Where did Saturday go?

[ksmith]

Traffic School. Never again, so help me. I'd almost be willing to take the insurance hit.

Awoke at 5am. Stayed in bed until a little before 6am, then dragged meself out and made ready to meet the day. Out the door by 7ish, wondering whether I'd make Skokie Courthouse by 8am, the class start time. Much to my surprise, I got there with about 20 minutes to spare--once I hit 41/94, the trip went fast.

I wish I could say the same for the class. 8 hours in one shot is just too danged long. What surprised me was how many folks were there who had already taken the 4-hour class. (Note: first offenses in Illinois can be wiped out by attending the 4-hour class. My ticket was out of state, and the judge determined that I take an 8-hour class). Most already had multiple tickets and class attendences, and most of these people were in their early-mid 20s. Makes sense, I suppose, but when you as a 45 year old are dealing with your first ticket ever, it's a little hard to adjust to the prevailing reality.

Too much sitting on a lovely, unseasonably cool day. Now I have a clogged head, and the weekend is already half over. Got my certificate, though. Fax it to the Covington Courthouse, and that, she said hopefully, should be that where that particular adventure in driving is concerned.

At least nifty stuff came in the mail. Moisturizers and stuff from Bliss, including a cute little sample bar of something called Minty Scrub Soap. Smells almost edible.

Reading--alternating between Forsyth's DAY OF THE JACKAL and CORPORATE WARRIORS, a study of the privitized military industry by PW Singer. WARRIORS is interesting so far, springing its surprises in a dry, academic sort of way. JACKAL is turning out to be quite the disappointment. My first exposure to this story was the Edward Fox movie, and so far the film is beating all hell out of the book with regards excitement and tension. I guess the needs of the story could be to blame, at least in part. Because the plot concerns a plan to assassinate de Gaulle, much of the development takes place inside the heads of the planners, the assassin, and those who would thwart the killing, and imho the resulting page after page of narrative (exposition? ) does not a tension-packed undertaking make. Describing characters actions without getting deeply enough into their heads to reveal their emotions--when hate is a driver, I would expect to feel it *somewhere* in the work, sense the betrayal that some of the characters felt instead of having it told to me. I will finish it, just to see how it goes. I could be missing something, I mean, the danged thing is in its 51st printing and has sold over 4 million copies.

Comments

[hittite.livejournal.com]

Yuck, traffic school! :( Also, ewww, Skokie??? Only place in the Chicagoland area that I ever got lost in--those people don't believe in the grid system, do they?

I did like the Day of The Jackal--until he got the guy to reverse an Italian car plate and paint a French plate on the back of it---which is impossible (no spoilers here, can tell you why once you finish the book) as anyone who has seen an Italian license plate and a French license plate from around the time that book was written could tell. I know, maybe it is pedantic of me, but that kind of punctured this whole suspension of disbelief for me; it is a very very basic research mistake and you'd think he or someone else should have caught it before printing. I am also told that his idea about weaponry is almost as error ridden.

I have liked other Forsyth books, The Devils' Alternative and The Fourth Protocol a lot more than his most famous Jackal book anyways...

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

And I just tweaked my entry to add a little more of an explanation as to why I didn't care for the book--the emotionlessness (is that a word?) of the work. I can understand it when you're seeing things from the Jackal's POV. The guy is a sociopath, after all. But take Kowalski, whose feelings for his daughter drive him to leave comparative safety and walk into a trap. I don't feel I see deeply enough inside his head to fathom his actions or understand him in any way. I'm seeing the story unfold through frosted glass. Nothing's touching me, and I would think that;s one thing that's necessary for suspense to work.

But that's just imho.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

And I just finished JACKAL.

The second half was definitely faster-paced. There is an acknowledgment between adversaries at the end of the book that wasn't in the movie, which I liked. Overall, however, not what I expected. I think that next time I get an urge for the story, I'll watch the movie. A better presentation, Edward Fox, and a young Derek Jacobi to boot.

[kaseido.livejournal.com]

Now, _Corporate Warriors_ - *that* I found amazing. I thought I knew the subject, but I found myself repeatedly astonished. And story ideas -!

I thought the sample contract at the end was one of the best parts...

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

The thing that concerns me is, where do these companies draw the line regarding the taking on of clients? Do they look past the contract to the reasons for the conflict in which they're involving themselves, or is it simply a job? If al Qaida (sp?) sought to hire one of these outfits, would they say No?

Yes, story ideas are piling up, and I'm only on Chapter 2. If the suspense thingie ever gets off the ground, one or more of the characters will be employees of a Privitized Military Firm.

[kaseido.livejournal.com]

He discusses that a lot later in the book. I think the answer depends on how much you believe that a "legitimate" reputation is an *asset* to these companies... and how much, in light of Enron, et al., you believe there's genuine corporate disclosure for the subsidiaries of publicly traded companies.

Having been part of that process, I'd say you were better off with the Easter Bunny, IMO.

The suspense thingie sounds like a terrific idea, and a natural fit for you. Looking forward to seeing more, in time!

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, what my sister (who tends to have a heavy right foot) calls "Bad Girl School." Blegh. I;ve done it twice--the last time I did it, I was able to do it at home. (I got the ticket on the way to ConJose, at a speed trap well known by the locals. Sure enough, my sister got nailed there just months later...) The first time, I was astounded at break time to hear this guy in the row behind me telling another guy how he has drivers licenses in several states, so he can rotate them when the tickets build up, but he needed to clear his CA one for some reason, so there he was. Gee, that was one guy traffic school would do a lot for. Not.

Never read JACKAL--kept hearing the movie was better. Your description not only corroborates what I heard, but you put your finger convincingly on why.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I remain convinced that the reason I received that ticket in Virginia is because I was the out-of-stater who would be expected to pay up and be done with it. Ok, I could be wrong...but I doubt it.

I got the impression from some of the younger folk that juggling tickets and dealing with traffic school was just something they did. No biggie. Just keep it down to a couple of tickets a year and make sure you wipe them off your record before you get any new ones. As one woman was leaving, she said something like "So long until the next time." She was caught for speeding in a construction zone, which is a Big Deal in Illinois ever since several workers were killed by speeders. Luckily for her, no one was working in the area when she was speeding.

Never read JACKAL--kept hearing the movie was better. Your description not only corroborates what I heard, but you put your finger convincingly on why.

I'm relieved to hear that, much as I dislike seeing a much-anticipated book slowly sink beneath the waves of So What. That means I'm seeing something that really is there for a number of readers, which is reassuring when one's aim is to write things that people want to read.