I lament

Worked through a chapter in two cognitive behavioural therapy workbooks and read a chapter in a library book on orchids (the latter while I was at Tire Discounters). So that's three chapters of reading in one day, more than I've done in a while. Tomorrow I pick up a book from the library on soil amendments. I've got several psychology and gardening books out right now, and some CDs. My roommate insists I'm holding books hostage, but I do pretty well with the non-fiction. Unfortunately, fiction has been a struggle of late. I think my attention span has shrunk, and maybe my introvertism is not so strong as it once is. It's hard for me to choose to do things alone, like read, or watch something. I listen to music pretty readily, but that doesn't require much investment of effort. It's been like this for several years. They talk about writer's block, but I've heard of others who say they have reader's block. That's what it feels like. Even when it's a good story, I struggle. It's so bad for a librarian to struggle with reading. I feel strange because of it. I'm going to try to set a little time each night for reading, even if it's for half an hour, and maybe do some studying as well. My languages, for example, are so rusty, and I brought my Latin, Biblical Hebrew, and Ancient Greek books with me when I moved here. The Spanish and German may have to be something I work on with Duolingo or some such; those books are in storage.

I think the best description I've ever seen of what I'm going to can be found in the Stages of a Reader cartoon you may have seen on the Internet.

:)

My favourite on this list is, hands down, 'Invader Zim'. :)

So, I'm waiting for Brenda to show up for the game

We've been watching 'Dan vs.' on Hulu, and in this case Dan is against vegetables. It's quite an entertaining show. Now we're moving on to 'Mother Up!', which is pretty fun, too. This one has Rudi trying to quit smoking.

I'm blogging on the laptop, but through using my phone as a hotspot. I'm moving a little slowly today. I overslept, was late over to my friends' house, but persevered and got the cleaning done. I am also doing some laundry of mine while we wait, which reminds me, the buzzer just went off, so I need to go check on it. Hope you're having a great weekend!

It's sad when cartoon characters get dragged into societal debates

Is Dora the Explorer an illegal immigrant?

Dora the Explorer: illegal immigrant?: Cartoon character becomes unlikely symbol of heated debate 

[The image of Dora the Explorer was created by Debbie Groben of Sarasota, Florida, for a contest sponsored by the fake news site FreakingNews.com]

I am particularly bothered by those who think Dora is a conspiracy to get Americans to accept illegal immigrants and Spanish language as the norm. These wingnuts are probably the same people who protested Tinky Winky (the purple Teletubby) and thought he was gay. Sometimes a beloved children's show character really is just a beloved children's show character, guys.

Some news of interest (to me, anyway)

Octopus sets off flood at aquarium (ah, the wily octopus!)

1.5 million-year-old human footprints found

Fungus threatens famed Lascaux cave drawings

Philip José Farmer, Science Fiction Writer, Dies at 91

Poll: 1 in 4 delaying medical care due to cost

13,000-year-old tools dug up in Colorado yard

Best Reason To Get A Kindle 2

Bizarre fish poisoning sparks alarm

Injured good Samaritan ticketed for jaywalking

Iraq to reopen museum looted in US invasion chaos

First Solar Eclipse Recorded From Moon (story has a link to a video which showes a glowing ring around the earth much like the ones seen when the moon passes between us and the sun)

Cache of Ice Age fossils found in Los Angeles

A great teaching tool, I think

'Nations of the World' from Animaniacs (specifically Yakko's World)



(Thanks YKWIA for the romp through the countries.)

Then for science, 'The Universe Song' from Animaniacs

Well, I'm home

not as early as I'd like, but still before midnight, which is good. Today was rather productive even though we didn't have a game. I washed a load of dishes, scrubbed my bathroom and reorganised it/threw away anything that wasn't usable, picked up much of my living room, and went through the recent mail. Oh, and I did manage a nap. Then I went over to a friend's house and cleaned it, fixed him dinner, and watched a couple of episodes of Ben 10: Alien Force. (Okay, yes, I do watch cartoons occasionally. In addition to the original Ben 10 I also like Fairly OddParents. And of course there's Family Guy.) :)

Well, I still need to do a little in the bathroom, but I'm getting a little sleepy and I've eaten, so I may just head on to bed.

Want a random video? How about an animated version of the Bayeux Tapestry? by David Newton

Here he comes to save the day...

Ever wonder where Mighty Mouse got his powers?

'Mighty Mouse: Mouse of Tomorrow' (Terrytoons)


Thanks to Sue Monroe from the Chatty Librarians list for sending this out.

Welcome, Poof!

I'm a fan of Fairly OddParents, but I don't have cable, so I missed the 'movie' Fairly OddBaby, where Cosmo and Wanda have a baby, Poof, thanks to Timmy's wishes. It sounds like a good premiere of the latest season. Hopefully I'll be able to catch it at a friend's house. If not, there's YouTube. (Picture of Poof thanks to Aaron).

And thanks to Rob at the gas station who told me about this, and YKWIA who looked it up on his computer when I passed it on.

I stayed up late watching

the 'Mindgame' pilot mentioned in the last post and 'Ben 10: Race Against Time'. It was interesting to see a cartoon (I like very much) translated into live action. They did an excellent job with casting.

Okay, let's all sing along--