Comment Friday: 12/∞

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

And have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

As for me, I'm still re-reading (to refresh my memory) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (book seven, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out soon so, yes, I'll be re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince also. Actually, now that I've seen the movie (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), I will probably just jump into re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince now.)

I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (the movie, I mean).

Imelda Staunton (who played Delores Umbridge) was absolutely perfect, which is to say she was detestable from the word go!

And Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) was also quite enjoyable to watch . . . she was perfect for the role, playing luna as the space cadet she should have been: soft-spoken, walking around in a dream world, skipping everywhere, a real ditz!

My favorite line in the movie was when Harry and his friends were discussing the need to find a place to practice magic in secret and Ron's younger sister, Ginny, asks Harry what happens if they get found out (they're not supposed to be learning to actually cast spells this year) and Hermione (of all people) says: "Who cares . . . I mean it's sort of exciting isn't it . . . breaking the rules." to which Ron replies "Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?"

I am still struggling—and still hanging in there—in my XML Programming at Saint Paul College. (Saint Paul College is—as I've mentioned before—where I am working toward a Web Developer Certificate.) Things will get better next week when Riley starts a half-day camp all week (and a full-day camp the the week after that—which just happens to be the final week of class!)

---

Matière du jour:
Franz Schubert
(Category: Music)

Read the rest of this post...

T13 (9/∞): Thirteen Books

Thirteen Books With Thirteen In The Title Welcome to my 9th T13 (that's Thursday Thirteen)! Please use my "Mr. Linky" to leave a link back to your site (more traffic!) This week I've decided to follow up on last week's theme—if you recall, last week I found 13 books with the word Thursday in the title. This week I found 13 books with the word Thirteen in the title:

Thirteen by Richard K. Morgan Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis by Robert F. Kennedy and Arthur Schlesinger Jr. Thirteen Petalled Rose: A Discourse on the Essence of Jewish Existence And Belief by Adin Steinsaltz Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back by Joseph Bruchac The Thirteen-gun Salute by Patrick O'Brian Thirteen Senses: A Memoir by Victor Villaseñor Thirteen Steps Down by Ruth Rendell LUCKY THIRTEEN: D-Days in the Pacific with the U.S. Coast Guard in World War II by Ken Wiley Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel by Jane Smiley Thirteen White Roses: A Biography by Janie Carol Worley Thirteen At Dinner by Agatha Christie

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants View the Thursday Thirteen Blogroll

---

Matière du jour:
Circadian Rhythms
(Category: Science)

Read the rest of this post...

Testing Windows Live Writer

I've been meaning to give Windows Live Writer "a go" for quite some time, and have finally decided to bite the bullet and try it.

I admit I'm a bit skeptical about it, and I'm not sure how much I'll like it, but I'm willing to be open minded. I think it will come down to how much control I really have over the final posts and how infrequently WLW mucks things up for me.

I've also been getting into some other blogging services "out there" recently and when I have some time I'll tell you about some of my favorites and what I like about them.

For now I'll just name a few that I think will make a significant difference in my blogging habits: BlogCatalog, autopinger.com, coComment, and StumbleUpon.

Well, that is that for this post. I must say that so far I'm finding this much more painless than drafting a post online at Blogger.

Now to see how painless it is to publish the thing!

---

Matière du jour:
Napoleon Bonaparte
(Category: History)

Read the rest of this post...

July 8th

Today is July 8^th, 2007.

That means it's been thirty-one years today.

Thirty-one years ago today . . . about two in the morning . . . I was laying in my bed . . . in my room . . . in my barracks . . . in Turkey . . . after working four to midnight . . . trying to get some sleep.

Then came that knock on the door. And I wasn't trying to sleep any more.

As soon as I opened the door and saw the First Sergeant and my commander at the door, I knew what was going on.

My mom, who had been in and out of the hospital for her emphysema—and more in the hospital than out lately—was gone.

I know with certainty that I never heard them say it, but I knew what they saying. It was two in the morning, after all. Why else would they be there?

It saddens me, it shames me, how little I remember of her now; I was only a month shy of twenty at the time and I'm fifty now. A lot of time has passed, and my memory isn't what it used to be. And she's been gone half again the time that I knew her.

Yet I'm still ashamed I don't recall her better.

And yet.

I do remember needing to reach out and grab ahold of the dresser near the door.

I remember stepping back toward the bed, sitting down on it as they explained that I could go home on emergency leave, fly off first thing in the morning. Military hops all the way to the States and back on Uncle Sam's nickel. All this I remember. All this I heard.

But I never heard them say she was dead.

My mother wanted to be cremated, and so she was. Her body was ashes before I made it home, so I never saw her body.

That is something I regret, something that I wish had been in my power to change at the time.

She'd only be 85 now if she had lived, so a part of me—that part that never got the closure of seeing the body—has always waited for that time when I'd see her again, jumping out of a closet, and yelling "Surprise" like it was some big joke.

I know that ain't gonna happen. But there's still that part of me that never really put her to rest.

And perhaps that is not such a bad thing. For, in the words of Bob Dylan: she still lives inside of me, we've never been apart.

Now, as I've said here before, one of the ways my mom lives inside of me is through my feelings toward the written word, and the role she played in bringing about those feelings.

I could retell the story now, but I invite all book lovers who have braved on to this point to honor my mom's memory with a click through to read the tale. As I've said elsewhere, consider it an essential bit of Techsplorer history (Techsplorer is a word here meaning me, your host).

---

Matière du jour:
Constantine I
(Category: Religion)

Read the rest of this post...

Comment Friday: 11/∞

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

As for moi, I'm ticked off at Blogger at the moment.

For some reason, they no longer allow Blogger Template Tags in anchor tags (y'know: <a>) in a post! That had hosed up posting new messages for a while (and who knows what it's done to the messages I've already posted with Blogger Template Tags in them—which is how I used to do the "Post to del.icio.us" thingie!)

So what am I up to? I'm still refreshing my memory by re-reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (the movie—and book seven, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows both come out soon. And yes, I'll be re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince also.)

I am still struggling—but hanging in there—in my online class, XML Programming at Saint Paul College. (Saint Paul College is—as I've mentioned before—where I am working toward a Web Developer Certificate.)

---

Matière du jour:
Romantic Period
(Category: Music)

Read the rest of this post...

T13 (8/∞): "Thursday" Books

Thirteen Books With Thursday In The Title Welcome to my 8th T13 (that's Thursday Thirteen)! Please use my "Mr. Linky" to leave a link back to your site (more traffic!) This week I've decided to go a bit strange on you—I found 13 books with the word Thursday in the title:

The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton Sir Thursday (The Keys To The Kingdom, Book 4) by Garth Nix Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck Thursday Next: First Among Sequels (A Thursday Next Novel) by Jasper Fforde Thursdays At Eight by Debbie Macomber Every Other Thursday: Stories and Strategies from Successful Women Scientists by Ellen Daniell Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Tree House #27) by Mary Pope Osborne Gettin' Through Thursday by Melrose Cooper Make Four Million Dollars by Next Thursday by Stephen Manes Thursday's Child by Noel Streatfeild Theft on Thursday (Lois Meade Mysteries) by Ann Purser Bright and Early Thursday Evening: A Tangled Tale by Audrey Wood and Don Wood The Thursday Club by Lee Martin

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen ParticipantsView the Thursday Thirteen Blogroll

---

Matière du jour:
Electromagnetic Spectrum
(Category: Science)

Read the rest of this post...

Comment Friday: 10/∞

The following post is over an hour and a half late, but I'm posting it anyway!

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

As for moi, I'm re-reading (to refresh my memory) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling before seeing the movie when it comes out in a few weeks—and before book seven, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out next month. (And yes, I'll be re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince also.)

I am still struggling—but hanging in there—in my online class, XML Programming at Saint Paul College. (Saint Paul College is—as I've mentioned before—where I am working toward a Web Developer Certificate.)

---

Matière du jour:
Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
(Category: Music)

Post to Del.icio.us

Read the rest of this post...

T13 (7/∞): Movie Songs

Thirteen Songs That Will Forever Be Associate Specific Movies Welcome to my 7th T13 (that's Thursday Thirteen)! Please use my "Mr. Linky" to leave a link back to your site (more traffic!) Let's face it: there are certain songs—you know the ones—you hear them and you can't help it, you are thinking of that specific movie! Well, here are thirteen that will always remind me of a certain movie. I'd make this a contest, but most are way too easy! Instead, when you leave a comment (and please do!), why don't you share your favorite quote(s) from these movies. Oh, and if you don't know the movie the song is from, just put your mouse pointer over the song title to see the movie's title:

13. Old Time Rock And Roll 12. As Time Goes By 11. The Power Of Love 10. Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head  9. Day-O  8. Twist and Shout  7. Don't You (Forget About Me)  6. Sh-Boom  5. Do Wah Diddy Diddy  4. Iris  3. I Say A Little Prayer  2. Mrs. Robinson  1. Over The Rainbow

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants



View the Thursday Thirteen Blogroll

---

Matière du jour:
Stem Cells
(Category: Science)

Post to Del.icio.us

Read the rest of this post...

Jennifer Chiaverini: The Quilter's Apprentice (Rating: 8)

I have just finished The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini (May's "Neighborhood Wive's Book Club" pick).

The book opens with the main character, Sarah McClure, trying to find her place . . .The book opens with the main character, Sarah McClure, trying to find her place in the small college town of Waterford, Pennsylvania. (Sarah and her husband, Matt, have recently moved to Waterford so that he could take a job.)

Specifically—ironically, even—she's waiting for Matt to pick her up from (what will turn out to be) yet another fruitless job interview.

Since moving to Waterford, Sarah has been having trouble finding work outside of her chosen profession (accounting), a career choice that she admits to herself now is not all that she'd hoped for. In short, Sarah is starting to long for something more.

On the way home from Sarah's interview, Matt—a landscaper by trade—needs to stop off for a talk with his new client, Mrs. Compson, the elderly woman who owns Elm Creek Manor (the estate—for lack of a better word—that Matt is restoring to its former glory.)

It turns out Mrs. Compson is planning to sell Elm Creek Manor, and needs help with the cleaning up of the inside, deciding what to keep and what to discard, and has decided she wants Sarah to help her with that job (at least until "something better" comes along, as in "a real job").

Now, before Mrs. Compson has a chance to bring this suggestion to Sarah's attention, Sarah has not only taken an interest in learning to quilt, but has seen first-hand that Mrs. Compson has mastered the art of quilting, so Sarah makes a condition of her employment that she be taught to quilt.

Throughout the rest of this book, during the restoration of the Manor's interior and her quilting lessons, and even at her meetings with the Tangled Web Quilters "in town", Sarah learns a great deal about Mrs. Compson's history, as well as the history of Elm Creek Manor, and decides upon a task that she wants to accomplish, other than learning to quilt.

Things I liked about this book:

• I cannot go into details about the big thing I liked, because there is something in this book that did surprise me, and it is the surprise itself that makes it so much fun, but I will say that it has to do with a puzzle, and that's all I'll say about that!
• I liked the way Mrs. Compson's background was revealed in the stories she'd tell Sarah.
• I really (a word which here means "really, really, really, really, really") connected with Sarah's second thoughts on her chosen career path!

Things I didn't really care for about this book:

• I didn't care for the voice used telling this story (the external story, not when Mrs. Compson was telling stories to Sarah)
• I didn't care a whole lot for some of the dialog.
• I thought the book was somewhat predictable in some regards, especially the ending.

Regarding the first two problems I had with the book, I guess I thought something along the lines of "Who talks like this?" Perhaps this is just some prejudice on my part, something rubbing me the wrong way, but it just didn't sit well.

The way it really came across as was: the writing seems amateurish. But then, it was a first novel, so I'm willing to cut some slack there. If my first novel is ever published, I wouldn't be surprised if my prose seemed equally amateurish.

What this book made me think:

• It was easy for Joseph Campbell to advocate "Follow Your Bliss", but you'll never do that until you figure out just what the heck that is!
• Mend fences! The lives you touch while you are planted on this planet is what it is all about!

In short, if you're looking for a light read that is also enjoyable, you might be interested in reading this book, in particular if you love to quilt. (I wouldn't say "I love to quilt.", but I have helped Julie with a quilt she worked on for her sister and found that I really don't hate it either.)

If you'd like to learn more about Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts novels, follow the link I've provided.

---

Matière du jour:
Ludwig van Beethoven
(Category: Music)

Post to Del.icio.us

Read the rest of this post...

Comment Friday: 9/∞

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

As for moi, I have just finished The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini (May's "Neighborhood Wive's Book Club" pick).

I hope to have a review up later today, but in the meantime you can read my post on The Woods by Harlan Coben.

Updated!

In other news, I am—for the moment—keeping my head above water in my online class, XML Programming at Saint Paul College. (Saint Paul College is—as I've mentioned before—where I am working toward a Web Developer Certificate.)

The pace of the class is brisk, and I've breezed past the easy stuff and now I'm starting to bog down in the wizardry behind the curtain (DTDs and schemas).

By the time Riley gets more active in his summer programs (the last have of July) I just might be coming up for the third time and clawing desperately for something to hold onto to keep me afloat.

I'm hoping that these two sections that are bogging me down now are the last of the really cryptic nonsense (and at times it literally seems to make no sense)!

---

Matière du jour:
Ludwig van Beethoven
(Category: Music)

Post to Del.icio.us

Read the rest of this post...

This Blog Is Rated PG-13 (So I'm Told)

Well, I just had this blog rated, and I must say I find the results surprising:

Mingle² - Online Dating

This is based on the occurrence of the following words:

• dead (it says four times, but I found five: 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5),
• dick (it says twice, but unless it is counting the tag I see only once), and
• kill (supposedly found once, but I count three times: 1, 2, & 3; my guess: It knows about To Kill a Mockingbird; that may explain dead above—maybe it knows about Speaker for the Dead too)

---

Matière du jour:
Reproduction
(Category: Science)

Post to Del.icio.us

Read the rest of this post...

T13 (6/∞): Places I've Lived

Thirteen Places I've Lived Welcome to my 6th T13 (that's Thursday Thirteen)! Please use my "Mr. Linky" to leave a link back to your site (more traffic!) Here is a list of the eleven U.S. states and two countries outside the U.S. I've lived in (my parents moved around a lot when I was very young):

New York (1956-1957, 1958-1962): I was born on Long Island and we lived on Long Island whenever we lived in NY; my earliest memories are of NY Massechusets (1957-1958): Taunton, MA is where I took my first step; Dad had stood me up against the side of the house to take my picture and I took a step toward him to grab the camera, so he took the picture right away Connecticut (1958): a place for which I have no memories Rhode Island (1958): yet another place for which I have no memories New Hampshire (1962-1963, 1963-1975): though I haven't set foot in the state since 1982, this is the state I think of as home (or it was until I got married and moved to Minnesota) Maine (1963): I have a few memories of living in Maine, but they truly are few and even more vague than they are few Texas (1975): As with all USAF Airmen, I went through basic training at Lackland AFB (that's Air Force Base to you civilians) in San Antonio Mississippi (1975-1976): After basic training, I got my technical training as a Telecommunications Specialist at Keesler AFB in Biloxi Turkey (1976-1977): I spent my first year after "Tech School" in Turkey Germany (1977-1979): I spent two great years near Kaiserslautern Maryland (1979-1981): the last two years of my six year commitment I spent at Andrews AFB—home of Air Force One Virginia (1981-1995): upon my discharge I took a job working in Virginia Minnesota (1995-): after getting married, we fled the D.C. area—well, I fled (Julie just came with)—and settled in this house in Eagan in August 1995

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

View the Thursday Thirteen Blogroll

---

Matière du jour:
Reproduction
(Category: Science)

Post to Del.icio.us

Read the rest of this post...

Harlan Coben: The Woods (Rating: 9)

I just finished reading The Woods by Harlan Coben.

I simply cannot say enough about this man as a writer: he is, in my opinion, quite possibly the most readable author in America, if not the world.

Things I liked about this book:

• I loved the way Coben concealed so many hints about what was to come into the prologue
• As usual, I loved his characters, which are always very human and believable
• I loved the plot of the book, and the way so many elements of the book were interweaved

The only thing I didn't really care for about this book was the very ending. I mean, I certainly understand what was going on (a phrase which here means "Why he felt he had to wrap it up like that"), but I didn't particularly find it pleasing.

On the whole, I'd say this book is exactly what I've come to expect from Coben's books: after reading every one of his novels, I've come to expect excellence in storytelling, and have yet to be disappointed.

Until further notice, consider every one of his books to be highly recommended reading!

---

Matière du jour:
Virginia Woolf
(Category: Literature)

Post to Del.icio.us

Read the rest of this post...

James Hall & Charles Nordhoff: The Bounty Trilogy

June 19, 2007

I just noticed that when I posted this message on Sunday (Father's Day, no less) that I didn't actually post it, but instead I saved it as a draft, so I'm keeping the date of the original post.

Today is Father's Day, and I've got plans with Julie and Riley (AKA: the wife and the son).

But my own father died on June 17^th, 2004. (That is three years ago today, but it was a Thursday that year.)

When he died I knew that, sooner or later, the anniversary of that date would fall on Father's Day and here it is. I'm trying not too get into too much of a funk about that.

So anyway, obviously my plans today do not include telephoning him to wish him a happy Father's Day.

Instead I will honor his memory today by briefly recommending a series of books that he highly recommended to me when I was a teenager: the Bounty Trilogy by James Hall and Charles Nordhoff. The books in this series are: Mutiny on the Bounty, Men Against the Sea, and Pitcairn's Island.

It has been many years since I was a teenager, and I haven't read them since, but I recall that I did indeed enjoy them a great deal at the time. My memories of these books are strong enough and fond enough that I do not have any qualms about highly recommending them, even after all these years!

We miss you, Dad!

---

Matière du jour:
Catholicism
(Category: Religion)

Post to Del.icio.us

Read the rest of this post...

Comment Friday: 8/∞

It is Comment Friday here at Love All Books and at BAYB (where I grabbed the idea from initially).

So, on that note, as long as you're here . . .

Please post a comment while you're visiting and tell me what you're up to. Tell me what you're reading and what you think about it!

Have a great Friday.

Oh, and head over to BAYB and leave a comment there!

As for moi, I'm just about finished with The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini (May's "Neighborhood Wive's Book Club" pick) and I'm doing something quite unusual for me, and that is that I'm reading a second piece of fiction at the same time!

This second book is The Woods by Harlan Coben.

Harlan Coben is one of those authors I truly enjoy reading. The man is absolutely gifted at turning out page turners and, so far, The Woods is no exception. That being the case, it shouldn't take me too long to finish it and I should have a review up fairly soon.

---

Matière du jour:
Mozart's Concerto No. 21 and Symphony No. 41
(Category: Music)

Post to Del.icio.us

Read the rest of this post...

T13 (5/∞): Keeping Riley Busy This Summer

Thirteen Ideas for Keeping Riley Busy This Summer Welcome to my 5th T13 (that's Thursday Thirteen)! Please use my "Mr. Linky" to leave a link back to your site (more traffic!) School's out for Riley for the summer, but not for me. Here are thirteen things we've got planned to keep him occupied this summer:

Vacation Church School mornings, Jun 11-Jun 15 Sports Mania Camp afternoons, Jun 11-Jun 15 at Life Time Fitness Swimming Lessons mornings for 30 minutes, Jun 25-Jul 6, at Life Time Fitness Visit cousins whenever Extreme LEGOS and MatheMagic mornings, Jul 16-Jul 20 Go For The Gold "Super Summer Camp" all day, Jul 23-27 at Life Time Fitness Go to the Minnesota Zoo whenever Go to the Park whenever Visit friends whenever Minnesota State Fair sometime during August 23rd to September 3rd Go to The Blast on one or more rainy days Go to the Minnesota Children's Museum whenever Go to the Science Museum of Minnesota whenever Fortunately for moi, number 6 on the list—the all day camp at Life Time Fitness—takes place during the last week of my "semester long" class they've managed to cram into eight weeks.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen ParticipantsView the Thursday Thirteen Blogroll

---

Ooopps! Forgot already!
Matière du jour:
Cognitive Dissonance
(Category: Science)

Post to Del.icio.us

Read the rest of this post...