The Book of Vice

Book 3 of 52

The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and how to do them), by Peter Sagal

First, it's not what you think. Second, he doesn't really tell you.

This book takes an outsider's look in to the worlds of swinging, eating, strip clubs, lying, gambling, consumption, and pornography. The 30-second recap:

Swinging: even a smörgåsbord can get boring eventually
Eating: with too much science and "art" food can easily overwhelm
Strip clubs: lonely (for men at female clubs), bonding (for women at male clubs)
Lying: the best chapter (IMO), good liars believe they are telling the (carefully worded) truth
Gambling: too much time on "why" especially the "why" of high stakes games; no new info here
Consumption: best chapter subhead: How to keep up with the Joneses when the Joneses are Insane.
Pornography: if your involvement extends beyond viewing, you'll never live it down

A quick read, a few laugh out loud moments, but the author seemed to be looking for stories that support his hypothesis, rather than drawing any surprising or innovative conclusions.

The Measure of a Man

Book 2 of 52

The Measure of a Man: a spiritual autobiography, by Sidney Poitier

I found this paperback at a used book store that my parents took us to on the Oregon Coast, a place that reminded me of Powell's in it's rambling enormity. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is one of my all-time favorite movies, and the book jacket looked interesting. Having an "Oprah's Book Club" insignia added a certain cache, but also a note of caution.

The book was mildly interesting, at times tediously repetitive, but overall "not bad." Since part of my goal in reading so many books is to branch out a bit, go ahead and plow through difficult books, and expand my reading repertoire, this fit the bill. When the author finally got around to his definition of God (on page 196) it reflected nearly exactly my own:

"I simply believe that there's a very organic, immeasurable consciousness of which we're a part. I believe that this consciousness is a force so powerful that I'm incapable of comprehending its power through the puny instrument of my human mind. And yet I believe that this consciousness is so unimaginable calibrated in its sensitivity that not one leaf falls in the deepest of forests on the darkest of nights unnoticed."

He goes on, but you get the point. Which pretty much sums up most of the book.

52 books

Inspired by pal Dana's commitment two years ago, I have decided to read 52 books in the next 12 months. Rather than wait for January, I started December 1. Since I should have more slack time with my extra days off for the holidays, I figured I could get a jump start.

First up: Dear Catastrophe Waitress by Brendan Halpin

I read a review of this novel in a UUA magazine; one of the main characters is Unitarian and his faith plays a role in the story. I enjoyed the book, and am interested to see what else he has written. There were definitely some holes in the character development, but it was a nice light read. Sort of chick lit but including the guy's perspective. Anyone who has dated a musician (who hasn't?) and had a song written about them (who hasn't?), may find this book especially amusing.

Wow, that's a really cool "angry face"

Athena is quite impressed with her cousin Collin.

Just call me McLovin'

Chicks dig the Sam.

Today at Y-care, one of the girls Sam talks about came up and asked me if she could have a playdate with Sam. I said sure. Then his real girlfriend said she wanted a playdate. I said sure. The teacher tells me that Sam and Maddie-Jo have been playing together all day (well, at least for the two hours of Y-care; she's not in his class).

I know Maddie-Jo is the real girlfriend because on the way home Sam tells me: "Maddie-Jo likes to play StarWars with me. We love each other but we're not going to get married."

"Oh, really? Whose idea was that?"

"Hers."

Chicks dig the Sam.