It's only Tuesday, right?
It’s September. End of excuses for not exercising. I always look at September as the start of the new year. It’s both a school thing and a Jewish thing, since the new year is in the autumn. It falls at the end of September this year, but I hate to let facts spoil a good idea.
I worked yesterday. I was almost the only one in the office. It was a nice day. We had a violent thunderstorm in the morning and then it cleared up. It was cold and beautiful and I’m hoping for a great fall.
I finally finished book #96, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon. It won the Hugo award. It is alternate history which explains why it was up for an SF award. It starts with the presumption that the UN did not grant Israel statehood in 1948. Instead the Jews were given a part of Alaska for 50 years and those 50 years are now up and reversion is upon the Jews who will be homeless. It’s also a murder mystery. A Jew ends up dead in rooming house. It’s murder. There’s chess and heroin and Messiah complexes. It’s also a political story that involves the Verbover Chasids and what they are willing to do to ensure prophecy comes true. It's also a love story in a very weird way. It took me 200 pages for the story to take shape and I am not sure how non-Jews even make it that far. It was interesting but tedious. Funny in places but more sad than anything else. The premise about the Jews in Alaska was a real one. It was bandied about but ultimately rejected by Congress. It was an interesting book eventually but 200 pages is too long a commitment in the hopes that a book will catch my interest. If this hadn’t been a book club book (a book club that met 2 weeks ago) I don’t know if I would have finished it. 3 stars.
Book #97, To Hell and Back by Lilith Saintcrow. lilithsaintcrow This is the 5th and final book in the Dante Valentine series and it ends with a bang. Dante is out of Hell with memories she refuses to go near, a god she won’t talk to and serious trust issues. But Japhrimel is still at her side and it is only with him that she feels safe. She doesn’t trust him but he will keep her alive. He makes a bargain with her. He won’t kill Eve if she’ll help him kill the Prince of Hell. Dante doesn’t make anything easy and if she weren’t part demon she would have been dead early on in this book. But she knows that. This is a gritty story, both literally and figuratively and we feel that dirt with all our senses. I am sorry this series ended but I will certainly look for other Saintcrow books. The Prince is dead, long live the Prince. 4 stars.
Had another great session with Micah last night. I actually jumped rope for a few minutes. It took forever to remember how. (yes, pathetic.) The gym was quiet enough last night that I could swing the jump rope and not hurt anyone. Other than myself. But when I came home, I really didn’t want to do anything. At all. Tonight I have to clean house, which won’t be that hard since I haven’t messed it up too badly in the last two weeks. (This may be true but it's 7:45 and so far all I've done is make myself feel ill. Good move.)
I’m thinking of going clothes shopping this weekend. I hate to spend the money but I have almost nothing left to wear. I want to go up to Park City because I have a birthday present that I want to buy and I know exactly what I want and where to get it. And I can hit the outlets on the way home. I hate spending the money but desperation has set in. The jeans I wore yesterday hit the giveaway pile. They just don’t fit well. The pants I’m wearing today remind me of clown pants. They were always supposed to be big but now they are huge. I can't stand it any more. So I'll do a few things in one fell swoop and spend money I shouldn't be spending. Great.
I worked yesterday. I was almost the only one in the office. It was a nice day. We had a violent thunderstorm in the morning and then it cleared up. It was cold and beautiful and I’m hoping for a great fall.
I finally finished book #96, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon. It won the Hugo award. It is alternate history which explains why it was up for an SF award. It starts with the presumption that the UN did not grant Israel statehood in 1948. Instead the Jews were given a part of Alaska for 50 years and those 50 years are now up and reversion is upon the Jews who will be homeless. It’s also a murder mystery. A Jew ends up dead in rooming house. It’s murder. There’s chess and heroin and Messiah complexes. It’s also a political story that involves the Verbover Chasids and what they are willing to do to ensure prophecy comes true. It's also a love story in a very weird way. It took me 200 pages for the story to take shape and I am not sure how non-Jews even make it that far. It was interesting but tedious. Funny in places but more sad than anything else. The premise about the Jews in Alaska was a real one. It was bandied about but ultimately rejected by Congress. It was an interesting book eventually but 200 pages is too long a commitment in the hopes that a book will catch my interest. If this hadn’t been a book club book (a book club that met 2 weeks ago) I don’t know if I would have finished it. 3 stars.
Book #97, To Hell and Back by Lilith Saintcrow. lilithsaintcrow This is the 5th and final book in the Dante Valentine series and it ends with a bang. Dante is out of Hell with memories she refuses to go near, a god she won’t talk to and serious trust issues. But Japhrimel is still at her side and it is only with him that she feels safe. She doesn’t trust him but he will keep her alive. He makes a bargain with her. He won’t kill Eve if she’ll help him kill the Prince of Hell. Dante doesn’t make anything easy and if she weren’t part demon she would have been dead early on in this book. But she knows that. This is a gritty story, both literally and figuratively and we feel that dirt with all our senses. I am sorry this series ended but I will certainly look for other Saintcrow books. The Prince is dead, long live the Prince. 4 stars.
Had another great session with Micah last night. I actually jumped rope for a few minutes. It took forever to remember how. (yes, pathetic.) The gym was quiet enough last night that I could swing the jump rope and not hurt anyone. Other than myself. But when I came home, I really didn’t want to do anything. At all. Tonight I have to clean house, which won’t be that hard since I haven’t messed it up too badly in the last two weeks. (This may be true but it's 7:45 and so far all I've done is make myself feel ill. Good move.)
I’m thinking of going clothes shopping this weekend. I hate to spend the money but I have almost nothing left to wear. I want to go up to Park City because I have a birthday present that I want to buy and I know exactly what I want and where to get it. And I can hit the outlets on the way home. I hate spending the money but desperation has set in. The jeans I wore yesterday hit the giveaway pile. They just don’t fit well. The pants I’m wearing today remind me of clown pants. They were always supposed to be big but now they are huge. I can't stand it any more. So I'll do a few things in one fell swoop and spend money I shouldn't be spending. Great.