From the “I couldn’t make this up” file.
As I was talking to the G-man this morning I asked him what he wanted to eat for dinner. Like it was no big thing, he calmly replied, “Brocolli and champagne”.
That’s my boy.
Me, not unlike other guys my age, grew up watching certain movies over and over and over again. Whenever they were on TV, no matter what point you caught them you would probably finish watching until the credits began to roll. One of these movies for me was “Clash of the Titans“. I remember that fondly as being my introduction to Greek mythology, which is something I’ve been fascinated with ever since. I even watched the movie (in it’s entirety) within the last couple months, and while the special effects are predictably outdated the story still holds a certain kind of magic to it. I appreciate that it has a younger (but still old) Burgess Meredith. Jesus… was that guy ever young? I wish he would’ve been in more movies. Rocky was amazing. I’m getting off track…
Kratos vs. Perseus
Like movies, I obviously have a love for video games. One of which being the God of War series on Playstation, which seems fairly obvious because of it’s primary subject matter BEING Greek mythology. I’m playing through God of War 2 on the PS3 to prepare for the upcoming sequel and reached a level where the main character (Kratos) is forced to fight Perseus, the hero from the “Clash of the Titans”. I had no idea this was coming, so I was delighted by the instant nostalgia. It’s a relatively tough battle, as Perseus is well equipped with the famous items the gods gifted with from the movie (the sword, shield, and helmet of invisibility). During the cut scene that led up to the fight, there was some kind of strange familiarity that made it all seem especially nostalgic. After finishing the level, I had a crazy hunch and looked up God of War 2 on IMDB. Low and behold, Harry Hamlin himself reprises his (voice) role as Perseus. I couldn’t help but admire the undeniable coolness of that moment. Is it hard to believe that Harry Hamlin is doing voice acting for video games? Not especially. Is it awesome that someone at a round-table production meeting for this game probably halfheartedly suggested that they get him to do the voice… and they actually did? By the gods… yes.
If you’re at all interested, here’s the low-res cut scene. If you’re not, I won’t hold it against you because I’m a bigger nerd than you.
As the cover says, The Lost Symbol is written by Dan Brown (author of The DaVinci Code). Many people believe this is Brown’s third book overall, but in fact it’s merely the 3rd book in the “Robert Langdon Trilogy” (it’s actually Brown’s 5th novel).
NOTE: This review will contain spoilers.
Like The DaVinci Code and it’s predecessor Angels & Demons, this book follows Dr. Robert Langdon as he goes on a treasure hunt. Set in Washington, D.C. and dealing with Freemasonry, The Lost Symbol is an outstanding follow up to Code. Langdon gets an early morning phone call summoning him to Washington for a last minute speaking engagement on behalf of an old friend. When he gets there, Langdon quickly realizes that he’s been set up and there is no speech to be made. In reality, Langdon must use all of his training and cunning to save his friend’s life while solving the riddles that have been put before him.
The villain in all of this is the tattooed Mal’akh who has an obvious obsession with Langdon’s friend Peter Solomon who happens to be a 33rd degree Mason with access to all of the Mason’s most guarded secrets – including The Lost Word. Mal’akh has kidnapped Solomon and will kill him unless Langdon follows the clues that the Masons have left throughout history. In addition to the Mason’s clues, Mal’akh proves to be a brutal advisory that Langdon must outwit while trying to elude the CIA who’s also on the case.
COMMENTARY:
This is not an “easy” read by any stretch of the imagination. Brown’s got some sentences that seem to run on forever and the stuff that he’s talking about while fascinating can be confusing at times. Brown does an amazing job of describing not only the character of Mal’akh but also the brutality that he emits. I couldn’t help but thinking of the “Dragon” character from The Red Dragon when thinking about Mal’akh. The tattoos are an obvious correlation, but the mentality of the character is what really got me. He really thinks that what he’s doing is completely justified.
You can tell when a book is well written when you continue thinking about it long after you put it down. There was one chapter in particular that really got me – the drowning. The way it is described is stunning and really had me on edge after I closed the book. Pure brilliance.
I don’t think this is Brown’s best Langdon novel (that title lies with Angels & Demons) but it’s definitely worth the read. Brown has an uncanny knack of keeping you guessing till quite literally the final page. With the success of the previous books and movies you can pretty much guarantee that Tom Hanks will play Robert Langdon once again.
Being that I’m a comic nerd and a fan of assassin movies I’m pissed that it took me so long to get to this one. I’ve never read the comic that this flick is based on but I figured that wouldn’t be a problem as it’s “loosely” based on the book from what I hear.
Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is stuck in dead end job that he hates. His world changes when he’s told that his long lost father was actually one of the best assassins the world has ever seen. In addition to learning that his father has been murdered he is recruited into a secret society of assassins called The Fraternity. The Fraternity includes members Fox (Angelina Jolie) and Sloan (Morgan Freeman).
During his initiation and training, Gibson essentially gets the shit beat out of him but becomes a deadly killer able to make every shot and even bend bullets in mid flight. Wesley’s life takes a turn for the worse when The Fraternity flips on him and makes him the target.
This is a comic book movie through and through. You REALLY have to suspend disbelief here to get into it, but there’s some outstanding effects in here. The concept of “bending” a bullet is kind of hokey but to see it on screen is super cool. Some of the kill shots in here are right up there with the best I’ve seen on film. There are quite a few plot holes in here but if you can get past them this is a fun little flick.
I’m glad that I didn’t pay full price to see this one in the theater, but I’m also glad that I’ve seen it. If you’re looking for a good little action movie this is a thumbs up rental. If you’re not a comic fan or a fan of assassin movies I’d probably pass.
It seems like forever and a day but tomorrow night Lost on ABC will finally return for it’s final season. I’ve written in previous posts how I wondered if ABC had made a mistake by keeping Lost (and another show V) off the air for so long. Well I can’t speak for everyone but I can tell you that for ME it wasn’t too long cause I’m pumped as hell about the season premiere tomorrow night!
While I have listened to some podcasts during the break I’ve tried to stay away from plot predictions and spoilers for the last season. Sure I’ve had a discussion or two with some fellow Losties but when it comes to what’s going to happen this season I’m completely… lost. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist at least one pun).
Based on the buzz on the web and in the paper it seems like the long layoff between seasons hasn’t turned anyone else off either. It’s looking like we’re in for a hell of a last season and I can’t wait. It’s going to be so awesome to see how they finish off some story lines and which ones they leave dangling cause you just KNOW they’re not going to be able to tell us everything that we want to know. While I’m sure there are some things that I’ll be disappointed in I’m willing to accept that. The show is just too good to miss. And now… finally. It’s time for Lost!
A couple of days before Christmas our dog Ralphie had some pretty serious back surgery. His entire back had to be shaved and he had an incision about 6 inches long running down his spine. Luckily he’s recovering nicely but it’s been a long road back for sure. We’ve got to carry him up and down all the steps, make sure he doesn’t jump up or down furniture, etc. Of course this is a colossal pain in the ass cause those are all things he’s been able to do his entire life.
But like I said, he’s recovering nicely. In fact, the G-man has noticed as well! He was petting Ralph the other day and the walked over to me and said:
“Daddy… Ralphie’s crack is back together!”
I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried…
WrestleMania XXVI will take place on March 28th in Arizona. I’m happy to say that after working through some logistical issues, Pip and I will once again renew our Beeramid tradition! As with years past, we have created these “rules of engagement” which will help us to construct that glorious structure.
The last time Pip and I got together we came dangerously close to “one night one case” and I’m thinking March 28th just may be the night… time will tell. Let’s get it on!
NOTE: This post will be updated between now and the start of the event. It will be paired down to a final list of 15.
It’s been a while since I’ve said a whole lot about the boys so I figured today was as good a day as any. A couple of weeks back we took our yearly trip to Naples, Florida. The wife went down about 10 days before I did and then I went down, spent a few days and then we all came back together. Normally we have GREAT weather but this year it was unseasonably cold in Florida and we only got one day in the pool. In fact other than that one day we had temperatures in the 50s every day. One morning it was in the 30s when we woke up! Sure, that sounds cold, but you need to realize that when I left Cleveland it was 12 degrees and there was almost 30 inches of snow on the ground. Still a good trade off in my book.
On the way home from South Florida I realized that I’d become what I never wanted to be… an overprotective parent. As you can see by the picture here we broke out the ol “kid leash” (which I never said I’d use) carefully disguised as a monkey backpack. Luckily the C-man really didn’t mind and we did manage to keep him with us the entire trip.
Last night, the wife was out so it was up to Super Dad to feed the boys and take care of bedtime. Before mom left she gave us a frozen stir fry (Steak and Broccoli to be exact). If you’ve never had one of these beauties allow me to give you a product review: small. To give steak equal billing with broccoli is kind of an injustice. The bag contained about 3 pieces of “steak” which was given the boys who typically eat steak like it’s going out of style. G normally LOVES broccoli but of course on this night he ate about two pieces and was done. The C man doesn’t eat veggies unless they’re in stew or soup so I’m screwed there too. So… I headed downstairs into the freezer to see what I could find. Chicken fingers – SCORE! Baked those babies up and I was good to go. I raided the fridge and found some leftover pasta, threw on some marinara sauce and Super Dad came through once again.
One GREAT thing about quitting my job is that while I’m looking for a new gig I’ve got tons of time to spend with the family. This morning we took the opportunity to have some family fun time at the indoor pool. Of course it dropped about 12 degrees over night and it was REALLY cold as we walked into the pool. Kids say some strange things and today was no exception. As we were getting out of the car G casually said, “God damn it’s cold.” Mom was not happy. Not sure I’ve had a prouder moment 
(kidding… kind of)
As I talked about earlier, we had some crappy weather when we were in Florida. That’s not to say we didn’t have a GREAT time though cause we absolutely did! We just had to get a bit… creative. Enjoy!
For those of you that are facebook users you’re probably familiar with the “friend suggestions” that they give you on a regular basis. This is a great way to reconnect with people that you know based on your current friend list. I’ve often wondered what kind of algorithm is used to create these suggestions.
Looking over my suggestions this evening I came to the conclusion that the algorithm is pretty simple… if you’ve got 2 friends in common you’re going to get a suggestion. So this means that if you’re friend with say one of your buddies and his wife, eventually you’re going to get most of their friends as “suggestions”. I’m not sure why I’m so let down by this… suppose I was just looking for some super smart formula. Ho hum.
EDIT: Actually… after doing some more digging it’s not even TWO friends. After rolling through some additional suggestions I’m seeing people that not only do I not know, but we don’t even have ANY friends in common. Now I’m completely confused.
BOOK DETAILS/INFORMATION:
This is the thirty-eighth (38) Spenser novel written by Robert B. Parker. It was originally published in 2009. Recurring characters include Susan Silverman, Vinnie Morris, Hawk, Tony Marcus, & Ty Bop.
NOTE: This review will contain spoilers.
Preceded By: Rough Weather
PLOT SUMMARY:
Spenser is hired by a lawyer named Elizabeth Shaw to get to the bottom of her client’s problem – blackmail. Shaw’s clients, wives of rich older men, have a mutual connection: they’ve all had an affair with a man named Gary Eisenhower— and now that he’s done doing the dirty with them, he’s getting dirtier… he’s going after the cash. Spenser is hired to make Eisenhower “cease and desist,” but as many of Parker’s novels nothing is as it seems. As bodies start turning up, Spenser’s call to action turns from blackmail to murder. Susan Silverman offers her take on the situation and Spenser calls on old friends Hawk and Vinnie Morris to help him get to the bottom of things.
COMMENTARY:
I’ve had this post in my drafts for a while now and I felt compelled to finish it based on the untimely passing of Robert B. Parker. As with all of Parker’s novels it’s all about dialogue. The back and forth between Spenser and his clients makes for a very quick read though it does seem like we’ve been down these paths before. I’ve never been a Susan hater but I don’t necessarily need to hear (from her) how good she and Spenser are in bed or that she went to Harvard yet again.
As he did in Rough Weather, Spenser ends up letting a murder walk in the end of the book. I’m sure this is all about “The Code” but I just don’t get it. I could almost forgive it in the last novel based on the fact that it was with Rugar but this was a brand new character that Spenser had no history with. This one left me scratching my head.
I’ve read every Spenser novel that Parker has ever written so I won’t bother with an objective recommendation. I’m so so sad that this is the last Spenser novel (unless there’s something sitting on the shelf that we don’t know about). On a purely selfish level I’m glad that we’ve got one more Jesse Stone novel to look forward to. It’s been a great ride Spenser…thanks for everything.