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Posts Tagged ‘Friends’

The friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you.
 
    —     Elbert Hubbard
 
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On This Day In:
2022 Putin’s Objective In Ukraine?
2021 It’s 12 O’clock Somewhere
  The Way It Is
2020 And #IncompetentDonald Weakens It
2019 Morning Mirror
2018 Wondering About #45
2017 A Prayer For London
2016 Don’t Default
2015 Her Pilgrim Soul
2014 Three Observations
2013 Robbed Again
2012 Good Hearts
2011 Interesting Reading
  What Are You Lookin’ At?
   

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If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other.  If you do not talk to them you will not know them and what you do not know, you will fear.  What one fears, one destroys.
   ―     Chief Dan George
Animals are my friends… and I don’t eat my friends.
    ―     George Bernard Shaw
Cannibal, n.  —  A gastronome of the old school who preserves the simple tastes and adheres to the natural diet of the pre-pork period.
    —     Ambrose Bierce
From his book: “The Devil’s Dictionary
[This post started with viewing a “Hannibal Lecter” video on YouTube:  he was thinking of having an old friend over for dinner…    —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2022 What Really Hurts
2021 Republican Governors Don’t Help
We’re Coming To Your Town
2020 With Friends Like This…
2019 Still Better Than Third
2018 A Tough Row To Hoe
2017 Just In Case
2016 Republicans Eat Their Young
2015 Still 99%
2014 Affirming The Wall
2013 Maintain The Freedom
2012 All Good
2011 Fountains Of Life
Staying Alive

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The Curse Of Chief Tenaya”   (2002©)  —   book review
Today’s book review is for a historic fiction novel set in 1800’s.  The author is Craig J. Carrozzi.  It is about an Irish immigrant coming to the United States and making his life through the pre-, actual and post- “Gold Rush” in Northern / Central California.
Full disclosure:  Craig (the author) was a member of the football teams I played on while in high school in San Francisco.  After high school graduation, Craig joined the Peace Corps, returned to San Francisco to get his BA and then subsequently lived a good deal of his life in South America.  Like me, Craig was raised in San Francisco.  He is the author of five published books and numerous articles.  Of his five published books – one is about attending a SF Giants baseball game as a youth;  three are semi-autobiographical fictionalized stories about his time in South America;  and, this book (being reviewed) is about earlier days in Northern California.
The book’s main character is Jeremiah Ignatius McElroy.  He is born in Ireland, starts off as a hard life (potato famine and Yellow Fever), moves to the US (via Canada), travels across the country / continent and ultimately becomes a hunter and tour guide in the Sierra Nevada mountains.  His main geographic expertise is the high-country of Yosemite Valley and it’s “cousin”, the Hetch-Hetchy Valley.  He spends the winters in Oakland, CA with his widowed younger sister and her family.  Jeremiah is hired by a wealthy landowner to track down and destroy a Grizzly bear.
This is basically a “man’s” action book with a couple of interesting twists (interesting to me, anyway).  First, the current day action is interspersed with the growing-up portion of Jeremiah’s life.  The author / publisher uses the “trick” of italicizing the historical narration so the reader can clearly “see” when the author is talking about the past.  The second interesting aspect of the book is an obvious attempt to include “real” famous / historic literary figures in the story.  Hence, Jeremiah reads Ambrose Bierce columns in the daily newspaper;  drinks with Jack London in a bar; and, meets John Muir while up in the hills.
The “action” portion is the life of the growing up, becoming a man and then aging and preparing for old age;  but within the specific confines of the plot, it is the pursuit of a giant Grizzly which has been terrorizing cattle ranches in and around the Hetch-Hetchy area.
So, is this book any good?  Is it realistic in it’s character(s) and / or historic depictions?  Is it entertaining and / or interesting?  And, finally, do I recommend this book?
In short – the answer is YES, to all of these questions.  The book is relatively short (225 pages) and the story is a fast and well paced read.  I read it completely in one sitting and found it hard to put down for my own meals.  (This despite a good deal of delicious sounding meals through-out the book.)
In general, the book seems pretty accurate to very accurate in describing both people and locations.  I must admit, I felt the author let a bit of his own “politics” come into the attitudes and language used in some of the conversations.  One example is when Jeremiah uses the word “deforestation” in an extended dialogue.  I looked the word up.  The word is cited as first used around 1870, so it is possible Jeremiah might know it, but it seems to me, unlikely a hunter / trapper / outdoorsman / tour guide would know the word, let alone use the word.  But, these are very minor flaws in an otherwise well written work.  A brief clarification:  I haven’t spoken with the author in over 50 years, so I really have no idea about his “politics” or if they are reflected in the writing.  It’s just how I felt while reading the book.
And, “the Curse” itself?  Well, it created a “hook” and theme for the book, but I felt it could have been better fleshed out.  I’m not sure why I feel that way or how I might have advised the author to improve the story during development, but it (the “hook”, not the book as a whole) made me feel like I was reading a poor mix of “Dancing With Wolves“, “The Last of the Mohicans” and “The Deer Hunter“.  Very much like those movies, the ending is thought provoking rather than PollyAnn-ish uplifting.  A “Good” or “Bad” ending will then depend on the reader’s individual reaction to the ending.  The “curse” was from the last Native American Chief of the tribe (Chief Tenaya, a non-literary, but “real person” from the period) which lived in the Hetch-Hetchy Valley.  He pledged to haunt those who would despoil the tribes sacred lands (the Valley).
I found the book to be between “hard to put down” and “can’t put down”.  That’s quite a statement from this reviewer.  The descriptions of the skies, mountains, valleys, flowers and animals filled my imagination and reminded me of earlier outdoor travels and adventures from my own youth.
Final recommendation:  Very highly recommended if you are into “masculine” adventure type action stories with a historical setting.  Given I was raised in Northern California, I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of “old world” San Francisco, Oakland and the towns from the Bay Area to Hetch-Hetchy.  If you are prudish, be advised there is some minor sexual content, but I felt it was well within the boundary of character and story development.
Disclaimer:  I purchased this book at normal / sale price (for an old / used book) and no compensation has been provided to me by anyone for my opinions in this review.
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On This Day In:
2021 MAGA Choice: Reality Or Lies
You Seem To Be
2020 A Good Reason To Blog
Finally Enjoying The View
2019 Living Free
2018 Relative Imagination
2017 Thank You, Senator McCain (So Far Anyway)
2016 What About Friends?
2015 It Tastes Good To Me
2014 Others’ Footsteps
The Not-So-Modern Samurai
2013 Doin’
2012 A Lover
2011 What Have We Found Here
Words

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To a pioneering spirit who was discouraged by frequent criticism the Master said, “Listen to the words of the critic.  He reveals what your friends hide from you.”  But he also said, “Do not be weighed down by what the critic says.  No statue was ever erected to honor a critic.  Statues are for the criticized”.
    —     Anthony de Mello
Society of Jesus (SJ)
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On This Day In:
2021 They Are All Perfect
End The Drought (Please, God)
2020 Perhaps There Has Been Some Method In My Madness
2019 An Accidental Escape
2018 And I Thought It Was Just My Deodorant
2017 Hannity And Limbaugh
2016 Or He Could Just Be Lazy
Small Hero
2015 Seeking Cultured Leadership
2014 Examining Failure
2013 Driving Passion
2012 Cannibal, n.
2011 Moments Of Truth

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Live so that your friends can defend you but never have to.
    —    Arnold H. Glasow
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On This Day In:
2022 In My Defense…
2021 Mike Could Have Saved Us A Bundle On Border Walls
Is It Too Late?
2020 And Then There Was Yellow
At This Moment
2019 Sin Less Every Day
2018 Probably Only A Little Easier
2017 Stars Above
2016 Where Do You Stand?
Health Update
2015 Leaving On A Mid-Night Train
2014 Questioned Faith
2013 At Home In Fire
2012 A Tale Of Two Books
More Meaning
2011 Back At The Millstone
To Learn, Teach

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Never explain;  your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it.
    —    Victor Grayson
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On This Day In:
2020 The Tragedy Of Trump Republicanism
2019 What Do Your Children See You Doing?
2018 Is #45 STILL Losing America
2017 We Sleep To Remember And We Sleep To Forget
2016 Useful Gift
2015 Who’s The Boss?
2014 What Counts In The Future
2013 Improper Sequence?
2012 Two Gems
2011 A True Test

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Burn old logs.  Drink old wine.  Read old books.  Keep old friends.
   —   Alfonso X of Spain
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On This Day In:
2022 Seek Good
2021 Aging Well
Now And Forever
2020 Always
2019 #45 Is More Of A Piddle Than A Puddle
2018 Found Out
A Message To The “Wanna Be” Dictator On Leadership
2017 Still Waiting…
2016 Same Old, Same Old
2015 Shout!
2014 I Hear Voices
2013 Ethics And Standards
2012 Swing Higher
2011 Convicted For Life

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Six best doctors in the world…:
1. The sun
2. Rest
3. Exercise
4. Diet
5. Self-respect
6. Friends
Stick to them at all stages of your life and enjoy a healthy life…
    —   Charlie Chaplin
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On This Day In:
2022 Still Looking
2021 Misunderestimated
The Sincerest Form Of Flattery
Four Fifths Of Music
2020 Doctor’s Orders
Make That Seven Orders…
2019 Innocent
2018 Ripost
2017 Just Asking…
2016 And 4
How Tall Do You Stand?
2015 More Prejudice
2014 Say What?
2013 Daring Errors
2012 Are You Comfortable?
I Just Have To
In Flux
2011 True New
2010 A Job Well Started Is A Job Half Done
I See With My One Good Eye

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And always remember….
when life hands you Lemons,
ask for Tequila and Salt and call me over!
  —  Anonymous (multiple citations on the internet with no direct attribution)
[As always, if someone knows of the original source, please let me know and I’ll update this post.  —  KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2019 A Perfect Description Of #IncompetentDonald
2018 Beating Feet Again
A Bad Bet
2017 Living Memory
2016 December
2015 That’s Gotta Leave A Scar
It’s All About Me (…Not!)
2014 Bull’s-Eye Next
2013 Change ÷ Time
2012 High Anxiety
2011 To Be, Do
2010 In the Arena…
Not An Island, Today…

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Good friends are like stars……..
You don’t always see them,
But you know they are always there.
    —    William Blake
[Even when hidden behind the clouds…   —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2021 Table Talk
No One Left To Blame
2020 Plant Roots For A Hundred Years
That Seat Is Taken
2019 Shining In The Dark
2018 Sometimes Wisdom, Too
2017 What Do I Know…
Not Much Magic Here
2016 Rare Competition
2015 Now Where Did I Put That Thing?
2014 Reckoning
Orange October (VIII) – Giants Win Game 1 Of 2014 World Series!!
2013 Trying To Capture Serenity
2012 Above The Vaulted Sky
2011 Active Learning

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I would rather have one rose and a kind word
from a friend while I’m here
than a whole truck load when I’m gone.
    —    William Blake
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On This Day In:
2022 A Very Few
2021 Or Blog Every Day
Every Woman Should Have One
2020 Where Are We Going?
2019 One Before I Go
2018 And Blog Posts, Too
2017 Just Doin’ It
2016 Definitely Not Bell Shaped
2015 Dreadful Pity
2014 Worse Than Useless
2013 Personal Prisons
2012 So, Not Yet Then
2011 Real Love

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I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play;  bring a friend, if you have one.
    —    George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second ….if there is one.
    —    Winston Churchill, in response.
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On This Day In:
2022 Still Looking
2021 Misunderestimated
The Sincerest Form Of Flattery
Four Fifths Of Music
2020 Doctor’s Orders
Make That Seven Orders…
2019 Innocent
2018 Ripost
2017 Just Asking…
2016 And 4
How Tall Do You Stand?
2015 More Prejudice
2014 Say What?
2013 Daring Errors
2012 Are You Comfortable?
I Just Have To
In Flux
2011 True New
2010 A Job Well Started Is A Job Half Done
I See With My One Good Eye

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PITY THE NATION

(After Khalil Gibran)
Pity the nation whose people are sheep
And whose shepherds mislead them
Pity the nation whose leaders are liars
Whose sages are silenced
And whose bigots haunt the airwaves
Pity the nation that raises not its voice
Except to praise conquerers
And acclaim the bully as hero
And aims to rule the world
By force and by torture
Pity the nation that knows
No other language but its own
And no other culture but its own
Pity the nation whose breath is money
And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed
Pity the nation oh pity the people
who allow their rights to erode
and their freedoms to be washed away
My country, tears of thee
Sweet land of liberty!
Written by:  Lawrence Ferlinghetti
[Please note:  “Khalil Gibran” is also spelled “Kahlil Gibran“.  The latter is how I “normally” spell the name as this is how it appears on the several books I own.
I found this as a posting on FaceBook by an old friend from grammar school:  Mit (Mithras) Maurille.  Part 1, yesterday’s post was found on the internet.  It is available on multiple sites.     —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2021 Practically Worthless In Every Way
It Never Was
Frustrating Incentive
2020 You Too?
Six Degrees
2019 A Branching Stream
Day 9: One Day At A Time
2018 Pity The Nation (Part 2)
Day 1: Redux
2017 Good Blogs, Too
2016 My Prediction For #AmnestyDon
2015 Worth A Try
2014 I’m Feeling It
2013 May I Have A Little More, Please?
2012 Increasing Doubt
2011 You Can’t Touch This

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Those that lose wealth, lose much;  those that lose friends, lose more;  but those that lose spirit, lose all.
     —    Spanish proverb
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On This Day In:
2021 Losing One’s Edge
Can I Get An Up Front Seat?
2020 Are You Sure?
Who Could It Be?
2019 Living Art
Day 7: Week 1 – Mathematics
2018 Hey, #45: Are We Sick Of Winning, Yet?
Day 40: Wrists
2017 Heart Vision
2016 A Labor Day / Pre-Election Hope
Trust Me, Too
2015 Without Hope
Things Known And Unknown
2014 A Wall Too High, A Bridge Too Far
2013 Glory = Danger
Chicago Magic
Feelin’ It
2012 How Did We Get Here?
2011 Labor Day Weekend Mishmash
More, More, More

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Hold a true friend with both your hands.
     —    Nigerian Proverb
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On This Day In:
2017 Why Don’t You Tell Us What You Really Think?
2016 Discontent
2015 Do You Know Me?
Appetite For Life Update
2014 Tough Journalism
2013 Things I’ve Learned
2012 Abstainer, n.
2011 Rain, Rain, Rain
Test Your Strength
2009 End the mistakes…

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