Read the entire story above. Very interesting.

I have sampled the Midas Touch and the Theobroma. I absolutely love the Midas Touch and strongly suggest it to all my friends. The Theobroma was an enjoyable and interesting experience. I would suggest it only for people who are fellow “beer snobs.”

My girlfriend made me a box to keep stuff in with a cool collage of things I like. Thought I’d post it.

I’m really looking forward to the US remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I saw the original Swedish one on Netflix, but as with most book-to-movie adaptations, I was slightly disappointed. I felt too many key scenes were left out. It felt very rushed. I realize that not everything in a book will make it into the movie, but often times I feel too much is left out. From what I can tell from the extraordinary trailer above, several scenes that were left out of the Swedish film will be making an appearance in the US film. Hopefully the US version doesn’t rush the story, and leaves time for development of plot, characters, and mystery.

I’m also excited because of the major players attached to the movie. I’ve been a fan of director David Fincher since seeing Se7en; Fight Club only added to his appeal. I believe he is the perfect pick to direct this movie. As for the main characters, Daniel Craig seems a bit too fit/slim to play Blomkvist. I always pictured the character being a little pudgy. I think Daniel Craig has the face and acting style for the part, but I hope he can lose a bit of that James Bond physique. Rooney Mara is playing Lisbeth, and admittedly I’m not familiar with her. When I looked up her imdb page, I was a little dismayed at how “mainstream” she looked. I wonder if she can play the euro-punk character of Lisbeth. She looks good in the trailer, but I still have some doubts. I think Allison Scagliotti would have made a great Lisbeth. True, she’s a bit bubbly in Warehouse 13, but when I read the novel, my mind jumped directly to her as Lisbeth. One of my favorite past times is to cast/recast stories, so I’m pretty opinionated about who plays who. Expect more casting posts.

The other reason the trailer for the movie got me all excited is the song featured in the trailer. It’s a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” by Trent Reznor and Karen O. I’m hoping it is released on itunes, Amazon, or Sony soon. Could be one of the best usages of a song in a trailer ever.

Here’s my last artsy landscape photo. I can’t wait to return to the Two Hearted River with my fishing pole.

Here’s another cool photo from the trip. This is right before the Two Hearted runs into Lake Superior.

Thought I’d post a scenic photo from my trip

I’ve already got the beginning of my summer reading planned out. Here’s my Book Queue (yeah, I use Netflix WAY too much).

1.) The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

I read the first book of the Millennium series in November and loved it. I’ve already started this one, and I like it so far.

2.) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My girlfriend had to read this for one of her teaching courses, and insists that I give it a try. She claims it’s right up my alley. Another friend who is a teacher also suggested it. I have no aspirations to be a teacher, but it looks like a quick read and I try to listen when people recommend things to me. If I like it, I’ll probably slam out the next two books before moving on to my #3 book.

3.) A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

After watching the first episode of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” I was hooked on the series. I bought the first book and hammered it out in 3 days. I really enjoy the unpredictable nature of the author and I’m a sucker for anything with family history, sigils and mottoes. I realize there are several other books in the series, but I’m going to read another book in-between to help break-up the story. I believe the author wanted it that way rather than one giant Lord of the Rings style story (I realize LoR is 3 books, but they were originally meant to be one).

4.) Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Looks like a quirky novel, and they’re making it into a movie.

5.) A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin

See #3 above

6.) The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

I loved the other “Robert Langdon” books and this one sneaked by me. I loved the history involved in the other books, and I bet I’ll love this one too.

7.) The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest by Stieg Larsson

See #1 above

I’ll keep updating the list throughout the summer.

glacierbandits:

There are some people whose day just cannot start without a good cup of coffee. I’m not one of those, so why am I even writing this post? Simple. I have been around those that just cannot get started in the morning without coffee. As a morning person, I tend to be the focus of their…

I agree with this 100%. A morning java is a requirement for me. I recently took a few Vias on a canoe camping trip, and was extremely impressed with the quality and taste. I’m not a fan of Starbucks (I prefer to support the local, independent roasters), but the Via is one of the best backpacking/camping inventions in awhile. It won a Backpacker magazine Editor’s Choice award in 2010.