On My Mind – One Amazing Weekend – 9/23/2018

Posted on September 23, 2018 by admin

Having just finished reading and reviewing “Empire Of Silence” by Christopher Ruocchio:

http://booksofbrian.com/on-the-nightstand-empire-of-silence-9-20-2018/

I jumped right into a new release from one of my long time, Go To Authors – Glen Cook’s new Black Company novel – “Port Of Shadows”.  I haven’t made much progress though – not because of the book – which I’m thoroughly enjoying – but because the weekend took me in a far more important and enjoyable direction.

I honestly didn’t think we were going to be able to top the weekend we just had in Austin with old friends.  Sue and I came away from that one thinking that it was about as good as it gets.

http://booksofbrian.com/on-my-mind-going-home-9-17-2018/

It only took about 5 days to prove that wrong and I thought I’d put up a post to let you know what I think qualifies as just as good as Austin and even better than books.

Sue and I celebrated our wedding anniversary this weekend.  For the last few years, we’ve celebrated our day in the same way but decided – this year – that it was time to mix it up a bit.

As we were thinking through plans, we discovered that one of our favorite local restaurants  – a wonderful French brasserie called Cafe Pyrenees which had – very unfortunately – closed about a year ago due to escalating rents at their long time location – had started sponsoring Pop Up Dinners at out of the way locales.  This weekend – they were hosting a dinner at a location that we’d never heard of called McCrae Farms – a stable and riding center devoted to French Classical Dressage.  We had no idea what to expect but decided to give it a try and we’re so very glad we did.

Here’s a view as we drove up to the facility:

Ready to be surprised – we got out of the car and walked towards the building.  Things started perfectly – being met with a big hello and glasses of wine by several of the staff we’d gotten to know so well from nights past at the old restaurant.  After welcoming us, we were ushered deeper into the building and seated for the show – and here’s where it just became amazing.

We were treated to a classical French dressage exhibition – unlike anything I’d ever seen since the time my parents took us all to see the Lippizaner Stallions about 40 years ago.  I can’t tell you how much fun it was – not only did Sue and I get to celebrate another wonderful year – we had the chance to do it in a unique and amazing way.  Here are a few pictures from the evening – and I apologize in advance for the quality of the photography – I was using my phone in a dim exhibit hall without a flash:

If you look closely, you’ll notice that the rider – Jill McCrae – has a peregrine falcon on her wrist.  We learned that the birds and horses are trained together and will often appear together in both competitions and exhibitions.

Here’s another of Jill, her horse and the falcon.

And here’s two of Jill and her husband Jeff – a great couple who we had the pleasure of eating with once the show was over.

I knew nothing about Dressage until we had this dinner and I have to say – for anyone who loves horses – try to find a chance to see a show – it’s a pretty amazing display of shared skill between horse and rider.  Sue and I just loved it.

Once the show was over, we were moved into the stables, where the restaurant staff had set up a beautifel space for dinner.

We ate with Bandolero – who you’ll meet in the next photo – sorry about the closed eyes – anyone who knows me will tell you I’m photography challenged.

This is Bandolero with one of his buddies in the background – a very well behaved dinner companion.

From beginning to end, it was a perfect evening.  Thank you, Love Of My Life, for a wonderful night and another truly wonderful year.

If that wasn’t enough, we got up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning and drove down to West Lafayette so that we could spend Dad’s Day with our daughter, who’s in her Junior Year at Purdue.

We started at the Sorority House but headed out pretty quickly to the Stadium.  I know the burnt orange is out of place but please understand – the Horns were playing TCU yesterday and I just felt like I had to represent!  My wife and my step daughter were willing to make allowances.  🙂

Beautiful day at Ross-Ade Stadium and the band put on their normal amazing show!

….made that much better by popcorn, dawgs and beer!

…then made perfect by a Boilermaker win!!

 

 

We finished the day with an early dinner at Triple XXX – my first visit to an Indiana classic.  Yes – I did have the Duane Purvis All American – 1/4lb. chop steak, thick, creamy peanut butter, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle & onion on a toasty sesame bun – as featured on The Food Network – and finished with a root beer float made from the original Triple XXX Root Beer.

Thanks for a wonderful weekend CR.  We love you, you’re doing great work and I hope you know how exceptionally proud we are of you.

You’d probably be thinking that Sue and I – as we headed back to Chicago – were feeling pretty satisfied with our weekend – and you’d be so very right – with one small, tiny, unresolved item – the Texas game.  I was not going to call it a weekend until I’d made it over that hump and I spent the next 2.5 hours in the car – Sue was kind enough to drive us home – tracking the game on ESPN play-by-play.

Here’s the final blessing from an amazing weekend:

Oh yes they did – my Longhorns DID beat #17 ranked TCU – convincingly!!  Now that represents a perfect end to a perfect weekend.

Sue and I ended the day back at home, on the couch, watching an episode of The Crown – a show we’re loving – and reading – priceless!

It’s Sunday now and I’m starting to look ahead to the week at work – with all the normal, day to day challenges that can bring – but it doesn’t keep me from looking back – thinking of my wonderful wife and my amazing step daughter and all the fun we had – and being able to say to myself with complete conviction – that I am one lucky bug.

Now – time to get back to “Port Of Shadows” – I have a feeling that this one is going to make for a very fun review.

Hope you all have a great week!

Posted in On My Mind | 2 Comments

On The Nightstand – Empire Of Silence – 9/20/2018

Posted on September 21, 2018 by admin

“It Is Better To Fail In Originality Than To Succeed In Imitation”

Herman Melville

Writing critical reviews has, for me, always been a challenging task – balancing the good against the bad – tempering criticism – calling out perceived shortcomings in a measured and constructive manner.  I find it to be particularly challenging when I’m reviewing a debut as I’m always rooting for new writers.  This book is a perfect example of just how challenging it can be.

I’m not going to beat around the bush.  This was not a good read for me and I do not understand the gushingly positive reviews it’s receiving – several of which I’ve copied and pasted below from Amazon with my own comments added in parentheses:

“Empire of Silence is epic science fiction at its most genuinely epic.  Ruocchio has made something fascinating here, and I can’t wait to see what he does next.” —James S.A. Corey, New York Times-bestselling author of The Expanse novels

(No damning with faint praise here – does Corey really feel that Ruocchio’s epic is more genuinely epic than his own massive epic?)

“Christopher Ruocchio’s Empire of Silence is epic-scale space opera in the tradition of Iain M. Banks and Frank Herbert’s Dune, without being a clone of either of them. His is a welcome new voice in science fiction.” —Eric Flint, author of the bestselling 1632 series

(Descriptive but not truly evaluative –  a clever sophistry – I think I can respect this more than the comment Corey provided)

“Empire of Silence has the sweep and political complexity of Dune (though no sandworms). It builds to a blazing climax, followed by a satisfying conclusion. I recommend the book.” —David Drake, bestselling author of the RCN Series

(I found this one particularly interesting – calling out one iconic element of Dune that wasn’t written into this story when so many others were)

“Empire of Silence is a rich tapestry of future history and worldbuilding, a galactic-sized story of a hero, a tyrant, but portrayed as a man.” —Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times-bestselling author of The Dark Between the Stars

(Again – descriptive but not evaluative – given how I feel about the Anderson novels I’ve read, I probably would have been relatively comfortable having him create an equivalence between Ruocchio’s debut and his own “Saga Of Seven Suns” series)

Had I been asked to write the blurb review, it probably would have gone something like this:

An overly ambitious but heartfelt effort that offers the reader rewards in places but disappoints in equal measure.  Ruocchio is to be commended for this monumental first attempt but might have better served himself with a less aggressive maiden voyage.  He leaves me both hopeful and worried about where this might eventually go. 

I’ll call out several aspects of the book that I found challenging:

  • It was just too derivative.  In the first 100 pages of this book, you’ll find analogs of The Butlerian Jihad, Mentats and The Litany Against Fear from Dune, lightsabers from Star Wars and The Borg from Star Trek.  Unlike Flint’s comparison to Banks and Herbert, I found the narrative structure to be far more similar to Rothfuss’ “The Name Of The Wind” – lacking the roguish exceptionalism and endearing characteristics of the protagonist.  It almost felt like Ruocchio took a sampling of the more iconic elements of some of the most notable books and movies from the last 40 years and renamed and repurposed them.
  • It was far too long – there were entire chapters that contributed little or nothing to the overall story and they detracted from the tale that Ruocchio was trying to tell.  The Author and the book would have benefited from some aggressive editing.
  • The protagonist spent far too much time hinting at his dismal end state and his moral and ethical repugnance.  I found Hadrian Marlowe to be a relatively unsympathetic character to whom I was never really able to connect.
  • The book was loaded with the purplest of prose – while there were places where this worked, I found myself all too often thinking that Ruocchio fell in love with his own language – hard – and overwrote in a tortured way.  I kept hearing Sergeant Hulka whispering in the background – “Lighten up Francis!”

This is one of those books that broke my heart a little.  I wanted very badly to enjoy it but I just never got there.  There were moments when it shone – Hadrian’s time as a Myrmidon and his relationships with his brothers and sisters in arms was rewarding – I truly appreciated his Jaddian characters, particularly Olorin, and wanted to spend more time with them – Valka was a fascinating character that I enjoyed getting to know.  Overall, I’m encouraged by the fact that many of the characters I enjoyed are – in the last chapter – brought back together as a group that will travel together in the second volume.

It wasn’t bad – it just wasn’t nearly as good as I wanted it to be.  All I can do is write this one off as a minor loss and hope for a better second quarter.

Posted in On The Nightstand | 7 Comments

On The Shelf – Big Books – Miracle At Philadelphia – 9/18/2018

Posted on September 19, 2018 by admin

This is the second in my Big Books series – introduced in this post:

http://booksofbrian.com/on-the-shelf-big-books-9-9-2018/

The purpose of the series being to “spotlight what, for me, are the biggest, most important books in my collection and why.”  The first book I chose to feature was “The Constitution Of The United States Of America” for what I hope are relatively self-evident reasons.  I thought it only appropriate to stick with this theme for one additional post and feature “Miracle At Philadelphia” by Catherine Drinker Bowen.  The book has a special place in my library for two reasons – the first and less important being the edition itself – I’m fortunate enough to have a near perfect copy of the special, slipcover Bicentennial Edition.  The more important reason by far is what the book offers any student of U.S. History.

I’ve always felt that any study of our history starts with an understanding of the U.S. Constitution and The Bill Of Rights but I also know that reading the actual Constitution – always intended to be a living document – is not nearly enough.  Understanding it requires both some exposure to the interpretations that have been layered onto it over the years by the U.S. Supreme Court as well as an understanding of the men who wrote it and the history of it’s composition.  This book is recognized as one of the best – maybe the best account – of that process.  “Miracle At Philadelphia” is a fascinating account of the personalities and the personal and political struggles of the men who, over the course of five long months in 1787, produced this amazing document.

In Bowen’s words, “The Federal Convention, viewed from the records, is startlingly fresh and ‘new.’ The spirit behind it was the spirit of compromise, seemingly no very noble flag to rally round. Compromise can be an ugly word, signifying a pact with the devil, a chipping off of the best to suit the worst. Yet in the Constitutional Convention the spirit of compromise reigned in grace and glory; as Washington presided, it sat on his shoulder like the dove. Men rise to speak and one sees them struggle with the bias of birthright, locality, statehood – South against North, East against West, merchant against planter. One sees them change their minds, fight against pride, and when the moment comes, admit their error. If the story is old, the feelings behind it are new as Monday morning. “If all the tales are told, retell them, Brother. If few attend, let those who listen feel.”  It truly is an exceptional story that everyone should take the time to read in order to see our Founders come together – at times bringing their worst – and finding a way to agree on what has, over time, become the very best.  It’s a book that I think every library deserves.

While you’re at it, give some thought to acquiring the following two volumes:

“The Glorious Cause” by Robert Middlekauff is the first edition in The Oxford History Of The United States, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 and is one of the very best accounts – from beginning to end – of the American Revolution.  I’d recommend it as a must read for any student of U.S. History and a superb addition to any library.

One other exceptional read in the same vein:

“Founding Brothers” by Joseph J. Ellis is a Pulitzer Prize winner and a superb set of short vignettes focused on several of our most prominent Founding Fathers – George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin.  It recounts six discrete moments in history that helped to define the nature and character of our Republic.  I can’t overstate how much history this book offers up in 248 brief pages.  It’s a superb account of the men who built this Country and the moments that helped to define so much of what came after them.  I would suggest that this one belongs in any library as well.

Anyone willing to put enough time aside to finish these three will be relatively well grounded in the critical, early years of this country’s history and will have made a very nice start to assembling a collection focused on the history of the United States.

Posted in On The Shelf | 8 Comments

On My Mind – Going Home – 9/17/2018

Posted on September 18, 2018 by admin

“So Long As The Memory Of Certain Beloved Friends Lives In My Heart, I Shall Say That Life Is Good”

Helen Keller

I wasn’t able to post this weekend for the very best of reasons.  I spent the weekend in Austin, TX – Home of my Heart – for a weekend with 3 of my oldest and dearest friends and their spouses.  I like to joke that I left Texas in 1987 when I finished Law School and I’ve been trying to find a way back ever since.  One way or another, I’ve managed to get back for at least a weekend almost every year.

There are plenty of reasons to return – The University, the chance to see the Horns play, the love that I have for the city and it’s food and it’s music and it’s amazing, unique atmosphere – but the thing that truly brings me back are the friendships.  I’m not going to write much tonight – just share a few pictures.

These guys have been with me – one way or another – since I was 19 years old.

Every single one of us married so far above our heads that none of us can really understand how we managed to pull it off.

I do sometimes pity Thomas Wolfe – there’s never been a time in my life when I didn’t feel like I could make make my way back home.

I hope I never live so long that the sight of that Tower lit up for a win doesn’t make me break out in a big, stupid grin.

Plenty of season to go but that was one very sweet win – Hook ‘Em Horns!

Guys – thanks for one helluva weekend and thanks to you girls for putting up with our ebullient but – hopefully – endearing behavior.  It’s been a long, strange trip but you guys have made every mile worthwhile.  I pray that I’m not the last to go because I want you guys there at the end with Sue, helping her to laugh by telling all the stupid stories about the times we’ve had together and the memories we still have a chance to make.

In Hoc Signo Vinces!

Posted in On My Mind | 4 Comments

On The Shelf – Big Books – The Constitution Of The United States – 9/9/2018

Posted on September 9, 2018 by admin

 

For my Big Books series, I thought this would be a pretty decent place to start – particularly in an election year.  I strongly believe that every person in this country should have a copy of the Constitution and I’ve had one in my library for years – every since my time in Law School.

There are few things more frustrating or disappointing to me than to hear fellow Americans talk about the U.S. Constitution or make assertions about their Constitutional rights when it’s obvious by what they say that they’ve never actually read the document.

The U.S. Constitution is not a lengthy document but it is the foundation upon which this country was and continues to be built.  It deserves a place in any American’s Library and it demands to be read.  Not only do I have a copy, I’ve purchased and gifted copies to both of my children in hopes that they’ll someday read it and understand it as well.  I’d strongly recommend it to all.

Oh…and I wouldn’t stop there.  If you have the appetite, this neat little series of books also includes:

The Declaration Of Independence

 

The Bill Of Rights

 

The Articles Of Confederation

 

The Gettysburg Address

 

The Emancipation Proclamation

 

George Washington’s Farewell Address

 

George Washington’s Rules Of Civility & Decent Behavior

 

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense

 

Benjamin Franklin’s Book Of Virtues

 

They’re all important and interesting but the two that are truly critical are The Constitution and The Bill Of Rights.  Please buy them and read them.  It doesn’t actually take much time and they represent your birthright as Americans.

Posted in On The Shelf | 7 Comments

On The Shelf – Big Books – 9/9/2018

Posted on September 9, 2018 by admin

I’ve been blogging now for about 9 months – my first post was published on 12/9/2017 – and I’ve enjoyed every single minute of the time I’ve put into this little site.  It’s given me the chance – after so many years – to finally write again outside the boundaries of memoranda, email and PowerPoint.  It’s also helped me to double down on passions that have been with me all my life and that have defined me – reading and books.

My only challenge – one that is always lurking in the back of my mind – is the limited amount of time – between job and family and friends – I have to pursue this hobby.  I can usually carve out time to post on the weekends but I’ve been limited in my ability to do so by the amount of reading I can do during the week.  If life allowed, I’d be posting every day but that’s just not been possible.  The way I’ve approached this blog, my ability to write is limited by the time I have to read – a mutually reinforcing frustration.

It’s led me to find ways to post that aren’t linked to my ability to finish books.  I’ve added a category for movies and television called On The Screen and posted on topics as varied as “Altered Carbon”, “Chocolat” and “Avengers:  Infinity War” and “Tag”.  I’ve worked on my “Principiis” posts – allowing me to write on influences that have always been important to me but that I haven’t always taken the time to step back and examine in depth, I’ve added a Scribbles category in order to post creative work and I’ve used the On My Mind category to explore, from time to time, current and relevant topics.

That’s all helped me to remain productive but I’m also thinking about new ways to create the chance to write and I have an idea that I’d like to try.  I’m a collector as well as a reader of books.  I’ve been building a collection for almost 30 years and – for the 1st time in my life – I have the luxury of dedicating a single room in this old house to shelving and displaying that collection.  I posted some images of that room in this Book Nooks post several months ago:

http://booksofbrian.com/on-my-mind-book-nooks-6-30-2018/

This is likely an old man’s sentiment but I can’t even begin to tell  you how satisfying it is to have a room that I can retreat to, coffee or scotch in hand, and just read – surrounded by all the books that have been important enough to me over the years that I’ve wanted to buy hard cover editions and hold them close.

So…as a collector, I’m going to start a series of On The Shelf posts called Big Books – short posts that take only a few moments to write – which spotlight what, for me, are the biggest, most important books in my collection and why.  It’ll give me a way to put up a quick post, talk about something important to me and that’s not tied to the progress I’m making with my reading.  No idea how this will work out but – as always – I’d welcome any comments or feedback – both positive and negative.

Cheers,

Brian

Posted in On The Shelf | 8 Comments

On My Mind – Principiis – What Counts – 9/9/2018

Posted on September 9, 2018 by admin

What Counts

“It is not the critic who counts, nor the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”

Theodore F. Roosevelt

This is the 4th of my 6 pillars and – as I’ve done with every prior post – I’ll link back to prior entrants:

This is the post that started the series:

http://booksofbrian.com/on-my-mind-principiis-7-28-2018/

I followed that with a post on my 1st Pillar, “IF” by Rudyard Kipling:

http://booksofbrian.com/on-my-mind-principiis-if-7-28-2018/

Next came a post on my 2nd Pillar, “Life A Good Life” by Marcus Aurelius:

http://booksofbrian.com/on-my-mind-principiis-live-a-good-life-7-31-2018/

Most recently, I added a post on my 3rd Pillar, “Six Mistakes Of Man” by Cicero:

http://booksofbrian.com/on-my-mind-six-mistakes-of-man-8-4-2018/

I don’t remember how I came across the “What Counts” quote but – to be honest – it would be hard for anyone who spends time reading about the history of the U.S. not to.  The quote is from a speech Roosevelt delivered on April 23, 1910 in Paris – originally titled “Citizenship In A Republic” but which later came to be know as “The Man In The Arena” speech.  The quote above has been the most durable extract but there were other memorable moments and here’s one:

“The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer.  A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticize work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life’s realities—all these are marks, not … of superiority but of weakness.”

Roosevelt was speaking to the responsibilities associated with citizenship in a free society and it remains very relevant today within that context.  For me, it is every bit as relevant personally and that relevance is what has always given it a place in my six Pillars.

It speaks to two of the weaknesses I’ve always struggled with – both professionally and personally:  1) the tendency to worry too much about what other people think of me and 2) the fear of failure.  As I’ve aged and gained experienced, it’s been a very helpful reminder of just how damaging those two weaknesses can be.  In so doing, it’s helped me come to terms with and – more often than not – wrestle these two challenges to the ground.

Worrying too much about other peoples’ opinions was a defining challenge for me as a young man and one that’s taken me years to address.  From the day I started Primary School until sometime in my 30’s, I spent far too much time managing my interactions with others based on overblown concerns for the impression my words and actions might generate.  I can’t claim to have been unaware of the impact this weakness was having with respect to my decisions, my conversations and my actions – I was – I simply hadn’t developed the confidence and sense of self required to move past that very small calculation to a point where I was thinking, speaking and acting more on the basis of what I knew to be right.  I was one of those who would spend less time listening during a conversation and more time worrying about what I could / should say to favorably impact other’s perceptions.

Similarly, fear of failure used to be a constant companion for me as a young man – always hanging off my back – forcing me to think more about the downsides and than the upsides of any situation, decision or commitment.  It wasn’t rational – though I was all too willing to couch it within the rubric of perfectionism – something which has, to me, come to represent a warning sign or red flag when dealing with others.  It was an insidious weakness in that it always counseled against reasonable risk and led to closing doors instead of opening them.  Again, this wasn’t rational – it was simply a case of not learning soon enough in life to believe in my capabilities and my strengths and to approach life as an absolutist game where mistakes and failures were forever.

Don’t get me wrong – these weaknesses didn’t define me – there were plenty of times where I was able to beat them back and take chances or find the stregnth required to act and speak in principled ways.  More importantly, the good news is that over time – life and all I’ve done has managed to beat most of this out of me – giving me the perspective I’ve needed to minimize and manage both weaknesses.  I’ve learned that while it’s important to understand what people think of you, it can never be treated as an over-riding consideration.  I’ve learned that the first step is to understand who you are and what you believe.  Once you’ve established that solid foundation, you should understand the opinions and feelings and prejudices of those around you and use them constructively as you speak with them, interact with them, work with them in order to more effectively influence them.  Similarly, the longer you live and the more you fail – and you always will – you come to learn that failure is a necessary and unavoidable aspect of a life well lived.  Introspective failure allows you to learn, helps you become stronger, encourages you to believe in the ability to fail forward and it teaches you that the important question is not “what if I fail” but “what’s next if I do” or “how can I do this better”.

That brings me to the importance of this Pillar and why it’s always with me.  Life provides context and strength and growth but it never banishes weaknesses.  They’re always there and always willing to re-assert themselves.  If you truly know yourself and you do possess a reasonable measure of introspection, you’ll always be conscious of that risk.  Having “What Counts” always with me serves as a reminder of what I’ve learned the hard way, allows me to recognize when I’m at risk of allowing these weaknesses to affect me, to smile at them, put them in perspective and move forward in a better and more satisfying way.

Posted in On My Mind | 2 Comments

On The Nightstand – The Colour Of Magic – 9/9/2018

Posted on September 9, 2018 by admin

“Do Or Do Not.  There Is No Try”

Yoda

This one is about a promise kept – more or less – and it’s going to be a short one – more a cry for help than a review.

I noticed over a month ago that The Bookworm Drinketh, one of my favorite bloggers, was recruiting people for some kind of DiscWorld read-a-thon.  Without really paying any attention to the rules, I offered to jump in.  Don’t ask me how I made it this far without reading ANY Terry Pratchett.  Most likely, I just missed the chance to begin the books when he started writing and by the time I came to realize that a LOT of people like these stories a whole LOT, too many books had been written and I just didn’t know where or how to start.  All I can say is…better late than never and thanks to Bookworm for finally getting me there.

I’ve seen several bloggers comment that this is not one of the better DiscWorld books and that it can probably be skipped but I’m glad I started at the beginning.  I enjoyed all the silliness in this one, which leaves me hopeful with respect to future volumes – any book that can skewer Lovecraft, Conan, Fahfrd and the Grey Mouser, Lord of the Rings and the insurance industry in one short volume is worth my time.  I’ve already purchased “The Light Fantastic” and I’ll be getting ’round to it shortly.

My one request – and it’s to Bookworm – hoping  you’ll see this post:  other than actually reading the books, can you remind me what I actually promised to do?  I’m pretty sure I was supposed to submit comments but I’m not sure where or how.  I also think I’m late in finishing but hope I merit a bit of flexibility based on good intentions.

Either way – this was good fun and I’m grateful to have found a whole new series that I can explore and enjoy over time.  That’s a precious gift.

Posted in On The Nightstand | 3 Comments

On The Screen – Tag – 9/8/2018

Posted on September 8, 2018 by admin

“It Is One Of The Blessings Of Old Friends That You Can Be Stupid With Them”

Ralph Wald Emerson

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

George Bernard Shaw

It never ceases to amaze me how things – so very often – seem to happen for a reason.  Sue and I stayed in last night.  It had been a busy week – trying to pack 5 days of work into 4 – and I was feeling a little under the weather.  After dinner, we wound up on the couch with a cup of coffee and decided to browse through our Xfinity choices.  For no pre-determined reason whatsoever, we chose “Tag” and settled in with the most minimal of expectations.

Let me start with this – I don’t know how the movie was reviewed and I have no idea how it did at the box office.  I don’t care.  We both wound up really, really enjoying the show.  It’s a superb cast – I’ve always liked Jeremy Renner, Ed Helms and Jon Hamm and Hannibal Buress has long been one of my favorite comedians.  The actresses – particularly Isla Fisher and Leslie Bibb – were superb and managed to provide some of the movie’s most memorable moments (I’m still chuckling to myself – thinking about Isla Fisher wanting to water board one of Jeremy Renner’s employees AND her line – “suck my tiny ginger b*lls” – I enjoyed her in the same way I enjoyed Marissa Tomei in “My Cousin Vinny”).

It’s relaxed, slow burn funny – the humor coming from both the insane idea of 5 grown men stepping away from their normal lives for a month every year to play a kid’s game like tag (this is actually based on a true story that was reported in the Wall Street Journal – front page above the fold) and from watching how the men transform so effortlessly into these blended adolescent adults who throw themselves into the game without reservation or any care or concern for what those around them might think.  Both of us found it to be fun and funny and totally uplifting and went to bed thankful that we’d stumbled into it.  I’d recommend it to anyone interested in a quiet and happy home movie night.

One suggestion – do NOT turn this movie off until you’ve seen the credits.  I mentioned that this is a true story and they actually end with clips of all the old guys actually playing the game over the years.  I honestly think that may have been my favorite part of the movie and it also helped make a personal connection for me – likely one of the things that made the movie such a joy.  It reminded me that I’ll be headed to Austin soon to spend the weekend with 3 of my oldest and very best friends – watching the Horns play, drinking and eating way too much and spending hours telling all the same stupid stories and all the same atrocious lies.  It’s something that I’ve done – in one way or another – almost every year since 1987.

I don’t know how others feel but I’ve always been pretty selective about the way I use the word friend.  I’m surrounded by many, many people whose company I enjoy and whose presence in my life I’m grateful for – but I have very small group of people that I refer to as friends.  To me friendship, is a product of years of shared experience – often shared challenge – shared trust based on the confidence that the person in question has seen you not at your best but at your worst and still values you – loyalty tempered by a willingness to let you know when you’re acting like a fool AND have your back until you step off the ledge – a connection that can survive years of separation and allow you to effortlessly slip right back into a relationship that feels as comfortable as an old shoe.  Of the very small number of people in my life I can say those things about, almost all of them have two things in common – The University Of Texas and Sigma Chi:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So…Travis, Kevin, David…I can’t wait to see you guys.  I’m hoping to get the Horns a win but – if we lose – seeing you guys again will be more than enough.  I can’t wait to see your wives again and catch up on everything that’s happened over the course of the last year – know how your work is going and how the kids are doing .  I’m looking forward to telling all the same, stupid, 35 year old stories and laughing at all the same old stupid jokes.  It’s within the realm of possibility that I’ll drink too much.  Please make sure – as you’ve always done – that I don’t act like an idiot in public or that I don’t stumble into the pool and drown.

Hook ‘Em and In Hoc!

Posted in On The Screen | 1 Comment

On The Nightstand – Stiger’s Tigers – 9/8/2018

Posted on September 8, 2018 by admin

Apologies in advance but I’m going to over-write a bit with this post and most of it isn’t going to be relevant to the book.  I took a chance on this one and I feel the need to explain why I picked it – particularly given the fact that it’s not a title which most would have thought to buy and read.

Anyone who follows the blog knows that my primary genre is Science Fiction & Fantasy.  I probably give it 70% of my total reading time.  I do have a second love, however, and that’s history – particularly classical history – something that started when I read Gibbon’s “The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire” in High School.  I’ve spent a lot of time over the years digging into Greek and Roman history and I’ve put together a pretty decent collection of some great work.  I’ve posted pictures from my Library before but I have a dedicated bookshelf in the Office just for my classical history titles:

For anyone who’s interested in these topics, I’d highly recommend the three titles by Peter Green (one of my old College Professors) – “The Greco-Persian Wars”, “Alexander Of Macedon” and “From Alexander To Actium” – as a great overview of Greek History from the rise of Athens to the Roman conquest of the Grecian city states – it’s a great starting point and the books are actually very easy reads.  If you’re interested in learning more about Roman military history and the history of the Legions that served the Empire, I’d recommend a truly beautiful book called “Legions Of Rome”.  Not only does it chronicle the military history of both the Republic and the Empire – it also provides a pretty detailed TOE for a standard legion AND details the history of every Legion that was ever put into the field.  It’s a book that deserves a place in the library of anyone with an interest in Rome.

Needless to say, when I see a title that brings these two loves together, it’s an easy decision to give it a try.  I’ve read several speculative fiction / alternate histories of Rome and my favorite – by far – is Thomas Harlan’s 4 volume “The Oath Of Empire” consisting of “The Shadow Of Ararat”, “The Gate Of Fire”, “The Storm Of Heaven” and “The Dark Lord”.  I read these about 15 years ago and remember them as exceptional reads that I’d enthusiastically recommend to anyone.

Amazon offered up “Stiger’s Tigers” at the same time that it suggested “Hammers On Bone” and I made a bit of an impulse buy.  It’s Volume #1 of a series called “Chronicles Of An Imperial Legionary Officer”.  Here’s why it caught my eye and made it onto the nightstand when I have so much other stuff I really want to read:

  • Fantasy / Speculative Fiction:  Check
  • Roman Alternate History:  Check
  • Military / Legionary Focus:  Check
  • Winner of the 2016 Independent Publisher Book Bronze Award for Fantasy:  Check
  • Strong Reviews On Amazon:  Check

Low risk buy for someone with my profile – right?

All the normally satisfying tropes were there for this type of novel:  notoriously harsh but effective and dutiful servant of the Empire arrives to take command of an undisciplined, ineffective unit – duplicitous, political appointee senior officers – inexperienced but well meaning junior officers – tough and capable NCOs – break them down and build them up training sequence – a fragging attempt that Stiger foils and then turns into an esprit building event – and a series of engagements that escalate in criticality.  On top of this, throw in an Elven Ranger and a Paladin cleric right out of D&D and you have a mix of elements that might have led to something enjoyable.

Sadly, the whole thing never really got off the ground.  The quality of the writing was average – stilted and tortured in places.  The tropes – really dependable components of this type of story – were poorly executed – instead of satisfying, they were mundane and boring.  The addition of the fantasy elements felt like a bolt on, weren’t used to good effect, and were probably more of a distraction than anything else.  Also frustrating for me with respect to a book that teased thematic linkages to Rome and her Legions was the fact that the Author never made much of an attempt to embed the structure and terminology of either into his book.  Seriously…how hard would it have been to use some of the actual Legionary terminology to describe rank structure and / or kit.  I’m sure it’s just me but it felt like the author left an easy and relate-able element lying on the table. I’m not sure if he didn’t do his research or if he just decided that doing so would only appeal to history nerds like me – far too small an audience.  For whatever reason, it left me feeling let down.

Short to long – this one was average, unremarkable and represents two days of reading time that I wish I could get back.  Honestly, I probably should have known better so shame on me.  Needless to say, I won’t be buying any of the rest of the books in this series.

Posted in On The Nightstand | 3 Comments