Buy my dad's camera

Selling my dad's old camera on eBay. Wanted to see how this gizmo works.



Pretty cool! Of course, in about a week this is going to be a worthless post.

(Like the others aren't.)

Head in the Clouds

Due to the need to return to Atlanta to catch a flight to Japan, my father-in-law and brother-in-law recently flew me in their Mooney through weather that was less than perfect for small aircraft.

Once you get past the abject terror, the views are spectacular. Even within the limitations of a phone camera, these came out well.

For those who only ever fly in commercial aircraft, here's what you're missing a few thousand feet below.

Oh God, I'm old

What some of you youngsters (e.g. teenagers) out there may not realize is that those of us older than you (30s, 40s, etc.) still mostly think of ourselves as just out of the teenage years. Sure, we realize that it was a long time ago. We know that we are now productive members of society. We don't long to go back to the time of weekly history tests and overwhelming social pressures. We look down on today's crop of teens as woefully young and naive.

But somewhere in the back of our minds lurks that teenager who refuses to grow old. Want proof? Just pull out one of our yearbooks and watch us be transported back. We may not be able to remember what you told us yesterday, but you'll be amazed at the trivial facts we recall from the mid 1980s. Members Only jackets and "The Breakfast Club" and Bono with a last name.

And it's not just us Gen-X types. My mother assures me that in the back of her mind it's still the 1940s and she still vividly remembers poodle skirts and soda fountains.

Then, every once in a while, someone or something comes along to blast us our of our reverie and bring home the fact that - to today's teens - we are old fogeys. Case in point, the article posted here, titled Ick, old married guys on Facebook that includes the following statement emphasized in a sidebar:

Three guesses as to which year I graduated from High School.

I'm going to go buy some sansabelt slacks and take a nap now. Wake me when it's time for my stories.

King on Rowling

Stephen King writes on the subject of J. K. Rowling. As usual, King again proves to be much smarter than his critics give him credit for.

I would sacrifice Rowling's riches to be able to write even something as small as a review like King.

(OK, maybe not. It would be a tough call.)

Impressive Cousin-In-Law

He's not a Wilkinson, but we'll count him.

My sister's nephew, Spencer McKay, was on the front page of the Raleigh (NC) News and Observer's Sunday Journal section recently about his quest this summer to hike the Appalachian trail in memory of a friend. It's an impressive and heartwarming story.

Here's the link.

The 21-Word Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

You read six, you are morally compelled to purchase the seventh. After seven volumes, I am stunned the author killed off

The 21-Word Review: The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad

What is it like to be a woman in Afghanistan even today? Worse than you can imagine. Topical, relevant, and disturbing.

The 21-Word Review: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin

A book that must be read by everyone concerned about the state of the world. There are heroes walking among us.

Aside: I have tons of these reviews queued up with little time to publish them. This one is too important to miss. Read this book and reflect on the power of one person to change history.

Rather than including a link directly to Amazon for this book, please use this link to order this book. A percentage of sales go to support the Central Asia Institute.