Published writer, compulsive reader, Old School Whovian, Match Game enthusiast, NKOTB fan, data hoarder, and - surprisingly, given that list - married with four kids. Welcome to my take on life, fatherhood, entertainment, and whatever strikes my fancy. Enjoy!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Given 10 min unsupervised, Junie decorated the vanity, sink, toilet, her clothing and her face with lipstick & eye shadow. We cleaned it up, yelled at LK, & then sat down. I still had an angry, PO'd look on my face. "Just drop the act, she's out of the room" Lis said. "You know you live for this sh-t." I LOL'd - she's right.
Before school LuLu and I went to the local high school in hopes of retrieving a necklace she'd left behind aftter a rec swim class over the weekend. I didn't think there was a chance in hell of it still being around, but lo and behold there it be. Storing it in a broken locker with a smashed, askew door probably helped her cause.
I Remember
20 years ago today (IIR the date right, and I usually do), I was confirmed in the Catholic Church. The retreat that preceded the ceremony was one of the turning points in my life. There was a clear, defined moment when I looked at who I was and who I wanted to be and realized the two were worlds apart. The last 2 decades would not be possible w/out that insight.
Nasty Weather, another Communion, and a TBR list
It was a nasty weekend here in Milwaukee. The weather was cold, the sky a consistent gray, the rain was incesstant, and the winds reached 30-35 mph. The cold was bad enough, as we had to dig out the winter jackets for the kids, the very same coats we just felt confident enough to pack away last week. The rain, eh, I can handle that. But that wind . . . yikes. I live 'near' the lake, and the wind in my backyard was considerably stronger than offically advertised, even ripping off a piece of siding near my back door.
What a morbidly bleak weekend.
There were some pluses. LuLu finished a large book report project, and we made some headway on the laundry. Big accomplishments, I know. We also attended the 1st Communion of Mary, one of LuLu's best friends.
* * * *
I want to take just a moment here to jot down a list of books to be read (or TBR as I call it). Yes, yes, I have dozens of books that await my eyes, but there have been some great choices at the bookstore lately, and I'm afraid they'll take precedence.
Henry Kissinger - On China
Lawrence Block - A drop of the Hard Stuff
John Sandford - Buried Prey
Rawhide Down: The Near Assasination of Ronald Reagan by Weiner? (misplaced authors name)
In the Garden of the Beasts by Erik Larson
There's also a book called "Think of a Number" (a mystery) that looks good, and I have to polish of Dubya's Decision Points.
What a morbidly bleak weekend.
There were some pluses. LuLu finished a large book report project, and we made some headway on the laundry. Big accomplishments, I know. We also attended the 1st Communion of Mary, one of LuLu's best friends.
* * * *
I want to take just a moment here to jot down a list of books to be read (or TBR as I call it). Yes, yes, I have dozens of books that await my eyes, but there have been some great choices at the bookstore lately, and I'm afraid they'll take precedence.
Henry Kissinger - On China
Lawrence Block - A drop of the Hard Stuff
John Sandford - Buried Prey
Rawhide Down: The Near Assasination of Ronald Reagan by Weiner? (misplaced authors name)
In the Garden of the Beasts by Erik Larson
There's also a book called "Think of a Number" (a mystery) that looks good, and I have to polish of Dubya's Decision Points.
My Favorite Things pt 2
I think that a few people thought an earlier spiel about my cell phone was a paid post, part of some obscure Internet marketing plan. No, sorry. I just love the phone. You'll see a few more posts of my 'favorite things' in the future. For today, I'm going to chose something low-tech, just to finish dispelling that notion.
This is a canvas book cover available at Barnes and Noble. Large enough to accomodate a Robert Jordan tome, but able to adapt to any convential size hardcover, this is truly one of my Favorite Things. I have one to accomodate mass market paperbacks, but it's this one that I adore.
It has a durable, textured canvas cover that resists stains, and a zipper that locks up the book safe and sound.
When I read a hardcover I remove the dust jacket for safe keeping and slide the book into the case. It includes an attached ribbon bookmark, if you like that sort of thing. Myself, I think bookmarks are a sign of mental weakness. ;)
The outside of the case features a zippered pocket. It's deceptively roomy. I keep my datebook, book light, coins, and misc junk in it.
And of course, it also has a handle along the spine.
I got the book cover from my Mom for my birthday in '09, and it certainly ranks as not only one of my Favorite Things, but one of the best gifts ever. I love it.
~ Dan
This is a canvas book cover available at Barnes and Noble. Large enough to accomodate a Robert Jordan tome, but able to adapt to any convential size hardcover, this is truly one of my Favorite Things. I have one to accomodate mass market paperbacks, but it's this one that I adore.
It has a durable, textured canvas cover that resists stains, and a zipper that locks up the book safe and sound.
When I read a hardcover I remove the dust jacket for safe keeping and slide the book into the case. It includes an attached ribbon bookmark, if you like that sort of thing. Myself, I think bookmarks are a sign of mental weakness. ;)
The outside of the case features a zippered pocket. It's deceptively roomy. I keep my datebook, book light, coins, and misc junk in it.
And of course, it also has a handle along the spine.
I got the book cover from my Mom for my birthday in '09, and it certainly ranks as not only one of my Favorite Things, but one of the best gifts ever. I love it.
~ Dan
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sixkill by the late great Robert B Parker
"I know what I like and what I don't like, and what I'm willing to do and what I'm not, and I try to be guided by that"
Sixkill is the 39th and final Spenser novel by the late great Robert B Parker.
As some of you may know I named my only son after RBP. This book marked the proverbial 'end of an era', and caused tears to well up in my eyes when I held it in my hands on the day of its release.
Still, I wasn't expecting a lot from the novel. While Parker had had a recent return to form, many of his latter Spenser novels were cookie-cutter, mailed in efforts. The odds didn't favor a masterpiece in the making.
I was wrong. Sixkill ranks as my second favorite Spenser novel of all time, behind only Early Autumn.
Like Early Autumn, this book is about a young male in search of a path in life, a way of overcoming his past, discovering what it takes to be a man, and getting on with the business of living. In both books Spenser is the mentor, the 'fixed point in space' on which they may rely, but unlike Paul in EA, in Sixkill the titular character morphs into an heir apparent.
That's important. The Spenser novels have never been about plot or mystery, both of which are in constant short supply with RBP. No, they were therapy sessions for the author to hash out his own demons through the life of Spenser. The convoluted relationship with his significant other Susan, the homosexuality of characters (both RBP's sons are gay), the constant search for meaning and truth - THAT'S a Spenser novel.
If the series had to end unexpectedly, how better to end it than with a novel that allows us see even more of what makes Spenser tick by giving him a clone to tutor?
Best of all, the trademark Parker/Spenser wit, the ability to toss out just a dash of sparse prose and make it zing - it's all there. I laughed out loud a couple times, and even read a passage out loud to my wife.
It is a fitting coda to the Spenser series and I loved it.
RIP Robert B Parker. You will be missed.
Sixkill is the 39th and final Spenser novel by the late great Robert B Parker.
As some of you may know I named my only son after RBP. This book marked the proverbial 'end of an era', and caused tears to well up in my eyes when I held it in my hands on the day of its release.
Still, I wasn't expecting a lot from the novel. While Parker had had a recent return to form, many of his latter Spenser novels were cookie-cutter, mailed in efforts. The odds didn't favor a masterpiece in the making.
I was wrong. Sixkill ranks as my second favorite Spenser novel of all time, behind only Early Autumn.
Like Early Autumn, this book is about a young male in search of a path in life, a way of overcoming his past, discovering what it takes to be a man, and getting on with the business of living. In both books Spenser is the mentor, the 'fixed point in space' on which they may rely, but unlike Paul in EA, in Sixkill the titular character morphs into an heir apparent.
That's important. The Spenser novels have never been about plot or mystery, both of which are in constant short supply with RBP. No, they were therapy sessions for the author to hash out his own demons through the life of Spenser. The convoluted relationship with his significant other Susan, the homosexuality of characters (both RBP's sons are gay), the constant search for meaning and truth - THAT'S a Spenser novel.
If the series had to end unexpectedly, how better to end it than with a novel that allows us see even more of what makes Spenser tick by giving him a clone to tutor?
Best of all, the trademark Parker/Spenser wit, the ability to toss out just a dash of sparse prose and make it zing - it's all there. I laughed out loud a couple times, and even read a passage out loud to my wife.
It is a fitting coda to the Spenser series and I loved it.
RIP Robert B Parker. You will be missed.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Questionable Dining
An afternoon of compromise. W/ Lis & GC gone shopping, Netflix failed so I found a college gymnastics tourney for Lu to watch. We're starving, so I set out to make tuna casserole, but in the end found no soup, so we're eating noodles, peas, and tuna dry. Thankfully, Lu seems to love both. She's entranced by the gymnastics for sure.
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