Book #2: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Black and white? Groaannnnnn.

This post is WAY overdue. I had decided to read the Lewis Carroll classic in anticipation of Tim Burton's cinematic effort to recreate the magic of the book. While I knew the basic gist of the story, I was also aware of Disney's penchant for ahh, 'distorting' other works (see Grimm, Brothers), and so reading the original seemed like a logical decision.

Beware of non-threatening cats...and the big D, followed by 'isney'.

The first thing that struck me after reading the book (other than "what the hell was that?") was that it was relatively short. The action picked up immediately and ended abruptly as well. Carroll's eccentric mind shines through in the work, though I can understand why Disney went minimalist with the wordplay in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (AAIW henceforth): it's dizzying. Excessive.

Look, I get that back in the day, they didn't have all of the luxurious options for entertainment, and so literature had to be all-encompassing. I also understand that fantasy has its niche. Still, we could do with a little less of the nonsensical mashup of words. Well, whichever. Now, if you saw the movie, the Bandersnatch is referenced, but does not make an appearance in this book (perhaps in Through the Looking Glass). The Jabberwocky also is not a staple of AAIW, and is actually a poem of Carroll's. I like the homage. Anyway, the book is available online to read for free here.

Overall, I was left wanting more. The book just didn't grab me and while it WAS a quick read, I guess I just caught it at a time where I didn't fully appreciate the jargon and writing style of something that required a lot of outside-the-box thinking...which is unfortunate, considering I LOVED The Phantom Tollbooth. Read at your discretion.

Misc.- Go Fishing

Growing up, I rarely fished. Going out on a limb, I say I just don't have the patience for it. While patience with people is something I can handle, holding a line that disappears under the water and assuming a fish will bite it has seemed more than silly. In short, it had been years since I've cast out into any body of water. So when my buddy Mike informed me that part of his bachelor party would involve fishing in the Long Island Sound, my mind immediately went to "I wonder what sort of beer I will be drinking in the meantime" mode. Of course, I'd give it a go for Fish: we go back to elementary school and his looming marriage to longtime girlfriend, Vanessa, is something I couldn't be happier about.

Saturday, May 22: Set out of PK at 6:00 a.m. for Connecticut. By the time we arrived and threw down some greasy egg sandwiches, I was feeling good. The guy collecting fees for the trip convinced me to drop an extra $2 for the Biggest Catch pool. "You've got more confidence than I do," I said, "but I like your sales pitch. Count me in." And so we set off in the foggy morning for deeper waters.

There's something about the sea and its mysterious underlying depths that intrigues me. As we headed out to deeper waters, we had a good time chatting and learning the tricks of the trade, like baiting up a fish and why you bring a towel (stinky hands). Our first drop, the line went out wayyyy past the bottom of the sea, and so when we reeled up, a guy on the boat let me know that it was, in fact, not a good idea to let the line out that far. Anyway, as I'm reeling the line in, there's a bit of a tug. "It's caught on the bottom," I was told. Alright. So I kept reeling the line in and lo and behold, there was a little something on the line! No way! I managed to catch the first fish of the day! An 8 lb. striper later, and I didn't quit while ahead. Oh well. For a slow day on the boat, I was pretty pumped to have something to say for my adventure at sea...

While the fish didn't win me the pool (a larger fish was caught on the last drop of the day), I had a blast, though I will say the company on the boat made the trip more fun than the actual catching of the fish! Now the only thing I have to ask is whether striper counts as a new meat....


Winner: Keith. Hook, line, and sinker.