Latest Audio Book

2nd Chance by James Patterson

The second in the series of 5 of the Women's Murder Club. Not great literature by any means, but not bad for listening to on the commute. It's funny how much I've gotten used to listening to an audio book while I drive. I've taken a break this week to listen to music for a change. Feels very different.

From Amazon.com:
2nd Chance reconvenes the Women's Murder Club, four friends (a detective, a reporter, an assistant district attorney, and a medical examiner) who used their networking skills, feminine intuition, and professional wiles to solve a baffling series of murders in 1st to Die. This time, the murders of two African Americans, a little girl and an old woman, bear all the signs of a serial killer for Lindsay Boxer, newly promoted to lieutenant of San Francisco's homicide squad. But there's an odd detail she finds even more disturbing: both victims were related to city cops. A symbol glimpsed at both murder scenes leads to a racist hate group, but the taunting killer strikes again and again, leaving deliberate clues and eluding the police ever more cleverly. In the meantime, each of the women has a personal stake at risk--and the killer knows who they are.

Hate No More

Did you know that there is a hate crime committed every hour in this country?

It would mean a lot to me if you would take a look at this brief video and write your sentors. Just click here to send your message to congress.

Thank you.

Happy Summer Solstice

We are also celebrating an anniversary. One of the cool things about our relationship is that we do not have set dates for our celebrations. The dates vary depending on when the events fall in any given year.

Happy Anniversary babes.

Bygone Days of Travel

While at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park, came across this exhibit of Air Hostess uniforms over the years. Times certainly have changed.
(Click on pics to enlarge)

Latest Audio Book

1st to Die by James Patterson

Not sure that I have read James Patterson before, though I know that he is a very popular mystery writer. This is the first in a series of books involving the Women's Murder Club. A little too cutesy in some respects - reads like mystery chick lit - but interesting enough for a commute. I did figure out who dunn it - so was not really a surprise.

The most annoying thing about the book is the reader - they really can make or break an audio book. Completed the book yesterday, and started on the second in the series this morning.


From Amazon.com:
The Women's Murder Club pits four San Francisco women professionals against a serial killer who's stalking and murdering newlyweds in bestselling author James Patterson's newest thriller. Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspector who's just gotten some very bad news. She deals with it by immersing herself in her newest case and soliciting the personal as well as professional support of her closest friend, who happens to be the city's medical examiner. The two women, along with an ambitious and sympathetic reporter and an assistant DA, form an unlikely alliance, pooling their information and bypassing the chain of command in an engaging, suspenseful story whose gruesome setup is vintage Patterson. "What is the worst thing anyone has ever done?" the killer muses to himself early in the narrative. "Am I capable of doing it? Do I have what it takes?" Answering his own question, he embarks on a murderous spree that takes him from the bridal suite in a Nob Hill hotel to a honeymoon destination in the Napa Valley and thence to a wedding reception at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Dispatching his victims on the happiest day of their lives, he purposefully leaves enough clues for his distaff trackers to discover his identity and put him behind bars. But just when the women think they've got the case all wrapped up, the killer turns the tables on them in a bloody denouement that even the most discerning reader won't see coming. Patterson, author of the popular Alex Cross mysteries, promises future adventures for the Women's Murder Club, which may give him an opportunity to develop his heroines' characters more completely and win new fans among those who prefer their detectives in high heels and lipstick.

San Diego Sojourn

The annual DAC (Design Automation Conf) was in San Diego this year, and I was out there for the week. As trade shows go, it was okay. Location was fantastic. The guide books list San Diego weather in May/June as gloomy days - but we had lovely weather the entire week. If this is what gloomy looks like, I'm going to have to go back for sunny days! Why is it that I do not live there again?

We spent the first half of the week at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. My room had the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. I'm not kidding. I'm going to have to call them and ask them who makes it. The room on the 14th floor of the Harbor Tower looked out over the marina and the bridge to Coronado. The hotel is right next to Seaport Village and a couple of blocks from the convention center and good restaurants.

We moved to the Balboa Park Inn for the second phase of the trip, and stayed at the Orient Express Room - red walls, a Chinese marriage bed, strange decorations, very loud location and a weird "dead body" smell. Great location though - right next to Balboa Park - which we spent a couple of days exploring. I think we got used to the strangeness of the room - it got quieter on Friday and Saturday nights, and the smell faded after we aired out the room overnight. If you ever stay there - skip the breakfast and find yourself something good to eat.

This was our first time exploring Balboa Park. I had visited the Zoo on an earlier trip, so this time explored the museums and grounds. Quite delightful. I was in awe of all the really cool flora in the park - never seen most of it before. Loved the park. Especially great for picnics and hanging out. The Jacaranda trees have purple flowers out there. Fig trees grow to immense sizes. The carousel has an actual brass ring.

My pal Jos came down from LA for a quick visit, and we got a chance to catch up. Saw the Padres beat the Dodger at Petco Park. Had excellent fish tacos at Tin Fish. Did a lot of walking, and no reading. All in all a fun trip. Came home to find the cat well, if a little leaner. Feels like I was gone for a long time. Glad to be home.