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Entries from December 1, 2022 - December 31, 2022

Sunday
Dec252022

Best books 2022

 

It’s been a good year for reading. While I engaged with a number of new authors, about half what I read were actually re-reads - including a few on my “best of” list below. I probably read more non-fiction than usual, including what might be described as self-help books (heaven knows, I need all the self-help I can get). I read quite a bit of sci-fi, but so many of the books were dystopian and I grew tired of the darkness. Happy that Goodreads is a convenient way for me to record and remember the books that I read.

A few of my favorites:

  1. Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris. Historical fiction set in Restoration England and the American Colonies about two “regicides” being hunted by an agent of Charles II. Lots of gritty detail about the time period including the Fire of London, the Plague and nasty executions. Harris is one of my favorite historical fiction writers.

  2. Amsterdam: A History of the World’s Most Liberal City by Russel Shorto. Re-read this on a visit to Amsterdam, rediscovering what in history makes the Netherlands so different from its European neighbors and how collective goals and interdependence can lead to a positive society.

  3. Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon. Another re-read that inspired me to do a better job of paying attention to the small towns through which I drive. Heat-Moon’s lyrical language, vivid descriptions, and historical knowledge make this a genuine classic.

  4. By Force Alone by Lavie Tidhar. Fascinating re-telling of the Arthurian story, with Arthur as a London gang member. Don’t expect much heroism or other positive characteristics from this cast. 

  5. Cougar Claw by Cary J. Griffith. USFW agent Sam Rivers is back on the job in this second Minnesota-set mystery. Clever plot and great characters (plus local interest for me) kept me reading.

  6. Lessons from Lucy by Dave Barry. I listened to this one as an audiobook and am glad I did. Barry narrates his semi-comic, semi-profound observations of lessons he has learned about leading a better life. 

  7. Man Overboard by Craig L Bowron MD. This book by Mayo clinic physician, does a great job in succinctly describing men’s aging bodies and their most common ailments. Understandable and not sensational and with a lot of dumb Dad jokes to keep it lighthearted.

  8. The Mapmaker’s Wife by Robert Whitaker. After personally spending a few nights in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest, I could relate to this history of explorations of South America by early 18th century French scientists trying to determine the circumference of the globe. Toward the end of the book, the wife of one of the explorers sets out on a harrowing cross-continent trek to locate her husband. Good jungle tale. 

  9. Sex in the Sea by Marah J. Hardt. A fascinating nonfiction series of tales about the reproductive life of marine creatures. Hardt takes what could be a tedious subject and injects it with life and humor. Good reading while snorkeling off the Galapagos.

  10. Wild Prey by Brian Klingborg. I love mystery stories in which the detective is moral but operating in a corrupt society. Set in modern day Communist China, Lui Fei tracks down a missing woman, the authorities really don’t want found.

What, Blue Skunk readers, have been your favorite reads of the year?

Thanks to Miguel Guhlin and Scott McLeod for sharing their lists of favorite books and my friends on Goodreads for posting the titles and reviews of their current reads.

 

Thursday
Dec222022

Gifts that keep on giving - still

I watched the Muppet version Dicken's A Christmas Carol this week. I suspect it is probably the 100th time I have seen some version of this fable of Scrooge and Tiny Tim and how even old curmudgeons like myself can be redeemed.

My personal version of this tale is a blog post I wrote back in 2010. It contains more hopes and wishes, perhaps, than advice. The sentiments hold true for me now a dozen years years later. The children at whom the advice was directed have somehow become adults with lives of their own, long past listening to anything Grandpa might suggest (if they ever did). 

Perhaps I revisit this short piece more for my own sake. But here it is anyway

Gifts that keep on giving

Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your own children.

Christmas morning. The house is quiet. Something that smells of cinnamon is in the oven. The tree is lit. The snow outside is very white and very deep. The children and grandchildren will be invading next week for a few happy days.

I will admit that I can't wrap a package to save my soul, so hours were spent yesterday getting the robots and bicycles and LEGOs and underwear and books and computer games and noisy baby toys ready to be un - wrapped in seconds. You really have to be a grandparent before the old saw, "it's better to give than to receive," genuinely rings true. I don't believe my grandsons are any more or less greedy than other children, but they do love presents - and their excitement is a gift to this grandpa returned many times over.

Material gifts for these boys are easy. A list from their mom, one's cash card, and the local Target store is all that's needed. I have no illusions that 90% of what the boys receive will be lost, broken, or forgotten within weeks. A few things might stick - a book that becomes cherished, a computer game that will engage, a special toy that will become "alive" and so escape the garage sales. But as I sweep the lost StarWars figure up from under the couch next week, I'll have to remember that material gifts are just this grandpa's shallow means of making his affection visible.

Were I able, I'd wrap these gifts up for each of my grandsons with these cards attached...

  • Health. While about 95% of your health is due to genetics, for good or bad, the other 5% that you can control is important. Strike a balance between risk paranoia and complete disregard for your bod. Eat a candy bar now and then, but have the good sense to walk it off.  I hope you like the color and the size of this gift. To a large degree, the shape will be up to you.

  • Passion. The luckiest people are those who find something that really interests and motivates them. What that something is makes little difference  - computers or hockey or inorganic chemistry or etymology or entomology or library science or whatever.  Wear this every day.

  • Compassion. OK, this one is a little odd, but it's important, boys. The capacity to feel for others will give your life meaning and purpose. People who are best at handling the occasional blues do so by finding others to help. This one is polar fleece for the soul.

  • Adventure. Here is the courage to take a risk now and then. Eat a new food. Travel to a different country. Accept a challenge to your physical strength and stamina and comfort. Read something by someone you don't agree with. Do at least one thing every year that none of your friends has ever done. Take pictures. The people with the best stories, not the most money, are life's winners. Wear this hat even when it seems a little scary.

  • Appreciation. Never forget how truly lucky you are to be born to loving parents who can afford to feed you, clothe you, and take you to the doctor. Remember that you live in a country that has negligible political violence and gives you both freedom and protection. Be thankful that you can get an education that will let you become just about anything you want to be. Even when things may not seem to be going your way, wear these glasses and you will recognize that you are still more fortunate than 99% of the rest of the world.

  • Problems. Yes, I am giving you lots of problems as a gift. You may be an old man like me before you come to appreciate this package, but it may be the most valuable one you receive. Problems engage our minds. Problems make us creative. Problems (and finding solutions to them) give you self-worth. Problems keep life from getting boring. Problems can make life fun - really! When you put these in your pocket, they may feel like a burden, but they are boosters.

 

My writing these advice-filled “wishes” I suspect will be ignored by my grandchildren and any great grandchildren who may one day stumble upon them. But I am confident they will come to understand the importance of these gifts all by themselves. 


 

Saturday
Dec172022

The clueless shopper


 

When the image above popped up in my Facebook feed, I had absolutely no clue what the doohickey Amazon wanted me to buy was.

 

Nor did I know why I might need this thingy.

 

And what in the Sam Hill is this tube and why is there a smartphone next to it?

Facebook, Amazon, Google, you may think you know me, but you really don’t.

Or maybe you do. I have to admit that when I see a product and can’t identify it, my curiosity often gets the best of me and I have to click to find out what it is for. Which takes me, of course, to Amazon or whatever company posted the ad in the first place. Which then somehow keeps a record of my “interests” and more specifically targets future ads.

Which is why, I suppose, I get ads for women’s incontinence products, gourmet cooking tools, and hockey equipment. I also get spam emails with the names of older men who I might be interested in dating. What the hell website did I visit to get me on that list?

My usual shopping strategy is to drive to and wander aimlessly in my local Target, Walmart, and Home Depot, not find what I am looking for, and then wind up in my recliner ordering it from Amazon anyway. And then being disappointed in the item when it arrives. You’d think that at my age, I would somehow have mastered the art of buying stuff.

Happily the holiday “shopping” season will soon be over. My family will have to like what I got them or just suck it up.* Oh, one piece of advice: money always fits and is the right color.

*The best Christmas gift I give  is still the family calendar I make each year. I’m lucky to have such photogenic relatives.