It's March Break... what am I doing? We didn't win at trivia on Friday, but Neal and I (and sometimes Neil) are in first place for the year. This is good, because of the end-of-year cash prizes (we're talking hundreds, here!). I've played my share of NHL 07 on the ol' XBOX, as well as Dr. Mario and Tetris 2. I watched the Habs beat the Leafs (woo!) on Saturday at Neal's, and had a few beers along the way. On Saturday, C & I finally bit the bullet and bought a ride-on lawnmower at Sears. It was a good mower for a good price, a few hundred bucks off. It arrives later this week. I hate spending money, especially large amounts of it. Sunday saw church, dinner at the in-laws, taxes (I owe, of course) and a movie at home after The Amazing Race. We watched "Stranger Than Fiction".


A good movie with a very original script. I liked it muchly. I figured out the connection (well, not exactly, but pretty much) not too far in, but the ending and everything else was still mostly a surprise. Very good movie. Fresh, interesting, enjoyable. Recommended.


Also on Sunday, I started to read a book someone at our school loaned me to read a long time ago. I figured I should just get down to it during the break and finish it so I can return it. It's called Apathy And Other Small Victories: A Novel, by Paul Neilan. Holy crap, it's good! A very quick read (I find), with lots of conversation, description / comparison, and oddball rants that push things along and make the whole thing fly by. I'm not done yet, but I heartily endorse it, especially for Chunks and Shane. In fact, I like it so much, that I'm going to take the time to type a couple of select (and non-spoiler) excerpts out:

...

I'd never actually talked to a deaf person before but I'd been swimming and gotten water stuck in my ears lots of times, felt that underwater silence as I shook my head and watched people's mouths moving without hearing the words, so I knew what it was like for her. I could empathize. And I always used to watch reruns of The Facts of Life when I came home from school and I had vivid, uncomfortable memories of those episodes where Blair's stand up comedian cousin would mock herself to get laughs and teach tolerance to Mrs. Garrett and the rest of the girls. She had cerebral palsy but she talked like a deaf person, so the lesson was the same. I could sympathize, and pity.

...

He looked at me the way my mom did the time she caught me officiating the wedding of Mr. Potato Head and He-Man. I had just said, "You may kiss the bride," and when I looked up, she was standing in the doorway. I was fourteen years old, and I was not wearing any pants.
...

But it was good as far as stalls go, with those bars on the walls that make you feel like you're a quadriplegic learning to walk again, or a ballerina. And it was always empty because most regular people feel too bad to use it, like they'd be screwing some crippled guy who'd have to shit his pants because he's too handicapped to sit in a regular stall. But all the handicapped people are at home, being handicapped. They're not working at insurance companies. When was the last time you saw a guy in a wheelchair using the copy machine? Use your fucking head.

...

"I also don't know," I said, but then both of her hands were on the back of my head and she was stuffing me in her mouth like that little Japanese guy who eats all the hot dogs. It is a strange sensation, being devoured.
...

And I didn't even get to the weird sex stuff, the theft, the detectives, the guinea pig... and I'm not even halfway done of it! I'll be done soon enough, though. Great book.

Today was breakfast with the grandparents-in-law, Old Navy, bottle depot, picking out counters for the bathroom, cleaning, cooking, more video games, and general stuff. I think we'll watch The Ringer now. We got it last night with the other video. Should be funny, with some heart. Or so that staff member who lent me the above book said.