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January 29, 2007

Birthdays, Books, and Beaches

My 58th birdthday was two days ago. I wonder if people who have 80th and 90th birthdays look back and say, wow, I never thought I would be this old. Luckily, I don't feel ancient yet although my  body is starting to complain some lately. I have been reading quite a few books recently which is something I used to do a lot more of when I was younger. When I was a kid, one of my favorite places to be was the public library. I could spend hours in a library browsing through all the books. Today I rarely go to a library. Libraries used to be a sanctuary but today they are crowded, noisy, and full of everthing but books it seems sometimes. I listen to a lot of audio books now while I am driving because radio stations are terrible and it is a good way to fill the time during commutes to work. I usually don't have a lot of time to read books but due to the weather and other reasons I have had a chance to actually read some good books. And I have to say, reading is every bit as enjoyble now as it was when I was a kid. Some of the books I have read recently are:

 We had some snow last night so winter is finally starting to act like winter around here. But I will be glad when Spring arrives so that I can go backpacking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Forest and then my vacation this summer to Alaska. And if you are wondering what the beaches refers to in the title, I have been taking a walk on the beach at Fort Monroe where I work nearly every afternoon at lunch when the weather is good. Walking on the beach brings me much pleasure and tranquility. I really enjoy being outdoors and surrounded by the beauty of God's world.

Posted by Michael at 8:05 PM | Comments (0)

January 12, 2007

Another Long Weekend

I have this Friday off because I had to take my truck in to be worked on. The heat has not been working for a while and it finally came to a head yesterday morning when I had to drive to work with the outside temperature at 22 degrees. My feet were frozen by the time I got to work. So I left my truck to be worked on last night and I am expecting a call sometime this morning telling me it is ready. I asked Dana if she would take me to get my truck picked up and she agreed. I don't know what other plans I have for the long weekend so I will give that some thought. I am reading a really good book by Bill Bryson called "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid". To quote the back cover. " Bill Bryson's laugh-out-loud pilgrimage through his fifties childhood in heartland America is a national treasure. It is full of insights, wit and wicked adolescent fantasies." - Tom Brokaw.

I grew up about the same time as Bill Bryson although I was a Navy brat and travelled to Rhode Island, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. My early youth in the 50's was spent in Rhode Island. Most of what Mr. Bryson writes about those times resonates with me. As a result of reading his book I am revisiting some of the old TV shows from those days. I have bought collections of Superman, Sky King, The Phil Silvers Show, and My Favorite Martain. I have bee watching them for a few days and it is amazing the difference between TV then and now. Mr Bryson laments that a lot of what made his childhood so enjoyable is gone now and I have to agree with him. But I imagine the kids of today will have the same feeling once they grow up. 

Posted by Michael at 9:05 AM | Comments (0)