Category: Reading

Wild, Windy, and Wet 💦

Posted on by Markman

Not the greatest day to be outside today but I persevered. We lucked out pretty good considering, never lost power, no flooded basement, etc. although the outdoor heater blowing over a couple of times bummed me out. Looks like the top is probably pretty warped now but I’ll check it out better when the weather brightens up and assess what happened.. Also the television guide on the Fios doesn’t seem to be populated, might have the reboot the box.

Currently Reading: Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne. So far into the third chapter and I’m liking it.

Not the Greatest Message, Right?

Posted on by Markman

Me and the Bunny outside Woody’s Liquors Store in Somerville a couple of years ago. Such an “Old Somerville” thing to do!

Something to keep the kids busy while the parent(s) stocked up. 🤔🤷

We’re on the hunt for some old vintage board games, so if you have any, let me know!

My knees have been acting up again, joy of joys.

Currently reading: Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up. I find myself not agreeing with this author in the book at all for the most part, but was curious to see another perspective.

Beach Ready and Dollhouses

Posted on by Markman

I’m ready for those warmer weather beach outings now! This picture I took a little while back makes me yearn for those days right now, but I know they’re coming. Just have to be a bit more patient.

Today’s brief adventure was checking out a dollhouse in Wellesley that I found for LD (it’s amazing what you can find on Facebook Marketplace, I do like to look over the listings) to perhaps buy for her new office location. This thing was quite large yet nice and not flashy, and it came with the prettiest furnishings. She fell in love with it right away, and it’s now part of the family! Then we took a little side trip to see something macabre, which I’ll tell more about later.

Later on in the afternoon I ran a couple of errands, put in a Powerball ticket (had to try, right?) ate some more lemon orzo soup that we made again last night and updated this page with this latest entry.

One of LD’s Birthday gifts from yesterday. A 100 piece jigsaw puzzle of us!

Currently Reading: The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology. Getting all science-y with this read!

Small Weekly Updates and Beach Waves

Posted on by Markman
B.E.A.C.H.: Best Escape Anyone Can Have.

Went to Earth-1 to run some errands, visited my grandparent’s grave in Malden, had a treat at Kelly’s Roast Beef, visited LD’s old landlady who recently lost her husband who was a very nice man, celebrated LD’s birthday, and yeah, that’s about it.

We made a quick visit to the beach today since it was kind of nice out. When we arrived we were amazed at how active the waves were and the water itself was quite close to the entry points. We had never seen the water travel up that high before.

Today we plan on making the lemon soup again.

Currently reading: Gardening Can Be Murder: How Poisonous Poppies, Sinister Shovels, and Grim Gardens Have Inspired Mystery Writers and Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself by Hef’s last wife.

Living It Up in Lavalette

Posted on by Markman

Day 1: Running Around the Beach

Arrival!
Staying here
Hoops!

Day 2: Giant Hungry Hungry Hippos Experience

Wavy this weekend
We’ve arrived
Gotta find this by us
Winnings!

Day 3: Coffee and Meetups

Fun couple of days away. Got to see some family, hang out at a house by the beach, partake in the local activities, take a side jaunt through New York State to catch up with a friend (shout out to The El Dorado Diner in Elmsford!) and grateful for the good times. Didn’t get back from travelling until late last night, hence the sparse update- have to recuperate!

Currently Reading: Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes

Visiting some Goat Friends and Getting New Brakes

Posted on by Markman

We spent yesterday hanging out with some goats at the Sanctuary. I hadn’t been there in a while, and we dropped off some food for the animals. After all of that and returning home for some relaxation, we cooked up a storm, preparing a variety of recipes, some for later in the week. I finally had some time today to travel to Earth-1 and get my brakes done; it had been long overdue, and I’m delighted to be able to mark that off my list.

Currently Reading: Genealogy of a Murder: Four Generations, Three Families, One Fateful Night by Lisa Belkin.

An Ordinary Thursday with Meanderings

Posted on by Markman
Bow to the King! The wonders of A.I.

Just playing around with some AI this afternoon. Doing a little face swapping on things. Like me on this Greek artwork. At least I think it’s Greek? Could be Roman I suppose. Anyways, it’s pretty good except I don’t think it got the hair quite right.

Not much to report on about today. Just shuffling around town doing my thing. It’s amazing that on the days you don’t think you’ll get a lot, you do, and when you think you’ll get a lot, you actually don’t. It’s so strange. Meanwhile, the head honchos want to have a meeting with us in a couple weeks to discuss some “issues.” Sounds ominous but that’s just the way these guys talk. Not sure what that’s all about but hopefully nothing too earth-shattering.

Currently Reading: Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom by Gypsy-Rose Blanchard. Looks like this will be an easy one, it’s only about 100 pages. I already know the story from all the television shows but it popped up as available, so I figured, what the heck. Give it a go You know the story, the one about the Munchausen by proxy.

Embracing the Cold and baby goats

Posted on by Markman

We took a ride out to Franklin, Ma this afternoon to look and admire some more goats, including meeting this cute little one week old named Nugget. They also had a farmer’s market there where we got some goods. I got an alpaca winter hat which is super soft and warm, and LD got some stuff including a homemade wooden bunny made by an artisan who works with wood that you can stick crayons into it’s back – really cool.

Currently reading: We’ve Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care

So That’s What It Is

Posted on by Markman

So I guess this is what I’ve been dealing with lately. Joys. I’ve been hobbling around like Quasimodo, plus this cold weather doesn’t help it any.

Patellar tendinitis is a common overuse injury, caused by repeated stress on your patellar tendon. The stress results in tiny tears in the tendon, which your body attempts to repair. But as the tears in the tendon multiply, they cause pain from inflammation and weakening of the tendon.

And not just one, but both knees, although the left is probably a bit worse off than the right. Apparently the way to address it is nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, rest, elevating the knee, ice packs and stretching and strengthening exercises. None of those are easy for me.

Today was very cold outside, but I persevered!

Currently Reading: On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good by Elise Loehnen.

Snow Day Baking Day

Posted on by Markman

Because today was a snowy day, we chose to spend the day baking, lots and lots of cookies. Actually, LD performed the majority of the cooking, and I only assisted a little. I went outside a couple of times to deal with the snow, and I ended up breaking one of the shovels, which I’ll have to replace shortly. I should have known better, but I pushed ahead anyway, and it broke under the weight of the snow.

Yesterday we were supposed to go to the sanctuary with a good friend of ours, but she was feeling a little under the weather so we decided to bag it for now, maybe take it up in another week or two. Probably just as well, as my knees have been killing me lately.

Currently Reading: The Apple II Age: How the Computer Became Personal. For some reason it took forever to get this at the online library, but I’m not sure why as it doesn’t appear to be a particularly long read. And also a book that’s kind of morbid but I’m also finding quite fascinating and a pretty good read, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers.

Peace, Love and Hope

Posted on by Markman

Going into the New Year with Peace, Love and Hope!

Had my Mom over today for the New Year and we made a brunch for her and us. It was a good time, LD created this amazing Mediterranean Frittata and we had blueberry pie for dessert. Yummy! Then after dropping her off back at Earth-2 we headed out to Revere Beach for our annual tradition of starting the new year at a beach and caught a sunset! Then we came home and made a delicious Scarborough Fair soup! Good day for it! Then it was to relax in for a night of binging old season 2 episodes of Nip/Tuck.

Yesterday I was able to pick up another Dedham pottery item for the collection! This one is a cat and the best part is that the location pickup was literally just a few blocks away and the woman was practically giving it away at a super price, so score!

Currently Reading: My Effin’ Life by Geddy Lee. First book of the year!

A Beachy Xmas

Posted on by Markman

Went to the beach yesterday afternoon because it was so nice out! Other than that it was a nice quiet day relaxing at home and opening all our presents. What a nice day it was.

Currently Watching: Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God and old episodes of Nip/Tuck.

Currently reading: Animal: The Bloody Rise and Fall of the Mob’s Most Feared Assassin

Night Time Barn Visits

Posted on by Markman

Our friend from Maine that we hung out with last weekend came down for the day to spend some time with us and to finally Meet Carson. Carson was very engaging, didn’t hide, and I think legitimately had fun with her playing with him and getting all the attention and various gifts like treats, which he devoured happily. We made some pasta and chicken meatballs and side salads while she brought this amazing vegan dessert that she made which didn’t taste vegan to me at all. Like a suped-up peanut butter cup ball wrapped in chocolate. The main visit of the day though was to visit the sanctuary as they were doing a night tour, something they do once or twice a year, where you get to visit the animals in the evening. We also sat by their fire pit while listening to carolers and she got to pick out two stuffed animals from Santa. I also bought a calendar and a car magnet for LD. We’ll need to take her back there someday in the daytime so she can interact with the animals better as they roam around but this was a great introduction. I also got some more compliments on my scarf, people seem to really dig it. I must agree, it is pretty cool. Then we drove her home back to her apartment in Boston and then we came home and eventually fell asleep. All in all a great day!

Surrounded by goats
Can you spot the horses in Santa’s Barn?
The large firepit

Currently Reading book #46 of my year: Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke.

Making the Urban Look Beautiful

Posted on by Markman

And they say you can’t find anything beautiful in Somerville anymore…well, they’re wrong. I took this on Friday afternoon before heading back to Earth-2. Figured I’d take a walk around the old stomping grounds to see if I could get any good shots. I’m pretty pleased with how this one turned out. For those who don’t know it’s Powderhouse Park over by Tufts.

Currently Reading: Three books just came through on my docket: Eve, How the Female Body drove 200 million years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon, Making It So by Patrick Stewart, and Extremely Online by Taylor Lorenz.

Yesterday we went to the Sanctuary to drop off some food. I made a new goat friend. Her name is Dansa and she was very friendly. We then took a little jaunt to Jordan’s to look at chairs. Nothing really caught the eye although we did end up having some Jordan Marsh famous blueberry muffins. One home we cooked like mad people, a casserole, and two ground turkey dishes. I was prepping all the ingredients like crazy. It was a busy little afternoon.

Books I’m Currently Getting Into

Posted on by Markman

Currently Reading:

Dopesick by Beth Macy, not sure if it’ll be as good as Empire of Pain was, I highly recommend reading that, but it is a Hulu series now.

In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet, about the legacy of witch hunts and why women are still on trial. Plus it’s October, Halloween, right?

Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse. Looks like it might be interesting.

Tuesday Starts the Tasks for the Week

Posted on by Markman
Today’s never seen before image from the archives. Gloucester, MA

Headed down to the home improvement store after my morning rounds and picked up some things. Firewood for the pit, safety goggles and gloves for the battery maintenance I’d like to get to this week, and some lawn bags. I wanted top get some flood lightbulbs to replace some of the ones in the parlor but I see they only carry the LED versions now. I wasn’t sure of the comparison so I decided to wait a bit on that until I can do more research on an equivalent replacement. They also seemed to be out of this BBQ grill spray from Weber that I like to use. I may need to go to Amazon to replenish that.

Tomorrow between my rounds I really want to tackle all the outside stuff, get rid of weeds, check on the pumpkins, mow the lawns, clean out the firepit, etc. etc.

Currently Reading: This one finally came through on my Libby after waiting for months, Drinking Games. It’s about alcoholism. Currently Watching: Watched two documentaries on the Hart family tragedy. I’m not sure how I had not heard about this story before. Broken Harts was one we watched on Max which has better production value but first we saw one on Tubi called A Thread of Deceit. Pretty fascinating story but tragic all the same and it brings up some interesting questions now looking back about the child care system.

Of Cobblestone Streets

Posted on by Markman
Acorn Street, Beacon Hill, Boston, MA. Photo by me.

Currently Reading: What the Dead Know: Learning About Life as a New York City Death Investigator. This is actually something LD read so I’m picking it up.

Ended up watching a story about Nan Goldin last night on Max. I was more interested in the part about how she took down the Sacklers, but it was all pretty interesting. I don’t really understand those art types but there’s no doubt that her demonstrations against the Sacklers was really powerful.

Work Hard so I Can Play Hard

Posted on by Markman
Gloucester Parade of Sail

I was able to get all the yard work done today, in the heat of the day even! It was hot but maybe I just got used to it, I didn’t have any problem. I also grilled up some burgers and chicken right after (this was probably around 3 in the afternoon). I also got a bunch of things done around the house so it was a productive laborious labor day for me! Actually it serves me right for being such a beach bum yesterday.

This picture is one that I took from Gloucester’s Parade of Sail festivities in the harbor which happens every Labor Day Weekend.

Currently reading: The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession.

Currently Watching: Dark Side of the Ring. On Vice. I was never into professional wrestling but watching what became of it’s stars is pretty tragic and yet fascinating to hear.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Posted on by Markman

Today’s my birthday! First thing I got out of the way was my morning shift. I ended up being a rainy morning so I got a little drenched but it’s all part of the job. I also played a lottery ticket while I was doing my route. Nicely, the sun came out in the afternoon so the whole day wasn’t a washout.

This evening, LD took me out for a nice dinner over at Seasons 52, as part of their Dine Out Boston week, Yum!

Currently Reading: Little, Crazy Children: A True Crime Tragedy of Lost Innocence

Kitchen Cooking and Free Pizza

Posted on by Markman

I finally got to use the new kitchen and cook my first meal since it’s been over a month. Been trying to keep the countertops clear of things and everything nice and neat. Just did a simple shrimp and rice dish. I’ll be cooking up a ricotta stuffed meatloaf dish tonight. Get to break in some new kitchen pots and pans and baking sheets, etc. Hopefully I haven’t been making too much of a mess and horrifying LD – lol). I shot a new video of the finished kitchen but I’m not sure if I’ll just leave it in production for our personal use.

I did hit the center of town late this afternoon for the National Night Out, where you get to meet the local police and all. I ate two slices of pizza and got the see the newest recruit to the force, a puppy named Sally. I knew a lot of the officers there since I work along side them these days. Looked like a very nice time. (Confession: It’s true, I mostly went for the free pizza).

I noticed the mourning doves next door must have had their babies. I saw one hanging with it’s mother in the nest, although by this point it looks about half the size of the parent and is fully formed and all that. Coloring looks like the juveniles we saw before. I’m not sure if these birds use the same nest over and over but it appears that this couple does.

Currently reading: The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul.

Water Shoes and Wellfleet and Sunset Slivers

Posted on by Markman

Forgot to mention my new water shoes! I purchased them back last September but finally had a chance to try them out at the beach yesterday. They are amazing! Anyways if you’re interested, search amazon for the Zhuanglin Men’s Quick Drying Aqua Water Shoes.

Today was a little more low key. Mostly just a trip out to Wellfleet for lunch and then back here for pool time. I overdid it a little bit at the beach yesterday but then again, it WAS one of the best days of my life EVER. I do feel somewhat drained however.

After the pool we headed to Crosby for a sunset (or what was left of it that we could see – just a sliver through the clouds). Wrap up with a trip to the Sparrow for my go to Nectar of the Gods drink, the hot choc with soy milk. I did p[ick up a book from a little library there but I don’t know if I’ll read it. Basically a bunch of short moral stories. I’ll list the title here later as it’s in the car right now and I don’t remember the title offhand.

Update: The title is The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories and it’s over 800 pages, although the stories themselves only appear to be a page or two generally.