True Grit

I recently went to see the Coen brothers movie True Grit. My wife, having read the book, wanted see it, and I always like a good western.
The movie, like the book, is told from the perspective of a 14 year old girl named Mattie Ross as she seeks out to avenge the death of her father. The setting is very believable and the characters are all distinctive. I particularly liked the manner in which the characters dialoged. Its hard to describe, but now that I'm reading the book, I am finding that the Coen brothers captured this perfectly. I found the acting very good. This is one of Jeff Bridge's over the top performances and Hailee Steinfeld was perfect as Mattie.
If you want to see a good adventure movie with unforgettable characters and stunning setting, go see True Grit.

A Social Network Christmas

I found this today and loved it. So, I thought I'd share it.

OOTS

The Order of the Stick is my absolute favorite web comic. I have been following this comic since it started and we are now up to 759 pages. The story follows six adventures, each with their own quirky personalities, as they seek to stop the lich Xykon's nefarious plans to conquer the world and make lots of game and literature jokes along the way. The art is done in a simple stick figure style, but you'll be amazed at how well the artist, Rich Burlew, is able to portray the actions and emotions of all the characters. If you have ever played a fantasy role playing game, you will love the humor. Check it out here

One Post a Week Challenge

So, I've been horrible at this whole blogging thing. To remedy this, I'm challenging myself to make at least on post per week. I get lots of ideas, but often can't seem to get the thoughts out. I hope this will be interesting for all of you.

Star Man's Son

I've been on a kind of "Post-Apocalyptic" kick lately. When I was in the 5th grade,that would be 1978, I found this red book called Star Man's Son. On it was a kid with a bow and a sword and a large cat. I had just finished The Hobbit and the picture caught my attention.

What I like about this book is that it isn't your typical "Road Warrior" post-apocalyptic story. There aren't any bands of social misfits rampaging down desert roads in vehicles tricked out with sheet metal armor and machine-guns. It is a cool coming of age adventure story with themes dealing with human nature.
Set in a future America 250 years after a great "Blow up", cities are nuclear ghost towns and mutants roam the wreckage. Fors, a young man who is also a "mutant", sets out with his telepathic cat companion to prove to his community that he is worthy to take his deceased father's place and a honored Star Man.

Its a good read and if you still read to your 9 to 11 year old children, this one might be a good one. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep them interested and it could lead to some good discussions on issues like: Why do men war and How should we handle racial and cultural differences.

It is a hard book to find , being out of print. I found a later publishing renamed Daybreak-2250 A.D. on Amazon for about $5.00

Catching Up

OK, its been quit a while since my last post. Sorry about that. So what's been going on? A whole bunch and nothing at all. What I mean is, nothing big or ground breaking has happened. We've just been busy with life.

My job with EveryCarListed.com is going well. The site is doing well and I continue to grow in my programming skills.

Laura and I took the family to Florida with some friends during the summer. We stayed in a condo in Rosemary Beach. It was one of the best vacations I have ever taken. Everyone had a great time.












I didn't get to go hunting this year. That was a real disappointment, but I did get a new Weatherby .300 Win Mag. It packs a real wallop and took a few shots to get used to the kick. It's a tack driver and a hoot to shoot.














I took my younger girls camping for the first time. We went in the spring and then again in the fall. I think this will become an annual tradition.














I've gotten the chance to play some 40K. Its been a good long time since I played last and found the rules had been revised again. It was good to field my Tau army. I'm currently collecting a new Space Marine army.















So like I said, nothing really ground breaking to report. Laura and I continue to grow in our relationship with the Lord and in our marriage. The girls are all growing up way too fast and keep us very busy. We're just living life the best we can and being grateful along the way.

So whats to come? You'll just have to come back and see.