The Runner’s Field Manual: A Tactical (and Practical) Survival Guide by Mark Remy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a follow-up of sorts to the author’s previous book “The Runner’s Rule Book.” This book is not quite as humorous as the previous work but it does contain a lot of useful advice for both new and experienced runners. It’s definitely worth reading and it does make a handy reference book, but if you’re looking for humor, “The Runner’s Rule Book” is the better choice.
The King’s Grave: The Discovery of Richard III’s Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds by Michael K. Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really wanted to like this book more than I actually did. Certainly I don’t regret reading it and it was interesting, but it’s just not a well-constructed telling of the story. Basically it combines a biography of Richard III of England with the story of the excavation of his burial place beneath a parking lot in Leicester. The narrative device of alternating between the two stories works at first, but becomes increasingly irritating. Richard III is a very polarizing figure in late medieval English history and both authors are Richard III partisans, yet they do not whitewash his story. Both sides are presented. It’s an interesting book and I’m glad I read it, but the structure of the narrative is a problem.
Goering: The Rise and Fall of the Notorious Nazi Leader by Roger Manvell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a very good introductory level biography of Hermann Goering; it was first published in 1962 and utilizes many primary sources. While it remains a valuable character study of Goering as a person and a leader, some of the descriptions of historical events have been overtaken by more recent research. Still, I think it is worth reading, particularly for an insight into Goering’s character and the role he played in the rise of the Nazi Party.
First snow of the season on Halloween morning
We had the first measurable snow of the season on Halloween morning. Granted it was only 0.2 inches, but still it’s a sign of things to come. Followed by a hard freeze on Halloween night, this is probably the end of the growing season, or at least the end of the lawn mowing season. Yes, it’s time to test start the snow blower!
I competed in the Door County Triathlon on July 19, 2014. This was a sprint triathlon, the half-iron triathlon was on the 20th. I swam a quarter mile, then biked 18 miles and finally ran a 5 K. I finished in 1:57:01, which was better than I expected.
Here are the pictures – click on the thumbnail to see the larger version:
We had a round of severe weather pass through the area on Monday June 30, 2014. I left work early (just after 4:00) because I didn’t like the look of the weather radar. I was more worried about severe weather (hail or high winds) but there is always the potential for flooding on University Ave between Midvale and Campus Drive.
It was raining when I left work, and it was raining hard when I got home. Most of the severe weather passed around the Madison area, but we got a lot of rain. After the storm passed, we had a double rainbow, which I did not get a good picture of because it was already so dark – it was around 8:00. There was also a very unusual orange sunset:
An amazing orange sunset after a storm
I went to a traditional lutefisk dinner at Christ Lutheran Church in DeForest on Saturday, November 9, 2013. I’ve got some pictures, and this gives me the perfect chance to compare two Flickr photo gallery plugins:
This gallery is from the Responsive Flickr gallery:
Ok? compare to this from the Awesome Flickr Gallery:
I came across this poem a few days ago while looking up the origin of the now common
saying “it is what it is.” In the course of my search I found this poem by Erich Fried, which is apparently the first occurrence of the saying (though in German of course) and I enjoyed it. The poem was originally published in 1983. I’ve added my English translation below.
Was es ist
Es ist Unsinn sagt die Vernunft Es ist was es ist sagt die Liebe Es is Unglück sagt die Berechnung Es ist nichts als Schmerz sagt die Angst Es ist aussichtslos sagt die Einsicht Es ist was es ist sagt die Liebe Es ist lächerlich sagt der Stolz Es ist leichtsinnig sagt die Vorsicht Es ist unmöglich sagt die Erfahrung Es ist was es ist sagt die Liebe
Erich Fried: Es ist was es ist. Liebesgedichte, Angstgedichte, Zorngedichte. Wagenbach, Berlin 1996
English Translation
What it is
It is nonsense says reason It is what it is says love It is misfortune says calculation It is nothing but pain says fear It is hopeless says insight It is what it is says love It is ridiculous says pride It is careless says caution It is impossible says experience It is what it is says love
I was 10 years old in 1967 and remember the Ice Bowl vividly. I like this book a lot: it’s not overly long, it discusses the 1967 season in some detail to provide context, and best of all, it has diagrams of some of the key plays during the game to go along with the narrative. I’ve found a couple of minor inaccuracies with some of the background information, but it’s still a great read.
Most people are familiar with the 1812 campaign, but the author spends time dissecting why Napoleon’s invasion failed, and shows that it was not a matter of chance and a severe winter; instead the Russians had planned carefully on how best to defeat the French. What is interesting to me is the author’s discussion of the 1813 and 1814 campaigns; both in terms of the politics of the alliance and the actual military events. This is often glossed over, beyond a brief mention of the battle of Leipzig. The French did not collapse after the failed invasion of Russia, and much political skill was required by Tsar Alexander to coax the Austrians into the Russian and Prussian alliance. Despite the failure of the 1812 campaign, the defeat of the French was by no means a foregone conclusion.
The internal Russian politics both inside and outside of the army are also discussed at length. The triumph of Russian arms is in no small part a triumph for Alexander and his vision of how to best fight the French and ensure peace for Russia.
As an aside, it is refreshing to read a military history where logistics are discussed at length. The Russian supply system was one of the crucial factors in the eventual victory of the Allies.