Passing showers, outlook possibly sunny?
Jul. 17th, 2004 04:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatWell better today. For those keeping count? Applied to 20 jobs this week. Or close. I'm told it's a numbers game. I feel like an oddly shaped puzzel piece hunting the correct notch. The hardest part is fighting down the depression and feeling of despair and lack of accomplishment that seems to accompany all this. Chocolate and Glaceau Vitamin Water seem to help though.Yes, I've become addicted to Vitamin Water. (sigh).
Finished Jim Butcher's Grave Perile last night - it's much better in some ways than the first two.
The lead character loses more and comes to more of an epiphany. There's a tighter arc. On the other hand there are a few things that seem to appear out of the blue, that the author assumes we knew about? Such as some age-old bargain with a fairy godmother (I must have missed this in earlier books), and his relationship with a Knight of The Holy Cross, which apparently existed prior to the earlier books as well. One feels almost as if there is chapter or book missing somewhere to build all this up? Also the prinicipal character in true thriller fashion seems to be in jeopardy all the time, gets a little old after a while. Would like a tad more character development here and there, but that's just me. That said, I liked some of the things Butcher does here - his play on the dark fairy godmother and the idea of bargains turning out bad, the sex vampire and the theme of love vs. lust that moves throughout the novels. Also religious concepts such as faith, and it's power. Apparently from Butcher's point of view, it doesn't matter whether or not there is a God, the power is in believing in one, since we'll never really know one way or another, until we're gone. Will definitely read the remaining two novels. Interesting universe he's created and interesting characters.
In other news, mother is coming to visit tomorrow and stay with me for a week. Kidbro is having troubles with new baby apparently. No idea when she'll appear. Any time between 3pm and 6pm, depending on whether she can get a seat on her flight. They over sold it and she doesn't exactly have a reserved seat, although they did sell her a ticket.So, she could either get on the plane in HH then get to Atlanta, then
fly to NYC, no problems. OR not get on the plane in HH, get a later flight to Atlanta, miss the connection and get a still later flight. We don't know. And just to make things interesting, she has the same deal going back. (Throws up hands and shakes head). But she tells me not to worry, she can take care of herself, she has keys to my place (from last time)
and not to wait around for her. Okay, this will be fun.
Because of kidbro, I've seen more of my mother this year than in the last six. Hopefully she won't push all my buttons.
Finished Jim Butcher's Grave Perile last night - it's much better in some ways than the first two.
The lead character loses more and comes to more of an epiphany. There's a tighter arc. On the other hand there are a few things that seem to appear out of the blue, that the author assumes we knew about? Such as some age-old bargain with a fairy godmother (I must have missed this in earlier books), and his relationship with a Knight of The Holy Cross, which apparently existed prior to the earlier books as well. One feels almost as if there is chapter or book missing somewhere to build all this up? Also the prinicipal character in true thriller fashion seems to be in jeopardy all the time, gets a little old after a while. Would like a tad more character development here and there, but that's just me. That said, I liked some of the things Butcher does here - his play on the dark fairy godmother and the idea of bargains turning out bad, the sex vampire and the theme of love vs. lust that moves throughout the novels. Also religious concepts such as faith, and it's power. Apparently from Butcher's point of view, it doesn't matter whether or not there is a God, the power is in believing in one, since we'll never really know one way or another, until we're gone. Will definitely read the remaining two novels. Interesting universe he's created and interesting characters.
In other news, mother is coming to visit tomorrow and stay with me for a week. Kidbro is having troubles with new baby apparently. No idea when she'll appear. Any time between 3pm and 6pm, depending on whether she can get a seat on her flight. They over sold it and she doesn't exactly have a reserved seat, although they did sell her a ticket.So, she could either get on the plane in HH then get to Atlanta, then
fly to NYC, no problems. OR not get on the plane in HH, get a later flight to Atlanta, miss the connection and get a still later flight. We don't know. And just to make things interesting, she has the same deal going back. (Throws up hands and shakes head). But she tells me not to worry, she can take care of herself, she has keys to my place (from last time)
and not to wait around for her. Okay, this will be fun.
Because of kidbro, I've seen more of my mother this year than in the last six. Hopefully she won't push all my buttons.
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no subject
Date: 2004-07-17 08:33 pm (UTC)I am tempted by the Jim Butcher books - though more so by getting the audiobooks ;) But I'm glad you discussed his ideas of faith, I'd skimmed a bit of one of his books in the store and it seemed kind of heavy on the Christianity, which is something I tend to avoid in contemporary fantasy.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-17 09:04 pm (UTC)different versions of everything now. That said, until I get a job or even an interview?
No clue it's working.
I am tempted by the Jim Butcher books - though more so by getting the audiobooks ;) But I'm glad you discussed his ideas of faith, I'd skimmed a bit of one of his books in the store and it seemed kind of heavy on the Christianity, which is something I tend to avoid in contemporary fantasy.
Not a huge fan of Christianity in contemporary fantasy myself. But Butcher seems to reference it in somewhat the same way as Whedon does. Yes, there are characters that deeply believe in God, but the main one is definitely an agonostic. He doesn't get God or really believe God exists or is certain there is a here-after. His near death experience, one of the best I've read, has him going into a blankness. Dresden appreciates faith in others and acknowledges the power of it, but his faith lies mostly in white magic. (At least that's the impression in the earlier novels.)
I started with the audio books. Two kind souls provided me with copies of their versions. One on tape, one on CD. Of the two? Storm Front is better - Marsters is truly on in that version.
The second one he apparently had a cold and while he still does an amazing job of distinguishing each voice, it's less sharp.
Highly recommend starting there.