So... Last time I posted was back in April. The lack of posting hasn't been because I've been especially busy, or had nothing to talk about, but rather a matter of procrastination. A couple of days ago I got back from a short camping trip to Watkins Glen, NY, with a small subset of my usual camping group. Fun trip for the most part. Did a couple of ( Read more... )

Didn't make it to down to Jersey yesterday for Thanksgiving. My cough was just too bad. That's twice now in three years I've been too sick to make the trip, and it's getting a little frustrating. And despite knowing it was likely I'd have to make my own Thanksgiving dinner, I didn't bother to go out Wednesday night to get a roaster of some sort and ( Read more... )

A post by ocvictor discussing the Green Lantern mythos (among others), reminded me that I meant to talk about the trailer for the upcoming GL movie.

Click to view

Everything looks great. Ryan Reynolds even looks like Hal Jordan. But then he says,

The one thing a Green Lantern's supposed to be is fearless.
That isn't me.

Wait. What?

No! No! NO! The ring chose ( Read more... )

( The Silent Speaker - Rex Stout )

The movie version of Steinbeck's Cannery Row is one of my all-time favorite films. It's funny, and sweet, and melancholy, plus there's baseball and science. I probably identify way too much with Doc. The book is much the same, except for the baseball. I'd never read it before, and I liked it a lot. There's not much of a plot here, just a meander ( Read more... )

Some blasts from the past.

( Reader's Digest Treasury for Young Readers... )

Am safely in New Jersey, piggybacking on someone's wireless. It might be Al's, but then again, it might not be, because Slick is picking up at least three wireless networks, and I just selected the most likely one. He and D are still asleep, so I can't confirm ( Read more... )

Kenneth Taylor died this past November 25th after a long illness, less than two weeks short of the 65th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was during the attack that Taylor and his wingman, George Welch became heroes as the most successful of the handful of American pilots who managed to get into the air during the attack. They'd been ( Read more... )

( Measure Twice, Cut Once: Lessons from a Master Carpenter )

So, I throw a couple of lovely pork chops on the grill, brined a la Alton, then close the top, and head inside for a couple three minutes. When I come back out to turn them over, I discover that the propane has run out. No biggie, I have a spare tank. I disconnect the empty, put it next to the stoop, and then start attaching the spare ( Read more... )