February 2006 Archives
It’s a beautiful Mardi Gras day here at CrabAppleLane. Almost everyone has the day off. Not much of a reveler any more so I’ll just tend to the yard and the grille.
Not the traditional way to celebrate Mardi Gras in Louisiana but it had to be done. Yard work is due and this debris pile had to go. I started it at about 8:15AM this morning. I took the first picture you see at the height of the flames about 10 minutes later. There are some smoldering logs out there now and I’ll let them burn the rest of the day. I’ll put it all out before sunset and clean it up this weekend. I love the smell of wood smoke in the morning.
Quote of the Day
He’s got this dream about buying some land
He’s going to give up the booze and the one night stands
And then he’ll settle down
Just a quiet little town
And forget about everything
Gerry Rafferty, Baker Street
Blog of the day via Sheila is here.
Quote from said blog: "The bigger reason is simply that I woke up one day and realized what much smarter people than me (Adam Gopnik) realized a long time ago, which is that the idea of employer-based health care is just plain stupid--and only our familiarity with it and sheer inertia prevent us from rising up in rebellion."
Today is Lundi Gras, the day before Mardi Gras. The two biggest parades of the Mardi Gras season, Bacchus and Endymion, rolled yesterday back to back and I’m pretty sure neither was pleased about it. Endymion was postponed due to horrific weather Saturday night. Neither was happy to have their route shortened this season and then to have to share the streets with their biggest rival had to be annoying. Endymion was still rolling at 11PM last night so I suppose both made the most of it. There will be some bleary eyes in many offices today.
The hummingbird watch continues..................
Quote of the Day
If you want to see one,
we're going to have to look at the biggest,
closest one
Astrophysicist Avery Broderick, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "My daughter-in-law, a Louisiana native, loved her Crawfish Etouffee. We had a great time."
Me and my shadow
The chickadees put in a bid for this house every year but the bluebirds have always outbid them. Maybe this is their year.
Around the corner from CrabAppleLane:
Just something that caught my eye.
A family outing.
Azalea blooms.
R.I.P Don Knotts. The Andy Griffith Show was one of our faves in the 60s. Andy Griffith’s Sheriff Andy Taylor was the least funny and least interesting character on the show. Don Knott’s Barney Fife made that show funny and watchable. I don’t think anyone watches that show even today to see Griffith. I watch it for Aunt Bee, Gomer, Goober, Floyd, and especially, Barney. About Jim Carrey reprising his role as Mr Limpet, Knotts said:
I’m just flattered that someone of Carrey’s caliber is remaking something I did. Now, if someone else did Barney Fife, that would be different.
He was being too kind and too modest. For me, that would be almost criminal. Remaking Mr Limpet was borderline criminal, too. Barney will live on in syndication and I hope he stays there. Thanks, Don.
I’m a mediocre handyman on my best days but I simply cannot wrap my brain around plumbing, particularly drainage. Every 18 months or so, the downstairs bathtub starts filling up with water and I have to pay someone to come out and clear it out. The only difference between me and that plumber is he knows what he’s doing and I don’t. He does not do anything I couldn’t do if I knew what had to be done so it is purely a matter of knowledge. If we were talking paleobotany, that wouldn’t bother me. We’re not so it bothers me.
Two offerings from the CrabAppleLane backyard this glorious Sunday morning. It rained all day yesterday but the sun is out now and the yard is full of gossip. As soon as I post this, I’m going to go sit on the deck and take some more of it in.
Purple finches aren’t all that rare but I only get them at my feeders now and again and it’s usually only one pair. That's his cousin, the goldfinch, on the side. This one’s mate was nearby.
OK, who let this guy in?
Quote of the Day
Man gets his best suit spotted and pressed,
Spends two hours polishing his hat,
And for what?
Heartaches!
Barney Fife
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Meanwhile, if Bush wants to spend a large chunk of money helping people, we’ve still got hundreds of thousands of hurricane Katrina victims whose lives are on hold here in the U.S."
Thought I’d tell you about one of the many hazards of the reconstruction that’s going on all around us and one of the incidents I witnessed. There are a lot of trucks on the road right now. A good many of them pull trailers with various pieces of their equipment. Most of those trailers are open. There are trucks that haul debris with ancient plywood bulging on their sides. Almost all of these debris hauling trucks look like they were cobbled together 50 years ago. A lot of the trucks and trailers are overloaded and they don’t secure ANYTHING except their heavy, expensive equipment. If they hit a bump or if the wind gets underneath the cargo, something will fly out. It could be a box, a piece of wood, a drop cloth, an empty bucket, a shovel, or, well, you get the idea. This poses no danger to themselves because they’re ahead of it. To those of us behind it driving 70mph (Or faster), the debris in the roadway or the ever more fun debris that is still in the air or bouncing on the roadway poses significant danger.
I was in the center lane of I-10 in New Orleans East heading home Thursday night when one such plastic bucket flew out of a truck along with a few pounds of nails. Can’t forget about the nails. It was about 50 yards ahead of me. At 70mph, 50 yards gets here in a hurry. The nails were rolling to the right so I swerved to the left and, thankfully, no one was there. The bucket hit the highway in the center lane and it bounced to the right also. That was right into the lane with the New Orleans Police Department cruiser in it. I must admit I enjoyed the sound of the siren and the pretty flashing lights this time but that guy will probably just pay his $200 fine and continue doing what he’s doing.
Speaking of unsecured cargo and overloaded trucks, wouldn’t there be a whole lot less property damage if gravel was transported in tankers instead of these open dump bodies? In Louisiana, you can’t even recover the property damage to your vehicle that they cause. They put little warning stickers on the back.
Stay back 200 feet
Not responsible for broken windshields
They are absolutely responsible. We just can’t make them pay for it any more.
It appears to be raining on everyone's parade today here in southeast Louisiana. There are four parades scheduled for today, including the normally spectacular Endymion. If they all roll today, they will all be wet and cold. There’s talk of postponing Endymion but there really are no good alternatives for them to roll on before Fat Tuesday.
The hummingbird watch continues.............
Quote of the Day
We don’t know the number of people that will be on the streets, but we pride ourselves in the safety of Mardi Gras, and we’ll work very hard to make sure that record isn’t marred this year.
Captain Juan Quinton, New Orleans Police Department
Blog of the day via Pitcherlady is here.
Quote from said blog: "A table in the granary of Mission San José, San Antonio, Texas."
It's a photoblog. -Rob
I’m putting my hummingbird feeders out this morning because of this image. That's a great picture. According to the Great Backyard Bird Count, he was here last Sunday although it doesn’t say what part of Louisiana. I’ve had a couple of Rufous hummingbirds here over the years. One was here all by himself about this time of year before the Ruby-Throated hummingbirds had made it back from their southern migration across the Gulf of Mexico. I’ve been tracking the Rubies here for about 10 years and the earliest I’ve seen one is March 10. That first Rufous was here for a few days in late February or early March and he was gorgeous. The other was a female last year and she was in there squabbling with the other Rubies as if she was one of them. Would love to see more Rufous hummingbirds here but I'll be happy when the Ruby-Throated hummers return, too. They are one of the many joys of CrabAppleLane.
Congratulations to Ilyka Damen, who got herself a new and better job.
Quote of the Day
We’re trying to create a little fun
Scott Bergren, KFC Chief Marketing Officer
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "The people I’ve talked to who love it out here seem to primarily for either of two reasons: 1) to get away from the inconvenience of winter snow and cold or the burden of family and traditions, or 2) to embrace the western, “west coast” culture of freedom, sun and fun that comes with a wide open desert landscape having 330 days of sunshine every year."
Looks like the fire in the belly and the eyes has returned to Tiger Woods. Wish he would come to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. I wish someone would pony up whatever it takes or whatever he wants just to get him here. The exposure would do the city wonders. He is still the PGA’s star attraction and their best player. No one else is even close. In fact, no one else on tour even matters. He has never come to the New Orleans tournament and I don't expect him to be here this year, either. Too bad.
Movable Type was giving me grief all day yesterday. I could bring up the login page in my browser. If I entered the wrong information, it would give me an “Invaild login” error message. If I logged in correctly, though, it would give me the dreaded 500 Internal Error message. I hate 500 Internals. They are so vague. Why can’t an error message say something like, “Your program got to here and stopped because................”. After a lot of research and a little luck, I was able to fix it. How can computer files get corrupted from one day to the next if I don’t do anything to them? I hate computer problems.
Quote of the Day
You don’t know what’s going to happen that day. Vijay or Phil playing that guy, they would have lost, too.
Stephen Ames, Professional Golfer
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Instead of smack talk, Tiger gave a smack down on Ames, winning the first 9 holes (with 7 birdies). The rout ended after the 10th hole -- which is the soonest you can end an 18 hole match. Next."
I’m a little fuzzy on what all of this means but it appears that some broadband providers want to charge whomever they connect with. No idea how that could work. There’s a culture on the internet that says everything should be free. What that really means is that someone else should pay for it so that it can be free for others to use. I have never agreed with that view but I’m not wild about what the broadband providers are contemplating, either. That’s assuming I even understand what they’re contemplating and how it will affect the net. I think there would be a backlash for the first company that imposed it. If they can withstand the storm, there will be others, but that storm is going to be awful. They'd better start small.
Quote of the Day
We're building a new capacity, and we have the right to charge people to use it
Jim Cicconi, AT&T
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "When there are three or four people sharing lifts, chances are that they would probably take four corners of the lift. But if the number of people exceeds that, where there are probably five, six, seven or even eight people taking a lift, the rules change again.”
Sometimes, words fail.
I spotted this apartment building a few weeks ago on my way in to work. It’s right off of the eastbound side of Interstate 10 in New Orleans East. The lower part of the image is the concrete barrier separating the westbound side from the eastbound side. As you can tell, I was on the westbound side. I had some time to kill at lunch yesterday so I decided to see if anything was being done in the way of repairs. If anything is, its subtlety was lost on me but this is as close as I got. Someone could be working inside the building although I think the roof would be the first priority. A bit of admiration is in order. If this “Now Leasing” banner went up AFTER Hurricane Katrina, you have to admire their optimism. Hardly anyone is living out here yet and this building does not appear to be ready for tenants. That’s just a guess, though. If the banner went up BEFORE the hurricane, you have to admire their fastening prowess. I lean toward the fastening.
Quote of the Day
You know, if every single officer said he had to take care of family, there would be no one left on this job. This is not a normal job. Police officers take an oath. They are supposed to stay.
David Benelli - President, Police Association of New Orleans
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "somewhere north of toronto."
Photoblog. -Rob
Our internet was down almost all day yesterday. That bothered me more than it would have bothered most people but less than it would have bothered me a year ago. Spending less time at the computer was a conscious decision.
From Chris Rose of the Times-Picayune: 1 Dead in Attic. He's got a book out by the same name. Powerful stuff.
Mardi Gras season got underway this past weekend and is in full post-Katrina swing this week. The parades will be shorter and the crowds not as large this season because many of the residents simply have not come back yet. I haven’t been to a parade in at least 10 years.
Live crawfish still 3 something per pound here. I’ll pay triple digits for crawfish in extreme circumstances but that first digit would have to be a 1. Wondering what Katrina did to the crawfish season. Probably nothing but the industry will say otherwise to keep the price up.
To Summer, who asked if the House of Seafood in Bush, LA has re-opened: The answer is yes. We passed by there Saturday night just before 8PM and they were wrapped up solid like usual.
Quote of the Day
In some cases, there's no interpretation needed. There's one I pass on St. Roch Avenue in the 8th Ward at least once a week. It says: "1 dead in attic."
Chris Rose, Times Picayune
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "But in making that "editorial choice" I've relegated sellke.com to poor Google ratings and a random audience of ne'er-do-wells much like myself."
That about sums it up here as well. -Rob
I offer one picture taken this morning at CrabAppleLane:
As I’ve said here many times, I love cardinals. This image represents something I never saw when I lived in the suburbs. First, the cardinals weren’t as big or as red. Second, if you saw two male cardinals this close to each other, it was because they were locked in mortal combat. The suburban cardinals were very territorial. And, thirdly, this is only four males. It is not unusual for 12 to 15 males to group together like this. When they’re in the green pine trees, they look like Christmas ornaments. They come for the black oil sunflower seeds. Patsy buys those seeds in 50lb bags. Most birds will eat them, even the smaller ones, but we buy them for the cardinals.
Quote of the Day
I don't wanna kill anybody. But if I gotta get out that door, and you're standing in my way, one way or the other, you're gettin' outta my way.
Mr Pink, Reservoir Dogs
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Blonde James Bond Daniel Craig got his two front teeth knocked out while filming the first scene of the upcoming Bond movie."
I’m feeling confident that I will have success with Pitcherlady’s morning glory seeds this time. Isn't that gorgeous? Here's another picture of it. She sent some seeds from it to me last year which I planted directly into the ground in three places where I thought they would do well. I was mistaken. This time, I’ll plant some in the ground and some in planters. There are many more seeds and she tells me she put a spell on them this time so my chances of success are better. I have my fingers crossed because I have a black thumb for some things. If you have a dogwood or hibiscus you need to get rid of, send them to me and you’ll never hear from them again. Over time, things can and do turn out nicely here but that’s mainly because CrabAppleLane was very nice before we got here. Hurricane Katrina did a ton of damage but mostly to areas of the yard I don’t tend to much. Still, I feel like I’m starting over because those areas now need work, too.
Going in the ground this weekend are four plants Patsy gave me for my birthday: Two of these and two of these. I think she bought the second one more for herself than me because I still have not been able to discern the sweet olive fragrance even with the multitude of them very near the door we use most often.
An unusual live-blogging event from Marie in Springfield that I found entertaining.
Quote of the Day
He's haunted by the memory of a lost paradise
In his youth or a dream, he can't be precise
He's chained forever to a world that's departed
It's not enough, it's not enough
Pink Floyd, Sorrow
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "In 1980, almost everyone cared about the Winter Olympics. So what's changed?"
Not the only one pondering that question. -Rob
A traffic jam yesterday made me alter my lunch plans. What was going to be a shrimp po-boy from a place that was far enough away that I would have had to rush back turned into a burger on a park bench near City Park lagoon. Could have been worse. City Park in New Orleans is very close to the levee breach caused by Hurricane Katrina. There was wind damage, considerable flooding, and there is still a good bit of debris to pick up but it otherwise seems to have fared OK although the food pavilion wasn’t open yesterday. Don’t know if that is due to damage or lost staff. Some trees were lost and some were damaged but it looks like most of those old live oaks will survive. The gorgeous oaks are easily the park’s best feature and it was quite a relief to me to see most of them looking OK. The park is now being used as a campground and gathering place by some of the many, many workers and volunteers from out of town.
City Park and Audubon Park are New Orleans two main parks. Audubon Park has seen a major revival in the last 25 years or so while City Park is suffering from neglect. Audubon Park, especially the zoo, has undergone a transformation that is just unbelievable and it was mostly funded through donations. Would love to see that kind of effort to restore the still magnificent City Park to its original beauty.
Pictures from lunch below.
Looks like the choice food was at the bottom yesterday. I did save some of my hamburger bun in case one of the ducks waddled up and wagged his tail at me but it didn't happen this time.
All aboard.
Quote of the Day
As long as they keep making film, I'll continue using it.
Mary Pat Dorr, Southern California wedding and portrait photographer
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Doc, that better be a hook in your hand!!!!"
Not much for this Thursday morning.
A Wikipedia search of February 16 produced this gem:
600 - Pope Gregory I decreed that "God bless you" was the correct response to a sneeze.
Cool.
For the QOTD:
Thanks, Mom.
Love, Robbie.
Quote of the Day
On your birthday,
adding another candle
doesn’t make you older...
...it just makes
your life brighter!
Birthday card from my mom
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "minding my own business, working away at my desk, the PA of my manager's manager's manager's manager turns up at my desk. she introduced herself and promptly handed me some tickets..."
Just a suggestion if you happen across this corner of cyberspace: Walk out your front door to about the middle of the street in front of your house. Turn around and see if you can see your address anywhere. If it’s visible on your mailbox in the street or displayed prominently on your house or elsewhere on your property, accept sincere appreciation from CrabAppleLane. If it’s not visible at all or it is non-existent, please remedy it. In fact, your city/county/whatever should cite you for it.
I was looking for 1364 Main Street not long ago. The first house I saw on the corner to my left had an address on it of 1201. My experienced house-hunting deduction told me that the address I was looking for would be on my right in the next block. Even numbers on one side and odd on the other, right? Approximately 22 houses and one intersection later, the only other house on this street with an address on it happened to be on my right. It was 1507. What we had here was a numbering system that made no sense to me and a whole street full of address-less residences. I was somewhat perturbed. Someone ought to close off that street entirely. I had to call someone and they had to describe the house. Ridiculous.
I can’t think of a single reason to hide your address from people driving down your street except maybe to make certain you always get free, cold pizza but I would think the pizza place would catch on to that sooner or later. I’m really not that important, folks, but someday FEDEX or the fire truck, the plumber, the ambulance, the roofer, the police, or Publisher’s Clearing House will be trying to find your house. I would think you’d want them to.
Big CrabAppleLane thanks to Meg for a Valentine's Day treat.
Quote of the Day
Armani was good to me tonight
Kathy Kirk, Handler for Rufus -Best in Show - Westminster
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "My idea for a killer zombie horror film has already been made into a handbook for aged care."
Happy Valentine's Day
Got plans?
There are so many interesting tidbits about Valentine’s Day that I thought I might share a few. My favorite tidbit comes courtesy of Wikipedia:
The first recorded association of St. Valentine's Day with romantic love was in the 14th century in England and France, where February 14 was traditionally the day on which birds paired off to mate.
I think that a bit fanciful but who cares? It's harmless fancy and I like it. Another tidbit comes from The History Channel:
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today.
Also a bit fanciful. When I was a kid, people used to route their Valentine cards by mail through Valentine, Nebraska so they’d have a Valentine postmark. I don’t remember how to do that and I’m not sure that it can even still be done.
They celebrate it a bit differently in Saudi Arabia. Had to include that because it contains my all-time favorite title: The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Watch out for these guys and have a Happy Valentine’s Day. Red Rose on me:
Quote of the Day
Red Roses? What Red Roses?
Arab News, February 14, 2006
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Cold winters with skiing = good; cold winters with Elston Avenue = bad."
As I was saying yesterday, “Pardon the Wikipedia reference”. That phrase may become part of the CrabAppleLane vernacular when I can’t find another, more reliable link. The New Zealand Herald uses Wikipedia’s own reference to put their finger on my contention:
In its own entry, the encyclopaedia states openly there has been "controversy over its reliability" and lists its perceived problems as "systematic bias, difficulty of fact checking, use of dubious sources, exposure to vandals, privacy concerns, quality concerns, fanatics and special interests, and censorship."
Wikipedia is sometimes accurate, sometimes silly, but always, always fatally flawed. It cannot be trusted as a primary or secondary source of information but it isn’t always a bad place to start looking. Just as long as you don’t stop looking. I find that Google searches will yield Wikipedia results quite prominently. I suppose that’s inevitable but it should concern us that the flawed Wikipedia is being used so much that it’s on Page 1 of most Google searches, which is going to lead only to more usage.
Quote of the Day
It's getting late have you seen my mates
Ma tell me when the boys get here
It's seven o'clock and I want to rock
Elton John, Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "In the process I trashed a good pair of jeans, sliced my hands up on a raspberry vine, froze in Iowa's deathly-cold windchills and nearly broke my camera when I slipped under some ice."
Happy Birthday, Mr President. He would be 197 years old today. Some trivia I looked up this morning. Pardon the Wikipedia reference: The last known living Civil War soldier was a Union soldier from Minnesota who died in 1956. That’s the year before I was born. Many years ago, I had read somewhere or saw something on TV that claimed it was a Confederate soldier who died in 1958. That now appears to be erroneous. I wonder if Woolson knew any of my ancestors who fought for the Union.
I've started watching yet another brilliant mystery series on BBC America called Touching Evil. It is a series and characters develop from one episode to the next. History from previous episodes is discussed so it is best to have several recorded so you can catch up. If you have TiVo, I recommend a Season Pass. I’m addicted to British Mystery series. Prime Suspect, Waking the Dead, Red Cap, and Wire in the Blood are the others I have on Season Pass. They’re usually two-hour episodes, they're intelligent, they don’t always end with a neat and tidy conclusion, and the characters not only have flaws but they look like real people, not fashion models. They make perfect late shows on a Friday or Saturday night.
A little cool today at CrabAppleLane. 40º, but we have sunshine and clear blue skies, unlike my blogger friends in Maryland, Virginia, New York, and New Jersey. I offer some proof from CrabAppleLane this morning. Enjoy.
The squirrels used to run to the end of this limb and drop down onto the bird feeders. Pruning it didn't stop them.
This is a mulch experiment I thought I would try. These are pine tree biscuits and you can tell I'm not finished. You get these by cutting down a pine tree and then slicing pieces of it off with a chainsaw like you would slice a cucumber with a knife. The garden receives sunlight from the east in the morning and the south at mid-day and I expect them to discolor at different rates. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Sun eclipsed by a Bradford Pear leaf.
I suppose I need to thank Hurricane Katrina for this. It is the first time this particular azalea has ever bloomed. I planted four leftover azaleas along my trails several years ago because I know azaleas don't need a lot of sunlight. All of them are alive but none have ever bloomed. Until now. It's just this one, though. They get daylight on the trails but not much sunlight. Apparently, they need a little more sunlight to bloom. Katrina knocked down several trees and the undergrowth that was attached to them and, voila, instant sunlight.
Quote of the Day
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "And so, when a local radio anounced it's Mile of Men event, I alternated between thinking it was a dumb idea and "Why the hell not?""
Speaking of lemons, when life gives you lemons, you make..........................fine art? Why not? Love the guitar player.
Quote of the Day
Nothing can hurt us now. What we have can't be destroyed. That's our victory - our victory over the dark. It is a victory because we're not afraid.
Judy Traherne, Dark Victory
Blog of the day via Ilyka Damen is here.
Quote from said blog: "My mind races. Who is this guy? Mafioso? A food critic? Maybe I should seat him. Maybe he’s important and I don’t know who he is. But then experience kicks in. This guy’s probably using some bullshit verbal technique he picked up in an assertiveness training seminar. That might work on a twenty year old but not me."
A late entry today mainly because I have the day off. Some pictures for your dining and dancing pleasure. I stole that “dining and dancing pleasure” silliness from an old BBS friend, who added it to just about everything. It was usually funny when he did it, though.
There are a lot of elements I like in this image from the CrabAppleLane backyard. The shadows on the gum tree in the foreground, the setting sunlight on the pine trees in the background, the very contrived notion that the moon is growing on the tree (Had to move slightly to the right to get it), and, of course, the blue sky. I find myself taking a lot of similar pictures and I think that’s fairly common for photographers, even extreme amateurs like me. I always think I can get a better one. In my case, that doesn’t take a lot of thinking and I enjoy the free practice.
I don’t know how many years of schooling an architect needs but I wonder if this building makes its architect proud. I took two days off this week but Patsy wanted to go see a computer demo for the network IBM is designing for her office yesterday. Since I had the day off, I decided to tag along. It was held here. This is easily one of the dullest building I have ever seen. Note to Mr/Mrs Architect: If you are ever in a position to show me your portfolio for any project I’m involved in, leave this one out.
Quote of the Day
After seven years indentured service in Virginia, they headed out here ‘cos frontier’s the only land available to poor people. Out here, they’re beholden to none. Not livin’ by another’s leave. Their name was Cameron. John and Alexandra Cameron.
Hawkeye, The Last of the Mohicans
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "The current stadium is kinda falling apart but it has its own charm."
I’m somewhat conflicted on “The Campaign for Real Beauty”. The Dove commercial for it that was first aired on Super Sunday is lovely. It shows about 15 girls with various self-esteem issues. I say “about” because some of the girls appear more than once and it was hard to keep track without fast forward and reverse. The girls all have a concerned look on their faces early in the commercial and all have a million watt smile later. I can say with no reservations that they are all beautiful. But then, this:
From Theresa Howard of USA Today:
It's a marketing risk: The "real beauty" ads still need to sell women on the idea that they need these products to become even better.
Yeah, that sentiment contributes to the cynical view one might arrive at. Another one might be questions about the messenger, Dove. Aren’t they almost like the firefighter who sets the blaze so they can be the hero who puts it out? Their earlier commercials surely contributed to the image problem depicted in the current campaign. And yet another cynic might wonder how that commercial was made. Were those the only girls who showed up for it? I kind of doubt that so what did Dove tell the other ones? “You’re all beautiful but..............”?
All of that said, I think I still tip my cap to Dove for the effort.
Oh, and not for nothing but boys have all of those self-esteem issues, too.
Have I mentioned lately how much I hate water-saving toilets? How’s that for transition? They are in the builders code even in places where water conservation is never an issue like in southeast Louisiana. Even in this drought, we don’t have water issues here. I have my own well. Why do I need to conserve water? And just how much water are we conserving if we have to flush more than once?
Quote of the Day
True colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow
Cyndi Lauper, True Colors
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "This is a silly argument because calling a book “nonfiction” has never meant any kind of certification that its contents are true."
Dave has some thoughts on Super Bowl officiating. He and I are some agreement on this. I’m not going to complain about the Darrel Jackson TD that was nullified. Jackson did push off. It was a nitpicky call but the infraction was there. Seattle fans should be mad at Jackson. He didn’t need to push off. There was no way his defender could have made a play. The Rothlisberger TD was close. I didn’t see the ball go over the line but the line and the ball were obscured by body parts. I’ll take a pass on that one, too. My biggest issue was the Hasselbeck interception. All he did was tackle the ball carrier. I think most people would agree that Hasselbeck is a better tackler than Rothlisberger. Flagging him for a 15yd personal foul for “Blocking below the waist” was one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen. He clearly got the ball carrier. I can tell because the ball carrier went down. No one else did. I just don’t understand how they can make that call.
And, now, for something completely different: And, Ilyka said, “Let there be light”.
Quote of the Day
The game was properly officiated, including, as in most NFL games, some tight plays that produced disagreement about the calls made by the officials.
Greg Aiello, NFL spokesman
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "The best thing about driving from Toronto to Ottawa on the 401 is going over that quarter mile stretch of paint test strips outside of Belleville. I like the lime green ones at the east end; very striking and those orange Abby Roadish, zig zag ones are pretty cool too. “
This was the intersection of Chef Menteur Hwy and Downman Road in New Orleans East yesterday. Before Hurricane Katrina (August 29, 2005), it was a very busy intersection. Since Katrina, it’s not as busy but it is getting busier every day. The traffic lights haven’t worked since the storm. You can see the street light still dangling from the utility pole on the left. In the absence of working traffic lights, ALL intersections become four way stops. Not everyone knows or observes that rule so temporary stop signs have been placed at the intersection. They don’t help much.
Quote of the Day
This bird had been filed away and forgotten; it had been lost. To rediscover it was, for me, in some ways, more exciting than finding the honeyeater. I spent 20 years working on birds of paradise; they're pretty darn sexy beasts.
Dr Bruce Beehler
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "One thing about putting volunteer time in at the local public high school, you get to hear the straight dope about teenagers and blogging. I was somewhat amazed at how many students were actively blogging."
Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers
And their wonderful fans.
Except for a handful of plays, it was a fairly dull game. And what’s with the clock management? Do coaches and players pay any attention to the clock anymore? Last year, it was the Eagles, with time running out in the game, horribly mismanaging the clock. This year, the Seahawks mismanaged the last minute before the half and the last minutes at the end of the game. I expect that of lousy teams like the Saints. I don't expect that from Super Bowl teams.
I’m glad I didn’t have a Super Bowl party at CrabAppleLane yesterday. Since Hurricane Katrina, the reception from our local ABC affiliate is awful. I don’t know if it’s because of their transmitter or my broken antenna tines but I get the other local stations fine.
Quote of the Day
Superdome officials are pointing to the Falcons-Saints game on Sept. 24 as the first event in the building since Hurricane Katrina. We are pleased that this historic reopening will feature the annual renewal of the traditional Falcons-Saints rivalry.
Paul Tagliabue, NFL Commissioner
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "As reported Toyota will start to offer a smart key wristwatch for their Toyota Crown cars starting next week in Japan. Actually there is already a company in the Netherlands called Camco Systems that sells a wristwatch that opens cars remotely and also can start the engine and much more."
A blog devoted to wristwatches. Cool. -Rob
I offer you a little bit of everything on this Super Sunday at CrabAppleLane.
The truth about cats and dogs.
The new All-In-One Camera via today's BOTD. Look at it closely.
Some Sunday morning pictures from the CrabAppleLane backyard.
This is Paul or Paula Revere. There’s a cat nearby. He/She stayed like this and barked or squealed for a solid 15 minutes. This one must have cried “wolf” a bit too often. The other squirrels in the yard paid absolutely no attention.
I think this is a young tufted titmouse but I am not certain. Titmice have a distinctive crest. It’s not as pronounced on the younger ones and it’s not at all visible here.
A goldfinch watches as a bird, possibly the young titmouse, comes in for a landing.
A goldfinch, cardinal, and another young titmouse on the feeder at the same time. Bummer because the chickadee had just flown off.
The goldfinches are headed south. They pass through here for a few weeks heading south and then a few weeks in March heading north. Always a treat.
Quote of the Day
Aww, dude, I was about to eat a string bean!
Popeye, The Upside of Anger
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "My kid flosses more than you do."
Terrific photoblog. -Rob
It’s tax filing day at CrabAppleLane as soon as I can work up the energy. I have no enthusiasm for it. 2005 was a very unusual year for us due to Katrina. I have no idea what to expect. Procrastination has set in, though. I’ve run a few errands and gotten a haircut. With the sunshine, cool temperatures, and low humidity outside, there are other distractions, too.
Saturday thought: Does the Army really need to be in the marriage business?
Quote of the Day
How To Avoid Marrying a Jerk
U.S. Army Program Title
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "An interesting review of the book to come from Dan Brown. I have not read it, but from the sounds of the review, someone is doing their homework on Freemasonry."
I didn’t know a sequel was in the works. Sure to be a bestseller. -Rob
I love cemeteries.
This was taken while I was at lunch today. This is at the corner of Bienville and City Park Ave in New Orleans.
I call your attention to the marker on the far right.
It says
CONTENTMENT AND GODLINESS IS GREAT GAIN. WE BROUGHT NOTHING INTO THIS WORLD AND IT IS CERTAIN WE CAN CARRY NOTHING OUT. DON'T SAY FAREWELL! FOR SOON, HERE WE ALL MUST DWELL.READ OTHER SIDE
I generally don't shoot the surname unless its famous or unless the headstone is in the middle of the city facing outward, like this one. This one is Bollwinkle and the "Read other side" killed me. A walk around the corner to the other side showed that it was the names of the occupants. Good on you, Bollwinkle.
Oh, and Happy Anniversary to The Coalition.
A brief CrabAppleLane rundown on Super Bowl XL for Friday, February 3, 2006. I haven’t been watching any of the hysteria surrounding it. I have limited storage for that and I have to save it in for when the Saints make it to the big game. Yeah, I’m an optimist, but I don't know how old I'll be. Sorry if you’ve seen all of this before but I decided today was the day to bring myself up to speed.
From USA Today: Pay $500 or more per ticket and then
Fans entering the game will be checked by explosives-sniffing dogs, patted down by security personnel and scanned by a metal detector
Sign of the times, I suppose. Wonder if they do that with the players.
From MSNBC.COM: Jerramy Stevens, a Seahawk, wants the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl and said so. Joey Porter, a Steeler, was somehow offended by that remark. This is as close as you get to locker room poster material in the NFL. Jerramy has a handle on it. He had this to say:
I’m pretty close to unaffected.
I’m not really sure what that means but Party On, Garth. I’m sure you can find cooler exchanges in any elementary schoolyard.
The local radio guys can’t get past Seahawk owner Paul Allen’s teeth. They think he should spend a couple of hundred dollars of his billions on some dental work. I haven’t seen them so will not comment on that but this from ESPN.COM:
And it doesn't help when he goes all Star Trekkie on us, apparently naming his own company, Vulcan, in honor of Spock. Allen even bought a 413-foot yacht equipped with two helicopters and a 60-foot sub, then installed the original captain's chair used by Captain Kirk in the old TV space series.
OK, I have nothing for that. As they might say on Saturday Night Live, talk amongst yourselves.
And, finally, CrabAppleLane says:
Super Bowl XL: Seattle Seahawks 24 - Pittsburgh Steelers 20
You?
Quote of the Day
Cause it's the natural thing
You feel at the start
Natural blood starts to flow
UFO, Natural Thing
Blog of the day here.
Quote (Pat Kirwan) from said blog: "Isn't it a shame with a great game right in front of us that the media has to find time to talk about T.O.?"
Happy Groundhog Day. According to MSNBC.COM:
The Germans believed that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early.
For my money, that’s every bit as accurate as the average meteorologist’s methods, which goes something like this: Look at your Doppler radar, read your very expensive instruments, get out your charts and almanacs, and then flip a coin.
I’m not sure this doesn’t amount to extortion. Was going to return the paintings but changed his mind when he discovered they hadn’t been insured. He’s been deliberately hiding them for 28 years.
Mardirosian, 71, hid the paintings in Monaco and then in a Swiss bank while he said he worked to recoup 10 percent of their value from Bakwin. He set up a shell company to facilitate a trade or sale.
This isn’t at least receiving stolen property? If it were up to me? Go directly to jail. Do not pass go.
Aside from that: No insurance on millions of dollars of art? What kind of idiot.........never mind.
Quote of the Day
As some of you may know, the Internet is probably the worst thing to ever happen to hypochondriacs.
Jess, Blind Cavefish
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "One of the nicest things about blogging is that you can disappear for a long time and the blogsphere will carry on fine without you. It's nice to know you can take that long blog break when needed."
About the Blog of the Day: It seems I’m explaining this a little more often these days. The blog of the day is just my humble way of paying tribute to a blog that did something for me. It made me laugh, made me think, posted a nice picture, the writing was very good, or maybe it did something new I hadn’t seen before on a blog. It can be almost anything. I check against the logs to see if they’ve been featured here before. If they have, they usually end up on my reading list. The ones who have several entries I like end up on the blogroll here and some of those become regular stops. Sometimes, though, it’s something that just strikes me at that moment. I’ve sometimes looked back at one and I couldn’t figure out what on Earth I was thinking at that particular moment. That’s certainly not a knock on the blogger’s entry, though. That’s a knock on my memory.
Anyway, the reason for this entry, if you’re still with me, is that twice in the last few weeks, a BOTD emailed me asking me specifically how I found them and why I featured them as Blog of the Day. I don’t always know how I come across a site. Bloghopping mostly but not always. Both did so several weeks after they were mentioned so any chance of remembering how I found them was virtually zero. This entry is essentially a carbon copy of my response to them. However, in these two instances, that wasn’t enough. They sent follow-up emails insisting I tell them exactly how I found them and why I featured them. One of them was fairly polite. The other? Not as much. They both seemed concerned that they’ve been discovered. My advice for both of them is to learn how to password-protect your website if you want to be selective about who reads your ruminations. If you can’t do that, best to stop publishing them on the World Wide Web.
Quote of the Day
Ain't talking bout love
My love is rotten to the core
Van Halen, Aint Talkin Bout Love
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "I maintain that laws should not be required to increase intelligence."
