Note of the Living Deb

A.J. Bass's Paige's Story was recommended to me by a friend of the author. Then Robin read it and also recommended it highly.

For a book about a girl making new friends after moving to a new place, it's quite a fun read. (Remember, I'm the person who reviewed the first "Iron Man" movie as being largely about a guy getting dressed.)

An English teacher once explained that even great books are not great in every way; they can become classic even if they are great in only one of these areas: plot, character, mood, or a fourth one I no longer remember (theme?). This one excels in character, my favorite. I like or love all the characters but one and let's just say it's hard to stay lovable after certain things happen to you. I especially enjoyed the dialog. There's lots of sarcastic humor that I would enjoy running to Robin and reading aloud.

In fact, a lot of the writing is real-aloud quality, my highest compliment. Here's the first paragraph: "Harold Kushing loved the sound of his alarm clock. No, it wasn't some kind of ultra-soothing, new age thing made of Himalayan salt crystals. It didn't play tones that woke him up at just the right pace. It wasn't even a radio or cell phone set to his favorite station or ring tone. It was just a regular, beeping, alarm clock--the kind that graced discount store shelves for decades and rocketed its owners away like a pissed off drill sergeant." So why did he love that sound so much? I will leave you in suspense. Mwahaha!

But the world is also interesting. (Sentient robots!) And depressing. (Fear of and prejudice against sentient robots.) The big picture is not super realistic--it's set decades from now but is only different in a few ways. And I kind of wonder what's going on in countries outside what is now called the US. But that doesn't matter; I just pretend it's a parallel universe with sentient robots.

The plot has a mystery, or set of interconnected mysteries, that get discovered and then solved. Mysteries like: Whatever happened to that one scientist? Where did this illegal robot come from? Why did that one robot go berserk? Who is this "God" guy, and what does he want?

I find myself most intrigued by a robot who doesn't interact much with humans (Fer). It could be because I'm a weirdo--reading the Lord Peter Wimsy books, I'm most interested in his servant (Bunter). But it's also partly because I recently saw the movie "The Girl with All the Gifts." In it, a very smart girl and her classmates are all under restraint at all times. Eventually we learn why. Meanwhile, the zombie situation is getting worse, and a small group makes a quick getaway and has to find food and water and a better place to live.

It's hard to write more without getting all spoilery (um, very good acting!), but it taught me, very powerfully, how human-centric I am. In fact, it changed me into a less human-centric person. And so now I'm wondering what would the robots do if they weren't trying to fit in with humans? What would they want their world to be like? This is the first book in a three-part series--I don't expect that to be addressed, but I'm looking forward to seeing what will get addressed.

In sum, it's fun, scary, and thought-provoking.

* Violence - There is violence, but it's not glorified, though it's not cartoon violence, either.
* Language - There is a fair amount of profanity, but most of it's over-the-top silly.
* Nudity - There is one discussion of genitalia, but it's educational.
* Cliff-hanger - Everyone's safe for now, so the book ends at a good stopping place.
* Self-published - I know. But I only saw a couple of edits I would make--the author did hire editors and a cover designer, and the book is definitely good enough to be acceptable to a publishing company. The first self-published book I read was a horror, but it seems that self-publishing is the smart way to go these days.

Sadly for us, this book was just published last month, so there will be a long wait for the next one. On the other hand, the Kindle version is super cheap on Amazon right now, so Deb-Bob says, "Check it out!"

(As usual, there may be spoilers in the comments.)

Oh my gosh, no fun posts in a long time. So let me tell you a little about my favorite movie of the year: "The Big Sick."

I really like all of the characters (except one heckler) and a lot of the lines. I like the two main characters together. And it's a comedy that's actually funny. The humor is situational and conversational, not toilet humor. Most of the actors are actual comedians who get comic timing.

"I don't really get that."
"I know. I thought I could just start saying something and something smart would come out."

The movie also addresses a lot of themes. It addresses being true to yourself versus honoring your parents/family (when you can't do both simultaneously). I prefer the former, but I can see the appeal of the latter. And it's a little about dealing with hospitals. And racism ("We lost 19 of our best guys that day."), arranged marriage, female Pakistani dress, and Pakistani history.

You may be tempted to skip this one for various reasons. The main characters are liars, they are the type to have sex on a first date, the spoiler in the title sounds depressing, and it's based on a true story. Forget all that--they talk enough to end up communicating well and there are sad bits but it's not at all depressing.

Deb-Bob says, "Two thumbs up!"

28-"Wonder Woman" (2017) (Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Connie Nielson) - Princess in isolated island finds out about the outside world when World War I intrudes. She decides that the god Ares is the problem and that she must kill him to end the war, though she is distracted by many other opportunities to help people.

Everyone is so pretty, not to mention the island, and the action is beautifully choreographed!

I despise the part where people refuse to tell her things, supposedly because the sooner she finds out, the sooner the bad guy will find her.

On the other hand, I laughed aloud a couple of times and enjoyed a few other lines, too. "How do you fight in this [outfit]?"

29-"The Assignment" (2017) (Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver) - Assassin kills the brother of a surgeon who takes it upon herself to be judge, jury, and punisher. Assassin then takes revenge on the surgeon. This movie gets bad reviews, but I thought it was well done, though there's more nudity than I like. It feels like a superhero origin story.

again-"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (1971) (Gene Wilder) - It was fun to see it on the big screen. Those Oompa Loompas are sanctimonious twerps, but I do like their silly dancing. I didn't know that Dahl had written the screenplay. It's a happy ending, but I would have liked it better had Charlie thanked Wonka for the awesome tour.

30-"John Wick Chapter 2" (2017) (Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, etc.) - The way John Wick was drawn out of retirement this time was not nearly so fun as in the first one, and the violence was a bit overboard for my taste. Way too much stupidity and not enough negotiating on all sides for my taste as well. I really liked his house, his favorite car, and his new dog, though, plus I still love the hotel receptionist. Also, a major character was deaf, or at least she and Wick spoke sign language. The only fun line was the "professional courtesy" line, plus all of Bowry King's (Fishburne's) opening monolog.

31-"Extreme Prejudice" (1987) (Nick Nolte) - A CIA team of people who are officially/supposedly dead have a mission in a small town in Texas. They have many cool ways of finding out what's what.

Meanwhile, drug dealers set up the local sheriff and Texas Ranger. And the Ranger's girlfriend is thinking about going back to her ex-, who is a drug kingpin stationed across the border and the Ranger's best friend from when they were kids.

It's exciting and well done, but not very fun, except the singer is really good. Plot problems--why did that one guy have such a long drive? Why did that other guy order that the sheriff be killed?--If he hadn't have done that, probably no one would ever have figured out his secret.

I prefer the Schwartzenegger movie based in a border town in Texas, "The Last Stand"--it's a lot more fun.

32-"CHIPS" (2017) (Dax Shepard, Michael Peña) - The preview shows a lot of homophobic-seeming and slapstick humor, so I knew this movie would not be my thing. The main characters are both stupid and incompetent, but between them (and good luck) they have what it takes to bring down the bad guys.

Exciting motorcycle scenes. Nudity. Discussion of personal problems (I don't think Ponch's nymphomania* gets cured, but Jon does get over his cheating wife). Good job at explaining how two people who don't like each other at first become good friends.

* Apparently nymphomania is something only women have; when men have it, it's called satyriasis.

A friend had free tickets to "Zootopia," not to be confused with "Zoolander II," so I got to see it early. I recommend it.

I had seen and hated a preview consisting of one scene from the movie, but one other time I hated something I saw out of context, I liked it much better in context. So that could happen again, right? Highly unlikely. So I went mostly for the socializing.

It was crowded. There were a lot of kids; I steeled myself to be tolerant of screaming. We were too close to the screen--it took several minutes to get used to that. It was 3-D, but I didn't really notice the 3-D. So I was thinking that I don't even know why I see movies in theatres anymore. I really prefer cuddling in the living room in front of the computer screen that we watch movies on.

But some bits were funny. And sometimes hearing the other people laughing added to the experience. And one time I jumped, but my friend next to me jumped just as much, which made me laugh. I actually laughed out loud several times--in spite of myself. Not during the icky scene--when everyone else in the theatre was laughing basically continuously, but I could see that it was, indeed, better in context.

The movie is set in a land where animals have evolved to get along and the big city is where everyone can be whatever they want. All you have to do is try and keep trying--the usual kiddie movie message du jour. Except the city was completely racist and sexist (actually species-ist and career-ist, but using all the same kinds of horrible phrases) all the while either pretending not to be horrible or telling people to get real, this is the real world. It was kind of creepy.

But the actual story was good. The plot was great. The locale was gorgeous. Other people found the 3-D to greatly enhance several scenes. Most characters are likeable; all are interesting to look at. And there is plenty for grown-ups as well as kids.

There was one weird scene where the protagonists were freaked out by nudity. But the characters are animals, so it seems ridiculous to us viewers. Plus they have no genitals. But they are doing things that would make you uncomfortable if you are normally uncomfortable with the nudity of strangers who have genitals. I think this scene would affect adults more than children so that we all get the message that if something is scaring you or at least squicking you out, maybe you should think twice about where the problem lies.

Mostly it's a coming-of-age, cop-buddy movie, but also kind of sci-fi in a social science kind of way. You follow one character as she tries to follow her dream and you slowly find out the secrets behind some mysterious disappearances.

And, Empirical Question, the main character is a bunny. She doesn't hop like she should. Neither she nor her family quite have the right disapproving looks. And yet I still think you would like watching her.

I don't love everything about the movie, but I highly recommend seeing this movie and even seeing it in the theatres, maybe even in 3-D if you're into that. Even a theatre with kids in it.

Warning: there may be spoilers in the comments. Also. feel free to bring up spoilers in the comments.

Australia

Once when my best friend from high school and I were bored over the summer, we made up lessons for each other. One of the things we taught ourselves about was Australia. It seemed all very alien to me. Southern hemisphere, so much desert, aborigines. But now I think my Anglophilia may extend to Australia.

Movie

* "Muriel's Wedding" (1994) (recommended by Tam) - loser gal steals money to follow her estranged friends on vacation. There she meets an old classmate who becomes a good friend. Character development ensues--after a whole movie of ickiness. She really wants to get married (because it will prove she's the sort who can attract a man, plus she gets to wear the cool dress), and ends up in a green card marriage but events show her that she needs to start telling the truth, paying her dad back, and living with her (new) best friend. Some good parts (including Abba lip-syncing) but it's hard to like most of the characters until the end, and one of the likeable ones commits suicide.

Television

* "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" - reminiscent of “Murdock Mysteries” but set in Melbourne, Australia in 1927. Miss Fisher is shocking, but like the detective she works with, I come to know her better. Love so many of the characters. Um, we've watched every single episode. Twice. Highly recommended.

Bhutan

I already talked about what got me into reading about Bhutan. And I do now feel sated. However, I don't strongly recommend any one of the things I found, though I did like the first book I read. I needed all of these to get a big enough view.

I did read somewhere that the architecture of the University of Texas at El Paso is a copy of that of Bhutan, and looking at pictures, I can see a resemblance.

Nonfiction

* Grange, Kevin. Beneath Blossom Rain: Discovering Bhutan on the Toughest Trek in the World (2011) - American takes month-long hike through mountain passes looking for answers in his life. He's kind of a whiner but does explain a few interesting things about Bhutan like Gross National Happiness, yak herding, and morning butter tea. Sort of like Ginger Rogers doing everything Fred Astair did backwards, there were people who moved all the supplies faster than the hikers to be set up with food for lunch and dinner.

* Das, Britta. Buttertea at Sunrise: A Year in the Bhutan Himalaya (2006) (set in 1999) - About a physical therapist in Bhutan. Sadly, I don't really like her. It seems like she doesn't try to learn much and isn't good at asking questions. It seems like if her patients can't do what she wants, there are never any other alternatives. This book was set in Mongar, in Eastern Bhutan. You get a closer look at the poverty and the medicine in a Basic Health Unit. And a hint about social life--people invite you for tea (butter tea with crispy rice), you say no twice before saying yes, make sure your feet aren't pointing to anyone or anything important, and pass shrines on your right. She had a picture of Chorten Kora, copied from a bigger Chorten in Nepal, but not an exact replica because (acc. to Lonely Planet), the carved radish it was made from had dried up and changed shape a bit.

* Imaeda, Yoshiro. Enchanted by Bhutan (2008) - Japanese student of Buddhism describes the reign of the fourth king when he got to hang in Bhutan. He says chili is a vegetable, not a spice. The head librarian hired the people who most needed the job, not those who were competent and efficient, who could get a job anywhere. They used to work only about five hours a day and talk mostly about family and neighbors; now that they work 7-8 hours a day, they talk mostly about work. Fun to read about Bhutan from a Japanese perspective.

* Napoli, Lisa [Jane]. Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in the Happiest Kingdom on Earth (2010) - a gal goes to Bhutan to help their new radio station; she not only witnesses Bhutan's fall from happiness, but helps with it. The goal to change slowly is not working--myths that the overdeveloped world is better is hurtling them to their doom. (That’s my impression, not her message.)

Fiction

* Choden, Kunzang. Dawa: The Story of a Stray Dog in Bhutan (2006) - This is my favorite book about Bhutan. The runt of the litter is the only one who survives when everyone else eats the poison meat up before he can get to it. But he's a good singer and we learn about past lives, dog politics, and spirituality. Pretty good; excellently accessible introduction to Bhutan.

* Choden, Kunzang. Tales in Colour and Other Stories (2009) - Short stories set in Bhutan, each about an important decision or something else unusual about someone's life like the grown woman who decides to go to night school without asking her parents, the dwarf who everyone makes fun of most of her life, and the drunken lady who's just like that. There is a lot of jealousy. Some people treat weirdos well, but some don't.

* Phuntsho, Ngawang. Then I Saw Her Face (2012) - more short stories from Bhutan. Again, it's tragic how much time people spend coveting other people's stuff and wanting other people to covet theirs. Still a few differences appear from other poor cultures--different naming, ease of marriage and divorce, walking around chotens and other religious practices. The free health care often isn't effective and is a long walk away.

* Choden, Kunzang. The Circle of Karma: A Novel (2005) (Bhutan) - About a gal in Bhutan with bad luck in love (first husband ran away from his wife to be with her, then after she lost their baby, ran away from her to be with her sister; second husband was basically just using her, then ran away to a younger woman and treated her much better). But she travelled a lot (to the big city, then to other cities in India and Nepal) and had several kinds of jobs (gardening, weaving, road building, alcohol brewing, nun) and usually could make friends wherever she was. It was okay (though full of rape).

Movie

"Travelers and Magicians" (2004) - (Dzongkha with English subtitles), directed by Khyentse Noru, a lama) - Two stories. A guy wants to go to America where you can do anything--and make lots of money. He finally gets his chance but misses the bus and has to hitchhike. So this is a slow part of the movie. One guy who joins up with him helps pass the time by telling the story of another guy who wants to go far away from his boring town, but things don't end well for him. Meanwhile the first man falls for a gal who joins their party, stops smoking, and probably won't go to America after all. This movie showed me that I am pronouncing Bhutan correctly (Boo-TAHN). Finally got to see a gho--basically a double-sided bathrobe, but you always wear the patterned side on the outside and the solid inside. There was also a crazy-decorated bus and a vehicle that looked like a glorified lawnmower with a trailer.

I also read parts of the Lonely Planet guide in conjunction with relevant parts of the above books, which was fun.

At the end of all this, I realized I still didn't know how there could be refugees from here. I think it's the people who came from Tibet and aren't really welcome. Bleh, too depressing.

China

Fiction

* Brackman, Lisa. Rock Paper Tiger: a Novel (2010) - set mostly in modern China (a bit in Iraq)--I often don't understand what's going on, as with many spy thrillers, though this is just a regular thriller. It becomes clear that interesting things have happened in the past, but they won't tell us. Until the present gets really interesting. Grr. The main character sure drinks a lot and I don't really like her at first, but there's character development. Gal still healing from war injury and divorce request finds friend in trouble. Now the Chinese and Americans are after her and they can always find her. Addresses the question of who to trust--I didn't want to trust any of them--but in a way that's not black and white! One bad guy was only testing her. Another bad guy got to stop being bad once he got the information he needed. A lot of good information on China (especially Beijing) (plus a little about Iraq).

* Brackmann, Lisa. Hour of the Rat (2013) - sequel to Rock, Paper, Tiger. I enjoyed this one more for some reason even though I still didn't know what was going on, there are still rich people who help her for unknown reasons, and she keeps figuring out the wise thing to do and then not doing it. Unlike the first book, this one clearly needs a sequel--and one is in fact coming out soon (Dragon Day). This one is about GMOs and how creepy the GMO companies are. And making a difference, even if it's only a small one. Many fun parts.

India

Movie

* "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" - hilarious heartwarmer about a hotel in India for outsourcing old people. Shows the color (and hints at the aromas) of life in India. I really liked this movie and now own it. I also recommended it to my mom, who also liked it. The beginning tries to give you a quick intro to all the characters--if you can't remember it all, it's okay; the rest of the movie is still good. There's also a sequel, but I can't remember if I've seen it.

Japan

Movie

* "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" (2011) - documentary of guy who supposedly makes best sushi in the world. He says the key is to choose a job you love and then always improve yourself. He was a bully as a kid and might still be one. Definitely a workaholic. He was kicked out of the house at 9 or 7; he let his kids go to high school and only kicked his youngest out when he felt he was ready to open his own restaurant. Beautiful, but still makes me want to be more vegetarian.

Korea, South

Movie

* "This is Law" aka "Out of Justice" (2001) - Action movie. Turns out it gets bad reviews. (One guy who really hates it loves "My Wife Is a Gangster" with the same actress.) So, I learned that South Korea is not a third-world country. I liked the phrase "Everybody, go do your own jobs." Mostly it was too confusing--first there were lots of rapes and murders. Then we figure out that because a lot of the perpetrators are getting off scot-free, somebody is killing them.

Lebanon

Fiction

* Rathbone, Julian. With My Knives I Know I'm Good (1969) (see Turkey for main description) - I learned that Lebanon has some of the best Roman ruins in the world.

Article

* [I Didn't write down the name of the article] 2015 - Lebenon is recovering from its civil war and has not had a president in over a year. Although its population is only 4 million, it has accepted 2 million Syrians. Most Lebanese learn English in school, but Syrians do not.

So Lebanon is now a Middle Eastern country that I am looking forward to learning more about.

Russia

Fiction

* Kay, Mara. Masha (1968) - children’s book about a Russian girl who goes to an overnight school in Russia after her father died in war. She is so devastated to leave home that she doesn't appreciate the trip at all. Her mother dies right before she's going to visit. Her nurse goes crazy she she leaves, then dies after her mother dies. Magical happy ending.

Thailand

Robin is fascinated by Thailand, partly because he likes the food. I, on the other hand, find that Thai restaurants are the one place where I can't find anything that I like. However, students I met in the Business School who were from Thailand were super fun.

Fiction

* Burdett, John. Bangkok 8 (2003) - Yowsa. Definitely a look at (the seemy side) of an alien culture. We see police graft, prostitution, smuggling, extreme tourism, religion, traffic, spicy food, sex change, jade. Totally unexpected ending as well. I still love my rational world and spending time trying to protect myself. But it does introduce you to the idea of accepting some things that you could change as well as things you can't. I read this book twice and plan to own it.

* Burdett, John. Bangkok Tattoo (2005) (sequel to Bangkok 8) - Ugh, starts out gruesome, then the main character spends the whole book haranguing his farang readers. I actually did not like him in this book and have no interest in continuing the series. Still, there were a couple of really good passages, mostly hitting us farang on the head. Westerners worship money, which is not satisfying. The US wants war so they can easily get away with abuses. It seems like Buddhism is about how to live with things how they are and not even feel pressure to fix things--plus you don't worry about death because it's just another phase.

Turkey

Fiction

* Rathbone, Julian. With My Knives I Know I'm Good (1969) (recommended by Robin) - Russian dance troop member from Azerbaijan with roots in Turkey gets a chance to defect, but all is not what it appears. "Really it would be more difficult to employ you were you not Russian: you would be under contracts, and contracts are less easily changed than nationalities." It's hard to figure out who's telling the truth and what they really want at first. Lots of foreshadowing since he tells the whole story from the perspective of someone who has already lived through the whole thing. I immediately read it again to be able to figure out what was really happening. I also learned that Syria even in the 1960s was depressing.

My Spanish teacher and then one of my classmates recommended the movie "Valentín".

It's set in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the 1960s. And it's about a boy who lives with his grandmother and dreams of becoming an astronaut, in spite of his bad vision, cross-eyes, and Argentinian citizenship. (Why, yes, that was foreshadowing in my last post.) And he doesn't just dream. He studies, he builds rockets, he practices wearing space boots, he practices holding his breath as long as possible.

He is also fascinated with romantic relationships and asks everybody questions about how they work. He's charming, honest, and makes friends easily. So it's fun hanging with him throughout the movie.

The movie is about him being assertive. He makes friends with the musician across the street even though his grandma is suspicious. He tells his dad's new girlfriend the truth when he decides he likes her too much to lie. Later, he tracks her down when he wants to confront her. He looks for a way to get medical care for his grandma when she needs it. He looks for a way to have a home of his own when his grandma can't take care of him anymore.

The movie reminds me a little bit of "About a Boy" because it's also about figuring out about how to live life. And it reminds me a little of "Dead Poet's Society" because it's about taking action to get what you want, only it works out better in this movie. In the end he says you try things and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Fortunately, they mostly do work for him.

This movie is in Spanish, available with English subtitles. Many Argentinians have an Italian background, so I've heard their accent sounds a little like Italian, and I did notice that at times.

The subtitles were missing in some parts. From what I could tell, those parts weren't essential to the story, but I would like to watch this again when I know more Spanish. I could understand the boy's accent pretty well, though I had trouble with Grandma's.

I recommend this movie and give it 4 stars out of 5, maybe more.

(Three posts in one night? This can happen when you try to sleep with a stomach reminding you that you've eating too much chocolate babka in one day and a brain reminding you that you've experienced a lot of interesting media recently.)

I was just telling someone that our only discount theatre was in Round Rock. Wrong! There's also Southwest Theaters, which I learned about from Austinite Tips.

In spite of the name, it's in far northwest Austin and there's only one location: the old Lake Creek Alamo.

My favorite thing about it is that movies are $2 for matinees, $3 for regular movies. (There's a $1.50 upcharge for 3-D movies.) Amazing.

I also like that they show good movies (though old) and that they were not sold out when we went, unlike the last time we went to the one in Round Rock. In fact, it was still basically empty like back in May when the above review was written.

Also, no waitstaff try to ask you questions when you're trying to watch a movie.

The seats have all been re-done--now there's lots of regular movie theatre seating with vinyl seats and no tables, so the theatre feels huge. And they have all the regular movie snacks if you're into that (we're not).

The pre-show is horrible--loud and obnoxious. Bring something to do while you're waiting.

For more information, check out the review linked to above. It's informative, amusing, and has lots of pictures (but also mild swearing). For example: "Important note for people going on dates here! As I mentioned, the leather seats are brand new. As a result, they make farting sounds more or less every time you move. Hilarious? Yes. Mortifying? Possibly. Just be prepared." (I did not notice these sounds; perhaps the seats are now broken in and are now safe for dates.)

I've heard of people who want to visit the highest peak of each state. (And some who would be happy visiting only the highest peak in every state in the continental US so they can get out of dealing with Alaska I presume.) And I used to read the blog of a guy who decided to travel to every single country.

The Goal

I like traveling but I don't like those traveling goals. Instead I've decided I want to experience at least one piece of interesting media from each country.

The Media

My first idea was to read a book from each country. Then I realized, do I mean a fiction book or a nonfiction book? Does it have to be from the place (even if a translation) or just about the place? Do they have to be set in modern times, or are ancient times okay? And what about movies? Popular, documentary and/or IMAX? And perhaps the Wikipedia article as an introduction or fall-back. I've decided that any of those things will be acceptable. Ideally I will have more than one per country (then it's okay if some of the things are slight) and they will mostly be interesting and not just the one thing I could find about the country. Fortunately, I live in a town which once had the second largest academic library in the country, so that may even be possible.

The Countries

The guy who traveled to every country found that the list of all the countries in the world changed between the time he started and the time he ended. I think as new countries appeared, he added them to his list.

I've decided to use this list of documented countries. Limiting myself to countries recognized by the UN is not really fair to the people of the world, but it's still a long and varied list so I should be a bit less ignorant about the world at the end. I also like that the list I found sorts the countries by continent. I always thought of North America as having three countries--so I've already learned something.

But I've also decided to add some undocumented countries to my list. Specifically, I've already read loads of books and seen loads of movies and TV shows from the United Kingdom, but they are mostly from England. And I don't know much about the other countries besides travelogues from some of my friends. So I want to add Scotland and Wales to my list (Ireland is already on it). I reserve the right to add more undocumented countries or cultural regions as well. Perhaps Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas for example.

The Timing

I'm not actually ready to start seriously yet (though I did just happen to finish a fiction book set in Afghanistan and watch a movie from Indonesia and so I have created my spreadsheet so I can stick those in). Right now I'm reading some US history books because I think that might help me with my job (and also be a little fun). The most wacko one is A People's History of the United States. Basically, the author describes the history from the viewpoint of the losers. Fascinating, if depressing.

The Recommendations

As I said, I'm pretty good with England. I'd recommend Georgette Heyer (say, The Grand Sophy, The Corinthian, and Frederica) and Nick Hornby (say, About a Boy and High Fidelity, but you guys probably know all about those, too.

And I'm pretty good with Japan--I read a fascinating book on the history of Japan, plus I like the original "Shall We Dance?" movie.

But I'll be giving you more recommendations later. [I can't highly recommend Born Under a Million Shadows, the Afghan book I just finished--though it was okay--or "Raid: The Redemption," the Indonesian movie I just saw--though it was pretty good for a movie about people climbing to the top floor of a building. (Sort of like how "Iron Man" is pretty good for a movie largely about a guy getting dressed.) But surely I'll find some things I love that I will gleefully recommend later.]

Meanwhile, please let me know of anything you love that I should put on my list.

Fun romantic comedy.

Well, okay, a fantasy. Though I did laugh, aloud, for too long, after this one crazy awesome mid-air rescue of one guy's love.

Yes, yes, another turn-of-the-century special effects movie with too much violence, too many American fake happy endings (though one less than I wanted), loads of gratuitious skin shots, all the usual.

But fun. See Vin Diesel playing the brains of the bunch. Surely he doesn't get to do that often, eh? See fast cars racing around in exciting ways. And crazy jumping across fast vehicles. Which are not just cars. Hear melodramatically cool lines. And there is also some great romantic wooing going on as well.

One guy was pretty annoying, but it's an ensemble movie--he doesn't get loads of screen time. There were also, obviously, a few plot problems, many having to do with the laws of physics--but I expected that going in, so none of them actually bothered me. A couple bothered Robin.

I saw the first "Fast and Furious" (which I've completely forgotten except I remember that an early scene was amazing), but none of the other sequels; you don't need any of that for this.

**

And watching the previews for this movie, I learned that "Machete," which started as a fake trailer to play between the movies in the Tarantino/Rodriguez Grindhouse double feature, not only became a real movie, but will soon have a sequel. Machete was also fun and has one of my favorite fight scenes, where our hero is annoyed that he has to get involved in another fight and has to make the decision on whether, in preparation, to set down his drink or his breakfast taco. I think he made the right choice.

I've been doing a lot of relaxing on my time off, mostly reading and watching movies. I just watched "Paris, Texas" for the first time. That's a classic? It sure feels more like a cult classic. And it felt really slow, like a movie from the '70s instead one from the '80s. And for the exciting bits, they broke the rule to "show, don't tell." Still, it was quite effective, like reading a book. The ending was not informative enough; I guess you're supposed to make your own sequel in your head. But I'd rather watch a sequel by someone more creative than me. A sequel with a happy ending for everyone.

I also got to go to two parties last week. Woo hoo! I advanced science, built a small urban neighborhood, rescued treasures from a sinking island, and grew a lot of beans. Yes, it was a games party. Full of gamers. I wasn't quite in the mood to be as evil as you're supposed to be to win some of the games, so I think I lost the respect of some these strangers, but oh well.

At the other party, one of my friends morphed into a beast master and, after catching up to us when we ran away, quickly killed us off. Yes, that was another game. Then we watched "The Avengers" again and relived our favorite lines. "Puny god" was probably the overall favorite. As well as the whimper made by said puny god afterwards. Paid more attention to Hawkeye this time--awesome. Didn't like Captain America as much--no sense of humor. Although he did get a funny line (when he finally got a reference that someone else missed). Still loved Black Widow's opening scene. And her scenes with Banner/the Hulk showed she might be the bravest of the lot, though she doesn't talk about it like Captain America does.

I also visited the central library. Man, I like that library, but there is very little parking and it's all metered. But I can easily walk there from work on my days when I work a half day and then take a bus home from there. It's being re-located sometime soon to a place that is not convenient to my house, my work, or (I don't think) a bus route to my house, but I don't know if they will be building parking. Hope so. My local branch is so small in comparison.

And I've been exercising my shivering muscles. I am not good at dealing with chilly weather. Which I why I live here. We keep it as hot has R can stand in the summer and as cold as I can stand in the winter. So it's my turn to be macho, and I should have an easy job of it. The house still has barely gotten cooler than 60 degrees with no heat, but it's going to be another week before the outside temperature is warmer than the house, so I may give in and turn on the heat for a while soon. R still wanders around in shorts and/or bare feet most of the time, though he also usually wears a flannel-lined shirt or bathrobe.

Last year around this time when I quit my job and had all kinds of free time I was so gung ho--exercising every day, brainstorming jobs I could look for, starting another blog, working on a book. Not so much this time--I just really want to curl up into a little ball and not move out of the space I have heated. I am remembering to always have something on my feet and a hat, plus to drink hot liquids. Last year I gave up on finding any tea I liked (especially without loads of sugar), and I really shouldn't be having several cups of hot chocolate a day, but I'm finding that I'm perfectly happy with just plain hot water this year, so that's good.

Today I did some stuff, though. I worked out with my pilates video. Normally I get hot enough to put up my hair up after 10 minutes, but today my hands felt cold until 30 minutes into it. Not fair! Then I did my stretches and strength training for my strained body parts.

Then I drove to the blood donor place and got rejected because I had visited the Dominican Republic within the last 12 months (one of the stops on the cruise), but I can go back next month. Getting rejected always makes me angry, and it's not always rational. I'm not the Hulk, but it's still not something I appreciate about myself. They still gave me a coupon for a pint of Amy's ice cream for "trying." I have mixed feelings about that. Why should I get ice cream when nobody gets to have my blood? That just makes everything even more of a waste.

On the other hand, a whole pint of Amy's ice cream? That's better than any of the birthday coupons I've gotten in e-mails--no purchase is required. And it's a fun coupon: It has a drawing of a cow saying, "Heard you're down a pint." I guess they're hoping I add mix-ins (not included) or that I bring friends who will buy things. While it's still winter (it expires on February 15). (In case you're nearby and thinking this sounds like an excellent bribe, I went to the Blood Center on Lamar near 45th.)

Then I went to the bank to ask about a $116 withdrawal I didn't make. No, it's not some kind of evil fee. The staff member who got stuck with me was able to see the withdrawal slip online and could see that it was for a different account where an "8" in their account number looked a bit like the "5" in my account number, and so their money came out of my account. Since it's over $50, he can't take care of it himself, but it should be fixed in two to five business days. I did wait a week after the withdrawal, but since it's a new month and a Friday (high chances of a recent payday), I'm hoping that if the person thought the money had already been withdrawn, the actual withdrawal won't wreck their day.

I also answered the phone three times, which I regretted. First a computer tried to offer me something for diabetics on Medicaid. It told me to press "1" if I was interested, but if I'm not a diabetic on Medicaid or would like to be removed from the list, I could press "2." Sounded like the easiest get-me-off-your-list process ever, but no, they stuck me on hold. After several seconds I hung up. The second caller wanted to ask me questions about my young children and what TV they should be allowed to view. She hung up once she was clear on the fact that I don't have any children (or grandchildren) of any age and I do not watch enough TV to even be able to guess what the answers would be. The third caller said I was on a list of people who said they did not want to receive a Yellow Pages. I said this was still true. They said these these had recently been delivered in my area and asked if, indeed, I had not received one. I confirmed that I had not and did not have the heart to say that I do not want any deliveries or phone calls concerning phone books.

Time to heat up another mug of water--my back is aching (from the shivering).