It’s bad enough now in politics (and for all I know, it has been ever thus) that one winds up so often voting for the least worst candidate. This year many of us are faced with having to vote against a candidate we feel would be real disaster for the country.
I’m speaking, of course, of the Republican contender for the Presidency, Mitt Romney. It’s hard for me to understand how someone like him got as far as he did, but the Republicans are the ones who thought Sarah Palin was a good idea.
I never imagined I would write about politics here, but the current situation seems to demand all able bodies speaking up and making their voices heard. I doubt anything I write will change anyone’s mind, and so this may be nothing more than a rant.
But apparently this is my week to rant about stuff that’s going on. I started the week ranting about NCIS, now I rant about politics.
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3 Comments | tags: Barack Obama, Between the Bridge and the River, Craig Ferguson, Election 2012, Mitt Romney, Obama-Romney debate, vote, weasel | posted in Rant
I wanted to write about the debate last night and how poorly President Obama did (what a disappointment), but the new job is sucking the energy and creative juices out of me. (My job involves designing and defining new systems, and it involves considerable writing and herding of cats.)
In the meantime, enjoy this musical interlude involving two favorite pieces of two favorite artists.
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14 Comments | tags: A Century Ends, Bob James, David Gray, Let The Truth Sting, One, Valley of the Shadows | posted in Music
Between the new position at The Company, the end of another disappointing baseball season for the Twins and the fun I’ve had blogging, I completely missed that the TV Fall Season had begun!
So last night I sat down to catch up on the first new season episodes of my usual programs (CSI, CSI:NY, NCIS: Los Angeles & NCIS). Those are basically listed in reverse order of my regard for them with the exception that I think NCIS: Los Angeles is a silly ass show mainly saved by the graces of Linda Hunt. I mostly started watching it because, hey, it’s an NCIS show, and I loved JAG, and I love NCIS. Now I’m a bit caught up in the characters, so it’s hard to look away.
But I gotta tell ya. If the season premiere of NCIS represents the quality of writing (as in total lack thereof) for the season, the love affair is over. And, as with any jilted, betrayed lover, I’m fucking angry!
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12 Comments | tags: bad script, CSI, CSI:NY, Elizabeth Shue, Linda Hunt, Marg Helgenberger, Mark Harmon, NCIS, NCIS:Los Angeles, Northern Exposure, Richard Schiff, Rob Morrow, Ted Danson | posted in Rant, TV
Today, of course, is the last day of September. For a variety of reasons, it’s always been one of my favorite months, and it’s always bugged me slightly that September — having only 30 days — is one of the short-changed months. August around here is usually hot, muggy and buggy, so I’d be fine with Congress passing a law to give one of August’s days to September.
And pity poor February! Not only stuck with being the shortest month (a month frequently dark and very cold), but saddled with the responsibility of having to keep an eye on the calendar to even know how many days it has!
Perhaps Congress could also declare February to be National February Month!
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44 Comments | tags: abacus, Bab's Dairy, beauty, German, high school, Hostess Honey Bun, jobs, milk, raw milk, work | posted in Life
I wrote in last night’s post that I had a bet riding on today’s college football game between the Minnesota Gophers and the Iowa Hawkeyes. That’s particularly weird, since: (a) I generally never gamble, especially on sports; (2) when it comes to football, I’m pretty much a “Superbowl-only” kind of guy; and (iii) I know nothing about college football [apparently a bronze pig, named Floyd, is involved somehow].
Well, weak from the week, I crashed on the couch all morning and missed most of the game. But I did wake up in time to catch the final 58 seconds (actually a rather long time in football). Final score: Minnesota 13, Iowa 31. That means my former boss and I get beer! [Yes, that’s right, I was betting on Iowa.]
Last night I mentioned it was a long story that I’d tell you later. What I didn’t mention was that it involves a great Humphrey Bogart movie, rotary phones, a prolonged discussion of point spreads and a parody of a famous quote.
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3 Comments | tags: Body Heat, college football, Florida noir, Gophers, Hawkeyes, Humphrey Bogart, Key Largo, Lauren Becall, Rachel Ward, Steve Martin | posted in Life, Movies
When I lived in Los Angeles, the usual mode was that Friday nights were for hitting the bar with work friends to shake off the work week. Saturday nights were for parties and/or date nights.
Here in the Midwest, it seems a lot of parties are held on Friday nights (although Saturday nights are still date nights). The thing about that is: (a) I miss those after work outings, and (2) Friday night parties are often kind of low-key because everyone’s tired after a work week. Saturday night you’ve had a chance to charge your batteries, and you’re ready for what comes before Part B.
Part A!
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27 Comments | tags: Captain Picard, Darmok, Doctor Crusher, Star Trek, The Inner Light, The Naked Now, TNG, Yesterday's Enterprise | posted in TV
A very simple Wednesday Wow for today: a glorious picture of the Space Shuttle’s last flight as it flies low over Los Angeles on its way to land at LAX.
As a life-long fan of space and spaceflight, and as a long-time former resident of Los Angeles, this both wonderful and poignant. It’s sad that the shuttles will fly no more and even sadder that we’ve bowed out to the space program as much as we have.
As least we’re still exploring Mars.
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9 Comments | tags: Los Angeles, Space Shuttle, STS | posted in Wednesday Wow
Saw something worth sharing on the most excellent Bad Astronomy blog today. It’s a series of images by reddit user, jerfoo. Click the picture below to open a window on the whole thing (it’s very tall and skinny, so restore it to 100% magnification and scroll down as you read the “story’).
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41 Comments | tags: creation, creationism, dogma, God, universe | posted in Religion, Science
It’s a crisp, cool, sunny Sunday, and the Twins just beat the Tigers 10-4 in the first game of what will be a double-header today. (The second game is to make up from being rained out Friday evening.) I’m not pinning high hopes of their winning both games, but they have won both games of the two double-headers played so far this year. It would be lovely if they did win tonight.
On the other hand, that would put the Tigers one more game away from taking the White Sox, and — as do all Twins fans — I hate those pale hose. On the other other hand, even if the Sox do take the pennant, they’ll likely get creamed by the Rangers or Yankees.
(I’m still holding hope the Orioles will take the Yankees. Anyone who’s not an actual Yankee fan hates those pin-stripe guys. “Best baseball team money can buy,” is not a compliment!)
But on this lovely Sunday, it’s awards, not baseball, that I want to write about.
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13 Comments | tags: blog, blogging, candy corn, fall, Immanuel Kant, Minnesota Twins, Newhart, One Lovely Blog Award, rattlesnake tastes like chicken, Wonderful Team Member Readership Award | posted in Life
Tonight’s sky holds a half-moon that looks somewhat like the picture on the right. Can you tell me, just by the picture, is the moon getting bigger or getting smaller?
Of course, the moon isn’t really changing size. We use the shorthand “bigger” and “smaller” to refer to how much of the moon we see. Or more properly, how much of the moon is illuminated by the sun. Or even more properly, how much of the moon’s surface facing the Earth is illuminated by the sun.
You can see why we often just say it’s getting “bigger” or “smaller!” Or we can use the terms waxing (getting bigger) and waning (getting smaller).
So, can you tell, from the picture, is the moon tonight waxing or waning?
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13 Comments | tags: autumnal equinox, equinox, moon, moon phases | posted in Science, Sideband
Logos con carne 