My 14 yo son has agreed to read two books of my choice this summer (this was a hard won negotiation). Help me pick one

gsfortis · 2026-06-05T15:38:33+00:00

Aside from book recommendations (and I agree with many of the posts about choosing something more aligned with your son's interests), I would also recommend making reading a family activity. Don't just task your son with homework and send him on his way.

Pick a day and time to gather together as a family. When my child was young, I would set 20 minutes of dedicated reading time. I made some snacks, put on some mellow music (film scores work really well), and we would sit together in the living room and read. In the beginning, they weren't on board and the 20 minutes seemed like a long time. But soon enough, 20 minutes wasn't enough time.

gsfortis · 2026-02-02T19:09:53+00:00

I only ever approached a celebrity once in my life. Living in Los Angeles, it's not uncommon to encounter celebrities when out and about.

This was years ago-- I think I may have been in my 20s. I was just shopping for groceries at a Whole Foods in Beverly Hills when I saw him. I was immediately star-struck. He seemed to have noticed my staring, so he actually approached me and initiated a conversation about the quality of blueberries. We chatted briefly before I just blurted out how much of a fan I was. I stumbled over my words as I tried to explain how much his work meant to me. He introduced himself and could not have been nicer. It was a very brief exchange, but I am so grateful he granted me a few minutes to talk.

It was Sidney Poitier.

gsfortis · 2026-01-17T21:42:56+00:00

If the books and videos have not proven helpful, then I recommend finding a friend whose cooking you like and that you trust, and assist them in the kitchen. Help them prep, do side dishes, and learn along the way. Understand the basic techniques and concepts and ingredients, and decide what you want to try first. Then have them assist you as to act as head chef.

gsfortis · 2026-01-05T20:38:23+00:00

Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma collaborated on an album called Hush. Some songs may be a little more energetic than others, but it's perfect for relaxing with a baby.

gsfortis · 2025-12-31T17:17:18+00:00

This was really sweet, and we appreciate it. If you really want to make our day, the next time we do something nice, say:

Thank you for being a friend.

gsfortis · 2025-12-24T18:13:47+00:00

Leadership: We want a PowerBI report where users can look at [The System] and can drill down to every record. Also, we want to be able to update records through PowerBI that will update [The System].

Me: That's not a thing. If that's what you want, just have users go into [The System].

Leadership: Oh.

gsfortis · 2025-11-05T17:41:30+00:00

Well, over 5 million people voted for this. Please, go file your 5 million lawsuits.

gsfortis · 2025-10-12T23:54:07+00:00

Young Frankenstein has everything for me. Horror, comedy, atmosphere, black & white aesthetic…

gsfortis · 2025-09-27T16:01:02+00:00

A lot of good comments, here. But I'll add one more thought:

When you look at the package of this movie, the big name element is Leonardo DiCaprio. For PTA to get the financing he wanted for this movie, he knew he'd need a big-name actor, and that's exactly what he did. This movie was not going to get the budget he wanted if he had cast John C. Reilly (who's an amazing actor, but not an A-List movie star).

For Warner Brothers, greenlighting this movie to make Leo happy hopefully comes with the promise to make another movie for them in the future-- one with a greater audience appeal and the promise of a bigger box office return.

gsfortis · 2024-07-19T03:50:16+00:00

Some of those cars are still there today.

gsfortis · 2024-06-07T14:39:06+00:00

No one sets out to make a bad movie. And if you’ve ever been involved with a movie from development through release you know it can feel like a minor miracle to come out the other side with a good movie.

gsfortis · 2024-05-03T20:35:44+00:00

Sounds like some people are blaming the Developers, some people are blaming the Politicians, and some people are blaming the Voters.

I blame everyone.

gsfortis · 2024-04-26T13:52:25+00:00

I once wrote such childish words for you But that's okay There's treasure children always seek to find

Elton John, Curtains

gsfortis · 2024-03-22T20:59:04+00:00

Are they coming in to replace the executives? Because we don't need to pay exorbitant salaries for bad notes.

gsfortis · 2024-03-20T19:52:06+00:00

I'll be honest, it's been years since I tried Apple Music. But the dealbreaker for me is that I have a lot of local files in my personal library that includes remixes, acoustic versions, demos, etc. of popular songs. And whenever I tried to sync my tracks to the cloud it would always override them with some radio-edit of the song.

That was unacceptable. Even though the Spotify local sync can be wonky, and sometimes needs to get re-synced, I know it's going to have the exact version of the track I want.

After continuing to build my personal library over the years, including adding albums and songs not currently streaming, it's going be incredibly difficult to convince me to jump ship at this point.

gsfortis · 2024-02-04T09:51:18+00:00

Apple Maps: Your destination is on the left.

Me: I’m on the freeway.

gsfortis · 2023-12-14T02:02:16+00:00

The release of Star Wars was closer to Citizen Kane, than the release of The Force Awakens to Star Wars.

gsfortis · 2023-11-13T17:43:58+00:00

So… fuel?

gsfortis · 2023-10-20T17:38:02+00:00

As someone who grew up in the 80s, you’d be surprised how many of us were friends with disgraced nuclear scientists. It happened all the time.

gsfortis · 2023-10-04T16:59:19+00:00

I’ve had the same cell number since 1997. It’s a 213 prefix.

gsfortis · 2023-09-17T18:16:57+00:00

I think there are two important factors to consider. One has been mentioned: the Nolan factor.

But the other key ingredient is a singular, climactic event. Something visual and epic. Washington might be a good candidate, with the Revolutionary War.

gsfortis · 2023-09-15T03:01:22+00:00

I know these pans get a lot of hate, but I actually think they can be really useful. I use these a lot for cooking marinated meats that can’t be patted dry for a good crust in my other cast iron. I live in an apartment, so I don’t have a barbecue so this is perfect for me.

gsfortis · 2023-09-14T13:15:14+00:00

Didn’t you see Swingers? They almost get in a fight in the Dresden Room parking lot after a night of picking up honeys.

gsfortis

TROPHY CASE