Miracle Fish

I'm sorry I'm late posting today. Yesterday the kid and I went on a random adventure, which is when we jump in the car, point it in a direction and drive until we find something interesting enough to make us stop or we need food. It's not something I do very often, as I prefer to plan just about every second of my day, but the spontaneity is good for me.

This time we ended up at a small museum we'd never visited that featured an exhibit of installation art. Among the many fascinating pieces was an interactive display of fortune telling miracle fish, which we were invited to try out for ourselves. Since the artist's statement assured us that all of the fortunes were good ones, we decided to give it a go.

To receive our fortunes, we had to remove a little fish cut-out made of Mylar from the exhibit, and hold the fish on our palms until it reacted to our body heat. We then matched which part of it curled (or didn't curl) to the fortune on the back of a small envelope, also provided by the artist.



Kath's fish didn't curl (skinny teens have cold hands), so her fortune was "smooth sailing." My fish's tail curled, which meant "dream job." It figures my fortune would involve work. But as I already have my dream job, I think it was just reminding me to be a little more grateful for it.

As a reminder I've been keeping my 2011 motto fortune on my desk, but it's been migrating into my notes or falling to the floor, so I need to make it less likely to get lost. I didn't want to tape it to the computer, so I finally made it into a ATC. It's a bit harder to lose a card, and I wanted to experiment with making artist trading cards again.



I think at the end of the year I have to pass this one along to someone else; at least that's what my inner superstitious muse is muttering. The card will definitely make it easier to hand off.

I think we can make our own fortunes, good or bad, but it doesn't hurt to wish or let a random suggestion guide us along the way. The universe has an endless ocean of miracle fish waiting for someone to find them, and hold them in the palm of their hand, and see what might be happening next.

Where Was She? Ten

Ten Pics from PBW's Latest Road Trip





















Guess where I went on my road trip in comments to this post by midnight EST tonight (Monday, September 6, 2008.) I will draw one name at random from everyone who participates (whether your guess is correct or not) and grant the winner a BookWish.* This ten things giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something at PBW in the past.

*A BookWish is any book of your choice that is available to be ordered online and costs a maximum of $30.00 U.S. (I'll throw in whatever shipping is involved.)

On the Road Again

I'm going to be out of town for a few days, and the hotel wireless where I am is a bit iffy, so no Friday 20 this week (we do have a handicapped-friendly shower, though. No tub, no things to trip over, just multiple shower heads with many interesting nozzles, a floor-to-ceiling curtain, and a floor that drains. Or maybe I'm in the BDSM suite. Either way, very cool.)

I always check to see if the Gideons have placed a Bible in every American hotel room I've stayed in, and it's always there. Our room has a beautiful brand-new edition bound in blue and gold-stamped. We should be taking lessons from the Gideons; these guys know how to distribute books.

While the Gideons may own the drawer of every hotel nightstand in the U.S., I think the lobby of a hotel would be a cool place for our friends the publishers to put a complimentary fiction book rack. I didn't have time to pack any for this trip, but I usually bring some books with me and leave them on the tables and lounge chairs around the pool (if you want to try doing this, either hand the copies to people or put a sticker that says "Complimentary Copy from the Author" on it so the hotel guests don't assume the books belong to another guest.)

I'll post the winner of Reader Wednesday as soon as I get back to use the magic hat, and I'll try to check in from the road with you guys as the wireless permits. In the meantime, have a good weekend.