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.

Lurking: How a Person Became a User by Joanne McNeil

While this book contains a lot of negative feedback toward our current state of internet and social pedia, McNeil also gets pretty sentimental about the earlier days of the internet. I felt more than a little sappy when she compared being on Myspace to having been at Woodstock.

If you're at all interested in how our social nature has changed while diving into a ton of extra information on the websites that invented the habits that are now second nature, then I would recommend Lurking. It was a fascinating, though sometimes depressing read.