Fool by Christopher Moore

I have just finished reading Coyote Blue and The Gospel According to Biff, and although this book (Fool) was very good, I think maybe I should have taken a break before running head strong into this one.

This was the store of King Lear but it was from the perspective of the Fool. It was different from the other books of Christopher Moore that I read, because it did not use your traditional grammar and ways of writing. He used a lot of vulgar and profane words, which of course I myself did not mind.

The teller of this tale is Pocket, he has been King Lear’s fool/jest for years and has seen the king grow old and princesses (Regan, Cordelia and Goneril) grow up. Pocket plays a fool but he is one very smart and cunning little jester. King Lear decides to find out which of his daughters loves him more so at the suggestion of Edmond (the bastard) he demands them to swear their undying love to him in front of the entire court. Regan and Gonerial swear their love without question, but Cordelia is honest and tells the King that she loves him as much as a daughter should love her father no more and no less. The king is appalled by this response and banishers her from the kingdom. The king splits his kingdom 2 ways instead of 3 and gives them to Regan and Gonerial and he steps down removing himself from king. Now the whole country stars to go to hell as the princess take over and the king is to proud to admit that banishing Cordelia was a mistake and she did in fact love him more than his other two daughters. Pocket is the only one who can correct what the king has done, so he goes off on his adventure with his idiot friend, Drool, to bring in the happy ending.

There are spells, a few wars and a bunch of shagging throughout the entire book, so if you are timid or conservative this book is not for you. Christopher Moore really shows you a new way to use…and maybe even abuse the English language in this book.

This book is long, but it is worth reading. I think so far that The Gospel According to Biff has been my favorite so far, but this book has lots of laughs and is worth reading.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff
By Christopher Moore

This is the second book that I have read by Christopher Moore, and he is still a very funny writer. I continued to laugh out loud a number of times. I think a number of people must think that I am a little crazy now, but it is all good.

So The Gospel According to Biff is the story of Joshua’s (Jesus’) youth. Biff was Joshua’s best friend growing up and Biff helps Joshua become the Jesus that we read about in the bible.

Biff was brought back by the angel Raziel to write his gospel and complete the missing parts of the Bible. When he saw our version of the Bible, he was very upset because he was not even motioned once. He was also upset that none of Josh’s youth was mentioned. Raziel is supposed to keep an eye on Biff, but he is portrayed as not to bright and more into TV.

Biff points out that you know nothing of Joshua’s life from birth until he is 33. That is 33 years of growth and becoming the man he was when he was crucified that we never hear of, and this is that story. Joshua experiences many of the same issues and problems that every child goes through while growing up. Josh has brothers and sisters and even tells his dad “You’re not my father” when he is upset with Joseph.

Biff and Josh leave their home land in search of the 3 wise men that were at Joshua’s birth so that he can learn to become the Messiah (Chosen One).

This story stretches over like 20+ years. Joshua meets each of the 3 wise men and learns their philosophies and incorporates it into his own beliefs. For example one of the wise men is a Buddhist monk. There is even an explanation of the birth of Jew-do (Now known as Judo), because Josh wouldn’t hit anyone. You meet everyone in this book, Mary Magdalene (Biffs childhood crush), John the Baptist (Josh’s cousin). Josh even asks Biff to experience certain sin’s so that he can know what they are like without participating in them (such as intercourse – outside of marriage).

I don’t want to give anymore of the book away, but there are so many twists and turns and an explanation for so many things in that are now Jewish customs. This book is funny and will have you laughing throughout the book. I don’t want to give too much away, but this is a great book and if you haven’t read it, I would recommend it. I will most definitely read more of Christopher Moore’s books.

Torchwood: The Children of Earth

I am a huge Sci-Fi buff one of my favorite shows of all time is Doctor Who. So when I saw the preview for Torchwood a few years back, I had to set my Tivo and I loved it. I loved the first 2 seasons, but I was really worried after 2 of the main characters died if they were going to bring it back for a 3 season so when I started seeing the previews for The Children of Earth I started bouncing up and down on my couch and counting down the days.

For anyone who does watch Doctor Who as well, one of the things I really loved was the fact that they brought the two shows together. There was a Doctor Who episode where you see when, why and how Torchwood was founded and in another episode Rose (one of the Doctors Companions) was saved by Captain Jack when Rose and the Doctor ended up in London during WWII.

Anyway…enough about Doctor Who (you can tell that is my favorite and if they stop making them after so many years I will be VERY PISSED!!!!)

This short mini serious of Torchwood was super short. Just 5 days. The 456 have returned to earth (the UK to be exact) after 44 years. On their last visit to the UK, no one but the government and 3 others outside the government knew and the UK handed over 12 children for the cure to a virus that could have wiped out over 1/3 of the WORLD population. Sounds like an easy trade right 12 children for the lives of BILLIONS! They took the children that wouldn’t be missed and they assumed that was the end and the 456 would never return…or at least that was the deal. The UK continued to monitor the airwave in case the 456 did contact them ever again and 44 years later…THEY DID. Now the 456 is back and they re communicating to the world through the children and they are making demands either 10% of all the children on earth or complete extinction for the human population!



(I must admit that children freak me out!!! Children of the corn and now this…I don’t know what is creepier. I guess all the children in the world stopping at the exact same time and speaking in unison is creepier)

The UK government freaks out worried that the 3 others that participated in handing over the first 12 children 44 years ago would speak out and tell the world that the 456 had been there before, so they put out the 2 kill order, but Jack was one of those few and Jack cannot die, he is a fixed spot in time and space. But that does not stop the government trying to take out Jack (the leader of Torchwood) and the rest of them (Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones). This was not a smart move because Torchwood are the alien experts and taking them out was not the best move.

You really get a chance to learn more about Ianto in this episode. Although he has been there from the beginning, you finally get to really see how he is and really begin to connect with him. You see where he is from and you meet his family. He becomes a much stronger character.

You also really get the chance to see how immortal Jack is and what he can survive, which is really crazy.

Gwen’s husband Rhys plays a much larger role in this mini serious, and a number of new characters are introduced including:

Johnson – who works for the government and she is the one assigned the task of taking out the one person in the world that can’t be taken out (Jack)

Clem – one of the original children who was given to the 456 but managed to escape them

John – the Permanent Secretary to the home office who is in charge of handling the situation with the 456 and put out the order to kill on jack and Torchwood

Lois – a secretary that starts here first day at the home office the same day that 456 make contact. She sees the kill order on Torchwood and begins to wonder why the government is killing the alien expertise when aliens finally showed themselves.

I really loved this mini serious. I stayed up until 4 in the morning last night just so I could see “Day Five”. If you like Sci-Fi, Aliens, Doctor Who or anything in the fantasy world this is a must see. In total it is a little over 6 hrs but worth every second of it. The show keeps you on your feet and wondering what is going to happen next.

I truly hope that this is not the last that we see of Torchwood. To read more about Torchwood visit BBC Torchwood

Coyote Blue

Today I finished reading Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore. I can’t remember reading anything by him before, but my best friend recommended this book to me, so I had to read it.

This book was funny. I must admit that I laughed a number of times (out loud) during this book.

The story is about a guy named Sam Hunter (known as Samson Hunts Alone) who was born on a Crow Indian reservation.

The book not only tells you Sam’s current situation, but the book continues to go back and talk about his youth and what it was like for him as a child growing up on the reservation, never having much money and being very family oriented.

After an accident Sam had to leave the reservation and redefine himself as a white man. He leaves his past and heritage behind and embarrasses his new life. He got a job as a salesman and his life was going well…until his guiding sprite Coyote – the trickster god – comes to “help Sam”, but instead he turns Sam’s life upside down!

Sam falls for a young girl named Calliope. Calliope is a free spirit and a mother. The baby’s father is a drug addicted biker and Calliope leaves him after the baby was born. When the father of Calliope’s baby takes her child and runs to Vegas, Calliope goes after her baby. Sam’s uncle receives a vision of death and tells Coyote about it. Coyote tells Sam and he goes after Calliope.

Coyote has an interesting time in Vegas, as he tries to trick the casinos. Although Coyote manages to turn Sam’s life upside down, he helps Sam find apart of himself that he lost years ago.

I do not want to give away the ending or any more of the book away, but you will enjoy this book, it is worth reading. I must admit that I will read more of Christopher Moore’s books.

Finding that Perfect Job…in this Economy

There are so many sites on the web that will let you search for jobs, but a number of the cost money, and let’s face it, if you are out of work, having the extra money to spend getting access to job listings is not the most logical way to go. So many people are out of work right now and competing with each other to find a job, that, adding another search tool to the mix will do more good than harm. Visit Classified Ads and browse job listings for free .

Classified Ads have jobs in just about every field you can think of from Accounting and IT to Marketing and Transportation. In this economy any opportunity that you get to help find that dream job is worth taking a look at. Just visit the site and browse job listings. If you don’t check it out you will never know if that perfect job passes you by.

Classified Ads will let you register, browse, and post job openings and all of it is for free. The site is easy to navigate and the search results are excellent.

Even if you are working now, it never hurts to look and see if there is something out there better for you, that will utilize your talents better and help you succeed farther in the long run. Don’t just sit around day in and out in a job that doesn’t make you happy. Now is just as good a time as any to put yourself out there and find that perfect job.

Comcast Fiasco PART 3!! YES PART 3!!!!

So today, Comcast was suppose to come out and fix/replace my cable box. After everything broke this weekend, which of course I blogged about in a blog called Yet more issues with Comcast. But of course that was not the first problem I had with comcast that was just the 4 other ones that I have had in a month. As I mentioned in my first blog about ComCast, Comcast Cable installation fiasco. I had the worst experience in the world with Comcast installation. After that I had a number of other problems between the installation and the last issue with my cable box going out. So this weekend after the cable box went out, Comcast arranged for someone to show up at my house on Tuesday between 8-11 am. Great, right in the middle of the work day, so I figured out how to make sure that someone was at my house to let them in, like we all have to do and suffer through. So this morning at 7 am I get a call while in the shower verifying the appointment. So I call them back and verify the appointment. Then at 9 they call me back to verify my appointment. WHAT DO THESE PEOPLE NOT COMMUNICATE!! They were supposed to be at my house between 8-11 so you already know that they are not going to get there at 8 so Why the HELL did they say 8 instead of 9. WHATEVER! So by noon when NO ONE HAD SHOWN UP I call Comcast and ask “um, why did no one show up at my house to fix the cable box?” so they put in a notice to have dispatch or whatever call me because they can’t get a hold of the person doing the installations. So dispatch calls me and tells me that YES someone was at MY HOUSE fixing MY CABLE BOX for almost an HOUR!! EXCUSE me!!! I think I would notice that right, someone knocking on my door, coming into my house and FIXING MY FREAKING CABLE!!!! That is something I would have noticed, but this woman tried to tell me that I was wrong!! WHAT!! HOW THE HELL AM I Wrong!!??? Comcast was NOT in my HOUSE! Someone (the installation person) FROM COMCAST LIED ABOUT COMING TO MY HOUSE AND FIXING THE CABLE BOX!! COMCAST LIED!! So that was so frustrating!! I am still FRUSTRATED!!! So they tell me that someone can come back out to my house now. Well I work, most people work so if I am at work I can’t let them in. So I tell Comcast that yes I would like someone to come to my house today like the SAID THEY WOULD and fix my cable box. I just can’t believe that Comcast said they were at my house and FIXED the problem!! GRRRR! So I told them I work until 5:30 but anytime after that would work. So they tell me that they can’t promise someone would be there. REALLY, Comcast was happy with me giving up the first half of my day to accommodate them, and when COMCAST decided not to show up and then COMCAST directly lies to me about it that’s ok, but when I ask COMCAST to come out on the DAY that they said they would and FIX my problem they can’t accommodate me!!! I am so frustrated with Comcast right now. I have never had so many issues before and NEVER IN MY LIFE HAS SOME ONE TRIED TO TELL ME THAT THEY WERE AT MY HOUSE WHEN THEY WERE NOT…and by the way, doesn’t it make you wonder what the tech was doing instead of working?! CUZ they obviously LIED about being at my HOUSE!! AND I guess they FIGURED I wouldn’t notice!!! GRRRRRRR

Yet More Issues with ComCast

I have had Comcast for less than 2 months now and the problems just continue to keep comings, so let me just say one thing off the bat. If you have a choose in cable providers, DO NOT GO WITH COMCAST!! Heck, go with satellite instead if you have to.

This image of the Comcast logo seems to fit how I am feeling and makes me realize that I am SO not the only one who has had issues with them :-)

So not only did I have the WORST experience with the installation, which yes frustrated me and really upset me, but I was willing to over look, but let’s just go down the list of things that have gone wrong with Comcast since then. After my first blog, I was nicely contacted by a representative at Comcast who offered to speak with me about my problem. I emailed the representative and said yes please provide me with a contact number so that I can call you to discuss this issue. I was very pleased with the quick response, but I did not ever receive a follow up email, contact number...ANYTHING! So what was the point of them contacting me in the first place, just to make me THINK they were going to do something?? They should have just not offered to speak with me; it would have been better then false and broken promises.

My next issue with Comcast was that they sent me a piece of paper saying that I had signed up for this special and if I wanted to continue getting this special I had to sign this piece of paper and send it back within 30 days. THAT IS Sleazy. Seriously. Cuz you KNOW they are betting that people don't sign that piece of paper and send it back to them within 30 days so then they can JACK the price up and make even MORE money. I think that is sneaky and evil. If someone calls, orders a certain special then they shouldn't have to sign a paper to that effect. I have never had to do that kind of stupid thing before.

My 3rd issue with Comcast is that my first bill comes around. I go to my mailbox after work like normal and I see the bill. I think, ok, I will pay this tomorrow, so I toss it in my purse with my checkbook and the next morning I go to work. At lunch time, I pull out the bill to pay it and open the envelop. Only to find out that it was DUE YESTERDAY. Yes! I got the check the evening that it was due. So I call them up and explain and Comcast said they would not charge me the late fee. Really nice considering that I couldn't have paid it on time even if I would have tried. GRRR

My 4th problem with Comcast that I have had in less than 2 months is that my OnDemand didn't work. Hasn't worked since they set it up. Great right. Said I had it but I didn't! WTF! More false and broken promises...but I did sign that paper and get it back to them so I kept my end of the deal.

My last issue with Comcast which happened YESTERDAY was that over 1/2 the channels that I have just stopped working. GREAT right. Everything on my TV that is above 100 stopped working. Which I wouldn't really mind except that the National Geo Channel, Science Channel and BBC America (which has ALL my fav shows on it) are ALL on those Channels. When I called to order the cable, I specifically asked to MAKE sure that I would get BBC America!! So they go out, I call Comcast and they try to re-boot my system. The guy I talked to was very nice so it helped keep me calm. BUT the re-boot doesn't work... although it did fix my OnDemand. But did that help with the season premiere of 2 of my shows this weekend on BBC....GRRR NO IT DID NOT! So now Tuesday Comcast is coming out to my house to change out the box, which means that I have to leave work in the middle of the afternoon and spend my lunch break getting a new box and setting it ALL UP AGAIN, because you know they are going to mess up my TiVo and it is going to be a huge ordeal again. I have not even had this box for a FREAKING MONTH!!!

I AM SO FRUSTRATED!!!! This just makes me wonder what the next 10 months with Comcast is going to bring, but I can promise you one thing... If I don’t' see some VAST improvements on their service and my experience with them increases dramatically in a very positive way, I don’t' care if it costs me $100 more a month with Direct TV...I will NOT renew with Comcast and I sure as hell will never recommend them to ANYONE. I am paying really good money for what feels like…problem after problem after problem. No one should have this many problems with a cable company in less than 2 months...REALLY ONE IS ENOUGHT!!