Friday, April 25

Fat Cat, Small Box

Rotten doesn't really know how big she is...But at least she's pretty stinkin' cute.

Wednesday, April 23

Friday, April 18

Recently Completed Book Archive

Tess of the D'Ubervilles--Thomas Hardy (Damn me! I was feeling impatient and just read the Cliff Notes for this. Opps. Oh well, I wasn't dreadfully impressed anyway. And do I remember when I finished it? No.)

The Secret Adversary--Agatha Christie (Hmm...I know I finished this book...But at the moment I couldn't for the life of me tell you what it was about or when I finished it)

The Sweet Far Thing--Libba Bray (This book is terrible. I'm moved it to the finished stack not because I actually finished reading the damn thing but because I'm finished with it in the sense that I refuse to read another horribly written paragraph. Blech! 4/14)

Inkspell--Cornelia Funke (Another fabulous children's fantasy book. Why are fantasy books written for children SO MUCH better than a great deal of fantasy written for adults? Inkworld is fabulously spun--highly recommended reading. 4/11)

The A-Z of essential oils--E. Joy Bowles (This book rocks. Before I relinquish it to the library's waiting hands, I think I will have to make flashcards for some of the better oils. It's more scientific than any aromatherapy book I've ever read, and it takes into consideration the actual chemical makeup of each oil and tells you the known effects of each chemical on humans. Interesting! 4/10)

The Writing Life--Annie Dillard (I doubt I will ever really be a writer. It was a childhood "when I grow up" answer of mine, and I definately enjoy writing journals and poetry and letters and such but I 'm not a fiction writer. At least not the person that I am right now. But Annie Dillard is an amazing writer. I've loved her prose and her stories and the way she can make a book beautiful and terrible and stunning. This book is Not Fiction! It is more or less an essay on how to write, advice on writing, and descriptions of what it is like for her to write. The book is startling and strong and makes me wish to read and reread and reread again ll the books I have ever loved. 4/8)

Evil Under the Sun--Agatha Christie (Uh-oh. I should have written about this one right after I read it. All Hercule Poirot stories have started to blend together in my head! Damn it! I don't even know what day I finished the book! I'm going to have to guess! 3/28)

The Mysterious Affair at Styles--Agatha Christie (I'm definitely still on vacation...the bio in the back of this book says that it was the first of the Hercule Poirot mysteries, and I really liked it. Classy whodunnit with a main character that just bumbles along after Poirot not knowing what to do. 3/26)

Friday, April 11

Recently Finished Book Archive

Anansi Boys--Neil Gaiman (Picked this one up at Powell's while we were in Portland, and I'm Very Glad I had it. Got home from work at 4:00 and started reading...and didn't stop until 8:30 when I finished. Beguiling story! Interesting Characters! Fast Paced! Action-Packed! :-) 3/25)

Destination Unknown--Agatha Christie (Christie writes espionage! Strong red-headed heroine, the Cold War & the Iron Curtain, a definite love interest = definately not the normal Christie mystery. 3/24)

Postern of Fate--Agatha Christie (I started this one after I got sick, so that may be why I didn't like it as much. It has neither Marple nor Poirot, and the story moves mainly through dialogue between an elderly husband & wife team who consistently allude to their detective/mystery solving past together. I think the dialogue threw me off a bit, because it was just a little too dated for me to really get into it. The coolest part of this book is that Dame Christie based the story in her childhood home. 3/23)

The Mystery of the Blue Train--Agatha Christie (Another Hercule Poirot mystery, also finished while staying in the Agatha Christie room. I especially liked that you thought the mystery was solved with 50 pages to go...and then the real murderers were discovered in the last 5 pages. 3/22)

Murder on the Orient Express--Agatha Christie (This is the first Poirot mystery I've read, and I have to say I'm becoming fond of the little egg-headed mustachioed mystery-solver. :-) 3/21)

Tuesday, April 8

Why Are Chickens Inherently Funny?

There is something really funny about chickens, no matter what they are doing....I just stumbled into this webcomic and thought I would have to share my first favorite. The zombie chickens are pretty awesome too... :-)

Monday, April 7

PotteerrRy!

I started a pottery class last week, and I'm just beginning to remember that I actually like working in clay. Maybe. I don't tend to think in 3-dimensions, at least when I'm making stuff, so sculpture has never been my go-to art method when I have a brilliant idea....The first two pots I tried to make I ended up smooooooshing, and I'm getting close to getting my first project pot done for class. It's fun. I don't think I'll ever become a master potter, but so far so good! :-)

Sunday, April 6

Knitted Catnip Mouse


Well, it may be one of the
smallest knitted objects
I've ever said I've
'completed' but what the
hey, Rotten loves it. ;-)