31 August 2010

End of August Note

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It is still almost impossible for me to get online, so I’ll just leave a short note here while I have some limited access. We are all doing very well (except my computer), and there really isn’t much news.
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I am feeling more fit than I have in a long time, and today I just returned from a long march through an area of the city that is new to me. I am in my explorer mode, my true nature.
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Tomorrow the plan is to take the boat downriver on a shopping expedition and jump ashore like a raiding Viking. I need to get another pair of solid sports sandals, and of course I also plan to sack a number of bookstores. Ooh rah!
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-Zenwind.
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21 August 2010

Offline: Computer Down

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21 August: My home computer is increasingly dysfunctional, so I can barely even log online these days. I will ask Tuk to look at it when she gets more time. Damn addictive technologies! – we get so that we depend on them.
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My point is that family and friends can now expect even longer silences from me for the foreseeable future.
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-Zenwind.

03 August 2010

Reviews of Dan Simmons’ novels

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I have four new posts on Zenwind blog about Dan Simmons and his novels. He is a favorite of mine, and I will read anything I find of his. My Intro Review is followed by three reviews of his books: Ilium/Olympos; the Hyperion Cantos; and my favorite, The Terror.
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-Zenwind.
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01 August 2010

Vampire Book Review: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

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The Historian (2005) by Elizabeth Kostova is a fine novel. Here is my Review.
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-Zenwind.
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Reading, Reviewing, and Recovering from the Hot Season

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During the Hot Season of spring and early summer, it is hard to be active and productive because of the oppressive heat and humidity, and one becomes weak. This year’s Rainy Season monsoons are weak due to El Nino-related weather patterns, but the clouds have relieved the wicked heat a bit. On recent nights, I have been able to go outside without a sweatband on my head. But I still put ice in my beer.
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I’m trying to exercise and build up some strength after the long period of heat and inaction. I have dumbbells and a very light routine of lifting, and after six weeks I’m feeling much better.
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I’m also getting into a more ambitious reading program and working on long-abandoned drafts of reviews. I missed a big book fair in downtown Bangkok this week because I was feeling too sick to travel. (We had gone out for movies and dinner, and I ate too much; it takes me days to recover from such big meals, but I can rarely resist them.)
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Here is my Review of the novels of David Gibbins, a marine archaeologist and historian that I enjoy reading.
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