The Hall of Fire

Really horrible. I am so saddened by this murder of someone who really seems to have been trying to do the right thing.

Yes, so frightening! More prayers for JewelSong coming from me (getting all tangled up with Frelga's prayers and flying together into the east, I guess).

Jewel is such an amazingly energetic and vibrant person that it's a shock to have news like this.

I know. Somehow Lahore has just tipped me into despair. What can be done? Really. What can we do, apart from not repeating the mistake of the Iraq War in the future? And how likely is it that we will not repeat that?
Those poor kids playing in the park!

I'm going to see Hamilton in December! It's our birthday-Christmas-graduation present to the twins, and I get to tag along!

(just need to register my fondness for "Embarrassment of Pandas" as a name and as a concept)

Quakers! Yay! I'll be back as soon as I've gotten through teaching this second "first day of class".....

Another mug of tea raised in honor of the Professor!

That's such terrible and sad news, Jewel. I'm sorry!

Jewel, I just saw this, and will be praying for your friend and for you. Holding you both in the Light!

Yonatan Zunger's article is excellent--thanks for sharing, Frelga. I'll get to the Atlantic one when I have another stolen minute....

Yes, it could be anywhere. What a world this is!

I share Nin's worries about what this may mean for the future.

And my heart is bruised to see my home-away-from-home suffering like this....

Wait, River--did your kiddo just leapfrog from toddlerhood to tweendom without us noticing???

Oh, hope hope hope hope!

I keep wanting my task list to ease up so I can finally go see THE MARTIAN!

But reading this thread gives me vicarious pleasure, so there's that.

HOWEVER, in distantly related news, when I was in Las Vegas a week or so ago for the Vegas Valley Book Festival, I saw for the first time the LOTR slot machines mentioned earlier in this thread, and my jaw basically dropped to the floor. WHAT??? What will they think up next (I thought): Make Way For...

I just saw a six-hour French silent version of Les Misérables (from 1925-26) at my silent film festival in Italy! And one single amazing pianist accompanied all six hours of it! Oh my goodness, it was AMAZING!

I'm ready! Bring on this Mars, I say!

I bought the ebook a couple of years ago, Impy, and also at full price! And then tore through it in record speed. It's not fancy wordsmithery or anything, but it sure does hold a person's attention (and make that person hold her breath).

From a cabin in the woods in Maine, some dancing around to join the party!!!

I loved that, Alatar!