nonamedufus

This bibliophile added 6 books to his bibliofile in August and it was quite an eclectic collection beginning with an old favourite, Jack Reacher, in his tenth outing in The Hard Way. Jack's not a sleuth per se but a lonely, roving bit of a tragic figure who nevertheless involves himself in cases that need solving. I always enjoy these tales. Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman was an interesting and enjoyable read. It's a sequel to Go Kill a Mockingbird, steeped, surprisingly perhaps in southern racial overtones. The media hype around this novel was substantial so I had to see if it lived up to it. I must say I enjoyed the book much more than the hype. A book with the unlikely title Follow The Music: The Life and High Times of Elektra Records in the Great Years of American Pop Culture fulfilled my monthly music hit. This was a fascinating account of how Jac Holzman started Elektra records as a folkie label which he then grew to be the label to go to for artists of the 60s...

At first he didn't notice her. She sat several rows back in his civics class. But she noticed him. And she knew his every move in advance. She knew he was going to McDonald's after class for a coffee and an Egg McMuffin and she knew he would spill his coffee before he had a chance to add milk and sugar. "I knew that would happen" she whispered from behind him. He turned to look at her and smiled sheepishly as he took some napkins to wipe up the coffee. "You did, did you?" he replied. "Well, yes" she replied. "Of course." He smiled again as they parted. "Hmmm, nice" he thought as he walked home. A week later he bumped into her again on the way into his civics lesson. They sat together throughout the class. "I knew I'd run into you again" she whispered. "Really?" he replied. "Say, what are you doing this evening?" he asked. "Could I take you out to dinner?" "I kne...

Brad started his week with a breakfast of two sausage and egg McMuffin sandwiches. Every Monday, without fail, Brad would zip through the McDonald's drive-thru and place his order. A medium coffee, double-double would complete his meal. Throughout the week, Brad would make himself a couple of eggs and bacon for breakfast. But on Friday he'd hit up the nearby restaurant and have two eggs over easy with sausages, potatoes and toast. And that's just breakfast. For lunch Brad would have a sub, a burger or a couple of hot dogs. Not the healthiest approach to eating, for sure. Brad's wife, Paula, was becoming concerned with Brad's eating habits. He was seriously out of shape and she told him so. Brad would joke "Hey, round's a shape" as he went searching for a second helping of their dinner. But Brad knew Paula was right. And he decided to take matters into his own hands. He went for walks, bicycle rides, did stretches, push-ups and sit-ups. He w...

I wish Bob could understand me. Oh, sure, he knows when to take me for a walk. The signs are unmistakable. Be that as it may, I've been good. I haven't had an accident in the house in years. But I wish he could decipher my whines and growls. Sometimes I just want to be petted. You know - be shown a little doggie love. Or when the water bowl is empty. Hey, Bob, more water please. I'm thirsty over here. Bob wasn't always like this. He was far more affectionate and tuned into my needs before SHE came along. SHE made Bob pay me less attention because he paid way more attention to her. And what's with the closed bedroom door. There was a time I had free passage into the bedroom and even slept up on the bed. I don't know what's going on in there but they can sure make a lot of noise. Meanwhile, I'm stuck in the kitchen with an empty water bowl. I''m not alone. I've compared notes with my friends at the dog run and many have the same pro...

I've reached, and may have passed somewhat, mid-life. But where is the demarcation point? I'd like to know. 40? 50? 60? Well, I've passed them all, so I'm pretty sure I've hit mid-life somewhere along the space-time continuum. And I find I've slowed down. I no longer rush here and there cramming as much as possible into a day. I relax, take my time. If I don't get to it today, I'll get to it tomorrow. So my mid-life philosophy. might be in keeping with that great Eagles tune "Take It Easy". And that includes golf. Golf? Before you think I've just run roughshod over a non-sequitur golf is one of my mid-life activities. I started playing about four or five years ago and have been an avid player since. Avid not accomplished. I'm pretty bad truth be told but at the end of the day I'm a 100-110 stroke 18 holer. Now people tell me that's a damn fine score for a beginner. What can I say? I keep my own score. Yeah, and I cheat. W...

Well July was a holiday month for us with Maryse and I taking the roads less travelled through New Hampshire and Maine for a couple of weeks. Needless to say I didn't get much reading done. Only two books: SJ Watson's Second Life and Neil Stephenson's Seveneves. They were both kinda meh. The first I picked up on the strength of Watson's first effort Before I Go To Sleep which I quite enjoyed. The follow-up not so much. I don't know how I picked up Seveneves. It may have looked interesting but I tell you it was a tough slog to get through. The premise was interesting. The moon blows apart, destroys earth, but not before a community forms in space. But it was the detailing, the minutia that really got me bogged down. And the minutia, for me, came at the expense of the character development and detracted from the actual story. Stephenson is either a researcher extraordinaire or has a very vivid imagination - or both. Nonetheless I did finish both books but I d...

Once upon a time there lived a carpenter who grew up in the land of Woody Hollow. He owned a horse but that really has nothing to do with this story. His mother took one look at his face when he was born and without hesitation called him Awl. As Awl grew he developed many woodworking skills and when he reached his teenage years you might say Awl possessed all the carpentry attributes necessary to live a more or less profitable life practicing such a profession. All the residents of Woody Hollow would come to Awl with all their woodworking needs. From sideboards to chairs, from tables to picture frames. Awl made them all. He was a wizard when it came to using a hammer and saw. And if you saw what he sawed you'd say the same. One day the Mayor of Wood Hollow, Woody Oakley, came to Awl with a request. The community fair was coming soon and a trophy was needed to award the winner of the long distance marathon which was run each year. Oakley had a piece of wood - maple - from whi...