The Geekly Reader

I actually started my July read of the month a few weeks ago after picking up an iPad 2.  I decided my July read would also be my first e-Book.  I really did not have any titles in mind.  While just messing around in the Apple Book store via i-Tunes I came across  A Slaying in The Suburbs , a true crime novel documenting the murder of 2007 murder of Tara Lynn Grant at the hands of her husband Stephen Grant. I normally read one true crime novel a year.  I do not want to come across as some sicko or anything, I just find the genre to be interesting.  I also find in interesting to read about events that take place nearby.  The first true crime novel I ever read was  The Michigan Murders.   I read this living in Ypsilanti for school at Eastern Michigan University.  It seems like ever since reading this book I have picked a new true crime book out ever summer. Once I am finished, I will not only provide my normal review, but I will also give my input on reading my first e-Book.  Two rev

This past weekend I packed up the family for a weekend get-a-way to Niagara Falls, Canada.  For the second summer (and year for that matter) in a row all of the Pehote travels will take place via automobile.  This has nothing to do with fear of flying or even the cost of flying, it have everything to do with the fact that air travel is miserable in 2011 and has been for years.  Flights are packed, over-priced, and constantly delayed or canceled.  Security requirements are a nightmare for all travelers, especially those with children.  For me, unless I am heading to the West Coast or overseas, I prefer driving.  It is just so much easier plus I am in complete control of the journey. While on this road trip, my wife and I were commenting how much the "family road trip" has changed in the past 20 years.  We laughed and joked about our road trips growing up.  We arrived home today, and I knew this would be a great topic to write about, since much of the improvements to automobi

I finished my June Read of The Month, Daytripper a while ago and I am finally getting around to writing my review.  Daytripper is a graphic novel by Brazilian twin brothers Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba.  It was recommended to me by loyal Geekly Reader fan Meg.  What a great recommendation!  Daytripper is the first graphic novel that I ever read (I was never much of a comic book fan growing up).  Thanks so much Meg! On the cover of the book, a quote by Gerrard Way of My Chemical Romance (and fellow comic book writer) sums up Daytripper perfectly, "beautifully written and utterly gorgeous, DAYTRIPPER completely blew me away."  Not only was was the book a wonderful piece of literature, the art work was breathtaking.  This graphic novel is in no way your typical Sunday Morning comic.  The artwork, characters, and plot are all amazing and had me not wanting to put the book down.  It only took two days to complete the book, and this was while I was still quite busy at work.  The

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, and especially my dad Nick Pehote.  I shared this video with my Facebook Friends but I thought I would share here as well.  I am sure many of you have seen the video, the "Dear Sophie" commercial for Google Chrome.  I watch it often and it usually results in some tearing up!  It is a favorite on my YouTube account.  I can't believe how fast my two little ones are growing up, and this quick video makes me realize how "time flies."  I am thankful for all of these gadgets and tools to help document all of the enjoyable time I have with my children, friends and family.  Enjoy and Happy Father's Day.

Back in April I wrote about my video gaming history , and I asked if it was odd that I was still a gamer as I was about to turn 36.  Well it appears that I am not odd, but very much your average gamer.  CNN.com published an interesting piece about Today's Video Gamer .  The article presents many interesting facts about video games and their popularity in 2011.  The Entertainment Software Association presents a statistic that the average gamer is 37 years old (up from 30 in 2004).  I guess I'm actually still a year younger than the "average" gamer in 2011. The big jump in age more than likely has to do with the popularity of web based games and games for cell phones purchased through popular "app" stores.  I also think the Nintendo Wii and the other "interactive" controls appeal to older gamers.  Also, now that many children from the original Nintendo Entertainment System generation are in their 30's they will more than likely keep gaming sinc

One of the great perks of being an educator is having the summer off.  I love being able to spend so much time with my two children.  Once mid June arrives I shift into Mr. Mom mode.  I look forward to spending time at The Henry Ford (picked up a family membership in November) and swimming at my parent's place.  We will also be making trips to Chapman elementary school for the summer reading program the Gibraltar School District offers.  I am sure we will also make some trips to the Trenton Public Library as well.  I try my best to keep the kids active, both physically and mentally over the summer months.  Please be sure to keep your kids reading this summer, it is very important to keep the brain active over the summer! One thing that I have learned since starting my shifts as Mr. Mom.....how tough of a job it is being a stay at home parent.  Being a parent itself is a tough job, but the day-to-day work of being the main caregiver is exhausting and seems never ending.  My mother

I wrote earlier this week about the possible death of my Macbook Pro.   After dropping the machine off on Monday I received a call this morning to let me know my machine was ready for pick up.  My son and I hopped into the car first thing after the call and headed up I-275 to 12 Oaks to pick up my machine.  I have literally been missing my main "work horse" computer.  Not to mention much of my life revolves around that machine (banking, documents photography, and music).  It is so nice to be back typing away on it tonight.  The logic board was replaced free of charge and everything is fine.  No data was lost and I am right back to work.  If any readers have a Macbook Pro manufactured in the same time period please keep an eye on your computer.  If your screen goes black, Apple will cover the $900+ repair. While in Novi, I did make a side trip to Best Buy.  Nate and I spent some time in the Best Buy playing with the iPad2.  The store had the black 16g wifi model in stock.  I

Loyal reader Meg sent me this link to an interesting article in The Wall Street Journal.   Meghan Cox Gurdon points out that most of the popular young adult literature in 2011 is very dark.  Topics ranging from vampires, self mutilation, suicide, drug abuse, sexual assault and violence fill the books in the young adult sections of libraries and book stores.  Throw in frequent use of vulgar language and it does not take long to realize we are not dealing "Nancy Drew" or "The Hardy Boys" series in 2011 young adult literature. I Just Don't Think This Book Would be Flying Off The Shelf in My Library To be totally honest with you, the article was not surprising to me at all.  Part of my job is keeping up with what young adults like to read.  Most of the books that fly off my shelves deal with the darker issues.  However, "dark" is also "real" to many of my readers.  In the past there were dark issues, it was just better to ignore them and n

I was all set to write a new entry here Sunday afternoon.  The house was empty and quiet and I was well rested (a perfect combination for writing).  I flipped my Macbook Pro open to write a new entry and the machine would not wake from sleep.  At first I thought it was just a "wake from sleep" issue.  But after trying numerous times to wake the machine I realized there was more to the problem.  I performed a hard reset and still no luck.  I tried shutting the machine down and removing the battery....still no luck.  I became worried that my trusty notebook was now "dead," especially since it was out of warranty as of December of 2010. The next day at work, I was speaking with co-worker and loyal reader "Daddy O" about my predicament.  He was explaining how much he loves his iMac and what a great machine it is.  I decided I was going to replace my Macbook Pro with one of the new iMac Desktops.  I thought the larger screen would be valuable with my increase

By the time June comes around my brain is usually fried, so I like to start the summer of with something a little easy on the brain.  I frequently start the summer with some true - crime because I find it interesting and it is usually basically journalism in book form.  However, this June I am going to start with a recommendation from one of my frequent "readers Meg.  She suggested Daytripper , a graphic novel by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba.  For those that do not know, a graphic novel is basically another way to describe a comic book. Now, I am not much of a comic book guy, but I thought I would give it a try.  The book arrived Tuesday and I am flying through it right now.  The artwork is amazing and the action keeps me flipping the pages.  I probably would have finished the book on Tuesday night, if I would have took the time to write this entry.  I never want to finish a "Read of the Month" before I have a chance to introduce the selection in a post. On another note