Category: Notes

🐉 Notes from Reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

(major spoilers ahead)

The mystery is set up as if it’s a whodunit — island cut off from the mainland at the time of the murder with finite suspects. But really only one suspect ever makes sense. The crimes are sexual in nature and perpetrated towards women, so the suspect can only be a man. There is only one male suspect of an age or physicality capable of pulling off the crimes.

The book goes way too hard on the shock and torture porn. Making the killer a serial rapist, murderer, and animal abuser with his own torture chamber almost pushes the novel into parody territory. It undermines the statement the book wants to make about the reality of violence towards women in Sweden.

The novel is a middle-aged man’s wish-fulfillment fantasy. Let’s look at Mikael Blomqvist’s life by the end of the book:

  • He has an ongoing, no-strings-attached sexual relationship with his best friend.
  • He has a summer fling with a schoolteacher.
  • He has a third sexual relationship with a young, badass, punk-rock hacker chick.
  • He is an expert sailor.
  • He owns an expensive flat in Stockholm and a custom-designed vacation cabin in the woods.
  • He solves a decades-old murder mystery, then gets to play savior to a wealthy family by not ratting them out.
  • He is the CEO of a counterculture investigative magazine with a wealthy and benevolent benefactor.
  • He is considered a martyr for journalistic ethics.
  • He uncovers Sweden’s financial crime conspiracy of the century.
  • He is a best-selling author and media darling.
  • He is father to a mature, self-reliant teenage daughter who loves and worships him despite his abandonment of her.

Despite all of the book’s flaws, I still found it riveting and enjoyed my time reading it. I think I’m going to avoid the sequels, at least for now.

📕 Notes from Reading Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Horowitz has quite the résumé. He wrote for Poirot, created two successful TV shows (Foyle’s War and Midsomer Murders), was selected by the Arthur Conan Doyle estate to write two Sherlock Holmes novels, was selected by the Ian Fleming estate to write three James Bond novels, and wrote a bestselling teen spy series (Alex Rider).

(spoilers ahead)

The problem with doing the story within a story is that the reader will prefer one story to the other.

I guessed the Ryeland mystery correctly. I did not figure out the Pünd mystery, but I thought it worked wonderfully.

Pünd comes across as an imitation of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot with none of the charm or personality. I imagine this was intentionally done considering the picture Horowitz paints of Alan Conway.

Despite Ryeland’s disapproval of Conway’s use of anagrams and Easter eggs, I quite enjoyed them (outside of the distasteful origin of Pünd’s name, but again, that’s the point). I don’t think they “cheapen the writing” at all. The more little puzzles, the better. It only becomes a problem when Easter eggs and references are employed in lieu of a good story (cough Disney cough).

Horowitz’s ability to write a classic whodunit reminiscent of the Golden Age of murder mysteries and a modern mystery crime thriller all in the same book is very impressive. I prefer the puzzle-solving of a classic whodunit to the theatrics of a modern thriller.

🔪 Notes from Watching the First Two Seasons of The Bear

(spoilers ahead)

This show is going to inspire a generation of chefs.

How often do cooks get trapped in walk-ins? Television leads me to believe it happens all the time. If a walk-in appears in a show, you can guarantee someone will get stuck in there at some point.

The character of Sydney gets a lot of hate, some deserved and some not. If you try to mention the flaws in the Sydney character, people will point out Richie and Carm’s flaws and ask why you aren’t talking about them. The difference is that when Richie and Carm are being shitty (which is often) we are told they are being shitty by other characters. Their shittiness is constantly reinforced by the consequences they face for their actions. That’s not the case when Sydney is being shitty. When Sydney literally stabbed her coworker, she suffered zero consequences. The incident is even referred to in the passive voice. It’s not “Sydney stabbed Richie,” but Richie “was stabbed.” As if Sydney had nothing to do with it.

The show has a little bit of a Ted Lasso problem. Everyone loves each other and they’re all best friends. Characters can be jerks, but you know they will eventually realize they’re being jerks, apologize, and kiss and make up with the other characters. Sometimes you just don’t like people, and they don’t like you. Especially coworkers.

Character arcs are too sudden and linear. Richie and Tina go from rude and disrespectful to kind and wise seemingly overnight. It’s heartwarming but abrupt.

If this show was made 15 years ago, Claire would be played by Zooey Deschanel.

The “Fishes” episode is a masterpiece and nails the dysfunctional family Christmas gathering dynamic.

The first 45 seconds of “New Noise” is my new hype song.

The number of times “yes, chef,” “behind,” and “corner” have been uttered in home kitchens across the United States has gone up 10000% since this show started airing.

🍻 On Breweries

what i like in a brewery:
1. cozy, not industrial
2. outdoor space with plants, string lights, and a mural or two
3. dog-friendly
4. no kitchens, only food trucks. i don’t want the obligation of buying a meal with my beer
5. games, yard and tabletop (especially the latter)
6. music that isn’t too loud
7. bike racks
8. no televisions

⚾ Things I Love About Baseball

  1. physics-defying breaking balls
  2. robbed home runs
  3. quirky ballparks
  4. superstitions
  5. backpicks
  6. first baseman gloves
  7. ballpark food
  8. the Rule 5 Draft
  9. the three-run homer
  10. an owner who is willing to splurge to win a World Series
  11. homegrown talent
  12. the volatility of the reliever
  13. a well-executed hit-and-run
  14. broken bats
  15. pine tar
  16. a strong throw from deep in the hole
  17. stirrups
  18. bobbleheads
  19. infield drills
  20. the trade deadline
  21. ice cream in little plastic helmets
  22. rosin bags
  23. slap bunts
  24. the barehanded scoop and throw by a charging third baseman
  25. an inning-ending double play to escape a jam
  26. the World Baseball Classic
  27. 13-inning games
  28. prospect-for-prospect trades
  29. an immaculate inning
  30. Spring Training backfields
  31. submariners
  32. the designated hitter
  33. exit velocities
  34. the organ
  35. prospect lists
  36. playoff atmosphere
  37. bleacher seats
  38. digging into the box
  39. pinstripes
  40. the seventh-inning stretch
  41. mascot races
  42. free agency
  43. closer entrance music
  44. Gold Glove awards
  45. 3-inning saves
  46. the sound of metal cleats on dirt
  47. creative slides to avoid a tag
  48. catch probabilities
  49. unique batting stances
  50. the knuckleball
  51. bat flips
  52. LOOGYs (RIP)
  53. TOOTBLANs
  54. the vernacular
  55. straight steals
  56. hitters without batting gloves
  57. outfield assists
  58. scouting reports
  59. flip-up sunglasses
  60. walk-off base hits
  61. the hidden ball trick
  62. batting practice
  63. scuffed baseballs
  64. swing adjustments
  65. All-Star festivities
  66. rattled pitchers
  67. non-roster invitees breaking camp with the team
  68. glove flips
  69. a hitter flirting with .400
  70. rivalries
  71. trade speculation
  72. a perfect bunt for a base hit
  73. the knee-buckling curveball
  74. the crafty lefty
  75. 40-year-old big leaguers
  76. 19-year-old big leaguers

📝 On Stationery

Pens and notebooks are the tools of my trade. Finding stationery with the exact qualities I covet can be difficult.

Some thoughts:

  • The best type of pen is the pen that makes you want to write.
  • I like grid paper. Blank paper is too intimidating. Lined paper is too restrictive.
  • The crinkle of used Tomoe River Paper is one of the best sensations in the world.
  • I want to like fountain pens, but I find them too fussy.
  • There are too many great notebooks and not enough time or use cases for them.

Some pens:

Some notebooks:

Some planners and journals:

🍎 On Apples

I have opinions on the ever-so-popular fruit.

Some thoughts:

🧀 Apples with cheese is an underrated combo.
🥪 Apple slices are an underrated sandwich ingredient.
🍎 Red Delicious is the worst popular apple variety.
🥧 Dutch apple pie is the best apple-centric dish.

Some facts:

🌱 Most apples aren’t true to seed. The apple variety that grows out of the seed won’t necessarily be the same as the variety from which the seed originated.
🥛 Vermont has a law in place that stipulates when serving apple pie, one must make a good-faith effort to provide either a cold glass of milk, a slice of cheddar cheese, or a large scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Some art:

🎨 The US government commissioned these dope watercolor illustrations at the turn of the century.
📒 Field Notes made beautiful harvest-themed notebooks that feature an apple illustration.