Screaming contest and a day full of pears

Imagine this. I go to open up the gate to move from my back yard to my front yard and as I unlatch it I see a small spider scurry across the locking pin by my hand. "Oh, a spider." I think, "I hope he's eating those nasty OH MY HEAVENS!!! WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!!!!!" As the gate swings open a black something falls right past my hand headed for my feet. I jump back and scream like a little girl - not a sexist remark. My little girl can really holler - and jump back a good ten feet. Tigger, who was in the back yard with me, sees me take the gold medal for standing long jump while emitting 100 decibels of high pitched surprise reacts the way he always does in those situations. By emitting 120 decibels of high pitched, pure, unadulterated terror while covering his ears. The something in question is itself emitting about 90 decibels of ultra-high pitched annoyance because this something was a bat. We had some long, violent storms move through on Friday night and I figure that the flying mouse crawled up into our gate for shelter. When I opened the gate is knocked him loose and he ended up on my lawn. My first thought on seeing that it's a bat was, "Oh, a bat. That's good." But it was followed closely by "Bats carry decease and I need to make sure Tigger doesn't have a chance to touch it." So I hollered at Tigger to get back. I needed have worried because he was so spooked that he had locked up. Hands on his ears, elbows out, mouth open, voice somewhere between the volume of the space shuttle launch and a 1 ton bomb, body quivering as he tried to will sight and sounds to cease. I got him in the house and he was able to calm down. In the end I got the bat on the end of the shovel and put it in a box. I figured that I would put the box somewhere out of the way so the neighbor's cats couldn't get at it. But I guess it heard me muttering about the cats because as I was looking for a suitable place it jumped up and flew off. When I went back inside and told the kids that the bat had flown off they told me that they had named him Jerry and Tigger informed me that Jerry was "Really freaky!!"

The rest of the day was spend canning pears. We put up 17 quarts of pears off of our tree. I'm worried that they may not have all been ripe, but we can still use them in smoothies and other cooked dishes and they should be fine. We're trying to decide what to do with our peaches because the tree is almost breaking in half with all the fruit on it. The fruit is bigger this year than last year and we are really excited. Brigham City is known for it's peaches and even has a holiday for it. After have very, very minimal success with our garden we're excited to have fruit.

Book Review - The Hollow City by Dan Wells

Dan Wells' gained a reputation for writing horror and suspense with his John Cleaver Trilogy: I am Not a Serial Killer, Mr. Monster, and I don't Want to Kill You. Needless to say, I have had very little interest in those books. I have heard they are wonderfully written, but I don't like my fiction that dark. He also has a YA post-apocalyptic trilogy: Partials, Fragments, and Ruins, but again I haven't read them because I don't particularly like that genre. I have listened to Dan's A Night of Blacker Darkness, also known as the vampire bunny story, and it is one of the funniest things I've ever heard. The one current story of his that I was interested in was The Hollow City. I was apprehensive considering his other works, but I was fascinated by the idea of the story. A first person narrative from the head of a paranoid schizophrenic. I heard Dan talk about this book, its development, and its release while listening to Writing Excuses and wondered. I found it at the library this weekend and thought I would give it a try.

Plot: Michael Shipman doesn't know what to believe. As a paranoid schizophrenic he has delusions and hallucinations that are just as real as anything else. He's convinced that there are people after him. He knows they're watching him through electronics. He's sure that there is a conspiracy out there. What is out there is an killer who completely destroys the faces of his victims. His last attack was a week ago, right in the middle of the two weeks that Michael disappeared from his home and his job. Two weeks that he can't remember. When the doctors hear him talking about seeing faceless men they're sure there is some kind of connection between Michael and the killer. Their question is whether he's the one doing the killings or the next victim. The question important to Michael though is what should he do if he's right.

My personal favorites: This book was very well written and very compelling. The prose matched the character's state of mind and despite the narrative being from a mind that had been fractured it was easy to follow along. The character of Michael was very compelling. I honestly cared about him and wanted him to succeed. Watching him shift from his lowest state of believing everything his mind presented to him to understanding more about his condition was uplifting. His relationship with the other characters was fascinating as well. It many ways it reminded me of the movie A Beautiful Mind but without needing a reveal. We know what Michael's condition is and so you find yourself looking to see what is real and what isn't. Dan does a great job of turning expectations against us as we build up to the climax. It many ways it also reminded me of Feedback by Dan's brother Robison Wells. The ending were given may not address the bigger picture, but it is one that address the character's role in the story. I found the epilogue very uplifting and rewarding.

Considerations: There was no language that I can remember. Nor was their any sexuality. There was violence which was descriptive without being graphic. There were two scenes where police officers are describing victims of the Red Line Killer but it is they are short and sterile. There are some paranormal elements in the story. I've seen people that were surprised about that in some of his other books, so I mention it here. I had no problem with them.

Overall, The Hollow City was an excellent thriller. I heartily recommend it to anyone looking for an intriguing story with a great character who overcomes and embraces his greatest challenges. The total length was 332 pages.

A weekend of waiting

It's feels like we're waiting for the other shoe to drop. Roo should be coming any day now - we even though we would have him by now. But he hasn't succeed in busting down the door yet.

It makes it hard to plan. So this weekend we worked around the house and yard. Got dishes done and picked more pairs. I had to prop up the peach tree as it was bent double with all the peaches. I'm surprised it didn't break. Kanga and I started playing Lego Indiana Jones, which she's doing pretty well. We also made Root Beer cookies which were quite tasty. I'm hoping to do some canning soon but we'll have to wait for the pears to ripen. The kids and I made our tri-weekly trip to the library. We really stocked up on books and I picked up a couple of Miss Marple mysteries (with Geraldine McEwan) on DVD. Angel and I watched one on Saturday night and found it really good. Miss Marple is a great character and the actress was excellent.

I'm trying out The Hollow City by Dan Wells. He writes psychological suspense/horror and YA post-apocalyptic neither of which I particularly enjoy. However, I've been intrigued by The Hollow City since I heard about it - Michael is paranoid schizophrenic who suffers from hallucinations and other such disillusion. What happens when he discovers that some of the monsters he sees aren't hallucinations. I heard Dan talk about it at different times on Writing Excuses and thought the idea as very interesting. As I was perusing the library stacks I noticed they had it, so I figured I could take the risk. So far it's very, very interesting.

If this post seems a little scattered, or all over the place that's kind of what our life feels like right now. Not knowing when Roo will be born has thrown a real wrench in long term planning. My boss has taken to blocking out my next day schedule in the event I have to E-mail her from the hospital. So far nothing today, but who know when that will change.

Waiting

In the words of the great Spaniard, Inigo Montoya, "I hate waiting." Really I've gotten better over then years but it's still something I struggle with. As I write this we are waiting in the hospital to hear if they are going to send us home or if they'll have us stay because Roo is going to be born.

Angel started having contractions yesterday at about 3:00 pm. They were regulars as long as she was moving or standing abut they would become irregular if she sat or lay down. Last night we prepped a few extra things (her overnight bag and mine were already packed) and she spend several hours pacing to see if it would continue labour. I tried to get some sleep with moderate success. This morning we decided to come in and have them check. So far it's mixed. Yes she has contractions but we can't tell if her water broke (we thought it might have sprung a leak) and she's not dilated beyond a 2.

So we get to wait at the hospital  for the lab results, for the doctor, for Roo. I am glad that I have a book and my iPod but this mind of waiting is the type that distracts you from your distractions. What's more, last time Angel went into labour we were in the hospital for about 14 hours. I wish the chairs were more comfortable.

Update: they are sending us home. Evedently today is most likely not the day.

Eight Years

Angel and I celebrated our anniversary this weekend. As the doctor is expecting her to deliver sometime next week we didn't do anything outrageous or extravagant. We went to dinner and enjoy a quite movie night without the kids. Well, without the kids who are not waiting to be born at least (Thanks, Mom!).

When it comes to entertainment, we're pretty easy. As poor college students we would often just go window shop. It gave us an opportunity to talk about what kinds of things we liked or would like to have if we were rich and infamous. Yes, I used the right word there - infamous - the famous crowd is rather annoying with a few exceptions. One time, for date night, we happened to find a gift card to Bed, Bath, and Beyond from our wedding and figured it had $20. We decided to go check it out how much it had and have some fun trying to find something for that price. It turned out there was $75 on it. We bought some knives, a storage ottoman footrest, and a really awesome knife block. We still use all three. We still enjoy just walking through shores, particularly small, unique stops that you get on main street in small towns.

We also enjoy watching movies. I remember all through high school and college it wasn't suggested that you go on dates to movies because it does not provide an opportunity to get to know the other person. I agree that you can't get to know somebody much during a movie. You might learn if they are the annoying kind of movie goer but other than that... One thing that movies does give you is a something to talk about after it's over. Angel and I do enjoy watching movies and shows and then discussing them. It's led to many discussions on many topics. We watched Thor: The Dark World this weekend and enjoyed it.

Our other favorite entertainment together is playing games. It rarely matters if the game is a video game, board game, or card game we enjoy them all. I think it's awesome that my wife likes to pay computer games with me. For Christmas this last year she told me to pick out a game or two on Steam, the online game support and store, and I bought one I already had and then set up a steam account for her so we could play it together. On our fifth anniversary we found and bought a table top game called Forbidden Island which is still one of our favorites. And all through college we would take breaks from studying to pay good old fashion War with a deck of cards. We still play it on occasion.

While this anniversary was pretty low key we are planning on doing something a little more exciting for our tenth. We both would like to take a cruise but it's still fluid. We'll see how it plays out.

Midnight Storm

Midnight Storm

The rain descends
And the black clouds rumble
Lightning flashes
And the thunder grumbles
Night has long set
And the sky does ever darken
Anxious babes
Do with quiet ears harken
To rolling sound
That moves across the sky
And the light
That dances within the eye
Causes awe within
Those babes' childish hearts
It seems to come
From worlds apart
Bear my thoughts with thee
Oh storm I cry
Give my dreams new strength
To with thee fly.

Daniel Allred, Aug 4 / 2014

I wrote this while watching the lightning and listening to the thunder of a summer night storm.

Audible Book Review - "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman!" by Richard P. Feynman

I felt the need to take advantage of Audible's collection of non-fiction books. One of my co-workers suggested that I would enjoy a book by or about Richard P. Feynman, a Noble Prize winning physicist who had a most curious personality. I first heard about Feynman in the song "Every Major's Terrible" by XKCD (performed here with great skill by Errol), but later learned more about from a number of sources, including videos on his famous diagrams and his ability to crack safes at the Manhattan project. As I have an interest in science I figured I could do a lot worst than learning about a rather unorthodox professor and researcher of physics. Here is the link to Audible's page for the book. The book is a collection of reminiscences starting with stories from his childhood up through his work on the Manhattan project and winning the Nobel prize. It is narrated by Raymond Todd who does a great job. Between his wonderful narration and the first person narrative it felt like I was listening to Feynman himself.

Plot: Richard P. Feynman was was always interested in puzzles. He had to figure things out. This led him to degrees in physics and a career in teaching and research. He found a joy in physics that was unmatched by anything else. His interests included pranks, drums, girls, drawing, and solving any puzzle he could get his hands on. He fixed radios, conducted experiments in physics and biology, cracked safes, learned languages, subjected himself to sensory deprivation so he could experience hallucinations, was hypnotized, played in a samba bad in Brazil and drums for a ballet, and wished he had never won the Nobel Prize. These reminiscences roughly follow Feynman's life, but are organized by themes as well. In them he explains what led to some of his greatest adventures and the benefits he received from them. He does not dwell on his family or day to day activities. Rather, he allows the reader to experience the things that brought him joy and impacted his life in many ways. The book ends with a chapter adapted from a commencement talk he gave at Cal Tech and is a great summation of his love of science and his advice for those that look to learn from it.

My personal favorites: That one person could have so many different experiences was a delight to read about. The fact that he did (and got away with) as much as he did shows that life is only boring to those that choose to make it so. I enjoyed reading about his dedication to the things that he enjoyed. As a yellow personality I understand the desire to find enjoyment in life. While he did it in some ways that I disapprove of I can still appreciate his efforts. This book is just fun to listen to.

Considerations: As a personal memoir the book does describe his interest in some things that others may not approve of. While there is very little implications of sex, Feynman did take a lot of interest in girls. There are no inappropriate descriptions of any individual instances, i.e. the girls are all described in generic terms ("nifty" "stunning" etc,) and the only references of a sexual nature is in a short story about Feynman learning how to get girls he met in bars to do more than just make him buy drinks. There is a little language throughout the book as Feynman might be considered a "hell" and "damn" man, but there is one use of very strong language when quoting an artist friend who apparently wasn't.

In addition to providing a lot of really run anecdotes about a brilliant, Nobel Prize-winning physicist, this book did cause me to think about what it takes to have these kinds of adventures. Richard Feynman may not be a role model in some ways, but he does demonstrate how to approach life in a way that will help you experience the adventures you want to have. It really boils down to a curious mind, a willingness to try new and strange things, and the determination to follow through.