tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54543062024-03-13T07:09:11.135-05:00The Smolarek BlogRants, raves, readings, and talks about things I read, see, watch, run over in the road, believe, don't believe and whatever else might be on my mind. I'm blogging because blogs are no longer cool. They're not cool any longer, right? I should be tweeting now. Let me know when that isn't cool and I'll start doing it.Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-6637885798094453102023-01-16T07:00:00.003-06:002023-01-16T07:12:55.618-06:00Resolutions for the rest of the worldOnly suckers make resolutions that start on January 1st. You just spent a night celebrating the end of the old year and the beginning
of the new year by drinking too much, staying up too late, and making some bad decisions along the way while ensure that you wake up on New Year's Day with a headache and a pile of regret. Maybe you should give it a day before throwing
new rules upon yourself. Or Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-52722844656367962002022-07-02T08:18:00.000-05:002022-07-02T08:18:12.495-05:00COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES 2022 by Mark Wish
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Have you ever read a short story where nothing really happens and wondered "Well, what was that story about?" You will not have that problem with this collection of stories, for ask Mark Wish states in the introduction, these stories are all "interesting." From start to finish these stories are all excellent. My favorites includedMike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-39068170408933071452022-06-02T07:42:00.001-05:002022-06-02T07:42:25.829-05:00NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 3: Conference Finals
My energy to write these posts always fades after the team I
want to win falls out. This year it was my
beloved Florida Panthers, who forgot how to score and got swept out of the
playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Maybe next year the Panthers will be able to get past Tampa. Maybe. Also, our entire panel picked the
Hurricanes to get past the Rangers, and the entire panel was Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-86635410517439553342022-05-18T20:06:00.006-05:002022-05-18T20:30:00.638-05:00NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 2We are down to eight teams remaining in the quest for
Lord Stanley’s kitchenware. Maple Leafs fans are down, Rangers fans are up and
we got five game sevens in one weekend! Bob got to see a series close out in person. Thirty six people read the round 1 post. And our newest and youngest panelist went
8 for 8 in picking winners in round 1. Here’s how we did:
Joey &Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-13481262422635579012022-05-02T20:38:00.004-05:002022-05-02T20:38:49.470-05:00NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 1 Picks We brought some fresh blood in for the Stanley Cup playoff picks
in 2022. So, instead of me telling you
what I think (looking back, the rest of my panel seems to beat me every year),
I’ll give you what the panel picks, then I’ll tell you why they are wrong.
Eastern Conference
Florida Panthers vs. Washington Capitals
Our panel of five (Jax, Jarrett, Bob, Joe Bob and I) were Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-11235669240713098742022-03-31T19:29:00.003-05:002022-03-31T19:29:50.908-05:00March 2022 ReadsFebruary went quick and March went quicker, although cold temps and snow flurries kept this March lion from turning lamb. Just before the calendar turns and you children and co-workers unleash April fool's jokes on you, (please not anther variant), here's the March 2022 reads.BooksBird By Bird by Anne Lamott
I bought this book for my intermediate creative writing
class in January of 1995 when I Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-88389132331405160092022-03-28T17:16:00.003-05:002022-03-28T17:16:58.020-05:00Overhead at #AWP22 in Philadelphia It has been three years since I was able to immerse myself
in all the gooey goodness, wonderful people, and stacks and stacks of new books
that is the AWP conference. It was great to be back among my people, taking in panels,
walking the bookfair, meeting up with old friends, making some new ones. I always
love the conversations that happen. Here’s a sampling of some things overheard
at Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-30106689446485274902022-02-27T07:41:00.003-06:002022-02-27T07:42:02.263-06:00February 2022 ReadsFebruary can be the cruelest month. It’s so short, it’s the dredges of winter and don’t get me started on the long hard relationship I’ve had
with Valentine’s day over the years. It also makes it a hard month to read a
lot, but read I still did. So here’s February’s Reads.
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
This book had been on my to-read list since it was published
in October of 2018 and I Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-84361715402852286732022-01-22T09:49:00.003-06:002022-01-22T09:54:11.802-06:00January 2022 ReadsI read a lot. And maybe it’s time to share what I read out
into the endless chamber of the internet where no one will care.
Books
I took a lot of time over the winter holidays to read. You know,
just curl up in a chair in the afternoon with a cup of coffee and a book for a few
hours. And I ripped through a few books quickly.
"A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman
I know I’m a bit behind Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-17530582334169631312021-02-14T11:00:00.001-06:002021-02-14T11:00:24.914-06:00Ten Albums: Number 9 - Weezer (The Blue Album) by Weezer Ten Albums: Number 9 – Weezer (The Blue Album) by Weezer
1994 was a good year for music. There was so much good stuff.
Soundgarden - Superunknown, Alice in
Chains - Jar of Flies, Pink Floyd - The Division Bell, Stone Temple Pilots - Purple,
Eric Clapton - From the Cradle, R.E.M - Monster, Live - Throwing Copper, The
Reality Bites Soundtrack, Sugar - File Under Easy Listening,Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-87586342839798528222020-12-19T09:21:00.000-06:002020-12-19T09:21:18.605-06:00Ten Albums: Number 8 - August and Everything After by Counting CrowsWhat starts silence and ends with change, change, change with some king of the rain, blue buildings that may or may not be perfect
in Omaha, some dreaming musician named Jones and a ghost train in between?
It was Friday November 5th, 1993 and I was on a Red Line CTA train with
five other DePaul University freshman, headed to the Metro, a two stop ride from our Lincoln Park dorm. We were Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-40673557261201082532020-12-05T09:22:00.001-06:002020-12-05T09:26:04.968-06:00Ten Albums: Number 7- Kerosene Hat by CrackerTom Petty’s ‘Free Falling’ was the first song I learned to
play on guitar. It’s a simple two chords song, with a pinkie note added to one
of the chords. That’s pretty much it.
“Teen Angst” by Cracker was the second song I learned to
play on guitar. It is all of three chords, with a slight change in chord order
from verse to chorus. The Iron Potatoes, my first band, played that song nearly
a Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-3140543257802060072020-08-09T10:03:00.000-05:002020-12-05T16:03:38.144-06:00Ten Albums: Number 6 - Rush - Clockwork AngelsListen, it could just as easily be Moving Pictures, often regarded as Rush's best album. Or it could be their self-title first album, the rawness of a new band who showed hints of Led Zeppelin. Or, for me, Grace Under Pressure, the 1984 album which was my introduction to Rush. Or Roll the Bones, the first Rush album I bought when it came out and which featured prominently in my life during my Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-2171567691086073762020-05-09T10:16:00.001-05:002020-05-09T10:17:27.097-05:00Ten Albums: Number 5 - Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
A friend tagged me in a Facebook challenges to post 10 albums that have influenced my musical taste. One record a day for ten days. No explanation, no review, just the cover.
Yeah, I can't do that without an explanation. Plus, it gives me something to write about. So, here, over the next ten posts will be my ten albums followed by a bunch of words.
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese DreamMike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-74982207250507837542020-05-02T10:37:00.003-05:002020-05-02T10:41:45.086-05:00Ten Albums: Number 4 - Dada - Puzzle
Ten Albums: Number 4 - Dada - Puzzle
A friend tagged me in one of those annoying, yet fun, Facebook challenges to post 10 albums that have influenced my musical taste. One record a day for ten days. No explanation, no review, just the cover.
Yeah, I can't do that without an explanation. Plus, it gives me something to write about. So, here, over the next ten days will be my ten albums Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-13722262442856909052020-04-25T08:38:00.001-05:002020-04-25T13:11:14.691-05:00Ten Albums: Number 3 - Marillion - MarblesIn the time of pandemics, we all seem to have a bit more free time. For me, the cancelling of, well, everything has really killed my writing routine, where most of my writing was done at coffee shops while my kids were at sports practice. I haven't been able to adjust and man is it frustrating.
But a friend tagged me in one of those annoying, yet fun, Facebook challenges to post 10 albums that Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-35206128032429380072020-04-19T10:23:00.003-05:002020-04-19T10:28:55.304-05:00Ten Albums: Number 2 - Toad the Wet Sprocket - FearIn time of pandemics, we all seem to have a bit more free time. For me, the cancelling of, well, everything has really killed my writing routine, where most of my writing was done at coffee shops while my kids were at sports practice. I haven't been able to adjust and man is it frustrating.
But a friend tagged me in one of those annoying, yet fun Facebook challenges to post 10 albums that have Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-89173542587214201832020-04-18T10:38:00.001-05:002020-04-18T10:38:48.163-05:00Ten Albums: Number 1 - Huey Lewis and the News - SportsIn time of pandemics, we all seem to have a bit more free time. For me, the cancelling of, well, everything has really killed my writing routine, where most of my writing was done at coffee shops while my kids were at sports practice. I haven't been able to adjust and man is it frustrating.
But a friend tagged me in one of those annoying, yet fun Facebook challenges to post 10 albums that have Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-52623916853279304492020-02-28T18:50:00.000-06:002020-06-16T09:47:42.901-05:00 Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road by Neil Peart Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road by Neil Peart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read this in 2003 when it first came out in 2003 and decided to read it again after Neil Peart's death in January of 2020. It's hard to read something and not relate it your own life. I've been a Rush fan most of my life and seeing Rush on their Test for Echo in summer of 1997 marked the start of a new part of my Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-34575410791668096192020-01-29T19:08:00.002-06:002020-01-29T19:15:00.919-06:00How I Ruined Christmas
I ruined Christmas last year.
Okay, not everyone’s Christmas, just for my oldest, the twelve-year-old boy. You
see, he is still a believer. Well he was. He isn’t anymore. Until December 23,
2019 he fully believed in Santa Clause and the magic of Christmas until I
ruined it.
How did I ruin it, dear reader?
Well, when you have children and
you need to wrap gifts, you do it under the coverMike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-31320354147042236842019-04-03T12:59:00.004-05:002019-04-03T13:06:44.623-05:00Overheard at #AWP19 - Portland, OR
Greetings from Portland!
I spent last week in Portland, Oregon for the annual AWP conference, which is full of panels, craft workshops, the AWP book fair, friends, fun, karaoke, coffee, readings, every skit from the TV show Portlandia and just about anything else you can cram into a three day conference. My favorite thing to do around writers is simply to listen and write down what they Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-23013894677427111742018-08-19T13:03:00.002-05:002018-08-19T16:38:12.823-05:00Stand by Me: Thirty Years Later
Riley Elementary: Not what it looked like when we attended
They
say the friends you make in middle school are the friends you have for life. When
I was eleven years old and in sixth grade, way back in 1986, my best friends
were Phil, Mitch, and Jon. The four of us hung out all the time, with lots of
sleepovers, most often at Phil’s house where we had the run of either the
basement or the Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-87089719088237750392018-04-26T21:28:00.004-05:002018-04-26T21:29:51.094-05:00NHL 2018 Playoffs - Round 2
Well how about that? What a first round, right? Well, sort
of. Not so much if you were a Flyers fans, but at least they go to boo their team. The Las Vegas Golden Knights swept the Los Angeles right out of the
playoffs, while Toronto and Boston went to a game seven again, only to see
Toronto lose a third period lead and the series. But the future looks
good in Toronto. Maybe. If they Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-4545167133186748492018-04-10T22:16:00.002-05:002018-04-10T22:23:27.476-05:00NHL 2018 Playoffs
This April feels weird. Weirder than it has felt in ten
years. No Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It used to not feel weird.
From the 1997-98 through 2007-08 (much of the time when I had season tickets
and sat in section 332 by myself) the Hawks only made the postseason once. And
it did not end well. But at least our
friends 280 miles south in St. Louis still have their Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454306.post-86279304716585862602018-01-28T13:47:00.000-06:002018-01-28T13:47:26.275-06:00Promenady WroclawThe
emails started a few months ago from a woman named Marta with a subject line I
couldn’t pronounce. They were sent to my gmail account, the one I use for,
well, nothing important. I remember to check maybe once or twice a week.
Intrigued, I opened it, wondering if it would be a scam letter, a long-lost
relative with a different name who died, leaving me millions but only if I
would forward Mike Smolarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13443903161612210187noreply@blogger.com0