Friends, my latest novel Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables is now available to those who had the good sense to purchase either Lifetime or Early Bird access. It will move for everyone else on April 1 for $5.99.
$3.99 Early Bird access is still available though! Click here to take advantage of it.
Click here to read excerpts and a sample chapter.
God bless all of you,
Gaylon
The Daily Dose/March 21, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Leading Off will return.
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow eavesdrops on the Halliburton crew’s morning muster and his bored stiff, and he gets $10 for providing chauffeur services.
I never ask for gas money but I don’t turn it down, either, especially from Anacinth, who would be insulted and who is pretty sturdy besides and could probably smack me around pretty good…She said Supervisor Mary had tried to decline but Anacinth reported she wouldn’t let her, informing Mary that if she didn’t take her money Anacinth would revoke her chauffeur privileges, which made me laff:
“Wow…You play hardball…if you don’t take my money I won’t let you drive me home!”
“Yep…I will take the bus next time.”
Click here to read The Diary of a Nobody. $5.99 includes all entries, past, present, and future.
Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables: Friends, my latest novel Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables is now available for $3.99, a price that goes up to $5.99 on the official release date of April 1.
Would you like to read excerpts and a sample chapter? Of course you would. Click here to do just that.
On This Date, Quotebook and Trivia are getting the day off. Fear not, they will return.
The Daily Dose/March 20, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Today is the 165th birthday of the Republican Party, founded in 1854 in Ripon, Wisconsin by citizens opposed to the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
The purpose of a major political party is to get members elected to Congress and as president of the United States and the GOP does a pretty good job of that. There have been 19 Republican presidents since Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860 and the GOP has won 24 of the past 40 presidential elections.
I don’t think anyone associated with the party then would recognize or approve of the GOP today because Republicans have not produced a decent elected president since Dwight Eisenhower left office in 1961. Nixon was a crook. Ford was not elected, of course, and did well under circumstances the Son of Man would have found challenging. Reagan had his strengths but he was the most managed president ever, setting a precedent that plagues the presidency to this day. George Bush was a decent man who could not get re-elected. George W. Bush lied to get us into war. Their latest president, Donald Trump, was elected despite not having neither judgment, tact or a long-term vision for our country. His only real talent, displayed every hour on the hour, is drawing attention to himself and, as we predicted, his presidency is every bit as embarrassing as was his candidacy for the White House.
The GOP should just go away. We are starting to see some Republican resistance to some of his nonsense, but not wholesale rebellion yet. Too bad, because the GOP could use a wholesale rebellion. Both the party and our country would benefit from one.
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow is grateful for a slow night at the hotel because he is dead tired, while The Wife gets the first yard work of the year in. Today’s Diary.
The Wife reported that she is so ready for spring she actually did some yard work today, in the small patch of garden on the other side of the carport…She said she did some weeding which I thought funny because I would think all the weeds died over the winter, but what do I know.
Click here to read The Diary of a Nobody. $5.99 includes all entries, past, present, and future.
Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables: Friends, my latest novel Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables is now available for $3.99, a price that goes up to $5.99 on the official release date of April 1.
Would you like to read excerpts and a sample chapter? Of course you would. Click here to do just that.
On This Date
In 1852 – Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe is published. A novel about the evils and immorality of slavery, portions had originally appeared in The National Era, an abolitionist newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It was the biggest selling book of the 19th-century not named the Bible and is sometimes credited, or blamed, for hastening the start of the American Civil War.
In 1948 – Michigan defeats Dartmouth 8-4 in Colorado Springs to win the first NCAA ice hockey championship. That first tournament also featured Boston College and Colorado College. Michigan would go on to win six of the first nine titles and have still won the most, nine, the last in 1998. Today the NCAA holds hockey championships in Divisions I and III, and the Division I tournament now consists of 16 teams.
In 1982 – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of seven weeks with I Love Rock and Roll. The song also went to #1 in Canada, Sweden, Australia, Holland, New Zealand and South Africa and was Billboard’s third biggest song for 1982. It was their first hit song, and though the band would have six further Top 40 hits, I Love Rock and Roll remains their only #1 song.
Quotebook
I was by no means a scholar, simply an interested reader with nothing to do but live and learn.
Louis L’Amour
Education of a Wandering Man
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The English House of Commons first met as an independent body in 1341. It received its name because members represented communes and not because its members are commoners.
Today’s Stumper
gggg? – Answer next time!
Let’s be friends. Follow me on Facebook.
Meet Sparrow, an average man passing an average life…
Tuesday, March 19
Slow night at the hotel, which I was grateful for because, of course, I was dead tired…There was some work to do playing mailman because GM Barbara had letters advising guests about the room renovation to be delivered to most rooms, but other than that it was a routine night…I didn’t actually go and lay down on a couch in the lobby, but I couldn’t even be bothered to work on projects.
The Daily Dose/March 19, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Leading Off will return.
The Diary of a Nobody: It’s a pretty slow night at the hotel, and Sparrow gets a funny line off at the retailer. It’s Sparrow, an average man passing an average life.
A rather slow night…There was not much action on the coffee service after the Halliburton crew left…They drank their usual half a pot and completely laid bare the French vanilla creamer, but after that, no one came by for coffee…Also, I only made four sheets of scratch paper, more or less replacing what I used, and the stack on the monitor stand in the back is now at exactly one inch.
Click here to read The Diary of a Nobody. $5.99 includes all entries, past, present, and future.
Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables: Friends, my latest novel Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables is now available for $3.99, a price that goes up to $5.99 on the official release date of April 1.
Would you like to read excerpts and a sample chapter? Of course you would. Click here to do just that.
On This Date
In 1649 – The English House of Commons abolishes its counterpart in Parliament, the House of Lords, citing them as “…useless and dangerous to the people of England”. The Commons had been in ill humour for a while, having executed King George I for treason in January. The House of Lords would not be restored until 1660 when the monarchy was also restored.
In 1981 – The Buffalo Sabres score nine goals in the second period in a game vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs, establishing a record for Most Goals in a Period by One Team. The Sabres broke the record of eight done several times in the past and won the game 14-4. Their record still stands. The Maple Leafs scored three goals in the period and the 12 combined goals remain the highest scoring period in NHL history.
In 1977 – Barbra Streisand is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the third and final week with Evergreen (Love Theme From A Star Is Born). It was Streisand’s second of five #1s on the Hot 100 and the song also went to #1 in Canada and was Billboard’s fourth biggest song of 1977. Evergreen earned Academy and Golden Globe awards for Best Original Song for Streisand and co-writer Paul Williams.
Quotebook
If you are extraordinary, be extraordinary. People only err when they try to be who they are not.
Deng Ming-Dao
365 Tao
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy each have nine seasons with 50 or more goals, the NHL record.
Today’s Stumper
When did the English House of Commons first meet? – Answer next time!
Let’s be friends. Follow me on Facebook.
The Daily Dose/March 18, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off: Capsule Book Review: The Warrior Generals: Combat Leadership in the Civil War by Thomas Buell
One of the things you learn over the years is how revered generals Ulysses S Grant and Robert E Lee remain in the hearts of many. Thomas Buell tries his darndest to shatter those myths, providing a well-researched, consistent and reasoned analysis of how a variety of generals did their work in the Civil War.
Among other things, Grant was faulted for consistently fighting battles based on how he wished conditions were as opposed to how they actually were, while Lee was cited for blindly sending troops into battle without knowing exactly the conditions he was sending them into and failing to house, clothe and feed his troops. About the only generals that find consistent favor with Buell are Union generals George H Thomas and Francis Barlow.
Conspicuous by his absence is Union General George McClellan, though this book concerns itself with generals who actually fought and McClellan didn’t do too much of that, and Buell doesn’t bother too much with the overall political context of the war. The book does a very good job of bringing the horrors of the Civil War to life.
Final Ranking: B. Buell tends to force his opinions on you, but they are reasonable conclusions based on the evidence presented and they are hardly hatchet jobs on figures who remain revered figures throughout the country. A good read for both scholars and casual fans of history,
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow deals with an unknown alarm going off in a room, and it’s Sunday Spaghetti Nite (SSN) at The Shire.
I head over and, sure enough, there is a beep coming from behind a panel in the far wall, not too far from the heating unit…I have no clue what the deal is, of course, but I start investigating and there are two thermostats and one has a sign attached that advises not to have the unit on Cool in the winter because the unit will freeze.
This thermostat was set to Cool…The other was set to Heat, so plainly the unit was confused, threw its hands up and said “I give up”…
Click here to follow Sparrow – an average man passing an average life.
$5.99 includes all entries, past, present, and future.
Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables: Friends, my latest novel Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables is now available for $3.99, a price that goes up to $5.99 on the official release date of April 1.
Would you like to read excerpts and a sample chapter? Anyone would. Click here to do just that.
On This Date
In 1965 – Man walks in space for the first time, when Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov spends twelve minutes outside the Voskhod 2 spacecraft. He and Mission Commander Pavel Balyayev had taken off earlier that day in a mission that was plagued with errors, including assorted reentry errors that caused the spacecraft to land 239 miles from its intended site, in an area so heavily forested it took two days to recover the crew.
In 1945 – Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the first NHL player to score 50 goals in a season, scoring with 2 minutes and 15 seconds left in the third period of the 50th and final game of the season. The Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins that night 4-2 and this would be the only time in his Hall of Fame career that Richard would score at least 50 goals in a season.
In 1967 – Penny Lane by The Beatles is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for its only week. The song also went to #1 in Australia, Canada, Holland and New Zealand and was the group’s 13th of 20 #1 songs in the US. Penny Lane was part of a two-sided hit, issued along with Strawberry Fields Forever, which peaked at #8. Penny Lane refers to a street in Liverpool, where Paul McCartney, who wrote most of the song, grew up.
Quotebook
As I writhed under it, I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy. It opened my eye to the horrible pit, but no ladder upon which to get out. In moments of agony, I envied my fellow-slaves for their stupidity.
Frederick Douglass
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Gendun Drup (1391–1474), is recognized as the first Dalai Lama, though this title was bestowed in 1578, 104 years after his death.
Today’s Stumper
What NHL player has the most 50-goal seasons? – Answer next time!
Let’s be friends. Follow me on Facebook.
The Daily Dose/March 17, 2019
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off: Jamal Khashoggi is still dead.
Though the modern, never-ending news cycle disdains follow-up reporting, it is useful to keep up on the developments in old stories.
Or lack of developments as the case may be, such as in the affair of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, you may recall, was a Saudi writer who lived in America and had had the nerve to be critical of the Saudi government. He was killed by Saudi agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
Al-Jazeera reported this week that a Saudi spokesman said “those on trial” for Khashoggi’s murder have had three hearings so far, but offered no details on anything whatsoever. In late 2018 the Saudis had said eleven people had been indicted and held over for trial but no further information has been made available. Most of the US government and, therefore, most of the US media, long ago lost interest in the case.
The only other real development came earlier this month when 36 nations – none of them the United States – signed a statement condemning Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and urging them to cooperate with a UN-led investigation into Khashoggi’s murder.
Good luck with that. A similar declaration by your local elementary school’s second-grade class would have had the same effect. Eventually, perhaps, some hapless low-level prince may be offered up in sacrifice, but to expect there to ever be a substantive investigation into Khashoggi’s murder is folly.
Today At The Site
The Diary of a Nobody: It’s a dead sprint for Sparrow at the hotel, including a family that offers some attitude when Sparrow cannot the provide the exact accommodations they demand at 4 in the morning.
I’ve run into this before, someone who’s mad at you because you are unable to immediately solve their problem as if it’s my fault they drove in from the Arctic Circle on the spur of the moment and can’t find suitable accommodations…They leave to look for something else, but come back an hour later, paying good money for a room for five hours.
Click here to follow Sparrow – an average man passing an average life.
$5.99 includes all entries, past, present, and future.
Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables: Friends, my latest novel Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables is now available for $3.99, a price that goes up to $5.99 on the official release date of April 1.
Would you like to read excerpts and a sample chapter? Anyone would. Click here to do just that.
On This Date
In 1959 – The Dali Lama, and others, flee Lhasa, Tibet in the face of occupation by the Chinese. The Dalai Lama, then 19, and his group would reach India on March 30 and would later set up a government in exile. The Dalia Lama still lives in exile in India and has not returned to his homeland since.
In 1953 – The Boston Braves, a member of the National League since its founding in 1876, play their final game, a spring training affair in Florida. In the middle of their game the following day it was announced the National League had approved their application to move to Milwaukee, where they played for 13 seasons before moving to Atlanta for the 1966 season.
In 1979 – Gloria Gaynor is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the second of three non-consecutive weeks with I Will Survive. The song also went to #1 in Great Britain, Ireland and Canada, was Billboard’s sixth biggest hit of 1979, Gaynor’s second and final Top 40 hit and remains her only #1 song. I Will Survive would spend the following two weeks in the runner-up spot before returning to #1 on April 7
Quotebook
Both Gettysburg and the second inaugural address were forged by advice to himself and his country to study what had happened for helpful lessons rather than retribution.
Fred Kaplan
Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland are the cities that have been in the American League continuously since 1900.
Today’s Stumper
How far back does the Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism, trace his lineage? – Answer next time!
