babbling blue

I came across this list of “most significant” fantasy & sci-fi books a few years ago and started reading the books on it that I hadn’t yet. But then I kind of forgot about it. I tracked it down again and decided to post it here for the benefit of…well mainly myself. But if anyone else finds this useful, all the better. The ones I’ve read (to the best of my tattered memory) are in bold. I’d like to start working on the list again.

The Most Significant SF & Fantasy Books of the Last 50 Years, 1953-2002

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov
3. Dune, Frank Herbert
4. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert A. Heinlein
5. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
6. Neuromancer, William Gibson
7. Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke
8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
9. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley (Started it but got distracted)
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
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More funny from Savage Chickens.

It’s good because it appeals to multiple kinds of geeks.

I continue to <3 Savage Chickens! You should go read them all.

See my first mention of this here.

I’ve been rather derelict in my blogging duties, but at least I’ve kept true to my word in not posting when I don’t have something to say. This will be a post of brief mini-updates just to keep all 2-3 of your readers apprised of the exciting goings on in my life!

First, how do I love gmail? Let me count the ways… No there are too many. But in addition to the constantly growing mailbox size limit (I’m using 6% and I have “thousands” of emails), they keep adding cool new shit. For one, I think the new color tagging is nifty. But it is nothing compared to the ability to sign on to AIM through gmail! How cool is that. For those of us “secured” behind overzealous corporate firewalls during much of our day, gmail’s chat can be our only communication with the outside world. . . and link to sanity. But I didn’t know many people who used gtalk/gmail chat. However, that’s rather moot now since I can chat on AIM right in the gmail web client, firewalls be damned. Thanks, Google.

Second, we got our second real snow of the season last night. It was pretty but a minor pain to trudge through this morning before many sidewalks were shoveled. I’m sure I’ll be tired of the snow in . . . 8 minutes.

Third, I went to Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico over the Thanksgiving holiday. My Thanksgiving dinner was fajitas, and much of the day was spent at the pool or beach. I had a freakin’ blast! I love it there. All I have to say is: Pinga, pinga, pinga!

Finally, I knew it was only a matter of time before I did it. Yesterday I was trying to call my cell phone from my desk phone so I could check my voicemail (terrible cell reception in this high rise) and I dialed 911 by mistake. As soon as I saw the number on my display I hung up, thinking I had been fast enough and the call hadn’t gone through yet. But I was mistaken. The 911 Center called me back immediately, and I sheepishly told the operator it was a mis-dial. At least she seemed friendly.

One of the things I don’t like about fall is the bipolar weather. There are really only two seasons around this part of the country: winter and summer. Fall and spring are merely extended transitions between the two.

One of the things I do like about fall is the proliferation of pumpkin products. I am a big fan of all things pumpkin, especially pumpkin pie. I have noticed the various coffee places advertising their pumpkin drinks. So far I’ve tried a pumpkin latte from Dunkin’ Donuts and a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. To my surprise, I liked the DD version better. The Starbucks latte didn’t have enough pumpkin (or spice) flavor and was just rather bland overall. The DD latte was sweet but not too sweet with a noticeable pumpkin flavor. My plan is to try Au Bon Pain’s pumpkin spice latte next, when I have the patience (the ABP near my office doesn’t sell many espresso beverages and they are always very slow when they have to make one, if you can even find the person to order from).

I had a pumpkin muffin from ABP this morning. It was OK, but not quite pumpkiny enough for my tastes. The quest for the best pumpkin breakfast pastry is only beginning. I’ll keep you posted on it as well as any new developments on the pumpkin coffee drink front. I know you want to know.

I needed an afternoon pick-me-up, so I just bought a can of Pepsi out of the vending machine at work.

When I used to work on a different floor here, the vending machine was laid out differently. On my old floor, cans of Pepsi were found in slot B9. I told myself that must be a sign that drinking Pepsi was actually good for me, despite all evidence to the contrary. (Get it? B9. . . benign? I debated on whether or not I should explain this, but decided I probably should.) Of course I didn’t really believe that. But now that I’m up a few floors higher, Pepsi is in B1 and B2. And it doesn’t seem as good for me any more. I have no empirical evidence to support this, but I suspect I may be buying less Pepsi now. It’s strange how symbolism can work on our minds sometimes, even when it’s completely irrational and we know it!

However, I just discovered something good! Pepsi is “VERY LOW SODIUM”! I know this because it tells me so right above the Nutrition Facts. Never mind the 41g of sugar or the 150 calories. A can of Pepsi contains only 1% of my daily sodium intake! And if that isn’t benign, I don’t know what is.

I now have a cat. Her name is Dusty, but she seems to think it’s “Baby”. She’s pretty, but very shy. Once I’m able to get a picture of her I’ll post one on here.

Dusty is around 3 years old (I keep forgetting to ask her exact age) so she is a slightly used cat. But that’s OK.

One of my favorite things in the world is Doritos. I love ‘em. Put a bag in front of me and I’ll scarf half of it down in minutes. Nothing goes better with Doritos than Pepsi. They are both Pepsico products. . . I think they are engineered to cause some kind of chemical effect in the brain akin to pure bliss when consumed together. It’s addictive. But Doritos and Pepsi are both so bad for you; I really try to avoid them when I can. I do not always succeed.

There have been a number of new varieties of Doritos lately. Some of them are wretched (like “Black Pepper Jack”. . . I couldn’t even finish one of those Big Grab bags) but some of them have potential. I noticed another new variety in the vending machine at work, and ponied up the 65 cents to give it a try.

As it turns out, they were pretty darn good. I don’t know if they’ll ever come up with a flavor better than the Big 2 (“Nacho Cheese” and “Cool Ranch“), but if you’re looking for something different, give the “Blazin’ Buffalo & Ranch” a try. They are a bit spicy, but not obnoxiously so. . .I’d say juuuust right. I saw a full size bag of these at the store last night, and it took all my willpower not to put one in my basket.

This is NOT something I’d actually talk about in person. You’d look at me funny. But since this is the internet, you can’t see me (nyeah nyeah!) so I figured I’d just go for it. I’m sure other people think about these things. Right?

I don’t like using toilets in public restrooms, and ideally I’d avoid them altogether. Unfortunately I don’t have quite that level of control over my body’s systems. So I have to use them. I figure since I can’t avoid them I should make the experience as painless as I can.

Thus I have a favorite toilet at work. Normally in public restrooms I gravitate toward the handicap stalls (there’s a funny “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode that involves the use of the handicap stall) because they are spacious and I don’t feel so boxed in. They’re also often along the wall. However, here I went with a regular stall, but one in an ideal location. It’s along the wall so there can only be a person on one side of you. But the next stall over has a door that doesn’t stay closed, so it’s not used much. And while the other stalls are across from the urinals, this one is on its own across from a section of hall that doesn’t get much use. It’s almost like my own little private bathroom!

I am sure I put way too much thought into this. But hey, I’m a thinker. I can’t help it. So dear readers, do any of you want to own up to having a favorite toilet stall in some frequented public restroom? You know you want to!

While I’m on the topic of bathrooms, I want to spend a moment on automatic restroom fixtures. We have automatic sinks and urinals, but not toilets. Thank God! I HATE automatic toilets. I guess most people must sit stiff as a board while they do their business. But heaven forbid you lean forward or something and *FLUSH* your ass gets all wet unless you jump up really fast. The auto urinals are fine. I’m not a huge fan of the automatic sinks, but they’re better than the “push” kind where you push down on the knob(s) and water runs for a few seconds before you have to push again with soapy hands. Plus, they just put new auto faucets in our bathrooms. I think they use less water, but they also have more reliable sensors than the old ones. Gotta love technology! Except on toilets. Or towel dispensers. We don’t have auto towel dispensers either, which is good. I hate those too.

Ok, enough talk about the water closets. Have a nice weekend!

Being a liberal and a bit of a geek, I am naturally drawn to NPR (National Public Radio). But who actually listens to the radio any more? I don’t. But thanks to the miracle of podcasts, I can get my fix.

And of the numerous quality NPR programs, my favorite is most definitely “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me”. For those of you not as in the know as I, “Wait Wait” is a weekly news quiz show, recorded Thursday night in Chicago and broadcast on the radio on Saturday morning. But of course, as previously mentioned, those of us who have little use for the radio (or Saturday mornings) can get the podcast. (Or we can go to a taping, which I’ve done and plan to do again.)

The show is a perfect combination of comedy and information. It includes a host (Peter Sagal), an announcer (NPR newsman Carl Kassell) and a panel of three minor celebrities that changes from week to week. Frequent guests include Paula Poundstone, (Ho)Mo Rocca, P.J. O’Rourke and Roy Blount, Jr. There are also regular people that call in and participate and usually another celebrity call-in guest. When I was at the taping, it was S. Epatha Merkerson (a.k.a. Lt. VanBuren on “Law & Order”). A couple weeks ago it was Sally Jesse Raphael, who was actually quite funny.

The prize the contestants win if they’re successful in whatever news-related challenge they are presented with is Carl Kassell’s distinctive voice on their answering machine. The panelists compete and get points, but just to have fun.

The latest episode was taped after Cheney’s semi-successful legal-eagle hunting expedition and it’s hilarious. Of course with an event like that, the jokes practically write themselves. But they had some good ones.

Now that you’re done reading this, go download the podcast and listen.

I said “now”.