Say Nothing: A True Story ofMurder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe (2019)

You ever wonder how a legit freedom fighting outfit devolved into bankrobbing gangsters? This book may point you in the right direction. It explores the Time of Troubles in Northern Ireland by focusing on one murder of a mother of 10 during that time.  You follow the spoke from the wheel to the hub-- i.e. Gerry Adams.

This is an interesting, original way to study an important subject.  This is a great read.

Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life by Michael Lewis (2005)

This is a very short book by author and journalist, Michael Lewis, about his high school baseball coach.  We all have those adults in our lives who taught us about life.  For Michael Lewis, it was his coach who taught him how to overcome fear and failure and how to tough it out.  Now parents are trying to get rid of that same coach for teaching those hard lessons. 

Though short, it's an interesting and provocative book. 

Go coaches!

Golden State: A Novel by Ben H. Winter (2019)

This is an interesting premise for a sci-fi story.  California is now its own country called the Golden State. It is a state based upon truth.  Lies can land one in jail.  The writing is good and the plot is interesting until the end, when the story just wilts.

computer room setup with Herman Miller

We've been fixing up the computer room because I'm working there more now. Last weekend checked Craigslist for a Herman Miller. We met a guy who had a bunch of them at a storage facility in San Gabriel and bought a used one (we think manufactured in 2008) for $375.  We also got our printer, a brother MFC J985DW, this week.

So 2 of 3 desks and the chair are used.

The work continues.

Paper Gods: A Novel of Money, Race, and Politics by Goldie Taylor (2018)

This is in essence a murder mystery set involving the mayor of Atlanta and other political figures.  It gets at some of the more interesting truths in the world--every cop's a criminal and all the sinners saints-- but was not a very interesting read. It felt thrown together.

Wall of Fame

Spring means spring cleaning and baseball.  We took James' gazillion hats and made a wall of fame for him. In his life he's played now on 6 spring teams, 1 All Star team, 2 fall ball teams (1 was a half season) and he's been in 3 summer camps.

shoes-- Nike Hurricane

Yesterday we bought a pair of 5.5 kids' size running shoes for James from Kids Footlocker at the Arcadia Mall.  They cost $93+ with tax.  Let's see how long they last.

James will be running with me, except on baseball game days.