From tunequest, who tagged me:

So Webomatica tagged me and I guess I’m now “it” for the five things chain blog that’s been making the rounds. The idea is for a blogger to post five items of potentially new information about themselves.

Now that I’m it, I guess I’ll share 5 interesting factoids about me.

1. I really dig Rob Zombie. Living Dead Girl is one of my favorite songs (it’s currently my ringtone).
2. I’m a vegetarian and hardcore animal rights activist.
3. The only “foreign” country I’ve visited is Mexico. Cancun. During Spring Break.
4. I have an excellent, nearly photographic memory, which I mostly use to quote movies and TV.
5. And speaking of TV, I don’t have it. I do have an actual television, but no channels. It’s for movies only. I miss Food Network.

There you go. Five completely random facts about me. Now I’m tagging my friend Chris.

Storm Thief, by Chris Wooding

First off, let me start out by saying that Chris Wooding is extremely cool. He’s one of those reliable authors; all of his books are different and have an independence about them, but they are all equally good. He just doesn’t disappoint. I was reading his bio online, and it’s hysterical. Here’s a snippet:

University had broadened his horizons from the somewhat sheltered existence in the post-industrial doomscape of his home town, and he began to travel. He spent months in the USA to see if it matched up to the world represented in the movies he had grown up with, after which he travelled to the Far East where he got lost in a Malaysian jungle, and later backpacked around Europe where he almost managed to starve on a train between Athens and Budapest. After that he went to Japan where he was only saved from a hobo-esque existence trapped in the impenetrable Tokyo subway system by a kind passer-by, and to South Africa where he witnessed one of his best friends being mauled by a cheetah but was too paralysed with laughter to intervene. His last trip was to Scandinavia, where nothing life-threatening happened to him, which was nice.

Anyway, on to the book.

I was casually browsing our teen collection the other day, when I came across Storm Thief. I wasn’t aware that it was a new book, only that it was something by Wooding that I hadn’t read. I immediately snatched it up, and was happy to find the 2006 publishing date. I dove right in. The story is set in Orokos, a vast city that is also an island (sort of the way Coruscant is a vast city that is also a planet, I guess). Orokos is plagued with many problems: monsters, criminals, a ruthless goverment, and probablity storms that rain down chaos. The tale is primarily that of Rail and Moa, two teenage thieves, and Vago, a strange and unnatural creature. The story begins with Rail and Moa stealing an ancient and valuable artifact. When they are caught, they are forced to flee their home. They meet Vago, who is also on the run, and who possesses something that convinces Moa to invite him on their journey. Together, the three of them must survive the ravages of Orokos long enough to reach the sanctuary of Kilatas and possibly escape from the island once and for all. Except there’s one little problem: there’s no way to escape from Orokos, because Orokos is all there is. And maybe, just maybe, Kilatas isn’t the sanctuary that it’s made out to be. Despite their best plans and efforts, in the end, all Rail, Moa, and Vago have are courage, luck, and the artifact as they face insurmountable odds: murderers, traitors, the secret police, the Chaos Engine, the skimmers, and something unpleasantly Soylent Green-esque (hint: it’s people)!

So, I’m completely fascinated with Victoria Beckham (not to mention her hair). I suppose if I were English, I might be as sick of her as I am of Paris Hilton, but she’s not that big here in the U.S. Typically, when you hear something about her, it’s along the lines of “Tom and Katie get married! Posh attends.” or “David Beckham did some cool soccer thing, Posh cheers.” Etc. But I love her crazy, goofy fashion. Her husband’s a hottie, her kids are cute, and she just gives off a vibe that I dig.

Check her out in this cute YouTube video.

I didn’t. A coworker was talking about him the other day, and despite my art history background, the name wasn’t really ringing any bells with me. I thought perhaps that I simply wasn’t remembering his work, but when I researched him, I discovered that I had never learned about Erte. His work is pretty fascinating; to see samples click here. Here’s a short bio from the same site:

The Russian-born painter Romain de Tirtoff, who called himself Erté after the French pronunciation of his initials, was one of the foremost fashion and stage designers of the early twentieth century. From the sensational silver lamé costume, complete with pearl wings and ebony-plumed cap, that he wore to a ball in 1914, to his magical and elegant designs for the Broadway musical Stardust in 1988, Erté pursued his chosen career with unflagging zest and creativity for almost 80 years. On his death in 1990, he was hailed as the "prince of the music hall" and "a mirror of fashion for 75 years."

Neat.

I had John Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things sitting on my nightstand for weeks. I kept renewing it, because even though I wanted to read it, I was just never in the mood. Finally, the other day I was just hanging around, so I picked it up and plunged in. What a treat! Set in WWII England, the story follows David, a 12-year-old who has just lost his mother. While still reeling from her death, he finds out that his father is remarrying and his soon-to-be stepmother is pregnant. Suddenly David finds himself living in a large country house, with only his stepmother and new brother to keep him company. He grows more and more distant from his family, losing himself in the dark, disturbing fairy tales that line the walls of his new room.

And that’s when the Crooked Man appears.

Suddenly, David’s world changes violently. He is pulled into a dangerous alternate universe, populated by terrifying creatures and ruled by a helpless king. It soon becomes clear that David must find the king and the mysterious Book of Lost Things if he is ever to return home. Thus David embarks on a quest, his every move tracked by the evil and dangerous Crooked Man. But there’s more at stake on this quest than even David realizes, and only by completing his journey can David come to terms with his new life and finally begin the process of growing up.