Observations From Hadleyville

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Monday, December 21, 2009

At this time of year I'd like to pause for a nod to one of my favorite Christmas movies: A Christmas Story. You can find this in the actual house used for the movie. The house in Cleveland Ohio has been turned into a museum for the movie.

Friday, December 18, 2009

DON'S DICTUM

The less a person contributes to society, the more likely that person is to criticize society's flaws.

WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

Thursday, December 17, 2009

DRUIDS OF THE WORLD, UNITE

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

DESTROYER ESCORT: USS HOOPER

To the best of my aging memory, here is a schematic of the ship I served in in the early '70's. Hooper was a DE, Anti-Submarine Warfare ship. I was a boilerman, toiling in the bowels of the ship.

...Annnnnnd the official artists painting.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

Thursday, December 10, 2009

THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

OH HOLY NIGHT

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
O night divine!

Chappeau de Roquemaure

THE (LA) CHRISTMAS SONG

Hotdogs roasting on a BBQ
Sunblock covering your nose
Yuletide carols blasting from passing cars
And friendly folks in their Speedos
Everybody knows, dark glasses and a floppy hat
Help out if the glare's too bright
Sunburned tots with their skin all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight
They know that Santa Annas are on their way
Blowing mild Winter weather every day
But every mother's child is gonna cry
When the seagull droppings start to fly
And so I'm breathing in this smoggy haze
With folks from SPF 1 to 92
Although it's been said, many times, many ways
LA Christmas, LA Christmas,
laid back tutti-frutti Christmas to you.

Paul Aldrich

QUASI-LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Don the Baptist considers himself to be both intellectually deep and extremely humorous. Don the Baptist assumes no responsibility for blog browsers who cannot tell the difference between the two. Blog browsers are advised to consider any "Observations from Hadleyville" content that makes no sense to be the result of a lack of intellect or sense of humor on the part of the blog browser and not that of the blogger. Don the Baptist is a non profit guy so don't bother suing Don the Baptist as it would be a waste of time and resources.

WORDS OF WISDOM FOR WRITERS

The secret of becoming a writer is that you have to write. You have to write a lot. You also have to finish what you write, even though no one wants it yet. If you don't learn to finish your work, no one will ever want to see it. The biggest mistake new writers make is carrying around copies of unfinished work to inflict on their friends.

I am sure it has been done with less, but you should be prepared to write and throw away a million words of finished material. By finished, I mean completed, done, ready to submit, and written as well as you know how at the time you wrote it.
-Jerry Pournelle

WHAT'S THIS HADLEYVILLE THING?

Those of you familiar with Mark Twain’s works might recognize my blog title. As Samuel Clemons grew older, he became increasingly disillusioned with humanity. Towards the end he began referring to the Damned Human Race; employing the secular and religious epithet at one stroke.

I find I’ve not reached that level of despair myself. I still believe in redemption and I still see signs of nobility even among we fallen, damned creatures. So, I could not bring myself to call this blog “On the Damned Human Race.” I do however, resonate with another of Clemmons stories; “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg.” And viola, there you have it. “Observations From Hadleyville.”