Author Archives: David Crampton

Catching up.

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I realize that I have some catching up to do. Nevertheless, I’d like to quote something from my regular blog:

“At 10:30 AM today, I will be getting married to Nikki. We’re Justice of the Peace’ing it, and will have our big ceremony/party in September. But today… today I make the pledge, I say the words, and I give the oath.

If you’re feeling like it, go ahead and smile for me today. I will be.”

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Pidgeon-toed

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Turns out that after having a bad control arm bushing (which started the wacky tread wear) and going months without an alignment (which continued the wacky tread wear, not to mention the car vibration at 65 mph and up), caused the metal bits in the tire to start poking through.

But only in some places.

So, off I go to get an alignment (finally) and a rotation. really should have had my hide for as long as I’ve waited. Anyway, it should be obvious that a pidgeon-toed car gets crappy gas mileage and is not happy. So, Spartan Tire recommends four new tires, but I put it off, because I don’t have the money right then. They align and rotate and my car is happier than it’s been in a looooong time. At about 70, my rear end starts to vibrate a bit, thanks to that wacky wear pattern on the one tire, but I’m riding high because the steering wheel is stable.

At this point, decided to quote . “This won’t do.” So, for an early Nikki Love Day (don’t you dare call it Valentine’s Day), she bought me four new tires.

I should have had these earlier. Even a Sunfire can handle the snow with four new tires. I look back on the wintery events that I’ve missed and curse my lack of car knowledge. Ah, well. Live and learn. In the end, I and my passengers are safer, and that’s good.

Ice Age, Cars, and The Prophecy

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When a two year old loves a movie, it gets watched. A lot. Over and over. As a consequence, I can quote a great deal of Ice Age. I have to say that my opinion has risen, as well. The Tae Kwon Dodos crack me up every time. Zeke the sabertoothed tiger steals the show from the other sabers, and the non-speaking humans (Neanderthals?) show an amazing amount of heart. “Hey, Lord of the Flame, your tail’s on fire.” Four stars out of five.

Another of Aidan’s favorites. I had mostly dismissed these CGI movies out of hand, like most kids’ movies. This one had character development, plot progression, and I actually cared about what was going on. Of course, I’ve seen this one about a trillion and one times, as well. “This might be a bad time, but you owe me thirty-four thousand dollars in legal fees. Uh-huh.” Heh. Four stars out of five.

This one has nothing to do with Aidan. No, really. I think I saw this one for the first time back when I was seventeen and working for Blockbuster. My memory of it was hazy, but I had a favorable impression of it. So, I added -all- of the Prophecy movies to my queue. Overkill? Perhaps. But that’s how I do things. :) Anyway, this one was as good as I remembered it, if not better. Christopher Walken as Gabriel, constantly referring to humans as “talking monkeys”, and needing them for “talking monkey things”. It was dated, sure, and setup was sacrificed for pace, but that didn’t seem to detract from my ability to suspend disbelief. Five stars out of five.

GoodReads Book Review

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The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children by Ross W. Greene

My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was loaned to me in an effort to better understand my soon-to-be stepson and to understand myself. I was extremely cynical about the methods proposed in this book, but the author raised the same issues, and addressed them with respect and without sarcasm or dismissal. Definitely worth the read. I might suggest an addition to the already long title: “and Parents”

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Goodreads review

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Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (Graphic Novel) Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born by Stephen King

My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
A faithful and quality interpretation of the beginning of Roland’s life, if not the beginning of the actual Dark Tower series, if ye kennit. It was so good, I asked for the next one for Christmas from my parents. I may be a thirty-something geek, but I’m not living in their basement. And I asked them anyway. :)

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