40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 29: St. Joachim Church, Rockport MA

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

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

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 28: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Boston MA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 27: St. Francis of Assisi, Belfast ME

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

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

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

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

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 26, First Congregational Church, Hadley MA

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

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

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

40 Days, 40 Churches

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

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

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

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 24: St. Colman's Cathedral, Cobh, Co. Cork, Ireland

We wound up in Cobh on a Sunday morning on our way back to Killarney from Cork, and while we first intended just to nose around town, we wound up actually attending Mass here, given the timing. The wife was leery of doing so as she was wearing jeans, but enough of the locals were also in jeans, so she sucked it up this one time.

The cathedral itself is pretty impressive, and as the website linked above notes it sits in an ideal position, both to see and be seen. We went to Cobh originally to see some of the Titanic-related stuff and because it's generally recommended as a tourist stop. But you can't really miss the cathedral, and we figured it was worth the hike.

This was probably my favorite of all the churches we saw, as I like the architectural style and the interior wasn't too over the top.

Oddly, the Wikipedia article on St. Colman is better than the ones available on Catholic Online or the Catholic Encyclopedia. Or maybe it's not that odd, given the relative amounts of traffic for each site.

I feel like I should do something wacky in honor of February 29. But I have no idea what. A small brainstorming session last night didn't help, as the good ideas seemed to center on doing something with what hair I have left, either coloring or shaving off. Needless to say, I did neither.

Any suggestions for Leap Day wackiness would be appreciated, if only so I can get a jump on 2012.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 23: St. Brigid's Cathedral, Kildare, Co. Kildare, Ireland

Just before our wedding we became godparents to my niece Bridget, so it made some sense that as we drove to Dublin we'd stop here and get her something. Turns out that would have been hard to do in the church itself, as it was closed. We did poke around the grounds a little, but wound up buying our Brigid-related material (two St. Brigid crosses, one for her and one for my aunt) across the street at the tourist information office. There's a metaphor for something here, but I can't quite grasp it.

It was on this drive that we also saw a bar called Tipsy McStagger's, which was apparently in Ennis. Always appreciate a Simpsons reference, especially that far from home.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 22: The Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, Waterford, Co. Waterford, Ireland

We made a stop here while going from the waterfront to the city center, and while it's a fairly impressive building it's a little too busy inside for my taste. The Waterford crystal chandeliers are a nice touch, though.

We did take a look at St. Patrick's Church as well, though it seems that several of the former priests are either entombed in the walls or buried under the alleyway that leads to the church. So if that sort of thing creeps you out, you should probably give it a pass.

Book Log 2008 #7: Last Bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter

When we were in England last summer, I managed to land a boxed set of all 13 Inspector Morse books for $14. How could I pass that up?

This is the first of the series, and in reading it I came to a conclusion I should have made earlier: Morse is the British detective version of Dr. Greg House. Both favor their last names, both rely heavily on their subordinates (though Morse ventures less often into actual abuse), both have a taste for controlled substances (though to be fair, alcohol is very lightly controlled), both have more success with the ladies than you might expect, and both are wrong more than once before finally solving a case. Now if only Morse played the guitar, or House liked crossword puzzles...

Anyway, the mystery in the book is a good one, though I'm not sure enough is presented in the book for the reader to come to the solution before Morse does. I suppose that underscores his powers of detection. I probably enjoyed seeing the start of the Morse-Lewis relationship more, based on already knowing how that goes.

If you've not read the books, you should. The movies aren't so bad, either, but they can deviate from the books fairly widely, so be forewarned.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 21: Church of St. Ann Shandon, Cork, Co. Cork, Ireland

On our day in Cork we did not actually visit this church, but saw it as part of our bus tour as its steeple is one of the city's major landmarks. Two sides are clad in red sandstone, the other two in white limestone; red and white are prominently used by the city and its athletic teams (which is something we could identify with, being BU alums and all). The tower is topped with a weather vane featuring an 11 foot gilded salmon. Coming from the home of the Sacred Cod, I could identify with that, too.

The clock on the steeple has the nickname of the Four-Faced Liar, as winds off the river and the varying thickness of numerals on each face will cause each clock face to be a little off from the other three. I can attest that when we were there, the two clock faces that we could see told different times. Though the story could cover for a habitually drunk clock keeper. Not that would ever happen in Ireland. No siree.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 20: St. Mary's Church, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland

Mary, the saint so nice Killarney used her name for churches twice (though this one is C of I). This one is right downtown and is of normal parish size. I know we looked in on this one during our trip, though I think we were killing time before the Ring of Kerry tour we took. I'd need to go back to the pictures, but I think this is one of the gaudier churches we saw in Ireland, and I think it creeped the wife out a bit, though I could be making that up.

I don't think it hit me at the time, but going back and getting the links for the two St. Mary's made me realize that for all the stuff in Kerry and around Killarney, there's not a great deal to see in the town itself. Still, it's a good base to work from, especially if you prefer guided tours to going on your own.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 19: St. Mary's Cathedral, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland

Another theme week for you as we spend a week with churches in Ireland. It's a little surprising how many churches we saw on our honeymoon, but then again you can't swing a dead monsignor without hitting a church in Ireland.

I can't say I remember a great deal about St. Mary's - I'm pretty sure we didn't go in - but I do have a picture of its spire, which had a ladder running up the length of it. Not sure if it was permanent or there for some sort of repair work (or perhaps for penitential purposes). Thought it was funny, regardless.

Book Log 2008 #6: Team Yankee by Harold Coyle

Coyle's first novel, inspired by General Sir John Hackett's The Third World War, focuses on a small part of that book's war by showing the namesake team, an armored unit, fighting in various parts of Germany.

The book actually starts before the war, showing how the team trains and prepares. We also meet the main character's family, which has a subplot for a while but is forgotten as soon as the family is out of harm's way (which is too bad, as it's the sort of story line that's generally ignored in books like this).

Once the fighting starts, the story shows some of the usual themes of how the team is able to use its training to succeed where, on paper, they'd seem unlilkely to do so. We also get to see how some of the individuals develop and change, both in their military role and personally, though I don't think enough is done here to give real insight.

The book has the usual eye for detail, not surprising given that Coyle was an Army officer at the time he wrote the book. It was also turned into a graphic novel scripted by David Drake, who, as a combat vet himself, apparently noted areas in the story where Coyle, who had not seen combat, didn't quite get the detail right. I'll have to take his word for it, not being a combat vet myself.

There's also a Team Yankee game (board and computer), so clearly this book made a mark back in 1987. Not sure how I didn't pick it up then. In any case, it's a strong but typical example of military fiction, weaker when dealing with people and better when in the fight.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 18: Westminster Abbey, Westminster, London, UK

It's hard not to think of Westminster in terms of history, from its role as Britain's coronation church to the array of individuals buried within its walls. But it is an actual church as well, though I can't quite imagine going their for service every week. It seems like overkill, like using Fenway to play wiffle ball.

The one time I've been there was nothing service-related going on, but we did walk around the grounds and got to see some of the young choristers in its choir school at lunch. It was pretty much what you'd expect from a cafeteria full of elementary school-aged kids.

And if there's not enough history here for you, the houses of Parliament are located across the street. Or if you want something more modern, the London Eye is a reasonable walk away on the other side of the river. This trio of sites was pretty much one of our days in London.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 17: St. Mary and St. Gregory, Frithelstock, Devon, UK

I tend to agree with W. G. Hoskins, who notes on the linked page that St. Mary and St. Gregory is unexciting. Still, it's very atmospheric, especially when examined at twilight. I have some pictures of it, which of course I don't have anywhere that I can link to right now. That fits in with my general lack of a write-up about the trip to England last summer, not to mention my laziness in putting up links to the travel-related material.

In any case, should you find yourself in this part of England, stop by and take a look after a nice dinner at the Clinton Arms, though based on group feedback you'd be better off avoiding the clam appetizer (too small). I'd highly recommend the "Dover smokey," a fish and smoked cheese dish which is much better than it may sound.

With the variety of employers letting people out early today, we again stand resolute in the face of winter weather and remain open. The reason, according to our HR office:


"This is due to the fact that the majority of our students live on campus and require service and support from all areas."

Questionable writing style aside, this is at least more logical (and more honest) than the previous response to wintry weather. Still, an afternoon off would have been nice.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 16: Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland

We visited here during our honeymoon, and in retrospect it's kind of funny to think that during our brief period in Dublin, the two churches we actually looked at were Protestant (though perhaps not surprising, given the long presence of Britain's official representatives in Dublin). Christ Church is one of two Anglican (or Church of Ireland) cathedrals in Dublin, which is an odd set up and one that has apparently led to some friction.

Christ Church is also still recognized by the Catholic church as the official seat of the archbishop of Dublin. He's been making do with another church for some time.

Three notable tourist points about the cathedral:

1. It's the resting place of Strongbow, a leading figure in the Norman invasion of Ireland and namesake of a tasty hard cider.

2. There's a 13th century crypt below the church that's open for touring. Nothing really gruesome, but some interesting historical items are on display down there.

3. By the choir there is a mummified cat and mouse on display. Apparently they were found in an organ pipe in the 1860s, mummified by the dry and airy conditions within. They are posed as if in chase, which suggests a somewhat disturbing episode of Itchy & Scratchy.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 15: Daytona Beach Drive In Christian Church, Daytona Beach Shores FL

I've never been to a service here, but have driven past it a couple of times when on vacation, as we used to stay at a place right up A1A from here. I assume the concession stand offers a range of sacramental treats.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 14: Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, Lowell MA

This church will be familiar to some of you, given that a few readers have attended a wedding and/or a christening there involving the same couple. It's been interesting seeing the church grow as an outsider, as it's grown quite a bit (and added more mosaic work) since my first visit. It's also an interesting experience as a Catholic to go to an Orthodox service given how much is similar between the two. Of course, there's a fair bit more Greek used at the Trans than we use week to week.

Most of my visits to the Trans have centered around their Greek festival, where you can get all the usual Greek foods and some new ones, such as loukoumades, which I now crave having gone and looked up a link.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 13: St. John's Church, Beverly Farms MA

This is the first non-Catholic church I remember going to for a service, as my sister Cathy and I tagged along with a neighboring family. Still not sure why we went, I assume it was some sort of curiosity about people going to a church that wasn't ours. I don't remember much of it, other than that there was feet washing.

After that, I didn't go back for a good 25 years, until we went to the funeral for a family friend. The church itself would fit in pretty much anywhere in England, which isn't surprising for Episcopalians. Lots of dark wood and timber beams. The pastor at the time was a woman, who doesn't appear to be there any more (and may have just been there for the funeral, not sure), which is too bad, as she was quite good. I suppose I should be happy that we get to have female altar servers now.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 12: First Parish Church, Manchester MA

We're going ecumenical this week, starting with the local Congregational (or United Church of Christ, depending how you look at it) church in my home town. This is the typical New England white wooden church on the village green, the church at the center of town. Its clock is the one everyone looks at to get the time, and its bells not only rang the hour, but two or three times a day they played a song. The tree outside the church was for years the town Christmas tree (now the "Friendship Tree"), and it was the location of the baccalaureate service the night before the high school graduation (which started the year after I graduated).

For the central place the church has in the town, I've only been in it a few times, pretty much only for funerals. This was my mom's church, but she didn't go that much herself. When she did go to church she generally went with us, though she often went to midnight Mass for Christmas on her own, before going to work (she did overnights at a nursing home). She was much closer to our priest than the First Parish pastor, to the point where our priest performed her funeral service. And yet for all that she never converted, which always kind of blew my mind a bit. But thinking about it now, it probably says something about what she learned at this church, the importance of faith over the details that we tent to put into it. Or, as Bart Simpson said, "It's all Christianity, people! The little stupid differences are nothing next to the big stupid similarities!"

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 11: Glavin Family Chapel, Wellesley MA

If it weren't for the sculpture pictured on this page, you'd probably have a hard time telling that this building is a chapel. It's basically a large rectangular solid set on its short end, making it look more like the First Assimilated Church of the Borg than anything else.

This is sort of the point, though, given the range of spiritual organizations that use the chapel. I mostly used it during the week if I couldn't get off campus on a day of obligation, as the lunchtime service usually drew as many employees as students. The priest served a few schools in the area, and was a nice guy, with a slight undertone of crazy grandfather in him. He had a particular habit of blessing too many hosts, which usually saw him have to eat a good 20 to 30 wafers after the service ended.

And for its box-like structure, it really is a nice space. The ceiling is done like the hull of a ship, which helps with the acoustics and breaks up all the straight lines. There's also a small garden and patio outside, which was mostly used during my time for social functions. A few of you might remember that this was the location of the opening and closing meetings for NAQT sectionals in 2003. BU hosted, but used our campus due to some function on their campus that weekend. You think with quizbowlers being in a chapel we'd have taken the opportunity to use some holy water or incense to fight the funk. An opportunity lost.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 10: St. Joseph Parish, Needham MA

We end our tour of Metro West churches in Needham, with the church that we liked the most during our time at Babson. It was unfortunate that we came across it so late. It had a feel very similar to our current church, which I suppose isn't surprising as both are the largest Catholic churches in their respective towns, both have schools, and both are headed up by younger priests. Plenty of parking at both, too.

Unlike our church, it was built after World War II, and is one of the few "modern" churches that isn't ugly. And it was air conditioned, which the current church definitely is not.

A new wrinkle to BU home games tonight: a variety of "fun" facts on the scoreboard, most of which were not that fun. Examples and improvements:

1. First fact: BU and Maine have played to overtime in 17 of their last 97 meetings. Care to guess how many times BU and Maine have played overall?

Better fact: BU is 1-0-8 in overtime against Maine since their last OT loss to the Black Bears in the 1994-95 season.

2. Second fact: 24 players on this year's team have at least one assist. Considering the team as a whole had 171 assists, it shouldn't be surprising that so many people have at least one.

Better fact: BU has 13 players in double digits in points.

3. Third fact: BU went into tonight with a 6-0-1 run against Maine, including a sweep last weekend. Only problem is that last weekend BU played Lowell. We're pretty sure they meant last year's weekend sweep up at Alfond.

Better fact: this one, only less poorly written.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 9: St. James the Great, Wellesley MA

This was the church we probably went to the most in Wellesley, but we never did feel like it was a permanent thing. It was just odd feeling all around, from its location right on Route 9 to the generally low attendance to a soloist who, for all the dodgy church music we've heard, may be the worst one we've encountered.

And yet, when the diocese decided to shut them down, they started a vigil that continues today. As this article notes, they're also pursuing a legal case related to the sale of the property in both the US Supreme Court and an ecclesiastical court at the Vatican. That's a lot of fight for a church that, to me, felt like it wasn't going to make it. Safe to say I may have misjudged them.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 8: St. Paul Parish, Wellesley MA

Staying in Swellesley, St. Paul was the closest church for us from Babson, which is funny as we didn't start going here first. In that old post that I linked to yesterday, I noted the problem that the place was high-churchy but then did hippie things like singing the Lord's Prayer. In retrosepct that wasn't the biggest problem.

The priest there at the time was pretty comfortable speaking out on issues from the pulpit, and he was especially motivated when the same sex marriage thing first happened. It's understandable, given his role, but we started to cross the line when he had parish families come up and talk about how their heterosexual union would be threatened, etc. We didn't need to be prostelytized in our own church (though, based on what I just said, he'd probably disagree).

In any case, it wasn't too long after this happened the first time that we moved on for good. In the priest's case, he's now at the diocese headquarters, working in the vocations office. It's probably a good fit.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 7: St. John the Evangelist, Wellesley MA

There's not much more I can say about this place that I didn't mention back when I first mentioned it. I can't say the intervening years have done much to make me thing we made a mistake by not giving it more of a chance.

One thing worth mentioning is that it was out of this parish that Voice of the Faithful, a lay group that aims to put more accountability and transparency in the administration of the church, was founded. I'm not sure how I feel about them. In theory I support their goals, but the few interactions I've had involving the group have had a condescending tone to them. That may be different now that they're a much bigger group, but it's hard to overcome that sort of initial impression.

While I generally watch dog shows to irritate the wife, I will admit to some irritation with this result. Probably a good thing I'd forgotten it was on and didn't see it live.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 6: St. Agnes, Walker MN

I've never been here (heck, I've never been to Minnesota), but if you poke around a little you'll figure out a connection.

So for the first time since 1995, I will not be spending the second Monday in February watching the BU men's team play for the Beanpot. They managed to lose their opening round game against BC last week (4-3 in OT), and I can't say I have much interest in watching them skate for third place in front of a few dozen fellow fans. I suppose I can't whine too much given the streak of final appearances. It's also hardly a surprising result for this year's team, which is underperforming at an above-average rate.

The flip-side of this is the women's team, who got back to .500 over the weekend with a sweep of Vermont, a nice way to end a week that started by avenging last year's Beanpot final loss to BC. The women knocked off BC in the first round of this year's Beanpot, and all they need to do now to win their second Beanpot is knock off Harvard. Who are the top-ranked team in the country at 22-1. I say if they pull this off they should get to play in Agganis the rest of the season. The men's team is 3-6-1 there this year, so it seems like an obvious move.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 5: Le Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal, Montreal PQ

This was a stop during my lone visit to Montreal, and it was a nice diversion in a city whose best-known building is the woeful Olympic Stadium. The two things I really remember from the visit was the modernly-appointed chapel that was bigger than any church I'd been to up to that time, and a tour guide's comment that equated Celine Dion's wedding with a major affair of state. It was funny at the time, but in retrospect is surprisingly apt.

Interestingly, the website has links for English-langauge content, but they don't seem to work. Which is just how the Quebecois like it, you'd have to think.

Book Log 2008 #5: Eat This! by Ian Jackman

This guide to the best of American food is voluminous and has suggestions for every palate. That being said, I do have a few quibbles with the book:

1. There's a definite NYC bias to a lot of it. I will acknowledge that it's a food mecca, but for a book about food in the US, there are times when the book is wedded to the five boroughs pretty strongly (most notably the pizza chapter).

2. Based on what he wrote about here, I'm curious as to how deeply he delved into regional fare. For Massachusetts, he mentioned two local places to me - the Clam Box in Ipswich and Woodman's in Essex - but mentioned the first when talking to a guy in a New York restaurant about his favorite lobster roll, the other when a woman was talking about how her favorite restaurant in Marin County flies in clams from Woodman's.

He also bring up some local food lingo, such as "grinder" for a hot sub and "tonic" for soda. I don't think I've heard either term used regularly in years. Grinder appears on some older signs in sub shops, while I don't recall anyone younger than my mom using tonic on a regular basis.

3. The chapter on why there's not a chapter about kid's food is pretentious. That may not be the word I want, actually, but it's an odd five page interlude where the author talks about how kids can and should eat regular food rather than the usual array of fried, processed nuggeted crap. Not that I disagree with that, but it doesn't really fit the book. Besides, many chapters mention his kids, who are eating at the same places, and usually from the same menu, as their dad.

4. Jackman mentions at some point that his favorite beer is Rolling Rock. That makes me highly suspect of his palate.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 4: St. Vincent de Paul, Bucksport ME

We've gone here the last two or three Christmases, as it's less crowded than the church in Belfast and slighly easier to find. Each year they've had a different priest, and this year the one who did our Mass also did services in two other towns, neither of which were particularly close to Bucksport.

I'll give the parish credit for trying to incorporate a lot of music into things, but they may want to reconsider the quality versus quantity dynamic. There's also one singer whose attempts at an operatic delivery are pretty dreadful. Not that I could do any better, but I'd like to think I'd be able to take a step back and realize things might be better if the organist went solo.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 3: St. Anthony's Chapel, Gloucester MA

St. Anthony's is a seasonal chapel, one which I didn't even know existed until friends of ours got married there a couple of years ago. As you might imagine, a seasonal chapel doesn't have much by way of environmental controls, so when you're in a wedding in July, it's good to have the occasional sea breeze that comes from the chapel being very close to the ocean.

The chapel is part of a family of churches that have become one parish in the wake of the various church closings around here over the last few years. There are familial ties to a couple of the other churches in this parish. St. Ann's is where my paternal grandparents were married; I'll leave the other one for another day.

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 2: The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Boston MA

This is, I think, the closest Catholic church to my office. I'd always meant to go take a look at it, but didn't do so until it came up as a location for geocaching (the spires make a good surveying benchmark, apparently). So I wound up taking the short walk on a sunny fall afternoon.

It was well worth it, both for the building and the view of the city from Mission Hill. On the day I went up I also caught part of choir practice, which was a nice bonus.

It's Lent again, and I'm taking another pass at giving up nail biting. We'll see how it goes.

It's also time for me to come up with some sort of thematic series of posts. Not sure if this will be less of a mixed bag than the previous ones, but at least it'll be different. Presenting:

40 Days, 40 Churches

Day 1: St. Mary Star of the Sea, Beverly MA

An easy choice to start, this is our current church. We've been lucky to find a place we like so quickly, given how long it took us to find one when we were living at Babson. It also helped that it was within walking distance of our apartment (and now our house).

The history of the church is pretty interesting, given that most of the priests have been of Irish descent while the parishoners tended to be of Italian or French-Canadian background (there are Italian and Franco-American social clubs within walking distance of the house as well). Most of these folks came to Beverly to work at United Shoe, which was still a going concern when I was a kid. Getting back to the ethnic divide, there's still a preponderance of Italian and French names among older parishoners, and the priest in charge is still of Irish descent. The other priest, however, is from Ghana. As you might imagine, that's a first for us.

The church has had some recent renovation, thanks to the sale of some local property. Now the interior looks fantastic and we're in less danger of having a beam fall on us during Mass, which is win-win.

Wound up going red instead of blue yesterday, thanks to George Washington. It was his head I saw, rather than whatever state-specific scene was on the back of the quarter (the Maryland state house, I think), making my ballot choice final.

My previous plan was to vote for the candidate with the greatest amount of support outside of our polling place, but I'm assuming the weather (freezing rain, with up to an inch of sleet on the ground) kept people home. So much for Ron Paul's dedicated masses.

One thing I noticed as we were leaving the polling area is that there was a ballot available for the Working Families Party that had no one listed on it. An opportunity missed.

As if there were any chance that I'd vote for Romney tomorrow, I read today that former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum is campaigning with him. Based on past experience, I think that any idea that Santorum favors is a good one to reject.

Still, not sure if we're going red or blue tomorrow. May wind up flipping a coin.

Game - well, clearly that didn't work out the way I'd hoped. That being said, I'm more disappointed about the lack of perfection than actually losing the game. Just another oddity in this most peculiar of NFL seasons for the Pats.

I'm also not thrilled with Eli Manning getting the MVP award. I understand why he got it, but I'd have much rather seen it go to the Giants' D-line, or at least a representative thereof (Justin Tuck, with his 5 solo tackles and 2 sacks, seems like the right choice). They made the difference in the game, as without their relentless pressure Brady would have had more (or any, really) time to do what he does best.

Ads - also an oddity this year is that I'm not stupefied by the selection of the top ad by the AdWatch people at USA Today. Some minor quibbles, but nothing egregious. No classics, though.

Book - you've likely heard (or will hear) that there is (soon to be was) a book available for pre-order on Amazon.com about the Pats' perfect season. While this will be seen as evidence of hubris, I would like to remind one and all that the Boston Globe, who was to put this book out, is owned by the New York Times Company. Conspiracy!

Book Log 2008 #4: One Red Paperclip by Kyle MacDonald

You've probably heard of the guy who used the power of the Internet to trade up from a red paperclip to a house. I had, but knew almost none of the details, which is what drew me to pick this up when it popped up at the library. I'll admit to having pretty low expectations, based on a quick flip through which made it look like a lot of the book was made up of emails.

Turned out I was wrong, as the emails make up a very small part of the story, which is told in an able and humorous fashion by the guy who actually made the trades. The one thing that didn't work for me was the mock-inspirational sayings between each chapter. One per break would have been plenty.

It's a quick read, and worth perusing if for nothing else than to learn about Corbin Bernsen's snow globe collection.

Book Log 2008 #3: Shakespeare by Bill Bryson

I'll admit to having been attracted to this slim biography more for its author than its subject, as I expected Bryson to take his usual whimsical view to English literature's greatest playwright. But he didn't, for the most part.

Instead, Bryson take a fairly straightforward approach, but not so much at who Shakespeare was but who he wasn't. Bryson is quick to note we know almost nothing about Shakespeare other than what appears in official documents and a few written mentions in works by other people. From there, he builds a biography based on what life was like at various places and times, and using that more to deflate theories that are mostly speculation.

So while it's not much of a biography (how could it be?), it does give a fairly objective picture. Just one that doesn't include its subject very much. I liked it, but it's an odd approach that will likely frustrate people looking for a story that's more robust, regardless of its accuracy.

Book Log 2008 #2: The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon

This book is set in present day Sitka, Alaska, where (as is mentioned often), it's a strange time to be a Jew. Sitka is the focal point of a district founded in the 1940s for Jewish immigration in the wake of the collapse of Israel, but it's all about to revert to the state of Alaska, leading to new chapter in the Diaspora for many.

One person who is moving out - permanently - is a junkie found dead in a flophouse that is also home to a drink-favoring homicide detective. The detective's interest in the case is tempered by his borderline alcoholism, the apparent involvement of a powerful Orthodox sect, and the reappearance of his ex-wife... who is now his boss.

Take away the unique background and this set-up wouldn't be out of place in mainstream mystery fiction. But with it - and with Chabon's stylish prose and ability to develop characters - there's much more depth to this book than the average work in the genre.

That being said, I did feel like the latter part of the book struggled a bit to maintain the various threads of the story, but it's still very successful. Very much worth a read.

Mike Huckabee has Chuck Norris, and now John McCain has Sly. So who would the other candidates have to back them up?

Mitt Romney: Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both are/were Republican governors of states that aren't thought of as conservative. Neither had elected experience before becoming governor. Arnie had well-sculpted pecs. Mitt has well-sculpted hair. Both have killed alien life forms that have the power of invisibility. They're perfect for each other.

Rudy Guiliani: Harrison Ford. Everybody loved you - for a time. You even had a moment where you looked completely Presidential. Now, you've had your mid-life crisis, done some odd things (ranting about ferrets and Six Days, Seven Nights, respectively), and remain on the edge of relevance with a level of popularity that's surprisingly soft.

Ron Paul: Nicolas Cage. Neither seems to belong in the category they're in, and neither really started out in a way that would make you thing they'd be where they are now (Paul is a doctor, while Cage's first role was in Fast Times at Ridgemont High). Both have popularity beyond what you'd expect. And both are loony tunes.

And for the Dems...

Barack Obama: Wesley Snipes. Always bet on black.

Hillary Clinton: Linda Hamilton. There aren't that many female action stars, and comparing Hillary to a man would probably lead to some sort of protest. So I'm going with Hamilton based on both women having matrimonial difficulties. Hamilton has been married three times, while Clinton... well, you know that story. Both also achieved their greatest success after moving to New York to pursue a career. Which is something, I suppose.

John Edwards: Steven Segal. He's always fighting on the side of the people, which befits the new, populist stance that Edwards is using. Both also continued on long after the point where they should have moved on and done something else with their lives.

Dennis Kucinich: I have nothing. It's hard to come up with an action star for someone whose campaign website touts "Strength Through Peace." Suggestions welcome!

(UPDATE: Kucinich has saved us the trouble of finding him an action star by dropping out of the race. The article I read on this reminded me that Mike Gravel is still in it, though, so I have to pick someone for him. I'm going with Ron Ely, best known for playing Tarzan back in the day. Like Gravel, you barely know who he is (if at all) and haven't seen him in quite some time.)

Looking for added guidance on who to vote for, I've taken a number of online quizzes to see what candidate I match up with the best. The results?

USA Today: Mike Huckabee
Political Base: Bill Richardson
Minnesota Public Radio: Clinton or Kucinich
SpeakOut.com: Chris Dodd
SelectSmart.com: Kucinich
Blue Pyramid: Peter Camejo (who isn't even running!)
ABC News: Huckabee (which isn't surprising, as they use the USA Today questions)
GoToQuiz.com: Richardson
dehp.net: Kucinich
Glassbooth.org: Edwards

Clear as mud, just as you'd expect. Also pretty funny that neither of the people I've decided I'm most likely to vote for came up at all.

Reading this post from the Bruce has finally gotten me to address the looming Massachusetts primary, which, like California's, will be held on Super Duper Tuesday. After reading his post, I was stunned to learn that there's a decent chance that he and I will wind up voting for the same person. I wouldn't have concieved of that four years ago. Or even four months ago, for that matter.

Now that I'm an unenrolled voter, I get to choose which party's primary to vote in, a first for me. So how might it go down?

Democrats - I have to admit, my decision here is based mostly on personalities and ephemera rather than positions, as from what I can tell the differences between the major candidates isn't that great. I'm discounting John Edwards as I find his populist posturing a little too sudden and opportunistic. And I don't think I'd go for Hillary as I've still got some Clinton fatigue from when her husband was in office.

This brings me to Obama, even though I have the same concerns about him that I did about Deval Patrick, namely that I'm not sure there's enough substance under the inspirational message. On the minus side, the Presidency is a tough job to learn while doing. On the plus side, he'd be able to choose his Cabinet and other staffers to help get things going. But then I think of our current leader and the example of how this sort of plan can go horribly awry. As you can tell, I'm not particularly convinced about this.

There is an outside chance I'd throw a vote to Joe Biden in honor of his "noun verb 9/11" analysis of Guiliani's campaign. It may be the most on point thing anyone has said during this campaign.

Republicans - voting here would be driven by voting against Romney. His tenure as governor was not impressive (granted, he didn't have a lot of support, given how thin Republicans are on the ground here), and I don't buy for a second his "evolution" into conservatism. I tend to think he was always conservative, but played at moderate positions in order to get elected. This hardly makes him unique, but it makes it hard for me to believe what he's saying at any given time. A good rule of thumb with politicians generally, but it strikes me as being particularly important with him.

A vote here would be guided by how candidates have done in the states to come and how things appear to be shaping up in the polls. Were I casting this vote today I'd probably go with McCain, even though I probably more closely aligned with Guiliani on issues. We do have a thing for McCain in New England. It's probably due to his curmudgeonly attitude and fondness for sweaters (which, based on this, may have an odd same-sex marriage/union corollary).

Should Guiliani show some life in Florida, I may throw him a vote. It seems unlikely, although if it would help Romney finish third here it'd up the odds.

The other option would be Ron Paul, even though he's a couple of steps on the wrong side of the good crazy/crazy crazy line. I've probably seen more signs for him here than any other candidate, and had be fared better in New Hampshire I'd be more inclined to pay tribute to the dedication of his supporters.

Huckabee gets nominal consideration based on performance to date. Everyone else is out.

Green - yes, there is Green Party primary here. Most of the names are of party functionaries that I've not heard before. Ralph Nader is on the ballot, as is Cynthia McKinney, best known for her time as a cop-slapping Georgia Congresswoman. I don't know what would drive me to vote here, though I am tempted to cast my first vote for Kat Swift, who will turn 35 this year, just so I can cast my first vote for a candidate younger than I am. But I suppose that day will come soon enough, so I'll likely pass for now.

You can see the lineup for the Massachusetts primary ballots here.

Book Log 2008 #1: Crazy '08 by Cait Murphy

An appropriately-titled book to start the year, it gives the lowdown on what was probably baseball's wildest year to date. The focus is more on the NL race, specifically on the Cubs and Giants, while the AL is given less attention. All of the highlights are hit, both in baseball and outside of the game, and that may be the book's biggest weakness. Some of the asides (both in self-contained chapters and in the middle of others) sometimes distracts from the baseball, to the point where you kind of forget that that's the main subject of the book.

Murphy also seems fond of old-timey baseball jargon, which I got used to after a bit.

I think I'd have liked something more focused on the baseball, but it's a good read to keep the hot stove burning.

If you work for an institution of higher education, and you're looking for a way to drive staff morale through the floor, cancel classes during a snowstorm but require staff to come in. Nothing says "you're expendable" better than that.

For anyone thinking about getting a passport who may be worried about long application times, you may want to act now. I filed a renewal just before Christmas, and got my new passport yesterday. Pretty good, considering how long the wait times were not that long ago and that the estimated time I was given was 6-8 weeks.

That being said, I may have benefitted from renewing rather than applying first time. Not sure if that makes a difference or not.

The new one is one of the ones with the RFID chip in it, making me a prime target for Big Brother or identity thieves. It's been redesigned quite a bit, comparing it to my old one. The cover is stiffer, and instead of my picture being on the inside cover it's been moved to the back of the first page. And while it's not as bad as my driver's license photo, there is a Whitey Bulger's bagman look to the picture.

The pages have replaced the state seals with scenes of Americana (rocky coasts, purple mountains majesty and so on) and various quotes from famous (and not so famous) Americans. So if nothing else, the propaganda value of the passport has improved.

Merry New Year! I'd like to say that I've been doing something interesting in the time since I've last posted, but I haven't. In fact, I've mostly been sitting on the couch watching TV, frittering away my winter break. I do not look forward to my return to work on Monday.

We have started to have the house worked on again, as the guy who did our living room is now doing our bedrooms. Not only will we have new walls (and insulation), but we'll actually have overhead lights and wall sockets that are up to code (the old ones were apparently too low). The main problem so far is that they were in doing work today, when the temps barely hit double digits. Not so much a problem with going in and out - there wasn't as much of that today as when the rooms were demoed - as with the door to the attic being open all day. Were I smart I would have gone to the library for the day. I may still do that tomorrow, although temps are supposed to be in the 30s, which is balmy by comparison.

Book Log 2007 #62: The Real All Americans by Sally Jenkins

Few people remember the Carlisle Indian Industrial School as anything beyond the place where Jim Thorpe played football. In this book, Jenkins takes a longer look at the school, its football team, and the prevailing attitudes that shaped the school's formation and eventual dissolution.

This is a fair amount to bite off at once, and the resulting work reflects this to some extent. The Publisher's Weekly review said the book has a term paper feel, and that's a pretty good way to describe it. It's more breadth than depth, which is unfortunate in some areas, most notably the football game versus Army that frames the opening chapter. We don't get back to it for a good 200+ pages, and when we do the treatment of the game seems skimpy for all the build-up as to the importance of the contest to the Carlisle players. There's also a lot of side information preceding the formation of the school which is important to some extent, but could have been reduced in order to tell more about the students and life at the school.

Still, it's a decent introduction to the subject, shining some light on to a neglected corner of American (and sporting) history. It just could have used more of that light.

Book Log 2007 #61: Opening Atlantis by Harry Turtledove

The turning point in this alternative history takes place much earlier than in most books of the genre, as at some point in the indeterminate geologic past, a chunk of what we know as the US comes loose and becomes an island several hundred miles southeast of its real-life position. This island is discovered by fishermen, and is eventually settled by the Spaniards, French, and English, who seem most responsible for the island becoming known as Atlantis.

The book starts in the 15th century, with the three stories presented taking place following multi-generational gaps in one family (it's a bit like Steven Saylor's Roma in that respect). Each story focuses on an Atlantis-centered conflict, including tyranny from an outcast English noble, piracy, and the spillover of a European war (the Atlantean outpost of the French and Indian Wars, I think).

This is the first book of a trilogy, and I'm hoping the other two books will venture a little deeper into internal Atlantean politics and life, as in the first book it's not really discussed too deeply. I'm also hoping to get more interplay with Atlantis and neighboring Terranova (our North America), which in the first book is limited to learning of its existence and the mention of native Terranovans brought to Atlantis as slaves. Finally, there is regular mention of how different Atlantean flora and fauna are to both Europe and Terranova, so I'm hoping that one of the stories in the second book has some sort of Darwinian influence.

All that being said, I enjoyed the book and look forward to the next one.

Book Log 2007 #60: The Rock from Mars by Kathy Sawyer

Rather than delve into any of that more detailed early history of the space race that I talked about, I opted to go for this book about the Mars rock that, about 10 years ago, was reported to show evidence of past life on the red planet. The explanation of how the rock was discovered and how the team of scientists determined that it contained evidence of life is pretty interesting.

What's not so interesting is the coverage of the ensuing scientific infighting and the bureaucratic wrangling involving NASA. Both are important parts of the story, but both are hard to make interesting. The book is notably drier as it goes along.

On a personal note, it was interesting to read about Dan Goldin, the NASA administrator at the time who would later be BU's president for about a month. He sounds like a very capable person to run an organization, but maybe not in education.

In any case, as this appears to be the only book about the rock out there, if you're interested in the topic you're pretty much going to have to read this. Which is OK, but don't expect too much.

Book Log 2007 #59: A Ball, a Dog, and a Monkey: 1957 - The Space Race Begins by Michael D'Antonio

One of the books that came out in the wake of the 50th anniversary of the Sputnik launch, this mainly focuses on the US reaction to the launch and the year or so afterwards where the US was playing catch-up. And while it does a nice job of balancing the story between the people and the hardware, it's a bit too general, I think. I'd have liked more detail on some of the major themes, such as the interservice battle to provide the US with its main launch vehicle or the social changes to the Cape Canaveral area outside of killer traffic. I'd also have liked more information on the Soviet side of things.

The book did pique my interest in the period, and there are some more specific books out there, so this may be best viewed as an introduction to the early space race.

Book Log 2007 #58: Millenium by Ben Bova

The year is 1999. Tensions on Earth have the US and USSR at the brink of war, fueled by each country's near completion of a spaced-based ABM system that would make the other side's nuclear arsenal useless. This situation is starting to spill over to the moon base whose international population belies its nominal separation into American and Soviet sectors. The leader of the base's US sector sees how war would ruin the moon community, and comes up with a plan to avoid war.

Written in the mid 1970s, it's about as inaccurate as to what 1999 would be like as you'd expect. That's not necessarily a problem, as I don't think anyone would reasonably expect Bova's vision of 1999 to conform to reality. But I didn't find the story particularly interesting, either, which is obviously a problem. The characters are all either war hawks or moon-based flower children, and the solution to the problem is pretty obvious. I also thought the ending was telegraphed a bit too much, but I may have just guessed right.

I'd not really recommend this, though I'd like to hear the opinion of someone more conversant with traditional sci-fi.

Book Log 2007 #57: Can I Keep My Jersey? by Paul Shirley

There's a lot to like about this book, in which ESPN.com blogger and basketball pro Shirley recounts the ups and downs of three years in his career. He covers the ups and downs with a good dose of ironic humor, and gives an interesting view of life on basketball's margins.

The main drawback is that the book reads like a blog, in that the focus is always squarely on Shirley. I found this to be a little distracting when he was talking about playing in Europe, as he'd spend more time talking about what it was like for him to play in Europe and less time talking about basketball in Europe in general. He also has a tendency to be repetitively sarcastic about his skills as an athlete and as a writer, which gets old quickly.

So I liked the book, but would have appreciated a little more... extrospection? Is that a word?

Happy Boxing Day! We've been at the in-laws' the last fews days, and had a really odd Christmas. My mother in law was scheduled to work on both the 24th and 25th, so we actually did our celebrating on Sunday. She then didn't have to work on Christmas Day. So we spent Christmas pretty much sitting around doing nothing. But we did have fun seeing family and eating way too much.

Not too much else to add to that, really.

OK, there's an ad on during the game now that has Curt Schilling endorsing John McCain. Not particularly surprising given Schilling's politics, and I suppose it may help out here given the way the Sox are venerated here, but given Schilling's general reputation as a jackass I don't know if it'll help all that much. It also doesn't help that Schilling's delivery is solid oak levels of wooden.

It says something about the proliferation of college football bowl games that tonight's first game of the bowl season - the Pointsettia Bowl, featuring Navy and Utah, a pair of 8-4 teams - is being pre-empted on ESPN so they can show the end of a regular season college basketball game. It should be noted that the basketball game features two top ten teams - Pitt and Duke - while the bowl game does not (neither Navy nor Utah are ranked).

There are 120 teams in whatever the NCAA is calling Division I now, and over half of them are going to bowl games. Now if only their fans would follow - plenty of good seats still available at Qualcomm Stadium.

I'm also not sure if having Reece Davis, Mark May and Lou Holtz call the game is a good or a bad thing. Davis is OK doing play by play, but I don't care for Mark May - too full of himself - and Lou should stick to the pep talks.

Sorry for the disappearing act, but between the surgery and Monday I was down to one hand, and I quickly decided not to type more than necessary. On Monday they took off the bandages and took out most of the stitches, but the two fingers that were bent needed a couple of days to get used to being on the outside. Thankfully, they didn't go all Brooks Hatlen on me and have taken to life back on the outside as well as can be expected. I'm now pretty much at the same place I was the day before the surgery, but with the promise of increased sensation and function in the index finger as time moves along.

It would figure that we'd have our first two big storms the week I couldn't shovel. The wife did a great job in my stead, and our neighbor's son helped out by taking a pass with his snowblower on Sunday morning. The best I could do was help clear off the car, as that's a bit easier to do one-handed.

On the whole, I wouldn't recommend the experience. But it does give one a newfound respect for the importance of having both hands.

Book Log 2007 #56: The Reach of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman

Having looked at what goes into making a chef and seeing what drives a chef towards perfection, Ruhlman uses this book to examine the growing role of the chef outside of the kitchen and into places like the boardroom and the TV studio. Along the way he also tries to sort out how it is that chefs have gone from tradesmen to near-rock star status.

Highly recommended.

A quick one-handed update: had surgery on Friday, seems to have gone well. I got into the hospital at 6:30 and was home by 11, and likely would have been out earlier if my doctor hadn't been late (a rarity for him, from what the other docs were saying). I remember very little thanks to the sedation. I do recall not feeling my left arm at one point, which would have been pretty disconcerting under normal circumstances.

For the next week to 10 days I'll have my left index and middle finger at rougly a 90 degree angle to my palm, so as to not put tension on the nerve. It's not particularly comfortable, but it could be worse. I do have a sling I'm supposed to wear, but around the house I've mosly just been keeping it elevated.

Otherwise, it's pretty similar to the first few days I had the brace with the original stitches. I'll try not to kill myself buttoning my pants.

Book Log 2007 #55: House Thinking by Winifred Gallagher

I made it through the first chapter of this room-by-room examination of the modern home, but couldn't go on. I am clearly not someone who finds value in the psychology of design and architecture. Which in way is too bad, as some of the later chapters appear to help explain McMansions, a trend that I've never quite been able to understand outside of bigger equaling better. I've also read in a review that at one point she refers to MTV's Cribs as a children's show, so perhaps looking to her for guidance isn't such as good idea (of course she may have meant this ironically, or in reference to the maturity level of the average Cribs subject).

Anyway, not for me.

Book Log 2007 #54: When Television Was Young by Ed McMahon with David Fisher

We all know Ed McMahon from his sidekick duties with Johnny Carson and his blooper and giant novelty check work, but in this book he tells us about how he and many others broke into TV and helped to define the medium. It's not groundbreaking, but it's a pleasant enough read. McMahon does include bits of conversations with folks like Mike Wallace, Eli Wallach and Sid Caesar, which is nice, but it's hard to read this and not think that a more comprehensive oral history would be better.

But for what it is, it's OK, probably better suited for readers who don't know a great deal about the early days of TV.

Book Log 2007 #53: For Want of a Nail by Robert Sobel

Well before Harry Turtledove and Richard Dreyfuss tackled the question in The Two Georges, Sobel put forward the question of what would have happened if the rebels lost the American Revolution. In this case, the Revolution is put down pretty quickly thanks to a Burgoyne win in Saratoga. While most of the current US and eastern Canada become a British-centered country, some of the surviving rebels move west and eventually form a country that merges the remaining area of the current US and Canada with Mexico. A third power on the continent is Kramer Associates, which comes to dominate the United States of Mexico economically.

The book is written like a history, which is pretty impressive given the number of fake sources created and cited. Unfortunately it reads like the stereotype of a history, with a dryness that takes away from even the most interesting parts of the narrative. From what I've read this was to some degree intentional; I'm sure there were dozens of historians that appreciated the satire. I found myself drifting quite a bit when reading.

I wasn't also so sure that many of the technical milestones made sense, which seems like a common critique. I also wasn't always convinced as to some of the broad social movements and their political consequences, as they were often introduced and dispensed with in one chapter, making it harder to understand and accept how they developed.

Worth a look for fans of the genre.

Three things I learned this weekend about the airport in Chattanooga, Tennessee:

1. They seem to be reducing their carbon footprint by turning off lights - even when people are still in the terminal. I was waiting for a couple of people, and while sitting near the gate where my plane came in the lights in that part of the terminal were shut off. I got the hint and moved to the gate where I expected one, if not both of the flights I was waiting for to come in. Both flights were late, and when the second one came in and both were boarding they shut off the lights in that part of the terminal. While people were still there waiting to board.

Maybe they needed the extra juice to run the baggage return? I mean, there were probably a dozen people with checked baggage on those flights.

2. Before flying in I checked to see if there was a bus or something to get from the airport to downtown. The bus system doesn't have a stop at the airport. I found this odd, given that in most places a public transit link at the airport is the norm.

I now know why there isn't one: the local transit authority is getting a cut of the extortionate rates that cabs charge for runs from the airport. For two people, they charged $33. Renting a car for the day would have been cheaper. Now, we didn't ask the rate before getting in, which is a total failing on our part. Thinking about it, I wonder if this is some sort of off the books thing, as the meter wasn't even on during our trip.

Can you tell I don't take cabs too often?

3. Skybus flies to Chattanooga, which you think would be handy as they also fly to Boston. Except in this case "Boston" actually means Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Which would be great if I were leaving a car, as the free parking (referred to several times, always in all caps, on the Pease website) would compensate for the longer drive.

The other problem is that the Skybus flights aren't necessarily coordinated. So while I could go Portsmouth-Columbus-Chattanooga, it wouldn't work in reverse as they only have one flight from Chattanooga a day.

I also ran across something called Allegiant Air, which offers flights from Bangor, Maine to Orlando, apparently. Something to keep in mind for the in-laws.

BLOGALICIOUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP TEN-PLUS

1. Missouri
2. West Virginia

As much as I dislike the BCS, I'll agree with their rating here and hope for the best.

3. Kansas
4. Ohio State

My theory: Kansas lost a virtual road game to the team that's now number 1. Ohio State lost at home to a team that has never been in the top 10. It's probably too much to ask that Kansas jump Ohio State should either of the top two teams lose this week.

5. Hawaii

They win this weekend, they should get to play in a BCS game. Going undefeated should mean something, even with all the strength of schedule talk.

6. Oklahoma
7. Georgia

I've not really seen Georgia play this season, and I have seen Oklahoma play, so I'm going with them here.

8. USC
9. LSU
10. Arizona State

Not much to say here, other than I'm duly unimpressed with the ACC and am giving up on putting either of their finalists in here.

109. The Mid-American Conference

Their championship game features teams that are 7-5 (Central Michigan) and 6-6 (Miami). Bowling Green, at 8-4, is not in the title game thanks to a loss to Miami, even though they apparently played an extra conference game. Remember when there was a little buzz about the MAC?

We have a consultant working in the office due to a staffing shortage, and she sits in the cubicle right in front of mine. For the most part this isn't an issue; we don't interact more than to say hi, and in fact I'm not even sure of her name (which seems bad, but from past experience the consultants don't get particularly chummy with anyone).

But this morning took an interesting turn, as all of us in the back were serenaded with this album. I'd admit surprise that Hall and Oates had made a Christmas album, but that would indicate I've considered their career since, say, 1990.

And while I'm not as positive about the album as the reviewer, I do think it could have been worse. Still, it wasn't something I was looking to hear, and it leads me to consider what I could play in return. Outside of looping "Christmas in Hollis" or the dogs barking "Jingle Bells" for an hour, I'm open to suggestion.

Book Log 2007 #52: The Soul of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman

In this follow-up to The Making of a Chef, Ruhlman sets out to figure out what it is that makes great food. The first section looks at the 10 day Certified Master Chef exam at the CIA, an ordeal whose low pass rate and focus on traditional cuisine makes it virtually meaningless to many in the trade.

From the objective and technical, we then move to a more passionate and creative quest for perfection in a leading modern American restaurant. And while the food here is excellent, there's a lack of tradition and technique that Ruhlman finds a little discomforting.

The two parts find synthesis in the last part, which details the French Laundry and its chef, Thomas Keller. It's not only a great profile of a top chef and an incredibly inventive dining experience, but it demonstrates the link between the chef, the physical act of cooking, and an interest in and love for the actual ingredients.

At this point I'm just going to recommend the entire trilogy of books, though I'll save The Reach of a Chef for its own entry.

Book Log 2007 #51: The Grid by Phillip Schewe

I had high hopes for this book, as I knew little about the history or the technology behind the electrical grid, and given our growing dependence on it I figured it made sense to get some background.

My hopes weren't quite met, and while I'm writing this up way too late to point to specifics in the text, I did feel that the book didn't go quite deep enough into some of the history, and really didn't go deep enough into the technology. A basic chapter on how electricity gets from the plant to your house would have been helpful, as I know of much of the technology, but not in any sort of detail.

All that being said, I'm in favor of anything that gets us thinking about where our power comes from and the challenges to keeping the juice flowing, so I'd say this is worth a look.

For the first time since Wednesday, I'm home. What happened in between?

Finger - I spent part of Wednesday morning having the final couple of stitches removed, as things had closed up well enough to allow the job to finish. Much less painful than the first destitching, though I still have to keep things covered as there's still some closing up that needs to happen.

This is expected to happen over the next couple of weeks, which will be just in time to have the finger cut open again to fix the nerve. Surgery is scheduled for December 7, and I'm a little concerned because it appears I'll be knocked out in some fashion for it. Seems like overkill for working on a finger.

Turkey - went down to my sister in law's and stuffed myself with the requisite amount of holiday food (a quick plug here for Spinelli's, a function hall and baker in East Boston and Lynnfield, from whom we got a blueberry pie, a pumpkin pie, and a Black Forest cake). I also watched about 30 hours of football, although none in person, which was too bad given the nice weather (another quick plug here for the high school alma mater, who won their conference with a Turkey Day win over dreaded rival Georgetown, and will play Brighton High School in the first round of the playoffs on Tuesday).

Gotham - Yesterday we drove down to NYC to attend the BU-Cornell hockey game at Madison Square Garden. Traffic was awful (everyone in Connecticut was on Route 95 at some point yesterday afternoon), so we got to the hotel later than hoped.

We wound up staying at the Millenium Hilton, which is most notable for overlooking Ground Zero. We got a very good look into the construction site from our room on the 29th floor, but didn't have much of a chance to walk around the site (to the extent that one can).

We took the subway uptown and got off so we could walk over to Rockefeller Center. The tree wasn't lit, but there was skating and at least half of the people who were on Route 95 in Connecticut earlier in the day were there doing the same thing that we were doing.

After extricating ourselves we walked back down to MSG, met up with Chris (i.e. the Grim Reaper of occasional comment fame) and got to our seats... eventually. It's a odd system they use, as there are four "towers" with escalators, which you get off of when you get a floor with your "gate" number on it. It actually didn't work too badly going up (initial confusion notwithstanding), but going down there was a bit of congestion.

MSG bills itself as the World's Most Famous Arena, which is about the best thing you can say for it. It is on the old side, has a very interesting odor (left over from the years of circuses and boxing, I'd imagine), and the seating is done up in a very unappealing purple and teal upholstery which is made out of some sort of rubberized burlap. The sound works very well, at least in terms of volume, though I think at one point someone from JFK called and complained that they couldn't hear the jets take off.

The game went surprisingly well, as the Icedogs scored three in the first en route to a 6-3 win in front of a partisan Cornell crowd. Out of the 18,200 there for the game, I'd say about 16,500 of them were rooting for Cornell. We also heard the Cornell alma mater about 40 times, which is more than I've heard the BU song in 20 years (which is fine, as I'm not a big "Clarissima" fan). They even had Cornell folks locking arms and swaying while singing the song, which I don't think you'd see BU folks do without getting paid.

Not much else to tell of our time, as we went back to the hotel after the game. We did nose around the neighborhood a little in search of a convenience store, and saw St. Paul's Church, which looked interesting, but didn't think that sightseeing at midnight was such a good idea. I'd have liked to have had an extra day, but between the holiday, work for the wife, and the expense of staying down there it wasn't going to happen.

Book Log 2007 #51: The Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux

I first read this book my sophomore year in college when it was assigned as reading for an introductory geography class. I don't know that it taught me much beyond the idea that Asia was the place to be in the '70s if you wanted to have sex with prostitutes of indeterminate age and/or gender. But I did enjoy the book, and many years later decided to give it a re-read.

This time around I still enjoyed it, and probably appreciated some of the more unique combinations of time and place better than I did the first time (most notable here was a visit to Vietnam between the Paris Peace Accords and the eventual fall of South Vietnam). Though I was slightly more off-put than usual by Theroux's depiction of his fellow travelers, which was odd given that they're not that different from the depictions in all of his train books.

So I'd still recommend it, but with the added suggestion of finding the version with the original cover. The collage-style front is superior to the one used now, and there is a period photo of the author on the back that would be fantastic if it were in color. I'm sure it's nowhere to be seen in the new printing.

While the three flakes I saw would argue for yesterday, I'm calling today as the first day with snow for the season as there's been steady snowfall for the last hour or so. It's fairly light and not sticking, which is just the way I like it. Not that it would stay long if it was sticking, as it's going to be in the 50s the next couple of days (nearing 60 for Thanksgiving; we could go to the beach!).

I'm pretty much unmoved by the Barry Bonds indictment. I tend to feel the one thing he's clearly guilty of is being a jackass, which for better or worse isn't against the law. It'll be interesting to see how the feds put their case together, as given the past leaks you think we'd have heard if they had something new and juicy to use against him.

At the least it means we've seen the last of Bonds as a player - until the lawyers drain him enough so that he has to team up with Jose Canseco for the Long Beach Armada - so it was semi-fitting that A Rod was in the news as well for closing in on a return to the Bronx. I'm less surprised about him going back to the Yanks than I am about Scott Boras getting cut out of the equation. I don't suppose many players have the sort of clout to do that sort of thing, but I'm sure owners will be happy to see this as the start of a trend. I also have no problem with him going back it it means another decade of him being craptastic in the playoffs. That would be just fine, thank you.

BLOGALICIOUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP TEN-PLUS

1. Kansas(def. Oklahoma State 43-28) - I'd call this week a trap game if it weren't the Cyclones. Still, you have to think that some minds are on Kansas City.

Next opponent: Iowa State

2. LSU (def. Louisiana Tech 58-10) - expect a similar score this week, even on the road.

Next opponent: at Mississippi

3. Oregon (Idle) - Dixon's out, the Ducks are down 20, and the Ducks' backup is Ryan Leaf's brother. On top of it all, Erin Andrews is wearing something frumpy. It's all going to hell.

Next opponent: at Arizona (11/15)

4.5. Missourahoma (def. Texas A&M 40-26 and Baylor 52-21) - no, it's not an AT&T ad, though I'd accept renumeration for furthering their ad concept. I know the Sooners beat the Tigers and thus should be billed ahead of them, but Missouri did beat Colorado, something Oklahoma couldn't do. So I'm calling it even for now, illogical or not. If nothing else, next week will break the tie.

Next opponents: at Kansas State [Missouri] and at Texas Tech [Oklahoma]

6. West Virginia (Idle) - still on track for a big conference title game against UConn, assuming they can do what the Huskies couldn't do and top the Bearcats on their field. UConn better not screw things up by losing to Syracuse.

Next opponent: at Cincinnati

7. Ohio State (lost to Illinois 21-28) - there are worse things than a loss to the Zookers. Losing this week at home, for example, and giving Lloyd Carr the retirement gift he'd most want.

Next opponent: Michigan

8. Arizona State (def. UCLA 24-20) - they get some time off to contemplate a game thick with Rose Bowl implications, should this Oregon-Arizona game keep going the way it is. This could be the only time all season that Sun Devils fans are rooting for the in-state rival.

Next opponent: Idle

9. Georgia (def. Auburn 45-20) - is there still a possibility that the SEC East could end in a four way tie? Because that would be awesome. Of course, things have to go south for the Bulldogs this week for that to happen, but Andre Woodson has a track record for that sort of thing.

Next opponent: Kentucky

10. Mississippi State (def. Alabama 17-12) - Sylvester Croom finally gets his team to break through, putting their second straight win over the Tide on the mantle with wins over Kentucky and Auburn. And they're bowl eligible, to boot. Congrats to one and all.

Next opponent: at Arkansas

109. Miami(lost to Virginia 0-48) - OK, you're 5-5, but you get blown out in the last game ever at the Orange Bowl? What the hell happened to you? I hated you at the height of your thuggery, but you guys are just sad now. Who'd have thought that the dud team in the ACC expansion would be you lot?

Next opponent: at Virginia Tech

Book Log 2007 #50: The Making of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman

When we watch cooking shows at home, the wife will occasionally comment that I could cook like the folks on TV (this being before my recent demonstration of horrifically inadequate knife skills). I never had the same faith in my cooking ability, and after reading The Making of a Chef I'd say my skeptcism was justified.

In this book, author Michael Ruhlman enters the chef's training program at the Culinary Institute of America, and works his way from learning how to chop an onion to manning a station at the school's highest-profile restaurant. Along the way, we see not only the work that goes into passing this progrsm, but get insights as to why people go through this in the first place from his fellow students, instructors, and the CIA's president.

And that's where the major difference lies. I think I could, with the sort of practice gained by the repetition in the program, learn to properly make food. But it's the conversion to the chef's worldview that I would find difficult, the drive to work every day regardless of all the internal and external factors that slow down the rest of us - blizzards, illness, or even a self-inflicted gash.

The one thing the book clearly demonstrates is that what makes a chef isn't just learning the ingredients and techniques, but making the jump from someone who cooks to someone whose life is dedicated to the production of high quality food. Both are demonstrated in fine fashion in this book, which is a must-read for anyone who is into food.

For all you New Yorkers feeling a little blue given the way your little brother to the north is pushing you around in athletic pursuits, chin up. You at least get a visit from the Pope. And at 81, he still has a better arm than Damon.

BLOGALICIOUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP TEN-PLUS

1. Kansas(def. Nebraska 76-39) - You'd be excused if you thought this was an early season basketball score. I know Nebraska 2007 isn't like Nebraska 1997, but 76 is still a pretty impressive number to hang on the Cornhuskers. Giving up 39 is worrisome, though, especially in light of this week's opponent, who have proven that they can score.

Next opponent: at Oklahoma State

2. Ohio State (def. Wisconsin 38-17) - Kansas beat Toledo worse than Ohio State beat Akron, and Toldeo has one more win than Akron. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Not that it'll change the Buckeyes' death march to the BCS title game.

Next opponent: Illinois

3. LSU (def. Alabama 41-34) - nice road win, though the grumbles about all the close calls are starting to pick up. Expect that to be the cover when Ohio State and Kansas play for the national title while LSU guts some unlucky team in the Sugar Bowl.

Next opponent: Louisiana Tech

4. Oregon (def. Arizona State 35-23) - change of plans, Kansas plays Ohio State in the BCS title game while everyone gets the matchup they want when Oregon and LSU play in the Rose Bowl. Look for the Ducks to keep their end up this week.

Next opponent: at Arizona

5. Oklahoma (def. Texas A&M 42-14) - good win this week, now a bit of a breather against the Temple of the Big XII.

Next opponent: Baylor

6. West Virginia (Idle) - so much for a must-see match-up, though there's still ample room for the Mountaineers to slip up and miss their conference title game against UConn in a couple of weeks.

Next opponent: Louisville (10/8)

7. Missouri (def. Colorado 55-10) - Oklahoma loses to Colorado, Kansas squeaks by them, and Missouri blows them out. Remind me why I have them down here?

Next opponent: Texas A&M

8. Arizona State (lost to Oregon 35-23) - as predicted last week, UCLA lost to Arizona, so expect the Sun Devils to lose this game 55-12.

Next opponent: at UCLA

9. Navy (def. Notre Dame 46-44) - congrats on snapping the 43 game losing streak. If you didn't beat ND this year, you may never have beaten them again. Does this mean that Delaware could beat the Irish?

Next opponent: at North Texas

10. Florida State (def. Newton Klown Kollege 27-17) - Thank you.

Next opponent: at Virginia Tech

109. UTEP(lost to Rice 48-56) - I think the only way you give up 56 points to the Owls is to play defense with 9 guys. Awfully sporting of the Miners to do that, though it doesn't do much for your bowl eligibility.

Next opponent: at Tulane

So the good news is that I'm now up to 1.5 hands, as I've had the splint off since Sunday and I've been able to reincorporate my non-filleted fingers into day to day tasks.

The bad news is that, at some point in the not too distant future, I'll be back down to one hand for at least a couple of weeks. This isn't too unexpected given the nature of the surgery, but what I didn't expect is that for those weeks, the repaired finger will have to be immobilized in a bent position so as not to place undue tension on the nerve, which could stretch it.

(I won't go into the details of the procedure, which at one point used terms like "zig zag stitch" and things that I'd rather not consider happening to my corpus.)

And after that I get to wait 6 to 8 months for the nerve to fully regrow. At which point the doctor I saw estimated I'd have 50 to 60 percent recovery of sensation. Which is enough for the important things, but not enough to get fine sensations. That's better than the ongoing numbness I have going on now, at least.

I'll find out my surgery date in the next couple of days. I'm hoping it'll land when we're closed for the holidays, as that would cause the least amount of disruption with work and other plans. It'd also give me an excuse to lay on the couch and watch bowl games. Not that I need one per se, but if I have one I'll take it.

BLOGALICIOUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP TEN-PLUS

1. Ohio State (def. Penn State 37-17) - I should just accept that they'll be undefeated going into the Michigan game.

Next opponent: Wisconsin

2. LSU (Idle) - a win this week pretty much puts them in the SEC title game.

Next opponent: at Alabama

3. Oregon (def. USC 24-17) - now if only Dennis Dixon could get some more national air time for his Heisman campaign.

Next opponent: Arizona State

4. West Virginia (def. Rutgers 31-3) - a week off to ponder what we thought would be the game for the Big East title.

Next opponent: Idle

5. Kansas (def. Colorado 19-14) - I tried to come up with a US history related joke for this week's game. Be happy I didn't.

Next opponent: Nebraska

6. Arizona State (def. Cal 31-20) - assuming ASU's QB can throw, this should be fun to watch. Unless you live outside of the Pacific time zone; then you won't be able to see the game at all.

Next opponent: at Oregon

7. Oklahoma (Idle) - Lots of deep reds in Norman this Saturday. That's all I've got.

Texas A&M

8. Trinity University (Texas) (def. Millsaps College 28-24) - if you've not seen the winning score, watch this.

Next opponent: Centre College

9. Missouri (def. Iowa State 48-28) - I should probably have them higher, but their win last week didn't involve 15 laterals.

Next opponent: at Colorado

10. Connecticut (def. South Florida 22-15) - I couldn't bring myself to go to the 2 loss teams just yet. Of course, these guys may be one after this week.

Next opponent: Rutgers

109. UCLA(lost to Washington State 7-27) - OK, you're 5-3, but your losses? Unexplainable. I fully expect you to lose this week and then beat ASU by 40.

Next opponent: at Arizona

Book Log 2007 #49: The Edict by Bob Cupp

The year is 1457. A new game is sweeping Scotland: golf. The annual tournament is afoot, and a young shepherd is looking to finally take his place among the immortals who have previously taken the title. But can he survive a plot that seeks to keep him from winning at all costs? That's the premise of this historical novel (really a novella) by Cupp, who is a well-known course designer.

I can't say I was overly taken with the book. There's not as much suspense as you might expect from the set up, and the vast majority of the action takes place before the titular edict is enacted. The way the story unfolds is also a bit odd, as it shifts more than once into regular third person to a viewpoint that's more like narration.

All that being said, it may be worth a gander for golf fans.