Day: May 20, 2005

Book Tag!

elvis13 Comments

Not at all a bad fantasy novel, though for some reason it’s taken me montsh to finish it.4) What are the 5 books that have meant a lot to me?I can’t do just five. Mystic Pig – Richard KatrovasLord of the Rings – JRRTLast Call – Tim PowersWizard of Earthsea – LeGuinTarzan of the Apes – ERBGate of Ivrel – CJ CherryhChump Change – Dan FanteBooked to Die – John DunningSarantium — Guy Gavriel Kay (Actually everything by Kay)(and a dozen more)Extra credit question, ‘What book would you wish to buy next’: Shadowmarch — Tad Williams , or the new JRR Martin, if he ever finishes the fucking thing…TAG!

A game. I don’t know where it started. I got it from WhirlBrain.

1) What is the total number of books I’ve owned?

I’ll be fucked if I know. I own hundreds now. I’m out of room. I give some away every month when I run out of room. More than a hundred, less than a million.

2) What is the last book I bought?

‘My Life and Hard Times’, James Thurber. I’ve owned several copies, this one’s for a friend.

For myself — hmmm — Let’s count my pre-order of the new Harry Potter, or the last John Dunning.

3) What is the last book I’ve read?

Jereg, by Steven Brust. Not at all a bad fantasy novel, though for some reason it’s taken me months to finish it.

4) What are the 5 books that have meant a lot to me?

I can’t do just five.

Mystic Pig – Richard Katrovas

Lord of the Rings – JRRT

Last Call – Tim Powers

Wizard of Earthsea – LeGuin

Tarzan of the Apes – ERB

Gate of Ivrel – CJ Cherryh

Chump Change – Dan Fante

Booked to Die – John Dunning

Sarantium — Guy Gavriel Kay (Actually everything by Kay)

(and a dozen more)

Extra credit question, ‘What book would you wish to buy next’: Shadowmarch — Tad Williams , or the new JRR Martin, if he ever finishes the fucking thing…

TAG! You’re it!

Brother Ray
My beloved Doxy
Gregggggg with too many gees.
Buck Daruma, who isn’t named Buck
and how about Trance just to see if she’s paying attention.

Moko Me

elvis4 Comments

Brett and the lovely Hiromi (and one truly can’t mention Hiromi without an implied Grrrrrrrowl) directed a littel love my way by mentioning me here.

Brett and the delicious Hiromi (and one truly can’t mention Hiromi without an implied Grrrrrrrowl) sent a little love my way by mentioning me here.

More importantly though, they sent me on to a really interesting article about moko-wearer Harawira Craig Pearless:

Magazine 2002 Nov Images Harawira Moko1

In short, Ta Moko is the New Zealand Maori tradition of facial tattooing; others have done a better job detailing it’s history and traditions, so for background, look at www.tamoko.org.nz, and a quick google will tell you more.

Ta Moko has fascinated me for years. The designs themselves are spectacular; the Maori themselves (And that’s ‘Mau-ree’, not “May-ori”, people) have pretty much the most sophisticated design sense of any ploynesian people. Not just the tattoos, but the art, the carving, the clothing. In a great tradition of polynesian art, they stand at the peak. I have several Maori-inspired tattoos and will almost certainly wind up with more.

But also, there’s the facial tattoo issue. As a heavily tattooed person, a person who intends to be mostly covered some day, I still have certain lines. The hands, at one point, now crossed. The neck. The scalp. And then, the highest level of tattoo statement, the face.

Read more “Moko Me”

…what was I talking about?

elvis5 Comments

I’ve hit one of those damned creativity lulls where I it down to write several times during the day and stare at the blank, mocking screen. I’m not sure why — possibly it’s that I actually have the germ of an idea for a story, which I’m a paragraph into but haven’t had TIME to work on. But maybe that’s where all the energy is going.

I’ve hit one of those damned creativity lulls where I sit down to blog several times during the day and stare at the blank, mocking screen.

I’m not sure why — possibly it’s that I actually have the germ of an idea for a story, which I’m a paragraph into but haven’t had TIME to work on. But maybe that’s where all the energy is going. We’ll see. But in any case I have a feeling I might not be updating here quite as much for the next week or so.

That’s either a good thing or a bad thing. you tell me.