As the southland looks forward to a rain-free weekend after the deluge of this week, that dry hope does lift the spirit when all you've seen since last Sunday is dark clouds and inundated roads. I know we here will not get much sympathy because our weather is relatively mild compared to most parts of the country during winter. Heck, even the sunny and tropical city of Miami, Florida turned frigid last week when the temperature went down into the high 20's (degrees you can only find around here in our local mountains). Nope, we're not even close to that cold. Just wet.Of course when we turn soggy, things tend to get exciting, locally. Our drivers routinely forget how to drive in this weather (no kidding... many have the penchant to actually speed up in a downpour). I remember long ago, one of our local radio DJ's was quoted as saying 'that it rains psychedelic drugs' in our basin due to our proclivity for horrible driving in wet weather. Approximately 300 rain-related accidents were reported Wednesday... and 500 more only a day later. Plus, try driving through flooded streets like those in the low lying sections of L.A. County that will flood when the precipitation turns heavy (Carson and Long Beach are notorious for this). You'll know pretty quickly how water tight your car really is. And all of that doesn't include the sliding ground, that has a tendency to move anyway (earthquakes), when the mudslides start happening in our hills. This is especially true for the areas left bare when they suffered major brush-fires this past summer (our other annual event). Many areas are still under mandatory evacuations.
So, I look for a little cheer on this Friday. And, I find it in the sky that is trying to peek a little blue (now and then), and in the blogosphere.
Book blogger Jen alerted me this morning that our favorite Robert Crais novel, the great L.A. Requiem, was gathering attention once more. Author Ken Bruen cited it in his novel, The Dramatist (along with the Jolie Blonde Bounce by James Lee Burke). Additionally, author David White did the same with a Friday Forgotten Book post of his today:
And then came Crais. For a while I didn't notice anything different about him. He had the same thing... a witty PI, a crazy sidekick, some good characters. And then came REQUIEM.If you haven't read the book, it is well worth your time. You can read as a standalone, but I (along with book blogger Corey and the nerdy one, Elyse) believe it is savored better once you have the first seven in the Cole - Pike series under your belt. The payoff is that much more sweeter when the reader crosses that boundary with a familiarity of Elvis and Joe to that point (and the maturity of Crais as an author).
Crais blew the whole genre up.
I don't say that lightly.
He blew it up.
Movie blogger J.D. gave out some well deserved kudos to some of the great film bloggers from that community with yesterday's My Favorite Posts/Blogs from 2009. From Midnight Run to Point Blank, Nightbreed to White Hunter, Black Heart, and from Che to Birth, there are some great (and forgotten) films reviewed and examined by a select group. All are listed here by an equally gracious and talented blogger who makes a habit of doing worthy film appraisals himself. I'm still working my way through the cited posts, but they are all worth the read (maybe even by that one guy who touched on an 80's film about a high school football game).
Author Tom Schreck put out one fun post this morning with his FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR: Greatest Album Cover EVER! The fact that he named my all-time favorite album cover surely had nothing to do with it ;-).
Christian highlighted Ridley Scott's forgotten film gem, Legend, with his Friday Song post with a music video by Roxy Music maestro Bryan Ferry. Some of the film's background is discussed and makes the trip over there well worth it.
Lastly, in keeping with this post's theme of forgotten, here are a couple of musical gems from the 70's that recently made it into my iPod library. These long overlooked tunes seem fitting for this week with their beautiful and moving laments (especially since it's started raining, again).
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=af55fc6a-91db-811f-9847-2eef3ccca94d)
Thanks for the Friday Song shout-out.
ReplyDeleteI myself am loving this downpour. Matches the shiity week the world has been going through.
And yes, people in LA have no idea how to drive when strange liquid needles fall from great sky god.
Whoa, look who's all fancy and redesigned! I like, I like! Congrats on the overhaul, Michael. It looks great.
ReplyDeleteIt's also great that LAR is having a resurgence. My arms are tired from cramming it down people's throats. It's nice to have others take over for a while.
christian: happy to do it, my friend. Nice of you to stop by and leave a comment.
ReplyDeletePCN: very kind of you to say. I get restless, sometimes (so I like to change things up). Speaking about LAR, it was great, too, that blogger pattinase added it to her Friday's Forgotten Books summary. And Jen will be listening to the LAR audiobook on her way to Dayton this weekend.
Thank you both very much for your comments and thoughts.
Great new look, lp13!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the CA deluge, I thought you'd understand this post a friend from Oakland posted on her Facebook page:
Ah, yes. 5 days of torrential rain and I watch bits and pieces of "character" fall off my "charming" 121yr-old Victorian cottage.
And anytime you need someone to help carry the banner for L.A. REQUIEM, just let me know. Both my husband and I will be on that bandwagon in a heartbeat!
Thanks, Christine. Very kind of you to say about the new look. Yep, I certainly understand your friend's post. Those up north usually get it first and harder when the Alaskan storms come south. So glad to hear LAR got a great pair like you and your spouse to keep the love going for it. Say, when are you leaving for Dayton? Less than a day away now. You going to post something about it?
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I drove up to Dayton last night. Today was spent with my in-laws. I am really looking forward to tomorrow! It's supposed to be rainy here, so I hope Jen doesn't haven't any issues driving down. I'm definitely going to post about meeting up with Jen and going to see RC! (Fortunately I caught that both sets of batteries for my camera were dead tonight instead of tomorrow at the signing!)
ReplyDeleteI like the look, I do! I liked the previous look, too, but now all the gadgets really claim my attention. I feel the need to steal them, and I will, too, if I ever find the chutzpah to re-do my own blog. Or even to post on it more frequently.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't familiar with that song by Brenda & the Tabulations. I only have one song by her/them on my iPod and it may well befit the weather out there: Dry Your Eyes.
I'll catch up with Jen and Christine tomorrow at the signing. SO looking forward to this!
Hey! Like the new look...since you got me hooked on blipping I have been lazy with my blog. I will have to figure out how you did all this and try it on mine.
ReplyDeleteNice to see you've been reading some good stuff.
Christine: good catch with the batteries. Hope you have a great time today.
ReplyDeleteNaomi: I hadn't heard that song till I found it now. Good song. I just blipped it right now.
Moondancer: I've been neglecting blip.fm too long. I've got to jump back in. BTW, installing a new template isn't as hard as it seems. Create a new test blog (see this tutorial) and upload new templates to it till you find one you really like. Then, follow this tutorial on how to install it on your existing blog without deleting your existing widgets. HTH
Thank you all for your comments and thoughts.
Thanks for the info, I will give it a go. I loved your old songs here so I blipped them, hope you don't mind. The one by Marilyn McCoo brings back a memory.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is one I enjoy reading....
Hope all is well.
Thanks for the shout-out, my friend!
ReplyDeleteI too really enjoyed Christian's look back at LEGEND. Man, I haven't thought about that film for years!
Moondancer: always happy to see you re-blip the old songs :-). That song by Marilyn is a good one, I had forgotten about it for some time.
ReplyDeleteJ.D.: you're welcome, my friend. It was a great post. Fun, too, to see the talk about LEGEND by Christian and you.
Thank you, both, for your comments.