Day 04 – Your favorite series ever. I knew I’d get redundant after not too long, because I’ve got to say the Amelia Peabody series. I have a hard time choosing favorites among books because whatever I’m reading right now tends to be higher up the list than it is when I’m not reading it, and skews my perspective. For example, I’m on Deathly Hallows right now and was severely tempted to say that Harry Potter is my favorite series ever. But then I remembered things like, “I WILL KILL, WITH MY BARE HANDS…” and “It is not original, papa,” and just Sethos in general, and was swayed again. Discworld is becoming a significant contender in the “series” race, too, but, still, Amelia wins.

Amelia represents the perfect blend of elements for my taste. Although it is hilarious satire, which is wonderful to begin with, you can get into the story on a straightforward level even while you’re laughing at the deliberate cliches and hyper-drama; and the characters are all so well-developed and likable, with the most interesting relationships often played out in an extremely realistic fashion despite the backdrop of parody. And of course the Egyptological and historic elements are fascinating and educational. A lot of that can be said of Discworld too, which is why I’m falling in love with that series as well, but I don’t know that anything can replace Amelia in my heart — at least, not for a while.

An ad that appeared on gmail this morning: “Gillette® Odor Shield Body Wash – Wash Like A Man, Feel Like A Man.” For me, this raises the question of what in this scenario they are presenting as a manly feeling; setting aside what exactly it means to “wash like a man,” what is it about Gillette® Odor Shield Body Wash that makes you feel like one? Is it the knowledge that you are shielded from odors? Or perhaps just the acknowledgment that you smell bad — or may smell bad during the course of an average day — and therefore need Gillette® Odor Shield Body Wash? Is that a manly feeling?

Maybe it’s the act of using Gillette® Odor Shield Body Wash that does it; it’s possible that the specific makeup of Gillette® Odor Shield Body Wash combines with your own body chemistry as you put it on, producing testosterone to give you that extra burst of manliness you need to start your day. They should totally issue it to the army.

OK, lessee about doing stuff.