Getting a Feel for This Thing Called Blogging

I'm not sure why I started this. My opinion of most bloggers is they are doing this blogging thing to bolster their self esteem. Face Book, My Space and blogging all appear to be ways of expressing "Hey, look at me!" I know for some it is a way to express themselves and for others a way to network.
Many are want-to-be writers. I'm not sure where I fit in.


Last week I was on vacation and Judy, Jason and I made a few short trips. First up was a trip to Cincinnati where we visited the zoo and went to a Reds game. It was my first Major League Baseball game. The next day Jason and I went to the southern part of the state and went canoeing on the Blue River. We entered the water about 11:00 am. Our canoe was approximately in the middle of our group and we didn't waste time paddling into the lead position. Everyone else was making a leisurly time of it. Jason and I on the other hand opted to press forward. Not only did we complete the 7 mile trip first in our group but we also finished ahead of everyone in the group who entered the water 45 minutes ahead of us.


















Judy and I capped off last week with a celebration of our 34th wedding anniversay. We spent a night in the Abe Martin Lodge in Brown County State Park. It rained the entire time we were there but we still found the time together without interruptions enjoyable.




June 12 1976 Walking down the aisle


These past 2 weeks have been one expense after another. First our refrigerator hasn't been working correctly for the past 2 months and the repair company has made numerous trips to fix the problems. Now the dryer's heating element broke. Last week I had to replace the exhaust on our Cutlass and Jason replaced the brakes and rotors on the Cavalier. Then the cavalier began overheating and it's going to cost over a thousand dollars in repair. In addition, Judy had to purchase new glasses costing a little over $300. Capping it all off, Jason goes to orientation at Lincoln Tech tomorrow and the first installment on his tuition will be due.

Initially I was upset by all the unexpected expenses but after giving it some thought and praying about it, I realized how much God has blessed us and how He has provided. True, the expenses will cause us to be a little thiftier but we do have the money to pay what we owe without going into debt. With so many people out of work or hampered with health concerns, it seems ridiculous to get upset about the loss of a couple thousand bucks. Thankfully, the car problems all occurred close to home and not in a compromised position. Even though the refrigerator hasn't worked for over a month, we at least had the old refrigerator in the garage to fall back on. God truly has been good to us and doesn't heap on more than we can handle.


I loved Russell Davies run on Doctor Who and felt both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant were remarkable as the Doctor, but I'm finding Steven Moffat's take on the show to be superior. Maffat was responsible for writing what I consider the best of the Davies run starting with my personal favorite The Empty Child/ The Doctor Dances which he later followed with the exquisite The Girl in The Fireplace and what many believe ishe best Doctor Who episode ever- Blink. During Tennant's final season he wrote the two parter Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead.
















Steven Moffat has a knack for using the concept of time in his stories better than any previous Doctor Who writers. This continues during this season as the umbrella story certainly revolves around time and leaves us anxiously awaiting every new episode. The feel of this season hearkens back to classic Doctor Who but with better production values and tighter stories. Matt Smith has made the role of the Doctor his own and Karen Gillian as Amy Pond may be the best companion yet.

If it weren't for our recent financial squeeze I'd be purchasing the recent Captain America Omnibus editions featuring the Ed Brubaker/ Steve Epting run on Captain America. This included the death of Steve Rogers as Cap and told the story of Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier and his eventual taking on the mantel of Captain America. These stories are more influenced by international espionage than super heroics and the characterizations are well developed. The storyline over the past four years is,in my opinion,the best comic book story over the time period. That is saying alot for me as I'm first a DC guy.



Sadly, I wasn't in tune with Captain America until very late in the run and didn't purchase these comics as they came out. Though not in my collection, I did get a chance to read them consecutively and the omnibus editions should be a good way to add the stories to my collection.


I haven't seen too many new movies this year. Very little has interested me. I did see Iron Man 2 and enjoyed it. Not quite as good as the original but a worthy sequel



Just as Sam Raimi understood what Peter Parker / Spider-man was all about and captured the soul of the character, Jon Favreau knows what makes Tony Stark tick. ( I'm not referring to his damaged heart) Robert Downey's performance in both the original and the sequel displays Tony's narcissism and his charm.

Most super-hero stories have to deal with dualism in some way, but the Iron Man/ Stark character doesn't pursue this as Tony Stark is a man comfortable in his own skin or suit whether it is an Armani or made of iron.


I was originally concerned with the path Iron Man 2 was going to take. I thought the inclusion of War Machine would be unnecessary and I couldn't imagine Whiplash being a suitable foe for Iron Man. Though War Machine/ Rhodey was adequately pulled off by Don Cheadle, I still didn't see the point for the inclusion. I was impressed by Mickey Rourke as Whiplash though. His characterization of Ivan Vanko was superb. He is menacing and a little sympathetic at the same time.

Again, Gweneth Paltrow is perfect as Tony's compass, Pepper Potts.

Scarlett Johansen as the Black Widow gets in one excellent fight sequence but pretty much adds to the Avengers Initiative storyline being set up for the eventual Avengers movie. She looks great in her Black Widow garb. The Black Widow made her first appearance way back in the Iron Man story in Tales of Suspense 52, so it was fitting she appear first in an Iron Man Movie.

Interestingly it took private enterprise to achieve peace through strength and then the government steps in and takes over Stark's technology and everything falls apart. Maybe President Obama could learn from the film.


Whether it's Health Care, Financial Institutions or Car Companies, President Obama seems to think there is nothing the federal government shouldn't be running. I truly believe he is a socialist at heart.
One area the Fedral Government should be taking the lead in is the Oil Leak in the Gulf. Admittedly, Obama and the government don't have the knowhow to stop the leak but he could have been more responsive to the situation. When Governor Jindel of Louisiana requested booms and islands to prevent the oil reaching shore, the government said studies would have to be done to gauge the environmental impact. What were they thinking? As they were studying the Gulf shore was being coated in oil and pelicans were being painted with black death. The people who depend on the environment for their livlihoods have been decimated. The feds response to Governor Jindel's requests was too little too late. Help (skimmers and supertankers) were offered early in the days after the disaster from other countries with experience in dealing with oil spill disasters. The Obama administration turned down the help sighting the Jones Act which restricts foreign ships between U.S. ports. The Jones Act was developed in 1920 to protect the interests of unions and it has been waived temporarily in the past during times of crisis. President Bush waived the act after hurricane Katrina to allow foreign vessels the chance to bring aid to the region. But the Obama administration has failed to act. Throughout the crisis Obama has appeared disinterested and only after it has taken a political toll has he become engaged all the while claiming he has been in charge since the beginning. This has been a fiasco and points directly to Obama's lack of leadership and abilities as an administrator. Now Obama is giving speeches stumping for Cap & Tax and threatening British Petroleum and trying to appear active. I am not fooled. As the late John Wooden stated "Never mistake activity for achievement".