Juan you did a GREAT job on the poster!

He is a cutie, I looked him up on youtube, he's amazing!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNmh6q1UF3g

Makes me wish I had practiced more on my 6th grade recorder.

Today, I'll say H.G. Bissinger's Friday Night Lights. I'll have a different answer tomorrow.

Bruce it's funny, I just talked to a friend about movie verses book, she said she always reads the book before seeing the movie, I told her I would rather see the movie first, than read the book, because the movie very rarely lives up to the book, so I almost always hate the movie if I have read the book first.

The Eragon movie, I took my son and his friend to see it and I loved it because it was a great little boy adventure. I read the book and realized how off everything was and I know if I had read it first the whole time the movie was on I would be going  "Oh great that's not how it happened in the book."

Is the TV show based on this book and if yes, do you watch the TV show?

Al you have to answer the get to know you questions I posted several pages back.

Al wrote:
"I knew I shouldn't have popped in. I still don't have time to go back and catch up on anything yet and I'm already catching grief for it.

But I know what you mean about avatars, Joakim."

Yeah. Friendly virtual faces. :)

Al-so wrote:
"(And my 'catching grief' comment was not directed at you, Jodi. I can't wait to get to your questions. It's our candy-coated Swede who's riding me about things on Facebook of all places. Sheesh.)"

Well, given the stern telling off I received for not having washed and waxed the internet in your absence, methinks I've earned the right to ride you a little.  ;)

Now ride sALly, sALly ride!  ;)

Is the TV show based on this book and if yes, do you watch the TV show?

*********

Jodi, the TV show is very loosely based on the book. And I mean, very loosely. Both revolve around high school football in Texas, but beyond that, there's not much in common.

I watched the first episode of the TV show, but it didn't do much for me. Neither did the movie which came out a few years back.

The book Friday Night Lights actually is non-fiction. It's the true story of a high school football team in Odessa, Texas, where high school football is (or, at least, was in the late 1980s) the city's obsession. However, the book reads like a novel - Bissinger does such an awesome job of painting the picture of these characters. We really get inside their heads and find out what makes them tick.

I found most of these kids to be highly sympathetic. Far from the "Big Man on Campus" jock stereotypes, most seemed to feel trapped by something far bigger than their ability to cope with it.

While it certainly helps to be a sports fan, I don't think you have to like football to appreciate this book.

EDIT TO ADD: Very nice work on the poster Juan!

Bruce it sounds like a book Chuck would love, I think I'll get it for him for Christmas. He loves football, I swear he watches old superbowls during the summer, which drives me crazy.

Al here are the questions:

Answer the following

• Favorite movie:
• Favorite all time Comic Book Character:
• Favorite vacation spot:
• Place you would like to one day visit:
• Favorite book:
• Favorite song:
• Favorite musical group:
• Favorite kind of food:
• Favorite Animal/Pet:
• Hobbie:
• Favorite TV show:
• Big city or Country:
• Favorite season:
• From a big family or a small family:
• Best kid memory:

Hobbie: Holly?

That cracked me up!

I have a bad story about driving in L.A. Me and my buddy were at a beach and we were ready to head back to the hotel when I realized I had to use the bathroom. The beach bathroom looked unsanitary so I asked my buddy how long it would take to get back to the hotel (we'd taken a roundabout route to get to the beach) and he looked at the map and said about five to ten minutes. On the freeway. At four in the afternoon. On a weekday.

Traffic is smooth getting onto the freeway but then immediately comes to a stop and I start getting a little worried. I start to realize that the burrito I ate earlier is not happy with me at all and would very much like to part ways. I start to sweat so I open the window to try to cool down. Oddly enough, being a Canadian boy, I don't find the afternoon temperature in L.A to be very cooling. I'm hot and sweaty, hoping that a path will magically appear in traffic and we will be able to start moving. The worst part was the fact that our exit was in sight. Less than a quarter mile down the freeway. A thirty second drive if there was no traffic.

Over an hour passes and finally our walking speed traffic flow allows me to exit the freeway, a few minutes later we're at our hotel. I jump out of my car, hurdle over a bike rack and race to the door, only to remember my buddy had the key. He tosses it to me and I fumble it as I try to get it in the lock and it falls to the ground. I long string of expletives erupt from me as I'm not sure I can bend over without letting go but there was no other choice and I managed to pick up the key. Barely had time to get my pants down.

Meanwhile my buddy, who had been trying not to laugh for the drive has succumbed to temptation and is giggling away in the other room. After about five minutes he knocks on the door and mentions he needs to use the bathroom. Luckily I had left a book in there so I took a bath. And read the book. From start to finish.