A Bloy and his Blog

I’ve always been a little fascinated with the concept of time travel. So when I saw the book The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, I just had to pick it up. I was glad I did. The author had me hooked right from the beginning of the story. It’s about a man named Henry, who is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder, and his wife Clare. The disorder causes Henry to periodically be misplaced in time, drawn to people and moments that have emotional importance to him. Clare first met Henry when she was six and Henry was thirty-six. Henry first met Clare when he was twenty-eight and she was twenty. Confused? I was too at times, but it actually makes the story that much more interesting.

Henry’s disappearances (and subsequent shifts to other times) are unpredictable. At times they can also be humorous and distressing, making the book funny, sad, romantic and even a little suspenseful. The way the author created that emotional combination made The Time Traveler’s Wife one of the best books I’ve read in a while.

It can be a real downer watching your favorite football team lose in an opponent’s stadium. This past Saturday I was at Ryan Field when Wisconsin lost to the Northwestern University Wildcats. I think the worst part of the whole experience was hearing all of the Wildcat fans cheering and having a good time when I was so disappointed. It’s one thing to watch your team lose in its home stadium, but when most of the crowd is cheering because your team is making mistakes (and losing the game) it can be very disheartening.

How soon until basketball season starts?

A new web creation of mine, Mixed Nuts Comedy, went live today. To read a little about the creative process behind the site, check out its page in my portfolio on www.BloyDesigns.com.

Update: February 9, 2007
As of today, the domain BloyDesigns.com no longer exists.
Information about my web development work can be found on my resume.

Right now where I live we are in the middle of Indian Summer. It’s tough for me to name a favorite season, but days like today make me think it might be autumn. I was lucky enough to have the day off and with the weather being so nice, I got out my bicycle this afternoon and rode through the beauty of autumn here in Wisconsin. While riding through one of the nearby parks in the area I spotted a great blue heron wading in one of the park’s ponds. I am always amazed when I see wildlife like that in the middle of the largest metropolitan area of the state.

Every so often, older music that I own winds up in heavy rotation on my current play list. An older album that I’ve been listening to a lot lately is Mermaid Avenue by Billy Bragg and Wilco. On this CD, they took some lyrics that Woody Guthrie wrote years ago (which were never set to music) and created their own music for them. My favorite song on the album is One By One. They lyrics (and music) are perfect for a cool and cloudy autumn day like today.

read the rest of: One by One

Last night my sister-in-law called to tell me that the baby my nephew and his wife were expecting was born! It’s hard to believe that the toddler who used to come over to our house, stand and drool over the magazine rack while he intently tried to pull out the magazines with his tiny hands is now a father.

Congratulations to Mike and Kirstin and Happy Birthday to the newest member of the family, Adam James Bloy. May you live a long, happy and healthy life.

Here’s a few random thoughts that have been on my mind lately — some are important in the grand scheme of things, some aren’t. I’ll leave you to decide which is which.

America the Beautiful should be the national anthem of the U.S.A.

With the recall election mess currently going on in California, I’m grateful I live elsewhere. I only hope the Wisconsin legislature looking at tax freezes and budget cuts here realize why things in California are such a mess right now.

Is French Toast really French? More importantly, who wants to make French Toast for me tomorrow morning?

How can President Bush call it the “Clear Skies” plan when it actually allows more pollutants and greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere?

When the blacktop sealer they just put on your driveway is curing, it is very stinky.