Here we go again

I'm in Culver City, which is not in the evacuation zone or evacuation warning zone. Here's the fire department map. The LA Times has lifted its paywall for fire coverage, so you can follow it there.

I wonder if the Getty Museum is starting to consider relocating. It would be an absolutely insane expense and it's an incredibly beautiful structure, but it's full of irreplaceable works of art and it's looking inevitable that if it stays where it is, it will eventually burn down.

Danny Dunn and the Smallifying Machine, by Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin

A 1969 children’s book about three kids and an absent-minded scientist having scientific adventures. In this case, they (plus the excitable terrier one of them is dog-sitting) fall into Professor Bulfinch’s smallifying machine.

I loved this series as a kid and the ones I’ve re-read have held up very well. They have accurate science presented in a fun way, they’re funny, they have a lot of sense of wonder, and while they’re obviously set in a particular time, they’re otherwise not particularly dated.

This book, for instance, has exactly one line about “girls are a nuisance except Irene who’s great,” but that is literally it as far as sexism is concerned; while Irene is the only girl, she is indeed great and is never looked down on, sneered at, stereotyped, or left out of the action. Which is a whole lot better on that front than a lot of current media.

The Smallifying Machine is unsurprisingly one of my favorites of the Danny Dunn books. It’s chock-full of sense of wonder, in this case exploring the world while you’re teeny-tiny. Far from many books that don’t really explore the premise, despite its very short length this book has the kids riding butterflies, eating nectar, whacking a pool of water with a tiny nail to get some droplets to drink (this is the book that taught me about surface tension, in a way that ensured that I’d remember it), being knocked off their feet by an earthwormquake, and much more. It’s entirely delightful.

Also, I think Irene should be introduced to Adrian Tchaikovsky. Here she is explaining the tarantula wasp (which, thankfully, they do NOT meet in their adventures):

“Ugh,” said Joe. “How grisly.”

“It isn’t!” Irene said, warmly. “Not any more than people wanting to eat fresh meat. It’s wonderful. You just think about it. The wasp will never see those babies of hers. [more horrifying description] Long after she’s dead, her children are all taken care of.”

“That’s the most touching story I ever heard,” said Joe. “I’m going to write a poem about it. I think I’ll call it M is for the Million Spiders You Gave Me.”

Now available on Kindle for $3.99: Danny Dunn and the Smallifying Machine

Tomorrow is my birthday!

I don't have any specific plans for tomorrow other than hitting Coolhaus for an ice cream sandwich. Suggest something, if you like.

Here is my birthday gift to myself:



More pics below cut. ( Read more... )