What I’m Reading:

> I just finished Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon, a 900+ page shaggy dog of a novel with a complicated plot involving both cryptography in World War II and high-tech in the 1990s, with adventures everywhere from the Phillipines to England, Sweden, and Australia, a diverse and quirky cast of characters, and many fascinating tangents. At times it was frustrating because it had so many tentacles it was all over the place, but Stephenson is a born storyteller who somehow pulled it all together in the end.

> I’ve started Bernard Cornwall’s Stonehenge, a saga about life during the Bronze Age on the British Isles. Too soon for any opinion except it’s interesting enough to keep reading.

What I’m Listening To:

> Beatles For Sale, which was one of the original British albums which, like all the early Beatles albums, was subdivided by their American publisher into parts of several different albums, in this case Beatles 65 and Beatles 6. The original formats are better, and listening to the Beatles 40 years later only emphasizes how great they actually were.

> Chris deBurgh’s Into the Light and Flying Colours. He is my choice for one of the two most underrated rock artists of the modern era–the other being The Strawbs–who walks the line between singer-songwriter and progressive music better than anybody.

Some thoughts on the Democratic Convention (if you hate political talk, you should probably stop reading now):

> Bill Clinton is the quintessential politician, and he should be the role model for anybody hoping to get elected to public office. His speech was excellent, especially his accompanying body language, and he said all the right things. When he first ran for president in 1992, I feared he was all surface and no substance, but he proved me wrong by being a good president in addition to being an outstanding politician.

> John Edwards was not bad last night, and I might be able to get over my instinctive fear of lawyers in his case. He is the only one of the four candidates who is a self-made person, rising from a working class family to become both wealthy and powerful. He is probably the only one of the candidates who really understands the average American.

> The Democrats might be idealistic, and slightly naive, but at least they are not elitists who believe running the government is their due and that their only obligation is to maintain the power structure and increase the wealth of their peers.

> All politicians lie to some degree, but I much prefer a president who lies about his sex life than a president whose lies lead to destabilizing entire countries, fueling hatred against the United States, and alienating all of our former allies. I have always considered myself an Independent, and I still vote that way in local and statewide elections, but nationally it is hard not to fear the current incumbents.

Today is Andy’s 21st birthday! Where has the time flown? I remember when Jean’s father told us at our wedding that the next 40 years would fly by so fast we would have no idea where the time went. That is becoming more and more true.

To add to the trauma, Saturday was my nephew Chris Sabella’s wedding, the first Sabella in the next generation to marry, so it was like the passing of the guard from our generation to the next one. It was a very nice wedding at Seton Hall’s chapel, and equally-nice reception at the Knoll West in Parsippany. It was an extravagant affair with tons of food, including an impressive cocktail hour and delicious dessert spread. Needless to say, I ate enough food for two whole days!

At the wedding Jean, and I sat with a group of my friends from grad school that we see much too seldom, so it was nice catching up with them on their own families. At one point we were sitting with Doreen–who was also part of our grad school crowd–and all of us were a bit traumatized by the fact that Doreen’s son had gotten married, and how scary it is that so much time has passed since our own weddings two decades ago. None of us feel old enough for our own kids to be in college yet, much less getting married!

My brother David and I were musing over how traumatic it will be for us when Stephen becomes a grandfather, which might only be a few years away! *sheesh* I hope Andy and Mark are not planning any of this for a long time! ☺

Now that my negative side has uttered its overall disgust at most science fiction movies, I will allow my positive side equal time and state briefly which sf movies I have actually enjoyed. Be warned though: it is a very short list.

> Two sense of wonder movies which ultimately failed but still managed to fire up the imagination: 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters of the Third Kind

> Two faithful adaptions of classic sf novels which worked well if lacking the same spark as the novels: War of the Worlds and The Time Machine (George Pal versions of both)

> Two visual spectacles whose plots had major flaws: A Clockwork Orange and Blade Runner

> Two recent movies which were not classics but were thoroughly enjoyable both as sf and movies: Dark City (which is everything The Matrix failed to be) and Frequency (yeah, it was a bit cheesy at times, but clever enough with an interesting plot).

To be honest, I have not yet seen any of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, because I have not been able to justify spending 9 hours watching movies! But I am hoping to finish most of my required chores before the summer is over and actually watching them. Hopefully... ☺

Some random comments:

• I am spending a lot of time this summer learning Statistics. I have never taken a statistics course, nor taught more than the very basics in Honors Algebra 2, but I need to be proficient in A.P. Statistics by September. So I’m spending 1-2 hours per day learning it, and my overall thoughts about it are (1) it is considerably easier than AP Calculus, and (2) most of it consists of one topic reiterated in different terminology over and over.

• Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin being the first people to walk on the moon. At that time we assumed America would have a permanent presence on both the moon and Mars by now. So what happened? I think America has been more pre-occupied with the short-term goal of building its military arsenal to incredibly high levels rather than the long-term goal of planning a way to escape Earth before we make it uninhabitable through environmental damage and gross overpopulation.

• I am disgusted at the reviews of I, Robot which indicate that the producers merely used Asimov’s title to create an action thriller which is the antithesis of a typical Asimovian story in two blatant ways: (a) his works never had action scenes in them, but were plot-oriented and cerebral, and (2) his works studied the ramifications of robots being totally-subservient to humans, while the movie treats them as potential enemies of humanity. It is amazing how movie producers continually defy the spirit of true science fiction in favor of stupid, juvenile, special-effects ridden thrillers. Bah!

Obviously I love to read books, the majority being related to fantasy and science fiction, but also on such topics as history–both historical fiction and nonfiction–and books about scientists and artists, which I enjoy more than learning about science and art itself. I guess my own passions for reading and writing give me a natural affinity for other passionate people in various areas of culture and learning.

But I also enjoy reading magazines. While books are enjoyable for their in-depth analyses of specific topics, magazines enable me to skim certain topics, giving me an overview of some areas, and piquing my curiosity to read further in others. They also serve as guides to which books I want to read, which helps me avoid scattershot buying which often leads to a lot of wasted reading time.

Here are the magazines I currently subscribe to:

Locus Magazine. This is my favorite magazine, the monthly “newsletter of the science fiction field”. It consists primarily of news–most interestingly of upcoming publications–reviews and interviews. It is my main guide as to what f&sf books to buy.

Historical Fiction Review/Solander. These is the historical fiction equivalent of Locus, with the reviews in the former quarterly, and the articles and interviews in the latter semi-annually. My only complaint is that it tries to review way too many books in each issue, with the reviews often too short, so that after awhile all the titles start running together in my head.

Tracks. This is a new music magazine, which strives to be more serious and more focused than the typical magazines in this genre. So far it is very interesting, both its reviews and its articles. The lead articles in the two issues I have read featured Eric Clapton and Prince, so that should give you an idea of the magazine’s range.

Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. I spent thirty years subscribing to science fiction prozines, including Galaxy, Worlds of IF, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Tomorrow, Asimov’s, and Science Fiction Age. I let all my subscriptions lapse in the mid-1990s because reading the prozines was taking up so much of my reading time that I was unable to read any books as well. But I still have a soft spot in my heart for f&sf magazines, so I subscribed to this semi-annual zine awhile ago. It is interesting, running the gamut from “hard” sf to slipstream and magic realism, but I have not decided yet if I will renew my subscription beyond 4 issues.

Bookmarks. This is a general reviewzine devoted to all types of fiction and nonfiction, and a useful buying guide. My only complaint is that each issue probably describes five times as many uninteresting books as it does interesting books, so that I end up skimming many of the reviews.

Today is Bastille Day, which I gather is a major holiday in France, the equivalent of our Fourth of July. Hopefully I will not offend anybody who is French, but I do not understand the significance of Bastille Day. Consider these facts:

• Bastille Day commemorates when a mob of citizens stormed the royal prison and freed perhaps a dozen prisoners at most.
• The event was one of the catalysts of the French Revolution which proved to be more repressive than the monarchy it replaced (remember Robespierre? The Guillotine?)
• The new government was itself overthrown, power eventually falling into the hands of Napolean Bonaparte who himself was eventually beaten by the combined powers of western Europe
• Ultimately all the chaos ended when the monarchy was restored!

I realize that holidays are largely symbolic in many, if not most, instances. Christmas represents the birth of Jesus Christ who was definitely not born on that day and probably not in the manner celebrated. Thanksgiving celebrates a dinner held between a small handful of people, which also might be as much legend as historical fact.

People need occasions to celebrate, whether they are factual (the birth of a new child; graduation from college) or fictitious. Without such occasions, life becomes an endless series of wake up, go to work, come home, do chores, go to sleep. Some people are fortunate enough to have passionate interests which make their lives richer. Reading and writing have always been my passions. I know people who live for art or running or music. But I suspect we are in the minority. For everybody else, holidays bring the little perks which often make their lives more fun or, in less fortunate instances, more tolerable.

Long live Bastille Day!

So how have I been spending my days this summer vacation? My daily schedule is basically as follows:

• spend the mornings writing and editing, including Visions of Paradise, Fei Fei’s Tibet book, and my own novelette.

• spend the afternoons working on Statistics, copying VoP, and practicing guitar.

• spend the evenings catching up on mail, correspondence, and reading!

There are always interruptions, of course. Once or twice a week I go with the family to the pool, where they hang out with their friends, while I usually have my Statistics book with me. But it is more fun working under the trees occasionally rather than always being stuck inside. Plus it is good to swim awhile (if you call what I do swimming ☺), and we usually order supper from Frank’s Pizza.

Another welcome interruption was a surprise 25th wedding anniversary party for Jean and me at my brother’s house, which was fun since we had good food–homemade pizza and calzones–and many of our closest friends there.

We have other "interruptions" planned: a trip into New York City next Wednesday, separate luncheon dates with Alan & Denise and my parents, plus our patio in front of the shed needs to be replaced. But it is all good stuff, especially since I can make my own schedule and not worry about following bells!

Long live summer...

As lead teacher, I am required to work two days at school every summer, so yesterday I went to school. A high school is a very quiet place in the summer, with no students, dark halls filled with desks and cabinets as the rooms are being cleaned, and the only people there are basically secretaries, administrators, and custodians. I had a bunch of supplies waiting in my office, so with the help of a student who works in the main office I sorted them and did a bit of re-arranging of my supply room. But it was so hot I rushed home to work on Statistics here rather than at school.

Wednesday was our 25th anniversary, and it is amazing how time flies. When Jean and I got married, her father–who was 67 at the time–warned us that the next 50 years would fly by so fast we would wonder where they had gone. Well, he is half-right so far! If the next 25 years vanish as quickly as the last 25 years vanished, I will be old and decrepit before I even realize it.

I had better get more of those stories written that I want to finish before I am too old to do so! ☺

This past weekend I watched the movie Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon as three childhood friends who share a traumatic event which affects all their lives. Thirty years later the daughter of Sean Penn is brutally murdered, with Kevin Bacon as the investigating homicide detective and Tim Robbins as the main suspect.

It was a strong movie on several levels: the murder mystery was well-done, logical and intriguing, yet rich enough not to be neither clichéd nor routine. The characterization was strong, especially Robbins’ still-haunted victim of the traumatic childhood event, and Sean Penn’s grieving father. And the acting, of course, was superb. Penn had the type of meaty role which allows actors to demonstrate the full range of their “acting chops” and which often impresses Oscar voters, so it is not surprising he won Best Actor for the role. Tim Robbins’ role was considerably more low-key, and consequently more difficult to pull off, especially in the glare of Penn’s role. It reminded me of Richard Burton’s low-key Thomas Becket competing against Peter O’Toole’s dynamic King Henry II in Becket forty years ago. In that movie though, they were both nominated for Best Actor and knocked each other out of the voting. Instead, Robbins was nominated as Best Supporting Actor and also won an Oscar for his role.

From a writing point of view, the climactic scene was truly inspired. Without giving too much of a spoiler, that scene alternated images of the murder mystery being solved simultaneously with the character study being resolved, with each event having an important impact on the other. It was very cleverly done and left a stunning emotional impact on the viewer.

I can see why Mystic River was nominated for Best Picture of the Year. It certainly outshone Master and Commander, which I watched last weekend and thought was enjoyable without being outstanding. I have not seen any of the Lord of the Rings trilogy yet, but I would be satisfied if Mystic River had taken home the Oscar.

Some truly random thoughts:

• Life is definitely more enjoyable when you have a passion for some activity, so there is more to life than working/studying /hanging out with one’s friends, but something to look forward to even in the most stressful moments. Reading and writing have always been my passions, and they still fill me with incredible amounts of pleasure even at this age. I have a student Rabbit who loves reading and art, and I think her prospects for a happy future are stronger than all my other current students.

• I have loved comic books since I started reading Green Lantern, Justice League of America, and Batman as a child, yet I rarely have any interest in live-action movies based on those comics. The Superman and Batman movies were tolerable but they still had moments of self-parody which I found offensive (remember Gene Hackman ruining Lex Luthor? Or Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones acting as if they thought Riddler and Two-Face were buffoons?) The first X-Men movie was probably the best I have ever seen, although I have yet to see either the second X-Men or the two Spiderman movies. Probably I should.

Thursday, July 1: What I’m Listening To

Now that I’m on vacation, I spend a lot of time writing and editing on the computer; consequently, I have the chance to listen to a lot more music than I did during the school year. Some of it is quite good:

• Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, by Wilco, a mainstream rock band which is hailed by the critics, and deservedly so. In an era of less commercialized radio this band would surely be big stars.

• The Dark Side of the Moon, by Pink Floyd, my favorite all-time album ever, so naturally I take it out and listen to it periodically. You should do so too.

• The Police: Live contains two concerts, one early in their careers and one right before the breakup. They were a fabulous band but like so many others were broken up by conflicting egos. If nothing else, listening to them in their prime reminds me of just how boring Sting has gotten in middle age.

• Premonition, by John Fogarty, who was highly-underrated as leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival because many people assumed they were only a singles band–definitely not true!–and is underrated now because he only releases an album every five-to-ten years. This live album is evidence of just how good he has always been.