Due To Public Demand...

Here's another post,  necessitated by a great outcry from my reading public (Mom).

I'll start with my current reading.  I'm nearly done with The Windup Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami.  My opinion of this novel will hinge upon the last 50 pages.  It has been interesting so far, with some terrific sections, but I'll need a good ending before I say it is a good book.
This is the second of Murakami's books I've read.  1Q84 was the first.  Oddly, I can't quite say I really, really liked it.  I can only say I found it extremely interesting. His writing style is unique, and I'm fascinated by it, but the plot was strange and not quite satisfying.  The Windup Bird Chronicle is turning out to be more of the same. 
I've never read anyone who writes at all like him. Though I can't quite form a coherent opinion of his work,  I must like it because half-way through this one I saw another of his novels,  A Wild Sheep Chase, and bought it.

The other novel I'm reading is Sacre Bleu, by Christopher Moore.  I'm perhaps 1/3 of the way through this one.  Very enjoyable, as are all his books.  This one has driven me to Wikipedia a lot.  The plot revolves around late 19th century painters. Henri Toulouse Lautrec, Pissaro, Renoir, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Whistler are all involved in the story.
I could probably fact check many of the references with Mark, and just a few years ago I would have, but now I have Wikipedia.  And I turn to it frequently since my art history knowledge is (or was, until a week ago) non-existent.  But I'm now learning quite a lot, especially about the post-impressionists.

Now that I think about it, The Windup Bird Chronicle has driven me to Wikipedia a lot, too.  Lots of references to post WWII Japan, Manchuria, and Siberia have touched upon historical topics I find interesting but know very little about.

Other than my reading, and work, I've pretty much just been playing softball.  In fact, tonight's game was my 9th in 8 days.  That's too many.  But I played 5 games in a tournament Saturday, so that skewed the numbers.  It must not have worn me out too much, though, because after the game last night I was asked to sub this coming Friday and said 'sure, I'll play.'   
Actually, I'd love to play in the Friday league all the time. It's a good league and the place is absolutely packed with people on Friday nights.  It's a lot of fun.  Plus I don't have to work on Saturdays.

One more interesting thing (interesting to me, anyway) about softball, then I'm done.   For quite a few years I played two nights a week, and that was it.   I played both nights with exactly the same team, hung out after the game with that team, then went home. 
But the last 3 or 4 years I've played 3, 4, and sometimes 5 nights per week, and I've played in more weekend tournaments.  I've played on different teams, too, and greatly increased the number of players I know by name and who know me.  And what's most relevant to my point is that I've gotten to know almost all the umpires around town.  Lots of them know my name, and almost all the rest at least know me by sight, and if they don't know my name they at least know who I play for and what position I play.   
And the point is, I've noticed that I now get very favorable ball/strike calls.   This year and last I've noticed that most of the time if I don't swing at a borderline pitch the umpires call it a ball.  There are lots of 50/50 calls on ball/strike, but lately they all seem to go in my favor. Quite a few of them are pitches that I would have called a strike myself, but I get the call.  I can't help but see a correlation between that and the fact that before my games the umpires see me, say "Hi, Kevin," and come over to talk to me for a minute.
I guess I'm finally starting to see the benefits of networking- just years too late and in a non-lucrative aspect of life.