Me and Nolan in line for the DARK KNIGHT marathon at Harkins Arrowhead.

Tana French's "Broken Harbour"

Just finished another great read, Tana French's "Broken Harbour", (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Broken-Harbour-Tana-French/dp/1444705105) which I was so ready to read I ordered it from amazon uk which had about a month earlier release date than amazon usa (http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Harbour-Tana-French/dp/1444705105). I can't say enough how much I have enjoyed her first three books and this fourth installment about the Dublin Murder Squad. If you have read any of the others, her books are about a talented detective on the squad who gets some case with a personal attachment. As the book goes along you watch the case get solved and the detective's life and career get unraveled with plenty of surprises along the way. So far the detective in the story has been introduced and a major part of the story in the previous book. I am curious to know who is up next from this story (please, not Quigley).

Just returned from a beautiful week in Arizona's White Mountains camping with my Dad and Nolan. The weather was unusually great (almost disappointingly so!) and we got to check out a lot of the damage from last year's terrible Wallow Fire. It is shocking how much forest is burnt. We drove for more than an hour and it was a near-moonscape for the whole drive. However many areas were inexplicably untouched. For example, Big Lake was unaffected by the fire. It seems to have parted and passed to the east and west. I am interested in how well the forest will recover from the damage and how long it will take. We saw some wildlife but they all seemed to be near occupied areas. There were even skunks, 4 babies, wandering near their den which was frighteningly close to our campsite. (yes, we locked up the dogs in the truck when the skunks appeared). Meanwhile down here in Phoenix it was raining like crazy. Next year.

Upton and his mood swings

In regards to my previous post about Justin Upton and both his struggles at the plate and his bad attitude, this In The Bleachers comic by Steve Moore is perfect.

In response to fan criticism after recent lackluster performance, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton said "To be honest with you, I don't care anything about what the fans think of me." Does he not understand who pays his salary? Professional sports, college too for that matter, is the entertainment industry. Spectators pay the bills for him and his teammates and his coaches and his opponents and everyone else in professional sports. I don't want to rant about baseball, there are many great blogs that do that much better than I can, but this attitude is upsetting and a poor example of sportsmanship.

“If you can do good things for other people, you have a moral obligation to do those things. Not choice — responsibility.” - Richard Parker


In the new The Amazing Spiderman movie, the classic "With great power comes great responsibility" line gets reworked into the above quote. Uncle Ben tells Peter about Peter's father's philosophy. I am not going to rant about the change. There is plenty of that in plenty of forums, google and enjoy. This quote is more important because it sums up so perfectly how I try to inexplicably live my life. I choose to work in an inner-city high school with kids who not only don't have much but often don't know how to appreciate it when they do. I spend lots of my own money on inner-city athletics and academics because I know it is important for someone to care about these kids and their families. I know I make choices that are not always best for my financial or personal or career interests but I don't care. I have opportunities to do good things and I will not let those pass by. I feel like I am alone in the wilderness. No one understands why I am the way I am. And here it is, succinctly put into a movie. There are people out there who are less fortunate for many reasons. We all have a moral obligation to help them. It is better not only for them but for the entire community.

Sign the Citizens’ Petition for Ownership Rights | Citizens for Ownership Rights

Sign the Citizens’ Petition for Ownership Rights | Citizens for Ownership Rights

There is a law being proposed in Congress that would limit a consumer's right to resell objects. Goodbye, Ebay and Craigslist. Essentially proposes that the original seller retains the only right to sell that product. The case started regarding books. Sign the petition.