Happy Saturday V11.2

10 Things that made me happy this week!

1. Oreo cookies
2. Seeing my nieces and nephews
3. Dying my hair pink for a day
4. Traveling in Colorado
5. A big beautiful blue sky
6. Playing with little Brianna
7. Attending the Incubus concert
8. Browsing the aisles at Barnes and Noble
9. Talking with my hubby
10. Canoli and gelato

(August 10, 2011) Sci Fi/Fantasy Award Winners by Women Authors

This list came from the website Worlds Without End. It's an interesting site, so check it out!I would love to say I have read all of these someday.

Award Winning Women Science Fiction Authors

1. 1969 The Left Hand of Darkness- Ursula K. Le Guin
2. 1971 The Lathe of Heaven- Ursula K. Le Guin
3. 1974 The Dispossessed- Ursula K. Le Guin
4. 1974 The Forgotten Beasts of Eld- P.A. McKillip
5. 1976 Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang- Kate Wilhelm
6. 1978 Dreamsnake- Vonda McIntyre
7. 1979 Watchtower- Elizabeth A. Lynn
8. 1979 Death’s Master- Tanith Lee
9. 1979 Harpest in the Wind- P.A, McKillip
10. 1980 The Snow Queen- Joan D. Vinge
11. 1981 Downbelow Station- CJ Cherryh (in my tbr pile)
12. 1982 The Mists of Avalon- Marian Zimmer Bradley (read)
13. 1985 The Handmaids Tale- Margaret Atwood (read)
14. 1987 Strange Toys- Patricia Gary
15. 1986 A Door Into Ocean- Joan Slonczewski
16. 1986 The Falling Woman- Pat Murphy
17. 1987 Lincoln’s Dreams- Connie Willis
18. 1988 Falling Free- Lois McMaster Bujold
19. 1988 Cyteen- C.J.Cherryh
20. 1988 The Healer’s War- Elizabeth A. Scarborough
21. 1990 Points of Departure- Pat Murphy
22. 1990 Tehanu- Ursula K .Le Guin (read)
23. 1990 Thomas the Rhymer- Ellen Kushner
24. 1990 The Vor Game- Lois McMaster Bujold
25. 1991 Synners- Pat Gadigan
26. 1991 Beauty- Sheri S.Tepper
27. 1991 Barrayar- Lois McMaster Bujold
28. 1992 Unquenchable Fire- Rachel Pollack
29. 1992 The Doomsday Book- Connie Willis (read)
30. 1992 He, She and It- Marge Percy
31. 1994 Fools- Pat Cadigan
32. 1994 Mirror Dance- Lois Mc Master Bujold
33. 1995 Slow River- Nicola Griffith
34. 1996 Godmother Night- Rachel Pollack
35. 1996 The Sparrow- Mary Doria Russell
36. 1997 The Moon and the Sun- Vonda McIntyre
37. 1998 Dreaming in Smoke- Tricia Sullivan
38. 1998 The Antelope Wife- Louise Erdrich
39. 1998 To Say Nothing of the Dog- Connie Willis (tbr pile)
40. 1998 Parable of the Talents- Octavia Butler
41. 1999 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- J.K. Rowling (read)
42. 2000 Ash- Mary Gentile
43. 2000 The Telling- Ursula K. Le Guin
44. 2000 The Quantum Rose- Catherine Asaro
45. 2000 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- J.K. Rowling (read)
46. 2001 Bold as Love- Gwyneth Jones
47. 2001 The Other Wind- Ursula K. Le Guin
48. 2001 Passage- Connie Willis
49. 2002 The Mount- Carol Emshwaller
50. 2002 Ombria in Shadow- Patricia A. McKillip
51. 2002 Probability Space- Nancy Kress
52. 2003 The Speed of Dark- Elizabeth Moon
53. 2004 Life- Gwyneth Jones
54. 2003 Tooth and Claw- Jo Walton
55. 2003 Paladin of Souls- Lois McMaster Bujold
56. 2004 Jonathan Strange & Dr. Norrell- Susanna Clarke
57. 2005 War Surf- M.M. Buckner
58. 2006 Spin Control- Chris Moriarty
59. 2006 The Privilege of the Sword- Ellen Kushner
60. 2007 In War Times- Kathleen Ann Goodman
61. 2007 Powers- Ursula K. Le Guin (read)
62. 2008 Tender Morsels- Margo Lanagan
63. 2008 Lavinia- Ursulca K. Le Guin (tried to read, found it boring)
64. 2009 Bitter Angels- CC Anderson
65. 2009 Boneshaker- Cherie Priest
66. 2010 Zoo City- Lauren Beukes
67. 2010 Blackout- Connie Willis (tbr pile)
68. 2010 All Clear- Connie Willis

On the road!

Just returned home from a great trip to St. George! I had a wonderful travelling companion, my daughter-in-law and sweet little granddaughter. It lifts my spirits to visit my Mom. Deep down inside I guess even 50 yr old grandmas need their ‘mummy’ once in a while!
Itinerary:

Weds-
• Left in the early a.m. before it had a chance to get too terribly hot as it is over 100 F degrees in St. George this time of year.
• We didn’t want any melted tires like that time we drove to Cali in the summer and had to buy a new set of tires in Las Vegas.
• The trip down was good and happily uneventful except for a lot of road construction on the freeway.
• We started listening to a recording of the “Hunger Games” during the trip. Whoa, good story, I did not really get sleepy driving.
• After a snack and some visiting with Mom and Norm, we went out to Kohl’s to get matching shirts as we are silly and like that sort of thing.

Thurs-
• Left about 10:00 am for a trip to Las Vegas to hunt for the outlet malls and have some fun girl time together.
• Parked in the garage at Caesar’s Palace and enjoyed the inside mall there.
• Had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory and window-shopped.
• Walked over to the Mirage to see the gardens.
• Dang, it was 107 in the shade there in Las Vegas!
• Walked over to Treasure Island to check things out there.
• We found treasure at one of the pick-your-own-pearl out of an oyster shell shops inside Treasure Island. Mom found a coral pink one, Jo and I found green-pink pearls, and Bri picked a bonus pearl. She chose a rather smallish oyster and inside was a beautiful blue pearl. All were good sized and bigger than the examples they showed us. Pretty exciting, yeah it’s a gimmick but now I can’t wait to go again and pick another pearl. Mom had hers made into a lovely ring, which she has always wanted to match her other pearl jewelry. I had mine mounted in a sterling lizard for a necklace and Bri’s was mounted for a necklace also. Jo is saving the gorgeous blue one for something else.
• Visited the M & M factory and Coke-a-Cola store too. Cokes from around the world were mostly nasty tasting and Bri was so tired and grumpy by this time we had to leave. Mom was also pretty worn out as well.
• Left sin city just as it was getting dark as I did not want to be anywhere near the strip when the more colorful types decided to venture out.
• We never made it to the outlet mall but we had a great time anyway! Can’t wait to go again!




Friday-
• Went to Michael’s crafts and picked up some greenery and silk flowers to redecorate my Mom’s floral arrangements, as that is one thing I usually do every time I visit. This time she wanted blue accents.
• Was treated to an early birthday lunch by Mom and Norm at a Japanese restaurant….ton katsu...yes, please. I did not want to gross everyone out by eating too much sushi though as Jo hates fish and nobody else at the table wanted to indulge. Oh well.
• Went with Mom to the re-hab center where she goes every Friday and helped with Bingo! Got a prize for helping, too.

Saturday-
• No sleeping in for us, we were off to get pics of the four of us in our matching shirts!
• Made a quick stop at Michael’s to get the last few bits of greenery for Mom’s arrangements.
• Had lunch with Jo’s cousins, Aunt and Uncle, etc. at their old standby Ernesto’s, where the food is yummy, his wife makes the mole, and the Latino trumpets happily add to the atmosphere while you eat.
• After that it was a quick stop at the Kid to Kid store to look for bargains and Robert’s Crafts to hunt down a different type of flowers for the hair clips Jo was making. That little Cabbage Patch baby doll I found will wash up nicely for Bri!
• Off to the Splash Path in the afternoon, a free water attraction downtown, and a ride on the carousel. What fun! Wow I’ve never seen a toddling baby run as fast as Bri did to play in that water!
• Well, Bri thought the carousel horses were fun until they started moving up and down, then…panic… and reaching for Grandma to cuddle her. All in all, a super day with super good company.
• Headed for home on Sunday and my own bed and pillow will feel really good tonight!

July 24, 2011

Yay for a quiet day at the hospital! I was surfing because it was so quiet and found a fun blog with links to lots of reading challenges.I signed up for a few of them and am always excited to discover new books. Sorry I can't seem to get the linky widget to work properly, you will need to copy and paste if you want to check these blogs out.

http://www.danahuff.net/?p=2958


Found another blog and liked the idea of posting ten things that made me happy this week.It's called 'Happy Saturday' on the 'after I do' blog

http://www.after-i-do.com/

Here is my list.....

Things that made me happy this week :)
1. Being with my Hubby
2. Spending a day off with Jo'Dee, Paul and Brianna
3. Eating home made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
4. Taking naps
5. Petting my dog
6. Having extra days off from work
7. Having a cool shower on a hot day
8. Hearing some new music by one of my favorite bands
9. Reading books
10. Sewing fun clothes for my two sweet granddaughters

July 17, 2011

Sicilian Proverbs - a sampling


“Who has got health and freedom is rich and doesn’t know it.”

“Chi ha salute e liberta e ricco e non lo sa.”


“If you want to try the punishments of hell; spend the winter in Messina and the summer in Palermo.”

“Se vuoi provare le pene dell’inferno, pass l’inverno a Messina, e l’estate a Palermo.”


“An empty sack can’t stand tall.” “Sacco vuoto non puo reggersi piedi.”


“A watched pot never boils.” “Pentola guardata spesso non bolle mai.”


“Good times and bad times don’t last forever.”

“Buon tempo e brutto tempo non durano sempre.”

July 8, 2011

Songs Were Washing Up
By Francesca Forrest

Songs were washing up on the shore
Smooth as sea glass, in greens and blues
We picked them up and held them to our ears
Like shells
And heard their wave-abraded tunes
Just faintly, faintly
We couldn’t catch the words.

One day while casually looking for interesting things to read on the net I came across some stories by this author. I really enjoyed reading “Cory’s Father”, “Cataracts”, and “The Stars Chill Song”, I also found this poem to share with you. Here are some links if you think you might like some of Francesca Forrest's fantasy/speculative fiction stories. There's also a lot to be explored on those sites besides the stories.

http://everydayweirdness.com/e/20090721/
Is the address for "Cataracts"

http://www.strangehorizons.com/2010/20100201/cory-f.shtml
Is the address for"Cory's Father"

http://www.zahirtales.com/stars_chill_song.html
Is the address for "The Stars Chill Song"

Wisdom from Aesop

Learning from Aesop’s Fables:

Now that I have a “smart phone”, I find myself exploring the free offerings of various e-book readers that I have installed on it as “apps”. Generally, you have free access to classic literature that has had the copyright expire and they are considered in the public domain. Some apps also give you free samples of books to entice you to buy them.
But, you can find lots of free stories and many others for a few dollars, without having to pay best-seller prices for them, too. One free offering I downloaded along with Ivanhoe, Treasure Island and The Secret Garden, was a collection of Aesop’s Fables. I hadn’t read those fables since I was a kid so it seemed interesting to me to re-read them as an adult.

Not into e-books? Fine, check your local library or just “google” Aesop’s fables and you will find collections of stories, as well as more info about Aesop, and other folkloric traditions on the net in the comfort of your living room.

Besides the fact that I really, really, love having access to several books at my fingertips on my smart phone, I rather enjoyed reading those fables again. Any one of these stories could provide a nice beginning for thoughtful discussion on a multitude of subjects, and these simple fables have been around for generations.

For the seeking mind there is always food for thought or some nugget of knowledge to be gleaned from reading and re-reading a variety of books, including these fables. Here are a few things that seemed worth remembering as I went through those old fables again:

The Wolf and the Lamb…..the wolf makes every ridiculous excuse in the world to justify the fact that he wants to eat the lamb for dinner, even after they come to a so called agreement.

“The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny.”

The story rather reminded me of how our government seems to be acting now-a-days.
(Strip searches at the airport anyone???)

There is lots of good advice for daily living in those fables too! Most of the tales use animal characters to tell a simple story about right and wrong, pride, the value of work, making the best of your lot in life, etc. messages that I feel are sorely needed today! More gems…..

“It is wise to turn circumstance to good account.”

“The greatest kindness will not bind the ungrateful.”

“No arguments will give courage to the coward.”

“Fair weather friends are not worth much.”

“Slow and steady wins the race.”

“If men had all they wished, they would often be ruined.”

“Look before you leap.”

“Do not attempt to hide things which cannot be hidden.”

“He is wise who is warned by the misfortune of others.”

“Notoriety is often mistaken for fame.”

“Whatever you do, do with all your might.”

“Those who seek to please everybody, please nobody.”

The Crab and Its Mother

A CRAB said to her son, "Why do you walk so one-sided, my child? It is far more becoming to go straight forward." The young Crab replied: "Quite true, dear Mother; and if you will show me the straight way, I will promise to walk in it." The Mother tried in vain, and submitted without remonstrance to the reproof of her child. “Example is more powerful than precept.”

The Fox and the Grapes

ONE hot summer’s day a Fox was strolling through an orchard till he came to a bunch of Grapes just ripening on a vine which had been trained over a lofty branch. “Just the things to quench my thirst,” quoth he. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again he tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: “I am sure they are sour.”
“IT IS EASY TO DESPISE WHAT YOU CANNOT GET.”

The Bear and the Two Travelers

TWO MEN were traveling together, when a Bear suddenly met them on
their path. One of them climbed up quickly into a tree and
concealed himself in the branches. The other, seeing that he
must be attacked, fell flat on the ground, and when the Bear came
up and felt him with his snout, and smelt him all over, he held
his breath, and feigned the appearance of death as much as he
could. The Bear soon left him, for it is said he will not touch
a dead body. When he was quite gone, the other Traveler
descended from the tree, and jocularly inquired of his friend
what it was the Bear had whispered in his ear. "He gave me this
advice," his companion replied. "Never travel with a friend who
deserts you at the approach of danger."

"Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends."

Backround information wiki:

Aesop's Fables or the Aesopica are a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and story-teller supposed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. The fables remain a popular choice for moral education of children today. Many of the stories, such as The Fox and the Grapes (from which the idiom "sour grapes" derives), The Tortoise and the Hare, The North Wind and the Sun, The Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Ant and the Grasshopper are well-known throughout the world.