Friday Randutiae

It has been brought to my attention that I'm working too much. Thank goodness for the mass in my living who charge out to me, now and then, that I take the inclination to go too much. This blog is not work. It's fun, it clears out my head. So. here comes some randutiae!

I loved the Peter Gabriel Cover Story on Coverville last week. Covers by and of Peter Gabriel. It's here if you wish to listen.

The worldwide map I've had on my wall for age has finally disintegrated, and here's the one I got to exchange it. Ever discover how most maps of the world stretch the far northern and southern latitudes out, so that Greenland seems to be as big as Africa, even though actually, Africa is more than 14 times the sizing of Greenland? There are, of course, understandable reasons why maps do this, BUT the map I got deliberately emphasizes the proportional size of the world's land masses instead. It also happens to be a nice, clear political map. I love it.

I have agreed to do an issue at the Sydney Writers' Festival in May. This means Australia is a definite yes. I only have to, like, FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HELL I'M DOING. But. Just wanted to put that out there. Also, I will send my Germany tour schedule (March 13-19) as shortly as I give it. What? Why no, I'm not freaking out about getting all of my tax information to my Tax Czarina before I leave for Germany. Why would you believe that?

*cries*

I scarcely show and loved the book Unaccustomed Earth, short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. Thank you, Marie Rutkoski, for praising it to me somewhere or other. :o)

Here is a song/dance I enjoy muchly from Dil Bole Hadippa! - and in this video, both the Hindi lyrics and English subtitles are shown, so if you need to, you can come along. This song/dance reminds me that in gain to this movie being some women and sports, it's also about westernization in India, the issue of a Non-Resident Indian to India, and peace between India and Pakistan. All 3 are common themes in a LOT of the Bollywood movies I've watched. (Here's my original post about Dil Bole Hadippa!.)

By the way, I understand a scathing critique of this film somewhere that had to do with sexism in this movie and in the Bollywood film industry in general. I didn't disagree with anything in the review, but I too think that an opposite interpretation of this film is possible. I SO do not make the energy right now to say any more than that almost it. Suffice it to say that some of my favorite movies are movies with opposing interpretations, all of which I enjoy agreeing with simultaneously. Watch it yourself, and settle for yourself what you think.

Speaking of a man whom I ADORE, partly (though surely not wholly) because of his inclination to love strong-willed, independent women (we were talking about that, right?), Angel, you were never my pet vampire, but Seeley Booth, you are definitely my favorite FBI agent. In the following exchange, Booth has wounded his second and is cracked on painkillers while questioning a suspect in a murder investigation.

BOOTH: Did you leave her a sword?
SUSPECT: [doubtfully] A sword?
BOOTH: [helpfully, with gestures] It's a knife, but it's only HUGE.

Coming soon, I hope: a trapeze post. Now, I want to go choose some nice passages for reading at my events in Germany. :o)