Amazon Round Up

As the pace of life continues to pick up, I've neglected to let you know about a couple of good books and a CD that I've enjoyed over the last month or so. First up is a great light weight book to read on your next airplane trip. Never Tell A Lie is suspense novel that is pretty fast paced, and it doesn't go too deep making it the perfect travel distraction. See my review for more details. For something of a little more substance check out Shadow and Light. It is a noir novel set in Germany between the World Wars. Click here for more. Finally, I've been enjoying Jackie Greene's first CD, Gone Wanderin' (thanks, Dad!). It is pretty different from his more recent material, but it's still pretty good. My review gives you more details about his folk-based beginnings.

Until next time...
PH

Favorite Beer Places

I've been thinking about this one for a few weeks now, and I'm finally getting around to starting it. Most of you know that I am a fan of good beer. Early in my career I had the opportunity to travel on a regular basis, and I was able to go to a number of really good places to grab a brew along the way. So, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of them here in case any of you ever find yourself in these places.

My first business trip was to the San Francisco Bay Area for a class in San Mateo. Each day after class, we would drive up to San Francisco to see the sights and explore the many great restaurants. However the end game was always to find some place to wind down the evening with a beer. In many ways, the place I remember from both of my trips is maybe the best place overall that I've gone for beer. It was necessarily that the beer was the best ever, but the overall experience was hard to beat. The San Francisco Brewing Company had good beer but it didn't stop there. It must have been more frequent back in 1998, but I remember a three piece jazz band playing - piano, stand-up bass, and drums. I remember drinking the beer just a little be slower in order to prolong the experience. San Francisco is somewhat of a magical city (although I wouldn't want to live there), and this place was a big part of it.

Until next time...
PH

Amazon Vine Review: The Housekeeper and the Professor

I recently read a fairly short but good novel called The Housekeeper and the Professor. While the title sounds like it might be a cheap romance novel, it is far from it. It is about an unlikely coming together of society's misfits who form a special bond that centers on mathematics of all things. Check out my review for details.

Since I finished that one, I've been reading Never Tell a Lie. While it started slowly, it has turned into quite a page turner. I hope to finish it over the weekend. I am getting pretty close to catching up on my Vine books. I have two more currently on my list, but more on those in the weeks ahead.

Until next time...
PH

Amazon Vine Review: The Busy Family's Guide to Money

How are you with finances?  Perhaps good enough?  Are you like me, and you hate to even give the topic the time of day?  Fortunately, they've written a book for us called The Busy Family's Guide to Money, and I have just reviewed it for the Vine program on Amazon.  If you are already a finance whiz, there's not going to be much there for you.  However I learned a thing or two, and it's a book that points you to additional resources (mostly web sites) for additional information.  Enjoy.

Until next time...

PH

Amazon Review: Garmin Nuvi 205w

My HP GPS bit the dust, and I did a fair amount of research when choosing a replacement.  I decided that all I really needed was a basic, but quality, unit.  Office Depot sets up their GPS units to do simulations so that you can try them out in the store even though the unit is most likely not receiving a signal.  I narrowed it down to the Garmin Nuvi 205w, and after using it for a while I've written a review with details of its performance for anyone interested.  If you or whoever you are buying for is looking for a basic, easy to use unit, this is the one to go with.  A good deal would be somewhere between $100 and $150.  Enjoy!

Until next time...

PH

When artists do good...

In my post yesterday, I mentioned the folk artist Ingrid Michaelson and my review of her debut CD. I have just posted a review of her latest CD Be OK. This will not be the greatest CD that you've ever owned, but it is what the CD benefits that is significant. A portion of the proceeds from each sale go to support Stand Up To Cancer. Most of you know the significance the cancer has had for many in my family. It meant a lot to me that an artist that I like did something to support cancer research. When we hear of so many celebs in the news for all the wrong reasons (Britney anyone?), you have to acknowledge someone for doing something positive. I thought was something nice to share with you during the holidays. Enjoy.

Until next time...
PH

Scattershooting Sunday

In other words, it's time to play some catchup. Christmas has come and gone, and it was a nice one this year. We had a nice music program Christmas Eve at 4:15 followed by services at 5:00 and 7:00. Christy wrangled the music program, and it turned out really well - especially considering that it was the first time Holy Shepherd had done one. Pastor Bramich then had a good sermon Christmas sermon at the 5:00 service.

Afterward, we headed over to Brother Robert's house for food and the traditional gift exchange. It was great to see everyone again, and we had a great time. Here are some pictures from the gift exchange.

Granny got Damon's handmade tank piggy-bank

Brother Robert is bummed that his B&N gift card got swiped on the final play

Then, we celebrated Christmas Day with Christy's parents. We started by exchanging gifts, but then the focus quickly turned to food. While we didn't have Christmas Dinner, Christy and Jeri were busy in the kitchen most of the day with other goodies - pie and cookies, of course! We then had a nice steak dinner that Okey and I enjoyed with a glass of red wine. Here are a couple of pictures from Christmas morning.

Christy and her new earrings from Damon

There's a new Clone Trooper in our house

I've also reviewed a couple of Vine items over the break. Check out my write ups on Ethics for the Real World and Back to Nature's Summer Berry Blend Cereal. I used to think that food items would be difficult to review, but they are actually pretty easy. I've got quite a backlog of books going so look for a few more reviews to come in the weeks ahead. In addition, I've written up a couple of folk CDs as well. Check out Ingrid Michaelson's CD Girls And Boys and Melody Gardot's CD Worrisome Heart. They are quite different, but I liked them both.

In other news, I am now on Facebook as you may notice by the link to the right. It's a social networking site more focused on quick updates and keeping in touch than the longer posts that you will see on Philip's Corner. I plan to keep both active so don't feel obligated to register for Facebook if that is not your thing.

Until next time...
PH