SK

It just feels right to be writing about Stephen King -- right here, right now.

First off, it's only a mere nine days from Halloween.  Could there be a better time to crack open your dog-earred Salem's Lot paperback or pop in that dusty VHS copy of Cujo?  There's no better season for Stephen King than during the howling winds of autumn.  And, from what I can tell, it's been a killer year for SK.  Not only did he publish two new full-length works (Joyland & Doctor Sleep), but his novel, Under the Dome, was adapted into a semi-successful television show.  I will refrain from any specific commentary regarding that particular program except that it was disappointing to see that it deviated so much from the source material. 

If you are an SK fan and are on the fence about which new novel to read this year, I would hands-down recommend Joyland - even despite the fact that I am only one hundred pages deep into Doctor Sleep.  In Joyland, Stephen King is at his storytelling best -- writing a lean, well-oiled story about a college-age guy getting over his first real break-up and working the summer at an old-timey amusement park -- that just might have a ghost haunting the dark corridors of its scream house!  It is as Hardy Boys-esque as it sounds and that is half the fun.  Trust me, if you need a good book to get you through the rest of October, this is the one!

Stephen King is always a perennial favorite for me and I've recently taken to re-reading some of his classics like It and The Stand.  Even during the second read, his stories still make my skin crawl and his characters remain so delightfully nasty.  I have to say that reading these books again through a more mature lens makes it all the better.  Sure, you're more likely to be less forgiving during his long-winded passages, but to be able to revisit some old friends, read sections of a novel you completely forgot and understand some jokes you may not have fully understood as a teenager is just terrific.  If you've been thinking about picking up one of his novels, I say there is no time like the present!

I'm going to close this post with some graphics I put together almost two years ago when Ryan got his Wacom tablet.  I've always thought it would be fun for a publisher to release a handful of Stephen King novels with covers that are a little artful and weren't primarily black and menacing -- but still gave off a little bit of the ick-factor.  This was my crude attempt to strike this balance.  Hope you enjoy.

If I don't see you beforehand, Happy Halloween!

The Comeback

Consistency has never been my strong suit.  Let me be really clear about that first and foremost.

Repetition, for me, in all eventuality devolves into a foreseeable boredom.  Looking for something to counteract the monotony, new curiosities pop up in my mind -- gaudy yet irresistible carnival rides that force my current (and certainly less free-wheeling) endeavors to the quieter spaces of my mind.  Such is the way when you deal with short term memory and a limited attention span. 

So, I have to admit that cracking open my laptop and logging into my abandoned blog has a bit of a bittersweet tinge to it.  On one hand, it's exciting to be tickling these illuminated keys, archiving my thoughts once more -- just one simple character at a time.  On the other hand, I know the hidden itch that is sleeping just under the surface, waiting for me to be tempted away by an errant glimmer of fanciful newness. 

Thankfully, a short term memory does have its pluses.  As the saying goes, the old is indeed new again and here I am typing away at a blog that has been both showroom new and prematurely put to pasture.  And now, once again, it's that first ride on the tilt-a-whirl that makes your stomach spin and drop.

I hope to turn the tide and make the ride last a little longer this time, but I won't make any promises.  You know what they say about those.

Also, fair warning: in poking around, it may be a little cobwebby, the floorboards might squeak as you walk around and many of the lightbulbs may have very well burnt out -- but all the same, welcome back.  I'm glad you came to visit.



 

Memorialized in Traverse City, Part I

If you've never been to Michigan then there is a good chance you've never heard of Traverse City.  It's a small town (population 15,000 according to Wikipedia, ahem, Elizabeth) nestled in the northern part of Michigan, partly framed by two large, beautiful bays. 

Driving through the country surrounding the city, you feel at once that you are no longer in the Midwest.  In fact, one might dare say that this countryside feels slightly European.  The fields are covered in cherry orchards, lines of vineyards, dense clusters of firs and sparkling water seems to be the backdrop no matter where you go.  The beaches are a mix of sand and smooth stones.  Lighthouses dot the sky while giant sand dunes climb steeply away from Lake Michigan, creating hulking marvels to scale and survey.

During our visit over Memorial Day Weekend, it was a bit overcast during periods of our time out and about, but even the grey clouds lent a striking, gauzy hue to the beauty of the countryside.

I'll be writing and posting more about our Traverse City trip in the next few days, but in the meantime,  I hope this abbreviated pictorial journey entices you to find out more about this unique, artistic and pastoral region of the Midwest. 

Farmer's Market in Traverse City, MI

Black Star Farms

Black Star Farms

Boat at Fish Town (Leland, MI)