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Saint Joseph and the Donkey

A Christmas thought

daddybear71's avatarDaddyBear’s Den

As we sat down to our Christmas Eve feast tonight, it occurred to me that things are pretty good.  We’re all home, everyone is healthy, and it’s a pretty normal evening for us.  It could be a lot more difficult for us.

Imagine that you’re a simple tradesman, who’s been told to walk 80 miles to the city of your ancestors.  With you, you take your young, very pregnant wife.  Luckily, you have your trusty donkey, so she doesn’t have to walk the whole way.  Once you get there, there’s no place to stay, so you end up in someone’s stable.  Of course, after four or five days on the road, she goes into labor.

So now, you’re in a barn, with a young woman going through her first labor, and you’re alone.  Somehow, you get both her and the baby through the labor alive.  Then strangers start showing up…

View original post 114 more words

by daddybear71 on December 22, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by daddybear71 on December 22, 2018

https://daddybearsden.com/2018/12/22/saint-joseph-and-the-donkey-2/

Review – Lab Gremlins

Cedar Sanderson’s new short work, Lab Gremlins, is a fun tale of someone discovering that the world is stranger, more wonderful, and more terrifying than he thought it was.

All Steven wanted was a lab job to get experience. His boss acted like a mad scientist, but that wasn’t the problem. No, the problem started with disappearances around the lab, and then it really escalated. Steven finds himself scrambling to cope with gremlins, chemical spills, and much worse things when the government agents show up… because they are recruiting and don’t take no for an answer!

Lab Gremlins is a fun, short read that introduces us to Steven, an every-man lab technician who chances upon the rabbit hole and gets dragged down into its depths. Sanderson is a master story-teller, and wastes no time in intricately painting both her characters and the world they inhabit.

by daddybear71 on December 21, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Review

Posted by daddybear71 on December 21, 2018

https://daddybearsden.com/2018/12/21/review-lab-gremlins/

News Roundup

  • From the “Creative Writing” Department – A German journalist has run into a rough patch lately after it was discovered that he has a rather disturbing habit of making crap up. For instance, in an article in which he wrote about Fergus Falls, Minnesota, he only got the name of the town and its population right. Everything else in his reportage was as fanciful as Barack Obama’s resume. Apparently, the only way that I can find precious time to work on my fiction is to get a job as a professional reporter.
  • From the “Pretty Lights” Department – Denizens of the Bay Area were treated to a display of bright lights and smoke trails in their sky the other morning when a meteor plowed through the atmosphere above their city. While the usual panic over celestial events occurred, as is traditional, this reporter also heard many folks comment on how this was further proof of collusion between the Trump administration and alien forces beyond our ken.
  • From the “Own Two Feet” Department – The Trump administration has announced new rules that restrict the circumstances under which an able bodied adult with no dependants can receive SNAP benefits, commonly referred to as “Food Stamps”. While the program is normally used to help the elderly and families with children, almost four million able-bodied Americans with no dependants get their daily bread using the mandatory charitable contributions of the taxpayer. Almost three million of these do not work at all. The move is expected to save the taxpayer $15 billion over the next decade. The usual suspects are keening about the injustice of expecting able-bodied folks to provide for themselves. As for me, I just keep going into work every day and magically collecting money from my employer every few weeks.
  • From the “Pitchfork and Torch” Department – Scores of flights into and out of Gatwick Airport in Great Britain were either diverted or delayed after drones were spotted too close to the airfield. There are no reports yet of extra-legal defenestration of assbags with remote control helicopters, but I’m sure they’re in the works.
  • From the “Horse Race” Department – The Washington, D.C., city council has approved legal sports betting, which is expected to provide $92 million a year for the city. I look forward to seeing the handicappers’ reports on such things as how long a committee meeting will go before one of the Congresscritters asks an intelligent question, how much alcohol will be consumed during caucus meetings, and the specific shade of red Congressional leadership turns when told that they have to actually do some work every so often.
  • From the “Kimchi Kab” Department – South Korean taxi drivers are going on strike today to protest a new ride sharing service. Most impacted will be folks just trying to get back to post before curfew at Camp Red Cloud. Stand by for a blizzard of demotions and extra duty as bleary-eyed soldiers schlep their way home in the early morning light of the Land of the Morning Calm.
  • From the “Pernicious Poultry” Department – A British parrot has used its owner’s Alexa device to order treats such as ice cream and watermelon, as well as light bulbs and a kite. The bird has a previous record of using profanity in front of visitors, so it has something in common with your devoted writer. The parrot has been slapped with an Anti-Social Behavior citation and will have to do several hundred hours of community service at a government call center over the holidays. In unrelated news, efficiency and customer satisfaction with government call centers is expected to rise over the holidays.
by daddybear71 on December 20, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in news

Posted by daddybear71 on December 20, 2018

https://daddybearsden.com/2018/12/20/news-roundup-255/

Book Review – Vaguely Familiar and Oddly Familiar

Alma Boykin returns to her Familiar Tales world with “Vaguely Familiar“, and Oddly Familiar, a pair of fun rides with Lelia Chan and her familiar, Tay the Lemur.

First, the blurb from Vaguely Familiar:

When stone calls to stone, Familiars and mages must answer.

Lelia Chan’s and Tay’s chance discovery of a fragment of a blood-soaked knife leads them deeper into what it means to be a shadow mage and her Familiar. Meanwhile, Morgana Lorraine heads west, looking for answers (and really good bacon), leaving Officer Jamie Macbeth to deal with the Off Ramp of Doom and his mother-in-law’s ongoing displeasure. But the stone won’t stay quiet.

Could the Off Ramp and the stone be connected? As the stone’s call grows stronger, Lelia and friends race to find an answer to an evil that won’t go quietly.

And Oddly Familiar:

Ah, October, when the ghosts, and spirits walk, and the Off Ramp of Doom falls quiet. Too quiet…

Lelia Chan and her Familiar, Tay, continue learning about magic and what mages do. When a customer drops a strange silver disk in Belle, Book, and Blacklight, it starts a chain of events that pull Lelia deeper into shadow magic. André Lestrange and Rodney return to help sort out the off-ramp. Someone else returns, someone who wants to open doors best left closed. Lelia and Company have their hands and paws full dealing with the forces of darkness and bad jokes.

Evil walks on All Hallows Eve. It’s up to Lelia and Tay to send it back where it belongs. Or else.

Boykin brings a wry sense of humor, a collection of rich settings and characters, and a deft hand at story telling to bring these tales to life. Lelia is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters to learn about, but the other mages are just as well fleshed out and enjoyable. The interaction between the mages and their familiars is at times touching, but also adds a good dose of humor to what could easily have been intense, dark stories.

Both Vaguely Familiar and Oddly Familiar are quick reads, and went very well with a couple of evenings in front of a fire. While the stories dealt with adult themes, they were appropriate for teenagers and adults alike.

I’m really looking forward to seeing where the author takes this world.

by daddybear71 on December 20, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Review

Posted by daddybear71 on December 20, 2018

https://daddybearsden.com/2018/12/20/book-review-vaguely-familiar-and-oddly-familiar/

Musings

  • There’s nothing like the Christmas season to make me ask myself why I didn’t become a hermit.
  • The meaning of true love is a wife who gets up an hour early so that she can make her husband breakfast before he goes into work.
  • We’ve reached that time of year where Irish Woman cannot work her frustrations out by digging in the dirt, so she’s filling her days with crafts and home improvement projects.
  • For crafts, she and Boo decided that only losers buy Christmas gifts for school friends and teachers. Instead, this year they made dragon eggs out of foam cores, about a thousand thumbtacks, and irridescent metallic paints.
  • Her latest home improvement effort used a 12 foot section of countertop, left over from our kitchen remodel, and a half dozen kitchen cabinets in the family room.
    • Why do we have a 12 foot piece of leftover countertop, you ask? Well, it has to do with my wife having a lot more confidence in my ability to accurately and cleanly cut 45 degree miters in laminate countertop than I do.
    • Did y’all know that if you spend several hundred dollars for a custom-built, non-mitred 12 foot piece of laminate counter top, you’re not allowed to take it back for a refund? Yeah, neither did I.
  • There is a certain amount of satisfaction found in taking an old couch out of the basement after ripping it apart with a sharp knife and a reciprocating saw.
    • Irish Woman was going to do it with an old steak knife and a pry bar. I’d be lying if I denied that I considered letting her do it her way.
    • Yes, my garbage collectors hate my guts. Why do you ask?
by daddybear71 on December 20, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by daddybear71 on December 20, 2018

https://daddybearsden.com/2018/12/20/musings-311/

Coming Soon

A wave of new movies is about to break at your local movie palace, so I thought I’d let you know what’s coming.

  • Top Gun: Maverick – After barely surviving the Tailhook scandal, and the messy divorce that followed it, Maverick fights to get back into the cockpit after almost 30 years of meteorology duty on Diego Garcia.
  • Ralph Breaks the Internet – An innocent 8 bit graphic and his underage sidekick find themselves enmeshed in the hive of scum and villainy that is the Internet.  Not recommended for children or pregnant women.
  • Aquaman – The prodigal son returns to find that his ancient kingdom is being menaced by Republicans, overfishing, and a vast continent of Chinese plastic garbage.
  • BumbleBee – Return with us to the glory days of transforming cars, 1987.   The robot in question tries hard to win the heart of a young woman who befriends him, not knowing that he was a generation early if he wanted to find a woman who could fall in love with a machine.
  • Mary Poppins Returns –  No.  Just, no.  I can’t even.  What did I do to Disney to make them hurt me like this?
  • Jacob’s Ladder – A haunting tale packed with tension and a twist ending that we’ve already seen before.
  • Dumbo – I wonder what they’re going to do with the crows in this one.  In other news, I’m going to be taken to see this on date night, so I’ll need to pack along a box of tissues.
by daddybear71 on November 24, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in movie

Posted by daddybear71 on November 24, 2018

https://daddybearsden.com/2018/11/24/coming-soon-19/

Musings

  • Trust is defined as giving your wife your debit card when she goes out a couple of days after Thanksgiving.
  • I’m not having leftover dressing for breakfast.  I’m having savory french toast casserole for breakfast.
    • In the same vain, it’s not a big bowl of pumpkin custard washed down with fresh coffee, it’s high-fiber and beta-carotine squash superfood accompanied by a hand-crafted artisanal energy drink.
  • Now that the political season is over and the Christmas season is beginning, it’s time to think of what to give your loved ones.
    • Considering how the political season went, I suggest canned food and shotguns.
    • I told Irish Woman that I fit very well in to a 62 grain 5.56.
by daddybear71 on November 24, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Thought for the day

Posted by daddybear71 on November 24, 2018

https://daddybearsden.com/2018/11/24/musings-310/

Musings

  • Someone once told me that “If you don’t shoot weekly, you’ll shoot weakly.”
    • This weekend, I proved that if you only shoot quarterly, then your shooting won’t be worth two bits.
  • You know it’s been a long time when you open the gun safe and ask yourself, “When did I buy an SKS?”
  • The best part about holding the Raingutter Regatta in the school cafeteria is the fact that the floor always gets a good, thorough mopping after tear down.
  • Kids were fascinated with the concept of syphoning the water out of the gutters after the races.  I refrained from mentioning that I learned it from my father during the gas shortage in the 1970’s.
  • I want credit for refraining from sending an electronic guffaw to someone in an on-line group this evening.  You see, said someone was boasting about what a ‘warrior’ they were when they were in the Army, lo these many years ago.
    • Said someone failed to mention the time I had to coach him through zeroing his weapon and he broke down into shaking sobs after the first three shots.
  • A pulled muscle in your lower back is nature’s way of telling you that you need to slow down and read books for a couple of days.
  • I’m re-reading the Monster Hunter International series, and it occurred to me that someone should make an MHI sticker that reads “Skippy Is My Co-Pilot”, complete with the green smiley face.
  • Boo is listening to the audiobook of “Starship Troopers”, and seems to be enjoying it.
    • He giggled like a fiend at the “30 Second Bomb”
    • He also thinks that Sergeant Zim is a complete badass

by daddybear71 on November 19, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Thought for the day

Posted by daddybear71 on November 19, 2018

https://daddybearsden.com/2018/11/19/musings-309/

Today’s Earworm

Decided to check the political news and got this stuck in my head.

 

by daddybear71 on November 12, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Earworm

Posted by daddybear71 on November 12, 2018

https://daddybearsden.com/2018/11/12/todays-earworm-727/

Book Review – Next Stop Execution: The Autobiography of Oleg Gordievsky

I decided to take a break from monster hunters, zombies, and hover tanks and picked up Next Stop Execution: The Autobiography of Oleg Gordievsky.

Oleg Gordievsky was the highest ranking KGB officer ever to work for Britain.

For eleven years, from 1974 to 1985, he acted as a secret agent, reporting to the British Secret Intelligence Service while continuing to work as a KGB officer, first in Copenhagen, then in London.

He provided Western security organizations with such a clear insight into the mind and methods of the KGB and the larger Soviet government that he has been credited with doing more than any other individual in the West to accelerate the collapse of Communism.

In this thrilling memoir, Gordievsky lays out his extraordinary, meticulously planned escape from Russia, a story that has been described as ‘one of the boldest and most extraordinary episodes in the history of spying.’ (Ben Macintyre – The Times)

Peopled with bizarre, dangerous and corrupt characters, Gordievsky introduces the reader to the fantastical world of the Soviet Embassy, tells of the British MPs and trade unionists who helped and took money from the KGB, and reveals at last what the author told Margaret Thatcher and other world leaders which made him of such value to the West.

Gordievsky’s autobiography gives a fascinating account of life as a secret agent. It also paints the most graphic picture yet of the paranoid incompetence, alongside the ruthless determination, of the all-encompassing and sometimes ridiculous KGB.

Next Stop Execution tells the life story of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB agent who should have been the idyllic Soviet man.  Instead, through exposure to both Western ideals and witnessing such Communist brutality as the raising of the Berlin Wall, he began to work toward the ruin and eventual downfall of the Soviet state.

Gordievsky’s descriptions and narrative are detailed, if a little dry at times.  However, his ability to draw exquisite pictures of the people he worked with, for, and against brings his story to life.  In addition, his description of life under Soviet oppression acts as a stark backdrop to these characters.  This isn’t an action story by any means, but it proceeds with a tension that breaks only in the aftermath of his escape from the Soviet Union.

Next Stop Execution is a must-read for history buffs who want to learn a little more about the shadowy side of the late Cold War.

by daddybear71 on November 12, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Review, Uncategorized

Posted by daddybear71 on November 12, 2018

https://daddybearsden.com/2018/11/12/book-review-next-stop-execution-the-autobiography-of-oleg-gordievsky/

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