Bookshelf:

Recently Read & Reviewed:

• Tim Powers, Declare

Currently Reading:

• Robert Reed, Sister Alice

Next Up:

1. Sean McMullen, Call To The Edge
2. Scott Westerfield, The Risen Empire
3. Karl Schroeder, Ventus

Hork the Halls

Friday Debbi and I revived our movie night by getting pizza and renting The Bourne Identity, which I've been interested in for a little while. It features a man (Matt Damon) who is rescued from the Medeterranean with two bullets in his back, a laser chip with the identity of a Swiss bank depository, and no memory of who he is. He does, however, discover that he's an expert combatant and has a wealth of knowledge in his head, even if he has no memories of his life.

It's all a bit implausible, but makes for a fun action film. Travelling to Zurich, he discovers that his name is Jason Bourne and that he's an American citizen living in Paris. Also that he has a whole bunch of money, a gun, and some fake passports under other names. Heading to the American embassy, an attempt is made to arrest him, and he escapes in an exciting chase scene in the building. He hitches a ride with a young woman, Marie (Franka Potente), who is down on her luck, and they go to Paris, where it turns out the authorities are now looking for the both of them. Marie decides to stick with him, and the two of them go on the run as Bourne tries to figure out who he is and what he's done.

Based on Robert Ludlum's novel (which I have not read), The Bourne Identity has only a modicum of super-science in it (it's suggested that Bourne is the product of an experimental training program, and might be drug-enhanced or even a little more than that), but mostly it's played pretty down-to-earth, making it feel almost like a throwback film. It's likely to please fans of The 6th Day as well as people who enjoy action/suspense films but found the SF elements of that one implausible.

I guess we'll have to rent The Bourne Supremacy next.

We're heading into full Christmas frenzy here. I spent some time shopping yesterday, having almost finished shopping for my Dad, Debbi, and my nephew. My Mom and sister are stumping me so far, and there's not much time left. It's high on my list for this coming week.

We also bought a tree yesterday and put it up today. It only has lights on it so far, no ornaments. That's because we spent most of the afternoon putting up lights outside my house - more than ever this year. They look really nice, though. I bet they don't do my electric bill any favors! Oh, well, we have gotten some nice compliments on them from passers-by.

The cats are curious about the tree, as usual. No climbing incidents (yet), but we did get the first hork of the season up in my study. "Hork the halls with wet pine needles", as I put it. Or maybe "Hork the herald kitties chuck." The little dummies.

Yesterday a telemarketer called me (boy am I looking forward to January when it will have been three months since I put my name on the National Do Not Call Registry and I can just start telling them off when they call). I told her I wasn't interested, and hung up. 15 seconds later she called me back. Whoa, when does that ever happen? I told her I still wasn't interested and hung up again. 15 seconds later... well, I let the machine get that one.

Turns out this time it was my friend Karen. Whoops.

We had a nice chat anyway.

I'm not sure I'm ready to go back to work tomorrow. I feel exhausted just thinking about it. Well, two weeks 'til my holiday vacation (not that I'm going anywhere).