Me, Her, the Boy and a Dog

I recently read the book “Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. The book is a true story that follows a Khaled from his early childhood through today. It takes place before, during and after the fall of Afghanistan in the 70s when the Russian Army invaded. It continues on through the explusion of the communist power, which was replaced by the even more oppressive and violent Taliban.

This book humanizes the tragedies and attrocities that have taken place - and continue to take place - in a once proud country that has been ravaged by war and oppression for more than four decades.

Khaled focuses on his failings and his attempts later in life to make amends. I believe that it takes a strong person to share with the world their colosal character flaws; and Khaled openly confronts his demons to anyone that will read his book. I’m not sure I could confront my demons as he did, much less write them down to be shared with eternity.

There are points in the book, and especially the movie, that leave you loathing Khaled and his decisions. I found myself asking how any human being with any sense of conscience and what is right and wrong could make the decisions that he made. But when given the opportunity to make things right, Khaled comes through, which translates to a somewhat happy ending. However; the tragedy that has become life in Afghanistan continues, so the happy ending is localized.

Surprisingly, the movie stay close to the book, though as expected, certain minor story lines and characters are left out due to time constraints. As far as book-to-film adaptations go, this was by far one of the most accurate. I suspect it had much to do with the fact that the author didn’t want any details emblished or undervalued.

This book will not leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling, despite it’s somewhat happy ending, but it is still a magnificent read. Given what is going on in Afghanistan today, I think you will have a greater appreciation for many things in your life, most importantly the country in which you are free to live as you please. I cannot imagine having to flee my country just to be safe; it is a feeling that is completely foreign to most Americans.

I finally went to see The Dark Knight and it was pretty good. Not great, but still very good. Heath Ledger’s performance was solid, if not disturbing, but I wouldn’t say it was Oscar-worthy, though I’m sure he will be nominated for sentimental reasons.

I do have one gripe and it is one that I’ve heard from more than a few people who have seen the film; Christian Bale’s voice as Batman was a little too forced and melodramatic for my liking. It’s not so bad that I was groaning in the theatre, but it grew a bit tiresome, especially for a film that already so dark. I guess I feel like the extra effort behind the gruff voice was intended to help the audience grasp the gravity of the impossibly horrific situations in which we constantly found the main characters - but we didn’t need any reminders!

This film was a killing field and I do NOT recommend it for children younger than 13 at all. This was by far the darkest Batman movie to date and main characters are grotesquely mained and some die violent deaths. Others are put in situations that nightmares are made of; choose who you want to die, your wife or your child. This was certainly not your Michael Keaton’s and Jack Nicholson’s Batman from nearly 20 years ago … good grief, can you believe it’s been that long?

I’m not saying that it wasn’t a good movie, because it was. It was just different than what fans of the Marvel Comics’ franchise are accustomed to. If you haven’t seen it, but want to, you’d better hurry. It’s run in primary theatres is almost over as new releases are rolling out. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine give solid, albeit sparing performances, as do Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart.

Nic and I went to Backstreets last night before the Virginia Tech women’s volleyball game. I hadn’t eaten at Backstreets since I was a student at Tech more than 11 years ago, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised! The hostess was very nice and engaged Nic in conversation. We were seated immediately, which surprised me on a Friday night at 6:15. Try doing that at a Christiansburg restaurant on a Friday or Saturday night … good luck!

Our server was likely a college student and he did a good job. The best part of the night was the New York Style pizza we ordered (12-inch with pepperoni, sausage and green peppers). It didn’t cost any more than ordering from Pizza Hut, Domino’s, or my personal favorite, Papa John’s.

It was outstanding! By far the best pizza in Blacksburg in my opinion. Nic loved it, too! He ate an entire piece by himself. When we left, the hostess asked my son if he’d come back and see her … most definitely, but mostly for the food! I can’t wait to try their calzones, pasta and salads.

The next time you are in Blacksburg, check out Backstreets!

OK, so I DVRed CSI (the original) and two new shows that I’d been looking forward to seeing so I could watch the Kung Fu action adventure movie The Forbidden Kingdom. It wasn’t a great movie, as I’m sure you could have imagined, but if you like movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Fearless, then this movie is probably one that you would enjoy.

Also, if you are a Jet Li or Jackie Chan fan, you’ll also enjoy this movie. If you like movies like Dirty Dancing, Ghost and Nights in Rodanthe … um, you might, uh, wanna skip this one. Just sayin’. :)

The story is about modern day American kid who is obsessed with Kung Fun movies. The neighborhood punks rough him up and then force him to steal from the video store run by an old Chinese man, played quite convincingly by Chan. Chan fights back, but gets shot by the punks. He tells the whimp-of-a-kid to return an old golden staff to its rightful owner. Huh? The kid runs from the gang of hoodlums and when trapped on a roof, the staff forces the kid off the roof … d’oh.

Right as the kid hits the ground, he jumps out of bed somewhere in China and somewhere in the very distant past. Enter Jackie Chan, the drunken warrior; Jet Li, the dignified and unshakeable monk; and a young Chinese girl whose parents were killed by an evil Chinese Warlord. It turns out the rightful owner of the staff is a Kung Fu master called the Monkey King, who years earlier had been betrayed by the evil Chinese dude (and there’s always an evil Chinese dude in Kung Fu movies) and turned to stone.

Before the Royal Monkey guy turned into rocky, he banished his staff to be hidden from the evil dude with the evil-looking facial hair. The American Kung Fu freak, who doesn’t know any actual Kung Fu, travels with the two good guys and one good girl, avoiding the evil-doers while the American kid learns Kung Fu. They must defend the staff and yet somehow return it to the stoned out Monkey Duke, er, King, who’s trapped inside the evil guy’s palace.

That’s it. That’s all I’m going to tell you. I’m sure you could get a much more professional and dignified synopsis (oooh, big word) at IMDB.com, but I do this for free so what you get is what you get. Wanna make something of it? Well do ya? Yeah, I didn’t think so tough guy. Besides, I just watched a Kung Fu movie and have mastered the Tiger Claw, sooooo… WYYAAHHHHHH!

Ahem. Decent movie with cool fight scenes. The Chinese actors are much better at the Kung Fu fight scenes. The American dude looked kinda weak. I bet those Chinese stunt guy and girls were pissed that they had to pretend to ge their butts kicked by some wimpy unknown American actor with no Kung Fu. I don’t blame them.

Well, the couch and DVD player are closed. Until next time, keep your hands off my popcorn unless you wanna draw back a nub. :)

I recently finished John Grisham’s latest legal thriller, The Appeal. Before I get started with my review, let me state for the record that I am a fan of Grisham, so the following review … pains me.

I have enjoyed every Grisham novel I’ve read over the years and I was thoroughly expecting another great thriller. Sure, his novels have become formulaic over the years, but they’re still fun to read. It’s like watching a TV crime drama; you can layout the basic plot (they think they catch the bad guy, but you know it’s not him because it’s too early in the show), but how the storyline evolves is what makes the book interesting.

Anyhow, I’m sorry to say that for the first time, I did not enjoy a book by my favorite author. I’m sure it was bound to happen at some point. Even the great authors can’t write something that everyone will enjoy every time. I’m sure there are those who enjoyed this book, though I’m not sure why.

The book has several main characters but the three primary characters are a husband/wife lawyer team in small Mississippi tonw and a 30-something lawyer who is handpicked by a mysterious lobbying group to run for a seat on the Mississippi Supreme Court.

The husband/wife team just won a $41 million settlement on behalf of their client, a woman who lost her husband and young son to cancer because the drank water contaminated by an evil chemical company that had been dumping poisonous chemicals. Of course the chemical company hires the best lawyers money can buy. Meanwhile, the husband/wife team has basically gone broke fighting this case. They once lived a comfortable life, but are no so far in debt, they’re about to lose everything, but continue to fight for their neighbors who have died or are dying.

While the case runs its course of appeals, a mysterious group is working to get an ultraconservative, cleancut lawyer with a beautiful wife, two great kids and no skeletons in the closet, elected to the Mississippi Supreme Court. The idea is to braek the “liberal” 5-4 edge the court has had for years, thus making Mississippi a very favorable state for trial lawyers with big lawsuits. Having a liberal court means big settlements. So, by ousting the tie-breaking vote and electing a young ultraconservative, the chemical company will have a friendly court by the time the case reaches the state Supreme Court.

The writing is intriguing and the character development is typical Grisham. No complaints there. It was the ending. It was such a disappointing ending that when I finished the last page, I closed the book and said out loud, “What the [bleep] was that!?”

Where was the smoking gun? Where was the cloak and dagger? The “ah HA!” moment? It was … too real. It’s what I would expect to read in a newspaper. If I wanted real life, I’d read a newspaper. I want escapism. I want what I can’t get in real life. I want the unreal. I - want - fiction. Not realism posing as fiction.

Maybe I’m missing something? Maybe I’m not “smart enough” to get it … but I doubt that’s the reason. I think John, and yes, he actually told me in person that I could call him John (more on that later), wrote a book that I don’t like. Notice that I didn’t say it was a bad book. I simply stated that I didn’t like it. Maybe you will. If you do, let me know what you think.

As for my meeting with John; it took place in 2000, the day his book “The Brethren” was released. I was a volunteer baseball coach for St. Anne’s Belfield school in Charlottesville, VA. The first day of spring tryouts was coming to a close (and my knees were killing me from catching all the young wannabe pitchers) when this guy comes walking. I was standing next to the head coach as the man approached.

He looked very familiar and then the HC introduced me … “Gary, this is John Grisham, one of our volunteer assistant coaches.” It was all I could do to get out “Nice to meet you Mr. Grisham.” To which, John responded with, “Please, call me John.” Wow. I was suddenly on a first name basis with my favorite author … sweet.

Then, what he said next floored me. He cocked his head to the side and squinted his eyes at me as if he was thinking, then said, “You’re the sports anchor at Channel 29, aren’t you? Yeah, I thought I recognized you.”

John Grisham recognized me from TV! How funny and ironic that someone as famous as John Grisham recognized ME from TV. Clearly, this was one of the non-family-related highlights of my life and one that I will remember for all time.

John was (and still is I would assume) a great guy! He bought pizza after Saturday practices and picked them up himself in his not-brand-new SUV, which I think was an old Suburban. He chalked the fields before games and was just as down to Earth as you could possible imagine. His son Ty played at St. Anne’s and later got a scholarship to play at UVA. I ran into him (figuratively) at a UVA game and even though it’d been a year or so, he still remembered me. Now, I know I’m not THAT memorable, so it’s clear that John has a very good memory.

Well, that’s my book review / namedropping post for today. I hope everyone’s doing well!

I saw the video-game-turned-motion picture flick Max Payne last night. It is a complete and total guy flick and I don’t know too many women who would want to see this movie unless they are Marky Mark Wahlberg fans. Bad news ladies, he doesn’t even take his shirt off … sorry. But, he does a lot of smoldering, so revel in that.

Surprisingly, I never played the video game, but I’ve played similar games and the plot of the movie is one that most movie-goers are familiar with: a good cop’s wife and child are murdered in a seemingly random act of violence; murders are unsolved three years later; distraught cop goes rogue and is hellbent on revenge (what father wouldn’t be); angry cop literally kills everyone that gets in his way and has zero remorse. Not exactly the most original of story lines, but when it comes to a movie based on video game, plot isn’t exactly the point. Usually, the point is lots of action.

Max Payne is a good movie if you know what to expect when you shell out your $7-$10. It’s a special effects-driven film with a lot of CGI (computer-generated imagery), a lot of violence, and even some brief skin. The movie, which is rated R (duh), is not for kids - so don’t take them, no matter how much they beg!

I probably should have waited for this to come out on DVD, but my cousin, a sophomore at Virginia Tech, assured me that it was a good movie worth seeing, so I went to see it. My cousin is 19 and I should have taken that into consideration before trusting his recommendation. Oh well, lesson learned.

I liked this movie for what it was - senseless, vendetta-based violence where the bad guy gets complete and total revenge and all the bad guys get what they deserve. Of course, the aforementioned plot line hits home with me since I’m a parent, and that got me thinking (pipe down peanut gallery) about why this particular plot is so popular in action movies?

I think it is because it’s a theme that almost every human being can sypathize with, empathize with, or at least relate to. We all have family and how many times have you heard someone say, “If anyone ever hurt my family, I’d kill them.” Some of us just say that, but I’m not sure how many people would actually follow through with it - not that they wouldn’t want to, but when it came time to actually take another human being’s life, no matter how evil they were, how many people actually have that in them?

As a parent, I related to Max Payne’s … pain … at the loss of his family. I’m not sure I could go on (much less get away with) the kind of revenge rampage he did in the movie, but I’m pretty sure I’d come up with something.

I wish I could give you a more detailed review, but it’s a pretty simple movie.

For a complete synopsis of the movie, check out IMDB.com (Internet Movie Database). Warning! The synopsis contains spoiler!

In May 2003, I bought my first new car, a 2003 Toyota Corolla. At the time, it was an economical decision - an affordable car with a history of longevity, low maintenance and good gas mileage. Today, I’m still driving my tan (Toyota calls is Champagne) Corolla around and thusfar it has served me well … 140,000+ miles and counting.

I’m not looking for a new car just yet - hopefully the Corolla will last another five years or more. But, since it’s the shopping season, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to do a little car window shopping, just to see what else is out there.

Now, my ex drives a Toyota Highlander and I loved that car! Plenty of room in the trunk area, lots of leg room in the back seat and plenty of space up front. Perfect for a small family, especially when traveling. I have yet to meet a Toyota owner who has said a bad word about their car, especially the Highlander - see for yourself and check out Toyota Highlander reviews.

With the economy in the crapper and people looking for ways to cut back on spending, a lot of families with SUVs are looking to trade down, but still have a big enough car to transport the kids, sports equipment, science projects and kids. My next car will definitely be a Toyota and most likely a Highlander. With any luck, the Highlander hybrids will be more affordable in 5-7 years when I’m in the market.

However, if YOU are in the market for a new car, I recommend checking out Toyota. I’ve had my car for five years and haven’t had any trouble (knock on wood) and my boss’ boss has a Toyota Camry that he’s had for five years and has more than 250,000 miles on it and has never had any issues.

Now is the perfect time (I sound like a Toyota commercial) to buy if you can afford it. In fact, dealers are so anxious to get last year’s inventory (the ’08s) off the lots, you can probably get a great deal. So, I’d definitely check out the 2008 Toyota Highlander and see what kind of deal you can get. If you need convincing, check out 2008 Toyota Highlander reviews and see what other people have to say about the brand. But, I should hope my word would be enough. :)

I think I’ve found my new callilng - a Toyota car salesman! Of course, the cars really sell themselves in my opinion.

I recently finished The Shack by William P. Young. And it definitely game me a lot to thinkg about. But, before I get started with my take on the book, I want to share the synopsis that appears on the back of the book:

Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant “The Shack” wrestles with the timeless question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!

I was a little apprehensive about reading this book because it involves every parent’s worst nightmare. I am an empathetic, sympathetic and emotional man, so I knew that there would be parts of the book that would get to me. And I was right to be apprehensive. But, this was one of the better books I have ever read recently.

That being said, I feel strongly that you need to have an open mind, especially if you are not religious or you are a “non believer.” This book is classified as Christian and explores a troubled man’s personal relationship with God and  his journey to overcome his “Great Sadness” that has consumed him since his daughters murder.

Spoiler Alert!

I really connected with this book because of my views about religion and Christianity. I have always had my issues with the church and religion in general because I believe that man (as in mankind), over the centuries, has twisted religion into something man sees as relevant or deems as “appropriate.” And that bothers me. Just look at the different demoninations of Christianity; Baptist, Methodist, Catholicism, Presbyterian - the list goes on.

Why are there so many? Simple. One group of humans within a church disagreed with another group within the church and decided to branch out and start their own church and apply their ideals and beliefs. That’s how our country was founded; by our English ancestors fleeing religious persecution to a new land where they could practice their faith freely.

My personal belief is that God never intended for man to flock to churches and build business-like empires such as Lakewood Church or even the Catholic Church. We’re talking about religious leaders making millions and flying around in private jets and helicopters. Somehow, I don’t think that’s what God had in mind when he asked his children to spread the good word.

This book actually seems to explore that same sentiment. Mack, the main character, goes to the shack where his daughter was apparently murdered after receiving a note from God. There, he meets three people that turn out to be God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Of course, he’s not sure if they are real or if his grief has finally forced him to manifest an alternate reality.

Regardless, he goes along with it to see how it plays out. He spends the weekend at the shack talking with the Holy Trilogy and learning much from each one, even though they are a collective being. Their appearance completely contradicts Mack’s preconceived notions of what God and Jesus look like. An interesting twist is that Mack attended seminary and has a strong religion educational background, but everything he learned is turned upside down by what he learns from the Trilogy.

And in his conversations with God, he learns that man has manipulated His words and intentions over the centuries into man’s conceived notion of religion. I won’t spoil the entire book, but what God reveals to Mack is truly eye-opening and gives us something to think about.

The point of Mack’s visit to the shack is to confront his Great Sadness and of course, he asks God the question every parent in his situation would ask the Lord if given the chance, “Why would you let something so horrible happen to my little girl? She didn’t deserve that. Why didn’t you protect her?”

God’s answers that when man (Adam and Eve) chose independence over God’s gift of Eden, they chose humanity’s path - a path that did not necessarily include God’s intervention. The answer is more complex than that, so you’ll just have to read it.

The finaly task before Mack completes his weekend with God is something I’m not sure I could have done. I’d love to know what you think about Mack’s decision in the end. Could you do what God asked of you? I’d like to think that I could, but I’m not so sure I could have. I hope I never have to find out.

Tuesday (March 10) was a pretty nice day. Not as nice as the weekend, but still a nice day with mostly sunny skies and temps pushing 70. So, I decided to get out of the house and go for a walk. I took my laptop with me and planned to hit an establishment in downtown Blacksburg that offered free WiFi.

On my two-mile walk from my North Main Street townhome to downtown B’burg, I picked up a Roanoke Times in front of the Carol Lee bakery. I skipped the donut and coffee as the point of the walk was to get some exercise. I continued on and was amazed and disappointed at the amount of trash all along North Main. The next time I take that walk, I’m bring gloves and trash bag with me to pick some of that stuff up. A lot of the debris is recyclable - cans, bottles, newspaper, etc.

Once I was downtown I stopped at Modern Barber to get a much-needed haircut. After that, I decided to try something new for lunch. I’ve had Moe’s, Jimmy John’s, the Cellar, etc., but have never eaten at Pee Wee’s BBQ (right next to Moe’s and The Lyric). I love Log Cabin BBQ, but they’re more of a chain store - I wanted to try something more local. I was pleasantly surprised.

For starters, I got their small BBQ sandwich platter (side and a drink) and that was plenty. It was also very good and their BBQ sauces were tasty. I got baked beans as my side and while they weren’t what I expected, they were still good in a very different way. The combo was $5.99, which is considerably cheaper than Log Cabin.

After I finished eating, I stayed in the restaurant and read the paper cover to cover, occasionally lifting my head to do some people watching. With the BBQ platter settled and digesting, I packed up, refilled my sweet tea and went back out for more sightseeing.

With my camera in hand I snapped a few pictures of things that grabbed my attention. And nothing grabs my attention more than a sign for a new restaurant … okay, that’s not entirely true - occasionally I notice a pretty girl … occasionally. Anyhow, look who is coming to downtown Blacksburg!

That’s right - Rita’s is coming to town. I’ve never heard of her, but I like what I am seeing in the picture: frozen beverages of all kinds! Smoothies, frozen chocolatey thingies and shakes with chunks of chocolate sticking out of them. So much for the 21 pounds I’ve lost. I don’t know when it opens, but I will definitely check it out when they do.

I kept walking down Main Street until I got to Lee Street where I turned right and doubled back using Draper Rd. I came up on the Blacksburg Farmer’s Market and the sign got my attention, but for the wrong reasons. It definitely needs an update. I don’t know if there’s a story behind this faded sign, but I wouldn’t imagine it is all that attractive to folks visiting the ‘Burg.

Onward. Before deciding to head home I stopped in Squires Student Center just to see if anything had changed. Aside from the restaurants, things still look pretty much the same since I was there a couple of years ago during Steppin’ Out.

Finally, it was time to head home. A two-mile walk and mostly uphill. Now the sun was beating down on me and I could feel the back of my neck getting sunburned. It was a good walk home and even felt a lot less stressed. I felt better. I think I need to make that little outing a regular part of my routine, weather permitting.

Have you taken a walk in your home town? If not, give it shot - you might discover something new, meet new people and at the very least, you’ll get some exercise.