Thursday, April 30, 2009

Of Trains and Other Things, Kindle Edition


Of Trains and Other Things, Kindle Edition,
is now available.


You can find it here: Amazon.com

Get yours now!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

24 is 22 too much?

So, I've been watching the television show 24 this year for the first time from beginning to end.

Having watched the '18th hour' of the show last night, I have a few thoughts.

First, I have to say that the concept of the show is brilliant, and the writing ensures that each episode of the serial is filled with tension, action, and all sorts of twists and turns. It makes it difficult to quit watching the show because you have to see how the latest unforeseen twist plays out the following week. Kudos to the writers and actors for this effect.

On the other hand, I told my son last night that I just wanted to flip ahead to the end now and see how it all turns out. You see, as a 24-episode serial, it is really a movie marathon. And as movies are wrapped up in 2 to 3 hours, 24 feels overly long to me.

Earlier in ths season, it seemed that the episodes all had some sort of resolution that answered questions raised by the previous episode. That was good.

But lately, it seems like the resolutions have grown rather thin, and actually nonexistent, and I find I really don't want to continue to invest the time in the show.

I'm not sure if I'm tired of the show or what. It feels like it has been on too long now, and the amount of action that takes place in a 24 hour period is starting to seem silly.

I will, of course, watch it to its conclusion. After all, what would be the point of quitting now?

Monday, April 13, 2009

2 Wins, 4 Losses

OK, so it's only 6 games into a 162-game season. That's fewer than 5% of the games played. It is a marathon as opposed to a sprint....

However!


The Boston Red Sox have not looked good at the start of the 2009 season.

Beckett pitched really well in the opener, but didn't seem as sharp in his game against the Angels. Lester and Dice-K were nothing to brag about, both having a lapse of acumen during an inning which cost them the game.
Brad Penny was OK. Tim Wakefield was standard Wakefield - he kept his outing to three runs.

From the bullpen, Okajima is off to a rough start. Masterson, who was terrific last year, is showing some cracks. Papelbon had a 37-pitch outing the other day, loading up the bases, but managing to get out of it.

On the offensive side, Ellsbury is still doing his darndest to prove he shouldn't lead off. Pedroia has been cold at the plate. Big Papi has turned into Big Floppy, and I wonder if we'll ever see the Manny-era Ortiz. I tend to think not. I think he got a lot of protection from Manny and now pitchers aren't as concerned about him any more.

Youkilis has been THE bright spot. He's hot hitting right now. J Bay has included a couple home runs to the mix. Lowell and JD Drew have had some contact, and Varitek has surprised with a couple long balls of his own.

Lowrie is continuing his non-hitting streak from last year.

While it's too early to make pronouncements on this team, I have to say that when Plan A failed in the off-season (acquiring Texiera), one could conceivably say that there's reason to be concerned. It remains to be seen if Plan B (loading up on pitching) will carry the team in ways that offense was supposed to. But if the first six games are any indicator, it looks to be a long season.

Early prognostications - Red Sox end up third in their division.

Subject to change, if they change.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Lies Lies and Damn Lies

The White House recently denied that the President of the United States bowed to the King of Saudi Arabai.

Here is the denial from an article:

The White House is denying that the president bowed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at a G-20 meeting in London, a scene that drew criticism on the right and praise from some Arab outlets.

"It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah," said an Obama aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The White House is lying through its collective teeth. If you watch the video and pause it, you will see that Obama DID NOT grasp Abdullah's hand with both hands. And there was no reason to bend over due to height. You will also note that Obama added a second hand to the shake AFTER he stood back upright. It was obviously a bow.

Watch the video for yourself here:

White House: No bow to Saudi