Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 274

The last first day of school

Since Sarah and Scott started pre-pre-school, I have taken them to their first day of class. Fifteen trips for Sarah, fifteen for Scott, seventeen total. Between working and traveling (more often for work than not), I've missed many more school events than I would like, but I've done all I could to attend every single one I could. I've never, though, missed a first day.

Today was the last one. Today, I took Scott to school (early; he had to arrive by 7:30 a.m., which is downright mean) for th...

If I'm ever a world-famous writer

I want someone to make a video like this one for me.

(Warning: Very adult language.)



Yeah, I know: How shallow can he be?

At least this shallow, probably worse.

The Expendables

If you go to this movie, either you've been living in an isolated monastery or you know what you're signing up for. You want men to beat up each other, things to go boom--in quantity and loudly--and ammunition to hit the ground like rain in a summer storm. So, the only reasonable question about this movie is, how well did it deliver what it promised?

Pretty well. I wasn't disappointed, which is saying something these days.

On the other hand, it is a B movie (at best), and it has all the flaw...

Lessons from a militarized childhood: It can all vanish in an instant

(In this entry, I assume you are aware of my goal of raising a lot of money to help child soldiers by donating all of my earnings from sales of the hardback of Children No More to Falling Whistles. If you're not, you can go to the Children No More site and learn more there. I'll be here when you return.)


What I experienced in my three years in a militaristic youth group is nothing compared to what true child soldiers undergo. I believe, however, that they and I, as well as many abused children...

Scott Pilgrim

A lot of reviews of this film basically assert that if you're not in its target demographic--and I am definitely older than that group--you won't get it or enjoy it. That certainly wasn't the case for me. I got a great deal of it, though not all of it; Scott had to fill me in on many videogame in-jokes. I also thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend you catch it in the theater.

All that said, this is yet another of the summer movies that you simply can't think too much about. Before you start ...

Lessons from a militarized childhood: There are only two teams

(In this entry, I assume you are aware of my goal of raising a lot of money to help child soldiers by donating all of my earnings from sales of the hardback of Children No More to Falling Whistles. If you're not, you can go to the Children No More site and learn more there. I'll be here when you return.)


What I experienced in my three years in a militaristic youth group is nothing compared to what true child soldiers undergo. I believe, however, that they and I, as well as many abused children...

More lessons from my spam

(WARNING: Adult language and topics ahead. Kids, stop reading.)

As I've commented in several earlier posts, a torrent of spam rains on my systems daily. I run a spam filter, and it works for the most part, but I still need to scan the spam subject lines lest I accidentally lose a real message related to one of my jobs.

From this scanning, I've learned a lot. I've reviewed some of those lessons in those earlier entries, but new messages arrive all the time and bring with them new lessons. Here a...

Lessons from a militarized childhood: You deserve it

(In this entry, I assume you are aware of my goal of raising a lot of money to help child soldiers by donating all of my earnings from sales of the hardback of Children No More to Falling Whistles. If you're not, you can go to the Children No More site and learn more there. I'll be here when you return.)


What I experienced in my three years in a militaristic youth group is nothing compared to what true child soldiers undergo. I believe, however, that they and I, as well as many abused children...

Kyle's amazing check

I noted a while back that because of the heaviness of many of my recent entries about the Children No More giveaway program, I was going to stick in some humorous entries from time to time. The series of lessons from a militarized childhood is adding more to the grimness level here--and to my feeling that I need to do some light pieces from time to time. This is one of those. If you want only the serious stuff, skip this one.

Kyle recently send me a check with his contributions to the beach an...

Lessons from a militarized childhood: Contact = Pain

(In this entry, I assume you are aware of my goal of raising a lot of money to help child soldiers by donating all of my earnings from sales of the hardback of Children No More to Falling Whistles. If you're not, you can go to the Children No More site and learn more there. I'll be here when you return.)


What I experienced in my three years in a militaristic youth group is nothing compared to what true child soldiers undergo. I believe, however, that they and I, as well as many abused children...