June 2009 Archives

Dave's experience with his local government's road crew gave me an idea for a post. Gotta take inspiration whenever it comes. I've also let some of the required maintenance lapse longer than I should have but I'll save that for another day. Today, we're talking about road work.

Crabapple Lane was an incomplete, unnamed dirt and gravel road when we bought our property way back in 1988. In fact, our land survey below referred to it as "proposed road".

Survey The "proposed road" was completed sometime before we built our house but it was still dirt and gravel. This was 1993 or 1994, I think.

Jump to 2002 or 2003 and enter St Tammany Parish. The road is to be paved. New culverts would be required. The culvert I had was the cheapest my contractor could get away with. It was up to the builder's code but the parish preferred their own. I'm thinking, OK, they're going to tear up my driveway skirt, replace my culvert, and I'm going to get a bill for several hundred or several thousand dollars from the parish. My culvert and driveway skirt were on parish right-of-way. They had every right to do whatever they wanted.

Paving the road took a few days. They ripped up my asphalt driveway skirt, yanked the cheapo galvanized aluminum culvert out, replaced it with TWO of these nice concrete and steel culverts you see pictured, paved and widened my driveway skirt with concrete, and landscaped both sides of the skirt where the culvert stuck out. They had done a fantastic job, far exceeding expectations. I almost had a heart attack. What is that going to cost me? This was September. Among other expenses, all of my insurance premiums (Two cars and two life) are due in September. If this is going to cost more than a few hundred bucks, I don't know what I'm going to do. I called the contractor and asked him for an estimate. He said I'd have to talk to the parish. I went round and round for a few hours before I found the person in charge at the parish.

"Oh, Mr Ferrara, there's no charge. Just let the concrete on the skirt set overnight before you drive on it."

Sixteen tons had just been lifted. We parked on the street that night. They did cut my phone line while they were doing this and I was without phone and internet service for a weekend. It was football and fantasy football opening weekend, when all of the glitches on the website come up. There wasn't a chance in hell that I was going to complain to anyone, though. Phone and internet service was restored on Monday morning and I had a cool new driveway.

I am ever thankful for today's QOTD about Michael Vick.

72 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Saints: Vick is no Saint. And he hardly seems ideal for the offense if Drew Brees was suddenly unavailable.

Buzz Up, USA Today

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "So while they may not be flashy, gutters are an important feature of the home, which require a balance of practicality and aesthetics."

Ran across this blog while looking for someone to cleanout my gutters. -Rob

I mentioned I had started Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in yesterday's entry. I finished this third installment in the franchise yesterday afternoon. I suppose I let too much time lapse since I saw the second (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest) because I had forgotten a lot of what had happened previously. I was lost at times. There is some fun sprinkled throughout the film but it is almost exclusively limited to the Johnny Depp scenes. No one else is particularly interesting and the film is entirely too long. Hopefully, the filmmakers find their way again and have a decent wrap up to the franchise with the next one.

Speaking of allowing too much time to lapse, I started The X Files: I Want to Believe yesterday. I'm a little past the halfway point. There was a lot I didn't know about the characters or remember from the show. To add to my confusion, I wasn't a devotee of the show. I've only seen a little more than a handful of episodes.

73 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

The Omaha Chamber of Commerce and the NCAA aren't supposed to play favorites. But I can guarantee you that when LSU makes the Series, a big cheer goes up downtown. Their fans come by the thousands and spend lots of money. When we open the box office every morning to sell just-released tickets, the parking lot is a sea of purple and gold.

Eddie Sobczyk, CWS ticket manager

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Considering that I live in a house that was built in 1913, I was pleasantly surprised that turning it on tripped no breakers."

I'd be pleasantly surprised that it HAD breakers. -Rob

Bruce Springsteen was booed in Glastonbury for not playing Born in the USA. People have always misinterpreted that song. Probably why he doesn't play it much any more. Aside from that, I'm wondering what kind of connection an audience of mostly Scots would have with Born in the USA. Reading that gave me a few thoughts.

Politics is under the impression that music influences people, mainly the youth I would think, so politicians try to figure out ways to use it or to prevent its use. The aforementioned Born in the USA was played at a Republican National Convention. I'm fairly certain that no one read the lyrics (See QOTD for the first verse of that song). That was a dumb way to use music to influence anyone.

Simon and Garfunkel's hit, Mrs Robinson, was censored for TV because someone didn't like the line, "Going to the candidates debate". Not sure whose side benefits from removing that verse but it seems to me like a dumb way to try to prevent the use of music.

Country Joe McDonald played his famous Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag at Woodstock. When very few joined in, he complained onstage that he didn't know how they were going to "stop a war" if they couldn't sing better. The war didn't stop. Country Joe was singing to the choir, anyway.

Of course, we all remember the political storm Natalie Maines and The Dixie Chicks stirred up six years ago. I didn't agree with their opinion then but I was absolutely appalled by the reaction to it. Disagreement and criticism is fine and there was plenty of it. Boycotts are fine although a bit silly. Vandalism and death threats have no place in democracy and there was plenty of that, too. The DC's actions weren't an immediately effective use of music but the way they stuck to their guns and their f*ck you stance to their critics won the day if you ask me and fickle public opinion has veered in their favor.

Speaking of music. I've seen Washboard Chaz at The French Quarter Festival in New Orleans. He is awesome.

I'm 40 minutes into the epic 170 minute Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. It had better get better soon.

I offer two from the very hot CrabAppleLane backyard.

CrabAppleLane Charlotte - June 28, 2009 - To fully appreciate

CrabAppleLane Trail - June 28, 2009

74 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up, now
Born in the U.S.A, I was
Born in the U.S.A, I was
Born in the U.S.A
Born in the U.S.A, now

Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "They were banned from radio. They received death threats. They were blacklisted by the record industry. People organized massive boycotts and destroyed their records. Talk Radio went nuts."

Rob's 1981 Monte Carlo This is my first new car. It was a Midnight Blue 1981 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. I paid $7900 for it in 1980. When I first started looking at new cars, the 1980 Monte Carlos were all the rage. The dealership didn't have one that I wanted or could afford so I special ordered one. When it came in, it was a 1981 model, which looked quite a bit different than the 1980 model, and I didn't know, at first, if I liked it. It grew on me when I drove it home that Friday night for the first time and grew on me even more when my neighbor told me the next morning that it was "absolutely gorgeous". This was taken on our vacation to Gatlinburg in 1982. That far left room was ours. Don't remember much about it except that it was fairly cheap and pretty much all we could afford.

Of course, I didn't take this picture ... but I wish I had. It went to my FlickR favorites as soon as I saw it. Ponchatoula is not very far from CrabAppleLane and I think I probably still have relatives there. Like a lot of small towns, it sprung up around the railroad tracks. They are famous mostly for their strawberries. Here, it is still lit up for the Christmas holidays. I just love everything about this image.

This is another one from my FlickR favorites. I love the way the bridge bends away from the viewer. It was taken with a fisheye lens. That kind of lens tends to get overused by some. They make claustrophobic images that usually turn me off. Bruce Bordelon got it exactly right.

In case you didn't know, this is The French Quarter in New Orleans. That's a Lucky Dog stand in the lower right corner under the umbrella. A Lucky Dog with chili is perfect penance for a night out on Bourbon Street. Actually, they're pretty good ... unless you've been downing Hurricanes all night. If you have been downing Hurricanes, they're toxic ... and irresistible.

These three FlickR members have lots more to look at and marvel over. Just click on their photo and you will be taken to their collections.

Louisiana has taken a beating in the media since Hurricane Katrina brought unwanted attention to her. There is way more to the state than what you might read in a few paragraphs in USA Today or on CNN.com. They tend to focus on the needs and the warts. You ought to see the rest of it.

75 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

And the meek shall inherit the earth

Rush, 2112

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "This cemetery in New Orleans was full of these crypts and mausoleums, and it was a fun place to take photos."

Different Rob. Love the photo. -Rob

After watching three straight nights of baseball, it was time to give in and watch Made of Honor. Going in, I knew this was going to be one of those light romantic, formulaic comedies (aka chick flicks) that Patsy likes so much. Admittedly, I don't mind them too much most of the time and even like them when they're done well. This one really wasn't very good and it's a shame it was the last movie Sydney Pollack made. None of the performances were particularly bad and some of the scenery, particularly the Scottish highlands, was spectacular. It was the story that was stale and this film brought nothing new to it (The BOTD says the same thing). Pollack was a very good producer/director/actor but I guess even one as talented as he didn't recognize the turkey from within or maybe he just wanted the paycheck.

76 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

He knows that he can just date right?

Hannah, Made of Honor

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "I realize there aren't a whole lot of new ideas when it comes to romantic comedies, but it's not that hard to bring something new to the table."

Congratulations to the LSU Tigers on their National Championship.

Things have evolved since that day in March when we saw the LSU Tigers play. For one thing, Coach Paul Mainieri discovered Chad Jones, pictured below playing right field in front of five National Championship banners, could pitch. He was used last night to great effect. Freshman Mikie Mahtook, a pinch runner in that Illinois game, is now the starting center fielder. Ryan Schimpf, playing second base, was moved to left field and first base depending on the pitcher. D J LeMahieu, who should have been CWS MVP over Jared Mitchell, was playing SS then but 2B now. Jared Mitchell, CWS MVP and first round pick of the White Sox, didn't play that day in March. I don't think he was playing every day yet. Coleman was still the closer then but Matty Ott also pitched two scoreless innings in relief. Ott moved into the closer role and Coleman went on to be SEC Pitcher of the Year and All-America in the starting rotation. He was on the mound last night for the 8th and 9th inning. He gave up five solo home runs in the Monday night game but didn't give up any runs in the National Championship game last night. He struck out the side in the 9th. Good coaches learn about their teams constantly and I think they learn more from their mistakes and losses than they do from their wins. Illinois won that day. Lessons learned. Great job, coach.

Right fielder Chad Jones ... and the banners

And a tip of the cap to the Texas Longhorns, who played their asses off. They were one out from a Game One win, which would have probably altered this outcome. It had to be a devastating loss. Instead of folding up, they fought back yesterday and forced last night's deciding game. The Horns didn't win but they never stopped battling. Someone had to lose.

About today's QOTD and BOTD: LSU and Texas are two of the proudest athletic programs in the country with two of the most rabid fan bases. There's been a lot of trash talk back and forth between the two sides this week and they've also been beating up their own coaches and players when things didn't work out. Most of it was good fun but some of it, on both sides, was like the QOTD and the BOTD. Too bad.

77 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Then at the press conference he says how proud he is to finish 2nd. What a loser! How did this guy ever win 5 National titles with that attitude? If the coach doesnt care then the players wont either and thats what we watched tonight.

bob, Comment in the Austin Statesman

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Texas Longhorn fans, despite their tremendous education being from that illustrious school, say some stupid things. For instance, when stacking up Texas and LSU, they talk all day long about how their pitching is better. The best, they say. They won't shut up about it. And then they trot out the great pitching beats great hitting, smirk and smugly expect us to say yessah you Texas boys sho know everything."

Tip of the cap to the Texas Longhorns and Taylor Jungmann on a terrific performance last night in Game 2 of the College World Series. The freshman pitcher was brilliant. The 3rd and deciding game is tonight.

LSU Tigers v Texas Longhorns for the National Championship
Tonight in the College World Series Finals
At Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha

78 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Saving it for the end, man

Taylor Jungmann, Texas Longhorns

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Today, facing financial constraints and extreme internal budget-tightening, New York City Transit has been faced with a maintenance reality. The agency no longer has the money to support expanding the cleaning programs and in fact has had to cut back. Stations are, as Heather Haddon reported this morning, dirtier, and Transit's cleaning staff is down by 100 workers."

If you saw last night's fantastic 11-inning game, you saw how evenly matched these two teams are. If you didn't and you like nail biting, edge-of-your-seat baseball, you missed one of the best you'll ever see in that genre. The teams reversed roles last night. Texas brought the power in the form of 5 home runs. LSU's much-maligned (In every analysis I saw) bullpen pitched 5 innings of scoreless relief. Texas Coach Garido said the other day, "But if it's about drama, we've got that.". The Tigers have it, too, but they need to win another one. Garido is quite quotable. He has the QOTD. Not sure what "the wrath of baseball" is but I like the turn of phrase. Again, Good Luck to the Horns, Kim.

LSU Tigers v Texas Longhorns - Game 2
Tonight in the College World Series Finals
At Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha

79 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

It was two teams that were doing unbelievable things in an effort to win. The team that lost that game was gonna feel the wrath of baseball and have to deal with the difficulties of so many great things happening that there had to be a loser.

Augie Garido, Texas Head Baseball Coach

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Texas looked like the better team for much of the night, taking a 6-4 lead into the top of the 9th.

Tigers and Longhorns. It's a great matchup. Both teams are rolling. Good Luck to the Horns, Kim.

LSU Tigers v Texas Longhorns
Tonight in the College World Series Finals
At Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha

Quote of the Day

Finishing second would be another disaster in a long line of disasters.

Augie Garrido, Texas Head Baseball Coach

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "You're at the fish store and you can't remember which fish are endangered and should be avoided and which one are safe to buy?"

First things first:

Happy Father's Day, Dad - Miss you

Dad wasn't a hunter at all and he wasn't much of a fisherman, either. Those genes were passed on to one of his sons. Me. My younger brother, Dave, hunts and fishes. Louisiana is known as The Sportsman's Paradise so it might seem Dad and I were a tad out of place. Dad did take me fishing one time when I was 8 or 9, I think. We went out in a rowboat somewhere near where the Louisiana SuperDome is now built and got our lines wet for a few hours. Didn't catch a thing. I sometimes wonder what might have been had we caught fish that day. I wonder where all of that time that I might have spent hunting or fishing went? What did I do with it?

In case you're wondering, I'm giving Twitter another try. Don't know what to make of it yet but some of their features are intriguing me. Still turned off to Facebook, though.

I offer one from the CrabAppleLane backyard that was actually taken last Sunday. It's hot at CrabAppleLane today and wandering around the yard even for a few minutes is almost unbearable if I don't have to.
CrabAppleLane lizard - June 21, 2009
81 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

On the heels of the Steelers' Super Bowl victory in February and the Penguins' Stanley Cup win last week, members of the fifth-place Pirates have asked the 320,000 residents of Pittsburgh to please stop giving them expectant, impatient looks.

The Onion

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "I spoke to a Texas booster Saturday night at a watering hole in the Old Market area of downtown and he estimated that 5,000 Longhorns fans could be in attendance Monday night at Rosenblatt Stadium for Game One. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Tigers similarly represented. Look for burnt orange, purple and gold throughout the 24,000-seat stadium."

I'm sure you know about the pilot who died mid-flight on a Trans-Atlantic Brussels-to-Newark flight last week. According to UPI:

The co-pilot and a backup pilot who was part of the crew landed the plane at Newark Liberty Airport, the plane's destination.

That's explicitly why those guys are on the plane. They're like skilled, paid life preservers. They're there in case.

Further:

Schapira said he was glad the flight crew withheld the news during the eight-hour flight, explaining he feared panic would have ensued.

I tend to agree with that. As I was heading to work yesterday, one of our local radio stations was conducting an online poll whose question was: Would you want to be informed had you been on that flight?

At the time, 89% said no but 11% said yes. I don't know what the final tally was and they only leave it up for a day so I can't link to it. I'll just go with it as it was. Of the 11% who were not pilots that might have wanted to help, I'm wondering why they think that information would be useful to them. What would they do with that information? I just can't imagine. Put me ignorantly and blissfully amongst the 89%.

LSU had their way yesterday with arm-weary Arkansas. Having to play an extra game, an extra-inning, tense, do-or-die one at that, took a toll on the Razorback pitching staff. LSU now has two days off to prepare for the Texas Longhorns, who also have two days off to prepare for the Tigers. Both teams are rolling. This series figures to be pretty good. I'm a little concerned about the Longhorns, mainly because they wear orange. The Tigers lost two 3-game series this year, to Illinois and Tennessee, and both of them also wear orange. I'm not superstitious, though, no, not me.

LSU Tigers v Texas Longhorns
Monday night in the College World Series Finals
At Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha

82 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

I'll start off the press conference with the only way to describe this game. Wow.

Augie Garrido, Texas Longhorn Head Baseball Coach

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Texas will be the home team in the first game. LSU will be home the second game and Texas will be the home team if a third game is necessary."

It appears the US has been knocked off of one throne. From the London Times:

Iran's Supreme Leader today singled out Britain as the "most treacherous" Western power trying destabilise the Islamic Republic as he stood firm in the face of this week's massive street protests, hinting at even tougher repression if the unrest does not stop.

I thought we had a safe lead.

I don't usually have an ounce of sympathy for people tried for illegal downloads but this jury award seems excessive even to me. $80k per song? That jury must have really not liked her.

LSU will be the road team against Arkansas for the 5th time this season. I'm OK with that. They won three of the first four. I'm bummed that it's a day game, though. I'll try to follow along on the web but I'd rather be watching ... OR THERE. Would like to see the Tigers send the Hogs home today. On the other side, I'd like to see Arizona State beat Texas to force a third game. Extra innings would be OK, too.

LSU v Arkansas ... Again
Today in the College World Series
At Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha

Quote of the Day

A federal jury Thursday found a 32-year-old Minnesota woman guilty of illegally downloading music from the Internet and fined her $80,000 each -- a total of $1.9 million -- for 24 songs.

Elianne Friend, CNN.com

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "As I counted each finger out loud while I opened it from the tiny fist, I thought about the fact that he has probably never celebrated a birthday."

I have two friends heading to Omaha today for Friday's LSU-Arkansas game. I couldn't be more jealous. The College World Series in Omaha is on my life list.

Tip of the cap to Arkansas and Virginia on playing a do-or-die game in the College World Series last night that actually looked like a do-or-die game. There were great nail-biting, butterfly-laden, emotionally exhausting moments through just about all 12 innings where any mistake could cost you the game. This is what an elimination game should be. Reading about it just doesn't do it justice but the highlight video almost does. For this LSU fan, I don't think this result could have been any better. It didn't matter that Arkansas won the game so much as that it mattered that they used up a lot of their pitching in those 12 tense innings, including their two best left-handers, and there won't be a lot of rest for those guys. They play the Tigers tomorrow at 1PM. I like LSU's chances to advance.

84 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

We have some guys. They might not be the guys that are pitching for us on Friday, Saturday or Sunday during the season, but they'll go out there and give us a shot. We'll just need to find a way to score some runs.

Dave Van Horn, Arkansas Razorbacks Head Baseball Coach

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "So yes, Brian O'Connor knows. He knows that's how baseball goes sometimes. He knows it's a game rooted in many ways in failure. But he knows it hurts just the same. And that's the problem with seasons like this. While you can get to a 'happy with the season no matter what happens' stage, you're never going to be completely happy with the happenings. Not until some time passes anyway. Got too close for that. O'Connor and his team went to Omaha to win."

O'Connor is a super, young coach, who can do some great things at Virginia if the university doesn't hold him back and commits to him and his program. He'll have suitors lining up for him at traditional baseball powers, who have better facilities and more money. -Rob

First things first. Congratulations, Delmer.

Note to coffeemaker manufacturers: Consumers don't expect or need all of you to use the same filters. That would be nice, though. Barring that, it would at least be convenient if you could pack a couple of sample filters in the package so someone purchasing your product can use it immediately. My new one calls for a "standard" Number 4 filter, which is different from the filters I was previously using that "fits most 8-12 cup basket drip" coffeemakers. I'm not able to buy your "standard" Number 4 filter at the closest store to me. They only carry the "standard" Number 6 filters and the "fits most 8-12 cup basket drip" filters. I really didn't want to drive to one of the big grocery stores this past weekend so I made some of the filters I had work but I wasn't happy about it.

Today's QOTD is from a Mental Floss article at CNN.com by Eric Johnson. The whole article is interesting if you like Civil War anecdotes.

Started Casey on twice-daily insulin injections last night. Luckily for us, she hasn't fought it at all. Will be interesting to see if that good fortune continues once she starts feeling like her old self again.

Quote of the Day

But he introduces the tale by saying that even the people who enlisted at the start of the war, and then left permanently, "ought at least be allowed to state why they didn't do anything and also to explain the process by which they didn't do anything. Surely this kind of light must have some sort of value."

Eric Johnson, CNN.com

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "it's amazing a bird this large can fly so well"

In the College World Series, most of the teams seem to have decent starters and decent closers but not much in between. The majors are in the same predicament. There's no glory or money in middle relief. The Tigers opened last night's game against Arkansas with a leadoff single and then a walk after a 13-pitch at-bat. Announcers, coaches, and managers are obsessed with pitch counts these days. At that rate, LSU was going to get past the starter to the middle relievers pretty fast. The starter lasted just over an inning after giving up 4 runs and they were in command the rest of the way. The Tigers don't play again until Friday afternoon and it will be against a team they've already beaten in Omaha. Virginia and Arkansas play the elimination game tomorrow night. I think it will be Virginia that gets that chance against LSU on Friday. I like the Tigers' chances to advance but I love the scrap and hustle of that mostly freshman and sophomore Virginia team.

86 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

This makes the road a lot easier. Now we get to go to the zoo.

Louis Coleman, LSU pitcher

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "With the win No. 1 ranked LSU (53-16), the No. 3 national seed, remains undefeated in the bracket and will await the winner of an elimination game on Friday. Arkansas (40-22) saw its five-game postseason winning streak come to an end and will return to the diamond on Wednesday to play Virginia in an elimination game set for 6 p.m."

What is it about companies that set up elaborate websites or maybe not so elaborate websites to provide information to you and glean information from you yet they still insist on talking to you on the phone? I find myself in the market for furniture and insurance. I'm not interested in talking to someone on the phone yet. I may never be interested in talking to an agent/salesperson/representative or whatever they're calling themselves these days. That's why I'm looking around on the internet in the first place. What can be said on the phone that can't be said in email or on a form? From one of the email responses I got:

You can expect to spend approximately 10 to 15 minutes on the phone with a representative verifying the information you provided online and answering questions to determine the product that would best fit your needs.

Verifying over the phone? How? The product I got a quote on is the one that best fits my needs. I'm done with you until I'm ready to take the next step. If you badger me, you can be certain that I won't be doing business with you. A website isn't a website until you can buy whatever you want on it like you buy a book on Amazon.com. If it doesn't best fit my needs, that's my problem, not theirs.

LSU v Arkansas
Tonight in the College World Series
At Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha

Today's QOTD is about the Arkansas starting pitcher tonight. LSU beat him earlier in the year in the 3rd game of the 3-game series while the LSU starting pitcher, Louis Coleman, pitched a 9-inning complete game shutout in the 2nd game. It would seem the Tigers have the advantage. That makes me very nervous.

87 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Those rough outings should help ready Eibner for a dangerous LSU team that rocked him for four runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings on May 3 in Fayetteville.

Ryan Malashock, Razorback Central

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Get excited if they get by LSU. With a win Monday against the Tigers, the Hogs would be just three wins away from a National Championship!!!"

Flag Day - June 14, 2009
Patsy and I lived in her childhood house in Metairie for 10 years from 1984 to 1994. Her parents had died when she was 5 and left it to her, her brother, and her sister. We bought the house from the other siblings. There was a pole swing in the backyard that Patsy's father had built. Patsy called it a "validor". I don't know the source of that word. If that's what they called it, that's what it was as far as I'm concerned. It was in some disrepair. It had a cross at the top and would have had four ropes hanging from it so kids could twirl around and swing. The ropes were long gone. I never saw it in action. At 28, I had no desire to repair it and no particular use for it, either, but there was no easy way of removing it. It had a solid concrete foundation deep into the ground that would have required heavy equipment to remove. Her dad meant for it to last. I had an idea. The pole was solid and straight and tall. I'll make a flagpole out of it. I bought a US flag, a Louisiana flag, a truck, a cleat, an ornament, a few snaps, and a gallon of white enamel and went to work. I also created a little garden around the base. It came out very nice and set me back about $100. Would have cost a lot more to remove that pole and you would not believe the number of comments I got on flying those flags. We lived on a main thoroughfare and a lot of people saw them. I don't think I have a picture of that flagpole with the flag flying but I have the one below.

You can see the bottom of the flagpole and its garden. I think this was a Fourth of July or Labor Day barbecue because there are no tomatoes and no flowers in the flagpole garden. I only had flowers in it during the spring and fall. That house and yard had a relentless, unmerciful western exposure and small flowers didn't have a chance in that garden in the summer months unless you constantly watered them. That's my nephew, Jimmy, who is now 20, I think, trying to carry the two balls. My niece, Amy, now 19, is in front of him. I used to grow tomatoes in box gardens when I lived in Metairie. That's them behind Jimmy. The bird bath in the back is still in use here at CrabAppleLane.

If back-and-forth, tense, nail-biting baseball is your thing, you'd have loved the LSU-Virginia College World Series game yesterday. I don't think there was a single three up three down inning and the game had a lot of everything. Neither team had any quit in them. There were bunts, home runs, runners thrown out stealing, and great plays in the field. LSU, the winning team, used 6 pitchers in those 9 innings. Tough loss for Virginia and tough draw in the losers bracket. They'll play Cal State Fullerton Monday morning in an elimination game while LSU and Arkansas renew old acquaintances Monday night.

San Fransisco at sunset, courtesy of Dan, the Infospigot. Fantastic.

The CrabAppleLane backyard is alive today. The sun is out, the wildlife is active, and almost everything is in bloom. I offer a few. More below the jump.

CrabAppleLane Toad - June 14, 2009Love the tiny toads around here. This one is resting comfortably on a blade of grass.

Quote of the Day

You're happy for your kids, but as soon as the last out is made, you know your friend is hurting and you want to console him.

Paul Mainieri, LSU Head Baseball Coach

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The Cavaliers sliced the lead in half when Valdes - one pitch after Hicks was thrown out attempting to steal second base - went opposite field with a home run to left. It was Valdes' sixth long ball this year."

The thrown-out-at-second was a big play. The homer would have tied the game ... again. -Rob

Casey, our first cat, who I found as a 3-4 week-old kitten and is now almost 16, was diagnosed with diabetes yesterday. She may also have a urinary infection still but the last antibiotic injection may have knocked that out. She's been losing weight for the last year or so but the vet didn't ever seem alarmed by the slight losses. When she'd lost substantial weight between the last two visits only a couple of weeks apart, it was time to look into it further. A urinalysis confirmed diabetes yesterday. All of our cats have special needs now. We give Priscilla, 20, periodic injections for arthritis and Crispin, almost 13, gets twice-daily oral medication for hyperthyroidism. We started Casey on Purina's Dietetic Management food last night. Thankfully, she eats it. That may be all the treatment she requires but Patsy and I both doubt it. We're just not that lucky about that sort of thing but we were lucky in another way. She'll be with us a while longer and we're thankful for that even though she's not the warmest or friendliest cat you'll ever see most of the time. Both of our female cats can switch from sweet to cantankerous in an instant. She's been with us longer than any other pet (Priscilla came to us when she was 8 years old) we've ever had and she has her moments. Over 16 years, even a few moments per day add up to a lot of good memories. Even the bites, scratches, and hisses will be missed some day.

As of midnight, all television signals in the US are digital. If you have no television reception this morning, somehow didn't know this was coming, and are reading this drivel here on the internet, then you are a DUMBASS because you would have had to go way out of your way or had some kind of comprehension problem to NOT know about this with both a television and the web at your disposal.

LSU v Virginia tonight in the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha

Today's QOTD is about Rosenblatt Stadium.

Three quarterbacks well-known to fantasy football players are in the news these days even though we are well into baseball and basketball seasons: Trent Green retired this week. Trent was on my fantasy teams many times over the years. He was a steady performer. That's the kind I usually go for. He was rarely spectacular but also rarely bad. Brett Favre is always in the news during the offseason. He reportedly had arthroscopic surgery on his throwing shoulder recently. He's being romanced (Mostly by the football media, I think) by the Minnesota Vikings into coming out of retirement yet again. I've had him on my teams many times over the years, too. Our leagues don't penalize for interceptions so he's always been a fantasy favorite. He's had spectacular games. Those that weren't spectacular were always at least average. And, now, we turn to Michael Vick. I've had him a few times, too. He was a monster in some games and a dud in others. Most leagues reward more to a player if they score a touchdown as opposed to throwing for one. We also reward more for rushing yardage than we do for passing yardage. Unlike most other QBs, Vick was a running and scoring threat. I think he'll be reinstated by the commissioner but will have to serve a suspension anywhere from 8 weeks to a full year and that's assuming the State of Virginia decides they're not going to press charges. I haven't read anything about the latter lately. I think he's going to have trouble finding a team willing to put up with everything that will come with his presence. I'm talking lost ticket sales, lost ad revenue, and protests at every turn. What does Vick have to offer a team and its fans, if and when he does finally get onto an NFL field, that will offset his ridiculously negative baggage? In my view, nothing.

89 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

The old ballpark has a date with the wrecking ball, sometime after the 2010 CWS. And Omaha has the longest championship-hosting contract in NCAA history. Score it a sacrifice, with an RBI, for Rosenblatt.

Christopher Burbach, Omaha World-Herald

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The safety of fans, coaches and players is priority. Like many sports and entertainment venues across the country, the College World Series has implemented tighter security policies. Please check our list of dos and dont's before you arrive at the stadium."

What a shame. -Rob

I've mentioned this before but I really like the way some of today's modern TV productions, particularly cop shows, use music. Life used fantastic music as did Eli Stone. I'm also noticing it on The Unusuals. The trend probably started with Miami Vice. It doesn't make a bad show good but it enhances a good show. Unfortunately, there aren't enough people who share this enjoyment. All of these shows are canceled.

Time for a new coffee machine. My current one broke yesterday. Been drinking water and yawning all morning. Not sure how I'm going to get through the day.

About today's QOTD: I suppose only those who are digital can see the annoying messages scrolling across our TV screens now.

90 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

An era ended in American broadcast television early Friday as the nation finished its delayed transition to digital TV.

CNN.com

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Spider-Man is coming to Broadway. The musical will be written and directed by Julie Taymor (who did the Lion King) with aerial effects by Cirque De Soleil and music by Bono and the Edge (who are U2)."

Think I'll pass. -Rob

Reposting these two images for lazy reasons. My style sheet has changed from the old blog to the new one and some of my favorite photos are cut off. I doubt I'll repost all of the ones I notice but I think I will do some of my favorites. I can't easily fix the old blog.

Williams Cemetery - Bush, LA - February 11, 2007

This is a rather remote, very well-tended cemetery about two miles from our house. For some added perspective, the Louisiana Purchase was completed in 1803.

Williams Cemetery - Bush, LA - February 11, 2007

Another one from Williams Cemetery. The cross in the tree line (Center of the image above the wide marker) in this image was accidental but I like it. Didn't see it when I shot it.

Loud television commercials are in Congressional cross hairs. A proposal on the matter is being taken up today. From Dan Jaffe, executive vice president for government relations of the New York-based Association of National Advertisers, quoted in the Detroit Free Press:

broadcasters and advertisers want to set their own standards, in which a commercial would be "loud enough that a reasonable person can hear it, but not so loud you can hear it in Mongolia,"

And this guy represents the advertisers?

If anyone is wondering why I haven't friended them or something on Facebook, it's because I may never log on to that service again. Same for Twitter.

Today's QOTD is from one of the pilots that landed the plane in the Hudson River back in January. He was testifying about his actions at a National Transportation Safety Board hearing. In my view, the NTSB is in a tough spot. Their task is to determine what coulda, shoulda, woulda been done better even though the original result was quite spectacular. Good Luck with that.

Quote of the Day

From my experience, I knew that those two steps would be the most immediate help to us in that situation.

Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "He said that while bullets are no longer flying, he worries about vandalism from young, hate-filled men across the road. There's understandably a lot of "Your father killed my father" and vice versa sentiment. He's been open two months, and so far...no problem."

Maybe should have been the QOTD. From Warren Brown of The Washington Post:

We journalists, especially those of us in the liberal media, revel in the belief that we've gotten past all of that. We routinely applaud what we see as our progress and superior common sense -- although many of the institutions that employ us are struggling as hard as GM to stay in business in a rapidly changing and frequently befuddling market.

And this also:

Leaving management of a car company to car people is the smartest thing President Obama could have done. Bad management of the automobile business did not put GM in its current position any more than bad management has brought Toyota the biggest losses in that company's history.

Not something most people read these days.

She won the team track title ... all by herself ... again. She's also the class valedictorian.

Today's QOTD is from Michael Moran. He was my favorite MSNBC columnist back in the early days of post 911, when blogging came to the fore of the internet.

92 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

But it's not the Internet that has drained the lifeblood from newspapers: newspapers have opened their own veins, allowing news--the only thing they have of real value--to flow unimpeded into cyberspace.

Michael Moran, The Nation

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "When I first heard of a new Allen Toussaint/Joe Henry collaboration of standards I had mixed feelings. Henry is currently my favorite producer and Toussaint is well... a rock and roll icon. What bothered me was the word "standards." I just don't want to hear them "revisited" anymore."

From here

To here

This is the second one of the two I photographed Sunday. The other was excellent last night on my sandwich and in Patsy's salad. This one was even better. I like when they get this red.

Omaha is the site of the College World Series. From the Omaha World-Herald this morning on the practice of ticket "reselling":

Sellers set their own prices - the current highest is five times face value - on the Ticketmaster-run Web site.

Prices on the site Monday ranged from $51.75 per ticket for a June 16 afternoon game to $155.25 for a seat at the first championship series game June 22. Those tickets would have normally cost $20 for the June 16 game and $33 for the June 22 game.

NCAA: Ticket-scalping is illegal and evil ... unless you cut us in. CrabAppleLane: ALL ticket "brokers" are scum. They can put corporate names on them like Ticketmaster, Stub-Hub, E-Bay, or somewhat respectable-sounding acronyms like N C A A (Stop laughing), or call it something else like "reselling" but they're no better and certainly no more respectable than the guy hawking his extra tickets most likely at a better price on the street corner, who they'd have arrested if they caught.

In another development in the yearly Brett Favre saga, Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress has given the retired QB a week to decide if he wants to play for the Vikes this year ... unless, of course, Brett hasn't made up his mind by then. Most Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks will be remembered for how many championships they won or their accomplishments. Favre will be remembered for how many times he retired and un-retired. I'm thinking he must have the record.

Quote of the Day

I have never been taught unusual altitude recovery in the simulator. I was told that you don't have to have this training, because the Airbus has so many protections, that you don't need this skill (sounds very similar about the reasoning behind Titanic) . . .

French Airbus Captain

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "In the 2 1/2 seasons leading up to Allard Baird's firing and Dayton Moore's hiring, the Royals had losing streaks of seven, eight (three times), nine, 13 and 19 games."

With apologies to Black Sabbath, I poked a Hole in the Sky yesterday. I removed 5 or 6 trees. Among them were two really tall pine trees that were covered in poison ivy. All were necessary as part of my clearing project. The black cherry, live oak, red oak, and tung nut trees are now getting quite a bit more sunlight than they're used to. I have maybe 30 more pine and gum trees to remove still. The cutting part is easy. It's the picking up and hauling part that is backbreaking.

About today's QOTD: I don't guess they're looking for starving artists. I could switch careers. Look at the picture of the place where the Corsican government is encouraging artists to move to. WOW.

Quote of the Day

In an attempt to breathe new life into this spectacular but neglected area, a government regeneration programme has encouraged artists to move in and make the place their own.

Sasha Bates, UK Daily Telegraph

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Old car sloping street

I link to my blogger friend, Fi, quite a bit. She resides in New Zealand with her other harf and Miss 8.8, their lovely daughter. I wonder why "Zealand" doesn't pass my spellchecker. Well, didn't. Her musings and picturesque images from the gorgeous New Zealand countryside are always delightful.

I also link to the New Zealand Herald, which is my favorite non-US newspaper, because it has articles like this one ... from tomorrow.

Also from New Zealand, the Mutton Birds are a band that never quite made it. Not sure why. They do a rousing rendition of Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear the Reaper for the soundtrack of the movie, The Frighteners. The video below is one of their original songs. It's called A Thing Well Made. Very unusual on many levels. I like it a lot.

And, finally, another connection between a blogger friend and New Zealand. Check out What's A Delmer Look Like? from Friday. Never heard of All Left Out either but I like the YouTube clip posted there. I hope they make it. They're living the rock n roll dream, paying their dues touring America in a van.

New Zealand is high on my list of places to visit when I retire or hit the Powerball.

And, now, for something completely different: No baseball to watch today. LSU took care of Rice yesterday and the Tigers are heading to Omaha. They'll play the winner of today's rubber game between Virginia and Ole Miss. They know nothing about Virginia but they are familiar with the very tough Rebels. They won two of three from Ole Miss at the Box earlier this year, which means absolutely nothing now. It goes without saying that Omaha is pleased with LSU's presence in the tournament. The Tiger faithful will be there in force pouring money into local coffers. Tiger fans will outnumber the rest. They always do.

Today's QOTD describes the scene yesterday when Rice's Anthony Rendon went down with an injury. I mentioned him yesterday, which was his 19th birthday. I'm sure he'll never forget it. He's a terrific kid. He came back out to the dugout on crutches with his ankle heavily bandaged and cheered his team on. The constant smile on his face didn't go away even then. Get well soon, Anthony. I'm delighted I got to see you play.

I offer one from the CrabAppleLane back deck on this glorious Sunday.

CrabAppleLane Tomatoes - June 7, 2009 I guess you'd call these vine-ripened tomatoes. They fell off of the bush on their own. They're a variety of tomatoes called Celebrity. They're what's for dinner.

Quote of the Day

The Owls were dealt a huge blow in the top of the second. National Freshman of the Year Anthony Rendon was injured chasing down a foul on the left side. He got tangled up with shortstop Rick Hague who was also attempting to make a play on the ball. The two Owls collided and Rendon went down. He had to be carried off the field by teammates Mark Haynes and Andrew Benak.

Houston Chronicle

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Tomato Kurma"

Looks good but I have no idea what some of those ingredients are or what flavor they add. -Rob

D-Day - 65 years ago
Craig Ferguson was right. He's Just Not That Into You is a stereotypical "chick flick". I kinda knew that going in because of the trailers that have passed through CrabAppleLane's TV for the last year and a half. It is one of the longest-running promotional campaigns I can remember. Unfortunately, if you've seen the trailers, you've seen the best bits of the film. The film, itself, added nothing to the trailers. The movie had moments but I'm glad I didn't spend night in the theater money on it.

LSU surprised me last night. Rice did everything LSU opponents have had success with. The Owls' starting pitcher, Mike Ojala, threw mostly off-speed stuff. When I saw the Tigers play earlier in the year against Illinois, they just never adjusted to Ben Reeser's off-speed pitching. They adjusted to it this time and Ojala was gone in the 5th inning. The Owls then brought in a left-hander to face back-to-back Tiger left-handed hitters, Ryan Schimpf and Blake Dean. Left-handers have been tough on the Tigers. Schimpf planted the second pitch over the right center wall for a three run homer and Dean singled. Looks like the Tigers have learned quite a bit over the long season. I don't see Rice beating them now. One last thing: Rice's freshman sensation, Anthony Rendon, was the best player on the field if you ask me. He looks like a big league hitter right now.

Start rant: The LSU-Rice game featured 6 errors and 2 balks. LSU made 4 of the errors. One of them was a nonchalant one-handed stab at a lazy fly ball to center field that subsequently dropped to the ground. How many errors like that will it take before coaches and managers start insisting on two-handed catches in the outfield? It used to be the norm. Most infielders still do it. Errors make me crazy but I can forgive throwing errors or infielders not getting their gloves down on a hard-hit grounder. I cannot forgive dropped fly balls, especially those due to lack of effort. Outs are too precious. Never give your opponent more than they already get. Rant over.

96 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Golden polo rule #6: Hiding from the cameras never works. We will hunt you down and shoot you.

Tampen

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "A Day at the Beach -- Omaha Beach"

The first full-sized tomato of the CrabAppleLane season was devoured last night on a cold cut po-boy. I've got 8 more on the kitchen counter and a few more almost ready in the garden. We won't be eating out this weekend. It'll be two days and three nights of po-boys and bacon tomato sandwiches. Basically, heaven.

Sorry to hear about David Carradine yesterday. When I think of him, I never think about his acting, which I never really thought much of. His most famous role was the main character in Kung-Fu, which I thought was mostly silly, overwrought zen nonsense. I loved Kill Bill but it had zero to do with his presence. What I remember most about David Carradine was a delightful appearance on The Dick Cavett Show. He had a real sense of humor about himself and his image. As he was demonstrating a kung-fu exercise for Cavett and the audience, he transitioned right into a soft shoe dance routine. R.I.P., David.

97 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

For men, self-improvement ends at toilet training.

Gerard Butler, The Ugly Truth Trailer

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Thanks to a lesson from the classics, provided, as always, by coach Wayne Graham, the Rice Owls understand what it takes to be at their best as they prepare for today's NCAA super regional against LSU."

About the Rice Owls on their matchup this weekend with the LSU Tigers in the Baton Rouge Super Regional: That's a confident bunch coming into Alex Box Stadium tomorrow night. From Ryan Berry:

If we go out there focused and ready to play, I don't think there's another team out there that's as talented as us. And if we put a game together like we have the past three games, I don't think there's any team in the country that can stop us, to be honest with you.

I like that. Catch one of the games if you get a chance. The first two games will be on ESPN and the third, if necessary, will be on ESPN2. The weekend is sold out and there is almost always some magic at Alex Box Stadium, even the brand new one in its inaugural season.

Quote of the Day

The other name I don't know, of course, is the guy in the picture. Nobody knows who he was, or what happened to him, but I think in some ways it's better that way. I still think of him as the unknown soldier -- the faceless guy who represents all of us.

Jeff Widener, The Honolulu Advertiser

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "In fact, I would go as far as to say that OnStar, and turn-by-turn in particular, is such a superior way of getting from A to B that it trumps even GM's vehicles as a valuable asset."

I had recorded Knockaround Guys on the strength of one scene I stumbled across while channel surfing. It was a scene in a bar just before a big fight where Vin Diesel delivers a speech to the town tough guy. Diesel is in danger of being typecast because he does something like this in almost every one of his films. There's more to Vin than just action star. I doubt anyone in film today could do that scene as well as he did, except maybe Russell Crowe, because of the physical presence required and the acting at his disposal. Knockaround Guys has one of those inevitable shoot-em-up Tarantino scenes at the end (See True Romance, Reservoir Dogs, etc) but I liked the film anyway. With the stellar cast it had, though, I'm thinking it could have been more.

The crime in the QOTD was murder, I believe.

99 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

If I knew I'd get a laptop and WiFi in prison, my calculation about whether to commit crimes would change radically.

Ann Althouse

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "There is pleasure to be found in some of the performances. Barry Pepper is a plus as the conflicted Matty, a capable guy let down by the placement of his allegiances. Vin Diesel has yet to disappoint, and his tank shirted muscleman with a grinding-gears voice is no exception."

They'll figure out a way around it. They'll also figure out why their government can't cope with free society.

Sunny is back.

Day 2 of hurricane season ...

100 days until football season ...

Off to feed the hummingbirds ...

Quote of the Day

There is nothing fun here, nothing good about bankruptcy. But nothing shocking, either. History is full of this lesson. All fall down. What defines you is not how you fall, but how you get up.

Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Automakers may provide life-support for low-volume dealers in the form of special discounts or other financial help. They also maintain a network of field representatives and other employees devoted to serving the dealers. All those costs impact an automaker's net earnings. Making a better match between the volume of cars they produce and the number of stores needed to sell them should result in corporate savings and a healthier dealer group. In the end, it's not that automakers will earn more per car, it's that they will spend less trying to sell them."

Probably the best explanation I've read yet. -Rob

The BOTD asks its readers to tell their GM memory. Here's one of mine. My first new car was a Midnight Blue 1981 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Prior to that, I only had used cars with high mileage. When I started looking at new cars, there was a Midnight Blue 1980 Monte Carlo in the showroom but it had wire wheel covers, which I did not want, and was loaded, which I could not afford. They didn't have one that had the equipment I wanted so I ordered one. I had no idea I was getting a 1981 model nor did I know that Chevrolet was changing the body style. When my new car came in (With wire wheel covers that they swapped out for the rally wheels that I wanted), it looked quite a bit different than the car I was expecting and I initially didn't know what to make of it. I think it was the first one in New Orleans. I had never seen one. I got a lot of looks driving it home, including one from a state policeman who was checking brake tags. He waved me through even though there was no sticker on my windshield yet. I paid $7900 for it. It was gorgeous.

Hurricane season starts today. Oh, joy.

About today's QOTD: Some, including me, think that will be enough.

Quote of the Day

This is GM's moment to get the company right. They've been constrained by legacy costs and labor agreements, but now they can right-size the company to make money. It's not a guarantee, but they've got no excuses left.

Rebecca Lindland, IHS Global Insight

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Given that General Motors has made some 450 million cars and trucks in the United States in the last 100 years, there are surely at least 450 million stories inspired by them: memorable trips and ill-timed breakdowns, romances kindled and crimes consummated, new models that turned to junk and oldies that truly became goodies."