Debt-free BBQ

Even before I met Courtney it was her dream to have a party once her SBU debt was paid off. We put her dream into action. And God blessed our time with good weather and with a lot of friends who came over to celebrate with us. We were so excited during the time, that we forgot to take pictures. We had about 15 people on our deck, which has built in benches. At one point I announced that our program was about to begin, and that everyone would share how much debt that they have.

Then we took it inside and played Catch Phrase. We also had a time where we talked about money and debt, and people asked us for advice (Thanks, Nell!). It was not a conversation that we usually have with friends, but I find that at our age, the topic of money is coming up more often. We'd like to thank Courtney's ministry supporters, since they allowed us to pay off the debt sooner. Also, one last thanks to Dave Ramsey and the live event for inspiring us to pay off the debt with intensity.

Best of September

I almost forgot to do the "Best Of" post.

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: The Simpsons Movie
Best New-To-Me Restaurant: none
Best Life Happening: having new tile
Best Book I Read: Unforgettable Men in Unforgettable Times

Book Review: The Cat Who Moved a Mountain

I have done 3 book reviews now without having seen a movie. We have been busy on the weekends, including doing our debt free BBQ, which I'll write about soon.

This was a good book about Qwilleran going to the Potato Mountains (the name provides a bunch of opportunities for puns). He helps to solve a murder mystery (of course). But this is one of the only books that doesn't have a murder in it. It is all about a murder that happened before the book began, and an imprisonment of an innocent man. It also features class warfare between hicks on Lil' Tater and city dwellers in "Spudsboro".

I also believe that this continued the trend that Qwilleran and the cats live in a different dwelling in each book.

Book Review: Every Man's Marriage

This was the first book I read about marriage as a married man. I felt that it was geared not toward me, but toward really immature men. It actually made me feel quite good about myself. Let me explain.

I opened to a random page and picked an example of this immaturity. "A man once asked us, "You speak so much about serving and giving in. Do you ever feel as if you aren't head of your home?" The answer is no..."

Let me randomly pick another page...."On the eve of their wedding, Brad told his wife, "I just want to make something clear between us. My job will always come first, and you need to know that going in". That statment clearly revealed where Brad's passion lies."

So there are two examples of how this book was intended for men who have no clue.

The one thing I did get from it is the concept of honoring your wife's essence. This is when a wife has some strong desires that do not make sense to the man. The example in my life would me how Courtney does not want me to wake up and do things on Saturday while she is still sleeping. I personally would enjoy getting up and getting things done, or enjoying reading or playing music. But I soon learned that Courtney is happier if I sleep in. I am honoring my wife's essence by staying in bed.

But this book was generally stating the obvious most of the time. It was for men who didn't have the example that I had growing up. It also may be that we haven't been married long, but if that's the case, just don't tell me!

*Also I have a wife who makes it easy to be a husband!

Rockies Win!

For no apparent reason, I was rooting for the Colorado Rockies to get into the playoffs. They played the Padres in a one-game playoff to see who got to go. It was not on TV or radio, so I followed it on the Internet, whilst doing other things. The Rockies ended up winning 9-8 in the 13th, over coming a grand slam by the Padres in the early innings.

I believe I am rooting for them because they are an underdog, and they have won 12 of their last 13 games. I love the National League, and I wish the Royals were in it.

The Altar

I went to something called The Altar at YouthFront Camp South. It's amazing what happens when you are away from home for over 24 hours, with no access to the Internet. (I did manage eventually to find out that K-State beat Texas, and that the Colorado Rockies still have a chance at the MLB playoffs.)

An author of one of Courtney's favorite books, Chasing Francis, was the speaker for the weekened. His name is Ian Cron. He is an expert on the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

Then I sealed the tile last night when we got back. And Courtney went to a shower for Lyndsey Krusen (soon-to-be-Zouein). I may shave my face soon, now that I have sealed the tile. It has been over a week for sure.

Book Review: Dubliners

I was in the middle of - well more like a third of the way through reading The Portable James Joyce. However, after reading Dubliners, his works of short stories, and looking ahead to his longer works, I suddenly lost desire to continue reading. So I will review Dubliners instead. It was around 300 pages.

I felt that it was a great piece of writing. Joyce described human emotion so well, and also interactions between people, and he described the Irish culture quite well. It was written in 1914.

If I was as good an author as James Joyce, I would write about my own life, and about our culture. Because there are really hilarious things that happen, especially with my Conservative Christian background, and my family interactions and life happenings.

Any way the real winners (short stories) in this book in my mind are: Araby, Eveline, The Boarding House, A Little Cloud, A Painful Case, A Mother, and The Dead. On to my 4 other books!

Beautiful tiles

The bathroom with tile!

Me literally making the final cut with the wet saw.

Well, we have tile and a new toilet. The thing I learned the most from this is that it is nice to have 2 bathrooms, because toilets are necessary. The fact that we only have one bathroom forced us to work on Sunday, even though we were already really tired. Courtney and I spent the night at my parents so that the tile could settle.

We had problems installing the new toilet. It was kind of uneven. Plus we needed a mega-size wax ring, plus the old wax ring to stop the toilet from leaking onto the tile. I think that water caused the grout to not be the right color in one small area. I do have a bit of grout powder, but I'm debating whether to return this and get money back, or to use it for the small areas where the color is off.

It was the most challenging thing I've done in this house, for sure. Thanks Dad for helping us out! We will enjoy this tile for as long as we live here!

Movie Review: All the King's Men (1949)

This 1949 Oscar Winner has a great concept. A regular man tries to take down corrupt government, but ends up being the epitome of a corrupt politician. Despite a good acting job by the main actor, the movie has poor character development, and the plot is hard to follow. The ending is awkward.

beginning of tile project

before

It was necessary to make a diagram with some accurate measurements. My attempt at an artsy photo.

I drilled in many of these screws tonight.
























The result of the night



Not having this as our day job, Dad and I thought that if we cut the backer board exactly to measurements, it would fit perfectly. Although that is partly true, the tough part is getting it under ledges on opposite sides. We had to make a few extra cuts, but it worked out.

The project took nearly 4 hours. We cut the backer board with various saws on our front lawn.

We are installing the tile on Saturday

Posts to come

I owe you posts on when Dad's cousins came to town, and about how we installed backer board in the bathroom last night. I just have been too busy with the aforementioned things, that I did not have time to blog.

I am also reading many books simultaneously:

• The Portable James Joyce
• Jurgen Moltmann - The Crucified God (this is a challenging book to read)
• Practicing the Presence of God (I lost this somewhere. Courtney can find it)
• The Cat Who Moved a Mountain
• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (I'm sure one of them is not "reading 5 books at a time")
• Every Man's Marriage - I only read this when Courtney and I spend the night in different places. So I really haven't made much progress.

I also added a few blogs of note on the right-hand pane.

Book Review: Legally Correct Fairy Tales

The book starts like this. "This Plaintiffs, Jack "Doe" and Jill "Doe", both minors, do hereby allege that (1) they suffered grievous and permanent injuries when a steel bucket manufactured by the Defendant, Imperial Bucket Corporation, proved to be of unsafe design and manufacture..."

And it goes on with more parodies of litigation with fairy tales. Some other good ones were about accusing Snow White of breaking labor laws, accusing Prince Charming of making up a story for his foot fetish, and annulment between Beauty and Beast, and a complaint by the Frog Prince against his curse.

I read it in one night, because it is small, and it reads quickly. Although not the funniest thing ever, it used a ton of creativity.

Book Review: The Bass Player Book

Vince lent me this book since I am regularly playing bass for the worship service.


It covers theory, equipment, and interviews with famous bass players.

I did learn a lot, but I enjoyed the interviews the most. Now I will use YouTube and the library to try to listen to a lot of the "recommended listening".

Movie Review: Hamlet

This 1948 Oscar winner is the most renowned movie version of Hamlet. I understood 60-75% of the dialogue, but obviously hearing the words in context helped to understand them.


I felt that the acting was good. The director also played Hamlet. I was glad that he cut out 2 hours of the film out of the 4-hour play. He cut out a few characters from the play as well.

It was odd that the Queen was played by a 28-year old, and her son by a 41-year old. In the film they looked to be about the same age.

Overall it will help my weakness of remembering exactly what happens in Hamlet. I'm not sure how it ranks my list of Best Picture Winners, but it is probably somewhere in the middle.

Royals and Fireworks (non-dud this time!)

Courtney and I went the Royals game a whole 30 minutes early after a nice Applebee's dinner, and saw a special salute to uniformed officers on September 11th. We used our rain check tickets from July 4th, when the fireworks didn't go off. So basically, we got in for the price of parking.

The Royals got 13 hits, but still lost in a bad way. They left the bases loaded twice, and 2 errors caused many of the Twins' runs. We visited mike king and his friends, who were also at the game.

The post-game fireworks were spectacular, and they made up for the July 4th game when they didn't go off. It was a fun time to spend with Courtney. When we got home at midnight (the game was over 3 hours long), I realized I hadn't been home since about 8 AM!

Movie Review: Gentleman's Agreement

In this movie, a writer is supposed to write an article on Anti-Semitism, and has trouble finding "the angle". Then he decides that he should pretend to be Jewish, which would work out, since he is new to the area. He also starts dating the publisher's niece and they get engaged in a few weeks. She has trouble with his experiment interfering with their relationship.

The unrealistic thing was that there was an Anti-Semite around every corner. At least hopefully that is unrealistic. The fact that he is Jewish makes everyone treat him differently. I enjoyed the acting, but the screen play was really slow.

It won Best Picture 1947

Here are a few labor day pics

We had a nice family time over Labor Day weekend. My first niece is talking quite a bit. I am impressed. She read a book out loud to me. It's also very fun when my second niece says things.

We went to a farm South of Overland Park. We shared the time with chickens and turkeys, who roamed the lawn.

Book Review: Unforgettable Men in Unforgettable Times

This book is by Bob Boardman, a personal friend of my parents. He worked for the Navigators for many years. I have met him as well. The unique thing about him is that he speaks in a hoarse whisper, because he was shot through the throat during WWII.


During the book, he outlines the events surrounding this injury. Also, he includes many wartime and post-wartime stories about people. For example, one is about a Japanese man who stayed on an island (that the Japanese lost) in seclusion for 28 years. The book also talks about cultural things, such as how the Japanese officers committed suicide rather than being captured.


I enjoyed reading it. It was personal and interesting. And educational and inspiring.

Movie Review: The Simpsons Movie

We saw this during Labor Day Weekend. Most of the people reading this saw it with me.

It was similar to watching a Simpsons episode, except it's more dramatic.

Am I Evangelical?

I am trying to define what kind of Christian I am. There is understandably a bad connotation with the word evangelical. I both am and am not one. I am mostly not a fundamentalist. So i will be making lists and updating them here every once in a while.


Signs that I am not evangelical:

• I am willing to vote for a pro-choice Presidential candidate, as long as they have conservative views about Supreme Court nominees.
  
• Do not listen to Focus on the Family and other "Christian media", and actually have an aversion to it
• Shudder at pastors who become politically active, and are obessed with how bad society is
• Even if Kansas City had a good Christian radio (music) station, I would still mostly listen to the best secular stations. Of course, that is hypothetical.
  
• Do not raise my hands in church
• Don't attend Sunday School

Signs that I am evangelical:

• Just cannot bring myself to cuss, unless I am quoting someone or reading a book out loud
• Attend church every Sunday morning
• Avoid working or buying things on Sundays, except for going out to eat
• Vote Republican only
• Listen to conservative talk shows occasionally, namely Dave Ramsey and Rush Limbaugh
• Easily offended by moral filth in TV and movies and radio. (But I do not consider certain contextual violence to be offensive, such as in 24)
  

Best of August

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: It's a Wonderful Life
Best New-To-Me Restaurant: Thai Tradition
Best Life Happening: Wichita/OKCity Trip
Best Book I Read: The Way of the Wild Heart

August saw a tie for the the number of posts in one month!

Movie Review: It's a Wonderful Life

I really enjoyed this movie. It was about a man approximately my age (for most of the film), who sacrificed a lot for his work. Then when his business falls apart, he flips out. I can identify a lot with sacrificing for work. Then an angel shows him what really matters - that he is alive, and that he has lived a wonderful life. So I didn't want to give a lot of the plot away, even though probably everyone has seen this. It was touching and heart warming and influential. It may top The Fugitive as my favorite movie of all time. The Fugitive has held that spot since I was 13.

Book Review: The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal

This was yet another good one in the series. I will Qwill would dump his librarian woman though.



Retired journalist Jim Qwilleran and his Siamese cats solve a high school principal's murder.

Movie Review: Raising Arizona

Since Courtney has been sick, we have seen a lot of movies. This was a recommendation from Vince and Jay. It was a comedy similar to Dumb and Dumber, chronicling (sp?) the adventures of two idiots. But not nearly as funny as D&D. But it had some very funny moments.

Movie Review: Best in Show

This is a mockumentary similar to Waiting for Guffman. I'd say it was better than Waiting for Guffman. The many homosexual references I'd say made me uncomfortable. But overall it's very funny and the dogs are fun to watch.




Here's a clip:





and another:

Movie Review: The Best Years of Our Lives

This movie is about 3 men who meet on the way back to their home town after WWII. One guy is older and settles back into a nice job at the bank, but he drinks too much. One guy is plagued by nightmares, and can't advance in his job and his marriage is horrible. Another guy has hooks instead of hands now, and can't stand to have everyone treat him differently, and for some reason doesn't let his "swell girl" into his life. Then this movie chronicles their lives for a while after they get back, and their lives all intertwine. It was good. Better than most. Oh yeah, forgot to mention it was the winner in 1946-ish, beating out It's a Wonderful Life, which I haven't seen.

sick wife

Please take a moment and pray for me, if you would. I have had a fever since Tuesday afternoon which has reached as high as 103.4. I feel pretty bad and would much rather be at work than being here feeling like this.

I went to the doctor today who said if I am over this by Saturday, then it was a virus and would have most likely run its course by then. If I’m still battling this on Saturday, I need to fill an RX for antibiotics and it is bacterial. Either way, I thank you so much for your prayers for my health and for my patience.

Thanks,

~Courtney

Wichita/Oklahoma City Trip

Courtney had a "chill week", which means that everyone who works at camp gets a deserved free week of vacation. Naturally, this is the best time for us to take trips. We thought Wichita/Oklahoma City would be good for this year.

We went down to Wichita, and had a Thai dinner with Matt and Michele and Sophie. Then we went out to play disc golf at Oak Park. It got really dark, to the point where I couldn't see my bright yellow disc. So we played 10 holes (or pins).

In the morning we visited the charming corner book store, where Courtney took these charming pictures. Sophie rode the dog like she rides Scout. This reminds me of when she tried to sit on 2-inch toy potty. We were proud that she knows that toilets are to be sat on, but it was very funny. This also reminds me of when Matt gave her an altoid to eat. That was scary and funny at the same time. Michele claims that Sophie was "foaming at the mouth", and that is not far from the truth.


Then we all took off for Oklahoma City, and got acquainted with a special toll road. You pay $1 just to drive on the highway, and then $0.30 to exit. Exact change is required. Matt threw $1.35 into the first one and the alarm still went off, and they were scared they would get a ticket in the mail. Anyway, Marissa and Zoe let us in, and we dropped off our stuff, and then we headed out to downtown. We visited the Oklahoma City Memorial (known more clearly as the OK City Bombing Museum). The museum was good. Here are pictures of the outside:



Then we met Andrew and Sylvia at Bass Pro, and they took us to Zio's Italian Cuisine in Bricktown. Matt and Michele and Sophie then took off for Wichita, and Andrew led us back to their house.

In the morning, it was cool, so we played disc golf at Will Rogers Park. We completed all 18, because it was a short course.

Later we went to LifeChurch.TV, a mega church/satellite church in Oklahoma City. The Taussigs took us to the main campus, where the pastor preaches. The rest of the campuses watch a live video. We sat in the 2nd row. The worship and message were powerful. The message included video of a man about to die of ALS. He shared his regrets and wishes. It was very emotional. The message series is named 30 days to live. You can see it at http://www.30daystolive.tv/

The the Taussig's showed us pictures from their 1-month trip to Sierra Leone. And we got some play time with Zoe. She just never got tired of her tennis ball, and she would drop it in front of me repeatedly, pretty much setting it in my lap. Then she would stare at the ball until I threw it.


In the morning we went back to Kansas City, making a stop at the new Super Mega Dillons in Wichita. Another great trip in the books.

Restaurant Review: Zio's Italian Kitchen (Oklahoma City)

We met Andrew and Sylvia and Matt and Michele and Sophie by the miracle of cell phones. We parked at Bass Pro in downtown Oklahoma City and went to Zio's.

Courtney was unimpressed with the ravioli, but I thought my Chicken Marsala was good. I had fun putting chocolate milk into Sophie's spill-proof cup, and helping her drink it. We also enjoyed preventing her from using crayons on the menus.

Afterwards, we walked along the canal and listened to blues music and played in the fountain, before it eventually rained. I'm impressed with Oklahoma City's efforts to revitalize the downtown. (click for larger photos)

Restaurant Review: Thai Tradition (Wichita)

I was out to see if this Wichita Phad Thai was as good as KC's Thai Place. It ended up being equal in taste. However, the Wichita versoin comes in a larger quantity and can be shared by 2 people. I think it also may be less expensive.

It was fun to have a family style meal with Matt and Michele and Sophie.

Book Review: Sphere, by Michael Crichton (audio)

We picked up this audio tape for our trip to Wichita/Oklahoma City.

It was promising, but it turned out to be too sci-fi for our taste. At least Jurassic Park could be real by a stretch of the imagination. This one could not. Aliens. Giant intelligent squids. Weirdness. Plus the reader of the tape was not that great.

This book is from 1987. It was turned into a movie with a bunch of big actors.

Book Review: The Way of the Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge

I began reading this book on our 1 year anniversary trip 4 months ago. On our honeymoon I had begun reading the book Waking The Dead.

I felt that it had some good insights. It leads you through the supposed 6 stages of manhood - Beloved Son, Cowboy, Warrior, Lover, King, Sage. I feel that Beloved Son is a particularly true one. The author claims that each of us has been wounded by our father, and we long to be the beloved son. However, even though the author claims that good fathers are very rare, I am happy to claim that I have felt like I was the beloved son this whole time. Therefore, I found the book to be too pessimistic in this regard. But I imagine it's quite true for some.

I could relate to the Cowboy stage - a time of exploring. Warrior is a time for fighting for something. Lover is a time to find beauty in things - nature and women.

King is a time to rule and have dominion over things. The author claims that this is thrust onto men who are not ready for it. I agree. He thinks such dominion should not be sought, but should only be taken for the greater good. I apply this to my life, in the fact that if I were ever asked to be a manager, I would only do it for the greater good, and not just to be King over something.

The Sage is the time our fathers are in. People go to them for advice. Their time for ruling is pretty much done, and they bless younger men with their experience and wisdom.

The point of the book is that God can help us through these stages, and that we can raise our sons through them.

I felt that the author was over dramatic in some cases. And I sometimes felt that he imposed his values on others, particularly the value of mountain climbing and hunting. I feel that those things are not for everyone. It's also not for everyone to put their sons through initiation ceremonies, and to be dramatic about that as well.

Overall, I say well done, this was a heartfelt and good book about living life as a man. It encouraged me to listen to God more. Also a good tip was that Satan tends to attack us when it's most important, such as during an anniversary. I wish I would have read that part before we got sick on our 1 year anniversary trip! But that was a random piece of advice, I'm not sure which chapter it was in.

Book Review: How To Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie (audio)

From Wikipedia:


Written by Dale Carnegie and first published in 1936, it has sold more than 15 million copies

Contents:

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People:
"Don't criticize, condemn or complain."
"Give people a feeling of importance; praise the good parts of them."
"Get the other person to do what you want them to by arousing their desires."

From wikipedia:

Six Ways to Make People Like You:
"Become genuinely interested in other people."
"Smile."
"Remember that a man's name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language."
"Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves."
"Talk in the terms of the other man's interest."
"Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely."

Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking:
"Avoid arguments."
"Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never tell someone they are wrong."
"If you're wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically."
"Begin in a friendly way."
"Start with questions the other person will answer yes to."
"Let the other person do the talking."
"Let the other person feel the idea is his/hers."
"Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view."
"Sympathize with the other person."
"Appeal to noble motives."
"Dramatize your ideas."
"Throw down a challenge."

Nine Ways to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment:
"Begin with praise and honest appreciation."
"Call attention to other people's mistakes indirectly."
"Talk about your own mistakes first."
"Ask questions instead of giving direct orders."
"Let the other person save face."
"Praise every improvement."
"Give them a fine reputation to live up to."
"Encourage them by making their faults seem easy to correct."
"Make the other person happy about doing what you suggest."

This book had some really good thoughts. It was sometimes irrelevant to listen to the 1936 language. A few of the things have stuck with me.

Movie Review: The Lost Weekend

This movie made us feel like we lost our weekend!

No, I liked it better than that. It is a movie about a raging alcoholic. He is just obsessed with it. He steals, threatens, begs, lies in order to get it. He ends up passing out and going to a hospital, then he escapes, and then he starts hallucinating. Finally he snaps out of it, when his girl still loves him. That was unrealistic. Any girlfriend would have dumped him long before.

Best Picture 1915

The music was too strange and repetitive. The actor did a good acting job. This was the first Academy Award movie of this type - fiction about a serious thing.

Movie Review: Going My Way

This was the Best Picture winner in 1944.

We were excitied to hear the song "Swing on a Star". Courtney's dad sang it to her often when she was young, while pushing her on a swing.

Link to a song here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXMQ0XEIG0Y

Bing had one of the most beautiful voices we've heard.

But I was surprised with actually getting spiritual nourishment from a 1944 popular movie. The plot is about a young priest that shows up as a junior priest at a NYC parish. The elder priest is a crusty older man, who is stuck in his ways. The church is in decline and is behind 5 months on the mortgage.

Anyway, this new priest, played by Bing Crosby, is a great example of "ministering right where you are". He doesn't judge but meets peoples' interests, no matter how much of "sinners" they are. His love ends up attracting people to church, and a sacrificial act of his ends up paying off that big mortgage.

Debt-free except the house!

Since attending the Dave Ramsey Live Event in May, where we were encouraged to attack debt with "gazelle intensity", we have paid off $12,000. This figure was $14,000 when we got married.

So our first year of marriage we managed to pay about $160 per month. (The interest kills you...I remember paying more than this!) The past 4 months, it was $3000/mo. (Not all earning power...used savings)

Next step is a full emergency fund.

We are going to Elton John!

(click the map for a larger picture)

We are going to the grand opening of the Sprint Center in downtown KC. Elton John will be performing his number one hits.



It will be Saturday October 13th!

Elton John is currently my favorite musician!! We wouldn't have gone to Bon Jovi, Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, or the Police (the other speculated opening acts).

****Update - News sources are reporting that tickets "virtually" sold out in 90 minutes. (Virtually means that there are only 50 seats left, and none of them next to each other). It makes me excited to be part of it, and also grateful that I bought mine early. They went on sale at 10 AM.

Book Review, Pursuit of Holiness, by A.W. Tozer

I received this book as a graduation gift in 1999, and I have read it off and on for the last several months. I had high expectations, but I had trouble understanding the King James writing style.

The only chapters I really got anything out of were Meekness and Rest and The Sacrament of Living (links are to an online free version of the book). "The Sacrament of Living" chapter was about how everything we do can be holy, and there is no secular/sacred distinction.

I also appreciate this author's understanding of the culture and about spirituality. A lot of things that were true back then are still true now.

Restaurant Review: Houston's

I almost forgot about my restaurant reviews. We so seldom go to new restaurants that I had forgotten. We went to Houston's on the Plaza a couple of weekends ago. Our bro-in-law hooked us up with a fine dinner after his CFP exam.


Gluten-free items: Many. I had a hawaiian flavored steak, with a loaded potato.

Environment: Cozy atmosphere

Price: The same as most fine steak houses.

Service: pretty much amazing. Quick and polite.


I had wanted to go there for a while, so I really enjoyed the experience.

Best of July

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: Ocean's Thirteen
Best Life Happening: Freedom Run
Best Book I Read: Leadership, by Rudy Giuliani
Best Restaurant I Went to for the First Time: Houston's

July saw the lowest number of posts in 2007! :(

Book Review: The Cat Who Lived High

No, this book was not about drugs. The main character, Qwilleran, takes a trip down to the big city, in order to purchase a high rise apartment building named the Casablanca. (No relation to the movie we just saw).

There are many people in the town that want the Casablanca torn down in order to build a new development. So there you have a motive for murder.

The cat, of course, helps to solve the mystery.