Finious

Review: Hellboy Vol. 3: The Chained Coffin and Others

Hellboy, Vol. 3: The Chained Coffin and Others by Mike Mignola
Hell Boy series #3
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My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
First Published: February 2004, stories first published in 1998
Read from: Apr. 1-13, 2016

A Number of Very Cool Short Stories. Possibly the Best of the Hellboy Graphic Novels So Far.

This is the third Graphic Novel collection of the original Hellboy comics I have read. The second volume I didn’t like too much. I had liked it so little in fact that I had decided if the next in the series was equally disappointing, what with so much other things to read, I would move on to something else. Well, I’m glad I gave the series one more chance. I think I may have liked this volume even more than the first volume. Read the Full Review

Goodbye, Pathfinder…

My old Pathfinder sits on the side of Rampart Range Road on a scenic drive I took on my birthday last year. Pikes Peak can just be seen through the fog and mist of an autumn storm that rolled in near the end of the drive between Sedalia and Woodland Park.

Well a guy came to get my old Nissan Pathfinder today. I know it’s just a car, an inanimate object… But it was a little like saying goodbye to an old friend. I had that car for 18 years…

I got the car just after I got my last dog, Buddy. I remember when I took Buddy for his first drive in it as a puppy. It started to rain, and when I turned on the windshield wipers, he started to bark at them as they went back and forth. 🙂

I bought the Pathfinder new, shortly after I got out of the Navy. I was working as a photo copier repair guy, my car was my office, and I had to carry a bunch of parts & tools around with me. I had a small Saturn sports coupe and had just spent a winter driving it to clients’ business all over downtown Denver and the Denver Tech Center. I decided I needed something with more carrying space and that could handle winter driving better. Continue reading Goodbye, Pathfinder…

‘Non Vi Sed Arte’ – What does it mean to me?

“Non vi Sed Arte” is Latin for “Not by Strength, by Guile”. It is the motto on the “coat of arms” of Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, the first Earl Beatty (1884-1927). It was also used by a couple of different military units. For example it was the unofficial motto of the Long Range Desert Group, a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during WWII.

I always liked the saying. But my take on the slogan has changed as I have gotten older. When I was younger, not being the strongest of guys and having perhaps an excessive opinion of my intellect, I liked the idea of success due to mind over body. But as I grew older this “take” on the slogan not only grew to lose its appeal, but I began to feel a negative reaction to the slogan. Why be proud of a lack of strength or determination? And most dictionaries define guile as a treacherous cunning or skillful deceit. Did I really want to use that as some kind of guide or brag about my character? Continue reading ‘Non Vi Sed Arte’ – What does it mean to me?

Review: Nemesis Games

Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey
The Expanse series #5
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My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
First Published: June 2nd, 2015
Read from: Mar. 1 – 10, 2016

The Best Novel In the Series!

For me that headline is saying a lot. I have really liked this series as a whole. But I have never given any of the novels (and only one of the novellas) my, “I loved it,” rating of 5 out of 5 stars…. Until now. Read the Full Review

Review: Hellboy Vol. 2: Wake the Devil

Hellboy, Vol. 2: Wake the Devil by Mike Mignola
Hell Boy series #2
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My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
First Published: February 1994
Read from: Mar. 1-9, 2016

Better art, more characters, cooler bad guys… And ZERO story

I felt this graphic novel, the second volume of collected Hellboy comics, lay somewhere between “it was ok” and “I liked it”. While there was so much that was potentially great in this graphic novel, it was thrown in a barrage that had no consistent thread and did not stay long enough with any one element to build any interest in me with what was going on. In some cases I’m not sure what was going on even had any explanation. Read the Full Review

Lamb & Tyger – Innocence & Experience

I caught a reference to William Blake‘s “The Tyger” in, of all things, a graphic novel I was reading. I recognized it, having read it a long time ago, and recalled it’s elegant way of contrasting the beauty and the ferocity of the animal. I wanted to read the whole thing and learn a little more. Discovered that the poem was in a collection of poems intended to be song lyrics, called Songs of Experience. A previous poetry collection of Blake’s was the Songs of Innocence and contained the sister poem “The Lamb“. Continue reading Lamb & Tyger – Innocence & Experience

Music: Rube Goldberg musical instrument

Coolest thing I have seen in a LONG time. Looks like he’s using lego for the “programming” of what note’s fire when on the main melody, but there is SO much going on in this machine and the tune is pretty fun.

There is also a video that shows a bit of the very LONG build process that is worth a watch.

Review: Summer Knight

Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
Dresden Files series #4
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My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
First Published: September 3, 2002
Read from: Feb. 18 – Mar. 1, 2016

I really liked this book when it started, but began to lose interest and see the “man behind the curtain” too much for my liking near the end. Still a very enjoyable read… Read the Full Review

Where You Start: Stop Thinking

More Stargate Spirituality, this time courtesy of Stargate Atlantis…

WEIR: Rodney … I still believe there’s a chance you can ascend if you put your mind to it.

McKAY: We both know that that is a waste of time. Maybe you could do it, but …

WEIR: I don’t know if I could, but you are certainly selling yourself short by not even trying.

McKAY: To be honest, I don’t have the first clue where to start.

WEIR: Stop thinking.

McKAY: See, I don’t understand that.

Continue reading Where You Start: Stop Thinking

Review: Hellboy, Vol. 1: Seed of Destruction

Hellboy, Vol. 1: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola, John Byrne
Hell Boy series #1
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My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
First Published: 1994
Read from: Feb. 18-19, 2016

I liked the Hellboy movies, but had never read the comics from which they sprung. I decided I needed to correct that lapse. Read the Full Review