The Blog of Damocles: Sorkin or Whedon

The Blog of Damocles: Sorkin or Whedon

So in the link above I asked the question who was the greatest TV writer of the past few years. I think I need to add another Buffy-related show to the list of great - and canceled - shows. Wonderfalls (Tim Minear, et al) is absolutely amazing and yet only 4 episodes ever aired (FOX must DIE!). The travesty this is cannot be fully realized until you watch all 13 that were made and realize just how wacky and intelligent the show was. In the "shows associated with Whedon" category that are still on the air, How I Met Your Mother is fast becoming a favorite.

Road Trip book #400

This is Tim Cahill's fairly entertaining account of his and Garry Sowerby's 23 day 22 hour trip from Tierra del Fuego to Prudhoe Bay. More than just a road trip it is an exploration of adventure driving, travel writing and the histories of all 13 countries that they pass through in such a short amount of time. All in all, a good read and quite funny in places but I would guess that it is not his best work. It's about a B on the academic scale.

Yes I've seen Rush in Concert.

It is a scary thing to admit to, no doubt, but it actually has some relevance to today's post. The book I'm reviewing was written by Rush's drummer, Neil Peart.



Ghost Rider (unlike the movie of the same name, and as I have previously noted) is well worth the time. Peart is extremely well read and peppers his prose with quotes from works of literature, his music and popular culture alike. The book deals with Peart's attempt to deal with the loss of his only daughter, Selena, and wife, Jackie in the course of a year. During portions of the next two years the author criss-crosses the continent in search of some sort of solace. While on the bike he sends a series of letters to friends to both inform them of this journey and as a sort of catharsis. There are times that the books seems to bog down and lose direction, but overall it is quite engaging and interesting to read. Moreover, I might actually recommend it to someone who was going through a grieving process.

I'm now on one of the thousand or so books mentioned by Peart as interesting: Road Fever, by Tim Cahill.

interesting.....

Things that make my truck “interesting”:
1. It’s old (it counts as environmentally responsible if you count all the extra resources it takes to make a new car)
2. no seatbelts
3. brakes just powerful enough to slow a toddler on a tricycle
4. no door locks
5. heat that I can’t seem to figure out
6. a carburetor that doesn’t work unless you prime it by pouring gasoline in the top
7. steering that is more a suggestion than a demand (and only possible while moving)
8. no jack
9. a different sized spare
10. The bed is wood

Annoying

My email posting option is not working, that makes me angry. So here I am, "borrowing" wireless in order to post something. Grr. I had a flat yesterday and had the wonderful experience of southern hospitality, which is to say - no hospitality whatsoever.

Warren, Tara doesn't want to see 300 - so do you want to head to VA to come watch it?

Movies for the weekend

This weekend we watched movies instead of reading like good little bookworms, so bear with me as I do movie reviews.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch


John Cameron Mitchell's interesting debut covering the story of a trans-gender punk rock star and her band. The music is fantastic and much less "broadway-esque" than RENT to which it is frequently grouped due to it's subjects tending to live "alternative" lifestyles. Ok, that was too many quotes in one sentence. The story is compelling, though probably not for everybody.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead


One of the less know Clive Owen movies. This movie is both formulaic (retired gangster comes out of retirement to avenge his brutalized brother) and poorly done. The storyline is often incoherent and very slow to begin. The violence is not nearly as bad as you would expect (in contrast to Sin City, for example), which is one positive point. This was definitely the worst movie of the weekend.

Stranger Than Fiction


From worst to best. This movie exceeded both of our expectations. Will Farrell playing a subtle comedic role opposite a brilliant Maggie Gyllenhaal a wild Emma Thompson a staid Queen Latifah and a very caffeinated Dustin Hoffman. Marc Forster, who also directed Finding Neverland, does an amazing job of suspending disbelief and bringing people into a multi-faceted dramedy. I would highly recommend this movie to everyone.

We done bought a new truck - y'all

So we just joined the ranks of truck drivers here in VA, but we did it in classic style.

Have a look