Imperfect: An Improbable Life by Jim Abbott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I saw this book faced out in the New - Non-fiction section at the Rye Free Reading room, I was hesitant to reach for it. Jim Abbott and I share an uncommon experience (no, it's not pitching a major league no-hitter): living life without a right hand. I wasn't sure what his take on it would be - I'm still not sure after 60+years what my take on it is. But I picked up the book and began to read the introduction - when I read the question his pre-K daughter put to him on Dad's Day at pre-school however, I was hooked: "Daddy, do you like your little hand?"

Tough question. Abbott essentially spends the next 300 pages attempting to answer the question. As I have. We are marked by it. We must live with it and its associations, insults and challenges (Captain Hook!, Were you always left-handed? Shoe-tying, brassiere un-doing). Imperfect made me think about my life. It also made me somewhat relieved that much of what I've experienced wasn't unique - the book is filled with 'aha- moments, tears and laughs that may perhaps only be appreciated by those with disabilities - but I believe that anyone who has encountered hardship or challenges in life will be inspired by Abbott's accomplishments, no matter how many hands they have - and I believe that's Abbott's point - it is the big things that truly matter - love, family, and friends.


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Robert B Parker II

So, then I tried a couple of Spenser novels - I especially enjoyed Sixkill - read by Joe Mantegna, who I have now learned played Spenser on TV in the series, Spenser for Hire which I regret having missed. Spenser adopts Zebulon Sixkill, a full-blooded Cree warrior as a protege and together they have many exciting adventures trying to determine the way a young woman dies in the hotel room of a thug actor, Jumbo Nelson. Wild stuff and there's nothing like the sardonic humor of a Cree to make one LOL.

If you need to know more about Robert B Parker, who died last year, check out this very thorough site listing a critical review of his body of work, including television and movies.

The Thrilling Detective: http://www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/parker.html

Robert B Parker

It's been sometime (to put it mildly) since I last posted to the Pipe - I have continued to use my commuting time to listen to Audio Books, of which the library offers many. I have tended to listen to mostly non-fiction and have ignored most authors in the popular genres - like detective or crime. Until I recently picked up a Jesse Stone novel by Robert B Parker.

Stone is police chief of Paradise, MA and it seems little bit like Cabot Cove ME where what's her name/Jessica Fletcher (played by Angela Lansbury) solved the local murders that seemed to occur with startling frequency for such a bucolic seaside retreat. Paradise is depicted as a sleepy North Shore bedroom community, although it does have its share of freaky inhabitants. Anyway, as Chief Stone deals with his drinking problems and ex-wife, Parker's portrayal of him compels the reader (this one anyway) to care deeply about how the stories will end.

I highly recommend Stone Cold, unabridged, read by Robert Forster and Split image, read by James Naughton. Either of these should carry cautions about distracted driving.

Who's that under the Home Depot Hat?

Yes, it's me under the bucket. In December 2007, a few of the older boys and their dads from our scout troop spent four days at Peggy O'brien Cabin in the heart of the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks. Reaching the cabin entailed a 3.5 mile trek on snowshoes, carrying all our food, provisions, and personal gear in backpacks. I was totally wiped out from the hike to the cabin and had just returned from fetching water from a stream and almost falling into the ICY water - so hiding my head in a bucket seemed pretty reasonable at the time. Tumbling into Bear Creek on the way out (snowshoes and all!) was definitely not cool! But that's another story.

What was absolutely cool is that I think I had that photo from the snowshoe hike in Google or somewhere. When I created Orangeburg Pipe, I added it as my profile picture. The Blogger software picked up on the orange-ness and by some mysterious default, set the blog colors to reflect it...

Summer School - Internet for Beginners

Each Thursday morning this summer, I'll provide a little one-to-one Internet Basics on our Public Access computers. This will be summer casual, relaxed help in getting started on the Internet - what it is and does, how to set up an email account, what's Google anyway?

Here are some links that we will explore:

From About.com, many useful links to get the Internet New User started: http://netforbeginners.about.com/
Basics:
http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/internet101/u/inetbasics.htm)

Encyclopedia Britannica Online Newsletter

http://links.mkt797.com/servlet/MailView?ms=MzEyMjk1NzUS1&r=ODk2MTkxMTUS1&j=NDU0ODQ4NjMS1&mt=1&rt=0


News

Library Public Service Announcement & Colbert Spoof

One of my fvorite blogs, DailyKos, has a bit on the valuable services that libraries provide in today's troubled economic times. Here's the story:

Frugal Fridays: Saving Money at the Library

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/24/1483/2252