Generating new business?

So I went to the dentist today and this is what I found at the reception desk:

Hmm... capitalism at its finest I guess.

Refocused on blogging? Maybe...

While Blogger itself may not seem to be the virtual equivalent of Michael Coreleone, it does have a way of "pull[ing] me back in".

Yep, I'm back.

Well, sort of.

Meh. Truth be known, I'm not exactly sure yet what I want to do with this blog but I do miss being able to comment upon and bring good books, shows and podcasts to other people's attention. I suspect that there will slowly be many changes to it over time and more posts, however sporadic, with less emphasis on politics but instead on other interests of mine.

If you've ever seen the list of my favorite podcasts below you'll have noticed that one I particularly enjoy is Michael Duncan's excellent The History of Rome. Duncan's superb narration and fascinating romp through ancient Roman history in nearly 150 episodes now, has given the world a veritable I, Claudius-esque feast for your ears, though sadly sans the great Derek Jacobi of the TV series. What Duncan may lack in not being chrysostomos ("golden mouthed") a la Jacobi is more than made up for by an enjoyable style of his own combined with a far greater devotion to historical accuracy than the 1970s Brit soap opera.

I had thought that Duncan was the only worthy podcast on ancient Rome out there, until I recently discovered Rob Cain's Ancient Rome Refocused. While I've only listened to the first episode thus far, it appears in some ways to be a mash-up of Duncan's with another favorite of mine: Bruce Carlson's My History Can Beat Up Your Politics. By this I mean that Cain, in the first episode at least, talks about the Western fascination with ancient Rome and draws some comparisons between their history and that of modern times. I must say that the 9/11 recordings from NYC emergency personnel were chilling to hear again, especially so close to the 10th anniversary of that day, but linking this to what the destruction of Pompeii must have been like to the ancient Roman psyche was brilliant. This also means to me that Charles Pellegrino's book Ghosts of Vesuvius, undoubtedly one of the main inspirations behind Cain's first podcast, merits careful attention in its own right. All in all, a very commendable start to what I'm sure will be a podcast that I'll enjoy just as much as I do Duncan's.

Give them both a try if you haven't already, because if you love history as much as I do you won't be disappointed.

One more thing: I didn't mention above the ended podcast of Lars Brownsworth, 12 Byzantine Rulers: The History of the Byzantine Empire, which was so successful that a good book on the subject was spun out of it. Since modern historians like to separate the history of the Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire post-476 from that of ancient Rome prior to the fall of the West, I figured as an amateur myself I'd bow to the conventional wisdom. Yet wherever one may fall in that particular debate, I do highly recommend Brownsworth's podcast and book!

Kevin Palmer, RIP

I just now found out that Kevin Palmer from Queer Conservative died this past August.

I'm stunned. He was only 42.

Kevin was one of the first gay bloggers I came across back in 2005. It was bloggers like Kevin that helped me finally see that being gay involved more than just the stereotypes, but actually the whole range of humanity which included more conservative-minded. This was the last step I needed I guess to coming out at last, much later than most I'm sure but sooner than I ever thought back then.

I never got to meet Kevin in the real world but enjoyed the discussions we had online and the thoughtful posts he put up. I regret that I'll never have the chance to meet him now and thank him.

I pray that Kevin is at peace with God now.

Unfortunately it appears the other blog Kevin posted at, KevinandPatrick Blog, has been taken down but portions of it can be found at Google cache. Also, a memorial page was created at Facebook for him and can be found here.

Resigning from Gay Patriot...

I have decided to resign from guest-blogging at Gay Patriot to pursue other interests effective as of last night. All comments or blog posts by others at Gay Patriot are the sole responsibility of the persons who authored them and I do not necessarily endorse OR support them. As I expressed to Bruce & Dan, I appreciate the opportunity they gave me during my time guest-blogging at GP and wish them well in the future.

Also, if it hasn't been clear from my sporadic and sparse posting here at this blog matters in the real world have necessitated that I take an indefinite hiatus. At this point I am not certain when or if I'll return to blogging. If that changes I guess there will be an update here about it. For now though, thanks for your interest in my blog over the years and take care.

Snowpocalypse 2010!

Clearing up life's mysteries for my nieces...

One of my 9yr old nieces called me up this weekend out-of-the-blue, seeking an answer to this most important question:

Is Luke Skywalker Darth Vader?

After a brief pause, I explained the relationship between the two Star Wars characters which seemed to satisfy her. Life now made sense and the call ended.

It's good to know that the hours I've spent watching scifi over the years haven't gone to waste and that I have a become an "expert" on such mysteries of life to me dear nieces. Of course, the day they inquire about pon farr I'm turning that one over to my brother...

Public School Follies

If ever there was something that needed to be posted about the insanity that is our public school system, the above work sheet is it. My nephew brought this home because he has to study it for a test at school. So far so good. Yet why a house instead of a map of North America you ask? Why, because the school believes that this is easier for kids to learn geography.

No, wait. You're saying to yourself: "this must be for kindergarteners or first graders to ease the lil' dears into geography". Nope. Try FIFTH GRADE!!! First it was the partial products nonsense that completely screws up learning basic multiplication, then we were told not to worry because my nephew really has no need to learn how to spell since he'll be using Microsoft Word (WTF?!?), and now this BS.

The deliberate dumbing-down of education in public schools is just criminal.

Thought for the day...

"Politics has changed religion - it's like mixing ice cream with horse manure. It doesn't do anything to the manure but it ruins the ice cream. This has caused great harm to religion - we will live to regret the error." - Rev. Tony Campolo

Good quote but in some twist of irony, Campolo is a bit guilty of this as well though from the more liberal end of the political spectrum. Nevertheless, some food for thought.

h/t - Paradoxy

Learning to fly...

Thanks to the Young Eagles, my nephew got to experience his first flight in a small aircraft this past weekend. Think he looks excited? He was nervous but had a lot of fun and I enjoyed spending the time with him.

The Dangerous Book for Boys

Kind of pathetic that a book is needed to teach youngsters today what came naturally to myself and other boys growing up. Perhaps that is a drawback to this digital age we live in, not to mention the 'wussification' of society. Boys should be allowed to be boys and not be deprived of some of the best experiences during these formative years of their lives. They are not girls and treating them as if they are is damn near criminal. I wonder if this book has a section on peeing in the shower?

Hat tip: Innocent Bystanders

The Ever-Growing American Commute

[S]o many people now commute more than an hour-and-a-half to work, the Census Bureau has given them a new name: Extreme commuters.

"It's amazing the number of people who are commuting those distances today," said Alan Pisarski, author of a government report. "It's growing five times as fast as the general growth in commuting — about three million, 3½ million [commute] more than 90 minutes a day, about ten million more than 60 minutes." (CBS News)

The cost of housing whether owning or renting is so high in many areas like where I live that most people have little choice but to live far away from their jobs. The closer one gets to D.C. the rent on an apartment can be more than a mortgage on some houses further down I-95! It's no surprise to me that "extreme commuting" is a growing trend in America. I've been doing over a 50 mile drive each way to get to work. Hence why I've grown so fond of my iPod and listen to so many podcasts I suppose...