Eyes of the World

The call to boycott (or change venue) for the 2014 Winter Olympics is picking up.

If it actually has any effect remains to be seen, but I'm not hopeful.

With hundreds of millions invested and time running out, one would think it is logistically impossible to move the games back to the last site, Vancouver.  It would seem Sarajevo is out.

It is true that I advocated for the boycott of the games a few weeks back and I stand by that.

I commend Obama for canceling his one-on-one with Putin in a few weeks, though he will be in Russia for the G8 summit.  I hate the fact that he went on Leno and glossed over, more than he could have, about the human rights abuses of LGBT people in Russia.  It might have boded well if Barack seemed to know these were the Winter games and not the Summer ones (since he cited, swimming, diving, balance beam, etc - and not curling, skating or skiing).

I commend George Takei going on MSNBC (I thought the MS was dropped after the Microsoft affiliation went bust!) and let NBC off the hook too easily for the feathers and down statement they gave on still covering the Winter Games.

Here is where Takei sort of failed, though he wasn't privy to the statement ahead of time.  And it is where arguments to not boycott, from the likes Greg Louganis, falls flat as well.

The call for boycott or moving of the venue has NOTHING to do with the "spirit of the games". Quite the opposite.

If the games are truly about "unifying people", then NBC needs to take a closer look at the persecution, jailing, torture and deportation of LGBT or their supporters.

Singling out and punishing gay folk and their supporters has nothing to do with unification.  Of course, NBC is only talking about athletes and spectators. Their interest does not lie with the Russian population outside the Olympic Village.

And Greg - we all get that these athletes have trained forever for this moment.  I empathize with them, but not as much as I (or you should) with how LGBT people (or anyone else Putin might decide is a "threat") are treated in Russia.  Get your head out of your ass Louganis, this isn't just about the athletes.

How about we leave you over in Russia for a few months after the games close to see how comfortable you are

While many organizations have made this about how and if athletes and supporters are treated during the games, that is so fucking wrong. What about the folks left behind once the cameras are off?

Sorry that you shusshing down the mountains or doing your half-camel to get a worthless piece of medal is in jeopardy, but at least it is not your physical life.

Yes, I believe there are comparisons to the 1936 games in Berlin and how Hitler used those to his own advantage.  I love how folks think "oh that's not happening again", when it clearly is, right in front of us. But those who forget history..............you know the rest.   They're not forgetting, it is worse - they're ignoring, in favour of the almighty dollar or who racks up the most medals.

But it's not Berlin I'm thinking about.  It is Munich 1972.

Since the IOC can't guarantee (and they cannot, no matter what the Russian gov't tells them) that there won't be prosecution and deportation of gay athletes, sponsors, television crews or spectators (it's assumed - at least by me - that they are not stopping persecution with their own citizens), the idea of armed gunman making murderous appearances seem to be quite the possibility.....all in the name of anti-gay beliefs.

To me, this is much more of a possibility than an actual boycott or moving the games. But at least Brian Williams and Lester Holt will be over there to report it live.  Good for them!  {yes, sarcasm}

Sadly, it is not enough for only the U.S. to boycott the games. It has to be several large nations for this to make an impact. We are already seen in a bad light there and if we are the only no-shows, propaganda from Russia makes us look like spoiled children. The impact needs to mean something.

The ideal would be to actually move the games. Everyone gets to participate (except Russia?), Russia doesn't get the economic windfall (though I think usually the expenses override any potential profit) and they're called out for what they are.

About 350.000 have signed a petition to have the IOC to "speak out" against anti-gay laws in Russia. Oooooh.  "speak out".  That should teach them.

I'll admit, I signed it, only because it probably does more than tossing Stoli vodka down the sewer.  But I'm not hopeful that it will do anything. Hell, I'm not even hopeful the IOC will do anything but hit the 'trash' key on their laptop.



Song by: Fleetwood Mac

Record of the Month

I figured I'd do a monthly 'what I'm listening to' kind of thing. This could be viewed as a lame placeholder kind of post. And probably it is. But it's my blog! So there! 

I'm not sure, at this moment, this band could have a better and more appropriate name - the Civil Wars.

With only one full-length album (and one Ep), their eponymous new release is most likely their last.

While there are only two members of the group (Joy Williams and John Paul White), on the eve of a tour last year, they abruptly cancelled it and went on hiatus. Just as surprisingly, they were back in the studio, but if rumours are true, rarely at the same time and to hear them talk - currently they don't, at least to each other.

Yet they've made a beautiful album. Possibly the album of the year.

Maybe it is just me, but between the beautifully executed harmonies, strong melodies, pristine arrangements and crisp production, the lyrical animosity is thicker than thick.

It could be coincidence, but I would guess with their recent history, that animosity has to come into play.  They make it work for them. As Williams said - it's not what you do to avoid the tension, it's what do you do with the tension.  They capitalized on that tension with The Civil Wars.

Most songs were written one to three years ago, which isn't a surprise since they don't seem to be communicating.

When Williams sings, on the first track "The One That Got Away", "I wish you were the one....wish you were the one that got away", twisting any thoughts of what you expected the title to convey, you assume they are directed at White. Even if not, it is easy to backstory.

Seemingly, there are barbs, words of sorrow and regret like that all throughout the entire disk, but since the songs are older, people might read meaning into the lyrics that don't reflect the true present.

As said, the writing and arrangements are strong.  I dig "the One That Got Away", but I think "Dust to Dust"  and "Eavesdrop" might be the highlights of the disk.  On the former, the arrangement is so sparse, yet has so much depth, it is quite amazing.

If radio had any backbone, a song like "Eavesdrop" could easily be a crossover song that would do very well. It has a great melody and truly builds as it goes along - musically and vocally.  I like the vocal sharing between White and Williams.

I don't say this in a bad way at all, but the songs are a bit too fractured to make this a complete crossover disk in any direction. The songs are steeped in Americana /Appalachian ("From this Valley", "Devil's Backbone"), rock/blues ("I Had Me a Girl"), folk ("Dust to Dust") and country ("Tell Mama").

Both Williams and White have fine voices, but they work better together than separately, and that becomes apparent in "Sacred Heart" when it is mostly Williams singing solo. While a beautifully song done in French, it seems out of place with the rest of the disk - it is one I won't be going out of my way to play.

I'm also not the biggest fan of "Oh Henry".  It's not bad, but it doesn't measure up to the other songs.

The biggest disappointment though is the limited use of White's vocals, and it is a Williams-heavy album. As I said, their vocals work best together - even his harmony vocals seem muted much of the time.

One of the most interesting things about the disk is the final track, "D'Arline". The lead vocal was recorded on the iPhone 4S.  I just find that cool.

Right now, the Civil Wars is the best disk I've purchased this year. I've been streaming it for over a week and playing the hell out of it before I download.  It is definitely worth a listen if not an out and out purchase.


Consider the attached video for "The One That Got Away" a bonus My Music Monday Thursday.

Clearly the two are in the studio together, but I'm not sure how much if for PR or video purposes and even if remotely really recording on the video, some of the melody vocals were already done before harmony were put on.  Williams looks like a less dirty Johnny Depp.

I am cynical enough (no, it's true!) to think that the stories of not talking, breaking up, etc are nothing more than a public relations plan to get major buzz for an album months before it was even going to be released. If it is the case, they owe their marketing firm a bonus because it has worked very very well.

Cream

It is time for a cooking segment!!!

I think i had one for an appetizer around the 4th of July, but I'd have to go back to see when I actually blogged about a meal I made.

Clearly, I cook with a lot of chicken and it's just hard sometimes to make it interesting - or more interesting.  Yes, it's summer, but there is only so much grilled chicken on can handle.  So I opted for a pasta dish with pollo.

In ways it seems simple, in others it seemed labour intensive.  It didn't help that I was concurrently cooking a separate chicken breast for another meal - just to use what was in the package (srsly - it is impossible to buy pre-packaged breasts of two).

The ingredients are not massive by any means - except for the cream (which I don't think I've ever really used in cooking - baking sure, but not cooking) everything was on hand in the pantry.

I'm not 100% sold on whole wheat pasta. I know it is supposed to be better for us, but it seems much more dense.

Ingredients

• 4-6 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1 TBSP dijon mustard
• 1 tsp granulated garlic powder
• 2 full chicken breasts (4 halves), sliced into strips
• 1/2 lb whole wheat rigatoni (or your pasta of choice)
• Extra virgin olive oil and butter for skillet
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Mix oil with Dijon and garlic powder. Add chicken and marinate 1 hour. 
2. Cook pasta according to package directions less at least 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid.
3. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add chicken. When the chicken is almost done, add garlic.
4. Then add tomatoes, cream, and seasoning. Let simmer for about 3 minutes 
5. Turn heat to low, add pasta, and toss to coat. Let heat thoroughly.
6. Use reserved pasta liquid if sauce is too thick.

To be fair, the pic is of the separate breast I cooked, but I prepped it the same was as the meal. It will make for a tastier chicken salad sandwich by the time I'm done. 

I could have bought diced tomatoes, but I did it myself.  Store bought tomatoes are iffy at best.  Such shoddy produce. 

Everything added together.  The whole wheat pasta and the cream sauce all looks similarly coloured, so it is a monochromatic meal. 

It plated up a little better than it looked in the pan, and sitting next to a decent salad helped. 

710 was correct that he said it was missing a layer or depth of flavour.  He smelled the garlic when he came home, but asked if I used it in the dish.  I'm wondering if a little cayenne pepper would have helped. 

While the pasta water was salted and there was Italian seasoning in the dish, I didn't add a lot of salt, but it needed it after we got it to the plate. Even though the recipe doesn't call for Parmigiano-Reggiano, I added it (hey!, it's pasta!) and that didn't help with the needing of salt. 

The recipe makes 4-6 servings, so we have left overs. I'll play with red pepper flakes or cayenne when having some for lunch and see what happens. 

It's a good base of a recipe, but it needs tweaking.  Not twerking*.


*when someone reads that last line in a few years...or months, they'll have to look up what it means. Myself included. 

Song by: Prince & the New Power Generation

News

Print is dead.

While I haven't actually purchased an e-book on my iPad, many folks I know read on those, or Kindle and to a lesser extend, the Nook.  I'm not sure anyone has ever purchased a Sony e-reader.

When I travel, I am one of the few still reading an actual book.  I can't seems to break from the feeling of one in my hand, or turning the page.  I know I will eventually go electronic (probably), just like when I thought I'd still be purchasing CDs and .mp3s.

I haven't bought a physical CD since 2006.

But as for print, I'm really talking about the newspaper.  The actual, physical newspaper.

As of yesterday, the Cleveland Plain Dealer started down the road to obselesence. At least the public would have you believe.  I'm not sure the paper know what it is doing.

For months there has been the big hoo-ha about trimming the paper, going to three days per week, if they publish at all.  All the while they've had it on-line, on the shittiest of websites - cleveland.com.

But not, here is their wickedly ingenious idea of cutting costs: cutting delivery to three four days per week.

Oh - they will still print the paper seven days per week, just not deliver it to you.  You have to go to a Starbucks or 7-11 to get it, if you want it.

IF you want it.  I don't. And certainly not enough to go out of my way to pick up a copy.

You saw the strikethrough on "three" a few lines up, because, the PD has already back-tracked from three and increased it to four days per week.  Mind you, they still let 50 people go from the paper - not that I'm sure they'll be missed.

The paper has become a joke with non-articles, and badly written at that.  I can easily breeze through the entire paper in 15 minutes (tops), which includes reading the comics and obits.  I suppose I could increase that to 24 minutes if I read all the high-school standings of every single sport they publish, but I don't.

My favourite is the "Reader's Representative".  A number of big papers have these, I would say the most notable being in the New York Times. At least there they will take their own paper, writers and editors out to the woodshed, publicly, for things they should not have reported on or in ways in which it was done.

With the PD, the representative almost always tries to justify their stories - what, how and why.  He doesn't seem to get that his column should be called the "Paper's Representative".  His editor needs and editor.

But back to the delivery.  For the shut-ins who can't go out to get a paper and probably can't read it on-line due to lack of computer or iPad, let alone the ability to use such a device, they're fucked. However, on the days the paper is delivered, they'll include the comics from the days when it's not delivered.

Is paying the paperboy that much of a burden that the paper can't handle it?

As it is, I'm pretty sure we pay the paperboy.  Man.  In a car.  Not a kid on a bike. We get billed for his services - or in with our paper bill, so where is the cost savings - other than those 50 folks who got canned?

Allegedly, the cleveland.com site has been upgraded to read more like a paper. The previous version was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.  So poorly done.

I think I'd be better having the paper just shut down.  I find nothing of value in it other than the obits.

By the time anything is published in there (or most things), I've read them on line hours or days beforehand.

710 has signed up for the on-line edition, but I have not.

Mind you, I heard the door open at 06:00, but before I could scream downstairs, he was out the door looking in the drive for the paper what was not to be delivered.  He was reading the morning news on his iPad when I finally made it to the kitchen.

Our paper subscription will get us access on three devices. ooooooh.

This is just slow, painful decay. You know how the story will end, just not when.

I'm all for the newspaper industry. I think it is important - or could be. But printing the important news isn't where the money is made. That is in the advertising.  Publishing the actual stories seem to be secondary anymore - and maybe tertiary for a mid to small town news organization.  The PD is not the Washington Post or the New York Times.

And if one thinks that PD is one of those few our there that are failing, I just need to point you to a story from the weekend where the NYT has sold the Boston Globe.  Of course at first look a $70MM price tag seems decent, until you realize that the NYT purchased the Globe for $1.1BB 20 years ago.

Ouch.

But everyone knows, as soon as you drive it off the lot, it starts to depreciate.


*Later breaking news - Jeff Bezos of amazon.com bought the Washington Post for $250MM.  Soon to be available only on Kindle.   (i kid?)   It still beats the Koch brothers from purchasing major papers.



Song by:  Dire Straits

My Music Monday

If I ever wanted to get 710 to change the radio station or hit 'next' on my plugged in iPod / iPhone, it's easy - have song from  the Cult  pop up through my rotation.

He tolerates a lot of my music, but the Cult is not one of those groups for which he's going to sit through an entire song.  I get they are not for everyone.

Hell, I'm not sure how much they are for me, but they had a handful of songs that I enjoyed, including "She Sells Sanctuary" and this weeks pick, "Fire Woman".

I remember hearing the song for the first time at a neighbor's house (that bastard owes me $20!). I'd say his name, but I'm sure he Gooooogles himself and I won't give him the satisfaction of me tagging him here.

The Cult certainly has a Guns N Roses quality - in sound and looks (not quite the compliment - fyi). Granted, this is not a group really built for MTV - they're not lookers, but many a band of the mid to late '80s were not.

Oddly enough, it seems the band is still touring and recording - which is good, because Guitar Center only has a limited amount of open positions for post-rockers.

Clocking in at over five minutes, the song might run a little long and there is a place or two where they take it down to a slower pace - which was the style at the time.  I'm not a fan of the slow faux-thoughtful-like introspection just so they can kick it back up.

I do like the faster, harder pace, which actually does have a decent melody and vocal. My opinion, of course.  But I'm guessing at least Erik will agree with me on this selection.

Drowned and Died

Well, the most used present (besides my iPod) I've ever received has gone kaput.

Somewhere in that bag of rice is my fitbit.

You might remember that 710 got it for me during the holidays just 8-9 months ago.

With the clip on, the scale and the website, I was tracking steps, flights climbed, distance, weight, BMI and fat percentage.  Sometimes my sleep cycle.

Alas no more.

It was a handy little device that seemed so well made and seemingly impenetrable to the elements.....and perhaps one swimming pool.

Possibly just the elements.

When I was in Maine, I actually forgot I had it on. That stands to reason, as I almost always had it on since I got it, and this was the first time a pool was involved.  I had walked the beach and was past 12,500 steps for the day and it was only 14:00.

Then I took a dive. And swam. And swam.

Only upon getting out and toweling off did I notice the fitbit was still clipped to my waist.  FUDGE (but I didn't say "fudge).

Immediately all looked good.  All displays seemed just fine so I went about my business of laying around, getting a drink before heading to the room.

Only later getting ready for dinner did I notice that the display was totally black. No life in it whatsoever.  Fudge again.

There was little I could do up in Maine. I supposed I could have gone and bought some rice there, but that seemed, I dunno, lame.

Here we are weeks later.  Now and again, the display will appear....it will track a few steps....and then die....again.  Sometimes it will come on if you attempt to charge.  Most of the time, not.

I had nothing to lose at this point - some rice, a sammich baggie and a fitbit.  So far, Dr. Frodric Frunkenshtein couldn't get this alive.

I'm debating paying to replace it. I think the patterns and my behaviour are set because of the first 8-9 months, but there isn't that validation of obsessively checking it two dozen times per day.  Or is that just me?

The thing is, with the fitbit (and other devices), if friends of yours have them, you can follow each other's progress. So Patrick must be thrilled that he dumped following me weeks ago. I get that my activity levels intimidated him, but ouch - it hurts to be rejected.

With some therapy, I'll get over it.

Some people on-line say that fitbit might replace it at a lesser charge or even free (though they were deceptive on how it broke).  I might tell the truth and see what they offer, if anything.

If nothing else, the scale still works. (yay??).  It still uploads my weight to my on-line profile.

I think it's official that I can no longer say 'tonage' when talking about my body.  I get that I have a poor body image, but it's not my weight.

175.2 as of July 30th.  Without a doubt the least I've weighed in 25 years.

My goal weight was 180 so, I think I can stop obsessing over weight loss, not that I will, but I should.



Song by:  Maria McKee

Ya Tu Veras

It was date night - kind of.

We did go to the Cleveland Museum of Art for their first Friday of the month party.  This one was Latin flavoured:  Mix: Caliente.

Just another opportunity to look at art, drink and dance.  Though I don't dance - and certainly not salsa style.   .....though they were giving lessons.

It was a muggy night - threatening to rain.  My bad leg had been hurting so much all day I was almost praying for it to finally open up....the heavens, not my femur.

Usually it's not the act of rain (or snow) that relieves the pain in my leg - just the arrival of the low front.  Yes, that usually means rain or snow, but not always.   This time, I had to wait for the actual rain.  Or possibly the pain ceased due to the 2400 mg of ibuprofen I took.

The music was well done. People seemed to be into the dancing.....there were even a few ringers it seemed.  Or at least folks who knew what they were doing with the Latin beat.

There wasn't much new in the art world going on at the museum.  Most the exhibits were the same as they were a month ago - the last time we were there.

However they did get rid of the Rodin gallery - hopefully only a temporary thing, as I love it. Currently in its place is a sculpture of tools.

It. Is. So. Cool.

What you can't tell from this shot (which was verboten), but you can walk through the middle of the pointy saws and such.  I thought to myself - aloud - "worst place ever to have a seizure".

It was a nice evening. A decent, but not overwhelmingly, sized crowd.  And since it was caliente, we went out afterward for fair to middling Mexican food.



Song by: Raul Malo

Rootless Tree

Oh, like Emily Latella said - "It's always something".

I would love to put money into our house, as opposed to always dealing with "improvements" from which we seemingly get no benefit. ....like trenching around the house.  Ugh. Necessary, but hardly aesthetically pleasing (I mean, unless there was a sewage back-up in the basement).

We currently have a flora situation. Trees.  Dead, dying or rotting trees.  Blast.

The majority of them are on a hillside, a few already dead - all Ash trees infected with the Emerald Ash Borer.  One is a large tree and only partially dying, but leaning and towards the residence.

Oddly, this is not what had me call a few arborists.

We have a 70-80' Maple in the front yard that is looking disturbingly bad.  From the title image, you'd think - 'hey, that doesn't look so bad'.

It's fully leafed, there are no dead or dying branches associated with the tree - so what's the big deal?

Well, you'd think it was this

This little anomaly has been around for years - though maybe not as bad. But an arborist a few years ago didn't seem that worried about it all.  But then, that was a few years ago.

In the last year, this has appeared

Nice gash.  One of my first thoughts was that maybe it is an Ent vagina.

The first aborist who gave an estimate was very very knowledgeable.  They all might have been, but he offered rationale and was able to look at the roots and secondary roots to tell me things none of the other did.

He alluded to that the tree might still have a few years left, but that at least 50% of the base is hollow

The guy stuck his hand into that gash and said he hoped not to pull out a raccoon.  I told him we've been here eight years and we don't have raccoons.  He just looked at me and said, "oh yes you do - that is what did this to the tree.  You've got critters". 

I think he meant the tree and not me.

Now, I'd say a decade ago we got a similarly sized tree (and a maple) taken down at our old house.  Is it possible that costs for this same service has gone up 35% in that amount of time?  Yes - I did the math.

I'm still waiting for two other companies to provide their written estimates, but even with the one I got, it includes stump grinding, but it leaves all the chips and shreds there - they don't haul it away.  WTF!

This maple has the ability to come down on the house as well and could do damage. However, that means insurance could pick up the cost for removal and for kitchen renovation!  With my luck, they'd deny the claim because they'd know that we knew the tree was at risk, voiding our submission.

Well, we'll see what the other companies give us as a price quote.  Expect to see a post of (manly?) guys taking the tree down in the next month or so.



Song by:  Damien Rice

Wooly Bully

So, yesterday I "claimed" to have seen my first Woolly Bear of the year.

I was corrected that since it was not black or / and brown, it was not a Woolly Bear, just a caterpillar.

Sheesh - rain on my parade.

I stopped short of telling the person that maybe it was just a RuPaul Woolly Bear®.  I mean, "he" seemed to be dressed so over the top, that it is plausible that it was just a drag-queen wooly bear.

Actually, I can't tell you how many years it has been since I've seen a Woolly Bear or a caterpillar. Maybe a decade.  As a kid I used to see them all the time, but as a kid, I had a lot more free time to do nothing than is my current situation.

This pre-butterfly was spotted on my morning walk with Peter.  He noticed it, but didn't really stop to investigate.  I wouldn't know if a dog ate this kind of thing or not.  I would have tried to stop that action - for all three of our sakes.

I don't know if it's anywhere but Cleveland, but for eons we have had Woolly Bear Festivals. Not that I've ever been bored enough to go to one.  I suppose it would give me a reason to see a cousin of mine who lives in Vermilion, but it seems like quite a hike just to see how furry these beasts are.

You see, legend has it that the hairier that Wooly Bear, the harsher the upcoming Winter.

Dick Goddard, our 164 year old weatherman has been going on and on (and on) about Wooly Bears since I was a tot.

Honest to g-d, Mr. Goddard has been around forever. A few years ago his 39 (!!) year old wife was arrested for physically abusing him.  The newspaper stated his age at 73!

IMPOSSIBLE.

He most certainly had to be 65 when I first met him when I was an 8th grader - and let me tell you, that was quite a while ago.

The guy can really move, huh?

Now Sashay Away.



Song by:  Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs

Site of the Month

I had heard about the website Lumosity on NPR.

Lumosity was created by neuroscientists and is a site to be used daily that targets core cognitive processes that underlie performance in many different areas - including memory, attention and other abilities that are critical in the real world.

Well, if my high school math teachers were right, I was to be using Algebra in the 'real world' too - and that doesn't much happen.

But I get the need to keep your neurons sharp. I don't need to sink into dementia any sooner than is going to happen in the first place.

Truth be told, I've only used the site once (yesterday) so far, but for a few minutes per day, I will try it to see how (or if) my abilities improve.

You have to sign-up (with minimal information).  Can you believe someone already captured the user-name, "Blobby"?   Who the fuck do they think they are???

There are five test areas in all (speed, memory, attention, problem solving and flexibility), but without paying (and you know I'm not gonna), I only have access to the first three of those.

Eh, I'll live.

The site says I will improve 80% over the next three months.  I'm assuming that is based on all five areas. They don't really say.

While I did "ok", I wasn't stellar, but I attribute some of that to figuring out exactly what I should be doing (there are no do-overs) and figuring out the MacAir controls to the games.  i.e. I was to click on one thing, then another area to add a number, but hit the pad to quickly and it accepted an incorrect number.

So part of my 80% betterness (it could be a word!) will just be knowing what I'm doing tomorrow.  Then I'll plateau.

I don't know if BPI will fill in later, but the bottom two won't unless I shell-out $4.95 per month and up. Je don't think so.

It's hard to say to what the above numbers equate. They are not the same as the scores I received in each game.

Granted, I took a nose-dive at attention, as the scope got larger and it there was specific things you had to click on  - not just be in a very close proximity. The Speed and Memory should be better since I now know how they work.

I guess I can recap in 90 days to see how close I come to achieving that 80% improvement.

One of you might have to remind me to do that post.

App of the Month

I'm actually reviewing an app that hasn't even yet been released.

I. Am. THAT. Good.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out all that is wrong with an app called "Leftover Swap".

You get, give or exchange leftovers.

Now, I have a friend, Christine, who at least before she had kids, threw away anything leftover from dinner because she and her husband didn't believe in leftovers. That was a little extreme to me.  I am thinking she might have changed her tune on that now that she has three children.

710 and I are fine with leftovers - either as is, or to repurpose them into new meals.  You know how leftover steak can then be a steak salad or you make chicken hash from leftover chicken boobies, or something a day or two after the initial meal.  It beats throwing it away.

But exchanging leftovers with strangers?

I might be ok with giving stuff away, but in-take?  Noooooooo thank you.

I like to know ingredients and how things are prepared.  Oh - and I really want to know how long that food has been around and how it has been stored.

More disturbing is the claim of not letting restaurant portions go to waste.

You mean, food that has been sitting on someone's plate that they have invariably touched over and over during the course of the meal - was prepared by someone else, served by yet another person and possibly boxed up by yet a third individual?

I'm not a germaphobe but, ick!

G-R-O-S-S.

I have no idea if the app will be free of charge, but it should be.  Ya gotta believe the audience for this is limited, and clearly cheap if they're eating other people's leftovers.

I shant be downloading this one.

My Music Monday

I threatened to do a few weeks of '80s music, but I'm still holding off. Partially because of the songs I had thought of a few weeks back have slipped my mind and I just don't remember the representation I was going to put forth.

Maybe it's time to start Aricept.

My choice to day is a 1991 song - with hints of 1960s.

Roger McGuinn was a founding member of the Byrds and their lead singer and guitarist.  There is no way to get around that sound.

While McGuinn made records after the Byrds broke up in the early '70s, he had a slight resurgence in 1991 with his album, Back from Rio.

There is no denying the influence the Byrds had on rock music - just listen to any Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

It's not a complete shock that those guys showed up on McGuinns Rio, as did members of the Eagles, Wall of Voodoo, Elvis Costello, Michael Penn and some former member of the Byrds.

Back from Rio is a pretty good disk, though I'm not sure exactly how well it did - though I own it.

I went back and forth between two songs - my pick, "Someone to Love" and "King of the Hill".  Both are nicely done, though the latter is almost twice as long as the former - and I know you guys don't have that kind of attention span.

Secondly, "King of the Hill" was co-written by Petty and as much as he takes his influence from McGuinn, it is almost as if McGuinn becomes a back-up player.

"Someone to Love" is just a nice piece of pop music - with its Byrds-like jangling guitar sound.

I'm sure McGuinn put out music afterwards, but the press had moved on to, I'm sure, other comebacks that were more interesting.

Pornography

With my soapbox yesterday on vodka, I forgot that Saturday is normally Petey Porn Day.  My bad.

But I suppose one could look at doggie porn every or any day.  Since it is a weekend, and I'm downright lazy, today is Petey Porn Day.

Honestly, the toughest thing is coming up with the post title.

Grandma giving Petey a treat last weekend.  It was my sister's b-day and her present from us was bringing Petey to her house for dinner.  The ribbon comes off a Lillian Pulitzer box - a present from mother to daughter.  I put it on Petey - as my present was better. 

Honest, he's not pooping. He was enjoying the cool of the ground cover on a hot day earlier this week. Hell, I wish he'd go in there to do his bidness. But no - he'll hold it until he gets a walk. 

Dinner time.  Ours.  Not theirs.  One big beggar and one hanger-on. 

I will follow him. Follow him wherever he may go.........

Hell, I even created a new tag to dedicate just to Petey Porn - though Sophie is clearly a part of the picture.

Until next week.............



Song by:  the Cure

Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)

My lord, the gays and their causes.  It defies logic sometimes, not that you can tell us / them that....at least without getting bitch-slapped.

"Everyone" is on rant about boycotting Stoli vodka due to Russia's treatment of GLBT folks in their country. 

I don't drink vodka, so there is nothing for me to boycott. 

I do understand boycotts when it comes to organizations and companies. I'm not sure I get a boycott against a singular company in hopes that it will change national policy for a country - let alone a country that isn't even ours. 

Isn't that a little like Germany saying they won't use Welch's Grape Jelly if the U.S. doesn't change their policies on greenhouse gases?   Ok, maybe that isn't the best analogy, but it is not too far off.

I don't think anyone in the former Soviet Union is quaking in their boots - save maybe the people at Stoli.  

The arguments for why the boycott will succeed are flawed (my opinion).  People cite Anita Bryant (36 yrs ago!) and Coors (allegedly ended in 1997)...and.....well........that's it.

(ok - we had those uber-successful boycotts that totally brought down Target, Whole Foods and Chik-fil-a.)

Bryant was removed as a spokesperson and yes, it hurt the Florida Orange Juice Growers.  The Coors boycott hurt Coors, but guess what, the family is still severely right-winged and still giving money to organizations that cater to the right-wing.  So......

And yes, those boycotts financially hurt the company and did nothing to change domestic policy on well......anything.  Stoli will get financially hurt, but thinking they have pull with Putin or is that vital to the Russian economy is ludicrous - this is a country who still has periodic bread lines and an overall economy worse than East St. Louis. 

If Stoli is the biggest factor in the Russian economy then the country might have bigger issues. 

And why go after only Stoli - why not all Russian spirits or products?  Personally it sounds like Skyy or Grey Goose is behind this boycott. 

I would be more inclined to have people / athletes / sponsors boycott the 2014 Winter Games in Russia - not that I see that really happening - there is way too much invested.  The IOC claims that Russia claims that athletes and fans will be exempt from the anti-GLBT propaganda laws. 

Shouldn't that be a bigger issue?  Exemptions for certain populations and only when the eyes of the world are upon them for two weeks?  

The boycott of the Russian games in 1980 didn't have the desire effect the U.S wanted - and hell, Russia had invaded Afghanistan. I don't see the U.S. or any other country actually skipping the Winter Games. But the world is a different place now.  Social media, the internet, etc would have many more eyes on human rights issues in Russia. 

I was taken to task by someone who said that the Stoli boycott is a grassroots effort and that social change can only happen through this effort. 

REALLY?   

My, how short-sighted and how hypocritical. 

Mind you - these are the same people the bemoan, belittle and mock One Million Moms and NOM's boycotts on JCP and Starbucks respectively.  Whether you like it or not, those groups are going for social change too - just not some we would like to see. 

So boycotts are ok as long as it suits our wants and needs?

The reality is - Ed Snowden will be given sanctuary by Russia.  The U.S. wants him back.  We're not going to rock that boat any more than we possibly have to until he is custody....and that includes denouncing GLBT human rights in Russia. 

The boycotters can knock themselves out, but I think their focus and their target is misguided. 

Song by: Paul McCartney & Wings

In These Shoes

I have to say, ever since we moved back into the renovated bathroom and dressing room, we haven't really moved everything back.

It seems when we moved out we pitched a lot of shit.  Then we moved a lot of shit we kept to other bedrooms and closets, but when we moved back in, many things stayed in those other rooms and closets.

I'm at the point, if it is in another room and we haven't used it, we need to lose it.

One thing that went yesterday were shoes. Not tons - seven pair between 710 and myself.  They were old, out of style or never quite fit.  They've been gathering dust.

It would have been easy to give them too Goodwill, but a local organization was collecting shoes for folks affected by the Haiti earthquake three and one-half years ago.

Haiti is pretty impoverished on its best day, and since that earthquake, they haven't bounced back much at all.  I was good going slightly out of my way to drop of shoes for this charity.

Of course, I think everything's a scam, so hopefully the shoes will make its way to the folks who need them.

I kind of internally chuckled when I opened my trunk with these shoes.  It seemed like I had the Holocaust Museum Shoe Exhibit Starter Kit.

Oh relax - it is a joke.  (Though if you're ever in DC you need to take a day to go to the museum - and then another day to recover.)

But I pulled up to drop off the shoes - one of like five locations - and what do I see?

 The group has collected over 8600 pairs of shoes!!!  This was only a partial pick-up from one site.  The rest from this site were already loaded into......

a frickin' semi.

The place I dropped off at was a church, one that has an almost exclusive African-American base. I stood for a few minutes talking to the very handsome pastor who was telling me how he was taking flak from any number of people because he was doing this for Haiti but for not doing something for Trayvon Martin.

I never got to question as to what he was supposed to actually do for someone who had been dead for 18 months (not that I was ever actually going to ask that question).

He immediately went on to say, "people get murdered every single day. These are millions of people who have been without everything for years".

I was a little taken aback by that - not that any of it wasn't untrue - just him being forthright telling someone he's never met before that he was going against some in his congregation with no apologies.

8600 pairs of shoes are nothing to sneeze at. I really have no idea how they'll get tied garbage bags down to the Caribbean.

Here's hoping it's not a scam.



Song by:  Kirsty MacColl

B-A-B-Y

All this fuss over an off-spring.

It's nice and all that the Brits still have a sense of tradition and well - adhere to the class system.

All in all, I'd rather hear about the royal baby than not be able to turn on a tv or open a newspaper to hear or see every pregnant second of Kim Kardashian's bastard.  Sadly, she might be America's royalty.

How far we've fallen as a nation.

...but even with the royals, my lord, the media was out of control....and their audacity.....

"How Long Will Kate Keep Us Waiting?"

Excuse me?  How is this fucking about you / me / us? Sorry she's not on your timeline or told you the exact due date, you vultures.

And this is a U.S. CNN headline, not CNN International. This isn't even the BBC where, you know, the birth of a monarch, actually means something.

While we were in Maine, I kind of hoped that the royal baby watch was all over. Morty said something about it, off the cuff, (he's not obsessed with it.....honest!), and it made me assume that labour had begun.  Alas, it was not meant to be.

My lord, the blog entries and comments, the Facebook posts - and the parodies - about the birth, about the baby, the parents, etc, you'd think people wouldn't have time to pull away from their Rolling Stone cover rants to join in on the baby news.  Alas, they found the window in their busy schedule.

Praise be that it's all over.  Yes, we'll have to see picture of his first day at school and shit, but I'll be long dead well before he ever takes the throne, assuming there is a monarchy at that point.

There are allegedly 3.6M babies born in the world every single day.  The amount of time and effort for this one is just strange to me. The ones who struggle to succeed are the interesting stories.  Not to diss the future king of England, but c'mon, he's going to struggle for very little.

I look at it this way - the story got George Zimmerman off the front pages, and Anthony Weiner is knocking the little baby king off his rotation.

Lord knows what is next.



Song by:  Rachel Sweet

Record of the Month - Classic

Another installment of a disk I have enjoyed over the years. I'm trying to keep the Record of the Month posts to be fairly new releases. Classics are going to be ones that are at least 10 years old.

I've been focusing on debut disks - just to make it more challenging for me. I don't think you'll care one way or the other, and I'm running out of decent debut disks. 

Yikes, I haven't done a Classics version since April.  And it doesn't look as if I'll have a new music release for July.  Such is the way of the world.  Blobby's World.

I'll finally do Rosanne Cash's debut - Right or Wrong, released in 1979.

Technically, it's her U.S. debut.  She recorded an album in Germany a year or so earlier that was a bomb, but she was bound and determined to not be associated with her father - Johnny. Even she thinks that album is abysmal.

While Cash, oddly enough, wasn't raised that much on country music, she knew enough to record a disk that would start what would be called 'new country' - meaning not being so sad-sack with the country music ala the put upon woman done wrong by her man.

Produced by her soon to be (first) husband, Rodney Crowell, he brings folks from his stint in the Hot Band which backed up Emmylou Harris - including Harris herself.

Cash is green as a vocalist and songwriter on this disk, penning only one tune.  Her vocals are decent but became much stronger over time. Still her voice suits the song choices. It's a solid debut disk, though not stellar.

Covering "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)" was a bold choice - as it had been done from everyone from Harry Belafonte, to Robert Palmer to the Carpenters to the Grateful Dead.  Still her country take on it works.  She also covers her father (so much for distancing herself) with his "Big River".  She even tries to bring some country influence into the music with a duet with Bobby Bare Jr.  ("No Memories Hangin' Round")

Crowell, being a prolific songwriter, gets four of his own songs in here - all good, especially "Baby, Better Start Turnin' 'em Down" and "Anybody's Darling".

Cash's one turn at writing ("This Has Happened Before") is decent, but only an inkling at what she'd be able to turn out a few years later.

It sounds like the disk was made on a shoe-string budget and while a few of her more successful disks got remastered, Right or Wrong did not - and it desperately needs to - though the limited audience vs the out of pocket expense make it highly unlikely Sony will ever do this.

If you stumble upon it (the library, perhaps), it's worth picking up.  While as you won't be wow'd you will most likely like.

Shopping with Blobby

Yet another installment in the drudgery that is everyday shopping. The camera-phone makes it a bit more fun - though I get looks whenever I take pics of products. Like I care what people think!

Another month where someone else has been doing the heavy lifting.  My friend, Meredith sent these to me while we were up on Maine.

The one thing I forgot to do is ask Dith was - where the fuck was she shopping?

 Pork Buns I've heard of.  Bungs?  Not so much. 

Laundry Soup?  Do you eat it in the Laundromat - or is it made with rinse water? 

$1.99 is a good price for Big Gay Choy.

My Music Monday

While driving home on Saturday, I totally considered doing a month's worth of '80s music, since it was evening and XM's New Wave channel has their 'dance mix' night.

Though the songs are usually good, the actual way they segue the songs, or the mixes that they pick, are questionable at best. Yet clearly, it put '80s on my mind.

But at least for a week, you get a reprieve from that.  Thank g-d for shiny object to distract me.  ...and who the hell knows what will happen between now and next Monday.

So earlier Saturday, on the way to yoga (that was cancelled, everyone knew it but myself and one other person!), I was on another XM station, 'alt nation' when I heard another song:  Cayucas' "High School Lover".

At least on the drive, it seemed interesting enough - kind of a Beach Boys (when they were good) meets Beck (when he was good).

On second listen, when I got home - it's still not bad, but then started resembling Peter Bjorn and John. I used to like PBJ, but after that awful show (which I think is still on) Two Broke Girls used their "Second Chance" for the theme, I cringe hearing the tune.

So now, all I hear when playing "High School Lover" is Peter Bjorn and John.  Before I ever got a chance to like the song, I'm already turned off.

I should have left it with the comparison or Beach Boys and Beck.

All or Nothing

Maybe it's post-vacation blues.  Perhaps it's been the week of stifling heat.

It is quite possible the Muses went on vacation without submitting a PTO request.  They shouldn't do that. Not only is it against policy, they don't give me time to back-fill the temporary vacancy.

We did get a severe storm at 04:00 yesterday.  The light show woke me up.  Better yet, the temps dipped about 27 degrees. Phew.

Sure those pesky winds (technically an EF1 tornado) downed power lines, snapped trees and made a local college gymnasium collapse......but most importantly, temps dipped about 27 degrees.

That storm wasn't enough to warrant a post, but I think I've written enough to say I have nothing to really say yet still get credit for a post.

Yayy me!



Song by:  Dirty Vegas