It's Been a While

It's been quite some time since I've posted a column of notes, but I think I've finally worked up enough stray thoughts to pound one out.

Even with all the excitement over Revenge of the Sith, I haven't lost sight of the fact that there are plenty of other movies coming out this summer. I'm really looking forward to War of the Worlds, and I'm becoming more and more intrigued by Batman Begins. Recent trailers I've seen have piqued at least some interest in Fantastic Four and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I'm also looking forward to the latest Mike Judge project, 3001, which is supposed to come out in August. There's also some mild interest in Madagascar, The Wedding Crashers, and The Longest Yard. I know I won't get around to seeing all of these in theaters, but I'll probably catch most of them at some point.

Here's a preliminary order I've worked out for Star Wars novels I want to read after I finish Revenge of the Sith. First comes The Unifying Force, which is the final New Jedi Order novel. Then comes Survivor's Quest, which is the novel that follows the NJO series (I think), and is written by Timothy Zahn, who writes incredible Star Wars novels. After that will be Labyrinth of Evil, which is the book that leads directly into the events of Episode III. Once I finish that one, I'll have to sit down and figure out what else is out there. I know there are plenty, but right now I'm so far behind that I don't even know of all of them. The one I'm really looking forward to is Outbound Flight, which is another Zahn novel. The story of it was mentioned briefly in his Thrawn trilogy, which was the first series of books to begin expanding the Star Wars universe.

Before I get too deeply into the Star Wars novels, I want to finish up a couple of other books I've been working on for quite some time. I'm nearly finished with War and Remembrance, but I still have a ways to go on The Dark Tower. That one has sort of gone on hiatus, but I want to get back into it and finish it up in the near future.

I do intend to eventually stop talking about Star Wars quite so much. Right now I'm geeking out and loving every minute of it, so you'll just have to deal for a little bit longer.

Brandi and I watched Pulp Fiction on DVD earlier this evening. Brandi bought it for me for Christmas, and we hadn't gotten around to watching it yet. She hadn't seen it before at all, actually. It's one of my favorite movies of all time, but I don't think she liked it very much. When I think back, though, I don't think I liked it all that much the first time I saw it, either. It's a movie that requires a little bit of thought. Maybe she'll come around; maybe not.

For some unknown reason, the person in charge of the satellite radio at my office has made the change from our usual classic rock station to an eighties station. I like the classic rock, but it has definitely made for a nice change. Eighties tunes are the tunes I grew up on, so it has definitely been bringing back some memories. Strangely enough, the memories it has brought back most strongly have been of being in a bowling league with my cousin Rachel when I was younger. We were at the bowling alley every weekend, and most of these tunes were playing on the jukebox. Good stuff.

It's been an interesting week at work. I've gotten quite backed up, owing to a 28-page flyer that was given to me for proofreading late last week. While I went through that, other stuff has been building up. Today, someone finally got around to telling me that we're doing two 48-page catalogs this month, in addition to the 28-pager and some other various projects. It's our wonderful communication system in action once again. I also have to invest some time in my graphics responsibilities, as the other guy who does it has gotten quite backed up with his other responsibilities. I'm finding that I don't mind at all. I'm keeping very busy this way, and it makes the time pass by so much more quickly. I just wish that they would keep me advised on how much work is coming my way--it makes it so much easier to prioritize and make sure everything gets done on time.

The Reds have made some roster moves this week, parting ways with second baseman D'Angelo Jiminez and relief pitcher Danny Graves. They've been doing well since then, having won the last three games and sweeping a series with the Washington Nationals. I was a little surprised by the movies, but overall pretty pleased. Jiminez had been playing poorly all season, and hopefully this will give Ryan Freel a chance to play every day. I was more surprised they let go of Graves. He wasn't doing a very good job in the closer's role, but I just figured he'd be given a different role in the bullpen until he got himself back on track. He didn't endear himself to anyone by giving grief to the fans over the past couple of weeks, though, so it's probably better for all concerned that he's gone. It looks like the closer's role has been given to David Weathers, but I would like to see Ryan Wagner get a shot at it. Still, as long as they keep playing well and getting wins, I'm not going to complain much.