Jul 03 2009
Henry Clayton, born 1575 in Gleason, Lancashire England married Esther Townson (born 1578) Apr 27th in the year 1600.
They are my….(deep breath)…
great great great great great great great great great great great grandparents on my mothers side.
Their grandson came to New Jersey and the family spread from there to North Carolina, Mississippi, then Illinois.
Jul 02 2009
I thought this theme appropriate since I don’t remember the last time it didn’t rain at least once during the day.
I have heard that although it’s rained like every day for 6 months now (a new record), we still haven’t broken the total rain fall record, yet.
So come on Mother Nature…bring it!
Jul 02 2009
http://140.241.251.240/cityclerk/hearing/upload_pdfs/docket_pdfs/065805312009.pdf
The above regulation went into effect today. It states that any motorcycle entering the City of Boston must have an EPA sticker displayed or you will be fined $300.00. Police officers are supposed to be able to take one look at the bike and see the sticker.
On the news this morning, one man showed that he had a sticker, but it was concealed behind the muffler. To “easily” view it, he would have to remove 4 bolts, and the muffler.
This is all because the restaurants in the North End complain about the exhaust and noise in front of their open air restaurants. The restaurants are open air because the front walls completely open up in the summer to the street.
Close the damn windows if you don’t like it!
Jul 01 2009
I’m all smiles over here!! The consulate called back today!!
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I head to his office July 14th to review the paper work and then set an appointment for dad’s application meeting…what ever that entails!
I would *think* I would apply first (and alone) since my application would by nature, include him, but I’ll do what ever signore tells me too at this point!
When he said July 14th, my heart sunk a little, thinking July was months away…it’s July today! The weather plays tricks on my mind.
So, in 2 weeks another step in the process will be over.
Jul 01 2009
I know this comes up a lot on this blog, so maybe this will be the last time.
However, I was thinking about it again on the way home tonight and I think I figured out why I don’t like this book as much as others.
Basically it reads like a news paper article, but let me explain:
The story (as I remember it) is about an old man, living near the ocean who is dirt poor…just a poor hard working old guy. I don’t recall if he has a family or not, but basically he has to fish to survive. If he doesn’t fish, he doesn’t eat. If he doesn’t eat, he dies.
So, as is typical in his life, today he goes out to sea to fish.
On this particular trip he catches a big fish and loses not only the fish but his fishing equipment too, so he is basically finished, not only with fishing, but he’s basically gona die now since he can’t afford food, not to mention any new equipment.
On his way back to shore, a fish leaps out of the water and he catches it in mid-air and hauls it in, beats it to death with an oar and ties it to the outside of his boat and rows home.
While he is coming in, sharks and birds and other big fish start pecking at and eventually eat this big dead fish on the side of this guys boat and there is nothing he can do about it….I think he’s lost his oars by this point, too.
In the end, he winds up making it back to shore, but his catch is now all eaten and some young teenagers are on the shore making fun of this poor little old hard working man who is so broke he has to fish for his food and he’s even failed at that.
I can’t quite articulate the moral here, but I understand it, and hopefully now you do to.
So my issue with the book is that it is basically just a news report of some fisherman dude who lost the catch of a life time. There is very little else to say…there is no allegory, there is no hidden meaning much beyond what is written above.
I’ve been told that Hemingway took the novel off the pedestal and made it available to the common man. I guess I agree with that. He took a great means by which to express or convey a story and dumbed it down to a 5 minute, 200 page Fox News story about how bad the Democratic Parties Fishing Plan will be.
In contrast to The Old man, I present Confession, yes…a comic book.
First, I don’t think I have to explain this medium to this audience, but there is more than spandex and big boobs to some comics…the format is just another means by which to convey a story…which is sort of my point…read on:
The Confessor is the same moral story as the Old Man, however it is presented in an interesting way that draws the reader in as it makes us care about its characters, in addition it is presented in a flashy comic book medium, another “layer” on the story (though a small one).
The Confessor starts out with a teenage kid who’s father was a doctor, mostly to poor and indigent(?) people of NY. The father was mocked and ridiculed as he had no money, no respect and lived in the same squaller that most of his patients did since none of his patients could afford to pay him. The son was also bullied in school because of it and of course there was animosity between father and son.
The story begins with the fathers death, which couldn’t make the son happier…he finally could get away and make a real life for himself, so he heads to Astro City where he can become famous and earn the respect his father never had and “show” his dad a better way of life.
He gets to Astro City and finds his way into the “super hero” crowd and catches the eye of the Confessor, a crime fighter who dresses up as a preacher.
Never revealing his secret identify, the Confessor and Altar Boy fight crime and over time, Altar Boy starts to question who the Confessor is (it’s not his father if that’s what you’re thinking).
The Confessor challenges Altar Boy to follow the clues to his identity since he has been training him to do so all along, and find out who he is on his own.
During his investigation he comes across a band of crime fighters (the “Crossbreads”) who were forced underground due to government restrictions on caped crusaders and the fact that society had turned on them. He asked them (a religious based group) why they still fight for people who have spurned them…their answer: “we are here to spread The Word…if we only spread it to those who are already listening, what good would we be?”.
Altar boy finally discovers the Confessors true identity…turns out he is a vampire. He dresses up as a preacher as his penance for why he is a vampire, and the pain of the cross he wears keeps him focused and away from doing vampire things.
What does this have to do with the Old Man…?
Because in the end, Altar Boy comes to realize and respect his father. His father sacrificed his life, and even his sons to do what was needed. He, like the Confessor and the Crossbreads, served the people that needed them most at great personal cost.
But unlike the Old Man, there are layers to this story, interesting dialog, character depth and a caring that these people make it through (they don’t all do by the way).
The Confession is 150 pages of color and intrigue and mystery in a city alive with characters and warmth, but it has nothing to do with the underlying story: the journey a son needs to take to get back to the shore (like the Old Man), where he reconciles with his father.
So perhaps Hemingway isn’t awful. Perhaps some people need stories more plainly laid out in front of them and to have them brought down from on high to make them accessible. Perhaps Hemingway was the first/best one to do it.
It’s just not for me.
Jun 30 2009
I liked these.
#1 is shocking and there are a few relatively gross, but hopefully effective, ones, too.
