Saturday, April 28, 2007

This isn’t the best Reacher novel but it also certainly isn’t the worst. Jack Reacher kicks ass again, but this time with a group of Army buddies, which gives fans a whole new view of Reacher as he works with and interacts with more people in this novel than he has in the past 3 or 4 put together.

True Reacher style:
Dixon’s room was the same. Empty, but trashed.
And Neagley’s.
And Reacher’s own. His folding toothbrush was on the floor, stepped on and crushed.
“Bastards,” he said.
....
“You made a will?” she asked.
“No point,” Reacher said. “Now they broke my toothbrush I don’t own anything.”
“How does that feel?”
“Bad. I liked that toothbrush. It’s been with me a long time.”

How can you not love this guy?
Saturday, April 21, 2007
There are people in life who are just naturally lucky, who seem to have horseshoes up their ass.   People who can quit a job on a whim, and the next day they get a better job that pays more.  People who can waltz into a store and pick up a Nintendo Wii.  People who, though they seem to have no actual occupation, seem to be able to travel the world with only a moment’s notice. 
I am not one of those people.  Take this week for example:

1.  I bought these beautiful mugs the other day (because they match my library).  I innocently enough popped one in the microwave for no more than 40 seconds to heat up some milk.  Being that it was less than 40 seconds, I opened up the microwave and grabbed the cup, resulting in burns on my thumb as well as two fingers.   Apparently the mugs were fashioned by Satan.

2.  I got cool new glasses last week cause I seem to be spending more and more hours staring at the computer.  I wore them for a week then popped in to the optometrist’s on my lunch break  to get them tightened up a bit - simple no?
Not for me.  When they heated up the frames the lenses were destroyed, the coatings all cracked.  I had to leave the glasses there so they could get me new lenses.  Keep in mind I am blind as a bat.  Luckily (ha ha) they had some contact lenses close to my prescription, so I could at least find my way back to work. 
Saturday, April 14, 2007


Since we were staying home over the long weekend, my top priority was to see Tarantino & Rodriguez’s Grindhouse on opening day. We went to the first showing, a matinee filled with other dedicated fans.
The movies rock, as do the fake previews. Rodriguez’s Planet Terror is not for the faint of heart in a few scenes, but if you are faint of heart, you are not likely to watch a movie by Taratino/Rodiguez anyway (unless it’s Spy Kids). Tarantino’s Death Proof is starts slow and talky. I happen to like talkly, particularly if it’s written by Tarantino, as he has a knack for writing cool conversations, not forced dialogue between static characters.
Depending on what review you read, you might see an A or a D. Assume that the D review was written by some old fart who doesn’t get it, and who had no reason to be watching it in the first place.
As for which portion of the film is better - my husband preferred Tarantino’s. Myself, I can’t decide between my love of zombies (Planet Terror) and my love of good dialogue (Death Proof).
Go see it for yourself so the poor Weinsteins can make more money and stop calling the movie a failure.
I find it interesting how some people fall off other people’s radar when all they have done is live their life.  They do not hurt anyone, they are not mean or rude, they are simply drifting along.  Yet others, some who are inconsiderate, some who are also just drifting along living their lives, remain a blip on everyone’s radar, making them seemingly more important than person A.
I guess life is still a popularity contest, even when you are 30 years old, but it’s not a nice feeling invisible, to go through life feeling like no one gives a shit about you or your existence on the planet.