Yet another electricity-free morning in sunny, stifling Ouagadougou. It wouldn’t be so bad if I was some sort of Person of Leisure who could spend her morning, say, at the pool or in fancy, air-conditioned shops. But I have stuff to DO! We are leaving Africa in about three months. Which is scary. So, I thought I’d better do something useful this morning. I ended up sitting on the cool tile floor of our back hallway, sorting out books to give away. It’s a bit dark, but it’s definitely the best spot in the house when the power is down. And it was a job that had to be tackled. I dusted, sorted and asked myself hard questions like: What woman needs TWO copies of every volume of the entire Tad Williams Otherworld series? I love me some science fiction, but enough is enough.

That was the exception, though- I mostly threw out forgettable mysteries that had found their way onto my shelves -plus a book on candle making and one small volume by a British lady that is all about drawing dogs, in an unhealthy, probably-can’t-interact-with-humans kind of way.

They aren't really being thrown away, of course. They are going to a new home over at the Rec Center library.

So, what is on that back hallway shelf that has been deemed worthy of being shipped back to France? Well, mostly it’s science fiction and fantasy. I keep it a bit hidden away on purpose so that I don’t frighten people. I like to let folks get to know me before they realize that I’m a complete an unredeemed geek.

But you all already know I’m a geek (the Star Trek film festivals were a dead giveaway, no doubt) I’ll confess that I own nearly everything written by: Greg Bear (Darwin's Radio I so recommend.) David Brin, George R. R. Martin, Brian Jacques, Sheri Tepper, Philip Kerr,Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan and Jean Auel.

My mom is definitely responsible for my bookwormy, geekish tendencies (Thanks, Mom! ) She started reading sci fi back in the day when no females read the stuff (at least not that they would admit) and if they wrote it, it was done quietly under a male pseudonym.
So, I was raised on Andre Norton and Robert Heinlein. I watched Star Trek when it first aired on television in the late sixties. I was a toddler, but I knew it was cool! And I eventually developed a mad crush on Mr. Spock, which is probably weird, but there you go. I just yesterday read a blog post where a fellow forty-something mom admitted to having the hots for Scotty. Scotty? Mr. “ Cap’in! The engines canna take nae more!” Scotty? Hotness quotient in the basement, srsly.

Hey- did you know that a NEW Star Trek film is coming out in May 2009????