Saint-Malo: You Guess the Theme

Saint-Malo: Details on Buildings

I has Wi-Fi! But not much time for blogging this evening, so I'm going to do two quick posts, each with a particular theme. With these Saint-Malo pictures, I'm going to start small and work my way up to the big stuff. First: little things on buildings.

Like graffiti

of kitties.

Like gargoyle drains

(on Cathedrale Saint Vincent),

this interesting little window,

and signs above shops.

This one isn't a shop -- it's the Biblioteque (library) de Saint Malo.

So Many Pictures of Saint-Malo, So Little Wi-Fi

I think it's impossible to take an ugly picture in Saint-Malo, which is a walled city in Brittany, right on the English Channel. Unfortunately, it takes a long time and costs a fortune for me to upload the pictures unless I have good Wi-Fi, which I don't at the moment, so it'll be a few days until I'm able to share. I'll do it when I can.

A young person at Le Livre de Poche stand in the signing hall this morning: "Is Tolkien signing?"

My French publisher: "Unfortunately, he is dead." 

(Polite but clear. Two excellent qualities of my French publisher.) 

Me, ordering room service for tomorrow's breakfast: "Bonsoir. I would like to order breakfast for the morning." 

The lady: "Would you like coffee or tea?"

Me: "Tea, please." 

The lady: "Very good. You will have some orange juice and some croissant with a nice chocolat."

Me (delighted): "Okay then!"

(Decisive and confident. Two excellent qualities of French breakfast room service.)

I am having a wonderful trip :)

Links Before Leaving

I have a to-do list the length of, um, something long (why did I set myself up to have to take time to think up a clever metaphor?) so this will be quick, but -- I'm reading a very funny book. It's called Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School: Book the First) and is by Gail Carriger. A new character was just described thusly:

The door burst open. A young man stood before them. He was a tall, swarthy fellow of the type that Petunia would swoon over; rakishly handsome in a floppy way.

"In a floppy way" had me howling, and can't you just see him perfectly? I just started Chapter 5, which is titled, "Never Hurl Garlic Mash at a Man with a Crossbow."

Over at the CBC Diversity blog, Rebecca Rabinowitz has written a really wonderful post about the problematic depiction of fat characters in children's literature: Diversity 101: Who's That Fat Kid?

And a friend recently directed me to two wonderful TED talks in which men -- Jackson Katz and Tony Porter -- talk about feminism and masculinity. Katz, whose talk is entitled "Violence and Silence," mentions that men who talk about feminism get more attention than women who talk about feminism and acknowledges that this is unfair. Nonetheless, we unquestionably need more men talking about these things, encouraging other men to take responsibility when the responsibility is theirs, and thinking deeply about why we trap little boys in what Tony Porter calls the "Man Box." These are well worth watching. Rosa, thanks a million.

What about you, do you get a seasonal haircut?

Hi, I'm Violet.

My summer look is extreme...

and extremely dazzling.

Guys, help! I'm being nuzzled by a lion!

It can get quite boring to be this beautiful.

Hey, what about me? I'm cute.Why does everyone
alway make such a fuss about Violet? What about me?

Oh, I'm sorry, were you trying to read this menu?

My thanks again to Violet, Merry, Titus, Pippin, Julianne, and JD :o).

Saturday Randutiae

 In a room of colored lights

at the Museum of Science in Boston,

we had fun

with our own shadows.

Got Out of Town on a Boat *

A ferry story in 26 pictures requires a jump break. Click on "read more" below to see the rest.

Codename: Kate the Great and I drove to the ferry dock in Vineyard Haven, the harbor of Tisbury,
on the island of Martha's Vineyard. We got there early and watched truck after truck after truck...