In the books section of my Best of 2006 post I said I don't read that many books that come out in a given year.
Well, I just finished The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi, and this is best book of 2006.
It is a stand alone follow up to his 2005 novel Old Man's War, which is also great.
So there. Go read it or know that you missed out on the book Norton G. Francenstien called the best book of the year.
Just so you know, John Scalzi also got the Hugo award for best new author, so you know it's not just me.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Empire and the Bad Book Bug
Even the best of authors can write bad stories.
Orson Scott Card is by far my favorite author, but Empire is bad. Card's writing is great. I have read more than twenty of his novels. I love Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, The Alvin Maker Series, Treasure Box, and Lost Boys. Most everything I have ever read from Card was engrossing and fulfilling.
But not Empire. It is mostly uninteresting. The first two hundred pages are readable, but after that it slows down.
Empire is a new near future work of Science Fiction that has America in the second civil war. After the President is assassinated, the Protagonist Reuben becomes the prime suspect. For good reason too, his assignment for the pentagon had him looking for possible ways to assassinate the President. He quickly realizes that the report he filled has been leaked, and now the leader of the US is dead, as is the Vice President.
The Speaker of the House takes over a president, and it soon becomes clear to him and Reuben that these plans were leaked to place the blame on the US military and Reuben. When Reuben and his new assistant, Cole, go to visit New York City, they find them selves under attack. The city has been overtaken by Mechs (see the Hoth battle in Empire Strikes Back).
It turns out that these attacks are being planed by the extremist liberals. The next civil war is between the red states and the blue states.
Usually, I find my self agreeing with most of OSC political views. I don't dislike this book because of Card's viewpoints, but for the same reason I dislike most of the Christian Fiction that has come out as of late. There is something other than a great story that is getting across here.
This book is based on an upcoming video game. Which should be the first hint that this book wasn't going to be up to the level of Card's previous works. The publishers of the game had certain things that needed to happen in the story. I think one of the things was the mechs. But being under that requirement, being in the box, must have effected his writing. I found myself skimming the last hundred pages. I NEVER SKIM. I like eating up every morsel that a story has to offer. But, I could not wait to get this one over with.
Which leads me to the bad book bug. Anytime I read a bad book, I over analyze why a book is bad. Then, when I start a new book, I start analyzing it. Reading works better for me when I just sit back relax and enjoy the story. It usually takes a couple of days for me to get over the bad book bug.
Last month, I read a book by John Scalzi called Old Man's War. It was fantastic, reminded me a lot of Ender's Game. Probably because it's military fiction. I started The Ghost Brigades, the sequel to Old Man's War. I am enjoying it, but I would be enjoying it a lot more if I could just get over this bug. Argg!
Orson Scott Card is by far my favorite author, but Empire is bad. Card's writing is great. I have read more than twenty of his novels. I love Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, The Alvin Maker Series, Treasure Box, and Lost Boys. Most everything I have ever read from Card was engrossing and fulfilling.
But not Empire. It is mostly uninteresting. The first two hundred pages are readable, but after that it slows down.
Empire is a new near future work of Science Fiction that has America in the second civil war. After the President is assassinated, the Protagonist Reuben becomes the prime suspect. For good reason too, his assignment for the pentagon had him looking for possible ways to assassinate the President. He quickly realizes that the report he filled has been leaked, and now the leader of the US is dead, as is the Vice President.
The Speaker of the House takes over a president, and it soon becomes clear to him and Reuben that these plans were leaked to place the blame on the US military and Reuben. When Reuben and his new assistant, Cole, go to visit New York City, they find them selves under attack. The city has been overtaken by Mechs (see the Hoth battle in Empire Strikes Back).
It turns out that these attacks are being planed by the extremist liberals. The next civil war is between the red states and the blue states.
Usually, I find my self agreeing with most of OSC political views. I don't dislike this book because of Card's viewpoints, but for the same reason I dislike most of the Christian Fiction that has come out as of late. There is something other than a great story that is getting across here.
This book is based on an upcoming video game. Which should be the first hint that this book wasn't going to be up to the level of Card's previous works. The publishers of the game had certain things that needed to happen in the story. I think one of the things was the mechs. But being under that requirement, being in the box, must have effected his writing. I found myself skimming the last hundred pages. I NEVER SKIM. I like eating up every morsel that a story has to offer. But, I could not wait to get this one over with.
Which leads me to the bad book bug. Anytime I read a bad book, I over analyze why a book is bad. Then, when I start a new book, I start analyzing it. Reading works better for me when I just sit back relax and enjoy the story. It usually takes a couple of days for me to get over the bad book bug.
Last month, I read a book by John Scalzi called Old Man's War. It was fantastic, reminded me a lot of Ender's Game. Probably because it's military fiction. I started The Ghost Brigades, the sequel to Old Man's War. I am enjoying it, but I would be enjoying it a lot more if I could just get over this bug. Argg!
Monday, December 11, 2006
The Fresh Market
Who knew going to the super market was so fun? I'm not talking about Super Target where you can buy groceries and a plasma television. I'm talking about a place that only sells food. NO, not Mickey D's. That place will cause you to crap out your gal bladder, even though their fries are awesome.
I am talking about a bona fide grocery store. The Fresh Market, fools!
Both me and my wife have started shopping at the new store in town, and we peed our pants all up and down that place with excitement. There is something for everyone. Like a meat section that will make a vegan convert. Produce that looks like, well, like it hasn't been sitting in the back for three weeks. A deli that has nice people working in it. Not to mention that what they make in the deli, like chicken and ribs, are great. I haven't tried the ribs but soon and very soon I will. Can you say bulk candy? Yeah, little gummy cola bottles here I come.
Oh, but I saved the best for last. They have a bakery that will melt your face. One look at their cakes, pies, and pastries and you will be saying, "Well, weighing 300 pounds can't be all that bad."
We bought many different things in the two time we have been there. But the bacon takes the cake. They have bacon that will melt your face. Oh... wait, I used that one. They have bacon that will shave you back for you. Yeah, it's good stuff. We cooked up some on Sunday morning and the house smelled like bacon the whole day. And that's not a bad thing when bacon smells like their bacon does. Which smells awesome. The smell will singe your nose hairs.
They have great atmosphere, customer service, and stuff you just can't find anywhere else. There is nothing quite like spending a Sunday afternoon drinking up their free wine and apple cider.
I love looking into the faces of my fellow shoppers and see a combination of glee and intoxication.
I felt like I was walking through Willie Wonka's Room where everything was edible.
I am talking about a bona fide grocery store. The Fresh Market, fools!
Both me and my wife have started shopping at the new store in town, and we peed our pants all up and down that place with excitement. There is something for everyone. Like a meat section that will make a vegan convert. Produce that looks like, well, like it hasn't been sitting in the back for three weeks. A deli that has nice people working in it. Not to mention that what they make in the deli, like chicken and ribs, are great. I haven't tried the ribs but soon and very soon I will. Can you say bulk candy? Yeah, little gummy cola bottles here I come.
Oh, but I saved the best for last. They have a bakery that will melt your face. One look at their cakes, pies, and pastries and you will be saying, "Well, weighing 300 pounds can't be all that bad."
We bought many different things in the two time we have been there. But the bacon takes the cake. They have bacon that will melt your face. Oh... wait, I used that one. They have bacon that will shave you back for you. Yeah, it's good stuff. We cooked up some on Sunday morning and the house smelled like bacon the whole day. And that's not a bad thing when bacon smells like their bacon does. Which smells awesome. The smell will singe your nose hairs.
They have great atmosphere, customer service, and stuff you just can't find anywhere else. There is nothing quite like spending a Sunday afternoon drinking up their free wine and apple cider.
I love looking into the faces of my fellow shoppers and see a combination of glee and intoxication.
I felt like I was walking through Willie Wonka's Room where everything was edible.
Friday, December 08, 2006
The Best of 2006
I hate media. All of it, without exception. Movies, music, games, books, you name it, I can't stand.
Well, except for all the I thought was awesome that came out this year.
Music
Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers, My Island by Starflyer 59, The Best-Worst Case Scenario by Fair, The Crane Wife by The Decemberist, Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes, ...and the Summertime Pool Party by Pigeon John.
Movies
Monster House, Walk the Line, Nanny McPhee, and Superman Returns
Thats about it on the movies this year. Kinda slow year.
Books
I don't read a lot of books on the year they came out. Most of the time I pick them up years down after their release. The books I did read that came out in 2006 were House and Saint by Ted Dekker, The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, and The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. The only one I would suggest to you is Looking Glass Wars. It's and alternate version of Alice and Wonderland, and it turned out pretty well.
Games
Year in and year out, my favorite game is usually a sports title, except for the year that Halo 2 came out, and this year. Although NCAA Football 07 is amazing and I still play it a couple times a week.
The best game that came out in 2006 is New Super Mario Bros. It was outselling all other games on all other systems for months. It plays like a dream.
The other great games game of 2006 I played were, Far Cry Instincts (XBox), Yoshi's Island (DS), Tetris (DS), and Club House Games (DS).
In Conclusion
Well, 2006 was awesome. I got married in 2006, what did you do?
Well, except for all the I thought was awesome that came out this year.
Music
Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers, My Island by Starflyer 59, The Best-Worst Case Scenario by Fair, The Crane Wife by The Decemberist, Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes, ...and the Summertime Pool Party by Pigeon John.
Movies
Monster House, Walk the Line, Nanny McPhee, and Superman Returns
Thats about it on the movies this year. Kinda slow year.
Books
I don't read a lot of books on the year they came out. Most of the time I pick them up years down after their release. The books I did read that came out in 2006 were House and Saint by Ted Dekker, The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, and The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. The only one I would suggest to you is Looking Glass Wars. It's and alternate version of Alice and Wonderland, and it turned out pretty well.
Games
Year in and year out, my favorite game is usually a sports title, except for the year that Halo 2 came out, and this year. Although NCAA Football 07 is amazing and I still play it a couple times a week.
The best game that came out in 2006 is New Super Mario Bros. It was outselling all other games on all other systems for months. It plays like a dream.
The other great games game of 2006 I played were, Far Cry Instincts (XBox), Yoshi's Island (DS), Tetris (DS), and Club House Games (DS).
In Conclusion
Well, 2006 was awesome. I got married in 2006, what did you do?
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
The 50th Post
It's been a long a long hard road. This marks the fiftieth post on Dumb Stuff I Wrote.
While it is true that I wrote a few post that are no longer on the site and How to Run Someone Over and Not Get Caught, can hardly be considered a post. I still feel a sense of accomplishment. From here on out the blog should be looking up. I think I have learned a lot in the past 50 post. Like, not posting when you are drunk, and not putting icing on your wifes face when you know she normally wouldn't hit you in the face with cake in the first place. Otherwise you will just end up with nostrils full of dairy product.
In the past seven months I have written 49 post. Some of them good, others not so good. So, if you don't mind I would like to suggest some of my favorites.
I think the Mutant League Poker was my first good entry. I spent time on the other posts, but I feel that this one came off pretty well. It was one of the first post I wrote after thinking about it for a while, so it was written better than the post where I just sit down and start typing about any old crap.
Follow that up with Stealth! Who Needs Stealth?, which is me talking about playing a video game, but I still had fun writing it.
Then, there are the blogs about the restaurants I hate. Like, Letter To WHATABURGER, Calling In Sick, and Sackful o' Death. All of which were a blast to write. It's true that for the most part in these blogs I am just ripping off of Jim Gaffigan's comedy act, but I don't care.
One of my favorites is Who Would Win in a Fight? It is the epic tale of two classic gladiators duking it out.
If I had to narrow down the list of post you should never read down to three, I think they would be, For The Last Time, Let It Snow!, and Totally Dorky Complete. Really I am telling the truth, don't read them.
I feel that I have become a better writer since I stared this blog. When I go back and read the previous post I made here, I can really see the difference in the way I write. Granted, I am not an awesome word smith, by any stretch of the imagination. Some of my early posts really had some issues. I will also admit the some of the newer post have issues, but the new issues are just me not thinking before I sit down and write.
Where do we go from here? Well, I promise to continue to write post about any kind of crap that comes to mind. I also plan to continue pretending that there are thousands of people that read my blog. I swear I will live up to the standards that have been set in place here a Dumb Stuff I Wrote!, or my name isn't Norton G. Francenstiengulburgerhouse the third.
For the record, I would much rather eat at a place called "Francenstiengulburgerhouse" than Krystal's any day of the week.
While it is true that I wrote a few post that are no longer on the site and How to Run Someone Over and Not Get Caught, can hardly be considered a post. I still feel a sense of accomplishment. From here on out the blog should be looking up. I think I have learned a lot in the past 50 post. Like, not posting when you are drunk, and not putting icing on your wifes face when you know she normally wouldn't hit you in the face with cake in the first place. Otherwise you will just end up with nostrils full of dairy product.
In the past seven months I have written 49 post. Some of them good, others not so good. So, if you don't mind I would like to suggest some of my favorites.
I think the Mutant League Poker was my first good entry. I spent time on the other posts, but I feel that this one came off pretty well. It was one of the first post I wrote after thinking about it for a while, so it was written better than the post where I just sit down and start typing about any old crap.
Follow that up with Stealth! Who Needs Stealth?, which is me talking about playing a video game, but I still had fun writing it.
Then, there are the blogs about the restaurants I hate. Like, Letter To WHATABURGER, Calling In Sick, and Sackful o' Death. All of which were a blast to write. It's true that for the most part in these blogs I am just ripping off of Jim Gaffigan's comedy act, but I don't care.
One of my favorites is Who Would Win in a Fight? It is the epic tale of two classic gladiators duking it out.
If I had to narrow down the list of post you should never read down to three, I think they would be, For The Last Time, Let It Snow!, and Totally Dorky Complete. Really I am telling the truth, don't read them.
I feel that I have become a better writer since I stared this blog. When I go back and read the previous post I made here, I can really see the difference in the way I write. Granted, I am not an awesome word smith, by any stretch of the imagination. Some of my early posts really had some issues. I will also admit the some of the newer post have issues, but the new issues are just me not thinking before I sit down and write.
Where do we go from here? Well, I promise to continue to write post about any kind of crap that comes to mind. I also plan to continue pretending that there are thousands of people that read my blog. I swear I will live up to the standards that have been set in place here a Dumb Stuff I Wrote!, or my name isn't Norton G. Francenstiengulburgerhouse the third.
For the record, I would much rather eat at a place called "Francenstiengulburgerhouse" than Krystal's any day of the week.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
How to Open a Pomegranate
Not the way I open one.
A couple of weeks ago my wife picked up a little information about how you pick out a pomegranate. They say you are supposed to look for the heaviest and reddest pomegranate you can find. But, the last time we did that, we ended up with one that was gray, not red, on the inside. Needless to say we didn't eat it.
So, last night we got another pomegranate home, not the heaviest or reddest in the store. I pulled out the instructions on how to open a pomegranate. I started by cutting off the top and bottom, then I quartered the middle parts. I grabbed a bowl of water, like they said to, and picked the seeds/fruit off and put them in the water. As I am doing this my wife tells me I am getting juice every where. And pomegranate juice is the same color as cranberry juice, and I would think stains in with the same potency.
There was juice on my shorts, on the walls, and on the floors. (Warning: Fedge is about to exaggerate, big time!) I mean, the kitchen looked like a scene from Friday the 13th. The cats had a red slimy layer, that they tracked all through out the house. I think pomegranates are best opened outside.
After 16 hours of clean up, I was ready to enjoy the Japaneses apple, as they call it. It's nothing like an apple. Except that it is tart... and has seeds in the middle. Well, its a fruit, like an apple. Whatever. But it is pretty tasty, and as tart as it is, I have had a sugar buzz all morning. Plus, there is a butt load of fruit in a pomegranate. I have enough to last me through the week. I just wonder how long the pomegranate fad will last. But while it's here, I plan on drinking everything in the store that says pomegranate on it.
The Pomegranate Arizona Green Tea Energy Drink (or PAGTED for short) is awesome.
A couple of weeks ago my wife picked up a little information about how you pick out a pomegranate. They say you are supposed to look for the heaviest and reddest pomegranate you can find. But, the last time we did that, we ended up with one that was gray, not red, on the inside. Needless to say we didn't eat it.
So, last night we got another pomegranate home, not the heaviest or reddest in the store. I pulled out the instructions on how to open a pomegranate. I started by cutting off the top and bottom, then I quartered the middle parts. I grabbed a bowl of water, like they said to, and picked the seeds/fruit off and put them in the water. As I am doing this my wife tells me I am getting juice every where. And pomegranate juice is the same color as cranberry juice, and I would think stains in with the same potency.
There was juice on my shorts, on the walls, and on the floors. (Warning: Fedge is about to exaggerate, big time!) I mean, the kitchen looked like a scene from Friday the 13th. The cats had a red slimy layer, that they tracked all through out the house. I think pomegranates are best opened outside.
After 16 hours of clean up, I was ready to enjoy the Japaneses apple, as they call it. It's nothing like an apple. Except that it is tart... and has seeds in the middle. Well, its a fruit, like an apple. Whatever. But it is pretty tasty, and as tart as it is, I have had a sugar buzz all morning. Plus, there is a butt load of fruit in a pomegranate. I have enough to last me through the week. I just wonder how long the pomegranate fad will last. But while it's here, I plan on drinking everything in the store that says pomegranate on it.
The Pomegranate Arizona Green Tea Energy Drink (or PAGTED for short) is awesome.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Net Savvy and My Blog
OK, that last post sucked. The only reason I did that was because I wanted to prove to myself I had the know how to make a picture link.
It's not really that hard, it just makes me feel so net savvy.
I mean, have you looked at my myspace? I use the default settings. I have seen some web pages made by eight year olds that look better than anything I have ever made.
Do you ever think back to something you did in your past and shake your head in shame? You maybe the only one who knows about it, and it may make no difference in who you are today, but you can't help but feeling that you are an idiot when ever you think about that event.
Well, that's what it is like for me when I read my blog. If I ever want to be reminded myself of how dumb I can be, all I need to do is go back and read any one of my many entries.
It's not really that hard, it just makes me feel so net savvy.
I mean, have you looked at my myspace? I use the default settings. I have seen some web pages made by eight year olds that look better than anything I have ever made.
Do you ever think back to something you did in your past and shake your head in shame? You maybe the only one who knows about it, and it may make no difference in who you are today, but you can't help but feeling that you are an idiot when ever you think about that event.
Well, that's what it is like for me when I read my blog. If I ever want to be reminded myself of how dumb I can be, all I need to do is go back and read any one of my many entries.
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