So I finally went over to the Dark Side and got cable yesterday. Took the poor guy 4 hours to install it. It probably didn't help him that when he went to activate my high speed internet, my computer chose that moment to act like a little diva and made her screen go blank. You could read the screen if you shone a flashlight on it at just the right angle. So by the end of the four hours, there were four cable dudes in my house, holding flashlights and angling around the screen to see if they could read what was going on. And of course I opened my persnickity computer this morning and she worked perfectly. Diva. I told you. I'm just glad I don't have to fork out the moolah for a new computer. I can put up with her hoity-toity attitude so long as she works 95% of the time.
The reason I finally got cable is for the simple reason that I bought a ginormous flat-screen tv. (Insert big cheshire cat grin here.) So now I can see actors' pupils! How wild is that? Plus, I was watching some Xena the other day and saw that the actress has a freckle on her upper lip! I've been watching the show for 13 years (it only ran for 6, but I bought the DVDs) and never knew she had a freckle! Holy cow! I love ginormous tvs! I've kind of developed a Gollum-like obsession with it. I look at it and say, "Precious. My precious" to myself. Is that bad? I didn't think so.
So, now I have my hugemongous tv and cable. I'm worried that I won't read as many books. But I'm thinking there's so much crap on tv, there will still be times when I don't find anything I want to watch. And while I'm thinking of it -- when did CNN become a channel of hip, young things with no brains? Gone are the stodgy old farts who knew what the heck they were talking about. Sigh. I sound like an old curmudgeon. Oh well. Can you tell it's been a long time since I've had cable?
Anyway, before I got cable, I read plenty of books. I finally finished "Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea" that history book about the Greeks. I did NOT like that book. Call me a prude, but there were about 10 pages of pictures in the middle of the book, and they all revolved around sex scenes. I think the author, Thomas Cahill, could have illustrated his point that the Greeks were obsessed with sex with just a few pictures. And my prudishness aside, I didn't like the organization of the book, or his "insights." This time period is evidently not his strong suit. I loved his book on the Middle Ages. This one -- not so much. Oh well. We can't and don't have to like every book by an author.
Then I finished "All the Windwracked Stars" by Elizabeth Bear. Awesome sci-fi book. She took the legends of the Valkyrie and twirled them around and put them on a different planet. Really awesome. I love those books that make you figure things out. But I loved the characters in this book. A Valkyrie who chickened out at the final battle and ran away. All her brother and sister angels were slaughtered. So she, being immortal, had to wonder among humans for thousands of years. Very interesting.
Last night I just finished "Another Thing to Fall" by Laura Lippman. She's an awesome mystery author. I loved "What the Dead Know." That got me hooked on her. So now I'm going back and reading her other novels. She has a recurring character of Tess Monaghan who lives in Baltimore. Good character. And Baltimore is another character. One of those towns that has seen its glory years fall by the wayside. Anyway, she's got good character development, and great pace. Highly recommend.
Since it's getting cold out, I thought I'd read some Dickens. I have to read certain novels in specific seasons. The classics and fantasy and sci-fi are all great to read in the fall and winter. The mysteries and potboilers are great for spring and winter. Guess I'm not the only one because they love to publish "beach reads" in the summer. You know -- the quick read authors like James Patterson. And if I haven't mentioned it before, Stuart Woods is awesome. His books are quick reads, but his character development is awesome and the plots kick butt! Highly recommend.
As for Simon, I bought him some reindeer antlers and a red nose to wear during the holiday season. I'm going to rush home tonight and wash him before it gets totally totally dark so he can be all clean and look fabulous with his antlers. Oh! I got a hand-me-down digital camera from my favorite (i.e. only) sister, so as soon as I learn how, I'm going to post some pictures of my Simon. Stay tuned for that.
Guess that's all for now. Bye.
