| Laser Surgery |
[11 Nov 2009|09:36am] |
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mood |
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 curious |
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Has anyone had laser surgery on their eyes? Was it worth the expense?
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| apple geeks needed |
[10 Nov 2009|09:25pm] |
Hi,
I have a 2G ipod Nano which appears to be corrupted. I have reset settings within the Ipod, have attempted a soft reset and hard reset through iTunes, restarted my Mac and moved the USB connection around but it repeatedly throws up an error message that it cannot restore. Is there anything else I can try or is it beyond saving?
Thanking you in advance.
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| List of titles |
[10 Nov 2009|03:24pm] |
As long as it's on my mind, here is a list of the books that have been reviewed on my review blog at http://reviewsbyruth.wordpress.com They're in reverse order, most recent first. Guest reviewers are welcome!
STILL DANCING by Jameson Currier
MURDER ON CAMAC by Joseph R. G. DeMarco
FALSE COLORS by Alex Beecroft
JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN by Dalton Trumbo — see new page: BOOKS AND FILMS
ISLAND SONG by Alan Chin. SEE CONVERSATION WITH AUTHORS page
SAPPHO SINGS by Peggy Ullman Bell
THE SEA HAWK by Brenda Adcock
“Proud is the Dancer” by Lee Benoit (Short Stories & Anthology Page)
BLUE HEAVEN by Joe Keenan
THE ANGEL SINGERS by Dorien Grey
WHISTLING IN THE DARK by Tamara Allen
ANGEL LAND by Victor J. Banis
A FACE WITHOUT A HEART by Rick R. Reed
WITCH’S BOY by Alex Beecroft
KING OF CATS by Blake Fraina
ORPHAN’S QUEST: BOOK ONE OF THE CHRONICLES OF FIRMA Pat Nelson Childs
GUS THE GREAT/ Thomas Duncan
DISPATCH TO DEATH/ Martha Miller
VIENNA DOLOROSA/ Mykola Dementiuk
TWO SPIRITS: A STORY OF LIFE WITH THE NAVAJO / Walter Williams & Toby Johnson
SPINE INTACT, SOME CREASES/ Victor J. Banis
SNOW MOON RISING / Lori L. Lake
AWAY / Amy Bloom
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS / Sara Gruen
THE FILLY / Mark Probst
CAPTAIN’S SURRENDER / Alex Beecroft
STANDISH / Erastes
IMMORTAL JOURNEY / Ruth A. Souther
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST REVIEWER Mark Probst
TWO IRISH LADS Gerry Burnie
LESSONS IN LOVE by Charlie Cochrane
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST REVIEWER Craig Burke
ANGEL LAND by Victor J. Banis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST REVIEWER Bethann Korsmitt
THE PHOENIX by Ruth Sims
ORIENTATION by Rick R Reed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST REVIEWER Lillian Porter
STAY— Mystery by: Nicola Griffith
THE MONARCHS ARE FLYING by Marion Foster
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| STILL DANCING -- my review |
[10 Nov 2009|03:20pm] |
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mood |
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 chipper |
] |
Dunno why it never occurred to me before to post my reviews on LJ. Slow on the uptake, I reckon. There are a bunch more at
http://reviewsbyruth.wordpress.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STILL DANCING
By
Jameson Currier
Publisher: Lethe Press (December 1, 2008)
ISBN-10: 1590210484
ISBN-13: 978-1590210482
One of life’s pleasures, as any book lover can testify, is falling in love with a new author. Or, rather, the work of an author new to you. I recently discovered Jameson Currier and am head over heels in love with his writing. I have so far read only one book of his, Still Dancing, but have two others, Where the Rainbow Ends and Haunted Heart, waiting their turn. (I have so many good books waiting their turn I wish I were twins.)
There are twenty stories here, written over a time span of about 30 years. Not just any 30 years, but the three decades beginning with the mysterious and agonizing deaths of gay men in the mid-80’s to the present. Yes, these are AIDS stories. And yes, AIDS stories aren’t particularly popular now with either readers or writers. I suppose that’s because the average person thinks of AIDS as something in the past or something that is better ignored. Or perhaps in tough times maybe people just want escapism. I don’t know. But what I do know is that no one with a heart could read this collection and come away unmoved.
Jameson Currier is a master at the difficult art form of short fiction. Within the space of a few hundred or a few thousand words he can take out your heart and break it. I do not suggest that these are maudlin, pity-poor-us stories. Not at all. If they tell of death and dying, they tell equally of family, friends, lovers past and present, dead and living. The stories are gritty and honest, as real as IV tubes and funerals. Some also have a subtle meaning that doesn’t hit the reader until later. Currier’s stories don’t whitewash the physical ugliness of AIDS, or the pain, the fear, or the grief. Nor does he elevate the friends and caregivers to the status of saints who are never angry or impatient or resentful. The stories are elegant in their simplicity, and sublimely humane.
As I read the stories my favorites kept changing. “Still Dancing” was my favorite. No, “Ghosts” was my favorite. “Everybody is Always Somebody Else” was my favorite. Impossible choices. But I know I have to pick just a couple to draw attention to, so I chose “What They Carried” and “Winter Coats.”
“What They Carried” is deceptive. In less skilled hands it could have been a dreary laundry list of things taken to comfort a dying man: flowers, pajamas, books, etc. But because even the most mundane object carried to the fragile, beloved, and sometimes cantankerous Adam, are symbols not only of caring but also of helplessness, the story is unforgettable. The people in the story are not only carrying tokens of love to someone they are about to lose, but some of them wonder if they carry within their own bodies the deadly virus that will soon make of them objects of caring rather than givers. And some of them know.
“Winter Coats” is nothing short of charming, and that’s because Dennis, friend of the narrator, is charming. Dennis is handsome, talented, a dancer and actor, graceful, humorous, kind, and the embodiment of Je ne sais quoi. Shortly after burying his lover, for whom he was the devoted caregiver, Dennis, too, is losing his life to the virus. The narrator is Dennis’ friend of many years, and he is as much bemused by Dennis as anything else. At the end of the story, as if flipping the bird to frailty and his own mortality, Dennis can still spin a graceful, perfect double pirouette on a cold New York City street.
Jameson Currier is, simply, a remarkable writer who deserves to be read.
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| Want a discount on those lovely Cambridge Fellows? |
[10 Nov 2009|09:06pm] |
25% Rebate at All Romance and OmniLit on All Samhain Publishing, Ltd. Titles!, courtesy of All Romance.com and OmniLit.com
This Thanksgiving Season we’re giving something to you. From November 10-November 24 readers will be receiving a 25% eBook Bucks rebate on all Samhain titles. What are you waiting for? Hop on over to AllRomance.com or OmniLit.com and receive bucks back today…on us!
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| Lol I'm a Vulcan |
[10 Nov 2009|02:57pm] |
Win!
In other news, I am still really bloody cold, and my brother just texted me to say that this weeks Heroes is really really awesome. I take this to mean that there is a lot of Sylar/Parkman in it. Joe is so gay for Sylar.
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| E-publishing Statistics? |
[10 Nov 2009|07:41am] |
Does anyone know if there are any sort of statistics or a report that says what is selling best at e-publishers? I know they often say "we're looking for" or "hot right now is" but I'd like some statistics to quote.
A couple of years ago I had a chance to ask a question of a panel of senior editors and agents about e-publishing and they hadn't a clue. Maybe if someone had the numbers to say 'Look. Gay/lesbian romance is really selling. There's money to be made" it might spark their interest.
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| Placebo part 2 |
[10 Nov 2009|01:40pm] |
OMG, how could I forget to mention this? At the end of the gig when they were coming right up to the front taking a bow and stuff like that, you know? Brian embraced Stef from behind with his hands right on Stef's chest, like, covering his nipples or something. *g* I almost missed it 'cause they were at the other end of the stage. Damn, I wish I had a photo or that anyone managed to take a picture and will post it! Admittedly, not as good as them kissing or Brian wearing a dress on stage, which I don't think I'll ever be lucky enough to see, but yeah... ^^
New!Steve is quite cute and apparently, very dedicated. Unfortunately, I've never quite seen Old!Steve in action because the amps had always been in my line of sight. This was kinda the first time that even though I was standing at "Brian's side" of the stage, as usual, I was still enough in the centre to even see the drummer and the other background musicians, i.e. Bill and the two news ones.
Other than that, the support band, Expatriate or something, was kinda boring but Placebo have had much worse support bands and at least the singer was kinda cool. Actually, I kinda doubt Placebo will ever again risk having a support band that turns out to be better than them. *lol* All I'm gonna say is Slut in Cologne 2003! Or Skin in Karlsruhe 2003, which...wow, woman! Like, you didn't quite know what was happening to you the moment she came on stage! A real force of nature, seriously. Amazing! And I'm not even a fan.
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| In which I join the throng |
[10 Nov 2009|12:33pm] |
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In a spirit of trying to broaden my mind and my experience of the Romance genre (I grew up reading SF/Fantasy, and had never read a romance before writing Captain’s Surrender), I decided to try some of the famous authors I’ve been hearing about.
Georgette Heyer was not exactly a disappointment because – aware of my enormous ignorance – I was not really expecting anything. On the whole, after trying three of her books, I’ve decided she’s not really my cup of tea. I don’t like her heroes, and I get bored with the way all the characters seem to spend page upon page doing nothing more than exchange wearingly ‘witty’ dialogue. She’s clearly a good writer, but she’s not my thing.
Nora Roberts on the other hand… I just read “Blood Brothers” by her, in which three childhood friends-turned-heroes have to defend their town from an ancient evil, with the help of three conveniently turned up sassy heroines. And I can’t wait until I can find the next book in the series and read what happens next.
I wouldn’t say her style is much more than ‘perfectly competent’, but she has a real storytelling gift. Her pacing is wonderful – I never got bored. Her characterisation is wonderful, with all six main characters individual and likable, and the minor characters well drawn too, and the book is chock full of plot. I skipped the sex scenes because I’m like that, but there were few enough of them that it didn’t put me out more than a couple of pages.
I liked all her heroes and I liked all her heroines, and I liked the dynamic between them in which nobody gets overwhelmed or subjected to bad gender roles. And there were demons, and mysteries to be solved, and paranormal, spooky goings on, so that the characters actually got to do something together and prove how clever and brave they were (very brave, possibly not that clever.)
I’ll definitely be reading the next two books in the series, and then looking out her J.D.Robb novels as well.
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| Fucking Cold |
[10 Nov 2009|11:21am] |
| [ |
mood |
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 cold |
] |
My Star Trek XI Bluray has been posted :D I hope it arrives before the weekend, so me and Laeti can dribble over the high definition goodness.
I think I'm going to buy my own HD tv and bluray player. Joe is getting an iPhone and I can't have one for another year, so I might as well buy something else big and fun. Joe also mentioned that he wants to buy me a Wii for Xmas just so he has an excuse to buy one. I'm not complaining!
It's so cold at work, I think I need some gloves. Brr.
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[10 Nov 2009|10:17am] |
Gods, I still miss old school Placebo something fierce. The oldest song they played was Every You Every Me! In 2007 they played I Know, which then of course was my personal highlight. I remember times when they still used to perform Nancy Boy and the piano version of Teenage Angst or at least Haemoglobin. As it is, there isn't even one goddamn ballad on the new album anymore. Unsurprisingly, Every You Every Me was the only song I could sing along to. Even though I wasn't really hoping for any song from the first album they could at least do me the favour and come up with a live version of Pierrot The Clown one of these days.
And what's with this big famous band attitude they surely must have going? A HUGE screen and some kind of video show throughout the whole gig? Seriously? And a fucking stage design or whatever that is dominated by the colour white? White drums, white amps, white keyboard, white everything? And two additional background singers/instrument players? My god, you are supposed to be a frigging indie band, not a pop band!
Brian looks good though with the longer hair, although I wish it was even longer. If they come back to Germany again next year, I'll go see them again. They are, after all, the band of my heart.
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