So...Michael and I were at a friend's wedding this weekend. Interesting how the (seemingly) American tendency to micromanage one's life can extend even to celebrations. This is the second wedding we've attended down here, and both times, the couple has hired a DJ/MC to "manage" the wedding reception. So instead of being able to just relax, hang out, and dance, you have to deal with all these mandatory games (hokey pokey, chicken dance, kick lines to New York, New York, line dance lessons), exhortations for everyone to "get up on the dance floor now--this is for good luck for the bride and groom!!!!!", and so forth. Not that we didn't have a good time, and not that the notable absence of hours of speeches is not greatly appreciated, but it feels a little weird to be shepherded through a party rather than just allowing it to happen!

What else is going on otherwise...I have, whether foolishly or not, said I would dance a solo at December's Bellydance Performance Party. I feel okay about it right now, but I'm sure I'll feel not so okay as the time draws nearer!

Here are some librarian blogs for you to peruse...

• the pod bay door
• Male Librarian Centerfold
• the ShanMonster*
• Library Avengers
• HeSaidSheSaid

Who knew there were so many librarians blogging?

(*note created 18 November--somehow got linked to ShanMonster's site thinking she it was a librarian site...but it's not. Check it out anyway, at shanmonster.com.)

Well...another chapter in the continuing Royal Saga...

A witch in Norway has been granted state subsidies--on the condition that she doesn't do any "harmful spells." Guess the Norwegian government has never heard of the threefold law.

Don't you think the American hegemony thing is going a bit to far when people in other countries start taking their kids in for surgery on their tongues in an attempt to get rid of their accents? I'm with the professor of adolescent psychiatry quoted in this one: what the heck is the matter with accented English anyway?

Hey, I keep on forgetting to tell you--I have an Amazon wish list now.

Okay, so who couldn't see that this was a PR disaster waiting to happen??

Found a link to Spider Johnson's Globe & Mail about the decline of SF on my friend Randy's blog, the pod bay door. Thanks Randy!

Back at work after a hectic but enjoyable weekend. The dinner-and-performance on Friday night was really fun--a mixed bag of talent and style-wise but lots of good dancing and good food. The Indian buffet could have used more spice in my opinion, but was still very enjoyable. I even tried the goat curry and the bean dishes, believe it or not, and they were all very tasty! My friend Diana danced a fusion Indian-bellydance duet, to live sitar music, which was in my opinion one of the two best numbers in the show.

Ended up cooking all day Saturday for my dinner party, of course, but we had a good time and had enough leftovers for a day or two afterwards so it was worth it. I made curried squash and mushroom soup, salad with balsamic vinagrette, and galettes with a leek and goat cheese filling and asparagus on the side. I wasn't sure the main course was going to turn out, actually, because the crust for the pastries had enough butter in it it was almost like a shortbread, and I was afraid there was something wrong with the recipe. But luckily, I was worrying unnecessarily.

Sunday was Myriam's performance party. Wish she would just call them Haflas, but then I guess a lot of people wouldn't know what they were...there was a guest musician in from Boston, who plays drum and clarinet. My classmates did a good job with their solos, and I got to get up during the free dances, which was fun. Interesting moment: there was a male dancer there with Myriam and Joe, who got up during the last free dance, and we ended up doing a sort of impromptu duet for most of the set. He's a really good dancer; I was just mirroring him for the most part, but it was really fun to dance with someone like that. Myriam told me afterwards that she had told him that she would dance a duet with him at some point during the party so I ended up being her "substitute", which in itself is somewhat of an ego boost!

Is it just me, or are there so many things wrong with this article that it isn't even funny? Must be the shoddiest, most assumption-ridden piece of reporting I've ever seen...and this comes from someone who reads the The Weekly World News for fun!

So, Ah-nold won the California Recall. Surprise surprise. I was pulling for the porn star from Florida, personally...oh well!

Life is pretty same-old over here right now, but I've got a busy weekend coming up. On Friday night, I'm going to a dinner-and-bellydance performance that a friend of mine is dancing in; it's supposed to be Indian food and some Indian-influenced dancing, which should be interesting. Saturday, I'm having some friends over for dinner, so the day will be spent in frantic housecleaning and cooking. Sunday is Myriam's monthly bellydance performance party, at which a few people from my class are doing solos. Myriam is bugging me to do one this month, too...I keep on putting it off for the next party, and keep on chickening out...sooner or later I guess I'll get my courage up.

Okay. Isn't this taking that whole national security thing a bit too far?

Whew! Long time no blog...

Hope the comment feature is up again by now. Apparently there was some sort of virus attack on the service, either fixed now or in the process of being fixed.

News over here....let's see....finally got out to the beach last weekend, for the first time in ages. Water is starting to cool a bit, so it's more bearable even with the hot sun. I'm starting to check the job ads again, but there's not much to apply for. It's either paraprofessional jobs I'm overqualified for, or directorships and specialized positions that I'm underqualified for. What can you do, except to keep looking?

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my brother!

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