Unabridged Opinions

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to go to a physics’ work party (not my work party…but hey, scientists generally throw good ones) that was held on the 43rd floor of the Hilton, the tallest building in Manchester (by a “wide margin” according to Wikipedia). The views were excellent; pizza was consumed in copious amounts, and the beer was cold. It was also fun to get a look into what is definitely one of the premier addresses in Manchester. The views are amazing, but we’ll probably stick with our quieter, cheaper, flat for the time being. Although being able to see the (now under renovation) Central Library (it’s that circular building on the left of the photo) from above was seriously cool. I still can’t believe that that was my public library. The new one isn’t as impressive on the outside, but it’s equally gorgeous on the inside. So cool.

The second highlight of the weekend was a new book, a new series, and a new author. (Colin) Bateman’s Mystery Man is one of the funniest books I’ve ever run across. The combination of random references to classic detective novels, what must be one of the few laugh-out-loud grammar jokes in literary fiction, and an unnamed, totally wacky, detective made it the highlight of my month, if only for quotes like this one (prompted by our not-so-intrepid detective trying to deny both that his store is named “No Alibis” and that its motto is “Murder is our business”.)

Noahbylies–yes, indeed. It’s an….Elvish word. Elvish for bookshop. We specialise in science fiction and fantasy novels. You know, Lord of the Rings. Mordor is our business.

Hee. Continue reading

This is York. I was in York with a friend who was visiting us from the US this month; it’s the third time I’ve been to York, partially because I will take any excuse, any excuse at all, to eat at J Baker’s Bistro. This place is definitely a destination restaurant, and while there are tons and tons of reasons to travel to York, it would be difficult for me to convince myself to eat somewhere else. So, so good. And reasonable. And right next to an excellent used bookstore. See? perfect!

This time I was also with a friend game enough to go to the Jorvik Viking Centre.  It’s full of animatronic Vikings, ancient medallions, and…authentic smells. Luckily, the friend I was with is a middle school admin and so is used to people breaking down into giggles at funny smells.  Also, she’s willing to giggle along. We hiked to the top of Clifford’s Tower for a gorgeous view of the town. And then wandered around the shops and various other historic type landmarks. It was great fun, and my Jorvik entrance is good for twelve months, so I have yet another excuse to go back!

Before York, though, I was at conferences in Hertfordshire and Portugal (first one…fine, second one…more fun, but exhausting). Both of them were…warm.  The weather here (up until this week) has been…well, unusual.  Super warm, a bit muggy, and not a drop of rain in sight. It was eerie, although I think I was the only one who had been programmed by her upbringing to get very twitchy at the mention of “lack of rainfall” and a “possible drought”; everyone else mostly seemed okay with the idea of a very dry summer!

I was also lucky enough to get invited to a Simon and Schuster “bloggers” event.  We watched a short presentation and got to listen to a roundtable discussion about publishing from a few of the Simon and Schuster editors and others. It was actually quite cool. Of course, we also got…free books! AND a bag to put them in.  A high-quality bag, I must mention, because it managed to cart home the 15+ books I grabbed without showing any sign of strain.  To top it off, I finally got to meet the guys who run Bookgeeks, AND I popped into the British Library on my way over.  Total success, I think.

Next, we’re off to Sri Lanka and phase two of my work project kicks off.  August and September are already looking very, very busy.

First of all, yes, that is Mark Todd. And, yes, I took the picture. I was right there at the corners at Badminton and got to take a picture of Mark Todd (and learn a lot about the difference between the greats and the out-of-this-worlds when it comes to riding). Eep. We were at these fences (two corners on a line, with an alternate set of fences if the corners weren’t going to work out) for about twenty minutes–and during that time most of the riders made it over in various versions of the classic eventing “get it done”–they made it over, but the lines were wobbly, or the jumps a bit awkward. And then came Mark Todd, who, it was obvious, picked a line, stuck to it, and made the fences look so easy (on one of the greener horses at Badminton!). It was absoutely amazing to be close enough to watch–and tons of fun to listen to the commentary swirling around. Most of which was along the lines of “well, of course it was great, he’s “Mark Todd“. Said in exactly that tone of voice.

The rest of the day was equally excellent. It would have been great if only because it started with what must have been the cutest/most hysterical “event” ever: The Shetland Pony Grand National.
I am proud to say that my pick, number 15, excelled! (They may have even won the entire thing, ahem). When asked for my secret later, I had to admit that I picked the pony because she had stomped on her handler and then tried to bite her rider. Definitely a winner. The riders were great as well. There were only two “mishaps” that resulted in a jockey hitting the dirt (one happened before the poor kid even got to start the race!), and everyone had a great time cheering for the ponies as they raced around the track and over the jumps.  The whole weekend was just unbelievable. Even if it was freezing cold, wet, and pouring down rain for bits–which ended up being an excuse to buy a pair of Dubarry boots–my new favourite pair of shoes. We also hit up the rest of the trade fair, and, since we walked the cross-country “backwards”-ish (mostly from last to first…) we didn’t really have to deal with the crowds too much–although the mud that everyone had churned up by the end of the day was fairly incredible.  Next up, Burghley!