A Trip to the Library…..no books, except maybe an Alex Kava…..

So I had to take books back to the library yesterday. both mine and my daughter Elizabeth’s. On the way I said to myself…”.You are not getting any books out of they library, you are already reading four or five books!” My response was fine, “well, how about if I only get out a book if I find something by somebody whose work I really love. like say Alex Kava!” I said this thinking I was safe because I know that Alex Kava’s books usually come out in the summer!! Read More

Granddad Babysits a Cranky Zoe – not!

So yesterday I babysat my five month old granddaughter Zoe. I watched her from 12:30 until my son Peter got home around 5 o’clock. When I first got to their apartment, my daughter-in-law Melissa was holding, said Zoe was a cranky baby, who wouldn’t nap! So I thought I was going to be in for a tough afternoon with a cranky baby!! After Missy left I laid Zoe down on her playmate and much to my surprise she did not  fuss and cry. Instead she laid there and played very nicely!! Read More

February Reads – 1995 – Bill Pronzini and more!

Novels from Bill Pronzini, Frank McConnell and Vince Kohler….

Tonight I started thinking about books that I’ve read, and decided to look at my Goodreads Bookshelf to see what books I finished in February of 1995, 20 years ago,yeah right!  On February 04, 1995, I finished Liar’s Poker:A Harry Garnish Mystery from Frank McConnell, the 21st I finished Vince Kohler’s  Banjo Boy and on the 25th, I finished Shackles a Nameless Detective Mystery by Bill Pronzini. Of the three Shackles was my probably my favorite. While I don’t remember all of the details I do remember that it was a great read! In fact the book was nominated for an Anthony Award for Best Novel (It lost to Thomas Harris; Silence of the Lambs, tough competition! Read More

Philip Levine – An American Poet Laureate Passes…

Philip Levine –  (January 10, 1928 – February 14, 2015)

Poet of America’s Middle Class….

When I created Finding Out! I envisioned it as kinda’ my Trivia Crack.Spin the wheel, or surf the Internet and explore things that fall into the main categories of Trivial Pursuit, the arts, science, sports, history, entertainment, and geography all things that I love, Finding Out about! Read More

Renaissance Granddad – A new name for a New Era!

Renaissance Granddad – rejuvenating, revitalizing, and moving on!

I have been very bad about writing on this now renamed blog, so maybe I should explain why I renamed the blog, Renaissance Granddad.  To start, last year was a year of big changes in both my family and life. The year started out with my employer of 34 years Lippincott and Jacobs Consulting Engineers not having any work for me. I was basically laid off, but I was on call if they had work. So for nine months I collected unemployment and worked part-time at Target. I really didn’t go out and look for a new job because I didn’t think anyone would hire me at my age (63) to do the work that I do, and certainly not at the wage I was making. So I hoped that maybe work would turn around, but it didn’t. When my unemployment benefits were exhausted in September I decided to look into filing for Social Security benefits. What I found was that, with what I would receive from SS couple with a few more hours at Target, we wouldn’t be doing badly. So we took money from my 401K, paid off our car loan and our outstanding credit card debt, and so far we’re not doing badly at all!! Read More

Revelation Space – Alastair Reynolds

Alastair Reynolds  – Revelation Space (Book 7 of 2015)

So as I was coming to the end of Alastair Reynold’s Revelation Space when I thought to myself; which character am I rooting for?? I image that it’s supposed to be Dan Sylveste, who throughout the book has been obsessed with the Amarantin civilization. A civilization that was destroyed 900,000 years ago! Sylveste has spent a lifetime on Resurgam trying to uncover what happened to the Amarantin civilization. From what he has uncovered it appeared that The Event that destroyed their civilization occurred shortly after the civilization had achieved space flight! Read More

The Schultüte and Thoughts of Dresden

Schultüte – the traditional German School Cone

Sometime last week my wife came across some of my old family pictures and gave them to me to put away One  was a picture of my father’s mother Charlotte Frieda MeyerCharlotte Meyer Report Card. In the picture she is holding a cone that is almost as long as she is tall. So my wife set out to find out, what the cone was. Read More