Frequency

At night, it cooled off to a balmy 75F. My apartment had a hard time cooling down, and as late as 3 am it was still pretty uncomfortable there, and I didn't sleep too well.

Fortunately, today it cooled off somewhat, and tonight it's reasonably cool out and my apartment is gradually getting to a reasonable temperature. Whew! Tomorrow I guess it's supposed to drop 5-to-10 degrees, and then drop a solid 10 degrees the day after that. So the weekend should be perfectly reasonable - I hope!

Tuesday I lifted weights for the first time since before my vacation. It went pretty well, but yesterday I was sore. My quads, pectorals, and shoulders were all sore, so I forewent my aerobic exercise. And today I was still sore, although better than yesterday. So it's been a couple of days now since I've worked out; I hope to squeeze something in tomorrow morning, if I can get a good night's sleep tonight.

As I said, I made a comic book run yesterday. George Perez is finally restarting his series Crimson Plague. He published one issue several years ago, then put it on hold while he went back to work for Marvel for these last three years. The first issue has now been reprinted with extra material, and it's pretty good; there's superhero stuff in here, but mostly it's a horror story, centered around a mysterious woman whose blood carries an efficient, deadly plague, and who is loose on Earth. The book tells both of her adventures on Earth, and her genesis on a moon of Jupiter. Good stuff, I hope Perez keeps with it this time.

Also out this week is Mark Waid's Empire. This comic is about a near-future Earth in which a super-villain has managed to conquer the world (or, at least, he's 'pacifying' the last few remaining countries). He's wiped out all or nearly all opposition, and is immensely competent. The art is by the servicible but unremarkable Barry Kitson, and the first issue is an introduction to Emperor Golgoth's world. It looks like it has potential, and may end up with more depth than the typical Waid story displays.

Finally, the 39th Prince Valiant volume is out from Fantagraphics. Apparently there will be one more and then Fantagraphics will have reprinted all of the strips which Hal Foster drew. This volume contains several strips which were drawn by others, including John Cullen Murphy (the current artist), Gray Morrow, and Wally Wood. Wood's page is clearly Wood's work, while the others are pretty good mimickings of Foster's own style.

Oh, and I also placed an Amazon order this week. I picked up The New Teen Titans Archives, reprinting the first 8 issues of the good DC series from the early 80s, Ken MacLeod's The Stone Canal, the latest volume of Dykes to Watch Out For, and Ian Anderson's new solo album, The Secret Language of Birds (which is okay, but not as good as his last one, Divinities).

And rounding out my consumerism for the week, today I bought a new vacuum cleaner. My old vacuum - a Eureka Bravo - has never satisfied me, seeming like it didn't clean too well and was just too darned loud. And it's recently gotten a lot louder, suggesting to me that maybe it's about ready to pack it in. Well, after consulting Consumer Reports, I went to Sears and bought exactly the vacuum I wanted at about 80 bucks off the list price - a Kenmore Progressive. It's far quieter, and seems to do a fine job on my carpets. I should have done this years ago!

Finally, last night Subrata was back in town for a brief time between his vacations, and he and Mark and I got together, ate Thai food, and went to see Frequency. In it, New York cop John Sullivan (James Caviezel) hooks up his late father's CB radio in 1999, and due to a weird aurora borealis effect is able to talk on it with his father Frank (Dennis Quaid) in 1969, during the 1969 World Series of the Amazin' Mets, and two days before Frank's death in the line of duty as a fireman. John figures out that something's happening, and manages to save his father, which changes history, but only John can remember both timelines. And changing history results in additional problems, and John and Frank must work together across the years to catch a serial killer who threatens all of them.

The reviews I've read of this film have generally suggested that it didn't live up to its potential, but in fact it seems like a fairly concise science fiction yarn. It doesn't try to answer every question, but sets up its own rules and plays fair. The camerawork varies between loving and frenetic, depending on the scene, and the cast is excellent (including Andre Braugher in a supporting role as - what else? - a homicide cop). The climactic scene includes desperate fights in two different eras which is very well choreographed.

Essentially, though, this is a film of a father/son relationship, which will probably be evocative for most of the men out there. (I know I still remember learning to ride a bicycle without training wheels, for instance.) It's really quite moving, and I liked it a lot.