Jetpack Dreams

Jetpack Dreams: One Man's Up and Down (But Mostly Down) Search for the Greatest Invention That Never Was by Mac Montandon

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Pretty fun little book following the author's search for jetpacks (rocket belts, mostly.) Their history, their science, why they won't really work for general use. Mostly, though, this is a celebration of the wacky people who are attracted to jetpacks, their different approaches to building them, and their successes and failures.


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The Fire

The Fire: A Novel by Katherine Neville

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
It wasn't that long ago that I read "The Eight", the 1998 book that "The Fire" is the sequel to. I had enjoyed it somewhat for its breathless thriller quality, its blend of chess and conspiracy theory, the historical notes and the strong female character. Though The Eight has many of the same features, I'm afraid I can't quite say that I enjoyed it. The best word I can come up with to describe it is overwrought. It seems like there has to be some earth-shattering revelation every three pages. It's hard to come up with a historical figure that isn't implicated in the conspiracy somehow. The female protagonist seems less a strong character as simply buffeted about, blindly following people that she doesn't know whether to trust or not. And one character actually, in a bit of dialog, uses the word "drat."


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Turkey cookies?

It's really hard not to enjoy the blog Cake Wrecks. This is the first time I've ever been inspired by one of the wrecks, though. The second picture on this post got me thinking the other day. Already had the oven heated for something else tonight, so I threw together a batch of pumpkin cookies. Let 'em cool, applied candy corn, frosting and mini chocolate chips for the eyeballs, and voila! What do y'all think?

The Looniness of the Long-Distance Runner

The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner by Russell Taylor

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I honestly read the title "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner" until I was about a third of the way into it. Had I realized it was a humorous book about marathon running, written by a Londoner, I would have read it much sooner. Funny it was - kept me snickering all the way through. I'd be able to give this a much higher recommendation if the author hadn't beat MY marathon PR in his first race. Jeez...


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Outliers

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Malcom Gladwell writes books that make you look at the world a little differently. Outliers is no different - it's a fascinating look at the sometimes overlooked factors that can contribute to success. As usual, it's illustrated with completely interesting examples, and takes an overall hopeful tone. His books always go by too fast and leave me wondering what he'll come up with next.


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The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow

The Unlikely Voyage of Jack De Crow: A Mirror Odyssey from North Wales to the Black Sea by A. J. Mackinnon

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wonderful, whimsical travelogue of a trip through England and Europe by waterway in a tiny wooden dinghy. Sandy Mackinnon makes it sound magical, from toodling around backwaters near his home, to an exciting crossing of the Channel, to bizarre meetings and interactions in Eastern Europe. Very fun read.


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I'll Never Be French (No Matter What I Do)

I'll Never Be French (no matter what I do): Living in a Small Village in Brittany by Mark Greenside

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this as much as, if not more than, most of the expatriate -in-France books I've read. Mark Greenside writes disarmingly about his bumblings through learning the ways of French country life, home ownership and bureauracracy. His descriptions of himself speaking French are particularly wonderful. I wish this one would have been longer.


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Birthday bangs

Today is Sofia's official 4th birthday. Last night, Mich decided she needed bangs. Cute, happy birthday girl here.

Fancy 4th birthday

We finally had a joint birthday party for Sofia and Lola Tiar, which we've been talking about doing ever since they were born six days apart in 2004. Sorry for the quality of pictures, there seemed to be lots of redeye going on for some reason. I'll just give the highlights:


Lola sitting on the stairs an watching the festivities.


Cake. Lola and Sofia with candle duties. Jackson helping out.


Lola and Reyna enjoying fancy cake.


Fancy ceiling decoration.

Did I mention the theme of the party was "fancy?"

That's about all the pictures that came out well. Fun times...

Tux. Bacon. Long story.

Righting the Mother Tongue

Righting the Mother Tongue: From Olde English to Email, the Tangled Story of English Spelling by David Wolman

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Fun, interesting book about - well, the history of spelling, really. Touches on the evolution of English to where it is now, different attempts to reform or simplify spelling, and the effects that modern technology are having on language and spelling.


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A Race Like No Other

A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York by Liz Robbins

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
A lot of running books out there lately. This is my second one about a specific race; I read one about Boston earlier this year. Well written and fun to read - flipped around between the history of the race, the battles between the leaders of the mens and womens races, and some great stories of people running at different paces throughout the race. I's organized by mile, so you get a feel of what parts of the city the race winds through.



This made me realize a couple thing: I've never run a race where you get to follow a blue line painted on the road, and noone's ever handed me one of those shiny blankets at the finish line. Are those East Coast things? Or just BIG race things?


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Disc golf with Julien

Julien and I headed out this morning to try out the new disc golf course in town, up at Rancho San Rafael. I'll let the pictures tell some of it here:


Here's Julien with a mighty throw...



And closer in, putting...



A great view from the 13th tee, looking down over some aspens and the Basque monument.


When we got to the 18th tee, there was a sign posted that the course was closed to to wet conditions. Hadn't been one at the 10th tee when we started, so we didn't know. We quit there at the 18th tee and walked back to the car. Fun first time, I'm sure we'll be back...

Halloween photos

We all went down to Nanny and Grandpa Toast's house in Carson City last night for Halloween. Here are the costumes:


Harry Potter, wearing Quidditch robes.


Some kind of sorceress/witch princess.


Roller derby queen.


Indy.

Had a nice dinner, then went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. Prety much a frenzy of chasing kids; I didn't get any pictures of it. Here's Ramona, though, head fully inside her treat bag to check out the loot: