I am the fountain of affection

Hey, Boston folks. I volunteer at Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (books on tape, only, you know, they haven't been on tape for a while). I pop into a recording booth for a couple hours at a time and read books that become part of a national library for students with disabilities. I really enjoy it--I've been told I have a good radio voice, and I'm actually probably more anal than they'd like about fixing flubs (they'd actually rather you just repeat the word and move on).

This week is their annual Recordathon, where they try to fill every recording booth for 12 hours a day straight. If anybody would like to join me, there are still some time slots where you could. Or if you're truly heroic, you could replace me tomorrow (Monday) from 4:30-6:30 where I just realized I have colliding dinner plans. Oops.

The reading for Recordathon week is really easy and enjoyable--mostly novels and biographies. In general it's dryer, and lots of text books. They'd love more math&science folks to do books you need math&science clue for. To become a regular volunteer you need to learn how to read diagrams and such, but that's not necessary during the Recordathon... generally all you need to do is remember to say "page 5" and click a mouse, at the top of the page, and they mark each page to remind you to do it. ;-) So if you'd like to try it out, and you can make the times there are still slots free, let me know! I'll be going in Monday afternoon and can write you into the schedule for any timeslots later in the week.

RFB&D is located just outside Porter Square: 2067 Mass. Ave., 3rd floor (there are elevators)

For my own reference, I'm recording:
Monday: 2:30-4:30
Tuesday: 4:30-8:30
Wednesday: 12:30-4:30
Thursday: none at all
Friday: 12:30-2:30
Saturday: 12:30-4:30

I may add more time slots, especially on Saturday, but figured I'd wait and see what time slots other people didn't want.

As of Friday afternoon shortly before they closed, so probably still accurate, they still needed people for:

Updated Friday 2:30pm
Monday: 4:30-6:30, the vacancy I just created (eep)
Tuesday: 8:30-10:30, 4:30-8:30
Wednesday: 6:30-8:30
Thursday: 8:30-10:30
Friday: 12:30-2:30
Saturday: 12:30-4:30

I'll definitely do some Saturday time, I just haven't chosen when, yet. If you'd like to go in with me, that could make up my mind. If you want to go a time I'm already going, that'd be Tuesday 4:30-6:30. ;-) Or ping me and we can figure out another time.

A podcast (Slice of Sci-Fi or one of its brethren) introduced me to Xombie, a continuing flash-animated story set in a world with sentient zombies.

Tom Smith forwards the important question, "How would the Mighty Thor re-interpret contemporary pop hits?" Smite Me, Infant, One More Time

dictionary_wotd entries that I haven't known this year so far: daedal, rebarbative, brummagem, edacious, aubade, titivate, eleemosynary, epigone

A new dinosaur: the Dracorex Hogwartsia. (beware popup ads) Hee!

In the "they did a study to demonstrate that?" department, Verbal abuse triggers adult anxiety, depression. The deuce you say.

And here's someone who doesn't understand "comfort re-reading", never rereads books. To each her own and all... re-reading is a huge thing for me. Fantasy series and children's/YA books especially, but also Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, mysteries (yes!)*, golden age SF, Jeffrey Archer novels, science/math fact books, you name it. I adore the ritual of re-reading a series before the latest book comes out. I've done that with Mercedes Lackey, Laurell K. Hamilton (not anymore, though), Orson Scott Card (ditto), and J.K. Rowling. Heck, my whole library is things I might theoretically re-read. Otherwise, why own 'em?

I love the idea of secular relics. Hee.

Scenes from Minoan life staged with Barbies. May take a while to load; be sure you see the last image on the page. Not worksafe if your work frowns on naked doll breasts.

A hilarious billboard juxtaposition.

A recent scam alert: fraudsters calling to say there's a warrant out because you missed jury duty and flustering you into giving out personal info.

Naked doll breasts!

* I notice that my phrasing implies that Sherlock Holmes and mysteries are separate things. Well, in my mind they are. I have to have a fair shot at figuring it out for it to be a mystery.