Happy 4th!

It's the 4th of July, a day to bask in the sun, grill, eat macaroni salad and watermelon, drink a few cold ones, relax with family and friends and blast some low level explosives off (a tradition Hartfordites solemnly observe nightly from Memorial Day to Labor Day.) And while these days being in America might not be what it has been at times, it's still not all that bad of a proposition. Seriously, have you ever tried to keep up with a fantasy baseball league while living on Greenwich Mean Time?

Another great feature about being American is everyone is so sure that their political party has the only right ideas and that only their parties policies will be able to achieve those goals. Many are so sure of it and wrap their identity so deeply in it that any deviation of thought is met with venom. How many times have you seen self-identified "liberal people lovers" turn and spew visceral hate lest anyone question any part of their agenda.

Recently we were reading The Passage of Power, Volume IV in Robert E. Caro's stunning work on Lyndon Johnson. It's about as good and as thorough of a biography that's ever been written. In late 1963 Johnson, having just ascended to the Presidency after SPOILER ALERT.....

Book Review: Finding Fernanda

Erin Siegal went to high school with Hakaan in the sleepy Connecticut suburbs just outside Hartford. While Hakaan went onto be fascinated by the modern American urban experience and write a silly, albeit somewhat successful blog about Hartford, Erin has gone onto become a proper journalist and author a book on child trafficking in Guatemala. These days she is working in Tijuana and probably seeing things that would make even the most hardened Hartfordite's eyes pop out.

We received Finding Fernanda about a month ago. It's kind of surreal to see the name of someone you grew up with on the cover of a real and proper book, but there it was. Very cool. We continued to get more impressed as we turned the pages.

Easter Bunny Looks To Improve Sad City

Look for improved blogging from Sad City Hartford as the Easter Bunny has sent the message to Jumper  and Hakaan to forego candy and instead get down to some serious reading to improve their blogging abilities. No Cadbury Creme Eggs or Peeps for Sad City.