(no subject)

So, last night, we had our first real night out with another couple -- rloveking and voltbang. They came by at seven, and mousegrrl kindly agreed to babysit Elayna. Yes, two couples, out for dinner, with no kids. It was kind of surreal. We could actually talk about adult stuff.

We headed for Macaroni Grill (what, you thought I was going to start dieting on the one night I had at a real restaurant in ages?). Throughout the drive and the dinner, we simply did nothing but have great conversations. They're really good, fun folks, and the time slipped by. Good food, kid-free-conditions, and good company is an experience I haven't really had in a very long time, and it's something I've been craving, to the point where I think it's really affected what's left of my sanity. So it was nice to have a true evening out.

We got back home at a bit after 10, and the four of us chatted with mousegrrl and metaphorge (who'd stopped by shortly before) for another couple of hours about everything under the sun. The only downside was finding out that Elayna had thrown a major temper tantrum at bedtime. She's being punished today -- she's already written a note of apology to Mousegrrl, and has had her tv privs revoked, of course. And has had one hell of a talking-to.

But aside from that, it was a great night. Just nice to spend time with friends, talking and relaxing.

(no subject)

Okay, so I love the folks at ibooks, because they keep great books in print. But the cover of Damnnation Alley, which I'm reading right now, has the blurb, "The savage classic that inspired the apocalyptic hit science fiction film."

That's not technically wrong. But the movie of Damnnation Alley is one of the worst travesties ever made. It was so bad, it starred Jan Michael Vincent. Yes. That bad. And it makes The Lawnmower Man look like an accurate adaptation. I honestly can't think of a worse sci-fi movie.

Which wouldn't be so bad, except that Zelazny hated the movie. He reportedly cried at the premier, and not with joy. And iBooks should know better than to brag about that piece of shit on the cover of the book.

But I still recommend that everyone pick up the book, as it's a nice edition of a classic. Hell Tanner is the man who inspired Snake Plisskin, and is a hell of an interesting character. And there's no such thing as a bad Zelazny novel.

(no subject)

Cool. Jeffrey Eugenides (the guy who wrote The Virgin Suicides has a new book out, Middlesex. It's on my Amazon wishlist. Please feel free to buy it for me. And buy his first novel for yourself, as it rocks.