Book Log 2009 #60: Everything But the Squeal by John Barlow
Barlow, an Englishman who now lives in the Spanish region of Galicia, takes a year to live out his ultimate porcine fantasy: eating dishes made with every part of the pig, snout to trotters to tail and everything in between. This is often a solitary pursuit, as Barlow's wife (a native Gailician) is, improbably for Spain, a vegetarian (though she does nibble the occasional piece of iberico ham).
This quest takes Barlow all over this northwestern part of Spain, from festivals that focus on specific pork dishes to remove settlements where his meals happen almost by accident. At each stop we get an idea of what life is like among the Galicians, a subculture trying to cling to its traditional ways and proud of its (likely inflated) Celtic heritage.
There's plenty of pig talk, but it's easily as much a travelogue about Galicia as it is a food book. There are discussions of eminent Galicians (such as Fidel Castro, whose father moved the family to Cuba) and the ways in which Galicia is distinct from the other regions of Spain. It's all entertaining, but from the book jacket you'd expect the book to really be about the food. It's worth the read, just expect that not everything in the book is about pigs.
31 December 2009
Book Log 2009 #59: Drunkard by Neil Steinberg
I was introduced to Steinberg's witty prose by his compendium of college pranks, If At All Possible, Involve a Cow and his work about the unsuccessful, Complete and Utter Failure (both highly recommended). His day job as a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times saw him often write about home and family.
That domestic life took a sudden turn when he, fairly well soused, hit his wife. It turns out that Steinberg had enjoyed a comfortable, if excessive, relationship with alcohol for years, one which often put strain on his marriage but which hadn't previously turned to violence. After a night in jail and facing charges, Steinberg found himself forced into rehab to avoid more jail time.
The bulk of the book follows his road to sobriety, which encounters more than a couple of pot holes and a variety of stops to get soused. Steinberg is brutally honest about his feelings towards his rehab program and fellow patients, the applicability of Alcoholics Anonymous to someone who doesn't believe in a higher power, and how much he enjoys booze.
That last point seems to be his biggest problem. The way he explains it, drinking was something that helped make Steinberg bigger than himself. Once he joined the Sun-Times, drinking entered the realm of cherished journalistic tradition, putting him in the footsteps of Mike Royko. Kicking booze become more than just overcoming an addiction; it required a complete change of outlook.
People looking for the sort of overwrought confessional that seems common for this sort of book will be disappointed. Steinberg doesn't pull punches but neither does he overly dramatize things. His story is remarkable in its ordinariness, a descent that could easily apply to anyone. Well worth the read.
I was introduced to Steinberg's witty prose by his compendium of college pranks, If At All Possible, Involve a Cow and his work about the unsuccessful, Complete and Utter Failure (both highly recommended). His day job as a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times saw him often write about home and family.
That domestic life took a sudden turn when he, fairly well soused, hit his wife. It turns out that Steinberg had enjoyed a comfortable, if excessive, relationship with alcohol for years, one which often put strain on his marriage but which hadn't previously turned to violence. After a night in jail and facing charges, Steinberg found himself forced into rehab to avoid more jail time.
The bulk of the book follows his road to sobriety, which encounters more than a couple of pot holes and a variety of stops to get soused. Steinberg is brutally honest about his feelings towards his rehab program and fellow patients, the applicability of Alcoholics Anonymous to someone who doesn't believe in a higher power, and how much he enjoys booze.
That last point seems to be his biggest problem. The way he explains it, drinking was something that helped make Steinberg bigger than himself. Once he joined the Sun-Times, drinking entered the realm of cherished journalistic tradition, putting him in the footsteps of Mike Royko. Kicking booze become more than just overcoming an addiction; it required a complete change of outlook.
People looking for the sort of overwrought confessional that seems common for this sort of book will be disappointed. Steinberg doesn't pull punches but neither does he overly dramatize things. His story is remarkable in its ordinariness, a descent that could easily apply to anyone. Well worth the read.
30 December 2009
Book Log 2009 #58: Pygmy by Chuck Pahlaniuk
The title character of Pahlaniuk's 10th novel is a smallish high schooler from an unnamed foreign country who is ostensibly sent to the US as an exchange student. He is really here to participate in Operation Havoc, as are a number of other "exchange students" from his country. They are all sent to the same nameless American location, which is where Pahlaniuk starts to have fun, going after the more mockable aspects of American culture at full throttle.
Two things slow this down. The first is the highly broken English of the contact reports that make up the chapters of the book. It does allow for some humorous wordplay, but I found it very hard to deal with in the early going. The other are dispatches that provide insight into Pygmy's training, which involves being taken from one's parents at a very early age and heavy doses of brainwashing.
I'm not sure this book worked as well in practice as the idea did in theory. It's pretty relentless in its satire, but in a way that can get tiring, especially when the language is suffering from multiple compound fractures. There's also a cartoonish quality to the action that makes it hard to take seriously. I suppose that could be part of the point, but there's enough going on here to make it difficult to determine. I can't say that I'd recommend it, but I can't say I wouldn't, either.
The title character of Pahlaniuk's 10th novel is a smallish high schooler from an unnamed foreign country who is ostensibly sent to the US as an exchange student. He is really here to participate in Operation Havoc, as are a number of other "exchange students" from his country. They are all sent to the same nameless American location, which is where Pahlaniuk starts to have fun, going after the more mockable aspects of American culture at full throttle.
Two things slow this down. The first is the highly broken English of the contact reports that make up the chapters of the book. It does allow for some humorous wordplay, but I found it very hard to deal with in the early going. The other are dispatches that provide insight into Pygmy's training, which involves being taken from one's parents at a very early age and heavy doses of brainwashing.
I'm not sure this book worked as well in practice as the idea did in theory. It's pretty relentless in its satire, but in a way that can get tiring, especially when the language is suffering from multiple compound fractures. There's also a cartoonish quality to the action that makes it hard to take seriously. I suppose that could be part of the point, but there's enough going on here to make it difficult to determine. I can't say that I'd recommend it, but I can't say I wouldn't, either.
Book Log 2009 #57: The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Starting with the familiar question of what to have for dinner, Pollan follows what he sees as the three main ways people feed themselves today: industrial farming, organic (or "organic") farming, and hunting/gathering. In each way, he examines how each foodway shapes the way we live, from the profusion of corn products in prepared foods to the ways in which companies promote "organic" food that hardly seems worthy of the label.
The dilemma is not only figuring out what to eat, but figuring out what is best to eat when balancing out all concerns. The industrial process results in cheap and plentiful food that doesn't quite nourish the body (or the soul), while more intensive processes may result in food that is better tasting and more nutritious (but at a price). He even questions being an omnivore at all, spending a little time considering vegetarianism (including a longish discourse on the ethics of eating other animals, which confirms that I am an incorrigible speciesist).
I like the approach of this book better than that of Fast Food Nation and its ilk, as it's less sensationalistic and more thoughtful about the impacts of every choice we make regarding food. It's also often a fun read, as Pollan gets to visit farms, hunt for game and mushrooms, and meet some very interesting people. Highly recommended.
Starting with the familiar question of what to have for dinner, Pollan follows what he sees as the three main ways people feed themselves today: industrial farming, organic (or "organic") farming, and hunting/gathering. In each way, he examines how each foodway shapes the way we live, from the profusion of corn products in prepared foods to the ways in which companies promote "organic" food that hardly seems worthy of the label.
The dilemma is not only figuring out what to eat, but figuring out what is best to eat when balancing out all concerns. The industrial process results in cheap and plentiful food that doesn't quite nourish the body (or the soul), while more intensive processes may result in food that is better tasting and more nutritious (but at a price). He even questions being an omnivore at all, spending a little time considering vegetarianism (including a longish discourse on the ethics of eating other animals, which confirms that I am an incorrigible speciesist).
I like the approach of this book better than that of Fast Food Nation and its ilk, as it's less sensationalistic and more thoughtful about the impacts of every choice we make regarding food. It's also often a fun read, as Pollan gets to visit farms, hunt for game and mushrooms, and meet some very interesting people. Highly recommended.
Book Log 2009 #56: Stone's Fall by Iain Pears
If you've got the time to settle in to a 500-plus page mystery whose solution is unveiled by moving backwards into the 19th century, then this book is highly recommended. Industrialist John Stone is found dead, presumably from a fall out of a second story window. This doesn't quite add up for his widow, and combined with an unusual bequest in Stone's will, she hires a reporter to investigate. The reporter's story leads to the story of a British agent, which then leads back to Stone's own story.
Pears like to play with time and perspective, and this set up allows him to show his skill. He layers on the period detail, but never at the expense of the characters or the mystery (in fact, they help to develop Stone's widow, who comes to be the book's main character). Very much worth the read.
If you've got the time to settle in to a 500-plus page mystery whose solution is unveiled by moving backwards into the 19th century, then this book is highly recommended. Industrialist John Stone is found dead, presumably from a fall out of a second story window. This doesn't quite add up for his widow, and combined with an unusual bequest in Stone's will, she hires a reporter to investigate. The reporter's story leads to the story of a British agent, which then leads back to Stone's own story.
Pears like to play with time and perspective, and this set up allows him to show his skill. He layers on the period detail, but never at the expense of the characters or the mystery (in fact, they help to develop Stone's widow, who comes to be the book's main character). Very much worth the read.
Book Log 2009 #55: The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Known for its Oscar-nominated film adaptation starring Kate Winslet, this book tells the story of a teenaged boy in postwar Germany and his older lover, a tram operator with a past that comes back to haunt her - in more ways than one.
I suppose I liked the book, but it's pretty gloomy, so be forewarned.
Known for its Oscar-nominated film adaptation starring Kate Winslet, this book tells the story of a teenaged boy in postwar Germany and his older lover, a tram operator with a past that comes back to haunt her - in more ways than one.
I suppose I liked the book, but it's pretty gloomy, so be forewarned.
Book Log 2009 #54: Cover Her Face by P. D. James
This is the first in the series of Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, and I have to say that while reading it I was reminded more than once of The Moonstone. Not so much for plot similarities - though both involve crimes committed in an English country house - but for those conventions that The Moonstone set for future mystery novels, many of which are present.
What is missing to some extent is the bumbling local cop, as Dalgliesh is on the scene pretty early. There's little hint in this book of the cop he'll become - there is a reference to the loss of his wife and child, but not of his poetry - and for most of the book he's more or less a minor character, only taking his rightful place when it's time to reveal the killer.
By then, though, I'd lost interest and never finished the book. Probably not the best sign that I bailed out right at the point where I should care the most. Also, as it was written in 1962 there are occasional moments that date things (references to the recent war and such), but that's really just a distraction rather than a reason to not read the book. The overall dullness of the case? That's a reason not to read the book, unless you want to read the whole series, in which case you're pretty much stuck.
This is the first in the series of Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, and I have to say that while reading it I was reminded more than once of The Moonstone. Not so much for plot similarities - though both involve crimes committed in an English country house - but for those conventions that The Moonstone set for future mystery novels, many of which are present.
What is missing to some extent is the bumbling local cop, as Dalgliesh is on the scene pretty early. There's little hint in this book of the cop he'll become - there is a reference to the loss of his wife and child, but not of his poetry - and for most of the book he's more or less a minor character, only taking his rightful place when it's time to reveal the killer.
By then, though, I'd lost interest and never finished the book. Probably not the best sign that I bailed out right at the point where I should care the most. Also, as it was written in 1962 there are occasional moments that date things (references to the recent war and such), but that's really just a distraction rather than a reason to not read the book. The overall dullness of the case? That's a reason not to read the book, unless you want to read the whole series, in which case you're pretty much stuck.
15 December 2009
Book Log 2009 #53: Swindled by Bee Wilson
A really interesting history of fraudulent food, from doctored wine in ancient Rome to fake eggs made in China. At each stop along the way, Wilson does a fantastic job of describing how food was tampered with and how people and governments reacted at the time (suffice it to say that governments, until very recently, did very little).
It's a great mirror on our own food production, and how the obvious cheats of the past have morphed into the variety of additives that get into our food today. Well worth a read if you're into this sort of thing.
A really interesting history of fraudulent food, from doctored wine in ancient Rome to fake eggs made in China. At each stop along the way, Wilson does a fantastic job of describing how food was tampered with and how people and governments reacted at the time (suffice it to say that governments, until very recently, did very little).
It's a great mirror on our own food production, and how the obvious cheats of the past have morphed into the variety of additives that get into our food today. Well worth a read if you're into this sort of thing.
Book Log 2009 #52: The Sword of the Lady by S. M. Stirling
A continuation of the series set in a post-change US where electricity and combustion don't really work anymore. It's typical of the series, perhaps a little better in that things move along more and there's a bit less of the fantasy-type stuff (or perhaps the same amount, just used at points in the book where it makes more sense). I am curious how - or even if - this is going to wrap in one book, as it took two books to get from Oregon to Nantucket. But I do look forward to finding out, which is something.
A continuation of the series set in a post-change US where electricity and combustion don't really work anymore. It's typical of the series, perhaps a little better in that things move along more and there's a bit less of the fantasy-type stuff (or perhaps the same amount, just used at points in the book where it makes more sense). I am curious how - or even if - this is going to wrap in one book, as it took two books to get from Oregon to Nantucket. But I do look forward to finding out, which is something.
14 December 2009
Book Log 2009 #51: Don't Go There by Peter Greenberg
The travel editor for NBC, this book is a compendium of the places worth avoiding when planning your next vacation. I tried reading it straight through, which I'd not recommend. It's better used if you have a destination in mind and want to see if it's overly polluted, crime-ridden or subject to catastrophic weather. For that I think the book would be fine.
The travel editor for NBC, this book is a compendium of the places worth avoiding when planning your next vacation. I tried reading it straight through, which I'd not recommend. It's better used if you have a destination in mind and want to see if it's overly polluted, crime-ridden or subject to catastrophic weather. For that I think the book would be fine.
Book Log 2009 #50: Give Me Back My Legions! by Harry Turtledove
Rather than dabbling in alt-history, this book is fictionalized account of the Battle of Teutoberg Forest, starting a few years before the battle and ending a short time afterwards. I think I'd have preferred an alt-history take, as this straight history was quite repetitive, as we'd be reminded every chapter or so that the main German character really doesn't like the Romans, and the main Roman character trusts the main German character even though all the other Romans tell him not to.
There's surprisingly little going on outside of this set-up, and the final battle provides relief mostly by signaling that the book is almost over. I get the sense that Turtledove has more ideas than time to write them, resulting in works primarily written to meet a deadline. I'd have preferred he didn't write this at all and spent more time improving The Man With the Iron Heart.
Rather than dabbling in alt-history, this book is fictionalized account of the Battle of Teutoberg Forest, starting a few years before the battle and ending a short time afterwards. I think I'd have preferred an alt-history take, as this straight history was quite repetitive, as we'd be reminded every chapter or so that the main German character really doesn't like the Romans, and the main Roman character trusts the main German character even though all the other Romans tell him not to.
There's surprisingly little going on outside of this set-up, and the final battle provides relief mostly by signaling that the book is almost over. I get the sense that Turtledove has more ideas than time to write them, resulting in works primarily written to meet a deadline. I'd have preferred he didn't write this at all and spent more time improving The Man With the Iron Heart.
11 December 2009
I did not write about the BU men's hockey team at all last season, for fear of jinxing what turned out to be an historic run. Over the course of the season, they set a new mark for wins and won every title that they played for, from the season-opening Icebreaker to the national championship. They entered this season with high expectations and the top spot in the Hockey East preseason coaches' poll.
And it's all gone downhill from there. In a way, a letdown was inevitable, as 40 percent of last year's scoring came from players who have since moved on. But the quality of the incoming class, coupled with a season of solid goaltending during the title run, combined to mask the problems that are now apparent. Inexperience, lack of fundamentals, a sophomore slump in net, the reasons behind the team's collapse are myriad. After tonight's loss to RPI, the team's record stands at 4-9-3. They are currently in 9th place in Hockey East, meaning if the season ended today the Icedogs season would end today.
(There is a bit of a comparison here to the BU football team, which made the NCAA tournament in 2003 and 2004, after which all of the best players graduated and the team cratered, winning 5 games over the next three seasons before being shut down. Not that the hockey team is in danger of being shuttered, just that there's a similarity.)
Anyway, this got me thinking. What's the mark for futility for a college hockey team in the season following a national title win? Looking at total wins, the worst five follow-up seasons to a national title are:
1993-4 Maine, 6-29-1
1954-5 RPI, 9-11-2
1972-3 BU, 11-17-1
1963-4 North Dakota, 12-11-2
1989-90 Harvard, 13-14-1
The Maine season is a bit of an outlier, as they had to forfeit 21 games that season for using an ineligible player. If we were to go by their original performance, you'd sub in the 1964-5 Michigan team that went 13-12-1 as the fifth-worst season.
In terms of winning percentage, we have:
1993-94 Maine, .180
1972-3 BU, .396
1976-7 Minnesota, .440
1954-5 RPI, .454
1989-90 Harvard, .482
Interestingly, every other championship team went at least .500 the year after they won the title (and Maine would have if they had a better grasp of NCAA compliance). So the rule is that teams generally play well the season after winning a national title, which makes a fair bit of sense.
Where does that put the current crop of Terriers? In terms of total wins, they'd have to put forth an impressively bad performance to not win seven games this season. You'd like to think they'll win at least 10. Twelve? Well...
For winning percentage, they are currently at .344, so if they keep doing what they're doing, they will succeed in putting together the worst (non-forfeit) post-title season in NCAA history. Surpassing a record they already hold. Faaaaaaaantastic.
And it's all gone downhill from there. In a way, a letdown was inevitable, as 40 percent of last year's scoring came from players who have since moved on. But the quality of the incoming class, coupled with a season of solid goaltending during the title run, combined to mask the problems that are now apparent. Inexperience, lack of fundamentals, a sophomore slump in net, the reasons behind the team's collapse are myriad. After tonight's loss to RPI, the team's record stands at 4-9-3. They are currently in 9th place in Hockey East, meaning if the season ended today the Icedogs season would end today.
(There is a bit of a comparison here to the BU football team, which made the NCAA tournament in 2003 and 2004, after which all of the best players graduated and the team cratered, winning 5 games over the next three seasons before being shut down. Not that the hockey team is in danger of being shuttered, just that there's a similarity.)
Anyway, this got me thinking. What's the mark for futility for a college hockey team in the season following a national title win? Looking at total wins, the worst five follow-up seasons to a national title are:
1993-4 Maine, 6-29-1
1954-5 RPI, 9-11-2
1972-3 BU, 11-17-1
1963-4 North Dakota, 12-11-2
1989-90 Harvard, 13-14-1
The Maine season is a bit of an outlier, as they had to forfeit 21 games that season for using an ineligible player. If we were to go by their original performance, you'd sub in the 1964-5 Michigan team that went 13-12-1 as the fifth-worst season.
In terms of winning percentage, we have:
1993-94 Maine, .180
1972-3 BU, .396
1976-7 Minnesota, .440
1954-5 RPI, .454
1989-90 Harvard, .482
Interestingly, every other championship team went at least .500 the year after they won the title (and Maine would have if they had a better grasp of NCAA compliance). So the rule is that teams generally play well the season after winning a national title, which makes a fair bit of sense.
Where does that put the current crop of Terriers? In terms of total wins, they'd have to put forth an impressively bad performance to not win seven games this season. You'd like to think they'll win at least 10. Twelve? Well...
For winning percentage, they are currently at .344, so if they keep doing what they're doing, they will succeed in putting together the worst (non-forfeit) post-title season in NCAA history. Surpassing a record they already hold. Faaaaaaaantastic.
04 December 2009
Oh for three in my guesses, and I can't say I mind at all.
Playing England to open will be tough, no doubt. But once the chance to play South Africa went by the boards, any of the other seven teams would present a significant challenge. It's a better draw than getting Brazil or Germany, but not by much. But given England's tendency to land in the Group of Death (or at least the Group of Agonizing Pain), karma looked to be running against the US.
But then Algeria and Slovenia wound up in the group, and things improved considerably. Both have short World Cup resumes and were among the lower FIFA ranked teams in their respective pots. Like I said yesterday, neither team is exactly a pushover, but playing them makes going through to the round of 16 more likely than if we'd drawn, say, Cote D'Ivoire and Portugal.
Speaking of those teams, I'd mentioned both as teams in a potential Group of Death (well, I'd picked Greece but mentioned Portugal as a close runner-up), along with Brazil. And guess which three teams wound up in the same group? Ladies and gentlemen, your Group of Death. Just with North Korea as your fourth rather than us. Thank God.
Now we just have six months to figure out how to pull a repeat of 1950 on the English.
Playing England to open will be tough, no doubt. But once the chance to play South Africa went by the boards, any of the other seven teams would present a significant challenge. It's a better draw than getting Brazil or Germany, but not by much. But given England's tendency to land in the Group of Death (or at least the Group of Agonizing Pain), karma looked to be running against the US.
But then Algeria and Slovenia wound up in the group, and things improved considerably. Both have short World Cup resumes and were among the lower FIFA ranked teams in their respective pots. Like I said yesterday, neither team is exactly a pushover, but playing them makes going through to the round of 16 more likely than if we'd drawn, say, Cote D'Ivoire and Portugal.
Speaking of those teams, I'd mentioned both as teams in a potential Group of Death (well, I'd picked Greece but mentioned Portugal as a close runner-up), along with Brazil. And guess which three teams wound up in the same group? Ladies and gentlemen, your Group of Death. Just with North Korea as your fourth rather than us. Thank God.
Now we just have six months to figure out how to pull a repeat of 1950 on the English.
03 December 2009
The draw for the 2010 World Cup is tomorrow. Each of the 8 groups in pool play will be populated by four teams drawn in semi-random fashion. The teams are divided into four pots: one for host South Africa and the 7 qualifiers who finished highest in FIFA's October rankings, one for all the teams from Asia, Oceania and CONCACAF (the US's confederation), one for teams from Africa and South America, and one for the remaining European qualifiers.
(There's some controversy over the pots, as the use of the FIFA rankings alone - which don't include November's playoff games and don't take into account past World Cup performance, which was used in the past - led France to fall from the first pot to the fourth. Some see a conspiracy to punish the French, and they may not be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time with this Cup that FIFA has changed rules on the fly, as they made late changes that wound up pitting France against Ireland in the first place.)
So with that set up, what's the best the US can hope for?
Pot 1: South Africa: As hosts they get to be seeded, but on rankings alone they'd never make it into this pot (they were 85th in the October rankings; the only qualifier ranked lower was North Korea at 91). They missed the 2002 World Cup, and some people wonder if they'd have qualified for 2010 if they had to play their way in. Even with the expected bump from playing in front of home crowds, they'd be the team to get here. Honorable mention goes to Argentina, who does have world player of the year Lionel Messi, but also has him (and the rest of the squad) being coached by Maradona, whose coaching skills can charitably be called uneven.
Pot 3: Algeria: They've not made the World Cup since 1986, making them the least experienced team in the pot. On the down side, they are currently at their highest ranking ever, so they may have enough skill to make up for the inexperience.
Pot 4: Slovakia or Slovenia: Slovakia is in their first World Cup as an independent country, while Slovenia was a qualified by surprising Russia in their playoff. Neither is exactly a pushover, but the rest of the teams promise a tougher road. An article over on ESPN.com suggested any team beginning with 's' would work here, but I'm not so sure. Both Switzerland and Serbia won their qualifying groups, and the Swiss are ranked 18th. Serbia did have a lousy 2006 World Cup, for what that's worth.
Now that we have the dream bracket, what would be the US's Group of Death?
Pot 1: Brazil: Avoiding Brazil for as long as possible is a good strategy for getting deep into the tournament. Having them in your pool automatically means you have three teams playing for one place. Of course, if you don't get Brazil you could just get Germany or Spain or Italy (or England or the Netherlands for that matter). Simply put, if you don't get South Africa from this pot the team you do get from here is likely to be a challenge. It's just a question of how big a challenge you want.
Pot 3: Cote D'Ivoire: They're much more than Didier Drogba, as their entire roster is made up of European club players. They're the deepest team in the pot, and they get to play on their home continent.
Pot 4: Greece: It's a hard pick here given the strength of teams like Denmark and Portugal (even with their difficult qualifying experience). But I went with Greece as their style of play will wear down and frustrate teams. I suppose France might be a problem, too, but their qualifying path was nearly as chaotic as Argentina's (moreso at the end), so they may be ripe for the plucking. Plus, I kind of want to draw them in the hopes of getting some Irish-American justice.
The bottom line for the US, and really for most of the teams in their pot, is that the way the pots were filled none of them are going to have an easy time getting through to the knockout stages. Given that many of the teams are lower-ranked there's an argument that that's the way it should be. On the other hand, consider this: the US is 14th in the FIFA rankings. There's a chance their group will include the teams ranked first, fifth, and 11th, while Slovakia, ranked 34th, could get a group with the teams ranked 37th, 84th and 86th. Granted, the US could also get two of those teams, but I still don't think one ranked pot and three geographically assigned pots was the best way to go. Unless you're a European team.
(There's some controversy over the pots, as the use of the FIFA rankings alone - which don't include November's playoff games and don't take into account past World Cup performance, which was used in the past - led France to fall from the first pot to the fourth. Some see a conspiracy to punish the French, and they may not be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time with this Cup that FIFA has changed rules on the fly, as they made late changes that wound up pitting France against Ireland in the first place.)
So with that set up, what's the best the US can hope for?
Pot 1: South Africa: As hosts they get to be seeded, but on rankings alone they'd never make it into this pot (they were 85th in the October rankings; the only qualifier ranked lower was North Korea at 91). They missed the 2002 World Cup, and some people wonder if they'd have qualified for 2010 if they had to play their way in. Even with the expected bump from playing in front of home crowds, they'd be the team to get here. Honorable mention goes to Argentina, who does have world player of the year Lionel Messi, but also has him (and the rest of the squad) being coached by Maradona, whose coaching skills can charitably be called uneven.
Pot 3: Algeria: They've not made the World Cup since 1986, making them the least experienced team in the pot. On the down side, they are currently at their highest ranking ever, so they may have enough skill to make up for the inexperience.
Pot 4: Slovakia or Slovenia: Slovakia is in their first World Cup as an independent country, while Slovenia was a qualified by surprising Russia in their playoff. Neither is exactly a pushover, but the rest of the teams promise a tougher road. An article over on ESPN.com suggested any team beginning with 's' would work here, but I'm not so sure. Both Switzerland and Serbia won their qualifying groups, and the Swiss are ranked 18th. Serbia did have a lousy 2006 World Cup, for what that's worth.
Now that we have the dream bracket, what would be the US's Group of Death?
Pot 1: Brazil: Avoiding Brazil for as long as possible is a good strategy for getting deep into the tournament. Having them in your pool automatically means you have three teams playing for one place. Of course, if you don't get Brazil you could just get Germany or Spain or Italy (or England or the Netherlands for that matter). Simply put, if you don't get South Africa from this pot the team you do get from here is likely to be a challenge. It's just a question of how big a challenge you want.
Pot 3: Cote D'Ivoire: They're much more than Didier Drogba, as their entire roster is made up of European club players. They're the deepest team in the pot, and they get to play on their home continent.
Pot 4: Greece: It's a hard pick here given the strength of teams like Denmark and Portugal (even with their difficult qualifying experience). But I went with Greece as their style of play will wear down and frustrate teams. I suppose France might be a problem, too, but their qualifying path was nearly as chaotic as Argentina's (moreso at the end), so they may be ripe for the plucking. Plus, I kind of want to draw them in the hopes of getting some Irish-American justice.
The bottom line for the US, and really for most of the teams in their pot, is that the way the pots were filled none of them are going to have an easy time getting through to the knockout stages. Given that many of the teams are lower-ranked there's an argument that that's the way it should be. On the other hand, consider this: the US is 14th in the FIFA rankings. There's a chance their group will include the teams ranked first, fifth, and 11th, while Slovakia, ranked 34th, could get a group with the teams ranked 37th, 84th and 86th. Granted, the US could also get two of those teams, but I still don't think one ranked pot and three geographically assigned pots was the best way to go. Unless you're a European team.
01 December 2009
We're a week away from the primaries for the special election to fill the US Senate seat formerly held by Teddy Kennedy. Time to sort out who you should vote for!
On the Democratic side, we start with Mike Capuano, who is currently in his sixth term as the Congressman from the historic 8th district (former Reps include JFK, Tip O'Neill, and Joseph "Joe 4 Oil" Kennedy II). He's got the most legislative experience of all the candidates, and has worked the hardest to claim the Kennedy mantle by pushing his liberal credentials. His TV ads have focused mostly on war-related issues, even though it's more of an "it's the economy, stupid" kind of time.
He has a number of union endorsements, most notably the Massachusetts Teachers Association. His individual endorsements are kind of a mixed bag, with the most notable names being former governor Mike Dukakis and current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Even with his experience and endorsements, he's stuck in second place in most polls.
The person he's trailing is Martha Coakley, the current Massachusetts attorney general. She announced her candidacy scant days after Kennedy's funeral, and while there was some undercurrent of it being too soon, the quick announcement apaprently helped her get clear of the field that was still forming. That, plus strong name recognition and favorable ratings, allowed her to build a large early lead in polling, giving her time to raise money and plan. Opponents used this time to cut into her lead, but she's still holding on to a decent cushion and forwarding a message squarely focused on financial and health care issues. It also probably helps that she's the only woman in the race; she's not playing gender politics per se, but it's an obvious difference that connects her to approximately half of the voters in a way the other candidates can't match.
She's endorsed by a variety of unions and politicians, as well as groups like MassEquality and the Massachusetts Police Association (helps to be a former prosecutor). She also has a fair number of state politicians in her corner, including the state senate president and majority leaders from both the state senate and General Court (our quaint name for the House).
Social entrepraneur Alan Khazei is one of the two non-politicians in the race. He's the founder of City Year, a well-known AmeriCorps program, and was pretty well involved in the public service bill named for Kennedy. His vision for service finds room for both the private and public sector, and he's got experience working with folks in both arenas.
What he doesn't have is name recognition, and while he's been somewhat successful in raising money, he's not really made much headway. He does have one TV ad, whose theme is cleaning up Washington. It involves him holding a diaper (I assume it's full). He also doesn't have many endorsements, but the ones he does have are bigger names - Teddy's nephew Max Kennedy, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Presidential candidate Wes Clark, and, most surprisingly, the Boston Globe. (Although perhaps not that surprisingly, as every piece I've read about him there has been effusive with praise for his thoughtful approach to political questions).
The other non-politician is Steve Pagliuca, a former manager at Bain Capital, where he worked for once and future presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Like Romney, Pagliuca is using his personal fortune to bankroll his candidacy, and he's used TV ads early and often. Their progression has at least been sensible, starting with "getting to know you" ads, moving on to spots casting his liberal political cred, and then to more specific issue ads (like Coakley, focusing on the economy and health care). He's also a minority owner of the Celtics, which he's mentioned but not harped on, to his credit.
I can't find any endorsements for him on his web site, though there is a link where individuals can sign up to endorse him.
While there's something to be said for the experience of Capuano and Coakley, I have to admit I love an underdog and think it's about time we started sending non-politicans to Washington, which is why Blogalicious endorses Alan Khazei in the Democratic primary.
For the Republicans, there are two choices. Scott Brown is one of five Republicans in the state senate, and is seen as a rising star in the state party (inasmuch as they can have one, given the low GOP numbers in elected positions). That being said, he's only the third-best known person in his family, as his wife, Gail Huff, is a local TV news reporter, and his daughter, Ayla, plays basketball for BC and was a semi-finalist on season 5 of American Idol. He's a fiscal conservative and social moderate, enough that I wouldn't call him a RINO though I'm sure there are plenty of people who would.
One of those people is his opponent, Jack E. Robinson, entrepraneur and occasional Republican candidate. He ran against Kennedy in 2000, losing pretty badly (a fair amount of the GOP vote went to the Libertarian candidate), and has since run for Secretary of the Commonwealth and the US House, losing both contests badly.
Robinson's political views are varied, as he combines fiscal conservatism with social views from across the spectrum (he's for gay marriage and thinks that public transportation should be federally funded and free to use; odd stances for someone who's called Brown a RINO in radio ads). The state party doesn't care for him, as they challenged the signatures he collected to get on the primary ballot (or at least threatened to, I can't find confirmation that they actually did).
As much as I'd enjoy the theater of Robinson winning, I'm opting for experience here as Blogalicious endorses Scott Brown for the GOP primary and eventual whipping at the hands of the Democratic winner.
On the Democratic side, we start with Mike Capuano, who is currently in his sixth term as the Congressman from the historic 8th district (former Reps include JFK, Tip O'Neill, and Joseph "Joe 4 Oil" Kennedy II). He's got the most legislative experience of all the candidates, and has worked the hardest to claim the Kennedy mantle by pushing his liberal credentials. His TV ads have focused mostly on war-related issues, even though it's more of an "it's the economy, stupid" kind of time.
He has a number of union endorsements, most notably the Massachusetts Teachers Association. His individual endorsements are kind of a mixed bag, with the most notable names being former governor Mike Dukakis and current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Even with his experience and endorsements, he's stuck in second place in most polls.
The person he's trailing is Martha Coakley, the current Massachusetts attorney general. She announced her candidacy scant days after Kennedy's funeral, and while there was some undercurrent of it being too soon, the quick announcement apaprently helped her get clear of the field that was still forming. That, plus strong name recognition and favorable ratings, allowed her to build a large early lead in polling, giving her time to raise money and plan. Opponents used this time to cut into her lead, but she's still holding on to a decent cushion and forwarding a message squarely focused on financial and health care issues. It also probably helps that she's the only woman in the race; she's not playing gender politics per se, but it's an obvious difference that connects her to approximately half of the voters in a way the other candidates can't match.
She's endorsed by a variety of unions and politicians, as well as groups like MassEquality and the Massachusetts Police Association (helps to be a former prosecutor). She also has a fair number of state politicians in her corner, including the state senate president and majority leaders from both the state senate and General Court (our quaint name for the House).
Social entrepraneur Alan Khazei is one of the two non-politicians in the race. He's the founder of City Year, a well-known AmeriCorps program, and was pretty well involved in the public service bill named for Kennedy. His vision for service finds room for both the private and public sector, and he's got experience working with folks in both arenas.
What he doesn't have is name recognition, and while he's been somewhat successful in raising money, he's not really made much headway. He does have one TV ad, whose theme is cleaning up Washington. It involves him holding a diaper (I assume it's full). He also doesn't have many endorsements, but the ones he does have are bigger names - Teddy's nephew Max Kennedy, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Presidential candidate Wes Clark, and, most surprisingly, the Boston Globe. (Although perhaps not that surprisingly, as every piece I've read about him there has been effusive with praise for his thoughtful approach to political questions).
The other non-politician is Steve Pagliuca, a former manager at Bain Capital, where he worked for once and future presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Like Romney, Pagliuca is using his personal fortune to bankroll his candidacy, and he's used TV ads early and often. Their progression has at least been sensible, starting with "getting to know you" ads, moving on to spots casting his liberal political cred, and then to more specific issue ads (like Coakley, focusing on the economy and health care). He's also a minority owner of the Celtics, which he's mentioned but not harped on, to his credit.
I can't find any endorsements for him on his web site, though there is a link where individuals can sign up to endorse him.
While there's something to be said for the experience of Capuano and Coakley, I have to admit I love an underdog and think it's about time we started sending non-politicans to Washington, which is why Blogalicious endorses Alan Khazei in the Democratic primary.
For the Republicans, there are two choices. Scott Brown is one of five Republicans in the state senate, and is seen as a rising star in the state party (inasmuch as they can have one, given the low GOP numbers in elected positions). That being said, he's only the third-best known person in his family, as his wife, Gail Huff, is a local TV news reporter, and his daughter, Ayla, plays basketball for BC and was a semi-finalist on season 5 of American Idol. He's a fiscal conservative and social moderate, enough that I wouldn't call him a RINO though I'm sure there are plenty of people who would.
One of those people is his opponent, Jack E. Robinson, entrepraneur and occasional Republican candidate. He ran against Kennedy in 2000, losing pretty badly (a fair amount of the GOP vote went to the Libertarian candidate), and has since run for Secretary of the Commonwealth and the US House, losing both contests badly.
Robinson's political views are varied, as he combines fiscal conservatism with social views from across the spectrum (he's for gay marriage and thinks that public transportation should be federally funded and free to use; odd stances for someone who's called Brown a RINO in radio ads). The state party doesn't care for him, as they challenged the signatures he collected to get on the primary ballot (or at least threatened to, I can't find confirmation that they actually did).
As much as I'd enjoy the theater of Robinson winning, I'm opting for experience here as Blogalicious endorses Scott Brown for the GOP primary and eventual whipping at the hands of the Democratic winner.
30 November 2009
Book Log 2009 #49: The Beckham Experiment by Grant Wahl
Touted as the signing that would single-handedly bring the MLS into the hearts and minds of Americans, David Beckham's deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy never lived up to its inflated promise, and Walh explores the reasons why this occurred, from Beckham's physical fitness to play to his uneasy relationship with teammates to the overly-slick handling by 19 Entertainment and Simon Fuller.
From the beginning, it's clear that Beckham's arrival in the US is about more than soccer, as his signing seems to be as contingent on his wife's ability to score TV deals as it is about the game. Further complicating things are the people that surround Beckham and the demands they put on the team, which eventually lead to a de facto takeover by 19 Entertainment and long time Beckham friend Terry Byrne. This leads to some disastrous decision making and the eventual firing of team GM Alexi Lalas, who had little to no actual control over the team.
Compounding things was Beckham's increasingly frosty relationship with teammates, specifically Landon Donovan, whose notoriously thin skin only made each perceived slight that much worse. They would patch things up after a fashion, but only in time to see Beckham sign a deal that would have him play with AC Milan during the Italian season, making him a part-time MLS player.
As interesting as the details are, the most intriguing question of the book is just how much the Beckham Experiment was controlled by Beckham himself. Did he know and direct the changes with the Galaxy, or did things happen with him staying in a state of blissful ignorance? Both options raise questions, and Wahl does a good job of exploring them and only drawing conclusions where the information allows.
A must read for soccer fans.
Touted as the signing that would single-handedly bring the MLS into the hearts and minds of Americans, David Beckham's deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy never lived up to its inflated promise, and Walh explores the reasons why this occurred, from Beckham's physical fitness to play to his uneasy relationship with teammates to the overly-slick handling by 19 Entertainment and Simon Fuller.
From the beginning, it's clear that Beckham's arrival in the US is about more than soccer, as his signing seems to be as contingent on his wife's ability to score TV deals as it is about the game. Further complicating things are the people that surround Beckham and the demands they put on the team, which eventually lead to a de facto takeover by 19 Entertainment and long time Beckham friend Terry Byrne. This leads to some disastrous decision making and the eventual firing of team GM Alexi Lalas, who had little to no actual control over the team.
Compounding things was Beckham's increasingly frosty relationship with teammates, specifically Landon Donovan, whose notoriously thin skin only made each perceived slight that much worse. They would patch things up after a fashion, but only in time to see Beckham sign a deal that would have him play with AC Milan during the Italian season, making him a part-time MLS player.
As interesting as the details are, the most intriguing question of the book is just how much the Beckham Experiment was controlled by Beckham himself. Did he know and direct the changes with the Galaxy, or did things happen with him staying in a state of blissful ignorance? Both options raise questions, and Wahl does a good job of exploring them and only drawing conclusions where the information allows.
A must read for soccer fans.
Book Log 2009 #48: A Spectacle of Corruption by David Liss
Benjamin Weaver, the boxer turned investigator who debuted in A Conspiracy of Paper, returns in this book to explain his involvement in the murder of a laborer, which is actually a small part of a larger struggle between the Whigs and Tories on the eve of the first Parliamentary election of King George's reign. Throw in an appearance by the Jacobites - who want to overthrow George and put James III in - and you have an engrossing tale of 18th century politics, business and social life.
Weaver's attempts to clear his name and find the actual killer only get him in deeper with parties on all three sides of the larger plot - and put him at danger of being killed himself by any one of the three. The difficulties that Weaver faces in untangling things is clearly felt, and it drew me in more deeply than the average historical mystery.
A worthy successor to a great first novel.
Benjamin Weaver, the boxer turned investigator who debuted in A Conspiracy of Paper, returns in this book to explain his involvement in the murder of a laborer, which is actually a small part of a larger struggle between the Whigs and Tories on the eve of the first Parliamentary election of King George's reign. Throw in an appearance by the Jacobites - who want to overthrow George and put James III in - and you have an engrossing tale of 18th century politics, business and social life.
Weaver's attempts to clear his name and find the actual killer only get him in deeper with parties on all three sides of the larger plot - and put him at danger of being killed himself by any one of the three. The difficulties that Weaver faces in untangling things is clearly felt, and it drew me in more deeply than the average historical mystery.
A worthy successor to a great first novel.
Book Log 2009 #47: The Arms Maker of Berlin by Dan Fesperman
A scholar on Nazi Germany with an interest in the short-lived White Rose resistance movement has to find files about the group for which a colleague died (possibly murdered) that shed light on the White Rose resistance movement and its potential ties to an elderly German industrialist. Along the way, the scholar teams up with a woman whose single-minded determination to find the same information leads to questions about her past and how well she can be trusted.
The book is split between the modern day search and World War II-era Germany, the latter following the industrialist during his younger - and apparently more radical - days. The two come together at the end of the book and its shocking conclusion, though I found some of the conclusions fairly easy to guess as things went along.
It's a different twist to World War II espionage stories, especially with the involvement of the White Rose, whose fight against Hitler isn't well known in the US. I also appreciated the way that the drudgery of academic research is portrayed, given how easily documents seem to turn up in similar works. Worth a look.
A scholar on Nazi Germany with an interest in the short-lived White Rose resistance movement has to find files about the group for which a colleague died (possibly murdered) that shed light on the White Rose resistance movement and its potential ties to an elderly German industrialist. Along the way, the scholar teams up with a woman whose single-minded determination to find the same information leads to questions about her past and how well she can be trusted.
The book is split between the modern day search and World War II-era Germany, the latter following the industrialist during his younger - and apparently more radical - days. The two come together at the end of the book and its shocking conclusion, though I found some of the conclusions fairly easy to guess as things went along.
It's a different twist to World War II espionage stories, especially with the involvement of the White Rose, whose fight against Hitler isn't well known in the US. I also appreciated the way that the drudgery of academic research is portrayed, given how easily documents seem to turn up in similar works. Worth a look.
Book Log 2009 #46: K Blows Top by Peter Carlson
Highlighting one of the more bizarre moments of US-Soviet relations, K Blows Top recounts the 1959 visit to the US by Nikita Khrushchev. The trip, the result of a mistaken negotiating ploy , was as much farce as diplomacy, with nearly each day punctuated by an emotional outburst by the Soviet premier. It made for great theater (and newspaper copy) then, and it makes for entertaining reading now.
The only drawback to the book, and it's somewhat minimal, is the suggestion from the cover and jacket that the story of the trip intertwines with several of the biggest names of the day. There are appearances by the likes of Sinatra and Monroe, but the most notable brush with celebrity came from Shirley MacLaine, who met Khrushchev when he stopped in to see some of Can-Can being filmed. It's not a real problem, but I do think the blurbs over promise.
Certainly worthwhile for people interested in the 1950s or US-Soviet relations, with the expectation that it's on the lighter side.
Highlighting one of the more bizarre moments of US-Soviet relations, K Blows Top recounts the 1959 visit to the US by Nikita Khrushchev. The trip, the result of a mistaken negotiating ploy , was as much farce as diplomacy, with nearly each day punctuated by an emotional outburst by the Soviet premier. It made for great theater (and newspaper copy) then, and it makes for entertaining reading now.
The only drawback to the book, and it's somewhat minimal, is the suggestion from the cover and jacket that the story of the trip intertwines with several of the biggest names of the day. There are appearances by the likes of Sinatra and Monroe, but the most notable brush with celebrity came from Shirley MacLaine, who met Khrushchev when he stopped in to see some of Can-Can being filmed. It's not a real problem, but I do think the blurbs over promise.
Certainly worthwhile for people interested in the 1950s or US-Soviet relations, with the expectation that it's on the lighter side.
29 October 2009
Book Log 2009 #45: Jericho's Fall by Stephen Carter
I've loved Carter's previous novels, thrillers featuring upper class African-Americans at the highest levels of the academic and legal communities. This book is a radical departure from that universe, perhaps too radical.
Jericho Ainsley is former CIA director (and former Secretary of Defense and former National Security Advisor) who is slowly dying of cancer in his home in the Colorado Rockies. Beck DeForde, the woman he threw his career away to be with when she was a student of his at Princeton, is summoned to the house in his final days. She's not sure why, though it slowly becomes clear that he wants to confide in her, and that there are a variety of people out there who want to know what, from American and foreign intelligence agencies to corporate titans to Ainsley's own daughters.
Carter set out to write a page-turner, and he does manage to ratchet up the tension admirably, creating a sort of seige mentality by playing off the remote location with a constant barrage of surveiland and suspicion. But I don't think the story every quite gets to where it wants to go, and while we get a somewhat clear picture of what secret Ainsley is looking to spill, the ending leaves a lot unanswered, which is kind of unsatisfying in a book of this style.
It's still written well - Carter hasn't lost anything there - but I don't know if he's best suited for writing thrillers. An interview with him on Amazon.com suggests that he enjoyed writing it and would write more if reaction to this one was good. I'd probably have another book set in the same universe as The Emperor Of Ocean Park, but I'd take another thriller, as I imagine that Carter would do better the second time around.
I've loved Carter's previous novels, thrillers featuring upper class African-Americans at the highest levels of the academic and legal communities. This book is a radical departure from that universe, perhaps too radical.
Jericho Ainsley is former CIA director (and former Secretary of Defense and former National Security Advisor) who is slowly dying of cancer in his home in the Colorado Rockies. Beck DeForde, the woman he threw his career away to be with when she was a student of his at Princeton, is summoned to the house in his final days. She's not sure why, though it slowly becomes clear that he wants to confide in her, and that there are a variety of people out there who want to know what, from American and foreign intelligence agencies to corporate titans to Ainsley's own daughters.
Carter set out to write a page-turner, and he does manage to ratchet up the tension admirably, creating a sort of seige mentality by playing off the remote location with a constant barrage of surveiland and suspicion. But I don't think the story every quite gets to where it wants to go, and while we get a somewhat clear picture of what secret Ainsley is looking to spill, the ending leaves a lot unanswered, which is kind of unsatisfying in a book of this style.
It's still written well - Carter hasn't lost anything there - but I don't know if he's best suited for writing thrillers. An interview with him on Amazon.com suggests that he enjoyed writing it and would write more if reaction to this one was good. I'd probably have another book set in the same universe as The Emperor Of Ocean Park, but I'd take another thriller, as I imagine that Carter would do better the second time around.
Book Log 2009 #44: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
I never quite expected a Harry Potter book to have a body count rivaling 24, but I suppose I should have expected it with this final showdown between good and evil. I'm not necessarily complaining, mind you, but I'll admit to being taken back a bit.
That sorted itself out a bit over the long middle of the book, where it seems like Harry, Hermione and Ron spend several hundred pages camping. It's a lot of down time for a book that begins and ends with a fair amount of action, but it does help to fit in some of the exposition that gets us to find out just what the Deathly Hallows are and how they might relate to finally defeating Voldemort.
All in all it's a fitting end to the series, but I will admit to being a little disappointed in the epilogue, which gives us a very small peek into the adult lives of the main characters. There's not that much information about their lives, and it's wholly silent on the bulk of the supporting characters. I wanted to know more, and was left wanting.
I never quite expected a Harry Potter book to have a body count rivaling 24, but I suppose I should have expected it with this final showdown between good and evil. I'm not necessarily complaining, mind you, but I'll admit to being taken back a bit.
That sorted itself out a bit over the long middle of the book, where it seems like Harry, Hermione and Ron spend several hundred pages camping. It's a lot of down time for a book that begins and ends with a fair amount of action, but it does help to fit in some of the exposition that gets us to find out just what the Deathly Hallows are and how they might relate to finally defeating Voldemort.
All in all it's a fitting end to the series, but I will admit to being a little disappointed in the epilogue, which gives us a very small peek into the adult lives of the main characters. There's not that much information about their lives, and it's wholly silent on the bulk of the supporting characters. I wanted to know more, and was left wanting.
Book Log 2009 #43: The Ignorance of Blood by Robert Wilson
All of the threads of the Javier Falcon books come together here in one engrossing package. Still trying to bring the bombers from a previous book to justice, the case intersects with a Russian mobster who died in a car accident, Islamic terrorist operating out of Morocco, and a CIA agent who can't be fully trusted. As he inches towards the truth, Falcon is put under significant professional and personal pressures, as the case takes a turn straight out of his childhood.
This is the last book in the series, and sadly so. There's rarely a dull moment over the four books, and it's rare to find a main character of such depth in a crime novel. The setting adds even more body, with Seville almost becoming a character in itself (perhaps less so in this book, but certainly in the series).
So as sad as I am that this series is over, I at least have the last two books in the Bruce Medway series to read while waiting for whatever comes next.
All of the threads of the Javier Falcon books come together here in one engrossing package. Still trying to bring the bombers from a previous book to justice, the case intersects with a Russian mobster who died in a car accident, Islamic terrorist operating out of Morocco, and a CIA agent who can't be fully trusted. As he inches towards the truth, Falcon is put under significant professional and personal pressures, as the case takes a turn straight out of his childhood.
This is the last book in the series, and sadly so. There's rarely a dull moment over the four books, and it's rare to find a main character of such depth in a crime novel. The setting adds even more body, with Seville almost becoming a character in itself (perhaps less so in this book, but certainly in the series).
So as sad as I am that this series is over, I at least have the last two books in the Bruce Medway series to read while waiting for whatever comes next.
17 October 2009
Book Log 2009 #42: The Man With the Iron Heart by Harry Turtledove
In 1942, SS officer Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated in occupied Czecheslovakia. This book theorizes what would have happened if Heydrich survived the attack and took leadership of the Werwolf insurgency plan that, in real life, did little to hamper the Allies at the end and after the war.
Not surprisingly, the insurgency in the book bears a strong resemblance to that seen during the US occupation of Iraq. I tend to think it's a little too strong. I don't doubt that proper planning and leadership would have allowed the Nazis to put forth a credible terror threat, but it does seem like Heydrich is operating more along al Qaeda's playbook than anything he'd have learned in the German military.
I also wasn't crazy about the domestic subplot, though I have a hard time putting a finger on why at this point.
It's worth a read, but I was a little disappointed.
In 1942, SS officer Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated in occupied Czecheslovakia. This book theorizes what would have happened if Heydrich survived the attack and took leadership of the Werwolf insurgency plan that, in real life, did little to hamper the Allies at the end and after the war.
Not surprisingly, the insurgency in the book bears a strong resemblance to that seen during the US occupation of Iraq. I tend to think it's a little too strong. I don't doubt that proper planning and leadership would have allowed the Nazis to put forth a credible terror threat, but it does seem like Heydrich is operating more along al Qaeda's playbook than anything he'd have learned in the German military.
I also wasn't crazy about the domestic subplot, though I have a hard time putting a finger on why at this point.
It's worth a read, but I was a little disappointed.
Book Log 2009 #41: Holy Hullabaloos by Jay Wexler
Part travelogue, part hornbook on religion and the First Amendment, this may be the funniest book you could use to prepare for a Constitution Law final. In it, Jay visits places that were the settings for important church-state legal cases, and often gets a chance to speak with some of the litigants. Jay explains the law in a way that's easy to understand, though I think that conservatives and evangelicals will not appreciate his arguments or his humor (especially in how he skewers the affrontery known as the Creation Museum).
In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I knew Jay fairly well back in high school, thanks to debate. Jay parlayed that into becoming a legal scholar and prolific writer, while I author a blog with a readership in the high single digits. That actually kind of tracks our relative debate success, now that I think of it.
Part travelogue, part hornbook on religion and the First Amendment, this may be the funniest book you could use to prepare for a Constitution Law final. In it, Jay visits places that were the settings for important church-state legal cases, and often gets a chance to speak with some of the litigants. Jay explains the law in a way that's easy to understand, though I think that conservatives and evangelicals will not appreciate his arguments or his humor (especially in how he skewers the affrontery known as the Creation Museum).
In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I knew Jay fairly well back in high school, thanks to debate. Jay parlayed that into becoming a legal scholar and prolific writer, while I author a blog with a readership in the high single digits. That actually kind of tracks our relative debate success, now that I think of it.
09 October 2009
Book Log 2009 #40: The Jewel That Was Ours by Colin Dexter
In this outing, Morse must solve a pair of murders related to an American tour group and an artifact one of the group members was bringing to donate to an Oxford museum. I can't say I cared for the way the Americans tended to be portrayed (though perhaps there's a certain personality that gets attracted to bus tours), but the mystery is pretty solid. No complaints.
In this outing, Morse must solve a pair of murders related to an American tour group and an artifact one of the group members was bringing to donate to an Oxford museum. I can't say I cared for the way the Americans tended to be portrayed (though perhaps there's a certain personality that gets attracted to bus tours), but the mystery is pretty solid. No complaints.
Book Log 2009 #39: Florence of Arabia by Christopher Buckley
You don't get a whole lot of satire related to Middle Eastern affairs or terrorism - the issues are either way too serious or seem to close to satire to begin with - but it should come as no surprise that one of the more successful examples would come from Christopher Buckley.
The basic plot: an American diplomat (the Florence of the title) is assigned to a (relatively) liberal Middle Eastern country, with the idea to open up a much more restrictive neighbor through empowering women. Aided by a CIA field operative and a typically dithering State Department bureaucrat, Florence gets more than she bargained for, and winds up running for her life before everything is over.
While not quite his best, this is better than Boomsday or Supreme Courtship. Worth a read, certainly.
You don't get a whole lot of satire related to Middle Eastern affairs or terrorism - the issues are either way too serious or seem to close to satire to begin with - but it should come as no surprise that one of the more successful examples would come from Christopher Buckley.
The basic plot: an American diplomat (the Florence of the title) is assigned to a (relatively) liberal Middle Eastern country, with the idea to open up a much more restrictive neighbor through empowering women. Aided by a CIA field operative and a typically dithering State Department bureaucrat, Florence gets more than she bargained for, and winds up running for her life before everything is over.
While not quite his best, this is better than Boomsday or Supreme Courtship. Worth a read, certainly.
08 October 2009
Book Log 2009 #38: 7 Deadly Scenarios by Andrew Krepinevich
Pakistan - and its nuclear weapons - is swept into chaos by Islamic militants. A cvberattack leaves the US military unable to communicate or coordinate. China decides its time to bring Taiwan back into the fold. These are but three of the seven scenarios presented in this book, each of which helps to lead the reader into considering potential US vulnerabilities and what can be done now to prevent future catastrophe.
I'll admit I didn't read all seven scenarios. I found myself getting just that little more depressed after each one, and had to force my way through the five I did read. Still, at set-alone chapters each scenario is well worth reading. Many of the scenarios are timely (not surprisingly), and they do help pull some of our current events into sharper focus. Certainly worth a look, just not all at once.
Pakistan - and its nuclear weapons - is swept into chaos by Islamic militants. A cvberattack leaves the US military unable to communicate or coordinate. China decides its time to bring Taiwan back into the fold. These are but three of the seven scenarios presented in this book, each of which helps to lead the reader into considering potential US vulnerabilities and what can be done now to prevent future catastrophe.
I'll admit I didn't read all seven scenarios. I found myself getting just that little more depressed after each one, and had to force my way through the five I did read. Still, at set-alone chapters each scenario is well worth reading. Many of the scenarios are timely (not surprisingly), and they do help pull some of our current events into sharper focus. Certainly worth a look, just not all at once.
Book Log 2009 #37: The Immaculate Deception by Iain Pears
This is the last of the series of art theft mysteries featuring British art dealer turned academic Jonathan Argyll and his wife, the acting chief of Rome's art theft polce squad, Flavia di Stefano, and to mark the end the book has a very different approach from the others. Government intrigue and long-hidden secrets are at the forefront, and while the tone isn't exactly dark, it's certainly cloudier than the other books in the series.
I will admit to being a little put off by this change, and I'm not sure if I'm thrilled at how it all turned out. There's one major personal revelation that comes a bit out of left field, and I can't say the sudden focus on political matters was all that welcome. It's not a bad book per se, but I was a little disappointed that the series ended on this note.
This is the last of the series of art theft mysteries featuring British art dealer turned academic Jonathan Argyll and his wife, the acting chief of Rome's art theft polce squad, Flavia di Stefano, and to mark the end the book has a very different approach from the others. Government intrigue and long-hidden secrets are at the forefront, and while the tone isn't exactly dark, it's certainly cloudier than the other books in the series.
I will admit to being a little put off by this change, and I'm not sure if I'm thrilled at how it all turned out. There's one major personal revelation that comes a bit out of left field, and I can't say the sudden focus on political matters was all that welcome. It's not a bad book per se, but I was a little disappointed that the series ended on this note.
05 October 2009
Book Log 2009 #36: The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Given my enjoyment of mystery and detective novels, it made some sense to finally get around to reading the book that is widely considered the first detective novel in English literature (or at least the first to use number of elements that became common in the genre).
The basic plot: a diamond (the Moonstone of the title) is bequeathed to a young woman on her 18th birthday, but goes missing the night after her birthday party. Suspects include various guests, a servant with a checkered past, and a troop of Indian jugglers who are suspected of being members of a religious group dedicated to returning the jewel to its sacred statue.
The book is written in epistolary form, as accounts from various people after the case is solved, which works well in that it provides welcome changes in tone and style. It's a little ponderous in comparison to modern detective fiction, and some of the now-common elements will come off as cliched, but I enjoyed the book quite a bit, more than I expected really.
Given my enjoyment of mystery and detective novels, it made some sense to finally get around to reading the book that is widely considered the first detective novel in English literature (or at least the first to use number of elements that became common in the genre).
The basic plot: a diamond (the Moonstone of the title) is bequeathed to a young woman on her 18th birthday, but goes missing the night after her birthday party. Suspects include various guests, a servant with a checkered past, and a troop of Indian jugglers who are suspected of being members of a religious group dedicated to returning the jewel to its sacred statue.
The book is written in epistolary form, as accounts from various people after the case is solved, which works well in that it provides welcome changes in tone and style. It's a little ponderous in comparison to modern detective fiction, and some of the now-common elements will come off as cliched, but I enjoyed the book quite a bit, more than I expected really.
Book Log 2009 #35: The Domino Men by Jonathan Barnes
This book is an indirect sequel to The Somnambulist, in that it takes place in the same universe and involves some of the same characters and organizations, but is not a continuation of the first book's story. It's also set about a century later, taking place in the present day.
And, really, I think both of those last two points work to the sequel's detriment. The new story - about an office drone who becomes the key person in stopping the House of Windsor from turning Britain over to a nefarious being called Leviathan - doesn't quite measure up to the mystery from the first book. And without period detail to enhance (or cover the weaker spots of) the story, I found myself less drawn in. There's also a subplot written by a "second" narrator regarding the Prince of Wales that didn't do much for me, other than tip where things were heading as I got towards the end of the book.
I suppose I was also a little disappointed that this book wasn't going to answer some of my lingering questions from the first one, especially about the first book's mysterious title character. Perhaps a third book will take care of that?
This book is an indirect sequel to The Somnambulist, in that it takes place in the same universe and involves some of the same characters and organizations, but is not a continuation of the first book's story. It's also set about a century later, taking place in the present day.
And, really, I think both of those last two points work to the sequel's detriment. The new story - about an office drone who becomes the key person in stopping the House of Windsor from turning Britain over to a nefarious being called Leviathan - doesn't quite measure up to the mystery from the first book. And without period detail to enhance (or cover the weaker spots of) the story, I found myself less drawn in. There's also a subplot written by a "second" narrator regarding the Prince of Wales that didn't do much for me, other than tip where things were heading as I got towards the end of the book.
I suppose I was also a little disappointed that this book wasn't going to answer some of my lingering questions from the first one, especially about the first book's mysterious title character. Perhaps a third book will take care of that?
02 October 2009
So three things I've been mulling as explanations for Chicago's poor showing in today's vote for the 2016 Olympics
1. Everyone else still hates us. Nothing like a sweeping generalization to kick things off, but it may be fair to say that there's still some fence-mending to be done, even with Obama's apparently popularity abroad. Which leads to...
2. Obama's slight to voters. At least one article I read suggested that some voters passed on Chicago because they felt snubbed by the short length of Obama's appearance. Honestly, if the idiots who vote for this thing won't vote for a city because the leader of the free world isn't going to spend a couple of days kowtowing to them, then we really don't need the Olympics.
3. Never underestimate the emotional appeal of the very old. As part of Madrid's presentation, former IOC president (and current lifetime honorary president) Juan Antonio Samaranch more or less said they should win because he's pretty close to dying and he'd like to see Spain named host before that happens. Throw that out to a room full of people who you've worked with for years, and it's not surprising that you get that close to winning. Which also seems like a pretty weak rationale for voting, which just further tells you what you're dealing with as far as the IOC is concerned.
Anyway, congrats to Rio. Hope you get your rat and monkey problem cleared up in time for the Games.
1. Everyone else still hates us. Nothing like a sweeping generalization to kick things off, but it may be fair to say that there's still some fence-mending to be done, even with Obama's apparently popularity abroad. Which leads to...
2. Obama's slight to voters. At least one article I read suggested that some voters passed on Chicago because they felt snubbed by the short length of Obama's appearance. Honestly, if the idiots who vote for this thing won't vote for a city because the leader of the free world isn't going to spend a couple of days kowtowing to them, then we really don't need the Olympics.
3. Never underestimate the emotional appeal of the very old. As part of Madrid's presentation, former IOC president (and current lifetime honorary president) Juan Antonio Samaranch more or less said they should win because he's pretty close to dying and he'd like to see Spain named host before that happens. Throw that out to a room full of people who you've worked with for years, and it's not surprising that you get that close to winning. Which also seems like a pretty weak rationale for voting, which just further tells you what you're dealing with as far as the IOC is concerned.
Anyway, congrats to Rio. Hope you get your rat and monkey problem cleared up in time for the Games.
23 September 2009
Book Log 2009 #34: Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell
This one-off about the famed battle of the Hundred Years' War follows the same structure as most of the Cornwell books I've read, what with its troubled young protagonist taking up arms as a way to escape enemies and seek revenge, meeting powerful figures and an almost equally troubled woman along the way.
But like those other Cornwell books, the story is told in an entertaining enough way to help keep the repetitive aspects from bothering me too much. I don't think it's a book that needs to be sought out, but if you like Cornwell or historical fiction and are looking for something to read, you'd do worse.
This one-off about the famed battle of the Hundred Years' War follows the same structure as most of the Cornwell books I've read, what with its troubled young protagonist taking up arms as a way to escape enemies and seek revenge, meeting powerful figures and an almost equally troubled woman along the way.
But like those other Cornwell books, the story is told in an entertaining enough way to help keep the repetitive aspects from bothering me too much. I don't think it's a book that needs to be sought out, but if you like Cornwell or historical fiction and are looking for something to read, you'd do worse.
Book Log 2009 #33: Death and Restoration by Iain Pears
Another in the Jonathan Argyll-Flavia di Stefano series, this time centered around a rumored theft in a monastery whose only painting of value is of disputed origin and currently undergoing the ministrations of a controversial restorer.
A solid mystery as always, with an added dash of subplot related to the art theft squad and Flavia's boss that will set up some stuff in the next - and final - book in the series.
Another in the Jonathan Argyll-Flavia di Stefano series, this time centered around a rumored theft in a monastery whose only painting of value is of disputed origin and currently undergoing the ministrations of a controversial restorer.
A solid mystery as always, with an added dash of subplot related to the art theft squad and Flavia's boss that will set up some stuff in the next - and final - book in the series.
If you've checked in over at the Bruce's blog, then you know that this will be among the last posts here at the attemptedchemistry.com location. As with most moves, there's a sense of nostalgia with an underlying understanding that it's for the best.
In any case, I'll be moving this to a Blogspot location at some point. I should also start cross-posting things to Facebook, I suppose. I'm not as social network/Web 2.0/buzzword of choice savvy as I should be, so it's not like this will turn into a random assortment of links and tweets any time soon. Though that may be more entertaining.
In any case, I'll be moving this to a Blogspot location at some point. I should also start cross-posting things to Facebook, I suppose. I'm not as social network/Web 2.0/buzzword of choice savvy as I should be, so it's not like this will turn into a random assortment of links and tweets any time soon. Though that may be more entertaining.
01 September 2009
Book Log 2009 #32: World War Z by Max Brooks
I'm not much of a zombie fan, unlike some people. I have nothing against zombie movies and the like, more that I'm not much of a horror genre person generally. But Greg suggested this book as it does venture into the alt-history genre, sort of, so I gave it a go.
And I have to say that I may have misjudged my affinity for the walking dead. I really enjoyed the story, and using an oral history framework made the thing seem a little less bizarre for me. I suppose there's some sort of parable in here as well about how to win a war against a foe that's non-state, but really, it's the sort of book you do read for the zombies.
I'm not much of a zombie fan, unlike some people. I have nothing against zombie movies and the like, more that I'm not much of a horror genre person generally. But Greg suggested this book as it does venture into the alt-history genre, sort of, so I gave it a go.
And I have to say that I may have misjudged my affinity for the walking dead. I really enjoyed the story, and using an oral history framework made the thing seem a little less bizarre for me. I suppose there's some sort of parable in here as well about how to win a war against a foe that's non-state, but really, it's the sort of book you do read for the zombies.
Book Log 2009 #31: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
Honestly, I don't have much to say here. Liked it, and appreciated the shift to a darker tone, and was a little surprised about the real lack of typical Hogwarts stuff (Quidditch and the like) until I thought about the fan base. The kids who started with the first book are, I think, old enough to want to move beyond the walls and get more involved in the impending war against Voldemort.
I still don't think the romantic parts work particularly well, at least where Harry's concerned. Still seems too rushed, but that could be my comparing him to the slow build with Ron and Hermione.
Typically I've read the books just before the movies, but I don't think I'll be able to do so with the last one. I nearly took the last book out of the library the day after finishing this one, which certainly instills a desire to see how it all turns out. Which, I imagine, is just what you want from the next to last book in a series.
Honestly, I don't have much to say here. Liked it, and appreciated the shift to a darker tone, and was a little surprised about the real lack of typical Hogwarts stuff (Quidditch and the like) until I thought about the fan base. The kids who started with the first book are, I think, old enough to want to move beyond the walls and get more involved in the impending war against Voldemort.
I still don't think the romantic parts work particularly well, at least where Harry's concerned. Still seems too rushed, but that could be my comparing him to the slow build with Ron and Hermione.
Typically I've read the books just before the movies, but I don't think I'll be able to do so with the last one. I nearly took the last book out of the library the day after finishing this one, which certainly instills a desire to see how it all turns out. Which, I imagine, is just what you want from the next to last book in a series.
21 August 2009
Book Log 2009 #30: Enclave by Kit Reed
A former Marine officer, spinning a story of imminent world collapse to the wealthy, opens a school in an isolated and abandoned monastery, and takes in 100 students whose parents are as anxious to be rid of them as they are hoping to save them from the anarchy to come.
Ironically, that anarchy comes to the school when two viruses - one computer, one biological - threaten the survival of both the school and its inhabitants. The officer falls back on SOP (standard operating procedure) to work through the crisis, but when the Lord of the Flies instinct kicks in with both the students and the staff, SOP is SOL.
I did like the book, though I never quite bought that the guy in charge was so blind to the need to adapt to the situation at hand (he clearly never watched Heartbreak Ridge). Still, it was an entertaining diversion.
It's also worth noting that when I read the book there was only one review on Amazon for it, from the notorious Harriet Klausner. The review, and the comments it inspired, were almost as entertaining as the book itself.
A former Marine officer, spinning a story of imminent world collapse to the wealthy, opens a school in an isolated and abandoned monastery, and takes in 100 students whose parents are as anxious to be rid of them as they are hoping to save them from the anarchy to come.
Ironically, that anarchy comes to the school when two viruses - one computer, one biological - threaten the survival of both the school and its inhabitants. The officer falls back on SOP (standard operating procedure) to work through the crisis, but when the Lord of the Flies instinct kicks in with both the students and the staff, SOP is SOL.
I did like the book, though I never quite bought that the guy in charge was so blind to the need to adapt to the situation at hand (he clearly never watched Heartbreak Ridge). Still, it was an entertaining diversion.
It's also worth noting that when I read the book there was only one review on Amazon for it, from the notorious Harriet Klausner. The review, and the comments it inspired, were almost as entertaining as the book itself.
Book Log 2009 #29: Capturing Eichmann by Neil Bascomb
I knew a little about the Eichmann case before picking up this book, but quickly found myself drawn into its presentation of things. I was especially interested in how Israel, a young country still fighting for existence, mounted this operation in a country where it had few official connections.
The book reads well, and it quite recommended. I'll also recommend The Perfect Mile, the story of the race to break the four minute mile. I thought I'd read it after I started doing the Book Log, but apparently not.
I knew a little about the Eichmann case before picking up this book, but quickly found myself drawn into its presentation of things. I was especially interested in how Israel, a young country still fighting for existence, mounted this operation in a country where it had few official connections.
The book reads well, and it quite recommended. I'll also recommend The Perfect Mile, the story of the race to break the four minute mile. I thought I'd read it after I started doing the Book Log, but apparently not.
17 August 2009
One clear oversight in talking about turning 40 is that I didn't mention the surprise party the wife threw. Well, it was more of a 75 percent surprise party, as the night before the event the wife got on the phone with my sister, and the first couple of minutes of the conversation (from my end) went something like this:
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"No."
etc.
It might surprise you that this is not how they normally converse. So I did have some idea that something was going to happen, but didn't realize the scope of things. At least until I got to Salem Beer Works and spent the afternoon with a variety of family, friends and co-workers. I'm assuming a good time was had by all, given the easy access to beer and a birthday cake shaped like beer.
So a belated thanks to the wife for making 40 that much less scary.
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"No."
etc.
It might surprise you that this is not how they normally converse. So I did have some idea that something was going to happen, but didn't realize the scope of things. At least until I got to Salem Beer Works and spent the afternoon with a variety of family, friends and co-workers. I'm assuming a good time was had by all, given the easy access to beer and a birthday cake shaped like beer.
So a belated thanks to the wife for making 40 that much less scary.
12 August 2009
So, 40.
It's been a few days, and I can't say that I've had any life-changing revelations, or had the urge to go out and buy a sports car. I have talked to a few people who got to 40 before me, and the consensus is that the transition to 30 was more of a big deal, apparently as it's the age where people really start thinking that they're adults.
I can't say my 30th birthday was a big deal, either. The only thing I remember doing on my 30th was seeing Eyes Wide Shut. By that measure, 40 beats 30 hands down.
Additionally, I think that adding a kid to the mix has a way of refocusing things. Granted, I'll probably wind up being one of the oldest parents among the boy's class/team/playmates, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Not that the age thing matters greatly, as 40 is the new 30. Or the new 20. Or perhaps the new 25? 40 should not be the new 15. And it just may be the new 60. Actually, that last one may explain how CBS improved its ratings. Heck, I'll just be happy to make 41.
It's been a few days, and I can't say that I've had any life-changing revelations, or had the urge to go out and buy a sports car. I have talked to a few people who got to 40 before me, and the consensus is that the transition to 30 was more of a big deal, apparently as it's the age where people really start thinking that they're adults.
I can't say my 30th birthday was a big deal, either. The only thing I remember doing on my 30th was seeing Eyes Wide Shut. By that measure, 40 beats 30 hands down.
Additionally, I think that adding a kid to the mix has a way of refocusing things. Granted, I'll probably wind up being one of the oldest parents among the boy's class/team/playmates, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Not that the age thing matters greatly, as 40 is the new 30. Or the new 20. Or perhaps the new 25? 40 should not be the new 15. And it just may be the new 60. Actually, that last one may explain how CBS improved its ratings. Heck, I'll just be happy to make 41.
05 August 2009
This week marks a bit of a milestone for us, as the boy started at day care on Monday. For all of the concern about how he'd react to being in unfamiliar territory with people he doesn't know - most of them other, somewhat larger, kids - he did fine. No crying, no fussing, slept and ate fine. We should have expected that, as he's never put up a fuss when interacting with any of our family and friends, and will pretty much take a bottle from whoever is holding it.
Us parents, though, didn't do as well. The wife actually did very well in the morning, keeping the drop off quick so the emotions wouldn't build up. It helped that many of her co-workers are moms themselves, and those that aren't are certainly sympathetic.
Come the afternoon, though, plans fell awry. After dropping off the boy, the wife takes a bus from the Wonderland stop to her office, and does the trip in reverse after work. Going in, the bus went by the stop a few minutes early, so the wife had to wait for the next one. Not that big a deal, she got to work less early that she would have otherwise.
The problem came when the bus didn't show in the afternoon. This is apparently very rare, and the wife's fellow riders gave the driver an earful when the next bus came along. But by this time, it was clear that the wife was going to be late. So she called me.
I, as luck would have it, was at North Station having just missed a train. I'd have made it except the other train sharing the platform started boarding, and I couldn't fight through the swarm of passengers to get to my train. In any event, it gave me a chance to take her panicked call and plan on taking the Blue Line out to Wonderland, with the first one of us to get there to pick up the boy and then drive to the station to get the other person.
Turns out I was the first one there, so I hoofed over and got the boy. He was sleeping in his car seat ready to go, thankfully only 15 minutes later than planned (the day care provider was very understanding, I suppose she's used to this sort of thing at the start). The only snag after that was the parking ticket we got - the parking in that neighborhood is apparently resident only (which, given its proximity to Wonderland, makes sense in retrospect).
It probably shouldn't be a surprise that the transition to day care is harder on us than it is on the boy, but there it is. I'm just happy we don't have to go through this every day.
Us parents, though, didn't do as well. The wife actually did very well in the morning, keeping the drop off quick so the emotions wouldn't build up. It helped that many of her co-workers are moms themselves, and those that aren't are certainly sympathetic.
Come the afternoon, though, plans fell awry. After dropping off the boy, the wife takes a bus from the Wonderland stop to her office, and does the trip in reverse after work. Going in, the bus went by the stop a few minutes early, so the wife had to wait for the next one. Not that big a deal, she got to work less early that she would have otherwise.
The problem came when the bus didn't show in the afternoon. This is apparently very rare, and the wife's fellow riders gave the driver an earful when the next bus came along. But by this time, it was clear that the wife was going to be late. So she called me.
I, as luck would have it, was at North Station having just missed a train. I'd have made it except the other train sharing the platform started boarding, and I couldn't fight through the swarm of passengers to get to my train. In any event, it gave me a chance to take her panicked call and plan on taking the Blue Line out to Wonderland, with the first one of us to get there to pick up the boy and then drive to the station to get the other person.
Turns out I was the first one there, so I hoofed over and got the boy. He was sleeping in his car seat ready to go, thankfully only 15 minutes later than planned (the day care provider was very understanding, I suppose she's used to this sort of thing at the start). The only snag after that was the parking ticket we got - the parking in that neighborhood is apparently resident only (which, given its proximity to Wonderland, makes sense in retrospect).
It probably shouldn't be a surprise that the transition to day care is harder on us than it is on the boy, but there it is. I'm just happy we don't have to go through this every day.
04 August 2009
I find it hard to belive that the Arena Football League is going out of business, but it looks like that's the case. The league finally seemed to turn the corner in the last couple of years, what with the NBC deal and relative stability in franchise locations.
While I can't say that I know anything about the underlying financial causes of the collapse (other than blaming "the economy"), I tend to think the league was a victim of its own success (so to speak). I know I found myself less interested as the league became more mainstream, and once the Elway Rule brought in free substitution, the league lost the ironman image that was such a key part of its identity. What you had, then, was NFL Lite, and who wants to watch that?
Perhaps the more amusing aspect of this is that af2, the AFL's minor league, never shut down and appears to be going one place its parent league isn't - 2010. While I assume this has somethign to do with the relatively lower cost of running the league, it should also be noted that there's no Elway Rule in af2. Coincidence?
While I can't say that I know anything about the underlying financial causes of the collapse (other than blaming "the economy"), I tend to think the league was a victim of its own success (so to speak). I know I found myself less interested as the league became more mainstream, and once the Elway Rule brought in free substitution, the league lost the ironman image that was such a key part of its identity. What you had, then, was NFL Lite, and who wants to watch that?
Perhaps the more amusing aspect of this is that af2, the AFL's minor league, never shut down and appears to be going one place its parent league isn't - 2010. While I assume this has somethign to do with the relatively lower cost of running the league, it should also be noted that there's no Elway Rule in af2. Coincidence?
27 July 2009
Book Log 2009 #28: Flashforward by Robert Sawyer
Two scientists at CERN are trying to find the Higgs boson, and when they run an experiment designed to do that it instead plunges everyone in the planet into a two minute vision of their futures. While this leads to world-wide catastrophe in the immediate moment (from people having their vision while driving, flying a plane, etc.), in the longer term it leads to questions about why this happened, and if the visions of the future can be changed.
It's an interesting premise, and it plays out among the characters at CERN in various ways, though not always smoothly. There's also a subplot involving a very old man in Toronto that winds up impacting the end of the book in an unexpected way. One that I didn't quite care for, to be honest.
I'd not have sought the book out except that it's the basis for one of ABC's new show next season. Promos aired during Lost even before the new show was officially picked up, which is unusual. And as the concept tied in with the way Lost has played with time, I'm likely to watch the new show as well. I just hope it's done better than the book. The link for the book above is to another review, which I usually don't do but it better addressed some of the specific problems than I could this far past reading it.
Two scientists at CERN are trying to find the Higgs boson, and when they run an experiment designed to do that it instead plunges everyone in the planet into a two minute vision of their futures. While this leads to world-wide catastrophe in the immediate moment (from people having their vision while driving, flying a plane, etc.), in the longer term it leads to questions about why this happened, and if the visions of the future can be changed.
It's an interesting premise, and it plays out among the characters at CERN in various ways, though not always smoothly. There's also a subplot involving a very old man in Toronto that winds up impacting the end of the book in an unexpected way. One that I didn't quite care for, to be honest.
I'd not have sought the book out except that it's the basis for one of ABC's new show next season. Promos aired during Lost even before the new show was officially picked up, which is unusual. And as the concept tied in with the way Lost has played with time, I'm likely to watch the new show as well. I just hope it's done better than the book. The link for the book above is to another review, which I usually don't do but it better addressed some of the specific problems than I could this far past reading it.
25 July 2009
Book Log 2009 #27: The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss
Liss crosses the pond for this novel, set during the early years of American independence. The story moves between a disgraced ex-spy surviving on the margins in Philadelphia as a sort of detective and a brilliant widow whose frontier experiences have brought her back to that city to seek both revenge and fortune.
It's another well-written historical/financial thriller for Liss, who's found a pretty original niche for himself. He's also staked out some territory by including Jewish characters in his book, providing insight into the lives of Jews at the various times and places he'd written about. In this case, though, the Jewish character is more of a supporting player, so we don't get much of a picture of what life was like for Jews in early America, which is an unfortunate change from the earlier books. Still, worth a read.
Liss crosses the pond for this novel, set during the early years of American independence. The story moves between a disgraced ex-spy surviving on the margins in Philadelphia as a sort of detective and a brilliant widow whose frontier experiences have brought her back to that city to seek both revenge and fortune.
It's another well-written historical/financial thriller for Liss, who's found a pretty original niche for himself. He's also staked out some territory by including Jewish characters in his book, providing insight into the lives of Jews at the various times and places he'd written about. In this case, though, the Jewish character is more of a supporting player, so we don't get much of a picture of what life was like for Jews in early America, which is an unfortunate change from the earlier books. Still, worth a read.
17 July 2009
There are things we take for granted that are simple yet serve and important function. Witness the aglet, the plastic or metal cap at the ends of a shoelace. It has no intrinsic value, but if you ever lose one, it makes it next to impossible to relace the shoe. On the other end of things, we have things that are, in some fashion, so complex that it's easier not to think of them, like the electrical grid or gravity.
In between these points, we have the human back. Muscle, bone, nerves and connective tissue, all critically important to a variety of processes. Walking, standing, sitting, lifting, turning, there's not much by way of human movement that doesn't, at some stage, involve the back. But, like aglets or gravity, it's something we tend to take for granted.
Usually.
I stopped taking it for granted last weekend, when my lower back decided to remind me just who was in charge. I have no idea what caused the problem (the wife thinks it was an awkward movement while separating car seat and stroller, which sounds about right), but the results were not long in coming:
Friday afternoon: Felt a twinge, took two Aleve. In past moments of back and hip discomfort, this usually takes care of things.
Friday night: Twinge is still there, maybe even a little worse. Took another Aleve, put a couple pillows behind me for support when sitting, but no other changes.
Saturday morning: Getting out of bed requires a variety of hand holds on any furniture within arm's length. I can walk - barely - with a fair amount of pain and over short distances, using the wall for support. When upright, I can feel the muscles in my lower back seize up, which is a new experience for me.
We try a heat pad to loosen things up, but it doesn't work. So it's off to spend our Saturday morning at the hospital. But when we get there, we discover that they're running some sort of disaster drill. We're stopped as we turn into the road that leads to the hospital, and asked if we're there for the drill or actual care. We reply the latter, and are given a green tag for the dashboard. This allows us to get by the next two checkpoints, but we do have to weave through a variety of first responders, volunteers and emergency vehicles to actually get to the Emergency drop-off.
Which, of course, is manned by someone who is also checking to see if people are there for the drill or for treatment. The guy asks me to stop at the door, but before he can say anything else a woman comes by and he leaves with her. I think he intended that I'd wait for him to return. I did not. He actually followed me into the ER when he was done with the woman, so if nothing else if we do have a disaster up here, we certainly have the right people to handle traffic flow, if nothing else.
Saturday morning is thr right time to go to the Beverly Hospital ER, as our entire visit was no longer than 90 minutes. It wasn't especially crowded; there was one mother with two kids who spent more time on her cell phone than minding her kids, one of whom apparently needed some sort of medication, and a woman who I know but haven't seen in some time, who chatted with the wife while I was being seen.
(The wife gets this semi-regularly, running into people she doesn't really know but who know me and know that we're married. Though in this case I don't know why the woman just didn't say hi while I was out there.)
Anyway, I get called and spend the next 20 minutes sitting in a room wearing shorts and a johnnie (I think we can all be thankful that they let me keep my shorts on). In this time, the woman with the kids winds up down the hall, and in the 20 minutes I was waiting they managed to get the nurse manager to come in and cause a panic when one of the kids yanked the emergency call switch in the room. Things quieted down after that; I assume the hospital had someone babysit the room from that point.
Once the doctor showed up, he spent about five minutes checking breathing, heart beat and leg movement before deciding it was a muscle problem and not an issue with discs or the like. I got various scrips and was sent packing.
And by that afternoon, I felt pretty good, well enough to hang out downstairs as if nothing happened. Which worked well, for a while. But it wasn't too long before things locked up again, at which point I put myself to bed... for nearly three days. This is the longest period I've ever spent laid up like that, and I don't recommend it. As bad as it was for me, I was also mad that I'd put the wife in a position where she had to do all the work with the baby and take care of me. I tried to minimize the amount of time she needed with me, but it was still hard on her, and I'm grateful - but not surprised - that she managed the situation in fine form. I think she only wanted to kill me once. Maybe twice.
But as the saying goes, time - and drugs - heal all woujnds, and by Wednesday I was able to get around enough to go to the baby's two month check up and into work. I'm still a little tender with some movements (getting into the car, for example), but I'd say I'm 85 percent and rising.
So whatever you plan on doing today, take a second to think about your back, and where you'd be if you were stuck on it for the weekend (and not in a good way).
In between these points, we have the human back. Muscle, bone, nerves and connective tissue, all critically important to a variety of processes. Walking, standing, sitting, lifting, turning, there's not much by way of human movement that doesn't, at some stage, involve the back. But, like aglets or gravity, it's something we tend to take for granted.
Usually.
I stopped taking it for granted last weekend, when my lower back decided to remind me just who was in charge. I have no idea what caused the problem (the wife thinks it was an awkward movement while separating car seat and stroller, which sounds about right), but the results were not long in coming:
Friday afternoon: Felt a twinge, took two Aleve. In past moments of back and hip discomfort, this usually takes care of things.
Friday night: Twinge is still there, maybe even a little worse. Took another Aleve, put a couple pillows behind me for support when sitting, but no other changes.
Saturday morning: Getting out of bed requires a variety of hand holds on any furniture within arm's length. I can walk - barely - with a fair amount of pain and over short distances, using the wall for support. When upright, I can feel the muscles in my lower back seize up, which is a new experience for me.
We try a heat pad to loosen things up, but it doesn't work. So it's off to spend our Saturday morning at the hospital. But when we get there, we discover that they're running some sort of disaster drill. We're stopped as we turn into the road that leads to the hospital, and asked if we're there for the drill or actual care. We reply the latter, and are given a green tag for the dashboard. This allows us to get by the next two checkpoints, but we do have to weave through a variety of first responders, volunteers and emergency vehicles to actually get to the Emergency drop-off.
Which, of course, is manned by someone who is also checking to see if people are there for the drill or for treatment. The guy asks me to stop at the door, but before he can say anything else a woman comes by and he leaves with her. I think he intended that I'd wait for him to return. I did not. He actually followed me into the ER when he was done with the woman, so if nothing else if we do have a disaster up here, we certainly have the right people to handle traffic flow, if nothing else.
Saturday morning is thr right time to go to the Beverly Hospital ER, as our entire visit was no longer than 90 minutes. It wasn't especially crowded; there was one mother with two kids who spent more time on her cell phone than minding her kids, one of whom apparently needed some sort of medication, and a woman who I know but haven't seen in some time, who chatted with the wife while I was being seen.
(The wife gets this semi-regularly, running into people she doesn't really know but who know me and know that we're married. Though in this case I don't know why the woman just didn't say hi while I was out there.)
Anyway, I get called and spend the next 20 minutes sitting in a room wearing shorts and a johnnie (I think we can all be thankful that they let me keep my shorts on). In this time, the woman with the kids winds up down the hall, and in the 20 minutes I was waiting they managed to get the nurse manager to come in and cause a panic when one of the kids yanked the emergency call switch in the room. Things quieted down after that; I assume the hospital had someone babysit the room from that point.
Once the doctor showed up, he spent about five minutes checking breathing, heart beat and leg movement before deciding it was a muscle problem and not an issue with discs or the like. I got various scrips and was sent packing.
And by that afternoon, I felt pretty good, well enough to hang out downstairs as if nothing happened. Which worked well, for a while. But it wasn't too long before things locked up again, at which point I put myself to bed... for nearly three days. This is the longest period I've ever spent laid up like that, and I don't recommend it. As bad as it was for me, I was also mad that I'd put the wife in a position where she had to do all the work with the baby and take care of me. I tried to minimize the amount of time she needed with me, but it was still hard on her, and I'm grateful - but not surprised - that she managed the situation in fine form. I think she only wanted to kill me once. Maybe twice.
But as the saying goes, time - and drugs - heal all woujnds, and by Wednesday I was able to get around enough to go to the baby's two month check up and into work. I'm still a little tender with some movements (getting into the car, for example), but I'd say I'm 85 percent and rising.
So whatever you plan on doing today, take a second to think about your back, and where you'd be if you were stuck on it for the weekend (and not in a good way).
09 July 2009
Book Log 2009 #26: The Lost Army of Cambyses byPaul Sussman
A British herpetologist and an Egyptian police detective independently investigate the killing of an archaeologist (the herpetologist's semi-estranged father), which is apparently linked to a relic he purchased as a souvenir and a major terrorist organization, who want the relic to help find the titular lost army so they can sell the antiquities at the find to finance their operations.
Generally, the book is pretty standard thriller material, another book suited for reading while traveling. The depiction of the police detective is worth noting, as he's one of the rare Muslim main characters I've run across in the last few years who is a regular guy, not all that different from a police detective in any other large city.
I don't know if that makes the book any more worth reading, but it's something.
A British herpetologist and an Egyptian police detective independently investigate the killing of an archaeologist (the herpetologist's semi-estranged father), which is apparently linked to a relic he purchased as a souvenir and a major terrorist organization, who want the relic to help find the titular lost army so they can sell the antiquities at the find to finance their operations.
Generally, the book is pretty standard thriller material, another book suited for reading while traveling. The depiction of the police detective is worth noting, as he's one of the rare Muslim main characters I've run across in the last few years who is a regular guy, not all that different from a police detective in any other large city.
I don't know if that makes the book any more worth reading, but it's something.
06 July 2009
Book Log 2009 #25: Tsar by Ted Bell
This is apparently the fifth book featuring master spy Alexander Hawke, a Brit who does all the expected spy things while saving the world. He's like James Bond, but prefers rum to martinis and rides a motorcycle rather than drive an Aston Martin. I assume he has a thing for the ladies, too, but in this book he's monogamous (making this the analogue to On Her Majesty's Secret Service, I suppose).
Anyway, it's a perfectly servicable spy thriller about a Russian inventor who wants to revive the monarchy and become the new tsar (I'm also assuming that Bell likes one word titles that are a little on the nose). It's the sort of book you'd read while commuting or on a plane or on vacation, engrossing enough to pass the time. I don't feel particularly compelled to go back and read the previous entries in the series.
Bell is a former ad exec, which may explain why the brand for pretty much every item mentioned is given in the text. That's a little off-putting.
This is apparently the fifth book featuring master spy Alexander Hawke, a Brit who does all the expected spy things while saving the world. He's like James Bond, but prefers rum to martinis and rides a motorcycle rather than drive an Aston Martin. I assume he has a thing for the ladies, too, but in this book he's monogamous (making this the analogue to On Her Majesty's Secret Service, I suppose).
Anyway, it's a perfectly servicable spy thriller about a Russian inventor who wants to revive the monarchy and become the new tsar (I'm also assuming that Bell likes one word titles that are a little on the nose). It's the sort of book you'd read while commuting or on a plane or on vacation, engrossing enough to pass the time. I don't feel particularly compelled to go back and read the previous entries in the series.
Bell is a former ad exec, which may explain why the brand for pretty much every item mentioned is given in the text. That's a little off-putting.
30 June 2009
Book Log 2009 #24: Traffic by Tom Vanderbilt
Subtitled "Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)," this book takes a look at how a variety of factors impact our driving behavior, with the emphasis on behavior, at least in the first 100 pages or so of the book. I note that page amount as I didn't get past there, as I never really engaged with the book. Don't know why exactly, and I was a bit disappointed as it is a subject that I find interesting. Maybe you'll have better luck.
Subtitled "Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)," this book takes a look at how a variety of factors impact our driving behavior, with the emphasis on behavior, at least in the first 100 pages or so of the book. I note that page amount as I didn't get past there, as I never really engaged with the book. Don't know why exactly, and I was a bit disappointed as it is a subject that I find interesting. Maybe you'll have better luck.
Book Log 2009 #23: The Chicago Way by Michael Harvey
After reading the second book featuring Chicago private eye Michael Kelly (The Fifth Floor), I went back and read this introductory novel, which didn't quite measure up to the second one but is still quite good. The jacket blurbs try a little too hard to put this into classic noir territory, which could disappoint as it's really not up to the Hammett/Chandler standard. Still, it's about as noir as you can get in 2009, and it's got the requisite inside dealing and grit.
The story itself involves a cold case (not surprising, given Harvey's connection to Cold Case Files) that Kelly's old partner wants to revive, even though he was officially ordered to forget it. This leads to more bloodshed, and the involvement of the Chicago police, judiciary and media to link up the old crime with the new ones.
As expected, you should read the two books in sequence, as there are aspects of this book that are spolied by reading them out of turn. Both would be fine reads for your summer vacation.
After reading the second book featuring Chicago private eye Michael Kelly (The Fifth Floor), I went back and read this introductory novel, which didn't quite measure up to the second one but is still quite good. The jacket blurbs try a little too hard to put this into classic noir territory, which could disappoint as it's really not up to the Hammett/Chandler standard. Still, it's about as noir as you can get in 2009, and it's got the requisite inside dealing and grit.
The story itself involves a cold case (not surprising, given Harvey's connection to Cold Case Files) that Kelly's old partner wants to revive, even though he was officially ordered to forget it. This leads to more bloodshed, and the involvement of the Chicago police, judiciary and media to link up the old crime with the new ones.
As expected, you should read the two books in sequence, as there are aspects of this book that are spolied by reading them out of turn. Both would be fine reads for your summer vacation.
28 June 2009
It's back to work tomorrow after six weeks off to transition into being a family of three, and I'll admit to feeling a little anxious. Less so about the baby, who I'll miss but know will be in good hands with mom (mother? mommy? not sure how I'll make the reference here). More so about going back to a job after six weeks away without knowing what's been done to change things. I do expect there will be changes - my boss isn't one to let things stand pat, which is overall a good thing - but won't feel completely comfortable until I learn about them.
You would also think after that much time at home with a new baby that I'd have stories to share (but just haven't gotten to, given the lack of posting about the baby). But I don't, as something like 98 percent of a newborn's time is spent doing three things: eating, sleeping, or filling diapers (and not necessarily each in turn; multitasking is apparently an inborne trait).
Which isn't to say that there's nothing remarkable. Getting to see the little bundle grow and develop, even in these early stages, is something I'd not trade for anything. Well, I'd trade the periods of screaming we seem to be into now, but not the times where I get an actual smile and a little "goo"-like noise. I'd not trade watching him sleep, or his grabbing at my finger, or watching him flip himself on to his back (though that seems to be done more to get off of his tummy, which he's not fond of yet). Or any of a million little things that make up the other two percent of what he does, things that in and of themselves aren't notable in the abstract, but are vital when they're done by one small human.
So I really have to go back to work tomorrow?
You would also think after that much time at home with a new baby that I'd have stories to share (but just haven't gotten to, given the lack of posting about the baby). But I don't, as something like 98 percent of a newborn's time is spent doing three things: eating, sleeping, or filling diapers (and not necessarily each in turn; multitasking is apparently an inborne trait).
Which isn't to say that there's nothing remarkable. Getting to see the little bundle grow and develop, even in these early stages, is something I'd not trade for anything. Well, I'd trade the periods of screaming we seem to be into now, but not the times where I get an actual smile and a little "goo"-like noise. I'd not trade watching him sleep, or his grabbing at my finger, or watching him flip himself on to his back (though that seems to be done more to get off of his tummy, which he's not fond of yet). Or any of a million little things that make up the other two percent of what he does, things that in and of themselves aren't notable in the abstract, but are vital when they're done by one small human.
So I really have to go back to work tomorrow?
21 June 2009
Book Log 2009 #22: Autophobia by Brian Ladd
While Americans are often said to have a love affair with the car, Ladd attempts to demonstrate in this book that it's actually more of a love-hate affair, seen today in our outcries against high gas prices, gridlock and the environmental cost of driving. Ladd also notes that this sort of relationship has actually existed since the dawn of the automotive age, with its concerns over the reckless speed and the safety of drivers, passengers and pedestrians.
The subject matter sounds interesting and is undeniably timely, but as presented here it was hard for me to really draw any conclusions. I found the first chapter had a number of interesting points, but was perhaps not organized in a way to best get me thinking about the subject in a larger perspective. By the end of the first chapter I had enough doubt about how the book was going to pan out that I didn't bother moving on to the second.
I'd not suggest this book, unless you're really interested in a social perspective on automobiles.
While Americans are often said to have a love affair with the car, Ladd attempts to demonstrate in this book that it's actually more of a love-hate affair, seen today in our outcries against high gas prices, gridlock and the environmental cost of driving. Ladd also notes that this sort of relationship has actually existed since the dawn of the automotive age, with its concerns over the reckless speed and the safety of drivers, passengers and pedestrians.
The subject matter sounds interesting and is undeniably timely, but as presented here it was hard for me to really draw any conclusions. I found the first chapter had a number of interesting points, but was perhaps not organized in a way to best get me thinking about the subject in a larger perspective. By the end of the first chapter I had enough doubt about how the book was going to pan out that I didn't bother moving on to the second.
I'd not suggest this book, unless you're really interested in a social perspective on automobiles.
Book Log 2009 #21: Hitler's Peace by Philip Kerr
Set in 1943 and with the outcome of World War II clear despite the continued fighting, the major actors are trying to best sort out how to broker peace. For the Allies, the upcoming Tehran conference will try to settle the question of allowing a negotiated peace, which FDR and Stalin would consider, or an unconditional surrender, which is the only thing that Churchill will take. On the German side, both Hitler and Himmler are seeking peace separately, adding internal intrigue to the mix.
Into this setting comes Willard Mayer, a Harvard-educated OSS officer whose past links with both the Germans and the Soviets aren't widely known, but give him some insight into both sides. Tabbed by FDR to go to Tehran, Mayer's intro to diplomacy is sidetracked by a potential plot against the conference, one that seems to have supporters in the US delegation.
I liked this book quite a bit, both for its interesting twist on actual WWII events and for the almost effortless way Kerr creates the appropriate atmosphere for the times, places and people. Prior to this work he did write a trilogy set in wartime Berlin, so his abilities here shouldn't be a huge surprise. Recommended, especially as an alternative history book that would appeal to folks not necessarily into that genre.
Set in 1943 and with the outcome of World War II clear despite the continued fighting, the major actors are trying to best sort out how to broker peace. For the Allies, the upcoming Tehran conference will try to settle the question of allowing a negotiated peace, which FDR and Stalin would consider, or an unconditional surrender, which is the only thing that Churchill will take. On the German side, both Hitler and Himmler are seeking peace separately, adding internal intrigue to the mix.
Into this setting comes Willard Mayer, a Harvard-educated OSS officer whose past links with both the Germans and the Soviets aren't widely known, but give him some insight into both sides. Tabbed by FDR to go to Tehran, Mayer's intro to diplomacy is sidetracked by a potential plot against the conference, one that seems to have supporters in the US delegation.
I liked this book quite a bit, both for its interesting twist on actual WWII events and for the almost effortless way Kerr creates the appropriate atmosphere for the times, places and people. Prior to this work he did write a trilogy set in wartime Berlin, so his abilities here shouldn't be a huge surprise. Recommended, especially as an alternative history book that would appeal to folks not necessarily into that genre.
20 June 2009
Book Log 2009 #20: Land of Lincoln by Andrew Ferguson
As the Lincoln bicentennial neared, Ferguson, a Lincoln buff as a youth, decided to delve deeper into his boyhood idol to see how Lincoln is remembered and promoted in America today. To do so, he revisits both the wealth of Lincoln historical sites and the wide array of scholarship on Lincoln's life. Along the way he also tries to see what relevance Lincoln has with kids today by involving (or subjecting, depending on your point of view) his own children in visiting sites.
I'd expected something in a postmodern/ironic style, and while some of that does creep in (deservedly so in some parts), it's largely an authenic attempt to determine Lincoln's current relevance. There's also a fair amount of warmth for the subject, not surprising given Ferguson's ardor for Abe, and there's a generous amount of humor throughout. Certainly worth a read.
As the Lincoln bicentennial neared, Ferguson, a Lincoln buff as a youth, decided to delve deeper into his boyhood idol to see how Lincoln is remembered and promoted in America today. To do so, he revisits both the wealth of Lincoln historical sites and the wide array of scholarship on Lincoln's life. Along the way he also tries to see what relevance Lincoln has with kids today by involving (or subjecting, depending on your point of view) his own children in visiting sites.
I'd expected something in a postmodern/ironic style, and while some of that does creep in (deservedly so in some parts), it's largely an authenic attempt to determine Lincoln's current relevance. There's also a fair amount of warmth for the subject, not surprising given Ferguson's ardor for Abe, and there's a generous amount of humor throughout. Certainly worth a read.
18 June 2009
Book Log 2009 #19: The Scourge of God by S. M Stirling
The expedition to Nantucket continues on its way, still fighting the Church Universal and Triumphant, who is trying to prevent them from getting there. They make some new friends when they enter Sioux territory, but face new challenges when they get to Iowa, whose "Bossman" requires an old job to be completed before the group can move along.
Back in Oregon, the CUT is becoming more influential, forcing the member communities of The Meeting to take action.
I found this entry in the Change series much like the others, broadly speaking, in that I would have prefered more time with the characters from the original books and found the mystical mumbo jumbo a little much. I'm also wishing this group was making a little more progress, as at this rate it seems like it'll take them a dozen books to get to Nantucket. Still, it was no less entertaining than previous books in the series.
The expedition to Nantucket continues on its way, still fighting the Church Universal and Triumphant, who is trying to prevent them from getting there. They make some new friends when they enter Sioux territory, but face new challenges when they get to Iowa, whose "Bossman" requires an old job to be completed before the group can move along.
Back in Oregon, the CUT is becoming more influential, forcing the member communities of The Meeting to take action.
I found this entry in the Change series much like the others, broadly speaking, in that I would have prefered more time with the characters from the original books and found the mystical mumbo jumbo a little much. I'm also wishing this group was making a little more progress, as at this rate it seems like it'll take them a dozen books to get to Nantucket. Still, it was no less entertaining than previous books in the series.
17 June 2009
Book Log 2009 #18: Alpha Beta by John Man
I picked up this book about the development of the English alphabet from a clearance table a few years ago, as the price was right and I had at least some interest in the subject. But I never quite got around to cracking it open, which in retrospect may have been my subconscious urging caution when it comes to cheap books on subjects of only passing interest.
Which isn't to say this is a bad book, but rather that it may not appeal to someone with only a rudimentary understanding of orthography or linguistics. The attempt is made to explain the development and history of the alphabet in a way that anyone can understand, but it may be that this isn't the sort of topic that lends itself to a discourse that has both a wide appeal and reasonable depth. Anyway, I stuck with it for some time but couldn't quite finish.
I picked up this book about the development of the English alphabet from a clearance table a few years ago, as the price was right and I had at least some interest in the subject. But I never quite got around to cracking it open, which in retrospect may have been my subconscious urging caution when it comes to cheap books on subjects of only passing interest.
Which isn't to say this is a bad book, but rather that it may not appeal to someone with only a rudimentary understanding of orthography or linguistics. The attempt is made to explain the development and history of the alphabet in a way that anyone can understand, but it may be that this isn't the sort of topic that lends itself to a discourse that has both a wide appeal and reasonable depth. Anyway, I stuck with it for some time but couldn't quite finish.
Book Log 2009 #17: The Wench is Dead by Colin Dexter
While in hospital for a bleeding ulcer, Inspector Morse receives a monograph about a killing along an Oxford canal that had taken place over a century earlier. While he resists reading it (concerned for the quality of the self-published work), when he does finally pick it up he becomes engrossed, coming to the conclusion that the crime did not take place as reported, and that the men punished for it were innocent. Morse conducts his own investigation from his sick bed, enlisting the help of Sargent Lewis, some nurses on the ward, and other visitors.
It's a nice twist on the usual Morse investigation, though I did miss the way past stories would cut from the investigation to follow suspects (the text of the monograph didn't quite cut it for me in this respect). Getting to see more of Morse's personal life, most notably his first significant brush with mortality, is a plus as well. A different but - as expected - highly entertaining entry in the series.
While in hospital for a bleeding ulcer, Inspector Morse receives a monograph about a killing along an Oxford canal that had taken place over a century earlier. While he resists reading it (concerned for the quality of the self-published work), when he does finally pick it up he becomes engrossed, coming to the conclusion that the crime did not take place as reported, and that the men punished for it were innocent. Morse conducts his own investigation from his sick bed, enlisting the help of Sargent Lewis, some nurses on the ward, and other visitors.
It's a nice twist on the usual Morse investigation, though I did miss the way past stories would cut from the investigation to follow suspects (the text of the monograph didn't quite cut it for me in this respect). Getting to see more of Morse's personal life, most notably his first significant brush with mortality, is a plus as well. A different but - as expected - highly entertaining entry in the series.
01 June 2009
So it's back to the usual stuff here with post 2001. Here are the results of the baby pool!
Question 1: Gender
Three of the seven entrants correctly guessed that the baby would be a boy, earning them 10 points each.
Question 2: Day of Birth
No one guessed the day spot on, but Greg earned the most points by being only one day off with his guess of May 15. No one was more than three days off.
Question 3: Time of Birth
The scoring for this question took its toll on three contestants, who were far enough off of the time that they earned no points. Interestingly, they were the same three contestants who correctly guessed the baby's gender, which helped tighten things up quite a bit.
Kudos to Allyson and Salome for earning full points by being within an hour of the 9:06 pm birth time (with super kudos to Allyson for being within 20 minutes).
Question 4: Birth Weight
Most entries here stayed at or below eight pounds. With the kid tipping in at 9 pounds 6 ounces, this left five entries scoring no points on the question. I managed to get a couple, but OTC was the closest with a guess of nine pounds even.
Question 5: Birth Length
Not much variance here, as six of the seven entries scored at least 19 points. Mike and Greg got full marks, as Mike got the length exactly at 21 inches, while Greg guessed 21.5.
The final tally:
OTC: 59 points
Salome: 57
Allyson: 56
Me: 55
Greg: 52
Mike: 47
Brian: 46
Congrats to OTC, and thanks to all who played. I'll try not to feel too bad that I came in fourth in a pool where I had the most access to its subject.
Question 1: Gender
Three of the seven entrants correctly guessed that the baby would be a boy, earning them 10 points each.
Question 2: Day of Birth
No one guessed the day spot on, but Greg earned the most points by being only one day off with his guess of May 15. No one was more than three days off.
Question 3: Time of Birth
The scoring for this question took its toll on three contestants, who were far enough off of the time that they earned no points. Interestingly, they were the same three contestants who correctly guessed the baby's gender, which helped tighten things up quite a bit.
Kudos to Allyson and Salome for earning full points by being within an hour of the 9:06 pm birth time (with super kudos to Allyson for being within 20 minutes).
Question 4: Birth Weight
Most entries here stayed at or below eight pounds. With the kid tipping in at 9 pounds 6 ounces, this left five entries scoring no points on the question. I managed to get a couple, but OTC was the closest with a guess of nine pounds even.
Question 5: Birth Length
Not much variance here, as six of the seven entries scored at least 19 points. Mike and Greg got full marks, as Mike got the length exactly at 21 inches, while Greg guessed 21.5.
The final tally:
OTC: 59 points
Salome: 57
Allyson: 56
Me: 55
Greg: 52
Mike: 47
Brian: 46
Congrats to OTC, and thanks to all who played. I'll try not to feel too bad that I came in fourth in a pool where I had the most access to its subject.
21 May 2009
This is the 2000th post in Blogalicious history, so I'll recognize that milestone by writing about a much larger one: how we left the house on Thursday as a two-person family and returned on Monday as a three-person family.
Before Thursday - The wife had appointments on Monday and Wednesday, the upshot being the baby was pretty damn big (estimated 9 pounds 14 ounces) and had to come out. Induction was planned for Thursday, causing us to scramble a bit to tie up loose ends and make ourselves marginally less ill prepared for being parents.
Thursday - Got to the hospital at 7 am, and by 7:30 the wife was hooked up to IVs delivering, among other things, oxytocin, a hormone used to kick-start labor. Prior to this we did have a discussion with the OB on call regarding c-sections, as he had some concerns related to the potential size of the baby and potential injuries from shoulder dystocia. We decided to give induction a go and see where it led.
It led nowhere, or at least to a place in its neighborhood. After 12 hours, there were no contractions to speak of, only some back pain. While you hear that labor with the first baby is long, this was a little dispiriting. The new OB on call came in and went back over the issues we'd talked about in the morning, allowing us to weigh the options between continuing induction or going with a c-section. We finally decided to go with a c-section, thinking that the results of the induction was a sign that a standard delivery might not be the best choice.
Once the decision was made, things moved swiftly. The c-section, paraprhasing the description given to us, was five minutes of prep, five to ten minutes to get the kid out, and a half hour of putting my wife back the way she was found. The wife was wheeled to the OR, and during her prep I got to put on scrubs. Let's just say that there are apparently not that many large surgeons, or if there are they get their scrubs to order. The best fitting part of the entire outfit were the booties I put over my shoes, a bad sign indeed.
I went into the OR, where most of the wife was flanked by surgeons and nurses, so I (thankfully) did not get to see what was going on there. I was seated up by her head, where there was a drape up to keep us from seeing the gory bits. I fought to keep myself from sliding off the stool - scrubs and polished metal seats don't interact well - while the wife was trying to scratch her nose against the inside of the oxygen mask. We were quite a pair.
And, as described, within ten minutes of my arrival we had a baby (sadly, if it had been later we would not have gotten him for free). And, as my wife thought, we had a boy with a pretty full head of hair (pregnancy heartburn signifying hair is apparently not an old wives' tale). He was crying away, which is understandable given that things were now awfully cold and bright.
But the first thing I really noticed about him was his umbilical cord. It was huge. The doctor who delivered him compared it to a garden hose in size, and the nurse in charge of cutting it was a bit puzzled at first with how she was going to do it (I wanted no part of it, as I've never quite bought into the dad cutting the cord thing). Once that got done (and once he celebrated his own arrival by shooting off his personal water cannon, so to speak), we were off to the nursery.
Once there, they confirmed the OR staff's statements that we did, indeed, have a big baby. He weighed in at 9 pounds 6 ounces, and while that was a half pound off of the ultrasound estimate, it's safe to say that he was big enough that a standard delivery would have been harrowing for mother and child alike. At some point both of us wound up back down in recovery with the wife, and after a few minutes of getting acquainted we all made our way up to the room we'd call home for the next few days.
Friday - During our first round of doctor visits, our OB stopped in and asked how Thor was doing.
Thor?
Turns out that when the delivering doctor asked us what we were going to name our son, the wife said Thor, spoofing on his size (though he does not have long, blonde hair, nor does he wield a hammer). The doctor went and put that on the chart, in what I hope was him going along with the joke. Then again, with some of the names bestowed upon kids now, Thor might not be that bad.
Still, it did raise a point - we had not yet decided what to name the kid. By the time we made a decision, the kid had three nicknames - Thor, Jethro (courtesy of my brother) and Cheeks, which was given by one of the nurses given his big, round cheeks. After some discussion, we did what my dad did with me, and used the reverse of the paternal grandfather's name, landing us with Joseph John Coen.
The rest of the day was spent resting and getting used to young Joe's rhythms for eating and excreting. We got a first-hand introduction to meconium (NSFLunch) that night, and after I changed the diaper solo Joe gave us a second first-hand intro twenty minutes later, one that was a three-person job to remedy. This, in combination with the Egypt-themed book I was reading would lead to a fourth nickname, Poopenkhamun. I still use this when the dreaded "curse" has claimed another innocent diaper.
Saturday - Another day resting and getting used to our son. The wife was recuperating pretty well, and was able to move around much more than the day before. We had our first spate of family visitors outside of my in-laws, who'd come down on Thursday morning in anticipation of a new grandchild. We also made the decision to bottle feed, which was difficult given the strong preference given to breastfeeding in our birthing class and in pretty much every pregnancy publication out there. I will give big ups here to the nurses and lactation consultants at the hospital, as they worked hard to help us get to a decision and fully supported it once it was made.
Sunday - We were all getting a little bored with the hospital by this point, and while we could have stayed until Tuesday, we decided to leave on Monday. I'll admit to being a little worried about not taking our full compliment of days, as I figured one more day of nurses to help with the baby and take care of the wife's incision couldn't hurt. But with the baby getting a clean bill of health and the wife recovering well (by this point managing post-op pain with ibuprofen only), there wasn't much point in staying.
This being our last night, we got to enjoy the hospital's traditional celebration dinner, which is a couple steps up from their regular fare (though their regular food wasn't bad, certainly better than what you'd think of from hospital food). I can't say I ever expected to have rack of lamb at a hospital, but they did a nice job with it.
It was also my last night sleeping in the convertable chair provided so dads can stay over. I did stay every night, more for the wife's sake than the baby's, as the baby went back to the nursery for overnights. That's apparently a somewhat controversial practice, as there's a strong school of thought that the parents should room in with the baby as much as possible. My thinking is that the last thing the wife needed while on the mend was the baby waking her up at some ungodly hour. There'd be enough time for that once we got home.
Anyway, the convertable chairs aren't particularly comfortable, but I've slept in worse.
Monday - There's an odd feeling to leaving the hospital with a baby. Both the wife and I were expecting that someone would stop us before the maternity ward doors, knowing that we're not as prepared as we'd like to care for a newborn. But as we pushed the call button to let us out, no one came running to save the baby from his parents. The doors swung open, and we walked out into our new life together.
Before Thursday - The wife had appointments on Monday and Wednesday, the upshot being the baby was pretty damn big (estimated 9 pounds 14 ounces) and had to come out. Induction was planned for Thursday, causing us to scramble a bit to tie up loose ends and make ourselves marginally less ill prepared for being parents.
Thursday - Got to the hospital at 7 am, and by 7:30 the wife was hooked up to IVs delivering, among other things, oxytocin, a hormone used to kick-start labor. Prior to this we did have a discussion with the OB on call regarding c-sections, as he had some concerns related to the potential size of the baby and potential injuries from shoulder dystocia. We decided to give induction a go and see where it led.
It led nowhere, or at least to a place in its neighborhood. After 12 hours, there were no contractions to speak of, only some back pain. While you hear that labor with the first baby is long, this was a little dispiriting. The new OB on call came in and went back over the issues we'd talked about in the morning, allowing us to weigh the options between continuing induction or going with a c-section. We finally decided to go with a c-section, thinking that the results of the induction was a sign that a standard delivery might not be the best choice.
Once the decision was made, things moved swiftly. The c-section, paraprhasing the description given to us, was five minutes of prep, five to ten minutes to get the kid out, and a half hour of putting my wife back the way she was found. The wife was wheeled to the OR, and during her prep I got to put on scrubs. Let's just say that there are apparently not that many large surgeons, or if there are they get their scrubs to order. The best fitting part of the entire outfit were the booties I put over my shoes, a bad sign indeed.
I went into the OR, where most of the wife was flanked by surgeons and nurses, so I (thankfully) did not get to see what was going on there. I was seated up by her head, where there was a drape up to keep us from seeing the gory bits. I fought to keep myself from sliding off the stool - scrubs and polished metal seats don't interact well - while the wife was trying to scratch her nose against the inside of the oxygen mask. We were quite a pair.
And, as described, within ten minutes of my arrival we had a baby (sadly, if it had been later we would not have gotten him for free). And, as my wife thought, we had a boy with a pretty full head of hair (pregnancy heartburn signifying hair is apparently not an old wives' tale). He was crying away, which is understandable given that things were now awfully cold and bright.
But the first thing I really noticed about him was his umbilical cord. It was huge. The doctor who delivered him compared it to a garden hose in size, and the nurse in charge of cutting it was a bit puzzled at first with how she was going to do it (I wanted no part of it, as I've never quite bought into the dad cutting the cord thing). Once that got done (and once he celebrated his own arrival by shooting off his personal water cannon, so to speak), we were off to the nursery.
Once there, they confirmed the OR staff's statements that we did, indeed, have a big baby. He weighed in at 9 pounds 6 ounces, and while that was a half pound off of the ultrasound estimate, it's safe to say that he was big enough that a standard delivery would have been harrowing for mother and child alike. At some point both of us wound up back down in recovery with the wife, and after a few minutes of getting acquainted we all made our way up to the room we'd call home for the next few days.
Friday - During our first round of doctor visits, our OB stopped in and asked how Thor was doing.
Thor?
Turns out that when the delivering doctor asked us what we were going to name our son, the wife said Thor, spoofing on his size (though he does not have long, blonde hair, nor does he wield a hammer). The doctor went and put that on the chart, in what I hope was him going along with the joke. Then again, with some of the names bestowed upon kids now, Thor might not be that bad.
Still, it did raise a point - we had not yet decided what to name the kid. By the time we made a decision, the kid had three nicknames - Thor, Jethro (courtesy of my brother) and Cheeks, which was given by one of the nurses given his big, round cheeks. After some discussion, we did what my dad did with me, and used the reverse of the paternal grandfather's name, landing us with Joseph John Coen.
The rest of the day was spent resting and getting used to young Joe's rhythms for eating and excreting. We got a first-hand introduction to meconium (NSFLunch) that night, and after I changed the diaper solo Joe gave us a second first-hand intro twenty minutes later, one that was a three-person job to remedy. This, in combination with the Egypt-themed book I was reading would lead to a fourth nickname, Poopenkhamun. I still use this when the dreaded "curse" has claimed another innocent diaper.
Saturday - Another day resting and getting used to our son. The wife was recuperating pretty well, and was able to move around much more than the day before. We had our first spate of family visitors outside of my in-laws, who'd come down on Thursday morning in anticipation of a new grandchild. We also made the decision to bottle feed, which was difficult given the strong preference given to breastfeeding in our birthing class and in pretty much every pregnancy publication out there. I will give big ups here to the nurses and lactation consultants at the hospital, as they worked hard to help us get to a decision and fully supported it once it was made.
Sunday - We were all getting a little bored with the hospital by this point, and while we could have stayed until Tuesday, we decided to leave on Monday. I'll admit to being a little worried about not taking our full compliment of days, as I figured one more day of nurses to help with the baby and take care of the wife's incision couldn't hurt. But with the baby getting a clean bill of health and the wife recovering well (by this point managing post-op pain with ibuprofen only), there wasn't much point in staying.
This being our last night, we got to enjoy the hospital's traditional celebration dinner, which is a couple steps up from their regular fare (though their regular food wasn't bad, certainly better than what you'd think of from hospital food). I can't say I ever expected to have rack of lamb at a hospital, but they did a nice job with it.
It was also my last night sleeping in the convertable chair provided so dads can stay over. I did stay every night, more for the wife's sake than the baby's, as the baby went back to the nursery for overnights. That's apparently a somewhat controversial practice, as there's a strong school of thought that the parents should room in with the baby as much as possible. My thinking is that the last thing the wife needed while on the mend was the baby waking her up at some ungodly hour. There'd be enough time for that once we got home.
Anyway, the convertable chairs aren't particularly comfortable, but I've slept in worse.
Monday - There's an odd feeling to leaving the hospital with a baby. Both the wife and I were expecting that someone would stop us before the maternity ward doors, knowing that we're not as prepared as we'd like to care for a newborn. But as we pushed the call button to let us out, no one came running to save the baby from his parents. The doors swung open, and we walked out into our new life together.
13 May 2009
Book Log 2009 #16: From Time to Time by Jack Finney
This is the sequel to Time and Again, an illustrated novel about a man who goes back to 1880s New York as part of a government-sponsored time travel experiment and winds up staying. In the sequel, he's called upon by the project's leaders - who get back in touch with him with some difficulty - to travel again in an attempt to prevent World War I.
As with the first book, there's lavish period detail and a fun story. Unlike the first book, though, the sequel gets a little too caught up in the detail, and the illustrated parts sometimes feel like they've been included because we expect them.
Still, if you've read the first book you'll probably like this one.
12 May 2009
Book Log 2009 #15: Greasy Rider by Greg Melville
The cross-country drive that forms the basis of this book comes with an environmental twist, as Melville and an old college friend try to drive a Mercedes retrofitted to run on used cooking oil from Vermont to an alt-fuel friendly filling station in Berkeley without burning a single drop of fossil fuels (or, if I remember correctly, paying for any fuel at all). Along the way, Melville get a series of tasks from his friend that he must complete after the trip is over, which include visiting a wind farm and checking to see just how sustainable a lifestyle Al Gore leads.
It's an entertaining though occasionally uneven mix of road trip and eco-primer, and one that shows the possibilities that are already out there to lead a more green-friendly lifestyle. My only quibble is that there were times I wished that the interaction between the author and his friend were less peculiar, though I suppose that can't be helped. Or at least not without theraputic and/or pharmaceutical intervention.
The cross-country drive that forms the basis of this book comes with an environmental twist, as Melville and an old college friend try to drive a Mercedes retrofitted to run on used cooking oil from Vermont to an alt-fuel friendly filling station in Berkeley without burning a single drop of fossil fuels (or, if I remember correctly, paying for any fuel at all). Along the way, Melville get a series of tasks from his friend that he must complete after the trip is over, which include visiting a wind farm and checking to see just how sustainable a lifestyle Al Gore leads.
It's an entertaining though occasionally uneven mix of road trip and eco-primer, and one that shows the possibilities that are already out there to lead a more green-friendly lifestyle. My only quibble is that there were times I wished that the interaction between the author and his friend were less peculiar, though I suppose that can't be helped. Or at least not without theraputic and/or pharmaceutical intervention.
08 May 2009
Book Log 2009 #14: Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley
Buckley turns his satiric eye towards the judiciary in this, his latest novel, as a highly unpopular President, unable to get his nominees for a Supreme Court opening confirmed, gives the Senate Judiciary Committee a metaphorical middle finger by nominating Pepper Cartwright, a plain-talking Texan who hosts a popular TV court show. Perhaps unexpectedly, the stunt works, and Cartwright is given a seat on the court.
Once on the court, it's a non-stop run of problems, both judicial and personal, as Cartwright has to figure out her new job, peculiar colleagues and sort out a messy personal life.
I didn't quite see the parallels between Cartwright and Sarah Palin that some drew, and as the book was published well before Palin became nationally prominent it's a comparison that may not hold water. Instead, I think Buckley may have ripped me off.
However, I do feel like an idiot for not figuring out that the character that chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee was based on Joe Biden, as in retrospect it makes a certain sense.
Highly amusing as always and well worth the read.
Tomorrow is apparently National Train Day, so in honor of that I declare that if the baby arrives at any point during the day, we're naming it Casey Jones Coen.*
*pending the wife's approval, and you can imagine the likelihood of that
*pending the wife's approval, and you can imagine the likelihood of that
01 May 2009
If the doctors are to be believed, we're less than three weeks away from the arrival of Little Coen. So it's time for everyone to get in the pool!
The Blogalicious Baby Pool
Very simple, five questions:
1. What will be the baby's gender?
An important but simple question, given the binary nature of things, and thus worth 10 points. To help you handicap, here are the results of various gender-predictors:
Chinese Baby Gender Chart - girl if I did the Chinese age thing correctly. Using the wife's actual age, it's a boy.
Heart Rate - inconclusive, I think, as the heart rate was routinely above 140 early in the pregnancy but is now just below.
Old Wives Tales Quiz - came up 53-47 that we're having a girl, though I did it once before and it was 60-40 for a boy, so I may have changed one of the answers by mistake.
Another Test - says 77 percent chance it's a boy.
Childbirth.org - their test says 52-47 girl, though there were a couple questions I couldn't answer.
2. What day will the baby be born?
Pretty straightforward, 20 points if you're right, 1 point off for each day you miss by. We've been given a due date of May 19. Past history is inconclusive; the wife was born three weeks early and was her mom's first child, while I, as my mom's fourth, was pretty much on time.
3. What time will the baby be born?
Also straightforward, guess a time and if you're within the hour you'll get 20 points, with 1 point off for each half hour you're off by. And while I don't think the information is of much help, I can tell you that I was a mid-afternoon baby, while the wife was mid-morning.
4. What will be the baby's weight?
Entries here should be in pounds and ounces, with 20 points available if you're spot on, losing a point thereafter for each ounce you're off. Our last weight estimation, which was about three weeks ago, had the kid at 7 pounds, 1 ounce. I came in a six pounds even, the wife below that.
5. What will be the baby's length?
The guess here should be in inches, with 20 points if within one inch, losing a point for each inch you're off from there. The wife was in the high teens, while I think I was 24 inches long, though that looks too long to me.
Anyway, send your entry along or post in the comments. Good luck!
The Blogalicious Baby Pool
Very simple, five questions:
1. What will be the baby's gender?
An important but simple question, given the binary nature of things, and thus worth 10 points. To help you handicap, here are the results of various gender-predictors:
Chinese Baby Gender Chart - girl if I did the Chinese age thing correctly. Using the wife's actual age, it's a boy.
Heart Rate - inconclusive, I think, as the heart rate was routinely above 140 early in the pregnancy but is now just below.
Old Wives Tales Quiz - came up 53-47 that we're having a girl, though I did it once before and it was 60-40 for a boy, so I may have changed one of the answers by mistake.
Another Test - says 77 percent chance it's a boy.
Childbirth.org - their test says 52-47 girl, though there were a couple questions I couldn't answer.
2. What day will the baby be born?
Pretty straightforward, 20 points if you're right, 1 point off for each day you miss by. We've been given a due date of May 19. Past history is inconclusive; the wife was born three weeks early and was her mom's first child, while I, as my mom's fourth, was pretty much on time.
3. What time will the baby be born?
Also straightforward, guess a time and if you're within the hour you'll get 20 points, with 1 point off for each half hour you're off by. And while I don't think the information is of much help, I can tell you that I was a mid-afternoon baby, while the wife was mid-morning.
4. What will be the baby's weight?
Entries here should be in pounds and ounces, with 20 points available if you're spot on, losing a point thereafter for each ounce you're off. Our last weight estimation, which was about three weeks ago, had the kid at 7 pounds, 1 ounce. I came in a six pounds even, the wife below that.
5. What will be the baby's length?
The guess here should be in inches, with 20 points if within one inch, losing a point for each inch you're off from there. The wife was in the high teens, while I think I was 24 inches long, though that looks too long to me.
Anyway, send your entry along or post in the comments. Good luck!
27 April 2009
Book Log 2009 #13: Final Salute by Jim Sheeler
Regardless of how you feel about our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, it would be well worth your while to read this incredibly moving book detailing all aspects of what the military calls casualty notification. The book mostly focuses on Major Steve Beck, a Marine who, like most casualty notification officers, has little to no training on how to deliver the news or support the families now missing a child or spouse. Unlike some who are tapped to perform this duty - no one is permanently assigned to do so - Beck has a skill for it, thanks in no small part to his empathy for the families and understanding of how to truly honor the fallen.
One of the most moving parts of the book, though, comes when Sheeler spends time with the soldiers who accompany the caskets of their comrades back to their families. At the time the book was written, this typically happened on commercial flights, meaning that the accompanying soldier, often a friend or unitmate of the deceased, had the added burden that came when fellow passengers realized why the soldier was on their flight. The emotion here is at a completely different level than that of the families, at times more raw at the loss of a friend while at other times thankful that there are other passengers who provide comfort or support (thankfully, few passengers seem to seize the opportunity to voice their opinion on the war, one way or the other).
At times the book does get a little mawkish, which I think comes from the need to find material to bring what was originally a featured series in the now-departed Rocky Mountain News to book length. Even so, these periods are few and don't detract greatly. I don't know if it would change anyone's views on the wars, but I do think it helps to provide focus to what has been, for most of us, war held at arm's length.
Regardless of how you feel about our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, it would be well worth your while to read this incredibly moving book detailing all aspects of what the military calls casualty notification. The book mostly focuses on Major Steve Beck, a Marine who, like most casualty notification officers, has little to no training on how to deliver the news or support the families now missing a child or spouse. Unlike some who are tapped to perform this duty - no one is permanently assigned to do so - Beck has a skill for it, thanks in no small part to his empathy for the families and understanding of how to truly honor the fallen.
One of the most moving parts of the book, though, comes when Sheeler spends time with the soldiers who accompany the caskets of their comrades back to their families. At the time the book was written, this typically happened on commercial flights, meaning that the accompanying soldier, often a friend or unitmate of the deceased, had the added burden that came when fellow passengers realized why the soldier was on their flight. The emotion here is at a completely different level than that of the families, at times more raw at the loss of a friend while at other times thankful that there are other passengers who provide comfort or support (thankfully, few passengers seem to seize the opportunity to voice their opinion on the war, one way or the other).
At times the book does get a little mawkish, which I think comes from the need to find material to bring what was originally a featured series in the now-departed Rocky Mountain News to book length. Even so, these periods are few and don't detract greatly. I don't know if it would change anyone's views on the wars, but I do think it helps to provide focus to what has been, for most of us, war held at arm's length.
Book Log 2009 #12: The Somnambuilst by Jonathan Barnes
I liked this book more than I expected, but still felt that there was some unrecognized potential in its story of a magician who, with his mute assistant, investigate a murder in Victorian London that turns out to be much more than a simple killing.
My expectations were set on the low side fearing something derivative from The Prestige or The Illusionist, and while there are some similarities, the book travels in very different circles than either of those movies. The book is much less about magic or the magician (heck, the book is named for the assistant), and uses the supernatural in a very different way. The narrative structure also took a little getting used to, but in the end I found it enhanced the story quite a bit.
But I think there was some added potential to give background on several characters, and perhaps on the event that is responsible for the killing that kicks off the book, as I think it would have clarified some of what takes place in the conclusion, which was a little muddled for me. On the other hand, Barnes has apparently written a sequel, albeit set in modern times, which may help to clarify things (akin to how Stephen Carter's Palace Council helped to explain things about his previous books). At least I hope so, as I enjoyed this book well enough to want to read the sequel.
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