Review XP The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

I've stepped through the looking glass into the (I'm told epic) world of the Wheel of Time series. After some half-hearted urging from my other half and flat-out demands from my brother, I committed myself to the mammoth 14-book work. So, rather than wait, I'll reflect on book one now.

Mild spoilers follow.

Meh. It was good. Perhaps not great. Surprisingly, the writing was just okay. I'm trying to be objective, and that's the truth. I was able to read through small errors, bland dream sequences, and many unnecessary repetitions ("I wish Perrin was here. Perrin knows how to talk to women." Give me a break.) because I was reading with my heart, so that says something.

The plot is interesting, fo sho. The potential is most definitely there. But the themes and language are too similar to LOTR, not that I've read Tolkien, only watched the movies. (Note to self: READ Tolkien, you idiot.) Also reminds me of the Kingkiller Chronicles. Lots of inns and bread and cheese and common rooms with fireplaces. Makes me hungry. Characters are just somewhat compelling. Rand seems like kind of a bastard, but I am undoubtedly intrigued by his backstory. Mat is a just a pain in the ass. Lan seems to be fashioned after cardboard (it was intentional), and the women are insufferable know-it-alls. Perrin is by far my favorite character. His development and transformation are the most interesting.

I found the creatures of the Dark One (dun dun dun) to be a great plus to the overall story, though I had a hard time keeping them straight. Why are there so many different names for the Myrddaal? It's confusing I tell you! Then there are the Darkfriends (which I kept reading as fiends) and the Draghkar, and of course, the Trollocs, who, though truly frightening and disgusting, were far too similar to the frightening and disgusting LOTR Orcs.

The resolution of this book was a bit abrupt and a little too easy. I was confused about their final leg of the journey; the Eye, the Green Man, and just who the fuck they were fighting at the end. It made sense afterward but at the time ...

Lastly, one especial annoyance. Please allow me to vent about something trivial. I don't understand why Nyneave suddenly asks Lan to wed her toward the end of the book. Don't these people court? They've barely had a conversation between them and mostly disagreements at that. Are we to assume there's been more behind the scenes? Or are they so aware of one another that courting is unnecessary? Besides that, wouldn't she have considered the position he was in? Bound to the Aes Sedai and to Moiraine as her Warder? It's not like the dude has shown any indication that he's looking to settle down. Whatever, Jordan.

Will I keep reading? Hell yes. I am assured the series will get better.

J. L. Dodd

“As the Wheel of Time turns, places wear many names. Men wear many names, many faces. Different faces, but always the same man. Yet no one knows the Great Pattern the Wheel weaves, or even the Pattern of an Age. We can only watch, and study, and hope.”
― Moiraine in The Eye of the World

“I will hate the man you choose because he is not me, and love him if he makes you smile. No woman deserves the sure knowledge of widow’s black as her brideprice, you least of all.”
― Lan in The Eye of the World

Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2008238-the-eye-of-the-world

The Joshua Tree Tour

In September I was in the same building with U2. For real? For real. A stone's throw from Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry. If I had to sum it up in let's say, four sentences, they would be:  Unreal. Fucking awesome. Oh my god, my back. I'm getting too old for this.

On the four-hour trip to Phoenix, I was delighted to read messages on the I-10 Freeway such as "Don't move in mysterious ways; use your turn signal" and "It's a beautiful day to buckle up." (Or something to that effect. My mind is a bit muddled by now.) Seriously, I want that job.

Wow. It's really them.

After I got over the fact that, yes, they were actually there in front of me, the band I have followed for 20+ years, it was amazing. But if I had my choice, as much as I enjoy The Joshua Tree album, it wasn't my first love as far as U2 goes. I came around soon after Achtung Baby was released. It was the first compact disc (that's what CD stands for young'uns) I ever bought.

Side note: I shudder to remember that I purchased the debut album (first and last as far as anyone on the Earth is aware) of the Spin Doctors at the same time. I was young and reckless then. And stupid.

But I loved Achtung Baby. Every second of it. Still do. "One" is obviously the best song ever composed. "Ultraviolet" always lifts my spirits, and "Love is Blindness" still gives me that familiar ache in my chest. Can I request an Achtung Baby tour?

But still. Those guys are larger than life, as was the show. It was a little too much, in fact. When it ended after two glorious hours, my back was aching, my ears were underwater and I was more than ready to go. (I had stood in the same spot through Beck, so total of 5 hours sandwiched between my family and drunk girl who likes to push. Next time I'm sitting in a chair.) We had dragged the boys along with us, and I wasn't sure how they would react, but when Jaden told me, "That was crazy," I knew he meant in a good way.

Cross that one off the bucket list. That's two in one year. The other was my trip to the Grand Canyon in May, and I'd use the same four sentences to describe that experience as well.

J. L. Dodd

Love is Blindness -

Love is blindness
I don't want to see
Won't you wrap the night
Around me?
Oh my heart
Love is blindness
In a parked car
In a crowded street
You see your love
Made complete
Thread is ripping
The knot is slipping
Love is blindness

Love is clockworks
And cold steel
Fingers too numb to feel
Squeeze the handle
Blow out the candle
Love is blindness
Love is blindness
I don't want to see
Won't you wrap the night
Around me?
Oh my love
Blindness
A little death
Without mourning
No call
And no warning
Baby, a dangerous idea
That almost makes sense

Love is drowning
In a deep well
All the secrets
And no one to tell
Take the money
Honey
Blindness
Love is blindness
I don't want to see
Won't you wrap the night
Around me?
Oh my love
Blindness 

Links:

http://www.metrolyrics.com/love-is-blindness-lyrics-u2.html

Manga I love! Death Note / Review XP The Death Note Movie

Let me preface this by saying: this anime will fuck with you.

Now, if you haven't heard of the manga/anime Death Note, let me esplain the plot. A death god gets bored, so he drops his death note into the human world to see what will happen. The death note is a book, a journal of sorts, that has the power to kill anyone simply by the owner writing that person's  name in the book while picturing their face. So, Light Yagami, a narcissistic genius high school student, finds it, tests it, and starts ridding the world of evildoers while proclaiming himself God of the new world. The police enlist the help of "L", an eccentric genius with a sugar addiction, to catch him. Sometimes Light is forced to kill innocent people to protect himself, cue all types of conflict, drama, and crises.

What would you do? What would you do in the same situation as Light? Would you use the power you'd been given for good? On the flip side, what would you do if you lived in a world with such a person? Would you be for or against his killing work? I have to admit, when I watched the anime, I took Light's side. Truthfully, I'm probably still on his side. Or maybe I just want to think that. What is right? What is wrong? Who gets to decide? Death Note ends up an extreme and entertaining commentary on capital punishment.

Netflix created their own movie version in English. All things considered, I thought it was a successful adaptation. Willem Dafoe was perfect as Ryuk. The ending was different but somewhat unexpected and wrapped things up nicely.

What I didn't like was that Light's character was so different that much of what made the anime interesting was lost. They twisted him to fill the role of a typical American anti-hero: an academic outcast virgin who is bullied and (even more annoying) falls for a pretty face (which would NEVER happen because Light only loves himself). And THEN they made poor Ryuk out to be the bad guy, whereas in the anime, he interfered very little with Light's decisions and subsequent descent into (calculated) madness, obsession and malevolence.

You should totally watch the anime. Like, today. I'll pay you in Skittles.

J. L. Dodd

“This world is rotten, and those who are making it rot deserve to die. Someone has to do it, so why not me?” - Light Yagami

“If Kira gets caught, he is evil. If Kira rules the world, he is justice.” - Light Yagami

Death Note Rules

The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

If the cause of death is written within the next 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen.

If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.

After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

Links:

https://myanimelist.net/featured/620/20_Quotes_from_Death_Note_

http://deathnote.wikia.com/wiki/Rules_of_the_Death_Note

Really, Starbucks? Really?

See my blog entry from 2016. 

Zombie Frappuccino

And ... my worst fears are realized. Fuck it. Let's all be zombies. I'm on the zombie bandwagon. With the current administration, I think we'll all be better off. Is the fall of civilization to ravenous, brain-slurping monsters better than living with Trump as president?

This is a democracy. Decide for yourself. But I'm not eating his brain.

J. L. Dodd