Chris Recommends

Well I haven't taken many pictures lately, but hey, who needs pictures? And frankly I'm a bit tired of giving updates on my various adventures and social activities. I even quit my personal Japan journal (I've really been meaning to start that again...). So this week I'm going to take a break from all that and give you some random movie and book recommendations.

Books:

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy is one of my favorite authors. Faulkneresque, deep and dark. His novels are complex and violent, and sometimes hard to get into (Blood Meridian is my favorite of his, but I would only suggest it if you enjoy All the Pretty Horses as it is even more dense and more violent). The story is simple: John Grady Cole and a friend leave home for Mexico and run into trouble south of the border. And then John Grady goes and falls in love with the wrong woman. I won't say anymore, but if you're looking to challenge yourself with a type of book you are not accustomed to, pick this one up. There is also a movie of this starring Matt Damon that I have never seen.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowlings. I have no respect for those who dismiss Harry Potter without reading them. And in my opinion, those who do read them and and don't enjoy them must be stuck up. If you didn't have fun reading them, then it must be because you didn't allow yourself to have fun. Perhaps you went in feeling you were above reading children's books, or that fantasy doesn't suit you. Or perhaps you're just dull. Whatever the excuse, it's ridiculous, and you should go back and try again. Potter number 6 I read in three days. It lives up well to its predecessors. Once again, the tone becomes darker and the stakes for Harry get bigger. And ooh, the ending... quite a setup for the seventh and final novel.

Movies:

Casablanca. Recently a friend of mine said "he doesn't like old movies." I've heard this sentiment before and it angers me in the same way people who refuse to read Harry Potter anger me. Lighten up and try something new. The only things that new movies have that old movies don't have are good special effects and current ways of speaking. That's it. As far as story, acting, directing, and cinematography go, they are just as likely to be good or bad in an old movie as in a new movie. Anyway, if you're a person who never watches old movies and you're brave enough to give them a try, do yourself a favor and pick up Casablanca. I've never met someone who watched Casablanca and didn't like it. Simple as that. Now go. I won't even describe the plot. Just go watch it.

I wanted to write a second movie recommendation, but I got tired of writing, so just watch Casablanca, or perhaps a Police Academy movie.

Oh what the hell, here are a couple pictures from the place where Satoko works. They weren't taken on my camera. The first picture is the research vessel MIRAI, which Satoko once worked for (the lovely girl is standing in the bottom right of the picture in her work uniform). And the second picture is of me studying a radar image. Actually, Satoko works at the facility which is just out of sight in picture 1. They had an open house last weekend and I was able to get a better idea of what Satoko does for a living. There was a video in English describing the ARGO sensors she works with, which get dropped in the water and follow the flow of currents, etc, collecting all sorts of data for all sorts of research.