Monday Miscellany

1. Apparently, Sunday is the day when all the guys who own the upholstery shops work in them with their shirts off. At least that was my experience on my morning constitutional this weekend. I don't know why, but it makes me less likely to go into these shops and inquire about having my couch redone.

2. Running Scared is a great buddy cop film. It stars Billy Crystal and the late great Gregory Hines as Chicago police officers who just need one last big bust before they move down to Florida and open a bar. If you can get past the 80s music and the hilarious technology (cell phones as big as phone books), it's a smart and funny cop movie. It's the cop movie that Lethal Weapon wanted to be when it grew up. (Yes, even the first Lethal Weapon.)

3. I mowed my lawn. I'm sure you don't care, but my neighbors are probably throwing a party.

4. I accidentally read a crappy book this weekend and now I have to wait until Monday to get started on some revisions I've put off. In fairness, I didn't know it was crappy until I was about 50 pages in (sometimes you have to let a book settle a little before you can really tell), and by then the horrible cliched writing had already taken up residence in my brain. sigh.

Comments

The Fourth Horseman: Excerpt 6

This is all of chapter 4, in which Suzanne buys a dress and sits in a chair with Anastase. The other excerpts can be found here: Excerpt 1 Excerpt 2 Excerpt 3 Excerpt 4 Excerpt 5 ***** Chapter Four “I was thinking,” my father said over dinner that night. “Since your mother is on the road to recovery, we could go into town for dinner next Saturday, maybe to that sushi place you like. Maybe bring Gabriel. Interested?” “Sorry, I can’t on Saturday,” I said. “It’s Homecoming.” My father dropped his fork to his plate. “You’re kidding.” “I have to go. Gabriel’s nominated.” “Do you believe this?” my father asked my mother. “Are you hearing this?” My mother shook her head, smiling. “You’ve met Gabriel, right, dear?” “Our daughter. Dating the Homecoming King!” I rolled my eyes. “He hasn’t won. He’s just nominated.” My dad fluttered his eyelashes at us. “I wished for this day, but I never thought it would come true. Will there be a limo? What a

Character Post: Anastase Beryl

NOTE: This post contains spoilers for The Fifth. Peter Murphy. ::swoon:: Oh, Anastase, Problem Child Extraordinaire. At the beginning of The Fifth, Anastase is terrible . He's selfish, he's rude, he's heartless, and all of that makes him incredibly attractive to Suzanne, who has, sincerely, the worst taste in men. He's one of those guys who you know you should stay away from and yet don't want to. Originally, my conception of Anastase's physical appearance was based on the singer Peter Murphy from Bauhaus, that angular, mysterious, dangerous vibe, that people either love or hate. A more modern approximation is actor/model Luke Eisner, although he's a little too . . . healthy looking for Anastase. He needs to drop a little weight -- maybe pick up a teeny coke habit or something -- and then he would be perfect! :) If Luke Eisner loses 20 pounds, he is Ana. Because he's the First of his Circle, Anastase thinks that means hi

The Fourth Horseman: Excerpt 5

The latest excerpt, still from Chapter 3, in which Suzanne encounters a bully and talks about sex. Previous excerpts are here: Excerpt 1 Excerpt 2 Excerpt 3 Excerpt 4 ***** The football team had a bye week in anticipation of Homecoming (and the fact that I even knew what a “bye week” was was a testament to how much I liked Gabriel), so Gabriel showed up at my locker after school to join me and Spencer on the walk home. “We’re so happy for you,” Spencer told him, ducking under his arm to hug him. “Are we?” I asked, sliding in under Gabriel’s other arm. “You are a terrible liar,” Gabriel told Spencer, hugging him close. “Fag,” someone muttered behind us. I snapped my head around and saw a couple of kids around Spencer’s age snickering into their hands. I took a step toward them. “What’d you say?” They scowled at me. “Nothing,” one of them answered. “No, really, what’d you say?” Gabriel asked, his voice mild and friendly, his arm still around Spencer’s shoul

How Do I Know What I Think Until I See What I Say?

Search This Blog