Housekeeping

Due to my long neglect of the blog, some things needed to be changed, as the blogosphere is a very fluid and ever changing place. I've added, deleted, and changed some links, but if you have a blog and you don't see it on the blogroll, or your link has changed, let me know! I tried to remember who all has changed it up, but y'all are much less lazy than I am and it's hard to keep up sometimes. Also let me know if any of the links don't work. Hopefully I will find the time to update the layout, too.

Thanks!

Summer book club

As I'm sure you know by now, I am interning for the DNR this summer. Because the DNR is a statewide operation, I have to live someplace awfully boring, so therefore I have more time than usual to read. I have finally recovered from the school year, so I've started picking up books on random subjects that I don't normally read about. I've decided to write about a few of the books I've read this summer and what I thought.

Image courtesy of Amazon.com
"Don't Swallow Your Gum!" by Aaron Carroll MD and Rachel Vreeman MD is an amusing book about random health myths and FAQs. Ever wonder if you really do eat spiders in your sleep? This is the book for you. For how informative it is, it's actually a quick read. It's light and fun, and I grabbed a copy off of Amazon to bring back to school for my sorority's bookshelf we are putting together. (Every girl is supposed to bring a book back to school with them on an assigned topic to be put on our house bookshelf. Mine was health.)

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

image courtesy of Amazon.com

"A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn is a fantastic read even for people who are allergic to books about history. It tells the history of the United States from the perspectives of people who aren't white, rich, and Protestant. (Not that I have a problem with those people, but I've read enough books about them.) Women, minorities, slaves, immigrants, the poor, Native Americans, you name it. It's kind of a cool yet depressing look at history from a perspective we don't always hear about, but at the same time it's not whiny. Caution: it's long, and I think he has certain pet subjects that he likes to go on about...

Because some sections were kind of slow I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Image courtesy of Amazon.com

"The Book of the Moon" by Rick Stroud is an excellent overview of the moon. It's not particularly deep, and if you have a strong background in science you might get bored, but it's a nice introduction. The book outlines the history of exploration, myths, astronomy, art, and other human connections to the moon. I did a large project on the geology, origin, and exploration of the moon for a geology class, but I still learned some things about the social aspects of what the moon has meant to mankind throughout the ages. A good book if are curious about the moon and don't want to read a really heavy, scientific work. (There is still good information, it's just presented in a manner that won't bore those of you who aren't science majors.)
It was a quick read and I liked the style for the most part, but it does like to repeat itself a lot to make sure you get it, so I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

How about you guys? Have you read any good books this summer? I'm definitely looking for ideas. I don't tend to read fiction, but this summer might drive me to it.

Goodbye to a great

A very classy, talented man. Look at all that bling!

I didn't mean the title to sound funerary, and I'm really behind I know, but Joe Sakic retired, and that makes me really sad. He was my favorite player in the league, but he left the game on his own terms. Mr. Sakic didn't strike me as the type to hang around forever, and when he felt he could no longer play the way he wanted to, he hung 'em up. I respect that, but I'm still sad as I wanted to see him wear the red and white in 2010 in his hometown. Hats off to you, Joe. I hope whatever you occupy your time with is fun and you don't have second thoughts. Maybe you can follow in Yzerman's footsteps?

Link to his press conference is here

Summer updates

First of all, I'm sorry I have failed and disappeared. First school was crazy, then I accepted a job with the DNR in northern MN, and the internet is hard to find up here. BUT, I did take up golfing while up here, and I'm getting a good tan, so it's not all bad.

Second, I'm pleased that we got Havlat...I think. I'm hoping he stays healthy for us. He Twitters, so he can't be THAT uncool, right? (I got sucked into Twitter. It's more fun than I thought it would be...)

Third, the Twins are picking it up? They blew it yesterday, but I'm hoping that was a fluke. Someone just mailed me a crapton of Twins baseball cards from the mid 80's to present, so if anyone wants a baseball card, give me a player name and I might be able to help you out. I have a lot of random ones including a bunch of Kirby Puckett.

All of you should read Gillies' diary on Wild.com about the prospect camp because it's really funny. He's definitely my new favorite player on the team, and even though I think he's awesome, I think going to the AHL for a bit would really help him out. Playing will help his development more than sitting.

Lastly, Ron Schara is awesome and gives the DNR love. Dennis Anderson...not so much. Moral of the story: Ron Schara is clearly much cooler.

If anyone is headed up north, I can easily get you a fishing report and maybe even think up something fun for you to do if you are looking for ways to have fun without spending a ton of money. Working for the DNR seems to require you to not only know things about nature, but also about the local tourism industry.

Gloating

Ok, so it's no secret that I wasn't Gaby's biggest fan, but when I found out he was no longer with the team, I did a cartwheel. Then I remembered the hard way that I am still very much surgically repaired in my left arm, and also that we let him walk for free. That killed the celebration a bit, but still. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. I would give my condolences to the Rangers fans, but by being fans of the Rangers, they should pretty much expect them to sign players like this. They know what they are getting themselves into.

Not gonna lie, I kind of thought he'd go to be with his immortal beloved in Vancouver, but then I would have been very suspicious of tampering.

Also, since I haven't posted for a while, I'm extremely pleased that Dougie R got fired, but this does not completely change my attitude towards our...lovely owner. It helps, but still, he smacks of slime to me.

Maybe Baby Hockey Jesus is listening to me after all. Now if only the prank text I got the other day were true and we signed Toews.