Thursday, February 14, 2008
Here's something you don't see everyday
If you need more strangeness...
If you liked James Hill (the ukulele player), here's another video:
Orange Blossom Special
(James Hill with Madcat on harmonicas)
Happy Valentines Day
(my thanks to Doug for pointing me towards these artists)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Book Tags
My wife tagged me. Something about books. So, here goes...
The book is Leo Rosten's The Joys of Yiddish.
Here's what you do. . .
I'll tag somebody later, I guess.
But in the mean time, I'll do another page 123...
Finally, one from Marjorie Rowling's Life in Medieval Times...
In the United States, the social-prestige scale was sensitive and exact: first-generation Jews envied second-generation Jews; and German Jewish families–Kuhns, Warbugs, Seligmans, Kahns, Schiffs, Lehmanns, Loebs, Ocheses–became an elite of remarkable influence and social cohesiveness. The "pecking order" of this Establishment, its pride, philanthropy, snobbery, and Pecksniffian patronage of Russian and Polish Jews–all this is described by Stephen Birmingham in Our Crowd: The Great Jewish Families of New York. San Francisco's Jews became a distinguished, conspicuously civic-minded group of descendants of settlers dating back to the Gold Rush.This is part of the description of the Yiddish word: Galitzianer, which means: A Jew from Galicia, a province of Poland/Austria. (When Poland was partitioned in 1772, Austria grabbed Galicia.)
The book is Leo Rosten's The Joys of Yiddish.
Here's what you do. . .
- Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
- Open the book to page 123.
- Find the fifth sentence.
- Post the next three sentences.
- Tag five people & post a comment here once you post it to your blog, so I can come see.
I'll tag somebody later, I guess.
But in the mean time, I'll do another page 123...
"They wrote on both sides of the sheet in columns, following the folds," he observed, noting how the finished product was then enclosed between elegantly decorated boards, sometimes binding them in the cured skin of jaguars. Landa's physical description of the codices corresponds with images that were painted on Maya vases. For modern-day scholars, of far greater significance was Landa's character-by-character description of the alphabet, which had been dictated to him by a native who had working knowledge of the language, along with drawings of their appearance.That was from Nicholas A. Basbanes' A Splendor of Letters (The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World)
Finally, one from Marjorie Rowling's Life in Medieval Times...
Odo not only laid the foundations of Cluny's future greatness but was called upon by rulers and the Pope to reform other monasteries in France, Italy and in Rome itself. This was not an easy task, for monks disliked interference by abbots from other abbeys. At Fleury in France the monks forcibly resisted Odo's entry.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Films for boys and their dads
Last night, while Angie was watching NASCAR stuff on TV and working on the computer, I watched a wonderful Alfred Hitchcock film with Edison.The 39 Steps is a delightful mystery / romantic comedy. It, I think, is my favorite movie of all time. There are others that are good (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Blues Brothers, The Mission, Raising Arizona, etc), but I do enjoy this one very much.
We watched a public domain copy of it. The sound was a bit uneven and the print a bit faded here and there. A friend of mine is borrowing my Criterion Collection copy.
I won't try to review the movie or even give a plot synopsis. More info can be found at this DVD review, or at the IMDB entry.
Edison liked it. It must be good.
I'd recommend to go and rent or buy a copy, settle back for a time and enjoy.
p.s. - the title of this post doesn't quite make sense, in that it implies that there is more than one film that I'd recommend for "boys and their dads." Let's call this a start to a (very) short series of posts.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Bass-ball in 1829
Yet another mention of that game...
This is a portion of a sketch about young girls growing up from The American Farmer, March 20, 1829 (No. 1, Vol. 11, page 6, column 1), John S. Skinner, editor.
The complete scan can be found here.
Picture bonus from The American Farmer...
This is a portion of a sketch about young girls growing up from The American Farmer, March 20, 1829 (No. 1, Vol. 11, page 6, column 1), John S. Skinner, editor.
The following, which is from Miss Mitford's Village Sketches, is probably one of the best productions that ever flowed from her gifted pen.
...
Then comes a sun-burnt gipsey of six, beginning to grow tall and thin, and to find the cares of the world gathering about her, with pitcher in one hand, a mop in the other, and old straw bonnet of ambiguous shape, half hiding her tangled hair, a tattered stuff petticoat, once green, hanging below an equally tattered frock, once purple; her longing eyes fixed on a game of bass-ball at the corner of the green, till she reaches the cottage door, flings down the mop and pitcher, and darts off to her companions, quite regardless of the storm of scolding with which the mother follows her runaway steps.
So the world wags till ten; then the little damsel gets admission to the charity school, and trips mincingly thither every morning, dressed in the old fashioned blue gown, and tippet, and bib and apron of that primitive institution, looking demure as a nun, and as tidy; her thoughts fixed on button holes and spelling books — those ensigns of promotion; despising dirt and bass-ball, and all their joys.
The complete scan can be found here.
Picture bonus from The American Farmer...
Bass-ball in 1827
More searching through the Books at Google...
On page 123 of the bestseller of 1827, The Principles of Physical, Intellectual, Moral, and Religious Education (volume 1) by William Newnham, we find...
The whole book can be found here. No bookplate. Sorry.
On page 123 of the bestseller of 1827, The Principles of Physical, Intellectual, Moral, and Religious Education (volume 1) by William Newnham, we find...
With the same intention, the games of cricket, prison bars, foot ball, &c. will be useful, as children grow up, and are strong enough to endure such exercise. With regard to girls, these amusements may be advantageously supplanted by bass-ball, battledore and shuttlecock, and similar active and playful pursuits.
The whole book can be found here. No bookplate. Sorry.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Bass-ball in 1836
I found a reference to "bass-ball" in the Jan. 1838 issue of The British and Foreign Medical Review, quoting a 1836 study (from the Mclean Asylum in Boston) that was originally published in the May 1, 1837 edition of the American Medical Intelligencer.
The article is titled: Moral Management of the Insane in America.
On page 240 and 241 of The British and Foreign Medical Review the report states:
The report goes on to talk about other opportunities for the patients: recreational, religious, work and diversion related.
This came from a search for early references to Baseball, in any form. I subscribe to the 19cBB discussion list, mainly for Baseball in the 19th century. I'm not very active on the list, and I even admit to deleting some of the messages that come through if they don't interest me, but I do try to add something every so often. Larry McCray is working on Project Protoball. I sent him this information already.
I found the reference on the Google Books site. Here is the link to this copy of the The British and Foreign Medical Review.
As a bonus, here's the bookplate from the front of the journal...
The article is titled: Moral Management of the Insane in America.
On page 240 and 241 of The British and Foreign Medical Review the report states:
Our amusements are various and numerous. We keep a carriage, two carioles, one chaise and four horses, which are devoted almost exclusively to the use of the patients. Many of them ride every fair day, and have, the last year, ridden ten thousand miles. The males are also engaged at bowls, quoits, bass-ball, fishing, fancy painting, walking, dancing, reading, swinging, and throwing the ring, &c.
The report goes on to talk about other opportunities for the patients: recreational, religious, work and diversion related.
This came from a search for early references to Baseball, in any form. I subscribe to the 19cBB discussion list, mainly for Baseball in the 19th century. I'm not very active on the list, and I even admit to deleting some of the messages that come through if they don't interest me, but I do try to add something every so often. Larry McCray is working on Project Protoball. I sent him this information already.
I found the reference on the Google Books site. Here is the link to this copy of the The British and Foreign Medical Review.
As a bonus, here's the bookplate from the front of the journal...
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Silence
A virtual acquaintance of mine has a blog. It is in a language other than English, so I use Babelfish to translate it. I can get an idea of what she is saying, but not the full meaning. I like her writing. I think that it is very good. Inspired. By what, I don't know. But I return to it every few weeks.
Lately she has been writing about silence. One of the definitions that she lists for Silence is: the sonorous version of the darkness
Because I've been listening to music and blogging about it, I started to think of the quiet. Of silence. How it is a rare thing.
About a week ago at work, I was going between buildings. I heard a noise in the sky and looked up. There were about 60 Canadian Geese flying overhead, in about 4 groups. They turned and were so close that I could hear their wings flap. Nature in silence.
Tonight, our family went to have dinner with my supervisor and his family. For a moment we all were quiet. The radio wasn't on. It was just the sound of the wind on the minivan. Machines in silence.
When I awake in the middle of the night. Angie lies next to me, with her CPAP machine, and the baby monitor hisses lightly from Caroline's room. Comfort in silence.
You can hear a lot in the silence.
If you listen.
Lately she has been writing about silence. One of the definitions that she lists for Silence is: the sonorous version of the darkness
Because I've been listening to music and blogging about it, I started to think of the quiet. Of silence. How it is a rare thing.
About a week ago at work, I was going between buildings. I heard a noise in the sky and looked up. There were about 60 Canadian Geese flying overhead, in about 4 groups. They turned and were so close that I could hear their wings flap. Nature in silence.
Tonight, our family went to have dinner with my supervisor and his family. For a moment we all were quiet. The radio wasn't on. It was just the sound of the wind on the minivan. Machines in silence.
When I awake in the middle of the night. Angie lies next to me, with her CPAP machine, and the baby monitor hisses lightly from Caroline's room. Comfort in silence.
You can hear a lot in the silence.
If you listen.
Technology and Me
A few technology devices I've started to use...
A SanDisk MobileMate SD+ Memory Card Reader. Works great for transferring photos from the Kodak EasyShare Z712IS camera, or rather the SanDisk 2GB SD card. The card and reader combo seems to go faster than the camera and USB cord. And it was the only way I could figure out how to upgrade the firmware for the camera.
BestBatt.com has replacement batteries for the Z712IS that work. I didn't have much luck with the Kodak brand rechargeable batteries Ni-MH AA batteries. So, I purchased 2 of the KLIC-8000 replacements. And a charger. Delivered in a timely manner for less than $50.
I'm happy.
A SanDisk MobileMate SD+ Memory Card Reader. Works great for transferring photos from the Kodak EasyShare Z712IS camera, or rather the SanDisk 2GB SD card. The card and reader combo seems to go faster than the camera and USB cord. And it was the only way I could figure out how to upgrade the firmware for the camera.
BestBatt.com has replacement batteries for the Z712IS that work. I didn't have much luck with the Kodak brand rechargeable batteries Ni-MH AA batteries. So, I purchased 2 of the KLIC-8000 replacements. And a charger. Delivered in a timely manner for less than $50.
I'm happy.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Two bukhs and another one already
In the past month or so, I picked up a few books. Like that's unusual?
The Joys of Yiddish by Leo Rosten and Words on Fire by Dovid Katz are both books about the Yiddish language.
The first is one that I had back in high school, then I sold it / lost it / lent it out and it never came back. I found a copy at the Book Eddy in south KnoxVegas over the Holidays.
The second is one that I purchased tonight at the Family Book Outlet in Maryville. It was 50% off the lowest marked price ($3.99). I didn't even open it up, just saw that it was a clean copy (remainder). It is subtitled The Unfinished Story of Yiddish. Who could pass that up?
The other book I purchased tonight is A Splendor of Letters (The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World) by Nicholas A. Basbanes. I've read another of his other books on books. A Gentle Madness. That was about 10 years ago, and I still long for his writing. It, too, was 50% off the lowest marked price ($9.95).
I do have some other things to read. I exchanged some of my frequent flier miles for a subscription to Smithsonian magazine. I've just started reading Equal Rites, one of the DiscWorld novels by Terry Pratchett. And I got Tony Dungy's book, Quiet Strength.
I just finished up the Tolkien story, Farmer Giles of Ham, which was quite an enjoyable re-read. I don't think that I'll actually be starting any of these tonight, but I did want to share them with my faithful readers. Thank you, both.
The Joys of Yiddish by Leo Rosten and Words on Fire by Dovid Katz are both books about the Yiddish language.
The first is one that I had back in high school, then I sold it / lost it / lent it out and it never came back. I found a copy at the Book Eddy in south KnoxVegas over the Holidays.
The second is one that I purchased tonight at the Family Book Outlet in Maryville. It was 50% off the lowest marked price ($3.99). I didn't even open it up, just saw that it was a clean copy (remainder). It is subtitled The Unfinished Story of Yiddish. Who could pass that up?
The other book I purchased tonight is A Splendor of Letters (The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World) by Nicholas A. Basbanes. I've read another of his other books on books. A Gentle Madness. That was about 10 years ago, and I still long for his writing. It, too, was 50% off the lowest marked price ($9.95).
I do have some other things to read. I exchanged some of my frequent flier miles for a subscription to Smithsonian magazine. I've just started reading Equal Rites, one of the DiscWorld novels by Terry Pratchett. And I got Tony Dungy's book, Quiet Strength.
I just finished up the Tolkien story, Farmer Giles of Ham, which was quite an enjoyable re-read. I don't think that I'll actually be starting any of these tonight, but I did want to share them with my faithful readers. Thank you, both.
Monday, January 14, 2008
New Year, New Tunes
I didn't really make any New Year's resolutions. Well, maybe to leave the chat channels when I actually say good-bye, instead of 10 minutes later. And, in my mind, to read more, exercise more, finish what I've started, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know the drill.
Well, I came up with one the other day. New tunes. Not for the whole year, but for a while. I've formatted my mp3 player, clearing out the standbys of Jehtro Tull, Phil Keaggy, Stan Kenton, Robert Randolph, Boston, Bill Watrous and others.
I'm only going to try to listen to new music. I'll try it until St. Patrick's day.
So, what is new music, you might ask yourself. I did. Music that I haven't heard before. I'll keep the songs on there for a while. If they're good, they'll stay on for a few weeks, may a month. Then clear out some space and put on other stuff. If it isn't good, I'll listen to it and dump it at the soonest possible moment.
Where are you going to get this new music? Hmmm... From legit new music places. I feel that artists should be compensated for their art. But some of them give it away. That's what I'm looking for. And I found some free and low cost music. And some that I've paid for. Where do I start?
I could do it chronologically, or perhaps what's been squeaking my sneakers, as my friend Phillip said on Sunday.
I'll go with the squeaking bit.
The Aaron Pelsue Band. I saw them at the TCTC this weekend. Went to their vendor table and bought all four of their CDs. Good stuff.
I guess what started this thought process is a player from BattleMaster. Around Christmas time, there was tournament in the realm of my main character. It was hosted, to celebrate the wedding of my character, Willem, to the character of Ilya, played by my friend, Tali. There was much roleplaying and well wishes, both for the in-game wedding, and for the holidays in RL (Real Life). One of the players from another realm, posted an Out Of Character message, inviting everyone to his music website, and giving everyone a $5 coupon. Well, new music, and 5 bucks off. Can't beat that. Well, yes you can.
Before I get bogged down in the details, let me point you to Joar Berntsen's AmieStreet.com site.
There. I feel better. AmieStreet.com is an independent music download site. You pay for what you want. Very reasonable prices. 4 cents a song. 19 cents a song. A dollar an album. The prices are set on some sort of sliding scale based on the amount of downloads or popularity. I haven't really figured that out, yet. And I may never. But, it is classified by genre or artist, or... you know how these things work. Back to Joar. Joar's music is filed under: Ambience, Acoustic, Instrumental, Techno, Industrial Trance. I was a bit skeptical of Industrial Trance. But it works. Modern soundscapes I'd call it. I like it. Don't know that I'd have it on all the time, but I do like it. Another artist that I like from AmieStreet is Showky Sawzawa. Pop rock, but sung in Japanese. It surprised me, at first, but the arrangements are so nice and full that I soon looked past the fact that I couldn't understand the lyrics.
eFolkMusic.org has some nice tunes. You can pick up about a dozen free ones there. I haven't yet listened to them on my player, but it looks interesting.
Greenstar builds a solar powered community center that delivers electricity, pure water, health and education information and a wireless Internet connection to villages in the developing world. They have some world music. Solar powered recordings. I haven't yet downloaded those, but I want to.
Wayne Bledsoe is a local columnist for a few papers in KnoxVegas. The News Sentinel and occasionally the MetroPulse. About a year and a half ago, he wrote an article in the News Sentinel about the regional artists' music being recorded at the St. James Hotel. The recordings have been digitized and can be found at the Lynn Point Records site. I've downloaded quite a few, but not all of them.
Last, but not least, is Coverville. Doug told me about this site to download podcasts of cover music. When an artist re-records another artist's song. Good stuff.
Okay, that wasn't really the last one, because I just remembered archive.org's Live Music Archive. Trade friendly artists allow their live concerts to be housed here, in good quality recordings. You'll go deaf before you listen to all 45,318 concerts.
So, my mp3 player is full and I've got plenty of time at work to listen.
One last thing. I received a BestBuy gift card for Christmas. I used it to get Paul Simon's Graceland and the Best of Warren Zevon. And a pair of SkullCandy's smokin buds. Very nice. Angie got a pair as well. Comfortable and they sound good. BestBuy honored Target's price. Ask at the register.
Well, one more. Bonerama covering Black Sabbath in New Orleans. I am in debt to Steve O. for letting me know about this band. Thanks, Man.
Well, I came up with one the other day. New tunes. Not for the whole year, but for a while. I've formatted my mp3 player, clearing out the standbys of Jehtro Tull, Phil Keaggy, Stan Kenton, Robert Randolph, Boston, Bill Watrous and others.
I'm only going to try to listen to new music. I'll try it until St. Patrick's day.
So, what is new music, you might ask yourself. I did. Music that I haven't heard before. I'll keep the songs on there for a while. If they're good, they'll stay on for a few weeks, may a month. Then clear out some space and put on other stuff. If it isn't good, I'll listen to it and dump it at the soonest possible moment.
Where are you going to get this new music? Hmmm... From legit new music places. I feel that artists should be compensated for their art. But some of them give it away. That's what I'm looking for. And I found some free and low cost music. And some that I've paid for. Where do I start?
I could do it chronologically, or perhaps what's been squeaking my sneakers, as my friend Phillip said on Sunday.
I'll go with the squeaking bit.
The Aaron Pelsue Band. I saw them at the TCTC this weekend. Went to their vendor table and bought all four of their CDs. Good stuff.
I guess what started this thought process is a player from BattleMaster. Around Christmas time, there was tournament in the realm of my main character. It was hosted, to celebrate the wedding of my character, Willem, to the character of Ilya, played by my friend, Tali. There was much roleplaying and well wishes, both for the in-game wedding, and for the holidays in RL (Real Life). One of the players from another realm, posted an Out Of Character message, inviting everyone to his music website, and giving everyone a $5 coupon. Well, new music, and 5 bucks off. Can't beat that. Well, yes you can.
Before I get bogged down in the details, let me point you to Joar Berntsen's AmieStreet.com site.
There. I feel better. AmieStreet.com is an independent music download site. You pay for what you want. Very reasonable prices. 4 cents a song. 19 cents a song. A dollar an album. The prices are set on some sort of sliding scale based on the amount of downloads or popularity. I haven't really figured that out, yet. And I may never. But, it is classified by genre or artist, or... you know how these things work. Back to Joar. Joar's music is filed under: Ambience, Acoustic, Instrumental, Techno, Industrial Trance. I was a bit skeptical of Industrial Trance. But it works. Modern soundscapes I'd call it. I like it. Don't know that I'd have it on all the time, but I do like it. Another artist that I like from AmieStreet is Showky Sawzawa. Pop rock, but sung in Japanese. It surprised me, at first, but the arrangements are so nice and full that I soon looked past the fact that I couldn't understand the lyrics.
eFolkMusic.org has some nice tunes. You can pick up about a dozen free ones there. I haven't yet listened to them on my player, but it looks interesting.
Greenstar builds a solar powered community center that delivers electricity, pure water, health and education information and a wireless Internet connection to villages in the developing world. They have some world music. Solar powered recordings. I haven't yet downloaded those, but I want to.
Wayne Bledsoe is a local columnist for a few papers in KnoxVegas. The News Sentinel and occasionally the MetroPulse. About a year and a half ago, he wrote an article in the News Sentinel about the regional artists' music being recorded at the St. James Hotel. The recordings have been digitized and can be found at the Lynn Point Records site. I've downloaded quite a few, but not all of them.
Last, but not least, is Coverville. Doug told me about this site to download podcasts of cover music. When an artist re-records another artist's song. Good stuff.
Okay, that wasn't really the last one, because I just remembered archive.org's Live Music Archive. Trade friendly artists allow their live concerts to be housed here, in good quality recordings. You'll go deaf before you listen to all 45,318 concerts.
So, my mp3 player is full and I've got plenty of time at work to listen.
One last thing. I received a BestBuy gift card for Christmas. I used it to get Paul Simon's Graceland and the Best of Warren Zevon. And a pair of SkullCandy's smokin buds. Very nice. Angie got a pair as well. Comfortable and they sound good. BestBuy honored Target's price. Ask at the register.
Well, one more. Bonerama covering Black Sabbath in New Orleans. I am in debt to Steve O. for letting me know about this band. Thanks, Man.
Friday, January 11, 2008
A day late...
The tenth of January is my paternal grandmother's birthday. She is now 96. I forgot that it was her birthday yesterday. I do miss seeing her, as we live many, many miles apart. Here are some photos of her. Yes, there are a lot of them, but she deserves it.
Happy Birthday, Grammy.
Happy Birthday, Grammy.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Deer in Cades Cove
Many years ago, my wife and I attended a wedding in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, which is just a few hours past Nashville. The photographer was Lance Krueger. Talking to him at the rehearsal dinner, he showed me his portfolio. Although he was doing a wedding, he preferred to shoot wildlife, specifically white tail deer. He liked to shoot them in Texas, but had traveled all over the US to do it. We invited him to Tennessee to shoot at Cades Cove.
He stayed at our house for about a week, getting up early and spending the whole day to get just the right shot. Here are a few of them.
He stayed at our house for about a week, getting up early and spending the whole day to get just the right shot. Here are a few of them.
"La Caverna" Café
On May 26, 1980, the family went to Nogales, Sonora, Mexico for some shopping and a meal. We ended up at The Cavern, a nice little restaurant cut into the hillside. From the left are Gary (mom's brother), George (my dad), Effie (dad's mother) Mary (my mom) and Mark (me).Grammy came to Arizona for my high school graduation. Gary was living in Sierra Vista at the time.
My, don't we look different.
Here's a postcard of the restaurant from 1937. Or, if you'd like one in color...
Friday, December 21, 2007
Looking for the end zone of milk and honey
I just suffered through the worst fantasy football weekend I've ever had. Knocked out of the playoffs in two leagues, both of which I was either in 1st place or had the highest scoring team in the league. It was like all my guys were fantasy football Jobs or something. Or more like the ancient Israelites wandering the desert, unable to find the end zone of milk and honey. It was horrible.
K
This came from a friend of mine regarding his Fantasy Football League (FFL) team. It pretty much sums up my experience both this year, and last. Except that I was neither in first place, nor had the highest scoring team in the league.
About 17 years ago or so I was invited by Steve S. to join a FFL. We used the USA Today stats and pencils and papers. Mostly it was guys from church. I helped start a league at the Wheaton College Physical Plant and we got some software (KKFL, I think). I moved to TN about 12 years ago. I played in a Yahoo! public league. Then I created a private league (the Red Headed League) and invited some of my new co-workers and some of the guys from Steve S's league. It became so popular, that a new league had to be formed (the Super Secret League). The RHL has 12 teams and the SSL has 8. To keep it interesting, each year, the bottom 4 teams of the RHL move down to the SSL and the top 4 teams of the SSL move up to the RHL. And the Winner of the RHL gets the Ryan Leaf Trophy. I'll get a picture of it later.
Past Winners of the trophy are:
Karl, Carl, Mike and Matt
Maybe someday I'll be a winner again. Yeah, right.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
blog update for the Steelers
I updated my previous post on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football to include the 2007 games.
They keep getting better.
They keep getting better.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
A Bit of This and That
It has been a bit since I've created an entry. So, here's another mix of random bits.
Andruw Jones got signed to the LA Dodgers for $36 million for 2 years. Not figuring signing bonuses, delayed payment, etc., that is $18 million a year. On average, for his last 11 years as a major leaguer, he had 573 At Bats per season. If he carries that over for the next two years, he'll me making $31,413.62 per At Bat. Hmmm. Where can I sign up?
I'm re-reading Louis L'Amour's The Walking Drum. Not deep, serious literature, but a fun, mindless historical novel. I had to go to the library to check out a copy, for the paperback version that I bought near Thanksgiving ended up in the toilet. Clean water, but it swelled the book. It pained me to throw out a book.
While reading it this morning, I came across a quote that I like...
And then from Victor Nell in his 1988 book Lost in a Book ...
I've been listening to my mp3 player while raking leaves this weekend. Jethro Tull's Christmas Album. Dave Pegg's The Cocktail Cowboy Goes It Alone. Phil Keaggy's Time 2.
A good family friend passed away this week. She was my Sunday School teacher and I have very fond memories of her. I'll miss Betty Bromley, as many will. But through the sharing of that news, a school friend of mine contacted me. We haven't seen each other in about 25 years or so. We stay in touch through our parents. "Mom, so what do you hear from Alan? How are his kids? His folks?" Things like that. Thanks for writing, Alan. You're welcome. It was my pleasure.
And I can't end without a picture of my cute daughter...
Andruw Jones got signed to the LA Dodgers for $36 million for 2 years. Not figuring signing bonuses, delayed payment, etc., that is $18 million a year. On average, for his last 11 years as a major leaguer, he had 573 At Bats per season. If he carries that over for the next two years, he'll me making $31,413.62 per At Bat. Hmmm. Where can I sign up?
I'm re-reading Louis L'Amour's The Walking Drum. Not deep, serious literature, but a fun, mindless historical novel. I had to go to the library to check out a copy, for the paperback version that I bought near Thanksgiving ended up in the toilet. Clean water, but it swelled the book. It pained me to throw out a book.
While reading it this morning, I came across a quote that I like...
There is power in the word whether written or spoke, for words can create image for those who have not themselves seen.
And then from Victor Nell in his 1988 book Lost in a Book ...
Books are all the dreams we would most like to have, and like dreams they have the power to change consciousness.
I've been listening to my mp3 player while raking leaves this weekend. Jethro Tull's Christmas Album. Dave Pegg's The Cocktail Cowboy Goes It Alone. Phil Keaggy's Time 2.
A good family friend passed away this week. She was my Sunday School teacher and I have very fond memories of her. I'll miss Betty Bromley, as many will. But through the sharing of that news, a school friend of mine contacted me. We haven't seen each other in about 25 years or so. We stay in touch through our parents. "Mom, so what do you hear from Alan? How are his kids? His folks?" Things like that. Thanks for writing, Alan. You're welcome. It was my pleasure.
And I can't end without a picture of my cute daughter...
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Happy Birthday, Mom
Doing some of the things that she loves.
I'll try to find more photos to post later.
And remember, Dad is still older than you are.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thank you
It is the day to give thanks. But we should give thanks at all times and in all things. So, what am I thankful for this year? Hmm, where to start?
* I've got good friends, both real and virtual (read: online)
* I've got a new house (read: home)
* I've got a great family (read: family)
I could go on and on, but then I'd never get to the photos...
Comment on the food: Nhami (or for you English speaking peoples: Yummy)
Some of the 45 dozen or so cookies that were made the last few days...
Breakfast at Chez Aubrey...
My dad's plate at formal dinner...
And so you don't think that it is all about food, here's my folks...
And my brother and his wife...
And then me, my loving wife and kids...
Sure, there were other family at the dinner this afternoon/evening, but if I added them here, what would Angie blog about?
What did we do today? We ate. Read the paper. Watched the parades on TV. Played Thanksgiving Day Parade Bingo. Did laundry. Watched Football (American, for my foreign readers). Played Thanksgiving Day Football Bingo. Ate more. Ran to the store. Read some. Lazed around. Went to Angie's aunt and uncle's for dinner. Ate more. Played cards (Hearts, not Skat. Yes, it is a real game. See more info by reading Foster's Skat Manual). Came home. Taped CSI and then a rerun of The Office. Talked with folks about the punishments that they inflicted on my brother and I growing up. Laughed. Wanted to eat some more but couldn't. It was a good day.
Tomorrow we go shopping. Then put up the Christmas tree. Raking leaves will happen sometime over the weekend, I've been assured of that.
Saturday, out to the big bookstore in Knoxvegas. Then, celebrate Christmas while the family is all together.
Sunday will be church, then lazing around, watching football, eating, playing games, that sort of stuff.
Monday will include going back to work, school and home for our parents and brother (and his wife).
* I've got good friends, both real and virtual (read: online)
* I've got a new house (read: home)
* I've got a great family (read: family)
I could go on and on, but then I'd never get to the photos...
Comment on the food: Nhami (or for you English speaking peoples: Yummy)
Some of the 45 dozen or so cookies that were made the last few days...
Breakfast at Chez Aubrey...
My dad's plate at formal dinner...
And so you don't think that it is all about food, here's my folks...
And my brother and his wife...
And then me, my loving wife and kids...
Sure, there were other family at the dinner this afternoon/evening, but if I added them here, what would Angie blog about?What did we do today? We ate. Read the paper. Watched the parades on TV. Played Thanksgiving Day Parade Bingo. Did laundry. Watched Football (American, for my foreign readers). Played Thanksgiving Day Football Bingo. Ate more. Ran to the store. Read some. Lazed around. Went to Angie's aunt and uncle's for dinner. Ate more. Played cards (Hearts, not Skat. Yes, it is a real game. See more info by reading Foster's Skat Manual). Came home. Taped CSI and then a rerun of The Office. Talked with folks about the punishments that they inflicted on my brother and I growing up. Laughed. Wanted to eat some more but couldn't. It was a good day.
Tomorrow we go shopping. Then put up the Christmas tree. Raking leaves will happen sometime over the weekend, I've been assured of that.
Saturday, out to the big bookstore in Knoxvegas. Then, celebrate Christmas while the family is all together.
Sunday will be church, then lazing around, watching football, eating, playing games, that sort of stuff.
Monday will include going back to work, school and home for our parents and brother (and his wife).
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Catchup
So many things to blog about, so little time. Here's what's been occupying my time lately...
The new Eagles' CD, Long Road Out of Eden. A double disc that one of the best bands around released at Wal-Mart. You can't buy a regular CD for $11.88. Some very tasty music. I'm particularly taken with the song I Love to Watch a Woman Dance. A very well crafted song written by Larry John McNally. Other reviewers on the 'net apparently aren't as smitten with this song as I am. I don't compare it to any other song, I just like it. Overall, the guys in the band seem to want to have their political/ecological viewpoints heard. I don't agree with all of them, but it is nice to hear some quality music.
Wiki what? I've been learning some wiki syntax, mostly for the online Luser Game I play, but we're also starting to do some wiki stuff at work. I came across TiddlyWiki. It is a self contained wiki on a single page. I guess they do the scripting inside the page. Kind of nice, but some of the wiki syntax is not the same as what I would expect. TiddlyWiki is more of a click wiki, as opposed to hand coding. Not bad, just different.
If you've been keeping up with my wife's blog you'll know that the kitchen curtains are now in place. You're welcome, dear.
Tomorrow we will have a teenager in the house. I don't think that there will be that much of an attitude change. From anyone.
My folks are traveling across the US to spend a week and a half with us. Very nice.
I've also been playing with some CSS. I understand it, I just can't get my head wrapped around the location of the code inside the document vs. the location of the elements on a web page. But, I did revive the present that my brother gave to me a while back. markaubrey.org It is a work in progress. I'm hoping to get some CSS happening and include the genealogy and US Civil War sections.
I'm in the final chapters of One Hundred Years of Solitude. It still is an interesting read. Thanks again, Tali, for suggesting it.
We worked on some music for Christmas at church orchestra practice last night. Angie selected some nice pieces for us to perform.
And I won one of my Fantasy Football games this last weekend. My brother won his game, over the clear leader of the league. The Aubrey boys are on a roll.
That's it, for now. More later, I'm sure.
The new Eagles' CD, Long Road Out of Eden. A double disc that one of the best bands around released at Wal-Mart. You can't buy a regular CD for $11.88. Some very tasty music. I'm particularly taken with the song I Love to Watch a Woman Dance. A very well crafted song written by Larry John McNally. Other reviewers on the 'net apparently aren't as smitten with this song as I am. I don't compare it to any other song, I just like it. Overall, the guys in the band seem to want to have their political/ecological viewpoints heard. I don't agree with all of them, but it is nice to hear some quality music.
Wiki what? I've been learning some wiki syntax, mostly for the online Luser Game I play, but we're also starting to do some wiki stuff at work. I came across TiddlyWiki. It is a self contained wiki on a single page. I guess they do the scripting inside the page. Kind of nice, but some of the wiki syntax is not the same as what I would expect. TiddlyWiki is more of a click wiki, as opposed to hand coding. Not bad, just different.
If you've been keeping up with my wife's blog you'll know that the kitchen curtains are now in place. You're welcome, dear.
Tomorrow we will have a teenager in the house. I don't think that there will be that much of an attitude change. From anyone.
My folks are traveling across the US to spend a week and a half with us. Very nice.
I've also been playing with some CSS. I understand it, I just can't get my head wrapped around the location of the code inside the document vs. the location of the elements on a web page. But, I did revive the present that my brother gave to me a while back. markaubrey.org It is a work in progress. I'm hoping to get some CSS happening and include the genealogy and US Civil War sections.
I'm in the final chapters of One Hundred Years of Solitude. It still is an interesting read. Thanks again, Tali, for suggesting it.
We worked on some music for Christmas at church orchestra practice last night. Angie selected some nice pieces for us to perform.
And I won one of my Fantasy Football games this last weekend. My brother won his game, over the clear leader of the league. The Aubrey boys are on a roll.
That's it, for now. More later, I'm sure.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
I'm Scraping
I'm scraping the frost off of my car windows the last two mornings. The crispness in the air is wonderful. The trees are probably at their height of color.
I'm also scraping the bottom of the barrel in my Fantasy Football Leagues. I've been playing Fantasy sports for about 20 years, off and on. It started with Roto Baseball. Then my good friend, Steve S. asked me to be part of his Fantasy Football League. Every Monday and Tuesday, we would get the newspapers and do the old fashioned method of figuring out scores with a pencil and a calculator. Now days, I just get on the web and click a few times and I'm still in last place. It is now much easier to lose. I'm 3-6 in my 8 team Yahoo! league. I'm also 3-6 in the ESPN league that my friend Paul B. hosts. I'm twice as bad as I am good. My brother is also at 3-6, but I have about 100 points ahead of him.
Okay. He's really scraping.
I'm also scraping the bottom of the barrel in my Fantasy Football Leagues. I've been playing Fantasy sports for about 20 years, off and on. It started with Roto Baseball. Then my good friend, Steve S. asked me to be part of his Fantasy Football League. Every Monday and Tuesday, we would get the newspapers and do the old fashioned method of figuring out scores with a pencil and a calculator. Now days, I just get on the web and click a few times and I'm still in last place. It is now much easier to lose. I'm 3-6 in my 8 team Yahoo! league. I'm also 3-6 in the ESPN league that my friend Paul B. hosts. I'm twice as bad as I am good. My brother is also at 3-6, but I have about 100 points ahead of him.
Okay. He's really scraping.
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