Tom Swift and His Jetmarine was as thoroughly entertaining as I'd hoped. A great read.

Now, on to Shogun.

I really don't like pressure.

I finally got my hands on a Tom Swift book. By luck, it's the second book in the Tom Swift Jr. series (Tom Swift and His Jetmarine). I've been curious about the quality of these rousing adventures for years.

And boy, is this book fun. It's all breathtaking adventures and sci-fi inventions, though the author at least attempts to make the inventions plausible.

And the adventure...I don't think I've ever read a book with this rapid a pace. I doubt there's more than three pages between action scenes. There's just enough dialogue to answer a question and raise a few more before something exciting happens.

Which is great. I doubt one could keep up this pace for five hundred pages, but for a quick young adult novel it's fine. Meanwhile, the story rockets along. Great stuff.

Much as I like the modern novelistic tendency towards drama and character development, I wonder if that couldn't be toned down somewhat in favor of this. This is pure entertainment.

Saw Spider-Man 3 last night, during a lovely evening spent with Mandy and Kirstin.

I have a troubled history with the Spider-Man movies. The first one had comparatively little web-slinging action. And what action there was, was stunted by Peter's lack of experience. It just didn't have full-scale fun Marvel battles.

Okay, I thought, it's the first movie. He's inexperienced. The second one will be more fun. But no, in the sequel Peter loses his confidence and spends most of the movie rejecting Spider-Man. So we get a modicum of action in that, especially considering its length.

Okay, okay, I thought. He's got his confidence back. Surely the third movie will be more fun. But no, in this movie we spend so much time on his relationship with Mary Jane that there are only a few full-on action scenes. Excellent action sequences, but the stuff with Mary Jane just dragged.

Disappointing. But I did like this film more than 2. The Sandman was perfectly handled, and a shining example of a Marvel character: Right or wrong, he has very human reasons for his actions. Venom was protrayed well, though I would've liked more of him. Venom's all about that dark whisper that tells you to have more power, which is often very, very helpful. In this film, it turns Peter evil almost immediately.

Y'know, in the comics, Peter's relationship with Mary Jane was a crucial spice to the story. It deepened and intensified his worries and self-doubt. But over-spice a dish, and the flavor is ruined. I don't go to a Spider-Man movie to watch Peter Parker court Mary Jane.

This has turned into a rant, and I usually avoid ranting. I appreciate what the filmmakers are trying to do with these movies, and I'm not saying they failed. I'm glad they're trying to get women interested by increasing the romantic aspects.

I'm just disappointed that one of the most fun, dynamic action/adventure superheroes of all time spends half his movies being an idiot with Mary Jane.

Just finished reading Neal Gabler's exhaustive biography, Walt Disney. What a man.

He spent his entire life dissatisfied. The animations were never good enough. The parks never had enough rides. His legacy wasn't big enough.

This from a man who legitimized an art form, then immediately created several classics within that form. Then he revolutionized the amusement park, applying standards of cleanliness and excellence that have changed the general standard.

And yet, a nurse wrote to his family, "I took care of Walt in his final days, and just want you to know that the poor man was so fearful."

Is contentment really so far out of reach?

It's been a long, busy week. Events at work have sapped my strength, as have a few personal issues. Little to do with all of you, though.

I finished the third draft of Giant Armors last weekend, and sent it out to friends for review and critique. If you want to look it over, drop me a line. I plan to make one final pass after June 15^th, so please send any comments by then.

I feel good about Giant Armors. I wish it were better than it is, but I think it's a fun adventure that makes a few important points. And that's all I wanted it to do, really.

Who cares if it's not perfect? Nothing is. At some point, you have to let go.

Woke up this morning. Ran down to the nature trail and back. Showered. Drank some orange juice while my oatmeal cooked, then ate that. Saalon called and we talked excitedly about the giant robot idea we're working on. Ate some melon and a slice of bread for lunch.

Went shopping. Came home, unpacked, started some dough in the bread machine, and went for a leisurely stroll to a nearby coffee house. Ate a toffee bar while I sipped a cup of vanilla tea and read this month's issue of Fast Company. Stopped by a grocery store on my way home and bought a pound and a half of strawberries.

Hung a bird feeder to replace the one that the squirrels tore apart (that was fun; I clipped a heavy iron puzzle to one end of a metal chain and threw it over a tree branch. Took eight tries before I threw it hard enough). Removed dough from bread machine, shaped into rolls, and baked them. Cooked some pasta and ate dinner.

Finished polishing Giant Armors and sent to friends and writer's group for review. Started laundry. Finished watching Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. Finished laundry.

It's been a good day. And not because I've been trying, particularly. I'd planned a few things, and I'd wanted to finish a few things. And I mostly just did what was in front of me and made sense.

Which, I suppose, is best.

One of the most popular anime shows in Japan this season is Lucky Star, a screwball comedy about a couple of rather dense high school girls.

The opening theme song always makes me smile. You can ignore the nonsense lyrics and just enjoy the over-the-top, fun, completely celebrational animation.

Yesterday was the last day of my web design class. It was a test of my teaching skills, and of my willingneess to teach regularly again. Teaching can drain you incredibly fast.

I enjoyed myself. It was challenging, but I had plenty to say every night we met. Each week was different, which is almost always a sign of something worth doing.

I passed the test. I think I'll teach two courses in the autumn (no more than that, though): one on basic web design, and another on web programming in PHP and ASP.

You may have noticed that the "recently photographed" image on this site rotated amongst a few recent photos. That's because the battery door on my camera broke several weeks ago. I haven't had the money to buy a replacement, thanks my job hop.

So, I've removed the photo from the sidebar, until I can take fresh photos.

Another BFO (Blinding Flash of the Obvious) today:

When I come home tired, cook a meal, and realize that I don't feel like I have any energy to write...

...I can choose to write anyway.

As I re-read the first chapter of Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People today, I experienced another blinding flash of the obvious.

Covey wrote about the "P/PC Balance." "P" stands for Productivity, and "PC" for Productive Capacity. He encourages finding time for both work and your capacity to work.

I realized that I tend towards a Productivity imbalance. I create stuff so much that I burn out. I need to feed my capacity.

How, though? Watching movies? Reading books? And how much?

I seem to be mostly recovered now.

I've noticed a fair amount of extended blog activity about the Law of Attraction. If you haven't heard of it, to quote Wikipedia, "'Our thinking creates our reality.' In short, if one's consciousness is in tune with the 'whole,' creation becomes a resource from which we can manifest whatever we want; the fruits of our 'magical thinking' enter our personal lives in the form of synchronicity."

Which contains a nugget of truth. If we spend more time thinking about something, then that thing becomes more important to us and we favor it more in our actions. And there are usually many more opportunities to accomplish our goals than we initially expect. I saw that with Otherspace; I never expected to find as many artists as I did.

But I have two problems with how the Law of Attraction is presented by some bloggers. First, it's presented as though all you have to do is think. I've read bloggers who make it seem like you just have to sit in an easy chair and dream, and your dreams will manifest around you. That's a perversion of the Law, which implies that resources are available, but won't necessarily make your dreams happen for you.

Second, it's materialistic. It's a way of getting more. For millenia, sages have been saying that the secret of happiness lies not in having more, but in wanting less. So why spend all this energy on another method of consumption?

Ha! From the 1934 Fresno Bee: Gigantic Robots, Controlled by Wireless, to Fight Our Battles. If only.

(Not a Photoshop contest; this is from Paleo-Future, a site about early visions of the future.)