Week Two, Round Three

With a berth in the Elite Eight and a Week Five matchup on the line, the four remaining Week Two authors were psyched and ready to go. The pre-game favorites were Poe and Frost, but no one would be suprised if Deaver managed to pull off another upset and Carl Sandburg was no slouch. Really, any of the four could advance, and two great games were expected-- and two great games occurred!

#5 Edgar Allan Poe vs. #7 Jeffrey Deaver
Two Cinderella stories in the finals of the Horror/Thriller division faced off last night, both coming off of surprisingly easy victories over higher seeds in the previous round. Nothing came easy in this game, however, as the defense was intense and the points were at a premium. Every shot was contested, and the officials let both men play tough, in-your-face, man-to-man defense. At halftime, the score was an ugly 3-2 in favor of Poe and both teams seemed a little stunned by the physicality of the game. In the second half, Deaver was able to stretch the floor a little, use his shot blocking ability to set up a some break away opportunities, and he surged to a 5-4 lead. Poe answered back with a defensive stop of his own and short, floating jumper in the lane to tie it up, but with time running down, Deaver was able to juke Poe off his feet, then slide to the side for an uncontested mid-range shot. Swish, nothing but net! The Cinderella story continued as the #7 seeded Deaver moved into the Elite Eight. Afterwards, a visibly exhausted Poe conceded that his condition-- dead-- may have contributed to his costly defensive lapse. "Yeah, I wore down in the second half. I mean, hats off to Jeff for keeping the pressure on and I don't mean to take away anything from him, but the century and a half... well, it caught up to me finally."

#1 Robert Frost vs. #2 Carl Sandburg
Unlike the Thriller/Horror bracket, the Poetry bracket had played out true to the seeding, with the top two meeting in the finals. Both Frost and Sandburg had needed to work to get there, however, eeking out 6-5 victories, and everyone was expecting another nip and tuck game as the two early 20th century titans of verse faced off. No one left disappointed. The midwestern Sandburg got the earlier jump, 2-0, but the New Englander Frost responded quickly, eveing it up at 2-2, then pulling ahead 3 to 2 shortly before halftime. Just before the buzzer, Sandburg was able to launch a shot tha caught the backboard and then rattled the rim before finally dropping for a 3-3 halftime tie. It was more of the same in the second half, with neither man able to gain more than a one point edge, leading to a tense 5 all score with time running down. Frost had an open look at the hoop with the shot clock running down, but he was just a little off target and Sandburg snatched the rebound. He raced down court with the game clock approaching double zeroes, then let loose just before the horn. Just as with the first half ending, this shot hit glass, then rim and this time glass again, before rolling nearly completely around the rim and dropping through. The result left Sandburg racing around the court, shouting and pulling at his jersey, while Frost simply kneeled at mid-court, unable to believe that two last-second heaves had cost him his shot at the title.

Week Two, Round Two

Things were tight in the Poetry bracket second round matchups, two squeakers that weren't decided until the very end, but the games were over much earlier in the Thriller/Horror bracket. Of course, the results might be a bit surprising:

#3 Anne Rice vs. #7 Jeffrey Deaver
Jeffrey Deaver was a late addition to the tournament-- the selection committee nearly overlooked him, focusing instead on older, deader authors. But his contributions were recognized and he was slotted in at #7. In round 1, Deaver used his post moves and strong defensive presence to edge #2 seed Dean Koontz. In round 2, he took on #3 seed Anne Rice, whose vampire tales have inspired many subsequent re-examinations of the vampire legend (including the very popular Stephanie Meyers Twilight books). Rice made it to the second round by utilizing a patient, fundametally sound approach and edging Robert Bloch in a thriller, 6-5. This one was over almost before it began. Rice's pick moves and back door cuts were consistently foiled by Deaver's reach and excellent defensive positioning. Rice quickly found herself in foul trouble and Deaver was out to a 4-0 lead halfway through the first period. Deaver never let up on his defensive pressure, and when it was all over, the #7 seed and Cinderella of the tournament so far had recorded a convincing 9-2 victory.

#1 Stephen King vs. #5 Edgar Allan Poe
Most of the other horror and thriller authors in the field this year owe a substantial debt to Edgar Allan Poe, who established many of the well-worn paths of suspense, thrills and horror that we all like to walk down from time to time. But, his narrow victory over best selling author James Patterson in round 1 was a bit of an upset, given that Poe has been dead for over 150 years and he hasn't written anything new during that time period (slacker). His opponent in round two was the #1 seed in the bracket, Stephen King, the most recognizable name in horror and author of over fifty novels and collections of short stories. An easy victory seemed likely, but few would've picked Poe as the author (hah!) of that victory-- yet here it was, Poe jumping out to an early lead as he hit shots from all over the court and King never seeming to be in rhythm. When the dust settled, Poe had recorded an easy 8-3 victory, and had earned a spot in the Sweet Sixteen, where he'll play Deaver. After the game, King was asked about his poor performance: "Well, I'm disppointed, obviously, but lots of credit to Mr. Poe-- he played some great defense and never really let me get in a groove. I also probably shouldn't have started reading "The Tell-Tale Heart" last night-- that story really creeped me out, man. I didn't sleep so good."

#1 Robert Frost vs. #4 Emily Dickinson
Robert Frost cruised to victory over Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Round One, 8-3, and Emily Dickinson dispatched Walt Whitman by an even more decisive margin, 9-2. But no one expected that sort of lopsided result when the two victors faced off earlier this week, and the game was as good as anticipated. It was a see-saw battle throughout, with Dickinson out to an early, though slim, 3-2 lead before Frost really clamped down defensively, allowing him to go on a 3-0 run and a 5-3 edge miway through the second half. Dickinson rallied, burying two long range shots to tie the game at 5-5 in the waning minutes, but it was Frost's pinpoint passing that finally got him past the determined Dickinson as he lobbed a perfectly placed alley-oop to the front of the rim which was slammed home for the winning point just before the buzzer. The two poets hugged after the game, both obviously impressed with the other. "I'm happy to win, of course," said Frost in his post-game conference, "but I wish it hadn't been at Emily's expense. We're both New Englanders and I have nothing but respect for her poetry and for the tremendous effort she put forth tonight." Dickinson was similarly gracious, "Bob deserved it-- his work is iconic and he made the play down the stretch. I'm happy with my performance, though I wish the end result had been a W."

#2 Carl Sandburg vs. #3 Oscar Wilde
As with the earlier poetic match up, both Sandburg and Wilde had cruised through their first round games, Sandburg defeating John Keats, 9-2, and Wilde eliminating T.S. Eliot, 8 to 3. Also as with the first game, this one was a barn burner, with several lead changes and ties. The two men have similar styles-- solid defense and a silky smooth release on their jump shot-- and for a while it seemed the game would head into overtime as both players buried shot after shot enroute to a 5-5 tie late in the game. But there would be some controversy in this one, as the officials called a blocking foul on Wilde with time running down. The foul sent Sandburg to the line where he calmly knocked down the free throw, the winning point as it turned out when Wilde's last second shot hit the back of the rim and back out onto the court. Afterwards, Wilde was irate: "I can't believe they called that," the lanky Irishman railed. "We'd been bumping all night long, no fouls called, and then at the end of the game they call a ticky-tack foul to decide it? That's a crock." Sandburg was unavailable for comment, claiming that he needed to get ready for his forthcoming matchup with Robert Frost.

A Cool Place to Waste Some Time

ted.com has some of the coolest, most interesting, flat out fascinating webcasts I've ever seen. Get a bunch of smart, talented people together and see what happens. What a great concept! This guy's 37 minute juggling/learning/space/art/motion/rhythm segment is mind-blowing.

Actually, most of the stuff on the ted site probably can't be considered a waste of time-- it's too informative and useful! But it is a great way to spend some time.

The Brackets and the Standings

Here are the overall brackets so far:And here are the standings through Week One:
K. Grisham: 13
G. Weber: 12
E. Weber: 8
D. Vander Pluym: 8
T. Guillama: 6
P. Willinger: 6
T. Philipp: 5
N. Weber: 5
S. Carlson: 3
R. Hanauer: 2

Thanks to everyone for playing! I hope to see all of you in for the rest of the tournament

Week Two, Round 1: Thrillers/Horror

The masters of suspense and the macabre tipped off over the weekend, with some fierce battles in nearly all of the games (though no actual deaths, either natural or supernatural, were reported). Here is a summary of the first round games:

#2 Dean Koontz vs. #7 Jeffrey Deaver
A frequent resident at the top of the best-seller lists, Dean Koontz' books have sold millions of copies and he has a huge fan base. Less well known is his play-making ability with a basketball. His opponent has been less prolific, but Jeffrey Deaver has also visited the best-seller list and his book The Bone Collector was made into a successful feature film. He is also a strong presence in the lane, renowned for his tremendous shot blocking ability and his "up and under" post moves, ala Kevin McHale. The two traded baskets early, and the game was up for grabs from the get go, with neither man able to gain more than a single point lead on the other. Back and forth they went, Deaver swatting away what looked like gimme layups for Koontz and Koontz smoothly stealing the ball from Deaver just when it seemed that Deaver was ready to slam the rock home. It came down to the final minute, all tied 5-5 when Koontz grabbed a loose ball and drove toward the hoop. Somehow, Deaver kept pace with the smaller, faster Koontz and smacked the ball away at the last minute, drawing boos from the Koontz fanbase, who wanted a foul on the play. But the officials let the play go and Deaver took the ensuing possession and swished a short fade away jumper just before the buzzer for an upset special, 6-5.

#3 Anne Rice vs. #6 Robert Bloch
Though Rice is more contemporary, her writing is more "old-school" than Bloch's, whose writing is known for its terseness and psychological horror (Psycho being the epitome of this style) and whose basketball game features some mad ball handling skills and powerful jams. Rice, author of the Vampire chronicles, is known for her florid prose and rich settings and a more traditional basketball expertise, grounded in her ability to run an excellent pick n' roll and many backdoor cuts. As with the first game in this bracket, the match up was a tight game throughout, back and forth with Rice gaining the early edge, 4-1, only to see Bloch come racing back to pull even at 4-4. After trading baskets, Bloch had an open jumper, but it caught the back of the iron and Rice out raced him to the rebound, executed a beautiful behind the back dribble to gain some space, then drove the length of the court for a tear drop layin just ahead of the buzzer and a 6-5 victory.

#4 James Patterson vs. #5 Edgar Allan Poe
A contrast in styles, the 4 v. 5 match up was just as tight as the previous two games. James Patterson is the new guy on the block, a multi-million selling author of a string of psychological thrillers and action adventures. Poe is one of the fathers of the macabre and the horror genre, and he even has an NFL football team named after one of his characters. Both are also known for their fade away jumpshots and willingness to dish the rock to their teammates. A classic, strength on strength match up, that seesawed back and forth all game. Poe had a slim early lead, 3-1, but Patterson rallied to tie it at 3-3, then again at 4-4 and 5-5. But Patterson could never quite climb that hill-- he tied the game, but could not take the lead and in the end Poe was able to edge him out 6-5, setting up a second round match up with Stephen King.

#1 Stephen King vs. #8 Harlan Ellison
It would be my opinion that Stephen King is the better storyteller than Harlan Ellison, but that Ellison is the better writer. On this day, for this game, the storyteller won and won fairly easily. King jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead and Ellison was never able to threaten after that, scoring only twice in a 9-2 thrashing. The victory moved King into a second round game against Poe in a most intriguing battle.

Week Two, Round 1: Poets

With the Mystery and Fantasy/Science Fiction brackets in the books (yes, still using that pun-- no comments yet. Come on people, a little love here!), it is time to turn to Week Two, featuring a plethora of poets and a ton of thrillers. Here's a summary of the first round poetry pairings:

#1 Robert Frost vs. #8 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
One of the 20th century's most acclaimed writers, Robert Frost will forever be remember for his poem, The Road Not Taken with its classic opening "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood", but his performance in the first round of the Authors Show Down may register a close second in memorability. From the get go Frost's crisp passing and stifling defense had Longfellow on his heels and in a quick 5-1 hole. Longfellow, whose own iconic work Paul Revere's Ride contains the classic lines "Listen my children and you shall here of the midnight ride of Paul Revere," rallied briefly, closing to 5-3 on a pair of long range jumpers, but it was all Frost down the stretch. In the end, the #1 seed in the poetry bracket coasted to an 8-3 victory.

#4 Emily Dickinson vs. #5 Walt Whitman
With one of the best beards ever, Walt Whitman is widely regarded as the father of free-verse poetry, as well as a fine rebounder and good post player. His opponent, by contrast, is a perimeter player, known for her short lines of verse and a quick release on her jump shot. Usually in a match up of an inside player vs. an outside shooter, the odds favor the taller, inside presence, but in the first round Emily Dickinson was so good from outside that Whitman's rebounding prowess was of little use-- there were few missed shots to speak of. Dickinson scored early and often, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and coasting to an easy 9-2 decision, setting up a second round match up with Robert Frost-- an intriguing pairing given that both are New England natives who frequently wrote of rural life and nature in that region.

#3 Oscar Wilde vs. #6 T.S. Eliot
Slightly miscast in the poetry bracket (Wilde is best known for plays), Wilde was nonetheless a prominent poet, wicked satirist and also a superb all around basketball player. His opponent, T.S. Eliot, is best known for his book of verse Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, which served as the inspiration for the wildly popular musical Cats, and for his cross-over dribble, which frequently leaves defenders standing flat-footed while Eliot drives past them for an easy dunk. In the first-round it was all Wilde, the Irishman jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead and then maintaining that margin for a convincing 8-3 victory and a second round match up with Carl Sandburg.

#2 Carl Sandburg vs. #7 John Keats
Had this competition been held in the early 19th century, Keats would have won easily-- and not just because Sandburg wasn't born until 1878. In his day, Keats was renowned for both his poetry and his rim-rocking slam dunks. Indeed, Keats was an influence on many of the other poets in this bracket as well as on dunk masters Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. But this competition wasn't held in the early 19th century, but instead in the early 21st century, and in our competition, Sandburg was able to limit Keats with some fine defense and some excellent long range marksmanship, enroute to an easy 9-2 victory.

Week 1 Results

The final tallies are in and we have our first survivors to the Elite Eight (details below). We also have our first weekly winner-- congratulations to Karen Grisham. She was the only one of our 10 entrants that correctly picked one of the Elite Eight survivors, picking H.G. Wells over Ray Bradbury in the Fantasy & Science Fiction bracket. Indeed, Karen missed only 1 "game" in the F&SF bracket, incorrectly choosing Kurt Vonnegut over Terry Pratchett, but nailing every other game, for 11 out of 12 possible points. This was enough to balance out her showing in the Mystery Division, where she picked only two first round games correctly, for a grand total of 13 out of 24.

Thirteen was enough to edge out Gail Weber, who registerd 12 points and who correctly picked three of the four Sweet Sixteen "players". She missed both finalists, however, incorrectly picking Dorothy Sayers and Ray Bradbury to win their respective brackets. In third place was David Vander Pluym and Eric Weber, with 8 points apiece.

Mystery Bracket Final
It was a battle of the old against the new, the classic detective story against the newer, less refined who dunnit. The grand dame, Agatha Christie, #1 overall seed, one of the best selling authors of all-time (most likely second only to the Bible), and a brilliant long-range jump shooter and strong defender. Against Janet Evanovich, a comparitive newcomer, but still the #2 overall seed and an author whose books consistently storm the bestseller lists. Also possessor of a wicked hook shot and some strong post moves.

It promised to be a titanic struggle, and neither author disappointed. Christie opened strong, surging to a 4-1 lead on the strength of some fine long-range shooting, but then Evanovich seemed to find her legs, driving past Christie for several easy layups and surging to a 5-4 edge late in the game. But Dame Agatha showed why she is a champion, coming up with another long range dagger of a shot that swished through with nothing but net. 5-5 and it looked like we were heading to overtime. But there were still a few ticks left on the clock and Evanovich inbounded so quickly, she caught Christie by surprising, perhaps Agatha had assumed that Evanovich would call for a timeout. Regardless, Ms. Evanovich stormed down the court in a flurry, then launched a beautiful, high arcing shot just before the buzzer rang out, the ball catching rim, backboard, rim again before, finally, settling into the basket for the game winner, 6-5.

The win moved Evanovich into the Elite Eight where she will match up with the winner of the Fantasy & Science Fiction bracket in week five. Always classy, Christie shook Evanovich's hand and wished her well, challenging her to continue her fine play and to "win the whole thing, then, won't you?"

Fantasy and Science Fiction Bracket Final
The contrasts weren't quite as sharp in the the F&SF final, though the fact that H.G. Wells is dead and Ray Bradbury isn't had to be a concern for fans of Mr. Wells. No need to worry, as Wells jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, perhaps catching Mr. Bradbury by surprise with his quick, spinning drives down the lane and ability to stop on a dime, then elevate for a clean jumper. Or perhaps Ray came into the matchup with a false sense of his inevitability after the 10-0 thrashing he had administered to Isaac Asimov in the previous round.

Either way, a timeout gave Bradbury a chance to regroup and he settled into his typically strong defensive game, punctuated by several rim rocking dunks as he went on a five to one run that put him up 5-4 midway through the fourth quarter. With Bradbury's faithful rocking the house, Mr. Wells' supporters we're holding their breath, no doubt wondering if the granddaddy of 'em all had enough in the tank for one last hurrah. Showing tremendous vitality for someone who had been dead for over sixty years, Wells did indeed dig deep, launching a picture perfect jump hook over the outstretched fingers of Bradbury to tie the game. On the ensuing possession, Wells played tight, man to man defense, eventually picking Bradbury's pocket on what could have been the game winning drive for the author of Farenheit 451. Instead, it was the auther of The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds that stormed down the court for a finger roll layin just seconds before time expired.

And so we have our first week 5 pairing, with H.G. Wells and Janet Evanovich playing for a shot at the final four. But that is still a few weeks off. First, we must see what happens in the other brackets. Stay tuned!

Week 1, Round 2 Results

Round Two is over, in the books even, and four of our authors have made it to the Sweet Sixteen. The #1 and 2 seeds in the Mystery bracket have advanced, setting up a battle for the ages between the timeless Agatha Christie and newcomer Janet Evanovich.

Christie opened a big early lead on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, jumping out 4-0, only to see the sophisticated, yet surprisingly agile, Conan Doyle reel off five straight to take the lead. In the end, however, it was Christie's defense that pulled her through-- she shut down Doyle's post-up game and forced him to make the jump shot. He couldn't do it, and the final two points went to Agatha as she closed out the win, 6-5. Evanovich had an easier time of it, rolling to a 3-0 lead and then coasting to an 8-3 win.

In the Fantasy/SF Bracket, the matchup between H.G. Wells and Terry Pratchett was nip and tuck the whole way. Neither man could get more than a point up on his opponent as they traded baskets and defensive stops. It came down to the wire, Wells up 6-5 and Pratchett with a good look from 15 feet. The shot found all kinds of rim, even got part way down, but in a heartbreaker for the Englishman, it rolled out and #2 seed Wells moved on to the Sweet 16.

The other game... wowsa! I didn't see this coming. No way, Jose. Ray Bradbury took the opening tip, slammed it home and never looked back. Never even slowed down. He stopped Asimov cold, playing shut down defense while effortlessly dropping in shots from all over the court. The final score? #5 seeded Ray Bradbury 10, #1 seeded Isaac Asimov, 0. Zippo. Nada. A big old goose egg.

Can Bradbury repeat his dominance against Wells? Will Christie maintain her choke hold as the grand dame of mystery? Or will it be the #2 seeds playing through their brackets and facing off in the Week Five bracket?

Tune in tomorrow, to find out!

Ouch: Now This is a Brutal Review

The Library has been gradually adding Wii, PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360 games to our collection. I almost bought this game over the weekend:


After reading THIS review, I am quite glad I didn't. Yikes, that's a scathing critique. Here's the money quote from the reviewer's conclusion:

There's more, of course. Between levels, there are some impossibly dumb minigames that give you no chance to figure out what you're supposed to do before they're over. There are times when you're supposed to wave your wand, but the game can't distinguish between a wand wave and an attack, which forces you to sit there for five minutes until you do the mysterious magical motion that gets it right. Ultimately, what you need to know is this: Anubis II is one of the worst games ever created and fundamentally broken. If you play it, you can never get back the three hours you wasted on this unique brand of torture.

Okay, so how do you really feel?

March Madness: Bracket Updates

The NCAA madness kicks off today with the play-in game, featuring a titanic struggle between Morehead State and Alabama State. Did you know we had a state called Morehead? I don't recall seeing the quarter for that one. Actually, Morehead State is located in Kentucky. Alabama State is located in... Alabama. Bit of a let down there.

More importantly, the Library's March Madness is rolling along. Here are the brackets for this week:
Eight masters of suspense and horror and eight masters of verse, meter and alliteration. Who will make the Elite 8? Will it be Emily Dickinson against Stephen King? Make your selections (no reading necessary, remember, though you can't go wrong reading any or all of these authors) and enter for a chance to win the weekly prize-- a $10 gift card, courtesy of Espresso Love Coffee in Mukwonago.

And it the opening week games, we also have some intriguing matchups:


Will the favorites (Christie, Evanovich, Asimov and Wells prevail) or will we have our first big upset? Find out tomorrow when the next round results are posted, here and at the Library.

March Madness: SF/Fantasy Bracket

Truth in Advertising: I like all of these guys. It was difficult for me to vote one way or the other for some of the match ups. Fortunately, my vote was only 1 of those cast by the staff to decide who won and who hung their head in shame. But enough, on we go...

Round One of the Science Fiction/Fantasy Bracket is in the books (yes, I'm going to continue to use that pun-- at least until someone comments on it, then perhaps I will relent). The Library staff has voted and the decisions are final. For a summary of the Mystery Bracket games, go here.

Isaac Asimov vs. Robert Heinlein
This one was strength on strength as two of the early titans of science fiction battled away at each other. Asimov had hard science, name recognition and a brilliant cross-over dribble on his side, but Heinlein has some serious chops of his own to go with a super fast first step that often leaves him with uncontested layups. It was a dogfight from the beginning, with Heinlein jumping out to an early lead on a hot start, 3-1, before Asimov steadied himself and reeled off the next four. From there it was back and forth all game long, with the decision still hanging in the balance until the last minutes, when Asimov faked right before blowing past Heinlein on the left for a 6-5 lead. Heinlein's hopes were then dashed when Asimov picked his pocket and went the length of the court for the final nail in the coffin, 7-5.

Ray Bradbury vs. J.R.R. Tolkien
Another nip and tuck contest, this time featuring the mercurial, but always deliciously good, musings of the sixth-seeded Ray Bradbury against the grandfather of fantasy as a genre, third-seed J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien's books have been made into movies more often than Bradbury's, but if the game were decided by sheer volume, Bradbury would win in a walk. Fortunately, the game wasn't decided by either of those things, instead featuring Bradbury's powerful inside game against Tolkien's tough man-to-man defense and silky smooth jumpshot. The two gentlemen did not disappoint, with another back and forth struggle that wasn't decided until the end. Bradbury jumped out to an early lead, undaunted by stately grace of Mr. Tolkien, and the old (yes, dead) gentlemen was never quite able to climb the hill and take the lead. He got close on several occassions, the latest at 6-5, but the final shot was Bradbury's and he buried it, closing out a tight 7-5 victory and moving him on to face Asimov.

Terry Pratchett vs. Kurt Vonnegut
A 4 vs. 5 seed match up featuring two of the more experimental, and funny, authors in the Authors Showdown. Pratchett and Vonnegut are both known for their satirical tone and content, though Pratchett's is a bit more mad-cap than Vonnegut's. What seemed like a battle of evenly matched, similar stylists soon turned into a blowout, however, as Pratchett rained 3-pointers down on Vonnegut in a brilliant display of shooting finesse and accuracy. A blistering 4-0 start had Vonnegut on his heels, and despite his height advantage he was never able to recover, falling 10-2 to Pratchett.

Orson Scott Card vs. H.G. Wells
The #8 seed, Card, scored first against the heavily favored #1 seed, Wells, and for a brief period it seemed an upset for the ages could be in store. But no-- Wells took the opening salvo in stride, shook it off, and then scored the next ten points in a row before Card was able to record a final, face saving second point at the end of the game. Wells might be long dead, but he muscled his way past Card with surprising speed, grace and defense, showing why he is considered the father of science fiction and the #1 seed in the bracket.

I will post an updated bracket tomorrow, along with the current point totals of our week one contestants. If you're scoring at home, hopefully you had Christie, Conan Doyle, Grafton, Evanovich, Asimov, Bradbury, Pratchett and Wells winning in your brackets. If you did, you're looking good! If you missed on most of these, don't worry-- there's always next week! Indeed, you can stop in and fill out next week's bracket any time between now and 4 pm on Saturday, March 21. Or, make your picks at home and email your choices to me. It's not too late to join the Madness!

March Madness: Mystery Bracket

Round One of the Mystery Bracket is in the books (yes, I'm going to continue to use that pun-- at least until someone comments on it, then perhaps I will relent). The Library staff has voted and the decisions are final. The pre-bracket favorites, the grand old Dame, Agatha Christie and the hotshot newcomer, Janet Evanovich were expected to cruise to victory-- did that play to form? And what of the intriguing middle-seeds, hard-boiled and gritty writers Mickey Spillane and Elmore Leonard against the more traditional and gentile writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sue Grafton? Read on....

Agatha Christie vs. P.D. James
Agatha Christie was prolific, popular and genre-defining with sales of her 80+ books estimated at roughly four billion copies (yes, that's a b). Less-well known about Dame Christie is that she has a wicked stop and pop jump shot and runs a wicked pick-n-go. P.D. James is also very popular and also an inductee of the International Crime Writing Hall of Fame and she has been known to drive coast-to-coast on even the fastest point guards. The #1 overall seed in the Mystery Bracket, Christie seemed a lock for the second round, but Ms. James didn't go down without a fight. Early on it was nip and tuck, with James finding some holes in Christie's zone defense, but over time, Christie's well-rounded game and strong defense took control. The result was a 10-2 victory for Christie and a date in the 2nd round.

Mickey Spillane vs. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes is still the most recognizable name in the annals of mystery writing. But Holmes' creator, Sir Arthur, was still only a slight favorite over Mr. Spillane, due mostly to the fact that Conan Doyle has been dead for nearly 80 years. Mr. Spillane did not invent the sub-genre of hard-boiled P.I. mysteries, but he did bring it into the mainstream, with his Mike Hammer books selling millions of copies worldwide. Despite being really, really dead, the third seeded Conan Doyle wasted no time in jumping out to a big lead on the also dead, but only recently, Spillane. Early on it was 5-0, and despite a few long balls from the corner and a nice post-up move, Spillane was never able to close the gap, finally succumbing, 9-3.

Sue Grafton vs. Elmore Leonard
The much anticipated #4 v. #5 match up of Sue Grafton and Elmore Leonard more than lived up to its billing. It was a study in contrasts, the more traditional Grafton vs. the quirky, sometimes profane Leonard. Grafton is a long-range sharpshooter, who loves to launch 3-pointers and isn't afraid to take one from anywhere on the court. Leonard is a rebounding machine, with strong shot blocking skills and some rim-rocking jams. The majority of Grafton's books feature P.I. Kinsey Millhone, while Leonard's works have a variety of main protagonists. In the end, the Unstoppable Force and the Immovable Object played to a dead tie, 6-6. And in the last seconds of overtime, Grafton arched a long, rainbow jumpshot just over the outstretched fingertips of Leonard. It caught nothing but net as the final buzzer blared, sending Grafton on to the second round and Leonard home, with his head full of thoughts of what might have been.

Dorothy Sayers vs. Janet Evanovich
The final pairing in the Mystery Bracket featured another well-established female mystery writer, Dorothy Sayers, against a comparative, but very popular newcomer in Janet Evanovich. Indeed, so popular is Evanovich at the Mukwonago Community Library that she was seeded #2 overall in the bracket. She also has the advantage of being alive, not so Ms. Sayers, who was preceded in death only by Sir Arthur in the mystery bracket. Unlike Conan Doyle, Ms. Sayers could never get her offensive game in gear, perhaps intimidated by Evanovich's aggressive, in-your-face defense. The result was an easy 10-2 victory for Evanovich and a second round match up with Sue Grafton.

March Madness: Baskets

So, the official, real, basketball-based March Madness brackets are out. As has been noted in other places, Arizona, Maryland, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan really don't belong. I'm glad Wisconsin is in, don't get me wrong, but at 19-13 and without a "resume" win, they aren't a tournament team. You can't choke (only word that fits, I think) all the late game leads (seven, I think? Maybe eight) that this Badger team choked away and be a tourney team. Well, apparently you can... but you shouldn't be able to.

This is always the case, but it is a shame that a middling-to-bad Big Ten conference got seven bids, while teams like Creighton, St. Mary's, San Diego State and UAB were left out.

The other Wisconsin school, got a 6-seed, which seems about right. Before Dominique James' injury, they were probably a 3 or 4, but with his injury they just aren't the same team. I thought they had a shot at going pretty deep in the tourney, but without James, I'll be surprised if they make it to the Sweet 16.

But enough about basketball. How about some March Madness for books?!

Timshel

Timshel is a Hebrew word, interpreted variously as "Thou shalt" (a promise of success), "Do thou (an order) and "Thou mayest" (an indication of freewill). As noted at Oprah's book club, the interpretation of the word is at the heart of John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Does the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis promise us that we, the children of Cain, will one day triumph over sin (predestination)? Does it order us to triumph over sin (unquestioning obedience)? Or, as the Chinese servant Lee notes in the book, does it "throw it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.’"

'Thou mayest' is freeing-- and frightening. We have choices in determining our own destiny. What happens isn't predestined, nor does "just following orders" suffice. It calls for personal responsibility (another theme in East of Eden). It is not easy, but it does mean we should never despair completely-- there is always a choice. Sometimes none of the choices may be very appealing, but at least it is ours to make.

Heavy stuff for a Monday morning. But good stuff-- much, much food for thought. East of Eden has its flaws-- the two-dimensional nature of many of the main characters, the borderline misogyny, the sometimes stilted diaglouge-- but the descriptive power of Steinbeck's narrative, and the breath, poignancy and power of his story far outweigh the shortcomings.

Timshel, my friends. Timshel.

Remote Entry Into March Madness

If anyone out there is interested in participating in the March Madness Authors Showdown contest, but is unable to make it to the library in person, feel free to send me an email. I can email an entry form back to you, you can complete it and email it back and voila, you're entered.

The link to request an entry bracket is on the left side, under Contact Us.

Also-- the prizes for the weekly winners are $10 gift certificates to Espresso Love Coffee, an excellent coffeehouse here in Mukwonago. Many thanks to Katie and the fine staff at Espresso Love for their support of the Library-- if you're in Mukwonago, Espresso Love is the place to go.

Good luck with those brackets!

And They're Off!

The March Madness Author's Showdown is begun!

This week there are several high profile match ups, including Isaac Asimov (well known for his hook shot as well as his genre defining Foundation and Robot novels) facing off against Robert Heinlein (believed to be the originator of the phrase 'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch' and famous for his fade away jump shot). Another intriguing first round pairing is the gritty, hard-edged crime fiction of Mickey Spillane going up against the more refined, intellectual crime solving chops of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. While Spillane's main hero, Mike Hammer, is a powerhouse in the post who loves to block opponents' shots, Doyle's creation, Sherlock Holmes, is often regarded as a long distance marksmen, able to rain down three-point shots from nearly anywhere on the court.

Come pick your winners! Filling out a bracket is easy, and fun-- we don't require you to read all the authors. Just pick who you want and then see how your picks compare to the "game" results the following week.

And there are prizes! Each week, the patron whose bracket most closely matches the actual results will win a $10 gift card from our fabulous sponsor, Espresso Love Coffee. Espresso Love's coffees are outstanding, and their bakery items, quiche, soups and signature sandwiches are all delicious. Enjoy their tasty treats in a cozy, comfortable environment.

Stop into the library and grab a bracket by the reference desk. Once you fill it out, just return it to the friendly folks at the reference desk. Then tune in the following week to see how good your predictions were and how your favorite authors did.

Will Terry Pratchett's satirical genius and wicked bad cross-over dribble carry the day, or will Kurt Vonnegut's stream-of-consciousness writing and mad dunking skills prevail-- vote today and find out on Monday, March 16.

Rant or Rave: Movie Ratings

I've posted on this previously, but what can I say-- it's an evergreen. So a big Rant on the silliness of movie ratings:

Last Friday I was looking for some movies to watch over the weekend. I settled on Batman Begins, which I have seen, but was curious to watch again after having seen The Dark Knight not too long ago. Batman Begins is rated PG-13. The given reasons? "Intense Action Violence, Disturbing Images and Some Thematic Elements." Why all of the words are capitalized is beyond me, but let us set that aside as a minor irritant.

"Intense Action Violence." As opposed to... "Placid Action Violence"? And what exactly is "Action Violence"? Can you be violent without action? I guess there can be action without violence, though the former seems most often to be connected to the latter, but I really don't think there can be any other type of violence than action violence.

Moving on. "Disturbing Images". More understandable, and less redundant, than "Intense Action Violence" but really what does it tell us? Disturbing how? To whom? Not really all that helpful, but at least you got the gist of what they were attempting to warn you about.

Not so much with "Some Thematic Elements". Huh? Don't all movies have thematic elements? If there were no thematic elements, all you would have is a bunch of random scenes strung together for 90 minutes. You know, like a Jerry Bruckheimer movie-- rimshot! Seriously, is the warning that there are only SOME thematic elements as opposed to an entire movie filled with a coherent, well-established and developed theme? Somehow I don't think that is what the MPAA had in mind when they appended that particular phrase to their rating.

Parents strongly cautioned because of "Some Thematic Elements". That means nothing. Zip, zero, nada. This movie, for example, contains "Some Thematic Elements" but I doubt they'd earn the movie a PG-13. Though you could argue that parents should not allow their children to watch it under any circumstances.

Heck, as previously noted, the rating explanations aren't even consistent for movies within a series where each film varies only slightly from the previous versions. Here's the explanation for the R rating of Saw-- the violent, sadistic, horror flick that has inspired so many recent violent, sadistic, horror flicks: "Rated R for strong grisly violence and language." No weak grisly violence here.

Here's the explanation for Saw II's R rating: "Rated R for grisly violence and gore, terror, language and drug content." So, the grisly violence is no longer strong, but there is gore and terror? But... ummm... I'm pretty sure there was a fair amount of gore and terror in the original, too.

Ok, ok, how about Saw III? "Rated R for strong grisly violence and gore, sequences of terror and torture, nudity and language." Ah... so, the grisly violence has once more been working out, the gore has returned from #2 (pity there was no actual gore in #1), and now there are sequences of terror AND torture. Guess all those poor saps that died horribly in the first two movies weren't actually tortured.

Not so in Saw IV, whose rating is "R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture throughout, and for language." Now there is torture throughout, but the violence isn't strong (I doubt that), only grisly-- but it is bloody. No gore though. Bloody, but no gore. Uh huh. And the ever present "language". They really do need to stop talking so much in these movies. What a mishmash of uselessness.

Phah. Phah I say. Rate if you must, but let's stop with the preposterous "explanations".

March Madness: Further Details

Once again here's the bracket for Week One:


If you've ever filled out an NCAA Men's Tournament Bracket, this is the same thing, only for authors. If not, well the process is pretty simple. Just pick a winner for each of the eight matchups, then pick a winner for the resulting four matchups, then pick a winner for the "competition" between the two remaining authors. A completed bracket might look like this:


The actual "winners" will be selected by the staff, and for every "winner" in the first round that you correctly picked, you'll get 1 point. For every winner in the second round, you'll get two points, and if you select a correct bracket "finalist" you'll get four points. A total of 24 point is possible for a week, if you pick everything perfectly. The winners will be posted over the course of the following week.

Whoever has the highest total each week will win a prize, and there will be a running total for the entire "tournament" with the highest cumulative total after five weeks winning the grand prize. Ties will be broken by a random draw from all entries with the highest total.

Stop in to the library and get a bracket-- it'll be fun. Week One brackets will be available on Monday, March 9 and will need to be turned in by 4:00 pm on Saturday, March 14.

Information About Your Library

The public library is meant to be just that-- public. We are a source of information, a window on the world, and a place for the community to come together and to discuss the issues and topics of the day. So, it is important that the administration of the library be transparent and accessible to the public the library serves.

To that end, we have now posted the minutes to the library board meetings on the library's web site. They are available under the Library Hours & Information link (you'll have to scroll down a little). If you have any questions regarding the minutes, or the operation of the library, I will be happy to take the time to answer your questions and respond to any concerns.

Pizza Password Contest

Pizza Password Contest
March 2– 28, 2009
Open to grades 7-12

Discover the Pizza Password on Teen Territory at the Mukwonago Community Library's Facebook page and you could win a soda and a slice of pan-style pizza from Rocky Rococo Pizza! Email your name, grade, and the Pizza Password to teens@mukcom.lib.wi.us

There will be four different passwords posted and five randomly chosen winners per password. Check back often to discover the new Pizza Password. You may enter once per password. All prizes must be picked up within 30 days at The Mukwonago Community Library.

(Hint: visit www.mukwonago.lib.wi.us to get started.)

Quote for the Day

Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love.

-- John Steinbeck, 1938

Rant or Rave: John Steinbeck

I vaguely remember reading John Steinbeck in high school-- The Grapes of Wrath and Cannery Row, I think-- but only vaguely. I also remember thinking the former was pretty good, but that the dialogue was annoying because it was written to reflect how the characters actually pronounced the world. So that Rose of Sharon becomes Rosasharn. Of Cannery Row I have almost no memory whatsoever. I never read East of Eden or Of Mice and Men.

Okay, that's the set up for my rave-- what a difference a few decades can make in your perceptions. I recently finished listening to an audiobooks version of The Grapes of Wrath and it was spellbinding. The man could write. And tell a story. No small or mean feat. Lots of mediocre to good authors can write, but aren't all that great at telling a story. And vice-versa-- there are many very talented storytellers out there whose work will never ascend to the status of great because their writing is only decent. To have both is a rare thing, and Steinbeck puts his prodigious storytelling and writing talents to good use in The Grapes of Wrath.

The question for me then became-- why didn't I recognize the greatness of the book in high school? What was different about me, that made my reaction to the book so much stronger and more positive than the first time I read it?

I think the biggest single factor was my own experience-- having written both fiction and non-fiction, I have experienced the difficulty involved in writing even good material, much less great material, in a way that I had no conception of in high school. No conception of whatever. The level of detail Steinbeck leverages into his narrative is amazing-- doubly so because the narrative itself never seems to drag, never seems to be too "wordy".

Additionally, the setting (middle of the Great Depression) and the plot (poor farmers, forced to leave their Oklahoma farms because of banks and corporations) resonates with me very strongly right now. Hopefully, 2008 won't be this century's 1929 and the recession won't become a depression, much less a Great Depression, but the timing of my reading was very interesting.

Finally, I have to say that the audiobook version of The Grapes of Wrath was most excellent-- I am becoming a huge fan of a well-done audiobook. With an audiobook, Steinbeck's dialogue wasn't annoying or hard to decipher at all-- instead it became a rich part of the story itself. I was hearing the characters talk in the manner Steinbeck sought to capture when he wrote the diaglogue as he did. And it was really cool.

Publish Post

The ending was a letdown at first, it seemed so odd, abrupt and inconclusive, but after thinking about it for a while, I made my peace with it. It was still odd, but its non-resolution of what happened to all the major characters stopped bothering me-- the ending to the Joad's story probably shouldn't be too definitive.

Currently, I am nearly half-way through the audiobook version of East of Eden and liking it very much. Not quite as much as The Grapes of Wrath, but that would be a tall hurdle to clear.

So, a big rave for John Steinbeck and also for well-narrated and produced audiobooks!

Friday's List: March Madness #1

In anticipation of National Library Week (April 12-April 18), the Library will be "hosting" its own March Madness contest, based on the college men's basketball tournament that begins March 19. We have selected 64 authors, in eight different areas or genres, to face off against one another, with the winner being "crowned" on Monday, April 13-- a kind of kickoff to National Library Week. The contest will last for five weeks, with the early round match-ups occurring March 9-14, March 16-March 21, March23-28 and March 30-April 4, and the final eight showdown occurring April 6-April 11. Here's what the Week One bracket will look like:
The winners will be picked by the library staff, but everyone who wants to participate can fill out there own bracket, one per week, and join the fun. The person with the most points each week will win a prize, and the person with the most points overall, will win the grand prize.

So, here are the list of 16 participants for Week One, along with a little "bio" to illustrate their merits for inclusion in the contest. The contestants are not ranked, and all have earned their way into the tournament on the basis of their writing ability, popularity and influence on the genre.

Mystery:

• Agatha Christie: The grand dame of mystery writers, and still one of the biggest selling authors of all time.
  
• P.D. James: One of the many writers that followed Christie's lead in the mid-20th century, James' work are often set against the backdrop of British bureaucracies.
  
• Mickey Spillane: Introduced the world to Mike Hammer, a hard-boiled detective living in a dangerous and gritty world.
  
• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: The creator of Sherlock Holmes, still the best-known detective in the world. He was also prolific in other literary fields.
  
• Sue Grafton: A prolific mystery writer, best known for her "alphabet novels" (A is For Alibi, B is for Burglar, etc.) which featured private detective Kinsey Millhone.
  
• Elmore Leonard: Leonard's works are best known for their grittiness and realism, and unlike the others on this list, he does not have one or two detectives that are featured in most of his works.
  
• Dorothy Sayers: A contemporary of Christie, Sayers' works most often featured Lord Peter Whimsey as the detective.
  
• Janet Evanovich: The creator of Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter and sleuth, Evanovich's work are often overlayed with elements of romance novels and thrillers.
  

Fantasy & Science Fiction:

• Isaac Asimov: He didn't invent science fiction, but he did bring the science portion of it to the forefront. And he was ridiculously prolific, with several hundred fiction and non-fiction books to his credit.
  
• Terry Pratchett: His works are funny, satirical, inventive and thought-provoking. He has a flair for language that few can rival.
  
• Ray Bradbury: Bradbury's works cross many genre-lines, science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, but they are universally well-written and reflective of the human soul. Good stuff, in short.
  
• J.R.R. Tolkien: He brought fantasy into the mainstream, made it legitimate. Along the way, he influenced hundreds of writers and thousands of readers for generations.
  
• Robert Heinlein: As with Asimov, Heinlein brought a lot of science to his science fiction, but he was also an incredibly imaginative and prolific author.
  
• Kurt Vonnegut: Vonnegut's works are satirical, filled with black humor, and brilliant. And Kilgore Trout may be the best name for a protagonist ever.
  
• Orson Scott Card: His novel, Ender's Game, is considered one of the finest novels for young adults ever, and deservedly so. The rest of his writing is awfully fine, as well.
  
• H.G. Wells: The granddaddy of them all, he invented many of the themes we now take for granted in science fiction-- time travel, alien lifeforms and alien invasions, and the altering of mankind through science and medicine.
  

The week one contest brackets will be available on Monday, March 9.
Have a good weekend!

Library Collections: What Should We Have?

A comment recently came through, asking if it was a good idea that the library had DVDs, and now video games, in an era of childhood obesity. I responded to it, briefly, in the library's column in the Mukwonago Chief, but I post the comment in full here because I think it raises some interesting points and it requires a full and thoughtful response that I just don't have the room for in the newspaper column. Here is the full-text of the suggestion:

With today's children spending so much time in front of the television, is it necessary to promote this by offering hundreds of movie DVDs and now video games at the library? Studies have proven that our children are less imaginative than ever before, and cases of obesity in children is [sic] overwhelming. On my past trips to the library, I notice that children and their parents are not checking out books, but instead are checking out stacks of DVDs and now video games. Is this the quality time that parents spend with their children now, mindlessly parking them in front of the television set? What about sharing a good book and talking, or venturing outside for some fresh air and exercise. A little sun won't hurt any of these kids. Maybe it should be suggested that we spend more money on books, magazines, papers, etc. and less on mindless visual entertainment.

I want to thank whoever made the suggestion. And I mean that very sincerely-- it clearly comes from someone who truly cares about his or her community and the community's library. Similarly, thanks to everyone else who has made a suggestion or left a comment—please, keep them coming. We appreciate any and all feedback from the community we serve.

It is also important to provide a little historical context-- this is a question that has been around, in one form or another, for centuries. In America, it has arisen in the form of "good" books vs. "bad" books, newspapers and magazines vs. books, movies and videotapes vs. books and newspapers, and even genre books (SF, fantasy, mystery) vs. other fiction.

Essentially, it boils down to: Is the public library an educational institution, an entertainment destination, or some blending and combination of the two? The general consensus has been for option #3, a blending and combination of the two. Certainly that has been the approach of the Mukwonago Community Library. Our vision statement identifies us as both a Lifelong Learning Place and an Entertainment Place. Most significantly, perhaps, we see ourselves as A Place For Everyone.

Now, in regards to particulars of the patron's comments, let's start with the final point. It is important to realize that the library spends more on books than on DVDs, CDs and video games combined—more than twice as much, when you include our newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Books, newspapers and magazines are staple of library holdings, and despite speculation like this, I don't see that changing any time in the near future.

I also think calling movies and video games, “mindless visual entertainment” is too harsh. Certainly, some movies and games are pure escapism, but movies are often as thought provoking as books and many video games can be shared by a family in the same manner as a board game. My kids and I had a blast last week playing SuperMario Kart together, and with the motion-sensing capabilities of the new generation of games, even the "couch potato" image of a typical video game player may be going by the boards. Having recently purchased Wii Fit, I can testify that "playing" that "game" will provide you with a workout. Plus, recent studies are showing that video games can be beneficial to the brain in many ways.

And, then again, what's wrong with a little pure escapism from time to time? Certainly some books are primarily, perhaps entirely, escapist fiction. Not every book can be The Grapes of Wrath, Wuthering Heights, or War and Peace. Nor would we want them to be.

Additionally, the library is also an entertainment place and both DVDs and video games are part of the entertainment landscape. Certainly we hope that families check out books as well as videos and games, but the library's vision is for it to be a "place for everyone". One group that is a challenge to "be a place for" is the young adult population-- video games are a way for us to reach out to them.

In regards to getting outside for some sun, the library is exploring options for making better use of the park to our west this summer, including outdoor reading spots and possibly checking out some sports equipment (basketballs, kickballs, etc.). Overall, however, I would say that video gaming is no more inactive than reading a book, and that today's games are sometimes quite active, indeed.

The challenge to today's library is to be that "place for everyone". Old, young, readers, writers, viewers, gamers. Computer savvy or not, religious, agnostic, retired, unemployed, students, parents, children, artists, professionals, factory workers, athletes and intellectuals. To meet that challenge, we attempt to keep a balance of educational and entertainment materials, in as many formats as possible, to reach as broad a portion of the community as we can.

And we are always open to suggestions and new approaches. Please, help us be the best community library we can possibly be-- add your comments just below, if you'd like, or stop in and let us know what's on your mind.

When Life is Better than a Story

This story has nothing to do with libraries, books, information or technology. It has a lot to do with what is best about people, about sportsmanship and about the human spirit. As an added bonus, it happened in Wisconsin and its getting national attention (I saw it on Yahoo).

I pass it along because it is worth reading and as my own small props to everyone involved, because what they did was good and right and (sadly) refreshing in a world that far too often seems more interested in fame, greed and winning at all costs.

Library Slogans

One of my hopes for expanding the library is to find a good catch-phrase or slogan for our fund raising efforts. In pursuit of that goal, I stumbled upon the Advertising Slogan Generator. Simply plug in a keyword, click "sloganize" and voila, instant catch-phrase.

Here are a view possibilities that came from the Advertising Slogan Generator, with the word Library plugged into it:

• Top Breeders Recommend Library
• It's a New Library Every Day
• Library is Job 1
• Gee, Your Library Smells Terrific
• Why Can't Everything Orange Be Library?

You get the idea. Fairly silly, but fun-- and in all honesty, number two on that list isn't half-bad. One of the neat things about a library is that it IS a new place every day, with new materials, new opportunities and new events all the time.

Try it out with different slogan terms-- some of the "slogans" are awfully funny.

Friday's List: Belated

I actually had this ready to go Friday, but then wanted to just tweak it a little... and naturally forgot all about actually posting it. Until today, when I finally looked and it wasn't there. Doh! Sorry about that.

So, here is Friday's belated: Top Ten Underrated Actors

Undeniably subjective, but open to discussion-- just add your thoughts after clicking the little "0 comments" link at the bottom of this post. I saw Tombstone last week (yes, I know its over 10 years old, but I hadn't seen it before) and was fairly impressed with it-- quite a bit better than I expected. Part of the reason was Val Kilmer's portrayal of Doc Holliday. He was excellent-- stealing the show from Kurt Russell's more reserved, pragmatic Wyatt Earp.

It occured to me that Mr. Kilmer has been excellent in everything I've seen him in-- though checking this filmography, I haven't seen the majority of his work. Still, I think he is under-appreciated as an actor. Started me thinking about other actors that are under-appreciated, and voila:

Top 10 Underrated Actors/Actresses

10. Cate Blanchett. Doesn't seem to get the same recognition of the Gwyneth Paltrow's of the world, but she is sublime in everything she does. She has a chameleon like nature and an ability to go from cold to warm to sexy in just a heartbeat.
9. Lee Marvin. Old school, bay-bee. Never got the same recognition as some of his contemporaries, but his work in The Dirty Dozen, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Paint Your Wagon is just fine, thank you (yes, even the singing). And he does comedy pretty well, too.
8. Clint Eastwood. Gets a lot of recognition for his directing, and deservedly so, but the man can act, too. Dirty Harry and the spaghetti westerns, sure, but his work in The Outlaw Jesse Wales, Honkytonk Man, Play Misty for Me and Two Mules for Sister Sarah is very very good. Far more wide ranging than most people know.
7. Harrison Ford. Certainly a known, A-List name, but doesn't really get enough credit for his actual acting. His work in Blade Runner is generally overlooked, as are his roles in Working Girl, Witness and Regarding Henry. And with Han Solo and Indiana Jones, Ford virtually defined the action hero for an entire generation. I personally believe part of the reason that the original Star Wars movies were so much better than the recent ones was because the cast was SO good they managed to not only overcome the mediocre to horrible writing, but to transcend it-- and Ford was linchpin of that talented bunch of actors.
6. Kevin Spacey. Gets quite a bit of press, but he's still underrated in my mind-- I would put him up there with the Deniros and Pacinos of his generation. His work in American Beauty, L.A. Confidential and The Usual Suspects was just superb. He's not quite as good in A Time To Kill and The Negotiator, but he does a great bad guy voice in A Bug's Life.
5. Vincent D'Onfrio. A bit annoying, at times, as the uber-genius cop in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, but he's got serious acting chops across a wide range of genres and much of his work on L&O: CI is riveting. Awesome performance as the "bug" in Men In Black.
4. Bill Murray. A comic genius, of course-- Ghostbusters, Caddy Shack, Stripes, Meatballs-- but also skilled with less over-the-top comic material and more serious fare. Scrooged, Groundhog Day, and Lost in Translation, for example.
3. Sigourney Weaver. Comic gold in Ghostbusters and Galaxy Quest and not your typical damsel in distress in Alien and Aliens. Also plays the bad guy well, ala the mean, merciless "warden" in Holes and everybody's favorite boss to hate in Working Girl.
2. Val Kilmer. Has done a bit of everything, and done it well. Comedy? Johnny Dangerously and Real Genius. Drama? The Doors and Tombstone. Action? Batman Forever and Tombstone.
1. Michael Keaton. Kinda got stereotyped with Mr. Mom, I think, but he ranged from Beetle Juice to Bruce Wayne with ease. Has a Tom Hanks like every man quality, but plays the bad guy as well as he does the good guy.

Now it is entirely possible that some, or all, of these actors have sucked out loud in the films I haven't seen, but in the ones I have seen they have been excellent, yet don't get critical acclaim for their acting. And I'm sure I've forgotten lots of folks, so feel free to add nominees in the comments.

TTDNTMiLS #3: HVAC Systems

I am 99.8342% positive the term HVAC, short for Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning, was never mentioned to me in any of my library sciences courses. Not once.

Yet I find myself spending an awful lot of time dealing with things HVAC related these days. Our HVAC system is about 12 years old now (same as our building) and so its starting to show a little wear and tear. Consequently, the library is exploring a preventative maintenance (read tune up) agreement for the HVAC system for this year.

And because of that, I have recently learned about: variable air volume devices, air mixers, supply fans, air handling units, condensers, boilers, pumps, static reset switches, filters, duct work and more! For extra kicks, nearly everything related to HVAC systems is an acronym or abbreviation: AHU, ZN-T, SupFlow, OccCMax, P5-S, BOXHTG-C, and on and on.

Fortunately, I like learning new things and getting a basic understanding of air, steam and water flow in a building is kinda fun. It's like a puzzle and a maze all sorta mashed up, with some big, mechanical bits thrown in for extra fun.

But really, would it have hurt the library school folks to mention some of this in class? I remeber discussing the importance of maintaining humidity and temperature levels (paper and electronics are impacted adversely by large swings in humidity and temperature), but never the HOW of maintaining those levels. Nothing at all along the lines of, "Every few years it is probably a good idea to have all your zone VAV settings and controls tested, and there will probably only be a handful of companies in your area that can do that. Oh, and it will be pretty expensive, but it will likely be worth it in the long run."

Finally, for the terminally curious, AHU=Air Handling Unit, ZN-T=Zone Temperature, SupFlow=Supply Airflow, OccCMax=Occupied Cooling Max Airflow, P5-S=Pump 5 Status, and BOXHTG-C=Heating Valve. There's a lot of V words in the HVAC world.

Friday's List: Best PG Movie Quotes

Wow, this was HARD. Trying to narrow it down to 10 was incredibly restrictive. I could come up with 10 great lines just from Ghostbusters. So, I bumped it out to 20, which was still hard. So, I eliminated any that have R-rating level profanity in them, which knocked out some really good ones, unfortunately. But it seems appropriate for a library blog. For a great movie line site, go here.

Top 20 Movie Quotes of All Time:

20) Ball 4... Ball 8... Ball 12. How can they be laying off pitches that close? Major League, 1989. So many great lines in this movie. Uecker was awesome.
19) Strange women lying about in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 1975. Another movie that could get you 25 great lines easy.
18) Dyin' ain't much of a livin', boy. The Outlaw Josey Wales, 1976. Classic Clint.
17) Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria! Ghostbusters, 1984. Only one of many, but perhaps my favorite of them all.
16) May the force be with you. Star Wars, 1977. Not a top 10, like AFI has it, but deserving nonetheless.
15) Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son. Animal House, 1978. The AFI list didn't even have the best Animal House quotes on their list.
14) Cinderella story here at Augusta, former groundskeeper comes from behind to lead the pack. Caddyshack, 1980. Another movie that could fill up 25 quotes easy.
13) What we have here is a failure to communicate. Cool Hand Luke, 1967. So simple, yet so chilling.
12) It's 106 miles to Chicago. We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.
Hit it. The Blues Brothers, 1980. Ah, Johnny boy, we hardly knew ye.
11) Here's looking at you kid. Casablanca, 1942. Gotta have a Bogart quote in here. It's like a rule.
10) Indiana Jones: There's a big snake in the plane, Jock!
Jock: Oh, that's just my pet snake, Reggie.
Indiana Jones: I hate snakes, Jock! I hate 'em!
Jock: C'mon, show a little backbone, will ya? Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981. Just my personal favorite Indi quote.
9) I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die. Blade Runner, 1982. Rutger Hauer is an underrated actor, and everything about this movie was fantastic.
8) YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH! Son we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Whose gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Wienburg? I have more responsilbility here than you could possibly fathom. In places you don't want to talk about at parties, you want me on that wall...you need me on that wall. We use words like honour, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline! I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd prefer you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to! A Few Good Men, 1992. There is so much more to this line than just the first sentence. And you gotta have at least one Jack Nicholson line in a top 25 list. It's like a rule.
7) Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. Gone With the Wind, 1939. Nearly 70 years later, this one still resonates.
6) So i get a job loopin' for none other than the Dhali Lama himself, the bald head, the flowing robes...striking! So we get up on the first tee and he whacks off about a 10,000 foot crevice down into this glacier, a big hitter the llama....Long. So he turns to me and says oonga-lagoonga..oonga-goonga-lagrunga. So we finish 18 and he starts to walk off...you know tries to stiff me and I say 'Hey Dhali! Hey Lama! How about somethin' for the effort you know? ....a little moola' and he says 'Oh there will be no money but on your deathbed you will receive total consciousness'....so I got dat goin for me....which is nice. Caddyshack, 1980. Simply outstanding. Maybe should be higher?
5) We're on a mission from God. The Blues Brothers, 1980. Pretty well sums it up, huh?
4) I love the smell of Napalm in the morning. Apocalypse Now, 1979. Who doesn't?
3) Are you suggesting coconuts migrate? Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 1975. Set the stage for all the inspired lunacy that was to follow, in this movie, in their other movies and in tons of other peoples' movies.
2) I know what you're thinking, punk. You're thinking, did he fire six shots or only five? Well to tell you the truth, I forgot myself in all this excitement. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and will blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question: do I feel lucky? Well do ya, punk? Dirty Harry, 1971. Hard to beat Clint at his best.
1) I'll make him an offer he can't refuse. The Godfather, 1972. Brando at the top of his game takes home the prize. There are tons of lines in this movie that are unforgettable, but this is the one that sums it all up.

So there it is. It was tempting at times to just pick a movie (Ghostbusters, The Godfather, The Holy Grail, etc.) instead of just one or two quotes from those movies, but that seemed cheesy. I had almost 50 lines that could've made the list, and obviously over half of them didn't. Here are my honorable mentions in no particular order:

Did we give up when the German's bombed Pearl Harbor? No!

You don't understand! I could've had class. I could've been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.

They can take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!

I think he broke his freakin' neck.

You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me?!

Where's your other hand? In between two pillows. Those aren't PILLOWS!

Run away! Run away!

I hate Illinois Nazis.

I'll be back.

Wax on, wax off.

So it's sort of social-- demented and sad, but social.

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas any more.

Ya shouldn't hang me on a hook, Johnny. My mudder hung me on a hook, once. Once.

Ask him about the twinkie.

It's good to be the king.

Bond, James Bond.

Don't drive angry.

Get your hands off me you dirty damned ape.

Whoa, this is the ugliest hat I've ever seen! Do you get a free bowl of soup with that hat? Oh, it looks good on you though. Whew!

Say hello to my little friend.

In Vegas, everybody's gotta watch everybody else. Since the players are looking to beat the casino, the dealers are watching the players. The box men are watching the dealers. The floor men are watching the box men. The pit-bosses are watching the floor men. The shift-bosses are watching the pit-bosses. The casino manager is watching the shift-bosses. I'm watching the casino manager. And the eye-in-the-sky is watching us all.

So, can you name all the films those quotes go with?

Have a great weekend!

Donkeyball Post Game Assessment

We was robbed! You thought the officiating was poor to criminal in the Super Bowl? That was nothing on the Donkeyball tournament on Friday. The community team took the court against the school administrators, and it was quickly clear that the cards were stacked against us. Jeff Spang, of the YMCA Phantom Lake camp, had bravely volunteered to ride the sweetly named Honeypot, a misnomer if ever there was one.

Honeypot (shown above, with me trying to stop him so I can attempt to ride him for 5-10 seconds until he bucks or ducks me off) is one ornery, unsweet little equine. So, right from the get go one of our four players was hamstrung trying to get on the donkey, much less actually ride and direct it. Two of our other donkeys steadfastly refused to move. Yet despite playing roughly 1 on 3 (the adminstrators did have one donkey that did not move as well), we were ahead at half-time and tied 12-12 with only seconds left in regulation.

As a side note, 12-12 is huge scorefest in donkey ball. The first game, 7th grade teachers vs. 8th grade teachers, ended 8-6.

But I digress. After a controversial ruling on an adminstration technical foul, the game ended in a tie, with the adminstrators winning in "overtime". OT consisted of an arm wrestling match and a Rock, Paper, Scissors throw down, both of which the community lost. All of which should've been irrelevant, since we had the game cinched in regulation-- despite our donkey disadvantage!-- until the ref weighed in and virtually handed the game to the admin team. But I'm not bitter.

Seriously, it was fun, the crowd was great, and the school raised a lot of money for their technology drive. As for your intrepid correspondent and erstwhile donkey rider-- I was not in much, as the community team had 12 people to rotate into four slots. But I did get to know Honeypot up close and personal. He actually seems like a nice enough donkey-- he just doesn't like large people riding on him.

Which is understandable. So, I spent a good part of my time sliding alongside him as he pulled me wherever he happened to want to go. I did manage to mount up a few times. I think I even lasted longer than seven seconds once-- which is pretty good! Oh wait, that's in bull riding.

Well, either way, it was fun and I applaud my team, the opponents, everyone who came to watch the show, and the donkeys themselves-- they were very patient.

Here's a few more pics from the show (sorry they are a little dark-- the lighting in the gym wasn't so good for pictures):