I wanted to take a moment of your time to plug a product worth its weight in gold: the Barnes and Noble Classics editions. Just like Bantam, Penguin, and so many others, Barnes and Noble releases the all the great classics in their own line, called the Barnes and Noble Classics. I have read a great many of the classics from these editions, and they are awesome. They provide the most helpful footnotes I have ever seen. These notes explain colloquialisms, historical elements, and other information that would have been well-known back in the day, but not so well-known in the here and now. It makes reading a dated book much, much easier.
I say this now because when I bought my copy of A Tale of Two Cities, I failed to drive across town to get the B&N edition, and settled for another version. This version was not remotely helpful in explaining some of the more difficult passages, and was only mildly so in the Afterward.
So if you, or someone you love, must undertake to read a literary classic in the near future, go to your local Barnes and Noble, or visit them online, and buy the Barnes and Noble Classics edition. It will make for a much more enriching experience.
Thank you for your time.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
A Tale of Two Movies
The boys have been dying to see Hancock. I, myself, have not. So the four of us went to the movies today, the menfolk saw Hancock, and I saw Mamma Mia.
I'm sure Daniel will give his review of Hancock on his blog in a day or so. Mark's only comment was that it had excessive profanity. Not exactly two enthusiastic thumb's up.
Mamma Mia was good. Movie musicals are never as good as the live show, and this was no exception. It lacked the fun and energy I remember from the show. But the setting was awesome, and it was well cast. Meryl Streep was good, but she was AMAZING in two scenes. The first was Slipping Through My Fingers, a song which never fails to make me cry - it was very well done in the movie. Better than I remember it done in the show, in fact. And The Winner Takes It All - wow. She made the movie with that one scene. I know she's Meryl Streep and all, but I was still blown away.
Pierce Brosnan, by contrast, was awful. Horrific even. I don't see any more musicals in his future.
The music didn't play out just like the show - they left out a few of my faves - Knowing Me, Knowing You was one. (Of course, Pierce Brosnan would have had to do that one, so maybe they just thought better of it.) Under Attack and One of Us were missing as well. It ended with When All Is Said and Done, which was not in the show, but worked well I thought.
So maybe not two thumb's up for the whole movie, but definitely two thumb's up for Meryl. And apparently better then Hancock.
I'm sure Daniel will give his review of Hancock on his blog in a day or so. Mark's only comment was that it had excessive profanity. Not exactly two enthusiastic thumb's up.
Mamma Mia was good. Movie musicals are never as good as the live show, and this was no exception. It lacked the fun and energy I remember from the show. But the setting was awesome, and it was well cast. Meryl Streep was good, but she was AMAZING in two scenes. The first was Slipping Through My Fingers, a song which never fails to make me cry - it was very well done in the movie. Better than I remember it done in the show, in fact. And The Winner Takes It All - wow. She made the movie with that one scene. I know she's Meryl Streep and all, but I was still blown away.
Pierce Brosnan, by contrast, was awful. Horrific even. I don't see any more musicals in his future.
The music didn't play out just like the show - they left out a few of my faves - Knowing Me, Knowing You was one. (Of course, Pierce Brosnan would have had to do that one, so maybe they just thought better of it.) Under Attack and One of Us were missing as well. It ended with When All Is Said and Done, which was not in the show, but worked well I thought.
So maybe not two thumb's up for the whole movie, but definitely two thumb's up for Meryl. And apparently better then Hancock.
What I'm Reading Now
Sadly, I'm still reading A Tale of Two Cities. Had I known what my work schedule was going to turn into, I would never have started it when I did. I'm observing a training class for three to four weeks, and it's taking the entirety of my day. On a normal day, I can usually get some reading done on a break, or at lunch, but not so here lately. I'm doing almost all of my reading right before bed, and with a book like this, one or two pages a night when I'm sleepy isn't cutting it.
But I'm sticking with it, and I am liking it. Not my favorite Dickens, but still good and Dickensy. It reminds me a lot of Les Miserables, mostly because of there's a father-daughter story, there's France, there's poverty and revolution, there's France, there's some prison, there's some France....you get the idea.
It is definitely hard to read - possibly the hardest of Dickens novels that I've read. I read one chapter three times, and am still not sure if it involved one character or two (kids, when they talk about vague pronoun references in school, pay attention). This may also have something to do with being unusually tired when I read it, but I shouldn't have been unusually tired all three times. I have done fairly well with keeping up with who everyone is - Dickens loves to mention some random person early on, then have him or her come back and be a major player later on in the book. A lot of this character revelation is going down right now in the book, and I'm following it alright.
I hate it when people do this, but I'm doing it anyway: I'm pretty sure I know what's going to happen, and have known since early in the book. I'm about to wrap up Book the Third, so I guess I'll know soon.....
UPDATE: Monday night - I've just finished it. While I was right in my prediction, I could not have predicated how powerful it would be. Wow. And, of course, lots of plot twists that I never saw coming made it good, too. This is one that I will likely read again, sometime when I have lots of time and can focus my attention better. Really good book.
But I'm sticking with it, and I am liking it. Not my favorite Dickens, but still good and Dickensy. It reminds me a lot of Les Miserables, mostly because of there's a father-daughter story, there's France, there's poverty and revolution, there's France, there's some prison, there's some France....you get the idea.
It is definitely hard to read - possibly the hardest of Dickens novels that I've read. I read one chapter three times, and am still not sure if it involved one character or two (kids, when they talk about vague pronoun references in school, pay attention). This may also have something to do with being unusually tired when I read it, but I shouldn't have been unusually tired all three times. I have done fairly well with keeping up with who everyone is - Dickens loves to mention some random person early on, then have him or her come back and be a major player later on in the book. A lot of this character revelation is going down right now in the book, and I'm following it alright.
I hate it when people do this, but I'm doing it anyway: I'm pretty sure I know what's going to happen, and have known since early in the book. I'm about to wrap up Book the Third, so I guess I'll know soon.....
UPDATE: Monday night - I've just finished it. While I was right in my prediction, I could not have predicated how powerful it would be. Wow. And, of course, lots of plot twists that I never saw coming made it good, too. This is one that I will likely read again, sometime when I have lots of time and can focus my attention better. Really good book.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Mothers and Daughters
I have many, many blessings in my life. One that I am constantly reminded of is my relationship with my mother.
I work with so many young women who complain and complain about their mothers. Their mothers tell them they're too fat, or they don't keep their houses clean enough, or they married an idiot. My mother is so solidly on my team that I can't even relate.
This morning, during our standing Saturday morning phone call, mom and I put the finishing touches on a weekend mother/daughter trip we're taking this fall. We haven't had a "just us" trip in ages. We used to go to Charleston for a weekend every year. Then we started mixing it up a little, but we always went somewhere together.
We mixed it up a lot and went to NYC in 2004. That was a great trip. I remember going to this restaurant where mom had this big disagreement with the waiter over what she had actually ordered. It had something to do with semolina, only she kept saying salmonella, which didn't help matters. To top that off, we were crammed into this tiny space right next to another couple who were obviously on an early date. He was older, she was younger. He was telling her in great detail about his open-heart surgery. I wanted to lean over and say "Dude! What are you doing?!" We laughed about that meal the whole trip.
Some parents don't make the switch from young child to adult child. My mom made it seamlessly. In fact, she models the way I want to be with my kids when they grow up. I hope my kids look forward to spending time with me as much as I look forward to spending time with her.
I work with so many young women who complain and complain about their mothers. Their mothers tell them they're too fat, or they don't keep their houses clean enough, or they married an idiot. My mother is so solidly on my team that I can't even relate.
This morning, during our standing Saturday morning phone call, mom and I put the finishing touches on a weekend mother/daughter trip we're taking this fall. We haven't had a "just us" trip in ages. We used to go to Charleston for a weekend every year. Then we started mixing it up a little, but we always went somewhere together.
We mixed it up a lot and went to NYC in 2004. That was a great trip. I remember going to this restaurant where mom had this big disagreement with the waiter over what she had actually ordered. It had something to do with semolina, only she kept saying salmonella, which didn't help matters. To top that off, we were crammed into this tiny space right next to another couple who were obviously on an early date. He was older, she was younger. He was telling her in great detail about his open-heart surgery. I wanted to lean over and say "Dude! What are you doing?!" We laughed about that meal the whole trip.
Some parents don't make the switch from young child to adult child. My mom made it seamlessly. In fact, she models the way I want to be with my kids when they grow up. I hope my kids look forward to spending time with me as much as I look forward to spending time with her.
What's For Dinner?
Shrimp Scampi with Linguine. (Technically, it's spaghetti - I'm not sophisticated enough to have linguine in my pantry.)I use a Barefoot Contessa recipe that I LOVE. If you like the sound of it, you can find the exacts in Barefoot Contessa Family Style, and probably on foodnetwork.com as well.
Boil your noodle of choice. Meanwhile, melt butter and olive oil over low heat. Saute nine cloves of garlic, finely chopped. Add shrimp, salt and pepper, and cook until the shrimp is done. (Shrimp jumps up and screams "I'm done!" like no other food I know.) Remove from heat and add noodles, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon slices, parsley and crushed red pepper flake. (I added more red pepper flake than usual this time, and it rocked.)
Excellent, excellent stuff.
While I was chopping the garlic, I was reminded of a story my sister-in-law told me about why she doesn't like garlic. At some point during her formative years, her sister experimented with a recipe that called for nine cloves of garlic. Her sister didn't quite grasp the difference between a clove of garlic and a head of garlic. She guessed poorly. You can imagine how it turned out.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Problems in the Blogosphere?
I can't seem to get to three of my favorite blogs - Ferdlings, Tighty Whitey, and APFM. I get this:
Any ideas what's up? I can get to other blogs just fine.....
Any ideas what's up? I can get to other blogs just fine.....Tuesday, July 29, 2008
What's For Dinner?
OK, I took a picture, but it didn't turn out very well. And now all the food is eaten. So you'll just have to imagine.....
Brined a flat iron steak, grilled it lightly on both sides, and finished it in the oven. Thin sliced it. Delish. Everybody loves it.
Roasted some asparagus with a little olive oil. Grated some nutmeg. Never done that before - the nutmeg, not the asparagus. Quite good. Different.
Finally - and this was really neat - fingerling potatoes! I have seen them on the Food Network forever, but never saw them in any stores around here. Until last weekend. I bought a small bag of assorted colors - white, red, and purple. Yes, purple. Bright purple all the way through. I boiled them in a shallow pan with salt, pepper corns, and a bay leaf. Served them with margarine. Tasted just like regular potatoes. If it had been dark, I would never have known they were purple potatoes.
And here's something interesting: I can't say "fingerling potatoes." It comes out "fingerling pertatoes" every time.
Brined a flat iron steak, grilled it lightly on both sides, and finished it in the oven. Thin sliced it. Delish. Everybody loves it.
Roasted some asparagus with a little olive oil. Grated some nutmeg. Never done that before - the nutmeg, not the asparagus. Quite good. Different.
Finally - and this was really neat - fingerling potatoes! I have seen them on the Food Network forever, but never saw them in any stores around here. Until last weekend. I bought a small bag of assorted colors - white, red, and purple. Yes, purple. Bright purple all the way through. I boiled them in a shallow pan with salt, pepper corns, and a bay leaf. Served them with margarine. Tasted just like regular potatoes. If it had been dark, I would never have known they were purple potatoes.
And here's something interesting: I can't say "fingerling potatoes." It comes out "fingerling pertatoes" every time.
Monday, July 28, 2008
The Goat Story
I have been asked to share the goat story referenced in my post about our hike on the AT. Don't ever say this blog isn't for the people, by the people.
High atop one of the balds, to the left of the trail if you are traveling north, was a large pin of what I thought were sheep. To the right of the trail was a wide expanse of desolation, with nothing but a ton of woody stems sticking up.
On the return trip, same deal, only this time there was a man there passing out brochures. Turns out, they were not sheep, but angora goats. Their mission: to eat away at this particular low-growing bush that had overgrown the grass on the bald and killed it all. Apparently, these goats will eat away at these bushes till nothing remains but the woody stalk. This allows the grass to get a little love from the sun and the rain and grow back. At least that's the plan of the brochure man. He's a botanist who's living up there for the duration of this project. He said he has no watch - he just stays in his camp and keeps an eye on the goats. (And occasionally visits the AT Sir Speedy to print up brochures he can distribute, apparently.)
The goats had just completed their eating frenzy on one side of the trail and had moved to the other. Don't know if the grass is coming back, but they sure did eat the heck out of those bushes.
High atop one of the balds, to the left of the trail if you are traveling north, was a large pin of what I thought were sheep. To the right of the trail was a wide expanse of desolation, with nothing but a ton of woody stems sticking up.
On the return trip, same deal, only this time there was a man there passing out brochures. Turns out, they were not sheep, but angora goats. Their mission: to eat away at this particular low-growing bush that had overgrown the grass on the bald and killed it all. Apparently, these goats will eat away at these bushes till nothing remains but the woody stalk. This allows the grass to get a little love from the sun and the rain and grow back. At least that's the plan of the brochure man. He's a botanist who's living up there for the duration of this project. He said he has no watch - he just stays in his camp and keeps an eye on the goats. (And occasionally visits the AT Sir Speedy to print up brochures he can distribute, apparently.)
The goats had just completed their eating frenzy on one side of the trail and had moved to the other. Don't know if the grass is coming back, but they sure did eat the heck out of those bushes.
How About A Do-Over?
So, I'm checking the box score of the Yankees/Orioles game on Yahoo, and this guy is at the plate for Baltimore. This is his 2008 player photo. Is the DMV handling team photos for the Orioles now?
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Can It Get Any Better?
I submit that it cannot.
The Sunday Night Game of the Week is Yankees/Red Sox. Yanks are already up two games in the series, beating Boston in Boston. And Joe Morgan is not in the booth.
It just doesn't get any better than this.
The Sunday Night Game of the Week is Yankees/Red Sox. Yanks are already up two games in the series, beating Boston in Boston. And Joe Morgan is not in the booth.
It just doesn't get any better than this.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Saturday Morning on the Appalachian Trail
Daniel's Cub Scout Pack went hiking on Roan Mountain this morning, so all four of us decided to tag along. It was cool and overcast, which was nice for the walking, but the cloud cover made it impossible to see any views of the mountains. Oh well - I got some good pictures anyway.
We think we went all the way to Grassy Ridge Bald. I got pretty winded on some of the steeper inclines, but overall, we did OK. Good times.
We think we went all the way to Grassy Ridge Bald. I got pretty winded on some of the steeper inclines, but overall, we did OK. Good times.Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Joy In Mudville
Can-O-Corn has won the World Series! It was a 7-game slugfest, but Benster came out on top with a 2006 Johan Santana taking down a 1997 Greg Maddox in the final game.
Good times.
Good times.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Just Call Me Bill Nye the Science Guy
I just had a Fun With Science moment that I thought I would share.
Ben comes back from camp this year RAVING about nectarines. Tried them for the first time and threw down the gauntlet that they were actually better than peaches. I myself had never had nectarines (not sure how this happened, but it's true) but I could not believe that they surpassed peaches in their sweet, fruity goodness.
So I'm at the store this weekend, picking out more of Mac's Best, and notice a display of nectarines next door. I always try to encourage the kids to eat fruit, so I buy Ben a few of the better looking ones, and plan to try one myself.
A few minute ago, I tried my very first nectarine. It was AWESOME. Really, really sweet and juicy and delicious. And surprisingly peachlike. In fact, it tasted JUST LIKE a peach. So much so that I was compelled to research the difference.
Know what I found out? A nectarine IS a peach. A peach with no fuzz. Nectarines apparently carry a recessive gene that causes them to have smooth skin, and peaches carry the dominant gene that causes them to have fuzzy skin. Otherwise, they are the same.
Who knew?? Not me, that's who.
Ben comes back from camp this year RAVING about nectarines. Tried them for the first time and threw down the gauntlet that they were actually better than peaches. I myself had never had nectarines (not sure how this happened, but it's true) but I could not believe that they surpassed peaches in their sweet, fruity goodness.
So I'm at the store this weekend, picking out more of Mac's Best, and notice a display of nectarines next door. I always try to encourage the kids to eat fruit, so I buy Ben a few of the better looking ones, and plan to try one myself.
A few minute ago, I tried my very first nectarine. It was AWESOME. Really, really sweet and juicy and delicious. And surprisingly peachlike. In fact, it tasted JUST LIKE a peach. So much so that I was compelled to research the difference.
Know what I found out? A nectarine IS a peach. A peach with no fuzz. Nectarines apparently carry a recessive gene that causes them to have smooth skin, and peaches carry the dominant gene that causes them to have fuzzy skin. Otherwise, they are the same.
Who knew?? Not me, that's who.
Can-O-Corn
Ben has a sim baseball team called Can-O-Corn. Earlier in the season, Can-O-Corn was in first place. Mark was reading the posts, and found that many of the posters were liberally using profanity, and just generally being gross. So Mark posts "Hey guys - Benster is 10 - how about keep the posts G-rated from here on out?" And the first response: "You mean we're getting our a%%$# kicked by a 10 year old?!?!?!?"
Fast forward to now. Can-O-Corn, ignoring every shred of advice Mark has offered all season, has swept the Championship Series and is in the World Series! One of the posters says: "Good luck 10 year old!" Ben responds: "Actually, I'm 11 now."
World Series play starts tomorrow - wish Benster luck!!
Fast forward to now. Can-O-Corn, ignoring every shred of advice Mark has offered all season, has swept the Championship Series and is in the World Series! One of the posters says: "Good luck 10 year old!" Ben responds: "Actually, I'm 11 now."
World Series play starts tomorrow - wish Benster luck!!
Friday, July 18, 2008
My Top Ten Favorite Games of All Time
So, I'm a board game person. I like video games, some of them at least, but they aren't my favorite. I love a good Friday night at home with the fam, playing a fun, challenging, and/or mildly competitive board game. In no particular order, these are the games that routinely come out of the box on game night at our house.
Apples to Apples is a good warm-up game. Easy to play, easy to stop playing, and really, really fun. Such a simple concept, but so ingenious.
I know it sounds pretty stupid, but Killer Bunnies is great fun. It can be competitive, if you play it right, but it can also be very random and party-game like. The object: kill Bunnies with a wild assortment of weapons (they range from nuclear warheads to kitchen whisks), and keep your Bunnies alive. This game has a million expansions, but none are worth the money except for the red deck and violet deck. Word of warning: as much as I love this game, it can be ruined by the wrong group of players. You need light-hearted, fun-loving, and not overly-analytical people. They can be competitive, but they can't think too much. Otherwise, it's a long, painful experience.
Days of Wonder is the best game company ever. EVER. The Ticket to Ride games have been their most successful, although they are beating a dead horse at this point with all the versions available. Our favorite is Ticket to Ride Europe. You are working on a map of Europe, with all country names in their native language, circa 1900. You learn some history and geography, if nothing else. The goal is to claim train tracks by trading in train cards and completing routes from one city to another. Great opportunities for shafting other players in this one, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.
Quiddler is a cross between Scrabble and Rummy. Seriously. They should have called it Scrummy.
Apples to Apples is a good warm-up game. Easy to play, easy to stop playing, and really, really fun. Such a simple concept, but so ingenious.
I know it sounds pretty stupid, but Killer Bunnies is great fun. It can be competitive, if you play it right, but it can also be very random and party-game like. The object: kill Bunnies with a wild assortment of weapons (they range from nuclear warheads to kitchen whisks), and keep your Bunnies alive. This game has a million expansions, but none are worth the money except for the red deck and violet deck. Word of warning: as much as I love this game, it can be ruined by the wrong group of players. You need light-hearted, fun-loving, and not overly-analytical people. They can be competitive, but they can't think too much. Otherwise, it's a long, painful experience.
Days of Wonder is the best game company ever. EVER. The Ticket to Ride games have been their most successful, although they are beating a dead horse at this point with all the versions available. Our favorite is Ticket to Ride Europe. You are working on a map of Europe, with all country names in their native language, circa 1900. You learn some history and geography, if nothing else. The goal is to claim train tracks by trading in train cards and completing routes from one city to another. Great opportunities for shafting other players in this one, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.
I am amazed by the number of people, myself included, who say they dream about this game after the first time they play. Carcassonne is a tile-laying game, where you expand and complete roads, farms, and cities based on strategically placed tiles and "meeples" (I think this means "my peoples", but I can't be sure). This is a good one for younger kids if you are willing to let the rules slide and play cooperatively. If not, it can be cut-throat and the kiddies are better served going to bed early.
Blokus is the game that five-year-olds can dominate, and adults are challenged as well. You need four-players for it to work best, and each player takes a different color. You take turns getting your pieces on the board - they have to be anchored to existing pieces, touching at the corners only - and trying to block opponents from doing the same. Mark once had a perfect game, having no pieces left over and the single piece played last. He's never let us forget that amazing achievement.
Quiddler is a cross between Scrabble and Rummy. Seriously. They should have called it Scrummy.
I LOVE Puerto Rico. It's one of the few games I've ever played where no luck is involved. The only time luck comes into play is if someone sits to the left of an idiot, but it typically works to your advantage, so no one complains. No dice, no drawing cards. Just building, settling, shipping, and selling. And some other stuff. All in good ole Puerto Rico. Good times. Allow yourself a few plays before attempting to really know what's going on. Definitely too complicated for the kiddies.
Did I mention Days of Wonder makes awesome games? Memoir 44 is a two-player "recreate an actual WWII battle". Even I love this game, and I don't go for war games. Mark and I once played the Battle of Normandy 8 times before he was able to win with the Americans. He kept saying "But we really did win!!" while I kept picking his guys off in the water from the safety of my German bunker. Lots of expansions are becoming available for this game as well. Ben and Daniel both enjoy this one.
We bought Sword and Skull for Ben for Christmas one year, based solely on its being an Avalon Hill game (they make all the Axis and Allies games, if you're in to that.) This one is all about pirating, and it's really fun. You build up some street cred (or sea cred, in this case) and then you take on this big stud pirate. Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum.
I've blogged on this one before. Still my all-time fave. Also Days of Wonder. Good people over there at DOW.
Honorable Mentions: Mystery of the Abbey, Settlers of Catan, Heroclix, Niagara, Strat-O-Matic Baseball, Pirates Cove, Dos Rios.
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