August 2007 Archives

Carole, Jason, and I went to the Getty Villa today. The tickets were for Sunday, but thankfully they let us in. I can be a dweeb from time to time.

I'm glad we got to see the pieces that are scheduled to go back to Italy next month, like the Landsdowne Herakles. We enjoyed the gardens, and had a nice lunch at Gladstones - even though they wouldn't seat us at the worst table, which was empty all through our meal.

I watched Bull Durham this morning.

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Ista takes a pilgrimage. Still more quinterian fun.

Jeremy proposed to Sarah while kayaking at Catalina, and she accepted. Yay!

After many months of searching, I found a 6A California license plate on a dark silver Chevy Malibu, in the parking structure of my new office in Glendale.

The Grail Quest is a three-book series by Bernard Cornwell. The series deals with a 14th century search for the Holy Grail, featuring Thomas of Hookton.

• The Archer's Tail, called Harlequin in the U.K.
• Vagabond
• Heretic

By far the best series of Cold War espionage novels ever written. When I was 13, I found an old paperback in my grandmother's den, and read it straight through. Elleston Trever, writing as Adam Hall, makes you believe that real spies may have actually worked this way.

For many years, I re-read Sinkiang Executive once a year. I'll have to do that again soon. I'm also proud to say I own a well-preserved (but once read) first U.K. edition of Balalaika, the last Quiller novel.

• The Quiller Memorandum (1965)
• The 9th Directive (1966)
• The Striker Portfolio (1968)
• The Warsaw Document (1971)
• The Tango Briefing (1973)
• The Mandarin Cypher (1975)
• The Kobra Manifesto (1976)
• The Sinkiang Executive (1978)
• The Scorpion Signal (1979)
• The Peking Target (1981)
• Quiller/Northlight (1985)
• Quiller's Run (1988)
• Quiller KGB (1989)
• Quiller Barracuda (1990)
• Quiller Bamboo (1991)
• Quiller Solitaire (1992)
• Quiller Meridian (1993)
• Quiller Salamander (1994)
• Quiller Balalaika (1996)

I watched The Holiday. It was fun.

I re-read the first book in the Elvis Cole series. Still pretty good, if a little dated.

Isabel, Jamie, and Cat are back for more fun in Edinburgh. I picked this up at a small bookstore/office supply store in Smithers, BC.