Amber's (scaifea's) Thread #4

Hey, everybody!

I'm Amber, a one-time Classics professor, turned stay-at-home parent/lady of leisure, turned part-time library assistant, turned once again Classics professor. I spend my free time sewing, writing, knitting, baking, and, of course, reading.

My reading life is happily governed by lists, which means that I read a healthy variety of things across various genres.

I'm 46 going on 12 and live in Ohio with my husband, Tomm; our son, Charlie; Mario, the Golden Retriever; and the newest addition to the family: Agent Fitzsimmons, the Border Collie.

The haircut isn't all that new anymore, but, well, here I am:



Favorite Books from 2021
Spinning Silver
Far Away Across the Sea
The Book Thief
Return of the Thief
Mister Impossible
Something Wicked This Way Comes
The House in the Cerulean Sea
Under the Whispering Door

What I'm Reading Now:
-Les Miserables (books by year - 1862)
-Beat the Reaper (an unread book from my shelves)
-The Portrait of a Lady (books I'm reading with my friend, Rob)
-Burn (romance list)
-Stradivari's Genius (wishlist book)
-Solutions and Other Problems (Alex Award)
-A Court of Thorns and Roses (a Beauty & the Beast retelling)
-Darius the Great Deserves Better (Stonewall Honor Book)
-Heartsong (audiobook)
-Neverwhere (family bedtime read-aloud)

Books on Deck:
-(a book from my Read Soon! shelves)
-The World of Tibetan Buddhism (Buddhist reading list)
-Hitting the Books (cozy mysteries)
-Richard III (Shakespeare re-read)
-The Land of the Free (100 Banned Books)
-Lest Darkness Fall (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books)
-Titan (Locus SF Award)
-The Thief of Time (Boyne bibliography)

The five-ish or so books I have going at once and the On Deck books nearly all come from the following categories and lists:

1. A book from the 100 Banned Books book (at least currently. As soon as I finish this list, I'll replace it with another, and oh, I've got tons of lists).

2. 13 years ago I started working my way through a handful of awards lists for children's books. I've finished a fair few of those, but I'm still working through the 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Die list, and I try to stay up to date with several of the YALSA awards each year.

3. A book from the Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List, in chronological order.

4. A list I'm working through together with my best friend, Rob: The Hugo/Nebula/WFA/Bram Stoker (and other) lists (combined, in chronological order)

5. For this category, I cycle through 9 different stacks:
a. Agatha Christie's bibliography (in chronological order)
b. Stephen Fry's bibliography (in chronological order)
c. John Boyne bibliography (in chronological order, sort of)
d. Neil Gaiman's bibliography (in some order other than chronological (don't
ask)).
e. Christopher Moore's bibliography (in chronological order)
f. Maggie Stiefvater's bibliography (in chronological order)
g. The NEH Timeless Classics list
h. The National Book Award list (in alpha order by title)
i. The Pulitzer list (in alpha order by author)

6. An unread book from my shelves.

7. A book from my Read Soon! shelves.

8. A book on Buddhism or from the Dalai Lama's bibliography.

9. Book-a-year challenge: A few years ago, along with a few others in this group (*cough* Paul *cough*), I made a year-by-year list to see how far I could go back with consecutive reads. I've since been trying to fill in the gap years.

10. A cozy mystery.

11. A full-on re-read through Shakespeare's stuff.

12. A read-aloud-to-Charlie-at-bedtime book (or two).

13. An audio book, which I listen to as I knit/sew/otherwise craft/drive.

14. A romance novel.

15. A book from my wishlist (it's *so* long).

16. This slot is reserved for books that just grab me and shout that they need to be read Right Now.

Books Read

JANUARY
1. The Cave Children (1001 Children's Books) - 7/10
2. Conan the Barbarian (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 7/10
3. Beauties, Beasts, and Enchantment (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 8/10
4. The Paradise War (audiobook/Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 7/10
5. What Fresh Hell Is This? (impulse read) - 8/10
6. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (I reread this one with Charlie, who's reading it for his ELA class) - 8/10
7. The Hidden Face of Eve (100 Banned Books) - 7/10
8. Guilty Pleasures (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 7/10
9. Cue for Treason (1001 Children's Books) - 9/10
10. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (books I'm reading with my friend, Rob) - 9/10
11. Metropolis (1001 Children's Books) - 7/10
12. Timescape (Nebula Award) - 6/10
13. A Fatal Grace (mysteries) - 9/10
14. A Loyal Character Dancer (mysteries) - 8/10

FEBRUARY
15. Beetle and the Hollowbones (Stonewall Honor Book) - 8/10
16. More Fool Me (Fry bibliography) - 8/10
17. The Ghost Writer (wishlist book) - 9/10
18. Chimera (National Book Award) - 8/10
19. Cat's Cradle (unread book from my shelves) - 9/10
20. Mockingjay (reread with Charlie) - 10/10

Simmons & Boo (her very best friend and constant companion - she even falls asleep with it in her mouth):



Mario and two of her good friends, Blue the Bunny and Frencisco, the Duck:



And Charlie on cookie decorating duty:

Next one is yours!

Happy new one!

Those dogs are full of adorable. How can you stand such cuteness on a daily basis?

>7 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

>8 Crazymamie: Oh, it's balanced out by how exasperating they can be sometimes. Ha! They're so stinking cute, though, really.

Our previous dog, Louis, had a ball that he carried everywhere and slept with in his mouth. It always looked so uncomfortable... *shrug*

And Mario is such a good girl with her soft toys! Both Louis and now Nuala are hopeless with those. They just tear them apart and leave stuffing everywhere. Nuala only gets very sturdy rubber toys now.

Happy new thread!

>11 katiekrug: Mario has that GR super-soft mouth, and is very delicate with her stuffed toys. Simmons is...not. A border collie thing, I think, to just be hard on toys. But she's also super-smart and very quickly learned which toys she's not allowed to touch because they're Mario's.

>11 katiekrug: Griffin is the same with stuffed toys.

>12 scaifea: That's great, that Simmons knows to leave Mario's toys alone. Lottie only gets sturdy toys, unless I feel like giving her a thrilling five minutes of ripping and shredding, which I then have to clean up! But Lottie is also like Simmons in that she loves her ball and sometimes sleeps with it in her mouth.

Happy new one, Amber. So delighted that like Katie, you're enjoying Kim's Convenience. We really love the show in this house (I even got Mr. Fine a Kim's t-shirt for his birthday last year).

Ash will often tear the stuffing out of toys that have catnip in them, although this Christmas the cats each got a small stuffed unicorn with catnip in them that are still intact. Either the catnip is less potent or the lack of mouse shape makes them less fun to tear apart.

Whoops ~ new thread and I'm still trying to catch up on the old one, *puff, puff* Gasp!

>13 Crazymamie: Aw, and here I thought maybe GRs were just generally gentler with their toys.

>14 foggidawn: The incredible smartness of border collies can both be a nuisance (they're difficult to trick - Tuppence could open doors), but it's also great because they're very easy to train.

>15 MickyFine: Susie, our dearly missed calico, would arrange all her little toys in a circle and then sit in the middle of said circle. So weird. One day we came home to her circle sitting and only after a few minutes did we realize that one of the toys was a bird. Still slightly alive...

>16 SandyAMcPherson: Hi, Sandy!

>19 scaifea: LOL.

Happy new thread. Cute doggie photos with their toys. I like seeing Charlie decorate the cookies!

>22 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori! That Charlie photo will probably stay for a little while - he's not one for letting me take photos very often anymore and I try to respect his wishes. Makes me hungry for more gingerbread cookies, though, everytime I look at it...

Happy new one!

Thanks, Jim!

Happy new thread, Amber!

>5 scaifea: The dogs are cute with their toys.

>19 scaifea: The circle sounds sweet, but a bird in between ..!..

>26 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

It was a shock to find the bird - Susie was an indoor cat!! So the bird found its way into the house somehow. We had a couple more birds in the house over the next year or so until Tomm finally figured out how they were getting in (a small hole in the somethingorother, I don't remember the details).

Happy new thread!

>28 quondame: Thanks!

Happy New Thread, Amber! What happened to the birdy? A casualty?

Happy New Thread, Amber!

I probably already asked you this, but did you read Last Night at the Telegraph Club? I liked it a lot, and I just saw it made Publihers Weekly young adult bestseller list.

>30 msf59: Thanks, Mark!

Yes, I'm sad to say that the bird was not long for this world by the time we saw it. Poor thing.

>31 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! No, I haven't read that one, but it's on my list! I'm glad to see that you liked it!

Happy new one! As usual, love your photos up top!

Our cat came in with birds on a fairly regular basis. Mum had some kind of phobia about flapping feathers and she used to turn tail & scarper. So I got that pleasure each time. In some ways I'd love a cat again, but I'm not a fan of dealing with the detritus...

>34 Berly: Thanks, Kim!

>35 Helenliz: I super don't like birds either, so having them in the house was really stressful for me.

I don't think we'll ever have another cat; I loved Susie very much, but I'm also happy not to have a litter box in the house anymore.

On the agenda for today:
Class prep, teaching, weekling bill sorting, baking, maybe some cleaning. I was going to try a new recipe, Oatmeal Carmelitas, but the store was out of caramels yesterday. So, brownies it is. Frozen Friday dinner tonight.

On the reading front:
I'm very nearly finished with A Fatal Grace - I should be able to polish it off this afternoon.

What We're Watching:
An episode of West Wing and two of My Hero Academia.

Both our current cat (though he's too old to successfully hunt birds now) and the ones prior have brought in birds - and other prey - o a regular basis. Old kitty tried to get a magpie baby one time - he regretted that for the rest of his life because corvids never forget.

Oats and caramel are two eternal favourites here, so I look forward to when you do make the carmelitas recipe.

Morning, Amber! I think I might make brownies today, too. We are getting a snow storm and I like to have baked goods in the house when I'm hunkered down :)

>39 PawsforThought: Yep, I think that's pretty much a cat's MO.

I hope I can find the caramels next week!

>40 katiekrug: Woot! Brownies are a very good think to have around in a snowstorm.

So this time around with the myth class I'm asking them bonus-like questions like I do with my Latin students, although these are actually somewhat related to the topics at hand. For today's class we're reading Ovid's version of the Flood and we'll be comparing it to other versions (floods are sort of a world-wide thing in all kinds of mythologies). I asked them: If you were an angry god, how would you decide to destroy the world (what method of destruction would you use)? I'm getting some great answers from them (some hilarious and some a little scary!); I'd love to know what *your* answers would be...

Hi Amber, and happy fourth thread.

>5 scaifea: Sweet doggos, love their 'friends'. I don’t think I’ve ever said how much I like it that Charlie has long hair. I came up in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and long hair on men was in and attractive to me. I still like seeing it, although NOT the scraggly gray locks on aging rock stars.

Our kitties have toys all over the house. Bottle caps, toy mice, toy balls, some that make noise, some that don’t. We tread carefully.

>19 scaifea: Susie the huntress, although I see below that she was an indoor kitty and the bird had gotten into the house. We get critters all the time since we have indoor/outdoor kitties and a kitty door that is open all day. Last night it was a dead mouse that Wash was playing with under the breakfast room table. Thank goodness Bill saw it first – the rule is that whoever sees the cat whatever (urp, animals) has to clean it up.

>23 scaifea: Jenna is reluctant about photos, too, and at age 28. She's gotten better about me taking photos with my cell phone when she's home, though.

>43 scaifea: I need to think about that one, but it’s a GREAT question.

>43 scaifea: Two of my favourite (if you can use that term when referring to events that hurt and/or killed people) historical events are the Great Molasses Flood in Boston of 1919 and the London Beer Flood of 1814, so my choice of world destruction would be a flooding using some form of edible or drinkable goods. Maybe caramel sauce? Or cordial? Delicious but deadly.

>44 karenmarie: Charlie's hair is a bit of a struggle for Tomm to accept, but I'm adamant about the idea of His Body, His Choice, so long as he keeps it clean and healthy. But yeah, I love the long hair on him, too.

I think if we had that rule in our house, I'd be guilty of pretending I didn't see the dead animal...

I hate having photos taken of me, too, but I acquiesce every once in awhile because I assume some day Charlie will want to have some of me...

The question: the student answers are kind of hilarious. I think my favorite is the one who said that he'd make the earth spin really fast so that everyone would fly off. I'm not sure that it's scientifically sound, but hey, if he's an angry god, I'm sure he could make it happen.

>45 PawsforThought: Ha! I love it! Sort of Tantalus in reverse...

>43 scaifea: - I can't think of anything good for this :(

>43 scaifea: All my ideas are rather small scale, I'm afraid.

>48 katiekrug: You're too good for this world, Katie...

>49 Helenliz: Small potatoes is fine - you could make it work.

>46 scaifea: If Superman can turn back time by reversing the Earth's rotation (and not killing everyone in the process), an angry god ought to be able to make that work!

>50 scaifea: - Snork. I don't think that's it...

>52 drneutron: Well if Science Jim says it's possible, who am I to judge?!

>53 katiekrug: *SNORK!*

13. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny (mysteries) - 9/10
An absolutely odious woman moves to Three Pines with her milquetoast husband and her emotionally battered young daughter and has the entire town hating her in record time, it seems. So when she is murdered in the middle of a town festival, Gamache knows he has his work cut out for him to find the killer while also trying to solve the murder of a homeless woman back in Quebec.
Lots of suspects, several red herrings, and some great twists to this one. I adore all the characters (not you, Yvette), especially Gamache, and despite the ridiculous murder rate, I so badly want to live in Three Pines.

>56 scaifea: "I so badly want to live in Three Pines." -- me too!! Or at least vacation there. We did visit Ms. Penny's village a couple of years ago and I don't want to live there, though (it's supposed to be the inspiration for Three Pines -- not!)

>56 scaifea: I'm so happy to see a new convert to the Gamache series! I resisted for a long time but once I started, I had to read them all as soon as practical. Now I look forward to each new installment.

So we just finished season 2, episode 18, where Sam and Dean are on the horror movie set. Wow, that was a riot!

Happy new thread, Amber!

>57 RebaRelishesReading: Ha! So she's idealized it a bit then, huh? *sigh* It's very cool that you visited her town, though!

>58 lauralkeet: I'm definitely a convert! I read the first one sometime in the last couple of years and loved it but am just now getting back round to the series. It's really good to know that the series stays strong.

>59 drneutron: Ooooh, I love that one! I don't know if you're Gilmore Girls fans, but I love the reference to 'maybe catching a glimpse of one of the stars' since Jared Padalecki was on that show. So funny. I'm so happy that you're enjoying Supernatural!!

>60 bell7: Thanks, Mary!

On the agenda for today:
Cinnamon Scones are in the oven now and I plan on baking a bit more today (Chocolate Banana Cake). I'll tackle some laundry, and maybe spend some time in the sewing room, but I'd also love to just sit and read, so we'll see. Beef Vegetable Soup for dinner tonight - it's still super cold here so vegetable soup sounds perfect to me.

On the reading front:
I'm working on finishing up A Loyal Character Dancer because it's due back to the library soon, so I spent my reading time with it yesterday and will do the same today. Hopefully I can polish it off this afternoon.

What We're Watching:
We started a rewatch of the Loki series for our Friday Night Marvel Marathon. I do love Loki so much, but I have...issues with this show. *sigh*

Hi Amber!

Cinnamon scones sound lovely. And a chocolate banana cake sounds heavenly. When Bill and I went shopping Thursday, I acquired the last ingredients for Beef Vegetable Soup, and I'll be making it tonight or tomorrow. First time as a low-sodium experiment, so wish me luck! I might pair it with low-sodium buttermilk biscuits, also a first-time experiment.

>38 scaifea: Ooh, Oatmeal Carmelitas are excellent! Mom made them from the Pillsbury Bake-Off cookbook that she had when I was a kid, and now I make them occasionally. I usually use caramel dip (Marzetti's or something similar) rather than unwrapping and melting all of the caramels as I once did.

>43 scaifea: I don't feel very destructive at present, but if I were an angry god, I feel that a big explosion would be satisfying. Just blow up the whole planet to teeny tiny bits.

>65 scaifea: Chocolate Banana Cake does sound scrumptious!

>56 scaifea: Oh, this makes me want to go back to Three Pines. I forget where I left off, so maybe I should treat myself by starting back at the beginning.

>66 karenmarie: Tomm doesn't like things salty at all so over the years we've been married I've gotten used to not using much salt in my cooking. You get used to it and of course I know it's healthier for all of us, too. It think it's probably easier than to adjusting baking with less sodium, though, so I'm eager to see how your biscuits turn out!

>67 foggidawn: One of the first memories I have of helping my mom bake was having the job of unwrapping caramels, so it's a happy task for me.

Oh, very Hitchhiker's Guide of you, blowing up the planet. Nice.

>68 London_StJ: Yay! I need to make sure I don't let too much time slip in before I get to the next one, for certain.

>69 scaifea: I never use salt in anything, never have. As a child, Mum had jaundice and salt was one of the things that she couldn't eat. Rather than cook 2 of everything, Grandma changed to cook without salt, and they got used to it. Hence Mum never added salt to anything and neither do it.

I am saying nothing what so ever about how healthy (or not) I am, but at least I don't have to worry about that one. The down side is that I cannot abide salted caramel, the salt cuts through the sweetness to the exclusion of any sweetness at all. urgh.

>61 scaifea: We crossed into Canada at a tiny border crossing in Vermont and when the Canadian border control agent asked the purpose of our trip and Hubby mentioned something about an author the agent immediately knew we were heading for Three Pines and Louise Penny. Obviously we weren't the first to visit :)

>72 Helenliz: Yeah, I don't like salted caramel either, but for me it's the texture. I've found that now we're used to less salt in things, I have a lower tolerance for it when we eat out, although sometimes it's not an immediate aversion. Pizza is a big one: I love the stuff, but the salt content makes me *so* thirsty for a good half a day afterwards.

>73 RebaRelishesReading: Ha! That's funny! I wonder if they have a nickname for her fans. Pine Nuts, perhaps?

14. A Loyal Character Dancer by Qiu Xiaolong (mysteries) - 8/10
The second book in the Inspector Chen series follows a few months after the first and finds the detective taking on the case of a gang-related murder in his favorite park and also a case of a missing woman, who is wanted by the American government as part of a plea bargain for her husband's testimony against a human trafficking trial in the states. Chen must work alongside an US Marshal and his initial frustration at the need to be her glorified tourist guide turns to something else as they begin to become friends, and possibly more than friends.
I thought the pacing in this one was a little slower than in the first book and at the same time I had trouble keeping the various details of the story sorted out in my head. Still, I like Inspector Chen and may eventually continue with the series.

>74 scaifea: I'm not a big salt eater but, for me, the salt makes caramel 100 times better.

>75 scaifea: LOL -- that's a good one

>77 RebaRelishesReading: I think you're not alone about the caramel thing - salted caramel is really popular, it seems.

>78 scaifea: I make a couple of batches every Christmas for the family plus I give it as part of a sweets assortment to some friends. My son informed me this past year that he didn't want any presents, just a "truck load of the salted caramel" -- I gave him his own whole batch in the back of a toy dump truck :) (then reclaimed the dump truck for little grandson's toy box at our house).

The scones sound like a great start to a day. I made soup for lunch--potato soup. It was delicious, and I have leftovers!

>79 RebaRelishesReading: Aw, I love the toy truck idea!

>80 thornton37814: I love potato soup but don't make it because I'd be the only one to eat it (real potato soup, for me, needs to have onions in it and those aren't allow in our house).

>82 scaifea: No onions at all? I think I need to sit down (I put extra onion into almost everything). Potato and leek soup is a perennial favourite at casa de Paws. As is many other soups - soups are a greatly underestimated food.

I am butting into the onion discussion to say I may have bought a 36-pack of Land-o-Lakes Hazelnut Cocoa packets, because a certain skeptic is now completely hooked on having a cuppa every afternoon around 2. But I'm not complaining, it's rather nice!

>82 scaifea: Do you take advantage of to go or restaurant food to get your onion fix in?

I just spent 35 minutes getting the Beef Vegetable Soup going. I accidentally dumped some frozen green peas into the bowl holding the cut vegetables - Bill hates green peas - and I picked out some but told him he'd just have to suffer. We do use onions, but only a small one went into the soup.

>83 PawsforThought: Nope, none. One bite of anything with onion in it will sent Tomm straight to the emergency room, so I don't even have them in the house. I like onions but I like him more.

>84 lauralkeet: Ha! That's excellent! The hazelnut one is my favorite, too.

>85 karenmarie: I do sometimes order French Onion Soup when we go out because I love that stuff, and when we order pizza I sometimes get a small supreme just for me so I can have the onions. In fact, when we get pizza, we usually order three different pizzas: a gluten free crust for Tomm, a small supreme for me, and a large cheese for Charlie (large because cold pizza for breakfast is one of his favorites so we need the leftovers).

I *love* peas. And Bill can pick around 'em - they're pretty easy to avoid in a soup.

>86 scaifea: Ooh, it’s allergies- I thought it was a preference.

>89 PawsforThought: Yup.

On the agenda for today:
Cake and coffee for breakfast (Charlie had the last of the scones, so really I had no choice). I'm thinking about doing some more baking - cinnamon raisin bread for this week's breakfasts - and then there's the usual weekend laundry and house cleaning. I'm hoping for an afternoon of reading. Tomm is usually in charge of Sunday Night Dinner, but he's not feeling well (sinus issues, he thinks) so I may need to cobble something together. Oh, and I'm maybe going to try another beverage from The Joy of Cooking: Chocolate Cherry Smoothie.

On the reading front:
After finishing the Inspector Chen novel yesterday I read a bit more of The Ghost Writer and listened to some of Heartsong.

What We're Watching:
Charlie's pick last night: several episodes of My Hero Academia.

Morning, Amber! Happy Sunday. We will get our packing in today but I will also try to fit in plenty of reading and football. Enjoy your day with the Boys!

>92 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Sunday to you, too, and good luck with the packing!

>91 scaifea: - My sympathies to Tomm. I'm also having sinus issues.

I never made the brownies I planned on, so maybe that will happen today - I could use a tasty baked good :)

>94 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. His sinus stuff has triggered a migraine, so I suspect he'll spend a good portion of today in bed, poor guy. I hope you feel better soon, too! Sinuses can be a nasty business.

It's never too late to make brownies. Never.

>95 scaifea: - Oh, oof. Mine isn't that bad, so I shall stop my internal whinging. It's mostly bad in the morning and before I go to bed but most of the day is fine.

I mean, I could make the brownies now and have one with my next cup of coffee..... Hmmmm.

Hi Amber!

>88 scaifea: Bill loves French Onion Soup, too, but since I don't particularly care for it I've never made it at home. We have eaten in restaurants precisely twice since March of 2020 and neither of those restaurants serve French Onion Soup, so Bill's really missing it. When we order pizza we usually get a medium or large with half Meat Lovers for Bill and half black olive and mushroom for me. I don’t think Bill picked out the peas. He oohed and aahed over the soup and didn’t even add additional (Morton Lite) salt or pepper.

>91 scaifea: Sorry about Tomm’s sinus issues which have now >95 scaifea: triggered a migraine. Poor man!

>96 katiekrug: All sinus issues are awful, migraine or no, so I hope yours clears up soon, Katie.

Brownies and coffee is such a good combination.

>97 karenmarie: Morning, Karen!

We've been out to a couple of restaurants but we're mostly still just getting carry out when we do eat out. It's so handy that you can order toppings on just half a pizza, isn't it?

Tomm has frequent migraines, the poor guy. Meds sometimes work and sometimes don't.

>88 scaifea: Cold Pizza for breakfast is one of the world's underrated pleasures, without a doubt. I just had some myself!

>100 rosalita: Agreed, Julia! What toppings do you like on yours?

>97 karenmarie: French Onion soup is about the easiest thing possible to make, Karen. Maybe you could surprise Bill with a pot :)

>102 RebaRelishesReading: Agreed. I make a large pot and freeze it in portions. I prefer to get the peeling & slicing a couple of kg of onions done at once!

>86 scaifea: ooof! That's not good. And they're ubiquitous. I had a colleague with something similar, couldn't eat anything from the same family, no onions, no garlic, no leeks (and maybe a couple of others). He said there was no point him looking at a menu in a restaurant, he would instead say to the wait staff - this is what I can't eat, what can you serve me? For him, the sign of a good place was that he would have choice, not just one option.

We always order a large pizza, then put the extra slices in the freezer, and I'll have a couple of slices for lunches, as a treat. >:-)

>101 scaifea: I like boring stuff like sausage, but the local pizza joint also makes a killer barbecue chicken pizza that is marvelous. And I'm always down for a nice five-cheese pie.

We always order a large pepperoni pizza. Not very creative, I know. We will consume half of it for dinner and half for lunch the next day, which feels like such a treat.

I'm definitely making brownies this afternoon. Mmmmm.

I've been baking muffins on weekends or Monday mornings (since I work afternoon/evening shift) to have on hand the rest of the week. It's not the healthiest of breakfasts, but it's easy on a workday to just heat one up to enjoy with coffee.

>102 RebaRelishesReading: >103 Helenliz: I should just make a big pot for myself and, as you say, freeze it in small portions.

>103 Helenliz: Yeah, Tomm has a hard time at restaurants, but we have a handful of reliable places where he knows he can get something that will work for him. Italian places are right out, though, of course.

>104 rosalita: I like that boring stuff, too, but an occasional BBQ pizza can really hit the spot. Taco pizzas are really good, too. But I also agree that 5-cheese ones are also excellent (that's Charlie's favorite).

>105 lauralkeet: Pepperoni is classic, though! So good.

>106 thornton37814: Yeah, maybe not the healthiest, but still, it's not store-bought processed food, so I like to think that homemade is still better in some ways.

The Cinnamon Raisin Bread turned out pretty nice:



And here's the Chocolate Cherry Smoothie, which was tasty, but more chocolate than cherry:

I almost always get a mushroom and shrimp pizza, although occasionally I’ll have pineapple on there too (I just alienated half of LT, didn’t I?). Our pizzas are the very thin but large circumference variety (like, 40-ish cm in diameter). I can just about eat one half and then have the other half for lunch. I’m not a fan of cold pizza, so always microwave it.

I’m a big fan of the only-in-Sweden pizza side dish “pizza salad”, which is basically shredded white cabbage in vinegar, oil and salt and pepper. Sometimes a tiny sliver of red bell pepper finds it’s way in, too.

>112 PawsforThought: Ha! I'm gonna just let you have that mushroom and shrimp pizza all to yourself...

Alas, you're moving so fast that I had to skip most of your threads up until now. That might be good for me, since you're talking about food and I shouldn't get too many triggers. My birthday indulgeance is still messing up my good intentions. It all sounds delish.

>108 scaifea: I had forgotten about taco pizza — also very good!

>112 PawsforThought: Now you've reminded me of the Shrimp Alfredo pizza at an Iowa City pizza place that is absolutely divine. It was always one of the choices when we would order pizza for the staff after our fall study abroad fair. Of course, we haven't had one of those in person since 2019 ...

>114 ffortsa: Hi, Judy!

>115 rosalita: I'll definitely share a taco pizza with you, but you can have the shrimp alfredo one to yourself, too...

>116 scaifea: Deal! :-)

>113 scaifea: Good! I have no plans to share with anyone.

>91 scaifea: I bet the Joy of Cooking has changed a lot since I bought my copy; I don't think Smoothies were even a thing yet.

>99 scaifea: I'm not overly fond of takeout, but I have managed to eat restaurant food twice since the lockdowns began - both times in the restaurant's outdoor seating. I hope to do that some more in the spring once it's warm enough.

>117 rosalita: *fist bump*

>118 PawsforThought: *grins*

>119 ArlieS: Yep, I have an updated version.

I love takeout. Restaurant food that I can eat in the comfort of my own home. It very much appeals to this homebody.

On the agenda for today:
Class prep, grading a pile of quizzes and reader response assignments, teaching, a bit of house cleaning, a quick trip to the library to pick up holds, then possibly a short nap this afternoon - I woke up at 3am and couldn't get back to sleep. Bah.

On the reading front:
I started More Fool Me yesterday and am already about halfway through it. I adore Stephen Fry.

What We're Watching:
Tomm's pick last night - several episodes of 30 Rock.

>56 scaifea: I love the three pines series!

>111 scaifea: Thats some yummy looking baking!

Morning, Amber.

I enjoy those Inspector Chen mysteries. Good review of A Fatal Grace. The absurd plots finally put me off that Louise Penny series, but I do miss Gamache.

If I were an angry god: i’d turn a godly roomba loose to scour the earth and get it cleaned up for the next, hopefully more thoughtful, tenants.

Hi Amber!

>99 scaifea: Yes, sharing a pizza but with one’s favorite toppings is quite nice.

>102 RebaRelishesReading: You’re right, Reba, but I only make things that we’ll both eat.

>105 lauralkeet: We keep frozen pepperoni pizzas in the garage freezer. Bill keeps making pizza noises but I’m not going to eat any anytime soon because of my new low-sodium regimen. He knows how to make frozen pizza and we have the extra mozzarella and even the extra pepperoni to dress it up, but I think he feels bad about the idea of eating it in front of me, silly man.

>122 scaifea: Yikes to waking up at 3 a.m. and not being able to get back to sleep. Are you a nap person? They can be quite delicious.

>123 figsfromthistle: I'm so happy to see all the Three Pines love! I'm happy to have found another good mystery series.

And thanks!

>124 jnwelch: Yay for another Chen fan! I'd never heard of them before just a few months ago. And I think I'll be okay with absurd plots as long as I can hang out with Gamache in the café.

*Love* the godly roomba idea! Ha!!

>125 karenmarie: I get that Bill doesn't want to eat pizza in front of you, even if you say it's okay. I have that guilt with Tomm, too.

And yes, I am a great enjoyer of naps and will probably take one this afternoon.

Sorry about the early wake-up call. I was awake around the same time (head cold) but managed to get back to sleep. I hope you fit that nap in!

Today's myth question deals with origin stories, since we've been reading a fair few lately (Arachne as the first spider, Echo and Narcissus, Argus and peacocks...):

What modern item or phenomenon could use a cool origin story (ex: How Alexa Became the Bodiless Djinn of Amazon, Trapped Forever in a Cylindrical Vessel of Servitude)?

>129 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie - I'm glad you were able to get back to sleep!

Morning, Amber!

>129 katiekrug: What she said but without the head cold.

Now I want pizza.

>130 scaifea: Oooh, that is a very good question. I'll need to think about that for a bit.

Also, I wish I was in one of your classes, because it sounds like so much fun - I want to read about origin stories too!

>132 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Aw, no, I'm sorry you didn't sleep well, either! Clearly the three of us need to have an afternoon pizza-and-slumber party.

>133 PawsforThought: Aw, thanks! I hope my students feel that way, too. They seem to have fun with these kinds of questions, at least. We go over them at the beginning of each class and the goal is that the silliness of them will break the ice a bit and get them relaxed and ready to participate.

>135 scaifea: I'm sure they do. And I think it'll work to get the students going. Not to mention that these kinds of questions requires that they actually reflect on what they've learned and use it, rather than just cramming facts.

>136 PawsforThought: I've done it for years with my Latin students, but this is the first time with a myth class. Yep, in general - at least in the Latin classes - it works a charm. They all get to know each other better and get more comfortable speaking up.

On the agenda for today:
I think I'm finally going to carve out some time to get to the fabric shop this morning - I haven't been able to work any more on Charlie's t-shirt quilt because I need more supplies. I'm not really sure what else I'll do today. Maybe some writing this afternoon? I also need to sort out what we'll have for dinner because our leftovers didn't last as long as I thought they would. Fried Rice, maybe? I'm also trying to figure out if I need to move my grocery shopping up to tomorrow afternoon since they're saying we're in for some sort of storm on Thursday.

On the reading front:
I started Chimera yesterday and am liking it much more than I thought I would. I also started Beetle & the Hollowbones and listened to more Heartsong.

What We're Watching:
We watched the first episode of Shadow & Bone, which seems promising although I couldn't catch about 25% of what they were saying and there seemed to be a *lot* of information piled into that one episode.

Hi Amber! Happy Tuesday to you.

I hope you enjoy your time at the fabric shop. Getting supplies ahead of a possible storm is always good, if not fun. We did that last Friday and got One Whole Inch of Snow! But now we're set for a while.

>139 karenmarie: Morning, Karen!

I'm still debating the store run tomorrow. I know I'll be tired from teaching plus the store will probably be mobbed. We have plenty of stuff in the deep freeze to get us through a few days, so I'm leaning toward just...not going. We'll see. I think here they're predicting more ice than snow, which is way worse that just snow. Gah.

Morning, Amber! I vote against the store run. I did that late last week before our storm and all the stupid people made me mad and put me in a bad mood. If you've got enough in the freezer and pantry, don't bother :)

>140 scaifea: I'm having the same should-I-or-shouldn't-I thoughts about grocery shopping. We have enough stuff to get us through, so I'm leaning toward "shouldn't." I'm hoping we get snow rather than ice, but it doesn't look promising.

>141 katiekrug: Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, too. Plus, very few people wear masks in the store I go to and I don't really want to go when it's super-full of unmasked dummies.

>142 foggidawn: I've pretty much decided not to. We'll manage somehow.

Hi Amber my dear, happy new thread, i've finally caught up with you.

>145 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

Dropping in to say hello. I am little behind but all caught up now.

>147 figsfromthistle: Hi, Anita! Good to see you!

On the agenda for today:
Class prep and teaching, maybe some writing. Very possibly a nap in the afternoon. I don't think I'll even bother with my usual Wednesday meal planning for the next week since I'm definitely not going to try to go to the grocery store today or tomorrow. Some sort of carry-out for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I started Cat's Cradle yesterday, which is pretty interesting so far, read a bit more of Beetle & the Hollowbones, and listened to more Heartsong.

What We're Watching:
We didn't have a lot of evening TV time yesterday - I forgot to mention that we had parent/teacher conferences last night (spoiler: Charlie's still doing great and we heard more stories about how he's a kind and helpful kiddo), plus Charlie had a fair amount of homework to get through - so we just watched a couple of My Hero Academia episodes before bed.

Hey, if you get a chance check out D's latest project - I posted a picture on my thread.

I should not have chosen right now to get caught up on your thread, Amber. All I can think of now is how much I wish I had a slice or two (or three or four) of linguica pizza - my favorite since childhood. The kind where the the linguica is ground, not sliced. Although I'd take sliced in a pinch.

Morning, Amber!

Hi Amber! Take out tonight and winging it with what's in the house sounds like a safe idea. More and more people are wearing masks here again at my grocery store, and now that I'm N95'd up, I feel even better about being around the dummies.

I hope the freezing rain/sleet/snow event is minor.

I'm not sure I ever read Cat's Cradle, but Slaughterhouse Five is one of my favorite books of all time. In fact, in hindsight, I might need to up the rating to 5 here on LT. Stingy with stars, but...

>150 drneutron: I immediately scurried over to your thread and WOW!! Just...WOW!

>151 Fourpawz2: I admit I had to look up linguica but it sounds really good!

>152 katiekrug: Morning, Katie! I'm off to your thread now to see how you're feeling this morning...

Gosh, back in the day Cat’s Cradle was my favorite Vonnegut. I hope it holds up well. I enjoyed the gentle mockery of religion.

I’m in Book 10 of the Aeneid. Jeez, was Book 9 gory! Not for children.

>157 jnwelch: Morning, Joe! I've only read Slaughterhouse Five before but I loved that one and I've been looking forward to this one. So far so good!

Yeah, I was just telling my myth students on Monday that if a completely faithful movie were made of either Homer's poems or the Aeneid, they'd need to be rated MA for the gore.

It's funny, in all my years, I've never read Vonnegut. Sounds like an author I should include on my to do list.

Oh, and this is up if you're still interested in Winesburg https://www.librarything.com/topic/339258#n7745832

>159 Carmenere: I think you'd like Vonnegut if you can squeeze him in sometime, Lynda.

I'm definitely interested in the group read since that's one that I've always wanted to read and just haven't ever. I'm hoping I can manage to find the time next month!

>155 scaifea: - Oops - sorry! I forget sometimes that it is not ubiquitous in most of the country. My part of southern New England is very Portuguese. Linguica is a very tasty sausage - much better than choriço in my opinion and I could probably eat it every week. Sadly in these inflationary times I really can’t afford the stuff. Think it’s been about a year since I last allowed myself to cave and buy some.

Love the look of your cinnamon bread and I am planning to try making some soon.

>161 Fourpawz2: If it's been about a year then it seems like it's time to treat yourself again!

Today's agenda:
Snow day for Charlie! Right now we have a coating of ice over everything and the snow is still on the way. So we all have a vacation day today and I'm planning on treating it like one: I'm doing not much other than reading and maybe a little time in the sewing room. We had carry-out from our favorite local pizza place last night and we have leftovers from Chinese on Tuesday night, so dinner's sorted, too. A nice, lazy day reading and watching the snow come down. I predict there will be HoCho.

On the reading front:
I made some progress with The Ghost Writer and I'm nearly finished with Beetle & The Hollowbones. Still listening to Heartsong, too.

What We're Watching:
Groundhog Day, our annual tradition, plus an episode of My Hero Academia.

>163 scaifea: Yay! I have a snow day, too, and my plans are similar to yours. I might also bake some cookies and make some soup.

Hooray for a snow day! Enjoy it. We are just getting rain here, which is gross...

>164 foggidawn: Woot! What kind of soup? WHAT KIND OF COOKIES?! I need details.

>165 katiekrug: Oh, that IS gross. February rain is the worst rain.

Happy snow/vacation day, Amber!

Yuck to the ice, but snow coming down can be quite wonderful.

15. Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne (Stonewall Honor Book) - 8/10
Beetle is a young goblin hoping to be a sorceress, with a blobby little ghost who haunts the mall as her friend. When her old friend/crush, Kat, returns home from boarding school to apprentice under her aunt, things get awkward because the aunt is evil and wants to tear down the mall. Beetle must find a way to free her ghost friend and also repair her damaged friendship with Kat before it's too late.
A fun little middle grade graphic novel. I think the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more and some of the illustrations could have been clearer (I found it difficult to suss out the details of the action sometimes), but overall it's a good read.

Afternoon, Amber! Whoot for your vacation day - how full of fabulous!

>170 Crazymamie: Hi, Mamie! Yes! We're all very much enjoying our lazy day.

16. More Fool Me by Stephen Fry (Fry bibliography) - 8/10
The third installment in Fry's series of memoirs, this one covers the late 1980s through 1993. The book can be broken down into three parts; the middle bit is the actual memoir part and is just as enjoyable as the earlier two books, but the first section is a summary, essentially, of those first two books and the last part is a lightly edited reproduction of his diary entries for the last half of 1993. So it feels sort of...slipshod? Phoned in? Like maybe the publisher wanted this more than Fry wanted to write it? I dunno. Anyway. I still love him to bits even if this one was a bit disappointing.

*waves* I got nuthin', really. Just sayin' "Hi" from our rainy, foggy, dreary corner.

>166 scaifea: White Chocolate Macadamia cookies. I was going to do broccoli cheese soup, but we’re going to make a pizza and watch a movie instead. Since we’ve had ice, ice, ice all day long, I am hoping for no work tomorrow, either, but there’s been no word yet.

>173 laytonwoman3rd: Hi, Linda! Lots and lots of freezing rain here so far. I'm still holding out hope for snow overnight.

>174 foggidawn: Oooh, nice! Broccoli cheese soup sounds good too, but then so does pizza. We're getting that ice here, too. Fingers crossed for snow tonight, although I'll still have to teach anyway tomorrow...

On the agenda for today:
Class prep, teaching, weekly bill sorting, and then hopefully an afternoon of relaxing and reading. Charlie has another snow day today but since my courses are all fully remote, I don't. Woot. I woke up this morning with a headache and I'm hoping some medicine will calm it down before I have to teach.

On the reading front:
After finishing up the Fry book, I made a little more progress with Chimera and started Darius the Great Deserves Better.

What We're Watching:
A couple of West Wings and a episode of My Hero Academia.

Glad you had a nice snow day! Had one as well. Today there is a little snow but everything remains "normal".

Hope your headache does not persist throughout the day!

>178 figsfromthistle: Yay for snow days! And thanks for the well wishes - I'm just hoping it eases up before I have to teach this morning.

Morning, Amber! I hope the meds have kicked in and helped to calm your headache.

Oof, sorry about the headache. I hope it's already on its way out.

>180 Crazymamie: >181 katiekrug: Thanks, ladies - it's still here but slightly better, I think?

I'm wondering how many student will bother to log into class my classes today. In-person classes have been cancel again for the day but the announcement made it clear that online/remote courses were still to meet. So I'll be there but we'll see just how many little student zoom squares I'll get...

Hi Amber.

>177 scaifea: Sorry about the headache and working today. Yay for Charlie having another snow day.

>183 karenmarie: Hi, Karen! And thanks. I'll power through and be done soon enough. Then maybe I'll have a nap.

I love linguica in scrambled eggs...never had it on a pizza, but now I need to. Nicey spicy. Hmmm...that would make quite a breakfast pizza, scrambled eggs and linguica...

Love that the snow day moved across the country:) We only had one day, but the mountain articulation area of my district had a late start yesterday because of heavy snow and freezing temps, so I got a little extra time in the morning. I made your cinnamon loaf on my school day. I think I need a bigger loaf pan, or to split the batter and sugar/cinnamon between two loaf pans. It rose up and nearly over, and the whole thing was so huge it fell apart when I took it out of the pan. Definitely overfilled. High altitude baking is always a trick, though.

Happy weekend. Have much digging out to do?

>185 jjmcgaffey: That *does* sound good! I'll have to keep an eye out for linguica the next time I'm in Columbus - there are probably some specialty markets that have it there.

>186 AMQS: I sometimes divide my quick bread batter between two loaf pans even if it doesn't call for it, but that recipe usually does okay in just one. But then again I don't have to deal with high altitude, so that makes sense!

We have about six inches of snow, Tomm says. He and Charlie cleared the driveway yesterday but it's snowed a bit more since then (and is snowing again now!). I'm hoping the roads will be okay by tomorrow morning - we need groceries!

Today's Agenda:
I slept in longer than I meant to - almost until 8, which is unheard of for me. I was so tired yesterday that I decided to take a quick nap and ended up sleeping hard for two hours and was still barely able to stay awake until bedtime at 10! I think maybe my new meds are making me drowsy... Anyway, we've had our Saturday Morning Pancakes for breakfast and I'm working on my first cup of coffee still in my PJs. Not much on the list for today: a bit of laundry and then menu planning and prepping my grocery list for tomorrow (ugh, I hate the idea of going to the store on the weekend, but we're almost out of some staples and I do NOT want to go on Monday after teaching), and then maybe some time in the sewing room before settling on the couch for some reading. Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I spent some time with Cat's Cradle yesterday before giving in and taking that 2-hour nap. I also read a bit more of Darius the Great Deserves Better and I'm still working on Heartsong on audio.

What We're Watching:
Family Game Night last night was Monopoly - the one with the talking bank top hat, which is a hoot - and then we watched another episode of Loki and then a couple episodes of My Hero Academia.

Morning, Amber! I also slept in until about 8:00 but that is not unheard of for me :)

Sunday morning grocery shopping - in Dallas, I used to go between 8:00 and 9:00 and it was pretty empty. Here, I've gone around 9:00 or so and it's not too bad. I made the mistake last Sunday of going at around 10:30-11:00 and it was awful.

Hope you enjoy your quiet day! That dinner sounds pretty perfect.

>190 katiekrug: Morning, Katie!

I'm hoping I can get there tomorrow morning around 9 and be there while the non-heathens are still in church... We'll see how it goes. And yes! I'm pretty excited about dinner.

>187 scaifea: - I'll be interested to see if you find some there, Amber. And a linguica breakfast pizza sounds really, really good. Think I'll paw through the linguica packages on Tuesday in search of something reasonably priced. And if I don't maybe I'll just grab whatever to comes to hand and buy it.

>192 Fourpawz2: Yes! Treat yourself! We all definitely deserve treats right now.

Hope your energy levels are better today, Amber, and you get plenty of chill time.

Morning, Amber! I love breakfast for dinner, so yum. Sorry about the grocery run tomorrow morning, but I think the time you have picked should work. I try never to venture out on the weekends, so I feel your pain.

>43 scaifea: What a great question, Amber.
I really liked the scenario in Archangel (review date, Oct 5, 2018 and updated last year after a re-read). I highly approved (yea, verily ~ I revelled in!) the God's justice.

If you haven't read that novel (and do try the whole series), I highly recommend the books, my two faves being Book 1 (Archangel) and Book 2 Angel-Seeker.
Whatever you do, DO NOT READ it in publication order.

I emailed Sharon Shinn (some years ago) to comment that there are too many spoilers in the books if they're read in publication order. She kindly replied and said that was how she ended up writing them, but here's her suggested reading order:
1. Archangel
2. Angel-Seeker
3. Angelica
4. Jovah's Angel
5. The Alleluia Files

Someone edited the chronological series entry on LT and it is very strangely ordered, not to mention adding in non-Sharon Shinn books. I cannot recommend you follow what is in that entry. IMHO, it was perhaps changed by some person unfamiliar with editing series publications.

Edited to add apologies for being so out of sync with the discussion here... I got way behind on threads in January. Not catching up very well.

>194 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky.

>195 Crazymamie: Hi, Mamie! Yes! I LOVE eggs for dinner and I'm really looking forward to it! I think you're right that I should be okay going tomorrow at 9ish. We'll see. I don't like going out on weekends, either. *sigh*

>196 SandyAMcPherson: That series sounds really interesting, but it goes against my constitution to read something out of order! I'm not sure I can do it...

>199 scaifea: I hate spoilers so that's why I try to read in order. However, I thought you might be reassured by seeing that the author acknowledged the chronology. Naturally, you will suit yourself best by following your bliss, yes?

Edited to add, I hope you at least read Book 1 (Archangel) because I am so curious about whether you'll be enthralled with my suggestion for the question you asked at >43 scaifea:.

>200 SandyAMcPherson: I'll add it to my list, Sandy!

Today's Agenda:
Grocery shopping is done! Stupid real pants exchanged for comfy pants! I'm dunking bakery cookies in my morning coffee as a reward! I plan on doing a lot of nothing for the rest of the day to make up for getting up and going out early on a Sunday for groceries. So lots of reading today and maybe some sewing room time, but probably not. I've just not been in the proper mood lately. Teriyaki Chicken and Rice for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I finished The Ghost Writer yesterday and listened to more Heartsong. I'll post my review soon.

What We're Watching:
Charlie's pick last night so lots of My Hero Academia.

Morning, Amber! Good work getting up and out and getting back before the crazy. I think the rest of the day screams for indulgence to make up for your morning sacrifice.

>203 Crazymamie: I agree one hundred percent, Mamie. I deserve all the indulgences. Happily the store was fairly empty at 830 this morning, too.

>202 scaifea: - Morning, Amber! I'm impressed you wear real pants to the grocery store. I am usually in sweats - at least in the winter. And hooray for supermarket bakery cookies - I am a fan. I am also having cookies with my coffee - I made spice cake cookies yesterday.

Enjoy your day of indulgence!

>205 katiekrug: Well, my comfy pants are pretty raggedy right now and no one needs to see them in the harsh light of day. Plus I have this Murphy's Law idea that if I did let myself go out in not-real pants, THAT would be the day Tom Hiddleston would be shopping in my grocery store. Must look my best just in cases...

Grocery store bakery cookies are THE BEST. Although spice cake cookies sound pretty amazing too.

Congrats on getting the adulting out of the way so early, Amber. Enjoy your day of nothing!

>207 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!

17. The Ghost Writer by John Harwood (wishlist book) - 9/10
A boy in Australia struggles under the rule of his overprotective mother but finds an outlet for his feelings in his penpal in England. As his relationship with his penpal becomes more serious through the years, his relationship with his mother becomes even more strained. When she dies, he is determined both to meet his love face-to-face and also to solve the mysteries in his mother's past. However, he's not prepared for how the two parts of his life are unexpectedly joined.
This is a strange but cool novel involving stories within stories, mysteries on every level, and a perfectly creepy gothic feel throughout. I'm still not completely clear on how some of the embedded stories relate to the whole, but overall it's a great read.

>209 scaifea: - This sounds good. I went to put it on my List, and found that I own a copy. Oops.

>210 katiekrug: What Katie said, but I don't own it yet. Onto The List it goes!

>210 katiekrug: >211 Crazymamie: I think you'll both love it!

18. Chimera by John Barth (National Book Award) - 8/10
A collection of three intertwined novellas, all retellings of classical tales. I enjoyed the 1001 Nights retelling, but strangely enough, not so much the Perseus and Bellerophon ones. Or maybe it's not that strange at all; I'm fairly protective of my classical myths. Barth is clever and all in what he does with the stories, but it felt a little too...flippant for me. *shrug*

Hi Amber!

>202 scaifea: Congrats on getting the grocery shopping out of the way. Yum to teriyaki chicken. And I love our grocery store’s deli coconut-pecan cookies, so yay for bakery cookies.

>206 scaifea: I was brainwashed at a young age to think about what would happen if I was in a car accident and ended up in the hospital… clean and mended underclothes, and proper outside-the-home clothes. It's stuck with me ever since.

>214 karenmarie: Hi, Karen!

I'm glad I got the shopping out of the way first thing, too, although if I hadn't, I wouldn't have done it at all today. Too much danger of a crowd on a Sunday afternoon.

Ha! I've heard the clean underwear in case of an accident bit before - I think it's a bit optimistic to think I'd need to worry about the state of my underwear if I met Hiddleston, but you never know...

Hi, Amber! You’ve been doing some good reading. I think you sold me on The Ghost Writer and Chimera, both. (Boy, the touchstones missed on both books!) I’ll make sure I get the right ones for my TBR! Thanks!

Karen O

>209 scaifea: >213 scaifea: Oh those do sound intriguing.

>215 scaifea: I think it's a bit optimistic to think I'd need to worry about the state of my underwear if I met Hiddleston, but you never know...

*snork!* It's a good thing I wasn't drinking anything when I read this.

>216 klobrien2: >217 quondame: The Ghost Writer is great; the Barth is...okay. But you may enjoy those stories more than I did.

>218 lauralkeet: Well I mean it's better to be safe than sorry...

Struggling with the idea of changing between "going out pants" and "comfy pants". Then I remember you're t'other side of the pond and aren't actually on about your undies.

Glad you had a successful trip, in respectable bifurcated leg-wear.

>221 Helenliz: I laughed out loud at this! I really enjoy seeing television shows and reading books where the language differences are on view.

Karen O

>221 Helenliz: Well that *has* been part of the conversation, too...

>222 klobrien2: "Pants" is better than "panties" but I've always just used "underpants" or "underwear."

>222 klobrien2: Ted Lasso does a hilarious job of discussing the differences: boot/trunk, selfie/ussie, noncarbonated water/ still water, e.g.

Karen O

>224 scaifea: “Panties” is, imho, one of the worst words in the English language. I have the same reaction to that word as other have to “moist”. And while I mostly use a British terms when I speak English, I always say “underwear” or possibly “underpants” when discussing that subject, just to eliminate confusion. (Same with cookie, sweater and moose.)

I guess one of the positives of living somewhere as cold as here is that you wear thermal outerwear on top of your trousers so no one can see if you’re wearing something ratty underneath.

Just to confuse the issue further, I'd describe female undies as knickers, while pants would be attire for a gentleman. Just to add a little bit more to the confusion of the image conjured.

I can't even with the underwear/pants/knickers conversation...well, maybe I can: y'all left out bloomers, scanties, briefs, linen, and unmentionables...

>225 klobrien2: Another reason I should just cave and watch it, I guess. *sigh*

>226 PawsforThought: Yep, I think a lot of people don't like "panties."

Moose?

>227 Helenliz: I LOVE knickers for underwear. Just such a great word.

>228 laytonwoman3rd: They're hardly unmentionable here, apparently.

>230 scaifea: The animal known as moose in America is called (European) elk in Europe.

Adding The Ghost Writer to the list...

>233 PawsforThought: Very cool - I didn't know that!

>234 London_StJ: Oh, you'll LOVE it.

Today's Agenda:
Class prep, teaching, a quick trip to the library to pick up holds, and then possibly a nap (I'm still feeling super low-energy). At least I don't have quizzes to grade this morning; apparently the system was down last night so half the class couldn't access the quiz (I woke up to a ton of emails from students about it), which means I'll just give everyone 10/10 for this one. Woot.

On the reading front:
I'm nearly finished with Cat's Cradle and I'm hoping to polish it off this afternoon. Still listening to Heartsong on audio.

What We're Watching:
Several 30 Rocks and a My Hero Academia.

>237 scaifea: I'll just give everyone 10/10 for this one.
Aren't you a nice professor? I mean, this was clearly beyond their control but it's still a nice way to handle it.

I hope your energy returns today!

>238 lauralkeet: I am *such* a nice professor! Ha!

Honestly, though, if any of them are like me, then they've spent the night panicking about not being able to take the quiz, so they deserve a freebie for the fret it might have caused.

And thanks! I hope so, too. I'm starting to get tired of being...tired.

Happy Monday!

>237 scaifea: That's nice of you. I wonder if they are secretly hoping that that problem will occur for midterms and or finals! ;)

If you keep feeling tired, you might take a covid test, just to be on the safe side. Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms for the vaxxed and boostered.

I'm trying to think of any professors I had who would have been so nice about the quiz - I think a couple would have done what you are doing, but I also know at least one (I still consider him a nemesis) who would have given everyone the bare minimum of a passing grade. I know this, because he did it once. Dickhead.

Morning, Amber! You are an awesome professor.

>241 katiekrug: Youth today! When I was in college, this never came up. Of course, there was no internet.

>242 Crazymamie: - The situation wasn't exactly the same - I forget all the details but we were all unable to complete something for reasons beyond our control and he was a giant jerk about it. Appropriately, his last name was Kocs. Heh.

>243 katiekrug: What a turd.

>244 Crazymamie: - Yup. My best friend and I took that class together and we still talk about what an asshat he was.

>240 figsfromthistle: Ha! They can dream on about the exams, I'm afraid, since they're not administered through the online system.

>241 katiekrug: I've thought about the covid possibility, but my new meds also have this as a very possible side effect. I'll probably test anyway, to be safe. Not that I go much of anywhere anyway. But still.

Wow that guy sounds like a complete turd. We're in February and everything is dreary and blech and spring break seems SO far away for them so they need a little pick-me-up moral booster anyway. Everyone deserves a free pass every once in awhile.

>242 Crazymamie: It's true, I am very awesome. And yep, when I was in college, email was just becoming a Thing. Yoicks.

>243 katiekrug: *snork!* Love the name. Grades are dumb anyway so why be so uptight about it?

>244 Crazymamie: Agreed!

>245 katiekrug: I hope my students don't think that way about me. I don't think I give them reason to, but still, I worry sometimes. You never know.

Happy start to the werk, Amber. How’d you like Cat’s Cradle?

I’m nearing the end of the excellent Aeneid. Maybe today. Next i’m going to try Lombardo’s Metamorphoses.

>252 jnwelch: I'm really enjoying Cat's Cradle, Joe, and should finish it up today. Weird, but a good weird.

Yay for the Aeneid! I'm so glad you're loving it. You'll love Ovid, too. Send questions my way if you have 'em.

‘Morning, Amber!

>237 scaifea: 10/10 will make them happy. Naps are good.

>242 Crazymamie: Yup. No internet. Planned quizzes were … okay, but those pop quizzes – whew!

I'm agreeing with everyone else that's you're a very nice professor, and I think you did the right thing for your students.
The only time I've experienced something similar was when the university platform had a complete breakdown in the afternoon on a Sunday when we were meant to submit our take-home exams by midnight. It didn't go back online until the early hours of Monday so most of us sent it in then and sent a note to the teacher. He accepted the excuse and allowed an extension (without affecting our grades) but did make a comment that we shouldn't have waited until "the last moment". I don't think several hours before deadline is "the last moment".

>254 karenmarie: Hi, Karen! Naps are *very* good and since it feels like I may have a migraine coming on, the chance of a nap is extremely high for this afternoon.

When I was teaching in person, I had a policy that if a cell phone went off in my class everyone immediately took a pop quiz. Surprisingly the students actually loved the policy. And it would only ever happen once if it happened. Otherwise I don't believe in pop quizzes; more anxiety than they're worth for the students. I believe in as stress-free a learning environment as possible.

>255 PawsforThought: Ha! I know that some of these students were waiting for the last moment themselves, but that's no reason to punish them. The last moment is still a legit moment, and many college students live and die by last-minute submissions. That's a fact that will never change.

>245 katiekrug: After reading through the discussion about wardrobe above I can't help but think that would be an interesting optional word for underwear lol

>258 RebaRelishesReading: HAAAAHAHAHA!! That's the best thing I'll read all day!

>256 scaifea: Oh what a fun policy.

I did give pop quizzes when I was talking to myself too much - but always gave the points as extra credit rather than negatively impacting grades. My intention was to remind everyone to do some of the reading, and to reward those who did.

>260 London_StJ: That's a great idea, and I love that it wouldn't count against them. I have the myth students submit daily Reader Response assignments, in which they have to give me 2-3 thoughts or questions about that day's readings. I started it in an attempt to keep them honest about doing the readings, but I've found that it really helps me prep for class because I get a good idea about what confuses them or what interests them in particular about that day's assignment. It's really helped get discussions going. I also ask them one silly question per assignment, too, and I go over their answers at the start of class. It helps to loosen up the mood a bit. Today's question: If you were to make a movie about Orpheus' life, who would you cast as Orpheus? My favorite answer is a tie between Adele and Donald Glover.

>261 scaifea: Oooh, Donald Glover would be an excellent Orpheus!

Somewhat related, have you listened to the cast recording of Hadestown?

>262 MickyFine: Glover would be great, right?

I haven't listened to that one. I should look into it.

19. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vunnegut (unread book from my shelves) - 9/10
A man sets out to write a book about the end of the world, namely about the making of the atom bomb, but in the process of researching one of the late scientists who worked on the bomb, he stumbles across the man's dysfunctional family, get entangled in the machinations of a poor island dictatorship, converts to a religion that admits it's founded on lies, and possibly witnesses the actual end of the world.
Wonderfully weird as only Vonnegut can do wonderfully weird.

>264 scaifea: I started this one when I wasn't in the mood for Vonnegut-level weird, but I need to get back to it sometime. Thanks for the reminder!

>265 rosalita: It's not not weird, but it's also not so weird that you can't easily follow what's going on.

>266 scaifea: Yeah, I've read other Vonneguts and enjoyed them, but it just wasn't working for me at the time. It happens.

>267 rosalita: It definitely does happen. And I agree that you have to be in a certain mood for any Vonnegut.

20. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (reread with Charlie) - 10/10
The final installment in the Hunger Games trilogy is still my least favorite of the three, but that's not to say that it isn't still pretty excellent.

I loved rereading these alongside Charlie's first time through them - I love that he's at the age now where we've graduated to a sort of two-person book club, and it's been so fun to chat with him about it as we've read.

>228 laytonwoman3rd: Isn’t an older term for underwear, “small clothes”?

Karen O

P.s. I so enjoyed the underwear conversation!

>209 scaifea: OMG~ I've got to stay off LT for the rest of the month.
I have so many BB's and I simply-cannot-avoid Harwood's book. Such a hook of a review, Amber.

>271 SandyAMcPherson: Please stay! Better yet, add your own thread. You seem to be in more of a mood to discuss books than I recall!

Hi Amber! The world needs more teachers like you. Not that the world deserves any, but the kids and young people do.

>270 klobrien2: Yep, I think you're right about small clothes.

>271 SandyAMcPherson: Do not resist the BBs, Sandy, revel in them!

>272 quondame: Aw, shucks. Last year I had a student write on their evaluation, "Everyone needs a Dr. Scaife in their lives," and although I deeply suspect they were just being goofy, I think about that every once in awhile and it makes me happy.

On the agenda for today:
I need to run a couple of errands this morning - I didn't get to the library yesterday because of being broadsided by that headache, which is still sort of there but much better than yesterday, plus I need to pick up flea and tick meds for the gals - and then I'll probably try to do some writing this afternoon. Despite the headache I do feel like I'm getting back to my normal energy levels, so maybe my body's finally getting used to the new meds. Florentine Chicken Soup for dinner tonight, at least for Charlie and me; Tomm will have leftovers since the soup has pesto in it so it's off limits for him, but it's one of Charlie's favorites so I try to work it in occasionally.

On the reading front:
I started Solutions and Other Problems yesterday and OMG why have I waited this long to read Brosh?! I spent the evening in legit tears of laughter. I love it!

What We're Watching:
We started the first of the Mockingjay movies last night, which I haven't seen before. Pretty good so far.

>276 scaifea: I hate headaches and sympathize with you.

Morning, Amber!

>277 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori.

>278 katiekrug: Morning, Katie!

The new thread is up:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/339425

>209 scaifea: Swamp'd.

>213 scaifea: Oooh, John Barth! Chimera was my gateway to him: I read it in high school (long story), understood a fraction of it, and loved it anyway. (I'd never heard the Bellerophon myth at that time, so Barth was my introduction to it.) I went on to other Barth stuff, and was briefly obsessed with Lost in the Funhouse. Last year I re-read The Floating Opera and found it even better than I remembered it. Thanks for the reminder that I need to continue that reacquaintance!

>264 scaifea: Love Cat's Cradle too.

>281 swynn: Hi, Steve!

This was my first Barth and though I didn't really care for what he did with the Greek myths, I did really enjoy that first story in the collection. If he crops up again on one of my lists, I won't be completely unhappy about it.

I think you'll like The Ghost Writer!

>275 scaifea: I hesitate to disagree about the goofy, but I will. Even while still in high school I recognized those teachers who both cared for the students and loved their subjects. The combination is one of the best magics I know. And in college, while the commitment to the subject was common, the care for the students was rarer in my experience. Of course 300+ lectures and harried TA's were a factor.