So, I'm going to cheat today. Instead of doing a full blog, I'm going to put a review of my most recent read up, and leave it at that.
The weather was miserable, we had to put Kenneth (10 year old Cocker Spaniel with a lion complex) down this morning, and since we've been mostly been doing carport work, and putting in trees to replace the ones that died during the fire, there's not all that much to share anyway. I'll update y'all the next time 'round.
Here's the review for Mighty Hammer Down by David J. Guyten
In my own review system of 1 to 7 stars this one gets 6. Not bad for an indie published author.
* * * * * *
A six for David Guyten’s “Mighty Hammer Down”. It took me a while to get through Guyten’s book, but this had more to do with the length (almost 400 pages) than the story. In fact, I went through it at a sturdy clip, so to speak.
But let’s get started. Even though I have some criticism, as you’ll undoubtedly discover below, on the overall I truly enjoyed reading Mighty Hammer Down.
First of all, the first chapter is an attention grabber. Well-described action that would look well in a movie, I think. Though there is a slight lapse after that, my curiosity stuck with me to the end of his tale. A definite plus for any book.
Writing style:
There were a few minor hiccups during my multiple reading sessions into Guyten’s full-length novel, but on the overall his prose was steady, solid and consistent. Some typos, as is inevitable, but nothing disastrous.
Personally I would have liked the author to take some risks in his narrative, change the pacing a little every now and then just to keep me on my toes but he stuck to consistency instead.
In any case, whatever can be said of his style, Guyten has enthusiasm and a bright passion for his content and that came across on every page.
Setting:
The setting of Guyten’s world was a bit reminiscent of a childhood favorite called “The Trigan Empire” in regards to the Romanesque influences that definitely shined through. Architecture, clothes and appearances…the fact that this registered means that Guyten manages to portray the world he created, so a reader “gets it”. I do admit that the content of his…well, I suppose one would call it “his characters’ philosophy” outran his settings by far, making them secondary, and perhaps not even that.
Personally, I found the views of his characters, and the way he described them, fascinating. Very politically oriented, and let’s face it, politics never fail to interest or capture. Though there were times when the author appeared to become a little preachy, as in observations his hero made, it was not so that it annoyed. In fact, it actually managed to fully entertain me. It will however cause a love or hate response to readers, I’m thinking. Since I’m on the side of the first, I don’t consider the tendency to be much of a problem.
Plot:
Guyten’s plot is complex and you will be smart to keep track of it. Several evil parties eager to “rule the world” so to speak, and a handful of heroes trying desperately to stop them, while they’re trying to deal with careless Gods, vicious politics, sneaky assassins and evil men in general.
Characters:
Rommus: Guyten’s clear-cut hero appears to be a somewhat over-sensitive fellow at first. He is adrift in a world he doesn’t understand, and doesn’t understand him back. He’s gentle, intelligent, and big of heart and body, and yet still took a while to grow on me. In fact, I had a serious liking for his father from the very start. In the end Rommus lived up to his potential however, and managed to have me root for him.
Alana: She appears to be a little less clear-cut, and to my regret she was a bit two-dimensional because it was never really explained what her motivations were as she started out as foe and then ended up as friend. I would have liked to see more of what drove her, and how that affected her relationships towards the other characters. The thing that was clear throughout the book was that she became a close friend to Rommus and is destined to be more in the future of this series…at least, I sure hope so.
Tannis: Rommus’ father and a warrior of old. Set in his ways, loyal to the bone and…well, the way he viewed life fascinated me every time. I found myself looking forward to his dialogues, if only to see what he would say next.
The Villain:
There were several in fact. The evil emperor’s son who strove to destroy his father’s hard work. The sneaky “king” of the enemy seeking to destroy the land of our heroes with whatever means available. And a God wanting to rule all on his own. They were properly evil, they were appropriately present and well described, and vocal about their wants. There will be no doubt about any of their intentions.
Violence:
Guyten’s violence was graphic and yet so to the point that it left little impact on me. The brutality of certain actions were added in almost negligent manner that almost made me miss them altogether, and unlike the many fine scenes within this tale, they failed to impress me with vivid imagery. Which is a pity, but not a disaster since not everyone likes violence in the first place.
Conclusion:
Mighty Hammer Down is an interesting glimpse into David Guyten’s world, which is part one of the Legend of Reason series. It is not for everyone. If you’re not inclined to read long narratives about his heroes’ views towards life, religion, politics and more politics, this is not the book for you. If you want to get into heated discussions with your book club, family, or whatever, you shouldn’t miss this one. It is bound to set tongues wagging.
I, for one, am looking forward to the sequel.
Here's a link if you want to check it out:
http://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Hammer-Down-David-Guyton/dp/1440486077/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320436532&sr=1-1
Friday, November 4, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Funny grandpa
Song of the day: “Rapper’s delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang. We looked it up the other day and it’s been going through my head ever since.
Yesterday started out pretty sore. It was chilly during the night, so Knight II, Chaos and Sitabah thought it a good idea to press up against me during the night, resulting in me lying in all sorts of weird bends and angles to prevent falling off the bed. *sigh* Nice and warm, sure, but my back was absolutely killing me.
The workout was good for getting those disks back in line, but the discomfort did persist for a bit as I started on the day after a quick shower and hanging of the laundry, of course.
While having breakfast pumpkin soup was prepared for supper, creating a rather creamy mixture that smelled up the small kitchen really well. What followed was the unloading of the car. Only a small donation, but you can hardly be picky. Every little bit helps.
A small arm chair had to be carried down next. Do you know what happens when you lift up a 40 pound chair (about twenty dogs around your feet) and broken staples sticking out, right there under your middle and ring finger? It wasn’t pleasant I tell you, and what with the dogs under me, I could not drop the darn thing to check out the damage. Nope. Instead I had to shift my fingers (the staples still piercing skin) as not to loose hold. Now imagine what happens with skin then. It wasn’t pretty, I tell ya, but in the end no harm done. I iodined the lot, sprayed oxidized water over it and then bandaged the lot
Next I gathered tools and such before heading down to the basin terrace.
Sally needed some shelving in her room, and wanted to have a lampshade replaced by a white one. Big brother worked on the electricity, adding a three-way plug to her room.
There were several moldy spots on her walls, so we couldn’t postpone it any longer. What with Dani there for the day, we took out a hammer and a chisel and started taking out the old grout work. No easy task, I tell ya, but also not bad since the weather was still wonderful (the sun was out and tenant sat with us, enjoying herself in the warmth).
It took several hours, in all. And at some point we decided that it would be a good idea to test out if we could use the high pressure air gun to clean the strips we’d cleared. Grandpa went up to get the machine while we chopped, scrubbed and scraped some more. After several minutes he returned with the hose spindle and…well, I’ve got to do a dialogue here.
Me (to Dani): “Ah, there he is.” We both turn
Grandpa: “Got it.”
Me: “Good.” Wondering about the winch with hose he carried.
Grandpa: “There you go.” Setting the winch down, and turning away.
I clear my throat.
Me: “What about the machine?” He stops, his back towards us for a moment, and then turns to look at the winch.
Grandpa: “Darn! That completely skipped my mind.”
Seriously, Dani and I almost doubled over with laughter as he headed back up the mountain mumbling to himself all the while. Hah.
While we were working on the grout work of the terrace that also serves as Sally’s roof Big brother and grandpa spent the majority of the day in the yard turning earth and planting seedlings. The potatoes are so not liking the rain that was there. Better hope that the weather persists just a few more days, because one more rain and we can kiss the first potato field goodbye. Disease is raging rampant.
Finished the workday, after the grout work was done, by close the greenhouses and heading up the mountain for another edit, and some review reading. I know the review is going incredibly slow, but the book is 318 pages long and I do want to do it justice.
In the end it turned out that we were both too tired for a proper edit, so after a few pages we decided to give up for the night and tried to get to bed early. Of course then I still had to feed my dogs, clean up my cabin a bit, and all those nightly rituals that take so much time. I was lucky to get six and a half hours last night, for crying out loud!
Another workout this morning, which went well, and barefoot despite the chill. What with my foot playing up so much, I decided I rather have the foot cold than painful, and am noticing some improvement as of today, thank you very much.
There were the morning chores, followed by breakfast and heading on up to the old horse paddock where I set up a pallet to work on today. Time to get tenant’s stove ready. Grandpa already went through the trouble of cleaning it proper these past couple of days, so I just had to set it on the pallet and start painting it. What with the rust already starting on the old, cheap paint, we decided to go for black with gray for the loose elements like the small lid, grating, paws and adjuster for contrast. It looks good. At least it did after I painted it, and the tubing completely black.
Sure it still has to be put in, but tenant will be able to use it once the temperatures start dropping. Yay.
While I was doing the painting and keeping tenant company (caregiver was at her other job) big brother was working on the new grill he’s designing for the little stove. What with the cheapness of the design, some adjustments are necessary. We noticed as much last winter.
I cooked dinner of mixed veggies with lentil pancakes on the side. Not bad at all, despite being incredibly “hot” from the spicy pepper that somehow ended up in the dish. We are still not sure where it comes from, but it happens more often…and that while we test the stupid peppers before using them. So weird that there are parts of the peppers that are jot sharp at all, while others will make you run for water.
Did a bit of organizing afterward and then drove Sally to work, since her bus doesn’t come by at the right time on Tuesday. Since the trip only takes me about fifteen minutes, I don’t mind all that much.
Went to the yard afterward, checking everything for caterpillars, snails, and leaf miners, all of which were a lot of. Next I closed the greenhouses, checked everything and went back up to start on today’s edit, of which half if already done, and the blog.
All done. Hah.
Yesterday started out pretty sore. It was chilly during the night, so Knight II, Chaos and Sitabah thought it a good idea to press up against me during the night, resulting in me lying in all sorts of weird bends and angles to prevent falling off the bed. *sigh* Nice and warm, sure, but my back was absolutely killing me.
The workout was good for getting those disks back in line, but the discomfort did persist for a bit as I started on the day after a quick shower and hanging of the laundry, of course.
While having breakfast pumpkin soup was prepared for supper, creating a rather creamy mixture that smelled up the small kitchen really well. What followed was the unloading of the car. Only a small donation, but you can hardly be picky. Every little bit helps.
A small arm chair had to be carried down next. Do you know what happens when you lift up a 40 pound chair (about twenty dogs around your feet) and broken staples sticking out, right there under your middle and ring finger? It wasn’t pleasant I tell you, and what with the dogs under me, I could not drop the darn thing to check out the damage. Nope. Instead I had to shift my fingers (the staples still piercing skin) as not to loose hold. Now imagine what happens with skin then. It wasn’t pretty, I tell ya, but in the end no harm done. I iodined the lot, sprayed oxidized water over it and then bandaged the lot
Next I gathered tools and such before heading down to the basin terrace.
Sally needed some shelving in her room, and wanted to have a lampshade replaced by a white one. Big brother worked on the electricity, adding a three-way plug to her room.
There were several moldy spots on her walls, so we couldn’t postpone it any longer. What with Dani there for the day, we took out a hammer and a chisel and started taking out the old grout work. No easy task, I tell ya, but also not bad since the weather was still wonderful (the sun was out and tenant sat with us, enjoying herself in the warmth).
It took several hours, in all. And at some point we decided that it would be a good idea to test out if we could use the high pressure air gun to clean the strips we’d cleared. Grandpa went up to get the machine while we chopped, scrubbed and scraped some more. After several minutes he returned with the hose spindle and…well, I’ve got to do a dialogue here.
Me (to Dani): “Ah, there he is.” We both turn
Grandpa: “Got it.”
Me: “Good.” Wondering about the winch with hose he carried.
Grandpa: “There you go.” Setting the winch down, and turning away.
I clear my throat.
Me: “What about the machine?” He stops, his back towards us for a moment, and then turns to look at the winch.
Grandpa: “Darn! That completely skipped my mind.”
Seriously, Dani and I almost doubled over with laughter as he headed back up the mountain mumbling to himself all the while. Hah.
While we were working on the grout work of the terrace that also serves as Sally’s roof Big brother and grandpa spent the majority of the day in the yard turning earth and planting seedlings. The potatoes are so not liking the rain that was there. Better hope that the weather persists just a few more days, because one more rain and we can kiss the first potato field goodbye. Disease is raging rampant.
Finished the workday, after the grout work was done, by close the greenhouses and heading up the mountain for another edit, and some review reading. I know the review is going incredibly slow, but the book is 318 pages long and I do want to do it justice.
In the end it turned out that we were both too tired for a proper edit, so after a few pages we decided to give up for the night and tried to get to bed early. Of course then I still had to feed my dogs, clean up my cabin a bit, and all those nightly rituals that take so much time. I was lucky to get six and a half hours last night, for crying out loud!
Another workout this morning, which went well, and barefoot despite the chill. What with my foot playing up so much, I decided I rather have the foot cold than painful, and am noticing some improvement as of today, thank you very much.
There were the morning chores, followed by breakfast and heading on up to the old horse paddock where I set up a pallet to work on today. Time to get tenant’s stove ready. Grandpa already went through the trouble of cleaning it proper these past couple of days, so I just had to set it on the pallet and start painting it. What with the rust already starting on the old, cheap paint, we decided to go for black with gray for the loose elements like the small lid, grating, paws and adjuster for contrast. It looks good. At least it did after I painted it, and the tubing completely black.
Sure it still has to be put in, but tenant will be able to use it once the temperatures start dropping. Yay.
While I was doing the painting and keeping tenant company (caregiver was at her other job) big brother was working on the new grill he’s designing for the little stove. What with the cheapness of the design, some adjustments are necessary. We noticed as much last winter.
I cooked dinner of mixed veggies with lentil pancakes on the side. Not bad at all, despite being incredibly “hot” from the spicy pepper that somehow ended up in the dish. We are still not sure where it comes from, but it happens more often…and that while we test the stupid peppers before using them. So weird that there are parts of the peppers that are jot sharp at all, while others will make you run for water.
Did a bit of organizing afterward and then drove Sally to work, since her bus doesn’t come by at the right time on Tuesday. Since the trip only takes me about fifteen minutes, I don’t mind all that much.
Went to the yard afterward, checking everything for caterpillars, snails, and leaf miners, all of which were a lot of. Next I closed the greenhouses, checked everything and went back up to start on today’s edit, of which half if already done, and the blog.
All done. Hah.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Chimney fun
Song of the day: “Hold my hand” by Michael Jackson, of course. Beautiful, and nice to have in my head, in particular since big brother had the same problem for a change and was belting it out as well.
Well, it has been an incredibly busy couple of days, in particular since we’re hurrying through a lot of stuff due to the predicted rainy days. According to the forecasts we’re going to be pelted for a solid five days (Noooooooooh!!!) and if not that, at least three. I’m hoping that it’ll take another few days before it actually starts. Seriously, I have been enjoying the sunny weather these past few days so much, I wish it would never end.
But anyway, yesterday started early with a jog up the mountain for a change. Yep, we sometimes need a little diversity from workouts, so we climbed up the mountain and then jogged down the path and road. Knight II was along, and big brother might be pondering taking Thorgal III (his Golden retriever) along the next time. Thor sure would love it.
The jog went well, and the hot shower afterward was divine, in particular since the wind was downright chilling. I was properly warmed for the massive amount of laundry that had to be folded next, and then headed up to grandpa’s place to have breakfast.
After some minor chores, and grandpa heading out to the village to pick up tubing for water that needs to be rerouted, big brother and I headed on up the roof and started cutting into the roof tiling, the layers of concrete, and then the wood until a hole was created right in the middle of the top. It was weird being able to look inside from that angle. Hah.
Though I was up on the roof too, I did a lot of walking up and down the mountain. What with grandpa being away (he is usually the supply guy) I had to get whatever was needed while big brother used hammer and chisel (whacked himself on the hand twice *snort*) and the angle grinder and made the hole bigger.
That done, we plugged the hole and started talking about how the tubing should be ready for pick-up right about then, so we planned an outing to the city to see.
Next we headed down to the greenhouse, checking everything, taking out dead stuff, and so on. Sally has been having some electrical problems in her room, so we went there next and messed around with the wiring and the plugs for a couple of hours. First we had to install a new breaker down there, and then by the time we’d attached a new three way plug, it turned out that the wiring leading there wasn’t at all functional anymore. So, one of these days we’re going to have to put in new wiring, until then, she’s got some extra extension cords. *sigh*
We went through the yard, checking everything, and were about to head up for supper when grandpa phoned to inform us that the meal that had already been prepared had been devoured by a bunch of hungry canines who really appreciated the snack. *double sigh* I decided to laugh instead of cry and we decided to have fries to fill the big hole in our gaping stomachs. Jeez, I was hungry.
Improvised supper eaten, it was time to head on out to town, where, yes, we managed to pick up the tubing, and all but one corner we are going to need to build in the new wood stove. We got home around nine and by then I barely managed to get through my messages, let alone do a full edit. We made a brave effort, however, and then gave up to head for our respective beds at around 12 winter time. Yep, it’s that time of the year and we are back to winter time. I for one, am rather happy with the extra hour of sleep in the morning, and what with early bedtime yesterday, I had two! Yay!
No workout this morning, thankfully. Considering we had a full day planned I was pretty psyched about this fact. Hah. Had another big batch of laundry, of course. A good thing too, since the weather is threatening to turn again and we are having a lot of dirty laundry these days.
First there was yard work. Watering the elevated seedbeds, transplanting white cabbages into pots and then putting cauliflowers and cabbages into the yard. More checking, finding three more pumpkins and then heading on up to the house to see how we had planned the tubing for the woodstove.
Our minds made up we headed up the roof again, chopped out more stone, wood and concrete, and fitted a mould in place. I headed up to storage to get sand and made fresh cement to pour in place. Then I got a wheelbarrow of bricks, and then, with big brother’s help put in the stone tube that will be connected to the metal black ones. At first I had anticipated that I would have to pour the first section and then continue with the rest tomorrow, but as it turned out, I had enough time to do the masonry and the resulting plastering afterwards. It is looking pretty darn fine, I do say so myself. Here, have a look.
Not bad for my first chimney, eh?
And these are...well, just because the Knight looks awesome waiting for a ride in the car, and the greenhouse looked pretty in the clouds after the rain. Hah.
Anyways...While I was working on that, big brother worked on relaying water tubes behind my cabin. And Dani, who had volunteered to help out today (good thing, because we don’t have all that much time) by cleaning out the outside kitchen, and clearing the terrace so we can check the grout work one of these days. Keeping her company was tenant, who kindly enough worked diligently on preparing veggies for our supper, because, let’s face it, otherwise we would have had to eat French fries again.
Once I came to the kitchen, I only had to heat stuff up and mix it all together. Of course, I then remembered that I had to go down to the greenhouses and close everything now that the sun was almost down. (Damn that missing hour at the end of the day!)
Supper was a nutritious affair of spinach, potatoes, onions and cheese, which went down well after the long day.
Since we missed and edit yesterday we went over four pages big brother did manage to do last night, and thankfully already did today’s share…good thing too, because we have to go out in about fifty minutes. Darn it!
Well, it has been an incredibly busy couple of days, in particular since we’re hurrying through a lot of stuff due to the predicted rainy days. According to the forecasts we’re going to be pelted for a solid five days (Noooooooooh!!!) and if not that, at least three. I’m hoping that it’ll take another few days before it actually starts. Seriously, I have been enjoying the sunny weather these past few days so much, I wish it would never end.
But anyway, yesterday started early with a jog up the mountain for a change. Yep, we sometimes need a little diversity from workouts, so we climbed up the mountain and then jogged down the path and road. Knight II was along, and big brother might be pondering taking Thorgal III (his Golden retriever) along the next time. Thor sure would love it.
The jog went well, and the hot shower afterward was divine, in particular since the wind was downright chilling. I was properly warmed for the massive amount of laundry that had to be folded next, and then headed up to grandpa’s place to have breakfast.
After some minor chores, and grandpa heading out to the village to pick up tubing for water that needs to be rerouted, big brother and I headed on up the roof and started cutting into the roof tiling, the layers of concrete, and then the wood until a hole was created right in the middle of the top. It was weird being able to look inside from that angle. Hah.
Though I was up on the roof too, I did a lot of walking up and down the mountain. What with grandpa being away (he is usually the supply guy) I had to get whatever was needed while big brother used hammer and chisel (whacked himself on the hand twice *snort*) and the angle grinder and made the hole bigger.
That done, we plugged the hole and started talking about how the tubing should be ready for pick-up right about then, so we planned an outing to the city to see.
Next we headed down to the greenhouse, checking everything, taking out dead stuff, and so on. Sally has been having some electrical problems in her room, so we went there next and messed around with the wiring and the plugs for a couple of hours. First we had to install a new breaker down there, and then by the time we’d attached a new three way plug, it turned out that the wiring leading there wasn’t at all functional anymore. So, one of these days we’re going to have to put in new wiring, until then, she’s got some extra extension cords. *sigh*
We went through the yard, checking everything, and were about to head up for supper when grandpa phoned to inform us that the meal that had already been prepared had been devoured by a bunch of hungry canines who really appreciated the snack. *double sigh* I decided to laugh instead of cry and we decided to have fries to fill the big hole in our gaping stomachs. Jeez, I was hungry.
Improvised supper eaten, it was time to head on out to town, where, yes, we managed to pick up the tubing, and all but one corner we are going to need to build in the new wood stove. We got home around nine and by then I barely managed to get through my messages, let alone do a full edit. We made a brave effort, however, and then gave up to head for our respective beds at around 12 winter time. Yep, it’s that time of the year and we are back to winter time. I for one, am rather happy with the extra hour of sleep in the morning, and what with early bedtime yesterday, I had two! Yay!
No workout this morning, thankfully. Considering we had a full day planned I was pretty psyched about this fact. Hah. Had another big batch of laundry, of course. A good thing too, since the weather is threatening to turn again and we are having a lot of dirty laundry these days.
First there was yard work. Watering the elevated seedbeds, transplanting white cabbages into pots and then putting cauliflowers and cabbages into the yard. More checking, finding three more pumpkins and then heading on up to the house to see how we had planned the tubing for the woodstove.
Our minds made up we headed up the roof again, chopped out more stone, wood and concrete, and fitted a mould in place. I headed up to storage to get sand and made fresh cement to pour in place. Then I got a wheelbarrow of bricks, and then, with big brother’s help put in the stone tube that will be connected to the metal black ones. At first I had anticipated that I would have to pour the first section and then continue with the rest tomorrow, but as it turned out, I had enough time to do the masonry and the resulting plastering afterwards. It is looking pretty darn fine, I do say so myself. Here, have a look.
Not bad for my first chimney, eh?
And these are...well, just because the Knight looks awesome waiting for a ride in the car, and the greenhouse looked pretty in the clouds after the rain. Hah.
Anyways...While I was working on that, big brother worked on relaying water tubes behind my cabin. And Dani, who had volunteered to help out today (good thing, because we don’t have all that much time) by cleaning out the outside kitchen, and clearing the terrace so we can check the grout work one of these days. Keeping her company was tenant, who kindly enough worked diligently on preparing veggies for our supper, because, let’s face it, otherwise we would have had to eat French fries again.
Once I came to the kitchen, I only had to heat stuff up and mix it all together. Of course, I then remembered that I had to go down to the greenhouses and close everything now that the sun was almost down. (Damn that missing hour at the end of the day!)
Supper was a nutritious affair of spinach, potatoes, onions and cheese, which went down well after the long day.
Since we missed and edit yesterday we went over four pages big brother did manage to do last night, and thankfully already did today’s share…good thing too, because we have to go out in about fifty minutes. Darn it!
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