May 2009 Archives

CrabAppleLane Tallow Tree - May 31, 2009
My brother-in-law in Madisonville, LA dug up this tree and another one for me one day when I was over there. Patsy calls them "money" trees. We had one in our backyard in Metairie. They're Chinese Tallows and, along with the Chinese Privets, are rather invasive. Both are zero maintenance and both have seeds that birds like and spread all over the countryside. The two dug-up tallows are thriving here and so are the privets that were already all over CrabAppleLane. The tallows are gorgeous from spring through fall and the privets have a lovely fragrance. Despite what they're doing to the indigenous species of trees and shrubs in Louisiana, they're hard not to like.

We tried a restaurant we'd never been to last night. It's a restaurant that specializes in catfish and seafood pretty close to CrabAppleLane in a part of Covington called Barker's Corner. I've been disappointed with the seafood here on the north shore the last few years. On the south shore in New Orleans, the seafood is excellent and fairly consistent wherever you go. On the north shore, it is wildly inconsistent from one place to the next, one visit to the next. It is so frustrating that I usually don't bother and just get a burger or something from the non-seafood portion of the menu. It's called Rick's Catfish Cabin. I took a chance and got the seafood platter. It was excellent and there was a lot more on the plate than I expected. I love stuffed crabs but I especially love stuffed shrimp. The platter had both. It also had a healthy portion of very good fried catfish, fried shrimp, hush puppies, french fries, and fried oysters, which I gave to Patsy. It has earned a spot in the rotation.

Stick a fork in her. What a fabulous story of triumph over adversity. Get well soon, Darian.

Minnesota and Baylor square off today in Baton Rouge in an elimination game. The winner gets LSU and their All-American ace pitcher, Louis Coleman, a little bit afterward. I like the Tigers' chances to advance.

A tip of the cap to Texas and Boston College on their epic 25-inning baseball game last night. The Longhorns pulled out the victory, 3-2. A game like that allows for a sentence like this from the Associated Press:

Texas reliever Austin Wood pitched 13 innings, including 12 1-3 innings of no-hit ball before allowing a two-out single to Tony Sanchez in the 19th inning.

And this:

Tucker's hit came in his NCAA-record 12th at-bat to tie a mark he now shares with teammate Michael Torres, who also batted 12 times.

I doubt I will ever read anything like that again ... but I'm glad I didn't have to sit through it. Boston College faces Army today in an elimination game and there just can't be much left in the Eagles' tank. All I can say is WOW.

I offer three from the CrabAppleLane backyard on this magnificent, but hot, Sunday:

CrabAppleLane Grape Tomatoes - May 31, 2009The grape tomatoes are starting to ripen faster than I can pick them and eat them already but the full-sized Creole and Celebrity varieties are still about a week off.


CrabAppleLane Trails - May 31, 2009Still working on The Clearing Project. People who are good with a chainsaw never get one stuck in a falling tree like I did yesterday. This pine tree had three branches on one side and none on the other. Thought I'd use the weight of the branches to my advantage and fell the tree to that side, where there was a clear path for it to fall. I made what I thought was a substantial pie cut on the side with the branches and started making the offside cut. Yeah, well it leaned to the off side anyway and my chainsaw was stuck. The tree was about a foot in diameter and it took me about 10 minutes to finish cutting it down by hand so that I could get the chainsaw out. I was not a happy camper.


CrabAppleLane Surprise - May 31, 2009Found: One blue balloon
Easily my favorite picture today. Thanks to Patsy for spotting it from our upstairs bathroom window. I'd like to think this balloon has traveled a great distance ... maybe an escaped Memorial Day balloon that has been traveling for a week ... or maybe even a balloon released by a child on his/her birthday in February. It's now in a tree in my yard and I'm reminded of Charlie Brown's kite-eating tree (One of the coolest Wikipedia articles I've ever read). The owner can pick it up any time. Bring your climbing shoes, though.

The QOTD is talking about Aliens. That is one of the most intense movies I ever saw. It's fantastic. It's very rare when the sequel tops the very good original.

Quote of the Day

Action thrillers assail but rarely test us; this is the tautest, most provoking, and altogether most draining example ever made.

Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "It's annoying enough that the online SJ-R mixes in petty crime updates with their real stories, but this is ridiculous. Overexposing petty crime isn't good reporting and it promotes a distorted, unhealthy view of our community."

A glance at the 10-2 LSU win over Southern yesterday would make you think the Tigers had an easy time of it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Southern came out swinging and took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and it stayed that way until the sixth and more than a few of the 10,000+ Tiger fans in attendance had to be squirming. The Tigers scored a run in the sixth inning and tied the game with two outs in the seventh. At that point, Southern removed their starter, Chase Richard, who didn't allow an earned run until the seventh and turned in a terrific performance. The Jaguars, who had played extremely well until then, disintegrated. Their bullpen gave up hits and their defense contributed 4 errors and it was 8-2 before they got that last out in the 7th inning. With their top two starters well rested, the Tigers are in pretty good shape but baseball is a funny game. Baylor up next.

Kinda surprised at some of the comments in the Minneapolis Star Tribune this morning. The Gophers took a tough loss yesterday but they've had a pretty good season and they're not out yet. From larryhanson:

All 3 Big 10 baseball teams lost yesterday in blow outs. Maybe the 10 Big Ten baseball teams need to get a clue from Wisconsin and quit playing baseball.

Geez, lighten up. Northern college baseball teams are at an extreme disadvantage against southern and western teams. The college baseball season starts in late February. Northern teams are still shoveling snow in February. Southern and western teams get in more practice and get in more games. That's why they do better. The NCAA closed the gap a few years ago by limiting teams to 60 regular season games so you no longer see southern teams who have played 75 games playing against northern teams who have only played 40 but the scales still tip to the teams that have better baseball climates. The only real way to address it is for northern teams to travel to southern and western teams to play. That's expensive and it can only be done on weekends because of school. Baseball is an every day game. Still, don't give up.

Today's QOTD is from Stephen Strasburg of San Diego State University. He is expected to be the top pick in MLB's draft in a few weeks. He's apparently never heard of the University of Virginia. That team beat him. It was his first, and probably last, loss of the season.

Quote of the Day

I was pretty excited to be out there, but it's pretty tough to pitch against a team that you've never really heard of, you don't really have a good scouting report on them.

Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Unless San Diego State can win their way out of the regional through the loser's bracket, Stephen Strasburg has likely pitched his final college game."

CrabAppleLane Turtle - May 28, 2009 I was on my way home from work. I get about a mile from home and I see this guy in the tire track on the highway and he's right in a turn where he can't be be seen until you're on top of him. I missed him by a foot at most. I turn around at the first possible opportunity and come back. This takes about 3 or 4 minutes. He's still in the tire tracks and looks depressed. The CrabAppleLane Turtle Rule: If I'm heading out and have time, I move him to whatever side he is heading. If I'm heading home, I catch him and release him at CrabAppleLane. As I approach this one, he decides to move and open his mouth to bite. I nudge him with my shoe and he gets just barely off of the highway. I nudge him again and he comes back out onto the highway right back into the splat zone. I try to pick him up but he is able to push my hand away with his front legs. His shell is almost exactly the width of my hand. There is a spot somewhere in the middle where he can't reach my hand with his front or rear legs but it took me a while to find it. He wasn't all that pleased with my life-saving efforts. I finally got him in the truck, got him home, and released him where you see him above. He just sat there like a lump for about an hour. Ungrateful reptile.

Note: After momentary research this morning, it is quite possible that the turtle above is a female but I'm not certain enough to change all of the pronouns I've already used. I'm not concerned that I took a mother from her young, though, because turtles pretty much abandon them anyway.

Today's QOTD is ridiculous.

104 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Any movie with smoking should be rated R. And if they worry about an R rating hurting their profits, then they should work with studios to remove smoking from films that hurt youth.

Dr. Jonathan Fielding, Head of the Los Angeles County Public Health Department

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Eric Lavallee of Ion Cinema was most taken by the film's opening -- "one continuous technically difficult long-take, around 10-plus minutes in runtime." He posted a short review -- "it is nature and not humans calling the shots" -- and then included it among The Top 10 Best Scenes from Cannes, hailing it for "explor[ing] the mysterious nature of the film's key location.""

Mark Knopfler has a new album, Get Lucky, due out in September. I'll have it.

Unrequited love. I think the Vikings and Brett Favre will eventually need a cold shower and I think both would be better off with one.

Would have liked to pick up some LSU baseball tickets for the Saturday or Sunday NCAA Regional games in Baton Rouge but all of the ticket books for the tournament are sold. Tiger fans will gladly part with tickets for non-LSU games, though. I can get tickets to the Baylor-Minnesota game Friday night fairly cheap.

I've picked 40+ grape tomatoes this season so far but no full-sized ones yet. Getting a little impatient here.

So far, so good on my right knee. I have considerably more range of motion and no pain. I doubt I've escaped arthroscopic surgery, though. I think the irritation, that caused the fluid build-up in the first place, is still there waiting for me to step wrong or over-exert.

Shrill rhetoric (I think it's the only kind they know) from the DPRK in the QOTD. I suppose we're destined to have a North Korean crisis every year or two for the rest of our lives.

Quote of the Day

Any hostile act against our peaceful vessels including search and seizure will be considered an unpardonable infringement on our sovereignty and we will immediately respond with a powerful military strike

North Korean army spokesman

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Can you see anything else in this old bit of wood?"

I guess if we must have a litmus test on a Supreme Court nominee, let it be about baseball.

106 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Many doing the attacking and supporting will be adherents to a single issue with which they're obsessed like guns or abortion or civil rights or gay marriage. Well, I have a single issue with which I'm obsessed: baseball. So far Sotomayor is batting 1.000 in that department, so as far as I'm concerned, let's skip all of the ugliness that's about to begin, confirm her and get on with the pennant races.

Craig Calcaterra, Circling the Bases

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "To quickly review the situation, I took all dealer owners whose names appeared more than once in the list. And, of those who contributed to political campaigns, every single one had donated almost exclusively to GOP candidates. While this isn't an exhaustive review, it does have some ominous implications if it can be verified."

Not particularly remarkable. The dealers on Chrysler's list were mostly small, family-owned businesses. That demographic tends to lean GOP. -Rob

I started Philip K Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 20+ years ago and put it down because it just didn't hold much interest for me. Sci-fi is just not my thing and Dick's short story was sci-fi to me. The movie based on this short story, Blade Runner, had the same impact on me the first time I saw it. I dismissed it as typical sci-fi fare and forgot about it. The second time I saw the film was a totally different experience. I've blogged about that before. The film was OK the first time, off-the-charts-totally-WOW the second and every other time since. I was hoping for that same kind of transformation when I picked up the book again a week ago. It should be noted that it doesn't normally take me a week to read a 105-page short story (6 days ... tops) but I wanted to be thorough. What made the movie great was the detective story. In the film, Rick Deckard is a conflicted, hard-boiled, down-on-his-luck, in-over-his-head character that muddles through as best he can. In the book, he is just a fraction of that. He has a wife, Iran, in the book (That's her in the QOTD) and a love/hate relationship with Rachael Rosen. I couldn't quite sort out how Deckard really felt about either of them. Most of the animals on Earth have died in the war or in the radioactive dust that has consumed the planet in the aftermath. The film has the look of that but doesn't really explain it. Deckard has an obsession with "live" animals and a desire to get one in order to prove to himself that he is human. It is thought that androids can't give animals love and the animals die. The book never really gets out of sci-fi. I prefer the film. As for whether Deckard, himself, is an android/replicant ... beats me.

107 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

She stayed with him for a while and then returned to the kitchen and sat down. Next to her on the table, the electric toad was moving in its box. What did it eat? False flies, she decided.

Philip K Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Today those concerns have to a large extent abated, and instead Blade Runner now resonates with themes of construction of identity and how much of our own identity we own."

Happy Memorial Day

It was no surprise that LSU was awarded an NCAA Regional this weekend. They meet both of the NCAA criteria, good ranking and good facility. They were ranked second before winning the SEC Tournament this weekend. Their facility, well, their facility is spectacular. The goal is to stay in the top eight. If you're in the top eight and win your regional, chances are pretty good that you'll also get to host your super regional. I don't think the Tigers will play another road game unless they get to Omaha for the College World Series. The problem is that they've been playing better on the road all year than they have at home.

Below, I offer a picture I took on March 8, 2009 at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge (Site of the NCAA Regional mentioned above). It is now one of my favorites for reasons I'll explain.

Scoreboard

I titled this one Scoreboard because that was my main focus. The player was incidental. Not so any more. He is freshman pitcher, Matty Ott, from Metairie, LA. He is shown here with 0 saves. He has 14 now and is one of the SEC co-freshmen of the year. He is the Tigers' closer and, quite probably, a solid major league prospect. Remember. You saw him here first.

Quote of the Day

Thank you for not killing me.

Rachael Rosen, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "LSU beats Vanderbilt, takes SEC championship"

A diary entry from my Mom as relayed to us:

May 23, 1959 - Fifty years ago, this was moving day. There were four of us taking this momentous step in our young lives: Daddy was 28 years old, I was 24, Robbie was 2 and Sue was 1. We had a 30-year mortgage of $14,050 (reduced by $150 because the salesman was a friend of Daddy's) to be paid off over 30 years at the rate of $74 per month, plus an additional $6 for insurance. We had been renting a shotgun house off of Carrollton Avenue for $65 per month and we worried about that additional $15 each month. Where was it going to come from, we wondered? I loved this house then and I love it today and even though we were terribly crowded at times, I'm glad we never gave it up. It's perfect for me today.

Mom still lives there with her girls, Liezel and Gretel.

Meant to mention this the other day. Ever heard of snow rollers? Me, neither. Very cool. No pun intended.

Lana has some great vacation pictures up from Roosevelt State Park in Mississippi. Love the sunsets.

From the here nor there department: I don't think there is a single ink pen at CrabAppleLane that works any more although we seem to have kept thousands that don't.

From Raina Kelley of Newsweek:

Want to improve your credit score? Well, FICO will sell you a package to fix the score that it creates. Doesn't that sound like something Tony Soprano would do?

Yes, it sounds almost like something Tony Soprano would do but there's one thing Tony never learned. The best scams are legal.

Via Instapundit: A Blu-Ray sale: Via CrabAppleLane: They are STILL TOO EXPENSIVE.

I will always be amazed at how much dust accumulates on our ceiling fans. They are on at least 12 hours per day at the highest speed. I cleaned both yesterday and I'm still a little grossed out.

I offer two from the CrabAppleLane backyard this overcast and rainy Sunday:

CrabAppleLane mirlitons - May 24, 2009

CrabAppleLane hydrangeas - May 24, 2009

109 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Your only problem is that you want to go to bed with a female android. I felt like that a couple of times. The answer is to love them before, not after, you kill them.

Phil Resch, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Blog of the day via Sheila is here.

Quote from said blog: "But if he was alive today, I'd be sure to put up my dukes and defend poor King Death. Though I might find myself drinking alone, alas."

The buzz surrounding Slumdog Millionaire has been amazing. Everyone has now heard of the film and everyone has an idea of what the story is about. It won 8 Oscars. I recorded it Thursday night off of DirecTV's Pay-Per-View and watched it last night. Going in, it was impossible not to have some expectations. It is a very good film but it has to be much better on a bigger screen. I had to back it up a few times because of the placement of the subtitles. I don't mind subtitles unless you put them somewhere where they blend into the film. They have to stand apart. I'll never forget the white subtitles across the white naval uniforms in Tora! Tora! Tora!. I digress. Also, some of the panoramic shots of India were probably spectacular on the big screen but not quite as impressive on my 36", even in high-definition. Don't let these minor quibbles keep you from seeing it, though. Its appeal is universal and timeless. Very well done.

110 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Do you think I'm an android? I'm not. I've never been to Mars. I've never even seen an android.

Luba Luft, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "But I have a feeling that the people protesting against the title either have not seen the movie, or have not understood the context in which the word was used. In the movie, the word "slumdog" is never used as a general description of the people of the slums."

Thought I'd offer one of the CrabAppleLane tomato garden as it stands now. It has been unseasonably and gloriously cool for the last several days. Typically, tomato bushes prefer the heat but they didn't seem to mind the cool spell. About half of them are as tall or taller than their stakes now. It's a bit hard to judge scale here but the bushes in the two back rows on the right are about 6 feet tall. It worries me a little because of the wind and rain we're expecting this weekend. The grape tomato bushes are the tallest and they are all covered in tomatoes. I've picked about 6 of them so far. None of the larger varieties have ripened yet but I'm guessing there are about 100 green tomatoes that are tennis ball size or larger and easily several hundred that are plum size or smaller. I've lost two tomatoes to worms so far. I used to lose about 10%-15% of my yield to worms, fungus, or rot but not the last few years. My theory is that regular fertilization and less watering keeps the fruit strong and keeps worms/insects/fungus away. Those are the only things I've done differently. I've only watered these once and that was when they were planted. Mother nature's nourishing rain water has done the rest. There's a wild rabbit hanging around the garden again this year. It will nibble on the ones it can reach ... with my blessing.

CrabAppleLane Tomato Garden - May 21, 2009

Quote of the Day

How did Buster manage to make both his television and radio programmes? Isidore wondered. And how did the women always find something new to say?

J.R. Idisore, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Psst... I got what you need right here. A whole dime of high quality stuff. You ain't finding anything better."

Excellent article on why we find androids creepy. Right there at the beginning, it says:

One psychologist likes to demonstrate this by holding up a plastic baby doll and asking audiences if they think it's alive. They say no.

Then she takes out a saw and starts cutting the doll's head off, but quickly stops upon seeing the uncomfortable audience reactions.

I had that reaction just reading it. I think the visual, alone, generates it. But that phenomenon is getting just a little bit creepier.

Best wishes to the Mickelsons.

Quote of the Day

Are you testing whether I'm an android or whether I like women?

Rachael Rosen, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Whenever you first start an Android application, a thread called "main" is automatically created."

New Orleans was awarded the 2013 Super Bowl yesterday. It will be the first time since 2002, when security was the main issue after 911. 11 years is the longest span of absence for the city. Hurricane Katrina is partly responsible for that but the main concern for the NFL, or the leverage if you prefer, was getting the Saints into a long-term deal with the State of Louisiana. That was done last month although it's still winding its way through the Louisiana legislature (Mostly unopposed). The faux main issue for some (Mainly, competitor Glendale, AZ) became the state of the City of New Orleans and the SuperDome after Katrina but that's a bit silly. They should have played the what-if-New-Orleans-gets-hit-with-another-hurricane card. New Orleans is an ideal host for Super Bowls. Nothing sentimental about this selection. The city has the capacity and the experience. Almost everything that anyone wants to see or do in New Orleans is within walking distance or a 5-minute cab ride of the stadium. She's over-qualified. It was a no-brainer.

Now, if we could just get the Saints in the Super Bowl...

Quote of the Day

Rick Deckard is an android killer.

Philip k Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Perhaps we can conduct a seminar where we show Glendale drivers how to apply the so-called "brake pedal"."

By the title, you might guess I'm not a big fan of cell phones. I will refrain from getting into the reasons everyone hates them such as enduring the unconscious souls we pass on the highway or the grocery store aisle every day and the unconscious and quite loud souls we have to endure while in line at the restaurant or while sitting next to them in the waiting room because they have been expounded upon and documented by others more eloquent than I. Here are some of the ones I mean:

• If you've ever tried to have a business dialogue with someone who is driving, you'll know what I mean. I'm worried I might smile if they get in a wreck while on the phone with me.

• If you've ever tried to have any kind of dialogue with someone whose phone keeps cutting out, you'll know what I mean. This problem only occurs regularly with people I know. The others, not so much. I think you can read between the lines.

• If you've had to scream at the top of your lungs because the person on the cell phone at the other end can't hear you, you'll know what I mean. This problem also only occurs regularly with people I know.

• If you've ever gotten a call from someone that was so inane that you can only attribute it to the readily accessible phone, you'll know what I mean. The I like toast factor.

Yet these are nothing compared to the disdain I have for every cell phone I've ever owned. For one thing, I can't read anything it says without my reading glasses and the only occasions I would ever have for using my cell phone are those occasions when I'm not wearing my reading glasses. For another, I have no desire to use the damned thing except in emergencies but that's not how we roll these days, is it? I am forever being asked to use it. My latest whine gripe is from yesterday's lunch: I was meeting Patsy. She said to call her when I left work. Figured I'd wait until I got to my truck and use the cell just in case I was delayed in the office. I get to my truck, pick up my phone to make the call, and the battery is low. My phone will light up and play me a song to tell me my battery is low. It will do this at least 20 times. It will let me take pictures and play games. It will not, however, let me use any of that remaining battery power to make one last call. And the alternatives we have now? Because of cell phones, there are no pay phones anywhere so you have to figure something else out.

I hate cell phones

Quote of the Day

Hubble has been released

Commander Scott Altman, Shuttle Atlantis STS-125

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "This new candybar phone offers a QVGA display with 262k colors, a 3.2MP autofocus camera, a microSD card slot (up to 8GB), an FM radio with RDS, Bluetooth and an impressive battery lifetime that lasts up to one month in stand-by mode."

Kenneth Branagh plays Kurt Wallander in the way that I picture most detectives. He's overworked, disheveled, and has a limited understanding of modern police technology. What personal life he has outside of work is a mess. He's a male version of Jane Tennison and, for me, that's the top of the chart. I've only seen the first two episodes (It's playing on Sunday nights on PBS here) of Wallander but I love what I've seen. It has a gritty noir-like feel to it. Wallander is based on a series of novels set in Sweden. You'll have to forgive the British accents. None of the characters look like movie stars. Turn out the lights and settle in. Wallander is perfect Sunday night fare.

115 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

We believe in silent sound
Yes we believe in upside down

Earlimart - Cold, Cold Heaven

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "And I gather that it was actually filmed in Ystad, Sweden, so it will be a treat to get a proper look at the landscape Mankell brings so vividly to life in the books."

It is only one of the coolest photos you will ever see.

I've never heard of this happening in the Major Leagues and I surely didn't know the rule on it. According to ESPN:

An error on the Tampa Bay Rays' official lineup card forced starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine to bat in Sunday's game against Cleveland.

And he's batting third, probably the most important spot in the batting order. Sonnanstine doubled and drove in a run in the 4th inning and must have been beside himself when he found himself standing on second. The Rays are ahead, 7-4, as I type. I HAD no rooting interest in that game until I heard about the error. Go Rays. You don't need no steenking DH.

It's been raining lightly off and on most of the morning. It's doing wonders for the yard, the garden, and the mildew. I offer three from soggy, but quite pleasant, CrabAppleLane.

CrabAppleLane Garage - May 17, 2009

CrabAppleLane Vitex - May 17, 2009

CrabAppleLane Tomatoes - May 17, 2009

116 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Can you see your days blighted by darkness?
Is it true you beat your fists on the floor?
Stuck in a world of isolation
While ivy grows over the door

Pink Floyd, Lost for Words

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Of course, Mr. Obama could dispense with the world-saving tone and hew closer to Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, who recited an original poem to the graduates of Lake Forest College in suburban Chicago in 1977:"

Great poem. -Rob

This picture was taken in October 1988 in Petit Jean State Park near Hot Springs, Arkansas

Duncan Braddock (Shetland Sheepdog) - May 17, 1982 - December 1995
Nicholas Sergei "Nikki" (Samoyed) - May 17, 1984 - April 1995

Gone but not forgotten. Happy Birthday, Boys

I've spent the better part of the morning procrastinating from yardwork because it is HOT outside. It's humid, too. Besides the discomfort, those conditions tend to make the insects active. CrabAppleLane has way more than its share of insects.

A tip of the cap to the Mississippi State Bulldogs for a great win last night against second-ranked LSU. They have a young team and have eben eliminated from the postseason but they're giving everything against LSU. The Tigers, also very young, have only one thing on their mind. Staying in the top eight so they can get a home regional and beyond that, a home super-regional if they advance. They need to win today and win a game or two next week in the SEC tournament to assure themselves of it.

Speaking of procrastination, I don't know what made me look for Chris Rea at YouTube (Your ultimate procrastination destination) but I'm kinda glad I did. I have the CD but the live performance has a really good feel to it. Enjoy.

117 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

This aint no technological breakdown
Oh no
This is the road to Hell

Chris Rea, Road to Hell

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "13. LSU"

Watch them this year. -Rob

My left knee: Has been scoped and is wracked with arthritis but hasn't been a lot of trouble the last ten years.

My right knee: Has been giving me a lot of trouble lately and was examined today for the first time ever and some fluid was drained. Bad news: The drained fluid was bloody, which indicates an irritant/injury and that the cortisone shot and drainage will probably only bring temporary relief. Arthroscopic surgery is almost inevitable. Good news: No arthritis, arthroscopic surgery will fix the problem if today's treatment doesn't, and knee replacement surgery is not imminent ... at least, not on my right knee.

Today's BOTD is an old blog friend who has new digs.

Quote of the Day

I don't understand taking business away from some and giving it to others. I have no faith, no trust in corporate people. They hid behind the bankruptcy.

Leo Jerome, Story Chrysler Jeep

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "And it's not just a jingle. Oh no. It's one from your childhood. One that you possibly no longer have access to, especially if you're living in a foreign country and they call them plasters, not Band-Aids (as a non sequitur, isn't calling them Band-Aids like calling all fizzy drinks Coke and all copy machines Xerox? I'm just saying.)"

We did a whirlwind shopping tour last night on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Metairie, LA. We had limited time because we both worked yesterday, most of the stores close at 9, and Metairie is about 45 miles away from CrabAppleLane. We decided we wanted something quick and inexpensive to eat but the place we decided on, the place we really wanted to go to, the place we were really looking forward to and were talking about all the way across the Causeway ... was closed. That was our first disappointment. We got something else somewhere else but we could have done that on the north shore. We did some shopping at the store we expressly made the trip for and the selection there was limited and priced quite a bit higher than we expected. That was our second disappointment. We decided on one more stop and we're glad we did.

That stop is what saved the trip from being a total waste of time and gasoline. It was a very pleasant and somewhat nostalgic experience at Morning Call. The folks used to take me and my siblings to Morning Call in the French Quarter occasionally when they used to bring us to visit an aunt who lived down there. Cafe du Monde, probably a bit more famous, was/is also down there serving the same things but I only remember going to Morning Call. They moved from the French Quarter to Metairie in 1974 (Has it really been that long ago because I remember it like it was yesterday?). It was a great move for them then because the French Quarter is somewhat dependent on tourist season, Cafe du Monde was stiff competition, and there was nothing like it in Metairie. When they first opened at the new location, there were lines out the door and around the side both day and night. It's rarely like that now. Morning Call's and Cafe du Monde's specialty is coffee and beignets and I don't think anything about those two selections, except price, has changed in over a hundred years at either place. Reliable and comforting. After a night of disappointment, it was exactly what we needed.

We're in the market for and browsing for living room furniture for the last few weeks. I know there are people who will buy an outrageously expensive sofa and put it in a room where it will hardly ever be used but we're not them. There must be a good market for that, though, because we are seeing a lot of it. We need practical every day furniture that will last AND not break our fairly limited budget. It must be out there somewhere because I know we're not the only ones searching for it. The search continues.

Quote of the Day

Morning Call Coffee Stand, New Orleans' "most famous coffee drinking place", has been serving café au lait and beignets to generations of locals and visitors since 1870.

Morning Call website

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "It's said to be largest mural of the saint in England. The Christ Child IS on his shoulder, but my picture doesn't quite show "the King of bliss" as the inscription describes him. What you can see is a chap fishing in the river below."

A little computer/internet humor.

If GM executives hold on to their shares of GM stock and the company goes bankrupt, they get nothing. If they dump their stock a couple of weeks before a well-known potential bankruptcy filing, they're telling us where they think the company is headed. No surprise and not really much of a story, either. If they held on to their shares, I would say they're unfit to lead the bankruptcy-emerging GM because it would show a clear lack of intelligence.

About today's QOTD: I agree. An odd restriction. I thought the park was the place to go to loiter.

120 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

No Smoking, No Feeding Ducks or Geese, and No Loitering (an odd restriction for a park)

Patrick Reusse, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The pristine island of Mannahatta that Henry Hudson set foot upon in 1609 was known in the native Lenape language as "the island of many hills," where wolves and black bears roamed forests and meadows."

From the Hard-To-Wrap-My-Mind-Around Department: Some Berliners preferred the wall to unification:

Despite the erasure of most of the wall, many Berliners are still affected by a malady commonly known as Mauer im Kopf, or wall in the head. According to a survey last year by the Free University of Berlin, 12 percent of residents in the East and 11 percent in the West said the city would be better off if the wall had never been torn down.

From the I-Don't-Know-Why-This-Surprises-Anyone Department: It's just easier to go to the emergency room (Free registration may be required).

They come to the emergency department because they couldn't get an appointment that was convenient to their schedule with their regular physician, or they don't want to wait.

Well, yeah. I've done it, myself. I'm in some pain but I can wait a couple of days or a week. My physician is booked for the next six weeks, though. Find a different physician that can see me sooner? I've found that new patients don't do so well in that regard. Emergency rooms are overworked. I hate going to the emergency room for non-emergencies but I don't think the blame lies entirely with me.

From the OK-Have-You-Ever-Seen-A-Basketball-Game? Department: Common sense dictates that sitting courtside at an NBA game has an element of risk. If you paid all that money for courtside tickets and still didn't know that, you're an idiot. NBA players are big and the game is fast and physical. They sometimes fly out of control into the stands or their momentum maybe takes them out of bounds during the course of the game. Don't expect them to apologize if they bump into you doing so. In this instance, we'll use the appropriate parlance. No harm, no foul.

Quote of the Day

A new buyer is seeking township approval to raze the 14,000-square-foot villa La Ronda and build a 10,000-square- foot single-family house in its place.

Bonnie L Cook, Philadelphia Inquirer

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "According to media reports, random checks for gun owners will be implemented and paintball and laser tag will be banned."

2010 Camaro in the showroom - May 5, 2009

Tough day for GM dealerships across the country. A little less than half of them will be told their franchise agreements won't be renewed. Some dealerships will file lawsuits to try to win a buyout or some sort of settlement. I don't know what those prospects are but I don't think it will save their dealerships.

Quote of the Day

Cutting dealers also remains a huge hurdle, with GM hoping to shed 2,600 of its 6,246 dealerships by 2010

Tom Krisher, Associated Press

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "So here's a homework assignment for PR people: look at the subject lines of your latest email press releases you're issuing on behalfo of your clients. Are they succinct, informative, and helpful to someone who gets 30-75 releases emailed to them every day?"

First things first:

Happy Mother's Day, Mom

Your favorite thing about the recession? Why not? Making lemonade out of lemons.

Speaking of tough times, the Saints lost two rookies for the season in their first professional practice Friday. One was a free agent tryout but the other was a 4th round draft pick. Both ruptured Achilles tendons. The guys hadn't even signed their contracts yet. On the bright side, that's an improvement over last year when they lost two draft picks.

And now, for something else: Dan has found an ad that is easily one of the most bizarre I have ever seen.

From the music I usually don't listen to department: I'm always late so forgive me if you've already heard of this guy. If you've been hearing some great piano music on TV lately, chances are pretty good that former US Marine, Elijah Bossenbroek, is responsible for it. A Song of Simplicity is getting most of the play but I love The Calm Before. You can listen to the songs at his site. Excellent stuff. He's selling his CDs directly at his own website for $5/ea. Highly recommended.

I offer three from the CrabAppleLane backyard on this sunny Mother's Day:

CrabAppleLane sun-loving Blackeyed Susan - May 10, 2009

CrabAppleLane room-loving pine tree - After substantial pine culling - May 10, 2009

CrabAppleLane shade-lover - May 10, 2009

Quote of the Day

James Kimondo said the seven-day sex ban, which ended this week, resulted in stress, mental anguish, backaches and lack of sleep, his lawyer told the state-run Kenya Broadcasting Corp.

CNN.com

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: ""I come from a family of five kids, so I know it takes tireless devotion, non-stop effort and the patience of an angel to be a mother. As kids, my brothers and sisters and I took for granted that we were always provided for even when times were tough, and naturally we didn't know to be thankful. I always wanted to make some kind of tribute to mothers everywhere. So I'm so glad this song is traveling on its own steam. Mothers are so deserving.""

Happy Anniversary, Patsy
Love,
Rob
Hope the next 28 are as grand as the last

I saw this story at both MSNBC and CNN. I thought best not to touch that topic to comment.

Today's QOTD comes to you via The Daily Irrelevant. I agree with him. The very definition of irony indeed.

Quote of the Day

An expedition team which set sail from Plymouth on a 5,000-mile carbon emission-free trip to Greenland have been rescued by an oil tanker.

BBC News

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Anyone who knows me will confirm that I like poking fun at Walmart. I shop there so often that poking fun at Walmart is the same as poking fun at myself, so I'm allowed."

About 2600 GM dealerships are about to be notified that they're losing their franchises. Don't expect any of them to go quietly into the night. It will be the franchises versus the manufacturer and the states versus the federal government. Messy, messy, messy.

The on again off again Brett Favre story is off again. An update due on that after the Viking organized team activities (OTAs) and mini-camps or after Sage Rosenfels throws his first training camp interception or maybe even just after the next full moon. It still could happen.

125 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

I need a photo opportunity
I want a shot at redemption
Don't want to end up a cartoon
In a cartoon graveyard

Paul Simon, You Can Call Me Al

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Across five decades, with each new album he has recorded, iconic singer-songwriter Paul Simon has continually pushed the boundaries of popular music. From the brace of top ten hits with Art Garfunkel that provided the soundtrack for the turbulent Sixties, to the breakout solo work that has produced some of the most memorable and enduring songs of our time, Simon's music has always been a distinctive synthesis of melody, rhythm and lyrics."

To my Minnesota friends and family,

The circus is coming to town. Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey? Nay. Cirque du Soleil? Nein. It's the Brett Favre circus and sports writers and pundits both pro and con for his return to the NFL are salivating at every rumor. There are lots of them right now and it's kind of slow for a football writer. There will be some talk amongst the unknowing about what his role will be if he goes to Viking training camp. Here amongst the knowing, we can say with certainty that he will be the opening day starter if he signs a contract.

The Vikes are almost in the same boat the Packers were in last season. Almost. The QB suddenly came into the picture AFTER the Vikes, fresh off of coming up short in the playoffs, had made plans to proceed without him. The Packers had that problem, too. Fortunately for the Vikes, they can walk away from it if they think it will disrupt their plans. They'd then only have to deal with the amped up what-if fans the rest of the season. The Packers didn't have that option because they still had him signed to a big contract. They had to either let him come to camp and pay him, trade him, or release him. None of their options were attractive.

I'm normally in favor of having as much competition as possible in training camp, particularly at a position that has been a problem. A 10-6 team with a suspect QB can only be better with the addition of a certain Hall-of-Fame QB, right? It will surely create a buzz and maybe even generate some ticket sales, probably the two worst reasons to sign him. I honestly don't think he'll help them achieve their goal, assuming their goal is to go deeper into the playoffs. In a conference that sends the mediocre Cardinals to the Super Bowl, it probably won't set them back, either.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the greatest sh ... you know the rest.

About today's QOTD: I'd like to know how any of those companies can stay under the radar now.

Quote of the Day

Tom Donaldson, a professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, says GM and other companies accepting government aid should be working hard to stay under the radar.

Max Jarman and Sharon Silke Carty, USA TODAY

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "I think this first round pick was a surprise to many fans, but I am glad we recruited someone to spice up the passing game. Our offense needs serious help - AP can't do it all on his own and Sidney Rice and Bobby Wade are huge disappointments and frankly Bernard Berrian wasn't all that special last year either...then again I guess you need a QB to lob you the ball."

The general swine flu hysteria has brought about a temporary change at Fish Fear Me in Minnesota. I love it.

Aside from the hysteria, we have this from MSNBC about the possible first reported swine flu related death in the United States:

A woman who came to the door with tear-streaked eyes declined to give her name or to comment on the death, saying "we're grieving now."

I don't know much about journalistic ethics but, as a reader, I don't really need to read the immediate reaction of a grieving family. No need for anyone to go to their door for it on my account.

Quote of the Day

What you have to be afraid of is hiring someone who can't find something better at the time, and when they find something better they leave you. I want to hire someone who will make a career of it.

Howard Glickberg, Principal owner of Fairway Market

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "We blog because we can, not because we have signed on to a blogging project."

Happy Cinco De Mayo. Amazingly diverse references to Cinco De Mayo all over the web, some rather dubiously researched.

The Janet Jackson thing still making news. Tiresome.

Today's QOTD is from Fritz Henderson on the prospects of a GM bankruptcy filing.

Quote of the Day

But if we're going to go through one, then we're going to learn from Chrysler's experience.

Fritz Henderson, GM CEO

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The biggest objection to putting Al Gore on the Supreme Court, I assume, would be that he's not a lawyer."

In the list of objections, I doubt that one would even make the top ten. -Rob

About today's QOTD: It's from a thought-provoking article on a European (Dutch in this case) socialism model vs the American free market model that many people will have difficulty reading. I found I had to read past parts that normally would cause me to dismiss it out of hand. For instance, I had to force myself to read past the 52% part. The Dutch model would never fly here for many reasons but the main one in my mind is that it's because the Netherlands is a largely homogeneous society, where you can build a 70-80-90% consensus on issues. The best consensus you can hope for in America is 51% and even that takes a lot of wrangling. The writer chose a bad example of the American version, though. I just couldn't get over the $1400 per month bit. Where does someone pay health care premiums that high? The highest I've heard is $700 per month and that's at a self-insured company that doesn't pay any portion of the employee's premium. Health care here needs adjustment. Something as arbitrary and capricious as a free market shouldn't decide who suffers, who lives, and who dies but I'm not sold on any other model I've read about either.

Quote of the Day

In the United States, for a family of four, I paid about $1,400 a month for a policy that didn't include dental care and was so filled with co-pays, deductibles and exceptions that I routinely found myself replaying in my mind the Monty Python skit in which the man complains about his insurance claim and the agent says, "In your policy it states quite clearly that no claim you make will be paid."

Russell Shorto, New York Times Magazine

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "People who are sighted do not want your charity. They want to live, work and play along with you. The best thing you can do to support sighted people in your community is to open yourself to their world. These people are vital contributing members to society. Take a sighted person to lunch today!"

A cool twist on the old saying, "the blind leading the blind". -Rob

I offer one from the backyard on this rainy CrabAppleLane Sunday. Tomatoes are coming along nicely. I've picked a few rather large grape tomatoes but the full-sized Creole and Celebrity tomatoes won't be ripening for another 3 weeks or so. Like last year, I have not had to water these at all. The rain and sunshine are coming at perfect intervals.

CrabAppleLane Backyard - May 3, 2009

Quote of the Day

Pro football gave me a good perspective. When I entered the political arena, I had already been booed, cheered, cut, sold, traded, and hung in effigy.

Jack Kemp

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Because I love talking about food--and tomatoes are a great place to start."

It's the first Saturday in May. Time to pick a Kentucky Derby winner. I Want Revenge, the favorite, was scratched this morning. The pick at CrabAppleLane is Pioneerof the Nile, who will likely go off as the favorite now. As always, bet any house you have to lose. If you're looking for a longshot or maybe just someone to cheer, go for General Quarters. He'll probably go off at 15 to 1 or better. That's who I'm pulling for. Might have to try to get to the off track betting parlor this afternoon.

131 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

At my age, and being from Louisville, I'll probably never have another chance at the Kentucky Derby. You just don't sell a dream.

Tom McCarthy, General Quarters Owner/Trainer

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Bats both fascinate and kind of creep me out so I admit that I'm probably too much of a pansy to go to this nighttime program at Jefferson Memorial Forest. You should totally go though and tell me all about it."

Inspiration via Cullen
Picture by Kim

The Celtics/Bulls basketball series apparently hasn't been exciting enough with just two overtime games and one double overtime game so they went to triple overtime last night. Normally, my NBA interest pretty much begins and ends with the New Orleans Hornets and it ended pretty unceremoniously the other night. What the Celtics and Bulls have left in their tank for game seven is anyone's guess but I'm thinking I might tune in tomorrow night to find out.

The BOTD comes to me via Everyday Stranger and The Sheila Variations.

Quote of the Day

I don't know if this is the greatest NBA series of all time, but it's the greatest something. At what point do you bronze these games and put them on eBay?

Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "i just saw a midget buying condoms and graham crackers. i wonder which was the impulse buy."