Here we are again at the end of another month. They just fly by, don't they? Which is why, out of four books, only one of these is a 'proper' book. Let's get the non-novels out of the way first, shall we? And in a controversial move, I shall do the first two at once!
To assist me in my goal of becoming a fully fledged Desperate Housewife, I was presented with these two books on my birthday back in March. It hasn't taken me this long to read them really, I just sort of skimmed through and looked at the pictures at the time. This month, however, as well as ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the delectable pictures of cakes, I took the time to really look at the recipes and read the forewords and everything. I have come to the conclusion, though, that my friends only bought me these books so that I would make the cakes and they could eat them.
* Title from page 31 of the hummingbird Bakery Cookbook: Hazelnut and chocolate cupcakes
Now, before you all start complaining that this is a magazine and not a book, let me tell you that this is 114 pages of reviews of every episode of Star Trek: Voyager (plus other articles, interviews and assorted gubbins) all in teeny tiny writing. It's probably equivalent to reading War and Peace*. This special edition is from 2001, the year that Voyager ended, an excellent time to conduct a review, wouldn't you say? As well as containing reviews, it also has trivia, personnel files, teaser descriptions and various 'counts' that keep track of shuttles destroyed, crew deaths and photon torpedoes fired, amongst other things. The reason I hauled this out of The Host's Star Trek archives (I have owned it since 2001 and it has a place amongst my other Star Trek books & sundries) was for SP. You see, Voyager was being shown on SKY1 (or 2, I'm not entirely sure) up until earlier this month, and SP got into it in a big way, so I gave him this to read so he knew what happened in the earlier episodes that he'd missed. Then, once he was finished with it, I re-read it myself.
* Probably. I've never read War and Peace but I've heard that it's a very long book.
A work colleague loaned me this book after he was telling me about the author's Commonwealth Saga novels and how amazing they were (his words, not mine as I haven't read them). This novel is a prequel to the aforementioned saga. It was ok. A very easy read but certainly nothing special. If you want to know what it's about, click the title link - I'm too hot to be bothered to write any more.
After a veritable 'avalanche' of one entry to this competition (1.2 if one includes Miss Scarlet and xl's entries), I declare the winner to be ErosWings! Eros very nearly scored full points with his answers, so congratumalations to him. The only one that was misplaced was Comment 9 which MJ left on the post Missing: MJ, and not post 10.
Here are the comments as I received them into my gmail inbox:
1.
2.
3.
4&5.
6,7&8.
9.
Congratulations again, Eros! There's no prize as it's been too bloody hot here to even think of what would be a suitable prize, never mind to actually go out and get one, but thank you for taking part anyway.
And apologies to Roses and BEAST for the scrambled brain cells and seizure, respectively.
As MJ has returned and ruined the previous compo (although she says you can carry on and think up names, although why you'd bother after one of Kapitano's suggestions tickled her fancy, I don't know?), I bring you this one, inspired by her missing comments. I have laid out below a few of MJ's recent comments on this blog, as received into my Googlemail inbox. All you have to do is match the comment to the post it was from and, in case of a tie-breaker situation, what number comment they were and/or between which other bloggers comments. All of the missing comments were made in June posts of this year (bar one which was made in June but was from a May posting), so there's no need to go flailing around my dusty crypt to seek out where the comments could have come from. You may either leave your answers in the form of a comment, or email them to me - My email address is in my Blogger Profile over there on the right.
Well? What are you waiting around for? Snap to it! And remember, you can click the comments to embigulate.
The currently blogless MJ has tasked us to help her come up with a new name for her new blog which should be in service in the new year. I know it seems a long way off, but MJ will be having a very busy summer (and probably Autumn/Fall & Winter, too), so we have plenty of time to come up with suggestions. We do need to come up with a name good enough to inspire Mistress MJ to blog sooner rather than later, as, in her own words: "I'll just pop 'round to everyone elses blogs and boss you all around.
Now help me think up a name!" And we all know how good she is at being bossy, so the sooner she gets back to blogging, the better it'll be for the rest of us.
The lovely Roses says: "So we need to come up with a name that encompasses Filthy Fridays, Cocks with Frocks, the Fag, Hag and Old Slag Dating service, the Plaid Room, the Oubliette, Beast's underwear and Ms Scarlet's crates of Febreeze?
Bimboland (by xl) and The Unbearable Lightness of Weeing (by BEAST).
So, get your thinking caps on and put forward your thoughts, suggestions and ideas of a blog title that encapsulates (rather like a fragrance) Infomaniac, Essence Of MJ.
Like a ghost in the machine, Infomaniac lingers on as evidenced in the above Google-search. These three images are the first ones to pop up - Says it all, doesn't it?
No. Not the one with Bo Derek and Dudley Moore. This is a meme of 10 questions from xl. You can see his questions and answers here.
1. Coke or Pepsi?Definitely Coke. Pepsi tastes like brown water.
2. Do you play a musical instrument?Yes, actually, I do. Two, in fact. The piano and the flute. Although I haven't played either in a few years.
3. If you could go back in time, would you make a different decision in your life? But I can go back in time. And forwards. But I'm very careful to leave things as I found them. After all, I have seen 12 Monkeys, The Butterfly Effect and that Simpson's Treehouse of Horror episode where Homer's hand get's caught in the toaster, so I know the kind of things that can go wrong if one meddles around with the fabric of time and space.
4. Which sport do you consider to be "football?"The one where grown men roll around on the pitch crying because someone may have inadvertantly tripped them up.
5. Do you like to travel? Yes. But only in the solitude of Car or a private jet. I haven't actually been in a private jet yet - I don't need to because I've got Broom - but I imagine it's a lot more pleasant than mingling with the scum waiting to board a packed 737 to Alicante.
6. Do you like Piña Coladas and getting caught in the rain?Piña Coladas are OK, but I much prefer being out in the rain. But only if I'm on my way back from somewhere, not going to. 7. Surely you like cats, right? Well, they're OK in a selfish, claw-your-eyes-out sort of way.
8. Beatles or Stones? Beetles. They're a staple of so many recipes. Stones are only good for throwing at people in glass houses. Oh, for Christ's sake! I'll answer it: Stones. The Beatles are far too overhyped for a really-not-very-good band who were only bigger than Jesus because they subsisted on more than bread, fish and wine. Plus, there were four of them.
9. Which foreign languages can you speak (regardless of fluency)? I have a smattering of French and German at my disposal. Oh, and only a pinch of Vulcan. Well, Kling akhlami buhfik.
10. What special meal would you prepare for me? Oh, I'm really not very good at meals. I can do puddings and cakes, though!
Now. Should anyone like to have a go at this, here are the 10 questions I'd like you to answer:
1. What's your earliest memory? 2. What was the last thing you ate? 3. Would you support a comeback by Steps? 4. What is your dream car? 5. How tall are you? 6. Margaret Thatcher vs Queen Elizabeth II: Who would win and why/how? 7. Mama Cass died choking on a sandwich. What sandwich filling would you happily choke on? 8. Has a pick-up line ever worked for you? If so, what was it? If not, what was the worst reaction? 9. You find yourself inexplicably cloned, barely wearing something sexy, and gagging for it. You would, wouldn't you?! Just out of curiosity, or maybe for some other reason? 10. How did you find this blog? Go on, indulge me!
Thank you Continuity Announcer. I'll just carry on now, shall I?
Some of the more astute among you - Well, the few that have visited since yesterday(this is not a link to yesterday's post) - may have noticed a few small changes in blog content here. I've rearranged some of the links and added a few new ones, including a new section called Caress My Crystal Ball. Now, before you ooh and ahh in faux horror at the perceived innuendo, let me tell you that, like Homer Simpson, I can't even say titmouse without giggling like a schoolgirl - Hee hee hee. Heee hee hee!
* ahem *
Anyway, if you do happen to let your gaze slide over to the sidebar and down a bit you will see that by caressing my crystal ball you are taken to various sites of artistic wonder. Like Concept Ships, for instance, which collects images of futuristic transport from various artists. I have taken the liberty of including a few snippets for you:
This '50s Ford concept looks a little like the Autobot Arcee...
Whereas this jet reminds me of one of the dragon-thingies from Avatar. What are they called? Ikran or something? Actually, it first reminded me of a dragon that Rodney Matthews once drew, but I can't find a picture of it to show you the similarities... (original image via)
Now before that Continuity Announcer comes back, I've just got time to let you know that it's Coven Member Extraordinaire and teeterer atop the Hag Pillar* Miss Smuggersham's birthday tomorrow. Although, don't get your hopes up for an appearance as she hasn't updated her blog in months. She's probably off being all Smug Married somewhere. Either that or she's actually been half eaten by Alsations...
* Although, her Extraordinariness and Teetering ability is in question due to her extremely long absence!
18. The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook and 19. The Australian Women's Weekly Cupcakes & Fairy cakes
I have come to the conclusion, though, that my friends only bought me these books so that I would make the cakes and they could eat them.
20. SFX Collectors Edition: Voyager
21. Misspent Youth, by Peter F Hamilton
