And, potentially, triply screwed. Which is problematic given the nature of the previous screwing. I'll try to stay away from sharp objects and open flame.

(That's a joke, or an attempt at one, I swear.)

I'm doubly screwed.

I'm screwed.

Book Log 2008 #14: Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell

The latest in the Saxon Tales series, as the Saxon-raised-Dane Uhtred wavers in his oath to Alfred, King of Wessex, when he is tasked to drive the Danes out of London.

It's a fine story, even without the usual dash of nostalgia that historical fiction gets from setting up in London past (it's too far in the past to really get that). The website notes that this takes place about five years after the last book, which I hadn't really noticed. Given the subplot about Alfred's daughter getting married, I should have twigged on to this, as she wasn't really marrying age in the previous book.

I caught the first couple of innings of today's Sox-A's opener before going to work, and was interested to see that the NESN broadcast of the game opened with a quote from Sun Tzu. Which may have been more appropriate if Sun Tzu weren't actually Chinese.

There were apparently a number of broadcast outages that hampered viewing, which I assume will cause Red Sox Nation to recall their ambassador to DirecTV.

I wound up following most of the game using ESPN's game tracking widget, which was very slow. I didn't get the final score on it until I'd heard it from a co-worker a good 5 to 10 minutes beforehand (he had the final when ESPN was still listing the game as 6-4 Sox). I also didn't like how it listed balls, strikes and outs, using filled circles as a default and then emptying them to denote where the batter or team stood for each. So backwards. Like most ESPN widgety things, there's too much focus on style (graphics actually show pitched and hit balls) and not so much on accuracy (the thing listed Okajima as pitching an inning that Papelbon actually threw).

Book Log 2008 #13: Have You Seen Dawn? by Steven Saylor

Rue Dunwitty has "escaped" from small Amethyst, Texas and made a life for herself in San Francisco. But on a return trip to see her grandmother she sees a sign in the local grocery store asking for information about a missing girl. The case begins to become the focal point of Rue's trip, as she starts to see suspects everywhere - even in her own family.

Saylor doesn't typically write fiction in contemporary settings - the closest he's come is the late 19th century in A Twist at the End, which is also set in Texas. I have to say I liked that book much more than this one; the characters were more interesting and the period details helped to flesh the story out. There's good detail about the town, and characters are given a chance to develop some back story, but it's hard to reach the same level that you'd get in a historically-set work.

It's not a bad book, just enough of a change from his usual work to make the differences stand out.

Has your March Madness bracket gone to pot? Well, here's a shot at redemption with my annual Frozen Four tourney.

The rules are relatively simple. Take yourself here to get the bracket. Pick your winners and get them to me by noon EDT on Friday.

Scoring will continue to be 1-2-4-8 points per win per round. Upset points based on regional seeding throughout the tournament is also in effect (so if you pick Air Force to win its first game, you'd get 4 points if they pulled it off, one for the win and three for beating a number 1 seed).

Should this thing end in a tie, it will be broken by comparing the following in order:

1. Most correct winners picked
2. Most correct match-ups picked
3. Most teams in the Frozen Four
4. Caber toss or monkey knife fight

One entry per person, please. There aren't enough games to let you go crazy with multiple entries.

Book Log 2008 #12: The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

I had a bit of a catastrophe streak going, between the last book that took place in a world without electricity, and this one that imagines what would happen to the Earth if, all of a sudden, people just disappeared.

Most of the chapters put forth specific scenarios, such as how Manhattan would flood and revert to its wilder beginnings without the people who keep the subway tunnels from filling with water. It also delves into some more theoretical areas, such as which animals would survive, how endangered species may rally or continue to dwindle, and if anything would evolve to take our place. It's all quite interesting and sharply written.

In some chapters, though, he's more focused more on cataloging our current neglect of the environment and how our consumerist society would impact the planet for millenia after we disappear. It's a strong argument for changing the way we do things, from our use of plastic to the way we mine for mineral resources, but it's also a little distracting. I found it changed the tone of those chapters a bit, as the what would happen part was much less of the focus of these chapters.

Still, this is probably the best book I've read in 2008.

Another hockey season went into the books last night, as the Icedogs dropped a 3-1 decision to Vermont. I should be happy we got as far as the league semis; if you'd told me on January 1 that the team would get that far, get back to being nationally ranked and have an outside shot at a NCAA tournament berth, I would have put up a sizable wad of cash against that happening.

(It also didn't help that we were sitting in front of a guy I tangentially know who, in a very loud voice, basically called the game as if he were working it for the Blowhard Pessimist Radio Network. Thankfully we don't sit anywhere near him during the regular season; we'd probably have tried to throw him under the Zamboni by now if we did.)

But it's still pretty frustrating to think about the missed opportunities with this team (losses given away to Robert Morris, Harvard, Dartmouth, the OT loss to BC in the Beanpot), especially one with so many seniors and, on paper, so much talent. Throw on to that the amount of talk among fans about whether or not Jack lost the team, of if he's stayed on too long, and it's both frustrating and a little sad.

Looking forward to next season, we're apparently hosting the Icebreaker tournament, Michigan is coming back for a couple, the guys are going to the Denver Cup, and the women's Frozen Four will be on campus. Let's focus on that for the next seven months.

Book Log 2008 #11: A Meeting at Corvallis by S. M. Stirling

Picking up not too long after the end of The Protector's War, the conflicts and tensions that have been building in the first two books finally come to a head and result in war. It's a pretty satisfying conclusion, though I did have some minor quibbles with the amount of time spent with a relatively new character (who I assume will play more of a role in the next series, which jumps ahead in time quite a bit) and the epilogue, which was way too mystical for my taste.

I was happy to see more attention paid to the communities not previously given much more than passing mention, one run by the remnants of the Oregon State faculty, the other by a monastic order. Though if the OSU faculty senate in the book is anything like the one's I've encountered, it's hard to believe they made it through the first week, never mind eight years.

Not that you care, but I've already lost a game in this madness that is March. I took Temple over Michigan State, as I found myself reaching for upsets. In that vein, you can add Baylor sometime within the next hour, unless there's a serious Purdue collapse.

(Don't take this to be hatin' on the Big 10. Though I may be hatin' on Sparty a bit after last season's NCAA ice hockey tournament spanking.)

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 44: Temple of Robotology, New New York, NY

With worship founded on the writings in The Good Book 3.0, adherents of Robotology are to refrain from smoking, looking at pornography, abusing electricity, and consuming alcohol.

Robots unable to resist temptation wind up in Robot Hell, which is located underneath an amusement park in New Jersey. There the sinners will face eternal damnation - unless they can best the Robot Devil in a fiddling contest, at which point the robot goes free and wins a solid gold fiddle (thanks to the provisions of the Fairness in Hell Act of 2275).

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 43: St. Barnabus Church, Dibley, Oxfordshire, England

Located in a rural corner of England, St. Barnabus was one of the first Church of England parishes run by a female vicar after ordination of women was approved in 1994. The Reverend Geraldine Granger took over after the mid-service death of the 102 year old Reverend Pottle. The community took to her slightly unusual methods - such as a springtime service to bless the village animals - and came to accept her as their spiritual leader.

When it became clear that I wasn't going to be lawyering for a career, the law and I came to an agreement where we'd go our separate ways and not bother each other. This accord took a very slight break this morning when I attended my very first parking violation appeal.

Your fact pattern: the city enacted a parking ban on February 12, which means that those of us who park on the street had to move our cars to a city lot, which I did. The ban runs 48 hours, but may be rescinded earlier than that if possible, which happened in this case while I was at work on Thursday. I returned to Beverly on Thursday night to find a ticket on the car for a meter violation.

My thinking, based on past experience, is that the meters in the public lots were not active during the ban. We'd never put money in them in the past, and never received a ticket during a parking ban prior to this one. The announcement of the ban, which we checked on the city website, was silent on the issue of the meters.

According to the sargeant who heard my appeal, the meters remain in force during the day, which he said was noted on the city's parking hotline and in something that runs in the local paper every year. That the same information isn't presented on the website didn't seem to be an issue for him. In fact, he seemed to think that a person would still call the number, which seems redundant.

I'm not so much irritated about the fine as the feeling that it'd be pretty easily avoided if a line like "parking meters are still operational during the snow emergency" was added to the online announcement. It's pretty minimal, and given how likely people are now to go online rather than pick up a phone, I think it'd avoid future problems (unless this is some sort of revenue generating racket, which wouldn't surprise me). Given that a couple of other people got stuck paying what sounded like pretty dodgy handicap parking-related tickets (though I only heard their side of the story after their hearings), I shouldn't feel too bad.

I can't help but think this bodes poorly for jury duty. I'm going to be foreman on a Mob trial and wind up becoming Frank Henderson from Caspar, Wyoming after the defendant swears his vengance. I can feel it.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 42: Triple Rock Church, Chicago IL

Located on the south side of Chicago, the Triple Rock Church played a vital role in the continued operation of St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud orphanage. It was at this church that two of the orphanage's former residents, Jake and Elwood Blues, were divinely (and musically) inspired by the Reverend Cleophus James to reform their band and raise the money necessary to pay the back taxes on the orphanage building. How no one got a sainthood out of this is beyond me.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 41: Universal Life Church, the Internet

So the idea of this feature was that, during the 40 days of Lent, I'd mention a church that I'd been to or had some connection with, significant, tenuous, or otherwise. But then we go to church yesterday and the bulletin mentions that Lent doesn't end until Holy Saturday, which is the day before Easter. Apparently, the Sundays during Lent don't count. Heck of a time to learn this, though if nothing else it gives you an idea of the level of detail we went into in Sunday school.

So, for better or worse, more churches for you. But I have a feeling they'll be more like today's entry than those previous.

As some of you know, I am an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church. Have been for over a decade, when on Halloween in 1997 I put in my name, clicked a button, and received my certificate. It is just that simple. I did it in furtherance of something Halloween-related, but whatever it was I don't think it came to pass, so I became ordained for nothing.

I assume I'm still an active member of the ULC's clergy, though I don't think I'd fall back on it to get a decent parking space or perform a wedding. Though as Massachusetts does grant one day licenses to perform weddings, I am available for your matrimonial needs.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 40: Sacred Heart Parish, Manchester MA

Finally, the one church at least a few of you have seen in person back when the wife and I made it official. This was the fifth sacrament I've had administered at Sacred Heart, and unless I make a radical change in career and/or health status, the last one.

I was an altar boy here, went through Sunday school here (mostly, as a few years we had class at the instructor's house), and even worked here doing maintenance (let's just they got their money's worth from me cleaning up after bingo nights). For all that, I never felt like there was much of a parish community. Looking back I think there was one there, but not one that necessarily spoke to kids. And being in a parish now that has a school, the contrast is that much greater.

Still, it couldn't have been all bad. I've spent the last 40 days talking about churches, and I've not eaten meat on Fridays or bitten my nails (mostly) during the same period. None of that would have happened without Sacred Heart being in the picture.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 39: Immaculate Conception Chapel, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, QC, Canada

This is the lower level of the basilica in this small town outside of Quebec City, which the wife and I visited on our first vacation together as a couple. It's named for Saint Anne, Mary's mother and patron saint of sailors, who built the first church here back in the 17th century.

We didn't look at much else at the site other than the basilica and chapel, given that it was early March and still pretty snowy. There is a stations of the cross there using life-sized figures, which can be a bit much. It is considered a pilgrimage site, and a variety of health-related miracles are attributed to visits here. I can't say that I experienced any, though hopefully I'll get an eon or two fewer in purgatory for stopping by.

There is also a canyon nearby with a waterfall, which we also stopped at. At some point we have to go back there when it's above freezing.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 38: East Wedding Chapel, Bellagio, Las Vegas NV

Not so much a church as a nicely-appointed room where something religious may or may not happen, depending on the officiant of choice. Still, it's one of the few places where you can use the terms "classy" and "Vegas" in the same sentence without irony or sarcasm. And it lets me keep the chapel streak alive, which is something. Sort of.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 37: St. Therese Carmelite Chapel, Peabody MA

If you were ever at the mall and thought, "hey, I could use a quick sacrament," then this chapel is for you. It's been at the Northshore Mall since 1960, and appears to be the first mall-based chapel in the US.

I've never been in, but the wife and I have been in the store on the rare occasion when we needed a religious-themed gift. I tend to enjoy the book area, which veers occasionally into the mystical (you'd be surprised at the number of books out there about uncorrupted corpses of saints). But I might stop in at some point, as I never considered the opportunity for anonymous confession. Not that I have anything really bad to disclose, but I'd like to be able to look our priest in the eye without feeling embarrassed.

Book Log 2008 #10: The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry

While I still hold to my thoughts on Berry and his last book, I also think that each successive book Berry has written has been a little less enjoyable than the one before it. Or at least that's a theory that fits given this latest book, which fell flat for me.

Brief synopsis: Cotton Malone is a former Justice Department agent who is now retired and owns a bookstore in Copenhagen. A surprise visit from his ex-wife and a RPG attack on his store put him on the trail of the collection of the Alexandria library. His ex-boss has a subplot involving a conspiracy at high levels of the US government to prevent Malone from finding the collection.

It's the stuff from which these "historical" thrillers are made, except that this book is all about the find rather than the item being found. In the earlier books, there's actually something to see when Berry's heroes find modern day Templars or the heir to the Russian throne. In this book, all the hyped up action leads to a discovery that more or less goes nowhere.

I wonder if the pace is the problem. This book came out in early 2007, he has a new book involving Alexander the Great that came out in December, and he has another book slated for this coming December. I'd happily have him write a little less if it meant a better end result. I'll have to track down the newest book to see if my theory holds.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 36: King's Chapel, Boston MA

A stop on the Freedom Trail, King's Chapel may best be know for its burying yard, Boston's original cemetery. It has fewer famous burials than Granary, which is across the street, but does have some of our earliest colonial residents, including our first governor.

I have never been in the church, though I've been by it hundreds of times. Really, I chose it for today to keep up the streak of chapels. Every time I see it I wonder what happened to the rest of its steeple, but given the lack of discussion in any history I've come across I'm assuming it never had a full steeple. Probably the Puritans' fault.

Beware the Ides of March, indeed - I got a summons for jury duty in the mail yesterday. It's a federal court summons, which I've not gotten before. Apparently, I have to be available during a three week window in May, during which time I have to call in the Friday before each week to see when and if I have to appear.

Problem being that the first week of this window ends with our spring commencement. Which, for an assistant registrar for graduation, is kind of a busy time. So I'm hoping to defer things by a week. I won't know if it's been approved until a week or so before the window starts, which is unfortunate but it does give me some time to set up contingencies should I not get a deferral and actually have to report that week.

Looking on the positive, I've never been to the new federal courthouse, so that'll be interesting. It's also close to where the wife works, so we could have lunch at the Barking Crab or Daily Catch. I think my per diem would just about cover it.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 35: North Shore Chapel, Danvers MA

We pass this church when we go to and from the highway. It's in the building that used to house St. Alphonsus, a Catholic parish that was merged into ours. The name lives on, however, as both this website and the billboard that just went up down the street reference the address by noting the St. Alphonsus name. I have to think on some level it must be galling to have to refer to your current church by the name of the one that preceded you in the space. It's like a Burger King that mentions it's where the McDonald's used to be.

40 Churches, 40 Days

Day 34: Chapel of the Holy Spouses Mary and Joseph, Waltham MA

This is the chapel at the retreat site where the wife and I did our marriage prep classes. I have to think that there are Catholic schools across the country with similar-looking chapels.

Nothing too notable about the place, but looking at a larger view of the picture I could swear that the figure between the confessionals is smacking the palm of his (or her) left hand with whatever is being held in the right hand. Wishful thinking, I'm sure.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 33: Emmanuel Chapel, Manchester MA

I remember the first time I noticed this chapel when I was a kid. I thought it was very strange that it would only be open in the summer, as all the other churches in town were open year-round. Of course, I didn't really consider location; the chapel is near several summer homes that are within walking distance and are only occupied when Brahmins and their progeny are up for the season.

So while I eventually figured out how this worked, I still don't know anyone who goes there. Which pretty much tells you what circles I travel in.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 32: King's College Chapel, Cambridge, England

We'll stay academic for this chapel, which could probably hold every other chapel mentioned in this series and have room left over for a couple of the smaller churches. It's very impressive, especially the ceiling, supported by the world's largest fan vault.

Seeing this was the high point of our day in Cambridge, though to be fair we didn't have much of a day. The weather was awful, and we got stuck in one of the slowest restaurants I've even been to for lunch, so our sightseeing plans were curtailed a bit. We did have a nice chat with a local while watching the River Cam swell, and we did see the Mathematical Bridge, but it wasn't the best day of our trip by any means.

Book Log 2008 #9: On Royalty by Jeremy Paxman

Paxman, a British journalist known for his aggressive interviewing, takes what he calls a "very polite inquiry" into the role of royals in the modern world, with a predominant focus on his native Windsors. Among the anecdotes and quirky history, two questions emerge: why are the royals still around, and why is the general public so fascinated by them?

I like the first half of the book better than the second, as it takes a wider view of royalty (an early chapter focuses on Leka, the pretender to the Albanian throne) and has a more logical progression to the topics covered. The second half bogs down a bit, I think, while examining the failure of republicanism to replace the monarchy. After that the expected slog through the death of Diana and the annus horribilis drags things out even more.

So while there's a lot to like here, I think the book doesn't quite answer the questions it raises.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 31: St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Salem MA

The wife and I happened upon this place not too long after moving up to Beverly, during one of the occasional aimless drives we take (please don't hate me for enlarging my carbon footprint). I've never considered the North Shore a hotbed of Orthodoxy, so you can imagine my surprise when onion domes started sprouting in what is an otherwise traditional local neighborhood.

The fact that this church exists is about all I know of it, though from the website I've learned that it's part of the Orthodox Church in America, an independent branch of Orthodox Christianity that grew out of the Russian Orthodox church. I won't go further into this, as I'd probably make some sort of ecclesiastical faux pas. As the link suggests, more information on the OCA is available on the Internet.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 30: Marsh Chapel, Boston MA

I imagine at least a few of you are familiar with this building, even if just from walking by it. Original plans were for something much grander, but had to be scaled back due to cost and stability concerns (our campus is, in large part, built on landfill). Even so, it's one of the better on-campus chapels I've been in, and does a nice job balancing spiritual needs with secular/educational themes (where else can you find stained glass windows with Presidents Lincoln and Cleveland?).

I can't say I was a regular celebrant here. I occasionally went to the mid-day Mass on holidays, jammed in with the rest of the C&E Catholics. I went to the evening Mass more often than I'd care to remember. This is the "contemporary" service, or as I like to call it, the hippie Mass. Lots of guitar, hand-holding and other stuff that I try to avoid. Only on one or two occasions did I attend the night Mass with instrumental music, which is odd as it's the one I most preferred. I just never quite got worked up enough to make the walk down from West Campus every week.

The last couple of years that I worked at BU I would go to the Good Friday meditations, where a variety of chaplains would speak, with sermons separated by music. It takes three hours to sit through the whole thing, which I never did.

And, of course, I've been to one wedding there, complete with an appearance from Rhett. I'll let those more directly involved with the experience comment if they so choose.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 29: St. Joachim Church, Rockport MA

You may remember back on Day 3 that there was a church I was going to talk about at another time. Or you may not; you'd be excused, it does seem like this has been going on for months. At any rate, St. Joachim is now part of the Holy Family Parish, but previously it was the church that my family in Rockport frequented. I think at least one of my siblings was baptized here, but I could be mistaken.

I only recall being there once, for my grandmother's funeral. As you might imagine from the pictures, it looks much more like the typical Protestant white village church we have in spades up here, and the same is true for the inside. I wasn't paying much attention to these sorts of things at the time, but I do retroactively appreciate the simplicity.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 28: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Boston MA

This cathedral is located right across the street from campus. I've never been in, but it sounds impressive from the description. Certainly more impressive than their web site, or the job of the person who was supposed to pay their web host but apparently forgot.

Then again, the business office is located in Brookline, so it may be that they lost the check while in transit.

Fun work-related note is that, in changing our graduation dates back to Sunday from Saturday, a fair amount of parking normally used by celebrants is going to be taken. Not to mention that the start of the liturgy there may be interrupted by the drone of bagpipes. Fun times for our community relations person, no doubt.

Book Log 2008 #8: The Protector's War by S. M. Stirling

The first book in this series posited a change whereby electricity stopped functioning and combustible materials like gasoline and gunpowder no longer work as effectively, with the sort of gruesome outcome you might expect. The second book moves forwards eight years, where the groups that came out of this change have formed into larger neo-feudal societies, with the largest trying to consolidate its hold over the Pacific northwest. The bulk of the book prepares us for the start of the titular war, with much skirmishing and alliance-forming.

We're also introduced to a trio of Englishmen who, having run afoul of King Charles, need to get out of Blighty and find a new place to live. I'm not sure how much I like the way this part of the story unfolds - we get most of it in flashback - but it's a decent story line. As long as you don't get too distracted by the stereotypical English manner of speech.

I did feel like the book spent more time on the group formed along Wiccan/Celtic lines, which led to a lot of songs (also not surprising given how often Tolkien is referenced as an inspiration for characters). They aren't long, but it gets old quickly. I'd like to get more about the bad guys, and about some of the people we've not really interacted with yet (which is hinted at by the title of the next book).

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 27: St. Francis of Assisi, Belfast ME

This is where the wife and I used to on Christmas Eve when we'd be up at her parents' for the holiday. The music is much better than the church over in Winterport, but there are two drawbacks:

1. We always get lost going over to the church. It's not in a particularly tricky location, but we never quite get it right, leading to some rushing to get there on time.

2. It's not a big church, so we often got stuck in the balcony, which would be fine if it weren't faced with Plexiglas. If you're in the front pew, it's like being at a hockey game, just with less peppy organ music.

We did see someone pass out here one year (as you can imagine, it gets a little toasty between the small size and capacity crowd), but it turns out a member of the choir is also a doctor, which is kind of handy.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 26, First Congregational Church, Hadley MA

This, and the Farm Museum, dominate the downtown of Hadley, where the wife and I had occasion to stay on Saturday after watching the Icedogs lose a 5-1 debacle to UMass. Not surprisingly, the part of Hadley closer to the UMass campus is more built up, between the hotels and the Hampshire Mall.

This was our second trip to UMass for a game, and while I didn't notice it then, this most recent trip suggests that the Mullins Center may be the most techno-friendly arena in all of college hockey. They should really look at putting in some black lights and selling glow sticks at the concession stands.

We also got to stay in a Howard Johnson Express (according to the website, though it's not signposted as such), which is right across the street from the Holiday Inn Express. We like the latter better than the former, but not an extra $50 better. Still, I don't think we'd go back. Even the EconoLogde looks to be in better shape than the HoJo Express, which says something.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 25: St. Fachtnan's Cathedral, Kilfenora, Co. Claire, Ireland

We got a little lost on our drive out to the Cliffs of Moher, and wound up cutting through the edge of the Burren, an odd rocky bit of country. Figuring we had some time, we stopped at the Burren Center, which was OK, though many of the exhibits appeared to be at least as old as me.

Next door to the center is St. Facthnan's Cathedral, which as you can probably tell from the pictures isn't quite what it used to be. We didn't get much of a chance to look in the ruins, as there was some restoration work planned and most of the place was blocked off by scaffolding. It's a pretty impressive site nonetheless, and the standing crosses are pretty impressive, too. You'll notice in a couple of pictures a cross that's surrounded by a low pipe fence. That's to keep the cows away, apparently, as the field in which it stands was, when we were there, home to about 20 cows. Needless to say, we trod carefully when going to get a closer look.