October 27, 2005

By The Way

I'm back in harness, as you can tell. I was down yesterday with a bug, as were the Missus and the seven year old.

Taking it easy, I started rereading one of my favorite books - Glenn Tucker's High Tide at Gettysburg. I'm in no way an expert on the matter, but this book has always struck me as an excellent introduction to the battle, although it is somewhat biased toward the Southern perspective.

For some odd reason, little bits of biographical trivia are sticking in my mind this time around. Did you know that General Meade's father had provisioned Wellington's army during the Peninsular Campaign? Or that Charles Marshall, who served on Lee's small staff right through the war, was the nephew of Chief Justice John Marshall, one of Steve-O's judicial heroes?

I dunno why, but these little nuggets fascinate me.

Later on, the Missus and I sat down to do a little post-childrens' bedtime movie watching. Unfortunately, we were thwarted in our original choice, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, because the copy Netflix sent us was completely cracked down one side. So we settled on Sideways, which neither of us had seen before, but which I remembered getting all kinds of rave reviews when it came out. Frankly, I fail to understand what all the fuss was about. It struck me early on that Paul Giamatti's character was really nothing more than warmed-over Napa Valley Woody Allen. Once that image floated into my mind, I couldn't get it out. The rest of the movie seemed to me to be nothing more than people behaving rather badly and then whining about it. Feh.

And speaking of whining, why is Peggy being such a cranky-pants today? Reading her column, you'd think we were in the same position as Numenor just before it was engulfed.

UPDATE: All hail the Emperor Pixy Misa! Peggy may find it rather hard to sit down for a while.

Posted by Robert at October 27, 2005 09:31 AM | TrackBack
Comments

Re Peggy: "In my day we had cold salty porridge for breakfast, and Russian bombers coming over the North Pole by lunchtime, and we liked it."

Posted by: Pixy Misa at October 27, 2005 10:32 AM

I love the way Peggy Noonan writes and have usually found her columns at least interesting, but she is becoming quite "school-marmish" lately isn't she? Sheesh.

Posted by: Gary at October 27, 2005 02:12 PM

I'd have thought the mid-life crisis already came and went.

Posted by: tee bee at October 27, 2005 03:23 PM

Regarding Gettysburg: I am a huge fan of The Killer Angels, but the more I learn about the battle, the more sympathetic I am to complaints that his focus on the 20th Maine ignores several other equally heroic and important actions by other Union regiments at that end of the line.

Regarding Sideways: I'm in agreement with you. Furthermore, I had a hard time enjoying a movie that glorified California Pinot Noirs -- that's one varietal that Oregon definitely does better.

Posted by: Brian B at October 28, 2005 01:08 PM