Hobbit-Sense at OneFreeGarden.com

Another quick takes Friday!  I really want this blog to form into a community (doesn’t have to be a huge one, like some of the awesome bloggers out there, but it’d be nice to have a regular crowd of commenters!), and so I’m trying to figure out a writing schedule I can stick to so that there’s more than 2 posts per week.  

Okay, on to the quick takes:

1.  I know as a culture, we like to idealise presidents and their families, but when I saw Michelle Obama described as “First Lady of Fashion” in a local newspaper this week, I was reminded of my inner furor over this issue.  Sometimes, Mrs. Obama looks great.  Other times, I think she’s had some fashion missteps (that floral print?  that weird black and red number?).  So, why do I keep hearing these comparisons to Jackie O.?  Jackie actually worked with designers, she didn’t just buy their things, and honestly, I don’t think it’s disrespectful to view M.O.’s fashion with reality rather than some weird worshipfulness.  She’s an accomplished woman in her own right, but she’s not a fashionista (nor should it matter).  Besides, compared to Carla Bruni (Sarkozy), no other leader’s wife has a chance.

2.  So, I was watching Dragons’ Den last night, and I realised that, beyond people having a lot of wacky ideas for companies, and even worse, some people think those are good ideas!  For any who are unfamiliar, it’s a show in which people who are starting or trying to expand businesses get to pitch to five successful business people for investment.  I was watching the UK version; it started in Japan, and is also in Canada (Australia’s was cancelled;  the US may get one called Shark something, after the Japanese version).  So, a fellow and his wife come in, and he talks about having had serious heart surgery, and making a mold for his wife of his lips in case he didn’t make it (like a little kiss).  That’s all well and good, but as a business, the idea of selling kits for lots of people to do the same thing is.. wacky.  Maybe it’s me, but the idea of having a cast of lips… well, say I was married and my husband died – am I supposed to kiss that thing?  It still wouldn’t be him.  

So, I figured the Dragons were going to shoot this down… they are not ill-named.  The Scotsman, Duncan, declares himself “out” quickly, but doesn’t actually rip into them.  Then a couple more say they’re out – but that they LOVE the product!  So, I’m thinking Peter Jones is going to rip them a new one – but he loves it, too!  And Theo Paphitis, who sits there and tests products by pulling at them, and tells those pitching to justify him giving them his children’s inheritance, agrees!  Nobody invested, but 80% liked it?  WHAT?!  Am I missing somerthing here? 

Then they invested in a product called iTeddy that looks cute.  But I have something similar that you can plug an iPod (or anything with an earphone jack) into (the iPulse bear, but I renamed him TechnoTeddy), so I of course protested loudly.  That said, I think it will be successful, but TechnoTeddy is sooo much cooler… I can’t find my pic of him, but if you Google image iPulse bear he comes up (I have the white one).

3.  Apparently, “to pluto” is now a verb… This I learned from Ace of Cakes (Thursday night has too much good TV).  Apparently, it means to demote something, as in, “you’ve been plutoed.”  

In my mind, Pluto is still a planet, and I’d rather they have added a 10th planet than take away Pluto’s planet status… it’s just not fair.  My favorite funny guys, Rhett and Link, commemorated Pluto with a song – music video below (totally clean – they’re hilarious and family friendly.

4.  So, I started my job on Tuesday – it’s actually a good set-up, about 30 hours a week.  Nothing fancy, but it’ll help me pay my student loans and also buy my plane ticket to go teach English in Eastern Europe next September, so I’m glad.  I also get to play chemist, and can make commission on top of salary, so that’s good.  The only problem was putting up the canvas tent around my kiosk.  I’m about five feet tall, and that is definitely not enough, so when I closed up Tuesday night, having never done it before, I spent forty five minutes circling my chair around the stand and climbing up it to try to get this canvas thing up.  I knew what it was supposed to be, but then I think I had it upside down, which was not so good, and so I became completely confused.  That night, my kiosk was the saddest in the mall.  I opened the next day, so I got there early so that none of the other kiosk people would see my shame.  I went back that night and a coworker showed me the trick..  I’m thinking I’m going to be making a hook on a stick to help me out getting it up there.  Even if I don’t, though, I definitely won’t be getting to my car an hour after closing tonight, and that will be awesome.

5.  I thought about making a post about how I never make resolutions for the new year, and then I realised I had.  I’m trying to read a book a week (on average).  Luckily, I stacked up Brisingr and a few Narnia books (Narnia was a reread), because I’ve been working on Chesterton’s The Everlasting Man since around Christmas.  I am within 30 pages of being done finally, so I won’t be getting behind.  Yay!  It’s really great, so expect some Chestertonian-themed posts.  As far as I can simply (if that’s possible), the first part’s thesis is: “There is a God, because man painted in caves.”  The second part is: “Christ is God, because people long for truth and stories, and he fulfilled both.”  I love these two arguments.  :D

6.  RIP Ricardo Montalban.  I wish I could say I knew his work better than I do, but what I do know of it is all good.  He was a great actor and a good person.  

7.  Writing blog posts is hard!  I’ve been working on and off on a post about just why we like scifi and fantasy so much as a culture, and I keep revising.  It makes me think of something Jen F. mentioned about people who worry about quality not writing as well or much as those who forego second guessing to just write as much as they can.  So, while I keep writing and hacking away at this one, I’m going to try to get my head around the idea of quality and just go for it… So, look for a post on what scifi and fantasy say about us in the next couple days.  

Well, that’s it for the second Quick Takes!  yay!!!

-tRG