SF Chronicle Appearance, and Men’s Packages (Largely Unrelated Topics)
Posted on January 30, 2005 Posted by John Scalzi 9 Comments
Ooh, look, a review in today’s San Francisco Chronicle:
Scalzi skillfully upends Robert A. Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers,” creating a cadre of old souls in young bodies who must learn to become killing machines. He sidesteps most of the clichés of military science fiction, delivers fast-paced scenes of combat and pays attention to the science underpinning his premise. All in all, “Old Man’s War” is a solid, somewhat old-fashioned adventure story, with just enough touches of humor and genuine feeling to make it stand out from the pack.
Neat. The review also mentions that I am a “popular Web blogger,” which is the first time I’ve heard it put that way — usually it’s “Weblogger” or “blogger.” Is this the birth of a new if slightly etymologically redundant neologism? Stay tuned! Also reviewed: Charlie Stross’s The Family Trade (“Stross brings to fantasy the same kind of sly humor and clear-eyed extrapolation that he previously brought to space opera and horror”), Steven Gould’s Reflex (“After a satisfying conclusion, though, the door is left open for further sequels, and many readers will gladly welcome Davy and Millie back for a third or fourth adventure”) and Jeff Smith’s Bone graphic novel omnibus (“‘Bone’ is one of the rare recent comics suited to the widest possible range of ages”). Good company, and I’ll note that OMW, Family Trade and Reflex are all Tor books, so rock on, Tor’s publicity department!
Many thanks to Mythago for the link. Also, in an entirely unrelated development, guys, you’ll want to check out her recent commentary, in which she unloads the real truth about what women want when it comes to the size of a guy’s package, followed by reader commentary.
I have my own opinions on the matter, which may or may not be relevant, coming as they do from a fellow who has been happily and heterosexually married for nearly ten years. However, one thing I think is true is that there’d be a lot more happy women out there if men spent as much time working on various ways to please their partners as they do obsessing on whether they’ve got a Vienna Sausage or a Dodger Dog. This is my philosophy, anyway. Women, please let me know if I’m on the wrong track here.
Web blogger is rather like going to the ATM machine and using one’s PIN number.
Dodger Dog?!?! *snerk!* That’s an image (not unlike that of the rapacious burrito bantered about in M’s blog) that I’m not at all sure I needed right before crawling into bed with the hubster :-D
But you’re right on in your assumption, although I must break rank with the code of silence myself and say that if you truly are a Vienna Sausage Choir Boy, some fretting may be in order. Dunno what they can do about it, but there it is.
Hub still has the frets sometimes, despite his obvious…well…appropriateness, size-wise (must be a guy thing), but he apparently read the instruction manual so I have no complaints. :-)
I’m all in favor of a guy learning how to use what they have rather than trying to determine if they are bigger (which does NOT mean better) than some other guy.
“Web blogging” is a nifty neologism coined while writing under deadline and on too much cold medicine — and one not caught by any flinty-eyed copy editors.
Glad you liked the review.
Mike Berry — Coming to you via Internet email
Ah, yes, cold medicine. More neologisms are created that way than any other.
“Web blogger is rather like going to the ATM machine and using one’s PIN number.”
And let’s not forget the SALT talks.
But the one that really kills me is “scuba gear.” I mean, is it apparatus or is it gear? Make up your damn mind.
“SALT Talks.”
I think the T in SALT stood for “Treaty,” not “Talks.”
I feel like the girl who got pulled up onto the stage at her favorite rock band’s concert!
You’re right on the skills vs. size thing, John. Anybody can buy a big dildo. Buying a map to the clitoris seems trickier for many people.
“You’re right on the skills vs. size thing, John. Anybody can buy a big dildo. Buying a map to the clitoris seems trickier for many people.”
Besides, I’ve found that after nearly five years of marriage and one kid, pleasing my wife has a lot more to do with changing my share of the diapers than it does the size of my schwanz.