Beach Week 2006: What happens at Beach Week; Some final thoughts and reflections

I had a great time and a great trip. As much stress as it can be, it was still wonderful, joyful, and filled with happy chaos! For me the stress is about being outside of my routine ... although the days at the beach had their own kind of routine. 

What happens at Beach Week 

Each morning would start with coffee. I was not the first one up, and whoever it was started the coffee. I would grab a cup and go sit on the porch with whoever was there. Some times, some conversation, other times just comfortable silence after morning greetings. Eventually, someone (usually my eldest sister) would say: "Ready?" And whoever wanted would head out. It was slightly more than one-tenth of a mile to the gate to the private beach. We'd drop our towels (and foot-gear). Then we would walk the beach ... down to the stone jetty at the estuary, and then back to the rock ledge that defined that part of the beach. At this point at least a couple of us would swim, while others headed back to the house. After the swim, back to the house. The total walking portion was just over a mile. It was a restful, peaceful part of the day. For me, being near salt water has some healing properties. I need to remember that, and to get to the beach more often - I need to not be so imprisoned in my daily routine!

The rest of the the day was totally unstructured ... people would get up as they wanted. Some would go out on expeditions or adventures. Often there was a shopping trip, sometimes for that evening's dinner, or for the next night. Lots of time is spent on the front porch, reading and conversations. There are games played in the living room. There are occasional trips to the beach -- some longer some shorter. It is very loose and relaxed. Oh, and did I mention naps? One page in the family calendar often features naps at the beach house.

Several lunches were more organized than in the past, and there will be a further conversation about that. That happened because some folks wanted to participate in the food prep/delivery, but all the "dinner slots" were taken. We'll see how that develops. Dinner is the only "must do" event of the day. A spreadsheet is posted in advance and folks (usually in a pair) would sign up for a night and take responsibility for providing the meal. It's a system that has worked out pretty well over the time we have been doing this. 

Final thoughts and Reflections

For me there are two parts of Beach Week: the travel, and the week itself. This year, much of my preparation was focused on the travel there. That served as the inspiration for posting this series of blog posts.

Being with family in an unstructured environment is psychologically important to me. My siblings are the people in my life who have known me the longest. I am the eldest, and I have memories (especially of the youngest ones) coming home from the hospital! Being with my children and their offspring is also important. This year, I got to spend some time with the fiancee of one of my children and their three children -- and begin to get to know them.

The journey, the physical journey, was also an important reminder about our country and both the differences and similarities. Driving across the country on Interstates gives one impression of the country. One wag noted that, like the railroad tracks, the Interstates do not go through the best neighborhoods. Therefore, what we can see from the highway is affected by that. The US numbered highways tend to be older, and are often the main street through a community. They will go through the business district (with the associated traffic signals), and sometimes past some of the better homes in a community. the view from the highway can give a totally different impression than travel on the Interstate. That is a part of why I chose to do that this year. 

Road Trip 2026 -- The Return

First, some humor. At one point, I headed to the basement of the house to do some laundry. (Remember this was not built as a "beach house," but was built as a home for a family in the early 1900s. The laundry is, as is often true in New England houses, in the basement. I was amused to see the two chairs sitting facing the washer and dryer, as if they those two household appliances were providing entertainment!

Saturday

We checked out of the Beach House, and I was among the last to leave at about 10:00 am. I headed to Costco (near Waterbury) to get gas, and stock up on some snacks for the journey. I traveled a little bit on I-95, but otherwise was on familiar roads from having lived and worked in the area. Post-Costco, it was back on I-84 to head towards Scranton, and I-81/US-11. I thought I had completely gone through Scranton and was in Wilkes-Barre ... but I was wrong. But that is where I spent the night.

Sunday

Headed out with an initial stop at Dunkin (of course). Then down US-11. As with other stretches, the road was similar with rural two-lane 55 mph stretches and then portions which are city streets. The geography was much different. This route follows the Susquehanna River, and thus is not as close to I-81. The Wikipedia article describes it from South to North, and I drove it North to South. [US-11 in Pennsylvania] Somewhere outside of Wilkes-Barre, I missed a sign (or two) and wound up driving through the city. There are some great buildings along the river -- and the river levee made me feel at home, it was similar to those in South Louisiana! It was early Sunday morning, so very little traffic as I negotiated through the city, trying to pick up US-11. 

 

Driving through an industrial area, I looked to my left, and there was Mr. Peanut and a sign saying that this was the original home of Planters Peanuts. I later checked my favorite pop-culture source (Wikipedia) and it is true! (I may have to plan a return visit!) 

 

I found US-11, and followed it on to Harrisburg. Much of that route with the river prominently visible on the left, and sharp hills/cliffs on the right. (Some closer to the road than others.) After Harrisburg, I got back on I-81, until I was approaching the Mason-Dixon Line. I was hoping to find a sign, monument, or some designation along US-11. Either it is very small, or does not exist. As usual, Wikipedia has a great description of the Mason-Dixon Line, the Radius and the Wedge.

 

I returned to I-81, a little disappointed, and continued through the rest of the little bit of Maryland, and "all" of West Virginia to spend the night in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

      

Monday

This was a mostly uneventful day. However, at one point, Waze suggested (and I followed the suggestion) getting off I-81 to avoid traffic(?) or an accident. It took me cross-country along a number of country roads to pick up I-40 in eastern Tennessee. Thence I proceeded to I-75, taking that to Chattanooga and on to I-24 to connect with I-59. From there, it was 20+ miles of Georgia to return to Central Time in Alabama. Spent the night in Fort Payne. No adventures ... just dinner and sleep.

Tuesday 

The final day of travel ... the simplest day ... just driving. 

• Total distance driven, including side quests both along the way, and during the week: 3,333.
• Average mileage: 28.4 mpg
• Total gasoline cost: $311.60
• Highest price per gallon: $4.199 (Gettysburg PA)
• Lowest price per gallon: $3.16 (Cleveland TN) {excludes Baton Rouge}
• Total gallons: 117.007 

Road Trip 2026 - First leg reflections

The first leg of the journey is complete. While I did not travel exclusively along US-11, I did drive some extended portions of that route. As a reliable source for popular culture, Wikipedia has an excellent article on the highway, with links to specific descriptions of each state's section.

Wikipedia article 

Here are some of my observations based on a data set of one, and a journey of approximately 1,700 miles -- so far.

Roads 

Because these highways go from community to community, they do not always take the shortest route, and as a result mean that the travel takes longer. This is the way we (as a nation) navigated around the country after the development of the automobile and prior to the construction and completion of the Interstate highway system which so many of us take for granted.

Traveling these routes have some important reminders:

• There is still a great deal of rural America where it is more than a 5 - 10 minute drive to the nearest commercial establishment.
• There is still a great deal of agriculture going on -- even in places where you do not expect to see it. The agriculture will vary with region. (I started in the warm South where cotton and sugar cane are grown, and ended in the north of corn, soybeans, and other vegetables.

The roads themselves are not monolithic. There are a variety of styles/structures:

• Two-lane (double yellow line), small shoulder, often curving highways through agricultural and forest areas;
• Four-lane with median, often through agricultural areas, and connecting larger communities;
• Four-lane limited access highways, these can be with limited cross-traffic and with no cross-traffic; 
• Four-lane, double yellow line roads often through spread out commercial areas, the edge of an urban area;
• Two-lane roads through a community, often with housing and commercial establishments on the side of the road, and often with parking (usually parallel) along the road; normally these also have sidewalks.

Any given highway can shift from one style to another in a very short distance - and with corresponding changes in speed limits.

Institutional Names 

In each of our communities there are institutions whose names are family and symbolize certain attributes or products. One thing I noted was the changes over the geography. Some national brands were not geographically dependent. For example, Target and Walmart in the store category, MacDonald's and Burger King in the fast food area. In the South, Waffle House is a familiar and reliable site while Dunkin' is spread across the north. (They are both favorites of mine, and unfortunately for me there seems to be only a small sliver of geography which has both.) Gas stations are an interesting arena. There are the national brands (Exxon/Mobil, Shell) and then there are others which seem to be large but regional in nature (RaceTrac is a Southern one which comes to mind). Banks are a different anomaly. While there are some which claim to be national in service and scope, there are parts of the country where any given bank can be under- or un-represented. There seem to be many local and some regional banking systems. I suspect that this is an area of flux.

Hotels, generally the major chains are reasonably well-represented along the Interstates, and less so in the smaller communities. Areas that have longstanding travel destinations also seem to have fewer national chains and more local establishments.

Personal reflection 

Driving the "old roads" takes longer. Between the lower speed limits, and the drop in speed limit for more heavily developed areas, and the longer distances, it simply takes longer. It can be a wonderful view and a great opportunity, but when time is of the essence, the Interstate is the way to go.

 

I also noted that my fuel efficiency was better on the "old road." I was regularly getting 30-31 mpg when traveling exclusively on the US highway, and 27-29 mpg on the Interstate. I wondered why...but I think I know. Back in the days of the first gas shortage (late 1970s) speed limits were dropped to "force us" to improve our fuel efficiency. It seems that automobiles are engineered for maximum efficiency at a certain speed, and that speed is less than what I drive at on the Interstate. [Again, please remember that this is a data set = 1 ... and technically is an anecdote, and not even "anecdata"!]

 

I have greatly enjoyed this part of my journey ... I recently picked up a brochure on the Great River Road, which I am committed to drive all or part of over the next year or two! 

 

 

 

Road Trip 2026, #5 & 6

Not many photos ... some may be found on my Facebook page, but it was a light photo part of the journey.

 Day #5

After arriving in Gettysburg for the night, I got up the next morning with a Dunkin' stop and headed to the battlefield visitor center to visit the gift shop. Mission accomplished, I headed out to Connecticut. Initially the trip was along US highways (2 and 3 digit roads) until reaching Harrisburg. The remainder of the trip was Interstate. The only precipitation of the trip (and it was sporadic and light) was while driving in New York State. It was generally uneventful. Arrived at my daughter's home and spent a nice quiet evening with the family there.

Day #6

Up and moving relatively early, and headed to get gas ($3.99 a gallon, thanks US Government and war in Iran) before heading to the beach. Traffic was pretty uneventful -- even the stretch in I-95 which can be notoriously crowded on summer weekend days. Now settling in for a week at the beach. The park across the street is where our mother used to visit in her childhood. In preparing to link to articles about this, I found that the Wikipedia article (usually pretty authoritative) talks about the park being started in 1940. However a local news article refers to the City as purchasing the land in 1893 -- that was before either our mother or her parents were born!

Next

I'll post some general reflections and observations ... with the trip resuming in a week-ish.  

Road Trip 2026 #4

 Items I should have noted yesterday ...

Drive-in movie theaters! There were several, the one pictured to the left was convenient to stop and take a photo. And it is still active!

 

While I have seen a lot of cows, I did see at least one herd of sheep. I had to take a second look, because it was clear that they had been recently shorn! The second agricultural item I forgot to mention was the poultry barns. Suddenly, I began seeing poultry barns - which I recognized from having seen them growing up. These were different, they were constructed of blocks rather than the wood-framed shingled barns of New England. I am guessing that this was to help keep the poultry cool. From the size, I am guess that they were for chickens, and most seemed abandoned. I did see a couple of newer metal clad ones currently in use, and at one intersection there was a chicken processing facility which let me know that this poultry was raised for meat rather than for eggs -- although the latter is still a possibility.

The morning was devoted to Luray Caverns. A separate set of photos will be mounted on Flickr later (Luray Caverns photos). The caverns were amazing, and needless to say, it was much cooler underground. It seems to me that they are still developing ... there were many places which were damp (more than condensation from warm air hitting cold air), look at the photos.

After leaving the Caverns, the next decision was where to spend the next night. I chose Gettysburg. Waze took me via back-roads on a circuitous route. Among my revelations was how close the Caverns are to Maryland, and also how close Gettysburg is to the Maryland border. The route took me through Harpers Ferry, and if I had planned a little better, I might have spent some time there either at the National Park or at the headquarters for the Appalachian Trail.

 

Dinner was at a "real" diner in downtown Gettysburg! {Formatting note: I am having difficulty getting the text to wrap around the photo the way I want. Right now I am suspecting that there was an "upgrade" to the software which makes that less intuitive - or no longer possible.}

Day 5 will be the last day on the road for the trip north! 

Road Trip 2026, #3

I dilly dallied this morning, and then headed out to Dunkin! (Yay, Dunkin!) It just happened to be on US-11 as I was leaving Bristol. (I'm still not sure if I was in Tennessee or Virginia!) Leaving town, I saw the cabbages.

The route was scenic. This part is definitely in the hills. The terrain is no longer flat, and there are real mountains in the distance. (Note to self: Get some shots of the mountains.) Today had lots of agriculture: corn, cows/cattle, and soybeans or cotton. It's hard to tell from 55mph whether those plant are soybeans or cotton -- from a distance they look very much the same.

There continue to be lots of churches. Fewer Baptist churches, and more Lutheran with an occasional Catholic church. Also a good number of Church of Christ. They often appear near an intersection with a smattering of houses (6 - 10) and sometimes an open (and often a closed) gas station. Occasionally there is a closed general store, and even more rarely an open one (without gas pumps).

The first big town I went through was Abington. It is an incredibly cute town. It seems larger than what Wikipedia reports for its population (8,375). A nice downtown. Architecturally, it seems to have almost every style represented. There are early settlement buildings (hewn logs with daub between), classic wooden Colonial era buildings, solid brick homes and storefronts, and the more modern. (On reflection, I am not sure I can identify a 21st Century style, but all the others were present.) Lots of arts and crafts stores and Main Street (Lee Highway) seemed pretty active for a mid-week morning. But, that could be because it is summer!

I kept on US-11 all the way to Wytheville. Another cute downtown where I stopped for lunch.

Driving along had me thinking about the businesses I was seeing. (I think it was the Ashley Furniture on Main Street Wytheville that set off this chain.) There are national chains everywhere: CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Target. The first two often in the business district the other two more likely to be on the outskirts of town. There are churches (see above). There are the banks. Most of the banks are local or regional often with names like {ordinal number}{optional place name} [State/National] Bank {of place or region}. Which makes one of my favorite names Fifth Third Bank. While there seem to be regional grocery stores, they tend to be more regional. I know saw one Kroger, and have seen several Food Lion. Any other chains are not familiar enough for me to remember.

Driving on US-11 yesterday was not particularly quick, and after Wytheville, I decided to get back on the Interstate to make time to Luray Caverns. The universe had other ideas. There was an accident on the Interstate and Waze helpfully navigated me off. But, I think I put a lot more miles, and I know it felt much less direct. As a result ... no caverns. That will happen as the start to Day #4. 

 

Road Trip 2026, #2

After a solid night's sleep, I headed out on I-59, through Birmingham and beyond. The last several years there had been much reconstruction between Birmingham and the Georgia border, but most of it has been completed, and the road was in great shape, a pleasant drive. As I approached Fort Payne, the signs for the "Alabama Museum" intrigued me, and I headed off. It is technically the "Alabama Fan Club and Museum" and is a collection of memorabilia (and gift shop) for the band Alabama (not the state!). 

From there, I headed out on US-11 North, through the remainder of Alabama and into Georgia (23 miles). Downtown Fort Payne was definitely cute, and when Flickr returns, I'll be adding all my photos including one of the downtown murals there. [Miscellaneous photos from the trip are here.] I am not sure what drives the economy in Ft. Payne, but it was interesting to watch the transition as I headed North (actually, northeast, but the road is labeled N-S). There were some very nice, new homes, and a country club, and a new development. This was followed by more modest homes, and eventually a return to the rural. The land forms are definitely different, having moved from the low flat land of southern Mississippi to the hills of northern Alabama, but there were some notable similarities in the small towns, remnants of past commercial activity, and the clear economic divides. Going into Georgia, I lost an hour as I transitioned from Central Time to Eastern Time. 

I also decided to try to find Lookout Point in Chattanooga (again). After returning to the Interstate, I stopped at the Welcome Center and the nice staff member gave me some good hints. The previous time I tried, I must have missed a turn somewhere ... This time I had success. I'll post the plethora of photos from that visit in a separate Flickr folder. [Lookout Mountain photos]

After that exploration, I headed out to Bristol (VA or TN, I am not sure. The city straddles the border! They share a public library system.) The hotel I chose to stay at is next to the Interstate and adjacent to a car dealer with an interesting way to advertise.
 

Road Trip 2026, #1

This will be a series ... I am headed for a week in New England, but since I am retired, I don't have time pressures. I'll be driving as I usually do, but I decided it was time to see the sights.

Last year I noticed something about my route ... I normally take I-10/I-12 to Slidell (LA) and pick up I-59 which goes all the way to Chattanooga - part of it concurrent with I-20, part concurrent with I-24. I then pick up I-75 to I-40 through Knoxville and on to I-81 which goes along the "back spine" of Virginia through West Virginia and Maryland and into Pennsylvania. Last year I went all the way to Scranton to pick up I-84 to traipse into Connecticut. What I noticed was that even with that variety of Interstate routes, and numbers, I seemed to be paralleling US-11.

 In its inimitable way, Wikipedia, that source of all good pop culture info, has a comprehensive article on US-11. In that article it notes: "U.S. Route 11 or U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) is a major north–south U.S. Highway extending 1,645 miles (2,647 km) across the eastern U.S. The southern terminus of the route is at US 90 in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_11)

 I had a dentist appointment in the morning, and my dentist is in New Orleans, so I decided to start this year's trip by heading out on US-11 from the beginning! 

Here's my intrepid traveling companion, Chickie, on the car roof with the intersection in the background. The starting point has no marble marker, nothing to indicate that it is the beginning of such a long route!

Getting there involved taking Claiborne Avenue through the City and then catching up with Chef Menteur Highway on the other side of "the high rise." The early part of the journey on US-11 goes though the swamp ... parallels some waterways, and works its way through Irish Bayou before crossing I-10. The bridge for US-11 is low, but not unreasonably low to the water. It runs across Lake Pontchartrain between the railroad tracks and "the Twin Spans" of I-10. I saw a freight train headed to New Orleans as I headed towards Slidell. {No photos, I was driving!}

 The route through Slidell goes through some of the more water-focused neighborhoods before becoming a major street headed through the city. Eventually, it joins for a bit with I-59 to get into Mississippi. I went back on US-11 and followed it through Mississippi to just north of Laurel. It served as a reminder of how rural so much of the country is. There were large stretches of just vegetation. I saw areas where timber harvesting had taken place -- and saw about a dozen loaded log trucks along the route. Many small communities with older abandoned gas stations and other businesses. Some nice houses, and some trailers. Some were very well kept, and others, not so much.

I was charmed by downtown Hattiesburg -- although the route signage disappeared after the business district. I thought it was a cute little city. I had heard much about Laurel (MS) and the charming houses. However, it must be that US-11 does not travel through those neighborhoods, and I was underwhelmed.

After Laurel, I got back on the Interstate, and reached Tuscaloosa for the first night's stay.

More tomorrow! 

ALA Annual 2026 - Where is Michael?

 It's been a couple years. ALA stopped doing the January event a couple years ago (and I had stopped attending before that). Last year, with retirement imminent, I did not go to Philadelphia. But this year, I am in Chicago! It has been a few years since Aaron Dobbs and I pushed the envelope of Google Calendar and the ALA-provided scheduling app. [Google Calendar has (or had) a maximum of 42 events a day!]

 Here's what my Chicago schedule looks like -- always subject to change:

 I am having issues in getting this to show as an agenda ... so you may have to click on the icon in the upper right to see that format.

Books Read 2025

This list is, once again, really, really late! I have sort of abandoned this blog. And, for whatever reasons, I have not been reading books -- lots of reading, but mostly email, newspapers, social media. Here's the 2025 list:  

Lonely Planet: Panama by Rosie Bell, Ryan ver Berkmoes, Alex Egerton, Jen Ruiz, Jesse Scott

The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Kingfish U: Huey Long and LSU by Robert Mann [Author signed/LLA 2025]

You Are My Sunshine: Jimmie Davis and the biography of a song by Robert Mann [Author signed/LLA 2025]

America Redux: Visual stories from our dymanic history by Ariel Agerg-Rigger [LRC selection 2025]

Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck [in the Library of America edition]

A Bitter Wind A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery by James R. Benn ARC

The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics by Tim Harford [Work topic]

Killer Underwear Invasion: How to spot fake news, disinformation [,] + conspiracy theories by Elise Gravel [LYRC 2023 noninee]

Note that prior year reading lists are linked from this page:

https://michaelgolrick.blogspot.com/p/previously-read.html

Book Review: The Old Man and The Sea

 

 

I can't tell you how many times I have handed this book (with the earlier cover) to library patrons over the years. Yet, I had never read it! Not sure why.

It is a simple story covering less than a week, and focusing on a three-day battle between an old fisherman and a fish (shark). It includes a story of the interactions between the fisherman and a young man who spends time with him.

I am still parsing the meaning of the metaphor/analogy presented. I will need to think some more. 

Book Review: You Are My Sunshine: Jimmie Davis & the biography of a song

One of the speakers at the Louisiana Library Association (LLA) Conference this year was Robert (Bob) Mann. He is a a professor emeritus of mass communication at Louisiana State University. He held the Manship Endowed Chair in Journalism at the Manship School of Mass Communication at LSU for 18 years. He is the author of ten books, including critically acclaimed political histories of the U.S. civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, American wartime dissent, Ronald Reagan, and the 1964 presidential election. {source: https://www.robertmannbooks.com/about-robert-mann} He worked as a journalist and then for several prominent Louisiana political figures.

This book is a combination of history of the song and its popularity, biography of Jimmie Davis, and commentary both on aspects of Louisiana politics and the societal issues from the 1920s to the present. It is exceedingly well written.

So many of us have sung or heard this song sung with no understanding of the origin story. I did not know very much about the two-time governor Jimmie Davis before I read this book. As I noted above, one of the foci of the book is his complicated story.

As part of the analysis of the song, Bob Mann includes discussion of the various "covers" of the song over time. Someone who is more musically astute than I could make a great web site linking to all the different versions which have been recorded over time. I would enjoy listening to some of these while reading the stories of how they came about.

It is a well researched work with 17 pages of footnotes (technically end notes), seven pages of bibliography, and an index. Anyone doing work on Jimmie Davis or the role of this song in the American pantheon would find this a seminal work. I am very glad that I read it!

P.S. I commend reading this article about his departure from LSU. It has some interesting, pointed perspectives including on the brain drain from the state: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/10/why-robert-mann-quit-lsu.html 

Books Read - 2024

Well, this list is really, really late! Without having gone to ALA's Midwinter event, I had sort of abandoned this blog. And, for whatever reasons, I have not been reading books -- lots of reading, but mostly email, newspapers, social media. Here's the 2024 list:

Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton

The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics by Tim Harford [Work topic]

 Dawn in the Dooryard: Reflections from the Jagged Edge of America by Timothy Cotton Author signed; family holiday grab bag

Writing the Big Book: The creation of A. A. by William Schaberg

A History of the Louisiana Library Association, 1925 - 2000 edited by Alma Dawson and Florence Jumonville @work

At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier [Book discussion book from a sister-in-law]

From Prison Cells to PhD: It is never too late to do good by Stanley Andrisse

Red Harvest: A graphic novel of the Terror Famine in 1930s Soviet Ukraine by Michael Cherkas [GN=Graphic Non-fiction]; ARC @work

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng [Book discussion book from a sister-in-law]

How Far the Light Reaches: A life in ten sea creatures by Sabrina Imbler

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender YA - LTRC

First-Hand: A Memoir of Life in 1950's Mandeville LA by J. Vernon "Butch" Smith

Let's Talk About It: The teen's guide to sex, relationships, and being a human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan [GN=Graphic Non-fiction]

Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier, Val Wise, and Oscar O. Jupiter [GN=Graphic Novel; LYRTC @work]

Museums & Women and other stories by John Updike

Saint Juniper's Folly by Alex Crespo [YA, ARC]

Glengarry Geln Ross: A play by David Mamet [@work]

My Selma by Willie May Brown [ARC, YA - intro speaker at ALA LibLearnX 2023]

Nothing Interesting Ever Happens to Ethan Fairmont by Nick Brooks [ARC, YA, signed by the author]

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson [@work]

Jikji, light from the East III published by Cheongju Early Printing Museum

Note that prior year reading lists are linked from this page:

https://michaelgolrick.blogspot.com/p/previously-read.html

ALA Annual 2024 - Where is Michael?

Updated 6/26:  Calendar synch completed ... But still very much a work in progress.

Here is my tentative schedule for ALA Annual in San Diego. Note that it is still tentative! There is only one Thursday event. Astute readers (do I even have any?) will note that there is a dramatically smaller number of events and conflicts. It was a decade ago that my friend Aaron Dobbs and I found that you can only have 46 calendar events in a day.
If you have previously viewed this, you may want to refresh to be sure that you have the latest version of my calendar.
(Note: I have figured out how to make "Agenda" the default view.) Clicking on any event will show details. I think have also mastered having the time zone correct, but I could be wrong! I will need to test upon arrival in San Diego.

The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics by Tim Harford: A review

The US edition was published in 2021 -- so I am a little late to the game. But this is a great read. It does not delve deeply into math, but could be a companion to discussion on web evaluation ("fake news") as well as basic math literacy.

Here are the ten easy rules ... but I strongly recommend reading the book:

1. Search your feelings
2. Ponder your personal experience
3. Avoid premature enumeration
4. Step back and enjoy the view
5. Get the backstory
6. Ask who is missing
7. Demand transparency when the computer says no
8. Don't take statistical bedrock for granted
9. Remember that misinformation can be beautiful, too
10. Keep an open mind

And ... the golden rule: Be curious

And while he has a web site [https://timharford.com/] in my initial wandering around, it does not say much about this work on statistics [although you can readily purchase the book on his site] ... he has moved on to other topics.

Books Read - 2023

This year had no real pattern ... no plan ... I just pulled books from the pile. I was given a few books by a sister-in-law who had read them in her neighborhood book group, so couldn't just leave them in the community center. (I figured that if I didn't want to read them, I would give them to my public library book sale!) Here's the 2023 list:

At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier [Book discussion book from a sister-in-law]

From Prison Cells to PhD: It is never too late to do good by Stanley Andrisse

Red Harvest: A graphic novel of the Terror Famine in 1930s Soviet Ukraine by Michael Cherkas [GN=Graphic Non-fiction]; ARC @work

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng [Book discussion book from a sister-in-law]

How Far the Light Reaches: A life in ten sea creatures by Sabrina Imbler

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender YA - LTRC

First-Hand: A Memoir of Life in 1950's Mandeville LA by J. Vernon "Butch" Smith

Let's Talk About It: The teen's guide to sex, relationships, and being a human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan [GN=Graphic Non-fiction]

Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier, Val Wise, and Oscar O. Jupiter [GN=Graphic Novel; LYRTC @work]

Museums & Women and other stories by John Updike

Saint Juniper's Folly by Alex Crespo [YA, ARC]

Glengarry Geln Ross: A play by David Mamet [@work]

My Selma by Willie May Brown [ARC, YA - intro speaker at ALA LibLearnX 2023]

Nothing Interesting Ever Happens to Ethan Fairmont by Nick Brooks [ARC, YA, signed by the author]

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson [@work]

Jikji, light from the East III published by Cheongju Early Printing Museum

Note that prior year reading lists are linked from this page:

https://michaelgolrick.blogspot.com/p/previously-read.html

ALA Annual Conference - Chicago!

Updated 6/12:  Calendar synch completed ... and photo from Midwinter added for visual interest.

 Here is my tentative schedule for ALA Annual -- in Chicago! Note that it is still tentative! There are Thursday events for me ... I have events in the official ALA Scheduler which have yet to migrate to my Google calendar -- but they will!

If you have previously viewed this, you may want to refresh to be sure that you have the latest version of my calendar.

(Note: I have figured out how to make "Agenda" the default view.) Clicking on any event will show details. I have also mastered having the time zone correct, but this time I am again living in the Conference time zone! 

ALA Midwinter ... Ooops, LibLearnX 2023

Here is my tentative schedule for LibLearnX (formerly known as ALA Midwinter). Note that it is still tentative!

I am driving to New Orleans on Friday, and will be leaving (perhaps with an airport stop) after the closing ceremony on Monday (Note: I have figured out how to make "Agenda" the default view," I think.) Clicking on any event will show details. I think I have the time zone correct, but this time I am living in the Conference time zone! 

Of particular note, I am the "moderator" for Willie Mae Brown who will be talking about her new book My Selma. I am nervously looking forward to that event. (Saturday at 4.)

Books Read - 2022

There are themes to this past year's reading. First, this list is in reverse chronological order. The last read is the first.

Actually there are two themes and they are biography/autobiography and lengthy (fat) books. Other than Cheever's writings, what I read was all biography/memoir. Some might argue that even the Cheever writings are memoir-like. He certainly drew on his life experience and the places in which he had lived. [Reading Cheever was the completion of a sequence that I started in 2021 by reading his daughter's works, including ... wait for it ... biographies she had written and her memoirs.)

The second theme/pattern - especially for about the first 3/4 of the year was length. It seems like two book, how much could that be? But if counted in pages, that almost 2,000 pages. The Grant biography was almost 1,500 pages. That's three books totaling almost 3,500 pages.

 The combination of reading the Grant biography and The 1619 Project was very appropriate. Grant, as an army general and as President, tried to set the stage for a fully equitable society. His role (other than as the General) was not something of which I had been aware. I understand better why his portrait is on the $50 bill!

The end of the year introduced a new aspect: graphic non-fiction. Prior to reading Maus, I don't think I ever read a full graphic novel. While people would say that the three I read were graphic novels, they really aren't. Maus is a "told to" memoir; Monumental is a documented biography; Gender Queer is a memoir. They are not fiction ... hence my "tag" referring to them as GN=Graphic Nonfiction.

On to 2023!

Having said that, here's the 2022 list:

Dirtbag, Massachusetts: A Confessional by Isaac Fitzgerald signed by the author

Monumental: Oscar Dunn and His Radical Fight in Reconstruction Louisiana by by Brian K. Mitchell, Barrington S. Edwards, Nick Weldon GN=Graphic Non-fiction

Gender Queer: a memoir by Maia Kobabe GN=Graphic Non-fiction

Maus (both volumes - box set) by Art Spiegelman GN=Graphic Non-fiction

The 1619 Project:a new origin story Edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones [creator], Caitlin Roper, Ilena Silverman, and Jake Silverstein

Home Bound: An uprooted daughter's reflections on belonging by Vanessa A. Bee ARC, signed by the author

Grant by Ron Chernow -- Blog post here.

Dragon Teeth by Michael Chrichton

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

Complete novels by John Cheever, Library of America; Blake Bailey wrote the chronology and notes for this volume. [At 906 pages, I feel like this should count for more than one book!] Blog post here.

Collected stories and other writings by John Cheever, Library of America; Blake Bailey wrote the chronology and notes for this volume. [At 1004 pages, I feel like this should count for more than one book!] Blog post here.

Grant a significant biography

Earlier this year a friend posted on Facebook about the bicentennial of Ulysses S. Grant (April 22). I quickly realized how little I knew about the 18th President. I knew he had been a general, and was the commander of Union forces who accepted the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox. He also had a reputation for being (depending on to whom you listened) a heavy drinker or a drunk. I also believed that his administration was wracked with scandal.

The book by Ron Chernow is massive. The copy I borrowed was in large print - and the text ran to 1,289. Those pages are followed by another 190 pages of notes, bibliography, and photo/illustration credits. (It is a pretty fat book at 1,479 pages!)

Grant was much more than just a general and a drunk. While this biography talks about his drinking issues, Chernow notes that whatever drinking Grant did was away from any significant activities. He was not ever drunk during a battle or a crucial time in his administration. Some of that credit belongs to one of his personal assistants, and to his wife Julia. He did have a "drinking problem," but especially at the end of his life, he seemed to be able to control it. According to this biography, he never drank leading up to and during a battle. He would occasionally go on binges. There were two people who helped reign him in, one was his wife Julia, and the other a long-suffering and long-serving assistant John A. Rawlins. It's a fascinating relationship, and there is one (much shorter) version of the story on History.net.

I strongly recommend the book. The description of Grant's political acumen and actions as President were not something I had known about. The election of his successor ushered in the era of Jim Crow, which undermined much of what Grant tried to do as both a General and as the President.

The very end of his life was sad in that he rushed to finish his memoirs (published by Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain) in order to leave funds for his wife. The next time I drive east, I will try to visit both his tomb (in New York City) and where he spent much of his final time writing in Saratoga Springs (NY). I suppose, his version of his life should be added to my reading list!