TERMINATOR BOYS

A couple pics of my sons with new hairdos and wrap-around glasses. We'll be back.

CHANGELING

Watched an outstanding and troubling movie, Changeling, tonight. I thought Jolie was excellent. I loved the period costumes and scenes. The story also touches a bone, when children are hurt and parents destroyed. What makes it even more angering is that it apparently is based on a true story. One of the better "normal" roles for Malkovich, who was very good. I wonder if anyone else thought the guy who played the lawyer Hahn thought he looked disturbing like ex-LAPD chief Gates.

MOORE MARATHON

Just finished a mini-marathon of Christopher Moore novels. Anyone who likes absurdist humor writing, with naughtiness and ironic criticism of sacred cows, and not a little bit of grossness and weirdness, then I encourage you to pick up some of his books. There are times when reading his work that I simply can’t stop giggling. He has become one of my favorite authors.

First up was The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, a return visit to the community of Pine Grove, whose denizens first had to deal with a human-eating monster in Practical Demonkeeping. This time the human-eating monster is a horny, shapeshifting water dragon whose intense vibes can draw his prey willingly and cause uncontrollable horniness in depressed humans. Desperate to wreak revenge upon a blues singer for causing him much pain, he causes confusion and chaos in the small coastal community. Wacky characters include a pot-smoking, but likable and honest local lawman; a greedy, porpoise-loving (and I mean "loving") pharmacist; a confused biologist who studies rats; and an ex-B-movie starlet who falls in love with the giant lizard. I regularly think Moore might have an interest in zoophilia himself, if not all brands of kinkiness. Nevertheless, the troubling arrival of the lusty lizard leads to the uncovering of mysterious going-ons on ranch land that boarders the town. Overall, it was a fun read, though not quite as good as Practical, and not nearly as good as some of Moore’s other books.

From the coastline of California we turn to the isolated Pacific island of Aluala in Island of the Sequined Love Nun, a tale of a disgraced private-jet pilot who had worked for a Mary Kay-like boss, but who is now given a shot at redemption as a pilot to medical missionaries---but he soon discovers a dark undertone to his new job. Another set of unusual characters populate Moore’s new world: a cross-dressing Filipino navigator, a determined old cannibal intent on reestablishing the old ways of his people, a talking fruit bat, a ghost of a WWII bomber pilot, and an outspoken (feminist?) pleasure woman for the island’s males. The protagonist, Tucker Case, fits the mold of many of Moore’s heros, wise-cracking never-the-wells with sympathetic, and often just, hearts. This story was excellent and enjoyable.

The two previous novels worked well in preparing me for the best read of the three. . .A Dirty Job. Now, for anyone who watched and enjoyed the television series Dead Like Me, I encourage them to pick up this novel. Charlie Asher has just had his world turned upside down, with the death of his beloved wife and the duties of taking care of his newborn daughter; he soon discovers that he is responsible for delivering souls, and that his daughter has sinister powers. With his new job come perils posed by a trio of nasty feathered female demons from the sewers and foot-tall creatures that seem put together haphazardly from various animal parts, often sporting unusual dress. The required cast of crazies includes a lesbian sister who likes to wear her brother’s expensive suits; the Emperor of San Francisco (who I think is based on a real historical character in the city), a goth clerk who accidently finds out the true nature of her boss; an ex-cop searching for his true love on the Internet; an intrepid, world-wise detective who has his eyes on Charlie; and a pair of huge hellhounds. I enjoy the character Minty Fresh, a giant black man with a penchant for saving his friends and who falls for Lily (the goth girl); he was a minor character in the very enjoyable Coyote Blue. Pulled together with humor and weirdness is are underlying themes of love, family, spirituality, and responsibility. No one I have talked to who has read this book has said they didn’t enjoy it.

I'LL BE BACK

Took the boys to see Terminator: Salvation yesterday. They loved it. It was a pretty good action film and lots of special effects. Christian Bale did not impress me in this one, but I thought several of the other characters were very good. The boys paid rapt attention to the entire movie. I thought the woman who played the fighter pilot (she looked Native American, but I understand she is like part Irish and Korean) was very nice looking. We had lunch at our favorite Chinese place. Then I let them swim for several hours in the pool. Overall, a nice day.

TRACKS

Although Morrison seems to get most of the literary accolades, I feel that Louise Erdrich is every bit as good a storyteller and deserves more attention and greater readership. I may not like all of her stories, but the same can be said of Morrison, and usually I am drawn in by her characters. This novel, Tracks, is a story of several Anishinabe (Chippewa, Ojibwe) families struggling to maintain their culture and lands from the onslaught of church, American ways, and the logging companies during the period roughly corresponding with American participation in World War I; it is a wonderful tale of a defiant woman, Fleur, who survives the extinction of her family in an epidemic and then boldy defies almost everyone around her to forge her own life as she wants to live it. There are elements of what can be described as Native American magical realism (though it may simply the application of native folklore). The story has two narrators. The primary is Nanapush, the old, wise, mischevious, experienced grandfather (telling the story of her mother to his granddaughter). The other is Pauline, an embittered, mentally ill woman who becomes a religious zealot, but is a devil within the community. Not native myself, I believe that Erdrich faithfully reveals some truth in the inner working and complex relationships experienced by Native Americans; some window into the reactions of Indians to the destruction of their world, as well as the tenacious resistence and stubborn accommodation that resulted; some of the humour, anger, love, hatreds, revengefulness, pettiness, forgiveness, sharing, charity, community---in all its varities---that could be found within families and among neighbors. Erdrich's characters are not one dimensional. I love how Nanapush judged and described the many characters in the community. He has to be one of my favorite characters. He loves puncturing falsehoods and white ways, but nonetheless is affected by them. . .clearly as he speaks, he is not telling the whole truth, or is embellishing for the sake of story, but you are drawn in nonetheless. I recommend this story to anyone who likes reading NA fiction.

FRIENDS

I snuck a photo off of my friend's site. I met Renata and her partner Waldilei through our dancer friends Junio and Humberto a few years back. Then they were neighbors. They are respected dancers from Brazil and have been active in the Columbia Classical Ballet for about three years. One of the sad things about getting to know the dancers is the likelihood that they will eventually be moving on, especially the foreign dancers. Here is the pic.

This is a chalk drawing by Joey titled "Renata." It is even prettier when you see it in person. It is now on my wall at work.

And here is a link if you would like to see a video of her dancing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mVsDiSR2Us

PLAY

Listening to the boys play often is very revealing of aspects of their personalities. After seeing the new Star Trek movie, terminologies and scenes have been incorporated into their fantasy space world, for so long dominated by Star Wars, although tempered somewhat by several seasons of Voyager that they watched with me. And of course there are a lot of funny comments, as they manuever their Lego-built starships into situations. I rememeber hearing, "Captain. Shield down to 60 %; shields down to 80%---shields down to 1080%!" What??? There was no explanation as to why they were increasing in power as they went down.

Joey likes to be in control, wants to be destroying, delights in action. "Bring out the ion cannons.!" I remember him responding to his brother saying "I'm going down," with "No. You can't." What? He often does not like it when Chimo tries to change the storyline. Chimo, for some reason, tends to like the backstory and also wants to rescue people (as in one scene where Joey was willing to leave the crew of a spacestation that was under attack, and Chimo kept saying, "But we can't leave them.") Joey was worried about attacking forces, while Chimo was saying "We don't have medical transporters!" Note, not transporters, medical transporters. Joey likes to take over ships Chimo has built and put men aboard and fly off for adventure; Chimo will spend a lot of time in the contruction of a space station (elaborately done, with ducting and all). Both boys have good imaginations though, which is nice.