11/22/63 a hefty look at history

Jake Epping, a 35 year-old English teacher, goes back in time to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination in Stephen King’s new novel 11/22/63.

The book is not intended to answer any “What- if” questions that you may expect from a time travel novel. The main hook of the novel doesn’t come from Jake attempting to stop the assassination, but rather the assortment of characters that you come to know and associate with. Much of the book shows Epping spying on Lee Harvey Oswald, but not much comes of it until the last stretch of the book.

It’s obvious that King did an enormous amount of research for this novel as historical miscellanea appear throughout the book such as the price of a haircut (40¢), names of old products, etc. This makes the book feel more realistic and interesting, but sometimes it often adds fluff to the already thick book. At 800+ pages the book is a little bloated with parts that should have been cut to make the pacing better, but it’s not a deal breaker.

So when reading 11/22/63 don’t expect any paradoxes or anything that we’ve seen repeatedly in time travel novels. It’s just another extraordinary story told by a man who’s written them time and time again.

Blink 182 album ‘Neighborhoods’ worth the wait

It’s been six years since the widely known band Blink 182 shelled out a new album. During the band’s breakup Tom Delonge, the lead singer, started a new band called Angels and Airwaves and the other two band members, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, started a band called +44. They recently announced that they Blink 182 was back at the Grammy Awards.  After the long break, they put out a long awaited album titled “Neighborhoods”.

“Neighborhoods” is a more mature record than previous Blink 182 albums which featured a few juvenile, but likeable songs. The band has experimented more with their style of music in this album. Some songs have drawn out intros, and some even sound like metal. Only a few songs like “Kaleidoscope” and “Wishing Well” sound like typical Blink songs, but the others are still excellent.

The lyrics no longer seem to be about their lives or specific events, but cover issues and stories with the world as a whole and most of them are more somber than in previous albums.

The various types of tracks come together to create an album that is full of emotion and intensity. Blink 182 fans waited six years for this album, and as one of them I can say it was truly worth the wait.

Cowboys Stadium more than imagined

On my 16^th birthday, Nov. 16, I received tickets to the  Nov. 21 Lions vs. Cowboys game. This was the first time I had ever gone to an NFL game, and though I had expectations, the game was nowhere near what I ever imagined.

The evening before the game, my dad, cousin and I checked into an Arlington motel where we got a clear view of the new Cowboys Stadium. We could see half of the roof from a mile away.

The next day we made it into the dome after coming from a $40 parking lot, and as we stepped into the stadium, its sheer size became real. I had to bend back to see the ceiling’s highest point. You could probably fit the Statue of Liberty in there. We wandered around as much of the stadium as our tickets allowed, seeing lines at concession stands and crowds in the pro shops. Even at this point, when Dallas was 2-7, personnel still served mass after mass of fans.

While I did not mind much since I had a great view of the game, our tickets were in Section 417, near the top of the stadium. The only cheaper seats were not seats, but places in the standing-room-only section. Being as high up as we were meant sitting eye-level with the 60-yard-wide Jumbotron/Jerrytron. I do not think my pictures of it even captured the entire screen.

The fans at the stadium did not just talk trash, they talked something worse–something I will not mention. Expletives flew all around in our section. Curses streamed back and forth between Lions fans and Cowboys fans. At least the game and rest of the stadium distracted me enough to not think too much of it.

The game itself made the 12-hour round trip and money worth the time. If you hear stories about how loud the fans are at Cowboys games, believe them. Their noise was deafening whenever the opponent had the ball. When Dallas turned it over, made a great play or scored, I could not hear myself think. I do not even remember thinking. I went about as crazy as the other 90,000+ patrons, more so when Bryan McCann scored on a 97-yard punt return in the third quarter and Jon Kitna ran a touchdown in from 29 yards out in the fourth.

By the half, Detroit led 10-7.   The halftime show was unique and a relief from the action. The Cowboys featured Emmitt Smith, who received his Hall of Fame ring, the final token of confirmation into the Canton, Ohio shrine. Smith gave a thankful speech for what he had, how he ended up as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher and encouraged the crowd to stay loud during the second half.

Overall, the experience of being right there and watching my favorite team in the NFL play well and win was thrilling and fun. I loved every second I was in that gigantic stadium. I would suggest going to a season game when you have the chance.

PBS brings ‘Sherlock’ into 21st century

Sherlock Holmes. When most people hear the name of the famous literary detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, they think of the foggy, cobbled streets of Victorian England and the characteristic pipe and hat of Holmes himself. But in the new series “Sherlock”, which airs on PBS at 8 p.m. on Sunday nights, Holmes has been translated into the modern world.  

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the titular detective and does a superb job of conveying the brilliance and caustic personality of Holmes. Unlike the 1984 series, “Sherlock” also explores the more unlikable aspects of Holmes, such as his sociopathic tendencies and anti-social behavior. Dr. John Watson is played by Martin Freeman, who brings a more sarcastic and scathing side to the character. Cumberbatch and Freeman have excellent chemistry and make the strained relationship between the two characters even more believable.

And let’s not forget the mysteries. The first episode revolves around a string of serial suicides that are Holmes and Watson become involved in after the police find a dead woman wearing all pink. The second episode has Holmes and Watson trying to stop a vicious Chinese smuggling ring that murders those who have betrayed them. Finally, the third, and last, episode, is about Holmes engaging in a battle of wits against a bomber. The mysteries are well set up and the audience is strung along as Holmes and Watson delve into the cases.

Overall, “Sherlock” is a wonderful British crime drama that delivers thrills and laughs and truly sells Holmes as a new sleuth for the 21^st century.

New Oscar’s Burritos wraps up big flavor

I had my doubts about Oscar’s just like I would any other new local restaurant. Empire Super Buffet’s recent closing did not help that. However, I decided to settle these doubts once and for all when my family and I went there for a nice Monday evening dinner.

My first impression of Oscar’s when I went inside was it resembled just about every other Mexican food place I have been to and did not like: generic. The menu, despite the namesake, has a wide variety of choice. There are not only burritos, but also tacos, tamales, gorditas, rellenos the list goes on. Before we got our meals, we decided to get an order of chips and queso. It was not bad, but the chips were somewhat lukewarm, and the queso just standard. A little salt, however, remedied that. I decided to try their carne guisada burrito platter that night while the rest of my family ordered tacos and chile rellenos.

Once I bit into that burrito, every doubt I had dissolved. The wonderful taste of that tortilla-wrapped package bound for my mouth impressed me. Just about everything else could have been wrong with the restaurant, but the food that came out of there sealed this reviewer’s approval. As I sampled the other dishes, they, too, were as delicious as the one in front of me, but the chile relleno was a show stopper.

For four people at any restaurant, on average, it would cost approximately $30 or $40 to eat. For my family of four, the bill was only $23.12. And that is with chips, queso and four drinks. Refills are absolutely free, so do not worry about that, either.

My final verdict on Oscar’s: if you have not gone yet, go. It is a great place to eat any time they are open, and for the upperclassmen, it is close to the school, so you do not have to worry about time pressure. Suggest it next time you come to town for dinner. Just go.

‘The Last Song’

Julie Ann Robinson has done an excellent job with directing Nicholas Sparks “The Last Song” into a superb entertaining 107 minutes of drama starring Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, and Greg Kinnear.

I personally love chick flicks, but I’m usually very critical about any movie.  This movie not only had a great storyline but was also realistic, a huge bonus.

The movie starts out when an alienated teenager, Ronnie, (Miley Cyrus) goes with her brother to visit her divorced father, Steve, (Greg Kinnear) in North Carolina.  Ronnie meets Will (Liam Hemsworth) and goes through struggles with her father and ends up learning more about love, family, and herself.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good chick flick.  The movie also does a good job of following the original novel, with a few exceptions.  The soundtrack is also wonderfully made featuring Edwin McCain, Maroon 5, OneRepublic and Miley Cyrus herself.