Reading: underground comix--I'm so subversive!
Music: Gaelic Storm
TV/Movie: Children of Men
Link o' the Day: Six Flags Great Escape Lodge and Indoor Waterpark

So what is it with the British and dystopian stories? I just finished watching Children of Men and while it's a very good movie, it's depressing as hell. And the ending is pretty typical of European movie endings, i.e., left wide open--but not in a hugely satisfying manner. Still, as I said, it was a good movie with some terrific acting. Horrific scenes of war and terrorism in parts, and gloomy dull-green and grey lighting everywhere, but a good movie. Something seems a little off to me as this is a movie where women matter quite bit--but they're absent from the title. I know they probably mean "Men" as in humankind, but I think they could have come up with something better. Hell, Children of the Earth maybe. That took me two seconds to come up with. Imagine if I really tried.

But go and see the movie, ye men and women all. As with a lot of movie science fiction, it's alarmist and pessimistic and follows that old "if this goes on..." approach, but I think in this case (unlike a Michael Crichton movie) you can come away with something. What exactly, I'm not sure of yet. I finished watching it only five minutes ago. But I'm sure I'm going to come up with something.

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Pretty Maggie and I sometimes play this game on long car trips. It's a variation of the Six Degrees from Kevin Bacon game. Because I know a few show business people (movie extras, authors, and folks from mostly the Golden Age) we try to find the connections between some random person (actor, performer, author, politician, etc.) and myself. It's fun. It gives my brain a workout as I try to build connections.

Sometimes it's disturbing like...

...like discovering I'm three degrees of separation from Hitler. It's through one of the authors I'm working with and Leni Reifenstahl, but connections are connections. Jeez...three degrees from Hitler.

Then I didn't want to play the game so much.

But then I discovered I'm only two degrees from Franklin Delano Roosevelt--so I felt better.

It's like playing hide 'n seek and finding a dead body inside the grandfather clock. But the dead body turns out to be Charlie Manson.

Well, maybe it's not like that at all--but would that be interesting?

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Okay, we're back from out little anniversary vacation. I'll write more on that over the week, and post links to pictures. (Facebook users can see them now.) In short, we had a great time. We usually do at Lake George, and this time there was a waterpark involved.

I got a lot out the door last week before we left--work-wise. I have some new stuff coming in. And some loose ends. I'll be keeping busy.

And don't forget...there's another debate tonight! I bought snacks.

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Today's link goes to the place we stayed at for three days: the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge and Indoor Waterpark. It's a great place to go if you have kids. If you don't have kids, and don't mind them (and are something of a kid at heart) you'll have a good time. If you think kids are a viable, renewable food source, this place is a banquet. Wait...scratch that. That was wrong.

So very wrong.

But check the place out if you find yourself vacationinbg in upstate New York.

Cheers!