I watched Barcelona systematically dismantle Real Madrid today. The gulf between the two teams is enormous, even though they’re only a handful of points apart in the table. Madrid wasn’t ever in the game. They couldn’t staunch the flow of Barcelona all afternoon. If it wasn’t Eto’o, it was Ronaldinho. If it wasn’t Ronnie, it was Messi. Or Deco. Or Xavi.

In contrast, Madrid’s midfield looked lifeless. Zidane was marginalized and Beckham couldn’t get anything going. Ronaldo and Robinho looked isolated. The defense was shaky, Roberto Carlos in particular. The team might be decent enough to turn over most sides in La Liga and maybe most sides in Europe, but they’re a shadow of their former selves. So while they may be able to beat most teams, they certainly can’t compete with the elite. Real Madrid needs to take a hard look at Wanderley Luxemburgo’s setup as well as their buying practices. Madrid looked washed out and tired whereas Barca sparkled.

I’m listening to “Wolves of the Calla” by Stephen King. It’s okay.

In the Dark Tower series, I loved “The Gunslinger” and “The Drawing of the Three.” “The Wasteland” was so-so. “Wizard and Glass” was really quite good, although too long. I have a feeling that “Wolves of the Calla” will follow the same pattern, where the book is much longer than what really needs to be accomplished for the larger story arc. When’s the last time King has written a book that’s not thicker than your head?

What bugs me the most is how things just creep into the story. For instance, in “Wolves” we suddenly hear about “going todash” to travel between worlds. It’s never been mentioned before but now it becomes a mechanism essential to the story. I know that the whole Dark Tower series has been rumbling around in King’s head for most of his life, and I know the story somehow ties into his own personal life somehow (to be revealed in the last volume, I assume) but I don’t like how he seems to be making up the rules as he goes and trying to cover it with story. I understand that parts of the story you hadn’t visualized come out as you write as part of the creative process, but to me it just seems like King uses these plot devices to get himself out of jams. It feels false and forced.

And while I really like the way King plays with language and fables and sayings between the worlds, he overdoes it. So someone says, “It’s like a xyz” to which another character replies “what’s an xyz?” and then there has to be some explanation of what it means. Once or twice, it’s fine. It’s actually kind of cool. Five, six, seven times in the same conversation and it gets old. Really old.

I’ve downloaded “Wolves” and “Song of Susannah” (the next book in the series) which gives me about twenty-four hours each of listening. Sounds a bit excessive, doesn’t it?

“Waking up for breakfast, burning matches, talking quickly, breaking baubles, throwing garbage, drinking soda, looking happy, taking pictures, so completely stupid, just go away.”
- There’s No Home for You Here, The White Stripes

Awesome. Loving the White Stripes. Loving ‘em.

GRE tomorrow. :neutral:

Current Mood – Apathetic |
Currently Listening To – The White Stripes – “Elephant”