I don't really have a favorite quote, certainly nothing inspirational that I like to go back to every so often. Instead I have this: "Do you suppose yourself anything to her, but that? You have been too long among your uncle's books. Girls love easily, there. That is the point of them. If they loved so in life, the books would not have to be written." It's from Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.

I use it to kind of remind myself of my place in other people's lives. I too easily fall into a sense of adoration for friends, expecting some great friendship, imagining bonds that will never break. The quote reminds me to chill out, that I don't know people who are looking for that right now.

Man, if I had the money I'd pick up The Definitive Book of Handwriting Analysis. Back in high school, I became really interested in the criminal mind and all the ways the criminal justice system worked. I borrowed every book in my town's small library that had to do with criminal cases, law, criminal profiling, and the one book on handwriting analysis. It's some really interesting stuff.

That's hilarious. I am pretty excited to hear what kid logic she'll come up with.

OOT was my first Zelda. Not the first that I ever played, but the first that I ever owned. Before that, my brother was always given video games and I was just allowed to play them. For that reason, I'm pretty excited for LBW. "My" first top down Zelda. I suppose it was only fitting that OOT on the 3DS was also my first portable Zelda game. I've been slowly purchasing every Zelda game available through the eshop but haven't beaten any of them. As for the DS Zelda games, I never really gave them a chance. I haven't even seriously thought about buying them even though I now have a way to play them. Being a lefty, I just find the controls intimidating.

I guess it's a pretty normal problem to have. My partner and I have discussed it a bit. She used to be a WoW addict. It feels acceptable to spend hours on silly flash games or Words with Friends, but to pick out a "real" game and play it for a few minutes feels wrong.

Fantastic! It'll probably be two years down the line before I actually buy a Wii U, but I'll certainly get Wind Waker when I do. Until then, I'll wait for A Link Between Worlds.

The latest Animal Crossing is my go to game still. I don't have as much time to devote to gaming as I used to and I also have a guilty feeling when I pick up my 3DS, like I should be devoting my time to something more productive. Animal Crossing is the best game for that, I've found, so that I can just pick it up for thirty minutes at a time and put it back down again. Although I did play a few hours of one of the Professor Layton games a few nights ago.

I like Zelda games, though I don't keep up with many consoles so I haven't played all of them. I never got a Gamecube, so I missed out on Wind Waker. I hope to get a Wii U in the upcoming years and would like to get the HD version of Wind Waker then. Do you think I'll miss out on some of the charm of the game by skipping to the "prettier" version?

Haha yeah, my brother and his wife have been trying to come up with PG-terms to say instead of cuss words. Just to get used to them before she starts parroting. I have no doubt that one day her mom will slip up and yell "tits!" in front of her and that'll be interesting.

It was fun to see her discover ceiling fans. She was so amazed and would just watch it if she was near one. I'm too used to things like ceiling fans, so it was kind of nice to see that sense of wonderment over something so ordinary.

I kind of wonder if I'll go overboard when she's older like Nicole Kidman's portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours. The whole asking about the kid's day from the beginning (waking up) but really trying to focus on how they felt, why they did things instead of what exactly they did.

That Ariel story is awesome, by the way. I've basically lost out on any stories like that due to staying away from kids for so many years--for good reason. There was about a two year period that anytime I was out shopping and a child was nearby they'd hit me with something. One had a freaking slingshot and whacked me with it in a store. Little monsters.

Yeah, there's a part of me that worries with her being the first grandchild on both sides she'll get whatever she wants and will become a little monster.

I'd never heard the bit about the d-pad and buttons doing the same thing. That does make it sound a bit better. I missed out on Skyward Sword too because I didn't have the, what was it, motion plus or whatever? But I always used the wiimote with my right hand, so I might have been able to do that one anyway.

I did boot up one of the Oracle games for a few minutes when I first purchased it before I had to go somewhere (what was I thinking?) and felt like a kid again. I spent so many hours on my Gameboy Color, it was nice to see graphics like that again.

Yeah, I have really bad anxiety. I have trouble going to stores down the street from me, I imagine it would be ten times worse in a foreign country.

I'll try to make it, but I make no promises. I have a pretty bad cold at the moment.

I'm in Raleigh, but it's so far in advance that I can't even say that I'll be there for sure yet.

Any ideas on which of those cities it will be?

When you're that angry over fast food, there's a major problem. I hope they can catch the guy, that behavior is so beyond unacceptable.

That is awesome! You have no idea how happy that makes me. You should definitely check out some of her other stuff. It ranges from solo acoustic, to rock, and wherever else she wants to go. She even sings in some songs. I've always like this kind of chill song: Gay Sons of Lesbian Mothers

I'm glad you liked it. Her music has definitely helped me in both good and bad times.

I have no intention of picking one up, but I am intrigued by it all. I've only recently become interested in gaming again in the last few years and picked up a 3DS last year. I plan to stick with just that for quite awhile.

I can understand the anger that some of the backers would feel over the news that they plan to come out with a new one each year. It's rather cheap, but even then I don't think I'd want to buy a new one every year. Then again, I know people that get a new phone every year or two, so maybe it'll just be like that.

Please do post about it once you get it and have some time to play. There are a lot of people that seem excited for it, but I'm curious how it will do when most people seem to be split between gaming on PC or consoles vs mobile gaming on phones and tablets.

I think I like it. It definitely looks a bit more friendly.

Yikes. Glad they were able to save the painting.

Awesome song for a chill night at home.

Really enjoying this music!

Just wanted to thank you for all of these. I started an Intro to Jazz class last week and these are keeping me motivated and interested. In fact, I had to watch a video tonight for the class that went into the minstrel shows, blues, and ragtime. There were a few quotes included in the ragtime section that made me chuckle and remember that every generation thinks the next generation is losing it, more outrageous, etc. Most of the quotes were just from white middle class men outraged by the popularity of ragtime, believing it to be almost like an attack on them for being popular because of its “negro influence.” They seemed quite convinced that society would crumble around everyone due to the popularity. These same men were also very displeased with all of the dance moves people were learning to dance along to the music.

Thanks for sharing. I loved watching their faces (such emotions you can see on the pianist's face!) and fingers.

Wow. It's kind of strange to look at. Thank you for sharing.