The Ds Almost Full Feed

The D's » Rest in Peace, Max Dauernheim

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 15:02:46 +0000

We first met Max at an adoption event at a pet store in DC. I don't even remember why we were downtown, or why we decided to stop in to this particular pet store on this particular day. But there we were, and there we met the little fur ball that has been a big part of our lives for the past 14 years.
Max was, quite literally, the runt of the litter. While the other puppies were barking and jumping to get attention from all of the onlookers, Max was just standing there and waiting for someone to notice him. We picked him up, and it was like he knew we were meant for him. He was quiet and patient and at some point, we knew.
After the Partnership for Animal Welfare approved our adoption, Max came home to our little apartment in Falls Church. He lived in the kitchen and a cardboard box as he was being potty trained, and I came home from work every day at lunchtime to let him out for some play time.
He was always a smart dog. Before we had human children, Max was passing obedience tests with flying colors, and became a "therapy dog," visiting nursing homes with us and bringing smiles to the faces of all the residents. Max even won a silver medal at one of the local dog festivals for running the bases with me.
The years rolled on and we had two human kids, and Max was a great companion for them too. He was never a great watchdog, he never stuck his head out of the car window, and he wasn't the most enthusiastic fetcher of tennis balls. But feeding Max and taking him for walks became chores for the kids, and so in his way, he taught them responsibility.
Last week, Max suddenly got sick. He wasn't able to eat anything, and when we took him to the vet, it was clear that something was wrong with his liver. The vet did what they could for a couple of days, and eventually we took him home. It looked for a while like he might be okay: he was eating some food and drinking some water, and the jaundice in his eyes was receding. Unfortunately, he took another turn for the worse and he pretty much gave up on eating. Over his last few days, we did our best to keep him comfortable and surrounded by the people who loved him.
Max died today. He was 14 years old. Rest in peace, buddy.

Brian » Game Four Memories

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:12:01 +0000

When it was clear that the Washington Nationals were going to make their first postseason this year, I could not resist getting tickets. I took a chance that Game Four would be "necessary," and managed to get two tickets to the game. (If there had been a sweep, I would have gotten my money back, so no big deal.) As it turned out, the game would end up being at a perfect time of day: 4:07pm. I could take my son, Evan, to the game with me to experience our first playoff game together.

The butterflies started building in my stomach around noon, and when I couldn't take it any more, I left work and went home to get the boy from school. He excitedly changed into his Nats shirt in the car and we hopped on the Metro to the stadium. At 1:30pm, the train was mostly full of early bird Nats fans heading down to the game with us and at one point, we spotted two teachers from his school. We gave each other a wink and a nod and went our separate ways.

Hopping off the train, I picked up a new red Nats hat for the boy, a bag of peanuts, and we headed inside and got our "Natitude" rally towels. The crowd was still sparse, but the excitement was in the air. Behind the center field scoreboard, kids were getting their face painted and Evan got a balloon sword, which he somehow managed to get all the way home without popping. We found our seats and headed down to the right field wall to watch batting practice and hope to catch a ball. We had no such luck though, in spite of the cute guy with the little glove begging for the ball. Finally, we settled into our seats and waited for the game to start.

The National Anthem was sung, and out strolled the giant Frank Howard. Howard is still a beast of a man and is most famous for hitting mammoth homeruns at RFK Stadium. There are white seats in the upper deck where Howard hit particularly monstrous homeruns. Who knew that having this slugger throw out the first pitch would be so appropriate?

Finally, the game got underway. Our seats in right field were directly in the line of the sun for a good portion of the game until the sun finally ducked behind the upper deck. On many of the early hits, we had no idea where the ball had gone, save for the reactions of the players. I can't imagine what it must be like to be on the field in that situation. Ross Detwiler was the last hope for the Nats. The first three pitchers in the Nats' rotation - Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, and Edwin Jackson - had let the fans down with their efforts. Detwiler stepped up from the first pitch and did little wrong. Only an error from Ian Desmond (followed by a foolish but overlooked throw to home from Bryce Harper when he should have thrown to second) allowed the Cardinals to put up a run. The Nats had trouble hitting as well though. Only Adam LaRoche managed to get the fans out of their seats with a solo homer to give the Nats the lead in the second. That's not to say that the fans weren't on their feet. We were all excited and itching for something to happen, but over and over again, we had to sit down and wait for another moment.

Evan did pretty well throughout the game. There was a moment in the fourth inning when he asked when we were leaving ("When the game is over, buddy."), but that quickly passed when I told him that the Presidents Race was coming up. Then he spent the next inning and a half talking about that. We grabbed some hot dogs at one point and we managed to stay in our seats for most of the rest of the game until the top of the ninth. Two outs, man on first, Drew Storen pitching to Matt Carpenter. Storen runs it to a full count, and Evan says he has to pee. I manage to hold him off until Ian Desmond corrals the popup for the third out and we make a mad dash to the bathroom and make it back to our seats just in time to hear the PA announcer say, "Now batting, Jayson Werth."

And then, this happened.

By this point everyone was standing for the entire at bat, and with each narrowly foul ball we held our breath. Finally the last crack sounded and the place erupted. We knew. The Nats had lived to see another day.

Jayson Werth was ostensibly the hero, delivering the walk-off homer. But don't forget Detwiler's six solid innings. Jordan Zimmermann's electric three strikeouts out of the bullpen. Tyler Clippard striking out the side. Ian Desmond's defense saving a fine inning for Drew Storen.

What a game. And how awesome to have my son there with me to see it.

Brian » Bike Train

Fri, 25 May 2012 20:39:16 +0000

Somehow I got roped into leading the Safe Routes to School program at Ellie's school. Most of the time it's boring stuff like going to Town Council meetings and asking for sidewalks and stop signs. But last week was the Vienna Bike/Walk Challenge. All of the elementary schools in Vienna tried to have the highest proportion of their students walk or bike to school. One of Marshall Road ES' strategies was for me to lead a "bike train" to and from school every day. This is what it looked like.

Kids locking up their bikes in the morning. The racks were jammed full every nice day. We may need to get more.

Getting ready to head home after school. The students were remarkably well-behaved, even in the tight space here.

Stopping at the stop sign. Always obey traffic signs and follow the rules.

The kids had a great time, and in our first year back doing the challenge, we had the second highest number of overall walkers and bikers, as well as the second highest number of bikers. Not too shabby considering we didn't even have bike racks at our school until March!

Brian » Review: Thick as Thieves

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:48:10 +0000

Thick as Thieves by Peter Spiegelman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As quickly as I finished my last book (quick because it was a simple YA novel), I finished this one just as quickly because it really gripped me. Sure, it's the sort of story you've heard a bit before, or seen in the movies (The Italian Job, Ocean's whatever, The Town), but Peter Spiegelman ups the ante by making his novel smarter than all those ones combined (I imagine it will be made into a movie soon too). Spiegelman's Wall Street background no doubt helps with this, but he really puts a lot of work into the other details of the job as well. Plus, there are plenty of memorable characters: Carr, Declan, Valerie, etc. In the end, as Carr wonders who he can trust, you find yourself uncertain of who he can trust as well, which makes the payoff ultimately very satisfying. Riveting.

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Brian » Review: The Tiger’s Wife

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:31:21 +0000

The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really didn't think this book would be of any interest to me, but I had seen it on so many "best of" lists, I determined to give it a shot. And I was not disappointed. Maybe if the title had been "The Deathless Man," it would have triggered my interest sooner, but no matter, I finally got around to reading it last week.
So apparently "magical realism" is one of my favorite kinds of literature to read. From Marquez to Murakami to Obreht, I sometimes struggle through it, but ultimately love it. This was no different. I enjoyed the exploration of myths, and even found the main plot thread of the granddaughter's own journey to be rather interesting. Obreht has some stiff competition for my favorite book this year (Art of Fielding, Swamplandia!), but it will certainly rank right up there.

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Brian » Review: Article 5

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:31:20 +0000

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An interesting read, but it probably ended up short in my eyes because it reminded me too much of too many other books I've read in the past. I just didn't feel like it added anything to the whole teen dystopia genre, unfortunately. The writing and plot were just okay, but I didn't love the characters (nor did I particular understand why they loved each other), and really, everything just ended up being so predictable I kept reading to confirm my predictions. Oh well, I didn't expect much from a YA novel, and didn't get much. No biggie.

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Brian » Review: The Art of Fielding: A Novel

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:13:17 +0000

The Art of Fielding: A Novel by Chad Harbach

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I plow through the last 120+ pages of a 500+ page novel in one night, I guess that means I liked it. I was a bit slow in getting through the first 400 though, mainly because I could see the train wreck coming, and I didn't want it to come, to turn these characters' lives upside down. But inevitably, things happen. Unfortunately for this group (but fortunately for the reader), they keep on happening in interesting ways. Sure, one could quibble over the way the author chose to resolve a major plot point as it came to a head, but ultimately, I thought it actually worked pretty well. Plus, he gets the baseball parts right. Extra points for that.

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Brian » Review: A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:55:58 +0000

A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I cruised through this one fairly quickly. I felt like Standage could have written individual books about each drink he talked about, but I was grateful that he didn't. There were times when I thought he just kind of let his thoughts trail off at the end of the chapter, but then I got excited as he started up on a new drink. Very interesting and obviously well researched.

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Brian » Review: The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:55:57 +0000

The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto by Bernard DeVoto

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic book, if you have a sense of humor about it. Obviously, DeVoto takes shots at all sorts of targets, and you can argue whether he hits the mark or not. But to me, I was laughing all the way through. Funniest book I've read in a while. Just don't take it too seriously, and you'll be fine. Except for his recommendations on how to make a proper martini. That's serious as a heart attack.

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Brian » Review: The Sisters Brothers

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:55:56 +0000

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Is the Western novel on its way back? Maybe. This one is a pretty interesting one. Maybe not quite up to True Grit standards, but certainly one that revives the genre.

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Brian » Review: Swamplandia!

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:55:55 +0000

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It took a little while to get into this book, but once I really sat down and got into it, I really bought in to the characters and felt for them. The novel really drives toward a particular scene that you know is coming, but hope against all hope it doesn't, but when it does, it hits you all that much harder.
Karen Russell does a masterful job of setting scenes and describing them in a real, but somehow mystical way. The writing truly is superlative. Definitely a new favorite.

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Brian » Review: Luminarium

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:55:54 +0000

Luminarium by Alex Shakar

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Really wanted to like this one more than I did. But there were just too many strange and unconnected things that I didn't "get" so much. Oh well.

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Brian » Review: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:17:53 +0000

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This could have been a snoozer, but Joshua Foer actually takes an interesting historical look at memory, doesn't delve into too much silliness about Google replacing our memory, and even makes memory competitions sound more interesting than they deserve to be. Fun read for non-fiction.

Brian » Review: The Leopard

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:17:52 +0000

The Leopard by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another fine thriller by Nesbo. Poor Harry Hole is probably wishing he would stop writing about him by now, and this one definitely takes him to his limit and beyond.

Brian » Review: The Night Eternal

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:17:51 +0000

The Night Eternal by Guillermo del Toro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fitting end to this series. Sure, it was kind of predictable to see where it was going, but I thought it was pretty well executed, all in all.

Brian » Review: 1Q84

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:17:50 +0000

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It took me a while to get through this one, it's just long. And yet, it's still Murakami at his most simple and spare. Some people might complain about the lack of resolution for the supernatural elements of the story, or the sometimes clunky language, but the most important thing was to resolve Tengo and Aomame's stories, which I ultimately thought he did quite well.

Brian » Review: Zone One

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:47:07 +0000

Zone One by Colson Whitehead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It's so human for a zombie book. I can't find the words to describe it well enough. Whitehead is one of my favorite authors, and he wrote a zombie book. You should probably just go read it.

Brian » Review: The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:43:28 +0000

The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True by Richard Dawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It amuses me that this book reads as if Richard Dawkins has given up talking to his foes as adults, and instead decided to talk to them as children. And somehow, it totally works and is probably far more effective than any of his recent books.

Brian » Review: Ready Player One

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:12:34 +0000

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ernest Cline took my childhood, threw it into a blender, turned it on high, and spit out the most awesomest book ever written. Video games, quoting Monty Python word for word, pop culture trivia: these are all important PLOT POINTS. And it works too! The whole thing is just amazing, and if you are any kind of child of the 80s, you will go read this book right now. I mean, I get all my books from the library, so I don't buy hardly any books ever. But this book is getting purchased and is going on the shelf in a place of honor.

Brian » Megabus review

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:01:59 +0000

With airfares getting really high lately, and the only good fares in this area belonging to the remote outpost of BWI, I decided to try out the Megabus to get myself home from Michigan.
My father-in-law dropped me off at the Rosa Parks Transit Center in downtown Detroit around 11:30pm on Saturday night. The crowd there was about what you would expect: mostly minority, some clearly homeless, and a few hipster types. They were all well behaved, and there was a security guy there trying to make sure that people were actually waiting for buses and not just loitering. On the other side of the building was the Megabus stop, not the most clearly marked, but the map inside the building did show where it was. After a short wait, the bus arrived, my ticket was checked, and I hopped on with 4 other people for the trip to Pittsburgh. The ride was uneventful, though interestingly there were two drivers on the bus. I guess they staff with two during the red eye runs? It was somewhat annoying that the guy got on the loudspeaker and turned on the overhead lights when we stopped at a rest area, but otherwise it was a quick trip, even for me and my utter inability to sleep on buses/planes/etc.
Once in Pittsburgh, I had a little over an hour to kill before the next bus, so I set off in search of food. FYI, not much open at 6am on Sunday in downtown Pittsburgh! But, I did eventually find a McDonald's that had just opened and grabbed breakfast.
The Megabus reps were helping out at the Pittsburgh bus stop, getting people in the correct line for their destination. Once the bus arrived, it was smooth loading, and fairly full this time, with only one or two empty seats for the trip to DC. The actual ride was fine as well, except that the rest stops seemed excessively long, especially the 25 minute one in Frederick, a mere hour from our final destination anyway!
In DC, the Megabus lot had clearly marked signs for each line, and they even had tents up to shield waiting patrons from the hot sun. I hopped off the bus and took a quick walk to the Metro, and got home 45 minutes later.
Overall, it was a long trip (I left Detroit at 12:15am and got to DC at 12:30pm, and got home at 1:30pm), but for about $30 one way, it may have been worth the money (and security hassle) I saved over flying. The one glitch so far is that the return trip may be even longer due to a schedule change that leaves me with a four hour layover in Pittsburgh. At least this time it will be on a Friday morning, so there should be more things actually open.

Brian » Decoded

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:45:30 +0000

Decoded by Jay-Z
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Truly fascinating and beautifully presented book. It's worth the read if only to remind yourself that rap and hip-hop songs, while often reality-based, do not necessarily reflect real life, and the performers do not necessarily share the views of their subjects. Jay-Z writes about his life coming up in the projects, escaping the doomed life of the hustler, and becoming a recording star and mogul. And the best part is the way he breaks down the lyrics of a number of his songs to explain why they aren't what they appear to be on the surface. I read to learn, and this book definitely taught me a lot.

Brian » Review: Sapphique

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 13:47:47 +0000

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Finally a sequel that lives up to the original. Sapphique takes us back into the worlds of Incarceron and the Realm, to find out what happens to our friends Finn and Claudia, Keiro and Attia. Poor Attia gets neglected a bit near the end, but the other characters all find some sense of closure, at least. Lots of magical fantasy went in to this book, and it was a lot of fun finding out how it ended.

Brian » The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness and Obsession

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:29:51 +0000

The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness and Obsession by David Grann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed David Grann's The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, so when I heard he had a new book out, I went and found it at the library. This one features several interesting stories, some of which I am fairly certain I had read before in magazine form. Did I mention they are mostly pieces he wrote for the New Yorker?
So, that was the only disappointing part. The stories aren't really tied together in any particular way, but they are all intriguing in their own way, and I enjoyed reading them. If you're in to long form journalism, this is right up your alley.

Brian » Mockingbird

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:31:02 +0000

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Another book that is a bit predictable, partially because it's a YA title, but it deals with its rather mature topics rather well even with the flaws. Death and autism/Asperger's are going to be tough topics to tackle in and of themselves, but put them together and it's really hard. It seemed to me that the author kind of compressed the timeline and forced some of the characters to get to their resolutions more quickly than they might in "real life," and that bugged me a bit. Still, I would recommend it for the category, as it does well in addressing the topics it tackles.

Brian » How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:32:48 +0000

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This one seemed a bit scattershot at times, but I suppose it's hard to write a good story about time travel without things getting a little scattered. But of course, a good sci-fi story isn't about the gadgets and the time travel, it's about the characters and the story, and that is where this book manages to get it done just well enough. And of course, the fun spin on time travel doesn't hurt.

Brian » Room

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:23:09 +0000

Room by Emma Donoghue
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A tremendously moving book that will have you squirming and hoping and rooting and crying, and that's just in the first half of the book. The surprise comes about halfway through, as a punch in the gut, and the second half is probably even better than the first. Amazing.

Brian » 2010 Favorites

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:04:09 +0000

It's time once again for my yearly favorites!
First, in the book category, for non-fiction we have Blind Descent and The Big Short. For fiction, Let the Great World Spin and A Visit From The Goon Squad. Overall I finished 45 books, just a few short of my goal of 52, but not bad.
In the ever-present beer category, I didn't review nearly as many as usual, but I most enjoyed Founders Nemesis and Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek.
And as always, we relive the rest of the year's events:

Snowmageddon!
A North Carolina road trip to buy a Madsen bike
Run Amuck and the Warrior Dash
Movember
Geocaching
Evan ice skates
Ellie gets glasses and Irish dances

Looking forward to 2011!

Brian » Super Sad True Love Story

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:33:38 +0000

Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A lot of authors have tried to write near-future fiction that ends up falling into sci-fi too much (hint: we still don't have flying cars and jet packs, get over it!). Gary Shteyngart writes near-future fiction that is downright scary, because it seems so close to coming true. He totally nails what could be the downfall of the US, and does it without delving too much into techno-babble. It's entirely possible that this book will actually hold up over the coming years, and wind up being far too prescient as well.

Brian » The Cheapskate Next Door

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:32:12 +0000

The Cheapskate Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americans Living Happily Below Their Means by Jeff Yeager
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Vaguely similar to the last financial book I read, but less ADD affected. There are money-saving "tips" sprinkled throughout, but far less frequently than the other one. I guess this one bugged me just as much though, because it was largely pasted together interviews with "cheapskates" around the country, and, while some of the interviews were interesting, I felt like as a whole, it was kind of repetitive and not all that interesting.

Brian » Movember Thanks!

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 03:46:09 +0000

Thanks to everyone who donated to my Movember campaign. I passed my goal and raised over $500! You can still donate for the next week or so right here. Now, it's time to go shave this thing off!

Brian » Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Bac

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:09:06 +0000

Generation Earn: The Young Professional's Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back by Kimberly Palmer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I didn't really think too much of this book, honestly. There may be some stuff in there that people unlike myself would find useful, but I really felt like I had read most of it elsewhere. And all the "quick tips" scattered throughout every single page really got to me. So ADD! I guess I'm just barely too old to be in this book's target demographic.

Evan » Evan Turns 4!

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:03:29 +0000

Way better than last year, when I forgot to post pictures for, oh, 5 months or so. Here we go.

The birthday boy wears the crown at school. And waits patiently to eat that awesome alien cupcake.

Mmm, cupcake.

We opened presents before the party. Evan was happy to get more Thomas trains.

Of course, Evan wanted a Toy Story party, so he was quite pleased to get Buzz Lightyear as a present.

And don't forget Woody!

Thankfully, the kids took turns playing with each of the new toys. Well loved by all. Then, it was on with the party.

What could those kids be waiting for so patiently?

The baking soda and vinegar rocket launch!

Somehow I managed to only get a little bit wet.

Then it was time for the piñata. Oh, that awful piñata.

Evan took some good whacks, but that bat wasn't working. We moved on to a heftier stick, but it took a long time to finally crack it.

Another fine Lisa cake creation. The cupcakes are pretty awesome, eh?

And of course, we had to position the candles so they looked like the engines firing. Pretty awesome cake for a pretty awesome kid. Happy birthday Evan!

The D's » Halloween 2010

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 03:01:53 +0000

Hey, it's not even a month late, give me a break! Anyway, on with the pictures!

As usual, we headed to the zoo the week before Halloween for "Boo at the Zoo." Even Lisa got into the act.

The kids tried out what it was like to sleep like the gorillas.

The next week, Evan had his Halloween parade at school.

Everyone's favorite, scooping pumpkin guts!

The finished product. Gotta love the Potato Head pumpkins.

Time for trick-or-treating with Evan's buddy Bridger.

Candy, mmmm....

Ditto.

Tough guys. Bridger was actually shaking, he was flexing so hard.

And our little Irish dancer.
That's another Halloween. Look for pictures from Evan's birthday coming soon!

Brian » The Fall

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 13:18:13 +0000

The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Can't wait for the final book to come out. This one catches you up quickly on what you forgot, then builds up to the Master taking another hit, but still surviving. The resistance group loses one of its most important members, and things look especially bleak for poor Zack. Really good story, can't wait to see how it ends.

Brian » The Games That Changed the Game: The Evolution of the NFL in Seven Sundays

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:52:14 +0000

The Games That Changed the Game: The Evolution of the NFL in Seven Sundays by Ron Jaworski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Are you a geek? Do you also love football? Then boy, oh boy, is this the book for you. If you've ever seen Ron Jaworski breaking down film on NFL Matchup or one of his other many ESPN shows, you know there's no one better. In this book, he takes a look at seven games featuring seven groundbreaking approaches to coaching in the NFL. There's no understating how much fun it is to read about how innovation rules in the NFL even though most of us can't see it on a game-by-game basis. Jaws has a good one here. It's accessible to the average fan, but gets deep into the game for the real football geek too.

Brian » The Thousand

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:45:01 +0000

The Thousand by Kevin Guilfoile
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very entertaining read. Kinda like a grown up Dan Brown novel. Fast paced, but not choppy like DaVinci Code. Interesting and intriguing, if not convoluted plot. About my only complaint is that it is a little bit clunky at times (a bit *too* reminiscent of Dan Brown). Still, a quick read that actually uses more than a fifth grade vocabulary, nice.

Brian » Movember

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 12:30:09 +0000

Last month, you may have noticed baseball and football players wearing pink to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research. This month, I have decided to join the Movember movement to raise awareness about prostate cancer and men's health. Here's how it works: I start out November clean shaven, then all month I grow a moustache and you all donate money to support me in my efforts. I will post occasional blog updates with pictures on my progress, and you all donate money to support me in my efforts. Did I mention the part where you all donate money to support me in my efforts? I'm trying to raise $1000, but I'd settle for $500. Every little bit helps. If everybody gives just $25 or $50, we'll hit my goal and then some. Click the link there to view my MoSpace page and donate today. Here are some pictures to get your imagination going.

Day one.

Day two.

Day three.

Now, how about some badly Photoshopped previews of what style moustache I should grow?

The trucker goes nicely with a wife-beater t-shirt.

The pencil thin is a classic, and Jimmy Buffett did a song about it!

Ooh, don't I look dastardly???

So come on, folks, click the link and donate today!

Brian » I Am Number Four

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:50:53 +0000

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I'd really like to give this a higher rating. The action was fast and furious, and the culmination of the action was pretty awesome too. But I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that the two main teen characters falling in love bordered on "Twilight" territory. So lame, but unfortunately a bit necessary to driving the plot line. I did still enjoy it though.

Brian » Style and the Man: How and Where to Buy Fine Mens’ Clothes

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:47:05 +0000

Style and the Man: How and Where to Buy Fine Mens' Clothes by Alan Flusser
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm trying, slowly but surely, to incorporate some of the many, many tips I gleaned from reading this essential treatise on style into my wardrobe. But let's just say that I have a long way to go. I may not be able to afford to shop at the places he recommends, but I can at least take into account some of the good advice he provides on making sure things fit properly. Starting with: you don't wear a large, dummy!

Brian » The Elephant Vanishes: Stories

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:45:16 +0000

The Elephant Vanishes: Stories by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This collection of Murakami short stories seemed somewhat more... out there than usual, I thought. Still, I love pretty much everything the guy writes, so I definitely recommend this compilation as well.

Evan » Evan Skates!

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 00:19:16 +0000

We've been looking for something for Evan to do lately. He missed out on soccer sign up and another class, but then we saw that he was just old enough to take his first ice skating class! He's a hockey nut, as you may know. He loves going to watch hockey while Dad has curling, and is just obsessed with it.
He did a great job too! He fell a lot, but he marched and skated all the way from one side of the ice to the other without any help from the teacher. So, without further ado, here are two videos of his first ice skating lesson. (He's the one with the blue helmet and green sweatshirt.)

Brian » Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight, Volumes 2-6

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:11:33 +0000

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future For You by Joss Whedon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Burning through the Buffy Season Eight graphic novels, now that I realized that my library carries them. Volumes 2-6 brought me right back into the world I'd forgotten when the show went off the air, and each one gets up closer to Twilight. Must reads for Buffy fans, of course.

Brian » Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:07:30 +0000

Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth by James M. Tabor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Those who know me know I sometimes have trouble with the non-fiction side of reading. Not so with James Tabor's fascinating chronicle of the race to discover the deepest cave on Earth. Tabor spends more time on Bill Stone, the American, and understandably so, since the information and interviewees were likely easier to come by than those of his counterpart, Alexander Klimchouk. But ultimately, it doesn't much matter. Stone is quite the character on his own, and his part of the story could have stood on its own. Tabor does a great job of instilling the fear and danger of such large caves, and gives the brave explorers their due. These are some amazing folks who really deserve more attention than they've gotten.

Brian » Bite Me

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:58:55 +0000

Bite Me by Christopher Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
So, apparently this is part of a series of books by Christopher Moore, all paralleling the same basic story line. Huh, who knew?
At any rate, this particular edition focuses mainly on Abby Normal, whose particular use of teenage slang gets a little annoying at times, but puts you right in the character for sure. I thought this was a fun, light-hearted alternative to the usual dark vampire stories, which made it an enjoyable one to read.

Brian » Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 15:54:54 +0000

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O'Malley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The final installment of the Scott Pilgrim saga brings the series to a fitting conclusion. I especially liked the fine treatment O'Malley gave to Ramona (as well as many of the supporting cast) by not ignoring her in favor of all Scott, all the time. I still haven't seen the movie, but the books are well worth picking up.

Brian » Night Fall

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:31:57 +0000

Night Fall by Nelson DeMille
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I'm not sure how I ended up with this book on my list, but there it was. A nice easy read for the plane ride to Miami and back. Except it's mostly about a plane blowing up (TWA 800) and ends (spoiler!) with the planes crashing into the World Trade Center on 9/11.

For a book that was somewhat based on real events but entirely fictional, it wasn't bad. There's the element that I guess DeMille felt he had to put in that the TWA case may never be resolved to anyone's satisfaction, and they have to come to terms with that. But I still felt like I knew right where the story was going, just based on the time frame of the book. And sure enough, there it went, right smack into the buildings.

Brian » The Passage

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:59:02 +0000

The Passage by Justin Cronin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
At a glance, you might think this book is doomed. It's a vampire book, but the vampires are essentially infected with a virus. In other words, it's been done before (in my most recent memory with Guillermo Del Toro's The Strain). But man, does Justin Cronin pull it off and then some. It's not a short book by any measure, but the reason is what makes the book so good: the details. There's no mystery Patient Zero, we know where the virus came from and why. That sort of back story takes up the first 300 pages or so. And then we jump about 100 years forward to see what happens after the infected start to run out of victims, and that's where it gets really fascinating. You kind of have an idea of how things are going to go, all the way up to the end. But then there's a prologue. And yeah, you just have to read the last page. Love it.

Brian » Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 01:36:18 +0000

Bottled March 31, 2009. Watch your eyes! Nearly forgot to point away from my face while unscrewing the cage. Glanced off my forehead on the last twist. On to the beer...
Pours a great red color. Hazy looking through, big time. Actually got plenty of head and lacing in my tulip glass. Nice looking beer.
My first whiff while pouring I thought, "Uh oh. Smells like cough drops." Didn't get that after the initial surprise. More of a kind of funky aroma really.
But the taste, wow. Bang! Right on your tongue comes the tartness of those cherries. It's so sour you forget it's beer, and the cherriness has to fight to get through. I found if I held the beer in the middle of my tongue avoiding the sides where the sour taste buds reside helped a lot to get more out of the beer.
It might just be that I'm really into the sours right now, but yeah, I might have to go back and grab some more since I know they are in short supply.
Overall rating: 4.45 out of 5

Brian » Review: A Visit from the Goon Squad

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:02:08 +0000

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Not exactly a conventional novel, but not so far out there to be a turn off either. It ends up being a really interesting look at the ways all our lives intersect with one another. And yet, it also has a lot on traditional themes like redemption and longing. It even has a little sci-fi thrown in at the end. In short, it pretty much has a little bit for everyone. Go read it.

Brian » Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:47:32 +0000

Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Anthony Bourdain

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Medium Raw ends up being more like a compilation of loosely related essays, but that's not really a surprise. What is a tad bit more surprising is Anthony Bourdain's slightly more conciliatory tone. He still criticizes plenty of people (pity the villains in the Heroes and Villains chapter), but also makes clear that he was angry while writing Kitchen Confidential, and that he's mellowed out a bit now.
Really though, you need to read this book for chapter 8: Lust. That would be the food porn chapter. I'm still drooling over that one.