(no subject)

So while the rest of you are freaking out over some "Deadly Hollows" book or somesuch, I've been reading another book. I'd heard of The Golden Compass before, and how so many people I know loved it. But I never bothered to read it until fava_bean lent me her copy a few weeks ago. I have to say that I am completely enthralled by this book. And it's a kids' book? REALLY? Because there are some pretty big theological ideas banging around between those pages.

Honestly, I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed this book. I haven't been this entranced since reading Garth Nix's Sabriel several years ago. I like this one better, too. I'm really excited to see how this will play out in the movie (though it looks like Lord Asriel is much too nice in the trailer).

And it's been a long time since a book has made me cry, which makes me praise this book even more. ( Spoiler for a key plot point. )

But damn, that's a good book. I think I'll wait on starting The Subtle Knife until next Monday's commute. I need a break.

Potential good news for diehard Chicagoans

Okay, this is all heresay right now, but aj, you'll want to pay attention.

So my boss's wife is a clothing merchandiser. She has a really high-end showroom at the Merchandise Mart. (At least, I think that's where he said they were located.) She sells to lots of high-end boutiques and whatnot. So we were talking to him about his wife's business, and the clothing she sells and all that. And then we started talking about clothing quality, and my other boss mentioned how the clothing quality at Macy's is so much worse than what Marshall Field's had. My boss then stated that his wife has heard that they're going to change the name back to Marshall Field's and possibly bring back some of the Field's brands to try to bring back business here in Chicago. It's either that, or close down the stores altogether. So it seems like the Chicago populace's complete disdain for the Macy's name and subsequent boycott may not have been futile after all.

We'll see if this comes true. In the meantime, SUCK IT, MACY'S! Ha ha ha!