A Deer Skull Preserved

A white-tailed doe deer skull preserved by yours truly. (8/26/14)

There are some discoveries than can be made participating in high school cross-country that are just not likely to be found in other more traditional fall sports such as football or swimming. Chief among those would be finding decomposing animal remains on the field of play.

Each cross-country preseason, the student-athletes and coaches, travel to the courses we will be competing on during the regular season. Last Tuesday, while running with members of the girls team, we found ourselves slightly off course at Mendon Ponds Park, and came across the remains of a decomposing deer carcass. Half-joking, I told the girls I would be coming back later to retrieve the bones. Though it took me a few days, this past weekend, while on an early morning bottle return run, I drove back to Mendon and, searched back through the trails we had run earlier in the week.

The doe remains as we came across them. (8/23/14)

White tail deer are very common in upstate New York; I've even seen them within the Rochester city limits running down Monroe Avenue. The irony was not very subtle that when I walked along the trees looking for the trail head, I came across a deer quietly watching me from four feet deep in to the woods. After inadvertently startling the watcher away, I was fortunate enough to once again happen across the site where the bones lay. Leaving the spine and other mystery bones behind, I respectfully retrieved the doe deer skull and carefully placed it in a plastic shopping bag for transport. (Unfortunately the jaw bone was not in the general vicinity.) NOTE: While I realize that it is illegal in some states, such as Iowa, to take "live specimens" from public parks, I found nothing online regarding the collection of wildlife remains in New York state.

The skull--sans jawbone--as it lay just off the trail. (8/23/14)

I had two thoughts as I drove home. Firstly, I contemplated whether I had somehow been disrespectful to the animal that had passed and whose skull I now carried in the trunk of my vehicle. At that point I quietly promised myself to move forward in a mindful manner, conscious that the activity I was embarking on was not without cost.

My second thought was the activity I thought to engage in: to determine the most practical way to preserve the skull, my thinking being that it would be an interesting display piece in my classroom. In the practices that followed, our engagement with the remains had now become part of an interesting cross-country anecdote. I am by no means a scientist and this post should not be read as a set of how-to directions (though I frame it just that way), but I do often pick up odd activities just to see where they go, and this is just the most recent flight of fancy. In a way, it relates back to a previous one.

A number of years ago I took the hunting gun safety certification course because it seemed (and was interesting). One reason I've never pursued the hobby is the fear that I might actually (through luck rather than skill) kill something and would then be obligated to field dress it. One benefit of finding this gift-wrapped (and meat free) skull on the cross-country trail was the opportunity to look into the preservation of animal skulls and to give it a go...

In its original condition at the bottom of a bucket. (8/23/14)

Thanks to the Internet, the answer to the questions of "How to Preserve a Skull" was easily answered in six easy steps, giving me some basic guidelines for my little weekend project. If Steps 1, "Remove all flesh from inside and outside of the skull using one of several methods," and 2, "Dry the skull," had not already been well-handled by Mother Nature, the remains would still be in the park decomposing. The head did not require water maceration or the use of flesh eating bugs (two possible recommended approaches); it had clearly been laying at rest for a lengthy period of time. The top of the skull already had a bleached appearance due to exposure to the elements, though the underside that had been laying on the ground, including the teeth, was fairly stained.

A quick, cleansing boil. (8/23/14)

Despite the excellent condition of the skull immediately lifted from the trail, there were few odd matted strands of fur remaining, as well as small hairs that had yet to be picked out. This required a Step 2b not mentioned in the written portion of the linked page but is in the Youtube video near the end. Before repeating Step 2, to ease the separation of the remains from the skull, I placed it in boiling water to set for a short time. Using an old toothbrush, I carefully scrubbed in the open areas, careful not to disrupt the fairly intact nasal cartilage. Step 2b (which is not mentioned in the written portion of the linked page but is in the Youtube video near the end).

All the goodies necessary for a 24 hour hydrogen peroxide bath. (8/23/14)

Boiled, gently scrubbed and ready for "bleaching." (8/23/14)

Step 3 is "Bleach the skull," which oddly, based on other reading, would be a mistake. The goal is to give it a whitened appearance, but to use regular bleach would cause the bone to weaken and can lead to cracked teeth. I let the skull soak in 3% solution hydrogen peroxide for 24 hours, turning it occasionally to keep as much of it submerged as possible. It was still bubbling a little when I rinsed the skull of the next morning. I did not want to the skull to look artificial so I did not allow it to bleach completely white. My intention was to have the final preserved skull maintain the yellow-ish hue of natural bone. As a result of both boiling and soaking in hydrogen peroxide, the teeth also have a tendency to drop out. This happened and, as suggested, I glued them back (Steps 4 and 5 combined).

The first of two coats of polyurethane semi-gloss lacquer is applied. (8/24/14)

The last step was the application of a polyurethane lacquer to preserve the skull. The image above was taken on the picnic table in the sunshine, which accounts for it's clean white look. The photo the top of the post is the final product which I'm glad to report did maintain it's natural (thought thankfully cleaner) look. Though superficial I am hopeful that the presence of this artifact will serve as some sort of reminder... of just what, I have yet to fully process.

Tomorrow, as I continue setting up my classroom for the start of a new school year next week, I will bring the skull to work. Among the books, team photos and artificial crows it is sure to give students, as well as student-athletes, (and myself) something to talk and think about.

Comic Bookshelf: Young Blueberry 2

Though we pick up Young Lt. Blueberry's story in progress, it
does read well as a stand-alone, too.

With DC Comics' All-Star Western starring Jonah Hex facing imminent cancellation and Dynamite Publishing's solid Lone Ranger series having recently ridden off into the sunset, the traditional Western is once again becoming something of a rarity on the new comic book table. This is unfortunate as, while not many Westerns are currently being offered by readily accessible mainstream publishers, my thirst for them remains unquenched.

So like a thirsty fanboy, I have found myself digging through the online back issue bins in search of something along the lines of dusty trails and two-gun action. As fate (and fortuitous availability) would have it, I came across an English translation published by Comcat Comics in 1990 of a French graphic novel first published in 1969. Talk about a roundabout way to get at graphic novel with an Old West setting!

Young Blueberry 2: A Yankee Named Blueberry is written by Jean-Michael Charlier with art by a young Jean (Moebius/Gir) Giraud. The second in a series of English translations, this particular volume collects chapters 4 through 6 of the creative team's original story. While a fan of Moebius' more contemporary science-fiction works (such as the Eisner award-winning Marvel's Silver Surfer: Parable mini from 1988), my only previous engagement with the Lt. Blueberry character is through the mystic-Western film Renegade (2004) starring Vincent Cassel, based on the graphic novels featuring a more world-weary iteration of him.

Written as part of a larger tapestry of stories providing background for the already popular character, I had access to only the single second volume. Because of this, I read Young Blueberry 2: A Yankee Named Blueberry as an isolated adventure without the benefit of previous characterization.

Despite this disadvantage, this collection worked fine as a singular traditional adventure of Rebs and Yankees during the Civil War. Picking up "three days after successfully completing a mission" behind enemy lines, Blueberry, at this point in his military career described as being "primarily a bugler," attempts to rejoin his Yankee squadron. The first two chapters, "Death Ride" and "Man Hunt" tell the story of Blueberry's efforts to return to his squadron as well as his being hunted by an adversary introduced (I assume) in the previous volume. What follows is a tale of mistaken identity and unclear alliances wherein Blueberry finds himself once again thrust into a dangerous mission requiring he play both sides of the war.

The final chapter in the album, "Private Mike S. Blueberry", finds our protagonist still caught between the Rebs and Yankees. Given what has preceded, Blueberry is forced to prove his allegiance to the Blue Coats. (Apparently the mission that set all of this in motion was a mission so secret, no one knew that he was in fact a Blue Coat infiltrating the Confederacy ranks.) While the conclusion of this volume finds Blueberry successfully foiling the Confederacy's plans, he is also in pretty much the same predicament as at the onset: trapped behind enemy lines unable to prove his allegiance to either side.

Blueberry's character, as written by Charlier  is easily discernible without having read what preceded, especially as he is presented as an archetypal soldier, if only slightly more conscientious, attempting to fulfill his patriotic duties while staying alive. Because of this, there is always a level of narrative tension at play that allows our main character to consistently reveal (or reinforce) the traits to the reader. Within the context of a larger story, though, I could see this continuous plot strategy becoming somewhat repetitive.

This is also not the Moebius artwork of which I am familiar. Lacking the graceful clean lines and huge vistas of his later work (including the aforementioned Silver Surfer series), this Moebius is more constrained as the "camera" is pulled in tightly. According to the brief forward, the panels were also originally published in black and white, and were colored and reformatted for this edition, which may impact my reading of the art. There are, however, a few hints of the artist's style as it will eventually develop, particularly in the closing panels which feature a massive train derailment (one panel of which is spoiled on the  back cover).

Based on the level of difficulty that exists with acquiring Moebius books, even reprints such as this, with any degree of affordability, I am unsure when I might have the opportunity to take in any further adventures of Lt. Blueberry. My guess would be that some used bookstores or older local comic shops might have some hiding on their bookshelves. Some public libraries might also have a few in the Graphic Novels section. Should my travels bring me across additional editions, I would definitely continue following the adventures of Lt. Blueberry.

Word Wall Reflections

Regents 11 (left) and AP 11 updated word walls await the start of school.

In years past I have maintained a traditional word wall in my classroom. While some teachers use them to capture a full range of terms and ideas to be reinforced, I have attempted to instruct my classes employing the three-tier framework developed by Isabel Beck and Margaret McKeown. In keeping with the concept of tiered vocabulary, my word wall has consisted of those that would exist on the third tier: low frequency terms and concepts specific to a domain. Given the courses I teach, terms on our class word wall consists of concepts and vocabulary specific to the crafts of writing or literary analysis. During years that I have taught more than one course/level, I would keep two, one on the front wall and another on the back.

Word wall from middle school math class from
Demonstration Classroom Sharing blog..

The tier 3 classroom word wall has been fairly effective in offering a permanent reminder of potentially high frequency words available for analysis of fiction and nonfiction. Where it has been less effective is in properly suggesting a sequence or order for consideration of related terms or ideas. In years past I have tried a variety of strategies, such as chunking, in an effort to suggest an organizational framework for "checking down" through the concepts for use in analyzing text.

One intended benefit to tiering is the ability to assist students in seeing the patters and relationships between words, and it is this skill that I have been hoping to better reinforce each year. I have tried a number of different organizers in an effort to model an appropriate through process, with a range of success and failure. Last February I some stumbled across the work of University of Arkansas professor David A. Jollieffe.

Jollieffe's Rhetorical Framework Diagram.

A college composition teacher, in addition to offering recommendations and strategies around developing inquiry-based composition instruction, Jolliefe also developed a framework (see image to right) which incorporates Aristotle's rhetorical triangle and implies a framework for analysis. This is most relevant to my students and I as Jollieffe has previously served as Chief Reader for the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Examination.

Last spring, my AP 11 classes and I used this diagram as a means of reviewing, in cooperation with their Tier 3 Rhetoric Cards, the terms and ideas that they would use to be successful on the exam in mid-May. It was at this point that I began to see the potential for using Jollieffe's framework as a conceptual basis for a reconfigured, structured word wall for my classes. I also could envision this as an effective way to organize concepts (of which there are fewer) for my Regents level course who are now using more rhetorical language as a way of addressing the Common Core.

My goal this school year is to use the strategies that have proven themselves effective in the past (cards, walls, checks) collaboratively with a Jollieffe framework word wall to fully reinforce for students a concrete process for literary analysis. To track our progress, follow my class blog, the Greece AthenaEUM.

Lake Riley Heron Takes Flight

(6/22/14)

Just realized I had a few pictures of the increasingly elusive Lake Riley Heron (LRH) from June in my camera. Unlike summers past (I've been tracking the heron(s) that hang out at Lake Riley in Cobbs Hill Park for many moons), as this summer has progressed the sightings have decreased. When I've noted this observation around the dinner table, both my son and stepson have been quick to remind me that there are "always herons on the canal path." Friends and co-workers have also kept me updated regarding the appearances of similar birds in their suburban backyards. In many ways, it would seem that herons have become as ubiquitous in some communities as the American Robin or Crow.

(6/22/14)

After seven years or so of walking up to the park in the early morning 2013, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2006), I am still excited when I do spot the LRH despite their seemingly becoming more ubiquitous. Whether due to my personal connection with the location at which I observe the heron (I practiced and competed there during high school cross-country and now live less than a mile away) or simply it's previously exotic appearance, I still get a charge when catching one by the water as I exit the nearby expressway ramp remains.

(6/22/14)

Delicately, gawky while standing in the shallow bank of the "lake," in flight, the LRH is long and elegant. This year, more than in years past, I've made an effort to linger longer, waiting until s/he takes flight for his/her nest beyond the lake. Each time I've seen the LRH fly for points unknown, the direction has been different. One day it headed for the roof of the nearby refurbished armory. The next time the LRH flew due north into the populated city.

(6/22/14)

(6/22/14)

(6/22/14)

My summer break is quickly drawing to a close. In an effort to wrap-up my summer observations, I'll be dropping by the park before making my way to work. I'm hopeful that I can catch the Lake Riley Heron for one more shot before the season ends.

Sci-Friday: The Quotable Dune

It would appear that I am once again late to the party, but better late than never.

While waiting for my stepson to get out of work this afternoon, I turned on the radio to catch the last few minutes of NPR Science Friday. Though I rarely have the opportunity to listen for as long as I'd like to, the news is timely and the stories are often about subjects of which I have little background knowledge. It continues to be exciting to learn new things, and as someone who laments having not paid more attention in high school and college science classes, Science Friday feels like a joyful penance.

The few minutes that I did catch consisted in part of host Ira Flatow reminding the audience that the summer read was going to be concluding next week. Though I have not been part of (nor was I even aware of its existence) the NPR Science Friday Book Club had the past three weeks been focusing on one of my all-time favorites, Frank Herbert's classic Dune.

I immediately regretted having missed the opportunity to follow the conversation, and quickly made a note in my pocket notebook to tune in next week when Ira, Kim Stanley Robinson, Sara Imari Walker, and Annie Minoff wrap up the discussion. At the conclusion of this past Friday's broadcast, Ira also reminded listeners to head to the Sci-Fri Blog and "Record yourself reading your favorite quote from Dune." Upon hearing this prompt, my mind immediately went to the slim volume on my bookshelf picked up at a used bookstore over ten years ago, The Notebooks of Frank Herbert's Dune.

Published in July 1988 by Perigree Trade,
with atmospheric cover by Raquel Jaramillo.

Not really a notebook at all, The Notebooks is a collection of excerpts and lines culled from Herbert's six highly quotable completed novels. Edited by his son, Brian, this 63 page paperback offers quotes in both standard font as well as key "ancient quotes" and "historical documents" from the Dune Universe elegantly illustrated by Raquel Jaramillo.

I've posted previously about the similarities between the modern media phenom that is George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones and Dune. While one series of novels intentionally touches on environmental and social issues, and the other has a stronger predilection with sex and violence (you guess which is which), and series both are chock-full of intriguing characters. Fortunately for the reader, these characters are given numerous memorable lines of dialogue which are easily isolated for use as witty sayings or intellectual-sounding observations by the reader with a sharp memory for such things. (Of course, the same observation could easily be made regarding J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth novels--as evidenced by the myriad twitter feeds that regularly share the author's lines--but that is a post for another time.)

The majority of the memorable lines from the A Song of Fire and Ice novels primarily reflect the characterization and wit (or lack thereof) of the specific characters, most notably Tyrion. (Not surprisingly, Tyrion's lines have also been collected into a single volume!) In contrast, lines from the Dune series have an additional weight given the political perspectives of both the characters and (by extension) the author which they communicate.

After reading through The Notebooks of Frank Herbert's Dune, choosing a single quote would be challenging, given that the books are an embarrassment of riches when it comes to such excerpts, and it would be tough not to go with perhaps the most well know, the Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear:

In preparation for next week's final book club meeting, I'm going to make the effort to catch up with the conversation before Friday at 2 p.m. To do so, I plan to spend time this coming week with my well-worn copy of Hebert's Dune and reading through RebelMouse blog online. Fortunately digital bread crumbs have been left behind so even those, like myself, who are late to the party, can catch up or at the very least make up ground!

New School Year, "New" Classroom

My co-teacher's desk. (8/12/14)

My observation has been that some teachers only change their classrooms when they 1) get hired, and 2) retire. Many school bulletin boards are no different. In both cases, the result is rather than serving as a way of communicating information (successes, improvement, school pride), these become visual white noise quickly losing any value to those who inhabit a building. In an effort to avoid this, I like to change things up regularly. (Even during the school year, in an effort to make fresh and unfamiliar that which can become dry and boring, I'll re-arrange desks and seating assignments--students eventually become used to it.)

This past Tuesday, after a very pleasant lunch with a recent graduate and a meeting regarding the new school year with a colleague, I stopped by my classroom. Standing in my empty room I had some random thoughts and reflections about the beginning of the school year. While it is the same classroom I have taught in my previous five(!) years in the high school after moving down (physically) from the middle school, I like to begin each year fresh. What that entails is taking most of what can be easily removed from the walls at the end of the school and re-setting things at the beginning of each school year.

The mighty plastic sword, the Deus Ex Machina, is a holdover from last year. (8/12/14)

Like most teachers, I acquire a wide variety of things during the course of the school year. While some (senior pictures, letters, photos, student drawings of me, etc.) are respectfully filed in my desk at the conclusion of each year, others have more staying power. Team pictures and academic team awards for students I work with, as well as any trophies have a place there, along with trinkets and toys that relate to previously covered readings. The walls begin the year relatively free of things and by the end of school in June will be covered with students (and teacher) generated clutter.

Location of last year's Word Wall. (8/12/14)

Sometimes purging the walls is necessary because the room will be used for summer school, but even this year (when I had been assured it would not be used, but was), I stripped the walls with the intent of beginning a new in August. With cross-country practice starting next week, and summer school concluding today, I should be able to begin putting things in motion for the new school year.

Each year I have established and added to a Word Wall of Tier 3 terms. Based on some work last year with my AP 11 classes, I'll be tweaking that concept and devoting one bulletin board to each classes (Advanced Placement Language & Composition and Regent English 11) most relevant terms and concepts. As I've thought about it this summer, aligning the terms (and adding to them) within the context of an analytic filter might help to make the application of the definitions more concrete to the students.

Rubrics and pennants for reference. (8/12/14)

"College and Career Ready" has been the educational catch-phrase du jour in our building the past few years. Each of the past two summers I have stopped by the universities either myself, my children, or my co-teacher, attended and picked up college pennants from each school. Not sure what to do with them this year but upon adding some new ones this year, they will no longer fit on the small board.

With quite a bit to process about how to proceed, I am glad to be preparing the physical classroom environment for what I'm confident will be a great start to the new school year in three weeks.

The Tale of the Cape

Cape by my mother, patience and photo by my wife. (8/10/14)

Last fall my Advanced Placement Literature and Composition seniors and I read Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf, followed up soon thereafter with a quick read of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Despite not reading the texts with my eleventh graders, who were studying Language and Composition, we did discuss some of the primary archetypes--the success of Peter Jackson's Middle Earth movies made for some common ground--as well as discussing some of the less literary aspects of the books, such as fashion.

Pack of patterns on sale
for $1 at Jo-Ann Fabrics!

In at least one eleventh grade class, I thought aloud about how cool it would be if wearing capes were common at our school. The type of cape was thinking of was not a "superhero cape" (though there was an idea I had for capes at sporting events but that is a different story), but rather a functional cape like those used in the fictional worlds of Middle Earth, or the George R. Martin's Songs of Fire and Ice series, or as written about in the Robin Hood books I read as a child. Of course there are historical analogs to those literary coats, particularly used during the civil War and the tweed capes of the Scottish Highlands.

Close-up on the collar tag :) (8/09/14)

It was around this time that my mother moved into her new apartment, and had some free time on (or at least I assumed she did). It then occurred to me that the woman who had made my brother's and my Halloween costumes when we were younger could maybe stitch something together. Presumptuous, aren't I?

After taking some old historical costume books out of the local public library and digging through the patterns files at Jo-Ann Fabrics, my mother purchased the pack of Simplicity "Misses', Men's and Teen's Cape, Tunic and Hat", patterns pictured to the upper left. Of the five patterns included in the packet, my mother used the D: Costume Cape and Hood. She did however make a few adaptations based on our conversations over what I wanted the end product to be.

The cape with hood up-close.
(8/11/14)

First, because I wanted the finished product to be as practical (usable?) as possible, my mother actually made two capes, one of the lighter green cloth and the other of a heavier brown. By combining them--the green becoming the lining and the brown the exterior layer--in an effort to make it thicker/stronger, the final product is also, in effect made it reversible. I'm not exactly sure what type of material was used as we purchased it from the remnants section.

Secondly, I requested a slightly larger and more expansive hood (see below as compared to that on the pattern cover above), in hopes of avoiding that "tight hoodie" look that comes with some poorly designed sweatshirts. Though I am not necessarily an "XL" sized person, my mother used the XL measurements on the pattern to assure it would be both big enough to combine and to allow for the larger hood. After the cape was initially completely and I tried it on, she made some notes to bring in the shoulders so that it would look less like I was wearing shoulder pads a la 1980's women's fashion.

I was very impressed (and very happy) with how well the cape and hood came out. My mother did a fantastic job putting the piece together. It is also much warmer than I had anticipated, a wonderful surprise. My intent is to occasionally wear the cape to school, and given its weight autumn looks to be the best season during which to wear it. Even my wife, who insists it's a costume and not to be worn in public, was very impressed with the quality, telling me that "your mother should sell these on the internet." Not to be dissuaded from establishing a new fashion trend, I've already planned to wear it to the premiere of the The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (a terrible title) in December, and, obviously) on Halloween, two places it will be accepted, as well as some less likely venues... perhaps my son's collegiate cross-country meets?

Hood up... not so bad-a** with a cheesy smile. (8/10/14)

A VERY macho shot with Black Beard the kitten and I. (8/10/14)

Comic Bookshelf: Doctor Strange Season One

Things get serious for Stephen Strange. Words by Greg Pak and stunning artwork from Emma Rios.

"I'm not evil. Just a little bit selfish. Just like you." 

Dr. Stephen Strange to fellow student Wong in Season One.

Though I have read quite a few back issues featuring Stephen Strange's Master of the Mystic Arts, Dr. Strange has never really been a headliner for Marvel Comics. With a Marvel movie in development, it is a safe bet that interest in Dr. Strange is likely to increase, and that whatever direction is taken with the character's origin will become the accepted standard.

Cover by
Julian Totino Tedesco. 

Marvel's hardcover Doctor Strange Season One, written by writer Greg Pak (Planet Hulk among others) and rising star Emma Rios (Osborn and Pretty Deadly), is one of the publisher's more recent attempts to introduce the character in a dynamic way that sticks with readers. Published in 2012, eight years after J. Michael Straczynski and Sara Barnes' 2004 more grounded take take on the origin story, Doctor Strange Season One again takes a pass at establishing a modern, cinematic view of the story. As heralded on the back cover, this was intended to modernize "the formative first days of Marvel's Master of the Mystic Arts." Unlike other characters that received the Season One treatment, such as the Fantastic Four, Iron Man and Spider-Man, Dr. Strange has always seemed to function on the periphery of superhero-dom, a fact that for me actually increases his appeal.

Consistent with early
Marvel tropes, green is
the color of evil, in
this case Baron Mordo's
magic.

Pak wisely jumps into Strange's origin at the entrance to the Temple of the Ancient One in the Himalayas, electing to recount the events that led our protagonist to this point in his life via flashback. A successful surgeon who has lost the use of his hands to a car accident, Strange is seeking the Ancient One's special "techniques" (at this point he cannot even bring himself to say "magic") in an effort to return to the selfish life of wealth and adulation he lived previously as an American doctor of medicine. It is from this point, and within the context of a search for "three rings of tremendous power," that the reader is introduced to the most common characters and elements of Strange's backstory: the evil Baron Mordo, his future servant/partner Wong, and his true flaw (which in classic Marvel-style is mental/psychological rather than purely physical), hi won hubris.

Usually portrayed as serious and somewhat humorless, here, the characterization of Stephen Strange is more glib. As a cinematic retelling of the origin, it is difficult not to look at it in light of Marvel's most popular onscreen re-imaging in recent memory, Iron Man. While the character has always had something of a physical resemblance to Iron Man's alter ego, Tony Stark, in Season One it is hard not to see much of Robert Downey Jr.'s goateed (in the early days both Stark and Strange were mustached), wise-ass in Stephen Strange. The characterization plays much like a magic-based analog to Stark's tech based character arc, though Strange's access to power is earned while Stark's is the product of his own innate intelligence. Not surprisingly, this theme of "earned power" or "earned worthiness of power" is echoed throughout Pak's retelling and is key to avoiding too great a similarity with Stark.

Likely in part due to both the characters she's been asked to draw and the dynamic staging of action panels, Rios's work has often been deemed "Ditko-esque". (For non-fanboys, artist Steve Ditko was the original artist for Spider-man and co-creator if Doctor Strange.) Rios does had a fantastic eye for filling in the panel completely with detail and action, squeezing as much out of each moment as possible. As drawn by Rios, at the onset, Strange is a weary and broken man. As he slowly begins to regain his humanity as he makes progress on his mystical path, there is a lightness to his presence on the page that reinforces the growth suggested in Pak's dialogue.

One minor drawback (depending on your personal cash flow) to Dr. Strange Season One, and for that matter the entire series of hardcover Season One books, is the cover price. Yes, the hard cover presentation and binding is gorgeous, but for your $24.99, there are only about 100 or so new pages of content. Additionally, this particular volume, there is also a 20 page reprint of the most recent effort to restart the Dr. Strange led team book, Defenders as well as a nine page sketchbook by Rios. My own willingness to purchase the hardcover upon its initial release was based on two factors: my desire to see Dr. Strange given the "star treatment" by his publisher and the creative pairing of Rios' artwork and Pak's writing. To its credit, Doctor Strange Season One is a highly entertaining reintroduction to a character whose presence in the Marvel Universes continues to grow. It also maintains a high level of readability value, thereby making its purchase price easier to accept, and my recommendation of it as very worthwhile.

Summer Reading: Two from Tolkien

Illustration from Smith of Wootton Major by Pauline Diana Baynes.

Full disclosure: I am by no means a Tolkien scholar, nor have I read much of his fictional work beyond The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy. I do, however, have a great appreciation for those novels (and his literary analysis), as well as their cultural and literary impact. I have also recently enjoyed sharing The Hobbit with classes I teach. While on my recent trip to California, my high school friend and I visited a number of small,independent books stores and it was at one that I came across a slender volume containing two of Tolkien's long shorts stories or short novels (novellas), depending on how you look at these things.

Cover by the
Brothers Hildebrandt.

This particular edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham was published by Ballantine Books in 1988, and features beautifully delicate illustrations by Pauline Diana Baynes.  I was also glad to note that this edition has a fantastic cover by The Brothers Hildebrandt, perhaps most well-known by modern fans from their recognizable Smaug-on-mountains-of-gold illustration (a poster of which has hung in our classroom during the study of The Hobbit). The two stories are organized out of chronological order of their publication, and other than both being set in fantastic, medieval settings, Smith (1967) and Farmer Giles (1949) seem to have little in common either thematically or in terms of sharing characters.

Of the two, Farmer Giles of Ham is by far the most accessible. Whereas Smith of Wootton Major's narrative introduces a number of characters, and progresses in such a way that it seems intended to serve as an allegory (despite my online reading revealed that Tolkien insisted that it not be read as such), Farmer Giles is much more straight forward. Smith is a difficult story to properly summarize in a line or two, so I won't make the attempt According to Wikipedia, it began as an attempt on Tolkien's part to explain the meaning  of "Faery," both a central location and idea in this tale of cooks and a magic cake as seen in the image at the top of the post.While I suspect both were written for an audience similar to The Hobbit; for my tastes, Smith meanders too much from idea to idea to be read purely as an enjoyment, though I'm confident there is something here that I may not be clever enough to appreciate.

Illustration by
Pauline Diana Baynes.

While disguised as a fairly traditional heroic narrative, Farmer Giles of Ham is anything but, and it is this juxtaposition of expectations on the part of the reader, that, along with Tolkien's conversational storytelling style, make the tale particularly engaging. Due perhaps in part to the story's subject, Farmer Giles style and language is much more reminiscent of Tolkien's Hobbit than the Rings trilogy.

With the unlikely Giles as its balding, overweight, de facto protagonist, Tolkien uses a number of common fantasy archetypes such as the giant who doesn't realize his own defeat, a cunning dragon, Chrysophylax, who (unlike Smaug) uses his cunning in an effort to survive, and a deus ex machina, the magical sword Caudimordax or, in the vulgar tongue, "Tailbiter." Throughout, the Tolkien's narrator reinforces a strong cultural setting by including descriptions in the formal tongue of the time and the more common, or vulgar, language of regular folk.

Stopping by Barnes and Noble today, I noticed that this double-shot of Tolkien is still available for purchase, though with a slightly less-cool cover. For those who, like I , haven't previously read beyond Tolkien's more popular works, Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham seems to me a great way to gain access to his other fictional writings.

Our new kitten Black Beard warms up the novel for me.

Training Gear Is A Changin'

My observations are based on earlier generation equipment--what I had on hand to try.

For many years(!) I have trained using the Amphibipod RunLite AirStretch Hydration Belt on long slow distance runs. Having preferred the belt to a hand held bottle, and clips to cumbersome straps or pockets, this particular model has proven most effective for many years. There was a time five years ago when I did experiment with other models but these proved ineffective for my use. On a recent run, recently I lost one of the flasks for my belt, so am considering some of the systems I have lying about the house before making an investment if necessary. Some were prices from long ago races, while others have been used by my stepson with some of his training experiences.

This morning's 9 mile loop.

Today I took an older model Camelbak Classic 2 Liter Hydration System with me for my 9 mile run--which for me at this point constitutes a long distance. According to the hydration amount generator on CamelBak's website, the ideal amount of hydration for me 1.3 liters (given the variables I entered), and this particular model (though no longer made in favor of more advanced ones) holds 2 liters. It was given to my stepson (and his teammates) by his high school as a precautionary measure for  insuring the kids would stay hydrated during 3 mile runs each day from school to crew practice at the boathouse. Though the 3 mile run was intended as a warm-up, a number of the less fit student-athletes were concerned about not passing out, thus the CamelBaks.

While I have had success with the Amphibipod products in the past, I quite liked the CamelBak I wore today, especially once I became more familiar with the intricacies of using the delivery system. Though I felt a little self-conscious wearing the vest for what was a fairly short distance on city roads, it was very comfortable. The light feeling of the bladder against my back was a subtly reminder to check my form throughout my run. The belt can sometimes cause discomfort in my lower back as it requires tight cinching to insure minimal bounce. Neither system has easily accessible pouches or pockets, but were I to at some point commit to longer trail races, I would upgrade to a CamelBak system designed for such purposes (and access to gels, etc.).

In addition to feeling really positive about my run this morning, I also felt confident regarding my discovery of this particular CamelBak's comforts. The plan moving forward over the next few weeks is to continue training with the CamelBak on longer runs, and depending on how well I preserve my motivation (as well as increased pace and distance), invest in an updated model in the future. (My true training challenge as always is maintaining any semblance of a proper training schedule once school and cross-country practices and meets begin in September!)

Conferring with the Cardinal

Male Cardinal holding court in the garden. (6/22/14)

Had forgotten about these pics from late-June, taken from my kitchen window, back when our garden had recently been planted. It was right after dinner time and I was loading he dish washer, when a red flash went across my peripheral vision. At first glance I thought it was a male cardinal and three females--of course, upon further review that was not the case, while there was a single female, the others were sparrows. When I saw this scene play itself out I said aloud, it's like a "conference of Cardinals," to which my stepson replied, "sounds like you've got a blog post title!" If only...

Interloper! (6/22/14)

Common ground. (6/22/14)