I love listening to Sound & Spirit.

Even without all the other things I love about XM radio, I’d keep it just so I could continue to listen to Sound & Spirit, which isn’t available locally. (That’s become a mantra recently. “No, WV public radio doesn’t have THAT show either.”)

Anyway.

This week’s show was on courage, and I found it very interesting. I never knew that courage meant something else in medieval times. I mean, I knew that its etymology is French (and Latin), meaning, “from the heart,” but I never thought of courage as relating to… er… well…

I’m suddenly thinking that I’ve missed an awful lot in some of the books I’ve been reading over the years.

For your edification, the traditional ballad: My Husband’s Got No Courage in Him

Blood Pact (1993) Tanya Huff

Surprisingly, I like Blood Pact a lot more than Blood Lines, the last book, although it was quite different than the previous four. In this book they battle not magic, but science: a group of researchers are reanimating the dead.

I say surprisingly because the researchers were creating zombies. Vicki, Mike, and Henry kept speaking of Dr. Frankenstein, but really, it was zombies.

I HATE zombies.

Read More about Blood Pact

Blood Trail (1992) Tanya Huff

Okay, I did have a very strong drink to celebrate the end of the semester, so that may have been part of the reason why I laughed out loud several times last night while reading this book. Or, it could be that the book was actually amusing. Your call.

Read More about Blood Trail

Blood Lines (1993) Tanya Huff

In the third book in the Victory Nelson Private Investigator series, an ancient mummy is released from his bindings and takes up where he left off–gathering power and souls for his God. Several strange deaths draw Mike Celluci, and then Vicki Nelson and Henry Fitzroy onto the case.

Read More about Blood Lines

Sometimes Kat reminds me of a dragon.

I don’t mean to insinuate that I have actually seen a dragon—I haven’t. Nor am I saying I believe that they exist—I don’t.

It’s just that sometimes, the way he moves his head reminds me of how I imagine a dragon would move. And sometimes he looks at you as if he’s seriously considering using his fiery breath to turn you into a crispy snack, except that it would require too much effort. And besides, then he’d have to go hunt his own food, and that would definitely be too much effort.

orology
noun
The study of mountains

Turned in my paper. Probably should have sat on it another day and looked over it once more. But.

I really just wanted the semester to be over, and that did it.

Now, off to do some more relaxation!

Assuming all goes well, other than some minor changes for my paper, I’ll be done for the semester after my presentation this afternoon.

Of course, Michael isn’t done until next week, but the worst for him should be over by Friday.

I’ll try not to gloat too much tonight, as I recline on the sofa with a book, dark chocolate, and strong whiskey.

I have been working on my paper and presentation.

Really!

And I don’t know why I’ve been reading all these vampire books either. Just one of those things.

Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan

The series Runaways came up as a recommendation for me several times, and it looked interesting. However, I am wary books with of teenage characters, because if they’re not well done, I find them intolerably annoying. Luckily, the characters in Runaways may be teenagers, but they were interesting, and the angst was low-level and, to be honest, understandable.

Runaways Vol 1: Pride & Joy

Runaways Vol 2: Teenage Wasteland

Runaways Vol 3: The Good Die Young

Blood Price (1991) Tanya Huff

I’m embarrassed to admit how long I’ve had this book without reading it. In fact, it’s been so long that I’m not even certain precisely how long it has been, but I’m thinking I picked it up in ’94 or ’95, along with its two companion volumes. (The price was $3.99, if that tells you anything, although I got it used.) Not that I didn’t try to start this book before. I did. A rather long time ago. However, the first chapter is rather gruesome, and I thought the book was going to be horror, so I put it back for later. It’s just that later took a lot longer to get here than I expected.

Read More about Blood Price

Monday lunchtime is a good time for quizzy goodness.
(more…)

fabulist
n.
1. A composer of fables. 2. A teller of tales; a liar. [French fabuliste, from Latin fabula, fable.]

I finally e-mailed my professor and found out how to exclude cases in SPSS.

Which means that I need to do all my analyses again.

And remake all my charts.

Plus finish my presentation.

And my paper.

See ya next week!

And it’s time for a roundup of keyphrases that brought people to my website.

plush germs
and
rabies

folktales the old woman who is also a witch and missing pets
That’s too bad when the witch’s pets run off.

easter elephant toy
Okay, I thought the Easter Elephant was just something my dad did to screw with our heads (also: Christmas Elephant, Birthday Elephant, Valentine’s Day Elephant)

senic pictures of hungry
See also: Heroin chic

zombie defense
and
zombie defensive kit
See! It’s not just me who thinks we need to prepare.

tiddly duty
Am I missing something here?

how non-fiction book covers are made
By taking pictures of non-fiction items.

ogg ambient darth vader free
Wha?

a really really good moonlight one that is really really really short
I think you want to buy a noun.

what are some non-fiction book names?
What aren’t?

women stomping on bugs
That’s very… interesting.

evangelical unitarians
Isn’t that a contradiction in terms?