Of Misc. and Sun.

The title is a little uninspiring, my apologies. I couldn't think of anything witty except a play on 'Of Mice and Men'. 'Of Miscellaneous and Sundries' doesn't really have the same ring to it.

What the..? I hear you ask. Bear with me folks. Today's post is a mish-mash because I have too much going on in my head today and if I don't write it down, I'll forget it and the idea for a great blog post will go by the wayside of so many before it.

So go make yoursrlf a cuppa, sit back, relax and enjoy the... show. I mean post.

Topic the first: OMG! It Works How?

So here's one for the vampires - a single use lamp that illuminates using a drop of blood. Real blood. I suspect it's using some form of Luminal. First year Organic Chemistry was a long time ago and there are no details forthcoming on the website in which this is featured.


I've even checked out other websites in case someone came up with a good explanation for hwo this works, but there's a whole lot of vitriol about how this piece of chemical-containing glass should not be a commentary on our social behaviours, that is, how much energy we waste by flicking on a switch. The best explanation I could find suggests firefly luciferase and ATP. It could be a thing. I have no idea.

Personally, I prefer one anonymous' response the best - "So, why can't this lamp run on the blood from a rock, which is what my local power company asks for."

Topic the Second: Best Joss Whedon episodes? Are you sure?

Over at Television Without Pity, they listed what they thought were the best episodes of Joss Whedon created television. Somethine episodes they got, others not so much. I admit I have not seen every episode Whedon has made. I've yet to see the episodes of Dollhouse we've... obtained... and I've still not seen the final series of either Buffy or Angel. But I've made a list of my favourites, just because I can really and they are in no particular order. (Spoiler Alert Activated for those who have yet to see the glory that is Joss.)

1. Buffy - 'Hush'. Freakiest damn episode ever. Floating old geezers who smile at you while they cut your heart out. All screaming is silent. The cheery codgers have taken away your ability to scream your lungs out. Oh yeah. Silent screams are so not funny.

2. Buffy - 'Once More with Feeling'. You know the one! The musical episode! "They got the mustard out!" Hehehehe.

3. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. The wannabe Evil Overlord. The jackass, erm, good guy who thwarts him at every turn. The love interest. Bad Horse. The singing. It is all For The Win.

4. Buffy - 'The Body'. Chokes me up every time. There is no supernatural bad guy in this episode. It's all about the characters. And the absence of any form of music to fill in the background when there is no dialogue gives me chills.

5. Firefly - 'Out Of Gas'. If I have to pick just one episode from Firefly to call my favourite (and that in itself is a hard call), then this would be it. The interactions between the all of the characters, how the initial few got together, how they found the ship. It tells so much in such a short amount of time. Also, I can't believe I left Captain Mal out of the list of the bad boys I fell in love with the other week. This episode solidifies him as my all-time favourite character.

6. Angel - 'Hero'. Doyle. It's all about Doyle. Love that character to bits. Which is how he ended up, unfortunately.

7. Buffy - 'Who Are You' and Angel - 'Five By Five'. I've listed these two together because they both illustrate the enormous acting chops of Eliza Dushku (potrayed Faith in both series). Man, this girl is good. She did a really good job of imitating Sarah Michelle Gellar in 'Who Are You' and broke my heart in 'Five By Five'.

Topic the Third: Seriously? They Still Do That?

This week is apparently Banned Book Week in the US. The American Library Association sponsors the week in which it tries to raise awareness of censorship and to celebrate those who speak up against the banning of books.

Not that any book has been banned per se for a while now, but there are some who try to remove books from libraries and curriculum based on their personal beliefs. After looking at some of the books that have been challenged over the last few years, I wonder if people actaully read the books they try to have removed. A few cases in point:

• 'The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn' by Mark Twain for its racism. Well, der. The whole thing is a social commentary of America's South at the time. As for its offensive language, Jesus, you get that every damn day. (Oh, I'm so evil.)
• 'Go Ask Alice' by Anonymous. Best goddamned book about teenage drug abuse ever. It made me stop and think about what shit I put into my body when I was 13. The reason it was challenged was for its allusions to drug abuse.
• 'Harry Potter' by J. K. Rowling. We all know about the erroneous ideas of those who wanted it banned for its 'occultist/satanism' content, but did you know it's also anti-family, offensive religious viewpoint and contains violence?
• 'Forever' by Judy Blume is apparently sexually explicit. It made an uproar at my school when I was in year six and I still haven't read it. (Must rectify that.) One thing is for sure, if it's anything like Ms Blume's other novels, it's bound to be well-written and treat sensitive subjects about girls growing up in a respectful but holding-no-punches style that made her so popular in the first place.
• 'It’s So Amazing! A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families' by Robie H. Harris is my personal favourite. Although I haven't read the book, I love that it was challenged for sex education and sexual content. Because the title is just so misleading.

I have another two topics on my list up for discussion, but I might hold off on those for another day. It's already ended up an epic post, and there were more epic ideas about habits and relationships and sharing the love of my lastest reading material. That can all wait for another day. Forewarned is forearmed!