Tuesday Morning Quarterback - Week 10, 2011

The BOTD has a pretty remarkable stat. The next paragraph at the link is pretty cool, too.

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. Red Bats With Teeth - Angelo Badalamenti - Lost Highway
2. Desperado - The Eagles - Their Greatest Hits
3. Skellig - Loreena McKennitt - The Book Of Secrets
4. Pandora's Box - Aerosmith - Get Your Wings
5. Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

Quote of the Day

A 9-year-old North Carolina girl pinned in a wrecked car for almost two days ate Pop-Tarts and Gatorade to help her survive the single-car crash that killed her father, police and relatives said on Monday.

Associated Press via MSNBC.com

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "With the Saints losing both coin tosses in Sunday’s victory against the Falcons — the one before the game and the one before overtime — they have now lost all 11 tosses this season. The odds of that are 1 in 2,048."

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Good win for the Saints yesterday over the rival Falcons. My thoughts, if you're interested.

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. What Do You Want From Me - Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
2. War - Bruce Springsteen - Live: 1975-85
3. No One Came - Deep Purple - Fireball
4. So I Need You - 3 Doors Down - The Better Life
5. Summertime Blues - Blue Cheer - Rock 'n Roll Relix 1968-1969

Quote of the Day

That'll do it for the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles. Thanks for coming, drive safely, and someone make sure and hit the lights at Lincoln Financial Field.

Don Banks, Sports Illustrated

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "Real bodies. Forget the Dove ads."

Not sure what to make of the image. -Rob

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Happy Birthday, Mom

Love,
Rob&Patsy

Picked up a few songs at iTunes last night, including one that Marie and Kim recommended from Marc Cohn. Lissie also has a new album of covers out. Was cheap enough. From her, I love Nothing Else Matters but I think I like Pursuit of Happiness, a new song to me, even better.

Tigers keep rolling. They still have two or, possibly, three tough games ahead, though. They need to focus on them, not on who they might face in a potential BCS Championship game.

Tough game in Atlanta today for the Saints. Kickoff. Will have to finish this entry later. Hogshead cheese and a Saints game await.

Today's QOTD from yet another professional journalist.

I offer a little color from the CrabAppleLane backyard. Very little.

CrabAppleLane Backyard - November 13, 2011

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. Pursuit of Happiness - Lissie - Covered Up With Flowers
2. Walking In Memphis - Marc Cohn - Marc Cohn
3. Early Bird (Bonus Track) - Mark Knopfler - Get Lucky (Bonus Track Version)
4. Boulevard of Broken Dreams (feat. John Gallagher Jr., Rebecca Naomi Jones, Stark Sands & Company) - Green Day - American Idiot (The Original Broadway Cast Recording)
5. Everybody Wants You - Billy Squier - Billy Squier: Absolute Hits

Quote of the Day

When Mike Smith first decided to go for it on fourth-and-inches in overtime, I liked the call. I thought it was gutsy and ambitious. After watching Michael Turner get stuffed, I changed my mind. Smith should have punted and taken his chances with his defense.

Pat Yasinskas, ESPN NFC South Blog

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "Prepare yourself for this epic battle of NFC South heavyweights. The team that wins this game will have the early upper hand for the division. As Falcons fans, we do not want to get stuck in this wild card race. This is the first big step toward winning the division, and the Falcons must take care of business as home in divisional games."

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1. Teach Your Children - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Déjà Vu
2. I Think I'm Paranoid - Garbage - Version 2.0
3. Pictures Of Matchstick Men - Status Quo - The British Invasion: The History Of British Rock, Vol. 8
4. Still Crazy After All These Years - Paul Simon - Negotiations And Love Songs 1971-1986
5. Nothing Else Matters - Metallica - Black Album

For the first time in 22,638 days — Nov. 19, 1949 — the Penn State Nittany Lions played a football game in which Joe Paterno was neither the head coach nor an assistant.
John Taylor, College Football Talk

Joe Pa is gone. Because he had to go. Even with his holier-than-thou persona, I always liked him. Until now. Now, I say good riddance. About his legacy: He'll be remembered for all the right reasons. They'll all be about his dismissal. In another context, he would have been called an enabler. He is the face of Penn State. Unfortunately, that's as true today as it was a few weeks ago and it will be true for quite a while to come. I can't imagine the hurt their students, faculty, and alumni feel but my sympathies lie entirely with the victims and their families. Bye, Joe.

About today's QOTD: Someone tries to kill you and you don't cooperate with police? As Seth Meyer would say, "Really?"

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. Hold On - Deep Purple - Stormbringer
2. Alegria - Cirque du Soleil - Download
3. What You Are - Drill - Empire Records
4. My Girl - The Temptations - AM Gold 1965
5. When It Comes To You - John Anderson - Seminole Wind

Quote of the Day

Stafford said there is no suspect description at this time. He said the victim was uncooperative with police.

Associated Press via MSNBC.com

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "Paterno is gone. McQueary has officially been shuffled into the dark background. Sponsors are dropping Penn State. Hell, sponsors are dropping us. The football program, long held up as an example of one of the few redeeming things about college athletics, is now beyond toxic. The game? Penn State's players will most certainly be carried by raw emotion for the first ten minutes of the game. How much is that worth? Can it make up for a week filled with the most unimaginable distractions? The players have had their lives emptied and scattered about the national landscape. They're pledging unity. It's all they have left."

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Prologue: It was nearly 30 years ago. We were still newlyweds and it was our first apartment. We lived in the tiny middle apartment of a triplex that had paper thin walls. It was a single bedroom at $295 per month that was all we could afford then. The couple in the front apartment had one of those signs on the front door that said "Forget the dog. Beware of owner" along with a picture of a loaded revolver. The guy (I assume it was the guy) snored so loud that it rattled our walls. I could hear his snoring in my bathroom with the door closed. The back apartment had a guy who owned a pit bull. He was away from his apartment for long hours and his poor dog got no attention so she would jump the fence and roam the neighborhood. I think people in the neighborhood were afraid of her and yelled at her or maybe even threw rocks at her. She would cower from us whenever she saw us.

Act I: We had a rodent problem in this middle apartment. My side of the bed faced the kitchen and I opened my eye one night to see a mouse wandering around in there. We called the landlord and reported it. I don't remember if they put out poison or had an exterminator do it but it got done. Here's the thing about that: When rats or mice eat the poison, they die. They're not particular about their final resting place. We had one die under the stove. The only way you know you have a dead rodent in the house is the aroma that's given off when they start to ripen. Did I mention this was a tiny apartment? The aroma was overpowering and disgusting. We finally located it under the stove and was able to get it out with some wire that I had. When I pulled him past the front stove plate, all of his fur was scraped off and I got myself a double dose of an already disgusting odor. Here's the thing: We weren't done.

Act II: I disposed of the rodent and all of his many pieces in a plastic bag inside another plastic bag and put it outside. We sprayed air freshener, mopped the floors, pulled the stove out and cleaned and disinfected. We could still smell it. A little fainter but it was still there. Surely, it will go away by morning. No. By morning, it was stronger. There must be another dead rodent somewhere in the apartment. We look high and low but can't find it. We have to go to work. We can't do anything about it now.

Act III: We get home that evening and the stench is much worse than it was when we left that morning. The smell is strongest in the bathroom. It is stronger still from the cabinets below the vanity. We remove everything. No sign of dead rodent but the smell is powerful. It must have died in the walls. We were pretty desperate to find the source and I had no tools then. What I had was Patsy's bowling ball. I took it and smashed the sheet rock in two places below the vanity. I was appalled somewhat to find zero insulation but I was more appalled to find zero dead rodents. We never did find the source. We kept the bathroom door closed, employed a multitude of air fresheners, and the smell gradually died down but it took about three weeks.

Epilogue: We asked an exterminator about the poison that supposedly makes the rodents seek water. It instructs you to eliminate any water source inside and they'll have to seek it outside. He said that was a myth. The water activates the poison. They can easily get the water outside and then come back inside and die. Unfortunately, poison is the only option in some cases.

About today's QOTD: Not sure I understand why he is still on staff unless authorities believe he told Joe Paterno more than Paterno claims he did. I'm starting to believe that he did.

5 song iTune shuffle from the CrabAppleLane Led Zeppelin playlist:

1. For Your Life - Led Zeppelin - Presence
2. In The Evening - Led Zeppelin - In Through The Out Door
3. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III
4. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I
5. Black Country Woman - Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti

Quote of the Day

Mike McQueary, one of the central figures in the burgeoning child sex abuse scandal at Penn State, will remain receivers coach Saturday when the Nittany Lions play their final home game of the season.

ESPN.com news services

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "Whilst it may be easy to gush about Julio Jones, after his incredible week 9 performance. I want to look at our other offensive rookie that has made a big impact on our offense."

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5 song iTune shuffle:

1. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes - Asia - Then & Now
2. Crane/White Lightning - The RZA & Charles Bernstein - Kill Bill, Vol. 1
3. Rattlesnake Shake - Fleetwood Mac - Then Play On
4. Sands Of Nevada - Mark Knopfler - Sailing To Philadelphia
5. The Devil Went Down To Georgia - The Charlie Daniels Band - Harley-Davidson Cycles: Road Songs

Quote of the Day

It was obvious that the witness was distraught over what he saw, but he at no time related to me the very specific actions contained in the grand jury report. Regardless, it was clear that the witness saw something inappropriate involving Mr. Sandusky. As Coach Sandusky was retired from our coaching staff at that time, I referred the matter to university administrators.

Joe Paterno, Penn State Head Football Coach

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "So the news broke--not as if we didn't know it was coming, since the grand jury was reported on months ago--about Jerry Sandusky, Tim Curley and Gary Shultz being brought up on charges."

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Today's QOTD is my new favorite expression.

Tuesday Morning Quarterback - Week 9, 2011

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. Someday Henry Gross - One More Tomorrow - The Best Of Henry Gross
2. Private Investigations - Dire Straits - On The Night (LIVE)
3. We Are The Dead - David Bowie - Diamond Dogs
4. Astronomy Domine (Live) - Pink Floyd - Take It Back
5. Crossroads - Cream - The Cream Of Clapton

Quote of the Day

Are you going to throw a wobbly?

Muna Hammami, Page Eight

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "South East London has always seemed to be an after-thought of where to go or live. However in recent times I have heard more and more people getting excited about it, even suggesting that it might be the 'New Hoxton / Shoreditch'."

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Good weekend for Louisiana football. The LSU Tigers came away from Tuscaloosa with a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. The New Orleans Saints got a much-needed win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yesterday. Former LSU star, Patrick Peterson, won the game for the Arizona Cardinals yesterday with an electrifying punt return for a touchdown in overtime and hometown hero, Eli Manning, led the New York Giants to a great win over the New England Patriots in Foxboro.

Penn State? They should have gotten out in front of that sooner.

Why does the media continue to give a guy like this the prestige he craves?

Love the nonchalance in the QOTD. Is that all?

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. Underway - Fleetwood Mac - Then Play On
2. Sweet Thing - David Bowie - Diamond Dogs
3. Take It Easy - The Eagles - Their Greatest Hits
4. Train In The Distance - Paul Simon - Negotiations And Love Songs 1971-1986
5. You Didn't Have To Be So Nice - The Lovin' Spoonful - AM Gold 1966

Quote of the Day

Western Kentucky, which is now riding its first five-game winning streak since 2004, heads to Louisiana State next week for an out-of-conference matchup.

Chad Bishop, Bowling Green Daily News

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "It's fun to watch LSU out-Saban Saban. You hate offense? Oh, we really hate offense. We hate offense more than you'll ever hate offense, Nick Saban. We hate offense so much we'll put Jordan Jefferson in at quarterback, but first let Jarrett Lee throw two picks just to give you what you want in the form of turnovers, but then take it away with good defense and suffocating your precious run game. We hate offense so much we kill both yours AND ours. That's how much we want to ironically be you, but even better."

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Saints are up, 17-3, at the half over a tough Tampa team in a pretty chippy game so far. They need to not let up. Update: Saints, 24-9, with 11 minutes remaining.

Think I have everything back to normal here. I think. Everything that was giving me trouble before seems to be working now. We'll see. Your patience is appreciated.

I offer one image of what passes for color changes here at CrabAppleLane. No comparison to what my northern friends get to see.

CrabAppleLane Backyard - November 6, 2011

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. Tyrant (Live) - Judas Priest - Living After Midnight
2. Armageddon It - Def Leppard - Hysteria
3. Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head - B.J. Thomas - AM Gold 1969
4. All Mixed Up - The Cars - The Cars
5. I Know You're Out There Somewhere - The Moody Blues - Moody Blues Greatest Hits

Quote of the Day

LSU still rules. Not because someone said so, but because it came here and took what it wanted.

Scott Rabalais, Baton Rouge Morning Advocate

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "We Need to Talk About Kevin is powerful, visceral cinema. It’s the kind of movie that makes you want to take a nice long, hot shower after coming home."

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Oversigning is a luxury that only the big time football schools enjoy and it's an understandable evil. You ask kids to commit to your program in February. It's going to be September before you play a game. You're counting on him. In those seven months, the kid flunks a history exam and becomes academically ineligible ... or he has a swimming accident and he can't play ... or he falls in love and decides to go straight to work in the family business.

In other news, I think I've resolved the issues that readers have been encountering here lately. At least, I hope I did. There are still some minor issues I'm having trouble with but, hopefully, they won't affect you.

It's Game Day. If you watch a single college football game this season, LSU-Alabama should be it.

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. For Your Love - The Yardbirds - Heart Full Of Soul And Other Hits
2. Sing Child - Heart - Dreamboat Annie
3. One More Heartache - Blackhawk - BlackHawk
4. This Girl's In Love With You - Dionne Warwick - AM Gold 1969
5. Don't Cry (Original) - Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I

Quote of the Day

I want the players to enjoy the glare and the light of the big stage. I want them to enjoy the opportunity to play for a big victory. Once I've prepared the team and after I feel I've done a quality job, I want the players to play with freedom.

Les Miles, LSU Head Coach

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "Much to the chagrin of some, though, there have been very few mentions of “oversigning”. Some have latched on to every single chance to hassle the national media into covering this “crisis”. As the internet’s self appointed defender of oversigning, let’s tackle this once more."

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My fondest memory of that game and, perhaps, my fondest memory of any game I attended had nothing to do with the play on the field. Because the game had national interest, it had been moved from Saturday night to Thanksgiving Thursday night. That upset a lot of LSU fans, who view Saturday night football as religion. That's how I ended up with free tickets. I digress. We were there early. About two hours before the game, the Alabama bus arrived. Bear Bryant, in his houndstooth hat, walked onto the Tiger Stadium turf along with his players, dressed in their black slacks, tie, and brilliant crimson blazers. They were very impressive. The student section rose and started yelling TIGER BAIT - TIGER BAIT - TIGER BAIT at them. The rest of the stadium rose and joined in. People milling about on the ramps and at the concession stands hurried into the stadium to join in, too. Thanks, Bear. You were truly a one-of-a-kind crowd pleaser.

Oh, Alabama won, 21-7.

The oddsmakers have installed Alabama as a 5pt favorite for tomorrow night’s big game. In my view, they’re giving them 3 points because the game is in Tuscaloosa and 2 more points because of Alabama head coach, Nick Saban. LSU head coach, Les Miles, has been underestimated his whole time in Baton Rouge and he’s being underestimated now. Saban may be stronger on X’s and O’s and techniques but Miles is better with his players. He believes in them. Always. He also has that does-he-have-any-idea-what-he’s-doing thing going for him that drives other coaches crazy, particularly tightly-wound coaches like Nick Saban. Les Miles is NOT overmatched. This is his kind of game. He enjoys this and that carries over to his players. They’ll be ready.

About the game: Both teams have great defenses. Both teams like to run the ball. Both teams are loaded with NFL-type talent. I’m a homer but I like LSU in this game because they have more experience at quarterback and because they have a wide receiver, Reuben Randle, who is a matchup problem for the Tide. Overall, I think the Tigers have more playmakers across the board.

Today's QOTD comes from a lovely article about LSU head coach, Les Miles.

One more thing:

Man up, Tide. The Tigers are coming.

There is still some unexplained wonkiness here at the CrabAppleLane Blog. Getting mysterious 500 Internal Server errors when people comment sometimes but not always. If you get one, your comment is here. It may or may not be published, though. From CrabAppleLane's host:

I am sorry that you are having troubles with receiving intermittent 500 internal server errors. Our engineering team is aware of the issue and working to resolve it as soon as possible. We do not have actual time frame at this time.

I hope this gets straightened out soon and, again, your patience is greatly appreciated.

5 song iTune shuffle from the CrabAppleLane Five Star playlist:

1. Highway Star - Deep Purple - Machine Head (Roger Glover Remixes)
2. Gimme Shelter - Grand Funk Railroad - Caught In The Act
3. Ashes to Diamonds - Tom Cochrane & Red Rider - Tom Cochrane And Red Rider
4. Temptation Eyes - The Grass Roots - 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Grass Roots
5. Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To...) - Queen - A Night At The Opera

Quote of the Day

The crowd stands and applauds. Other parents offer congratulations. He is happy. There will be plenty of time to recruit and watch film, solitary meals eaten out of Styrofoam with a plastic fork, endless hours spent on his team. He will undoubtedly put his work above everything else in the days and years ahead, but tonight, on Friday, Oct.28, he chose family.

Wright Thompson, ESPN

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "Are you going to really concentrate at work today? Yeah, me neither."

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There is still some unexplained wonkiness here at the CrabAppleLane Blog. Getting mysterious 500 Internal Server errors when people comment sometimes but not always. If you get one, your comment is here. It may or may not be published, though. From CrabAppleLane's host:

I am sorry that you are having troubles with receiving intermittent 500 internal server errors. Our engineering team is aware of the issue and working to resolve it as soon as possible. We do not have actual time frame at this time.

I hope this gets straightened out soon and, again, your patience is greatly appreciated.

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. Honey Now - Gillian Welch - Hell Among the Yearlings
2. Make Me Your Baby - Barbara Lewis - AM Gold 1965
3. Highway 49 - George Thorogood - Harley-Davidson Cycles: Road Songs
4. Mamma Mia - ABBA - Gold
5. Nothing Is True - Earlimart - Mentor Tormentor

Quote of the Day

She's mad because I've ordered her to bring the car back, in a nutshell, but yeah, that's me. I lost my temper. Her mother was there, she wasn't hurt ... it was a long time ago ... I really don't want to get into this right now because as you can see my life's been made very difficult over this child.

Judge William Adams, Aransas County, Texas

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "Hillary Adams explained her reasoning for the release to a local news station, saying ““My father’s harassment was getting really bad, so I decided to finally publish the video that I had been sitting on for 7 years.”"

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World War II in photos. Every time I sift through a collection of WWII images, I end up seeing something unexpected. Sometimes poignant, sometimes very sad, sometimes mind-boggling. Today, I'm going with mind-boggling. Picture #44 at the link. 25,000 fighter planes in 1944 alone? Germany was being bombed night and day by then.

There is still some unexplained wonkiness here at the CrabAppleLane Blog. Getting mysterious 500 Internal Server errors when people comment sometimes but not always. If you get one, your comment is here. It may or may not be published, though. I'll be checking in regularly to correct those problems until I figure out what's going on. Have taken some additional steps last night and this morning. Your patience is greatly appreciated.

Today's QOTD comes from a New York Times article that also includes one of the coolest terms ever: "Compulsive thinking disorder". You'll have to read the article to see what "harmonized" means. I haven't read the whole thing yet but I will.

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. Two Hearts - Phil Collins - Hits
2. After Erasmus - Al Reingold - After Erasmus
3. Rock 'N Roll Widow - Wishbone Ash - Wishbone Four
4. Ramblin' Man - The Allman Brothers Band - Brothers And Sisters
5. While You See a Chance - Stevie Winwood - Andrea's Gift Mix

Quote of the Day

Again I was ‘harmonized.

Pi San, Chinese Animator

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "In keeping with a China Blog tradition, I'll sign off with a photo from the bureau window. Only this time there's no snarl of cars to be seen. Amazing how a few tanks (they're practicing today for the Oct. 1 National Day parade) can clear out traffic."

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DirecTV somehow reached an agreement with Fox yesterday. We also have our local CBS affiliate, WWL, this morning but that could still change. My guess now is the parties are feeling the heat from subscribers on one side and advertisers on the other to reach a deal.

I know we like computers that multitask but do we really want people doing it? Would you want your heart surgeon multitasking? How about your waiter? It is inevitable because the "new normal" is to get by with as little manpower as we can but is it a great thing?

Tuesday Morning Quarterback and Happy 45th Birthday, New Orleans Saints.

Today's QOTD is from Dell Computers. I'm sure everyone got one but I still felt special.

5 song iTune shuffle:

1. A Passage To Bangkok - Rush - Chronicles
2. Firefly - Main Theme Song - Joss Whedon - Firefly
3. Watermark - Enya - Watermark
4. Isn't Life Strange - The Moody Blues - Moody Blues Greatest Hits
5. Am I In Love? - Asia - Then & Now

Quote of the Day

Hello beautiful

Dell Mass Email

Blog of the day is here.

Quote from said blog: "OEM customers are not your usual bunch. They create products on top of Dell’s products, and they are engineers, not IT staff. For OEM customers, Dell’s new Windows tablet is a hot topic, because users are now expecting tablets – thanks to the iPad – even in applications where the iPad is not viable."

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