Reading List 2011 second half

The second half of 2011 was about starting to finish series. I am basically now done with all but current materials from life in Bon Temps for instance. I cleared out my library queue as much as possible and will start 2012 with a small stack of books to read to complete some series so I can move on to Game of Thrones, some graphic series I want to get complete or current, and a soccer list, maybe the Don Draper list too. Then, I can look at new materials and what is left over from old reading lists. This list does not take into account the other reading I do like my weekly comics, Astronomy Magazine, various columnists or bloggers, and the like.


Books
The Children's Hospital by Chris Adrian
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
Dead Iron: The Age Of Steam by Devon Monk
The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
The McSterlingScenes by R.L McSterlingthong
Lust by Ellen Forney
The Basic Basics of Screenwriting by Matt Terry
The Art Of War by Sun Tzu
Time Flies When You're in a Coma: The Wisdom of the Metal Gods by Mike Daly & Mark Weiss (Photographer)
From Dead To Worse by Charlaine Harris
Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris
Travel as a Political Act by Rick Steves
The Templar Salvation by Raymond Khoury
Physics on the Fringe: Smoke Rings, Circlons, and Alternative Theories of Everything by Margaret Wertheim
Abarat: Absolute Midnight by Clive Barker
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Iron Maiden: In the Studio: The Stories Behind Every Album by Jake Brown
Magic on the Line by Devon Monk
Instructions by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess (Illustrations)


Selected Graphic Novels and Collections
The 6th Gun (Volume 1 & 2)
The Boys: Highland Laddie (Volume 8)
Superman: The Last Stand of New Krypton Vol. 2
The Locked Maze (Volumes 1, 2, & 3)
Hopeless Savages by Jen Van Meter
Spiderman: Black Cat by Jen Van Meter
Frank Miller's Holy Terror
Embroideries by Marjan Satrapi
iZombie (Volume 1 & 2)
Chew: Flambe (Volume 4)


Selected Short Fiction
Dancers In The Dark by Charlaine Harris
Tacky by Charlaine Harris
Bacon by Charlaine Harris
The Britlingens Go To Hell by Charlaine Harris
Dahlia Underground by Charlaine Harris
Two Blondes by Charlaine Harris
If I Had A Hammer by Charlaine Harris
Sift, Almost Invisible, Through by Jeff Somers
Where the Boom Bands Play by Jeff Somers
The Monster in My Closet by Wil Wheaton
Magic on a Holiday by Devon Monk
The Adakian Eagle by Bradley Denton

Ephemera 2011

The lists I keep here in these annual Ephemera posts are for when I need to look back at something and can then pinpoint when and where I was. Usually this takes place when writing things or catching up with people. These lists are an offshoot of when I was younger and made lists and then a few years back when I started my soccer book project Oxymoron. It is weird to post them, but they are useful to me.


EMP 1-2-11 / 4-15-11/ 4-21-11 / 5-1-11 / 5-7-11 / 6-4-11


Megamind
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Green Hornet
Tangled
DWK2
True Grit
Paul
Sucker Punch
Thor
The Hangover 2
Source Code
Green Lantern
The Historic
Trollhunter
Harry Potter 7.5
Captain America: The First Avenger (2x)
Kung Fu Panda 2
Horrible Bosses
Cowboys and Aliens
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
50/50
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Hugo


The Davanos - Little Red Hen 1-15-11, 2-20-11, 9-23-11, 12-18-11
Jerry & The Philbillys - Little Red Hen 2-11-11
Wes Jones Band - McCabe's - 2-25-11 - LRH 6-11-11, 9-20-11, 10-9-11, 12-20-11
Jukehouse Hounds - LRH - 3-24-11
Jo Miller LRH 4-3-11 / 5-1-11 / 9-4-11 / 12-11-11
Sammy Steele LRH 4-30-11
The Horde and The Harem EMP 5-7-11
The Rolling Blackouts LRH 5-12-11
Knut Bell 06-03-11 /11-25-11 / 12-25-11 LRH
T&D Review 6-7-11 LRH
Kirby Krackle - 7-15-11 The Comic Stop Lynnwood
Merchants of Moonshine 7-24-11 LRH
The Wrecked Chords, The Downstrokes, School Shootings - 8-14-11 The Funhouse
Duran Duran, The Neon Trees - 9-23-11 Comcast Arena
Highway 9 - 10-25-11 LRH

Back Alley Blues 3-31-11
Two Step Tuesdays 5-17-11/McCabe's Rapture 5-21-11

Everett Silvertips 2 Kelowna Rockets 3 (OT) - Comcast Arena - WHL Regular Season 2-13-11
SSFC 3 CRapids 1 - 3-9-11 Qwest - Community Shield - Friendly
SSFC 0 LAG 1 - 3-15-11 Qwest - MLS Regular Season - MLS First Kick 2011
NSSW 0 Crossfire 0 PDL 5-7-11
SSFC 1 PDX 1 - 5-14-11
Storm 63 Dream 92 8-14-11
M's 1 Braves 3 6-27-11
M's 6 Rangers 7 9-17-11
TCW 4-9-11 Pacific Rim Ballroom
Mexico 1 Ecuador 1 - 5-28-11
SSFC 4 NYRB 2 - 6-23-11
SSFC 0 ManU 7 - 7-20-11
SSFC 0 Herediano 1 CCL Group Phase 9-20-11
SSFC 2 Chicago Fire 0 USOC Final 10-4-11
SSFC 2 SJE 1 - 10-15-11
Cougs 21 Beavers 44 10-22-11
Cougs 0 Huskies 0 (AET) 11-3-11
Seawolves 1 PT U23 5 - 7-22-11
M's Fanfest at Safeco Field 1-29-11
WHS 24 BHS 14 10-7-11
WHS 56 Curtis 17 11-4-11
WHS 21 Union 9 11-19-11

EG 3 Brighton 5 as coach
Shooting Stars Indoor game as Coach (L) 11-27-11
Faculty 0 8th Grade 0 6-9-11 Twin Ponds
Warrior Dash - 7-17-11 51:53:55 or 49:21 ...
STKD 2nd Degree Black Belt in Thai Kickboxing
Classic Paintings Modern Times 5-2-11 Linda's Tavern
WWC Bottling Party 5-31-11
Bellevue Botanical Garden 6-30-11
Break More Boards Class at KGC 4- -11
MTHS 85 Annual Bar night 10-1-11
Fort Nisqually 1 -2x- 11
Tour de Terrace Parade 7-29-11
Tour de Terrace 7-30-11

Bar Games
SSFC 0 NYRB 1 The Atlantic Crossing 3-19-11
SSFC 0 RSL 3



The Historic - Crew Member 2-22-11
Rough Cut Showing 6-26-11
Sneak Preview 11-6-11
Senior Prom - The Play 11-18-11 MTHS

ECCC 3-4,5,6-11 Minion
- Including Buffy Sings, Browncoats: Redemption, Panels
Geek Girl Con Karaoke night at AFK 5-21-11
Star Wars exhibit - PacSci - 3-24-11
Nirvana exhibit opening - EMP - 4-15-11 w/Minions
Avatar exhibit opening - EMP - 6-4-11
Can't Look Away exhibit opening - EMP - 10-1-11
GeekGirlCon - Seattle Center - 10-9-11
Neil deGrasse-Tyson 5-12-11 UW Meany Hall
ECCC Minion Potluck 12-3-11 at The Comic Stop

2011 STKD Awards

14

Seattle Marathon 2011
6:06:40
November 27, 2011

Thoughts on the Seattle Marathon 2011.

6:06:40 is not great, but I can live with it given the circumstances of the race.

I was a bit worried in part due to having some serious toe issues through the fall and a serious cold in November that really limited my comfort while running. However, my general fitness level, ongoing martial arts workouts, and intermittent running would hopefully be enough when combined with my knowledge of running marathons and proper preparation in the lead up to the race.

Proper prep and maintaining a fitness lifestyle did indeed pay off.

The weather conditions were mixed. The temperature was not bad, but the wind made it cold and it was gusty enough to bring a lot of fresh leaves onto much of the course. The leaves are a challenge because even though many of the neighborhoods we run through are very high end, the roads on those streets are some of the worst in Seattle. Footing was scary at times.

In the end, I know it was slow, but the first half went pretty well and I recovered quickly. That is what is important.

14.

Observations from the guy with the click counter

TEDxRainier2011 conference
UW Kane Hall
November 12, 2011

Being around smart people is a good thing.

Telling people NO is not what they want to hear when they are guests.

The fire code still feels like an excuse.

The conversations that start over a comment about a sex survey are eye opening.

Working with people who know what they are doing and that you have worked with before is a valuable commodity.

Let the girl flirt, you get more burritos.

If someone really is your friend they will tell you that there is rice in your beard and not merely notice it.

Nude models really are more or less naked in public.

I like free stuff.

It is very cool to get brief conversations with those you respect.

Flying sex surveys are funny.

Standing ovations are cool.

Spending a day working with beautiful women is good for me.

It is somewhat depressing how many people know who reality tv stars are but not who TED speakers are.

When you hold a prop like a click counter it really does alter how people react to you when you are guarding a door.

In honor of all the 11s today

Cougar soccer

WSU 0
UW 0
(AET)
Pac-12 Women's Soccer Regular Season
Husky Soccer Field - Seattle, WA
November 3, 2011

Having watched this game and the pace and skill displayed it is sort of shocking that after 110 minutes it was nil-nil. On the plus side, it has been 8 years since the Dawgs beat the Cougs.

Han Solo costume

to co blog with Carly

It was Geek Night Out and Carly and I were strolling along looking at Star Wars props, costumes, and models when she made the observation, "Leia's costume for guys, Han's for girls."

Han fired first.

I commented, "I think I need to go as him for Halloween then."
Carly, something to the effect of, "You will get laid."

Last Spring on Community, Abed in Han mode got Annie all hot and bothered ...

Han Fired First.

One of us suggested to co-blog, probably Carly. I might have said I would write about it first, who knows. I do not remember. Not gonna happen due to time constraints and forgetting.

So ... it seemed time to get a good Han costume together, but really again not enough time. Maybe some day.

Han Fired First.

This year ... that's MISTER Smarty Pants, thank you very much.

I was caller number 3

World Series 2011

There are currently 8 teams in the MLB post-season. I will not go into a rant here on tradition or expansion of the playoffs.

I was listening to KJR on the way home from TKB one eve and as I stopped for tacos I heard Elise mention that there was a contest for free pizza based upon the MLB playoffs. I called. I actually got through. I was caller 3 so I would get the third pick from the eight teams to see if I could win some pizza.

The wait wasn't too long. Of course, Philly and Detroit went one and two. No surprises.

The question for me then would be Cardinals, Yankees, Rangers, Brewers, Rays, or Diamondbacks. Using the simple theory that hot teams are a good playoff choice I went with the Cardinals. Plus, they have a veteran manager, a true number one starter, and the best player in baseball in a contract year. I had witnessed the Rangers offense in person, and considered the veteran Yankees, while the others I could not take seriously

The Cardinals had to play the Phillies in the first round, they won. Best team in NL? Gone.

The Cardinals had to play the Brewers in the NLCS, they won. Best home team in Baseball? Gone.

The Cardinals had to play the Rangers in the World Series. And, even though a wild card the Cardinals got home field due to the odd All Star Game rule (a rant for another day), meaning this time it would be in my favor.

When it became clear that the World Series would go at least 6, the home field seemed like it would be a factor.

Game 6 had me thinking it would not happen, then the great finish to force a game 7 had me rethinking my Friday night to watch.

So ... as the newest fan of the Cardinals, I thank them for the awesome pizza I will soon be eating.

Trap Shooting Math

After much tinkering on the details, this is the geometry of creating a successful hit in trap shooting.

I have never - and do not - own a gun. However, I have always been around them and believe knowledge and safe handling of firearms is a useful basic life skill. Oddly, I now work a PT job where I am around firearms and assist new shooters in the basics and safety. Life is weird.

Completing Leagues

Next Sports Fan Goal for 2012 and Beyond = Completing Leagues

As a sports fan I attend a fair number of sporting events and follow a few teams above others. In recent years as I have embarked on the Oxymoron Project and the Ephemera Project certain details have emerged. Of the main four teams I follow I am nearly complete in the (current) teams of their respective leagues.

Seattle Sounders FC and MLS - I have not seen Toronto FC. Had a PDX trip worked out this past summer I would not be saying that. Next year the Montreal Impact join MLS and that will add a team to that list as it turns out that I never saw Montreal in the USL era either. I have also yet to see the MLS version of the Vancouver Whitecaps, but have seen the previous versions several times. Eventually, I will also see the new Whitecaps. In essence, I will need to see the 3 Canadian MLS teams to be truly complete. The two contracted Florida teams do not apply as this is based on the current MLS structure.

WSU Cougars and the PAC12 - Focusing on football, the only PAC12 team I have not seen is Utah. Colorado was a non-conference opponent in Seattle several years ago. In fact, of the old PAC10 schools UCLA is the only opponent I have not seen play at least twice. Utah is in Pullman in November this season, but I cannot go so this may happen either when the Utes play at UW or at Pullman in the future. Other Cougar sports such as volleyball, hoops, and soccer are only the new schools on the list as I have attended so many various sporting events while living in Pullman.

Seattle Storm and the WNBA - Other than some folded teams I failed to see, the only current team to see is Washington to complete the current 12 team WNBA.

Seattle Mariners and MLB - The Houston Astros are it. If I count the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals as separate entities that means I have seen 30 of the 31 possible teams play in AL, NL, Interleague, and Cactus League play. As soon as Houston comes around in IL play it will be solved as they do not do Spring Training in Arizona at this point.

Geekiest stuff

Magic backback

On 10-9 I went with Sammy to GeekGirlCon and got the chance to learn magic late in the day at one of the booths.

The game has always been intimidating, but I took time to learn a bit at the con. Playing once at lunch with a 6th grader hardly counts as having played the game much before.

As a result of taking the time, I won the backpack.

Recently, I wore it to school; drooling kids and a teacher jealously calling me a nerd was kind of an interesting response. Cool backpack for the win!

If I didn't need a backpack, I would not necessarily have chosen it as a prize and I might not have ever tried the single strap style. Fortunately, I like it ....

Wearing the magic backpack is now one of the geekiest things I have ever done and made me think of some other. Here's a quick list of recent geekiest stuff ...

1) Lying to Neil Gaiman at EMP in re Doctor Who

2) Chanting "So say we all!" with EJO at EMP 2010

3) Asking Spike and Data "if it ever gets old?" about hot girls at ECCC 2011

4) Trying to sneak a pic of Spock at ECCC 2010 and being scolded for it

5) Telling Joe Roth my 1990 story about seeing his film on a plane

6) figuring out if Clive was still answering my Q with Ron in 07 at Third Place Books

7) Discussing WM19 matches with Chris Jericho 2007

8) Wil Wheaton fist bump 2011

Go Cougs!

WSU Cougars 21
OSU Beavers 44
Century Link Field
Seattle, WA
October 22, 2011

Opportunity knocked this season for Paul Wulff and the Cougs, and it was sent away with coal in its stocking

Flying burgers at the new Edmonds Dick's grand opening

Dick's Drive In Edmonds Grand Opening
10-20-11

Like manna from heaven, a Dick's cheeseburger fell from the sky and struck me in the heart.

Really, about 15 minutes after starting to serve burgers, about a dozen bags were lobbed into the crowd by Dick's employees and one hit me in the chest. I removed the burger, held it up in triumph, and skedaddled. This also led to me being quoted in the Everett Herald.

But, let's backtrack.

I decided to go and wait in line. Part of me thought I should get there really early, but I ran a few errands first and got there about 2:20PM, just in time for a parking spot.

So, I got in line ... and here's the thing about lines, people will get in them when they see them and they are clearly marked. People WILL stand in them. The one big mistake made during the opening? They screwed up the line when they had one and turned it into a mob. There was a nice line through the parking lot and down onto the sidewalk on 99. But, at 3, instead of having the line move in, they merely dropped the premise of a line and had people move forward. As a result, all the early arrivals got munched in with the later arrivals and it was simply a mob. The mob looked great on camera, but it contributed to the wait. This was a mistake from a customer service standpoint. (Sidebar, the next day lines were in place ...)

However, this was more about the event than the wait, or even the burgers. It is fun to go to these things, to say, "I was there."

Apparently, this was six weeks early. The building was completed early, meaning the opening was early, meaning the date had been fluid.

Oh, I see my friends and others posting serious posts on Facebook all the time with little response, I post pics and comments from being in line and the comments and likes take off. The lesson here ... social media is more about fun than politics.

Kasey Keller Day and The Heritage Cup

Seattle Sounders FC 2
San Jose Earthquakes 1
October 15, 2011
CenturyLink Field - Seattle, WA
MLS Regular Season - Kasey Keller Day - The Heritage Cup

Kasey Keller night notes

64,140 ... for a regular season game. This is better attendance than for Celtic or Boca.

Scrappy game. A young team playing in front of a big crowd with nothing to lose will be a dangerous opponent sometimes. They were in this instance as well.

The Mauro Effect. Best signing in the league this year and an immediate game changer when he went on.

Kasey played like the Kasey of the mid 90s, the 4 save sequence was like an indoor goalie flopping around. That is a compliment.

The Sounders 2nd goal seemed inevitable judging by the SJ body language after the first.

The Ceremony was nice too. Way to treat the wife with a gift.

Recent solid local police work

I pulled up to the light as the second car back in the left middle lane of four.

The light had just turned red.

There was a police like light flashing in my rear view.

I glanced to my left to see the third car back in the left turn lane being boxed in by a police car behind it and a police car on the other side of the barrier in the other direction.

The officer from the other direction quickly emerged from his car and approached the driver.

The rear vehicle officer had not yet emerged.

The vehicle driver had no where to go, but he tried anyways.

It appeared he was looking to get out of his vehicle towards the passenger side, but the officer had reached in and grabbed him, causing him to emerge from the vehicle.

The driver attempted to keep going, possible over the hood of the police car, but the officer kept hold of his arm and pulled him around to pin him to his car, quickly cuffing him.

The officer in the rear car was emerging from his vehicle.

The entire exchange lasted a few seconds at most.

The light turned green and I drove off.

Lippincott redux

In 1995 I was provided with the opportunity to present an entire novel to a publisher after an initial submission. I found that my writing process of the time where I would outline a novel, write the first few chapters, and then submit was looking like it might work.

I took the first few chapters, cranked out a 300 page rough draft in a few weeks, got it all typed up, and sent it off.

Lippincott is still unpublished.

The disks with the originally typed draft exist and i managed to get them converted so that process does not need to be repeated.

Years later, after looking at it from time to time I decided it was time to dust off this Salem Witch Trials Urban Fantasy and give it another go round. Part of this stems from my frustration in losing a notebook, part of it is because it just bugs me that I do not have this material completed the way I think it should be. I guess that makes me a bit like George Lucas.

There are a few people reading the old material and I am taking notes to expand the fantasy element while still trying to keep it grounded.

As part of this revival, I am also looking at a couple old projects that were in the same state back in the day. I think it is time to really crank on this stuff and see about where some of these projects can go.

Geek Girl Con 2011

Geek Girl Con (Day Two)
October 9, 2011
Seattle, WA

I first heard about this con while working as a minion at ECCC last March. It just sounded like it would be a good thing for me and my daughter to do. I was right. We attended a few panels (including one on Killing Cattiness) and took our time checking out all the booths, chatting with guests and fellow attendees, and soaking up the atmosphere.

USOC Final 2011

Seattle Sounders FC 2
Chicago Fire 0
US Open Cup Final 2011
Seattle, WA - CenturyLink Field
October 4, 2011

Holy threepeat Batman!

When Fredy popped in that first goal I swear I have not yelled that loud at a game ever ... and that is taking into account being at Apple Cups and USA World Cup matches ...

Oh, The Horror ...

EMP
Can't Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film
Member Preview
October 1, 2011

It seems like EMP has found a way with these new smaller exhibits to use its space better than it once did.







The pictures here include an Alien, a prop from Buffy, and original pages written by Bram Stoker ...

Anti-Science Culture

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
― Isaac Asimov


I was going to write a long diatribe about this very subject, but Isaac sums it up far, far better than I possibly could.

Jonah in Gotham?

I'm on the hunt I'm after you ...

Duran Duran
Comcast Arena - Everett, WA
September 23, 2011

Free tickets from Frost Donuts via Facebook ... really.

Archive Project ... 1972 Vega

I think this cost something like 600 bucks back in 1984 ...

Flopping

Seattle Sounders FC 0
CS Herediano 1
Concacaf Champions League
Group Stage Matchday 4
Seattle, WA - CenturyLink Field
September 20, 2011

There are certain tendencies in Latin American Football that have become epidemic. Where the game south of the Rio Grande down to the land of DAM once was a game of beauty it is now a game of flopping, flailing, stalling, and whining.

Bad referees fall for it, and in some ways by truly failing to punish it create a tacit rewards system.

But ... bad reffing does not cause crosses to float to nowhere, shots to go high over the bar, or passes to go to no one.

Hey batter hey!

Seattle Mariners 6
Texas Ranger 7
Safeco Field
September 17, 2011

First off a shout out to Dave O. for the free tix ...

I had never witnessed back to back to back home runs before. Thanks to the Rangers offense, I now have.

It was good to see a bunch of the young players the M's have brought up over the course of the season in person, there is a legit shot that this group could get good.

For Fan Appreciation Day this was a truly awful crowd.

Not what you want to find ...

When one is allergic this is not what one wants to find out front of one's apartment.

Dawnstar

Dawnstar, Legion Lost, Pete Woods, The Comic Stop, and the DC Relaunch ...

Yesterday I went up to the Everett location of The Comic Stop and got my DC Relaunch Legion Lost signed. Plus, Pete Woods was very cool and drew the Dawnstar headshot for me. He seemed a bit surprised I asked for her, but I thought it would be cool to have a Legion Lost character as opposed to a Batman drawing.

I went pretty late in the signing and it gave me a chance to actually have a nice conversation with Woods about his moving to working in the LOSH universe, the New Krypton story arc, and the comic industry in general. He's a good guy.

Kudos to The Comic Stop for these DC Relaunch store signings.