Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Itty-bitty tag

Ha-ha-Houseband00 tagged me with this one.

Ze rules:

1. Grab the book closest to you. Don't choose!
2. Open to page 123, go down to the fifth sentence.
3. Post the text of next 3 sentences on your blog.
4. Name of the book and the author.
5. Tag three people.

I can't use the book closest to me; it has only 65 pages. Nevertheless, it's a great book. It's an abridged and edited version of Vatsayana's classical text with *ahem* "philosophical" implications. Hey, who said sex picture books can't be philosophical?

Since I can't cite from that book, I will from this one instead: The Unexplained: An Illustrated Guide to the World's Natural and Paranormal Mysteries," by Dr. Karl P.N. Shuker.

This particular passage talks about the shitty luck that came with owning the Hope Diamond, which was found in India, and brought to Europe in the mid-17th century. Throughout the years, it acquired the nickname "The Diamond of Doom."

"[Jean-Baptiste] Tavernier (who brought the Hope Diamond to Europe) travelled to India in the hope of recouping his losses, but was mauled to death by a pack of wild dogs. Meanwhile, the dreaded diamond passed successively into the hands of several royal owners, and each suffered a grim fate. King Louis XIV, formerly a monarch of unparalleled magnificence, lost much of his empire and all of his popularity; Princess de Lamballe was beaten to death, and both King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were executed."

I'm passing this meme to the following (with consequences less dire than if they ever find themselves owning the Diamond of Doom):

Inamini
Marlayna
Prometheus

Only if they want to do it, of course. Those of you who haven't done this one yet, feel free!

26 comments:

houseband00 said...

Whoever said that diamonds are a girl's best friend never owned the Hope, I guess. =)

Thanks, Lizza!

Lizza said...

Or never heard about it.

Thanks din, HB!

Anonymous said...

Diamonds ... People crave for that stone so badly. Mmm.

y.Wendy.y said...

I love diamonds....adore them..they are gorgeous and I want a nice big one, one day, just to sit and admire and flash around.

Interesting story Lizza..thanks for that!

Lizza said...

Kyels: That they do.

Wendz: I agree they're beautiful, but I've never been much of a diamond person. I seem to like amethysts, rubies, emeralds and pearls better. Not to say that I own a lot of those! I guess I'm not too much of a jewelry person either. :-)

H said...

Ahhh. Shuddersome shite. that's one crazy-assed diamond. though I've heard of it too.

C said...

What a cool tag! That book sounds interesting... feeds my X-Files nostalgia.

C said...

PS you may know me already - I had to change my name and anonymize my blog.

the not so "new" mom on the blog said...

That is a great tag!!! Um well the closest book to me right now at this point is the Thesaurus!! heheh

Take Care!!!

Lizza said...

h: Gorgeous and crazy-assed things, they can be so deadly. :-)

cai: Oooh, I have X-Files nostalgia too sometimes.

Hmmm...you've piqued my curiosity. Off I go to (re)discover your identity!

NMOTB: It's a fun tag. The thesaurus is full of pithy thoughts...if you're in a kooky frame of mind. :-) You take care too!

Lizza said...

Cai: Hahahaha! Now I know. So great to hear from you. I hope everything's going well over at S.H.I.T. and that you're still putting your dukes up.

Odat said...

I'll take the diamond...not the meme!
Peace

Schmoop said...

"He then placed her supple body above him into the basket. He worked himself underneath and began to spin her. Suddenly the rope gave way and he found himself pinned."

Matt-Man's Memoirs pg. 123

Lizza said...

Odat: You are so brave, I grovel at your feet!

Matt: Oh, wow. You wrote Ohio's answer to the Kamasutra!

Schmoop said...

Kamattsutra?

Lizza said...

Hahaha! Kamattsutra indeed. :-D

Steven said...

The closest book to me right now is my own...I would feel like a jackass in the most extreme sense if I read a passage from my own damn book. ;)

Steve~

Lizza said...

But, but...

everyone already knows that you're a jackass. That hasn't stopped us from liking you.

Anonymous said...

Prometheus will comply soon with dat meme. Soon as he gets over the Beta issue with Goog.

Oh, ya might wanta introduce this Hope diamond thing to Prometheus. Now zat wud be the meeting of the Immovable Jinx and the Irresistible Curse. Prometheus' gonna win hands down anyday.

Umm.. was jus thinkin. Given dat Prometheus is 100% original Indian, that does make him kinda authentic ya know. Givin Kamasutra lessons. Awrite laydeez, queue up now.

Lizza said...

Hahahaha! You always make me laugh.

But what if the guys want Kamasutra lessons too? Besides, being 100% Indian just doesn't cut it. You haven't gotten lai... ahem. You haven't had much practice for quite some time, right? Right? ;-)

Anonymous said...

Umm.. yeah. Like no practice in quite some time. But no worries. Soon as Prometheus gets the cobwebs cleared, we're back in ..ahem.. [strike]business[/strike] class. And once ve find ze goot teacher of men, he/she can zen teach zem. Prometheus cannot be bothered. He majored in Laydeez, ya know ;-)

Lizza said...

Lemme know once Shelob's abode has been banished. I'll make sure the laydeez in queue behave themselves and not trip over themselves running after you. And I won't even charge you anything! :-D

R said...

Lucky you. You found a book on mysteries. I got one about the great Indian bureaucracy and though it is interesting, it ain't anything like the books you peeps have written about.

Lizza said...

Yes, it's a good book. Indian bureaucracy? Hmmm, that sounds like very serious stuff. I wonder what you like for light reading.

R said...

Haha. If you read the post you would know the book is titled 'Amusing Anecdotes on Indian Red Tape'!

P.S: No comments on Prometheus' comments seen on this post *grin*

Lizza said...

Haha! I've read it. And nooooo, don't be a babu. :-)

Our Prometheus is priceless. Priceless Philandering Pandering Precious Prometheus. Hahaha! (if you're reading this, don't be offended, my pal, okay? You know we appreciate thee greatly.)