If "Twilight" Was About Dragons

Ok forgive the grammatical error in the post title. I'm just copying it from the title of the story. (It should be "were" because it's the subjunctive....and now you're falling asleep, sorry--back to the point of the post).

This story is probably funnier if you're at all familiar with the Twilight series, but even if not, it's an amusing read. So dive on in to the next great American bestseller: Enter the Dragon.

My one complaint? No guest appearance by Trogdor.

The blogger/author says about himself, "I’ve been writing semi-professionally for the internet semi-soberly for the past few years. Writing for the internet is to literature what aimlessly punching statues in the nuts is to karate, which is to say that it makes me slightly more qualified than your average, mentally disadvantaged homeless man."

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WOW. Okay. So I admit, I was a little skeptical about reading this book, but WOW. I read pretty much non-stop from a Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon, and I would have probably read it all in one day had I begun in the morning.

This is technically a young adult book, but it will hook ANYONE of any age. A dystopian novel, The Hunger Games is set in the country of Panem, which used to be the US. The country is divided into districts of varying levels of prosperity, from the well-off to the poverty-stricken, but all districts are under the absolute authority of the Capitol. In punishment for past rebellions, each of the districts must send two young people to compete in the annual Hunger Games--a sadistic Survivor-type competition that ends only when one victor remains and the others have killed each other off or died from exposure, starvation, and so on.

The novel has echos of Brave New World, Roman gladiator culture, reality television, and The Road. It's a brilliant reflection on power and privilege, human fascination with violence as entertainment, voyeurism and privacy, rebellion, and of course, teenage romance (written in a smart, non-cheesy, complex manner). The sequel comes out September 1...not sure how I am going to make it till then! Better than most so-called adult literature I've read in the last year, hands down.

View all my reviews >>

Worst Harry Potter Tats

In honor of HP 6, here are the worst Harry Potter tats. I mean WOW. I think the #5 (pictured above) is actually the worst of them all, particularly given that it covers a woman's entire thigh!! WTF. As gross as it is, though, the tattoo work itself is impressive---look at those teeth! They might leap off her leg and rip apart my soul into a series of horcruxes!

Smark sent me this too and gets mad when I don't give him credit.

Neutral Man's Burden

This is one of the funniest editions of "The Word" on the Colbert Report in recent memory. Colbert has a brilliant take on the grilling of Sotomayor and the difference between how she is lambasted for making a comment about her background helping her make judgments and how Alito three years ago was applauded for discussing his own family's Italian background. Apparently life experiences make you a better judge...if you are a white male. If you're anyone else, well, you're a clear Band-Aid (watch the clip).

My favorite line is the first one about touching a hot stove. Love it. Thanks to Smark for sending me this.

Eternal Moonwalk

Yes, everyone's sick of the MJ coverage...but this is too fun not to share. I'd describe the site...but just watch. The best dancers are the kids and random people in costume, but the terrible dancers are probably more entertaining than the good ones. I also saw a cat, a puppet, an office chair, and a car do the moonwalk--impressive! Lesson learned: (unsurprisingly) Germans, Beligians, and assorted Eastern Europeans are not good dancers at all.

You can even add your own fancy pants moves!

Thanks to Steak for the link.

Chickpea Salad

I'm following the Big City Cooking blog and finding some great ideas. Yesterday I made this very simple and tasty chickpea salad (picture is from their site). It was blend of great summery tastes, especially the cilantro and red onion. Living in Texas now, the thought of cooking anything that's hot is extremely unappealing, so I'm collecting good recipes for cool treats. I'd recommend adding a bit more garlic and parsley--the cilantro sort of drowns out the parsley taste, so you might want to adjust the ratio slightly depending on your own taste preferences. As a commenter suggested, I'd also add a bit of red wine vinegar next time (and slightly reduce the olive oil). Maybe some celery for a little more crunch? Lots of possible tweaks, but it was already quite tasty as is.

YUM!

Pug Pushing a Pink Stroller

Exactly what it sounds like. I'm not a huge fan of pugs, but this video may just have changed my mind. Sure to make your Monday a bit happier!