Tuesday, May 08, 2001
Getting Ready for the Trip
Have already started packing for the trip on Saturday. Have pretty much figured what techno stuff I'll be taking: digital camera, notebook computer (and Zio!) to store the myriad pictures from the camera and to write with, and probably my trusty Palm m100 for taking notes with on the go. The weather over there has been milder than it has been here, and am keeping a daily watch on the BBC's long range weather forecasts, so I'll have a better idea as to what clothes to pack. Then there's the gifts to bring. Several bottles of maple syrup (cheesy but very Canadian), some tins of pie filling my Aunt Edith (her request), a couple of bottles of Henry of Pelham Icewine, and some train literature for my model-train-mad cousin Kenneth. (The material is sourced from my step-father-in-law David, who is a Go Train engineer, who was able to score me some manuals, Canadian railroader regulations and other such paraphernalia. There's enough info there to enable him to come over to Canada and drive a Go Train). My problem gift-wise is what to get my young second cousins, whom I've never met. Will get some cool skateboarding shirt for second-cousin Jonathan, who is 16 and apparently into that sort of thing. Perhaps a small piece of jewelry for 20-year old Jennifer (a journalism student in University apparently). Its been suggested I get a tie for 17-year old John, but I know that's not the sort of thing that would appeal to me much were the tables reversed. Will do some shopping around lunch-time today to see what I can find.
Re-Reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Listened to the audio book version of this over the past week. Published the year I was born, I first read it when I was an early teen in the 80s. I remember liking it a lot back then, and thought it one of the better titles by Heinlein (I went through a Heinlein phase at that time). I was pretty much oblivious to the libertarian politic in the book when I first read it, and I hadn't realized that the phrase "there's no such thing as a free lunch" originated with this book. Looking at (or rather "hearing") this book again as a more mature reader, am surprised at how much ol' Heinlein sacrificed the flow of the story explaining the politics, "line marriages", the cell structure for his underground and more. As a writer he seemed quite intent in putting these ideas across, but then, this was written in 60's America, and all book are ultimately a thing of their own time. A good example of this are the portrayals of women in the book, especially co-revolutionist Wyoming Knot, who is too dense to be taken seriously. I'm sure that's the point, at least in part, posing as the convenient foil who needs things constantly explained. But after a while I just got annoyed with her character. In the end, the most interesting character in the book is Mike the Computer. In any event, a fun read. Not as good as I had remembered, and showing its age, but still fun. Might make for a fun film.
Have already started packing for the trip on Saturday. Have pretty much figured what techno stuff I'll be taking: digital camera, notebook computer (and Zio!) to store the myriad pictures from the camera and to write with, and probably my trusty Palm m100 for taking notes with on the go. The weather over there has been milder than it has been here, and am keeping a daily watch on the BBC's long range weather forecasts, so I'll have a better idea as to what clothes to pack. Then there's the gifts to bring. Several bottles of maple syrup (cheesy but very Canadian), some tins of pie filling my Aunt Edith (her request), a couple of bottles of Henry of Pelham Icewine, and some train literature for my model-train-mad cousin Kenneth. (The material is sourced from my step-father-in-law David, who is a Go Train engineer, who was able to score me some manuals, Canadian railroader regulations and other such paraphernalia. There's enough info there to enable him to come over to Canada and drive a Go Train). My problem gift-wise is what to get my young second cousins, whom I've never met. Will get some cool skateboarding shirt for second-cousin Jonathan, who is 16 and apparently into that sort of thing. Perhaps a small piece of jewelry for 20-year old Jennifer (a journalism student in University apparently). Its been suggested I get a tie for 17-year old John, but I know that's not the sort of thing that would appeal to me much were the tables reversed. Will do some shopping around lunch-time today to see what I can find.
Re-Reading The Moon is a Harsh MistressListened to the audio book version of this over the past week. Published the year I was born, I first read it when I was an early teen in the 80s. I remember liking it a lot back then, and thought it one of the better titles by Heinlein (I went through a Heinlein phase at that time). I was pretty much oblivious to the libertarian politic in the book when I first read it, and I hadn't realized that the phrase "there's no such thing as a free lunch" originated with this book. Looking at (or rather "hearing") this book again as a more mature reader, am surprised at how much ol' Heinlein sacrificed the flow of the story explaining the politics, "line marriages", the cell structure for his underground and more. As a writer he seemed quite intent in putting these ideas across, but then, this was written in 60's America, and all book are ultimately a thing of their own time. A good example of this are the portrayals of women in the book, especially co-revolutionist Wyoming Knot, who is too dense to be taken seriously. I'm sure that's the point, at least in part, posing as the convenient foil who needs things constantly explained. But after a while I just got annoyed with her character. In the end, the most interesting character in the book is Mike the Computer. In any event, a fun read. Not as good as I had remembered, and showing its age, but still fun. Might make for a fun film.
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