Gender Does Not Match

No, this isn't going to be anything deep and meaningful on the psychology of gender. We'll save that for the Kashimashi discussion I'll indulge in after Media Blasters releases the last disc and me and Doc have spent a weekend marathoning it. Rather, it's a complaint on the idiocy of the Social Security Administration and how they could get something as simple as the fact that I'm female wrong. Sure, I don't carry a purse or wear make-up, but the hardware is all girl. Yet for some as yet undiscovered reason, sometime in the last year, they've decided I'm male. My employer isn't amused, either, since I'm coming up as an illegal and/or identity thief because of it. Tomorrow I'm going to pay a visit to the SSA, birth certificate in hand, and see if I can get this straightened out. Stay tuned.

On the writing front, I have managed to get a little something started on the next chapter of Tangled Web. One Usagi scene was written, but will need to be redone. It came across as too hostile, though the general idea is there. I'll salvage what dialog I liked from it and tone it down a bit. Minako will be next. I'm enjoying writing her these days, and she'll get a lot more attention in the next story. We'll wind up exploring Venus the leader a bit then.

And now, Randomness!

Random Book of the Moment: The Dark Hills Divide, Land of Elyon book 1 by Patrick Carman. I was looking for a change of pace from my Star Trek and romance themed novels when I stumbled upon this book. I wound up liking it enough to pick up the sequel, and will be picking up the last in the trilogy in due course. From me, that's high praise. I have a short attention span with a lot of things, long series in particular, but I really enjoyed this book. It is listed as a children's book, and the style isn't overly complex. Nonetheless, it was a fun read. There's no romance as of yet, and I was glad of that. It's well paced, simple fantasy about a young girl who talks to animals, stolen magic, and some action peppered with mystery as she tries to save her town. The artwork on the cover is also noteworthy, and was what originally drew me to the series. Overall, I'd give it a 4 out of 5 just for giving me exactly what I was looking for when I was looking for it.