August 28, 2010
My Life is in Color Now
August 27, 2010
The Canonical Penguin: Close but No Cigar
August 26, 2010
Book Review: “Stonehenge” by Bernard Cornwell
I recently wrote that I was listening to this book, an example of the historical fiction that is a guilty pleasure, so I thought I would review it for all y'alls...
Set in prehistoric Britain, more than 4000 year ago, this book follows several tribes as they search for religious fulfillment at the hands of their various gods. Names such as Saban and Orena, struggle as fictional characters living their lives in the wilds of the British Isles, struggling with their view of the gods which control everything from the rise of the sun and different seasons to the amount of wild animals their clans hunters will be able to find. It is the effort to please these gods and influence them in some way that leads to the creation of a giant stone temple, that we commonly call Stonehenge now.
As historical fiction books go, this one has a lot going for it. Through his writing, Cornwell espouses a theory about the how’s, when’s and whys of this creation. After the end of the story, he includes a chapter that details much of what is known, not known and conjectured about this monument to the gods. Additionally he includes just enough of what I like to call “Neanderthal Porn” to make it interesting yet not cross into the “Neanderthal Romantic Novel” format of a Jane Auel or Sue Harrison. Sorry but I do not have to have every sexual encounter detailed in order to understand the importance of continuation of the species.
And now a couple of notes on the audio book process. I have come to understand no after listening to several audio books, that the person doing the reading provides a great deal of influence over the enjoyment of a book. When one reads, we do so in our own voice but these audio book actors (I guess that is what they are) are fleshing out the story in their own way. When I listened to Bryson read a couple of his books, it added to the enjoyment. Bernard Cornwell does not read this book but an actor with a bit of a British accent does and this made the conversations more believable for me. This will come up again when I review my next book and I will talk more about it then
So, in my initial use of the new Penguin Rating Scale, I give this book 3 Penguins…
August 24, 2010
The Canonical Penguin: Characters of 215th Street - Mrs. Perkins and Mrs. Watson
Mrs. Watson was a family friend, she had some connection to my mother but I do not know the circumstances of that relationship. She was a sturdy, traditionally built woman who you would see almost daily sweeping her porch or walking down her steps on the way to the grocery store or some civic meeting. She lived across the street from us, the third home in a row of 3 story Victorian giants. The first two were bought and demolished when we were very young, replaced by a dry cleaners and row of townhouses. But Mrs. Watson’s home remained intact. Her side yard was one that we would cut through to get to the other side of the block. Her yard was a bit overgrown with bushes and had no fence so we could slip through it without being seen. She always had a kind word for anyone who passed her on the street. She slipped getting out of my parents car one day, they may have been taking her to vote, and she broke her hip. I can remember my mother feeling responsible in some way even though she was not and it seemed that after that Mrs. Watson was never the same. We rarely saw her doing the things she had always done, rarely saw her out anymore. Years later I heard she had passed away and someone bought her house, tore it down and built more townhouses in the row.
(Not Mrs. Watson's home but a good representation of how I remember it...)
Mrs. Perkins lived up the block in the garden apartments. She was very old when I was a kid. She was rail thin, always wore fancy dresses and heels and lived in a dark, second floor apartment. We would be sent over to her place by my grandmother and she would give us some money to go to the local A&P to pick up a few items – milk, bread, some fresh ground coffee. She would take her money out of a silk purse and always found an extra dime or quarter for us. My grandmother would go over and visit her occasionally but we rarely if ever saw her out walking in town. Her skin was like parchment and I can remember seeing the veins on the back of her hand when she reached into the purse and being a bit scared but she was not someone to be scared of.
Both of these women were examples of the high society that existed in our neighborhood at that time and both exerted strong influences on all of us growing up. They were some of the characters in the neighborhood.
(These are stories about things that actually happened with plenty of witnesses. It has passed from the apocryphal to canonical in nature. Wiki says of canon – “material that is considered to be "genuine", "something that actually happened", or can be directly referenced as material produced by the original author or creator.”)
August 22, 2010
The Penguin’s New Rating Scale
4 Penguins – This represents an overall very positive experience. I will tell people about it in casual conversation (have you read any good books lately), defend it against negative karma (well I DID go there and liked it, maybe they were having a bad day?) and let my friends know it is a MUST DO.
5 Penguins – This is the Zagats of superiority! It wins the Car and Driver award, the US Transportation Board 5 Star Rating, the Lombardi Trophy of Excellence, an Academy Award, Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize all rolled into one. This is it!
So, enjoy the ratings system. Next up for a review will be a book I just finished, see you in the ratings scale…
The Canonical Penguin: Attic Treasures
August 19, 2010
Sometimes Things on the Internet Make My Head Explode
August 18, 2010
Lunch Boxes
August 16, 2010
Why So Sad???
Look carefully at the picture above. On the left is my son, CollegeBoy. He is sad. On the right is his girlfriend, MissNicole. She is VERY sad. Why are they sad you ask? They are sad because last week, they travelled down to stinkin’ New Jersey in order to go to the USA – Brazil Soccer game. They went with a relative, PO Jen. She is a soccer fan. CollegeBoy is a soccer fan. MissNicole likes being with CollegeBoy. PO Jen and CollegeBoy followed the World Cup matches this summer. This World Championship was maybe best known for three things:
1. Vuvuzelas, the horn
2. The US team advancing to the second round
3. Vuvuzelas
PO Jen and CollegeBoy wanted to see the US Team in person and was getting to see them in the splendor we call New Jersey and the new Meadowland’s stadium. They wanted to see the team do well against Brazil but I think more importantly, CollegeBoy and MissNicole wanted commerative Vuvuzales. They were shacked and dismayed at this sign.
What is this world coming to? Would you see a sign at a football game saying “No Beer”? Would you see signage at Yankee Stadium saying “No Hot Dogs or Peanuts Allowed?” Could you go see a professional hockey game with a sign posted saying “No Fighting?” Of course not. These things are a part of the fabric of enjoying the games we watch to be entertained and they took part of the entertainment away in stinkin New Jersey.
I’m not positive about this but I think that our Patriotic forefathers had Vuvuzelas in mind when they created the First Amendment covering free speech. This right was ripped away from CollegeBoy and MissNicole and it made them sad. It made me sad too.
We use to have that right. I can remember going to baseball games in the 1970’s with a long plastic horn, that had a droning buzz, much like the technologically improved Vuvuzales of today. We took them and blew them until we were exhausted but dammit, we were heard and no one even thought of trying to take this away from us.
GIVE US BACK OUR VUVUZALES!
GIVE US BACK OUR VUVUZALES!
August 12, 2010
“The internet's what's got us where we are”: My TLT – “To Listen To” list
Currently in the portable microchip is a historical fiction book, Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell. I enjoy historical fiction, my “dirty little secret” especially those that reference early man. I liked Jane Auel’s first couple of books until they became mammoth soap operas (did you see what I did there – mammoth = giant long books but also the wooly elephant like creature featured in her books…) When they tired me I move to a couple of other authors including Sue Harrison and Linda Lay Schuler who did similar books about Native Americans and new people in the new world. I am only about half way through Stonehenge but see it setting up to offer a plausible theory as to what Stonehenge was, is and how it got where it is now and why.
After this I am going to move to a couple of books by Neil Degrasse Tyson, currently the director of New York’s Haden Planetarium. I saw him several times on Colbert and Stewart, follow his musings on Twitter and have enjoyed a number of videos posted on YouTube with him explaining things. After Bryson’s book “A Short History of Almost Everything” I was looking for more information about the universe and the things in it. Tyson’s book The Pluto Chronicles" does feed this craving.
Finally, I am going to give a listen to Dubner and Levitt’s latest “SuperFreakonomics.” I really did enjoy their first book “Freakonomics” and figure as much for the second. I follow their blog at the NY Times and they always have interesting takes on the economics and sociology of out society and society at large.
For the future? I think I will keep on the historical fiction and science routes for a while. I want to look into some books in the paleontological vein – Neanderthal and early man historical fiction, and the like. I understand Robert Sawyer has done some and am going to look for the audio books for him. If anyone has a suggestion or two along this genre or the science field, I am open to it! I will keep you posted…
August 11, 2010
“The internet's what's got us where we are”: Just a few more Blogs and Webpages…
August 10, 2010
“The internet's what's got us where we are”: RSS and a List of Blogs
August 5, 2010
“The internet's what's got us where we are”: Books and Reading
First, I began reading newspapers on the internet. This is a great thing on one hand as I have lots of different options to choose from. On the negative side however , as we mentioned on our podcast many times including the episode “Is the internet making us stupid?” with all the availability one tends not to read in depth but rather skims in order to see what else might be available. I feel like I’m reading the same “number” of words but don’t feel it. And no, I do not miss the tangible feeling of holding the newspaper.
Secondly, when we went on a cruise a couple of years ago, I made an effort to read more. I figured I was relaxing and that was a great way to do it. In 10 days I read 6-7 books and reconnected with the feeling. My issue here is that with my eyesight not being what it once was and never being able to find my reading glasses, I just do not read as many books as I would like. Then, thru MillieJupiter, I discovered audio books and thru CollegeBoy, easy ways to download them from the internet. Add to this the fact that we got rid of cable TV and there is more time for this endeavor. And no, I do not miss the tangible feeling of holding a book (but a Nook might be a nice gift someday...)
Thirdly, I discovered “blogs” and shifted my reading for entertainment from magazines to this format. I use an RSS feed downloader, Google Reader, as so have a every day updating flow of blog material broken into four areas – individual blogs like “The Zees go West” and “Amputee Mommy,” Yankee Baseball Blogs like “River Ave. Blues” or “LoHud Yankee Blog,” Other sports related blogs on baseball, football and newspaper sports blogs, and Comedy Blogs like “Fail Blog” or “Cakewrecks” or “Fanboy.”
All of things have led me to feeling better, feeling as if my mind is more active, more willing to learn. I enjoy the things I read very much and expect to continue. In the next part of this series, I am going to talk about RSS readers and how to use them as well as mentioning a bunch of blogs I enjoy and think others might too. After that, a listing of books on my TLT – “To Listen To” list
(For those who may not have caught it, the new title of this series is a nod to my most recent fascination, the Jessi Slaughter Internet machine and her father’s propensity to utter internet meme’s. For more details about this, you could listen to the Countless Screaming Argonauts episode that talked about her and her situation…)
August 3, 2010
“The internet's what's got us where we are”: Some TV Series Recommendations
LEVERAGE – a TBS series is currently in its third season. I heard about this show from Wil Wheaton’s (Stand By Me, Star Trek: Next Generation) twitter and blog as he appeared in an episode in Season 2 and was back for a character reprisal. I like him as an actor and writer and so his working on a project was enough to get me to take a peek. The show itself is a somewhat light-hearted drama, think Mission Impossible meets The Thomas Crowne Affair. It stars Timothy (mrsfabp insists I use his full name, I call him Tim) Hutton with a cast of characters acting out a Robin Hood fantasy in modern times Boston. Good characters, plenty of twists and turns and interesting stories make it a good one. Watched the first two seasons and part of third consecutively – 30 shows all together, across about 4 weeks. They hooked me right from the start.
THE GUILD – this is another Wil Wheaton recommendation. He also appeared in a couple of episodes. What is unique about it is that it is an internet sitcom, only available from the website or Bing videos. It is a series of 5 minute long vignettes about a group of gaming people written by and starring Felicia Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). They are all about 5 minutes long and parody all of the thoughts you might have about adult who play role-play computer games. If you have heard of and liked “Dr. Horrible” (WIKI NOTE: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 2008 musical tragicomedy short film produced exclusively for Internet distribution. It tells the story of Dr. Horrible, an aspiring supervillain; Captain Hammer, his nemesis; and Penny, their mutual love interest. It stars Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, Felicia Day & Simon Helberg The movie was written by writer/director Joss Whedon). This involves several of my favorites and is sort of an inspiration to how The Guild Show was put together. Very funny, tongue in cheek comedy. Best part is that the shows are short; you can watch a whole season in less than 2 hours. Dr. Horrible is 3 15 minute mini movies, available on the website or through youtube.
EUREKA – this is a SyFy channel series that I had seen ads for and heard positive things about. I finally downloaded the entire first 2 seasons and began watching this week. I was hooked after the pilot and have enjoyed each and every show. Think X Files meets Northern Exposure for an idea of what this is about. Suffice it to say that this little town in the great Northwest, where everyone is a genius and a scientist for the US Government, certainly has a lot of weird things going on there.
Finally a short note about Mrsfabp. She too is getting into this new wave. She has to, as we no longer have cable. She has gotten into the more traditional types of series – watching downloads of HBO’s BIG LOVE, plus WEEDS and THE UNITED STATES OF TARA. She also watched American Idol last season, mostly downloaded and this season, downloaded and streamed at times. Also she was quite hooked on Dexter for a long time – maybe more than 2 seasons worth but more recently has not been watching it. She did ask me to update the United States of Tara Series with the newest shows though.
In the streaming department, I also watch MSNBC at night and at least check out what Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart are talking about and pick and choose shows based on guests. Add to this the Yankee games during baseball season and the Giants during the fall, and you have a good picture where we are at in terms of TV show enjoyment.
On last thing. Even commercials are different in this internet age. As a family, we spent an hour last week looking at and talking about the viral ad on the internet starring the OLD SPICE GUY. It was funny and interesting and the latest ad reviews said that OLD SPICE business was up 100% in the month after these innovative ads hit the internet. Good show!
(For those who may not have caught it, the new title of this series is a nod to my most recent fascination, the Jessi Slaughter Internet machine and her father’s propensity to utter internet meme’s. For more details about this, you could listen to the Countless Screaming Argonauts episode that talked about her and her situation…)