Kelly O'Hair's Weblog (blogs.sun.com)

CSN Concert at Wente Vineyards

Last night drove down the street to Wente Vineyards and saw Crosby, Stills & Nash. They have a long history that sometimes includes Neil Young.

CSNY, gray hair and all! (We only saw CSN)	Teach Your Children, back when they were younger. :^)

Their harmony was still there, a great concert. Although a bit expensive at Wente, $207 per person, but that included a meal and we were probably 100 feet from the stage or so. Weather was fantastic too.

-kto

Posted at 03:42PM Jun 10, 2008 by kto in General  | 

ZZ Top

Last night we drove to Dixon, California and saw the legendary hard rock band ZZ Top.

ZZ Top as they looked in the 1980's and still look this way in 2008!	Sharp Dressed Man Music Video (One of my favorites)

-kto

Posted at 01:01PM May 10, 2008 by kto in General  |  Comments[1]

Clop Clop Clop

I wake up at 4AM wondering why I've woken up. I lay there with my eyes open and I hear a strange sound "clop clop clop". What is that sound? It sounds like dress shoes, no, more like high heels on the concrete walk outside the bedroom windows.

The windows and blinds are closed, then there is the sound again "clop clop clop". It has GOT to be someone walking around my backyard. Why would someone be walking around my backyard? I lay there wondering what to do. I could grab my king size MagLite flashlight and step outside in my boxers and see who is there, would that be a wise move? I should probably buy a shotgun for these kind of events, wonder if the wife would approve of that kind of purchase, I could keep it under the bed. She of course is sleeping soundly. Probably not the time to talk to her about buying a shotgun.

There it is again "clop clop clop"... then something different, "clup clup clup", a deeper sound, so I have a woman in high heels and a man in dress shoes walking around my back yard. The flashlight in boxers probably would not be a good idea, besides I'm very comfy in my warm bed right now. Should I call 911? I haven't really seen them, but they could be evil assassins, like that lady assassin on "CSI: NY" TV show. Oh geez, I should just get up and see who is in my yard, what is the big deal?

Then I hear it again, "clop clop clop" and a "clup clup clup". Ok, don't be silly, if someone is walking around my yard at 4AM, there must be a perfectly innocent reason. Maybe they are real estate agents, humm, at 4AM, nah. A neighbor looking for something? In high heels? At 4AM? I might do something like that (not in high heels) but none of my neighbors are that strange. Was I expecting a relative to show up? And the door was locked so they are walking around in high heels outside our bedroom window? Nah.

All of a sudden the sound changes... it moves, it moves so that it sounds like it is coming from inside the room. What the heck? I sit up in bed and look down at the floor below the windows, and there is the dog, licking itself, "clop clop clop ... clup clup clup".

I wonder if I could still talk the wife into the shotgun?

Posted at 07:29PM Apr 04, 2008 by kto in General  | 

My Author List

I like to read novels, fiction mostly, favoring detective or mystery novels. Just thought I would share some opinions on a few. Keep in mind that I am no expert on writing, I just know what I like.

• Dean Koontz is one of my very favorites. He manages to take a fairly unbelievable situation or concept and hook you line and sinker so that by the end of the book, you are scratching your head wondering how he came up with this story. His more recent Odd Thomas and Frankenstein books are fantastic. He seems to just get better and better.
• Thomas Perry is a great read. His Jane books are about people finding new identities and I loved every one of them, and wished there were more. I've read everything he has written and jump at the chance to read more.
• John Sanford is a good read, maybe a little creepy, but his Kidd series of novels are some of my favorite books. I do find it hard to remember which ones of the Prey novels I have read, but have probably read 80% of them.
• Robert Ludlum, what can you say, his Bourne novels are on the big screen. Fairly complex and somewhat longer novels, but always well done. I'm sure I haven't read all of his novels, but probably half of them.
• Clive Cussler is an adventure action novelist and I love his books, and have read them all, including the new ones he is starting to co-author with others (including his son). Some people might find this books a little too much James Bondish but he always manages to tie in some history (which I like) with some current event or concern about the environment or some kind of risk to the planet.
• Robert B. Parker books are pure detective books, in the spirit of Raymond Chandler. Always a good read.
• Walter Mosley is a different author. I first started reading his books when Clinton was in the White House and mentioned him as one of his favorite authors. His books are unique, and I like them, but many people may find then crude or overly explicit, so they are not for everybody. It certainly gives you a different perspective of the L.A.
• Sue Grafton made my life easy by having her books be titled via the alphabet, e.g. "A" Is for Alibi, "B" Is for Burglar, "C" Is for Corpse, ... I was instructed by the person that introduced me to these books to try and start with "A", which did make it easier to keep track. Although centered around the same female detective, the stories are all unique and different. I enjoy all of these books.
• Robert Crais wrote a series on a L.A. detective named Elvis which I found very entertaining. Very easy read, a bit on the macho side. One of his later non-Elvis books "Hostage" was turned into a movie, it was good book, and a good movie.
• Erle Stanley Gardner is most known for his Perry Mason novels. I'm a huge Perry Mason fan, both the T.V. series and the books, although I've read only a handful of the books. I love the details in the books and shows about cars and the California towns (not just L.A. where Perry Mason has his business). Erle was a master at keeping you guessing about 'who dun it', but everyone always laughs when the person that really did it breaks down on the stand and confesses.
• Tony Hillerman books are all centered around the Four Corners area of New Mexico and Arizona. His books are unique, and if you don't appreciate Navajo history and culture you may not appreciate these mysteries. I like the different setting these books provide from your standard detective novels.
• Jack Higgins has written many books, but I've only read the Sean Dillon books. His books are a little predictable, with a bit of an Englishman slant.
• Julia Navarro is a new author and I just finished her book "The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud". I liked it, and it even got me fascinated with the Shroud of Turin, to the point that I'm now reading a book about the Shroud and it's history. I'm looking forward to more books from Julia.
• J.A. Jance is a great author, and if I have missed reading any of her books I didn't mean to. Always a good read, and I look forward to all her books.
• Lisa Scottoline are lawyer mysteries, and are pretty good books. I try and limit my books about lawyers, I prefer detectives.
• Kyle Mills hasn't written many books, but I will read anything he writes. His books Rising Phoenix, Storming Heaven, Sphere of Influence, and Free Fall were all excellent. Unique plots and good reads.
• Greg Iles hasn't written that many books, but the ones I have read are good. Hard to find his books in the used book stores I go to.
• Janet Evanovich is a hilarious read. The humor and situations created in her books are always entertaining. The "One for the ...", "Two for the ...", series was very entertaining.
• Stephen Hunter was an author I started reading a long time ago. His books center around snipers usually, and in some way gaining justice. I've read all his books, and wished he would write more.
• Michael Connelly is an excellent writer. His books are entertaining and always hold your attention. I've read all his books and look forward to more.
• Anne Perry is an interesting author. Her stories are unique historical mysteries. Interesting enough, she is a convicted murder. I haven't read any of her books recently, suffered from keeping track of which ones I'd read and which ones I hadn't.
• Patricia Cornwell usually writes about coroner stories. I haven't read any of these in a long time. Had trouble keeping them sorted out, but drifted back to detective stories.
• John Saul gives me the creeps. The books are good, very good, but maybe too good. Dean Koontz I can take, but for some reason Saul got on my "If I want to be creeped out" list. (I don't read Stephen King either, I guess I'm not a horror person).
• Len Deighton is new to me. I just finished City of Gold, and found it different and interesting. I'll be checking out more books from him in the future.
• William Diehl is also new to me. I just finished Reign in Hell, which was a pretty good book. I'll be looking for more.
• Ridley Pearson is fairly new to me. Just finished reading my first book by him, looking forward to reading more.
• Leonard Goldberg writes medical mysteries. I just finished Brainwaves, and I liked it. A good read. Not sure I want to read a bunch of medical thrillers, but he will stay on my list.
• John Le Carre is not for me. I find his books entirely too complex and hard to read. I just can't easily get into his books, not sure why.
• Robin Cook is a medical thriller author, probably the, primary one. I recently finished Seizure, which is what got me interested in the Shroud of Turin and led me to Julia Navarro. I've read quite a few of his books, all excellent.
• Michael Crichton, what can you say about this guy. His books are usually scientific thrillers, and written very well. You can never go wrong with his books, unless you have seen the movie, in which case I tend to get frustrated when they don't match up. So I try and read the books first, and when the movie comes out I can be a movie critic when it doesn't follow the book.
• John Lescroart is relatively new to me but I've liked the few books I have read.
• John Case is actually a husband and wife team, and I have only read a few books. Good books, I will read more from John Case.
• Jonathan Kellerman is a psycho thriller author. I read a few of these but they tend to be a bit more disturbing than the typical detective novel, good books, but I try and limit my intake of psycho thrillers.
• Gore Vidal is much more than a historical fiction writer, but that's what I have read from him. Books like Burr, 1876, Empire, and Lincoln. I haven't read any recently, but whenever I get a need for some American History (one of my hobbies), I'll look for a good Gore Vidal historical fiction.

Well, I'm sure I left out some, but maybe this helps someone find a good book to read.

-kto

Posted at 08:01PM Mar 30, 2008 by kto in General  |  Comments[1]