A Song of Ice and Fire

I've just started reading George R.R. Martin's newest novel "A Feast of Crows", the latest in his fantasy storyline, A Song of Ice and Fire. This is the fourth in the series. I enjoyed the first three quite a bit. I'm not ususally that big a fan of fantasy stories like this, but I have always been a fan of Martin's writing. When the third book came out I went back and read the first two first, to get myself familiar with the characters again. This time I just plunged into the reading of the fourth book. It's taking some getting used to, trying to get back to speed with who everyone is. There are a lot of characters in this series. I'm about a hundred pages into it and I'm starting to remember who was who. It's starting to pull me back into the storyline.

It's A Wonderful Life

NBC just ran the annual showing of It's A Wonderful Life. When I was younger PBS started showing this every Christmas. It helped make the movie the staple it has become. At the time the movie was in the public domain, so before long you started seeing it on every network at Christmas time. You couldn't escape this movie. Than somehow NBC got the rights to it. I'm not sure how you get the rights to something to was in the public domain, but they did. Or there is probably something about the whole situation that I'm not aware of.

That's all besides the point. I love this movie. I know a lot of people think this movie is too silly, too corny, too whatever...but they miss the point. It's supposed to be too whatever you think, it's supposed to be a great feel good movie. I can never make it to the end of this movie, even though I've seen it a million and one times, without having tears in my eyes.

I know, I know, I'm just a big old softy.

Dead

Richard Pryor died earlier this evening. To me he remains one of the greatest comedians. I remember going to see his concert films at the movies and just laughing. He could take a serious moment and turn it into a side splitting laugh.

Also dead today is Gene McCarthy. A former senator and twice candiate for the president of these here United States. Clean for Gene is a ralling cry that most kids today will have no idea about. He may not have ever had a serious chance for the presidency, he was considered too liberal, but he helped shake things up a bit back in the sixties and early seventies.

In My Life

There are places I remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends
I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
there is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more

Blogging

The past month has been hard for me to do much blogging on here. Christmas is not a good season for me, I end up working so many hours that it seems all I do is work and sleep, which leaves me little room to do much else. So I'm not ignoring anyone. I try to check out some sites but leaving comments is hard right now, I haven't forgotten anyone and I feel real bad about not talking to all of you. I'm going to try to squeeze some in here and there, but I can't make any promises. Just don't forget me out there, I will be back.

Qoute of the day

"I have a secret passion for mercy," I said. "But justice is what keeps happening to people."

- Lew Archer (from The Goodbye Look by Ross McDonald)