Tuesday,
February 19, 2008

I finally figured it out!

I first heard Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me With Science" in my freshman year of college, which would make that, oh, about 25 years ago. Yes, I'm really that old. Anyway, I developed an appreciation for Mr. Dolby's work and person after that, even creating my own homemade message board out of a piece of artboard, a cover featuring Himself from a music magazine and the laminating services of my school's library (and when I brought it home during the summer break my sister promptly vandalized it by drawing a bad mustache and horns on Dolby with permanent marker. Thanks, Stace).

In any case, I've known the lyrics to SBMWS for a quarter of a century, now...except for one section of the bridge where Dolby laments, "I don't believe it/there she goes again/she's tidied up and I can't FIND anything/all my tubes and wires, they're all knots/blahblahblahblahblah blah blah/huh, she's poetry in motion..."

For some reason it never really bothered me that I couldn't figure out what the "blahblahblahblahblah blah blah" section was -- I just accepted it as musical mumbling and left it at that. So when it came on the radio today while I was running some errands, I started singing along, hit the bridge and suddenly realized the mystery lyric was, "...and antiquated notions."

The cranked-up volume may have had something to do with it, I dunno. Still, it's nice to have a small lacuna in my musical knowledge plugged after so many years.

In other news, two very important books were released today that you should run out immediately and purchase. The first, Victory Conditions by Elizabeth Moon, is the final book in the Vatta's War series and is not only a corker of a story and an excellent wrap-up to the series, but also features a rag-tag group of space station riggers who launch themselves in a suicidal but extremely brave attempt to protect their station from an incoming force of space pirates. All of the riggers are named for real-life people who participated in an event Elizabeth calls the Matter of the Sword; as a participant, I'm happy to say that my avatar blowed up real good.

The second book is Schuyler's Monster by Robert Rummel-Hudson, an incredibly cool blogger, writer and dad whose daughter has a rare brain malformation called bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria. Rob is funny, heartwrenching and almost acidly honest about life with a smart, beautiful, inquisitive little girl who has a monster living in her skull that stole her speech, and how modern technology finally gave her a voice. The book is a great read for anyone who loves a child with developmental issues, and Rob will be signing the book at the Plano Barnes and Noble on Alma and 15th Avenue this Friday at 7:30 PM -- I'm sneaking out of ConDFW for an hour to get my book signed, ad Lyndon wants me to buy another copy and get it signed for my mother-in-law, who's fostered kids for the last 30 years and is the go-to person when the Nottingham CPS has a special needs child.

And yes, I made the Kong Go Bongo quilt for Schuyler -- it gets handed over to Rob during the signing (I emailed him and asked him if it would be okay -- I was afraid it would seem kinda weird and stalkerish, along the lines of "Here, Rob, I made this FOR YOUUUUUUUUUU" -- but he's cool with it so it's all good).

As for yours truly and her own writing, much of today was spent finishing "Dash Manning: Galactic Ranger!" -- there's still a bit to go, but I should have it ready for my reading on Friday -- and now there's a lovely chicken korma simmering on the stovetop waiting for the Bodacious Brit to come home.

And on a final note

Last night, as I lay on the couch innocently reading a book and minding my own business, this is what I saw when I glanced up:

"Honey," I said to Lyndon, who was sitting in the recliner across the room. "The Boys are staring at me."

Lyndon looked at the three of us. "Hmm. So they are," he said. "But it's probably because you're their mom and they love you."

Possibly. But it's unnerving nonetheless.

<< Back  |  Email  |  Home  |  About  |  Forward >>