Here nor there

Hey y'all. I have started a few entries in the past months but somehow don't get around to finishing. May not finish this one either as the library computers are being sucky. I decided to go off my antidepressents. Not sure if that was a good idea or not. Then, I lost my jobs in the gift shop & box office... Spent some time half-heartedly job searching and being rejected before finding myself in a restaurant washing dishes. A wise man once said that you should do something that seems unpleasannt to you - it opens up a world of opportunity. Anyway, the job ain't as intolerable as I thought it might be, so maybe I'll stick with it for a few weeks or months. I get to listen to audiobooks - currently Gatsby as read by Tim Robbins. I like when familiar voices do audiobooks - some favorites include Jeremy Davies, Scarlet Johannsen, Parker Posey, Campbell Scott, Dylan Baker, Jeffrey DeMunn, Anthony Heald. I noticed that even Colin Farrell got involved, reading part of a novel from which one of his movies was adapted. In adition to the audiobooks I've been enjoying some Old Time Radio and contemporary plays too. From Gunsmoke, The Shadow and Abbott & Costello to Jeremy Sisto & Anne Heche in a performance of Proof, and Jena Malone & Ruby Dee in Carson McCullers' The Member of the Wedding. Some audiobooks I'm looking forward to hearing are Ireland by Frank Delaney and Neither Here nor There by Bill Bryson. My listening material is usually borrowed from the library, converted to WMA & transferred to a Sandisk MP3 player I can wear around my neck and listen to with one earphone, thereby enabling the 'communication' necessary in a restaurant kitchen. You know, usually someone barking at you to do something. I'm sure I'll get into grosser detail about my job at a later date.

I seem to have more time for reading (now that we've entered the barren Summer TV season) and have been taking advantage of it... currently reading books by Tess Gerritson and Jess Walter (among this years Edgar nominees), and recently finished The Cutting Room (Klavan) and The Dishwasher (Martin), both of which were pretty good. I go through non-fiction phases too and am also reading an Orson Welles biography and seeing some documentaries about him too. The whole Hearst-Welles thing fascinates me.

I'm feeling a little homesick these days, though I know it's for an imaginary home that's not there anymore, if it ever existed. My brother is in Florida now, after a few days in New York. I understand that time and fiancial issues restrict his options of visiting WV, but it'd be nice to hear from him.

I'm losing weight. Depending on which scales I use it's 20-30 lbs in 6 weeks. I've always kept 50" waist as the line I can't cross over, so when my mother-in-law got me a pair that were 52", I knew I had to turn back. Now, I'm down to 48" and still dropping. I think focusing on girth instead of weight helps me stay on track. Hard to belive that 7 years ago I wore 33" jeans. Wonder if I can or should make it back that far.

I miss online access... my job had been my primary gateway, and since losing the job, my library time has been spent in search of a job. That's why I decided to just relax a while... spending my days off planning a lot and accomplishing little was having an adverse effect on my mood. I don't know what our finances will be like when my regular meager paycheck starts coming in. We adjusted to living very simply in my weeks of unemployment, and I guess there's a chance we'll take some $10 dial-up deal so we can post from home. I know Vic has been restricted in her online activity at work too. I've missed podcasts too - last night I dreamed Adam Curry was a character in Over the Hedge.

It's good to get around to posting again. My next step, maybe, will be re-esablishing some kind of contact with my friends on LJ and elsewhere. Sorry for any spelling errors - I really don't have the time to spellcheck this thing (he writes as he watches the clock of doom count down).

O

It's been a while... I haven't felt like there's much to write about. And so this entry will probably be entertainment-based. But first this, written about the place I've had to spend way too much time lately waiting on my often but not always late bus. My enjoyment of reading has increased lately, probably because I've been reading good books. Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout is technically not an Oprah recommended book, but it's close enough (it was adapted into an 'Oprah Winfrey Presents' TV movie). I'm reminded of the Family Guy scene wherein Stewie is asked what he'll be reading next. The response? "She hasn't told us yet." Hardeehar. My next book was the dark but deeply impressive Thomas H Cook novel, Red Leaves. No one writes as well as he on the subject of fragmented family life and this Edgar-nominated novel allowed Cook to delve into two generations of mistrust. Fun times! I followed that with the latest in Ken Bruen's series about dysfunctional Irish Private Investigator Jack Taylor. Things seemed fine and dandy until the kid he was babysitting jumped out a window and he relapsed into his Jameson and Guinness fueled abyss. And don't complain about me spoiling the ending - I did you a favor. This latest Ken Bruen novel is even more light on plot and littered with errors than his previous work, and that's saying something (Saddam Hussein had 48 hours to get out of Iran? What kind of editor lets that get published?). I'm currently reading Blue Angel by Francine Prose, one of those so-well-written-it's-a-joy-to-read-and-you-look-forward-to-getting-back-to-it type books. You know? Great stuff!

Moving on... I managed to connect our DVD player to our TV. I'm awesome! And we borrowed Walk the Line & Pride and Prejudice from someone who can afford to buy DVDs. They will probably form the foundation of this evening's entertainment. Last week I got some old favorite cds at the library - Frank Sinatra, Harry Connick Jr, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sidney Bechet, Coltrane and Monk. Music good, mmmkay.

In other news, my progress in 'the Truth' continues. I finished going over the questions and should hear soon if I'll be getting baptised next weekend. Next weekend! Sheesh!

Shine

OpenCourseWare from MIT is quite a find... free college courses online. And after a Google search, I discovered many other colleges following their example. I've been wanting to delve deeper into history recently, so I hope I can take advantage of it. Also, it'll be something to do at work instead of wasting time with celebrity gossip. Every lecture, every handout, every quiz online - for free. Check it out if you're so inclined.

Time for another TV update I think. Sundays (HBO-less) we usually watch Desperate Housewives and Gray's Anatomy. Mondays we look forward to 24 and sometimes watch How I Met Your Mother. Tuesdays: American Idol and The Unit. Wednesdays: One Tree Hill & Lost (on the rare ocassions they're not reruns). Thursdays have become a wasteland with The Office being a rare exception. Fridays are improving, with Close to Home and Numbers, Las Vegas and Conviction. And Saturdays? Blah (unless WGN has a 24 marathon). You go get 'em Jack Bauer!

I gave up on The Straw Men due to disturbing subject matter. I think I need to be more careful with my choices in future. I later found these words in a Publisher's Weekly review of that book:

"Marshall's book is filled with pages of uninterrupted description, which, while compelling, doesn't make for fast reading. But, to borrow a cliche, the devil is in the details. Thats certainly the case with this novel, whose graphic scenes of child abuse and dismemberment depict humankind at its most evil."

Yeah, not for me. I'm still liking Everybody Dies by Lawrence Block, a much more traditional crime novel where bad decisions have concequences.

I've been enjoying podcasts again. There was something new from a couple of my old favorites this week - Tedpod and Digital Flotsam. I'm especially happy with the announcement made on the latter. Ain't nothing like the real thing baby. Right now I'm listening to the TV Guide podcast, an informative show if, like me, you watch too much TV. Also, it's technically not a podcast but I was excited to find the Veronica Mars talk show available as an MP3 download from the UPN website.

I'm guessing not many of my readers care, but Vic and I are disappointed that Bethany Joy's album release has been postponed again. Hers is one of my favorite voices this year. Speaking of music, this evening we'll attend our first Mountain Stage show in a long time, Cathie Ryan and Peter Mulvey being among the performers.

In personal news, I've finally decided to try again to reverse the pattern of my expanding belly... caused, admittedly, by the over-consumption of items such as ice cream, peanut butter pie and creme eggs. I had some success a couple of years ago with my own version of the Atkins thing, when I slimmed from 48" to 44" waistline. My mother-in-law recently bought me a pair of trousers size 52". I've always thought of 50" as that mark beyond which I could not let myself go. I still fit into 48" pants, but man, this whole stubborn eat what I want when I want thing ain't working so well. So yeah, lets hope this public declaration spurs me into action. Or inaction depending on whether I'm walking or eating.

Did you know there are now almost as many podcasts worldwide as there are radio stations? My friend Brian Greene predicted this would happen by St. Patrick's Day and he was pretty close. By the way, if you want to hear a genuine Irish accent, check out his podcast at wxtc.net. Or spend some time at the RTE website. There are other Irish podcasts out there, just a googling away. Another recent favorite is the pub songs podcast.

We don't watch movies very often after inheriting a VCR which is incompatible with our DVD player. I guess I just need the right connection cords to connect the DVD directly to the TV, but for now, we're relying on the old VHS which is being phased out. Apparently Walk the Line is one of the first to have not even been released on video. It'll be sad if Elizabethtown is our last new video rental! That was a frustrating film because there were flashes of brilliance amidst the mundanity. This weekend I did my 3 old videos for $3 rental thing - The Medallion (cos it was partly filmed in Ireland), A Foreign Affair (cos Tim Blake Nelson and Emily Mortimer are rarely in bad movies) and Master and Commander (well, cos we hadn't seen it yet). Still haven't watched 'em but I hope to start tomorrow. I have more than one day off this week, yay!

I guess that's all. Work's been fairly quiet so far. Maybe I'll go learn something.

Dublin Riots

Around 300 protestors, who opposed the planned loyalist 'Love Ulster' march, clashed with gardaí in Dublin city centre this afternoon.

The trouble broke out at 12.45pm at the junction of Parnell Street and O'Connell Street, just yards from where an estimated 800 marchers commemorating the victims of republican violence had gathered.

The 'Love Ulster' parade, due to follow a route from Parnell Square to Leinster House, never got underway.

About 300 protestors trying to stop the march from proceeding along the route broke the barriers and began attacking gardaí, photographers and journalists.

Missiles including cement blocks, rocks, pipes, glass bottles and firecrackers were thrown. A refuse skip outside the GPO was also set on fire.

Businesses along the route were forced to shut as gardaí and members of the Garda Riot Squad forced the protestors down O'Connell Street.

Further skirmishes broke out at O'Connell Bridge, Aston Quay, Fleet Street and Temple Bar.

The most serious violence was in the Nassau Street area. Three cars were burnt out, windscreens were smashed and businesses had their windows broken.

Gardaí say 40 people were arrested and are being brought before a special sitting of Dublin District Court this evening.

Fourteen people, including six gardaí were treated in hospital as a result of this afternoon's disturbances.

RTÉ can confirm that its Chief News Correspondent Charlie Bird was injured while reporting on the disturbances in the city centre this afternoon.

He was admitted to casualty in the Mater Hospital, but has since been released.

Gardaí say the situation has 'calmed greatly'.

Dublin City Council has confirmed that O'Connell Street will remain closed until tomorrow and has estimated the clean up operation will cost €50,000.


This report from RTE.

See pictorial coverage at Indymedia, and more pictures and opinions at Irish Blogs.

Once more with Feeling

Methinks it's time for another concert review. Last night I had the dubvious pleasure of witnessing a Jane Monheit performance, something I'd been looking forward to for some time. My negative reaction then, was surprising. There was no heart or fun or love or joy in her singing... it was just empty. Her diction was awful... I felt like I needed to flush my ears out with Frank Sinatra's voice afterwards. Her 'banter' with the audience made me picture a spoiled girl trying to act flirtatious with daddy's friends. The entire performace struck me as an affectation. I've read reviews this week comparing her to Ella Fitzgerald, which to me, borders on the profane. Ella, Billie, Keely, Blossom, Sarah... they can make you feel a song. Perhaps you need to have lived to sing like that, and, at 28, Ms. Monheit simply doesn't have the necessary experience. Sorry if this review seems vitriolic, but such was my reaction to the show.

Moving on, some brief synopses of current reading material.
The Innocent by Harlan Coben looks likely to be more of the enjoyable brain candy suspense I've come to expect from him. Saints and Villains by Denise Gardina is historical fiction set during the Nazi regime and drawing some deserved attention to the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Night Blooming by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro is another in a series of novels featuring a compassionate vampire who finds himself associating with the rich and powerful throughout the ages - I recently finished Yarbro's 'Blood Games' which helped familiarize me with the succession of Roman emperors in the first century. I'm currently reading two other novels from that time period, The Last Sacrifice by Hank Hanegraaff & Sigmund Brouwer and A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers. Steven Saylor has a series of novels set in ancient Rome too, but I may have to postpone those for another time - reading too many books with similar subject matter can get confusing.

There's not much else to write about - I can't think of any TV highlights from this week, and I've cut down on the number of podcasts I listen to. So I guess I'll finish up with a quote:

"In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence." - Isaac Newton

Love. Music.

I am slowly falling for the Maier Foundation Performance Hall. I must admit that my tendancy, as one who considers himself amongst the po' folk of our fine town, to dismiss the Clay Center as a waste of money. Actually attending some of the concerts has helped change my mind... tonight's Symphony performance was wonderful. Every time I enter the auditorium, I'm impressed by the view and the acoustics and the atmosphere. There are ocassions when enjoying live music which almost feel like religious experiences. This is a rarity in my life, though I've experienced it at Mountain Stage a couple of times. Now, hopefully, my attendance of live concerts will increase a little. I may deny feeling this way when dealing with an unhappy patron of the arts, but for now, I feel incredibly appreciative of my job in the box office. I shall leave it to better local journalists to write more in depth about this event. I just wanted to spend my intermission getting some thoughts out into the digital cosmos. That's what blogs are for, right? Have a good weekend, and if you're a country music fan, listen out for an upcoming announcement from your center for the arts and sciences, the Clay Center. That is all.

High Life

Like, omg, I just met Denise Giardina. That is so totally awesome. OK, seriously, it's not every day you unexpectedly meet an author you admire. She came in to buy tickets, and obviously has a unique name, so I told her I enjoyed Storming Heaven. Afterwards, I googled her, as you do, and discovered that not only has she written in my new famous genre - historical fiction - but the subject of a recent novel is Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who I mentioned in this blog a few days ago. If I could afford to buy it I would, but meanwhile Kanawha County Libraries continue to provide me with educational entertainment. Today, I also spoke with Marcus Cole, a big name in my West Virginia Radio Corporation days, though he has since moved on, as have many other big names of that era. Bet y'all didn't know I was a V100 celebrity back in the day! OK, perhaps that's overstating things, though I did get on air a couple of times when the regular DJ was on vacation.

That's my first 'star' sighting in the months since I started this job... maybe I'll eventually get to meet our esteemed state senator and my namesake, Mr. Brooks ____. I cannot count the times I've been asked if I was a relative. If only. I am, however, becoming increasingly appreciative of this job where I get to serve the needs of Charleston's elite for, oh, somewhere in the vicinity of $6 an hour. If only I had gone on to college edumacation, I might have made something better of myself.

Oh well, if I continue to mingle with the upperclasses, perhaps one day I shall be plucked from obscurity. Meanwhile, life is pretty sweet anyway.

We're one but we're not the same...

I enjoyed my brisk walk to work this morning, and the preceding browsing of Taylor Books and Library sales shelves. Meanwhile, our phone is without a dial tone for the third time in two weeks. Methinks it may be time to consider joining the rest of the world and going mobile, though this event coincides with me reading Stephen King's novel of cell phones driving people insane and thus is freaking me out. The wonderfully named Darcy Magill has worms... which leads to yet another of this month's seemingly endless supply of unexpected bills. Meanwhile, I have next Friday off in anticipation of the Jane Monheit concert... I remember early last year when I worked at Ticketmaster, wishing I could travel to one of her concerts. Now if only Michael Buble would come to town, all my concert dreams will have come true.


Regarding the Grammys, it's hard not to be proud of U2, hometown boys made good. It's amazing how they've remained relevent after all these years, and I enjoyed their performance last night, Vertigo segueing into One. Even outside the music, Bono's comments at the presidential prayer breakfast last week were very impressive. Besides that, I didn't think there was much laudable about the awards - in fact, seeing the nominees for best vocal performances is downright depressing for someone who's music appreciation is mostly stuck in the golden years when singers sang.

I thought Lost was unimpressive... looks like they're setting up a conflict amongst the survivors, and I appreciate the evolution of Locke's character (I remain convinced that he has a one-way ticket to the dark side). I also appreciate that the show manages to introduce its fans to a little hobby I call reading... from The Third Policeman to The Bible to the latest, An Occurence at Owl Bridge by Ambrose Bierce. And these references usually fuel online debates about the plot of the show. Another unique aspect to Lost is the official podcast, in which the writers drop clues and respond to questions.

Again, since this seems to be becoming a daily blog (at least on those days I'm working), there ain't really much to write home about. I will leave you with some words from the afformentioned Bono speech:

You know, one of the things I love about this country is its separation of church and state. Although I have to say: in inviting me here, both church and state have been separated from something else completely: their mind. . .

Mr. President, are you sure about this?

It’s very humbling and I will try to keep my homily brief. But be warned—I’m Irish.

I’d like to talk about the laws of man, here in this city where those laws are written. And I’d like to talk about higher laws. It would be great to assume that the one serves the other; that the laws of man serve these higher laws… but of course, they don’t always. And I presume that, in a sense, is why you’re here.

I presume the reason for this gathering is that all of us here—Muslims, Jews, Christians—all are searching our souls for how to better serve our family, our community, our nation, our God.

I know I am. Searching, I mean. And that, I suppose, is what led me here, too.

Yes, it’s odd, having a rock star here—but maybe it’s odder for me than for you. You see, I avoided religious people most of my life. Maybe it had something to do with having a father who was Protestant and a mother who was Catholic in a country where the line between the two was, quite literally, a battle line. Where the line between church and state was… well, a little blurry, and hard to see.

I remember how my mother would bring us to chapel on Sundays… and my father used to wait outside. One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God.

For me, at least, it got in the way. Seeing what religious people, in the name of God, did to my native land… and in this country, seeing God’s second-hand car salesmen on the cable TV channels, offering indulgences for cash… in fact, all over the world, seeing the self-righteousness roll down like a mighty stream from certain corners of the religious establishment…

I must confess, I changed the channel. I wanted my MTV.

Even though I was a believer.

Perhaps because I was a believer.

I was cynical… not about God, but about God’s politics...