Thanksgiving, 2016
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The Writer Known as Sapphire
Or also known as Ramona Lofton, gave a very nice talk on her newest book, The Kid, at a local book store, Politics and Prose. She read several passages from this sequel to Push (made into a movie, as Precious), and then took questions from the audience. I was really impressed with her passion, not only for writing, but for the message she was trying…
Eastern Promises–A movie with Viggo as you never imagined
Wow–what a change of pace for The Ranger. In this excellent movie, Viggo Mortensen plays the moral opposite of his role as a hero in Lord of the Rings. In this scenario, he’s a gangster, no he’s a guardian angel, no he’s… well, you’ll just have to see for yourself. And yes, it has a few surprises in store for you. It’s a no-holds barred,…
Review of Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff:
Since there is very little record of her life, this was not your average biography. I liked the way Stacy was able to support the conclusions she came to, though. It was a little dry, as was expected, but Stacy injected some appropriate witticisms from time to time, that just came out of the blue. I was also able to see the author in person…
Michio Kaku at book signing
I was able to meet famous author Michio Kaku today, and got him to sign my copy of Physics of the Impossible. He was appearing at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum, so I drove back early from Richmond to catch the event. Of course, since I was already there, I had to take some pictures of stuff I hadn’t seen since my last visit….
Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese
This book really caught me by surprise–it had good reviews, but it just didn’t seem like my kind of book. But, I took a chance and I’m very glad I did. It takes place in Ethiopa (another first for me), and tells the story of twin boys who are almost butchered during their birth, and whose father deserts them immediately after a miraculous birth. The mother dies in the process.
The Weir–an excellent play. And spooky, too.
A small theater, but phenomenal actors. At least, for this production. It takes place in an Irish pub, which you can tell without looking, because the actors all do a good job of imitating the accent. The small party each repeats a spooky tale about fairies, ghosts, graveyards, and death. But they are done with such realism, the audience is completely enthralled. And the last…
Great place for Prime Rib (DC area)
The Golden Bull has a great deal on weekends, if you’re okay with eating early. As in Eary Bird Special. For $14.95, you get a great salad bar, and your choice of prime rib, Chicken Marsala, or salmon. But wait, there’s still more. Dessert and iced tea or coffee is also included. My wife and I ate there tonight, both had the prime rib, and…
Bit the Bullet (Android, that is)
My PDA (aka Palm, Tungsten E) has been my constant companion for about 5 years now. I even soldered a new battery in about a year ago. It was the perfect instrument. It could sync with Outlook, I could read books, and even download web pages (offline, of course). Then, the paint began to flake. I couldn’t sync with my new PC (curses, Vista), then…
Law Abiding Citizen (movie)
I’ve watched this twice now–excellent story of how a man that has been wronged by the law gets revenge. Or does he?
Equilibrium (the movie)–a new twist on Fahrenheit 451
This one is fairly old (2002), but I really enjoyed it. It seems early on that it’s going to be Fahrenheit 451 all over again, as, it takes place in a future society where emotions are regulated and outlawed. But they throw in a bit of Matrix-like action sequences, and some additional chraracter complexities. And the acting is much better.