Monthly Archives: December 2015

Coming to a Holt

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Nathan

It turns out that the New York Public Library has a lot of Tom Holt’s back catalog on eBooks, so I’ve been catching up on them. The three I read most recently were: The Good, the Bad, and the Smug … Continue reading →

Posted in A. Lee Martinez, Authors, Fairy Tales, Music, Tom Holt, Uncategorized, XTC | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Avatar Pits

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Nathan

Some time before Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, Ultima was a popular role-playing series for the PC. I remember being interested in it before, but I never had a chance to play any of the games. The third and fourth … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

See You in the Funny Pages

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Nathan

Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz: The Complete Comic Strip Saga 1904-1905, published by Sunday Press – I received this oversize collector’s item as a Christmas gift, which is good as I’m not sure I would have bought … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Book Reviews, Characters, Comics, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Walking in a Winkie Wonderland

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Nathan

The geography of Oz is pretty complicated, with new communities often seeming to appear out of nowhere. You’d think it would have been thoroughly explored by now, but apparently not. L. Frank Baum did make a map of the nation, … Continue reading →

Posted in John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Maps, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Last Days of Discworld

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Nathan

It’s the Hogswatch season, and I just finished reading Terry Pratchett’s last Discworld book, The Shepherd’s Crown. While officially part of the young adult Tiffany Aching sub-series, there’s a lot in it that assures us Pratchett hadn’t forgotten about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Discworld, Terry Pratchett, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Desperately Seeking Santa

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Nathan

Merry Christmas! Since the day is almost over, I might as well share my thoughts on a few Christmas movies and specials I watched this year. I Am Santa Claus (2014) – A documentary examining the lives of several people … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartoons, Christmas, Holidays, Humor, Muppets, Music, Sesame Street, Television, Uncategorized, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Pretty Face and a Pompadore

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Nathan

The latest issue of Oziana is now available at Lulu. While I recommend the publication in general, this issue has one of my own stories in it, which I actually wrote back when I was in high school. Prince Pompadore … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Dennis Anfuso, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Love for Sale

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Nathan

I’m glad I’m not the only person who thinks that eHarmony guy, Neil Clark Warren, is creepy and condescending. He reminds me of a Southern preacher, and apparently he actually DOES have a master’s in divinity. He retired in 2007, … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Christianity, Corporations, Fundamentalism, Prejudice, Relationships, Religion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Little Orphan Anaye

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Nathan

While not related to the winter holidays, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the Anaye, monstrous beings from Navajo mythology born through the use of sex toys. Admittedly, that’s not the only origin story. Some … Continue reading →

Posted in Monsters, Mythology, Native American, Navajo, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Tis the Season to Be Frank

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Nathan

Frank Black, Christmass – I talked a bit about this record when it first came out, but I thought it might be worth revisiting since I’ve been looking back at Frank’s work and it’s near Christmas. Not that the album … Continue reading →

Posted in Albums, Frank Black/Black Francis, Music, Pixies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment