i'm amazed that i survived

Blameless in Abaddon
Writer: James Morrow
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy/Satire
Pages: 404

I'd never heard of James Morrow until 2003, when I audited a "Modern Science Fiction and Fantasy" course at Maryville College. We ended the term with Morrow's Towing Jehovah, which was the first taste of modern fantasy I'd ever read, let alone religious satire of a modern sort. I loved the book, but every time I'd go to the bookstore, I could never find the subsequent volumes, and I was too lazy to go to Amazon.

Enter the 2005 Odyssey Fantasy Writer's Workshop. One of the "signs" that convinced me to apply was the fact that James Morrow was going to be one of the guest lecturers. When I got in, I wasn't able to score a private or even an in-class critique with him, but his Q&A session was great, and while I remember very little of his lecture in class, I do remember that my experience with the man left me THISCLOSE to buying ALL of his books on Amazon and having them shipped home. I didn't, because I didn't have the disposable income, and that's just as well, because otherwise, dwarvanamazon wouldn't have known what to get my for my SHU graduation.

I was thrilled to get my hands on this book. I'd always known the rather rough arc of Morrow's Godhead Trilogy, so it was really neat to see that arc played out. What's cool is that even though it's been five years since I read Towing Jehovah, it wasn't necessary to have that book fresh on the brain to thoroughly enjoy this one, the independent sequel.

As far as reviews go, I'll be honest, to truly "review" this book would require--for me--such an in-depth analysis that I'd never finish, so I'm not going to bother with a cut. Instead, I'll give you a brief summary, a couple of brief details, and be done with it.

Towing Jehovah centers on one basic premise: God is LITERALLY dead, and it's up to a small-group of people to tow His body to Its final resting place in the Arctic.

But in Blameless in Abaddon, God's body has been discovered and has made world-wide news. There's all kinds of theories revolving around the body, including whether or not God is REALLY dead or simply in a coma. Turns out the latter is true, and our protagonist, Judge Martin Candle, wants to hold God accountable for all the ills of the Earth.

At first glance, it seems a rather silly premise, but it's pulled off with magnificence and subtlety that makes for a very good, intellectual, and entertaining read. Martin's is actually a modern-day Job, a man who's lost everything. Prior to those losses, he was known as one of the most fair judges around Abaddon, Pennsylvania, which makes him a likely candidate for his Herculean task.

The book is divided into three parts: the first introduces us to Martin and his life and reveals how the shit hit the fan. Part two details Martin's journey into God's brain, and oh, what an entertaining journey that is. We meet the "Ideas of" -- essentially, the prototypes of everything of Earth, but living in God's comatose brain. Enter dinosaurs playing Scramble, a guilt-ridden Noah, a know-it-all Saint Augustine, and of course, Adam and Eve, whose appearance might make more traditional Christians flip out. Me, I grinned. The final part of the book is, of course, the trial, and what's more to be said about that?

There's a wealth of fascinating debate and perspective concerning the problem of evil in this book, and of course, it's all anchored to the fact that in this world, God DOES (or did, before for the coma) exist. It's a solid, satisfying read, though Morrow did have me wondering just how much of this book, if any of it, would be different had it been written post-9/11. Maybe I'll get a chance to ask the author myself sometime.

Oh, and one more detail: did I mention that the Devil himself helps narrate the book? He does, and trust me, this particular vision of Lucifer, aka Satan, aka Jonathan Sarkos (as he's named in this text) is more than worth a reader's while, especially by the end.

My Rating

Must Have: I'll always recommend reading books in order, so really, if you haven't yet read Towing Jehovah and you're interested in Blameless in Abaddon, you really should. However, you don't have to. It's a great read with lots of interesting, thought-provoking questions to chew on, worth reading no matter what your religious stance or lack there-of is. Me, I'm once more tempted to go on Amazon and buy the rest of Morrow's backlist. We'll see what happens. :)

Blameless in Abaddon
Writer: James Morrow
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy/Satire
Pages: 404

I'd never heard of James Morrow until 2003, when I audited a "Modern Science Fiction and Fantasy" course at Maryville College. We ended the term with Morrow's Towing Jehovah, which was the first taste of modern fantasy I'd ever read, let alone religious satire of a modern sort. I loved the book, but every time I'd go to the bookstore, I could never find the subsequent volumes, and I was too lazy to go to Amazon.

Enter the 2005 Odyssey Fantasy Writer's Workshop. One of the "signs" that convinced me to apply was the fact that James Morrow was going to be one of the guest lecturers. When I got in, I wasn't able to score a private or even an in-class critique with him, but his Q&A session was great, and while I remember very little of his lecture in class, I do remember that my experience with the man left me THISCLOSE to buying ALL of his books on Amazon and having them shipped home. I didn't, because I didn't have the disposable income, and that's just as well, because otherwise, dwarvanamazon wouldn't have known what to get my for my SHU graduation.

I was thrilled to get my hands on this book. I'd always known the rather rough arc of Morrow's Godhead Trilogy, so it was really neat to see that arc played out. What's cool is that even though it's been five years since I read Towing Jehovah, it wasn't necessary to have that book fresh on the brain to thoroughly enjoy this one, the independent sequel.

As far as reviews go, I'll be honest, to truly "review" this book would require--for me--such an in-depth analysis that I'd never finish, so I'm not going to bother with a cut. Instead, I'll give you a brief summary, a couple of brief details, and be done with it.

Towing Jehovah centers on one basic premise: God is LITERALLY dead, and it's up to a small-group of people to tow His body to Its final resting place in the Arctic.

But in Blameless in Abaddon, God's body has been discovered and has made world-wide news. There's all kinds of theories revolving around the body, including whether or not God is REALLY dead or simply in a coma. Turns out the latter is true, and our protagonist, Judge Martin Candle, wants to hold God accountable for all the ills of the Earth.

At first glance, it seems a rather silly premise, but it's pulled off with magnificence and subtlety that makes for a very good, intellectual, and entertaining read. Martin's is actually a modern-day Job, a man who's lost everything. Prior to those losses, he was known as one of the most fair judges around Abaddon, Pennsylvania, which makes him a likely candidate for his Herculean task.

The book is divided into three parts: the first introduces us to Martin and his life and reveals how the shit hit the fan. Part two details Martin's journey into God's brain, and oh, what an entertaining journey that is. We meet the "Ideas of" -- essentially, the prototypes of everything of Earth, but living in God's comatose brain. Enter dinosaurs playing Scramble, a guilt-ridden Noah, a know-it-all Saint Augustine, and of course, Adam and Eve, whose appearance might make more traditional Christians flip out. Me, I grinned. The final part of the book is, of course, the trial, and what's more to be said about that?

There's a wealth of fascinating debate and perspective concerning the problem of evil in this book, and of course, it's all anchored to the fact that in this world, God DOES (or did, before for the coma) exist. It's a solid, satisfying read, though Morrow did have me wondering just how much of this book, if any of it, would be different had it been written post-9/11. Maybe I'll get a chance to ask the author myself sometime.

Oh, and one more detail: did I mention that the Devil himself helps narrate the book? He does, and trust me, this particular vision of Lucifer, aka Satan, aka Jonathan Sarkos (as he's named in this text) is more than worth a reader's while, especially by the end.

My Rating

Must Have: I'll always recommend reading books in order, so really, if you haven't yet read Towing Jehovah and you're interested in Blameless in Abaddon, you really should. However, you don't have to. It's a great read with lots of interesting, thought-provoking questions to chew on, worth reading no matter what your religious stance or lack there-of is. Me, I'm once more tempted to go on Amazon and buy the rest of Morrow's backlist. We'll see what happens. :)

 

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher

By Kate Summerscale

            

            On a dark night in a country estate called Road Hill House a young boy, Saville Kent, is brutally murdered.  Child of an unpopular government inspector, the suspect list for the gristly death is long, ranging from his nursemaid Elizabeth Gough and his father Samuel Kent to former servants and complete strangers.  The local police don’t know what to do – violent murders aren’t part of their daily routine – so they summon a detective from London with experience investigating homicides.  Scotland Yard sends one of their best men: Detective-Inspector Jonathan Whicher.

 

            (Review continued here...)

So this is a little more than embarrassing for me but I figured I'd ask.
On occasion when I shower I'll notice little white bumps on my nipples.
I'll pinch them and white stuff will come out, sorta like a pimple. It's not like a yellowish tint like a pimple though.
It's just white.
Does anyone know what this is?

http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2008/07/a-mean-trick-to.html

(00:02) Wait for it ...
(00:05) Wa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-it for it ...
(00:08) Al-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-lmost time ...
(00:10) WAKE UP!!  IT'S COLONEL SANDERS!!

(00:11) "Wha-huh?!"

My younger sister is fourteen and she's been sexually active for a couple years and I'm really worried that she isn't being safe. I've given her the rundown about contraceptives and STD's several times but I don't think that made much of an impact on her. I've also gotten her condoms but I don't know if she uses the consistently. I would like her to go on hormonal birth control but I don't think my parents would approve, they are still in denial that she's having sex. If she went to the gynecologist and got a prescription for birth control would the doctor have an obligation to discuss it with my parents? And would she be able to get the prescription filled monthly without their knowledge? We live in Michigan and have TriCare Prime military health insurance if that helps at all.

I hope this hasn't been posted before...I just found this interview with Bret where he briefly talks about the second season of the show:

Question: With the new series, is the central premise going to be the same or will there be any change in circumstances for the band?

Bret: The world will remain the same for the second season. The band will continue to successfully fail in the Big Apple. It's weird, actually, last time around we were able to just film on the spot but this time it has to be a bit more premeditated because people would just be stopping us in the street or trying to get in shot or whatever.

You can read the rest of the article here or under the cut...
( Flight of the Conchords: Comedy Kiwis on Their Musical Dabblings )

About a month ago I started hooking up with this guy. We've pretty much seen each other every day since then, and have had sex many times. However, we haven't had oral sex very often. The first time I gave him head was about 3 weeks ago. The next day I had a sore throat, and few days after I had developed white spots on my tonsils. I went to the Dr. and she told me I had strep throat. I took Amoxicillin and it went away after a couple days. However, I didn't tell her about the oral sex, because at the time I hadn't thought about a possibility of the 2 being connected.

So last night I had oral sex with him again. He didn't cum, and we went on to have unprotected sex (he pulled out). Sure enough, I wake up this morning to an extremely painful sore throat. It feels exactly like how it felt a few weeks ago, which makes me worry that they are both from going down on him. I'm really scared, and feel really stupid for having unprotected sex and being so careless. 

Do you guys think it could be an STI? Is it possible for it to show up so immediately? I'm freaking out, because we've also had unprotected sex several times over the past few weeks. He was a virgin until we started having sex, but I'm pretty sure he received a blow job a long time ago. If it was an STI wouldn't he have symptoms? Also, wouldn't I have symptoms related to my genital area also?

I'm ashamed to admit that I really don't know anything about STIs (STDS?). I don't have any bumps or discharge or anything. Is a sore throat a symptom of an oral STI? What could it be? Would a simple dose of antibiotics cure it? Is it okay to take antibiotics twice in less than 2 months?

Solstice
DVD Quality
1024 x 576
All available in rar file.

( samples and download )

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
DVD Quality
1024 x 576
All available in rar file.

( samples and download )

My father was trying to tell me that the reason we haven't gotten my laptop fixed is to teach me a lesson in how much "torture" it is not to have it. I was like LOLWAT and tried to explain to him that it is certainly not torture and I don't find it to be that huge a necessity. It would be nice to have it, but I'm definitely not dying without it. It's really just letting me be on the internet less and letting me focus on other shit.

Speaking of focus, I am definitely getting my GED. And no, it doesn't make me a "stupid fucking bitch" or a "[M]exican teenage girl who dropped out because of [her] baby." (lololol.) It does make me willing to focus on my education, though. I'm glad someone was finally able to convince my mother, but I'm kind of angry that that someone was not me. I should be able to make my own decisions, esp. if they're not FUCKING RETARDED.

Yeaaaaah.

http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2008/07/going-postal-on.html

The BunMaster 3000® can open junk mail at lightening speeds. With super-fast nomming speeds, you can throw out that donation requests from your alma mater faster than ever before.

Say 'Return to Sendah' in an Elvis voice, Donna B.!

---> brightsplashes & spaptastic <---

THEY'RE BOTH HERE TO SPAM YOUR FLIST WITH THEIR HORRIBLE DRAWINGS SO WHAT YOU WAITIN FOR

Argh I've been having a lot of difficulties lately...

I've been with my bf for a year and nine months, we moved in together with three other housemates in September, but as a couple we are always on and off. This guy is a total computer geek, he has two jobs working with computers and when he comes home he shuts himself in his room and plays games/watches tv/does programming by himself. The trouble is, I don't fit into his life and our sex life is lame. He always comes home late, either because he's been overworking or gone to the pub with friends and when he does come back he complains about being tired/hungry and does his own thing.

Now I know he works long hours, I totally understand he would want to chill out when he gets home, but even when its a weekend and we are watching movies together or something he always refuses me. I talked to him about it last night and he told me that sex tires him out and that he isn't really into it. Our average is once a week, maybe longer at ten mins each time, so as a girl with a high sex drive it's not enough to keep me satisfied. I know it doesn't sound horrific or anything, but he treats sex like a chore that has to be done, the whole 'oh ok if I have to' attitude. If I didn't pester him about it once a week, I doubt he would notice we weren't having sex at all!

I know he is straight and not as prudish as he seems because he has an incredible amount of porn on his computer. I was shocked and angry when I first found all his porn, as there was so much of it despite the fact that he told me he didn't like porn much and our sex life was dwindling. I'm ok with it now, in fact I've asked to watch it with him but he declines (as men do) saying it's his alone time. He has said he feels akward and ashamed he even uses porn, probably because of me or something but I feel he has issues about sex he needs to confront. I just need a way to make sex a more prominent part of our relationship, the more he refuses me, the more I feel upset, angry or even jealous of his porn. Any helpful suggestions?

One other thing, in the last couple of months living with him his hygiene routine has sunk rock bottom. He rarely showers, his room is so full of mouldy food and smelly clothes and he constantly smells of stale sweat/off dairy products. I don't complain during the rare sex we do have, but it isn't very nice. I've asked him about taking a shower together as foreplay but he doesn't like that idea...seriously what can I do? He never used to smell this much before, and I already have a housemate with serious B.O problems!!

http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2008/07/at-the-jedi-ass.html

"A sitz bath, HAH!  Adult diapers, FEH!  A Jedi craves not these things.  And why was there no tapioca with dinner?  Promised it, I was." (incoherent mumbling)

Try to remember him when, Barbara H.

Hello once again, labia ladies.

A few weeks back, I was diagnosed with BV by my ob/gyn and was prescribed 2 g (yes, you read that right) of Flagyl. Strong stuff, yes, but apparently not strong enough. I returned this past week and as it turned out, the BV was still present, along with yeast cells. For this, I was prescribed 1 applicator of Clindesse to be taken at night and two 150 mg doses of Diflucan, to be taken 72 hours apart. Well...clumsiness came into play when I applied the Clindesse and a bit of the cream (a tablespoon at most) slipped out of the applicator. I took the others as directed, but have been noticing that my symptoms are not really improving much. Along with the lack of relief of the symptoms (profuse discharge mostly), I've also found myself experiencing cramps and odd smelling urine. My period is coming on fast, so that could be cause for the cramps, but I can't explain the other. I was tested twice last year for STDs and results were negative both times. Now I'm worried that this infection may have "evolved" into something much larger (PIV? kidney problems?) and will require extensive treatment.

Basically...I'm wondering where to go from here! As always, thank you for your advice.

SCREENCAPS
SHOW: Doctor Who
Episode(s): 4x12 Stolen Earth & 4x13 The Journey's End
File info: zip file, 123MB, 388 images
Uploaded to: sendspace
Credit for caps is nice but not really necessary or anything.

Samples and the link