Book review: Run Away by Harlan Coben

I was looking at the books in Costco when I happened upon this one and decided to take a peek at it. It had a rather gripping writing style, so I started reading it and was able to finish it in one afternoon/evening -- over the span of maybe 4-ish hours of reading time. It was a pretty zippy read.

The premise of Run Away is that a man's daughter has gone missing and he wants to find her. She happens to be a drug addict. There are lots of twisty plot twists in this novel, which keep the suspense dialed up. I found them to be well-placed and not too unbelievable. 

It was set very contemporarily; lots of instances of particularly modern technology and culture/issues. Stuff that people living 2019 would be familiar with. That was interesting, as I don't think I've really read any other books (recently, at least) that have been set in a time period so up-to-the-moment.

It had hints of Prisoners, the Millenium trilogy and Netflix's show Ozark, even. Prisoners for the family/mystery of child's disappearance element, Ozark for the happy/somewhat wealthy [ie definitely upper middle class, if not more] family disrupted by unfortunate events/getting involved with something shady, and Millenium trilogy because of the mystery/thriller genre.

It reminded me of Millenium,** but flashier (more dramatic, I suppose, and the writing style itself as well), if you will. Millenium was more of a slow burn and more measured in style (although still quite good!). Stieg Larsson's writing style had more of a focus on various background context information and minute details. The writing style also had a bit more of a terse tone.* 

If you like twisty suspenseful stuff with a dose of murder and mystery that involves particularly contemporary issues in its plot, this would probably be an enjoyable read. It's not high literature, but it's probably at least a step or so above romance novels...

At the end, there was a short acknowledgment section where the author thanked a series of people for donating to charities, and in return he used their names for characters in the book. I found that somewhat interesting, since I don't think I've read any acknowledgments that mention something like that before. I personally could not write a fictional book and use the names of people I actually know or even know of. I'd think too much about the actual person with the name I used for a character while writing the book. I would need characters to be as blank of slates as possible, so they can't have names that I already have strong impressions/associations of because they're names of people I know (of). I also wouldn't use names of people I actually know personally, unless I was purposefully including/writing a (probably relatively minor) character based on them.

There was a particular plot element that led me to wonder about a theoretical scenario, which I don't want to reveal too casually here. Spoilers to follow: //If you had a kid, yet never saw the kid grow up (and therefore did not know what exactly they looked like), would you be able to recognize them if you happened to randomly see them in public somewhere when they were grown? Suppose you know who the other parent is and what they (in this case, father, but I suppose it could go the other way too) looked like as well. Generally speaking, people tend to have a decently strong familial resemblance to others they're biologically related to. Look at the Kennedy family or really most other families out there. Siblings tend to resemble each other and children tend to resemble their parents at least to some degree. Therefore, I'd think that someone might possibly be able to recognize a theoretical long lost child, but who knows... I tried looking up about this kind of thing, but didn't quite find what I had hoped. In any case, it's certainly an interesting thing to ponder.***

**digression/tangent: I've read a few other mystery/thriller/crime novels by Scandinavian authors in hopes I'd find one on par with Stieg Larsson's work, but I never really did. Not that the ones I read were horribly bad, they just weren't Millenium trilogy levels of spectacular.

***additional tangent: I also have wondered in the past about how common it is for someone to move back into a home they lived in previously. Not in the sense of moving back in with one's parents, but living in a given home, moving somewhere else, then eventually ending up moving back to the original home after it's had a period of having different residents than the original person mentioned initially. I looked up about this before and did manage to find one case where a family had regretted selling their home, and then was able to buy it back and move back into it maybe a year (not terribly long) after they had initially sold it. [further tangent: there's a line in Smile Like You Mean It that's vaguely related to this concept]

*I had to go look up the difference between tone and voice. Voice is more akin to a given person's idiolect -- phrases or quirks of their writing or speech. Words they tend to use or don't use. Their pattern(s) of writing or speech, basically. Voice can vary depending on the context -- I have a particular voice I write this blog in, yet I have a different, more buttoned-up voice if I'm writing a News Article.

Tone is more of something like... angry. Or happy. Lighthearted. Sarcastic. Sad. Enthusiastic. Appreciative. Formal. And so on. It has more to do with how writing/speech comes across to others.
Further reading from Grammarly's blog: Tone vs. Voice and more specifically on Tone

author's note: although I'm aware that AP Style instructs that titles of compositions are in quotation marks, I didn't feel like using those conventions here.

Movie review: Taxi Driver

Another (famous) movie I can add to my list of having watched. Conveniently, it's currently on Netflix. For some reason I woke up in the middle of the night (sort of, 4:30 a.m.) and couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided I'd try to find something to watch. Taxi Driver seemed like it could potentially be an interesting watch and it's also famous, so I figured I should watch it since it feels like one's supposed to have familiarity with famous movies like such. (I also want to watch American Psycho, but I kind of am waiting until I read the book first...)

Anyways, it was an interesting movie. Netflix rated it as a 92% match, whatever that's supposed to mean. I suppose they were rather correct though; I did like the movie. I hadn't realized that Martin Scorsese's directing career extended all the way back to 1976. I have liked some of his other work, such as The Departed and Shutter Island (he also directed The Wolf of Wall Street, which I also should watch at some point... and which also features Leonardo DiCaprio).

The movie is set in the 70s, presumably contemporarily to when it was released. The 70s aesthetic and fashions you can see in the movie were interesting to me and it makes me want to go to the thrift store and buy some 70s clothes... although perhaps I could cobble together an outfit out of some stuff I already have.

I liked the cinematography; it was nice and measured, particularly the various scenes of the nighttime taxi driving. Visually, I liked the movie. (I can't quite think of movies where I distinctly disliked the cinematography -- maybe No Country For Old Men, but I just generally hated that movie overall, not specifically due to the cinematography).

In tandem with the cinematography, I also liked the soundtrack/score -- again, it had a measured/meditative feel to it and contributed to the atmosphere of the movie.

Obviously watching this movie in 2019 is a bit of a trip; there are various outdated things that we don't do/have anymore. Typewriters, payphones, having to go to a record store when someone tells you about a song... I wonder if a present-day remake or movie with a similar premise would be able to have the same effect as Taxi Driver. I guess in a present-day version, the eponymous taxi driver would probably drive for a ride-hail app... Taxi Driver was contemporary to the time it was released, so obviously the sense of outdatedness I get watching it now, decades later, was not present for people who saw it back then. And maybe I shouldn't say outdatedness; that has a bit of a negative connotation yet I don't mean it in a negative way. Maybe retro is a more fitting term.

I thought that maybe this movie might have some kind of funky twist at the end, but it didn't. Still, it was an interesting and worthwhile watch. It was also a bit more tame, in a way, than some other movies I've seen. I thought that maybe it might be a bit more suspenseful and thrilling and/or have more action or something, although it didn't. Not that this was a bad thing; it was just a somewhat calmer movie than I thought it might be. 

I guess what I mean is that I thought it might have more conflict, or rather, more drawn-out conflict/conflict that was less subdued. Subdued is a good word to describe it I think. This movie wasn't an emotional or action rollercoaster as some others are, movies that are really intense. Most of the conflict in this movie happened in succinct bursts, with very quick falling action phases.

I was not really familiar with this movie at all before watching it; I read a brief blurb about it to give me an idea of the premise, but otherwise I just knew that it's apparently a famous movie. I think at some point I might've read that it's supposed to be a commentary on American society in the post-Vietnam era, although I don't remember the details.

I think it's interesting to view media and consider how or what it reflects about the time period it was made in. What is it portraying, and how does it portray said subject. The tv shows and movies that are being produced today or within the last few years are a reflection of our current era.

I got the feeling that Robert De Niro, in this film, looks like someone, but I can't figure out who. I know that I'd watched another movie in the past that he was also in (albeit older) so that's why he could look vaguely familiar, but I'm not quite sure that's it... I'm always thinking that people look like other people, so this shouldn't be too surprising. (edit: he also apparently was in The Deer Hunter, which I've seen a portion of)   

It was in the same vein as various other movies I like: the other Martin Scorsese films I mentioned above, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Prisoners, even Requiem for a Dream, etc. I seem to like movies that are darker/grittier thematically. If it fits in the genre psychological thriller, it's probably my thing. I'm not really sure where I got my taste in movies; I watch stuff that my mother would have absolutely no interest in.

Come to think of it, this movie also reminded me a bit of Nightcrawler (which Jake Gyllenhaal is in). So I went to go look up and see if Nightcrawler was influenced by Taxi Driver, and it seems like it was -- the poster strongly alludes to Taxi Driver's poster:

TV show review: Portlandia

A few weeks ago I started watching this show. It is a semi-abstract/surreal comedy series, featuring two actors/comedians who play a wide assortment of different characters. I'm nearly at the end and I haven't gotten sick of it yet, so I think I can be confident in calling this a Good Show.

The premise is that it takes place in Portland and is (at times) a satire of the culture there. It's... difficult to convey the nature of the show in words. I think it's the kind of thing that you really have to watch in order to grasp.

It might not be for everyone, but I've liked it. It's a nice mindless watch; a bit more offbeat/quirky than Parks and Rec or the American Office. (weaknesses: eczema) It's been quite awhile since I watched either version of The Office, although to my recollection, the UK version has a drier sense of humor. The American version is... not terrible, but definitely overrated. (it's a good thing Russia doesn't exist anymore)

So far, the best episodes of Portlandia I remember have been:
Spyke Drives
Nina's Birthday
No-Fo-O-Fo-Bridge
Pull-Out King
Getting Away
The Story of Toni and Candace
Healthcare
Pickathon
Lance is Smart

ETA: Amore and Rose Route. Open Relationship specifically for the gleefully surreal and dark "Snails" sketch. That's got to be one of my favorites.

Anyways, Portlandia + Arrested Development pretty much comprise the entirety of my comedy consumption these days. Occasionally I might watch one of the later-night shows -- I think Seth Meyers is somewhat superior to the others I've watched in the past. He reminds me the most of Jon Stewart's Daily Show.

ETA Dec. 24: Alrighty, I've finished Portlandia (for the most part -- I skipped a few episodes here and there if they seemed boring, but I might go back and watch them later). Overall it's a decent show, but sometimes it's hit or miss. There are definitely episodes/sketches that stand out as better than the others. Some/many are forgettable. It is not like Arrested Development in which *all* of the episodes (well, that I've seen. Haven't watched the appended newer seasons) are good.

Product review: Teflon bone folder or folding bone

I ordered this thing on Amazon because I needed to order a second item in order to qualify for free shipping. After about two days of tortured dithering and indecision about what second item I should buy, I remembered that perhaps I could use an actual folding bone. So that's how I ended up with this thing.

The product: "Mr HobNob Teflon Bone Folder" (this is *not* an affiliate link, so I don't care whether or not you decide to also purchase one of these for yourself) Apparently my Amazon account doesn't meet the qualifications to leave a review, so... here's my review. Also, I figured I could be more long-winded here.

3 stars.

What is a folding bone?
A folding bone is used for various papercrafts; in my case, I use one for origami. It saves my fingernails from getting torn up due to pressing down folds. Apparently, folding bones can also be used for cardmaking.

Before acquiring this actual folding bone, I'd just use my fingernails or a makeshift folding bone that was a repurposed milk jug handle punchout. You can find these sometimes scattered on the floor/shelves of a dairy case at the grocery store or Costco; that's where I've collected mine. They are small pieces of plastic about the size of a thumb.

So how do you like the actual folding bone?
I tried this out briefly and it's functional, although heavier than I expected or was used to (the milk jug punchouts are quite lightweight). The material and therefore folding edge seems to be kind of soft and after making only a few folds, it was shredding a little. I worry that it'll get a lot more shredded/worn if I use it frequently.

It is 6.75 inches long, .75 inches wide and about 3/8 in. thick. It's relatively hefty and definitely has a weighty feel to it, but it's not necessarily too heavy. When it came, it had a few small marks on it and I had expected that it'd be completely new and fresh-looking. The marks don't affect performance and are just an aesthetic concern.

Suppposedly the benefit of a teflon folding bone is that it won't leave marks on paper, but I never really cared about that. It might be interesting to try folding bones made from other materials.

I would probably give this thing 3 stars; it works as intended, although I wish the edge wouldn't shred even after just using it briefly. I decided that if I didn't like this that much for use as an actual folding bone, I could always just use it as a hair stick, which is what I'm doing now.

As a folding bone, due to the shredding/wearing issue, it might be closer to 2 stars, but for my hair, I like it a lot, so as a hair stick, 5 stars.

James Iha's hair

I briefly mentioned James Iha in a recent post in relation to something that someone else had written on their own blog about him. I felt that said thing was similar to something I could see myself writing, hence why I had mentioned it.

I also think that James Iha had some pretty interesting/cool hairstyles back in the day... "I really love
your hairdo, yeah/I'm glad you like mine too/See what looking pretty cool will get ya?"*
* this is not a Smashing Pumpkins song; it's a Dandy Warhols song. CTT had an interesting hairstyle back in the day as well. Those interesting little wispy sideburns. His more recent hippie hairstyle is... maybe less than flattering. But it's his hair. He can do what he wants with it.

Part of me wants to try a James Iha hairstyle, particularly the one he had where two pieces at the front/center of his head were bleached. It's different and unconventional, but interesting. He also had various other semi-bleached styles. I found an interesting interview where he talked a bit about his hairstyles...
"Interviewer: Can you tell me about your hair history?
James: My hair history. That’s kind of a dodgy subject. My hair history. I don’t know why my hair is such a big thing. I guess I’m like Bon Jovi or something. I just have this insane hair thing on my head. It just used to be green, used to be red, used to be blue, then I put all these skunk stripes in it. I just thought I looked too normal so I just sort of did something to it. But now I’m so sick or seeing myself this way that I think I’m just going to chop all the crazy stuff of and get a like normal Supercuts cut. I think that would be more rebellious, that would be more punk rock than dyed hair.

Interviewer: Do you mean a business cut?
James: Just like a regular guy hair cut. Whatever that is. Which is something normal. I’m sick of looking unnormal."

The rest of the interview is also relatively interesting. He comes across as a bit aloof, but in a way it's kind of amusing.

This lady bleached her hair into a James Iha style! I'm not sure if there's a specific name for it, or if this can just be known as a James Iha hairstyle. I wonder how different it would look on me since my hair is a lot longer.

The perfect water bottle

I sense this becoming another quest, like my quest for the perfect messenger bag (Patagonia Half Mass and Minimass, forever).

The last couple of years I've been more hydrated than I ever was before, since I started carrying around with me and drinking from a water bottle. I used to not particularly like the flavor of water, but it seems that now I find it amenable.

Anyways, being very much a form-follows-function kind of person, this means I demand *functionality* from my water bottle, as I do with other things I'm picky about (mechanical pencils, messenger bags...)

Ideal features (bottle designers, listen up!!):

Dishwasher safe
Drinking spout with flip top
Plastic
700ml to 1L capacity
Aesthetically appealing
Will fit in the side pocket of my Minimass (and Half Mass)
Can fit in a standard bicycle bottle cage
Wide enough opening so you can add ice

The last couple of things are slightly less important but would be nice.

The water bottle that I've been using, which has most of these features, has been a smartwater 1L with flip top drinking spout added from a different size smartwater bottle (the flip tops only come on the 700ml size, I think). These are meant as single-use bottles, but I think they hold up remarkably well to reuse (even if perhaps it's not exactly good to reuse single-use bottles for chemical reasons or whatnot). Although I'm pretty happy with my current bottle choice, it would be nice to have a bottle that's actually meant to be reused. If smartwater sold a reusable, slightly sturdier version of their 700ml size bottle, I'd be all over that. Although I realize their business is predicated on selling single-use bottles.

Why a drinking spout and flip-top is great
A drinking spout is a bit easier to drink out of, in my opinion, and the flip-top is more convenient to open than a typical screw top. The flip-top also serves to protect the drinking spout from getting dirty.  The smartwater flip-tops seem to be pretty durable and the top hasn't broken off on me yet, and I've even put them through the dishwasher on the top rack and they've turned out fine. Once, a top did come apart after an unspecified time of prolonged use, but overall the design is solid.

I don't get why reusable bottle designers can't come up with what's basically a slightly more rugged smartwater bottle? Looking at you, Contigo and Nalgene... etc. etc. etc.

seems like other people share my affinity for the wonderful functionality and form of the smartwater bottle

Things that other people have written that I could almost see myself writing

This is... the kind of thing I could almost see myself writing... "A list of topics that went through my head last night while watching the Dandy Warhols."

Also, this about James Iha (of the Smashing Pumpkins, which I don't particularly care for, but I digress) which I happened to come across awhile back in the past... it's somewhat quite something else when you read someone else's random writing and think that you could see yourself writing a similar thing, style and/or topic-wise...

Obscure and at least mildly obsessive thoughts about various topics is my jam. (I haven't watched any Peter Sarsgaard movies lately, alas, and "An Education" isn't on Netflix anymore... alas indeed. Maybe I should rewatch Shattered Glass. What a great movie. Are you mad at me?)

To a somewhat lesser extent, the Jake Gyllenhaal newsletter (look it up!) also kinda seemed like something I might do, although her writing style/voice was a bit more different than mine, compared to the first two examples.

What I have been doing lately (rather than watching more Peter Sarsgaard movies) is rewatching copious amounts of Arrested Development and wondering why no one's ever interviewed Jason Bateman about his cycling habits!! Inquiring minds want to know! Or at least my inquiring mind does.

Speaking of the Smashing Pumpkins... back in 2014 (apparently; I had to look it up) they released an album titled "Monuments to an Elegy," which I remembered that I had attempted to listen to, to see what it was like. For some reason I did that. I don't remember liking it. I decided to try and listen to one of the songs now, to revisit it and see what I thought... nope, still don't like it, and wow, I don't like Billy Corgan's voice!! 1979 is an okay song and sometimes I even feel like listening to it, but whoa, his voice is not a particularly appealing one... I supposed you could say that the Smashing Pumpkins are overrated.