As the Stargate Spirals

The summer spouted science fiction shows but the autumn left me with but one lonely final frontier … Stargate Universe.  Just a few weeks ago I couldn’t keep up with recorded episodes of Doctor Who (via BBC America), Eureka, Warehouse 13 and Haven (all via SyFy).  I gave up on Sanctuary within a half dozen episodes in the first season and managed to make it to the end of the first half of the first season of Caprica and was actually overjoyed to hear of its recent imminent demise.

So my Tuesday nights are my only venture into SF viewing territory.   Each week I join the stranded inhabitants aboard the Destiny via Stargate Universe.

I subscribe to, but don’t necessarily read routinely, the RSS feed for Stargate Universe at Gateworld.  I recently stopped by the forums and read some of the reviews for these season’s episodes, many of which I sympathized with.

I admit to being disappointed with the season opener, Intervention, which wrapped up the cliff hanger in record time and introduced a supernatural subplot that made me cringe.   Aftermath seemed pointless, except to further demonstrate how dangerous Rush has become.   I actually enjoyed Awakening for the same reasons Scott and Grear got excited.  The fate of Telford, unlike Riley, may still come back to haunt us.   I liked half of Pathogen, the half where Eli rushes back to Earth (psuedospiritually, not physically) because his mother has stopped taking her meds and is dying.  Some great acting by David Blue and Ming-Na.  We see more evidence of Rush’s continue fall from grace (and/or sanity).  Cloverdale (actually filmed in the town of the same name)  confused me at first and then just left me angry.

Last week’s episode, Trial and Error, left me wondering if Destiny can discern the difference between Rush and Young and choose wisely.

I really need a distraction from the dwindling mesmerization of Destiny’s stowaways.  Maybe I’ll request BSG from Netflix and try to convince myself I haven’t seen them all before.

Restaurant Review: Nick & Jakes (Parkville)

It’s Friday night and the typical ping-pong Q&A you expect from a 20 plus year married couple trying to decide where to eat out.  I routinely attempt to defer to Terry, since his stomach and diet limit our choices some evenings.  He was craving a steak and none of the local Leavenworth haunts sounded appealing.  Nor did anything at the Legends, which on a Friday night at six o’clock is a frightening experience, especially when looking for a parking spot.

Terry and I occasionally watch KCPT‘s Check Please and recently watched the episode featuring Nick & Jakes in Parkville.   We jumped in the car, and enjoyed a sunset drive down K-5, I-435 and MO-45 in the Bonneville, which has new quieter and grippier tires and full synthetic motor oil (again thanks to Terry who took care of all that car maintenance earlier in the week).  Once we arrived, we easily found a nearly front-row parking spot.  The wait, however, we were informed was at least forty minutes and they were out of pagers.  We weren’t in any hurry (knowing that Friday nights can be crowded) so we stood in the foyer.  Within five minutes, we had a pager, and we were seated in less than twenty minutes.

Our waitress greeted us and asked if we’d every been to Nick & Jake’s before.  We hadn’t, so she cheerfully informed us of the amenities and specials available for dinner that evening.  I chose one of the specials, a grilled king salmon with a walnut crunch topping and bourbon maple drizzle, with grilled asparagus and a salted baked potato (as opposed to the steamed potato most often served in restaurants).  I substituted the potato in for the sweet potato and apple casserole, as I don’t like either sweet potatoes nor baked apples.   Terry ordered the sixteen ounce rib-eye steak  (medium rare) , also with a salted baked potato.  For an appetizer, we ordered the Irish nachos.

Terry enjoyed the appetizer, which was comprised of thinly sliced potatoes (fried like slithly thick potato chips the size of a potato), smother in jack and cheddar cheese (melted) and bacon with a ranch dipping sauce.  I tried a few of the chips with the least cheese (if you know me at all, you know I don’t voluntarily eat most dairy products, especially cheese).  We took half the appetizer home with us, as we didn’t want to spoil our appetites for the main course.

I asked for (and received) margarine with my baked potato (harder to come by than you might think) .  Yes, more of that dairy aversion syndrome I suffer from.  Our main dishes arrived in a timely manner and were presented pleasantly and appealingly on the square white plate.

My first bite of salmon amazed me.  Quite possibly the best salmon I have ever eaten.  Simply astounding.  The asparagus was crisp and flavorful, although slightly larger than I normally prefer to eat it; still excellently prepared and presented.  I saved the potato for last, making sure I savored all the salmon and asparagus before dabbling in starch.  Terry was proud of me for ignoring

Terry proclaimed the rib-eye the best prepared and tenderest steak he’d ever eaten.  I had a couple of bits of the steak and it was delectable.

One final serendipitous perk awaited us, when the waitress informed us desert was on the house for first time guests.  Although I desparately wanted to try the chocolate cake, I deferred to Terry’s preference of carrot cake, which we took home to try later.   Each of us tasted a bite when we arrived safely home.

We will definitely be returning to Nick & Jakes in the future, perhaps to try their Sunday brunch (next weekend – Sunday – is Terry’s birthday so be sure to wish him well!).

To ensure Terry took his after dinner nap (aka a food coma), I stacked some wood in the fireplace and lit the first fire of Fall 2010 in the Moss residence corner fireplace.

First Friday Fringe

This weekend and next are the final rounds of the 2010 Formula One season.  Terry will be watching one of the practices live at home today since Brazil is nearly in our time zone (only two hours ahead of us).  Next weekend will wrap up what has been another competitive driver and constructor championship with the last round in Abu Dhabi.   I’ll be content to watch them on the reply when I burn the GPs to DVD from the DVR sometime in the next few weeks.

Lunch time view South Plaza early Nov 2010

Since I no longer have any science fiction television to look forward to on Friday nights, I’ll continue reading Blackout by Connie Willis. I’m about half done with it and I have All Clear, the sequel, waiting to pick up as soon as I finish Blackout.  Only about twelve hundred pages total between the two and not as heavy as the tome I read in September by Brandon Sanderson:  The Way of Kings.

I’ve accumulated over two hundred points over the past couple of years by giving away books via BookMooch, yet because I read fantasy and occasionally science fiction, I’m not finding many books to mooch from others.  Yet I still need to divest myself of some more books (hardcovers mostly).   So I think I’ll branch out to another swap site, a division of one of my favorite reading and reviewing web sites, the GoodReads swap.   That’s my first project for Saturday morning, to prep and post about a half dozen hardcovers via GoodReads swap.

The second task for Saturday morning involves wrestling the Rotts into the car and heading to the vet for some pre-boarding shots.  In a couple of weeks, Terry and I will travel south to visit our kids in north Texas for Thanksgiving.  Roxy and Apollo will remain behind and make new friends at Deb’s Riverview Kennel.  On the way back, weather permitting, we might let them roam free at the Waggin’ Tails Dog Park for a half hour or so.

Once back home, I should probably make a few loaves of bread, for Terry and for my dad. Most likely I’ll make a Rustic Sourdough (dough in the bread machine, but shaped and baked in conventional oven) as well as Honey Wheat and White Sandwich loaves.  He’s traveling next week to Virginia for a mini-family reunion at his brother’s home.  My aunt from Ohio will also attend.  My dad and his brother were born on November 17 and 18 almost exactly four years apart and my aunt was born on November 29 so they’ll be having mutual birthday celebrations.  I hope to send a loaf or two with dad for them to enjoy.

In addition to their birthdays, I’ll swing by WalMart and pick up a gift card and birthday card for my daughter-in-law’s birthday, which is the 12th.  Terry’s birthday is on the 14th, but at least he’s not leaving town on me.  For a birthday present to him, we may go see Mannheim Steamroller in Topeka that weekend.

It’s a new moon tonight so I’ll probably get the telescope out tonight and tomorrow night for some viewing.  I might even venture out into the county looking for a nice dark spot away from all the light pollution of Lansing (and the prison that’s only two blocks north of my house with all it’s blazing orange halogen lights) and Kansas City.  I should probably dig out some light gloves though since the evening and night temperatures have been dropping down into the 30s most of this week.

Sunday morning I’ll be substituting for the accompanist at Southern Heights UMC during worship, which is also communion Sunday (being the first Sunday of the month) so I’ll be playing a bit more than a normal service.  But the choir took the weekend off and the special music doesn’t require an accompanist.  All in all, should be a fun hour well spent.

Sunday afternoon will be for relaxing, reading or watching movies.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Health Frontier

I succumbed to a health screening and health risk assessment at work today.  Voluntary coercion also known as an incentive to reduce, by a pittance, my health insurance premiums for the first six months of 2011.  I think I may have participated in a health screening a few years ago, but not recently.

My numbers, while not ideal, were not terribly out of whack.  The scariest one was an unexpected uptick in my blood pressure.  I really shouldn’t be surprised since I’ve had a forty year love affair with salt, which I’ve now resolved to resist as best I can.  I see more whole wheat bagels, oatmeal and bananas in my future, as well as a return to my evening Rottweiler constitutionals.   The nurse also suggested that I double-check my blood pressure in a day or so to see if it was a fluke.  If not, then I might also be visiting my doctor soon.

While waiting for my ride after work, I experienced first hand several leaf-filled dust devils swirling around the circle drive of the Plaza Library Building.  I enjoyed the stress relief and photographic opportunity, even if I all I had at hand was my cell phone.

For the rest of the photos, visit my photo album here.

Book Review: The Magic of Recluce

The Magic of Recluce (The Saga of Recluce, #1)The Magic of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent world building and superb magic system with an annoyingly dense but affable young adult protagonist on a quest. Lerris is ‘the chosen one’ but for all the wrong reasons or completely mysterious hidden reasons until he’s painted himself into a corner with his fumbling choices. Lerris isn’t burdened with a prophecy, but he resists the status quo of Recluce. Lerris is just your typical young adult with attention deficit disorder (i.e., he’s bored and finds everything boring), but Recluce doesn’t prescribe Ritalin. Somewhat like extreme Amish, Recluce peacefully forces their misfits to either exile permanently or go on dangergeld (similar to rumspringa but with a quest attached), during which they must decide if they can return to Recluce and succumb to its creed and worldview (seeking perfection in Order). This novel follows Lerris on his journey as a dangergelder until he understands all that Recluce embodies and effects, and reaches his decision.

If you are looking for a story with character growth, Lerris’ journey as an exile from Recluce will fit that bill. If you are looking for a new fantasy world with a detailed history, divergent societies, a logical robust magic system, with a different spin on the age-old struggle between angels and demons, good and evil, black and white, order and chaos, then you’ve come to the right story and series.

Modesitt’s Recluce series reminds me of Asimov’s robot stories. He sets up a scenario with some basic, seemingly simple rules (for example, Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics and Modesitt’s Order/Chaos balance system as glimpsed through snippets of The Basis of Order) and proceeds to challenge those rules with his world and its characters. While each novel adds a piece of the broader puzzle, for the most part, like this first one, the books stand alone quite well.

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November is L.E. Modesitt, Jr. month at the GoodReads SciFi and Fantasy Book Club.  The author will be joining in the discussions of both books later this month.

 

SciFi and Fantasy Book Club’s currently-reading book montage

SciFi and Fantasy Book Club 3980 members

Welcome to the SciFi and Fantasy Book Club! 

SciFi Czar: Brad
Fantasy Czar: Cindy

PLEASE NOTE:…

 


 

Books we’re currently reading

Haze
Haze 

by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Start date: November 1, 2010


The Magic of Recluce
The Magic of Recluce 

by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Start date: November 1, 2010




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Polarization v. Compromise or the Cold War v. Common Sense

The polls closed a few minutes ago here in the Heart of America (aka Kansas).  Twelve hours ago I took a few minutes to cast my votes and submit my ballot.  Something unheard of or scoffed at a thousand years ago, or even just a couple or three hundred years in the past; a privilege I have invoked every election year since 1982.  A non-violent non-fatal process for expressing and affirming a society’s will or vision and any changes thereto.

I stumbled across, via my WordPress subscriptions, a blog post by an author I admire, L.E. Modesitt, Jr. entitled ‘Election Day … and the Polarization of Everything?‘  His observations struck a chord with me, especially with the heightened awareness the Internet brings to the radical (left or right … take your pick) and the Tea Party movement.  Extreme viewpoints and adherence to a very strict code of ethics is laudable, but can lead to stalemates at best and a fall into violence at worst.

Without some hope of compromise, I envision a return to a Cold War-type era, where an ‘arms race’ of values and platforms trumps any Common Sense measures which when properly discussed and debated might actually benefit a majority of people.

I admit I’m often a centrist, attempting to accurately see both sides or all sides of an issue before making a suggestion or a decision.  No matter how uncomfortable it might make me feel, I want to ‘walk a mile’ in someone else’s shoes before putting on my own and breaking trail on my own path.

Book Review: The Hero and the Crown

The Hero and the CrownThe Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Aerin may be the king’s daughter, but you wouldn’t know it from the looks, the stares, the snickers, the pranks, or the court gossip. Her father loved and married Aerin’s mother after his first wife died childless. But being from the North, of unknown heritage and lineage, suspicions of witchcraft at worst and being a commoner at best, followed Aerin like a fog of misery. Her royal Gift failed to manifest as she entered and traversed adolescence, which further fueled the rumors of her inadequate or inappropriate breeding. Aerin wrestled with the trappings of her princess-hood, losing the battle with gentility and sought solace in the royal library and her father’s retired lame warhorse, Talat. Nothing say quest and adventure like a dissatisfied frustrated teenage princess and a well-trained loyal equine collaborator. For starters, and against all odds and her father’s wildest nightmares, Aerin and Talat master the art of dragon slaying.

Aerin proved to be an inspiring character, one I could have warmed up to and appreciated in my own adolescence. But Talat stole the show for me. More than once, his actions and courage brought tears to my eyes.

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Fifth Saturday Wrapup

Funny how things snowball once you get rolling.  I had no idea when I woke up this morning at 5:45 a.m. that I would accomplish so much today.  I had hopes of a quiet day at home, cleaning off the DVR and actually started on this endeavor before getting sidetracked.

I watched the Smithsonian Channel’s Aerial America Vermont episode, wishing I could visit, especially during autumn.  That state has more than it’s fair share of spectacular scenery and vibrant foliage.   By the time I was nearing the end of that episode, Terry had woken up and mumbled something about an omelet.

I got up to brew some cranberry tea and remembered I had recently purchased a cranberry scones mix from the Queen’s Pantry.  So, I quickly whipped up the scones mix and preheated the oven.  While they were baking, I decided to continue stacking firewood my dad had helped deliver earlier in the week.

Once the scones finished, I sat down for a proper British breakfast and surveyed the new Sherlock Holmes airing from BBC via PBS and Masterpiece Mystery.   Fun and updated for our times, with only a slightly annoying soundtrack.  I’m looking forward to the other two episodes (tomorrow night and a week from tomorrow).  It’s a pity the BBC could only afford three episodes for this new series … it looks promising.

I packaged up a couple of books to send to BookMoochers, one in California and the other in South Carolina.   While waiting in line at the post office, I ran into an old friend, which made the long wait pass quickly while catching up with kids news, etc.

I spent way too much at the grocery store today, but did save ninety cents on gasoline and filled up both Pontiacs with premium for only $1.899 per gallon.  I got back home with the groceries (second trip) and finished stacking the firewood.  Then we made a trip to O’Reilly’s because they have a sale on gallons of Mobil One synthetic motor oil.  We bought enough to change the oil in both cars.

Once back home, we determined we needed to recycle all the oil we’d accumulated and stored in the garage when the kids lived here and we had four vehicles to maintain.  We transferred the used oil to a couple of containers without making too much of a mess on the garage floor.  Then we packed up the dogs, planning to stop at the dog park on the way back from O’Reilly’s.

With all the walking, stacking, grocery toting (including the forty pound bag of dog food) and oil purchasing (four gallons) and recycling (five or six gallons), I’m already started to stiffen up and feel the aches and soreness setting in.  I’ll definitely be soaking in the hot tub before retiring tonight.

Terry and I enjoyed home-made pizza for dinner and will relax to the hilarious Halloween hijinks of Right Between the Ears live from Liberty Hall in Lawrence via KANU in just a few minutes.

Not bad for the fifth and final Saturday of October 2010.

Less Than Sixty Days Until …

Yep, you guessed it, Christmas.  Which means less than a month until Thanksgiving, the weekend when I traditionally attempt to compose my yearly family re-cap letter to insert into the family Christmas card mailing.   Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve actually mailed a Moss Family Christmas Letter for several years now.  I tend to avoid whining about all the negative depressing events in my life (of which 2008 and 2009 where overflowing with) and highlight those items that inspire and lighten.

But 2010 started off well, since both my kids, Rachelle and Derek (and his wife Royna) were visiting us over their holiday break from college.  While I didn’t see much of Derek and Royna (who spent most of their time with their friends), it was good to have them home again since moving to Texas in August 2009.

The rest of January and most of February were quiet but very cold – and I mean the coldest I could remember having lived in this area all my life (except for twelve years in Wichita which I prefer to just forget most of the time).  We received shocking and sad news the last week in February, when I learned my aunt’s mother died very unexpectedly from a fall.  This prompted the first of two trips this year to Winfield, Kansas.

March events escape me … didn’t come in or leave like a lion for me at least. Oh, but now it’s coming back to me.  We had a deja vu scare with my paternal grandmother, who fell while out eating dinner with my uncle in Raymore.  I learned the news from my dad as I arrived home from work, which prompted me to jump back in my car and drive back to where I had just been (or nearly so) to a hospital emergency room just off US-71 southeast of the Plaza.  To our surprise (my dad, my uncle and myself), the hospital released her on her own recognizance to return to her apartment in Raymore.  If you’d seen her injuries, you would have thought they’d have kept her for observation overnight.

April and May proved the highlight of my year because of a rare opportunity to meet two of my favorite authors at science fiction conventions within driving distance of Kansas City.  The first occurred in Lincoln, Nebraska, the home town of Brandon Sanderson, an author who will probably make the NY Times best sellers list, again, next week with the release of The Towers of Midnight, the next to last volume in the Wheel of Time series started by Robert Jordon back in the 80s.  Since the Lincoln science fiction convention was fairly small, access to Brandon in most of the panels and readings was nearly one-on-one.  Brandon graciously signed my hardcover edition of his first published novel (and a first edition) Elantris, which surprised him as it’s out-of-print and hard to find.  I now have everything published by Brandon in first edition and signed (with the exception of his young adult series).

As an anniversary present, Terry and I found and purchased a second vehicle to supplement our one remaining vehicle, which had not fared well during the extreme winter weather conditions earlier in the year.   When the kids left for Texas in August 2009, Rachelle took my Oldsmobile Aurora and Derek took his Chevy S10, leaving Terry and I just the Pontiac Firebird between us.  Carpooling helped to alleviate Terry’s stranding at home without a vehicle to only half a week, but the winter weather kept us grounded more than anything.  I’m eternally grateful to my carpool buddy, who owned a four wheel drive pickup truck for getting us to and from Kansas City last winter.   So, as May approached, Terry and I started looking at used vehicles, specifically older Cadillacs.   We knew we needed comfortable seating for the 8-10 hour drives (one-way) to Texas in our future.   We had almost decided on one from a local Leavenworth dealer, when we responded to an individual’s ad for a Pontiac Bonneville.  We drove down to Olathe to test drive it and fell in love with the very well maintained (over-maintained with an extended warranty and some extras features).  I managed to get a check cut from my credit union before they closed on Friday evening and drove the vehicle home for our 24th wedding anniversary.

In mid-May, we drove to Des Moines for a pirate themed science fiction convention featuring as the guest artist of honor Don Maitz, and his wife and guest author, Janny Wurts.  I spent a pleasant couple of hours talking with Janny on Saturday afternoon between panels.  Again, since she was not the ‘main attraction’ her panels and readings were sparsely attended and nearly one-on-one.

Rachelle flew back home in late May, but only stayed a few days before traveling overseas to study abroad in Europe, specifically Leipzig, Germany.  She celebrated her twenty-first birthday half a world away from where she was born.  During her five weeks in Europe, she visited many cities in Germany, Austria and also Prague in the Czech Republic.  She returned to the States on the eve of the Fourth of July and remained with us for the rest of the summer.

While Rachelle deeply immersed herself in learning German, my grandmother began to suffer from rapidly advancing congestive heart failure.  Just two days before my daughter’s birthday, and actually on my grandmother’s 88th birthday, she passed away.  I was glad to have visited her in her final days and to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her with my aunt and dad.  The next week became a blur as plans for the memorial service were ironed out and I offered my house as a staging area for family gatherings.   The first, and hopefully last time for many years to come, I actually took advantage of my bereavement leave employee benefit.

The following week, my husband finally attended his Social Security Disability hearing before an administrative law judge (via video conference since the judge lived in New Mexico).  We had been waiting years for this hearing, having been denied twice by bureaucrats in the SSA.  Just last week (middle of October), he received his first regular disability check, but the settlement check for previous years is still several weeks away.  The hearing, while stressful for Terry, relieved some of our agony of waiting.

In August, we mailed, er flew, Rachelle back to Texas and life settled back into it’s routine.  I’d joined a vanpool mid-Summer so I wasn’t putting any miles on any of my vehicles.  We received the welcome news that Terry’s appeal of denial of SSD benefits was awarded by the judge.   September flew by, mostly from some stress caused by my daughter’s student loans, which have finally, as of Monday this week, been fully resolved, at least until next August.

October proved to be the complete opposite of September, starting with good news on my daughter’s student loans and a fantastic birthday present from my father – an amazing telescope with a plethora of accessories, which I’ve been exploring and learning how to use for most of this month.

The damper to our activities for most of this year has been an unfortunate accident incurred by Terry in the spring.  While negotiating the stairs in our house, he missed the last step and injured his back.  For the last several months, he’s been almost completely bedridden or recliner-ridden from pain and now muscle fatigue and atrophy.  Thankfully, the back injury has finally healed itself and we are slowly exercising the legs and other extremities with short jaunts to the dog park, because both dogs also need the exercise.

The next two months are busy, of course, as most families get this time of year.  We’ll travel to Texas for Thanksgiving, leaving the dogs behind boarded at a local Leavenworth kennel and doggie day care facility.  In mid December, we will return to Texas, with my dad in tow, to attend my son’s graduation from SMU’s Guildhall.  And we’ll wrap up the year with Rachelle returning, as an early Christmas gift via her adopted Greek family, the Kelloffs, on their return trip from Houston, Texas to Lansing, Kansas on the 23rd of December.

There, I’ve done it, my first draft of the 2010 edition of the Moss Family Christmas Letter.   I’ll expand upon this throughout the month, and include select photos from the year to add the human touch and connection for the final printed color edition.

Book Review: The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (Conan of Cimmeria, Book 1)The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Average Rating Across All Stories: 3.5 stars

The two best stories are “The Phoenix on the Sword” and “The Queen of the Black Coast”; otherwise, the first half of this anthology holds the best of the bunch, gradually dwindling down to my least favorite two stories: “The Vale of Lost Women” and “Rogues in the House.” The final story almost redeemed the second half, but didn’t quite pack the punch necessary to overcome the duds immediately prior to it.

The anthology includes referential material (over 100 pages worth in the back and a 25 page introduction), including original drafts by Howard, unpublished drafts, and Hyborian Age information, maps, and chronologies.

I enjoy reading Howard’s fast paced fiction, especially to spice up my lunch hour during the work week. I highly recommend this collection to all fans of the original one-of-a-kind blue-eyed-blazing barbarian from Cimmeria.

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