Random Thoughts for Today-edited-

I haven't had random thoughts in awhile. Well, I haven't posted them in awhile, I always have them. Anyway, I'll spitball some ideas and see where this post takes me.



-edited-

Nope.



Reading - I've been making a strong attempt to "thin the herd" of books amassed on my bookshelf. While I feel I've made some progress, I somehow doubt I've done enough. So I'll be making another attempt this weekend (or this week if time permits). I already have a few titles up for sale on my site, so maybe I'll get some more added soon.

I'm currently reading Conquistador by S. M. Stirling. Odd that one of the main characters is a descendant of John Rolfe of Jamestown fame. 2007 marks the 400 year anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. Anyway, Stirling has mixed things up in the past before with plot, characters, time lines, etc. It's a bit of an adjustment for the reader, but it's bearable. Each change in pace is clearly marked on the page, so you don't get too lost.

Added to this, I'm listening to Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan again. It makes the drive to and from -edited- much more bearable. And as before, I tend to "snap out of it" just as I'm pulling in driveway and cursing that I don't have just a few more minutes to listen to a little more. Most surprising though, I remember most of the storyline. I assumed I'd forget most of it by now (it's been nearly a year since I listened to it).



Body Wash - Odd topic, I know, but there's a bottle on my desk and it gave me something to talk about. I've been making another attempt at going to the gym on a regular (or at least semi-regular) basis. In being honest with myself, I know I have a few more inches on my waist than I need and, as I haven't found a way to stop the aging process, I need to consider my future health. I've gotten some motivation from outside sources, but my hardest obstacle has been my own lack of motivation. I like to eat and I hate to exercise. But I look at myself in the mirror in the mornings and hate that suitcase-sized gut.

Oh, the body wash is for the showers I take after I work out at work.



Genealogy - -edited- I've found some neat stuff, but there's so much more to learn. So much more.



Stormtroopers - You've likely noticed the plethora of Stormtroopers in this post. Thanks to my aunt-in-law for taking the time to make a little Photo DVD of my sister-in-law's wedding. And thanks for adding these photos to it. I can now increase my level of Dorkiness to +50.



And to think she was worried I'd be upset. I nearly peed my pants from laughing so hard.

My mouth is running on empty

Which means, I don't have much to say here.

So, let's see what's happening this week and weekend.

• We have a friend (Karla) coming to visit this weekend.
• Luke is having his second birthday party this weekend.
• I discovered more photos of Uncle George after he was shot down over Russia from this site (see him below on the far left).
• I've been working more and more on family history and have almost finished the next family newsletter (about 2 months earlier than expected).
• Work is.....well......work. Tax season has started and it sucks already.
• I'm reading along quite nicely in Conquistador by S. M. Stirling. So far, entertaining, but a little jumpy with the plot. And from what I recall from his other series, he does that.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. And, as epheros would say, "good night and good fight."

For Better or For Worse, Life will go on

Growing up as a child, I was always a fan of the comic section of the newspaper. Garfield, Marvin, Beetle Bailey, Peanuts, the list goes on. These were an early outlet for me to escape to before I picked up the habit of reading.

As I've grown older, I've made an attempt to follow the comics as they've progressed. And as I've grown older, the characters have stayed young.

Except with For Better or For Worse.

I could literally relate to the issues these characters had as I was nearly the same age as the Patterson children. Life imitated art, which imitated life.

And now, striking yet another blow to the comic community, Lynn Johnston will begin to "freeze" the age of the characters. I was devastated to learn that Bill Amend was moving Foxtrot to a Sunday only comic. Now I find how close I was to loosing FBoFW permanently.

Read on here and here.

The Mystery Box by Gordon McAlpine

Holding true to my previous thoughts on reviews, I'm only review those books I deem worthy enough to share with others. Which means, I'll tell you what I've read, but I'll only review those I feel are good enough to talk about.

The Mystery Box is one of those.

I had heard about this book awhile back from a message board of Hardy Boy fans. The board is now defunct, but I'm still collecting Hardy Boy books. Guess I'll rewind the tape on my life a bit and start at the beginning to reduce any confusion.

Many years ago, my Mom's sister's husband's parents passed away (my Uncle Phil's parents) in the Chicago area. Dad and I were in the area (for what reason I don't recall) and Uncle Phil invited us over to their apartment/house to take what we wanted. There were a few items Dad was interested in (I recall a letter opener and a measuring tape from US Steel), but I was completely enthralled by this collection of old books on the shelf. It was my first introduction to future adventures with the Hardy Boys.

Since that moment, my Dad and I have amassed a decent collection of original Hardy Boys (circa 1930s), reprints (circa the 1990s), Casefiles, and Super Mysteries (with Nancy Drew). In that time I've learned about how Franklin W. Dixon and Carolyn Keene were not real people, just pen names.

Enter Gordon McAlpine.

He took two fictitious authors (Dixon and Keene), developed them as characters, turned them into lovers, and finally made them writers. What's most interesting is how Keene and Dixon mature. Keene's father re-marries a younger woman (who turns out to be not as nice as she may appear) and a rift develops between father and daughter. Dixon loses his brother in WWI, searches for and finds him, only to lose him again. There was quite a lot of interesting back story going on, which helped flesh out Keene and Dixon as if they were real people.

McAlpine adds even more flair and flavor to the mix with the introduction of literary heavyweights. F. Scott Fitzgerald (and wife), Ernest Hemmingway, Gertrude Stein, and others. While keeping with historical fact to some degree (like them all being in Paris at the same time and in the same social circles), McAlpine does take some literary freedom by introducing them to Keene and Dixon.

Out of the story, the worst part was the dragging dialog. Most was fast-paced and easy to follow, but there were about two or three spots in the story that seemed to hit a bump in the road and slowed down to the pace of a turtle. And to make it worse, it almost felt like the scene was difficult to write, as the words felt forced and combursome.

In the end, this was a great read. And for any Hardy Boy and Nancy Drew fans out there, this is a MUST read.

The Survivorman Returneth

That's right folks. Despite forgetting (yet again) that the Dakar Rally starts New Year's Day, the positive news from OLN is that Les Stroud (aka Survivorman) will be returning to television with a new season of daring-do scenarios of survival. He's been around the world in the past, and will be returning to his travels in an effort to educate the world.

The bad news out of all this? There's no firm date on the release of the show in the US. I've heard January or February on OLN, Discovery, TLC, or Science Channels coming from Africa, Australia, New Zealand, or South America.

The bottom line is, he's coming back, but we don't know when, on what channel, or where from.

So keep you Scooby-Do underwear on, he'll be back.

Source:
- http://www.tv.com/survivorman-blog/season-2-starts-january-2007/topic/78399-307640/show_blog_entry.html&topic_id=307640
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorman
- http://www.lesstroudonline.com/blog
- http://bb.elecplay.com/viewtopic.php?p=122753&sid=2272c6d03b36eaccc3e35e8fb50f2372

This one's for you Kurt

While doing research on the potential murder of an ancestor, I found this ad in the Nebraska State Journal (January 1, 1910).


Enjoy!

My future in writing reviews

I've been writing reviews for a solid two years now. Thanks to the guys at FantasyBookSpot (FBS) I got the bug to write (and to help remember what I read). Now, after 2 years, I'm tired of writing. It feels like a job.

It feels like work.

And that takes the fun out of reading. So (get ready for it) I've decided to only review those books worthy of my time.

I know, very subjective, but that's the nature of reviews anyway. I will try to at least keep track of the books I've read by posting a little blurb about them, but I won't be writing a full review. Which means the last book I read, OSS: Stories That Can Now Be Told, won't be reviewed. The book I'm reading now, The Mystery Box, looks like a good candidate for a review. So far.

Anyway, we'll see how this works. And I do plan to continue to write reviews for FBS as they want them.

Weekend Weather and Reading

We had some wonderful weather this weekend. Got to about 73 on Saturday. Didn't really know what to do with all the sun. So I settled for shorts and a t-shirt. Yesterday brought some cooler temps and eventually rain. And more rain. Still raining today. After a year in Bellevue (just outside of Seattle) as a kid and 5 years in Edinboro (just south of Erie, PA) for college, I've grown to hate the rain.

No, that's not quite right.

I HATE the rain!

Speaking of weather, I ran across this a couple of weeks ago.

Dad and I were rummaging through what was left of his mom's estate from 20 years ago. I got such a kick out of this, I took it home. It now graces my desk along with a tube of chap stick, a GI Joe (12" Paratrooper Duke), and photos of Elizabeth and Yvonne. And my pine scented candle (unlit of course).

Aside from the usual shopping this weekend, not too much to report. I watched several movies, most notably were A Series Of Unfortunate Events and The Missing. I was surprised at how much I liked ASOUE. Even after watching it a second time.

And I finished a book (a Christmas present from my sister-in-law). While the stories were quite interesting, the editing was horrid, nay, non-existent. I'm not the best speller, nor the best editor, but I daresay I'd have polished this collection of short stories into something a bit more readable. But, as I said, it was nice to learn more about the Carpetbaggers and their missions during WWII. *[I'll post separately what change in reading habits this book brought about.]

I also started a book that's been waiting for some time to be read. It stars Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon, the pseudonym authors behind Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Quite a good read so far.

Yet another quilt from Mom

I must be catching up for lost time over the holidays.......

I've neglected to post photos of our present from my Mom. She made yet another quilt for us, this time large enough to fit our bed. She made a red one for our wedding, a blue one for our couch (seen in the background here), a Star Wars one for the spare bed (a really great quilt that I can't find photos of at the moment), and now a blue one for our bed. We gave her the measurements and basic patterns we liked and as usual, she added a bit of flare and took a rather vague idea and made something wonderful from it. And of course she made matching pillowcases and bed skirt.

For those interested in getting a quilt done like this, they are expensive. If you're not afraid to spend money on something nice though, check out her site here. She's had several quilts in national and international shows, so she's not an amateur by any means.

Anyway, on with the show of photos!

Spaz on a Plane

Yes, that's right, I'm the King of Spazs. I have it on good authority (my wife and her fellow teacher and friend Rhonda) that I have taken the prize. A few weeks back, there was some doubt as to the veracity of my ruling power when a fellow husband made a comment about a song about being undefined. He said it reminded him of dividing by zero.

While there was some discussion as to if that fell into the Spaz or Nerd category, it was an odd enough remark to bring my rule into question.

But alas, I have yet again proven my strength.

About a year ago, I heard about this weird movie called Snakes On A Plane. Then a website was created called Snakes On A Blog. I ended up buying a shirt. Then making a shirt to wear to the movie. Even my co-workers went with me (in matching shirts). It was the culmination of months of anticipation.

And now I'm forever immortalized on the Snakes On A Plane DVD. That's right, I'm on the DVD. I was contact by Automat (a company that worked on the special features) and signed a release form and sent them a photo. And it ended up on the DVD.

What a Spaz.

Yvonne and Elizabeth called my sister-in-law last night on the web cam and started chatting. Yvonne told her sister about me being on the DVD and the obvious question she asked was how I got on the DVD.

My response? Because I'm a dork.

Want to see me? From the main menu, go to Special Features and select Documentaries. From there, watch the one on Snakes On A Blog. At about 9 minutes and 12 seconds (just a few seconds shy of the end) you can see me wearing a yellow shirt, holding a trophy, and pointing to myself like an ass.

The due date for our second child

Oh, where to start. Yesterday Yvonne and I went to the new OB doctor for out first visit. [For those that don't know, Yvonne is pregnant again with our second child.] The visit went well, the nurse and midwife were both nice and easy going. Haven't met the doctor yet, but he sounds nice too. They did an ultrasound and gave us a due date of September 9th, 2007. We got the standard print out of the sonogram and both of us were feeling a bit like Rachael on Friends.

Neither of us could tell what we were looking at.

The image has a black spot (the egg sac) the size of your pinky's fingernail. Inside said spot is an even smaller spot that's white and the size of a grain of rice. That's the baby. The midwife said she could see a heart beating, but I couldn't see anything moving.

I did think about scanning the image or taking a picture of it, but honestly, there's nothing to see. And even if it were scanned in, it would take some serious doctoring to get it to look like anything.

Oh, and Elizabeth says it will be a boy. Guess we'll see (and yes, we will find out the sex before the birth, makes planning a little easier). Not sure if we'll announce it or not, but I'm pretty sure we will. Yvonne isn't big on keeping secrets and I end up laughing when I lie.

First review of the year

My first review of the year is an exclusive for Fantasy Book Spot (FBS). The guys over there have been great in letting me review, leave and still feel welcome, and come back to review again. For years I have been a member of the RASalvatore site and board and felt like an active member. Things changed with time and I began to become a member that sat there and did nothing. And being a non-productive member in society isn't fun.

So when I got the invite to write for FBS, I jumped on it. Limited time and lack of creative writing skills didn't stop me, but the rights to exclusive publication did. So FBS and TK42ONE parted ways in that sense, but I was still a member, just not a reviewer.

Damon contacted me a few months back to do a Star Wars review and, well, the rest is history. I'm now a "special reviewer" of sorts, but probably more like the chief Star Wars nut.

Anyway, here's the link to the review of The Stargate SG-1 Ultimate Visual Guide. Enjoy!

Welcome to -edited-

So the new year has started and I've already neglected to post in my blog. For my devoted fans out there, I sincerely apologize.


Fans.....the only fan I have is sitting on my desk!


Anyway, I was on a bit of a hiatus over the holidays. A few things caught up to me and they needed more attention than my blog. So, I'll do my best to catch everyone up on a few things.


-edited-

-edited-


Family

The big news here is Yvonne is pregnant again. At least that is the preliminary result. We go to the doctor tomorrow, so we'll see if we find out more then. The projected due date is early September. My gut says it's a boy, but I think I actually want another girl. I guess time will tell.


In other news, we got to spend some time with Dad on Christmas (and before and after Christmas too). Elizabeth got a bunch of presents. Clothes, toys, and everything in between. [I'll try to post pictures later to today.] She did very well with the opening and the whole "idea" behind the presents. Only asked a couple of times for more presents. Yvonne's parents and her youngest sister also came to visit after Christmas. Which meant more presents. The weather was decent so she got to try out her new bike (from her Uncle Carlo) but it ended up raining when they left (all Monica's fault).


Everyone is doing well on both sides of the family. No major issues. And from the sounds of it, everyone had a good holiday.


Genealogy

I've been working on the family tree pretty frequently for the past 6 months or so. When Uncle Denny died, I got the bug again to find out more about everyone in the tree. To date, we have just short of 30,000 people in the tree dating back to about 1300. My direct lineage isn't as complete as I'd like, but it gets difficult finding things from overseas that are more than a hundred years old. For any family members interested, I can look up some specific people online to see if I can find them. I've found some interesting items so far (namely WWI draft cards). And a big shout out to my cousin Eric for the kudos on the family research. Really helps keep me going when I hear people enjoy what I do.


Reading

My reading hasn't started too well this year. I ended last year with the Stargate SG-1 Ultimate Visual Guide by Kate Ritter. The review is still pending my final approval, but I hope to have it up at Fantasy Book Spot soon. This year I've already got a long list in my stack to read and I hate carrying them over from year to year. Maybe I'll be motivated enough to get things read before buying more. And with another child on the way, budgeting my book collecting will be important.


Everything Else

Oh, so much else went on these past few weeks, I don't remember it all. We saw the General Lee downtown one day. Dad and I went through some of his mom's estate. A lot of neat stuff and a little junk. Oh, so much more and I don't know where to start. So, for those reading this blog [my mom, cousin Eric, Epheros, and myself], I hope your new year has started well and I hope it continues to get better every day.


One last thing, a photo of Violet Mae Phillips [circa the spring of 1934]. She was the sister of my grandmother (dad's mom). Enjoy!

Final Salvatore Podcast for 2006

And this will also be the last one I embed (unless some earth-shattering news is in a future podcast). I've enjoyed the videos, but I haven't learned too much more about Bob the person, just more about Bob the author.

2006 - A Year Of Reviews

Best Holiday Movie - It's A Wonderful Life [out of the 30 or so holiday movies I watched]

Best Play - Nunsense [of the 4 I attended]

Best Medical Procedure - Lasik [thankfully the only one I had this year]

Best Read (Star Wars) - Bloodlines by Karen Traviss [out of the 40+ I read]


Best Read (Fantasy) - Ploughman King by Kurt R. A. Giambastiani [of the 3 I read]


Best Read (Non-Fiction) - Night by Elie Wiesel [only non-fiction book I read]

Best Of 2006 - City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff VanderMeer [granted it fell into the Fantasy category, but it blew everything so far out of the water in all the categories, it was separated from the pack to give some others breathing room]

Christmas 2006 Holiday Card

December 2006

Dear Family and Friends,

First we would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We have had a very busy year and know that next year will be just as busy.

Starting off the year, the shed was finally finished. We have filled it up and are wondering why we didn’t build something larger. In February, we cheered and cheered as the Steelers won the Super Bowl. (Even Elizabeth stayed up late to watch the game). March was the start of parent-child swim classes for Elizabeth and I. We go every Saturday morning to the base for a 30 minute swim class. She is really improving and just last week she started to try to swim on her own. At the end of March, Neil lost his Uncle Irv to cancer and he and his dad drove to Chicago for the services.

April brought a 2nd birthday for Elizabeth and my 30th. It was also time for us to say goodbye to the Tovar family who headed to Texas for a few months before being stationed in Japan. We also had visits from my sister, my parents, and Neil’s mom. In June Neil lost his Uncle Denny in an ATV accident and he and his dad went to Nebraska for the services. June was a big transition month for Elizabeth. We really started working hard at potty training (it still continues) and we moved Elizabeth out of her crib and into the toddler bed.

During the Fourth of July weekend we traveled to Pennsylvania. It was a whirlwind trip the included a bridal shower for Nicole (my sister), a trip to see Grandma Gayle and Steve, the Brentwood 4th of July parade with my Aunt Mary, and a day trip for Neil and I to see two of Frank Lloyd Wright’s houses in western Pennsylvania (while Elizabeth was spoiled by Grammy). The rest of the month kept us busy as well while we celebrated our 6th anniversary, remodeled the hall bathroom, had a visit from Carlo (my brother) and Julie (his girlfriend), and Neil underwent Lasik eye surgery. (now neither one of us need to wear glasses or contacts).

In August, Elizabeth and I traveled to Nicole’s house for anther bridal shower. Unfortunately, that month brought the death of Neil’s Grandma Dorothy. We traveled to Chicago for the services. While the reason for the trip was not a good one, it was nice to see all but three of Neil’s cousins. September also kept us busy with the start of school and Nicole and Justin’s wedding. We had a great time and Neil and Elizabeth finally got to meet my grandfather.

October and November did slow down some, but as is the case with December things are quickly getting busy again. We don’t know what next year will bring us, but we are hoping for a happy and healthy year for us and everyone we know.

Love,
Yvonne, Neil, Elizabeth, and Henry

********************************

Thus ends our Christmas letter. We did a Holiday card this year, but I neglected to scan it, so I'm including the picture we used for it (the second one) so you'll only be missing the fancy border. I'm also including the two other photos from our session (the first and third) and our trip to see Santa Claus (the last one). And of course, I'm linking to the last two Christmas cards.

********************************









Christmas 2005 Holiday Card
Christmas 2004 Holiday Card

I've cheated on my barber

Huh?!

That's right, for the second time in as many months, I've gone to another barber. Might not be a big deal to some folks, but to me, it was a heavy decision to make. My dad and I came to the area in 1981. Since then, I've been to a few barbers, but I grew up going to Lancaster's. Larry Lancaster, Pat Pellitier, and whoever filled in the third barber chair would cut hair (for what seemed like everyone in town).

At some point, Pat moved out on his own and kept cutting hair. Dad and I followed. He moved to another shop location (still in town), and we followed. He got sick, we still had him cut our hair. He gave my daughter her first haircut. He gave my dad Playboys. He knew us by name and knew what we wanted for a haircut. We tipped him and always waited for him. Only him. Kind of like a cult leader, he was the only one divine enough to cut my hair.

Until he started wearing gloves.

Because he had some sort of rash/infection/who knows what going on.

And despite my desire to keep as healthy as possible, I feel guilty. Yes, I actually feel guilty about going to someone else.

Kind of like I cheated on my barber.

Holiday Movie Guide - Part II

Number 4

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Clark and Ellen do their best to make the best of their family-filled holiday. I can only hope my future Christmas celebrations aren't this wild. but sometimes I do wish it were this crazy. I can label some of these characters as my own family members.


Oh, that pretty lady on the left is Nicolette Scorsese.






Number 3

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Another must-see on the holiday list (the original, not the updated version from 1994). I think to some extent the court scene helped push me toward a Criminal Justice degree. Maybe I should have been a movie critic instead, but I still want to cheer the lawyer on when those letters come rolling in. And I cheer when the Macy's psych doctor gets his noggin knocked. If it's good enough to be remade, then it's good enough for you to watch.


Maureen O'Hara (the mother) can also be seen in the original Parent Trap (also as the mother), Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, and many other movies. Natalie Wood (little Susan) went on to be in Rebel Without A Cause, West Side Story, and Gypsy before drowning in 1981. The circumstances of her death are questionable and Christopher Walken was present.



Number 2

A Christmas Story (1983)
I'll shoot your eye out if you don't watch this movie. There's a reason some cable channels play this movie all day on Christmas and it's because Jean Sheppard has an insane sense of humor. By representing one of the most romanticized eras in American history, we can all dream about what we want our Christmas to be like. The odd thing is, my Dad bought me my first BB-gun a few years after this came out and a few years before it became a cult classic. And now, the mecca for fans has opened in Cleveland. Ralphie's house.


Peter Billingsley (Ralphie) has gone on to be a producer, writer, and director. Darren McGavin (the old man) passed away this past February. My Summer Story is the sequel.


Number 1

It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
Jimmy Stewart is the spirit of Christmas in this movie. I've been watching it since I was a kid and it was likely the first "classic" movie I ever saw. While the colorized version was popular on TV for some time, I'm happy to say the original B&W version has made a come-back. This is the all-time Christmas movie. Every "common" man out there can relate tot he stress of the holidays and should see this as a great wake-up call. Things really aren't that bad. From this movie, I learned to appreciate the art of movies. Stewart became my Hollywood hero and allowed me to enjoy his acting in the west, on Capitol Hill, and opposite an invisible rabbit.

The police officer and the cab driver are Bert and Ernie. Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart also teamed up for Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.

First Ten Patents in US

I'm a self-proclaimed Google nut (fan, slave, inductee, whatever....). I've been a fan since Desktop and GTalk came out.

So today I'm reading the latest news from Google Blogoscoped in Google Reader and I see they've released a Patent search.

I've been entertained ever since.

So, in light of furthering your education, here are the first ten patents in the United States (and links to them).

1 - Traction Wheels - July 13, 1836
2 - Mode of manufacturing wool or other fibrous materials
3 - Making Wooden Pins
4 - Wood Molding Machine
5 - Machine for mortising solid wooden shells of ships tackle-blocks
6 - Wood Molding machine
7 - Boring Wood
8 - Cutting Shin-Tackle Blocks
9 - Making Tackle Blocks
10 - Cutting Dye Wood

10,000 - Improved Paddle Wheel

1,000,000 - Vehicle Tire

7,119,100 - Oripavine derivatives and their uses as pharmaceuticals (the highest patent number I could find)

Heroes Still Rocks

For those that don't already know, I'm a fan of Heroes, the NBC sci-fi show. During the season, you can keep things alive with the graphic novel that gives you a bit of an inside scoop on the characters.

Well, I now have to wait until January 22 to catch a new episode (repeats are on the Sci-Fi Channel).

Or so I thought.

There's a new graphic novel out there (number 12 in the series) with Peter in a coma, clearly after the events of the last new episode. So make sure you check it out.

Now, if I could only catch Jericho on repeats.

Humbug is Nunsense

AOL announced they're laying off employees at their Dulles site. Just in time for the holidays. Talk about a gift that should be returnable. And of course it has nothing to do with their increase in India outsourcing.

On a more positive note, there was a good review of Nunsense in today's Free Lance-Star Weekender. Not quite as verbose as mine, but still a good review.

Editor Available

Being an avid reader and a fan of fantasy, it's no surprise I've read some of Elaine Cunningham's work. And while I readily admit to not having read her back list, I have followed her career in some manner for a few years now.

And, more recently, I've been reading her blog (thank the maker for RSS feeds and Google Reader).

Her recent post Editor Needed got me to thinking about a couple of things. The first being the difference between EDITING and WRITING. I've always fancied myself as a writer, due mainly to my steady diet of R. A. Salvatore and Hardy Boy books as a child. I had this distinct feeling that I could create my own adventures for Drizzt or Frank and Joe quite easily. The desire to write never really developed much as I grew, and was at times a chore (mainly in high school). Sure, I had fun writing bizarre things for class at times, but the structure kept my imagination chained to the bottom of a water well.

In college I wrote a little more, but not much. And it wasn't until shortly after I graduated that I realized my creative "juices" were only present and more easily tapped when I was upset about something. Essentially, the ink would flow only when I was pissed off or depressed. And being a hard time in my personal life, I found it to be a great outlet for my anger/sadness.

As I've progressively grown older, I've found that I'm not as upset (thus less "juice" to write with) and I'm not much of a writer. And Elaine's post emphasises this point rather bluntly. I've heard Bob Salvatore say many times that a true writer can't stop writing, that it's almost a compulsion. For me, it's a hobby. I do okay, but fiction writing just isn't my niche. Even the reviews I write aren't the best, just a mediocre pile of words in a sea of reviews. Essays, these I feel more comfortable with. But I've never felt much of a market was available until I read a VanDerMeer book. It almost felt like a jumbled collection of essays. And that gave me hope.

Which brings me to the other thoughts I had about Elaine's post, editing. This is some sort of magical talent I've acquired through the years. In fact, it seems like over-night in college I was the "Comma King" and became the guy that edited every one's papers. I read so many I actually got sick of it.

But I'm now wondering if I should actively (as a non-professional amateur) pursue being an editor. I know plenty of people out there self-publish books. Surely I would be a great resource to them. I'd work cheap, do a decent job, and maybe I'd enjoy my work (that would be a change).

Yet, even if this came to be, my dreams of "making it big" still wouldn't happen. There's no professional author out there reading this. There's no publishing company reading this. Hell, it's not even something on my resume. And it never will be. It's like putting down "BA in Criminal Justice, Minor in History, Two classes short of an English minor, and 4 classes short of a Psychology minor."

Yeah. Spell S-T-U-P-I-D with me.

Oh well, hopes and dreams are always there to be burst and ruined, right? But still, I think I'll add something about that to my site. Something along the lines of "Quality editing available upon request."

Or just a simple "HIRE ME."

Picture from Sunday

Yesterday I posted about our trip to Northern VA to visit my uncle. Well, thanks to the magic of modern technology, here's a picture of (from l to r) Elizabeth, Yvonne, me, and Dad.

[On a side note, you can't see my pistol in this picture.]

One Ring To Fool Them All

I'm doing a bit of a social experiment today. Turns out the hole in my ear hasn't closed up, so I've put in an earring this morning (thanks to my wife for letting me borrow a small gold ball on a stud). I'll keep you posted on who notices.

1103 Hours - Someone noticed, causing another to notice. But none after that.

1315 Hours - Another person mentions seeing the earring this morning. Too bad they didn't say anything. They could have won the coveted "I Have Eyes Award."

1425 Hours - My boss just noticed and made a comment that I at least had it in the "right" ear (meaning the left one).

Weekend Report

So I had a pretty busy weekend. Fortunately all worked out well in the end.

Quilt

We started our weekend with a chill. My mom sent Christmas presents in two huge boxes which garnered me some dirty looks from the mail-lady at work. Everything was wrapped except the new quilt and matching bed skirt she made for us. I couldn't believe how big it was but it ended up fitting great (I'll post more on the quilt later).

But anyway, Friday we woke up to a chilly house. The weather was quite cold (below zero with the wind chill) outside, so I wasn't too concerned with the heat in the house. Friday night we still had a chilly house, so I added some extra blankets to the bed to keep us warm.

Heat

And Saturday we woke up to an even colder house. We had the thermostat set at 74 degrees (warm enough for me to walk around in shorts and a t-shirt and cold enough for Yvonne to walk about with a blanket and flannel pajamas). When we got up Saturday, it was a nice, cool 60 degrees. So the trip to see Santa was postponed and Yvonne went to town to do the usual shopping while I held down the fort awaiting the arrival of the Robert B. Payne guy (from whom we purchased a new Trane heat pump two years ago and have a service contract with).

Needless to say, his arrival was most welcome. After a couple hours of searching, poking, and prodding, he located the source of the issue. An electrical wire was shorting out inside the air handler that runs the electric heat. Thus, no emergency heat. Nor any auxiliary heat. Essentially, no heat at all. A quick fix and nice, warm, toasty air was pouring out of the vents. Started to feel like Clark Griswold huddled over the vent to warm up.

Fruitcakes

While waiting for the heat to get fixed, Dad delivered some insulation for the shed. Hopefully I'll get out there to mark the electrical outlet locations so we can drill and insulate this summer. After storing that, Yvonne, Elizabeth and I went down to a local church (Oakland Baptist) to see our friend's production of Fruitcakes. It was pleasantly funny and entertaining. While you could see the moral of the story a mile away, the acting was pretty good and the story was even better. Almost wish the Riverside would get this for a main stage production. Or the Christmas Story.

Uncle Randy

Yesterday we (Dad, Yvonne, Elizabeth, and I) ran up to Dulles to meet Uncle Randy. We had a good dinner and a visit afterward. Always nice to see family, no matter how short the visit is. He's doing well and looks like he's lost some weight. Had some photos of his new granddaughter and plenty of stories.

I wanna' Wii too Santa

Holiday Movie Guide - Part I

Number 10
Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

While it's impossible to find a legal copy of this TV show, pirated versions abound. Much to the dismay of George Lucas who has commented that if he had the money and time, he'd personally destroy every copy on Earth.

Personally, I've never seen Star Wars stoop to a level this low. But I still couldn't tear my eyes away from it.







Number 9
The Santa Clause (1994)

Tim the Toolman does good at fixing this movie up. While there is an obvious flavor of his Home Improvement-style acting, the supporting cast helps fill the laugh track.

There's a lot of good slapstick and good family humor here. And the moral of the story is decently disguised.








Number 8
The Bishop's Wife (1947)

Cary Grant (a great actor in his own right) plays the angel that answers the Bishop's prayers. While seeing David Niven as a Bishop was a bit odd, the story was great. Not the best movie, but a good classic.

This was something new for me to watch, which is quite likely why it placed in the Top Ten. I'll make an effort to add more holiday movies this year, so we'll see how things change for Christmas 2007.












Number 7
Bad Santa (2003)

Chock full of foul language and adult situations, this is not a movie for the entire family. And for that matter, it's not a movie for those that see Christmas as the celebration of the birth of Christ. Unless you're one of those priests, fathers, or nuns that has a sense of humor dirtier than my own.

But if you feel the urge to get your jollies off to the man in the red suit, this is the movie to do it with. John Ritter, Bernie Mac, and Little Person Tony Cox are stellar. While I'm no fan of Thornton, this was a great watch.















Number 6
Home Alone (1990)

I can still remember leaving the movie theater after watching this movie. My sides hurt from laughing so much. Even all these years later, it's hilarious.

Culkin hasn't had much of a career after this movie, and has made headlines for being a friend of Michael Jackson and marrying at a young age. Despite his history after the movie, this is a great John Hughes movie.












Number 5
White Christmas (1954)

A good combination of Christmas and WWII. You can't go wrong with Bing Crosby and Danny "fucking" Kaye (as Clark Griswold would say).

Even my wife loves this movie. We even share the same favorite scene with Crosby and Kaye singing and dancing in drag. Lord help the mister that gets between me and these sisters!

I think I'm going to cry

Foxtrot will cease daily production and move to a Sunday only strip.

It's like hearing a friend was just diagnosed with cancer and only has a few weeks to live. I can't believe it. I feel so depressed. Foxtrot was one of my favorites. While it will still be around, it will be missed dearly.

I've already seen the passing of The Far Side by Gary Larson.

Now I'll have to survive on For Better Or For Worse, Dilbert, and Garfield. Sure, there are others that I read, but my core is gradually shrinking.

More here.

http://www.foxtrot.com/

Stormtrooper Librarian Raps in French

In case you haven't noticed, I enjoy creating bizarre titles for my posts. It's kind of become an obsession. Not sure why, it just has.

Stormtrooper Yes I Am!

Quite an odd find from yesterday. I was searching Technorati for something to keep me busy (and out of trouble) at work and came across this little video. What a hoot.



Librarian


I feel like such an ass for forgetting to watch this. i was enjoying Mythbusters last night and all their holiday adventures when I happened to flip through the guide to see what else was on. And wouldn't you know it, The Librarian was half-way through.

So if you have a copy on VHS or DVD of the latest installment of The Librarian, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

French Farm Rap

Another odd find today via Google Video. French rap. I should know that music culture is not exclusive to America, but I still find foreign music intriguing. So when I came across this video of a guy rapping in French, I was entranced. It's been a long while since I've studied French and could barely catch any of the lyrics, but it was entertaining. And the farm background was also odd. A rap video like that in the States would be the butt of many jokes.

Automatic Tire Chains?

This was a new one for me. Granted, I'm not exactly a native to the snow states of the north, but I'm familiar with how tire chains work. I just never knew this could be what you see hanging under emergency vehicles and school buses. How interesting indeed.

http://www.onspot.com/

Salvatore Podcast V

Probably the best one I've seen so far. You get a better picture of how much he loves and misses his brother. And you get to hear about Oliver the highway halfling and Oliver his dog. Hopefully this will drive more interest in this decent series. Not the strongest and most original of fantasy books, but at least it's an easy read.

New Blog Layout

Apologies to those two readers out there that actually read this thing, but I've decided to reformat my blog to, well, to spice up my life a bit. And after reading kurt's blog, I've decided to follow in the footsteps of an artistic mind and make things look, for lack of a better word, "pretty."

So here it is.

Subject to change.

Just like the weather.

Feel free to provide feedback.

Maybe I'll listen.

Heroes Mid-Season Finale

I'm whimpering and whining, hoping for more information. Like the end of a tube of toothpaste, there's only so much I can squeeze out. Now I'm ready to cut it open to scrape the insides clean.

So let's do a top five of sorts (with apologies to those who created the copyrighted material I'm borrowing). And some predictions.

#1 - Hiro
Hiro is my Hero. To me, he defines a hero. He's trying to use his powers for good in helping other people, but has been so used to being a "common man" he doesn't quite know how to handle the super-power thing.

Prediction - Hiro will travel back in time to get his katana (sword) from ancient Japan. Think of the old Seven Samurai movie by Kurosawa.

#2 - Matt (aka The Cop)
I think the cop (still have a hard time calling him Matt) is another great "common man" character. Fighting to figure out what to do with his power, he has the opportunity to better himself and not lash out violently. But in trying to find out what happened to him when the Haitian took him, he may loose his temper.

Prediction - He will confront Horn Rim Glasses Guy (HRGG) and get the information he needs. But it won't be pretty, the confrontation or the information.

#3 - Claire
Oh sweet Claire-Bear. I can almost wish the cheerleaders in high school were as grounded as she is. The ones I knew where a bit spacey at times. And that's being nice.

Prediction - Claire now realizes what her father (HRGG) has done (or can do) and will run-away from home. I'm sure she'll end up in New York City, but will hitch a ride with either Hiro or someone else to get there. In NYC, she will use her power to heal Peter Petrelli of the combustible power he absorbed.

#4 - Micah
The "touch-tone kid." Or maybe the computer that wore tennis shoes. Either way, he has yet to use more of his talent. But I like how he's trying his best to keep his parents together, each with differing abilities.

Prediction - Micah helps dismantle a bomb. Don't ask where that came from, just a guess.

#5 - The Haitian
Until the mid-season finale, this guy was on my hit list. I really, really hated him. But when he confronted Claire, it made me wonder if he's not that bad after all.

Prediction - The Haitian will "rescue" HRGG from The Cop. But he will give him the same treatment as Claire.

Predictions

Isaac (the artist) - Continues to sketch and paint without being high and will provide Hiro with more clues as to the destiny of the group.

Simone - Her story line is pretty much dead.

Nathan Petrelli - He wins the election and turns out to be a typical politician, evil. Until he hurts his wife and decides to use his power for good.

Mohinder - Will continue to attempt to warn those on "the list" and will garner the attention of the FBI lady and The Cop. They'll join forces to save the world.

Niki - Will turn herself in but escape prison to rejoin DL and Micah to do something.

Peter Petrelli - Will become the combustible man but will not be the reason behind the blast in NYC.

Graphic Novel

One final comment on this comic that I keep pushing to fellow fans. Read it if you haven't already. It'll give you some new details that will spawn further discussion. Like the latest that shows HRGG and the Haitian finding Eden and knocking out Sylar.

Nunsense Review

Nunsense

Book, music, and lyrics by Dan Goggin
Produced by Rollin E. Wehman
Direction and Musical Staging by Vilma Gil
Sister Mary Regina, Mother Superior – Kathy Robinson
Sister Mary Hubert, Mistress of Novices – Desiree Roots
Sister Robert Anne – Rachel Abrams
Sister Mary Amnesia – Heather McIntosh
Sister Mary Leo – Santina Umbach

Yesterday was a continuation of a long love affair with the local dinner theater, The Riverside. Yvonne and I have been season ticket holders for five years now (soon to be six) and have enjoyed many meals and musicals together. With rare exception, the atmosphere is always pleasant, the food is always good, and the entertainment is, well, entertaining.

Things were different yesterday. Quite different. I’ll begin my story with our arrival.

Pulling into a Sunday matinee is generally easy. Much to our surprise, there were already two or three busses disembarking their loads. Parking was easy as usual, seeing as how few people show up before 1:30 pm. We enter the doors, trade our season tickets for seating tickets, and make our way to the main doors of the theater. Our gracious host takes us to the, as she called it and we already knew it, “best seat in the house.” Tier A, Table 5. Smack in the middle of the first tier, which means there’s no fear in having an obstructed view.

Our server approached to ask if we had ever been here before “of course,” we answered, “for several years.” She told us where to find the menu and took our drink orders. After a moment of slight disappointment in finding out they switched from Coke to Pepsi, we gave her our order and continued reading the program (and the menu).

Our server returned with our drinks and took our dinner order. Yvonne ordered the Parmesan Encrusted Chicken Breast (with creamy Dijon sauce) and I had the Blue Cheese Crusted New York Strip. I added a cup of the Maine Lobster Bisque and we both had the Chocolate Explosion for dessert. For those unfamiliar with this particular dinner theater, you pick what you want to eat, including dessert, before starting on your salad.

Unless you are hungry like I was and start on your salad while picking from the menu. The salad was a typical house with ranch dressing. Thankfully they didn’t skimp on the dressing they have at times in the past. The bread arrived shortly after (a rye mini-loaf) as did my lobster bisque. I’m not a big rye fan, but the bread was good (and warm). The lobster bisque was also tasty, but a bit pricey for me at $3.95 per cup. While I’m no food snob, the bisque did not have large chunks of lobster, but was well seasoned and obviously lobster.

Our main courses arrived and, much to my surprise, I wasn’t sure if I could finish it. Thankfully I was hungry and I did, but the meat was nearly hanging off my plate. For a moment I was thinking we got special treatment for being regulars, but no, others around me were dining on the same size cut. So moving from the normal 8 ounce cut of beef, this was an easy 10 to 12 ounce cut. It was well cooked (just a little smidge of pink in the middle) and well seasoned (the blue cheese wasn’t over-powering). The mashed red potatoes were the usual as were the seasonal vegetables. Yvonne’s chicken came in just about the same double portion as mine beef, and looked tempting, even for a person allergic to chicken.

Then our dessert arrived. Chocolate Explosion was a bit of an understatement. A simple mini-bundt cake with the middle loaded with chocolate. And hot chocolate at that. The hint of caramel made it even better.

After dessert, we enjoyed the little speech on birthdays, anniversaries, groups that were in the audience, how to tip well, and the upcoming shows for next season. What is in store for us next year? Shenandoah, Chicago, Peter Pan, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Wow, that’s a line up.

After a quick run to the potty before the show started, we sat back and waited for the curtains to come up (figuratively, there were no curtains drawn on the stage). We also ordered our pre-show drinks and intermission drinks (including the “Amnesia” show special for both of us).

Well, this is one show I would not recommend drinking while watching. Not because of the Nuns, but because of the comedy. I have not laughed so hard since watching Home Alone in the movie theater. I alternated between thinking my head would explode and peeing my pants. The comedy was so good, even the cast was laughing.

The Mother Superior (Kathy Robinson) was great at improve and moved quite well on her feet. Seeing her get “happy” on the bottle of Rush was the highlight of the show.

The Mistress of Novices (Desiree Roots) looked an awful lot like Whoppi Goldberg. But she was funnier. Seriously, she was funnier than Whoppi in Sister Act. How’s that for a comparison?

Sister Robert Anne (Rachel Abrams) had a great Brooklyn accent and played the part well. Doing her best to up-stage the Mother Superior, she put on quite a show.

Sister Mary Amnesia (Heather McIntosh) is a Riverside regular and had a stunning performance. At times she stole the show from the others and played her hilarious role with the best dead-pan face I’ve seen in some time.

Sister Mary Leo (Santina Umbach) did great dancing and singing. But she did even better playing opposite Sister Robert Anne in stirring up trouble.

So a big thank you to the cast, crew, and staff at the Riverside. I may not be a bishop, but this show gets my blessing. I will be making my Bye-Bye Birdie reservations soon as well as ordering our next season of tickets to a wonderful show.

PS – For those in the area of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and D.C., you seriously need to make the trip to see this show. Even if you suffer through 2 hours on the Beltway, you’ll see the light from these nuns.

Contest Winner gets the Schtick!-edited-

-edited-

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Mysteriousness

Is this it? Will this be the defining day? Will life change again next year?

[Don't bother asking what I'm talking about because I'm not ready to tell you.]

Other News

My in-laws will be visiting for Christmas soon. Not sure if I'm ready for my house to be invaded, but I'll survive. This weekend will be spent getting Christmas photos taken, attending -edited-, and going to the Riverside to watch Nunsense. And somewhere in there we need to find the time to measure the shed for insulation, wash the laundry, do the dishes, and clean the house. Oh the joy of home-ownership.

Contest Winner

Almost forgot about the winner of the contest I ran this month. There was none because I apparently have no blog readers that are not related to me. It feels good to be average. Maybe I'll get some traffic on my Holiday Movie Guide.

Oh, and the most popular video for November 2006?

I Ain't No Holla Back Girl with 316 views.

Followed closely by Shooting at the range 5 (294 views) and Seahawks Suck! (293 views).

The most downloaded videos were Shooting at the range 5 with 7 downloads followed by The pond at Bear Creek Inn 2 and METRA Train in Downers Grove, IL - full, each with 6 downloads.

The prize? Who the hell cares, you're not getting it now. Guess you got the schtick!

Holiday Movie Guide - Preview

Seeing as it's that time of year, I'm releasing my Holiday Movie Guide. Be sure to check out these classics (new and old) between now and Christmas Day. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Not Ranked

(in no particular order)

These movies haven't been ranked because I haven't watched them, don't own them, or haven't seen them in so long I don't remember them well enough. If you would like to see any of these added to the list, please feel free to contact me. I'd be more than happy to accept donations to purchase these titles.

The Grinch (2000)

Scrooged (1988)

ELF (2003)

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

A Christmas Carol (all versions)

Home Alone 3 (1997)

Home Alone 4 (2002)

Honorable Mentions

(in chronological order)

Holiday Inn (1942)
This is supposedly the pre-cursor to White Christmas (seen below). I have yet to watch it, but I'm hoping it's decent. Bing can't be all that bad.

Die Hard (1988)
Die Hard 2 (1990)
I watched these movies so much I practically wore out my VHS tapes. Yippee ki ay.

Home Alone 2 (1992)
Not quite as good as the first one, but still a great laugh to watch. A bit too much of a moral in the story took away from the comedy.

Jingle All The Way (1996)
Never thought I'd include a Schwarzenegger movie in this list, but it's not a bad movie. And Sinbad and Phil Hartman do good at pumping up the audience. Plus Jake Lloyd would end up being the future Anakin Skywalker.

The Santa Clause 2 (2002)
A decent sequel to a good movie. The second movie in a trilogy usually falls flat, but this one does pretty good.

The Santa Clause 3 (2006)
Don't waste your money on a movie ticket. Wait for the DVD to land in the dollar bin on this one.

Stay tuned for the top ten coming soon!

Lost Seinfeld Episode

One of the funniest videos I've seen in a long time.

Religion and Semantics

What is the difference between the freedom OF religion and the freedom FROM religion?

Last night I caught part of an NPR broadcast about religion and the one guest made a comment similar to this. And it got me wondering. What is the difference?

Semantics.

Example: Does the CIA have detention centers or concentration camps?

Detention centers sounds like jails or prisons. Something law breaking citizens are sent to under judicial due process. Concentration camps are where innocent citizens go for fighting against their government.

Back to the NPR show .....

Being a non-religious but Bible reading person, I found the difference in semantics interesting. We (in America) founded our country to escape the religious persecution in Europe. So we fought for freedom OF religion. We wanted to practice whatever religion we believed in without any government interference. Thus we have a separation of church and state in the US.

But apparently there are now people fighting for freedom FROM religion. People wanting the freedom to believe in nothing. While I didn't catch the details of the story/issue, it sounded like people in Europe were being forced into a government driven religious arena. They were forced to practice a religion.

Added to the thoughts of semantic differences, I also began to analyze where I fit in between the two. And I think that's exactly where I stand, in the middle.

I don't believe in God, but I pray to him. I read the Bible, but I feel it is a work of historical fiction. Something written and re-written over time so that it has become more myth and legend than fact. I believe in a "supreme power" just as much as I believe in aliens. But I don't believe that either have visited Earth.

Feel free to flame away on the issue, you won't change my mind. I believe in what I believe. I also believe in freedom OF and FROM religion. Everyone should have the right to believe what they believe without being told or forced into something unwillingly.

Starless Night Review

Read my review HERE.