Thursday, June 25, 2009

Befuddlement

Seems like there should be things to talk about here. I'm pretty sure I was aware of them earlier, but it's been that kind of day.

The Arts Festival is going on outside of the Library at the moment and if any of you have a couple grand to loan give us, I will acquire some nice art. As it stands I suspect it will once again pass us by. Although there's a rather nice Army of Darkness spray paint piece... Anyone? (And don't get me started on the beautiful Greek Boat photo... Water! So blue!)

Watched Sunshine again the other day. First 2/3 or so of that movie are great. Ending, not so much.

Apparently DirecTV does not play well with rain. You have rain for a few days in a row and suddenly the signal just wanders away looking for some sun. I wonder what people in, oh, say, Forks do for satellite service. Have the Cullens hold the dishes and sparkle sweat heavily?

Currently reading The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. It's a pretty good vampire book. Part medical thriller (some pretty gruesome details yo) part horror novel, it's been pretty interesting so far. Although it appears the vampires don't have teeth. It looks like they may have some sort of extra appendage in their throat that they use instead. I'm actually just getting to the part where the vampire outbreak starts in earnest so I'm not certain of all the details yet. Why do people play around with the vampire rules so much? I don't know that any other undead critter gets yanked around quite so much...

I have a jalapeno from the garden. It will go on the chicken tacos we're making tonight. I'm hoping it is very yummy. And not without some kick. We shall see. Tomatoes are in existence, spinach too. Watermelons down for the count. Not sure about the cucumbers. Or the serranos.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The one with the Twilight movie review in

So. The rumors are true. (Although if there are actually rumors about my Twilight viewing habits, the internets just got a whole lot creepier) I have seen Twilight. And just what did the ol' letter 'd' think of said spot of celluloid? It didn't suck (and believe me, that comment works on lots of levels for this film). Given the fact that they had to hire a writer, they fixed the biggest problem with the books (y'know the writing). So except for the lines they lifted wholesale from the novel, the dialogue and so on wasn't too terrible. Plot was pretty much nonexistant, but that can be said of most romantic comedies. Wait, this wasn't a comedy? Hmm. They definitely need to fire the hairdresser. And the FX guy. I'd really like to know whose bright idea it was to change "sparkling" into "sweating heavily". That glitter effect. Man. Although he did have to carry Bella all over the place, so I suppose a little sweat is expected. (And yeah, the carrying... less said the better.)

Strangely the scene I liked the most was the one that sounded pretty silly from the book, the baseball game. I blame the fact that I enjoyed it on the Muse song though. Can't beat a good Muse song. And Muse apparently makes just about anything better. Bella needs to lose the headphones. Surely she can find a better way to learn her lines. Although if I were surrounded by the people in that movie, I'd probably try to drown them out too.

I did like Alice. She can stay.

So there you go. Not the worst thing ever, but certainly far from anything worth watching more than once. (I am looking at you 2nd oldest niece. Take the headphones out, put the remote down and go start reading some Westerfeld or something.)

Still trucking along through Monster. It is still pretty darn good.

Decided to throw Metal Gear Solid 3 back in the ol' PS2. I still really suck at that game. I may one day make it to the end, but that is not going to be any time soon.

An early Happy Father's Day goes out to Dad. I have no idea what we're getting you. You have no idea what we're getting you. This has not helped matters. So yeah, Love you Dad, you'll have to settle for heartfelt appreciation. ^_^

Oh. They're still not vampires. Deal with it people.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Incroyable

What's this? Not one, not two, but three posts?! Some with actual relevant content? Yeah, yeah, don't get used to it. It's been an odd week.

Ghost in the Shell: 2nd Gig was pretty darn decent. It played with my mind quite a bit as they lifted characters and settings from the first graphic novel without using those plot points. And then they ended the season right where the graphic novel started. So I've no idea what that means as far as compatibility with the manga's timeline, but it was certainly interesting from a nudge, nudge, wink, wink sort of standpoint. I think I liked the end of season 1 better, but they're both good. Good on ya' Production I.G.!

Monster continues to be interesting as does Cromartie High School.

I will be tackling The Hunger Games soon, mostly to see how it compares to Battle Royale. I will admit to being somewhat skeptical... It might be decent, but I'm expecting a certain amount of been there, done that, it was better in the original. Heh. ^_^

Well, my brain is fried. I blame the updating. I'll get back to you next week. Or will I?

Oh I really, really want to see Moon. Yeah, that's all.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Jungle's gonna get you man

First, the amusing thing about the quiz below, is that I've not read any Susan Cooper. So I've no idea if that's accurate or not. I shall have to remedy this situation. Always interesting stumbling on something new.

Secondly, I have finished The Lost City of Z, by David Grann. Absolutely brilliant book. There's nothing like a good adventure tale for summer reading. And this one was all true. It's amazing what people went through to discover new things and to follow their obsessions. Percy Fawcett was convinced there was a lost civilization deep in the Amazon jungle. He vanished along with his son and his son's friend while searching for it. David Grann, a journalist, became intrigued by the story and ended up journeying to the Amazon himself to see if he could discover what happened. Truly fascinating stuff. Cannibals, spies, rivals, adventure, romance this book has it all - just like the Princess Bride, well ok, there's not really any romance. Maybe a little. If you ever thought you wanted to go visit the Amazon, this book will either cement that desire, or cure you of it.

Also read Emily the Strange: Lost Days. Another great little young adult book. Emily has amnesia. In fact she doesn't know her name is Emily. It might be Earwig. Or Molly. She also doesn't know why she's in the town of Blackrock. Or why it's so beige. Her life is truly a mysterious thing. Fortunately she has a slingshot, some helpful black cats and some pretty decent sleuthing skills. She's going to need them to make sense of her life and the town she's found herself in. Recommended.

For grins and chuckles I threw Sly Cooper in the PS2 the other day. Game is still good and oddly, surprisingly challenging.

Apropos of nothing

Your result for Which fantasy writer are you?...

Susan Cooper (b. 1935)

23 High-Brow, -3 Violent, -13 Experimental and -15 Cynical!


Congratulations! You are High-Brow, Peaceful, Traditional and Romantic! These concepts are defined below.


Though born in England, Susan Cooper currently lives in the United States. She is most well-known for her The Dark Is Rising sequence, which has received substantial critical acclaim, the second book (also called The Dark Is Rising) in the series winning a Newbury Honor and the fourth book (The Grey King) being awarded the Newbury Medal, one of the world's most prestigious awards for children's literature. The series is one of the finest examples of contemporary fantasy: the kind of fantasy where magic happens in an actually existing place. The Dark Is Rising is set in Britain, where two common themes of fantasy are combined; that of a magic world parallel to ours, which later became so popular with the Harry Potter books and that of ordinary British school-children playing a role in the struggle between Good and Evil, which had earlier been explored by C S Lewis.


Cooper manages to use the idiom of traditional children books to tell a tale of epic proportions, as evil beings from Celtic legends appear on Earth to do battle with the Old Ones, a secret society of people with magic powers. She is also able to combine this rather romantic vision with important messages, the compassion of one of the children being vital to the cause of Good at one point in the story. In Cooper's world, what you think and do matters on a grand scale, a message children and adults alike should take to their hearts.


You are also a lot like Ursula K Le Guin.


If you want some action, try China MiƩville.


If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, Lian Hearn.



Your score



This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs. Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs. Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs. Traditional and 4) Cynical vs. Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.



High-Brow vs. Low-Brow



You received 23 points, making you more High-Brow than Low-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, rather than the best-selling kind. At their best, high-brows are cultured, able to appreciate the finer nuances of literature and not content with simplifications. At their worst they are, well, snobs.



Violent vs. Peaceful



You received -3 points, making you more Peaceful than Violent. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you aren't, and you don't, then you are peaceful as defined here. At their best, peaceful people are the ones who encourage dialogue and understanding as a means of solving conflicts. At their worst, they are standing passively by as they or third parties are hurt by less scrupulous individuals.



Experimental vs. Traditional



You received -13 points, making you more Traditional than Experimental. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, traditional people don't change winning concepts, favouring storytelling over empty poses. At their worst, they are somewhat narrow-minded.



Cynical vs. Romantic



You received -15 points, making you more Romantic than Cynical. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, romantic people are optimistic, willing to work for a good cause and an inspiration to their peers. At their worst, they are easily fooled and too easily lead.



Take Which fantasy writer are you?
at HelloQuizzy

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Summer madness

And so the kids are out of school. Alas poor wife, we hardly knew ye. After the initial, "you are all driving me insane, now GO OUTSIDE!" phase has worn off I'm sure she'll be fine. Once she's applied some sunscreen since they're apparently living at the city pool.

Garden continues to grow, although we seem to have lost some watermelon seedlings along the way. We may have to plant one more just to be safe. Tomato plant seems a little stressed as well. I really need to take another picture so I have proof that we had things growing at one point. ^_^

Monster vol 2 was quite good and the story continues. Looks like Dr. Tenma plans to leave the hospital to hunt after the serial killer he saved. And the police are convinced he had something to do with several new deaths. Ooo tension. heh heh.

I'm currently reading through Cromartie High School volume 1 and let me tell you, it's hilarious. Upstanding student applies to delinquent high school to encourage friend to go to school. Only friend does not make it into said school. Hijinks ensue. Lots and lots of hijinks. There are stories about dominoes and rabbits living with lions and pudding. (And I believe I've made my feelings known on stories with pudding) If you can locate it, read it. Or possibly watch the anime, I have plans to do that as well.

Speaking of anime, Ghost in the Shell: 2nd Gig (or Stand Alone Complex season 2) is excellent. I really like that series. Production IG has done a great job with that world.

In other slightly related news, this week was E3. And there were some excellent Wii related announcements. New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M, and some others. If you have a Wii hooked up to the net, I recommend checking out the Nintendo channel and watching the videos. Some great looking stuff. Can't wait for Galaxy 2, I loved the first one. Oh and there's more Wii Sports and Wii Fit and... heh heh, like I said list goes on.

Anniversary was this week. 14 years. 14 long great years. ^_^ Love you honey! This last year was certainly better than the previous, but held it's own set of challenges. We're certainly ready for things to settle down a touch more.

And I believe that's enough. Oh I'll throw this out there. Some of those stories look pretty great. And it's possible to waste a bit of time at that site...