Thursday, December 29, 2005

Book 50

Years ago I read Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I remember enjoying the book (the movie was another matter...) at the time. Apparently they've been quite prolific in the intervening years. Our library had Dance of Death on their new release shelf, so I grabbed it and a couple of their other books.

Dance of Death brings back several of the characters from Relic, most notably Agent Pendergast - apparently the Dirk Pitt of Preston and Child's literary world. Preston and Child's work reminds me quite a bit of Cussler's, and for the moment not in a bad way. The story was certainly interesting enough and I plan on reading more of their books, but I can see some of the same tell-tale weaknesses that could spell lots of eye-rolling and a sense of wonder at how I ever found this stuff entertaining. But that's several books down the road for now. Dance of Death was a nice piece of action fluff. Certainly not much more than a popcorn book - it won't change your life, but you should get some enjoyment out of it.

So, I made it to 50 and not a moment too soon. There were several false steps along the way, and I plan to rectify a couple of them over the course of the next year. I don't plan on going for the 50 mark again, mainly because I want to be able to take my time with a few books to ensure that I get through them. Most notably 1776, In Cold Blood and quite possibly John Adams among others.

Protopage is an interesting little corner of the internet. Could make a useful homepage if you're willing to spend a bit of time and spruce it up. I ran across it while listening to the This Week in Tech podcast. Useful things those podcasts...

My wife and I have been waging quite the little war over the DS. I suppose it's my own fault. I tend to try and pick games that I think we'll both find interesting and I succeeded a little too well this time. Curse you puzzle game genre! But it is quite the fun little device.

Well, I suspect this will be it for me this year, so have a Merry New Year. And raise a glass for me as I have to prepare myself for five day work weeks again...

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Brief interlude

There will (hopefully) be at least one more post this year - I'm planning on finishing off book 50 if nothing else. But it may be a close thing. I probably didn't pick the perfect book to try and gun through. Oh well.

Hope everyone had a good holiday. Ours was a lot of fun. Took the kids to see Narnia last Friday. Wonderful movie, certainly makes my best of the year short list (along with Goblet of Fire, Serenity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith). Tilda Swinton was brilliant as the White Witch and the kids were also excellent. McKenna enjoyed it, but Miranda hated it. Mostly because it was a little over her head. But if you ask her why she hated it she'll tell you she hates Mr. Tumnus. And trying to get to the root of that results in a circular conversation about who scared who upon that first meeting by the lamppost. Best left unasked unless for humor's sake.

The girls must take after their mother when it comes to sleeping. We put them to bed a little late (for them) on Christmas Eve, but they still slept in until just after 7 on Christmas Day. Shocking I tell you. Presents were opened and fun was had. Spartacus (my new 4 Gig iPod Nano) helps make the work day go faster. Nifty little gizmos those iPods... And whatever you've heard about the propensity for the Nanos to scratch is probably an understatement. I really need to find a case for mine. Oddly enough though it's the silver back that seems to scratch more - I haven't had any real problems with the front.

My wife has been trying to lure me to the dark side of the Sudoku solvers. I gave her a Sudoku game for Christmas and have been coaxed into doing a few puzzles with her. It's a nice way to spend some time together.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Holidays

Have begun. Four day weekend with Chirstmas involved. Had dinner with my wife's sister's family this evening. Hooked a couple more people on Qwitch... Traded presents for the kids. A nice start to the weekend.

Looks like we'll be missing out on a white Christmas unless the temperature drops quite a bit. Rain tonight, but not cold enough. Oh well. The worst thing is that it's clearing away what was left of the snow from the big storm a couple weeks ago.

Well, that probably does it for me until after the holidays. Unless something truly interesting comes along. So happy holidays. Hope you can spend it with family.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Guilty pleasures

Shh, don't tell anyone, but I kind of like Stacked. No idea why, but I find it funny and oddly watchable. It reminds me of Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. So, yeah...

I'm so ready for this week to be over. Well, ok tomorrow. Then it's Christmas weekend and there are few weekends better than that. The kids are pretty excited and honestly so am I. It's always fun to watch them tear through presents and jump around. Graeme will add a destructive twist to the mix this year so that should liven things up.

So Merry Christmas to all of you reading.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Paper

Fascinating link to some DIY paper bookmarks. I think I'll have to make a couple.

And Paper Forest currently has some really nice looking cards/holiday projects as well.

And I'd like to point out that the story in the previous post may cause keyboard damage. Please refrain from eating and reading at the same time...

Monday, December 19, 2005

Food groups

Those of you that follow the misadventures that make up this blog know that I enjoy zombies. Wacky zombies... Anyway, I have been known to encourage the children to let loose with their inner zombie on occasion. Graeme does a delightful growl in a most zombie-esque manner and I've managed to get Miranda to monotone the phrase, "Mmmm brains..." once in a while. So, now that you have a little background I can relate the following brief anecdote.

I received a call from my wife the other day regarding Miranda. Apparently she came home from pre-school explaining that Mrs. Dorris (the teacher) had told her that brains are not food. We have no idea what caused this revelation. I like to think that she was gnawing on the head of one of her classmates. Most likely she was chanting to herself, "Mmm brains...," either under her breath or a little more vocally. Either way, I can't help but be a little proud. My little girl, all growing up and being undead.

We had an early Christmas with the letter 'r' the other day. We receieved Super Mario Strikers. What a wonderful game that is. You've got to give it to Nintendo - they may put the Mario crew in every game they can, but the characters manage to bring their own brand of fun to whatever situation they find themselves in. Strikers offers an arcade style soccer experience filled with the power-ups you're used to and some attitude you might not be. Certainly the Gamecube game of the season. Pick it up if you have a one, you won't be disappointed.

Still hunting around for a book to read for number 50. It'll be my luck to miss the goal due to laziness in finding something.

And antibiotics are good. I spent most of the weekend trying to claw my throat out due to a staph infection. Swallowing was an exercise in personal torture... Fortunately I managed to get some medicine (after forking over far too much money for after hour fees) and tame the wee beasties. Accursed bacteria...

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Book 49

Fatherhood, by Bill Cosby, was given to me by my own father during my parents' recent stay. I'd mentioned that I was doing this 50 book challenge and when at a thrift shop, he picked it up for me. Thanks Dad. It was a fun read. The first half of the book had me in stitches. Mostly because I could directly relate to the material being covered. I suspect in another 10-15 years I'll find the rest of the book just as funny. I enjoy Cosby's humor and he wields a deft knife on the topic of parenting and family. If you've heard any of his routines on these topics, you'll probably recognize a couple passages from the book. Definitely worth a read.

So close. One more book to go and I'll have made it. Will have to track something interesting down...

Apparently the Saturn needs to go in for inspection and emissions testing tomorrow. So much fun. Just the activity for one of the few Fridays left to my vacation.

Now. Go forth and wander the internet. Just make sure you leave it in a better state than you found it...

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Taisho

This comes courtesy of the ever enjoyable Yukihime. Such an amazing study of how to eat sushi...

Tuesday TV got in the way of posting once again last night. House ended up being a touch better than expected, while the other shows were their typical entertaining selves.

Currently the house is under the grip of the sinus cold that wouldn't leave. Poor Graeme is probably suffering the most, but my wife and I aren't far behind. At least the girls are safe for the moment... That is the one aspect of Winter that I could really do without. Even the humidifier we're currently running doesn't seem to be helping much. Accursed dry climate...

It's hard to believe the year is drawing to a close. I suppose I should draw up some sort of Best of list, but I'm not sure it's worth the effort. I still refuse to make plans for the upcoming year. I can't recall the last time I made something resembling a New Year's resolution and I intend to keep it that way.

The letter 'r' is slowly improving his Qwitch skills, but there's always room for improvement. I managed to eke out victories in all three games the other night and I started out pretty tired. Of course, it's pretty hard to stay tired and competitive at that game, so I managed to pull things together in short order. I suspect my wife is planning on introducing the game to her sister and her husband so that they can then humiliate us in a gaming frenzy. We played Nertz with them a few years back and it wasn't a pretty sight. I blame the fact that I hadn't played Nertz for many many years up until that point... No. Really.

McKenna has managed to earn some patches in Girls Scouts so last night was the big awards ceremony. Much fun was had by mt wife as I stayed home with the other two kids (one being the under the weather Graeme). I managed to dazzle the Webelos with some Origami skills last week, this week I think we're just preparing for the upcoming service project.

Monday, December 12, 2005

Stubborn

So. I'd read a few comments about the new Prince of Persia game. And it sounded like they'd apologized for the steaming pile of sequel that was Warrior Within. I was somewhere near the end and I decided I had to finish it. With the fancy shmancy sword. I can now say that I've played through both endings of Warrior Within. Part of me wishes I hadn't, but I've managed to locate some ethereal duct tape and I don't hear from that part much any more. My gaming choices might be better served if I did, but that's neither here nor there. Sands of Time is a great game. It deserves to be on lots of top however many gaming lists. Warrior Within is a horrible game that deserves never to be spoken of again. Which is a bit of a shame as there were moments of brilliance in it, but overall? Best left unsaid. So Two Thrones has a lot to make up for. I loved the first one enough that I'll probably give the third one a go at some point. But only when I can pick it up cheaply.

And the holidays draw nigh. We spent a good chunk of the weekend wrapping presents. But then we got lazy and we've left a bunch unwrapped. You can pity our kids if you want. But I really wouldn't, there are far too many things that will have to make their way under the tree. I suspect we'd be responsible for the death of a small wooded plot if we actually tried to wrap everything. We're going to have to teach the grandparents the meaning of restraint.

The weekend was brightened by the making of Chili con Pollo - new recipe we tried out from 101 More Things to do with a Slow Cooker. It was an excellent recipe made better by the inclusion of bread bowls. Any time you have a meal where you can eat the serving dish, a good time is just about guaranteed. I recommend giving this one a try. I have no idea if I can jot out the recipe here, so if you want it, ask for it in the comments section...

I was amused to discover that the online community has dubbed the Impala from Supernatural the Metallicar... (And that's only slightly better than the Leather Coat of Masculinity.)

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Book 48 and Pandora

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Land of Sand comes in as the end draws near. It's a fun little story set in the FMA universe, and it's pretty accessible even if you only have a meager knowledge of the series, so that's a bonus. Mostly it made me want to track down the series, in either animated or illustrated form, so I guess it served its purpose.

Pandora is quite possibly the coolest thing on the internet... It's a site that lets you build your own customized radio station. Go give it a whirl.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Hmm

Ok. I like Firefox. And I just upgraded to 1.5, but that may have been a bit premature. Seems there's a bug with the Mac version that causes some pretty serious hanging issues. I may have found a bit of a workaround, but if you have a Mac and use Firefox, I'd hold off on upgrading for a bit... There are some pretty nifty extensions and themes running around though. The Fireftp extension is quite nice.

Well, it's back to scouts tonight. May try to teach them some origami. Paper cranes for Christmas tree ornaments.

Kit stopped by last night in spite of the large amounts of snow we received and a lovely time was had by all. We introduced her to Qwitch and then proceeded to trample all over her self esteem by trouncing her at it... She took it well though. We look forward to a possible return visit come the new year. Should have grabbed a picture while she was here. Alas...

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Book 47 and much other stuff

The Dragon Scroll, by I. J. Parker is billed as a Historical Japanese mystery novel. Apparently it's the third in a series (although I believe it takes place before the other two). It was a fun read. Nothing terribly deep and I wouldn't call it terribly historical (if you're looking for something on Japanese history) but the mystery part was fun. It's relatively easy to see whodunnit, but the casual pace of the story was charming. I enjoy stories that take their time and let you get to know the characters. So consider it recommended, but almost in spite of what it's billed as.

The recent Spielberg War of the Worlds remake was quite good. I liked it a lot. The acting was good and the effects were pretty amazing. And they did a good job of telling the story instead of just existing for the sake of being effects. The sequence with Tim Robbins was pretty chilling and rather intense.

It's funny, I've talked to several people that have seen this and there are a lot of mixed opinions. Many of them deal with the ending. For me, the ending is actually is one of the better aspects of the movie. It's a science fiction movie. And the ending reinforces that. So I hve no problems. The only real problem with the ending relates to the son...

The Skeleton Key was fun. Predictable, atmospheric fun. I've been to Louisiana and this movie reminded me of just how foreign places in America can be. It's worth seeing just for the sense of place. I'm glad it exists as a snapshot of pre-Katrina Louisiana. The extras on the DVD were pretty amusing as well. A Gumbo recipe and some stories read or told by the cast. Plus the usual behind the scenes stuff. It was a nice slightly eerie little tale.

Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot is a much better game with more people. It's paced a little better and the gameplay isn't quite as single-mindedly vicious. You can spread the evil. The ending is still pretty arbitrary, but I'm still of the opinion that the game is supposed to be more about playing than winning.

It's officially winter. There is far too much snow outside and I have the backache to prove it. Shoveling is just plain punishment for something... But it is pretty. I'm glad I live somewhere that I can enjoy the snow. Good ol' Winter.

And I finished Shadow of the Colossus (I told you there was a lot of stuff to cover.) It's a more depressing game than Ico, but that's to its credit in a lot of ways. It's always a joy when a game can evoke a strong emotional response and there are a couple pretty strong moments at the end of the game. It's funny, you could probably show someone the entire story line of the game in about an hour or so, but the impact is a lot stronger if you've been involved, fighting your way through the events that unfold. If you have a PS2, this game should be in your collection, it's that simple. Plus there are some pretty intriguing ties with Ico. This game wasn't really billed as a sequel, and it's not, but it is definitely in the same world and there are some great rewards if you're familiar with the other game. In fact, the ending probably isn't quite as powerful if you're not... (But it's still a beautiful experience.)

Friday, December 02, 2005

Upcoming

We've rented War of the Worlds and The Skeleton Key, so you can expect some thoughts on those in the not too distant future.

While at the library I grabbed what I thought was the first graphic novel of Fullmetal Alchemist. Imagine my surprise when I got home and realized it was an actual novel. Strange. And yet intriguing.

So things to look forward to. Took care of most of the Christmas shopping today. Now it's time to relax and enjoy the weekend.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Weeze

The Perfect Situations video is pretty fun. The more I hear that song, the more I like it. Probably ought to track down that CD...

Managed to procure a Mario Kart/DS bundle. Mwa ha ha ha. I may have to wait for Christmas for the Mario Kart goodness, but at least I know that it's in the house now. I find it a little strange that they went for a red/gray combination on the DS. Just make it all red.

And over at Neil Gaimain's blog he has links to sites with quotes by him. Some of them are rather amusing. Especially the one about life as given by Death.