Closing out the Month of May with Jack Bauer and Lucas Davenport

It was difficult to say good-bye to Jack Bauer last week.  After all, we’ve been together for eight years (actually nine counting the writer’s strike) – longer than most of my relationships anyway.  I’m not sure how well I’ll weather Monday nights next year – I fear a long, cold, depressing winter without the weekly stress relief of watching Jack pummel someone into confessing something week after week.  I wish we had him on Wall Street.  At least I can look forward to the 24 movies.  I’m hoping they’ll be at least 3 hours?  In retrospect – thoughts on some memories of my years with Jack:

1.  Delivering the guy’s head in the bowling bag
2.  Torturing his douchebag brother
3.  Serving his country after 2 years in a Chinese prison
4.  Serving his country as he’s battling drug addiction
5.  Chopping off Chase’s arm with an ax
6.  Aaron
7.  His addiction to whiny blond women – who get whinier when they are either shot or getting shot at (i.e., Audrey, Kim)
8.  President Palmer (the first one)
9.  Peter Weller
10.  The “Dammit Chloe” drinking game

Stay safe, Jack, until next time…

I was very happy to see the new John Sandford book, Storm Prey, on the Dakota County Library “Lucky U” shelf on Thursday.  I was 100 plus on the reserve list and I thought I’d have to break down and buy it for the holiday weekend.  Memorial Day weekend, great weather and Lucas Davenport – does it get any better than that?

Storm Prey has a lot to do about weather, I mean Weather Karkinnen, Lucas’s wife.  I have tolerated Weather in the past.  I realize she is the mother of Lucas’s children, saved his life (at least once that I recall), has settled him down significantly and all, but she is the ball and chain to our old wild boy, Lucas.  I know now when I’m reading a Prey book that the only chick Lucas will be bedding is his wife.  Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that fact that Lucas is a standup, faithful, family guy – but the only action of that kind is either going to be by the bad guys in the book or, perhaps, by Virgil Flowers (who does make a regular appearance in Storm Prey – yay!).  But Weather holds her own and I can even picture a mean driving scene in Weather’s Audi that would translate well into film.  Our Lucas is steady, focused and still the guy I want on my local, criminal investigation team.  He just needs to go fishing a little bit more in the next book…and bring Virgil too…

Unguilty Pleasures: My 3 other men…

I know I’m not the easiest person to live with – that’s probably why I stayed single so long.  I needed a very strong man, one I couldn’t walk all over while wearing stiletto heels (after I kicked his butt to the curb).  I needed someone who could keep up with me, challenge me when necessary, and be able to live with a double masculine Aries woman and somewhat enjoy it.  I fortunately found the guy that could do all this and I married him last April.

But –  he has to share me with 3 other men.  He’s been very accommodating on that front.  Probably because he thinks these guys are, after all,  fictional characters.  Hmmm…

1.  Jack Bauer.  There are few things to get excited about living in Minnesota during January.  For me, the only thing to look forward to at this time of year is the return of 24, Season 8, Fox, Monday nights (with the premiere scheduled for Sunday, January 17th, 8 CT).  Jack has been in my life since the very first episode.  Working for the CTU (counter-terrorism unit) back then was the foreshadowing of life that was to become post-9/11 America.  Jack has been a hero, a true patriot to the United States, even when his country’s leaders have turned against him and questioned his loyalty.  But other leaders have remained steadfast in their support of Jack – such as:

• Bill Clinton:  http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2007/10/01/2007-10-01_torture_like_jack_bauers_would_be_ok_bil.html
• Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia:    http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/06/20/justice-scalia-hearts-jack-bauer/
• Senator John McCain:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/09/mccain-im-like-jack-bauer_n_125146.html?page=7
• Even veiled support from the Obama administration:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123267082704308361.html

It is difficult, even for someone as strong and committed as Jack Bauer, to continue serving America year after year.  I can see Jack in the private sector – perhaps using his unlimited interrogation talents to counsel corporate America.  He could write and speak on what I call What Would Jack Bauer Do – The Corporate Guide to Getting Things Done!  No more inefficient management meetings (shoot them in the kneecaps), missed deadlines on key projects (choke them with lamp cords), whining/entitled employees (use of battery cables) or government bailouts of too-big-to-fail corporations (inject with hallucinogenic drugs).  Just Jack: http://www.fox.com/24/

2.  Mitch Rapp.  Mitch and I just started our relationship this past summer.  Mitch is a 20+ year covert operative of the CIA.  Like Jack, his service to this country became public in 2000 through 10 (current count) books written by Minnesotan, Vince Flynn:  http://www.vinceflynn.com/index.htm.  The Obama Administration was likely referring to Rapp’s interrogation techniques when attempting to lessen “torture” use by CIA and other black op units – both foreign and domestic.  However, when reading Mitch’s experiences, one would be challenged to dispute that any of Rapp’s measures were anything but appropriate, given the circumstances.

3.  Lucas Davenport.   Lucas and I have been involved for about 20 years now.  John Sandford will be releasing his 20th Prey book  in 2010:  http://www.johnsandford.org/directory.html.  Lucas is your typical St. Paul kind of guy.  Works primarily in the Twin Cities and Western Wisconsin.  He’s been with the Minneapolis Police Department, the BCA, and pulled into every special mess that the Governor’s office can bring him in on.  Lucas does have that charm that Jack and Mitch might lack.  He might not employ the same interrogation techniques, but he still gets the job done and I do want him on the other side of that firearm if I need protection (Lord knows, he has many to choose from).  Lucas made his fortune developing war game software (hence the house on E. River Road, the Porsche and the affinity for nice Italian-made clothing and shoes).  Lucas also enjoys his downtime.  He can take me fishing any day of the week.  We can hop in the Porsche (or the truck), grab some beer, listen to the iPod and put the Beretta on the dashboard, just in case.