Some notable things that happened in my life this year:
Left my employer of 7 years due to corporate merger. Not as bad as it sounds; it was the outcome I wanted, for reasons I won’t go into here.
Landed a comparable job in my chosen field after only two months of unemployment. As usual, my worst fears (protracted unemployment, forced to take a menial job) did not come to pass.
Moved to Las Vegas. This still feels rather unreal.
Performed well in my first seven months on the job. It’s turned out to be more than I bargained for, but I’ve had some meaningful accomplishments in high-priority areas.
Bought a house and sold a house.
Increased savings.
Began a gambling experiment. Did this under carefully controlled conditions, playing blackjack in Vegas under a self-imposed set of rules designed to avoid financial ruin. Net result: winnings exceeded losses by $28, which is not much different than breaking even.
Spent three days in hospital for investigation of cardiac problem, which apparently is of little or no consequence.
Achieved my 32nd year of marriage.
Overall, despite all my complaints, I have much to be thankful for. I wish all my friends and family great health and much happiness in the year ahead.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Books Read, 2011
It's New Year's Eve, time once again to post my list of books read during 2011.
First, my favorites.
In the fiction category, Danielle Trussoni's Angelology (Kindle version) sent me scrambling to the bookstore in search of The Book of Enoch.
None of this year's non-fiction books made much of an impression on me. But here's one I'm in the midst of now: Janet Reitman's Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion. I've always been curious about how L. Ron Hubbard invented Scientology and got so many people to follow him, not unlike Joseph Smith and Mormonism.
(F = fiction; N = non-fiction; * = Kindle)
January
Wodehouse, P.G.
The Luck of the Bodkins F
Faragher ,John Mack
Daniel Boone: The Life and Legend of an American Pioneer N
Farrington, Tim
The Monk Downstairs F
February
Michener, James
Tales of the South Pacific F
This was a big disappointment. I rented the DVD of the musical and it was even more disappointing and hopelessly dated.
Card, Orson Scott
The Lost Gate* F
Murray, Paul
Skippy Dies* F
March
Stockett, Kathryn
The Help F
Much better than the movie.
Roslund, Anders and Hellstrom, Borge
Box 21 F*
Grim tale of human trafficking and prostitution in Sweden (or was it Norway?). Bleak and brutal.
April
Berenson, Alex
The Faithful Spy F
Excellent espionage. But the sequel didn't maintain the high standard of this first novel.
Gruen, Sara
Water for Elephants F
Todd, Charles
A Test of Wills
I remember nothing of this book -- not even whether it's fiction or non-fiction.
May
Turow, Scott
Innocent F
By this time, I had moved to Las Vegas and was living alone in a rented apartment. I had basic cable TV only -- no premium channels, and I couldn't get the DVD player to work. It was so hot that I had to stay indoors in the afternoons. I got a lot of reading done over the next three months.
O'Brien, Patrick
Blue at the Mizzen F
June
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix F
for some reason, I found these Harry Potter books soothing during my solitude.
Atkinson, Kate
Started Early, Took My Dog* F
Excellent. I'll buy more by this author.
Morton, Kate
The Distant Hours* F
The tale of the Mud Man.
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince F
August
Walton, Jo
Among Others* F
Hill, Reginald
The Woodcutter* F
September
Woodrell, Daniel
Winter's Bone F
Must read more of his work. The movie's good, too.
Martin, George R.R.
A Game of Thrones* F
Surprisingly well written. I'll read more of this series.
Ellis, Brett Easton
Lunar Park F
Didn't like it.
Pizzolatto, Nick
Galveston* F
Great first novel with an unorthodox anti-hero.
October
Ackroyd, Peter
Thames, The Biography N
November
Harrison, Jim
The Great Leader* F
Ro, Ronin
Tales to Astonish N
Barclay, Linwood
The Accident* F
Trussoni, Danielle
Angelology* F
One of the best reads of the year.
December
Larson, Eric
In the Garden of Beasts* N
Mason, Bobbie Ann
The Girl in the Blue Beret* F
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Hidden Mysteries
Last night I came to grips with a situation that has long troubled me.
There’s an air conditioner vent right next to my favorite chair in the family room. For some time, I’ve been uneasy about the dust that’s caught in the slats. I cannot abide caked-up, crusted-on crap of any description. I find it everywhere – on the toaster oven, the refrigerator shelves, my razor, and even my toothbrush.
I approached this problem with some hesitancy, as it required removal of the vent’s metal covering. What if I couldn’t get it back on? What would my wife say? But this was affecting the very air we breathe. Casting aside doubt and hesitation, I set to work.
Two sheet metal screws held in place the grid covering for the vent. To my surprise, these unscrewed easily, providing access to the filth. With the aid of a powerful vacuum cleaner and Martha Stewart’s All-Purpose Cleaner, I removed a surprising amount of lint and dog hair.
But a closer inspection revealed more blockage down below. Determined to make this right once and for all, I pulled hard on the metal cover. The entire assembly suddenly popped free with a clang and a clatter, revealing the vent as a sizeable hole in the floor.
“What are you doing down there?” my wife called from the bedroom.
“Oh, just tidying up…” I answered. Peering down into the vent, I saw shockingly heavy deposits of lint, dust and hair, both animal and human. Horribly long strings of it floated on the air current from the air conditioner. But they were being sucked downwards, towards the basement. I had uncovered the master intake vent for the air conditioner, and the furnace too!
Sickened and strangely thrilled, I went after it in a near frenzy. I would conquer this disgusting mass of caked-on crap at all costs, I thought, pulling an incredible volume of lint from the hole in the wall. How many years had it gone uncleaned, slowly growing like the creature under the floor in Hellraiser? Years, perhaps decades… obstructing the air flow… straining the equipment down below…shortening the life of our HVAC system. Oh, the horror.
Replacing the vent, I regarded my handiwork with deep satisfaction, my catharsis complete. As I trudged off to bed, I thought that most people would never dare tell this story, let alone write about it at length.
There’s an air conditioner vent right next to my favorite chair in the family room. For some time, I’ve been uneasy about the dust that’s caught in the slats. I cannot abide caked-up, crusted-on crap of any description. I find it everywhere – on the toaster oven, the refrigerator shelves, my razor, and even my toothbrush.
I approached this problem with some hesitancy, as it required removal of the vent’s metal covering. What if I couldn’t get it back on? What would my wife say? But this was affecting the very air we breathe. Casting aside doubt and hesitation, I set to work.
Two sheet metal screws held in place the grid covering for the vent. To my surprise, these unscrewed easily, providing access to the filth. With the aid of a powerful vacuum cleaner and Martha Stewart’s All-Purpose Cleaner, I removed a surprising amount of lint and dog hair.
But a closer inspection revealed more blockage down below. Determined to make this right once and for all, I pulled hard on the metal cover. The entire assembly suddenly popped free with a clang and a clatter, revealing the vent as a sizeable hole in the floor.
“What are you doing down there?” my wife called from the bedroom.
“Oh, just tidying up…” I answered. Peering down into the vent, I saw shockingly heavy deposits of lint, dust and hair, both animal and human. Horribly long strings of it floated on the air current from the air conditioner. But they were being sucked downwards, towards the basement. I had uncovered the master intake vent for the air conditioner, and the furnace too!
Sickened and strangely thrilled, I went after it in a near frenzy. I would conquer this disgusting mass of caked-on crap at all costs, I thought, pulling an incredible volume of lint from the hole in the wall. How many years had it gone uncleaned, slowly growing like the creature under the floor in Hellraiser? Years, perhaps decades… obstructing the air flow… straining the equipment down below…shortening the life of our HVAC system. Oh, the horror.
Replacing the vent, I regarded my handiwork with deep satisfaction, my catharsis complete. As I trudged off to bed, I thought that most people would never dare tell this story, let alone write about it at length.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Huge Need for Dealers Exists
Important news: there are great job opportunities for casino dealers right here in my home town. I could be trained and licensed in mere months! 
Soon I’d be a full-fledged blackjack dealer -- flipping cards with careless ease, wearing a richly embroidered vest and diamond pinkie ring, raking in big tips from debonair high rollers and rich, beautiful women.
Ah, but wait.
There don’t seem to be any high rollers in this town. I’d have to relocate to Vegas for that.
And I don’t think I’ve ever seen a beautiful woman in a casino. Of course, in movies, gorgeous babes often slink up behind gamblers and drape their arms around them. They also do this in shaving cream commercials. But I've never seen either of those things actually happen.
Finally, the working conditions: second-hand smoke… standing up all day… absorbing abuse from drunks and white trash wearing t-shirts and baseball caps backwards… This may not be right for me. Perhaps I'd be better off pursuing my other fantasy of becoming a professional billiards player.
Soon I’d be a full-fledged blackjack dealer -- flipping cards with careless ease, wearing a richly embroidered vest and diamond pinkie ring, raking in big tips from debonair high rollers and rich, beautiful women.
Ah, but wait.
There don’t seem to be any high rollers in this town. I’d have to relocate to Vegas for that.
And I don’t think I’ve ever seen a beautiful woman in a casino. Of course, in movies, gorgeous babes often slink up behind gamblers and drape their arms around them. They also do this in shaving cream commercials. But I've never seen either of those things actually happen.
Finally, the working conditions: second-hand smoke… standing up all day… absorbing abuse from drunks and white trash wearing t-shirts and baseball caps backwards… This may not be right for me. Perhaps I'd be better off pursuing my other fantasy of becoming a professional billiards player.