Sunday 81-degree-link-o

For those of you who like short link-o-ramas:

*** Never read this dude, but know some who have and sounds like he rocked it.

Fantasy author Terry Pratchett, whose Discworld series delighted fans with liberal doses of imaginative storytelling and off-beat humor, has died at age 66.

*** The twisted history of your fave board game: Monopoly.

An interview with Mary Pilon about her new book, ‘The Monopolists,’ which uncovers the real story about how Monopoly became the game it is today.

*** Disney makes $1 billion bet on a magic wristband.

If you want to imagine how the world will look in just a few years, once our cell phones become the keepers of both our money and identity, skip Silicon Valley and book a ticket to Orlando. Go to Disney World. Then, reserve a meal at a restaurant called Be Our Guest, using the Disney World app to order your food in advance.

My fave characters ...

I was thinking of whom my favorite pulp characters are and found it's mighty tough to start ranking them in order. Of the top 20 I put together, they all have their strengths. If they were fish, there's not a one of them I would throw back if they landed in my boat. Then again, with my fishing prowess, I never would have caught them in the first place.

My top 20 fictional action characters from a recurring series are ... envelope please:

Jack Reacher - Veteran (Lee Child)

Odd Thomas - Fry cook (Dean Koontz)

Virgil Flowers - Minnesota Bureau of Apprehension (John Sandford)

Gabriel Allon - Mossad (Daniel Silva)

Bob Lee Swagger - Former Marine (Stephen Hunter)

Matthew Scudder - PI (Lawrence Block)

John Dortmunder - Thief (Donald Westlake)

Lucas Davenport - Minnesota Bureau of Apprehension (John Sandford)

Alex Hawke - MI6 (Ted Bell)

Serge Storms - Homicidal maniac (Tim Dorsey)

Alex Cross - Psychologist (James Patterson)

Stephanie Plum - Bail bondsman (Janet Evanovich)

Evan Tanner - Adventurer (Lawrence Block)

Deucalion - Monster (Dean Koontz)

Spenser - Detective (Robert B. Parker)

Alex Delaware - Child psychologist (Jonathan Kellerman)

Bernie Rhodenbarr - Burglar (Lawrence Block)

Parker - Thief (Richard Stark/Donald Westlake)

Mitch Rapp - CIA (Vince Flynn)

Jack Ryan - CIA (Tom Clancy)

   Honorable mention:
Keller - Hitman (Lawrence Block)
Peter Decker - Detective (Faye Kellerman)
Jesse Stone - Police chief (Robert B. Parker)

Finished: Ted Bell's 'Warriors'

Took me a while to finish this almost-500-pager, but all was good with Alex Hawke and his Warriors.

Dashing counterspy Alex Hawke must rescue a kidnapped American scientist as the United States and China move dangerously close to all-out nuclear war in this adrenaline-fueled thriller in the New York Times bestselling series that combines the hallmarks of Clive Cussler, Tom Clancy, Ian Fleming, and Daniel Silva.

The Amazonians give it a 3.9 out of 5. Goodreads about matches that with a 3.87. The Haugenometer puts it at a relatively high 7-.

The one thing that stuck out to me more in this novel than in other Hawke novels is how stereotypical Bell's characters are. Sure, you have Hawke being the rich Brit and Stokely the big, tough black guy; and Fancha, his hot rap pop diva; but then there's Froggy the Frenchman, Chief Rainman the Native American, and Brock the CIA guy and the Chinese Ninja's. There's not a stereotype that gets challenged. Oh, well, sometimes the characters don't need to surprise you if the plot does.

I realize I'm not glowing over this novel despite giving it a good rating. I really did enjoy the book, it's just that the character thing bugged me a bit. They were good, just not interesting in and off themselves.

Quote I liked about Hawke: "It's said he was good at war. Maybe it was because he was so inordinately fond of peace." Seems I've heard something along those lines before, but can't place it.

And the book also spurred me to do some reading about Seneca, the first century philosopher. Pretty interesting stuff if you're into the whole Caligula, Claudius, Nero thing.

And it also spurred me to order Truman Capote's true-crime book, In Cold Blood. Stay tuned for that one.

Friday's Link-O-Rama

I found these interesting and see no reason why you won't:

*** Don't take political correctness lying down.

So there I am, never smoked in my life, just minding my own business trying to get treated for the flu, and the Smoke Nazi is pontificating to me about my father’s perhaps suboptimal health choices when he gave up cigarettes in 1962, two years before the Surgeon General’s Report about it, when I was seven. Hence the dilemma that always arises in these situations: do you let this stuff slide or call the guy on it?

*** An interesting theory on: Were Those Really the Gold Old Days? Why 'New' Old Art is More Popular Than New New Art.

I suspect that for all its seeming popularity — as measured by such indexes as museum attendance — there is a continuing and pervasive unease with modern art among the public at large, a sinking feeling that no matter how much time they spend looking, reading or listening, they’ll never quite get the hang of it. As a result, they feel a powerful longing for “new” work by artists of the past.

*** This is pretty funny, especially if you hate meetings. I can't remember who said it, but I agree, that any meeting longer than 20 minutes is a waste of time. Might have to try some of these: 10 Tricks to Appear Smarter in Meetings.

*** As a former bowling columnist (don't laugh), I only wish this had happened during my tenure. Boston-area amateur bowler Hakim Emmanuel notches 27th perfect 900 series on record. Impressive.

*** Somebody actually FOIA'd Scott Walker's communication with God. People are funny.

*** Joe Theismann's letter to his younger self. Good stuff from the Notre Dame grad.

*** Check out charming and unusual bookstores from around the galaxy.

*** Kid Rock has a new album out. So all is well in the world.

*** The photo shoot that broke up Van Halen.

A McCutchens McUpdate

I tweeted on this last week and I assume everybody follows every link I tweet. If not, I provided the link again.

This guy has a different take on Andrew McCutchens' essay about how difficult it is for young black baseball players to get noticed. And makes some good points.

This is the crux of McCutchen's argument. That there is no other option other than expensive travel teams. That you can't get noticed, you can't get anywhere without these traveling teams. That's simply not true. Frankly, it's silly.

The guy (who doesn't blog with a name so I call him "the guy") says players don't have to be on expensive travelling teams to get noticed. Basically, strike batters out or hit the ball and you'll get noticed.

Do you know what gets you noticed? An extraordinary amount of God given talent and hard work. There's no other way. There's no magical shortcut. Talent. Hard work.

Some Sunday school rambling ...

My grade-school years were spent in LeMars, Iowa, where my dad was guidance counselor and coach at the public high school. Our family attended St. John's Lutheran Church. Dad was head of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at school, where the thrill of my young life was when star quarterback for the Bulldogs, DeeJay Donlin, and his girlfriend Kay Cobb took me to the annual banquet and I sat next to them at the head table. DeeJay, now a pastor, went on to set records at Augustana College and made it to the final cut day for the Minnesota Vikings, before losing out to a guy named Tommy Kramer. I loved our time in LeMars.

I knew there was another school in town, a Catholic school called LeMars Gehlen, but never gave it much thought as a grade-schooler. I just knew it existed and that was about it. There was no bigger booster of the public high school in town than my dad. There was also probably no bigger fan of the Lutheran Church than my dad. So if there was one guy who could've taken the opportunity to bash the private, Catholic school in town, it could have been my dad. But he never did. I never heard an ill word spoken about LeMars Gehlen.

Fast forward 40 years now and I'm Catholic, have graduated two daughters from the local Catholic school here in Rapid City (having transferred from the equally-awesome Brandon Valley Public Schools 10 years ago) and have a son with one year left at St. Thomas More.

Given my upbringing, the most shocking thing I've encountered this past decade is the straight-up animus some people have toward that school and private schools in general. I chalk most of it up to jealousy, some of it to ignorance, and on rarer occasions to bigotry. None of those three things are particularly good character traits in my book. But now I just get a kick out of drawing it out of people. Yeah, I like to instigate a little. It's enlightening.

At school football or baseball games I don't like to sit in the stands (mostly due to a bad back), so you'll often find me wandering around. Usually I end up talking to parents and fans of the opposing team in the concession area or along the baselines. It's almost always good conversations where if the Catholic school thing comes up I correct misconceptions or add to them, depending on my mood. "They recruited my kid in second grade," I've said, jokingly, but always leaving that bit of doubt for the listener to ponder on his own.

I've found that some people who claim to care most about education often really care most about public school education (of which I'm a fan as well). Because boy when you get them going on private schools or home-schoolers it gets their blood pressure up and you often find they aren't such fans of those types of education. I don't get that kind of thinking.

I don't get that at all, and for that I'd like to thank my public-school-teaching Lutheran father who was just a fan of good education no matter how you got it. Thanks Dad for raising me without that other garbage.

Don't take liberty with George's facts

I borrowed my oldest daughter my copy of George Washington's Secret Six, which I enjoyed. She's a political science and history grad, has given tours for the U.S. Capitol as a Senate intern; worked as a House intern, was an interpretor for the inaugural season of the Founding Fathers Museum near Rapid City; and is now a staffer for a U.S. Senator. So she's into that stuff!

But she returned the book last week unfinished. Apparently she got to the part where the author said George Washington signed the Declaration of Independence and she was so disgusted with the inaccuracy she couldn't continue reading. In her world, you do not mess with the Declaration of Independence.

I guess historical fiction is not her cup of tea.

She seemed a lot more excited about the biography I bought her of her favorite Founding Father, the youngest signer of TDOE - Edward Rutledge. We'll see how that goes.

Release the hounds!

I want to be a houndsman. Does it take more than just owning a hound? Because, in the technical "hound" category, I have this one named "Huckleberry." He has issues.

Regardless, here's a cool story about a new way they are counting mountain lions in the Black Hills.

In the month before the season, GF&P employees release hounds to tree mountain lions; they then used a dart gun to shoot a special dart into the lion’s rump that takes a small sample for flesh. 

... 

When biologists radio collared lions, Kanta said, it took at least four people. The lion needed to be anesthetized, which can lead to an unintentional death of the animal. And the lion had to be handled, which can potentially be dangerous.

“Now we can run with just the houndsman if need be,” he said.

Contents of Al Capone's vault finally revealed

There's a great deal of satisfaction and trepidation when I box up all the notepads, post-its, index cards, edited manuscripts and scribbles from the latest writing project. That means I've finally stuck a fork in it and am kicking it out the door.

The next step is the cover, and I'm hoping to have the arguing over the cover design done soon before somebody gets hurt. My posse seems to really like the book, but thinks I'm getting a little weird with the cover. Oh well, sometimes crazy is all you've got. And, when in doubt, I ask myself: What would Prince do?

Stay tuned.

Thursday Link-oh-Rama

Some things worth reading, not sure why.

*** And in the nonfiction "Be Careful What You Wish For" section there's this.

*** Powdered alcohol, eh? There's just some things, like cell phone cameras, and Palcohol, that I'm glad weren't around in my youth.

Mark Phillips, owner of the Arizona-based company, said on Palcohol's website that he created the product to avoid lugging liquor bottles on hiking trips. The 1-ounce powder packets can be stirred into water to make one shot of vodka or rum, or a serving of one of four different cocktails, the website says.

*** Sometimes, like in this article, the comments are better than the actual story. People are so angry now-a-days.

*** Yeah, I think Jesse Ventura is kind of a goofball and I admit to taking Chris Kyle's side of the bar-fight story until I read this. And I changed my mind.

*** Rush Limbaugh has some nice words on the passing of his COS Kit Carson.

*** So they figured out how to unboil an egg, and apparently it's important.

*** Here's the latest from my boys Sons of Bill: Big Unknown.

Random thoughts ...

** For the record: Patriots 34, Seahawks 13.

** Marshawn Lynch behaves like a dink. Part of the responsibility of a job in the NFL is representing your team and the league to the public and press. Answer some dumb questions from the press, have some fun. It's the Super Bowl. It's not all about you.

** Friend and I were discussing how people got so wrapped up with Deflategate but seem to pay so little attention to much weightier issues that might actually affect their lives or the lives of others.

I’m working on a theory that people take an interest in these shallow Kardashiany things so as not to face the reality of the important things. The avoidance theory. Denial. “If I ignore it, it’ll go away.”

That’s my generous theory.

My other theory is that people take an interest in those mundane tabloid things because they understand them and can make conversation about them and can seem as smart as their neighbor or friend, as opposed to talking about things they don’t understand as well like the National Debt or Ukraine or Boko Haram.

I have no problem with people being amused and entertained by silly things (heck, I'm the king of liking dumb nonsensical stuff) but it would be nice to see some other subjects taken as seriously by the general public.

** I really like the Gotham series on television, which is somewhat odd because I've never really gotten into the Batman movies except when Prince provides the soundtrack. I find Gotham to be very well written, cool characters, good vs. evil, all the things that make shows worth watching. Unfortunately I don't see it very high in the ratings so it will probably soon go the way of other great artistic pursuits I enjoyed like The Tick.

** Always good to receive one of those "Your Order Has Shipped" emails. Especially when it's from Tomatofest with your heirloom seeds! Yes, I live life on the edge.

** I am blessed to have a wife who really gets into UFC and MMA fighting. Though it is problematic when she throws one of those rear naked choke holds on me. So it looks like we're on tonight for watching the Silva vs. Diaz fight with a bunch of college kids. Her idea. Seriously.

Haugen's rules for radicals

Ray Bradbury said: "There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches." (Don't insert Muhammad cartoon here.)

Undeterred, Junior just finished reading Huckleberry Finn in school. It's one of the most banned books in the world. Mark Twain was actually jubilant when he first heard about HF being banned. A library in Concord, Mass., banned it as "trash suitable only for the slums." Twain figured that would sell him another 25,000 copies.

He wrote: "A committee of the public library of your town has condemned and excommunicated my last book, and doubled its sale This generous action of theirs must necessarily benefit me in one or two additional ways. For instance, it will deter other libraries from buying the book and you are doubtless aware that one book in a public library prevents the sale of a sure ten and a possible hundred of its mates. And secondly it will cause the purchasers of the book to read it, out of curiosity, instead of merely intending to do so after the usual way of the world and library committees; and then they will discover, to my great advantage and their own indignant disappointment, that there is nothing objectionable in the book."

After gagging through Macbeth and Catcher in the Rye, the fruit of my loins hit his stride with Mark Twain, as all Haugen men do. I've studied Twain for years and of all the things to accuse him of, racism toward African Americans would be the last. I guess some would prefer Shakespeare hadn't written in Old English as people spoke in his day, or don't want Jorge Luis Borge to write the way people in Argentina speak. Twain's characters used the "N" word (which is stupid not to spell out but I'll join the stupid crowd for now) because that is how they spoke during the time of which the novel was set.

If critics actually applied critical thinking to the book they'd recognize that Jim (the former slave) is the only truly moral person in the entire book. That should over-shadow the fact that a word now deemed offensive was used. It shows us where we were and allows us to contrast to where we are now. There are also many moral questions that could be discussed. It's just a matter of what a teacher chooses to emphasize and teach. (Today the class read Bradbury's The Other Foot. I love this lit teacher!)

I've generally parented my kids by erring on the side of them knowing too much rather than not enough. As Junior was watching Terminator movies with me before he was in kindergarten and an "F" bomb would come up, I'd tell him. "You know that word. It's a bad word. We don't use it." And he doesn't. Wasn't rocket surgery.

As I mentioned, this Huck Finn book comes on the heels of his class reading Catcher in the Rye, which is also a favorite of the book-banning crowd.

But what do you expect from a radical Catholic school where they read daily from one of the most banned books in the United States: The Bible.

Seems there's more ways to be a rebel than just tats and piercings and lying down in traffic. Be a radical. Read! Or go to church. That will really offend some people.

For now, I'm content just to live vicariously through my son's lit class.

Finished: Lee Child's '61 Hours'

Got a little out of order with the Jack Reacher novels, but so be it. This one 61 Hours is set in South Dakota, so that made Reacher bustin' skulls even more interesting. While there are references to Huron, Sioux Falls, Rapid City and even Cavour, the town he gets snowed in at is a fictional town named Bolton. It's just off the interstate where a new federal prison has been built.

Throw in some corrupt cops, prison guards and a Mexican drug lord on his way and you have the makings of another good Reacher novel. It's even more violent than most Reacher books (not like that's a bad thing). Reacher's main mission in the book is to protect an elderly lady librarian who is set to testify against a motorcycle gang who has set up camp just outside town, of course.

I highlighted this conversation between the drug lord Plato and his man on the ground in Bolton:

"So for your own sake, get the job done. I don't care about bystanders. Wipe out the entire damn town if you have to. The entire state, for all I care. How many people live in South Dakota, anyway?"

"About eight hundred thousand."

"OK. That's your upper limit for collateral damage. Get it done."

"I will. I promise." 

Plato hung up and poured himself another cup of coffee.

There are some other highlights I made, but they give away the ending so I won't ruin it for you. All in all, another great Reacher book.

I gave it a 6-plus on my 10-point system. Amazon gives it a 4 of 5. Goodreads a 4.05 of 5.

Deflategate? Clever title, not

One month until pitchers and catchers report for the Minnesota Twins, so in the meantime we have to put up with this Super Bowl silliness between two teams I don't hate nor particularly like, so what fun is that?

Most people have rightfully and thankfully forgotten that I was a sportswriter in my former life (Argus Leader, Tea & Harrisburg, Rock Valley, Luverne). Back then people actually paid me to write about sports. And then silly people still bought those newspapers. So it's in my blood and I still like to dabble here, and it's free!

My question regarding deflategate and the Patriots is: Why does the PSI of a football matter? If each quarterback brings his own football into the game when the offense takes the field, who cares? As long as they are using the same brand, type and size of football, and they don't add wings to it, why should it matter if Tom Brady likes his footballs at 12 psi and Mark Haugen likes his at 14 psi? (NFL regs say footballs should be 12.5 to 13.5.) If Brady wants to throw a flat football, let him. It's only going to hurt his kicker if there is a scramble at the end of the game to kick a field goal and the kicker doesn't get to bring in his own ball.

Whatever PSI a quarterback wants, let him use it.

This is the biggest nothingburger of a controversy since the invention of nothingburgers and the Y2K panic.

Can we talk about Gisele instead?

My other bug-a-boo about deflategate is: Why does every controversy have to be "gate?" People do realize that Watergate was a hotel, right? Unless the scandal took place in a hotel with "gate" in it, call it something else.

Friday Link-oh-Liam-Rama

Watching "A Walk Among the Tombstones" while I do this so excuse me if there are random OMG!s throughout.

Not sure who I'd rather be when I grow up Liam Neeson or Lawrence Block. Maybe a cross.

 ***So you wondering what's in James Patterson's library?

Jack Reacher and I have a long history — I’ve read every book in this series. In this [installment], Reacher is forced out of retirement after an assassination attempt on the French president. Set throughout Paris and London, the story is explosive and thrilling. Child is still hitting it out of the park.

*** If it weren't baseball season, I'd consider this. Unique Opportunity: Summer Job as Viking Ship Captain.

*** Pigeon guy just jumped off the building. Wifey beat me to it: "Oh my gosh!"

*** Guessing one, or both, of these people is crazy: NASCAR driver accused of assault says ex is trained assassin

*** This is the best story I've read in months.

Atop a wooded hill here in the heart of America’s Dairyland, an industry legend was recently laid to rest. It wasn’t some milk magnate or a famed innovator, but an ornery, 2,700-pound bull named Toystory - a titan of artificial insemination who sired an estimated 500,000 offspring in more than 50 countries.

*** 30 shockingly amazing linkbait phrases Buzzfeed uses to get you to click on stuff.

*** Quote from psycho guy reading about Y2K in AWATT: "People are afraid of all the wrong things."  Yup.

Finished Robert B. Parker's 'Sea Change'

My RBP jones continues.

In Sea Change Jesse Stone investigates a body washed up in the ocean during Yacht Week. Along the way he runs across a lot of sex, drugs and rock n roll. Actually, no rock n roll, but extra sex and drugs.

This is book No. 5 in the series. By now, Jesse has been on the wagon for almost a year. It's a pretty interesting subplot as he visits his shrink and discovers how his not drinking is somewhat a metaphor for his rekindling relationship with his ex-wife. Not to ruin it for you, so I'll just say I didn't like the ending.

I'm starting to run out of gas on the Jesse Stone character, so, I'm giving it a 6-minus on the 1-10 Haugenometer. Amazon gives it a 4 of 5. Goodreads a 3.82 of 5.

P.J. O'Rourke QOTD

"Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it."

Link Oh-rockin' Rama

So, sources say (albeit it a blonde one) that this band coming to the Black Hills Stock Show is supposed to be the hottest thing to come out of Texas since Sandra Bullock.

The Casey Donahew Band will be performing Feb. 6. Here's their song "White Trash Story." Be there, if for no other reason than lots of cowgirls will be.

Here's Double Wide Dream.

*** Speaking of good singers, I like Lucinda Williams. Here's a good story about the influence her poet-father had on her. He passed away Jan. 1.

Throughout her childhood, the elder Williams often hosted after-parties for writing workshops, prompting Lucinda to entertain the guests. 

“People say rock ‘n’ rollers are wild, but those poets could drink anyone under the table,” Lucinda says with a laugh. “Partway through most of those nights, Dad would say ‘Honey, why don’t you go get your guitar?’ I would start playing in the living room, and Dad’s friends would tell me I had soul and that I should hang in there. My writing wasn’t there, and my voice hadn’t developed yet. But I got encouragement from some pretty cool people.”

*** One of my favorite authors David Baldacci opines in the NY Times about conspiracy theories.

*** Escaping the Recession by Boat:

When the Great Recession hit, young people found a million different ways to cope with their battered job prospects. Alex and Nick Kleeman found the best way, scraping together enough cash to buy a 32-foot sailboat, then plunging into the Pacific for the adventure of their lives. So what if they didn’t know how to sail?

*** I guess if you have to be known for something it might as well be this: Meet Vinnie Myers, known as the “Michelangelo of Nipple Tattoos.” It's actually a serious, interesting story despite the portion I chose to highlight.

*** I've written about the Italian justice system before. Here's the murder case that country is currently obsessing over (never end a sentence with a preposition).

*** Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

*** Not all records are ones to be proud of (never end a sentence with a preposition).

*** Science says mom's right: Bundle up to avoid a cold.

*** Speaking of science, how about some climate change history.

Finished: Robert B. Parker's 'Stone Cold'

Robert B. Parker is best known for his Spenser novels, of which the television series Spenser For Hire was based. Stone Cold features his second-best known character, Jesse Stone, which spawned a made-for-tv movie series starring Tom Selleck.

So, yeah, the guy had some success.

I like that Parker really delves into his characters' personality flaws, gives them a lot of depth. Jesse Stone is one of those characters who battles alcoholism and an addictive personality that carries over into his relationships. And Stone, a small-town police chief, isn't afraid to punch a guy in the face on occasion.

I gave Stone Cold a 6-plus, as Jesse tracks down a yuppy couple on a thrill-kill spree. Amazon gives it a 4.1 of 5.

Highly recommend anything RBP writes.

Random thoughts ...

** There was a stretch in December where I spent parts of 12 of 16 days with my mother-in-law. Just sayin'.

** My mailbox was destroyed twice in one week by obnoxious drivers who didn't have the courtesy to stop and tell me that they couldn't drive on slippery roads. One was on Christmas Day. A neighbor saw them, knocked on my door and told me where the truck went. I didn't feel like calling the sheriff for such a minor deal, so I walked to that house and returned a piece of the bumper he left behind. "I was going to tell you, but needed to drop off some stuff first," he said, beer in hand, an hour after it happened. After meeting the doorknob, I regretted not reporting him. Rocket scientists nationwide need not worry about job competition from him.

** My son and youngest daughter are attending the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) national conference in Nashville with about 10,000 others from across the country (thus the word "national"). I attended FOCUS in Orlando two years ago and those college kids really give a guy hope for the future. Pretty sure those kids would let you know if they accidentally destroyed your property.

** I really get tired of hearing adults complain about "kids now-a-days."

** I know a couple of the students recently nominated by our congressional delegation to attend the Air Force Academy. And have known several more over the years. They, along with the appointees to the other academies, are the cream of the crop of this year's senior class. Amazingly smart, mature and motivated young men and women. Hope.

** Looking like a long, cold January, but remember: Every day is one day closer to baseball season.

** I'm going to write a post one of these days about some of the dumb, bigoted adults I've run across. About every couple months I encounter some moron, in most cases an anti-Catholic one, with stupid comments and actions toward kids. One of these days ...

** Speaking of writing, my latest novel is in the hands of my editing posse. Early reports are good. One particular edit was caught that had me laughing. I meant to have a cowboy rancher in a bar wearing a NFR belt buckle, but I typed it as an NPR buckle. I don't believe National Public Radio gives out belt buckles, and the proof-reader thought maybe I was trying to be funny but thought he'd point it out, just in case. I'll change it to NFR. Can't be disrespecting the bull-riders. I'm not that dumb.

** Remember the name Bobby Trane. Just sayin'.

** Three seed catalogs so far have me plotting out my garden on paper. Good times.

** "Catalog" is a word that always gives me difficulty spelling. So does "squeal."

** That stretch of days I mentioned earlier also included my oldest daughter graduating from Black Hills State University with degrees in political science and history, receiving a job offer from our newly elected U.S. Senator, and getting married to her high school sweetheart. That's a heckuva two weeks for a lovely, talented, smart kid of which my contribution was molding her into a great baseball fan.