The Bandwagon

Because everyone else is doing it....
(maybe that's what they should call memes, "that thing that everyone else does, so you need to too)

Take a picture of yourself right now.
Don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair...just take a picture.
Post that picture with NO editing.
Post these instructions with your picture.

I really wanted to post this one:



But this is the real me. Don't I look excited?

Words

It's the little moments in life like this that I enjoy being a father and a dad. Watching my little girl dance around and play without a care in the world. Forgetting that an hour ago she was so scared she was shaking. Scared of getting a shot from the dentist. But now dancing and playing. Dancing without a care. Dancing like she's the star of the show.

She dances in the sunshine with the music blaring in the air and the blue rubber of the indoor playground as her backdrop. The ants on the floor search for their morning repast as mine still lingers on my breath. Cars sail by outside like ships in port with their captains rushing to deliver their crew dirtside.

And as with anything good in life, it must come to a premature end. There are other errands to run and trips to make. But I can take solace in knowing my father, my dad, can enjoy the same things later today as she will be playing and dancing here again. A repeat performance for lunch. While I'm sure to miss the moment it happens, I'm sure a smile will cross his face at least once. A smile that will act like the spotlight on the dancing star.

Weekend Drudge Report

The good news is, it really wasn't much of a drudge-like weekend. We started out Saturday morning doing a charity walk for the local SPCA (where we adopted Henry from). It was nice to get out and do something besides the usual shopping. And (bonus for me), it gave me an excuse to skip the Y the day before and after so I could run the two mile route Saturday. I didn't do as well as I wanted (kind of hard to run as fast as you did 15 years ago), but I'm happy with my time. I did learn that I need to make sure my socks are on right as I'm now sporting a blister on my heel. After that we did a mini-run to the stores and I got some lights for my shed with some gift cards.

Then it was home for showers and naps before heading back to town for an alumni gathering for our college (Edinboro University of Pennsylvania). It was nice to see so many people from the area (nearly 100) but I only knew like two people. And one of them was my wife. But we met some other graduates and had a good time. And to prove we were a married couple with children, we spent the rest of our date night shopping for groceries. If you have kids, you'll understand.

Yesterday was more shopping in town, more groceries, and more prescriptions. I swear strangers would think were all drug addicts by looking at the long line of meds on our counter. But they all help. A lot. And William appears to be over his upset stomach and even seems to be taking to drinking more water. Something we'll be encouraging after learning about too much juice from Elizabeth's dental trials.

Today was catching up with laundry, dishes, and recovering from the Steeler's win last night. I love my big screen, but man am I tired by 11pm. But I did make it to the Y and did a mixed workout today (damn blister hates me when I run). And they finally got their showers fixed, so I could clean up before coming home.

Crazy or not?

Don't worry, I'm not crazy enough to think these sorts of things about crossbows. I mean, seriously, who carries a crossbow anymore?

Momma don't let your kids drink juice

While the saga of Elizabeth's teeth continues, I thought I'd take a moment to delve deep into one of my greatest fears; being a bad parent.

Elizabeth went to see the dentist a few weeks back for the very first time. At four years old, she was scared, but we had been preparing her for awhile, telling her what to expect, what to do, even getting her some books about the dentist. During her checkup/cleaning, she did a wonderful job listening to the hygienist and sitting still in the chair. She even spoke to her (which means she couldn't have been too scared) during the cleaning. When the dentist came in and started calling out numbers and letters and codes, I knew something was wrong.

You see, I've been around dentists long enough to know what that secret speech means. I've had teeth extracted with nitrous oxide (laughing gas), with Novocaine, and with nothing but (what I can only describe as) acupressure (it didn't hurt, so I was okay). I've had braces and all the torture that goes along with it. I've had things ground and drilled and glued. My last "bad" trip involved me nearly choking on a mold for a night guard. Then I nearly choked again at the price. Anyway, that special code meant only one thing. Cavities. Granted, I only have three myself, I still know it isn't a good sign.

So when he was done, the dentist advised Elizabeth should come in for a one-stop fix-it session. They'd put her under (with real anaesthesia, not just gas) and take care of her teeth (lots of cavities and crowns). We were shocked. Scared. Nervous. Angry. All sorts of emotions going through our heads as parents (and I'm sure Elizabeth had some thoughts too).

Well we survived the long dental session (nearly two hours) and the recovery. She still has some pain so I'm sure we'll need to go back to touch up the bite plains. But all of this is just a little taste of how crappy things can get by letting your kids have juice.

That's right, juice. I'm sure most of you drink it at some point during the day, so hurry over to your fridge and grab a bottle. I'll wait while you bring it back.

Back? Good. Now read the ingredients. See anything that could be sugar in there? More than likely you do. Don't drink juice? Not a problem. Think about what you eat for breakfast. According to the dentist, if you eat anything besides sausage, it has sugar in it.

Why is juice (and the sugar in it) bad? Well, we all know too much candy (and the sugar in it) rots your teeth. But we never thought juice would be like liquid candy. We gave Elizabeth two juices to drink everyday when she went to the sitters. Sure, we brushed her teeth, but never religiously. Not every morning, every night, and every meal in between.

I guess I'll finish this long diatribe off with some sound advice from a parent that feels like crap about how his daughter's teeth have fared over the last four years. Give your kids juice during meals only. Let them drink only water in between meals. Brush their teeth as soon as they get them. Once a day is okay, twice is better. When they're old enough to chew gum (and not stick it under the table), make sure they chew sugarless gum (like Trident). All of this will save you two grand in dental bills and a heap load of guilt.

PS - See? I made it a Three for Thursday day!

Two thirds

So my last post from today said I was a third of the way to my workout goal.

This post takes me two-thirds of the way to a "Three for Thursday" posting session.

Can you tell I'm a compulsive counter?

So, I just finished listening to The Protector's War yesterday and finished reading Gentlemen of the Road today and I thought I'd talk a bit about each.

The Protector's War (by S. M. Stirling) is one of many in a series about The Change. Something goes kerplooey in the cosmic scheme of things (actually, it's more around the physics of the compression of gases not generating heat like before) and guns and cars don't work. Yeah. So the world is thrown into this medieval sort of style of living and I'm sure you can guess how some people adapted. Anyway, the series Stirling has written is awesome. One of the best alternate-history books (and series) ever written. If you like that sort of thing, check it out.

Gentlemen of the Road (by Michael Chabon) actually started life as a serialized story in The New Yorker. My previous experience with Chabon is limited to his recent The Yiddish Policemen's Union book, but the same style sticks out here as well. He writes well, is verbose, and tends to put the main pot on pause while he uses a plethora of vocabulary words. So it's a bit hard to get into sometimes, but the story as a whole is good. This one had some plot twists I wasn't expecting, but overall, I enjoyed it. It's also very short (around 200 pages) so it's a quick read.

Morning Photos

Since everyone was in a good mood this morning, and because we (and by we I mean everyone but me) were all wearing red, white, and blue, we decided to take some photos. So here's the family before school (yes, I know, I'm absent, but I was in my grungy workout clothes and had not taken a shower yet, so be thankful).







On a side note, I'm one-third of the way to my short-term fitness goal. No noticeable changes in my body (other than I'm sore) but after some measurements (keep it clean folks) I did manage to shave off an inch on my thighs and hips. Everything else stayed the same. So while that was a bummer, I feel great about my run today (and my time). Only four more weeks of torture!

Winter has come early

No, I'm not talking snow, I'm talking hibernation. For some reason I've been neglecting my readers here and on the UFO blog. I think I just need some mental down-time after my last class, the dental visits, and an attempt to get my old, creaky body into some semblance of shape.

My class was a nightmare. The professor was nothing short of Napolean in his tyranny. But I survived and I should scrape by with a decent grade.

The dental nightmares just seem to continue. Elizabeth pulled through like a trooper but will likely have to go back again to get things evened out so they don't hurt when she bites or eats. I'll post more on this later.

And getting my body in shape? That's more of a farce or a comedy or a tragedy. Maybe a mix of all three. I have one specific goal, it's very short term (since it's right around the damn corner), but I've been working towards it. I think I'll make it, but barely. In the meantime, the newly opened YMCA and their treadmills have become my best friends (or worst enemies).

Thursday Confessional

Feel free to add your own confessions in the comments.

- I did not exercise yesterday. My penance was to exercise even more today.
- I did not read very much of Stone's Yule story. My penance is to finish it today.
- I volunteered to proof a paper for you-know-what. My penance is to ignore it until Monday.
- I did not record Nadal's win last night. My penance is to watch the replay today.
- I got hooked on Lost yesterday. My penance is to finish Stone's Yule story before I continue.
- I did very well at you-know-what over the last quarter. My penance is to attend an awards dinner tonight without my wife.
- I did not help my daughter brush her teeth everyday over the last three years. My penance is to be scared out of my wits while she endures serious dental work tomorrow morning.

The Blade Itself

This one, by Marcus Sakey, wasn't nearly as good as the previous one, by Joe Abercrombie. But it was still good enough to read and enjoy. Abercrombie and Sakey clearly write in different genres, but Abercrombie is also a genius of sorts. So comparing Sakey to him wouldn't be right.

On it's own, Sakey writes a gritty novel about Chicago's North and South Sides and how two guys live on the wrong side of the law. When one bails on the other during a robbery gone wrong, he sets his life straight. That is until his partner gets out of jail years later and ropes him into doing something worse.

And that is what Sakey writes so well, a bad guy so bad you want to kill him. Sure, he made many of the classic mistakes of bad guys (like toying with his victim before killing him - thus allowing the hero to rescue the victim) but he's also one evil dude. Downright violent and damn near sociopathic.

While tings work out in the end (as expected) there were some weaknesses to Sakey's book. Mainly the predictability of it. Think about that classic television show or movie where the bad guy keeps winning and winning until the good guy comes back from the brink to win it all.

New photos

That's right, there's new photos out there. Here's a few from the shed getting some drywall inside.



And here's a few from William's first birthday party.







And in an effort to drive some traffic to my other project, here's a sneak peak at something new.

I know, it's a bit stagnant here

I haven't plugged Nalts in some time, so here's a collaborative video he helped with.

Oomph, books that hit you in the gut

So I recently finished two Star Wars books after a back-to-back reading session. First came Inferno by Troy Denning, then Fury by Aaron Allston (Legacy of the Force books 6 and 7 respectively).

And wow, what a wild ride.

It had been a while since I picked up a Star Wars book (way back in March), I think mainly due to getting burned out a bit. Well, simmering on the back burner, I finally smelled the sweet aroma of the Force and decided to delve into how evil Jacen Solo is.

He's the next Darth Vader. That's how evil he is and that's how duplicitous the story is. Just imagine yourself watching Episodes I-VI and that's pretty much The Legacy of the Force (LOTF) series. At times, it makes me cringe (like when Jacen does that Vader-thing to the security officer). Fortunately, there is enough new material and enough awesomeness to offset the copycat-like plot line.

And these two books (and pretty much the whole series' story arc) is as good as or better than the New Jedi Order. It's hard to pick which is better because LOTF feeds on NJO. Anyway, I'm taking a breather from LOTF as I pick up a another book that has been simmering, Marcus Sakey's The Blade Itself (not to be confused with Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself).

Jason Statham

So, this is inspired by a recent run to Best Buy with a gift card. I picked up In the Name of the King and The Bank Job. I had not intended to buy two movies with Jason Statham, it just sort of worked out that way. I also got Young Guns, but silly me didn't realize we already had it.

Anyway, In the Name of the King was a generic D&D movie. But it had a surprisingly stellar cast. Ray Liotta? Check. Burt Reynolds? Check. Leelee Sobieski? Check. John Rhys-Davies? Check. Matthew Lillard? Check. Ron Perlman? Check. As to the movie itself, meh. It was okay. Thankfully I had a gift card.

The Bank Job? No idea, haven't watched it yet. But I did read an interesting article about Statham today in the remake of Death Race. Damn, Ian McShane is going to be in it? Swearengen!

And suddenly I realize this is nothing but a bunch of links. Oh well. Watch Crank and Transporter if you haven't already. Awesome movies.

Lots of Book News

It must be Monday because Publisher's Weekly dumped a bunch of book-related news. Here are the highlights:

- A blurb about a "book boot camp" in Vancouver.
- For those that don't know, Borders recently redesigned their website. Here's a bit more information on the changes.
- Audible (one of the best audio book sources in my opinion) is launching an independent line. Also a new version of an e-book reader is available for the iPhone.
- There are a ton of debut novels here. And even more children's book debuts here.
- And finally, some news on the future of comics.

That is all.

Comic #4 - The Sloped

No, that's not "sloped" like the "hill is sloped down toward the river." No, this "sloped" has two syllables. Like "this Mo-Ped was a Slo-Ped and all the cars kept passing it." This is also my favorite of the four comics.



*Click here to see why I'm drawing these comics.

Comic #3 - Six Passenger Sentra

I used to have a Nissan Sentra just like this (2000 model year). But I never recall fitting six people in it. I could barely fit more than three adults.



*Click here to see why I'm drawing these comics.

Friday Frustrations

I'm in the middle of one horrid book and near the end of another horrid book. And I can't decide what's worse, continuing with the horrid books or feeling bad that the books are so bad even though you really want to like them.

That's right, I'm at the halfway point of Ed Greenwood's Dark Lord, book one of the Falconfar series. I really wanted to like this one and it even started out as the right genre for me (normal Earth guy gets sucked into a fantasy world with knights and dragons). But this is no Woods Out Back. In fact, I thought Ed was a better writer. At least that's the impression I got when I listened to other people talk about him. Seeing as I never read any of his work, I'm a bit disappointed in the quality of this book. Everything feels so...fake. I know, I know, it's a fiction book. But I want to be part of the story. I want to be so engrossed I forget to eat.

Then we have The Tower of Shadows by Drew Bowling. I heard some positive rumblings awhile back about the book and finally decided to pick it up. And what do I get? A cookie cutter story about a young man destined to fight evil with a group of rag-tag friends. This feels very much like an episode of Knight Rider or something where the Knight comes in at just the right moment to save the day. I will give Drew credit for writing something and getting it published and getting big names like Terry Brooks and R. A. Salvatore to write blurbs.

But my big hangup with both books is the character development. There is none. There aren't even characters, just these two dimensional cardboard cutouts of stereotypes. Ugh. I can't wait to finish.

On a more positive note, here's proof that children are the root of happiness. Elizabeth is playing dress-up with her imaginary friend, Sickey. Oh, you can't see Sickey?* You must be a sci-fi/fantasy author!



*(Sickey's on the left.)

Comic #2 - The Gas Glove

The driver of this Mercedes was quite the driver. He pulled into one lane, backed up across several when it wasn't moving fast enough, nearly hit another car, before finally pulling into a second lane (and cutting off the guy behind him). And yes, he really did use a plastic bag over his hand while he filled up (he threw it away after using it). Yvonne said his wife had several sheets of newspaper tucked into her windows to block out the sun. Which she left in while the guy pulled out and nearly hit yet another driver.



*Click here to see why I'm drawing these comics.

Comic #1 - BKRBCH is a Drunk Driver

Normally, I can deal with anyone that drives like an idiot. But driving while you drink a beer, that I have an issue with. And with that in mind, keep clear of any black, GMC Yukon Denali XL bearing Virginia license plate BKRBCH. He drinks and he drives.



*Click here to see why I'm drawing these comics.

Comic #0 - Why am I doing this

That's right, I'm drawing a comic. Why? Because I like comics. I cut my teeth on Marvin, Garfield, For Better or For Worse, Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, and many others in my youth. First through the newspaper, then through books. Over the years I've never quite lost touch with these characters. Some have passed on and new ones have arrived to fill in (Foxtrot, Rhymes with Orange, Dilbert, and others).

More recently, I've discovered web comics and online graphic novels. You can see some of my favorites over there on the left but here's a quick rundown of who/what I follow (I'm sure I'll miss a few - apologies to if that includes you).

• 1979 Semi-Finalist (aka Rabid Lamb Comics)
• oharlene's comics
• Fortuitous Twist Comics
• FreakAngels
• garfieldminusgarfield
• High Maintenance Machine
• MyLifeComics
• The Miserable World of Prometheus
• Heroes
• Rabbit and Bear Paws

Some are diary comics, some are fictional, but nearly all are fantastic in so many different ways. Story arcs, humor, action, just so much that makes it readable everyday.

And, with that in mind, two web comic artists I follow (Paul and Kelly) said they were losing a bit of their drive to draw. So I took it upon myself to fill in the gaps for any of their fans while they refill their creative juices. I'll be posting four comics over the next few days. Maybe I will inspire Paul and Kelly to keep drawing just so I won't have to torture you with anymore comics.

Deepest apologies to all. And no, I'm not responsible if your eyes start bleeding.

My wife is the best

After a long day watching the kids, she makes dinner (with a headache). And hand delivers it to me at that-place-that-shall-not-be-named (you know, where I do you-know-what from home).

And best of all, it's damn good.

* I'd show you a picture, but I ate it already.

How much wood could a wood chuck chuck

I never knew there were so many different lyrics that were tongue twisters like the woodchuck part.

A Voluntary Meme

Yes, I'm not really a fan of memes but I happen to like this one. Mainly because I keep my books on my nightstand. So, courtesy of Gabriele, I bring you the The Bedside Table Meme.

The Table:
A Shaker style nightstand purchased in Farmville, Virginia when I was in high school (early 90s). I believe it's made of oak or pine, but the finish is a pale, pine look. It holds:

• my alarm clock (a piece of crap that still works)
• my every-day-carry stuff (wallet, keys, cell phone, pocket knife, iPod, and sunglasses)
• a box of Kleenex
• a small hand-painted wooden book with stickers on it (thanks to Elizabeth)
• a blue and white gingham, hand-sewn coverlet (thanks to Yvonne)
• a small brass lamp purchased specifically for the nightstand (at or around the same time the nightstand was purchased)

Inside the door, well, we don't need to go there.

The Method:
I generally just read with my head on the pillows. Nothing fancy like I did when I was kid and used my pillows to hide the light from shining under the door. Dad never liked me staying up late to read.

Reading at the Moment:
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (in free PDF format, so technically it's not on my bedside table)

Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling (in audio format, so again, technically not on my bedside table - this is also a re-read)

The Tower of Shadows by Drew Bowling (a real, honest to God mass market paperback book)

Can't Put Down:
Dies the Fire. Even though this is a re-read, I'm enjoying the audio version very much. Great series if you haven't read it.

Gathering Dust:
I'm ashamed to say it, but the Star Wars Legacy of the Force series. Just haven't felt very much like reading sci-fi.

Secret Indulgence:
True crime. But if you know my B.A. was in Criminal Justice you'd guess that. Making romance my true secret indulgence. Specifically the Nerd series by Vicki Lewis Thompson.

Looking Forward To:
Outside of that, I'm itching to read A Midwife's Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.

And no, I won't tag anybody. I just don't operate that way. But feel free to join in on the meme.

Accomplishments and Book News

Accomplishments:

So this weekend was very productive for us. Here's the short version of what we did.

• washed my car and Yvonne's van
• vacuumed my car Yvonne's van
• vacuumed most of the house (just didn't get to the living room/toy room)
• dusted our bedroom and William's room
• cleaned our bathroom
• watched Stargate SG1: Continuum
• watched Monk
• watched Psyche (last week's episode was waaay better, but I'm never disappointed with this show)
• finished The Cipher
• started The Tower of Shadows (Elizabeth picked this book because it had "horses on the front")
• I got new shoes and William got new clothes
• I got a new pillow (feather and it's awesome)
• there's more but I forgot it all!

Books arriving in September:

• Dark Curse by Christine Feehan (Berkley, $24.95). 250,000 copies
• Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland by Jon Scieszka, illus. by Mary Blair (Disney, $16.99). 100,000 copies.
• Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett (Putnam, $17.99). 300,000 copies
• The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory (Touchstone, $25.95). 300,000 copies.
• Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Tor, $27.95). 250,000 copies.
• Star Wars: Order 66 by Karen Traviss (Del Rey, $27). 150,000 copies.
• The Forever War by Dexter Filkins (Knopf, $25). 150,000 copies.
• Brisingr by Christopher Paolini (Knopf, $27.50). 2.5 million copies.
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Special Anniversary Edition by J.K. Rowling, illus. by Mary GrandPré (Scholastic/Levine, $30). 180,000 copies.
• Tsar by Ted Bell (Atria, $26.95). 175,000 copies.
• Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech (HarperCollins/Cotler, $15.99). 125,000 copies.
• Planet Google: How One Company's All-Encompassing Vision Is Transforming Our Lives by Randall Stross (Free Press, $26). 100,000 copies.
• If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff, illus. by Felicia Bond (HarperCollins/Geringer, $16.99). 1 million copies.
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illus. by Dave McKean (HarperCollins, $17.99). 250,000 copies.
• Jon Scieszka's Trucktown: Snow Trucking! by Jon Scieszka, illus. by David Gordon, Loren Long and David Shannon (S&S/Aladdin, $3.99 paper). 100,000 copies.

So there's a nice long list for you to look at.

The Cipher

So I finished The Cipher by Diana Pharaoh Francis early Sunday morning and wasn't too happy. In case you don't already know, I'm one of those people that generally picks a book up because of it's cover. Which means, I really do judge a book by it's cover. Which means I have good and bad luck in the books I choose.

Which means I didn't terribly enjoy this book, unlike Jim Hines. In fact, I'd say this was actually two books instead of one. The first book is a good read about a customs clerk, Lucy Trenton, who gets caught up in a bit of political intrigue, blackmail, oppressive mothers, and magic. Great. I loved it. The scenes and relationships between the characters were great and the plot was almost too convoluted to follow, but foggy enough to keep you hooked.

Then the two main characters get dumped overboard into the magically evil water. Um, they can create their own clothes now? And food? With magic? And they didn't die like everyone else? Yeah, that's about where I got lost. I didn't much like that part. Even towards the end when things began to get a little better and made more sense, some of the scenes seemed to have lost their appeal.

Bottom line for me, I'll keep an eye out for her other works (including the rest of this series), but I won't be paying full price for them.

On a side note, the covers are pretty freaking awesome.

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.

A boat trip and some steps

I recently took a boat ride down the river with a group from you-know-where. It was a decent trip and the weather was nice.



And of course I finally decided to take some photos of the new steps we put on the front porch.



You can go here - http://picasaweb.google.com/tk42one/June2008 - to see the full album. Or go here - http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=103773614664211492118.000450e458e2395b851f3&t=h&ll=38.281448,-77.39954&spn=0.098098,0.160332&z=13 - to see the route we took.

Where have you gone?

Nowhere, just been busy with so much stuff my head is spinning a bit. Starting with Thursday, I ran a working network cable under the house so I can you-know-what from home. Said cable didn't work after fishing it through the walls. I then went to cut Dad's grass and promptly ran over the grounding rod and scalped some of his grass. I then cut my grass (successfully) and gave up trying to do anything else.

Friday was a bad day you-know-where. I'll spare you the gory details but end the end I had a new laptop so I could you-know-what from home.

Saturday and Sunday were better. We finished out scavenger hunt, got the network cable working, got a desk to you-know-what at in the bedroom, moved the phone to the new desk, scored a Wii Fit, had a picnic at a friend's house, and the list goes on.

In between all of this we've been working on ripping audio books for our Zune/iPod. I'll need to do more work on mine to get some album art and organization set right. After that we've got the whole school thing going on. I'm halfway through my fourth class and I think I'll make it. I'm taking a break after this one for a week to recover a bit before taking one more class this year. And let's not forget our trip to Pittsburgh to see the in-laws, my Mom, and hopefully the inside of a book between school assignments.

Sunday Wii-Mobile

Waiting in line for Wii Fit.

Book News

Another report from Publisher's Weekly. We have:

How much authors make (I enjoyed the part about median income for all authors is only $100 more than the civilian work force),
Debut children's authors ("A thief is a lot like a wizard. I have quick hands. And I can make things disappear" caught my eye) and...
More E-Book ripples in the market.

Enjoy!

Queue It's a Small World

I know, I know, it's a very annoying song. But give it a listen/watch anyway while you read this (not to worry, it sounds a little more techno in this version, so it's not all bad).



Let's see, where to start. I'm a member of the Fantasy Book Spot Forums. And as a member, I've noticed a lot of great books get reviewed there. One was The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Since I couldn't resist all the hype, I bought the book. And enjoyed it very much.

So much, I created a Google Alert to tell me when the word "Kvothe" was used online. That's right, I'm that nerdy. So the other day, I got an alert that said "Kvothe" was used in a book review.

A review by Tia at Fantasy Debut, a blog that reviews debut authors. Pretty cool. Rothfuss was a debut author and I loved his book. Abercrombie too. Strout as well. And I'm sure Hines will be included soon. There's just something about fresh meat that speaks to me..... Anyway, I was reading my Google Reader this morning and noticed a new review by Tia on a book called The Stars Down Under by Sandra McDonald.

Being the curious cat that I am, I checked out her blog and read some of her older posts. Hey, wait. What's this!? A cartoon? Neat! Wait, that style looks familiar....Abbamondi?! WTF?!

Yep, that's right. Paul, aka Paulie, Abbamondi, star artist of My Life Comics, is drawing (in color no less) for The Outback Stars.

So, go crash Paulie's little party. Leave him tons of comments about his secret comic life (but be polite of course). I want to see him blush dammit!

Happy Father's Day to Me

What follows is a semi-factual report of this past Father's Weekend at the Richard household.

[Scene 1: Saturday morning]

Yvonne and I got ready for our weekend project, replacing the front steps. While it turned out she didn't do as much as she (or I) wanted, she was still very helpful. And of course Dad came over to help too. Over the past few weeks I had begun collecting the supplies needed for the replacement. Stringers. Treads. Brackets. Screws. Posts. Railings.

We started with the removal of the old steps. I did my best to remove the nails before shoving the old wood out of the way. Everything came off except the small ledger board on the fascia of the deck. After a little cleanup, we were ready for the new stringers.

We started with eight stringers. The old steps were spaced about 18" on center. Not good. So with the extra stringers, it'd be about 12" on center. Then we cut the first one wrong. So we ended up with 16" on center. You see, every stringer had to be individually cut due to some uneven concrete that comprises our sidewalk. Seeing as I had no desire to pour a level sidewalk then build steps, we just measured and cut.

Once the stringer were in place, braced by hangers of course, then we went to work on the treads. Those were easy. The composite material was a dream to work with, just very heavy and extra wobbly in longer lengths.

Rain was coming so we cleaned up for the day. But Yvonne was nice enough to go to town with the family in tow so we could have dinner* and buy the railing brackets I forgot. We dodged most of the rain, had a good dinner, got the needed parts, and headed home. With William screaming. The. Whole. Way. Home.

[Interlude]

Sleep.

[Scene 2: Sunday morning]

Saw us get up and running a bit later than normal. Yvonne made cinnamon roles for breakfast and we once again got ready to finish the steps. Dad arrived and work commenced. As we were putting the first post up, composite again, I realized I needed more brackets for the railing. Yvonne was kind enough to get some, along with lunch.

We go the first railing up by the time she got back and enjoyed a decent sub, cold drink, and the knowledge that I could look forward to playing my new Father's Day present that came back with the railing brackets. Mario Kart for the Wii.

We finished the railing, installed the second railing, and installed the last of the treads. Finishing touch was the solar powered post caps. They look so nice at night.

After cleaning up, I headed in to take a shower while Dad headed home to get ready for his trip. Elizabeth was laying down for her nap and told me she wanted to kiss him good-bye. Made me cry seeing her so sad (not to worry, he came over later to drop some stuff off).

After naps, showers, and dinner, we played the Wii (Elizabeth learned forward and reverse very quickly but loved to drive like a maniac). Played on the floor (Dad was the jungle gym as usual). Read (stories and poems). And went to bed (after I beat Yvonne at Mario Kart and she showed me her divine skill at Brain Age 2 on the DS).

[Begin Blooper Reel]

1. I can't believe I forgot to buy the railing brackets.
2. I can't believe I didn't buy enough railing brackets after realizing
3. Despite how bad it looks, I did not try to kill myself shaving yesterday. It's just the worst "nick" I've had shaving. Ever.
4. When using the Mario Kart Wii steering wheel, I promise to use it in the right direction.
5. I'll try to dance as little as possible in public while listening to my Father's Day Card.

* Dinner Saturday night was graced by three lovely ladies who apparently failed fashion school. All three were near to popping out of their tops, showing all the world their wares. Best of all was the spin on a phrase I came up with. You see, we have a family joke about "FM shoes." As in "Frell Me shoes" (as in "frell" stands for F - - - ). Well, I came up with "AM/FM clothes." As in "Anyone May Frell Me clothes." Which pretty much describes what the lady was wearing.

Ludo - Love Me Dead

I don't know why, but ever since I saw this video last night, I've had this song in my head. And I love the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCU1JYmGxcA

Mrs. Robinson

"Why, Mrs. Robinson, I think you're trying to seduce me."

I've heard the quote before, just never had the reference to frame it with. Now that I've finally finished watching The Graduate, I must say it is one of the better films out there. The story wasn't all that interesting to me, but the cinematography and audio tracks were awesome. Zooming in and out, focus points, background actors, etc. made this a great flick to watch.

So now I've watched The Graduate (#7) and The Philadelphia Story (#51). I started The Manchurian Candidate (#67) this morning and already have Network (#66) and Wuthering Heights (#73) on the DVR ready to watch.

One thing I have noticed, I really hate commercials now. Which means TCM is my preferred channel over AMC. Plus Robert Osborne is a great host.

Weekend Report

Lot's of sports news this weekend and I don't know why. For some reason I was sucked into the French Open not once, but twice. Both times I sat riveted to see Nadal beat the pulp out of his foe. Why I felt I had to watch it, I don't know. I don't even like tennis.

Second, track and field yesterday. Got to watch a few races and see Walker set a new American pole vault record. And, like tennis, I don't like pole vault. The last vault I enjoyed watching (in high school) ended with my teammate breaking his lower leg. It looked like an "L" and it went out from the knee sideways. Yeah. No thanks.

Then we have swimming. We set up our little inflatable pool in yesterday's heat. The water was ice-cold but bearable. For about 15 minutes.

In other news, William is doing his best to stand and walk on his own. Almost there, but not quite. Elizabeth has been learning jokes and making her own. Here's one:

Q: Why did the dinosaur put ketchup and another dinosaur in the potty?
A: Because he wanted to! And yes, she made that one up herself.

And finally, we have the non-sport sport of home improvement and repair. I spent part of Saturday afternoon in the sweltering heat working in the shed (thank God I had a fan). Changed the mower blades and cleaned the mower deck. Yvonne planted a new rose plant that should survive better than the old one (and be less of a hassle to maintain). Sunday was spent setting up the pool and buying more supplies for the front step repair. I'm not too excited about replacing them, but it needs to be done. And I think we have enough stuff to do it right (and nice stuff to make it look great).

Edit - Almost forgot, a tidbit of reading/writing news from Publisher's Weekly:

Liz Scheier at Ballantine won a four-way auction for Michael Thomas Ford's Jane
Bites Back, taking world English rights to three books via Mitchell Waters at
Curtis Brown. The novel presents an undead Jane Austen, frustrated by nearly 200
years of writer's block and 116 rejections of an unpublished novel she finished
just before turning into a vampire; she's becoming increasingly irritated that
the rest of the world seems to be getting rich and famous off of her works and
her life. The two follow-up books will be derived from the first. Waters said
Ford, the author of many books for young readers and adults, is likely to
publish this under a pseudonym; pub date still undecided.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6568141.html?nid=3323

The Awakened Mage meets Twilight Falling

Just finished The Awakened Mage by Karen Miller. The duo-logy started strong, but I just lost interest in it towards the end. The characters were okay to start, kind of the cookie cutter fantasy type, but decent enough to read about. At the end...ugh. Just didn't work for me very well. Intentionally or not, Miller did allude to a dependence on magic and how it kept their world nearly perfect. Well, that all went in the crapper when evil arrived.

And with the end of any book brings the beginning of another. This time it's Twilight Falling by Paul S. Kemp. I've been hearing about this guy for years and just never got to the point of reading his Cale series.

Z-O-M-B-I-E

Kids are amazing things. I'm sure you've heard the old saying about "kids say the darnedest things." Well, last night was more of a "kids, they make you laugh and cry at the same time."

Last night was not a good night for sleeping in our house. Summer thunderstorms mean Henry turns into a drooling bowl of jelly that's afraid of his own shadow. Which means we locked him in the bathroom to keep him from trying to climb his way into bed with us or from drooling on everything beneath his trembling lips. So he spent nearly all night scratching at the door trying to get out. Yeah, like he was suddenly brave enough to face the thunder.

Anyway, combine the chicken-dog with William waking up just as the storms were letting up. So now he's scratching at my back while I make a feeble attempt at sleeping.

And, finally, adding to the mix of whine and woe, we have Elizabeth. When she woke up and ran into our room, I assumed the thunder woke her up and scared her. But no, it was just a scary dream. So I walked her back to her bed and asked her about her scary dream. The following is an approximation of our conversation.

What's the matter sweetie?
I had a scary dream.
What was scary about it?
There was a man digging a cross walk with grass and trees.
What was scary, was the man scary?
Yes, he was being mean to me.
Was the grass or trees scary?
No.
Who was the man, was he someone you know?
No, he was just a scary man.

This was followed by Dad giving his speech about Mom and Dad being there to keep her safe, and William safe, and Henry safe.

So, to any scary men out there that have been mean to Elizabeth while digging a crosswalk with grass and trees, I'll be keeping an eye on you.

Flash from the past

So I've been really digging my (our) new HD DVR. Combined with the monster TV, it's so much easier to find something to watch.

In that thread of thought, I've been revisiting some old movies...well...technically I've been "visiting" them as I've not seen them before. Anywho, I dug up this old post inspired by Paul that made me go back and program some awesomeness on the DVR.

I've only been able to watch a few so far, but I was able to enjoy many, many Jimmy Stewart movies (his 100th birthday was a week or so back). He's my favorite actor by far (I dig the "common man" themes) and it was nice to see him get some props.

And, changing gears drastically, I've been keeping track of our local scavenger hunt. What thrills me to no end is that I've been getting a lot more traffic on the blog I keep with the hints, maps, etc. Yeah for Google searches!

A Toys Weekend

This weekend was full of toys.



First, I got a new another external hard drive (another Seagate). This one is a full 250GB and should fit my needs for some time. Used in conjunction with the 120GB it's replacing and the larger external (physically larger, it's only 180GB or so), I'll be able to easily backup to the small external and then archive every few months to the larger external. Don't worry, even if you don't understand it, I do.



Second, I got a new iPod (classic, 80GB). I've copied all the music Yvonne had on her external drive to mine and will start working on adding the audio books I have. Then I'll be able to listen to them in the car without lugging around the case of 24 CDs.

Finally, I got a new laptop for you-know-where. This should allow me to you-know-what at home in the near future. Which means less gas, less driving, more time at home. I'll need to be careful with how much I'm at "you-know-where" since I want to be able to actually accomplish something but don't want to distance myself completely. Time will tell how it works out.

As for the weekend, it went okay. Nothing too terribly exciting. Hope you had a good one!

New and Old photos

Finally got around to uploading some photos. Check out the wedding here and the winery trip here.

Free Book and Sony Reader

First, the free book. I have an Advanced Reader's Edition (ARE, ARC, or galley if you prefer) of The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry that I'm willing to send to anyone out there on one condition. You help me (and yourself) enter to win a free Sony Reader.

Here's what you need to do.

1. Email me (tk42one@gmail.com) you name and mailing address (your online handle would help too).
2. Read the book and write a review.
3. Post the review to two or more websites (like Amazon, Blogger, MySpace, Facebook, Borders, Live Journal, etc.).
4. Email the link to the reviews to lacereader@harpercollins.com and mention my name.
5. Complete all the steps by June 30th, 2008.

In the end, we'll both be entered to win a free Sony Reader. You're welcome to keep the book or pass it along to include others in the drawing. Of if you want your own ARE (ARC or galley) of the book, go to the Lace Reader website and sign up.

I'll admit that the book wasn't in my favorite genre and I'm not a big fan of pimping books that I love and adore to no end. In other words, this is no Abercrombie, Rothfuss, or Chabon. But I love swag. I love free stuff. And I love how they've marketed this book.

The Lace Reader Review

The Lace Reader

Brunonia Barry

Brunonia Barry has written what I can only describe as the equivalent of a lace novel. Some readers will see the patterns early on while others will only see a nice piece of art. I happen to fall into the latter category.

The book is, simply put, a chick-lit novel. The main character, Towner, has lived a hard life and returns home when her aunt dies. She has to face those she left behind, the labels others have placed on her, and new challenges. All while recovering from surgery. Salem, as in the home of the burned witches, also plays a character of sorts in the book. We see how it has become a center for tourism based on its past. It is also a gateway to other smaller, subset communities. My favorite being the social community of cray people.

The plot was confusing at times but had some solid pieces to anchor the reader. Being a guy, I think I had a harder time than a woman would in following the story and the emotions. The best comparison I can make is The Lace Reader is like The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants. Only with lace readers and witches in New England.

The marketing was outstanding for this novel. I may not know all that goes into marketing a new novel from a debut author, but the publishers have impressed me. By using social and viral advertising, and awesome prizes, they've done well in getting the word out.

My bottom line is this. I enjoyed the book. Even if it wasn't my cup of tea (or piece of lace), I still found it entertaining. I especially liked the ending when the pattern was finally revealed for the novice lace reader I am.

The Dreaded Weekend Report

Dreaded for you as a reader, not for me living it (thank God).

I took off Friday from you-know-where to get things prepped for the picnic Sunday. Got a few things done around the house and generally just cleaned. My shining moment of stupidity came when I went to install the new spark ignitor for the grill since the old one "broke." Turns out it just needed a new battery. And we did some grocery shopping as well. Costco is on my shit list as they've prohibited me from carrying a firearm in their store. I'll be sending them hate-mail later.

Saturday was a great trip to Barrel Oak Winery in Delaplane, VA. A college friend's sister and husband run the place and this past weekend was their grand opening. Got the "inside scoop" on much of the operation, building, etc. The weather was awesome, our friend was surprised to see us (he had no idea we were coming), and we got to see alpacas.

Sunday was our annual picnic where we had friends and family join us for food, drink, and roasted marshmallows. The weather was again great and we had fun. Everyone (kids and adults) slept well.

Monday was another great day, this one spent just running around and doing errands. Nothing terribly exciting until Target decided to get on Yvonne's shit list for charging us tax on first aid supplies when the state has a tax holiday all week for the stuff. Yeah. Sucks to be you Target.

I'm now in my fifth (of six) weeks of school. I'll roll right into my next class when this one finishes, so we'll see how it goes. I was hoping to finish The Lace Reader today during lunch, but instead spent the hour working on my other blog for the scavenger hunt. I've also gone back to the last Wheel of Time book on CD so I have something to listen to and to catch up before I try to listen to the next one that I downloaded from Audible.com.

And that's about it for now. I'm off to research iPods and Zunes.

Sunday Mobile

Fire is going. Food is coming soon. Friends are here. I love holidays.

Holiday Mobile 2

Done at the winery. Back in F'burg to shop and enjoy the weather.

Holiday Mobile

Heading to the winery to see a friend.

Chabon is a literary God

So I just finished Michael Chabon's Yiddish Policemen's Union on audio. There were some technical aspects that were different than other audio books I've listened to before. First, the CDs were labeled with each track's length as well as the length of the CD itself. And there was music at the beginning and end of each CD. Those were good things. But that damn music played over the start of the first track and it drove me nuts.

Outside of that, we have Chabon's skill. The plot was weak. Unabashedly so. In fact, there were times that the plot wasn't even there. Or if it was, I couldn't find it. But his skill with words was undeniably god-like. The only other person I've read that has skills even remotely close is Rothfuss. You can tell Rothfuss spends time crafting the right word and the right sentence. But Chabon is not only profound, he's prolific. Sentence after sentence rang home in my head like the bells of a church tower tolling the hour.

So, check it out. You'll thank me. Awesome book. I now want to check out some of his backlist.

Sunday Mobile

It's frelling raining. Again. But we haven't gone to the hospital (knock on wood) so things must be getting better. Right?

In case you're blind...

I've had enough of this week. Whatever God is out there, please fast-forward your DVR to a week or two from now when things are (hopefully) calmer. I'll spare my faithless readers the litany of despair and wish you all a happy weekend instead. I can't even say this one will be quieter than last.

Booky News

No, not like a gambling bookie, I'm talking books.

Heliotrope Issue 4 is live!

Online and viral advertising appears to be taking off for books. Which is how I got one of the few ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy - or in this case ARE as in Advanced Reader's Edition) versions of a book. It's called The Lace Reader. Stay tuned for details on how you can me (and you) enter to win a free Sony Reader (a chance to win for everyone that helps out!).


I'm a die-hard XML fan and have been pushing for anyone and everyone to hear about its benefits. Looks like some publishers are pushing for the same thing.

And finally, e-books have popped up in the news, this time in a way I'm not sure I like. The company, Dnaml, looks like they want to take e-book to the next level by junking it up with all sorts of videos, graphics, audio, etc. The jury is out on this one, but it doesn't look good.

And this is why I like boring

For those of you who know me (and us), we're probably pretty boring people. We work, we do chores, we eat and sleep. But we don't really party, or go on fancy trips, or do neat things. We're boring. Sure, we'd love to see Europe or Australia or the Grand Canyon (again), but we're boring. Here's why.

Saturday
In the morning we went to town to do our weekly food shopping and to run some errands. We checked out (to no avail) some railing systems as our front steps are in dire need of renovation. We came home, changed, cleaned up, then went to the wedding of our babysitter's daughter. Now, I don't like writing checks to pay for the sitter, but it's a great deal. Not only is it way less than what a commercial chain of daycare centers would charge, these people actually care about our kids. How many babysitters do you know that buy a dress just for your kid (with matching dress for her doll) so she can hand out bubbles at the wedding? Not many. Anyway, the wedding was nice, the rain stopped a few hours before the ceremony, and we had some snacky foods. William was getting cranky so we headed home to eat our dinner of Sheetz food.

Sunday
Sunday morning saw Yvonne sleeping in (per her request for mother's day) and plenty of laundry being done. Dishes were next on my list while Yvonne was going through Elizabeth's clothes (she's like the Imelda Marcos of kid's clothes - thank God for hand me downs). Suffice to say, the house was a mess with all the projects under way. Then William had some vanilla yogurt and some banana yogurt for lunch. Not a lot though, just some spoonfuls.

After an hour of fussing, he spewed. Everywhere. Floor. Mom. Not pretty.

Then he broke out in hives. After some phone calls, the nurse/triage people said to go to the ER since he's already taking various medications and is so young. So we zoomed to the ER, got behind the iron curtain of admissions very fast and waited. A quick checkup by the doc said he needed benadryl.

He had a bottle, and upchucked again while trying to give him the meds orally. So we moved to another room to await an IV infusion of benadryl.

And waited. Waited some more. And waited some more. After much waiting, some benadryl, more waiting, some fluids, more waiting, and yes, even more waiting, we finally got the hell out of there. Mother's Day dinner was Sheetz again (we had some right tasty looking steaks at home on the menu that have to wait now).

Monday
So, after another visit to the doctor for the post-allergy check-up, he's good to go for now. We'll be avoiding vanilla and milk until further tests come back (he eats banana all the time so it shouldn't be that). The rain is still coming down like the second coming of Moses. I'm still trying to catch up at you-know-where, school, and home. Projects galore at you-know-where, homework for class, and things to mend at home (those damn steps, the water timer under the house, and now the ditch needs fixin').

And that is why I like boring.

Today's Sunday Mobile is photo-less

Today's Sunday Mobile is photo-less as we are in the ER waiting for William to see the doctor after having an allergic reaction.

We survived

For those that didn't know, we survived last night's storm. The house just had some light winds, heavy rain, and plenty of thunder. Everything appears to be intact (haven't checked the shed yet), but in town, well, that's a different story. This particular photo is right outside my current location (you-know-where).

Annndd, Elizabeth was in today's paper in the Caboose Run race results (just her name). I'm working on the photos of the medal and of William. Give me a second.

Okay, they're uploaded. Here's the full album. And here are two of them.

Another Tarzan?

The Ancient

R. A. Salvatore

I really wanted to cry at certain points during this book. Not because the story was so gripping and moving, but because it wasn't. For the first time since ready Salvatore's Tarzan adaptation, I actually wanted to stop and listen to something else.

And to make matters worse, the ending gave some serious overtones of his previous Drizzt works. The Highwayman has fancy sword work and dresses all in black(Drizzt). The priest and his female companion (Wulfgar and Catti-brie). And the red cap powrie (Bruenor).

So, in light of this general malaise from reading (well, listening technically) The Ancient and the fact that my other reviews have been rather lackluster, this is all you get. If you want a glowing review, check out Rob's.

Great Train Race Video

Just posting the short video I took of the Train Race from Sunday.

Writerly and personal news

Audible
I've been sitting on the "audio book download" fence for some time now. I've been listening to audio books for several years now and must say, it makes my commute pass much faster than normal. And at seven to eight hours each week, that makes a world of difference. But my problem has become funding. An average audio book will run me $30 to $40. An insane amount considering that the same title in print would be half that in hardcover or even less in paperback. So I'll give the Audio Book Exchange a whirl and see what Trina and I can do (anyone else i welcome to join of course). But I'll still keep Audible as an option. Especially when I read this (bit of Star Wars news after it too):

Audible has formed a new imprint, Audible Frontiers, which will offer a range of exclusive science fiction and fantasy titles that will be available as digital downloads solely through its Web site. The imprint will feature a number of original works as well as titles from six publishers.

Mainspring
I'm seeing some static about Jay Lake's latest endeavour. Maybe it's good marketing, maybe it's a good book. Either way, flying ships always catch my eye.


School
Well, school is school. Not much to say about it right now. But I do plan on running through three classes before taking another break.

Shed
The shed has power and has passed the final inspection. That means we are done! Well, almost. We still have some insulation and drywall to install, but neither of those need an inspection because it is not a livable space. Maybe I'll be able to get some alone time to work on projects. More likely, I'll just putter.

Train Race
Elizabeth ran in a train race this weekend. It was only 400 meters or so but it's the largest race on the East Coast for kids. To put things in perspective, they limited the Caboose Run (for kids 6 and under - the one Elizabeth ran in) to 400 kids. That's right, 400. Overall, there were 2,500 kids there as racers. Add parents and fans and you get a madhouse. This photo should take you to more from the race (and of the shed).



And that's it folks.

Sunday Mobile

May the Fourth be with you.

A Study of Art

Briefly, seeing as I took all of five minutes to take the photos, what follows is a study of the art in our house.

The most prolific artist would be Yvonne's grandmother. Of all the hanging art in our house, she painted most of it. Nearly half in fact. I think this one is my favorite (it hangs in our hall bathroom):



The next artist would be my mother. Of the quilts in our house, she's made pretty much all of them. She's been featured in magazines, books, and national quilt shows. In other words, she does good work. Even as a child, she was a pretty good artist:



Various other artists grace our walls, but my favorite of all is the wood burning done by my great uncle:



You can view the rest of the art collection here.