Resolving to do Better in 2008

I was mildly surprised to see how packed the gym was this afternoon. Then I remembered it was January 2 and people are high on their New Year's resolutions and burning off the unwanted pounds or whatever it is they're hoping to accomplish by working out. Sadly, most of these people will be gone come March. The good news is that once people start giving up in a couple of weeks, I won't have to occasionally wait for equipment. To make successful goal -- whether it be a New Year's resolution or something else -- takes careful thought and planning but also determination to accomplish it. That's why making a resolution that you, say, want to lose weight isn't enough. It's a good start but you need to decide how you're going to shed those pounds.

If you decide exercise is the way to slim down, you need to enjoy the exercise. If running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike seems boring, then don't do it. Instead find an exercise that you can enjoy like swimming or tennis. Whatever it is, you'll be more motivated to exercise if you enjoy doing it as opposed to something that you don't look forward to accomplishing. If you can't find an exercise at the gym that you enjoy, you're simply throwing your money away.

Sadly three out of the four people that were crowding the gym today are doing just that.

The Best and Worst of 2007

It's hard to believe that 2007 is almost over. Thankfully I had enough of a life that I can bring out my annual review and awards to those who are deserving of the honors. Best Blog: Mars No More (Ali's blog). She's a young widow raising two teenagers in Australia. Despite her circumstances, she refuses to wallow in self-pity. Instead we see a woman who's willing to do what it takes to keep her kids on the right path and keep her family together.

Best Movie: With three young kids, Marathon Girl and I don't get out much. (Though we are getting away for dinner and a movie this weekend so this could change.) However, The Children of Men was still the best movie I saw all year. (Technically a 2006 release, I didn't see it until January 2007.) It's a story about the value of human life and what happens when the world no longer has any hope. Read my review here.

Worst Movie: Transformers. I never liked Michael Bay's movies that much anyway but this pile of crap just makes me want to stay miles away from Transformers 2 and anything else he has planned.

Best Non-fiction Book: The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene. Down, boys! Though marketed as a book about seducing a member of the opposite sex, the book is really about politics and how famous people throughout the ages have seduced the masses. (Complete review coming in January.)

Best Fiction Book: Echo Park by Michael Connelly. If you haven't read any Connelly before, this book is a good one to introduce yourself to a wonderful writer and a thrilling story. (Read my review here.)

Worst Book--Fiction or Non-Fiction: I Am Legend. The ending ruined it for me. And if they end the movie version of this the same way, I'm going to have a lot to complain about in a future blog entry. (See my review here.)

Best Fake Book Cover: Trevor did a great job of capturing what I'm sure everyone wanted the cover of Room for Two to really look like.

Best TV Show: American Idol. Okay, that was a joke. I'm not a fan of the show. The real winner in this category is LOST. Come on, did you really think I'd pick something else?

Best Promising TV Show: Moonlight. Marathon Girl and I are enjoying this show more and more. Too bad the writer's strike has put an end to it -- for now.

Best Moment: Holding the first copy of Room for Two in my hands.

Worst Moment: Being unemployed for five weeks. (I didn't blog about this but have an entry about it that I'll be posting soon.)

Strangest Moment: Having all our garden plants and vegetables turn outvery small. I'm really hoping we do a better job this summer.

Best Sports Moment: Watching the New England Patriots amass a 15-0 record with a shot to end the season 16-0 this Saturday. (If the New York Giants top the Pats on Saturday, that that will supplant this entry as my best sports moment.)

Worst Sports Moment: The BCS. Reading about the mess this creates every year has made me glad I no longer watch or care about college football.

Worst Political Moment: Watching the candidates for mayor and city council of our fair town attack each other through anonymous political ads. It was enough to make me think the city would get along just fine without any form of government.

Best Political Moment: There wasn't one.

Best Burger Joint: Apollo Burgers. They make the burgers tasty and filling. After eating one of their burgers you'll never want to eat anywhere else.

Best Web Site: The Drudge Report. Sure, he makes it sound like the world is going to end any minute even if it isn't. However, he has the best collection of current events at any given time. Thank you, Matt!

Best Getaway: Blackfoot, Idaho. Okay, this isn't a place I'd stop at if Marathon Girl didn't have family there. However, our kids love it and it's great in the summer because it's never very hot. And the family Marathon Girl does have there are fun to hang around.

Best Christmas Card: If you can find a way to get on Mr. Sensitive's Christmas card list, you should. He sends the most original cards year after year. And his creativity hasn't waned since he's gotten married.

Hoping you all had a great 2007 and looking forward to an even better 2008!

New Links

I've added two new links to the "Good Reads" section of the sidebar on this page. The first is Laura's blog. She's a friend of a friend and I've always enjoyed reading whatever she has to say. Her latest post about cell phone features is great!

The second is My Extra Life. Mostly about movies, video games, wierd things that can be found online, and pop culture. I've been reading it for awhile and love it. Scott also does some great cartoons. Encourage him to make this his full time job!

Enjoy!

Oops, I Screwed Up Again

So Britney Spears' younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant. Until I read the story, I had no idea Britney even had a younger sister. But what intrigued me wasn't the fact Jamie Lynn got knocked up, but that their mother, Lynne Spears, had a parenting advice book, Pop Culture Mom: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World, that was coming out on Mother's Day. Now the book has been put on indefinite hold. Go figure. I think they can still save the book but need to have a more accurate title. Here are my book title suggestions:

  • Oops, I Screwed Up Again
  • Jamie Lynn Was an Accident
  • I'll Raise My Grandchildren Better
  • You Don't Have to Be Famous to Get Pregnant
  • I'm Cashing In: How I Raised Two Pop-Culture Screw-Ups
  • I Didn't Raise My Kids in a Trailer Park Even Though They Act Like It

Books Make Great Gifts

If you're looking for last minute holiday gifts, why not consider a book? Books make great gifts because you never have to worry if they'll make someone's butt look big or have an allergic reaction. In that spirit here are some book and author recommendations for those still looking or have postponed their Christmas shopping until the last possible minute.

Anything by Michael Connelly

Connelly had proven himself as one of the best writers today. His stories are intriguing, his characters are complex, and his prose is clear and crisp. Though most of his books surround LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, he's written a great book called The Lincoln Lawyer where he introduces a compelling criminal defense attorney named Mickey Haller who worries more about deal and negotiation rather than a client's guilt or innocence. For all Haller's faults, Connelly makes him someone we can sympathize with and who is forced to make the hardest decision of his life when faced with pure evil.

If you decide to buy a Harry Bosch novel, you don't have to worry about buying the first Bosch book, The Black Echo. I didn't read any of the Bosch novels in order and yet I was still able to enjoy the stories because Connelly gives you just enough background when necessary so you aren't missing out on anything. Just another reason he's one of the best writers working today.

The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of War, and The Art of Seduction

Though marketed as ways to increase your power, crush your enemies, and seduce the man or woman of your dreams, Robert Greene's books are really insights into human behavior. Each book contains rules to obtaining, say, power and short vignettes of famous men and women and how their choices led to let them to obtain their ultimate desires or caused them to be complete failures.

You can read them as lessons history, glances at human psychology, or books about business. However you choose to read them, they are wonderfully told stories with remarkable insight from Greene. Even if people on your list don't thirst for power or anything else Greene suggests, these books are help identify those who might try to take advantage of you.

Please note that you might have to ask a store clerk where these books are located. I've seen them in business, psychology, self-improvement, and history sections of stores.

Write Tight

If you know of an aspiring writer or anyone who enjoys improving their prose, buy them Write Tight. I've read a lot of books on writing and this is the one that has helped me the most. The book only concerns itself helping writers say the most in the fewest number of words. Period. Anyone can be verbose.  Only those who truly master the art of writing can write tight.

Just about anything by Orson Scott Card

If you're looking for something in the science fiction/fantasy realm, I recommend just about anything by Orson Scott Card. Known best for his Ender Series, Card does wonderful job of creating believable characters in far away worlds.

One of my favorite things about Card is that he focuses more on the story and how the characters interact with each other than describing space ships or exotic places. Sure, we get a good tastes of these worlds but Card concentrates more on telling stories. Ender's Game and the books that follow are classics. But you also might want to consider Treason, Empire, and his Alvin Maker series.

Room for Two

What would be the point of writing a holiday book list if I didn't shamelessly include my own memoir, Room for Two.

Room for Two isn't just for those who have experienced loss but for anyone who wants to see the strength of the human character. We have an inner strength that is more powerful than we realize and can overcome anything that's placed in our path if we work hard at overcoming life's obstacles.

But you can decide for yourself if this book is right for you or someone on your Christmas list by reading the first chapter here.

Finally...

And I'm always looking for new authors and books to read. If you have any suggestions on what I should find under the tree Christmas morning, leave a comment below.

Can't Anyone Agree on I Am Legend?

Heard three different reviews of the movie I Am Legend today. One person loved it, one found it too scary, and a third didn't like it at all -- especially the ending. Though he didn't tell me how it ended (I asked to not to so it would surprise me) it does somewhat make me worried that they stuck with the crappy book ending instead of coming up with something cool. (Yes, Ryan, the ending of the book blows. But more about that after I see the movie.) And if I Am Legend turns out to be a major disappointment, at least there's one good movie to look forward to next summer: The Dark Knight. The trailer for it makes it look like they're keeping the Batman series back on track!

Early Birthday Present

LOST 

It isn't often that someone is told what their going to get for their birthday seven weeks in advance. But thanks to E! Online, I now know that LOST -- the best show in the history of television IMHO -- will start its fourth season on my birthday.

The article attributes moving LOST to Thursday nights to the writers' strike but I can'tt help but wonder if some executive at ABC faithfully reads my blog and decided to throw one of the show's biggest fans a bone for patiently waiting nine months for the new season to begin.

At any rate, I hope the writers' strike ends soon as LOST only has eight of its 16 scheduled episodes in the can. If not, I'll be sending my resume to ABC come February to write the remaining eight episodes. If that falls through I have some other ideas I'm willing to pitch.

So to any television executives that read this blog take note: I'm willing to write scripted shows sans representation from the WGA. Just drop me a line and let's chat!

Let it Snow

Last year I took our oldest son sledding and it terrified him. (He was two at the time.) For some reason sledding down the hill -- even with me on the sled with him -- scared him to death. I was a little disappointed because it was an activity I really wanted to do with him. What a difference a year makes.

Last week, when the first snow fell, he was so excited to play in it. After tromping around the yard for a bit I asked him if he wanted to go sledding. He said "YES!"

As we approached the hill, I could see that the concerns and fears that were with him last year were returning. When we reached the top, I sat on the sled and told him to sit on my lap. He took a step back and shaking his head.

"You go first," he said. "I'll watch."

Knowing that watching Dad sled wasn't going to do anything to encourage him to have fun, I grabbed him, sat him on my lap, and down the hill we went with him screaming all the way down.

When we reached the bottom and he must have finally realized that sledding wasn't going to kill him. He stood up, grabbed my hand, and told me we needed to do it again.

The second time he gladly sat on my lap and laughed as we raced down the hill.

We spent an hour sledding and I had to convince him that it was time to go home.

Right now he's napping. There is five inches of fresh snow on the ground. More is falling from the heavens. I know when he wakes up, he's going to look out his window, see the new snow, and watch all the kids sledding down the hill. He's going to run down the stairs and ask if we can go sledding.

I'm going to say "YES!"