book review - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Just (like 5 minutes ago) finished reading The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and I loved it, great story. It's considered juvenile fiction and is in large part inspired by Kipling's The Jungle Book but instead of a boy raised by wolves, instructed by bears and watched over by a panther it's the story of a boy raised by ghosts, instructed by both ghosts and a werewolf and watched over by a vampire. The story moves along at a good pace and probably is pretty good for kids (and adults that still like kid lit.), I'm going to try and get my middle children to read it. In an interesting, to me at least, side note Gaiman thanks Audrey Niffenegger in his acknowledgments, Niffenegger is the author of The Time Traveler's Wife which is the last non-Gaiman book I've read. I find little coincidences like that fascinating. 

book/movie review - Stardust

I read Stardust by Neil Gaiman earlier this week in my on going attempt to read all things Gaiman. It's a short, to the point fairy tale. It's an interesting story that I'm sure could have been expanded and made into a longer novel or even a series of novels, but that wasn't the point of Stardust. Gaiman, I believe, set out to right a fairy tale and that's just what he did, complete with unicorns and witches and fairies and marauding princes. There was an interesting speech that Gaiman had given included at the end of this edition about Neil's view on the power of fairy tales and on how fairy tales had originally been intended for adult audiences but when they lost their popularity they were moved to the 'nursery'. This book is set up like a kids chapter book, 10 chapters and an epilogue,  with each chapter telling an important part of the story and moving the plot along at an very fast past. It's a 'kids' book for adults. I did enjoy this story but I felt that perhaps it was Gaiman's expert fantasy weaving that saved it from being a contrite, predictable story. So good, quick read but not an American Gods or Anansi Boys. On an related note I watched the movie, I feel I should say inspired by instead of based on, this book this week also. I know when a film maker takes a story they use it to tell a story of their own and perhaps had I waited a while between reading and watching I wouldn't have compared so much but there were some things I just couldn't figure out why they felt needed changing. The movie was okay, had I not just read the book I might hold it in higher opinion but I can't help but think it would have been better without the big name stars hogging up the screen time. The story should be about the story not about how often you can show Robert DeNiro or Michelle Pfeiffer. I can't quite make up my mind though which ending I like better, the movies happily ever after or the books more realistic (within the realm of fantasy that is to say) one.

The Time Traveler's Wife - a book reivew.

This is about the third time I've tried to write this, first on a facebook book site that I couldn't get to work and then here on my blog but I tried to get technical and thorough and couldn't concentrate and got very aggravated with myself and gave up. So here is a quick and easy review of The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I wanted to read this book because it had garnered lots of accolades and had a neat premise but I really didn't expect a whole lot from it except for a maybe a good love story, I figured it would be a Nicholas Sparksian book and in the end that's pretty much what it was. The beginning of this book however was surprisingly good and I wish it could have carried through to the end. The beginning contains most of the time traveling and it's great how the main characters Clare and Henry meet. Clare is six and Henry in his thirties the first time Clare meets Henry, however Clare and Henry are both in their twenties when Henry first meets Clare. The beginning has lots of the fantasy side of the story as well as lots of foreshadowing of both romance and mayhem to come. Then we get to the middle of the story, which unfortunately is the Achilles heel of many a writer, and the story slows ,way, down. Clare and Henry spend much of the time in sequential time, getting married, trying to conceive, trying to find out what causes Henry's time traveling and basically trying to live a 'normal' life. Once or twice the author goes back and shows Henry coming back to the present from one of the times he spent with Clare in her past and I wish she had done more of this in the middle of the book and perhaps shown more of the future, I think this would have buoyed the middle more. Then we come to the third part of the book that, for the sake of argument, will call the end. I really liked parts of the ending and really disliked parts of it as well. There's plenty of room for tears (and really this is where it gets real Sparksish) but I couldn't get to emotional over it for being aggravated at the writer for taking an interesting story down a maudlin chick-lit path. That being said the ending isn't all bad, there are some redeeming qualities to it as well. When I finished the book and my wife asked me how I liked it, I wasn't real sure how to answer. Finally I said yes, mostly. Would I recommend it? It's got some language and sexual scenes that would keep me from loaning it to my mom or daughter but for my peers I'd say if you'd like a possibly tear jerking love story with an interesting twist , a sort of fantasy chick-lit, then go for it.

You know your getting old when...

You know your getting old when...

• you get up off the couch and your joints loudly crunch and crackle.
• you look at your sons i-tunes and you don't recognize any of the bands. And speaking of i-tunes,
• you have to have your son put music on your i-pod for you. I feel bad now for making fun of my mom when her vcr use to flash 12:00 all the time.
• you've been married for 20 years.
• 7:00 at night is just to late to drive to another town for dinner.
• for your big anniversary you eat left over chicken and watch two episodes of Jeopardy, and you enjoy it.
• you dvr Jeopardy.
• you subscribe to a word-of-the-day email (today's word was guttural).
• you want coffee, with every meal. And finally,
• you start hurting in random places for no apparent reason.

Yep, I'm getting old. But as a lovely older woman I use to work with always said, "It's better than the alternative."

Forget Santa, I'd rather kiss the dog.

 We were at the mall Saturday and there wasn't a line to see Santa and so my two middle boys hopped up onto the jolly old elf's lap. Ben told Santa he wanted wrestlin' stuff for Christmas and when Santa asked what else he wanted he said, 'just wrestlin' stuff.' Then he told Santa he'd been a good boy but that, 'daddy was on the naughty list.' Then Santa asked my 8 yr. old what he wanted and he said, 'a laptop and a cell phone.' At 8! What happened to G.I. Joe and race car tracks? I hope he's not to disappointed on Christmas morning. Then we tried to sit the 'baby' on Santa's lap, he started crimping up real fast and reaching for me, so I got him back right before the water works started. So? Where does the title from this blog come from? Well Saturday evening as we were pulling all the boxes of Christmas decorations out of the storage building the 'baby' was all hugged up on our dog, Danny Boy, and Danny Boy was trying to lick him and I said, 'Look Sam, Danny's trying to kiss you.' Now Sam loves to give kisses and sometimes he'll go back and forth between me and his mom saying 'kiss' and giving us kisses. So I should have know better than to say kiss and dog in the same sentence, but I didn't. So about that time the child that would have nothing whatsoever to do with Santa Claus leans over and kisses the dog square on the mouth. Hence the title, 'Forget Santa, I'd rather kiss the dog.'

Conversation with a 4 year old.

 I picked Ben up from playschool today and we had the following conversation.
"How was school today?"
"I don't like that yogurt."
"What yogurt?"
"That yogurt mommy packed in my bag. She (his teacher) put a note on it, said I don't like it." Sure enough I get home and the gogurt yogurt is still in the bag with a note from his teacher saying he wouldn't eat it.
"Did you play on the playground today?" I asked, knowing it had been raining all day.
"We went to the gym."
"Why didn't you play on the playground?"
"Because it was raining."
"What did you play?"
"I rode a motorcycle and played baketball (sic)."
"You rode a motorcycle!?" I asked with mock-surprise. Sounding a bit exasperated he replied, " A toy one."
Then he really did take me by surprise when he asked, "You know that game where Shaggy is dead?"
"Ah, no."  
"We played that, when Shaggy was dead." O-kay.
"Who were you?"
"Shaggy."
"You were dead?"
"No, Scooby was dead this time." Oh, of course.
"Maybe you should play nicer games." It was worth a shot.
"Nah, we don't wont to."      
"Whose idea was it to play this game?" Please don't let it have been yours, I thought, I really don't need to get notes home from the teacher for this.      
"I was just thinking about it today." Do 4 year olds really sit around and contemplate life and death?
"So it was your idea to play?" Please say no.
"No," yea, "it was Matties."
"Maddie, your sister?"
"No Mattie from school." Whew. So about now I'm thinking I need to change the subject or delve into the hows and whys of this game. I'm not real concerned because I've never know kids that age to be very organized players, Shaggy's dead is probably just a name for tag or something.  Thankfully his young mind thought of something much more important to discuss and as we pulled out on the highway he asked, "Can I have a snack?" Which was followed by another deep discussion on why we didn't have time to stop for a snack because after all it was, "just a snack."

My most favorite day of the year.

   There's a time and a place for everything under heaven, King Solomon wrote it and the Byrds sang it. For the purpose of my blog I say there's a time to be funny, which I often try and do, a time for introspection, a time to create and a time to reflect and with Thanksgiving, my most favorite holiday of them all (only minutes away as I write this) I think now would be as good a time as  any to reflect. I'm going to get a little sentimental and forgive me if I border on maudlin but it's the way I feel when I think of all the wonderful things in my life, there are so many things for me to be thankful for that a comprehensive list would go for days, so I'll just share those closest to my heart.
   I'm so thankful for a mother and father who raised me and loved me, I see and know so many people who didn't and don't have this basic need, two parents who worked to provide all my needs and most of my wants and that worked at their relationship, which was far from perfect, to provide a stable home for me and my sister. I'm thankful for a good job that pays decent and that I don't mind going too. A job that allows me to provide a roof over our heads, that allows us to have a full refrigerator and allows for plenty of life's comforts as well. I'm thankful for my children, as aggravating as they can sometimes be, they cause lots of worry and headache but make up for it with the joy they bring to my life. I'm thankful that they're all still healthy and I hope and pray they stay that way. I'm thankful for friends and family that smile when they see me and seem genuinely happy to see and here from me and, as silly as it is, I'm thankful for those friends and family that take the time to read this little blog. I know sometime tomorrow the question, what are you most thankful for, is going to come up and normally I'm wishy-washy on these kind of things but on this one I don't hesitate. I'm most thankful for my wonderful wife. Rainey has loved me and stood by me through some really difficult times, even through some times when she wished she didn't love me she still stayed right there, strong, the rock that not only our marriage but my whole life leaned upon. She's my cornerstone, holding the edifice of our life plum and square. She's also my best friend, the one I share my feelings, desires and fears with. The one I laugh with most often. She's beautiful and intelligent and I know I'd be lost without her. I'm also thankful that I can see that clearly now, there have been times when I've lost sight of how much we need each other, I hope I never do again. I love you Rainey, happy Thanksgiving. To all my friends, I love you guys, your the best, happy Thanksgiving.
   Now that I've got a little lump in my throat and a tear in the corner of my eye maybe it's time for a little levity. Thanksgiving marks the official start of the Christmas season and the earliest date I'll let myself listen to Christmas songs, so here's one to get ya' started: I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.