I woke up at 5:20 a.m., a full forty minutes before my alarm was scheduled to go off. It’s always the way the night before I travel. For some reason, something in my subconscious mind won’t allow me a restful sleep. There’s always that niggling doubt, that faint uncertainty that I did, in fact, set the alarm properly. Silly, granted. I mean, I’ve done it hundreds of times: slide the button, set the hour, set the time, release the button. Piece of cake, I told myself and drifted off.
My eyes flashed open! 6:35 a.m.! Sweet Father Christmas! My alarm didn’t gone off! I was late!
I jumped out of bed and it was GO!GO!GO!
Fortunately, I’d taken the time to check-in the previous night and had my e-ticket sent directly to my new blackberry. “I got one of these,”I told the airport employee standing at the head of the long, looooong check-in line, fully expecting her to ask me what the hell it was I was showing her.
Instead – “Just go to gate C-35,”she instructed.
It seemed implausibly simple and yet, once I got to the security check-point, all I had to do was flash my blackberry and the guard on duty motioned me through. I grabbed a seat outside gate C-35 and breathed a sigh of relief. Plenty of time. Finally, I could relax. Until I remembered that I’d failed to recharge my blackberry battery the night before. Granted, the prospect of it dying on me – and taking my e-ticket with it – were remote, but the way my day was going…
Happily, I was able to board without incident. I settled in, pulled out my copy of In the Garden of Iden, and started reading (Incidentally, discussion on the book begins this Monday, so finish up gang. Kage Baker will be coming by to make sure you’re all up to date.). I read half the book, then set it aside and took a nap.
I may have been out ten, maybe twenty minutes before I was shaken awake. In my bleary-eyed state, I imagined the air hostess standing over me: “Sir, you missed your stop! Now we’re on our way back to Vancouver!” It took me a couple of seconds to realize that I wasn’t being shaken awake by anyone. It was turbulence. I shut my eyes and attempted to go back to sleep but, strangely, the prospect of being rattled out of a flying tin can and sprinkled over central Manitoba made that a little difficult. Eventually, I gave up and resumed reading.
I touched down in Montreal where I rented a car. The guy at Hertz said there was only one car left, a Ford Escape, and informed me I would find my car in stall 107. It turned out the car parked in stall 107 was actually a Toyota RAV4. Rather than trek back to Hertz, I tried the key I’d been given, just for the hell of it. It worked. Ford Escape. Toyota RAV4. Close enough.
I got to mom’s house a little after 5:00 p.m. There was really not that much catching up to do since I’ve been reporting on a daily basis since my move to Vancouver, but she did make it clear she didn’t love the haircut before making me speak to my relatives in Toronto (“Hi! It’s Joe! Yeah, I’m on Montreal. Only six hours away from you! I’m calling you now because I’m practically around the corner and, well, I don’t own a phone in Vancouver…”)
For dinner tonight, mom, sis, sis’s friend Lily, and I went to Aikawa. While I prefer the quality of the west coast fish, I’m always impressed by the creativity of the east coast sushi chefs. Check out the culinary creations.
Finally, more BIG BOTMC NEWS! I’ve heard back from August’s Book of the Month Club selected authors – Lois McMaster Bujold, Catherynne M. Valente, and Stephen Dobyns – and all three have kindly agreed to come by and field your questions. So, once again, we are three for three. Check the right sidebar for news on the upcoming discussions. Or, keep reading…
BOTM Club Selections
JULY SELECTIONS
In the Garden of Iden, Kage Baker.
Discussion the week of June 30th, with author Kage Baker.
The Etched City, K.J. Bishop.
Discussion the week of July 7th, with author K.J. Bishop.
Unwelcome Bodies, Jennifer Pelland.
Discussion the week of July 14th, with author Jennifer Pelland.
AUGUST SELECTIONS
Cordelia’s Honor, Lois McMaster Bujold
Discussion the week of August 11th, with author Lois McMaster Bujold.
The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden, Catherynne M. Valente
Discussion the week of August 18th, with author Catherynne M. Valente.
The Church of Dead Girls, Stephen Dobyns
Discussion the week of August 25th, with author Stephen Dobyns.
Ms Gavankar: Were any Space Cows harmed during filming?
the real Anne Teldy 😀
I understand lateness anxiety.
Whenever I am worried about waking up on time I will often dream about being late and run through all of the worst consequences of that but then wake up ot feel relieved that I have in fact plenty of time to get ready, relax and make it to my destination . Crazy huh?
The not-sleeping-before-travelling thing seems to be fairly common. I usually resort so some sort of medication to help me sleep a bit more deeply. And I’ve learned from bitter experience not to rely on a single alarm. Two on the electric clock, cell phone, AND a work pager. Paranoid, me?
The sushi place looks impressive. It must have rated to actually get pictures posted. Wish I had a place around here to indulge in. Ah well, always road trips. Hope the trip to Montreal goes smoothly and happily, and looking forward to the book discussions. The gremlins have finally consented to return Etched City, so I’ll be finishing that off in the morning.
Joe – glad you made it ‘home’ okay, with only a few bumps along the way. I’ve only been to Montreal once, but it is a such lovely city. Favorite moments included a beautiful evening overlooking the city from Mont Royal, and a night in old Montreal. Unfortunately, we were only there long enough to see the touristy areas, but we still had a wonderful time. It was just easier for us to wait for summer when our Canadian friends came down to the shore to visit – with all their homemade wine…and lupini beans… 🙂 The adults only spoke Portuguese, but it’s amazing how universal the language of laughter is. Good times! (For some reason, I think I’ve already said that here…forgive me if I’m repeating myself…)
Enjoy your visit – and don’t eat TOO much (takes lots of pictures to make us jealous)!!
@ WK – Stop talkin’ dirty. 😉 Wraithy nails have got to stay! It completes their look. And they keep them nice, so nice that it conjures up all sorts of images of Steve getting a manicure a la:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/manicure.jpg
“You Wraith are such interesting creatures! I was just saying to my girlfriend, just the other day, ‘Wraith are such interesting people! Why, I’ll bet they lead such interesting lives!’ The things you must see and the things you must do! My stars!”
Oooooh…GREAT. Now I’m imagining Steve fixing Todd’s hair…
“Here, for goodness’ sake, let me fix it up. Look how stringy and messy it is. What a shame. Such an interesting Wraith, too. My stars, if an interesting Wraith can’t have an interesting hairdo, then I don’t know what things are coming to.”
Oooooh…GREAT. Now I’m imagining Steve fixing Joe’s hair… 😕 (hey – perhaps mum would approve of that 😉 )
das
DAMN THAT WINKY FACE!!!!!
And, yeah…this thing needs an edit feature so that when I talk backwards – or overdo the smilies (accidently or on purpose), I can go back and correct it. On one hand, I doubt anyone reads this stuff word-for-word – but on the other hand, it …well…it drives my OCD nuts!
Speaking of OCD (and so this isn’t just a whiny ‘my post isn’t right’) comment, are there any characters in SGA that you imagine have OCD? Any picture-straighteners? Any germaphobes? Would you say that, perhaps, Rodney comes closest to having such a personality?
das
Hi Joe,
Welcome to the East Coast… any plans to stop at Au Pied du Cochon, last time I was there I had a tart of foie gras and I don’t know the name in english, it has the shape of a sausage and has blood… in french it’s boudin or something like that… I also had a Ceviche, but didn’t like it that much, it wasn’t fish so the texture for me was strange that day.
Can’t wait for your experience!
Carolina
Joe, if you ever make it to New York I promise that if you reach out to me you will have a sushi experience that will make you consider moving to the Big Apple. While sushi in Canada was “pretty” it tasted like it was thawed out in the microwave.
😛 Welcome to this side of the country!
After having spent a week up north (er… well north as in Northern Ontario and a few hours past Toronto which seems to be our landmark for everything…) I’ve returned to the land of the internet! YAY! Cottages are fun except for the whole lack of technology. And drinkable water. And bears.
I did want to say that being up north, in a place where there is no ambient light at night, makes the stars come alive! Standing out by the lake, in the crisp cold air, and staring up into all those stars-planets-suns-galaxies certainly makes me wonder how people can be daft enough to think we’re the only ones out here. 🙂
Nika
Sounds like a normal flight. No matter how much I travel, things like that still happen to me. Late to the check-in counter (no blackberry here), sleepless flight, terrible movie. The first time I ever rented a car the tire blew up (thank god for rental insurance). I just dropped the car off at the lot when I was finished and went on my merry way without a word (I never did get a nasty phone call, so I assume things were ok at the dealership).
Trish Happy Anniversary to you and your Hubby!
Say Hi to your Uncle Bill for me?
How’s the Blackberry going other than almost running out of battery? Remember that if you turn Bluetooth off the battery lasts a bit longer.
As for your rental car, just remember what you ended up driving away in.
I’ve been driving a loan car since my accident and it was slightly embarrassing when I was attempting to get into a car that wasn’t mine. Especially when the owner of the car that I was trying to open turned up… with friends.
It was a lesson to not email on your Blackberry and get into your car at the same time.
Finished Garden of Iden a while ago and then went onto Sky Coyote and have started Mendoza in Hollywood.
Almost finished Old Man’s War and it keeps on reminding me of Starship Troopers for some reason. It might be that unfathomable level of death and the nightmarish ways that it occurs, **shudder** but I’m really enjoying the read (unlike watching Starship Troopers).
Yahoo!!!! A feline presence on your blog!
MEOWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Hi Joe…
I haven’t posted in awhile; but I couldn’t resist when i read you blog yesterday about the pineapples in various scenes…Are you aware that the show, PSYCH ( psychic detective) uses a pineapple in EVERY episode as a gag? This show is Hilarious!..It is als filmed in Vancouver….
Also, can’t wait for season 5 to start!!
***Theresa***
The food looks very pretty.
What is Squishface the Cat’s real name?
LOLOL…OKAY…I am SOOO sorry….BUT.
Not only did the winky face mysteriously appear again …but it ate my parenthesis after ‘comment’…or…I just need to call it a night and go to bed.
I’m thinkin’ the gremlins have moved to WordPress… 😛
On a side – and sad – note, comic book artist Michael Turner passed away Friday after a long battle with cancer. His recent Wolverine cover is absolutely beautiful (caution, large file):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/turnervar1.jpg
das
oops sorry, I meant season 4!! ***Theresa***
I like the haircut. Very stylish.
I am amused that the key worked in the other car. Hopefully, the employee simply misread the file, and the keys don’t work in all of the cars. And glad your flight went without a hitch! I have not been so lucky of late. Then again, I think American is quickly killing itself.
I’m very excited to ask questions of next month’s authors! It’ll be a good month, I think.
Oh, also – my pre-travel experience always includes a nightmare a couple of days before the trip wherein I suddenly realise either: a) I’ve completely forgotten about the flight which I was meant to be on two days ago; or b) I’ve landed at my intended destination only to realise I have zero dollars and am at a loss to know what to do to survive. After that, I usually find the actual fight yawn-inducing. (And cranky-making. I get very irritable in planes. So many people, so close.)
doing as my semi-computer geek brother demanded instructed; i right clicked the food pics, select properties & look under “alternate text” and there’s just the word “blank.” that’s all it says for all the food pics except for the last one. so what is all of that food?
Awwwww… Joey is visiting his Mom & Sis… how sweet!
That Cat looks crazy… kinda like one you’d see on the Twillight Zone!
And will the real Anne Teldy please stand up!!! a la… what’s my line!
Go for it Anne, but I already tried to get the dirt on your character’s demise and Joe would not bite! Oh well, maybe Dusty will spill some beans… Here’s hopeing!!!
Joe,
I see that MGM’s has gotten YouTube to take S&R off the internet… finally. It only took them a week. Why so slow on the draw? Surely they have lawyers who can work quicker than that… or not?
Have a nice visit! and don’t over do the eating…remember your super villian figure is at stake!
Cheers,
Patricia Lee
i am surprised that on your reading list are books that were published years, if not decades, ago. For some reason, I always expect people to be reading the latest published. Some of the books you have listed I read many many years ago, and now u have reminded me of them and i want to read them again. Especially LM Bujold. And I have a bone to pick with her. I absolutely adored Cordelia’s Honor and the sequel. But I wanted her to stay with Cordelia and Lord Aral. But she started writing about their child, and I missed the parents so much and especially their earlier years together. The books about Miles V are some of the best storywriting. The hero isn’t tall, good looking and full of superpowers. Instead, he’s very short and has physical disabilities. But he has such a sense of humor, seems able to instill trust in people and give them hope. His team or crew are made up of such a disparate group of people, and yet they keep going. Saving the world, solving mysteries. And it isn’t a rosy future, people die, wars happen, people get tortured, bad guys sometimes flourish. and Miles changes and grows up. Each book was a development in his life, and not just the same characters, in a same setting, confronting similar challenges.
My favorite scenes in Cordelia’s Honor are 2 quiet ones. The walks she takes with Lord Aral on the planet when her crew is imprisoned. And they experience the connection between each other and acknowledge there is very little chance they will ever have to have the future felt by them. And when she goes to Lord V’s home planet and searches him out after the war is over. And she finds him sitting outside by the lake, getting drunk and numb, something he has obviously been doing since he got back. and he sees her and realizes that he has been saved. I thought how her strength, altho never explicitly written, saves them both and gives them a life together. she left everything at home, family, friends, comfort, job, and a way of life quite different then his. and sought him out. He was the one bred to power, leadership. She had enlisted off a rural agricultural planet, with limited fighting skills. He was the ruthless warrior, and yet of the 2, she was the strongest.
good stuff, good story. wish the books were longer so there was more to read. hate to see the ending coming.
Um….. is the cat disapproving of your hair too?
Hey Joe.
No question today, just my wishes that you enjoy your trip!
Also, if you get around to checking to email soon and find one from me, just delete it. Things got changed around and it won’t work out. Thanks anyway!
Have a good trip!
Joe, have you recently changed something in the coding for your pictures? I ask because, as of a few days ago, the LiveJournal feed for your blog is suddenly very wiiiiiiiiiide. Consequently, it’s completely frakking up the width of my friends page. This is not at all your problem, but I thought maybe you made some change recently that would explain the problem. If not, I’ll just have to remove the feed and remember on my own to check in here everyday. Not exactly the greatest hardship in the world, but I figured it was worth asking.
I hope you have a wonderful vacation, and a great time with your mom and sis!
And yes – I PROMISE this will be my last comment (damn that 2 hour nap!).
I swear those pictures were not there when I first looked at this tonight. Anyway –
The food looks fabulous! Almost too pretty to eat.
Baby doesn’t seem at all happy with your visit. Looks JUST like Garfield blowing a raspberry! 😆
Mom (lovely lady, btw!) looks like she’s plotting to do something about that hair…heh. Let us know if she succeeds.
Felix and sis…your sister is so pretty! Makes ya wonder why she got second billing to the dog.
Brothers. 🙄
Have a great time!
das
Hey Joe,
Taking a break in my rereading of LMcMB’s “Cordelia’s Honor” to wonder…what’s happened to Alex Levine’s blog?
Is he no longer there? Now, dont’ get me wrong, I love your blog, but when I’ve read it, I am hungry for more, so I pop on over to his. Still nothing since March.
Can you share?
Thanks,
Pol
In case no one else mentions it, that was The Beast on Joe’s shirt yesterday, not Wolverine. You my know Beast better as a blue Kelsey Grammer. 😉
I know just what you mean about airline travel paranoia, Joe — I’m constantly feeling like a) I won’t wake up in time, b) traffic will make me late, c) my e-ticket will have some sort of problem, d) I’ll go to the wrong gate by mistake (which almost happened once, because in the time between when I checked the gate and actually got *to* it, the gate number had been freakin’ *changed*), and a bajillion other worries …
To the people who are insisting on watching the leaked ep online — if you really love the show, then for the love of Gaia, *stop supporting/encouraging the pirates*!!
Why should advertisers pay to support a show whose fans demonstrate (thanks to the counters on the download pages) that they will jump at the chance to watch it early, without the ads? And why should a studio pay to make a show for fans who frequently demonstrate that they will watch it online without paying for it at iTunes or Unbox?
Studios don’t make shows (nor do stations air) them out of the goodness of their hearts; they have to make money on them somehow, and the more they make, the more likely they are to continue with it!! These pirates are stealing from the studios and the actors we supposedly love! Please don’t kid yourselves into thinking it’s a victimless crime, because in the end, we the viewers will be the ones paying if the show is cancelled after this season, and we’re left with nothing but the possibility of a few direct-to-DVD movies ….
So have patience and wait until each ep airs to see it. Watch it live, with the ads, if you can. And if you’re really wanting to be proactive, take note of the ads: if you happen to buy some of the products advertised, send the recipt to the company and thank them for supporting the show!
If you *can’t* watch it for some reason (like it doesn’t air by you, or you weren’t home and forgot to record it, or the power went out), most people should be able to buy it off of iTunes or Unbox. Surely showing your support is worth just $2 a week, if you can afford it! If you’re a smoker, give up a few cigarettes — wouldn’t that be a great incentive? 😀 Hell, a rental from Blockbuster is about $4, and you only get it for a couple of week at best; buy a download, and it stays on your puter forever! 😀
While we’re on the subject of what the network chooses to air … is anyone else as upset as I am that Sci Fi brought back Scare Tactics? That show was a big reason why I didn’t catch SG-1 in the early days — I didn’t want to support Sci Fi back then! They should have brought back SG-1 *instead*! I really, really hope Scare Tactics is 100% staged; I’d hate to hear of someone having a heart attack and dying because of their pranks (or hear of that happening to some innocent person because some idiot viewer tries to copy what they saw on the show) ….
before making me speak to my relatives in Toronto (”Hi! It’s Joe! Yeah, I’m on Montreal. Only six hours away from you! I’m calling you now because I’m practically around the corner and, well, I don’t own a phone in Vancouver…”)
And here I thought it was just my mom that did that! “Call your aunt and tell her you got here okay.” Then, a couple of days later, we go to visit said aunt, and I tell her goodbye when we leave. Mom logic therefore dictates that, at the end of my visit, I have to be told to call and tell my aunt goodbye (again).
Sigh.
At least I get away with not reporting in every day. Not that my parents wouldn’t prefer it, but I got them trained when I was in college to one call a week, and now I manage to stretch it to every two or three weeks without them calling to see if I’m homeless and living in a box behind the 7-11.
OMG, I am drooling on the keyboard. I envy you that spread.
P.S. Do you watch Dr. Who? Saw the first part of The Stolen Earth tonite and — Well, let’s just say that I shall be living in tension, fear, and Great Denial for the next 7 days…
Joe,
The sushi looks amazing — now I have an insatiable craving for raw fish.
Congratulations on snagging all of the authors again for next month. I really enjoy the personal perspective they contribute to the discussion of their books. I was a little surprised that you hadn’t read any of Lois McMaster Bujold’s books and I’m very glad that you selected “Cordelia’s Honor” for next month’s BOTM. I hope you and the other readers enjoy it as much as I do.
“Shards of Honor” is definitely on my top 10 sci-fi books list and is one of those books I come back to every so often. Now I have a good excuse to read it and it’s companion “Barrayar” again!
Once again I have failed to read more than one BOTM selection (real life can be so time consuming), so I’ll have to stay on the sidelines until “The Etched City” comes up for discussion.
Sparrow
Hi Joe,
just looked up th price of the prerelease S4 SG Atlantis and fell off my chair. AUS$80! It’s cheaper to order it from Amazon including the shipping costs.
This would explain why they don’t think there’s much of an audience in Australia. We all have to order from o/s to afford it. (Not complaining to or about you or the production company here.)
oooh, kitty! That cat is so cute!
I hate flying. Glad to know you made it there in one piece, and with your sanity semi-intact!
More marathon stuff:
Paradise Lost: Awesome episode. Having Maybourne appear instantly makes an episode, for me, and this was extra special because of the hilarious and smart banter between him and Jack. The best of the series so far, I’d say. The way Harry tricked everyone to get to the Furling gate (!!) was priceless; I loved that he always had an ace up his sleeve. You should really convince Brad and Rob to write him into another SG1 film somehow (especially with the next being a Jack-centered movie, as Wright said in recent interviews). Anyways, the episode quickly turned into a psychological thriller with extra doses of creepy thanks to the great music, the skeletons and overall sense of death and decay, and of course, the fact that they were all alone. No animals or anything. Again, loved that. The change in the visual look of the episode for those few scenes after Jack ate the plants just added to the overall disturbing atmosphere. I think I could’ve gone mad in that place just because of how lonely it was; no plants required.
One little problem I had was Sam crying over it. I understood why she would be crying, since Jack was missing for weeks by that point, but it just didn’t feel like weeks had passed, so her crying seemed like too much. Oh well. The rest of the episode was great though. Seeing Jack still so collected and calm after all that time, and having him chatting to Maybourne to basically wrap up his “fugitive arc” was very nice. Well done.
Metamorphosis: Can I just say how FREAKING AWESOME Dion Johnstone was in this episode as Wodan? I so did not realize that he was played by the same guy who played Tyler and that Jaffa guy in Rules of Engagement. He was just spectacular. The rest of the episode was also pretty damn good. Nirrti was at her best here (and most sexy. Hot damn.). The overall aura surrounding her was a powerful one, and the dialogue was wonderfully evil and seductive. I admit, I did shield my eyes when Alebran and Evanov gurgled to death, as it was just a tad too graphic for my wimpy eyes, but still, very disturbing to listen to that. The final scenes were great, watching Nirrti struggle, and seeing the raw rage expressed by Wolden and Eggar as they realized what happened. Wonderful acting right there. Overall, a great episode.
Disclosure: Oh boy, clip show time. This was better than Politics, as it isn’t just a few people sitting around a table talking…sort of. Here you had Major Davis defending our guys, and Thor showing up at the end to totally PWN Kinsey’s ass. I loved that. The British ambassador was very funny. Other than though, typical clip show, so I didn’t really like it that much.
4 more episodes tomorrow, and then onward to Season 7 on Monday!
Oh, and that’s “Wodan”, not “Wolden”. I corrected the first one but not the second. Oops.
Salut Joseph!!
Ahhhhh vous êtes a Montreal!! C’est trop coool!!
Piouh..autant d’heure d’avion, je ne pourrais pas, je m’ennui dans les avions et je n’arrive pas a dormir dans tout les transport en commun.
Vous allez réster lontemp??
Bon, bah je salut votre soeur et votre mére.
Bon séjour. Bisou. Je t’adore =)
And Baby belongs to?
Felix is cute.
Hey Joe!
Ok the sushi pics REALLY make me want to go to Jackson’s Bistro today. It’s right on the water in Tampa. Well, technically Harbor Island. Mmmmm Lobster tempura rolls…. *Homer Simpson drooling*. I must admit, though, west coast salmon is THE BEST. By the time it gets to me it does lose a little something. But Maine lobster is probably the most delicious.
Did someone make Baby eat a lemon right before you took her (his?) picture? 😉
Have fun in Montreal.
Trish 😀
I’m forever sleeping in so people would actually be shocked if I turned up on time for anything. However I know what you mean about being late for your plane. My Dad was driving me to the airport once and we got stuck in a terrible traffic jam. We left early (because I was with my Dad), yet I was now running horrendously late. I had to jump the queue and run to the gate etc. I think I was the last person on. They told me my luggage would be on a later flight. Well we changed planes in Sydney and were waiting to taxi out. People around me were wondering aloud what on earth the delay could be. Then I saw a vehicle with luggage. As they took my suitcase and loaded it on the plane I slid down in my seat just a little with a sheepish look.
As Rove would say (the Aussies will get this): “Say hi to your Mum for me” 😀
Cheers, Chev
SO glad you made it safely to Montreal! I bet mom is happy to see you haircut and all!. But I think Baby is giving you a stick out the old tongue greeting.. How can you overorder, it looks great for sharing. what no dessert or did I miss it. A great start to a great visit, keep those darn gremlins at bay! Bet Baby could help with that. Looks a might serious in the expression dept. no offense to Baby, I love cats and dogs. Thanks for getting more authors to come out and play with us, should be grand! 😎
East Coast Sushi vs. West Coast Sushi … uh-oh, is there going to be a throw-down? Flying ahi? Ika shrapnel? Ebi in da hood?
Hi Joe’s Mom!! Aww, she’s a cute li’l mom… you look like her too…. umm, not saying you’re cute, oh and not saying you’re not, it’s just… I don’t normally rate guys as cute or not cute, the girls would have to tell me whether you are or not….. okay, umm, done rambling. Bye!
Oh…… you’re sister..? *gives a thumbs up* Niiiiice.
Welcome back to Montreal. I hope you enjoy your visit here. Is that a picture of your cat? Does s/he still remember you?
Hiya. While I read the blog all the time I haven’t replied to it before. But this time I felt that I had to come in from the cold and salute you on your BOTM Club suggestions for August. Lois Mcmaster Bujold is a great author in my opinion. And while I haven’t gotten around to Cordelia’s Honor yet I have read all the books about Miles Vorkosigan, the ones that comes after Cordelia’s honor.
From what I can decipher Cordelia’s honor was her first real taste of this Sci-fi world (Well, the first part of the book anyway. The second she wrote years later) and as such she was trying to find her ground.
Bah, I really have no way with words. My point is this; if you are unhappy with Cordelia’s honor don’t give up. The books that come after, revolving around her son Miles, are much better. A great blend of Action, comedy, romance, mystery and one guy’s struggle to prove to the galaxy that if you can’t be seven feet tall then be seven feet smart!
I won’t go into more detail since I won’t do the books justice. But if you decide to continue with this fantastic series past Cordelia’s honor I suggest you collect the following omnibus editions in the following order:
(Note that while it is possible to read them out of order since they are kind of free standing they make much more sense read in order)
Young Miles (contains The Warrior’s Apprentice, “The Mountains of Mourning”, The Vor Game)
Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem (contains Cetaganda, Ethan of Athos, “Labyrinth”)
Miles Errant (contains “The Borders of Infinity”, Brothers in Arms, Mirror Dance)
Miles, Mutants and Microbes (contains Falling Free, Diplomatic Immunity, “Labyrinth”)
Miles in Love (contains Komarr, A Civil Campaign, “Winterfair Gifts”)
Signed
The Swedish Stargate/Mallozzi/Bujold Fan Kicken
Ah, that’s one of my nightmares: the alarm won’t work when I have to be somewhere on time.
Funny story: it happened last Friday. I went to bed late, the batteries of my clock ran out during the night and I overslept for two hours. It’s a good thing we have flexible working hours!
By the way: Nice cat (yes, I’m a cat person).
Who looks after your dogs when you and your wife are on holiday? I guess you don’t take them with you?
Have a great time with your family!
From the cat’s expression I’m guessing it doesn’t like the hair cut either.
Joe, thanks for the recommendation, will try to find the book soon. Internet has just reset for me (ie, download allowance reset), so i’m catching up on your blogs!
Getting up early for flights is one thing that is not kind for me, I am definitely not a morning person, despite school running from semi-early into the afternoon.
Where would a good place to find these BOTM’s, as most bookstores down here are basically Dymocks and Borders, which sometimes can be doubtful. Would you recommend buying over the internet, or should I search around for a small-style bookstore, or shall I just browse a library?
my wife (whovian) mentioned that you were looking for some transition effects for the upcoming dvd. i’ve taken the liberty of creating something that should replace almost any commercial break.
–jnm
linky:
http://jmyers.smugmug.com/gallery/5283932_U67TF#321978971_LDyT3-A-LB
and we’ll try the embedded one too:
I’m glad the in flight turbulance didn’t keep you from reading. How on earth can you SLEEP on a jet? It is altogether too noisy, smelly, vibraty and uncomfortable to ever relax enough to sleep! What’s your secret?
Happily, I have not been a-jet flying since 1998. But you made it safely and that’s what counts. Can’t lose our eye on SGA, culinary delights and things doggie now, can we?
As to the photos above of Japanese food. It is all too pretty and colorful to put a fork into. My designer’s sensibility certainly admires the effort it must have taken to produce. Were I with you, I probably would have just sat and admired it all. And I can’t make myself eat what I do not recognize.
More for YOU!
Have a happy visit!
Carol Z
Eating simply and simply eating in NJ…
Have a nice visit!
Lois McMaster Bujold
GREAT I WILL have questions for this author
Be back tomorrow with Garden variety comments.
DD
Whos is the cat its looks evil.
Then again most do.
Hey Joe.
Glad you arrived safely in Montreal. I hate to think of you as being sprinkled over the prairies. ; )
You know in under 2 hours you could be in Halifax. : ) Have you ever visited my fair city?
One of the newer Bistro’s on Spring Garden Road had a menu out front that listed Frog’s Legs and I immediately thought of you. Not that I think you have frog’s legs because since I haven’t meet I can’t comment on that.
My question is HAVE YOU EVER EATEN FROG’S LEGS?
The only time I’ve spent in Montreal was a 1 hour layover en route to DC. But even that short stop in the wee hours after midnight, with the rain pouring down, made me want to go back some day to see more.
I hope your time there doesn’t go by too fast!
At the risk of repeating myself many times over, you are too funny. I can definately sympathize on the alarm thing. When I am to go on a trip I just feel I will never wake up to the alarm even though I do every day. So, I set my phone alarm too thinking one will wake me up.
Hope you enjoy your time with your mom!
Hey Joe!
Glad to hear your plane trip went well! I must admit, if I was in your position, I would’ve been really happy to see a RAV4 rather than a Ford Escape sitting there. Much prefer the Toyotas. 🙂
The food at Aikawa looks amazing (now I know where to go first to eat if I go to Montreal 😉 ). Is that torpedo shrimp in the second food photo? It’s literally making me want to eat it off the screen!
Enjoy day 2 of your visit!
– Enzo Aquarius
geez, food art! Have a fantastic visit with your mom and tell her from me she’s looking great! sis too.
cheers
shiningwit
Hi Joe, long-time lurker on your blog, thanks for taking the time to communicate so frequently. I’m wondering if you have any thoughts on the latest entry at the Save Carson Beckett site. It’s here: http://www.savecarsonbeckett.com/2008/06/27/gero-talks-keller-versus-beckett/
thanks again!
Deb
I am so exciting you picked Cordelia’s Honor! I’ve read all the books. Compulsively.
Hello Joe,
I can so relate to the whole setting the alarm, and then not sleeping until either a) it does go off; or b) just before it does not, leading to the inevitable exclamation of “Holy Crap!” (or worse) when you do finally bolt awake and the sprint out the door hoping for no traffic and a slight delay in the flight. I travel a lot with my job and this is a real stress on my nerves. What’s worse is most of my flights are international and that means the early morning flights are that much earlier.
Speaking of which, I’m setting my alarm right now for my flight tomorrow morning – wish me luck!
Have fun at home.
Libby
What’s happened to Joe… did your WiFI go wonkers in Montreal????
You have not approved one comment in over 15 hours…. hope you are okay! This is very unusal for you!
Keeping good thoughts…
Patricia Lee
Took me far too long
And a sad geek that makes me
Blackberry(tm)’s not fruit…
1)Does the harboring of intense emotions become an obstacle for the team on more than one occasion this year?
2)During season five, in which instance does the collective sufferring bear the deepest for the team: physically or mentally?
Eugene from Aus said:
Getting some of the books here is tough. There’s a few Aussies here who participate so we tend to keep each other informed as to where we can find books. The other’s will correct me if I’m wrong (as I now use ebooks for BOTM) but Amazon seemed to be the best value and deliver in a timely manner.
HA! HA! HA! 😆
Jeremy made a transition for the shows once they are on DVD. I’m not sure if Joe will use it, though. I’d pay good money if he did.
Just look at comment number 47. Now tell me that’s not good stuff! 😀
@Narelle: I’ll say hi to my uncle for ya! 😉
Trish
Trish & Jermey
Toooooooo Funny! love the transtion….just LOVED it… Happy Anniversry!!!
Patricia Lee
Thanks Pat!
So… it’s not just me, right? Jeremy did a funny thing! 😆
I love to travel and I love to fly but hate the thought of missing a flight. I get to airports rediculously early. If I’m going with other people they drive me crazy waiting for them while I annoy them by becoming panicky. Once I almost missed a connection in Philidelphia going to Shannon Ireland because they wouldn’t let our plane leave Atlanta while the weather was bad up north. My brother threatened to hit me if I didn’t stop freaking out. We had to run through the Philly airport – gates couldn’t have been further apart, of coarse – we were the last ones to board and were sweaty and out of breath for about an hour. The luggage caught up about 36 hours later. I had to live with a spotty rash on my arms for 3 days because of using hotel soap. I always leave a day early for tours now just in case and carry my own soap with me.
whovian said:
It’s creepy but it’s funny 😀
Cheers, Chev
Narelle, thanks for the info (i don’t know how to quote, semi-new to blogs n such).
Another question to Joe, after a small discussion on GateWorld, I’m intrigued into what the green wire reference in Ripple Effect (Season 9) is to. Will it possibly be something to do to with in Continuum, or is this a loose thread(or in this case, wire)?
Woo! I know I’m really late to the party–thanks to being lost for just over a week in the New World–but I just wanted to say I love the August BOTM selections!