Monday, April 02, 2007

Live Update!

Sorry I’ve been gone for so long. How inconsiderate of “real” life to interrupt, huh?

Sunday I catered a party for 60 people. Which really means I designed menus Sunday night (a week ago), created a shopping list/price estimate on Mondday night, had dinner with the client on Tuesday for revamp and review. Stopped by clients on Thursday night to pick up the ingredients, because SHE did the shopping! (whoohoo!), came home and made dips Thursday night, cooked Zucchini Bars on Friday night, arrived at the clients Saturday morning – cooked until 8:30 that night, came home, passed out, woke up – went to church Sunday – then to the clients, plated and heated the food, smiled graciously at the guests AS THEY WALKED INTO THE KITCHEN AND BETWEEN ME AND THE OVEN?! At 7:00 pm when the party was over I cleaned, drank a bottle of wine with the client, came home and went to bed.

I think I’ve decided NO ONE will ever pay me enough to make me want to do this as a 2nd career. I enjoy doing this for friends – and will continue to do so, but as a profession? Thanks but no thanks. Unless God drops a professional kitchen and cold storage space in my lap along with a prep cook and waitron person.

Did you notice Wednesday was missing from last weeks line up? Yes, that’s when I went to book club. To talk about “Watchmen” with my “real life” Sci Fi book club. It was a rousing discussion. Some of you have heard detailed commentary by me …. Those that haven’t … well lets just say I find it interesting what other people know compared to myself. In fact, I guess if I keep these comments about myself I won’t sound bitchy.

I was totally lost while reading this book. This book is a “graphic novel”. (Think really, really big comic book.) It won a Hugo Award. (Think “prestigious”). It deals with a bunch of “Super-heros” (except you can’t call them Super-heros because … I don’t know why, BUT YOU CAN’T.)

The costumed people, who fight good and evil, are second generation costumed people. AND they are similar to, but not the same as other comic book action figures/costumed people/superpower people. If you’ve been reading comic books for most of your life you’ll understand all the little hidden links to the other people. If you’re me … you’ll just stay lost.

Within the novel, there are inserts. I LOVE THE INSERTS it was actual typed words in paragraphs! I also loved this part because there were no pictures with really, really, important details that indicated something important about the story.

I also knew who was speaking, because it would be written like this,

“Then the world came to and end and I cried”, said Sally.

I didn’t have to remember what Sally looked like – in OR out of her costume, match her up with her character and understand the words she spoke.

In the inserts I also understood (some of the time) what they were writing about. In the story, not so much. For example, in the story, there is a character named Ozymandias. His name refers to this really important person from back in the mists of time. I guess besides just “being important” there have been poems written about him and words attributed to him. “Anyone with a decent 9th grade education should know ALL about him – and why it’s important that the character chose this name”, I was informed on Wednesday night. I, must have had a substandard education in California, or maybe I was ditching class that day and in auto-shop rebuilding a carburetor, because I don’t know anything about this man – nor what he did/didn’t do. So once again, major part of the story – zooooooom, over my head.

Okay – enough about me and my SciFi woes. Here are three books that I’ve read and enjoyed.

Dirt Music by Tim Winton. The second paragraph starts off with the main character describing internet communities and blogs with this sentence …

“Logging on – what a laugh. They should have called it stepping off.”

The story takes place in Western Australia in a small coastal fishing village. Another character is a musician. He’s skilled in playing “dirt music” … know to you and me as the blues. If you like stories where the geography is a major character, then I suggest this book.

On Agate Hill by Lee Smith. This story takes place in Hillsboro, North Carolina. It’s about a young girl, survivor of the Civil War who is sent to a private school by a mysterious benefactor. After graduating from the school she ends up in the Appalachian Mountains, teaching school and falling in love – with another “dirt musician.”

Waiting for Snow to Fall on Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy by Carlos Eire, is my current reading selection. So far I am entranced. This young boy will be leaving Cuba when the revolution takes place. I can’t wait to see how this privileged youth end up in American and which parts of his family are left behind with Fidel Castro. With every word I read I have images from The Buena Vista Social Club whirling through my mind. I can’t wait for it to read more!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you get the time to read something that you absolutely can't put down, read TRUE LIES by Greg Iles. He is from Natchez and the majority of his books take place there. TURNING ANGEL was also great!! Just a good easy read if you want to rest your mind and read murder!!!

Joseph H. Vilas said...

Sorry about that. I'll e-mail or call. I hope you feel like coming back.

MitMoi said...

Joe I AM coming back! You do realize, don't you, that IT'S MY FAULT .... (really!). I NEVER took any decent classes in HS. (really! I mean, Auto shop, Band, Newspaper, typing .... are not your typical "college prep" classes and would explain WHY some of this is so frustrating TO ME!)

Further, I am going to get this SciFi stuff ... no matter HOW LONG IT TAKES! So you're stuck with me and my sarcasm ... m'kay?

Unknown said...

I was not at all impressed by Watchmen, and I love sci fi. I found it a difficult book to read, and the constant changes between graphical stories and "journals" prevented me from really losing myself in the story. I am not fond of stories that dwell on the imperfections of heroic figures, and so I also found it difficult to care about anyone in the story. Maybe that's just me.

There are much better scifi books out there!

I am out of touch with any recent SciFi (I don't count the star wars books I read to my kids, as much as I do enjoy reading them), but if you haven't read some of the classics, that is where I'd start! Clarke, Bradbury, Asimov, etc (I should dig out my old books and see if there is anything that still reads well - it's probably been 25 yrs since I've read any of that), and if you're interested I'll suggest a few.

The party sounds exhausting. What's a zucchini bar? Sweet or savory?

Anonymous said...

I guess I had my head somewhere else yesterday!! The book is TRUE EVIL by Greg Iles!!! Guess the movie was on my mind!!!

Anonymous said...

I don't know why anyone would want to torture themselves reading something that they don't even understand ???? How can that beget anything good ???