Blogalicious

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #24: Traffic by Tom Vanderbilt

Subtitled "Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)," this book takes a look at how a variety of factors impact our driving behavior, with the emphasis on behavior, at least in the first 100 pages or so of the book. I note that page amount as I didn't get past there, as I never really engaged with the book. Don't know why exactly, and I was a bit disappointed as it is a subject that I find interesting. Maybe you'll have better luck.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:49:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #23: The Chicago Way by Michael Harvey

After reading the second book featuring Chicago private eye Michael Kelly (The Fifth Floor), I went back and read this introductory novel, which didn't quite measure up to the second one but is still quite good. The jacket blurbs try a little too hard to put this into classic noir territory, which could disappoint as it's really not up to the Hammett/Chandler standard. Still, it's about as noir as you can get in 2009, and it's got the requisite inside dealing and grit.

The story itself involves a cold case (not surprising, given Harvey's connection to Cold Case Files) that Kelly's old partner wants to revive, even though he was officially ordered to forget it. This leads to more bloodshed, and the involvement of the Chicago police, judiciary and media to link up the old crime with the new ones.

As expected, you should read the two books in sequence, as there are aspects of this book that are spolied by reading them out of turn. Both would be fine reads for your summer vacation.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:57:00 +0000

It's back to work tomorrow after six weeks off to transition into being a family of three, and I'll admit to feeling a little anxious. Less so about the baby, who I'll miss but know will be in good hands with mom (mother? mommy? not sure how I'll make the reference here). More so about going back to a job after six weeks away without knowing what's been done to change things. I do expect there will be changes - my boss isn't one to let things stand pat, which is overall a good thing - but won't feel completely comfortable until I learn about them.

You would also think after that much time at home with a new baby that I'd have stories to share (but just haven't gotten to, given the lack of posting about the baby). But I don't, as something like 98 percent of a newborn's time is spent doing three things: eating, sleeping, or filling diapers (and not necessarily each in turn; multitasking is apparently an inborne trait).

Which isn't to say that there's nothing remarkable. Getting to see the little bundle grow and develop, even in these early stages, is something I'd not trade for anything. Well, I'd trade the periods of screaming we seem to be into now, but not the times where I get an actual smile and a little "goo"-like noise. I'd not trade watching him sleep, or his grabbing at my finger, or watching him flip himself on to his back (though that seems to be done more to get off of his tummy, which he's not fond of yet). Or any of a million little things that make up the other two percent of what he does, things that in and of themselves aren't notable in the abstract, but are vital when they're done by one small human.

So I really have to go back to work tomorrow?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #22: Autophobia by Brian Ladd

While Americans are often said to have a love affair with the car, Ladd attempts to demonstrate in this book that it's actually more of a love-hate affair, seen today in our outcries against high gas prices, gridlock and the environmental cost of driving. Ladd also notes that this sort of relationship has actually existed since the dawn of the automotive age, with its concerns over the reckless speed and the safety of drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

The subject matter sounds interesting and is undeniably timely, but as presented here it was hard for me to really draw any conclusions. I found the first chapter had a number of interesting points, but was perhaps not organized in a way to best get me thinking about the subject in a larger perspective. By the end of the first chapter I had enough doubt about how the book was going to pan out that I didn't bother moving on to the second.

I'd not suggest this book, unless you're really interested in a social perspective on automobiles.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 06:50:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #21: Hitler's Peace by Philip Kerr

Set in 1943 and with the outcome of World War II clear despite the continued fighting, the major actors are trying to best sort out how to broker peace. For the Allies, the upcoming Tehran conference will try to settle the question of allowing a negotiated peace, which FDR and Stalin would consider, or an unconditional surrender, which is the only thing that Churchill will take. On the German side, both Hitler and Himmler are seeking peace separately, adding internal intrigue to the mix.

Into this setting comes Willard Mayer, a Harvard-educated OSS officer whose past links with both the Germans and the Soviets aren't widely known, but give him some insight into both sides. Tabbed by FDR to go to Tehran, Mayer's intro to diplomacy is sidetracked by a potential plot against the conference, one that seems to have supporters in the US delegation.

I liked this book quite a bit, both for its interesting twist on actual WWII events and for the almost effortless way Kerr creates the appropriate atmosphere for the times, places and people. Prior to this work he did write a trilogy set in wartime Berlin, so his abilities here shouldn't be a huge surprise. Recommended, especially as an alternative history book that would appeal to folks not necessarily into that genre.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 06:54:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #20: Land of Lincoln by Andrew Ferguson

As the Lincoln bicentennial neared, Ferguson, a Lincoln buff as a youth, decided to delve deeper into his boyhood idol to see how Lincoln is remembered and promoted in America today. To do so, he revisits both the wealth of Lincoln historical sites and the wide array of scholarship on Lincoln's life. Along the way he also tries to see what relevance Lincoln has with kids today by involving (or subjecting, depending on your point of view) his own children in visiting sites.

I'd expected something in a postmodern/ironic style, and while some of that does creep in (deservedly so in some parts), it's largely an authenic attempt to determine Lincoln's current relevance. There's also a fair amount of warmth for the subject, not surprising given Ferguson's ardor for Abe, and there's a generous amount of humor throughout. Certainly worth a read.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:25:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #19: The Scourge of God by S. M Stirling

The expedition to Nantucket continues on its way, still fighting the Church Universal and Triumphant, who is trying to prevent them from getting there. They make some new friends when they enter Sioux territory, but face new challenges when they get to Iowa, whose "Bossman" requires an old job to be completed before the group can move along.

Back in Oregon, the CUT is becoming more influential, forcing the member communities of The Meeting to take action.

I found this entry in the Change series much like the others, broadly speaking, in that I would have prefered more time with the characters from the original books and found the mystical mumbo jumbo a little much. I'm also wishing this group was making a little more progress, as at this rate it seems like it'll take them a dozen books to get to Nantucket. Still, it was no less entertaining than previous books in the series.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:57:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #18: Alpha Beta by John Man

I picked up this book about the development of the English alphabet from a clearance table a few years ago, as the price was right and I had at least some interest in the subject. But I never quite got around to cracking it open, which in retrospect may have been my subconscious urging caution when it comes to cheap books on subjects of only passing interest.

Which isn't to say this is a bad book, but rather that it may not appeal to someone with only a rudimentary understanding of orthography or linguistics. The attempt is made to explain the development and history of the alphabet in a way that anyone can understand, but it may be that this isn't the sort of topic that lends itself to a discourse that has both a wide appeal and reasonable depth. Anyway, I stuck with it for some time but couldn't quite finish.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:44:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #17: The Wench is Dead by Colin Dexter

While in hospital for a bleeding ulcer, Inspector Morse receives a monograph about a killing along an Oxford canal that had taken place over a century earlier. While he resists reading it (concerned for the quality of the self-published work), when he does finally pick it up he becomes engrossed, coming to the conclusion that the crime did not take place as reported, and that the men punished for it were innocent. Morse conducts his own investigation from his sick bed, enlisting the help of Sargent Lewis, some nurses on the ward, and other visitors.

It's a nice twist on the usual Morse investigation, though I did miss the way past stories would cut from the investigation to follow suspects (the text of the monograph didn't quite cut it for me in this respect). Getting to see more of Morse's personal life, most notably his first significant brush with mortality, is a plus as well. A different but - as expected - highly entertaining entry in the series.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:10:00 +0000

So it's back to the usual stuff here with post 2001. Here are the results of the baby pool!

Question 1: Gender

Three of the seven entrants correctly guessed that the baby would be a boy, earning them 10 points each.

Question 2: Day of Birth

No one guessed the day spot on, but Greg earned the most points by being only one day off with his guess of May 15. No one was more than three days off.

Question 3: Time of Birth

The scoring for this question took its toll on three contestants, who were far enough off of the time that they earned no points. Interestingly, they were the same three contestants who correctly guessed the baby's gender, which helped tighten things up quite a bit.

Kudos to Allyson and Salome for earning full points by being within an hour of the 9:06 pm birth time (with super kudos to Allyson for being within 20 minutes).

Question 4: Birth Weight

Most entries here stayed at or below eight pounds. With the kid tipping in at 9 pounds 6 ounces, this left five entries scoring no points on the question. I managed to get a couple, but OTC was the closest with a guess of nine pounds even.

Question 5: Birth Length

Not much variance here, as six of the seven entries scored at least 19 points. Mike and Greg got full marks, as Mike got the length exactly at 21 inches, while Greg guessed 21.5.

The final tally:

OTC: 59 points
Salome: 57
Allyson: 56
Me: 55
Greg: 52
Mike: 47
Brian: 46

Congrats to OTC, and thanks to all who played. I'll try not to feel too bad that I came in fourth in a pool where I had the most access to its subject.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 22 May 2009 03:56:00 +0000

This is the 2000th post in Blogalicious history, so I'll recognize that milestone by writing about a much larger one: how we left the house on Thursday as a two-person family and returned on Monday as a three-person family.

Before Thursday - The wife had appointments on Monday and Wednesday, the upshot being the baby was pretty damn big (estimated 9 pounds 14 ounces) and had to come out. Induction was planned for Thursday, causing us to scramble a bit to tie up loose ends and make ourselves marginally less ill prepared for being parents.

Thursday - Got to the hospital at 7 am, and by 7:30 the wife was hooked up to IVs delivering, among other things, oxytocin, a hormone used to kick-start labor. Prior to this we did have a discussion with the OB on call regarding c-sections, as he had some concerns related to the potential size of the baby and potential injuries from shoulder dystocia. We decided to give induction a go and see where it led.

It led nowhere, or at least to a place in its neighborhood. After 12 hours, there were no contractions to speak of, only some back pain. While you hear that labor with the first baby is long, this was a little dispiriting. The new OB on call came in and went back over the issues we'd talked about in the morning, allowing us to weigh the options between continuing induction or going with a c-section. We finally decided to go with a c-section, thinking that the results of the induction was a sign that a standard delivery might not be the best choice.

Once the decision was made, things moved swiftly. The c-section, paraprhasing the description given to us, was five minutes of prep, five to ten minutes to get the kid out, and a half hour of putting my wife back the way she was found. The wife was wheeled to the OR, and during her prep I got to put on scrubs. Let's just say that there are apparently not that many large surgeons, or if there are they get their scrubs to order. The best fitting part of the entire outfit were the booties I put over my shoes, a bad sign indeed.

I went into the OR, where most of the wife was flanked by surgeons and nurses, so I (thankfully) did not get to see what was going on there. I was seated up by her head, where there was a drape up to keep us from seeing the gory bits. I fought to keep myself from sliding off the stool - scrubs and polished metal seats don't interact well - while the wife was trying to scratch her nose against the inside of the oxygen mask. We were quite a pair.

And, as described, within ten minutes of my arrival we had a baby (sadly, if it had been later we would not have gotten him for free). And, as my wife thought, we had a boy with a pretty full head of hair (pregnancy heartburn signifying hair is apparently not an old wives' tale). He was crying away, which is understandable given that things were now awfully cold and bright.

But the first thing I really noticed about him was his umbilical cord. It was huge. The doctor who delivered him compared it to a garden hose in size, and the nurse in charge of cutting it was a bit puzzled at first with how she was going to do it (I wanted no part of it, as I've never quite bought into the dad cutting the cord thing). Once that got done (and once he celebrated his own arrival by shooting off his personal water cannon, so to speak), we were off to the nursery.

Once there, they confirmed the OR staff's statements that we did, indeed, have a big baby. He weighed in at 9 pounds 6 ounces, and while that was a half pound off of the ultrasound estimate, it's safe to say that he was big enough that a standard delivery would have been harrowing for mother and child alike. At some point both of us wound up back down in recovery with the wife, and after a few minutes of getting acquainted we all made our way up to the room we'd call home for the next few days.

Friday - During our first round of doctor visits, our OB stopped in and asked how Thor was doing.

Thor?

Turns out that when the delivering doctor asked us what we were going to name our son, the wife said Thor, spoofing on his size (though he does not have long, blonde hair, nor does he wield a hammer). The doctor went and put that on the chart, in what I hope was him going along with the joke. Then again, with some of the names bestowed upon kids now, Thor might not be that bad.

Still, it did raise a point - we had not yet decided what to name the kid. By the time we made a decision, the kid had three nicknames - Thor, Jethro (courtesy of my brother) and Cheeks, which was given by one of the nurses given his big, round cheeks. After some discussion, we did what my dad did with me, and used the reverse of the paternal grandfather's name, landing us with Joseph John Coen.

The rest of the day was spent resting and getting used to young Joe's rhythms for eating and excreting. We got a first-hand introduction to meconium (NSFLunch) that night, and after I changed the diaper solo Joe gave us a second first-hand intro twenty minutes later, one that was a three-person job to remedy. This, in combination with the Egypt-themed book I was reading would lead to a fourth nickname, Poopenkhamun. I still use this when the dreaded "curse" has claimed another innocent diaper.

Saturday - Another day resting and getting used to our son. The wife was recuperating pretty well, and was able to move around much more than the day before. We had our first spate of family visitors outside of my in-laws, who'd come down on Thursday morning in anticipation of a new grandchild. We also made the decision to bottle feed, which was difficult given the strong preference given to breastfeeding in our birthing class and in pretty much every pregnancy publication out there. I will give big ups here to the nurses and lactation consultants at the hospital, as they worked hard to help us get to a decision and fully supported it once it was made.

Sunday - We were all getting a little bored with the hospital by this point, and while we could have stayed until Tuesday, we decided to leave on Monday. I'll admit to being a little worried about not taking our full compliment of days, as I figured one more day of nurses to help with the baby and take care of the wife's incision couldn't hurt. But with the baby getting a clean bill of health and the wife recovering well (by this point managing post-op pain with ibuprofen only), there wasn't much point in staying.

This being our last night, we got to enjoy the hospital's traditional celebration dinner, which is a couple steps up from their regular fare (though their regular food wasn't bad, certainly better than what you'd think of from hospital food). I can't say I ever expected to have rack of lamb at a hospital, but they did a nice job with it.

It was also my last night sleeping in the convertable chair provided so dads can stay over. I did stay every night, more for the wife's sake than the baby's, as the baby went back to the nursery for overnights. That's apparently a somewhat controversial practice, as there's a strong school of thought that the parents should room in with the baby as much as possible. My thinking is that the last thing the wife needed while on the mend was the baby waking her up at some ungodly hour. There'd be enough time for that once we got home.

Anyway, the convertable chairs aren't particularly comfortable, but I've slept in worse.

Monday - There's an odd feeling to leaving the hospital with a baby. Both the wife and I were expecting that someone would stop us before the maternity ward doors, knowing that we're not as prepared as we'd like to care for a newborn. But as we pushed the call button to let us out, no one came running to save the baby from his parents. The doors swung open, and we walked out into our new life together.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 14 May 2009 03:47:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #16: From Time to Time by Jack Finney

This is the sequel to Time and Again, an illustrated novel about a man who goes back to 1880s New York as part of a government-sponsored time travel experiment and winds up staying. In the sequel, he's called upon by the project's leaders - who get back in touch with him with some difficulty - to travel again in an attempt to prevent World War I.

As with the first book, there's lavish period detail and a fun story. Unlike the first book, though, the sequel gets a little too caught up in the detail, and the illustrated parts sometimes feel like they've been included because we expect them.

Still, if you've read the first book you'll probably like this one.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #15: Greasy Rider by Greg Melville

The cross-country drive that forms the basis of this book comes with an environmental twist, as Melville and an old college friend try to drive a Mercedes retrofitted to run on used cooking oil from Vermont to an alt-fuel friendly filling station in Berkeley without burning a single drop of fossil fuels (or, if I remember correctly, paying for any fuel at all). Along the way, Melville get a series of tasks from his friend that he must complete after the trip is over, which include visiting a wind farm and checking to see just how sustainable a lifestyle Al Gore leads.

It's an entertaining though occasionally uneven mix of road trip and eco-primer, and one that shows the possibilities that are already out there to lead a more green-friendly lifestyle. My only quibble is that there were times I wished that the interaction between the author and his friend were less peculiar, though I suppose that can't be helped. Or at least not without theraputic and/or pharmaceutical intervention.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:40:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #14: Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley

Buckley turns his satiric eye towards the judiciary in this, his latest novel, as a highly unpopular President, unable to get his nominees for a Supreme Court opening confirmed, gives the Senate Judiciary Committee a metaphorical middle finger by nominating Pepper Cartwright, a plain-talking Texan who hosts a popular TV court show. Perhaps unexpectedly, the stunt works, and Cartwright is given a seat on the court.

Once on the court, it's a non-stop run of problems, both judicial and personal, as Cartwright has to figure out her new job, peculiar colleagues and sort out a messy personal life.

I didn't quite see the parallels between Cartwright and Sarah Palin that some drew, and as the book was published well before Palin became nationally prominent it's a comparison that may not hold water. Instead, I think Buckley may have ripped me off.

However, I do feel like an idiot for not figuring out that the character that chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee was based on Joe Biden, as in retrospect it makes a certain sense.

Highly amusing as always and well worth the read.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:55:00 +0000

Tomorrow is apparently National Train Day, so in honor of that I declare that if the baby arrives at any point during the day, we're naming it Casey Jones Coen.*

*pending the wife's approval, and you can imagine the likelihood of that

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:13:00 +0000

If the doctors are to be believed, we're less than three weeks away from the arrival of Little Coen. So it's time for everyone to get in the pool!

The Blogalicious Baby Pool

Very simple, five questions:

1. What will be the baby's gender?

An important but simple question, given the binary nature of things, and thus worth 10 points. To help you handicap, here are the results of various gender-predictors:

Chinese Baby Gender Chart - girl if I did the Chinese age thing correctly. Using the wife's actual age, it's a boy.
Heart Rate - inconclusive, I think, as the heart rate was routinely above 140 early in the pregnancy but is now just below.
Old Wives Tales Quiz - came up 53-47 that we're having a girl, though I did it once before and it was 60-40 for a boy, so I may have changed one of the answers by mistake.
Another Test - says 77 percent chance it's a boy.
Childbirth.org - their test says 52-47 girl, though there were a couple questions I couldn't answer.

2. What day will the baby be born?

Pretty straightforward, 20 points if you're right, 1 point off for each day you miss by. We've been given a due date of May 19. Past history is inconclusive; the wife was born three weeks early and was her mom's first child, while I, as my mom's fourth, was pretty much on time.

3. What time will the baby be born?

Also straightforward, guess a time and if you're within the hour you'll get 20 points, with 1 point off for each half hour you're off by. And while I don't think the information is of much help, I can tell you that I was a mid-afternoon baby, while the wife was mid-morning.

4. What will be the baby's weight?

Entries here should be in pounds and ounces, with 20 points available if you're spot on, losing a point thereafter for each ounce you're off. Our last weight estimation, which was about three weeks ago, had the kid at 7 pounds, 1 ounce. I came in a six pounds even, the wife below that.

5. What will be the baby's length?

The guess here should be in inches, with 20 points if within one inch, losing a point for each inch you're off from there. The wife was in the high teens, while I think I was 24 inches long, though that looks too long to me.

Anyway, send your entry along or post in the comments. Good luck!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:33:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #13: Final Salute by Jim Sheeler

Regardless of how you feel about our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, it would be well worth your while to read this incredibly moving book detailing all aspects of what the military calls casualty notification. The book mostly focuses on Major Steve Beck, a Marine who, like most casualty notification officers, has little to no training on how to deliver the news or support the families now missing a child or spouse. Unlike some who are tapped to perform this duty - no one is permanently assigned to do so - Beck has a skill for it, thanks in no small part to his empathy for the families and understanding of how to truly honor the fallen.

One of the most moving parts of the book, though, comes when Sheeler spends time with the soldiers who accompany the caskets of their comrades back to their families. At the time the book was written, this typically happened on commercial flights, meaning that the accompanying soldier, often a friend or unitmate of the deceased, had the added burden that came when fellow passengers realized why the soldier was on their flight. The emotion here is at a completely different level than that of the families, at times more raw at the loss of a friend while at other times thankful that there are other passengers who provide comfort or support (thankfully, few passengers seem to seize the opportunity to voice their opinion on the war, one way or the other).

At times the book does get a little mawkish, which I think comes from the need to find material to bring what was originally a featured series in the now-departed Rocky Mountain News to book length. Even so, these periods are few and don't detract greatly. I don't know if it would change anyone's views on the wars, but I do think it helps to provide focus to what has been, for most of us, war held at arm's length.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:44:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #12: The Somnambuilst by Jonathan Barnes

I liked this book more than I expected, but still felt that there was some unrecognized potential in its story of a magician who, with his mute assistant, investigate a murder in Victorian London that turns out to be much more than a simple killing.

My expectations were set on the low side fearing something derivative from The Prestige or The Illusionist, and while there are some similarities, the book travels in very different circles than either of those movies. The book is much less about magic or the magician (heck, the book is named for the assistant), and uses the supernatural in a very different way. The narrative structure also took a little getting used to, but in the end I found it enhanced the story quite a bit.

But I think there was some added potential to give background on several characters, and perhaps on the event that is responsible for the killing that kicks off the book, as I think it would have clarified some of what takes place in the conclusion, which was a little muddled for me. On the other hand, Barnes has apparently written a sequel, albeit set in modern times, which may help to clarify things (akin to how Stephen Carter's Palace Council helped to explain things about his previous books). At least I hope so, as I enjoyed this book well enough to want to read the sequel.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:44:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #11: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee

I'll admit to never really considering where fortune cookies came from, but it's just that question that gets Lee started down a path to find out how Chinese food became such a hit in the US and around the world. Along the way she visits the hometown of General Tso/Gao, documents New York's menu wars and DC's kosher duck scandal, and tries to find the best Chinese restaurant (outside of China) in the world.

There's a lot to like about this book, from the historical research into Chinese food origins (including a discovery about the genesis of the fortune cookie that I imagine would rankle the Chinese) to Lee's personal reflections about balancing American and Chinese cultures. The chapters dealing with the struggles to run restaurants and the shadow work force that travels the country to staff them are eye-opening, and provide thoughtful contrast to the less serious stuff. Definitely recommended.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:17:00 +0000

Book Log 2009 #10: The Fifth Floor by Michael Harvey

When Michael Kelly is hired by an ex-girlfriend to trail her no-good husband, the last thing he expects to stumble upon is a murder apparently connected to the Great Chicago Fire and, unluckily for him, the city's powerful mayor (whose office location gives title to the book).

I liked the book quite a bit. I always enjoy mysteries when they turn historical (there's a stretch where it kind of becomes History Detectives with a body count), and there's a balance between noirish and comedic aspects that work better than expected.

This is the second book to feature Kelly, and as there appear to be spoilers to the first book (The Chicago Way) at the start of this one, it would make some sense to read these in order. Unlike me, who'll be reading the first book in the next week or so.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:19:00 +0000

Finally, getting back to things here, with the hope of playing catch up with everything in the coming weeks so that I can get monumentally behind once we increase the population of our household by 50 percent.

So what have I been up to?

Baby - we finished our birthing classes a couple of weeks ago with some Q&A with parents who were in the last class. It wasn't as horrifying as the movies (thanks to the lack of pictures), and the parents did confirm two themes that have developed as the months passed: expect whatever plan you have for the birth to go wildly askew and don't plan on sleeping once the kid comes home.

I followed this up with a Saturday morning session of daddy boot camp, where we dads-to-be met up with some new dads to talk about parenting and get some practical experience with things like changing diapers, feeding, etc. I won't say it was the most useful three hours, but it was good to get some perspective, and we even got a "five wiper" from one of the kids, though thankfully not of the "up the back and all over the clothes" variety.

We've been making our appointments and had another ultrasound, with another estimate suggesting we're having a big baby (estimated weight is about three weeks ahead of the average for the week we're on, and we're still ahead of average if you take off the pound that seems to be the upper end of the margin of error).

Otherwise, things are going about as well as can be expected, though the wife is at the point where she'd be happy to stop being pregnant.

Wedding - the sister in law got married last week, and while I wasn't particularly involved it did take up a fair amount of time given the influx of relatives from England who came over (some of whom stayed with us, and others of whom we saw over Easter) and whatever assistance was needed to help the wife with errands and whatever (mostly related to running around the day of when people were getting ready).

All in all it went off very well, and the cakes as centerpieces idea worked better than expected.

Throw in back-to-back registration periods at work and the looming graduation in May and that's pretty much my life the last two weeks, sad as it is.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:58:00 +0000

Lentorama 2009: Great(?) Moments in Catholics on Television

November 23, 1997: Monsignor Martinez utters his first "Vaya con Dios."

Well before Ugly Betty made telenovelas sort of mainstream, the folks at King of the Hill mined them for comedy gold with the incidental appearance of Los Dias y Las Noches de Monsignor Martinez, whose title cleric has a penchant for violence, most of which is heard rather than seen.

Someone found these bits amusing, as Fox did consider a live-action spinoff for the 2001-02 season. How they passed on a sitcom about a murderous priest I'll never figure out, as it seems like it'd be right up their alley.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:58:00 +0000

Lentorama 2009: Great(?) Moments in Catholics on TV

April 22, 1988: Teenage girls in an all male Catholic high school? Wacky!

Just the Ten of Us was a spin-off of Growing Pains that took the recurring character of Graham Lubbock, a gym teacher played by Bill Kirchenbauer and sent him, his wife and their eight kids off to California so he could teach gym at St. Augustine's Academy, an all-male Catholic high school.

Part of the deal, though, is that Coach Lubbock's four teenage daughters would also get to go to St. Augustine's. Considering that Lubbock took umbrage when boys would look at his daughers at whatever suburban high school Growing Pains had, you can imagine how it went when his daughters were the only girls in school. The powers that be at the school didn't care for the arrangement much either, but made it work thanks to the school's headmaster, Father Frank Hargis (played by Frank Bonner, known to most as Herb Tarlek on WKRP in Cincinnati).

The thing I never got about this arrangement was why the girls couldn't go to public school. Or whatever sister school St. Augustine's had. I know, hard to believe an '80s sitcom would be so contrived. I also don't know if the Lubbocks were actually Catholic (not that it's a deal-breaker for attending Catholic school). Then again, they did have eight kids.

The show did reasonably well, but ABC apparently cancelled it because they wanted the TGIF lineup they were cooking up to have shows all from the same production company. Which is how the Alphabet turned in a solid performer for Going Places, a TV show about TV show writers who also happen to share a house (contrivance being widely abundant, apparently). It never caught on, and with good reason.

Just the Ten of Us also gave a couple of actors and early stop on their career, as one of the Lubbock daughter was played by the toothsome Jamie Luner (Savannah, Melrose Place) and Dennis Haysbert (24, The Unit) played Coach Lubbock's assistant.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:59:00 +0000

Lentorama 2009: Great(?) Moments in Catholics on Television

April 8, 2005: John Paul II's funeral is seen live worldwide

When Paul VI and John Paul I both died in1978, their funerals were televised, but the most anyone outside of Italy saw of the ceremonies were on tape and likely during the evening news. That would not be the case 26 years and change later, when John Paul II's funeral was seen live across the globe.

I couldn't find viewership totals, but there's an assumption that this was likely the most-watched funeral ever, surpassing that of Princess Diana. If it didn't, it's safe to say it was the most-watched Catholic funeral ever, thanks to the combination of technology and JP2's long reign.

But it was also interesting television, given the number of people who'd never seen a Papal funeral before and the fairly unprecedented turn-out by secular and religious leaders. The pope is a head of state, of course, but you'd not expect somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 world leaders to show, a number from not particularly Catholic countries. On the religious side, I don't think you'd have had such a showing of Protestant, Orthodox, and non-Christian leaders for anyone else.

So between the pomp, novelty, and chance to watch probably the only event ever that would have the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox church, and the Queen of Norway in attendance, it was something to see. Or so I heard; I slept through most of it, catching the last 20 minutes or so.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:58:00 +0000

Lentorama 2009: Great(?) Moments in Catholics on Television

April 13, 2005: It may be the end of the world as we know it, and I feel like I wasted six hours

A TV show based on the End of Days doesn't seem like a winner, which may be why Revelations turned into a six-episode miniseries. It probably does not explain why it was such an incoherent mess.

Your basic plot: scientist Richard Massey (Bill Pullman) is a skeptic of the highest order, and when his daughter is killed by a Satanist, he is integral in his capture and return to the US, where he is imprisoned awaiting trial. Massey is not a man of faith, which makes his later pairing with Sister Josepha Montafiore (Natascha McElhone) a bit of a chore.

Montafiore spends her time criss-crossing the globe looking for signs of the Second Coming, at the behest of a private, and very conservative, organization. Her work, often at the fringe of organized religion, puts her at odds with mainstream religious folks.

So what you wind up having is The X Testament, with Massey as Scully and Montafiore as Mulder. They get mixed up in some sort of plot launched by the Satanist character to either prevent the second birth of Jesus or hasten the rebirth of Satan. I don't quite recall from memory, and I don't think it was particularly clear at the time, either. All I do know is that it involved the kidnapping of Massey's son so he could spend a lot of time with a character played by Fred Durst. There was also some subplot involving astronomy that required the involvement of a professor played by Jonathan Rhys-Davies, who spent most of his time "lecturing" Harvard students in the most grandiose way possible, spouting generalities and nonsense.

(If that reminds you of Mohinder Suresh and his pointless narration on Heroes, it's not an accident, as the shows share at least some DNA thanks to producer James Chory.)

So to sum up, the plot was confusing, the characters often ludicrous and in the end it wasn't really clear what had happened. To some extent that's a decent metaphor for the book of the Bible after which the miniseries was named. Just one that isn't particularly fun to watch.