Joss Whedon is my Master now

The folks over at pvponline are selling t-shirts with the above logo. It is particularly apt now that my wife and I saw a clip from the Serenity movie last night. As regular readers (hi mom!) of this blog know, I am a total Joss Whedon fanboy. I may have to start a religion.

I apologize for the long lag time between posts. The usual excuses (i.e., work) apply with some added stresses. I will not go into details here but a relative became very ill and I left town to visit him. While I was there, I visited another relative who is also very ill. Although I am glad I was able to do it, and my relatives are taking things in stride, it was a sobering experience for me. Once I sort it all out, I may post something about my thoughts on the matter.

I have been watching House since the season started but there has been very little character and a whole lot of plot recently, so I haven't had a lot to say. As always, I refer you to the excellent Polite Dissent web site for an in-depth analysis of the medicine practiced in the show. Last night provided a little more insight into a much-neglected character, Dr. Cuddy. In the first season, I thought she was woefully underutilized as a foil for House. He stumped her at every turn. In this episode, we learn that she feels inadequate because she hasn't actually practiced medicine in quite a while. That is a perfectly reasonable explanation for her reluctance to stand up to House when he practices some dubious medicene but I don't think that it works here. With Cuddy taken care of, there is no dynamic opposition to House's antics. The new character, an in-house lawyer played by Sela Ward, may develop into this but the scenes with her in the season so far are not promising. I enjoy the medical stuff very much, and the actors stand out in their roles, but I want to see more more plot involving these characters. They are too good to neglect.

I am reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Although I am determined to finish it, it manages to take an interesting thriller and turn it into a pedantic exercise. The premise is simple: Dracula really exists as an undead creature and several scholars seek him out for various reasons. There are bits of this book that really seize my interest and keep me reading; however, this thing could easily be hundreds of pages shorter than it is.

Also, I added a few more links to the roster. Of particular note is Recyclum, a blog written by an acquaintance of mine from New Orleans. My wife and I visited him and his wife when we attended the New Orleans Jazz Fest last year. I am sure the posts are buried in the archives. At any rate, he writes about New Orleans as well as his experiences in Nicaragua, where he is working and researching. Please check it out.

Oh, and someone has finally taken pictures of a giant squid! Sea monsters do exist! My nine year-old self is vindicated! (yoinked from Boing Boing).

A Trip to the Humid Cedar Reading Room

What have I been reading lately? I am glad you asked!

In the Forests of Serre, By Patricia A. McKillip. Not a retelling of the Firebird story (that is, not the story I am familiar with: the one Stravinsky used in his ballet), but a riff on themes from Russian folklore. There is a fierce one-eyed king; a Baba Yaga-like witch, complete with moving hut; melancholoy wizards; a grieving prince; a wilful princess; and, of course, a firebird. An elegant little book that is by turns an examination of responsibility, a love story and a fairy story.

Black and Blue Magic, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. This book is a blast from my past. I remember checking it out from the library as a kid and loving it . It is the story of a pre-teen boy living in a boarding house with his mother, who helps a strange boarder and receives an astonishing gift in return. It is set in San Francisco in the early sixties (the boy has a view of the bay from his bedroom window that a yuppie would trade his BMW for) and Ms. Snyder takes us on moonlight tours of town with our hero. Our hero, always a well-meaning, if clumsy, kid, uses his new magical gift to help people (sometimes by accident). A wonderful book.

Spring-Heeled Jack, by Philip Pullman. This little book is part text, part comic. Mr. Pullman of His Dark Materials fame takes three small children through the foggy back streets of nineteenth century London, where thugs, thieves and the mysterious Spring-Heeled Jack lurk. As is usual in these yarns, the children seek escape from their dingy orphanage and find themselves quickly embroiled in plots and counter-plots. A lot of fun.

Count Karlstein, by Philip Pullman. This children's book is a gothic tale of romance, misplaced heirs, self-reliant British women, and the Demon Huntsman, set in Switzerland in the 19th century. The narrative jumps from one character to another, but the book was pretty entertaining.

Guns, Germs and Steel, by Jared Diamond. This examination of natural and human history to see where some civilizations succeed where others fail. I won't get into his thesis here; suffice it to say that it is a fascinating book for someone like me (that is to say, someone with an abiding interest in history and a superficial knowledge of natural history and anthropology). I learned a lot from reading it and it provoked some serious thinking. Which hurts my head.

Thanks to Grinding Metal for the loan of Guns, Germs and Steel! And thanks to my family for the other books!

New Orleans Blog

This is the most compelling blog I've found on the internet that describes ongoing recovery efforts in New Orleans. I urge you to check it out.