So long, Jack

Today we just took it easy in the morning, then did our workouts. After that, Ken headed out to mow the lawn (it really wasn’t in too bad of shape, even after about a month), and despite a setback with one of the belts, was able to get it done. I did my best to help as he tried to get the new belt on, but I’m afraid I couldn’t help very much.

After a few minor chores inside, I sat out on the deck to enjoy the nice day and continue reading my current book, Nightworld by F. Paul Wilson. It was originally published in 1992, but Mr. Wilson reworked it to reflect the adventures of the main character, Repairman Jack, over the years.

If you don’t know Jack (see what I did there?), I highly recommend the couple of dozen novels in the Jack/Adversary cycle. I’ve written about Jack before, and I still think he is one of the best characters in modern fiction. He’s a “fixer,” but becomes entangled in forces larger than he’d ever imagined. The survival of our little corner of the universe is at stake, and this reworked novel is the culmination of that struggle between a malevolent force and a somewhat indifferent one.

This was a great read, and I burned through the last 200 pages this afternoon. If you’re interested (and I really recommend this series!), here is the full list of Repairman Jack novels and short stories. We’re not done with Jack yet, because Mr. Wilson is planning on writing three “interim” novels, which will take place in time between the three young adult novels and the numerous Jack-as-adult novels.

Great book, great character, great writing. Check it out!

Books instead of kooks

My plan was to write about Christine O'Donnell and her bizarre comments concerning the First Amendment, but I wrote plenty on Facebook today, and I find that I'm feeling just way too mellow to write anymore about the perky little idiot tonight. I can only handle so much ignorance in a day, and it seems that I have reached my limit.

Instead, I'm going to write about books and e-readers. I'm fortunate to be friends on Facebook with one of my favorite authors, F. Paul Wilson. He writes the Repairman Jack novels (I just got the penultimate one!), one of my favorite characters in modern fiction, as well as many other excellent horror/science fiction novels. Today, he posted that his latest book, a collaboration with three other authors, was available for download. Draculas is on Amazon for a measly $2.99! You can't beat that with a stick—or a crucifix! I popped on over to Amazon, used one-click ordering, and badabing, badaboom, I've got the book.

I don't have an actual Kindle (yet!), but Amazon offers free Kindle downloads for PC and Mac. (Just go to the Kindle store, and look for 'free reading apps.') I honestly can't recall if I've written about it here before, so if I have, please pardon my redundancy. Until I can get an actual Kindle, this is a pretty nifty option, and you can sync your Kindle editions so that you have your books on all of them. There are millions of free books available, some through Amazon, others through Project Gutenberg and other digital book sites. It really is amazing what you can find on there, and I've already got a bunch waiting for me.

As amazing as the e-reader technology is, can it depose printed books? Most of the avid readers that I know love our hard copies...but most of us are also embracing the ease and convenience of the e-reader. After posting the link to the Kindle edition of his book, Mr. Wilson commented that the extras available with the Kindle version would never see the light of day in what he called "p-books." (I'm assuming that means printed books.) There are tons of extras included, like the emails that the four authors exchanged when discussing, planning, and writing the book. This is an amazing thing; I liken it to the evolution from VHS tapes to DVDs. The deleted scenes, alternate scenes, outtakes--all of those are easily accessible on DVD. Including large quantities of notes, discussions, and correspondence concerning a book would never happen with a traditionally published book. This really changes the game, and readers are the big winners here.

There has been much speculation about what would happen to printed books, bookstores, and especially libraries, with the advent of e-readers. As someone who reads a lot of online content but still treasures holding a book in her hands (as you can probably guess from the bookshelves pictured here), I foresee a peaceful coexistence. If I'm sitting up at the table, it's easy to read online. If I want to relax on the couch or in bed while I read, I don't take the laptop; I have a book to hold in my hands...and eventually let drop as I doze off trying to read just one...more...paragraph. (To be honest, I always try to place my bookmark and set the book aside before I doze off. I don't want to harm the book.)

I read a really interesting article the other day about how libraries are coping with e-readers. Many thought that it spelled the demise of the public library. [climbing on soapbox] We must not let this happen. Libraries serve many functions beyond lending books. They provide access to computers for those who don't have them at home, they offer meeting rooms for community groups, they conduct reading groups for kids to encourage them to read.

They are one of our most precious treasures, and we must preserve them. (And oh yeah...they're a government program!) [climbing down from soapbox] Anyway, some libraries are purchasing and loaning out e-readers! I think this is a fantastic embrace of the technology, and a way to stay current. Libraries must go along with current trends and advances in technology if they want to remain viable, and I applaud them for doing so. (By the way, I remember using card catalogs. Does anyone else?)

It's a brave new world, people, and I welcome our e-book providing overlords. It will never take the place of what Mr. Wilson calls p-books, at least not for me, but it's a fine addition to my reading experience. I look forward to finding many classics and essays that I normally wouldn't have read. When it comes to reading, it’s not like the Highlander. There can be more than one.

Odd, ends, and bacon

A very pleasant day at Nutwood, and there was much puttering taking place. I got everything done on my list, so I'm pleased about that.

This was one of the headlines in the online version of our local paper today (I presume it was in the print version, too):

Stabbing, toilet intruder lead to arrests at Polish Festival

The story goes on to note that "A man is accused of stabbing one man and hitting another in the head with a belt buckle, and another man was subdued with a stun gun after police say he was trying to take pictures of women inside portable toilets."

You know, I really have nothing more to add to that, other than I guess that must have been some festival!

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I renewed my subscription to Taste of Home magazine a while back, and they sent me a little cookbook of beef recipes. (Mmm, beef.) As I was looking through it late one night, I came across a recipe for Beef Fajita Salad. Sounds fairly yummy, but what really struck me was the picture. (Click to embiggen.)

Are you seeing the same thing I saw? Take a good look at it, and in the meantime, I'll write about some other stuff and then get back to this.

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A question. Is writing about 9/11 in a work of fiction off-limits? I'm following one of my favorite authors, F. Paul Wilson, on Facebook and Twitter, and he wrote today that he's already gotten mail about his newest book (another book in the Repairman Jack series) from people who are not pleased because he utilizes 9/11 as part of the plot. I responded that I don't understand their anger, because that is part of our history now. He obviously loves New York, and I'm certain that however he uses the tragedy in his novel, it will be appropriately respectful. In Stephen King's recent short story collection, one of the stories is about 9/11. I don't understand why anyone would be angry that an author would write about it. It is certainly part of our collective conscious as a nation, and it definitely changed our lives and the way we go about our daily business. You can't just ignore it and pretend that it never happened. As Roland says in King's Gunslinger novels, the world has moved on. We may not like what happened, but it did change the way we live, and we'll never go back to the lighter security of pre-9/11. I'm just wondering what you all think, because I found it odd that people would be upset by that.

I guess you could also call it the pre-shoe removal days. Remember when you didn't have to take off your shoes at the airport? Haha! I almost always wear slip-on shoes now, usually the kind with no backs. I often wear toe socks with those, so it's kind of weird to be standing there and walking through security with half-socks on my feet. But then I've also been randomly selected for a pat-down, so I guess being seen in my half-socks isn't all that bad.

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I had a package in the mail from Shane today and look what he sent me!

How awesome is Bacon Salt?! I can hardly wait to try it. I thawed out some chicken breasts for dinner tonight, and however I prepare them, you can bet I'm putting on some Bacon Salt! Their trademark saying is Everything Should Taste Like Bacon™. From your lips to God's ears, Bacon Salt! Oddly enough, it says it's a low sodium product, and it does indeed have only 6% sodium per serving. That's much less than many of the canned or boxed products you buy. It's made with sea salt, too. I think I just might have a favorite new seasoning! I'll let you know how it tastes. I'm trying to think of what it wouldn't be good on, and I can't think of anything! Eggs, meat, potato salad...maybe I'd leave it off of my cottage cheese and just use regular salt. I think it might be good even on that, though. Shane got it at Meijer, if you have one of those near you, and he said they also have peppered bacon salt.

I think they need to branch out and start selling Bacon Butter.

Thanks, Shane. You made my day!

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We made another sale today from the garage sale! When I went outside today, there was a note on the door from a lady interesting in a picture printer. She'll stop by tomorrow morning to pick it up. I chatted with Neighbor Dave today, and he asked if we could sell something for him at our next garage sale, and also told me several times about how people went right by our driveway and how I need to put an arrow on the sign next time. Okay, Dave. [grin] I told him that it would be quite some time before we have another one, and he said, "That's okay, I'm not goin' anywhere." As far as being hard to find, I've mentioned before that that is not necessarily a bad thing. If I want you to find us, I'll make sure that you do.

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Back to the Beef Fajita Salad. Here's another picture pointing out--so to speak--what I saw.

Does that look exactly like a severed, decomposing finger, or what?! Did anyone else see it? Ken saw it eventually, but I swear, when I first looked at that recipe and picture, that finger just jumped right out at me. Certainly a lovely manicure, but still a decomposing-finger lookalike. I suppose I'm a little warped to have seen it, and no, you really don't need to weigh in on that. Please do tell me if you saw it, though!

Great afternoon for reading!

Ken had to stay up until noon because of a conference call, so I spent the afternoon sitting out on the deck and reading a Repairman Jack novel. Very pleasant, and I'm enjoying a purely fun read, after finishing a book club read...it was a good book, but it's fun to experience a little escapism and get caught up with Jack (one of my favorite fictional characters). I'm plowing through it, too! I also spent a little time thinking about the characters in the short story I put up here, how I might flesh them out a little bit, what they might be about...fun to think about. I managed to do a load of laundry in there, so the day wasn't a total wash. Hah! Get it? Laundry? A total wash? That was an accident!

Silver Squirrel Alert! I had a blog visit from someone in New Rochelle, New York. A Silver Squirrel to anyone who knows what fictional TV family made their home in New Rochelle.

When you get a chance, I hope you'll stop by and visit Doug's blog, Running2Nowhere. Doug is Cousin Shane's friend, and I do believe we have become friends, too, although we have yet to meet. Doug was in the Navy and spent time in Afghanistan as a photojournalist. Some long-time readers may remember when I put up a picture of him and then-Senator Obama, who Doug got to meet when the Senator made a trip over there. Doug is now a reservist, and decided to start a blog to get some thoughts out there. He's a fine writer, and I look forward to seeing what he has to say (and to meeting him at some point). Pop on by and say hi if you're so inclined!

I didn't turn on the news all day, and was shocked and saddened to hear about the shooting at the Holocaust Museum. Apparently the shooter has a website that is highly anti-Semitic, is one of those fucktards who claim that the holocaust never happened, and has affiliations with various neo-Nazi groups. (He is also a Birfer.) For the life of me, I will never ever understand that sort of mentality, and frankly, I don't want to. I've been to the Holocaust Museum twice, an incredibly emotional and heart-rending experience, and have read many accounts from survivors. How anyone can deny the fact of the holocaust is beyond me, and I believe such denial is another form of hatred. The Nazis were excellent record keepers as well as efficient murderers, and there are multiple examples of their horrid practices.

This shooter is yet another example of how hateful rhetoric can drive unstable people to terrible deeds. People read such rhetoric, become obsessed by it, and if they've already got mental problems, it can lead to disaster and death, as took place today at the Museum. I'm so sorry for the family of the museum guard who died after being shot, and my heart goes out to them. This brave man was another victim of hatred, over sixty years after the occurrences that resulted in the museum he guarded.

In my opinion, it's also another reason to be disturbed by Gingrich's comment the other night, that he is "not a citizen of the world." I know that this will seem naive, and I know that in many ways it is naive. It also makes sense. (Besides, my naiveté is part of my charm. So there.) It seems to me that if we all start understanding that we are citizens of the world, there might come a time when we want to stop killing each other. There will always be nutjobs, but is it necessary to fuel the fire? I wonder what causes people to be drawn to such extreme views? I have strong opinions (don't be shocked!), but I would never think of harming someone because of their political or religious views or sexual preferences. Opinions are one thing; wanting to harm, and harboring such hatred as we saw embodied today, is something else entirely.

I like Bacon!

Today has been quite the shopping day for us.

I just ordered some stuff from Amazon. Shane told me last night that he heard the Dandy Warhols had a 2008 release, which I had not heard! *gasp* I checked it out, and sure enough, it's called "Earth to the Dandy Warhols." I also ordered the new AC/DC, "Black Ice," which I'm hearing is supposed to be a Walmart exclusive, but I found it through an independent dealer. I have a long standing policy of not buying CDs at Walmart, ever since I bought a Local H CD (the one with "High-Fiving MF" on it) there and it had been censored by Walmart. I was appalled. Don't you censor my music, Walmart! You aren't the boss of me! I also ordered the latest Repairman Jack novel by F. Paul Wilson. Repairman Jack is probably my favorite character in fiction right now--I'll write more about him when I finish the book.

Speaking of Walmart, that was our first stop today. Got a couple of things for dinner, and we always make a stop by their $5 movie bin. We found some great ones today! "Thinner" (from the Stephen King book), "Desperation" (ditto), "Bull Durham" (one of my favorite sports movies of all time), "Airplane!" ("Don't call me Shirley."), and another one (I'll tell you in a moment).

On the subject of sports movies, apparently when Sarah Palin was in Noblesville, Indiana (down by Indianapolis) yesterday, she told the crowd that her favorite movie is "Hoosiers." Not her favorite sports movie, not her favorite sports movie about basketball, not even her favorite movie set in Indiana (I'm not sure all that many are). Nope, she said that "Hoosiers" is her favorite movie.

My ass.

But I digress. (She's supposed to be on SNL tonight, by the way. I'm looking forward to it.)

After Walmart, we went to Lowe's and enjoyed a little home improvement shopping. It had been a while, and it was kind of fun! We got more insulation for the garage, which Ken is installing now, and a few odds and ends like new doorknobs for the bedroom doors (one broke).

So the fifth movie we got...we were digging through the bin, finding the aforementioned good ones, and Ken held one out to me and said, "Do you have this?" My reply was a gasp followed by, "Footloose!! NO!" "Footloose" is right up there with those other guilty pleasure movies of the 80's, "Dirty Dancing" and "Road House" ("Road House" is still tops for me, though.) Who can forget a young Kevin Bacon as the big city kid in a small town. A town that has banned dancing! O, the humanity! The warehouse scene where he is filled with teen angst and dances to shake off the oppression he feels from the people in the town is a classic. This is modern day cheese at its best!

I'm putting up the high school dance scene rather than the warehouse scene, because I think the high school dance is just like Kraft--it's the cheesiest! I won't put up the lyrics, because pretty much all you need to know is "Now I gotta cut loose, footloose, kick off your Sunday shoes." There's other nonsense like "Please, Louise, pull me offa my knees." You get the idea.

Oh my God, I can remember being at a wedding party when everyone formed two lines, and we went down the middle of the two lines, doing our little dance to this song. My ex-brother-in-law and I went down the middle doing that little kick-step dance, and we thought we were so cool and so good. Hahaha! It's on the verge of embarrassing to remember some of that, and some of the clothes we all wore, but it was all in fun and it was a good time back then. It sure makes me laugh to think back on it!