Author: CaptainJaq

I am a father as well as a world traveling, dog loving, scuba diving, book collecting, writer - currently residing somewhere in Eastern Europe. His words have been spoken by Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and Robin Hood, been read by David Copperfield, and criticized by his 7th grade English teacher. He'd like to thank the members of the Academy, although he doesn't know why. In his spare time, he's a university professor and a kick-ass uncle.

Belgium 2016 Day 1 – Mannekin (and sky) Pis

With RocketSo, Belgium.

Wasn’t supposed to be here all by myself but them’s the breaks. Rasa was supposed to join me, but they wouldn’t give her the time off work and then sent her to Germany besides, so here I am. Thing is, a couple months back, RyanAir (that bane of the comfortable traveler) had a special and it was either Brussels or Paris for us. Since that was right around the time of the terrorist attack in Paris, we opted for Belgium. Besides, I’d never been before and it was as good a place as any. So I booked the flights and we figured Rasa would get the time off after the three months probation period. At least we hoped so. We we wrong. Continue reading “Belgium 2016 Day 1 – Mannekin (and sky) Pis” →

Review: Bloom County: The Complete Digital Library, Vol. 4

Bloom County: The Complete Digital Library, Vol. 4 Bloom County: The Complete Digital Library, Vol. 4 by Berkeley Breathed

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Going back to re-read these collections is like visiting an old friend. In this 4th of the yearly volumes you can see Breathed is hitting his stride. The characters are really in place and the softball political humor is in the strike-zone (don't get me wrong, a softball can still hurt if it hits you, but won't do any permanent damage and that's exactly what the politics is here). Continue reading “Review: Bloom County: The Complete Digital Library, Vol. 4” →

David Bowie 1947-2016

From the “Heroes” photo session by Masayoshi Sukita

David Bowie died.

He was probably my first rock and roll hero. I remember seeing him sing Space Oddity on some early 70s TV show, then seeking out the song, finding it on cassette on ChangesOneBowie. From there it wasn’t hard to pick up the albums which had come before and stick with the man through permutations and variations. I identified with him. He was the ultimate shapeshifter, able to morph into whatever guise was required at the time. I knew I wasn’t alone in this, but it wasn’t until yesterday, when news of his death was made known that I realized just how many people identified with him. Continue reading “David Bowie 1947-2016” →

2016 Reading challenge(s)

wpid-Photo-20150809132420691.jpgAs we roll over into 2016, a number of reading challenges have made themselves known. I think for next year, I’ll actually make one of my own but for this year, I’m just going to link to a couple of them.

Honestly, I love this. We’ve become a nation, a world, where gameplay is everything. Where if there’s no “challenge” then there’s no reason to do anything. This is why we “tag” people on Facebook, to push them into doing some silly task or even something worthwhile (the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge… but see, there’s that word again.) Continue reading “2016 Reading challenge(s)” →

PAY THE WRITER—Pirates, Used Bookstores & Why Writers Need to Stand Up for What’s Right | Kristen Lamb’s Blog

Thoughts for a Sunday MorningSource: PAY THE WRITER—Pirates, Used Bookstores & Why Writers Need to Stand Up for What’s Right | Kristen Lamb’s Blog

I’ve long thought about the fact that an author only gets paid for a sale of a “new” book. And while I love used book stores (and hey, I’m a book collector, remember?) this post by Kristen Lamb is incredibly concrete on the idea of getting paid for one’s work.

Speck

Speck

Yup.

That’s an ultrasound image.

Yup.

That’s the start of my baby, scheduled to enter this world next July (which, yes, makes it, barring unforeseen circumstances, a member of the class of 2034, which is the most terrifying thought of all of this).

Yup… gonna be a dad.

At this point we’re calling it Speck and I guarantee there will be a bit more blogging about this particular life event for the next… well… ever.

 

New Acquisitions | Jonathan Kearns Rare Books & Curiosities

Source: New Acquisitions | Jonathan Kearns Rare Books & Curiosities

if you are a fan of weird and speculative fiction, a book collector (or better yet, both) you need to look through the latest catalog from Jonathan Kearns Rare Books. Not only does he have some splendid tomes for sale (and if you don’t see anything for you, check with me, I have a wish list running), but his descriptions themselves make for wonderful reading!

Christmas, Mažeikiai style

Rotuse tree
This is in Kaunas

For the second year in a row, we headed to Rasa’s hometown of Mažeikiai to celebrate Christmas. This year, though, was going to be a bit different. Rasa has a job now, so her time off schedule is quite different. Instead of being able to spend a leisurely week or so as we did last time, we only had a few days, counting the weekend. So instead of relying on relatives, friends or public transport, we decided to rent a car for the few days. It gave us more flexibility and freedom. Continue reading “Christmas, Mažeikiai style” →