What I Read in July

Even if you take out the picture books and comic strip collections in this list, I still had a very good month.

All ratings are on a scale from 1 (bad) to 5 (great).

THE BOOK OF ELSEWHERE: THE SHADOWS by Jacquline West - 4
Olive Dunwoody and her parents have moved into a new house, but soon Olive begins to suspect that something out of the ordinary is happening.  In fact, she's pretty sure the pictures are moving.  What's going on?  I wasn't prepared for a supernatural book when I picked it up, but I still enjoyed this story aimed at tweens.

MY SPACE: BABY BLUES SCRAPBOOK #24 by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott - 5
The MacPhersons never fail to make me laugh, and this comic strip collection is no exception.

DARKWING DUCK: CRISIS ON INFINITE DARKWINGS - 5
This fun second new adventure finds Negaduck trying to destroy Darkwing Duck by bringing in all the Darkwings from every universe and brainwashing them for evil.  Very clever and lots of fun.

ATTACK OF THE DERANGED MUTANT KILLER MONSTER SNOW GOONS by Bill Watterson - 5
More laughs with this classic comic strip.  There's a reason it's a family favorite.

MR. MONK ON THE COUCH by Lee Goldberg - 5
While Natalie tries to figure out the identity of a John Doe who died of natural causes, Monk investigates a string of murders that have the most unual common element - a couch.  Another fun book with friends old and new that includes some good twists and laughs.

PULL MY PAW by Sue Ann Jaffarian - 5
The Bowen family faces a tense Mother's Day when family traditions come into question and one of the sisters tries to paw off an unwanted dog.  Humor and heart felt moments in this e-short story and leaves you ready for the next chapter.

ROYAL PAINS: FIRST, DO NO HARM by D. P. Lyle - 4
Hank is trying to figure out why a bride to be is having spells where she doesn't know who she is, spells that leave her with holes in her memory.  Meanwhile, a new health drink seems to have dire consequences.  I enjoyed the story, although the portrayal of Evan bothered me.  Still, a fun tie in.

SHOULD I SHARE MY ICE CREAM by Mo Willems - 5
Poor Gerald has a dilemma when he thinks maybe he should share his ice cream with best friend Piggy.  Will he make the right decision?  A bit of humor and some good, organic lessons about sharing (and indecision) make this another winner from Mo Willems.

THE FINAL DETAIL by Harlan Coben - 4
Myron returns to New York from an unannounced vacation when he finds out that business partner has been accused of murdering one of their clients.  But she didn't really do it, did she?  Outside of one scene I really didn't care for, I found this book to be a very good mystery with great characters.  I have a feeling I'll be reading more.

ELI by Bill Peet - 5
The story of an aging lion that is ashamed after saving a vulture from being killed.  But might that act of kindness save his life?  Bill Peet's pictures are great, and the story is fun if fairly predictable.

BURN NOTICE: THE BAD BEAT by Tod Goldberg - 4
What Sam and Michael think is a simple job of helping out a guy hounded by loan sharks becomes much more complex when they find Russian mobsters are also after the guy.  While the climax felt weak, overall the book was still good.

Word Association for August 10th

Time for this week's word association:

Injury :: Hurt
Incentive :: Comment
Suitable ::  Replacement
Cheating ::  Games
Remembering :: Funeral
Nasty :: Comment
Games :: Fun
Wife :: Husband
Challenged :: Hard
Barbaric :: Uncivilized

Wonderful Weekend

As I may have mentioned once or twice on my blog, I spent the last few days in Texas visiting my niece (and brother and sister-in-law).  Specifically, I flew out there Thursday and flew back yesterday.

Now, what was wonderful wasn't the heat, although it was a big of a shock to come back to weather in the mid-80's yesterday.  They are going for a record of triple digit days in Dallas this year, so it was hot.  And unlike good old California, it doesn't cool off at night there like it does here.

This was the first time I'd seen my niece since Christmas.  I wasn't sure what kind of reaction I would get.  When she first saw me at the airport, she wasn't quite sure what to make of me, but we were halfway back to the car when she started looking around like crazy to make sure I was coming with them.

And that's prety much how the rest of the weekend went.  If I left the room she was in, she started asking about me, yelling for me, or searching for me.  Some times, she'd do all three.  And shen she was ready to leave a room, she'd grab my hand and pull me with her.

As I told some of their friends at one point, I was eating it up.

Okay, so it seemed like it was split between being called Uncle Mark and Uncle Mike, but I'm not going to quibble over minor details like that.  This is the first time I've seen her when she really was calling me Uncle anything (she's just over two), so I'm quite happy.

It really doesn't seem like I was there for three days because there was a lot going on.  Thursday, I got there in the middle of the jr. high meeting at their house.  Friday was the only normal day.  We played at the house for a while and then headed to a splash park near their house.  Basically, it's a play area with water jets of all kinds.  It was fun and cool, at least for a little while.

Friday night, the youth group at their church was having their all nighter.  My brother, the youth pastor, had originally planned it for a few weeks ago, but it had to be postponed.  I went too, and I had a blast.  I even managed to stay awake.  We played broomball, and I scored the winning goal in the adults vs. youth game.  Then we went to a place with lazor tag and whirlyball, a comination of bumper cars, lacross (with the plastic track balls and catchers) and basketball.  It was fun but pretty tricky.  Our final stop was bowling.

Naturally, that meant B and I were tired, so we slept some Saturday late morning/early afternoon.  And again Sunday afternoon.  But Sunday was church in the morning and then a meal with some people from church afterward.

So as you can see, it was busy.  And even though I can get more sleep here at home, I would go back in a heart beat and do it all again just to hear "Uncle Mark! Uncle Mark!"

Weekly TV Recap for August 6th

I made it through everything through Wednesday before I left town.  Not sure yet if I will include Thursday's shows I haven't seen yet this week in next week or not.  We'll have to see what happens in them.

In Plain Sight - Mary thinking about keeping the child herself? I wouldn't have predicted that earlier in the season, but when I realized what the plot of this episode would be, I knew that was coming. I'll be curious to see what they do with that next week. The witness was so monumentally stupid this week that I was rooting for her to lose her child and her freedom. Nice to see it finally happen for a change. And is it just me, or is Mary more annoying and less lovably funny with her constant snarking right now?

White Collar - Yeah, there was some plot involving an Egyptian artifact. I don't really care about that, and I was supposed to since they really hyped Elizu's guest starring spot. What captured my attention was the treasure story. Holy cow way to ramp that up. And I'm not looking forward to seeing what kind of cliffhanger they leave us with next week. So, Mozzie has fenced one of the paintings the FBI knows about. This is going to be serious trouble. How will Neal wiggle out of this one?

Covert Affairs - Annie is about to tell her sister. I wonder how that will change the dynamic of their relationship. I can see her being upset but also understanding after a while. In the plot of the week, I was glad to see that the wife wasn't a spy for the other side. She was just a scared woman on the run. I really liked her character and felt for her.

Wipeout (Tuesday) - I so wanted to see the Back to the Future guy go further. The jokes around him were so funny. Second choice was the poker guy. But I figured the body guard would be the one to win, and boy was I right there.

Take the Money and Run - An interesting premise as two citizens hide $100K and then two detectives, aided by two investigators, attempt to find it. I found it interesting that the brother, who said in the pre-show interviews that he'd love to do stuff like this every day, was the one to crack. However, I was ready for the show to be over after about 30 minutes. And they spent more time with the interrogators, who must work for the show since they are on next week's episode, then with the police detectives. I'll probably pass, although if I were bored some night (fat chance), I could totally see myself getting hooked on the show.

Royal Pains - So many interesting developments tonight. First, it sounds like they've written around Tucker, at least for the time being. Bummed since I love that character so much. Divya is pulling double duty to pain off Raj's parents. (And I'd forgotten she owned part of HankMed.) Evan and Paige are sort of engaged. And what is her secret? Meanwhile, Jill pieced together something about the "accident." I've thought all along it was someone targeting Boris. But who and why are the big questions.

Melissa & Joey - So we got two episodes tonight. I thought Emily might be Melissa's sister, although I wasn't seeing the resemblance. Turned out I was wrong on that. Still, I wasn't happy with the kids trying to find some kind of prejudice at the lesbian wedding. The second episode was some better, but still not their best stuff. Kind of makes me wonder why I keep watching in a way.

Necessary Roughness - So Wednesday must have been lesbian day since they appeared on all three of my shows. Not impressed with that storyline, and the skateboarder felt rather predictable as well. This show definitely needs something to shake it up. I was interested to see the husband trying to make things right, although I doubt that will happen. What I enjoyed most was the TK storyline. I actually didn't think it was predictable and the way he reacted to things showed a different level to the character I hope they build on and explore in future episodes.

New TV on DVD Reviews:
Get Smart - Season 1

When Does Life Slow Down?

In a lot of ways, this has been a very long week for me.  Tomorrow, I leave for a few days in Dallas visiting family.  Can't wait to see them, especially my niece.

But in other ways, it has sped by.  Granted, that's my fault for trying to cram too many things into this week.  Too much TV, too many reviews.  Laundry.  Tonight I've got to go home pack, and go to my ultimate Frisbee game.  I'm hoping to squeeze Royal Pains in before I leave for the game.

This last weekend was great, too.  Saturday, I went with a friend to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie.  It was a whole lot more fun than I thought it would be.  We both laughed all the way through it.  Well worth seeing.

Then it was off to a book signing for the latest round of USA Network tie in novels.  It's strange, but I'm actually up to date on those, so I don't have any to read between now and January.

Sunday I decided to head out to play ultimate Frisbee in the late afternoon.  I was going to try to go for a run, but I did that instead.  I had a blast.  But sooner or later I'm going to have to start running sometime other than playing ultimate Frisbee again.

And I think that's about it from here.  Expect a shorter than normal TV recap this week since I won't be watching all of tonight's shows or any from Thursday until I get back next week.

Word Association for August 2nd

Yes, that's right.  I'm posting my word association today.

1. Nag :: Chores



2. Smug :: Arrogant



3. Barry :: Burn Notice (money launderer)



4. Righteous :: in Christ



5. Hairstylist :: Salon



6. Vibrate :: Phone



7. Deal :: of the Century



8. Communicate :: Talk



9. Telling :: the Truth



10. Andrew :: Peter

Weekly TV Recap for July 30th

I told you it would be late this week.  Just finished, so here we go.

In Plain Sight - You know what impressed me most about this episode? The military was presented in a good light. Yes, we had the turn coats that our character of the week was going to testify against. But the rest of the military people we saw were good, caring people who really did want to look out for their own, even if Mary did butt heads with that priest from V at the beginning. But she had to or you wouldn't have this show.

White Collar - So, Jones finally got to see lots of action. I loved it. I especially loved how they started and ended this episode with talk about him being in the van. Way too funny. I hope that aren't putting him back in the van permanently, but we'll see. Meanwhile, that last scene was incredible. Neal talking on the phone to two different people, seeming to chose Peter over Mozzie. The storyline this season has just been incredible. And I can't forget about Sarah. What are they going to do with that relationship?

Covert Affairs - There were so many interesting developments. We've found the leak (I'd kind of forgotten about that). So what kind of trouble will this make for Jai? Joan in the field was a fun departure. Plus she got to see Annie thinking on her feet. Then there was Ben versus the doctor. I was glad they brought the doctor back. And the way Annie was so strong around Ben really impressed me. I like her character more as a result. I get that she isn't really that strong, which is fine with me, but it's nice to see she is becoming a much stronger character. But if they want us to care about Ben, they have to bring him around more often. Honestly, if she and Auggie got together tomorrow, I'd be perfectly happy.

Melissa & Joey - I was nice to see the main story not revolving around the two adults for a change but actually using the kids. Frankly, I thought both kids really got to shine, and they made the most of it. I'm not a big anti-fur guy, but I liked how they handled it here. It felt like character convictions and not preachy to us.

Royal Pains - This show always has happy endings, so I expect that. But the reunion between Eddie and Ted, while expected, really touched me. Maybe because we're talking about Hank and Evan's dad and grandpa. Or maybe it's because we're talking about the Fonz and Lou Grant. Yeah, it's been fun to see those two sitcom icons sharing a screen. Something told me last week that Jill's accident was no accident. Based on what we saw here, I think I'm right. So, why? Was Jill the target? Or Boris?

Necessary Roughness - I actually really enjoyed this episode. Again, the sub-plot with TK was interesting and not the exact same dynamic. The main story with the poker player was also interesting - the ending was obvious although I didn't see it coming. Not sure where they are going with Matt's ex, but that spiced things up. And the kids are turning into an interesting sub-plot as well. Could it be I am actually starting to like this show?

Burn Notice - I never expected to see anyone from the Burn Notice movie again, so it was lots of fun to see those CIA agents show up to give us grief this week. Also provided some great comic relief. Not that I was truly worried about Sam. I mean, really, they aren't going to kill off the main four. I was really expecting the fake Michael to die in the final scene of the episode and be a dead end, but since he bought a gun and walked away I'm wondering where they are going to go with that story line.

Suits - It was obvious Gabbi was innocent from the start, but I never thought her lawyer was really the one responsible for the insider trading. That was an interesting twist. And speaking of twists, Rachel now knows that Mike was helping people cheat on the test. What will she do with that? I'm betting that the seasons ends with someone finding out about him not actually have a law degree.

Wipeout - That third round obstacle seemed a little easy to me. Anyone else miss the baseball game they used to have there? That was their best third round obstacle. I was rooting for the comedy guys to win so the boss would have to clean the bathroom. Sounds like a fun guy to work for.

Expedition Impossible - Erik keeps impressing me. I would have a hard time jumping 40 feet into the water, there's no way I'd try it blind. Plus the kayaking was pretty hard, too. I had some self-inflicted issues with the DVR, so I missed seeing the top 5 teams come in, although I did read a recap and saw that the Gypsies are back on top, which makes me very happy. I'd be sorry to see the Fishermen go, but any time you start sniping at your team mates, I'm ready to see you leave.

New TV on DVD Reviews:
Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe   

Too Busy

I feel like I've hardly been home all week.  Oh wait, maybe that's because I have hardly been home all week.

Monday - returned from my trip

Tuesday - summer league ultimate frisbee game

Wednesday - I was supposed to go to the Dodger's game.  It was an alumni event here at the college, and we were supposed to be shuttled down.  The problem is, the second shuttle got stuck in horrific traffic and never showed.  I was supposed to go with one of my roommates, but we decided rather than drive (or even car pool) down to skip it.  Honestly, I'll week I've been struggling with wanting to go with everything else going on.  So what did we do instead?  We got a very last minute group together to go see Captain America.  We all enjoyed it; the rest of the group seemed to love it even if I didn't.  And it was definitely worth seeing in 3D.  It looked amazing.  So this turned what could have been a mild disappointment into a good day.

Thursday - More ultimate frisbee, this time with the pick up group I've found here in town.  I got there very late, but they were just getting the game started.  I played for over an hour straight, and I had so much more fun than I did Tuesday night.  Part of that was because the team I was on won.  But most of it was because it seemed like the disc was passing through everyone's hands at some point.  It's a friendly group, we're mainly there to have fun.  And fun we all seem to have together.  I'm actually bummed that I'm not going to be there the next two Thursdays, especially the one I will miss for my league game.  That's saying something.

Of course, all this means I am way behind on my TV watching.  I'm caught up through Tuesday night.  Tonight will be a marathon TV watching session, and I'll probably finish catching up tomorrow at some point.  Expect my weekly TV recap to be very delayed.

Trust me, this week was worth it.  I can always catch up on TV later.  I'd much rather do what I did, even though the baseball game didn't work out.

Another Game, Another Loss

Tuesday night was this week's ultimate Frsibee game.  We lost.  Surprised?  Not me.

I showed up about 20 minutes late (you can tell how much I care right now), and I was the first sub we had.  We wound up with two more over the course of the night, which was about what the other team had, too.

This was our first repeat game: we played this team in the first week.  That time it was a very close game.  It's also their only win.  We got crushed this time, finishing at 17-5.

On the plus side, I got the disc several times and only threw it away once when I had it (although I had some of my usual sloppy throws).  So I did feel like I contributed to things positively.  It was definitely a team effort to lose that much, and no one was blaming anyone else, at least that I could see.

And, as was pointed out after the game, we all fought hard for every point.  No where did we just give up.

At this point, I'm not holding out much hope for a second half rally like last season or even very long at the tournament in a few weeks.  It would be nice to win a game or two.  Playing ultimate is fun, but winning is funner.

Word Association for July 27th

Here we go - this week's word association.

1. Stewart :: Jimmy



2. Leafy :: Green



3. Ridiculous :: Stupid



4. Constipated :: Pain



5. Bullied :: Child



6. Permanent :: Solution



7. Surgery :: Painful



8. Mosquito :: Bite



9. Meat :: Beef



10. Stupefy :: Harry Potter