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Today, December 29, 2009, the New Horizons Pluto probe crosses an arbitrary but psychologically important line: it is now closer to Pluto than it is to Earth.

http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/good-heavens-im-a-human.-a-pop-culture-human/

Earlier today, DataDiva forwarded me a link that nearly knocked me over. I’m still a little dumbstruck by it, and went around and around about linking to it here because, well, you should see how much I turn red at a compliment. It’s kind of scary. I look like I’m about to explode.

The ever-awesome Linda Holmes of NPR.org’s Monkey See blog named me as one of her Top Ten Favorite Pop-Culture Humans of 2009. With Neil Patrick Harris. And Jane Lynch. And Craig Ferguson. Sweet Holy Donuts, I’m next to Drew Barrymore. That alone makes me shiver with glee and agognessment:

8. SB Sarah. One of the founders, and seemingly the current primary blogger, at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, Sarah Wendell is fearless and opinionated and puts her chin out every day to do one of the toughest jobs a lady can assign herself, which is to challenge people’s preconceptions and prejudices about culture. In Sarah’s case, she writes thoughtfully and hilariously about romance novels, dumping on the worst cliches and celebrating the writers who find ways to make a difficult genre interesting.

She’s also become very knowledgeable about e-books (which are perfect for romance readers), and wrote wisely and well about the new FTC guidelines for bloggers. Nothing warms my heart like a stereotype-buster, and nobody busts the stereotype that women who read romances are dumb, unthinking, or anti-feminist quite like Sarah.

I think my face has caught fire. Thank you, Linda!

Compliments like this one need to be shared because I absolutely think that a major reason why I or the site receive attention and credit for changing even one mind about romances and the women who read and write them is because of you, who visit and read and talk and comment and lurk and hang out here with me. I’m still flabbergasted, but I had to share with you. So, thank you for being here with me. Long live romance.

Children’s Literature has reviewed The Ex Games! The review is posted on BarnesandNoble.com.

Of all things that have surprised me about becoming a published author, of course the nicest is getting lovely e-mail from my readers. And one of the worst discoveries is that when your novel is reviewed by a Fancy Major Prestigious Reviewing Entity, your publisher does NOT land their helicopter on your front lawn and present you with a wax-sealed envelope with your review inside! You have to find the review yourself while bumbling about the internets.

Anyway, I’m happy. The review is not glowing, but it’s imminently quotable, such as

“The romantic drama heats up the snowboarding slopes in this teen-centered romp...”

or

“Engaging and page-turning from the start, the plotline centers on Hayden, an avid snowboarder and her high school love interest and ex-boyfriend, Nick. The tension between the two sizzles, and the stakes are raised when Nick challenges Hayden to a snowboarding competition, which quickly becomes the talk of the town.”

or even

“...the dialogue pops and the details are immediate and relatable. Hayden is an easy-to-like narrator, and her athleticism and tendency to speak her mind set her apart and help her avoid becoming generic. The supporting cast of characters adds additional fun, especially Hayden's competitive, realistic, and hilarious brother, Josh.”

See how nice the review sounds when you use elipses? I’ll take it! Thank you, Children’s Literature.

I still have not seen a blog comment by my actual hilarious brother, btw. *tapping foot*

In other news, some of you have told me you can’t find Going Too Far in bookstores. You can always order it online from BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon, etc. If you don’t have a credit card, just ask your local bookstore to order it for you. Check their policy first, but most bookstores will order it at no extra charge to you, have it for you within a couple of days, and keep it behind the counter for you until you pick it up, as if it is something super-secret and delicious.

Like father, like daughter.

It always makes me a little sad to discover an otherwise likable person is an American conservative, like learning that they have lupus erythematosus.

I note that her wikipedia entry says "Mainly raised by her sitter Zonker." There's an alarming prospect.

I note that it describes Kim as "Kim Rosenthal - Jewish-raised Vietnamese orphan". Is there any way to ask why they use "Jewish-raised" rather than "Jewish" that can't lead to a heated discussion?

Watched Julie & Julia this weekend. Today I'm wearing pearls to work. Because, WHY NOT?

Amtrak. We let you put stuff in your lap whenever you want.

You know what's better than having a ceramic heater under your workbench? Me either.

A newspaper thing (jump=turn to the rest of this story inside). Here, the first part is fed to RSS, so RSSers have to click to get the rest.

Let's play Words With Friends on the iPhone! My username is 'Kerri9494'. bit.ly/2qbpQ

http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/habo-gene-kelly-lovin-vampires/

Jami has the most insane inquiry, and I’m so curious what series this is.

Ever since your blog about vampires and werewolves, I’ve been trying to
remember this series I was telling another lady about in that same thread.
It all centered mostly around the one vampire, however in a side role was a
female vampire.

Here’s what I can remember about the series -

Both vampires in question were French. He was originally going to go into
the priesthood until he was seduced by his childhood friend who would one
day be the female vampire in this series. After they were both turned he
went on, being your typical tortured vampire while she enjoyed it. They
remained friends and would get together for rough vampire sex, but never
stayed together.

Eventually he breaks into the world of show business as the writer/composer
of many popular musicals. He’s obsessed with Gene Kelly. He meets a human
woman at an auction when they try to outbid each other on an autographed
poster for Singin’ In The Rain. She’s a virgin. Eventually they fall in
love but because he doesn’t want to turn her he dumps her.

In the next book he ends up involved with another woman who’s very cold
hearted. She’s just in it for the sex. Eventually his female vampire friend
turns this woman just to get her out of his life.

Next book has him not romantically involved with the cousin of his true
love. She’s in a boring, sexually frustrating marriage. He bites her just
so they can have a mental connection and he uses telepathy to teach her how
to masterbate. Her husband walks in on her and they end up with a happy
marriage again. Thanks to a relative in the Old Country they find a cure for
vampirism and our musical loving vampire becomes human and is with his true
love.

Fourth and last book I can remember. The female vampire by this time has
become romantically entangled with a human male who is the lead in the
musical version of The Scarlett Pimperel - with SP being rewritten as a
vampire. I can’t remember which book she started sleeping with him, but
anyway she does. (His description is an exact match, BTW, for real life
musical star Michael Crawford. I later found out the author is a Michael
Crawford fan.) She ends up turning him against his will. He decides he likes
being a vampire because it makes performing easier. In the meantime our
former vampire thinks he’s changing back because he’s sensitive to light
and craving blood. He’s not. He’s a migraine sufferer and the blood
craving is psychosematic. Oh, and his True Love/wife, she’s pregnant.

That’s all I can remember. I don’t even know how long the series went on.
However I wanted to find out the names because the lady in the
vampire/werewolf thread was interested due in the series and I wanted to
help her. Plus if it turns out there’s more I’d like to finish up the
series. I read them in high school so they had to be published sometime
before 1995, which is when I graduated. Oh, and the musical loving vampire
turned human tortured hero had a thing for blonds. Every woman he got
involved with was a blond.

http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/the-sony-daily-edition-a-drive-by-review/

Yesterday I went to the mall to return a sweater and found myself fondling digital readers. It’s really quite risky to take me anywhere, I suppose.

Me: Oooh. Sony Style store. Forgot this mall had one of those.

Sony Style Store: Look! The Readers are right inside the door front and center. Come and feel the sleek power of my sexy

Me: Ok!

Sony Pocket: We’ve already been introduced.

Me: Yup.

Sony Touch: Hayadoin?

Me: Good.

Sony Daily Edition: Hey baby, wanna stroke my beard?

Me: Oh, yes, I do.

Me: Hmmm. Hmmmmmm.

Sony Daily: Didja see the spiffy home screen layout?

Me: Yup. Pretty damn nice. The covers all line up and I can view by cover or by title as text, and my last-read title is all big and huge up at the top.

Sony Daily: Hey, want to visit the store?

Me: Yes, I do. But if I touch the store button, then load the store, I get an automatic sequence that takes me through buying a Nicholas Sparks book, and asks if I’m sure if I want to purchase it. I didn’t even touch the screen!

Sony Daily: Uhhhh.

Me: Major bummer.

Store rep: Can I help you?

Me: Yes, why am I being asked to buy a book over and over while I’m not touching the screen? Is this actually hooked to the Sony ebookstore now?

Store rep: No, it’s not. It’s a demo sequence.

Me: So I can’t actually shop for books.

Store rep: No, you can’t.

Me: Can I purchase a Daily Edition today?

Store representative: No, you can’t. It’s not available until mid-January. We don’t have any in the store.

Me: Major bummer.

Store rep: Is there anything confusing about it?

Me: (that is a strange question) No, but I’m pretty familiar with the layout.

Store rep: Is there anything you find confusing?

Me: (again with the confusion - are they trying to seed my impressionable mind with buzzwords to describe something?) No, not really. Thanks.

Store rep: Let me know if you have any questions.

Another customer: Can you help me with the Touch one?

Store rep: Yes, what can I help you with?

Customer: I received a Pocket for Christmas but wasn’t sure whether that’s the one I wanted because the buttons are hard to use.

Store rep: Is there something you find confusing about the buttons?

(I SWEAR I AM NOT MAKING ANY OF THIS UP).

Customer: I keep wanting to touch the screen like an iPhone.

Store rep: Well, the Touch has the touch screen.

Customer: Is that the only difference?

Store rep: It also has expandable memory and the touch screen. 

Customer: Huh. Ok. (Rep leaves).

Sony Daily Edition: TOUCH ME BABY TOUCH ME.

Me: Ok, Daily Edition, let’s read a sample book that’s already on here. Do I want Nicholas Sparks or Gena Showalter? Duh.

Gena’s book doesn’t look bad, and I can make the text size absolutely HUGE, but … that touch screen. I wish I could bump up the contrast.

Sony Daily Edition: Sorry, that’s not an enabled feature.

Me: Major bummer.

So, my review in a nutshell: that touch screen is still not my friend. My biggest problem with the 700 and the Sony Touch is that the coating on the touch screen, while it is sexy to use, degrades the quality of the text such that I need better light in order to read on it. I was reading on the Sony Touch over the weekend (review to come) and found myself tilting the screen to move it out of the sun, toward the light fixture but not directly beneath the light bulb - it was ridiculous.

The same is true of the Daily edition: I tilted it in the store away from the Reader booth light fixtures, but not so much that I caught the reflection of the mall behind me… that coating for the touch interaction is just monster poor.

And it’s tall. Like, Venti-sized book tall.

On the left is the Sony Touch, and on the right is the daily. It’s balanced well and you can hold it in one hand, but it’s a big tall thing.

Also, see what I mean about the light reflection and the muddy quality? It’s almost as if the edges of every letter, every word are just a little blurry, and after awhile, I feel that strain in my eyeballs - but then, I’m cross-eyed so focusing for me is an exercise that requires so many muscles moving in extra amounts that I should burn way more calories for reading than I actually do. As I flipped pages on the Daily, I found myself wishing, much like I do with the Touch and the 700, that I could increase the contrast so as to make the text darker against the background color. A few degrees of better contrast would make such a difference, but alas, it’s not an option.

I don’t think the price point for the device makes up for the screen quality and the visual fuzziness of the text. Here’s a side by side of the Daily and the Kindle II:

(Click for larger, clearer image.)

See what I mean? It’s almost as if it’s not quite in focus - and from my experience reading on the 700 I know that after awhile, that slight out-of-focus quality drives me nuts and hurts my head.

My initial reaction: neat, glad it’s wireless, but the touchscreen makes the shiny new toy very muddy indeed. I’d still stick with Kindle II, or a Pocket version, for the clarity of the reading.

But when I’m asked which digital reader I would select for someone else, the answer varies. Ultimately, selecting a digital reader right now is about deciding which features you desire, and which desires you are willing to compromise. Really. No single reader knocks the experience out of the park, and it’s disappointing to say so. Kindle has ease of loading, a bonehead simple purchasing process, clear screen and note taking features, but a complete fail of file organization. I have been reading more and more on Kindle II, even without the file organization (which I SO MISS OMG. File management on the Kindle? Pah. It’s like organizing my books in the order determined by a teenage boy’s sock drawer), because the visual text on the screen is so much clearer for me, and the loading of a document is far, far easier.

The Nook… oh, I shake my head at the poor Nook. It is so slow, so confusing, so full of fail flower. More on Sir Nook soon.

The Sony Pocket has the clear screen quality and the file organization without the file expansion. The Touch has the file organization and file expansion, but fuzzy screen quality. The Daily, same thing, plus wireless. I don’t think the wireless makes up for the screen, and I don’t think it’s worth paying $400+ for. And given the hoops I’ve jumped through to get books onto the Sony Readers, I can’t recommend them to anyone who isn’t particularly computer savvy or at least comfortable with a laptop or desktop computer system.

I wish digital reading weren’t all about compromise, but alas, right now, you pick the features you can’t live without, and wish you had the others you like.

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Almost no carry-on baggage is allowed on flights from Canada to the U.S., Transport Canada announced this afternoon as holiday travellers continue to cope with long delays at Pearson International Airport.

Patrick Charette, a Transport Canada spokesman, said the change is effective immediately.

http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/caption-that-cover-holiday-edition-the-winner/

Time to announce the winner for our holiday Caption That Cover contest, which I started calling “Caption Underpants” about 3pm on Christmas Eve when I’d snorted tea up my nose about six times already. Damn, you are some funny people. What’s in your egg nog?

So, first, we have the Honorable Mention entries:

Shirin Dubbin for “If that’s holly I’d expect a lot more pricks.”

Warren for “Yeah Craig, I’m pretty sure it’s not deck your balls with boughs of holly.”

Maggie Robinson for “A Visit from St. Prickolas.”

Amanda for “Now there’s some berries that are safe to eat.”

Nadia for: “You’ll shoot your eye out!”

And of course, we had all the Carol Parodies you can… shake a stick at:

Anel Viz: “Wenceslas slipped down his pants. What a feast for Steven!”

Amy for :
God rest ye, merry gentlemen

As “merry” as can be

John Cryer in a zippered fleece

And that’s not Charlie Sheen

The decorations “hung” so nicely
 on a well-erected tree

Oh, tidings of boy-on-boy, boy-on-boy

Oh tidings of boy-on-boy

Tina C. for: “Jingle bell time is a swell time…”

Wendy for: “Do you see what I see?”

edieharris for: “Johnny knew that now was the time to make his Christmas wish…for Fa-la-la-la-la-la-latio.”

Brooks*belle for “Ding Dong Merrily on High.”

Aislinn Macnamara for “Deck the balls?”

Mala for the double-whammy of “Don we now our gay apparel” and “Talk about making the Yuletide gay.”

And an entry that made me snort tea up my nose for complete silliness:

Sharon Kendrick for “Mr. Beau Dangles.” Well played, Ms. Kendrick!

But the winner for this holiday Caption That Cover, and the recipient of a $50 US gift certificate to a bookstore of his or her choice, is:

Melissandre for the poetical ode:

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and I was nonplussed,

Not a creature was stirring, including some lust!

My partner had dusted, decked halls, and gift wrapped;

Now all that he sought was a long winter’s nap.

More rapid than eagles, he came to my side 

And said, “Here’s a present that’s too good to hide!”

But I heard him exclaim as the curtains were drawn,

“Take your Christmas briefs off, and then let’s get it on!”

Thanks for making the holiday brighter, the yuletide gayer, the balls jinglier, and the hilarity more hilarious. Happy New Year!

...on the movie stuff.  Mere is resigned to not seeing Sherlock Holmes, and hoped we could see it ourselves, and is probably going to go see Avatar in 3D early on New Year's Day.

Because i could not stop for death, i bought some to go.

What the world needs is a first-person shooter version of Dig Dug.

Working in the data center is like hanging out in Darth Vader's chest.

When i die, i hope to have a funny look on my face.  When the rigor mortis sets in, people coming to my funeral will say, "Wow, Mom was right."

You know the human race is a fucking failure when there's such a thing as a "blogging Lifetime Achievement Award".

Yo mama's so ugly, she can't masturbate anymore `cause her clitoris got a restraining order against her.

There is no 'i' in 'team', but there is an 'eat' and a 'me'.

Consider, if you will, the potential of Dr. Phil/Jim Cramer erotica.

Dear President Obama: stretching out a hand to Joe Lieberman should only happen when your arm fully extends as you backhand him across his Droopy face.

Thank you for reading.  Check back again in three years for more Twitturds.

Who was the most unlikable supposedly sympathetic protagonist in a book you read for the first time in 2009?

[Actually, let's start off by admitting, yes, someone will have read Donaldson for the first time in 2009 and if eligible Thomas Covenant wins this sort of thing hands down so he gets his own special lifetime achievement award and is removed from consideration]

My money is on Todd Hewitt from The Ask and the Answer. He was merely annoying and ineffectual in The Knife of Never Letting Go but in the sequel he is the most technically virgin technical virgin I've seen in the field of non-violence in a long time. He's quite vocal about not being willing to hurt people but he manages to actively facilitate a considerable amount of suffering despite this. His personal body count may be low but he has an impressive number of assists.

It's not a book that has a lot of human characters one can like, actually. I am cheering for the Spackles to clear their world of its off-world visitors.

I have not double-checked this.

How much of the undersea portion is exposed during ice ages?

That's the question of the month at the MTV Books Blog. Come share your story!

Poll #1504390 gris or grigio?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 72

Is there in your mind a qualitative difference between the colors 'grey' and 'gray'?

I had to do it. The votes were in and I had to do it (especially since I skipped this video to do the GOING ROGUE teaser).

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...

... "Avatar: CoH Style!"

(To clarify - this is NOT, I repeat NOT, a video about the latest James Cameron film. This is about the Guild song "(Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar", which is far more appropriate to CoH. You have been warned.)



If the embedding doesn't work, the video can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUVWnMAT5xg and on the Samuraiko.com Videos page, as usual.

The in-jokes abound in this one. :)

Happy holidays and brightest blessings to everyone, and may 2010 bring your dreams closer to you.

Michelle
aka
Samurai_ko

OK, so it looks like Glee could also be called "Heroes, The Musical". One season + one ep of Heroes down, and there's already 3 same actors.