My Favorite Books of 2009

I keep a small notebook with the books I've read all the way through as well as the films I have seen. Here is a list of my favorite books I read during the past year.

Favorite Fiction

Olive Kittridge by Elizabeth Strout

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon

Favorite Science Books

Death from the Skies!: These are the ways the World will End... By Philip Plait

This is a great book by one of my favorite astronomers. A wonderful read that teaches you why astronomy is so cool.

The Day We Found the Universe by Marcia Bartusiak

A fantastic history book on how astronomers discovered the universe was far bigger than just the Milky Way.

Remarkable Creatures by Sean B. Carroll

Dr. Carroll is one of my heroes and I have read all his books. In fact, I saw him back in November at the NABT meeting. His book is a remarkable collection of stories of important biological discoveries and the cast of characters he describes outshine any Indiana Jones movie.

Favorite General Nonfiction Books

Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book that recounts the background and making of the five best picture nominees in one single remarkable year and the changes they represented in Hollywood and the culture at large.

The Conscience of a Liberal by Paul Krugman

Paul Krugman is a nobel prize winner and a fantastic economist. His book explains the history of the rise of the Middle Class in America and the advent and empowerment of Movement Conservatism that radicalized the Republican party.

Favorite Religion Books

The Bible Against Itself: Why the Bible Seems to Contradict Itself by Randel Helms

The central thesis of Helms' book is that many of the books of the bible are responses and rebuttals to previous books and should be read as such and not made out as some unified whole.

God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question-Why We Suffer? by Bart Ehrman

My very favorite New Testament Scholar, Ehrman writes a very personal book and explores the bible's various and often contradictory takes on this central theological question.

TV Sitcoms Favorites of 2009

The Sitcom has made a huge comeback in our house. Here are my current favorites in no particular order:

Big Bang Theory--Hilarious and the science is great! However, the episode about the whether the unidentified cricket was a field cricket or a snowy tree cricket: disappointing. The two species are so different, you don't need an entomologist to settle the argument. Nevertheless, Sheldon is so funny and I am glad Raj has more lines this season. Plus, if you have a DVR you gotta pause the during the credits when there is a white screen with the episode number. The creator of the show Chuck Lorre writes some fantastic bits on it.

Modern Family--I started watching this on the recommendation of Entertainment Weekly. I was a little hesitant since they were wild about Lost and Desparate Housewives, but I am so glad I did. The stories and characters are so funny but there is always a sweet heart-warming twist in every episode.

Better Off Ted--This show is an absolute gem and such a riot. I have no idea why there isn't a bigger buzz for this wonderful show. Portia Di Rossi's deadpan outrageous corporate executive is a joy to watch and the two scientist pals crack me up.

30 Rock--Just keeps getting funnier. Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, and Tracy Morgan are geniuses.

The Office--I know some people find this show cringe-inducing and I do too sometimes but if you make it through Michael's insanity it is sublime. Pam and Jim's second wedding ceremony knocked me to floor. And Ed Helms? At first, I hated his character but now he is making me laugh the loudest.

How I Met Your Mother--Aren't those two kids tired of hearing this long, way t00-drawn out story on how their parents met? I would cut out that tired device and just focus on what makes the show great...Barney, Marshall, and Lily.

Parks and Recreation--I hated the first season but it has improved by leaps and bounds. I only regret not tivoing more of it this season.

Two and a Half Men--This show always ranks in the top 20 ratings. I love its raunchiness and its Odd Couple backbone. I can't believe it is in prime time. My favorite episodes include Ryan Stiles (Judith's new husband). He was one of my favorites from the improv show "Whose line is it anyway?". Wouldn't it be great if Colin made a guest appearance?

Community--Fantastic from the start and only getting better. The Troy and Abed vignettes at the end of every show are great.

Glee--I am not a fan of American Idol and in real life don't care for show choirs but I love Glee. I saw the premiere last Spring and wept. It was so funny and so moving. Plus I am a sucker for Journey. The fall season was out of this world good. All the little love triangles, secrets, and the funny, funny, evil, evil Sue Sylvester make it weekly joy to watch.

A Master's Class in Sloth

I have devoted myself to sloth and gluttony for the past two days. I must say that despite the twinge of school-induced guilt now and then it has been refreshing. Unfortunately I have emptied out my tivo queue and am left with watching suggestions...and of course, Susan's seemingly endless supply of food porn and room makeovers. Ahh the life! Somehow I will make it through the holidays somehow. Back to couch.

Twittering Twit

I have fallen for the hype and joined the fad. I now have a twitter account and have posted a handful of tweets. You can follow my ramblings by looking for Shane Evans or skevans1963. I have tried to make them more interesting than "I just ate a bowl of corn flakes". Is facebook next? You'll have to wait and see.

P.S. I just ate a bowl of corn chex.

The Perfect Gift

All I can say is "Wow! They get me." Last month Susan and I traveled to Denver for my annual biology teachers conference and while we were there we discovered this fantastic independent bookstore downtown called The Tattered Cover. We spent three hours in there browsing, reading, drinking hot coffee, and wishing we had a similar place in Alabama. While I was perusing the bookshelves I came upon an interesting little tome called Homework for Grownups. It's a fun refresher course on all the stuff we learned in school but have long since forgotten. I was so tempted to buy it. I considered and reconsidered. I finally put it back on the shell thinking that now that I have a kindle, I need to limit my purchases of real books.

Last week Susan and I received a xmas package from my cool brother, the Brent and Caroline Evans family. We opened up their thoughtful gift and found a treasure trove of candies, gift cards, and a wrapped book. I opened the book and my jaw hit the floor. Homework for Grownups! They nailed me! Thank you, thank you Brent, Caroline, Brady, Megan, and Elliot! I have read half of it already and love it.

Dr. Evans you are killing baseball!

My BIO 101 class turned into the bane of the LBW Saints baseball team a few weeks ago. Several of them were deathly afraid of losing their places on the team and their scholarships because they didn't think they would pass my introductory biology class. I don't blame them since they decided to see if they could makeup 14 weeks of homework during the two remaining weeks of school. In the end, due to a significant rescaling of their grades, these "student" athletes survived to play again.

I can't say as much for some members of the basketball team. I couldn't scale their final scores high enough to get them to a D. So unfortunately, the local herd of roundballers has been thinned a little.

Frankly I have seen very little evidence that academics and sports meet. There have been a few exceptions but for the most part the student athletes I have taught in my classes are disruptive, dishonest, and lazy. What are we rewarding?

Sweet Solstice

Monday was the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The Sun never rose above the horizon above the Arctic Circle and at noon the Sun was at the zenith on the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. See what you get when your a physical science teacher. So happy belated sweet solstice everyone!