I'm currently devouring a book about the Lewis and Clark expedition titled Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. It's a detailed biography of not only the expedition, but an in-depth view of Merriwether Lewis from childhood. It also details the extensive materiel preparations he directed along with the relatively brief but extensive scientific and medical training he underwent to lead the expedition and glean as much knowledge as possible about the flora, fauna, landscape and minerals encountered. 

Lewis was quite the leader and explorer who was complimented by Clark. The Corps of Discovery were a bunch of tough dudes and a tough squaw in Sacagawea, who was caring for her child which was only a few months old when she joined the expedition and only 15-years-old herself. It's an absolutely amazing story.

I am a descendant of his or so I am told.

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Original Season Ticket Holder - Retired  1995 - 2020


At some point you just have to let go of what you thought should happen and live in what is happening.
 

I've launched into the 3-volume "The Civil War: A Narrative" by Shelby Foote.

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I just finished The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Those men were ahead of their time.

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I'm reading Persepolis Rising right now which is book 7 in The Expanse series. I recently finished "Co. Aytch" by Samuel Watkins, a civil war soldier. It was equal parts memoire/diary. Very worthwhile read. Although he wasn't really a professional writer, he gives a great historical perspective of a 19th century foot soldier.

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I'm condescending. That means I talk down to you.

May not be the place for this, but I've always thought that I had/have a learning disability.  I really have trouble reading books.  I lose focus and end up re-reading sentences and paragraphs.  To this day I don't believe that I've read an entire book.  I'm amazed that I was as successful in business..and the business that I was in (IT and consulting)...with this issue.

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May not be the place for this, but I've always thought that I had/have a learning disability.  I really have trouble reading books.  I lose focus and end up re-reading sentences and paragraphs.  To this day I don't believe that I've read an entire book.  I'm amazed that I was as successful in business..and the business that I was in (IT and consulting)...with this issue.

But you don't exchange letters? Dyslexia ain't the cause then 

Could just be an attention deficit. Adderall is amazing

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May not be the place for this, but I've always thought that I had/have a learning disability.  I really have trouble reading books.  I lose focus and end up re-reading sentences and paragraphs.  To this day I don't believe that I've read an entire book.  I'm amazed that I was as successful in business..and the business that I was in (IT and consulting)...with this issue.

But you don't exchange letters? Dyslexia ain't the cause then 

Could just be an attention deficit. Adderall is amazing

Who said anything about dyslexia?  And I’m not taking another drug at my age and retired.  There would be no purpose.

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But you don't exchange letters? Dyslexia ain't the cause then 

Could just be an attention deficit. Adderall is amazing

Who said anything about dyslexia?  And I’m not taking another drug at my age and retired.  There would be no purpose.

There are pretty much only two causes for not being able to read a book.

Dyslexia or attention deficit syndrome.

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Who said anything about dyslexia?  And I’m not taking another drug at my age and retired.  There would be no purpose.

There are pretty much only two causes for not being able to read a book.

Dyslexia or attention deficit syndrome.

And where did you get your medical degree?

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Started on Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation Of Israel. She is Israel's first Prime Minister. So far it's about her years leading up to becoming PM. 

What's been fascinating is learning how different the German and other European Jews were from the Russian Jews in that day. The German Jewish immigrants in America thought the Russian Jews who came here were most definitely less than. There has always been a spotlight on German Jews in WW2 and less so on the Polish. Rarely heard about Russian Jews so it never occurred to me how different they were and how differently they were treated when coming here. 

Meir and her family were Russian Jews who immigrated to the US when she was a kid and moved to Palestine in her 20s with her husband and their two children. Evidently she was a Zionist and was very interested in Israel being established as a country. 

Another thing that was interesting is how immigrants were.....distributed to other parts of the country with NYC and the East Coast becoming crowded. So what's happening now with immigrants being bussed to other states is nothing new but 2024 is very different than the 1940s.

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There are pretty much only two causes for not being able to read a book.

Dyslexia or attention deficit syndrome.

And where did you get your medical degree?

I have ADD and Adderall is the only reason I can concentrate on reading anything. Or concentrate on anything, period.

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Started on Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation Of Israel. She is Israel's first Prime Minister. So far it's about her years leading up to becoming PM. 

What's been fascinating is learning how different the German and other European Jews were from the Russian Jews in that day. The German Jewish immigrants in America thought the Russian Jews who came here were most definitely less than. There has always been a spotlight on German Jews in WW2 and less so on the Polish. Rarely heard about Russian Jews so it never occurred to me how different they were and how differently they were treated when coming here. 

Meir and her family were Russian Jews who immigrated to the US when she was a kid and moved to Palestine in her 20s with her husband and their two children. Evidently she was a Zionist and was very interested in Israel being established as a country. 

Another thing that was interesting is how immigrants were.....distributed to other parts of the country with NYC and the East Coast becoming crowded. So what's happening now with immigrants being bussed to other states is nothing new but 2024 is very different than the 1940s.

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And where did you get your medical degree?

I have ADD and Adderall is the only reason I can concentrate on reading anything. Or concentrate on anything, period.

My dad's family were/are Russian Jews.  None of the ones who are alive today have any stories of German Jews discriminating against them.  They all spoke Yiddish whether they came from areas controlled by Russia or by Germany.  The Russian Jews got to the US later, and had spent generations living in all-Jewish villages.  The German Jews came to the US earlier, and usually had lived in larger cities frequently mixing with other groups, so coming to NYC was more of a culture shock for the Russian ones and less so for the German ones.  But there wasn't hostility between the two groups, at least not the way my family tells it.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

There are pretty much only two causes for not being able to read a book.

Dyslexia or attention deficit syndrome.

And where did you get your medical degree?

University of Google.   (a.k.a. UGO, The Fighting Search Tools)

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I've launched into the 3-volume "The Civil War: A Narrative" by Shelby Foote.

Shelby Foote’s work would have languished in obscurity if it weren’t for Ken Burns and his Civil War documentary. He claimed Burns made him a millionaire.

Foote was an interesting guy to listen to. I haven’t read any of his books but gathering from his appearances in the documentary, I’m sure they’re very good reads. 

I’ve started reading American Prometheus. It’s very well written.

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Reading a little bit of these three at the moment during my lunch breaks:

The 48 Laws Of Power by Robert Greene.
Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding The Dark Side of the Psyche by Robert A. Johnson.
The Complete Books Of Enoch (Annotated): Large Print Collector's Edition by Dr. Nathaniel Avery.

I enjoy these reads so far. They're practical, they offer insight into psychology and how we all interact with one another. There's tons of historical references in the 48 Laws of Power and neat little notations and quotes on the sides of each page in red to give it a little more examples of the Law that you're reading on.

Owning your own Shadow is also intriguing. It touches on Carl Jung's theories and it essentially explains that, at some point, you're racking up shadow points, whether you feel it or not, want to acknowledge it or not, it's human nature, and, if done correctly, you can turn that part of your psyche into Gold.

Instead of snapping at an innocent cashier or [BLEEP] that cut you off in traffic, you can turn that part of your psyche into something worthwhile and learn from it. The intent is to get you on a path that allows you to freely let these transgressions out of your life more quickly and constructively instead of banking them and going on a tirade.

The Book of Enoch is mostly for fun. It's a bit of a Prophetic book with Pre-Flood biblical figures. Some people in the religious world consider it non-canon. Some others consider it canon. I consider it very interesting and worth reading where you can come up with your own conclusions. Enoch is the great grandfather of Noah.

It describes the names of the tribes and some of the 200 angels that descended upon the Earth and began teaching humanity some of the good, the bad and the ugly things we still use upon each other now in modern times. Weapon making, poison, fire, make-up, etc.

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"What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king."

Reading a little bit of these three at the moment during my lunch breaks:

The 48 Laws Of Power by Robert Greene.
Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding The Dark Side of the Psyche by Robert A. Johnson.
The Complete Books Of Enoch (Annotated): Large Print Collector's Edition by Dr. Nathaniel Avery.

I enjoy these reads so far. They're practical, they offer insight into psychology and how we all interact with one another. There's tons of historical references in the 48 Laws of Power and neat little notations and quotes on the sides of each page in red to give it a little more examples of the Law that you're reading on.

Owning your own Shadow is also intriguing. It touches on Carl Jung's theories and it essentially explains that, at some point, you're racking up shadow points, whether you feel it or not, want to acknowledge it or not, it's human nature, and, if done correctly, you can turn that part of your psyche into Gold.

Instead of snapping at an innocent cashier or [BLEEP] that cut you off in traffic, you can turn that part of your psyche into something worthwhile and learn from it. The intent is to get you on a path that allows you to freely let these transgressions out of your life more quickly and constructively instead of banking them and going on a tirade.

The Book of Enoch is mostly for fun. It's a bit of a Prophetic book with Pre-Flood biblical figures. Some people in the religious world consider it non-canon. Some others consider it canon. I consider it very interesting and worth reading where you can come up with your own conclusions. Enoch is the great grandfather of Noah.

It describes the names of the tribes and some of the 200 angels that descended upon the Earth and began teaching humanity some of the good, the bad and the ugly things we still use upon each other now in modern times. Weapon making, poison, fire, make-up, etc.

Man I do pretty well in this department until I get on my bike. I have ZERO self-control when it comes to dealing with dumbbells in their cars. Probably comes with the anxiety of "is this guy gonna stop, or am I bout to leave a few layers of skin on the road?" or "this is a no turn on red intersection, why is this buttmunch parked in the crosswalk?"

If I ever got lasers in my eyes, there would be a lot of random flat tires in TLH, I tellerwut.

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I've launched into the 3-volume "The Civil War: A Narrative" by Shelby Foote.

Shelby Foote’s work would have languished in obscurity if it weren’t for Ken Burns and his Civil War documentary. He claimed Burns made him a millionaire.

Foote was an interesting guy to listen to. I haven’t read any of his books but gathering from his appearances in the documentary, I’m sure they’re very good reads. 

I’ve started reading American Prometheus. It’s very well written.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to read the first two volumes.  I'm finally on volume 3.  Man, this thing is massive.  It's the ENTIRE Civil War, the whole thing, in complete detail. 

He shifts back and forth and tells the story from the Southern perspective and from the Northern perspective.  He doesn't do any moralizing about who was right and who was wrong or what started the war.  I'm learning a lot of stuff I didn't know about, especially about the Confederacy.

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I'm almost done with The Three Body Problem trilogy. It has a few interesting points to it. The first book is by far the most interesting because it largely takes place in the past. The only change from the actual past is the progress of astronomy and particle physics, and a lot of the story is realistic, about what it was like for educated Chinese people during and after the cultural revolution.
The other two books are almost entirely in the future and entirely unrealistic. They're a bit unsatisfying. The general message is that the world will go through cycles of hardship causing virtue followed by prosperity causing naivete and cowardice. So that's a familiar message around here.
There are waves of global crisis and panic but the author only ever talks about how China, Russia, the EU, and US react. There are no Africans or Indians or Koreans or Pakistanis at all. There is exactly one Japanese character and one South American character. There are only two religions, Christianity and Atheism.
The political part is thin. The crisis immediately causes the countries with high technology to work together and push aside those that don't have high technology, and those that don't just become irrelevant. You don't even know if they still exist or not, it isn't discussed. They don't appear in the story again. And somehow that basic arrangement of cooperation at the top holds for four centuries without any loss of trust or any scandal.
The science part is OK, more details about physics than most. It starts with a couple of totally plausible discoveries and inventions, but quickly becomes magic when our heroes are in trouble.

Edit: I am now done with the books. They didn't get better. The last book is a downward spiral of humanity being doomed, then suddenly some bizarre and unlikely new technology is revealed to save some of humanity, then humanity is doomed again, then another deus ex machina saves a few humans, and so forth.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

Life Undercover: Coming of Age In The CIA by Amaryllis Fox. I just started reading it so I can't say much about it yet. Here's the description of the book from Kindle.

Amaryllis Fox's riveting memoir tells the story of her ten years in the most elite clandestine ops unit of the CIA, hunting the world's most dangerous terrorists in sixteen countries while marrying and giving birth to a daughter

Amaryllis Fox was in her last year as an undergraduate at Oxford studying theology and international law when her writing mentor Daniel Pearl was captured and beheaded. Galvanized by this brutality, Fox applied to a master's program in conflict and terrorism at Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, where she created an algorithm that predicted, with uncanny certainty, the likelihood of a terrorist cell arising in any village around the world. At twenty-one, she was recruited by the CIA. Her first assignment was reading and analyzing hundreds of classified cables a day from foreign governments and synthesizing them into daily briefs for the president. Her next assignment was at the Iraq desk in the Counterterrorism center. At twenty-two, she was fast-tracked into advanced operations training, sent from Langley to "the Farm," where she lived for six months in a simulated world learning how to use a Glock, how to get out of flexicuffs while locked in the trunk of a car, how to withstand torture, and the best ways to commit suicide in case of captivity. At the end of this training she was deployed as a spy under non-official cover--the most difficult and coveted job in the field as an art dealer specializing in tribal and indigenous art and sent to infiltrate terrorist networks in remote areas of the Middle East and Asia.

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I just finished The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Those men were ahead of their time.

I’m struggling to get through with this one.  I am betting the movie is fantastic but I hit places where my interest wanes.  It could also be that I started a model train project and I keep finding my mind drifting to how to weather the track.

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Original Season Ticket Holder - Retired  1995 - 2020


At some point you just have to let go of what you thought should happen and live in what is happening.
 

I just finished The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Those men were ahead of their time.

I’m struggling to get through with this one.  I am betting the movie is fantastic but I hit places where my interest wanes.  It could also be that I started a model train project and I keep finding my mind drifting to how to weather the track.

The movie was not quite as good as I'd thought it would be. I think it's because the things those men accomplished deserved more than the Guy Ritchie treatment. Also, it would have been better told in a series like Generation Kill or Band of Brothers. 

I like Guy Ritchie movies for the most part but he was not the director for this story. 

As for the book, there were a couple of lag points for me as well but overall I very much enjoyed it.

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