40-odd% geek

Challenge!

This post is the initial phase of a vlog challenge. I won't say more yet, except to request that you comment with your favorite nouns (persons, places, or objects). More to come, soon.

97/200

Jen Robinson posted a list of 200 Cool Girls of Children's Literature, and I decided to make it into a book list meme. I bolded those that I've read.

1. Aerin from The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
2. Alanna from The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce
3. Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
4. Allison from Active Enzyme Lemon-Freshened Junior High School Witch by Wallace Hildick
5. Alyce from The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
6. Amy from The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes
7. Anastasia Krupnik from the series by Lois Lowry
8. Anna from As Simple as Snow by Gregory Galloway
9. Annabelle from No Flying in the House by Betty Brock
10. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
11. Ana from Anatopsis by Chris Abouzeid
12. Anidori–Kiladra Talianna Isillee from The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
13. Annabel Andrews from Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
14. Annabeth from The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
15. April from The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
16. Arabella from The Windmill Summer by Hila Feil
17. Arrietty from The Borrowers series by Mary Norton
18. Babymouse from Babymouse: Queen of the World! (and sequels) by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
19. Belinda from Little Plum by Rumer Godden
20. Bella from Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley
21. Bella Swan from Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
22. Betsy Ray from Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace
23. Bonnie from The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
24. Boots from the Gregor The Overlander series by Suzanne Collins
25. Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
26. Cam Jansen from the series by David A. Adler
27. Carly from The Pinballs by Betsy Byars
28. Cassandra Mortmain from I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
29. Cassie from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and sequels by Mildred D. Taylor
30. Catherine from Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
31. Catherine from Rules by Cynthia Lord
32. Cathy and Diane from the Macdonald Hall series (e.g. This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall) by Gordon Korman
33. Cedar B. Hartley from The Slightly True Story Of Cedar B. Hartley by Martine Murray
34. Charlotte from Charlotte's Rose by A. E. Connon
35. Charlotte from Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
36. Christina from the Flambards books by K. M. Peyton
37. Cimorene from Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
38. Claudia from From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
39. Coraline from Coraline by Neil Gaiman
40. Coriander from I, Coriander by Sally Gardner
41. Corinna Stonewall from The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley
42. Daisy from How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
43. Darrell Rivers from the Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton
44. Dicey from Homecoming and Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt
45. Dido Twite from Black Hearts in Battersea and Nightbirds on Nantucket (among others) by Joan Aiken
46. Dimple Lala from Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier
47. Dorothy Gale from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
48. Dorrie the little witch from the series (Dorrie and the Haunted Schoolhouse, etc.) by Patricia Coombs
49. Eilonwy from the Prydain Chronicles (e.g. The Castle of Llyr) by Lloyd Alexander
50. Elizabeth from The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
51. Elizabeth Ann from Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
52. Ella from Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
53. Ellie from Squashed by Joan Bauer
54. Eloise from the series by Kay Thompson
55. Emma Tolly from the Charlie Bone Children of the Red King series by Jenny Nimmo
56. Emily from Emily of New Moon (and sequels) by L. M. Mongtomery
57. Fane and Emily from The Doll in the Wall by Angela Bull
58. Francie by Karen English
59. Francie Nolan from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
60. Frances from A Bargain for Frances (and others) by Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban
61. Franny K. Stein from the series by Jim Benton
62. Gilly Hopkins from The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
63. Harriet M. Welch from Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
64. Harry Crewe from The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
65. Heidi by Johanna Spyri
66. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
67. India Opal Buloni from Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
68. Ingrid Levin Hill from the Echo Falls books (starting with Down the Rabbit Hole) by Peter Abrahams
69. Irene from The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
70. Ivy from The Changeling by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
71. Jane Stuart from Jane of Lantern Hill by Lucy Maud Montgomery
72. Jane from The Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper
73. Jenna from Septimus Heap, Book One: Magyk by Angie Sage
74. Jenna Blake from the Body of Evidence series (starting with Body Bags) by Christopher Golden
75. Jennifer from Jennifer, Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth by E. L. Konigsburg
76. Jerusha Abbott from Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
77. Jill Pole from The Silver Chair and The Last Battle (Narnia books) by C. S. Lewis
78. Jinny Manders from the Jinny at Finmory (e.g. The Magic Pony) series by Patricia Leitch
79. Jo Bettany from The Chalet School Series by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
80. Jo March from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
81. Josie Alibrandi from Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
82. Judy from Judy's Journey by Lois Lenski
83. Judy Moody from the series by Megan McDonald
84. Juli Baker from Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
85. Julia from Night Daddy by Maria Gripe
86. Junie B. Jones from the series by Barbara Park
87. Karana from Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
88. Kate from The Good Master and The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy
89. Kate from Look Through My Window by Jean Little
90. Kate from Sensible Kate by Doris Gates
91. Kate Sutton from The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Pope
92. Katie from Hoofbeats: Katie and the Mustang by Kathleen Duey
93. Katie John from the series by Mary Calhoun
94. Keladry of the Protector of the Small Quartet (starting with First Test) by Tamora Pierce
95. Kira from Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
96. Kit from Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan
97. Kit Tyler from The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
98. Kizzy Lovell from The Diddakoi (or Gypsy Girl) by Rumer Godden
99. Koly from Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
100. Laura Ingalls from the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
101. Leaf from the The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix
102. Liesel from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
103. Lilly from Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and other books by Kevin Henkes
104. Lily from Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff
105. Lina Mayfleet from The City of Ember and The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau
106. Lirael by Garth Nix
107. Liyana Abboud from Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye
108. Lola from The House of Stairs by William Sleator
109. Lou Emma Miller from the series (for example Does Anybody Care About Lou Emma Miller?) by Alberta Wison Constant
110. Lucy from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia) by C. S. Lewis
111. Luxa from the Gregor The Overlander books by Suzanne Collins
112. Lyra from the His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
113. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
114. Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards
115. Margaret from Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
116. Margaret Thursday from Thursday's Child by Noel Streatfield
117. Martha from both the The Little House in the Highlands and Little House by Boston Bay series by Melissa Wiley
118. Martha from The Secret Language by Ursula Nordstrom
119. Martha Sowerby from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
120. Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
121. Matilda by Roald Dahl
122. Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman
123. Maximum Ride from Maximum Ride : The Angel Experiment and Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever by James Patterson
124. Meg from A Wrinkle in Time (and sequels) by Madeleine L'Engle
125. Meg from The President's Daughter (and others) by Ellen Emerson White
126. Meggie from the Inkheart books by Cornelia Funke
127. Meggie from Willow Run by Patricia Reilly Giff
128. Melanie from The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
129. Melinda from Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
130. Menolly from Dragonsong (and others Pern books) by Anne McCaffrey
131. Mercy from The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
132. Mia from The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot
133. Minnow from The Seventeenth-Street Gang by E. C. Neville
134. Miri from Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
135. Miriam Williard from Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare
136. Miss Bianca from The Rescuers books by Margery Sharp
137. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
138. Molly Moon from Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng
139. Nancy Blackett from Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
140. Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene
141. Nickie from The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne Duprau
142. Nita from the Young Wizards Series by Diane Duane
143. Nory Ryan from Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
144. Nymah Rose from East by Edith Pattou
145. Olivia by Ian Falconer
146. Omakayas (or Little Frog) from The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
147. Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum
148. Parvana from Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
149. Pat of Silver Bush by L. M. Montgomery
150. Penny Gareth from The Growing Summer by Noel Streatfield
151. Petra from Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
152. Petrova Fossil from Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
153. Philippa Gaunt from the Children of the Lamp series (starting with The Akhenaten Adventure) by P. B. Kerr
154. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
155. Polly from Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
156. Pony from Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner
157. Portia from Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright
158. Rachel Pye from Ginger Pye and Pinky Pye by Eleanor Estes
159. Ramona Quimby from the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary
160. Randy from the Melendy books (starting with The Saturdays) by Elizabeth Enright
161. Reason Cansino from Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
162. Roberta (Bobbie) from The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
163. Robin from The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
164. Rosamund from Nate The Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
165. Rose Rita Pottinger from The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring by John Bellairs
166. Rosie Brine from the Maida books by Inez Haynes Irwin
167. Sabriel by Garth Nix
168. Sabrina and Daphne from The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives series by Michael Buckley
169. Sal from Blueberries for Sal and One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey
170. Sally from the Encyclopedia Brown books by Donald Sobol
171. Sammy Keyes from the series by Wendelin Van Draanen
172. Sara Crewe from A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
173. Sarah from One Morning in Maine by Lucy Frank
174. Sara from The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
175. Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
176. Skye from The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
177. Simone from A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt
178. Sophie Hatter from Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
179. Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
180. Sumiko in Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
181. Sunita Sen from The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen by Mitali Perkins
182. Susannah Simon from the Mediator books by Meg Cabot.
183. Suzie from The Rebel Witch by Jack Lovejoy
184. Suzy Turquoise Blue from the The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix
185. Sylvia from The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
186. Tacy from Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace
187. Tally Youngblood from the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
188. Tia Malone/Castaway from Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key
189. Tiffany Aching from The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
190. Tish Sterling from The Keeping Days by Norma Johnston
191. Trissy from I, TRISSY by Norma Fox Mazer
192. Trixie Belden from the series by Julie Campbell
193. Trot from The Scarecrow of Oz and other Oz books by L. Frank Baum
194. Turtle from The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
195. Velvet Brown from National Velvet
196. Vesper Holly from The Illyrian Adventure by Lloyd Alexander
197. Vicky Austin from Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle
198. Violet from the Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket
199. Winnie from Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
200. Zoe from A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary A. Pearson

list of 200 Cool Girls of Children's Literature via Jen Robinson's Book Page

Grease: You're the One that Continues to Barely Hold My Interest

Grease: You're the One that I Want!
Originally uploaded by annethelibrarian.

Tonight's mostly-live audience-vote elimination show was, on the whole, numbingly boring. The Dannys are all either middle-of-the-road or worse, and the Stepford Sandys blur together nearly as much. Kate's rendition of "All By Myself" was the only song that actually caught my attention during tonight's show (and not just because the song is so uber-cheeseball). I'm aware that musical theatre has its own way of doings things, but every single performer tonight was so square! If none of these folks can convincingly sing a song by themselves, I'm stumped as to how they'll manage to have chemistry with their randomly chosen partner.

Oh, and the mystery 'twist' people were indeed two of the formerly booted contestants, both of whom embarrassed themselves during their solo performances. The judges weren't cruel but it was clear that they took it as a bit of a vindication that their prior decision was the right one.

Speaking of the judges, every single word that came out of their mouths felt scripted (no real surprise there). They seem to have admitted that their opinions mean little at this point, so they might as well say nice-ish things so they stay on everyone's good sides.

Baby: The Other Other White Meat

Baby: Eat Healthy Live Healthy
Originally uploaded by annethelibrarian.

Having been a vegetarian for going on 18 years (jebus! that seems like a lot now that I count it up), I'm out of the loop on what the hot new meat-based foods might be. Looks like I'm totally missing out, according to this PDF pamphlet, Baby: Eat Healthy, Live Healthy.

via Boing Boing

Fives

Number Five
Originally uploaded by J Mastermind.

I just discovered Merlin Mann's 5ives. How did I just now find it? Seems like something I should've known about already. I love lists!

My favorite so far is from January 16, 2007:

Five nouns to which I enjoy prepending an unnecessary definite article

1. The Flickr
2. The AIM
3. The Jesus
4. The Google
5. The El Niño


The awesome.

Vlog 2

Smokin' Aces

Tremor Brothers from Smokin' Aces
Originally uploaded by annethelibrarian.

We went to a matinee of Smokin' Aces yesterday. It was entertaining at times, but very uneven and even boring during several bits. The cast of characters was varied and initially interesting but the story wasn't developed well enough and the pacing was totally off. Jeremy Piven (one of my favorite actors) was utterly underused. The whole thing was derivative of Tarantino and Ritchie (himself derivative of Tarantino) and didn't come off successfully. There was an extremely long expository piece at the beginning of the film, but it gave a very small amount of info for how long it lasted, and it still left so much up in the air that there was another long expository piece at the end. This added up to too much talk that shouldn't have been necessary given how much action we saw (by turns amusing, excrutiating, stunning, and predicatable). Marginally fun but ultimately so uneven that I couldn't recommend it.

Which Science Fiction Writer Am I?

I am: Robert A. Heinlein Beginning with technological action stories and progressing to epics with religious overtones, this take-no-prisoners writer racked up some huge sales numbers.

Which science fiction writer are you?

via Boing Boing

Grace Kelly video

Awhile back I posted about Mika, a brand new catchy young thing with a stunning falsetto. Back then I noted that my favorite of his then-available tunes was "Grace Kelly" and now he has a video. That chorus is irresistable!

This embedded video doesn't seem to work reliably, so click here instead.

Yo Gabba Gabba! (no hey)

Yo Gabba Gabba! is a forthcoming TV series that will air on Nick Jr. this fall. It's all crazy-wow-bright-colors-danceable-beat-funny-names- vaguely-Japanese-made-for-kids-but-their-parents-might-be-able-to-stand-it. Where it'll rate on the quality vs. quantity continuum remains to be seen.



via TV Squad

Viking name

Viking figurine
Originally uploaded by annethelibrarian.

Your Viking Name is...
Öndótt Leafslayer

(Well, actually, that wouldn't really be your name -- since you're female, your name would be something like "Öndótt Björnsdottir". But this is the twenty-first century, and you want to be known for who you are, not for who your father was, right? Right.)

Your Viking Personality: You might have a Norse name, but you really don't have what it takes to be a true Viking. You're not a belligerent person by nature, which is unfortunate if you want to be a Viking. You probably know which end of a sword to hold, but you're not a fearsome fighter by any stretch of the imagination.

If you ever tried to make a voyage in a Viking longboat, you would die. Either from seasickness, or from your shipmates throwing you overboard into shark-infested waters. Other Vikings would consider you "one of the guys" if you were a guy. (But even though you're a woman, they still think you're all right.)

People who've known you for a while don't always trust your word. You sometimes come off as a bit of a snob. Vikings are not snobbish people -- they either like you, or they kill you. Try to be more like a Viking.

find out Viking name

via Neatorama

Knits are in

Celebs at Sundance wearing knit caps
Originally uploaded by annethelibrarian.

Apparently knit hats in earth tones are all the rage at the Sundance Film Festival. I knit a lot of hats earlier this winter, but none for myself. Perhaps I should get on that.

via Off the Rack

like paper

Hitachi Maxell, LTD thinnest DVD media
Originally uploaded by annethelibrarian.

Hitachi Maxell, LTD, has created the thinnest DVD media yet. 1/13th the thickness of current DVDs is pretty durn impressive.

via Neatorama

Book Arch

Book Arch photo by Chema Madoz
Originally uploaded by annethelibrarian.

This photo is gorgeous and a really cool idea.

via Neatorama

Go, Mo!

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems
Originally uploaded by annethelibrarian.

Here's a big fat congrats! to Mo Willems, for winning the