The other day I finished reading Blue at the Mizzen by Patrick O'Brian. It's the 20th and final novel in the O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series.
This is a series of novels about Jack Aubrey, a ship captain in the British navy during the Napoleonic wars, and his "particular friend" Stephen Maturin, ship's doctor and intelligence agent. It's a great series of novels that combines action and adventure with a Jane Austin-like close observation of personality and social interaction in the 19th century.
I started working my way through the series back in May, somewhat by chance. I had read all of those books before, of course. My brother Matt turned me and our other brothers on to the series years ago and we traded the first several books back and forth within the family, eagerly awaiting each new title. Since then I've read a few of them several times more.
After reading Master and Commander this spring, I decided to make my way through the series again. For the first few I was interspersing O'Brian novels with other sorts of books. After a bit, though, I decided to just stick to O'Brian until I finished the series. I found I couldn't wait
to get back to that world.
In the end, it took almost exactly 5 months to read all 20 novels. It was great fun. In another 5 years or so, I think I'll do it again.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
It's Been Too Long Since I Just Posted a Picture
This makes me think of a Grateful Dead album cover.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
The Delaware Blogosphere is Starting to Look Like a Community
We've been increasingly trading links back and forth and commenting, often intelligently, on each others' blogs.
Now, Hube, at Colossus of Rhodey, offers an [un]abashedly thorough guide to the Delaware blogosphere that looks at most of the Delaware blogs. There are some on my list of Delaware blogs that he didn't cover, but he got most of them.
Hube looks at where each blogger sits on the political spectrum and which blogging software they use. He makes a judgment of the look of each blog and provides some thoughts about each blog's content.
Well done, Hube.
Also today, Bill Slawski, of Newarking, has proposed a Delaware Blogging Conference. That's an intriguing idea.
Now, Hube, at Colossus of Rhodey, offers an [un]abashedly thorough guide to the Delaware blogosphere that looks at most of the Delaware blogs. There are some on my list of Delaware blogs that he didn't cover, but he got most of them.
Hube looks at where each blogger sits on the political spectrum and which blogging software they use. He makes a judgment of the look of each blog and provides some thoughts about each blog's content.
Well done, Hube.
Also today, Bill Slawski, of Newarking, has proposed a Delaware Blogging Conference. That's an intriguing idea.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Maybe...
...maybe we should be careful about trusting what we read on blogs, especially from anonymous commenters. The October issue of Management Science includes a paper entitled "Strategic Manipulation of Internet Opinion Forums: Implications for Consumers and Firms."
And...
...maybe we need to add a few law professor bloggers to our blogrolls. Both TommyWonk and Jason point to today's News Journal editorial (Internet becomes less of a shield for bloggers) about growing legal challenges to blog-speech. Luckily, there is a Law Professor Blogger Census (Version 5.0) over at Concurring Opinions. It includes a list of law professors who are bloggers. There are 290 of them.
(Both via Resource Shelf)
And...
...maybe we need to add a few law professor bloggers to our blogrolls. Both TommyWonk and Jason point to today's News Journal editorial (Internet becomes less of a shield for bloggers) about growing legal challenges to blog-speech. Luckily, there is a Law Professor Blogger Census (Version 5.0) over at Concurring Opinions. It includes a list of law professors who are bloggers. There are 290 of them.
(Both via Resource Shelf)
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Here's a Cause Worth a Donation
I was honored last week to be quoted in a story (Teacher's torch to blaze for years) on a new scholarship fund set up in memory of former Lewes Mayor George H.P. Smith, who passed away in September of last year.
Mayor Smith's Daughter, Barbara Smith-Shelton, has founded the Hon. George H.P. Smith Memorial Scholarship to help students at Lewes' Cape Henlopen High School who plan to become teachers.
Before he was Mayor, George Smith was a highly respected teacher. That's an aspect of his life that I had mentioned in my memorial posting last year. Kim Hoey, a freelance writer and old acquaintance, found that posting and quoted one of my favorite memories of the Mayor: his school-master approach to running meetings.
The fund is being managed by the Greater Lewes Foundation. Donations can be made through the Foundation, at Box 110, Lewes, DE 19958. More information? Try the Foundation at (302) 644-0107.
By the way, there's a sweet picture of Mayor Smith posted with the Cape Gazette's memorial story last fall.
I hope you will join me in making a donation.
Mayor Smith's Daughter, Barbara Smith-Shelton, has founded the Hon. George H.P. Smith Memorial Scholarship to help students at Lewes' Cape Henlopen High School who plan to become teachers.
Before he was Mayor, George Smith was a highly respected teacher. That's an aspect of his life that I had mentioned in my memorial posting last year. Kim Hoey, a freelance writer and old acquaintance, found that posting and quoted one of my favorite memories of the Mayor: his school-master approach to running meetings.
The fund is being managed by the Greater Lewes Foundation. Donations can be made through the Foundation, at Box 110, Lewes, DE 19958. More information? Try the Foundation at (302) 644-0107.
By the way, there's a sweet picture of Mayor Smith posted with the Cape Gazette's memorial story last fall.
I hope you will join me in making a donation.
Did You Know That There is a Norwegian Alternative Rock Band Named "Delaware?"
I didn't. But there is.
Petter, Morty, Joffe and Richard make up a band called Delaware, out of Drammen, Norway. They use MySpace and a blog to market themselves and have two albums out: ...and everything reminds me and Lost In The Innocence Of Beauty.
They describe their music as "characterized by vocalist Richard Holmsen's both angelic and raw, desperate voice." And they say that their concerts include "delicate, almost acoustic ballads that turn into monsters of screaming guitars and pounding drums."
Though the question is asked in their delawaremuzic community forum, I have not been able to discover why they call themselves "Delaware."
They have never been to the First State.
Petter, Morty, Joffe and Richard make up a band called Delaware, out of Drammen, Norway. They use MySpace and a blog to market themselves and have two albums out: ...and everything reminds me and Lost In The Innocence Of Beauty.
They describe their music as "characterized by vocalist Richard Holmsen's both angelic and raw, desperate voice." And they say that their concerts include "delicate, almost acoustic ballads that turn into monsters of screaming guitars and pounding drums."
Though the question is asked in their delawaremuzic community forum, I have not been able to discover why they call themselves "Delaware."
They have never been to the First State.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Thank Goodness for Garrison Keillor
Being horribly busy all the time, running hither and yon, and delivering the girls to the various parts of their lives (and, to be honest, my internet addiction) has led me to neglect what once was a great pleasure in my life: listening to Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion every Saturday evening.
I often like the music on that show, and the gentle, subtle humor can be a nice change from the caustic broadsides we've become used to in our modern lives. But it is really the quality of his writing that I miss.
Justin, over at Down with Absolutes, has posted a great political commentary by Keillor, from back in June. That led me to a little light Googling and that led me to The Old Scout, a collection of Keillor columns.
The most recent -- The cranky man's guide to contentment -- is a great example. In it, Keillor works his way from a pleasant visit to Missoula, Montana, through various musings on happiness, past a variety of urban vexations, and so to the present political situation.
His conclusion:
Corrected (1:18 p.m.): Corrected misattribution from Mike to Justin. Thanks, Nancy.
I often like the music on that show, and the gentle, subtle humor can be a nice change from the caustic broadsides we've become used to in our modern lives. But it is really the quality of his writing that I miss.
Justin, over at Down with Absolutes, has posted a great political commentary by Keillor, from back in June. That led me to a little light Googling and that led me to The Old Scout, a collection of Keillor columns.
The most recent -- The cranky man's guide to contentment -- is a great example. In it, Keillor works his way from a pleasant visit to Missoula, Montana, through various musings on happiness, past a variety of urban vexations, and so to the present political situation.
His conclusion:
The power of righteous vexation is what keeps so many old Democrats hanging on in nursing homes long past the time they should have kicked off. Ancient crones from FDR's time are still walking the halls, kept alive by anger at what has been done to our country. Old conservationists, feminists, grizzled veterans of the civil rights era fight off melanoma, emphysema, Montezuma, thanks to the miracle drug of anger. Slackers and cynics abound, not to mention nihilists in golf pants and utter idiots. Time to clean some clocks. As Frost might have written, "The woods are lovely, dark and thick. But I have many butts to kick and some to poke and just one stick."I believe I'll add The Old Scout to my on-line reading list.
Corrected (1:18 p.m.): Corrected misattribution from Mike to Justin. Thanks, Nancy.
Friday, October 13, 2006
A Report from New Orleans
Earlier this month, my sister Margaret and her husband Lou went to New Orleans to spend a week volunteering with the St. Bernard Project a grassroots nonprofit that is working family by family and house by house to try to help rebuild the parish.
They drove down in their pick-up, packed with tools and other donations from friends and family. During their week, they helped with rehabilitating a house and organizing the Project office. They stayed in a Bed and Breakfast that wasn't too damaged and had a chance to see New Orleans both as tourists and as people driving around trying to get a job done.
They took a number of pictures. The amount of damage still evident a year later can be sobering.
They drove down in their pick-up, packed with tools and other donations from friends and family. During their week, they helped with rehabilitating a house and organizing the Project office. They stayed in a Bed and Breakfast that wasn't too damaged and had a chance to see New Orleans both as tourists and as people driving around trying to get a job done.
They took a number of pictures. The amount of damage still evident a year later can be sobering.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
High School Football
Sussex Tech and Caesar Rodney High Schools made-up their rained-out Friday game this past Monday afternoon. I had the day off (Thanks, Columbus!) so I was able to attend, and take a mess of pictures.The game started at 4:30. The home stands at Tech face west, so I had to deal with looking, and photographing, into the setting sun, but the skies were clear and blue.
The CR Riders are a very good football team. They led 41 to 0 at the half, but Tech's Ravens came back with a pair of touchdowns in the second half.
Of course, I was there mostly to watch my kid play the bass in the marching band.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
What's The Deal With the Ducks?
A comment from imsobob on one of my Peabody Duck photos on flickr led me to realize that I need to explain what's going on there.I spent last week in the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the annual NSGIC Conference. Downtown Little Rock itself is photogenic, but the photos I wanted to take all week were right in the Peabody Lobby. I finally got to be in the lobby at the right time of day on my last day in Little Rock.
A tradition at the Peabody Hotels is to host ducks in the lobby fountain. The Manager of the Peabody Memphis was hunting, and drinking, with a friend back in the 1930s. As a joke, they left their (then legal) live decoy ducks in the hotel fountain when they returned late one night. It has become a tradition and spread to the Little Rock and Orlando Peabody Hotels as well.
Each day at 11 and 5, the ducks march a red carpet. In the morning they come down on the elevator and march to the fountain. At 5 in the afternoon, they march back to the elevator and so to their rooftop home.The last day of my conference, I was finally able to make it to the 5 p.m. march. It was great fun. I was particularly charmed by the little girl in blue.
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