Work in Progress

Find a friend, find a turtle and take a long, slow walk

I know I said I was taking a break from the blog but that was before I saw this talk by Bruce Feiler, author of Council of Dads, on the TED site.

I read the book last year and wow, it was terrific.

The talk is equally so though I must admit I can't understand how he got through without choking up even once. He's obviously a better man than me. I highly recommend the book to anyone but if you're a Dad, you really need to read this.

Enjoy the talk.

* I also reserve the right to come back before the month is up.

My Year in Books

Here's a quick list of the books I read this year, along with a grade on how much I enjoyed each, on a scale of 1-10:

1) Game Six (9)
2) Team of Rivals (10)
3) Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (10)
4) Stones into Schools (10)
5) Superfreakonomics (8)
6) The Hobbit (8)
7) Open (8)
8) Denialism (10)
9) The Yankee Years (8)
10) This will change everything (6)
11) The girl with the dragon tattoo (11)
12) Change by Design (7)
13) A New Kind of Christianity (7)
14) Misquoting Jesus (8)
15) Jesus, Interrupted (8)
16) A Whole New Mind (9)
17) Drive (8)
18) Tribes (8)
19) Sisters Grimm (8)
20) Queen Bees and Wannabes (8)
21) Sisters Grimm: Unusual Suspects (7)
22) The Help (10)
23) The Element (9)
24) Last Night in Twisted River (6)
25) Gretzky's Tears (9)
26) Nikolski (10)
27) Eat, Pray, Love (5)
28) The Girl who played with Fire (987,568)
29) The Sisters Grimm: The Problem Child (7)
30) Operation Mincemeat (10)
31) The Bullpen Gospels (10)
32) The Council of Dads (9)
33) The Black Swan (8)
34) What's the matter with Kansas? (10)
35) The girl who kicked the hornet's nest (10)
36) You know me Al (9)
37) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (9)
38) Watching baseball smarter (5)
39) From Where I Stand (9)
40) The Corrections: A Novel (9)
41) Sandy Koufax (10)
42) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (42)
43) The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (42)
44) Life, the Universe and Everything (42)
45) So Long, and thanks for all the fish (42)
46) Shit my dad says (#%$)
47) Kitchen Confidential (9)
48) Still Alice (10)
49) The Last Boy (8)
50) Decision Points (.43)
51) Book of Negroes (Not finished yet but very, very good so far)

FYI, everyone should get a kindle.

 

Farewell Harry

After eleven months, amid some muffled tears and gentle teasing, we just finished the final chapter of the Harry Potter story. 

Not to get all Alyson Schafer on you but it's hard to imagine enjoying anything more than I've enjoyed reading this series with Emily. So what began as a lark has morphed into a habit we will continue for the foreseeable future.

And what are we are going to read now? Let's just say this next tale will be the one to rule them all...

RIP J.D.

The author of the Catcher in the Rye has died at the age of 91.

Not sure if it's because I (still & apparently will always) feel like an adolescent or just because the protagonist escapes to NYC (the concrete jungle where dreams are made) and happens to be the greatest place I can imagine getting lost for three days, but that book has always struck a chord with me.

Long live Holden Caulfield and RIP J.D. Salinger.

two generations, same evolution

Last night, we finished The Order of the Phoenix and started Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince, though the ending of Phoenix came as little surprise to either Emily or me.

Turns out, both my daughter and I skipped to the end when the other wasn't watching and sneaked a look. When she confessed to me that she had read ahead, I feigned disappointment for a few seconds before admitting I had done the same.

I'm not sure whether this shows that she is particularly mature for her age or whether I am particularly immature for mine but I know what you're all thinking and I don't care. (the surest sign of maturity)

In any case, considering the putrid performance last night of those-who-shall-not-be-named, it seems that Hogwarts may provide a welcome respite during these dark times. At the rate of about a hundred pages a week, we should get through Half-Blood Prince by Christmas and have plenty of time to finish the series before the final movie is released next spring.

Reading List

I'm finishing The War of Art and starting A-ROD tomorrow.

I'm struggling with fiction at the moment but slaying the dragon of Resistance (procrastination) and reading up on no-good, arrogant, cheatin' Yankees?                                             

I could read about that stuff all day.

Once I scarf down the A-ROD book by Selena Roberts, it's off to Columbine.

Within the Frame

Somewhere in the world, there may be a photographer more attuned to the human condition than David duChemin, but I doubt it.
Somewhere in the world, there may be a photographer more adept at capturing the beauty in this world than David duChemin, but I doubt it.
Somewhere in the world, there may be a photographer more passionate than David duChemin, but I doubt it.
Somewhere in the world, there may be a photographer more gifted than David duChemin, but I doubt it.

The man is creating a legacy that will outlive him, outlive us all.  His work is simply stunning and I highly recommend you pick up a copy of his new book, Within The Frame, whether you're into photography, or just into seeing images that will endure the test of time. Or you could come to our party next week, when we will be giving away two autographed copies...

(The third copy, autographed especially for me, will be here and you're welcome to come and read it anytime you want. As long as your hands are clean. And you're not one of those jerks that turn a page from the bottom of the book so that it almost tears the page. You know what I mean? Those people who turn the page from almost the bottom by pushing the whole page, getting fingerprints all over and almost tearing the paper? I hate those people. As long as you're not one of those and your hands are clean, you're welcome to come and look at the book.)

they say the first step is admitting you have a problem

Hello, my name is Robert and I am a Potterholic.

It all started innocently enough when Emily & I decided to read the first Harry Potter book together a couple of weeks ago. What was the harm, I thought, not knowing the power with which I was trifling. We could read the first one, see if it lived up to the hype and rent the DVD. If we enjoyed it, we could read the series at our leisure, among other books over the next few years and watch the videos as we finished each episode.

Be forewarned.

The first book, The Philosopher's Stone, lures you in with an extremely innocuous opening, almost dull, with cartoonishly evil aunt, uncle & cousin treaing dullard Harry badly.  Suddenly, it opens up into a secret new world that grabs you by the throat and won't let go. Don't think I am exaggerating. I choose my words very carefully.

By. The. Throat. And. Won't. Let. Go.

I remember how is used to be, before the dark time. We would casually, carelessly, read a book together at night and frankly, how much we read had as much to do with the Habs' schedule as anything else but this was different from the outset. Almost immediately, I found I couldn't allow mere teeth brushing or hair drying to interfere with my needs so firmly was Potter addiction established in my psyche. I started making dates with her to meet in her room at specific times to ensure we can work our way through enough of the story to sustain me for another day.

Last Monday, I did something I have never done before. Ever. I canceled a client meeting in order to go home and get my fix. I'm not proud of it but there it is and I would do it again.

The scary thing is, we're 200 pages into a 3,000 page story. I'm afraid to think how my life will be affected over the next 2,800 pages but don't be surprised if evening appointments become much, much harder to obtain for the next year or so.

Hello, my name is Robert and I am a Potterholic. 

The list

I remember a Billy Crystal movie in which he was diagnosed with some disease that meant he wouldn't live to see his infant son grow up so he made a bunch of videos the boy could watch when he was older and thus know something about his Dad.

Well, my health is fine but I decided I'd like to compile a collection of books I will give the kids when they are older, whether that's 16, 18 or 21 - a sort of unofficial canon of works that have influenced me or helped me understand the world a little better.

I got a couple of copies of Race Against Time autographed by Stephen Lewis a couple of years ago so that's first on the list.  I'm adding The Art of Possibility because I initially thought I'd put a few memorable excerpts from it on the blog but quickly realized it would essentially become a page by page transcription 'cause it's pure gold on every page.  I highly recommend it.

I read Black Like Me when I was in high school and its depiction of the effects of racism blew my mind so it goes on the list, as do The Boys of Summer & The Game.

The list will include fiction as well as non-fiction so I'll throw A Prayer for Owen Meany and Love in the Time of Cholera on there as well.  As does To Kill A Mockingbird, Catch 22, Slaughterhouse Five & both the Deptford & Cornish trilogies by Robertson Davies.

I'd love to hear any suggestions any of you may have.  Don't be shy.