As you can see from the sub-heading, I'm taking a break from long fiction and reading some shorter works at the moment. No particular reason, I just wasn't in the mood to read another novel. Later, at the end of the month, the new Harry Potter comes out and I've already ordered a copy so I'll be reading that for sure. I've also got a copy of I Am Legend sitting on the desk along with a few others. This is just a temporary break.
Why the switch and why those two authors? Again, no reason. With Lovecraft it's mostly due to my not having read a horror novel in a while. There just hasn't been anything that really drew my attention. Most vampire novels tend to run about the same basic plot. Either the vampire is a misunderstood, tragic hero or the old German type that doesn't even look close to being human and must be destroyed at all costs. You take that same basic vampire plot and swap in other monsters and you pretty much have yourself a horror novel. Too easy to predict.
Lovecraft, on the other hand, well I have no idea what, if anything, he was smoking but it sure was some powerful stuff. These novellas and short stories were WAY before their time and run off in all sorts of unpredictable directions. Some of them have your basic Twilight Zone twist at the end. Some really don't end at all, they just sort of stop. It's a different approach to story telling which, I suppose, is why I'm enjoying it.
As for Benjamin Franklin, well I've always liked him. He's my favorite of the founding fathers mostly because he's so normal, at least for us. He doesn't have that sort of semi-regal aura around him like the others do. He wasn't president either. Not one of your lofty, moralists. Ben was the kind of guy you could sit down and have a beer with and he'd tell ya interesting stories along the way.
Wow, did you catch the all-star game? Probably not. Most of the people who read my blog aren't baseball fans. That's a shame because it was one hell of a great game.This is my boy here, Ichiro Suzuki. Clearly he's not a blood relative :-)
He put on one hell of a display last night at the all-star game in San Francisco. He was the lead-off hitter and got the game started with his first base hit of three. In fact, he went three for three last night, getting on base every time he was at bat. Oh but that's not what made it such a spectacular display last night. What really made him stand out, and what earned him the MVP award, was this in the park home run!
You think a no-hitter is rare? Well this was the first in the park home run ever in the all star game. Officials from the baseball hall of fame took the ball and will put it on display. That's how rare we're talking here. For those of you who don't know what that is, and who didn't bother to watch the video, an in the park home run means the ball didn't go out over the wall but the player hitting it still managed to run the bases without getting tagged out.So now he's the MVP of the all star game. About the only person disappointed about that (apart from the losing National League all stars) might be Ichiro's agent. You see, they've been negotiating a contract extension and rumor has it they'd reached a deal before the all star game. Of course, had they been able to bring this video to the table, he could easily have asked for more. And he's worth it. Unlike SOME players (Mr. Bonds), Ichiro is part of the team. He works hard, he handles the ball VERY well, and he does what's best for the team as a whole, not just for himself. Guys like that in professional sports are getting pretty rare so it's nice to see a guy like that get rewarded.
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