The Drowned Cities

Okay, Bacigalupi is the author who finally makes me take a stand and say "It's not a fucking YA book just because some of the central characters are youths." He started pushing it with Ship Breaker, but this is the one that goes all the way over.

Will older kids (read: Teenagers) be cool with it? Yes. Will some (not all) of the younger ones? Yes. Hell, I was reading King and his ilk by the time I was 10, and I'm not overly-damaged. The violence is fairly constant, and not in any way sanitized.

But will they grasp some of the messages within it, regarding fanaticism, indoctrination, loyalty and the like? I'm not sure. Though I'm also not sure if they need to. Maybe taking it in solely on the level of "Tool is a badass" (to quote another reviewer) is enough... and maybe it'll stick with them enough to warrant a future rereading of it.

While I both loathed and loved it, in a Dancer in the Dark kind of way, I hope Bacigalupi plans an eventual return to what's both a horrifying and intriguing place... the world of the Drowned Cities. A world that is, sadly, all too believable.

On The Road Again

Someone should write a song about that.

Oh, wait....

But yup, it's been nice to be home for a while, but it's time to head back out. We leave for Phoenix on the 18th, and will be there for the next two or three months. Just in time for summer. WOOOT! (that's sarcasm)

I'm hoping that while we're there, we at least get to see a haboob. Given that this photo was taken on this exact day last year, it seems like there's a good chance of seeing one!

I mean, seriously, how cool/intense do these look?

I'm dreading the trip some, I have to say. Mainly because we're flying out there, since the new company cars are being delivered there. 1) I hate flying. It's the same kind of thing with why I refuse to be a passenger in a car, amplified 20x. I just have issues with people other than myself being in control of my life. Logical at all? Nope. Still there anyways? Yup.  2) Since we're flying, it means I have to seriously downsize what I take with me... including cooking instruments and studio stuff. My usual Modus Operandi is to just take anything I might possibly even think I may want. Sewing machines, paint and easels, collage stuff.... you name it, I bring it. Not this time, though. Going to have to focus on specific things and plan ahead! Ack!!

Speaking of art, two nifty-keen things I received this week:

The first is a book of self-portraits from a swap hosted by the lovely Jen worden, featuring a portrait of a devilish Amy on the cover...

The other thing is a little Poe-inspired tin shrine from an exchange hosted by Lisa Vollrath, and created by Katie Cahill.

One thing which I'll be hauling half-way across the country with me is this thrift-store painting. I'm hosting a swap inspired a recent(ish) show where a bunch of different artists took a bunh of paintings, and added monsters, robots, etc into them. Seems like a fun idea, and lord knows there's plenty of base material out there!

I haven't decided yet what's going in there. Kind of torn between some Cthullu-esque creature, or giant robots. Or things in the water. Or... or.... or...

Anyhooo,  how about some random garden(ish) photos?

These guys wanted a little privacy, but they didn't get any. That's what happens when you have sex on my porch. Expect voyeurs.

Teeny-tiny mushrooms, sprouting up at the base of a rosemary bush... they were glowing in the early morning light, and by noon they had melted to little piles of moosh. (given how hot it's been here this year, I frequently feel like melting into a little pool of moosh by noon myself)

I'd been anxiously awaiting the opening of Snow White and the Huntsman. I LOVE some Charlize Theron, and I love some darker fairy tale stuff.

Sadly, it was pretty disappointing. Visually, it was beautifully done, Theron rocked it out as the evil queen, Raevenna, especially when she took it completely over the top. Kristen Stewart, however, seemed hell-bent on sucking any sort of fun out of it. I'd never seen her before, but I now get why people were booing her even before they saw the movie.

Apparently she just came out of the closet as a pot-smoker, and while I have no issue with that whatsoever, perhaps she needs to put the pipe down before going to work. Or only take on roles in zombie movies...as a zombie.

I wouldn't say it's a horrible movie... far from it, actually... but it was a let-down. Watch it, but don't expect a whole lot. Perhaps that was my problem... I'd gotten myself all psyched-up for it beforehand.

This, however, makes me LOL... literally.

All righty, hope everyone has an excellent weekend!