Power, Money, and Sex: How Success Almost Ruined My Life

Yesterday I finished reading Deion Sander's "Power, Money, and Sex". Well, let me say this right off the bat: I'm glad he's found a religion that works for him, and that he feels happier and more fulfilled. Now, let me complain :-) I really can't feel sorry for him. No one will ever pay me millions of dollars to play football or, for that matter, baseball, professionally. I do not have a God given talent like that. The only God given talent I seem to have is for reading, and that doesn't pay much. So here's a man who has it all: money, fame, family, friends, houses, cars, etc., and he wants me to feel bad for him because he almost threw it all away (by driving his $200,000 Mercedes off a cliff) because his life felt so empty. I subscribe to the theory that whoever said money doesn't buy happiness just doesn't know where to shop. Sure, it's important to have other things in your life, but let's face it, it's a lot easier to be happier if you don't have to worry about making the mortgage.

Rhett Butler's People

Last night I finished reading Donald McCaig's sequel (sort of) to Margaret Mitchell's timeless classic "Gone With the Wind", called "Rhett Butler's People". Now, I remember when Alexandra Ripley's sequel, "Scarlett", came out, how excited everyone was, and the news showed stories of bookstores jammed packed with people to get her book (kinda like Harry Potter). There was no such hoopla around McCaig's book, which is a shame, because it was better. Unlike Ripley, McCaig did not try to pick up where Mitchell left off (and send Scarlett off to Ireland. What was up with that? Seriously). His book is divided into three parts: Rhett as a young man (where we find out that Belle Watling was the daughter of his father's plantation overseer), the second part is Rhett's point of view of the familiar "Gone With the Wind" story: meeting Scarlett, falling in love with her, etc. McCaig doesn't repeat a lot of Mitchell, which is nice. He also doesn't really flesh out the character of Scarlett, which I guess he felt he didn't need to, since anyone reading this book is already familiar with "Gone With the Wind", but I thought it was a mistake. Scarlett in this book is lifeless and dull; we are left wondering why this strong character of Rhett (who is nicely developed) falls in love with such a boring ninny. Melanie and Rhett's younger sister, Rosemary, take a much larger role in the book then Scarlett. The third part of the book deals with after Mitchell's book ends, and it's not tedious and unrealistic, like Ripley's was. Scarlett actually goes back to Tara to try to figure out how to get Rhett back. That was one thing I hated in Ripley's book: Scarlett, saying Tara just doesn't feel like home anymore. There was a collective shout of indignation from GWTW fans everywhere when they read that line! McCaig sends Scarlett home, and she seems in character there: working, like she did in the war, to save Tara (which she has foolishly mortgaged to get herself out of debt, to show Rhett she didn't need his money. That sounds like Scarlett: stubborn and foolish).
McCaig ties a lot of little things together for us. Remember the scene in GWTW where Scarlett takes a yellow shawl that Rhett brought her from Cuba and makes a sash for Ashley? Well, it turns out that shawl had a history: Rhett brought it back for his little sister, Rosemary, who he loved so dearly. Her little daughter, Meg, loved playing with it. After Rosemary loses both Meg and her husband John, she realizes she loved them both more than she ever showed and gives the shawl back to Rhett, begging him not to make the same mistakes in love that she did and give it to Scarlett, and to tell her how he really feels about her. Rhett goes to do just that, but Scarlett is so blithe with him that he just tosses the shawl at her like it was an afterthought and strolls out, unable to confess his deep love. Later, he sees Ashley with the sash and his pain is palpable. I actually winced when I read it, although McCaig does kind of beat it to death.
All in all, I think GWTW fans will enjoy this book, if they ever hear about it! It would actually be a good stand alone book. The style is completely different then Mitchell's, but it was interesting to see how Rhett thought about Scarlett.

Paper Lion

Yesterday I finished reading "Paper Lion" by George Plimpton. Plimpton lived every football fan's dream: in 1963, he got to go to training camp with the Detroit Lions and even play quarterback in one of their scrimmage games. It was a very entertaining book, told from a fan's point of view rather than someone in the business or an ex-player. You could tell he had a lot of fun with the team and bonded with its members, like a family. Nothing like that would ever happen today. The Lions were even going to let him play in their first pre-season game against the Cleavland Browns, but Commissioner Rozelle vetoed that. I think he was worried about setting a dangerous precedence. Anyway, I enjoyed this book very much.

Dead Street

I finished reading Mickey Spillane's "Dead Street" this morning, a hard-boiled cop story about a retired NYPD officer whose fiancee was kidnapped and murdered 20 years earlier because of the dirt she had on a mob heist involving plutonium. Sprang, the cop, finds out that Bettie, his fiancee, didn't die after all: she suffered head injuries that left her blind and an amnesiac, remembering nothing about her past. A kindly veterinarian took her in and raised her as his own daughter, knowing who she was and how her life would be in danger if anyone of the bad guys found her. He moved her to a cop retirement community in Florida, and his son tells Sprang where to find her after his dad dies. Sprang is reunited with his long lost love (very touching) and discovers why the bad guys were after her. Of course, in the end, he gets his men and they all live happily ever after. Typical Spillane. I miss him. Him and Ed McBain. I wasn't ready for either one of them to die.

Trixie Belden and the Mystery off Glen Road

Yesterday I reread my favorite Trixie mystery, by Julie Campbell (she wrote the first 6, then Kenny took over. I don't know why. I'll have to look online to see if I can find out). Anyway, this is number 5 and it finds Trixie and friends trying to repair their storm damaged clubhouse by working as game keepers for Mr. Wheeler. What I really like about this one is that the mystery isn't about bad guys; just a misunderstanding on Trixie's part, so it's more realistic then a group of teenagers catching a group of thieves or something. This one is also my favorite because it's super funny, and filled with laugh out loud moments. I've read it I don't even know how many times, and I still laughed myself silly last night.

Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Memorial Day Fire; Trixie Belden and the Pet Show Mystery

Yesterday I reread two Trixie Belden's by Kathryn Kenny that I haven't read in about 14 years, so while they were vaguely familiar, I had forgotten the particulars, which is always nice. The Memorial Day Fire has Trixie and the rest of the Bob-Whites investigating a possible arson at their friend's father's store, in which the father is the primary suspect. The Pet Show Mystery has Trixie and friends holding a pet show to raise money to feed the birds that are slowly starving because of the harsh, cold winter, and entangled with a gem smuggler posing as a philanthropist for human hunger causes. I miss Trixie. Why did they stop writing them? She was so much more entertaining then Nancy Drew.

Trixie Belden and the Indian Burial Ground Mystery; Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Galloping Ghost

Friday night and early this morning I read the last two Trixie Belden mysteries by Kathryn Kenny that I hadn't yet read. I read most of them when I was a kid, and I reread my favorites all the time. In the mid-eighties, Kenny wrote 5 more (originally she had stopped at 34), and I had trouble getting a hold of these because they are out of print and not that many were published. The Indian Burial ground has Trixie and her best friend, Honey, working on an archaeological dig on the Wheeler's estate, only it turns out that the professor in charge of the dig is really a thief who is after the Wheeler's valuable Renoir. The Galloping Ghost finds Trixie and Honey spending two weeks on a ranch in Minnesota, solving the mystery of a man who was wrongly accused of stealing and hanged a hundred years earlier.

Cancer Schmancer

On Friday I finished reading Fran Drescher's book "Cancer Schmancer" (taking a little break from football). What a terrible year she had! First a divorce from her husband/high school sweetheart, Peter. Then she finds out she has cancer and has to have a radical hysterectomy. Then her beloved dog of 19 years, Chester, dies. I think after a year like that I would have curled up in a little ball and died, but Fran bravely marches on. The really horrible, shocking thing is that it took 2 years and 9 doctors to diagnose her cancer. That's right 9 different doctors before she found one who almost by accident stumbled upon the right answer. Now, look, I know being a doctor is tough. I know you get a lot of hypochondriacs in there who think every symptom is a sign of a terminal disease. But they should listen to people more. We know our own bodies. We know when something isn't right. We should be taken more seriously. It's sad...imagine if she had listened to doctors 1-8 that it was nothing. She would probably be dead right now. What a scary thought.

The Dark Side of the NFL

On Wednesday I finished reading "The Dark Side of the NFL" by Tim Green. He played for 8 years in the NFL as an Atlanta Falcon, and I found his book to be very interesting. He obviously loves the game, and is grateful that he got to play pro for so many years, but he doesn't deny the dark side of it, and tells about the drug abuse, the salary cap, and the problems with the doctors without pulling any punches, but at the same time thinks that the NFL is wonderful and knows how fortunate he and everyone else who plays is. It didn't seem like a slimy expose at all; rather, a story told from a man who loves the game and knows that like everything else in life, it isn't perfect.

Remember This Titan: The Bill Yoast Story

This morning I finished reading "Remember this Titan: the Bill Yoast Story" as told to Steve Sullivan. Yoast was one of the coaches immortalized in the movie (which I haven't yet seen) called "Remember the Titans", about a high school football team in 1971 at a new integrated high school that had an undefeated season, and supposedly pulled the racially split town together. While I enjoyed the book, it was very funny, I was a little disappointed that he didn't discuss the team he coached that year some more. He barely mentioned football at all. Still, he seems like a great guy, the kind you wouldn't mind having as a dad or grandfather.

Pros and Cons: Criminals who Play in the NFL and My Life and Times: Sayers

Yesterday I finished reading two books, "Pros and Cons: Criminals who Play in the NFL" by Jeff Benedict and Don Yaeger (who co-wrote Walter Payton's autobiography). Two of my favorite things: true crime and football! It was very fascinating to see how criminals are treated in the NFL. Don't get me wrong; I'm all for giving people second chances, but when it gets to ridiculous measures like it has, then the line has to be drawn somewhere. These guys are supposed to be role models, after all. Thankfully, Green Bay has not harbored any serious criminals.
I also read Gale Sayers' autobiography, "My Life and Times: Sayers". Like Payton, he was a great player for the Chicago Bears, and broke and set a lot of records in a few short years. Unlike Payton, however, his book came off as a lot of sour grapes. He mentions the fact that back when he played (1965-1971), players didn't make much money, not like they do now. He kept pointing out that he wasn't bitter, which just reminded me of Shakespeare's "methink he doth protest too much". It was still an interesting story of one player's experience in the NFL during that time, it's just unfortunate that he chose to dwell on so much negativity.

Defusing the Angry Patron

This morning I finished reading "Defusing the Angry Patron" by Rhea Joyce Rubin. Not like it helps all that much, the tips she gives, but I try anyway. It's terrible when you try to help people who are rude and ungrateful all day long for a living. It makes you really start to hate life.
I need a vacation...

Never Die Easy

Last night I finished reading Walter Payton's autobiography "Never Die Easy". Payton was a great football player (even if he did play for the Chicago Bears), and a wonderful human being who loved all of humanity and took good care of his family, friends, and fans. He had a wonderful attitude and outlook on life, and I'm trying desperately to remember all that he said and incorporate it into my life. He died at the age of 45, just 11 months after finding out that he needed a liver transplant, and then finding out that he had cancer so he didn't qualify for a transplant any longer. But because his liver was so weak, he couldn't fight the cancer. He knew he was going to die, and he never complained; he was just grateful for the days he had. What a brave individual. This was a great book and it made me cry. It also makes me question God. Sincerely, we need more Walter Paytons and less child molesters/serial killers/general creepy jerks in this world. Why take a great man like him in his prime who could have done so much more for humanity? What are we suppossed to learn from this? That life isn't fair? Trust me, we already know.
On a totally unrelated note: (we are losing a lot of great authors lately) RIP Ira Levin, of "The Stepford Wives" fame. He also wrote "Sliver" (which was made into a not-so-great movie with Sharon Stone). The book, however, was pretty good and I recommend it.

Mister B. Gone

Last night I finished reading "Mister B. Gone" by Clive Barker. It was pretty awful. First of all, Barker is not the type of person you read if you want plot or interesting characters: he's all about the gore and the gross-out, which this book didn't even do. It's the story of a demon pulled up from the 9th level of Hell in the 1300s who spends 100 years or so wandering the earth before showing up at Gutenberg's house and being trapped in a book by his printing press. Huh? Exactly. And I don't think he had an editor proofread it or anything, there were so many continuity errors it was ridiculous for a 250 page book with one main character. All through the book, Mr. B (the demon) urges the reader to stop reading. I wish I would have listened. Very disappointing.

Next Man Up

Last night I finished reading "Next Man Up" by John Feinstien. He hung out with the Baltimore Ravens during the 2004 season, and reported on the every little day decisions that are involved with running an NFL team. It was really interesting, and amazing to me how much the players and coaches bounce around from team to team. I mean, I already sort of knew about the players from watching football for the last 10 years. They would introduce someone and I would think, hey, didn't they play for someone else last year? But I never realized how prevalent it is. It was a good book; I enjoyed it, and after watching football for nearly 11 hours straight yesterday, I can honestly say I am still not tired of football books. I am, however, running out of ones to read.
On a totally unrelated note: RIP Norman Mailer. If you've never read "The Executioner's Song", I highly recommend it.

Rozelle and You Can Lead a Politician to Water But You Can't Make Him Think and Dave Barry's History of the Millennium So Far

Okay, last night I finished reading "Rozelle" by Jeff Davis, a wonderful biography about the NFL's greatest commissioner. He served from 1960-1989, and made pro football what it is today. The book technically just wasn't about Pete Rozelle; it was about the NFL in general (for example, one chapter dealt with the famous Ice Bowl game, which Rozelle was not even at; he was in Oakland watching the Raiders/Houston Oilers game), but that's okay. It was interesting and well researched and no, I am not done reading football related books yet!
After I finished "Rozelle" I read Kinky Friedman's latest "You Can Lead a Politician to Water but You Can't Make Him Think". The Kinkster ran for Governor of Texas in 2006, and sadly lost (I would have voted for you, Kinky!!). I love Kinky's humor books: he's funny and makes a lot of sense. I think he would have been a great governor, but I'm glad he's still writing (his previous one before this one said he would stop if he was elected). Well, his mysteries aren't all that great: I read one and wasn't impressed. Anytime an author uses themselves as a character in their fiction it is just weird (somewhere in Florida Stephen King's ears are burning). It was a fun, lighthearted humor book, just what I needed for some laughs.
Then this afternoon I read Dave Barry's latest "Dave Barry's History of the Millennium So Far". I love Dave Barry; he's hilarious. And his fiction is good, too! But anyway, this book wrapped up the last 6 years. It's amazing how much you forget (anyone remember Elian Gonzalez, the little Cuban boy whose Florida relatives didn't want him sent back? I had totally forgotten). He is a total equal opportunity offender, unlike some so-called humorists that are popular now. I needed the laughs, and Barry provided.

The Moonstone

Today I finished reading "The Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins. It was a really suspenseful mystery, not terribly believable, but for the time (the 1850s) it would have been. Still, I really liked the butler who narrated the first part of the book, and all the narrators had great personalities that shone through the writing. It was an interesting book showing how old-fashioned mysteries in the vein of Sherlock Holmes are written.

Louder than Words

Last night I read Jenny McCarthy's "Louder than Words", about her autistic son, Evan. Autism fascinates me; I think it's because no one's really sure what causes it and there are so many different forms that some treatments work for some kids but not for others. She has chosen to share her story with us in hopes of educating everyone on how widespread this disease has become. It's truly shocking: 1 out of every 150 children will be diagnosed with autism. To me, this is totally unacceptable. We need to take a more aggressive stance and really put some research money into discovering what causes this and how to better treat it. Luckily for Jenny, diet and therapy have done wonders for Evan, and I was glad to hear it. As someone who hopes to have children someday, this is definitely a cause for concern.