El Nino still hasn't shown up, but we got a gorgeous sunset tonight. The iphone doesn't do it justice, but I tried anyway.
 |
| Flag at the end of the Marina del Rey Channel. |
 |
| RIP. The tree that figured in the horrific accident last week. |
Monday, January 4, 2016
Scenes from a sunset
Sunday, January 3, 2016
December reading
Despite the holidays, I got in four books. I almost got five, but didn't quite finish the last one before the new year.
The River is Dark by Joe Hart
This was in my Bouchercon swag bag and I opened it at random late one night when I was headed to bed. Hours later, I was still wide awake and barreling toward the end. I have got to read more stuff by Joe Hart.
The book opens with the massacre of a small family - father, mother, even the family dog. The family's only child, Eric, runs to his parents room, locks the door and crawls under their bed with a phone and dials 911, trying to summon help as he hears "it" come upstairs, searching for him. Eric will be his family's lone survivor, but at great cost. When he awakens from his coma, his only description of his attacker is "a monster".
We then switch to Liam Dempsey, a former detective - and the reason for his premature "retirement" is an ongoing question mark that is eventually revealed in good time. He barely gets his morning going when he receives a phone call that his estranged brother and his brother's wife have been murdered in their home. As the only surviving relative, this falls into his lap. Upon arriving in the seemingly idyllic town, he discovers that the brutal murder of his brother and sister-in-law were the second such killings in a week. Eric's family was the first.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Liam himself starts to become a person of interest, which I have been told at writers conferences is cop-speak for "suspect". Between this and his cop skills, he now has to conduct his own investigation, not only to clear himself but to find out who is butchering the locals.
Hart is a fantastic writer. I was immediately sucked into the story and couldn't stop reading. He hooked me from page one and I simply couldn't put it down. Hurray for insomnia. I think it was around 2:30am when I finished. I appreciated that the story is unconvoluted. Hart has a very clean, simple forward writing style. Things happen as they need to, and Liam's background was revealed a bit here and there, as needed.
If I have any criticism, it's that as we get closer to the end, our hero begins to sustain injuries at the hand of the murderous monster that aren't life-threatening, but any one of these injuries would reduce a normal person to curling up in a fetal position, and still he manages to fight off the monster while sustaining one after another of these injuries. That's a personal peeve, but this is certainly not the only place I've seen it. Despite that, I highly recommend The River is Dark and look forward to reading more of Hart's work.
"Liam stood, glancing in all directions as he retreated to the house, his mind trying to make sense of what just happened. An uneasy feeling like a ball of infection began to throb in his stomach. He didn't know what bothered him more: the sight of the shadowed form appearing and disappearing within the storm, or that it seemed to have come to visit the grave of the Shevlins' deceased infant."
Murder with a Twist by Tracy Kiely
I saw Tracy Kiely on a panel at Bouchercon and was intrigued by her using one of my favorite films, The Thin Man, as an inspiration for an updated take on Nick and Nora. In this case it's Nic (former New York Detective Nicole Landis) and Nigel Martini, a west coast heir. There are a lot of nods to The Thin Man, especially their new name. There is a dog, although instead of the lovable (if somewhat cowardly) Asta, the Martini's have a newly acquired gigantic Mastiff. Their last name is a nod to the virtually non-stop boozing in the original (although they don't drink quite as much in the updated version).
One thing I noticed was that although the back cover promised that the book "Includes cocktail recipes!", there weren't any. I looked at reviews on Amazon and Good Reads and only a couple of people commented on this.
It's an upbeat, breezy read and another one I got through in one late night sitting.
"The voice was gruff and to the point. "Do yourself a favor," it said, and go back to L.A. before you get your other pretty leg shot up." With that the line went dead, which was fine by me. It didn't seem like it was going to be a good conversation anyway.
"Who was that?" Nigel asked, as I turned off the light.
"The Ladies Home Journal," I replied. "You've been selected to receive a free trial subscription."
"Tell them no thanks," Nigel said as he pulled me close. "Their centerfolds are terrible."
Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann
With a focus on the unsolved William Desmond Taylor murder and its sordid aftermath, this Edgar Award-winning book examines the scandal culture of early Hollywood and how it resulted in the Hays code. And while he's at it, author Mann puts forth his own unique take on who he thinks killed Taylor.
It's the early 1920's and Adolph Zukor is head of Famous Players-Lasky, one of the biggest studios and theater chains in Hollywood, and the powerful Zukor is looking to get bigger. He wants to dominate Hollywood, but his ambitions are endangered by a series of scandals involving stars that are making Hollywood look unsavory and like a bad influence on the American public. This has religious and moral figures threatening boycotts and the government considering regulating the industry, endangering Zukor's plans.
First Bobby Harron, recently replaced as director D.W. Griffith's star of choice, commits suicide. The beautiful Olive Thomas dies in Paris after accidentally ingesting mercury bicarbonate after a night of carousing. Then comes the Fatty Arbuckle scandal in which the popular comedian is charged with murder after actress Virginia Rappe dies during a weekend long party thrown by Arbuckle. The revelation of popular star Wallace Reid's addiction and his subsequent drug-related death. As if all this wasn't enough, popular director William Desmond Taylor is murdered in his Los Angeles home, revealing a secret past that Taylor had always guarded fiercely.
In addition to Zukor, Mann focuses on three actresses who were connected to Taylor in very different ways, and contends that one was responsible for setting in motion Taylor's murder.
Mabel Normand was a popular comedienne who was fighting to stay clean. While they weren't romantically involved, Taylor was a close friend and confidant, and a huge help to Normand's sobriety, once chasing off a drug dealer who came to her house after she'd returned from rehab.
The painfully young and delusional Mary Miles Minter was madly in love with the much older Taylor, who cared about her but didn't share her passion. Minter was being groomed as the next Mary Pickford by her studio and her monstrous stage mother Charlotte Shelby. Shelby was a truly vile person who makes Joan Crawford look like Harriet Nelson. Shelby didn't like the idea of her little cash cow being involved with an older man; she despised Taylor and had threatened him in the past. This gave her the honor of long being considered to be the primary suspect, although she was never tried, suspicion followed her for the rest of her life.
The trio is rounded out by Margaret Gibson, who dreamed of the kind of stardom Normand and Minter had attained, and pursued it relentlessly despite setback after setback. She had known Taylor years before he was killed. "Gibby" mixed with some criminal types, and when acting gigs dried up she often resorted to blackmail schemes with several of her lowbrow buddies. It's this activity that Mann uses to tie Gibson to the Taylor murder. He doesn't put the gun in her hand (that honor goes to one of the other blackmailers) but he holds her responsible, as she seems to decades later with a startling deathbed confession.
This book is not a quick read; it covers a lot of ground, but weaves all the stories together to demonstrate how interlocked all these different people were, even when they rarely crossed paths. Even back in the 1920's, despite being a relatively new industry, Hollywood was already a machine determined to preserve itself at any cost, including the lives and careers of some of its biggest players.
"With icy disdain, Shelby answered every one of the panel's questions, repeatedly asserting her innocence. Afterward, the jury disbanded. They handed down no indictments, but neither did they offer any exonerations."
Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything by Geneen Roth
I'm going to give this one its own post, which will follow shortly, because in addition to discussing the book, I want to address some issues - both good and bad - that I have with self-help and self-improvement books, and the promises they make.
"When you no longer believe that eating will save your life when you feel exhausted or overwhelmed or lonely, you will stop."
The River is Dark by Joe Hart
The book opens with the massacre of a small family - father, mother, even the family dog. The family's only child, Eric, runs to his parents room, locks the door and crawls under their bed with a phone and dials 911, trying to summon help as he hears "it" come upstairs, searching for him. Eric will be his family's lone survivor, but at great cost. When he awakens from his coma, his only description of his attacker is "a monster".
We then switch to Liam Dempsey, a former detective - and the reason for his premature "retirement" is an ongoing question mark that is eventually revealed in good time. He barely gets his morning going when he receives a phone call that his estranged brother and his brother's wife have been murdered in their home. As the only surviving relative, this falls into his lap. Upon arriving in the seemingly idyllic town, he discovers that the brutal murder of his brother and sister-in-law were the second such killings in a week. Eric's family was the first.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Liam himself starts to become a person of interest, which I have been told at writers conferences is cop-speak for "suspect". Between this and his cop skills, he now has to conduct his own investigation, not only to clear himself but to find out who is butchering the locals.
Hart is a fantastic writer. I was immediately sucked into the story and couldn't stop reading. He hooked me from page one and I simply couldn't put it down. Hurray for insomnia. I think it was around 2:30am when I finished. I appreciated that the story is unconvoluted. Hart has a very clean, simple forward writing style. Things happen as they need to, and Liam's background was revealed a bit here and there, as needed.
If I have any criticism, it's that as we get closer to the end, our hero begins to sustain injuries at the hand of the murderous monster that aren't life-threatening, but any one of these injuries would reduce a normal person to curling up in a fetal position, and still he manages to fight off the monster while sustaining one after another of these injuries. That's a personal peeve, but this is certainly not the only place I've seen it. Despite that, I highly recommend The River is Dark and look forward to reading more of Hart's work.
"Liam stood, glancing in all directions as he retreated to the house, his mind trying to make sense of what just happened. An uneasy feeling like a ball of infection began to throb in his stomach. He didn't know what bothered him more: the sight of the shadowed form appearing and disappearing within the storm, or that it seemed to have come to visit the grave of the Shevlins' deceased infant."
Murder with a Twist by Tracy Kiely
One thing I noticed was that although the back cover promised that the book "Includes cocktail recipes!", there weren't any. I looked at reviews on Amazon and Good Reads and only a couple of people commented on this.
It's an upbeat, breezy read and another one I got through in one late night sitting.
"The voice was gruff and to the point. "Do yourself a favor," it said, and go back to L.A. before you get your other pretty leg shot up." With that the line went dead, which was fine by me. It didn't seem like it was going to be a good conversation anyway.
"Who was that?" Nigel asked, as I turned off the light.
"The Ladies Home Journal," I replied. "You've been selected to receive a free trial subscription."
"Tell them no thanks," Nigel said as he pulled me close. "Their centerfolds are terrible."
Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann
It's the early 1920's and Adolph Zukor is head of Famous Players-Lasky, one of the biggest studios and theater chains in Hollywood, and the powerful Zukor is looking to get bigger. He wants to dominate Hollywood, but his ambitions are endangered by a series of scandals involving stars that are making Hollywood look unsavory and like a bad influence on the American public. This has religious and moral figures threatening boycotts and the government considering regulating the industry, endangering Zukor's plans.
First Bobby Harron, recently replaced as director D.W. Griffith's star of choice, commits suicide. The beautiful Olive Thomas dies in Paris after accidentally ingesting mercury bicarbonate after a night of carousing. Then comes the Fatty Arbuckle scandal in which the popular comedian is charged with murder after actress Virginia Rappe dies during a weekend long party thrown by Arbuckle. The revelation of popular star Wallace Reid's addiction and his subsequent drug-related death. As if all this wasn't enough, popular director William Desmond Taylor is murdered in his Los Angeles home, revealing a secret past that Taylor had always guarded fiercely.
In addition to Zukor, Mann focuses on three actresses who were connected to Taylor in very different ways, and contends that one was responsible for setting in motion Taylor's murder.
Mabel Normand was a popular comedienne who was fighting to stay clean. While they weren't romantically involved, Taylor was a close friend and confidant, and a huge help to Normand's sobriety, once chasing off a drug dealer who came to her house after she'd returned from rehab.
The painfully young and delusional Mary Miles Minter was madly in love with the much older Taylor, who cared about her but didn't share her passion. Minter was being groomed as the next Mary Pickford by her studio and her monstrous stage mother Charlotte Shelby. Shelby was a truly vile person who makes Joan Crawford look like Harriet Nelson. Shelby didn't like the idea of her little cash cow being involved with an older man; she despised Taylor and had threatened him in the past. This gave her the honor of long being considered to be the primary suspect, although she was never tried, suspicion followed her for the rest of her life.
The trio is rounded out by Margaret Gibson, who dreamed of the kind of stardom Normand and Minter had attained, and pursued it relentlessly despite setback after setback. She had known Taylor years before he was killed. "Gibby" mixed with some criminal types, and when acting gigs dried up she often resorted to blackmail schemes with several of her lowbrow buddies. It's this activity that Mann uses to tie Gibson to the Taylor murder. He doesn't put the gun in her hand (that honor goes to one of the other blackmailers) but he holds her responsible, as she seems to decades later with a startling deathbed confession.
This book is not a quick read; it covers a lot of ground, but weaves all the stories together to demonstrate how interlocked all these different people were, even when they rarely crossed paths. Even back in the 1920's, despite being a relatively new industry, Hollywood was already a machine determined to preserve itself at any cost, including the lives and careers of some of its biggest players.
"With icy disdain, Shelby answered every one of the panel's questions, repeatedly asserting her innocence. Afterward, the jury disbanded. They handed down no indictments, but neither did they offer any exonerations."
Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything by Geneen Roth
"When you no longer believe that eating will save your life when you feel exhausted or overwhelmed or lonely, you will stop."
Saturday, January 2, 2016
In praise of the noble horse: Mack the fire horse
Horses are like big dogs. They serve nobly and can't seem to do enough for us. Case in point: Mack, the legendary fire horse. From the article:
Note how the horse come bursting out as soon as their doors open and immediately go right into place. They can't wait for the harnessing to be done and when it is, they just take off.
Back to the original article, I was happy to see this:
H/T to Cowgirl Magazine on FB for the link to the article and Art Horse Magazine on FB for posting the video.
On one occasion he nobly responded to a command to take the apparatus through a narrow passageway in the South End between flaming walls. He came out withall the hair burned from one side of his body. "Mack" knew the difference between the test alarms and real fire alarms, his dash from his stall to his place at the apparatus being much more vigorous on the latter occasions. In one instance when the sounding of an alarm at night found the lights in the engine house all extinguished, "Mack" was impatiently waiting in his place when they were resumed. His unfailing instinct had enabled him to go there directly in the dark.The "dash to the apparatus" referred to in that paragraph refers to this:
Note how the horse come bursting out as soon as their doors open and immediately go right into place. They can't wait for the harnessing to be done and when it is, they just take off.
Back to the original article, I was happy to see this:
After the York County Fire Museum was established at 757 West Market Street, the monument was moved to the yard beside the museum. "Mack's" remains were re-interred next to the monument, however not before "Mack" made a final fire call. While his remains were being transferred to the Fire Museum, the fireman transporting them responded to a fire call.A true hero.
H/T to Cowgirl Magazine on FB for the link to the article and Art Horse Magazine on FB for posting the video.
Friday, January 1, 2016
2016 Tournament of Roses Parade
One of the most significant aspects of this year's parade is that it's the last year that Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards will host KTLA's local broadcast (the go-to Rose Parade broadcast for Southern Californians) after thirty-four years. It's hard to imagine hearing other voices host the legendary parade. Here's what they themselves have to say about it via KPCC.com.
As always, it was a treat to listen to Bob and Stephanie as the floats, marching bands, equestrian units and classic cars made the famous turn from Orange Grove onto Colorado Boulevard. Here are some that really caught my eye:
- The opening festivities were preceded by the annual B2 flyover. I've always wanted to see it in person. As impressive as it looks on TV, I think that's the only way to really grasp how amazing it is.
- The parade is broadcast to 200 countries.
- The USMC Marching Band, belting out Battle Hymn of the Republic, got big cheers. Rose Parade attendees tend to be a patriotic bunch.
- The Downton Abbey float was gorgeous and that theme music gave me goosebumps as usual. Elizabeth McGovern, Lady Grantham herself, was aboard and looked fantastic.
- The Dakota Thunder Shires in harness were a truly impressive sight. Shires are the largest breed of horse; they can mature up to 2700 pounds. To give you an idea of how big they are, the average thoroughbred or quarter horse weighs in at about 1100-1200 pounds.
- The Medieval Times horses are gorgeous, as are their riders outfits. I went to Medieval Times once years ago, and seeing them made me want to go again. I remember that our King was hot.
- The Toho High School Marching Band made the trip to Pasadena all the way from Nagoya, Japan. They are known for their precise and unusual routines and they got a big cheer from the crowd. In true Japanese fashion, they practice like crazy, four hours per day on weekdays and eight hours a day on weekends, under the supervision of their bamboo sword-wielding director (he doesn't use the sword on them).
- Bob: "Here's a float with a lot of heart." Two giant hearts, to be exact, courtesy of Union Bank. Damn, I'm going to miss Bob and Stephanie.
- The Salvation Army Band makes its 97th appearance in the parade. The band's musicians range in age from fifteen to seventy-five.
- The Northwestern Mutual float was a real heartstring-tugger. A thirteen year old aspiring ballerina named Peyton (last name not give) was aboard with her parents. She has been battling cancer for the past year. The float featured a ballerina dancing amongst depictions of ballet/arts landmarks from around the world. Titled "Dancing Into Adventure", the float deservedly won the Past Presidents' Trophy for Most Creative Design and Use of Floral and Non-Floral Materials. Bob: "God bless her, little angel." I wish her all the best.
- As always, good to see The Valley Hunt Club, founders of the Rose Parade. According to Stephanie, a bad rose crop the first year almost resulted in the creation of the Orange Parade (oranges were a major California crop back in the day).
- The Pasadena City College Marching Band did a heck of a job belting out The Magificent Seven theme.
- Obviously I'm partial to the equestrian units, but the American Endurance Ride Conference was noteworthy due to the group's senior member, a 91 year old endurance rider. Keep in mind that in these events they can cover anywhere from 25-100 miles per day. Bob is a fount of information on the equestrian units; I hope his departure doesn't result in short-shrifting of the units in the future.
- Disneyland's massive float boasts an airborne Millenium Falcon, Chewbacca, C-3P0 and stormtroopers along with classic Disney characters. Happy 60th birthday, Disneyland!
- Bob and Stephanie introduce their replacements, Leeza Gibbons and Mark Steines. They have huge, if not impossible shoes to fill, but say all the right things and for our sake and theirs I hope they knock it out of the park next year.
- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Mounted Unit included an appearance by Pearl, one of Gentle Carousel's miniature therapy horses. A truly amazing organization, they visit hospitals, victims of natural disasters and trauma victims, including heading to Sandy Hook after the shootings there.
- Awesome! Trader Joe's float is titled "Fearless Flyer" - which of course is also the name of their mailer/flyer. It features a guy literally flying and won the Fantasy Trophy. It also got a big cheer - TJ's is hugely popular here in Southern California.
- It's a fire-breathing dragon! For real! Marco Polo: East Meets West takes the Sweepstakes Trophy with their gorgeous Orient-inspired float. The dragon is actually belching flames. Those kind of pyrotechnics always go over well with the Rose Parade crowd.
- YAY!!! It's the Budweiser Clydesdales! Magnificent animals. Cannot say enough about how impressed I am with how well trained they are. These horses can exceed 2000 pounds each.
- The Rose Parade takes an unexpected and uncharacteristic downturn with a float from the TV show The Bachelor, featuring bimbos in a hot tub and some Z-list reality star. What next, the Kartrashians? Leave the decent people our one last bastion of class, please. You shouldn't have to explain Rose Parade floats to your little kids.
- The parade closes with a rousing rendition of God Bless America by the New Directions Veterans Choir, followed closely by the float "Jesus is the Light of the World" presented by the Lutheran Hour Ministries. The guy waving from the float is, unfortunately, not the real Jesus. We could use him the way the world's been going.
You bet I got choked up when Bob and Stephanie signed off for the last time. It's tough to see them go.
The Rose Parade continues to be a bright spot in Southern California and the world, a joyous kickoff to a new year. Congratulations to the City of Pasadena, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and KTLA Los Angeles for another amazing presentation.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Want a Twilight Zone marathon? Of course you do
Every. Single. Episode.
Awesome.
Update: Turns out it started 7pm EST. So I missed the first few episodes, plus the crappy WWE Smackdown will be at 5pm my time. Boo.
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Christmas post: Watch a train conductor take over the Yale Glee Club
This is just awesome. "I'm the conductor, let me conduct!"
You can tell Bob how awesome he is on his Facebook page.
You can tell Bob how awesome he is on his Facebook page.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Christmas post: The meaning of Christmas
From the mouths of babes.
Hope yours is merry.
 |
| Image snicked from the internets, but I can't remember where. If it's yours let me know so I can give credit. |
Hope yours is merry.
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Christmas post: Be on the lookout...
LAPD is looking for this guy. Apparently he's been seen entering a number of homes via the chimney. BOLO.
Have a great Christmas!!!
Have a great Christmas!!!
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015
Christmas post: Foamy the Squirrel
Foamy the Squirrel's somewhat disturbing letter to Santa Claus. He really doesn't like people who try to spoil the holiday season.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Christmas post: Christmas in South Park
The original versions of "The Spirit of Christmas", the origin of South Park. Language alert!
Hope your holidays are effing happy!
Hope your holidays are effing happy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)