Having spent much of tonight looking for gifts for those closest to me, I realize that buying gifts for those you like with absolutely no "hints" is quite difficult. With enough thought it is possible to find something that seems perfect for someone, but that’s rarely the case.

Because of that I’ve decided to make a list of "wants" heading into this final week before Christmas.

Books – I like fantasy and sci-fi books, and especially series of books. Anything you find at Barnes and Noble that has wizards, dragons, space, and elves I will probably enjoy (and especially if the story takes more than one book to tell). If you need more specific direction, I want to read The Stand by Stephen King, I want to read Dan Brown’s other novels (I’ve read Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, so whatever the others are), and some authors I enjoy are George R.R. Martin and Michael Crichton. I also have a couple series by Robin Hobb that are waiting for me. Based on all of the above you should be able to find me a book that I would enjoy. Finally, I like collecting books, so hardcover is great.

That’s all I’ve got for right now. If I think of anything else I’ll add to this post.

Last night we watched a new show called Treasure Hunters, and I’m hooked. Da Vinci Code meets Amazing Race. Ten teams (now 9) race across the globe chasing clues and solving puzzles in pursuit of a treasure. I’ve never watched The Amazing Race, so I’m not sure how much it differs, but I get the feeling they’re similar. So far Treasure Hunters has been physically demanding, but equally about solving puzzles and interpreting vague clues.

Right now I’m rooting for the Brown family, but the redneck fellas are hilarious. He’s turning over trashcans and looking under totally random rocks for clues. At one point he holds up a rock, and turns it over and over, and finally decides it’s just a rock. At another point he looks under a trash can, finds a folded up piece of a paper flag, and starts to ponder the "hidden meaning" in his "clue." On again next Monday at 8 pm on NBC, starting with a recap of the opener, and a new episode at 9 pm.

Other than this there are a ton of reality shows hitting primetime while everyone else is on break. Since there’s nothing to watch I’ve decided to record pretty much everything. Reality Stars Fear Factor was interesting, though I only recognize the Survivor and Apprentice players. I’ll be checking out the America’s Got Talent show, mainly just to see David Hasselhoff talk to his wristwatch. There’s another called How to Get the Guy, and I’m sure there are more, but might as well fill the DVR.

Finally, most the networks are already hyping their new Fall shows that are still months away. So far the only one I’m looking forward to is Heroes on NBC. Basically a bunch of people wake up one morning with superhero type abilities. While not an original concept (X-Men meets Rising Stars), I’m curious to see what can be done in a TV show format.

I finally finished The Da Vinci Code. I hit a rough patch where I wasn’t very impressed with the book, but I think things improved near the end. I enjoyed the book, but I would recommend Angels and Demons first. I think the controversy around The Da Vinci Code made it more popular, not necessarily because it was better. I’d still like to read Dan Brown’s other books, but they will have to wait. I’m back to the world of fantasy.

Since I didn’t have a series I was dying to start, I decided to go to the library and find something. I ended up with book one in the Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger, by Stephen King. I’ve never read a Stephen King book, so instead of going out and buying anything, I’m giving them a test run. While I enjoy buying books, it’s a little like collecting for me. If I’m going to put books on my shelf, I want them to be good books that I really like.

The Gunslinger goes pretty quick, and so far I’m intrigued. It’s not very clear at all what is going on so far, but I’m curious enough to continue. I’ve read that even King himself says the series doesn’t get very good until book two, so I have that on hold at the library. I’ll read book two before I make any judgements about the series and whether or not I’d like to finish all seven books.

Anybody read anything good lately?

I have yet to see The Da Vinci Code, and I still have 100 pages left in the book, but I’m excited to hear that Angels and Demons is already being considered for the big screen. Even though I haven’t finished The Da Vinci Code, I agree with many others that Angels and Demons is the better book. Not only is the story better, but Angels and Demons seems more like movie material than The Da Vinci Code. Angels and Demons has tons of cool action and some sci-fi elements, where a lot of The Da Vinci Code is a bunch talking. That’s not saying that books with people talking is bad, but that some books make better movies than other books.

Since I’m talking about the book, I might as well give my opinion thus far. As a work of fiction, I think it’s an average book. I’m past the holy grail explanation that seemed to go on forever. I see what people are upset about, but I’m personally more upset that Dan Brown ruined the believability of the novel. I was enjoying the entire ride until the holy grail explanation. The problem I have is not so much that it’s "heretical," but that he didn’t convince me of anything. While he tried to give proof to support that part of the story, I think he glossed over way too much. If you’re going to challenge the convential wisdom of your reader, you better have a heck of a lot of proof. Otherwise not only do I not believe the author, but that discrepancy between the fantasy world and real-life end up colliding and ruining the whole experience.

This is where I think Dan Brown’s biggest error occurs. He’s crossed fiction and non-fiction on a subject and in a manner that pulls the reader out of the fantasy world he’s created. I personally think it ruins an otherwise enjoyable mystery.

As I sit here nice and warm in my shorts and t-shirt, I really can’t wait for summer. I know I have to work for another month (poor me), but I’m really looking forward to summer. Staying up late, sleeping in, going places, reading, gaming, and doing yardwork. Everything about summer is great, except the heat.

I’m not fired up enough about anything political to devote a whole post to that subject. There is stuff that annoys me, like people attacking the High School exit exam, or the useless immigration proposals in Congress.

I’m 150 pages into Da Vinci Code (which apparently makes me NOT a Christian). The movie is getting crummy reviews, so I don’t know if I want to see it now. X3 comes out the weekend after, which I definitly want to see, but that’s also super dooper graduation weekend.

I got a new computer mouse that is super cool, so part of the reason I have nothing good to post is because I’d rather play some good FPS games.

Did you know that 7-Up is now all natural, yet still contains NO JUICE? Apparently they’re using all natural sweetners, yet they do not come from a lemon or a lime. Scary, but it tastes ok.

I finished Angels and Demons today and I’ll be starting The Da Vinci Code as soon as I get the book covered.

Speaking of covering books, I thought I’d point people to a great place to buy book covers. Working at a library gave us some insight into how books are covered and all that stuff, and we’ve had a lot of fun covering the dust jackets of the hardcover books we own. I bought a box of 50 covers for only $20! I have the 4th one down on that list (12 x 23.5).  These have fit all my novels, but if you have a weird sized book measure it first. Also you should pick up some tape to put the cover on. Be warned that this is a semi-permanent process, because the tape adheres to both the book and the jacket cover. We use this tape (the 1/2" stuff).

Your friends and family will ooo and ahhh at your shiny books.

For the last two weeks our school has been in testing mode, but today marked the first day that I personally administered a state test. Not only does this mean I haven’t had to plan much in terms of work, but  it also means I have hours of silence the entire day. What better way to spend that uninterrupted time than by reading. I feel like a substitute again.

I’ve read over 100 pages today in Angels and Demons, and it’s really getting good. Great thriller and very Indiana Jones-esque. The Da Vinci Code came in the mail the other day, so I’m crossing my fingers that maybe I can finish both books by this weekend. Da Vinci Code is a little shorter, so that should aid my efforts. Anyone else read Da Vinci Code that might be interested in seeing the movie?

Since I’m on a reading kick, I’m already thinking past Da Vinci Code at what I’d like to read next. Dan Brown has a couple other books out that I could go for, or it’d be fun to start a new fantasy series over the summer. There are some big names that I haven’t touched like Goodkind, Brooks, and Jordan. There’s also the Dark Tower series. I haven’t read any good sci-fi fantasy either, like spaceships and alien stuff.

Back to reading, err, I mean testing.

I don’t think any mothers actually read the blarg, but in case you do, Happy Mother’s Day!

We’re going to Hackers for a brunch at noon, and then to my sisters this evening for dinner. In between that we have to get ready for another week of work and school. The Da Vinci Code came in the mail yesterday, but I’m only halfway done with Angels and Demons. I could just start Da Vinci Code, but I hate starting multiple books at once. I will finish Angels and Demons (which is pretty good so far) and then move on to Da Vinci Code.

Hope you have a great Mother’s Day. Do something nice for your Mom and tell her you love her.