A New Manifestation of Insecurity

-So, I was at a party this weekend. A friend arrived along with someone I don't really know. The someone and I re-introduced ourselves, and he said, "Huh, [friend] didn't think you'd be here."

-This kinda startled me. Mostly because I don't expect to find myself coming up in other people's casual conversations. My insecurities assume that when I'm not actually around, people don't talk about me. It's interesting to find a new and unanalyzed way in which I (mistakenly) consider myself inconsequential . . .

Books: Clement, Christmas, Serenity, and the Hardy Boys

Half Life by Hal Clement

-A very-hard-science novel about scientists exploring Titan, in an attempt to understand the origins of life ('cause, see, Earth is dealing with a lot of plagues, and no one can figure out where they're coming from). It's hard to sell a novel where the equivalent of "the butler did it" is "hey, metallic co-enzymes", but I will say that it has its gripping moments, and it might just get some kid hooked on chemistry. Moderately recommended.

Unplug the Christmas Machine by Robinson and Staeheli

-I like Christmas. A lot. Some of my friends, not so much. I kinda hoped reading this book would give me a better handle on how to bridge that gap, but, eh, not really. Most of my friends who really don't like Christmas are either not Christian, or had unpleasant childhood Xmas experiences, and neither group is going to be helped by suggestions for more inexpensive ways of making wreaths. (On the other hand, the idea, "Instead of giving gifts, everyone chip in to rent a cottage in the woods for a week," has merit . . . ) Still, for me, a useful read, and recommended to anyone who likes Xmas in theory, but is having trouble in practice.

Finding Serenity, edited by Jane Espenson

-A gift from the ever-lovely mizarchivist, this is a collection of essays on Firefly. Some (the Enterprise/Firefly crossover) are lame, some (the guy who couldn't figure out that Book is a Christian shepherd) are annoying, some (Jewel Staite's 5 Favorite Moments Per Episode) are a delight, and a lot are really thought-provoking. Highly recommended to Firefly fans.

The House on the Cliff by Franklin W. Dixon

-One of the Hardy Boys books, in its original form (before they got edited in the 1950s). Very nostalgic, lightly pulpy, and occasionally really disconcerting. (Like, running across the idiom, "I think there's a n****r in the woodpile," for, "Something's rotten in the state of Denmark," was very off-putting.) Recommended to Hardy Boys fans, but not particularly to anyone else.