It was warmer outside than it was in the house this morning. Hubby and I sat in the front yard, me sipping my coffee and him with his morning Pepsi, chatting idly about various subjects when he spotted a flock of large white birds swinging in big slow circles far overhead. He went inside for the binoculars, and I stepped in to grab the bird book. After a few minutes consulting with both we concluded these were American White Pelicans, probably on their way to Elephant Butte Lake for a big fish breakfast.
Spring seems to finally be here – in spite of a little snow as recently as this Saturday. I celebrated by taking my new bike to a service station, where hubby helped “slime” and air the tires so I could ride it home. It needs a little work still, but I really got a bargain! I can tell I’m going to love this bicycle!
As you might imagine, what with a little snow storm, I spent some time curled up under the blankets reading this weekend. Besides, I have this big pile of books I have to get through so I can return them Thursday.
I quit on one book this weekend – but only because I discovered it was a case of mistaken identity. cybergrrl! A Woman’s guide to the World Wide Web
by Aliza Sherman was originally written in 1998 and is now showing a bit of date. Things move and change so fast on the Internet! The back of the book advertised a number of things inside, including great career and business opportunities online, etc. This is a good book for the absolute rock bottom basics if you have never in your whole life turned on a computer, let alone gotten online. But not very interesting for me.
NetSlaves: True Tales of Working the Web
by Bill Lessard had me laughing out loud (really, just ask my long suffering husband) in that sort of bitter humor – so true, so sad, so funny – at the stories of net slaves. He had me at the first minute, when he began by explaining that not every person who works in the computer industry is an instant millionaire, and the fact that you are not one doesn’t mean you are a total loser either. Net slaves is a very down to earth and realistic look at working on the Internet and in the computer industry. And it’s darkly humorous, too. I wish he had spent a little more time looking at the folks he calls “moles”. It seems to me that he basically skipped over that whole great class of us who are really trying to “make a living on the Internet” working from home, self taught, working through sites like HubPages or those other people I try not to mention
We could use a dose of cynical humor!
Kitty Goes to Washington (Kitty Norville, Book 2)
by Carrie Vaughn did not disappoint! Fast, fun, and altogether a delightful breath of fresh are for this paranormal genre. I love it that Kitty was able to happily get laid without massive heavy emotional involvement, entanglement, guilt, or extremely graphic kinky sex. (If I want graphic kinky sex I’ll write it myself, thanks – LOL). Ms. Vaughn has the guts to avoid all the pot boiler paranormal romance requirements, and writes a great entertaining book. You go girl!
It didn’t take me too long to read 
Bleach, Vol. 1 (Collector’s Edition)
– Sorry, couldn’t resist using a picture to share the manga. I think I appreciate manga more now that I have watched more anime. I chose Bleach because I’ve watched an episode or two of the anime and liked it. The manga is pretty good, too – and I wanted to read the first volume or two to get the back story on what is going on (I just watched the most recent installment on the anime). Now that I have a better idea of what is going on – I want to go back and watch a few more episodes of the anime before I really decide if this is (for me) a keeper. I tend to not care so much for the anime/manga that is all fight, fight, fight. At this point, I have to say…intrigued but not yet hooked.
I am about halfway through The Zuni Man-Woman
by Will Roscoe and I suspect that the first half of the book is going to be the best part of it for a lay person. Mr. Roscoe explores the Zuni Berdache; the man who dresses and lives as a woman from an early age. A large part of the first half of the book follows the life of We’wha, a well known berdache who up to 1896 and had considerable contact with white anthropologists – and even shook the President’s hand.
Anyone who has ever felt like a “mannish” woman, or a “feminine” man, people we would now call transsexuals will find this book extremely interesting – as I did. The Zuni seem to consider the berdache (which can be either a woman who lives as a man, or – more commonly – a man who lives as a woman) a third sex. A person who has a special link to the Gods, and who is “complete” in themselves having both man and woman in one person. It is a very healthy, normal and even honored person who becomes a berdache.
The second half of the book seems to be headed into scholarly territory. To me, it seems as if Mr. Roscoe is “over thinking” and trying to justify as well as explore the berdache. But then, I find it perfectly normal that some men live as women, and visa versa. I think it is our societies hang ups and inhibitions that make it a “problem” when in fact it is simply a normal part of life. But I should reserve judgement until I do finish the book. I will say that overall Mr. Roscoe has taken a very non-judgemental stance, which is appreciated.
And now my dinner is getting cold – I hope you enjoyed my Sunday reading list as much as I did!
Blessedbe
Summer Foovay
I wonder if we can look forward to manga on the newest tablet like Kindle? I think I’d really enjoy that.