(originally posted August 24, 2017)
The Armchair Squid turns eight years old today. It's time to hand out some hardware. And the Squiddy goes to...
Biggest Surprise: Patrick and Marcelle Leahy
It was certainly a surprise to go out to dinner and
find our senior Senator and his wife sitting at the table next to us,
celebrating their wedding anniversary. Even more delightful, the
statesman told us a joke:
"I run three miles everyday.
If I miss a day, I add it to the next day's run. So far, I'm 8,412
miles behind. I'll run four miles tomorrow."
Biggest Disappointment: Trump
By conscious choice, I don't delve into politics more than necessary here at
The Squid.
But the dark and depressing subject of President Donald J. Trump did
come up in one of my book reviews. There have been other
disappointments this year but none compares to the big one. Things only
seem to be getting worse, too. I don't even think I'm being partisan.
This has to be a nightmare for most Republicans, too.
Any
bets as to how many months we have before they're swearing Mike Pence
in as our 46th President? Or will it have to be Paul Ryan? Orrin
Hatch?
Best Read, First-Time Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne
Okay, so is it a great piece of literature? Probably
not. But there is no series in the world for which I approach a new
book with greater eagerness. Does it even live up to the originals?
Probably not. Does it leave me wanting more, more, more? Most
certainly, yes.
Hogwarts Forever!
Best Read, Re-Read Category: Play Winning Chess by Yasser Seirawan
I have done my best to get back into chess, though I've slacked off of late. I first read Yasser Seirawan's
Play Winning Chess
series back in the late '90s, I think. His books are a lot more fun,
and more forgiving, than most chess writing so I am glad for the excuse
to revisit them.
Best Comics Find: James Sturm
Sturm is a co-founder of the Center for Cartoon
Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. One of the clerks at our
local comic shop studied under him and recommended his book
The Golem's Mighty Swing to us. It's one of two Depression Era baseball books for Sturm, the other being
Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow.
Athlete of the Year: Honus Wagner (1874-1955)
Honus Wagner was one of the greatest baseball players
of all time, playing most of his career at shortstop for the Pittsburgh
Pirates in the first two decades of the 20th century. I read a
biography about him just last month. It was good to learn more about
the man behind
the baseball card.
Best Family Adventure: Montreal
Our
February trips to Montreal are always a major highlight for us and this
year was no exception. We discovered loads of new (to us) restaurants
and museums. My mouth still waters thinking of the kawa (chicken skin)
yakitori at Otto, not included in the photograph because we'd already
eaten it by the time we thought to take pictures.
