tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11322291389989198592024-03-18T05:48:33.302-04:00The Tarp ReportConfessions of a dreamerTodd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.comBlogger1321125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-64260566158166448252022-11-22T14:43:00.003-05:002022-11-22T14:50:56.556-05:00We saw 42 stars<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCTFtozB-0t_8mfhjn810_rapikumY0eT0a3q7MzQEhqWM_ir476ipURsUCKCF7wSdV0dVAF299l7QWGbJh5SfBL0hKa4GaSUmp3sCyGzEvXiKlI7A1tTblixkhnByB9sHUDd9BB-uYNlygXumBufZGh5BG4f9Y0Tgb6Ysjfa6_cONsu1XiOI26ik/s750/PXL_20221113_221249185%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="750" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCTFtozB-0t_8mfhjn810_rapikumY0eT0a3q7MzQEhqWM_ir476ipURsUCKCF7wSdV0dVAF299l7QWGbJh5SfBL0hKa4GaSUmp3sCyGzEvXiKlI7A1tTblixkhnByB9sHUDd9BB-uYNlygXumBufZGh5BG4f9Y0Tgb6Ysjfa6_cONsu1XiOI26ik/w400-h300/PXL_20221113_221249185%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ever since Daylight Saving Time started, Hudson wakes up at 5:30 instead of 6:30.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">If it's not too cold, we take Whiskey for a short walk before the sun comes up. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The other morning he was up at 5:15, and the sky was still dark. We saw 42 stars, which is a lot for New York City. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Looking at the sky reminds us how big the universe is, and how lucky we are to be here, even if for a cosmic nanosecond.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Hudson is this tiny little collection of DNA molecules, and what are the odds of him being here? And yet, here he is. Here we are. All we can do is smile and declare victory.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Book news:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">My daughter Samantha is going with me to Pennsylvania this weekend for the Keystone Literacy Association conference. <i>Library Books Are Not for Eating</i> won an award! And Hershey Lodge has an indoor waterpark! (Jo and Hudson decided to stay home--too much Thanksgiving travel.)</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTRISu1lo1ZScWboDrjXFmjwkKr_esOC8g5I8FmNGc6NQXrWpZD13UBom4XriRdyWpHtKxXPkj9RNXitUKlSx-3HPnChhHnQfuy3q_lSQJiwzur60G17cT7PQ7FmryP9SBZaHu_c2cWFyQYx61ozLgFOROnmMZPyAjMN2_A16QFCmITP7z2BW-Wrx/s1289/Library%20Books%20are%20Not%20for%20Eating%20Keystone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="1289" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTRISu1lo1ZScWboDrjXFmjwkKr_esOC8g5I8FmNGc6NQXrWpZD13UBom4XriRdyWpHtKxXPkj9RNXitUKlSx-3HPnChhHnQfuy3q_lSQJiwzur60G17cT7PQ7FmryP9SBZaHu_c2cWFyQYx61ozLgFOROnmMZPyAjMN2_A16QFCmITP7z2BW-Wrx/w400-h190/Library%20Books%20are%20Not%20for%20Eating%20Keystone.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Love is a Story </i>is the first book in the universe dedicated to Hudson ("For Hudson, whose story has just begun"). Coming January 3.</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPv0etYCFcRLBD47GEtQ8sQUhZXKrLEJmevU20FzXh5yb04Xi_rk1AqPbCgdawAb8DEOw9MGT6b8CMh3AH_GnUcpee0yTjZmXJUUIjCToAROXrZ7XZP44FpMeac5uRkWlD1F-0FqZZ50JMpNZqPppHXjbrxLqnHYxbCtNbYw8d9V2XICgdDH13NTK/s1000/Love%20is%20a%20Story%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="955" data-original-width="1000" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPv0etYCFcRLBD47GEtQ8sQUhZXKrLEJmevU20FzXh5yb04Xi_rk1AqPbCgdawAb8DEOw9MGT6b8CMh3AH_GnUcpee0yTjZmXJUUIjCToAROXrZ7XZP44FpMeac5uRkWlD1F-0FqZZ50JMpNZqPppHXjbrxLqnHYxbCtNbYw8d9V2XICgdDH13NTK/s320/Love%20is%20a%20Story%20cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;"> <i>Leprechaun vs. Easter Bunny</i> hops your way in February.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Wacky Weather</i>, a <i>Cat in the Hat Learning Library </i>book, makes landfall sometime in 2023.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">I just finished the manuscript for another <i>Cat in the Hat Learning Library</i> book, <i>Oh, the Ways we Go! Go! Go!</i> It's about the history of transportation. It will be transported to bookstores in 2024.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Finally, a Chinese-language version of <i>Three Grumpy Trucks</i> is coming soon. But you have to go to China.</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAy-ogBGlWlDMjG3GBOgtyfNGb5kGg05JgncwfA3b9vQnhqVh7UyJZKfRkkixeYxWvr505PrybGIb-FJnlRBu6MDBD8ipFwPMlUnILpUieZzy05nJC60zAppJ32KEdfEwLH9iqRgO-8z91cmzjiJkOce_2E2rh-maSIUO7iWRvVl7OLohTq-1QJ_I/s829/Three%20Grumpy%20Trucks%20Chinese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="829" data-original-width="827" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAy-ogBGlWlDMjG3GBOgtyfNGb5kGg05JgncwfA3b9vQnhqVh7UyJZKfRkkixeYxWvr505PrybGIb-FJnlRBu6MDBD8ipFwPMlUnILpUieZzy05nJC60zAppJ32KEdfEwLH9iqRgO-8z91cmzjiJkOce_2E2rh-maSIUO7iWRvVl7OLohTq-1QJ_I/w399-h400/Three%20Grumpy%20Trucks%20Chinese.jpg" width="399" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for coming here to read my semi-annual post. Hope you're doing well. Smile and declare victory.</span></div><p></p>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-34517397897023847192022-05-13T14:50:00.002-04:002022-05-13T14:52:58.820-04:00Let's catch up!<p> <span style="font-size: large;">As you may have heard from the universe, I am a new father.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Let me tell you, there is nothing in the world as great as being a new father. The sky is blue. The world is wonderful. We are doing our part to perpetuate the human race, counterbalance evil in the world, and eradicate racism (if everyone in the world would just have mixed-race babies, we could all stop shouting and be kind to each other--like in <i>Sneetches</i>).</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">But let's get to the new books.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">First up, <i>Love is a Story</i> hits shelves in December.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3uX2UHMGpWTXbJnEn6fo5_gq53KULQHU23eRuhga0VIE5vc3-0AbLdk9RkyZIWZQ3ROEmzG9C2lxPvaWpcJM_RfWyfSjouN7ZTvaF8g7GTsD2-ZZJNT0xEVH2NUMuSYVwvC9lwixLyWXKEAGNnjsoG0ctktvk7DyCU2YOypa_K7KcXcYnApVVJ6g/s1000/Love%20is%20a%20Story%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="955" data-original-width="1000" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3uX2UHMGpWTXbJnEn6fo5_gq53KULQHU23eRuhga0VIE5vc3-0AbLdk9RkyZIWZQ3ROEmzG9C2lxPvaWpcJM_RfWyfSjouN7ZTvaF8g7GTsD2-ZZJNT0xEVH2NUMuSYVwvC9lwixLyWXKEAGNnjsoG0ctktvk7DyCU2YOypa_K7KcXcYnApVVJ6g/s320/Love%20is%20a%20Story%20cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I wrote most of it on an airplane--and you know how you sometimes get more emotional on airplanes? Or is it just me? I'm typing on my laptop, "Love is a castle / that's made from the sand / of an ocean that's older than time," and thinking, "Oh, man, that's good," while simultaneously beginning to heave uncontrollably.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Leprechaun vs. Easter Bunny</i> is coming in Spring 2023. Not sure I'm allowed to share details yet, but I'd describe it as a Quentin Tarantino story arc for toddlers.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Finally, two more <i>Cat in the Hat Learning Library</i> titles, one in 2023 and one in 2024. I hope to keep channeling my inner Dr. Seuss for the foreseeable future.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Summer is coming. The sky is blue. The world is wonderful. Here's to children and children's books. </span></p>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-20759866141429180082022-02-24T22:39:00.001-05:002022-02-24T22:40:17.776-05:00Dear universe<p><span style="font-size: large;">Yeah, me again.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I think we both know that you and I are never going to be best friends.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">But it doesn't escape me that matter and energy and electrons and protons can interact in interesting ways. Even amidst your ever-increasing entropy, you manage to create some really amazing things.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">You don't care and I know you don't care. We humans are just along for the ride, blinking in and out of existence every 80 years or so, like fireflies on a summer ballfield.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">But, okay. Those blips and blinks mean something. At least to us fireflies. And least while we're here.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span>So for now, I just want to say...</span><span>thank you.</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEvUMj9JyRseCZw6UfhK-jZFYNeyYZvkJRxquXikKJ3JHpYCSPHWITgOnvyoVBMPAGFGGZLLvznwDlgo5Ewp1NLh9km329a1gfiVtwmu0xSrpCoqbKfQvi9cI-FymGaZo6Yly-JnZEtYrz2dyeEpnfLQzI1gzBpWwFBRagcsolw99Y6lcUiGGpiW-n=s1032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="774" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEvUMj9JyRseCZw6UfhK-jZFYNeyYZvkJRxquXikKJ3JHpYCSPHWITgOnvyoVBMPAGFGGZLLvznwDlgo5Ewp1NLh9km329a1gfiVtwmu0xSrpCoqbKfQvi9cI-FymGaZo6Yly-JnZEtYrz2dyeEpnfLQzI1gzBpWwFBRagcsolw99Y6lcUiGGpiW-n=s320" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-244451419170938072021-12-31T14:25:00.005-05:002021-12-31T14:25:55.721-05:002021 in pictures<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWn9Dmw-oRrzmZAf9L6BjuMR6laBDqVy3UF43RCw7t8vfEa9J76X3boQ7mnd-Wve-Mz2F1DofIChmCLJeLQm5SrLpBPc2kEulsD_3ppDCWAI0Pzv6y4eQksPiHiKqY07WauJd00_oYlZgOtP4VYoHDpAuX01I-2K0o7BAHKnFZd_iPJmCDaTWfQr0V=s499" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWn9Dmw-oRrzmZAf9L6BjuMR6laBDqVy3UF43RCw7t8vfEa9J76X3boQ7mnd-Wve-Mz2F1DofIChmCLJeLQm5SrLpBPc2kEulsD_3ppDCWAI0Pzv6y4eQksPiHiKqY07WauJd00_oYlZgOtP4VYoHDpAuX01I-2K0o7BAHKnFZd_iPJmCDaTWfQr0V=s320" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnxTFd-hiIRFjcWgQa8FGzuPULKebWSsW1ztPHqhJCAcfYXJUTNv5t9X7yuYVl7qmY9u2bPp4bLKdWZLFx2ajuyjblfc5ubuu8BAIW3tWIi1NMjyoMb6c8Cf6AdBp-F1kXavrRq1C3EEK9OfejBkKJH6kt20YIOA0WlIPjD6Yfzhly1txyznOrCG2I=s499" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpRPyt1u0T-CurznGyxsVcYSmItntJirep9iPTlbpi5sY_1o_fhcCuQgXbFHY2cHXh7kSGjiL-ASY2jRBcmKBvaK24HniB9VILkpMIjf7fShGLhQwWX1ODE3QWJYZYS6za7qZfIctDRpNGgdTICIRNRYKfSlkh3_pki6KfRYNq28_vrDFVYYC0sVpv=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-10599129374082842012021-12-24T09:34:00.007-05:002021-12-24T10:02:07.347-05:00Ready, set...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2XorFBXlArNk1uySed8Znl82dJ4YXIa8xS30ecMH118bhUhSBEvKt6q0yQK3c2cpCe4wLVQHTaGbZbinQaErhA4XSHQzvWPXE66qFZoAFsPQQMSh1NoFxJH3BZsQFeLCPtH81jeFn3dzZ742QVZk5LAhbjdT2lQjaDA3rasZMgiFgtZyJKb318_oQ=s1400" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="982" data-original-width="1400" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2XorFBXlArNk1uySed8Znl82dJ4YXIa8xS30ecMH118bhUhSBEvKt6q0yQK3c2cpCe4wLVQHTaGbZbinQaErhA4XSHQzvWPXE66qFZoAFsPQQMSh1NoFxJH3BZsQFeLCPtH81jeFn3dzZ742QVZk5LAhbjdT2lQjaDA3rasZMgiFgtZyJKb318_oQ=w446-h312" width="446" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm sitting in a chair in a hospital room, next to my sleeping wife. It snowed sometime between when we arrived at 1 AM and now, at 9 AM, so there is a light frosting on the rooftops outside the window. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The contractions are here, but still moderate. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Maybe another eight hours. Maybe sixteen.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My parents are back at our house, anxiously awaiting my texts. Samantha and Ethan are surely still asleep.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We were talking last night at our early Christmas dinner about when my family moved to Colorado when I was in sixth grade. My dad started a truck and trailer dealership, and my brother and I worked there during the summers. Two of the employees that I remember passed away long ago. I asked my dad about a third. Dead too.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When we were in the waiting room late last night, I told Jo that life is so fleeting. It keeps moving forward. You have to keep moving forward, too, because there's no backwards and no pause.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It was not a sad thought. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Life is what we make of it, and what it makes of us. </span></p>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-53126827543520034952021-09-04T23:32:00.004-04:002021-09-04T23:33:37.689-04:00Dear Universe: We're having a baby<p><span style="font-size: medium;">That's right. You might want to write that down, because I know you're 14 billion years old and probably starting to forget some things.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'll repeat it for you.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We're. Having. A. Baby.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When I was younger I envisioned that you were my enemy--you were the God of the Old Testament, or the people who believed in such things, or social conformity generally, or any kind of authority generally. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"Only the Good Die Young." "I Fight Authority, Authority Always Wins." "Running Against the Wind."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I liked to say that the goal of life isn't to win, it's to get in one good punch.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm not as hostile to you as I once was. Whatever remnants were left ended at fatherhood. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I still believe it's noble to run against the wind. But you can't just be <i>against</i> things forever. Eventually you have to be <i>for</i> something. Otherwise you're just an angry anarchist. Or a Republican. You have to put in the effort to find the wind that's blowing the direction you want to go, then run <i>with</i> it. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In any event, Universe, my primary feeling in life is no longer anger, but gratitude. I wouldn't say I'm grateful <i>to</i> you, because that doesn't mean anything to me. I don't think you're anthropomorphic, or intervening in the daily lives of humans, or inherently good or bad. You're just the universe. I'll even give you a capital U. You're very big. Humans are very small. Our lives are very short.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But we can be grateful without being obsequious. Or groveling. Or fearful. Or imagining that we have to wear a certain clothes or chant Latin phrases or avoid certain foods or throw virgins into volcanoes to win your favor. Blah.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm grateful for every day my heart still beats. Grateful for my wife, my kids, my family. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm gonna be a dad for the third time. Did I mention that? Look in your notes. I'm so grateful for that.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I agree with Carl Sandburg that babies are God's opinion that life should go on. Of all the things I have done or will do in my life, the most gratifying is being a father and husband. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We all start out thinking we're the center of the universe. We eventually realize that's not the case. For those who haven't realized it until that point, fatherhood is a good tipping point. Fatherhood is creating--and being responsible for--something more important than you, something you'd give up your own too-short life for. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, Universe.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">You've thrown some shit my way. No complaints. We're good.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>But I gotta say, I'm stifling a teensy smile right now, because I </span><span>feel like I just landed a really good punch.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Todd</span></p>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-87367442455662634372021-06-20T18:39:00.001-04:002021-06-20T18:43:43.625-04:00Book update<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDvFS2p1eRac6vdBABJyHPeUNhWLKC-NOVr1_GkV8QH7NAP85Ub_3N-vW4z3wjnrlUj7NjKEMV04WQ6IJjNSel-8JuvGY43hvsOCn6wC5wsSqNkuOwYljeoUmeNEJwJZnC10dOykUadc/s2000/lorax+books.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1343" data-original-width="2000" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDvFS2p1eRac6vdBABJyHPeUNhWLKC-NOVr1_GkV8QH7NAP85Ub_3N-vW4z3wjnrlUj7NjKEMV04WQ6IJjNSel-8JuvGY43hvsOCn6wC5wsSqNkuOwYljeoUmeNEJwJZnC10dOykUadc/w400-h269/lorax+books.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We've had a good first half of 2021.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>My five "Dr. Seuss" books were published over the past six months, and the </span><span>board book version of "Three Grumpy Trucks" came out in May. </span><span>All six are selling well.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have one more <i>Cat in the Hat Learning Library</i> title coming out in 2022. I can't say what the future holds for writing more Seuss books after that, but I'll keep pitching.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have two additional books that will be published in 2022 or 2023. One is about a leprechaun and the Easter Bunny. The other is simply about love, and is one of my favorite manuscripts.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Having finished a first draft of my first attempt at a novel, I've set it aside for a few months to attempt a first draft of another. I'll get the hang of it eventually.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I think I've made it pretty clear that it's tough to make a living writing children's books unless you live in a yurt in rural Kyrgyzstan. We live down the block from Jerry Seinfeld, so it's unlikely I'll ever support the family with my creative endeavors. Never say never.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">To be clear, it's never annoying to get a check.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>In non-book news, the Iowa Hawkeyes are NCAA wrestling champs. </span><span>Jo has a new job--and I'm still employed. Samantha is doing great, and Ethan is home for the summer. Knock wood, the pandemic is finally behind us.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We are grateful.</span></p>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-61904235509739003922021-03-12T14:48:00.000-05:002021-03-12T14:48:53.096-05:00My favorite Zoom backgrounds<p> <span style="font-size: large;">Manhattan Beach, California.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8U5HMPkQsJK5opNGj2MKC31lKf0E5Atr7pxt-P6_GUD3Pmjj21H6Ifr-hif6QIDxqY6yLbI66D2v1mvwxM2MIXpaVCqguOy_4NCZt2NoRwNsjWeB6Qn55GMNorA_yYLd3BByonm9564/s1200/zoom+manhattan+beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8U5HMPkQsJK5opNGj2MKC31lKf0E5Atr7pxt-P6_GUD3Pmjj21H6Ifr-hif6QIDxqY6yLbI66D2v1mvwxM2MIXpaVCqguOy_4NCZt2NoRwNsjWeB6Qn55GMNorA_yYLd3BByonm9564/w400-h213/zoom+manhattan+beach.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><p><br /></p><p>Central Park West.</p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFlRHYmXSD9ZFgc5ZNMoaRry8e5rf9f9xK-7F99EhyphenhyphenjB8fAs0PDzwwcKxx5RMnXs0lfN77SmEVdy6hDD5E2i2ph2CFzhbou7wLvGq4i2NseMDnYhwIjMAaE9Q2fP51Xitp4M7jh80jVU/s1200/zoom+cpw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpFlRHYmXSD9ZFgc5ZNMoaRry8e5rf9f9xK-7F99EhyphenhyphenjB8fAs0PDzwwcKxx5RMnXs0lfN77SmEVdy6hDD5E2i2ph2CFzhbou7wLvGq4i2NseMDnYhwIjMAaE9Q2fP51Xitp4M7jh80jVU/w400-h213/zoom+cpw.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The Brady House.</span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3pThsrPl0XTm5Zcm3FRBLA5VCXjB3P6kP3JisYvThyBd-Sd5h5Or_na1Ac7sa9vd8wgN9h0JYDbK2rnsWJTWM9z7hlzp3gNVhyphenhypheniL9PwBfaYjNva8OkwqBSRY3TJ42dQ6QvbNP3K1bI4/s1200/zoom+brady.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3pThsrPl0XTm5Zcm3FRBLA5VCXjB3P6kP3JisYvThyBd-Sd5h5Or_na1Ac7sa9vd8wgN9h0JYDbK2rnsWJTWM9z7hlzp3gNVhyphenhypheniL9PwBfaYjNva8OkwqBSRY3TJ42dQ6QvbNP3K1bI4/w400-h213/zoom+brady.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Fallingwater.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAi2Au_lixOdeFRbP-vJh6qHvG8Xr8Lh9uzDHHIaHeHQKtOeAeax6Jk5HcdYERenVl9WLOTsVPEG6rPkgxjMEwsUUh-uRZe9zr8y61g1frDN11eMVosbZF_WU4fOnCwGe_NVa3pkVzVU0/s2048/zoom+fallingwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1088" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAi2Au_lixOdeFRbP-vJh6qHvG8Xr8Lh9uzDHHIaHeHQKtOeAeax6Jk5HcdYERenVl9WLOTsVPEG6rPkgxjMEwsUUh-uRZe9zr8y61g1frDN11eMVosbZF_WU4fOnCwGe_NVa3pkVzVU0/w400-h213/zoom+fallingwater.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">DeLorean.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pnBP-LNKGHGGCb5zZBD2Vyo6AS00IY7ii3H8oPXemSAezqhwwsfj5f_5iAHW9UbzAo5sYT1GUuZ3R5jCbga34eaA4HrQF_HqwIXuZ6IzU0-jRD8CUPLtgcgnxEwoxXGKRNR4oT79QJI/s1200/zoom+delorean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pnBP-LNKGHGGCb5zZBD2Vyo6AS00IY7ii3H8oPXemSAezqhwwsfj5f_5iAHW9UbzAo5sYT1GUuZ3R5jCbga34eaA4HrQF_HqwIXuZ6IzU0-jRD8CUPLtgcgnxEwoxXGKRNR4oT79QJI/w400-h213/zoom+delorean.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Space Station.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6QjPDCCH_8Rhn85-ux33SMycsT6IXPf7Q3z7cElQuRmFsk2pA7j3h9TIA_DVrxjIdgyklXXmR3qG7_2cgIenFJOH6cDESKq3btil9f5NPvX-WdI60Z8XfBh6uQLFDCjRbtUK97YPOfc/s1200/zoom+space+station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6QjPDCCH_8Rhn85-ux33SMycsT6IXPf7Q3z7cElQuRmFsk2pA7j3h9TIA_DVrxjIdgyklXXmR3qG7_2cgIenFJOH6cDESKq3btil9f5NPvX-WdI60Z8XfBh6uQLFDCjRbtUK97YPOfc/w400-h213/zoom+space+station.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Amalfi Coast.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQHhLpyfR83lRpZhF3_w0-Ng1z7qZAvNNuF7q4RKH7Ef__tH12ZZRDZovufBLnF8pqh_9raGGTMDPilgFvJHWjk9cTVWhjc3nfsxRYUJTbOWHy4DVe8KvsjmKRsPkH-6u92dLLFK9DZ8/s1920/zoom+amalfi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQHhLpyfR83lRpZhF3_w0-Ng1z7qZAvNNuF7q4RKH7Ef__tH12ZZRDZovufBLnF8pqh_9raGGTMDPilgFvJHWjk9cTVWhjc3nfsxRYUJTbOWHy4DVe8KvsjmKRsPkH-6u92dLLFK9DZ8/w400-h213/zoom+amalfi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Sailboat.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgut91MRdoU5j64Fl_2_YbbQwG5Br-BJP2zI5etxBs5-c8ORutFmrFhE5NVenKDI3aD_CWO3N4VZ_znA7lo-jgAb9Bg4KxpwwiocE52Vi7jN0bD68xjpTR1Z2s3YLdOqviuZe_6ntYwirU/s1200/zoom+sailboat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgut91MRdoU5j64Fl_2_YbbQwG5Br-BJP2zI5etxBs5-c8ORutFmrFhE5NVenKDI3aD_CWO3N4VZ_znA7lo-jgAb9Bg4KxpwwiocE52Vi7jN0bD68xjpTR1Z2s3YLdOqviuZe_6ntYwirU/w400-h213/zoom+sailboat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">St. Lucia. (Not recommended for business calls.)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIKWL_2ebe_9zfgir3DYp9kYsI-6gqRuEumcsx4YhHne23FeCS8FtCZorH0OrIWivrzLAJR0En6PEcJ9PMRjYEt672Um_6GgZ26OESbWAdNmmsZX7HENJ04ta-LyjV9Y-bJfep02xk18/s1200/zoom+st+lucia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIKWL_2ebe_9zfgir3DYp9kYsI-6gqRuEumcsx4YhHne23FeCS8FtCZorH0OrIWivrzLAJR0En6PEcJ9PMRjYEt672Um_6GgZ26OESbWAdNmmsZX7HENJ04ta-LyjV9Y-bJfep02xk18/w400-h213/zoom+st+lucia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Paris.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahcoPHR3taKv_UOu2TFkG060u49fx3t2k4kibfYHp3zeEG5qaJnFGC6EDpmV78-wCeYcaJYvrDdkPvO3XaMQRn1lxQhdXhf6Pe9mINTww2jGOp1qMcX_5SpShQHLqKVBZT91H59BNdRA/s1200/zoom+paris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahcoPHR3taKv_UOu2TFkG060u49fx3t2k4kibfYHp3zeEG5qaJnFGC6EDpmV78-wCeYcaJYvrDdkPvO3XaMQRn1lxQhdXhf6Pe9mINTww2jGOp1qMcX_5SpShQHLqKVBZT91H59BNdRA/w400-h213/zoom+paris.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Everest.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqrPedgtBZELhoP5-xOVmVstHKw9D1fsFVf4XJA5GC6-PcpTwUNUiwMNqnd7TrbemAjUdnGFlQ_eG86XSqnwPoA6wh2MhcB-ceFPIfyrzB9Tr-o0j_AcUggFOrezFMJnyoHH47KcHng4/s1200/zoom+everest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqrPedgtBZELhoP5-xOVmVstHKw9D1fsFVf4XJA5GC6-PcpTwUNUiwMNqnd7TrbemAjUdnGFlQ_eG86XSqnwPoA6wh2MhcB-ceFPIfyrzB9Tr-o0j_AcUggFOrezFMJnyoHH47KcHng4/w400-h213/zoom+everest.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I am ready for the pandemic to end. But I am having way too much fun on Zoom.</span></p>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-42443960647662445882021-01-23T19:09:00.002-05:002021-01-23T19:12:30.868-05:00New Year's check-in<p><span style="font-size: large;">I started thinking it might be time to retire this blog when my holiday newsletter looked like crap on a mobile phone, and I realized that Blogger hasn't updated its platform since phones were invented.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Free is still good, but at this point it's kind of like free fruit cake.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">But we'll proceed.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ethan has returned to college for the spring semester, and Samantha is living with her mom, so as of now it's just me and Jo and the two bad dogs living in this rambling two-bedroom apartment. It suddenly seems like 4,000 square feet.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">2021 is the year we're transitioning "their bedroom" into "the spare bedroom." We're re-sanding the floor for the first time since 1929, and re-painting the walls from <i>2002 Baby Blue</i> to <i>2021 Manhattan Co-op Gray</i>. (Hoping the light gray redecorating trend hasn't passed yet.)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">In process:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEy8XL-r4R9bhdV583tAjgdjsdb6_Uukx-egdMINicA4n13VnWgvTUYx6KPJIBIk4ipRJfR9_cy9kKNc8GZ66SJdo05pMn8Yb7R2qoIzAv_6JRmRDxCxt5m4z9gRLXTL_DGwjBOmmGGM/s1200/2021+Jan+bedroom+before.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEy8XL-r4R9bhdV583tAjgdjsdb6_Uukx-egdMINicA4n13VnWgvTUYx6KPJIBIk4ipRJfR9_cy9kKNc8GZ66SJdo05pMn8Yb7R2qoIzAv_6JRmRDxCxt5m4z9gRLXTL_DGwjBOmmGGM/w400-h300/2021+Jan+bedroom+before.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><p>We're also going to pare down the furniture and junk to make it look less like a hoarder's den. "Would your mother-in-law be willing to sleep here?" is our guidepost.</p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">In other news, I will have FIVE new books out in 2021--all Dr. Seuss. Two came out this month; the other three will be published by May. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEd-trrMXSsPkMP3swgHJ2jByeK5CGVZ_B82pbmNXH_8uuzu9cHrsxWeGY-l09CqwiKhxblwzqQasnen-80i1lB5Tqx3seN77Ncvrt2Tzf1528YcbIx1PSyJYOIZXU4OUV0iaeA11oywc/s218/Would+You+Could+You+Plant+a+Tree.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEd-trrMXSsPkMP3swgHJ2jByeK5CGVZ_B82pbmNXH_8uuzu9cHrsxWeGY-l09CqwiKhxblwzqQasnen-80i1lB5Tqx3seN77Ncvrt2Tzf1528YcbIx1PSyJYOIZXU4OUV0iaeA11oywc/w400-h400/Would+You+Could+You+Plant+a+Tree.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-X1R1Rs-wmKr2m3C1t0tYnv8iZ40rpX6OA8aXBO14hobVChNuvLk9ZqZOIGCic-r3Zg-PceaBAoq1gX5EbEVWVvMnT2eXVFHo1wVIlKye0w21JhiXpWcOZlFdCz4PKQLCI2zNE8OK7Y/s218/Would+You+Could+You+Save+the+Sea.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-X1R1Rs-wmKr2m3C1t0tYnv8iZ40rpX6OA8aXBO14hobVChNuvLk9ZqZOIGCic-r3Zg-PceaBAoq1gX5EbEVWVvMnT2eXVFHo1wVIlKye0w21JhiXpWcOZlFdCz4PKQLCI2zNE8OK7Y/w400-h400/Would+You+Could+You+Save+the+Sea.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOd1ylIIfPyGT-feckzTQv_VnD3c9AvKQsuYOU4NVtaUljLw2GUxHAfdxJqmDo7SsdPDWPi0eMnsYDXaFseY7PjiC-rGs9rIWh6m7NALwSmexfl4JLBBnrdZF0r1XcpDQQVCNpBXOtbM/s218/Let%2527s+Go+to+the+Beach.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOd1ylIIfPyGT-feckzTQv_VnD3c9AvKQsuYOU4NVtaUljLw2GUxHAfdxJqmDo7SsdPDWPi0eMnsYDXaFseY7PjiC-rGs9rIWh6m7NALwSmexfl4JLBBnrdZF0r1XcpDQQVCNpBXOtbM/w320-h320/Let%2527s+Go+to+the+Beach.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAaZcbdsLD_n0DIoaOf_5FRCWAYQPZvbLfQP4r_K9eSoAZfkFvAIxYkG0sTAkQjOmoRKZf122M1se8dJo0BG8QiKhzjRm0cMYfHKyipy_Ee8dTtrO0bcTBAh3GYIspXQF_PixxqBK9MuA/s218/Let%2527s+Go+to+the+Garden.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAaZcbdsLD_n0DIoaOf_5FRCWAYQPZvbLfQP4r_K9eSoAZfkFvAIxYkG0sTAkQjOmoRKZf122M1se8dJo0BG8QiKhzjRm0cMYfHKyipy_Ee8dTtrO0bcTBAh3GYIspXQF_PixxqBK9MuA/w320-h320/Let%2527s+Go+to+the+Garden.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKUasPFPXIcCYrRfWIkSieY8wFqq8LshdKDFdI4GxplFwKg5yDVklWeaEipSlg3C_0mIBV4LPKOzbo_u9wsfJcvgrLgs6muJ3ezNSi3K-B80f-xz-285YmpywBvr57guLA0VsMXNEnW0/s218/Oh+the+Lavas+that+Flow.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKUasPFPXIcCYrRfWIkSieY8wFqq8LshdKDFdI4GxplFwKg5yDVklWeaEipSlg3C_0mIBV4LPKOzbo_u9wsfJcvgrLgs6muJ3ezNSi3K-B80f-xz-285YmpywBvr57guLA0VsMXNEnW0/w400-h400/Oh+the+Lavas+that+Flow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A board book version of </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Three Grumpy Trucks</i><span style="font-size: x-large;"> will also be released in June.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi220p3OxleQXQdEeKaX8MMEH6kuZy0EWeSmRRPXMKCAa3R3S02ZpuW7LYDg75DDCZRLY_AyY6F1gJ5rLfL9s-04P1loHFtHaxW2LetcPzuEEp374tGqq1avsovC_yctwwCwyLe27YoC8c/s218/Three+Grumpy+Trucks+board.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi220p3OxleQXQdEeKaX8MMEH6kuZy0EWeSmRRPXMKCAa3R3S02ZpuW7LYDg75DDCZRLY_AyY6F1gJ5rLfL9s-04P1loHFtHaxW2LetcPzuEEp374tGqq1avsovC_yctwwCwyLe27YoC8c/w320-h320/Three+Grumpy+Trucks+board.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Other than that, I'm happy to be alive, grateful to be a husband and a father, optimistic that the Hawkeyes may finally win NCAAs this year, and more relieved than I even imagined to have a new president.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It's almost as if all the money for the border wall has been redirected to repair the rift in the space-time continuum.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Happy New Year.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkp9oXzkoEo9WXbEvq5vEO35V22YHvHBYp_XA8InW41kmtcqvS_fzhFufB9-5Hak9QkQ5RiFZ2u55AySaWmv-PPQaTau-sY3XclEjpLTTbE7A4T42sYhS8E1HzOBbPNlOX8vuVRWCiQNE/s980/2020+Dec+Christmas+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="957" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkp9oXzkoEo9WXbEvq5vEO35V22YHvHBYp_XA8InW41kmtcqvS_fzhFufB9-5Hak9QkQ5RiFZ2u55AySaWmv-PPQaTau-sY3XclEjpLTTbE7A4T42sYhS8E1HzOBbPNlOX8vuVRWCiQNE/w390-h400/2020+Dec+Christmas+1.jpg" width="390" /></a></div><p></p>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-69987110599658205362020-12-17T13:13:00.004-05:002021-01-23T19:14:32.384-05:002020 is almost over! Whew!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGE59bSQ9GKoMv0OEccpW6dxsOjgb0E3tNM5O9ZwPFlQ4ys3TzAlsMCuUvCuoXm3Kg0-gtGVb678ZZO9TSF1XQGks34OASTifUQwpC6vmSkuy8Ncp4x2Ey1O4WQXbEg_uMqr0ZnjSxRs8/s1371/2020+holiday+photo+FB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="1371" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGE59bSQ9GKoMv0OEccpW6dxsOjgb0E3tNM5O9ZwPFlQ4ys3TzAlsMCuUvCuoXm3Kg0-gtGVb678ZZO9TSF1XQGks34OASTifUQwpC6vmSkuy8Ncp4x2Ey1O4WQXbEg_uMqr0ZnjSxRs8/w400-h335/2020+holiday+photo+FB.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">The <a href="www.tarpstreetjournal.com" target="_blank">Tarp Street Journal</a> newsletter and holiday card were a little late out of the gate this year. I will blame it on YA novel writing. I spent about ten seconds on the photo idea--no time to order costumes or props--hey, how about just putting our heads on cartoon bodies?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">I texted Samantha about the concept, and she texted back, "YES! We should TOTALLY do The Incredibles!"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">And that was that.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">I tried probably a dozen different photo-morphing apps before stumbling across a great one called <a href="www.photolab.me" target="_blank">PhotoLab</a>. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">But I digress from what should be my main point, which is how grateful I am to have such an incredible family, and how happy I am to be with them during this final holiday of this crazy year. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here's one more link to the newsletter, if you somehow missed the one in the first line: <a href="http://www.TarpStreetJournal.com">www.TarpStreetJournal.com</a>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Happy Holidays, and may next year be incredible.</span></div><p></p>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-60985929296207831322020-11-06T22:03:00.004-05:002020-11-06T22:12:42.515-05:00My morning walk in Central Park<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: large;">I was up late last night. Obsessively checking presidential vote tallies in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. As I did the previous night. Refreshing my browser every thirty seconds at 1 AM. When is the tranche of Pima County votes coming? My poor wife asleep next to me.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">When I woke up this morning, Biden was ahead in Georgia. The day was sunny. I had time for a walk in the park.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhDZ7CSSTjCI_NlkvfmEU2LPC9Mfa3p8xEuF9YFZnvljfacRVbEr5U91rTEVmiQRY6IdYhD3jAeEKIvuXidiH1YecvP1ElAs9ypVDQeizbEHhCyYxHTBnIE1lSz-tuP1Rg3wLDHM1hoo/s1200/2020+Nov+Central+Park+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhDZ7CSSTjCI_NlkvfmEU2LPC9Mfa3p8xEuF9YFZnvljfacRVbEr5U91rTEVmiQRY6IdYhD3jAeEKIvuXidiH1YecvP1ElAs9ypVDQeizbEHhCyYxHTBnIE1lSz-tuP1Rg3wLDHM1hoo/w400-h300/2020+Nov+Central+Park+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">By the time I checked Twitter again, near Central Park South, Biden was up in Pennsylvania. And I knew what it meant. Those of us who were up late refreshing our browsers over and over. We knew.</span></p><p><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxS_p9Ef_X-O0EIPWW48QNxeGIjOeKbiE8866f681iK7eLDhtXrk5RHsf7FX3qKf8b1f_3rteeOYP28Dngo5Q94KwhjVMFHfa2EPjYmwvx3N7yaAyz8uQxuZLhVRKaAehwMoveogiTlU/s1200/2020+Nov+Central+Park+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxS_p9Ef_X-O0EIPWW48QNxeGIjOeKbiE8866f681iK7eLDhtXrk5RHsf7FX3qKf8b1f_3rteeOYP28Dngo5Q94KwhjVMFHfa2EPjYmwvx3N7yaAyz8uQxuZLhVRKaAehwMoveogiTlU/w400-h300/2020+Nov+Central+Park+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span><p><span style="font-size: large;">I try not to post about politics, because: (1) I'm not going to convince anybody, (2) nobody asked my opinion, and (3) I don't really want to know your opinion either.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">But I will make a brief statement about human beings.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MxkdE2fz9CY0KyKLlR_MXq2ZnCp8iAyHgrB1Nms1LxaQV_b6SF7bUnYEwkUgZaQBLztoa2DMVwRv2jrQHK6UF4YXy3WZNKiSv6X1BZeNYV4HEGuVBO0LRu8ty9D-oVk1E-jb1HCBe7s/s1200/2020+Nov+Central+Park+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MxkdE2fz9CY0KyKLlR_MXq2ZnCp8iAyHgrB1Nms1LxaQV_b6SF7bUnYEwkUgZaQBLztoa2DMVwRv2jrQHK6UF4YXy3WZNKiSv6X1BZeNYV4HEGuVBO0LRu8ty9D-oVk1E-jb1HCBe7s/w400-h300/2020+Nov+Central+Park+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I believe in kindness, and fairness, and love, and respect. I don't care whether we share the same god, or the same holidays, or the same skin tone, or the same socioeconomic status, or the same anything. You do your thing. I do mine. We co-exist. We'll get along just fine. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">There is, however, a basic threshold of human decency that I require of others. It's a relatively low bar--God knows we all have our flaws. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMV4P4Sin3ZGrfNY7s5P2lEWhau3gQauMvAF28_lYesoMGqG3Olgu44QSFgXXI3IjnYGcMK072aX7phpfBFbps_AJJYw1FmFmNZm8zeP0hDJb4SLg6EzKQ8Kg8PqWIq_FJBrZ2-8rrtE/s1200/2020+Nov+Central+Park+4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipMV4P4Sin3ZGrfNY7s5P2lEWhau3gQauMvAF28_lYesoMGqG3Olgu44QSFgXXI3IjnYGcMK072aX7phpfBFbps_AJJYw1FmFmNZm8zeP0hDJb4SLg6EzKQ8Kg8PqWIq_FJBrZ2-8rrtE/w400-h300/2020+Nov+Central+Park+4.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: large;">But it generally excludes people who are pathological liars, cheaters, narcissists, and, for lack of a better term, obnoxious blowhards. I avoid people like that. I don't support people like that.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I have a bit more tolerance for people who do. But, honestly? Not very much. If you're not Biff, but you're still one of the goons who stands behind him and laughs at his jokes and nods when he makes fun of others? You and I are not going to be close friends.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I am who I am. We all set our moral floors.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtbU-4_u9ENjvu8HZQZVDNtk9Z9pRGt8nJ8y_4V4hcN7Kl-jocQnXgdCE2kdR99WwSM3cPsTfPrPzg2eKFfLb1W4EyeIOZi-gTXIu6maj_zvDakhSxfgvJDttkN9qtDGomBnQrdt40Jk/s1200/2020+Nov+Central+Park+5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtbU-4_u9ENjvu8HZQZVDNtk9Z9pRGt8nJ8y_4V4hcN7Kl-jocQnXgdCE2kdR99WwSM3cPsTfPrPzg2eKFfLb1W4EyeIOZi-gTXIu6maj_zvDakhSxfgvJDttkN9qtDGomBnQrdt40Jk/w400-h300/2020+Nov+Central+Park+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: large;">What I was thinking, all the way back home, was how green this park is. Still. In November. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ03hN_Cw4O5TNML5JhMsFWb1GEJxxSu6Vc2eZo2zirlCiYe7GEYCIbyTPIR9zW0ZxXVTzmvz5hcDnoJbSnHT4rBntDyFZz7Vo4iQS6nnt69UnGblbEWFzcZdT-l2hXh_jJiPulrt9Ko/s1200/2020+Nov+Central+Park+7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ03hN_Cw4O5TNML5JhMsFWb1GEJxxSu6Vc2eZo2zirlCiYe7GEYCIbyTPIR9zW0ZxXVTzmvz5hcDnoJbSnHT4rBntDyFZz7Vo4iQS6nnt69UnGblbEWFzcZdT-l2hXh_jJiPulrt9Ko/w400-h300/2020+Nov+Central+Park+7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">That green November softball field, and the yellow and orange leaves, and that phenomenal tree in the middle of the Sheep Meadow, and the playgrounds just waking up with the very first toddlers and nannies of the day.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcn-r0tJZb-TVCdxAP9gZL_FnvOjnIRascqrivUhRhsjj1GLIa00N_Ld5m7RHPGELomdZxjn4Xv5AAfjScIqj9dOcO7DlzJrsou_8DGdLF17ymQXnIBl3Q6XVBzGhXltehpEewvL7c2U/s1200/2020+Nov+Central+Park+8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcn-r0tJZb-TVCdxAP9gZL_FnvOjnIRascqrivUhRhsjj1GLIa00N_Ld5m7RHPGELomdZxjn4Xv5AAfjScIqj9dOcO7DlzJrsou_8DGdLF17ymQXnIBl3Q6XVBzGhXltehpEewvL7c2U/w400-h300/2020+Nov+Central+Park+8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: large;">And I know what everyone is thinking, as I pass them, every jogger and dog walker, everyone here in this wonderful anarchist jurisdiction of bleeding-heart liberal elites.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">We're all smiling inside, and thinking how great it is to live in this melting pot of a place. And feeling grateful for the return of that basic threshold of human decency, however tenuous.</span></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbo1GLkDOJzFqFhXGf26JS7HT3T45nNCw42qsIxsQIOb1Aw6j-AdmR2H_HnMXqFDktQUWagX8tTDAJ59JovWeP88qCzf6tuTj1grV0aO3U3NDtAzbuniW8jH3g7fjuw8f92bttozEdCVs/s1200/2020+Nov+Central+Park+9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbo1GLkDOJzFqFhXGf26JS7HT3T45nNCw42qsIxsQIOb1Aw6j-AdmR2H_HnMXqFDktQUWagX8tTDAJ59JovWeP88qCzf6tuTj1grV0aO3U3NDtAzbuniW8jH3g7fjuw8f92bttozEdCVs/w400-h300/2020+Nov+Central+Park+9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was a nice walk this morning.</span></div>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-47374879097064231462020-11-01T15:00:00.000-05:002020-11-01T15:00:15.932-05:00COVID Halloween!<p> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">During the Berlin Airlift following WWII, an American supply pilot dropped candy to kids in East Berlin.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFplkJ9J8ta5DD0lD0WpTFKG0K2YkG_cResvdyiZmn3P4kurWb45fJxQVBXnYi5PxefwBbzdERBPnJ7OH2Ho-tWL7bDhf5XyxJXHvcSY-1YPh612AvurEvyGJAHRcVw3oM7nnzTX32c4/s640/candy+bomber.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="640" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFplkJ9J8ta5DD0lD0WpTFKG0K2YkG_cResvdyiZmn3P4kurWb45fJxQVBXnYi5PxefwBbzdERBPnJ7OH2Ho-tWL7bDhf5XyxJXHvcSY-1YPh612AvurEvyGJAHRcVw3oM7nnzTX32c4/w400-h313/candy+bomber.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><p>Halloween 2020 on the Upper West Side was our own "candy drop" during tough times. Several of our townhouse neighbors went all-out with their decorations. Ours was one of the few apartment buildings welcoming trick-or-treaters this year. But lots of kids came by--we gave away ten big bags of candy.</p><p>Some of our visitors...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrMxhwdufY9hlyA3MgrOgsaXWa_xWDGkt9tX4phHSNPqy0CdphpPF5DAzA8p5Axm2_exfSPsJh0bqfbkhB837L5mioTGcK9TIBJSIVJmNI4FkD1id0mPL7eDTf5yb6dxJ6HPi95hC6p0/s1200/PXL_20201031_220638316.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="928" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrMxhwdufY9hlyA3MgrOgsaXWa_xWDGkt9tX4phHSNPqy0CdphpPF5DAzA8p5Axm2_exfSPsJh0bqfbkhB837L5mioTGcK9TIBJSIVJmNI4FkD1id0mPL7eDTf5yb6dxJ6HPi95hC6p0/w309-h400/PXL_20201031_220638316.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQlTkURY56OnwIKOt_SfeVAOIshplCXJcJaX5Mi6djS68jKeAwQQg4np99LtAckK5whWGiW_7CdPhaelaM14MdZMvgNbfhU8h-HeNixUV4BfjkKwVfVUb2K7V8fC5pnc-WOvCYvYsqNo/s1200/PXL_20201031_221708147.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQlTkURY56OnwIKOt_SfeVAOIshplCXJcJaX5Mi6djS68jKeAwQQg4np99LtAckK5whWGiW_7CdPhaelaM14MdZMvgNbfhU8h-HeNixUV4BfjkKwVfVUb2K7V8fC5pnc-WOvCYvYsqNo/w400-h300/PXL_20201031_221708147.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MvrNlmo_Zh_kNwBhx6A1X68NWsYPw3ZjrR_hZpPY0I5NrVNEcB4FRU2vcUQL9r0sZ7Gkx_wKfkB6l9Lr7RvTqWjbxG4tQqaF8WnOZXcPSh6f7FqE9c3kHAsrmNUH1NSJB8FQUUFnIYM/s1200/PXL_20201031_221835866.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="865" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MvrNlmo_Zh_kNwBhx6A1X68NWsYPw3ZjrR_hZpPY0I5NrVNEcB4FRU2vcUQL9r0sZ7Gkx_wKfkB6l9Lr7RvTqWjbxG4tQqaF8WnOZXcPSh6f7FqE9c3kHAsrmNUH1NSJB8FQUUFnIYM/w289-h400/PXL_20201031_221835866.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Fh3JlXA6c5HSz0dV8KZp_pvwtffiAn_eo3v7chrJVan_1ha1c4_UiMKK02BoQwQ7LOnaSCIPsXOgcN4VhaY_sruW7pILnWQFuNqaA3e52sAYRI7dOJd7VDJt2j_iLbGqrO6YoO9k-v0/s1200/PXL_20201031_225250406.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Fh3JlXA6c5HSz0dV8KZp_pvwtffiAn_eo3v7chrJVan_1ha1c4_UiMKK02BoQwQ7LOnaSCIPsXOgcN4VhaY_sruW7pILnWQFuNqaA3e52sAYRI7dOJd7VDJt2j_iLbGqrO6YoO9k-v0/w300-h400/PXL_20201031_225250406.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh928qgRzWMMuOhg_7lUyzeRSTsuNxbAOLUkGGd8LgvzqZnqwzJTDgqRlIeGrIzFTjiPcYoPM7EhePOhd3gi9MZVXucZzs88ui5bsMtIMKtbovsvVA16sYznR1dRinv3CaVs8hdvwamCh4/s1200/PXL_20201031_225334005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh928qgRzWMMuOhg_7lUyzeRSTsuNxbAOLUkGGd8LgvzqZnqwzJTDgqRlIeGrIzFTjiPcYoPM7EhePOhd3gi9MZVXucZzs88ui5bsMtIMKtbovsvVA16sYznR1dRinv3CaVs8hdvwamCh4/w300-h400/PXL_20201031_225334005.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>We even made the local news--sort of--that's my back and arm at 2:53!</p></span><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://w3.cdn.anvato.net/player/prod/v3/anvload.html?key=eyJtIjoiY2JzIiwidiI6IjQ4MzY4NDYiLCJhbnZhY2siOiI1VkQ2RXlkNmRqZXdiQ21Od0JGbnNKajE3WUF2R1J3bCIsInNoYXJlTGluayI6Imh0dHBzOi8vY2JzbG9jLmFsLzNvTmo1V0UiLCJwbHVnaW5zIjp7ImNvbXNjb3JlIjp7ImNsaWVudElkIjoiMzAwMDAyMyIsImMzIjoibmV3eW9yay5jYnNsb2NhbC5jb20ifSwiZGZwIjp7ImNsaWVudFNpZGUiOnsiYWRUYWdVcmwiOiJodHRwOi8vcHViYWRzLmcuZG91YmxlY2xpY2submV0L2dhbXBhZC9hZHM%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%3D%3D" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Hurray for candy and kids, and Happy Halloween forever and always!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUUGsppA0W8AwN05bxPSzHxMcfFlZxbGGUoR-24Tu9VQRJF6roxhXSznp0eQ3-uvTuTIMD3Y1_6-F9oA6acyuUqC_qtvg_V0DaJq7WVOILYGfBt30Nw5HCN9I9qBDQ6Vd8Jow4j4oz84/s1200/PXL_20201031_225527946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="913" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUUGsppA0W8AwN05bxPSzHxMcfFlZxbGGUoR-24Tu9VQRJF6roxhXSznp0eQ3-uvTuTIMD3Y1_6-F9oA6acyuUqC_qtvg_V0DaJq7WVOILYGfBt30Nw5HCN9I9qBDQ6Vd8Jow4j4oz84/w304-h400/PXL_20201031_225527946.jpg" width="304" /></a></div></div>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-87876117551506099432020-10-19T22:55:00.005-04:002020-10-19T22:55:43.950-04:00The Halloween decorations of West 82nd Street<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jnvDiZ8t2sf6mq8Rnw1Dag8MuiQ-47etZhdo5qag4iZr1ccNKD27MnCjsCmu8mK_Lf8d6rjjgySjlLDPf0bX4f__KryHzywR4tqFbVlYIlNWZBMJQ6yboNB4INrx5aPCxoCc1bFMbck/s830/2020+Oct+decorations+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="622" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jnvDiZ8t2sf6mq8Rnw1Dag8MuiQ-47etZhdo5qag4iZr1ccNKD27MnCjsCmu8mK_Lf8d6rjjgySjlLDPf0bX4f__KryHzywR4tqFbVlYIlNWZBMJQ6yboNB4INrx5aPCxoCc1bFMbck/w300-h400/2020+Oct+decorations+5.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7PYBfTLMkvior7kakWHVaaKGXrCmxnoG6sK7uQfanKBTo0N7vTXncAcDuAq5L_XdR_CrcwvUTUl8_s5m17K3N6GNBm0Vf01F3WXlH-bJQ3MzESMYIKnWL61TIOHS6frQLIQY4hJR2Gg/s830/2020+Oct+decorations+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="622" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7PYBfTLMkvior7kakWHVaaKGXrCmxnoG6sK7uQfanKBTo0N7vTXncAcDuAq5L_XdR_CrcwvUTUl8_s5m17K3N6GNBm0Vf01F3WXlH-bJQ3MzESMYIKnWL61TIOHS6frQLIQY4hJR2Gg/w300-h400/2020+Oct+decorations+4.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2i9T10yt6VJfLJMRsPvKbqG2JlFkmBf9xUL8_8ni1JoovhcAKhA8P74XTVguPfwXoQvg0W7mr50imPTHHlkO3HKHhlJk8AAOTabye0-ECKuwD4DoToNaZqhEoo4aFPlZf9DLzmF3gX0/s915/2020+Oct+decorations+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="915" data-original-width="686" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2i9T10yt6VJfLJMRsPvKbqG2JlFkmBf9xUL8_8ni1JoovhcAKhA8P74XTVguPfwXoQvg0W7mr50imPTHHlkO3HKHhlJk8AAOTabye0-ECKuwD4DoToNaZqhEoo4aFPlZf9DLzmF3gX0/w300-h400/2020+Oct+decorations+3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieq2utiY1Xx1aZi-V2LEU8kICYKhzoPmjV6k8a4CrOQ3wYNP16Vp9VnG_3oC-yHap-rLbK6Agsl7JNpqyODrixQRJHVATxBuU4GhPa3FtrczXrmQAwVVkMQTBPH7v0f6DfXoUJHh-mXf8/s915/2020+Oct+decorations+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="915" data-original-width="686" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieq2utiY1Xx1aZi-V2LEU8kICYKhzoPmjV6k8a4CrOQ3wYNP16Vp9VnG_3oC-yHap-rLbK6Agsl7JNpqyODrixQRJHVATxBuU4GhPa3FtrczXrmQAwVVkMQTBPH7v0f6DfXoUJHh-mXf8/w300-h400/2020+Oct+decorations+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7op0d1pvPQG9bPL5Nnp1M26wwVBXswc6js7TfCQDs4-Y3267DY3tLvuwLz474q93jl7CBIWt2xLj3PS1twLyrkMwXT4M2GuRguj4s7Q9-5Btr0CPJpk5Z9pnAsj1SsFxFGfBTStWDHkk/s1005/2020+Oct+decorations+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="664" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7op0d1pvPQG9bPL5Nnp1M26wwVBXswc6js7TfCQDs4-Y3267DY3tLvuwLz474q93jl7CBIWt2xLj3PS1twLyrkMwXT4M2GuRguj4s7Q9-5Btr0CPJpk5Z9pnAsj1SsFxFGfBTStWDHkk/w264-h400/2020+Oct+decorations+1.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><p></p>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-38589931915549762952020-09-06T22:45:00.012-04:002021-03-12T14:58:04.313-05:00What was the location of Roddy McDowall's Malibu beach house?<p><span style="font-size: large;">As always, we try to address the most pressing issues of our day: world hunger, global warming--and today, the location of Roddy McDowall's beach house.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">To cut to the chase, 23560 Malibu Colony Road.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">In 2011, several home movies shot by Roddy McDowall at his beach house in 1965 were uploaded to YouTube. They featured stars like Paul Newman, Natalie Wood, Rock Hudson, Judy Garland, and Julie Andrews.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQxyUT5QCSnrmLGR4ix_fMDNOS_iPqEsyIVsKTPczN33Oz_Ar5skDqo3wC210EncJ-qtT1b_UdIJBjB5uG4orbB2vhayhBU-up8FKg0EvxNfNpdYzYFiEaP4NUxiBkXwIQ1ixW38-bIU/s808/sitting+on+the+deck+65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="808" height="431" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQxyUT5QCSnrmLGR4ix_fMDNOS_iPqEsyIVsKTPczN33Oz_Ar5skDqo3wC210EncJ-qtT1b_UdIJBjB5uG4orbB2vhayhBU-up8FKg0EvxNfNpdYzYFiEaP4NUxiBkXwIQ1ixW38-bIU/w500-h431/sitting+on+the+deck+65.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzl2GZ1FJ_5lBNvJPovpvdAKEwf_ogQ1a-lYhh5XBmvx7WftcTxEB_8I3t5ub5i6VcV64hoQAL1y2dfEihcmfAfj5wLx4Ns3ilOFHztXKpmwXILaclXwiYLRxDQL0KSYYE59whdR-4PM/s801/paul+newman+65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="801" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzl2GZ1FJ_5lBNvJPovpvdAKEwf_ogQ1a-lYhh5XBmvx7WftcTxEB_8I3t5ub5i6VcV64hoQAL1y2dfEihcmfAfj5wLx4Ns3ilOFHztXKpmwXILaclXwiYLRxDQL0KSYYE59whdR-4PM/w500-h444/paul+newman+65.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">But searching for the address of the beach house on Google always comes up empty.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">So I viewed each of the videos to see if I could figure out where the house was.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">First clue, of course, was Malibu. And it was directly on the sand.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Second clue was that several of the home movies included shots from the beach itself. Looking west, a continuation of houses along a curving sandy cove, eventually to a point of land jutting out to the south. No pier in sight, by the way. And no Point Dume in the background.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_IdwdHqLxn8xT80kYT59H4P8xim8nZwF_cDhyphenhypheneuxbJlB09gxosFWt2sGP5v3RrB-drkNpVmD6eziOCY2ZyqpYIISgDmeEg7jSghh2v9wQnVNGvGcVRtLCLaWACG7Wc_UDQt2OW7AbGE/s812/looking+west+from+beach+65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="812" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_IdwdHqLxn8xT80kYT59H4P8xim8nZwF_cDhyphenhypheneuxbJlB09gxosFWt2sGP5v3RrB-drkNpVmD6eziOCY2ZyqpYIISgDmeEg7jSghh2v9wQnVNGvGcVRtLCLaWACG7Wc_UDQt2OW7AbGE/w500-h426/looking+west+from+beach+65.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">This narrowed the search to essentially two spots in Malibu where the land curves into a cove, and where there is no pier and no Point Dume.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh786YPwv9Kt4imUDedaGFNDEICf-iBVipgWrAF9p-RXNRgZVzur3D06D9CTir_QtVbNBvr8h2Qm2djOGCRFJb3c7SWETT5sC4ZmHUr8Oi3Hf0QTb9UnrZBhOK3g4esKdVwdEXJGMSu7kw/s1300/Map.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="1300" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh786YPwv9Kt4imUDedaGFNDEICf-iBVipgWrAF9p-RXNRgZVzur3D06D9CTir_QtVbNBvr8h2Qm2djOGCRFJb3c7SWETT5sC4ZmHUr8Oi3Hf0QTb9UnrZBhOK3g4esKdVwdEXJGMSu7kw/w625-h239/Map.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Possibility #1 would've been on Malibu Road just east of Corral State Beach. However, (1) the video clearly shows houses stretching all the way around the cove, and there are few houses along Corral Beach; (2) Roddy's house opens directly onto the beach at sand level, while the houses on Malibu Road tend to be up on stilts; (3) one of Roddy's videos shows the road in front of the house; it is flat on the land side, unlike the hillier Malibu Road.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Which leaves possibility #2: Malibu Colony, also known in the old days as Malibu Movie Star Colony. The houses in the distance extend all the way along the cove. The houses are close to the sand. And the land to the north is flat.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjNUlUIWZmwfe_3cZ5fWHJo_LZP6Bic_UWNPwrTQe_Kvpw3SJku3NCkikir8D-meg0mOUAarGRJzJfmLr5wOZ_NiOwt9xMxPneQ8-aAE_kWYXczBoKVVVOeUXUfQn_5RU40U1HXgZfX8/s1120/colony+aerial+.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1120" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjNUlUIWZmwfe_3cZ5fWHJo_LZP6Bic_UWNPwrTQe_Kvpw3SJku3NCkikir8D-meg0mOUAarGRJzJfmLr5wOZ_NiOwt9xMxPneQ8-aAE_kWYXczBoKVVVOeUXUfQn_5RU40U1HXgZfX8/w500-h323/colony+aerial+.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">So Roddy's house was likely located somewhere along Malibu Colony Road. But where?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The big clue was from a video featuring Julie Andrews and her daughter.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iF0N8Rp11Ig" width="560"></iframe> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Roddy followed them as they left his house--out onto the street. Looking into the distance, you can't see the end of the road--so it is a ways off.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9v3iaFj2rRc4mgEFCBqlVTbA7yYZeGcVPM8Cc0lDi4y1zA-kyLABRnbuvpuEjXsDQTUKgaNv-IvTsZb5MgsCxdR10hY8PAO_3tkiXszorIE7RnXLt3e-liY5i67vpVQjGP8538JYlyFA/s790/julie+malibu+colony+rd+looking+east+65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="790" height="423" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9v3iaFj2rRc4mgEFCBqlVTbA7yYZeGcVPM8Cc0lDi4y1zA-kyLABRnbuvpuEjXsDQTUKgaNv-IvTsZb5MgsCxdR10hY8PAO_3tkiXszorIE7RnXLt3e-liY5i67vpVQjGP8538JYlyFA/w500-h423/julie+malibu+colony+rd+looking+east+65.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Julie and her daughter get into their car, which is presumably facing east. She starts the car, then backs up, turns around, and heads west. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOHz80Sxbgmq2HbCanh2cyFl205ZTvIHdq3h4H3NP2jM90puSQRqMi2A2LmuLZM5GNkbuq2Cjqhr8fVKH-ME2vK7dOK4NrHPWSQ9NkI-zfococ2uj8Fzc4CaoNH7UFO4RIQFJnahAV88/s792/julie+malibu+colony+rd+looking+nw+65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="792" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOHz80Sxbgmq2HbCanh2cyFl205ZTvIHdq3h4H3NP2jM90puSQRqMi2A2LmuLZM5GNkbuq2Cjqhr8fVKH-ME2vK7dOK4NrHPWSQ9NkI-zfococ2uj8Fzc4CaoNH7UFO4RIQFJnahAV88/w500-h418/julie+malibu+colony+rd+looking+nw+65.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVn_sXGZigRRUWG9Vg5M8rZqssZuYJzEYVGCewQzDaijpU4RGf0oS6HE__aknrAxwkYYue9OHt0y5a58DU1PR9wBqJKhMaY-ATkye3wDjRc6bWL2WWoxe6MoPS183IktCFCSNYuzfxPq8/s793/julie+malibu+colony+rd+looking+nw+in+car+65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="793" height="423" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVn_sXGZigRRUWG9Vg5M8rZqssZuYJzEYVGCewQzDaijpU4RGf0oS6HE__aknrAxwkYYue9OHt0y5a58DU1PR9wBqJKhMaY-ATkye3wDjRc6bWL2WWoxe6MoPS183IktCFCSNYuzfxPq8/w500-h423/julie+malibu+colony+rd+looking+nw+in+car+65.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkEkAQMaSaHNQPLIWCMG8FwHuS931bZAFJdzj_dHJdwCjJ2Ow_WlXZwcJFrTd1H8zJ6sRazD7siByqu1w0v4YGWmRY2RCiNQKYovzOuKknEAe-0KGfcps_7v-S5ooNcDjXbkOG6TGPzU/s802/julie+malibu+colony+rd+looking+west+65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="802" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkEkAQMaSaHNQPLIWCMG8FwHuS931bZAFJdzj_dHJdwCjJ2Ow_WlXZwcJFrTd1H8zJ6sRazD7siByqu1w0v4YGWmRY2RCiNQKYovzOuKknEAe-0KGfcps_7v-S5ooNcDjXbkOG6TGPzU/w500-h413/julie+malibu+colony+rd+looking+west+65.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">That means the only exit was to the west. Which means they were to the east of the main road into the colony.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The best clue comes in the final seconds of the video--a car turning from the main road--the only intersection in the colony!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">So Roddy's beach house was likely one of the first three houses east of that road--since replaced with larger houses.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytyf66xBJEBxV0gFxczplaAcbylTH3RSbkbKmlh4otfUX54DBRgsrcVeC8bxZgMoOwVGE9OqbhG1NYVqqtT104nIhrFUWPO4xuBsxWgx9VrCrxCrvmMxtOaUvwpFyVnl8KCdFPch7Soc/s1200/map+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytyf66xBJEBxV0gFxczplaAcbylTH3RSbkbKmlh4otfUX54DBRgsrcVeC8bxZgMoOwVGE9OqbhG1NYVqqtT104nIhrFUWPO4xuBsxWgx9VrCrxCrvmMxtOaUvwpFyVnl8KCdFPch7Soc/w500-h320/map+2.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Looking at the Google map, one can clearly see the brown house that Julie walked in front of on the north side of the street, the white picket fence next to it (which now appears to be brick), and the white garage and short driveway in which she turned around (which look exactly the same).</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">And now that we know we're close, note the two-story house with the dormer windows a couple houses to the east of the red circle. It looks like it has been there a long time.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Sure enough, now that we're looking for it, we can see it in the background of a few of the 1965 home movies.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zEgCkyGlGCCI7BPx0SmUtYIi3LAiEGzQCgHpQH58sJsXjLx2MH18Kep4b6TtWkRIoZaiRywL_o0o-qFQ7uw1743cTDGFz7Nr0zKBeVkhKkC3c6u64Xj9eu3lX2qG4PlHM8dT7eITHSs/s1200/from+the+beach+65+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zEgCkyGlGCCI7BPx0SmUtYIi3LAiEGzQCgHpQH58sJsXjLx2MH18Kep4b6TtWkRIoZaiRywL_o0o-qFQ7uw1743cTDGFz7Nr0zKBeVkhKkC3c6u64Xj9eu3lX2qG4PlHM8dT7eITHSs/w500-h281/from+the+beach+65+2.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyCNvV7pajec3ZYaKGMs5Y_Z8gTwH8uJAVBOscHjCSq1BAbwsKcXSi5RkKn06_rn4uUbCFQrC4Rrni8Ml6HN7YXDAh7O2njQGVbQcsNcpCRoWkaOBCaMVu5GfO9vTWHsMN9_rbyMYJ3A/s1200/from+the+beach+65+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyCNvV7pajec3ZYaKGMs5Y_Z8gTwH8uJAVBOscHjCSq1BAbwsKcXSi5RkKn06_rn4uUbCFQrC4Rrni8Ml6HN7YXDAh7O2njQGVbQcsNcpCRoWkaOBCaMVu5GfO9vTWHsMN9_rbyMYJ3A/w500-h281/from+the+beach+65+3.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkL6MzgNYgLbb4TF5oHRYA1Jl4OVtNs0szBaEdY_wftriLDwp9pmvFDsmNxg-ARqFhcDtsb4etYzsSO_qOSgOXy0-__cbS3FZz7fY48Kxh7vSFy_2wB8mZ-Knk6TpDQCWvAT52v3Bdp78/s1200/tudor+65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkL6MzgNYgLbb4TF5oHRYA1Jl4OVtNs0szBaEdY_wftriLDwp9pmvFDsmNxg-ARqFhcDtsb4etYzsSO_qOSgOXy0-__cbS3FZz7fY48Kxh7vSFy_2wB8mZ-Knk6TpDQCWvAT52v3Bdp78/w500-h281/tudor+65.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">In fact, it's the third house down from Roddy's. Which means Roddy's house was the one in the middle of the red circle--23560.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Here's a comparison of photos from Roddy's house in 1965 and from the Zillow listing for the current house:</span></div><div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkB4aM6h4IkmAHhJLHYcS9FEapchuw9jLn5OUTKtJmEXteW_IWyIW4bc11Bt4BnQCdiWGUXbyw8MwO1Fp4KbdHGK_DPL4wJx9IJ_S4rktlpzyeARwHerPVPy6_34kPMN_AGXMBtXbh9eM/s790/courtyard+65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="790" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkB4aM6h4IkmAHhJLHYcS9FEapchuw9jLn5OUTKtJmEXteW_IWyIW4bc11Bt4BnQCdiWGUXbyw8MwO1Fp4KbdHGK_DPL4wJx9IJ_S4rktlpzyeARwHerPVPy6_34kPMN_AGXMBtXbh9eM/w500-h420/courtyard+65.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEveJ-c9mT9VWtDccsJEg4YZw7YinnnIBFOy1tUm7R1VNMmXbigNhH1FctUvBQ7tobYaBRmKQ-p11SNeZlJsghfwkmjr6A9WcvKsKFCwr6qRvFWZuanMamublDAqXulTjMMXy3W8e4YCo/s640/23560+courtyward.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEveJ-c9mT9VWtDccsJEg4YZw7YinnnIBFOy1tUm7R1VNMmXbigNhH1FctUvBQ7tobYaBRmKQ-p11SNeZlJsghfwkmjr6A9WcvKsKFCwr6qRvFWZuanMamublDAqXulTjMMXy3W8e4YCo/w500-h375/23560+courtyward.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxeLQxxj2tOecYCPmSYKNSvwmLf7YWp923frPuCpjPod6ZVLcsa4iRxIKI_tScRkpfJyswkAgnv6K1VQm_BGGKP7Ccn6uBdEuejRNkHaM0zlAlPRv_JlVW1dNJm9KItRL9hp6rErfPvU/s807/courtyard+65+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="807" height="431" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxeLQxxj2tOecYCPmSYKNSvwmLf7YWp923frPuCpjPod6ZVLcsa4iRxIKI_tScRkpfJyswkAgnv6K1VQm_BGGKP7Ccn6uBdEuejRNkHaM0zlAlPRv_JlVW1dNJm9KItRL9hp6rErfPvU/w500-h431/courtyard+65+2.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXlS4HiXNpft9BFlmBMU5vQoNtYmqsBWAkl6-JWXck6e_mZXF11IF0gq7oTJ0UkupKoN8adlZ2QRvyLZW_U5YBAhXxwb5J1bWAH_mTx2BdkT4LHm__T2hNKI1GDZRuElI1ZIpOJKhYFg/s810/from+the+beach+65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="810" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXlS4HiXNpft9BFlmBMU5vQoNtYmqsBWAkl6-JWXck6e_mZXF11IF0gq7oTJ0UkupKoN8adlZ2QRvyLZW_U5YBAhXxwb5J1bWAH_mTx2BdkT4LHm__T2hNKI1GDZRuElI1ZIpOJKhYFg/w500-h429/from+the+beach+65.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3HFLqxBPOBvSnBRJSkkuGxC7a5uNmu26vxMP5hX4NoF_AkJ1p5MECS91IayIUdAV_egJ5OQP_vLFkpE3InU5SLBTzMbyq1mr8goaoulaKn066KS0lpl0N8x6qP40S5Pmm9-coNvhwEs/s983/from+the+beach+curent.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="983" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3HFLqxBPOBvSnBRJSkkuGxC7a5uNmu26vxMP5hX4NoF_AkJ1p5MECS91IayIUdAV_egJ5OQP_vLFkpE3InU5SLBTzMbyq1mr8goaoulaKn066KS0lpl0N8x6qP40S5Pmm9-coNvhwEs/w500-h366/from+the+beach+curent.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Note that either rocks have been brought in to prevent beach erosion, or they were completely covered by sand in 1965. In any case, there's a lot less beach now, and a lot more steps to get to it. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68QCGtaEdDgSl4OJKjyA4k6slnubFXx6dWXznK3zRwq1Cp5fcN7HeBiOFAgeuFKCqTP9BLd_13StcvTPH7MRU_gn0YW7xR-QbNKKwnUgEXsocysczPVKmpJJYOTWAZxYAUY299lfwi5s/s818/courtyard+toward+house+65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="818" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68QCGtaEdDgSl4OJKjyA4k6slnubFXx6dWXznK3zRwq1Cp5fcN7HeBiOFAgeuFKCqTP9BLd_13StcvTPH7MRU_gn0YW7xR-QbNKKwnUgEXsocysczPVKmpJJYOTWAZxYAUY299lfwi5s/w500-h430/courtyard+toward+house+65.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcb8DYtif4nEmTM-7Mp-3kT1F5TqXd244ZdMkUHdte7gdT8_QtHRa2dmlA7elTuHqnZVJMprJmWRRMCTTvN1tClc7J-qJsXicxEtVZZ0TtvJTC29WrKgBF6wNyXv6mpcoDi6Nm8Ztlc4c/s480/23560+courtyard+toward+house.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="317" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcb8DYtif4nEmTM-7Mp-3kT1F5TqXd244ZdMkUHdte7gdT8_QtHRa2dmlA7elTuHqnZVJMprJmWRRMCTTvN1tClc7J-qJsXicxEtVZZ0TtvJTC29WrKgBF6wNyXv6mpcoDi6Nm8Ztlc4c/w330-h500/23560+courtyard+toward+house.jpg" width="330" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCxZ4fkvFUvrVAbBvVLuUQoLf9c5mfay7nyswBQhEgCZ-bCDOu9_Khl4aPKhMCmLSIhjxM8w3BvU6xCeEV6PWTmoHzxJMSE_Krnim1KHgdEuwJ1dJHpd34LEW4iMVC_gLP8M0Zw2sGdc/s788/beach+Julie+65.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="788" height="429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCxZ4fkvFUvrVAbBvVLuUQoLf9c5mfay7nyswBQhEgCZ-bCDOu9_Khl4aPKhMCmLSIhjxM8w3BvU6xCeEV6PWTmoHzxJMSE_Krnim1KHgdEuwJ1dJHpd34LEW4iMVC_gLP8M0Zw2sGdc/w500-h429/beach+Julie+65.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUNWGae5TT_IHYw8O2GpxhqJn0DHTZkE6kllHfIYinyQsD9h3IlucV9FDGJvnifD988aN2u5xKTjC5H5k3l4OV1Chy6ifyq7W8pVjZlEfGGwGKyvcDkRiN6Shlg87wxoKIcNs3zwHN9U/s640/23560+looking+west+from+beach+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUNWGae5TT_IHYw8O2GpxhqJn0DHTZkE6kllHfIYinyQsD9h3IlucV9FDGJvnifD988aN2u5xKTjC5H5k3l4OV1Chy6ifyq7W8pVjZlEfGGwGKyvcDkRiN6Shlg87wxoKIcNs3zwHN9U/w500-h375/23560+looking+west+from+beach+2.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Case closed. Now, on to less important topics.</span></div></div><p></p></div>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-88752909220252468842020-07-12T23:34:00.001-04:002020-07-12T23:34:27.943-04:007 great things that happened today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEa8zXwWw82Bc74B5hmS37OtDziWwkS6gwzZCHOefEOygoeboR1O2lQnETVviT4_1fJngVGbXP2kZ-AO_RXWVcQXRgpbaPY5CcoOx22Vq0EkR-mCzxOxhWyz3zgdClCtK4CzBlZumZyw/s1600/2020+July+Storm+King+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEa8zXwWw82Bc74B5hmS37OtDziWwkS6gwzZCHOefEOygoeboR1O2lQnETVviT4_1fJngVGbXP2kZ-AO_RXWVcQXRgpbaPY5CcoOx22Vq0EkR-mCzxOxhWyz3zgdClCtK4CzBlZumZyw/s400/2020+July+Storm+King+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. When we went to pick up the rental car, the Hertz agent said, "Is a Mustang convertible okay?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. I talked the cop out of a ticket for entering a parking lot through the exit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. After I avoided the ticket, instead of being upset, Jo called me a rebel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. We went on the same 4-hour hike we went on three years ago for one of our first dates.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmPnDufQFKzJlhq-ifkvc4wcOL505lL66zF74ichlxxCJ1-uJL25AjC0Huxz4vkF_Fp7whvexzLS1H-VSY9zTszmmEQauKxbYxXF98a8vT21ZdWHekL1bFgyhLfXcfhnfbW082ks-3Dc/s1600/2020+July+Storm+King+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmPnDufQFKzJlhq-ifkvc4wcOL505lL66zF74ichlxxCJ1-uJL25AjC0Huxz4vkF_Fp7whvexzLS1H-VSY9zTszmmEQauKxbYxXF98a8vT21ZdWHekL1bFgyhLfXcfhnfbW082ks-3Dc/s400/2020+July+Storm+King+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. On the way home, Jo turned on Sirius radio, saw the Elvis station, and said, "Oh, how about this?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">6. On the West Side Highway, around the 95th Street exit, where it says "Bump Ahead," I accelerated and hit it full-speed, and instead of being upset, Jo said, "Weeee!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">7. BBQ takeout.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRSyIGHNL9GHAT2T3yQlyp1IkAinpiMZZ2QIKsgCmSNZ4EJ2UU_4ZUe_d7A4wXXGBZeNbAo9F0VOYB9kABg851xrXMDXdmJXuRyWYknK4he-mUFxh0MtSWTaNPyZE3DhhDWiLiv5xe34/s1600/2020+Juy+BBQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRSyIGHNL9GHAT2T3yQlyp1IkAinpiMZZ2QIKsgCmSNZ4EJ2UU_4ZUe_d7A4wXXGBZeNbAo9F0VOYB9kABg851xrXMDXdmJXuRyWYknK4he-mUFxh0MtSWTaNPyZE3DhhDWiLiv5xe34/s400/2020+Juy+BBQ.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thank you, Jo, for accepting me as I am and being a great wife.</span>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-70424279945211332452020-07-03T00:10:00.003-04:002020-07-03T12:30:12.352-04:00All my book news in one post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBpZdEY2WabrK26emPGo6nnYf_YrT40hwta-OBHgWzU33PZHNtaLO6flta-o1ZZdDUQxTq8cl4TDX1LZmZRuozHhHQfnRclXa0FcruoYoufkHurpZVEsTowZItiOuUwpaZyGmV0uC9xY/s454/library-books-are-not-for-eating+cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="353" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBpZdEY2WabrK26emPGo6nnYf_YrT40hwta-OBHgWzU33PZHNtaLO6flta-o1ZZdDUQxTq8cl4TDX1LZmZRuozHhHQfnRclXa0FcruoYoufkHurpZVEsTowZItiOuUwpaZyGmV0uC9xY/s320/library-books-are-not-for-eating+cover.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Library Books Are Not for Eating</i> is out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The timing isn't ideal. We're still smack in the middle of a pandemic, with most book stores still closed. </span><span style="font-size: large;">(We held a "virtual launch party" via Zoom.) </span><span style="font-size: large;">It's a weird year. You may have noticed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But I'm very proud of it it. It's got a cute storyline, clever rhymes, and great illustrations. And real bite marks in the cover.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Frances Gilbert, the editor, is terrific (an under-appreciated role). And it has a major publisher--Doubleday, an imprint of Penguin Random House. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm biased, but I think it should be a Best Seller. Never say never.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While I was checking its first-week sales on Amazon, I noticed two new books on my author page.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My Seuss books!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I wrote two "Step Into Reading" books featuring Dr. Seuss's Lorax. They're coming out in January 2021. I'm giddy about writing in the voice of the Lorax (which is obviously the voice of Dr. Seuss, my favorite author).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7ETzecd7yz3_K3TQHMMDRWdnVUMxRp1uWNcSvhmeYARrqBmodhZFgF8I81R0XDkKNaugEQvXFgZDOdwShyXknRgr-A7NDqb2TmgvSnQ-5PuDPxX9RDUoAYORrVAFdiYeTljFfziu1fc/s450/Would+You+Could+You+Plant+a+Tree+cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7ETzecd7yz3_K3TQHMMDRWdnVUMxRp1uWNcSvhmeYARrqBmodhZFgF8I81R0XDkKNaugEQvXFgZDOdwShyXknRgr-A7NDqb2TmgvSnQ-5PuDPxX9RDUoAYORrVAFdiYeTljFfziu1fc/s320/Would+You+Could+You+Plant+a+Tree+cover.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT40RyHldfdBWvoUv2EgPKGfZcZjn4oed3EU0DgowJgrf_OgjShH2wMKgq5whIxTmqbzy6eQv0TfYFjEGqyXs80WKyaHDJ1Qx09nOoqsNKRcURPRH0m6d_LvRvcb0ZtY2oqtG9w2uWhgU/s450/Would+You+Could+You+Save+the+Sea+cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT40RyHldfdBWvoUv2EgPKGfZcZjn4oed3EU0DgowJgrf_OgjShH2wMKgq5whIxTmqbzy6eQv0TfYFjEGqyXs80WKyaHDJ1Qx09nOoqsNKRcURPRH0m6d_LvRvcb0ZtY2oqtG9w2uWhgU/s320/Would+You+Could+You+Save+the+Sea+cover.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And while I was there I saw the cover of my NEXT Dr. Seuss book:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfLC-kpMTRt9JKqBZgKxwXHpXcb1kpnSjujXp_adbLgik81M5TSXnk8s3xD5KaDcCy2w07pIyHqD68wgjKs62VzD8jVL_sFWs2V8jrQ_0PO55gvbCx-623a6_JwxEt7U13XxnEgDk5Qo/s700/Oh+the+Lavas+that+Flow+cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="511" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfLC-kpMTRt9JKqBZgKxwXHpXcb1kpnSjujXp_adbLgik81M5TSXnk8s3xD5KaDcCy2w07pIyHqD68wgjKs62VzD8jVL_sFWs2V8jrQ_0PO55gvbCx-623a6_JwxEt7U13XxnEgDk5Qo/s320/Oh+the+Lavas+that+Flow+cover.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's a rhyming nonfiction book for a series called "The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library." I had seen the series at the book store and did some research online, and decided to write a manuscript for them and submit it and see what happens. I picked volcanoes because it seemed like an obvious missing topic in the series.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Is there anything cooler than writing in the voice of the Lorax? Writing in the voice of the Cat in the Hat. It comes out in March 2021.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There. One post. Four books. Efficiency. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Time to kiss my beautiful wife goodnight and go to bed.</span></div>
Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-57277171531601150082020-06-11T14:23:00.000-04:002020-06-11T14:36:24.748-04:00A few quotes<span style="font-size: large;">Each morning my company has a short team-building session during which we each answer a particular question, share a memory, or respond to some similar assignment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today's task was to share our favorite quotes. We had everything from the Bible to E.B. White to Winston Churchill to Dr. Seuss to Katy Perry to Jane Austen to Public Enemy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My choices, on this particular day:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"But it does."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">--Galileo, following his apology to the Court of Inquisition for claiming the Earth moves around the Sun</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Why I chose it: You can believe anything you want. If you're particularly powerful, you can make others agree with you. But it still doesn't make you right. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"There are 100 billion galaxies, each with, on average, 100 billion stars."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">--Carl Sagan</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Why I chose it: The universe is really, really big. We are really, really small. That is good to keep in mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on."</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">--Carl Sandburg</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Why I chose it: The universe may be big, and we may be small. But we are not insignificant. This is not a pitch for having more babies. It's just a pitch for deciding for yourself what is significant about your life, what you've brought to the world, and how the world will be better because of it. You may have a different answer than me. But I have mine.</span>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-60700146795983160842020-05-07T23:50:00.000-04:002020-05-07T23:50:28.332-04:00Everything is okay<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQYuE_vS6YgMVlzo7VS9DOFMXnSLPibEO71xZJY_zzCHnOHo-cWb4oIHRD-WtSrobKZds7AIF7phR9DTgxGAohixWS5g-hJlMkIVrnCuAp4zJ69cARq5Ev5ZOebu7Sw_acEXdhec5S6k/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="400" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQYuE_vS6YgMVlzo7VS9DOFMXnSLPibEO71xZJY_zzCHnOHo-cWb4oIHRD-WtSrobKZds7AIF7phR9DTgxGAohixWS5g-hJlMkIVrnCuAp4zJ69cARq5Ev5ZOebu7Sw_acEXdhec5S6k/w400-h224/2017+Sep+Todd+Josephine+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">This is the first picture I ever took of Jo. It was our fifth date, in October 2017.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">Our first date was a few weeks earlier, when we met for a drink at Capital Grille near Wall Street. I thought she was pretty and smart. She was very nicely dressed, but with hardly any makeup or jewelry. So I knew she wasn't a phony. </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">Our second date was a walk in Greenwich Village, to the fountain at Washington Square Park.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">Our third date was a walk in Central Park. She didn't want to go in the rowboats because she didn't know me well enough.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">Our fourth "date" was a book reading at Lincoln Center. I casually mentioned that I was the headliner for the event, and she said, "Can I come?" </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">"Oh, you want to come?" I said innocently.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">Our fifth date was hiking above the Hudson. I held her hand to help her climb up the rocks. That's where this picture was taken. </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">A year later, we were married.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">I'm writing about this now because I post here less often than I used to. There's no good way to balance intimate thoughts and social media. But what's the value in non-intimate thoughts? </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">So I want to share an intimate thought: I want to say that everything is okay. Life is so unpredictable. Not just this weird pandemic. The whole thing. Love. Growing up. Growing older. It's like a screenplay that went off the rails in Act 2 but just keeps going. I don't know if it will have a happy ending. Well, we sort of know how it will end, generally speaking, and from that point of view it's hard for me to be elated about that. But before then. Pick a time. At what point do you say you've had a happy life? Or is it even necessary to say, since you'll probably just jinx it?</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">I'm madly in love with Jo. I'm so happy I found her.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">She took a big leap of faith with me. It was a bigger leap for her than for me, and I'm grateful that she did.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">We are hunkered down for now, like everyone else across the country--aside from the angry, maskless people storming their state capitols brandishing firearms and demanding their constitutional right to infect others. I'm happy to be hunkered down with her. I'm happy to be with her and have our lives intertwined, for better and for worse.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font size="4">So everything is okay. I hope everything is okay with you. </font></div>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-26663137225309237162020-04-01T00:44:00.000-04:002020-04-25T15:24:43.734-04:00Manzanar orphans<span style="font-size: large;">Why were there orphans at an internment camp? It seems absurd, but like all Japanese-Americans living on the west coast during WWII, they were considered a threat to national security.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So 100 orphans, along with 10,000 other Japanese-Americans, were shipped off to the Manzanar internment camp in the middle of the California desert in 1942, where they stayed until the war ended in 1945.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tonight was a non-writing night, so I spent it reading about the orphanage at Manzanar and looking at photos with tears streaming down my face while my poor wife kept coming over to tell me to stop looking at depressing photos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are multiple layers of tragedy here, but there's also love and joy and hope. There are always good humans who find ways to help one another when the world takes a dark turn. I think about how much those people surely meant to these kids who were dealt such a crappy hand--abandoned, unwanted, declared the enemy. Like tiny flowers that bloom in the desert sand, love always finds a way to push forward, bit by bit by bit. </span><br />
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Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-31526285850604256202020-03-28T21:46:00.002-04:002020-03-28T21:49:10.507-04:00We'll get through this<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm sitting cross-legged in my big leather club chair, which is the best chair in the apartment for writing. I'm trying to finish my fifth manuscript in five weeks by tomorrow night. All five are Dr. Seuss-themed, and all five are scheduled for publication next year, so we're on a deadline.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Four of them, including this one, feature the Lorax. This one is about the joys and benefits of planting a tree, for early readers. The other four are about volcanoes, gardens, beaches, and oceans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jo is next to me in our antique rocking chair, watching the latest news about the coronavirus.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Whiskey, the bad cocker spaniel, is at Jo's feet, chewing on a bone. Bailey, the good cocker spaniel, is sleeping peacefully on the sofa.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ethan is home from college for the rest of the semester. He just poked his head out of his bedroom to wonder aloud whether Socrates actually believed that Greek gods were real.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sam is also home from college, but is now with her mom in New Jersey; she'll stay there until this is over.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We're not freaking out. But it's stressful in a below-the-surface kind of way. I believe we'll survive the virus, but I worry about staying employed, I worry about the freelancers we've had to cut, I worry about all the shops and restaurants on Amsterdam that may or may not reopen when this goes away. I worry about my parents. I worry about Jo, and Sam, and Ethan.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>We will plant a new tree.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>We will have lots of fun!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>In fact, we may even</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>plant more trees than one!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I need a word that rhymes with habitat. </span><span style="font-size: large;">"Where it's at"?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It's comforting to be sitting in my big leather chair, escaping into Seussian rhymes, surrounded by people and dogs that I love.</span>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-59709573138263525392020-03-02T21:52:00.000-05:002020-03-03T22:42:02.924-05:00I will catch you up<span style="font-size: large;">It's Dr. Seuss's birthday. But I'll get to that in a minute.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">First, I have a new job. That is good. It's a promising start-up with great people. </span><span style="font-size: large;">I spent much of 2019 not having a job, which was also good--until around November, at which point paying the mortgage took precedence over the writing of my novel. I'll finish it in 2020, I promise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here I am projecting startup culture:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmo4T2Q-shlM4Q6iCz_JcK1wA3HCwVyhxqvp-nCmAonr-zDUwrj1gtBeoi4uBSqsnAP51MPIG873Tal04hcGC-N2mkNIasvKMIsTGx25pV-s1SJU3CkqVEkbonwl1cc7RBnQr_Q0k0ciU/s1600/2020+Feb+Todd+at+work.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmo4T2Q-shlM4Q6iCz_JcK1wA3HCwVyhxqvp-nCmAonr-zDUwrj1gtBeoi4uBSqsnAP51MPIG873Tal04hcGC-N2mkNIasvKMIsTGx25pV-s1SJU3CkqVEkbonwl1cc7RBnQr_Q0k0ciU/s400/2020+Feb+Todd+at+work.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Second, Jo and I are enjoying watching the Iowa Hawkeyes have a great wrestling season. Or I should say I'm enjoying having a great wife. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7LdjGW73YTjLRr4xhE_v0tBnmAioXDfTRojxvgLV37gZeNevY3DY15GSSHX-sra_1ar2_3WT9afBrOZcAIpHx5h0Usacb5JQ854wfYaMH8eLPCopfoS9Tfy97qjjHPzqGu2WoP30fVA/s1600/2020+Jan+Hawkeyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1330" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7LdjGW73YTjLRr4xhE_v0tBnmAioXDfTRojxvgLV37gZeNevY3DY15GSSHX-sra_1ar2_3WT9afBrOZcAIpHx5h0Usacb5JQ854wfYaMH8eLPCopfoS9Tfy97qjjHPzqGu2WoP30fVA/s400/2020+Jan+Hawkeyes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And yes, we do get out of the house occasionally...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OqDSs7aX_E3APTN9KfpxB8tFjfdxTZVnYCEJdiemaED4q0v9orS5Dtqi9TzrYhgPBD_4sb0EmoWyjuBMcxtq_qhBHXjxfEFjKQmi8au6iJ2XfUr8BmTqMfFDAE52YtRGGaS7ZT2FzLw/s1600/2020+Feb+Todd+and+Jo+Brooklyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OqDSs7aX_E3APTN9KfpxB8tFjfdxTZVnYCEJdiemaED4q0v9orS5Dtqi9TzrYhgPBD_4sb0EmoWyjuBMcxtq_qhBHXjxfEFjKQmi8au6iJ2XfUr8BmTqMfFDAE52YtRGGaS7ZT2FzLw/s400/2020+Feb+Todd+and+Jo+Brooklyn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIAqAM7p2wcjnz9r4MPSRtCtqeqxTO-yIJXBpP8DBPkV5CFQusWF27TcmJiesI7DeLNBq2rcYYHvH83dpWJ__1YMuGTx1sReg3fDY2zQYlz_38nqvEDoHVhECv0X5cXJh6MJ3XX772MM/s1600/2020+Feb+Todd+and+Jo+Times+Square+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIAqAM7p2wcjnz9r4MPSRtCtqeqxTO-yIJXBpP8DBPkV5CFQusWF27TcmJiesI7DeLNBq2rcYYHvH83dpWJ__1YMuGTx1sReg3fDY2zQYlz_38nqvEDoHVhECv0X5cXJh6MJ3XX772MM/s400/2020+Feb+Todd+and+Jo+Times+Square+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEKrtF9Ifp-U19lTx-h3TnCRqiWcvq4uzN8x_t-eHWk3JavlkRrqph-n-o8xBtO-KJBLOjSQd7SRCneObn82p1vyk4C0RcWpJZ5ISr1-CteM7mNBL_oXFL2SqYeV1Syg1hVAJZq0s31I/s1600/2020+Feb+Todd+and+Jo+Times+Square+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcEKrtF9Ifp-U19lTx-h3TnCRqiWcvq4uzN8x_t-eHWk3JavlkRrqph-n-o8xBtO-KJBLOjSQd7SRCneObn82p1vyk4C0RcWpJZ5ISr1-CteM7mNBL_oXFL2SqYeV1Syg1hVAJZq0s31I/s400/2020+Feb+Todd+and+Jo+Times+Square+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Last but not least, I'm writing some books for Dr. Seuss. I'll elaborate as soon as I have some physical proof. In the meantime, here's to employment, go Hawks, love and kisses to my bride, and happy birthday, Dr. Seuss.</span>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-61818892236294123042020-01-25T23:08:00.000-05:002020-03-29T22:42:10.923-04:00Who I wanted to be<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtCqKrPMLlhKtTsnvPnZQhALUuwm7bzkGpQkiK0zdq9Aycqhn2B21KWOSY3Ceg_1VHFptrLJw098Me_ds16drm9DW5nCrNTNUVpMf_Z9YMeip-2Dr2Im5bDOeiLma9GVq5Kqdwc4qEEY/s1600/henson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1000" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtCqKrPMLlhKtTsnvPnZQhALUuwm7bzkGpQkiK0zdq9Aycqhn2B21KWOSY3Ceg_1VHFptrLJw098Me_ds16drm9DW5nCrNTNUVpMf_Z9YMeip-2Dr2Im5bDOeiLma9GVq5Kqdwc4qEEY/s400/henson.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I wanted to be Jim Henson. I admired his creativity, his silliness, and how he leveraged those into television shows that touched millions of people. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGoR8j9I29k5mdk_w-Cq8nkno9mWETiL4VEm8T3qpok2vZc_V7DMCC1utW0GL4YaZ1xOJwpcQDt1wlinJa3-2CC97GILgVX3FiVZnqWMujwaNKM-4q8eFmkrtkVBpwR33sQpO8RztV3U/s1600/woody+allen.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1000" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGoR8j9I29k5mdk_w-Cq8nkno9mWETiL4VEm8T3qpok2vZc_V7DMCC1utW0GL4YaZ1xOJwpcQDt1wlinJa3-2CC97GILgVX3FiVZnqWMujwaNKM-4q8eFmkrtkVBpwR33sQpO8RztV3U/s400/woody+allen.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I wanted to be Woody Allen. I admired the fact that he wrote, directed, and starred in a new movie every year. I liked his self-deprecating, absurdist humor</span><span style="font-size: large;">. I liked that his movies were small and personal and about human relationships rather than gun battles, UFOs, and explosions.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig88exO388CcEtHFXPozeqAvrp2e9syegukvD6sUpEB89XeT6oUd7U8YKf_upWrapEbDqXCeGjpn6TIzNVmEnORMW4xcKg-lvF00cl5yp1ZqWsScm3p7nKmoXOszggJL0xhVYUaAY4-B0/s1600/spielberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="450" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig88exO388CcEtHFXPozeqAvrp2e9syegukvD6sUpEB89XeT6oUd7U8YKf_upWrapEbDqXCeGjpn6TIzNVmEnORMW4xcKg-lvF00cl5yp1ZqWsScm3p7nKmoXOszggJL0xhVYUaAY4-B0/s400/spielberg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I wanted to be Steven Spielberg. I admired the fact that he directed BIG movies, often with gun battles, UFOs, and explosions--but always ultimately about human beings.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaIRZicemwzgMtlsH0KCvsc0FgdfF_aVqR0VbVuwtZMVhZSbvYp8VgJ49Zbsd1IGY7oJnEumGP3fj3bVsPUQ8M_fGue-5DsnujtpBpg9PJGtBSFk-Boc3I9nWaghu7NKfn1qSk5VLFrw/s1600/chevy+chase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="1024" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaIRZicemwzgMtlsH0KCvsc0FgdfF_aVqR0VbVuwtZMVhZSbvYp8VgJ49Zbsd1IGY7oJnEumGP3fj3bVsPUQ8M_fGue-5DsnujtpBpg9PJGtBSFk-Boc3I9nWaghu7NKfn1qSk5VLFrw/s400/chevy+chase.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I wanted to be Chevy Chase. I admired the fact that he was a TV comedy writer, and a performer, and--at least in those first seasons of </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">SNL</i><span style="font-size: large;">--he embodied coolness.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwaiapNq01FcKnchVi6CXQPf4dyndPe_Rho3RpI09JG2eI9uwl8T-u5kwjgBnevFSaDOf9XAUQ0nK29lX-u9VkbTwwY_GFSpzYSZ9oW8p_us4tRbzh2uGxzdv1dj2sJyyJb1cZ3iDC5jE/s1600/seuss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwaiapNq01FcKnchVi6CXQPf4dyndPe_Rho3RpI09JG2eI9uwl8T-u5kwjgBnevFSaDOf9XAUQ0nK29lX-u9VkbTwwY_GFSpzYSZ9oW8p_us4tRbzh2uGxzdv1dj2sJyyJb1cZ3iDC5jE/s400/seuss.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I wanted to be Dr. Seuss--albeit a younger version, with cooler glasses and a T-shirt instead of a bow tie. I loved how he could rhyme and draw in a style like no one else. </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">The Sneetches and Other Stories</i><span style="font-size: large;"> was my favorite book as a kid.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">What happened between then and now goes something like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I went to NYU film school. I was an intern for <i>Late Night With David Letterman</i>. I worked as a production assistant for <i>The Dick Cavett Show</i> and Lifetime Network.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But being a production assistant sucked. It wasn't like being Steven Spielberg. It was answering phones, hauling props--the antithesis of creative fulfillment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At age 24 I made myself a deal. I'd work a few extra years at the end of my life, when I was too old to do anything fun. In the meantime I'd move to Iowa to train with Dan Gable and the Iowa Wrestling team. I'd run and wrestle and sweat and lose and win and celebrate with teammates and tube down the Iowa River and kiss pretty girls. And I'd keep doing it until I placed at the national freestyle wrestling championships.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was crazy, but it worked. I'm so glad I did it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">During my final year at Iowa, at 28, I applied to grad school at Yale. I figured I ought to at least try, because if I actually got in, how cool would that be?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I graduated from Yale at 30. I had loans to repay, and I couldn't be a production assistant again even if I'd wanted to. No regrets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I got a job as a research manager at A+E Networks and helped launch The History Channel. It was interesting, but I felt nothing like Woody Allen. Does anyone really grow up wanting to be Sumner Redstone?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Digital media seemed like a good way to claw back some creativity in my life, and I sensed it was the future. So </span><span style="font-size: large;">I left network television to go to a digital start-up. It failed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I went to other media companies, other start-ups. All have been interesting. Most have paid the bills. </span><span style="font-size: large;">None have made me feel like Steven Spielberg.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But I continued to write, and when I became a father, my interest turned back to people like Jim Henson and Dr. Seuss.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I wrote a children's manuscript. I shopped it around. And around. And around. An editor said, "Do you have anything else?" I wrote something else. The editor liked it. It became a book. I got an agent. I wrote more manuscripts. More became books. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I have seven books now. #8 is coming in a few months. #9, #10, and #11 are coming in 2021, and all three are Dr. Seuss-branded. That's about the coolest thing that's ever happened to me, aside from the love of the humans in my life.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Anyone who is completely happy with their life probably isn't trying hard enough. Very few people actually become princesses, or superheroes, or famous writers or directors. Frankly, I haven't met a lot of people who still say they want to be Chevy Chase, let alone Woody Allen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the end of the day, the thing I'm most proud of is being a husband and a father. I never thought too much about those things growing up. But life is short, and so much of it is veneer, and if you don't focus on the truly important things you're going to find yourself old and alone, and you've really missed the essence of what being a human being is all about.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">But beyond that, I'm proud of being a children's author. Even if I never get rich doing it (hint: unlikely), I feel like I clawed and clawed and clawed my way back to something I envisioned for myself in my youth, which is being paid to be creative. And I don't mean creative like being a copywriter for Marlboro. I mean creative like I write something, and it's published, and it has my name on the cover.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I feel a secret glee every day knowing that I write children's books. I feel kinda like Dr. Seuss and I both go to the same dry cleaners.</span>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-62310758633447655902020-01-20T11:43:00.001-05:002020-01-20T22:14:29.076-05:00Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmyCiBFa1okukcXV4f1tFxhH31DSig_ISViGuJHzlVNIwUECrl48qXT0lVgRNumIzX-GqoCscJzFt9olgqbwn5PhQBLe6LvEjJ9Qv88NxR_CXUboSWZB_gcbvIZIWjiWEFENWGjdgta4/s1600/2020+Jan+Sam+back+to+Trinity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1333" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmyCiBFa1okukcXV4f1tFxhH31DSig_ISViGuJHzlVNIwUECrl48qXT0lVgRNumIzX-GqoCscJzFt9olgqbwn5PhQBLe6LvEjJ9Qv88NxR_CXUboSWZB_gcbvIZIWjiWEFENWGjdgta4/s400/2020+Jan+Sam+back+to+Trinity.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We just dropped off Sam for her final semester of college. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Love is the most important thing you will ever do. It’s more important than where you work, how much money you make, or what you accomplish.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Love is about what you’ve given to others to make their own lives happier and more meaningful. Just like your parents did for you, and your grandparents did for them.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The fundamental need we all have, beyond food and shelter, is love. It’s the fuel that sustains us through difficult times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We should spend time every day thinking about the people who have loved us the most. Then we should spend even more time every day trying to be a </span><span style="font-size: large;">person who has loved someone else the most.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">That has always been my goal with Sam and Ethan. Now it is also my goal with Jo.</span>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-49931593204050623642020-01-13T11:47:00.000-05:002020-01-20T12:23:23.900-05:00Naughty Ninja launch party<span style="font-size: large;">We had a launch party over the weekend at Books of Wonder on the Upper West Side. My editor, Kelsey Skea, was there, plus several friends and neighbors. Books of Wonder was great in setting up and promoting the event. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And of course, Jo is the greatest--she even wore her pearls :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some pics:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132229138998919859.post-14766494209879004572020-01-01T20:50:00.000-05:002020-06-11T14:53:40.992-04:00Starting a new decade<span style="font-size: large;">2010 was a long time ago. Which bodes well, because with time rushing by so quickly these days, I need to feel that 2030 is a long ways off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the past ten years I've had seven children's books published, with four more in the pipeline. That would've amazed me to know that ten years ago. I would've thought, "Wow, I must be so rich now."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I married a wonderful woman who gave me a second chance at life and love. That would've confused the hell out of me to know that ten years ago. But I feel very blessed, given the range of alternative ways things could've gone. It was touch-and-go there for a while. I will never take love for granted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I watched my two wonderful kids blossom into young adults. That would've made me feel very proud to know that ten years ago--and also make me breathe a sigh of relief. You just want them to turn out okay. You don't want to feel like you screwed them up too badly. Check.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have mixed feelings about my media career over the past ten years. I could've done a better job at that. I could've risen higher, made more money, found more career satisfaction. Somewhere along the way--in fact, probably about ten years ago--it morphed from being a core part of my identity to just the way I pay the bills. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That's probably fine, other than having an embarrassingly poor retirement portfolio. Many of my job experiences over the past ten years make for fun cocktail party conversation ("Did I ever tell you about the time I worked for the crazy Cayman hedge-fund guy?" </span><span style="font-size: large;">"Did I ever tell you about the time I ran Essence.com?"</span><span style="font-size: large;">). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvqAZ4eUmsOf3DD-UqvCY2rs-sS7B3CTJnjSG7k9M_qyru7ClMJJah6Ej5VdCsNR-oXS4o1jOFtOBxhgkpLmYzN_YlomfOUAZLm2L8dDiA65ZNTStGiIxf9lLz7SaLrC_RKr2808E5ak/s1600/2016+Essence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="744" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvqAZ4eUmsOf3DD-UqvCY2rs-sS7B3CTJnjSG7k9M_qyru7ClMJJah6Ej5VdCsNR-oXS4o1jOFtOBxhgkpLmYzN_YlomfOUAZLm2L8dDiA65ZNTStGiIxf9lLz7SaLrC_RKr2808E5ak/s400/2016+Essence.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But I never had the urge to run into the streets and whoop about it. I often have that urge as a children's author. And a husband. And a dad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, I should disclose that my running pace has declined markedly over the past decade. And my feet hurt when I stand up and try to answer the doorbell. But I'm not trying to make the Olympic team, so no complaints.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Given all the possible outcomes over the past ten years, I'm happy enough with this particular version of the space-time continuum. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So bring on the '20s!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Todd Tarpleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13323440981733309597noreply@blogger.com2