Spilled Coffee

We had an eight o'clock meeting for work Saturday morning, after I had spent Friday night at the drive-in. My co-worker, Pam, had been there, too, and had stayed out hours later than me. That made for an interesting nine-hour workday. Late in the morning, as we were discussing the managers' desire to find an older, experienced salesperson to hire, I decided to play devil's advocate: "Teenagers can be just as competant as adults,*" I argued, my knee kicking a box full of coffee lids, flinging its contents to the floor and Pam and I into laughter just as a customer walked in.


It is, after all, an ironic universe.


*Notice I say can be.

"Stuff + Cats"

I sometimes wonder if people have too much time on their hands these days.

While you're wasting time online, check out this guy's awesome photography.

This is my approach to math, by the way:

Space, Clouds, & Harley-Riding Aliens

Inspired by Matt's post, I have decided to pay a brief tribute to all the sci-fi (pronounced skee-fee, by the way) shows I enjoy.

Lost in Space
Back in the day of, say, sixth grade, I used to watch this every day during lunch. My favorite episode involved vanishing motorcyclists.
(There's more more history to this show than I you might guess.)

*Stargate SG-1
This is a cool show. I actually watched most of an episode of the Atlantis spin-off on Thursday. And for me and sci-fi, that's pretty darn good.

Speaking of space and stuff, yes, I do aspire to become a member of The Cloud Appreciation Society.

*In nerd-speak, this is abbreviated to the simpler "SG-1."

Blogger

Am I unobservant or has the orange Blogger emblem recently been changed to include a dog? And is there any known significance to this?

Books Worth Stealing

This list is not comprised of what I consider to be the top ten books of all time or even my favorite books. It is, I suppose, just a list of YA books I have read and enjoyed, and would probably recommend. Because it's been a while since I read most of the following (not to mention this post has been sitting in drafts for over a month), the reviews will reflect the lasting impressions they gave me more than a precise opinion. I also would like to get this published tonight, so the capsules will be much briefer than I originally intended.

Rebel in the Night (Peter Jones)
Immoral and unflinching, backdropped by the Revolutionary War, Rebel is probably the most flagrantly irreverant book I've read in the young adult genre. And it is irreverant...towards every establishment involved. There's a lot to be said about Rebel, but it'd make me sounnd like a "Fresh Air" correspondant.

A Northern Light (Jennifer Donnelly)
A Northern Light is marketed as a murder mystery. And it is...but it really isn't. What remains in my mind is the poetic honesty and the simplicity with which Donnelly portrays the messiness of grief and poverty and struggle. Her story-telling is seamless and exquisite; her characters, unforgettable.

The Boys of St. Petri (Bjarne Reuter)
Ah, World War II, the omnipresent backdrop for a good book. Compared to the other war stories on this non-list, The Boys, set in Denmark (written by a Dane, even), is fairly tame and a bit rambling. Where Rebel concerns miscreants with, eh, questionable motives, The Boys is a more traditional tale of boyish heroics, tho still reasonable. Hope for Tomorrow included.

Trickster's Choice (Tamora Pierce)
Although her Song of the Lionness quartet was indubitably her best Tortall work, The Daughter of the Lionness couplet, and especially this first installment, seems to be less targeted and should appeal to a broader audience. An ensnaring yarn of intrigue and politics, Trickster's Choice is a variation from her other Tortall stories, more espionage than girl-power oriented.

Inventing Elliot (Graham Gardner)
In the hands of a less competant writer, this book would be outrageous; however, Gardner's Elliot manages to be rather engrossing, if still unexpected, even rendering the 1984-obsessed Guardians believable. Elliot is a flawed, offbeat book exploring choice and deliverance that somehow works, despite--or because of--its surrealism.

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy (L.A. Meyer)
A rollicking good tale, from the slums of London to the high seas aboard a Royal Navy ship. Meyer takes one of the great, tired cliches of YA lit (girl, pretending to be a boy for greater opportunity in a chauvenistic world) and makes it work--and well--while avoiding most of the pitfalls of this scenario. He writes as if the idea has never been explored before, and there is an unpretentious and sensible backbone to this story. Jacky is luckier than most yet the story remains grounded. This is a novel filled with memorably flawed characters, a rough and brutual world, and the dynamic narration of an orphaned, ignorant, charismatic girl often in danger of losing her Immortal Soul.
(Ediotor's Note: After writing my own synopsis of sorts, I preceeded to see "rollicking good" used as a description of Meyer's tale in several other reviews. "Great minds," as they say...)

Eldest
Yes, I've mentioned it before (corrupted comments and all); and yes, I liked it that much, even if it shamelessly parallels "The Empire Strikes Back.
(Editor's Note: You know you've made it big when you receive a nod from Wikipedia!)

The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
Narrated by Death, Zusak's pecular rspectives and storytelling weave together to make the notable, poignant, hopeful account of Liesel Meminger, the book thief. If I start writing about this book, I won't be able to stop, so I'll just link to other people's opinions. (Beware minor spoilers.)
(Editor's Note: Zusak's I Am the Messenger also of interest.)

The Age
NYTimes {mixed)
NYTimes (positive)

Holes (Louis Sachar)
It's been years since I read this book, but I'll always love the story of Stanley Yelnats. It is a (or was when I read it) clever, surprising, and quick read.

A Random Piece of Kate's Opinion: Plot summaries are lame.

Lights, Camera, Action! (Plot Not Included)

Finally saw Dead Man's Chest last night. Unimpressive, oppressively long. The first two hours rather bored me, actually, although the last half hour was engaging.
What this production severely lacked was a steady direction. Like Jack's fickle compass, it couldn't decide which direction to point. Yes, I realize those were supposed to be twists in the plot. What the writers missed was that you have to be going somewhere before you can go somewhere else. This was a film of too much action and a lot of good ideas, none of which were given enough time to breathe (or beat, as the case may be)...not that I suggest the next flick be any longer.
I thoroughly enjoyed the three-sided sword fight (yes, it was ridiculously unrealistic, but that's what made it so fun) and the entire scene on the island where Davey Jones' heart was buried; the witch lady; the re-emergence of not-Colonel Norrington; the second kraken battle; the "un-dead monkey" and "Where's the thump-thump?" lines delivered superbly by Mr. Depp (who's performance wore a bit thin in a few spots; but then I suppose it would be difficult to reprise an icon).
Obviously, the hatch was left wide open, and there is much potential for the final installment of Pirates. I just hope the writers remembered that you have to have a plot before twisting it.
Editor's Note: As I was double checking that Norrington was, in fact, a colonol in the first movie, I came across this review, which I mostly agree with, though I would still consider Dead Man's Chest to be "worth a look", if only for the special effects and the final scene(s). If I find a better link when I have time, I'll post it.

Still Breathing

Just not typing.