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Book 11 (of 52) – The Escape Artist

The Escape Artist – Brad Meltzer

Brad Meltzer returns with his first solo work since 2015.  The Escape Artist tells the tale of a military mortician who teams up with the army’s artist in residence, who he knew when she was a child, to figure out what, or who, caused a plane crash that killed a friend of the President.  Can they figure out the truth before the past comes back to haunt, or kill, them?

Meltzer leaves behind his Culper Ring series to focus instead on two new protagonists, who are connected by an event in their past.  Meltzer again weaves obscure historical facts in to his tale, this time about the magician, John Wilkie, who once ran the Secret Service.

This is the 12th Brad Meltzer novel that I’ve read and I am looking forward to the next one, whether it takes 2 or 3 years.

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FB4: Week 10

A good week that started slow but finished strong.  The week got off to a bad start on Sunday, staying inside all day and ending up with only 2300 steps.  The bounce back started on Monday, where I surpassed 9000 steps thanks to multiple jaunts around the workplace.  Tuesday was another bad day, falling a mere 343 steps under goal, despite a post-work dinner with Jeff and a car accident for Tom.  Wednesday made up for that slightly, coming in at 7100 steps.  Thursday was the big day of the week, with a meeting with IBM in the morning followed by my first trip down to Guaranteed Rate Field for the White Sox home opener.  Friday came close to tying it, with 2 trips over to North and a post-work dinner putting me at 9800 steps.  Saturday was another trip to the South Side for exciting baseball, coming in over 7700 steps.

Total steps: 53,388

Daily average: 7626.9

 

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Top 200 Albums – #91 – 98

itunes_imageNearly 4 years ago, we first counted down the Top 200 albums in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2018.

We start the second half with the next batch of 10 albums ranked between #91 and 98, including 4 studio recordings, 3 compilations, 2 comedy albums, and 1 live performance.

#98: Pearl Jam – Ten

iTunes stats: 72 plays
Previous Ranking: 70

The debut album from Pearl Jam places on the list on the backs of 6 different tracks.

#98: Various Artists – Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion
iTunes stats: 72 plays
Previous Ranking: 92

The first soundtrack to the Lisa Kudrow/Mira Sorvino comedy uses 8 different 80s tracks to make up this total, nearly double its previous mark.

#98: Def Leppard – Vault (Limited Live CD)
iTunes stats: 72 plays
Previous Ranking: 107

The import version of Def Leppard’s first greatest hits compilation contained this additional live disc, of which 9 tracks make up this total.

#94: The Beatles – Help
iTunes stats: 74 plays
Previous Ranking: 60

The remastered version of this classic album uses 5 tunes to make up its total.

#94: Patton Oswalt – Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time
iTunes stats: 74 plays
Previous Ranking: N/A

A strong debut from another of Patton Oswalt’s comedy albums.

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2018 Tickets – Northside Edition

After making their third consecutive NLCS appearance last season, the Cubs have once again kept their season ticket package toned down for 2018, letting the product on the field speak for itself.  We start, as usual, with the box, which highlights the expected stars of the 2018 season, including Jon Lester, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras, and Javy Baez.

Inside the box, aside from the tickets themselves, were a few “goodies”, as has been the custom the last few years.  The highlight is a print of the artwork found on the tickets themselves, highlighting the expected stars of the 2018 season.  In addition to that, there was a commemorative season holder pin, a season ticket holder patch, a cell phone wallet, and some new ticket lanyards.

Finally, the tickets themselves.  The Cubs have moved away from the action shots of players for this years tickets, going instead with artists interpretations, but have switched the ticket orientation back to portrait from landscape, which is somewhat disappointing.

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Book 10 (of 52) – The Skin Collector

The Skin Collector – Jeffery Deaver

Jeffery Deaver is back with The Skin Collector, the 11th entry in the Lincoln Rhyme series.  A new killer is roaming the streets of New York, one who leaves tattooed clues on his victims and seems to have intimate knowledge of Rhyme’s methods and a connection to the first case Rhyme and Sachs worked together.

While this was the 11th book of the series, it is at least the seventh that I’ve read.  Deaver knows how to keep things interesting enough to keep you coming back for more.  There are a few more of his works waiting on my Kindle, so I’m sure to add to this total as the years go on.

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FB4: Week 9

Another good week thanks to my adventures in Arizona.  The week started with a trip up to Page, Arizona, where I took in a slot canyon tour and a visit to Horseshoe Bend followed by a brief trip to the Grand Canyon, ending up with nearly 13,000 steps.  Monday started with a walk to Starbucks and then to the airport for my flight home, which earned me another 10,000 step day.  Tuesday sent me back to work, where I finished with just over 7900 steps.  Wednesday was a bit worse, with only 7300 steps.  Thursday was back up again, coming in over 8200 steps.  Friday came close to 7800 steps.  Saturday was the down day of the week, with only 3500 steps.

Total steps: 58,366

Daily average: 8338

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Top 200 Albums – #101 – 109

itunes_imageNearly 4 years ago, we first counted down the Top 200 albums in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2018.

We wrap up the first half with the next batch of 10 albums ranked between #101 and 109, including 6 studio recordings, 2 live performances, and 2 greatest hit packages.

#109: Eminem – The Eminem Show
iTunes stats: 65 plays
Previous Ranking: 74

The fourth studio album from Eminem uses 5 tracks to make up this total.

#109: The Beatles – Abbey Road
iTunes stats: 65 plays
Previous Ranking: 100

7 songs make up this total for the remastered version of the last Beatles album ever recorded.

#108: Bush – Sixteen Stone
iTunes stats: 66 plays
Previous Ranking: 80

5 tracks from Bush’s debut album place it on the list, with only 24 additional plays.

#106: Offspring – Smash
iTunes stats: 67 plays
Previous Ranking: 100

4 tunes, and an increase of 30 listens, from this debut album from the California punk band make up this total.

#106: Cracker – Kerosene Hat
iTunes stats: 67 plays
Previous Ranking: 80

The second album from the Georgia rockers makes the list thanks to 3 songs.

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