Nom de Plume

I’ve been tasked by Literate Kitten to come up with 10 things I like that start with the letter “A” (because the opposite of “Z”?) So …

1. Aardvarks. Well, not the actual creature, but the word. With that double a, it reminds me of classrooms and who got to beat out the erasers in second grade. We all fought for that dubious honor.

2. alibris. That would be alibris.com–great for out of print books. I’m still holding out for a hardback copy of Ann Moray’s Rising of the Lark that’s under $50. I loved that book as a kid, but the paperback simply will not do. I need that pale blue cloth cover, and the squidgy old-fashioned font.

3. Amazon.com. Is this cheating? Two book sites? Well, I adore Amazon, though I rarely order from them. Frankly, they piss me off. Like they’ll say 5 day shipping, but it takes an additional 5 days to leave their warehouse. What’s that about?!? I order from bn.com instead. So why, then, is Amazon on the list? Because they are great to research books and perfect to store to read lists. Just not so good to order from.

4. Apples. And not just apples from the store, but sweet tart honeycrisps with their streaky skins on a brisk fall morning.

5. Absolutes. As in aromatherapy. I just spent an ungodly sum on a small vial of rose absolute, and it is the most divine thing ever. Alas, all the scents I really love–rose, Mitsouko perfume–make Steve tell me I smell like his grandmother. Apparently, this is not sexy.

6. Arpeggios. I love the word; it sounds like what they are. I liked arpeggios when I took piano lessons too, because I have big hands and was good at them. Well, mainly those for c and g. Too many sharps and flats kinda stumped me.

7. Almond paste. Not marzipan, but the almond paste you can buy for pastries. YUM.

8. Astrology. It’s kind of pathetic, but I love reading my horoscope. Never mind the fact that you can apply pretty much anything to pretty much anyone. Really, I think most horoscopes are basically about self-affirmation. But hey, it works.

9. Auctions.I’m a huge, huge eBay fan, mainly for Japanese prints but also for books and household sundries. Artelino.com is a wonderful Japanese print auction site (and even better for research). Also, I’ve started branching out to some local auction houses, where you can leave your bid and then they tell you whether you’ve won or not. Haven’t won anything yet, but it’s fun.

10. The alphabet. How could any reader/writer skip this one? And who came up with the tune, anyway?

Let’s keep it going! I am going to copy Litkitten and say that if you want a letter, leave me a comment.