Friday, December 06, 2013

The Don't Wear Pink Weekly Link Round-Up



I was such a tomboy when I was little that I didn't want to have anything to do with the color pink; I didn't care how many times my mother told me it was one of the best colors for me to wear. Ick. No way. No how. Get it away from me.

Well, a few decades have passed, and I'm finally allowing it into my wardrobe. But there are times one should not wear it. I have a bright pink Sherpa fleece top on today, and I went outside to sit a bit to watch the goldfinches at the feeder. Big mistake. In no time flat, the bees were making a circuit between the flowering pink trumpet vine a few yards away and... you guessed it... my bright pink top. And for some strange reason that reminds me of what happened a couple of weeks ago.

Once again, I was sitting outside to watch the birds and take a break from decorating. (No, I don't wear my Santa hat when I decorate.) The weather had turned quite cool the night before, and evidently one of the resident hummingbirds needed to bulk up her nest because the little vixen flew up and plucked one of my hairs from my head, zipped to hover in front of my face for a second as if to say "Thank you!" and then zoomed off. I have to admit that if one of my white hairs is helping warm a hummingbird at night, I consider that a hair well spent, don't you?

No, I haven't forgotten about those links. Here they are!


Bookish News & Other Interesting Stuff
  • The Maltese Falcon brings over $4 million at auction.
  • An infographic on the burning question of the weekend: Who's more creative-- eReader or tablet users?
  • Tim Jenison attempts to figure out how master painter Johannes Vermeer did it. (Vermeer's "Girl With a Pearl Earring" is one of my all-time favorites.)
  • It took crime fiction great Ian Rankin 14 years for his writing to pay.
  • An encyclopedia of nerds showed up on Indies First on Small Business Saturday.
  • Send in the drones: Meet Amazon Air Prime.
  • 2 million passwords have been dumped online.
  • The oldest known human DNA reveals a mysterious branch of humanity.
  • Bizarre microbes have been discovered in desert cave. (Every time we go to Bisbee, Denis threatens to drop me off there. Help!)
  • If you're a bookaholic and traveling to New York City or Seattle, may I suggest the Library Hotel (NYC), and the Library Bistro and Bookstore Bar at the Alexis Hotel in Seattle?
  • New, fully-illustrated edition of J.K. Rowling's novels will see artist Jim Kay reimagining the entire Potter universe. 
  •  Tomorrow is Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day! (Saturday, December 7)

I  ♥ Lists

That's all for this week. Don't forget to stop by next weekend when I'll have a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure!



10 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh. I've never heard of a bird swooping down and grabbing a hair off someone's head. But to that mother bird, it's all a matter of twigs, hair, leaves, etc. She doesn't know about species. I'm sure your hair was well used.

    The links about books are good. I just went through an intense experience with Sara Paretsky's latest book, Critical Mass, which is a wild ride, from contemporary Illinois back to the 1930s in Vienna, focusing on a Jewish family and a young woman scientist.

    Yes, the author ties it all together in a very ambitious book, which although sad at times -- and maddening -- is still full of V.I. Warshawi's signature boldness, feistiness, courage and lots of wit.

    I was ready for it to end. Now I have the problem of the next book, as the TBR piles stare at me.

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    1. I, too, have had that problem of The Next Book, especially when the one I've finished is intense.

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  2. I just ordered the sweatshirt with the cat holding a book! Can't wait for it to arrive.

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    1. Good for you, Bella-- a person's got to stay warm while she's reading!

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  3. The link to beating reader's block is interesting. Cutting down on outside distractions might be a good way to do it. cheers. http://www.thecuecard.com/

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    1. I used to be able to block out anything and everything when I wanted to read. I'm not so successful these days.

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  4. Cathy - Oh, I adore that picture of you! It's great! And I know what you mean about pink... Oh, glad you survived the Great Bird Attack ;-) Thanks for the links too, as ever. I love the idea of Take Your Tire to a Bookstore Day.

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    1. I love the idea, too, Margot, but a parent really shouldn't wait for a designated day to do so. If they're afraid of the amount of money they might spend, buy the child one book and then take him/her to the library at least once a week!

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  5. The library yes, children should go often. If the parent can take them once a week, even better.
    In my high school days, my father would take me to the library once a week, and I'd stock up, my arms full of books, with a grin on my face. I could read much faster then, so we'd go back the next week for a new armful.
    Always loved the library.

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    1. I grew up in one, and that's the best place in the world for a voracious reader to do so!

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