All is Translation, and All of Us Lost in it

So I did not get to see Suzanne Collins yesterday, sob. ;; The buses and trains were running on a reduced schedule, and by the time I got there, the autograph line was capped. I'm sure I'll catch her again eventually, but I really wanted to have her sign something for my friend's birthday!

Unfortunately it was too hot to stay much longer at the National Book Festival. I poked through the sauna of a book sales tent recently, and I added a few more to my list. I also went into a presentation randomly to sit down, and the woman talking was Claudette Colvin, who did the same thing as Rosa Parks except several months beforehand, but the Civil Rights Movement didn't make her into an icon because she was 15 and pregnant. She was apparently part of a children/teens' book about important people forgotten by history, which is really cool.

I definitely want to try again - and get there earlier - next year, but I'm glad I went. And now I'm going to spend today watching things, tidying up, doing laundry, and hopefully doing a lot of Hungry Ground outlining.


So speaking of watching things, between Netflix streaming and fall premieres, I've been watching a ton of Western TV lately! I feel like I'm going to be more than set for Yuletide this year. :D Have some spoiler-free impressions:

Veronica Mars: Netflixed the first two seasons. LOVE LOVE LOVE the first season so very much, and even though the plot of the second season wasn't as awesome, the character moments alone were enough to make up for it. ILU Cliff.

Pushing Daisies: Such a jarring switch to make after VMars - there's so much color and perkiness it sort of made my head explode. But it was super-cute. And Lee Pace/Ned is about the closest thing to moe moe I've ever seen in an American male character.

The Dresden Files: Why did I watch so many episodes of this? It's not like it's particularly bad, but... they pretty much took away all the charm and fantastic relationships of the book series, and all that's left is the cheese. And the angst, naturally. So it's sort of dull.

Slings and Arrows: I'm making my way through the second season. This is really, really good! It's a great portrait of the crazy world of theatre, and all the little Shakespearean touches to the actors' everyday lives makes for a total geek heaven. Especially since they're now doing Macbeth, the most unsettling play ever.

Glee: The premiere was typical Glee, meaning a mix of good and WTF. But Mike Chang has dialogue! And Charice was awesome! And I take Kurt's hilarious brutal honestly towards Finn to mean that the interminable crush plotline has finally ended. So there's enough to keep me watching.

Modern Family: adhfjsks ♥ ♥ ♥ Why did it take me so long to catch up on this show? It is so friggin adorable. I love Mitchell and Cam. I'm sure that surprises no one. But I love everyone else, too.

Community: YOU GUYS, IT'S BACK. ♥ And in top form, too. The final scene with Ken Jeong was absolutely brilliant. I'm psyched for this season.

The Vampire Diaries: Well, show, I see you've wasted absolutely no time getting back to the OMG DID THAT JUST HAPPEN moments! This is why I enjoy TVD - the pacing and twists keep you on your toes. But where the hell is Alaric? Granted, I haven't watched episode 3 yet, but I NEED HIM IN MY LIFE.

And that's it for now! Off to do the breakfast thing...