It's a magical world

---

# Canadian sff author Dr. Peter Barnes was beaten and detained at the U.S. border this week, and now he's being sued for assaulting a border patrol officer. As the Cobell lawsuit proved earlier this week, fighting Uncle Sam takes time and money; think about donating, if you can.

# Cat Valente smacks it to literary fiction in this post at her LJ (yuki_onna). I think she says some very perceptive things about literary fiction, which is a genre all its own (just like vanilla is a kink!), and its genre rules, and how these rules contrast with sff's.

# A post on tag wrangling 101 by my fellow wrangler akamine_chan. I've been putting in my Yuletide sweat equity wrangling Yuletide fandoms lately--as I said in our chatroom, if tag wrangling is a degree in fandom, Yuletide is a Ph.D. (I might be getting us an icon that says that, actually). We need more wranglers to join our steampunk crew, please think about joining! It helps to be detail-oriented and slightly obsessive, I've found.

# Via my sister, American history, but with cats. (Read "U.S." for "American".)

# Speaking of Cat Valente and of steampunk, her steampunk story "The Anachronist's Cookbook" is now available on her website! Unlike many steampunk writers, CMV does not ignore many of the genre's problematic tendencies.

I realize this has mostly been Twitter recaps and/or radio silence lately. I don't have much to say atm, really, since I spent most of the last week reading books (@ work, no less) and translating. I had so much fun with the latter that I might do Arakawa's Yuriika interview from last June. Yuriika is a great resource that I criminally under-utilized while I was in Japan. Cue the microscopic violins.

My dad and I saw "The Taking of Pelham 123" tonight. What a weird movie. I liked it because subways! (and, honestly, a not too rosy portrayal of New York City), but seriously, very weird--a movie that doesn't know what genre it is, or even where its sympathies lie, much less how to tie up the umpteen plot-threads and insinuations it leaves dangling. On a similar note, avoid "Rudo y Cursí" like the plague, since it is just outright bad.

Between Love and Madness Lies Tempest

That pretty much sums you up!

Interest lists are interesting; this is also another way to blather about myself. :-) My seven interests were chosen for me by naraht; leave a comment and I'll choose seven off your interest list for you.

• chai: So easy to ruin, so delicious when done well. One of my favorite ways to consume caffeine, though I will readily admit that the only places I can seem to find a decent cuppa are in Indian restaurants (particularly in Japan), and at Small World Coffee in Princeton, one of my favorite coffee shops on the planet. Small World's is unsweetened and has a ton of ginger, while the Indian form as I've had it is often pre-sweetened (or, if not, takes at least three packets of sugar) and has a lot of different spices. Oh, yum. 
• European Union: This ties in with my simmering interest in political science, human rights, and social justice. I'm well aware of the drawbacks in the EU's governing structure, but I also think that super-sovereign entities/regional unions are going to be a characteristic feature of the 21stC. Speaking from a human rights perspective, I think that's a good thing, and I also think the Union is a unique social experiment with its own idealistic charm. Though I am sad that it killed the drachma.
• hearing chimes at midnight: this is me pretentiously inventing a unique LJ interest. More seriously, it's a reference to Shakespeare (2 King Henry IV, III, ii to be precise), towards the end when Falstaff and Shallow are reminiscing about their past. I'm not in love with Falstaff like Harold Bloom is, but I do think that the phrase encapsulates a certain sense of having lived life to the fullest, which is a worthy goal.
• Jorge Luis Borges: The great Latin American writer of metafiction--Labyrinths is an iconic achievement. For my senior project in high school I read Borges' Collected Stories, House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski, and made some pathetic attempts at writing my own metafiction. Yes, senior projects weren't very serious. A lot of writers owe a lot of unspoken debts to Borges, who might just be the quintessential postmodernist.
• Quakerism: Until college, every school I attended was a private Quaker school (yes, privelege. also social justice, human rights, and graveyards). I basically consider myself a Quaker, although I still haven't yet been formally convinced as they say, but I think Quakerism is probably one of the least pernicious world religions, and I wish it had more adherents. The American Friends Service Committee, Quakerism's action arm in the United States (and located a block from my high school in Philadelphia), won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947. What's it about? Pacifism, freedom of conscience, and the idea that everyone has the Light within them (to the point that the last two can overrule the first). Oh, and you can't keep the truth in a book, as George Fox said. I'm aware of the irony of that statement when applied to me.
• The Oxford English Dictionary: A quintessential project of the Victorian age, an expression of madness and obsession, an essential resource for writers, and anyone with a large vocabulary--I hope to own one at some point. My high school had an old condensed edition (the typeface can't be larger than 4 pt, it comes with a magnifying glass), and it's hard to think of more literate fun.
• VNV Nation--An industrial band from Ireland to whom I was introduced by one of my college roommates. My sister and I saw them live a few years ago and they are awesome. Their newer albums are mellower, but their songs certainly appeal to my vestigial Catholic sensibilities. I listened to their song "Honor" on repeat for about a week after the 2004 election, which should give you an idea as to my interpretation of their politics.

So like I said, Michigan tomorrow--wish me good flights and I'll see everyone in the New Year. I leave you with this set of predictions from the Times, which is hilarious at the end, and with this quiz result, which I found interesting:

Which Torchwood Character Are You? Your Result: Ianto Jones   You most resemble the team's composed, sarcastic general support. Passionate but excellent at hiding it under a reserved exterior, you care deeply about people and have a hard time letting go. The downside of keeping such a tight leash on your external emotions is that sometimes you lose control and have to let it all out. Competent and hard-working, you like to be on top of things.
Gwen Cooper
Toshiko Sato
Captain Jack Harkness
Owen Harper
Which Torchwood Character Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Who is your inner CLAMP character? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Kurogane You are like Kurogane from Tsubasa. You are everything anyone could want to those who love you, and everything to fear from those who do not. Your are the type of person who comes across as being aloof and distant and your trust is not something easily earned, but once it is, you are a friend for life. And try as you might to fool them, those closest to you know you’re just one big cuddly teddy bear. <3 Kero-chan 88% Kurogane 88% Yuuko 83% Miyuki-chan 75% Seishirou 71% Fai 58% Chii 58% Hokuto 54% Watanuki 50% Sakura 46% Kamui 46%