who is Norman Spinrad?

continuation

Little Heroes by Norman Spinrad
I started reading this in high school. I have no idea why I stopped. I only got halfway through it. I might have found something else to read, that I liked better. Probably Software by Rudy Rucker. But I still remember most of what I read in this one before I quit. I decided today that I should go ahead and finish it before I get any older, and start to forget.

currently reading

Dreams of Sex and Stage Diving

by Martin Millar

I really enjoyed Ruby and the Stone Age Diet, so I went out and got this at Barnes and Noble.

One Reservation

I read this about nine or ten years ago, my dad got it for me for x-mas, I think. I've since gone on to read A Cook's Tour and The Nasty Bits. I even own the single season DVD of Kitchen Confidential TV series. I regularly watch No Reservations on the Travel Channel, so needless to say I'm a big fan. When I found out he was coming to Tulsa to speak at the PAC, I got all excited and made plans to go. That was a few months ago and I was disappointed when I saw on the internet that the cheapest advance tickets were over $200. Damn. I cancelled my plans to attend. Then today, while I was awaiting my daily venti frappuccino at Starbucks, I noticed Bourdain's face on the front page of the local entertainment section. I read it and it said that tix were $35-$45. No way. I came home and followed the link I saw in the paper and sure enough, affordable. I've been trying to be good and not use my credit card, but this is an unexpected opporunity that I just couldn't pass up.

I have been in the restaurant business for about 20 years, 7.5 years as a sushi chef. Kitchen Confidential is an essential read for anyone who thinks of themselves as a "foodie." Tony is a hardened kitchen veteran and it shows in his attitude, his writing and I assume, his cooking. As a chef and aspiring writer, I look up to Bourdain and look forward to seeing him live this saturday. My ticket is waiting at the PAC box office.

used books

Went shopping yesterday. Bought some books at Gardner's. Kind of inspired by the young adult stuff I've been reading lately, I ended up wth four YA titles and another Dr. Who book. It ended up being a Sleator bonanza. Here they are, with descriptions from the back covers:

1. Doctor Who and the Leisure Hive by David Fisher: The Leisure Hive on the planet Argolis is an entertainment centre for galactic travellers. At the heart of the hive is the Tachyon Recreation Generator, a machine with a most extraordinary performance capability and vital to the continued existence of the Argolin after their devastating war with the reptilian Foamasi... While visiting the Hive, the Doctor and Romana are sucked into a whirlpool of treachery and deceit, and are eventually arrested on suspicion of murder...
2. This Can't be Happening to Macdonald Hall! by Gordon Korman: Bruno and Boots are always in trouble. So the Headmaster, aka "The Fish," seperates them. Bruno must now room with the ghoulish Elmer Drimsdale. And Boots is stuck with nerdy, preppy, paranoid George Wexford-Smyth III. This means war. Because Bruno and Boots are determined to get their old room back, no matter what it takes. And the skunk was only the beginning. (I used to own this one. I can't believe he was only 12 when he wrote it.)
3. The Boy Who Reversed Himself by William Sleator: When Laura finds her homework in her locker with its writing reversed, she is totally baffled. Until she learns an unbelievable secret: her weird neighbor, Omar, has the ability to travel to the fourth dimension. Against his wishes, Laura forces him to take her there - and then, a novice in terrifying "four space," she goes there on her own, with her boyfriend Pete. There's only one problem. She doesn't know how to get them back...
4. Others See Us by William Sleator: It's summer vacation, and Jared's family is making their annual trip to his grandmother's beach house. He'll finally get to see Annelise, the gorgeous cousin he's been dreaming about all year. But almost as soon as they arrive, Jared wrecks his bike, falling into a swamp filled with toxic waste. Later, he begins to notice voices in his head. Strange voices- almost like other people's thoughts. He is horrified to discover what his family is really like. Soon Jared finds himself locked in a murderous battle of wills- because once someone else can enter your mind, there is no turning back.
5. The Boxes by William Sleator: When Uncle Marco goes on one of his mysterious trips, he leaves Annie in charge of two exotic, sealed boxes on one condition: she must not open either one while he is away. But of course she is tempted... and soon she has unleashed the unspeakable. The creatures inside the box are crablike and grotesque. And they possess a power Annie could never have imagined.

Swindle

TurnHereFilms — April 09, 2008 — After a mean collector named Swindle cons him out of his most valuable baseball card, Griffin Bing must put together a band of misfits to break into Swindle's compound and recapture the card. There are many things standing in their way -- a menacing guard dog, a high-tech security system, a very secret hiding place, and their general inability to drive -- but Griffin and his team are going to get back what's rightfully his . . . even if hijinks ensue. This is Gordon Korman at his crowd-pleasing best, perfect for readers who like to hoot, howl, and heist.