Apple Picking

We went to pick apples with the nephews today. We saw goats, ducks and a goose. Tasty cider doughnuts and crisp apples. Yum.

Another great cake.

It's no hand-drawn-Spider-Man-in-the-frosting cake but it was more appropriate to my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. The chef cooked a fantastic meal of giant prawns and rack of lamb. The parents were suprised by 4 out of town family. All in all a big hit.

Book

I'm reading Brad Listi's first novel Attention. Deficit. Disorder.

I'm reading it because it concludes at Burning Man's Costco Wholesale Soulmate Trading Outlet. Where I worked in customer service for two years. Probably the two Listi attended (assuming he did).

I'm only 100 pages in so it is unfair to judge but...

This book is remarkably similar to Dave Eggers' You Shall Know Our Velocity.
In Egger's book a 23-24 yr old from Fort Collins, Colorado loses a close friend, comes into $80,000 the easy way and sets out around the world to do good by giving the money away and find meaning in life (and death). He must wrap up his globe trot in time to make it to a friend's wedding in Mexico.

In Listi's novel a 22-23 yr old from Boulder, Colorado loses an ex-girlfriend, comes into $45,000 the easy way and sets out for a friend's wedding in Mexico. This begins a globe hopping trip to find meaning in life (and I assume death).

Both heroes encounter prostitues they give money to but do not sleep with, hoping to "save" them.

There are more similarities, I'll spare you. You have to feel bad for Listi. This must be coincidence. He had to have been writing simultaneously to and unaware of Eggers. Right?

Books

So many people I know have written/are writing a book. Maybe it's what happens when you get to be my age. Maybe it's what happens when all your friends are writers...they eventually do write books.

Two friends were just published with these two books:

Thomas Lakeman's debut The Shadow Catchers.

And Rob Worley's Heir to Fire.

I have yet to read them but I will. Rob's first chapter is online and it grabed me.