July 2009 Archives

• I think every team in the NFL is in training camp now. The Saints start their two-a-days today. They'll have a morning practice, a gazillion meetings, a meal, a gazillion more meetings, an afternoon practice, a meal, and a few gazillion more meetings today. Rinse and repeat for the next 4 weeks. They'll be doing this at their practice facility in Metairie, LA, a suburb of New Orleans. When they held training camp in Lacrosse, Vero Beach, or Jackson, it was all about getting away from the distractions of home, of bonding as a team, of having nothing to do but football, yada, yada ... Apparently, those things aren't as important as they used to be. And if you haven't heard ... Reggie Bush and his girlfriend have broken up.
• The new version of Movable Type that CrabAppleLane Blog II is run on promises "Faster performance, powerful search, dramatically more page views". I'm for that even though I don't know what "dramatically more page views" is. Haven't tried the "powerful search" but the "faster performance" was not noticed by me. Took 18 minutes to rebuild one of the blogs here. It was a tedious, but smooth, upgrade. There's something to be said for the smooth part. I started it at 9:25PM or so and got finished just before 11PM. No idea what I might have done if there had been a problem at 11PM so I'm thankful everything went well. Maybe you and I will notice the improvements over time.
• The now suspended "cash for clunkers" program wasn't a bad idea in theory. Personally, I don't think the mileage gap is large enough while the rebates are too large. I agree with the QOTD. It's better than giving out tax rebate checks. Most tax rebates disappear from the economy. They tend to pay down debt or go straight to a savings account. That's a sensible and responsible thing for a person to do with that money but it doesn't stimulate the economy, which is the primary goal. Cash for clunkers was most definitely stimulating. It had a secondary goal, too. It was putting safer, more fuel efficient vehicles on the road and taking gas-guzzling bombs off the road. Some may say I have my primaries and secondaries reversed but I don't think it matters. If congress can find a way to restart it, I think we might look back on this program some day as a decent investment.

41 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

We believe that any extension of the 'Cash for Clunkers' program must go further in advancing the goals of better fuel efficiency and greater emissions reductions. We will not support any bill that does not meet these goals.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. and Susan Collins, R-Maine

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Formally called the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS; clever, these acronymic bureaucrats), the Cash for Clunkers program has excited potential car traders everywhere."

The Associated Press and their patron newspapers, on a clear path to extinction, try a last gasp. Their attempted cure is almost as bad as their disease, though, and may just hasten their demise. The disease is widespread and terminal. They should have stayed in print only and never gone online to begin with.

Today's QOTD comes from the London Times. Lots of thoughtful comments there from readers.

42 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

The commission cites the example of the US city of Boston, where murder rates fell when police offered not to prosecute gangsters for dealing drugs if they stopped killing each other.

Richard Ford and Nico Hines, London Times

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "It is the most comprehensive documentary review of cannabis policy, politics, history, myths, science, and.. humanity that I've seen. It's compelling (and yes, a little overwhelming -- you almost need to take a break during it to absorb everything)."

NFL notes: Very sad to hear the news about Jim Johnson this morning. Not as sad to hear the news about Brett Favre although that saga may not be over yet. He is continuing to work out so he could easily change his mind again maybe in a couple of weeks when training camp is over. I think NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's decision (Don't call it punishment) on Michael Vick is surprisingly light. There are some that think only PETA or the ASPCA will object to or protest his reinstatement. They're wrong (See BOTD). What he was part of is thoroughly repugnant to almost all Americans. The team that signs him will lose fans, ticket sales, marketing revenue, and season ticket holders for next year and beyond. They'll be protested wherever they go. Thankfully, the Saints have said they're not interested.

43 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Quarterbacks are like queen bees -- you can only have one of them before they start stepping on each other.

Mike Brown, Cincinnati Bengals Owner

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The NFL presented the final straw today as it reinstated Michael Vick. Throughout the Michael Vick controversy, the league did absolutely nothing to prevent similar actions by its players. A temporary suspension while he served time in prison was the NFL's only actions against Michael Vick despite the fact that Vick laid waste to the Atlanta Falcons budget, many NFL sponsors, and the respect of fans around the country. But today, the NFL commissioner acted in a way that can not be tolerated by NFL fans when he chose to reinstate Michael Vick."

I finished 2008's The Incredible Hulk last night. This is Hollywood's second swing at it in a 5 year span. I didn't see the 2003 version and I'm not sure if the 2008 could have improved much on a fairly uninteresting character and story. Both films had cameo appearances by Lou Ferrigno, the TV Hulk, and Stan Lee, the Hulk comics' creator. This one even had a cameo appearance by Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man) as Tony Stark. When a film has to resort to that level of cuteness, it didn't have much to begin with. The Incredible Hulk was a waste of time. I understand they're making a sequel. Count me out.

One other thing: Tim Roth is one of the best actors in film and easily one of the best bad guys but he's better at the sleazeball, manipulative, backstabber than he is at the in-your-face aggressive type. He wasn't the right guy for that role.

44 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

I didn't say I was unwilling. I just need informed consent. And you've given it.

Samuel Sterns, The Incredible Hulk

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Did you all see my new movie last year? They've made a couple of new ones about me in the past few years. I think they may have got it right this time. I can't believe Edward Norton is playing me, Dr. Bruce Banner."

Letter in my email yesterday:

Domain Sale Notice: crabapplelane.com is coming available for sale in a few days. Since you own the domain crabapplelane.net, we thought you'd be interested in crabapplelane.com. If you do have interest in acquiring crabapplelane.com, please fill up priority notice form availble here: http://servicesbyinitrust.org/store/prioritynotice/52b83365-ecaf-4802-86ef-afd0aa7ceac9 and we will contact you as soon as the domain is available for purchase.

We look forward to hearing back from you.

Kind regards,

John Timmers

InTrust Domains

4845 A Pearl East Circle

Boulder, CO 80301

No thanks. When it's available for purchase is a matter of public record (As of this writing, the registration expired May 19, 2009). I'm not interested but, if I were, what do I need you for?

Update (6:55AM): This just in:

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WOW

About today's QOTD: If by "free", he means independent, he's wrong. If by "free", he means worth what you paid for his publication, he's right. What a cute thing to say. Credit for temerity, though.

45 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

We don't have a free press left in America - aside from the one you're reading.

Joseph Farah, WorldNetDaily

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "While Bronson did star in these types of films that is not all he produced, which you'll see below. Many of Bronson's films also starred his wife, Jill Ireland...and judging by her acting skills it was probably a stipulation in his contract."

I always preferred Bronson as just one of the characters (The Great Escape, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, etc). He was pretty good in those, only so-so as a lead. -Rob

I blogged about my dalliance with bootleg records a couple of years ago. Yesterday, as I was cleaning out an area of the house that has been unattended for some time, I came across three bootleg records I've been having since 1976 or so. The find yielded two Deep Purples and a Led Zeppelin that I've been looking for. I bought them at Lenny's record store in New Orleans. He used to charge $1 above the normal album price for bootlegs. As soon as I can clear off my desk and get my USB Turntable plugged in again, I plan to record a few tidbits and post them. I'll warn you now. The recordings are fairly awful. If memory serves, the only one I liked at all was Led Zeppelin's What Is And What Should Never Be. Can't trust my memory on this, though. Haven't heard any of these in over 30 years and I only listened to them two or three times each, anyway. It will be like hearing them again for the first time.

The Led Zeppelin album contains

The Immigrant Song
Stairway To Heaven
What Is And Never Should Be <<< --- Their wording on the album
Whole Lotta Love
Minnasota Blues <<< --- Their spelling, not mine
The Lemon Song

I offer two on this CrabAppleLane Sunday morning. I couldn't fit the whole cover on either of the two Deep Purple albums on to my scanner. They were both cut off. The Led Zeppelin fit, though. I just posted the better of the two DPs.

Led Zeppelin Bootleg - Circa 1976

Deep Purple Bootleg Album - Circa 1976

46 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

So if you wake up with the sunrise
And all your dreams are still as new
And happiness is what you need so bad
Girl, the answer lies with you, yeah

Led Zeppelin, What Is And What Should Never Be

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "It Might Get Loud tells the personal stories, in their own words, of three generations of electric guitar virtuosos - The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), and Jack White (The White Stripes)."

We had an excellent sunset dinner at The Columbia Street Tap Room in Covington tonight. It was a fantastic night to be out and about. We took some photos. Patsy and I both love old Covington.

Covington, LA - July 25, 2009

Once again, it was time to replace the CrabAppleLane shower head. We've had to replace it yearly for about 10 years now. Our well water has fine mineral particles that only seem to clog up the upstairs shower head, the water device we use the most. It happens gradually over about a year, give or take a month or two. I had a few criteria because I've done this so many times that I know what I want and don't want. The wife had criteria, too. She wanted to try a filter (Pictured below right) to see if that will alleviate our problem/expense. The filter was $21 but replacement filter elements are $9.

I wanted a high end Waterpik because the best one I ever had was a Waterpik. None I've had since, including other Waterpiks, have been as good and that's been disappointing. That one made you want to stay in the shower. I still hold out hope that one will someday measure up to that glorious model we once had but it will have to wait. The new one (The one pictured is similar but not exact) is OK but not the ideal I was hoping for. I go for the high end models because it's just not worth the $20 savings to have an unsatisfactory shower every day. I also wanted one with a plastic hose and plastic fittings. Metal ones tend to leak and metal hoses are difficult to use daily. They don't give much and certain angles are hard to achieve without more work than you may want to put in when you're in a hurry. Plastic hoses do anything you want once the warm/hot water passes through them.

As I was perusing the choices, I noticed that ALL of the high end shower heads had metal hoses. Bummer. You can buy a plastic hose separately but, with the filter, I was already spending more than I wanted. When I got it home and opened the package, I discovered the hose was actually plastic but made to look like the metal ones. Why? That's idiotic. Those who want a metal hose will be mad when they open the package and those who want plastic may pass on purchasing it because it looks like a metal hose. The only people who will be pleased with that purchase are the people, like me, who resigned themselves to getting something they didn't want and were pleasantly surprised and those people who didn't care at all. Patsy tells me some people may like the look. Maybe so. None of these demographics are very large in my opinion. Dumb, Waterpik.

Everything is installed and working with no leaks but I'm a little concerned about the extra weight on the shower pipe. If the pipe breaks behind the wall, it will be a pain to fix if I can do it at all. If I can't, it will be an expensive mess. Seems sturdy enough so far, though. This was, by far, the easiest of the installs I've done. Unfortunately, I have a lot of experience at this now.

47 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

What can a bone scan tell? Major-league teams are asking Dominican prospects to undergo bone scans to prove that they are as young as they say, the Times reports. Teams are also deploying DNA tests. One expert the Times spoke to wondered where that would have left Lou Gehrig: "Would they have signed him if they knew he was predisposed to A.L.S.?"

The New Yorker

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Our marketing development team is working to bring you a product image along with a detailed product information report very soon. You should read the manufacturer's full product instructions located on the product's packaging at this time."

Waterpik has a blog to promote their products. Wonder if it's generating any sales or buzz. -Rob

There are two things I am really sick of reading about or hearing about: Murder/suicides and babies/pets dying in hot, parked cars. They're both just happening too often. Not much to be said about the former. It's as old as time. I think the latter can be alleviated through technology, although it shouldn't have to be. There are sensors in most vehicles today that can detect if a person is sitting in the passenger seat. You'll get a warning that they're not buckled in. Technology and programming can make it so that the ignition can't be turned off until all sensors are cleared. If the driver gets out and wants to remove the keys, everyone will have to get out. Just a thought.

Congrats to Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox on a perfect game yesterday. For those who don't know what a perfect game is, it is one where no one from the opposing team gets on base. It is a no-hitter with no walks or bases on error. Aptly named, it is the best a pitcher can do. It's like a 300 score in bowling but much harder.

48 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

I was going to run through the wall to try to catch that ball

DeWayne Wise, Chicago White Sox

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Perfect"

CrabAppleLane Tomato Garden after cardboard fire - July 23, 2009

So I needed some boxes for a project we are undertaking at CrabAppleLane and decided to get some down from the attic that we could use and then I'd burn the rest of the ones that were up there. I knew I had quite a few but I had no idea how many because I don't go up there much and I never kept track. I was totally clueless (Not a new experience for me). A task I thought might take a few minutes took well over an hour. One of the things I've always thought made good sense, for fairly obvious reasons, was to avoid putting boxes from new appliances or new electronics to the curb for trash pickup. Over the years we've been here, we accumulated a fair collection of them in the attic. Of course, it wasn't as good as I would have liked. I like new appliances and new electronics a lot but our budget keeps me from acquiring them at a pace of my preference. I don't know why I needed to save the box from a $19 desk lamp or a $9 music CD, though. We know Pack Rat Syndrome runs in the wife's family but I didn't think it was contagious. I certainly had some of the symptoms, though.

There are more than a few problems with this practice. For starters, once the boxes are out of sight, they're out of mind and they just keep accumulating. I think they may even be reproducing. Another problem is that someone will think you have something new no matter when you put them out ... even if they're 10 year-old boxes. I guess its best to keep the packaging in sight until you get past the prospect of having to pack it up and bring it back to the store for warranty or something and then just burn it or bring it somewhere else to throw it away if you can. Or rent a large storage building ...

Today's QOTD comes from the concierge who was named Best Concierge in the World. He arranged for a private, unattended viewing of a priceless masterpiece at Buckingham Palace. I disagree with him. I'd be very surprised if "any concierge worth his salt has the contacts to pull something like that off". I wouldn't necessarily say that he was the only one who could but I'd have to think that number of concierges who could is in the single digits.

49 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

It took a few weeks to arrange. But any concierge worth his salt has the contacts to pull something like that off.

Frank Laino, Concierge at London's Stafford Hotel

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "We played in front of a crowd of 60 people (more like 25) that consisted of old deaf grannies who loved our singing".

I drive approximately two thirds of my commute every day on 55-mph highways. People live along them and their driveways exit right on to said highways. You would think people who pull out of their driveway daily on to such a 55-mph highway would have some idea of how fast the traffic is bearing down on them and how dangerous it is for both them and the oncoming traffic to mosey out in front of it. Yes, I think you would think that. You'd be wrong. People pull right out in front of me on to the highway at 5-10mph like they're trying not to spill their coffee.

The Pirates Jack Wilson is turning in some great plays. The first play is one I mentioned last week but the next two are pretty good, too. He started a triple play earlier in the year. Unfortunately for the fans of the last place Pirates, the team is having their nearly annual fire sale and he'll probably be traded to a contender for a prospect or two ... and the seasons, they go round and round.

I always thought the people who just stood in line to get an iPhone were at least a tad obsessive. A guy who lost a prototype of the next iPhone committed suicide. It is certainly a sad event but that's not what got me about that story. What got me was this:

His friends said company security guards searched his apartment, detained him and beat him, the paper reported.

That's appalling, if true.

Today's QOTD is a reference to the people who claim the President is not a U.S. citizen.

50 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

President Obama is right to ignore these losers. They are right up there with Holocaust deniers like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the people who insist that the landing on the moon was done in a television studio.

Roland S. Martin, CNN.com

Blog of the day here

Quote from said blog: "And despite some Bucs players (ahem, Jack Wilson) being critical of the front office's shrewd moves, more might be coming."

You can call it "shrewd moves" or you can call it "making the best of a bad situation" but a baseball fire sale is nothing more to me than the white flag of surrender. May be necessary on occasion but it's still sad and the players, particularly the veterans, whose names are mentioned as trade bait or are left behind on a team whose management gave up on, have every right to be critical and angry. -Rob

Hwy 190 North - Covington, LA - July 20, 2009As I turned north on to Hwy 190 to head for lunch yesterday, traffic was a tad snarled. The road was buckled and water was gushing right through the pavement. Workers were trying to close the center lane and people were driving through a foot of water in the right lane. I was in the left lane and I only had to veer a little more to the left to get through. That was just after noon and this had apparently just happened. Unfortunately, my camera and I weren't ready. The picture above was taken from the southbound side when I was on my way back to work at about 12:55. The water had been turned off and the road had settled back down right about where that guy is standing with the cones. This is probably the busiest intersection on the North Shore and northbound traffic was backed up as far as the eye could see by this time. NOLA.com has the story.

51 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

The 100-year label refers to a system capable of protecting against a storm with a 1% chance of striking in any given year. Hurricane Katrina, which decimated the region in August 2005, was a 400-year storm.

Rick Jervis, USA TODAY

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "But mostly I feel bad that the kids I work with in the afternoon have been cheated and don't have a clue. With everything at their fingertips in 60 seconds or less, they have missed out on the childhood thrill of suspense. Holding your breath, waiting for the unknown. Of realizing that with science, there can be a little magic thrown in for good measure."

Well said. -Rob

I was at Joey's house to watch this event live. Don't remember why. Joey passed away a few weeks ago. Where were you? I realize only a few of us can answer that. :)

52 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

Neil Armstrong - July 20, 1969

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Praise the landings and the amazing accomplishments we did 40 years ago, save the hoax busting for later."

Couldn't agree more. Ignore the hoax pushers entirely and let them have their sad existence. -Rob

Devil in a Blue Dress is playing on the HD Network. I had seen this film right after it hit the cable channels but had totally overlooked it for an entry I posted a few years ago. A comment on that entry by Marie had reminded me of it and I determined to see it once again. All I can say is WOW. I had forgotten how great a movie it is. Classic noir, although it loses a few points from me for being in color. It gains nothing from high-definition so see it any way it comes to you. It has all of the classic elements. The central character, Easy Rawlins played by Denzel Washington, takes a job that pays way more than it seems to be worth. His suspicions prove to be true about that and he is immediately in over his head. Devil is set in deliciously seedy post-WWII Los Angeles and offers Easy's narration throughout his involvement in the case. This is an excellent film, mainly because Denzel inhabits noir better than anyone in the business right now. Also see The Mighty Quinn and Out of Time.

I offer a few from the backyard on this somewhat cool CrabAppleLane Sunday. Two for The Clearing Project below the jump.

CrabAppleLane Crepe Myrtle - July 19, 2009

CrabAppleLane Backyard Pond - July 19, 2009

53 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

A man once told me that you step out of your door in the morning and you are already in trouble. The only question is are you on top of that trouble or not?

Easy Rawlins, Devil in a Blue Dress

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Once you're dead, every inch of you will be searched."

R.I.P., Walter Cronkite. I think we were more of a Huntley-Brinkley household when I was growing up because I have almost no recollections of Walter Cronkite on the air until I was quite a bit older. Still, saddened to see him pass.

I offer a couple of scans from an old photo album today ... because I have nothing else.

A night at Fenway - September 30, 1986I bought our tickets to this Sox-Orioles game in March of that year. It was my first major league ball game. As luck would have it, the Red Sox clinched the division the night before. The Sox scratched their scheduled starter to rest him for the playoffs and the starters in the field only played a couple of innings each. Dwight Evans, who roamed right field at Fenway for a long time, started but then gave way to Mike Greenwell, who also had a stellar career. Not quite Joe DiMaggio to Mickey Mantle or Ted Williams to Carl Yastrzemski but not too shabby, either. I think Greenwell ultimately made his living in left field, though. In Little League and sandlot, your weakest outfielder goes in right field. In the bigs, your weakest outfielder goes in left field ... except at Fenway. Because of that wall in left, there is no room in Boston for weak outfielders. Catcher Rick Dempsey of the Orioles hit a towering home run over the green monster that night. Don't remember much else except the usher who showed us to our seats. She took out her handkerchief and wiped them for us. Never before, never since.

Vacation Pics - 1986We had two weeks in New England scheduled. The second week was booked at a motel on Cape Cod. We figured we'd just go where the roads took us and just wing it the first week. The two photos on the left were taken in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The two on the right are of the place where we stayed. It was a brand new ski resort and the cottages had never been used. It was off-season for them and they had a vacancy for $24. We loved the cottage, loved the area, and asked if we could stay another night. It was booked but they had a deluxe two bedroom cottage available.

Us: How much is that one?
Them: $26 per night
Us: We'll take it.

I'm thinking the photo of the cottage at the upper right is from the place we stayed the first night but I'm not certain and, like so many of my photo albums, I didn't write it in the album. I thought I'd always remember.

54 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

That's the way it is

Walter Cronkite, 1916-2009

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Greenwell also touches on a few other topics, including his runner-up finish to Jose Canseco in the MVP voting back in 1988 and whether or not he thinks Roger Clemens took steroids."

Meant to mention this the other day. Florida head football coach, Urban Meyer, says he will never coach at Notre Dame. Seems he once said ND was his dream job and because he did, his rival head coaches are using that statement against him with potential recruits. Some parents hate sending their boys to a university whose coach may not be around for the duration of their son's stay. No need to be mad at the media or your rivals, Urban. You bit yourself on your butt.

55 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

I'm not going to Notre Dame. Ever.

Urban Meyer, Florida Head Football Coach

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "When you go to sporting events with a super-zoom camera, you end up seeing things that might otherwise have escaped your notice. When you go to sporting events with a super-zoom camera, in other words, you discover that spying on your fellow spectators is almost as much fun as watching the game on the field."

NASA is commemorating the 40 year anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission this week. That one put men on the moon. Boston.com has some spectacular pictures of it and some of the quotes there are so poignant (See Michael Collins on #35) that, well, maybe you shouldn't read them at work. Blogs are in on this, too. Fish Fear Me has a series of commemorations as does The Daily Irrelevant. That event was brought into a bit sharper focus for me recently because I watched Neil Armstrong take those first steps at a friend's house. That friend passed away last week. He was 52.

56 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Owing to travel restrictions on some of the participants, the convocation took place deep in a smoldering, sulfurous Hell-mouth below a subbasement in the Sony Building.

Ian Frazier, The New Yorker

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Do you remember when men first landed on the Moon?"

I think we'll miss the Harry Potter premiers today but we'll probably go next weekend. We liked the books and the films have been even better. Some may disagree.

A little fun from The New Yorker:

Condemned souls who have to lie on their backs chained to a flat rock while a white-hot sheet of iron is lowered to within inches of their faces have stated that the rise in Hell's ambient temperature now makes the iron seem much closer to their faces than it actually is.

I'll try to read the rest of it later. The quote is from the first paragraph and I stopped there.

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for Monday. WOW.

After last year's one-run, 15-inning, exciting All-Star game, Major League Baseball offered up perhaps the dullest one-run game I ever saw last night and I watched all nine innings. On to the second half ...

57 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

a law dating back to 1942 in Switzerland permits foreigners to come and kill themselves. Cost for services: About $9200.00.

USA Today

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "As Olympic was leaving Southampton water on 20 September 1911 at the start of her fifth voyage to New York and back, still under the command of Captain Smith but with Trinity House pilot George William Bowyer effectively in control, she was rammed in the starboard quarter by the Royal Navy's old 7,350 ton armoured cruiser HMS Hawke . Both vessels were badly damaged in the collision."

Really cool-looking blog although I find the topic a tad tiresome. -Rob

I'd like to watch the MLB All-Star game tonight from St Louis but I won't be staying up past midnight to see the conclusion. I'll be pulling for the National League, as always.

From USA Today on health care legislation:

And while a majority say controlling costs should be the legislation's top goal, more than nine in 10 oppose limits on getting whatever tests or treatments they and their doctors think are necessary.

We get what we deserve, don't we?

About today's QOTD: Well, at least, they responded and I suppose they think that's better than ignoring me. I think I figured out what they were trying to say but I also think I'd want someone else doing feedback if it were my company.

58 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

You may want to got modify account an adjust information if someone other then yourself is picking up the order.

Feedback response

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Talk about pressure. Sure, the All-Star Game determines which league gets home-field advantage in the World Series, but about an hour before the first pitch on Tuesday night, players in both clubhouses will find themselves face-to-face with a certain baseball nut named Barack Obama."

Eagle Eye was yesterday's CrabAppleLane matinee. This is one I wanted to see when it was in the theater but it just didn't happen. Eagle Eye qualifies as big budget CME, a perfect afternoon's entertainment. The best advice I can give you for this film is to just take the ride. The whole movie is driven by a voice on the phone, one that is reminiscent of George Orwell's Big Brother, only amped-up a few degrees. To say what that voice can do is impressive would be an understatement. The setup for it comes in one throwout line early in the movie about cell phones. The characters are mostly irrelevant. This film is all about having fun with the technology and the possibilities, however remote, that any of this could happen in real life. It's the type of stuff that the tin foil helmet types thrive on telling us about. I still enjoyed it. The BOTD has a similar take ... more or less. :)

59 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

She could probably derail a train, she could probably turn a train into a talking duck.

Jerry Shaw, Eagle Eye

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "There are plenty of special effects. There is enough suspense and drama. And even something to listen to while everything moves, shoots, thinks, and explodes."

Yesterday's planned tractor repair couldn't have gone better. I hardly lifted a finger. The problem somehow resolved itself although I think it had something to do with how I had some of the controls set. My equipment diagnostic skills aren't any better than my medical diagnostic skills. The planned maintenance, which was a long shot to fix anything, will be postponed until winter, when I am not dependent on the tractor for cutting the grass every couple of weeks. This was the best possible outcome and it had everything to do with good luck. Not an entirely new experience for me but a fairly rare one.

Tip o the cap to Pittsburgh Pirates SS, Jack Wilson, on the best play I've seen in years. Even famously hard-hearted Phillies fans gave that play a cheer. Too bad the Pirates lost anyway. The Pirates are in last place this morning. That's the position they almost always occupy for the last 15 years or so. I find it difficult to feel too bad for Pittsburgh sports fans because they've had much more than their share of professional sports glory over the years. The "We Are Family" Pirates of Willie Stargell, John Candelaria, Bill Madlock, and Dave Parker are long gone. I kinda miss them.

I offer one from the CrabAppleLane back deck. This is one of our summertime views.

CrabAppleLane Backyard - July 12, 2009

60 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Without Mexico, we cut our own lawns. But I do anyway, and I survive.

Michael Moran, Globalpost.com

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Who, in God's name, could kill children walking to school?"

The plan today is to get out in the road-buckling heat and work on the John Deere. I'm hoping that just changing the hydraulic fluid and filling it to the proper level will solve my problems. If not, to the shop it goes. I'd be out there in the heat and humidity right now if this stuff didn't have to be thought up and typed. I'm all about the sacrifice for my two readers.

Great news for LSU baseball fans. The Tigers already figured to be a national contender in 2010 but Blake Dean coming back for his senior season moves them up a peg. Somewhat risky move on his part, though. Major League Baseball knows he can hit. The only way for him to improve his draft stock is to show that he can play somewhere in the field. A shoulder injury has mostly kept him out of the field the last two seasons. He plans to get himself right and his head coach has committed to giving him that chance (See QOTD). A chance is all any ball player should want.

61 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

We'll find room for Blake Dean somewhere on the field if he comes back. We're committed to that. That kid has earned that from me.

Paul Mainieri, LSU Head Baseball Coach

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "He's not just "some guy"? He's some guy with a cool quote!"

There is a profound quote there but I don't know that I would characterize it as cool. I think I'd lean more towards sad but true. -Rob

Dumb: Safe food.

Dumber: About today's QOTD: Not the best statement to make in one's defense to charges of discrimination. At the very least, it is incredibly insensitive.

Dumbest: "A charging bull gored a man to death Friday at Pamplona's San Fermin festival, the first such fatality in nearly 15 years.".

And a little bliss courtesy of Tracey.

62 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion . . . and the atmosphere of the club.

John Duesler, Valley Club

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "We're getting the condo. After an extremely speedy negotiation on price yesterday, we were told to ready ourselves for the mortgage application by gathering all paper-based evidence that we are productive members of society who do things like pay taxes and save money and shank hobos."

With Major League Baseball in full swing and coming up on their All Star game, I naturally turn to football. We're still about three weeks from the first NFL training camp opening but we're only 9 weeks now from Opening Day.

About today's QOTD: Not sure what the outrage is about unless it's pure theater, tilt at windmills, fight the good fight nonsense for public consumption. Did someone think that process was going to be completely painless?

63 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

GM and Chrysler have come under withering criticism in Congress for their plans to close dealers.

David Shepardson, Detroit News Washington Bureau

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "The termination of the dealer franchise agreements would be effective this week if G.M. is allowed to cut free of the holdout dealerships."

Today's QOTD comes from The New Yorker's Malcolm Gladwell. It's a terrific three-page article about the web's ideas of "free". I love that expression "close enough to free to round down". The New Yorker's website has ads all around its content as do many other websites. Like most internet users, I don't even notice them. Even the pop-up ads that are getting better at getting through our pop-up blockers and staying up for a period they think is long enough for us to read go unread. I think internet ad revenue will ultimately dry up mainly because too many people ignore the ads. What then?

64 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

If you can afford to pay someone to get other people to write, why can't you pay people to write?

Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "After leaving Forest Lawn, I made a quick pass through downtown, where there seemed to be more T-shirt sellers and cops on the streets than grief-mad fans."

We were big DVD collectors for a time. When I say big, I mean we'd buy one or two per month. We would never rent them. Still don't. That practice has ceased due to economics and convenience. We've not only stopped buying them, we've stopped watching them except for the occasional music/concert DVD. The DVR has pretty much become our favored way to watch ANYTHING. It is infinitely more convenient. You can stop a movie any time and resume a month later right where you left off. You can keep it recorded as long as you like and it never gathers dust. My only concern with our DVR right now is storage. They just don't store enough content. I am certain that concern is being addressed with the next generation DVR as I type. It's just like a computer in some ways. Even though you can store files offline on a CD or DVD, you'd rather have them on your hard drive available to you any time. I don't think the future is all that bright for DVD sales or rentals any more.

65 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Nothing wrong with college baseball, especially at the level LSU plays.

Dave E, Fish Fear Me

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "A friend of mine once suggested a movie's greatness can be measured by how much you think about it after seeing it, along with the way it lingers in your memory over time."

Mainly because of a bad night. Trouble getting to sleep and staying there.

Cool shot of the Louisiana State Capitol Building.

About today's QOTD: It's Steve Largent talking about Al Franken. Largent was a fantastic wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks. Don't know much about his record at his stint as Congressman.

66 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

He's got work to do as a legislator, but he doesn't need to hide from his former career. I think he needs to view it as an asset, not a liability.

Steve Largent, Former NFL player and U.S. Congressman

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "We imagine that her dalliance with Marilyn Manson certainly won't hurt her ability to get into character as the "Vampire Queen of Louisiana," which is easily the greatest region-specific character description we've heard since Ferris Bueller passed himself off as the "Sausage King of Chicago.""

Love True Blood. -Rob

Awww, Steve. The Tennessean is now referring to his death and that of Sahel Kazemi, 20, as an "apparent murder-suicide". Very sad. I'm a Steve McNair fan. I knew nothing of his personal life. I only knew him from football. He was on many of my fantasy football teams over the years and I've also seen him play quite a few times, both in person and on TV. I loved the way he played. One of my favorite images of him via Pitcherlady. The news breaks my heart.

I'm in a bit of a it-surely-could-have-been-worse (See McNair, Jackson, and Fawcett) mood but it's been a bad week here, too. One of our cars needs to go to the body shop for minor repairs, the tractor needs to go to the shop for minor repairs, and the gutters need cleaning. Got a decent price on gutter cleaning Friday so there's that.

I offer a few from CrabAppleLane on this very hot Sunday. A few more below the jump are part of the CrabAppleLane Clearing Project.

CrabAppleLane Wasp Nest - July 5, 2009 - Passed right in front of this nest yesterday without noticing them and I get shivers just thinking about it.

CrabAppleLane Tomato Garden Site - July 5, 2009 - It was time.

67 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

I am deeply saddened and at this point do not have the words to describe this loss,

Jeff Fisher, Tennessee Titans Head Coach

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "I have heard about Eggs will stand at Noon of the Rice Dumpling Day, but i never tried it. I saw people doing it while having lunch. I tried as well, and i got them standing!! According to the tradition, if you can get it stand, you will be lucky for the whole year!"

Eggs will stand any day of the year if you have the patience and steady hands. Nice photo. -Rob

Happy Independence Day

Got plans?

Today's QOTD comes from an article I stumbled across at the London Times website. To say that British journalists have a drier sense of humor than their American counterparts is a bit of an understatement. I love the internet. It brought me this from Helena Frith Powell:

Sweden is hardly famous for its benign climate. Even if you don't mind getting your kit off, doesn't wandering around naked in midwinter get a little bit chilly? And, particularly if you're a bloke, wouldn't that decrease your chances of making new friends?

Check, please.

68 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

It is a sad fact that naturist resorts seldom attract those to whom Nature has been kindest.

Helena Frith Powell, London Times

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Thoughts on this?"

Today starts a 3-day weekend for us. We're both off today. Patsy is off because the state has a holiday today and I'm off because my office decided to split our work force with half working today and the other half working Monday. Might work in the yard today if it cools off at all. The tomatoes are done here and it's time they were pulled up. I got a little burned out on them and let them go toward the end of the season. We're in the middle of an incredible heat wave and drought. I just lost interest in taking care of them. I'll do better next year. The first few weeks were fabulous, though. They were as tasty as ever.

69 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

His advice for frazzled adulterers was to "take a time-out from the affair and have a brain scan".

MSN.com

Blog of the day via Instapundit is here.

Quote from said blog: "Although reviewing Sotomayor's record has supposedly stymied Hatch, he found time to write yet another essay (published in Sports Illustrated), which explains his theory of the possible antitrust issues related to the BCS. Hatch believes the automatic bid for the major NCAA conferences might violate the law. This sounds preposterous to me, but I am not an antitrust scholar. Neither is Orrin Hatch."

Couldn't agree more. You will find no bigger critic of the BCS than me but I would never suggest Congress meddle with it. They have other things much more important to deal with. -Rob

Watched the last two innings of the Cardinals-Giants game last night. The Cards are a game out of first place in their division. If they don't have Albert Pujols, they're in dead last. He is the only player in that lineup that matters. He's a legitimate triple crown contender this season. From his ESPN player profile:

Pujols is clearly the game's current best hitter, and it remains a mystery why he isn't pitched around more like Barry Bonds was. Pujols now has 30 homers and 77 RBI on the season.

No idea who wrote that but he isn't watching the same games I'm watching. I've seen Pujols play 50-60 times over the last two seasons or so. Everyone pitches around him. Everyone is careful with him. The Giants walked him intentionally last night ... twice. He was on deck when Rasmus ended the game with a homer. Rasmus saw nothing but fastball strikes because the Giants didn't want to walk him and face Pujols with a runner on base. How Pujols is hitting the way he is with the pitches he sees is amazing. If he saw half of the juicy pitches the guy batting in front of him sees, he'd break every hitting record on the books. He's the best player in baseball.

Need a laugh?

70 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

The agreement was at my father's insistence as he wanted to protect my inheritance - this is perfectly normal in our countries of origin, France and Germany. My father taught me the value of hard work and family values.

Katrin Radmacher

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "Not sure what that means exactly, but I'm reading a lot of Sylvia Plath and watching some Japanese game shows in search of fresh ideas."

I finally got through The X Files: I Want to Believe the other night. I thought maybe I had let too much time lapse since the last time I saw an X-Files episode. I was pretty much lost throughout this film. The X-Files have always been a bit murky and mysterious to me and, on reflection, I think maybe that's intentional on their part. Check out the QOTD. I was not a devoted fan, did not see all of the episodes, and further, did not watch the ones I did see in order so maybe I'm off base on the mysterious and murky and maybe devoted fans got more out of it than I did. Good for them, I suppose. For me, I just didn't get it and it was a waste of time. Cool theme music, though.

71 days until football season ...

Quote of the Day

Maybe that's the answer, in a larger answer.

Fox Mulder, The X Files: I Want to Believe

Blog of the day here.

Quote from said blog: "But, hey, we're the faithful. We'll be there for you, Chris Carter. Sorry for the late start, but this means more concentrated, X-Files-ian goodness for you."