What I have been reading lately #54

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)-- Mindy Kaling

Mindy Kaling, a writer/actor on The Office and, currently, Fox TV's The Mindy Project, recently wrote a book about her life growing up in Massachusetts, going to college at Dartmouth, and becoming a writer in Hollywood. I enjoyed this book.

Good Ol' Snoopy--  Charles M. Schulz

This book collects a number of early Peanuts cartoons related to Snoopy. A lot of them revolve around Snoopy's unhappiness at being called "Fuzzy Face" by Lucy.

Good-Bye To All That-- Robert Graves

I read, for the second, third, or maybe fourth time, Robert Graves memoir of growing up in England in the final days before World War One and his subsequent service as an officer in the Royal Welch Fusiliers on the western front. Everyone should read this book.

Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness-- Edward Abbey

Sometime in the 1950s, Edward Abbey worked as a ranger at the Arches National Monument; a few years after that, he wrote a book about the experience. In this book Abbey discusses, among other topics--

• the desert
• his ideas for reforming the national park system (eliminating roads and cars mostly)
• a uranium-finding/murder/survival story
• going on a cattle drive
• his thoughts about Native Americans (admiration/they need birth control)
• water (and quicksand)
• trying to capture a long-ago escaped horse
• floating down the Colorado River through Glen Canyon one last time before it was dammed
• almost getting trapped forever in a canyon
• searching for and finding a dead body
• climbing Mt. Tukuhnikivats
• exploring a group of canyons known as the Maze.

Similarly to Good-Bye To All That, everyone should read this book.

Why Belgium is famous

Other than Belgian Waffles (and it's debatable how Belgian those are...), Belgium is basically famous for two things: Tintin and the Smurfs.  Tintin was created, of course, by Herge, and the Smurfs are credited to some man named Peyo.  How is it that one tiny country could have produced two of the world's most famous and beloved cartoons?  

Photo above: Tintin puts on his coat while his dog Snowy runs alongside him.

Photo below: The Smurfs decorate a Christmas tree.  Notice that they are not really following the diagram.

We have a loss dog.

This email went out to the entire staff today:

Information is in the office if you find a tan & white boxer pit mix dog name is "Shady" the dog is friendly, we owners information in the office. Please report if seen and hold if possible. Hes a good boy and strong but sweet so speak gangly with him may jump up on you but just wants to kiss.

Update - later in the day:

The dog returned home on his own. So no more loss dog.

Bumbershoot 2008

This year my family and I went to all three days of Bumbershoot, Seattle's music and arts festival. Here were some of the highlights of this year's event:



Best band I'd never heard of before: Blitzen Trapper

Best band I only knew a tiny, little bit about: the Shackletons

Coldest performance: Beck on Friday night at Memorial Stadium. We were freezing even with coats and a horse blanket.

Loudest band I actually enjoyed: Sons and Daughters

Loudest band I didn't really like: Battles

Band that seemed most excited to be there: the Shackletons

Best band I saw only because I'd come to see the band coming up next on the same stage: the Whigs

Worst comedian: Jessi Klein - both vulgar and unfunny.

Weirdest performance: Dan Deacon

Band I'd most like to live with in a large house with a yard and a dog: Blitzen Trapper

Best light show: Beck. It looked like Lite-Brite.

Musical group so unremarkable I forgot I had seen them by the next morning: Band of Horses

Food vendor I most missed: The place that sold calzones that hasn't been at Bumbershoot for several years.

Total amount paid for parking over the three days: $12

Most surprisingly enjoyable street performer: Dizzy Hips, the hula-hoop guy.

Taking Tiger Mountain by strategy

The West Tiger Trail #3 is approximately 3 miles long and gains 2000 feet. When you get to the top you have to turn around and come back down the same amount. The whole trip took me over three hours - I wasn't rushing - and on the way I saw a lot of people with dogs, little brown birds, a big yellow slug, and even a work crew clearing brush from the trail. There was also an old man with a lot of white, furry chest hair who ran the whole thing and made me feel weak and feeble.


When I got back I found out that the soles of my boots had fallen apart - notice the holes in the heels.

What I have been reading lately #5

Rather than read the book about snowmobile racing, I decided to read Gary Paulsen's book Winterdance, which is about his dogs and running the Iditarod in Alaska. I am finding the book to be quite enjoyable, and I don't even really like dogs all that much. If you are interested in reading this book, your local bookstore or public library might have a copy. If I know you really well, I might lend you my copy, but you have to make sure to give it back. Below is a picture of Gary Paulsen.






The picture below I am not so sure of. It's from a website that I have reason to believe is written in Estonian and has a lot of pictures of a woman training her dogs. If you can read Estonian, please contact Ape Canyon News Service as we could use your services.

Fun at work #1

An email message from the school secretary:

If u here of a black lab running around the school, please let the office know immediately. We will call the dog's owner who is looking for him. The dog is friendly (but still has teeth) And loves children. The dog is wearing a red collar.