Book Review - Boomsday by Christopher Buckley

Christopher Buckley, the author of the novel 'Thank You for Smoking', holds onto the same structure in Boomsday. In this novel, he uses great dialogue in a fast flowing story about government sanctioned suicide. Here's a quick plot review by Judy Budnitz:

"Here's the set-up: One generation is pitted against another in the shadow of a Social Security crisis. Our protagonist, Cassandra Devine, is a 29-year-old public relations maven by day, angry blogger by night. Incensed by the financial burden soon to be placed on her age bracket by baby boomers approaching retirement, she proposes on her blog that boomers be encouraged to commit suicide. Cassandra insists that her proposal is not meant to be taken literally; it is merely a "meta-issue" intended to spark discussion and a search for real solutions. But the idea is taken up by an attention-seeking senator, Randy Jepperson, and the political spinning begins.

Soon Cassandra and her boss, Terry Tucker, are devising incentives for the plan (no estate tax, free Botox), an evangelical pro-life activist is grabbing the opposing position, the president is appointing a special commission to study the issue, the media is in a frenzy, and Cassandra is a hero. As a presidential election approaches, the political shenanigans escalate and the subplots multiply: There are nursing-home conspiracies, Russian prostitutes, Ivy League bribes, papal phone calls and more.

Buckley orchestrates all these characters and complications with ease. He has a well-honed talent for quippy dialogue and an insider's familiarity with the way spin doctors manipulate language. It's queasily enjoyable to watch his characters concocting doublespeak to combat every turn of events. "Voluntary Transitioning" is Cassandra's euphemism for suicide; "Resource hogs" and "Wrinklies" are her labels for the soon-to-retire. The opposition dubs her "Joan of Dark."

Overall, I felt that Mr. Buckley used the same successful strategies in this book as in his previous novels. He takes a current national headline and twists it to meet the needs of his readers.

Get the book here: Boomsday at Amazon.com

IF by Rudyard Kipling

This is one of my all-time favorite poems.

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

The Muse & Creativity

Okay,

So my wife is a very creative person. A left brain thinker. Stacy knits, wraps, pastes, clips, and staples. She organizes, cleans, disorganizes, and digs. Here is some of the things she's been working on:


[Baby Hats]










[Laptop Cover]



[Hand warmer thingy modeled by me]










[Scarves]

The Search

Well,

I am in the midst of a very comprehensive jobsearch and I just wanted everyone to meet my two assistant job counselors.

First, there's my attitude adviser, Showbiz.


















Second, let me introduce you to my style coordinator, Lola.

Qball's Beer Review: Leinenkugel's Big Butt Doppelbock

Leinenkugel's Big Butt Doppelbock

Brewed by:
Jacob Leinenkugel's Brewing Company
Wisconsin, United States

Style / ABV:
Doppelbock / 5.70% ABV

Notes:
A winter release from Leinenkugel

Review: This is a great dark beer from Leinenkugel. I found it to be very flavorful with a lot of aroma. As far as doppelbock's go, this beer is very drinkable but not very special.

Rating (1 recommended, 2 good, 3 on-the-fence, 4 disappointed, 5 stay away)
4

Skippy Jon Jones the Crime Fighting Siamese Cat

Children's books have came a long way. This is a great book by Judy Schachner and promotes multi-culturalism. Here is a short summary of the book followed by some pictures of the great illustration in the book.

From School Library Journal
This is a wildly wonderful book about a hyperactive kitten, Skippy Jon Jones, whose head and ears are too big for his body, and whose imagination is too intense for his mama. According to her, he needs to do some serious thinking about what it means to be a Siamese cat instead of a bird (Skippyjon always wakes up and eats worms with his feathered friends). She sends him to his room, where he imagines he is a Chihuahua ("My name is Skippito Friskito./I fear not a single bandito"). Chock-full of rhyming chants and Spanish expressions, the feline's adventure as a doggy Zorro ends in chaos. His frazzled mother gives him a hug anyway and says, "Say good night, Skippyjon Jones." "Buenas noches, mis amigos," says the kitten, as he bounces on his bed all ready for another adventure. The buoyant and colorful cartoon illustrations match the exuberant text perfectly. Spanish-speaking children will be especially delighted by the words and humor; others may be a little bewildered by all of the foreign phrases and will need some explanation, but the story definitely has the potential of a fun read-aloud.

Here's a link to Skippy Jon Jones on Amazon.com.

Lazy Dogs

Okay, so I am the proud owner of two extremely lazy dogs, Lola the Chihuahua and Showbiz the Shar Pei Mix. In the following photos you will be discover the lifestyle makes up my hounds.










Here's an exciting picture of the dogs playing fetch!

Here's a great photo of Showbiz pulling off the coveted 'Play Dead' Trick















Dog + Cover = scary movie scene














Lola blogging.