Shaken & Stirred: Kneel Before Zod.

November 27, 2005

Kneel Before Zod.

Thngs I Learned Over Thanksgiving 2006

Superman II really is the best, primarily because of General Zod and his minions (especially the scowly one). In fact, I'd go so far as to say that almost every movie would be improved by Terence Stamp as Zod fiercing up the joint.
Never play Trivial Pursuit against a science fiction writer when death is on the line.
George the Dog would really like to live in a party house. He prefers it. He's been wandering around all day looking for people to entertain him.
Thai food kicks turkey and dressing's ass, but I actually knew this already. However, I will raise things one AMAZING curried catfish.
Related to four: It's best to stay out of the professionals' way. Don't mess with the notecards.
The Johnny and June movie is actually really good. You should see it.
Manly men can completely fix a leaky faucet. (And I've already adjusted to turning the cold tap the opposite direction too.)
Alan can outsleep me! (Though in his favor, he did have that whole 14 hour drive thing.)
Hiking is not about speed.

I find myself stalled at nine, but that's just because I'm very, very sleepy. And anyway, we'd already established that the best thing about Thanksgiving is to be surrounded by a bunch of fantastic people. Check.

Hope yours was great too.

Posted at 09:31 PM in Real Life | Permalink

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Aha! You went and saw the Johnny Cash movie -- I was so hoping that you would. (Although I suspect that I love it even more than you do.)

Wish we'd been there for Thanksgiving. I had beef wellington and am undoubtedly due to come down with the gout.

Posted by:Kelly Link | November 27, 2005 at 10:11 PM

You guys were greatly missed(!). And there was actual cooking this year.

Christopher and I snuck out to see the Cash movie today after everyone had already left and loved it superlots.

I hear that ear candles are good for preventing gout.

Posted by:Gwenda | November 27, 2005 at 10:15 PM

Okay, then. Here is your 10th thing: I learned over Thanksgiving that cats do not respect the idea of "sleeping in" on a holiday. Argh.

My T-day was T-less. Friend made me a fabulous six course veggie meal, with more food than I thought was possible on Thanksgiving without an actual tofurkey. I did not miss the turkey at all.

Cheers!

Posted by:La Gringa | November 27, 2005 at 10:57 PM

re: Tuesday hangovers
best avoided first week on a new job

re: things I learned
even though i don't understand the whole thanksgiving thing, any list that includes a princess bride reference is grand

Posted by:parker | November 28, 2005 at 06:58 AM

Terence Stamp is mighty awesome. Have you seen Zod 2008 yet? :)

Posted by:Jason Erik Lundberg | November 28, 2005 at 01:14 PM

I, too, wish we'd been there for Thanksgiving. It was probably best that we didn't go, though; Marcia had to go help a friend with a newborn, and we're sort of in hospice mode right now for her 20-year-old cat.

Posted by:Ted | November 28, 2005 at 05:34 PM

I'm so sorry to hear about Marcia's cat. You know y'all are invited next year, or any year after that.

La Gringa, your cats sound great and wacky.

Posted by:Gwenda | November 29, 2005 at 06:47 AM

Read Read

E. Lockhart: Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The
You might think the world doesn't need any more boarding school novels, but if you haven't read this one then you're wrong, wrong, wrong. E. Lockhart has surpassed herself with this fable of a girl coming into her own and challenging the boy's club at her prep school -- while falling in love with its members at the same time. Lockhart never simplifies or skirts gender issues and power dynamics, and lets Frankie be realistic instead of a treatise disguised as a character. The sly omniscient narrator tells the story perfectly, and leaves hope that maybe one girl can change the world. More novels as funny and true and perfect as this one, please.
Kathi Appelt: The Underneath
Appelt's first novel is a beautiful, magical fantasy for younger readers that will instantly become a classic. Seriously. I can imagine this book being in classrooms right alongside Charlotte's Web in a hundred years. The writing is poetic in the good way, and there's a lamia. Children are going to absolutely fall in love with Appelt's equally kind and brutal universe, where love conquers most, and it can take millenia to come to your senses.
Jincy Willett: The Writing Class
With her second novel, Willett matches the perfect pitch and execution of her brilliant short stories. Every writer will want to read this novel--very little wincing is involved, but expect a great deal of laughter. C and I found ourselves reading pieces aloud, after howling provoked the "what's so funny?" question. As with any good writing workshop or class, the characters become more appealing as you get to know them, and ultimately what she has pulled off is a satisfying mystery, and a satisfying exploration of humanity. Amy Gallup is a character to remember.
Karen Joy Fowler: Wit's End
A new novel by Karen Fowler really is something to be excited about, unlike many of the writers for whom such praise gets bandied about. (If you're smirking because you think you know something about her work from the title--not the book--The Jane Austen Book Club, please go sit in the corner and read any of her novels. You're welcome.) This is an unmystery-like mystery, concerned not so much with dead bodies--though there are plenty--as with the mysteries of healing and the heart, politics and people. How is it that a writer gets a lens on the present that's as revealing as the one she employs in historical fiction? Now that's a mystery. Highly recommended.
Steve Erickson: Zeroville
Steve Erickson novels are often like dreams, or revelations, or discovered artifacts, or written just for you. Zeroville's no different, although it is perhaps the most readily graspable example of his work to date. The Rosetta Stone is there; the secret decoder ring is a film projector. The dizzying Hollywood confidential stylings will make your inner film geek happy, but the uncovering of a truly mythic cinematic story--since cinema has existed forever--of sacrifice and redemption is even more memorable. See also: this review.
Ursula Dubosarsky: The Red Shoe (Neal Porter Books)
Set in Sydney during WWII, this wonderful novel travels between the view from inside each of three sisters. Dubosarsky perfectly captures the differences that come from being the younger, older, or middle child. Perfectly conjuring the period, and yet creating a completely accessible story, the narrative contrasts chapters focusing on the family with interstitials from the Sydney newspapers of the time, stories of polio, the H-bomb, and a defecting Russian spy (who happens to be in hiding next door). Nothing here is heavy-handed. Everything is perfectly balanced. It's a beautiful, beautiful novel. See my full take here.

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