The Road to Samarkand

A thought on 2012

Nov. 24th, 2009 at 5:22 PM

Amidst all this hoopla about the world coming to an end in 2012, I saw a book yesterday that answers the question as well as anything does: it is a sketchbook/diary, first entry dated January 7, 2012, documenting the outbreak and infection/infestation of the zombie horror.

asteroid
atomic war
cataclysmic seismic/volcanic event
zombies
Second Coming (which is actually the most scary to contemplate 'cause then it really is the end)

Take your pick.

Music:Sting, "If On A Winter's Night"

Holiday Surprise

Nov. 16th, 2009 at 7:10 PM

Mom and I have planned a surprise for my sister when she comes for Thanksgiving. :-) I like making her smile.

Oct. 12th, 2009

7:13 PM

hatches battened; gutter guards in place; tarps deployed and fastened

Mood:expectant

Sometimes, It Works

Oct. 11th, 2009 at 10:50 AM

Rain coming tomorrow night, a major storm, apparently brought by outriders of the typhoon in Asia. I must fasten down the gutter guards tomorrow, move some patio furniture, get some more tarps -- generally batten down the hatches. I am looking forward to it, actually.

I am a follower of Ayelet Waldman over on Twitter. (That sounds so much better than "following," which makes one sound like a stalker.) Her husband is home after some days on the road doing the author-tour thing, and her joy at his return leaps off the page at the reader. It is one of those relationships - seen as an outsider - that is responsible for cliches like "warms my heart." That joy just spills over, and one cannot help but be splashed by it.

Mood: good

Sep. 16th, 2009

12:34 PM

Red '67 Mustang. Silver-haired driver. For just a moment, there, I saw HER in the driver's seat. I am so in love.

Sep. 10th, 2009

11:20 AM

Am rereading a couple of older Spenser novels because I picked up a couple of audio books of newer ones, and was reminded of why I liked this guy so much. Did a little comparing, too, between the old and the new, in terms of the writing. Parker has gotten a lot more spare, put more into less dialogue -- cryptic, but not. Have since picked up in book form one of the Jesse Stone books and another recent Spenser.

I think I am nearly as much in love with Susan as Spenser is. :-)

Fun News

Aug. 19th, 2009 at 8:07 AM

My truck got stolen. From in front of my place of employment. Last night, somewhere between 8:45 and 11:20 when we came out of the store.

Mood: annoyed

Aug. 12th, 2009

12:13 PM

So now have three electronic message boards -- LJ, Facebook, and Twitter. (What is the world coming to?!) My life is pretty ordinary: no publicly profound thoughts, no great scientific discoveries, no literary achievements (though this last is being worked on). Just perpetually trying to make sense of things, day-to-day.

Aug. 2nd, 2009

9:19 AM

Is there anything more evocative than hearing, "Tell me a story..."?

Mood: enthralled

Our Days are Like Grass

Aug. 1st, 2009 at 8:35 PM

Missy Lace
June 1994 - July 2009

She was a good dog, and I will miss her.
RIP

Movie Madness

Jul. 27th, 2009 at 7:19 PM

Here's a thing -- I discovered a couple of days ago that while I did, in fact, own the Dark Knight and the Edward Norton Incredible Hulk, I had somehow failed to pick up Iron Man. That lack is now remedied. I so love this movie. It was one I actually saw twice in the theater, and bought the movie tie-in version mass market just so I could continue re-experiencing the story.

On the whole, prefer DC to Marvel, but really loving this one.

Truly, Horrifically Funny

Jul. 9th, 2009 at 7:54 PM

Fair warning: there is a squick factor here on the order of "Evil Dead." If you can get past that, though, it's really very funny.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3993578102572669647

Music:NCIS soundtrack album

Summer is acomin' in

Jun. 28th, 2009 at 9:04 PM

Summer has arrived. Finally, and with a vengeance. It is a little more humid than usual, though, probably up there around 40% or so. Not a lot compared to some places, but enough of a difference to make it noticeable around here. (Hah! Just checked Weather Underground -- current temp approx. 81*F with 39% humidity).

It's only supposed to be 90 tomorrow, cooling to the high 70s by the end of the week. It looks to be a good 20 degrees cooler at work. Got to love microclimates.

Location:home
Mood: hot
Music:hum of the fan

speaking of...

Jun. 1st, 2009 at 7:50 PM

Went hunting for some other takes on Dexter. Interesting diversity of views, I must say. I did finish the book on Sunday, and I stand by my initial impression -- it is much better than the third book, with some interesting developments on that empty shelf where Dexter's soul would be if he had one.

By the way, if you haven't read the Dexter Morgan books, the only thing he has in common with that other popular psychopath, Hannibal Lecter, is that he is a psychopath. Lecter is fascinating but horrifically terrifying. Dexter... well, Dexter you can imagine having a beer with after a hard day at the office. He might be faking normal in order to not get caught, but at least he tries.

Which is the wonderfully subversive attraction -- you find yourself uncomfortably (frequently unthinkingly) complicit in Dexter's choice of recreational activities. Seems like every one has a Dark Passenger; some of us are just better at hiding it than others.

Mood: cheerful

Melodramatic, but true

May. 30th, 2009 at 8:13 PM

If the wages of sin is death, Dexter Morgan is the paymaster.

Sounds a little over-the-top, I know. However, I just got the ARC of the fourth (!) Dexter book by Jeff Lindsay, have read the first seven or so chapters, and I stand by my analysis.

Dexter, you see, isn't human -- he tells you so himself. By his own admission, he's a monster who has learned to pass as human. By dint of great effort and study, he has learned to fake all the appropriate reactions and emotional responses of humanity -- protective coloration -- but he is lacking that little thing called a soul. Anyhow, on the drive home from work tonight, I started to think about what Dexter might be if he isn't human. Given his choice of prey, Dexter is justice without mercy, Biblical in his thoroughness and application. This, then, led to that little sound-bite above.

Oh, yeah -- this one is, so far, better than the third one, right up there with the first two.

Mood:Delighted!
Music:soundtrack from "Duma"

Writer's Block: LiveJournal Book Club

Apr. 25th, 2009 at 7:41 PM

Out of all of your favorite books, pick just one you'd recommend everyone read. As a bonus: why did you pick that one?

View 505 Answers

Currently, my favorite for universal recommending is the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is completely and utterly charming; an epistolary novel, the authors manage to distinctly catch each character's voice in his or her letters. And, after a bit of drama, it has a lovely, satisfying ending.

Mood: tired

Tags:

writer's block

Mar. 21st, 2009

8:58 AM

Okay, really weird dream last night/early this morning. A mixture of "This is the Feast of Victory" from the Lutheran liturgy and the movie, Wanted. Plus, to make things interesting, some kind of intelligent forest Id monster on the hunt .

Mood: thoughtful

If Not the First, a Close Second

Feb. 24th, 2009 at 7:21 PM

Discovered this title today, and had one of my booksellers shortlist it for the store. It comes out in May.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Here are the synopsis and author biographies from the B&N website:

Synopsis

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton-and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers-and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read.

Biography

JANE AUSTEN is the author of Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, and other masterpieces of English literature.

SETH GRAHAME-SMITH once took a class in English literature. He lives in Los Angeles.

Is this not the best book ever?

Mood: giggly

Jan. 20th, 2009

1:57 PM

Today we inaugurated a new President, not with mortars and machine-guns, but with parades and marching bands. How phenomenally, amazingly, wondrously cool is that?

Mood:Patriotic
Music:John Philip Sousa

Resolutions you can keep

Jan. 15th, 2009 at 9:49 AM

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/new-year-resolutions-you-can-keep?cm_mmc=Newsletter-_-2009_Jan_01-_-Life-_-Resolutions.You.Can.Actually.Keep.Top.2

My mom sent me this link. I love it -- totally unexpected and doable. :-)