Hard Rain – Barry Eisler (John Rain # 2)

Hard Rain – Barry Eisler – Book 9 for 2015

It’s been a while since I visited Japan and the world of assassin John Rain. In fact it’s been so long that I have forgotten most of what happened in Rain Fall, Book 1 of the Barry Eisler series, when I started Hard Rain Book 2 in the series. What I didn’t forget was that the half-American, half Japanese Rain was a killer and a good one. What he is particularly good at is making his hits look like the victim died of  “natural causes” I also remembered that he has rules, no children, no one else is involved except rain and his client, and the victim has to be a principal, someone of importance! Read More

John Luttrell – The Dream Exchange

The Dream Exchange the latest release from composer, singer-songwriter, producer, and performer John Luttrell sat at No. 1 on the Zone Music Reporter’s Top 100 Radio Airplay Chart back in June of this year and that may be when I discovered the album. Anyway the album has been in my music rotation for a good part of the last half of 2014! The reason for that is easy to explain – it’s a great album. Here’s what some folks have to say about the album Read More

Aldus Manutius – the Renaissance's Leading Publisher

Aldus Manutius – Venice publisher who created the first pocket-sized books!

 
This afternoon I saw this post in Twitter feed – A Tribute to the Printer Aldus Manutius, and the Roots of the Paperback.. The tribute is a new show in New York at the Grolier Club in Manhattan, “Aldus Manutius: A Legacy More Lasting Than Bronze,” The show brings together nearly 150 books from Aldine press founded by  Manutius in Venice in 1494. The books are known as Aldines. So who is this Aldus Manutius and what does he have to do with paperback books. I think I need to find out about this…..
At Wikipedia I read….. Read More

Aldus Manutius – the Renaissance’s Leading Publisher

Aldus Manutius – Venice publisher who created the first pocket-sized books!

This afternoon I saw this post in Twitter feed – A Tribute to the Printer Aldus Manutius, and the Roots of the Paperback.. The tribute is a new show in New York at the Grolier Club in Manhattan, “Aldus Manutius: A Legacy More Lasting Than Bronze,” The show brings together nearly 150 books from Aldine press founded by  Manutius in Venice in 1494. The books are known as Aldines. So who is this Aldus Manutius and what does he have to do with paperback books. I think I need to find out about this….. Read More

Umami – um that's good!

Umami – The reason we love bacon??

 
This morning I was looking through The Costco Connection magazine, when I came across this article Uma-what? Umami is more familiar than you think. Since Uma-what? is actually what I think when I hear Umami. I read the article and then went to Wikipedia to find out more about Umami. Umami is a savory taste and is one of the five basic tastes, the others are sweet, sour, bitter and salt. Umami .translates as a “pleasant savory taste”  which comes from the taste of glutamates and nucleotides. Th use of Glutamate has been around in cooking for a long time according to Wikipedia… Read More

Zoe Provides a Recovery Day!

Oliver provides the Workout and Zoe the Recovery – Yin and Yang Once More!

If babysitting Oliver is the workout, then babysitting Zoe is the recovery day!! About the only part of my body that got a good workout yesterday were my fingers. They were chewed on by Miss Zoe most of the day! They were preferred over the teething rings! When I got there Zoe was asleep, Melissa said she would probably wake up about 9:30 and she would be ready to eat again at sometime between 10:30 and 11:00, sounded good to me! So I set up the laptop and got to work and occasionally checked on her. The checking became more regular as she was still asleep when 9:30 came around, She was still asleep at 10:00 and at 10:30 now I was worrying, but she was still moving around, so logically I knew she was ok. At about 10:50 or so I was texting with my wife she asked when Zoe was supposed to eat, I said about  five minutes ago,- LOL! Anyway we both thought that her stomach would have her waking soon! Our thoughts were borne out when she awoke a few minutes later, and Kathy wished good luck. Read More

An Active Day with Oliver!!

Oliver makes babysitting a workout!!

So my last two days have been spent with my two favorite little people! Tuesday was spent with grandson Oliver and today with granddaughter Zoe. Since I am writing about them  tonight may give you an idea which day was more tiring!!  I must say though that my tiredness on Tuesday was increased by the traffic on 295 which caused Andrew to arrive home about a half hour late. Read More