A Reliable Wife

Summary: Rural Wisconsin, 1909. In the bitter cold, Ralph Truitt, a successful businessman, stands alone on a train platform waiting for the woman who answered his newspaper advertisement for "a reliable wife." But when Catherine Land steps off the train from Chicago, she's not the "simple, honest woman" that Ralph is expecting. She is both complex and devious, haunted by a terrible past and motivated by greed. Her plan is simple: she will win this man's devotion, and then, ever so slowly, she will poison him and leave Wisconsin a wealthy widow. What she has not counted on, though, is that Truitt — a passionate man with his own dark secrets —has plans of his own for his new wife. Isolated on a remote estate and imprisoned by relentless snow, the story of Ralph and Catherine unfolds in unimaginable ways.

Every body has issues. The people in this book have a ton of issues. Truitt may or may not have killed his first wife. He loved her and she did not love him back. He never really expected to fall in lust with his new wife, He loves his son and I have no idea why. It is what a man has to do. He is so emotionally bankrupt that he feigns indifference when his new wife tries to kill him. It is his time to die.But he is so emotionally and physically alive. This book is a lot about sex.

Catherin in many ways is a sad pathetic beautiful character. Never really figured out why she answered Ralph's ad other to steal him blind. And as expected or unexpected as she semi falls in love with him. She has a real wedding dress, he reads to her and they have a physical relationship that is beyond what conventional married couples have.

And Ralph sends her away to bring his son back and she not surprisingly falls for him also. This may have been a trap to bring him back as a favor to bring him back.   She did not set out to do this but it happens to the best of us.

It is confusing exactly where her loyalties lie. Antonio is a absolutely pathetic and sad. He would be happy getting laid and drunk by a different woman and different brandy every day. But in the end he has fallen for Catherin. He has so many issues and some of them are a vast reconstruction of his past that have no ties to reality.

Somewhere along the line Catherin gets pregnant and nobody really notices, even the author of this book. its a logical conclusion as each person in this novel is so busy looking for his or her own version of serenity that they never really see what is unfolding around them.

Spring always seems to be right around the corner in this book and never ever seems to come. Everybody is anticipating it and winter persists just like the issues surrounding each character in this book.

The novel’s setting and strong sense of place seem to echo its mood and themes. What role does the wintry Wisconsin landscape play? And the very different, opulent setting of St. Louis?

The winter's constant storms are a back drop of isolation and despair. It is a very simple life with really no where to go. St. Louis is portrayed as the opposite with all the despair in life. It is just as bleak and stark as isolated Wisconsin.

Catherin's sister is a pivotal character in this book and we see her so little of her. She is deemed a lost cause and left to die no differently than Ralph's first life. Both Ralph and Catherin have similar decisions to make in regards to both people in their lives and let them go their own way. To a better life or non life depending how you look at it.

There is never ever somebody in this book that you truly root for. They all seem so hopeless and weighted down with issues from their past. They only time they seem somewhat fully happy is when they are having sex. In the end the spring truly never really comes but a slight seed of life is planted like an Iris blooming through a late spring snow bank.

A Question of Attraction -David Nicholls

So in a Nut Shell
This entertaining first novel by an English television writer tells the story of Brian Jackson, an unworldly but affable college freshman whose main ambition in life is to compete on the BBC quiz show University.

So they say. it is a coming of age novel of sorts but I see it as a un- coming of age novel as Brian struggles his way out of adolescence.and almost completely wrecks himself all for love of some interesting, pretty manipulating young lady of his dreams (Alice Harbinson). But it is always like this That is cliche and in a sense it is not cliche as our protagonists sets goals for him self to not land the girl. Brian makes many resolutions that he can not possibly meet and reflects and refracts along the way.

And in a way the book is funny as hell as while reading the book you almost cringe each time Brian makes a mistake that is going to cost him dearly in the end. The end of the book is actually endearing and hilarious and rather unexpected and just about right. it has the lessons of life all in there basically that telling lies and cheating will eventually be your down fall even if you do not set out to lie and cheat in the first place.

There were a few of the side characters I found endearing. Rebecca Epstein as the girl next door, activist til she dies you almost root for her as the quintessential underdog and Lucy Chang as the cute as a button clutch performer on the debate team.  The book has the back drop of a quiz show and at the beginning of each chapter the author weaves a question into the story and it certainly keeps the book more entertaining then it already is.

I read this book rather quickly as it was a page turner and you know what for now I am going to miss it. That is one thing I do not like about the kindle because I want to pass it on to somebody who is going to appreciate it.

Jonothan Trapper -Plan B

Well The book is about this. Sort of.

There's no time to contemplate this milestone, however; life is intervening, especially for Jack. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and though the bold plan the friends devise to save Jack from himself may not be the best way, once again going with Plan B seems to be the only choice they have.

I found this book to be a highly entertaining read. The story was worth telling and the characters were ones that you cared about and could relate to. And to nobodies surprise none of the characters were with out an obvious glaring fault.

There are many sentences that I found very telling and the stuck with me. I enjoyed reading Trappers sentences, his paragraphs and book as a whole.  The one criticism is that too many loose ends were tied up and in my mind Life does not ever work like that.

The themes of are a bit crazy and complicated and the axiom of that life rarely works according to plan can be the underlying theme.  One has to love the glimpses into the music of the times and I especially liked the use of musical lists to describe a characters mood and personality.

Each character in this novel. goes on this adventure with not so obvious incentive that we see crystallize through out the book. I also tended to like this book as I read it in late summer and love the vivid Autumnal descriptions.

There is a theme in here that resonates in everybodies life that I personally think about all the time and that is Ben's ability to settle into a life he was not all that thrilled about and emerges out the the other side into a life he always wanted. We rarely if ever miss a golden opportunity in life and have a second chance to make it happen. I love the thought of that. Don't we all.

things my girlfriend and i have argued about

I usually do not laugh out loud when reading a book. It's usually a private experience but after reading the last two chapters of this book i had a large smirk on my face. The story in this book is not great because there is really no suspense (other than will the two main characters kill each other) and the book kind of just ends, but hey that is life some times. This book is not only a farce about the difference between men and woman but is also the difference between people from the U.K. and yes the Germans.  It is about  how woman from Germany are completely different from anything on this planet.

One must actually go look at Millington's Web site. A brief glimpse taken from the web site.

Click here for the hilarious background.

Nothing keeps a relationship on its toes so much as lively debate. Fortunate, then, that my girlfriend and I agree on absolutely nothing. At all.

Combine utter, polar disagreement on everything, ever, with the fact that I am a text-book Only Child, and she is a violent psychopath, and we're warming up. Then factor in my being English while she is German, which not only makes each one of us personally and absolutely responsible for the history, and the social and cultural mores of our respective countries, but also opens up a whole field of sub-arguments grounded in grammatical and semantic disputes and, well, just try saying anything and walking away.

Most of the story is entertaining as it one part Office Space on Valium, One part textbook relationship management with a splash of the John Irving obscure. but it the last two chapters (Kindle last 7 percent of the book) are as funny a story I have read in awhile.

Broom -played by "A broom" wins a sweep of literary awards for its compelling role in this book. 

I recomend reading this book as you will never view a broom the same, or maybe I am weird.

Pelada

This movie is a breath of fresh air. I only started playing soccer a year ago and the allure of simply playing is amazing. It was a pleasurable trip around the world with these two. Wendy (sic) you were fantastic, even when you decided to play in Iran and almost killing the project. The scene in the salt flats is so simple and outstanding. The movie implies it is a complex world we live in, but playing a simple game is a common bond we all have. Even watching the game is pure joy.

Yes, This movie is about soccer but it also about seeing the world. We in the US act as if we are the only culture the only norm but this movie shows the world at it's simplest.  It also is self reflective as we as a society seem to need cable, mass media and gadgets to be happy when in effect it is simple movement and play that make us happy.


From Wendy
My name is Gwendolyn--I'm the girl in Pelada, a film about pick-up soccer around the world. We're playing at the Hollywood Theatre at 7 and 9:15 through Thursday. While we've sold out screenings in most of our other cities, we've totally failed to get people out in Portland, which we feel bummed about since we've heard so much about Portland's soccer fever. The Timbers players are coming out to the show the next couple of days. I know I'm biased but I swear our film is good--and it helps with World Cup withdrawal, getting to see everyone around the world who loves the same game.


About the film: Pelada is a documentary following Luke (Notre Dame) and Gwendolyn (Duke), two former college soccer standouts who didn’t quite make it to the pros. Not ready for it to be over, they take off, chasing the game. From prisoners in Bolivia to moonshine brewers in Kenya, from freestylers in China to women who play in hijab in Iran, Pelada is the story of the people who play.

A Case for Instant Replay

In
Team USA forward Jozy Altidore has urged soccer’s governing body to use NFL- and NBA-style instant replays as a solution to the ongoing controversy surrounding World Cup referees.

Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers lost his bid for a perfect game Wednesday night with two outs in the ninth inning on a call that first base umpire Jim Joyce later admitted he blew.
 
Hell Mark Schofer is proposing instant replay in human relations. 
 
What does an argument look like?

An argument isn't a yelling match: it's a rational justification for an idea. It's more than that, though: when you make an argument, or you try to understand another person's argument, you're looking for three very specific things:

Identify what the argument is trying to claim, and what facts it provides to support it (Premises and Conclusions), Figure out if the claim necessarily comes from the supporting facts (Valid Arguments), and

Determine if the supporting facts are actually true. (Soundness)
 
If soccer and/or baseball can institute instant relpay why can we not do it in relationships. Many arguments go like this.
 
Her -You said you bla bla bla bla bla
Him - No I didn't it was clear that i said bla bla bla bla bla
Dog -Woof  Woof Woof Woof Woof Woof
Her - Exactly
Him - So where do we differ here.
Her - But you said you were going to wa wa wa wa and follow up on it.
Dog - Woof Woof Woof Woof Woof Woof
Him _No I did not I said I hate sushi.
Him - Are you Mad at me.
Her - long silence
Him- So You are
 
Seriously this is where instant replay comes in.  For the astute and those not paying attention the solution here lies with the dog.  it really does. Why not install a camera on the canines head. The dog always looks at you especially at the time of heated discourse and you have the discussion and initial discussion on record to analyze and decipher later.
 
Did you ever have this discussion.
 
Male.Female Scenario
 
Her -Repeat what you just said.
Him - errrr.....I can't remember what i just said.
 
In a side note it is recommended that couples fully understand the offsides rule in soccer.  That goes along way in a relationship but also is a harbinger of why 64 percent of marriages end in failure and 42 percent do not. I know it does not add up to a hundred percent but I am researching that.

Seriously this where instant replay comes in.

Here is a link to the five things couples argue about.  Curiously one of them is housework. The above does not apply to arguments about housework. If you argue about housework you have bigger problems.
For those with out a dog as usual I have no solution. A cow might be cool.

The Gulf Needs a Local Hero

The Gulf Needs a Local Hero

Just got done watching for the nth time the movie Local Hero. It is a story about Nature and tradition actually winning out over Big Oil.  I am sure that is not the nature of the Beast here but it is a movie that makes me very happy.

I learned about this movie back when I was in grad school and a big fan of Mark Knophler. This is the same way I learned to love the Princess Bride.

Here is something I did not know. There had to be a soccer tie in

This tune "Going Home" borrows some riffs from traditional songs. 'Local Hero' from the soundtrack is played as Newcastle United take to the field in their home games played at St James' Park

Mac" MacIntyre (Peter Riegert) is a typical 1980s hot-shot executive working for Knox Oil and Gas in Houston, Texas. This is what we learned to be in grad school but hopefully not become.

Mac ultimately spends several weeks in Ferness, gradually adapting to the slower-paced life and getting to know the eccentric residents, most notably the hotel owner and accountant, Gordon Urquhart (Denis Lawson) and his wife, Stella (Jennifer Black) in his quest to buy the entire town and coast so that Knox Oil can pillage and plunder.

The quirky locals also want to get drunk first and rich in the end. 

But in the end the people and Nature do win out.  It was a refreshing watch of an old favourite of mine (the movie and the music) and I am not a nostalgic person but also a hopeful reminder of F*ck Big Oil, Buy Local and we have only one earth and at times it can be pretty amazing.

The Aurora borealis is always present much the same as the quirky motor cycle that appears out of nowhere. The Aurora borealis is a personal quest of sorts in my own life. I have seen it from an airplane and I want to see it for myself some day. It's a reminder that little things in life are a lot more important than making tons of money. People matter, Nature matters and music matters.