Books: This Immortal by Roger Zelazny

Currenty reading:

This Immortal by Roger Zelazny, published in 1966, this novel won a Hugo award in a tie with Herbert's Dune.

The year and the tie with Dune should pique your interest in this novel if you have any interest in Sci-Fi at all.

You can really feel the beginnings of modern sci-fi in this book. It's the way that technology is referenced off-handedly, nonchalantly... mixed in with voo-doo references and very adult sexual situations and themes. It feels gritty and has a realism that is gripping.

Dexter Jumped the Shark?

I just recently watched the season 3 finale of Dexter, where Dex kills the Skinner and gets married.

There was a scene a few episodes ago where he helps Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits) execute his first victim. He asks Miguel what it felt like to kill, and Miguel dressed in a weird Steve-Jobsian black turtleneck replies orgasmicly "Fantastic!". At that moment, I paused the DVR and looked at my wife and said, "I think Dexter just jumped the shark." It was just such an awkward and campy scene.

I simply had some issues with Season 3.

What happened to the Dexter who was sexually ambivalent? Now he's more sexed up than David Duchovny. I thought Dexter was completely maladroit at almost all forms of social contact. Now he's spending every second with his wife and wanting to be a good father?

All of these weird plot lines gives me the feeling that the writers are trying too hard and are leaving the basic character behind. I think they need to get back to basics in Season 4.

Here's my back-to-basics note to the writers of Dexter. Ready? Here you go: Dexter = Batman. Dexter is a dark superhero. He can't have a wife and kids or the bad guys will use them against him. He kills bad guys all over the place. He is constantly hounded by the cops bcause he is a vigilante. He also has all kinds of cool toys that he can play with, and uses science to his advantage at every turn. Come on! Let's have some really smart CSI-like stuff, or some really hard to unravel mystery that requires Dexter's brains. Miguel Prado was Dexter's misguided attempt at having a sidekick : Robin. No more of that! Ditch the family!

I hope they figure this out again, and knock off all these crappy plotlines. Good luck!

Interesting Words - Nov 2008

Putative:
-Commonly believed or deemed to be the case; accepted by supposition rather than as a result of proof

Anodyne:
-An agent that soothes and relieves pain. See Analgesic

Liquesce:
-To become liquid.

Liquescent:
-Becoming liquid

Cartouche:
-An oval ring containing the hieroglyphs of a royal name
-An ornamental shield or decoration often placed above door openings or fireplace mantels.

Vulpine = Fox-like

Vulpine means fox-like.

I'll add that to : lupine, canine, feline, bovine...

Chiaroscuro

Definition:

Italian for "light-dark." The gradations of light and dark values in two-dimensional imagery; especially the illusion of rounded, three-dimensional form created through gradations of light and shade rather than line. Highly developed by Renaissance painters.

Imperium by Robert Harris

I'm reading Imperium which is historical fiction about Rome during the time of Pompey and Julius Caesar, focusing on Cicero.

Here's a list of words that I didn't know : hagiography, polymath, sangfroid, salubrious, cynosure.

More Artwork circa 1998

Here's a copy of a caricature that I did of my wife, Mary Anne. We have a large framed version hanging in our house. I drew this as a Valentine's day gift.

My Artwork circa 1998

I was rummaging through some old CDs, trying to find some old artwork for BlueZone, and I happened to find some old drawings that I did somewhere around 1998. This space age nude was pretty cool.



I also found a sketch of a band logo that I did for some friends that had a band named "Where's Momma?".

Here's another female nude. I know it's not very good, but you gotta start somewhere, right? :-)

Morphine: The Night

I just traded on LaLa.com for the last Morphine album, entitled The Night. It was completed before singer/bassist Mark Sandman died of a heart-attack on-stage in 1999, and released in 2000. This album is amazing and is now one of the jewels of my collection.

I've been listening to Morphine now for more than 10 years, but I could never get my hands on The Night or Like Swimming (without shelling out $20 per). Since I've been trading on LaLa I've been able to complete my Morphine collection : Good (1991), Cure for Pain (1993), Yes (1995), Like Swimming (1997), The Night (2000).

I recommend any of the Morphine albums quite highly, with the possible exception of the disappointing Like Swimming. Here's my suggested order of acquisition : Yes, Good, The Night, Cure for Pain, Like Swimming.

If you've never heard the band, open up iTunes and listen to some of the samples!