11/22/63 + Some Other Stuff

* Heading to Cape Breton on Saturday. I've also managed to secure a drive back to Halifax on the 27th so I don't have to pay for a damn shuttle both ways! Hooray! So expensive, $70 is a lot to ask for.

* Christmas shopping is 100% finished.

* Watching the first Sherlock Holmes movie tomorrow and then going to the local cinemas to watch the sequel on Friday. Very excited. I loved the first movie - more than a friend - so I have high hopes for Game of Shadows.

I did a review of 11/22/63 on goodreads but I rather liked it, so I thought I would post it here as well:

A few years ago, I had a few friends over to my place for some pizza and movies. We had rented Terminator 3, so I'm going to put this gathering at around.. 2003? After the movie was over, we started talking about time travel and how enormous a concept it was to take on. We all had our own theories on how it was supposed to work and the discussion began to get pretty heated. Now, when I say "heated" I mean, in just a frustrating and hilarious manner. We actually started screaming at each other as movies we all loved were brought into the discussion. In the end, nothing was solved.

Basically time travel fiction (anyone know of any non-fiction?) is pretty open ended. There aren't any set rules you have to play by and the most people ask is that you just make it seem.. plausible? You can argue until you're blue in the face with someone who has their own views on the subject but as long as you have a compelling enough plot surrounding it, you can shift people's focus from the mechanics to the basic story itself.

So in 11/22/63, King doesn't spend a lot of time going into how Jake travels 53 years into the past, he just wants you to accept that he is able to do so. Which is fine by me, I can trust Uncle Stevie, he hasn't given me a reason yet not to expect a great read. Granted, he gives you somewhat of an explanation eventually and while it does seem to make sense, I still didn't quite fully grasp what he was going for.

Thankfully, the story itself was enjoyable. It did seem to meander at parts, which is why it's only going to get a 4 star rating, but I suppose that's a given with a near 900 page monstrosity. I really hate harping on book length as I'm actually a pretty big advocate of longer fiction; my favorite book of all time is damn near 1,200 pages! I firmly believe that King could've shaved 100 pages off.. or at least somewhere in that ballpark. Pretty sure I heard him state in an interview that the first draft was somewhere in the realm of 1,500 pages? Correct me if I'm wrong.

I've heard a few people say that they had some issues with the ending and I can't quite understand that one. It's easily a far better ending then 2009's Under the Dome. The pacing in the final 150 pages had my heart racing at a rapid speed.

King certainly has done better but it's still worth the time you put into reading it. I give it a solid recommendation.

Apartment, Cape Breton & Cat Names.

I put a few photos up on the ol' blog a few months ago and realized today that I changed a few things around inside my apartment and I thought I would let you all know! Yep, I feel that you all NEED to know this.

In the immortal words of Super Mario, "Heeeeere we go!"



I went to a thrift store on Saturday and snagged that shelf for a pretty low price. Alaina thought it would be a good fit for all my figurines. The NEW bookshelf came from Home Depot. If you had seen the old pictures of my apartment, you'd know that my smaller bookshelf just wasn't cutting it anymore and that had to change. I love the new one, but it goes to show how I'm sorely lacking in the book department.

In other news, I'll be returning to Cape Breton on Dec. 17th for a grand total of 10 days. Kind of excited, kind of nervous leaving my apartment for that long a period of time. I worry a lot about what may happen while I'm gone. Probably a whole lot of nothing, I imagine, but you have to realize how crazy I am. Always terrified of a fire or something along those lines.

Those damn birds are STILL in my central air vent. However, that is my fault. Unfortunatley, I haven't made my way to my super yet about getting rid of them and ALSO getting my wiring fixed. About 5 or 6 plugs in my apartment are unable to handle large amounts of electricity, so any large drain blows the breaker and eliminates all power from my bedroom and bathroom for a few minutes. It needs to be fixed in the new year as I'm planning on buying a new TV.. and moving my smaller one into my bedroom. I sorely miss watching TV in bed. SORELY.

I'm also planning on getting a larger couch, a new coffee table and some more wall hangings. My bedroom is pretty bare. OH! I almost forgot. Totally getting a cat. I have no idea on the name yet but Alaina and I are making a pretty comprehensive list. Front runners as of right now are:

Professor
Roland
Bane
Super Nintendo Chalmers (I really want that one but it make be too ridiculous).
Gilmour
Conan
Phil Collins
Mr. David Boreanaz
Stifler
Silent Bob
Brodie
Dante
Rocky
Parker

..Can you tell I want a "boy" cat? Girl's names are hard.

I haven't been reading much at all. Well, that's a lie. I've been reading a lot of one book. Picked up the new Stephen King doorstop, 11/22/63. It's taking me a while to make my way though, it's certainly an excellent book, just long. I like it so far. Nothing to complain about anyway. King's writing is so smooth and relaxing. Does that make sense? I think it does.