Suggestions?

As I've done in the past, I'm using this blog to solicit suggestions. This time, it's for reading material. I just finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It's beautiful, tragic, and lovely. It's a hard book to read at times, not because the writing is bad, rather because the writing and the ideas are so powerful. There are moments of sadness in the book that feel overly real, I'm not used to feeling as affected by a book. So while I liked it very much, I think I'll have to wait on reading another of his books for a bit.

So this brings me to the question, what should I be reading? Usually the way I figure this out is I go to Kramer Books and Afterwards and wander around and something leaps out at me, I buy it and am rewarded. This time I figured I'd be a little more intentional.

Right now, as I wait for your recommendations I'm rereading The Corrections. It's the first time I've reread any book of fiction since I was in high school. I just, as a matter of course, don't do it. And I'm not certain I'll finish it before I skip off to some new book. Other books I've really liked: Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay, everything by Franzen, A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, Devil in the White City, Snow Crash, Pattern Recognition, Catch-22, stuff like that.

So I await your recommendations--and please if you could, let me know why you think I'd like it...or why you did.

TSA bans snakes

According to BoingBoing TSA is following up on it's recent decision to ban gels, and liquids and is addressing a larger more deadly threat--carry-on snakes.

The order includes a list of snakes banned: vipers, asps, garden, pythons. However the agency remains silent about whether the snakes have to be "motherfucking" or whether this applies to any snake.

It's unclear whether Solid Snake from Metalgear Solid is banned. He's neither a gel, nor a liquid. So I'd figure he might be allowed as carry on. However, Jake "The Snake" Plummer is most certainly banned, for the all to real fear that he'd readily turnover the plane to terrorists.

Best Idea Ever or Worst Idea Ever

Brian sent me a link to a record company that makes lullaby versions of the greatest hits of rock bands.

For instance, lullaby versions of Nirvana, or Pink Floyd. Some bands make sense, I could see Coldplay as lullaby material. However, Led Zeppelin harder to conjure. Do you moan like Plant at key points?

Also Nirvana seems a risky choice. Heart Shaped Box: "Throw down your umbilical noose so I can climb right back" Or hell, even including Sliver, seems odd. Talking about mom and dad leaving, how is that a lullaby. Kicked and screamed said please don't go. Not so calming.

Though in the interest of full disclosure I was eased into sleep by parents singing Leavin' on a Jet Plane, so maybe loss and change is fit material for this stuff.

But still, I'm really conflicted, is this the best idea ever or the worst idea ever. Is it introducing kids to amazing songs that parents can tolerate and planting a seed for good musical taste. Or is it bastardizing music and potentially ruining their ability to appreciate Led Zeppelin's raucus bad-assity.

Stepping stone or barrier. Put another way is this Fisher Price my first cd collection or is it like Gerber pureed sushi--a bastardization of something great.

You make the call. Vote in the comments.

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UPDATE:
So I guess the lullabys are only instrumental, so no fear of your child being "the first against the wall"

To listen to some lullaby radiohead go here

Oh, and Metallica's One is still scary as hell even with glockenspiels and lullaby pacing, listen for yourself

Wildwood, preliminary post

More on Wildwood sometime soon. Things have been really hectic this week, so no full Wildwood recap. Quick summary-- Team Dinner Party won 5 games, losing just once--in the semifinals of the Hops 2-2 Division. Good times, good team, good weather, good games.














Team Dinner Party Wildwood 2006 (5-1)

(back row L-R: Jared, Aaron, Jay, Bob)
(front row L-R: Amy, Paul, Megan, Liz, Irene)