Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Snow, More Snow,and The Situation, Snooki +Etal
Since I last wrote, we have gotten quite a bit of snow, with more on the way. I have been off because of the snow yesterday and today. With another big storm expected tomorrow, I expect to be off then too. The ironic thing is that my road is completely plowed and the main roads in Frederick County are in good shape. After a lot of shoveling on Saturday, I drove to College Park for the Maryland game on Sunday. The roads were not great, but it was a day game and the sun was out so it was sloshy and not ice. There were usually only one or two lanes open, so the area is clearly not ready for a normal rush hour. My work follows the federal government's decision to close. In addition, the metro is closed for above ground stations which means I would have to drive in and pay for parking.
I have begun running on the indoor track at the YMCA and that has been a savior because of the weather and the fact that my marathon on March 21st is not far away. I did run 9 miles outside on Saturday, January 30th. Later that day we got about six inches of snow and it has not been possible to run outside since then. I ran 6.33 miles on the indoor track the next day for the first time. I had gone to my parents to shovel and only had a short amount of time to run. During the weekday last week, I ran 4 miles on Monday and Wednesday and 5 miles on Tuesday. I took a rest day on Thursday. I took a vacation day on Friday because I knew with the big storm approaching that I would not be able to run much during the weekend. I went to the YMCA early on Friday, hoping to do 20 miles. I did 17 miles. I hope to get to 20 miles in a couple of weeks. I did not run on Saturday or Sunday, but did a lot of snow shoveling. The shoveling was significantly more difficult to shovel for this storm that it was for the big storm in December. I went back to the indoor track yesterday and did 7 miles. I hope to make it back today and the plan is to run 8 miles.
I also found out that my gym is going out of business. Below is a link to when I wrote about switching gyms last summer.
Switching Gyms
I have no choice but to go back to the fancy gym. They have a reasonable deal for the first six months, but who knows how much it will be after that.
The Jersey Shore
Putting a bunch of loudmouths in a house together in a house has been done many, many times in the world of reality television. What made The Jersey Shore a sensation was twofold,
A. The subject of the guido / guidette culture has been underpublized and it is fascinating to see them in their element at the Jersey Shore.
B. The casting of the show could not have been better. They were loud and brash but also people that I eventually found to be likable. This is in sharp contrast to The Real World where the casting has sucked for severals seasons reaching a low point with The Real World DC.
The cast includes two breakout stars that will have a lengthy 15 minutes of fame. Below is a run down of the cast.
-Mike (The Situation) - He calls himself or his six pack The Situation. Mike is 27 years old and spends his day doing GTL (gym, tanning and laundry) before going out at night. I am not sure why it is necessary to do laundry on a daily basis. The Situation is a strange combination of arrogance and insecurity. He likes to cook meals for the house, but none of his roommates welfare will get in his way when he is trying to pickup girls. Mike had a crush on Sammi Sweetheart at first, but she preferred Ronnie. Mike instantly became good friends with Pauly D. Of the cast of The Jersey Shore,The Situation has the best potential to have lasting success in the entertainment industry. He would be outstanding as the host of a dating show.
Nicole (Snooki, Snickers,Snookers etc) - She is not quite 5 feet tall and always makes herself the center of attention. Snooki just wants to meet a nice juiced up guy, but alas has no luck. She has no problems being the only person on the dance floor at a bar in the middle of the day and has an affinity for pickles. Snooki's most memorable incident was getting sucker punched by a guy in a bar. Snooki has been making the rounds of all the talk shows for the past couple of months. I can see Snooki eventually having a short lived reality show of her own.
Pauly D - Pauly D is a 29 year old DJ from Rhode Island that has a tanning bed in his house and spends a lot of time each day gelling his hair just right. Initially he seemed like a huge douche bag. However, he was the most likable cast member with a good self depeciating humor. Pauly D had a brief interest in Jwoww and served as wingman for The Situation throughout the summer including two memorable encounters with The Grenade. He also met an Israeli girl who turned out to be a stage five stalker. Being a DJ is a great occupation for Pauly D and at a minimum will continue making money visiting bars for years.
Jenny (Jwoww)- Jwoww is a wild woman who designs her own outrageous outfits. In the introduction she says that after she has sex with a guy, she rips his head off. She has a boyfriend, but one night after heavy partying hooks up with Pauly D. Jwoww eventually gets back together with her boyfriend and seems to calm down after the incident with Pauly D. However, in the last episode she gets excited when she finds "juiced gorillas" on the beach. When the cast visits Atlantic City, Jwoww hits The Situation because he would not escort her back to their room after she has too much to drink. Jwoww is currently making bar appearances, but i do not see any long term future in the entertainment industry outside of the show.
Ronnie - Ronnie the Rhino is built like a tank. His first rule at the Jersey Shore was not to fall in love. Another rule he had was to not get involved with one of his roommates. Ronnie very quickly broke both those rules with Sammi. For the majority of the season they were together and somewhat separated from the rest of the cast. Ronnie got into two fights with people who were trash talking him. He ended up arrested for one of the fights. Ronnie seemed like a fun guy and I would have liked to see what he would have been like if he had been single.
Sammi Sweetheart- Sammi was the most attractive available girl in the house which meant that got a lot of attention from the males before getting with Ronnie. She was not particularly interesting compared to the rest of the cast and was kind of a bitch. Sammi was kidding with Ronnie one night after drinking too much, but ended up mad at him for comparing her big toe to Fred Flinestones. In addition, she was partially responsible for the first fight that Ronnie got into when he was trying to walk away and she was egging it on.
Vinny - The youngest cast member was the most educated. Vinny is an admitted momma's boy who loves to fist pump on the dance floor. Vinny seemed kind of quiet and got the least amount of camera time the first half of the show. He came into his own towards the end especially with his battles with The Situation. The Jersey Shore had initially gotten some heat from Italian groups about their perceived negative perception of Italians on the show. Vinny's mother and many and many of his relatives came to visit. His mother was very motherly, cooking and cleaning for the whole household. It was actually a very positive portrayal of the Italian culture.
Angelina - Angelina was only on the show for the first few episodes. She arrived with her clothes in a large plastic bag in lieu of a suitcase. Angelina had a boyfriend who apparently is married. She seemed to be interested in preventing anyone else from having fun. Angelina had a difficult time with the assigned job of working in boardwalk t shirt store. She felt that this was a huge step down from her regular job as a bartender where she does "great things." In Angelina's world it seems that a occupation as a bartender is as prestigious as a doctor. She eventually gets kicked off the show for not showing up at work. Angelina expected her roommates to feel bad for her, but they were happy to see her go.
The Jersey Shore for what it was, was a very well made and casted show. They are going to make a second season with the remaining seven cast members. I am not sure how that will work out now that they are celebrities. However, season one was a lot of fun. I give The Jersey Shore a B+.
I have begun running on the indoor track at the YMCA and that has been a savior because of the weather and the fact that my marathon on March 21st is not far away. I did run 9 miles outside on Saturday, January 30th. Later that day we got about six inches of snow and it has not been possible to run outside since then. I ran 6.33 miles on the indoor track the next day for the first time. I had gone to my parents to shovel and only had a short amount of time to run. During the weekday last week, I ran 4 miles on Monday and Wednesday and 5 miles on Tuesday. I took a rest day on Thursday. I took a vacation day on Friday because I knew with the big storm approaching that I would not be able to run much during the weekend. I went to the YMCA early on Friday, hoping to do 20 miles. I did 17 miles. I hope to get to 20 miles in a couple of weeks. I did not run on Saturday or Sunday, but did a lot of snow shoveling. The shoveling was significantly more difficult to shovel for this storm that it was for the big storm in December. I went back to the indoor track yesterday and did 7 miles. I hope to make it back today and the plan is to run 8 miles.
I also found out that my gym is going out of business. Below is a link to when I wrote about switching gyms last summer.
Switching Gyms
I have no choice but to go back to the fancy gym. They have a reasonable deal for the first six months, but who knows how much it will be after that.
The Jersey Shore
Putting a bunch of loudmouths in a house together in a house has been done many, many times in the world of reality television. What made The Jersey Shore a sensation was twofold,
A. The subject of the guido / guidette culture has been underpublized and it is fascinating to see them in their element at the Jersey Shore.
B. The casting of the show could not have been better. They were loud and brash but also people that I eventually found to be likable. This is in sharp contrast to The Real World where the casting has sucked for severals seasons reaching a low point with The Real World DC.
The cast includes two breakout stars that will have a lengthy 15 minutes of fame. Below is a run down of the cast.
-Mike (The Situation) - He calls himself or his six pack The Situation. Mike is 27 years old and spends his day doing GTL (gym, tanning and laundry) before going out at night. I am not sure why it is necessary to do laundry on a daily basis. The Situation is a strange combination of arrogance and insecurity. He likes to cook meals for the house, but none of his roommates welfare will get in his way when he is trying to pickup girls. Mike had a crush on Sammi Sweetheart at first, but she preferred Ronnie. Mike instantly became good friends with Pauly D. Of the cast of The Jersey Shore,The Situation has the best potential to have lasting success in the entertainment industry. He would be outstanding as the host of a dating show.
Nicole (Snooki, Snickers,Snookers etc) - She is not quite 5 feet tall and always makes herself the center of attention. Snooki just wants to meet a nice juiced up guy, but alas has no luck. She has no problems being the only person on the dance floor at a bar in the middle of the day and has an affinity for pickles. Snooki's most memorable incident was getting sucker punched by a guy in a bar. Snooki has been making the rounds of all the talk shows for the past couple of months. I can see Snooki eventually having a short lived reality show of her own.
Pauly D - Pauly D is a 29 year old DJ from Rhode Island that has a tanning bed in his house and spends a lot of time each day gelling his hair just right. Initially he seemed like a huge douche bag. However, he was the most likable cast member with a good self depeciating humor. Pauly D had a brief interest in Jwoww and served as wingman for The Situation throughout the summer including two memorable encounters with The Grenade. He also met an Israeli girl who turned out to be a stage five stalker. Being a DJ is a great occupation for Pauly D and at a minimum will continue making money visiting bars for years.
Jenny (Jwoww)- Jwoww is a wild woman who designs her own outrageous outfits. In the introduction she says that after she has sex with a guy, she rips his head off. She has a boyfriend, but one night after heavy partying hooks up with Pauly D. Jwoww eventually gets back together with her boyfriend and seems to calm down after the incident with Pauly D. However, in the last episode she gets excited when she finds "juiced gorillas" on the beach. When the cast visits Atlantic City, Jwoww hits The Situation because he would not escort her back to their room after she has too much to drink. Jwoww is currently making bar appearances, but i do not see any long term future in the entertainment industry outside of the show.
Ronnie - Ronnie the Rhino is built like a tank. His first rule at the Jersey Shore was not to fall in love. Another rule he had was to not get involved with one of his roommates. Ronnie very quickly broke both those rules with Sammi. For the majority of the season they were together and somewhat separated from the rest of the cast. Ronnie got into two fights with people who were trash talking him. He ended up arrested for one of the fights. Ronnie seemed like a fun guy and I would have liked to see what he would have been like if he had been single.
Sammi Sweetheart- Sammi was the most attractive available girl in the house which meant that got a lot of attention from the males before getting with Ronnie. She was not particularly interesting compared to the rest of the cast and was kind of a bitch. Sammi was kidding with Ronnie one night after drinking too much, but ended up mad at him for comparing her big toe to Fred Flinestones. In addition, she was partially responsible for the first fight that Ronnie got into when he was trying to walk away and she was egging it on.
Vinny - The youngest cast member was the most educated. Vinny is an admitted momma's boy who loves to fist pump on the dance floor. Vinny seemed kind of quiet and got the least amount of camera time the first half of the show. He came into his own towards the end especially with his battles with The Situation. The Jersey Shore had initially gotten some heat from Italian groups about their perceived negative perception of Italians on the show. Vinny's mother and many and many of his relatives came to visit. His mother was very motherly, cooking and cleaning for the whole household. It was actually a very positive portrayal of the Italian culture.
Angelina - Angelina was only on the show for the first few episodes. She arrived with her clothes in a large plastic bag in lieu of a suitcase. Angelina had a boyfriend who apparently is married. She seemed to be interested in preventing anyone else from having fun. Angelina had a difficult time with the assigned job of working in boardwalk t shirt store. She felt that this was a huge step down from her regular job as a bartender where she does "great things." In Angelina's world it seems that a occupation as a bartender is as prestigious as a doctor. She eventually gets kicked off the show for not showing up at work. Angelina expected her roommates to feel bad for her, but they were happy to see her go.
The Jersey Shore for what it was, was a very well made and casted show. They are going to make a second season with the remaining seven cast members. I am not sure how that will work out now that they are celebrities. However, season one was a lot of fun. I give The Jersey Shore a B+.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Three Decent Movies
I wrote a long blog last Wednesday that somehow got deleted so I will do my best to recreate it.
Running
I did not sleep good last Monday and it impacted my Tuesday run. I only ran 4 miles instead of my planned 5 miles. Tuesday night I went to the Maryland game so I did not get home until 11:30. Since I did not get much sleep for two consecutive days, I ended up sleeping a little later and moving my rowing machine workout until Friday. On Thursday, I was planning to do a 6 mile run on the treadmill. I did about 4.5 miles and gave up, starting walking towards the locker room and changed my mind, I went back ran for a minute or two and gave up a second time. This time I went into the locker room and decided to try once more. I was able to run an additional mile and half this time. On Friday, I did my 30 minutes on the rowing machine.
I had a very good running weekend. The weather cooperated and it was comfortable running on both days although it did rain yesterday after I finished. I did about 8.5 miles on Saturday and 15 miles on Sunday. Saturday I did the 3 mile loop around the neighborhood and Sunday I ran on the C & O Canal. My plan to get to 17 miles next Sunday, 19 miles the next week and 21 miles the following week.
The Kite Runner
Over the summer Directv had given me the Showtime channel free for several months. I had recorded several movies which sat on my tivo for quite some time. I recently watched two of these movies. The Kite Runner was a critically acclaimed best selling by Khaled Hosseini that I never read.
The Kite Runner
Amir immigrated to the United States after leaving Afghanistan as a kid. He is now an adult that is married and about to publish his first novel when he gets a phone call from his father's old best friend from Afghanistan. This leads Amir to flashback to when he was a kid growing up. Amir's father was a successful businessman in Afghanistan and his best friend was Hassan, the son of one of his father's servants. Amir was timid and Hassan would stand up for him leading Amir's father to think that Amir was a coward. They enjoyed flying kites.
One day, after winning a kite flying competition, Hassan get beaten up and brutally raped by some older kids after protecting Amir. This embarrasses both of them and causes the friendship to end. Amir even lies and says that Hassan stole from his father, which causes Hassan to quit in shame. Shortly after this, Russia invades Afghanistan which prompts Amir and his father to escape to America.
Shortly after getting married, Amir's father dies of cancer. Several years after this is when Amir gets the call from his father's friend who requests that Amir meet him in Pakistan. Amir reluctantly travels to Pakistan where he learns that Hassan and his wife were recently killed by the Taliban and that their son is in an orphanage in Afghanistan. In addition, he learns that Hassan was actually his father's illegitimate son, meaning that he and Hassan were actually half brothers.
Amir goes to Afghanistan, rescues the boy and takes him back to the United States. The movie ends with Amir and the boy flying a kite.
I thought that this movie was very well done. I especially thought that the actor who played Amir father did a strong job. The actor's name is Homayoun Ershadi. I give The Kite Runner a B+.
3:10 to Yuma
This movie is based on a book from Elmore Leonard and is a remake from a movie made in 1957. Elmore Leonard must be really old. I am not really a big fan of westerns, but heard good things about this film. The film is about two men who appear to be complete opposites but really are similar.
3:10 to Yuma
Christian Bale plays the good guy, Dan Evan who is a veteran of the Civil War, where is lost a foot and is trying to raise his family and operate a ranch, but is having financial problems. He has lost the respect of his oldest son because it is not a typical wild west gunslinger type.
Russell Crowe plays the bad guy, Ben Wade who leads a Jesse James type gang that is robbing, killing and causing all kinds of havoc.
Wade is captured, but in order to put him to jail they need to get him on the 3:10 train to Yuma, which is a big challenge with Wade's gang looking to free their leader. Dan Evans offers to help with getting Wade on the train because he needs the money. Evans is one of a team whose job it is to get Wade on the train to jail.
Wade is a quite talkative and is especially interested in Evans. Evans is fully aware but Wade is trying to catch him off guard. Evans' son runaway from the ranch and joins the team against Evans. As the movie progressives the team shrinks as they are either killed or leave when they decide that the money is not worth the danger of continuing to staying and dealing with Wade and his gang. This leaves Evans and his son. Wade tries to bribe Evans to leave, but Evan refuses. Wade seems to genuinely like and respect Evans.
As Evans is about to escort Wade on to the train, Wade's gang shoots Evans. Wade responds by shooting everyone in his gang and boarding the train. He says that he has already escaped from the jail twice before.
I enjoyed the interaction between Wade and Evans. Both Christian Bale and Russell Crowe were very good in this film. I give 3:10 to Yuma a B-.
Funny People
Funny People is a movie from Judd Aptow that is different than Knocked Up and 40 Year Virgin because it is not completely a comedy and is much longer. Based on what I heard the first half was very good but that the movie falls apart in the second half.
Funny People
Adam Sandler plays George Simmons who is a very successful actor / comedian who does not have a family or good friends. He suddenly learns that he is going to die.
He befriends Ira played by Seth Rogan who is an aspiring comedian who will do anything to get his big break in show business. George hires Ira as an assistant / writer and they start to become good friends.
In addition, George reconnects with an old girlfriend, Laura from many years ago that was his one true love but that he blew it with. Laura is now married with kids. Eventually George learns he is not dying. Laura is tempted to end her marriage to get back with George but Ira is critical of how George is messing up their marriage and George and Ira have a big argument. Eventually, Laura decides to get back with her husband.
Several weeks later George goes to the comedy club and makes up with Ira.
I did not think that there was a major difference between the two halves of this movie. Both were pretty good, but the movie is not particularly funny and it is definitely a bit too long. I give Funny People a C+.
Running
I did not sleep good last Monday and it impacted my Tuesday run. I only ran 4 miles instead of my planned 5 miles. Tuesday night I went to the Maryland game so I did not get home until 11:30. Since I did not get much sleep for two consecutive days, I ended up sleeping a little later and moving my rowing machine workout until Friday. On Thursday, I was planning to do a 6 mile run on the treadmill. I did about 4.5 miles and gave up, starting walking towards the locker room and changed my mind, I went back ran for a minute or two and gave up a second time. This time I went into the locker room and decided to try once more. I was able to run an additional mile and half this time. On Friday, I did my 30 minutes on the rowing machine.
I had a very good running weekend. The weather cooperated and it was comfortable running on both days although it did rain yesterday after I finished. I did about 8.5 miles on Saturday and 15 miles on Sunday. Saturday I did the 3 mile loop around the neighborhood and Sunday I ran on the C & O Canal. My plan to get to 17 miles next Sunday, 19 miles the next week and 21 miles the following week.
The Kite Runner
Over the summer Directv had given me the Showtime channel free for several months. I had recorded several movies which sat on my tivo for quite some time. I recently watched two of these movies. The Kite Runner was a critically acclaimed best selling by Khaled Hosseini that I never read.
The Kite Runner
Amir immigrated to the United States after leaving Afghanistan as a kid. He is now an adult that is married and about to publish his first novel when he gets a phone call from his father's old best friend from Afghanistan. This leads Amir to flashback to when he was a kid growing up. Amir's father was a successful businessman in Afghanistan and his best friend was Hassan, the son of one of his father's servants. Amir was timid and Hassan would stand up for him leading Amir's father to think that Amir was a coward. They enjoyed flying kites.
One day, after winning a kite flying competition, Hassan get beaten up and brutally raped by some older kids after protecting Amir. This embarrasses both of them and causes the friendship to end. Amir even lies and says that Hassan stole from his father, which causes Hassan to quit in shame. Shortly after this, Russia invades Afghanistan which prompts Amir and his father to escape to America.
Shortly after getting married, Amir's father dies of cancer. Several years after this is when Amir gets the call from his father's friend who requests that Amir meet him in Pakistan. Amir reluctantly travels to Pakistan where he learns that Hassan and his wife were recently killed by the Taliban and that their son is in an orphanage in Afghanistan. In addition, he learns that Hassan was actually his father's illegitimate son, meaning that he and Hassan were actually half brothers.
Amir goes to Afghanistan, rescues the boy and takes him back to the United States. The movie ends with Amir and the boy flying a kite.
I thought that this movie was very well done. I especially thought that the actor who played Amir father did a strong job. The actor's name is Homayoun Ershadi. I give The Kite Runner a B+.
3:10 to Yuma
This movie is based on a book from Elmore Leonard and is a remake from a movie made in 1957. Elmore Leonard must be really old. I am not really a big fan of westerns, but heard good things about this film. The film is about two men who appear to be complete opposites but really are similar.
3:10 to Yuma
Christian Bale plays the good guy, Dan Evan who is a veteran of the Civil War, where is lost a foot and is trying to raise his family and operate a ranch, but is having financial problems. He has lost the respect of his oldest son because it is not a typical wild west gunslinger type.
Russell Crowe plays the bad guy, Ben Wade who leads a Jesse James type gang that is robbing, killing and causing all kinds of havoc.
Wade is captured, but in order to put him to jail they need to get him on the 3:10 train to Yuma, which is a big challenge with Wade's gang looking to free their leader. Dan Evans offers to help with getting Wade on the train because he needs the money. Evans is one of a team whose job it is to get Wade on the train to jail.
Wade is a quite talkative and is especially interested in Evans. Evans is fully aware but Wade is trying to catch him off guard. Evans' son runaway from the ranch and joins the team against Evans. As the movie progressives the team shrinks as they are either killed or leave when they decide that the money is not worth the danger of continuing to staying and dealing with Wade and his gang. This leaves Evans and his son. Wade tries to bribe Evans to leave, but Evan refuses. Wade seems to genuinely like and respect Evans.
As Evans is about to escort Wade on to the train, Wade's gang shoots Evans. Wade responds by shooting everyone in his gang and boarding the train. He says that he has already escaped from the jail twice before.
I enjoyed the interaction between Wade and Evans. Both Christian Bale and Russell Crowe were very good in this film. I give 3:10 to Yuma a B-.
Funny People
Funny People is a movie from Judd Aptow that is different than Knocked Up and 40 Year Virgin because it is not completely a comedy and is much longer. Based on what I heard the first half was very good but that the movie falls apart in the second half.
Funny People
Adam Sandler plays George Simmons who is a very successful actor / comedian who does not have a family or good friends. He suddenly learns that he is going to die.
He befriends Ira played by Seth Rogan who is an aspiring comedian who will do anything to get his big break in show business. George hires Ira as an assistant / writer and they start to become good friends.
In addition, George reconnects with an old girlfriend, Laura from many years ago that was his one true love but that he blew it with. Laura is now married with kids. Eventually George learns he is not dying. Laura is tempted to end her marriage to get back with George but Ira is critical of how George is messing up their marriage and George and Ira have a big argument. Eventually, Laura decides to get back with her husband.
Several weeks later George goes to the comedy club and makes up with Ira.
I did not think that there was a major difference between the two halves of this movie. Both were pretty good, but the movie is not particularly funny and it is definitely a bit too long. I give Funny People a C+.
Monday, January 18, 2010
1776
My running results has been mixed. Last weekend was very cold, but I still got my runs in though both were slightly shorter than I planned. On Saturday, I went about 7.5 miles instead of 8.5 and on Sunday I went about 11.5 instead of 13 miles. I ran on the C & O Canal both days, although there was some ice.
During the week at the gym, after working on the rowing machine on Monday, I had a good 5 mile run on Tuesday. However, after a bad night sleep (rough Maryland loss) I only did a slow 5 miles on Wednesday instead of my planned 7 miles. I was planning to do the 7 miles on Thursday as a make up. However, Thursday was a discouraging day. My legs were tired and I only got thru 4.5 miles before I gave up.
I have today off for MLK day so my original plan was to do 9 on Saturday and Monday and to do 14 on Sunday. Saturday was a very nice day and I got the 9 miles in without a problem on the C & O canal. Yesterday was Alex's birthday and we ended up going out for breakfast. I tried to eat less than normal. It was also a cold, nasty, very rainy day. I started out about 10:30 but quickly determined it was not going to be a good day for my running and stopped after only 2 miles. Today was much nicer and I did 13 miles going after a hilly loop in the neighborhood.
1776
After enjoying the Abraham Lincoln book that I read over the summer, I vowed to read more history books.
Abraham Lincoln book review
Virginia and I spent a day at Mount Vernon in October and I wanted to learn more about the revolutionary era so when I saw this book fairly cheap at Costco, I went ahead and bought it. 1776 is by David McCullough. It was written in 2005 and is about the first full year of the Revolutionary War. I had not previously read a book by McCullough, but I did watch and enjoy the John Adams miniseries.
1776
This book was not as interesting or as easy to read as the Lincoln book. This is likely because the book is primarily about the battles rather than politics which don't interest me as much. However, there were several interesting things that I learned from reading this book.
This week I am planning to do 5 miles tomorrow and Thursday. I will work out on the rowing machine on Wednesday. For the weekend I am planning to do 9 miles on Saturday and get my long run up to 15 miles on Sunday.
1776
After enjoying the Abraham Lincoln book that I read over the summer, I vowed to read more history books.
Abraham Lincoln book review
Virginia and I spent a day at Mount Vernon in October and I wanted to learn more about the revolutionary era so when I saw this book fairly cheap at Costco, I went ahead and bought it. 1776 is by David McCullough. It was written in 2005 and is about the first full year of the Revolutionary War. I had not previously read a book by McCullough, but I did watch and enjoy the John Adams miniseries.
1776
This book was not as interesting or as easy to read as the Lincoln book. This is likely because the book is primarily about the battles rather than politics which don't interest me as much. However, there were several interesting things that I learned from reading this book.
- The main point of the book was how the American Army was a ragtag group of men with no military experience and that George Washington was very frustrated with the number of troop and the shape that they were in.
- Washington was an inexperienced leader that struggled with indecision, but grew into the job.
- Charles Lee was second in command of the US army. He was arrogant and very critical of Washington. Lee was captured by the British while in a tavern away from his troops.
- Henry Knox, who I never heard of previously, was a book store owner who became a big hero for transporting weapons to battles.
- The British under General Howe made a major mistake by stopping for the winter late in 1776.
- The winters of 1775-1776 and 1776-1777 seemed to have especially bad weather compared to today. Global Warning?
- The Battle of Trenton around Christmas in 1776 was probably the turning point for the US. They were in very bad shape until that point.
- The British was a well trained army but had little experience in battle.
- The British employed German mercenaries that seemed to help them quite a bit until Trenton. The Germans were call Hessians in the book.
- The French were not assisting Washington at this point.
- The Americans caught the Hessian Gereral Rall by surprise at Trenton.
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Brass Verdict
The Brass Verdict
I read this book by Michael Connelly several months ago and really enjoyed it. The book is told from the point of view of Mickey Haller who was previously the mail character in The Lincoln Lawyer. I liked all of Connelly's book, but The Lincoln Lawyer was not one of my favorites. Haller is a a criminal defense lawyer that works out of a Lincoln Continental vehicle, rather than an office.
As the book opens, Haller has been taking a hiatus from practicing law and he works to overcome a pain killer addiction. However, an old colleague, Jerry Vincent is murdered and Haller inherits. Vincent was preparing for a high profile murder trial for Hollywood producer, Walter Elliott.
The police believe that Vincent's murder is related to the Elliott trial and that Haller may be in danger as well. The Detective investigating Vincent's murder is Harry Bosch, who is the main character in many of Connelly's book. The strength of The Brass Verdict is the interactions between Haller and Vincent. There is a natural animosity between a policemen and a defense attorney. However, Bosch is protecting Haller from a potential danger if the person that killed Vincent is now after Haller.
The novel was told from Haller's point of view which made it interesting since we got his thoughts and perceptions of Bosch, who is more of a secondary character in this book instead of the central figure in most of Connelly's books. Haller and Bosch like each other despite the natural distrust from their jobs and earn each other's respect.
The story of Elliott trial involved jury tampering that had been set up before Haller got involved. Eventually Haller and Bosch get to the bottom of it, but not before Elliott is murdered. This was not a typical Connelly because the Haller / Bosch interaction was as much a part of the story as the the Elliott trial and more interesting.
I enjoyed the feeling out, conversations and working together between Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch throughout the story. However, I did not like the surprise at the end when Haller and Bosch discover that they are half brothers. This was a bit too small worldish for me.
Bosch has been a great character through a lot of books, but there are times that I get tired of him. Having Bosch as a secondary character worked well in this case, better than it did previously in A Darkness More than Night. Haller grew on me in this book and I can see that Connelly is adding more depth to Haller and additional secondary characters so I expect there is to be more Haller books in the future.
Connelly is a talented writer, whose book are consistently good and at times outstanding. I would rate this book as an average book for Connelly which means it was very good. I believe that I have read all of Connelly's book except for a non fiction book he wrote several years ago. He is one of my favorite authors. I give The Brass Verdict a B.
I read this book by Michael Connelly several months ago and really enjoyed it. The book is told from the point of view of Mickey Haller who was previously the mail character in The Lincoln Lawyer. I liked all of Connelly's book, but The Lincoln Lawyer was not one of my favorites. Haller is a a criminal defense lawyer that works out of a Lincoln Continental vehicle, rather than an office.
As the book opens, Haller has been taking a hiatus from practicing law and he works to overcome a pain killer addiction. However, an old colleague, Jerry Vincent is murdered and Haller inherits. Vincent was preparing for a high profile murder trial for Hollywood producer, Walter Elliott.
The police believe that Vincent's murder is related to the Elliott trial and that Haller may be in danger as well. The Detective investigating Vincent's murder is Harry Bosch, who is the main character in many of Connelly's book. The strength of The Brass Verdict is the interactions between Haller and Vincent. There is a natural animosity between a policemen and a defense attorney. However, Bosch is protecting Haller from a potential danger if the person that killed Vincent is now after Haller.
The novel was told from Haller's point of view which made it interesting since we got his thoughts and perceptions of Bosch, who is more of a secondary character in this book instead of the central figure in most of Connelly's books. Haller and Bosch like each other despite the natural distrust from their jobs and earn each other's respect.
The story of Elliott trial involved jury tampering that had been set up before Haller got involved. Eventually Haller and Bosch get to the bottom of it, but not before Elliott is murdered. This was not a typical Connelly because the Haller / Bosch interaction was as much a part of the story as the the Elliott trial and more interesting.
I enjoyed the feeling out, conversations and working together between Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch throughout the story. However, I did not like the surprise at the end when Haller and Bosch discover that they are half brothers. This was a bit too small worldish for me.
Bosch has been a great character through a lot of books, but there are times that I get tired of him. Having Bosch as a secondary character worked well in this case, better than it did previously in A Darkness More than Night. Haller grew on me in this book and I can see that Connelly is adding more depth to Haller and additional secondary characters so I expect there is to be more Haller books in the future.
Connelly is a talented writer, whose book are consistently good and at times outstanding. I would rate this book as an average book for Connelly which means it was very good. I believe that I have read all of Connelly's book except for a non fiction book he wrote several years ago. He is one of my favorite authors. I give The Brass Verdict a B.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Friday Night Lights
I completed my weekday running for this week. I did 5 miles on Tuesday and Wednesday and 6.2 miles today. My train was late yesterday so I did my long run today instead of on Wednesday. My run today was .8 of mile less than my goal. I was feeling worn down so I stopped at a 10k rather than get to 7 miles. In addition the very high escalator at the Metro was not working, so I had to walk up a lot of steps this morning. I plan to get to 17 miles during the weekdays next week.
This weather this weekend is looking cold and my schedule is going to be tight. I am going to have to try to run 8.5 miles at 7 AM on Saturday. On Sunday, I will go for 13 miles at 11:30. I will DVR the Ravens game and hopefully I can start watching by 2:30.
Friday Night Lights Season 1
http://www.amazon.com/Friday-Night-Lights-First-Season/dp/B000RF1QE2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1262889372&sr=1-4
I started watching ths critically acclaimed show around Thanksgiving since the first three seasons are on Netflix's free instant watch. I read the book that the show is very loosely based on about 20 years ago. The book is a true story based on a actual team.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night_Lights:_A_Town,_a_Team,_and_a_Dream
There was also a movie that I saw, which is based on the team in the book.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night_Lights_(film)
The tv show is about a fictional team and characters.
At the time the series started, I did not want to watch it because I did not think a fictionalized team would work well. I enjoyed the MTV reality show about the high school football team in Alabama.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-A-Days
This show is a drama / soap opera. Part of the issue is that I am far more knowledgable about a football team than I am about for example an ad agency in the 1960s. Some of the problems that I had with storylines.
Despite the storylines, I am continuing to watch season two. I have already watched the first two episodies. For season one, I give Friday Night Lights a B-.
This weather this weekend is looking cold and my schedule is going to be tight. I am going to have to try to run 8.5 miles at 7 AM on Saturday. On Sunday, I will go for 13 miles at 11:30. I will DVR the Ravens game and hopefully I can start watching by 2:30.
Friday Night Lights Season 1
http://www.amazon.com/Friday-Night-Lights-First-Season/dp/B000RF1QE2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1262889372&sr=1-4
I started watching ths critically acclaimed show around Thanksgiving since the first three seasons are on Netflix's free instant watch. I read the book that the show is very loosely based on about 20 years ago. The book is a true story based on a actual team.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night_Lights:_A_Town,_a_Team,_and_a_Dream
There was also a movie that I saw, which is based on the team in the book.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night_Lights_(film)
The tv show is about a fictional team and characters.
At the time the series started, I did not want to watch it because I did not think a fictionalized team would work well. I enjoyed the MTV reality show about the high school football team in Alabama.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-A-Days
This show is a drama / soap opera. Part of the issue is that I am far more knowledgable about a football team than I am about for example an ad agency in the 1960s. Some of the problems that I had with storylines.
- Jason Street the star quarterback gets paralyzed in the first episode. This happens but is very rare.
- Matt Saracen the new quarterback is dating the coaches daughter, Julie. This is too much of a cliche.
- Jason Street is playing wheel chair sports far too soon after that type of injury. I would think it takes quite some time after an accident before he would be ready to participate.
- In one episode, Coach Taylor decides not to turn his star running back, Smash Williams in when he finds out he was taking steroids. Smash is greatful and the episode ends with the two of them watching a group of little kids play football. It appears that the player is close to his coach. However, the very episode, Smash leads the African American on the team towalk out before a key game based on an assistant coaches comment to the press without talking it over with Coach Taylor.
- Jason Street is suing the school and Coach Taylor for his accident. Once the lawsuit is settled, Coach Taylor hires Street as an assistant coach in the next episode.
- Tim Riggins the troubled fullback goes from partying too much and drinking during the day to a father figure to the little kid who moves in next door.
- Every single game goes down to the last play and most involve a miracle ending.
- Matt Saracen and Smash Williams have a part time job in a diner. This is inconsistent with the way the star football player are kings in these small Texas towns. In addition, when Tammy Taylor thinks she is pregnant she goes to the crowded doctors office. Who does not use a home pregancy test in 2006 and since she is the coaches wife this would have been big gossip in small town Texas where the football coach is a celebrity.
Despite the storylines, I am continuing to watch season two. I have already watched the first two episodies. For season one, I give Friday Night Lights a B-.
Monday, January 4, 2010
New Year, Old Story
- My running has not gone as planned. As I suspected, running at lunch time did not work too well on Thursday. I was only able to get in 3.37 miles. Friday was a scheduled day off. Saturday was very windy and cold, but I got my 8.5 miles in. However, Sunday the weather was too much. I did about 2.5 miles and it was too cold to continue.
Last winter the weather on weekends, which is when I was running outside was amazingly mild and I had good running days. This winter it seems that the bad weather days are falling on the weekends. We had the blizzard on Saturday two weeks ago and extreme winds all of this past weekend.
Not getting my long run in this weekend will likely make it tough to to do a 20 mile run by the end of the month. Today I worked on the rowing machine. My tentative plan for this week is
Tuesday 5 miles
Wednesday 7 miles
Thursday 5 miles
Saturday 8.5 miles
Sunday 13 miles
The Invisible Wall
I purchased the audio of this book for my MP3 player from Audible when they had a sale. The sale was on a limited number of books. I really didn't find anything I was looking for, but the price was low so I took a chance on The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein.
http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Wall-Story-Broke-Barriers/dp/0345496108/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262619183&sr=8-1
The unique aspect about Bernstein is that this is his first book and he started it when he was 93. He has published two more book since then and is now 99. This is a non-fiction story of Bernstein's childhood that reads like a novel. Bernstein grew up Jewish in London around world war I in a ghetto. He lived on a street that was Jewish on one side and christian on the other side. Harry was was the fifth of six children. Bernstein considered his mother to be a saintly women and his father to be a distant alcoholic.
The book can be broken down in the following topics.
- A very young Harry secretly carries messages between a Jewish teenage neighbor and her Christian boyfriend. When they are discovered, the Jewish girl is shipped off to live with relatives in Australia. They boy loses his legs in the war and end up killing himself.
- Harry's sister, Lily wins a academic scholarship and wants to become a teacher. However, their father makes her quit school and go to work in the tailor shops where a lot of the Jews work.
- The relationship between the Jewish side and the Christian side of the street is discussed throughout the book. Both sides keep their distance. The Jews would never go into the Christian's houses. However, the Jews would hire the Christians to light their fire on the sabbath since the Jews could not do it themselves during the sabbath . There was a lot of anti-Semitism. However, there were also similarities such also all the people on the street were lower working class people. In addition, during the war when both sides were very concerned about loved ones fighting in the war, the two sides became closer. However, when the war ended, it went back to the same separation.
- Lily had a Christian friend, Arthur Forshore that she admired since she was young. He helped her win the scholarship. Her mother was always concerned about their relationship. When Arthur returned from the war, Lily started to secretly go out with Arthur. Both Arthur and Lily became Marxist and did not believe in religion or that there was any reason for the Jews and Christians to be separated. Harry accidentally found out about their relationship and kept their secret. Eventually Lily's mother finds out. She convinces their relatives in America to allow Lily to move to the US. However, Lily runs away and marries Arthur. Lily's mother disowns Lily.
- Lily and Arthur live in a nearby town and Harry continues to visit regularly. Eventually Lily has a baby. Their mother reconciles with Lily and the street has a big party for the baby with both sides of the street. This is how the book ends.
- The epilogue is revealed that Lily and Arthur both die of health problems at a young age and their child ends up dying in WWII. Harry and the rest of his family move to America. About 30 years later Harry revisits the street just before they are demolishing the houses and the street for a new housing project.
I enjoyed the The Invisible Wall. It is a pleasant, sweet book that shows how much the world has changed in less than 100 years. It was a bit strange to have an upbeat ending and they to find out about the deaths of Lily, Arthur and their son. However, this is a true story. If you are looking for an action packed story this book is probably not for you. I give The Invisible Wall a B+.
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