July reads

 Of the nine books I read in July, I really liked three of them and didn't hate any.  That's pretty good, right?

• Sunshine by Robin McKinley.  Magical humans, conflicted vampires, delicious pastry - I loved this award-winning fantasy.
• Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica.  Since I had mostly liked Local Woman Missing, I thought I'd try another one by Kubica.  Didn't like this thriller as much but it was okay.  (Spoiler: they're not really the nicest.)
• The Butcher's Daughter by Corinne Leigh Clark and David Demchuk.  The "hitherto untold story of Mrs. Lovett," from Sweeney Todd.  I thought this was great fun, grim and dire and funny and bloody.
• Phaedra by Laura Shepperson.  There sure do seem to be a lot of new novels retelling/re-interpreting Greek myths these days.  I used to be obsessed with Greek mythology growing up so I am enjoying revisiting the stories this way.  This novel is a much more woman-positive retelling of Phaedra's story than most.
• William by Mason Coile.  This novella is part of my local library's summer reading program so I just picked it up on a whim.  Psychological horror + robots.  Not my favorite but it wasn't long.
• Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher.  This is the third one that I just loved, a fantasy/fairy tale about the third daughter who must complete impossible tasks to save her older sister from an evil husband.  What it really is about, however, is found family.
• Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher.  Another fairy tale, this time a hero-swapped version of Sleeping Beauty.  
• The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo.  A historical fantasy, set in Madrid during the Spanish Inquisition, this one focuses on Luzia, a Jewish servant who has to hide both her faith and her magic.  Most online reviews describe this one as a "slow burn," and I would agree with that; it took me a while to get into it but I was down for the ride by the end.
• Survivor by Tabitha King.  (Yes, TK is Stephen King's wife.)  After an automobile accident, Kissy Mellors's life is changed irrevocably.  This one felt like it could have used some ruthless editing.  There's no real plot to speak of, just meandering along through the protagonists' lives; Kissy (oh god I hate that name) makes terrible, inexplicable decisions about men and has lots of fairly explicit s3x (which is fine, but just be warned); and the very ending seems abrupt and from a totally different book.  Meh.

Strange and unReal, really

In this installment of not-a-True-Blood-recap, I can at least report that I have watch the first two episodes of S6.  And they're pretty much as terrible as expected.  The first episode, in particular, is a mess; the second is a little better.  There are still way too many characters (seriously, are Alcide and his merry band of redneck werewolves even connected to the rest of the characters at all?) but it appears that there may be some focus coming in this season's major storyline - vamps vs. humans - but DEAR GOD do I not care about the faeries.

I have been catching on on S3 of Orange is the New Black (wherein so far Alex is the Alcide of the prison in that her character is so isolated from what is going on with the rest of them that I just don't care).  I've also plowed through unReal and enjoyed it immensely.  Yes, I love a scripted show on Lifetime.  Judging from the online buzz, unReal is the summer's sleeper breakout show, something that no one expected.  It follows the production of a The Bachelor-type show, called "Everlasting," and the main characters are the producer and executive producer of the show.  They can't even be labeled anti-heroes because both of them are horrible, manipulative bitches (the show's words, not mine).  Rachel, the producer (Shiri Appleby - fantastic), is pretty damaged, with some depression and sociopathic issues; she is extremely good at her job - manipulating the show's contestants to get good t.v. - but at least she feels a little bad about it sometimes.  Her boss, Quinn, Everlasting's EP, is scarcely likable as she too manipulates everyone around her, including Rachel.  I rather wish they had gone a little deeper into the show-within-the-show (for instance, it's not really clear why most of the female contestants were even willing to sign up for such a degrading reality show in the first place).  But unReal is super-fun for the most part, even as it goes terribly dark.

The other thing I've been doing is reading Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.  I had tried watching the BBC's miniseries adaptation earlier this summer but kept falling asleep, so I decided to go right to the source and read it instead.  It won all sorts of awards when it came out - winner of the Hugo Award and World Fantasy Award, NYT Notable Book of the Year, Best of 2004 lists for Salon, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, etc. - and the pull quote on the cover is from Neil Gaiman: "Unquestionably, the finest English novel of the fantastic written in the last seventy years."  DAMN.  It is also a monster of a book, the paperback clocking in at 1,006 pages.  It follows two English magicians, the titular Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, as they each attempt, in their very different ways, to bring magic back to England from whence it has largely disappeared.  There are capricious faeries, enchanted ballrooms, tattooed beggars, Jane Austen-ish manners, the Napoleanic War, missing persons and pernicious plans to replace the King of England.  JS&MN starts off fairly slowly, then manages to suck you in so much that when the book finally ends, a thousand pages later, it seems abrupt.  I could have read more.

Going to camp, reading a book

I am inching closer to the True Blood recaps, I promise.  In the meantime, I just couldn't help myself and have fully embraced Wet Hot American Summer.  (I know I should be catching up with Hannibal but WHAS is so much funner.)  When I thought about it, I couldn't recall actually watching the whole of the original movie so I started with that.  Which I loved.  So much fun to see all these now-familiar people, many of whom were just getting going in 2001 when the movie came out:  Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Michael Ian Black, Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon, Ken Marino, Elizabeth Banks, Judah Friedlander.  And then to see the new Netflix series, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp!  For those not in on the joke, the 2001 movie was set in 1981 about the last day of a Waterville, Maine, summer camp.  The new series, just now out in 2015, set in 1981 about the first day of that summer camp.  Same cast, fourteen years older, playing the same characters.  It was funny when they were all in their early thirties and playing teenagers ... now that they're in their mid-40s?  Awesome.  I do think that Paul Rudd may have sold his soul, however: he does not seem to have aged a day (from 32 in 2001 to 46 now).  I've only just seen the first episode but I so approve.

In media I have to read as opposed to watch, I recently finished David Mitchell's The Bone Clocks.  Mitchell is the same guy who wrote Cloud Atlas, which I haven't read but which is apparently similarly constructed to TBC which all these disparate characters and storylines that are somehow connected.  In a nutshell:  a teenage runaway is connected to psychic phenonmena that follow her throughout her lifetime, drawing in many peripheral people in her life and involving her in a supernatural conspiracy that spans generations across the globe.  I really do prefer linear plots and when I got to the fourth section of TBC I was starting to get annoyed - just when each story got going, it ended and another one started.  Thankfully, Mitchell does tie it all together at the end but I did find the novel frustrating.  I wanted to finish out the characters' stories rather than cutting short and skipping way ahead to the end.  I did like the very last section quite a lot, however, as it was a sobering look at a possible future for our planet as we humans continue to devour resources without thought for the consequences.  The Bone Clocks was ultimately, for me, a frustrating but intriguing read.

They ain't Bill and Melinda, that's for sure

But I'm still finding The Gates vaguely entertaining.  I've read various reviews likening it to Desperate Housewives - the humor + Twilight, which is probably not far off, despite my total resistance to all things Twilight thus far.  None of the characters have completely engaged me yet - they all seem rather stiff and cardboardy - but I do appreciate their ambiguity.  No one is a screamingly obvious villain; everyone has issues that turn them potentially interesting shades of grey.

Two issues I do have.  First, while it's fun to see Rhona Mitra on the small screen, I'm having great difficulty buying her as a wanna-be Stepford Wife.  Those 1950s-esque dresses do nothing for her and I find myself wishing to fast-forward when her proper public persona is onscreen, skipping ahead to whatever bad-assery she might be up to.  There should be more Rhona Mitra bad assery, imho.  Second: I find it cliche to have the high school girl as the veiny, lifeforce-draining succubus (Hello - Rogue and Jennifer from Jennifer's Body, anyone?  The succubus should have been a dude, just to change things up a little. 

Person undecided

I am nothing if not a glutton for punishment in my quest for science fiction/fantasy-tinged serialized television dramas. I stayed loyal and patient throughout the uneven runs of Dollhouse and Carnivale; I forced myself through to the end of Harper’s Island; I suspended all disbelief and have kept up with Happy Town, gawdhelpme. And so bravely, resolutely, I steeled myself and set the DVR to record ABC’s new summer mystery series, Persons Unknown. It ain’t no Lost or S1 of Heroes (poor, pathetic, wasted-potential Heroes), but it didn’t make me want to gouge out my eyes or, worse, immediately delete the series recording.

The cast is pretty much unknown, the characters stock and the storyline derivative, and the pilot episode was heavy on set-up … and yet there were enough tantalizing whispers to make me wonder. Who is watching on the other end of those cameras? What’s with the Chinese restaurant? Is Maura (Moira?) really a counselor or actually a patient at some facility? Will that intrepid reporter ever wash/comb his hair? Was I alone in thinking that grandmother was WAY creepy? No, I don’t think that Persons Unknown will be the next big thing, the next Lost, the next BSG. But already the acting is better than the appalling Harper’s Island (which really only had the kills going for it anyway) and I have clearly set the bar low. Come on, Persons Unknown, surprise me.  Convince me that you're worth my time.

The Maine thing, part II

Before I go any further, perhaps I should explain that if you non-Northern New Englanders are thinking of planning a trip to Maine, some times of year are better to come than others. For example, unless you are a skier, snowmobiler, snowshoer or other winter enthusiast, you should come in August or September. Maybe early October or late July, otherwise you're pushing it. Winter usually arrives no later than mid-November and lasts through April, when the slush and the mud combine for extra-exciting driving. Then the rain and the bugs (blackflies first, mosquitoes next) start up right away and can carry through June. I'm only exaggerating slightly. (Our summer vacation in July this year had an average temperature of 55 degrees F.) Maine can have glorious weather but those days are very few and you cannot count on them - which makes them all the more treasured when they do show up.

Now that that's out of the way, come on up and explore this state! Although there's a wealth of things to do in the greater Portland area what with the eating and drinking and shopping and lighthouses and beaches and ferry boat rides among the islands, there's a whole lot more to Maine.

The coast is what everyone thinks of first, of course, and it's gorgeous for sure: Camden, Bar Harbor, Mt. Desert Island, Monhegan Island, Northport, Blue Hill, Winter Harbor, Penobscot Bay ... all incredible. I grew up in the Bath area, right on Route 1. Bath has come a long way in recent years - the cute little downtown has been restored and revitalized and is chockful of great restaurants, coffee shops, bars and stores. If you're driving up Rte. 1, stop in for a visit. There's also a fantastic museum, the Maine Maritime Museum, that's well worth your time.

There's plenty to see and do inland too, though - it ain't all lobsters up here. For hiking, camping, touring, swimming, drinking good beer, exploring, golfing, fishing, bicycling (roads can be sketchy, be advised) antiquing, there's Hallowell, the Belgrade Lakes, Moosehead Lake region, Baxter State Park, the Bridgton area, Bethel. If you like to ski, Sunday River, Sugarloaf, Saddleback are the big ones (dress for cold and be prepared to use your edges. A lot.).

One of Mr. Mouse's and my favorite things, and one we're going to have to miss this year because of our departure date, is the Fryeburg Fair. It's the last fair of the season - this year October 4-11 - and is the closest thing Maine has to a state fair. There are tons of animals (I loooooove the animals and try to pat each one if I can ... except for the poultry - blick) and competitions and exhibits and fair food. There's draft oxen- and horse-pulling and harness racing and sheepdog exhibitions and a firemen's muster and a parade and a carnival and Christmas trees for sale. It's really a lot of fun and I'm sorry we'll miss it this year.

Ooh: the Common Ground Country Fair is going on right this weekend! It's a great fair too, but totally different: it's full of hippies and is all organic, natural fiber, back-to-the-landers, a green fair before green got all cool.

Come on, Mainers, what have I forgotten? Surely that's not all there is to do here?

Recipe: Grilled Pork and Peaches

Hmm ... seems that not too long ago I was trying to post recipes on Thursday so that they'd be out there for the weekend. How'd that turn out?

So here's one from Men's Health magazine that combines grilling out and stone fruits in a lovely, late-summery, healthy sort of way.

2 pork chops
2 firm peaches or nectarines, halved and pitted
2 Tbsp. pine nuts (or not - they're expensive)
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup crumbled blue (bleu) cheese
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat grill. Brush pork chops with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side; chops should be lightly charred but not burned. While chops cook, brush peach halves with oil and put on grill facedown. Grill for 5 minutes or until soft. Remove, slice and toss with pine nuts, onion, blue cheese and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top each pork chop with half the mixture before serving.

Serve with a light salad of fresh arugula tossed with olive oil and lemon.

Vacation summation

Hi, all. We just got back from a well-needed vacation (poor Mr. Mouse hadn't had a week off for a year1) and are now making our way through the mountains of laundry that need to be done. We had decent weather, dry enough that Mr. Mouse was able to get his 25-80 mile bike ride in nearly every day; I, being not so much with the bicycling, read ten books. Since you're about to be inundated with book reviews, therefore, here's how it broke down.

• 11 library books and 1 loaner
• 9 read cover-to-cover and the loaner book finished up
• of the read books: 2 British murder mysteries, 2 medical thrillers, 2 modern novels, 3 fantasy novels (1 classic, 2 modern) and 1 novel set in pioneer Missouri
• of the unread books: 1 nigh-imprenetrable fantasy novel and 1 "jolly romp" of a 1960s English novel
• 4 male authors, 8 female
• and we made it to the brew pub every day.

Stuck in the doldrums

Man, I tell you what. It's big-time doldrums around here. The weather is el sucko, as it is all up and down the East Coast, what with the rain and the clouds and the fog and the rain. We saw the sun three times in the month of June, I think, and not three full days either - one of those times it broke through the clouds for a couple of hours but was raining again by the afternoon. It's all anyone can talk about and we are all gloooooooomy.

Plus there's bupkes for good television on in the summertime (I am so sad I had to give up HBO!) and I haven't been to the movies in ages (I watched Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox Story last night with Mr. Mouse but the less said about that movie the better*). I'm reading two books right now, both of them pretty good, but have finished neither of them. I haven't even had any bacon lately!

All I've got for you is this link: Futuristic Movie Timeline. It's this great chart that this guy put together with classic sci-fi/future movies, graphing out in chronological order when the movies take place, along with when they were released. It's both interesting and pretty and if I ever sell this damn house and move out to Utah and buy a new house and get my own office, I want a poster-sized one for the wall. Go check it out! (And thanks to Kevin C. for the link!)

* I will grant you that the cast is very impressive. As is Jenna Fischer's cleavage.

Recipes for the weekend: Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella Soup

Granted, this one's a little early here in the northeast since we won't have good, local tomatoes until about August, but today we actually had sunshine and warm temperatures (after ten days of rain) and I thought something summery would be good. It's vegetarian and comes from The Daily Soup Cookbook - which is just full of awesome soups.

6 beefsteak tomatoes (about 4 lbs.), halved and seeded, seeds reserved
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups tomato juice
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into very fine strips
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, about 20 of the 1-inch "boconccini" balls, thinly sliced, OR regular mozzarella cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped scallions

In a blender or food processor, combine half the tomatoes and all of the tomato seeds, olive oil and garlic. Puree 'til smooth. Add vinegar, salt, pepper and process 'til blended. Transfer pureed mixture into large bowl. Chop remaining tomatoes into small dice. Add diced tomatoes, tomato juice, basil and mozzarella to pureed mixture. Refrigerate 'til ready to serve.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with the chopped scallions.

Recipes for the weekend: Strawberry Cheesecake Icebox Pie

This super-easy, no-bake dessert comes to you from my mom (whom I suspect got it from the yogurt container as the recipe specifically mentions a particular brand of yogurt). Mr. Mouse notes that "no-bake" actually means "no-burn" and, as usual, he is absolutely right. I just made it for the impending Mouse in-law visit - and had to use California strawberries since the Maine ones aren't out yet - and thought I'd share it with you.

1 cup "Stonyfield Farm Organic" french vanilla yogurt
1 8 oz. package of Neufchatel (or fat-free cream cheese)
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup strawberries, diced
1 9" graham cracker crust

In a medium size mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Blend yogurt and vanilla into the mixture and fold in the strawberries. Pour into pie crust. Freeze for 2-3 hours or until set. Before serving, place pie in fridge for at least 15 minutes to soften. Garnish with whipped cream and more strawberries.

Note: we had this for a recent girls' weekend (thanks again, Mom!) and recommend eating with forks as spoons tend to send the frozen pieces of pie skittering off the plates.

Recipes for the weekend: Bee's Potato Salad

My old h.s. buddy (we used to ride around in the winter in her bright yellow original VW Bug with no heat and an aerosol can of de-icer for the windshield) and now new Friend of the Blog Kristin has requested More Recipes!!! here at the little blog.

Since I live to please, I offer you this easy one from my Grandma's recipe collection, in honor of my midwestern aunt and uncle who are here visiting the foggy, gloomy, cold, rainy state of Maine. It's an excellent summer-timey dish - too friggin' bad summertime is taking its own sweet friggin' time to get here.

Bee's Potato Salad

4-6 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed
2-3 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and chopped
1 white onion, diced
celery, diced
mayonnaise to bind it all together
small amount of whipping cream (unwhipped) or half & half
salt and pepper to taste

It's the little bit of half & half that makes this so rich and delectable. Srsly, I can consume this by the BUSHEL, it's so good.

I don't know what it's called, but I like it

It has been unseasonably hot here these last couple of days - like 88+ degrees Fahrenheit (friggin' Maine: 50 one day and 90 the next) - so I have busted out a brand new summertime drink recipe, just in time for the long holiday weekend. As you may have guessed from this post's title, I don't know what to call it, but it's tasty and was discovered by my gorgeous friend LyndaLove way out there in Arizona; either she had one herself or it's a signature drink made by the Iron Chef she recently met ... I disremember which. (How cool to meet an Iron Chef, btw?)

Tear up a basil leaf and muddle with lemongrass simple syrup* in a highball (or pint, I like my drinks in pints) glass. Add ice, then vodka and grapefruit juice. Stir and enjoy.

It's like a Greyhound, only the basil/lemongrass mixture takes the bitter edge of the grapefruit juice and adds a whole 'nother dimension to the drink. Very, very nice.

* Simple syrup = 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water; boiled 'til sugar dissolves. Nice to use for mixed drinks or iced coffee/tea because the sugar is dissolved already. To add the lemongrass component, I just dropped a bunch of chopped up lemongrass into the sugar and water when I put it on to boil. Easy-peasy.

More ado about nothing

Okay, I know the last few posts have been not much to write home about, but I have excuses there are reasons.

First, there's just not that much watchable television on right now. Mr. Mouse and I are digging the Olympic trials but I'm really not going to recap those for you. And other than Mad Men and Burn Notice, the only new stuff out there seems to be I Survived a Japanese Game Show - and I'm really not going to recap that for you. (Sidebar: what's the deal with Burn Notice getting all these ravematastic reviews lately? Critics weren't glowing over its first season - is it just that much better now in comparison to the non-competition? And where's Bruce Campbell in all the ads for it? Wasn't he on that show too?)

Second, I can't seem to get too excited about the movies right now. I do want to see WALL-E (but I think I have time - it's not going anywhere) and I'd really like to see The Fall (but it isn't playing anywhere in my entire state from what I can tell) and I'm not at all going to pay theater prices to see Hancock. Bring on The Dark Knight and Hellboy II!

Third, Mouses need little vacations too and I'm taking a couple of days off here. It's a holiday, dang it! I'll be back later in the week, most likely with a new book review, so check back later, y'all. Right now I have a bourbon slush that needs my undivided attention.

P.S. I have been watching season 2 of The 4400. I quite liked the first season ... and then I saw the first season of Heroes, and realized that The 4400 is pretty much Heroes-lite - a bunch of fairly attractive people with unknown or unexplained powers are being tracked/hunted by shadow organizations who are either out to help them or exploit them - only with much worse acting. But Summer Glau has shown up in the second season and I like her (Angel/Firefly/television Terminator) so hopefully she'll help them out a bit.

Happy Fourth of July!

Now, turn off the computer and go outside: watch a parade, pat a dog, eat some street food, drink a microbrew (support your local brewery, y'all!), try not to get your keister kicked in the whiffleball tournament - oh wait, that last one's for me. Independence rocks!

Nothing ado about much

It's hot and sticky and I look like a Chia-pet from all the humidity. Bleh.

So I'm grumpy enough not to bother writing reviews of the two movies I've watched recently: David Cronenberg's Scanners - because I didn't really care for it: nice exploding heads, but s-l-o-w (I may have dozed off for a bit there) and pretty atrocious acting; and Terry Gilliam's Brazil - which I love more and more each time I see it but which is so bizarre and full and funny and complicated and absurd and scary that I'm too intimidated to attempt it.

I will, however, remind you that Zombie Kickball is this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Eastern Prom park.

Also, here's a "name that candy bar from its cross-section" quiz if you're bored. I got 15 right out of 20. Thanks to Pop Candy for the link.

That's it. Time for a lime popsicle and the rest of Fables: Wolves.

Summertime Drink Recipes 2008

Wow - is it Wednesday already? I lose track of the days when there isn't any watchable television on (except for BSG which is still going!). I'm mostly done reading my next book-review book; Dracula 2000 is set to record on the DVR tonight (Nathan Fillion! Gerard Butler!); and, speaking of Nathan Fillion, I promise to get the next Firefly recap up by this weekend at the latest.

In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy some new hot-weather drink recipes. This listing is a little different from last year's in that these are all recipes that I haven't tried yet. But they sound super-tasty and are fairly uncomplicated, which is always a plus. Please feel free to leave your own favorite summertime drinks in the comments below - I'd love to see what other people are drinking!

• Jeanne's Dad's Daiquiris - Combine 1 generous cup of ice, 1/3 cup frozen limeade concentrate, 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup amber Barbados rum (gosh - I'd up that, eh?) in a blender. Blend 'til crushed and well-mixed. Serve over a couple more ice cubes with lime wedge garnishes. (Serves 2)
• Pisco Sour - In a shaker, combine 1 medium egg white, 1.5 oz. Chilean pisco (or Peruvian, I suppose, but I'm biased to Chile), 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice (or fresh key lime juice), 3/4 oz. simple syrup and a dash of Angostura bitters. Shake well for ten seconds. Fill shaker with ice and shake well for twenty seconds. Strain into chilled glass and top with 3 drops of the bitters. (Serves 1) Food and Wine July 2007
• Rangoon Rickey - Cut eight 6-inch stalks of lemongrass into 1-inch pieces. In the bottom of a wide-mouthed pitcher, use the handle end of a wooden spoon to crush the lemongrass. Add 18 oz. (about a fifth) of white rum and the juice of 4 squeezed limes, then fill the pitcher three-quarters full with ice. Add ginger ale to taste (but not too much!). Stir briefly, squeeze some lime wedges into the pitcher and serve immediately. (Serves many) Food and Wine
• Strawberry Margarita Ice Pops - Put 1.25 lb. strawberries (hulled and halved or ... frozen ones!), 1/2 cup white tequila, 1/2 cup superfine granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice in a blender and blend 'til smooth. Pour into large glass measuring cup through a fine sieve if you want the remaining chunks out. Pour into popsicle molds and add sticks; freeze at least 24 hours. (Makes 8) Gourmet Aug. 2000

Please note: these are not my own recipes and I absolutely do not presume to claim creation-ship. I've given credit where I can but some of these recipes are just on scraps of paper and I didn't note down the source.

Boston Weekend Redux

We just had our second annual girls’ weekend and, in spite of the terribly hot and sticky weather, it was a rousing success! This time we (my mom, my sister-in-law and three dear family friends – including Friend of the Blog, AnnaB) spent Friday night at AnnaB’s wonderful, funky 1890s farmhouse, dining on chicken and veggie kabobs, Mexican-style corn on the cob (shucked, grilled, slathered with mayonnaise and sprinkled with cheese and spices) and strawberry shortcake.

Saturday morning we piled into the borrowed minivan and road-tripped to Boston where we:

• Took a Duck Tour
• Stayed at the 463 Beacon Street Guesthouse
• Had a great lunch and pitchers of margaritas (regular and blood-orange) in Central Square, Cambridge
• Gleefully spent money at Ten Thousand Villages, next door to the margaritas in Central Square
• Strolled down Charles Street, through Beacon Hill, the Public Garden and the Common
• Walked to the North End where I was bitterly disappointed to learn that Dairy Fresh Candies – my favorite place ever in all of Boston – has closed its doors after 45 years in business (website does not appear to be updated w/r/t the closing)
• Drank beers at Boston Beer Works while watching the Belmont - I should have learned by now never to bet on the grey horse
• Walked back to and through the North End for our fabulous dinner at Monica’s which was fabulous for two things in particular: the food (especially my delicate fettucini with prawns and littleneck clams) and the extremely attractive staff (yowza!)
• Picked up postprandial cannolis and tiramisu at Mike’s Pastry (because the line at Modern Pastry was just too long) and ate while dangling our toes in the wonderful fountain in the new park between Haymarket and the North End
• Had a fantastic Sunday breakfast at Johnny D’s in Somerville (they have the best oatmeal in the world! plus the rest of the menu is awesome too) before walking through Harvard Square and then heading home, tired, happy and extremely well-fed

P.S. to AnnaB - in case you haven't seen it yet, Friday's BSG was not the season finale ... there's still more to come!

Playground of the Living Dead

When I saw this, I was struck practically speechless (except for the "heeheeheeheehee" that I couldn't contain):

at 2:00 p.m. on June 29, at the Eastern Prom field, there will be a Zombie Kickball game where they will be "kicking ass and taking brains."

I had no idea. Apparently local zombificionados dress up in their undead finest and play kickball - they had a band last year and everything. I love it. If you're in town, check it out and let me know how it was!

Thanks to www.themaineswitch.com/switch_datebook for the 411.

108 Hours in Maine

Gosh, I'm really sorry it's been so long since my last post - my in-laws were in town for a long weekend and all the entertaining completely precluded any Mouseblogging. I feel badly about leaving my giant fanbase (that sounds better than just saying "fan") in the lurch. Tomorrow night: the Deadwood S1E12 recap, I promise! And I just picked up the BtVS S8E5 comic as well as Bill Willingham's Fables: Legends in Exile and Fables: Animal Farm, so I should have plenty to write about in the next few days.

What We Did On the Mouse-In-Laws' Summer Vacation: Thursday night dinner on the patio at the Foreside Tavern which was lovely until the mosquitos got hungry at sundown [Geary's Summer Ale on tap]. Friday, as Mr. Mouse went to work (ha ha!), the in-laws, Becky and I walked around Back Cove [3.5 mile scenic walking/jogging loop] and then stopped for coffee.

Saturday was Mr. Mouse's big race: 53 minutes in the Beach To Beacon 10K - which was wicked impressive, given his 9-week mid-training lapse. After a quick run home to shower and resupply, we made the 2:15 p.m. mailboat run. This is one of our favorite things to do, with or without out-of-town houseguests: a 3-hour ride on the ferry with potential stops at six Casco Bay islands to deliver passengers and freight; we fill a cooler with beer, sit in the bow of the boat and soak in all the cool coastal breezes. This trip, the highlights were (1) two portopotties being delivered to Long Island and (2) island kids flinging themselves off the top of the dock shack into the ocean at Cliff Island. [The FM photo was taken front of Cow Island, next to Great Diamond Island.]

Sunday we actually had glorious weather: clear, mid-70s and sunny. We rented a pontoon boat on Brandy Pond in Naples for 4 hours - superfantastic! fishing, swimming, picnicking - and then stopped at Bray's Brewpub on our way home. By Monday us younger folks had to go back to work, but Mr. Mouse had breakfast with his folks at Becky's and we all met up for dinner at Shay's [$4 house specialty pineapple martinis - yummy!]. My in-laws departed Tuesday morning, phoning in later in the day from the Long Trail Brewery in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont ... so clearly they weren't leaving the party just because they had to leave us, and I think that's just outstanding.