The long awaited review! If you've been reading the blog for a while, then you probably know that I've been obsessed with this series by C.E. Murphy since I found it last July.
The book opens with sleep deprived Jo, flying home to Seattle from her mother's funeral in Ireland. Looking out the window, she spots a woman about to be stabbed by a man with a butterfly knife, and has no idea that her quest to save this woman's life will change hers forever.
So far the series consists of four books: Urban Shaman, Thunderbird Falls, Coyote Dreams, and Walking Dead, and features our heroine facing everything from Celtic gods to zombies as she struggles to understand the new world of magic that suddenly surrounds her.
These dark forces don't just tear up her every day life, but dredge up her past as well, forcing her grapple with her history and her problems, too.
Book two, which I've just started to re-read, takes place three months after the end of Urban Shaman, and Jo is doing her best to ignore her abilities and the responsibility that comes with them. When she's invited to join a coven, however, she discovers that ignorance isn't always bliss, and the consequences of her actions could be lethal.
I don't want to go into the later books too much, since I'm afraid to give spoilers, but this is one of my all-time favorite series. Every time I read it, I'm inspired to pick up my laptop and write more on whatever story I'm working on. Jo is down to earth, believable, and completely bad-ass. If you like urban fantasy, then you'll love The Walker Papers.
Showing posts with label product recomendation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label product recomendation. Show all posts
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Funny Stuff
So. I just got out of my exam for On Site conservation, which is all about frescos. The first question on the exam was to name the layers of a fresco and what they are made of: Rinsaffo, Aricho, and Intonico.
Only when I was sitting there at my desk, I had a brain fart. I couldn't remember the name of the base layer (that would be the rinsaffo). Now, usually, the teachers here are kind of lenient when it comes to the spelling of Italian terms, since they realize that not only are most of us mono-linguistic anglophones, but we learning a new technical vocabulary as well. I'm hoping that this holds true for this exam, because even though it was on the tip of my tongue, the only word that would actually come out was "riffuti", which is the Italian word for garbage.
It's probably a good thing that my On Site instructor has a good sense of humor. At the very least she'll get a laugh out of it. Of course, I remembered the proper term as soon as I'd walked out of the classroom.
On the bright side, this means I am officially done with all of my exams. That means the only thing I have to worry about for the next three days is packing and cleaning. The bathroom and kitchen both need cleaned, and the garbage needs to be taken out before it takes over. We did find out that we can leave the things we aren't taking with us over Christmas in the apartment, which is nice since the alternative was leaving them in the damp basement at the school--not an appealing idea since I've got a suitcase of just books.
Hm. Might need to change that before I go home.
Speaking of books, I finished listening to Jason Pomerantz's reading of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I really enjoyed it; I've been putting off reading this book for years, and I'm so glad I finally got to listen to it. He has a lovely voice for narration, though some of his character voices did bug me a little, especially when he was reading the Cowardly Lion, and the King of the Flying Monkeys. It was pretty minor, however, and for the most part it really added something to the listening.
I did download another audio book at the same time, which was Shadowmagic by John Lenahan, who also is the reader. I've only gotten through the first chapter, I but was laughing out loud through most of it. The story is based losly on Celtic mythology, and incorporates both bits of mythology and contemporary characters. I'm trying to save a few chapters to listen to in the airport and on my long, long flight on Monday, but I might break down and listen to a couple more tonight. Each chapter is only 10-20 minutes, so it's completely manageable. If you would rather read a hard copy, you can find it here.
Well, enjoy your weekend, wherever you are. I will be back on Monday or Tuesday, most likely.
Only when I was sitting there at my desk, I had a brain fart. I couldn't remember the name of the base layer (that would be the rinsaffo). Now, usually, the teachers here are kind of lenient when it comes to the spelling of Italian terms, since they realize that not only are most of us mono-linguistic anglophones, but we learning a new technical vocabulary as well. I'm hoping that this holds true for this exam, because even though it was on the tip of my tongue, the only word that would actually come out was "riffuti", which is the Italian word for garbage.
It's probably a good thing that my On Site instructor has a good sense of humor. At the very least she'll get a laugh out of it. Of course, I remembered the proper term as soon as I'd walked out of the classroom.
On the bright side, this means I am officially done with all of my exams. That means the only thing I have to worry about for the next three days is packing and cleaning. The bathroom and kitchen both need cleaned, and the garbage needs to be taken out before it takes over. We did find out that we can leave the things we aren't taking with us over Christmas in the apartment, which is nice since the alternative was leaving them in the damp basement at the school--not an appealing idea since I've got a suitcase of just books.
Hm. Might need to change that before I go home.
Speaking of books, I finished listening to Jason Pomerantz's reading of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I really enjoyed it; I've been putting off reading this book for years, and I'm so glad I finally got to listen to it. He has a lovely voice for narration, though some of his character voices did bug me a little, especially when he was reading the Cowardly Lion, and the King of the Flying Monkeys. It was pretty minor, however, and for the most part it really added something to the listening.
I did download another audio book at the same time, which was Shadowmagic by John Lenahan, who also is the reader. I've only gotten through the first chapter, I but was laughing out loud through most of it. The story is based losly on Celtic mythology, and incorporates both bits of mythology and contemporary characters. I'm trying to save a few chapters to listen to in the airport and on my long, long flight on Monday, but I might break down and listen to a couple more tonight. Each chapter is only 10-20 minutes, so it's completely manageable. If you would rather read a hard copy, you can find it here.
Well, enjoy your weekend, wherever you are. I will be back on Monday or Tuesday, most likely.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Methods of Procrastination
Every one around me is working. It makes me feel lazy, like there's something I should be doing, but I'm not. I can think of a few things, but none that are terribly pressing at the moment. I'm sure it will come to me at 3 a.m., when I can't do anything about it, and then I'll spend hours agonizing over it and trying to fix the problem.
A few days ago, I picked up this book from Paperback exchange. It's not often that I buy a book of patterns, rarer still that I find one with more than one or two patterns I like in it, and I've yet to make a project from a book. I LOVE almost all of the patterns in this book though, and even the ones I don't LOVE, I could see myself loving with a few minor alterations (mostly, the removal of bobbles. I have very strict rules about bobbles, as in, NEVER). I cast on and tried making the Jacket with Frog Fasteners and the Basket Weave sweater (sorry, no Ravelry page for that one), but they didn't work--no problem of the pattern, just the yarn I was using. It's this yarn, which I love and found it at a shop called Skandinavia. It's very pretty, with pinks and purples and oranges, but it looks like barf when it's knit up in sweater form. The color repeats are very short. It actually needs to pool a little to look in any way appealing, so after three tries, I ripped it all out and I'm turning it into a simple, garter stitch scarf for donation. Maybe while I'm home for Christmas I'll make a stop at JoAnns for some nice solid color yarns to make one of the sweaters from book.
I've been watching a lot of internet t.v., too. On Itunes, I check daily for updates of Bone, DollHouse, Castle, and Glee, and I've been re-watching some of my DVDs--I have all of Gundam Wing, and recently had the itch to re-watch the entire series. I was going to watch disk two this morning, but my laptop doesn't seem to like the disk very much. I'll try again later, or maybe I'll just skip it. I'm also thinking re-watching Charmed; I've got the first four seasons. (There's also a possibility I might order the entire boxed series for myself for Christmas, but it might end up being put off until April when I'll be employed again).
I haven't had the bandwith to do a lot of reading, even though I want to. I keep getting antsy, so I pick up my knitting, which makes reading hard, so I've been listening to a lot of podcasts. My standards are Cast On, the Knitmore Girls, Lime and Violet, and Threadbanger (all available through Itunes). I've also recently started listing to Knitting History, since that's the topic of my thesis, and when I just need something in the background, I really like Pastagaline, which is a French language knitting podcast. I don't really understand much spoken French, but I find that I pick up a little more every time I listen. It also helps that I listen to Walk, Talk, and Learn French, and Coffee Break French. For a while, I was also listening to a few podcasts for learning Italian, but I kept crossing Italian and French, so I decided to just stick with the later since it's the language I have the most experience with, and am more likely to use later on.
Recently, I also discovered podiobook, which are like books on tap, except you download them to you ipod. I've been thinking about getting audible for a while, but I'm broke and why pay for an audio book when there are hundreds available for free on itunes? Currently I'm listening to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (read by Jason Pomerantz), which I've been wanting to read since elementary school and just never got around to. I loved the movie when I was a kid, but even more than that I loved the made-for-t.v. Dreamer of Oz with John Ritter starring as Frank Baum. Mr. Pomerantz does a pretty good job with the reading, and I do enjoy it, but for me John Ritter will always be the voice of the Wizard of Oz. We recorded that special on our VCR when I was little, and I watched it until the tape wore out. There's just something so soothing about his voice, I could listen to it for hours. I can't tell you how upset I was when he died.
So that is what I've been doing in my eternal quest to avoid my school work. Maybe now that I've written down this list, I'll be able to focus on studying for one of my exams.
Just as soon as I'm done listening to this chapter.
A few days ago, I picked up this book from Paperback exchange. It's not often that I buy a book of patterns, rarer still that I find one with more than one or two patterns I like in it, and I've yet to make a project from a book. I LOVE almost all of the patterns in this book though, and even the ones I don't LOVE, I could see myself loving with a few minor alterations (mostly, the removal of bobbles. I have very strict rules about bobbles, as in, NEVER). I cast on and tried making the Jacket with Frog Fasteners and the Basket Weave sweater (sorry, no Ravelry page for that one), but they didn't work--no problem of the pattern, just the yarn I was using. It's this yarn, which I love and found it at a shop called Skandinavia. It's very pretty, with pinks and purples and oranges, but it looks like barf when it's knit up in sweater form. The color repeats are very short. It actually needs to pool a little to look in any way appealing, so after three tries, I ripped it all out and I'm turning it into a simple, garter stitch scarf for donation. Maybe while I'm home for Christmas I'll make a stop at JoAnns for some nice solid color yarns to make one of the sweaters from book.
I've been watching a lot of internet t.v., too. On Itunes, I check daily for updates of Bone, DollHouse, Castle, and Glee, and I've been re-watching some of my DVDs--I have all of Gundam Wing, and recently had the itch to re-watch the entire series. I was going to watch disk two this morning, but my laptop doesn't seem to like the disk very much. I'll try again later, or maybe I'll just skip it. I'm also thinking re-watching Charmed; I've got the first four seasons. (There's also a possibility I might order the entire boxed series for myself for Christmas, but it might end up being put off until April when I'll be employed again).
I haven't had the bandwith to do a lot of reading, even though I want to. I keep getting antsy, so I pick up my knitting, which makes reading hard, so I've been listening to a lot of podcasts. My standards are Cast On, the Knitmore Girls, Lime and Violet, and Threadbanger (all available through Itunes). I've also recently started listing to Knitting History, since that's the topic of my thesis, and when I just need something in the background, I really like Pastagaline, which is a French language knitting podcast. I don't really understand much spoken French, but I find that I pick up a little more every time I listen. It also helps that I listen to Walk, Talk, and Learn French, and Coffee Break French. For a while, I was also listening to a few podcasts for learning Italian, but I kept crossing Italian and French, so I decided to just stick with the later since it's the language I have the most experience with, and am more likely to use later on.
Recently, I also discovered podiobook, which are like books on tap, except you download them to you ipod. I've been thinking about getting audible for a while, but I'm broke and why pay for an audio book when there are hundreds available for free on itunes? Currently I'm listening to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (read by Jason Pomerantz), which I've been wanting to read since elementary school and just never got around to. I loved the movie when I was a kid, but even more than that I loved the made-for-t.v. Dreamer of Oz with John Ritter starring as Frank Baum. Mr. Pomerantz does a pretty good job with the reading, and I do enjoy it, but for me John Ritter will always be the voice of the Wizard of Oz. We recorded that special on our VCR when I was little, and I watched it until the tape wore out. There's just something so soothing about his voice, I could listen to it for hours. I can't tell you how upset I was when he died.
So that is what I've been doing in my eternal quest to avoid my school work. Maybe now that I've written down this list, I'll be able to focus on studying for one of my exams.
Just as soon as I'm done listening to this chapter.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Random Content
Well, I'm down to only two more projects--the Kimono Sweater and the Top-down hat. I have about two inches of the rear sweater panel done, and the hat is roughly 1/3 complete.
On Thursday, my knit-ease gloves came in. Honestly, I don't recommend them. They work okay, but when I showed them to my mom (an ex physical/occupational therapist) she said they were too lose. The smaller size would have cut off circulation. We agreed that a better option would be to get a pair of isotoner gloves and cut off the fingers. Still, I bought them, I'm not going to buy another pair and cut them up when the other ones work okay. Not the greatest, but okay.
While the gloves were a little disappointing, I was not saddened one bit by my ball winder, which also arrived. If you're interested, you can find them for $23 at Joann.com, where they are on sale.
I looked at the product ratings on the site, and the biggest complaints were that the clamp didn't open wide enough, and that the feeder arm didn't stay upright. I can deal with the clamp; I'll just hold it sometimes. As to the feeder arm, if you extend it fully, it will usually stay up. If you are winding vigorously, it might be a bit loose, but all you have to do is lift the "working yarn" up a bit, and it holds it in place. If you don't have a swift, you have to hold it in your hand anyway to keep the tension, so it's not a big deal.
Also, if anyone is reading this, please leave a comment. I can't tell if I've gotten any hits here, and it's kind of frustrating.
On Thursday, my knit-ease gloves came in. Honestly, I don't recommend them. They work okay, but when I showed them to my mom (an ex physical/occupational therapist) she said they were too lose. The smaller size would have cut off circulation. We agreed that a better option would be to get a pair of isotoner gloves and cut off the fingers. Still, I bought them, I'm not going to buy another pair and cut them up when the other ones work okay. Not the greatest, but okay.
While the gloves were a little disappointing, I was not saddened one bit by my ball winder, which also arrived. If you're interested, you can find them for $23 at Joann.com, where they are on sale.
I looked at the product ratings on the site, and the biggest complaints were that the clamp didn't open wide enough, and that the feeder arm didn't stay upright. I can deal with the clamp; I'll just hold it sometimes. As to the feeder arm, if you extend it fully, it will usually stay up. If you are winding vigorously, it might be a bit loose, but all you have to do is lift the "working yarn" up a bit, and it holds it in place. If you don't have a swift, you have to hold it in your hand anyway to keep the tension, so it's not a big deal.
Also, if anyone is reading this, please leave a comment. I can't tell if I've gotten any hits here, and it's kind of frustrating.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Insert Cheesy Happy Dance _Here_
If you are a student or under 25, then I have the most awesome site ever for you: http://www.statravel.com.
Thanks to them, I am going to Florence for under $600. Okay, so it's one way. But I don't want to come back, and if I ever do, then I'll just go back to the site and buy another ticket. Easy as pie. And it's still cheaper than all the other travel sites I tried--cheaptickets.com, Priceline, Travelocity, Hotwire (whom I will never shop through again), all of them wanted a minimum of $1250, and wouldn't let me fly one way. Well, booya! Take that! In your face! I have found the back door and I am using it!
I am going in today to set up a Chase account, so I can have international access to my money, and I'm still going to need a credit card to get that ticket, but I'd much rather charge $600 than $1300. Even with interest, the $600 won't be too hard to pay off once my loan check comes in.
Lately I have been going back and forth between wild, crazy excitement about this trip, and rocking-back-and-forth-in-a-corner anxious. I have to trust that things will work out, it will be okay, even when it doesn't feel like it. Like I always say, "Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." That's a quote from someone famous, but I can't remember who. I found it in a day planner a long time ago.
Anywho, that is where I stand with that. I figure my parents don't need to know it's a one way flight until....Oh, let's say March? Yeah. That sounds good. By then I should have been accepted to the University of Edinburgh Art School.
One step at a time. Just breathe.
*SQUEEEEEEEEEEE*
*happy dance*
Thanks to them, I am going to Florence for under $600. Okay, so it's one way. But I don't want to come back, and if I ever do, then I'll just go back to the site and buy another ticket. Easy as pie. And it's still cheaper than all the other travel sites I tried--cheaptickets.com, Priceline, Travelocity, Hotwire (whom I will never shop through again), all of them wanted a minimum of $1250, and wouldn't let me fly one way. Well, booya! Take that! In your face! I have found the back door and I am using it!
I am going in today to set up a Chase account, so I can have international access to my money, and I'm still going to need a credit card to get that ticket, but I'd much rather charge $600 than $1300. Even with interest, the $600 won't be too hard to pay off once my loan check comes in.
Lately I have been going back and forth between wild, crazy excitement about this trip, and rocking-back-and-forth-in-a-corner anxious. I have to trust that things will work out, it will be okay, even when it doesn't feel like it. Like I always say, "Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." That's a quote from someone famous, but I can't remember who. I found it in a day planner a long time ago.
Anywho, that is where I stand with that. I figure my parents don't need to know it's a one way flight until....Oh, let's say March? Yeah. That sounds good. By then I should have been accepted to the University of Edinburgh Art School.
One step at a time. Just breathe.
*SQUEEEEEEEEEEE*
*happy dance*
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