Hello Gentle Readers,
This week I’m off to join my family for a little kingsheep family reunion in central Oregon. What does this mean for you, the gentle reader? Pretty much nothing, but it should contextualize my future postings about it. My schedule includes a few breweries so if nothing else, I should return with stories of beer, sweet glorious beer.
If you haven’t recently experienced the sheer joy of a rollicking belly-laugh then allow me to share the best new webcomic I’ve come across. XKCD will make you giggle so hard at your desk that you’ll have to hold it in and quietly shake like an epileptic mime.
For my money, this one is the best so far.
Hello Gentle Readers,
My reading time: 48 hours
My fiance did it in 12 hours (Wow. That’s what you get when you are going to marry a PHD student who reads for a living).
Okay, so why is this a blog instead of a review? Good question. I guess because I value a review of a book differently that I value a review of other entertainment genres. For example, when I read video game reviews, I generally don’t care what the review says about the story or the characters, I only care about the problems (camera issues, clipping, fog, unnecessary jumping deaths, etc). If there are few problems and I like the genre, then chances are I’ll like the game.
However, with a book, the level of investment and how a person interacts with it, is considerably different. Whereas I read HP as soon as I could finish, there will be loads of people savoring it by reading a chapter at a time. If a book is read in small bits, the reader’s impression of pacing won’t reflect my own. Whereas, with a movie review, pacing is essential. As Joss Whedon says “film is all about momentum.” If a film drags in the middle, it can sour an audience’s enjoyment.
Well, the good news is that Deathy Hallows will make a hellovah movie. The whole story is action and its structure is considerably unlike the previous books (with very little taking place at Hogwarts). But I don’t want to worry about spoilers so, let me just say that doing nothing but read for 48 hours was a wonderful gift. I was filled with a youthful excitement as I hurriedly flipped pages. I laughed, I cried and when I was done I felt a true sense of satisfaction. Rather than write a review of a book, I’d rather review my experience. And as RW of the DA says, it was bloody brilliant.
I went to see Transformers for the first time last night. Normally, I’d be gracing you with a review, but today’s Coming Distractions really says it all. However, I would like to discuss the following trailer which some of you may have seen:
We begin with shaky-cam video a la Blair Witch Project except it’s filming a going away party instead of stick figure effigies. The dialogue is witty, but suddenly interrupted by a monstrous growl and earthquake. Party-goers rush to the roof in time to see a huge fireball erupt in the middle of the city skyscrapers. People flee on the streets and the hand-cam zooms in on a piece of flying debris which turns out to be the face of the Statue of Liberty. The screen flashes the name J.J. Abrams, the date 1.18.08, and the normal screen credits page. Title? None.
I know J.J. likes his mystery to be swallowed in 1000 mg horse pills, but this is a little much. Of course the preview is doing its job of making me immensely curious, but the sweet sensation of anticipation is dulled by resentment and frustration. Immediately after seeing the trailer, I thought it was a mistake. Maybe I should let the staff know they have a bad trailer reel. Later that night, I started to think it was either the best marketing idea ever, or the worst.
Now, I just feel like smacking J.J. around a little. Especially if Lost doesn’t follow through. Oh yeah, I’m lumping it all together.
In other news, I simply must tell you about the most fascinating activity I participated in this last Saturday. The Mount Vernon Children’s Art Festival has been going on for many years, and my wife has been helping her mom for many of them. I was recently enlisted to help with the booth called “Fish Prints.” In this artistic activity, we thumb our noses at PETA, taking donated fish and using them like Captain Ahab’s Barbie dolls.
Stage 1: Place a dead fish on a cafeteria tray and give it to a child armed with powdered tempra paint.
Stage 2: (not pictured) Place a piece of paper atop the art deco fish and press firmly upon its lifeless flesh.
Stage 3: Wash the fish and return it to the table for further experimentation in color Nihilism.
This poor fish in my hand is about the cleanest he can get after about two runs through the wringer. My joy is unparalleled.
My favorite quotes of the day came from both children and parents alike. “Are these real fish?” “Are these fish real or dead?” “Can I poke the eyeball?”
What really strikes me as odd is the fact that this booth was one of the most popular ones in the entire field. Despite being bent over for most of the day, it’s not my back that hurts but rather my legs from all the running about. You wouldn’t believe how irate some adults would become if their child didn’t get to paint the fish they wanted. They acted as though they were paying for the experience and wanted to get their money’s worth. It’s a fish! Just commit your defacement and be on your way!
So that’s the way of things in Mount Vernon. I daresay that a repeat performance will most likely be demanded next year. We shall see.
Peace out, my home boys.