Michael Downing (1958–2021)

For one of the first times ever, I have to say that the movie is better than the book. Let me explain.

I picked up Breakfast With Scot after reading a review of the book on a GLBT bookstore's website. I'm a huge fan of the movie, so I figure I'd love the book as well. And I did, just not as much as the movie... First of all, the book is written in first person. I, personally, am not that much of a fan of first-person written works. When it comes to fanfiction, I'll skip it altogether. But I gave the book a chance.

The book deviates from the movie in several ways, all of which are pretty enjoyable. The deeper delving into how Scot came to live with Sam and Ed, the more loathing section about Billy (Sam's brother), and more of an interaction between Ed and Scot. It was pretty fun to read - I may be a slow reader, but I read the whole book in less than 24 hours, using only my free time (plane ride, reading before bedtime, etc).

That said, I honestly think the movie has more heart. But I'm still glad that I read this.… (mere)

A review of the chaos of time, and the struggle over daylight time vs sun time. The author does a good job creating a sense of havoc and chaos, and brings wit to bear to the various arguments and counterarguments in the topic of Daylight Saving Time (DST). He details some of the characters on both sides of the DST argument, and the funny, outrageous arguments being made for or against changing the clocks. He details the chaos that was time in general prior to the railroad insisting on standardized time, and how hard it has been to get a standard time for the country, let alone for the world. I had no idea this battle was brewing so heavily in my lifetime. The author also gets tantalizingly close to one fact that is ignored, or not believed, by nearly everyone: the concept of time, divided into hours, with noon being the moment the sun is highest in the sky, is not based in any empirical reality, but simply human convenience. Time as we battle over it doesn't actually exist outside of human minds, and it doesn't really matter what we call any given time. He also touches on, but not quite explores, the idea that there is a certain arbitrary nature to assuming you need to go to work at 9 in the morning and get off at 5, or any other human-derived schedule. Time, in short, is merely a habit. The need to agree on time is accepted in many areas, especially in our global society, and he details some of the mayhem that has ensued from the chaos of time calculations in various corners of the globe, and the struggle to get everyone to agree on what time it is. A fine book, written with humor and style, though one or two places where I noticed him mistaking whether the time was ahead or behind in a given situation. It simply confirms how difficult it can be to keep up. Highly recommended.… (mere)

The Chapel is three stories, really: the marriage of Elizabeth and Mitchell, recently ended by Mitchell's death; Elizabeth's trip to Padua, taken as part of her mourning; and -- chiefly -- the story of Giotto's cycle of frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. The genie overseeing it all is Umberto Eco, whose The Name of the Rose sits unopened on Elizabeth's bedside table.

There's a lot going on here, many balls to be kept in the air, a challenge that Downing manages, although not always gracefully. The principal attraction of the book was learning about the art and the history; the present-day story was not particularly engaging.… (mere)