MY HEAD'S IN FORT RECOVERY
I've just been listening to music, music, and more music lately. I'm still trying to process the albums I downloaded from eMusic and the ones I've picked up the past few weeks - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood and The Believer, for example. And this coming Tuesday brings the new releases from Josh Rouse and Loose Fur and this Band of Horses I've been hearing good things about. But all of that has taken a backseat to Fort Recovery, the new album from Centro-Matic. I think the album closer, "Take A Rake," has taken up permanent residence in my brain. Unless it's actually "Monument Sails" or "Patience for the Ride" or "Calling Thermatico" or "For New Starts" or "Triggers and Trash Heaps." Yes, that's half the album. And the other six songs are great too. If you haven't heard of this or just haven't bought it yet, you need to stop everything and procure a copy immediately. I mean it. Then you can join me where the drums crash at the beginning of "Take A Rake." See you there.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Friday, March 10, 2006
CATSUP
The previous two Thursday nights (before last night) I participated in a trivia challenge at our local Buffalo Wild Wings (it's the trivia game they have in restaurants and bars all over the country - NTN, I think). It was a fundraiser for the Y and did very well - it cost $150 for a team to play and there were over 20 teams. I played for a lawyer in town who had worked with my dad on a project and knew that my dad and a former office mate used to go and play the trivia game on their lunch hour a couple times a week. The lawyer put up the money and asked Dad and Mike (the former office mate) to be on his team; they said they needed me as well (all last year I would go play with them on Fridays - the only day I wasn't in the pool until after 1:00). On the first night, we played four games and our team managed to win 3 of them (in the first 2 we got over 13,000 points out of 15,000; many of those questions were pop culture things I just knew, such as the artist who released Tunnel of Love in 1987). On the second night we learned that only our top score from the previous week would count and would be added to our best of 2 scores from that night for our total. We didn't do as well on either round but we managed to score over 10,000 each time. In the end, that was enough for us to take first place by around 800 points. The prize? $250. I didn't take any money, though. It was fun to do and, of course, fun to win. And now some of the big bosses at the Y know I'm more than just a swimming teacher.
Grant got sick late Tuesday night with a fever and sore throat. That developed into puking as well on Wednesday as well. So, it's been an interesting last few days for me. His fever isn't getting up as high as for as long and his throat seems to be getting better as well. Doesn't look like he'll be playing basketball tomorrow, which is a shame - he's really started playing well the last few weeks. He's been sticking with the opposing player on defense and actually took a shot in a game the other week. We still have one more game (and one more practice) next week.
Jill has been busy with the musical she's directing, "Beauty and the Beast," so she hasn't been around much to relieve me this week. Oh well. This production has been a bit rockier than usual in the runup to performances but things seem to have come into shape finally. That's good because it opens tonight, followed by 2 shows tomorrow and 2 more next weekend. And then spring break is right around the corner!
This title post is in honor of my Grandma Batey, who always said "catsup" instead of "ketchup." I miss you, Grandma.
The previous two Thursday nights (before last night) I participated in a trivia challenge at our local Buffalo Wild Wings (it's the trivia game they have in restaurants and bars all over the country - NTN, I think). It was a fundraiser for the Y and did very well - it cost $150 for a team to play and there were over 20 teams. I played for a lawyer in town who had worked with my dad on a project and knew that my dad and a former office mate used to go and play the trivia game on their lunch hour a couple times a week. The lawyer put up the money and asked Dad and Mike (the former office mate) to be on his team; they said they needed me as well (all last year I would go play with them on Fridays - the only day I wasn't in the pool until after 1:00). On the first night, we played four games and our team managed to win 3 of them (in the first 2 we got over 13,000 points out of 15,000; many of those questions were pop culture things I just knew, such as the artist who released Tunnel of Love in 1987). On the second night we learned that only our top score from the previous week would count and would be added to our best of 2 scores from that night for our total. We didn't do as well on either round but we managed to score over 10,000 each time. In the end, that was enough for us to take first place by around 800 points. The prize? $250. I didn't take any money, though. It was fun to do and, of course, fun to win. And now some of the big bosses at the Y know I'm more than just a swimming teacher.
Grant got sick late Tuesday night with a fever and sore throat. That developed into puking as well on Wednesday as well. So, it's been an interesting last few days for me. His fever isn't getting up as high as for as long and his throat seems to be getting better as well. Doesn't look like he'll be playing basketball tomorrow, which is a shame - he's really started playing well the last few weeks. He's been sticking with the opposing player on defense and actually took a shot in a game the other week. We still have one more game (and one more practice) next week.
Jill has been busy with the musical she's directing, "Beauty and the Beast," so she hasn't been around much to relieve me this week. Oh well. This production has been a bit rockier than usual in the runup to performances but things seem to have come into shape finally. That's good because it opens tonight, followed by 2 shows tomorrow and 2 more next weekend. And then spring break is right around the corner!
This title post is in honor of my Grandma Batey, who always said "catsup" instead of "ketchup." I miss you, Grandma.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
THE NEW DRUG
I resisted at first. Wasn't going to do it. Not for me, I said. If I couldn't phsyically hold an album (CD, whatever) in mind hand I wanted nothing to do with it. Sure, I'd already dipped my toes in the water with iTunes, downloading songs here and there from various music blogs and artist sites. And then The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers put Psalterie up on the web and Harvey Danger put up Little By Little and suddenly it seemed smart to just get the music.
Lately, there have been posts about eMusic sprouting up all over the net. And no sooner did I finally sign up for the 50 free downloads then Trevor posted about the greatness of it. I signed up for the basic service when I got my freebies, which means I pay $9.99 a month for 40 downloads. Hey, I can handle 25 cents a song or around $2.50 an album. It's a great way to try out new bands or fill in holes or what have you. I finished my trial downloads today and am obviously going to keep on going with it. I would recommend it to anyone.
So, what did I get?
Destroyer/ Destroyer's Rubies
Elbow/ Leaders of the Free World
The Hold Steady/ Almost Killed Me
Slobberbone/ Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today
Plus: 7 Brendan Benson tracks that were b-sides or extras on reissues
I resisted at first. Wasn't going to do it. Not for me, I said. If I couldn't phsyically hold an album (CD, whatever) in mind hand I wanted nothing to do with it. Sure, I'd already dipped my toes in the water with iTunes, downloading songs here and there from various music blogs and artist sites. And then The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers put Psalterie up on the web and Harvey Danger put up Little By Little and suddenly it seemed smart to just get the music.
Lately, there have been posts about eMusic sprouting up all over the net. And no sooner did I finally sign up for the 50 free downloads then Trevor posted about the greatness of it. I signed up for the basic service when I got my freebies, which means I pay $9.99 a month for 40 downloads. Hey, I can handle 25 cents a song or around $2.50 an album. It's a great way to try out new bands or fill in holes or what have you. I finished my trial downloads today and am obviously going to keep on going with it. I would recommend it to anyone.
So, what did I get?
Destroyer/ Destroyer's Rubies
Elbow/ Leaders of the Free World
The Hold Steady/ Almost Killed Me
Slobberbone/ Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today
Plus: 7 Brendan Benson tracks that were b-sides or extras on reissues
Monday, March 06, 2006
KIRBY
Kirby Puckett died. He was a baseball player, a centerfielder for the Minnesota Twins from 1984 to 1996. I wasn't a Twins fan but I had a ton of respect for Kirby; he played the game the way it supposed to be played - hard and with a lot of fun. He could hit. Man, he could hit. He was a great defensive player as well. His Twins won the World Series in 1987 and again in 1991, where Puckett made a great catch in center and hit a home run in Game 6 after telling the team to jump on his back; in Game 7 Jack Morris was lights out and it was over. Kirby had to quit the game in 1996 when he started suffering from glaucoma and it was a blow to the game. His numbers were something else and if he'd been able to play, he would easily have had 3,000 hits. Still, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001. And now he's gone, suffering a stroke yesterday. He left the game too soon and he left life too soon. I love baseball and I loved watching Kirby Puckett play baseball. He will be missed.
Kirby Puckett died. He was a baseball player, a centerfielder for the Minnesota Twins from 1984 to 1996. I wasn't a Twins fan but I had a ton of respect for Kirby; he played the game the way it supposed to be played - hard and with a lot of fun. He could hit. Man, he could hit. He was a great defensive player as well. His Twins won the World Series in 1987 and again in 1991, where Puckett made a great catch in center and hit a home run in Game 6 after telling the team to jump on his back; in Game 7 Jack Morris was lights out and it was over. Kirby had to quit the game in 1996 when he started suffering from glaucoma and it was a blow to the game. His numbers were something else and if he'd been able to play, he would easily have had 3,000 hits. Still, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001. And now he's gone, suffering a stroke yesterday. He left the game too soon and he left life too soon. I love baseball and I loved watching Kirby Puckett play baseball. He will be missed.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
FEBRUARY 2006 TOTALS
I read 3 books in February (Company; Black Brillion; The Brief History of the Dead). I purchased 3 books (Black Brillion; The Brief History of the Dead; The Ha-Ha).
I purchased 7 CDs (The Gun Album; Alligator; The Loon; Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not; Live at Town Hall; The Believer), one of which was a DVD/CD combo (That Striped Sunlight Sound).
I read 14 short stories.
I read 2 trade paperbacks (Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous; Powers: Psychotic), both of which were also purchased this month.
I watched 1 DVD (Serenity) and 2 DVD box sets (Veronica Mars Season 1; Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 1). I also finished another DVD box set (The Simpsons Season 1) and am about halfway through yet another one (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2).
I watched every new episode of 6 TV shows (How I Met Your Mother; 24; Gilmore Girls; Lost; The Office; Justice League Unlimited).
I read 3 books in February (Company; Black Brillion; The Brief History of the Dead). I purchased 3 books (Black Brillion; The Brief History of the Dead; The Ha-Ha).
I purchased 7 CDs (The Gun Album; Alligator; The Loon; Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not; Live at Town Hall; The Believer), one of which was a DVD/CD combo (That Striped Sunlight Sound).
I read 14 short stories.
I read 2 trade paperbacks (Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous; Powers: Psychotic), both of which were also purchased this month.
I watched 1 DVD (Serenity) and 2 DVD box sets (Veronica Mars Season 1; Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 1). I also finished another DVD box set (The Simpsons Season 1) and am about halfway through yet another one (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2).
I watched every new episode of 6 TV shows (How I Met Your Mother; 24; Gilmore Girls; Lost; The Office; Justice League Unlimited).
Saturday, February 25, 2006
MUSICAL PREVIEWS
Today is a virtual record release party for Rhett Miller's new solo album, The Believer. You can head over to his MySpace site to check it out. It comes out this Tuesday.
I found out from my brother that the band he used to live with - Higgins - saw their album, Dear Higgins, released this past Tuesday. I still haven't been able to find it for purchase anywhere online but you can go here for a couple of tracks. Much of this was recorded while my brother was around and I met the guys a couple years ago. Good guys and good music.
Earlier this week I read about a new album from Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs. The whole album is covers from the 60s and they have a couple of them up for a listen.
I will finally be purchasing my first Centro-Matic album on Mar. 7, when their Fort Recovery comes out. You can click over to Misra's website and find the stream for the whole album to find out why Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers loves the band.
And while you're wandering all over the net for new music, head on over to Merge to stream Destroyer's Rubies, which came out this week. I didn't get a chance to pick it up but after listening to it I think I'll have to in the near future.
Today is a virtual record release party for Rhett Miller's new solo album, The Believer. You can head over to his MySpace site to check it out. It comes out this Tuesday.
I found out from my brother that the band he used to live with - Higgins - saw their album, Dear Higgins, released this past Tuesday. I still haven't been able to find it for purchase anywhere online but you can go here for a couple of tracks. Much of this was recorded while my brother was around and I met the guys a couple years ago. Good guys and good music.
Earlier this week I read about a new album from Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs. The whole album is covers from the 60s and they have a couple of them up for a listen.
I will finally be purchasing my first Centro-Matic album on Mar. 7, when their Fort Recovery comes out. You can click over to Misra's website and find the stream for the whole album to find out why Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers loves the band.
And while you're wandering all over the net for new music, head on over to Merge to stream Destroyer's Rubies, which came out this week. I didn't get a chance to pick it up but after listening to it I think I'll have to in the near future.
FROZEN NOSTALGIA
Late last week my parents asked if the three of us wanted to go to Chicago to go to the Berghoff before it closed. The Berghoff is a Chicago institution, a German restaurant that has been around since 1898, and it is now in its very last days - it closes on Feb. 28. I hadn't been there in almost 15 years but when I was young and we had family come in from out of town we would inevitably go down to Chicago and do the Sears Tower or the Museum of Science and Industry and we would go and eat at the Berghoff. It was always a treat - they had great homemade root beer and creamed spinach and great multi-grain bread and apple strudel for dessert. So naturally I was up for trying to go one last time, especially since Jill and Grant had never been there.
Our plan was to get there for a late lunch, figuring the line wouldn't be too bad (and I wanted to get to the sale at the comics shop before we left). We arrived in Chicago a little bit after 2:00 and by the time we parked and walked the couple blocks to the restaurant it was close to 2:30. There was a line. Now that wouldn't have been so bad but for the fact it was about 3 degrees. Still, we settled in and the line was moving fairly quickly. Jill and Grant made liberal use of the Walgreen's across the street to stay warm and at one point the three of us hit a nearby Starbucks for hot chocolate. It didn't take terribly long for us to get close to the door; however, the security came out and said it would be about an hour and forty minutes before the line moved again. Yeah right, we thought. An hour later in the freezing cold we were started to believe him. After some debate, I was sent to locate another possible eating place - my parents had just about had enough. I wandered around and didn't find anything suitable until maybe 10 minutes into my sojourn (into the wind!). I headed back to report and saw my parents waving across the street to Jill and Grant - someone had come out and said everyone would be inside in 5 minutes and seated within 20. It took closer to 15 to get in but then maybe 10 minutes to get seated. By this time our late lunch had turned into an early dinner but we were inside and on our way to warming up.
And here's the good news - the food was just as good as I remembered. We ordered a grilled marinated portabello for an appetizer and I had a bite of my dad's creamed herring appetizer. For dinner I had wiener schnitzel, German fried potatoes, and their fabulous creamed spinach. Dessert was apple strudel of course. And I washed it all down with two mugs of the best root beer ever.
We were insane for doing that in single digit weather but I know I'll never forget the last time I got to eat at the Berghoff. It was worth it.
Late last week my parents asked if the three of us wanted to go to Chicago to go to the Berghoff before it closed. The Berghoff is a Chicago institution, a German restaurant that has been around since 1898, and it is now in its very last days - it closes on Feb. 28. I hadn't been there in almost 15 years but when I was young and we had family come in from out of town we would inevitably go down to Chicago and do the Sears Tower or the Museum of Science and Industry and we would go and eat at the Berghoff. It was always a treat - they had great homemade root beer and creamed spinach and great multi-grain bread and apple strudel for dessert. So naturally I was up for trying to go one last time, especially since Jill and Grant had never been there.
Our plan was to get there for a late lunch, figuring the line wouldn't be too bad (and I wanted to get to the sale at the comics shop before we left). We arrived in Chicago a little bit after 2:00 and by the time we parked and walked the couple blocks to the restaurant it was close to 2:30. There was a line. Now that wouldn't have been so bad but for the fact it was about 3 degrees. Still, we settled in and the line was moving fairly quickly. Jill and Grant made liberal use of the Walgreen's across the street to stay warm and at one point the three of us hit a nearby Starbucks for hot chocolate. It didn't take terribly long for us to get close to the door; however, the security came out and said it would be about an hour and forty minutes before the line moved again. Yeah right, we thought. An hour later in the freezing cold we were started to believe him. After some debate, I was sent to locate another possible eating place - my parents had just about had enough. I wandered around and didn't find anything suitable until maybe 10 minutes into my sojourn (into the wind!). I headed back to report and saw my parents waving across the street to Jill and Grant - someone had come out and said everyone would be inside in 5 minutes and seated within 20. It took closer to 15 to get in but then maybe 10 minutes to get seated. By this time our late lunch had turned into an early dinner but we were inside and on our way to warming up.
And here's the good news - the food was just as good as I remembered. We ordered a grilled marinated portabello for an appetizer and I had a bite of my dad's creamed herring appetizer. For dinner I had wiener schnitzel, German fried potatoes, and their fabulous creamed spinach. Dessert was apple strudel of course. And I washed it all down with two mugs of the best root beer ever.
We were insane for doing that in single digit weather but I know I'll never forget the last time I got to eat at the Berghoff. It was worth it.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
SHOOFLYPIE RADIO
I'm going to be a DJ. In a couple of weeks, I will be starting my very own show on our local Valparaiso radio station, WVLP. It's a low power station and only reaches about 5 miles out from the center of town but I will rock those 5 miles! I'll be playing a mix of music, basically the stuff I talk about here...your indie rock and power pop and alt. country and Springsteen and so on and so forth. It's been a dream of mine for a long time to be able to have my own show where I could program it myself (I went to Columbia College in 1993 to work on becoming a DJ and quickly stopped when I realized the jobs where you wouldn't be force fed a playlist were few and far between and highly coveted) and I'm very excited about it.
I went on a gift card shopping spree this evening, hitting both Barnes & Noble and Best Buy. I used up my cards for the former and managed to leave about $17 on the latter. The haul? 1 book (Kevin Brockmeier's new novel, The Brief History of the Dead); 1 CD (The National's Alligator, recommended by LTR); and 1 DVD (the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Veronica Mars got me in the mood for my favorite show about a spunky blond uncovering secrets amidst the hell of high school). I'm excited about all of that too.
I'm going to be a DJ. In a couple of weeks, I will be starting my very own show on our local Valparaiso radio station, WVLP. It's a low power station and only reaches about 5 miles out from the center of town but I will rock those 5 miles! I'll be playing a mix of music, basically the stuff I talk about here...your indie rock and power pop and alt. country and Springsteen and so on and so forth. It's been a dream of mine for a long time to be able to have my own show where I could program it myself (I went to Columbia College in 1993 to work on becoming a DJ and quickly stopped when I realized the jobs where you wouldn't be force fed a playlist were few and far between and highly coveted) and I'm very excited about it.
I went on a gift card shopping spree this evening, hitting both Barnes & Noble and Best Buy. I used up my cards for the former and managed to leave about $17 on the latter. The haul? 1 book (Kevin Brockmeier's new novel, The Brief History of the Dead); 1 CD (The National's Alligator, recommended by LTR); and 1 DVD (the second season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Veronica Mars got me in the mood for my favorite show about a spunky blond uncovering secrets amidst the hell of high school). I'm excited about all of that too.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
I HEART...
Joss Whedon - Well, I always heart him but lately it's for the one/two punch of Serenity and the visual companion. I got both for Christmas and read the book, which contains the script and background info, right before watching the movie on DVD (Jill and I saw it in the theater when it came out). It's a really good movie and if it's the last we ever get of the "Firefly" universe...I'm happy.
TV shows on DVD - My son and I finally finished The Simpsons Season 7. I realized that I didn't see a number of those eps when they originally aired because I saw bits that were cut out in syndication. They were cooking that year with the appearance of Homer's mom, a spring break road trip by Bart and his friends, the very cool look at all the characters in "22 Short Films About Springfield," and so much more. Then I spent the past week watching Veronica Mars Season 1 as fast as I possibly could. It's easily one of the best shows on TV, with that perfect mix of humor and drama with interesting stories intercut with emotional stories all wrapped up in an overarching secret murder investigation. I cried a couple times watching the last episode. Now I can't wait until they start rerunning season 2 eps (or the DVD comes out).
New music (or new to me) - I mentioned the Jenny Lewis (with the Watson Twins) album in passing but I'd like to reiterate how good it is. She's got that great voice and the album frames it very well with a country feel. Got around to getting The Long Winters EP, Ultimatum, from last year. Good stuff, especially the title tracks. The new Minus Five is solid, as is The Go-Betweens live DVD/CD.
Books - The new Max Barry novel, Company, is pretty good. It's another satire of the business world from him but it takes things to an exteme level and the character work is stronger than in his previous novel (Jennifer Government).
Joss Whedon - Well, I always heart him but lately it's for the one/two punch of Serenity and the visual companion. I got both for Christmas and read the book, which contains the script and background info, right before watching the movie on DVD (Jill and I saw it in the theater when it came out). It's a really good movie and if it's the last we ever get of the "Firefly" universe...I'm happy.
TV shows on DVD - My son and I finally finished The Simpsons Season 7. I realized that I didn't see a number of those eps when they originally aired because I saw bits that were cut out in syndication. They were cooking that year with the appearance of Homer's mom, a spring break road trip by Bart and his friends, the very cool look at all the characters in "22 Short Films About Springfield," and so much more. Then I spent the past week watching Veronica Mars Season 1 as fast as I possibly could. It's easily one of the best shows on TV, with that perfect mix of humor and drama with interesting stories intercut with emotional stories all wrapped up in an overarching secret murder investigation. I cried a couple times watching the last episode. Now I can't wait until they start rerunning season 2 eps (or the DVD comes out).
New music (or new to me) - I mentioned the Jenny Lewis (with the Watson Twins) album in passing but I'd like to reiterate how good it is. She's got that great voice and the album frames it very well with a country feel. Got around to getting The Long Winters EP, Ultimatum, from last year. Good stuff, especially the title tracks. The new Minus Five is solid, as is The Go-Betweens live DVD/CD.
Books - The new Max Barry novel, Company, is pretty good. It's another satire of the business world from him but it takes things to an exteme level and the character work is stronger than in his previous novel (Jennifer Government).
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Thursday, February 02, 2006
THOUGHT BUBBLES
I wandered over to Best Buy today, thinking I would pick up "Bubble." That's the new project from Steven Soderbergh that is being released in a variety of formats at the same time; it's an idea I find interesting and something to support. I was dismayed to find it offered at $22.99 - and that was the sale price. No way am I going to pay that much money for an unknown quantity. If it were priced around $15...but it's not. So I will be passing. Guess I'll have to toss it in my wife's Netflix queue at some point.
Two great things about "My Name Is Earl" tonight - guest star Adam Goldberg as an annoying would-be suicide and "Ain't No Easy Way" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on the soundtrack (Howl is a good album, people).
I mentioned Godland: Hello, Cosmic! the other day. It's a comic heavily influenced by Jack Kirby with big machinery and cosmic concepts and dynamic art and coloring. The villains are a bit more interesting than the hero and his family - Basil Cronus, a skeleton head floating in a jar on top of his torso who is an addict, comes to mind - but the overall concept is decent and I was sufficiently entertained enough to make me consider getting volume two when it rolls around.
I can't get enough of those two songs from The Raconteurs, especially "Store Bought Bones." Thinking I might need to pick up some of The Greenhornes in the near future. I seem to remember my brother recommending them a while back (Theron, you reading? Confirm?).
Also can't get enough of the Jenny Lewis album; I should put up a proper review in the near future. Company is interesting so far. I'm almost through The Simpsons Season 7. After reading the "Serenity" script I'm ready to watch the movie again (for the first time on DVD)...maybe this weekend.
Super Bowl predictions, anyone?
I wandered over to Best Buy today, thinking I would pick up "Bubble." That's the new project from Steven Soderbergh that is being released in a variety of formats at the same time; it's an idea I find interesting and something to support. I was dismayed to find it offered at $22.99 - and that was the sale price. No way am I going to pay that much money for an unknown quantity. If it were priced around $15...but it's not. So I will be passing. Guess I'll have to toss it in my wife's Netflix queue at some point.
Two great things about "My Name Is Earl" tonight - guest star Adam Goldberg as an annoying would-be suicide and "Ain't No Easy Way" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on the soundtrack (Howl is a good album, people).
I mentioned Godland: Hello, Cosmic! the other day. It's a comic heavily influenced by Jack Kirby with big machinery and cosmic concepts and dynamic art and coloring. The villains are a bit more interesting than the hero and his family - Basil Cronus, a skeleton head floating in a jar on top of his torso who is an addict, comes to mind - but the overall concept is decent and I was sufficiently entertained enough to make me consider getting volume two when it rolls around.
I can't get enough of those two songs from The Raconteurs, especially "Store Bought Bones." Thinking I might need to pick up some of The Greenhornes in the near future. I seem to remember my brother recommending them a while back (Theron, you reading? Confirm?).
Also can't get enough of the Jenny Lewis album; I should put up a proper review in the near future. Company is interesting so far. I'm almost through The Simpsons Season 7. After reading the "Serenity" script I'm ready to watch the movie again (for the first time on DVD)...maybe this weekend.
Super Bowl predictions, anyone?
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
JANUARY 2006 TOTALS
I read 4 books in January (Magic for Beginners; Private Wars; Glass Soup; Serenity: The Official Visual Companion). I abandoned 1 book (On Beauty). I purchased 1 book (Company).
I purchased 3 CDs (The Greatest; Rabbit Fur Coat), one of which was an EP (Ultimatum). I dowloaded 3 CDs (Little by Little; Psalterie), one of which was an EP (Building 55).
I read 23 short stories, some of which comprised 1 of the books I read.
I read 5 trade paperbacks (Runaways: Pride & Joy; 100 Bullets: Samurai; Seven Soldiers of Victory Vol. 1; Fables: Homelands; Godland: Hello, Comsic!). I purchased 3 of those trade paperbacks (the last three on the list). I purchased and read 5 comics (two issues of Firestorm; two issues of Teen Titans; one issue of Infinite Crisis - all were traded in at the comics shop).
I watched 1 DVD box set (Undeclared) and most of another (The Simpsons Season 7). I watched some of the extras from another DVD (The 40 Year-Old Virgin). I purchased 1 DVD (Wedding Crashers).
I watched every new episode of 7 TV shows (24; Gilmore Girls; Scrubs; Love Monkey; Lost; My Name is Earl; The Office).
I read 4 books in January (Magic for Beginners; Private Wars; Glass Soup; Serenity: The Official Visual Companion). I abandoned 1 book (On Beauty). I purchased 1 book (Company).
I purchased 3 CDs (The Greatest; Rabbit Fur Coat), one of which was an EP (Ultimatum). I dowloaded 3 CDs (Little by Little; Psalterie), one of which was an EP (Building 55).
I read 23 short stories, some of which comprised 1 of the books I read.
I read 5 trade paperbacks (Runaways: Pride & Joy; 100 Bullets: Samurai; Seven Soldiers of Victory Vol. 1; Fables: Homelands; Godland: Hello, Comsic!). I purchased 3 of those trade paperbacks (the last three on the list). I purchased and read 5 comics (two issues of Firestorm; two issues of Teen Titans; one issue of Infinite Crisis - all were traded in at the comics shop).
I watched 1 DVD box set (Undeclared) and most of another (The Simpsons Season 7). I watched some of the extras from another DVD (The 40 Year-Old Virgin). I purchased 1 DVD (Wedding Crashers).
I watched every new episode of 7 TV shows (24; Gilmore Girls; Scrubs; Love Monkey; Lost; My Name is Earl; The Office).
YES!
The Raconteurs have a live website! Who are the Raconteurs, you ask? Why, they're that hot new band featuring Jack White and Brendan Benson and two of The Greenhornes. The site looks like an Apple computer circa 1982, has two songs up for listening pleasure, and tells us the full album will be out in May. Can't wait!
And to update yesterday's musings, I went to B&N today and spied the new Max Barry at 30% off for members. That clinched it for me and it will be my fifth book of 2006.
The Raconteurs have a live website! Who are the Raconteurs, you ask? Why, they're that hot new band featuring Jack White and Brendan Benson and two of The Greenhornes. The site looks like an Apple computer circa 1982, has two songs up for listening pleasure, and tells us the full album will be out in May. Can't wait!
And to update yesterday's musings, I went to B&N today and spied the new Max Barry at 30% off for members. That clinched it for me and it will be my fifth book of 2006.
Monday, January 30, 2006
DISTRACTIONS
I've been using the internet for what God intended the last few days - wasting time.
My latest music site is http://woxy.com, where you can listen to live performances in the "Lounge Acts" section from The Hold Steady (acoustic!), The Wrens, Rogue Wave, and The National, to name the acts I've checked out so far.
I've also been listening to Trevor's January mix, which he was kind enough to share with everyone. Go grab it for yourselves!
Finally, I'm ready to purchase a new book after having tried the Zadie Smith again and giving it up again after 20 more pages - it's really not for me. So, what to buy? I have a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble with which to help me choose. Do I go for something in hardcover like the new Max Barry (I enjoyed his previous novel, Jennifer Government)? Of course, I'd rather hold out for the new Kevin Brockmeier novel due Feb. 14 if I were going that route. If I go paperback, do I go with Tim Pratt? Murakami's Kafka on the Shore? David Mitchell's Number 9 Dream in advance of his new one? Mieville's Iron Council? So many choices...guess I'll go with what strikes me most when I'm standing in the store tomorrow.
Now back to my other time waster...sudoku on the web. Sigh.
I've been using the internet for what God intended the last few days - wasting time.
My latest music site is http://woxy.com, where you can listen to live performances in the "Lounge Acts" section from The Hold Steady (acoustic!), The Wrens, Rogue Wave, and The National, to name the acts I've checked out so far.
I've also been listening to Trevor's January mix, which he was kind enough to share with everyone. Go grab it for yourselves!
Finally, I'm ready to purchase a new book after having tried the Zadie Smith again and giving it up again after 20 more pages - it's really not for me. So, what to buy? I have a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble with which to help me choose. Do I go for something in hardcover like the new Max Barry (I enjoyed his previous novel, Jennifer Government)? Of course, I'd rather hold out for the new Kevin Brockmeier novel due Feb. 14 if I were going that route. If I go paperback, do I go with Tim Pratt? Murakami's Kafka on the Shore? David Mitchell's Number 9 Dream in advance of his new one? Mieville's Iron Council? So many choices...guess I'll go with what strikes me most when I'm standing in the store tomorrow.
Now back to my other time waster...sudoku on the web. Sigh.
Friday, January 27, 2006
UNDECLARED
It was the fall of 2001 and I was excited about a new show on TV. Why? It was a new show by Judd Apatow, who was responsible for one of my favorite shows of (then) recent memory, the cancelled-way-too-soon "Freeks and Geeks." One of the cast members from that show, Seth Rogen, was not only one of the main characters on the new one but he was also a writer. I couldn't wait. And once we got past the aftermath of 9/11, I was ready to laugh at a TV show. "Undeclared" fit the bill. Unfortunately, it followed it the footsteps of "Freeks" and was cancelled after only 17 episodes (one less than "Freeks"). Now it has once again followed its predecessor to DVD.
The show was a half hour comedy on Fox and the title might tip you off to the subject: college. The focus was on a group of freshman. Roommates Steven, Lloyd, Ron, and Marshall (Jay Baruchel, Charlie Hunnam, Seth Rogen, and Timm Sharp) lived across the hall from Lizzie, Rachel, and eventaully Tina (Carla Gallo, Monica Keena, and Christina Payano). Also along for the ride was Steven's newly separated father, Hal (played by folk singer Loudon Wainwright). Episodes dealt with typical college stuff - the freshman 15, relationships, parties, reinvention, pledging a frat, and so forth. An ongoing plot was the relationship between Steven and Lizzie; they sleep together early on but she has a boyfriend...eventually that changes and they start dating. Now, I say typical college stuff but this was not a typical sitcom. No laugh track and it was a two camera show. Many of the scenes were improved as well. It all worked to make it a funny show and one that still holds up. It's that mixture of smart and dumb humor that appeals to me. Nor were they afraid to do a bit of drama in between. It helps that they had quality actors who were genuinely funny.
Actually, that's a hallmark of a Judd Apatow TV show. It's not just the main characters either. You can have good people in main roles but it can fail if the world isn't believeable. On "Undeclared" they fleshed out the dorm and campus with many great performers, allowing them to expand the cast as needed. Jason Segel of "Freeks and Geeks" fame is the prime example of this; he played Lizzie's older boyfriend Eric as the perfect mixture of sweet and creepy. He's just the tip of the iceberg of regular players and guest stars - Samm Levine (another "Freeks" alum) as a sadistic pledge master; Will Ferrell as a "townie" who writes papers for students; Kyle Gass and David Krumholtz as Eric's buddies at Kopy Town; Jarrett Grode as the deadpan Perry; Ben Stiller; Adam Sandler (as himself); Martin Starr (another...you guessed it!). The show had a whole world to be explored and I'm sad we never really got to explore it.
Obviously I highly recommend this DVD. Shows like this are why I watch TV. I'll leave you with a line that sums up the show for me...
Steven is talking to his father about Lizzie. The two have slept together but Steven has just found out about Eric and is trying to sort through his feelings. He tells Hal that Lizzie is exploring her options. Hal's response? "Then let her date Magellan! Vasco de Gama."
It was the fall of 2001 and I was excited about a new show on TV. Why? It was a new show by Judd Apatow, who was responsible for one of my favorite shows of (then) recent memory, the cancelled-way-too-soon "Freeks and Geeks." One of the cast members from that show, Seth Rogen, was not only one of the main characters on the new one but he was also a writer. I couldn't wait. And once we got past the aftermath of 9/11, I was ready to laugh at a TV show. "Undeclared" fit the bill. Unfortunately, it followed it the footsteps of "Freeks" and was cancelled after only 17 episodes (one less than "Freeks"). Now it has once again followed its predecessor to DVD.
The show was a half hour comedy on Fox and the title might tip you off to the subject: college. The focus was on a group of freshman. Roommates Steven, Lloyd, Ron, and Marshall (Jay Baruchel, Charlie Hunnam, Seth Rogen, and Timm Sharp) lived across the hall from Lizzie, Rachel, and eventaully Tina (Carla Gallo, Monica Keena, and Christina Payano). Also along for the ride was Steven's newly separated father, Hal (played by folk singer Loudon Wainwright). Episodes dealt with typical college stuff - the freshman 15, relationships, parties, reinvention, pledging a frat, and so forth. An ongoing plot was the relationship between Steven and Lizzie; they sleep together early on but she has a boyfriend...eventually that changes and they start dating. Now, I say typical college stuff but this was not a typical sitcom. No laugh track and it was a two camera show. Many of the scenes were improved as well. It all worked to make it a funny show and one that still holds up. It's that mixture of smart and dumb humor that appeals to me. Nor were they afraid to do a bit of drama in between. It helps that they had quality actors who were genuinely funny.
Actually, that's a hallmark of a Judd Apatow TV show. It's not just the main characters either. You can have good people in main roles but it can fail if the world isn't believeable. On "Undeclared" they fleshed out the dorm and campus with many great performers, allowing them to expand the cast as needed. Jason Segel of "Freeks and Geeks" fame is the prime example of this; he played Lizzie's older boyfriend Eric as the perfect mixture of sweet and creepy. He's just the tip of the iceberg of regular players and guest stars - Samm Levine (another "Freeks" alum) as a sadistic pledge master; Will Ferrell as a "townie" who writes papers for students; Kyle Gass and David Krumholtz as Eric's buddies at Kopy Town; Jarrett Grode as the deadpan Perry; Ben Stiller; Adam Sandler (as himself); Martin Starr (another...you guessed it!). The show had a whole world to be explored and I'm sad we never really got to explore it.
Obviously I highly recommend this DVD. Shows like this are why I watch TV. I'll leave you with a line that sums up the show for me...
Steven is talking to his father about Lizzie. The two have slept together but Steven has just found out about Eric and is trying to sort through his feelings. He tells Hal that Lizzie is exploring her options. Hal's response? "Then let her date Magellan! Vasco de Gama."
GLASS SOUP
I was leery about picking up this latest novel by Jonathan Carroll, as I wasn't overly excited by his previous novel (and the first part of this story), White Apples. That novel had some interesting ideas but was presented in a very frustrating way that it didn't make a whole lot of sense. Reviews for the new novel were pretty positive, however, so I asked for the book for Christmas. Now that present has become my third book for the year.
The story of these two novels concerns the unborn child of Vincent Ettrich and Isabelle Neukor. His name is Anjo. He is very important in the battle between Order and Chaos (or Chaos and how God really works, as is explained in the new book). This half of the story has the agents of Chaos trying to get Isabelle to willingly cross into Death (which she can go to after she rescued Vincent from his own death in the previous book) and what happens when they accomplish their goal. That's it, really.
Carroll tells his tale with a very odd structure - almost all of it is told in flashback, whether to things that happened before events in the first book or to things that just took place within the context of this novel. He will start a new section with a few lines to set up what has happened and will then take many pages to fill in the gap from the previous section. Why not just tell some things in sequential order? It just seems a very roundabout way to do things, though I suppose it somewhat fits the action of the book if you can call it that. Much of the book is Vincent or Isabelle or someone else figuring things out.
That said, there are some interesting ideas about what happens when we die and other thoughts along those philsophical lines. Carroll also dots the book with wonderful images and he is always readable, even if you're not sure what is going on.
I liked this book fairly well and it certainly helped the previous book make sense in retrospect (even with a three year gap between readings). But if you're looking to read Carroll for the first time, I'd suggest trying one of his standalone books like The Wooden Sea.
I was leery about picking up this latest novel by Jonathan Carroll, as I wasn't overly excited by his previous novel (and the first part of this story), White Apples. That novel had some interesting ideas but was presented in a very frustrating way that it didn't make a whole lot of sense. Reviews for the new novel were pretty positive, however, so I asked for the book for Christmas. Now that present has become my third book for the year.
The story of these two novels concerns the unborn child of Vincent Ettrich and Isabelle Neukor. His name is Anjo. He is very important in the battle between Order and Chaos (or Chaos and how God really works, as is explained in the new book). This half of the story has the agents of Chaos trying to get Isabelle to willingly cross into Death (which she can go to after she rescued Vincent from his own death in the previous book) and what happens when they accomplish their goal. That's it, really.
Carroll tells his tale with a very odd structure - almost all of it is told in flashback, whether to things that happened before events in the first book or to things that just took place within the context of this novel. He will start a new section with a few lines to set up what has happened and will then take many pages to fill in the gap from the previous section. Why not just tell some things in sequential order? It just seems a very roundabout way to do things, though I suppose it somewhat fits the action of the book if you can call it that. Much of the book is Vincent or Isabelle or someone else figuring things out.
That said, there are some interesting ideas about what happens when we die and other thoughts along those philsophical lines. Carroll also dots the book with wonderful images and he is always readable, even if you're not sure what is going on.
I liked this book fairly well and it certainly helped the previous book make sense in retrospect (even with a three year gap between readings). But if you're looking to read Carroll for the first time, I'd suggest trying one of his standalone books like The Wooden Sea.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
QUICK HITS
The second book I read this year was Private Wars by Greg Rucka; it also his second novel featuring characters from his comics series QUEEN & COUNTRY. I've read the series up to this point in trade paperback (it is soon to restart), so it's hard for me to know how the novel would translate to someone who hasn't read the comic. For example, there is little to no description of the characters - no big deal to someone who has seen them drawn but to a new reader...I don't know. That said, I really liked the book. It had that mixture of the personal and the political mixed up amidst some very tense action sequences. Anyone who likes a good thriller would do well to read his books and pick up those Q&C comics (as well as his WHITEOUT comics).
Speaking of comics, I've also read a couple trades over the last few weeks. First up was 100 BULLETS: SAMURAI, the 7th volume in that series. It actually came out more than a year ago, so I was finally getting back into the swing of the series. This one collected two stories from the ongoing - Loop Hughes in prison where Lono shows up and more with the druggie Jack. Both are solid additions to the long-running story with great-as-always art by Eduardo Risso. Again, if you like thrillers and conspiracies this would be a good series to look into. The 9th volume is coming out soon, so I still have to catch up a bit.
The first part of Grant Morrison's sprawling DC series of mini-series was recently collected in SEVEN SOLDIERS VOL. 1. It opens with the issue #0, which sets the stage for who the Seven Soldiers were, who they've become, and what happens to them. That last part is used to launch into the various mini-series detailing those who are the new new Soldiers. Except they don't know it yet. Sound complicated? Well, it is and it isn't. Morrison and his various collaborators toss off a bunch of fun/strange concepts and you can start to see links amongst the series featuring Shining Knight, Guardian, Zatanna, and Klarion the Witch Boy. Great fun.
Finally, I read FABLES:HOMELANDS, which is the 6th volume of that ongoing series featuring classic fairytale and fable creatures. This volume sees Jack of the Tales going to Hollywood and trying to create a legacy for himself but it mostly focused on Boy Blue's trip into the Homelands to try and learn as much as he can about The Adversary (who forced them into the "real world"). Writer Bill Willingham went back to some of his cliched writing on these issues but on the whole it was a solid collection. For me, the series goes up and down in quality but is obviously worth reading if I've bought all six trades to this point.
There isn't much point in talking about the Feb. issue of Asimov's. Why? Well, it was full of stories that did nothing much for me. I don't want to be bored reading Asimov's; heck, I don't think I've ever felt that way about a whole issue. There's always a new one around the bend, at least.
Even though I said I gave up on Zadie Smith's latest and am now reading Jonathan Carroll, chances are good I'll pick up the Smith one more time. I hate having to put down a book...guess I feel like I'm failing it rather than it failing me...
The second book I read this year was Private Wars by Greg Rucka; it also his second novel featuring characters from his comics series QUEEN & COUNTRY. I've read the series up to this point in trade paperback (it is soon to restart), so it's hard for me to know how the novel would translate to someone who hasn't read the comic. For example, there is little to no description of the characters - no big deal to someone who has seen them drawn but to a new reader...I don't know. That said, I really liked the book. It had that mixture of the personal and the political mixed up amidst some very tense action sequences. Anyone who likes a good thriller would do well to read his books and pick up those Q&C comics (as well as his WHITEOUT comics).
Speaking of comics, I've also read a couple trades over the last few weeks. First up was 100 BULLETS: SAMURAI, the 7th volume in that series. It actually came out more than a year ago, so I was finally getting back into the swing of the series. This one collected two stories from the ongoing - Loop Hughes in prison where Lono shows up and more with the druggie Jack. Both are solid additions to the long-running story with great-as-always art by Eduardo Risso. Again, if you like thrillers and conspiracies this would be a good series to look into. The 9th volume is coming out soon, so I still have to catch up a bit.
The first part of Grant Morrison's sprawling DC series of mini-series was recently collected in SEVEN SOLDIERS VOL. 1. It opens with the issue #0, which sets the stage for who the Seven Soldiers were, who they've become, and what happens to them. That last part is used to launch into the various mini-series detailing those who are the new new Soldiers. Except they don't know it yet. Sound complicated? Well, it is and it isn't. Morrison and his various collaborators toss off a bunch of fun/strange concepts and you can start to see links amongst the series featuring Shining Knight, Guardian, Zatanna, and Klarion the Witch Boy. Great fun.
Finally, I read FABLES:HOMELANDS, which is the 6th volume of that ongoing series featuring classic fairytale and fable creatures. This volume sees Jack of the Tales going to Hollywood and trying to create a legacy for himself but it mostly focused on Boy Blue's trip into the Homelands to try and learn as much as he can about The Adversary (who forced them into the "real world"). Writer Bill Willingham went back to some of his cliched writing on these issues but on the whole it was a solid collection. For me, the series goes up and down in quality but is obviously worth reading if I've bought all six trades to this point.
There isn't much point in talking about the Feb. issue of Asimov's. Why? Well, it was full of stories that did nothing much for me. I don't want to be bored reading Asimov's; heck, I don't think I've ever felt that way about a whole issue. There's always a new one around the bend, at least.
Even though I said I gave up on Zadie Smith's latest and am now reading Jonathan Carroll, chances are good I'll pick up the Smith one more time. I hate having to put down a book...guess I feel like I'm failing it rather than it failing me...
Saturday, January 21, 2006
THE BIG RAMBLE
My plan was to have posted a couple times this week but that obviously didn't happen. One reason was a misbehaving internet connection, which lead to reeeeeeeeally slow speeds when I could access things at all. Another was preoccupation with how I buy comics. Again. And a third was my typical ambivalence and angst about the whole endeavor. Or maybe I was just that I got hooked on watching "Undeclared" and "The Simpsons" Season 7 (plus commentaries!)...
So, comics. Back in October I decided to pick up the first issue of the latest DC company crossover, INFINITE CRISIS, which happens to be a sequel of sorts to its 1985 maxi-series, CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. The teenage me loved that series with its cast of hundreds even though it got rid of the whole concept of multiple earths within the DC Universe. None of which is really important to the story at hand. I picked up the next issue the following month and then started picking up a couple comics here and there - ALL STAR SUPERMAN and FIRESTORM and TEEN TITANS and so on. Reading IC was getting that inner fanboy hooked again; earlier this week I made out a comics order for March which included a bunch of DC monthlies. But I realized I can't go down that road again. I can't start with just one monthly - it inevitably leads to comics sprawl. Yesterday I traded in those issues for some store credit and have gone back to reading trades and original graphic novels once again. I don't have the money or space or any sustained interest in being a monthly comics reader. It's much safer to go the trade route. It's very black and white on my part but that's the way my personality is wired.
That wiring tends to cause problems, mostly with myself. I mentioned my ambivalence about this blog earlier and anyone who's been following any blog I've had (this is the third one) has seen that play out. I can sustain regular posts for a few weeks and then I fall off for a few weeks before finding the energy again, etc. I'm not saying that's unusual for these types of things; I'm sure the web is littered with occasional blogs. My absences stem from that black and white outlook; I'm caught between wanting to just do creative writing and to write about everything under the sun. Part of me thinks I should take any writing energy and follow my stated career goals of being a writer - a writer of novels and short stories and screenplays and so on. Let me creative work speak for me. Of course, the fact that I've done little more than take notes on stories for 15 years poses a bit of a problem - not that I can't start now. The other part of me thinks I should just try and write about books and music and movies and TV and comics and and and - I enjoy ingesting all of that and want to turn other people on to the stuff I love, maybe get some free stuff coming my way and so on. In the end it just leads to the afore-mentioned flurry of posts/dearth of posts cycle. I want to break that cycle but I still have no idea of which way I will go or if I can work that grey area in between.
Here's something I do know for sure - I will not be finishing Zadie Smith's On Beauty. I started it yesterday and made it about 75 pages in and I just don't like it. I really wanted to. Her debut, White Teeth, was highly enjoyable. I thought her second (The Autograph Man) was okay but reviews touted this latest one. I guess it was just how the script was supposed to go - brilliant debut, subpar second novel, followed by the fufillment of the debut's promise. Not for me. The writing style is unappealing and the characters and not interesting in the least. So long, Smith. On to the next book...
I've also decided I won't be picking up the new Strokes album either. Reviews for the new album seem to be following that critical script as well, with many positive reviews. I just can't get myself interested and the songs I've heard from it on KEXP haven't done anything to change that mindset. So long, Strokes. On to Tuesday's Cat Power and Jenny Lewis discs...
If you've read this far, thanks. Hope I gave you something for slogging through all that navel-gazing...
My plan was to have posted a couple times this week but that obviously didn't happen. One reason was a misbehaving internet connection, which lead to reeeeeeeeally slow speeds when I could access things at all. Another was preoccupation with how I buy comics. Again. And a third was my typical ambivalence and angst about the whole endeavor. Or maybe I was just that I got hooked on watching "Undeclared" and "The Simpsons" Season 7 (plus commentaries!)...
So, comics. Back in October I decided to pick up the first issue of the latest DC company crossover, INFINITE CRISIS, which happens to be a sequel of sorts to its 1985 maxi-series, CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. The teenage me loved that series with its cast of hundreds even though it got rid of the whole concept of multiple earths within the DC Universe. None of which is really important to the story at hand. I picked up the next issue the following month and then started picking up a couple comics here and there - ALL STAR SUPERMAN and FIRESTORM and TEEN TITANS and so on. Reading IC was getting that inner fanboy hooked again; earlier this week I made out a comics order for March which included a bunch of DC monthlies. But I realized I can't go down that road again. I can't start with just one monthly - it inevitably leads to comics sprawl. Yesterday I traded in those issues for some store credit and have gone back to reading trades and original graphic novels once again. I don't have the money or space or any sustained interest in being a monthly comics reader. It's much safer to go the trade route. It's very black and white on my part but that's the way my personality is wired.
That wiring tends to cause problems, mostly with myself. I mentioned my ambivalence about this blog earlier and anyone who's been following any blog I've had (this is the third one) has seen that play out. I can sustain regular posts for a few weeks and then I fall off for a few weeks before finding the energy again, etc. I'm not saying that's unusual for these types of things; I'm sure the web is littered with occasional blogs. My absences stem from that black and white outlook; I'm caught between wanting to just do creative writing and to write about everything under the sun. Part of me thinks I should take any writing energy and follow my stated career goals of being a writer - a writer of novels and short stories and screenplays and so on. Let me creative work speak for me. Of course, the fact that I've done little more than take notes on stories for 15 years poses a bit of a problem - not that I can't start now. The other part of me thinks I should just try and write about books and music and movies and TV and comics and and and - I enjoy ingesting all of that and want to turn other people on to the stuff I love, maybe get some free stuff coming my way and so on. In the end it just leads to the afore-mentioned flurry of posts/dearth of posts cycle. I want to break that cycle but I still have no idea of which way I will go or if I can work that grey area in between.
Here's something I do know for sure - I will not be finishing Zadie Smith's On Beauty. I started it yesterday and made it about 75 pages in and I just don't like it. I really wanted to. Her debut, White Teeth, was highly enjoyable. I thought her second (The Autograph Man) was okay but reviews touted this latest one. I guess it was just how the script was supposed to go - brilliant debut, subpar second novel, followed by the fufillment of the debut's promise. Not for me. The writing style is unappealing and the characters and not interesting in the least. So long, Smith. On to the next book...
I've also decided I won't be picking up the new Strokes album either. Reviews for the new album seem to be following that critical script as well, with many positive reviews. I just can't get myself interested and the songs I've heard from it on KEXP haven't done anything to change that mindset. So long, Strokes. On to Tuesday's Cat Power and Jenny Lewis discs...
If you've read this far, thanks. Hope I gave you something for slogging through all that navel-gazing...
Monday, January 16, 2006
FREEDUMB NOTES
On Saturday night I had the opportunity to see my brother Theron perform in the Chicago Sketch Festival. He is a member of Freedumb, a sketch group that has its home base in New York City. While I've been able to see him perform his standup routine, this was my first time to see the group. It was a lot of fun seeing him on stage in front of a good-sized audience and Freedumb delivered the funny. I hope their appearance leads to more opportunites for them. We made a night out of it, going out to dinner with my parents and some of their friends; we also had the chance to meet the newly Chicago-based Little Toy Robot, which was also a lot of fun. It got the weekend off to a great start.
That start took a bit of a downturn yesterday when both the Bears and the Colts lost their playoff games. What happened to the Bears' D? And the Colts' O? Sigh.
I decided to check out the premiere of "24," a show I've not made much of an effort to get into before this. I figured I should give it a shot and I'm glad I did. I got all the setup I needed for the series in the first few minutes and then the story kicked into high gear. The first 4 hours were full of tense moments and action and all sorts of fun. I'm hooked. Not like I need another TV show to follow but when it's good, it's good.
I have been busy reading and watching other things in my few days away from posting and I'll be talking about some of it in the next few days. So please come back and see what's going on.
On Saturday night I had the opportunity to see my brother Theron perform in the Chicago Sketch Festival. He is a member of Freedumb, a sketch group that has its home base in New York City. While I've been able to see him perform his standup routine, this was my first time to see the group. It was a lot of fun seeing him on stage in front of a good-sized audience and Freedumb delivered the funny. I hope their appearance leads to more opportunites for them. We made a night out of it, going out to dinner with my parents and some of their friends; we also had the chance to meet the newly Chicago-based Little Toy Robot, which was also a lot of fun. It got the weekend off to a great start.
That start took a bit of a downturn yesterday when both the Bears and the Colts lost their playoff games. What happened to the Bears' D? And the Colts' O? Sigh.
I decided to check out the premiere of "24," a show I've not made much of an effort to get into before this. I figured I should give it a shot and I'm glad I did. I got all the setup I needed for the series in the first few minutes and then the story kicked into high gear. The first 4 hours were full of tense moments and action and all sorts of fun. I'm hooked. Not like I need another TV show to follow but when it's good, it's good.
I have been busy reading and watching other things in my few days away from posting and I'll be talking about some of it in the next few days. So please come back and see what's going on.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
TV TALK
It's been nice to get new episodes of TV shows again. It started last week with a new "Arrested Development" where they really took it to Fox for the order reduction and it was hilarious. Last Tuesday saw two new eps of "Scrubs," which is still a fairly new show to me as far as watching it weekly goes (I have bought and watched the first 2 seasons on DVD). On Thursday I caught a brand-new "My Name Is Earl" (easily the best new sitcom on TV this year) and "The Office." It was the first time I'd ever seen a whole episode of the latter and I have to say I was very impressed. It has that mixture of smart and dumb humor I really love. I will definitely be watching more and am very tempted to pick up the first season on DVD (which reminds me, "The Flash" TV series came out on DVD this week, didn't it? Hmm....).
This week saw the return of "How I Married Your Mother." Some of the show is too "sitcom" but I really enjoy watching the actors on this show, no matter what the material (and there may be a genius of Jason Segel post at some point in the future). Last night brought back "Gilmore Girls" with the development of the complications that face Lorelai and Luke (I'm still catching up on this show via the repeats on ABC Family every afternoon). And then there were 2 more "Scrubs" - how awesome was the Turk and Todd ninja fight?
Tonight? "Lost." Mr. Eko. Charlie. What more do you need?
It's been nice to get new episodes of TV shows again. It started last week with a new "Arrested Development" where they really took it to Fox for the order reduction and it was hilarious. Last Tuesday saw two new eps of "Scrubs," which is still a fairly new show to me as far as watching it weekly goes (I have bought and watched the first 2 seasons on DVD). On Thursday I caught a brand-new "My Name Is Earl" (easily the best new sitcom on TV this year) and "The Office." It was the first time I'd ever seen a whole episode of the latter and I have to say I was very impressed. It has that mixture of smart and dumb humor I really love. I will definitely be watching more and am very tempted to pick up the first season on DVD (which reminds me, "The Flash" TV series came out on DVD this week, didn't it? Hmm....).
This week saw the return of "How I Married Your Mother." Some of the show is too "sitcom" but I really enjoy watching the actors on this show, no matter what the material (and there may be a genius of Jason Segel post at some point in the future). Last night brought back "Gilmore Girls" with the development of the complications that face Lorelai and Luke (I'm still catching up on this show via the repeats on ABC Family every afternoon). And then there were 2 more "Scrubs" - how awesome was the Turk and Todd ninja fight?
Tonight? "Lost." Mr. Eko. Charlie. What more do you need?
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
PRIDE & JOY
After completing the Link collection, I decided to jump to some comics as a transition to the next book. I turned to one of the trades I'd picked up in Columbus, Runaways Vol. 1: Pride & Joy. What drew me to it was its creator and writer, Brian K. Vaughan. I am a definite fan of his two current creator-owned ongoing series, Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina, and thought I'd finally get around to his book set within the Marvel Universe.
This trade is presented in a digest format, whereas the comic itself is published at the normal size. I'd read some complaints from fans about that choice but it doesn't bother me in the least. I like the digest format. That could stem from when I was a kid and DC Comics used to publish digests with new material and reprints. Plus, it's cute.
The story deals with six kids who discover something awful about their parents - they are super-villains. That's the whole of it really. We get the setup, the discovery, what the kids decide to do about it, more discoveries they make along the way, and a resolution to that setup. It's the origin of the group. Their personalities are varied and I like the various relationships that Vaughan sets up to explore. It's a fun book and I've always thought there's something to be said for that, especially in a super-hero comic.
The art by Adrian Alphona is solid stuff. I really like some of his poses and storytelling and some of it doesn't work quite as well but I think that's to be expected with a young artist. He is outdone by the covers included - a portait of each of the six kids (one per issue collected) by Joyce Chen. Knockout work.
I was definitely satisfied with this collection and I plan on picking up the rest of the trades; there are two more that collect the remainder of volume one of the series and one so far of the currently running second volume of the series (on the shelves of comics shops now!). Worth a look if you like an entertaining book about would-be super-heroes who also happen to be teenagers.
After completing the Link collection, I decided to jump to some comics as a transition to the next book. I turned to one of the trades I'd picked up in Columbus, Runaways Vol. 1: Pride & Joy. What drew me to it was its creator and writer, Brian K. Vaughan. I am a definite fan of his two current creator-owned ongoing series, Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina, and thought I'd finally get around to his book set within the Marvel Universe.
This trade is presented in a digest format, whereas the comic itself is published at the normal size. I'd read some complaints from fans about that choice but it doesn't bother me in the least. I like the digest format. That could stem from when I was a kid and DC Comics used to publish digests with new material and reprints. Plus, it's cute.
The story deals with six kids who discover something awful about their parents - they are super-villains. That's the whole of it really. We get the setup, the discovery, what the kids decide to do about it, more discoveries they make along the way, and a resolution to that setup. It's the origin of the group. Their personalities are varied and I like the various relationships that Vaughan sets up to explore. It's a fun book and I've always thought there's something to be said for that, especially in a super-hero comic.
The art by Adrian Alphona is solid stuff. I really like some of his poses and storytelling and some of it doesn't work quite as well but I think that's to be expected with a young artist. He is outdone by the covers included - a portait of each of the six kids (one per issue collected) by Joyce Chen. Knockout work.
I was definitely satisfied with this collection and I plan on picking up the rest of the trades; there are two more that collect the remainder of volume one of the series and one so far of the currently running second volume of the series (on the shelves of comics shops now!). Worth a look if you like an entertaining book about would-be super-heroes who also happen to be teenagers.
Monday, January 09, 2006
LOW ENERGY LINK DAY
I'm feeling very low on energy today so I'm just going to point you to a couple of albums available for free, which I just got around to downloading yesterday. You can find Little By Little from Harvey Danger here and the first album from The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers here. Enjoy.
I'm feeling very low on energy today so I'm just going to point you to a couple of albums available for free, which I just got around to downloading yesterday. You can find Little By Little from Harvey Danger here and the first album from The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers here. Enjoy.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
MAGIC FOR BEGINNERS
My knowledge of Kelly Link's work was very limited going into last year. I'd been reading praises for her first story collection, Stranger Things Happen, for quite a while but just hadn't gotten around to buying it. I came across her story "Lull" in Conjunctions: 39 (the New Wave Fabulists issue) and her story "Catskin" in McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thirlling Tales. I enjoyed the first but wasn't that excited about the second. Then Gordon Van Gelder published the title story to her second story collection in F&SF last year and I knew I had to start getting her work. Read and enjoyed STH a few months back and then received Magic for Beginners for Christmas; I made it my first book of 2006.
I wanted to write a very cogent review, assessing Link's strengths as a storyteller and as a writer. Instead, I just think...wow wow wow. Her stories deal with real life and the fanstastic in the same manner, as if it is all real (and who's to say it's not?). Are the fantasy parts an allegory for real life or is real like the allegory? The stories are stuffed with witty lines ("Life, like red hair or blue eyes, is a recessive gene" from "The Great Divorce") and humorous asides ("Imaginary houses are sexy. Real houses are work." from "Lull." The subjects range from zombies ("The Hortlak" and "Some Zombie Contingency Plans") to crumbling marriages ("The Great Divorce" and "Stone Animals," to name two) to a cannon ("The Cannon," which is also written in a very entertaining question-and-answer format). Then there is the title story, which after only two reads has become one of my favorite stories ever; it has the wonderful concept of a pirate TV show called "The Library" and a teenage boy who may or may not be saving one of the characters on that show. Of course, it's so much more than that.
I think Kelly Link is brilliant and I know I haven't done her any kind of justice with this short review. If you take anything from my rambling, take this - you need to read her work. Now.
My knowledge of Kelly Link's work was very limited going into last year. I'd been reading praises for her first story collection, Stranger Things Happen, for quite a while but just hadn't gotten around to buying it. I came across her story "Lull" in Conjunctions: 39 (the New Wave Fabulists issue) and her story "Catskin" in McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thirlling Tales. I enjoyed the first but wasn't that excited about the second. Then Gordon Van Gelder published the title story to her second story collection in F&SF last year and I knew I had to start getting her work. Read and enjoyed STH a few months back and then received Magic for Beginners for Christmas; I made it my first book of 2006.
I wanted to write a very cogent review, assessing Link's strengths as a storyteller and as a writer. Instead, I just think...wow wow wow. Her stories deal with real life and the fanstastic in the same manner, as if it is all real (and who's to say it's not?). Are the fantasy parts an allegory for real life or is real like the allegory? The stories are stuffed with witty lines ("Life, like red hair or blue eyes, is a recessive gene" from "The Great Divorce") and humorous asides ("Imaginary houses are sexy. Real houses are work." from "Lull." The subjects range from zombies ("The Hortlak" and "Some Zombie Contingency Plans") to crumbling marriages ("The Great Divorce" and "Stone Animals," to name two) to a cannon ("The Cannon," which is also written in a very entertaining question-and-answer format). Then there is the title story, which after only two reads has become one of my favorite stories ever; it has the wonderful concept of a pirate TV show called "The Library" and a teenage boy who may or may not be saving one of the characters on that show. Of course, it's so much more than that.
I think Kelly Link is brilliant and I know I haven't done her any kind of justice with this short review. If you take anything from my rambling, take this - you need to read her work. Now.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
WEEK ONE
Just for fun, I thought I'd give you a rundown of my week as far as what I read, listened to, watched, and so forth. I'm not planning on making it a regular Saturday feature but you never know.
This week I...
...read one book, which comprised 9 short stories (including some that may have been novellas or novelettes - I just classify them as short stories for economy's sake), and those were the only stories I read
...read 4 comics
...read one magazine and am halfway through another
...listened to 12 CDs and listened to one of those 3 times (guess which one), plus I'm halfway through another one in the car
...watched a deleted scene from "The 40 Year-Old Virgin;" 3 episodes of "The Simpsons Season 7;" and two episodes of "Undeclared"
...also watched 4 TV shows (one of which aired two episodes); 2 NFL playoff games; a smattering of other sporting events and sports-related shows; news
...posted to this blog six times, including this entry
Just for fun, I thought I'd give you a rundown of my week as far as what I read, listened to, watched, and so forth. I'm not planning on making it a regular Saturday feature but you never know.
This week I...
...read one book, which comprised 9 short stories (including some that may have been novellas or novelettes - I just classify them as short stories for economy's sake), and those were the only stories I read
...read 4 comics
...read one magazine and am halfway through another
...listened to 12 CDs and listened to one of those 3 times (guess which one), plus I'm halfway through another one in the car
...watched a deleted scene from "The 40 Year-Old Virgin;" 3 episodes of "The Simpsons Season 7;" and two episodes of "Undeclared"
...also watched 4 TV shows (one of which aired two episodes); 2 NFL playoff games; a smattering of other sporting events and sports-related shows; news
...posted to this blog six times, including this entry
Friday, January 06, 2006
ON BEYOND Z
I only got 3 CDs for Christmas this year; I bought most of what I wanted to hear as it came out and some things you just can't put on a list for your parents because you can't find it (say, The Rosebuds). One of my CD presents was something that I had missed - My Morning Jacket's Z. If I had picked it up when it came out, it would have made a charge towards my top ten. I am currently obsessed with this album and love every song. That's right, every song. I hear Jim James crooning those high notes to "Wordless Chorus" all day long. The classic rock of "What A Wonderful Man." The reggae lilt to "Off the Record." The lost Neil Young classic "Knot Comes Loose." The wonderful rock jamming of "Lay Low." James singing "where did I go?" on "Into the Woods." You get the picture. What a great album.
I did have a couple late year pickups that made hard charges at the top ten...one of those even ended up there - Marah. That's such a hook-heavy real rock kinda record and I can't get enough of it either. Rogue Wave's Descended Like Vultures and Nada Surf's The Weight Is a Gift also came very very close. They are represented on my best of 2005 mix, as are a couple records that were there all the way and just slid out at the end - Brendan Benson's Alternative to Love and Aimee Mann's The Forgotten Arm.
Then there were the albums I really like but just couldn't get any songs onto the mix disc...there's only so much space. Stars' Set Yourself on Fire was a big surprise to me; I had no idea I'd love it as much as I did. My first taste of the Decemberists (Picaresque) was well worth it. Teenage Fanclub and The Go-Betweens and Pernice Brothers all made really good records (Man Made and Oceans Apart and Discover A Lovelier You). What about Mr. Hollywood Jr. 1947 himself, Michael Penn, Aimee's husband? That only standby Josh Rouse and his Nashville? And how can I ever leave Springsteen off of anything? Devils & Dust is good, man.
If I had considered live albums, the one-two punch of Wilco and Old 97s would have been hard to resist. I listened to both Kicking Television and Alive & Wired many many times. EPs? How about Woman King from Iron & Wine? Or EP from Fiery Furnaces? Reissues? Arcade Fire's self-titled EP was really good stuff. Plus, I got to grab the first two albums from Drive-By Truckers (Gangstabilly and Pizza Deliverance) and discover just how cool Dinosaur Jr. was with You're Living All Over Me.
I thought Merge was the label of the year. It was responsible for two of my top ten (Spoon; Portastatic) and several other goodies (M. Ward; Teenage Fanclub; Crooked Fingers; the Arcade Fire reissue) plus things I didn't quite get around to (say, Rosebuds). That's the way to run a label.
Anyway, I guess what I'm saying here is that I thought 2005 was a really good year for music. If you thought otherwise...I say you weren't trying hard enough. Go listen to some music, everyone. Enjoy.
I only got 3 CDs for Christmas this year; I bought most of what I wanted to hear as it came out and some things you just can't put on a list for your parents because you can't find it (say, The Rosebuds). One of my CD presents was something that I had missed - My Morning Jacket's Z. If I had picked it up when it came out, it would have made a charge towards my top ten. I am currently obsessed with this album and love every song. That's right, every song. I hear Jim James crooning those high notes to "Wordless Chorus" all day long. The classic rock of "What A Wonderful Man." The reggae lilt to "Off the Record." The lost Neil Young classic "Knot Comes Loose." The wonderful rock jamming of "Lay Low." James singing "where did I go?" on "Into the Woods." You get the picture. What a great album.
I did have a couple late year pickups that made hard charges at the top ten...one of those even ended up there - Marah. That's such a hook-heavy real rock kinda record and I can't get enough of it either. Rogue Wave's Descended Like Vultures and Nada Surf's The Weight Is a Gift also came very very close. They are represented on my best of 2005 mix, as are a couple records that were there all the way and just slid out at the end - Brendan Benson's Alternative to Love and Aimee Mann's The Forgotten Arm.
Then there were the albums I really like but just couldn't get any songs onto the mix disc...there's only so much space. Stars' Set Yourself on Fire was a big surprise to me; I had no idea I'd love it as much as I did. My first taste of the Decemberists (Picaresque) was well worth it. Teenage Fanclub and The Go-Betweens and Pernice Brothers all made really good records (Man Made and Oceans Apart and Discover A Lovelier You). What about Mr. Hollywood Jr. 1947 himself, Michael Penn, Aimee's husband? That only standby Josh Rouse and his Nashville? And how can I ever leave Springsteen off of anything? Devils & Dust is good, man.
If I had considered live albums, the one-two punch of Wilco and Old 97s would have been hard to resist. I listened to both Kicking Television and Alive & Wired many many times. EPs? How about Woman King from Iron & Wine? Or EP from Fiery Furnaces? Reissues? Arcade Fire's self-titled EP was really good stuff. Plus, I got to grab the first two albums from Drive-By Truckers (Gangstabilly and Pizza Deliverance) and discover just how cool Dinosaur Jr. was with You're Living All Over Me.
I thought Merge was the label of the year. It was responsible for two of my top ten (Spoon; Portastatic) and several other goodies (M. Ward; Teenage Fanclub; Crooked Fingers; the Arcade Fire reissue) plus things I didn't quite get around to (say, Rosebuds). That's the way to run a label.
Anyway, I guess what I'm saying here is that I thought 2005 was a really good year for music. If you thought otherwise...I say you weren't trying hard enough. Go listen to some music, everyone. Enjoy.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
SUDOKU
I was blissfully ignorant of Sudoku. Then "TV Guide" switched to a larger format and decided to start including a puzzle in the back of every issue. I didn't know what it was but the rules were simple - a letter could only appear once every column, row, and 3x3 grid. And the fact they used the names of TV shows and such made it easy as well. I've been doing them each week ever since. Today's...today's took me 3 1/2 hours off and on. Don't know if I'm a bit tired and not at full capacity or was allowing myself to be distracted by other things or what. I do know that I couldn't do anything else (except cook dinner and chores like that) until I finished it. And now that I've finished? Time to read.
Stay away from Sudoku, my friends. Stay away.
I was blissfully ignorant of Sudoku. Then "TV Guide" switched to a larger format and decided to start including a puzzle in the back of every issue. I didn't know what it was but the rules were simple - a letter could only appear once every column, row, and 3x3 grid. And the fact they used the names of TV shows and such made it easy as well. I've been doing them each week ever since. Today's...today's took me 3 1/2 hours off and on. Don't know if I'm a bit tired and not at full capacity or was allowing myself to be distracted by other things or what. I do know that I couldn't do anything else (except cook dinner and chores like that) until I finished it. And now that I've finished? Time to read.
Stay away from Sudoku, my friends. Stay away.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
REPACKAGED
When I was at the bookstore recently (and yes, I still look for what I can buy next even when I have 5 new books to read), I came across the paperback edition of Men and Cartoons by Jonathan Lethem. All well and good, stuff like that happens all the time. I read it when it came out originally but picked it up to check out the new artwork. And man, that new artwork is pretty sweet...I think I like it better than the original art. I flipped it open and discover it includes two stories that weren't in the hardcover release. What? One of them is the previously stand-alone novella from McSweeneys, "This Shape We're In," and I'm not sure where the other is from. I do know I haven't read either of those. Highly annoying. The sad thing is that I'm such a Lethem fan that I'll probably buy the paperback and give away the hardcover to someone, as a sort of gateway drug to his work or something like that.
From the annoying to the fantastic...my friend Little Toy Robot has resumed blogging with a spiffy new look. That's the kind of repacking and return I can get behind 100%. I'll add him to my links on the side too but please go check him out - we need to keep him from disappearing for months again.
And to just plain packages...I went out and bought the "Uncorked Edition" of "The Wedding Crashers." Yeah, I have tons of stuff to watch before it but it's a really funny movie and better to buy it now when it's on sale in its first week of release.
When I was at the bookstore recently (and yes, I still look for what I can buy next even when I have 5 new books to read), I came across the paperback edition of Men and Cartoons by Jonathan Lethem. All well and good, stuff like that happens all the time. I read it when it came out originally but picked it up to check out the new artwork. And man, that new artwork is pretty sweet...I think I like it better than the original art. I flipped it open and discover it includes two stories that weren't in the hardcover release. What? One of them is the previously stand-alone novella from McSweeneys, "This Shape We're In," and I'm not sure where the other is from. I do know I haven't read either of those. Highly annoying. The sad thing is that I'm such a Lethem fan that I'll probably buy the paperback and give away the hardcover to someone, as a sort of gateway drug to his work or something like that.
From the annoying to the fantastic...my friend Little Toy Robot has resumed blogging with a spiffy new look. That's the kind of repacking and return I can get behind 100%. I'll add him to my links on the side too but please go check him out - we need to keep him from disappearing for months again.
And to just plain packages...I went out and bought the "Uncorked Edition" of "The Wedding Crashers." Yeah, I have tons of stuff to watch before it but it's a really funny movie and better to buy it now when it's on sale in its first week of release.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
FULL TIME JOB
I went back to work yesterday and am now fully into the swing of a brand-new session of swimming at the Y. I have mostly kids I've been working with for a while, a few new ones, and even have a couple I haven't seen in many many months. Managed to get kicked in the mouth and the eye today too. Whee!
While I enjoy my job, it does get in the way of another job I have now that Christmas is over...getting through all the presents I got. I recevied 5 books, several DVDs (including boxed sets), a few CDs (already listened to them at least once; of course, that's fairly easy to do), and a trade paperback (which I finished on Saturday).
I have started on a couple of things at least. I'm currently reading one of the books (Kelly Link) and my son and I are working through The Simpsons Season 7 (8 episodes and 6 commentaries down). I've also watched "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" and some of the extras on the disc (no commentary yet). I have to finish those as well as watch "Serenity" and "Undeclared" and "Arrested Development" season two and the first season of "Veronica Mars." The other books, obviously. I have an issue each of Asimov's and F&SF waiting on the shelf. And I bought those two trades in Columbus over the weekend. Yep, it's going to take a while...anyone know a way I can get paid for it?
I went back to work yesterday and am now fully into the swing of a brand-new session of swimming at the Y. I have mostly kids I've been working with for a while, a few new ones, and even have a couple I haven't seen in many many months. Managed to get kicked in the mouth and the eye today too. Whee!
While I enjoy my job, it does get in the way of another job I have now that Christmas is over...getting through all the presents I got. I recevied 5 books, several DVDs (including boxed sets), a few CDs (already listened to them at least once; of course, that's fairly easy to do), and a trade paperback (which I finished on Saturday).
I have started on a couple of things at least. I'm currently reading one of the books (Kelly Link) and my son and I are working through The Simpsons Season 7 (8 episodes and 6 commentaries down). I've also watched "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" and some of the extras on the disc (no commentary yet). I have to finish those as well as watch "Serenity" and "Undeclared" and "Arrested Development" season two and the first season of "Veronica Mars." The other books, obviously. I have an issue each of Asimov's and F&SF waiting on the shelf. And I bought those two trades in Columbus over the weekend. Yep, it's going to take a while...anyone know a way I can get paid for it?
Monday, January 02, 2006
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Hello and welcome to Another Piece of Shooflypie 2006. My plan is to post on a much more regular basis this year. To that end, I have decided to go back to quantifying my year as far as what I'm reading and watching and listening to and buying. This doesn't mean I will be hitting you with lots of numbers; rather, this should lead to posts with a bit more depth and a wider range of subject. That's the plan, anyway. Oh, and my new goals for books read is 40. I should be able to meet it.
Our holiday was nice; we traveled to Columbus, OH to see my father-in-law and his new wife. They took me to The Laughing Ogre, one of the best comics shops in the country (I picked up two trades - 100 Bullets: Samurai and Runaways: Pride & Joy), and we went to an exhibit on chocolate and downtown for First Night. It was a very nice visit.
Now we are back home. I start work today, Grant starts school tomorrow, and Jill starts back on Wednesday. Back to it all. We plan on having a great year and I hope everyone reading this has one as well. Please come back and see what's going on around here...
Hello and welcome to Another Piece of Shooflypie 2006. My plan is to post on a much more regular basis this year. To that end, I have decided to go back to quantifying my year as far as what I'm reading and watching and listening to and buying. This doesn't mean I will be hitting you with lots of numbers; rather, this should lead to posts with a bit more depth and a wider range of subject. That's the plan, anyway. Oh, and my new goals for books read is 40. I should be able to meet it.
Our holiday was nice; we traveled to Columbus, OH to see my father-in-law and his new wife. They took me to The Laughing Ogre, one of the best comics shops in the country (I picked up two trades - 100 Bullets: Samurai and Runaways: Pride & Joy), and we went to an exhibit on chocolate and downtown for First Night. It was a very nice visit.
Now we are back home. I start work today, Grant starts school tomorrow, and Jill starts back on Wednesday. Back to it all. We plan on having a great year and I hope everyone reading this has one as well. Please come back and see what's going on around here...
Thursday, December 29, 2005
F&SF, JAN. 2006
Thought I'd squeeze this in before the end of the year too, so I can keep pace with my Asimov's thoughts. I finished this issue the other week, so my comments may not be as in depth as they normall would (or wouldn't, I guess).
The issue gets off to a good start with Robert Reed's "Less Than Nothing." It continues the story of Raven, a young boy of the People, who killed a man in the previous installment. He is now exiled from the People and learns surprising new things about himself and his family. The ending opens things up for more exploration of the world in the next story. Hope we see that story in 2006.
Next up is part one of the first serialized story in F&SF in many years - Terry Bisson's "Planet of Mystery" (also the story featured on the great pulp-style cover by Max Bertolini). It details the first mission to Venus, where things take a major turn for the unexpected...or is that just a hallucination? Bisson crafts a story of equal parts action and thought and I'm looking forward to seeing how it concludes.
One of my favorite newer writers is Matthew Hughes. "Shadow Man" is not a tale of Henghis Hapthorn or Guth Bandar, though. Rather, it deals with a disturbed individual. The story is decent but seems too similar to other stories to register too much. Probably my least favorite Hughes story ever.
I also didn't care too much for "Horse-Year Women" by Michaela Roessner. It was well-written and had some interesting parts but overall just didn't appeal to me much. Not everything can.
Ever considered renting out space in your brain for the government to use? Tony Sarowitz's "A Daze in the Life" tackles that question and what could happen to you if you fall in love. Yeah, a rather vague description but it's a solid story.
I love reading a first-time writer who gets it right. It makes me look forward to the next story from that writer and also gives me hope as someone who hopes to publish his first story soon. "Journey to Gantica" by Matthew Corradi is my favorite story of the issue. It's a tall tale in more ways than one with lots of fun bits and a moral message in the end. Right up my alley. Give us more, Matthew!
The issue closes out with Bruce McAllster's "The Boy in Zaquitos," a story about a different kind of secret government agent. That's all I will say about the story itself other than to say it is sadly not that far-fetched. It's also good.
So, Gordon Van Gelder gets his 2006 publishining year off to a good start. I expect no less from my favorite fiction magazine.
Thought I'd squeeze this in before the end of the year too, so I can keep pace with my Asimov's thoughts. I finished this issue the other week, so my comments may not be as in depth as they normall would (or wouldn't, I guess).
The issue gets off to a good start with Robert Reed's "Less Than Nothing." It continues the story of Raven, a young boy of the People, who killed a man in the previous installment. He is now exiled from the People and learns surprising new things about himself and his family. The ending opens things up for more exploration of the world in the next story. Hope we see that story in 2006.
Next up is part one of the first serialized story in F&SF in many years - Terry Bisson's "Planet of Mystery" (also the story featured on the great pulp-style cover by Max Bertolini). It details the first mission to Venus, where things take a major turn for the unexpected...or is that just a hallucination? Bisson crafts a story of equal parts action and thought and I'm looking forward to seeing how it concludes.
One of my favorite newer writers is Matthew Hughes. "Shadow Man" is not a tale of Henghis Hapthorn or Guth Bandar, though. Rather, it deals with a disturbed individual. The story is decent but seems too similar to other stories to register too much. Probably my least favorite Hughes story ever.
I also didn't care too much for "Horse-Year Women" by Michaela Roessner. It was well-written and had some interesting parts but overall just didn't appeal to me much. Not everything can.
Ever considered renting out space in your brain for the government to use? Tony Sarowitz's "A Daze in the Life" tackles that question and what could happen to you if you fall in love. Yeah, a rather vague description but it's a solid story.
I love reading a first-time writer who gets it right. It makes me look forward to the next story from that writer and also gives me hope as someone who hopes to publish his first story soon. "Journey to Gantica" by Matthew Corradi is my favorite story of the issue. It's a tall tale in more ways than one with lots of fun bits and a moral message in the end. Right up my alley. Give us more, Matthew!
The issue closes out with Bruce McAllster's "The Boy in Zaquitos," a story about a different kind of secret government agent. That's all I will say about the story itself other than to say it is sadly not that far-fetched. It's also good.
So, Gordon Van Gelder gets his 2006 publishining year off to a good start. I expect no less from my favorite fiction magazine.
6 STRING BELIEFS
Here's the tracklist for my best of 2005 CD mix...
1. This Year/Mountain Goats
2. Use It/New Pornographers
3. I Wanna Know Girls/Portastatic
4. Sandie/Devin Davis
5. Call to Love/Crooked Fingers
6. Always Love/Nada Surf
7. Publish My Love/Rogue Wave
8. Alternative to Love/Brendan Benson
9. The Nurse/The White Stripes
10. Extraordinary Machine/Fiona Apple
11. My Mathematical Mind/Spoon
12. Land Locked Blues/Bright Eyes
13. The Apartment/Marah
14. Back to Me/Kathleen Edwards
15. I Will Follow You Into the Dark/Death Cab for Cutie
16. Fuel for Fire/M. Ward
17. Cattle and the Creeping Things/The Hold Steady
18. Concerning Lessons Learned from the Aliens/The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers
19. Video/Aimee Mann
20. Whatever Happened to Soy Bomb/Eels
21. 6 String Belief/Son Volt
Here's the tracklist for my best of 2005 CD mix...
1. This Year/Mountain Goats
2. Use It/New Pornographers
3. I Wanna Know Girls/Portastatic
4. Sandie/Devin Davis
5. Call to Love/Crooked Fingers
6. Always Love/Nada Surf
7. Publish My Love/Rogue Wave
8. Alternative to Love/Brendan Benson
9. The Nurse/The White Stripes
10. Extraordinary Machine/Fiona Apple
11. My Mathematical Mind/Spoon
12. Land Locked Blues/Bright Eyes
13. The Apartment/Marah
14. Back to Me/Kathleen Edwards
15. I Will Follow You Into the Dark/Death Cab for Cutie
16. Fuel for Fire/M. Ward
17. Cattle and the Creeping Things/The Hold Steady
18. Concerning Lessons Learned from the Aliens/The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers
19. Video/Aimee Mann
20. Whatever Happened to Soy Bomb/Eels
21. 6 String Belief/Son Volt
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
A GOAL MET
As I mentioned in the previous post, I have had a goal for how many books I wanted to read in a year. I set the goal of 36 books for myself back in 2001 and this year I finally broke through. That first year I read 30, followed by years of 33, 34, 35, and then 38 this year. That is a grand total of 170 books in five years, an average of 34 a year. You know, seeing that number just seems astounding. I never thought of the grand totals, just about trying to reach the goal and hoping to enjoy everything I picked up. Naturally, not everything appealed and I had a few abandoned books along the way or others that took me a longer time to get through. On the whole, though, I was successful in enjoying at least parts of a book.
The author I read the most was T.C. Boyle. I believe I read all of his books during the past five years (I don't have an accurate record for 2001) for a total of 13 (his Stories collection contains everything from 4 previous story collections). He is one of my favorite writers after all.
I thought I would deliver a top twenty of the books I've read during this project. It puts a nice cap on things and helps to set the stage for the second half of my reading decade. And as always with this types of lists, on another day things could be different...
1. The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque by Jeffrey Ford
2. Stories by T.C. Boyle
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
4. The Fantasy Writer's Assistant by Jeffrey Ford
5. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
6. John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead
7. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
8. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
9. The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle
10. Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by J.K. Rowling
11. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
12. Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
13. Critical Space by Greg Rucka
14. Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link
15. Set This House in Order by Matt Ruff
16. Little Children by Tom Perrotta
17. Counting Heads by David Marusek
18. The Savage Girl by Alex Shakar
19. The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
20. Parasites Like Us by Adam Johnson
As I mentioned in the previous post, I have had a goal for how many books I wanted to read in a year. I set the goal of 36 books for myself back in 2001 and this year I finally broke through. That first year I read 30, followed by years of 33, 34, 35, and then 38 this year. That is a grand total of 170 books in five years, an average of 34 a year. You know, seeing that number just seems astounding. I never thought of the grand totals, just about trying to reach the goal and hoping to enjoy everything I picked up. Naturally, not everything appealed and I had a few abandoned books along the way or others that took me a longer time to get through. On the whole, though, I was successful in enjoying at least parts of a book.
The author I read the most was T.C. Boyle. I believe I read all of his books during the past five years (I don't have an accurate record for 2001) for a total of 13 (his Stories collection contains everything from 4 previous story collections). He is one of my favorite writers after all.
I thought I would deliver a top twenty of the books I've read during this project. It puts a nice cap on things and helps to set the stage for the second half of my reading decade. And as always with this types of lists, on another day things could be different...
1. The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque by Jeffrey Ford
2. Stories by T.C. Boyle
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
4. The Fantasy Writer's Assistant by Jeffrey Ford
5. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
6. John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead
7. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
8. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
9. The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle
10. Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by J.K. Rowling
11. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
12. Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
13. Critical Space by Greg Rucka
14. Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link
15. Set This House in Order by Matt Ruff
16. Little Children by Tom Perrotta
17. Counting Heads by David Marusek
18. The Savage Girl by Alex Shakar
19. The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
20. Parasites Like Us by Adam Johnson
BOOKS 2005
This is the year I finally broke through and met my reading goal for the year, passing it by 2 for a total of 38 on the year. It could have been even more but I only managed 2 books the last two months. As I mentioned the other week, I lost the thread somewhat. Anyway, this list contains the books I read and not just the ones published this year...
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
2. Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link
3. Counting Heads by David Marusek
4. The Girl in the Glass by Jeffrey Ford (his novella, The Cosmology of the Wider World, is also recommended)
5. Tooth and Claw by T.C. Boyle (also greatly enjoyed his novel A Friend of the Earth)
6. The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips
7. Air by Geoff Ryman
8. The Truth About Celia by Kevin Brockmeier
9. Home Land by Sam Lipsyte
10. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
This is the year I finally broke through and met my reading goal for the year, passing it by 2 for a total of 38 on the year. It could have been even more but I only managed 2 books the last two months. As I mentioned the other week, I lost the thread somewhat. Anyway, this list contains the books I read and not just the ones published this year...
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
2. Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link
3. Counting Heads by David Marusek
4. The Girl in the Glass by Jeffrey Ford (his novella, The Cosmology of the Wider World, is also recommended)
5. Tooth and Claw by T.C. Boyle (also greatly enjoyed his novel A Friend of the Earth)
6. The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips
7. Air by Geoff Ryman
8. The Truth About Celia by Kevin Brockmeier
9. Home Land by Sam Lipsyte
10. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
MUSIC 2005
It was very hard to narrow this down. On another day, I would arrange the order differently or slide some other discs into the top ten. A good year for music, I think.
1. The Hold Steady/Separation Sunday
2. New Pornographers/Twin Cinema
3. Spoon/Gimme Fiction
4. Devin Davis/Lonely People of the World, Unite!
5. The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers/The Mother of Love Emulates the Shapes of Cynthia
6. Portastatic/Bright Ideas
7. Eels/Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
8. Bright Eyes/I'm Wide Awake It's Morning
9. Fiona Apple/Extraordinary Machine
10. Marah/If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry
It was very hard to narrow this down. On another day, I would arrange the order differently or slide some other discs into the top ten. A good year for music, I think.
1. The Hold Steady/Separation Sunday
2. New Pornographers/Twin Cinema
3. Spoon/Gimme Fiction
4. Devin Davis/Lonely People of the World, Unite!
5. The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers/The Mother of Love Emulates the Shapes of Cynthia
6. Portastatic/Bright Ideas
7. Eels/Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
8. Bright Eyes/I'm Wide Awake It's Morning
9. Fiona Apple/Extraordinary Machine
10. Marah/If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry
CLEARING THE DECKS
I've spent the last few weeks trying to close some things out for 2005, so I can better jump into 2006. This has meant a dearth of posts, obviously. My plan is to finish up my 2005 posts with a couple best-of lists and then be ready to try making this place a daily stop for those who read it (and maybe get a few more of those people too). I won't be commenting on any of my picks in the posts but I will be happy to talk about them in the comments section. Please do so. And enjoy the rest of your 2005!
I've spent the last few weeks trying to close some things out for 2005, so I can better jump into 2006. This has meant a dearth of posts, obviously. My plan is to finish up my 2005 posts with a couple best-of lists and then be ready to try making this place a daily stop for those who read it (and maybe get a few more of those people too). I won't be commenting on any of my picks in the posts but I will be happy to talk about them in the comments section. Please do so. And enjoy the rest of your 2005!
Sunday, December 11, 2005
LOST THE THREAD
I don't know what it is. Maybe it was the fall I had with the funerals and the harder than usual Thanksgiving trip. Or just how busy it's gotten around these parts. But I feel like I've lost the thread a little with pop culture here and the end of the year. I don't feel as plugged in. I've only read one book since the end of October (and am working on a second, but I'm not being very fast - and I like the book a lot!). I can't keep straight in my head which books I want for Christmas and which CDs I need. I don't know. Does anyone else feel like they aren't as tuned in to everything as the year winds down?
I don't know what it is. Maybe it was the fall I had with the funerals and the harder than usual Thanksgiving trip. Or just how busy it's gotten around these parts. But I feel like I've lost the thread a little with pop culture here and the end of the year. I don't feel as plugged in. I've only read one book since the end of October (and am working on a second, but I'm not being very fast - and I like the book a lot!). I can't keep straight in my head which books I want for Christmas and which CDs I need. I don't know. Does anyone else feel like they aren't as tuned in to everything as the year winds down?
CAR CDS 2: THE CASE OF THE MISSING CASE
More errands than usual and trips to my parents' house and Joliet for a wedding left me even more time to listen to music in the car this past week. Here's the list...
1. Back To Me - I loved Kathleen Edwards debut the other year and her follow-up is almost as good. Not as many rockers on this week but she melds melodic countryish rock with solid lyrics. Unfortunately, the CD case disappeared. That's not a regular occurence for me - my anal retnetive nature has produced as system for where the cases are kept and so on. This case just up and disappeared. My wife thinks someone was in our cars (she was missing all of her change) - I'm not sure why they would take an empty CD case and leave the next one on the list alone but it could explain what happened to it.
2. Kimi Ga Suki - One of my favorite CDs of last year, this was originally released only in Japan but ended up being one of two new Matthew Sweet albums in the States. It's short and full of power pop goodness - crunchy chords and layered harmonies and ballads and full-on rockers. And you know, I still haven't picked up Living Things, his other album from last year. Hmm.
3. Rendezvous - I got Luna's latest (and last, yes?) for Christmas last year and played it a few times before forgetting about it. I should remember it more often, as it has a number of good songs. Dean Wareham's delivery is reminiscent of Lou Reed, of course, but I can dig that.
4. Hollywood Town Hall - This came out in 1992 and is still one of my favorite albums of all time. I love the Jayhawks and hope the reports of their demise were as exaggerated as Gary Louris claimed. Let's have some new Jayhawks in 2006!
5. Let's Bottle Bohemia - Another favorite album from last year. I dug "One Horse Town" from The Thrills' debut but never got around to picking up that one. Their second is great, full of melodic rock and fun lyrical twists. Highly recommended.
6. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - Yes, the U2 of today is not the same as the U2 of 10 years ago. I still enjoy their music, though, and this album continues to grow on me more than a year after it came out. Maybe it's just that I still love hearing the Edge play guitar.
7. Anything & Everything - A mix I made earlier this year and titled for the first two songs - "Everything Hits at Once" by Spoon and "Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)" by Dramarama.
Currently playing - My best of 2003 mix, titled for "From Blown Speakers" by New Pornographers. They will be on my best of 2005 mix as well. Word.
More errands than usual and trips to my parents' house and Joliet for a wedding left me even more time to listen to music in the car this past week. Here's the list...
1. Back To Me - I loved Kathleen Edwards debut the other year and her follow-up is almost as good. Not as many rockers on this week but she melds melodic countryish rock with solid lyrics. Unfortunately, the CD case disappeared. That's not a regular occurence for me - my anal retnetive nature has produced as system for where the cases are kept and so on. This case just up and disappeared. My wife thinks someone was in our cars (she was missing all of her change) - I'm not sure why they would take an empty CD case and leave the next one on the list alone but it could explain what happened to it.
2. Kimi Ga Suki - One of my favorite CDs of last year, this was originally released only in Japan but ended up being one of two new Matthew Sweet albums in the States. It's short and full of power pop goodness - crunchy chords and layered harmonies and ballads and full-on rockers. And you know, I still haven't picked up Living Things, his other album from last year. Hmm.
3. Rendezvous - I got Luna's latest (and last, yes?) for Christmas last year and played it a few times before forgetting about it. I should remember it more often, as it has a number of good songs. Dean Wareham's delivery is reminiscent of Lou Reed, of course, but I can dig that.
4. Hollywood Town Hall - This came out in 1992 and is still one of my favorite albums of all time. I love the Jayhawks and hope the reports of their demise were as exaggerated as Gary Louris claimed. Let's have some new Jayhawks in 2006!
5. Let's Bottle Bohemia - Another favorite album from last year. I dug "One Horse Town" from The Thrills' debut but never got around to picking up that one. Their second is great, full of melodic rock and fun lyrical twists. Highly recommended.
6. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - Yes, the U2 of today is not the same as the U2 of 10 years ago. I still enjoy their music, though, and this album continues to grow on me more than a year after it came out. Maybe it's just that I still love hearing the Edge play guitar.
7. Anything & Everything - A mix I made earlier this year and titled for the first two songs - "Everything Hits at Once" by Spoon and "Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)" by Dramarama.
Currently playing - My best of 2003 mix, titled for "From Blown Speakers" by New Pornographers. They will be on my best of 2005 mix as well. Word.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
PLETHORA
Hi. I've put up a bunch of posts this weekend, so please scroll down and find all the stuff you might not have read. I know many blogs tend to get a bit sleepy on the weekends but it's when I have the time and energy to tackle posts. I was going to do more but I decided to save a few subjects for the week ahead. Check back and see if I manage to get to them...and please give me some feedback.
Hi. I've put up a bunch of posts this weekend, so please scroll down and find all the stuff you might not have read. I know many blogs tend to get a bit sleepy on the weekends but it's when I have the time and energy to tackle posts. I was going to do more but I decided to save a few subjects for the week ahead. Check back and see if I manage to get to them...and please give me some feedback.
CAR CDS
I don't listen to the radio in my car anymore. The radio station I used to listen to, WXRT, is nothing close to what it used to be. The other Chicago FM stations are terrible. I occasionally put on ESPN Radio but I'm not one to listen to lots of sports talk. I like to listen to music when I'm driving, even if it's just to the grocery store. That means I listen to CDs in my car and I can get through several a week just driving to and from work and around town on errands. So, I thought I'd insitute a semi-regular Sunday feature where I talk about the CDs I listened to in the past week...
1. I Heart Huckabees - The soundtrack to the movie done solely by Jon Brion. It has a mixture of instrumental and vocal tracks. I bought it for the new Brion songs and two are fantasitc - "Knock Yourself Out" and "Revolving Door." The others are good, of course, but I'm surprised at how much I enjoy the other music. The expansion of the musical themes on subsequent tracks is very appealing. I don't listen to this all the time but it works as a whole album.
2. Guero - Yup, the latest Beck album. I like it but I haven't fallen in love with it like I did Sea Change. And I haven't learned to lyrics like I did with Mutations and Odelay. It is fun to sing along with the parts I do know of songs like "Hell Yes" and "Go It Alone" and "Broken Drum." His music works pretty well with just driving too. A good album but it won't come close to my top ten for the year.
3. The Man Who - I hadn't listened to this Travis album in a long time. Definitely more than a year. It still sounds pretty good - melodic sense never goes out of style. "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" is one of those classic sad songs. They pick on Oasis on a few songs too - "What's a wonderwall anyway?" A good album but not something I'll start playing more often. One or two listens a year is probably good.
I don't listen to the radio in my car anymore. The radio station I used to listen to, WXRT, is nothing close to what it used to be. The other Chicago FM stations are terrible. I occasionally put on ESPN Radio but I'm not one to listen to lots of sports talk. I like to listen to music when I'm driving, even if it's just to the grocery store. That means I listen to CDs in my car and I can get through several a week just driving to and from work and around town on errands. So, I thought I'd insitute a semi-regular Sunday feature where I talk about the CDs I listened to in the past week...
1. I Heart Huckabees - The soundtrack to the movie done solely by Jon Brion. It has a mixture of instrumental and vocal tracks. I bought it for the new Brion songs and two are fantasitc - "Knock Yourself Out" and "Revolving Door." The others are good, of course, but I'm surprised at how much I enjoy the other music. The expansion of the musical themes on subsequent tracks is very appealing. I don't listen to this all the time but it works as a whole album.
2. Guero - Yup, the latest Beck album. I like it but I haven't fallen in love with it like I did Sea Change. And I haven't learned to lyrics like I did with Mutations and Odelay. It is fun to sing along with the parts I do know of songs like "Hell Yes" and "Go It Alone" and "Broken Drum." His music works pretty well with just driving too. A good album but it won't come close to my top ten for the year.
3. The Man Who - I hadn't listened to this Travis album in a long time. Definitely more than a year. It still sounds pretty good - melodic sense never goes out of style. "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" is one of those classic sad songs. They pick on Oasis on a few songs too - "What's a wonderwall anyway?" A good album but not something I'll start playing more often. One or two listens a year is probably good.
THE COSMOLOGY OF JEFFREY FORD
I saw a t-shirt in a magazine this week that reads "Joss Whedon is my Master Now." Funny, and something I would wear. After reading Jeffrey Ford's The Girl in the Glass a few months agao and The Cosmology of the Wider World this week, though, an even more apropos shirt would say "Jeffrey Ford is my Writing God."
The Girl in the Glass is his new novel, a paperback original (his previous novel, The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque, first arrived in HC but a paperback version is available and highly recommended by me). I was amazed to discover my local Barnes & Noble already had mulitple copies coming for the shelves when I went to order a copy for myself. Sadly, those other three copies sat on the new release table until just a few weeks ago.
The novel is set during the Great Depression and centers on a small group of con men who take money from the rich by running fake seances. In the course of one of those seances, the leader thinks his sees an actual spirit, the titular girl in a glass. From there, they have to decide what they've really seen and also uncover a nefarious plot involving secret experiments and more. That's a real bare bones assessment of that plot. Of course, with Ford that plot is only one part. He is wonderful with characters and ideas and writes beautifully.
Those aspects are at the forefront of The Cosmology of the Wider World, a novella available from PS Publishing (which means you can only find it on the net). It is the story of the minotaur Belius, a citizen of the Wider World. He is very depressed as the story opens and it is the maze of his mind that is the focus of the book. We get glimpses into his past in the "real world" and also meet his friends in the Wider World. There is Pezimote, a philandering tortoise, and Thip, a flea who sails the blood of Belius to help Shebeb the doctor ape. Other friends decide Belius is lonely and set about creating a female minotaur for him. Mixed throughout is the Cosmology itself, the writings of Belius and the philosophies behind his life. It all works together very well, tied together by Ford's prose.
Both are well worth your time and money and come highly recommended. Jeffrey Ford has done great work for four books in a row and I'm sure his upcoming collection, The Empire of Ice Cream, will be no exception. All I need know is for his first three novel to come back into print (the trilogy of the Well-Built City) and my joy will be complete.
I saw a t-shirt in a magazine this week that reads "Joss Whedon is my Master Now." Funny, and something I would wear. After reading Jeffrey Ford's The Girl in the Glass a few months agao and The Cosmology of the Wider World this week, though, an even more apropos shirt would say "Jeffrey Ford is my Writing God."
The Girl in the Glass is his new novel, a paperback original (his previous novel, The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque, first arrived in HC but a paperback version is available and highly recommended by me). I was amazed to discover my local Barnes & Noble already had mulitple copies coming for the shelves when I went to order a copy for myself. Sadly, those other three copies sat on the new release table until just a few weeks ago.
The novel is set during the Great Depression and centers on a small group of con men who take money from the rich by running fake seances. In the course of one of those seances, the leader thinks his sees an actual spirit, the titular girl in a glass. From there, they have to decide what they've really seen and also uncover a nefarious plot involving secret experiments and more. That's a real bare bones assessment of that plot. Of course, with Ford that plot is only one part. He is wonderful with characters and ideas and writes beautifully.
Those aspects are at the forefront of The Cosmology of the Wider World, a novella available from PS Publishing (which means you can only find it on the net). It is the story of the minotaur Belius, a citizen of the Wider World. He is very depressed as the story opens and it is the maze of his mind that is the focus of the book. We get glimpses into his past in the "real world" and also meet his friends in the Wider World. There is Pezimote, a philandering tortoise, and Thip, a flea who sails the blood of Belius to help Shebeb the doctor ape. Other friends decide Belius is lonely and set about creating a female minotaur for him. Mixed throughout is the Cosmology itself, the writings of Belius and the philosophies behind his life. It all works together very well, tied together by Ford's prose.
Both are well worth your time and money and come highly recommended. Jeffrey Ford has done great work for four books in a row and I'm sure his upcoming collection, The Empire of Ice Cream, will be no exception. All I need know is for his first three novel to come back into print (the trilogy of the Well-Built City) and my joy will be complete.
Saturday, December 03, 2005
GOBLET OF FIRE
I managed to catch "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" this afternoon. I had to miss out on seeing it with family members after my lovely illness last Friday, so I saw it by myself this afternoon. You know, I've actually caught quite a few movies at the theater this year, more than I usually get to anyway. This was #7 (following "Star Wars," "Fantastic Four," "The Wedding Crashers," "The 40 Year-Old Virgin," "Serenity," and "Chicken Little" - guess how I saw that one!) and I will probably finish with an eighth ("King Kong," anyone?). Anyway, back to today's movie...
GOF was definitely my favorite of the Potter books at the time of its publication and may still be my favorite of the series. It is definitely the turning point for the whole series (and if you don't want to be spoiled on anything Potter, please stop reading now), showing a much more mature side of things and keeping the darker nature that was introduced in the previous book through the character of Sirius Black. It was also the longest book (since surpassed by book 5) and the movie producers had originally talked about splitting the story into two movies. Obviously, they didn't and I think it worked out this way.
I thought screenwriter Steve Kloves did a good job condensing the story to the parts that needed to be told to keep things coherent. In the book, the opening at the Quidditch World Cup takes up many pages but here they just get to the salient points - the introduction of Viktor Krum and the return of the Death Eaters. From there, the movie goes right to the arrival of the students from other schools and the announcement of the Triwizard Tournament. The tournament forms the spine of the movie, with all of the other events feeding in and out of the three challenges.
Director Mike Newell does a good job with the intercutting, capturing both the special effects granduer of the challenges and the small moments of character and plot development. He also handle the budding sexuality of the characters well - the kids aren't just wizard but boys and girls who have to go to dances and have dates. Newell also highlights the humor present in those situations. In fact, this is the funniest Potter movie...I laughed many times.
The performances are good as well. Brendan Gleeson is marvelous as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, "Mad Eye" Moody. Ralph Fiennes plays the now-returned Lord Voldemort and it's not just a scenery-chewing performance. And as always, the three main kids are great. Rupert Grint tends to steal the show as Ron Weasley but Emma Watson is right there with her pitch-perfect Hermione Granger. And Daniel Radcliffe does a great job inheriting the persona of Harry Potter. Can't imagine anyone else doing it.
So, my favorite book become my favorite movie. Not surprising. But for the second film in a row, the movie stands as a work of its own and not just a companion to the book. Of course, it's better if you read the books. It's always better if you read the books. Doesn't mean you can't watch the movie too.
I managed to catch "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" this afternoon. I had to miss out on seeing it with family members after my lovely illness last Friday, so I saw it by myself this afternoon. You know, I've actually caught quite a few movies at the theater this year, more than I usually get to anyway. This was #7 (following "Star Wars," "Fantastic Four," "The Wedding Crashers," "The 40 Year-Old Virgin," "Serenity," and "Chicken Little" - guess how I saw that one!) and I will probably finish with an eighth ("King Kong," anyone?). Anyway, back to today's movie...
GOF was definitely my favorite of the Potter books at the time of its publication and may still be my favorite of the series. It is definitely the turning point for the whole series (and if you don't want to be spoiled on anything Potter, please stop reading now), showing a much more mature side of things and keeping the darker nature that was introduced in the previous book through the character of Sirius Black. It was also the longest book (since surpassed by book 5) and the movie producers had originally talked about splitting the story into two movies. Obviously, they didn't and I think it worked out this way.
I thought screenwriter Steve Kloves did a good job condensing the story to the parts that needed to be told to keep things coherent. In the book, the opening at the Quidditch World Cup takes up many pages but here they just get to the salient points - the introduction of Viktor Krum and the return of the Death Eaters. From there, the movie goes right to the arrival of the students from other schools and the announcement of the Triwizard Tournament. The tournament forms the spine of the movie, with all of the other events feeding in and out of the three challenges.
Director Mike Newell does a good job with the intercutting, capturing both the special effects granduer of the challenges and the small moments of character and plot development. He also handle the budding sexuality of the characters well - the kids aren't just wizard but boys and girls who have to go to dances and have dates. Newell also highlights the humor present in those situations. In fact, this is the funniest Potter movie...I laughed many times.
The performances are good as well. Brendan Gleeson is marvelous as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, "Mad Eye" Moody. Ralph Fiennes plays the now-returned Lord Voldemort and it's not just a scenery-chewing performance. And as always, the three main kids are great. Rupert Grint tends to steal the show as Ron Weasley but Emma Watson is right there with her pitch-perfect Hermione Granger. And Daniel Radcliffe does a great job inheriting the persona of Harry Potter. Can't imagine anyone else doing it.
So, my favorite book become my favorite movie. Not surprising. But for the second film in a row, the movie stands as a work of its own and not just a companion to the book. Of course, it's better if you read the books. It's always better if you read the books. Doesn't mean you can't watch the movie too.
SCOTT PILGRIM
Last year Oni Press released an OGN (original graphic novel) that had the indie comics kids buzzing - SCOTT PILGRIM'S PRECIOUS LITTLE LIFE by Bryan Lee O'Malley. I read nothing but praise for it but I didn't get around to picking it up myself. Volume 2 of the series was released earlier this year and the third volume is due out any day. In fact, it was the appearance of Volume 2, SCOTT PILGRIM VERSUS THE WORLD, on the comics shelves of my local Barnes & Noble that finally got me to pick up the first one from Amazon (and yes, this is not the kind of thing that the local comics shop keeps in stock). I managed to read it before I got sick over Thanksgiving and I am happy to report that it lived up to the hype.
Scott Pilgrim is a 23 year-old who plays bass in the band Sex Bob-omb and not much else. Oh, and he's kinda dating Knives Chau. She's in high school. All is basically fine until he meets an Amazon delivery girl in his dreams and then in real life. He's into Ramona Flowers. Complications ensue, such as having to tell Knives about Ramona; a band gig with Crash and the Boys (who now have a girl on drums); and a fight with Matthew Patel, one of Ramona's evil ex-boyfriends.
I really enjoyed the cross between real life (being poor, being in a band, relationships) and the surreal (the fact Ramona cuts across dreams in order to delivery packages quickly, the bludgeoning power of Crash and the Boys, the fight itself). I'm not giving much away being telling you what I have - it's completely original and can only be read to be enjoyed.
As for the art, O'Malley works in a modified manga style. What does that mean? Mostly big eyes and the use of action lines. He is also an amazing cartoonist, expressive and fluid. As a non-artist, I tend to get geeked out when I see someone who can draw buildings and fences in black and white and make them look real. O'Malley does that here. He also does a great job changing his art style for flashbacks within the story. That's the kind of stuff that makes me love comics.
I would highly recommend SCOTT PILGRIM to anyone and can't wait to grab the next book for myself.
Last year Oni Press released an OGN (original graphic novel) that had the indie comics kids buzzing - SCOTT PILGRIM'S PRECIOUS LITTLE LIFE by Bryan Lee O'Malley. I read nothing but praise for it but I didn't get around to picking it up myself. Volume 2 of the series was released earlier this year and the third volume is due out any day. In fact, it was the appearance of Volume 2, SCOTT PILGRIM VERSUS THE WORLD, on the comics shelves of my local Barnes & Noble that finally got me to pick up the first one from Amazon (and yes, this is not the kind of thing that the local comics shop keeps in stock). I managed to read it before I got sick over Thanksgiving and I am happy to report that it lived up to the hype.
Scott Pilgrim is a 23 year-old who plays bass in the band Sex Bob-omb and not much else. Oh, and he's kinda dating Knives Chau. She's in high school. All is basically fine until he meets an Amazon delivery girl in his dreams and then in real life. He's into Ramona Flowers. Complications ensue, such as having to tell Knives about Ramona; a band gig with Crash and the Boys (who now have a girl on drums); and a fight with Matthew Patel, one of Ramona's evil ex-boyfriends.
I really enjoyed the cross between real life (being poor, being in a band, relationships) and the surreal (the fact Ramona cuts across dreams in order to delivery packages quickly, the bludgeoning power of Crash and the Boys, the fight itself). I'm not giving much away being telling you what I have - it's completely original and can only be read to be enjoyed.
As for the art, O'Malley works in a modified manga style. What does that mean? Mostly big eyes and the use of action lines. He is also an amazing cartoonist, expressive and fluid. As a non-artist, I tend to get geeked out when I see someone who can draw buildings and fences in black and white and make them look real. O'Malley does that here. He also does a great job changing his art style for flashbacks within the story. That's the kind of stuff that makes me love comics.
I would highly recommend SCOTT PILGRIM to anyone and can't wait to grab the next book for myself.
ASIMOV'S, JAN. 2006
The new issue of Asimov's got off to a good start before I even read a word. Why? A new Michael Swanwick story highlighted on the cover. Swanwick is one of my favorite writers a for a few years had an incredible run of stories in the magazine. He doesn't publish as much as he used to, unfortunately, but he still comes with high quality when he does appear. The new story, "An Episode of Stardust," contains a semi-tall tale within the story, or at least it appears to be a tall tale. It's a story of con artists in a setting of Faerie - a dwarf, a fey, a vixen, and other creatures populate the work. And while it may not be my favorite of Swanwick's stories, it is well-written and entertaining. A good way to kick off the issue.
I have a soft spot for tales of ships that take generations to reach their destinations and R.R. Angell's "In the Space of Nine Lives" is one of those. On this ship there are only 2 people awake at a time (at the most) - a pilot and the person he trains to be the next pilot. All of the pilots come from the same genetic stock but we can see differences in their personalities - they each grow up partly in stim with their own set of friends made up from the people traveling in hibernation on the long voyage. The story is about that old nature vs. nuture to a large extent, as well the nature of reality. I liked it.
Carol Emshwiller tackles another standard SF trope - the alien - in "World of No Return." What happens when you are an alien yet born and raised on Earth? How do you stay true to your people? Can you truly fit in with humans? Emshwiller is always worth a read and this story is no exception.
"The Last McDougals" by David D. Levine uses a McDonalds parody to look into the future at the state of the culture. It's solid.
I was a big fan of Allen M. Steele's Coyote stories, so I was looking forward to reading something outside of that milieu. "World Without End, Amen" deals with another standard SF trope, that of the dangers of technology. If we build powerful AIs, what's to stop them from taking over the world? Lawrence Kaufman's problem is that he was on the wrong side of that question and the story brings him to a place he can finally live in the world. Not as exciting as the Coyote stuff but still very enjoyable.
"Storm Poet" by Kim Antieau is set in the past during a drought and concerns itself with the bonds of family and the power of words. It's another solid one.
Stephen Baxter is a writer I always mean to read more of but never get around to (Kage Baker is another). He's very prolific, with many published novels and stories. "Ghost Wars" is set in his Destiny's Children sequence, which comprises three novels I haven't read and a myraid of short stories, some of which I'd read. Let's put it this way - I wasn't completely lost with the concept. A fighter crew of four ends up aiding a Silver Ghost (the enemy) against one of its own (known as the Black Ghost). Baxter tends towards hard science, so there is quite a bit about stars and advanced physics here but he always manages to make it readable. He's more of a plotter than a character writer although I always find enough character in the stories so as not to get lost in the science. This story is good. Will I finally start reading more of Baxter? Probably not any time soon.
There were no bad stories in this issue and I really enjoyed five out of the seven. A pretty good ratio and a good start to the year for editor Sheila Williams.
The new issue of Asimov's got off to a good start before I even read a word. Why? A new Michael Swanwick story highlighted on the cover. Swanwick is one of my favorite writers a for a few years had an incredible run of stories in the magazine. He doesn't publish as much as he used to, unfortunately, but he still comes with high quality when he does appear. The new story, "An Episode of Stardust," contains a semi-tall tale within the story, or at least it appears to be a tall tale. It's a story of con artists in a setting of Faerie - a dwarf, a fey, a vixen, and other creatures populate the work. And while it may not be my favorite of Swanwick's stories, it is well-written and entertaining. A good way to kick off the issue.
I have a soft spot for tales of ships that take generations to reach their destinations and R.R. Angell's "In the Space of Nine Lives" is one of those. On this ship there are only 2 people awake at a time (at the most) - a pilot and the person he trains to be the next pilot. All of the pilots come from the same genetic stock but we can see differences in their personalities - they each grow up partly in stim with their own set of friends made up from the people traveling in hibernation on the long voyage. The story is about that old nature vs. nuture to a large extent, as well the nature of reality. I liked it.
Carol Emshwiller tackles another standard SF trope - the alien - in "World of No Return." What happens when you are an alien yet born and raised on Earth? How do you stay true to your people? Can you truly fit in with humans? Emshwiller is always worth a read and this story is no exception.
"The Last McDougals" by David D. Levine uses a McDonalds parody to look into the future at the state of the culture. It's solid.
I was a big fan of Allen M. Steele's Coyote stories, so I was looking forward to reading something outside of that milieu. "World Without End, Amen" deals with another standard SF trope, that of the dangers of technology. If we build powerful AIs, what's to stop them from taking over the world? Lawrence Kaufman's problem is that he was on the wrong side of that question and the story brings him to a place he can finally live in the world. Not as exciting as the Coyote stuff but still very enjoyable.
"Storm Poet" by Kim Antieau is set in the past during a drought and concerns itself with the bonds of family and the power of words. It's another solid one.
Stephen Baxter is a writer I always mean to read more of but never get around to (Kage Baker is another). He's very prolific, with many published novels and stories. "Ghost Wars" is set in his Destiny's Children sequence, which comprises three novels I haven't read and a myraid of short stories, some of which I'd read. Let's put it this way - I wasn't completely lost with the concept. A fighter crew of four ends up aiding a Silver Ghost (the enemy) against one of its own (known as the Black Ghost). Baxter tends towards hard science, so there is quite a bit about stars and advanced physics here but he always manages to make it readable. He's more of a plotter than a character writer although I always find enough character in the stories so as not to get lost in the science. This story is good. Will I finally start reading more of Baxter? Probably not any time soon.
There were no bad stories in this issue and I really enjoyed five out of the seven. A pretty good ratio and a good start to the year for editor Sheila Williams.
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