(picture from last year…still looking for a disk with more recent pics)

Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made.
~Robert Browning

It is once again that time of year to rejoice in the birth of my beloved. To thank God for this precious gift…and to also be thankful that she is 8 months older than me and I have that time to give her a hard time about being older than me! Woo-hoo…I’m the young one in the relationship again, Mary is the cradle-robber!!!

A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman’s
birthday but never remembers her age.
~Robert Frost

Guess it will never be said that I am diplomatic!

This past Saturday we got together to have an adults-only birthday dinner in honor of my sweet wife. My sister Abby and her husband Mike, James and Julie, and Jeff and Keri joined us to eat good food and enjoy good company. My intention was to allow Mary to enjoy the day without having to do a lot of work so in addition to having the other guests bring food items I decided to grill chicken breasts. As is my custom I loaded the grill with Match Light charcoal and set it alight, to blaze high and fast until it was ready to cook on. Moments after lighting it I walked on to my back deck to hear my neighbors exclaim that my house was on fire. I denied this, pointing to the grill. They insisted, pointing to the same spot and then realized that I was indeed grilling. We suspect that the fire was reflected in the basement window which caused them to think we were about to go up in a firey blaze. They next had to inform us that they had called the fire department.

Much to our intense enjoyment the fire department, police department, and the ambulance showed up to wish my wife a ‘Happy Birthday’. They got a good laugh also and we informed our extremely apologetic neighbors that we did indeed appreciate their care and concern and hope this incident doesn’t dampen future enthusiasm should our house actually be on fire!

Unfortunately the two people I counted on to have their digital cameras ready did not and so Keri was relagated to event photographer with her cell phone camera.

Mary, you are as precious to me as ever and our life together is so much more than anything I could ever have on my own. I could not imagine living without your love and companionship. Your laugh is magical, your love intoxicating, and your life is an example to me of all that is right in the world. I hope you enjoy your special day.

Believing hear, what you deserve to hear:
Your birthday as my own to me is dear…
But yours gives most; for mine did only lend
Me to the world; yours gave to me a friend.
~Martial
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And as it always happens on March 21st, today is also my brother Jason’s birthday. I am destined to never forget either of their birthdays…or else I could forget both which would be doubly bad!. When I did this post for my brother’s birthday last year he and his family lived in our home town in Nebraska. They have since moved to Columbia, Missouri, only an hour and a half away, so we get to see each other a little more than we used to but still not often enough.

Having a younger brother so close in age meant that life growing up was an adventure. From damming up the creek to go skinny-dipping (which no doubt thrilled the farmers whose cows had brief stints without water) to roaming the woods around our house, summer days were never boring, at least not for long. Nights were often spent giggling about something or other which illicted yells and eventually threats from our poor parents who no doubt wanted a few moments peace before they to went to bed.

It was great growing up with a brother because having that bond with someone always meant that you were a little bit more brave in standing up for yourself…you always knew that you had someone in your corner. In our less than humble opinion I’m sure Jason and I believed that we ruled our small neighborhood. At the very least when things turned ugly (as often happens when kids spend significant time together) we always backed each other up. Of course we then fought each other tooth and nail at times but that is all forgotten when the threat is against your flesh and blood.

Inside every older person is a younger person –
wondering what the hell happened.
~Cora Harvey Armstrong

Although my daugther is an only child and claims that she likes it that way I am extremely thankful that I had a brother to grow up with (and a baby sister too!). I would not trade all the special childhood memories we have for anything.

Happy Birthday Jason. Look forward to seeing you this weekend. I love you very much and even though you’re my only one I still think you are the greatest brother in the world.
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My wish to you both and to everyone else is best expressed by Mr. Swift:

May you live all the days of your life.
~Jonathan Swift

(emphasis mine)

One of my favorite memories of late childhood was when my brother and I discovered Doctor Who. With its low-budget special effects (it made the original Star Trek episodes look hi-tech), cheesy robot dog K-9, and goofy looking hero (Tom Baker as The Doctor from 1974-1989, still my favorite) it was an unlikely thing for two kids who fell in love with science fiction via Star Wars to get hooked on. But we did. Why? It was foreign, which was part of its charm, it was science fiction, and the stories were extremely entertaining. It was truly like nothing that we had ever seen. Doctor Who ran from 1963-1989, spawned a 1996 movie, and then went on hiatus.

Thus I was excited to hear that a new incarnation of the doctor was going to be starting on the Sci Fi network this past Friday. Being the lone hold-out of all my friends as far as Sci Fi Fridays go I decided that I would at least give this one a try for nostalgia’s sake. My biggest concerns were that the show would not be as fun/goofy as the original and that it would not be appropriate for my daugther (one of the main reasons I didn’t get caught up in the Battlestar Galactica craze). I am happy to say that it succeeded in allaying my concerns.

This new incarnation of Doctor Who stars Christopher Eccleston (28 Days Later, The Others) as The Doctor. Again, being a Tom Baker fan I chose to reserve judgement until after the two hour season premiere was over. I did not have to wait, however, I liked Eccleston’s Doctor immediately. He does a great job being an ever so slightly weird, non-plussed, good guy. He manages to affect the humor of the role without making it slapstick.

British pop star turned actress Billie Piper assumes the role as The Doctor’s companion, Rose Tyler. I liked her from the start. She is attractive but not cutsey and she plays the role of Rose in just the right way: she is not a helpless female but is also not a martial-arts style butt-kicking heroine. Billie Piper’s strong British accent also made her role very appealing.

Rounding off the cast is The Doctor’s time machine, the TARDIS.

Cleverly disguised as a 1950’s era police box the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension In Space) exists in multi-dimensional space and thus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside.

The Sci Fi Channel began the season by showing episodes one and two back-to-back this past Friday night. Episode one was fun but felt like the first episode of a new television series. By the end of episode two I was really into the show…the last 15 minutes of episode two are particularly good. The nice thing about a show like Doctor Who though is that you only need know the basics to follow along. If you did not see Friday night’s episodes you can get the basic idea of what the show is about by reading this explanation of The Doctor’s character.

Overall the show retained the sense of humor and slightly tongue-in-cheek aspect of the 1970’s series that I am fond of while maintaining a modern sensibility. This Doctor Who feels up-to-date in a good way. The special effects were good but did not overwhelm the show and take away from the storytelling (always the best part of Doctor Who). The cast were very good and I am really happy with the choices. The show looks to have a good sense of where it is going and interviews that I have seen with the writer and director prove that they have a love of the classic show that they want to bring to this new version.

There are 13 episodes in season one and season two is set to debut in the UK this spring. Unfortunately I have discovered that Christopher Eccleston will be this incarnation of The Doctor for season one only (The Doctor can regenerate, thus taking on new forms) and has been replaced in season two by David Tennant. Thankfully Billie Piper has continued with her role in season two. I really hope David Tennant does a marvelous job as it is going to be very disappointing getting used to Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor only to have him gone at the end of this season. I look forward to future episodes, especially the return of the Daleks!

Anyway, if you are looking for a fun and entertaining science fiction show that is not trying to be earth-shatteringly serious but is also not silly to the point of slapstick then I think you will enjoy Doctor Who. And if you are looking for classic low-budget science fiction then I suggest you check out the Tom Baker series that ran from 1974-1981. It is great fun.

On this date back in the year 1926 an American man named Robert H. Goddard added fuel to the dreams of space travel geeks everywhere when he successfully launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket at Auburn, Massachusetts. The rocket traveled for 2.5 seconds at a speed of about 60 mph, reaching an altitude of 41 feet and landing 184 feet away. The rocket was 10 feet tall, constructed out of thin pipes, and was fueled by liquid oxygen and gasoline.

Earlier, in 1919, Goddard had written a treatise entitled A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes in which he outlined his mathematical theories of rocket propulsion and proposed the future launching of an unmanned rocket to the moon.

Like any visionary the press made him an object of ridicule. In January 1920, The New York Times printed an editorial declaring that Dr. Goddard “seems to lack the knowledge ladled out daily in high schools” because he thought that rocket thrust would be effective beyond the earth’s atmosphere. Interestingly enough three days before the first Apollo lunar landing mission in 1969, The New York Times printed a correction to this article.

Unfortunately Goddard did not live to see this retraction or to realize his dream of space travel as he died in 1945. What interests me even more about this man whose lifelong work on rockets paved the way for modern space travel is that he was inspired by reading. At the ripe old age of 16 Goddard read none other than H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds and became fascinated by the idea of space travel. So there you go kids, reading science fiction is good for you!!! Keep reading and one day someone may finally make it possible for us to all travel around like this:

Although I think someone would have to invent some industrial strength undies first as that looks like it would be a butt-roasting way to defy gravity.
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And March Madness starts today, woo-hoo! Fill out your brackets basketball fans and get ready for some rollicking basketball action as one team rockets to the top. Hey, I know that was bad but I had to tie it in to the top part somehow!

Alas, my muse is at rest and thus today brings no real post. The fact that I am ankle deep in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, am with Elizabeth visiting her ill sister Jane at Netherfield Park, was up late cheering with the crowd watching The Corrs: Live at Landsdowne Road, and have thirteen hours of blissful work ahead of me has no doubt contributed to this state. My muse has been ignored, and now she is in a melancholic sleep. Perhaps she’ll awaken tomorrow for something more substantial. Until then, good reader, have a delightful Tuesday.

What a bizarre weekend. Saturday the skies were sunny, the breeze was almost nonexistent, the temperatures were in the 70’s and we spent the day outside. Sunday the temperatures were much colder and the entire day was filled with strong winds, brief severe thunderstorms, and hail. Today it is only supposed to get up to 48 degrees and the wind is tremendous. The March lion has finally arrived.
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I was slightly under the weather this weekend but I used that to my advantage and had the first truly restful weekend that I have had in a long, long time. After the rapture of sleeping in late on Saturday we spent almost the entire day out on the back deck reading. We had a brief visit from the newest member of our family, Abby and Mike’s new child, Moses. A very large puppy…German Shepherd…who was very sweet and makes a very funny brother to Motley.

I read the entirety of The Book of Flying by Keith Miller.

This book was given to me a week ago by my friend Pat who knew that work had been very rough for awhile. As books always are, it was a welcome gift, and it turned out to be a book that really got to me emotionally. I have chosen not to do a full review for two reasons. First The Book of Flying is a quest tale about a young man who goes on a journey to get his wings. Revealing anything about the cast of characters he meets on said journey would really ruin the reading experience. The main character, Pico, is a librarian who loves books and loves the written word and I found a kindred spirit in that character that was very, very identifiable. I would have loved this book simply for the fact that this character and others demonstrated such a love of reading that I felt like I was among friends. The second reason I am not doing a full review is that I hesitate to fully recommend the book because of a few very brief, but very disturbing ideas laid out in the story. I felt they were unnecessary. Overall the book is a fine read. A quest tale that seems made up of some of the more dark and traditional fairy tales. I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I put it down and contrary to my usual habit I haven’t picked up another novel yet to continue reading. The book was all the more incredible considering it was Keith Miller’s first novel. The writing style is very different and is similar in presentation to the writing of Patricia A. McKillip.

To allow The Book of Flying to linger in my mind I decided to pick up Jeff’s copy of Kingsgate: The Art of Keith Parkinson.

Keith Parkinson was an incredible artist whose artwork is well-known in the fantasy book and gaming worlds. His art has graced the covers of Terry Goodkind’s novels and his most famous gaming work is the creation of the look and artwork for the Everquest games. This was one of the better art books I have read lately in that Keith talked about the creation of each piece. Reading the book was very melancholy, however, because Keith Parkinson passed away from leukemia on October 26th, 2005, four days after his 47th birthday. Keith Parkinson will be missed and I hope in tribute that his publisher will put together a worthy hardback collection of his works.
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Sunday I felt slightly worse and so I played hookie from church and the afternoon shopping trip and laid on the couch with Razz. This was very heartwarming as Razz has taken to not enjoy laying on the couch with me lately for some reason and I really enjoyed the time with him. The two of us watched our borrowed copy of Love Actually.

I had always meant to see this and just never had. I was excited when I discovered that it was written and directed by Richard Curtis, the writer of some of my favorite British comedies: Blackadder and The Vicar of Dibley as well as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bridget Jones’ Diary. This was a very funny, sometimes very adult, ensemble romantic comedy and I really enjoyed it. I laughed, I cried and I liked it so much I watched it again in the evening with Mary. The story follows several different couples through the 5 weeks leading up until Christmas and there are some very wonderful, touching stories. I particularly enjoyed the romance between Hugh Grant and the lovely Martine McCutcheon. I also found the interaction between Liam Neeson’s character and his stepson to be marvelous and also really liked Colin Firth’s discovery of the love of his life. All the characters were interesting and enjoyable in their own way. The stand-in porn actors were very funny (and a part of the adult content) as was Bill Nighy as an aging has-been rocker.

The bulk of the rest of the day was spent watching KU win the Big 12 tournament, watching the weather to see just when the next storm would hit, and watching various home shows on A&E and HGTV. That combined with my all day diet of Sprite and Saltine crackers while I curled up with my favorite blankie on the couch made for a very relaxing day.
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And finally, because I am a space geek, I will mention…forgoing the standard butt humor…that today marks the day in 1781 that the planet Uranus was discovered. Uranus was the first planet discovered in modern times and the first planet discovered by the use of the telescope. The planet was discovered by William Herschel and was later named after Uranus, the Greek diety of the heavens, a predecessor to the Olympian Gods.
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And now its off to work to do payroll and deal with the aftermath of last week! I hope everyone has a wonderful week this week and that Monday turns out to be a quiet, meek beginning day of the week.