attempt Dostoevsky again, but I would rather do Tolstoy again.

Whisper to the Blood is the latest in Dana Stabenow's 'Kate Shugak' series. I love this Author, this Series, and this lead character. Kate is interesting, complex, deep, clever, and in short, everything I would want to be, in the same circumstances....well most everything :) This installment is great in furthering her story, her struggles with admitting her love of Jim Chopin, dealing with the native politics, and finding her place in the Niniltna Native Association. Kate is also working to find who killed the person going around selling the idea of a new gold mine in the area. Twists, turns, snow mobiles, and Mutt, half dog half wolf that is Kate's best friend, all populate this enjoyable read.

The Treasure Map of Boys is the latest in the Ruby Oliver series. Ruby has panic attacks, and has trouble navigating the world of boys, high school, friendships, and being a social pariah. She's intelligent and inventive, and insecure and inept all in one. The book is ok. Not Brilliant, Not Horrible. I was glad for a new installment, as I'm somewhat invested in her fictional life now, but wouldn't be heartbroken if no more came out.

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SteveP
2 days ago
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19:38 @MsRedPen The Great Influenza was excellent. #
14:19 Cool! Kindle for PC bit.ly/UJtam #

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Art: The Artist in his Museum

Bina
2 days ago
1 comment

The Artist in his Museum

Shocking I know, I´m not blogging about books! I just have a class on American art and among those paintings discussed today was Charles Willson Peale´s The Artist in his Museum. The painting is a self-portrait done by Peale in 1822, showing his natural history and science museum.

I´m picky when it comes to art, and I mostly (almost exclusively) enjoy portraits. I Iove this work because it is so exhilaratingly alive, especially Peale himself.

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SteveP
3 days ago
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20:32 Colm Meaney and the Heartbreakers. #characteractorrockbands #
10:25 RT @davewiner: Times of London: "The 100 Best Films of the Decade." r2.ly/wg4u #
17:39 @gordon_cole Agreed on the list. Borat? Come on... Comments were interesting #

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Do something about it

Like most of the country, I have sat by horrified and deeply saddened by the incident that took place at Ft. Hood last week. I have been further saddened by how Major Hasan has been portrayed as some fundamentalist Muslim on a religious mission of some sorts and the ensuing death threats against Muslims in the Ft. Hood area. Whatever the reasons motivating Maj. Hasan, of which I am sure there were many, none of them justify further killing or threats of any kind. Hate begets hate. If we all, or even a few of us, respond to this incident by targeting Muslims because one of them made a horrendous decision not in line with their faith, the chasm will grow and more horrible incidents will ensue. As Ghandi said, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

So, I am writing to propose a way to refocus those energies and to respond to the situation with love. Show our troops some love and get yourself educated on S.1963 - the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009. The goal of the bill is to increase mental health services to veterans. Our veterans are suffering tremendously and the VA, and the rest of the country for that matter, are woefully ill-equipped to manage the severity of the problem. We are sending these people out on multiple deployments in a war zone unlike any other before. Whatever your political take on the wars, I think we can all agree that we need to take care of our veterans. I support this bill, but encourage everyone to do their own homework on it.

If you discover you support it, please call Senator Coburn's office and ask him to remove the hold from the bill. He alone is preventing the bill from leaving committee and reaching the Senate floor for a vote. The Committee on Veterans' Affairs has a statement about it here. Senator Coburn has his rebuttal here. If you believe the bill should be supported, please call your senators and ask them to support it. If you don't know how to contact your senators, go here.

I have hesitated for some time to post this because too often well-intentioned posts about how to offer support to our troops get thread-jacked by those wanting to debate the validity of the wars. I am the daughter of a veteran who served in two wars and I am proud of my dad's service. I am also a flaming liberal who vehemently opposes the wars. If I can separate the soldier from the action, then you can, too, and I respectfully ask you to do so here. If you want to say anything hateful, discriminatory, or negative, please make your own post. I don't post publicly very often because it's easier to deal with my small community. But, our troops are part of the larger community and we ALL need to come together to support them. It isn't enough to put a ribbon on the back of your car and wear an American flag pin. The heart of our country is action and I am asking you to take some positive action today to help support our troops and turn the events at Ft. Hood into a forceful, positive response from the country in support of our combat veterans. Many thanks.

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SteveP
4 days ago
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20:11 Duplicity might be a decent film if watched 5 or 6 times to understand wtf's going on. Highlight: 5 mins of True Blood's Carrie Preston. #
21:03 Mink Duvall Bam! #characteractorrockbands #
16:16 RT @colinmeloy Reading Book of Genesis; apparently marriage is intended for one man and one woman. And another woman. And their slave women. #
16:19 My Morning Jack Klugman #characteractorrockbands #
16:29 Who are the "Some" who question we may ask.? - Obama Draws Criticism for Sitting Out Berlin Wall Anniversary - FOXNews bit.ly/OXGJY #
16:34 Saw this movie in the 50s. Jellyfish born near nuclear reactor - Japanese trawler sunk by giant jellyfish - Telegraph bit.ly/4pH9Pl #
16:46 Rodrigo y Gabby Hayes #characteractorrockbands #

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Zooming in on terror

Emjay
4 days ago
58 comments

~

I am scared of squirrels. Irrational I know and I'm annoyed at myself for being afraid of such a cute looking little thing.
I'd never seen a "real" squirrel until my first day here and when I saw them I raved over their sweet little faces and bushy twitching tails.

My second day here I met a kamikaze squirrel. Instead of running away from me it ran straight at me and stamping feet and noise did not deter it. It only stopped when I ran away and then, looking over my shoulder, I swear I saw it smile.

This fear is especially pathetic as I come from the land of more than a few of the world's top 10 deadliest snakes, the small Funnel Web Spider and the Blue Ringed Octopus. I have a healthy respect for these but am not particularly terrified of them.

But squirrels... I give way to even if it means walking onto the roadway; I give wide berth to trees where I spot a squirrel and I never stand still in a park!

We don't have any squirrels in our little yard; I suspect because of all the pepper (chili) plants we have around but yesterday I noticed a neighbour is actively encouraging them .... I would never be able to leave the house if this was at my front door!

This little girl was having a feast. Of course this was taken from well back on the sidewalk!