Gordon Korman: zestful.
Jerry Spinelli: unflinching.
Louis Sachar: talkative.
Clive Cussler: straightforward.
Eoin Colfer: stark.
Dorothy Gilman: sprightly.
Roger Kahn: sedate.
E.L. Konigsburg: regal.
L. Frank Baum: prosaic.
Roger Angell: pleasing.
Michael Crichton: overanalytical.
Dick Francis: nuanced.
Robert Ludlum: noisy.
Diane Duane: mischievous.
Ellen Raskin: mesmerizing.
Dan Brown: intricate.
Isaac Asimov: intelligent.
Agatha Christie: dry.
Terry Pratchett: cunning.
Hugh Lofting: comfortable.
Raymond Khoury: cliched.
Alistair MacLean: businesslike.
Bill Bryson: brilliant.

TODAY'S BOOK: "Mere Anarchy", by Woody Allen (random) ((c) 2007)

Labels: random

This is a pretty accurate representation of my mind right now:


























































Seriously, I've run out of ideas for stuff to blog about. And I've lost that ol' random touch. Now I'm consumed with personal businesses that require my time and attention. So expect much less blogging, at least in the immediate future.
Ciao,
MetFanMac

TODAY'S BOOK: "Barney and the U.F.O.", by Margaret Goff Clark ((c) 1979)

Labels: biographical

I think it's only fair that y'all get your first online look at the Neogenix kids I've been babbling about. This is, however, only a quick sketch. Left-to-right: Ammo, Aurora, Drill, Cosmic Ray, Burn, Bomb Boy, Ghost, Flyboy, Hyper, Database, Mend, Ogre, Nano, Gamma Girl, Kid Cop, Quantum, Porcupine, Ricochet Robert, Red Menace, Popsicle, Rusty, Toolbox, Random, Sparkplug, Shade, Rage, Specs, Slash, Ultra, Vector, Twirly, X-Terminator, Zip, Stretch, Yeti, and Wired.

TODAY'S BOOK: "The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters With Extraordinary People", by Susan Orlean ((c) 2001)

Labels: cartoon

This is actually a combination of three different Illustrator homework assignments. First we had to make the room, then the carpet and wallpapers, and finally the furniture (in 3-D). Not too shabby, all things considered.

TODAY'S BOOK: "There is No Such Thing as Coincidence", by Baruch Lev ((c) 2003)

Labels: graphics

• I went to a zoo for the first time in years and had a blast. Penguin feeding, elephant mahouts, humongous rhinoceri and ants feeding on a dead millipede in the parking lot were some of the highlights; but the most thrilling one happened at the lion enclosure. A male and his mate were enjoying a siesta when a completely clueless peahen landed at the other end and squawked loudly. Annoyed, the lion popped his head up and swiveled it like a periscope. What unfolded over the next several minutes was pure eye candy: a lion slowly stalking its prey. Step by step, it crept closer and closer to the oblivious bird, until it stood only a few feet away, with the peahen directly between him and us--front row seats in every sense of the word. After a few breathless seconds, the lion charged.
  
  Even though there was a ditch and an electric fence separating us, my brain automotically got its Primeval Panic button pressed. I must have blacked out for a split second, because try as I might I don't remember actually seeing the peahen take off--but it did, just in the nick of time. [pause] I saw a lion charging in real life.


• Another animal spotted at the zoo was a green ring-necked cockatoo. I mention this because one of his Wickersham cousins has been by us for the past three days while his owners (friends of ours) went trippin'. His name's Shrek ('cause he's green, which ain't easy) and his English vocabulary consists of "Shabbat Shalom", "Shrek", and "hello". We've also been petsitting their dog, which I can most certainly do without.


• Over at the ISS, I've continued to roll along, with a mockery of the "2 Girls 1 Cup" concept (and no, I have not seen the video) and a surreal article about anti-anti-hero Marc E. Nibbleshvitz, which I hope to turn into a running series. Watch that space.


• I'm way past the stage of ruing the day I randomly slapped that blowfish picture into the blog. Sure, it attracts hundreds upon hundreds of hits, but I really have absolutely zero idea why. This bugs me no end.


• Let's go Mets! Let's go Mets! Let's go Mets! Let's go Mets!


• The Jew, the elder statesman, the metalhead, the Three Professors (Dr. Texas, Dr. Deep South, Dr. Midwest), the Star Wars fanatic, the emo, the couple, the Twilight hater, the social antisocialist, the mathematician, the Wiccan, the radical Leftist, the New Zealander, the Lord of the Rings geek, the South American, and assorted members of Generations X and ZOMG all invite you to visit TitansGo.net today along with them!


• Wakka! Wakka wakka wakka. Wak wak. Wakka wakka wak wakka wakka wak wakka wak wakka. Wakka, wak wakka wak wak, wakka wakka. Wakka. Wakka wakka wakka. Wak wakka, wakka.


• Why all the writing? Well, it's precisely what I was forbidden to do during Chol HaMoed Pessach. Drawing, too. Now I've got a week's worth of pent-up words and images flowing out at a fantastic rate. I'm now busy not on one, but three separate fanfictions, and several illustrations. But not for the IsraTimes, until they resume sending me their issues, because I feel that some compensation is due for me.

TODAY'S BOOK: "Vixen 03", by Clive Cussler ((c) 1978)

Labels: baseball, biographical, random, the blog, wakka wakka

"Should crap be labeled 'Malice Mel'?
In Hebrew, we have a different version of Old MacDonald. Translated: "Uncle Moshe had a cow, E-I-E-I-O/He didn't know how to milk her, E-I-E-I-O/Instead of milking, he pulled the tail/And all the crap fell on him/Uncle Moshe had a cow, E-I-E-I-O." o_o
What a perfectly random name for a book: 'I Am the Cheese', by Robert Cormier. Just as good as the Beatles' song 'I Am the Walrus'.
Wakka. Wakka. Wakka wakka? Wak?! Wakka wakka-wak wakka wakka, wakka! Wak wak wakka... Wakka wakka.
The rainy season has started here, and there's a puddle in front my school big enough to grow freshwater trout in.
I don't think comic book illustrations should ape life too much. Take Tony Daniel, for instance. He used to illustrate comics in what I refer to as 'toon style'--that is, well-drawn yet slightly exaggerated and stylized; now, he's illustrating DC Comics's 'Teen Titans' and changed his style to photographic. Now, this is no knock on Mr. Daniel--he's very talented and I enjoy looking at his artwork--but I just don't feel it should be used for comic books. (To see how he changed, read through the archives at tonydaniel.blogspot.com.) When the illsutrations become too lifelike, they stop being comics, you know what I mean?
I've found my life's philosophy wrapped up in the chorus of the song 'Grow Up' by Simple Plan: 'Until the day I die, I promise I won't change/So you better give up/I don't wanna be told to grow up/And I don't wanna change/I just wanna have fun...'

TODAY'S BOOK: 'Animorphs #1: The Invasion', by K.A. Applegate ((c) 1996)

TODAY'S MOVIE: 'Robots', from DreamWorks (2005)

WWWW2?: O. Henry.

TODAY'S WEBSITE: www.snopes.com Need to verify a rumor that's been circulating online? How can you be sure that the photo you received in the e-mail is genuine? Well, look no farther than Snopes--the most advanced rumor-checker on the Web! Divided up into dozens of categories (plus links in between to shared stories), this is an exatraordinarily useful feature--not to mention there's great fun to be had reading through the entries. And no, there is no 'SEX' in The Lion King."
--14th post, 11/1/06

Labels: reprint

Well, Carlos Muniz didn't make the Mets' Opening Day roster, but I have no doubt he'll be back sometime during the season--after, he did five separate stints with the club last year. With no #32 currently on the Mets, it's time cast my net all across the MLB and see what washes up.

Atlanta Braves: Derek Lowe, Starting Pitcher
Baltimore Orioles: Jamie Walker, Relief Pitcher
Chicago White Sox: Brian Anderson, Outfielder
Cincinnati Reds: Jay Bruce, Outfielder
Colorado Rockies: Glendon Rusch, Pitcher
Kansas City Royals: Ron Mahay, Relief Pitcher
Minnesota Twins: Brian Buscher, Third Baseman
Oakland Athletics: Jack Cust, DH-Outfielder
San Diego Padres: Chris Young, Starting Pitcher
Seattle Mariners: Rob Johnson, Catcher
Texas Rangers: Josh Hamilton, Outfielder
Toronto Blue Jays: Roy Halladay, Starting Pitcher

My conclusion? Major League Baseball needs more 32s, especially in the infield. It's also got its fair share of starpower (Cy Young winner Halladay, Silver Slugger winner Hamilton, Minor League Player of the Year Bruce, and All-Stars Lowe and Young). Yays.

TODAY'S BOOK: "Sports Immortals: Stories of Inspiration and Achievement", by Jim Platt and James Buckley, Jr. ((c) 2002)

Labels: 32, baseball

Hello, to all you nice puppies and girls out there, it is once the being of the 24 hours April Fools, and I am back, the completely serious nonrandom personality, here to edutain you!
Oh, goodness, where do I begin? The economy? Fashion? Hot dogs and frankfurters? Never mind, what matters is that for one whole day you get experience irrandomosity courtsey of this fine fine blog! Keeping in line with the traditionally solemn facekeeping of the occasion, I feel that perhaps a Bach sonata might be in order--perhaps Fugue in A Flat Minor.
Oh, what is that? What that you are saying to me? It is? No--it is not? Not the day of the April Fooling? In all seriousness? It passed? Yesterday--passed--it yesterday--was already? Happened? Oh, I am so abashed!
This, boy oh boy, this is deriously being the discombobulatory for me, moi, ourselves. Words simply fail to express the depth of my mortification caused by these circumstances. For I am late. Late indeed.
Continued elsewhen! For surement! And no doing the random thinging! Just all seriousnessositiness!

TODAY'S BOOK: "All Things Bright and Beautiful", by James Herriot ((c) 1974)

Labels: april fool