Gravity. She is a harsh mistress.

Some days, I swear I wouldn't make it through the workday without Lime and Violet and Regina Spektor. Most days, though, it's more of a mixed bag of podcasts. Just enough to keep me entertained until it's time to go, in between phone calls.

Today I was listening to one that's come to be one of my favorites, the Skeptic's Guide to the Universe. I was only half listening, between working and talking with my office buddy, but after awhile, it very much caught my attention. They were interviewing Michael Goudeau, this guy who's been a professional juggler and clown for years, and now he also writes for Penn Jillette. I didn't hear why they were interviewing him, but it was fascinating. Like a train wreck. Or, more appropriately, like a sideshow act.

Michael Goudeau juggles chainsaws. And if you're interviewing a juggler who juggles chainsaws, how do you not ask how he ended up juggling chainsaws? He said it was like playing chicken with other jugglers. It starts with flaming torches, and then machetes (for which he bled for three days. I probably would have stopped right there), and then axes. And then running chainsaws. Naturally.

The thing is, I love circuses. I've taken static trapeze classes. I loved those classes, and even thought about auditioning for circuses. I have great respect for the circus. People underestimate the art and dedication that goes into it, and they forget the history that goes back centuries. I will always be fascinated with all that stuff.

But as much as I am fascinated by it, and by Michael Goudeau, by extension, I will never understand the impulse to throw several sharp blades ten feet in the air. Much less a running chainsaw.

The world is full of crazy people. Isn't it fantastic?

A literary-themed life

Remember that thing I said I had planned for the blog? It was tragically quashed when I left my camera at my best friend's house, and to add insult to injury, it has now apparently found its merry way into a black hole. We know it's somewhere in her house, there's just no telling where. It's a big house, with lots of busy, somewhat absent-minded, distracted people. So that thing I had planned has been unforeseeably postponed. Sorry.

Anyway.

I heard about this book somewhere last week, and completely loved the idea. But I didn't think much of it at the time. Then today at work, I was listening to the "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" podcast for this week, and it was the answer to one of their questions, which made me very happy, just because it meant that it was an actual book, and not just a joke. I mentioned it to a couple of girls at work, who share my odd sense of humor and a running zombie-emoticon joke on our office instant messenger. One of them was just as excited as I am, and the other one just made fun of me for listening to NPR, and called me a dork.

Tip of the iceberg.

This is how I know they're still getting to know me at the office, because she clearly doesn't even begin to understand the depths of my dorkiness (although I prefer the term nerd, thank you). In the spectrum of podcasts that I listen to, that's pretty tame. The slew of knitting podcasts alone says enough. But by far my favorite (sorry, Lime 'n' Violet) is Mister Stephen Fry's Podgrams. The only downside is how few of them there are, which is why I'm rationing them, instead of listening to all of them in one go and then having nothing left to look forward to. The first one I listened to, I actually watched. It's the one video podcast he's done, and it was about Oscar Wilde's fairy tales. And I love Oscar Wilde almost as much as I love Stephen Fry. The second one I listened to was about language, and I listened to it again today, because it's just so damn good. He's lovely. Most girls my age are still swooning over Edward Cullen, but I much prefer Stephen. He makes me go all giggly.

It's turning out to be a very literary week, too. Saturday morning, I went to an author appearance at my favorite store, The Grove. Saturday and Sunday, I actually got some writing done, including one whole short fiction. I doubt I'll really do anything with it, but just to feel the pen moving across the page was worth it. It's been too long. On Monday the Boy-Creature and I saw Coraline in 3D, which was wonderful. And tomorrow, I get to see this hilarious Author-Guy at this fantastic bookstore. And I'm only number 20 in line for the signing! I'm incredibly happy, and inordinately excited about that. Can't freaking wait.

I only hope the literary-ness continues. And that the best friend can find my camera.