4.29.2012

E.L. James - 50 Shades of Grey

Well I took the leap and read this years Mommy Porn.  The talk and innuendos from my wife and friends was too good to pass up.  After completing it I have to ask, "What's the big deal?"  Just as real life porn bores me, this book bored me as well.  I had some pre-conceived notions of what I thought I might be getting into but when I finished I was shocked at how little there really was.  One dimensional characters that really didn't come off the page, a silly plot, and way too much descriptive sex talk.

Really am I to believe the 21 year virgin decides to fall for some high powered executive?  After 500 pages I don't even think I could pick Ana out of a line up.  As far as the high powered executive...he was just a dirt ball with some over the top skeletons in his closet.  I really thought the characters would be deeper coming from a woman writer.  I thought I would care more about them but realistically they were just paper cut outs (hmmm just like in real visual porn).  To be honest I have read my fair share of good romantic books and really this book was just an over the top sexcapade.  If this is what the average "Mommy" wants than yikes the American bedroom landscape is on life support.

Ultimately it is the age old question - to love or to f&*k.  Woman want love and men want the other.  That is the problem I had with Ana, she had no experience.  What does she really want?  How would she even know what that is because all she really experienced was lust.  Had she been more than a virgin I would have thought her back and forthness would have made sense but all I really got from her was a flip flop.  And then throw the undercurrent of I can change him and make him love me for who I really am...oh come on this isn't your run of the mill male.  This is a guy "50 shades of f&*k up"  This isn't about love, this is about him seeing something he wants and taking it.    

Which brings us to the point of woman feeling they need to do off the wall things to satisfy the man but then moan about how what they really just want is love.  I find the whole book to be just a internal conflict of what woman think they want with the ideal in the back of their minds that what they really want is a man to take charge.  Don't you see you can't have it both ways?  A man needs to F*&K because he needs a conquest.  If you want a man to take charge he isn't going to cuddle and make you feel loved he wants to go forth and take.  Men have been so neutered in today's world that we can't show our real sides anymore.  We have to play the game.  The game is bulls&*t.  The odds are stacked against us.  Just as Grey tells Ana she has the real power that is the truth.  Men play the game, have to control their underlying urges just to get into the game, and then suddenly when we are playing the game we are told we aren't being man enough.  Really?  Men are simple creatures, we know what we like, we don't like the games.

Men and Women will always be different.  Two people will always have different needs and wants.  In the bedroom it is important to find that common ground but do the things each of you need and move on.  Don't play games, don't tell your partner one thing but then expect the other.  Our animal urges are such that rational thinking is never going to be part of the bedroom.  Let us take charge and do what we need.  Accept your partner for what they want.  There can be a middle ground, you just have to find it.  Tell us what you want, let us get there in our own way, or steer us in that direction but don't flip flop.  Domination is kind of taking it a bit far don't you think?

4.26.2012

Alexis Smith - Glaciers

Sometimes a book will just sneak up on you.  I believe this book was a freebie in my Powell's "Indispensables" subscription.  Small little book I happened to take with me on a trip to Alaska.  Read through all the other books I brought and saved this one for the plane trip back to the Lower 48.  Flying to and from Alaska is prime reading time!  Anyhoo as things happen the main character in the book grew up in Alaska and there were references in the book to where I had just come from!  Strange how things like this happen.  As mentioned it was a quick read.  Finished it on the entire flight.  Love when you take a break from the page you glance out your window and see the cloulds!  All in all a marvelous little read.   Great characters and a very touching ending.  Amazing sometimes to happen upon a book that is unassuming that finds the right bottons to push inside your brain.  Somewhere along the way the author's email was found and I sent along a note.  The response is below:

"Thanks for picking up Glaciers (at just the right moment). You're actually the second person to write to tell me about reading the book on a plane ride. I love hearing about where and how people read Glaciers: it helps me envision it out in the world, in the hands of real people. The image of it flying around the country with people is particularly delightful. Thanks for taking the time to tell me about your experience. I really appreciate it.

Yours,
Alexis"

4.25.2012

Comic Splat - Week 17

Captain America #10
Rogers strength is back
And Falcon has gone crazy
Iron Man saves the day

Secret Avengers #26
The Phoenix returns
All a giant lead up to...
Capt Marvel returns

New Avengers #25
Iron Fist protector?
K'un Lun Phoenix connection
Fails, the Earth will fall


4.21.2012

Haiku #6 (Red Card Red Trial)

Haiku #6 was a recipe from The Best of Brew You Own magazine and was a St. Rogue Red Ale clone (page 36).  My desire was to brew something known, that was red, and had some bitter bite.  It was made with the following ingredients:

1) 1.4 lb 2 Row Pale Malt
2) 0.2 lb Munich Malt
3) 0.2 lb Crystal Malt (15 deg L)
4) 0.2 lb Crystal Malt (40 deg L)
5) 0.2 lbs Crystal Malt (75 deg L) 
6) 0.4 oz Warrior Pellet Hops (15.8% AA) [change]
7) White Labs WLP001 California Ale (Liquid)

Used StarSan sanitizer.

The Mash
Heated 2.5 quarts (10 cups) of water (refrigerator water which is carbon filtered) to 155 deg F.  Add grain and mixed.  Cooked for 60 minutes at 154-160 deg F.  

The Sparge
Heated additional 4 quarts of water (refrigerator water) to boiling then transferred to gallon fermentation jug.  Set up the strainer over the second pot and added the hot grain mash.  Then poured the heated water from the jug over the grains and into the second pot.  Once done recirculated the wort back through the grain once more into the original pot.

The Boil
Heated the wort until it began to boil at approximately 210 deg F.  This was done with just the middle heat on the inside burner on my stove.  Boil lasted 90 minutes with 0.2 oz of Hops at the 90 min to go for the boil then added the remaining 0.2 oz with 0 minutes to go.  

The Fermentation
Placed the brew pot into the sink with ice allowing the temperature to decrease to 70 deg F. Poured wort into a funnel filter into fermentor.  After the fermentor was full, the yeast was added and throughly mixed to aerate the liquid.  Note:  Liquid yeast is designed for 5 gallon batches.  This time did not shake the yeast but opened slowly and mixed with a tooth pick.  Still difficult to determine exact amount of yeast was added.

The yeast began fermentation and a fairly consistent burp began.  Primary fermentation lasted for about 36 hours.  Transferred beer to the basement and put in the airlock.  Allowed to sit for 2 weeks.

The Bottling
Used bottling sugar and dissolved this in 1/4 cup of water, I siphoned the beer into a pot and then bottled into 5 x bomber bottles (~650 mL).  Allowed to sit for another 2 weeks.

The Tasting
Opened and tried on 4/21/12. Good carbonation.  See photo.  Good flavor, little too bitter, not a great aftertaste.   

Got a Red Card (Red)
Two Yellows don't make a Red
When making your beer!

4.18.2012

Comic Splat - Week 16

Avengers #25
Simonson, 'Nuff Said
Childhood artist takes the reigns
Thor artist the best















Avengers vs X-men #2
Hulk and Colossus
All out attack all battle
But then Hope escapes...

The Amazing Spider-Man #684
Avengers are done
Spidey escapes with some friends
Black, Silver, and Red















Haiku Wednesday

Tree (or child)

Season to season
Infinitesimal growth
Startled by your size

4.11.2012

Stacy Schiff - Cleopatra. A Life

Fascinating account of one of history's first powerful woman.  Amazing that no image  (at least that can be agreed on) of her exists today, hence the cover image shown to the left.  The real shame to history is the fact that Alexandria no longer exists.  If I had a time machine that would be one of my first stops.  The lighthouse, the library, it must have been an amazing place.  So much more exotic than Rome, which sounded too much like politics today.  Bunch of backstabbing (literally versus figuratively) senators running around.  Again amazing that Cleopatra actually succeeded in all of this.  Although even in Egypt so pretty strange practices existed especially in regards to royalty.  Marrying siblings, killing siblings, and whatever else to maintain your line to the throne is quite terrifying to think that is how it was.  Good book.

Comic Splat - Week 15

Winter Soldier #4
Doombots will attack
Just diversion to real goal
Launch codes for missiles!

New Avengers #24
What's Luke Cage to do?
His kid, wife or Avengers
Damn he Assembles












Secret Avengers #25
Robots among us?
Hawkeye keeps it a secret
Ant Man knows better


4.07.2012

2011/2102 Ski Season

Nine days on the mountain 88 runs...

2012

versus

2011


4.04.2012

Comic Splat - Week 14

The Amazing Spider-Man #683
Avengers Assemble?
Earth's mightiest take on Six
Doc Ock is prepared...

Avengers vs X-men #1
And so it begins
Merry Mutants - Earth's Greatest
Cyke takes on Captain!










Secret Avengers #24
Core and Descendants?
Teleport to save Ant Man
Protect, Kill Avengers

Ultimate Spider-Man #9
Miles makes a deal
Family is only one thing
Spidey is another



Haiku Wednesday


Sound of the bat
Cracks open Springtime
It rains baseballs