Tuesday 072908

Tuesday

Work: Hallelujah! I'm on the home stretch for stuff that has to get done this week -- and it's only Tuesday. (knock wood that nothing goes wrong) Today, the big one, the Cultural Trust grant, is at the office of the government sponsor -- Tina Volek City Administrator -- for her review and signature. All I need now is the support letters from the senators (2) and rep (1) and it will go out soon. I also did the Letter of Intent for the Mockingbird Foundation; I figured it couldn't hurt. Should work on the spreadsheet for the Sponsor-a-Chair.

Reading: That darned library. Limiting the lender to only 12 holds just doesn't work for me. I've had to take off some older holds to make way for more important ones that were finally listed. The ability to have 20 holds would be so much more convenient. Frustrating. At least I'm first on all the books I want ... bwahahaha!

Currently reading - or continuing a previous start - of David Hewson's A SEASON FOR THE DEAD. I started this a while ago and other things got my attention but I figure with only a couple days left in the month, I should try to finish something that I've already been into. The first line is: "The heat was palpable, alive." Here's the Amazon blurb on it:

...features detective Nic Costa and an ensemble cast drawn from the ranks of the Rome state police. University professor Sara Farnese is at her desk in the Reading Room of the Vatican Library perusing a 10th-century copy of Apicius's first-century cookbook De Re Coquinaria when former lover and fellow university professor Stefano Rinaldi careens into the room dragging a large plastic bag. Rinaldi dumps the contents of the bagâ€"the freshly flayed skin of an adult maleâ€"and quotes the Christian theologian, Tertullian ("The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church"), then takes a couple of bullets in the head from a panic-stricken Swiss Guard. Detective Costa and partner Luca Rossi are outside the Vatican in St. Peter's Square on pickpocket patrol when they catch the news of the shooting on a police scanner, charge into the Reading Room and are quickly kicked out by security man Brendan Hanrahan for jurisdictional reasons ("The Vatican is another country"). Rossi and Costa become officially involved when the skinless remains of Sara's lover and the body of Rinaldi's wife are found strung up in an ancient Roman church. After this rousing beginning, the intricate plot spins off in several directions, involving corrupt cardinal Michael Denney, the Mafia, Vatican secrecy and the serial killer who's murdering Sara's former lovers in ways that mimic famous paintings depicting the martyrdom of selected saints

For years - basically for as long as I can remember reading -- I've always liked books set in Rome or that involve the Vatican. There is always political/religious intrigue. And yes, I'm not one of those that slam THE DAVINCI CODE. It is a fine thriller for what it is intended to be. Entertaining. The Hewson is the first in the series of seven books.

I had to do some fixing with quite a bit of whiteout of my book journal; the idea of putting the first line in it just isn't going to work, space-wise. Ah well. The good news is that I'm back on track for books read for the year; at least I've gone slightly past this point in number compared to last year. I'm still listening in the car to the audio of THE MESSENGER by Daniel Silva. That reminds me to look up something about Van Gogh; it's getting interesting about that.

TV: Another tv night for me. 48 Hours, The Cleaner, and if it is still scheduled, Say Yes to the Dress. I'm free from tv the rest of the week. Oh wait, until Friday when TCM channel starts their August month-long salute to the stars thing. Each day a different movie star and several of their significant movies. (sigh) Looks like August 1st is Michael Caine movies.

I don't remember details now, but I had three dreams last night that I know of that were all rather scary. I wonder why. I mean, it seems like one would have to program yourself for something like that and I do avoid that. The only thing I can really think of is that Paranormal State last night was a little creepy and maybe something seeped in through that. I don't like that much.

Last night's dinner turned out good: I used Panko crumbs for the fish so that turned out crispy/crunchy and I cooked the corn on the cob with M&D's secret of sugar. Steve has an extra gun club meeting tonight to deal with an issue that cropped up so dinner will have to quick.
According to the weather channel a storm may come through around 8-ish.

Update: Uh oh, a hold from the library occurred. Will probably have to now read THE TROPHY EXCHANGE by Diane Fanning. Here's the blurb from the Library Journal Review:

When eight-year-old Charley Spencer finds her mother's brutally murdered body, Lt. Lucinda Pierce catches the case. Pierce has been damaged both physically and emotionally by events in her life but has survived to become a stellar homicide detective, as she demonstrates in pursuing vicious killers. Fanning provides plenty of forensic details, plot twists, and suspense. Though this near-perfect police procedural is not for the faint of heart, readers who like Kate Flora and Alex Kava will put it on their reserve lists. Highly recommended.

The first line: "Eight-year-old Charley Spencer bounded up the broad white steps of the porch of her curlicue-embellished Victorian home." The first chapter is riveting; it can be found at the author's website at www.dianefanning.com.

Oh, btw, we're now not going to Denver in August. Steve doesn't want to go and has used my new job as the excuse.

Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster