Argh...forgotten again!

So once again I've forgotten about Sunday Reviews. That may have had something do with the roast duck breast for tea last night. Ooops. I doubt I'll have time to write up a review today, since I have to go to the Titanic Mill Residence Committee meeting tonight. I've been to two of them, and they take about 3-3.5 hours. This one will be either much longer or much shorter since it's the Annual General Meeting and we need to elect a new committee. I don't want to go, but I said I would...the good news is that I can easily get out of a nomination to the committee (if that happens) since I'm flying back to the states in 9 days. I totally support the committee, but since I don't know what decisions Adam and I will be making about living arrangements over the next 6-12 months...yeah. And I won't be here for large chunks of the next six months anyway, it doesn't matter.

So yes, I shall try to write a review tonight, or certainly tomorrow. I'm debating between a couple of movies, a couple of books, or a video game...hmm...if you actually have a preference, your choices are Superman Returns, Zodiac, Wizard's First Rule, The Handmaid's Tale, or LEGO Indiana Jones. Post in the comments if you care (I get emails now, and so know when people say things :) ).

World's ugliest dog?

So a few weeks ago, a new "world's ugliest dog" was crowned. The article is here, if you care, but I'm confused. I actually think this dog is adorable, whereas I think any number of the Chinese Cresteds should have won. THOSE suckers are seriously hideous. And are usually the winners, I believe.

Here's this year's winner

A face only a mother...and I...could love.

He's a boxer mix. I personally think he's really quite endearing. The other dogs, however...wow. Beaten with an ugly stick. There are some images of them in the article as well.

No Sunday Review

I really tried to come up with something to review this week, but all the movies were forgettable, the TV is limited to current, but not new shows (except Dollhouse, but I've not seen enough yet to form an opinion) with the exception of The West Wing, and we don't need to hear a lovefest/orgy on my love for this show, particularly the early seasons (Adam's watching the first season now, and I forgot how many good episodes are in the first season).

Literature-wise, I can't think of anything new I've read this week, except for Terry Goodkind's short story Debt of Bones. I liked it, though in some ways I suppose I found it simplistic. I want to hold off on reviewing it, and more likely, Goodkind's "The Sword of Truth" series, until I've read more. I've just started Wizard's First Rule, and it's different from Debt of Bones. The writing is a little less...dashed-off, maybe. Which, in many ways, makes it less approachable (still, so far it seems better than Robert Jordan). I think Goodkind wrote Debt of Bones more for fun and to quickly sketch out some background for his readers, and possibly to turn a quick profit. None of that is bad at all, but I found the plot to be a bit "make everyone happy" at the end, and the writing was simpler. Neither of these is inherently a negative thing (though the forced "happy ending" plot device can bug me--see my comments on Harry Potter 7), but I'm betting it's not representative of Goodkind overall. Hence my not properly reviewing it.

So sorry about that. On my personal writing front, I've started back up (if knocked off for the weekend because we were busy), but I've been working on a thing that I started back in December. I'd written on it sporadically for quite a while, and then a couple of weeks ago picked it up more seriously. I'm a bit stuck at the moment on it, so I suppose it's time for me to go back to my historical fiction. I'm still kind of glad to be getting a forced second chance to write the second chapter, and still pissed that I lost so much of it. I've discovered, however, that I'm much much better at coming up with starts for novels and cliff-hangers to leave them on, but not so good at fleshing out the whole plot. Which is, well, a problem. A large problem for an aspiring writer. If, one must admit, an aspiring writer for lack of other career options at the moment.

It's so tiny and cute!!

See that picture over to your left. No, on the monitor...yeah, the one of the pygmy hippo. A baby one of those was just born at Edinburgh Zoo!!!!

Now just to try and find time to schedule a trip up there before I head back to the states. A doubtful happening, as we've got people coming over both tonight and tomorrow (we think tomorrow, but I didn't buy Carling so they may not), next weekend is Adam's birthday, and the weekend after is mine, then I fly back to P-town. Who knows, though. Maybe my birthday weekend. Probably not, but I haven't looked at train fares yet.

News articles (from a very quick search) with pics:

http://deadlinescotland.wordpress.com/2009/07/02/hippo-132/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/5719118/A-pygmy-hippopotamus-has-been-born-to-a-new-breeding-pair-at-a-zoo.html

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/uk_national_news/4471798.Hippo_hooray_for_zoo_baby_Leishan/

Weird coincidences

Well, really only one weird coincidence in this case. But Adam's watching 1408, so in my head it's multiplied. I'm not watching 1408 because a) I've already seen it, and much as I love Samuel L. and John Cusak, the movie isn't all that great and b) it's not a great movie, but it is after midnight and I'll probably be freaked out if I watch it and then go to bed.

But I digress. My weird coinkidink is that almost exactly a year ago, I split my head open on a wrought iron curtain frame in Scotty's Castle (like a shutter, but inside, with the curtains attached to it). It bled a whole lot, as head wounds tend to. Particularly when you slam them with rather a lot of force into the corner of a piece of wrought iron. I didn't need stitches, but I did need to fill out a nice government accident report form. Let me tell you how not popular I was with my supervisor: he hated paperwork--luckily, Beth the office manager/tour guide/awesome person extraordinaire did everything except sign his name.

So that happened almost a year ago. Yesterday evening a spot on my head started hurting, and had a slight bump. Nothing too bad, but you know, the kind that you poke at to try and figure out why it hurts (usually because you kept poking at it). To my credit, it started hurting before I poked at it, and I don't even remember how I found it. It was just this evening that I remembered last year and where on my head the injury was. I'm sure it's the same spot, just not sure why it hurts now.

Still, kinda cool in a weird, head-injury sort of way.

And in other random health-related news, my teeth suck. I think a filling came out. It doesn't hurt, but I know I'm not supposed to keep a supply of 3 raspberry seeds in my molar (they were jammed in). Luckily, I have a cheap knock-off of those evil pokey metal hook things that dentists use, so I can remove stuff from the hole. No, that is not how my filling came out. Also, my teeth are badly stained; I blame the water here, even though everyone says I'm wrong, but I brush my teeth and take care of them. Namely because I don't have dental insurance, and fillings are expensive, as are x-rays. And cleanings.

And for the final bit of health news, Faith had a blood workup to renew her heartworm/flea medication (all in one tasty beef-flavour coated pill...that she sucks the flavouring off of and spits out), and apparently everyone commented on how pretty she is (true!) and well-behaved (well, she doesn't wee or try to bite people at the vet, so...). And apparently she is nice and healthy :) Yay! Wish I were. Between my teeth and shot knees/ankles (I've taken up Wii Fit jogging) I'm just fan-damn-tastic.

No links for movies and such tonight. I'm lazy. Sorry.