There are enough projects going on around here to challenge my mind all I care to, so the current reading is light. I pulled Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies from the shelf and rediscovered how much fun that C.S. Forester series is. Also, it's a painless way to to refresh your memory on the Napoleanic Wars and assorted other European tomfoolery at the cusp of of the 18/19th centuries.

John D. MacDonald - Science Fiction

John D. wrote so much that it's dangerous to make categorical statements about his work, but it's generally thought he wrote only two science fiction novels, Wine of the Dreamers in 1951 and Ballroom of the Skies in 1952.

Yesterday, at one of those semi-permanent garage sales, I found both of them, side by side in undated Fawcett Gold Medal printings. It's stuff like that that keeps me wasting time going to auctions and yard sales. This pair is shelf-worn but obviously unread. Since I can't recall reading either work, I think I'll tuck them in the camper for roadie use.

(Fifty cents each -- same price the sale guy was charging for Harlequins.)

The Grave-Spinning Lord Baden-Powell

Alternate title: Speechless.

Roberta reports that Adult (uh huh) Leaders have made Britain safer by ordering Boy Scouts to quit carrying their pocket knives.

Dang! And Free Whiskey!

By actual count it has been 22 days since TMR laid a 2x4 between the eyes of the man who at the moment occupies the office of President of the United States. I agree with you that this is unforgivable.

I'll listen in tomorrow as he lectures his captive audience of public school inmate-educatees. I understand he has been shamed out of telling them to write themselves a letter ruminating on what each could do to "help President Obama." So I'll be watching for an identical message couched in other words.

And, by the way, I am announcing the First Occasional TMR Liberty Prize. This one goes to the first history teacher credibly reported to this blog as having created and used a related lesson to follow the Obama speech -- reviewing history's official personality cults, including but not limited to Mao, Stalin, Hitler, the KorCom Kims, and the ayatollahs.

The prize is a fifth of Wild Turkey, and I ain't kidding.

EDIT: Times being what they are, and the national literacy level being what it is, I suppose this is necessary: We are referring here to a metaphorical 2x4, and TMR recommends against initiating physical violence against any person, including those who, at any given moment, occupy the office of President of the United States. The jug of Wild Turkey offer, however, remains decidedly literal.