The Worst Book Ever

I tried. I really tried, and I am pretty compulsive about finishing books that I start. I made a valiant effort, but I could not make myself finish the book.

I paid good money for a book called Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll. It is supposed to be a sequel to Pride and Prejudice.

First, I am not convinced that the author actually read Pride and Prejudice before writing the so-called sequel. I think it is far more likely that she watched some part of the movie on the same evening as she watched Debbie Does Dallas and got very confused.

This book has none of the subtlety and social commentary that makes Jane Austen's books such a pleasure to read over and over again. I cannot wrap my brain around the Elizabeth Bennett as sex kitten concept and I don't think I should have to. Not only is there nothing subtle about the sex scenes in this book, they were, in my opinion, crass. I would go into more detail, but I have not yet eaten my dinner.

Second, this book is replete with grammatical errors, and questionable word usage. I seriously doubt that the author owns a dictionary or has even heard of a thesaurus. The last sentence I could bear to read in this book was "[w]ith all due restraint (she did not coldcock her with a grandiole), Elizabeth spluttered briefly." p. 290. This was the last sentence I could stand to read from this book. Coldcock!?!?!? Good Lord!

I suppose I should feel guilty that I have already put a 10c price tag on the book to prepare it for the next yard sale we have. I know it is wrong to rip people off. But hey, the poor sucker who buys this book can always use it to line a bird cage.

If you want to read a good sequel there are quite a few out there, but for the love of God, avoid this one at all costs!

Hurricane Preparedness

Tranquilizer for the cat
16 gal. bottled water
8 pop top cans fruit cocktail
4 Juice boxes
1 bag beef jerky
1 jar peanut butter
Crackers
First aid kit
Electrolytes
Cooler
Ice
Charcoal
Generator
Oil
Gas
Beer
Shotguns
Ammo

Yep. Mr. Molly and I are ready for Ike. We are starting to get the outer bands already and we think that our power may go out over the weekend, but we are not expecting anything like Gustav or Katrina.

Ike is, at the time of this entry, headed for Galveston. I really wish that my sister, who lives in Houston would come here, out of harm's way. I say this knowing full well that if I were in Houston, I would not evacuate, on the information that is available now. Just the same, I wish she would load her baby in the car and come stay with me until the storm has passed.

Stay dry.

Molly

Sarah Palin

First, it is out there so I have to comment on it. I am appalled at all the hateful comments about Sarah Palin's daughter. Let's face it, if she were a Democrat you would have never heard about it because Bristol would have done the unspeakable. Also, I am not so far removed from my own teenage years that I have forgotten all the things I did against my parents' good counsel (I have no intention of listing them, just in case they are reading this blog). I don't see how any of this reflects on her ability to be vice president. Her stance on the important issues that affect the country as a whole is really what matters to me.

All I can say about her speech this evening is "Wow". I want to be like her when I grow up. Okay, she is only two or three years older than I am, but she is a lot of things that I aspire to be. And her take on the crucial issues that are important to me is dead on.

Here's what she says about energy:

With Russia wanting to control a vital pipeline in the Caucasus, and to divide and intimidate our European allies by using energy as a weapon, we cannot leave ourselves at the mercy of foreign suppliers.

To confront the threat that Iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of world energy supplies ... or that terrorists might strike again at the Abqaiq facility in Saudi Arabia ... or that Venezuela might shut off its oil deliveries ... we Americans need to produce more of our own oil and gas.

And take it from a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska: we've got lots of both.

Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems - as if we all didn't know that already.

But the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all.

About the economy:

Congress spends too much ... [Obama]promises more.

Taxes are too high ... he wants to raise them. His tax increases are the fine print in his economic plan, and let me be specific.

The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes ... raise payroll taxes, ... raise investment income taxes ... raise the death tax ... raise business taxes ... and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars. My sister Heather and her husband have just built a service station that's now opened for business - like millions of others who run small businesses.

How are they going to be any better off if taxes go up? Or maybe you're trying to keep your job at a plant in Michigan or Ohio ... or create jobs with clean coal from Pennsylvania or West Virginia ... or keep a small farm in the family right here in Minnesota.

How are you going to be better off if our opponent adds a massive tax burden to the American economy?

I, for one, was truly impressed.

The Levees Held

I was in Birmingham before the storm hit, so my flight home Sunday Evening was cancelled. Mr. Molly stayed behind with the critters. After several hours of not being able to get through, and watching the news, which I found to be very unsettling, he finally got in touch with me. Yes the levees were overtopped, but, it appears that they have held. The power is still out, but otherwise our little neighborhood survived the storm relatively unscathed.

I am very grateful to all of our neighbors who did stay behind for the fellowship that they have offered Mr. Molly. Also, I am very grateful for the good sense shown by Bob Breck thoughout this storm. I checked his blog frequently when MSNBC began to make me nervous for Mr. Molly and the "fur kids."

In the meantime, I have caught a cold and I suspect that I have inadvertently swallowed sandpaper, so I am not going to fly home until the weekend.