I generally try to lay out a reading plan, if not in written form, then in my mind, as I enter a new year. Last year I knew I would be focusing on finding some new authors and reading a lot of fiction. For 2010, I have a couple of thoughts.
There are some series I want to re-read. Specifically, Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series (been years since I read any of those); Tony Hillerman's Navajo Tribal Police mysteries (I've never read them in chronological order); maybe The Dark Tower series by Stephen King (this one I read over a 10- or 11-year period as King saw fit to dribble them out.....). Then there is another Southwestern series of mysteries by David and Amy Thurlo that look good, in the spirit of Tony Hillerman. I may also re-read Asimov's Robot novels.
I also have about 5 Hugh Corbett mysteries left, and Paul Doherty has a couple of other mystery series with different characters that I will look at. Like the Hugh Corbett books, some of them I may have to locate used, as they are a bit obscure.
I also want to read some more classic history - Carthage, ancient Greece, etc. Maybe something on Hannibal, Alexander the Great. I have a pretty good feel for ancient Rome - the start of the Republic and the move into the Empire. I would like to read about the decline and fall of Rome as well. Then maybe move into the Middle Ages. Should be a good year, reading-wise!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Dan's 2009 Reading List
Time to close out the year, from a reading perspective..... I am still reading a book, but doubt I will complete it before midnight tomorrow night - Stephen King's latest, 'Under the Dome'. It's 1,071 pages, and as of now (12/30/2009, 4:00 pm) I am on page 240. This one seems headed towards a 'Stand'-like good vs evil sort of routine, a modern-day 'Lord of the Flies' in a small Maine town that somehow becomes trapped under a (you guessed it) 'Dome'..... But King always does a good job with characters, and I am all about the characters, so I can forgive a little bit of a formulaic plotline. But more about it when completed.
So, with no further ado, the 2009 list, with some commentary afterwards.....
Rome
Non-fiction book titles are in bold.
The total of 83 way surpasses previous years since I have been keeping track (I started seriously in 2003). The previous high was in 2005, with 51. This is probably due to a couple of factors -
1) Most of my reading (88%) was fiction in 2009. Since much of my non-fiction
reading tends to be history, which can be quite ponderous tomes, the fiction
tends to move along much more quickly for me.
2) I discovered several new authors this year - Steven Saylor (the Gordianius the
Finder mysteries of ancient Rome); Paul (PC) Doherty (several mystery series
including the Amerotke ancient Egypt mysteries and the Hugh Corbett
mysteries set primarily in England of the early 14th century - I started the latter
series in December 2008); John Lawton (the Frederick Troy mysteries set in
the mid-20th century) and Charles Todd, whose Inspector Ian Rutledge series
is set in post-WWI England. Good mysteries all, and very difficult to put down
once started..... Unfortunately, I've finished the Gordianus series and am
anxiously awaiting a new one!
You'll notice that I only read one Presidential bio in 2009 - Gerald Ford', in February. It was actually his autobiography - the first one I have read in my 'Presidential (and Others) Series'. I could not find a very satisfactory biography of him yet. And I am taking a sabbatical from this series, as Carter is still alive, and I don't believe that there is sufficient historical perspective available yet on any of the Presidents from Carter onwards. This series will probably never be completed, for that same reason.....
As far as the mysteries are concerned, all of them take place in historically interesting points in time - ancient Egypt, the end of the Roman Republic, post-WWI England, World War II, etc. They all blend some range of historical fact or an actual mystery and historical characters with fictional characters and activities - a great combination for a histry and mystery buff! I would especially highly recommend the Gordianus series to anyone interested in ancient Rome. Saylor's books are all built around interesting relationships between actual historical characters such as Cicero, Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar and various fictional characters. Paul Doherty's Hugh Corbett series does the same, with the added twist of using actual historical mysteries that are solved by his main character, the Chief Clerk to King Edward I of England. Again, cool historical intersections abound.
Well, that's about it for 2009, time to close out the list. I have some thoughts on what I want to do for 2010 that I will post separately.
So, with no further ado, the 2009 list, with some commentary afterwards.....
1) Stephen Ambrose – Nothing Like It In The World – Jan
2) Constantine Pleshakov - The Tsars Last Armada – Jan
3) Douglas Preston, Mario Spezi – The Monster of
4) Dennis Lehane – The Given Day – Jan
5) John Connolly – The Black Angel – Feb
6) Paul Doherty – Crown in Darkness – Feb
7) Paul Doherty – Spy in Chancery – Feb
8) Paul Doherty – The Angel of Death – Feb
9) Harry Turtledove – Opening Atlantis – Feb
10) Steve Berry – The Charlemagne Pursuit – Feb
11) Gerald R Ford – A Time to Heal: Autobiography – Feb
12) Steve Berry – The
13) Paul Doherty – The Prince of Darkness – Mar
14) Dennis Lehane –
15) John Connolly – The Reapers - Mar
16) Steven Saylor – Roman Blood – Mar
17) Steve Saylor – The House of the Vestals – Mar
19) John Connolly – The Unquiet – Mar
20) Patrick O’Brian – Master and Commander – Mar
21) Diana Preston – The Boxer Rebellion – Mar
22) Steven Saylor – The Arms of Nemesis – Mar
23) Arthur C Clarke – The Last Theorem – Apr
24) William Dietrich – The Dakota Cipher – Apr
25) John Le Carre – A Most Wanted Man – Apr
26) Nick Drake – Nefertiti: The Book of the Dead – Apr
27) PC Doherty – Murder Wears a Cowl - Apr
28) Greg Iles – Spandau
29) Dennis LeHane – Gone, Baby, Gone – May
30) Steven Saylor - Catalina’s Riddle – May
31) Robert Harris - Imperium – May
32) William Diehl – Primal Fear – May
33) David L Robbins – Last Citadel – May
34) Matthew Pearl – The Last Dickens – May
35) Stephen King – Just After Sunset – May
36) Robert Harris –
37) David L Robbins – War of the Rats – May
38) Robert Masello – Blood and Ice – Jun
39) David L Robbins – The End of War – Jun
40) Steven Saylor – The Venus Throw – Jun
41) Various – The Tainted Relic – The Medieval Murderers – Jun
42) Craig Dirgo – The Einstein Papers - Jun
43) Steven Saylor – Murder on the
44) Bernard Cornwell –
45) Robert Masello – Bestiary – Jul
46) Steven Saylor – Rubicon – Jul
47) Steven Saylor – Last Seen in Massilia – Jul
48) Preston/Child – Cemetary Dance – Jul
49) John Lawton – Blackout – Jul
50) Steven Saylor – A Mist of Prophecies – Jul
51) John Lawton – Old Flames – Jul
52) John Gardner – The Garden of Weapons – Aug
53) Steven Saylor – The Judgement of Caesar – Aug
54) Steven Saylor – The Triumph of Caesar – Aug
55) John Lawton – A Little White Death – Aug
56) Bruce Weber – As They See ‘Em – Aug
57) John Connolly – The Lovers – Aug
58) Anthony Everitt – Cicero – Aug
59) Philip Freeman - Julius Caesar – Sept
60) Daniel Silva – The Defector – Sept
61) Harry Ferguson – Operation Kronstadt – Sept
62) Brent Ghelfi – Volk’s Game – Sept
63) Charles Todd – A Test of Wills – Sept
64) Charles Todd – Wings of Fire – Sept
65) PC Doherty – Assassin in the
66) Brent Ghelfi – Volk’s Shadow – Sept
67) Charles Todd – Search the Dark – Sept
68) Tim Sebastian – The Spy in Question – Oct
69) PC Doherty – The Song of the Dark Angel – Oct
70) John Lawton – Bluffing Mr Churchill – Oct
71) Charles Todd – Legacy of the Dead – Oct
72) Brent Ghelfi – The Venona Cable – Oct
73) Charles Todd – The Watchers of Time – Nov
74) PC Doherty – The Devil’s Hunt – Nov
75) Jeff Shaara – No Less Than Victory – Nov
76) John Lawton – Flesh Wounds – Nov
77) Brian D’Amato – In The Courts of the Sun – Nov
78) Paul Doherty – The Demon Archer – Dec
79) John Lawton – Second Violin – Dec
80) Charles Todd – Fearsome Doubt – Dec
81) Steven Saylor – Roma – Dec
82) Ron Darling – The Complete Game – Dec
Non-fiction book titles are in bold.
The total of 83 way surpasses previous years since I have been keeping track (I started seriously in 2003). The previous high was in 2005, with 51. This is probably due to a couple of factors -
1) Most of my reading (88%) was fiction in 2009. Since much of my non-fiction
reading tends to be history, which can be quite ponderous tomes, the fiction
tends to move along much more quickly for me.
2) I discovered several new authors this year - Steven Saylor (the Gordianius the
Finder mysteries of ancient Rome); Paul (PC) Doherty (several mystery series
including the Amerotke ancient Egypt mysteries and the Hugh Corbett
mysteries set primarily in England of the early 14th century - I started the latter
series in December 2008); John Lawton (the Frederick Troy mysteries set in
the mid-20th century) and Charles Todd, whose Inspector Ian Rutledge series
is set in post-WWI England. Good mysteries all, and very difficult to put down
once started..... Unfortunately, I've finished the Gordianus series and am
anxiously awaiting a new one!
You'll notice that I only read one Presidential bio in 2009 - Gerald Ford', in February. It was actually his autobiography - the first one I have read in my 'Presidential (and Others) Series'. I could not find a very satisfactory biography of him yet. And I am taking a sabbatical from this series, as Carter is still alive, and I don't believe that there is sufficient historical perspective available yet on any of the Presidents from Carter onwards. This series will probably never be completed, for that same reason.....
As far as the mysteries are concerned, all of them take place in historically interesting points in time - ancient Egypt, the end of the Roman Republic, post-WWI England, World War II, etc. They all blend some range of historical fact or an actual mystery and historical characters with fictional characters and activities - a great combination for a histry and mystery buff! I would especially highly recommend the Gordianus series to anyone interested in ancient Rome. Saylor's books are all built around interesting relationships between actual historical characters such as Cicero, Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar and various fictional characters. Paul Doherty's Hugh Corbett series does the same, with the added twist of using actual historical mysteries that are solved by his main character, the Chief Clerk to King Edward I of England. Again, cool historical intersections abound.
Well, that's about it for 2009, time to close out the list. I have some thoughts on what I want to do for 2010 that I will post separately.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Random Thoughts
Some random thoughts on the first day of school....
1) What is that smell in Piscataway?? Oh, the Rutgers football team and the stinker of a game they put forward yesterday afternoon. It's not RU but P-U!
2) When did we get so polarized in this country? I mean, the President wants to speak to school kids to encourage them to do well in school, and the wack jobs on the right have people convinced that he is going to give them some pro-abortion, socialistic, Obama cult message! I mean this morning, I saw a woman on TV actually say that she's concerned that he will push his political agenda on her elementary school-aged children! She must be concerned that they will try to redistribute the lunch money and snacks from the rich to the poor kids. Ridiculous.
3) An adjunct thought to the above - it's not just whack-jobs on the right but whack-jobs on the left as well, crowing about how they were going to get so much done with a Democratic Congress and Democratic President. So far, what has gotten done? Bupkis, basically. The Democrats can't even keep their own members together, so forget about getting bipartisan support on anything. And with the Republicans not offering anything but 'No', it's not surprising, I guess, that we have become so polarized.
4) The latest controversy at South Brunswick High School is about the wearing of student id's on a lanyard. Al students will be required to wear their id on a school-provided lanyard. So far, with the couple of HSers I've talked to, it's going over like a lead balloon on a lanyard. The rationale is security, 'because people in real jobs have to wear their id's' and so that students get to know each other.... Should be interesting.
Dan
1) What is that smell in Piscataway?? Oh, the Rutgers football team and the stinker of a game they put forward yesterday afternoon. It's not RU but P-U!
2) When did we get so polarized in this country? I mean, the President wants to speak to school kids to encourage them to do well in school, and the wack jobs on the right have people convinced that he is going to give them some pro-abortion, socialistic, Obama cult message! I mean this morning, I saw a woman on TV actually say that she's concerned that he will push his political agenda on her elementary school-aged children! She must be concerned that they will try to redistribute the lunch money and snacks from the rich to the poor kids. Ridiculous.
3) An adjunct thought to the above - it's not just whack-jobs on the right but whack-jobs on the left as well, crowing about how they were going to get so much done with a Democratic Congress and Democratic President. So far, what has gotten done? Bupkis, basically. The Democrats can't even keep their own members together, so forget about getting bipartisan support on anything. And with the Republicans not offering anything but 'No', it's not surprising, I guess, that we have become so polarized.
4) The latest controversy at South Brunswick High School is about the wearing of student id's on a lanyard. Al students will be required to wear their id on a school-provided lanyard. So far, with the couple of HSers I've talked to, it's going over like a lead balloon on a lanyard. The rationale is security, 'because people in real jobs have to wear their id's' and so that students get to know each other.... Should be interesting.
Dan
Friday, July 31, 2009
Contact Lenses
I was thinking about contact lenses today, since tomorrow I change this pair out for a new pair. I recently became able to wear 30-day disposable lenses, after years of having to special order lenses and wear them for a year, with monthly soaking in a special solution to ward off bacteria build-up...... These new lenses are pretty cool, although it does necessitate the wearing of inexpensive magnifying glasses when I read or do computer work. No biggie, however. It seems that my prescription has actually decreased a bit as I have gotten older.
It's been exactly 33 years since I started wearing lenses, getting my first pair in the summer of 1976, right after I graduated high school. I never wore the hard lenses, unlike my sister. Soft lenses were just out, and much easier to wear than hard lenses. I remember the first day I had the lenses, I went out and bought a pair of cool aviator style, reflective sunglasses! Those are still much the favorite pair I ever had, although they are long gone.
The lenses back in those days had to be 'boiled' every night. I received a round heater that had a lid with a basket on the top. I had to fill the heater with a certain amount of distilled water, then plug it in. It would boil the water, and the steam would cleanse the lenses (even though they were inside a case - I guess it really just heated up the saline solution inside the lens case to the point where it almost boiled. The downside was that this really had to be done overnight! I can recall forgetting to do it overnight, boiling them in the morning then trying to cool the lenses off by running the case under cold water! Nothing like buring your eyeballs..... I went through a couple of different sorts of heaters, before the early '80's when they came out with the various types of disinfecting solutions that required no heating. Pretty amazing now to look back on those days, when we thought the process was so high-tech!
I also became a sunglasses maven. I've always had several pairs of sunglasses since then, including some very nice - and expensive - Ray-Bans. I still have aviators and Wayfarers that I bought for quite a bit of money in the '80's. Classic styles. Nowadays I tend towards cheapo sunglasses, although I don't really misplace or break them. I currently have 4 pair, including a pair that I liberated from AJ.
It's been exactly 33 years since I started wearing lenses, getting my first pair in the summer of 1976, right after I graduated high school. I never wore the hard lenses, unlike my sister. Soft lenses were just out, and much easier to wear than hard lenses. I remember the first day I had the lenses, I went out and bought a pair of cool aviator style, reflective sunglasses! Those are still much the favorite pair I ever had, although they are long gone.
The lenses back in those days had to be 'boiled' every night. I received a round heater that had a lid with a basket on the top. I had to fill the heater with a certain amount of distilled water, then plug it in. It would boil the water, and the steam would cleanse the lenses (even though they were inside a case - I guess it really just heated up the saline solution inside the lens case to the point where it almost boiled. The downside was that this really had to be done overnight! I can recall forgetting to do it overnight, boiling them in the morning then trying to cool the lenses off by running the case under cold water! Nothing like buring your eyeballs..... I went through a couple of different sorts of heaters, before the early '80's when they came out with the various types of disinfecting solutions that required no heating. Pretty amazing now to look back on those days, when we thought the process was so high-tech!
I also became a sunglasses maven. I've always had several pairs of sunglasses since then, including some very nice - and expensive - Ray-Bans. I still have aviators and Wayfarers that I bought for quite a bit of money in the '80's. Classic styles. Nowadays I tend towards cheapo sunglasses, although I don't really misplace or break them. I currently have 4 pair, including a pair that I liberated from AJ.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Some Random Thoughts
I haven't posted in a while - been doing a lot of 'other' writing - my journal, facebook, Twitter, etc..... But a few things have been floating around in my brain....
If you love historical novels and mysteries, why not combine them? I have been reading several series that are really good - Steven Saylor's 'Roma Sub Rosa' series takes place in ancient Rome, at the end of the Republican era (70 - 30 BC) and feature a character named Gordianus the Finder, who resolves various mysteries involving historical characters such as Pompey, Cicero, Julius Caesar, etc. PC (Paul) Doherty has several series; two which I have anjoyed so far are his ancient Egypt mysteries (they take place in the 1350 BC era) featuring Amerotke the judge, and his medieval series with Hugh Corbett that takes place around 1300 AD. They are all valid mystery stories, with historical characters tightly woven in, and are based on real events that have been fleshed out by the authors. Excellent reading.
I thought this was a great quote by Philip Cioffari - "All writing is a combination of personal details, and things you hear from other people and things you make up." Even though grammatically-challenged, I feel like it sums up fiction writing very well.
Even some news reporting.
I don't know how the Obama Administration expects the carmakers to meet the 35.5 fleet mpg goal by 2016, given their precarious situation, the fact that gas prices have moved off their peak highs from last year and the market-driven products. So in a sense, what this legislatin will do is force the automakers to eliminate vehicles that consumers want to buy, because they will not be able to afford to have them pulling down their mileage averages. Good-bye large SUV's, crossovers, minivans, etc. Another example of the creeping-socialism era that we have entered. And strangely enough, the automakers seem to be okay with this idea. maybe it's because they feel that they have no choice, given how some of them (GM, Chrysler) are being kept afloat by the government.
Why does my dog insist on going through the wastebaskets and eating the snotty toilet paper and tissues? It is getting to the point where I need to either empty the wastebaskets daily or make sure that all of the bathroom doors are closed all the time! I even tried the old 'put the empty wastebasket over her head and bang on it' routine, now she just runs away whenever she sees me coming with one..... Grrrr.
If you love historical novels and mysteries, why not combine them? I have been reading several series that are really good - Steven Saylor's 'Roma Sub Rosa' series takes place in ancient Rome, at the end of the Republican era (70 - 30 BC) and feature a character named Gordianus the Finder, who resolves various mysteries involving historical characters such as Pompey, Cicero, Julius Caesar, etc. PC (Paul) Doherty has several series; two which I have anjoyed so far are his ancient Egypt mysteries (they take place in the 1350 BC era) featuring Amerotke the judge, and his medieval series with Hugh Corbett that takes place around 1300 AD. They are all valid mystery stories, with historical characters tightly woven in, and are based on real events that have been fleshed out by the authors. Excellent reading.
I thought this was a great quote by Philip Cioffari - "All writing is a combination of personal details, and things you hear from other people and things you make up." Even though grammatically-challenged, I feel like it sums up fiction writing very well.
Even some news reporting.
I don't know how the Obama Administration expects the carmakers to meet the 35.5 fleet mpg goal by 2016, given their precarious situation, the fact that gas prices have moved off their peak highs from last year and the market-driven products. So in a sense, what this legislatin will do is force the automakers to eliminate vehicles that consumers want to buy, because they will not be able to afford to have them pulling down their mileage averages. Good-bye large SUV's, crossovers, minivans, etc. Another example of the creeping-socialism era that we have entered. And strangely enough, the automakers seem to be okay with this idea. maybe it's because they feel that they have no choice, given how some of them (GM, Chrysler) are being kept afloat by the government.
Why does my dog insist on going through the wastebaskets and eating the snotty toilet paper and tissues? It is getting to the point where I need to either empty the wastebaskets daily or make sure that all of the bathroom doors are closed all the time! I even tried the old 'put the empty wastebasket over her head and bang on it' routine, now she just runs away whenever she sees me coming with one..... Grrrr.
Monday, March 23, 2009
AIG Bonus Tax
There has been such an emotional uproar over the AIG bonuses that many have overlooked some common sense with regards to how to handle these sorts of things - or even if they SHOULD be 'handled'.....
I feel as much outrage over how this whole thing happened, as do many. The fact that I paid those bonuses, through my taxpayer-funded AIG bail-out, really pisses me off. It's not right. And the insistence by the AIG CEO that due to 'contractual obligations', they had to pay the bonuses. Of course, the UAW had a contract but re-opened it to renegoitiation. But Congress caused the issue by not putting any - or very many - strings on the money they gave AIG, at Bush's insistence. So now they are outraged at the bonuses being paid, although the writing was on the wall for months, and many people knew about them.
But the position they are taking - with a 90% tax on these bonuses - seems to me a large overreaction, which is what we should expect from Congress. It's a very slippery slope they are stepping on to, and it makes me very nervous. If they can retroactively tax these bonuses, what's to stop them from enacting any sort of retroactive tax? Or a tax targeted at a very narrow group of citizens? Should they really be allowed to dictate the compensation policies of companies? Granted, in this instance, they (we) own 80% of AIG - but shouldn't they have to work through the same stockholder procedures that any stockholder would have to?
This is one instance where I agree with President Obama (who has indicated that he is against the bonus tax). I hope he has the guts to stick with his position this time.
I feel as much outrage over how this whole thing happened, as do many. The fact that I paid those bonuses, through my taxpayer-funded AIG bail-out, really pisses me off. It's not right. And the insistence by the AIG CEO that due to 'contractual obligations', they had to pay the bonuses. Of course, the UAW had a contract but re-opened it to renegoitiation. But Congress caused the issue by not putting any - or very many - strings on the money they gave AIG, at Bush's insistence. So now they are outraged at the bonuses being paid, although the writing was on the wall for months, and many people knew about them.
But the position they are taking - with a 90% tax on these bonuses - seems to me a large overreaction, which is what we should expect from Congress. It's a very slippery slope they are stepping on to, and it makes me very nervous. If they can retroactively tax these bonuses, what's to stop them from enacting any sort of retroactive tax? Or a tax targeted at a very narrow group of citizens? Should they really be allowed to dictate the compensation policies of companies? Granted, in this instance, they (we) own 80% of AIG - but shouldn't they have to work through the same stockholder procedures that any stockholder would have to?
This is one instance where I agree with President Obama (who has indicated that he is against the bonus tax). I hope he has the guts to stick with his position this time.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
I LIKE the World Baseball Classic!
There has been a lot of discussion regarding the WBC. Most pundits - and managers and GM's - don't like it. Too much risk of injury, time away from the team during spring training, too intense too early in the year.... These are all reasons why the teams don't like it.
But I've watched a lot of the games this spring, and I have to say that I really like it! Compared to watching spring training games, watching guys with numbers like 83, 97 and 134 filling out most team's line-ups, especially after the 5th inning, is incredibly boring and a waste of time, even for a baseball nut like me.... The intensity level of the WBC is certainly much higher than spring training, and even feels like a play-off environment in some of the games, especially the elimination games - like last night's US - Puerto Rico game, which both teams had to win to stay alive. I mean, David Wright came through in the clutch - how big is that?? And how unusual is that!
I have to admit to some concern when I learned that Dustin Pedroia got hurt, although it sounds like it's relatively minor. And when I was watching the Japan team play - Dice-K was pitching - I was also concerned that he got through the game ok. He and Pedroia are 2 major pieces for the Sox this year.
But overall I'd have to say that I'm pro-WBC. The games are great - I mean, Netherlands knocking off the Dominican Republic twice? Are you kidding me? That's great stuff! A bunch of guys with glasses and with names like Vanden Hurk, Schoop, Duursma (and Curt Smith (huh?)) knock off Big Papi and his boys - cool stuff for sure.
Looking forward to 2012 already.....
But I've watched a lot of the games this spring, and I have to say that I really like it! Compared to watching spring training games, watching guys with numbers like 83, 97 and 134 filling out most team's line-ups, especially after the 5th inning, is incredibly boring and a waste of time, even for a baseball nut like me.... The intensity level of the WBC is certainly much higher than spring training, and even feels like a play-off environment in some of the games, especially the elimination games - like last night's US - Puerto Rico game, which both teams had to win to stay alive. I mean, David Wright came through in the clutch - how big is that?? And how unusual is that!
I have to admit to some concern when I learned that Dustin Pedroia got hurt, although it sounds like it's relatively minor. And when I was watching the Japan team play - Dice-K was pitching - I was also concerned that he got through the game ok. He and Pedroia are 2 major pieces for the Sox this year.
But overall I'd have to say that I'm pro-WBC. The games are great - I mean, Netherlands knocking off the Dominican Republic twice? Are you kidding me? That's great stuff! A bunch of guys with glasses and with names like Vanden Hurk, Schoop, Duursma (and Curt Smith (huh?)) knock off Big Papi and his boys - cool stuff for sure.
Looking forward to 2012 already.....
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Losing Weight, Feeling Good!
I've been really trying to lose weight, for the first time in a coupe of years. I'm happy to say, it's been very successful so far! Starting on February 27th, I have been writing down everything I eat during the day, along with the calories (WebMD has a pretty good calorie guide). In addition, I've ramped up my exercising. I was already walking about 30 minutes 5 to 6 days a week. I've now added a short walk after lunch and dinner, ab exercises every morning and night (bicycle crunches) and 20 minutes of free weights every other day. The sum total so far is about 7 pounds, and I've lost it without really killing myself. In other words, I think I am making a lifestyle change here. I hope I am.
I can see it in my face - less puffy - and I have several pairs of pants that were tight and are not much better fitting in the waist! I also seem to have more energy. I was 202 at the beginning of the year and weight 192 right now (although I was about 199 when I started on february 23).
The funny part is watching the calories. It really forces you to look for items that you can fill up on without running up the calorie total, versus having a small portion of something that has a lot of calories. And it forces you to plan ahead a bit too. For example, I knew I was going out to lunch today, so I really had to watch what I ate yesterday so I didn't go way over. I am trying to stay in a range of 900 - 1200 calories per day.
The increased exercise has been good, too. I love to walk, and with the improving weather, I tend to walk more anyways. The weights have been a struggle. I am mainly working on upper-body stuff, to try and build the muscles a bit. But I can feel that working too.
I can see it in my face - less puffy - and I have several pairs of pants that were tight and are not much better fitting in the waist! I also seem to have more energy. I was 202 at the beginning of the year and weight 192 right now (although I was about 199 when I started on february 23).
The funny part is watching the calories. It really forces you to look for items that you can fill up on without running up the calorie total, versus having a small portion of something that has a lot of calories. And it forces you to plan ahead a bit too. For example, I knew I was going out to lunch today, so I really had to watch what I ate yesterday so I didn't go way over. I am trying to stay in a range of 900 - 1200 calories per day.
The increased exercise has been good, too. I love to walk, and with the improving weather, I tend to walk more anyways. The weights have been a struggle. I am mainly working on upper-body stuff, to try and build the muscles a bit. But I can feel that working too.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Replacing Gas Tax with Mileage Tax
The discussion of replacing a gasoline tax with a tax on miles driven (mileage tax) is becoming more heated (even though President Obama says the Federal government isn't interested in doing it). Attached is the text of an e-mail I have sent to all of my state and federal elected representatives.
I've been reading more and more discussion about this topic - a replacement of the gasoline tax with a tax based on the number of miles driven. I am against this idea for several reasons -
1) Privacy - yet again, Big Brother will be tracking my every move. The fact of the matter is, that once the government can start to monitor how many miles I am driving, it's a small step to now gauge my speed, where I am driving to and from and transmitting this information to a central database that already contains too much information about me. I don't care to be monitored in this way. It's a slippery slope, and we are already on it with EZPass. This would push us further down that slope.
2) Cost of equipment - if all new cars will be required to have a GPS device, a counting mechanism and some sort of transmitter, who will bear the cost of the added technology? The consumer, of course. I could see this adding several hundred dollars to the price of a new car.
3) Retrofitting older vehicles - again, who pays for the cost, if this were to be required? Also, older vehicles don't necessarily have the means to handle additional devices requiring electrical power - so that could lead to additional upgrades of the vehicles systems. Meaning additional cost. And any sort of government subsidy of these items would end up costing me in the end.
I also own 2 classic cars, from the '60's and '70's. They have relatively rudimentary electrical systems, so retrofitting any sort of GPS device would be almost impossible at any sort of reasonable cost. I also value the authenticity of these cars, so any sort of modern tracking system would destroy that authenticity and impact the value of the car.
4) Infrastructure to run this thing - more government bureaucrats? And I keep thinking about the initial application of EZPass here in the Northeast - there were many many problems when this system was implemented, and even today, there are problems with phantom tickets and bad transponders.
5) This is completely counter to the move to get people to drive more fuel-efficient vehicles! An increased gas tax would certainly incent people to continue to look at vehicles that get better economy; this sort of tax doesn't drive that behavior at all. We already have too many large SUV's with only a driver on our NJ roads, although the recent spike in gas prices has certainly started a trend the other way. Eliminating the gas tax could reverse that trend.
6) This sort of tax really penalizes those who MUST drive for a living. My wife is a home health-casr nurse. As such, she drives 200+ miles each week, caring for patients that cannot leave their homes to visit a doctor or healthcare facility. This Miles-Driven Tax would impact our income and further inhibit our ability to pay for college and save for retirement, to say nothing of our day-to-day needs.
This issue is one that rates very highly with me, and I would definitely look at your stand on this issue as an indicator of whether I will vote for you come re-election time.
I've been reading more and more discussion about this topic - a replacement of the gasoline tax with a tax based on the number of miles driven. I am against this idea for several reasons -
1) Privacy - yet again, Big Brother will be tracking my every move. The fact of the matter is, that once the government can start to monitor how many miles I am driving, it's a small step to now gauge my speed, where I am driving to and from and transmitting this information to a central database that already contains too much information about me. I don't care to be monitored in this way. It's a slippery slope, and we are already on it with EZPass. This would push us further down that slope.
2) Cost of equipment - if all new cars will be required to have a GPS device, a counting mechanism and some sort of transmitter, who will bear the cost of the added technology? The consumer, of course. I could see this adding several hundred dollars to the price of a new car.
3) Retrofitting older vehicles - again, who pays for the cost, if this were to be required? Also, older vehicles don't necessarily have the means to handle additional devices requiring electrical power - so that could lead to additional upgrades of the vehicles systems. Meaning additional cost. And any sort of government subsidy of these items would end up costing me in the end.
I also own 2 classic cars, from the '60's and '70's. They have relatively rudimentary electrical systems, so retrofitting any sort of GPS device would be almost impossible at any sort of reasonable cost. I also value the authenticity of these cars, so any sort of modern tracking system would destroy that authenticity and impact the value of the car.
4) Infrastructure to run this thing - more government bureaucrats? And I keep thinking about the initial application of EZPass here in the Northeast - there were many many problems when this system was implemented, and even today, there are problems with phantom tickets and bad transponders.
5) This is completely counter to the move to get people to drive more fuel-efficient vehicles! An increased gas tax would certainly incent people to continue to look at vehicles that get better economy; this sort of tax doesn't drive that behavior at all. We already have too many large SUV's with only a driver on our NJ roads, although the recent spike in gas prices has certainly started a trend the other way. Eliminating the gas tax could reverse that trend.
6) This sort of tax really penalizes those who MUST drive for a living. My wife is a home health-casr nurse. As such, she drives 200+ miles each week, caring for patients that cannot leave their homes to visit a doctor or healthcare facility. This Miles-Driven Tax would impact our income and further inhibit our ability to pay for college and save for retirement, to say nothing of our day-to-day needs.
This issue is one that rates very highly with me, and I would definitely look at your stand on this issue as an indicator of whether I will vote for you come re-election time.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Pontiac To Be Killed Off?
I saw on the NBC Nightly News that GM might be killing off Pontiac....wow.... That really struck me. They had a nice retrospective on the cars. My Dad owned three Pontiacs - a 1969 Pontiac Executive station wagon - maroon with a black interior and the third seat that faced the back. I learned to drive in this car, and the first day after I passed my driver's test (after taking it a second time!) I hit the back of a school bus and put a little ding in the front bumper.
The second one we had was a really ballsy car - a 1972 Grand Prix SJ! 400 cubic inch V8, dual exhausts, Rallye Wheels and the long hood - short deck styling. That was a fun car. Only car I ever ran out of gas. It was a lot of fun to drive - loud, ballsy and really sharp looking. I got it up to 110 mph once - but that was really scary as I think the front tires only touched the ground once every 10 feet or so!
Lastly, a 1977 Safari station wagon. Light green with 'wood' sides and a tan interior. I remember going with my Dad to pick this car up at the dealer, then taking it somewhere to get the CB radio - cool! - installed. We immediately departed for a trip to Disneyworld in it! This was one of the newly downsized GM full-sized cars.
These three cars covered about 15 years of my life. A shame that Pontiac has to be the one to go, instead of, say, Buick. OTOH, the Aztek was also a Pontiac, as was the Fiero...
The second one we had was a really ballsy car - a 1972 Grand Prix SJ! 400 cubic inch V8, dual exhausts, Rallye Wheels and the long hood - short deck styling. That was a fun car. Only car I ever ran out of gas. It was a lot of fun to drive - loud, ballsy and really sharp looking. I got it up to 110 mph once - but that was really scary as I think the front tires only touched the ground once every 10 feet or so!
Lastly, a 1977 Safari station wagon. Light green with 'wood' sides and a tan interior. I remember going with my Dad to pick this car up at the dealer, then taking it somewhere to get the CB radio - cool! - installed. We immediately departed for a trip to Disneyworld in it! This was one of the newly downsized GM full-sized cars.
These three cars covered about 15 years of my life. A shame that Pontiac has to be the one to go, instead of, say, Buick. OTOH, the Aztek was also a Pontiac, as was the Fiero...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Frost/Nixon
Kathleen and I saw the Ron Howard movie, Frost/Nixon, this past Saturday night. Being a political junkie and a Nixon buff, I had looked forward to it since I heard about it, and hoped it would be true to the original interview (which I had actually never seen start-to-finish). I really enjoyed the movie! I'm not sure what I expected, but a lot of the movie was actually about the difficulties that David Frost had in pulling it off - financing it, selling it to a broad cast network, selling advertising, etc. Most of that apparently fell on him, and until the last session of taping (the Watergate discussion) he was very unprepared to face Nixon, who was a master of obfuscation and misdirection. I've since watched a couple of youtube clips of the real interview, and everything is really accurate - the timing, the expressions, etc. About the only critical thing I could see was that Frank Langella - while he did a great Nixon from the posture, the expressions and the language - looked older and more frail than Nixon did at the time.
I've since noticed that a DVD of the original interview was released on December 8, 2008 (strange, I assume that was done on purpose) that I probably need to buy. The movie had minimal interview scenes, so I would like the see the entire 90 minutes or so together.
The Kevin Bacon character in the movie mentioned something that I have always felt - that Nixon's downfall really overrode all of the great things he accomplished in his Presidency - getting us out of Vietnam, detente with the Soviet Union (which really hastened their downfall), the opening of relations with China (which also heavily impacted the USSR), etc. He was a brilliant but flawed man for sure. I'm glad that he was rehabilitated a bit before he died.
I've since noticed that a DVD of the original interview was released on December 8, 2008 (strange, I assume that was done on purpose) that I probably need to buy. The movie had minimal interview scenes, so I would like the see the entire 90 minutes or so together.
The Kevin Bacon character in the movie mentioned something that I have always felt - that Nixon's downfall really overrode all of the great things he accomplished in his Presidency - getting us out of Vietnam, detente with the Soviet Union (which really hastened their downfall), the opening of relations with China (which also heavily impacted the USSR), etc. He was a brilliant but flawed man for sure. I'm glad that he was rehabilitated a bit before he died.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Dan's Reading List for 2008
I keep track of all of the books I read. In 2008, I managed to get through 50 books, and not many of them were quickies, either...... So here is my list -
1) Michael Gruber – The Night of the Jaguar – Jan
2) Richard Ketchum – Saratoga – Jan
3) William Moore – The Philadelphia Experiment – Jan
4) Gary Weir/Walter Boyne – Rising Tide - Jan
5) James Rollins – The Judas Strain – Jan
6) Daniel Silva – The Secret Servant – Feb
7) James Rollins – Amazonia – Feb
8) Robert Dallek – An Unfinished Life: JFK – Feb
9) William Taubman – Khrushchev – The Man and his Era – Mar
10) Robert Dallek – LBJ – Portrait of a President – Apr
11) Isaac Asimov – Pebble in the Sky – Apr
12) David Hewson – The Seventh Sacrament – Apr
13) Paul A Zoch – Ancient Rome: An Introductory History – Apr
14) William Dietrich – Napolean’s Pyramids – May
15) David Hewson – Solstice – May
16) David Hewson – The Sacred Cut – May
17) Douglas Preston – Blasphemy – May
18) Conrad Black - Richard M Nixon – A Life in Full – July
19) Steve Berry – The Venetian Betrayal – July
20) Will Thomas – Some Danger Involved – July
21) William Dietrich – The Rosetta Key – July
22) Paul Sussman – The Last Secret of the Temple – July
23) Will Thomas – To Kingdom Come – July
24) John Connolly – Every Dead Thing – August
25) Will Thomas – The Limehouse Text – August
26) John Connolly – Dark Hollow – August
27) John Connolly – The Killing Kind – August
28) PC Doherty – The Poisoner of Ptah – Sept
29) David Downing – Zoo Station – Sept
30) Michael Robotham – Suspect – Sept
31) PC Doherty – The Horus Killings – Sept
32) Michael Gruber – The Forgery of Venus – Sept
33) PC Doherty – The Mask of Ra – Sept
34) Noah Andre Trudeau – Southern Storm: Sherman’s March to the Sea –
Oct
35) PC Doherty – The Anubis Slayings – Oct
36) Michael Robotham – Lost – Oct
37) PC Doherty – The Slayers of Seth – Oct
38) Steve Hockensmith – Holmes on the Range – Oct
39) PC Doherty – The Assassins of Isis – Nov
40) PC Doherty – The House of Death – Nov
41) Jeff Shaara – The Steel Wave - Nov
42) Tom Rob Smith – Child 44 – Nov
43) Martin Cruz Smith – Stalin’s Ghost – Nov
44) Daniel Silva – Moscow Rules – Dec
45) John Connolly – The White Road – Dec
46) Paul Doherty – The Godless Man – Dec
47) Edvard Radinsky – Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar – Dec
48) Adrian Conan Doyle & John Dickson Carr – The Exploits of Sherlock
Holmes – Dec
47) Paul Doherty – The Gates of Hell – Dec
48) Brad Meltzer – The Book of Lies – Dec
49) John Connolly – Bad Men – Dec
50) PC Doherty – Satan in St Mary’s – Dec
Some comments -
a) I like history and mysteries, and in 2008 I discovered PC Doherty. He has written several mystery series that combine both mystery and history. One of his series is based in ancient Egypt, in the 1350's BC. His Medieval series (with Hugh Corbett) is based in the middle 1200's. He developes very good characters who interact with historical characters (Pharaohs and Kings). Very cool. Fortunately, he has written a lot of books!
b) In 2008, one of my favorite authors - Tony Hillerman - passed away. Most of his novels take place on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona and New Mexico, and most of his characters are members of the Navajo Tribal Police force. Very cool mixture of mystery/thriller and Navajo culture. I will probably run through his books (about 10 of them) this year, in his memory.
c) I am up through Richard Nixon in my Presidential bio project (see previous post for details). I do want to read a Bobby Kennedy bio and probably some of Henry Kissinger's memoirs (if I can get through his ego!) as well, before I get to Gerald Ford. Maybe a Charles DeGaulle as well. I'd also like tpo read something about the Soviet Union, post-Kruschev, as the Communist Empire slowly sank under the weight of it's central planning.
d) I'd like to read some more ancient history. I read a book on ancient Rome in 2008, but it wasn't very good and I couldn't find a different one. Need to look a little more.
I'm currently finishing up my second book of 2009.....
1) Michael Gruber – The Night of the Jaguar – Jan
2) Richard Ketchum – Saratoga – Jan
3) William Moore – The Philadelphia Experiment – Jan
4) Gary Weir/Walter Boyne – Rising Tide - Jan
5) James Rollins – The Judas Strain – Jan
6) Daniel Silva – The Secret Servant – Feb
7) James Rollins – Amazonia – Feb
8) Robert Dallek – An Unfinished Life: JFK – Feb
9) William Taubman – Khrushchev – The Man and his Era – Mar
10) Robert Dallek – LBJ – Portrait of a President – Apr
11) Isaac Asimov – Pebble in the Sky – Apr
12) David Hewson – The Seventh Sacrament – Apr
13) Paul A Zoch – Ancient Rome: An Introductory History – Apr
14) William Dietrich – Napolean’s Pyramids – May
15) David Hewson – Solstice – May
16) David Hewson – The Sacred Cut – May
17) Douglas Preston – Blasphemy – May
18) Conrad Black - Richard M Nixon – A Life in Full – July
19) Steve Berry – The Venetian Betrayal – July
20) Will Thomas – Some Danger Involved – July
21) William Dietrich – The Rosetta Key – July
22) Paul Sussman – The Last Secret of the Temple – July
23) Will Thomas – To Kingdom Come – July
24) John Connolly – Every Dead Thing – August
25) Will Thomas – The Limehouse Text – August
26) John Connolly – Dark Hollow – August
27) John Connolly – The Killing Kind – August
28) PC Doherty – The Poisoner of Ptah – Sept
29) David Downing – Zoo Station – Sept
30) Michael Robotham – Suspect – Sept
31) PC Doherty – The Horus Killings – Sept
32) Michael Gruber – The Forgery of Venus – Sept
33) PC Doherty – The Mask of Ra – Sept
34) Noah Andre Trudeau – Southern Storm: Sherman’s March to the Sea –
Oct
35) PC Doherty – The Anubis Slayings – Oct
36) Michael Robotham – Lost – Oct
37) PC Doherty – The Slayers of Seth – Oct
38) Steve Hockensmith – Holmes on the Range – Oct
39) PC Doherty – The Assassins of Isis – Nov
40) PC Doherty – The House of Death – Nov
41) Jeff Shaara – The Steel Wave - Nov
42) Tom Rob Smith – Child 44 – Nov
43) Martin Cruz Smith – Stalin’s Ghost – Nov
44) Daniel Silva – Moscow Rules – Dec
45) John Connolly – The White Road – Dec
46) Paul Doherty – The Godless Man – Dec
47) Edvard Radinsky – Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar – Dec
48) Adrian Conan Doyle & John Dickson Carr – The Exploits of Sherlock
Holmes – Dec
47) Paul Doherty – The Gates of Hell – Dec
48) Brad Meltzer – The Book of Lies – Dec
49) John Connolly – Bad Men – Dec
50) PC Doherty – Satan in St Mary’s – Dec
Some comments -
a) I like history and mysteries, and in 2008 I discovered PC Doherty. He has written several mystery series that combine both mystery and history. One of his series is based in ancient Egypt, in the 1350's BC. His Medieval series (with Hugh Corbett) is based in the middle 1200's. He developes very good characters who interact with historical characters (Pharaohs and Kings). Very cool. Fortunately, he has written a lot of books!
b) In 2008, one of my favorite authors - Tony Hillerman - passed away. Most of his novels take place on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona and New Mexico, and most of his characters are members of the Navajo Tribal Police force. Very cool mixture of mystery/thriller and Navajo culture. I will probably run through his books (about 10 of them) this year, in his memory.
c) I am up through Richard Nixon in my Presidential bio project (see previous post for details). I do want to read a Bobby Kennedy bio and probably some of Henry Kissinger's memoirs (if I can get through his ego!) as well, before I get to Gerald Ford. Maybe a Charles DeGaulle as well. I'd also like tpo read something about the Soviet Union, post-Kruschev, as the Communist Empire slowly sank under the weight of it's central planning.
d) I'd like to read some more ancient history. I read a book on ancient Rome in 2008, but it wasn't very good and I couldn't find a different one. Need to look a little more.
I'm currently finishing up my second book of 2009.....
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