Gaming

I have to thank (and curse) my friend Zantor for letting me know about George R.R. Martin's wonderful series, A Song of Ice and Fire.In anticipation of the next book in the series coming out... sometime... I'm re-reading the series to refresh my memory of events and characters. Additionally, since I've been reading info on some wonderful fan sites such as Tower of the Hand and others speculating as to how certain plot points will resolve, my re-read is letting me explore some of the theories that have been put out and see if they have a solid basis. This whole series is engaging enough - and I am frustrated while trying to wait patiently for the next book - that I am scouring the internet for tidbits of the future book in the series, such as a Prologue from the POV of Varamyr.

The first book sets the stage for the rest of the series in detailing a conflict that spans a continent and dribbles out to the rest of this fantasy world of Westeros as well; the basic plot line is that while kings and highborn lords scheme over the kingdom's leadership, a far greater threat than any of them pose to one another is rising in the icelands to the North. Oblivious, they scheme against one another in a massive waste of resources and lives, typical of war. While the kingdom fragments, a young woman comes of age and into her destiny as the daughter of a deposed king, eager to return to the land of her birth and claim the throne for herself.

I'm off to read A Clash of Kings next.

Wonders never cease: a great movie

I saw the movie Stardust this weekend, based on Carl's recommendation from his blog, Stainless Steel Droppings. What a great movie and escape from the world for a few hours. The casting - Michelle Pfeffer (in a role reminiscent, to me, somehow, of Lady Hawk), Robert DeNiro as a ship's captain and closet effeminate - and the supporting roles are marvelously done.

More info:

Neil Gaiman's site info on Stardust
Wikipedia says...
And some truth from Gaiman: "Adults deserve good fairy tales, too"

I recommend this movie, and now I'm on a quest to get the book. :) I can't recall ever having seen a movie before reading the associated book, and I'm curious as to how this will turn out.

A beast with good taste in literature

Parenting Beyond Belief by Dale McGowan (which I got from the library, but now will own since the dog chewed off half the front cover and I'll by the library a replacement). It is a collection or essays for atheist parents discussing how to raise ethical children without religious structure. I picked it up because I was wondering how to deal with the whole Santa Claus issue (who does visit our house every year), and it provides some good advice on that - in this case, to encourage critical thinking by responding to requests from the child about Santa ("How does he come in when we don't have a chimney?") with Socratic questions that further encourage the development and growth of critical thinking skills. ("Getting in without a chimney does seem tough. What do you think happens?"). The question-and-answer process can lead the child to a gentle discovery of the truth rather than an abrupt disillusionment.

The book also discusses death and how to discuss death from an atheist perspective. Additional essayists are represented who cover the topics of morals, and the motivation to be good from the position that there is no afterlife.

One interesting tool referenced in this book was the Belief-O-Matic at Beliefnet.com note the legal disclaimer from their site: "Warning: Belief-O-Matic™ assumes no legal liability for the ultimate fate of your soul."

Facebook | Eva Lyford

Surprise! I have a Facebook page. I also took a personality quiz. This is the third time I've taken a Briggs-Meyer type evaluation and each time the results are different.

Nothing but Nets

I detest mosquitos.

My friend Carol's 8th grade nephew Patrick is raising money to provide for mosquito nets to provide for Ugandans needing to prevent the spread of malaria. National Geographic had an excellent article on this terrible disease recently: Bedlam in the Blood. Want to help?


DIRECTIONS:


1. Go to website - www.nothingbutnets.net/ ---
2. Go to "find a netraising team"
3. Type in "nice save 21228"

Blogthings. Fun and useless.

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