I have never been a big fan of audio books, but lately we've been listening to some books while we travel (mainly Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series), and it really does help to make the trip go faster. These are light hearted adventure/romance novels - more funny than suspenseful.
Recently, I made a trip by myself. Rather than continue the book Theresa and I had started, I decided to download something different that she might not appreciate. I had access to download some free audio books from LibriVox, so I figured I could find something I'd like. Since I like old science fiction, I looked through the selections of that genre, and picked Brain Twister, by Mark Phillips. Mark Phillips is actually a pseudonym for two writers - Randall Garrett and Laurence M. Janifer, who collaborated on this book.
Many old science fiction books are not great, so I wasn't expecting much when I started to listen to it. Before I could get into the story, I had to become accustomed to the reader. Some of the mannerisms I found annoying - especially a couple of the voices used for different characters - but soon got used to it and it didn't bother me at all before long.
The story revolves around an FBI agent, Kenneth Malone, who is assigned the task of finding a telepathic spy. Since there are no known telepaths in the world, he has to find one - searching from one insane asylum to the next - ending up with a gang ranging from the delusional to the catatonic. The highest-functioning of the group is a little old lady who just happens to think she's immortal. Oh, yeah - she also believes she's Queen Elizabeth the First! Of course, the only way to get her cooperation is to humor her, and she leads the FBI around by the nose.
Malone is a stereotypical tough-guy G-Man - hard drinking, lady killer, and all that - but he's never quite in control of this caper. I love it when the too-good-to-be-true hero struggles to keep it together. Brain Twister is a pleasant story, with a nice mystery and a clever
twist at the end. There's not a ton of action, but it's funny, and the
characters are interesting and likable, so it holds your attention. If you're looking for something light and entertaining, it's worth checking out.
Brain Twister received a Hugo nomination in 1960, so there are a few things that don't fit in this world - I don't recall an "atomic rocket to the moon" - but those are incidental to the story. For the most part, the plot works, and could be set in any decade easily enough. The most obvious signs that this was written in the middle of the last century lie mainly in the lack of strong women or minority characters - except of course for "Queen Elizabeth".
The audio book format won't ever replace the printed version, at least for me. It does, however, provide a pleasant way to pass the time while you're mowing the lawn, driving, or engaged in some similar activity that won't allow you to read. LibriVox is a great way to try it out without spending any cash, and most new releases are available for a fee at iTunes, or similar sources.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Movie Review - Mirror Mirror
We had a chance to go to the new Snow White movie last weekend - Mirror Mirror. It's an entertaining re-telling of the fairy tale, with a few twists. This is not your grandmother's Snow White!
I have a thing for evil beauties, and Julia Roberts is perfect as the wicked stepmother queen. She's obviously having a great time in this film - hamming it up, letting the evil seep from her at every opportunity. She's funny, nasty, and gorgeous - the perfect combination in this role. Since it's a fairy tale, it's impossible for her to be too far over the top.
The other characters are pretty good. Nathan Lane is always great, and this is no exception - he's perfect as Brighton, the Queen's main toady. I also liked Armie Hammer as Prince Alcott - he always tries to save the day, but usually ends up just getting his pants stolen. Far from being the helpless maiden in distress, Snow White (Lily Collins) is saucy and capable - and tougher than the prince.
In this version of the fairy tale, the real heroes are the dwarves (with an able assist from Snow White, of course). These guys are funny, while also proving that the worth of a man is not measured by inches. I particularly liked Mark Povinelli, as the love-stuck Half-Pint, and Danny Woodburn (of Seinfeld fame) as Grimm, but the whole gang is really good. Finding Snow White in the forest, the group reluctantly take her in and teach her how to take care of herself. I love tough guys with hearts of gold, and that describes the dwarves perfectly.
Don't expect to know what's coming in this fairy tale - while we all know how it's going to end, how it gets there is quite different than you may expect. This is an updated tale, after all, and there were a few (actually a lot) of liberties taken with the original story. I happen to like saucy, kick-ass girls. I also like heroes that don't look the part, especially ones that don't take any BS from idiots.
This movie has no objectionable language, nudity, or graphic violence that would make it unsuitable for young children - the kids behind us seemed to enjoy it. Children will see different humor than adults, but both can enjoy it. If you're looking for light entertainment - or a good date movie - this is worth the price of admission.
I have a thing for evil beauties, and Julia Roberts is perfect as the wicked stepmother queen. She's obviously having a great time in this film - hamming it up, letting the evil seep from her at every opportunity. She's funny, nasty, and gorgeous - the perfect combination in this role. Since it's a fairy tale, it's impossible for her to be too far over the top.
The other characters are pretty good. Nathan Lane is always great, and this is no exception - he's perfect as Brighton, the Queen's main toady. I also liked Armie Hammer as Prince Alcott - he always tries to save the day, but usually ends up just getting his pants stolen. Far from being the helpless maiden in distress, Snow White (Lily Collins) is saucy and capable - and tougher than the prince.
In this version of the fairy tale, the real heroes are the dwarves (with an able assist from Snow White, of course). These guys are funny, while also proving that the worth of a man is not measured by inches. I particularly liked Mark Povinelli, as the love-stuck Half-Pint, and Danny Woodburn (of Seinfeld fame) as Grimm, but the whole gang is really good. Finding Snow White in the forest, the group reluctantly take her in and teach her how to take care of herself. I love tough guys with hearts of gold, and that describes the dwarves perfectly.
Don't expect to know what's coming in this fairy tale - while we all know how it's going to end, how it gets there is quite different than you may expect. This is an updated tale, after all, and there were a few (actually a lot) of liberties taken with the original story. I happen to like saucy, kick-ass girls. I also like heroes that don't look the part, especially ones that don't take any BS from idiots.
This movie has no objectionable language, nudity, or graphic violence that would make it unsuitable for young children - the kids behind us seemed to enjoy it. Children will see different humor than adults, but both can enjoy it. If you're looking for light entertainment - or a good date movie - this is worth the price of admission.
Monday, April 16, 2012
The Hot Real Estate Market in Lincoln
I frequently have people ask me, "Is anything at all selling right now?" My answer so far this year is, "Absolutely!"
A few years ago, we had around 2,500 homes listed in the MLS in Lincoln and the surrounding areas - today, we have fewer than 1,500. One of the measures of the real estate market in our area is the Absorption Rate. This measurement is derived from dividing the number of homes in a specific price range by the number sold in the previous 12 months. In essence, it tells us how long the supply of homes would last, if no new listings appeared. This doesn't give us an "average time on market", but it does serve as a rough measure of activity. An absorption rate of more than 6 (as in more than a six month supply in a given price range) means we're in a buyer's market - there are plenty of homes listed, and buyers can take their time and, due to the slow activity, have more leverage in negotiations.
A couple of years ago, the absorption rate was consistently over 6, and sometimes even higher. Now, in price ranges lower than $350,000, it's below 6, and a number of categories are around 4. What does this mean in the real world? It means if you're buying a house, you'd better be prepared to move quickly when you find your dream home. Recently, I worked with a couple looking for a home in one of the "hot" price ranges - between $175,000 and $200,000. Five or six times, homes sold before we could get an appointment to view them. When we found the right home for them, we faced the prospect of facing multiple offers - effectively ending any thoughts of trying to buy for significantly less than the list price.
I'm seeing the same thing play out over and over - last night I was showing homes in another price range, and out of six homes on the list, one had a "Sold" sign when we pulled up in front. I've also seen some of my listings sell very quickly, including two that sold on the first day on the market! While prices are still down slightly from their highs of a few years ago, we are now definitely in a Seller's Market. That's great news if you want to see the real estate market recover - if homes sell quickly (and especially if we start to see multiple offers), sellers will begin to receive prices closer to their asking price, and values will begin to creep up. This should also help new construction, since new homes will be needed to fill demand.
Our economy is still weak. As it improves, we'll start to see real estate take off. What I'm seeing now is an indication that we're working our way out of the hole.
A few years ago, we had around 2,500 homes listed in the MLS in Lincoln and the surrounding areas - today, we have fewer than 1,500. One of the measures of the real estate market in our area is the Absorption Rate. This measurement is derived from dividing the number of homes in a specific price range by the number sold in the previous 12 months. In essence, it tells us how long the supply of homes would last, if no new listings appeared. This doesn't give us an "average time on market", but it does serve as a rough measure of activity. An absorption rate of more than 6 (as in more than a six month supply in a given price range) means we're in a buyer's market - there are plenty of homes listed, and buyers can take their time and, due to the slow activity, have more leverage in negotiations.
A couple of years ago, the absorption rate was consistently over 6, and sometimes even higher. Now, in price ranges lower than $350,000, it's below 6, and a number of categories are around 4. What does this mean in the real world? It means if you're buying a house, you'd better be prepared to move quickly when you find your dream home. Recently, I worked with a couple looking for a home in one of the "hot" price ranges - between $175,000 and $200,000. Five or six times, homes sold before we could get an appointment to view them. When we found the right home for them, we faced the prospect of facing multiple offers - effectively ending any thoughts of trying to buy for significantly less than the list price.
I'm seeing the same thing play out over and over - last night I was showing homes in another price range, and out of six homes on the list, one had a "Sold" sign when we pulled up in front. I've also seen some of my listings sell very quickly, including two that sold on the first day on the market! While prices are still down slightly from their highs of a few years ago, we are now definitely in a Seller's Market. That's great news if you want to see the real estate market recover - if homes sell quickly (and especially if we start to see multiple offers), sellers will begin to receive prices closer to their asking price, and values will begin to creep up. This should also help new construction, since new homes will be needed to fill demand.
Our economy is still weak. As it improves, we'll start to see real estate take off. What I'm seeing now is an indication that we're working our way out of the hole.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Crappie Time!
We spent most of the past week at our lake home in Missouri. The weather wasn't perfect, but we were able to do most of what we wanted to do - mainly golf and fishing. The golf was fun, but not as successful as the fishing.
Every spring, when the water warms up over 50 degrees, the crappie spawn occurs. Crappies are large pan fish that are valued for their tasty fillets (crappies are one of the best fish to eat - white, flaky meat, very mild). During the spawn, they are especially active, and can be caught in the shallows near shore, where they feed on small minnows and bugs. They're very active, and can be a lot of fun to catch. We use light tackle (4 pound test line with lightweight spinning tackle), and small, weedless jigs - casting up into the rocks from the boat.
I'm not the world's greatest fisherman, but we're learning the tricks, and we've been able to keep the freezer stocked with enough fish to eat (crappies in the spring, and catfish later in the summer, when it gets hot). I've heard stories of people catching 50 or 100 crappies in a couple of hours, but we've never done anything like that. Over the past weekend, we caught a couple dozen keepers on two trips of about 3 hours or so each time. There's a minimum size limit of 9", so we threw back about as many fish as we caught. Most of our fish were between 10" and 13", so we had some nice fish.
As I say, we're learning the tricks, but we still have a lot to learn. We did, however, get the chance to watch a real pro fish - and this guy rarely misses! Where we go from place to place, with little thought as to where we'll have the best luck, this guy carefully selects his spot. He fishes the shallows - actually stalking his prey by walking slowly along the shore line until he sees the one he wants. He moves so deliberately that the fish never see him until it's too late. When he's ready, he strikes so quickly that the fish is in his beak before they know what's hit them!
Wait a minute - did I say beak? Yes, this professional fisherman is a Great Blue Heron - the ultimate professional fisherman at Lake of the Ozarks. Think about it, he's got no second income and no endorsement deals - if he doesn't catch fish, he doesn't eat. You can't get much more professional than that!
As I watched the heron fish, I couldn't help but think about how perfectly adapted this bird is to catch fish. He's got long, skinny legs - perfect for sneaking up on fish in the shallows. They're so stick-like, they don't disturb the water at all, and I'm sure they look like a weed or tree branch in the water. When he finds his prey, his long neck - coiled while stalking - uncoils and he strikes with snakelike speed. His long beak grabs and holds the fish, killing it so he can swallow it.
Of course, I had to stop Theresa from rushing out there to tell our heron to leave "her" fish alone (she also wants to chase off the human fishermen), but once we got past that, it was fun to watch this big bird catch his dinner. He rarely misses, and he's patient enough to stand motionless until the time is right. He never catches more than he can eat, and he never throws gut-hooked fish back in the water to die. No fancy equipment to buy - he doesn't even need a license!
I'm not the world's greatest fisherman, but we're learning the tricks, and we've been able to keep the freezer stocked with enough fish to eat (crappies in the spring, and catfish later in the summer, when it gets hot). I've heard stories of people catching 50 or 100 crappies in a couple of hours, but we've never done anything like that. Over the past weekend, we caught a couple dozen keepers on two trips of about 3 hours or so each time. There's a minimum size limit of 9", so we threw back about as many fish as we caught. Most of our fish were between 10" and 13", so we had some nice fish.
As I say, we're learning the tricks, but we still have a lot to learn. We did, however, get the chance to watch a real pro fish - and this guy rarely misses! Where we go from place to place, with little thought as to where we'll have the best luck, this guy carefully selects his spot. He fishes the shallows - actually stalking his prey by walking slowly along the shore line until he sees the one he wants. He moves so deliberately that the fish never see him until it's too late. When he's ready, he strikes so quickly that the fish is in his beak before they know what's hit them!
As I watched the heron fish, I couldn't help but think about how perfectly adapted this bird is to catch fish. He's got long, skinny legs - perfect for sneaking up on fish in the shallows. They're so stick-like, they don't disturb the water at all, and I'm sure they look like a weed or tree branch in the water. When he finds his prey, his long neck - coiled while stalking - uncoils and he strikes with snakelike speed. His long beak grabs and holds the fish, killing it so he can swallow it.
Of course, I had to stop Theresa from rushing out there to tell our heron to leave "her" fish alone (she also wants to chase off the human fishermen), but once we got past that, it was fun to watch this big bird catch his dinner. He rarely misses, and he's patient enough to stand motionless until the time is right. He never catches more than he can eat, and he never throws gut-hooked fish back in the water to die. No fancy equipment to buy - he doesn't even need a license!
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