March 2009 Archives

Fabulous interview with Tom Seaver. Love the Hall of Fame talk. He mentions Bob Gibson and how they weren't friends during their playing days but are now. He and Gibson had a lot of games against each other. The Mets and Cardinals were in the same division in the same league and they were both their teams ace. The one aspect of pitching that has changed that he doesn't talk about is that pitchers then were expected to protect their teammates. Bob Gibson was a great pitcher by any standard and, like a lot of great ballplayers, he had a nasty streak in him. If a batter was crowding the plate or had too much success against him, he wouldn't hesitate to brush him back. Seaver wasn't as nasty but Gibson could always bring that out in him. When Gibson knocked a Met down, Seaver would knock a Cardinal down. Baseball doesn't tolerate that any more but I think that might have been more effective than the piddling fines they hand out to these multi-millionaire players.

Quote of the Day

Mr Sarkozy, who blames the "Anglo-Saxons" for causing the economic crisis, told his ministers last week that he would leave Mr Brown's summit "if it does not work out".

Charles Bremner in Paris and Philip Webster, TimesOnline

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Hello everyone. I know that a lot of you were watching FastLane today to see if we have anything to say about what's happened in the last 24 hours. That's totally fair and expected. To be honest with you, it's been as much of a whirlwind for us as for anyone on the outside, and we were trying to communicate to a whole slew of audiences at once. But I hope that you'll understand that the audience we felt we needed to talk with first was our employees inside the GM family."

We started Sex and the City last night. About 20 minutes in, we were both starting to look at the clock. This is not a good sign because this movie goes 2 hours and 25 minutes. We stopped it at about 40 minutes. If it doesn't get better soon, we will never get through it.

Whipoorwhill Grove - March 29, 2009Meant to say a little more about this image when I posted it yesterday. I suspect this is hay. I have no idea what type of grass it might be, though. There are cattle and horses in the area and hayseeds travel easily. Loved the way it looked in this lot that hasn't been mowed in some time. Like Mom said, it looks like the tops were cut with a razor blade.

About the QOTD: If that's true, what a sad world he lives in.

Quote of the Day

I know plenty of people who work in this world, and I've met very few who didn't hate with every cell in their bodies anyone in their own companies who made more money than they did or got bigger bonuses at Christmastime. Gossiping about each others' bonuses, and bitching about each others' compensation, is the national pastime for these people.

Matt Taibbi, The Smirking Chimp

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "In celebration of the Sex and the City Movie premiering on HBO this weekend, 'Sex and the City' writer/director Michael Patrick King heads up a roundtable on Love and Romance, Jet Setting, New York and Fashion, with other writers from the hit series."

CrabAppleLane LadyBug Whirlygig - March 29, 2009

Whipoorwhill Grove - March 29, 2009

Bush Fire Station #2 - March 29, 2009

Crispin - March 29, 2009

I watched 3:10 to Yuma yesterday a few minutes at a time while I was also watching Pitt and Villanova go at it. This is a remake of a Glenn Ford movie of the same name from 1957. Dan Evans, Christian Bale, is a struggling rancher who signs up to help take the outlaw, Ben Wade (Russell Crowe), to catch the 3:10 train to Yuma prison. I never saw the original film and I guess I'm glad I didn't. The character who is very skilled at some things but also very reluctant to use those skills was pretty much invented by Glenn Ford in my mind. Crowe doesn't do reluctant nearly as well. I am also not high on Christian Bale as an actor. I find him a little too hard to understand, much like Joaquin Phoenix. That said, I'm not really sure why Ben Wade is reluctant in the first place. He stupidly gets caught although it's quite obvious he's not stupid. He has many, many opportunities to escape but chooses not to. You get a sense of atonement from him but he also spends a good bit of time and energy trying to corrupt Evans by offering him money to let him go. One of the things I like about westerns is that everyone who ever makes one tries to reinvent it. Unfortunately, most of them end up looking like pale imitations of Shane. 3:10 is well done and more than just a pale imitation but it's in no danger of becoming a classic.

About Villanova v Pitt: Not wild about the outcome but it was a great game. It was easily the best one I've seen in this tournament. Congrats to the Wildcats.

Finally saw a ruby-throated hummingbird this week. They are back. I had heard soem and Patsy even saw a few but I don't record it until I see it. This is the latest I've seen one since I started recording. Buffy, our buff-bellied friend who wintered here, is gone. Hope it comes back next winter.

March 14, 2001
March 17, 2002
March 10, 2003
March 20, 2004
March 12, 2005
March 12, 2006
March 11, 2007
March 9, 2008
March 26, 2009

I offer a few images from the CrabAppleLane yard on this gloriously mild spring Sunday. Pardon the redundant tomato images. I post them for my own benefit. I like to see how I'm progressing from one year to the next. They're further along this year than ever. I've never had to tie up tomato plants in March.

CrabAppleLane lizard - March 29, 2009

CrabAppleLane Iris - March 29, 2009

CrabAppleLane grape tomatoes - March 29, 2009

CrabAppleLane tomato garden - March 29, 2009

165 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

So she gave me a bible, sat me down in the train station, told me to read it. She was gonna get our tickets. Well, I did what she said. I read that bible from cover to cover. It took me three days. She never came back.

Ben Wade, 3:10 to Yuma

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Doug Reinhardt Fights for Paris Hilton, Says He Wants Babies".

I believed some of these myths. The one I most believed is the one about why cats and dogs eat grass. I always thought that meant they were having some kind of stomach distress. Not so. They graze in the grass for the same reason cows do. They like it.

My NCAA bracket will get its sternest test to date today when Pittsburgh takes on Villanova. I don't feel good about it. They met earlier in the year with Villanova winning at home by 10. Pittsburgh has not been impressive while Villanova has been extraordinary. I need Pittsburgh to win.

Quote of the Day

A computer kiosk has been set up in front of the City Commission Chambers at Fargo City Hall, 200 3rd St. N., for those who cannot access online information from home.

City of Fargo

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Several Network members are in or near the Red River flood zone. The GMR will post information regarding any closings or other pertinent information related to rising river levels."

Dave is following the flood story on the Minnesota/ND border. What's going on in the Red River Valley is frightening. From south Fargo resident, Tim Corwin, in USA Today:

I've lived here 40 years and over a 30-minute span I've reached a point where I'm preparing to evacuate and expect never to sleep in my house again.

Can you imagine having to make a decision of that magnitude in that amount of time? One other observation from CrabAppleLane: The boneheads who want to chastise the residents of that area for living there and the other boneheads eager to point out the differences in this pending disaster with other disasters can all just go to hell. Where exactly is Safe, USA, and how many people can live there?

To Angela, Christina, & David

167 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

The lesson here is that you're never safe. At least not in Fargo.

Mark McCourt - Fargo, North Dakota

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The people of Fargo-Moorhead, along with volunteers from all over the country, have built 12 miles worth of sandbag dikes in just a few days. Keep them in your prayers."

Happy Birthday, Scott

Above is one of the great scenes from one of the great movies, Blade Runner. Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) and Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) have spent the previous 5 minutes trying to kill each other. Deckard was beaten and dangling from the rooftop of the building by his fingers (Two of them broken by Roy). When he finally let go, Roy inexplicably saved him. Shown above is the scene that follows. If you've seen the film, I'd like to hear your theory on why Roy saved him. It might be explained in the book but I still haven't read it.

My favorite (So far) explanation comes from a comment by redclay at The Sheila Variations:

i think roy recognized his own desperate struggle and appetite for life in dekkerd
plus, who wants to die alone in the rain?

If you've never seen this film, here's my recommendation. Pop in the DVD at about 10 or 11PM when you have a completely quiet house/apartment/trailer/whatever, turn out all of the lights, and watch it with a big bowl of popcorn.

Oh, and the Happy Birthday is not for Blade Runner director, Ridley Scott, it's for my brother-in-law, Scott. Today is his. It's easy to remember because tomorrow's is my twin sisters birthdays.

Quote of the Day

It's too bad she won't live ... but then again, who does?

Gaff, Blade Runner

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Nasa reps have suggestively stated that despite the contest winner, at the end of the day Nasa will choose their own name and the online contest will simply be a consideration. I hope that the more fittingly inspirational name Serenity would be used if not to tribute the show, but at least to give a more suitable name that would reflect the quiet and peace of space."

Live filmed two of their concerts at the Paradiso in Amsterdam last summer and released the pictured DVD recently. Just before release, DirecTV ran a one-hour excerpt of it. I have it recorded. Live's biggest, most successful album is 1994's Throwing Copper and a good bit of their live show still comes from that album. For that reason, the critics don't think much of the show. A sample of several I read about it. Music critics seem to be stuck on freshness even when it comes to a concert album. From Grierson's review:

As an overview of Live's greatest hits, Live at the Paradiso is certainly a fond thank you to the faithful who have stuck by them during their recent lean years, but the mild material won't win over any new converts.

There are people in attendance at these things. Some of those people have never seen them perform. They usually pay a lot of money for tickets. It's OK to play new music for them but you have to play some of the songs they came to hear. Live delivers on that count. This is a great show. Lightning Crashes is still their best song but Dolphin's Cry, All Over You, Selling the Drama, Overcome, and a rousing rendition of Johnny Cash's I Walk The Line are also included. Besides, Grierson is wrong. I didn't find the material mild at all and I'm a new fan. This DVD will be added to my collection soon so I can delete the recording on my DVR.

Another note about that concert footage: I'm still struck by the difference in American and European concert crowds. The Europeans participate much more than Americans do.

Quote of the Day

Their slogan was "vote yes on Amendment 1 to keep men out of women's restrooms."

Megan Rolland, Gainesville.com

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "On my first day, I am going to wear a three colored clown wig. For shoes, I have a lovely pair of snake skin hip boots. I also have a kilt; made from an old shower curtain (it still has the hanging hooks.) My shirt will be lime green and in bold letters say "Evan Williams for President.""

DirecTV has rewarded us with three months of free Showtime on our anniversary with them. This is our 14th year as a subscriber. Not sure what significance 14 has and I'm also curious what they would have rewarded us with if we still had ALL of the channels but I can live with those unresolved mysteries. Go DirecTV.

I finished watching The Ninth Gate last night. Johnny Depp plays a somewhat unscrupulous rare book finder and he is excellent as the central character. The rest of the film is a bit silly. The film alternates between detective thriller and horror standard. His latest client, Frank Langella, wants to conjure the devil but he needs the right book and hires Depp. I am fairly convinced I had already seen this movie but decided to blog about it so I wouldn't accidentally watch it again. It has a few moments that are worthwhile and a few moments that are a tad cheesy but it is mostly forgettable. Roman Polanski doesn't do a thing for me as a film maker. The BOTD liked it a great deal more than I did.

Quote of the Day

You think the prince of Darkness would deign to manifest himself before the likes of you? He never has and he never will!

Boris Balkan, The Ninth Gate

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "With the almost singular purpose of heightening suspense, the soundtrack sadistically dances along, combining joyous glee with wicked mischief to create a greater sense of tedious unease."

The story seemed so unreal that I had to look it up at another source. Second time in two days that I doubted something on the first pass. Words fail.

The BOTD is talking about a Chicago alderman's proposal to allow "red light cameras and other city surveillance cameras" to be "used to track down motorists without proper car insurance". Not sure who scares me more here. Big brother or uninsured motorists.

I have an alternate route to work. It's almost a mile longer. In my mind, it had two areas that are potential traffic problems. That's why I'd always avoided it. I decided to try this alternate route last week because my preferred route has been inundated with some of the most absurd problems imaginable. A big truck broke down Wednesday in the critical turning lane that I have to use right at the time I had to use it. What? That was the trigger. The two problem areas on the alternate route were confirmed Thursday but they were also quite manageable and there were no problems Friday. I shall continue using this route until something happens. A small victory to be sure but I need those more now than I ever did.

Quote of the Day

We are so appalled we struggle to find the words.

Richmond Aid spokeswoman

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Just when you think it could not get worse for Chicago drivers."

It's a gorgeous spring day here. Blue skies and 73º. Hope it's half as nice where you are.

I have one thing in common with President Obama. I went 8 for 8 yesterday, too, but I did better in the first round than him.

Free CrabAppleLane Sunday observation.

Testing 1 2 ... testing 1 2

You hear it all the time. Why do people do that? 1 2 always works.

I offer two from the CrabAppleLane backyard on this fabulous sunny and mild Sunday. I hope to get out and do yardwork today. As you can tell by the grass and millet St Francis is standing in, it's getting a tad high in some places.

CrabAppleLane Backyard - March 22, 2009

CrabAppleLane Chipping Sparrows - March 22, 2009

Quote of the Day

Bomb disposal teams were called in and buildings evacuated after workmen mistook a Monty Python film prop for a hand grenade.

Matthew Moore, The Daily Telegraph

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "An undersea volcano erupts off the coast of Tonga"

Amazing photos but something about the blog makes me question their authenticity. -Rob

I always heard that but never bought into it ... until today.

Trouble - My McAfee trial anti-virus program expired yesterday. I uninstalled it and purchased the one I prefer, PCSecurityShield. After the transaction was completed, the site wouldn't let me download it. There was some kind of problem with their site and there is nowhere else to get it without purchasing it again.. It was downloading at less-than-dial-up speed. That left me exposed here except for Windows Defender. Not good. They got their site straightened out at about 10AM this morning and I got that problem resolved. Before I did, though, I had more

Trouble - Downloaded the newest version of Movable Type (MTOS-4.25-en) with the hopes of upgrading the blog today. Apparently, the OS is for MAC servers. I didn't seek out a MAC version. It was the file I downloaded when I clicked on the download button. After several hours of fighting and frustration, I discovered there was another version (MT-4.25-en). Tried that with perfect success. But before either of these problems were resolved, I had more

Trouble - The toilet stopped up. No dramatic, messy cleanup was necessary but it was just the topping I needed for a perfect, sucky Saturday.

About today's QOTD: Dave and I were talking about this just the other day. Kinda cool the letter is from a man in Minneapolis. Mr Mullin expresses my thoughts on the matter better than I could have.

Quote of the Day

Mr. Liddy has more experience running businesses than all the politicians in the room put together. He came out of retirement to help save our nation and the world from the disaster that would be A.I.G.'s collapse. He is working for a dollar a year. His judgment was entitled to thoughtful study, if not the benefit of the doubt. Instead, he got vitriolic abuse from Republicans and Democrats alike.

Bill Mullin, Minneapolis, March 19, 2009
Letter to the Editor - New York Times

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Tobacco companies spend 26 million dollars a day on ads - which they say have no effect on convincing new smokers to pick up the habit..."

On a day that pretty much stuck to form, I got 14 of the 16 right in my main March Madness brackets yesterday. I missed Illinois and Clemson, two of the upset victims, but I didn't have either of them going any farther so I'm OK with that. Today is more important for me because my champ, Pittsburgh, takes the floor. If your champ loses an early round game, you don't have a chance. My throw-in bracket had 10 right.

Inspiration for today's QOTD comes from a comment at The Coalition.

Quote of the Day

Well it's the only thing that I could do half right
And it's turning out all wrong, Ma
Look what they've done to my song

Melanie Safka, Look What They've Done To My Song

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "In the NCAA brackets, the only big "upset" was Western Kentucky over Illinois, which hardly even qualifies. As Poseur said, "If you believe in Illinois, well, it must be lonely." "

St Joseph's Day is still celebrated in and around New Orleans but probably not as much as it was when I was a kid. If you've never seen a St Joseph's Day Altar, there are pictures of them in the link. They are loaded with goodies although I never acquired the taste for the Italian cookies. St Joseph is all around New Orleans and Louisiana. There's a church on Tulane in New Orleans. I used to park in their lot for Saints games many years ago but I've never been inside. It's in an area where it must have sustained damage from Katrina but I haven't heard how much. There's a town of St Joseph. I've never been there. There's a St Joseph Abbey in St Benedict, LA. Never been to St Benedict, either. There's also a St Joe Brick Works in Pearl River that I used to pass every day. I assume St Joe is St Joseph but that may be incorrect.

Natasha Richardson ... what a stunning turn of events.

The Saints signed Darren Sharper yesterday. I'd have liked someone a few years younger but free safety is maybe the one position on defense that knowledge and experience are as valuable as talent. The Saints safeties were so badly out of position at crucial times last season that it cost them at least four games. The defense always seemed to be a ½-step away from making a play last year. Any improvement in this area and the Saints are at least as good as the team that last represented the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Quote of the Day

This is the cultural moment of the narcissist.

Emily Yoffe, Slate

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Find Nearest Wall ... And bang your head against it."

March Madness starts tomorrow morning. I love the first weekend, particularly the first round on Thursday and Friday. I like the physical, athletic teams in the tournament because the referees tend to ease up on the whistle. Says here the University of Pittsburgh will cut down the nets in April. LSU is in the tourney and that is spurring local interest a bit but I don't expect them to go far.

About today's QOTD: I haven't gotten into the Facebook/Twitter craze and I'm in no hurry to but that quote seems to capture my limited forays into them. I signed up and signed out of both after just a quick glance. I spend less time at the computer now than I used to and I want to keep it that way.

Quote of the Day

If I keep this up, the people who follow me will be exposed to all my most ridiculous moments (and ridiculous moments are, in fact, most of my moments).

Raina Kelley, Newsweek

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "In 1993, AT&T released some ads depicting what the future would look like. I clearly remember those ads, and wow, I haven't done any calculations but they were about 90% on what we would be doing in the future."

Lift a glass of green beer or a shot of Irish whiskey. Have some shepherd?s pie. Everyone is Irish today.

Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly,
A terrible beauty is born
William Butler Yeats, Easter 1916

Quote of the Day

This season as a whole has been a blessed season. Who would have thought we'd be headed to the NCAA Tournament this year.

Marcus Thornton, LSU

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "These are Fianna Fáil delegates at their annual conference, crowded around the camera like hillbillies at a hanging. These are the people whose party is in charge of this country."

They like their politics strong over there. This is one of the milder quotes. -Rob

10,000 people show up for a job fair at Dodger Stadium. Job interviews are always tough. Normally, it's how do you stand out amongst the 8 or 10 people applying, not how do you stand out amongst the 10,000 applying. A little too intense for me. Think I might have tried my luck another day.

Had my first crawfish of the season yesterday. Hopefully, I'll be able to do some, myself, before too long. They're still a little pricey right now because it's Lent and demand is still very high. They'll be more affordable AND larger in a few weeks.

About today's QOTD: It's about the ongoing feud between current Denver Bronco quarterback, Jay Cutler, and his new head coach, Josh McDaniels. I love the "he said, she said" part. I'm sure it's just a figure of speech but it could be said that Cutler is turning into a bit of a diva.

Quote of the Day

I really have wanted to avoid a he-said, she-said thing but it's only fair for us to present the Bronco side of the story rather than let things get taken out of context

Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos Head Coach

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Ah blogging is such a stressful business, sometimes!"

Beware the Ides of March

William Shakespeare's soothsayer, Julius Caesar

Thanks to the Bard, the bloody events of 44 B.C. forever linked March 15--also called the Ides of March--with fulfilled prophecies of doom.

Brian Handwerk For National Geographic News

Here nor there but I also like Vehicle by The Ides of March. Very popular song back in the day.


Got pollen? - CrabAppleLane Grill Cover - March 15, 2009

CrabAppleLane Tung Nut Blooms - March 15, 2009I never get tired of seeing these.

Quote of the Day

3144 items, 9:185:58 total time, 13.17GB

CrabAppleLane iTunes Library

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Above, reflection in the bath. Look at that beautiful old copper!"

Had plans today but the rain is putting a damper (No pun intended) on those activities. All of the images below were taken during the light rains except the last one. That one was taken from beneath my front yard oak tree when the heavier rains started.

CrabAppleLane Tomato Garden - March 14, 2009Like last year, it looks like early planting weather is perfect again. Rain water is better than our well water but not much better. The garden needs a good soaking the first few days until these plants can establish themselves. Looking good so far.


CrabAppleLane Irises - March 14, 2009My sister gave me these out of her ditch in Madisonville, LA. They prefer my pond.


CrabAppleLane tiller - March 14, 2009This tiller has been a pain to attach to my tractor for most of the years I've had it. It was pressed into service this past Wednesday when my smaller, more convenient tiller died. My tractor is not rated for an attachment this large or, at least, John Deere doesn't think so. I bought it used and it came with a rinky-dinky PTO drive shaft. I've since replaced it with a considerably better (And a little too expensive) one. It was not nearly as hard to attach Wednesday as it has been in the past so it now rests in a much more accessible area. Glad I didn't get rid of it.


CrabAppleLane Front Yard - March 14, 2009As I was retrieving the mail, the rain really started coming down. As I was heading back inside, I stopped under our front yard oak tree and snapped this image of the front yard. The Bradford pear is in full bloom although that's hard to see. Not sure why I like this one but I do. You can see the camellia blooms on the ground to the right despite the obscuring rain drop on the lens.

Quote of the Day

Not only is it plodding and completely predictable, the carnage is rendered slowly and quasi-reverentially, making the whole brutal experience come off like torture porn.

Claudia Puig, USA TODAY

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Any hope of films being auctioned off individually were soon dashed."

The surest way to turn a molehill into a mountain is to protest it. Saturday Night Live was having a bit of fun with the Hawaii tourist industry. The right thing and the smart thing to do is laugh it off and let it die its own natural death. What the State of Hawaii did was expose their big, red, flashing, pulsating button to everyone. Expect more jokes at your expense now, Hawaii. Dumb. It's The Life of Brian all over again. In some cases, particularly in American culture, the more you try to prevent something, the more desirable it becomes. Human nature 101 courtesy of CrabAppleLane. No charge, Hawaii.

Quote of the Day

Cross-eyed Mary finds it hard to get along
She's a poor man's rich girl
And she'll do it for a song

Jethro Tull, Cross-eyed Mary

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "More importantly for you horror fans, this is a weekend to rejoice. Our beloved Jason came back to life (again) and he slaughtered the competition."

Had an idea for a time lapse series. An equipment failure blew that idea up but you can see the difference in the two photos I'm posting. The idea was to set the camera on the tripod and then take pictures periodically as I go about the tomato garden. The first photo was taken just after I had taken everything out. The second was taken after I had tried, tried, tried, to get the tiller started, resigned that endeavor to failure, and worked on the new solution. The second was taken after I got back to gardening. I think the difference in light and shadow is pretty cool. The rest of the story in the next paragraph.

The plan was to use the small Mantis tiller because disconnecting the mower from the tractor and attaching the big tiller to the tractor is a large and difficult undertaking. The Mantis does just fine for an 18' X 10' garden. Naturally, it broke down. The fuel pump had a crack in it and it just wouldn't keep running. I'll get that fixed another day but what to do about the tomato bushes I have now, you ask? Probably not but I'll tell anyway. My other tiller has been idle so long that small trees grew up around it. It has been idle because the smaller tiller is much more convenient. I was able to get the big one attached and get the ground tilled but the time I lost caused me to leave the garden unfinished. Well, that and I was worn out. I got 22 tomato plants down, 3 bell pepper plants, and 1 basil plant. Still have 16 more tomato plants to get down. I'll do as many as I can tonight after work before that freshly-tilled soil starts getting hard ... and probably just ahead of the hard freeze that will kill everything.

CrabAppleLane tomato garden site - March 11, 2009

CrabAppleLane tomato garden - March 11, 2009

About the QOTD: Supposedly?

Quote of the Day

This tournament alone will show you this game that supposedly was invented in America is now the world's sport.

Holland manager Rod Delmonico, a former head coach at the University of Tennessee.

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "What does a doctor do when his terminally ill patient tries to give back the potentially life-saving medicine he just administered? What does the dying patient do if the doctor wants to extract unwanted lifestyle changes in exchange for the treatment he needs?"

The New Orleans Times-Picayune had a story Sunday about a shipwreck off the Louisiana coast. They did a follow-up on it yesterday. They're calling it the Mardi Gras shipwreck because of its proximity to the Mardi Gras Transmission System. It is an amazing collaborative effort between the New Orleans' Notarial Archives, Texas A&M University, the Louisiana State Museum, the state Division of Archaeology, and the Minerals Management Service. How an endeavor with that many entities involved didn't devolve into a turf war is just beyond my comprehension. The shipwreck is thought to be a privateer ship that went down in a storm as it was being chased by a British warship during the War of 1812 although that is still unconfirmed. I just think stories like this are cool as all get out and from it comes the Quote of the Day.

Quote of the Day

In that incident, all eight crewmen were rescued by the British ship and put ashore near the mouth of the Mississippi River, about where Pilottown stands today.

John Pope, Times-Picayune

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The poor weather and rain that has plagued the Northeast of the USA was readily apparent up in Rimouski, Quebec where our diving to the Empress of Ireland was severely curtailed."

I hate computer problems. Had a rant going but didn't care for the way it turned out. Maybe another day after I've gained a little perspective. Maybe not. Typing it out may be all the catharsis I need.

This one was easier. I needed to print some checks over the weekend. Since I started printing them from Quicken, writing them by hand has become tedious. The printer jammed on the first attempt. No problem. Maybe the check was loaded incorrectly so I cleared the jam and tried again. Another check, another jam. Checked all of my settings, took the printer apart as far as I could to see if there were any bits of paper left from previous jams, and loaded some plain white paper to see if maybe the checks were the problem. Nope, plain paper jammed, too. I was 100% certain this was a hardware problem. Something had to be wrong with the printer. The only way to clear the print jobs out of the printer queue was to reboot. Nothing else worked. That maybe should have clued me in but I'm not always on top of my game. After several reboots over the weekend and last night, I finally tried to print from another application. Imagine my surprise when the Word document printed beautifully. Turns out, this is a known problem ... for over a year. Quicken on the 64-bit Vista Operating System will cause a paper jam if you try to print from it and I am very curious how a software conflict can do that. None of the workarounds work for printing checks so I've added my name to the list of people needing to be notified when a solution is found.

Quote of the Day

So evolution is why people can become religious. How's that for irony?

John Sinteur, The Daily Irrelevant

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The best way to do this is to tell your employer to automatically deposit a percentage of your earnings directly into your new savings account each time you are paid."

Easier said than done. -Rob

HDNET has a program called "Nothing but Trailers". The title says it all. It's a full 30 minutes of movie trailers. Sometimes, they do an "Ultimate" trailer show where they show older movie trailers or trailers to obscure movies you may not have heard of. I heard of In Bruges that way. Bruges is described as a medieval city in Belgium. The city is featured throughout the film and is magnificent. This movie is a very dark comedy about two Irish hit men hiding out "In Bruges" after their hit doesn't go according to plan. A great film has a lot of little moments. This one is almost nothing but great little moments and I need more films like this in my diet. In Bruges is one of the very best movies I have seen in a long time.

Quote of the Day

You can't sell horse tranquilizers to a midget.

Ray, In Bruges

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Now the end for the In Bruges Fansite is really approaching, simply because all that is left to report will be the outcome of the 2009 Academy Awards."

Patsy and I took in a baseball game today at brand new Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA. Alex Box Stadium, affectionately known as "The Box", is the Home of the LSU Fighting Tigers. They took on the Illini from the University of Illinois in the third game of a series that was tied at one game each. It was a very colorful game. Not only is The Box brightly colored and just magnificent but the Tigers and Illini both wear very bright and colorful uniforms. The Illini took the game, 6-2, and the series, 2-1.

A tip of the cap to Illinois on a great win. Their pitcher, Ben Reeser, pitched a fantastic game. He had the Tigers off balance and looking like chumps all day. They also took advantage of LSU mistakes in the field and on the base paths. This was a good licking for the Tigers. They have a young team and didn't fare well against the cagey senior pitcher. They'll have to learn how to adjust to off-speed pitching quickly. I expect them to see a lot of it until they do.

I'm a little disappointed they had no programs for today's game and I'm also disappointed they ran out of souvenir cups. I got two but I would have liked two more. It's a spectacular facility. If you're in the area, take in a game. Lots of pictures below the jump.

Right fielder Chad Jones ... and the banners

It's been a delightfully hectic CrabAppleLane Sunday. The weather is gorgeous and we're still enjoying it. The four images below were take over a span of about 5 minutes this afternoon right after we returned from Baton Rouge. Seems my concerns over the new roof were unfounded. We have some interest from a pair of bluebirds and a chickadee. The bluebirds always win but the chickadee never goes away quietly.

CrabAppleLane Bluebird - March 8, 2009

CrabAppleLane Bluebird - March 8, 2009

CrabAppleLane Bluebird - March 8, 2009

CrabAppleLane Chickadee - March 8, 2009

Quote of the Day

Top-ranked LSU lost a series for the first time this season, falling to Illinois, 6-2, today at Alex Box Stadium.

Baton Rouge Morning Advocate

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "(3:45 pm) We're receiving reports that the power is out across campus, and it seems like many internet and web services are down as well (illinois.edu, Compass, and http://cites.illinois.edu just to name a few). Maybe we should invest in some battery backups in the future?"

Maybe. -Rob

The CrabAppleLane ruby-throated hummingbird flock is due back any day now (They may even be here already) and Buffy, our wintering buff-bellied hummingbird, is still here. Buffy has had uncontested access to our two feeders since October. I expect some squabbling to ensue but I hope he/she doesn't get chased off. Buffy is bigger and faster than the ruby-throats but will be severely outnumbered. Buffy has been a joy here and I'd miss him/her.

Buffy the nectar slayer - CrabAppleLane - February 8, 2009

About today's QOTD: I think abolition is inevitable and I'm OK with it.

Quote of the Day

Turns out, it is cheaper to imprison killers for life than to execute them, according to a series of recent surveys. Tens of millions of dollars cheaper, politicians are learning, during a tumbling recession when nearly every state faces job cuts and massive deficits.

Associated Press

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "This month, Chief Justice Roberts, writing for the majority in Herring v. United States, a 5-to-4 decision, took a big step toward the goal he had discussed a quarter-century before. Taking aim at one of the towering legacies of the Warren Court, its landmark 1961 decision applying the exclusionary rule to the states, the chief justice's majority opinion established for the first time that unlawful police conduct should not require the suppression of evidence if all that was involved was isolated carelessness. That was a significant step in itself. More important yet, it suggested that the exclusionary rule itself might be at risk."

Happy, Happy, THS.

Cool stuff from the Associated Press:

NEW ORLEANS -- Tyson Chandler wanted to keep up with Chris Paul on a fast break, but could only stop and watch in amazement when he saw Paul dribbled the ball through Jason Terry's legs at full speed before tossing a pass back to Rasual Butler for a dunk.

The NBA website has the video. It's toward the end of that two-minute clip and it happens very fast. Big Chris Paul fan here.

I offer the view from lunch yesterday. We didn't have the whole place quite to ourselves but it seemed like it.

Bogue Falaya Wayside Park - March 5, 2009

Quote of the Day

If I'd only followed CNBC's advice, I'd have a million dollars today ... provided I started with 100 million dollars.

Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Here is a great bit of trivia for a fine Friday afternoon: Did you know that Claude Rains is "The Invisible Man"?"

Looking forward to seeing the brand new Alex Box Stadium this weekend. Number One LSU takes on Illinois. I'll be there for one of those games and I hope to have pictures. Haven't been to Baton Rouge in a while. That will be fun.

The Saints signed a cornerback and re-signed Devery Henderson yesterday. Devery has been hot and cold since his LSU days. Saints fans have wanted 1st round pick Robert Meachem to either take his job or light a fire under him the last two years but it hasn't really happened. The Saints are very deep at that position and having Devery around a few more years will keep it that way. I know nothing about cornerback Jabari Greer.

The Dallas Cowboys gave Terrell Owens a big contract last year. Released him yesterday. Dumb. Would have been dumber to keep him, though. I think he'll get one more chance somewhere. Maybe he can join Randy Moss in New England.

I offer one for my friend, Andrea, this morning. Seen on a black Chevrolet SSR yesterday in a parking lot. The Steelers have great fans.

The Steelers and me - March 4, 2009

Quote of the Day

Guy killed me, Mal
Killed me with a sword
How weird is that?

Mr Universe, Serenity

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The "Kiwis" are very athletic, and it was great to see them excited about baseball."

Yet another reason to curb pollution. Light pollution, that is. It sullies the glorious night sky. Love all of these photos but 1, 6, 8, and 10 take my breath away. Do we want to lose that? As an amateur astronomer and amateur photographer, I can tell you with some authority that good astro-photography like you see there is an art.

A little John Elway image restitution from ESPN's Rick Reilly. According to Reilly, professional athletes don't have a choice about being role models. He forgets that John Elway did. Elway wasn't drafted by the Denver Broncos. He was drafted by the Baltimore Colts. He refused to play for them for purely selfish reasons and had to be traded. Had he gone to the Colts and had his Hall-of-Fame career there, the excitement he might have generated might also have kept the Colts in Baltimore. They moved to Indianapolis the next year. Ask the kids in Baltimore from that era what they think of him as a role model.

About iTunes: I'm in awe of some of the rather famous albums that iTunes can't find cover art for. I'm even more in awe of some of the truly obscure titles that they do have cover art for.

I am stealing borrowing a picture from my cousin, Carol, this morning because I thought it was fascinating. It's a picture of an ice road from Baytown to Madeline Island, both in Wisconsin, I think. Her sister, Nancy, had told me they drive cars across the Lake Pepcid Pepin ice in the winter and I had a vision of that in my head of a narrow road with one car going across, then another, and so on. This looks like a highway. I think it's very cool. No pun intended. Thanks, Carol.

Ice Road to Madeline Island

Quote of the Day

Its not the side effects of the cocaine
I'm thinking that it must be love

David Bowie, Station To Staion

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Having the time of his life in a cattle trough. He looked like he was living it up in a hot tub, except instead of being relaxed he was ecstatic and panting and appeared to be rubbing up against some contraption in the tub besides. Ah, the life of a dog."

Not mine but cool nonetheless.

As I was looking at potential NCAA March Madness brackets this morning, I noticed that a south regional and an east regional is being played in Boise, a west regional is being played in Greensboro, and a midwest regional is being played in Miami, Florida. I would not claim to be an expert at geography but my grammar school learning tells me the descriptions don't quite match the locations. All things are relative, I suppose. There are places in America you could stand and look south to see Boise. Institutions of higher learning, eh?

Quote of the Day

It's March -- shouldn't flowers be coming up?

Larry Hughes, business consultant

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Don't we spend our entire infancy learning NOT to inhale anything besides air through our nasal passages?"

With spring training fully underway, I'm thinking football. The Associated Press asks:

How could the Patriots obtain only a second-round draft choice for a solid, young quarterback and a 12-year veteran leader, linebacker Mike Vrabel?

I'm more than a little curious about that, myself. It was generally thought that Cassel, alone, would bring multiple higher picks and there was supposedly a better deal for the Pats on the table involving Tampa and Denver. He has a huge contract and there was never any doubt that he was going to be traded. The Pats couldn't keep him and Tom Brady at $15 million each. That probably affected his value somewhat but I still think he was worth more than that. There's more here than meets the eye. On the surface, it appears KC got a steal. If I was a Patriot fan, I'd be plenty upset by this. Yeah, they cleared some cap space but a little too late if you ask me. Most of the big money free agents have already signed.

Quote of the Day

People get a hit of energy when they are negative about something

Gwyneth Paltrow

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Patriots fans might be asking "that's it?""

Been alternating between transferring files from the old PC to the new one and importing CDs into the iTunes library. One task is much more fun than the other. Naturally, I've been listening to some of that music during the import process. When I get new music, I listen to it for a while, and then go back to my regular rotation until I get some more new music, and then the cycle repeats. It's been fun to hear again some of those that I listened to for a while and then put on the stack. There will be some new mix CDs to come out of this.

About today's QOTD: I don't know how far along I am in adding music to the library. I haven't touched the wife's collection, I postponed a few CDs, and I still have a long way to go with mine. I don't profess to have a large collection like Kim, Andrea, or Michele but mine is surely larger than most. Right now, you could play my collection for a little over a week without hearing the same song twice. I'm thinking it will be over two weeks once I'm finished importing.

I offer a scan on this CrabAppleLane Sunday:

Duncan and Nikki - July 1984 Both born on May 17. Duncan in 1982, Nikki in 1984. Nikki adored Duncan and loved, loved, loved to play. This may have been the day we brought Nikki home but I'm not certain of that.

When we went to pick him up, the breeder had different colored collars on all of the puppies. The red, green, blue, and orange collared puppies came to the front of the kennel and wanted desperately for us to pick them up. The one with the yellow collar had gotten out and received a newspaper swat. He had his back to us and the saddest eyes you ever saw. His eyes twinkled as soon as Patsy talked to him and he just had to come home with us.

Quote of the Day

2303 items, 73:43:42 total time, 9.51GB

CrabAppleLane iTunes Library

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Oh the sheer horror of it! I'm feeling uneasy at the very thought of my iPhone getting half inched. At the moment, my strongest defense against thieves seems to be keeping my iPhone within a 1-foot radius at all times."