tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74946379820421142042024-03-19T03:12:36.200-04:00Zombie Parent's GuideThe guide that will inform and entertain as it reviews zombie resources with the eyes of a parent and parenting resources with the eyes of a zombie.Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.comBlogger4066125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-80615011386919527972024-03-19T02:00:00.194-04:002024-03-19T02:00:00.140-04:00Old Town AnnapolisMy wife and I did some touring around the oldest buildings in Annapolis courtesy of two Adventure Labs, one identifying homes of Maryland's signers of the Declaration of Independence and the other identifying the oldest buildings.Our first stop was the Charles Carroll House. Charles Carroll was the third "Charles Carroll" to live in the area. His grandfather, Charles Carroll the Settler, was fromJoseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-9757310800020000542024-03-18T02:00:00.065-04:002024-03-18T02:00:00.135-04:00Book Review: She-Hulk Vol. 2 by C. Soule et al.She-Hulk Volume 2: Disorderly Conduct written by Charles Soule, storytelling by Javier Pulido, and colors by Muntsa VicenteSee my review of Volume 1 here.The legal and action adventures of She-Hulk, aka Jennifer Walters, continues. A scientist friend who is not a superhero has developed a shrinking and enlargening ray but is having trouble monetizing it because his partner doesn't want Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-36629665905552217922024-03-15T02:00:00.087-04:002024-03-15T02:00:00.136-04:00Movie Review: The Miracle Club (2023)The Miracle Club (2023) directed by Thaddeus O'SullivanThe local parish in Ballygar, Ireland, is sponsoring a talent show whose first prize is two tickets on a trip to Lourdes, France. The show's organizer died just before the event but they keep it on in her memory. The organizer's estranged daughter Chrissy (Laura Linney) has come from America for the funeral, a surprise to everyone in town, Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-2441582548625497142024-03-14T02:00:00.000-04:002024-03-14T02:00:00.142-04:00TV Review: Reacher Season 2 (2024)Reacher Season 2 (2024) adapted for television by Nick Santora based on the novel Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee ChildBefore Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) was a wandering do-gooder, he was in the US military heading an investigative unit. Some of his buddies from the unit have been found dead. Their bodies were discovered in the middle of a New York State forest with injuries that indicate they had Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-24123349962490558332024-03-13T02:00:00.100-04:002024-03-13T02:00:00.136-04:00Book Review: Socrates' Children Vol. IV by Peter KreeftSocrates' Children Volume IV: Contemporary Philosophers by Peter KreeftSee my review of volume I here, volume II here, and volume III here.Kreeft concludes his survey of philosophy with thinkers from the past 150 years. The philosophers are grouped topically rather than ordered chronologically. Existentialists, pragmatists, phenomenologists, and analytic philosophers are presented Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-53006440446810128142024-03-12T02:00:00.346-04:002024-03-12T02:00:00.144-04:00Geocaching February 2024I started the month off planning to find a mystery/unknown cache every day, a goal for a challenge cache nearby. My first was OCCT #6: Cached in 1/2 of United States Challenge. I've actually cached in 26 states, so I was overqualified! The Odenton Cooperative Challenge Trail provided a lot of finds for this month.Part of the OCCT trailA house that still has Christmas decorations!The second day I Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-76879345070232199802024-03-11T02:00:00.019-04:002024-03-11T02:00:00.243-04:00Book Review: Justice League Dark Vol. 2 by J. Lemire et al.Justice League Dark Volume 2: The Books of Magic written by Jeff Lemire and Peter Milligan and art by Mikel Janin, Lee Garbett, Daniel Sampere, Cam Smith, and Admira WijayaSee my review of Volume 1 here.After a quick visit to a vampire apocalypse that ends all too quickly, the story shifts as the magic-powered version of DC's Justice League is drawn into a new ultimate, world-ending problem. Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-77601702069351607762024-03-08T02:00:00.082-05:002024-03-08T02:00:00.241-05:00Movie Review: Dune: Part Two (2024)Dune: Part Two (2024) co-written and directed by Denis Villeneuve based on the novel by Frank HerbertSee my review of Part One here. The story picks up with Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) and his mom (Rebecca Ferguson) integrating themselves into the Fremen society on Arrakis. She wants him accepted as their new messiah who will kick out the off-worlders; he just wants revenge on the Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-71485894080129789592024-03-07T02:00:00.039-05:002024-03-07T02:00:00.141-05:00Cute Kid Pix February 2024More photos that didn't make their own post...The Cub Scout Pinewood Derby was postponed due to snow and finally happened early in February. My youngest's den has only two members, so he had a good chance of coming in first. Their two cars were evenly matched with very close finish times. My son's car won three out of four heats, but both boys' cars advanced to the finals (three cars per den go Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-33586424998866817762024-03-06T02:00:00.114-05:002024-03-06T02:00:00.132-05:00Book Review: Lincoln's Battle With God by Stephen MansfieldLincoln's Battle With God: A President's Struggle with Faith and What It Meant for America by Stephen MansfieldAbraham Lincoln's life is an epic story that is hard to condense into one book. Choosing a theme is a way to provide focus, much like Spielberg's Lincoln film that focused on passing the 13th Amendment rather than his whole life. In this book, Mansfield focuses on Lincoln's attitude Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-82498994046526323942024-03-05T02:00:00.040-05:002024-03-05T02:00:00.139-05:00Game Review: Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 by Z-Man GamesPandemic Legacy: Season 1 designed by Rob Daviau and Matt Leacock and published by Z-Man GamesOVERVIEW:Building upon the success of two previous games, Rob Daviau and Matt Leacock have crafted a sprawling co-operative board game experience in Pandemic Legacy: Season 1. Leacock made the original Pandemic in 2008. It is a co-operative game where players crisscross the globe fighting the spreadJoseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-72567585945272921282024-03-04T02:00:00.044-05:002024-03-04T02:00:00.145-05:00Book Review: Scott Pilgrim Vol. 3 by B. L. O'Malley et al.Scott Pilgrim Color Edition Volume 3: Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness written and drawn by Bryan Lee O'Malley and colors by Nathan FairbairnSee my review of Volume 1 here and Volume 2 here.As predicted from last time, Scott winds up fighting Ramona's ex-boyfriend Todd and Ramona fights Scott's ex-girlfriend Envy. In an interesting twist, Envy is dating Todd and they are in aJoseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-86543826800210070442024-03-01T02:00:00.132-05:002024-03-01T02:00:00.143-05:00Movie Review: Leap Year (2010)Leap Year (2010) directed by Anand TuckerAnna (Amy Adams) has been dating her boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott) for four years. She's a stager, setting up apartments or houses with furniture to make them look homey and desirable to potential buyers. She likes to plan out everything and leave nothing to luck. She's been hoping Jeremy will propose, especially since they are buying a ritzy Boston Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-13407902167951360372024-02-28T02:00:00.014-05:002024-02-28T02:00:00.135-05:00Book Review: The Fall by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck HoganThe Fall: The Strain Trilogy #2 by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck HoganSee my review of the first book here.The war with the master vampire called "The Master" continues in this book. It (the Master is referred to as "It" since it is so ancient and so inhuman) is orchestrating a world-wide takeover that started in Manhattan. New York City is the hub of action in part because of the Master's Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-90645094201331956642024-02-27T02:00:00.000-05:002024-02-27T02:00:00.132-05:00Game Review: Unlock! Game Adventures by Space CowboysUnlock! Game Adventures by Space CowboysIn the equivalent of a Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover like the Avengers films, the Unlock! escape room series has a set that features three scenarios based on other board games! In an interesting twist, the games are not all published by Space Cowboys, so it's like Marvel crossed over with DC and Dark Horse. Here's the game-by-game rundown...Ticket To Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-8632892006890368342024-02-26T02:00:00.000-05:002024-02-26T02:00:00.133-05:00Book Review: NHHT: Above the Trenches by Nathan HaleNathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Above the Trenches by Nathan HaleReturning to World War I, Nathan Hale (the American Revolutionary patriot) tells the tales of the flying aces. The time was the infancy of flight (the Wright Brothers had flown at Kittyhawk little more than ten years before), so the techniques and technology were developed during the war. The story starts with American pilots joiningJoseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-5787792506166387132024-02-23T02:00:00.171-05:002024-02-23T02:00:00.133-05:00Movie Reviews: More Abbott and Costello ClassicsHere's another set of Abbott and Costello classic comedies from the 1940s! See my other set of reviews here.Little Giant (1946) directed by William SeiterLou is a small town guy just finishing a correspondence course in salesmanship. The course ends with a recommendation to move to the big city. The nearest one is Los Angeles, so Lou goes to try his hand at selling vacuum cleaners at the company Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-21895743131233303392024-02-22T02:00:00.019-05:002024-02-22T02:00:00.244-05:00TV Review: Echo Season 1 (2024)Echo Season 1 (2024) created by Marion Dayre and Amy Rardin based on the Marvel Comics characterMaya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) has gone back home after shooting Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) in the head. Home is Tamaha, Oklahoma, a small town mostly populated by the Choctaw. They have ancestral culture but also a lot of the typical American small town culture, like the roller rink and a crusty old pawn Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-84864936520175428772024-02-21T02:00:00.002-05:002024-02-21T02:00:00.246-05:00Book Review: The Hedge Knight by George R. R. MartinThe Hedge Knight by George R. R. MartinDunk is squire to a hedge knight living in Martin's World of Ice and Fire almost a hundred years before the days of A Game of Thrones. Hedge knights are the bottom of the knightly ladder, not being noblemen or landed men. They work for hire much like ronin in medieval Japan, so they could just as easily be villains as heroes. Dunk's master is a good man and Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-17401660037951867662024-02-20T02:00:00.050-05:002024-02-20T02:00:00.140-05:00Climb Zone 2024After a long hiatus (our last visit was 2020), we went back to ClimbZone, a wall climbing adventure for kids located in Laurel, Maryland. I suppose adults could climb too, though we parents did not. The walls have a lot of imagination and variety, making a fun time for our three children. Some made more sense than others.A climbable keyboard?And you thought it was tough going up the stairs insideJoseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-69369498363001304352024-02-19T02:00:00.043-05:002024-02-19T02:00:00.134-05:00Book Review: Spy x Family Vol. 10 by Tatsuya EndoSpy x Family Volume 10 by Tatsuya EndoThe series continues with some random yet related stories. The first tale gives some background on Loid, the "father" of the Forger family and the spy for his country. His life as a child reveals that he had some simplistic and unrealistic ideas. He plays "war" with his friends with the sides being Westalis and Ostalis. He learned more about the complicated Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-20343060455081689662024-02-16T02:00:00.169-05:002024-02-16T02:00:00.149-05:00Movie Review: Oppenheimer (2023)Oppenheimer (2023) co-written and directed by Christopher NolanJ. Robert Oppenheimer is famous for leading the Manhattan Project, the American World War II effort to build an atomic bomb before the Nazis. This biography stars Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer, who goes through a lot personally as he is drawn into the scientific community on the cutting edge of physics in the early 1900s. He met a Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-15450769783153096082024-02-15T02:00:00.067-05:002024-02-15T02:00:00.354-05:00Book Review: Socrates' Children Vol. III by Peter KreeftSocrates' Children Volume III Modern Philosophers by Peter KreeftSee my review of volume I here and volume II here.Kreeft continues his survey of the 100 most important philosophers, ranging in this volume from Rene Descartes (1596-1650) to Karl Marx (1818-1883). He mostly follows his previous format of giving some biographical information and context for the thinker and then a summary Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-42894601312667334322024-02-14T02:00:00.030-05:002024-02-14T02:00:00.138-05:00Plans for Lent 2024It's Ash Wednesday again, a day "of fasting and abstinence," as described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2043. Fasting is eating much less food than you normally would; abstinence in this context is not eating meat. The point of this penance is not to punish yourself. It's to "acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart." Rather than Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7494637982042114204.post-73888858198082921882024-02-13T02:00:00.075-05:002024-02-13T02:00:00.146-05:00Geocaching January 2024The geocaching year started for me on January 3 when I found Dad Jokes while running an errand. Click through the link to see what people posted as Dad Jokes!A typical hiding areaDuring another errand I found Scouts Honor, which had to be the most blatantly out-in-the-open cache I have ever found. And yet, it is well camouflaged. It is in the picture below but you probably can't spot it unless Joseph R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.com0