scaifea's thread #11

Hey, everybody!

From the Introductions Thread:
I'm Amber, a one-time Classics professor, turned stay-at-home parent/lady of leisure, turned part-time library assistant, turned once again Classics professor. I spend my free time sewing, writing, knitting, baking, and, of course, reading.

My reading life is happily governed by lists, which means that I read a healthy variety of things across various genres.

I'm 45 going on 12 and live in Ohio with my husband, Tomm; our son, Charlie, and Mario the Golden Retriever.

For those of you wanting a photo of me on my first day of teaching, well, I forgot, but here's one of me on my second day (you can tell that I'm Professional Amber here because my hair isn't, for once, in a messy bun):



Favorite Books from 2019
Next of Kin
The Book of Boy
Ficciones
Night Watch
The Name of the Wind
A Monster Calls
Check, Please! Book 1
Art Matters
The Heart's Invisible Furies

What I'm Reading Now:
-Purl Up and Die (series read with my mom)
-The Thief (series reread)
-Homesick (Newbery Honor Book)
-Beautiful Bastard (romance genre list)
-A Tale of Two Cities (audiobook)
-Summerland (Charlie's bedtime book)
-One Hundred Years of Solitude (books I'm reading with my friend, Rob)
-How to Construct Achievement Tests (unread book from my shelves)

Books on Deck:
-Titus Andronicus (Shakespeare re-read)
-Peyton Place (Banned Books)
-The House on the Borderland (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy list)
-Lord Foul's Bane (BSF Award)
-The Experience of Insight (Buddhist reading list)
-Uncle Silas (books by year - 1864)
-Guard of Honor (Pulitzer list)
-(an unread book from my shelves)
-(a book from my Read Soon! shelves)

The five-ish or so books I have going at once and the On Deck books nearly all come from the following categories and lists:

1. A book from the 100 Banned Books book (at least currently. As soon as I finish this list, I'll replace it with another, and oh, I've got tons of lists).

2. A children's book, for Charlie's library. I'm trying to collect books from various award lists, and I like reading them before reading them to Charlie or deciding to add them to Charlie's shelves. For this category, I’m currently working through three lists:
a. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Die
b. The Newbery Honor books
c. Cooperative Children's Book Center list

3. A book from the Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List, in chronological order.

4. A list I'm working through together with my best friend, Rob: The Hugo/Nebula/WFA/Bram Stoker (and other) lists (combined, in chronological order)

5. For this category, I cycle through 9 different stacks:
a. Agatha Christie's bibliography (in chronological order)
b. Stephen Fry's bibliography (in chronological order)
c. John Boyne bibliography (in chronological order, sort of)
d. Neil Gaiman's bibliography (in some order other than chronological (don't
ask)).
e. Christopher Moore's bibliography (in chronological order)
f. Maggie Stiefvater's bibliography (in chronological order)
g. The NEH Timeless Classics list
h. The National Book Award list (in alpha order by title)
i. The Pulitzer list (in alpha order by author)

6. An unread book from my shelves.

7. A book from my Read Soon! shelves.

8. A book on Buddhism or from the Dalai Lama's bibliography.

9. Book-a-year challenge: Three years ago, along with a few others in this group (*cough* Paul *cough*), I made a year-by-year list to see how far I could go back with consecutive reads. I've since been trying to fill in the gap years.

10. A book from the couple of series that I'm reading together with my mom.

11. A full-on re-read through Shakespeare's stuff.

12. A read-aloud-to-Charlie-at-bedtime book (or two).

13. An audio book, which I listen to as I knit/sew/otherwise craft/drive.

14. A romance novel, using as a guideline an excellent list of authors and works curated by lycomaflower (I know virtually nothing about this genre, but I now work in a library where many, many lovely people come through to check out books of this genre, and I want to know something about it).

15. This slot is reserved for books that just grab me and shout that they need to be read Right Now.

Books Read
JANUARY
1. Still Life (Read Soon! Shelves) - 9/10 = A
2. Breaking Stalin's Nose (Newbery Honor Book, audiobook) - 8/10 = B-
3. The Golden Name Day (Newbery Honor Book) - 7/10 = C
4. Lumberjanes #2: Friendship to the Max (series read) - 10/10 = A+
5. Lumberjanes #3: A Terrible Plan (series read) - 10/10 = A+
6. Lumberjanes #4: Out of Time (series read) - 10/10 = A+
7. Lumberjanes #5: Band Together (series read) - 10/10 = A+
8. Lumberjanes #6: Sink or Swim (series read) - 10/10 = A+
9. Lumberjanes #7: A Bird's-Eye View (series read) - 10/10 = A+
10. Lumberjanes #8: Stone Cold (series read) - 10/10 = A+
11. Lumberjanes #9: On a Roll (series read) - 10/10 = A+
12. Lumberjanes #10: Parents' Day! (series read) - 10/10 = A+
13. Lumberjanes #11: Time After Crime (series read) - 10/10 = A+
14. The Adventurous Eaters Club (Read Soon! Shelves/Christmas gift from Charlie) - 9/10 = A
15. The Black God's Drums (Alex Award) - 9/10 = A
16. Call Down the Hawk (Read Soon! Shelves) - 10/10 = A+
17. Mr. Justice Holmes (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
18. I Shall Wear Midnight (Discworld) - 9/10 = A
19. The White Stone (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B-
20. The Corn Grows Ripe (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B-

FEBRUARY
21. The Book of Essie (Alex Awards) - 9/10 = A
22. Lumberjanes 12: Jackalope Springs Eternal (series read) - 10/10 A+
23. Lumberjanes 13: Indoor Recess (series read) - 10/10 = A+
24. Lumberjanes: Bonus Tracks (series read) - 10/10 = A+
25. Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass (series read) - 10/10 = A+
26. Lumberjanes: The Shape of Friendship (series read) - 10/10 = A+
27. Mooncakes (recommended by Laura (lycomayflower)) - 9/10 = A
28. Vanity Fair (audiobook) - 7/10 = C
29. They Called Us Enemy (Read Soon! Shelves) - 9/10 = A
30. The Rattle Bag (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B
31. Queen of the Sea (impulse library checkout) - 8/10 = B-
32. Pumpkinheads (impulse library checkout) - 9/10 = A
33. Snuff (Discworld) - 9/10 = A
34. Agnes Grey (audiobook) - 8/10 = B+
35. New Kid (Newbery Medal) - 10/10 = A+
36. Telephone Tales (1001 Children's Books) - 7/10 = C
37. Pawn of Prophecy (Charlie's bedtime read) - 10/10 = A+
38. The Girl Who Smiled Beads (Alex Award) - 7/10 = C
39. Cranford (audiobook) - 8/10 = B+

MARCH
40. Best Friends (impulse library checkout) - 9/10 = A
41. Old Ramon (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B-
42. Bloodlust & Bonnets (impulse library checkout) - 9/10 = A
43. Raising Steam (Discworld) - 8/10 = B
44. The Terrible Two Go Wild (Charlie's nightly read-aloud) - 8/10 = B
45. If You're Reading This, It's Too Late (Charlie recommendation) - 8/10 = B
46. Me in the Middle (1001 Children's Books) - 7/10 = C
47. The King of the Copper Mountains (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B
48. The Specter in the Magician's Museum (Charlie's bedtime read) - 9/10 = A
49. Green (Alex Award) - 9/10 = A
50. Thistle and Thyme (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
51. The Fearsome Inn (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
52. These Old Shades (romance list) - 8/10 = B
53. The Wise Man's Fear (Read Soon! Shelves) - 10/10 = A+

APRIL
54. Mary Barton (audiobook) - 8/10 = B
55. The Slow Regard of Silent Things (Read Soon! Shelves) - 10/10 = A+
56. Pride and Prejudice (Read Soon! Shelves) - 10/10 = A+
57. Read It and Weep (series read with my mom) - 8/10 = B+
58. The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare re-read) - 8/10 = B
59. Secondhand Souls (Moore bibliography) - 9/10 = A
60. Candyfreak (Unread Book from My Shelves) - 8/10 = B-

MAY
61. Yarn Over Murder (series read with my mom) - 7/10 = C
62. Henry VI Part 2 (Shakespeare re-read) - 9/10 = A
63. The Graveyard Book (Charlie's bedtime read) - 10/10 = A+
64. Shiver (Stiefvater bibliography) - 9/10 = A
65. Family Don't End with Blood (a gift from one of my favorite people) - 9/10 = A-
66. The Thief of Always (an unread book from my shelves) - 9/10 = A
67. The Art of the English Murder (a book from my Read Soon! shelves) - 8/10 = B
68. This Book Is Not Good for You (a series Charlie and I are reading together) - 8/10 = B+
69. On Borrowed Time (series read with my Mom) - 8/10 = B+
70. Henry VI Part 3 (Shakespeare re-read) - 9/10 = A
71. The Shepherd's Crown (Discworld series) - 8/10 = B+

JUNE
72. The Beast under the Wizard's Bridge (Charlie's bedtime read-aloud) - 8/10 = B+
73. Winter Wonderland (Romance list) - 8/10 = B+
74. The Silence Between Us (Schneider Award) - 8/10 = B+
75. Of Human Bondage (NEH list) - 9/10 = A
76. The Duke I Tempted (Romance genre list) - 8/10 = B+
77. Genesis Begins Again (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
78. This Isn't What It Looks Like (Charlie book) - 8/10 = B+

JULY
79. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Charlie's bedtime read-aloud) - 9/10 = A
80. Any Duchess Will Do (Romance list) - 9/10 = A-
81. Other Words for Home (Newbery Honor Book) - 9/10 = A
82. Bleak House (audiobook) - 8/10 = B+
83. The Folio Society Book of the 100 Greatest Portraits (unread book from my shelves) - 9/10 = A
84. The Tower at the End of the World (Charlie's bedtime book) - 9/10 = A-

AUGUST
85. Coraline (Charlie's bedtime book) - 9/10 = A
86. Frankly in Love (Morris Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
87. Potent Pleasures (romance genre list) - 7/10 = C-
88. I Kill Giants (impulse library checkout) - 8/10 = B+
89. You Have to Stop This (Charlie series recommendation) - 9/10 = A-
90. The Shop on Blossom Street (romance genre list) - 8/10 = B-
91. Tom's Midnight Garden (Charlie's bedtime book) - 10/10 = A+
92. Our Eddie (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+

SEPTEMBER
93. There Will Come a Darkness (Morris Award) - 9/10 = A-
94. The Demon Headmaster (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B+
95. Holding the Cards (romance genre list) - 8/10 = B+
96. Little House on the Prairie (Charlie's bedtime book) - 9/10 = A-
97. The Field Guide to the North American Teenager (Morris Award) - 9/10 = A
98. Lumberjanes #14: X Marks the Spot (Lumberjanes series) - 9/10 = A
99. So Anyway... (a book from my Read Soon! shelves) - 8/10 = B-

OCTOBER
100. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (books I'm reading with my friend, Rob) - 8/10 = B+
101. Silver in the Wood (a birthday present from a best friend) - 10/10 = A+
102. Anpao (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
103. Sing Me a Story (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B
104. The Many Ways of Seeing (Newbery Honor Book) - 7/10 = C-
105. Lumberjanes #15: Birthday Smarty (series read) - 10/10 = A+
106. Pet (Stonewall Honor Book) - 9/10 = A

Birthday Boy:



The Mario:



The first photo I ever uploaded to flickr, in 2007, the ever-serious, always-amazing Tuppence:

97. The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe (Morris Award, 500 pages) - 9/10 = A
Norris moves with his mom from Montreal to Austin, Texas and must try to survive the heat, the separation from his best friend, and most of all, navigating the Typical Texas Teenagers in his new school. It doesn't help that he's a black French Canadian or that his mouth is sometimes faster than his sense of tact.
Part YA sweet romance, part coming-of-age, part #ownvoices narrative of a black teen in the modern-day South. I enjoyed this one immensely and think it definitely deserves this year's Morris Award. The characters were very well drawn: complex in their motivations and wants/needs and all easy to empathize with and root for and love. And although that too-precocious-for-a-teen element was present in the writing, it wasn't as bothersome as it is in other YA authors.

Hi Amber.
Hope I'm not rushing in too soon.
I was looking forward to reading your review of The Field Guide to the North American Teenager.

Love your photos of dogs, Charlie, and the mug of coffee (?) on the pile of books. Did you draw that illustration? It's lovely.

Happy new one, Amber!

I also recently finished a better-than-most YA novel set in Texas: Dumplin'.

>6 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy: I didn't draw the picture up top; I found it online and tried to trace the link to find the artist, but it led me into the quagmire that is pinterest and I gave up. It's lovely, isn't it? Coffee or tea, either will do.

>7 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! I think Dumplin is on my list somewhere...

98. Lumberjanes #14: X Marks the Spot (Lumberjanes series, graphic novel) - 9/10 = A
More fantastic, slightly insane, wonderfully clever adventures with the Lumberjane kiddos.

Happy new one Amber. Lovely photos up top :) Field Guide to the North American Teenager sounds most interesting.

Happy new thread!

>10 RebaRelishesReading: >11 foggidawn: Thanks, ladies!

Happy new thread, Amber! Glad to see you enjoyed your latest visit with the 'janes. Do you have a favourite Lumberjane because I'm not sure I could pick one... maybe Bubbles the raccoon just for disguising itself as a hat for multiple issues.

Happy new thread!

>13 MickyFine: Ooof, that's a tough one because I love them all so much! I think, though, that it's Jo by a hair. Yours is an excellent choice, though...

>14 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

Happy new thread!

>16 quondame: Thanks!

99. So Anyway... by John Cleese (a book from my Read Soon! shelves, 375 pages) - 8/10 = B-
Cleese's account of his life from childhood through the beginnings of his Monty Python fame.
I started out liking this one quite a bit, but the middle dragged some and I deeply suspect that his self-deprecating comments are actually pompous self-importance in humble clothing. So, yeah, a little disappointing.

Happy new thread, Amber. xx

>15 scaifea: Jo is an excellent choice. Of the actual humans, I think I have to go with April because I can so relate to being the obsessive planner who like a lot of "girly" things. But Ripley's ability to find trouble delights me always.

>18 scaifea: Mr. Fine went to see his live show last year and was also underwhelmed. So maybe he's just not as funny as he used to be...

Happy new thread Amber my dear.

>19 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul!

>20 MickyFine: Micky: April is definitely great, as is adorable Ripley. I just want to squeeze them all, to be honest.

On Cleese: Yeah. I sort of wish I hadn't read it because my opinion of him has taken a bit of a dive.

>21 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

Happy New Thread, Amber! I like the Professional Amber photo up there. She looks all business...grins.

>23 msf59: Ha! Thanks, Mark!

Class prep work for me today and school work for Charlie. Have I mentioned how much I'm enjoying that Charlie's school desk is just in the next room from my office and that all day we trade jokes and interesting tidbits back and forth? Yeah, he gets frustrated sometimes, too, but in general this whole online school thing is working out pretty well for us.

On the reading front:
Sapiens is coming along, although I think I need to pick up the pace because I suspect it'll come due back to the library soon...

>18 scaifea: Unfortunately John Cleese forms part of one of my least favourite groups these days. Very vocally pro-Brexit, and then decides to go and live somewhere else after the vote so he doesn’t have to deal with the consequences.

>26 SandDune: Rhian: He was pro-Brexit?! Oh, GROSS. Yup, that clinches it, then.

>27 scaifea: ditto. I didn't know that!

Happy new one!

Great photos.

>8 scaifea: ... the quagmire that is pinterest.
That is a *perfect* description of the website! I also have difficulty attributing work I see (and save a screenshot for personal reference only) on Google Images. Sometimes it is really obscure where an image came from.

>26 SandDune: I was going to say that "pompous self-importance" was likely an apt analysis...

And I missed "turned once again Classics professor," Amber! Love your first-day photo.

>28 lauralkeet: Laura: Right? Just, ew.

>29 figsfromthistle: Thanks!

>30 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy: I just can't with that website. I find it nothing but annoying, really.

>31 London_StJ: Thanks! I'm really enjoying teaching Latin again, and I get to teach Latin *and* Mythology in the spring!

Tomm watched the debate last night, but I refused. I can't imagine anything either of them would say that could change the way I will vote, and watching that racist, sexist, dipshit asshole prove even more that he's a racist, sexist, dipshit asshole would do nothing for my ongoing anxiety spiral. So thank you NOPE. Honestly, what is the point of the debates this time around? If you're at all a decent human being you already know who you're voting for, and the folks voting the other way are clearly immune to any sort of reason, and if you're still undecided at this point, well, the the actual hell?!

Anyway.

Quiz grading today, prep work for next semester, office hours, and teaching. If I find a moment, I may also melt some chocolate to fill our little pumpkin molds to have some festive chocolates for dessert tonight. I tried a new recipe yesterday for pork chops (well, it's not much of a recipe, just drenching the chops in an egg bath then covering them with crushed crackers and baking them with pats of butter along the sides) and it turned out So. Good. I'm looking forward to leftovers tonight.

I had a really nice phone chat with my boss at the library yesterday. We talked about how we're both really missing the library (she's been on leave through all of this) and our coworkers, and she was sweet enough to say that it was lovely hearing my voice. She's an excellent boss and I love her to bits. Unfortunately she confirmed that the director and the board are being very tight-lipped even with her about the furloughed folks, so I still have no idea when - if ever - I'll be called back. There have been a lot of resignations, so even if they have to cut back, budget-wise, there still may be need of me, and I'm hoping, really, that I can leverage that into changing my hours from 25/week to 10ish/week, which would mean that I could easily keep the teaching gig *and* the library job. But I'm still not comfortable going back anytime soon, virus-wise, so if they call me back before I'm ready, I'll just say thank you, no. *sigh*

On the reading front:
Yesterday's featured reading-time book was Anpao and so far I'm enjoying this retelling of a Native American myth. I picked up a couple of holds from the library yesterday (including another Lumberjanes!), but I always just let them sit in my library bag for a couple of days before touching them.

What We're Watching:
We added a new movie to our Halloween Marathon this year: Halloweentown, which I found on Disney+. It was...okay. Not great, and not quite bad enough to be entertaining. Charlie seemed lukewarm about it, too, so I don't think it will be a regular feature on the list. It was definitely worth a try, though, and Debbie Reynolds was a delight, as always.

>33 scaifea: I could not bring myself to watch the debate either, Amber, but I followed along on Twitter and got enough of the shitshow to be very glad I didn't. There's no point in having another one unless they agree to cut off the candidates' mics when they interrupt or go over their time limit. When one of the candidates refuses to believe any rules apply to him it's very difficult on the moderator, not to mention the people watching.

And on NPR this morning they did "check-ins" with a series of supposedly undecided voters that they have been following. Most of them said the debate didn't convince them either way, which makes me think either they didn't watch, they are lying for whatever reason, or they are trolling. Honestly, some people.

The pork chops sounds great -- kind of a roll-your-own Shake-n-Bake situation? We had SnB all the time when I was a kid but I haven't had it in years. I actually just bought some great boneless pork chops on sale this weekend, so maybe I'll have to try your recipe. (The perils of online shopping: I also ordered some frozen vegetables because they were 10 for $10, but apparently the brand that was on sale sold out so I ended up with FIFTEEN bags of various other brands, all of which added up to more than $10, naturally. I guess I won't need to buy those for a while!)

>33 scaifea: Oh, I do hope you're able to keep both positions - it sounds dreamy. I'm sorry for the furlough, even though it's for the absolute best reason.

>34 rosalita: Julia: I was just saying to Tomm this morning that it seems to me most people saying they're undecided just don't want to admit that they're going to vote for a racist idiot.

You know, I don't think I've ever had Shake-n-Bake, but yeah, I think it must be very similar. I used Ritz crackers (because I'm classy) and I like the saltiness that added, but I can imagine that other kinds would be really delicious, too. Oooh, maybe something with an Italian seasoning would be really good...

>35 London_StJ: Thanks! We'll see how it goes. I feel so sorry for my colleagues who actually depend on the library job (I'm so very fortunate that we could get along without it) and am more than a little irritated for them that the board and director aren't communicating with us at all. I do think that a very slow and cautious approach to reopening is the very best thing, though.

>36 scaifea: Yes to the Italian seasoning idea. I imagine you could add all kinds of dried herbs or seasonings to either the eggs or the cracker crumbs?

>37 rosalita: Julia: Definitely! Or maybe use something like these for the actual crackers:

Oooh, yes!

I skipped the debate too. I did not need added stress and negativity to my life. And I was able to get the gist of it reading friends’ Facebook posts.

My husband’s favorite childhood meal was pork chops covered in cracker crumbs topped with a slice of tomato and melted cheese. It was one of the first things he cooked for me when we got together. I don’t eat pork anymore so we haven’t had it as much as he would like.

Where are you in Agents of Shield? I am waiting for Netflix to add season 7 so that we can finish the series.

>39 rosalita: Julia: Right?! I think I may have to add those to the grocery list...

>40 jayde1599: Jess: Yes. There's too much to stress and fret about already without voluntarily adding to it. Honestly, choosing not to watch the debate was completely an act of self care for me.

Hm, I'd nix the tomato because I don't like 'em, but I do love the idea of adding some cheese! Yum.

Agents of Shield: I can't keep track of what season we're in because we just click on the next episode on Netflix and I can't be bothered to pay attention to the details. Ha! But I'll tell you that Coulson is on the alien spaceship with the military dude, who is now apparently the Destroyer of Worlds, and could this show *get* any weirder? I. Love. It. Although, Mac is driving me right up a wall with his whole holier-than-thou schtick with Yo-Yo. Get over yourself, buddy.

OK, I missed the pork chop recipe -- can you repeat or point please?

No debate watching in this house. It wouldn't change how I'm going to vote and it would probably have presented a danger to my TV (as in I would likely have lost control and hurled something at it). That #@%&$^ simply isn't fit to live among decent folks.

I grew up with Shake 'n' Bake pork chops in the regular dinner rotation. I still have a fondness for them, but The Wayne is not a huge fan. He did, however, come home from the store the other day, with a box of SnB meant to be used in the air fryer, so we'll be trying that soon.

Good move re: the debate. I watched bits of it during breaks in the Yankees game and followed along on Twitter. It took me a while to calm down and finally go to sleep.... I saw a post recently from someone saying they were just not going to vote, and I wanted to scream in frustration.

>42 RebaRelishesReading: Reba: No real recipe, just drench in egg and cover with cracker crumbs, really. Cover with foil and bake at 400F for 15 minutes, then remove foil and bake until cooked through (I left them in for another 45 minutes).

Amen, sister, to the debate thing.

>43 katiekrug: How dare The Wayne. But I'll be interested to see how it works in the fryer!

And yeah, I think I saw that post (or at least a similar one), too, and I had a similar reaction. I mean, WHY. And also, HOW DARE.

>44 scaifea: - I love my air fryer. It's a thing of wonder.

Oops, I wasn't clear. I didn't mean a post on here (though now I may have to scour the threads.....) - it was a high school acquaintance on Facebook.

>45 katiekrug: Katie: *snork!* Welp, yeah. Apparently it's more common than we thought. *sigh*

I keep thinking I maybe want an air fryer...

>41 scaifea: Re: adding cheese -- you could mix grated/shredded parmesan in with the cracker crumbs, maybe? Obviously a big ole slab of cheese melted on top would also be good. Honestly, adding cheese is always a good idea however you do it.

I keep thinking I maybe want an air fryer...

DO IT.

>47 rosalita: - Mmmm, I love cheese in breading. The Wayne puts pecorino romano in his chicken parm breading, and it's amazing.

>47 rosalita: Julia: Oh, YUM. YES. And also, why not both?

>48 katiekrug: Katie: *sigh* But I don't have anywhere to *put* it. That's the biggest issue.

>49 katiekrug: Katie: Oh whoa, that sounds amazing.

>44 scaifea: Thank you. Hubby doesn't really like pork and he doesn't eat fish, or lamb, or birds other than chicken or turkey and he gets tired of beef and chicken (but otherwise he's a nice guy) so I try any pork recipe that he might like.

If we move and have room in the new kitchen I may try an air fryer too.

>51 RebaRelishesReading: Reba: Ha! Well, if it helps, the recipe commentary mentioned that the author serves it regularly to their kids, who refuse to eat pork and think it's some sort of fancy chicken tenders...

>50 scaifea: I don't use mine every day, so it lives in the basement. Stick it under the table, or behind a couch. No one will know :)

>53 katiekrug: Katie: *snork!*

Welp, I have officially been 'laid off' from the library. They're really misusing the term, because they're also saying that if openings come up later either for our actual old positions or others, we need to reapply and go through the entire process. So, in fact, we're being fired, not laid off ("we" being all the folks who have not been called back yet = pretty much all the part time people, I think.). I'm sad but not shocked. Mostly irritated at the way it's being handled. I mean, a mass email? Really? And improper terminology out of what I assume is an effort to soften the blow/cover their butts? Gah.

Anyway.

I'm one of the very lucky ones in that we could get along okay without me working, plus I already have a new job that I also love. I'll just really miss (and have been missing) working at the library. And it's also sad because it seems that they apparently don't have any plans to reopen any of the other branches at all in the near future. That's a lot of folks who will be losing easy access to their public library for who knows how long. *sigh*

Again, anyway.

I made the chocolates using our pumpkin chocolate mold yesterday and had some leftover melted chocolate, so I dipped some graham crackers and then with the rest I dumped in some peanuts to make peanut clusters. Ohmygosh, folks. Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting chocolate is AMAZING. *Highly* recommended.

Today will be more of the same: prep work for next semester, helping Charlie with his school work (He has to draw models of a plant and an animal cell and it's bringing back awful memories from my high school biology class. Just, ew. I loathe biology. So, Serenity Now, folks.), and hopefully some reading. I have to schedule an appointment to go in to pick up my things from the library and drop off my key and I've sent off an email to see if I can get it over with today. We'll see.

On the reading front:
I spent yesterday's reading time starting Silver in the Wood, which was a birthday present, and it was a very good birthday present because I am *loving* it so far. Just right up my street. My friend knows me so very well.

What We're Watching:
The Halloween Movie Marathon continues: Last night it was a dvd compilation of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes, including a Halloween special. Again, sentimental and comforting. We polished off the evening with an episode of Gilmore Girls Max Medina is back in town and apparently can't keep his lips to himself; Paris loses her chance to go to Harvard and something else along the way, and Sookie's food tastes terrible - one of my very favorite episodes! and one of QI.

>55 scaifea: Oh, I'm so sorry - that's awful.

>56 London_StJ: Yeah, it is. And thanks.

I'm going in in a few minutes to pick up my stuff. Tomm has offered to pick up my favorite pizza for dinner tonight, the dear. Points to House Tomm, for certain.

>55 scaifea: Sorry to hear about the library job. Ugh, I find that many library systems have a record of communicating poorly with staff.

>58 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi. You'd think librarians would be better at that sort of thing, but then again, I think communication skills fly right out the window once someone takes an administrative position...

>55 scaifea: Utter lack of considerate employee leave-taking protocols. I've seen so many job terminations that were unfeeling and completely without regard for the employee. A mass e-mail is beyond acceptable and as a friend said, treats the newly-unemployed as if they're a styrofoam container.

Massive sympathy and best wishes in your teaching job.

>60 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks, Sandy. And yes, they're not making any lasting friendships here.

>60 SandyAMcPherson: what Sandy said. That sucks, Amber. I'm really glad you took the teaching job and are enjoying it so much. I'm sure that softens the blow somewhat. But still: a mass email?! Unconscionable.

>62 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. And right?! I've since learned that both my immediate boss (the branch manager) and my next-up boss (the director of extended services, aka the director over all the branches) also found out about this - wait for it - through the same email! No advance notice at all! It seems crazy and very shoddily handled.

But yes, I'm really lucky that this other position fell into my lap and that I love it. Fingers crossed that it does become permanent.

Oh Amber, I'm sorry to hear about your permanent layoff for both you and your colleagues. That is truly rubbish.

That is an excellent GG episode. When I'm not in the mood for full re-watch but I want a bit of GG my two favourite episodes to watch on their own is Presenting Lorelai Gilmore and the Bracebridge Dinner.

Happy New Thread, Amber!

Loving that topper.

Drumpf needs the debates to try to topple Biden, and Biden doesn't. I'm fine with them stopping.

>64 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky. And oh, YES! Those are two of my favorites, too!

>65 jnwelch: Hi, Joe! And yes, I agree. I like the idea I've seen floating around on FB that Biden should refuse to do more debates with Trump but instead offer to do a series of town halls on his own.

Ew. Just ew about the mass email. I expect we'll be having staff reductions next year, and they suck no matter what, but that's a terrible way to handle it. I do love Tomm's pizza offering, though. Good on him.

>67 katiekrug: Katie: Yep. (And ooof to expecting reductions on your end.) When I went in this morning to pack up my desk, the staff at my branch were just finishing a zoom meeting with the director, who was briefing them on the whole thing, and my thought was, "WHY NOT DO THAT WITH THE ACTUAL PEOPLE YOU'RE TERMINATING?!?!"

But yeah, I'm *really* looking forward to that pizza.

>68 scaifea: - Well, like you, I am lucky in that we are fine if I don't have a job, but honestly, my job is so weird and specialized (and thankless) but important to the Board and to the sanity of my boss (the CEO), that I don't think I'd be cut. That said, sometimes I hope that I am because "Hello, Life of Leisure!" ;-)

>69 katiekrug: Katie: *snork!* I can attest that the Life of Leisure is a good one!

Sorry to hear about your library job, Amber. I agree, that’s really not how to do it.

Hi Amber my dear, sorry to hear about your library position and what a despicable way to let you all know. I know with Covid there is more tech usage but really, to lay off/fire/dismiss staff by email is a cowardly way out, rant over lol.

Sending love and hugs to you all from both of us dear friend.

There aren't any excuses for not being compassionate when required to stop employing people through no fault of their own, but it seems organizations are mostly incapable of handling difficult HR business with actual humanity. As your experience demonstrates. I'm happy you have work you do enjoy and hope for a great reunion with your library friends down the road.

>71 SandDune: >72 johnsimpson: >73 quondame: Thanks, folks. I'm glad that it seems I'm not overreacting to the library's approach to all this!

>55 scaifea: Poorly done indeed! I'm glad you have the new teaching job and that it is going well though...and chocolate, that makes everything better, no?

>75 RebaRelishesReading: Reba: Yes, I'm glad, too. My mom says that things just seem to fall into place for me, and in general that tends to be true. I've definitely had some very lucky breaks in my life, including this job falling right into my lap. And the chocolate does indeed help. Always.

Today's To Do List: Weekly bills sorting, laundry, grocery pick-up, course prep, office hours, cookie baking. Possibly some reading.

Nothing to report on the reading front for yesterday besides a couple (and I really do mean just 2 pages) in Sapiens. Confession Time: I took a nap instead.

What We're Watching:
Thursdays are GBBS days, and we finished whatever season had David as the winner. I was so very much rooting for Steff, but I admit that David did have a better weekend in the tent for the finals. Sigh.

>77 scaifea: Naps are good. We adults don't get enough of them, or so I am told when I complain about my abysmally low blood pressure.

>78 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy: I have a deep appreciation for a good afternoon nap. Does wonders.

This week's Friday After-School Snack = Lemon Tea Cookies:

>80 scaifea: Oooh, yum!

>80 scaifea: Major yumminess.

I think there should be a restrictive convenant on LibraryThing: that if you make a yummy something *and* then post a photo, you are obliged to post at least a photo of the recipe. (Pretty please?)

Belated happy new thread, Amber!

Sorry you lost your library job, and in such an awful way :-(

>82 SandyAMcPherson:
Lemon Tea Cookies
Ingredients:
• ¾ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
Filling:
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 4 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
• ¾ teaspoon grated orange peel
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• a splash of milk, if needed

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla.
3. Gradually add flour and mix well.
4. Shape into two 14-inch rolls; reshape each roll into a 14x1.5x1.5-inch block.
5. Wrap each block in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 400°.
7. Unwrap and cut into ¼-inch slices.
8. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
9. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
10. Cool on wire rack.
11. Cream together butter, lemon juice and orange peel until fluffy.
12. Gradually add powdered sugar until smooth.
13. Add a bit of milk, if needed, to create a smooth, spreadable filling.
14. Spread about 1 teaspoon of filling on one cookie and top with another cookie.

I've doctored it a bit, but the original recipe came from Taste of Home Contest Winning Annual Recipes 2009.

>83 FAMeulstee: Thanks so much, Anita.

More baking today: Cinnamon Ripple Coffee Cake for this week's breakfasts and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Pie for dessert. And then I'm hoping for a long afternoon of reading. We'll see how that goes.

On the reading front:
Another day with not much reading to report, although I did manage a few pages in Sapiens and I also started Beautiful Bastard.

What We're Watching:
Last night was Family Game Night, but after we played a round of Clue, we settled down to an episode of Agents of Shield.

I had a pretty good/productive weekend, full of baking, reading, and sewing. I'm nearly finished cutting out the pieces I need to make Charlie's 10th Doctor suit, which is a good thing, since I'm already slightly stressed about getting it finished. Today I'll prep for class, try to clean out my email inbox a little, work more on prepping for next semester, possibly do a little more sewing, hold office hours, and teach.

On the reading front:
I'm close to finishing Sapiens, which has been very interesting but seems to be taking me forever to get through. I don't know how much reading time I'll get today, but I'm sticking with this one until I'm done at this point.

What We're Watching:
Last night's entry in the Halloween Movie Marathon was Elmo Says Boo, followed by a couple of Gilmore Girls episodes.

Morning, Amber! I hope you had a nice weekend at the Scaife Manor. I hope those books are treating you well.

>88 msf59: Morning, Mark! We did have a pretty good weekend. The books are good, but slow going these days. This is the slowest reading year I've had in a very long time, and I think I'm not alone in that...

More of the same today: class prep work, keeping an eye on Charlie's work, possibly some sewing, hopefully some reading. All the pieces are cut out for the costume, so if I get sewing time today I can start the actual sewing. I also need to make a quick run to the post office- I'm working up the courage since it will be the only place I've actually been in besides the library since April, I think. For dinner I'm going to try a new recipe for, essentially, baked spaghetti in a bundt pan. We'll see how that goes.

On the reading front:
Still with the Sapiens book. It's dragging a bit here toward the end, but I'm committed to finishing.

Just saying hello before your thread gets too far out of control. :-)

>84 scaifea: Yay! Thank you so much for this recipe.

>91 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen!

>92 SandyAMcPherson: You're welcome, Sandy. Enjoy.

Sorry for not being around yesterday; our wifi was out all day. I had to cancel my class and office hours, type up lecture notes to send to my Latin cherubs instead, and try to help Charlie through an online school day...offline. Yoicks. But it's back now so hopefully it won't take any of us too long to get caught up.

Tomm and I got our ballots in the mail yesterday, so I'll be exercising that right and privilege today like my life depends on it, because I'm not at all convinced that it doesn't. And then I'll maybe try to get into the sewing room for a bit today, too.

On the reading front:
I've finally finished Sapiens and I'll try to post my mini-review later today. I'm super excited that my copy of Return of the Thief arrived, but I probably won't get to it for a little while since I want to do a reread of the rest of the series first.

What We're Watching:
We took a little break from the Halloween Movie Marathon last night to watch Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl as a sort of cheering-up treat for Charlie, who had a rough day yesterday struggling with offline class stuff. He *loved* it, of course.

100. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari (books I'm reading with my friend, Rob, 428 pages) - 8/10 = B+
Does just what it says on the tin: gives a crash course in human history. I enjoyed the beginning bits immensely, but the farther along it went, the less engaged I became. That may say more about me than about the text; I think I'm just exponentially more interested in Neanderthals than I am in cyborgs. At any rate, I was educated and entertained, and what more can you ask for from nonfiction?

Glad it was just a wifi issue yesterday. I was a teensy bit worried.

Happy voting day! :)

>96 MickyFine: Aw, thanks for worrying about me! Ha! We're all fine - now that the interwebs are back!

Big doings at Scaife Manor today: Charlie has a math test (Ugh. Story problems make me grind my teeth.), and then we'll go on our Weekly Outing for our grocery pick-up. I also need to sort through the weekly bills, hold office hours, make some cookies, and maybe - maybe? - do some sewing.

On the reading front:
I made pretty good progress with Anpao yesterday, and I'm hoping to polish it off over the weekend.

What We're Watching:
Thursdays are for the GBBS and we started the new season last night. I already have my favorites and those I'm very ready to see sent home. *contented sigh*

By "The new season" do you mean the one that has just started? With the Freddie Mercury cake in ep 1? I finally convinced my husband to watch the show and of course he loves it. Win!

>99 lauralkeet: Laura: YES! The Freddie Mercury cake! And yay for husband loving it - Tomm does, too, which really surprises and amuses me.

>98 scaifea: I hope Charlie's math test goes well and that the weekend to follow is excellent for all at Scaife Manor.

>98 scaifea: Good luck to Charlie on the math test! I believe story problems are at least 75 percent of the reason I dislike and think I'm bad at math. Ugh, indeed.

>101 MickyFine: >102 rosalita: Micky & Julia: Thanks, ladies! Well, he did great on the auto-scored part - 100%! There are 4 questions that the teacher needs to grade herself, but he thinks he did pretty well on those, too. I looked over his shoulder a couple of times and, um, yeah. I hate story problems.

>100 scaifea: We are going out to dinner tonight and himself has already suggested we watch GBBS when we get home. New episode every Friday -- he's like a kid at Christmas. Also we are already hoping the person who should have been sent home in Ep 2 gets their just desserts* in Ep 3.

----
* I'm sure I'm not the first to make that hilarious joke.

>104 lauralkeet: - Couldn't agree more, Laura, about the ep2 result.

>104 lauralkeet: >105 katiekrug: Laura & Katie: *snork!* YES. I was so irritated with that person not going home last time. UGH.

So Amber, I don't want to spoil your viewing fun so will continue to be careful with my comments. Do I understand correctly that you won't watch Ep 3 until next Thursday?

>107 lauralkeet: Laura: That's right; we only watch on Thursdays. It's so thoughtful of you to ask - thank you!

101. Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (a birthday present from a best friend, 105 pages) - 10/10 = A+
A retelling/riff on The Green Man myths. It's beautifully done, with characters I loved absolutely the instant they appeared and a well-told story. I'm looking forward to reading the second book.

102. Anpao by Jamake Highwater (Newbery Honor Book, 255 pages) - 8/10 = B+
Highwater collected stories of Anpao from many different Native American tribes and edited them into a flowing narrative. It's a fun and fascinating read, with all of the qualities of a good myth story. Recommended.

Waged a low-key battle with a headache all day yesterday and woke up this morning with it stronger than before. Have medicated and am hoping that will work. I did manage a bit of sewing time before the headache stopped me yesterday, and I also made pizzas for dinner and got some reading done. I'm really hoping the headache eases up today so I can get more sewing in. We'll see.

On the reading front:
I finished up two short books yesterday (one's even just a picture book) and started the latest Lumberjanes volume.

What We're Watching:
We watched Adam Sandler's new Netflix movie, Hubie Halloween, and if you like Sandler's kind of humor, you'll likely love it. We did, for certain.

103. Sing Me a Story by Grace Hallworth (1001 Children's Books, picture book) - 8/10 = B
A collection of stories from the Caribbean, each with a song to go along with them. A nice introduction to Caribbean folklore for kids.

104. The Many Ways of Seeing by Janet Gaylord Moore (Newbery Honor Book, 133 pages) - 7/10 = C-
An introduction to art and how to interpret it for kids.
I admit to skimming most of this one. It's fairly awful, honestly. The text is both pompous and bone dry and would turn most adults off pursuing an interest in art appreciation, not to mention kiddos. There really must have been slim pickings in this year for the Newbery, to justify giving this an Honor.

Sorry about the headache, Amber. Hope it's getting better now.

>114 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba. It's slowly getting better, yes.

105. Lumberjanes #15: Birthday Smarty by Shannon Watters et al. (series read, graphic novel) - 10/10 = A+
April goes all out (and that's saying something for her) to create the best surprise birthday party every for Jo, who is secretly not that jazzed about it. Oh, and there's a giant sea serpent. Because of course there is.
Another great entry in the series. I love these girls so much.

>111 scaifea: So sorry about the headachy day. No one needs that. I hope today is treating you much better.

>117 quondame: Thanks. I've been battling it again today. Here's hoping tomorrow it's better?

Your headache may be contagious, Amber. I've had a low-grade one all day...

>95 scaifea: happy 100!! I started that one in my brother's sister-in-law's spa, and it looked promising. But alas, I had to leave the book at her house, seeing as it wasn't mine ;)

>119 katiekrug: Katie: Oh no! I'm sorry. Tomm and I are wondering if it's allergies, because all three of us are battling the headaches.

>120 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan! We'll if you're like me, you've already read the best bits of it...

Still with the slight headache this morning, but it's better than it was. Maybe it's on its way out.

Charlie and Tomm have the day off, but I'm still teaching and holding office hours. After I get prepped for class today, though, I think I may spend the time between then and class in the sewing room, since I don't need to keep one eye on Charlie's school work today.

On the reading front:
I started two books yesterday: The Thief as a series reread to get ready to read the last book, and Pet, one of this year's Stonewall Honor Books. The Queen's Thief series may very well be my favorite books ever and I'm very happy to dive back into them, and Pet is looking really promising so far.

What We're Watching:
The Halloween Movie Marathon continued last night with Hotel Transylvania.

>121 scaifea: - The Wayne thought mine might be allergies, because I also had a stuffy nose. I, of course, was convinced it was The Big Rona. But I woke up with no headache this morning, so yay. I hope yours is on the way out.

>109 scaifea: BB for me. Sounds fun. I haven't read anything by Emily Tesh, so looking forward to a nice escapist story.

>123 katiekrug: Katie: No stuffy nose for us, just the headaches. None of us get the nose or eye symptoms, which is interesting. Can't possibly be 'Rona for us - we've had contact with NO ONE.

>124 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy: Oooh, it's so good. I hope you like it! Tesh has the added bonus of being a Latin teacher, so I decided immediately that I love her.

Hi, Amber.

You sure make Silver in the Wood sound tempting. And Sapiens sounds like my kind of book. I keep seeing it around and thinking about reading it.

Have you read The Time of Green Magic? The NY Times was so enthusiastic (it's new).

>126 jnwelch: Hi, Joe! I think you'd really enjoy both of those, and possibly you'd have more patience for Sapiens even than I did. I've not hear of the McKay book, but I'll put it on my radar - thanks!

Ooof, so today starts three days of individual meetings with my students for their midterm exams. This is the first time I've given an oral exam, so I'm a little anxious about how it will go, but also excited because I think that once I work out the rough patches it'll be a much better way to do things. However, since Charlie will be busy working on his own school stuff, it means I'll be banned to the basement for large chunks of the next few days, and I'm not really looking forward to that part. I don't mind it so much while I'm sewing, but otherwise I miss windows.

We also have our monthly meeting with Charlie's homeroom teacher this morning (no worries there - he's doing pretty great with this online thing and he really seems to have found a rhythm), and I need to figure out how to get dinner going with just 30 minutes here and there between student meetings. Aaaand I'm making TWO dinners, essentially, since one is Dal Soup and Tomm doesn't like/claims he can't eat split peas. *sigh*

On the reading front:
I only manages a few pages yesterday and devoted those to Pet, which is slightly strange but in a more-than-slightly good way. I'm loving it so far.

I hope day one went well, Amber, and you managed to sneak in some time with the daylight. My WFH space is in our basement but I'm lucky as our basement is only half below ground and my work space has three big windows above it.

>129 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky. First day went pretty well, but I only had three appointments today and they were three of the better students. The real trial will be tomorrow, with 10 students throughout the day.

We have a few of those little sort of traditional high-up-the-wall basement windows, so part of the basement gets at least a little natural light, but my Zoom Desk is round the corner from there and has no access to any daylight at all. I was able to traipse up and down the stairs a few times today, but will have to spend a big chunk of time change down there in one clump tomorrow. *grumps*

>130 scaifea: Ah the keeners signing up for the first day. I was definitely one of those students back in the day.

Time for a SAD lamp?

It's been a while since I checked in here, Amber. Sorry to hear about your library job and their lack of communication skills - those are people's careers they're treating so cavalierly. It sounds about as classy as breaking up with your significant other by text.

With 10 people to talk to tomorrow maybe your time in the dungeon will go quickly. I have deck doors in my basement so plenty of natural light although it isn't very bright out there right now!

>128 scaifea: I do feel for you. I spent a couple of years working in an over air conditioned basement with banks of computer equipment all about. I pretty much lived in a down jacket and fingerless gloves the whole time. But at least we could escape for lunch and the upstairs food court was (briefly) amazing.

Ugh, basement work spaces. Before we bought this house, my office was in the basement of the rental with no natural light. It was Not Fun. My sympathies, but Meg is right - with 10 appointments tomorrow, the time should go quickly!

>131 MickyFine: Micky: Oh, a SAD lamp! Not a bad idea. But I'm thinking that *if* this gig becomes permanent and *if* there's a viable and available vaccine before school starts next fall, then Charlie will be back in school and I can teach my classes from my actual office on the main floor of the house.

>132 Familyhistorian: Meg: Yeah, they handled it really poorly. I wonder how many folks will actually want to reapply for their old jobs (yoicks) once they become available, now that we know just how much the director and the board value their employees...

>133 quondame: Ooof, that sounds awful. Thankfully I've never really had that experience over a long period of time; I've spent the majority of my working life as either a teaching grad student or faculty member at universities and colleges with gorgeous old buildings, and my offices have always been lovely. And then working in the library was great because it's a neat building and, of course, you get to be surrounded by books all day.

>134 katiekrug: Katie: Yeah, it probably will go quickly, and I *am* looking forward to the chance for some one-on-one time with each student. It's harder to get to know them across zoom screens, so this will help, I think.

Welp, big exam day. It's an interesting mix of abilities today, so we'll see how the little Latin cherubs do. The three who were scheduled yesterday all said afterwards that they were more nervous going into the exam than they would have been with a written one, but that they actually liked it better in the end. That's sweet music to my ears, because I *am* convinced that this is a better way to do things.

On the reading front:
I started the next in the knitting shop cozy mystery series I've been following, Purl Up and Die. These are steadily getting worse and I'm curious to find out where my breaking point will be. They're so mindless and, well, cozy, and I need that sometimes, but Sefton's writing is just...bad...sometimes and it's getting worse. Gah. We'll see. I also read a few more pages in Pet and I am loving this one. Very different and interesting and, unlike Sefton's stuff these days, well-written so far. And I'm making steady progress on A Tale of Two Cities, too, which is turning out to be one of my more favorite Dickens, I think.

What We're Watching:
The Halloween Movie Marathon continues. Last night's entry was Hotel Transylvania 2.

>136 scaifea: A Tale of Two Cities is probably my favourite Dickens I've read so far. Little Dorrit is a close runner up but I think that's coloured by how much I love the miniseries adaptation.

Glad the oral exams are going well. I hope they turn out to be interesting and pleasant enough that you forget you're in the basement.

>137 MickyFine: Micky: Interesting! I've not read Little Dorrit yet, but now I'm looking forward to it!

>138 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba. So far so good, but the non-A students are up here in the afternoon, so those will maybe drag a bit more. It's the same one of two passages for all of them, so not much variety there, but it's nice to chat with them a little afterwards.

>125 scaifea: Latin was one of my fave subjects in High School!

(Edited to add that I was just lurking, rather than posting, this weekend so ~ I pass on huge sympathy for basement workplace conditions. Maybe you could covert a bedroom? Not to dump someone in the basement to sleep, but just put a desk and wifi connection plus a screened backdrop?)

Hi Amber! Hope the second batch of orals go as well as the first ones did! And congrats on breaking 100!

>140 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy: Aw, yay! I always like to see the Latin love, of course.

And nah, I'll just tough it out in the basement for the next few months. The only other place that would work is the master bedroom, which is ginormous (or seems that way to me - we don't live in a mansion or anything, don't get me wrong), but I'm just using a card table and a stack of books to elevate my laptop and honestly I prefer that particular aesthetic banished to the basement.

>141 Berly: Thanks, Kim! My reading has been so poor this year; I usually break 200, but that's definitely not happening this time around. I'm happy to have reached 100 - yoicks.

Last day of exams. I'm really pleased with how it's going - the students are doing really well in this format and I'm convinced that the grades are significantly better than they would have been with a written test. That's partly because I'm witnessing their process and so have a much better idea of just how and where they're going wrong vs. how much the actually do know, but it's also partly because I'm a softie when it comes to one-on-one interactions with my students, so I'm very likely grading easier than I would have with just an electronic stack of papers in front of me.

I also need to do the menu planning and grocery ordering today, and I have a couple of holds waiting at the library, so I may try to find a couple of minutes to stop by and pick those up.

On the reading front:
I didn't have a minute yesterday to pick up a book and by the time bedtime rolled around I was zonked. So, nothing to report.

What We're Watching:
Halloween Movie Marathon entry last night: The Nightmare Before Christmas. Charlie is a huge Tim Burton fan, and I've always loved this one.

Morning, Amber! Sweet Thursday. Just checking in with my pal. I hope all is well at the Scaife Manor.

Good morning, Amber! Glad to hear exams in the format you chose are going well, and hope the last day goes smoothly.

I don't think I already commented on it and I know this was awhile back on your thread, but boo on the way the library handled the employee lay offs. Libraries/towns seem to have been all over the map with responses, and it's been rough to see so many dealing with furloughs and the like. I'm glad you have the teaching job lined up so you're in a position to comfortably turn down the "chance to reapply" if that's what you decide works best for you.

>144 msf59: Morning, Mark! We're doing pretty okay here at Scaife Manor. I just tagged you and Joe on a poetry-related link on FB. Looks like it might be right up your street.

>145 bell7: Morning, Mary! Thanks!
And yeah, I feel so fortunate to be in a position where I don't actually *need* a job, although of course I do miss the library tons. Whether I decide to go back or not will depend on when they start posting positions (I'm not going back until post-vaccine time) and how the teaching gig is going. I'm thinking that I may apply to be a temp/sub at some point as a good compromise, that is, if the teaching thing sticks.

>143 scaifea: Charlie is a huge Tim Burton fan

I knew I liked him for a reason... though you may want to hold off on showing him Sweeney Todd for a bit longer. 😂

>147 drneutron: Jim: *SNORK!* Yes, we're waiting for Sweeney Todd.

" I'm just using a card table and a stack of books to elevate my laptop" I use my dining room table for ZOOMing, and I feel your pain. There must be a proper stand out there somewhere...adjustable-like...one book is too thin, three books are too thick... Just finished a library board meeting, and I only saw the tops of the heads of three of the participants and mostly the chin of another, because their cameras were in entirely the wrong place. (One of them has a truly lovely ceiling, though, I have to say.)

>149 laytonwoman3rd: My brother who likes inventing things is working on an add which will make you to appear as if you are looking at the camera while watching the screen.

>150 quondame: Could it make me look like I'm paying attention when I'm glancing around the room...

>149 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Ha! I'm happy to say that my students seem to be much more zoom savvy than that - I can see them all framed fairly perfectly.

>150 quondame: Huh. I didn't realize that there was much of a difference? Interesting.

>152 scaifea: Yes, well, we're a varied bunch...some VERY tech savvy, and some need their kids to come in and fix things mid-meeting. One guy kept muting himself just as I asked him to give his committee report...he's a fantastic architect, and invaluable to us for keeping our 19th century building in shape, but he does fumble the tech a bit. AND, btw, I found a nifty cheap adjustable stand for the laptop that I'm going to give a try. Just here, in case you're interested.

>151 laytonwoman3rd: >152 scaifea: I've only had one online meeting, an appointment with my PCP. It was ever so clear she wasn't even trying to look at the camera, but at the screen or records on her desk or another device. On my screen there is about 7" between mid screen and camera, and it's very noticeable.

>153 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Oh, thanks for the link - I've just ordered one! Goodbye to the big stack of quilting books!

>154 quondame: Interesting. I have a laptop so the camera is built into the top of the monitor and that may make a difference. I've not noticed a difference for any of my students, either, but I suspect that most of them have laptops, too.

Well, we all survived the exam process (I have just one more today with a student who spent the beginning of the week in the er with post-covid breathing issues - ooof) and I'm really pleased with how they went. I'm certainly adopting this as the new normal for my exams.

Today will be weekly bill sorting, grocery pick-up, cookie-baking, office-houring, entering the exam grades, and reporting midterm grades. I'd love to get some reading time in somewhere, since yesterday was the second straight day in which I didn't have time to crack open a book. I have been listening to little bits of A Tale of Two Cities here and there, and I'm still very much enjoying it.

What We're Watching:
Thursdays are BGGS days, so we watched last week's episode buh-bye Rowan, don't let that tent flap hit you in the ass on the way out, buddy and then we started Mary Berry's show, the one about the home cooks (I can't remember the name). I *love* Mary and miss her tons on GBBS - Pru is the WORST - but I don't like this show nearly as much. I don't like that they're all living together in a house. Makes it feel too much like an American reality show and I very much don't like those. We'll keep watching for a bit, just to see and because I do so love Mary.

Amber, I love your spoiler comment about GBBS Ep 3. And I totally agree! I'm also a Mary Berry fan, and miss seeing her on the show. I don't dislike Pru as much as you do, but she never has much to say about the contestants' work. Either it's delicious or she says something beginning with "It's a pity..."

>157 lauralkeet: Laura: Ha! I'm glad you agree about who left. That person made me grind my teeth every time they were on screen.

Pru is too underhandedly mean to the contestants for me to like her at all. And yes, that "it's a pity" schtick - ugh. I'm not a violent person, but when she says that I tend to want to slap her smug I'm-so-very-pleased-with-myself face. And she's the queen of the backhanded compliment and that irritates me no end. Bah. Noel, on the other hand... *dreamy sigh* That leather jacket very nearly made me swoon.

Totally agree about last week's episode! BUH-BYE.

Re: the other Mary Berry cooking show. Yes, they live together but there is so little focus on that that I don't mind it. It's all about the cooking still, which is what I want to see.

There is yet another show you might like that has Nadiyah from GBBO - it's on Netflix, called something like Family Cooking Showdown. It's teams of 4 family members, and sometimes the dynamics are very interesting. There are two seasons worth.

(I may be slightly obsessed with cooking shows, so forgive me if I bore....)

Oh, and I meant to say - my home office is a laptop, plus two large monitors. I use the camera on the laptop because it's better than the cheap webcam The Wayne bought me, so I often look like I'm not paying attention in meetings because I am looking at another screen. But most of my colleagues have a similar set-up, so we give each other the benefit of the doubt, that we are looking at a document or something related to the meeting and not to, you know, LT or something :)

>159 katiekrug: >160 katiekrug: Katie: Oh, please feel free to go on at length about cooking shows because I love 'em, too! It's good to know that they don't focus on the house thing (we've only just watched the first episode). I sensed some snark from my already-least-favorite person and wasn't looking forward to her potential bullshit drama. And thanks for the tip about the Nadiyah show! I think I saw something about it on twitter at some point but then forgot. We'll very probably try it out. Charlie loves the cooking shows, too, and it's so fun to watch them with him.

I think I need to pull out the old monitor and see if Tomm can somehow hook it up to my laptop? or something? Because I screen share with my students quite a bit and it would be great to be able to still see them all while I'm screen sharing.

>161 scaifea: - Oh, good. Glad I wasn't boring you!

I love having multiple screens. It makes everything so much easier.

>162 katiekrug: I'm not sure it's even possible for you to be boring, Katie. You're pretty awesome.

Yeah, I can manage okay in the Latin class because when I'm screen-sharing with them, it's a whiteboard and so I'm pretty much focused on the whiteboard while I'm sharing and can share and unshare as needed. But next semester I'm also teaching Mythology, and I'm going to want to have slides up while I'm lecturing and while I'm trying to get them to participate in discussions, so it will be much easier for me to have those slides on a different screen. I'm sure Tech-Wizard Tomm will be able to figure it out for me.

Aw, shucks.

I miss having dual monitors. While working from home I've ended up using two laptops (one is supplied by work for doing WFH and the other is personal). Having two mice going on can be a pain but it does mean I can have tabs open on my personal computer that would be more iffy on the potentially monitored work VPN.

>164 katiekrug: Katie:

>165 MickyFine: Micky: Huh. I hadn't thought about the mouse thing. Tomm has three monitors and I think he only has one mouse? Hopefully I can deal with just one.

With multiple monitors it's fine. It's because I've got two laptops (essentially two separate computers) that the mouse can't communicate across.

I have a lovely dual monitor set up at work (soon with standing desk accessory) but we've had a recent surge in cases in my region so I'm WFH full-time for at least a couple more weeks (we were prepping for 50% in-office just before the surge).

Hope you find a setup that works for you. It's taken me a few months of figuring out what I needed/wanted/was willing to shell out for from my own pocket to find a WFH set-up that met my needs.

>168 MickyFine: Ah! Well that makes sense.

We're seeing surges here in Ohio, too. It's nuts.

>155 scaifea: Yup, I ordered it too. And y'all are making me really really want multiple screens.

>170 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: I'm currently in talks with The Husband about how best to make this work for me, setup-wise. It's really nice to have a tech-savvy spouse.

A lazy start to the day so far: I slept in until 8am, then made pancakes, and now I'm puttering around the webs while drinking my coffee. I'll do some baking today (sponge cake) and some sewing on Charlie's costume, and hopefully some reading. Yesterday's after-school snack was spice cookies in the shape of Padfoot, Crookshanks, and some Whomping Willow leaves:



On the reading front:
I made it through a few pages of The Thief before conking out last night, but nothing else to report. I'm hoping for a bit of reading time this weekend, but with the pressure to get the costume done, we'll see if that happens.

What We're Watching:
Last night was an episode each of Agents of Shield, Graham Norton, and QI.

Those look like the ginger cut-outs my MIL used to make every Christmas. I wasn't a fan, mostly because she always over baked them. Yours look like they'd go really well with a nice glass of milk.

>173 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: They *are* sort of Christmas-y, spice-wise (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, molasses), but they work really well as cut-outs (they don't poof up too much and distort the shapes) and we love those flavors a lot here. They go *really* well with milk or tea (Charlie and I are dunkers). I managed not to overbake these so they're a little crisp on the outside and nice and chewy on the inside.

I got a little sewing done yesterday but not much (headache interference, again), so I'm really hoping for a no-headache day today because the costume panic is setting in strong. So that's my plan for the day, really: sewing until I just can't take it any longer and then reading. I found a recipe for pierogi casserole that sounds so midwestern and cheesy and unhealthy and delicious, so I'm going to try it tonight. I may be the only one who will eat it, but somehow I'm okay with that.

On the reading front:
I'm about halfway through Pet and it's really, really good, folks. I'm excited to see how it ends. I also started One Hundred Years of Solitude yesterday and I'm not too far in yet, but it's interesting from the start and that's generally a good sign, yeah?

What We're Watching:
More Halloween Movie Marathoning with Hotel Transylvania 3, followed by some QI.

106. Pet by Awaeke Emezi (Stonewall Honor Book, 204 pages) - 9/10 = A
Jam lives in a city where, a generation ago, the "angels" (members of the community who fought for the greater good) called out and brought to justice all the "monsters" (billionaires who exploited their workers, murderers, rapists, corrupt politicians,...). Lucille is now a city free of monsters and free from the fear of them. Or so everyone thinks. But relaxing into the feeling of safety in such a utopia can be problematic, and Jam, who is just a kid, comes face to face with the reality of seeing what others do not see, and with hidden monsters.
Oooh, this is a good one, folks. A fantasy in which utopia and dystopia are on a sliding scale and you never really feel that you can get your footing, where monsters and angels are difficult to discern with your eyes, and it's all told in a beautifully strange way. I also love love love the wonderfully nonchalant way in which multiple characters represent various LGBTQ+ identities; they are intricate parts of the story, but their identities aren't the story itself. Highly recommended.

I have a pierogi casserole recipe, and it IS really good. Carb overload, for sure. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Just stopping by to wish that the little bit left of your Sunday is lovely. x

>177 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Well, this one turned out very tasty, but yeah, *really* carby. I will not make it often, I think.

>178 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul!

Welp, Monday. And an all-day rainy one at that. *sigh* Class prep, keeping an eye on Charlie's school work, office hours, and teaching, plus maybe some sewing in there somewhere, too.

On the reading front:
I started Homesick yesterday, which seems to be about your average older Newbery fare so far. I'm also still plugging along with the Dickens listen, just a few minutes a day, and enjoying it.

What We're Watching:
Hocus Pocus last night, and we celebrated the annual watching of said movie with our traditional Hocus Pocus Potion (half orange sherbet & orange juice shake and half vanilla shake with a bit of food coloring):

>180 scaifea: Howdy, Amber. Yep, it's Monday all right. It snowed here Saturday night — just a dusting and it didn't last, but still. Unacceptable behavior from Mother Nature, if you ask me.

>181 rosalita: Julia: Oooh, SNOW. Charlie and I were just talking the other day about how it snowed - significantly - the week before Halloween in our first year living in Wisconsin.

*whispers*I miss all that snow...

>181 rosalita: Yeah. Same here. Unfortunately, October 31st often has our first major snowfall and deeper cold temps.
TBH, that's better than the torrential rains that generally occurred when we lived in Deep Cove (North Vancouver District, BC). That was a place that gave us 100-inches of annual precipitation. When we have sunshine and -30 (oC), I have to remind myself of that winter rainfall!

>183 SandyAMcPherson: I think the last time I looked it up the average date of our first measurable snowfall was November 10, I think. In fact, I remember I was looking that up right around this time last year, when we got a 6-inch snowfall just a couple of days before Halloween, which came as a shock. I don't know why those two weeks seem so important, but they do! At least if you are not a huge fan of snow like me.

Although this year, working remotely from home and not having to worry about driving in it, perhaps I will regain my appreciation for the white stuff? We can only hope.

We got our first dose of snow here this weekend. Gorgeous fat fluffy flakes that didn't stick at all. Lovely to walk around in though, even if Mr. Fine wasn't as big a fan. :)

>184 rosalita: Julia: At least if you are not a huge fan of snow like me. *ahem* I feel attacked.

>185 MickyFine: Micky: Oooh, I *am* Lorelai when it comes to that first snow. I can smell it and I LOVE it.

I love the first snowfall too...as long as it comes in December.

>186 scaifea: I am also a Lorelai. *solidarity high five*

>187 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: *sigh* Well, I wish you not-until-December snow where you are, and I'll gladly take any weirdly early snow here in Ohio.

>188 MickyFine: Micky: Charlie, who *loves* GG, too, says that I am 100% a Lorelai and that he's definitely a Rory. I love it. And agree.

>186 scaifea: I would be happy to send you the two inches of snow that has fallen today, Amber. Just give me your address!

>190 rosalita: Julia: Ha! I would happily take it off your hands! I'll trade you for all the gloomy rain we're getting right now...

Same routine as usual these days for today: class prep, Charlie's schooling, maybe some sewing. Apparently as a faculty member at UD, I am required to get a flu shot and provide proof of the deed, even though I'm 3 hours from campus and never visit. It's okay, because we all intend to go get flu shots, but it just means I now have a deadline and need to work through the anxiety required for leaving the house and entering a public space sooner than I thought. *sigh* Will call the pharmacy today and see if we can actually set up appointment times rather than have to sit and wait.

On the reading front:
I read a few pages in Purl Up and Die yesterday and I'm already irritated with the premise. *tsk* I'll soldier on, though I'm less and less sure why with this series.

What We're Watching:
DC Night last night, so I spent my free time watching Jane Eyre (the Michael Fassbender one) with a best friend via chat. Time very well spent.

>192 scaifea: Amber, CVS does appointments; you can schedule online and ours was smooth and efficient. I take this as an indication that the major chains may all offer appointments. Good luck.

I think I'll pass on those knitting-themed cozies!

>193 lauralkeet: Oh, thanks, Laura! I'll check the website before calling. If I can make an appointment, it will help the anxiety levels quite a bit, I think.

And yeah, I'd say give this series a hard pass. I'm not one to abandon ship on a series, but I may very well with this one. We'll see.

>192 scaifea: Thanks for the flu shot nudge, Amber. I usually just wander into a pharmacy to get one but I've booked appointments for me and Mr. Fine this year. :)

Glad you had some chill girl time last night. Isn't it lovely?

>195 MickyFine: Micky: Good! Flu shots are important always, but especially this year. Although, to be honest, I have no idea how any of us would contract the flu since we go nowhere and see no one. But we'll get them nonetheless.

And YES, chill girl time is great!

We got our flu shots (one at Rite-Aid, one at CVS), without appointments, and honestly, there was no one else there at the same time. In and out in less than 10 minutes. Good luck.

>197 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Tomm, who goes into CVS about once every couple of weeks to pick up meds, says there is never anyone else in there. So you're likely right that it would be in-and-out for us, too. I'll still make the appointment just because it will mean less anxiety for me leading up to the event.

I need to find a place that has the single dose vaccines because I'm allergic to Thimerasol. They are harder to find.

I got my flu shot last week at our local grocery chain, Hy-Vee, which has been having a drive-thru clinic three times a week. No appointment needed, I just parked in the designated area and they came to my car and gave me the shot through the drivers’ side window (after the usual paperwork of course). All of us wearing a mask. Literally and figuratively painless!

I am a little jealous reading of snowfall sitting in my air conditioned office in Kuala Lumpur with absolutely no possibility of replication.

>199 thornton37814: Lori: I thought all flu vaccines were single dose? Admittedly I don't know all that much about vaccines, but I've never had to get a booster for a flu shot.

>200 rosalita: Julia: Oh, Hy-Vee. I miss that store. (Ohio doesn't have them.) And I'm so jealous about the drive-through option! *sigh*

>201 PaulCranswick: Paul: Ha! I'm sitting here with my space heater blasting on my legs...

Nothing much to report here. Same, same: class prep, Charlie school help, office hours, and teaching. Gloomy and slightly chilly here again today, but honestly I'm sort of okay with that: I have soft sweaters and cups of tea and a warm indoors to make it cozy.

On the reading front:
I gave myself permission to just sit and read for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon, and I made good progress on my reread of The Thief. I love this series so, so much. I also read a bit more of Homesick, which is fair-to-middlin' enjoyable, and I'm still whittling away at A Tale of Two Cities on audio.

What We're Watching:
Bedknobs and Broomsticks last night. One of my favorite Halloween watches.

Hi, Amber.

I'm another one who needs a lot of natural light. I was lucky when I was working downtown to have an office with lots of it, and now my home office is on the second floor with a big bay window. Perfect. Debbi isn't like that, and likes the safe, comfortable feel of our basement for hers. We have a ton of bookshelves down there, so that helps.

I've been enjoying your tales of grading exams - wow, there's something I never expected to say! We had to grade blue books blind - numbers instead of names for the students. (They could computer type their answers instead (honor code to not research), but still blind). Your new way sounds much more enjoyable, and maybe more productive, too. I remember when I took blue book tests as a student I often wished I could talk to the instructor about them afterwards; they got me thinking about things that it would've been cool to pursue further. I suppose I could've gone to the teacher/professor's office, but that would've been mighty unusual back in my day.

You hit me with a BB with Pet. Good review. Adding it to the WL.

>204 jnwelch: Morning, Joe!

My actual office is wonderful, with a nice window looking out onto the street and an entire wall of built-in bookshelves, thanks to Tomm. At least I'm only in the basement for a couple of hours two times a week.

When I was in college, I pestered nearly all my professors during their office hours on a regular basis. Most of them were either actually happy to chat and answer my questions or very good at pretending not to be annoyed. If they're anything like I am now as a professor, they were genuine about it, because it's a real treat when a student shows up for office hours with actual questions about the material and not "how do I improve my grade now that I've loused up 3/4 of the semester?" type queries. I particularly plagued my first-year Calculus professor's office hours, even though I also went to the TA help sessions each week, too. I really struggled with higher math (yes, for me, Calculus is definitely higher math), and I really wanted not only to do well grade-wise in the class, but actually to come to some sort of understanding of the material. Poor guy, he tried to help me as best he could. I was spending so much time in his office that we got to know each other better than most first-year/professor pairings do, I suspect, and by the end of the semester he was asking me how my parents were doing and whether I thought my brothers would actually get along okay at Thanksgiving. Ha! I do really enjoy getting to know my students, and this kind of face-to-face, one-on-one exam helps with that, too.

Oh, do give Pet a try - I think you'll really love it.

>205 scaifea: Amber, I loved that anecdote about prof's office hours, the students who just want a bye with the class they've neglected and your saga of the calculus class prof. He sounds a gem.

>206 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy: He was a lovely and patient man, and I tested that patience fairly rigorously, I suspect, bless him. I remember how frustrated I'd get with math and not being able to understand it, and that memory helps me be patient with the Latin students who struggle in the same way.

>207 scaifea: Oh, kudos to you. it's a real treat when a student shows up for office hours with actual questions about the material and not "how do I improve my grade now that I've loused up 3/4 of the semester?" type queries. I wish I'd been like you were. I treated most classes more like a chore than an opportunity. I'd do it differently now, that's for certain. I'm sure you're a great teacher; I might've even come to your office hours. :-)

P.S. I taught in grad (law) school, so the student visits were always about the grade. So competitive. It's too bad; I no doubt could've done more to encourage the better kind of visit.

I was a Sociology T.A. way back when and had a student come to office hours one day mid-semester to ask what he could do about his "D". Turned out he wasn't doing the reading and when I suggested that might be a start he said that he had chosen Sociology for one of his general education requirements because he didn't think there would be much reading!

>208 jnwelch: Joe: Oh, well, I've always loved teaching so much. Getting to know a whole new set of students each semester, sharing my excitement over the language and the texts, having a captive audience for my silly jokes,... it's great. And I've made some long-lasting friendships over the years with students; some class groups are still all good friends (learning Latin can be a real bonding experience if you create the right class atmosphere), and we still keep in touch on facebook and such.

Dang, Amber. You sound like the best prof ever!

Hope your day is fantastic even if it's same old, same old. *hugs*

ETA: I just read Volume 3 of Giant Days and I feel like since you love Lumberjanes, you will also love this series.

>211 MickyFine: Oh YES, Amber, Giant Days. *nods*

Hiya, Micky!

>212 lycomayflower:

>211 MickyFine: Aw, thanks, Micky! I do my best.
And thanks for the recommendation! Adding it to the list right now.

>212 lycomayflower: Laura: And why haven't you told me about it before, then, hm?

>213 MickyFine: Micky: *SWOONS*

>202 scaifea: It's not that you need a second dose....it's that there are vials with multiple doses in them, and pharmacists take out what's needed for one dose at a time. There are pretty strict guidelines for handling them, and the multi-dose vials require a preservative, which thimerasol is.

>215 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Ah! Okay. Interesting. Thanks!

Today's plans: menu planning and grocery ordering, course prep work for next semester, sewing, hopefully some reading.

On the reading front:
Not much to report beyond two or three pages of One Hundred Years of Solitude and a few minutes of listening time for A Tale of Two Cities.

What We're Watching:
Last night was Toy Story of Terror and If You Give a Mouse a Pumpkin Cookie, plus a Gilmore Girls episode and one of QI.

>217 scaifea: Does the Halloween episode from season 2 of Buffy make an appearance in your rotation? It's always been one of my favourites.

>219 MickyFine: It doesn't, but that *is* a favorite for me, too. The introduction of Oz to the show is so wonderful.

>221 MickyFine: YES! So adorable.

>202 scaifea: The preservative-free kind are pre-measured single dose. The kind most people get (with Thimerasol) have a vial into which the needle is inserted to get the dose.

>223 thornton37814: Lori: Interesting! So is that why they ask you about egg allergies? Is that related to the Thimerasol issue?

Today will be filled with grocery pick-up, weekly bill sorting, quiz grading, cookie bar baking, and office hours. It made it into the 70s yesterday and is supposed to do the same today, and I'm annoyed. Sure, it's nice weather, but it doesn't belong here now. I need chilly, folks. It's officially sweater season and honestly I think it's a little rude.

On the reading front:
I made it through a nice chunk of Purl Up and Die yesterday afternoon. I'm borderline hate-reading this now, so I really should just stop with this series. I probably won't though. I also managed a few pages in Homesick and listened to more of the Dickens yesterday.

What We're Watching:
We watched the latest GBBS last night Sura! No! I loved her. And honestly, how does an entire tent full of good bakers not know how to make a simple pan of brownies?!, an episode of Arrow (I'm getting Tomm hooked), and the second half of the first episode of the Mary Berry show (Britain's Best Home Cook, or something like that?).

GBBS: my daughter texted me the exact same comment about the brownies. And I agree, I found that really surprising. Those goodies are less ubiquitous over there but they are so uncomplicated I thought the bakers would be more familiar with them.

Also sad about the person who was sent home, although they did have a pretty bad week.

>226 lauralkeet: Laura: I admit that it made be both confused that none of them seemed to think brownies were a cake walk (ooof, sorrynotsorry) and slightly superior, since it's the only time I've ever felt that I could possibly hold my own in that tent. And yes, that person *did* have a bad week and it was agony to watch because I loved them so much. Well, I still have three in it for whom I'm rooting, Peter, Lottie, and Laura (although honestly I love them all, except for Dave: go home to your pregnant partner, you ass).

ROFL, Amber. That's too funny. I quite like Linda. She's grown on me since the start of the season. But like you, I pretty much like them all.

>228 lauralkeet: Laura: Oh, yes, I like her, too, and was so happy that she did so well in the technical this last time. It's going to be hard to watch the elimination every time, I think (except when Dave goes, of course).

Morning, Amber! Happy Friday. Sadly, I have never read One Hundred Years of Solitude and I have a lovely copy of it on shelf too. Bad Mark. Maybe, I can kick of the new year with it. Is this your first go around with it?

>230 msf59: Morning, Mark! Yep, this is my first time reading the Marquez. I suspect it's right up your street, really, so maybe bump it up the list?

Oh my, those are a couple of mighty fine books you're reading. One Hundred Years of Solitude probably goes on my list of favorite books ever. A Tale of Two Cities is preposterous in its main character development, IMO (even for CD), but also is irresistible reading.

>232 jnwelch: Hi, Joe! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed both of those current reads of mine. So far I feel the same.

I feel the same as you about the weather. So rude. I'm making soup tonight anyway, so there. (And tomorrow is supposed to be way colder, so ...yay?)

>225 scaifea: through >229 scaifea: - Totally agree about The One Who Went Home. I liked that person but they really had a bad week... I pretty much like everyone left, though Dave is probably my least favorite, and I have a soft spot for sweet, quiet Marc. The Wayne likes Lottie, mostly, I think, because she's nice to look at *eye roll*

>225 scaifea: - We are also having Not Fall Weather and I am displeased. Rude, indeed.

>234 foggidawn: We have soup all year round, to heck with the weather. And yay for Much Colder this weekend!

>235 katiekrug: Katie: Marc *is* so sweet, and I agree with The Wayne and Lottie is a hottie.

>236 katiekrug: Katie: So. Rude.

Want some of our snow to make up for your not fall weather? ;) I've been wearing my down-filled winter coat all week.

Oooh, Arrow is fun (I heart Felicity). Mr. Fine and I have been watching the Arrowverse since we started dating (over 3 years now). We've just made it to Arrow season 6, Flash season 4, Supergirl season 3, and Legends season 3 so we have a ways to go yet before we catch up with what's currently airing.

>238 MickyFine: Micky: I will take ALL THE SNOW PLEASE.

And YES to Felicity! I love her. And Oliver. And Digg. *sigh* I haven't watched any of the other shows, but I sure do love Arrow.

>239 scaifea: Ooh the other shows are good too! But it is intimidating to take them all on. They do make something lighter to alternate with Arrow though because dang does that show get angsty some seasons.

>240 MickyFine: Micky: Ha! Angsty I can do. Plenty of practice with Buffy and SPN...

>241 scaifea: LOL. Fair. We watched this episode last night:

>242 MickyFine: He takes really good care of his boots, you can tell.

>242 MickyFine: LOVE that episode. And Jensen, such a ham.

>243 laytonwoman3rd: Oh, is he, uh, wearing boots?

>242 MickyFine: Micky: That is one of my favorites! Oh, Jensen.

>243 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Well of course he does. Fastidious little walnut, he is.

>244 lycomayflower: Laura: *snork!* (Is he actually pretending to make a chord there? JENSEN. ACKLES.)

Baking (Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie and Sour Cream Coffee Cake) and sewing (just the pants left on the costume) and flu-shot getting (ugh. so anxious) today.

On the reading front:
Nearly finished with my reread of The Thief and I love it more than ever, more every time. I'm hoping to finish up both that one and Homesick this weekend, but that depends on how well the sewing goes and if I get the slight residual flu shot crud that sometimes happens for me. We'll all taking some acetaminophen before we go, so hopefully that will help.

What We're Watching:
Family Game Night on Fridays, so we played some Yahtzee and the watched Agents of Shield.

>245 scaifea: Is he actually pretending to make a chord there? He IS. Too precious. Protect banana at all costs.

>247 lycomayflower: Laura: Especially from scary kittens.

Well, flu shots are done and dusted (whew!) and so is the weekend baking, so today will be a bit of house cleaning, a bit of laundry, and then the rest of the time in the sewing room. Must get those Doctor Who suit pants finished!

On the reading front:
I finished up both The Thief and Homesick yesterday, so I'll try to get those reviews up sometime today, along with a new thread, maybe. Or I may wait until tomorrow. We'll see.

What We're Watching:
Curious George's Halloween Boo Fest last night, and then a couple of Gilmore Girls episodes. (I sob every time I watch Rory's graduation speech.)

Well done on ticking off the flu shots from your to-do list! I don't usually get mine so early, and I'm enjoying knowing it's already done.

>250 rosalita: Julia: Yes! I'm so relieved that it's done. The shot itself doesn't bother me at all, but these days my going-out-in-public anxiety is through the roof, so I'm very glad to be done with it.

The new thread is up:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/325751