15th5

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075) A Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare> by Jeremy Butterfield, finished August 8

I love books on words. This one, specifically, is on the Oxford corpus and all the dandy things we can learn by examining it.

Unfortunately, I didn't think to make a list of fascinating facts as I did with the next book on this list, but you should not take that to mean that I did not enjoy this book as much. I enjoyed this book immensely. I want you to consider me now, at this moment, pressing both Damp Squid and How Sex Works into your hands and saying Read! Read! You must read!

This book was so good, I stopped reading How Sex Works's chapter on intercourse to come back to it and read some more about words.

IT'S THAT GOOD.

threeish weeks

074) How Sex Works: Why We Look, Smell, Taste, Feel, and Act the Way We Do by Dr. Sharon Moalem, finished August 6

Don't you just love a riviting nonfiction book? One that you can't put down because you're just learning so many interesting things? I've been reading two and it's marvelous.

This is the one about sex.

Two brief observations, then I'll get down to business.

One: This book is rife with typos. An unbelievable number. What, were they afraid sex was going to go out of style two weeks later if they did a last pass for errors? I just hope the errors stuck with grammar and didn't actually screw with content.

Two: I'm fascinated with how the author personified Evolution. The text of the book treats Evolution as a godlike figure who wants things and causes things and influences things. But the moral of the story is even if Evolution made you a philanderer, you still have the brain Evolution gave you and you need not do what Evolution wants. It's a very postmodern religious idea.

Now down to business. I've made a list of facts from this book that I found particularly interesting. That *I* found particularly interesting. Which means if you find them interesting at all, reading the book will provide ones you are charmed by even more. For instance, I didn't write down anything about crocodile feces because I already knew what Cleopatra did with it. So it wasn't that interesting. To me. You might feel differently.

This book was a blast. Pick one up. (Or wait for the second printing if you're easily annoyed by lousy copyediting. Harper should certainly know better. No wonder traditional publishing's in the crapper.)

TRIVIA FROM HOW SEX WORKS

in the last 150 years, the age for menarche has dropped from 17 to 12

5% of people have a supernumerary nipple

hourglass-shaped women are ~30% more fertile

during arousal breasts can grow 25%

hourglass-shaped women's children seem to be smarter

16c-18c slang for the vulva: "hey nonny no" (which remakes my understanding of Much Ado About Nothing)

menarche - first menstruation
thelarche - first breast growth
pubarche - first pubic hair growth

popularity of the Brasilian wax is threatening the existence of crabs

symbiosis: pubic and underarm sweat provides nutrients to feed microbes that create our personalized scents

new trend in South Korea: pubic hair transplants

it's possible to grow a baby to term outside the uterus

Fallopian tubes not directly connected to ovaries --- they just open up into the same cavity we find intestines and the liver in

ancient Egyptians made tampons of papyrus

pitocin (for inducing labor) is a synthesized version of oxytocin, famous for its role in orgasm

oxytocin may also help with autism symptoms

the erect penis of a gorilla is about 1.5 inches long

when a queen bee mates, in midair, you can hear an audible pop when the drone ejaculates and then his penis breaks off

1999 study showed women 11xs more likely to experience discomfort during intercourse with a circumsized partner

chimp semen can be so thick and sticky it can form a plug to keep out other males' semen

Pythagoras's followers belived semen was a 'clot of brain containing hot vapor'

semen includes sugar to fuel the sperm

semen is alkaline to neutralize the acidic vagina

having 15% of your sperm be viable is topnotch

it seems that viewing porn that features men as well as women increases the sense of reproductive competition and thus sperm count and sperm quality

the BBC commisioned on-camera semen taste-testing

semen allergies do exist

being in love makes other people less attractive

gay men's brains react to male odors the same way straight women's do

women (both straight and gay) prefer the smell of straight men to gay men

more folate = more healthy sperm
dark skin prevents UV from destroying folate
therefore tall dark and handsom tend to have better sperm

women with more symmetrical partners have more orgasms

plastic surgery started in the 16th century for syphallis-destroyed noses

monkeys will pay for pornography (spec. pictures of girl monkeys' butts)

Jared Diamond wrote a book called Why Is Sex Fun?! Why didn't I know this?

stimulating the G-Spot generally also stimulates the female prostate

the prostate has the highest concentrate of zinc in the body and so does the prostate's contribution to semen

feel like you're gonna pee before orgasm, ladies? it's probably female ejaculation

zinc is bad for bacteria

female ejaculate may help prevent urinary infections

cranberries have a chemical that coats the bladder and keeps out germs

oysters are loaded with zinc

regular oral sex may decrease a woman's immune responce against that person's sperm, making fertilization more likely --- it also decreases the chances of preeclampsia (actually swallowing the semen provides the most protection from that potentially disasterous condition)

there's video evidence out there somewhere of homosexual duck necrophilia (duck-on-dead-duck action!) --- he kept it up for an hour

the female relations of gay men tgend to have more children than the female relatives of only straight men --- so it may be that there is a gene that causes men to like men, and it has survived because it also makes women like me

proportion of ring to index fingers in lesbians is closer to that in males than in straight women

the placenta prevents ~75% of HIV-infected mothers from passing it on to their children

≥¼ of American adults infected with HPV

syphilis = 'great pox' in opposition to which comes the name small pox

he marks condoms at 87% effective at preventing HIV transmission

HIV most infectious immediately after initial infection

HIV on the rise among seniors. Thank you, Viagra!
(/16% of new cases in 2005)

some plants mimic The Pill to cut down on the next generation of animals that like to eat them

Google the Bruce effect

Casanova wore condoms --- perhaps mostly to prevent nun pregnancies (they were made of dead animals in his day)

there's a Thai group that offers free vasectomies on Father's Day

Taking the Pill? That bleeding you experience isn't menstruation but withdrawal. If you don't stop taking the real Pill, you'll never have a period. (Although you will still spot now and then and if you get pregnant, you won't know it.)

The Pill's side effects can include bigger, ah, boobs

Women-on-the-Pill's ability to sniff out genetic diversity is reversed --- which might explain the increase in divorce, when lover's smell is not so good once you stop taking it

Get this word: teledildonics


a week

073) We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson, finished August 6

The Big O asked me to read this book to him. And, to my surprise, stayed interested clear to the end. I think because of the pov choice I discussed last time I wrote about this book. He was engaged by the book entire --- LOVED it! --- when I thought he would only care about the pictures. I was happy to be proved wrong.

Lady Steed and I have wondered about how much of the race issues Biggo was aware of as we read, and I really don't know. I'm coming to the opinion that while being white means we have the luxury of believing we live in a postrace society, protecting our children from reality may not be the best choice. It's hard to know though. But this book is so much more than racism. It's a book of baseball. And that's what O loves.



a week or so because the kid went to the grandparents for four days

072) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, finished July 29

Neil Gaiman, ladies and gentlemen, Neil Gaiman as finally done it. Neil Gaiman has finally written a novel worthy of his talent. I no longer have to insist people read his comics and short stories. I no longer have to say, of his novels, yes they are good BUT. Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is pretty much perfect.

This macabre riff on The Jungle Book is so good that it's hard even to know where to start talking about it. It functions on so many levels.

So instead I'll just say this.

I am buying a copy.
It's going with us to read aloud on long trips.
I am pressing it on friends.

Basically, this book is all of Gaiman's merits --- not stretched out to novel form --- but woven together into a marvelous booklength tapestry.

If you're wondering if I'm ever going to stop gushing and say something substantial, the answer is no.

Great book. Great great book.

I'm so glad he waited twenty years till he was good enough to write it.



two or so weeks

071) The Left Bank Gang by Jason, finished July 22

Finally! I've finally read a Jason book all the way through! And it did not disappoint. Anthropomorphic dogs named Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway and Scott Fitzgerald spend their days making comics; and criticizing the comics of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Gertrude Stein. Finally hooking with with their bird pal James Joyce to pull a robbery.

Awesome.







not much

Previously:

070) The Juggler of Our Lady by R.O. Blechman, finished July 22
069) Waterwise by Joel Orff, finished July 22
068) The Saga of the Bloody Benders by Rick Geary, finished July 22
067) 10 Books That Screwed Up the World (And 5 Others That Didn't Help) by Benjamin Wike, Ph.D., finished July 21
066) We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson, finished July 11
065) Hooper Haller by Dean Hughes, finished July 18
064) Stay (MS) by Moriah Jovan, finished July 15
063) The Question: The Five Books of Blood by Greg Rucka et al, finished July 14
062) Daisy Kutter: The Last Train by Kazu Kibuishi, finished July 13
061) Gravity vs. the Girl by Riley Noehren, finished July 11
060) The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy, finished July 1
059) Letters from a Nut by Ted. L. Nancy, finished June 21
058) The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling, finished June 21
057) Lowboy by John Wray, finished June 16
056) One silent sleepless night by Spencer W. Kimball, finished June 14
055) Blue Beetle: Boundaries by Sturges/Albuquerque/Coelho, finished June 6
054) [title in flux] (MS) by B.G. Christensen, finished June 5
053) Invincible Volume 1: Family Matters words by Robert Kirkman, pictures by Cory Walker, finished June 3
052) Der Ostwind (MS) by Kohl Glass, finished June 2
051) The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde, finished June 2
050) The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton, finished June 2
049) Superman / Madman Hullabaloo! by the Allreds, finished May 29
048) Beyond Fair Chase: The Ethic and Tradition of Hunting by Jim Posewitz, finished May 26
047) Brave and the Bold: Demons and Dragons by Mark Waid et al, finished May 20
046) Atonement by Ian McEwan, finished May 20
045) Love and the Light: An Idyl of the Westland by Orson Ferguson Whitney, finished May 20
044) Tales Of The Batman: Tim Sale by Tim Sale and some motley group of writers, finished May 17
043) Catwoman: The Dark End of the Street by Ed Brubaker et al, finished May 13
042) Aztek - the Ultimate Man by Grant Morrison), Mark Millar, Keith Champagne, Steven Harris; finished May 11
041) Cypher by Brad Teare, finished May 7
040) My Faith in Frankie by Mike Carey, Sonny Liew, Marc Hempel, finished May 5
039) Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg, finished May 5
038) Batman: R.I.P. by Grant Morrison et al, finished May 4
037) 1000 Steps To World Domination by Rob Osborne, finished May 4
036) 110 Per¢ by Tony Consiglio, finished May 4
035) Mendoza in Hollywood by Kage Baker, finished May Day
034) All Star Superman, Vol. 2 by Grant Morrison, and Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant, finished April 22
033) All Star Superman, Vol. 1 by Grant Morrison, and Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant, finished April 20
032) Bound on Earth by Angela Hallstrom, finished April 19
031) Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul by Grant Morrison and colleagues, finished April 18
030) Madman Atomic Comics Volume 2 by Mike Allred with Laura Allred, finished April 14
029) For a Good Time by K. Voss, finished April 11
028) The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told, finished April 11
027) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, finished April 6
026) Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey by Karen Wilkin (essay) and Edward Gorey (art), finished April 5
025) Owly: A Time to be Brave by Andy Runton, finished April 1
024) Blue Beetle: Endgame by John Rogers and Rafaele Albuquerque, finished March 29
023) Blue Beetle: Reach for the Stars by Rogers, Torres, Albuqerque; finished March 26
022) The Complete Peanuts 1967-1968 by Charles M. Schulz, finished March 25
021) Blue Beetle: Road Trip by various, finished March 25
020) Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, finished March 18
019) Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block, finished March 17
018) The Proviso by Moriah Jovan, finished March 16
017) An Ensign to the Nations: History of the Oakland State by Evelyn Candland, finished March 7
016) Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, finished February 27
015) Batman: The Black Glove by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel and J.H. Williams III, finished February 23
014) The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story by Richard Preston, finished February 22
013) Lex Luthor: Man of Steel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, finished February 19
012) Blue Beetle: Shellshocked by Keith Giffen and Cully Hammer, finished February 18
011) The Joker by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, finished February 17
010) Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, finished February 18
009) Superman: Red Son by MJR&M, finished February 11
008) The Best American Comics 2008 edited by Lynda Barry, finished February 9
007) The Blot by Tom Neely, finished February 6
006) JSA: Darkness Falls by Goyer, Johns, et al, finished January 28
005) The Road by Cormac McCarthy, finished January 24
004) Poor Sailor by Sammy Harkham, finished January 19
003) The Waitress was New by Dominique Fabre and translated by Jordan Stump, finished January 19
002) Stagger Lee by Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix, finished January 12?
001) The Arrival by Shaun Tan, finished January 8

the first five, 1-5
the second five, 6-10
the third five, 11-15
the fourth five, 16-20
the fifth five, 21-25
the sixth five, 26-30
the seventh five, 31-35
the eighth five, 36-40
the ninth five, 41-45
the tenth five, 46-50
the eleventh five, 51-55
the twelfth five, 56-60
the thirteenth five, 61-65
the fourteenth five, 61-65

SvitheCon! (the whole world's invited)

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Speaking of Cons, I was just reading on LDSPublisher about the recent LDS Booksellers Convention. Disregarding my depression that less than 20% of the companies involved have anything to do with books and that fewer and fewer publishers even bother to attend each year (o say nothing of the companies that are going under), I want to talk about a disturbing trend that's well summed up on one product: Mormon-themed wrapping paper.



What bothers me about this? Well, it's not the attempt to enforce a Mormon culture. I'm fine with Mormonism having it's own culture. I'm all for it.

What bothers me is that items like this are emblematic of an utter unwillingness to engage the world in any way. We are not separated from the world, we should not be afraid of the world. We should be venturing forth into the world with healthful regularity.

As I wrote for AMV, it's my opinion that this is a time in Church history wherein we are called to be very much in the world --- engaging it and working with it and bringing it close. Building walls between ourselves and the world around us is, in fact, a sin if you want me to be blunt about it. If we are called to engage the world (and we are), then failing to do so is such immoral naughtiness.

Here's my feeling:

Mormon culture is good as long as it is inclusive. But when we start wrapping ourselves up in it in order to hide the rest of our planet's population from view, then we are falling short of our calling.

Mormons are called to engage. To be friends with our neighbors. To be involved in our communities. To love as He loved.

So let's open up and listen. Let's be part of this daily convention we call the world, and try to listen as well as preach. No more la-la-la-I-can't-hear-you.

Go forth.

last week's svithe

Comic Con miscellany

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I don't have it in me to put together a real post today, but Comic Con was, in blog years, about a century ago, so if I'm going to say more I need to get cracking.

Jerry Robinson, the creator of the Joker, thought Superman would never last. He also named Robin Robin to keep him human.

Gary Gianni recommends the following movies: Chandu the Magician, The Black Pirate, The Orphanage, A Cottage on Dartmoor and Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages which Mike Mignolia also loves. (One of these films is not like the others.)

I learned from Lewis Trondheim that 'good mayonnaise' is French for 'good chemistry'.

From the new Spike and Mike show, may I recommend the following?

i would love to show more but these are the only ones i can find online

Peter Jackson says imagination is a muscle. And he exercises his with Goodfellas and Casino. I'm guessing he's more excited than I am for Shutter Island.

I've been meaning to write about the EW-sponsored panel featuring Peter Jackson and James Cameron. I was impressed by the culture of giving that they represented. Cameron did, yes, some, but really I'm talking about Jackson here, how he picked up an unknown to direct Halo and how he gave a very thoughtful answer to a ten-year-old aspiring filmmaker. Peter Jackson really represents the best filmmaking has to offer, as far as human beings are concerned. (Definitely follow the link if you want to see the crazy guy.)

The Star Wars Spectacular panel was the most hideously boring thing at the Con. Everything was heavily scripted and painfully uninteresting. At least the Clone Wars cast reading showed some spunk. The voice actors were a little less containable. Good for them.

This movie Legion? Looks stupid. And it doesn't help that writer/director, when asked about the film, can only answer, "It's angels with machine guns! How cool is that? Angels with machine guns." You can plan on skipping this one.

(The actor playing the angel said, regarding holding two machine guns and emptying them out, "I was in the Royal Shakespeare Company, but this is why I wanted to be an actor.")

District 9 on the other hand looks really really good. A couple of the guys I was staying with got in to see the whole thing and wouldn't shut up about how great it was. I saw probably ten or fifteen minutes and you're lucky I can still shut up about it.



(Sorry for the crap up front --- the official version has disallowed embedding. Disallowing embedding of trailers, stupidest thing ever? Discuss.)

The script for D9 was just an outline and the actors were unscripted. The lead actor had no professional acting experience. But all this plays into the documentary feel.

You can watch the short film it's based on here.

Here's the original short 9 is based on:

I saw an extended clip from this as well and it looks fun. I don't have much else to say other than, Hey! Stop asking the actors questions! And you don't need to tell Tim Burton he's great!

Although speaking of Tim Burton, he was like Peter Jackson when it came to the director of 9, Shane Acker. Every time a question was directed at him, he would either give a worthless answer (if the question was purely for him) or gently push it over to Acker. He took none of the glory to himself. I thought that was marvelous.

Disney is going to start making shorts again. One though was expanded and will appear this December as a Christmas special on ABC. It's called Prep & Landing and I saw the opening sequence and I will definitely be tuning in.

Although, speaking of Santa variants....

I saw Bill Plympton's Santa: The Fascist Years twice. It's pretty good but the most amazing thing is this: he animated it in four days. How is that possible?

I also saw the newest entry in his Dog series. And I think "Horn Dog" might be the best since the first.

And that's probably enough for one post, don't you think? More next week. (Next time, if there is a next time, I should definitely bring internet along with me so I can post as I go....)

(500) Days of Summer

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Not very often do I see a movie where the tagline on the poster adds to my appreciation of the film. When I saw (500) Days's "This is not a love story. This is a story about love." I thought yeah, right. And yet it is absolutely true.

Director Marc Webb has applied his cleverness in a way that is meaningful and not merely quirky. Some of what's in the movie such as the expectations/reality splitscreen are so obvious it's amazing we haven't seen it a million times already.

My biggest editing suggestion would have been to cut the unusual-girl sequence. It was good and smart and fun but unnecessary. Should have been saved for another movie.

But the manner in which we are thrown back and forth through time is both easy to follow and a puzzle to be solved and that is the film's most striking trait.

What I probably loved most about this film is that it was a concept I might have come up with executed in a way I might have tried. Sometimes that irritates me, but in this case, it was so well done, that I can only applaud.

And buy the soundtrack. Need to buy that soundtrack.

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Trailers watched:

This started off interesting enough --- could be a cliche but it was hard to be sure --- and then the trailer gave away every point that made the movie interesting. And then they gave it a name like "The Stepfather." Sigh.

The girl from Juno, the girl from Arrested Development, the other Wilson brother. I can't guess whether or not this movie will by any good, but it looks pretty darn entertaining.

This looks scary. Like Scorsese is taking us to Arkham Asylum. Awesome.

(embedding disabled)

Demetri Martin? Cool. Ang Lee? Unpredictable. But like Whip It!, however this turns out, it will be fun to watch. Not that we actually go to movies. Today was twice this year?

(embedding disabled)

So Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston got their star charisma going and I'm always happy to see Judy Greer, but can this be anything more than The Same Old Thing. Maybe. It looks to be told from the man's p-o-v, so who can say?

Thvlog X: Thirty-three images of Theric's eyeballs

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And one to grow on!

It's not too late to get me an electronic gift for Coast Guard Day (tomorrow)

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svithe: Work_Service_Priesthood_Love (an experiment)

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I teach Elders Quorum once every four months, and today was my turn. And I decided to do something different. This is a choice I often make. Sometimes it works.

You know how sometimes in class, the teacher will hand out a few little slips of paper and then, at the appropriate moment, call for them to be read? That was the template. The difference was that, this time, I made somewhere around 150 slips of paper (yes, for a half-hour lesson).

Here's a pdf of the slips: http://thmazing.com/templates/theric/pdfs/Work_Service_Priesthood_Love.pdf. (I may not leave this up forever, so if you decided it's useful for you, download it now.)

Most of the slips are taken from Teachings of Presidents of the Church, although there were other things as well including Robert Frost, Lao Tzu, Mother Teresa, Kurt Vonneget, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Charles Schulz, etc etc etc (oh: and the scriptures).

The idea was to create a wide variety of voices to pick and choose from; anyone could read any slip at any time as it seemed appropriate to them. And it worked out all right, but it was a little difficult, I think, for anyone to feel fully sure of that the heck was going on at any given moment.

(I was talking metalesson with Miguel Sanchez and he had a clever idea I'll have to try sometime, viz. take the randomization to a pure lever. Give each slip of paper a number and bring a couple ten-sided dice and completely through my lesson into the maw of chaos. This is awesome. I will also be thinking about how I will bring this into the classroom. I'm really regretting not buying a scoop of dice at Comic Con now....)

a previous EQ lesson
previous svithe

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

Happy Birthday!

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One year ago today we bought our first car together and we bought it new. One year later it has 6493 miles on it. The first cd it ever played was the Yeah Yeah Yeah's Show Your Bones (a gift from Purple Petra. Today it has Lisa Loeb's Camp Lisa in the player (though we were listening to KQED).

Happy birthdays also to my brother-in-law, J.K. Rowling, Dean Cain, and Satan.

14th5books2009

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My first day in San Diego for Comic Con, I had several hours to kill before I could meet up with my group and get in to the Con. So I walked over the the library and read some comics. Such books in this and the next five are marked like this:



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070) The Juggler of Our Lady by R.O. Blechman, finished July 22

Maurice Sendak loves this book. I thought it was okay. Maybe you had to be there, in 1952. I'm not so sure it holds up. Nothing about it seems particularly fresh or original today. just a bit

069) Waterwise by Joel Orff, finished July 22

Beautiful, short, black&white meeting of old friends, perhaps for the last time, during a moment liminial for both, in which they merely float. Peppered with flashbacks and dreamy metaphors, this is a quite lovely book. not long at all

068) The Saga of the Bloody Benders by Rick Geary, finished July 22

As I suspected, The Bloody Benders is the best of Geary's Victorian Murder series that I have yet read. It ended up being an apropos choice as Geary's art graced the official Comic Con publications I would be carrying around the rest of this week. The Benders were a serial-killing family of which I knew nothing before reading an excerpt of the book in the most recent Best American Comics. I think my unfamiliarity with the tale added to my enjoyment, but Geary's straightforward reporting and distinctive art are always a pleasure in and of themselves. not much

067) 10 Books That Screwed Up the World (And 5 Others That Didn't Help) by Benjamin Wike, Ph.D., finished July 21

Wiker starts, before getting into his ten, with four "Preliminary Screw-Ups. He doesn't like Machiavelli, Descartes, Hobbes and Mill. And while he has fairly reasonable reasons for not liking them, his rhetoric got harder and harder to stomach. He rails like an am radio host and even when his logic was unassailable and even though I almost always agreed with him, I was put of by his disdain. And, basically, for all their other intellectual and moral sins, the great sins of these four in Wiker's opinion (and all the authors in the book) is that they are atheists. Atheism is the true evil on display in this book. (I will say, having read this book, that I can now make the obvious rejoinder when people say they don't like religion because it has killed so many people, viz. atheists like Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc, were the greatest butchers in human history. So giving up on god doesn't really seem to have solved any problems.) Anyway, I was just about to put this book down when he started mentioning Nietzsche and then he drew me back in. See, unlike the other authors in this book, Wiker respects Nietzsche. Why? Because Nietzsche doesn't shy away from any of the amoral implications of atheism. And so while Wiker is happy to agree with Nietsche when he calls himself the Anti-Christ, he respects his intellectual integrity. Some of the authors Wiker goes for are easy targets --- I mean, is there anyone left who really takes Freud or Kinsey or Sanger seriously? And others, like the essay on Darwin's Descent of Man, were actually quite enlightening. It's interesting how my high school textbooks made pains to say Darwin wasn't in favor of eugenics when his statements to the contrary are methinks-the-lady-doth-protest-too-much at best. And I had no idea Margarent Mead's work was so . . . shaky, shall we say.^* Anyway, if you can put up with his overthetop rhetoric this is a nice place to start. Just don't expect evenhandedness. The author Has An Agenda and is not afraid to push it. (But I still don't think Utilitarianism as commonly understood is such a terrible thing.) couple weeks

066) We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson, finished July 11

Nelson's paintings are what he is (rightly) known for, but the text in this book is also excellent. He made the brilliant choice of writing in third-person plural, from the point-of-view of the players which works marvelously. The characters are heroic and the hyperbole can bump up against itself (Cool Papa Bell was so fast, no catcher could stop him from stealing; Biz Mackey had such a strong arm, no one could steal when he was catching), but that's okay: This is baseball. It is the American sport, people with heroes who are larger-than-life by definition. Why do think baseball 'roids make us so much madder than in any other sport? couple hours

Previously:

065) Hooper Haller by Dean Hughes, finished July 18 064) Stay (MS) by Moriah Jovan, finished July 15 063) The Question: The Five Books of Blood by Greg Rucka et al, finished July 14 062) Daisy Kutter: The Last Train by Kazu Kibuishi, finished July 13 061) Gravity vs. the Girl by Riley Noehren, finished July 11 060) The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy, finished July 1 059) Letters from a Nut by Ted. L. Nancy, finished June 21 058) The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling, finished June 21 057) Lowboy by John Wray, finished June 16 056) One silent sleepless night by Spencer W. Kimball, finished June 14 055) Blue Beetle: Boundaries by Sturges/Albuquerque/Coelho, finished June 6 054) [title in flux] (MS) by B.G. Christensen, finished June 5 053) Invincible Volume 1: Family Matters words by Robert Kirkman, pictures by Cory Walker, finished June 3 052) Der Ostwind (MS) by Kohl Glass, finished June 2 051) The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde, finished June 2 050) The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton, finished June 2 049) Superman / Madman Hullabaloo! by the Allreds, finished May 29 048) Beyond Fair Chase: The Ethic and Tradition of Hunting by Jim Posewitz, finished May 26 047) Brave and the Bold: Demons and Dragons by Mark Waid et al, finished May 20 046) Atonement by Ian McEwan, finished May 20 045) Love and the Light: An Idyl of the Westland by Orson Ferguson Whitney, finished May 20 044) Tales Of The Batman: Tim Sale by Tim Sale and some motley group of writers, finished May 17 043) Catwoman: The Dark End of the Street by Ed Brubaker et al, finished May 13 042) Aztek - the Ultimate Man by Grant Morrison), Mark Millar, Keith Champagne, Steven Harris; finished May 11 041) Cypher by Brad Teare, finished May 7 040) My Faith in Frankie by Mike Carey, Sonny Liew, Marc Hempel, finished May 5 039) Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg, finished May 5 038) Batman: R.I.P. by Grant Morrison et al, finished May 4 037) 1000 Steps To World Domination by Rob Osborne, finished May 4 036) 110 Per¢ by Tony Consiglio, finished May 4 035) Mendoza in Hollywood by Kage Baker, finished May Day 034) All Star Superman, Vol. 2 by Grant Morrison, and Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant, finished April 22 033) All Star Superman, Vol. 1 by Grant Morrison, and Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant, finished April 20 032) Bound on Earth by Angela Hallstrom, finished April 19 031) Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul by Grant Morrison and colleagues, finished April 18 030) Madman Atomic Comics Volume 2 by Mike Allred with Laura Allred, finished April 14 029) For a Good Time by K. Voss, finished April 11 028) The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told, finished April 11 027) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, finished April 6 026) Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey by Karen Wilkin (essay) and Edward Gorey (art), finished April 5 025) Owly: A Time to be Brave by Andy Runton, finished April 1 024) Blue Beetle: Endgame by John Rogers and Rafaele Albuquerque, finished March 29 023) Blue Beetle: Reach for the Stars by Rogers, Torres, Albuqerque; finished March 26 022) The Complete Peanuts 1967-1968 by Charles M. Schulz, finished March 25 021) Blue Beetle: Road Trip by various, finished March 25 020) Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, finished March 18 019) Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block, finished March 17 018) The Proviso by Moriah Jovan, finished March 16 017) An Ensign to the Nations: History of the Oakland State by Evelyn Candland, finished March 7 016) Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, finished February 27 015) Batman: The Black Glove by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel and J.H. Williams III, finished February 23 014) The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story by Richard Preston, finished February 22 013) Lex Luthor: Man of Steel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, finished February 19 012) Blue Beetle: Shellshocked by Keith Giffen and Cully Hammer, finished February 18 011) The Joker by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, finished February 17 010) Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, finished February 18 009) Superman: Red Son by MJR&M, finished February 11 008) The Best American Comics 2008 edited by Lynda Barry, finished February 9 007) The Blot by Tom Neely, finished February 6 006) JSA: Darkness Falls by Goyer, Johns, et al, finished January 28 005) The Road by Cormac McCarthy, finished January 24 004) Poor Sailor by Sammy Harkham, finished January 19 003) The Waitress was New by Dominique Fabre and translated by Jordan Stump, finished January 19 002) Stagger Lee by Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix, finished January 12? 001) The Arrival by Shaun Tan, finished January 8

the first five, 1-5
the second five, 6-10
the third five, 11-15
the fourth five, 16-20
the fifth five, 21-25
the sixth five, 26-30
the seventh five, 31-35
the eighth five, 36-40
the ninth five, 41-45
the tenth five, 46-50
the eleventh five, 51-55
the twelfth five, 56-60
the thirteenth five, 61-65

HELP!!! Lady Steed and I need your help.

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(see her blog; leave advice)

Good advice from James Cameron at Comic Con that he gave in reply to what his next project may be, now that he’s wrapping up Avatar

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“It’s not a good time to ask a woman if she wants other kids when she’s crowning.”

Comic Con, homeless style

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I'll post a few more things about Comic Con here and at Fob Comics (and maybe even AMV if my idea holds up to scrutiny), but first, since it seems to be what everyone is asking me about, this: Being Homeless in San Diego.

Is quite nice, actually. It's, mm, maybe 75° even at four in the morning. And the only people walking by are perfectly pleasant.

Here's what happened: I shacked up in a crowded hotel room with a topnotch group of guys. The hotel room was twice what I expected, but split among nine people, really not that expensive. But still: No way I was paying for a hotel on my own. And everyone else left a day before me. So what to do?

Obviously: Sleep on the street.

Curiously, everyone else thought this was a crazy idea, from Lady Steed to those who were leaving me behind. But what was crazy about it? I'd been out and about as late as two in the morning. The part of San Diego we were staying in seemed safe as pie. Why not?

One thing I wondered about was why, in a city peopled with plenty of homeless, did I see so few in this part of town. And so I worried that I would see plenty of patrolling policemen. But I didn't. So I'm left wondering why the homeless vacate the part of town where I hung out all night. Especially when their constant presence just a few blocks away made those streets reek of piss in the early morning hours.

My plan for avoiding trouble was this:

Sit somewhere out of sight, but not in a manner that makes it seem I am hiding.

That was it.

That and, as current events show is helpful, be white. A pleasant looking white boy such as myself, let's face it, is much more likely to get away with one night of homelessness on the steps of the court.

From Google Maps (corner of State and F, if you're interested):




I spent several hours here, mostly writing in my skethcbooks, but also reading a couple Theodore Sturgeon stories. While here, I saw, maybe, six people walk buy, all well-to-do folk on their way to or from restaurants. Also, I watched a security guy part his truck and head in to the government building across the street.

I was going to sleep here, completely out of sight and under a low palm, but it smelled like cat pee and, as I came to realize, was loaded with cockroaches

I spent the bulk of the night here, doing some more writing, mostly. Saw a handful of people walk past. Saw one of SD's bike taxi's showing some old people the sights.

This is where I slept from a little after two till a little after five, on this bit of elevated concrete.

All these spots (save the roachy one) were well lit, making it easy to keep myself busy with words. The few people who saw me, weren't bothered by me. And the building itself was lovely.

Overall, for a three-hours-sleep night, it was quite a pleasant night. It did get cold for maybe half an hour around 10, but otherwise, balmy and kind.

Love you, San Diego!

Unlucky 13th Five

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note: two of today's authors are featured in my post today for motley vision

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065) Hooper Haller by Dean Hughes, finished July 18

I first read this as a child, borrowed from my grandmother's personal library. I remember nothing of what I thought of it then. My grandmother has since passed away and this passed into my own library. Not because of the Big O's baseball obsession (he wasn't walking then) but because I had taken a class from the author and he had served as an important mentor to me. Anyway, because of the baseball obsession, I chose this book to read to the boys. Eldon Haller is from small town Hooper, Utah (near Ogden) where he was a master of the mound for his high school baseball team. He's drafted by the Royals and heads to Kansas City. Hughes is a notable writer of baseball books and the game scenes crackle. Biggo loved those. But the parts about the girl or Eldon's existential crises or buying a car or flying on planes or sitting my a stream or somebody's little brother dying? Not nearly so good. Which is why it took us so long to finish. One-sitting picture books are still the lit of choice around here. Because it took us so long (and because I had to reread the games scenes and read the rest while trying to play catch at the same time), I really don't know how good this particular book is. But it certainly wasn't bad. I would read its sequel. But if you're considering reading a Dean Hughes YA book (and don't particularly care whether it's one of the DB-published ones), may I recommend Millie Wilenheimer and the Chestnut Corporation (funny and about money) and Family Pose (serious and about hotels)? months

064) Stay by Moriah Jovan (MS POLICY), finished July 15

My faith that I put in Moriah after reading The Proviso was justified. This book is good. Parts of it are excellent. And it's still only a draft. It still has explicit sex (though not as much) but you should have no other qualms about checking this one out when it's released in a few months. Congratulations, Moriah, on a great book. Keep 'em coming. MS POLICY one month

063) The Question: The Five Books of Blood by Greg Rucka et al, finished July 14

A fairly interesting idea based on a beloved character, but disappointing. Basically, there is a religion of crime whose sacred work stars Cain and Lilith and, yeah, doesn't pay off. Too bad. about half and hour plus a couple minutes the next morning

062) Daisy Kutter: The Last Train by Kazu Kibuishi, finished July 13

Page one is below. If you want my take, proceed to Fob Comics. like half an hour, max

061) Gravity vs. the Girl by Riley Noehren, finished July 11

Before I started this book, I thought I would compare it to this book, which, though I haven't read it, is a Minx (and I've reviewed several) and has, at least on the surface, a similar conceit. But Good as Lily's just gonna have to wait for me to read it because this book deserves much more than comparison to an unread comic. Gravity vs. the Girl is that rarest of beasts: the Good Comic novel. I don't know why this beast is so rare. There is no reason on this earth that comic novels shouldn't be excellent. But they rarely are. Most comic novels I've read have inconsistent character development, bad plotting, di ex machina, and other grievous sins mostly born of laziness. The worst this book does is misspell Macauley Culkin. Anyway. Back to the conceit. (I'll let the backcopy do the heavylifting.) "Samantha Green has just spent an entire year in her pajamas, and she is beginning to regret it. What's more, she is haunted by four ghosts that are former versions of herself. First up is the overachieving and materialistic attorney, who is furious with Samantha for throwing away the career she worked so hard to build. Second is the lackadaisical college student who is high on life but low on responsibility. Next is the melodramatic teenager, who is consumed with her social standing, teal eyeliner and teased bangs. Finally, there is the scrappy six-year old, whose only objective is to overcome gravity so that she can fly." That's all you need to know about the story. Now I'm going to spout some stuff that will hopefully make you think I'm smart or at least Mormon and then I'll close by suggesting you read the book. In order for Samantha to move forward with her life, she first needs to move backwards, giving the text a chiastic structure that is understated and quite successful. Even after I began to see how things were unfolding, the final ghost's raison d'être was strong enough to justify its role as the entire book's foundation. I'm impressed by the book's cohesiveness. A game like the one Noehren is playing here is easy to screw up but there are no false steps here. And when the book offers lessons it does so in an honest way --- as opposed to most comic novel's that feel a need to preachify to excuse their funniness. BEING FUNNY IS NOT A CRIME. This book knows that and feels no shame in making you laugh. So refreshing. It closing up with an epilogue even Edgy could love that provides unusually perfect bookending. And although there is nothing explicitly Mormon about this book, it's clean enough to recommend to my mother. So no one here will feel the need to feel betrayed. Anyway. Buy your own copy. about three weeks

Previously:

060) The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy, finished July 1 059) Letters from a Nut by Ted. L. Nancy, finished June 21 058) The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling, finished June 21 057) Lowboy by John Wray, finished June 16 056) One silent sleepless night by Spencer W. Kimball, finished June 14 055) Blue Beetle: Boundaries by Sturges/Albuquerque/Coelho, finished June 6 054) [title in flux] (MS) by B.G. Christensen, finished June 5 053) Invincible Volume 1: Family Matters words by Robert Kirkman, pictures by Cory Walker, finished June 3 052) Der Ostwind (MS) by Kohl Glass, finished June 2 051) The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde, finished June 2 050) The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton, finished June 2 049) Superman / Madman Hullabaloo! by the Allreds, finished May 29 048) Beyond Fair Chase: The Ethic and Tradition of Hunting by Jim Posewitz, finished May 26 047) Brave and the Bold: Demons and Dragons by Mark Waid et al, finished May 20 046) Atonement by Ian McEwan, finished May 20 045) Love and the Light: An Idyl of the Westland by Orson Ferguson Whitney, finished May 20 044) Tales Of The Batman: Tim Sale by Tim Sale and some motley group of writers, finished May 17 043) Catwoman: The Dark End of the Street by Ed Brubaker et al, finished May 13 042) Aztek - the Ultimate Man by Grant Morrison), Mark Millar, Keith Champagne, Steven Harris; finished May 11 041) Cypher by Brad Teare, finished May 7 040) My Faith in Frankie by Mike Carey, Sonny Liew, Marc Hempel, finished May 5 039) Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg, finished May 5 038) Batman: R.I.P. by Grant Morrison et al, finished May 4 037) 1000 Steps To World Domination by Rob Osborne, finished May 4 036) 110 Per¢ by Tony Consiglio, finished May 4 035) Mendoza in Hollywood by Kage Baker, finished May Day 034) All Star Superman, Vol. 2 by Grant Morrison, and Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant, finished April 22 033) All Star Superman, Vol. 1 by Grant Morrison, and Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant, finished April 20 032) Bound on Earth by Angela Hallstrom, finished April 19 031) Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul by Grant Morrison and colleagues, finished April 18 030) Madman Atomic Comics Volume 2 by Mike Allred with Laura Allred, finished April 14 029) For a Good Time by K. Voss, finished April 11 028) The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told, finished April 11 027) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, finished April 6 026) Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey by Karen Wilkin (essay) and Edward Gorey (art), finished April 5 025) Owly: A Time to be Brave by Andy Runton, finished April 1 024) Blue Beetle: Endgame by John Rogers and Rafaele Albuquerque, finished March 29 023) Blue Beetle: Reach for the Stars by Rogers, Torres, Albuqerque; finished March 26 022) The Complete Peanuts 1967-1968 by Charles M. Schulz, finished March 25 021) Blue Beetle: Road Trip by various, finished March 25 020) Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, finished March 18 019) Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block, finished March 17 018) The Proviso by Moriah Jovan, finished March 16 017) An Ensign to the Nations: History of the Oakland State by Evelyn Candland, finished March 7 016) Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, finished February 27 015) Batman: The Black Glove by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel and J.H. Williams III, finished February 23 014) The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story by Richard Preston, finished February 22 013) Lex Luthor: Man of Steel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, finished February 19 012) Blue Beetle: Shellshocked by Keith Giffen and Cully Hammer, finished February 18 011) The Joker by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, finished February 17 010) Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, finished February 18 009) Superman: Red Son by MJR&M, finished February 11 008) The Best American Comics 2008 edited by Lynda Barry, finished February 9 007) The Blot by Tom Neely, finished February 6 006) JSA: Darkness Falls by Goyer, Johns, et al, finished January 28 005) The Road by Cormac McCarthy, finished January 24 004) Poor Sailor by Sammy Harkham, finished January 19 003) The Waitress was New by Dominique Fabre and translated by Jordan Stump, finished January 19 002) Stagger Lee by Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix, finished January 12? 001) The Arrival by Shaun Tan, finished January 8

the first five, 1-5
the second five, 6-10
the third five, 11-15
the fourth five, 16-20
the fifth five, 21-25
the sixth five, 26-30
the seventh five, 31-35
the eighth five, 36-40
the ninth five, 41-45
the tenth five, 46-50
the eleventh five, 51-55
the twelfth five, 56-60

Two Delightful Things to Start Your Week With

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For my brother, further evidence that he is dead wrong when he says celery has no flavor, this delightful part of my Wednesday lunch:




For Jack Black, who still refuses to play Paul Revere in my new all-star revolutionary comedy, this evidence that he is perfect for the role:




and free bonus, don't miss my to build a fence, online for the first time since 2002!