“I told him that if a man is born in a dry place, then although he may dream of rain, he does not want too much, and that he will not mind the sun that beats down and down.”

I chickened out and decided not to get my car fixed after all.  It’s leaking coolant veeeeeery slowly, and I would rather top coolant off once a week for the few years left in the car’s life than sink $1200 into an already elderly vehicle.  I enjoy living dangerously.

The renaissance fair was a lot of fun, as always, mainly because of the people I went with.  I ran into a couple old friends I hadn’t seen in years, which was a lovely surprise, and I enjoyed talking archery with lots of interested folks.  Sadly, however, I didn’t see a single other archer there this year, at least on the day that I went.  Bows are where it’s at, kids.

Monday is the showing of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special on the big screen, so swing by Crossroads in Cary if you want to meet an excessively long-haired River Song!  Be sure to check out The Last Day beforehand, one last mini-episode before the special.

Beautiful:

• Coffee maker cooking.  I’d like to try this in hotel rooms.
• How to open a can without a can opener, as taught by a couple of hilariously cool Russians.  “Guess what?  Cat gonna survive too.”
• Fezziwig’s ball here in Raleigh.  Literary social event recreations need to be more of a thing.
• The lost country houses of Britain.  If you’re a Downton Abbey fan, this may make you sniffley.
• The absolute coolest bus you’ve ever seen.  (Can we do this, guys?)
• Man finds himself in an audience composed of people he saved.
• Congratulations, you have a healthy new island!
• Rebranding Abercrombie and Fitch.

Critters:

• Tiny animals on fingers.
• Cat Heaven Island in Japan.
• Taxidermy so terrible it’s funny.  (Did I already post this? Oh well, worth looking at twice.)
• Compilation of puppies learning to howl.  So cute you may die.
• The emus are invading.

Music:

• Leonardo da Vinci’s piano heard for the first time.
• “All the Rowboats” by Regina Spektor.
• “Let It Be” by Blackmill.
• “Polly Come Home” by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.
• Robert Downey Jr sings a duet with Sting.

Books: I had picked up The King of the Castle by Victoria Holt at the Durham book sale, and I just finally got around to reading it.  Victoria Holt was a fascinating woman, as I’ve described at length before, and I wanted to try a few more of her works.  The King of the Castle is a bit of a romance mystery that gave off a lot of Jane Eyre vibes, and I found it highly entertaining and somewhat reminiscent of Mary Stewart’s books.  The (British) heroine is named Dallas Lawson, but if you can get past that, you’ll be golden.  There are some nice French historical references and an unexpected amount of information on painting restoration, if that’s your thing (it’s mine).

Years ago, a beloved professor recommended The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, and I’ve just now finally gotten around to reading it.  The cover calls it charming and life-affirming, which would normally be enough to turn me off. (I have no problem with charming and life-affirming, but the books to which those adjectives are typically applied are usually pretty dull to me.  No space battles, for one thing.)  However, since Dr. Peterman recommended it, I knew it had to be good, and she was, as always, correct.  You may not think that Botswana detective stories are your thing, but you’d be wrong: this is Agatha Christie in Africa.  As it turns out, there are 14 books in the series, and a television series has been made as well, so I seem to have hopped onto a very well-established bandwagon.

I read the two Mouse Guard books (Fall 1152 and Winter 1152) by David Petersen that I picked up at NC Comicon, and they were delightful!  Imagine the Redwall books, but for an older audience, with beautiful artwork.  Even if you’re not a comic book fan (I usually am not), you’ll enjoy these for their artistry and for their stories.