A Clearer View of "In Plain Sight"

Every story, no matter if it's a book, a play, on TV, in a movie, or told around the campfire, has the elements of plot, characters, and setting. When it's told on television, additional elements such as music, photography, and allowing for commercials are also important.

I don't have any squawks against the plots or settings of "In Plain Sight." The music and photography are fine, also. That leaves the characters.

Considering each of the regulars, I decided that they're all okay except for the lead, Mary Shannon. But, she's the main character! What can possibly be wrong with her?

It's simple. She speaks.

When she's yelling or on the phone in the throes of fake passion, anything where her voice isn't her normal speaking voice, she's fine. However, when actress Mary McCormack's speaking normally or doing the voice-over, the two of which are most of her lines, something in her near-monotone voice clicks on the "BORING" switch in me.

Something similar happened before with the movie, "Hero," starring Jet Li. I like Jet Li and his films aren't boring, yet I kept falling asleep. As many times as I tried to watch the movie were the number of times I conked out. I finally realized that it was always at about the same point and eventually figured out that the problem was the music. The first time, and every time since, that I watched the movie with the sound off, I was able to stay awake the entire time. It's a beautiful movie, too.

So, there I was last week, watching "K-Pax" starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges when Mary McCormack comes on portraying the wife of the character Jeff Bridges is playing.

Guess what happened.

It's a good thing she didn't have many lines.

Then yesterday, during the "Law & Order" marathon on the USA Network, there's a man in the witness protection program and U.S. Marshall Mary Shannon is flying into New York from Albuquerque.

So now, not only is it doubly confirmed that McCormack's normal speaking voice drives me to distraction, I also know from where the premise of "In Plain Sight" came.

The mystery is solved.

"Motor Mouth"

"Motor Mouth" is an Alexandra Barnaby novel by Janet Evanovitch, © 2006, ISBN: 978-0-06-058405-4, paperback, 376 pages.

I'm still trying to figure out why "In Plain Sight" is so bad. In the meantime, I continue to catch up on my reading.

I'm so stuck on Evanovitch's Stephanie Plum books that it was somewhat difficult for me to stop looking for counterparts to my favorite characters in this one.

I finally got that Barnaby isn't a bounty hunter, she's a NASCAR mechanic, and she doesn't have two hot men panting after her. She has only one. Instead of Stephanie's crazy family in New Jersey, Alexandra is helped by a family of Cuban aunts, cousins, and grandmothers in Florida. Nevertheless, she's compelled by circumstances to go after the bad guys and her hot man is right there with her.

It's fun and sexy with enough twists and intrigue to keep any fan of detective stories entertained to the very end. A great book for summer reading, it's perfect with real NASCAR races running on TV in the background, muted or not.

"Invisible Prey"

"Invisible Prey" is a Lucas Davenport novel by John Sandford, © 2007, ISBN: 978-0-425-22115-1, paperback, 420 pages.

My boredom with "In Plain Sight" continues. Wondering what in the world the people giving rave reviews can possibly see in it makes me think it might be a taste that takes a long time for me to acquire. I might like Marshall and definitely do like the little boy the second episode's about, but isn't the main character's name Mary Shannon? Why did she tell the judge her name is Sara White? Whatever. "In Plain Sight" is so bad, I reach for another book and happily begin rereading what I read a year or two ago.

But, I'm here to to give you my 2¢ about "Invisible Prey" by John Sandford while my first impression is still fresh.

Sandford is an author who tends to occasionally drift over to the dark side. I like Lucas Davenport and the rest of the good guys & gals that populate the "Prey" books so much, however, that I keep reading them.

Fortunately, "Invisible Prey" doesn't get into the really grisly details. We find out right away that serial killing's the crime, but there's little resemblance in the book to the creep or deeds seen in the movie, "The Silence of the Lambs" based on the book by Thomas Harris.

I highly recommend "Invisible Prey" for the story and the likable characters. The craftiness behind the murders in "Invisible Prey" and the tactics taken by the guilty make for page-turning intrigue. The bonus is what we learn from it about antiques.

One piece of advice: Don't read it immediately after reading "Echo Park" by Michael Connelly as I did because Sandford's style comes across as rough, even jagged, after Connelly's smooth flow. It's not that Sandford's writing actually is rough or unpolished; it's just that Connelly's writing is such a contrast that it seems that way.

"Echo Park"

"Echo Park" is a Harry Bosch novel by Michael Connelly, © 2006 Hieronymus, Inc., ISBN: 978-0-446-6646-1, paperback, 427 pages. Too many times, it seems to me that novels about serial killers dwell on the grisly details of the murders. I tend to skip over those parts, wondering why people find the macabre so fascinating. "Echo Park" is different in that Connelly concentrated where any good writer should, on plotting and characterizations, writing well to keep the reader engrossed in the story, not sprinkling in crass sensationalism to spur the reader on from one repulsive description to the next. We know from a few brief lines in parts toward the end of the book that the killer did terrible things, but the details are left to our imaginations. Except for a couple of oddly paced phrases at the beginning, the book's flow kept me turning page after page to see what happens next. Connelly is a former journalist who specialized in the crime beat and his weaving in of the details of police procedures and politics shows it. I've never before read anything like this; it was smooth, suspenseful, and completely satisfying. Although I've seen the movie adaptation of his book, "Blood Work," starring Clint Eastwood, this is the first book I've read by this author and I'm impressed enough to put his other works on my list of books to read. If they are as good, Connelly will easily be a favorite.

"In Plain Sight"

One word describes the first show of this new series on USA Network: "Boring." It was so boring that I wanted to read a book. Not turn to another channel, mind you. Read. A. Book. So, I did. I dutifully watched the entire show, then, gagging for something decent, reached for "Echo Park" by Michael Connelly. I'd never before read a book by him, but anything had to be better than that TV show. And it was. Much better.

"High Profile"

"High Profile" is a Jesse Stone novel by Robert B. Parker, © 2007, ISBN: 978-0-425-20609-6, paperback, 280 pages.

I enjoy Parker's Spenser novels for light reading. In comparison, "High Profile" takes light reading to a level that's lighter than fluff. The book goes down easily because it's mostly banter; there isn't enough substance to satisfy me. The plotting for this whodunit is so cleverly hidden, it's practically non-existent. I didn't feel as though I was someplace else because setting is also lacking. If not for the place names, the few generic descriptions make it too easy for me to imagine the story is taking place on the Left Coast instead of in Massachusetts and New York.

Where this book shines is in revealing the interpersonal relationships through dialog. In fact, the majority of the book is dialog and while the extremely short chapters make it easy to put the book down, the engaging dialog makes it easy to pick it up again.

In conclusion, "High Profile" is the book for those who want only to be able to say that they read a book. In my opinion, it's too superficial for those who really enjoy reading books, even light reading.

"The Kite Runner"

"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini, © 2003, ISBN: 978-1-59448-000-3, trade paperback, 371 pages. My favorite author is Ken Follett who also wrote my favorite book, "The Pillars of the Earth." However, his first novel, like the early works of many other authors, doesn't have the depth he developed later.

That's why "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini is remarkable. Not only is it a powerfully moving story of a boy in Afghanistan who later emigrates to the United States, marries, and finds himself confronting the prospect of returning to Afghanistan, it's rich with culture, settings, characters, and relationships, accomplishing it all in a first novel without the awkwardness of stilted flow or obvious attempts at technique that I've found in other first books.

It intrigues me that Hosseini, a medical doctor who spent his youth overseas, has a first novel that is significantly better than the first novels of native English-speaking novelists such as Ken Follett and Lee Child who started their careers as journalists. Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that journalists can't write good first books; it's that Hosseini did such an excellent job, it's no wonder that "The Kite Runner" is an international best-seller.

Thanks to KitePilotCA for recommending this slice-of-life novel to me. It is an easy, yet compelling, read that was hard to put down.

Nature's Best Photography

Thanks to my friend, Heidi, for sharing with me the awesome photographs of the Nature's Best Photography's Windland Smith Rice International Awards for 2007.

Richard du Toit, the Grand Prize winner, has more photographs in his Nature's Best Photography gallery. If you like polar bears, you'll enjoy Howard Ruby's Gallery. Ruby is the winner of the Conservation Photographer of the Year Award.

It's easier to view the award-winning photographs for 2006 at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. I am blown away by a photographer, Bruce P. Hall, who is legally blind since birth. If he can do so well, what's the matter with the rest of us?

The photo of the dolphin and humpback whale is my favorite of the awards for 2006 because of the playful interaction of the species.

There's also a website for Nature's Best Photography For Kids, teens, and the young at heart with a gallery called, "Masters In The Making" and a gallery of favorite photographs taken by a few youth from around the world called "My Best Shot."

Enjoy!

Two Laughing Matters

I don't usually watch videos. However, these two had me ROTFLMHO:

"An Engineer's Guide to Cats" by Paul Klusman.

"Mom Song William Tell (With Lyrics Captions)" by Anita Renfroe. (Turn your volume down before you start this one 'cause it's pretty loud.)

Water Bottles - Part 1 of 2

I'm a bad person. Or rather, I've been behaving badly. Whatever. Your pick. It's because I've been reusing those single-use 16.9 oz. bottles that we're not supposed to reuse.

One bottle, actually.

I reused the same bottle for the past five years because I like the push-pull sports cap and the small size is perfect for be-bopping around town running errands as well as for home.

I washed it only a few times during the entire period, too, by dripping a few drops of dish-washing liquid into it, filling it with hot water, and shaking it vigorously before rinsing it out. The sports cap got washed frequently because I lost the dust cap the first week, but not the interior of the bottle itself. I've rinsed it, but why would it need to be washed? I kept the cap closed except while drinking, only clean water's ever been inside, and there's no bacteria from my mouth entering on the backflow because it's never touched my lips, nor anyone else's for that matter, and anything on the opening of the cap got rinsed away while I was drinking. That's the beauty of using a sports cap.

Using a sports cap saves lipstick, too.

I've even repeatedly filled it halfway and frozen it. However, I didn't use it this past winter and when I got it out to use again last week, it smelled funny. I thought about it and got rid of the bottle. It was time.

Now, I need another water bottle. I can't get another small bottle of water because I've found those with sports caps sold only by the case. That's too many.

I could get the smaller 12 oz. version of the Nalgene ATB that I got for hiking that has a sports cap with a permanently attached dust cover, but before I do, I want to know: What other options are there?

Glass bottles are the best for health, good taste, and no odor plus they're 100% recyclable. I see that Aquasana has a Mother's Day special of free shipping for their set of six 750 ml glass bottles, but the size is too large, there's no sports cap, and glass is fragile and among the heaviest of the available water bottles.

Aluminum is another option and it would be fun to pick out one from SIGG. Aluminum is lightweight and durable, except for being easily scratched and dented, but may impart a metallic taste and odor and can't be squeezed for sports caps. For the people who suck on a sports cap like a straw, not being able to squeeze the bottle isn't a concern although they'll have to suck really hard unless they loosen the cap which may cause it to leak. For those who use sports caps to direct the downward flow of liquid into their upturned mouths as I do, not being able to squeeze the bottle will preclude this method of drinking.

Another inconvenience is that a SIGG bottle can't be frozen or put into ice as in a cooler because it may be damaged to the extent that it splits. It's safe to chill one only in a refrigerator.

Also, I've been told there are no health issues related to aluminum, but I doubt the couple that vouched for its safety in regards to Alzheimer's because, from what I know, the jury's still out. The insides of the SIGG bottles are supposed to be safe because they're lined with a water-based epoxy called Rezin, but if the liner is scratched or otherwise damaged, we're back to the issue of health and aluminum since unlined aluminum bottles leach Bisphenol A (BPA).

Our third option is stainless steel. Being metal, it shares similar properties with aluminum such as temperature transference and the possibility of getting expanded out of shape when frozen with even a small amount of water. Even so, it's the better choice over aluminum although it's twice as heavy as a plastic bottle and gets scratches and dents despite its durability. That it can be washed only with a mild detergent because chlorine can corrode stainless steel is not an issue for me.

An odd consideration is that any metallic taste experienced with stainless steel might be neutralized by using a plastic cap.

Those allergic to nickel may want to avoid it, since nickel is a component of stainless steel. However, bottles made with 18/10 stainless steel have low amounts of nickel in the alloy and may be safe.

Klean Kanteen is one of the best-known stainless steel water bottles and Nalgene, famous for it's many leakproof containers, has teamed up with Guyot Designs so we may have stainless steel bottles that are the same size as Nalgene's popular polycarbonate bottles which are being discontinued over the next several months to eliminate any customers' concerns about BPA. This ensures that our Easy Sippers, bottle clothing, filters, etc., will still fit our water bottles even though they're new bottles made of metal instead of plastic.

That brings us back to plastic. What kind? With the news of this and that plastic leaching health hazards, which plastics are safe and how do we tell them apart?

Continued in Part 2