Author: Jay the Ent-Larch

nonbinary they/them mystical forest cryptid & merwrangler with Orange Cat Energy INGREDIENTS: coffee, books, music, podcasts, NPR, cats, movies, the Oxford comma, and comfort shows - - - WARNING: may contain nuts

Teaser Tuesday: Rubicon

I am now officially one book behind on my Goodreads’ challenge.

But never fear, dear readers, for I have a little extra time over the next few days and hope to regain my “on track” status.

While I don’t subscribe to a circular view of history as such, the Wheel of Time has come full circle to

Teaser TuesdayJust in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*

*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.

This week I’m reading Rubicon by Tom Holland (the author and cricketer, not the actor).

I had wanted to read Persian Fire by the same author, but someone had already checked the book out.

Yes, it’s my fault for not placing it on hold.

Anyway, the Truly Random Number Generator sends us to page 243:

Only Spartacus himself appears to have fought
for a genuine ideal. Uniquely among the leaders
of slave revolts in the ancient world, he attempted
to impose a form of egalitarianism on his followers,
banning them from holding gold and silver and 
sharing out their loot on an equal basis.

rubicon cover

In Retrospect

Confession: I’m only 7 or so pages into Chaucer’s Tale: 1386 and the Road to Canterbury by Paul Strohm. Don’t worry, I vow to finish both Chaucer and Rubicon by next Tuesday!

I’m also still working my way through Er Ist Wieder Da (English Title: Look Who’s Back) by Timur Vermes. Since it’s taking me a bit longer to read this (you know, it being in German and all), I’m trying to read between 5 and 10 pages a day. I’ll get through it in a month or two. I’ll keep you updated.

 

 

What have you been reading?

 

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Wicked Word Wednesday 1.4 Results

Wicked Word Wednesday Results
Participation and voting has been falling off slightly since the first Wicked Word Wednesday.

Perhaps I need to publicize it more?

I know the page is getting views, any suggestions on increasing actual interactions?

“Enough!” I hear you cry, “We want to know who won!”

Very well; the winner this week is . . . a tie between

kakingsbury

Byron said it best . . . “cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold . . . that host on the morrow lay withered and strown . . . lances unlifted, trumpet unblown. . . widows of Ashur – loud in their wail, idols are broke in the temple of Baal.”

and

thediybistro

The captivating Contessa caused a combination of calamities by colliding with the crooked constable’s critically ill Clydesdale and confounding the Count’s conniving cohort – quite a conundrum!

With an Honorable Mention to

whiterose52

We are the lost legion,
Woodstock’s kid sister,
Gen X’s maiden aunt
with mentholyptus breath
And slow ass dial up.
Always running to catch up.
The forgotten cohort.
‘hey guys, wait up!’
We sing out.
“You don’t understand”
the kids respond.

Congratulations to this week’s winners (don’t forget your badges!) and tune in Wednesday for another Wicked Word!

Monday Morning Grievance: Non-Words

It’s Monday and I haven’t had my coffee.

Monday Morning Grievances Logo 1

Yes, I have a long weekend. Yes, I’m still up early. No, I’m not going in to my office – even though I could get some things done . . . well, probably. Google Drive helps me work from home; all I have to do is make sure the files and are compatible . . . and that I actually upload my work to my drive before leaving for the school. I certainly can’t blame Google for that particular failing, now can I?

I wouldn’t say that nothing annoyed me this week; rather, nothing annoyed me to the point that I wrote it down as a possible Monday Morning Grievance. So, it’s back to those first posts – you know, the ones where I simply listed five things without any explanation. Believe it or not, my very first grievance was about drivers who don’t use turn signals, which I just so happened to write about two weeks ago. So, that brings me to

WORDS THAT AREN’T REALLY WORDS

I’m not talking about words that are simply mispronounced or misused, although they are indeed annoying. I’m talking about words that are just plain wrong. Among the many words lying in the gutter, robbed of any meaning by ignorant hoodlums, lies sandwich.

Really, when was the last time you heard this word pronounced correctly by someone other than an English teacher or other lover of grammar?

To many, this word is pronounced “samwich” or – the greatest atrocity of all – “sammich”.

There is no such thing as a “sammich”.

It’s really not that difficult:

Say sand.

Say which.

Now put them together . . .

NO! NOT “SAMWICH”!

AND NOT “SAMMICH”, EITHER!

Sand-which

Sand-which

Sandwich

*sigh*

You Keep Using That Word

 

 

What annoys you?

 

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Sunday Snapshots

Thanks for stopping by to see what’s gone on in the last week! Indeed, it was quite busy:

The Shepherd’s Crown arrived; I already wrote about its unboxing and shared some photographs.

One of my 9th grade students drew what I’m calling “Sumerian Olaf”.

Yes, she simply misspelled “summer” but also realized her unwitting pun and asked me to take a picture before erasing it.

Sumerian Olaf

A very large praying mantis came to visit; this dude measured at least 8 inches long!

We moved him safely outside before the cat did something mean to him.

Huge Praying Mantis

I picked up an uncut straw from Subway.

Seriously, straw machine – you had one job . . . one job!

Uncut Straw

World History students presented their explorer reports; one group made a spice game: students had to guess what a spice was based on color, texture, and smell. The spices included cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, and turmeric. The group was about to throw away the piles when I noticed how they’d run together on the plate.

Explorer Spices

Just for fun I participated in one of those silly Facebook “quizzes” that assigns you random results based on your name.  This time, I liked the results.

Weird Test

The mailman brought a surprise on Saturday: a postcard from fellow blogger Vanessa of Petal and Mortar!

Thanks, Vanessa!

petal and mortar postcard front petal and mortar postcard back
 

What Did You Do This Week?

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Unboxing The Shepherd’s Crown

Tuesday was bittersweet. I received a package: the American release of The Shepherd’s Crown by Sir Terry Pratchett! This is also the first book I’ve ever pre-ordered – the first book I’ve ever received on the very day of its release.

However, many of you know The Shepherd’s Crown is the last Discworld novel; Sir Terry passed away 12 March, 2015.

I’m not ashamed to say it:

I took my time opening the box.

I savored the new book smell.

I read the dust jacket.

Then, I placed The Shepherd’s Crown back in the box,

closed the lid,

and cried.

No man is ever truly gone until the ripples they make in the world die away

May Sir Terry’s ripples last forever.

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His fantasies sit alongside – and are the equals of – those of Rabelais, Voltaire, Swift, Kurt Vonnegut, and Douglas Adams. . . . But whereas all these are neatly arranged on the bookshelves, my Pratchetts are strewn under the beds, in the bathrooms, the glove compartments. They have shopping lists, takeaway orders, and Scrabble scores scribbled on the fly leaves. They were part of life. – Frank Cottrell Boyce

Angled

Challenge: photograph an inanimate object from three angles.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you my pencil sharpener:

 


 

 

Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?

Drop a note in the prompt box!

 

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

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