Rained Out Musical Furniture

Yesterday was supposed to be my weekly foray into yard work but the gods must have noted the after effects of some long drives on Saturday because the day was a complete washout.  Thankfully the rain, while steady, wasn’t accompanied by a lot of fireworks so we were spared another Buddy melt down.  Less than thankfully my wife decided an afternoon whittling down the stack of movies waiting my attention was not in the offing.

Nature hates a vacuum and my wife feels likewise about the thought of an unproductive husband when there are projects to be done.  Some day in the distant future I’m going to get to the end of that project list but I haven’t glimpsed even a glimmer from the end of that tunnel yet.  Since we couldn’t work outside she decided to implement the first phase of her quartering plan for the upcoming wedding.  Our all too empty house will fill up dramatically next week as friends and family converge for my son’s nuptials with many staying at our house. 

We have three extra bedrooms and she decided we should switch the furniture between two.  This turned into an intricate ballet as the hall between the two became a heavy traffic zone while she modified the plan continuously as a new idea sprung in her very creative mind.  I “politely” informed her at one stage that we’d reached the “good idea cut off point” and then went about implementing her newest idea.

The Upstairs Hall Mid-Move

I have to admit (somewhat grumpily) that, as always, she was right as to the changes in décor.  It was strange walking up the stairs since these are the two bedrooms visible form the stairs and seeing everything switched.  To her credit she was working right alongside me during the furniture moving (she’s much stronger than she appears).

We had everything moved by the end of the afternoon and she acquiesced to a break so we snuck out to see Hercules starring that noted thespian Dwayne “Rock” Johnson.  Since this was a Bret Ratner film we were obligated to donate brain cells before entering but it turned out to be pretty entertaining.  This is the part Johnson was born to play as he has the physique and athleticism to make Hercules come alive.  Most guys who’ve attempted the part are so muscle bound they couldn’t turn their head without committing the entire body.

Johnson’s also a better actor than most give him credit for and he’s surrounded by a supporting cast of really fine actors.  Since it’s ancient times they all speak with British accents though.  It was a fun way to decompress from furniture moving.

I also finished off the last of Brad Thor’s books currently published, Act of War. His hero, Scot Horvath, is called upon to disrupt a planned comprehensive attack on the US by China.  Horvath charges from Pakistan to the Dubai to various and sundry places in the US typically leaving a trail of bad guy bodies in his wake.  As with all Thor’s work the pace is relentless and brought to the reader in clear, well thought out prose.

In a welcome turn Horvath still has the girlfriend from the last book and she doesn’t get shot in the head!  She isn’t in the book at all outside of a quick mention but I did get nervous when the action shifted to Boston where she lives.  Now I’m stuck waiting for Thor to publish his next book in the series and he joins John Sandford, Lee Child, George RR Martin, and many more authors who can’t write fast enough to keep me in books.  I’m going to miss Horvath in the interim.