pride and prejudice

Jane Austen was bangin' out the hits back in the day, and Pride and Prejudice is one of her best known. Sense and Sensibility, and Emma are others she is probably most famous for. They were published in the early 1800s, with help from her brother, and here's where I want to kick a trash bucket across the floor; No one knew who wrote them until after her death, even though the first runs of many of them sold out right away.

Pride and Prejudice is written from the POV of Elizabeth
Bennet, and gives a marvelous glimpse into the mind of a young, English woman of the upper middle class--the daughter of a gentleman, as she is described in the text. Eliza is intelligent, quick-witted, bold, and is not the type to lie down and let the men in her life tell her what to do. She is, however, able to make her feelings known, and is certainly not above love and caring for men.

As the title indicates, Austen seems to be making her own thoughts clear on the silliness of the separation between the classes, who one assumes, looked upon her and her own family, as they look upon Eliza Bennet and her family, with both too much pride and distinct prejudice. Given that Austen was born in England just a few months before America declared its independence, one can imagine that she grew up in a society that was rapidly evolving amidst that struggle against aristocracy.
Pride and Prejudice celebrates those both inside and outside the aristocracy who rebelled against these societal sins.

That societal struggle is what underlays this story, but the principal narrative is one of relationships, love and romance, peppered with jealousy, envy, obstinance, stupidity, shamelessness, scandal, absent-minded-zealotry, scoundrels, and mean girls. whateverrr Its fresh and timely still, which must explain why it has been adapted so often for movies and plays.

Read this book. I've read it before, that's why is on my 'great' list, to the right. And I'll probably read it again.

man in my basement

The Man in My Basement is a novel by Walter Mosley, an author best known for crime novels and historical fiction. This is neither of those things but there are influences from both genres. As to what genre this book actually is, I guess I’d call it Gothic. I’m reminded of Poe in the darker, introspective bits. But it’s also a wonderful portrait of a complicated man. 

Charles Dodd-Blakey lives alone in the family home somewhere in the Carolinas. His parents are gone, his job is gone, he doesn’t have a girlfriend and his only friends are beginning to slip away. It’s at that point that a would be boarder knocks on his door to ask about renting his basement for a few weeks during the summer.

Our man Charles is not all that wild about the idea, but the man who'd like to stay with him is rather insistent, and leaves Charles with an offer to consider, which may help to alleviate some of his pressing financial problems.

The struggles that Charles Dodd-Blakey works through in the weeks and months of summer are what make Man in My Basement worth reading. Mosley does a great job of taking us inside the mind-messy as it is--of his character.

bishop's pawn

The Bishop's Pawn is the 13th book in Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series. I've read a bunch of these, usually I grab one from my wife who has probably read more of them that I have. Maybe its a sign that the series is running out of steam that Berry has gone the route of a prequel with this one. There is a 14th book out now as well, and I'm not sure if that is a prequel or not. Bishop's Pawn is also the first in the series, and from what it sounds like, Steve Berry's first foray into first person POV.

One of the recent Jack Reacher stories I read was also a prequel, and I wasn't all that wild about that one either. Part of the problem (I think) is that the character grows, and develops during a long series, and it may be hard for the author to divorce themselves from the changes their character has gone through, which leave that character hanging out in their own past, either too evolved, or not evolved enough for the story, the readers, or maybe both.

I guess what I'm saying is: I hope this isn't a trend we're looking at. The literary equivalent of jumping-the-shark, or the more subtle introduction-of-the-niece-or-nephew to a worn out TV show. yeah, Chachi, Scrappy-Doo, I'm looking at you

The Bishop's Pawn takes Cotton Malone back to his first gig for the Justice Department, and Stephanie Nelle, before the advent of the Magellan Billet. The people and materials he's is chasing down in this one, take their cues form history, as many Berry stories do, but this one is even more difficult to swallow, perhaps because it is so current (mid 20th century) makes it even harder to believe that it could have remained a mystery that Malone needed to chase down, and even harder to believe that we live in a universe where none of that information has ever leaking out.

As I've probably said before, if you're a fan, you'll probably enjoy this. In my case, it was definitely better than reading a clothing catalog until I get to the library.

new patriots logo for 60 year anniversary

click on image to see large scale

The Patriots logo has changed a number of times over the years; but each of the two major logos has had about a 30 year run. Old logos never die though, you still see them, fans love them, and they remind us of the rich Patriots history.

So with that in mind, and the 60th anniversary of the Patriots coming up (1960 - 2020) we've got plenty of time to roll out a new logo. We can still using the Flying Elvis for the 2019 season, before he is retired to hang out with Pat Patriot, on T-shirts, banners, and beer cozies for all eternity.

So this is my entry into the running, which no one has announced, and most people don't care about. I've created this updated, and simplified version of the Patriots logo for a number of reasons. The current 'Flying Elvis' logo still tries to hang on to the image of Pat Patriot, by keeping the head of a man in a tricorn hat, but also tries to incorporate some flag imagery, which smacks of the failed Bicentennial attempt at a new logo that fans booed into oblivion in 1980 when it was unveiled. The current imagery of a flag, trailing behind and tapering down at the rear, gives a great sense of forward motion and patriotism. And the blue of the tricorn hat with the white star recalls the blue field of the flag. But Flying Elvis is a little corny, and he really doesn't recall Pat Patriot that well if his name is Elvis.

So I tried to simplify, keep what works, eliminate what doesn't, and clean up the graphics, making it even easier to put on shirts, helmets, and video screens. We've had Flying Elvis since 1993! What else happened in 1993? The World Wide Web was turned on at CERN so some geeks could share test data, President Boris Yeltsin was saluting the dying USSR with 9:00 AM vodka shots, and Mrs. Doubtfire was playing at the theater for $4 a ticket! You got a better idea?

LETS GO!

Take a look here for a history of the Patriots logos over the years, including the ones that didn't hang on nearly as long as some of the others.

Let me know what you think, and I'd love to see some other designs. Lets do this!

march 2019

You know what time it is... its March, baby!

March 1st was a terror, and today is even worse! 6 to 8 inches of snow today (March 4) and 2 to 4 inches on Friday (March 1.)

So how is this year going to work out? Will we have a April Fools snow storm this year, or will March trot off like the proverbial lamb? But more importantly, if March DOES come in like a Lion, and out like a Lamb, what will the other days be like?

Don't worry friends, its all right here. Feast your eyes, on the 2019 days of March Calendar.

We are very proud to announce that as of this year, we are not an OFFICIAL supplement to the Old Farmer's Almanac. All those who have purchased the Almanac are allowed unlimited access to this supplement, at no additional charge. So feel free to use this calendar to plant beans, or shear your lions, or whatever other earthy business you need to take care of.

Without further ado, I give you 2019.

March 1 - Lion: Of course. Its in like a lion, right?
March 2 - Tiger: Up to 11-feet, and nearly 700 pounds!
March 3 - Bear: With a nod to L. Frank Baum
March 4 - Shark: "This was no boat accident."
March 5 - Wolf: I'm sure the Woodman tried, but I don't think Red Riding Hood made it out alive.
March 6 - Bull: Its a male cow, right?
March 7 - Moose: Brake for moose, it could save your life.
March 8 - Eagle: A-MuR-i-ca!
March 9 - Scorpion: Its what lobsters were, before they crawled into the ocean.
March 10 - Dingo: Sweet, little...MY HAND!
March 11 - Hawk: Its like an eagle, without the trademark issues.
March 12 - Lynx: Think big house cat... that eats house cats.
March 13 - Bat: Might eat fruit, might eat you, depends which kind...
March 14 - Monkey: Its a primate, but not an ape. HBD Coleen!
March 15 - Snake: The Ides of March. Eve was like: 'Seems like a good idea!'
March 16 - Ox: This one's a single, tho they often come in pairs. Like in Oregon Trail.
March 17 - Elephant: Vast, gray, never goes away.
March 18 - Raven: Nevermore.
March 19 - Stag: A favorite of Diana.
March 20 - Crab: This one can sneak up on you. First day of spring!
March 21 - Goat: Stubborn and tough going.
March 22 - Horse: Maybe its a trot, maybe its a slog.
March 23 - Pig: Who wants MUD!
March 24 - Dog: Lets go out!
March 25 - Dolphin: Super smart, but wet.
March 26 - Rooster: Early to rise, early to bed.
March 27 - Turtle: Maybe wet, maybe dry. Sounds like more mud to me.
March 28 - Toad: Yep... more mud.
March 29 - Robin: You could just eat them, or go fishing.
March 30 - Rabbit: Soft, fluffy, delicious. HBD Kelton!
March 31 - Lamb: Tastes like spring.