Hugo and Retro-Hugo nominees announced

Well, the nominees for the Hugo awards and the Retro-Hugo awards (for works published in 1938) were announced early today. A few Many quick rambling thoughts.

• If you look at what I nominated, two nominations made it through -- Kameron Hurley for Best Fan Writer and "Selkie Stories Are For Losers" in Best Short Story. I'm very happy about Hurley's nomination, since I like her criticism a lot. I recently listened to an audio version of "Selkie Stories Are For Losers" and was even more impressed the second time around -- the story is definitely layered.
• I had two "near misses." I nominated Game of Thrones in Best Long Form, but it ended up in Best Short Form. I nominated Randall Munroe for Best Fan Artist, and he got a nomination in Best Graphic Story.
• I haven't read any of the nominated novels (for 2013; I'll get to the Retro-Hugos later). I've heard good things about Ancillary Justice, and this nomination will be the kick in the pants to get me to read it.
• Neptune's Brood is the sequel to Saturn's Children, which I started but lost interest in. Again, kick in the pants, happy to give it a try.
• Parasite is a horror novel about tapeworms by an author whose work I didn't like last year. I think I'll skip it. (But I'll at least start it, to be fair.)
• Warbound? What is this? Alternate-history urban-fantasy from the 1930s? That just looks weird.
• Oh, The Wheel of Time made it. I gave up four or five books in. I will be interested to see how much of this ends up in the Hugo packet.
• Wakulla Springs is the only novella nominee I've read. I gave it four stars, but said,

  "But...why, why, why do people keep nominating works that aren't SF/fantasy for SF/fantasy awards? There are exactly two places in the book where fantastical elements appear in the story -- one near the end, the other literally at the end. While both may be important to the feel of the story, neither is important to the plot of the story. So even though I enjoyed the opportunity to read the story, it's not on my Hugo nomination ballot"

• In the novelette category, I've read "The Lady Astronaut of Mars" (3 stars) and "The Waiting Stars." (2 stars)
• In the short story category, I've read "If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love" (heartbreaking, I have to decide if it's SF/fantasy) and "Selkie Stories Are For Losers" (awesome, as noted above).
• Kameron Hurley also picked up a Best Related Work nomination for "We Have Always Fought: Challenging the Women, Cattle and Slaves Narrative." I skimmed it when it came out, but it's the sort of piece that made me nominate her for Best Fan Writer.
• Iron Man 3 is the only movie I've seen. I'm really looking forward to seeing Gravity, though. I'm not sure I'll watch enough of them to vote.
• In the short-form dramatic presentation, Game of Thrones is up against 4 Doctor Who things and one episode of Orphan Black. Because Worldcon is in London, the memberships will skew British, so I expect a Dr. Who win.
• From the 1939 Best Novel nominees, I've read Out of the Silent Planet as an adult, and The Sword in the Stone growing up. I'm looking forward to re-reading both.
• In Best Novella, I read Anthem in high school. I remember it took me about 2 hours, and I thought it created a pretty obvious straw man to knock down.
• I haven't actually paid my WorldCon dues yet, but I expect to once the Hugo packet is out. I was really hoping something like The Martian would be nominated, since I've wanted to read that. I think the opportunity to vote on the Retro-Hugos will keep me interested. I'm not sure I'm in for 2015, though.

Book Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is one of the Nebula Nominees for Best Novel, and it was conveniently available for loan in Kindle form from my library.

Neil Gaiman wrote this book to appeal to his wife, who "doesn't like fantasy." My knee-jerk response is that I would like to see what he had done writing for people who like fantasy.

It's Neil Gaiman, so the words are arranged consecutively in very pleasing ways. It's the story of a 7-year-old boy, as told from the perspective of his older self, and the various fantastical and fairy-tale things that happen to him. In contrast to some books where the magical elements are implied to be imagined by the child, here I think the implication is that the events of childhood really do have magic underneath them.

But neither the magic nor the characters are compelling enough for me to love this book, or even like it a lot. (Contrast Among Others, where the magic wasn't compelling, but the characters were.) Instead, I finished the book thinking, "Oh, that was nice enough."

It didn't help that I felt like I was supposed to find more inspiration from this book than I really did, with quotes like,

Adults follow paths. Children explore. Adults are content to walk the same way, hundreds of times, or thousands; perhaps it never occurs to adults to step off the paths, to creep beneath rhododendrons, to find the spaces between fences.

OK, a mildly interesting, but probably not strictly true, observation, dressed up with some beautiful language.

I suspect this will be one of the Hugo nominees, if not the winner. I figured I might as well read it now anyway, since it was available from the library. I did not end up nominating it for the Hugo.

My 2014 Hugo Nominations

As a member of last year's Worldcon, I'm eligible to nominate for this year's Hugo awards. I will probably become a member of this year's Worldcon in order to vote on the nominees, but we're not there yet, are we?

Last year, I didn't nominate very much. My reasoning, expressed in another post was, "I wouldn't want my vote to bump another interesting novel out of the Hugo list, because I want to see what else it out there."

This year, I've changed my mind. I saw what else is out there last year, and I didn't like it very much. Basically, if it's a four-star work, I will nominate it. Here's what I've got.

Best Novel

• Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
• A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
• Starhawk by Jack McDevitt
• Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik
• Countdown City by Ben H. Winters

Best Short Story

• Selkie Stories Are for Losers by Sofia Satamar
• The New Guys Always Work Overtime by David Erik Nelson

Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)

• Game of Thrones, Season 3

Best Fan Writer

• Kameron Hurley

Best Fan Artist

• Randall Munroe

Comments: Steelheart is definitely my favorite of the novels. The New Guys Always Work Overtime is available on the Starship Sofa podcast. I'm looking forward to a followup work in the June 2014 issue. I'm not a subscriber, but I'll make sure to pick that up. A Game of Thrones episode won the short-form Hugo last year, but I didn't know which one to nominate this year, so I put it in long-form again. I started reading Hurley's blog after reading her Nebula-nominated novel two years ago. I didn't love the novel, but I've found her insights into the sf community smart and refreshing.
Randall Munroe writes xkcd which is just awesome. He did some particularly nice work in 2013, and since I've noticed him in "Others Receiving Votes" in 2012, I thought I'd try to help get him nominated.

Bowie Restaurant Project: (80) Olive Grove

Olive Grove,

6828 Race Track Road
Most Recent Foursquare Check-in: 3/23/2014
Total Foursquare Check-ins: 4
Pre-Foursquare Visits: No
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

My first visit to Olive Grove was with a co-worker for Wednesday lunch. It was a week after their opening, and things just didn't seem quite under control yet. The signs in the parking lot had the wrong address for their web site, and when my colleague asked about the gluten-free options they advertised, the waitress checked and found out that they did not have the gluten-free pasta in stock yet. The breadsticks were not up to par with the Olive Garden's, and the crab cake was disappointing. Just like I expect an "Oh boy, I'm eating sushi" feeling from sushi, I expect excitement from a crab cake. I was unenthusiastic about theirs, though, which is disappointing because it is supposed to be a signature dish. My colleague was not entirely happy with his Eggplant Parmesan.

My second visit was a couple of days later, for takeout on a Friday night. Like Carrabba's, they will deliver your food to your car. They go one better, though, by having you pull along side the restaurant to receive your food rather than wasting valuable parking up front. The food took way longer than estimated, but at least I was in my car. The food from this visit was much better; Christina and I enjoyed our pasta, and the kids meals, while pricey, consisted of some big burgers. The burgers, however, were not cooked through. I'd appreciate it for myself, but that seems like a no-no for the younger set.

Clearly, a tiebreaker visit was needed. After an outing at Allen Pond Park, Christina and I brought the kids there. And...it went well! Our pastas were very good. The kids enjoyed their burgers. The waitress asked whether we wanted them well-done, so good for that. The kids meals included a drink and ice cream, which was not something we enjoyed in the takeout, so it seemed like a better deal. Still on the pricey side compared to, say, Chesapeake Grille, but comparable to other sit-down options like Outback or Carrabba's.

But wait...based on the success of our third visit, Christina made plans for a fourth visit! I had written the above, but put it on hold in case things changed. And they did! Within 8 days, they had completely re-done their menu. They had reduced portion sizes and cut prices. So no more ice cream with the kids' meal (we ordered some a la carte since we had promised it to the kids). I think...that's a good thing. (The less food for less money, not the lack of ice cream.) Olive Grove now has daily lunch specials, and it seems like more of a reasonable choice on a regular basis.

So what happened? I think they got better over the first few months they were open. Certainly the fact that they were really busy around 3 on a Saturday makes that seem likely. But it's also possible that they just don't do crab cakes or eggplant very well. I certainly don't have the dining budget to go back and order things I don't think I'll like, so I'll be sticking with the pasta.

---

Bowie Restaurant News

Olive Grove is not the only restaurant at Hilltop to offer lower-priced options. I spotted the sign to the left in front of the Irie Cafe. The specials (with $1 sodas) answer one of my concerns about the restaurant, namely the pricey menu (at least if you like chicken). I'll have to give it a try. Also, I saw a sign for a grand opening event on April 5 from noon to 5 (I wasn't aware they weren't already "open".)

The pace of work appears to have picked up on Anthony's Pizza. Every time I go by there, something seems to be going on, and I see the rough outline of a front counter. Hopefully we'll see some sort of announcement for an opening date soon. Here's what their sign is going to look like.

While passing by China Chef recently, I noticed they had a table and a couple of chairs. This put it right on the edge of my definition of what constitutes a restaurant, since in theory you could order food and eat it at that table. Eventually, I decided that you would be annoying the people who wanted to sit there while waiting for their food, which was clearly the purpose of the table. So no China Chef.

That leaves me with four restaurants to go.

Biking to Melford

The author, on his way to work

There is an article in the Gazette today entitled, "Residents voice opposition to new Bowie housing development." I'm one of the residents quoted in the article. Although I'm quoted accurately, I wanted a place to lay out my detailed thoughts on the matter, and well, this is my blog, so here goes.

The Melford Village proposal is a complex and multifacted beast. I am impressed with the attention to detail by both St. John Properties and City staff in analyzing the many aspects of the proposed development. I, however, chose to focus on just one thing -- bike and pedestrian access. I did this for two reasons. One, as someone who sometimes bikes to work at Melford, I know how much bike access needs to be improved. Two, since St. John is touting Melford Village as an environmentally-friendly development, better non-motorized access seems like a good test of their commitment.

I went to the Advisory Planning Board meeting with an open, if confused, mind. I had read through as many of the documents as I could. Some of the documents seemed to show a trail along the Melford entrance, but I could find no commitment to specific connections. In particular, not only was there no assurance that there was improved access to Belair Drive, there was no reference to the proposed trails along 301 in the City of Bowie Trails Master Plan. Those proposed trails would really make Melford Village a lot more attractive to the type of active, environmentally-conscious residents St. John wants to attract.

Once at the meeting, I discovered various items of interest in a handout (that is also available on-line, I just hadn't noticed it). First, at a January stakeholders meeting I was unable to attend, Martha Ainsworth raised a number of concerns, including, "There is no walking or biking connectivity with the rest of Bowie," and

"How can the development be made more conducive to biking, except down Belair Drive, given the two highways that border it? Are biking bridges that cross route 50 or route 3 forseen? One can't bike to any of the stores near the community, to Sport Fit (a mile away), or to Whitemarsh Park without riding on Route 3/301."

St. John's response concerned me. They said,

"The proposed design includes 9.5 miles of sidewalks, 3.4 miles of trails and 1.6 miles of bike lanes within the community. Residents of Melford Village will be able to live a healthy lifestyle without needing to interact with the highways bordering the Village."

It sounded like they had no interest in connectivity with the rest of Bowie.

Fortunately, City staff saw the need for this connectivity, albeit in a form that I saw as insufficient. They proposed 28 conditions for approval. Condition 25 is,

"A pedestrian connection...shall be constructed between the Melford Boulevard/Science Drive roundabout and Kendale Lane in the Kenilworth section, prior to the issuance of the 300th building permit."

I have three problems with this condition.

1. It should be a bike/pedestrian connection. Given the distances between Melford and the rest of Bowie, bike travel is more realistic than walking for running errands, etc.
2. It doesn't address connectivity to Route 301, which would give more direct access to commercial features than the Belair Drive connection.
3. I don't see why it should wait for the issuance of the 300th permit.

I wasn't sure whether I was in the camp of objecting to the development based on the inadequate bike/pedestrian facilities, or saying I'd support it if they were made adequate. Then a representative from St. John objected to Condition 25 on the basis that it wasn't safe for people to walk in and out of Melford. Well, yes, I know that! (Having done so.) The lack of any interest in making it safe pushed me over into the camp of those opposed.

I spoke off the cuff, so I don't remember exactly what I said, but here are the main points I tried to make.

1. I would like to see Melford succeed with an environmentally-friendly development that is part of Bowie.
2. In order to be environmentally-friendly and part of Bowie, you need bike and pedestrian connectivity with the rest of Bowie.
3. It is unrealistic to expect that nobody will want to walk or bike out of Bowie. The developer proposes restaurants as part of Melford Village; I don't expect every dishwasher at every restaurant to be a resident there.
4. This is not a theoretical concern. In 2011, a Bowie resident biking home from a job in Crofton was killed on Route 301 not far from Melford. 

This will come up before the City Council soon, and I expect to be engaged. I pushed a year ago for adequate connections to the rest of Bowie being a condition for development, and I'm going to keep pushing for it.

Bowie Restaurant Project: (BB7) Nando's Peri-Peri

For an explanation of the Bowie Restaurant Project, look here.


For a list of all the Bowie Restaurant Project reviews, look here.

Nando's Peri-Peri 14023 South Main Chapel Way, Gambrills
Most Recent Foursquare Check-in: 2/5/2014
Total Foursquare Check-ins: 4
Pre-Foursquare Visits: No
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I started the "Beyond Bowie" series of restaurant reviews to incorporate reviews of nearby types of restaurants that Bowie doesn't have, but should. It seems a little weird to put Nando's in that category. First of all, if you see the category as "spicy roasted chicken", we already have Lima's, which I like a little bit better. On the other hand, if you (as I do) view it to be in the category of Portuguese restaurants, that wouldn't be on most people's list of what's "missing" from Bowie.

But once you visit Nando's, you may wish we had one of these places slightly closer to home. The chicken is consistently good. The sauces, made with the African peri-peri pepper, are interesting. The sides, such as the "macho peas" have a nice European feel to them. The decor has a very upscale feel to it.

So if you're at Waugh Chapel, or just looking for something a little bit different, I recommend it. I would be very excited if it moved to one of the empty locations around Bowie. But for now, maybe I'll hold out for an Indian restaurant.

---

Bowie Restaurant News

Freestyle Fish 'n' Chicken is definitely gone. The space is now for lease.

Work has resumed on Anthony's Pizza and Pasta in Free State. It doesn't look like things are anywhere near completion, but construction material has been moved around after laying undisturbed for a couple of months.

Free State has, however, lost the Bang Bang Mongolian Grill. Of all the Bowie restaurants I've reviewed that have since closed, it's probably the one I'm saddest to see go. (That said, I never ended up there that much.)

Congratulations, Indianapolis Colts, Your Stay at Home Bowl Winners

This blog has previously examined the weird situation of teams which have beaten both Super Bowl entrants. This year's addition to the list is the 2013 Indianapolis Colts. (No team achieved the feat the past two seasons.)

The 2010 Patriots, the last team to earn this distinction, lost the Super Bowl the following year. That ups the percentages to 37.5% for teams making the Conference Championships in the next season, and 62.5% for them making the playoffs.

So, like everyone already knew, expect the Colts to be good next year.

Geocoin Update: The Return of Free State Generic #1

Three years ago today, I reported on the progress of Free State Generic #3, but for the other five geocoins I had released, I remarked that I had "pretty much written them off".

Well, I haven't heard from Free State Generic #3 since then, but three of the others have popped up since then. Here's a quick summary.

• Free State Generic #1: Time since last log: 8 days. Longest interval between logs: 1 year, 5 months, 15 days.
• Free State Generic #2: Time since last log: 4 years, 6 months, 11 days. Longest interval between logs: 2 months, 3 days.
• Free State Generic #3: Time since last log: 3 years, 1 day. Longest interval between logs: 1 month, 17 days.
• Free State Mover #1: Time since last log: 1 month, 17 days. Longest interval between logs: 4 years, 3 months, 21 days.
• Free State Mover #2: Time since last log: 5 years, 6 months, 1 day. Longest interval between logs: 1 month, 6 days.
• Free State Mover #3: Time since last log: 9 months. (Because I retrieved it.) Longest interval between logs: 2 years, 5 months, 26 days.

So half my geocoins disappeared for over 2 years and 5 months before resurfacing. The other half just disappeared. Lesson: don't write them off too soon.

Free State Generic #1

So what's up with Free State Generic #1? Prior to this month, it was last logged in Alabama in 2010. But it didn't completely disappear. In 2011, someone remarked, "Picked this up a while back and decided to drop it off in Cozumel!" In 2012, someone else reported, "found in Cozumel. Taking back to AZ for some dry heat." And then, this month, they did exactly that. Below is its progress since I dropped it off in Maryland 6 years ago while waiting for my drivers license.

  

Sadly, Cozumel does not appear on the map, since nobody ever bothered to log it in there.

I have Free State Generic #4 and Free State Generic #5 sitting around the house somewhere (I activated them in 2010); I should really release them.

Nebula Update: The Einstein Intersection

The Einstein Intersection by Samuel R. Delany

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I read this because it was the January 2014 Sword & Laser pick, and because it's one of the few Nebula Best Novel winners I hadn't read. I waited until the Sword & Laser wrap-up podcast to write this review, in case I heard anything that changed my mind. It didn't; it rather intensified my general dislike for this book.

I believe that plot and setting are important components of novels. Further, I believe that an author has an obligation to his or her readers to convey the plot and setting. Yet, the Sword & Laser podcast hosts, while attempting to summarize The Einstein Intersection, repeatedly fumbled or hedged based on their lack of understanding of what the hell was going on in this book or what the setting for it actually was.

Some people like how much this book left to the reader's imagination, or for the reader to figure out. I think the best novels are capable of layering depths of meaning over a coherent story. As an example, this book contains references to the myth of Orpheus. Nobody ever reads about Orpheus and says, "Huh, I'm not sure what happened there." It's a story.

Two stars instead of one for being well-written (in the sense of having a pleasing command of language) and because the plot wasn't completely incomprehensible. But it's not a good sign that I picked up another book (Diplomatic Immunity) in the middle of reading this (short) one because I wasn't enjoying it enough.

I now have 8 Nebula Best Novels (out of 49) left to read:

1. 1966: Flowers for Algernon (tie)
2. 1966: Babel-17 (tie) (also by Delaney, sigh)
3. 1968: Rite of Passage
4. 1976: Man Plus
5. 1978: Dreamsnake (not available for Kindle -- boo)
6. 1981: The Claw of the Conciliator (I started this and didn't finish; not a good sign)
7. 1987: The Falling Woman (also not available for Kindle)
8. 1990: Tehanu

Geocaching Update: Minute 37

I am at a math conference in Baltimore this week. The Internet access is terrible, so I am composing this post on my phone. We'll see how it goes.

During lunch yesterday, I walked over to a virtual geocache at Camden Yards. My understanding is that it's a war memorial that was built when the old stadium, which was itself a memorial, was torn down.

This gives me my 12th minute in the 76th degree west, and my 10th "county" in Maryland. The other nearby geocaches are either also in minute 37, or are in minute 36, which I took care of in Calvert County years ago. So that wraps up my geocaching for the week.

Bowie Restaurant Project: (79) Penalty Box Cafe

Penalty Box Cafe, 3330 Northview Drive
Most Recent Foursquare Check-in: 1/10/2014
Total Foursquare Check-ins: 2
Pre-Foursquare Visits: No
Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

The trickiest places to find a time to review have been ones that aren't open for weekday lunches, my most frequent type of kid-free meal. I gather that the Penalty Box Cafe is mostly open when school is not, although a phone call a year or two ago didn't turn up any sort of set schedule.

The PBC is located inside the Bowie Ice Arena, so the main audience for the restaurant is skaters and their families. Bowie Ice Arena is itself located in Allen Pond Park, so it's also an option for parkgoers. Be warned that the seating is limited, and on our family visit (as parkgoers, not skaters) seemed mostly occupied by people who weren't eating.

There are three "combos" available, and I believe those are the main dining options: pizza, chicken tenders and a hot dog. The pizza was awful. I can't recommend ordering it. The chicken tenders were actually very tasty; I nabbed some from the kids. They were out of hot dog buns on the first visit, so I saved that for the return trip. The guy warned me that the hot dog was microwaved, which I thought might be OK. But it's a jumbo hot dog, which meant it heated unevenly. Not great.

You get the sort of service you might expect at a snack bar. Youth who clearly have no experience with or interest in the restaurant industry prepare and serve your food. They were uniformly super-nice, especially when my kids spilled most of the table of food. But you'd run into a bottleneck where it would take 10 minutes to get a soda refill.

The fries were good on both visits, but they were completely different styles.

Honestly, if this weren't a snack bar, it would vie for the lowest ratings I have offered. But it's what you should expect out of a snack bar, so that gets it a pass. Also, having a place to eat for patrons of both the Ice Arena and Allen Pond Park serves the city well, so two stars. (After sitting on this review for several days, I realized that the hot dog had left the roof of my mouth burned for several days, so I deducted a further half-star.)

---

Bowie Restaurant News

Five restaurants to go! Two fall into the "no weekday lunch" category, one is too nice to take the kids (or co-workers!) to, there's another snack bar I haven't figured out the hours on, and a newer restaurant that I'm waiting for a third visit to. The end is in sight!

It looks like Freestyle Fish 'n' Chicken. is done for. At least when I've been near there recently, they haven't been open, and it's been normal restaurant hours.

Other news...No progress since October on Anthony's Pizza. Little Caesar's is coming to Bowie Plaza. I doubt they'll have a dine-in option, which means I won't have to review it here.

Geocaching: Minute by Minute

I recently became aware of a nearby geocache which you're only allowed to log if you've found caches in all 60 minutes of the 76th degree west of longitude. Since I live in that degree, I thought I'd have a shot at having a substantial number of these minutes. I've only found 86 caches total, and many of those were not in the Eastern U.S., so I knew I wouldn't be close to 60, but it might be interesting.

CAM 2006 (minute 55)

My previous "goal" was to find caches in all of Maryland's 24 counties. I stalled out at nine a few years ago, mostly because a lot of travel would be required to add to the list. But the minutes are by definition, potentially close to home.

As it turns out I have 11 of the 60 minutes. Here they are. (When I found a minute multiple times, I used the earliest representative.

1. 27 A Stroll Around Solomons Island (blog post)
2. 31 Beachwood Park Travel Bug Hotel
3. 36 Hutchins Hideaway (blog post)
4. 40 Crofton Travel Bug Tavern
5. 50 Manta's Mystery Cache (blog post)
6. 54 Forest Heaven
7. 55 CAM 2006 - Inside the Beltway (blog post)
8. 56 Maryland Marathon (blog post)
9. 57 National Treasures (blog post)
10. 58 Birds Don't Have Pockets (blog post)



Maryland Marathon (minute 56)

11. 59 Grab A Seat (blog post)

It's possible that I found a few other minutes, but since I am no longer a "premium member," I can't retrieve the coordinates. At this point, I don't think it's worth it to re-join.

Birds Don't Have Pockets (minute 58)

Grab A Seat (minute 59)

Android's Dungeon 2013 Blogging Productivity Report

I'm running out of graph styles to use on these annual reports. (The x-axis is not much to my liking here.)

For the second straight year, the number of blog posts dropped, although I'm still at twice my 2010 low. I labeled every post last year, so I could see where my posting activity came from. The top category was my Bowie Restaurant Project, with 17 posts. "Books" produced 10 posts, and "Hugo" produced 7 (mostly the same as the books posts due to the fact that some posts were multi-labeled.)

Given that I only have 6 restaurants left to review in Bowie, I don't think I'm going to get 17 posts out of that in 2014. More than 6 hopefully, with new restaurants opening, and some summary posts I have planned.

I have moved many of my books posts over to Goodreads, though I can plan to post my more substantive reviews here as well. If I become a Hugo voter this year, I also get the right to vote on the 1939 "retro-Hugos", so I should have a lot more material to cover.

If I'm going to beat (or even reach) 40 posts this year, I will have to rely on some of the recently-neglected categories. I didn't do much travel in 2013 (none without the family), but there's potential there. I have a geocaching post coming up this weekend; maybe I can do more of those. And biking would be a nice thing to blog about.

Books: 2013 In Review

I spent a lot of my precious free time in 2013 reading books. I have mostly been keeping a record of them on Goodreads. On the one hand, it's a good site for doing so; on the other hand, I'm not always thrilled with putting my content under the control and for the profit of someone else. So I'm going to link to reviews for all of the "books" I read in 2013. The total is more impressive than it should be, because Goodreads allows you to review many pieces of short fiction, especially those nominated for awards. Since I voted on the Hugo awards this year, I read a lot of that type of work.

So I'm going to go ahead and link to my Goodreads reviews where I have them. Because makes sense to me, I'm going to group the books by author, and then by date read.

Lois McMaster Bujold (12)

I had been interested in reading the Vorkosigan Saga for a while, but I was pushed to do so when Captain Vorpatril's Alliance was nominated for a Hugo. I prefer to read a series in order, which was difficult because Captain Vorpatril's Alliance is (by one reckoning) the 14th book in the series. I broke that rule here, but I have been catching up.

• Shards of Honor 4 stars
• Barrayar 4 stars
• Captain Vorpatril's Alliance 4 stars
• The Warrior's Apprentice 4 stars "Once again, the Vorkosigan saga gives me a book that is not about the big, deep, mind-blowing questions that I like to see in a five-star book -- rather, it gives me a fun book with more subtle characterization than you see in most sci-fi works."
• The Vor Game 4 stars
• Cetaganda 4 stars
• Ethan of Athos 5 stars "The one thing I feel that is missing from most of the [other Vorkosigan saga] books is the "big picture" questions that science fiction is capable of addressing. In this books, issues of gender that Bujold addresses obliquely in other books come to the fore." 
• Borders of Infinity 5 stars "This collection of three novellas goes from strength to strength."
• Brothers in Arms 4 stars "This novel is fundamentally a story about clones, which makes it inherently ridiculous."
• Mirror Dance 4 stars "In general I like this book (I just skimmed the torture scenes). As usual, Bujold plums her characters' psychological depths with tremendous deftness."
• Memory 5 stars 
• Miles in Love 5 stars "This is an omnibus edition...If I had to rate them individually, I'd give Komarr 4 stars, A Civil Campaign 5 stars and Winterfair Gifts a weak 4 stars."

Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire (4)

I'm not sure I get the point of the "open pen name", but I read two books each by Grant and McGuire, who are the same person. I don't intend to read more.

• Countdown: A Newsflesh Novella 4 stars "I was not expecting to like this novella, since I'm not a big fan of the zombie genre. I was very pleasantly surprised, however."
• San Diego 2014: Last Stand of the California Brown Coats 2 stars "Ugh. I really don't like zombies, and it doesn't help when every character makes repeated references to the "zombie apocalypse." And yes, the novella explained to the reader just how wonderful science-fiction fans are."
• Rat-Catcher 3 stars "Since I'm not excited about either cats in fiction or fairies (the cats in the story are essentially a type of fairies), it didn't do much for me."
• In Sea-Salt Tears 3 stars "I liked it marginally better than Rat-Catcher."

Naomi Novik (3)

I read the two most-recent novels in her Temeraire series this year, as well as a short story.

• Crucible of Gold 4 stars
• Feast or Famine 4 stars "I was skeptical that Novik could pack much into fewer than 2000 words, but it was enough to bring a smile to my face."
• Blood of Tyrants 4 stars "The latest Temeraire novel is divided into three parts. I don't think I could improve upon another reviewer's comment on the first part: "If I could pretend this never happened, I would.""

Aliette de Bodard (2)

Two of her short works were nominated for Hugos. I had mixed reactions.

• On a Red Station, Drifting 2 stars "Maybe this could have been three stars; I'm on the fence."
• Immersion 4 stars "I was disappointed in this...until about halfway through when something "clicked" with me."

Rachel Hartman (2)

This new author has really impressed me with her Seraphina series. I'm looking forward to the second book.

• The Audition 4 stars "It is a nice little piece that contains many of the subtleties that made Seraphina enjoyable."
• Seraphina 5 stars "I regret not reading this book before the Hugo nominations closed."

Nick Hornby (2)

I occasionally read books by men in 2013.

• More Baths, Less Talking 4 stars "Having someone witty and erudite discuss books you're not going to read is perhaps better than discussing books you've already read."
• Fan Mail 5 stars "If I could have Nick Hornby as a guide, I would follow whatever soccer he wrote about."

George R. R. Martin (2)

I am cheating a little bit by grouping these two books under Martin, since one is a book he co-authored, and another is a collection he co-edited.

• Windhaven 4 stars "The book has held up well over the years.While I have no specific complaints about it, neither did I find it a compelling page-turner."
• Old Mars 3 stars "I wish I hadn't read this book. It wasn't a bad book.  It's just that it took up valuable space in my reading schedule, and I'm still not sure why."

Jack McDevitt (2)

• The Cassandra Project 4 stars "I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't bowled over, either."
• Starhawk 4 stars "It's a solid prequel, but it lacked the philosophical depth I find in others of the author's books"

Ben H. Winters (2)

• The Last Policeman 5 stars "I finished this book very quickly, and even when I wasn't reading it, I spent a lot of my time thinking about it -- both are evidence of how compelling the book is."
• Countdown City 4 stars

 Other Authors (23)

• Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed 3 stars "I was leaning towards four stars until I realized that I have little interest in reading the sequel."
• Backscatter by Gregory Benford 3 stars "This short story is freely available online at Tor.com. It's a throwback to old-school science fiction, which is both good and bad."
• The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester 2 stars "The Demolished Man had two strikes against it -- it is 60 years old, so a lot of it feels anachronistic, and it features ESP prominently." 
• A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan 4 stars
• The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi by Pat Cadigan 2 stars "I kind of liked the characters and the setting, but it was hard to slog through the style."
• Bossypants by Tina Fey 5 stars "This was a light, quick read."
• Atom Drive by Charles L. Fontenay 3 stars "A solid Golden Age story...exciting science, flat characters."
• Rangers FC - We Don't Do Walking Away by Lisa Gray 3 stars "This book is essentially a series of match reports with just a little bit of background and personal reflection added." 
• The Boy Who Cast No Shadow by Thomas Olde Heuvelt 3 stars "A well-executed story, but not one that connected with me."
• The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin 2 stars "I fell asleep every time I picked it up, and didn't finish any books until a month later when I set it aside." 
• Mantis Wives by Kij Johnson 2 stars "Even if you find the joke funny (I didn't), it's just a one-joke story."
• Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones 4 stars
• After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress 3 stars
• The Stars Do Not Lie by Jay Lake 3 stars "The characters are kind of neat, and the setting has some promise, but the ultimate payoff is not fantastic."
• Mono no Aware by Ken Liu 4 stars "This is a nice, clean science fiction story set aboard a generation spaceship that has been launched to save a remnant of humanity from a killer asteroid headed towards Earth." 
• Someone Could Get Hurt by Drew Magary 4 stars "This was a quick, funny read, with a few literal laugh-out-load moments."
• New World Mindfulness by Donald McCown 4 stars "This book is excellent for those looking for an introduction to the concept of mindfulness without a heavy dose of Buddhism." 
• The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter 3 stars "The main two characters in the book (one of them an AI) speak to each other in ways that sound like a 14-year-old nerd's idea of witty banter."
• The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson 4 stars "It fell short of five stars for lacking the intangible elements that would make me want to stay up late to finish it, or urge others to read it once I was done." 
• Redshirts by John Scalzi 2 stars "It was a struggle to get through this book, though less so as it went along."
• Tales of Majipoor by Robert Silverberg 5 stars "It is sad to think this book represents my final visit to Majipoor." 
• The Emperor of Mars by Allen Steele 4 stars "It was a very enjoyable tale of someone on a realistic version of a future Mars who finds mental refuge in older, less realistic visions of Mars." 
• Fade to White by Catherynne M. Valente 3 stars "The 1950s-parody style wore thin pretty quickly."

Bowie Restaurant Project: (78) Irie Cafe

Irie Cafe is now closed.

Irie Cafe, 6840 Race Track Rd
Most Recent Foursquare Check-in: 12/19/2013
Total Foursquare Check-ins: 2
Pre-Foursquare Visits: No
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


Jamaican food comes to Bowie! Irie Cafe has opened in Hilltop Plaza, right next to Chesapeake Grille.

On my first visit, I tried the Jerk Chicken, since I think of that as the "classic" Jamaican dish. The lunch special comes with two sides, but no drink. I had the rice & peas and the redskin potatoes. Everything was excellent.

Irie Cafe Interior

On my return, with four co-workers, I tried the goat curry. I switched sides from the rice & peas to the jasmine rice for variety; I don't think it was worthwhile to do so. The goat curry was very good. One of the problems with goat is that the bones are very small, so you end up picking them out of your mouth too often. That was the case here, but that's not really the fault of Irie. I think they are the only place in Bowie to offer goat; they may be the only purveyor of curry, as well. A colleague enjoyed his chicken curry; I think I'd go that direction next time. (But I had to try the goat).

Someone else had the jerk chicken and found it dry. My previous visit had occurred soon after opening at 11; the later trip began at 12:15, but it was getting close to 1 by the time our food arrived. So there may be some freshness issues with that dish. I can't really recommend arriving promptly at 11, though; the one time I tried that, they weren't open yet.

A word about prices -- even the lunch specials start at $10. You're not going to find any bargains here. The soft drinks are $3, and the homemade drinks, while tasty, will set you back $3.90.

Despite my concerns about the disorganization and the prices, I'm giving it four stars. Tasty food in an attractive, non-chain restaurant is worth at least 3.5 stars, and I'll give it an extra half-star for the uniqueness of the cuisine.

That said, I think 9 out of 10 times (or 99 out of 100?), I will head next door to Chesapeake Grille instead. I just don't have cravings for jerk chicken often enough to justify the extra expense. I mostly see myself coming here with groups of people who are looking for something a little unusual.

Hilltop Plaza has a pretty crowded restaurant scene now, with Irie, Chesapeake, Outback, Olive Grove, East Delight and Jersey Mike's. I don't pretend to understand much about entrepreneurship, but I suspect all six will not remain standing in a year's time.

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Bowie Restaurant News

Olive Grove is open as well. I've visited twice, with mixed results, so I will probably do a tie-breaker third visit. Six restaurants to go, then!

This used to be a Subway, but now it's all covered with flowers.

Bowie is down to 5 Subway restaurants. The Subway in Bowie Town Center is no more. I have mixed feelings. It was one of the better choices in a sad food court, but its closure raises hopes that something better will come along. In the mean time, just go to Carolyn Quinn's.

Bowie Restaurant Project: (BB6) Royal Kabab

For an explanation of the Bowie Restaurant Project, look here.


For a list of all the Bowie Restaurant Project reviews, look here.

Royal Kabab, 738 Rte. 3 N, Gambrills
Most Recent Foursquare Check-in: 11/17/2013
Total Foursquare Check-ins: 2
Pre-Foursquare Visits: No
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

With the not-much-lamented demise of The White Tiger, Bowie is without Indian food. Those looking for some Chicken Tikka Masala have to head up Route 3 to Gambrills, to a gas station of all places.

Now one of my rules is, "Don't eat in a gas station," so I hesitated going here. But I had heard such good things about this place that I decided to try it anyway.

My first impressions were not promising. I tried to end up the restaurant directly and startled somebody in a supply close. No, you have to go into the BP mart and then the space Royal Kabab shares with a Subway. (The combined space is not particularly large.)

On my first visit, I got the lunch buffet. The offerings had not been freshened recently, but were still quite good. The proprietor brought us some salad and enthusiastically encouraged me to come back for more once he had put out new food. I ate more than I planned to, and more than I should have, which is probably the strongest endorsement I can give this restaurant. My colleagues who got items off the menu were also quite happy.

The second time I visited, I had the chicken tikka kabab. I enjoyed it, but I was less thrilled. If the buffet is available, I don't think I will plan to get anything else.

I've had better Indian food, but not within 20 minutes of Bowie. If you're willing to drive half an hour, go to Tiffin along Route 193 in Takoma Park. That's a restaurant I could give 5 stars to. I'm hesitant to give 4 stars to a place with the ambiance of Royal Kabab, but as the only Indian option in the region, and a tasty one, it gets 4 stars.

Bowie Restaurant Project: (75) Pizza Hut (Superior Ln) & (76) Pizza Hut/Starbucks (Target) & (77) Pizza Hut (Pointer Ridge)

For an explanation of the Bowie Restaurant Project, look here.

For a list of all the Bowie Restaurant Project reviews, look here.

I am once again consolidating the reviews of several chain restaurants into one post.

Pizza Hut, 3319 Superior Ln
Most Recent Foursquare Check-in: 9/26/2012
Total Foursquare Check-ins: 1
Pre-Foursquare Visits: Yes
Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

"We're out of dough." "What?" "We're out of dough."

That's not an auspicious way to start a visit to a restaurant that has "pizza" in its name. I soon clarified that they were out of the personal pan pizza dough, but that they had the dough to make the other pizzas. I declined an offer to pay more money for a larger pizza and decided to return the next day, after they got a delivery.

They didn't get the delivery, but the next time the woman behind the counter offered to make me a personal pan pizza with non-regulation dough, and I took her up on it. It was an adequate pizza.

I seem to recall that they had table service (or at least a lunch buffet) in the 1990s, when I last ate there. Now it's ordering at a counter.

Pizza Hut/Starbucks, 4600 Mitchellville Road
Most Recent Foursquare Check-in: 9/12/2012
Total Foursquare Check-ins: 1
Pre-Foursquare Visits: No
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

I'm not sure why the Starbucks and Pizza Hut inside Target are considered part of the same restaurant. The Starbucks part doesn't really contribute to the restaurant-ness, though, so I ignored it.

They didn't have any pizza ready to go when I visited around 1pm, so I had to wait, which was kind of weird. They were really nice about bringing my pizza to me in the little seating area. The pizza was below Pizza Hut standards, but edible. I would compare this place to the 1-star Uno Express inside BJ's club. You don't have a lot of choices in the Gateway Shopping Center with Monterey closed, but honestly, head to Wendy's or Bob Evans before you head here.

Pizza Hut/Starbucks, 1290 Crain Hwy
Most Recent Foursquare Check-in: 11/3/2013
Total Foursquare Check-ins: 1
Pre-Foursquare Visits: No
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

This Pizza Hut is the only one in Bowie with wait service, and the southernmost restaurant in Bowie.

My rule for restaurants with wait service is that I have to have a dining companion for at least one visit. That way, I don't just get absorbed in reading stuff on my phone and ignore the quality of the service. The Pizza Hut was one of the harder sells from the list, and one of the reasons this review is towards the end of the Project. Nevertheless, I suggested that Ben and I stop by here on the way to the Redskins game last weekend for a pre-game meal.

He and I were debating partners in high school, and it was our tradition to find a different Pizza Hut after each debate tournament. I doubt we ever made it to this one. Sadly, Pizza Hut no longer carries birch beer, a staple of our 1980s visits.

Stuffed Pizza Rollers!

The wait service was really friendly. The focus clearly isn't on the dine-in experience, though. If you go to the web site to look at the menu, your two options are carryout and delivery. The pizza and appetizers were pretty good, and we got a lot of food (and sodas) for two people for around $20.

So I'm going to give this a surprisingly high 2-and-half star rating. Here's my reasoning. You can get a personal pan pizza there for $3.25. That's a cheap date. In other words, this Pizza Hut may be the cheapest place in Bowie to go and be waited on. For teenagers, that's important, since it introduces them to the art of dinner conversation with someone other than their family. So for an inexpensive place to go eat with your friends, and one of the few places in South Bowie, it gets 2-and-a-half stars. For the rest of us, go to Uno, or for takeout, Cetrone's, instead.

Five reviews to go! (Plus new restaurants as they open.)

Geocaching Update #1: Free State Mover #1 is almost home

In June, I posted the above image giving an overview of the journey of Free State Mover #1, my geocoin that had reappeared after four years of inactivity. Well, it's now back in Maryland and awaiting pickup.

It bounced around Massachusetts for a while, headed to West Virginia (not the close part), and then landed in a cache not too far from Rock Creek Trail in the North Chevy Chase area. I'll have to plan an expedition to retrieve.

Bowie Restaurant Project: (74) LongHorn Steakhouse

For an explanation of the Bowie Restaurant Project, look here.

For a list of all the Bowie Restaurant Project reviews, look here.

LongHorn Steakhouse, 4100 Town Center Blvd
Most Recent Foursquare Check-in: 9/13/2013
Total Foursquare Check-ins: 2
Pre-Foursquare Visits: No
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

If you want to have a steak in Bowie, LongHorn is a decent choice. I would probably prefer Outback, but I think that's a matter of personal preference, rather than quality. Also, LongHorn is open for lunch, so there's no competition there. I bet Old Bowie Town Grille does a pretty good steak, too. But for being right there in Bowie Town Center and being a decent chain, LongHorn earns 3 stars.

To make the trip more exciting, colleagues of mine and I headed to LongHorn via the BizBus, Bowie's new shuttle bus. The experience was nice enough. If I were heading to Bowie Town Center from Melford, there's not that much advantage to driving. On the other hand, the driver said that we were the first people he had ever picked up from that particular stop, so I think ridership has a way to go.

We all enjoyed our meals. The service was excellent, if not speedy, and the food was cooked as ordered. Prices were a bit high for lunch, but on the other hand, you get to eat steak, so that's not a surprise.

A return engagement for takeout food was slightly less successful, with my burger a little overcooked, and the fries somewhat disappointing.

A confession: I forgot that I hadn't written a review of LongHorn, and two months on, I struggled to remember much about the visit. On the one hand, that's a strike against it -- not memorable. On the other hand, it had no memorable deficiencies, so I think an "average" rating of 3 stars is appropriate.

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Bowie Restaurant News

Olive Grove is opening next Wednesday, November 13. I'm planning to visit with co-workers the following week to check it out.

Not counting Olive Grove and other yet-to-open restaurants, I have eight restaurants left in Bowie that I have yet to review. Three of those are Pizza Huts. I have visited all three; they will be dispensed with in a single post coming up soon.

I visited Royal Kabab in Gambrills with some co-workers recently. It is hard to get past the fact that it is in a gas station. You really need to get past that, however. Not only is it the only Indian/South Asian restaurant in the area (after the demise of The White Tiger), it's good! I will probably add this to my "Beyond Bowie" series after another visit.

Bowie Restaurant Project: (BB5) Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill

For an explanation of the Bowie Restaurant Project, look here.


For a list of all the Bowie Restaurant Project reviews, look here.

Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill, 14106 South Main Chapel Way, Gambrills
Most Recent Foursquare Check-in: 10/27/2013
Total Foursquare Check-ins: 2
Pre-Foursquare Visits: No
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bowie could sure use a Mediterranean restaurant. Now, my preference would be for Lebanese Taverna -- if you have the time, the closest one is the Cafe in Annapolis. But since I tend to restrict myself to a shorter radius around Bowie for these reviews, Garbanzo is a nice substitute.

Christina and the boys enjoying their meals

Garbanzo opened its Gambrills location in July of this year. It has twenty-some locations, mostly in Colorado, but appears to have an ambitious expansion plan. The basic way to order is to choose, pita, laffa or a plate and then add a protein. The first time I was there, the guy behind the counter advised the plate, since you get a pita with that anyway. The proteins are basically falafel, shwarma or "falarma" (a combination), with a couple of other options. The kids meals are a grilled cheese pita, a chicken or steak rice bowl or a stuffed half pita.

I should note that Salem and I suffered a little bit of discomfort the night after eating the baba ghanoush, so make of that what you will.

Overall, I was very satisfied. I like Mediterranean food. This is good-but-not-great Mediterranean food, and reasonably priced. Given that it's next door to where the kids get their haircuts, I think we'll be going there again. I will also be recommending it to people from work, particularly for its good vegetarian options.

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Bowie Restaurant News

I'm still awaiting the opening of three new Bowie restaurants -- Irie Cafe, Olive Grove, and Anthony's New York Pizza & Pasta. Irie Cafe looks almost done when you peer in the window. Olive Grove has made steady progress and stated a November opening date. Anthony's was doing a lot of work for a while, but it seems to have ground to a halt for some reason.