PAULA WHYMAN
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Cool New Site for Scifi/Fantasy

paulawhyman — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:23:13 -0500

I want to give a shout out to a new site started by a group of authors primarily of science fiction/fantasy. It's a coop, where writers post their work, some offered free and some for sale. Ursula K. LeGuin is a founding member. Thank you to author/member Nancy Jane Moore for alerting me.

Check it out:

Book View Cafe

Out of the Desert and into the Post-Post-Feminist Era

paulawhyman — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:52:51 -0500

I've been
floating a theory that one reason Barack Obama could be elected
president while Jesse Jackson could not is that Obama was not part of
the Civil Rights movement, the movement that clearly helped make these
historic events possible. Obama has emerged, post-Civil Rights, the
way having been cleared for him by a previous generation, much like the
Israelites were said to be forced to wander in the desert for 40 years,
waiting for enslaved generations to die off and make way for a
generation that knew only freedom. Believe me, I understand that
freedom is relative and not absolute; however I think the metaphor can
be applied.

Tony Orlando Takes France

paulawhyman — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:19:04 -0500

It has come to my attention that Tony Orlando has a huge fan base in France. It's looking like he could even be the next Jerry Lewis. I'm wondering if he's aware.

Tony?

Do you feel the love?

Sentez-vous l'amour?

Don't Even Think About It.

paulawhyman — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:06:15 -0500

I feel like I should preface this by saying that I think guns are bad. I think war is bad. I think fighting is bad, especially when it's over the number of rubber bands in one's possession (see earlier post on this topic in honor of Mother's Day). Like my parents before me, I will not give my children toy guns to play with.

Full disclosure, however: The one who went as a cowboy this Halloween had two toy pistols in his possession for a single night, which only served to prove the point, since they were immediately turned on his brother, who in turn wielded his ninja sword, and the rest is history, as are the toy weapons. And, shocking disclosure--My parents who would never in a million years give me a cap gun or a GI Joe when I was a kid, gave my children toy soldiers. Huh?? Luckily, the soldiers aren't so attached to their roles; they make good farmers, too.

Democracy Works, Finally

paulawhyman — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:02:58 -0500

And now is when I get sappy, a condition I previously exhibited only during dog food commercials.

I'm grateful today to be able to tell my kids that sometimes democracy actually works.

I'm grateful to be around to participate in this historic moment and, I hope, the ones to follow.

I'm grateful that I don't have to move to Canada. (No joke, I would've considered it. I hear you can see Alaska from there.)

I found myself (uncharacteristically) sobbing along with Jesse and Oprah during Obama's acceptance speech, and not just the part where he said he was getting his kids a puppy, although that did put me over the edge. In part, it was out of relief that this long, dark period may finally be coming to a close.

REMEMBER TO VOTE TODAY!!

paulawhyman — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:26:04 -0500

In case it was humanly possible for anyone to forget...

But only if you're voting for the right team, otherwise please do everyone a favor and stay home.

This has been a public service announcement.

AC/DC Radio? I'm Over It.

paulawhyman — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:16:21 -0400

Uncle.

Okay, I said it. On the best day, I can listen to four songs by AC/DC, the four good songs. But somehow XM has managed a month (or more? it seems like more...) of 24/7 AC/DC on channel 53. I get it, there's a new album. Now please bring back Fungus 53. I miss Pennywise.

According to sources, XM/Sirius is playing AC/DC until January, and axing Fungus completely. This is just the kind of nonsense I predicted in my earlier post on this merger.

So, hey--My subscription is up for renewal in January--Anyone listening? Please don't make me shout.

Tony Orlando vs. Brad Pitt

paulawhyman — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:32:31 -0400

So are more people interested in Tony Orlando or Brad Pitt? The answer would seem obvious, but it's a theory worth testing. If you peek at artsyfartsytim.blogspot.com, you'll see we have some crucial scientific research going on. Why does Tony Orlando get so many hits? (But, note to A.F. Tim, I don't think the prisoners are the ones there with the internet access??) Will Brad Pitt (pictured here in Thelma and Louise) inspire the same interest? Why does Brad keep bleaching his hair? (He's going, Gee, is it that obvious? Yes, Brad, it is.)

In Emergency, Add Water

paulawhyman — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:49:51 -0400

I was in the CVS today in a town I will not name. I needed, among other items, a flashlight. After searching up and down the aisles (there were about 20 aisles), I asked where to find a flashlight.

"We don't have those right now. That's a seasonal item," I was told.

So, darkness is seasonal? I'm going outside right now to look for the aurora borealis...

In this very same store, however, there is a large selection of Chia Pets. What a relief! My emergency Chia Pet needs can now be fulfilled

The New Bank of Me, part 2

paulawhyman — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:10:44 -0400

I know I'm not supposed to be joking about this, but what should I do, cry?

So, I went into the bank today to get some money, and they still had some there, much to my surprise. Given what I've been hearing in the news, I expected all the teller windows to be shut, and "Come back later" scrawled with a Sharpie on the outside. The bank manager asked if he could help me (usually, in the bank, they ignore me--maybe I looked dangerously deranged?). So I told him I wanted to make a withdrawal and transfer some funds to the Mattress Account. His smile frozen in place, he said, amiably, "We try not to make jokes like that here..."

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