book review: The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz

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Deus ex Machina much? I've read 20 Dean Koontz novels in the last 8 years. and he's been all over the map in story quality. lately, it seems like he's got a good idea, then can't come up with a good ending, so he leaves threads loose or ends in a very anti-climactic manner. this book was no exception, and had to be one of the worst endings i've ever read. while the character or device wasn't introduced out of the blue, the turn of events just didn't make sense with the rest of the book. and this was the last chapter, so it really felt rushed and on the spot.

at least he didn't write the climax/resolution, and then have a 5 chapter epilogue as he sometimes does!

Koontz lost his long time companion, his golden retriever just before writing this book, and the story is definitely a tribute to that dog, as well as the breed. sometimes it does get a bit annoying how he goes on and on about how expressive they are, or intuitive, or just great overall. and for the most part it's seamlessly written into the story, but sometimes it gets too preachy. especially when he goes on about rescuing dogs and it's a shame that more dogs are killed than people in the US, and whatnot. whatever. get on with the story :-P

Koontz may have lost a long time reader with his past 4 books. The conclusion to his modern Frankenstein should be published this summer, so i'll give that a chance. But if that one falls short, i won't be buying his books for a while.

The Darkest Evening of the Year: 6/10 - good plot, well developed characters, weak resolution, overwhelming love of golden retrievers, dog shelter preachiness. read only if you have time to kill, not dogs (did i just write that?)

fat lip

well, it had to happen sooner or later, she busted her lip on the new tile floor in the kitchen. :-( and here i've been worried about a concussion...

We were playing hide and go seek, which is funny, so i'll explain how that usually goes. I'll start by saying "i'm going to go hide..." She'll watch me go around the kitchen island and i duck behind the stove. when i hear her coming, i stand up so i can see the top of her head and which direction she's going, then i run the other way. i wait until she's at the stove and i'm on the other side, then i run low behind the sectional in our family room (the kitchen and family room are really one big room). Aria will then come around the sectional, and i scare her. she laughs lots! and then she gets excited cause now it's her turn to hide. She'll say "hide, hide, hide, hide!" and go in between the couch and the coffee table, and lay flat like a dead frogger. adorable. i have yet to take a picture, though i've tried because she's in that position all of 1.3 seconds, then she's popping her head up to see if i'm coming. i am, but usually not from the direction she expects. so she gets excited and laughs and screams. props go to my mom for teaching Aria how to hide.

well this time, i ran around to the stove, and as i'm standing up to run the other way, i see Aria fall on her stomach and hands (still has a potbelly). and for some reason, after she falls, she lets her head go down a bit too much and hits her mouth on the tile. it really didn't look like she hit it that hard. well, there's that silence before the storm, and she starts crying. I say "aww come here, it's not that bad." except she's doesn't want to stand up and she's screaming. so now i'm worried and by the time i get over to her to pick her up, i see 2 drops of blood on the tile (thank goodness we sealed the grout... HEY! I'M A GUY). so now i'm a little freaked out, my first thought was "i hope she didn't break a tooth." that would suck. well she's got blood coming out of her mouth, so i clean her up with a wet paper towel. all 16 teeth intact - phew! All the while she's crying and putting her hands to her mouth and i'm trying not to get blood anywhere, especially her clothes. oh i also wipe the blood off the floor too while holding her. i eventually get her to calm down, and i take a look at it. not too bad, just a little cut on her upper lip. this gave her a fat lip. i don't know why i feel the need to document it, maybe cause i think it's little funny. is that so wrong?!

my daughter's first battle scar from being with daddy all week. every week. for 12 months.

good voter turnout

with 39% of the precincts reporting, it is projected that now you will have to put up with my wackiness even more! MWUHAHAHAHA!

so now for the first post of the new regime, i give you... goofy teeth!
inspired by this clip: orange teeth

he also has a clip for lemon eyes, but we don't usually have lemons laying around :-)

So now that this site will be a little (just a teensie-weensie) bit more about me, I will be posting book reviews, and talk some about my annoying habit of playing World of Warcraft! yay! hey you guys voted for it...

upcoming book reviews: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, and The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz (almost polar opposites...). Also my impressions of the first half of American Gods by Neil Gaiman

oh and that "teensie-weensie" parenthetical above is a nasty side-effect of staying at home 4.5 days a week with my daughter as my only company ;-) you'll also have to put up with some more of that too.

what? no posts?

anybody who knows me well will know that I can be lazy. and that is precisely why there haven't been any posts recently...

:-o

sorry! I've got a couple drafts in the works, some ideas, I don't want the posts to be the same ol' same ol'. Maybe I'm over thinking this. hmmmm...

Maybe I'll start posting about other topics, but then the site wouldn't be "all about her". comments? i've added a poll to the right ------------->

Just For Laughs

I hope you can have a giggle or two yourself...

^^Aria's first laughs caught on video at about 4.5 months—I must confess I'm a bit disturbed by my laugh :-\

I dunno why mommy brought Aria in to see me taking a shower—or why she's laughing so much...

This is the director's cut - before has me making a goofy face coming up the stairs, after has Aria crying cause I went around the corner, making her think I left.

Remembering 2007: List of Favorites by Aria

Food: Anything green!

Mode of Transportation: Walking - especially on my tippy toes!

Body Part: Belly Button - Whenever it's exposed I must look at it!

Word: Bug - "Buuuuuhhh"

Animal: Cat - "eeeeoooowwwwaaahh"

Day of the Week: Sunday - I go to church with Mom and Dad and play in the nursery. After, we usually spend the rest of the day playing together.

Time of Day: Bedtime - I love my bedtime routine. Mommy and I read, listen to soft music, dance, sing and finally I get a gentle backrub. I used to get upset when it was bedtime, but we figured things out together and now it's my favorite time. Daddy plays with me ALL DAY which makes me extra tired :-)

Hairdo: Punkrocker

AND FINALLY MY MOST FAVORITE THING OF 2007...

Toy: Doogan the Bear - He's there when I sleep and play everyday except when he gets the occasional bath. He's been through 2 surgeries already because I love him so much. Thank you Aunt Carol and Uncle Bob!

CHEERS to the New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone!

No, she wasn't awake at midnight, and neither were we - this was dinner at 5:30 - we knew we wouldn't last so we cracked the bottle of champagne early. :-)