The Moon is round

It's full moon tonight, and it'll be low enough in the northern sky to shine through my bedroom window when I'm asleep.  I explained why in my blog yesterday.

I like moon-gazing, in fact I like all sorts of natural phenomena, which is why I'm working on making that my theme next April. I'm a long way from being the only moon-gazer, and the moon has played a huge part in our folklore and mythology.  Csenge is a better person to tell you about that than me, and then, of course, there are all those other stories with reference to paranormal influences from the moon!

Whenever I see the phrase "The Moon is round" I think of an old game that was in a book of 'Wonders' I had as a kid, showing various party games to mystify your friends.  The idea was that you had a stick (or pole, or rod) which you used to draw on the ground a circle (representing the moon), then adding two eyes, a nose and a mouth with dots and a line.  You recited "The Moon is round, and he has two eyes, a nose and a mouth" followed by passing the stick to the person on your left and asking them to do it exactly as you did it.  Most of the time the person would not follow your actions perfectly, and you said "No, try again", or passed on to the next person.  Anyone that did it exactly as you had you congratulated, which mystified the rest of your friends even more.  The secret was that you drew the moon with one hand, but passed the stick into your other hand before passing it on, and most people never changed hands.  Silly, but a fun (or infuriating) way to pass the time - especially with nothing more than a stick to play with.

If you're still wondering about a theme for next April's A to Z Challenge, you could look at games, children's games, folklore, or your preferred science.  If you cover any of these things in your blog, why not add a link in the comments below.

Jemima Pett writes scifi-influenced stories for children and adults, including the Princelings of the East books - mystery with a time travel twist - and her new series about asteroid miners caught up in a freedom fight.
Follow her blog Jemima Pett, Author
The Princelings website
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

Characters Who Blog

First of all, I want to say my first official "hello" as a new member of the A to Z team! I am honored to be joining this amazing group and I simply cannot wait for April to get here.

My favorite part of the A to Z Challenge every year is always checking out all the different themes people come up with. I'm often surprised at how inventive they are, not to mention how wide-spread. The themes we come up with are wonderful reflections of each blogger's own interests and, in a way, our chosen themes express our personalities.

Which got me thinking . . . I wonder what themes and topics some my favorite characters would come up with if they blogged. Would they write about books or TV shows? Scientific studies or supernatural forces? 

For example, what would the blog of one of film's most infamous villains look like? Well, let's see . . .

I've got to say, if Mr. Vader really did have a blog, I'd be his very first follower. I could use a few lessons in world domination. 

Have a villainous Monday and happy blogging!

Upcoming A to Z Challenge Co-Host S. L. Hennessy can be found blogging at Pensuasion. 

It's Friday! What is your #FridayReads ?

We made it to Friday, friends, hooray! Give yourself a pat on the back.  If you're like me, you're always reading and Fridays are no exception.  If you're short on ideas during April's A to Z Challenge maybe you can do a #FridayReads post each friday? Surely you're reading something, right?

Currently I'm reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.  I know it's not my usual kids' book, but I'm reading it for one of the book clubs I host at work.  It's a great story of Louis Zamperini, Olympic champion, WWII vet, POW survivor, and all around amazing guy.

It's non fiction so if that's your schtick then you'll understand why it's ben on the New York Times bestseller list for years.  Nonfiction takes me a long time to read, because I have to look up all the references and then I get distracted learning what an atoll is, for example, and then before I know it, I've spent an hour studying something marginally related to the book.  

But oh the knowledge I've gained!

The better news is that the movie of the same title is slated to be released during the holiday season and it looks like a winner. I'm sure I'll drag my family to see it.

So, that's my #FridayReads.  Post yours below!

Pam