June 2005 Archives
I haven't posted on my own blog for nine days and I'm sure some of you know it already, but the longer you go without posting, the easier it gets to let the thing sit. If only other habits could be broken as effortlessly.
I spent the better part of last week as always, riding the glam train. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, it's something I fondly call my freelance photography business in Nashville. It's an expression born of the fact that so many people believe my job consists of one high-paying glamorous adventure after another. Believe me, it has its moments and I live for them, but they are measured mostly in milliseconds. This week I got to shoot some of the "Best" things about my city, a job I have had some part in, for roughly eleven years. It began with someone's version of the best cheeseburger in town and sixteen shots later, ended last night with me cruising the streets downtown for the third time, looking for men in Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots. No, I'm not kidding. It's a thankless job but somebody had to do it.
So I'm walking down Broadway, checking the tag on every man's jeans that passes me - mind your tongue, and wondering how long it will be until someone's girlfriend slaps the snot out of me before I even get a chance to duck. After an hour and a half (mostly unproductive), I decide to get a beer and seat myself in the back of a nearly empty bar. A country band was busy playing Merle Haggard and George Strait tunes for tips.
Now, if someone had asked me what was going to happen next, I would have guessed that a drunk guy, the self-proclaimed "combination of Bob Dylan and Tom Petty", would walk straight into the bar, spot the camera and the vest, and proceed to sing his whole demo tape directly into my ear. I would've guessed that he would, in doing so, tap the radar of every waitress in the room by physically leaning against me while he talked and sang, for a good thirty minutes. I would have guessed that me, being good-natured about such things would have tolerated this behavior (knowing that I have in my right hand a six point something pound instrument with which to bludgeon someone, should it become necessary) would've allowed him to continue on without interruption. Bubble gum and beer, cigarettes and heartbreak, all accented beautifully by a pedal steel guitar in the distance. The one thing I wouldn't have guessed was that there'd be a guy break dancing out on the sidewalk, in a jalapeno pepper costume. That's the beauty of the glam train though. She's unpredictable.
70 days until football season begins.............
Quote of the DayBlog of the day here.
The first thing I remember knowing,
Was a lonesome whistle blowing,
And a young un's dream of growing up to ride;
On a freight train leaving town,
Not knowing where I'm bound,
No-one could change my mind but Mama tried.
Merle Haggard, Mama Tried
Quote from said blog: "I am not sure, however, that I should look sexy, as I work in a library and I am not sure that sexiness is the look I should be shooting for."
Rob, thanks for letting me in here. Just got back from vacation in Washington, D.C. For any American who has never been there, it's one of those places you must see before your time here is up. The rest of the world may enjoy it as well - but not in the same way we arrogant Yanks do. We're very high on ourselves. After just 5 days there, I can see why.
I had been there a few times but my wife and kids had not. We did a lot of traditional stuff that I had done before - Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, various Smithsonian museums. New highlights for me were Mount Vernon, the Holocaust Museum and the new Air and Space Museum. And there's still lots that I haven't seen. I'll go there again someday.
Gotta run. Thanks again for the opportunity Rob and the tomatoes are great!
Watched The Girl in the Café last night not knowing what to expect. I hadn’t read anything about it but HBO was promoting it pretty regularly. It is one of their original productions (Their original programming is the best reason to subscribe). It kind of looked like a normal, subdued British comedy and I tend to like those kinds of movies. It was that and quite a bit more. Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald are wonderful and they’re terrific together. This one was worth staying up late for.
I’m relegating myself to comments and, if necessary, guest blogger support for the next few days. Have a great week. On to the CrabAppleLane Sunday morning pictures:
One of the views from my back deck. The bird feeder in the foreground has a chickadee on it that’s a tad hard to make out. The glorious Texas Star Hibiscus is in the background in the sun. The chickadees love that feeder and chase off any bird its size and most birds a little bit larger.
I have more than my share of vines throughout the yard. The green ones, which vary from bright green to almost olive green, are covered with large stickers and make my trailblazing adventures a bit bloody (See CrabAppleLane Trailblazing 101). These vines reach the tops of the trees. The shortest one pictured here is at least 50 feet long.
74 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
Don't think because I'm not saying much
that I wouldn't like to say a lot.
Bill Nighy, The Girl in the Café
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "I want nothing to do with anyone at the moment."
I generally don’t read or care much about celebrities but its pretty hard to avoid Tom Cruise right now. Was he not getting enough attention before? I never gave him much thought before he started to show up on every talk show and web log. This is rather new. I tend to like his movies (He made Rain Man work, not Dustin Hoffman). What I’ve gathered from all of the recent Cruise stuff: Without a script and a director, he’s an insufferable twit. Yawn.
Last Call: Last year, I asked for guest blogger volunteers for the week of June 27-July 1. I was going on vacation and it seemed like a fun thing to do. It was quite successful and I enjoyed the guest bloggers entries immensely. Their accounts here have been re-opened. Many thanks to kitty, Fi, Pitcherlady, and Hyde for contributing. I’m doing that again this year even though I am not actually going on a vacation (Call it a vacation from blogging). If you’ve never blogged before, here’s your chance to see what it is all about. If you use different blogging software, here’s your chance to see what the latest Movable Type version does. If you already blog, here’s a chance to do something different and shamelessly plug your own blog to maybe some different readers. If you’re interested, email me for details.
75 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
You don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do.
Tom Cruise, To Matt Lauer
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Food was endless yesterday and I am seriously pondering not weighing in tomorrow. I mean I still feel like my tummy is still holding onto the rice/chicken wrap, chocolate cookie, 2 tallboy Heinekins, 1 small bag of BBQ Lays, medium rare steak, baked pototo, green beans and brownie with ice cream!"
Just a rolling ache and pain machine here. The left thumb is healing nicely after I almost sliced it off a few weeks ago. It still has that detached feeling. The staph infection on my right wrist is still lingering but is not bothering me too much. The arthritic left knee is feeling pretty good for the first time in a while. The bursitis in my right shoulder moved to the left shoulder. I’m fairly sure that’s what it is but I haven’t been to a doctor to confirm it. It made sleeping difficult last night. Ibuprofen eased the pain enough to get back to sleep.
Some other bits:
Love Jana’s story of the 9yr old boy and Harry Potter. I might have said the same thing when I was 9 but I wouldn't have thought it was all that cool and I would have never imagined that it might shame the other person. That perception thing is funny sometimes.
Steroids in sports, plastic surgery in beauty pageants.
76 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
He says I am his greatest accomplishment.
In other words, I’m here thanks to everything he did.
I don’t believe surgery changed my essence.
Maria Julia Mantilla, Miss World
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "It's not as if I'm not used to heat - Australian summers are far hotter and far longer than those we experience here. But the different thing about this heat is the pollution. I can smell it in the air, I can feel it on my skin, I'm breathing it... it feels like I'm surrounded by it all day, every day."
Pollution is not something I associate with Paris. -Rob
This is no surprise but I buck that trend. I go to movies more now than I did a year or two ago. They need to make movies that I want to get out and see and they need to be in the theater for several weeks for me to get to them. I can only go on weekends and I don’t particularly care for the big crowds in theaters any more. I don’t mind a half-filled theater but the first run theaters tend to send the films to the dollar cinemas as soon as they stop filling up. Once they’re there, I’m willing to wait a few weeks for them to come to pay-per-view. Give me a nice, big budget, action-adventure film without a 2, 3, or 4 behind it and I’ll pay top dollar and go see it.
77 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
In sixty-nine I was twenty-one and I called the road my own
I don’t know when that road turned onto the road I’m on
Running on Empty, Jackson Browne
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Or in other words, "a list I'm writing in lieu of writing about my trip to the flea market this weekend, since I'm trying to hold to my promise of not making fun of people anymore"."
The only good thing I can say about Tulane’s horrific loss yesterday to Baylor is I’m glad I didn’t watch it. I listened to the first couple of innings on the radio on my drive home. I never once thought they had the game locked up even leading, 6-0. There figured to be a lot of scoring. This is college baseball, aluminum bats, the top two starters for both teams were used up, and this is Tulane. Tip of the cap to the Baylor Bears for not giving up. I’m disappointed because this was Tulane’s best shot for a few years but they didn’t deserve to win the way they played while in Omaha.
The reason I didn’t watch the game once I got home was because I had other things on my mind. I had a package from Amazon.com waiting for me with a new CD, a new DVD, and a new book.
About The Historian: It was released just yesterday and it’s a pretty thick book. How is it that Amazon already has (As of this writing) 21 reviews posted? I suppose you could pick it up at midnight and tear through it all day and get it finished. I find that somewhat remarkable because I have started and finished exactly one book in one day in my whole life and that one was under 300 pages. That was a Robert B Parker Spenser novel and a fairly breezy read. This one is over twice that long and doesn’t figure to be breezy. I think something is amiss that so many people could have read this thing already and posted reviews.
78 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
My dear and unfortunate successor:
It is with regret that I imagine you, whoever you are,
reading the account I must put down here.
The regret is partly for myself—
for I will surely be at least in trouble, maybe dead,
or perhaps worse, if this is in your hands.
Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "I had to chuckle when I read this. Mostly I guess, because if this is the case, then I'm a happy person. I have more than once, started pointing out cool things to passengers when I have had to take a detour:"
Follow-up appointment with the dermatologist today. I expect he’ll just tell me to stay the course and it should be completely gone in a few days/weeks. There’s still a small mass of some kind on my wrist but its not the angry red it was a week ago and it is considerably smaller. The antibiotics are doing their job.
Tip of the cap to the Texas Longhorns. They manhandled Tulane last night in the College World Series. Haven’t seen much of that this year. Uphill now for the Green Wave.
Announcement: Last year, I asked for guest blogger volunteers for the week of June 27-July 1. I was going on vacation and it seemed like a fun thing to do. It was quite successful and I enjoyed the guest bloggers entries immensely. Many thanks to kitty, Fi, Pitcherlady, and Hyde for contributing. I’m doing that again this year even though I am not actually going on a vacation (Call it a vacation from blogging). If you’ve never blogged before, here’s your chance to see what it is all about. If you use different blogging software, here’s your chance to see what the latest Movable Type version does. If you already blog, here’s a chance to do something different and shamelessly plug your own blog to maybe some different readers. If you’re interested, email me for details.
79 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
I need a unit to sample and hold
But not the angry one
A new design, new design.
Neil Young, Sample and Hold
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Out of nowhere, I found myself being violently berated by my friend's wife. This took me by surprise, because I hadn't seen or spoken to this lady in almost a year."
I recorded National Treasure Friday night at the one day only price of 99¢ while we watched Lemony Snickets at the regular PPV price of $3.99. Everything was working fine then. UltimateTV went out Saturday afternoon about 10 minutes into our viewing of National Treasure. I was hooked but all of the recorded shows on the UltimateTV receiver, including National Treasure, were now lost. After buying and installing a new TiVo receiver yesterday in an hour-long operation that should have taken 10 minutes (See next paragraph), I recorded National Treasure again but, this time, at the regular $3.99 price. Yes, I was aggravated.
About the TiVo and DirecTV: Not long after you start installing your new receiver (BTW, it’s a product packaged and marketed by DirecTV), your TV screen will instruct you to call DirecTV Support to activate your system. I did as instructed where I was greeted by a phone menu system that had no menu option whatsoever that said anything about activating your system. Some of the options I chose that I thought might get me there were dead ends. I am not a new customer of theirs. I have been with them since their first year (When people answered the phone). However, most people calling to activate their system are new customers. Their first experience with support is a runaround menu system. Not a good idea.
And, finally, about National Treasure: I enjoyed this movie. It had some silliness but I give it thumbs up on effort alone. I love epic, bigger-than-life, action adventures with magnificent scenery and noble heroes. When done right, like the Indiana Jones series, they’re my favorite kind of movie. This one doesn’t get there but its not bad, either. An enjoyable two hours or so.
80 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
It's surrounded by guards, video monitors,
and little kids on their eighth grade field trips.
Riley, National Treasure
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "If I take my kids to see a matinee movie, I will not get out of the theater without spending $45 for tickets, popcorn, sodas and candy. How many hours do most people have to work to earn $45?"
The UltimateTV receiver in my living room is dead. I turn it on, it plays for about 5 minutes, then freezes and turns itself on and off. I’ve reset it several times to no avail. Stick a fork in it. What I really want to replace it with has come down in price substantially but not substantially enough. I’ll buy the $99 version today and live with it until I can afford what I want. Hopefully, the price will drop considerably more by then.
Tulane took a hard-fought 3-1 win from Oregon State in the CWS yesterday and will now face Texas, a 5-1 winner over Baylor, tomorrow night. I'm sure my friend, Kim, will be pulling for the wrong team but that's OK. :) It figures to be a good one.
On to some Sunday morning pictures from CrabAppleLane:
The Texas Star Hibiscus wilting in the Louisiana heat.
My bluebirds are on their second clutch. I think that's a roach in its beak. Yet another good reason to have them around. Was going to clean out the birdhouse this weekend. Glad I saw this first.
81 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad.
You know I'm gonna be like you."
Harry Chapin, Cats in the Cradle
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "My flying today took my over the areas of Southern Iraq. I flew over ancient Babylon and the ancient home of Abraham."
We watched Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events last night. I was somewhat dozing at the time so I have to watch certain parts of it again this morning. It was not at all what I expected. Quite charming. Of course, the children steal the show from the adults. Jim Carey and Meryl Streep were no match for Emily Browning and Liam Aiken. Quite amazing that IMBD had only one quote from this movie. It was, by far, the best one in the movie.
Tulane and Oregon State in the College World Series today at 2PM. Go Wave.
And the meme: I got this from Ilyka, who got it from Jim, who has a little too much time on his hands.
1) It is many the dog and the cat it spreads out how, it has?
At my house, they spread because we feed them too much.
2) How many licks it adopts obtains to the tootsie popular music center?
More licks than Smoke on the Water but probably less than Green Grass and High Tides Forever.
3) Which thing fairies for one life?
Not going there.
4) The some box the grass spread out and for it left?
It helps with the glaucoma.
5) Why capacities frilly the underpants
The only answer I have is why not?
Your turn. Pay attention and follow instructions:
1. Delete the first question listed above.
2. Bump the remaining four questions up one number each (question 2 becomes question 1, question 3 becomes question 2, etc.).
3. Make up your own fifth question. Translate it from English to the foreign language of your choice (I used the babelfish), then take that translation and translate it back to English, whereupon you should discover a perfectly formed question in, yes, ENGRISH.
4. If you got this from me, link back to this post.
82 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
You know, Curdled Cave is for sale.
And pretty soon, people will come to look at it.
And some of those people will be... realtors
Liam Aiken, Lemony Snickets A Series of Unfortunate Events
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "I'm not quite sure which was worse, the huge media hoohah that was the verdict of the Michael Jackson trial last night, or the fact that I ended up glued to the telly watching it."
“Wal-Mart takes aim at Target” says the headline. Can they both lose? Probably not but one can hope. Yes, I have issues with Wal-Mart, the Wal-Mart culture, and the consequences of a Wal-Mart wherever one is built. If you’re a Star Trek fan, Wal-Mart is like the Borg. They devour local merchants. No big issues with Target. Its just an annoying place. Understaffed is the word that comes to mind to describe the Targets I’ve been to. I have shopping issues in general, I suppose. I’d like a store to be laid out completely in a self-serve way (That includes having everything priced) so I can find everything I need on my own without any assistance or I want full service. Nothing in between. Nothing half-a$$ed.
83 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
I’m living for givin’ the devil his due
And I’m burnin’, I’m burnin’, I’m burnin’ for you
Blue Oyster Cult, Burnin' For You
Blog of the day via Fish Fear Me is here.
Quote from said blog: "So if the blogosphere is Van Halen, I'm like Michael Anthony's 4th cousin."
This is the fun time of year. A little bunny scooted out of my tomato garden the other day. I think its been nibbling on the lower tomatoes that it can reach. I lose 10-15% of my tomatoes every season to insects or critters. I still have enough left over and they gotta eat, too, so I don’t bother trying to keep them away. The only way to do that would involve pesticides. I prefer to just grow more than I need. I was offered a fantasy football player for some of these yesterday.
Was told yesterday that my finish mower was still waiting for a part and that it won’t be ready this weekend. The grass and weeds are starting to get pretty tall. Will break out the push mower Saturday and cut some areas that we use every day and I’ll just be embarrassed for at least another week. Hopefully, the centipede grass will go to seed and I’ll get something out of this down time.
Announcement: Last year, I asked for guest blogger volunteers for the week of June 27-July 1. I was going on vacation and it seemed like a fun thing to do. It was quite successful and I enjoyed the guest bloggers entries immensely. Many thanks to kitty, Fi, Pitcherlady, and Hyde for contributing. I’m doing that again this year even though I am not actually going on a vacation (Call it a vacation from blogging). If you’ve never blogged before, here’s your chance to see what it is all about. If you use different blogging software, here’s your chance to see what the latest Movable Type version does. If you already blog, here’s a chance to do something different and shamelessly plug your own blog to maybe some different readers. If you’re interested, email me for details.
84 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
I'm a robot man
Well, that's my mind
That's my life
That's my soul
Scorpions, Robot Man
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "It’s like a front-porch jam, except everyone is bringing their opinions to the table instead of their tasty new bluegrass licks."
Last night, I saw an Ipod display at the Sam’s I go to. I read about them a lot on the web and see them advertised on TV but I don’t know anyone who owns one and I'd never seen one in real life. Until now. The TV commercials don’t mention the price. I really didn’t want one because I don’t have that many opportunities to use anything like that but I was curious. Judging by the size of the device and the content of the commercials, I assumed they were $79-$99 or so. Was I mistaken! I simply had no idea.
Stole this gem from Fi's Top Ten Cool Facts About New Zealand. She rates it at Number 7. I'd rate it higher.
New Zealand has the longest place-name still in use; Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapiki-maungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu which means "The hilltop where Tamatea with big knees, conqueror of mountains, eater of land, traveller over land and sea, played his koauau to his beloved."
85 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
I spin around with shrieking tires
to run the deadly race
Go screaming through the valley
as another joins the chase
Rush, Red Barchetta
Blog of the day via Kiwifruit is here.
Quote from said blog's "Fozzie" entry: "The museum is in a tiny 16th century house. Its very well designed, they have the (stndar) teddy bears picnic, a collection of heritage bears adn some very famous bears including Mr Beans bear and at the very end Fozzie is grinning at you from the wall."
Decided yesterday morning that nothing I was doing to/for my wrist was working and it wasn’t getting better on its own. It was time to seek professional medical treatment. What happened next was nothing short of miraculous. Miracle Number 1: After sifting through a pdf file to see what dermatologists were on the plan and at least remotely in the area of my workplace, the first one I called was able to see me yesterday at 2:15PM. Miracle Number 2: I arrived for my appointment at 2:10PM, signed in, gave them my card, and then filled out the shortest form I’ve ever seen. I had never been there before. Miracle Number 3: They called me into the examination room at about 2:20PM. I’m used to at least an hour’s delay. Miracle Number 4: The nurse who showed me to the room asked two or three questions. When she left, the doctor came in at about 2:25PM. Wham, Bam.
This is the second dermatologist I’ve been to. I had a growth removed some years ago. These two dermatologists share one trait: Decisiveness. He looked at what I had and went into motion. I was out of there by 2:45PM. I spent more time at the drugstore getting the prescriptions filled and more time at the fast food restaurant than I did at the doctors office. Amazing.
The upshot (Thanks, Andrea) is that it seems to be draining now. It was still angry red and big last night when I removed the doctor’s dressing. It’s a bit sore now but there’s also a good deal of relief. I have some antibiotics, bacterial soap, and a bacterial cream I’m treating it with for a time. The doctor sent off a culture for examination and I’ll know what it was when he gets the report in a few days. It is likely that it was not the result of an insect bite. He said it is likely an “abscess from a primary staph infection”. My medical ignorance is such that I thought you could only get a staph infection at a hospital.
Congratulations to the Tulane Green Wave. On to the College World Series. Go Wave.
86 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
I think we all just looked at the evidence and pretty much agreed
Juror Number 5, Michael Jackson Trial
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "I’m going to write it with both men and women in mind — as well as pointing out gorgeous pieces and sales, i’ll also be writing tips for clueless men and wary women not sure of what they should buy and what sizes to get."
We finished Hush, Hush, Sweet Charoltte yesterday. It was fun but a bit dated. I don’t think Bette Davis would make it today. She’s way, way over the top in some scenes.
Crawfish, but not from Louisiana.
Tulane staved off elimination yesterday and will battle Rice for a berth in the College World Series today. Go Wave.
87 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight
Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
We're off to never-never land
Metallica, Enter Sandman
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "As I mentioned a few days ago, we are surrounded by amazing diversity; botanical gardens are great places to appreciate that."
Fun place with great photos. -Rob
We started watching Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte late last night. I haven’t seen this since I was a kid and I hardly remembered any of what I’ve seen so far. We intend to finish it today. Bette Davis was in another movie called Whatever Happened to Baby Jane from around the same time and I always get these two movies mixed up so I undoubtedly have details of each mixed in with the other. Victor Buono is in each of these. He’s a “special guest star” in Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte and I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why. I don’t remember him being a movie star. My best recollections of Victor Buono are his hilarious readings of his own poetry on the Johnny Carson show.
I have a rather large boil or infected insect bite or something on my right wrist that is making it very difficult to write. I generally don’t write that much so it has only been a minor inconvenience. I have tried several different things short of professional medical treatment to alleviate the pressure. It is not causing me a great deal of pain unless something impacts it and it doesn’t itch at all. Patsy just got back from the drugstore. She picked up a behind-the-counter product called Ichthammol Ointment. It may or may not work. It looks, smells, and feels like wheel bearing grease. Probably could have saved a few bucks and got it at the auto parts store. I absolutely loathe the idea of losing a half a day or more getting treated for something this minor. Unfortunately, I may have no choice.
Tulane got in their game with Rice yesterday but I'm sure they wish now that it would have rained. Uphill now but I think they're up to it.
So Mike Tyson fought again. Yawn. Does it really rate front page of anything except maybe Sad Sacks R Us?
88 days until football season begins...............
On to some Sunday morning pictures from CrabAppleLane.
That orangish one won’t quite be ready to eat this afternoon but it will have to be picked. Very few red, red ones survive on my bushes for very long.
Sometimes, they don't get to the red stage. Curious growth at the top of this one.
We used some hay for mulch a few years ago. I recommend you not do that. We now have a good bit of Bayaha grass growing throughout the lawn. Bayaha grass looks a little like weeds with the tassles and all but its not. Its equally hard to get rid of but I don't bother. Its not really a problem because it looks a great deal like regular grass when its short. However, when your finish mower is in the shop.............
Just as last year and every year before, the twin Crepe Myrtles take turns blooming. The one on the left will be completely finished before the one on the right starts. They were the same size and same variety when I bought them and they were planted on the same day about 12 feet apart.
Quote of the Day
What do you think I asked you here for? Company?
Bette Davis - Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Have I ever said here how glad I am I drive....er... drove ...a Saturn? The things that were supposed to crumple and take the force of the impact did exactly what they were supposed to do, and the interior compartment was virtually unchanged."
Arlene appears to be taking aim at the Florida panhandle. Pensacola looks to be in for another rough go. You’re always thankful when hurricanes veer away from you but it also makes you a bit sad because that only means they’re going somewhere else. Pensacola was hit super hard by Ivan last year. Arlene is not as strong as Ivan but the city isn’t as strong this time, either. The damage being done is almost incalculable, especially for their biggest business, tourism.
Maybe has a bit too much time on their hands.
Tulane and Rice tangle in a Super Regional today at Tulane. My guess at the moment is that it will be delayed or postponed by rain.
89 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
There behind a glass stands a real blade of grass
Be careful as you pass, move along, move along
Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression Pt. 2)
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Paula and I were up at Paula's Mums yesterday and I took my camera with me in case any foxes or deer appeared as they are wont to do. A couple of young foxes came into the garden and I got some quite good shots, though focus was a little dodgy at times."
I don’t make the news. I just sometimes find it:
BERLIN - A German city is rushing to install a series of drive-in wooden “sex huts” in time for next year’s soccer World Cup and an expected boom in the local sex trade, a city official said on Wednesday.
Yeah, that would go over here.
I used to joke that the NBA off season was the 4th of July weekend. I admit its not all that funny but its also not all that far from the truth, either.
Update on my Queen DVD sound complaint: When I turn it up pretty high (I prefer it that way, anyway) as I did last night, it sounds great throughout. I suppose it was just recorded on a lower setting.
Just go away and die already, Arlene. You’re not welcome anywhere.
Last year, I asked for guest blogger volunteers for the week of June 27-July 1. I was going on vacation and it seemed like a fun thing to do. It was quite successful and I enjoyed the guest bloggers entries immensely. Many thanks to kitty, Fi, Pitcherlady, and Hyde for contributing. I’m doing that again this year even though I am not actually going on a vacation (Call it a vacation from blogging). If you’ve never blogged before, here’s your chance to see what it is all about. If you use different blogging software, here’s your chance to see what the latest Movable Type version does. If you already blog, here’s a chance to do something different and shamelessly plug your own blog to maybe some different readers. If you’re interested, email me for details.
90 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
Everybody's out in the streets stocking up on food, buying every generator in sight, and gasoline.
Mayor John Fogg, Pensacola, Florida
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "What sort of post do you get when a Denmark-resident "moron" notices South Africa's News 24's curious choice of an AP photo to place alongside a News 24 (AFP also?) story on a different subject?"
Just tell me when I can start a video collection I can keep. We started recording and buying VHS tapes after the VHS-Betamax war was over. VHS won. We were a tad late for the DVD party. We held out until about two years ago before buying a DVD player. We’ve wasted a good bit of money replacing some of our favorite VHS videos with DVD videos. Apparently, we weren’t quite late enough and we may be replacing our favorite DVD videos with some other DVD format soon. Undoubtedly, we will have a large and expensive (To replace) collection by the time one of the two new formats wins the war. Should I stop buying DVDs now and wait until a new HD-DVD format is settled on? Just how long will that take? To say this is annoying is a bit of an understatement.
91 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
This is possibly the most shameful situation I’ve ever gotten myself in in my life, and I’ve done some pretty dumb things in my life. So to actually make a new number one is spectacularly stupid.
Russell Crowe, Actor
Blog of the day via the Cheesemistress is here.
Quote from said blog: "Jack Black left me on my back, Mac! I distinctly remember slurring those words on more than one occasion."
I needed and wanted a bike for the exercise but also because it is the best way to take in the gorgeous scenery in and around Bush. In addition to the mostly new asphalt roads near our house in Bush, the Tammany Trace provides more scenic biking. Once I have a better idea of how far and how long I can ride, I’ll give the trace a go. I’ve traveled over it in several spots in my vehicle but have never been on it.
The Tammany Trace in Covington. It is a tad more picturesque once you get past the construction about 100 yards down the trail.
The sign is deceiving. The trace might have ended here once but you can see where it now continues across the road. That’s LA Hwy 21 behind the sign, which is also a very scenic highway. Serious cycle enthusiasts use that highway quite a bit.
92 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
I am quite surprised that with all my work, and some of it is very, very good, that nobody talks about ‘The Miracle Worker.’ We’re talking about Mrs. Robinson. I understand the world. ... I’m just a little dismayed that people aren’t beyond it yet.
Anne Bancroft, 1931-2005
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "The New Hampshire Highland Games is the largest Scottish cultural festival in the Northeast, so I would have to imagine the trip would pay for itself, with everything there is to see and do at the festival."
So I was watching the Tulane-Alabama regional playoff game last night at about 9:40PM when lightning struck. An NCAA official with a gadget in hand came out and stopped the game. If lightning is within a certain radius of the ballpark, the game must be stopped for a minimum of 30 minutes. I suppose that gadget determined how close the lightning was. Truth be told, that game should have been postponed a day. It rained throughout, the outfield was drenched, and the rain kept at least one ball from going out of the park last night. That cost Tulane a run. They finished the game late last night but I was finished before they did.
The Tulane Green Wave moves on. LSU lost to Rice and will stay home. Rice will be a good test for the Wave but I expect Tulane to keep moving into the College World Series. When the season started, Tulane and LSU were ranked 1 & 2. Tulane because of their experience and their talent, LSU because they were loaded with seniors and tradition. LSU played very well at times but never found any consistency and played most of their best baseball a few weeks ago. Tulane has played well almost all year. Go Wave.
Last year, I asked for guest blogger volunteers for the week of June 27-July 1. I was going on vacation and it seemed like a fun thing to do. It was quite successful and I enjoyed the guest bloggers entries immensely. Many thanks to kitty, Fi, Pitcherlady, and Hyde for contributing. I’m doing that again this year even though I am not actually going on a vacation (Call it a vacation from blogging). If you’ve never blogged before, here’s your chance to see what it is all about. If you use different blogging software, here’s your chance to see what the latest Movable Type version does. If you already blog, here’s a chance to do something different and shamelessly plug your own blog to maybe some different readers. If you’re interested, email me for details.
6 years to life? I think it should be closer to life than 6 years.
93 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
Crawling down the alley on your hands and knee
I’m sure you’re not protected, for it’s plain to see
David Bowie, Diamond Dogs
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "The This Life family -- minus Dad and A who have to stay here for baseball games -- are headin' to the wilds of Western Kentucky later this week for the annual So-Normal-It's-Painful-Except-For-The-Crazy-Catholic-Branch Family Reunion (as opposed to CooCoo-for-Cocoa-Puffs-Redneck-Grudgefest Reunion that is D's family), so there will be no posts until Monday."
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: We watched this yesterday. This was a fun movie despite that morbidly funny quote below. I don’t buy Chuck Barris as a CIA hit man for a moment but the movie makes a case of how it could have been. That case is sometimes plausible but mostly hilarious. Sam Rockwell, as Chuck Barris, is perfect. The Gong Show segments, with Rockwell cutting up on the side like Barris used to do, are right on the money. Good flick. I think I’m going to watch it again.
Some pictures I took yesterday afternoon.
It's that time of year in Bush. Butterflies are coming out. Caught this gorgeous creature spreading its wings on the back deck a few minutes ago. He/She had a companion but I couldn't get them in the same shot after I went outside.
Where's the food lady?
94 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
I came up with a new game-show idea recently. It's called The Old Game. You got three old guys with loaded guns onstage. They look back at their lives, see who they were, what they accomplished, how close they came to realizing their dreams. The winner is the one who doesn't blow his brains out. He gets a refrigerator.
Chuck Barris, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail-in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard.”
Didn’t get to view my new Queen DVD until 4:30PM yesterday. The set list is almost the same as I remember it back in 1980-81. (Update 9:02PM): Filmed in Montreal. This was a very long show (25 songs). I skipped around like I always do on the first screening of a music DVD. I’ll sit and watch it straight through another time. I’m a little disappointed in the mix. The vocals come through loud and clear but the music volume is not there. Don’t get me wrong. It still sounds OK but I think it could have been better. When I crank up the Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin DVDs, the boys are in the room with me. I like it like that. Queen was a great band by any measure. Their music was enough for me but they also put on a dazzling show. My favorite on this one is Keep Yourself Alive from their first album.
Ocean’s Twelve was a fairly reliable caper flick. We watched it Friday night. It had some laughs and twists and it wasn’t a bad way to spend a couple of hours. Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, and Matt Damon have all the best lines. Don Cheadle is a super actor.
Some Sunday pictures from this morning at CrabAppleLane:
First tomatoes of the year. Picked yesterday afternoon. Didn’t want them staying on the bush overnight. The night critters like red tomatoes. There were four but one had a good-sized wormhole in the top of it. Naturally, it was the biggest and ripest of the four. We’ll be off later to get some bacon and bread for sandwiches. Bacon and tomato sandwiches for dinner tomorrow night or maybe even tonight.
Have still not figured out how to photograph these hydrangeas without “washing them out”. They are all different shades from nikko blue in the back on the right to powder blue to purplish depending on where they are on the bush, I suppose. This image does them no justice. Some day, I’ll get them right.
I love trumpet vines. These are all over the yard.
95 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
Now they say your folks are telling you
Be a super star
But I tell you just be satisfied
Stay right where you are
Queen, Keep Yourself Alive
Blog of the day via Margi is here.
Quote from said blog: "The funniest story that I read this week--in that, “okay, so it’s not really funny, but it sure makes me laugh” kind of way--was the story of the California State Assembly taking on overly lengthy textbooks."
Patsy and I are never, ever in synch on weekends that we don’t have plans. Today is no different. I tend to wake up at about 6AM, realize I don’t have to work, rejoice for a minute or two because I stayed up late and was really tired and then, go back to sleep for an hour or so. She gets up at about 6:30AM, feeds the cats and the wildlife, works on her computer for a while, and then reads until she falls asleep again. The result is that she is down from 8AM to 1PM while I’m up. Not so bad for blogging but it sucks when you can’t wait to get to your new Queen DVD. I think I saw Queen (I saw them three times) around this time on that tour. The set list is similar to my recollection. Queen is not to be seen and heard at low volume. You must push the envelope with your stereo equipment.
Last year, I asked for guest blogger volunteers for the week of June 27-July 1. I was going on vacation and it seemed like a fun thing to do. It was quite successful and I enjoyed the guest bloggers entries immensely. Many thanks to kitty, Fi, Pitcherlady, and Hyde for contributing. I’m doing that again this year even though I am not actually going on a vacation (Call it a vacation from blogging). If you’ve never blogged before, here’s your chance to see what it is all about. If you use different blogging software, here’s your chance to see what the latest Movable Type version does. If you already blog, here’s a chance to do something different and shamelessly plug your own blog to maybe some different readers. If you’re interested, email me for details.
Welcome Back, Jana. Missed you.
96 days until football season begins...............
Update (3:07PM-CDT): Upgraded to Movable Type Version 3.17 this morning. Did something else at the same time. Brain freeze on my part disabled comments for a time. My brain thawed out in about 4 hours and things are back to semi-normalness.
Quote of the Day
Get your party gown
and get your pigtail down
And get your heart beatin' baby
Got my timin' right
I got my act all tight
It's gotta be tonight
My little school babe
Queen, Tie Your Mother Down
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Whoever put it together is on crack and should be slathered in foul substances."
Some of my concerns of a fourth Indiana Jones movie on display at Sheila’s, mostly in the quite funny comments. Harrison Ford is in his mid 60s and Indiana Jones has always been a physical adventurer. What difference does that make? None to me. I will avoid reviews and will be there on opening night before I hear anyone else’s opinion. I may have to avoid the internet altogether. Some news websites like to put the gist of the article right in the title of the link. If I see a link that goes something like Geriatric Ford on display in latest Indiana Jones installment..............
OK. I think I get it. You don’t like the guy.
97 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
He talks too much, he doesn’t make sense, he’s fat,
he’s sloppy, he acts like he’s the best thing since
sliced bread. He’s ugly, he stinks, his mouth stinks,
his breath stinks, and basically his soul stinks, too.
Kris Jenkins, Carolina Panthers
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "there are happy endings sometimes, the boy said, so stop crying, and retire that part of your brain you filled up with worry about someone else's lost cat."
Two of the three people involved in this scheme are a disgrace: The barber and the collector. I hope he sues them and wins a large sum of cash although I’m almost certain he wouldn’t keep any of it. Neil Armstrong is one of the good guys. One of the truly awe-inspiring events of my life was watching him step off of the ladder and onto the moon. That one is in the history books and will be in the history books 1000 years from now. I saw it on live TV.
Can I just say once again that I am glad the Saints are not stuck with the bag that is Ricky Williams? He quits. The Dolphins want their money back. He can’t afford to give it back so he comes back instead. They can’t afford him.
98 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
I don't see Ricky playing for that ($540,000) figure
Leigh Steinberg, Ricky Williams agent
Blog of the day via Kim is here.
Quote from said blog: "Remember Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs?"
You'll have to read the rest to see where that's going. -Rob
Today is the official beginning of hurricane season. As usual, an active season is predicted. Hopefully, Louisiana is better prepared this time. Greater New Orleans actually had an evacuation plan in place last year when Hurricane Ivan was bearing down on her. I wouldn’t say the plan was inadequate but its execution surely was. We’re talking major traffic jams in every outbound direction but particularly the westbound I-10 towards Baton Rouge. It was taking up to 8 hours for some to make it from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, which normally takes a little over an hour. Traffic like that causes car engines to overheat and vehicles to run out of gasoline and there just isn’t much anyone can do about it when it happens in a 30 mile long traffic jam. There was considerable political fallout and finger-pointing afterwards. There was an angry citizenry and that’s probably not the worst part. I think the worst part is that the evacuation experience will cause a lot of people to not want to go through the hassle of doing it again and they will try to ride it out. Emergency planners won’t get an accurate read on their new evacuation plans next time because there won’t be as many people on the road. New Orleans is no place to ride out a hurricane. It is 5ft below sea level and there is water all around her.
I picked my first tomato last year on June 1. I planted earlier and the bushes are much larger this year but I don’t figure to pick a tomato for another week. Getting a little anxious.
99 days until football season begins...............
Quote of the Day
It was not I and it is not I
W. Mark Felt, Deep Throat
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "It still amuses me when one good day of beautiful warm weather in London (it was 31 C / 90F yesterday) not only sends people outside to enjoy the sunshine but......"
