Not a lot of words

But plenty of new (and old) photos.

Check out the photos from March, April, and May as well as the newer ones from June and July. And of course there's always the kid's perspective on things with Elizabeth's Newest Photos. Here are a few choice photos to entice you.

Gone but almost not forgotten

I just finished The Forgotten 500 by Gregory A. Freeman and was not terribly impressed. It was a good story about how downed Allied pilots were rescued from Yugoslavia during WWII, but there were some hiccups. The format jumped around from person to person, which was fine. But it didn't quite flow logically. Then there was all the background information, typically about said person, that was layered on so thick you forgot about the last person they talked about.

So in the end, it was a good story about a good rescue mission. And like the mission, this will likely fly under the radar of many and become a casualty of poor intelligence to be forgotten in the tomes of history.

Another one down

And another one started. Just finished Robert Jordan's Path of Daggers (Wheel of Time #8). It was decent. The biggest thing I noticed (in the story) was that everything is getting more and more messed up and (in regards to the audio itself) that the Audible production is so much easier to use. By far the easiest and cheapest way to do audio books.

And I started a new book (also via Audible), The Forgotten 500.

Beyond HBO

I just finished reading Beyond Band of Brothers by Dick Winters. If you have never seen the Band of Brothers HBO miniseries, then you have no idea what life was like in the European theater during WWII (unless of course you were there). I'm a bit of a WWII movie fan, so I have a fair number of DVDs in my collection. Most are good. But until Saving Private Ryan came out, nothing really showed you what it was like.

Band of Brothers was even better at that. It showed the gruesome side, but mostly the human side. And that's why I like it.

Beyond Band of Brothers is like reading Ambrose's Band of Brothers. But from a slightly different perspective. Big surprise, I know. But it was good. And it was a fast read. And it gave some updated news on the survivors, mostly who died since the series came out.

Supercilious Superstitions

Sit down while you read this. It'll make the fall to the floor shorter as you laugh at me.



I'm sitting here listening to the Proclaimers Sunshine on Leith album remembering a previous girlfriend. More like a summer crush, really. I was getting ready for my Senior year of high school I believe and was a lifeguard at the pool next door (literally next door). The Proclaimer's I"m Gonna Be (500 Miles) was the song of the summer and I quickly made it "our song" whether she knew it or not.

And that's where we enter the oddities of my brain train. Because my brain train then jumped to Ace of Base's I Saw the Sign song which was the song I made "our song" with the girlfriend before that. This particular young lady had been my gal pal on and off for months in middle school. She taught me to kiss. Hold hands. And generally get pissed off. She was a bit moody and nutty at times. Seemed she felt the need to break up with me every month or two.



Anyway, aside from the emotional turmoil she put me through, she wanted to try dating again in high school. We went out a few times, but it never amounted to anything. Enter Ace of Base to fill the proverbial hole in my heart.

Which brings my brain train into the final station of Crazyville. Jimmy Stewart in Harvey. You see the last time this girl dumped me was during a date. When we were watching Harvey. And I've associated that heart-break with the movie. And have yet to watch it since then. I love it. I love Jimmy Stewart. But I've got this superstition about Harvey, like it's jinxed or something.

I guess Pavlov was right. Don't ring the bell too much, my keyboard will stop working from all that drool.

PS - Jimmie's Chicken Shack is next in queue on iTunes. And I purposely left names out. God knows what would happen if they ever Googled their names and saw I was talking about them.

The Hammer is My...

...well, some of you will get it.

Book Cart Drill Team

A Book Cart what? Drill Team. That's right, another stereotype smashed*. This time librarians. Sure, they sound like little old ladies who like things nice and quiet. Apparently not. Apparently they can dance. And move. And get down.



If I had known librarians were like this, I might have gone more often. Just search on "book cart drill team" and you'll see a slew of videos. Check out the Thriller one, it's good.

*My stereotypes on teachers was smashed years ago when I walked in on my wife and another older teacher (who could have easily been my mom's age) talking about sex (after school and without kids in the room of course). And what she wore to bed. And I wanted to curl up and die form embarrassment. Who would have thought teachers had sex?!

Sunday Mobile

Unh! Grease baby!

I'm no longer a you-know-what from home virgin

That's right folks, the end of my first day of you-know-what from home is nearing. I spent an odd hour or so this morning wondering what I was going to do with my extra time. And that was after sleeping in a good 45 minutes. Wow.

Lunch was nice. I was able to enjoy some peace and quiet with Yvonne, my lunch, and my crossword puzzle. I attended my group activity via phone and actually got more done than I expected. The distractions are different but there are no more or less than normal.

And the best part? I'll be "home" in an hour. Just milliseconds after I leave you-know-what.

Yeah baby, I'm not a virgin anymore!

Get down tonight

Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight.....

Why was that song going through my head? Because I just finished reading the first installment of Jim C. Hines' trilogy, Goblin Quest. A story about a goblin named Jig. Get it? Jig? Do a little dance?

Yeah, add some cheese to that joke.

And that's what makes this story great. The cheese. And I mean that in a good way, not a leave-it-on-the-counter-until-it's-green-and-fuzzy kind of way. Goblin Quest is one of those fantasy novels that turns things on it's head. It will make you laugh, often times out loud at the crazy antics and stereotypes in the book. Think something along the lines of Spaceballs meets Tolkien with a dash of Anton Strout. Where Joe Abercrombie makes you cringe with fear and gore, Hines makes you laugh at a goblin's ability to milk his dumb luck.

There, I think the only name I haven't dropped is that of Patrick Rothfuss. So if you need a good laugh, read Goblin Quest. The story is a little weak at the end (when the adventuring party parts company) but Jig is amazingly a solid character that has room to grow. Something I never thought I'd say about a goblin.