And I feel fine. . .

Twas the week before Christmas and no one was gloom, even though soon we would all meet our doom.

10 years ago, I was working at a Wal-Mart in Moscow, Idaho. Oddly enough, working the overnight shift in the receiving department was not as glamorous as it sounds. But it did provide me with the opportunity to witness a very witty discussion about 2012, the Mayan calendar, and the end of the world.

One gentleman commented he would take a bunch of sleeping pills when he went to bed December 20th, so he could sleep through the end of the world. Another said he would spend his remaining years collecting guns and ammo. I simply smiled and went about my work.

Seasonable for most of the week, then a slight chance of DOOM!

I don't put much stock in the Mayan's calendar, but I am a big fan of post-apocalyptic scenarios, especially if they involve removing the heads the risen dead or helping a gasoline rich community fend off mohawk wielding bandits.

So, imagine my delight when fate led my next random book selection to the shelf populated with self-defense. Meet Selection #16: Self-Defense: Steps for Survival by Katy Mattingly.

No, I will not be taking photos of me trying out the moves they illustrate.

I've only thumbed through it, but I have not found the bandit or zombie sections yet, I'm sure it's in there.

Failure is not an option . . . wait, nevermind, yes it is

I have failed. I have read zero non-fiction in almost a month. Forget, non-fiction, aside from some Elder Strolls blog posts I've hardly read anything at all.

But it's all good. When you are attempting a project as large as this, failure should not be feared. In fact, failure should be expected and welcomed. Bad things happen if you worry about failing and you actually fail. There is that instinct to just throw your hands up and give up. But if you anticipate failing, I think you are much better to deal with it when it actually happens.

Because I knew this would happen, I am much more willing to dust myself and get back to it. . . not now of course, that would just be silly. I'm in survival mode at this point. Hunker down, survive Christmas, re-assess the situation when the New Year's confetti clears.

Minecraft

With Santa season looming I have this mixed bag of excitement and dread. This has led to comfort gaming. Comfort gaming is that magical time where you play a game with no goals, no princesses to save, no aliens to defeat, no checkpoints, and no storylines to follow.

My comfort game is Minecraft. I will spend hours on end, ignoring the entire world while I collect cobblestone, turn sand into glass, and build structures that have no concept of gravity or physics. The simple and slightly OCD nature of Minecraft is very relaxing, but also extremely time consuming and distracting. My non-fiction reading has dropped to nil this past week. I'd like to blame at least a little bit of that on family that is visiting from out of town, but no, it's all Minecraft.

I's 5:00 somewhere in Minecraft.

Next week will be a monster. A new library branch opens, and that means a busy week for the IT department. And just as we recover from that, then Thanksgiving happens, my hours increase, and there is a good chance I'll be shut down for the rest of the year.

My gut says this is time to take a break, but maybe this is a great time to use reading as my comfort. That makes a lot more sense that building a 47-story-high castle with indoor lavaflows and patrolling Snow Golems. Maybe I need to set an aggressive goal to keep me honest? How about 5 straight days of reading 20 pages? Then next weekend I can build to my heart's content and maybe recreate Middle Earth in cube form like I've always wanted to do.

Nightmares, Bohemians, and jolly old elves

I may not enjoy Halloween, but I do have a tradition for Halloween. Every year I sit down and watch Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Why? One: I love this movie. and Two: once Halloween is out of the way it means that Santa season is fast approaching.

I do feel sorry for Thanksgiving, its sad that a season gets bushwhacked like that. But this year Santa arrives on November 10th and no matter how much complaining I hear about Christmas arriving so early . . . I love it!

Being Santa brings a joy that I have not experienced in any other job, ever. Will I have to deal with screaming toddlers, shrieking babies, smelly diapers, annoying and pushy parents, and beard pulling brats all while sweating in a felt suit with a fake white beard strapped to my chin? Yes. And I'll do it with a smile on my face because of that one kid that tells me what the want for Christmas and then squeals with delight when I tell them, 'I'll see what I can do if you're good.'

It's the little things that make it worth wile.

On a sad note, I've turned in my video game book, Extra Lives: Why video games matter by Tom Bissell. I enjoyed it immensely and I wish i could go back and re-play most of the games that were mentioned.

Onward and upward, not rain, nor snow, nor part-time jobs of dressing up as a jolly old elf will keep me from my non-fiction quest. Meet Selection #15: Among the Bohemians: Experiments in Living 1900-1939 by Virginia Nicholson.

Has the devil put aside for me, for me, for meeeeeeeee....

Here is what I know about Bohemians: Queen made a rhapsody for them, and Ewan McGregor played one in Moulin Rouge. . . that's about it. Hopefully I'll learn some more about them soon.

The Boy That Hated Halloween

You would think a fat kid would love Halloween, with everyone being loose with their candy. That is not the case with me. Halloween was just an extra day to get picked on and I did not look forward to that at all. And even though I remember watching The Evil Dead with my older brother, that did not mean I was less prone to being jumpy.

My Halloween tradition was to sit in my room and let my parents pass out the candy. As a teen we traditionally went on vacation around Halloween, possibly to get away from our degrading neighborhood. In college Halloween became less about candy and being spooky and more about women dressing up as naughty nurses, naughty teachers, naughty devils, naughty angels, basically any half-logical costume that a woman would wear minus most of the fabric that covered her. And while I admit this was enjoyable to see, it kind of got old, not to mention that it was almost always accompanied by drunk guys whistling and hollering.

As I moved into my professional life, Halloween meant a food day and possibly dressing a little more casually that day. Living in an apartment meant no kids would come around.

This year, however, I will not only actively participate in Halloween, I'm downright excited for it to get here. Since my wife and moved into a new house this year it will be the first time we are actually able to pass out candy. We will not be the couple on the street that is stingy with the candy, and we are passing out the good stuff, not the 5 year old Smarties or those Mary Janes purchased during the Jimmy Carter presidency. I know, I know, bringing out the good candy is a rookie mistake.

Plus, its Emma's first Halloween so we have to take advantage of dressing her up while she has no power to resist us. She'll be a strawberry this year . . . her last name is Fields . . . Strawberry Fields  . . . Beatles song?
OK glad we got past that. Because personally that whole Stawberry Fields thing was kind of destroyed when the Quantum of Solace came out.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Anyway, I'm really excited about Halloween for the first time in a long time. Even though it means Santa season is right around the corner and the next 2 months will be exhausting.

Next week I should be able to pick up some new books. I've been pretty lax and choosing titles that I want to read recently so I will definitely using my random number generators.

Cooking the Books

The sluggishness in my non-fiction reading seems to be waning, that relaxing weekend was just what I needed. The British history and the global warming books have been turned back in and I'm thoroughly enjoying my video game critiquing book, Extra Lives by Tom Bissell. I might be done with it before the weekend.

I made the mistake of reading the first chapter of The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card yesterday at lunch, now I'm trying to figure out how to squeeze another book into my schedule. This is dangerous considering my affinity for Card's novels, it would very easy to get sucked back into fantasy fiction. I need to make sure I keep some structure to my reading, reading at lunch is to be NF only, maybe I can read some fiction in the evening?

I haven't cracked Capote's In Cold Blood yet, but I plan on tackling it this weekend.

Now, I'm not sure this book counts, as it has been on my holds list for a while now, but here is selection #14: The Baby & Toddler Cookbook: Fresh, Homemade Foods for a Healthy Start by Karen Ansel, MS, RD & Charity Ferreira.

Now that we have a freezer full of homemade carrot, pea, and green bean cubes, time to start planning ahead.

My wife and I have been feeding the little girl solid food for a while now, and yes two weeks is a while when you have a 6 month old that doesn't like peas, so this book is to give us some new ideas and help us plan when she gets a little older.

This is my first cookbook, and it raises a difficult question: When are you finished reading a cookbook? Does my 50 page limit apply to cookbooks? I wonder if there needs to be a new rule for books with a lot of pictures, or maybe I should plan on reading the whole thing, giving me the opportunity to copy down recipes I want to try?

Sam's place

Saturday, October 13th, 2012 9:30AM

Man Vs Non-Fiction, coming to you live from the rainy confines of Hannibal, Missouri. I'm sitting here looking out my window at a great view of the Mississippi River, the American Queen floating lazily as the tourists are just starting to emerge from their free hot breakfasts. The Mark Twain Dinette is bustling and all the souvenir shops are opening their doors, promising unique treasures and hoping to make some profits on a dreary October weekend.

The sky eventually cleared up, giving way to a beautiful day by the Mississippi River

Being from Central Missouri, Hannibal was a easy getaway weekend for my family. We came here often and most of memories of Hannibal are of rock candy, gimmicky toys, cave exploring, and riverboat tours. However, Hannibal holds another special place in my heart, and not in a good way. It was here, so many years ago, that a chubby boy scout and his father embarked on a 10 mile hike that wove between the woody campgrounds around the city, and the historic downtown stomping grounds of Sam Clemens himself. It was awful. 10 miles of hills, highway shoulders, heavy panting, and having my father keep reminding me that there was 'just a little bit of woods' to go.

I learned a lot in boy scouts: leadership skills, friendship, camping techniques, snipe hunting, my much-relied-upon fire building skills, and most importantly, I learned that my flat feet and less-than-stellar aerobic fitness made me ill suited for a 10 mile hike.

But all that is behind me. This weekend is all about relaxing and celebrating my wife and I's 3rd wedding anniversary. The combination of rain and a sleepy little 6-month-old has led to my wife and I lounging and reading. Me, with my video game critiquing book, Extra Lives by Tom Bissell, and my wife's selection of The Jester by James Patterson.

It was incredibly relaxing to sit back and read, a feeling I hope to reconstruct once we get back home. With our batteries completely re-charged we tackled Hannibal in all it's touristy glory. Though I didn't see one shop that had rock candy . . .

Bending the Rules

So far, October has not been kind to my non-fiction reading quest. Mostly in part to hectic work schedules, explorations in homemade baby food, and travel preparations. My re-addiction to the XBOX 360 game, Boarderlands, didn't help either.
Regardless, my reading has come to a bit of a standstill. And with travel plans to Red Oak, Iowa and Hannibal, Missouri in the books I felt I needed to take some action. While I have not finished my 2 current selections, The Story of Britain and The Future of Ice, I do feel that some travel reading might provide that spark I need, so I chose 2 more books (breaking my rule of only 3 books at a time, I am not giving up on the other selections, just putting them off a little). I left the random number generators in the garage and I made sure each of them had a personal connection to me this time.

First, selection #12 is: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

Man Vs In Cold Blood, round 2 . . . 12 years later

I was assigned to read this book in high school . . . I never did. Please understand that in high school I was less interested in reading and more interested in my obsession with Star Wars, video games, and Magic: The Gathering . . . wow, that's pretty shocking how little that has changed! I play a lot less magic these days, only due to lack of other players, at only 6 months Emma has trouble understanding the concept of tapping for manna. Kids these days! I am determined to read this time around.

Selection #13 is: Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell.

Not sure wy this one jumped out at me

I'm hoping this will give me some good talking points so I can convince my wife I need a bigger TV downstairs to feed my addiction, err, I mean . . . oh whatever, I love gaming and that isn't going to change anytime soon.

Winter is Coming

The temperatures are cooler and the nights are getting crisp. The leaves that have survived this dreadful summer are beginning to take a well deserved rest.

September is almost over, and good riddance! September is, by far, the busiest month in the library IT world. That's not a bad thing, but it sure does make you feel worn out. Maybe it has to do with back-to-school but I think I have dealt with more wireless access issues, document recovery emergencies, and printer fiascos this month than than I have the 3 previous months combined. On top of that, the end of September means the grand finale of the library's outstanding OneRead program, which I am happy and honored to help out with despite the stress and gray hairs it causes. Tonight is the Skype videoconference with Téa Obreht, author of this year's selection, The Tiger’s Wife. Tomorrow night will be the Balkan Folk Dance which, you will all be pleased to know, I will not be a participant.

As busy I have been at work, I have not been able to read as much as I'd like to. Unfortunately that tends to lead to a decrease in reading at home as well. We have been pretty diligent about reading to Emma though, which will be increasingly important as she gets older, she will be 6 months old next week!

I have been thinking about taking a short adjournment from the non-fiction action, call it a Fall break. I was just starting Game of Thrones Book 3 when I became sidetracked with the whole having a baby thing. This weekend may be my last chance of doing that. Starting next week our weekends are going to start getting busy with family coming into town and vacation trips that will lead right up to the start of Santa season, and then I can say goodbye to my free time until the end of the year. 

I've determined that reading about Global Warming and the British History at the same time is not a good idea. Not say each of those subjects are uninteresting, far from it, but they can get a little dry. maybe I should look up a book on Salsa Dancing or Arc Welding to liven things up a bit?

Star of the show

It occurred to me that even though the goal of this project, and this blog, is to create a natural reading environment for my daughter, I have posted very little about Miss Em herself. So, let me take time out from my current reading adventures (which, sadly, have hit a bit of slow spot as I navigate my British History book) and remedy that by posting some pictures of 5-month-old Emma.

Mom reads 'On The Night You Were Born' by Nancy Tillman

Miss Em, watching football with dad

Rockin her Mizzou gear

I'm very excited about this weekend, as my Yavin-4-rebel-base-man-cave will see some action when an old-school Nintendo hangout occurs. Rumors swirl that a copy of Tecmo Bowl has been uncovered . . . 

What is this new devilry?

I had one goal this weekend: finish my Hunter S. Thompson book, Hey Rube.

I was planning on spending all weekend with it, watching football and reading has become one of my new favorite hobbies. My plans were ruined, however, when I took my book to job #2 Saturday and finished it during my lunch break.

Which left me in a very unusual position of spending the rest of my weekend without a non-fiction book. I left my other current selection, The Story of Britain by Rebecca Fraser, at work and, as it turns out I have no other non-fiction selections at home. Shameful, I know.

I was good for a while, but after the emotional roller-coaster that was the Arizona State @ Mizzou game Saturday night, where my Tigers won by the skin of their secondary, I needed a fix. Not reading was actually affecting my state of mind. I had to read something, things just weren't the same. My options were to wait it out till Monday or read some fiction, which I have an abundance of at the house.

Running out of Non-Fiction, a demon of the ancient world.

Here is my issue, if I start a Fiction book, I'll want to finish it. I have a Historical Fiction book that my brother-in-law let me borrow, but the odds of me finishing it by the end of the weekend were slim. I could attempt to pick up where I left off in the Game of Thrones series, but starting down that road is dangerous, it would take me a week just to remember all the houses. In the end, I fired up my Kindle and started reading Ender's Game again.

I've read Ender's Game so many times that I didn't need to read through every chapter to know what happens. Plus, I figured it would be good to brush up since I read that they are making into a movie starting Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsly and Asa Butterfield, that kid from Hugo, as Ender.  I don't have high hopes for this one, not because they will not do a good job, but because after the Eragon fiasco I've found it's best not to get too excited about sci-fi books being made into movies.

Anyway, I have safely made my way back to the stacks and my Non-Fiction fix has been, well, fixed. Meet Selection #11: The Future of Ice: A Journey Into Cold by Gretel Ehrlich.

Seems like a proper selection, after the summer we have had .

Songs to read Non-Fiction by

First of all, a big thank you to Rachael Brown and the folks over at the Columbia Missourian for the article they wrote on my little project, thanks for spreading the word!

To complete this project of reading nearly 2,500 books, I'm going to need some help along the way. Enter my secret weapon: The Playlist.

You have to be careful though when selecting songs to read by, though. You don't want anything you will sing along to, that will be distracting. But you don't want anything you constantly be skipping over either. And make sure you avoid something trendy at the time, after hearing it for 57th time on your way to work some morning you'll go nuts.

Personally, I started my reading playlist with movie soundtracks. Specifically, all 3 Lord of the Rings (shocking, I know), add in the soundtracks for Tron: Legacy by Daft Punk and Hanna by the Chemical Brothers because, for me at least, a little electronic sound helps the pages turn a little faster. I also threw in the soundtrack to Game of Thrones, just for fun.

Then sprinkle in some video game soundtracks, but be careful. Batman (Arkham series), God of War, Warcraft, Advent Rising, and Mass Effect are all good for reading, but I seem to have difficulty with old-school 8-16 bit soundtracks like Mario or Sonic.

Now that you have your soundtracks in place, add some fun. I threw in some Jonathan Coulton, some Incredibad, and a few of my favorite tracks from Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog.

There you have it, a perfect playlist to sit back and read, I attribute it to the success I have had reading at my desk during lunch.

For my 10th selection, I have a feeling I'll need every bit of that playlist's help. Meet 941: The Story of Britain: From the Romans to the Present: A Narrative History by Rebecca Fraser. 785 pages . . . just press play and bring it on!

I like books about island getaways

Bibliography

Just so I don't upset any publishing folk out there, I decided I should probably make a proper bibliography of the books I have read:

Ansel, Karen & Ferreira, Charity. The Baby & Toddler Cookbook: Fresh, Homemade Foods for a Healthy Start. San Francisco: Weldon Owen, 2011.
DBRL Call #641.5622.

Babcock, Charles. Management Strategies for the Cloud Revolution: How cloud computing is transforming business and why you can't afford to be left behind. New York: McGraw Hill, 2010.
DBRL Call #004.36.

Bissell, Tom. Extra lives: Why Video Games Matter. New York: Pantheon Books, 2010.
DBRL Call #794.8.

Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and its Consequences. New York: Vintage Books, 1994.
DBRL Call #364.1523.

Cohen, Linda. 1,000 Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness can heal, Inspire, and Change Your Life. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press, 2011.
DBRL Call #296.3677.

Denmead, Ken. Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activitiesfor Dads and Kids to Share. New York: Gotham Books, 2010
DBRL Call #790.

Duane, Jean. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Gluten-Free Cooking. New York: Alpha Books, 2010.
DBRL Call #641.5638.

Ehrlich, Gretel. The Future of Ice: A Journey Into Cold. New York: Pantheon Books, 2004. DBRL Call #818.5403.

Fizzell, James A. Guide to Missouri Vegetable Gardening. Franklin, Tennessee: Cool Springs Press, 2007.
DBRL Call #635.0977. 

Flanagan, David. Javascript: The Definitive Guide. Bejing: O'Reilly, 2011. DBRL Call #005.2762. 

Fraser, Rebecca. The Story of Britain: From the Romans to the Present: A Narrative History. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. DBRL Call #941.

Grant, Michael. From Alexander to Cleopatra: The Hellenistic World. New York: Collier Books, 1990. DBRL Call #909.0982.

Hearn , Chester G. Tracks in the Sea: Matthew Fontaine Maury and the Mapping of the Oceans. Camden, Me: International Marine McGraw-Hill, 2002. DBRL Call #561.46.

Kirwan, Pat. Take Your Eye Off the Ball. Chicago: Triumph Books, 2010.
DBRL Call #796.332.

Le Breton, Binka. Where The Road Ends: A Home in the Brazilian Rainforest: A Memoir. New York: Thomas Dunne Books St. Martin's press, 2010. DBRL Call #981.064.

Mattingly, Katy. Self-Defense: Steps for Survival. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2007.
DBRL Call #613.66.

Melissinos, Chris. The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect. New York: Welcome Books, 2012.
DBRL Call #794.8.

Miller, Jeff. Children's Furniture Projects. Newtown, CT: Taunton Press, 2002.
DBRL Call #684.1.

Nicholson, Virginia. Among the Bohemians: Experiments in Living 1900-1939. New York:William Morrow, 2002.
DBRL Call #942.0823.

Pious, Richard M. The Young Oxford Companion to the Presidency of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.  DBRL Call #353.0313. 
Rabin, Nathan. Weird Al: The Book. New York: Abrams Image, 2012.
DBRL Call #792.7609.

Ramsey, Dave. Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money. Brentwood, Tennessee: Lampo Press, 2011.
DBRL Call #332.024

Sachs, Harvey. Rubinstein: A Life. New York: Grove Press, 1995.

Salsburg, David. The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century. New York: WH Hreeman, 2001. DBRL Call #001.422.

Siegal, Barry. Claim of Privilege: A Mysterious Plane Crash. A Landmark Supreme Court Case, and the Rise of State Secrets. New York: Harper, 2008. DBRL Call #342.7306.

Thompson, Hunter S. Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness: Modern History from the Sports Desk. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. DBRL Call #756.0973.

Vartanian, Arsy. The Paleo Slow Cooker: Healthy, Gluten-Free Meals the Easy Way. New York: Race Point Publishing, 2013.
DBRL Call #641.5638

Wise, Larry. Bow & Arrow: The Complete Guide to Equipment, Technique, and Competition. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1992. DBRL Call #799.32.

The battle for Yavin 4

Here is how the 2011 football season went:
I would sit in front of the TV and watch a game, or flip around and watch 3-4 at a time, meanwhile I would have my laptop open and be following as many other games as I could, and trying to keep track of my fantasy football player's stats and/or picks I made on college games.

I think it's pretty clear that I'm a football addict. NFL or college, if there is a football game on I will watch it, no matter who it's between. (except kansas, obviously) I've even been known to watch those high school football games that ESPN puts on, with teenagers bigger than I am that have already committed to playing for USC.

This year kicked off a little differently.
I sat in my basement, designated my 'Man Cave' by my wife, code named 'Yavin 4' by me. I sat on my couch and read my Hunter S Thompson book while I occasionally looked up at the games. Reading and football was occasionally broken up by short games of ping pong with my wife and playing with Emma, who came down to play on the floor shortly after the San Francisco/Green Bay game came on.

But, as much as I love football, I have a new favorite sport.

It's called Peekaboo. And my 5 month old daughter is also a huge fan.

Honestly, when I shout Peekaboo after removing my hands from my face and Emma smiles that giant toothless grin followed by a half squeal\half jabber of Ba Ba Ba it is a far superior high than watching a punt return for a touchdown, or a go ahead score with :32 remaining in the 4th quarter.

And as much joy as it brings me, it has other benefits as well. For example, when my beloved Packers running game against the 49ers was so putrid, a quick game of Peek-a-Boo would be the just diversion I needed in order to stop myself from yelling at the TV. So I guess Emma saved my Man Cave just like Luke saved Yavin 4. Especially since Green Bay lost by 8.

Keeping with this theme, last night before bed, we read Emma the book: Baby Faces Peekaboo by Dawn Sirett. She seemed to enjoyed it.

Miss Em would give this book 2 thumbs up, if she stopped chewing on them

Jury Duty

For those of you hoping this was a post about the great Pauly Shore film of the same name, I'm sorry.

Yesterday, I had Jury Duty. Jury Duty is an American tradition that involves sitting in a room with 40 strangers who are all annoyed that they had to take off work to . . . well, sit around with strangers. Oh and that whole, 'civic service' thing too.

Guess what you cannot take into the assembly room for jury duty? Cell phones and electronics.

Guess what you can take into the assembly room for jury duty? Books!
Oh yeah, advantage to the Non-Fiction reading guy! (that reminds me, I need a better title. . . )

And so, while I would be slightly embarrassed to bring my YA Presidency book with me, and the Java bible doesn't quite cut it for casual reading, I decided to tap into my personal NF stash.
Meet selection #9: Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness: Modern History from the Sports Desk by Hunter S Thompson.

I asked for, and received, this book for Christmas last year but I have yet to find the opportunity to read it. So when I found out I'd be in waiting for several hours I decided this was a great chance to read from the Gonzo Journalism creator himself.

I did not check this out from the stacks, but it is in the library's collection, I wonder if that counts . . . Survey says: I'll allow it. To quote Rick Grimes: "This isn't a democracy anymore"

Seriously, who else is pumped about season 3 of The Walking Dead? 

Hey Rube is a collection of columns HST wrote for ESPN.com's Page 2 back in the early 2000s, its a mash-up of sports talk mixed with politics. His column that compared the NFL to presidential campaigns was pretty shocking and made me a little depressed. I knocked out a good chunk as I waited and I am really looking forward to finishing it up. If I stick to my guns, don't get distracted too much by the shiny college and NFL games this weekend, I just may start next week with a fresh lineup of 3 new NF books.

Upset Alert

Upset - noun
An unexpected result or situation, esp. in a sports competition

Let me set up the situation:
It was the opening weekend of college football. My wife and daughter went out of town for a 3 day weekend. I scored 2 free tickets to the Mizzou football game against SE Louisiana.

Even the remnants of hurricane Isaac could not stop me from enjoying Saturday's home opener against SE Louisiana . Not too bad a view for free tickets.

And with all of this going on, the inexplicable upset happened.

Not only did I find to time to crack open my latest non-fiction selection, The Young Oxford Companion to the Presidency of the United States by Richard M Pious, I burned through my 50 required pages!

Was it a Young Adult book, yes, but that's kind of like your football team taking on Northeastern Midwest Technical Institute A&M for your first game, it just feels good to get a win under your belt.

The other NF book I am reading, JavaScript: The Definitive Guide by David Flanagan, while chocked full of interesting JavaScript programming tips, is a bit rough to read straight through. I have found there are several really good online resources for learning JS, one I have been having fun with is from Channel 9.

NFL starts this weekend, could there possibly be another upset in the works? I'm gonna say most likely because I'm looking forward to keeping up this pace, I'll be in the double digits before long. Although I'm not going to get too excited considering I have just under 3,000 books to read, but hey, progress is progress.

Time to do the job

Well, despite my duel Nintendo threat in the basement, I was able to crack open my new NF book and read some last night in between the little girl napping and laundry. This is a particularly amazing feat since last night I also loaded up Zanac.

I love how fast this game is. It is a lot like Galaga, but instead of space you are flying above the surface of a planet and they are throwing everything they can at you. Anyway, Zanac holds a special place in my collection. It's the only game that my brother could consistently beat me at. I'm not saying I'm terrible at it, but he was so much better. Obviously I keep trying to get better. I think I did pretty well considering how long it's been.

Tonight I will be breaking in my man cave with the start of the 2012 college football season, South Carolina @ Vanderbilt. I am not rooting for anyone, just happy football is back. I will be interested in seeing the how the Gamecocks and Commodores play though, considering Mizzou is in the same division as they are. The chances of reading tonight are slim to none, but I will try to make time to get some reading in. This will be one of those tests, don't get sucked into just staring at the game than realize you have ignored your wife, daughter, and the world around you. Tonight would be an excellent opportunity to stumble.

I need to summon my inner Hunter S.
"Are we here to entertain ourselves or do the job?"

Time to do the job.

The breaking of the fellowship?

What in the world was I thinking? I just might have sent this project off the rails for good.

Last night, in a silly attempt of nostalgia, I hooked up my original Nintendo Entertainment System AND my Nintendo 64 to the same TV. Not only that, I loaded up The Legend of Zelda and The Legend o Zelda: Ocarina of Time too.

It's dangerous to go alone, take these!

I put my daughter down for a nap, powered Legend on and before I blinked I was already in the level 5 dungeon, battling Digdogger, that giant, orange, one-eyed boss that hates music.

I'm worried that what little time I have left for casual reading in the evenings will be used up collecting rupees and shooting swords.

In an effort to counter this, meet random non-fiction selection #8: 353.0313, The Young Oxford Companion to the Presidency of the United States by Richard M Pious.

Fitting, considering there is an election coming up, or so the negative ads on TV say. Personally I hate politics was a passion, but I also hate monkeys and there is bound to be some primate books on the horizon, so best just to jump in and knock it out.

Back to School

One of the great things I love about back to school, other than not having to go back to school, is seeing all the school supplies. You would think this would be my motivation to buy new pencils, but oddly enough I always have the urge to buy pencils. Not just any #2 pencils, mind you but Dixon Ticonderoga pencils, it's the only pencil I use, and yes i do use them often.

Even though I'm a digital junkie, I take all my notes on paper with a pencil. I have for as long as I can remember. It's my comfort. And when I get bored and feel the urge to doodle, a nice #2 pencil does the job nicely.

After turning in NF books #5 and #6, I decided to stick with the back to school theme and get something to brush up on my programming skills. Meet contestant #7 all the way from 005.2762, JavaScript: The Definitive Guide by David Flanagan. I'm a big fan of O'Reilly books, they helped me out a lot back in college.

I give it 4-5 days before my nightmares return of being back in those C++ classes my junior year.

Press Start When Ready

All right!
The house unpacked, my man-cave is up and running, the initial yardwork has been done, I finished my second reading on Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, and I finally saw the Dark Knight Rises. I am officially ready to get back on track.
I turned in  Tracks in the Sea by Chester G. Hearn and I have to say it will take a lot for another non-fiction book to knock it off it's perch. I really enjoyed that book.

Moving on, I currently have 2 NF books out:
Claim of Privilege: A Mysterious Plane Crash, a Landmark Supreme Court Case, and the Rise of State Secrets by Barry Siegel
and
From Alexander to Cleopatra: The Hellenistic World by Michael Grant

I'm going to focus on them before starting a 3rd selection. It will fell really good to get them read and then start with 3 fresh titles.

Break Time

Time for a short break from non-fiction. Not that I'm getting burned out or anything, but with 1 week till moving into the new house I need to focus.

A break from non-fiction, but not from reading altogether. I am re-reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline in preparation for the Book Lounge Happy Hour on July 26th at The Bridge in downtown Columbia. Now if I can only figure out where I packed that Atari 2600 joystick . . .

The most fun I've had reading a novel in a long time.

Heroes

So the reading project has come to a screeching halt, I'm sad to say. With birthdays, 4th of July festivities, and packing I have had a hard time even remembering where the books were!

I'm still trying to get some reading done at lunch though and I have to say, the more I read about Matthew Fontaine Maury in Tracks in the Sea by Chester G. Hearn, the further he rises in my list of personal heroes.

Currently I have him listed above Forge from the X-Men and below Ash from Evil Dead/Army of Darkness fame.

Shop Smart, Shop S-Mart

Lets hope I can get some inspiration from the honorable Mr Maury and the chiansaw-handed Ash and get back into the swing of things.

The curious tale of the bucket of potatoes

The curious tale of the bucket of potatoes:
My father-in-law grows potatoes in Nebraska. Back in April, before Emma was born, my mother-in-law brought us some potatoes as well as some for my sister-in-law. Until we would be able to deliver them, we sat them in our storage closet .

We forgot about them . . . a lot.

As a result, I was in for quite a surprise when I opened the storage closet this weekend:

Oh, hello potatoes

I went to throw them away when my wife said: 'Stop, keep the bucket.'

'Why?' I asked.
'Obviously you didn't grow up on a farm.' She replied.
Obviously I didn't because I still didn't understand. Apparently 5 gallon buckets are hot commodities on the farm. And I'm guessing that translates that they will be at our impending homestead as well. (T-minus 1 month till closing!)

The reading project got some life breathed back into it this weekend, I was able to get some reading in during my lunch break at job #2 on Saturday. I'm looking forward to getting back in the groove the week.

Talk radio, housing contracts, and a little JoCo

I had a great time on the radio yesterday. A big thank you to David Lile, Spencer & Lauren, and KFRU for having me on the program. For those of you interested in hearing my interview, have a listen: 
Man Vs Nonfiction on KFRU

Most of my reading this week is coming in the form of contracts, inspection reports, and loan documentation.  Fun! I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things next week. Meanwhile, time to ready the Jonathan Coulton playlist and press on.

On Air

First of all, a big thank you to Lauren and the DBRL Next blog for the mention! If you haven't checked it out, hop on over and get signed up for summer reading!

And, while on the subject of shameless self-promotion, I'll be talking to David Lile on KFRU this coming Wednesday, June 20th at 8:30AM about the Man Vs Nonfiction project. If you're in the Columbia/Central Missouri area tune in to 1400.

For those of you waiting for the publicity to make my head to get too big to fit in this blog, relax. This is not about me. This isn't a stunt to get people to look at me. I'm an IT guy, we tend to stick to the shadows, blend in. A good IT guy knows he's done his job if no one realizes he was there.

No, this is about Emma and making a rich, book-filled, environment for her to grow up in. And if I have to read through some knitting books, books about termites (I have some slight Isopterophobia), histories of infectious disease, or *shudders* books about Macs then so be it.

As excited as I am about this project, a new wrench has just been thrown at it: we are buying a house.

I am supremely excited at the idea of being a homeowner, I cannot wait to have a back yard, to grill on my deck, to teach Emma to crawl around in the family room. We are currently hoop jumping and are *fingers crossed* about a month and a half away from having our first home. Wish us luck!

So maybe my reading will slow down a bit, but it might also make me nervous/anxious enough to calm myself by knocking out a couple books a week, who knows?

Weekend? What is this 'Weekend' you speak of?

Working in Loss Prevention has a drawback, it makes you paranoid. When I first started looking at the cameras and watching for potential shoplifters I kept saying to myself, don't judge someone just because of how they look. I didn't need to. You see, when you are watching the cameras you realize something, Everyone is trying to steal from you!

 

What's this guy doing? Looking at shirts? I'll keep an eye on him . . .

That lady has been looking at watches for like 3 minutes, I bet she is trying to figure out how to steal them . . .

3 kids sorting through dog collars??? Mother of God! Get me the national guard!

3 years I have been perfecting my paranoia, and while I have caught many would-be thieves (though not as many I think I should have) it began to occur to me that all this time staring at screens and worrying about a losing a $4.99 item might not be to good for me in the long run.

And just as these thoughts popped in my head, my new boss dropped a bomb. He said they have hired some new people and I might not be working as much. And indicated I might not be on the schedule at all this summer.

I still can't understand the concept of not having to work a 2nd job. In 2009 I had 1 job, after I was laid off *the day after I got back from my Honeymoon, no less! Sorry, still a little peeved about that . . . jerks*

I started working part time, 4 different places. Church Janitor, Garden Center employee, Meat Counter employee, Santa Claus impersonator. How's that for a work week? A wee bit hectic, but I managed.

So, going down to one job means I would have weekends off. Like 2 days in a row off! This concept is mind bottling. with two days off I might be able to get some more reading in, which means I might finish my project before I turn 75. Maybe . . .

Speaking of the project, new week and a new book. Meet Selection #6, 909.0982 GRA, or according to my spreadsheets: G2(N)7:7

From Alexander to Cleopatra: The Hellenistic World by Michael Grant

I know far too little about Greek history, looking forward to this one.

Oddity

A strange thing happened last night. My girls were taking a nap, the Western Conference Finals was wrapping up, and I had some time to myself. The first thought that came to my mind was to fire up the XBOX and see if could level my Skyrim character up some more. Then, unexpectedly, inexplicably, instead I reached for a book and read.
I know right!
This reading routine just might take up roots after all. Miss Emma is getting pretty good at sticking to her schedule. And she seems to like being read to. We started off with a book called Spots and Dots by Beth Harwood:

Mommy reading Spots and Dots

I wanted to start her off with The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, but my wife and I could not agree on whether we would begin at The Magician's Nephew or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Plus, Emma seems to be into bright colors and shiny things, something the Narnia series I bought her lacks.

Losing a Legend

I wanted to take time today to reflect on the passing of Ray Bradbury. I read The Martian Chronicles when I was in 6th grade and had my mind blown. I remember I kept looking up and wondering if i was allowed to read something that cool, like at any moment a teacher would catch me. My writing style, when I do find time to write fiction, is very similar to the 'episodic' structure that TMC was written in. It didn't occur to me until today just how much of an impact that book had on me.
Fahrenheit 451 was equally mind blowing, and got me turned onto stories about dystopia that I still love today. When I first started working for the library, and thus discovered the graphic novel section that I didn't know existed, the graphic novel version of 451 was for first checkout. Mostly because I love the book so much, but a little due to the irony of the story being made into a comic that society so loathed in 451.
Here's to you Mr Bradbury, you will be missed greatly and remembered fondly.

The Age of Routine

Hooray for Monday! Calm down, I have a reason.
There are 2 very important and exciting things occurring this morning: my wife goes back to work, and Miss Em starts daycare. Now, before I get tomatoes thrown at me for being an awful father and husband for being exciting about those things, the reason I'm excited is because we are ushering in 'The Age of the Routine' . . . that should have a gong sound or something associated with it. I'm very excited about starting routines, getting schedules worked out, structure, glorious structure. It's the beginning of a whole new era.
The reading routine is slowly getting traction. Now that my wife is back to work I'm hoping she can help me out, though she requested Janet Evanovich novels instead of random non-fiction books. I'm OK with that.
And speaking of random non-fiction books, this week I am ready to turn in 2 and pick up 2 more.
My next selection is kind of cheating. Not only have I read it before, I actually used to own it before I loaned it out to a co-worker and it was never seen again.
May I present 551.46 HEA, Tracks in the Sea: Matthew Fontaine Maury and the Mapping of the Oceans by Chester G Hearn

This book holds a special place in me heart. Before my life as an IT guy I spent 3 years in Huntsville, Alabama making maps for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (they abbreviate it NGA, but why in the world would you want to? It sounds awesome!)
My job was to take raw data collected by the Navy and produce a hard-copy map from it. While it was fun and I loved it, it was the single most boring job I have ever had. Point, Click, Repeat. But, as a learned more more about making maps, I learned more and more about the CAD software we used (MicroStation for the win!) which lead me to learn more about the GIS databases we used, and eventually lead me to help assist my co-workers with tech support.
So, Tracks in the Sea is my next selection, that leaves me in a pickle with selection #2. I need a good way to select a random book. And while there are probably several different ways to do this, you know what they say: behind every great man is a great woman, and a great spreadsheet. OK they don't really say that, but I love spreadsheets.
Using my numbering system, that makes perfect sense to me, and a couple random number generators, behold: 342.7306 SIE. Claim of Privilege: A Mysterious Plane Crash, a Landmark Supreme Court Case, and the Rise of State Secrets by Barry Siegel

Happy routines everyone!

Like most men with a good idea, it started with my wife.

Like most men with a good idea, it started with my wife.

I was trying to pitch the idea of upgrading of Kindle to a Kindle Fire and not having much luck. So I went another angle. I tried the selling point of full color picture books that we can read to our now 8-week-old daughter.

And then she dropped a bomb. She said, under no circumstances, will our child use a kindle, iPad, Leapster or any other electronic device until she was older. . .

I'm an IT guy. I have been an IT guy for the past 9 years and in that 9 years I have seen the field of technology become more user friendly and plentiful. I live by my phone, by the Internet, and by whatever the Google commands. Technology is all around us and, as a person who derives great pleasure from helping people understand and use technology to improve their life, I have fully embraced that.

So now my wife tells me I can't raise our daughter with technology in her face and at her disposal . . . and the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea. Why?

One word . . . Construx.

Construx was a plastic Lego-like set that used little blue connectors so you could build large objects. It's how I spent most of my childhood, pre-Atari 2600. But I think building plastic car frames and braces I could fit my  hands into helped my mind develop into what it is today. I'm no genius, far from it, but I will say I have a knack for troubleshooting and finding creative solutions to problems, something every IT guy needs to do.

What does this have to do with reading? Well, I've said before that I want to make sure reading is a common part of life while Emma is growing up, and I also think that it is important for her to learn that it is OK to be disconnected every once and a while and go off the grid a little.

That's extremely hard for me to do but I'm going to have to figure it out. Besides, after working with computer issues, software problems, and connection errors all day I think some off-grid time would be good for me. Off the grid, sitting with my family, reading. Sounds just about right to me.

One down!

What does it say about me that I'm more interested in reading about the statistical revolution of the 20th century (20th mind you) than I am of making a dream home in an Amazon paradise?
Regardless, I turned in my first selection today. I feel bad that I didn't read it all the way through, but I did do the 50 page minimum as stated in the rules. But I have to remember that I'm not writing book reports here, just trying to establish a foundation of making reading a natural part of life so my daughter grows up knowing what a book is. This is a marathon not a sprint.

1 book down, 2,833 books to go! :)

Just about ready to turn my first selection back in, and I think I might have to take a break from the non-fiction in honor of One Read and the 2012 One Read selection: The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht. Besides, a little fiction is good for you every once and a while, right?

And now the real test begins

And now the real test begins.

After I take a few days off from work(s), on Sunday my wife and our 6 week old daughter are going to visit Grandma in Western Nebraska. that leaves daddy alone for 10 days. 10 days! Hello nervous wreck edition daddy! Hopefully this means I can get caught up on some reading, maybe even knock out a few so I can get rolling again. Of course, XBOX, getting caught up on Game of Thrones, and hot wing eating will do their best to derail my plans. 

I'm confidant I can get a routine going though, gotta get my mind set that I'm in this for the long haul. Wish me luck. 

Time for a readjusting of the rules:
1. Non-fiction only. I don't have the time or patience to read every teen vampire romance novel. (though I might take advantage of the graphic novel section at some point, though I have burned through most of that section already)
2. 1 book chosen from each shelf at my discretion, if I choose to select another from that shelf, that is ok.
3. No time limit. I started working at the library in 2011, I wholeheartedly plan on retiring here so that gives me roughly 35-40 years to play with, God willing.
4. I must read at least 100 50 pages before checking it back in. Some things are just not going to float my boat, no need to force myself.
5. I must read at least 1 hour a day. That's going to be hard with 2 jobs and a newborn, but I want to set an example. I must read at least 15 minutes a day. More would be better, but this way I can at least get some some time in during my lunch break on those days I am away from home from 8AM to 9:30PM
6. Only 3 books out at a time. 3 is pushing it I think, but having a little variety is going to go a long way with this project.


So, my current selections are: Where the Road Ends: A Home in the Brazilian Rainforest by Binka Le Breton and The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century by David Salsburg.


Those selections are fine, I enjoy travel and I enjoy statistics, but to keep my head in the game for the long haul I am going to need to find some books on topics I really enjoy. So, I needed to make a list of those topics:
(Not necessarily in this order)
1. Video Games
2. Superheros\Comic Books
3. Archery
4. Writing
5 Cooking

I want to include these topics when selecting a book, but I can't do these topics exclusively or I'll burn through them and be left with topics I am not passionate about, which would make for a longer and more difficult road to finish.

That being said, say hello to selection #3: 799.32 WIS Bow & Arrow: The Complete Guide to Equipment, Technique, and Competition by Larry Wise.

Now, I know what your thinking: Oh, he selected Archery because it's a hot trend in pop culture. And, truth be told, I am a huge fan of Katniss Everdeen and The Hunger Games by Susanne Collins and I am also a huge fan (and have been a fan longer) of Clint Barton aka 'Hawkeye' from The Avengers. That is not where this selection is coming from.

Every summer at Bass Pro Shops (my second job) I help out during Family Summer Camp by manning the range. At the range we have a BB Gun and a Bow. Both of these items are designed for kids. My job is to introduce kids who have never shot a gun or an arrow, teach them proper technique and safety, and help them shoot targets down range. I think sometimes I get more enjoyment out of than the kids do. And while I am a fan of guns and rifles, I get an especially large grin on my face when I see a kid go for the bow over the BB gun.

Now, while I do help kids with the bow, and I have been shooting a bow for a long time now, I have not had any specific training in archery outside of Boy Scouts and that one day in junior high PE class. This is a great start for me to build my knowledge of the subject.

I need to pace myself though, I can't go straight for the archery book every time it is time to read. Time to get a schedule reading alternate books down. Travel, Stats, Archery. Hopefully I have the discipline to stick to it