End Of January 2011 Media Intake

The Tick Vs. Season One (1994-95)
Thanks to cheap Amazon prices, I recently picked up the DVD sets of the first two seasons of what might have been my favorite childhood Saturday morning cartoon. I quickly and promptly made it through season one of The Tick over the span of about two days, and it ruled. Every character, hero and villain, is charming and funny, and the jokes are so dry. Way over my head when I was a little kid, but I'm coming to understand why my dad enjoyed watching this with me so much. I think my favorite episode was and still is The Tick Vs. The Tick, followed by The Tick Vs. The Uncommon Cold. My favorite villain is easily The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight, and my favorite minor heroes are Carpeted Man and Captain Mucilage. Zipperneck and The Human Ton + Handy are also brilliantly hilarious villain ideas
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East of Eden - John Steinbeck (1952)
My longtime bud and more recently boss Abbott has always raved about John Steinbeck's East of Eden as his favorite novel since I can remember. I finally got around to reading it this month, and for the most part it did not disappoint. This incredibly complex and epic story was amazingly written, and the way the characters are developed and the events unraveled is virtually untouchable. I even loved the completely unredeemable characters. Early on in the book, after the event of a birth of twins, I had it set in my mind how I wanted the book to finish. Unfortunately, as appropriate and Steinbeckesque as the ending is, I was a bit bummed out by it. Still, East of Eden is one of the better novels I have ever read.


Shopgirl - Steve Martin (2000)
I am thankful that I was able to read this novella by Steve Martin in one sitting during the second half of my shift last night. The two main characters are somewhat interesting, but the minor ones are moreso. The events and interactions that occur are mostly intense but pretty dull as well. The most appealing thing about Shopgirl is the way it is written: the narration and dialogue really do sound like words that would come out of Steve Martin's mouth, whether it be during a performance or what I always imagined would be his regular vernacular.