Difilippo's Pizza of Ozark Alabama

On a long stretch of road, which might feel like the middle of nowhere, you will find one of Alabama's first pizza joints. It's a cozy joint, which feels like an extra warm basement with a piano, leather booths, and tiffany lamps everywhere. While my pie took longer than expected to arrive at my table, I was very pleased. It had a ratio of 2cr/1ce/3ch*.

The crust gets a 3 out of 5. It could have been more chewy, with a longer proof and more yeast flavor. But there was plenty of grease to compensate. Difilipo's sauce gets a 4 out of 5. It's properly thick, more savory than sweet or tangy, which pairs well with the buttery crust.

For overall quality, I'll give Difilippo's a 4 out of 5. The pizza was obviously made with love, with a very nice stretch to its cheese. However, I think a pizza should be cooked from the bottom up, instead of the top down. Maybe if a true pizza oven was used, the pie could have been cooked directly on the stone instead of on its pan. While my slices were foldable, the bottom was obviously quite soft. Despite my verbiage in dedication to this minor gripe, it is a minor gripe. The rest of the pizza was perfect.

For style, I give Difilippo's a 5 out of 5. It's a cozy spot with non-fancy food made right and made with love. The best kind of place. With an overall score of 80%, I'll do my best to return and send all my friends by way of this wonderful pizza joint.

* There is a scale for thickness of crust. 1 is paper thin, usually new york style. 5 is a sicilian or thickly crusted deep dish. Papa John's would get a 3. Pizza Hut pan pizza would get a 4.

There is a scale for the volume of sauce. 1 is a very thin spread. Not enough to make a 1 crust become soggy. 1 sauce with any other type of crust will make the pizza seem like cheesy bread. A 5 for sauce would be a lake between a curved bowl of crust and cheese. Papa John's would get a 3. Pizza Hut would typically get a 2.

There is a scale for the volume of cheese. 1 is a dusting of a finely shredded cheese. The sauce will be visible and there may be holes in the coverage. 5 is a piling that spills across your pan (or box) when a slice is pulled away. Papa John's would get a 3. Pizza Hut would get a 4.

To make it simple, I write these ratios for mass and volume in code. CR means crust. CE means sauce. CH means cheese. And the final reading will look like 2cr/2ce/2ch. Got it?

How to Start Your Own Religion by Philip Athans

For thos who don't know, I'm a fan of Athans' narrative series and blog on writing Science Fiction and Fantasy. And after about eight years of reading every blog post, I finally got around to reading one of his novels. But this wasn't the novel, I was expecting. It's a parody of a self-help or general howto on, you guessed it, starting your own religion.

Of course there are all extremes of flavor outside the Christian denominations I'm familiar with. I could start an evil death cult with its own rituals and holidays. Apparently there are even religions that don't require some form of monetary support, but Athans advises us on coming up with sacred texts, and other forms of monetization. As you'd expect, powerful religious figures rarely keep day jobs. I might only recomend this book if you're really interested in that kind of thing. It's more funny than informative. Not super funny.

Cybele by Joyce Carol Oates

This was a good book to finish my flight and first few nights in Seattle. It tells the story of a very successful man in the sixties, and his complete fall from grace. Let's face it, most people put in positions of absolute power are not equipped to manage it. In fact, I doubt many career men with famlies knew how to take care of themselves very well. Not in the sixties.

But still, you kind of root for the guy to get better. Do better by his wife and following string of lovers, each reflecting a new stage of horrid self-discovery. Oates gets to the juice good in this one. I found myself unable to read the pages fast it enough. It's such a fun, dark time. Cybele very much affirmed the stun of Oates's talent. It's always great to go back to.

Tales of a Forth Grade Nothing by Judy Bloom

This was one of my favorite books as a forth grader, and my flight to Seattle was a good time to charge through this bit of nostalgia. It reviles the tale of Peter Hatcher, son of a New York ad man, and older brother to a rascally toddler by the name of Fudge.

Being an older sibling can be tough, but it helps to have some laughhs and build fun memories. That's what this book is about. Being seven years older than my sister Amy, there were some times in which I related to protagonist Peter. And I liked to read as a kid, so this series became one of my favorites. I even drew my own covers for the books and bound them with pieces of cardboard. One of my Fudge doodles even made it onto a pog, with my 'Milk Cap Maker'.

French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon

The French have, to me, some severe habits and expectations when it comes to eating. And that's just fine. While this book wasn't as enlightening as I hoped, in inspiring me to eat better, I was repeatedly aroused by the sense of culture that can exist in other places. I hardly notice the traditions and expectations that exist in our country.

And there are some french ways I think would be nice. Over there, kids at every school have a two hour, six course meal at lunch, teaching them to eat a variety of healthy foods with healthy habits. French don't eat alone, which could be a good thing, especially when you're one to go for more slices than you should. They don't have to deal with the shame of eating bad, because they habitually eat good and avoid obesity-causing habits at a young age. But alas, we live in America and tend toward the ways of those around us.

The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

I haven't seen the movie for this, so I don't know how to compare it. Let's consider this book another part of my education in classic thrillers. There's a mystery for a forward thinking photographer, mother, and wife who moves into Stepford with her successful husband.

They are generally on the same page, except when it comes to the Stepford Men's Association, or maybe it's club. There's something wrong with the wives in Stepford, and what it could be grows ever more scary as the mystery unfolds. It's a classic like that.

Don't Bite the Sun by Tanith Lee

I would call this a traditional sci-fi. A distant future Utopia. But Utopia never works, does it? I like the philosophical angle, fure sure. I'm not sure I appreciated having to read and reference so many made up words. I guess it's some kind of writing flex. Apparently there are more books in this series, and I'm somewhat interested in what other kind of stuff Tanith Lee does, so maybe I'll catch the next one.

Tom's Pizza Shop of Deland, Florida

Let's face, there has to be more than one, unaffiliated Tom's Pizza out there. But that's okay. This is DeLand's Tom's, a real hometown place with local adverts printed directly onto every table top. The whole little league team can enjoy a pizza party on the picnic tables out front while the grown-ups have some draft beer in plastic cups.

The pizza itself has a ratio of 2cr/1ce/1ch*. Their crust gets a 2 out of 5. Cooked on sheet pans, it sounds good on paper. A square box should might as well contain a square pizza. But the end result is much more like a homemade pizza than something from a restaurant. Maybe they don't have a real pizza oven at Tom's. The end result was lacking in chew and rise, likely due to being cooked at too low of a temperature. The dough was probably also underproofed. Though the bottom was somewhat greasey and enjoyable to stuff into my face. The flavor was also present, though somewhat lacking in yeasty sweetness.

Their sauce gets a somewhat generous 3 out of 5. It's somewhat watery and bland, but there's nothing disagreeable about it. For style, I do give Tom's a 5 out of 5. The place has no-frills in a way that's more genuine and cozy than places that are either trying to be hip or just don't have their act together. Instead of plates, diners are presented with a couple sheets of wax paper, which is fine. Better than styrofoam, for sure. Diet cokes are plentiful and everything has its own signature Tom's, non-pretentious style. But why is their ranch dressing pure white? I didn't want to ask.

For overall quality, I'll give Tom's a 4 out of 5. While their pizza recipe and method aren't exactly up to snuff, everything was made with love, by people who seem to care about what their doing. So Tom's final score is 70%. While I don't see myself getting take-out from there due to a craving, I will definitely return to have a chill hang once I have some friends to do so with.

* There is a scale for thickness of crust. 1 is paper thin, usually new york style. 5 is a sicilian or thickly crusted deep dish. Papa John's would get a 3. Pizza Hut pan pizza would get a 4.

There is a scale for the volume of sauce. 1 is a very thin spread. Not enough to make a 1 crust become soggy. 1 sauce with any other type of crust will make the pizza seem like cheesy bread. A 5 for sauce would be a lake between a curved bowl of crust and cheese. Papa John's would get a 3. Pizza Hut would typically get a 2.

There is a scale for the volume of cheese. 1 is a dusting of a finely shredded cheese. The sauce will be visible and there may be holes in the coverage. 5 is a piling that spills across your pan (or box) when a slice is pulled away. Papa John's would get a 3. Pizza Hut would get a 4.

To make it simple, I write these ratios for mass and volume in code. CR means crust. CE means sauce. CH means cheese. And the final reading will look like 2cr/2ce/2ch. Got it?

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

For those who don't know, The Gunslinger is the first in King's fantasy epic series The Dark Tower. This introduces our hero Roland, the gunslinger from the world before it moved on, whatever that means. There are a lot of mysteries, and we're on a quest to solve them. What a concept. Instead of sending heroes off to get things and destroy things, why not give the readers a mystery, so we're equally invested in the adventure.

This is a fun ride on a painfully bright, but darkly desolate, desperate path. Roland knows only his quest. His _ka_. And he's the last gunslinger, with two huge pistols hanging from his hips. It's not a european elf and troll fantasy. It's a western, and I can't wait to get through the rest.

The Stranger by Albert Camus

I listened to a lecture series on existentialism in which this book was mentioned a few times. I must have really gotten the concept, even in the enjoyment of this book. But I suppose there was supposed to be some kind of deeper meaning to The Stranger. Sometimes life goes bad when you live in complete indifference.

Choke by Chuck Palaniuk

This book is a story of a sex addict, told by himself. He's had a messed up life and he's a messed up guy. And when us readers are more than ready to find out how it ends, our minds are blown. But I felt less than blown away.

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeannette McCurdy

This story was too juicy to pass up, and I'm glad I read a massively popular piece during it's hype. Who wouldn't want to read this child star's horrific account of massive success? I was a little bit shocked by some of the awful things Jeannette's mom did, and I'm also glad for her to have died.

Let's avoid spoilers. If you're at all interested in stories of child stardom and abusive parents, I think you might as well pick this one up. Maybe you just like reading and don't know what next. This can be your next book. McCurdy's narrative is both hilarious and tragic. Sometimes I think to be a good writer, you also have to know how to be an entertainer. Such is the clear case here.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

I never read this book as a young one, so of course I had to check in on what all the hype is about. To me, this book is a funny sci fi adventure. There is a space opera element, but since the story starts on earth and it involves some paradigm stretching stuff, I'll disqualify its space opera status.

This is a funny book, as in on almost every page there's an attempt to make you laugh. And sometimes these gags fall flat. Sometimes they bog down the story. But it's all in good fun. The proglem is I could never figure out when to read fast and when to read slow, so I can tell what's happening in the story. I didn't have the patience of a true Douglas Adams enjoyer.

Aurora Dawn by Howard Wouk

I think this book is a classic, but I don't know where I found the reccomendation for it. It's about the radio business and the American Sell-Out. I'm not sure if that's an official trope, or where I've last experienced it. Good people can win their battles, but the world will continue on its course.