Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Reading Is Fundamental... Aargh.

Hey Soul Mates,
I don't always finish books I buy. And I have a nasty habit of buying lots of books and not completing them in one go. There's usually a stack of books on my stand that are in various stages of being read. But, lately I've gotten better about it. I completed Gideon Defoe's nifty "The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists." It's a completely anachronistic short novel about... well, pirates in an adventure with scientists. Not howlingly funny, but rather consistently, subtly amusing from page one.

Each chapter title has a thrilling piratical theme, but the episode will not include a single word about said treasure, sea monsters or Skull Island. The pirates in question have no names, rather descriptions: the scarf wearing pirate, the pirate with the accordion, the pirate in green and the hero of the story the Pirate Captain. And they all love ham. The Pirate Captain is famous for his feats on the high seas and his luxuriant beard. The stuff of legend.

Off the Galapagos, the Pirates mistakenly raid the booty-free Beagle. Its chief passenger, Charles Darwin, then enlists their help in a romp through sooty Victorian London, complete with the Elephant Man, a Pirate fan convention and miniature golf. Har. Plus, DeFoe (no relation to Daniel, I hope) provides the requisite amount of pirate excitement: plank-walking, cannonballs to the skull, swashbuckling derring-do, cross-dressing and ham. Did I mention Darwin's heroic Man-panzee called Mr. Bobo? Aarrugh.

I'd noticed the book last Christmas in a very small bookshop near Jax Beach, but didn't buy it. I finally saw it (and its sequel "The Pirates! In An Adventure With Ahab" Or " With Whaling" as it was titled in the UK) again last month and made the investment. 130 page books are right up my alley. Otherwise it has to be non-fiction or short stories. [David Sedaris' last two compilations made for great reading aloud on my road trip in Florida 2 weeks ago. The Pirates! would have too.] My simple prayer: no one make a movie of this book. Now I can move on to the next adventure, feeling accomplished about finishing a novel.

In closing, "The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists" was short.
Love, Power, Peace

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Internationally Known

Hey Soul Mates,
big news is coming from Rush Hour Soul. This Memorial Day weekend we will make our international debut. Want a hint? Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. The magnitude of the concerts is kind of wild to consider. Dates and times will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we have to make sure all our papers are in order. Are yours?

If you are one of our friends on MySpace, you can now add Everything My Heart Desires to your personal page. Represent! Now you can show your love for RHS 24/7 on-line. And best of all, it's still free.

And Gung Hay Fat Choy (Happy Chinese New Year)! It's the year of the dog... and the Year of RHS. We spent yesterday down in Chinatown. Even met the fortune teller, but I'm not telling what he said. I have to recommend the sponge cake at the big bakery in Chinatown. Very yummy. Yes, I said "yummy!"

Have a great week.
Love, Power, Peace