I waited until June to post just to see if that March Farmer's Almanac blurb about raining in March was correct and it was!!!
In April we had a real live author, Teresa James, come to speak to us about her book (now available on Kindle for $5.99) Below Yudaha. She was wonderful! She answered all of our questions about writing and publishing our own books. She laughed with us, she got deep with us, she talked about the nuances of her book with us. She stepped right into the meeting as if she belonged there, we were immediately comfortable with her. And she even signed our books for us! Teresa is definitely an honorary member of the book club and invited to all future meetings.
I would love to have more authors come to speak... or... have meetings at readings! Send me an email as soon as you know of readings that may be of interest to the group. I am taking my husband to a Neil Gaiman reading for his birthday: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/179279 but if I happen to see you there no harm no foul! Speaking of... Anyone read Moneyball by Michael Lewis? I will do a separate post about it because it is one of my all-time favorite books although it is written around a subject I never felt passionate about, baseball.
For me, Moneyball illustrates how we, as a human race, may observe something for decades and build theories off those observations but then some nut job comes along and scratches the surface and says "hey, did you know all those theories and observations are wrong?" And we all laugh because, of course, we know better as we have decades of observations and who-is-this-guy-to-tell-us-differently. But the nut job, being nutty, persists in his argument, eventually wins the attention of a few important people that happen to have some influence and suddenly the whole human race, after being hit over the head by the argument for 20 or so years, realize that the nut job may have a point.
It's kind of like the 100th monkey effect, although the 100th monkey effect was discredited it has brought forth another valid point that new methods of behavior are learned then passed down to the next generation. It would take baseball management about 20 years to retire the employees that didn't believe in the new stats and hire guys that were raised on the new stats. ... Moneyball is fascinating stuff, honestly. There is humor and some great storytelling even if you don't like baseball and you try to avoid statistics.
Our Reliquary Build for May was reduced to a mini-build due to a family emergency and then the mini-build was cancelled due to a supply shortage, it was shortsighted of me to try to quickly schedule the mini-build without my supply cohort, Nicole, so I apologize to all that were looking forward to that meeting. We hope to reschedule the Reliquary Build for September and will keep you posted on the location.
Our next meeting is at the Vallejo Pirate Festival on June 18th and so far we have a good turnout. We have a few guys that RSVP'd so it looks like I have to be more mindful of FB's private event setting, especially when we have the events at private locations! We'll synchronize our phones and figure out a good meeting spot as the date approaches. Once there we'll be piratin', guzzlin' grog, mindin' our loot and guardin' against them yellow-bellied ninjas... Arrrrr!
post hashed by Angela
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
A Kiss and a Good Rogering
As it rains in March so it rains in June. ~Farmer’s Almanac
Rain, sleet, fog, apprehension and motion sickness could not keep Book Club’s most dedicated members from attending the meeting this past Saturday night. One member said she was apprehensive about attending because she imagined everyone in their bondage collars, stilettos and flogging accessories and she was uncertain that she wanted to be part of that scene. Imagination aside, we were a pretty tame crowd. While we were waiting for dinner we discovered that only one of us in attendance had heard of the Citadel in SF and she amazed us by sharing her experience with touring a real life dungeon set up for BDSM play.
Maguire’s was a fun meeting location; small but cozy and warm and not crowded at all. It was one of the only Irish pubs that I’ve been too that offers fish tacos and this weird concoction they call Pub Nachos. The Pub Nacho platter had me pondering the definition of Nacho, which, according to Dictionary.com is “a snack or appetizer consisting of a small piece of tortilla topped with cheese, hot peppers, etc., and broiled.” If you go by that definition then these pub nachos were not nachos at all; they were a sinful dish consisting of a bed of bbq kettle chips, generously drizzled in buffalo sauce, sprinkled with bleu cheese, salted pork and tomato. When the dish arrived at our table it was this terrible looking sea of red and browns, with some bleu cheese muddied in on top for some extra ugliness. However one taste sent the imagination soaring. How can something as ugly and wrong as this dish taste so damn good?
Gloria and I split the Shepherd’s pie which was delicious and made us realize that, unlike pub nachos which cannot be remotely related to nachos, the tater tot casserole is the red-headed step child of the shepherd’s pie. The main differences in the tater tot casserole are tater tots instead of mashed potatoes and processed cheese instead of gravy.
Rain, sleet, fog, apprehension and motion sickness could not keep Book Club’s most dedicated members from attending the meeting this past Saturday night. One member said she was apprehensive about attending because she imagined everyone in their bondage collars, stilettos and flogging accessories and she was uncertain that she wanted to be part of that scene. Imagination aside, we were a pretty tame crowd. While we were waiting for dinner we discovered that only one of us in attendance had heard of the Citadel in SF and she amazed us by sharing her experience with touring a real life dungeon set up for BDSM play.
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| These steakhouse nachos are not quite as ugly as the Pub Nachos |
Gloria and I split the Shepherd’s pie which was delicious and made us realize that, unlike pub nachos which cannot be remotely related to nachos, the tater tot casserole is the red-headed step child of the shepherd’s pie. The main differences in the tater tot casserole are tater tots instead of mashed potatoes and processed cheese instead of gravy.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Bodice Ripper and Democratic Role Playing?
At our January and February meetings, several V-Town members said that they are chomping at the bit for a "bodice ripper", a good story with a strong erotic undercurrent. In order to quell the requests we thought a clever segue from our Sookie vampire series would be to explore Mistress Roquelaure’s erotica, aka Miss Anne Rice, famously known as the author of The Vampire Chronicles. Subtly paying tribute to the sexy vampire theme that started Book Club, we assigned “The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty”, by A.N. Roquelaure*. However, we discovered by choosing the “Claiming of Sleeping Beauty” V-Town crossed the line from bodice ripper to straight up BDSM. We understand that this book may prove too strong a subject for some members, and that’s okay if you did not like it, the month is almost over, April and May will bring new book topics, probably not as shocking or controversial but hopefully intriguing.
Now let’s bring out our silken ropes or leather straps (or chains, you sicko’s) and tie up this review, we will start with the relentless questioning. Why does Anne Rice use a classic Fairytale inspired title for her book? Do you think Anne Rice named her character “Beauty” as a euphemism (for?) or to demonstrate how we may be trapped by beauty? We may desire beauty but it comes with consequences? Does Anne Rice use her character Beauty to demonstrate the conflict of mind, heart and desire we may encounter when first exposed to BDSM? What Beauty experiences at the hands of her Prince may mirror some of our deepest desires, to be the object of someone’s vehement passion, to be admired, to be possessed by someone’s fierce affections. Or do you have a more democratic perspective of her situation wanting her to be freed from her humiliating subjugation long enough to switch roles with the Prince? Do you find yourself thinking about the miserable existence she has been forced to lead and about how nobody should have that kind of oppressive authority over another without back and forth role playing?
Now let’s bring out our silken ropes or leather straps (or chains, you sicko’s) and tie up this review, we will start with the relentless questioning. Why does Anne Rice use a classic Fairytale inspired title for her book? Do you think Anne Rice named her character “Beauty” as a euphemism (for?) or to demonstrate how we may be trapped by beauty? We may desire beauty but it comes with consequences? Does Anne Rice use her character Beauty to demonstrate the conflict of mind, heart and desire we may encounter when first exposed to BDSM? What Beauty experiences at the hands of her Prince may mirror some of our deepest desires, to be the object of someone’s vehement passion, to be admired, to be possessed by someone’s fierce affections. Or do you have a more democratic perspective of her situation wanting her to be freed from her humiliating subjugation long enough to switch roles with the Prince? Do you find yourself thinking about the miserable existence she has been forced to lead and about how nobody should have that kind of oppressive authority over another without back and forth role playing?
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Prep for Spring Busi-Beesness
Whoah, it’s been a fun and busy few weeks for V-Town Book Club members! This post is a summary of a small part of that business. Please let me know if you know of more business that deserves acknowledgment and I’ll provide the update.
A couple members recently found love (outside of Book Club) and are sweetly entrenched in love’s first bloom. I’m not going to name the love afflicted here but if you have attended a meeting lately then you know who was struck with cupid’s arrow.
Many of us attended Kim’s Happiness Workshop on February 26th, and from Kim we learned to be happy from the inside out. Kim demonstrated her teaching skills and her natural leadership skills while reminding us to be true and thoughtful to ourselves and honor our feelings. The Happiness Workshop was the first of its kind for Kim and she packed a full house. I counted over 20 women in attendance and Kim led us all through the workshop; her friendly, warm energy radiating over us so that it was easy to personally identify with one another even though most of us were just meeting for the first time.
On March 4th, Melissa was awarded Teacher of the Year and I was honored to attend the ceremony as her BFF date. She looked positively radiant as she accepted her award for teaching high school math and algebra at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo. Teaching high school in Vallejo takes dedication, courage, and skill. Melissa is 100% engaged in her role as teacher and I see her dedication as she interacts with her students in public, when she talks to me about various ways she’s incorporating technology in the classroom, and when she excitedly describes the latest teaching method that she implemented in order to help her struggling students comprehend math. The award ceremony was held at the Elk’s Lodge in Vallejo and their 70’s leather furniture, comfortable bar and huge stone fireplace (no, I didn’t get a picture…dammit to hell!) would make a perfect Book Club meeting location. Now we just need to become Elks!
A couple members recently found love (outside of Book Club) and are sweetly entrenched in love’s first bloom. I’m not going to name the love afflicted here but if you have attended a meeting lately then you know who was struck with cupid’s arrow.
Many of us attended Kim’s Happiness Workshop on February 26th, and from Kim we learned to be happy from the inside out. Kim demonstrated her teaching skills and her natural leadership skills while reminding us to be true and thoughtful to ourselves and honor our feelings. The Happiness Workshop was the first of its kind for Kim and she packed a full house. I counted over 20 women in attendance and Kim led us all through the workshop; her friendly, warm energy radiating over us so that it was easy to personally identify with one another even though most of us were just meeting for the first time.
On March 4th, Melissa was awarded Teacher of the Year and I was honored to attend the ceremony as her BFF date. She looked positively radiant as she accepted her award for teaching high school math and algebra at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo. Teaching high school in Vallejo takes dedication, courage, and skill. Melissa is 100% engaged in her role as teacher and I see her dedication as she interacts with her students in public, when she talks to me about various ways she’s incorporating technology in the classroom, and when she excitedly describes the latest teaching method that she implemented in order to help her struggling students comprehend math. The award ceremony was held at the Elk’s Lodge in Vallejo and their 70’s leather furniture, comfortable bar and huge stone fireplace (no, I didn’t get a picture…dammit to hell!) would make a perfect Book Club meeting location. Now we just need to become Elks!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
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