A book a week ...

The reading goal for 2009 was a book a week; that means 52 books in 2009. I only include novels, non-fiction, collections, larger kids books, noteworthy poetry, and sizable graphic novels. These are also only first time reads. I know I have blown away more books than this in a year before, but I thought it would be a good idea just once to document it. Also, this was a year of cleaning off the reading table, reading all the gift books I have, returning books to people, catching up on some jointly read books with my kids, and setting myself up to read a new list for next year. However, when I was at 42 books by the time I turned 42 just after mid-year it no longer seemed like a challenge. On September 11 I finished book 52 and had started a 53rd ...

1 - The Good Faeries Of New York by Martin Millar

2 - The Tales Of Beedle The Bard by J.K. Rowling

3 - Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama

4 - The Taqwacores by Michael Muhammad Knight

5 - He Owned The World by Charles Eric Maine

6 - Serenity by Keith DeCandido

7 - The Men Of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book by Gerard Jones

8 - Blond Savage by John Vail

9 - Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

10 - For Texas And Zed by Zach Hughes

11 - Magic To The Bone by Devon Monk

12 - The Gladiators by Martin Saul

13 - Stalking The Vampire by Mike Resnick

14 - Heroes: Saving Charlie by Aury Wallington

15 - Judgement On Janus by Andre Norton

16 - Bury Me Deep by Harold Q. Masur

17 - Stop That Ball! by Mike McClintock - Illustrations by Frits Siebel

18 - Heroes, Vol. 2 by R.D. Hall, Tim Sale, and others

19 - Dancing Barefoot by Wil Wheaton

20 - Just A Geek by Wil Wheaton

21 - Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor

22 - Serenity: The Official Visual Companion by Joss Whedon

23 - Firefly: The Official Visual Companion, Volume One by Abbie Bernstein and others

24 - Firefly: The Official Visual Companion, Volume Two by Abbie Bernstein and others

25 - Death Of A Doll by Hilda Lawrence

26 - Justice For None by Gene Hackman and Daniel Lenihan

27 - The Book Of Yoga by Christina Brown

28 - Finding Serenity: Anti-heroes, Lost Shepherds, And Space Hookers In Joss Whedon's Firefly edited by Jane Espenson with Glenn Yeffeth

29 - Serenity Found: More Unauthorized Essays On Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe edited by Jane Espenson, with Leah Wilson

30 - The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

31 - All Known Metal Bands by Dan Nelson

32 - So Say We All: An Unauthorized Collection of Thoughts and Opinions on Battlestar Galactica edited by Richard Hatch

33 - Alias Assumed; Sex, Lies and SD-6 edited by Kevin Weisman

34 - Face by Sherman Alexie

35 - Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

36 - The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud

37 - Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud

38 - Wake Of The Perdido Star by Gene Hackman and Daniel Lenihan

39 - Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

40 - New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

41 - The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky and Kent Williams

42 - Eclipse - by Stephenie Meyer

43 - Breaking Dawn - by Stephenie Meyer

44 - - Football Against The Enemy by Simon Kuper

* - Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer (1/2 an unpublished novel online that runs at 264 pages)

45 - The Complete Idiot's Guide To Pro Wrestling by Bert Randolph Sugar & Captain Lou Albano

46 - The Nitpicker's Guide For Classic Trekkers by Phil Farrand

47 - Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal by Ian Christe

48 - Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher

49 - - Bang!: The Complete History of the Universe by Brian May, Sir Patrick Moore, and Chris Lintott

50 - Patient Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel by Jonathan Maberry

51 - Bloody Confused!: A Clueless American Sportswriter Seeks Solace In English Soccer by Chuck Culpepper

52 - Ophelia Speaks: Adolescent Girls Write About Their Search for Self by Sara Shandler

53 - The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan

54 - Finn McCool's Football Club: The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of a Pub Soccer Team in the City of the Dead by Stephen Rea

55 - The Beckham Experiment: How the World's Most Famous Athlete Tried to Conquer America by Grant Wahl

56 - Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town by Warren St. John

57 - Seeing Red by Graham Poll

58 - The Soccer Tribe by Desmond Morris

59 - Four Days in a Lifetime by Georges Simenon

60 - Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

61 - Showcase Presents: Adam Strange Volume One

62 - Cruel Shoes by Steve Martin

63 - The Eternal Prison by Jeff Somers

64 - Jack Kirby's OMAC: One Man Army Corps by Jack Kirby

65 - Empire by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson

66 - Soccer in Sun and Shadow by Eduardo Galeano - translated by Mark Fried.

67 - Magic in the Blood by Devon Monk

68 - Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor by Russell S. Bonds

69 - Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Germany and Brazil Win, and Why the U.S., Japan, Australia, Turkey--and Even Iraq--Are Destined to Become the Kings of the Worlds Most Popular Sport by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski

70 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

71 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney

72 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney

73 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney

74 - Soccer in a Football World: The Story of America's Forgotten Game by David Wangerin

75 - America Unzipped by Brian Alexander

76 - Stalking The Dragon by Mike Resnick

77 - War Dances by Sherman Alexie

78 - All The Stars Came Out That Night by Kevin King

79 - Once in a Lifetime: The Incredible Story of the New York Cosmos by Gavin Newsham

80 - Stardust: Supernovae and Life - The Cosmic Connection by John Gribbin

81 - The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

82 - Bergman, Fellini, Kurosawa: The Foreign Film In America by James Selvidge

83 - Order In Chaos by Jack Whyte

Ephemera Project Updates 2009

Ephemera Project Updates for 2009

As a part of my listing project that started merely as a means of research for the Oxymoron book I have decided to simply compile lists like this annually as a reference and post this on here. I like lists and can use these as reference points for things later. Yes, this is really, really OCD.

Sporting Event Results
03-19 SSFC 3 NYRB 0 (MLS Regular Season - Qwest Field)
04-11 SSFC 0 KCW 1 (MLS Regular Season - Qwest Field)
05-09 Seattle Sounders Women 0 UW Huskies 0 (Friendly - Husky Soccer Field)
05-10 SSFC 1 LAG 1 (MLS Regular Season - Qwest Field)
05-30 Seattle Stallions 54 Tacoma Warriors 12 (Cascade Football League Regular Season - Shoreline Stadium)
06-13 SSFC 2 SJE 1 (MLS Regular Season - Qwest Field)
06-20 M's 7 Diamondbacks 3 (MLB Regular Season - Safeco Field)
06-26 Seattle Synergy 2 FC Sacramento Pride 1 (WPSL Regular Season - Memorial Stadium)
06-27 Everett Aquasox 6 Spokane Indians 3 (NWL Regular Season - Everett Memorial Stadium)
06-28 SSFC 3 CR 0 (MLS Regular Season - Qwest Field)
07-11 SSFC 2 HOU 1 (MLS Regular Season - Qwest Field)
08-01 Seattle Storm 85 San Antonio Silver Stars 82 (OT)(WNBA Regular Season - Key Arena)
08-20 SSFC 0 NER 1 (MLS Regular Season - Qwest Field)
08-29 M's 8 Royals 4 (MLB Regular Season - Safeco Field)
09-03 Seattle Seahawks 31 Oakland Raiders 21 (NFL Preseason - Qwest Field)
09-12 WSU Cougars 20 Hawaii Warriors 38 (NCAA D1A Non-Conference - Qwest Field)
09-19 SSFC 0 CD Chivas USA 0 (MLS Regular Season - Qwest Field)
10-09 WSU Cougars 1 UW Huskies 1 (2 OT) (NCAA D1 Women's Soccer - PAC 10 Regular Season - Husky Soccer Field)
10-11 WSU Cougars 3 Seattle U Redhawks 2 (NCAA D1 Women's Soccer - Non-Conference - Championship Field)
10-24 SSFC 2 FCD 1 (MLS Regular Season - Qwest Field)
11-07 MTHS Hawks 0 Central Kitsap HS 35 (WIAA 4A State 1st Round - Edmonds Stadium)
11-22 LAG 1 RSL 1 - (4-5 Pk's) (MLS Cup - Qwest Field)

Live Music
LSDiablo at Tony V's Garage in Everett 4/09
The Wrecked Chords at The Comet Tavern in Seattle 5/18/09 (High Class Wreckage)
LSDiablo at Flights Pub in Everett (H.M.P. and Culling The Weak)
The Wrecked Chords, Rat City Ruckus, Blue Ribbon Boys, Neon Nights (Tiger Lounge)
Left Hand Smoke at Lynnwood HS prior to fireworks with jugglers 7/4
The Presidents of the United States of America 9-3 Seahawks Halftime show
Knut Bell and the Blue Collars 10-10 The Little Red Hen
The Davanos 10-18 The Little Red Hen
Wes Jones Band 10-25 The Little Red Hen
The Davanos 11-8 The Little Red Hen
Third Eye Blind 11-22 Qwest Field North Lot (MLS Cup pregame show)
The Downstrokes 12-20 The Funhouse (Sir Coyer & Doctor and the Bird)
Knut Bell and the Blue Collars 12-25 The Little Red Hen

Stadiums:
Qwest Field
71 - 56 soccer (47 Sounders), 10 FB, open house, DL, media day, Tour, Freddie

Safeco Field
36 - (29Ms) - FFEST 2x, FOL, WM19, USA M, USA W, Opening Day Tour - 3 turn aways ...

Key Arena
28 - 14 Storm + 2 events, 3 sonics +practice, 2 indoor soccer, 2 hockey, Def Leppard, Metallica, 2 WWE - (2 Sonics sell out turn aways)

Comcast Arena
11 - 3 Hockey, 3 arena, 2 concerts, open house, 2 hoops - (1 sell out turn away)

Movies in the theater:
(For all the talk about Hollywood and how it lacks ideas ... here I was a consumer of mostly franchise films and adaptations of books I have already read ... a lot of these are because I take my kids to movies ...)
Inkheart
Coraline
Friday the 13th
Watchmen
Monsters v. Aliens
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Star Trek
Angels & Demons
Terminator Salvation
Up
Land of the Lost
The Tale of Despereaux (HHE)
The Hangover
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Inglorious Basterds
District 9
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Where The Wild Things Are
(500) Days of Summer
9
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Rashomon
Zombieland
Avatar in 3-D
Sherlock Holmes

Live Theatre:
Pinocchio - MCT 03/28/09 (2 shows)
The Taming of the Shrew 07/19/09 (Wooden O - Edmonds City Park)
The Comedy of Errors 08/09/09 (Greenstage - Magnuson Park)
Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom 10/15/09 (Washington Ensemble Theatre)
Titus Andronicus 10/23/09 (Greenstage)
Peter Pan - SCT 12/16/09
The Eight: Reindeer Monologues - Driftwood - 12/18/09

Random:
Emerald City Comicon at the WSC&TC 4-5-09 with a Wil Wheaton reading
NW Folklife Festival 5-25-09
Bothell 4th of July Parade
Outback Kangaroo Farm 07-16
Evergreen State Fair in Monroe 8-29
Keller and Ljungberg autograph signing at Home Depot 10-22
Big Hair Affair w/Camaro Harem 11-7 13th Ave Pub
Beater Brunch 11-14
Seattle Marathon 11-29 5:49:17
Donuts 1 Jabberwockies 4 12-8 Shoreline A
US Open Cup Final
USA v TnT WCQ
Two Step Tuesday McCabe's 12-29

Tripod accounts canceled

The two old tripod accounts are no longer valid. I just was not using them and want to "gather the crumbs" as an old pal has said. Please delete any links. The Keeper Studios MySpace has links and archives so I will keep that instead of the Tripod pages.

If it is the death of me ...

... I can live with it.

After hearing about these for so long I had to give it a try. After one bite of this bacon covered maple bar I walked out to the car and took a picture of it so that I would always have this moment.

The Downstrokes at The Funhouse 12-20-09

The Downstrokes (With Sir Coyler & Doctor and the Bird)
The Funhouse - Seattle, WA
12-20-09

A few months back I ran into someone I had not seen in a long time. We were never each others' biggest fan, but for the most part it was a good chat. Still, he managed to make a comment about me still being like a kid because I still go to live music and the like. He did not mean it as a compliment. I let it pass, but shortened the conversation because it was clearly pointless.

From what I can tell, since I am now 42 and a dad and a professional, I should not be still writing, going to live music in clubs, or still doing sports myself if I was to take his comment seriously.

Last night, I enjoyed some live music at a little dive in Seattle and feel no guilt about it. What was I supposed to do? Should I have sat at home and got fat while watching Survivor's season finale? No, I am a doer and I always will be. I will be the old guy running the marathon and I will be the gray hair at the rock shows. I would have missed out on some cool stuff.

Some Martial Arts horn blowing ...

So you can try and feel warm

Happy and sad

My daughter got me this ornament the other day ... for the first Christmas season without my little Dasher dog.