CrabAppleLane Blog II

Congratulations to Dustin Pedroia on his MVP award. I wholeheartedly agree with the selection. I only saw a handful of Red Sox games this season but that guy was in the middle of just about everything they did. Has to be the toughest out in baseball. Two strikes on him meant the pitcher was in trouble. He was going to foul off the next seven or eight pitches until the pitcher gave in. I just love the way he plays.

The other side of the bailouts from The New Yorker.

Jumping from one link to another yesterday landed me on Neil Diamond, today's QOTD. The music and the rest of the lyrics are great but there's that one line. "I'll be what I am". That's the one I love. The original studio version is the only one that matters. None of his live versions compare and most of the ones I've heard are awful.

Quote of the Day

Don't know that I will
But until I can find me
The girl who'll stay
And won't play games behind me
I'll be what I am
A solitary man

Neil Diamond, Solitary Man

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "I usually ask them what sort of embarrassing huge no no do they let their kids get away with. If they're bitches, they'll never admit it, but it shuts them the hell up."

I'm a big fan of domed stadiums. I got cold watching just two minutes of the Bills/Browns game last night. What is wrong with playing a game in perfect conditions where the only thing a team has to contend with is their opponent? Basketball brought their game indoors. Football and baseball should, too.

The Saints supposedly will learn the fate this week of the three players named in the latest round of drug-testing. There really won't be much impact one way or the other on the team. Charles Grant is on IR and his suspension will be served next year and quite possibly on another team. He's a decent defensive end but he has an elite defensive end contract. Deuce McAllister's role on the team has been diminished so much that his suspension won't matter. Will Smith was a great player for a couple of years and is also pulling down an elite defensive end contract but he has been just another defensive lineman in the rotation this year. The guy who relieves him, Jeff Charleston, had two sacks this past week. The Saints are terrible on defense and they won't be any worse without him.

The NFL doesn't like anyone talking about gambling or officiating. The Steelers/Chargers game Sunday has them talking about both. The NFL fines their people for complaining but all they do is complain. I'd be much more worried about miffed gamblers. A cynical person would tend to believe that the officials had an interest in keeping that game closer than it might have been. They called way more penalties on the favored Steelers and reversed a touchdown that would have had the Steelers covering the spread. The NFL is so concerned about that appearance that they are considering changing instant replay rules ... this season. For what it's worth, I think it's impossible to fix an NFL game.

Quote of the Day

About 300,000 people took "Polar Express" rides last year. The movie soundtrack is played over the train's public address system, the story is read aloud, and hot chocolate is served en route to a lit-up "North Pole" where Santa awaits.

Associated Press

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Michael Wilson thanks you for watching News From the Quantum Of Solace Set."

I will never understand why police aren't summoned to direct traffic at busy intersections when a signal light is malfunctioning during rush hour. Traffic was backed up for miles in all directions this morning because a light had stayed in overnight blinking mode. Aside from the traffic nightmare, it is a hazard.

Congratulations to the LSU Tigers on their homecoming victory. They beat Troy, 40-31, Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. Doesn't sound like that big a deal beating a team that everyone thought they would beat except that they were down, 3-31, midway through the 3rd quarter. By the time the Tigers went ahead late in the 4th quarter, almost no one was still at the game, watching on pay-per-view, listening on the radio, or watching the gamecast on the web. Serves them right. Unfortunately, I was one of them.

All I can say about this computer is I want one.

Try explaining this to the cop who smells beer on you.

Quote of the Day

All users must share their results with the broader scientific community.

Associated Press

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Beer and Blog is about bloggers helping bloggers over beers."

The Dish is one of those films that gives joy in every one of its little moments. My kind of movie. They usually come from overseas because Hollywood doesn't know how to do little moments any more. It's about a radio telescope in Parkes, New South Wales, Australia and its team of scientists and technicians but it's also about the proud little town. They've been asked to support the Apollo 11 NASA moon mission. Parkes is one of those small towns that only exists in the movies. Everyone knows everyone. Lots of big wigs are descending on the quiet town to celebrate the participation. It creates a culture clash. NASA has armed the dish security guard, a bumbler who knows nothing about security, and I'm still laughing this morning at the national anthem of the United States that the local band had 48 hours to learn. I will not spoil that one. Sam Neill is perfect as the director of the satellite team. He's one of my favorite actors. His performances always seem so effortless. Patrick Warburton also gives a good performance as NASA representative Al Burnett.

Al Burnett: Not everyone at NASA is a hotshot college genius. The guy I most admire is from a one-horse town in Ohio.
Ross 'Mitch' Mitchell: And what's he do?
Al Burnett: Tomorrow he's gonna walk on the moon.

I admire him, too. The Dish is a delightful film. See it with a big bowl of popcorn.

Before I present the Sunday picture, I thought I'd give thanks to my friend, Kim, for this item on her blog. Say what you will about Texas but they are working to pass a law with the word "zombie" in it. Is your state? Go Texas.

I offer one from just outside my window this chilly CrabAppleLane Sunday morning. My little chatterbox friend is still here. Not at all sure what kind it is now. I first leaned toward buff-bellied then toward rufous but now I'm back on buff-bellied. Whatever it is, I think it may have decided to winter here. I'm OK with that.

CrabAppleLane Hummingbird - November 16, 2008

Quote of the Day

Does mum know you have a gun?

Janine Kellerman, The Dish

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Look at the bill on this hummingbird! "

About Cracker Jack:

Candy-coated popcorn, peanuts, and a prize
That's what you get in Cracker Jack

Don't see their commercials any more if they even still make them but I'd be heartbroken if they changed that classic little ditty. Wouldn't you? I think the three-pack was 25¢ when I was a kid. Click on the image to see how much Amazon is asking for it. They were a fave in our house.

When I was commuting from Bush to New Orleans and back, I was spending some time at gas stations. I'd get gas two or three times a week depending on how much I drove on the weekends. One day after I'd filled up at the pump, I went inside for a drink and a bag of chips and I saw the Cracker Jack display. I had to have one. I've reconnected with Cracker Jack (For whatever reason, I've said "Cracker Jacks" all my life) the last few years. I usually get the bags now and they're still delicious although a tad disappointing. Eating your way to the bottom where the peanuts were was always the best part of getting those Cracker Jack boxes. Maybe it's just a fond recollection but I think there were more peanuts in those little boxes back then than there are in today's larger bags. Still don't know why people make such a big deal about the rinky dink nature of the prizes. What do they expect? A car, a grandfather clock, a dishwasher? I never cared about the prize.

Quote of the Day

What do you want
When you gotta eat somethin'
And it's gotta be sweet
And it's gotta be a lot
And you gotta have it now
Whaddaya want

Cracker Jack song

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Right, So I opened up a bag of Cracker Jack yesterday with the understanding that there would be a "prize" inside."

I watched a few episodes of Life last year at the tail end of the season and then it disappeared. I don't read the gossip stuff or the fan forums so I had no idea what NBC's plans for it were. It has been my experience that TV moguls don't have the patience to allow smart, quirky shows to find an audience and I always assume that to be the case when I don't see something for a long time. My DVR is set to record it whenever it comes on and that saves me the grief of looking for it. The basic premise is that a cop named Crews (Damien Lewis from Band of Brothers) was wrongly convicted of a murder, spent 12 years of his "Life" sentence in prison, was exonerated by DNA, sued the city or the police department and received a large settlement, and was reinstated to the police force. Got all that? The crime he was convicted of turns out to be part of a much wider, more mysterious conspiracy, involving his partner Reese's estranged father, and each show reveals another part of it. In the meantime, Crews and Reese (Sarah Shahi) solve crimes. Their working relationship is a joy to watch. Reese is all business and would probably prefer to be on the job all the time. Her personal life is a bit of a mess. Crews is unorthodox, a bit eccentric, and obsessed with the conspiracy that sent him to jail for 12 years. I don't think she ever knows what he's going to say or do next but she catches on quickly and they make a great team. This kind of pairing has been done a million times but rarely this well and, even more rarely, this well on TV. Highly recommended. Watch a few episodes online and you'll see what I mean. See it before a TV mogul kills it.

Quote of the Day

Revenge is a poison meant for others that we swallow ourselves.

Charlie Crews, Life

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Brilliant and quirky storytelling in a compelling setting with great actors. What more could one wish for?"

Happy Birthday, Mom

Have a day

Love,
Rob

Quote of the Day

Some of the Republicans' afflictions are self-inflicted. Some conservatives who are gluttons for punishment are getting a head start on ensuring a 2012 drubbing by prescribing peculiar medication for a misdiagnosed illness.

George Will, Washington Post

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Of course, in the real world, their solutions don't always work. And education funding and health care funding are the two "discretionary" items we can least afford to cut right now. But I bet you won't be hearing that from the statewide media over the next few months, nor will you hear how the tax cuts enacted for the last six years are contributing to the problem."

My team, Spawn, is doing OK at 7-3 in the CFFL but probably needs to win at least one of the next three to guarantee a playoff berth. My other team, Death on Two Legs, is in trouble at 4-6 in Ya Boys and probably needs to win out, score a lot of points in the process, and get some help to have a chance in a tiebreaker to get into the playoffs. I've had two teams in fantasy football for 11 years now. When the season starts, I always think one team is much better than the other and I am almost never right about it. I thought I had three killer running backs in Ya Boys with Joseph Addai and Willie Parker starting and Brandon Jacobs as the backup. Wrong. Jacobs has been steady all year but I couldn't keep Parker or Addai healthy. I traded Parker away for Marques Colston right at the trade deadline. That guy probably isn't talking to me any more.

Quote of the Day

He's Brady. He's cool. He's real cool.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, New England Patriots

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "General Motors Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner today announced that the company will invest more than $500 million in the U.S. to build the Chevrolet Cruze, an all-new global compact car."

Happy Veterans Day

One thing I'd really like to know: If there's really a credit crisis, why do I still get several offers per day from Mastercard/Visa/Discover/Amex in my mail?

Quote of the Day

Where can you run to
What more can you do
No more tomorrow
Life is killing you
Dreams turn to nightmares
Heaven turns to hell
Burns out confusion
Nothing more to tell

Black Sabbath, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "I love Autumn's palette. Perhaps more than any other season. It has only been recently that I've become Summer's deepest acolyte. Up until this expanse of grey, I would have told you that I loved the fall most. For its color. For its textures. Even for its light. Best. With complete loyalty."

A new work routine gets underway today. Have to leave a little bit earlier but not much.

Two things about personal computers I'd like to see someone fix: 1) Rebooting should never be necessary nor should it ever make a difference. 2) Uninstalling and reinstalling software should also never be necessary or make a difference. If something works now and I make no deliberate changes, it should work the next time. Not always the case. The last time I used my scanner, it worked. The next time, there were "No Scan Options".

About today's QOTD: It refers to journalist Jack Anderson. I used to read Anderson's column in our local newspaper many years ago and hadn't thought of him in a while. My guess is that Anderson would have loved it.

Quote of the Day

This fellow Anderson and his ilk have minds that are lower than the regurgitated filth of vultures.

J Edgar Hoover, Former FBI Director

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "This special boy was found on the side of the road with his other brothers and sister in a flipped-over carboard box."

Gorgeous day to start the week or end the weekend.

I was sent this sad obituary, verified by snopes.com, some weeks ago. It includes these two statements:

Dolores had no hobbies, made no contribution to society and rarely shared a kind word or deed in her life. I speak for the majority of her family when I say her presence will not be missed by many, very few tears will be shed and there will be no lamenting over her passing.

Words fail.

About today's QOTD: It's from a poem called "Crabapple Lane" from a blog I stumbled across that features "Poetry from and sometimes about New Orleans". How could I resist?

I offer one that was taken from the CrabAppleLane front yard.

Within a picture - November 9, 2008Thought the hawk-shaped cloud flying over a CrabAppleLane Bradford Pear tree looked kinda neat. When a hawk flew into the hawk-shaped cloud, that was just pure luck. Click here for a larger view.

Same picture but zoomed in on the surprise subject - November 9, 2008

Quote of the Day

Happiness is for saps.
You see them paired in matching
polos and shorts,
their fat pink squealing children
on glossy green lawns.

Crabapple Lane, Poems Before Breakfast

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Through the lens of imminent disaster Fuji--the looming backdrop of ten thousand sepia prints--is an insignificant bystander."

Nick Saban is returning to Tiger Stadium today. He won two SEC Championships and a National Championship for the Tigers in his short stay in Baton Rouge. After returning the LSU football program to prominence and becoming the hottest coaching commodity anywhere in the process, Wayne Huizenga flew to Baton Rouge on his private jet, swept him off his feet, and signed him to run the Miami Dolphins. Most Tiger fans were saddened to see him go but were OK with the move up to the NFL. That was then ... just four years ago.

Saban and his family are suited for college life. They like being around the campus, they like the rah rah, and I think he likes being master and commander. When it comes to alumni, administrators, his players, his recruits and their parents, he's like the old E.F. Hutton commercials, "When he speaks, everyone listens". They didn't have that at Miami. Yeah, the money was good but they weren't happy. It was too much business and no rah rah. In addition, professional football players are not as malleable as college football players and his methods were less effective. They were losing. When Alabama came calling with an opportunity to return to a university that had a commitment to big time NCAA football and a truckload of money, it was an easier decision than he'll ever admit to while he's still coaching the Tide.

That brings us to today's game. While most Tiger fans were quick to forgive Saban's move up to the NFL, they haven't been at all forgiving of his move back down to Alabama, an SEC rival LSU plays every year. Don't bother looking for a rational explanation for that. The Tigers brought their Number One team, with many Saban recruits on their roster, to Tuscaloosa last year and came from behind to beat an inspired but inexperienced and a bit overmatched Tide. Today, the Tide has turned. Too much? Alabama is Number One and LSU desperately wants to knock them off. They surely don't want Saban to win a national championship at Alabama. The Tide gets booed whenever they visit Tiger Stadium but the boos will be especially loud today. And one more thing:

Quote of the Day

I don't know why anybody is upset that I left.

Nick Saban, Alabama Head Coach

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "...or, Todd Attempts to Curry Favor With the Football Gods by Admitting his Moral, Cultural, and Intellectual Flaws in a Very Public Manner."

Sheila's mention of Mary's Place inspired this entry for a Friday. Though I owned a couple of his albums (Born in the USA, The Live Box Set), I was never much of a Bruce Springsteen fan. I always found his songs catchy but that's about it. I thought he was a bit too cheeky and too preachy as a performer as well. His excellent cover of Edwin Starr's War on his first live album starts with a fairly lengthy diatribe about war. That said, I don't remember what made me take a chance on The Rising. I thought I was done with him. The Rising was still in production on September 11, 2001. He went back to the studio, added a few more songs, and released it. It has very definite September 11 overtones. Some objected to that. Said it was too soon, said he was arrogant to think he should be the one to do it, etc. I'll leave that to others to debate. It is a fantastic album. One of my favorites. It is excellent across the board. It is sad, angry, hopeful, confrontational, melancholy ... basically, everything I was after September 11. The performance below is one I hadn't heard live. It's called Worlds Apart and it's one of my faves on that CD. Sopranos fans might recognize Steven Van Zandt, who played Silvio Dante on that series. Here, he plays a guitar player for The E Street Band.

Quote of the Day

Where the distant oceans sing
And rise to the plain
In this dry and troubled country
Your beauty here remains

Bruce Springsteen, Worlds Apart

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Bruce Springsteen's motorcyle, a 1994 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide, was auctioned off for $70,000 on Wednesday night at the second annual Stand Up for Heroes benefit, raising money for the Bob Woodruff Family Fund to help wounded soldiers."

Post-election reactions I'm reading online and encountering in my daily life are amazing. We'll leave it at that.

Should probably have saved this one from The New Zealand Herald for a Quote of the Day:

Not doing something is very appealing to the male psyche. We're very good with inertia.

Shaved my mustache 10 years ago. Grooming it occasionally was more trouble than shaving it daily. Got tired of the look, too.

One of the coolest excuses ever:

Charles J. Schultz explained that he was driving his Chevy Cavalier and everything was fine. That's when the trooper informed Schultz that he was actually behind the wheel of a Ford Escort.

Says he "accidentally" stole the car.

Quote of the Day

They are not worried about feeding their families. They are worried about fixing up their cars.

Jim Fisher, Sales manager for wheel maker Konig

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Hmm... maybe there is a connection between the quality of final work and number of people involved with different opinions... but perhaps I should get a second opinion on that..."