Congratulations to the Rangers!


Congratulations to my Texas Rangers, who just swept the Divisional Play-offs and will be moving on to the ACLS for the first time since 2011!  We’ll be facing either the Astros or the Twins and hopefully, we’ll be moving on to the World Series!

I didn’t post much about the playoffs because I didn’t want to jinx my team by getting too excited or getting ahead of myself.  But tonight, I’m excited!  Way to go, Rangers!  Now, let’s win the ACLS and let’s go to the World Series!  Fans like me have been waiting for this moment for 12 years.  A lot of people thought it would never happen.  But the Rangers are in it!

The Three Covers of Ace Mystery Magazine


At the height of the Great Depression, many people escaped from the harsh realities of their economic situation through pulp magazines that highlighted the weird and lurid mysteries.  Published by Periodical House, Ace Mystery Magazine was one such pulp magazine that was published in 1936.  Though the magazine featured stories by popular writers, it never found its place in the crowded pulp marketplace and it was canceled after three issues.  Today, the magazine is remembered for its creepy covers, which were done by three of the best artists of the pulp era.  Here are the three covers of Ace Mystery Magazine.

May, 1936. Cover by Howard Sherman

July, 1936. Cover by David Berger

September, 1936. Cover by Rafael DeSoto

Moments #9: Visiting Another Cemetery


A few blocks from my house, there is a historic cemetery, one that is over 150 years old.  It is surrounded by a fence.  Behind it, there is a bus station.  Across the street from it, there is a gymnastics center and several warehouses.  Other than the fence and the gravestones, there are no markings and I think most people drive by without ever noticing it.

I first noticed it one day while I was driving to the library.  I came back later with my camera and I took some pictures.  At first, it was difficult to concentrate with the sound of traffic in the background but the longer I spent standing outside the gates of the cemetery, the less I heard of the traffic.

Later, I learned that the people buried in this cemetery were among the first to build a town on this land.  Without these people, who came from across the country, these roads and warehouses and the new gymnastics center would have never had a place to be built.


As I left, I saw an American flag raising over a nearby used car lot.  I made sure to get a picture before I went home.

Previous Moments:

  1. My Dolphin by Case Wright
  2. His Name Was Zac by Lisa Marie Bowman
  3. The Neighborhood, This Morning by Erin Nicole
  4. The Neighborhood, This Afternoon by Erin Nicole
  5. Walking In The Rain by Erin Nicole
  6. The Abandoned RV by Erin Nicole
  7. A Visit To The Cemetery by Erin Nicole
  8. The Woman In The Hallway by Lisa Marie Bowman

So, I Watched The Catcher (1999, dir. by Guy Crawford and Yvette Hoffman)


I should have known what I was getting into as soon as my sister told me, “You’ll like this, it’s a baseball movie!”

The Catcher is a movie about a little boy who goes crazy when his baseball-obsessed Dad makes fun of his swing.  The boy beats his father to death with a baseball bat.  Years later, catcher David Walker (David Heavener) is told that his contract with the Devils baseball team will not be renewed.  Someone dressed as a catcher starts to murder players, coaches, and one commentator, using baseball equipment as his weapon.  I could have gone my entire life without seeing the scene where one player is sodomized with a baseball bat.  But even if that’s your thing, The Catcher is slow and the acting’s terrible.  I had a hard time buying the idea of a killer catcher.  Outfielders move a lot quicker.  Why does my sister recommend these films to me and why do I watch them?

One thing that I did appreciate about this movie is that, for once, it was only men being killed by the masked maniac.  I get so tired of horror movies that were obviously made by men who never got over being turned down for a date in high school.  The Catcher was a change of pace as far as that’s concerned but otherwise, I wish I had not watched this film.