Life at these Speeds (2003) by Jeremy Jackson

We got this book because the movie based on it, 1 Mile to You.  It's about a high school runner who runs to, among other reasons, cope with a tragedy.  It's a decent story and motivates me off the couch and out for a mile jog or so.

mulch poem

A New Years Wish

the Lopez Tree Service blessed us with

a hot, sweating pile of mulch

that it dumped in our driveway.

We threw on some used coffee grounds courtesy of Starbucks.

then we added table scraps.

And finally we put on Griffith Park compost,

or zoo animal poo.

These castoffs provided

a cardio, muscle and brain workout,

and karma points from keeping stuff out of the landfill,

and will,                            

when mixed with sunshine, seeds and rain,

produce a good portion of our food for next year.

May your 2019 be filled with useful trash.

Why Religion? A Personal Story (2018) Elaine Pagels

This is a memoir by author and scholar, Elaine Pagels.  She is the author of Gnostic Gospels, which I read with interest in college.  This memoir is her backstory and personal take on the subject she's written about in her career.  She goes through heavy stuff including the loss of a son and husband in rapid succession.  The book is worth reading but only if you also read the Gnostic Gospels.

Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road (2018) by Kate Harris

This is a memoir of a couple of ambitious Canuck young women who traveled the silk road from west to east. It's a good travel story, somewhat informative, and inspiring. 

The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America by Timothy Snyder (2018)

This is an odd book that was difficult at the start but really came together at the end.  The author had certain phrases he would repeat like mantras throughout that made more sense as I got into it.  The thesis is that Russia is basically at war with the US and other countries presently and is converting us (and others) into Russia-like countries. This denies their citizens hope that another place and anothe system can be better. 

This book is a good, strange insightful read.  It helps to make sense of the current events.

old glass bottle found in back yard

I found it digging by home plate, which is in the northwest corner of the back yard.  It says DES PAT 98424, which was a bottle design patented in 1935. It could have held a chemical for killing pain smell or medicine, or maybe something else.  Who knows.  But it does seem old.  It was buried under the roots of the removed oak tree, which likely preserved it.

from a website: http://www.historicbottles.com/medicinal.htm

"Classic Oblong" style drug/chemical bottle - This commonly encountered bottle on mid-20th century historic sites is what the maker - the Owen-Illinois Glass Co. - called in their catalogs a "Classic Oblong" and listed in those catalogs "Drug & Chemical Containers" sections (Lucas County Bottle Co. 1940s; Owens-Illinois Glass Co. 1952; 1962).  This example is 5.5" tall, holds 4 oz., has an external screw cap finish, and made of colorless glass that is slightly straw colored indicating glass decolorization with arsenic and/or selenium.  Click side view to see such which has several staggered vertical ribs defining the edge of the side.  Click base view to see such which, although hard to read, is embossed with DES. PAT. / 94824 along with a mold number "2" (to left side of base) and the glass makers marking (the earlier "Saturn" marking) with an undecipherable plant number, but a likely "38" date code (to right side of base).  The base also shows some of the suction scar made by the Owens Automatic Bottle Machine.  The best way to understand the somewhat "Art Deco" design is to view the original Design Patent #94824 which was issued in 1935 to an (apparent) employee of the glass company.  The patent date along with the noted catalog information indicates this bottle was popular from 1935 until at least the early 1960s, this being an earlier example indicated by the 1938 date code.  (All of the later examples would also have date codes on the base, if decipherable.)  It is likely that these bottles were also used for other products like hair tonic, aftershave, and other toiletries.

Strawberry towers-- start up costs

dripper line-- $13
strawberries-- $27
towers-- $22
soil-- $39

Plan for grass in cage

COSTS

Bermuda grass-- $.75/ $1.03 per SQ, 450 SQ  (estimated)+ $75 delivery. JHM Supply
additional drip irrigation lines--
edges-- $17/ 16' x 5=  JHM Supply
push mower--
red clay for batter's box??

STEPS

paint the plate

de-weed and de-clover the cage

straighten out and bury poles

flip the dirt

put on manure

mix manure with dirt and make it even

put in irrigation system

put on grass

water and keep people out for 1 month


today we did some weeding, and smoothed out the batter's box.  I took out some logs we buried there, and chopped them up better, and reburied.  James said one was sticking out on the left side batter box.

Rose Bowl 5k First Annual Turkey Trot

Today the Hall family participated in the First Annual Rose Bowl 5k Turkey Trot.  The course was one loop around the Rose Bowl.   This was James' first. He ran continuously.  There were 1276 participants.  James came in 212 (approx) at a time of 26:58.  He finished 6th in his age group (10 and under).  Dan came in at 33:00 and finished in 412 place, and 195 in the age group (18-99).

How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt (2018)

This book compares President Trump to Erdowan of Turkey, Duderte of the Philipines and Chavez of Venezuela to make the point that our democracy is degrading.  There is nothing unique about the US that would prevent it from happening.  Although there is nothing surprising in this book it was helpful to see it laid out so convincingly and dispassionately.

Cross country CYO finals today 11/12/2018

James Hall competed in the final race of the CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) cross-country season, which took place at Hollydale Regional Park at 5400 Monroe Ave, South Gate, CA 90280.  James, a third grader, ran in the 3/4 mile with the third and fourth graders.  He completed the race in a time of 5:30, finishing 16 out of 137 participants.

Kickflip Boys (2018) by Neal Thompson

This is a memoir by a writer with two skater "bad boy" sons told in a conversational first person narrative. It's easy reading but, as they say, easy read, little gained. 

Soul Catcher (2007) by MIchael White

This is an historic novel set in the US in the 1850's. It is about a slave catcher who is dispatched to catch and return a couple of runaway slaves.  The book is mostly from the slave catcher's point of view.  He is a complex character.  He is not good, nor is he bad, and somewhere in the middle I ended up rooting for him.  It is a story of redemption and good nearly but not quite triumphing in an evil system.

cross country meet at Cerritos 2018-10-21

Today James was in a cross country prelim at 19800 Bloomfield, Cerritos, CA. He ran three quarter (3/4) mile in the 3rd and 4th graders. There were 131 runners.  He came in 32nd.  Time was 5:45. He talked with his colleague during the race and then sprinted at the end and passed a bunch of runners.

The Optimistic Decade (2018) by Heather Abel

This is a novel set in the high desert in Colorado in the 1980's.  There is a summer camp run by a hippie type which caters to upper middle class white/ Jewish kids which is run as a protest of sorts to  consumerism and miltarism. It's provocative and a decent read.

Halloween Fun Run today 10/14/2018

This was the first cross-country meet of the year.  James, who is in third grade, ran with the 3rd and 4th grade boys today.  There were 17 in the race.  James came in 4th with a time of 5:41. This beat his time from last year by 8 seconds.

Go Set a Watchman (To Kill a Mockingbird #2) by Harper Lee (2015)

This is a sequelt to To Kill a Mockingbird written 50+ years after the original.  It picks up with Scout in her mid twenties, during the 1950's, living in New York. She comes back to visit and finds Maycomb Alabama different.  Blacks are assertive and whites, including her father, are defensive.

This is not nearly as good as the original, but there is something to it.  It reflects a regression both from the 1930's to 1950's (not sure it's really) and also from when written from 1960's to 2015 (which I think is real). 

REad it, but only if you read the original first.

The Solace of Water by Elizabeth Byler Younts (2018)

This is a novel about the friendship between an Amish and black woman and her daughter.  Story is set in Amishland Pennsylvania in 1956.  It's a tear jerker, which I"m not usually into, but it's also original and thought provoking.  Read up.

Pilgrimage: My search for the Real St. Francis by: Mark Shriver (2015)

This book is written by a member of a prominent democratic/ liberal Irish Catholic family about Pope Francis.  The story is inspiring.  He lives an austere life but is generous with those on the margins-- poor, immigrants, etc.  Yet when he becomes Pope he is a celebrity in some respects like other celebrities.  A good story, worth the read.

What the Qur'an Meant: And Why It Matters October 3, 2017 by Garry Wills

This prolific writer keeps churning out high quality books.  This one is about as the title states: the Qu'ran.  We all know something about it we heard second or third hand from biased sources, but really know it.  He gives a thorough and fair explanation.  If you want to know about the Qu'ran, this is a good book to read.

Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart (2015)

A murder mystery which is set in early 18th century Century.  It is also historical fiction.  It involves Jesuits, astronomy, the emperor, magistrate, bard and a wandering scholar.  Go for it, it's an easy but also informative read.

Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver (2004)

This is a good piece of historical fiction. It is a spy v spy tale set in Berlin in 1936.  It gives you a real flavor of the times and has interesting carriers.  It raises interesting issues, such as what happens to real police when a dictatorship uses political police to attack enemies.

Although it shows you the brutality of the Nazi regime, it is not a preachy book.  

Read this one.

Star of the North (2018) by D.B. John

This is a novel about three lives that intersect in the US and North Korea. It's a great read. It's fiction but really seems to paint a true picture of life in North Korea.

For Love of the Game by Michael Shaara (1991)

Story of an aging pitcher who pitches a no hitter just before he's traded/ thrown away. It's written well, good subject.  Go for it.  There is also a starring Kevin Costner which is based on this book, and is also worth seeing.

No Wall Too High by Xu Hongci (2008)

A great memoir of a guy who spent years in prison in China from the 1950's to 1970's for political crimes and managed to escape.  It really gives you a sense of what living on the wrong side a dictatorship can be like and the prison break is inspiring.  Read it.

The Line Becomes a River (2018) by Francisco Cantu

This is a memoir written by a border agent.  It's well written and written on a good and timely topic.  Nasty stuff happen to good people trying to get over it.  Most if not all of his experiences are before Trump. The border build up predated him by some years.  It's interesting to see where things are going before they get there.

Goodwill shirts purchase

I got this short sleeved shirt for $2.00

And these two dress shirts for $6.49 apiece.

The Kindness of Strangers (2014) by Mike McIntyre

This is a book by a journalist who traveled from San Francisco, CA to Cape Fear, NC by hitching rides and not using any money.  He relied, as the title of the book says, on the kindness of strangers.  He mostly avoided big cities and traveled through the countryside and small towns.  Along the way he learned a few things:

• those who have the least are the most generous;
• There are many women who have been abused;
• The country is soft in the middle and hard on the edges.
• and most people think others in their own state are kind but people from over states are mean.

He's not religious but I would call it a secular pilgrimage.

yelp review for Greywater Corps

We used Greywater Corp to install a greywater system at our home.   We now water our fruit trees with our shower and laundry.  This is a great company.  We couldn't be happier with their service, from inking the contract to pulling the permits to doing the job and then getting it inspected and approved.  The owner Leigh is knowledgeable and trustworthy and kept us updated at every step in the process.  And the workers are wizards in their various fields and all seem committed to the goal of taking care of old mother earth (which my wife and I share).   We're deeply appreciative for the hard work everyone-- Leigh, Joe, Vince, Charles, Rachel, Jeff- put in.  If you want a greywater system, you could not find a better company to get this done for you.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/greywater-corps-los-angeles

Grey water

it's fully permitted and 80% of the way installed.   We just need loose ends tied up and the final inspection.