The Book Purse

                             

Meet my new favourite bag: the book purse from ThinkGeek. I've been looking for one for a while, and this is perfect. They also have a messenger bag version, but that's much too large for me. At forty bucks, this was a bargain even considering the customs fees. 

                          

                                Just look at that detail! I can't wait to wear this.

Deadlines

Whew!

I can't believe it: I actually made all my deadlines. And jotted down an outline for a new short story while I was at it. Why do the best ideas always hit when I'm swamped? I really wanted to start writing that one right away. And it's demanding to be written; sentences and images keep nibbling at my mind, making it hard to concentrate on anything else.

But now I'll think I'll relax for a bit. On the menu tonight: a walk with friends, and then some witchering, unless I finally give in and start that story. And only three days till the first week of my summer vacation, yay!

                                  

                                        That's Imperial Red from Wychwood Brewery, btw.

                                                   Thought it would go well with the game. 

Science Fiction Classics: Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

Image from wikipedia.org

I was quite excited to read Rendezvous with Rama, because it's one of those larger-than-life classics of science fiction, a book that pops up on every SF reading list  and a few of the regular ones. Rama is a first-contact novel; a mysterious cylindrical alien ship enters Earth's solar system, and a group of scientists investigate. The book was published in 1973 and it's hard science fiction, so I knew what I was getting into. (To be honest, this isn't my favourite kind of science fiction. I think "hard" is an apt name for the sub-genre.)

Hard science fiction isn't exactly known for its character development, and Rama proved no exception. It feels like the characters are only there so Clarke can show us how Rama works and sneak in fun science facts, like how a waterfall would work on this kind of world. Having said that, I found the book surprisingly engaging. I actually read it in a few days, not switching over to another book once. (I have this system, where I'm always reading one science fiction/fantasy classic, one literary classic, and one or two just-for-fun books at the same time. Then, if I feel one of the classics is heavy going, I can alternate between the books. I love it when a classic turns into a "fun" book.)

Rama doesn't really have that much of a plot; the focus is mainly on the world-building, showing us this amazing thing Clarke thought up. The sense of wonder, that "Wow" feeling, is my favourite thing about science fiction, and this book delivers. The part where they're entering Rama and going down the stairs in the dark? Goosebumps. There's also a feeling of mystery that stays with the reader until the end. Why was Rama built? Where are the Ramans? Who were they? Those questions kept me reading until the final sentence, which is really cool, by the way. 

I actually liked that we didn't get straight answers: that would have spoiled the mystery. On the flip side, I don't think Rama has that much re-reading potential for me. The books I read again and again tend to be about characters I love going through hell and surviving. Re-reading book is like wanting to spend time with an old friend. Mostly, the friend is a character you identify with, but the world is important, too. Sometimes you just want to visit Middle-Earth. I wonder, why do people re-read hard science fiction novels? Do they just really love the technical stuff, or is it the sense of wonder? 

Rama won the Hugo and Nebula awards when it came out, and I can see why. Clarke makes science fun, and you can almost feel his excitement for exploring his cylindrical world in the prose. It captures the imagination. There are three sequels, but I've heard they're pretty bad. Some people even say they ruin the first one, so I think I'll quit while I'm ahead. 

All in all, an interesting read. There are quite a few of Clarke's novels on my reading list, and I'm looking forwards to the next one. 

Science fiction classics read: 39/193.

DIY: Flamingo Croquet Mallet

                             

Remember the flamingo croquet mallet from Alice in Wonderland? Want one of your own? Okay, here we go. You need a mallet, of course. I got this pretty pastel set online, because I thought the pink one would be easy to modify. 

                       

Then you need pink, white, and black paint, the kind that sticks to wooden surfaces; some silver wire; pink silk ribbon; and pink feathers. 

                       

Put the mallet together as instructed on the package. Then comes the fun part: painting! Here's what I ended up with, but you can do many variations, maybe a smiley-faced one, for example. If you're doing the whole set with different colours, it might be fun to vary the expressions a bit. This brand of paint (Hobby Line, acryl paint) worked really well: that's just one coat! (If you live in Turku, I got it from Presento.)

                        

I tied the ribbon around the grip while the paint was still wet to help it stick to the mallet. There's four strands of ribbon, but you could use more if you want. I stuck the silver wire through the ribbon and then used it to attach the feathers. (I just placed the feather on top of the ribbon, so the wire is as close to the feathery bits as possible, wound the wire around the quill part and twisted the ends around each other.)

                         

                     This was the best way I could think of to get it to dry without smudging the paint. 

                                                  

And here's the finished product. I didn't paint the ball to look like a hedgehog, but that might be fun, too.

An Online Course on Character Arcs

K. M. Weiland of the Helping Writers Become Authors blog is doing an online course about mastering character arcs. Her posts on the subject and her book have helped me so much, and this looks amazing.

Here's a bit about the course from her blog:

This comprehensive course will teach you:

• How to determine which arc—positive, negative, or flat—is right for your character

• Why you should NEVER pit plot against character. Instead, learn how to blend story structure and character development

• How to harmonize the relationship between character and theme—so you can stop churning out disjointed stories

• How to recognize and avoid the worst pitfalls of writing novels with no character arcs

• How to hack the secret to using overarching character arcs to create amazing trilogies and series

• BONUS: How to find easy ways to start marketing your books

• And much more!

For more info, check out her post here.

Etymology Expeditions: Nonsense Words From Lewis Carroll

One day I was bored and amused myself by feeding Lewis Carroll's nonsense words from "Jabberwocky" into Etymology Online. Imagine my surprise when I actually got search results!

Jabberwocky, from 1872, the beast in the poem. Perhaps based on the word "jabber."

Frumious, adj., a blend of fuming and furious.

Galumph "to prance about in a self-satisfied manner," a blend of gallop and triumph.

Carroll (or Dodgson, whichever you prefer) also invented the term portmanteau word for his creations, meaning a word packed with two meanings.

Go on, read the poem. Can't you almost grasp the meanings of the words, even though they are nonsense? Just beautiful. I hope I can come up with something as great as these sometime. I did have a ball making up space pirate slang for a recent short story. Hmm . . . should I add a few nonsense words, just for laughs?

Sources:
http://www.etymonline.com/

Loot Crate: Power

                              

 

                                                                   Loot Crate time again!

                            

 

                       Here's my favourite item this month: the infinity gauntlet oven mitt!

                           

                     You can use it to make these. (Recipe from the Loot Crate magazine.)

 

 

                            

 

                       This is from Dragonball Z. Not a franchise I follow. Kind of meh.

                              

                                           The T-shirt is WOW-flavoured. Kind of cool.

 

 

                         

 

                                                                   Cute robot pin.

 

                  

                                                                Hulk smash!