Books to 30

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28) Dead Sea. Brian Keene. The book that convinced me that no, I really don't want to survive a zombie apocalypse. Hamelin's Revenge starts with the rats and sweeps the globe moving through all species as our hero and his little band of people try to survive. The bit with the insane priest is brilliant.

29) The Wind in the Willows. Kenneth Grahame. I'd read this when I was 8 or 9 and remembered almost nothing of it. It's languid and leisurely and very very British in its sensibility. Rat, Mole and Toad are thoroughly entertaining. But like most adults, it was The Piper at the Gates of Dawn that got me.

30) Tales of Beedle the Bard. JK Rowling. One of the Potter companion volumes, this is a collection of wizarding fairy tales. True to Grimm, they do not avoid uglier aspects of life, nor do they all have happy endings. Excellent.

Movies for 2009

P/f is whether the movie passes the Bechdel Test. There must be 1) Two female characters 2) who talk to each other, 3) about something besides a man.

Passing doesn't make a good movie or a feminist one. Failing doesn't mean a bad movie. I find this an interesting measure of roles for women.

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17) Dawn Patrol. Flyers come and flyers die at a WWI airbase. Typical Warner British Colony movie. Basil Rathbone actually SMILES in this and isn't evil. B&W and wrenching. (f,1 there are no female characters at all.)

18) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Sixth in the series. Suffered from a lack of Neville. Entertaining but left out one major plot point that will have to be addressed in the next movie: WHAT is Voldemort using and why? (f, 3)

19) The Greatest Show on Earth. Cecil B. Demille gives us a grand technicolor spectacle. Cornel Wilde, Betty Hutton, Charleton Heston, Gloria Grahame, Jimmy Stewart and Dorothy Lamour head up a cast of thousands. Heston fights to keep the circus running despite monetary opposition from the brass, competitive trapeze artists and a trainwreck. Excellent, long and glorious. (p)

BPAL: The Mock Turtle's Lessons

Mock Turtle's Lessons (Mad Tea Party) Not quite Turtle Soup: blurry aquatic notes, with a confusing, contrary splort of iris, ambrette, green apple, vodka, white mint and a squish of lime.

Vial: Floral with green apple

Wet: Apple, mint and other stuff, all mixed in. A heckuva throw!

Drydown: Aquatics take over and some iris, but the apple is still there. When I was a kid, I had green apple perfume that always left me smelling like a cider press. This isn't that strong. Hint of lime in with the iris and apple. Aquatics still on top. Something a little sharper peeking through, maybe the mint or an aquatic note.

Dry: A clean sweet scent with some fruit undertones. Very nice and summery. Dressier than Shoggoth or Night Gaunt, though

BPAL: The Bow and Crown of Conquest

Bow and Crown of Conquest (sin & Salvation): And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
Nobility and haughtiness befitting the Antichrist: sage, carnation and cedar with lavender, vanilla, white musk and leather.

Vial: Cedar and sage, sweet and herbal

Wet: sage, cedar and vanilla and musk, the vanilla & musk keeps it from being too dry

Drydown: Cedar is very strong still. Some florals under it. Leather very much an undernote. It's gorgeous and masculine. Not much throw on my skin. Lavender comes through nicely later with the musky vanilla. Cedar and leather turning up. Very manly and sexy.

Dry: Leather base with cedar, musk and vanilla. This is what I had hoped Magus would smell like. I think this is my all-purpose male scent.