On the Desk with the Insulted by Your Bad Behavior Librarian

Click to Enlarge!



In the coming year, be nice to your neighborhood librarian. They are potentially able to help you with just about any question you have. Rare indeed!


On the Desk: Thou Shalt Not:

Yank on the door we’re trying to unlock

Steal paper from the copier ( or steal anything from us for that matter. Emptying the copier is BAD)

Ask the same question every single day as if it were new

Spend all day at the library every day and act like you don’t know what our hours are..for example you are unwilling to leave each night because you think we’re open till midnight.

Move the furniture around so you can be all comfy. Go on home and create that snuggly spot for yourself.

Ask the same question several different ways to which the answer is still no.

Remark that we are too busy, too not busy. We are available to help you either way.

Try to get us to override your bazillion overdues so you can...do whatever. Pay up!

Demand to know how we’re doing in a manner that says we’d better be just chipper or ELSE.

Sometimes the answer is NO.

And my favorite post chemo no freakin' hair comment: Don't ask!!!!! WHAT'S WITH THE SCARF? ...as if it was a personal silly insult to you!!!! Eat Beans and dig deep for the politeness your momma should have taught you.

Ah....D.O.A. Lives, and it is GOOD :)

Cryptogram!

Return of the cryptogram. During NanoWrimo month, I wrote not a single word. Too much pressure or what? Back to utter silliness, as we should be.




GED KYDMGZYD EMNGDO, KYIZKEDO NIJ MVMCSWG GED VYIZSO, WGMYCSV MG GED GCSU XICSGW IB NCVEG GEMG NMU MEDMO, RZYSCSV WIBGNU GEYIZVE GED OMYTSDWW.

National Novel Writing Month (NanoWrimo) begins today

Welcome to November, and National Novel Writing Month. You're encouraged to write that 50,000 word novel that has been bursting to come out lo these many years.

Our library is sponsoring two writing events to help inspire Wrimos to keep plugging away. There are other informal events in the Twin Cities, but our writer's group has a great hour and a half planned to help you get over any bits of discouragement or writer's block you may be experiencing.

I am trying this out myself in sympathy with our would be writers, wish me luck. I usually do National Blogging Month but after the rigors of last year, and getting so close to perfect then missing Thanksgiving Day, grr, I'm turning my efforts elsewhere for a year.

Sign up for NanoWrimo here.

Last Week's Cryptogram Answer

EVEN WITH THE WINDOWS CLOSED, THE SAND STILL MANAGED TO CREEP INTO THE RAILWAY CAR AND FIND ITS WAY INTO THE MOST INCONVENIENT PLACES.

LJLU CPME MEL CPUKBCQ ITBQLK, MEL QXUK QMPTT YXUXVLK MB IALLN PUMB MEL AXPTCXR IXA XUK SPUK PMQ CXR PUMB MEL YBQM PUIBUJLUPLUM NTXILQ.

Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh by R. L. LaFevers

Last Week's Rebus answer

Murder on Sisters' Row a Gaslight Mystery by Victoria Thompson

Halloween Wordsearch

Halloween Words!


A H C Q O T L O W Y M H B S S
Q S D O H C C R T F U W R T C
E O K G B T P R E G A N O A R
T F I C O W A A R F O C O E E
P R L B I P E A J R T O M R A
F U E O H R V B D Y T S S T M
D R M P W E T L S P Z T T Z T
C A L P S E U M A S K U I L S
W T M T K A R Y E M S M C L O
I O O U C I C E S A D E K E H
I N L K F P N A W P W G H B G
E Y E B A L L S P I Y W X R R
T A C K C A L B T E C G K O Q
R M A K E U P C T R P V J O R
E D I R Y A H Y D N A C A D P




BLACKCAT BROOMSTICK CANDY
CAPE CAULDRON COBWEB
COSTUME DOORBELL EYEBALLS
FRIGHT GHOST GRAVESTONE
GYPSY HAYRIDE MAKEUP
MASK OCTOBER PARTY
PUMPKIN SCREAM TREATS
TRICKS WEREWOLF WITCH


Just in case the puzzle got scrambled when I copied and pasted:

Whitinsville High School Band plays an arrangement of Skyrim's Main Theme

I think this high school band making and playing an arrangement from the upcoming game Skyrim is so cool. The music from the Elder Scrolls games is always beyond beautiful and having this small band honor it is such fun.

Once Upon a Time Premier

Once Upon a Time has an entire modern day town enchanted and full of unknowing fairy tale characters. The only people who know this secret are a boy named Henry, the wicked witch mayor of the town, and a doubting bail bondsman named Emma Swan.

The story wends back and forth between the modern day and fairy tale world, showing how things got to be so incredibly odd.

Standout characters are Emma, a tough girl who gave up a baby ten years ago; Snow White, a tragic but flawed princess; The Wicked Witch, who is scarier in her modern day politician's guise than in full witch regalia; and the nasty little character of Rumpelstiltskin, who is glowingly evil in the fairy tale past and in the modern day world.

In the opening, Henry shows up at Emma's door and asks her to come home to Storybrook with him. She obliges reluctantly but after a few rounds with Ms Witch, she decides to stay one week as Henry asks, just to see what things are really like in town.

In the fairy tale world, we see the wicked witch threatening a curse on all, which comes to fruition just as Emma is born to Snow White and Prince Charming.

Next week promises to show just what Snow White did to deserve such hatred from the witch.

The real stories behind the fairy tales will be told as the series plays out.

The weaving of old and new promises to be an interesting way of advancing the story. I am already rooting for Emma to be victorious in "the final battle". She's an underdog with a heroine just beneath the surface.

TVNotes Week of Oct 17

Dancing with the Stars

I was a little relieved to see someone with lesser dancing skills get sent home this week. Although Carson Cressley really worked hard on his dancing skills, he just didn't have what he needed to move forward dancing wise. As the judges are always saying, with ballroom dance, its the whole package that has to be there in order to be good.


Survivor



Silly to send home good competitor Mikayla over good egg Edna, but I think the teams may be getting merge-itis and they're altering their game a bit to take out individual threats who they think may not be loyal after a merge. I've seen it happen too many times where they do this though too early and cause their team to go into a losing streak. Let's hope Mikayla can at least unseat bratty Christine from Redemption Island. I don't think Mikayla will be so brooding and whiny and all around bleh as a Redemptioner.

Person of Interest

Nice episode for Reese who gets to be both a very sympathetic character and a bad ass.

He is always those things, but he was so determined to ease the suffering of the judge who he felt for, and yet he had that old drive the guy in your trunk around in circles to make him dizzy and get him to talk trick up his sleeve. Then he tosses another guy in with him like no problem. He's got subtle torture tricks we can only guess at in his repetoire.

I like how he keeps trying to get in under Finch's skin. The interplay between those two is fun.

Ye Eggs Benedict



Terra Nova

Another weak episode, and they only have 13 episodes and no renewal flag yet. They should have made much stronger storylines, it's just lazy that they did not.

The theme is a little girl from the Sixers comes out of nowhere and wants to join them, she has run away she says. She acts all feral and grubby, but as soon as she is cleaned up a bit she steals something from Mira's old house and tries to get out with it. She makes eyes at Shannon and says wah wah Mira made her do it and Mira would hurt her lil brother Sam...

Of course Shannon cruises right over to the Sixer's area (though nobody knows, wink, where they are) gets beat up, hears a sob story from Mira about the future holding her own daughter hostage (made up is my thought since they were looking a week ago to find a way to get at the new security chief).

Shannon goes back home with Sam and a sort of bond with Mira over family matters...Kinda weak sauce.

First Line Cryptogram for Sat Oct 22

LJLU CPME MEL CPUKBCQ ITBQLK, MEL QXUK QMPTT YXUXVLK MB IALLN PUMB MEL AXPTCXR IXA XUK SPUK PMQ CXR PUMB MEL YBQM PUIBUJLUPLUM NTXILQ.

Book Title Rebus for Saturday October 22

Last Week's Cryptogram Answer

THE WIND COULD BLOW DOWN A FULL-GROWN MAN, BUT IT WAS THE DUST THAT WAS THE WORST.


ZWP QOUC NXITC FTXQ CXQU V BITT-AJXQU GVU, FIZ OZ QVR ZWP CIRZ ZWVZ QVR ZWP QXJRZ.


All the earth, thrown to the sky by Joe R. Lansdale

Last week's Title Rebus Answer

The Edge of the World Terra Incognita Book One by Kevin J. Anderson

Guardian UK: Is Reading on the Loo Bad for You?

It's a great newsday, isn't it? I expected them to mention something about circulation being cut off if reading a real tome in the bathroom, but no, this is a thoughtful write up with a classic bent (as it were). (Must resist making a cartoon to go with this...)

Is reading on the loo bad for you?Filthy habit or blameless bliss? A public health study by Ron Shaoul lifts the lid on toilet reading once and for all

A Well Stocked Reading Room

Library of Congress Teacher's Guide to Primary Sources

It appears the great LC blogs and here's one we librarians can use for all those kids and their papers needing "Primary Sources".

The Library of Congress Teachers Page: Resources for Getting Started with Primary Sources


Click to Enlarge

Momisms and other oddities

I always mean to post these around Mother's Day, but I never get around to it. Time and tide wait for no bozo, so I'll put the ones I have here from all my little scraps of paper.

Mom had a unique view of the world, to say the least.





Scrub before surgery (wash your hands before baking).

He's got a wild hair (usually other drivers but could be anyone who was acting overly aggressively).

Good gummers (one of those ploys to get small children to eat their food).

The hanging kind (droopy women).

I'm no ordinary dummy (she was in fact quite smart and crafty in all ways).

Some people's children...(always her own, when acting badly)

Buy em books and buy em books and all they do is chew the covers (mom's way of saying you're being stoopid)

Taking the chicken route ( in later years she didn't see street signs well and didn't like heavier traffic so she had a set of backroads to take everywhere).

Good enough for who it's for (meaning good enough for you...)

Stroopapeta (one of the words from German or Norwegian she knew, no idea of the spelling..this was someone with messy messy hair, aka me.)

Fight de gout (a concoction of white sauce with brown sugar on bread, meant to fight gout amongst the oldsters. Very sugary and tasty).

Shower, shit and shave (gotten from dad in his army days, I'm sure. Just one of those encouraging get moving phrases moms pick up.)

Don't make a meal of it (eight kids, not always enough food to go around, just take your share)

Don't be a Good Samaritan (Don't go over to a friends house and clean their room...don't ask)

Beauty must suffer (while she cut or combed my unruly hair)

Somebody always knows somebody who knows somebody...(if there was a local grisly murder, one of the kids always knew someone who knew the victim or perp, was her thinking)

She has a mouthful of teeth (people with large, prominent teeth)

Take two, they're small (another way of letting you know you're being a hog, or, it could actually mean a serving was very small in her eyes.)

Down in front! (lots of people watching tv seated on the floor who might be in everyone else's way.)

I just don't live right (when she was discouraged, she felt this was the cause)

I'm just going to buy a cow (hard to keep a supply of milk for eight kids)

When my ship comes in (she had many plots for making money or becoming famous for her arts and crafts.)

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray (classic stuff to make you feel better when things went poorly)

When one door closes another door opens (I certainly heard this alot from her, there's always some other opportunity ahead).

Everybody and their brother (big crowd)

This too shall pass (thank heavens she was right on this one)

Heard tell ( I heard tell...letting you know she already knew all about something)

Where you born in a barn? (Don't leave the door open)

After me, then you come first (putting you in your proper place, eh?)

One side or a leg off! ( Don't get in mom's way!)

Better than a sharp stick in the eye (accept things as they are)

Make do (with what you have)

We'll see...(no and just stop bugging me)

See, Stew? (You get it? or Just Do it!)

Shaking like a leaf (We Leary's all try to appear calm but sometimes our body betrays us and we shake from the inside out)

Shaking like a dog sh*tting pea seeds (no idea what a pea seed is but this is when you're REALLY shaking inside and out).

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Where there's life, there's hope (sometimes used inspiringly, sometimes snarkily)

See America Accidentally! (getting lost or taking those Chicken Routes will allow you to see America accidentally)

Don't get your shorts in a bind

TV Notes: Last Week's Edition

How time is flying!

Dancing with the Stars

Another snoozer of an episode. Missed most of it. What can I say. I did see pro Tony really being a twit to Chynna who seemed pretty wounded by his jerky behavior. I think she lost confidence in their partnership and it played out on the dance floor. I would have thought people would feel sorry for her, but noooo. Taking out the best dancers seems to be what we're getting this season. It will be sort of a farce to watch the finals with poor dancers stumbling the light fantastic.

Survivor

The world's grossest challenge as the survivors have their hands tied behind their backs and they bite off roasted pig and spit it into a basket to be weighed. Spit. Meat stuck in teeth. Winners get to take their basket home...vomit city!

Cocky Ozzie, who looks like a dream but thinks like a bonehead gets his snuggle mate voted off in a blindside. Elise had no personality and nothing to offer on her own so no loss to the tribe, and a good strategic move orchestrated by villanous Jim.

Person of Interest

Good episode with a nice plot twist and an ending that we can only guess the outcome of. A dedicated doctor becomes the Person of Interest for a sexual predator who uses date rape drugs. As it turns out, she is actually stalking him. Very brave lady, determined to get vengeance at all costs. She had a great plan for ridding the world of her vermin-esque prey.

Terra Nova

Classic sci-fi plot with a remote science station that has fallen to some unknown organism. Can our heroes help figure out the cause and the cure in time?

I think the Malcolm character is becoming a bit too much of a punching bag, they need to give him some dignity.

Hints that the security chief has the hots for Commander Taylor.

At episode's end, Mira, the stylin' leader of the Sixers is revealed to have the ability to communicate with the future and get people sent through and who knows what else.

A Saturday Cryptogram

ZWP QOUC NXITC FTXQ CXQU V BITT-AJXQU GVU, FIZ OZ QVR ZWP CIRZ ZWVZ QVR ZWP QXJRZ.


A new first line of a book cryptogram. Again, dipping into my own fine collection of books.

A Saturday Title Rebus

This title sort of really went to the edges...good luck! I've decided to use my own collection now instead of random books coming across my work desk :)

Cryptogram Answer

The answer to last week's Cryptogram:


CLARA WAS STARTLED BY THE METALLIC CLANK AS THE LOCK ON HER CELL DOOR TURNED.

TWSPS ZSJ JUSPUWNM HR ULN ANUSWWBT TWSEO SJ ULN WYTO YE LNP TNWW MYYP UKPENM.

The Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden

BookNotes: The Enemy and The Dead by Charlie Higson

I read the second book first, something I seem to be doing lately.

The Dead envisions a London that has either killed or turned into child-eating zombie like creatures everyone 16 and over. It starts in a boys school where the plague is new (just a week or so) and kids are fighting off the teachers who have slowly turned from protectors to raging slavering beasts.

The kids decide they have to try to get away from the school, hoping things are better in either the countryside or in London proper. The group splits, and is soon ravaged by younger zombies who overpower them and decimate their numbers. They fall back together under the protection of Greg, a former butcher with a young son who seems to have avoided the plague and who offers them a place on his bus, headed to London.

I thought the wide cast of characters were well drawn, and as they were inevitably picked off one by one, you really felt their loss. No character, no matter how likeable, was safe from being dispatched in a quick or spectacular manner.

If you like post apocalyptic novels, survival stories, or just adventures, you can't go wrong with this page turner.

The first book, The Enemy, which I read next, is a bit slower, characters not as well developed (in fact I had a hard time deciding who I liked and was rooting for quite a ways into the book).

The Enemy takes place about a year after the beginning of the zombie plague. Kids have holed up in a supermarket which they have reinforced, but they must go in an ever widening arc to scavenge for supplies.

On one of these runs they are ambushed by grownups, which is new behavior for these lumbering beasts. Their ranks are decimated, and their leader, who is the most engaging character, is fatally wounded. I think that Arran's getting taken out so soon before all the characters were established was a real flaw in this one. It just left a gap in leadership and someone to root for too early on. Hmmmm.

There are a few characters in The Enemy who are further developed in The Dead. There is a new book out in England in the series called The Fear which we won't get here for, what, a year? I hate those delays.

I suspect and hope in book three that many of our characters will come together in a nice climactic battle. I hate waiting so long for a sequel.

TVNotes: Kind of a Blah Week

Kind of a blah week in the tv trenches.

Dancing With the Stars

I thought everyone danced well this week, gone were the obvious flubs. I couldn't guess who might go but I was surprised when it was Kristin Cavallari. She (was) one of the most promising dancers. I do watch the show to see people gliding effortlessly across the floor looking wondrous. Luckily I am not attached to anyone this season so I don't mind so much seeing someone really good get popped because they lacked personal oompf.

Survivor

Stacey has got to be the grumpiest Survivor ever. I wasn't sorry to see her go at all. She never exibited any of the snuggly mom behavior I hoped for when she started. She was more like a scary "I'm to to whoop you" mom. Glad Christine beat her at Redemption so she can go poof from the show. Sheesh.

Person of Interest

Not a favorite episode, with a theme of returning vets robbing banks to make extra cash. Everyone was pretty unlikeable.
Small glimpse of Reese's old love (whom I had thought was dead) running into him and offering to try again with him.





Terra Nova

I admit I read all the reviews of the episode before watching and I was prepared to hate the episode, but I liked it. The family was much more normal and likeable, even the dad. They toned all the jerkiness out of everyone and it was more what I had hoped for in the first place--colonists dealing with the the incredible environment they were now living in. If they can stay on that path they'll be alright.

Testing a Maze

Click to enlarge

Just fooling around...

Literary Rebus

Cryptogram for the Cryptic

TWSPS ZSJ JUSPUWNM HR ULN ANUSWWBT TWSEO SJ ULN WYTO YE LNP TNWW MYYP UKPENM.

iPad @ the LIbrary

This isn't us! But off to the wilds of Wisconsin with you if you'd like to borrow a loaded iPad:http://mashable.com/2011/09/23/library-ipad/

Incorrect Email Distribution

On September 29th, you received two emails regarding the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Game Testing Program. These emails were sent to you by mistake. This was due to an internal error and not the result of hacking or malware. Please be assured that no personal information was compromised. We are sorry for any confusion this may have caused. Please note that receipt of these e-mails does not affect your chances to be invited to test the game at a later date.

Between now and launch, we will be conducting additional large scale Beta Testing Weekends where we will be inviting more people than ever before. Additionally we will be releasing even more information about the game as we gear up for launch in December. If you haven't signed up for game testing yet, you can still do so at www.swtor.com/tester.

Thank you for your understanding,
The Star Wars: The Old Republic team.



....at least they still have my name on file :)

This will be me...

No sub today with two back to back programs for families (and no lunch time for us in sight) and tomorrow afternoon four hours with no sub and just ever punier from chemo me. Somewhere the library gods are laughing...

TVNotes

I'm behind on my new season viewing notes, so here they are in brief:

Dancing with the Stars

I fell asleep zzzzz through the last few dances and missed the Nip Slip. I was more disappointed to see the worst dancers of the night who really stumbled and lost step and somebody even stopped and paused a couple of times to find their place and zero marks were taken off for any of them. Are the judges just being kind to them or something so they don't give up?

This week the worst dancer was Chaz, who was in such pain he could hardly dance. David Arquette was next worst, with a terribly frenetic dance, even worse than last week, with lots of missteps. Elisabetta Canalis really could not keep up with the quick foot work, and though the judges let her sail, she was low personage on the dance pole and was booted.


Survivor South Pacific

Mikayla tried to go head to head with Brandon to see what his problem was, and he was all offended as if she had come out of nowhere with these accusations, doh. He's gotta go.

Sad to see Papa Bear go, Cochrane is next, no question. Dawn did shockingly well in the Immunity Challenge. Good for her. Semhar was beaten in a balancing contest with Christine, after preparing for the challenge with a wierd and rambling poem sort of thing.


Person of Interest

James Caviezel's Reese character seems to be enjoying his role of savior/vigilante and he is super good at it. I think he is attempting to warm up to Finch's character a bit, but Finch is very self protective and will have none of it.

It was revealed that Finch has a partner of sorts who helps ? with the research and takes credit for everything, but he had no idea quite what Finch has been up to in the background. Finch also mentioned that there are 8 people who know about the project in the world. Now we know three of them.

Nicely plotted episode about a teenage girl who comes up as the Person of Interest for the week, though she has been legally dead for two years.

Terra Nova

The new series features time travel, dinosaurs and some mysteries. I think that the device of having the colony in an alternate time stream and thus avoiding paradox is a bit cheap. The show had lots of action. Characters are a bit steely jawed.

I really fought dislike of the family at the forefront all through the episode, though by the end I merely disliked the dad and the son, a couple of jerky hot heads. I'll watch another episode, but the characters will have to be more likeable going forward.

Scott Westerfeld at Red Balloon

I made a rare venture out on a Friday evening to join the crowd at Red Balloon Bookstore in St Paul.

Author Scott Westerfeld gave a talk on the history behind his Leviathan stories, showing illustrations from the book and talking about illustrated books generally.

He'd show a picture such as this



and talk about the back and forth conversation between himself and illustrator Keith Thompson about what was in the picture and how it reflected or didn't what was going on in the story or what might be happening next.

I always assumed that the author would just write the tale and the illustrator would go back and illustrate scenes of interest. I wouldn't have guessed the level of storytelling collaboration involved. Fascinating process!

Scott is meeting soon with the folks at Wizards of the Coast to produce a Steampunk card game. The crowd was very interested!

He is also meeting with a company in Los Angeles about the effects for transforming faces and figures for an Uglies movie.

Great things ahead.

Ye Bookish Rebus

I hate to feed the Rebus fan beast, but why not? Here is a book title and its author, rebus-ized.



Answer: City of Orphans by Avi

Person of Interest (Premier)

The new show Person of Interest premiered last night.

It's a mystery series with a few twists. Our heroes are:

John Reese (Jim Caviezel) a former special agent who is presumed dead when he is found by Mr Finch (Michael Emerson), a brainy man with a conscience.

Tracking Reese is Detective Carter (Taraji P. Henderson) once he becomes a Person of Interest to her. Reese seems to be wanted for a wide variety of crimes nationwide and she means to find him.

Hapless Detective Fusco (Kevin Chapman) is snared as a accomplice for Reese. A good man with no good options.

Finch created a vast surveillance network after September 2011 for the government which would look daily through many portals of information from emails to traffic light cameras for any Persons of Interest who might involved in terrorist activities. Information is run daily and all Irrelevant (not terror likely) information is wiped at midnight.

The Irrelevants, however, are identified by the program as being likely to commit or have a crime committed against them. Finch is no longer working on the project, but he created a backdoor to the information, and he gets lists of those most likely to be involved in a large crime or incident which might be prevented if he can get to them in time. He cannot tell who is perpetrator and who is victim, so asks Reese to track the Person of Interest with ace spy skills, and stop whatever is going to happen.

There were plenty of plot twists in the pilot. Surprisingly both Reese and Finch came across as very likeable and somewhat vulnerable.

Person of Interest Wiki

Survivor (Somewhere in the South Pacific with a bunch of boneheads)

The bloom is off the rose, and the larger personalities are moving to the fore and yikes.

Top of the line is Lil' Russ (aka Brandon, nephew of Big Russ Hantz). He spills his Hantz beans to Coach, who rather graciously accepts the presence of a blood relative to one of his greatest foes. Silly Coach. Then Brandon continues to go gaga over Mikayla and he tries to get her voted out so that he isn't tempted by her anymore. I honestly don't think she particularly noted his existence until he revealed this at tribal. Now that she's going to be looking at him and noticing his uncanny oogling, I think she'll tell him off and maybe he'll settle down when he realizes he is beyond puny in her eyes. Yech.

One of my early hopefuls Stacey was hardly featured at all, plus she was in a one woman alliance with the evil (and booted to Redemption Island) Christine.

Christine has to be one of the most arrogantly stupid players on Survivor in ages. What on earth made her play? Now poor Semhar will be plagued by her, if briefly. Hope Semhar whoops her. Somehow.

Cochran is a lovable but entirely goofy player and I think he'll get booted pretty quick.

I thought it was rather sick to put the Immunity Idol up in a treescape that only Ozzy the Monkey would get to with ease. Let's hope he has the wit to use it this time if he needs it.

Draw a Stickman, Have an Adventure

Sure you can Draw a Stickman! With the help of this animated site, you can also draw a few other things while channeling your inner Harold and the Purple Crayon!

DWTS: the Draggy-Leg Awards

We used to call Lara Croft draggy-leg when she wouldn't make jumps for us in Tomb Raider. Poor Lara. In last night's Dancing with the Stars three contenders stood out for failure to gracefully navigate the dance floor. They were stiff, awkward, and bumbling.

David Arquette really lost his way.

Rob Kardashian stiff as if before a firing squad, with totally obnoxious family members cheering him on. Keep the kid, remove the family.

Elisabetta Canalis looked like she expected the floor to drop away from beneath her.

Posted from ye iPad.

Survivor: South Pacific

South Pacific? Pretty vague. In any case the season is off to a good start with lots of interesting characters.

If you thought Coach and Ozzy would be tossed off asap, you'd be wrong. They are both serving rather well as councillors to their tribes, helping everyone get their footing with the reality that is sleeping on cushy bamboo, with crawling bugs, no food, no water.

I am always fascinated by how quickly the thin veneer of civilisation peels away from contestants, and people are revealed for who they are, whether they mean to be or not.

My favorites this season are Papa Bear, the ex-cop; Cochran, the Harvard 100 pound weakling who knows the show inside and out; Mikayla, the girl who can Do Everything; Semhar, the exotically beautiful Spoken Word Artist who is a definite fish out of water and was voted out first; and Stacey the mom who has her eyes and ears out watching for misbehavior from everyone.

Villains of the piece are Brandon who I am calling Lil' Russ because he is Russell's nephew through and through despite his protests of being like Russell; Jim for being a jerk to everyone; Christine for thinking she is smarter than everyone and that she can find the immunity idol and run everything without spending a moment trying to play a social game.

The others are a bit blah at this time.

Television Without Pity

I found this site recently. It sort of mercilously discusses television shows, has reviews, and forums wherein people happily trash their favorite shows.

The forums I read are the Reality How to and Reality Competitive ones, where readers trash House Hunters, if you can imagine. I haven't read back far enough, but it seems the show is a set up in many ways, and often when you see the show, your House Hunters have already purchased one of the properties and are living there. They'll clear out the house and go back and film the HH's "choosing". I wish I could say this spoils the show for me, but since I use HGTV as white noise to nap in front of more often than not, I'm just sort of amused by it.

I have liked the posts in the competitive forums on Design Star, a pretty mild competition, so I'm hoping they pull out the stops on the Survivor and Dancing With the Stars forums.

If there are any new shows you're interested in (and so far I haven't seen anything on new fall season shows that interests me) you may want to visit Television Without Pity for some raucous opinions of the show.

Design Star: Meg Wins

In the last episode, Meg won. Her room was better and her camera persentation was spot on so she did deserve the win. I 'd rather it were Karl but he was too awkward for the camera, he was giggling nervously again, and his room was just meh.

However, as much as the panel said they loved loved loved everything about Meg's Design Crimes pseudo episode, she gets a new series with the unbelievably bland name: Great Rooms. Way to feature her personality, HGTV.

GameNotes: Fly You High, Overlander

Thanks to my little sister I completed the outstanding quests in no time in the Peninsula.

She kindly bought me an Ebon Griffin and it makes things incredibly easy when you can just fly point to point. She plays all the time and is also 10 levels up on me now, so she's a powerhouse to have at my side.

I told her I'd help her with the quests she is stuck on somewhere far far away from Zangarmarsh. She led the way over some really strange spiky terrain where we had to fly really high, and at one point when she said "fly high, bad guys!" (big flying creatures) I wanted to respond "Fly you high, Overlander!" but I knew she wouldn't know the reference from Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins. It's one thing to read about daring flights, quite another to take one.

Here we are safely landed in some Gnome area. There is something wildly cheerful about the Gnomes and their machines and the music that plays, especially after slogging through deep dark areas. I hope my puny level 62 can be of help to her.

Dancing with the Stars

A new season awaits! I was happy with the outcome of last season, so in we go to the new season ready for tripping the light fantastic action :)

I am unfamiliar with pretty much everyone on the guest list this time out, so I'm glad for the continuity that the professional dancers and judges bring to the show.

The controversy over Chaz Bono is just silly. For God's sake, the man is there to dance just like everyone else. Cheer him on or don't, but don't be all whiny about anything that doesn't have to do with his ability to glide across the dance floor.

Instead, dream on as the lights go down and the music swells and you picture yourself gliding effortlessly across the floor, wowing the nation in the arms of your favorite pro...sigh.



posted from ye dingly iPad, D.O.A.

Survivor Rules for Contestants...surprise! Don't Be a Bozo ISN'T one of them!

Every season I secretly think I'd like to be on Survivor, and my husband always says "You should apply!" Now that I'm a glow in the dark chemo skellie, niether of us think I could Survive it. Would be hilarious to watch briefly.



So while we're all fantasizing about being on the show, here is what you can bring with you, how you should behave, etc.:



WHAT DO I BRING?

Everyone's first question! So here's the info. Basically you're going to have two bags... your "Game" bag (which is a small bag or small backpack) and your "Non-Game" bag (Big as you like... well, within reason!). Details below:

Your "Game Bag" comes with you into the game and you keep it with you at all times.

YOU MUST BRING WITH YOU INTO THE GAME (This is what your "Game" bag should contain):
• sunscreen
• your own medications that you take regularly (and feminine hygiene products if you are a girl)
• Clothes: 2 shirts- one long or short sleeve(depending on the weather), one short sleeve (wear one, put one in your bag), a jacket or hoodie, a hat, one pair of shorts and one pair of pants (wear one, put one in your bag), an extra pair of socks, an extra set of underwear, bathing suit (optional, it's your call. Some of the challenges might involve getting wet), pair of gloves (optional, sometimes it's cold when we play).
• ALL SURVIVORS MUST BRING a large water bottle with your name clearly marked on it

YOU MAY BRING INTO THE GAME ONE LUXURY ITEM IN YOUR GAME BAG.
LUXURY ITEMS INCLUDE:
• Journal & pen/pencil (This is the smart thing to bring. It's most likely to help you in the game)
• Book to read
• Playing cards

YOU CANNOT BRING INTO THE GAME (Don't put these in your Game Bag. You can have them in your non-Game Bag though):
• cell phones
• gum/food
• watches

IF YOU ARE VOTED OUT YOU MAY HAVE (This is what your "Non-Game" Bag should contain):
• A large zip-loc bag with any personal hygiene items (toothbrush, etc.), medicine, etc. that should be clearly marked with your name. You may not take this into the game but we will return it to you if you are voted out so that you may have it with you for the duration remaining.
• pillow, blanket, sleeping bag CLEARLY marked with your name and in a separate bag.
• food/gum
• extra clothes
• movies/books (We have a DVD player so bring your favorite films to share)
• games
• cell phones
• watches
• toothbrush/hairbrush etc.

*PLEASE do NOT bring ANY items of a valuable nature. We are not responsible for lost items. Upon arrival if you have a wallet or cell phone, Etc. place it into your zip-loc bag and we will hang onto it in a secure location.

WHAT IF I GET VOTED OFF?

If you are voted off early in the game you will be put to work on the crew setting up challenges and lots more. Also you'll be much more comfy than the people still playing! Think of a giant really fun slumber party. If you are voted off later, you will part of the Jury. More on that in the RULES section.

HOW DO YOU PLAY?

Ever watch Survivor on TV? It's JUST like that. Seriously. Except we squish it all down into just a few days. You'll be really tired when you're done but it's the most fun thing EVER! Warning: people who play Survivor become obsessed with it! Your family and friends will be sick of you talking about it afterwards.

WILL WE BE FILMED LIKE ON TV?

Indeed you will! More on that in the rules section.

ARE THERE RULES?

SO glad you asked! Here's the Official Rules section. It's VERY important that you read and understand the rules because we want everyone to know that they will be safe and that things will be as fair as we can make them. You will be signing a contract agreeing to play by these rules when you arrive for check-in so read them!

STL: SURVIVOR RULES

Please carefully read ALL the rules of STL Survivor. You will be expected to follow these rules. We will ask you to sign a contract prior to the start of the game to ensure that you have read and understand the rules and that you agree to follow them. If you do not, you may be removed from the game at the Producers’ discretion.

The EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS of Survivor:
Skye (Jeff Probst)
Chris

Their word is LAW.

HOW THE CAMERA CREWS WILL AFFECT YOU:

• The camera crews will be taping challenges, conversations, confessionals, tribal councils, etc. Just ignore the cameras and speak freely. Nothing you say will be revealed to another player.

• Periodically, a crewmember will pull you aside for a confessional. You may discuss anything that’s on your mind at the time. Please answer openly any questions you are asked.This is your chance to dish!

• You may request a confessional if you have something urgent to get off your chest. The crew will do its best to accommodate you but please be aware that due to the production/challenge schedule there may be times when we are unable to immediately honor your request. We will get to you as soon as possible however.

• You may speak freely to any producer/crew member without fear that it will get back to anyone in the game. Please be candid and open during your taped confessionals.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

• OFF LIMITS AREAS – Will be clearly marked. Obviously, they are off-limits. Seriously. We mean it.

• FOOD- You will be asked to bring in a specific food item to stock our food pantry. PLEASE bring your food items. We don’t want Survivors resorting to cannibalism. That is frowned upon in most societies.

• MEDICAL ISSUES- We will always have a first aid kit standing by to treat minor injuries that may arise with conventional bandages, gauze, alcohol wipes, and liquid bandages. If your injury/illness is considered severe, you will be removed from the game and given treatment. What constitutes being severe enough to be removed from the game? Here is the rule: If you are able to be treated right there either at the challenge or in your camp to the producers’ satisfaction, you will remain in the game. If the illness/injury warrants us bringing you into Command Central to treat you, if you need to be provided with food in order to be well enough to continue, or you need outside medical attention such as stitches you will be removed from the game in order to receive the attention you need. We will make every effort to ensure that you remain in the game; however we must put your safety and well-being first.

DURING THE GAME:

• TREE MAIL – You will receive important notices about upcoming events via tree mail. Each team will have its own tree mail basket.

• CHALLENGES- Expect a wide variety of challenges. Some physical, some mental, some endurance, many a combination of these. You will get dirty, wet, sticky, and probably worse. Plan your clothing accordingly. Give everything your best shot! You never know what you may be a star at. In the case of a close finish, the producers will discuss amongst themselves what each of them saw and come to a decision. The producers’ word is final.

• TRIBAL COUNCIL – Tribes will be voting members off during tribal council. You may NOT vote for yourself. You MUST vote. In the event of a tie, there will be a re-vote. The two players who tied will be the only ones you may vote for. Those two players will not vote. If the re-vote ends in a tie, we will declare a deadlock. Deadlock rules will be in effect. Deadlock rules are different every time we play, so we’ll let that be a surprise.

Please respect the sanctity of tribal council. Someone will be leaving the game forever, so please don’t use this as a time to discuss High School Musical 3. You MUST wait for Jeff to call upon you before you speak. Let the drama play out!

Also, be straight with your answers in Tribal Council. If you're evasive or refuse to answer, it's likely that you will be ignored by Jeff in subsequent Tribal Councils. No one likes to be ignored! So speak up and give us some dirt!

• YOUR BAG – You will keep all your belongings that you may take into the game with you inside your bag. You’ll bring your bag and everything in it to ALL challenges and ALL Tribal Councils. PLEASE take special care during challenges to have everything securely inside your bag. You never know when a shoeless hobo will think there are free shoes lying around. I'm not kidding. Just ask Tom.

• BUFFS- Please turn in your buffs at the end of the game. We will use them again for the next Survivor. (After we wash them of course... EWWW!)

• RULEBREAKING- Will have consequences. (Dun dun DUNNNNN)

IF YOU ARE VOTED OUT:

• At no time may anyone who has been voted out of the game have any contact with anyone still in the game unless at the express direction of the executive producers. This includes but is not limited to: talking to them, sneaking them food or information, influencing them in any way, asking them about their plans or future votes, etc. Your actions may result in that player being ejected from the game and you being sent home.

• When you are voted off you must bring Jeff your torch, take your things and leave the tribal council area immediately. A crew member will escort you to an area where you will make your final confessional. (We will give you a little while to compose yourself if necessary.)

• If you are voted off before the jury begins you will move into the “Ponderosa” where you will have access to all your personal belongings, food, a TV/DVD player, and relative comfort. You WILL be asked by the producers to assist with the game so be ready.

• If you are voted off AFTER the Jury begins, you will become a part of the Jury and move into Jury Sequester where you will have access to all your personal belongings, food, a TV/DVD player, and relative comfort. The Jury will have specific duties and rules as listed below.

THE JURY – Any Juror who breaks these rules will be removed from the Jury immediately.

• If you make it to the jury you will be sequestered in the jury room with other jury members. For this reason, we suggest that you bring books, games, etc. to help pass the time.

• The jury will attend all tribal councils. During tribal council the jury may NOT interact with the players still in the game. You may not speak to them and they may not speak to you. You are there only to observe and to gather information that you will use to make your final decision.

• Jury members MAY NOT discuss or deliberate about the players still in the game. Jurors may not reveal to any other juror who they plan to vote for. Jurors may not attempt to persuade or influence other jurors to vote a certain way. Please do not talk about the game, but instead make your own decisions.

• During the Final Tribal Council, each Juror will have an opportunity to ask questions of the Final players. That will be your only opportunity to speak during Tribal Council.

• Jurors MAY NOT talk while the final voting is going on.

FINAL TRIBAL COUNCIL

• Family and friends are invited to join us for the final tribal council and announcement of the winner. We are anticipating that this will occur at around 8:30pm on the final day. Please tell your family and friends that due to the unpredictable nature of the game that it is possible that we could be running a little late so please be prepared if that should happen. We will try to entertain them until tribal begins.

Cameras are welcome!

Survivor: Coach and Ozzy

Yeeks why they keep bringing back these repugnos, I don't know. Maybe once they get through their vast villain list they'll send Ethan or somebody cool back in. Can you imagine getting Coach on your team? Painful. At least Ozzy is a great competitor.

Survivor Official site with cast, crew, etc click here.

Design Star: Who should win?

I'm rooting Karl, then Meg, then Mark, Kellie last. Karl has the most talent and personality. He's like like nobody else. Has a few wild edges, but he's kept them mostly filed down. Go Karl go.