Whine & Cheese

Thanks A (Half) Million

There's seems to be a flurry of milestones going on some of the blogs I read or lurk on... and I certainly don't want to be left out here at W&C.

Early Monday morning, W&C had it's 500,000th visitor!

Here is the lucky, non-prize winning visitor from T'ai-pei, Taiwan.  The landmark visit pretty much sums up the very important work I'm doing here at W&C...

... the entry (and exit!) page was for my post, Is There A Career Path for A Chippendale Wannabe?

Yes, I am beaming like a proud papa!

I am not sure how long it took to reach 500k... when I started blogging (September 2003) or when my first blog morphed into W&C here on TypePad (July 2004)...  the most "valid" number is that I have had 300k visitors since tracking on SiteMeter in December 2005 (I carried over 200k from somewhere).

That averages somewhere around 15,000 visitors/month... that's pretty crazy... but in the past few months, visits have alarmingly risen (another side effect of global warming?)... from July 2006-March 2007, the monthly range of visitors was 7,400-12,600... in April 2007, it shot up to 21,000... and every month since, it's been hovering around the 30k mark.  I have no explanation.

I'll will gladly admit to getting enjoyment at looking at the numbers.  However, I am not deluded to think that only 10% (at absolute best!) are people reading anything I have to write... most are frustrated search engine users... with most of those looking for someone in some state of undress.

Thanks to everyone... especially to those of you read down this far!

Simpson-ized

I am unfashionably very late to this particular blogging exercise...

...our friends Scott & Buckaroo sent us versions of themselves weeks and weeks ago and encouraged us to do the same... I tried, but wasn't pleased with results.

...inspired (and a bit intimidated) by more recent (and quite spot-on) recreations by Bill and Jeff... I tried it again, but still didn't think I got it.... so much so, that I left a comment on Jeff's post lamenting my lack of that special/unique physical trait/feature that would make it work.

... so I catch Todd Simpson-izing himself yesterday... again, I go through my "I tried it, but don't think so" speech... but nevertheless I head back to my PC to send the file over to him for a second opinion.

... he opens it up and is instantly hysterical... apparently, I do look something like this...

I am not a big fan of getting my picture taken... let alone posting pictures of myself (though if you poke around, there is a pic or two of me out there)... so I know I can't ask most of you to confirm or deny any resemblance... but for the handful who do, what do you think?

If you are the only other person who hasn't done this yet (and are interested)... head on over to Create Your Simpons Avatar on the Simpsons Movie website.

Wacky Weekend Weather

This is officially a sign that I am turning into my parents... a post about the weather!  Though I am guessing I am not alone in this department... while there are exceptions, I think one's fixation with The Weather Channel is correlated with age.

Anyhow, on Saturday we took a trip down to Tucson to take Todd's Dad out to lunch for his birthday... like my Mom, it was a the big 7-0.  Earlier in the week, he had called Todd to let him know that if the weather is bad that we should not come down.  Needless to say, we woke up to clear skies and abundant sunshine and were on the road shortly after 9am.

We took the Cooper.  With our Cooper-centric vacation rapidly approaching, I was torn between wanting to give it a good highway "test" run prior to our big road trip... but even well over a year since the accident, I still suffer from bouts of paranoia... nothing bad an happen to my car in the near future... as you can probably guess, it is a pretty important to have a Cooper at a huge gathering of MINIs! 

But no worries... the Cooper is just fine... but there were some dicey moments.

This is our stormy time of year... our monsoon (or haboob) season... bad weather crops up quickly and unpredictably.  While were in Tucson, the skies were fairly ominous... but the proverbial "bark with no bite"... and just a bit of rain as we hit I-10 for the late afternoon trip back home.

So long story short(er), it didn't take long before we hit into some heavier rain... again, not too bad if anything it was nice to see that my rain-sensitive automatic windshield wipers work!   But soon there is a huge plume of dust ahead and that's got me concerned.  The worst weather situation I faced in the Cooper was a quick duststorm on the way to our favorite Indian casino last summer... but fortunately, when we reach it, there is only minor reduced visibility.

10 minutes or so later, there is another cloud of dust ... and this one is bad.  It seems that in a blink of an eye, the dust is so bad that the cars in front us literally disappear into the storm. 

I immediately pull off the road and join a few other cars that have done the same... within minutes, more and more cars are pulling off... so many that I am concerned we are going to get hit by someone pulling off and not realizing home many of us there are... plus there are a bunch of cars merely on the shoulder (vs. all the way off the road)... plus my heart was in my stomach as cars (and 18-wheelers!) didn't slow down all that much heading into the dust cloud... plus pulled over cars not observing the recommend "lights off"  duststorm rule.... since moving cars would generally be following lights... on top of that, both cars continuing to drive on and those pulled have their hazard lights blinking... so very confusing (and pretty nerve wracking) with the low visibility and decreased depth perception. 

We were able to get back driving 20-25 minutes later, with visibility still not quite ideal, but it cleared up enough a few miles up the road... we hit into some heavy rain again, but "anything but dust" was good enough for me.    

Todd was hoping to mow the grass when we got home.  Despite all this bad weather, it appeared that as we approached the very southern edge of Phoenix Metro area was pretty clear.  Alas, we had a downpour the exit right before ours... so the window of opportunity to mow seemed to seemed to slam shut!

Or not... a mere five minute drive from that rain-soaked spot and back at our house, nary a drop of rain and the grass dry enough to mow. 

Go figure, but that's the hit-and-miss summertime weather here in Arizona!

BB8: The New Nerd Herd?

For the last couple of years (ok, probably not All-Stars), I think that I am not going to blog much about the latest Big Brother... but pretty much each year, without fail, it gets under my skin.... and into my head... literally!!  I don't know if I should confess this or not... but pretty much every summer, I have dreams that I am in either the Big Brother house or somehow interacting with these people.  Very strange, I know.

The funny thing is that this year I have cut back on my BB time.  I haven't subscribed to the live feeds, visited discussion boards and other fan sites, or even watched "House Calls" (yet).  The big culprit this year has been the nightly 3-hour ShoToo feed.  Now I don't watch it "live" from Midnight-3am (the feeds are at the fairly lively hours of 9pm-midnight, BB local time), but usually at least part of it the next day.

So yes, I am hooked once again... and this post will likely ramble on... but W&C is very much my water cooler, so if you watch BB I hope you enjoy the post... if not, have a nice weekend!

(Potential Spoilers Ahead... Maybe... I Guess... Probably Not)

Last night on ShoToo (which would make it Wednesday night), I saw signs of the "Nerd Herd" reforming itself.  You may remember the Season 6 Maggie/Ivette/April/etc. self-dubbed "The Friendship" alliance.  They thought they were "good ones" and America's sweethearts... but ultimately, were fairly reviled by viewers.  Right now,  Amber, Dustin, Jameka, and Daniele seem to be headed in this direction. 

Amber is easily the most deluded of the bunch. She was just floored to learn that she was the original first week target.  Amber interpreted being the target meant: (a) she's the nicest person, (b) everyone in the house likes her best (why else would it be a 10-1 vote?!), (c) that she's the most "deserving" of the cash being a single-ish mother.  Amber also vocalized that she thinks she's America's favorite player and expects to win America's Choice prizes.  Yeesh!

In this conversation, Jameka was just shocked (shocked!!) that people would be so selfish as to think that way and target Amber... Argh!   I just hate when people view a reality competition show as charity... or when .. ahem!... playing the game is seen as a negative.  Huh?!?

This new Nerd Herd might be a God Squad.  I thought for a second that the BB ShoToo feed had turned into The Daily Show's "This Week in God" segment.  Amber expressed her happiness of having Jameka in the house... "I feel like God is here, and you're him" Amber said, I kid you not.   

A potential chink in this alliance?  Amber expressing concern over Dustin's alleged non-belief... given all I've gone through in my life, how can you not believe in God... Amber pondered, Jameka nodding in agreement.
   
Continuing on, Amber worried that she had potentially offended Eric by mentioning God in a conversation... since, you know, Eric is Jewish.  Thankfully Jameka had passed Religion 101 and was able to fill Amber in the Jews do believe in God and that it's just the whole Jesus Christ as Savior thing that is the sticking point... oooooooh, Amber responds in a light bulb moment.  Oy Vey!

While that conversation continued on ShoToo, God was elsewhere in da house!.  For some reason, Dick invited Kail up to the HoH room for a pre-eviction chat... why, why, why???  (Kudos to Lynette Rice at EW in this week's EW BB recap calling Dick "a self-righteous bully... behind all that tattooed bluster is an insecure guy who feels incredibly left out when people strategize without him.")

Every single time, he does nothing but ripping Kail a new one... thankfully the former Mrs. Robinson was tired of groveling and played the cool, calm, collected "whatever" card.  My favorite part was when she was telling Dick... I'm fine with whatever happens, it is in God's hands and whatever his plan is for me is fine with me... blah, blah, blah!  Dick looked like he might spontaneously combust... for that alone, the God talk was worth it. 

Re: last night's episode.  I'm not terribly thrilled that Dustin is the new HoH... the group will no doubt get more self-righteous (any bets that Dustin's win will be see as an act of divine intervention?)... but then again, maybe it'll force this group to expose their hand, but I don't see them shaking things up.

Also, should be interesting to see if Eric can deflect being one of the two votes to evict Kail.  America likely thought they were helping their player... Kail was certainly the no-brainer eviction at the time of polling. I'm thinking they shouldn't force Eric to vote what America says... sure, don't give him an "accomplished" check-mark... but not giving him the flexibility to adjust to the whims of the house could make him a target or get him voted out.

Train Wreck TV

A bit of TV rubberneckin' ...that's putting the guilt into guilty pleasure...

First up, Daniele and Dick... the estranged father-daughter and part of this year's "twist" with 3 pairs of "enemies" were brought together in the Big Brother 8 house.  Dick says Daniele hasn't spoken to him for 5 of the last 7 years... a good chunk of Daniele's almost 21 years on the planet.  After just two evictions, D&D are the only of these pairs to still in the house.  I'm not sure this is such a good thing.  Two conversations this week, conveniently -- or not -- timed during ShoToo's three-hour live feed block, were very uncomfortable, but equally as compelling to watch.   

At first, I was thinking (hoping!) the two would work things out.  But the more I see, the less I think that will be the case... particularly being in an environment that is prone (heck, encourages!) mental breakdowns. I think BB might have crossed the line on this one.  The other of this season's "enemies" were pretty weak.  The high school rivals barely had a pulse and while there were some fireworks between the ex-boyfriends, they only had dated for a year.   But at least in those instances... and even the Ex-Factor twist a few years back you were dealing with two adults (at least biologically).

Not the case here... D&D have some serious baggage... Daniele is obviously very hurt and not quite mature enough to vocalize those feelings beyond cries of "you don't understand"... which does little to move the situation forward.  While certainly having good intentions, Dick doesn't quite know how to deal with his daughter either... I almost feel like smacking him through the TV screen when he just won't shut up... and I am guessing his nickname of "Evil" is there for a reason.  I guess we can just hope for the best... but I'm not counting on it...

Now being an adult, doesn't explain Paula Abdul and her Bravo reality series Hey Paula!   C'mon now, you didn't think I wasn't watching this?!! 

Call me silly... naive... or even call me crazy... but I was thinking Paula signed on to this to show she's not bat sh&t crazy!   Well, hold off on that "Mission Accomplished" banner.  Halfway through the last episode, I turned to Todd and said that the show has only increased my opinion that there is something really wrong with her.  Todd thought her behavior was so over-the-top that she had to be playing it up for the cameras.  I "get" that inthe algebra of reality TV "crazy = good"... but I still questioned Paula's motivation... at minimum, it had to be a bit of image repairing, with hopefully a bit of image enhancing along the way.

Ok, there's been some explanation for the incoherence and general mental fragility (at least once an episode she melts into emotional puddle)... Paula doesn't sleep or eat all that much.  This is due to a constant cycle of activity that includes (at the time of filming) obligations to American Idol, hawking jewelry on a home shopping network, charity work, media appearances, etc.  Based on the previews for this week, we'll get some insight into the chronic pain she suffers due to a plane accident several years ago.  I say, Dear Paula... slow down!   Though she can't really do that with her entourage of at least a dozen... with that kind of payroll, she likely can't afford to rest.

Finally, and who would think in this post, it would be CNN that I would not be watching... but has Larry King become (even) more of a bottom-feeder these days?!   I realize, given its nature and network, Larry's show is that very fuzzy line of news-tainment.  One night it's a politician, author, or other valid newsmaker... the next it's Paris or Tammy Faye or Papa Lohan.  Now this might get me into some hot water (especially with Tammy Faye who has apparently been elevated into the patron saint of gay folk), but you start wondering who's worse... the "dealer" providing the TV air time or the "addict" who craves it?!?   Just something to think about...

Summer Vacation Plans: Part II

Another vacation countdown... only two weeks until our big road trip. I have hinted around (I think!) that it is MINI Cooper related...  so to make it "official"... we're heading to Copper Mountain, Colorado (about 80 miles west of Denver) for:

MINIs in the Mountains... Coopers at Copper... whatever alliteration you'd like! 

Even with our dry heat (which ain't so dry at the moment), taking a break from the hot desert (and having done "tropical" the last two years)... it seemed like a really good idea to head to the cool(er) Rockies.  This will be my first trip to Colorado (not counting those airport layovers) and our first time at a big national gathering of MINIs.  In just its second year, MitM is attracting owners from over 20 states and, as of this writing, 155 Coopers and 253 folks registered for the weekend event.

Not quite sure whether we are quite ready for the full-on MINI experience, we're skipping the first day.  If you think I am/was cuckoo about my MINI, believe me I probably don't even register on a Cooper craziness enthusiasm seismograph compared to some folks... we're talking seriously hardcore! 

So, MitM will be just part of our overall vacation... we'll be at Copper from Fri-Sun... and making few stops along the way.   Here's our trip map:

It looks like an innocent little loop... but folks, according to AAA, what you are looking at is about 1800 miles and 30 hours of drive-time!!  Plus, tack on at least a few hundred more miles for MitM... since the primary MitM activity (along with dinners, happy hours, vendors) is getting all those Coopers out caravaning around the twisty mountain roads for daily "fun runs." 

To give you some more perspective, my Cooper's odometer just passed 5400 miles... so given my meager average, that's like putting on 6 months worth of miles on my car in just one week!!

The yellow thumbtacks are the stops and our itinerary is:
1st Stop - Santa Fe, NM (541 miles, approx. 8 hours) - Overnight and some good NM food!
2nd Stop - Denver, CO (394 miles) - Rockies/Cubs game at Coors Field
3rd Stop - Copper Mountain, CO (77 miles) - For the weekend
4th Stop - Telluride, CO (287 miles) - Spending two nights
5th Stop - Home (500 miles, approx 9.5 hours)

The first and last days are definitely going to be killer drives... but we're looking forward to it... should be a fun and very scenic trip!

Sour Cream Pound Cake With Drunken Strawberries

I was a bit Suzy Homemaker on Sunday afternoon... whipping up some dessert... from scratch!

A confession... these are not my own recipes. Being a Food Network addict, I thought it was pretty smart of me to combine Sandra Lee's fruit portion of her Strawberry French Toast recipe with Paula Deen's Sour Cream Pound Cake. 

I had made this Pound Cake one time before... and while it was delicious, I kind of messed up... failing to notice Paula's recipe called for a 10-inch tube pan... as getting very confused as I tried to squeeze all that batter into a 9x5 loaf pan!

This time around, I decided to halve the recipe and it came out perfect!!   Funny enough, I searched just this morning and did find a cake pan size conversion chart on the Web and it confirms that 1 10-inch loaf pan = 2 9x5 loaf pans!  Ha!

So here's my recipe using that 9x5 loaf pan (if you have a 10-inch tube click that link above or just double these ingredients)... this is a very easy recipe, and you may already have all the ingredients on hand!!

1/4 pound butter
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups of flour
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat over to 325 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated.  Sift the baking soda and flour together.  Add to the creamed mixture alternating with eggs, beating each egg 1 at a time. Add the vanilla and pour the mixture into a greased and floured pan. Bake for 1 hour (1:20 for 10-inch pan) or until toothpick/skewer comes out of cake clean.

Silly easy for the "Drunken" Strawberries...  Strawberries (shocking!), Orange Liqueur (i.e, the "recipe" suggested and I used Grand Marnier), and Sugar.

Since they were in season (and on sale), I used fresh strawberries and just made up a small batch...

About 6 pretty large berries... doused with a teaspoon (or two!) of Grand Marnier.. and sprinkled with a bit of sugar and refrigerated for a couple of hours.  At first the berries smelled pretty alcohol-y... but by the time we got around to eating it, we honestly couldn't taste the liquor... but still very yummy!   Oh, plus a dallop of (not home-made!!) whipped topping to top it off.

Weekend Update: Sicko, Borders, and BB8

Instead of rambling on, I will try some brief-ish commentary on a few things from the weekend.

On Saturday night, we caught Michael Moore's latest Sicko (thanks, Scott... and I will just leave it at that... hee hee!).  As always, Moore does a bang-up job, this time on the American health care system, that manages to be (and at times, simultaneously) entertaining, infuriating, funny, heart-breaking, and embarrassing.  I still think Moore is a master manipulator and a tad bit of a sensationalist... but, if you tend to agree with his politics, it is easier to swallow (though this is far less partisan than his past few films).  But whatever you think of Moore, it is clear that our country's health-care system is FUBAR.  I dare any (American) viewer not to have to pick their jaw up off the floor after seeing examples of evil socialized health care systems in other democratic (and even one quite autocratic) nations.

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We "rented" our first movie to our TiVo via Amazon Unbox.  It felt quite like "the future is now" moment, to be able to download a movie right from our TiVo box... and for only 99 cents.  Each weekend (Fri-Sun ony), Unbox gives you 5 of these "special deals"... so for under $1, it seemed worth a try/experiment.  We are curious to see what the picture quality will be... the 2 hour, 10 minute movie (ok, it's Dreamgirls... haha!) takes up less disk space than a 30 minute program in HD.... so this has us slightly concerned, especially since we have officially turned into HD snobs (official word is that it is better than "Best" TiVo quality).  Why haven't we checked it out?  In a Big-Brother-ish way, rentals are deleted off your TiVo after 30 days or 24 hours after you start watching... whichever comes first... so since we decided on Sicko this weekend, we'll catch this one some other time.

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On Saturday, we were also stereotypical gay Democrats... a trip to Borders to pick up a couple of new book.  Even though I have four recently purchased books sitting on my shelf, I had to finally get the latest Armistead Maupin book, Micheal Tolliver Lives... and Todd picked up Al Gore's The Assault on Reason.  Even at lunchtime ("the morning after"), the store was still in a Harry Potter frenzy.  I was the only person in the checkout line who did not have a Harry Potter book (and nearly everyone walking around the store seemed to have a copy in hand as well).  I asked the cashier if I would be able to leave the store without a Potter book... she laughed and said she wasn't sure about that...

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Finally, Big Brother 8!  I am having some movement in my unofficial favorite houseguest list.  Dick is on the slide for me.  As often happens, a player gets HoH and their head swells beyond recognition.  We watched some of the ShoToo BB After Dark  show this weekend, and Dick pretty much thinks he's the best player ever to be in the BB house.  We lapsed into a coma listening to Dick drone on to Kail telling her all the ways she's messed up... which granted she did... but shut the f&ck up already... and I don't know why they even talking to each other since Dick would tell Kail approximately every 10 minutes that she was not going to be in the house next week. 

I still like Eric, but his America's Choice shtick with the raised eyebrow and the rubbing hands in preparation  "okay, America!" is getting old... fast!  Though I realize, he is probably coached by BB to address the camera in that manner.

Jen is on the rise.  Now, I still don't like her... but I do recognize her entertainment value.  Her line last night over "being bad about feeling bad" for the folks on slop was classic.  She's no Janelle, but there is some of that sass that makes her preferable to some of those personality-challenged hamsters.

Oh, we finally had a Showtime moment. BB After Dark promises us uncensored feeds... it usually doesn't take long for the F-bombs to start dropping... but we saw our first case of "real" nudity... i.e. something other than Jen almost wearing her bikini.  We're innocently watching Kail, Mike, and Jen talking around the hot tub... when suddenly there's a full-monty frontal shot of Amber drying off in the HoH bathroom.  The nudity wasn't the shock per se... it was just the sudden camera switch and that we had yet to see Amber (bathing or otherwise) prior to that on this session of the televised feeds... and it really was a very quick flash as she wrapped a towel around herself... but they caught it and we got to see everything... and let's just say it appears Amber maintains her nether regions pretty darn well.  I'm guessing most of the camera people (and decision-making feed producers) are men... so I have my doubts we'd ever see equal treatment when it comes to the guys... but who knows!

Express Lane: Issue 33

Jones moves into "24" Oval Office - As rumored Jack Baeur is getting a woman as the Commander in Chief, but don't worry it's not Star... but Cherry Jones, who we were lucky enough to see on stage in her Tony Award winning role for 'Doubt.'  (7/21/07)

Big Brother 90210 - Got Dr. Will withdrawal? Worry no more, he's taking up residence over at 'Dr. 90210' on E! later this month. (7/20/07)

Bassey Gets The Party Started - The latest You Tube video rage of the gay blogosphere... check out 70-year old Dame Shirley's nothing short of faaa-buuuu-lous cover of Pink's "Get This Party Started." (7/20/07)

The Agony and the STD - You know I love the puns... so kudos to EW for this article title re: last night's 'Big Brother 8' eviction.  (7/20/07)

Danny Glover Fits 'Brothers & Sisters' - Yet another new love interest for Nora Walker on the ABC Sunday dramedy.  (7/18/07)

Davenport to return to WTA Tour by playing doubles at New Haven - Didn't think we'd see Lindsay back on the tennis tour ever... let alone 2 months after giving birth to son Jagger. (7/18/07)

Isaiah Washington Gets 'Bionic' - More than a tad cruel of NBC to cast the ex-'Grey's Anatomy' actor in the 70s series remake that is already the buzz of the gay blogosphere! (7/16/07)

Grease TV Runner-Up Headed for Hairspray - Granted its not the lead, but still pretty funny that Ashley Spencer will make her Broadway debut the very same night reality champs Max & Laura start preview performances for 'Grease.' (7/13/07)

Fantasia Extends Color Purple Run Through 2008 - Good news!  Now you have until January 6, 2008 to catch the 'Idol' winner in the role of a lifetime! (7/13/07)

Clijsters pregnant, father tells Web site - Wonder what the former #1 women's tennis player thinks of her dad letting this news out... a week before her wedding... and on his blog! (7/10/07)

Singers Fill 'Little Boxes' for 'Weeds' - Look for a whole new round of singers for the third season... though I have to say I like the original by Malvina Reynolds the best. (7/6/07)

Sex and the City Movie a Big Deal - Looks like the long rumored big screen version of the HBO series might start filming this fall. (7/5/07)

Prince Of Fire (#22)

It seems only appropriate to do a book post today since it promises to be one the busiest reading days ever... well, technically I guess it will be tomorrow... at 12:01 a.m with the release of the last Harry Potter book.  Now, as your eyes have likely already figured out... there is no Harry Potter here.  I read the first book, but just never got back to the rest of the series... nor have I seen any of the movies.  No judgment being passed... just the opposite as I will be sad to see Harry go.  As a book lover, it is always encouraging to see muggles, especially the younger ones, get all excited about a book.   

Daniel Silva's Prince of Fire is also part of series with a 7th book set to be released next week... but that's pretty much with any similarity with Harry ends. Likewise, I am guessing Silva plans more as long as the latest installments still rise to the top of the bestseller charts.

This is the 3rd "Gabriel Allon" book that I have read, but the 5th in the series.  Not realizing it was a series, I started with the 3rd book in the series, The Confessor, which to make it even more confusing was the 2nd book of a themed "unfinished business of the Holocaust" trilogy.  So just to set the record straight, if you wish to start at the beginning, it goes: The Kill Artist, The English Assassin, The Confessor, A Death In Vienna, Prince of Fire, The Messenger... and the latest, The Secret Servant.

Who is Gabriel Allon?  The Holocaust reference above was a bit of a clue.  Allon is a Israeli secret agent/spy, but much happier as one of his many alter egos, Mario Delvecchio, a Venetian art restorer.  As the famous Godfather line goes, just when Allon thinks he's out the Mossad pulls him back in.

A bombing of the Israeli embassy in Rome kicks off the action in this book.  It would be rude to tell you anything more than that... with this being my third Silva book, I pretty much know what to expect... an entertaining and quick read filled with plenty of international intrigue.

Allon is a "shades of grey" hero/anti-hero. Israel's story is a constant struggle of defending and avenging itself... and Allon (and Silva) struggle with telling that story and achieving a balance... as the Ancient Jewish Proverb warns at the start of this book: "If you live to seek revenge, dig a grave for two."

This series and Allon have a bit more weight and I think that's what sets it apart from other books/authors in the genre.  Dare I say, they often pretty educational about the Israel's past, present, and future.  As mentioned, three books in the series focused in on the Holocaust... and this book in particular delves into the Palestinian conflict and flashes back to Allon's (obviously fictional) involvement as part of the Operation Wrath of God, the team of assassins responsible for hunting down Black September, the PLO-backed terrorist group responsible for the Munich Olympics massacre.

Now, I don't mean to suggest these books will be winning any prestigious literary awards... and certainly lean towards my "guilty pleasure... need an entertaining... cleanse the palette" type of book... but if you are looking for something in the spy/thriller genre, a Silva book is definitely worth taking to the beach or poolside... but certainly just as good wrapped up in a blanket in front of a fireplace as well.

2007 10K Reading Challenge:  + 372 pages (Total Pages: 6761 pages)