House Update. All seems to be going well so far with the house. I have been re-preapproved for the loan and all systems are go. Had the termite inspection on my house today and got a clean bill of health. The termite inspection on the new house is tomorrow, then we get the general home inspection on my house Thursday and the new house is inspected on Friday. Jan has offered to do a "sneak peek" of the new house for, as she calls them, my "harem" of female friends sometime this weekend. We have to go under the pretense that I want to measure walls to see if stuff'll fit.

Play Ball! Had the unofficial start of baseball season in Albuquerque this past weekend as the Albuquerque Isotopes played their parent club, the world champion Florida Marlins on Sunday. We had our heaviest rainfall since the dawn of time it seems all week, so I was praying for a respite from the rain and wind, so we'd have a perfect spring day for the first day of baseball. Well, that really didn't happen. The sky cleared somewhat, allowing for the sun to shine for the first couple innings, but the wind was strong and the temperature never got above 47 degrees. The news reported that the wind chill was 34 degrees. Anyway, the beautiful Barbara and myself enjoyed our loaded brats, tall beers (which NEVER got cold, even after 6 plus innings) and had a great time watching the 'Topes wipe up the field with the champs, who clearly didn't want to be here. The rain started coming down in the 7th inning, the tarps came out and the game called 30 minutes later, with the final score 9-1, 'Topes victorious. Shortstop Wilson Valdez, who was called down from the Marlins, came to play and stole bases like a madman. He was my favorite guy last year, and while I wish him success in the bigs, I hope he sticks around a bit , 'cause the guy is a blast to watch. Reminds me a lot of Ricky Henderson in his prime. Oh yeah, I've got different seats this year for my game package, right at third base, four rows up. Awesome seats. Next game April 12th, the "official" home opener.

Recent Books.
Samurai Boogie by Peter Tasker. Fantastic noir mystery set in modern, Tokyo involving the aging jazz fan P.I. Mori. Mori is called in to investigate the suspicious death of a high official, leading him into a bizarre plot involving virtual reality video games, a crazy yakuza, and a illegal immigrant prostitute. Tasker has a wonderfully black sense of humor, and a great knack for character viewpoint and development. He also does a great job describing the bizarre world of Tokyo. Tasker's book reminds me a lot of Isaac Adamson's Billy Chaka series, but with a bit bleaker touch. Highly recommended!

For the Love of Mike by Rhys Bowen. The third in the Molly Murphy series set in early 20th century New York. This one has Molly infiltrating the sweat shops in the garment district looking for a missing Englishwoman. Again, Bowen does a great job evoking the period, but this series is starting to get a bit "girly" for my tastes. Molly swoons over men way too much, and it slows the story down. Oh well, Bowen has promised a new Welsh mystery with Constable Evan Evans this summer, so I look forward to that.

Movies.
The Missing. Ron Howard's shot in New Mexico weird western. Cate Blanchett teams up with her estranged father Tommy Lee Jones, who abandoned his family to go live with the Indians, to find her teenaged daughter who has been kidnapped by a band of Apache scouts. A really bleak and rough movie from the director of Splash. Beautiful NM scenery, including the Valles Caldera cabin we visited in February. Tommy Lee was great and the movie was generally interesting but I fear it is too violent and downbeat for most tastes.

The Rundown. A really enjoyable adventure movie starring the Rock as a "retrieval expert" sent to the Amazon to bring a rich spoiled kid back to his mob boss father. Well, the kid has a map to a priceless gold statue hidden in the jungle, which evil mine owner Christopher Walken for his own. The Rock has a great screen presence and kicks butt in some very inventive action scenes. The movie also has a great tongue in cheek sense of humor, keeping the tone light, and while there is a lot of violence, it's never gory or over the top. A real pleasant surprise.
|