I just finished Wil Wheaton's book The Happiest Days of Our Lives, tonight after dinner. It's a quick read, considering I started on Sunday after my last post, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It consists of a selection of stories he's told on his blog, ranging from growing up in 70's and 80's California as a geek in the making, to anecdotes about his stepchildren as an adult. I think it's hard to do it justice in a short description, but if you're a fan of his blog, it's definitely worth a read. My only real criticism is that it doesn't work well as a stand-alone work in the same way that Just a Geek did (which I discuss here), so somebody who didn't know much about him already (or only knew him from his film and TV work) probably wouldn't get as much out of it. It works best as a follow-up to Just a Geek or a companion to the blog, and I think someone who reads it with that intent will find it very entertaining. Wheaton definitely has a gift for writing and mood, whether it be touching, introspective, humorous, or just plain crazy.
One of these days, I need to read his first book, Dancing Barefoot, which I haven't gotten to yet. If it as good as the two of his that I have read, though, I'm sure I'll love it.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
What I'm Reading
I've had a lot going on recently that has distracted me from the blog, but I figured it was time to share what I've been reading over the past few weeks, since the first time I did that was a couple of years ago. So, here you go:
Get Capone, by Jonathan Eig. A nonfiction book about Al Capone's rise to power in 1920's and 30's Chicago, and the attempts by the government to take him down. I found the depictions of the Chicago of that era to be very interesting, and the next time I'm there, I'd like to visit more of the major landmarks and establishments from that time period. A little slow in parts, but quite thoroughly researched and documented, and a book I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in the subject matter.
Mysteries of the Middle Ages, by Thomas Cahill. I'm only partway through this, but I'm not sure where the "mysteries" in this book are, as it mostly discusses important personalities of the time period and how certain institutions and concepts (universities, courtly love, the emergence of reason, etc.) came to be. But even though I don't think the title is all that accurate, it is still a well-written and highly entertaining book. I haven't read anything by Cahill before and don't know much about him as a result, but if his other history works are as clever and engrossing as this one, I will certainly give them a try.
The Dogs of War, by Frederick Forsyth. I've been on a nonfiction kick lately, but I did get a chance to read this novel about mercenaries in Africa as well. Drawing heavily (very, very heavily) on his experiences in Nigeria during the Biafra conflict, Forsyth's novel is unique in how much detail he puts into it, separating it from novels with similar subject matter. The characterization isn't always very strong, and the major characters can be borderline cliched, but it was still a highly entertaining novel and made me want to check out some of his others, such as The Day of the Jackal.
I have other books "on deck" as well, the first of which is The Happiest Days of Our Lives, the most recent one from Wil Wheaton.
Get Capone, by Jonathan Eig. A nonfiction book about Al Capone's rise to power in 1920's and 30's Chicago, and the attempts by the government to take him down. I found the depictions of the Chicago of that era to be very interesting, and the next time I'm there, I'd like to visit more of the major landmarks and establishments from that time period. A little slow in parts, but quite thoroughly researched and documented, and a book I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in the subject matter.
Mysteries of the Middle Ages, by Thomas Cahill. I'm only partway through this, but I'm not sure where the "mysteries" in this book are, as it mostly discusses important personalities of the time period and how certain institutions and concepts (universities, courtly love, the emergence of reason, etc.) came to be. But even though I don't think the title is all that accurate, it is still a well-written and highly entertaining book. I haven't read anything by Cahill before and don't know much about him as a result, but if his other history works are as clever and engrossing as this one, I will certainly give them a try.
The Dogs of War, by Frederick Forsyth. I've been on a nonfiction kick lately, but I did get a chance to read this novel about mercenaries in Africa as well. Drawing heavily (very, very heavily) on his experiences in Nigeria during the Biafra conflict, Forsyth's novel is unique in how much detail he puts into it, separating it from novels with similar subject matter. The characterization isn't always very strong, and the major characters can be borderline cliched, but it was still a highly entertaining novel and made me want to check out some of his others, such as The Day of the Jackal.
I have other books "on deck" as well, the first of which is The Happiest Days of Our Lives, the most recent one from Wil Wheaton.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Weekend Update
As I mentioned in my last post, I was out of town for part of the holiday weekend at a friend's cabin. It was a lot of fun, and I've changed my mind from my earlier post where I wasn't sure of the appeal of cabins. Having experienced it, at least for a little while, I can see why people have them and like spending time at them. Sitting on the dock in the evening, relaxing and chatting with friends, ad hoc games of volleyball and ladderball, smores -- I totally get it now. Even the downsides like hot weather and bugs aren't enough to negate all the fun and good times.
This weekend has been spent watching the conclusion of the World Cup, spending quality time with my pets, and doing some cleaning and organizing around the house while listening to DVDs in the background (so far, Jonathan Coulton's Best. Concert. Ever. and the commentary tracks to Ocean's Eleven). I have a short week at work due to taking Friday off, so I expect to be quite busy for the next several days, especially when combined with a couple of other commitments in the evenings. So maybe I shouldn't work too hard after all.
This weekend has been spent watching the conclusion of the World Cup, spending quality time with my pets, and doing some cleaning and organizing around the house while listening to DVDs in the background (so far, Jonathan Coulton's Best. Concert. Ever. and the commentary tracks to Ocean's Eleven). I have a short week at work due to taking Friday off, so I expect to be quite busy for the next several days, especially when combined with a couple of other commitments in the evenings. So maybe I shouldn't work too hard after all.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The 4th of July
I'm heading out to a friend's cabin soon (ironic, I know, given my earlier post) to hang out, shoot off fireworks, and enjoy being outside. I've been looking forward to it all week. I don't get out of town very often, so I like to take advantage of these opportunities when I get them.
Have a fun, safe, and relaxing Fourth of July!
Have a fun, safe, and relaxing Fourth of July!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The World Cup
I'm not as into the World Cup as some people, but I've been watching the games when I've had the chance and checking the scores online the rest of the time. I'm enjoying it, even though I certainly don't know much about soccer (yeah, I know everyone else calls it football).
Since I only have the very basic cable package (i.e. no ESPN), and because ABC only has shown the games that have been on weekend afternoons so far, this means that I've been watching them on Univision much of the time. Even though I don't speak Spanish, and captioning doesn't seem to be available, it's still quite entertaining to watch. For one thing, the sportscasters are much more animated and energetic than the ones on ABC, which is an acceptable tradeoff for me in the absence of being able to better understand the action.
There's long been a stigma in the U.S. (though I think it is going away) that soccer is boring because scoring is so infrequent. I don't see why that is, and I've not found the games boring at all, save maybe for the blowout against North Korea. Hockey games, for example, don't always have more goals scored than your average soccer game.
I think that the World Cup and soccer in general will continue to get more popular in the U.S. as time goes on. Perhaps some day one of the major networks will give it the wall-to-wall coverage that Univision gives it now. Assuming, of course, that Univison doesn't become one of the de facto major networks. Which, to be honest, would be kind of cool.
Since I only have the very basic cable package (i.e. no ESPN), and because ABC only has shown the games that have been on weekend afternoons so far, this means that I've been watching them on Univision much of the time. Even though I don't speak Spanish, and captioning doesn't seem to be available, it's still quite entertaining to watch. For one thing, the sportscasters are much more animated and energetic than the ones on ABC, which is an acceptable tradeoff for me in the absence of being able to better understand the action.
There's long been a stigma in the U.S. (though I think it is going away) that soccer is boring because scoring is so infrequent. I don't see why that is, and I've not found the games boring at all, save maybe for the blowout against North Korea. Hockey games, for example, don't always have more goals scored than your average soccer game.
I think that the World Cup and soccer in general will continue to get more popular in the U.S. as time goes on. Perhaps some day one of the major networks will give it the wall-to-wall coverage that Univision gives it now. Assuming, of course, that Univison doesn't become one of the de facto major networks. Which, to be honest, would be kind of cool.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A Road Not Taken
I've been watching the reruns of Glee ever since Lost ended. It's goofy and cheesy, yes, but it's also very entertaining, and the musical numbers are really well done.
I was in swing and jazz choirs* from eighth grade through my senior year, so I can identify with parts of the show, though it definitely takes a lot of artistic license with what being in and performing in a such a group is actually like. But that's fine; it can do that.
It has also made me think about why I stopped doing it too. I had been in these kinds of groups for five years straight when I finished high school, and of course was in the concert choir on top of that. And then there was the occasional school musical, to say nothing of church youth choir and the summer musicals for that as well. So yeah, singing was a big part of my life, but when I reached college I needed a break from it. I didn't audition for any groups my freshman year, though I thought I might by the time my sophomore year rolled around. However, life and school got in the way, and I never did get involved with vocal music again. The closest I get nowadays is the occasional game of Rock Band at a party. And I can still do great on Expert, too, which shows I still have some ability, I guess.
I do wonder what would have happened if I had stuck with music. I certainly wasn't going to become a professional or anything, but maybe I would still be doing the occasional community theater gig, or not be too shy to get up and do karaoke at a bar. But then, I don't think it's too late for me to get back into it if I really wanted to. Just a good training montage or two, and I'd be ready to go.
* A note on the hierarchy of school music groups. At least when I was in high school, there was definitely a ranking amongst the different types of ensembles. Back then, show choirs were at the bottom, as they were seen as being about flash more than musical susbtance (I don't and didn't agree, of course). Jazz choirs were the next rung up due to the higher need for technical ability and the perceived greater academic legitimacy of the music compared to pop standards and show tunes. At the top were the pure a capella groups, since there's no such thing as an okay a capella group -- if you're not good, you can't do it. Like I said, these aren't my opinions, but it was the consensus at the time.
I was in swing and jazz choirs* from eighth grade through my senior year, so I can identify with parts of the show, though it definitely takes a lot of artistic license with what being in and performing in a such a group is actually like. But that's fine; it can do that.
It has also made me think about why I stopped doing it too. I had been in these kinds of groups for five years straight when I finished high school, and of course was in the concert choir on top of that. And then there was the occasional school musical, to say nothing of church youth choir and the summer musicals for that as well. So yeah, singing was a big part of my life, but when I reached college I needed a break from it. I didn't audition for any groups my freshman year, though I thought I might by the time my sophomore year rolled around. However, life and school got in the way, and I never did get involved with vocal music again. The closest I get nowadays is the occasional game of Rock Band at a party. And I can still do great on Expert, too, which shows I still have some ability, I guess.
I do wonder what would have happened if I had stuck with music. I certainly wasn't going to become a professional or anything, but maybe I would still be doing the occasional community theater gig, or not be too shy to get up and do karaoke at a bar. But then, I don't think it's too late for me to get back into it if I really wanted to. Just a good training montage or two, and I'd be ready to go.
* A note on the hierarchy of school music groups. At least when I was in high school, there was definitely a ranking amongst the different types of ensembles. Back then, show choirs were at the bottom, as they were seen as being about flash more than musical susbtance (I don't and didn't agree, of course). Jazz choirs were the next rung up due to the higher need for technical ability and the perceived greater academic legitimacy of the music compared to pop standards and show tunes. At the top were the pure a capella groups, since there's no such thing as an okay a capella group -- if you're not good, you can't do it. Like I said, these aren't my opinions, but it was the consensus at the time.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The Social Media Experiment, and My Other Blog
Honestly, I really didn't miss Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook when I took a break from them this past weekend. I went from late Friday afternoon to late Sunday afternoon without touching them at all. I was going to try to go until Monday morning, but jumped back on Twitter briefly on Sunday before checking back into all of them on Monday.
Considering how attached I am to Twitter in particular, that was quite an accomplishment for me. I'm on it throughout the day, pretty much from when I wake up to when I go to bed, unless I'm somewhere where checking in is just not feasible. It's nice to know that I can quit if I want to, as they say. And it was definitely good to free up some of that mental space to be able to do and think about other things for a little bit.
Changing direction, I actually posted on my other blog, Hired Minds, last night. It was a very short post, as it was just a quote I am fond of and its attribution, but it was the first time I'd posted since late April, which itself was either the first or second time I'd posted all year. I started that blog after this one as a means to write about life as a temp, contractor, consultant, or whatever you want to call workers who are "hired guns" (I actually wanted to name the blog that at first, but changed my mind) who work at a company, but are not of it. For a while I was pretty good about updating it, but I stopped after a while. I think it was going permanent last year that did it; that and being much busier with schoolwork this past academic year than I was the previous year. But I have not said all that I want to on the topic, so I am making yet another go at it.
Considering how attached I am to Twitter in particular, that was quite an accomplishment for me. I'm on it throughout the day, pretty much from when I wake up to when I go to bed, unless I'm somewhere where checking in is just not feasible. It's nice to know that I can quit if I want to, as they say. And it was definitely good to free up some of that mental space to be able to do and think about other things for a little bit.
Changing direction, I actually posted on my other blog, Hired Minds, last night. It was a very short post, as it was just a quote I am fond of and its attribution, but it was the first time I'd posted since late April, which itself was either the first or second time I'd posted all year. I started that blog after this one as a means to write about life as a temp, contractor, consultant, or whatever you want to call workers who are "hired guns" (I actually wanted to name the blog that at first, but changed my mind) who work at a company, but are not of it. For a while I was pretty good about updating it, but I stopped after a while. I think it was going permanent last year that did it; that and being much busier with schoolwork this past academic year than I was the previous year. But I have not said all that I want to on the topic, so I am making yet another go at it.
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