Yesterday I divested the curtilage of Christmas cheer and yuletide delight. In other words, I de-lighted the exterior of the grounds with a sortie to take down some enemy combatants the Christmas lights. Wife and daughter flew close air support. Wife gathered each strand as I defused it, one by one. Daughter a seek and destroy rescue mission on the strands around the deck.

For Christmas itself, we had sickness in a plain brown wrapper. Law Student and his lovely family came Christmas Eve. The little Manette girl already had something, and shared with our couch some of the things she had eaten earlier. Law Student felt as if he wanted to engage in similar sharing but avoided such ostentatious displays. Nevertheless, the Ice Queen and Thor declined to bring the Corsican Brothers to such an environment. The next day, after the joyous morn, with breakfast for some, Law Student et al abandoned us to our own sad company--like process servers who had fulfilled their commission.

That evening, the Ice Queen and Thor did bring the Corsican Brothers for a nice dinner starring an old, dead, piece of pig -- which was quite tasty. Wife cooked it in the crock pot so I had the holiday off from the usual (and time consuming) application of heat and smoke to raw meat products. We contended with one another via a couple new games. The Jumanji Jungle game and Monopoly for Millennials. Thor prevailed in Jumani, while daughter got us all in an early headlock in Monopoly and eventually forced us all into submission for the win.

By way of entertainment, I treated myself to a re-watch of The Incredibles 2 on Netflix. The overblown trumpet blast attacks are the best. I'm sure I mentioned that the first time I talked about the movie. Yes, I did--at least a little. I'm happy to report much fun in the re-watch.

Today I substituted for the teacher in Sunday School as we discussed the last half of the book of Revelation. I thought it went a lot like this:

Except maybe the train didn't get quite so far on to the bridge before it all collapsed. Nevertheless, there was a point during the lesson when I grasped a great truth--that made it all worth it for me.

***

With the new year approaching like a wrecking ball, it's time for resolutions. For me, I know that I will go back to writing a minimum word count on weekdays. I've simply been writing without worrying about how much I write. I'm going to want to complete books 3 and 4 next year in the Tomahawk and Dragon Fire series -- and books 1 and 2 are only 99 cents each until the 31st. I'm currently on chapter 6 of Book 3.

Of course, there is more to self improvement than augmenting the word count. While I was looking for a Christmas picture to add after the first paragraph, I came across the picture below from a quiz I had taken a couple years ago.

I'm not sure if I should resolve to go from moderate to high, or from moderate to mild.

While the saga of the war machine will continue, I prefer not to discuss that epic adventure today. Progress on Justice Resurgent is happening; just one more bend and it will be the home stretch at break-neck speed. I could finish it this month, but I'm having difficulty focusing on it because another idea for a fantasy series has possessed me. It's something that I've had in my head for years, and have made notes about from time to time--and now is the time to do it. Because I'll be away from civilization, I won't be able to write this week on JR, but I will be able to do some more plotting, characterization, and setting notes for the fantasy series using that centuries-old word processing system known as paper and ink.

I'm learning that when it comes to writing and marketing, I've pretty much done it all wrong. I've written in three completely different genres. Apparently, I'm supposed to pick a genre and stick with it, build a following and reputation within that genre because, according to Amazon--unlike me--most readers do not jump genres; they read within a single genre. Amazon's algorithms don't understand how to market my works when I do that. So I'm leaning toward making the fantasy genre my genre for a series--the first books will be in the swashbuckling, flintlock or gunpowder fantasy genre, but the prequels I've got in my head also cover the pre-Columbian. Of course, I haven't forgotten the Finding Jack series, also in the fantasy genre, that I'll finish.

(Of course, if anyone has read any of my books and can't live without more books written by me in the western or humorous noir mystery genre, let me know).

I've noticed that just about everyone thinks that they can write fantasy. Most of the stuff I've found that I wasn't previously familiar with isn't very good (that's just my opinion; lots of people seem to like it). Most of it seems like it was written by a fairly talented fifth grader, or is crammed with profanity in an attempt to create "gritty realism"--or it may just be a substitute for talent (that's my opinion). Of the recent fantasy that I've read, I've enjoyed Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive; James Alderdice's Brutal, and Ken Jorgensen's Kusunoki Chronicles. I can't say enough good things about the Kusunoki Chronicles. I previously reviewed the first book in the series, Pride of the Samurai. I've just finished the second book, Treachery of The Daimyo. Both are 5 star reads. Again, I'll say that there's something about Jorgensen's writing that resonates with me--and I don't think it's just because he writes above the fifth grade level. I may eventually post a review of the second book. I know there are at least 4 books in the series, and now I have to read the 3rd one. Back to my point, everyone seems to think that they can write fantasy, but few do it well; Jorgensen does it very well.

***

Have I seen any superhero movies? One might remember that I've been pretty clear in my overall distaste for that movie genre. However, there are 3 exceptions to my superhero disdain: The Shadow, The Incredibles, and The Ant-Man. I know there are many complaints about that first movie, but it is one of my favorites--and I have a few complaints about it as well--but a man redeemed from evil, sometimes on the brink of sanity who possesses the ability to cloud men's minds, AND WHO USES 2 POLISHED COLT M1911 AUTOMATICS IS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME (here's a link to information about the actual weapons used in the movie). I like a hero with a backup plan. He's fallible, and often lacks confidence--and the movie wasn't all special effects. I've already gushed about The Incredibles, so I won't repeat myself.

As for The Ant-Man, we saw Ant-Man and the Wasp earlier in the week. First, the story--meh. Didn't really care for it, especially the after-credits tie-in to rest of the Marvel pit of infamy. I did like the characters, especially the characters played by Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, and Michael Pena. These three make the film worth watching. Those characters have substance. They're flawed and funny, and make you root for them. The superheroism is just a part of that substance, a very small part. These are characters who would be fun to follow even without the superhero issue--the superhero complication is just the catalyst that has brought them to our attention and that accentuates their idiosyncrasies. So...great characters, predictable story heavy on techno-dribble, but lots of fun.

This week we went to see Think-Red-Hibble-Stew.

We had an inauspicious start. I left my house and office keys locked in the office--of course, I hadn't realized this at the time. I passed my wife on my way home; she was going the opposite direction to pick up daughter after some practice or something. When I arrived at the house, I found it locked. When I couldn't find my keys, that's when I realized that I had removed them from the lock in the office door...and placed them in the pocket of the jacket that I leave at the office, instead of placing them in the pocket of my pants--which I wear home.

So I cooled my heels on the front doorstep and waited for wife's return. It provided me with an opportunity to read my newest download: Pride of The Samuri, Book 1 of the Kusunoki Chronicles. I'll do a more complete review on it later. I'm nearly done with the book now, and IT. IS. EPIC. My review will probably say something like this author may be on of the few whose stuff I enjoy reading more than my own. It's incredible.

Speaking of incredible, or rather The Incredibles II: I've been waiting 14 years to see this movie. I've said that I really don't like superhero movies. They're all explosions and special effects and more explosions. The actors seem to be mere props to be thrown around by other superheros/villains, and explosions, etc. I still believe that. I don't like superhero movies...with one exception: The Incredibles was totally awesome. The original movie had great characters and a clear story unadulterated by social justice genuflection. It also had that cool 60s style movie music that evokes ghosts of James Bond and other over-the-top cinema fare.

(This isn't my favorite of the music, but it will do for illustrative purposes)

 A lot has changed in 14 years. I knew that I would be disappointed with the sequel. I knew that it would fall well short of the magnificence of the original. I knew that they were going to ruin everything with the sequel. I knew the movie would make me wish that they had never made a sequel. I knew that I would leave the theater feeling like a four-year old child whose favorite toy, a peddle car, had been run over because his stupid cousin had pushed and left it under a real car (Yes, I'm still mad about that). So my expectations were low...and yet I hoped.

The movie opened after a 14 year intermission right where the original had left off. The Underminer had just appeared; the family had to leap into action. That led to my first favorite line, "Trampoline me!" I'll let you speculate on the context. The story ran fairly parallel to the original with the difference being that ElastiMom gets the call to elicit illicit superhero arms instead of IncrediDad. Dad has home duty, which elicited another favorite line, "I'm formulating!" Violet and Dash have their own problems, and Jack-Jack is everyone's problem. Eventually, the family has to come together to defeat the evil Screenslaver. The movie makes a relevant and not-so-subtle statement about a modern condition, but doesn't become a nonstop in-your-face freight train hauling the audience to the Peoples Republic of Social Justice According To [Insert Pet Cause Name/Supporters Here].

There was, however, a train, or monorail, or levitating train or something like that. Of course, there were also a motorcycle, a super cool car, a neat boat, and other assorted nifty-do things.  All the old voices were back and nailing it. My favorite surprise was the voice of Bob Odenkirk as Winston Deaver. Better Call Saul is one of my favorite Vidangel treats.

The family oriented message of the movie remains strong. The animation is fantastic. The music is great. Did I like it? Well...we got to the theater late (see the story above about being locked out of the house) and had to sit near the front of the theater at entry level; the kid to my right kept going out and coming back with popcorn in a bag and/or bags of chips to rattle; people kept coming in late and walking in front of me, and getting up during the movie and walking in front of me going in and out; and some genius in front of me had brought her four-year old to the theater with those shoes that have flashing lights in them that activate every time the kid's feet touch the floor (and that kid was walking back and forth a lot); and not once did I seriously contemplate the bashing of heads against armrests, the breaking of teeth on seatbacks, nor even the uttering of colorful-but-true-and-hurtful words with sufficient vitrolic verve and venom to slay the entire families of the obliviously rude cretins for seven generations--and it wasn't just because I'm a nice person, which I am, mostly. It was, to state the obvious, incredible. I highly recommend it as the best movie I've seen in theaters so far this year; Two thumbs up; Five stars--and nearly as good as the original.

I do have a review of L'Amour's Passin Through to do, and an update to the status of Smoke in paperback. The short answer for both is: They're coming soon--just not as soon as I had hoped.