I just finished Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. All I can say is, wow, I didn't see that one coming! I thought it was a pretty good book, but it seemed quite predictable through the middle of the book.
Here are some of my thoughts floating around in my head after reading it:
1. I wish I knew more about art. I sure would like to make time to read more about Michelangelo and DaVinci and Bernoulli. Eventually I'll pick up something on art and read it...maybe.
2. I don't understand the hub-bub surrounding Dan Brown's books. Specifically, why there was such bad press about this book and the DaVinci Code. I'm Catholic and these books don't offend me. If anything, they've increased my faith and make me want to learn more about Catholicism.
Did I tell you, that when we lived in The 'Nati (when The DaVinci Code came out) we went to Mass one weekend and the priest had a visit priest give a homily touting his book "100 and 1 things wrong with The DaVinci Code"? I don't know if that was the specific title, but it was the biggest waste of a homily. I was so angry and irritated that they would waste time over a work of FICTION! What's next? JK Rowling the Atheist?! Good grief. Is their faith so weak that they can't handle a work of fiction? Or is my faith so weak that I fail to understand how and when I should defend my faith? No clue what the right answer there is.
3. Better than Angels and Demons, better than The DaVinci Code, is another book by Dan Brown called Digital Fortress. I liked the characters better and I liked the adventure better. The author spent more time writing from the bad guys perspective which I find much more entertaining. Lately I've been entertained more by cunning deceitfulness than charming heroics.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
woot!
I bought my very own mp3 player off of woot.com. They were having a woot off last week and I picked up a 2 GB SanDisk player for 35 buck including shipping. Online the cheapest I've seen have been 60 bucks, so I think it's quite a deal. So now the next time I fly for work I don't have to suffer through the music that they play.
One downside of it was that it was a refurbished model (hence the cheapness), so it came with no manuals or software, so I had to spend about an hour and a half how to make it work. A quick firmware update and some additional finagling and I'm in business!
And it's the weekend and I don't have to work!
And we are going to our first MLS game tomorrow!
One downside of it was that it was a refurbished model (hence the cheapness), so it came with no manuals or software, so I had to spend about an hour and a half how to make it work. A quick firmware update and some additional finagling and I'm in business!
And it's the weekend and I don't have to work!
And we are going to our first MLS game tomorrow!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Honey did list
I built a flower box for the wife. X helped me a little.
It is a plywood box with cedar legs and cedar siding. It was supposed to be cedar shingles on the sides, but the lumberyard I went to didn't have the shingles. This is before I put the top on.
And this is the completed box.
The hardest part was cutting the trim pieces for the top. I was supposed to put a beveled edge on it, but I wasn't going to try that with a circular saw. If I only had a table saw.... And I nearly went bonkers trying to get the 45 degree angles cut right. I knew that was going to be a pain so I skipped the beveling. Maybe I should get a miter box. I was supposed to join the top trim pieces together by routering out a hole and using glue and biscuits, but I don't have a router so it was good old hammer, nails and glue. I put a coat of stain on it and I'll put another on there tomorrow and call it done.
This cost probably 70 dollars in material (cedar is expensive!) and 7 hours of labor. I think it turned out pretty good for my first try and the wife looooves it, so it did turn out very well.
It is a plywood box with cedar legs and cedar siding. It was supposed to be cedar shingles on the sides, but the lumberyard I went to didn't have the shingles. This is before I put the top on.
And this is the completed box.
The hardest part was cutting the trim pieces for the top. I was supposed to put a beveled edge on it, but I wasn't going to try that with a circular saw. If I only had a table saw.... And I nearly went bonkers trying to get the 45 degree angles cut right. I knew that was going to be a pain so I skipped the beveling. Maybe I should get a miter box. I was supposed to join the top trim pieces together by routering out a hole and using glue and biscuits, but I don't have a router so it was good old hammer, nails and glue. I put a coat of stain on it and I'll put another on there tomorrow and call it done.
This cost probably 70 dollars in material (cedar is expensive!) and 7 hours of labor. I think it turned out pretty good for my first try and the wife looooves it, so it did turn out very well.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
riddle me this, Batman
It feels nice that we are finally getting this house broken in. I think I'm getting used to living here and it feels like everything fits. Little by little we add in our own touches and make it better than we found it.
So one of the new touches that is on my honey-do list is to install ceiling fans in Xander's room and the spare room. In town there is a used household goods store where anybody can donate their surplus home renovation supplies. It is also full of home goods that are from persons renovating their homes and putting to good use gently used items. Cabinets, paint, doors, windows, mirrors and craploads of chandeliers. Well I went there this past saturday looking for ceiling fans. I pick out a couple and head up to the register. The guy at the register finally is able to ring up my two fans. He looks at the first one and somehow comes up with the price of 10 dollars. He looks at the second fan and says 'wow, that's a really nice fan. How much do you want to pay for it?'
'10 dollars,' I reply.
He gives me a 'you cheap ass' look, but I keep my mouth shut. First, there is a huge sign that says "ALL SALES FINAL"; all this crap here is used, how do I know it works? I don't. Second, don't ask me how much I want to pay for something and then act surprised when I'm cheap on what I want to pay. Mark the price next time. I'm shopping here because I'm cheap and want to capitalize on rich folks supersizing perfectly good household goodies.
Anyway, I got out of there, with what I hope are two just like new ceiling fans for 20 bucks.
Oh, and we are never again going to our local Dairy Queen. I can't emphasize the seething irritation that I have for unsupervised teenagers. Lazy, snotty, snooty and obnoxious. Although it was comical the sound that a large vanilla cone makes when it falls from a height of 4 feet. bllluurchhh.
Not all of them now, there were 2 of the 8 that were carrying the load.
So one of the new touches that is on my honey-do list is to install ceiling fans in Xander's room and the spare room. In town there is a used household goods store where anybody can donate their surplus home renovation supplies. It is also full of home goods that are from persons renovating their homes and putting to good use gently used items. Cabinets, paint, doors, windows, mirrors and craploads of chandeliers. Well I went there this past saturday looking for ceiling fans. I pick out a couple and head up to the register. The guy at the register finally is able to ring up my two fans. He looks at the first one and somehow comes up with the price of 10 dollars. He looks at the second fan and says 'wow, that's a really nice fan. How much do you want to pay for it?'
'10 dollars,' I reply.
He gives me a 'you cheap ass' look, but I keep my mouth shut. First, there is a huge sign that says "ALL SALES FINAL"; all this crap here is used, how do I know it works? I don't. Second, don't ask me how much I want to pay for something and then act surprised when I'm cheap on what I want to pay. Mark the price next time. I'm shopping here because I'm cheap and want to capitalize on rich folks supersizing perfectly good household goodies.
Anyway, I got out of there, with what I hope are two just like new ceiling fans for 20 bucks.
Oh, and we are never again going to our local Dairy Queen. I can't emphasize the seething irritation that I have for unsupervised teenagers. Lazy, snotty, snooty and obnoxious. Although it was comical the sound that a large vanilla cone makes when it falls from a height of 4 feet. bllluurchhh.
Not all of them now, there were 2 of the 8 that were carrying the load.
Monday, June 9, 2008
to and fro across the pond again.
I made another trip to and fro across the pond for work again. That gave me time to read some. Here are the minutes from my book review club meeting...
The Sphere - Michael Crichton
I didn't think too much of it and was rather disappointed. I enjoyed the story, but I thought it was more of a psychological thriller and was expecting some sort adventure of jurassic-like proportions. The whole ending just didn't sit with me well. Oh, let's just pretend it never happened. I was hoping they would take the spaceship for a spin, but that never happened.
Hold Tight - Harlan Coben
I really enjoyed this book. I picked it up at Heathrow (and got ripped by the exchange rate, but I knew that was going to happen) and read it for the entire flight to Philly. Being a bit hungover and short on sleep for the week (bad hotel room, lousy traffic next to the hotel) I was anticipating sleeping a bit on the plane, not with this book. It didn't grab me from the get-go, but it slowly built up and then brought back characters from The Innocent that I really enjoyed (Inspector Loren Muse - love that character!) and I just couldn't stop. I like the how Coben writes his characters thoughts and actions. To me, his characters get stuck in bad situations but follow their own intuition and gut instinct and get out. I don't know how to say it really, but I like the way he makes his characters think, how their thoughts evolve.
The Sphere - Michael Crichton
I didn't think too much of it and was rather disappointed. I enjoyed the story, but I thought it was more of a psychological thriller and was expecting some sort adventure of jurassic-like proportions. The whole ending just didn't sit with me well. Oh, let's just pretend it never happened. I was hoping they would take the spaceship for a spin, but that never happened.
Hold Tight - Harlan Coben
I really enjoyed this book. I picked it up at Heathrow (and got ripped by the exchange rate, but I knew that was going to happen) and read it for the entire flight to Philly. Being a bit hungover and short on sleep for the week (bad hotel room, lousy traffic next to the hotel) I was anticipating sleeping a bit on the plane, not with this book. It didn't grab me from the get-go, but it slowly built up and then brought back characters from The Innocent that I really enjoyed (Inspector Loren Muse - love that character!) and I just couldn't stop. I like the how Coben writes his characters thoughts and actions. To me, his characters get stuck in bad situations but follow their own intuition and gut instinct and get out. I don't know how to say it really, but I like the way he makes his characters think, how their thoughts evolve.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
