#125 God Bless You, Mr.Vonnegut

A sad day. My favorite author Kurt Vonnegut passed away yesterday at the age of 84. It's hard to really say how sad I feel about this. His books inspired me, his writing made me laugh and cry and his ideas made me think and explore my own beliefs about everything - politics, art, love, science, war, death, and human nature. He just seemed like the coolest, crankiest, goofiest old guy in the world and I'm so sad that he's gone.




THURSDAY THIRTEEN #2
Thirteen Stories by Vonnegut You Should Read

1. Slaughterhouse-Five - my all time favorite. I've read it maybe six times and wrote a paper on it in high school. About the bombing of Dresden, a boy named Billy Pilgrim who wanders unwillingly and aimlessly through time, and many other satirical themes.

2. Cat's Cradle - the most popular Vonnegut novel that just about every college student has read. About religion, the atomic bomb, an a substance called ice-nine that solidifies at room temperature.

3. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater - A book about Eliot Rosewater, a drunk heir who is too kind-hearted for his own good and may or may not be insane.

4. Breakfast of Champions - The book that made Kilgore Trout, Vonnegut's alter-ego, famous. Trout is an aging science fiction writer with very limited success and only one fan and in this book he encounters a car salesman and hilarity ensures.

5. Mother Night - "In Mother Night Vonnegut makes fun of sex, and motherhood; of war and peace, of the FBI and Communists; and the Nazi's too."

6. God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian - Vonnegut, with the help of Kevorkian, is made almost dead and spends his time in-between life and death interviewing dead folks. Some of the interviewees include William Shakespeare, Eugene Victor Deb, Sir Isaac Newton, James Earl Ray (Martin Luther King's assassin), and Mary Shelley.

7. Bagombo Snuff Box - A collection of short stories. Meet George Hemholtz, the kind band director who lives for music in "The No-Talent Kid" and "The Boy Who Hates Girls" and experience a story that is pure Vonnegut in "2BR02B".

8. Welcome to the Monkey House - Another collection of short stories. While all the stories in this collection are wonderful the story "Harrison Bergeron" is most striking as it explores a "Utopian" society where everyone - whether they like it or not - is created equal.

9. Player Piano - Vonnegut's first novel about a world run by machine. Published in 1952 its an interesting look into the possibilities of new technology and a scary glimpse into a world ruled by machines. When you think about how much of our lives are automated this book is almost chilling.

10. Jailbird - A story about Walter Starbuck, who is simultaneously in and out of control of his own life. Written in an autobiographical style, we watch Walter from the sidelines as he goes through the ebbs and flows of his life jumping - in true Vonnegut fashion - from the past the present the future.

11. Galapagos - The passengers on the Bahia de Darwin become the Adam and Eves when the boat sinks while cruising to the Galapagos Islands. Probably the most difficult Vonnegut book to work through, but if you dig hard enough you will find the wry charm buried beneth the ecological devices that make this book what it is.

12. Hocus Pocus - A book that is not for first time Vonnegut readers, but more for those who are use to his style and prepared for his mockery. Some of the themes in this book include racism, crime, education, socialism, alcoholism, and many more. A complicated little novel.

13. Wampeters, Foma, & Granfalloons - A collection of opinions from the man himself. This is a rare direct opening into Vonnegut's mind, where his ideas aren't cloaked under his Kilgore Trout's disguise. Includes reviews, essays, and speeches.

As if that isn't evidence enough of my love for this man, here's a look at my Vonnegut collection:

#122 Thursday Thirteen #1

Holy crap it really snowed last night. Snow day!

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Saw this over at Cory'sblog and thought it might be a good thing to start doing each week. I'd like to try and take this blog a little beyond the fat and fitness at it's core and make it a little more personal. Without further ado:

THURSDAY THIRTEEN #1
Last Thirteen Movies I Watched

1. Phenomenon - Caught this movie on Bravo one night when they were doing a John Travolta marathon. I don't usually go for this kind of movie but it was cute and sort of sad so I got sucked in. I'll admit it, I got a little teary towards the end.

2. Fear - A young Reese Witherspoon dates basically the worst guy in the world who eventually ends up threatening her entire family. After watching the roller coaster scene I'll never be able to see the Witherspoon the same again.

3. Overnight Delivery - I'm a sucker for anything Paul Rudd (who pretty much embodies, physically, everything I want in a man) so I had to watch this when I spotted it on tv. Funny, but dated. A good fluff movie to kill some boredom.

4. 300 - 10% romance 10% story of bravery 80% partial nudity. A truly beautiful movie, not only for the hot men, but for the entire tone of the film. Marketed as a guy movie, but my girl friends and I really liked it.

5. Black Snake Moan - Crazy Indie flicks are my passion, so I was really excited to see this film. It was nice to see Morgan Freeman in something that wasn't completely lame (Snakes on a Plane anyone?) and Christina Ricci did a really great job with her role.

6. Clerks - I watched this movie a long time ago and thought it was really dumb and poorly made. Watching it now, a little older, a little wiser, I actually thought it was funny and could appreciate the sort of low budget dialog driven awesomeness of the movie.

7. Pan's Labyrinth - So pretty, so sad, so magical. A really wonderful movie that everyone should see.

8. What The #$*! Do We Know!? - One night in Spain, after four bottles of wine, my friends and I got into a really interesting discussion about quantum uncertainty and this film was recommended to me. It certainly makes you think about life and how much of what we do is up to us.

9. Leaving Las Vegas - I'm not much of a Nick Cage fan (except for the Weather Man, which I really liked) but I was surprised at how much I liked this movie. It was abrasive and upsetting, which, in my opinion, is usually a good quality in this kind of movie.

10. This Film is Not Yet Rated - A documentary about the rating systems set up by the MPAA and the secrecy surrounding the process of getting a film rated. Very interesting and made a lot of really great points about the faults in the rating system.

11. Enduring Love - I saw a preview for this somewhere and added it to my Netflix. It made it to the top of my queue without being bumped somehow and I was really surprised at how good it was. It's about fate and love and relationships and disasters and responsibility. Excellent acting, and a really intriguing story.

12. Valley of the Dolls - I'm told this movie and the book it's based on were a pretty big deal back in the day. The movie was campy and dramatic and good retro-pill-popping fun.

13. Half Nelson - Watched this late last night when I couldn't fall asleep. Ryan Gosling was nominated for - and won - the Best Actor Independent Spirit Award for his work in this and it was definitely deserved. His character is interesting to watch and his interactions with his co-star Shareeka Epps were hopeful and heartbreaking all at once. A great movie.