Dracula —

I saw something on Reddit about reading classic horror.  Having read Frankenstein long ago I did know that the books don't much follow the subsequent movies and other spinoffs.  Thinking I'd drop it shortly after starting I kicked off an audio of  Bran Stoker's Dracula read by Robert Whitfield.   A couple of things about this audiobook.  

First, it is a little famous having been performed in an extraordinary manner by Whitfield.  Dozens of spot on accents fill male and female, German, British, Romanian, and American characters with personality and individuality breathing life into the story.  That was the first surprise.

The second is that, like Frankenstein, the movie story does not much follow the book.  The movies are about Dracula and hinge on his dramatic appearance and his dramatic actions.  I've seen Nosferatu and Lugosi's versions and even the Broadway play with Frank Langella.  In all cases it was all about the vampire and the rest of the story was ancillary.  

Turns out Stoker is an excellent writer.  This is gothic lit at its best, full of drama.  But the descriptions of place and the prose is just luscious.  When the horses pull a wagon you can really hear the hooves and see the dirt flying off of them.  Set in the late 1800's the world was full of energy and potential and all the inventions of the early 20th century on the near horizon.  The story is a trip back into the depths of earlier times that resonate with danger.

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My dog excuses

I ran across this in the work chat summary

having to drop house today and tomoorw mu dog chewed up our internet cord outaide will not be fixed  

The new 'my dog ate my homework' excuse.

Happy Pi Day

The pun you can eat!!

Pie courtesy of our community HOA