In addition to BK for lunch, I stopped by the library, paid my fine ($0.80) and got the next books in the Ian Rankin and Lawrence Block series that I am reading WHOOT. Then I went online and renewed Kitchen Confidential which I already have out to read for bookclub, but have yet to start AND requested a copy of the last Dana Stabenow in the Shugak series. AWESOME.

I must force myself to take a break from mysteries after I finish these.

I know a lot of really smart women named Susan IRL. Susan Lewis on ER was always pretty cool, too. ETA: No, msbelle, read Pelecanos next.(/Pelecanos likes Greek carrots)

Today is one of those rare days that I drove to work, so I think I'll take advantage of it and drive to downtown Evanston and get some General Tso's scallops. With hot and sour soup.

I am anticipating the nummy....

I had leftover shrimp fried rice for lunch. It's actually a second-generation leftover, as the rice came with Chinese food I ordered on Wednesday and turned it into fried rice yesterday.

Also, strawberry yogurt, which was not leftover from anything.

I've not eaten yet, but we're on Between Paychecks rations. Optimistic, nsm.

Everyone's lunches sound so good. I had LeanCuisine Lasagna with Chicken Scallopini, which was okay but takes 10 minutes to heat up (no big deal at home, but I felt like I needed to apologize to everyone I share the microwave with for having such a slow lunch today), and am in the process of having some salad, and will finish off with strawberry yogurt. It is, oddly, way more food than I eat when I am not dieting.

Susan in the Narnia Chronicles turned out to be lame -- but she really WAS screwed over by Lewis.

Well, we could argue that all day. Suffice it to say I've never had the hatred for Susan's fate that it seems the majority of readers do, maybe because I always identified most with Aravis or Jill.

But in general....I have a character, Sebastian, who in my first novel appears fairly sympathetic, since he's the only member of the heroine's family who was kind to her as a child. In fact, some of my early readers were disappointed he wasn't the hero--I had to deliberately play up his rigid and pompous side. But in my wip, which opens two years after the first book, we discover that Sebastian has been making his wife's life a living hell, because circumstances made his rigid, pompous side take over completely, with an added side of judgmentalism and misogyny. Did I screw over Sebastian by turning him into a villain? I don't think so--the seeds were there in the first book if you paid attention, and, besides, he's my creation. I'd say the same for Susan's character arc in the Narnia books.

I'd say the same for Susan's character arc in the Narnia books.

It just seemed like her main sin was growing up is all.

I'm not all that committed to it, frankly, just trying to be Pro Fictional Susan.

I never saw Susan as a bad character, or anything. All of them lost their connection to Narnia in the long run, if I recall.

It's a land that belongs to our children, as they are the only people with Magic In Their Hearts (tm).

But then, it's been awhile since I read the series. I could be wrong. Maybe she was pure evil.

I don't object to Susan's decay. What I object to is that most of the symptoms of her decay seem to be associated with girl cooties. She doesn't just deny Narnia -- she talks about boys and makeup! Ooh, ick!