Just some random thoughts on one of the biggest events to grace Oklahoma City on a yearly basis, the great State Fair of Oklahoma:
I noticed yet again that there was a Confederate flag flying over the Fair. Why?
I went for a more traditional food choice this year to fill my belly, a hot dog on a stick, or more commonly known as a corn dog (I couldn't find the giant ones that Rick Perry and Michelle "bat shit" Bachmann have been seen eating lately). Good stuff though I'm not sure why mom had to have a bite after she had already visited three other food vendors! I don't like to share. I finished off with a fried Snickers later. It was decent but a little too heavily breaded in my opinion and it wasn't even on a stick.
Of course it was raining. I posted on Facespace that I hadn't seen this much rain since the Festival of the Arts, the other big outdoor event in Oklahoma City which seems to usher in biblical deluges. While having a rainy afternoon kept the attendance down and made parking easier, it also meant that I was freezing my ass off running from building to building.
I was on mullet alert red when I entered the Fair but I have to say I don't recall even seeing one. Lame. I did notice that a lot of the "cowboys" roaming around the grounds had their pants tucked inside their boots. As the old joke goes this is normally a sign of a sheep fucker but I think this actually had more to do with the rivers of rain water running down the streets. Can someone more versed in the cowboy arts give me a clarification on this?
I always look forward to seeing the Oklahoma Democratic Party kiosk every year for the morbid pleasure to see what my pathetic excuse for a political party is up to. I found through talking to one of the volunteers that they were no longer allowed to hand out bumper stickers of a political nature as people had apparently used them as a form of graffiti on cars parked at the Fair in years past. Weird. On a more positive note, they did have a bean poll which I found pretty cool. They had a list of political issues in tubes where you could add up to ten beans to any of the issues you care about most. I split my beans evenly to environment, protecting Social Security, and other topics of a liberal nature. I omitted adding a bean to increasing military spending and deficit reduction.
Finally, apparently, what could jokingly be called the Space Needle, is now closed. I was looking forward to an unobstructed view of downtown. Alas it's become extinct much like the monorail only to be left unused as a reminder of what used to be really cool about the Fair experience.
So readers, what's your favorite things about your state fairs? Is it something you take part in yearly?
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
New Animal Crossing 3DS Trailer!
Yes I'm a lunatic when it comes to this series of games. Think the SIMS meet Nintendo. I'm patiently waiting to obtain a Nintendo 3DS for this game alone. Looks like there's some interesting additions to the gameplay. Enjoy. Or don't.
You Know You're From Oklahoma If...
I'm sitting here hoping the rain will subside so I can make a trip to the State Fair and eat something, anything, fried on a stick! You know the State Fair is going on in Oklahoma City because it's fucking raining.
Speaking of "you know" phases, here's another list I found online this morning on how you know you're from Oklahoma. It's a little longer than the other list I posted on this blog as my first post ever.
Though many of the items on this list are indicative of life in Oklahoma, a lot of them could be swapped with another state in the south or Bible Belt.
You know you're from Oklahoma if...
You say ya'll... many times a day.
Bedlam is a BIG deal.
You can tell when it's tornado weather.
When you drive through a neighborhood anyone out walking will smile and wave at you. You've worn flip flops in the winter.
You have stopped to let a family of deer cross the road.
You thought the twister ride at Universal Studios wasn't windy enough.
You know who your neighbors are, how many children they have, and when one of them gets married or graduates.
There are at least 2 to 3 Sonics, McDonald's, and Little Caesar's in your town. You've been off roading - many times.
You or someone you know was born, raised and still lives in the same town.
You know that Miami, Oklahoma and Miami, Florida are pronounced two different ways. You plan events around football games.
You are a Cowboy or Sooner fan.
You learned how to do country and western dances at school.
A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look for a funnel. You can properly pronounce Eufaula, Gotebo, Okemah and Chickasha.
You can remember the name of the last state legislator to introduce a bill involving castration, and he didn't mean farm animals.
You know exactly what calf fries are, and eat them anyway.
You think that people who complain about the wind in other states are sissies.
It doesn't bother you to use an airport named for a man who died in an airplane crash.
You have owned at least one belt buckle bigger than your fist.
A bad traffic jam involves two cars staring each other down at a four-way stop, each determined to be the most polite and let the other go first.
It doesn't seem odd to see the term "chicken fried chicken" on a menu.
You save all your life for your dream vacation, and use it to go to the OU/Texas game.
It doesn't seem peculiar if your sweetie says "I'm going in to town for something" even though you live in town.
You don't turn on the news until 20 minutes past the hour, because that's the only thing you care about anyway.
Your quarterback is hurt and it is the top story on the six o'clock news.
You keep track of the grain and hog futures on the radio.
You don't buy all your vegetables at the grocery store.
You go to the State Fair for your only vacation.
You get up at 5:30 A.M. and go to the coffee shop, where the waitress never asks what you would like. She already knows.
You are on a first name basis with the county sheriff.
You think that using the elevator involves a corn truck.
You can drive 80 mph on a two-lane dirt road with one hand, but driving 45 mph on a four-lane expressway in a city scares you to death.
You use manure on your grass instead of Weed and Feed.
Your nearest neighbor is in the next zip code.
You know the difference between feed corn and sweet corn... while it's still on the stalk.
You wear cowboy boots to church.
You know that everything goes better with Ranch.
You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned how to multiply.
"You wanna Coke?" "Yeah." "What kind?" "Dr. Pepper."
You know what "Orange Power" and "Crimson & Cream" means.
You actually get these jokes and are fixin' to send them on to other friends from Oklahoma.
Anyone out there from another state want to share a similar list?
Speaking of "you know" phases, here's another list I found online this morning on how you know you're from Oklahoma. It's a little longer than the other list I posted on this blog as my first post ever.
Though many of the items on this list are indicative of life in Oklahoma, a lot of them could be swapped with another state in the south or Bible Belt.
You know you're from Oklahoma if...
You say ya'll... many times a day.
Bedlam is a BIG deal.
You can tell when it's tornado weather.
When you drive through a neighborhood anyone out walking will smile and wave at you. You've worn flip flops in the winter.
You have stopped to let a family of deer cross the road.
You thought the twister ride at Universal Studios wasn't windy enough.
You know who your neighbors are, how many children they have, and when one of them gets married or graduates.
There are at least 2 to 3 Sonics, McDonald's, and Little Caesar's in your town. You've been off roading - many times.
You or someone you know was born, raised and still lives in the same town.
You know that Miami, Oklahoma and Miami, Florida are pronounced two different ways. You plan events around football games.
You are a Cowboy or Sooner fan.
You learned how to do country and western dances at school.
A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look for a funnel. You can properly pronounce Eufaula, Gotebo, Okemah and Chickasha.
You can remember the name of the last state legislator to introduce a bill involving castration, and he didn't mean farm animals.
You know exactly what calf fries are, and eat them anyway.
You think that people who complain about the wind in other states are sissies.
It doesn't bother you to use an airport named for a man who died in an airplane crash.
You have owned at least one belt buckle bigger than your fist.
A bad traffic jam involves two cars staring each other down at a four-way stop, each determined to be the most polite and let the other go first.
It doesn't seem odd to see the term "chicken fried chicken" on a menu.
You save all your life for your dream vacation, and use it to go to the OU/Texas game.
It doesn't seem peculiar if your sweetie says "I'm going in to town for something" even though you live in town.
You don't turn on the news until 20 minutes past the hour, because that's the only thing you care about anyway.
Your quarterback is hurt and it is the top story on the six o'clock news.
You keep track of the grain and hog futures on the radio.
You don't buy all your vegetables at the grocery store.
You go to the State Fair for your only vacation.
You get up at 5:30 A.M. and go to the coffee shop, where the waitress never asks what you would like. She already knows.
You are on a first name basis with the county sheriff.
You think that using the elevator involves a corn truck.
You can drive 80 mph on a two-lane dirt road with one hand, but driving 45 mph on a four-lane expressway in a city scares you to death.
You use manure on your grass instead of Weed and Feed.
Your nearest neighbor is in the next zip code.
You know the difference between feed corn and sweet corn... while it's still on the stalk.
You wear cowboy boots to church.
You know that everything goes better with Ranch.
You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned how to multiply.
"You wanna Coke?" "Yeah." "What kind?" "Dr. Pepper."
You know what "Orange Power" and "Crimson & Cream" means.
You actually get these jokes and are fixin' to send them on to other friends from Oklahoma.
Anyone out there from another state want to share a similar list?
Monday, September 12, 2011
Bonjour, Girl!
Orginally saw this the other day at David Dust. Check it out, I laughed so hard I shed a solitary tear...
Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum
I made a quick trip to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum this morning on a whim. Maybe it was because of all the coverage yesterday of the tenth anniversary of 9/11. It's a nice place to visit for somber reflection. I just thought I would share.
The Reflecting Pool that used to be fifth street.
The Field of Empty Chairs. The nine rows of chairs represent the nine stories of the building with each chair in position relative to what floor someone lost their life. The five westernmost chairs honor those who died outside the Murrah Building.
The Survivor Tree. An elm that survived the blast across the street from the Murrah Building.
The Reflecting Pool that used to be fifth street.
The Field of Empty Chairs. The nine rows of chairs represent the nine stories of the building with each chair in position relative to what floor someone lost their life. The five westernmost chairs honor those who died outside the Murrah Building.
The Survivor Tree. An elm that survived the blast across the street from the Murrah Building.
Friday, September 09, 2011
Sally Kern Needs to Shut the Fuck Up!!
Lunatic Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern is at it again:
"You know if you just look at it in practical terms, which has destroyed and ended the life of more people? Terrorism attack here in America or HIV/AIDS? In the last twenty years, fifteen to twenty years, we’ve had maybe three terrorist attacks on our soil with a little over 5,000 people regrettably losing their lives. In the same time frame, there have been hundreds of thousands who have died because of having AIDS. So which one’s the biggest threat? And you know, every day our young people, adults too, but especially our young people, are bombarded at school, in movies, in music, on TV, in the mall, in magazines, they’re bombarded with ‘homosexuality is normal and natural.’ It’s something they have to deal with every day. Fortunately we don’t have to deal with a terrorist attack every day, and that’s what I mean."
Link.
Absolutely disgusting. Her hate speech not only besmirches those who live with or have died from HIV/AIDS but also those who have fallen due to terrorist attacks here and abroad. This on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. She should be ashamed. Yet the good folks of western Oklahoma City and Bethany continue to re-elect this nutbag. Thank Jeebus we have term limits in Oklahoma.
A friend on Facespace commented on this story saying that Kern was a pathetic embarrassment to Oklahoma. She was wrong. She's a pathetic embarrassment to humanity.
"You know if you just look at it in practical terms, which has destroyed and ended the life of more people? Terrorism attack here in America or HIV/AIDS? In the last twenty years, fifteen to twenty years, we’ve had maybe three terrorist attacks on our soil with a little over 5,000 people regrettably losing their lives. In the same time frame, there have been hundreds of thousands who have died because of having AIDS. So which one’s the biggest threat? And you know, every day our young people, adults too, but especially our young people, are bombarded at school, in movies, in music, on TV, in the mall, in magazines, they’re bombarded with ‘homosexuality is normal and natural.’ It’s something they have to deal with every day. Fortunately we don’t have to deal with a terrorist attack every day, and that’s what I mean."
Link.
Absolutely disgusting. Her hate speech not only besmirches those who live with or have died from HIV/AIDS but also those who have fallen due to terrorist attacks here and abroad. This on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. She should be ashamed. Yet the good folks of western Oklahoma City and Bethany continue to re-elect this nutbag. Thank Jeebus we have term limits in Oklahoma.
A friend on Facespace commented on this story saying that Kern was a pathetic embarrassment to Oklahoma. She was wrong. She's a pathetic embarrassment to humanity.
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Thursday Night Football
I'm not really a fan of Thursday night college football but I have no choice to watch Oklahoma State take on the Arizona Mildcats. It's actually a pretty nice game and a rematch of last year's bowl game between the two teams. We won the last meeting by the way...
I predict the Pokes win tonight by at least 14.
Any football fans out there?
Pictures from last weeks game in Stillwater. If you look really hard you can see me, I'm the one in orange...
I predict the Pokes win tonight by at least 14.
Any football fans out there?
Pictures from last weeks game in Stillwater. If you look really hard you can see me, I'm the one in orange...
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Running Blind
My next novel from the bookstore of mom is "Running Blind" (486 pages) by Lee Child, an author I've never read before. From Goodreads:"People say that knowledge is power. The more knowledge, the more power. Suppose you knew the winning numbers in the lottery? What would you do? You would run to the store. You would mark the numbers on the play card. And you would win. Same for the stock market. Same for basketball or the horses or anything. Same for killing people.
Women are dying. Women who have nothing in common except the fact that they once worked for the military. And they knew Jack Reacher. How and why these women are in danger completely baffles the elite FBI team working the case. There is no trace evidence. There are no links between victims. Their bodies have no fatal wounds. And the killer entered their homes and exited again like a summer breeze. Are these perfect crimes? There is only one certainty: there is a new kind of killer out there, one so calm, cautious, and careful that even the brilliant Reacher is left running blind."
An interesting mystery/thriller in spite of it being the fourth in a series of books featuring hero Jack Reacher (my mother always gives me books that are in the middle of some series). This fact didn't deter from me liking the novel though it would have been nice to start at the beginning and know a little more about Reacher's background story. Well written by Child, especially when it comes to dialogue. Mysteries or thrillers are so common place in the market it's hard to find a writer or story that really stands out. Having said that I was very impressed by the conclusion of this novel and how the killer is found. It had me guessing right up to the end. Recommended for fans of the genre and Lee Child.
Fried Bubblegum
Leave it to the Texas State Fair to come up with the most bizarre food you can fry, again. Justin Martinez, a 30 year-old Arlington, Texas baker, took home the State Fair of Texas's Seventh Annual Big Tex Choice prize for "Most Creative" for fried bubblegum.
Link.
Interestingly, there's no actual gum in the recipe. Martinez created the familiar taste with bubblegum flavored marshmallows that were deep fried, covered in icing and then dusted with powdered sugar.
Disgusting. And I thought last year's fried beer entry was bad enough!
So once again as fair season rears its ugly head, I ask all you foodies out there: what's the weirdest fried food you've ever had on a stick (or not on a stick)?
I'm still waiting for fried weasel...
Link.
Interestingly, there's no actual gum in the recipe. Martinez created the familiar taste with bubblegum flavored marshmallows that were deep fried, covered in icing and then dusted with powdered sugar.
Disgusting. And I thought last year's fried beer entry was bad enough!
So once again as fair season rears its ugly head, I ask all you foodies out there: what's the weirdest fried food you've ever had on a stick (or not on a stick)?
I'm still waiting for fried weasel...
Sunday, September 04, 2011
The 20 Questions of Doom Meme
As always, courtesy of Sunday Stealing.
Cheers to all of us thieves!
1. Do you believe in Heaven?
I do not. As I've said many times on this blog I don't suffer from that particular mental illness.
2. Have you ever come close to dying?
Not that I'm aware of, though I did have an interesting experience with a freight elevator once.
3. What jewelery do you wear 24/7?
None. I wear a watch but not 24/7.
4. Would you ever consider having plastic surgery?
Maybe. Botox or something along those lines.
5. What do you wear to bed?
It varies. Usually I fall asleep in my clothes on the sofa. If I actually drag myself to bed I go with a tee and underwear.
6. Have you ever done anything illegal?
Sure. Hasn't everyone?
7. Who was the last person that you touched?
Dann.
8. Where did you eat last?
Mexico Joes yesterday in Stillwater.
9. Besides your own blog, are there any that you routinely read but never comment on?
Yes, often. I lurk around many blogs.
10. Ever been involved with the police?
I've never dated a policeman. Was that the question?
11. Do you talk in your sleep?
I've been told that I do on occasion.
12. Now a celebrity fantasy. Who would you take on a ménage à trois for a dirty weekend?
This is an oddly placed question.
13. Do you feel that you’ve had a truly successful life?
Not really but I'm working on it.
14. Where do you wish you were?
Chicago or New York City.
15. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
Never.
16. Is there any type of dancing that you love to do?
I like to two-step and waltz but I don't know if I would characterize it as love.
17. Last gift you received?
I can't remember. Books from my mother maybe.
18. Last sport you played?
Beer pong.
19. Last place you went on holiday?
New York City last month.
20. Current Song?
"Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People.
Cheers to all of us thieves!
1. Do you believe in Heaven?
I do not. As I've said many times on this blog I don't suffer from that particular mental illness.
2. Have you ever come close to dying?
Not that I'm aware of, though I did have an interesting experience with a freight elevator once.
3. What jewelery do you wear 24/7?
None. I wear a watch but not 24/7.
4. Would you ever consider having plastic surgery?
Maybe. Botox or something along those lines.
5. What do you wear to bed?
It varies. Usually I fall asleep in my clothes on the sofa. If I actually drag myself to bed I go with a tee and underwear.
6. Have you ever done anything illegal?
Sure. Hasn't everyone?
7. Who was the last person that you touched?
Dann.
8. Where did you eat last?
Mexico Joes yesterday in Stillwater.
9. Besides your own blog, are there any that you routinely read but never comment on?
Yes, often. I lurk around many blogs.
10. Ever been involved with the police?
I've never dated a policeman. Was that the question?
11. Do you talk in your sleep?
I've been told that I do on occasion.
12. Now a celebrity fantasy. Who would you take on a ménage à trois for a dirty weekend?
This is an oddly placed question.
13. Do you feel that you’ve had a truly successful life?
Not really but I'm working on it.
14. Where do you wish you were?
Chicago or New York City.
15. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
Never.
16. Is there any type of dancing that you love to do?
I like to two-step and waltz but I don't know if I would characterize it as love.
17. Last gift you received?
I can't remember. Books from my mother maybe.
18. Last sport you played?
Beer pong.
19. Last place you went on holiday?
New York City last month.
20. Current Song?
"Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People.
Friday, September 02, 2011
City on Fire!
Happy September everyone! Cooler weather, football, and conflagrations.
The drought is certainly taking its toll on Oklahoma as fires rage around the city. The other night I could see big plumes of smoke to the north and the east from my front porch! Luckily living in the ghetto pretty much shelters me from out of control fires.
My friend Timmy made a good point on Facespace the other day about the fires. Why aren't conservatives blaming god's wrath on this latest round of natural disasters in Oklahoma? You know, like they did the earthquakes and hurricane back east. Maybe because Oklahoma bleeds red more than most states and is kooky Christian country. There are more churches in Oklahoma than in all of California. Wrap your head around that.
Besides burning up, here's what's on tap for me this month:
9/3 - Football!!! I'm so starved for sports I just about can't stand it. Sure there's the WNBA and Tennis. I may be gay but I'm still a man! I'm looking forward to good things from Oklahoma State and the Dallas Cowboys this season. (And death to the Sooners!)
9/4 - Arctic Cold Front! Supposedly the hottest summer on record in Oklahoma will come to an end early Sunday morning with a cold front moving through the state. The forecast for the week following the cold front has our highs only in the '80's! Break out the fur coats.
9/5 - Labor Day. Just an excuse to have two Sunday Fundays in a row.
9/9 - Visit Oklahoma City Weekend (TM). My friend Jason from Chicago is visiting me here in the city for the second year in a row. What could possess him to want to come here again is beyond me but I'm excited to see my friend. He'll also have a boyfriend in tow that I believe has never been to Oklahoma. Commence with culture shock.
9/15 - The Great State Fair of Oklahoma opens. Ten days of bad food, scary rides, and people watching like you wouldn't believe! Look for me in line at the fried turd on a stick vendor.
9/25 - OKC AIDS Walk and 5K Run. A great charity and event but why did they move it to September from October? I hope it's not too hot.
So what's everyone else doing of interest this month?
The drought is certainly taking its toll on Oklahoma as fires rage around the city. The other night I could see big plumes of smoke to the north and the east from my front porch! Luckily living in the ghetto pretty much shelters me from out of control fires.
My friend Timmy made a good point on Facespace the other day about the fires. Why aren't conservatives blaming god's wrath on this latest round of natural disasters in Oklahoma? You know, like they did the earthquakes and hurricane back east. Maybe because Oklahoma bleeds red more than most states and is kooky Christian country. There are more churches in Oklahoma than in all of California. Wrap your head around that.
Besides burning up, here's what's on tap for me this month:
9/3 - Football!!! I'm so starved for sports I just about can't stand it. Sure there's the WNBA and Tennis. I may be gay but I'm still a man! I'm looking forward to good things from Oklahoma State and the Dallas Cowboys this season. (And death to the Sooners!)
9/4 - Arctic Cold Front! Supposedly the hottest summer on record in Oklahoma will come to an end early Sunday morning with a cold front moving through the state. The forecast for the week following the cold front has our highs only in the '80's! Break out the fur coats.
9/5 - Labor Day. Just an excuse to have two Sunday Fundays in a row.
9/9 - Visit Oklahoma City Weekend (TM). My friend Jason from Chicago is visiting me here in the city for the second year in a row. What could possess him to want to come here again is beyond me but I'm excited to see my friend. He'll also have a boyfriend in tow that I believe has never been to Oklahoma. Commence with culture shock.
9/15 - The Great State Fair of Oklahoma opens. Ten days of bad food, scary rides, and people watching like you wouldn't believe! Look for me in line at the fried turd on a stick vendor.
9/25 - OKC AIDS Walk and 5K Run. A great charity and event but why did they move it to September from October? I hope it's not too hot.
So what's everyone else doing of interest this month?
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
A Clash of Kings
Someday fall may actually arrive, or at least below 100 degree weather, and I'll be able to leave the house. In the meantime, as always, I've been reading. I took a trip to Barnes and Noble to pick up "A Clash of Kings" (761 pages). It's the follow up to George R. R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones." From Goodreads:
"A Clash of Kings is the follow-up to A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin's fabulous introduction to a multilayered epic fantasy adventure that marked one of the most auspicious kickoffs in years. For those who enjoy their fantasy big, thick, and complex -- Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series is for you. Fans of Jordan, Brooks, Goodkind, Feist, and high fantasy escapism in general are recommended -- no, commanded -- to flock to this breathtaking series. You'll be doing yourself an immense favor."
I don't know who Jordan, Brooks, Goodkind, and Feist are since I don't really read anything in the fantasy genre but I'm now hooked on Martin's series in spite of the complexity and mammoth lengths of each book.
There's really not a lot I can say since this book is a sequel in a series. The writing is engaging with many characters and plots all working together. I'm definitely going to snag "A Storm of Swords" the next time I hit the book store.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Sizzling Sixteen
I can't believe Janet Evanovich has written 16 books about Stephanie Plum. I can't believe I've read them all, including the latest entry yesterday, "Sizzling Sixteen" (326 pages). From the back of the book:
"Trenton, New Jersey, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a 'lucky' bottle from her Uncle Pip. Problem is, Uncle Pip didn’t specify if the bottle brought good luck or bad luck....
BAD LUCK:
Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, has run up a gambling debt of $786,000 with mobster Bobby Sunflower and is being held until the cash can be produced. Nobody else will pay to get Vinnie back, leaving it up to Stephanie, office manager Connie, and file clerk Lula to raise the money if they want to save their jobs.
GOOD LUCK:
Being in the business of tracking down people, Stephanie, Lula, and Connie have an advantage in finding Vinnie. If they can rescue him, it will buy them some time to raise the cash.
BAD LUCK:
Finding a safe place to hide Vinnie turns out to be harder than raising $786,000. Vinnie’s messing up local stoner Walter 'Moon Man' Dunphy's vibe, running up pay-per-view porn charges in security expert Ranger’s apartment, and making Stephanie question genetics.
GOOD LUCK:
Between a bonds office yard sale that has the entire Burg turning out, Mooner’s Hobbit-Con charity event, and Uncle Pip’s mysterious bottle, they just might raise enough money to save Vinnie and the business from ruin.
BAD LUCK:
Saving Vincent Plum Bail Bonds means Stephanie can keep being a bounty hunter. In Trenton, this involves hunting down a man wanted for polygamy, a Turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles.
GOOD LUCK:
The job of bounty hunter comes with perks in the guise of Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, and the dark and dangerous, Ranger. With any luck at all, Uncle Pip’s lucky bottle will have Stephanie getting lucky---the only question is . . . with whom?
Sizzling Sixteen . . . so hot, the pages might spontaneously combust!"
One word review of the latest books in the Stephanie Plum series: meh. "Sizzling Sixteen" was better than "Finger Lickin' Fifteen" but that isn't saying much. I really enjoy the characters of this series and the overall premise of the books but unfortunately after sixteen installments there has been zero growth. Stephanie gets a new case or two and bumbles her way around while flirting with Joe or Ranger. Exchange plot lines every novel and that's pretty much all you have. The first few novels in the series were really fantastic but unfortunately the formula has grown stale over the course of many, many books.
I'll continue to read each new entry yearly, at least they're always good for a chuckle. Recommended for fans of Janet Evanovich and the Stephanie Plum series.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Orange Power!!
10. More. Days.
I know the video is a little cheesey but I'm so pumped about the 2011 college football season. I just found out I have tickets to the first game of the season! Commence foaming at the mouth...
Go Pokes!!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Thunderstruck
With the conclusion of "Thunderstruck" (463 pages) I have read everything Erik Larson has written, so far. From the book's cover:
"A true story of love, murder, and the end of the world’s 'great hush.'
In Thunderstruck, Erik Larson tells the interwoven stories of two men — Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication — whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time.
Set in Edwardian London and on the stormy coasts of Cornwall, Cape Cod, and Nova Scotia, Thunderstruck evokes the dynamism of those years when great shipping companies competed to build the biggest, fastest ocean liners, scientific advances dazzled the public with visions of a world transformed, and the rich outdid one another with ostentatious displays of wealth. Against this background, Marconi races against incredible odds and relentless skepticism to perfect his invention: the wireless, a prime catalyst for the emergence of the world we know today. Meanwhile, Crippen, 'the kindest of men,' nearly commits the perfect crime.
With his superb narrative skills, Erik Larson guides these parallel narratives toward a relentlessly suspenseful meeting on the waters of the North Atlantic. Along the way, he tells of a sad and tragic love affair that was described on the front pages of newspapers around the world, a chief inspector who found himself strangely sympathetic to the killer and his lover, and a driven and compelling inventor who transformed the way we communicate. Thunderstruck presents a vibrant portrait of an era of séances, science, and fog, inhabited by inventors, magicians, and Scotland Yard detectives, all presided over by the amiable and fun-loving Edward VII as the world slid inevitably toward the first great war of the twentieth century. Gripping from the first page, and rich with fascinating detail about the time, the people, and the new inventions that connect and divide us, Thunderstruck is splendid narrative history from a master of the form."
Another great read by Larson, though my least favorite of in a collection of great stories. Like "The Devil in the White City" Larson takes two seemingly different stories and shows how they intersect in history. Brilliant and a pleasure to read as always. I don't think there's another author in the world that could coax me in to reading anything about Guglielmo Marconi, despite the visionary he might have been.
The work of non-fiction is fast paced and full of Larson's wonderful ability to retell historic events as though it was a work of fiction. Highly recommended as with all his other books. Not to be missed.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
The Heaven Eleven Meme
It's been a while since I participated in Sunday Stealing so I thought I would get an early start and post my answers today. I know my blog is slowly dieing but I'm just not feeling it lately. It seems that Facespace has been a better venue lately to be snarly. That and I'm still shell shocked to be back in the south...
Cheers to all of us thieves!
1. If you could live in any other time period, which would you pick?
Between the two great wars, the 1920's, either in America or Europe. I'm fascinated by this time in history.
2. What is your favorite topic to write on your blog other than a meme?
Nothing really, I just write about what interests me at any particular time. If I had a theme it would be more empty than it already is around here.
3. What are some traits that you admire in a lover?
I like eyes and smiles and also someone who is clean.
4. Could you adjust to life in another country?
Absolutely, especially in Europe. I'd totally settle in Berlin if I had the money to move there.
5. If you could study anything, what would it be?
Quantum physics.
6. What is your favorite possession that cost less than $15?
I'm quite fond of my Oklahoma State iPhone protector that has Pistol Pete on it.
7. Which color do you wear most often?
Off the top of my head I would have to say blue.
8. What has been your “theme song”, or favorite song this summer?
"Hello," "Just Can't Get Enough," or "Take Over Control." All these songs remind me of time in Chicago or Louisiana this summer.
9. What's the most romantic thing that's ever been said to you?
Nothing. A close second would be "who is this?"
10. What would be your dream birthday cake?
I'm not a big fan of cake especially from bakeries, usually they're shitty. My mom makes a pretty decent strawberry cake though.
11. What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done?
That's a tough question. Traveling is the coolest thing I can think of off the top of my head. I was an exchange student in German when I was 17, that probably counts as travel.
Cheers to all of us thieves!
1. If you could live in any other time period, which would you pick?
Between the two great wars, the 1920's, either in America or Europe. I'm fascinated by this time in history.
2. What is your favorite topic to write on your blog other than a meme?
Nothing really, I just write about what interests me at any particular time. If I had a theme it would be more empty than it already is around here.
3. What are some traits that you admire in a lover?
I like eyes and smiles and also someone who is clean.
4. Could you adjust to life in another country?
Absolutely, especially in Europe. I'd totally settle in Berlin if I had the money to move there.
5. If you could study anything, what would it be?
Quantum physics.
6. What is your favorite possession that cost less than $15?
I'm quite fond of my Oklahoma State iPhone protector that has Pistol Pete on it.
7. Which color do you wear most often?
Off the top of my head I would have to say blue.
8. What has been your “theme song”, or favorite song this summer?
"Hello," "Just Can't Get Enough," or "Take Over Control." All these songs remind me of time in Chicago or Louisiana this summer.
9. What's the most romantic thing that's ever been said to you?
Nothing. A close second would be "who is this?"
10. What would be your dream birthday cake?
I'm not a big fan of cake especially from bakeries, usually they're shitty. My mom makes a pretty decent strawberry cake though.
11. What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done?
That's a tough question. Traveling is the coolest thing I can think of off the top of my head. I was an exchange student in German when I was 17, that probably counts as travel.
Friday, August 19, 2011
A Game of Thrones
I finally had to see what all the hype was involving George R. R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones" (694 pages). From the cover of the book:
"Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.
Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones."
I really wanted to like this novel more than what was given me. I plugged through a bunch of different chapters centered around a multitude of characters. So many characters in fact it was hard to keep everyone straight initially. Finally after about 500 pages into this tome everything started to click and the action began to pick up speed. By the end of the first part of this series I was thirsty for the story to continue and naturally it ended on a cliff hanger. Now that I'm somewhat sucked in I guess I'll need to buy the next novel.
A friend of mine described "A Game of Thrones" as "Lord of the Rings" with tits. I'm not sure I would go that far. There is some gratuitous sex sprinkled throughout the novel but nothing too extreme. I enjoyed Martin's writing style for the most part and give him credit for creating an engrossing world with a ton of characters and cultures. As a book to set up a series I think "A Game of Thrones" mostly succeeds but damn if it doesn't take its time getting on with it! Recommended especially for fans of fantasy which admittedly I'm not.
After reading the "A Game of Thrones" I watched the first season of the HBO series of the same name online. It's a great treatment to the novel, following it very closely. Violence, sex, and nudity abounds. All good stuff...
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Fancy a Ride to Coober Pedy?
Well I'm back in in Oklahoma, boo. I guess I should post some of my adventures in New York City. I was lucky enough to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Musical on Saturday night. It was fantastic, probably my favorite now just edging out Wicked.
For those of you unaware, the musical is based on the movie of the same name starring Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, and Terence Stamp. The plot chronicles the three drag queens on their journey through the Australian Outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in their bus named Priscilla. It's a fun and often touching movie that should not be missed.
The musical followed the plot of the movie very well incorporating 80's songs into the mix. The performances were all very strong and the set design very well done especially the bus which moved all over the stage and even opened up for an interior view. On a slightly disappointing note the role of Felicia normally portrayed by Nick Adams was replaced by his understudy Bryan West. West was still outstanding in the show and my favorite member, not to mention cute with an unbelievable butt!
If you're in New York City in the near future see this musical!
"I hereby christen this budget Barbie camper van, Priscilla Queen of the desert!"
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Check!
Laundry done and bags packed. Check.
Book and iPod for the plane. Check.
Bath house membership in my wallet. Check.
I'm ready to go to New York City!!
I'm totally kidding, I'm not taking a book on the plane...
I have no clue what to expect from the Big Apple as I've never been to New York City before. The only firm plans I have are to see my friend Lindsey, to see "Wicked" and "Priscilla Queen of the Desert," and to eat at "Craft." Other than that the sky's the limit!
Everyone have a wonderful week, see you on the flip side...
Book and iPod for the plane. Check.
Bath house membership in my wallet. Check.
I'm ready to go to New York City!!
I'm totally kidding, I'm not taking a book on the plane...
I have no clue what to expect from the Big Apple as I've never been to New York City before. The only firm plans I have are to see my friend Lindsey, to see "Wicked" and "Priscilla Queen of the Desert," and to eat at "Craft." Other than that the sky's the limit!
Everyone have a wonderful week, see you on the flip side...
Friday, July 29, 2011
Screw This: Fire and Brimestone Edition!
One of the favorite past times of any self respecting Oklahoman is bitching about the weather. We're like the Goldilocks of America. It's too hot, it's too cold, it's too windy, we need rain! As of right now it's too fucking hot. The graph above is one of the more conservative estimates I've seen around the local web sites. Some forecasts say we could hit highs between 108 and 110 next week. My yard is completely dead, did I mention we're in a drought as well?
The sign from Moore Liquor Marquee isn't too far from the truth. Check out their Facespace page for more of their marquee shenanigans. They seem to have a comment on everything under the sun especially fighting the Christians of south Oklahoma City (my favorite).Fortunately I'm going to miss some of this dreadful heat as I'll be heading east next week to relax on a little island called Manhattan!
Approaching the weather in a glass is half full kind of way, today is supposed to be the hottest average day in Oklahoma. From this point, as an average, the weather will slowly cool down as we march toward spring. Something to look forward to, no?
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The Short History of a Prince
I was beginning to wonder if I would hit fifty books this year but at the rate I'm going I should be able to catch up. Next on my reading list via the bookshelf of mom was "The Short History of a Prince" (349 pages)by Jane Hamilton. From Goodreads:"As a teenager in Oak Ridge, Illinois, Walter McCloud is desperate for adventure, hoping for love and success as a dancer. 'If life for Walter was composed in part of confusion, shame and deception, the ballet was order, dignity and forthright beauty.' In 1995, at 38, nothing has turned out as he had expected. Having spent years working in a dollhouse shop in New York and engaging in that city's ready sexual excitement, Walter finally returns to his Midwestern roots, accepting a teaching job in Otten, Wisconsin--a place that might have little to recommend it save its proximity to his family's summer home. ('It had taken Walter several years to admit to himself that he couldn't go on indefinitely selling Lilliputian Coke bottles and microscopic toilet-roll dowels.') In this new community, he will have to keep his head down, a stance that has long suited him, because he prefers to hold one memory of lost intimacy and perfection in high, private relief.
Walter's exile, or new start, allows memory to come to the fore, particularly that painful year in which his brother was dying of Hodgkin's and he and his fellow dancers were dying for experience. Jane Hamilton explores the distance between desire and reality, satisfaction and secrecy, irresistibly alternating between past and present. At first, we can't wait for Walter to break through, and it's tempting to race through her prince's history--one which is, happily, not that short. But to do so would be to miss out on Hamilton's fine major and minor characters and her exploration of competition, complicity, and silence. At one point, Walter fears that his pupils have 'no clue that there was pleasure to be found in observing character. They seemed to be afraid to look around themselves and find a world every bit as amusing, ridiculous and unjust as Dickens's London...' Hamilton's readers, however, will find this pleasure in abundance."
Hamilton's novel is a nice little story about family and loss and one's perception of failure. As the book's dust cover states: "With compassion and humor, and alternating between Walter's adolescent and adult voices, the novel tells of Walter's heartbreak as he realizes that his passion cannot make up for the innate talent that he lacks." What I really like among all the grief and reflections of the past is the revelation by Walter that maybe one can be happy with simply a place to live, a boyfriend, and a dog.
I've read through some other reviews that this novel requires some "heavy lifting" by the reader. I didn't find this to be the case. Hamilton's style is full of detail and rich characters but I think this enhances the simple story of Walter McCloud and two years in his life from two different decades. I also appreciated that many parts of the story took place in Chicago. How can this be bad thing? Recommended.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
In the Garden of Beasts
My reading of Erik Larson continues with his newly published work of non-fiction, "In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin" (448 pages). From the author's web page:"With this new book, I invite you to journey to Berlin during Hitler’s first year in power, 1933, in the company of a real-life father and daughter from Chicago who suddenly found themselves transported to the heart of the city. They had no conception of the harrowing days that lay ahead. At the time, nothing was certain—Hitler did not yet possess absolute power, and few outsiders expected his government to survive. The family encountered a city suffused with energy and optimism, with some of the most striking, avant-garde buildings in the world. Its theaters, concert halls, and cafés were jammed; the streets teemed with well-dressed attractive people. But my two protagonists were about to begin an education that would change them forever, with ultimately tragic consequences.
The father was William E. Dodd, a mild-mannered professor who, much to his surprise and everyone else’s, was picked by President Roosevelt to be America’s first ambassador to Nazi Germany. His daughter, Martha, was 24 years old, and chose to come along for the adventure, and to escape a dead marriage to a New York banker. They and the rest of their family settled in a grand old house on the city’s central park, the Tiergarten—in literal translation, the Garden of Beasts.
Dodd expected to encounter the same warm citizenry he had known three decades earlier while a graduate student in Leipzig; he hoped to use reason and quiet persuasion to temper Hitler’s government. Martha found the 'New Germany' utterly enthralling, totally unlike the horrific realm depicted in newspapers back home. For her, as for many other foreign visitors at the time, the transformation of Germany was thrilling and not at all frightening. Not yet.
As that first year unfolded they experienced days full of energy, intrigue, and romance—and, ultimately, terror, on a scale they could never have imagined. Their experience tells volumes about why the world took so long to recognize the grave threat posed by Hitler."
Another wonderful effort by Larson to take another point in history, this time a year in Berlin, and transform it into an edge of your seat work of non-fiction. The book chronicles Ambassador Dodd's family in their first year in Nazi Germany, as told mostly through the eyes of Ambassador Dodd and his daughter Martha. The narratives combines notes, diaries, and diplomatic cables that all combine in an engrossing story of the truly horrific rise of Hitler's power. One has to wonder how Germany could be transformed so easily with the German people and the diplomatic world at large doing little or nothing to protest.
Again, another well written and meticulous account by Larson. Highly recommended for fans of the author or the subject matter. Read this book!
One for the Money Casting
The most popular post in my entire blog at least since late 2009 has been One for the Money: The Movie. Since this is the case I thought an update to the movie based on the best selling Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich was in order. The series has generated 17 novels so far, I'm a little behind having stopped at 15 last year.
A quick search at IMDb produced a list of the full cast:
Katherine Heigl ... Stephanie Plum
John Leguizamo ... Jimmy Alpha
Daniel Sunjata ... Ranger
Jason O'Mara ... Joe Morelli
Debbie Reynolds ... Grandma Mazur
Patrick Fischler ... Vinnie Plum
Sherri Shepherd ... Lula
Leonardo Nam ... John Cho
Nate Mooney ... Eddie Gazarra
Ana Reeder ... Connie
Gavin-Keith Umeh ... Benito Ramirez
Adam Paul ... Bernie Kuntz
Brenna Roth ... Sara
Danny Mastrogiorgio ... Lenny
Michael Laurence ... Lonnie Dodd
While I'm not exactly thrilled by the casting I'll reserve judgement until January 27th, 2012 when the movie is released.
I think Debbie Reynolds is actually a pretty good choice to play Grandma Mazur but I was really hoping for Betty White.
What do all of you Stephanie Plum fans out there think?
A quick search at IMDb produced a list of the full cast:
Katherine Heigl ... Stephanie Plum
John Leguizamo ... Jimmy Alpha
Daniel Sunjata ... Ranger
Jason O'Mara ... Joe Morelli
Debbie Reynolds ... Grandma Mazur
Patrick Fischler ... Vinnie Plum
Sherri Shepherd ... Lula
Leonardo Nam ... John Cho
Nate Mooney ... Eddie Gazarra
Ana Reeder ... Connie
Gavin-Keith Umeh ... Benito Ramirez
Adam Paul ... Bernie Kuntz
Brenna Roth ... Sara
Danny Mastrogiorgio ... Lenny
Michael Laurence ... Lonnie Dodd
While I'm not exactly thrilled by the casting I'll reserve judgement until January 27th, 2012 when the movie is released.
I think Debbie Reynolds is actually a pretty good choice to play Grandma Mazur but I was really hoping for Betty White.
What do all of you Stephanie Plum fans out there think?
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The Twenty-Fiver Meme
Happy Sunday everyone! I just returned from "Captain America" with the Rents (parents). It's surprisingly good, so check it out. Now on to today's Sunday Stealing...
Cheers to all of us thieves!
1. Tell us about something that made you laugh last night.
Futurama. I was watching the third season on DVD last night.
2. What were you doing at 8 PM last night?
Oozing on the sofa watching show from question number 1.
3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Driving the Rents home from the theatre.
4. What happened to you in 2006? (Feel free to republish an old post from '06.)
I went to Mexico with Shimmy. Check it out.
5. What was the last thing you said out loud?
"Bye Felicia."
6. How many beverages did you have today?
I had a soda at the theatre.
7. What color is your hairbrush?
I haven't used a brush or comb in many, many years.
8. What was the last thing you paid for?
Bought a pack of smokes this morning.
9. Where were you last night?
At the house all night.
10. What color is your front door?
Red. Gotta live the feng shui.
11. Where do you keep your change?
In a beer growler on the floor next to my desk.
12. What’s the weather like today?
It's supposed to get up to 105 today. I'm so over summer. I haven't had to mow at all in the month of July.
13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor?
Double chocolate from Baskin Robbins!
14. What excites you?
The prospect of moving.
15. Do you want to cut your hair?
Not quite, it hasn't hit the ears yet.
16. Are you over the age of 35?
I am amazingly! 38 and counting.
17. Do you talk a lot?
Not really.
18. Do you watch Franklin and Bash?
I have no clue what this reference is.
19. Do you know anyone named Steven?
Not anyone in the inner circle.
20. Do you make up your own words?
Yeah, usually a combination of curse words.
21. Are you a jealous person?
Not usually.
22. What does the last text message you received say?
A post from Amy telling me I should go after someone newly single that I don't know.
23. Where’s the next place you’re going to?
New York City baby! Just over a week to go!
24. Who’s the rudest person in your life?
Probably my friend Brucifer, but in a good way.
25. Are you crushing on anyone that you shouldn't be?
Not at the moment, enjoying my solitude.
Cheers to all of us thieves!
1. Tell us about something that made you laugh last night.
Futurama. I was watching the third season on DVD last night.
2. What were you doing at 8 PM last night?
Oozing on the sofa watching show from question number 1.
3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Driving the Rents home from the theatre.
4. What happened to you in 2006? (Feel free to republish an old post from '06.)
I went to Mexico with Shimmy. Check it out.
5. What was the last thing you said out loud?
"Bye Felicia."
6. How many beverages did you have today?
I had a soda at the theatre.
7. What color is your hairbrush?
I haven't used a brush or comb in many, many years.
8. What was the last thing you paid for?
Bought a pack of smokes this morning.
9. Where were you last night?
At the house all night.
10. What color is your front door?
Red. Gotta live the feng shui.
11. Where do you keep your change?
In a beer growler on the floor next to my desk.
12. What’s the weather like today?
It's supposed to get up to 105 today. I'm so over summer. I haven't had to mow at all in the month of July.
13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor?
Double chocolate from Baskin Robbins!
14. What excites you?
The prospect of moving.
15. Do you want to cut your hair?
Not quite, it hasn't hit the ears yet.
16. Are you over the age of 35?
I am amazingly! 38 and counting.
17. Do you talk a lot?
Not really.
18. Do you watch Franklin and Bash?
I have no clue what this reference is.
19. Do you know anyone named Steven?
Not anyone in the inner circle.
20. Do you make up your own words?
Yeah, usually a combination of curse words.
21. Are you a jealous person?
Not usually.
22. What does the last text message you received say?
A post from Amy telling me I should go after someone newly single that I don't know.
23. Where’s the next place you’re going to?
New York City baby! Just over a week to go!
24. Who’s the rudest person in your life?
Probably my friend Brucifer, but in a good way.
25. Are you crushing on anyone that you shouldn't be?
Not at the moment, enjoying my solitude.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Isaac's Storm
Does anyone know the greatest natural disaster in American history? I do now after reading "Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History" (323 pages) by Erik Larson. From the back of the book:"September 8, 1900, began innocently in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas. Even Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau, failed to grasp the true meaning of the strange deep-sea swells and peculiar winds that greeted the city that morning. Mere hours later, Galveston found itself submerged by a monster hurricane that completely destroyed the town and killed over 6,000 people in what remains the greatest natural disaster in American history - and Isaac Cline found himself victim of a devastating personal tragedy.
Using Cline's own telegrams, letters, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the science of hurricanes, Erik Larson builds a chronicle of one man's heroic struggle and fatal miscalculation in the face of a storm of unimaginable magnitude. Thrilling, powerful, and unrelentingly suspenseful, Isaac's Storm is the story of what can happen human arrogance meets the uncontrollable force of nature."
Not normally a subject matter I would be interested in reading, "Isaac's Storm" drew me in for one reason: Erik Larson. After reading "The Devil in the White City" last year by Larson, I would be willing to read anything he writes on any subject. "Issac's Storm" doesn't disappoint on every level a story can be measured. It has Larson's addictive style and foreshadowing that literally kept me on edge throughout the reading, which I pretty much did in one sitting tonight. The accounts and historical record that the author takes and combines into a story that reads like a fictional thriller is superb. Highly readable and emotional, this isn't a dusty work of non-fiction of the events of a period of time in 1900. I don't think I'll ever be able to shake the description of the 90 nuns and orphans who died in an attempt not to lose anyone by tying each other to ropes as the flood waters were rising in the orphanage... The story is a study of disaster and loss, the technology at the time, and man's hubris all rolled into one.
Highly recommended, one of the best books I've read so far this year. Get up now from your computer, quit your job, abandon the kids and go to a bookstore and buy this book or download it online. It's that good.
Thanks for the book Dann!
Angela's Ashes
Amazingly I still haven't had to purchase a book since the death of Borders here in Oklahoma City. I continue to visit the bookstore of mom. Where does she get all these books? My latest theft is "Angela's Ashes" (364 pages) by Frank McCourt. From the book's jacket:"'When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.'
So begins the luminous memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Frank's mother, Angela, has no money to feed the children since Frank's father, Malachy, rarely works, and when he does he drinks his wages. Yet Malachy does nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he can provide: a story.
Perhaps it is a story that accounts for Frank's survival. Wearing rags for diapers, begging a pig's head for Christmas dinner, and searching the pubs for his father, Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbors yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance and remarkable forgiveness."
"Angela's Ashes" has to be one of the most depressing books I've ever read. Following McCourt's childhood journey of poverty from Brooklyn to Ireland and back to America in the 1930's and 40's is truly an ordeal and sometimes hard to read. Having said that, "Angela's Ashes" is also one of the funniest books I've read as well. McCourt presents several of his memories as a confused child unsure what's going on and slowly the stories evolve along with his age and maturity.
There's not really a whole more I can say about a memoir. Essentially we are taken on a journey through McCourt's childhood where he suffers through extreme poverty, the Catholic Church, and an extended family with sometimes less than good intentions. The author's wit and charm makes this tale of woe a more positive experience. Highly recommended.
If I hear the term "Jesus, Mary, and the Holy Joseph" one more time I might convert to Catholicism!
Eating Ramen Noodles and Starbursts While in Witness Protection
From WTF Weekly Meme:
1) If you had to go into the witness protection program and were given the chance to chose your new name, what would you pick for your name?
Rollo Tomasi. Bonus points to anyone who knows what that's from without looking it up.
2) In many books there are random blank pages, sometimes right after the credits page or between chapters. Sometimes the pages say "This page is intentionally left blank." Why do you think they feel the need to say that, and is it really "blank" if that is printed on it?
Your guess is as good as mine. Here's what Wikipedia said about it. I like the idea of "rest for the restless mind."
3) The makers of Starburst candies has based its current ad campaign around the idea of contradictions (They're solid but juicy like a liquid). In what way or ways is your life a contradiction?
I'm like those Sour Patch Kids candy, except first I'm sweet and then I'm sour.
4) July 20 is "Ugly Truck Day." Who seriously comes up with these things? What is the ugliest type of vehicle?
I dislike most Dodge vehicles because they are ugly. Who came up with that half car half station wagon monstrosity?
5) People who drive pickup trucks and own dogs often drive around with their dogs roaming around loose in the bed of the truck. Do you think this practice is okay or is it wrong in a PETA type of way?
I'm not sure. Living in Oklahoma you see more of this than you think. I'm not sure what to think about it. A dog can be killed just as easily in the cab as in the back of the truck.
6) Borders announced this week that it will close the rest of its 399 stores after a bankruptcy earlier this year and closing many stores already. With the invention of electronic book readers and e-books, do you think the print book industry is totally dying or do you think there will always be people who prefer to read books on paper?
I'm one of those people who prefer to hold a real book, even better if it's a hard cover copy over a paperback. Borders closed down here some time ago and I was devastated as it was my favorite place to purchase books. I'm sad to see the chain close completely. From here on out I'm buying local I guess.
7) Have you ever thought you saw the face of the Virgin Mary or Jesus or some other religious figure in an inanimate object?
No but I'm not a crazy person.
8) I heard a local radio talk show discuss ramen noodles in depth last week. A woman called in saying she made spaghetti with ramen noodles, tomato soup, and Italian seasoning. Do you have any good (or just interesting) recipes that use ramen noodles?
Who doesn't love Ramen noodles? If you dislike them you're a Communist! I eat them occasionally and I only prepare them by the instructions on the back.
9) What do you think is the most repulsive form of music?
There are certainly forms of music I dislike but I don't think I would characterize it as repulsive. Even some forms of rap and bullshit country bumpkin red neck music does have some artistic talent somewhere.
10) When I was a kid and all my classmates were at summer camps, I was always stuck at home because my parents couldn't afford to send me off to camp. Were you one of the lucky kids who got to go to a summer camp of some sort?
The only camp besides band camp I ever attended was a Baptist bible camp one year. I had a Coors sleeping bag they wouldn't allow me to bring and all these many years later I'm disgusted by that action. My dad worked for a Coors distributor my entire life. This is what fed and clothed me! I should've went to a Catholic camp!
1) If you had to go into the witness protection program and were given the chance to chose your new name, what would you pick for your name?
Rollo Tomasi. Bonus points to anyone who knows what that's from without looking it up.
2) In many books there are random blank pages, sometimes right after the credits page or between chapters. Sometimes the pages say "This page is intentionally left blank." Why do you think they feel the need to say that, and is it really "blank" if that is printed on it?
Your guess is as good as mine. Here's what Wikipedia said about it. I like the idea of "rest for the restless mind."
3) The makers of Starburst candies has based its current ad campaign around the idea of contradictions (They're solid but juicy like a liquid). In what way or ways is your life a contradiction?
I'm like those Sour Patch Kids candy, except first I'm sweet and then I'm sour.
4) July 20 is "Ugly Truck Day." Who seriously comes up with these things? What is the ugliest type of vehicle?
I dislike most Dodge vehicles because they are ugly. Who came up with that half car half station wagon monstrosity?
5) People who drive pickup trucks and own dogs often drive around with their dogs roaming around loose in the bed of the truck. Do you think this practice is okay or is it wrong in a PETA type of way?
I'm not sure. Living in Oklahoma you see more of this than you think. I'm not sure what to think about it. A dog can be killed just as easily in the cab as in the back of the truck.
6) Borders announced this week that it will close the rest of its 399 stores after a bankruptcy earlier this year and closing many stores already. With the invention of electronic book readers and e-books, do you think the print book industry is totally dying or do you think there will always be people who prefer to read books on paper?
I'm one of those people who prefer to hold a real book, even better if it's a hard cover copy over a paperback. Borders closed down here some time ago and I was devastated as it was my favorite place to purchase books. I'm sad to see the chain close completely. From here on out I'm buying local I guess.
7) Have you ever thought you saw the face of the Virgin Mary or Jesus or some other religious figure in an inanimate object?
No but I'm not a crazy person.
8) I heard a local radio talk show discuss ramen noodles in depth last week. A woman called in saying she made spaghetti with ramen noodles, tomato soup, and Italian seasoning. Do you have any good (or just interesting) recipes that use ramen noodles?
Who doesn't love Ramen noodles? If you dislike them you're a Communist! I eat them occasionally and I only prepare them by the instructions on the back.
9) What do you think is the most repulsive form of music?
There are certainly forms of music I dislike but I don't think I would characterize it as repulsive. Even some forms of rap and bullshit country bumpkin red neck music does have some artistic talent somewhere.
10) When I was a kid and all my classmates were at summer camps, I was always stuck at home because my parents couldn't afford to send me off to camp. Were you one of the lucky kids who got to go to a summer camp of some sort?
The only camp besides band camp I ever attended was a Baptist bible camp one year. I had a Coors sleeping bag they wouldn't allow me to bring and all these many years later I'm disgusted by that action. My dad worked for a Coors distributor my entire life. This is what fed and clothed me! I should've went to a Catholic camp!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Burnt and Home
How sad my life is that even returning from a weekend trip to eastern Oklahoma makes me a little depressed. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to live there with all the toothless folk, I just loathe Oklahoma City the more I travel.
Okay, enough whining.
My favorite quotes from the float trip that I happened to save on my iPhone:
Floyd: "I've had my tongue up your ass so don't act like you don't know me!"
Matt: "Dann thought he sharted but he didn't."
Matt: "Never trust a fart over 30."
Flyod: "Allegedly."
Unknown but I think Russell: "I went to vodka, I mean vacation bible school."
I had a really great time with a fun group for the most part. There were some lesbians with sticks up there ass next door to us and a couple incidents with some homophobes but nothing too dramatic went down. The paramedics only had to come to our bunkhouse once! Yeah, were that group.
I look forward to doing the trip again next year, if not sooner. Only next time I'll be sleeping in a better cabin/bunkhouse.
Edit: thought I should add one with me in it:
Okay, enough whining.
My favorite quotes from the float trip that I happened to save on my iPhone:
Floyd: "I've had my tongue up your ass so don't act like you don't know me!"
Matt: "Dann thought he sharted but he didn't."
Matt: "Never trust a fart over 30."
Flyod: "Allegedly."
Unknown but I think Russell: "I went to vodka, I mean vacation bible school."
I had a really great time with a fun group for the most part. There were some lesbians with sticks up there ass next door to us and a couple incidents with some homophobes but nothing too dramatic went down. The paramedics only had to come to our bunkhouse once! Yeah, were that group.
I look forward to doing the trip again next year, if not sooner. Only next time I'll be sleeping in a better cabin/bunkhouse.
Edit: thought I should add one with me in it:
Friday, July 15, 2011
Tahlequah Bound!
Heading to eastern Oklahoma to float the Illinois river this weekend with a couple hundred of my closest friends! Well I'll know a dozen anyways. Que the banjo music...
Everyone have a wonderful weekend!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Divine Justice
Welcome back to Dave's World book club! Is everyone keeping up with their required book a day reading? I certainly hope not, otherwise you'll be as pathetic as I am holed up at home. Fortunately I'm on the mend. Unfortunately I think my antibiotic are making me sick. I just can't catch a break. So between eating and sleeping I've been reading a lot. The latest entry is "Divine Justice" (523 pages) by David Baldacci, the fourth book in the Camel Club series. From the author's web page (is web page one or two words? I never can seem to get that right...):"Oliver Stone and the Camel Club return in David Baldacci's most surprising thriller yet... DIVINE JUSTICE.
Known by his alias, 'Oliver Stone,' John Carr is the most wanted man in America. With two pulls of the trigger, the men who destroyed Stone’s life and kept him in the shadows were finally silenced.
But his freedom comes at a steep price: The assassinations he carried out prompts the highest levels of the U. S. government to unleash a massive manhunt. Behind the scenes, master spy Macklin Hayes is playing a very personal game of cat and mouse. He, more than anyone else, wants Stone dead.
With their friend and unofficial leader in hiding, the members of the Camel Club risk everything to save him. Now, as the hunters close in, Stone’s flight from the demons of his past will take him from the power corridors of Washington, D.C., to the small, isolated coal-mining town of Divine, Virginia—and into a world every bit as bloody and lethal as the one he left behind."
"Divine Justice" I think brings to a close the storylines which were established and continued in "The Collectors" and "Stone Cold." I really enjoy this series of stories but I'm definitely ready for a change and luckily I'm all out of Camel Club books. You know the saying about too much of a good thing.
Another fantastic read by Baldacci with his oddball assortment of characters only this time the group is coming to the aid of their leader, the mysterious Oliver Stone. For a change most of the action in the novel takes place in a rural destination in western Virgina. A nice and needed change I think.
If you're a thriller or political intrigue fan, the Camel Club series is not to be missed. Recommended. Again one should start with the first book in the series, the Camel Club, to catch everything that has happened thus far.
I have three books queued and ready to go. Where to begin? A Gothic novel? Irish poverty? Maybe a story about a boy who wants to be a ballerina...
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Stone Cold
My reading convalescence continues with "Stone Cold" (511 pages) by David Baldacci, the third book in the Camel Club series. From the author's web site:"Oliver Stone, the leader of the mysterious group that calls itself the Camel Club, is both feared and respected by those who've crossed his path. Keeping a vigilant watch over our leaders in Washington, D.C., the Camel Club has won over some allies, but it has also earned formidable enemies - including those in power who will do anything to prevent Stone and his friends from uncovering the hidden, secret work of the government.
Annabelle Conroy, an honorary member of the Camel Club, is also the greatest con artist of her generation. She has swindled forty million dollars from casino king Jerry Bagger, the man who murdered her mother. Now he's hot on her trail with only one goal in mind: Annabelle's death. But as Stone and the Camel Club circle the wagons to protect Annabelle, a new opponent, who makes Bagger's menace pale by comparison, suddenly arises.
One by one, men from Stone's shadowy past are turning up dead. Behind this slaughter stands one man: Harry Finn. To almost all who know him, Finn is a doting father and loving husband who uses his skills behind the scenes to keep our nation safe. But the other face of Harry Finn is that of an unstoppable killer who inevitably sets his lethal bull's-eye on Oliver Stone. And with Finn, Stone may well have met his match.
As Annabelle and the Camel Club fight for their lives, the twists and turns whipsaw, leading to a finale that is as explosive as it is shattering. And when buried secrets are at last violently resurrected, the members of the Camel Club left standing will be changed forever.
With unrelenting pacing, stunning reversals, and two of the most compelling characters in modern fiction, STONE COLD is David Baldacci writing at his breathtaking best."
Obviously I like this series by Baldacci as it's the third book I've read of his this year. The writing is crisp and fast with great deatil into the military intellegence world written in a way that is easily understood by the reader. "Stone Cold" is more of a direct sequel to "The Collectors" rather than a stand alone novel like the first entry in the series. Again these kinds of thrillers usually aren't what I read on a regular basis but I really like the content of the stories and the many interesting characters that Baldacci writes.
Recommended by fans of the genre and the author, however since it's the third book in a series of stories featuring these characters, if you haven't read any of them it would be more enjoyable to start with the first book, The Camel Club.
The Collectors
Sometimes being sick has its advantages, I have got a lot of reading done this week. Next on my list was "The Collectors" (511 pages) by David Baldacci. This is a sequel of sorts to his novel "The Camel Club." A sequel in that it involved the same core group of characters from the novel with new characters and a new storyline. From the book:"Over the hill. Out of the loop. And trying to save their country...
In Washington D.C., four men with mysterious pasts call themselves the Camel Club. Their mission: find out what's really happening behind the closed doors of America's leaders.
The assassination of the Speaker of the House has rocked the nation. And the Camel Club has found a chilling connection with another death: that of the director of the Library of Congress's Rare Books and Special Collections Division.
The club's unofficial leader, a man who calls himself Oliver Stone, discovers that someone is selling America to its enemies one secret at a time. Then Annabelle Conroy, the greatest con artist of her generation, comes to town and join forces with the Camel Club for her own reasons. And Stone will need all the help she can give, because the two murders are hurtling the Camel Club into a world of espionage that is bringing America to its knees."
The description above is actually kind of lame and doesn't do the novel enough justice. I really enjoy the quirky characters that Baldacci has created in these first two Camel Club books. They are full of diverse and interesting backgrounds. I also like the addition of Annabelle into the mix as an honorary member. The novel actually tells two stories that eventually intersect with each other very smartly. As much as I like "The Camel Club," I would have to say that I definitely enjoyed "The Collectors" quite a bit more.
Definitely recommended even if you haven't read the first book in the series, "The Camel Club," though it's probably good to start at the beginning to understand what's happened to these characters in their past adventures. Baldacci takes complicated political and thriller storylines and presents them in a very accessible way to the reader. The mix of humour throughout the novel is greatly appreciated and enjoyable as well. "The Collectors" is one of those books you'll find yourself reading late in the night saying to yourself, "just one more chapter, just one more chapter." That's always a good thing, for me, in anything I read.
I'm Alive, Again!
The other day I posted about my drama over being sick part of last week and over the weekend. After an assortment of shots and medications I thought I was on the mend. I started feeling better Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. By Sunday night, however, something was changing, my throat was getting a little worse and my fever was back. By the time I crawled out of bed on Monday morning my throat was so swollen I could barely swallow well enough to even get water down. In somewhat of a panic I made a trip to St. Anthony's Emergency Room.
After a thankfully short check in process I was moved to a newer part of the hospital that was their minor emergency area. The ER physician looked at my throat for about two seconds and told me I probably had a peritonsillar abscess, an infection in the tissues of the throat next to one of the tonsils. An abscess is a collection of pus that forms near an area of infected skin or other soft tissue. The doctor on duty said they would have to do some tests first to verify this was the case before they went probing into my throat near the carotid artery. Specifically he wanted to do a CT scan of my head. When my mom asked him how much this would cost, knowing I don't have insurance, he seemed absolutely offended to be asked and replied rather shortly that he didn't know and it didn't matter as it had to be done. The guy was a complete jackass, but in my many years of experience with doctors I wasn't surprised. Fortunately he was the only bad experience I had in the entire ordeal, if one can have a good experience at a hospital.
So I experienced a lot of firsts yesterday. I had my first IV, my first CT scan (the iodine they put in your IV is a wild sensation), and my first taste of morphine. After the tests were completed it was confirmed that I had an abscess and I was handed over to an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist and thankfully was finished with Dr. Douschbag. The procedure for removing the abscess is by having a long needle injected into your throat and draining the puss out. I've actually had this wonderful procedure done one other time in my life at a doctor's office. It was one of the most painful and horrific experiences of my entire life. Naturally I was terrified to have to go through this again.
After some more waiting and another round of steroids the ENT doctor showed up and went over the procedure with me. He was extremely kind and seemed genuinely concerned with pain management through the ordeal. They began by hooking me up with some morphine and spraying my throat with a topical anesthetic. After I was good and numb he then injected me with another numbing agent near the area where he would be draining my abscess. The last time I had this procedure done the previous doctor did not do this last part. No wonder it hurt like a mother fucker! After I was good and numb he injected a needed into the swollen area and began extracting the puss, I actually got to help by pushing on the swollen area of my throat to help fill the needle. Not getting much out he switch to a lower gage needle and was finally able to get some result. By the end of the procedure he had taken out 11 cc of vile nastiness from my throat. Almost immediately I was able to swallow normal again.
I hung out for a little and then was eventually released to go home. I skipped the administration office on my way out, screw them, they can bill me. Those of you have insurance consider yourself lucky. If I had had insurance I would have had my tonsils taken out that day if not a long time before, as was offered by the doctor. I asked him how much it was cost and he laughed and probably said a whole bunch of money. Eventually I'll have them removed. The majority of the time when I'm really sick it has something to do with my tonsils.
So that was my lovely Monday experience. I'm glad I made the decision to go to St. Anthony's Hospital. With the exception of the ER physician, everyone was extremely nice from the specialists to the nurses to the girls in the X-Ray lab. The ENT specialist and nurse during my minor procedure seemed to be really concerned with my pain management and I really appreciate that as not all health care providers seem to make that a priority.
So in reference to how much things cost when visiting a doctor's office or hospital, don't you think they should have some vague clue as to how much certain procedures or test cost? Would you take your car in for repairs and have them do the work without not knowing what the cost would be until after the work was done? Maybe patient access to medical costs should have been part of our illustrious health care reform last year! I'll report back on the costs after I get a bill just for the fun of it so everyone can know how many hundred of dollars my bag of saline cost.
After a thankfully short check in process I was moved to a newer part of the hospital that was their minor emergency area. The ER physician looked at my throat for about two seconds and told me I probably had a peritonsillar abscess, an infection in the tissues of the throat next to one of the tonsils. An abscess is a collection of pus that forms near an area of infected skin or other soft tissue. The doctor on duty said they would have to do some tests first to verify this was the case before they went probing into my throat near the carotid artery. Specifically he wanted to do a CT scan of my head. When my mom asked him how much this would cost, knowing I don't have insurance, he seemed absolutely offended to be asked and replied rather shortly that he didn't know and it didn't matter as it had to be done. The guy was a complete jackass, but in my many years of experience with doctors I wasn't surprised. Fortunately he was the only bad experience I had in the entire ordeal, if one can have a good experience at a hospital.
So I experienced a lot of firsts yesterday. I had my first IV, my first CT scan (the iodine they put in your IV is a wild sensation), and my first taste of morphine. After the tests were completed it was confirmed that I had an abscess and I was handed over to an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist and thankfully was finished with Dr. Douschbag. The procedure for removing the abscess is by having a long needle injected into your throat and draining the puss out. I've actually had this wonderful procedure done one other time in my life at a doctor's office. It was one of the most painful and horrific experiences of my entire life. Naturally I was terrified to have to go through this again.
After some more waiting and another round of steroids the ENT doctor showed up and went over the procedure with me. He was extremely kind and seemed genuinely concerned with pain management through the ordeal. They began by hooking me up with some morphine and spraying my throat with a topical anesthetic. After I was good and numb he then injected me with another numbing agent near the area where he would be draining my abscess. The last time I had this procedure done the previous doctor did not do this last part. No wonder it hurt like a mother fucker! After I was good and numb he injected a needed into the swollen area and began extracting the puss, I actually got to help by pushing on the swollen area of my throat to help fill the needle. Not getting much out he switch to a lower gage needle and was finally able to get some result. By the end of the procedure he had taken out 11 cc of vile nastiness from my throat. Almost immediately I was able to swallow normal again.
I hung out for a little and then was eventually released to go home. I skipped the administration office on my way out, screw them, they can bill me. Those of you have insurance consider yourself lucky. If I had had insurance I would have had my tonsils taken out that day if not a long time before, as was offered by the doctor. I asked him how much it was cost and he laughed and probably said a whole bunch of money. Eventually I'll have them removed. The majority of the time when I'm really sick it has something to do with my tonsils.
So that was my lovely Monday experience. I'm glad I made the decision to go to St. Anthony's Hospital. With the exception of the ER physician, everyone was extremely nice from the specialists to the nurses to the girls in the X-Ray lab. The ENT specialist and nurse during my minor procedure seemed to be really concerned with my pain management and I really appreciate that as not all health care providers seem to make that a priority.
So in reference to how much things cost when visiting a doctor's office or hospital, don't you think they should have some vague clue as to how much certain procedures or test cost? Would you take your car in for repairs and have them do the work without not knowing what the cost would be until after the work was done? Maybe patient access to medical costs should have been part of our illustrious health care reform last year! I'll report back on the costs after I get a bill just for the fun of it so everyone can know how many hundred of dollars my bag of saline cost.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Cry to Heaven
If anyone had told me a few weeks ago that I would be reading a book about eighteenth-century castrati by Ann Rice I would have told that person that they were high. So I just finished "Cry to Heaven" (564 pages) by Anne Rice, a story about eighteenth-century castrati. My friend Amy mailed me an old copy of the book and insisted that I read it. She also sweetened the deal by including several packages of Giant Chewy Sweet Tarts, my favorite sweet treat. From Goodreads:"They were the castrati--male sopranos whose glorious voices brought them adulation throughout Europe even as they were despised as 'monsters'. For Tonio Treschi, the child of Venetian nobility, kidnapped and castrated in a murderous family conspiracy, only one thing would soothe his soul--revenge!"
I actually found the story of this novel engaging. Before reading this book I had no clue that young boys were castrated and sold to various church organizations to be trained musically to take the place of women as sopranos in operas as well as other musical endeavours. At the time the Catholic Church forbade women from taking the stage in many parts of Italy (358th reason to loathe Christianity). Through some research I found that at it's height it was estimated that 4,000 young boys a year were put through this horrific process whether they showed an inclination to music or not! Finally the practice was outlawed and phased out sometime in the nineteenth-century.
Through family conflicts, Tonio Treschi, was forced to live the life of a eunuch against his will. The story follows his journey from a young child of wealth to his forced castration and finally to his rise as one of the most gifted castrati singers of his time. Always his motivation is to seek revenge on those who stole his manhood. Indeed one of the most powerful points of the book for me was the change that Tonio undergoes throughout the book to where finally he accepts what "God has given him" and accepts his place and tires of his need for revenge. I like stories of transformation and reading character arcs that change dramatically from beginning to end.
Surprising the novel also contains a lot of sexual content though it's much more prevalent in the first third of the book. Apparently some castrati were able to still perform sexually if they were castrated at a later age just before puberty. There's a lot of steamy homosexual and heterosexual content to be found in these pages.
Finally, while I think Anne Rice is a capable writer, I think the novel could have been trimmed down from its 500 plus pages. She has a tendency for some lengthy and flowery descriptions, though, it's apparent she did her research of the time and places of the era. Venice, Naples, and Rome are all well represented through the written word and come to life very well in all their eighteenth-century glory.
I would recommend this novel even though the subject matter may seem a little bizarre. I gave the novel a 4 out of 5 stars rating on Goodreads, maybe a little too generous, but the overall themes of transformation and revenge make the story a very worthy read. Thanks for the book Amy!
The Plaid Hat Meme
Yay Sunday Stealing! How I've missed thee...
Cheers to all of us thieves!
1. When showering, do you start the water and then get in, or get in then start the water?
I get in and then start the water but I adjust the temperature before getting under the water.
2. Have you ever showered with someone of the opposite sex?
Yes, in fact your mom was over last night.
3. Were you ever been forced to shower with one of your siblings?
I'm sure I was but it would have to be when I was really young as my siblings are quite a bit older than me. Or maybe I was being punished for bad grammar.
4. Have you ever dropped your soap on your foot?
Yes on many occasions; however, while in prison I didn't pick it back up!
5. How old do people say you look?
I'm not sure but the general consensus is that I look younger than my 38 years.
6. How old do you act?
It varies, anywhere from 15 to 50.
7. What’s the last song you sang?
To a group it was "I Miss You" by Blink 182 on karaoke night.
"And as I stared I counted the webs from all the spiders
Catching things and eating their insides
Like indecision to call you and hear your voice of treason
Will you come home and stop this pain tonight?"
8. Have you recently become a member of anything?
Brilliantly Blonde added me to her Facespace book club today, does that count?
9. What are your plans for next weekend?
Headed to Northeastern Oklahoma to float the Illinois river with 150 of my closest friends. I hope no one tells me that I have a pretty mouth...
10. Do you kiss with your eyes open or closed?
Definitely closed unless I'm kissing a blind person.
11. Whats the sexiest thing about Sarah Palin?
Absolutely nothing.
12. Who’s the sexiest famous woman alive?
Just off the top of my head I like Milas Kunis.
13. Who’s the sexiest famous man alive?
Paul Rudd or Chris Pine.
14. Does your family have a crazy uncle?
My family is dominated by women so I'd probably be the craziest uncle. My favorite and funniest uncle died a few years otherwise I would choose him.
15. Have you ever smuggled something into another country?
I inadvertently brought in fruit through the Mexican boarder years ago.
16. Do you live in a city with a good sports team?
Hell to the yes! The Oklahoma City Thunder! I guess you could also count the Oklahoma Swooners 30 minutes down the road which has quite the cult following in these parts. I'm not a fan.
17. What is the most unusual?
This question.
18. How do feel about the Goth people?
"Hell is the possibility of sanity." -Daria
19. Can you fix or your significant other your own car?
I can fix something easy like changing a tire but unfortunately most times I would need a mechanic. I could fix the grammar in this sentence much more easily than fixing a car!
20. Would you want to kill Casey Anthony yourself if you were guaranteed to get away with it?
Why on Earth would I want to do that? Maybe someone should kill the prosecution team for the bang up job they did.
Cheers to all of us thieves!
1. When showering, do you start the water and then get in, or get in then start the water?
I get in and then start the water but I adjust the temperature before getting under the water.
2. Have you ever showered with someone of the opposite sex?
Yes, in fact your mom was over last night.
3. Were you ever been forced to shower with one of your siblings?
I'm sure I was but it would have to be when I was really young as my siblings are quite a bit older than me. Or maybe I was being punished for bad grammar.
4. Have you ever dropped your soap on your foot?
Yes on many occasions; however, while in prison I didn't pick it back up!
5. How old do people say you look?
I'm not sure but the general consensus is that I look younger than my 38 years.
6. How old do you act?
It varies, anywhere from 15 to 50.
7. What’s the last song you sang?
To a group it was "I Miss You" by Blink 182 on karaoke night.
"And as I stared I counted the webs from all the spiders
Catching things and eating their insides
Like indecision to call you and hear your voice of treason
Will you come home and stop this pain tonight?"
8. Have you recently become a member of anything?
Brilliantly Blonde added me to her Facespace book club today, does that count?
9. What are your plans for next weekend?
Headed to Northeastern Oklahoma to float the Illinois river with 150 of my closest friends. I hope no one tells me that I have a pretty mouth...
10. Do you kiss with your eyes open or closed?
Definitely closed unless I'm kissing a blind person.
11. Whats the sexiest thing about Sarah Palin?
Absolutely nothing.
12. Who’s the sexiest famous woman alive?
Just off the top of my head I like Milas Kunis.
13. Who’s the sexiest famous man alive?
Paul Rudd or Chris Pine.
14. Does your family have a crazy uncle?
My family is dominated by women so I'd probably be the craziest uncle. My favorite and funniest uncle died a few years otherwise I would choose him.
15. Have you ever smuggled something into another country?
I inadvertently brought in fruit through the Mexican boarder years ago.
16. Do you live in a city with a good sports team?
Hell to the yes! The Oklahoma City Thunder! I guess you could also count the Oklahoma Swooners 30 minutes down the road which has quite the cult following in these parts. I'm not a fan.
17. What is the most unusual?
This question.
18. How do feel about the Goth people?
"Hell is the possibility of sanity." -Daria
19. Can you fix or your significant other your own car?
I can fix something easy like changing a tire but unfortunately most times I would need a mechanic. I could fix the grammar in this sentence much more easily than fixing a car!
20. Would you want to kill Casey Anthony yourself if you were guaranteed to get away with it?
Why on Earth would I want to do that? Maybe someone should kill the prosecution team for the bang up job they did.
Saturday, July 09, 2011
I'm Alive!
Barely.
I haven't posted since I returned from Louisiana as I've pretty much been in bed the entire time since I got back. I started feeling ill on Wednesday afternoon until I developed a nasty sore throat last night. I dragged myself to one of the minor emergency clinics here in town for treatment.
It's amazing the difference a day, a shot of antibiotics, a shot of steroids, oral antibiotics, pain killers, Ibuprofen, and Claritin can make! Though getting two shots simultaneously by two different nurses was a little bizarre and a lot painful. I think my hips are going to be sore for a few days.
The worst part of being holed up this week is missing a performance of Evita in Tulsa tonight. I really enjoy the musical but I've never caught a stage production of it. Luckily Dann was able to get out of our hotel room and our tickets for the show with only a seven dollar fee total!
I have ten days left of antibiotics. Boo. Now that I'm feeling better I should be posting again more regularly.
I haven't posted since I returned from Louisiana as I've pretty much been in bed the entire time since I got back. I started feeling ill on Wednesday afternoon until I developed a nasty sore throat last night. I dragged myself to one of the minor emergency clinics here in town for treatment.
It's amazing the difference a day, a shot of antibiotics, a shot of steroids, oral antibiotics, pain killers, Ibuprofen, and Claritin can make! Though getting two shots simultaneously by two different nurses was a little bizarre and a lot painful. I think my hips are going to be sore for a few days.
The worst part of being holed up this week is missing a performance of Evita in Tulsa tonight. I really enjoy the musical but I've never caught a stage production of it. Luckily Dann was able to get out of our hotel room and our tickets for the show with only a seven dollar fee total!
I have ten days left of antibiotics. Boo. Now that I'm feeling better I should be posting again more regularly.
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