Editing Doesn't Completely Suck

I spent most of yesterday editing my NaNo Novel and rethinking the story arch I've been plotting. I've been contemplating using the NaNo Novel as a prequel to the series I'm working on, to be published after the first five or so sequential books. Now I'm sort of wondering if that shouldn't be just the first book.
I actually like my first book. Lord knows it needs work, but I went through and took out all the random bits that happen when you have to meet a daily word count, changed a few details about the ways the characters interact, and wrote a new ending. A productive day overall. This is weird for me, a strange place to find myself in: me liking something I've written and enjoying rereading and editing, It makes me nervous in a way, because I'm afraid the more I like it, the more crushing it will be when other people dislike it.
So far, I've let one of my friends from the literary society read it-- and I read her NaNo Novel as well. She really enjoyed it, but I'm still anxious. I've decided that I'm going to apply myself not only to editing this book and continuing to work on the second, but to finding an agent this year. I fully expect to receive some rejection letters, but they'll be tough to read. Where to begin looking? I suppose I'll have to spend a weekend combing through Writer's Market after another round of editing.
Right now I'm heading to the laundromat so that I can have some clean clothes before I get snowed in again.

James Franco: English Nerd

Some nerds are hot. Very hot- made hotter by the fact that they are nerds. Last night James Franco was on The Daily Show, discussing his Oscar nomination for the Danny Boyle film, 127 Hours. When he heard that he had the nomination he chose to go to his class at Yale instead of heading to a morning talk show. Apparently it was a class on the Romantic poets, so he couldn't miss that (I totally agree). He's pursuing a PhD in English, it helps 'get the ladies.'
His love and knowledge of English no doubt helped with his role as Allen Ginsberg in the recent film Howl about the obscenities trial surrounding the poem of the same name. A film I've yet to see, but have heard good things about.
So, next time someone complains about the lack of guys that are smart and sexy, point out James Franco as hope for woman-kind.

I Love The Decemberists

Maybe this is a strange thing to hear someone proclaim, but I adore The Decemberists. The first time I heard their music, I was slightly skeptical, but over the past few year they have grown on me like an ingenius musical mildew.
They've developed a reputation for seeming to cater mainly to English majors, history buffs, and Anglophiles. Is it any wonder why I like them? They're known for playing with traditional styles of ballads and folk songs, especially sea shanties.
In 2009 they released the concept album The Hazards of Love- almost opera--like in scale, it tells a mythic and tragic love story. Though perhaps, slightly bizzare fare for the average radio listener, its scale of drama was strangely appealing. Several songs such as "The Wanting Comes in Wave" and "The Rake's Song" also hit lush and surprising musical nuances, drawing out a rock and roll/heavy metal sound, unusual for the band.
Perhaps what I love best about The Decemberists is their willingness to experiment and the intelligence and passion they do it with. They don't water down their music to create a more marketable single and they also enjoy playing with language and story telling. Not all of their songs have one simple meaning (in fact, I'm not sure any of them do), you could study their lyrics like you could a poem or story and dissect all sorts of meaning from it.
Their recently released album, The King is Dead shows yet another phase of experimentation for the band. Unlike the long, multi-layered songs of The Hazards of Love, King seems to be an exploration in simplicity and a return to the band's Portland OR root. The longest song on the album is five and a half minutes long, compared to earlier songs such as "The Island" and "Mariner's Revenge," or their eighteen and a half minute long EP "The Tain, "that's quite short.
I'll be reviewing their new album for the college paper, you can watch their first live performance of The King is Dead from beginning to end on NPR, here.

Goodnight Mr. Holmes by Carole Nelson Douglas

Goonight Mr. Holmes: An Irene Adler Novel tells the story of Sherlock Holmes' worthy opponent from the short story "A Scandal in Bohemia," Irene Adler. According to the short story, "To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman."
The story is told from the perspective of Penelope Huxliegh, the daughter of a country curate, she finds herself orphaned and out of the job in the middle of London. When Irene Adler rescues her from an urchin trying to steal her bag, the two soon become friends and roommates. She is, in a sense, Irene's Watson. Her friend and biographer that helps keep her grounded.
Penelope or Nell is a very interesting and well rounded character in her own right, a good creation on the part of Douglas. She assists Irene, who enjoys solving problems, solving puzzles, and finding missing items for people while she waits for her opera career to take off. Among Irene's friends and clients are historical figures such as Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, and the famous jeweler, Mr. Tiffany. Though it's clear that Irene's focus is her musical career, rather than detective work, she has trouble resisting the lure mysteries such as that surrounding a spectacular length of diamonds that has been missing for several generations.
Douglas's novel shows that there were several times when Adler nearly met Sherlock Holmes, their paths narrowly crossing before the events of "Scandal."
The novel creates a rich background to Adler's life before she finds herself involved with the King of Bohemia, how and why she flees his company, and how she tricked Sherlock Holmes and escaped England.
It's a loving tribute to a fantastic character that has captured readers' imaginations more than any other woman from Doyle's canon. Indeed, perhaps it is a kind of literary justice that Adler has been incorporated into so many stories by other authors. The way Douglas presents the story allows her to show the mutual fascination between Holmes and Adler without pushing a romantic relationship between them. However, Godfrey Norton, the man Adler eventually marries plays a big part and also become a much more rounded character than Doyle originally wrote.
Douglas also pulls the classic "I'm not the author, I'm the editor" gimmick, creating the illusion of the story coming straight from Penelope's diaries, and even a few portions from Dr. Watson's journals not previously published. It's a common enough style of presenting this sort of thing- Laurie King does something similar with her Mary Russell series. Douglas's post-script to the novel lays it on a little thick, however.
Overall, a good read for fans of Adler that wish she had been more developed. It is an interesting story that paints a portrait of friendship just as appealing as the classic relationship between Holmes and Watson, but in this case exploring a feminine version of this friendship, between Irene and Penelope.

Sonnet Sunday: Neruda

Sonnet 16, translated by Terence Clarke

I love the clump of earth that you are,
because, from the planetary prairies,
I have no other star. You repeat
the universal multiplications.

Your wide eyes are the light that's left
of the defeated constellations.
Your skin quivers like the trails left
in the rain by the passing meteor.

Of so much of the moon, for me, were your hips,
of the entire sun your deep mouth and its delicacy,
of so much burning light, like shadowed honey,

your heart, charred with long red rays.
And so I pass by your fiery form, kissing you,
planetary and small, my geography, my dove.

The Bath Disaster

Enjoy this off topic post, it's been an exhausting few days.
I have not taken a bath at this apartment yet even though I've been here for a while. Baths are one of my favorite winter activities- sometimes they are the only way I can make my entire body feel warm at one time. However, the tub here is a little scary.
The menfolk have left it rather scummy and the bottom of the tub still has the remnants of stick--on daisy shaped pads to prevent slipping left by the last tenant. These have been covered by a prickly bath mat that seems to be the place where all hair collects.
Still, I was determined that today I was going to have a bath. The kind of bath that involves music and a book and my homemade eucalyptus bath salts. Something other than the third episode of Downton Abbey should be the highlight of my weekend for goodness' sake. Alas, it was not meant to be. After scrubbing the tub and using some foaming cleaner I found it the back of the cabinet (which I got on my hands and then had a two-minute freak out over the fact that the warning label says to avoid contact with skin- I have a mild chemical phobia as it is), I finally deemed the tub clean enough to bathe in. Of course then the water would not get hot enough and the drain is apparently loose, so the lukewarm water was slowly sinking around me.
That's when I finally cast aside my copy of Little Women and gave up on the relaxing bath scenario. I took a shower and wondered why the water could be hot coming out of the shower head, but not when filling the tub.
Now I'm settling in to finish up some articles for the college paper and accepting the fact that PBS programming probably will be the highlight of my weekend. There are worse things.

Women's Studies Conference

My professor made me submit a research paper to an intercollegiate women's studies conference that's happening in February and it's actually been accepted- I received notification today.
It's exciting, but also somewhat worrying- I'll have the floor for fifteen minutes and I'll be possibly questioned by a panel. A plan of action must be developed, I must talk to my professor about tidying up the paper a bit more as well.
This is, in a way, an ironic turn of events. I've never fancied myself to be a scholarly writer, I don't see that being the direction I'll go in after college either, but I did like this paper (and apparently others see some merit in it as well). I also felt quite proud of the paper on Troilus and Cressida I wrote last semester- mostly I was proud of the fact that I worked in a little joke about iambic pentameter. My professor thought it was amusing at any rate.
So, I'm excited and a little anxious at this point. The conference will interfere with my Forensic Speech schedule unfortunately, but I'm not even going to worry about that right now.

Edgar Allan Poe, You Don't Look a Day Over 200

But in fact, you are 202 today!

I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity. During these
fits of absolute unconsciousness, I drank--God only knows how often or how much. As a matter of course, my enemies referred the insanity to the drink rather than the drink to the insanity.

from the Memoir of Edgar Allan Poe
For the past two years the mysterious "Poe Toaster" has failed to appear. For sixty years, a mysterious figure dressed in black left roses and a bottle of cognac on Poe's grave on his birthday, but not in 2010 or this year.
Theories abound that this fan has died. A shame there is no one to take up this mantle in his place... yet.
Still, enjoy remembering Poe today by rereading "Annabel Lee", "The Black Cat," "The Raven"- or just play with your Edgar Allan Poe finger puppet.

An Unexpected Extension

My winter break has been extended by some inclement weather. It was at eight fifteen this morning that I thought about skipping breakfast and climbing back into the warm cocoon of my bed, but decided to be productive instead.
I made some Calendula and Orange Goat's Milk soap and had some oatmeal.
Currently, I'm working on typing up all of my draftings and story notes for my mystery series. I have bits written for four books so far and need to start organizing them. Also, I need a new flash drive, as I start expanding my drafts, I have a feeling my already well used memory stick will fill up.
I'm writing my stories out of order. Scenes and subplots and bits of dialogue will come to me that are for two books down the road. Perhaps it is because I took a day back in early December and mapped out where I wanted the series as a whole to go. Obviously some of the details and such aren't clear yet, but I know basically what occurs in each book and how that effects an overall story arch for a five book series (and maybe a prequel).
There is something very empowering about knowing where you're going with your story and characters. Trust me, there have been many occasions where I've been lost and had no idea of what should happen next.
Still, I need to more seriously focus on finishing the first book (the second is in a far more complete state currently) and start looking for an agent. If I could publish my first novel before I finish college, I would be unutterably euphoric. More and more I realize that it really is what I want to do. So many people do work that doesn't make them happy and I don't know if I could, but writing makes me happy. Well, most of the time- even when if doesn't, I still have to do it. It's something I have to do. And I'd like to get paid for it. That would be nice.

To The Ends of the Earth: A Review

To be perfectly honest, I only watched this because it was one of Benedict Cumberbatch's first staring roles. Of course when I was scouring the internet for the videos I couldn't find it. Today on Hulu I see they have the entire series uploaded. You know, now that I've purchased it. I also marched through the snow to go to the post office today only to stand in front of the locked door and suddenly remember it's a holiday. This happens to me.

At any rate, To The Ends of the Earth is the story of Edmund Talbot, a young man travelling to Australia to take up a governmental position secured for him by his influential godfather. Along the way he begins to understand that privilege and influence also comes with responsibility. The story takes its form from Edmund's journal that he keeps to give to his godfather at the end of the journey.
On the long voyage he interacts with the crew, and begins to understand the politics that run through the ship. He also makes the acquaintance of a parson, a governess, a family that is actually an artist and his two mistresses, and a radical free thinker. All of the characters have fears and secrets that are touched on during this voyage and Edmund must confront his own ways of thinking about life and society. He even falls in love when their ship meets with another after a storm.

Though To The Ends of the Earth had a lot of potential it falls sadly short. Structurally the episodes are messy, the transition from the first to the second episode is particularly poor. Certain events seem to occur randomly- especially in the final episode, and without much meaning resulting. Perhaps it is because they tried to cram an entire trilogy into three ninety minute episodes. Though Cumberbatch and the rest of the cast add dimension to their characters, a satisfying conclusion is never reached and many plot lines are left somewhat flapping in the breeze.
The romance plot is rather uncomfortable as well. Instead of coming across as sweet, it comes across as slightly creepy and possibly the symptom of head injury. At one point it seems that this is going to be another point of learning and maturation for Edmund, but it falls somewhat flat and insists upon a love-at-first-sight story with an inexplicable ending.
If you are a hardcore Cumberbatch fan you may enjoy watching it to chart the progression of his work (and, as some will no doubt watch it for, a love scene and a showering scene where there is a rather full on shot of his butt). Still, I can't say that it is a series I will watch again or recommend. For an excellent historical film featuring Cumberbatch, I would suggest Amazing Grace, though not without a few structural difficulties, it is engaging and inspiring and has cast with well known, respected, and talented actors.

Sonnet Sunday: Cummings

Something more contemporary. "Unrealities III" by e.e. cummings:

it is at moments after i have dreamed
of the rare entertainment of your eyes,
when (being fool to fancy) i have deemed

with your peculiar mouth my heart made wise;
at moments when the glassy darkness holds

the genuine apparition of your smile
(it was through tears always) and silence moulds
such strangeness as was mine a little while;

moments when my once more illustrious arms
are filled with fascination, when my breast
wears the intolerant brightness of your charms:

one pierced moment whiter than the rest

--turning from the tremendous lie of sleep
i watch the roses of the day grow deep.

The Tail End of Winter Break

The Spring semester starts in two days. I've enjoyed almost four weeks of *wild debauchery* that is now coming to an end.
By wild debauchery of course, I mean I've read several lovely books that weren't required for classes, I've had a few semi-spontaneous social interactions, made lip balm, consumed copious amounts of tea and toast, and I've accomplished a great deal of writing as well- none of which was class required. What can I say? I'm quite the delinquent. Honestly, I dread giving up the liberty to do what I want with my time for a somewhat rigorous schedule of classes, club meetings, and rehearsals.
I like having time to talk to my characters and nurture my stories.
My short story for the Jane Austen Made Me Do It contest isn't going as well as I'd hoped, unfortunately. I only have a few pages and I feel like it's not Austen enough. I actually scrapped my initial attempt and started over- but it still isn't hitting the note I want it to. It needs some work shopping.
All my textbooks have arrived, I am taking some interesting classes this semester at least. I'm also in a Tennessee Williams play- I adore him.

Reading Challenges- Sherlock Holmes

I see blogs hosting reading challenges all the time, I've even participated in a few. However, I really want to host my own now.
I've been reading so much Sherlock Holmes, the originals and pastiches and talking to others that either have been as well, or want to start. This is why I suddenly want to host a Sherlock Holmes reading challenge.
Obviously there are several obstacles such as getting the word out and the question: Who wants to start a reading challenge in February?
Perhaps I'll wait and make this a summer reading challenge, in the meantime I'll put out some feelers to see if there is any interest in such an undertaking. Think of it as sort of a book club for those that are enamoured with the great detective.
The exact parameters still have to be determined, but probably the standard 4-6 books and I'll probably include movies as well.
What do you guys think?

The Great Gatsby... in 3D?

Subtitle: WHY BAZ LUHRMANN? WHY?
I just read this article and I am appalled. I am a fan of Baz Luhrmann, his decadent, surrealist style usually works quite well and the man is not afraid of a metaphor or two. The idea of him directing the jazz age tragedy that has recently become one of my favorite novels could be an intriguing one. It could really be a great fit.
Then I found out that he is planning to do it in 3-D.
My issue with 3-D movies is that has it become a cheap gimmick to make audiences pay more without really adding to the quality or thematic messages of the film. By breaking that fourth wall it doesn't make the movie more real to the audience, it emphasizes the un-reality of the event. The movie points out its own artificiality (and not in a poignant post modern way). Besides that, those stupid glasses give me a headache.
I just don't see how making The Great Gatsby in 3-D will add anything to the story or characters. Ideally, an audience's investment in the characters, the movement of the plot, and the effect of the theme should be why people watch movies, not just to see when something pops out at them next. For kid's movies and such, sure it can be fun, but ultimately it can dumb down the movie and muddle a fantastic story. Gatsby is compelling enough, it doesn't need flimsy tricks. Fitzgerald would not approve.
In a way, it's ironic because I feel like one of the main messages of Gatsby is how meaningless decadence and cheap modern window dressing are- life, and in my argument, film needs a solid foundation of something other than spectacle to make it worthwhile. I'm sorry if you like 3-D movies, to each their own, but in this case, it feels wildly inappropriate.

Sonnet Sunday: Shakespeare 138

I haven't done a Sonnet Sunday post since May! National Poetry Month in April exhausted my lust for iambic pentameter, but I think it's time again. After all, we only have three months to prepare ourselves for NPM festivities. I'm coercing the literary society into performing "Random Acts of Poetry" on campus. I knew there were benefits to being president, besides my new nickname- "She who must be obeyed."
So, for your reading pleasure, Sonnet 138 by William Shakespeare:

When my love swears that she is made of truth
I do believe her though I know she lies,
That she might think me some untutored youth
Unlearned in the world's false subtleties.
Thus vainly thinking that she thinks me young,
Although she knows my days are past the best,
Simply I credit her false-speaking tongue;
On both sides thus is simple truth suppressed.
But wherefore says she not she is unjust,
And wherefore say not I that I am old?
O, love's best habit is in seeming trust,
And age in love loves not to have years told.
Therefore I lie with her, and she with me,
And in our faults by lies we flattered be.

A Quick Review: The King's Speech

This was an excellent film. It is perhaps a little more sedate than many of the movies that hit theatres during the holiday season, but well performed and with a great deal of heart.

It chronicles King George VI's ascension to the throne and his struggle with a stammer. With the support of his wife (played by the ever-lovely Helena Bonham Carter), "Bertie" finds a speech therapist, Lionel Logue, that helps him overcome his impediment. Not only does Lionel help him with the mechanical issues of speech, he becomes his friend and helps Bertie tackle some of the emotional struggles that effect his speech. In a country on the verge of war, King George feels the pressure to be able to raise the spirits of the people. He is pitted against Adolf Hitler, a very dynamic speaker. The strained relationship between Bertie and his older brother David (King Edward VIII) who abdicated the throne to marry divorced socialite, Wallace Simpson, is also highlighted. Though the actor playing David, Guy Pearce, looks younger than Colin Firth, there interaction felt realistic- the not quite animosity between them comes out in several scenes.

Firth very believably portrayed Bertie's struggle with verbally expressing himself. For a well spoken actor, it was no doubt a difficult balancing act to portray Bertie's stammer accurately. Still, he succeeds in showing the frustrating experience of his character. Geoffrey Rush is very likable as the speech therapist that isn't afraid to be unconventional or treat Bertie more like a friend than a member of the royal family.

Michael Gambon and Jennifer Ehle also make appearances as George V and Mrs. Logue, respectively.

This film was rated 'R'. I don't generally watch 'R' rated films because they tend to be gratuitous, often movies receive that rating for excessive violence or graphic sexuality or vulgarity. However, this film merely drops the f-word a few times as a part of Bertie's speech exercises. Many PG-13 movies have far more offensive content. The high rating seemed unnecessary and will probably keep many younger audiences from being taken to see it. Though I don't advocate swearing, it doesn't come out of an offensive or degrading context. This would still be an excellent film for a young person with a speech impediment to see. It's inspiring and hopeful- rare qualities for a movie lately.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King

In 1915 a recently orphaned Mary Russell is wandering around Sussex reading Virgil when she nearly trips over a middle aged man studying bees. This man is Sherlock Holmes. Retired to the countryside and amusing himself as a beekeeper, he soon forms a friendship with the young woman who shows an aptitude for observation. Soon he is training her in his methods and the two embark on a series of adventures together including one that puts their lives and their partnership in danger.

Although I was skeptical about a Sherlock Holmes spin-off, this was an excellent book. King clearly loves Doyle's Holmes and brings him to life in a way that doesn't attempt to copy the original stories, but shows respect for them none the less. The reason this story works is that it is told through the eyes of Mary and it is her story, Sherlock Holmes isn't the protagonist. Her character is very well drawn. She avoids becoming a Mary-Sue by being so very realistic. She doesn't automatically equal Holmes' skill, she has to go through training and she makes mistakes and misses things at times.

She is also unafraid to stand up to him, in spite of being an avid reader of Watson's stories of his exploits. In fact, she is prepared to hate Watson when she meets him, but the two form a friendship and he becomes "Uncle John" to her. Mycroft also appears and becomes another proxy family member for Mary, as well as Mrs. Hudson. King draws all of these characters into Mary's life in a believable way that stays true to their original spirit. When the major antagonist of the piece shows up it is unexpectedly expected- it makes perfect sense, but it still manages to be a bit surprising.

A few questions that nagged me when I heard the premise were soon smoothed out, such as Holmes' age. This novel starts with him in his early fifties in 1915, according to Doyle's timeline he would have been well into his sixties. Holmes addresses this question of Mary's by telling her he actually went into practice at age 21, but it was reported that he was older because no one trusted such a young detective.

The story does touch on WWI and uses the backdrop of the new era to its advantage. I don't think it would have worked if King had attempted to write such a novel about Holmes during his Baker Street days, especially not with a female apprentice in the late Victorian era.

Due to the memoir style of the book, some passages grow a bit muddled, referencing events out of order, but that is small thing and probably my only criticism of the book

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book to fans of Sherlock Holmes, I look forward to reading the next book in the series very soon.

Incidentally, apparently today is widely recognized to be the birthday of Sherlock Holmes. I believe ASH and the Baker Street Irregulars have some festivities going on.

David Tennant is Engaged

It's been all over the news, so I'm sure everyone's heard by now, but I can't not post about this. David Tennant is engaged to Georgia Moffett, daughter of fifth Doctor Peter Davison and the actress that played Ten's daughter in "The Doctor's Daughter". I'm going to attempt to coin another new term here: Whocest- because that is how I'll be referring to their relationship.
Moffett is twenty six and has an eight year old son, she and Tennant are apparently planning their wedding for next new year's day.
I was very disappointed in this headline from the Daily Mail:
"Keep it in the Time Lord family: David Tennant to marry Georgia Moffett... daughter of ex-Doctor Who Peter Davison"
Now even I, an American, know that Peter Davison was The Doctor, not 'Doctor Who.' Shame, shame, an all too common mistake. The Daily Mail disappoints me once again.

Wait... do you hear that loud cracking noise? That is the sound of fangirl hearts breaking across the globe. Personally, I hope that they are very happy together and I completely forgive Tennant this folly, after all, he hasn't met me yet.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

I'll be honest, I've not read much Adams, I've never read the Hitchhiker's series (I saw the movie when it came out). Still, when I heard about this book the premise intrigued me. Since I've been on a mystery kick lately a sci-fi mystery seemed like fun.

This time there would be no witnesses.
This time there was just the dead earth, a rumble of thunder, and the onset of that interminable light drizzle from the northeast by which so many of the world's most momentous events seem to be accompanied.

So begins Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Adams begins slowly weaving threads of separate stories that don't connect for quite some time. The title character doesn't appear until about half way through the story, though he is shabbily delightful and haphazard. Somewhat of a con artist, he takes the approach of holism, or the interconnectedness of all things and other abstract scientific theories when looking at mysteries to be solved and he charges handsomely. The main character, however, is Richard, a young software designer, who finds himself in the middle of a complicated web of time travel and murder. He isn't particularly interesting, but the experiences he has are.
Adams uses sharp, insightful humor to build a world very much like our own, but just slightly slanted to make room for science fiction phenomenon. Though not all of his plot threads are sewn up in a completely satisfactory way, it still is amusing and thought-provoking. Random inexplicable things such as a sofa stuck in a hallway, a conjuring trick, the poetry of Coleridge, and the mathematical beauty of music all lay in Adams's landscape and add color to the story.
Ideas such as quantum physics and chaos theory are touched on in the story as apart of the plot and the way the world of the novel functions.
The story also curiously combines genres. It is, of course science fiction, but there is a mystery at the center and also elements of a sort of fantasy ghost story as well. Very peculiar.
It was certainly different than most of the books I read, but enjoyable. Adams was clearly a very creative, witty mind that loved combing scientific theory with fun and complex plots and some social satire as well.

So, it's 2011 now

I only have to be excited about this if I acknowledge that time moves in the entirely linear, measured fashion that we say it does. Which I'm still on the fence about. There, I said it.
It does, however, give me an excuse to look back over the (alleged) year 2010 with my spiffy Blogger Stats.
My most read post in the history of this blog is "Death Masks"- a write up I did on a History Channel program in July. It has has four times the views of any of my other top viewed posts.
My readership is international (I knew that thanks to Neci and Traxy- hi guys!), but I didn't realize how extensive it was. My top country of readership is, of course the US, followed by the UK,then Finland, Germany, South Korea, Canada, India, South Africa, Malta, and Australia.
If you're on Blogger but haven't checked out your stats tab, definitely do. It's fascinating and surprising. Somewhat encouraging too. It's nice to know- and have actual figures to back up- that people are reading what you post.
Thanks to everyone that drops by, even if it's only occasionally. So, onward into 2011(you know, if I believed in that linear sort of thing). And I'm giving you all a mischevious grin right now.