Positively Glowing

It's been awhile since I completed He's Got a Knife. And, by awhile, I mean about a year. That's unfortunate. Where did the year go?

While it certainly didn't require a full year, I did recently complete another sculpture. I call the little guy Textron. Really, he's not that little...probably 10 inches tall total. He's a mixed media kind of thing...a combination of Sculpey, plaster of Paris, recycled food containers, coax, and a handful of random parts scavenged from the garage. These may or may not have fallen off a bicycle, a moped, or a TR6. The finish is several layers of primer, sealer, silver paint, and sealer. Amidst that was a lot of sanding.

And, yes, the brain, the brain-juice, and the eye all glow-in-the-dark. It's a shame glow-in-the-dark doesn't photograph well. I tried but just couldn't capture the awesome.

Anyway, here are the results. I'm happy with how it turned out.




As a side note, I would recommend being very careful about buying second hand toaster ovens. The one I bought to bake sculpey in the garage (rather than stinking up the house) burns about 150 °F hotter than the setting. It's true. After baking some Cajun-style robot parts, I checked it with the oven thermometer.

Months!

It's been months since I've posted anything. Not really sure why. I think I've just been distracted by...well...a lot of stuff. Maybe I was testing to see who noticed my absence and said something. If that were the case, every single one of you failed. Miserably. Not that I'm keeping track.

Some quick updates:

1. The boys are growing like crazy. Jonah has passed through crawling to cruising in a blink. He's a determined little guy. Jonah's first birthday as well as his dedication at church is in just a couple weeks. Jesse is full of questions and curiosity. He's sleeping in a big boy bed and even memorizing Bible verses. Amazing!

2. I banged up my Honda Civic on my commute home in February. Poor Rhonda ended up totaled. She was a loyal friend (not that you would know anything about loyalty) and I miss her. This prompted me to buy another car. The new ride is another Civic EX. It's pretty close to what I had...just black and with 2-doors instead of 4. We'll call it the (semi) sporty version of Rhonda. I got a great deal on it. I haven't named it yet. Maybe Coop. Or Cooper.

3. Worked on and completed another sculpture. I'll get pictures and details posted shortly.

4. We refinanced our mortgage and started college funds for the boys. We've been meaning to do both for awhile. With rates low and investments on sale, it seemed like prime time to get going. I think this put us working on Dave Ramsey's Baby Step #6 (Payoff home).

5. More reading. I finished the last of the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. I love Lewis. Good stuff. I also read Me, Myself, and Bob: A True Story About Dreams, God, and Talking Vegetables by Phil Vischer. This book was a look behind the creation of Veggie Tales. And interesting story of a man pursuing his mission. I think that's it. Currently, I'm reading Story by Robert McKee and Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message by Ravi Zacharias. both are pretty intense.

6. Pondering my next creative endeavor. Sculpture? Graphic Novel? Not sure.

Sorry I don't have more pictures. Here's a start.

Iron West, Tommysaurus Rex, and Creature Tech

	Iron West by Doug TenNapel Image Comics ISBN: 1582406308
	Tommysaurus Rex by Doug TenNapel Image Comics ISBN: 1582403953
	Creature Tech by Doug TenNapel Top Shelf Productions ISBN: 1891830341

I like westerns. I like robots. Why not have both? That's what I thought when I found Doug TenNapel's Iron West graphic novel at the library. Ok…I admit that I think similar thoughts on a pretty regular basis. This was different as it was prompted by the finding of book rather than…well…boredom.

Anyway, if the name Doug TenNapel sounds familiar, it’s probably not surprising as he’s worked on a lot of different projects. I was most familiar with his Earthworm Jim creation.

Iron West featured the humor and, let’s face it, off-the-wall-ness you’d expect from TenNapel. There were portions that seemed a little gimmicky but, overall, I really liked the book. It had humor, action, character development, and character growth. In this case, the main character grows from a man that runs from challenges to one the accepts and responsibility for those around him. I liked the silliness of the story. I enjoyed the free-flowing artwork. And I liked that the story was wholly contained in one book. You start from scratch with no preconceived ideas as to who the characters are or should be. Well done.

I enjoyed Iron West enough that I proceed to read the other TenNapal works in the library’s collection. Next up was Tommysaurus Rex. I actually enjoyed this more than Iron West. Like Iron West, the story is solid and well told. Again, there’s silliness but I’d consider that a good time. Through the telling of a story that involved a boy finding and befriending a dinosaur, the boy learns valuable lessons about kindness and sacrifice.

Third in my TenNapel reading trilogy was Creature Tech. Maybe my favorite of the three. The silliness is still there. The solid story and characters are still there. The silliness (thankfully) is still prominent. Space eels? Demon cats? A symbiotic organism? Good stuff. Here, the main character finds a faith he’d previous put aside for science. Yes, there’s a message of faith here. I wouldn’t call the message thinly-veiled though I didn’t find it preachy, either.

All in all, I’m disappointed the library doesn’t have more TenNapel works. From what I’ve read, it’s lively and fun without being superficial. While I didn’t know it when I first picked up his work, TenNapel’s is a professing Christian and it shows through. As in several of my previous book reviews, I was pleased to see these books fall into the category of things I wouldn’t mind my kids reading. The language was clean. There may have been a cheek shown in Creature Tech but it’s brief (you know, assuming you don’t read the same panel over and over).

Bone: The One Volume Edition

Bone: The One Volume Edition
by Jeff Smith
Cartoon Books
ISBN: 188896314X

I've fallen behind on my reviews and my blogging in general. I've been busy, ok?!

Anyway, I've always heard good things about the Bone series by Jeff Smith but I never really got into them. No, it's not that I didn't get into them. I don't think I really even tried. I'm pretty sure I picked up the books and thought they looked too childish and left it at that. I know...this from someone that still watches cartoons. Recently, though, I thought I'd give them a real try. Fortunately, the library has copies and I was able to pick up a few of the books published by Scholastic. I was impressed and, with the help or Christmas gift cards, I scored a copy of Bone: The One Volume Edition.

Well, I'm still impressed. First off, the edition is something like 1300 pages. I own some pretty big books but I think this is definitely the biggest. But, yes, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The artwork is a terrific mix of realism and stylization. The fact that three of the main characters are, for lack of a better description, blobby people only adds to the fantastical nature of the story. And it really is fantastic. There are twists and turns. Humor and horror. Action and drama. It's pretty intense. No wonder it's 1300 pages.

I think part of why I liked the book was that is offered something for both adults and children. It is childish, as I initially thought. But, unlike my first feelings, there's a lot for grown ups too. It's something I can enjoy without worrying about my kids also reading it. That scored big in my book.

It should be noted that Bone: The One Volume Edition is in black and white. I believe that's how the books were originally published. I know you can get them in color as the Scholastic copies at the library are printed in color. Really, I could go either way on it. I like the black and white for it's originality and simplicity. On the other hand, the color looks really good, isn't distracting, and might draw in those that are turned off by lack of color. Either way, it's worth checking out.

Baltimore,: Or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire

Baltimore,: Or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire
by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
Spectra
ISBN: 0553804715

I think I've been through just about all the Mike Mignola Hellboy graphic novels in the local library's collection. I enjoyed each of these a great deal. They packed in a lot of action, mystery, and humor into a package of fascinating artwork. This led me to look at other works by Mignola. I think there are a couple short story collections that I'd like to eventually read but, sadly, these were not part of the library collection. However, they did have Baltimore,: Or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire which was written by Mignola and Christopher Golden. The cover featured artwork by Mignola, the book was peppered with pretty cool woodcut-type art by Mignola, and the story sounded pretty interesting. So, I picked it up and read a good vampire story over the holidays.

I really enjoyed the book. It was...I don't know...different. It doesn't follow a linear kind of "...and then this happened..." story. I don't want to give away much of the book as reading it really benefits from not knowing what's going to happen next. Essentially, though, the story follows a man named Baltimore as he transitions from warrior on a battlefield of man to warrior on a supernatural level. Much of the story is told by three of Baltimore's friends as they wait for him in a strange little inn. Each was summoned by Baltimore and each showed up without really knowing why they were summoned. None of the men previously knew each other so we, the readers, learn a lot about them as they learn about each other. As the talk, each man answers essentially two questions:

1. How do they know Baltimore?
2. Why did they show up when Baltimore asked? That is, why do they believe the strange things he says?

The first question prompts them to recall to their experiences with Baltimore. What's their connection? The second opens the door to the weird occurrences the men have experienced in their own lives. And these experiences are genuinely weird. While the world is normal on the surface, there's definitely something strange going on just below. Whispers of the unexplained.

The actual world reminded me a lot of the old Tales from the Darkside series..only a little less 80s and a little more bleak.



Anyway, in summary, I really liked the book. It's a pretty quick, intriguing read. Give it a shot.

Farm Fresh!

We're trying something new at home. It's a service called Farm Fresh Delivery. It seems like a pretty cool idea. They deliver fresh organic produce directly to your door. They offer a number of different packages on either a weekly or bi-weekly plan. And there's no contract to sign...it's just a standing order you can cancel anytime. You can even make substitutions if there's something on your delivery that you don't like.

This really isn't a sales pitch...

Anyway, we signed up to have produce delivered every other week. Our first green tub of fruits and vegetables arrived this past Tuesday. In two weeks, I believe we simply set the old tub out on the porch and Farm Fresh Delivery swaps it out for another one with our new order.

So far, our experience has been very positive. We did make a couple substitutions in our delivery. I think we requested grapes instead of Brussels sprouts. Seems like we opted out of something else but I can't recall. What we did get included oranges, apples (2 kinds), pears, onions, potatoes, garlic, lettuce, and kiwi. We've tried a good deal of it. I know the the apples, oranges, and pears have been really good.

With no contract, we figured we didn't have much to lose by trying it out. We'll see after a couple months if it still makes sense for us. Will we use the food we get? Will it be enough? What's the budgetary difference between this an buying food at the supermarket?

Has anyone else tried it (or something similar) out? What was your experience?

Sketchy Schemes

For those of you that may not be keeping track on your own (well...first...shame on you), I did post my most recent drawing to my Shady Dealin's Etsy shop. Still no sales on the shop but I'm encouraged by the fact that there are actually a couple Etsy users that marked my shop as a favorite.

I do have plans for some additional monster drawings but I think I'm going to take a couple weeks off from that project. I'm not taking the time off from drawing so much as a break from that specific set of drawings. I've rekindled my love of comics over the last few weeks mostly through reading some Bone by Jeff Smith and various works by Mike Mignola. That reading prompted me to revisit some of the comic book ideas I shelved a long time ago. I began putting some character drawings together. That went...ok. I couldn't put a finger on it but something was missing. So, I went through some published comics and it didn't take long for it to be clear. My drawings were lacking life. They seemed stiff and awkward. Oh, technically, they were decent drawings. They had nice proportion, the shading was good, and even the hands were well drawn. The problem was they felt like you were looking at a drawing. Reading Jeff Smith and Mike Mignola feels like you're looking at action, motion, and life (yes, even with drawings of the zombies feel alive). I needed to capture that life...the fluidity that the eye wants to see.

I'm not exactly sure how to fix that but I do have a couple ideas to get me started:

1. Relax. Ease up on the technical side and work from the imagination. As previously proven, correct isn't always right when it comes to drawing.
2. Practice. I can't expect perfection right off the bat. Ok, I can (and do)...but I need to realize that's not realistic. I also can't expect change without effort.

These are a lot easier said than done. How do I put it into action. I just started a new Sketchy Scheme. Instead of trying to put together a whole, I'm spending my time putting together parts. I'm working on a lot of quick drawings that may or may not go together. So far, I've filled several pages with these drawings and each sketch has more life in it than a lot of the other stuff I've done. Really, it reminds me of a lot of the sketches I did during various lectures in school. Much easier and fluid.

As a side benefit, the sketches are a lot of fun...both to work on and to look at. This was also missing in those first drawings.

Anyway, I plan to follow this for a week or so. I've got a few days off of work at Christmas which should offer some good opportunity for either this assignment or whatever this assignment leads to.

Popular Science-ing

I just found out that Google has digital copies of old magazines available for free view. Maybe I'm behind the times. Anyway, while I may not be interested in their issues of New York magazine, I am ecstatic about their offering many, many, many issues of Popular Science. It's a step back in time. Now I can read the February 1981 article about new import cars getting 40 mpg! I can read intelligent articles about the Chevrolet Corvair (not just sensationalized garbage). I can see the September 1951 issue about the new Sports Cars (looks like a Jaguar XK120 on the cover).

And it's not just the articles, either. You get the almost-as-fascinating advertisements, too. Seagrams. Camel. The Atari 600. A solar watch. The gang is all here. And that's just the January 1980 issue.

I'm a geek. Not a geek in the I have a family room full of servers kind of way. No, I'm the guy the wants to take things apart. Sometimes, I even put them back together. I buy into Make Magazine's mantra of "If you can't open it, you don't own it". So, for me, this find is like...it's like...Christmas morning.

This also might be just the thing to force my internet service hand. Maybe it's time to look at something other than [gulp] dial-up. It's a big step.

Where was I...

Witch Way Next?

Well...I'm still waiting to have the first sale on Shady Dealin's Etsy shop. It's a little disappointing that there hasn't been a flood of orders but that's not entirely unexpected. I probably need to invest more effort into promoting the shop. Really, all I've done is mention it in this blog. So, you know, that means I've reached about five readers.

Anyway, that hasn't kept me from working. I actually just wrapped up another colored pencil drawing and it will soon be posted on the shop. I actually finished previous drawing a couple weeks back but that looked a lot better in my head than on on paper. I think I'll redo that one at some point.

So, here's the latest. I'm still working on a name...

Exhaustion

I don’t often use this blog for journaling. That is, simply documenting the events of my usually uneventful life. But these last couple weeks have been pretty intense in a lot of different ways. I’m feeling it physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I thought I’d share. If nothing else, it’ll be cathartic for me. Still, I don’t want to get too personal.

I have a close buddy. We’ve been friends since the fourth grade. We played on the same little league teams. We played GI Joe together. Our families vacationed together. His family was and is like a second family to me. Anyway, several years ago, his Mom--this second Mom to me--was diagnosed with cancer. Two weeks ago, I visited her and the family in hospice care. She passed away soon afterward and the funeral was last week. That hit me hard. I don’t really know how to put into words all that I was and am feeling. Sorrow. Fear. A tinge of anger. And, strangely, a little happiness that her terrible, valiant struggle is over and her earthy chains are gone.

…

I had more about the physical and mental exhaustion but, you know what, never mind.

Updates

So I haven't really been feeling the blog lately. I've had a lot of other things going on and keeping the blog updated hasn't exactly been a high priority. Here's a couple quick on various aspects of my life:

1. The family is awesome. Jonah had some stomach funkiness a few weeks ago but he's over that. He's rolling over now and even eating rice cereal. He's growing so fast. Jesse is picking up new words all that time. More than that, he's starting to put them together in actual sentences. We've been participating in MOPS date night recently. Ok, only once so far as the MOPS season has just started. But we're really liking that. If you're not familiar with it, it's kind of like a babysitting co-op. There are 18 couples working together and every couple weeks, three of the couples watch the kids of the other 15. Through the 18 week schedule, I think we'll work three and have 15 date nights of our own. I would highly recommend that kind of thing to parents.



2. Reading. I've read a lot of 007 books by Ian Fleming lately: Casino Royale, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, and one whose title would likely bump the blogs rating up a bit (Bond fans, you know what I'm talking about). They've all been a blast to read. They'd better be or would've been silly for me to read so many. The 007 books are a lot different the movies. Much more realistic. It's funny to see the covers of the books and their portrayal of the scantily clad woman when you know that it has absolutely nothing to do with the actual writing. I think they're just trying to play up the relationship to the movies. I also read Men and Cartoons by Jonathan Lethem. It's a collection of short stories in several genres. All were interesting and fun to read.

3. I've been exercising more. Ok, not necessarily more but definitely with more intensity. I'm putting a more concerted effort into it. For me, that planning, simplification, and turning off the television while I work out. It makes a big difference. I feel better and the bathroom scale has me slowly inching back up to my college weight.

4. Speaking of college, I went rock climbing with a couple college buddies at Climb Time this past weekend. It was the third time I've gone and the second time I've gone with this two friends. It is really a lot of fun. We had a good showing and we all successfully climbed walls that we really didn't think we'd do. There is one section of evil blue wall that I could never get. Next time, Blue! Anyway, I'm definitely feeling it in my forearms. I'm also feeling a nice bruise on my knee and another on my chest.

5. My priorities seem to be in a constant state of flux. Without going into too much detail, the shortness and preciousness of life have really been at the forefront of my mind lately. I'm not sure how I'll use that just yet. Part of me says "Why mess around with saving for retirement when I can enjoy things now? To heck with my Roth IRA, I'm buying an Alfa Romeo." But I also know that's not entire healthy. I'll keep you posted. And, if I get an Alfa, I'll take pictures.

Later.

Canned Ham: Slow News Day

It's been too long since I've posted a SPAM subject. Sorry about that.

U.N. Report - avi’s can ruin y0ur marriage

Hey, United Nations, don't you have other things to worry about?

Giving up

I had an interesting conversation with a co-worker the other day. It began with a discussion about debt and the desire to get out and keep out of debt. My anti-debt feelings should be no surprise to the readers of my blog. Anyway, the discussion eventually transitioned to things less tangible than family budgets. Most notably, we discussed how the handling of our resources reflected our faith, our general view of the world, and our feelings about our place in the world. It was an appropriate conversation with the with the holidays and holiday gift-giving/receiving coming up. That conversation also introduced me to the Junky Car Club. Check that out sometime.

Anyway, I shared part of my gradually developing story. Over the last two years, my wife and I have worked hard to clean house. Now I won't go into the anti-debt-speech as I've done that several times before. Beyond that, though, I've been working to run a tighter ship. That sounds vague, I know. What I mean is that I've been trying to concentrate my time, money, and effort on those things that mean most to me. What am I passionate about? It's really been an exercise in saying no. As a result, there have been a few hobbies like woodworking, sculpting, and Flash animation that haven't received a lot of attention lately. On the other hand, I've been able to focus my attention on other things like drawing. I miss those things and do expect to get back to them but it might not be for awhile. As it was, keeping everything on the plate meant that I couldn't really focus on anything.

I read an article quite awhile ago (it's been on my to-blog list for a long time) . Essentially, it discusses how we, as humans, tend to place a higher value on things simply because those things are ours. That is, once something is in our possession, we're suddenly more zealous in keeping it that we ever were to get it. It's probably best to use a for instance. I have a old Huffy banana-seat bicycle. It's metallic green, has a sparkly green vinyl seat, sparkly hand grips, and is, overall, flippin' sweet. I picked it up at Goodwill several years ago. Here's the thing...I really can't ride it. Seriously, the wheels are 20". It's made for a kid and it's downright painful for my 6'+ frame to ride it. I could sell it for more money than I'd realistically pay for it now. But I keep it around because it's mine and it's cool. Well, I was keeping it around. Its up for sale now. I'm saying no to cluttering up the garage. It'll be sad to see it go but I really won't miss it.


Wow. Talk about a lack of focus...

Shady Dealin's (Part 2)

Breaking news!

The Shady Dealin's Etsy Shop is officially open for business! I posted not one, not two, but three prints just today. I'm actively working on a fourth and hope to have it done in time to order more prints of them all. Guess that depends if/when these three sell.

Anyway, check em' out.




By the way, if you're a) a regular reader of RetroBrett, b) you happen to have my personal email address, and c) you're interested some prints for yourself, let me know. We can work out some kind of deal. Maybe a codeword sale for friends and family.

Movie Reviews: Casino Royale, et al.

So, while my wife was out of town this past weekend, I did my typical stay up late to watch action/sci-fi movies. Atypical was the complete lack of zombie movies. Maybe I'm growing as a person. Maybe I just ran out of time. Anyway, here's what I did watch.

1. Predator. The 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic. I'd seen this few times before so I knew what I was getting--violence, state-of-the-1987-art special effects, delightfully awful one-liners ("Stick Around!" delivered after throwing a knife) all wrapped in a thrilling and fun sci-fi package. I don't know. I was just in the mood for Predator. Really hit the spot.

2. Justice Legue: The New Frontier. Now, I loved the graphic novels on which this movie was based but I wasn't sure what to expect from the movie. Overall, I'd say the movie was so-so. I enjoyed it but it wasn't nearly as good as the books. Granted, the graphic novels were pretty rich in that they contained multiple story lines, spanned decades of time, and delved pretty deeply in to the culture and environment (the cold war, race relations, the space race, etc) of the atomic age. The movie was pretty linear and, with the 75 minute running time, a lot of the details were left out. It wasn't bad but I definitely prefer the books.

3. Casino Royale. Ok, I saved the best for last. I loved this movie. First off, some background. I grew up watching Bond movies and I've always enjoyed them, drawn to their action, cars, gadgets, intrigue, and the sheer over-the-top-ness.

Casino Royale is a huge departure from the previous movies. Oh, it still has some of the Bond staples—the exotic locales, the women, a fabulous car (a proper British Aston Martin [gone are the blasphemous BMWs used in several of the later films]), and it's still over-the-top—but it felt entirely different. It seemed so much more real. Gritty even. The women don’t automatically swoon when Bond appears. The gadgets are realistic. Bond has genuine conflicts with his superiors. Then there’s the Bond character himself. I thought Daniel Craig was terrific. The later, pre-Craig incarnations of Bond seemed almost superhuman to me. You know, above us lowly mortals. Emotionally, there’s a real humanness to the character in Casino Royale. He has flaws. He gets duped. He hurts. He feels. He fails. He succumbs to feelings of revenge. Physically, Craig brings a more believable presence to the screen. As much as liked the previous movies, I always had a hard time believing that some of the later super-suave and super-sophisticated Bonds could have survived an intense fight. Craig looks grizzled and hardened, like he can really bring it.

Now, I still love the previous movies. I just love them for different reasons than the latest movie. And I admit I’m really looking forward to Quantum of Solace when it comes out next month.

Testosterone Weekend

I just came off of a pretty exciting weekend. My wife spent the last few days at a conference so it was my first multi-day solo experience caring for the boys. First off, my wife had a terrific time. She came back recharged and encouraged. By far, that is the best part and I'm glad she was able to go.

As much as I (and the boys) missed her, I really had a lot of fun spending the weekend having quality time with my sons. We went to the park, visited a Renaissance Faire, roughhoused, read stories, and generally had a blast. It was good to see the boys 24 hours a day as my time with them is generally confined to what will fit in between work and bedtime. Even weekends are pretty busy.

Anyway, I managed to keep the house together. Nothing ended up too too out sorts. I even managed to make some progress on a few things:

1. I replaced a bathroom light fixture.
   
2. I worked on my old radio control car so I could race it with the boys. Got a nice, blistery burn from a soldering iron on my finger.
3. Cleaned up/patched bedroom walls for later painting.
4. Did some drawing. Also wrote out some descriptions for Etsy ads.
5. Sketched out ideas for some built-in bookcases.
6. Watched a few action and sci-fi movies (more on this later).
   

Now, just to be clear. I'm not under the false belief that my weekend at all represented what it's like to be home with a four-month-old and a nearly two-year-old every day. I had it easy only because my wife worked so hard to get me, the kids, and the house in such good order. That left me able to concentrate on just keeping everyone fed and uninjured (ok, everyone but me uninjured). I am very, very appreciative.

McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories

McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories
by Michael Chabon (Editor)
Vintage
ISBN: 1400078741

I've grown fond of short stories. There are several reasons for that. First, they're short. My time for leisure reading is pretty tight and I appreciate that I can read an entire short story in one sitting. Second, I appreciate the art form of the short story. It takes a special kind of author to create characters, situations, and a story that readers will care about in only a few pages. I have a few collections of short stories on my shelf. These represent the works of Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, and Elmore Leonard and I like to pick them up as I can. Still, I like to grab a more varied selection of authors at times.

That leads me to McSweeney's... I've enjoyed the McSweeney's website for awhile and I was happy to find the McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories collection of short stories at the library. Anyway, I enjoyed the stories. Admittedly, I did not get into all the stories. There were a couple that I started but eventually skipped over. I imagine that's typical for short story collections. I figure it's akin to my picking up a dozen books from the new books section at the library. Of those dozen, there's bound to be a few that don't appeal to me. That's not to say they were bad stories by any means. But, again, it goes back to my shortness of available time. If something doesn't grab me, I have to move on. In this case, I moved on just a few pages.

I especially liked 7C by Jason Roberts, the Miniaturist by Heidi Julavits, and The Fabled Light-house at Vi-a del Mar by Joyce Carol Oates. All were creepy and, really, just plain weird.

Shady Dealin's (Part 1)

A college friend* mentioned Etsy.com to me a few months ago. Since then, I've perused Etsy with some thoroughness. I've been impressed with both the site and most of the items I've found for sale. I also admit that I have yet to actually buy anything but I've marked several items for potential future purchase. And Christmas is coming up...

Anyway--and I know this is probably a bit premature but I'm pretty excited about it--my own Etsy store is almost up and running. I did set up a stop but I say almost because I have yet to actually post anything for sale. That part is in the works. I've been working to get some artwork complete and ready for posting. I wanted to have at least three pieces to sell and I've recently hit that goal. Just in the last week, I ordered a couple prints of each to see how they'd turn out. I liked the results.

So, I'm very close to having something posted. I plan on ordering a few more prints to ensure I have inventory beyond one. I still need to figure how I'm going to handle shipping and pick up any supplies needed for that. Finally, I should probably set prices for the artwork, too.

I'll post more information as it comes available. In the meantime, take a look at the Shady Dealin's shop. Looking won't take long...there's not much there

My one remaining question is with regards to the size of the prints. Here's where you can help. I'm taking an informal poll to gather my reader's thoughts. Take a minute to make your voice known. If you don't like any of the options, post a comment with other options. Rock the vote!

* Interesting trivia: This is the same college friend that was instrumental in getting my wife and I to go out on our first date. I am forever indebted to this friend.

Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father's Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood

Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father's Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood
by Robert Lewis
Focus
ISBN 1589973097

I have two sons. One will be two years old in November. The other was born just this past May. Raising these two guys is painfully important to me. And I deliberately use the work painfully as is pains me to think about the consequences if I don't raise them to the very best of my ability. I guess that concern is a good starting point but I want more.

Raising a Modern-Day Knight: A Father's Role in Guiding His Son to Authentic Manhood by Robert Lewis was mentioned in a conversation with a coworker and I am grateful for that. I appreciate that mention as I really, really liked this book.

As you would expect from the title, Lewis uses the idea of medieval knighthood as an ongoing analogy. The romanticized/idealized knight of olde was a chivalrous, honorable, courageous man in an age wrought with greed and darkness. But these knights didn't just become knights. It required years of teaching and training. There was a defined process. There was a ceremony to mark knighthood. Similarly, we can't expect our boys to simply become men. Manhood, in Western society, is very, very different. Genuine manhood is not something that's often actively taught, or even defined. The concept is clouded in ambiguity. What is a man? How does a man act? When does a boy become a man? Sons need guidance and direction.

That direction comes from scripture and Lewis draws heavily on the Bible to define manhood and how a man should act. He details what's missing from Western culture and lays out a plan for fathers wanting to raise sons to be Godly men. The overarching theme is that Dad's need to be deliberate in their fatherhood. Pulling directly from Lewis, men reject passivity, accept responsibility, lead courageously, and expect the greater reward. This is how men should act and this is how men address fatherhood. This is how fathers remove the ambiguity regarding manhood. This is how our sons know we truly care about their growth.

I also liked the Lewis is a big supporter of ceremonies. Similar to a page becoming a squire and a squire becoming a knight, fathers ought to mark a son's transitional periods. When a squire was knighted, there was no uncertainty as to what was happening. The new knight was honored and celebrated. Similarly, we should celebrate our sons. We remove yet another ambiguity. With a ceremony, sons know their lives are changing. If marking a transition to manhood, they know they're putting away their childish ways. They know that, going forward, they'll be expected to act like a man and they'll be treated as a men. Investing time and effort into this will prove to them that it's the big deal that it should be. They will want to meet those expectations.

There is so, so much more I could write here but you're much better off just reading the book. I've taken it to heart. While my sons are very young and I'm a little limited in what I can explicitly teach them (we have worked on a couple of the Biblical ideals -- kindness and perseverance) -- defined by Lewis) , I know the other things will come soon enough. My first step, though, is to be the kind of man I want my sons to be. My boys are watching how I live with incredible closeness. They're learning from me without my sitting down and directly instructing them...maybe more from my example than anything I'll teach.

While it was definitely written for the father raising his sons, I really think it has a lot to offer others. Fathers of daughters. Husbands. Singles. Women.

If you'd like a second, better written review, check this one out at John Calvin's Ghost.

Nine Years!

My wife and I celebrated our ninth anniversary last Thursday. I really can not believe we've been married for nine years + three years of dating before that. I can't even believe we've been out of college that long. Where did the time go?

Our anniversary was excellent. That's even with everyone in the house having some kind of cold/sinus thing. We had a quiet (doesn't happen very often) dinner together after the kids were in bed. Dinner was delicious. And we made it a point to talk about things other than the kids. It was fun reminiscing about how much has happened in the last nine years. Apartments. Houses. Churches. Neighbors. Friends. It's been a busy nine years. I don't see the next nine+ being any less busy. But I do see them getting better and better.

Here's a couple pictures. My wife is more beautiful than ever. Me...well, I'm alright. Overall, I think we've aged pretty well.

THEN (9/11/1999)

and NOW (8/30/2008)

Wow...our ten year anniversary is right around the corner. We're thinking of doing something big. Maybe a trip together. Maybe Florida. A cruise. I don't know.