Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon, Buzz Aldrin and Ken Abraham

Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon, Buzz Aldrin and Ken Abraham

2.5 out of 5 stars - All in all, I enjoyed the book because I am a big Buzz and space program fan. But in general, I was a little disappointed. The first part of the book was about the moon landing. It was interesting, but I was hoping for more of a historical view of the moon landing rather than what happened to Buzz afterwards. I wanted to hear more about space stuff, how did we get there, what was it like, what are the astronauts like, what did they do to get there, what are they doing now and how can the public get back on the space train? Several chapters talked about much of the same thing and could have been edited better.

The book starts out with the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 and takes it from there. It takes the reader into Buzz’s depression and alcoholism stages in the years after the historic moon landing. Then it seems to be all about his wife, Lois and their exotic adventures together skiing, working on his Mars Cycler, scuba diving, making appearances in TV shows, congressional committee hearings, meeting very important people, and going to charity and celebrity get-togethers, not to mention the endless speaking tours.

The second part of the book is about his struggles back on Earth, and the end of his first and second marriage. This period of his life had to be deeply emotional for him, yet he implies that he had nothing to do but drink, go to fun events, talk about the moon, and start over again. He was depressed for obtuse reasons. Buzz is clearly an emotionally and a reserved man, but the reasoning behind his emotional escapades lacks any real depth. He was a football hero, went to West Point, fought in the Korean War in fighter planes, had the potential to drop nuclear bombs in Germany, flew around the globe in a space capsule, landed on the moon, was head of a fighter pilot school, and he is depressed? Those accomplishments are more than what most people do in their lifetimes.

The third part of the book is mostly about his current wife Lois and his current jet-setting lifestyle. This last part of the book is the most disappointing. Buzz spends pages at a time essentially telling us about all of the celebrities he is close personal friends with, and how wonderful Lois is. He keeps saying Lois is great, but never really gives us any real window into their lives together except to describe her apparent role as his business manager. His laundry list of celebrity acquaintances also comes across as bragging more than anything else. I really don’t care if he hung out with Tom Hanks or James Cameron on this event or the next. I want to know more about the next journey to space and what he is doing about getting us there. Buzz is an American hero in his own right, and it's puzzling why he feels the need to name drop to such a degree. In the final analysis of this book, it's so much less than it could have been. A great American hero indeed, but not a Dean Koontz story teller.

Next book? Dean, I am giving you the next go around.

Enjoying His Treats

Ready for Halloween!

OA Kid

This is Where Da is!
Da's Photo Wall

Look where your son is....

Where is Brendan?

B in a Basket

Brendan in a Basket

Ahhh!

Look Mama No Hands!

I LIKE Shaving cream!

The sand/water table your folks gave us is good for so many things!
:-) "Put something fun in, Mama!"

B Helping with Bamboo Carnage

B Helping with Bamboo Carnage

Brendan Wants to Send this to Da :)

Brendan Wants to Send this to Da :)

At the Park

We Love the Park!

Pumpkin patch

Brendan can drive too!!! At the Pumpkin Patch.

Getting on the Plane

Getting on the plain for the Middle East. No wonder I didn't salute
the flag, I was busy posing for the camera guy.

The Lion [Hardback]

The Lion [Hardback]
Nelson DeMille, June 2010

The book, The Lion heralds the long-awaited return of John Corey, the egotistical, sardonic ex-NYPD-detective-turned-FBI-Anti-Terrorist-Task-Force agent. Other reviewers disliked the condescending attitude that DeMille portrays. I don’t read Nelson books because he dislikes a cultural group or for his cultural diversity. His main character is a retired New York City cop. Besides the flaws with the main character, the story marks the return of Asad Khalil, the notorious terrorist known as “The Lion.”

When last we heard from him, Khalil had claimed to be defecting to the U.S. only to unleash the most horrific reign of terror ever to occur on American soil. While Corey and his partner—FBI agent Kate Mayfield—pursued him across the country, Khalil methodically assassinates victim after victim before disappearing without a trace. I was reading this first book when 9/11 happened and it frightened me a great deal. I really didn’t want to finish the first book because 9/11 was actually happening. Now, three years later (from the book the Lions Game), a new episode in terror has begun. The Lion is back in America to make good on his threats and take care of unfinished business with the Corey’s, unsuspecting victims, and New York. I've read all of DeMille's books and liked them all of course. Overall, The Lion held my interest from beginning to end.

This is a good action thriller, but differing from some of DeMille's earlier novels, this one has a quick story that flows well. However, I feel the ending was too abrupt. I don’t think John would have fallen for the “text me and meet me here” trap. He would have had a backup plan, and without a bullet proof vest, he wouldn’t have forgotten that. Also, in the final chapter I feel John and Kate didn’t need to be there. Even if Corey knew it was a trap, at least DeMille could have set that up for the reader to believe! I think DeMille fans will be pleased with this installment in the John Corey series and no doubt staying up late to finish this thriller. I give it a three and a half stars, due to the final chapters. I won’t spoil it for you, it was a good holiday read.

Toilet Paper

Where all our Toilet Paper Goes?
I give him that, he is creative

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http://backyardadventures.blogspot.com/
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Action Stations Action Stations, Set Condition One Throughout the
Ship, This is Not a Drill

Hands High!

We Are Painting

Kuwait Pictures

Kuwait Pictures

Our Tents Are Still Here - From 2005 Deployment

Vallejo Group from the 483rd

Happy to be here?

Bear in a Pocket

Brendan has a Bear in a Pocket

Yes Ladies He Cooks

And another classic picture from Lara's Album. Brendan know how to
make scrambled eggs

Where's the Birth Certificate?: The Case that Barack Obama is not Eligible to be President by Jerome R. Corsi (May 17, 2011)

After spending two million dollars to hide his long-form hospital generated birth certificate, have a military cornel put in jail, a dozen lawsuits to keep it under wraps, and when Donald Trump puts a little pressure on the President, a week before this book comes out, if that isn’t a conspiratorial book to read, than I do not know what is. The evidence presented by Dr. Corsi lays out a clear, easily understood history of the obstructionism, which may hold up in any court system (only if it could get a proper hearing in a court). I think this book will change legislation that will require every candidate for the presidency to require proof that they are constitutionally qualified to hold the office before they can be placed on a ballot. I also wish Corsi would add an addendum to the book with all the forgery information out on the Certificate of Live Birth and the Long Form Birth Certificate that just came in April. It's too bad that Obama released a fake birth certificate only one week after they started printing this book. But that is next week’s review.

There is a lot of information on the President’s past in here that Americans need to know about. His past is very convoluted and many of dots portrayed in the book do not match up. This book discusses many of those dots. Corsi looks at Obama's Father, Mother, their history and travels and he explores Obama's step dad Lolo Soetoro. He also takes a look at the media's role in the cover-up. He discusses John McCain, who faced the same probes, yet proved his right as natural-born citizen. He also talks about how the name 'Soetoro' seems to be completely missing from Obama stories, articles, and books, and how he has a step sister who no one even talks about. Lastly he discusses many of Obama’s many names: Barack Hussein Obama II, Barack Hussein Obama (without the designation "II" indicating Barack Obama Jr.), Barry Soetoro or Barack Hussein Obama Soebarkah. The conspiracy moves on to other topics as well, such as the hospital he was born in, even though neither hospital claims that he was born there. And there is more.

Although it does cover other peripheral issues, the heart of this book is Obama's birth certificate. Those following the contemporary politics are familiar with the birth certificate issue, which surfaced on and off since Mr. Obama announced his candidacy back in 2007. There have been numerous personalities who staked their personal interest in this subject, including an attorney in California who filed various lawsuits, an Army medical officer who refused deployment on this basis and a real estate mogul who hired a private investigator and promised the public a stunning finding on the issue. However, no one has actually seen and touched an actual birth certificate. They have all been electronic on-line versions. Court cases are also discussed. But many of these cases are deemed frivolous or are dismissed due to lack of standing. The court cases discussed in this book could be made into a book itself.

Some of the questions asked in the book are: Why has Obama hidden every single one of his past records? It's a simple answer and no one on the Left will even attempt to answer simply because they have no idea why. And finally, the one birth certificate that he has released has caused more questions than it answers. Corsi tries to answer why does he not even appear in any of the college yearbooks for colleges he has attended? Why are his Illinois Senate records locked down tight? Why did his wife give up her license to practice law? Why is anyone who questions Obama immediately branded a racist by the media? There has never been a president or any other elected official who has so shut out the people of the country from learning about him. Why?

Maybe this book will enlighten some people to ask more questions. Because I so believe, I will give Mr. Corsi a solid four-star review… and if you disagree, you are part of the conspiracy. Every person in America should read this book. We have a liar in the White House--one unwilling to tell us who he is. This book says it all and is backed-up with amazing facts and figures. I also enjoyed the timeline in the appendices of the book. The President has a lot of explaining to do.

Brendan at Hilmar Cheese

Brendan at Hilmar Cheese. We Love Cheese!

Little Person Walking

This is my favorite picture ever of the Little Person!

B and Kiki flying

Bee in a Box!

Remember this?

Who's That?

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd (Aug 17, 2010)

"A Duty to the Dead" is an original and a great read. Lara and I started reading this together to help Brendan sleep. We got hooked after only a couple pages. The reader will have trouble putting it down until you have finally reached the end.

The setting was fun and interesting, the characters have depth, and the mystery is defiantly intriguing. Each chapter ends with a “Duuu Duuu Daaannn.” The author makes the reader think ahead, without being convoluted or confusing. Best of all, the story was fun, exciting, even exhilarating waiting for the next event to unfold. I hesitate to give much of a plot summary, because I don't want to spoil anything for other readers. But to give the basic outline, the story opens on the hospital ship the Britannic, where Bess works as a nurse. We learn that she was entrusted with a message to deliver to a (dead) soldier's family. The message and its reception leave Bess with an unsettled feeling and the mystery begins to unfold, complicated by the very unusual family dynamics of her hosts in Kent. This was a wonderful book, and Lara and I could not put it down. I am hoping to see more of Bess when Lara finished book number two. Five star indeed.

Nutella boy

Someone Got into the Chocolate?

Our PCBs

Our Living Arrangements
And I have no idea what a PCB is and I hope it doesn't mean Poly
Chlorinated Biphenol

Getting Ready for Halloween

Getting Ready for Halloween

I Love Kuwait

I really would like to move here! It is such a beautiful place!

First Day in Kuwait

First Day in Kuwait

Our Soldiers from Vallejo

Our Tents are Still There

Our Tents are Still Here, Kuwait, 2005-2011