Certifiably Insane

I've been absolutely devouring books over break, and have made my way through two Civil War books by the Shaara father-son duo, the second book in a series by John Twelve Hawks, and Good Omens. Right now I'm reading The Historian, a remarkably good, if dark book.

Watched the FX series "The Riches" for the first time last night. Eddie Izzard stars, which for me is a good reason to watch it, but it's actually a pretty good show. I'd never heard of it before, but according to Wikipedia it's been nominated for Emmys, so I guess it's decent enough. Part of the soundtrack was The National "Start a War," which was another reason to like it.

Watching late night television for the first time in a long time, I hadn't realized the amount of swearing that Leno and Letterman do. Not to come off as a prude (I certainly swear far more than I should), but...wow. Disregarding the fact that both of them think that they're funnier than they really are, the swearing kind of puts me off. There are times when a swear is appropriate, like when frustrated, angry, emotional...times like that. Swearing randomly...for lack of a punchline...not really that appealing to me.

Listening to the Eels right now. Time for dinner at IHOP, so for now, adieu.

Bite Me

Being sick sucks. Having the flu sucks even more. I'm glad that the flu shot I shelled out for was effective. So after a truly awful night I'm feeling mostly better; although certainly not at a hundred percent, I should make it through the day.

Aside from being ill, there are exciting things afoot. The interview on air went well; the publicity agents filmed the whole thing and the only complaint I have is that somebody walked off with my cd lists, so I was playing blind for a good portion of the show. Ah well.

I've been awake for far too long, honestly. Because I crawled into bed at nine, and because trying to sleep with the flu is a literal waking nightmare, I woke up and took a shower before realizing that it was just past three in the morning. I slept another couple hours after the shower, but I'm awake again and wondering whether or not to go to class. I emailed all my professors last night with a basic "I'm sick; don't expect to see me in class," but I feel like I should go to class.

Reading Pontoon by Garrison Keillor, and glad for a nice easy read. It's a fun book, and considering that next on the agenda is The Historian, it's a nice break from a long read like that. Anyways...snow in the forecast for tomorrow...fun. Farewell! May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.

Strange...

Wednesday has passed, and I didn't really notice...so this post will count as Wednesday's. It's not like Thursday is of any significance anyways...no classes, just work and chorale practice. And with the concert Saturday, and rehearsal every day of the week except for today (now yesterday (confused yet?)), even chorale is lessened in meaning.

This entry will be a quick update on what I'm reading (no links, look them up yourself). First and foremost is Andrew Eames's "The 8:55 to Baghdad," a well-written, interesting account of the author's journey by train along the same route followed by Agatha Christie that inspired "Murder on the Orient Express." Next on my list is "1491," an account of the Americas before Europeans arrived. It's a fascinating read, not least because it counters everything I ever read about the Indians. Sorry, Native Americans. I'll try to be PC where there's a written record...

Next on the agenda is Richard Dawkins's "The G-d Delusion," which I heard parts of as a book on tape, but never actually finished. Likewise to a degree with "Gravity's Rainbow," by Thomas Pynchon. I've started it a couple times, but never passed the fiftieth page. Hopefully I'll make more progress this time...when I finally get around to reading it. And eventually I'll make my way to "The Rising Tide," by Jeff Shaara, my absolutely necessary war book, a fictionalized account of World War II in North Africa. Apparently it's the first in a trilogy, which bodes well for my reading pleasure.

I also picked up another book that turned out to be part of a series, this time the last book in said series. Robin Hobb's "Renegade's Magic," my choice for fantasy reading, turned out to be a rather poor choice. Whether it's because my standards are set rather high (ironic for a fantasy/sci-fi fan, no?) or because I didn't read the first two books, I just can't get into the book. Alas, I shall have to return it to the stack of ARCs at the bookstore, and pick up another. If anyone has an author or book in particular they'd like to see, drop me a line. I may be able to do something about it.

How the movie industry lost its creative spark

I cannot possibly be the only one who sees movie after movie based on book after book and think "Don't they have any better ideas?" After seeing the Golden Compass today, I have to step back and wonder. In the previews (of which there were perhaps five or six (ever notice how it's hard to remember all the previews after you leave the theater?) there were two based on books: Inkheart (by Cornelia Funke, now with a sequel Inkspell) and of course the classic Dr Seuss, Horton Hears a Who. (I hereby pause this post to send a missive to Steve Carell: GET THE HELL OUT OF MOVIES). Sorry, but I absolutely despise Little Miss Sunshine. Dan in Real Life is decent, but not justification for Carell to have a career in film. Yes, I enjoy Office, but "lovably awkward" is the only character I see in Steve Carell, and I just don't see him as a good actor.

Anyways...back to the point. I blame New Line Cinema for engineering the shift away from originality in movies. In my limited experience of movie watching, the Lord of the Rings trilogy (which, I have to say, I enjoy very much, and I'm glad that Peter Jackson will be in control of a hopefully decent adaptation of The Hobbit. Goodness knows that the current movie versions are terrible...) cleared the way for many, many other movies based on fantasy/sci-fi books. Now we have had Hitchiker's Guide, Eragon, Golden Compass, Dark is Rising (The Seeker, in movie form), soon Inkheart, etcetera, etcetera...there's a rather LONG list here. And of course, which I just remembered, Harry Potter. Thanks to Rowling, children are reading again. And those of us who were reading the whole time are wonderfully immune (mostly) to the thrill of such books. Yes, they are good. Rather impressive, really. But I for one do not succumb to "Potter mania," having other books which I hold in higher esteem.

A minor digression: some of my favorite authors: Modesitt, Barron, White (of Arthurian fame), Tolkien (of course), Adams, and many others. If anyone knows of an author (or authors) that write similarly, please recommend, and I will give them a try. There are many, however, that I simply cannot recall, but then again, if I cannot recall them, then they are likely not my "favorites."

Back to the topic at hand: honestly, I don't quite remember where I was going with it. I seem to have given facts without opinion. That's how I think I'll leave it, in fact. I reserve judgment on the book to film phenomenon. When it reaches the point that every book that grosses above a certain amount in revenue is made into a film, then I say we're in a bad spot. Right now? I dunno. I'm looking forward to Inkheart despite myself. I can always hope.