Connor the Cat

Connor
Originally uploaded by FlipSide3

My wife saved Connor from the shelter the October before I started seeing her. So he had been along for the ride since the beginning. We still joke about the first night he was in my home and knocked a jar off the top of the fridge in the middle of the night.

"That was glass!" was my reaction upon suddenly waking. I have a gift for stating the obvious.

Of the two cats that became a part of my life, Satine being the other one, Connor was both the main source of love and pain. He was constantly wanting love and attention. While Satine will accept a head scratch, Connor would wallow in your lap. Sometimes it would be hard to sleep with him purring by my side at night.

This was good and bad as he could be very annoying at times. Though you always knew he valued you, at least as the provider of food and attention. Too bad we were feeding him the wrong food.

Turns out that dry food isn't the best for cats (especially him it turns out). You think you're being nice by keeping his bowl full, but really you're just enabling him to eat himself to death. In the end much of the bad behavior, for which there was a lot, could be attributed to his diet slowly killing him. At least Satine will benefit from the knowledge gained by his demise. She's getting her food out of a can now.

So on November 10, 2010 we lost our orange lump of a cat. For all the trouble, he was a good kitty and I will miss him.

Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett

Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really liked this one because for once I was really worried about what was going to happen to the characters.  Shouldn't have worried so much as it all worked out in the end, like all good stories do.  Still that's what make them good... when the concern starts to well up in your mind.


If I was ever in dire straits I definitely want Granny Weatherwax on my side (or at least not on the other side).  Now I can add Mightily Oats to the list of fun Discworld folks I'd enlist if I was in a pinch.  That and the Nac Mac Feegle.


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The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett

The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finally back around to another Rincewind book.  This time the story wraps in the senior faculty of Unseen University.  Fun ride with some of my favorite characters.  Even the Luggage shows up, but at least this time he wasn't as brutal to his environment.  I laughed a lot reading this one.


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Jingo by Terry Pratchett

Jingo by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

City Watch once again.  Fun watching Havelock Vetinari quietly going about his business while letting the idiot aristocracy play war.  Reading about Leonard of Quirm buzzing around randomly inventing was a hoot.

Never trust an island that hasn't always been there.  No telling if it'll still be there tomorrow.  I'm just saying it's good advice.


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Guild Wars: Ghosts of Ascalon by Matt Forbeck

Guild Wars: Ghosts of Ascalon by Matt Forbeck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Being an avid player of Guild Wars I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book.  Yes, if you're not a player of this game you're not going to get nearly as much out of it.  I think it's a great adventure read for anyone though.

If you are a player, then it is a wonderful taste of things to come.  Every bit of the story hints at what will be in Guild Wars 2.  Character types, background history, and even what monsters wait for us out there are offered up in this text.

Makes me want the game even more!


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Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 4: Unstoppable by Joss Whedon (Author) & John Cassaday (Illustrator)

Astonishing X-Men Vol. 4: Unstoppable by Joss Whedon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This wraps up Joss Whedon's take on the X-Men and I could really see his hand in it. John Cassaday's art is very good, but seems to have lost some punch from the earlier volumes. Whedon's philosophy, of enjoying the happy now because it's all you've really got, has never been so clearly put to page. Also Whedon's penchant for immediately following a moment of happiness with tragic loss was very present too.

It made me smile, laugh, and enjoy myself... what more could I ask for?

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The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Maybe I've lost my taste for C.S. Lewis' style, or maybe I've been reading far too many Terry Pratchett works which make this look so shabby by comparison. I've enjoyed other Narnia books... Wardrobe, Last Battle, and the Magician's Nephew were fun reads. I abandoned A Horse and His Boy... so maybe I shouldn't be surprised that Dawn Treader wasn't a thrill for me.

The simplistic narrative was overly dull this time round. The characters barely developed during the course of the story... except for the annoying kid who learns to be less annoying. No huge conflicts that can't be taken care of in less than a page or two.

Here's the interesting bit... I can see how this will make a good movie in the right hands. The only reason I decided to read it now was to refresh my memory of the plot before the film comes out this winter. Being simplistic, the screenplay writer will have ample room to expand it. The book itself is basically an outline to a grander tale. I can already see which scenes they'll turn into action fodder and also I've got a good idea which parts will be cut completely (mono-footed dwarves anyone).

Anyway, it was a quick read so it has that going for it.

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