Adam Rex and Halloween

The leaves are falling fast now and the nights are getting pretty cold. I have pulled out my wool socks. All of this means that it's fall. And with fall comes Halloween. I'm actually in the mood for the season this year. Normally I dread fall because of what follows it. This year I'm really excited for the cool temperatures and the beautiful fall colors. And to celebrate the upcoming holiday I have purchased Adam Rex's books on monsters.

I make it no secret that I absolutely adore Adam Rex's work. I started by reading The True Meaning of Smekday and went out to buy everything he's illustrated or written. The next one that ended up in my home was Pssst, a cute little story about a little girl who's trip to the zoo turns into a shopping trip with an unusual ending. Rex tells the story through words and pictures but it is his fantastic illustration that keep you coming back for more. Everywhere you look on the page is a fun little detail. The humor is sometimes silly, sometimes dry but always fun.

Adam Rex has two books about Frankenstein filled with hilarious poems. In his first book in the series, Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, he gives us poems about how the Phantom of the Opera can't get familiar tunes out of his head. Poems about the invisible man getting a haircut, the creature from the black lagoon who goes swimming too early after eating. My favorite is a wonderful poem about how Dracula has spinach in he teeth and no one knows how to tell him. All the poems are different but all of them are hilarious.

The new book is Frankenstein Takes the Cake. This is possibly even better than the first. In this one we follow Frankenstein as he gets married to his bride. My favorite pages have the Headless Horseman as he writes a blog about people wanting to eat his head, and why he wants people to stop copying his look. Please take note that those are not illustrations but pictures. Adam made the head and photographed it. Adam writes a wonderful little poem about Medusa and her problems in school. Even the dust jacket and the inside pages have jokes. They are everywhere. The thing about Adam is you have to read everything: signs, copyright information....

So here are two books that are perfect for the upcoming holiday. I recommend them to both kids and adults. Kids will love the humorous rhymes, and adults will love all the cute references and inside jokes in the pictures. I don't often tell people that you have to buy books, but you really do need to buy these. If you do pick up his books and enjoy them, also check out Adam Rex's blog at http://adamrex.blogspot.com.

P.S. The actual titles of the books are

Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and Other Stories You're Sure to Like Because They're All About Monsters and Some of Them Are Also About Food. You Like Food, Don't You? Well Alright Then.

and

Frankenstein Takes the Cake Which is Full of Funny Stuff Like Rotting Heads and Giant Gorillas and Zombies Dressed Like Little Girls and Edgar Allen Poe. The Book, We Mean--Not the Cake.

Yeah even those are hilarious. I love this man's work.

To see how he made the Headless Horseman's head, check out this amazing blog entry on the always wonderful 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=1398

Mrs. Frisby versus Mrs. Brisby

I loved the Secret of NIMH as a child. I watched it over and over. I had the movie storybook. It had cute talking animals that were intelligent and civilized, what more could I want? To be completely truthful I think my young mind had a bit of a crush on Justin, the captain of the guards. Bear with me, I was young. I had always meant to read the book but never seemed to get around to it. It was similar to so many of those books that I should have read as a child but didn't. 

So this past week I picked up the book and finished it in a day. The book actually is called Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien. The character is changed to Brisby in the film. Like the Wind in the Willows, this book is a treasure. The story is engaging, the characters are likable, and the description of the farm and the rats is even more vivid then the film. This is book I would recommend. As a children's story it has some interesting themes of animal experimentation (although not portrayed as a terrible thing in the book), stealing, civilization, and the power of knowledge. 

I decided after finishing the book that I should watch the movie again. I own it so after the Boston/Tampa Bay game I popped in the DVD. And about halfway through I knew it was a mistake. The film is awful. Seriously terrible in comparison to the book. The book offers a more realistic view of the rats, a realistic view of the other animals, and the biggest difference there is no magic. If you remember the mouse's home is finally moved by Mrs. Brisby using the "sparkly" that Nicodemus gave her. In the book there is no magic amulet. There is no annoying crow character. The character of Jeremy, the crow is wise and sensible, except when it comes to shiny things. 

The character of Mrs. Frisby is also very different from the character of Mrs. Brisby. The character in the book is driven to heroics. She may not be the bravest mouse but she knows what she has to do and does it. She thinks constantly of her children and uses her worry for Timothy as a strength. The character in the movie is instead simpering, afraid, and pushed into situations. She is not brave and seems very helpless. She is often pleading for help. The character in the book helps herself and often attempts to help the rats. 

The plot between the book and the movie shares some common elements but the majority of it is different. There is no Jenner looking to overthrow the rats society. Jenner and his comrades have left the colony a while ago and do not return in the book. This drama between Nicodemus and Jenner makes up the majority of the second half of the film. The plan to leave the rosebush is similar but the thought that has gone into it is different. The book goes more into the history of the rats after they escape from NIMH and how they started using tools. And the end is tragic and wonderful at the same time. 

I was shocked and saddened watching this movie. The book is a treasure and the movie turned it into a slapstick comedy and a magical fantasy. I actually came away thinking that maybe the movie shouldn't have been made. This is unusual. Normally the first version of something tends to be my favorite. For books and movies, if I see the movie first I normally like the book and movie equally. If I read the book first it is always better. One of these years I'll remember to just read the book. 

Venting

I'm cranky this morning so bear with me. I'm trying to decide if hitting my neighbor would be worth the jail time. I'm getting close to saying that it is. I live in a very quiet neighborhood and love it for that reason. I'm surrounded with single middle-aged women who keep their places up and go to bed at a decent hour. I'm surrounded by trees and a creek and I'm still in the city enough to make the commute good. 

The women in my neighborhood are great. The young man across the street though makes me think that homicide should be justifiable. I'll just say that I'm cranky this morning because I'm living on three and a half hours of sleep. His party started yesterday morning at about 11 a.m.. My rule is that there is no problem with parties during daylight hours or during the early evening. I finally went out there at 3:30 a.m. (yes 15 hours later) to tell them to take it inside the house. They were sitting out on the porch with music going, talking and laughing. I was polite saying that they needed to either wrap up or take it inside and close the windows. I told him that I had my windows closed and still couldn't sleep. He informed me that it was his property and that they could talk although he would try to keep it down. I informed him that if I felt that I had to come out there again I would simply call the cops and they could handle it. Needless to say he's not my favorite person today. It seriously makes me think that moving might not be that bad. 

Sorry just had to vent.

David Sedaris!!!!

There are a couple modern authors who I absolutely adore. These are the people who I will read everything they write. I pick up their new book before the reviews even start coming out. David Sedaris is one of those people. His writing is full of clever autobiographical stories that can manage to be both funny and touching at the same time. 

So when my little sister said let's go see David when he comes to Des Moines I jumped at the chance. She bought tickets for herself, me, my older sister, and my mom. It would be a girls night. I was geeking out all day thinking about getting a chance to see him. Now I've seen plenty of published writers read their work but no one that I absolutely adored as much as David Sedaris.  Since I was already downtown I walked over to the restaurant we were going to, Azalea. Mmmmm. This place was fantastic. I had the lamb with pumpkin orzo and it made me weak in the knees it was so good. 

We got to the Civic Center to find David already signing books in front. I stopped by to have my copy of "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" signed before the show but they were no longer letting people into the line since the show was starting soon. 

David came out to a quiet stage to read a chapter from his new book "Engulfed in Flames". It was  great story covering three very different train trips he had taken. The audience was laughing hard. I was alternating between laughing and gasping. It's tough to sit next to your mother when the writer is telling some off-color jokes (part of the story). 

His next story was a piece he had just written recently about his book tour. Some parts were so funny that I had tears rolling down my cheeks. Everyone in the audience was in stitches. David read a section from someone else's book, an author he was promoting that was hilarious. I'm going to have to pick up the book. After reading sections from his journal he opened it up to questions and was done. It was the largest applause I've ever heard for a writer and he deserved it. I had expected him to be shyer, or perhaps just stumble more. He was charming. 

After the reading I lined up with the hundreds of people waiting to have their book signed. It was a seriously long line and a slow moving one. David spent time with everyone in that line. He asked questions about them, told stories, and generally was sweet. I stepped into line at about 9 when the performance ended. I texted Jeff to say that I would be home by 10:45. 

As I stood in line I alternated between reading and thinking up witty and clever things to say when it was my turn. I ran  through a ton of different things that needed to be said. Like "I love your work and thank you for writing." "You have such a wonderful voice in your stories." "Please be my mentor" (throwing myself on my knees). All of these things passed through my mind in the two hours I was in line. (yep you read that right. And I wasn't even the end of the line) 

So when it was finally my turn I walked up. I had my name written on a piece of paper for him. He made a comment about my name, which I failed to follow up on. All of my best laid plans were gone. I stumbled, mumbling about how his hand had to hurt. He assured me he was fine. He drew me a funny cat inside my book, which is actually a very decent drawing. I answered questions about having a cat and what its name was. And then I stood there blankly, all thought out the window. I was a total fangirl, tongue tied and sweating. I politely thanked him, gathered my book and walked away. It was then of course that I remembered everything I had wanted to say. Things like "Thank you for writing. These stories are wonderful, touching but funny", "I've read all your books", or even "Great performance, you had tears rolling down my face". But all I said was that his hand must hurt, that he drew a better cat than I did, that I had a cat, and that I'd come with my sisters and mom. And of course I walked away thinking what a huge dork I am. Do you ever wish you could rewind time? 

The Conch Republic

In the olden days Key West was the home of writers, pirates, divers, and artists. Strangely enough little has changed. Key West is an interesting mix of beautiful and tacky. When we stepped off Enchantment of the Seas we wandered into a sanitized tourist area selling ice cream, t-shirts, and cheap magnets. We skipped this area quickly. I would learn that those are standard areas wherever the boats dock. The first thing you see as you leave the dock area is this building. Once used as a customs house, this beautiful building is now used as an art museum. 

Yes the sculpture in front is several naked women dancing around a clothed young man laying on the ground. Jeff described it as every young boys fantasy. 

The main street on the island is Duval Street. The street is lined with houses, beautiful restaurants, tacky bars, ritzy art shops, and shops selling crude t-shirts. Duval is the party street of Key West with a couple beautiful spots mixed in. This bar called Willie T's was on Duval Street. Patrons leave dollar bills on the walls, ceiling, and even trees. 

One of the things I was not prepared for in Key West was the chickens. There are chickens everywhere and they walk around completely free. Here is a very large rooster wandering around the main streets of Key West. This is actually one of the parts I really enjoyed about Key West. 

One of the things that every tourist has to do in Key West is to take pictures at the Southernmost point. This marks the southernmost point in the continental U.S.. We were no exception. It is surrounded by three homes which claim to be the southernmost house. 

I didn't get any picture of Hemingway's house, which is a major tourist destination. Or any of the famous light house in Key West. But I did get these two last pictures. The first is some fun graffiti I found on a street corner. 

And the last is my favorite sign. Danger Falling Coconuts. 

Losing my Sea Legs

If there was ever an indication that I should have been a sailor it is this. Two days after getting back and I'm still trying to lose my sea legs. My head is still very much "at sea". Sadly not figuratively. Literally. When I sit for any length of time I can feel the ship rock and move beneath me. A pleasant feeling when you are at sea. A little more disconcerting when sitting at my desk at work. My body is clearly geared towards being at sea. The little bits I read on this say it is normally and hopefully should go away within the week. Until then I'll be bobbing along with the tides.

The trip was wonderful. I absolutely loved the boat and being at sea. Here is a picture of the front of the boat. To fully capture the length of the boat took four pictures. When people tell you these boats are huge they mean it. See how much it dwarfs the building to the right.

We started the trip in Fort Lauderdale. Of all the places we went to this was the most beautiful. We stayed in one of the oldest hotels in the city, Riverside Hotel, which is along Las Olas Boulevard. The boulevard is full of wonderful shops and restaurants. It is very much the trendy spot for the city. Here is the hotel and a little of Las Olas.

The first night Jeff and I walked all the way down to the beach (about 2.5 miles) and back along Las Olas. As you get closer to the beach, the street becomes broken up by canals. There are mansions everywhere and the yachts get bigger and bigger. The street ends at A1A, a scenic byway along the beach made famous by none other than Vanilla Ice. (yes I know the lyrics to Ice Ice Baby)

For the first time in my life I got to wade in the Atlantic Ocean. Here is a picture of Jeff down on A1A.

We mostly bummed around Fort Lauderdale and ate at some fantastic restaurants. We ate outside everywhere we could. One lunch we had included a one footed pigeon who stole french fries right off Jeff's plate. We ate breakfast at a little place call Le Bonne Crepe which had wonderful scrambled eggs with whatever you wanted mixed in. This was my first experience with dogs joining their masters for outdoor dining. I guess that is pretty typical down there. You eat outside and the dog sits at your feet. Something that wouldn't fly up here.

The next day we wandered the other way up Las Olas and ended up at the Science Museum. We got there around opening time so Jeff and I were able to play with the hands-on gadgets, something we don't normally get to do. Here I am trying to create big bubbles.

The animal section of the science museum made me sad though. There was a terrified looking possum with no where to hide. The hardest part was a strange looking fish in a tank with two lobsters. It looked like they had been cutting little chunks out of his face. The volunteer told us he had some sort of fungal infection and had been quarentined. He seemed to plead with us to let him out. It was really hard. The rock exhibit they had was breathtaking though. Malachites, calcites, and quartzes that were colorful and good specimens. Jeff and I were the only ones looking at them. As the afternoon went on, the museum filled and we had to leave. The noise was deafening. I felt bad for both the animals and workers.

The next day we boarded the boat. I can't even begin to describe how huge this boat is. 11 floors of ship and about 2 football fields in length and you still would probably underestimate the size. And it was beautiful. Marble and tile and mirrors and glass. I had heard it described as a floating resort and that matched well. The staterooms were small but well fitted. There was more than enough storage for the two gigantic suitcases we had. The main dining room was opulant and the centrum (grand atrium) was for lack of a better word grand. The solarium (adults only pool) was quiet and still and spa-like. I spent a good chunk of time reading there.

I'll spend some time in my next post talking about Key West and Cozumel. I'm at work but I wanted to get back to blogging. This last week was strange. I didn't have access to the internet or even any real news. It was a complete disconnect. I read two books on vacation and wrote more than I have in the last year. I'll post more on each later. I have reviews to do and more.

{Edit: other pictures will be loaded this evening, after I get home.}

Light at the end

There is a light at the end of my work tunnel and I'm pretty sure it is not a train. Things have been very busy here. I've been working more overtime in the last four weeks then I worked all last year. And I'm finally almost done. Just in time for this trip. I spent most of the evening packing after getting back from dinner with my parents. They came back from London today and we head out tomorrow. Bon Voyage. 

Things have not been slow though this week. My car melted down, requiring a total rebuilding of the engine. Needless to say I was not excited. The car was apparently burning oil. About three weeks ago my car had been making all sorts of terrible noises. I drove it to work and back but kept waiting for it to breakdown. I got home and checked the oil level to find that there was not a drop left in the engine. I added oil and took it in. I guess my piston rings have been sticking and my car has been secretly burning its oil. I learned the rebuilding an engine is not quick or cheap. Ow. 

On Sunday I ran errand and ended up getting a disastrous haircut that my sisters made into something cute. I'll try to post pictures. It's far far shorter then I've ever gone. On a strange positive I now own barrettes and headbands. Who would of thought that I could be a girly girl? 

I did a rather large presentation at a professional developers conference this morning. I'm not much of a public speaker so this thing has been keeping me up nights recently. It went fine and for a moment I had the impression that I might actually be okay at this job. Or at least can fake that I know what I'm talking about. 

Sadly I have done no reading or writing in the last three weeks. I even have a stack of magazines that I haven't had time to read. I have three books I'll be taking with me on this trip and hope to read at least two while I'm there. I'll have pictures and stories when I get back. Right now I'm just tired. Thanks for your patience with me. I'll be back to regular posting in about a week. Until then, take care. 

To tide you over

My life recently has revolved around work, work, and sadly more work. Lately I've been working 12 hour days and have zero time for any real thought much less a blog post. If it wasn't for dinner I would never see Jeff. So these are just some images and maybe a video of mine to tide you over until I am rational again. Until then, thanks for reading. I'll try to put up some new images daily until the weekend. 

First up is a conch. We toured the world's only conch farm when we were down in Turks and Caicos. The islands were just hit with Hurricane Gustav and suffered some serious damage. Hopefully everyone down there is okay. The scary thing about this picture is that people actually eat these things. 

Down in St. Louis there is a park called Turtle Park. Can you tell why? This is Jeff and my brother Dave after they have conquered one of the larger turtles. There were about 20 statutes spread throughout the park. 

This is one of my favorite pictures from a trip my dad, my sister and I took down to Bull Shoals, Arkansas for a scuba diving trip. This is what a dive trip can look like after all the diving is done. Also a great picture of the three of us in wetsuits (sorry guys) 

And lastly, as Jon Stewart would say, your moment of zen. Here is a gorgeous and delicious looking chocolate fountain at the Bellagio in Vegas. This was a two story fountain with three different types of chocolate. Sadly no tasting. 

I have not fallen off the face of the earth

Although lately it feels like it. I have been bad about blogging, not even logging in all weekend. In fact, I didn't even check my email this weekend. Instead I worked. A good chunk of the weekend. These last three weeks at work have been very busy. I have more projects than I know what to do with. Normally I don't have to work on the weekend but this was an exception. I'll work next weekend as well. Why? Because I'm sailing off into the sunset. In two weeks. So I have to pay my dues now. 

When I finished my Masters, Jeff asked me what I wanted as a gift. I said that I wanted a cruise. I've always wanted to take a cruise. As I've mentioned before I'm pretty sure I was a pirate or a sailor in my previous life. I love the ocean and I particularly love boats. The thought of being miles from shore on a boat makes me incredibly excited. Now add a 24 hour buffet and two of the most beautiful ports I could imagine and you can sense my excitement. 

This trip has been a year and a half in the making. We have had it booked since December. I read more about cruise ships in that time then I did for my final papers in school. I wanted to make the right choice. We're sailing on Royal Caribbean and I think we did pretty well. I'm stopping in Key West, to see Hemingway's home. In Cozumel for snorkeling and shopping. And Belize for the jungles and Mayan ruins. 

But mostly I'm just excited to be out at sea. Ever since I was young I wanted to learn to sail. I have a dream of owning a boat and sailing the Caribbean on a live aboard. And for the first time I get a chance to go to bed completely surrounded by water and wake up the same way. We no longer believed that the world is flat but I would love to think I'm sailing to the ends of the earth. Or at least the ends of the Caribbean. 

By the way, this will be our home in two weeks. Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas. Can anyone say floating resort? (again a "borrowed picture". I'll have some of my own when I come back.)

Book Sales

I'm a sucker for a book sale. Even places like Half Price Books make me lose all self control and go mad. I often bring in books to sell and end up spending far more than I get back. So I am incredibly excited for this weekend. The annual Planned Parenthood Book Sale is going on at the state fairgrounds. Imagine hundreds of tables stretching across rooms, stacked four to five books deep. Now imagine that all those books sell for $2.00 or less. Cheap paperbacks upstairs will sell for $.25 each. 

Here is an image stolen from the Planned Parenthood site of this year's tables. 

Last year I bought so many books that they had to find boxes for me to take them home in. I tend to leave $40 short with a stiff neck from looking over hundreds of tables. All the money goes to a great cause, Planned Parenthood so I tend to spend liberally. I've even volunteered in years past to help unbox books for the sale. So I know exactly where I will be this weekend. For anyone in Des Moines who reads regularly, make sure you get out there. Hundreds of thousands of books for prices so small it's almost stealing. 

There is another book sale going on this weekend but this one I'm not so excited about. My sister has long been with Borders/Waldenbooks. She is currently the store manager at the Waldenbooks at one of our malls. Last night I got a text message from her letting me know that the store will be closing. My sister will be unemployed by the end of the month. She called me today to let me know that everything in the store is 40-50% off. Somehow I'm having trouble getting excited about this particular sale. I'm sad to think that the faster the books go, the shorter time she has. I have traditionally ordered all my books through her. She just ordered me the new Adam Rex picture book. 

My sister has done well with the company and the hope is that they will transfer her to a different store. But who knows where that store will be. I know that she'll find something, she's very smart, but I worry how long it will take. Two of my neighbors have been unemployed, one for quite a while, the other for over two months now. So I'm learning not to complain about my job. It pays me well and right now I have more job security than I know what to do with. 

Book Review: The Lightning Thief

Last week or so I posted a blog post about how my nephew had asked me what books I was reading. I mentioned that he had made a recommendation himself. What he recommended was The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. So of course I had to read it. And I'm so happy I did.

The premise is so familiar. A young boy finds out that he is not like the other kids in his class. He is magical. He is taken away to a special place to be trained in his abilities. I know what you're thinking. I've read this story before. But you haven't. Percy Jackson, the main character, is not magical and he is certainly not Harry Potter. Instead he's a demigod. The story goes that the Greek gods are still living and have moved to America, they tend to live in the most powerful western nation. The gods are up to their old ways, controlling the weather, creating wars, and seducing humans to create offspring. Percy is a son of one of the gods. (I won't tell you which one but it's pretty easy to figure out.)

He is taken to Half Blood Hill, a summer camp for demigods, to learn about his powers and to keep him safe from the monsters that are trying to kill him. (think Medusa, Minotaur...) At the camp he is surrounded by others like him. The camp is really set up interestingly and the book is well worth reading for the descriptions of the camp and the way the god's children reflect their tendencies. Athena's children are smart and excellent strategists, Hermes children are fast, and Ares children tend to be boorish and violent.

But Percy doesn't stay at camp long. War is breaking out between the gods and only he can stop it. With the help of a clumsy satyr and a child of Athena, Percy sets out to the west coast, battling monsters to stop the war. The references to Greek mythology are wonderful and very entertaining for adults. I'm not sure how young adults will view this if they are not familiar with some of the stories. I will say that having the background knowledge does actually make the story a little less suprising. The discovery that one person is a monster has been hinted at so much that it was well known to me. But for young adults and children these may still be surprises. And perhaps the prior knowledge helps with the suspense.

Many people have discussed how the series (there are several Percy Jackson books) are like the Harry Potter series. There are some similiarities to the Harry Potter series. Percy is a gifted student who often acts in a way that would get other kids in trouble. He is insulent to the gods and has an almost fearlessness in the face of danger. (He tells Hades off. That takes guts) His companions include a helpless, always hungry satyr Grover who tends to mess up regularly and a brilliant girl who also has the power of invisibility.

But this is a very different series with a very different tone. The Lightning Thief has a much lighter tone than the Harry Potter series and is willing to play a bit more between regular people and the god world. While Harry is confined almost completely to the magical world (after the first 40 pages) Percy must interact with the populus. Percy has a human family as well. His mother, who Percy adores, has protected him over the years by sending him to private schools, which he flunks out of. His stepfather is a terrible man who Percy can't stand. The dynamics between the three of them are almost painful. Not because they are not well written but because I has seen families like this.

I actually learned quite a bit of mythology through this first book. The depictions are hilarious. I adored the depictions of Charon (who ferries souls across the river Styx) and Cerberus. And with chapter titles like "Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death" and "I Become Supreme Ruler of the Bathroom" this is much lighter more fun book. While the book is listed for young adults I found it just as enjoyable, perhaps more, than any child could. This is such an entertaining book I might break my rule about series and read the next one.

Art?

I went out walking this afternoon in a little park down by the Des Moines Art Center. A friend and I wandered through the deer trails in the woods and then I sat up in the rose garden and watched the birds. And I saw a lot of art. Now the Art Center wasn't open but that doesn't mean the art is just in the building. 

Like this interesting wood sculpture that someone left deep in the woods. 

Or this more organic mud and paper sculpture. (really a hornet's nest) 

When I got to the Rose Garden I found some beautiful roses. 

And an Andy Goldsworthy sculpture. This one is what most people would consider art. This is actually a very interesting piece. There are two others just like it. One in Scotland, one in California, and this one. There are actually three hollowed out areas surrounding the cairn. But there were a ton of little children playing on them so I snuck what pictures I could. 

Then I found these more modern sculptures on the way out. Really just graffiti but at least intelligent graffiti. 

Book Review: Neuromancer

Two decades ago when I was 12 my brother brought home a role playing game called Shadowrun. We looked over the pictures, read the rules, and started playing. Ten years later I was still playing on a regular basis. For most of my high school and college years, family time meant play time as we ran the shadows with my brother as Gamemaster. I started my own groups and ran campaigns for them. I loved this game. My first character, a shaman, was invincible until he encountered a dragon. I cried when he died. The game allows you to play a shadowrunner, a criminal just trying to scrap by on the streets. The players are hired by corporations and other criminals to pull jobs. 

The ownership of the game has changed a couple of times and the rules have changed for the worse. I still play old rules occasionally when I can get a group together. So it is surprising that all through these last two decades that I haven't picked up William Gibson's Neuromancer. The book was the inspiration for the game. Most of the terminology is taken directly from the story. Gibson is credited with the creation of the word Cyberspace. It is a book that mixes technology and crime into an exciting thriller. 

Gibson himself hated that his book was linked to the Shadowrun game. I read an interview with him where he states how upset he was by the use of his material. But it is not for the copyright issues that you are thinking of. Shadowrun offers the players a choice of playing a human or a metahuman (elf, dwarf, orc...) Gibson was upset by the fact that these species existed in the game. He felt that it trivialized the work. The game also includes the return of magic to the world. Something that Gibson never included in his book.  

The book follows Case, a Matrix cowboy. Case is one of the best computer hackers in the Sprawl. He enters the Matrix, a construct for cyberspace to battle ICE (security measure) to access corporate or personal information. When the book begins his mind has been blown after he tries to steal from his employer. He turns to ordinary crime until he is offered a cure and a job he can't refuse. He works with Molly, a street samurai who has more metal than flesh. She has been cybernetically augmented until she is a killing machine. Both of these characters are archetypes in the game. 

The action is tense and the world is well described. Gibson wrote the book in 1984 and set it in the not too distant future. It is even possible to see some of the technology he discusses. The characters, including the AI, are interesting and flawed. It makes for exciting reading. Gibson is not very good at explaining his terms and for the first part of the book that is a bit confusing. The book throws you into the world and makes no exceptions. The reader must either keep pace with the changed world or the book will make no sense. This was an exciting book that climaxes in a startling mix of violence, compassion, technology, and strangeness. It is definately recommended. Then after you are done pick up Shadowrun, preferably 2nd or 3rd edition and start playing. Gibson may not approve but you are sure to have a lot of fun. 

Forgetting to breath and handmade pages

This is two blog posts in one because it has been a rough two day stretch for me. I've been forgetting to breath. Not literally but I've been so stressed recently that I have been at people's throats. I also haven't been sleeping which is odd. Normally I close my eyes and am out like a light. Although I used to think I was a deep sleeper until I met Jeff. He literally slept through our smoke alarm one night. 

I finally finished my application for the Minneapolis job but that had been weighing on my mind a lot. I know that it is not due until the beginning of October but I hate job applications enough that they severely stress me out. I have a project at work that is half a month overdue (bad Cat) and a presentation to write that I have to deliver at the end of the month. That is the one that is stressing me out the most. I hate public speaking. When they called asking me if I would do these hour-long sessions I was so flattered that I said yes. Then I actually thought about what they were asking. Now I'm terrified. My least favorite part is that my hands sweat and the moment I am done speaking I will have no idea what I just said. Bleh. 

So to make up for all this negative energy I decided to post some of my favorite pages. The British Library has a segment of their website called Turning the Pages. This beautiful area includes a number of books that have been scanned into the system and allow readers to turn the pages of their favorite books to see the wonderful illustrations or handwritten notes. These are the original works created by the author. My favorite has to be the Alice in Wonderland that is handwritten with little images of Alice and the characters. 

The main site is http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html. Be warned, to see the pages you will need to have Shockwave installed on your computer. But the images are worth it. Here is an example of a page, written in Lewis Carroll's handwriting with one of his drawings. I love this kind of thing. Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite books and it is wonderful to get to see it as Carroll wrote it. 

I have also added a screenshot of the Elizabeth Blackwell's Herbal. This beautiful book includes hand-drawn illustration of plants along with their medicinal uses. The book was published in 1737 and was written to pay off Blackwell's husbands debts and free him from debtors prison. It was unheard of for a woman at that time to write, particularly something of a serious natural text. These are just two examples of the books available for your perusal. I would easily recommend checking out the site. It includes images from Leonardo Di Vinci's notebooks, The Diamond Sutra (the oldest book in the world A.D. 868), the first full atlas (done in the 1500s), and many others. Shockwave is free so that shouldn't stop you. 

So Have You Read Anything Good Recently?

I get this question a lot. Since I tend to read a lot many people ask me what I've been reading recently and whether I would recommend it. In turn I ask the question a lot. I love book suggestions which is a good thing and a bad thing. The good part is that I get a number of great books to read next. The bad part is the fact that I can hardly keep up with the stacks of books that I want to read. 

But most recently I was asked this question by the most unlikely of sources. I had just joined my brother and his children for dinner at their favorite restaurant, Cosi Cucina. I sat down ordered a glass of wine and my 12 year old nephew turns to me and asks me what I'm reading. I literally dropped the menu. That is not a question that typically comes out of a 12 year olds' mouth. And he actually wanted to know. He was looking for book recommendations. And then he had one of his own. 

This kid reads everything he can get his hands on. And I'm so proud. He is working his way through books that are well above his level. He'll be starting the Tolkein trilogy soon. He's already worked his way through the Hobbit. When I think back I don't think even I was reading at this level. 

I just had to share this. I was shocked. I was awed. I hope he one day reads this and realizes how impressed I was with this question. Until then he and I will continue to trade book ideas. He has a lot to teach me.