Winter Hiatus Over!

I've finally gotten used to the nuances of my new computer, who I have named Lord Stanzibar, and I've rededicated myself to the art of blogging. I don't have a topic in mind for tonight, but I'm rolling out a new blog idea I call "Thing-a-Day". The idea is that, no matter how trivial something is, I will share it on the blog. Why? Because I always, always, always write far more than I intend to.

What I'm Watching

I know precisely two things about cars: the right pedal makes them go faster and my older sister can kill them with a touch of her hand (car kill count: 6). However, I've been watching a metric ton of Top Gear. Why? It's the most hardcore gearhead show out there. Honestly, half the time I don't understand what they're talking about and the other half of the time I don't care. However, the show is the ultimate background noise for when I'm messing around on the computer. The three hosts (Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond) have a fantastic chemistry and they usually go on exciting adventures once or twice a series. For example, one episode had them driving reasonably priced sedans around Germany. A challenge had them carpool with an oompah band to determine how comfortable the ride was. Then they asked the band which car was more comfortable, a BMW or a Ford (which was designed by a German and constructed in Belgium). The band picked the BMW because of national pride and Clarkson declared "That's racist against Belgians!". Later, Hammond said his car won the oompah challenge, Clarkson shouted "Because of racism!"

What I'm Reading

 
I just finished the first mystery of Sherlock Holmes. I've never actually read any of them (unless the Wishbone episode counts as reading) and this book was just too pretty to say no to. On a related note, this is exactly what bookstores need to do to revitalize their business. Don't try to compete on price with Amazon and e-readers, compete on style. You could get a paperback copy of the complete works on Amazon for half the price, but it won't look half so good. People concerned with price and efficiency will most certainly get the e-reader version of the book (yay public domain!), but people who actually own bookshelves prefer something with class and dignity.

What Else I'm Reading Vicariously

 Ryan North, of Dinosaur Comics fame, is running a blog of his experiences reading the Back to the Future novel. This is interesting because it's not based on the Back to the Future we all know and love, but rather the first draft of the script. Curiously, this book actually came out before the movie. So far, we're just 5 pages in and there are laughs a plenty. In fact, I'm pretty sure that he's written more about the book so far than the book itself! I guess I can relate to a guy who writes waaaaay more than he sets out to when he starts a blog. Something I can't relate is how frequently he's updating it.

I think I'll call it a night here. It's good to be back in the blogging saddle, so to speak. I'll see you guys tomorrow.