cygnoir.net

What a lovely little spam:

Why should you limit yourself in having an elegant look?
A professional master with golden hands made this golden watch just for you.

How thoughtful!

Too bad I looked at the sender’s address.  Let’s just say it replaced this delicate image with one I cannot Borax out of my brain.

In part 2 of our query into the end of print, Matt and I discuss books, e-books, libraries, the Kindle (timely!) and my iPhone snobbery. Matt busts out with the phrase “the democratization of distribution” which is merely one of the reasons why he is so awesome.

I eagerly await our listener Ned’s comments on my library-related diatribe. If you haven’t read his comments on part 1, you’re missing out. Every podcast should have a Ned. But not our Ned. Go get your own.

This is that “25 random things about me” meme. I cannot imagine that after 11 years of an online journal there is more to know about me, but here goes.

1. I overuse the words “love” and “favorite” and “awesome”, according to cynical people. According to me, I love my awesome favorite things.
2. My schedule is very important to me. If I do something that isn’t on my schedule, I put it on my schedule after the fact.  If I do not do something that is on my schedule, I remove it from my schedule. Spontaneity is not one of my strong suits, but I don’t mind.
3. I love bad jokes.  The worse, the better.  One of my favorites starts: “Where did Napoleon keep his armies?”  Another starts: “What is brown and sticky?” I know lots of these.
4. My myriad, mysterious health problems have been resolved by a strict adherence to a gluten-free diet with vitamin supplements.
5. I am engaged to my best friend, and we are getting married! But don’t ask us for details because we have no idea yet. Wedding planning is difficult.
6. I can make a sound like a train whistle. It disturbs FunkyPlaid.
7. You can sing my full name to the tune of “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”.  (Thanks, Tony.)
8. I own at least one copy of every book that Iain Banks has published to date.
9. My first library job was in 1996. It was not an intentional career choice, but I am happy with the results.
10. I once tried out for “The World Series of Pop Culture”.  My team didn’t make it, but we had fun in Austin anyway.
11. Although my latest projects are prose, I am more comfortable writing poetry, especially fixed forms.
12. I like to guess where people are from based on their accents. When I am right, it freaks people out. This pleases me.
13. My steadfastness and loyalty have caused me to stick with things (habits, people, jobs, places) I should have given up.
14. I love magic tricks, surprises of all kinds, and not knowing what happens next. Spoilers are stupid.
15. If I hear or say the word “moist” I think it or say it to myself three times.  It is incomplete without three more: moist, moist, moist. It is a high-maintenance word, and my least favorite.
16. Oddly enough, another word containing the same diphthong is my very favorite: “foible”. It is quite laid-back and charming, not high-maintenance at all.
17. Fountain pens thrill and cheer me. My current favorite is my limited edition Namiki Vanishing Point. FunkyPlaid gave it to me for Christmas. It is purple and writes perfectly every time.
18. My greatest weakness is becoming sidetracked by perfectionism.
19. My sweet tooth is the size of my entire head. I especially love chocolate-hazelnut things like Nutella and Nutella-based treats. Please send them to me.
20. When I heard the news that Stacey’s, my favorite bookstore in San Francisco, will be closing this spring, I decided not to purchase books from Amazon anymore in favor of supporting local, independent bookstores. Not that I have any business buying books in the first place!
21. Online, I delete much more than I publish. Offline, I write without crossing much out.
22. I still avoid sidewalk cracks because of that rhyme, “Step on a crack, break your mother’s back.” Ugh!
23. I do certain things well, but I do not pretend to know everything there is to know about those things. I am always learning, and never bored.
24. Crying comes very easily to me. I used to feel embarrassed about my tears, but now I know they are just the way I express my wordless world.
25. Chance has opened many wonderful doors for me; I endeavor to have the intelligence and strength to walk through the right ones.