Light On The TdF
OK I haven't been bugging you with Tour de France blogging but I want, at the end of Stage 6, to point out that the amazing Lance Armstrong, aged legs and all is 22/100 (edit note - I had an extra 0 in there, hundredths, not thousandths, my apologies) of a second off the lead of Fabian Cancellara who rode an absolutely blazing individual time trial in Stage 1 to capture yellow. There are probably at least a dozen riders who have the talent to win but only about half that number have the team support to actually win.
Which brings us back around to Lance and team Astana. As it stands today, Astana holds four of the top five positions in the tour. Lance at 2, Spain's Alberto Contador (winner of the '07 Tour) at 3, Germany's Andreas Klöden at 4 and American Levi Leipheimer (3rd in the 2007 Tour) at 5. Astana could possibly set a new team record for highest finish of the most team members. I have already mentioned that Astana is run by Johan Bruyneel who will be recognized, when he retires, as the greatest team director in Tour history. A brilliant tactician and a master of the psychology of sport.
What may be the only problem with Astana is that Contador and Armstrong are both serious contenders for the win. At some point, one of the two has to support the other and therein may lie some friction. We'll see who comes out of the climbing stages ahead of the other and the tale will be told. Lance has been a brilliant climber and a brilliant time trialist. Contador is possibly the best climber riding the tour today. He should have won last year but Astana as a team was barred because of the blood doping of former team leader Alexander Vinokourov.
OK, I meant to be brief. But this is a great, great Tour this year. If you get the Versus network, please watch a stage or two. The commentary team is superb and the saturation coverage: helicopter and motorcycle cameras let almost the entire peloton get wall-to-wall coverage. Beautiful. Brilliant.
Also, for you chicks out there who dig the bums of fit men, the pictures should have you in a stage of constant arousal.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
I'm Just Sayin' Is All
I bought some applewood smoked bacon at Trader Joe's the other day. My house is now perfumed with bacon aroma. The Airwick people are missing a bet here.
And I have a plan for the rendered bacon fat: I'm going to get some steaks at Costco, grind them into burger form and add bacon fat to the grinding. My friend the Enigmatic Misanthrope suggested adding lardons to the grinding for additional flavor and I admit that I hadn't thought of that. And I may be mis-remembering our conversation - he may have already done that rather than just suggested it to me. In any event, I think the idea of getting "bacon burger" flavor into the very meat itself has got to be a good thing. A better thing that anything Martha Stewart has ever called a 'good thing.'
I bought some applewood smoked bacon at Trader Joe's the other day. My house is now perfumed with bacon aroma. The Airwick people are missing a bet here.
And I have a plan for the rendered bacon fat: I'm going to get some steaks at Costco, grind them into burger form and add bacon fat to the grinding. My friend the Enigmatic Misanthrope suggested adding lardons to the grinding for additional flavor and I admit that I hadn't thought of that. And I may be mis-remembering our conversation - he may have already done that rather than just suggested it to me. In any event, I think the idea of getting "bacon burger" flavor into the very meat itself has got to be a good thing. A better thing that anything Martha Stewart has ever called a 'good thing.'
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
What's With Teh Intarwebz Today?
I've been fighting non-loading pages all day today. Anyone else having this problem? Of course that I got through to Blogger to post may mean the problem is easing up. Is the warming heat of the day thinning out the molasses that's being being pumped through the series of tubes?
I've been fighting non-loading pages all day today. Anyone else having this problem? Of course that I got through to Blogger to post may mean the problem is easing up. Is the warming heat of the day thinning out the molasses that's being being pumped through the series of tubes?
Monday, July 06, 2009
So In The Mood
I'm listening to the Gin Blossoms, remembering who it was who introduced me to their music. Great stuff. Even if we are talking early 90's music. Aged like fine wine. Same source put me onto Dreams So Real too. "Rough Night in Jericho." That was brilliant.
Just got Elmore Leonard's new novel "Road Dogs" from Amazon. Read a flat-out rave review in a recent noisepaper and am going to try to get it autographed. Via an internet connection. How cool is that? Answer: pretty frickin.
Tour de France blogging will probably begin tomorrow after the team time trial in stage 4. Yeah! Return of the TTT! Astana might just blow some people away. Columbia HTC might make a show of it too.
I'm listening to the Gin Blossoms, remembering who it was who introduced me to their music. Great stuff. Even if we are talking early 90's music. Aged like fine wine. Same source put me onto Dreams So Real too. "Rough Night in Jericho." That was brilliant.
Just got Elmore Leonard's new novel "Road Dogs" from Amazon. Read a flat-out rave review in a recent noisepaper and am going to try to get it autographed. Via an internet connection. How cool is that? Answer: pretty frickin.
Tour de France blogging will probably begin tomorrow after the team time trial in stage 4. Yeah! Return of the TTT! Astana might just blow some people away. Columbia HTC might make a show of it too.
Good Riddance
Robert Strange McNamara, the man who took his success in producing the Ford Falcon all the way to the grotesque fiasco that was the Johnson Administration's pursuit of the Vietnam war has died. He lived far too long. I recall that some years ago, this sad, bitter man published a book about how he had been misled by those around him which caused the debacle that cost over 50,000 lives of good, young American men. My late father was still alive when this pathetic attempt at blame laying was made. My father who went to Vietnam as a civilian and ended up spending five years in captivity in the north. My father the career foreign service officer who went a war to direct pacification programs. I talked with my dad, perhaps too briefly, when McNamara came out with his self-serving revisionism. My father was there, in the room as it were, when those people McNamara was accusing of lying to him were telling him the truth about what was actually going on. And my father watched McNamara destroy their careers.
That's right. The son of a bitch was told precisely what was happening but it didn't fit with what he wanted to happen, with his bean-counting measures of success like "body counts." So he ruined the careers, possibly the lives as well (though good men can usually overcome such career destruction), of those he would later accuse of making him look bad.
I'm glad you're dead you bastard. A lot of better men than you never made it back.
Robert Strange McNamara, the man who took his success in producing the Ford Falcon all the way to the grotesque fiasco that was the Johnson Administration's pursuit of the Vietnam war has died. He lived far too long. I recall that some years ago, this sad, bitter man published a book about how he had been misled by those around him which caused the debacle that cost over 50,000 lives of good, young American men. My late father was still alive when this pathetic attempt at blame laying was made. My father who went to Vietnam as a civilian and ended up spending five years in captivity in the north. My father the career foreign service officer who went a war to direct pacification programs. I talked with my dad, perhaps too briefly, when McNamara came out with his self-serving revisionism. My father was there, in the room as it were, when those people McNamara was accusing of lying to him were telling him the truth about what was actually going on. And my father watched McNamara destroy their careers.
That's right. The son of a bitch was told precisely what was happening but it didn't fit with what he wanted to happen, with his bean-counting measures of success like "body counts." So he ruined the careers, possibly the lives as well (though good men can usually overcome such career destruction), of those he would later accuse of making him look bad.
I'm glad you're dead you bastard. A lot of better men than you never made it back.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Happy Fourth Of July!
(insert fireworks and sound FX here)
If you don't have at least some fun today, shame on yees. I put out my Murrican flag and I have a 12 pack of Blue Moon Belgian beer ... and I'm not afraid to use it! Go ye and do likewise.
(insert fireworks and sound FX here)
If you don't have at least some fun today, shame on yees. I put out my Murrican flag and I have a 12 pack of Blue Moon Belgian beer ... and I'm not afraid to use it! Go ye and do likewise.
Friday, July 03, 2009
What The Hell People?
With all the foofaraw about Gov. Sanford (unmentioned here at PoW as not everything is worth of comment all the time), not a single person has brought up Wilbur Mills and his dunk in the tidal Basin with Fanne Fox, "The Argentine Firecracker" who took down the previously powerful Congressweasel.
I think it necessary to begin referring to Gov. Sanford as "The Argentine Fired Cracker." So from this point on, you will be required to use that phrase. Work it into the conversation at least once a day for the next month.
With all the foofaraw about Gov. Sanford (unmentioned here at PoW as not everything is worth of comment all the time), not a single person has brought up Wilbur Mills and his dunk in the tidal Basin with Fanne Fox, "The Argentine Firecracker" who took down the previously powerful Congressweasel.
I think it necessary to begin referring to Gov. Sanford as "The Argentine Fired Cracker." So from this point on, you will be required to use that phrase. Work it into the conversation at least once a day for the next month.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Today's Woot
"One Day, One Deal" is the slogan and if you're in need of some travelin' gear, it's hard to beat today's Woot: three suitcases for $30 ($35 with shipping). A 25" upright wheelie, a 20" carry-on upright wheelie and a shoulder tote in black, purple or red. I don't know from luggage but at that price if it lasts beyond one trip, you're doing all right. The purple and red are fairly stylish too (says the dog whose taste is all in his mouth).
UPDATE: The deal was sold out (6,724 units) by noon Central Time. Not unusual.
IN ADDITION: This is usually an "update" thing but since this is not an update and is related to the post above simply on the basis that it's internet related, I thought I might add to the post. I got a call from a friend of mine this morning (who shall be nameless to spare his or her delicate feelings). I was asked about a particular song that friend has had for years on a second generation cassette but which is beloved as "drivin' music." I said, "There's a version on YouTube by...."
Which elicited the question, "What's YouTube?"
Yup. "What's YouTube?" Ay Caramba!
"One Day, One Deal" is the slogan and if you're in need of some travelin' gear, it's hard to beat today's Woot: three suitcases for $30 ($35 with shipping). A 25" upright wheelie, a 20" carry-on upright wheelie and a shoulder tote in black, purple or red. I don't know from luggage but at that price if it lasts beyond one trip, you're doing all right. The purple and red are fairly stylish too (says the dog whose taste is all in his mouth).
UPDATE: The deal was sold out (6,724 units) by noon Central Time. Not unusual.
IN ADDITION: This is usually an "update" thing but since this is not an update and is related to the post above simply on the basis that it's internet related, I thought I might add to the post. I got a call from a friend of mine this morning (who shall be nameless to spare his or her delicate feelings). I was asked about a particular song that friend has had for years on a second generation cassette but which is beloved as "drivin' music." I said, "There's a version on YouTube by...."
Which elicited the question, "What's YouTube?"
Yup. "What's YouTube?" Ay Caramba!
Sorry I can't help myself...
Ha Ha!!..No really Jesse!!..Mo'Money, Mo'Money, Mo'Money....
Joe Jackson has announced the plan he has to immortalize Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean Moon Walk. Michael’s lower torso will be separated from his body and shipped to his birth town of Gary Indiana where it will fitted with an electro-mechanical device that will replicate in full motion the infamous Moon Walk. The lower torso will be performing the Moon Walk on the concrete side walk in front of Michael’s birth residence. Admission fee is expected to be between $25.00 and $50.00. All proceeds will be evenly divided between the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Joe Jackson.
Ha Ha!!..No really Jesse!!..Mo'Money, Mo'Money, Mo'Money....
Joe Jackson has announced the plan he has to immortalize Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean Moon Walk. Michael’s lower torso will be separated from his body and shipped to his birth town of Gary Indiana where it will fitted with an electro-mechanical device that will replicate in full motion the infamous Moon Walk. The lower torso will be performing the Moon Walk on the concrete side walk in front of Michael’s birth residence. Admission fee is expected to be between $25.00 and $50.00. All proceeds will be evenly divided between the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Joe Jackson.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A Post With No Title
By which I immediately start with a lie. But only kind of.
Yesterday afternoon I felt like poo. I was tired and eye-fuzzed and at the computer (looking at a few of the passive aggressive signs on that blog if you must know). The afternoon heat and the lack of electrical activity in my cerebral cortex combined to render me inert in front of the computer - you've been there: chin on chest, sleeping sitting up. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. But the only problem is that the Mail app was loaded at the same time and as I was deep in that zombified chair sleep, an e-mail came in. Poonngg! Yow!
I'm not in any position to "jump out of my chair" but it may as well have been ES paddles placed directly on my chest. Bzzaapp! I'm awake! I'm awake dammit!
Now let me sleep damn your eyes! Y'all have a great Last Day Of June, OK?
By which I immediately start with a lie. But only kind of.
Yesterday afternoon I felt like poo. I was tired and eye-fuzzed and at the computer (looking at a few of the passive aggressive signs on that blog if you must know). The afternoon heat and the lack of electrical activity in my cerebral cortex combined to render me inert in front of the computer - you've been there: chin on chest, sleeping sitting up. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. But the only problem is that the Mail app was loaded at the same time and as I was deep in that zombified chair sleep, an e-mail came in. Poonngg! Yow!
I'm not in any position to "jump out of my chair" but it may as well have been ES paddles placed directly on my chest. Bzzaapp! I'm awake! I'm awake dammit!
Now let me sleep damn your eyes! Y'all have a great Last Day Of June, OK?
Sunday, June 28, 2009
I Wanted To Say Something Today
And then thought better of it. The blogosphere might be better off if reflection led to silence sometimes. I can point you to no examples but as a window into the soul, a quiet time can be the gently waving grass in the wind shadow of a tree in a furious storm.
But what the hell, you don't come here to read nothing (Well... Ed.) Shut UP Ed! Instead of quiet reflection, I offer some randomness that trickles like a stalactite-forming drip through the dark caverns of my mind.
1. Add to the stuff I like sambal oelek. Link goes to a Wikiped page on sambal generically. My father in law introduced me to this spicy delight and it was a home-coming on the hottening up front. I have always liked the hot peppers and other types of chemical warfare like wasabi and horseradish but sambal has that wonderful bloom of heat that acts like a taser on each taste bud. Give it a moment to let the initial edge of heat die down and every little papilla is just firing on all levels. Wonderful.
2. Michael Jackson. I'm glad my blogging partner did the main post on that one. I recognize his talent but I own and will not own any of his music. Billy Beck did a nice job of recognizing the good in the music. I will always be more partial to "Human Nature" and "Smooth Criminal" than the other big hits. It may be a blessing to him that his sad freakish life is now over.
3. Farrah. I hope she did not die in pain as her cancer is of a pretty vicious type. But otherwise, she made no dent in my world. Beautiful? Yes, absolutely. The iconic poster which meant so much to others always impressed me not with the obvious (the pokies) but that incandescent smile! I like good teeth and that picture is just dental perfection. Yeah, I know. Consider it a personal failing of mine.
Besides, I was always a Kate Jackson fan.
4. Have you seen the LED on the new Apple wireless keyboard? It's the most elegant thing I've seen in all LED light-dom. The green LED is not sitting exposed but is actually beneath the aluminum skin of the keyboard. The aluminum is then laser-pierced to let the ight through. Here is a 40X picture on Flickr. Better than I can take for sure.
The elegance of it is that when the light is off (on only when powering up and down), you basically can not even tell where it is unless you get the keyboard at an angle where the slight color change of the metal shows. And the laser drilling is at a slight angle so that the light shines toward the user as the keyboard is on, say, a desktop. Just very cool. If you have a friend with one of these, get a demo of it.
5. Wimbledon. I used to care about tennis. I was a huge Bjorn Borg fan (I was assimilated, ar! ar! ar!) back in the day but now ... I'm sorry where was I? Oh yeah. Just. Don't. Care. Anymore. I am, however, looking forward to the Tour de France and hoping that Lance doesn't embarass himself. Not that he would as he has a very good team around him and he is riding under probably the greatest team director in TdF history, Johan Bruyneel. Versus network's coverage of the race really should be recognized for its excellence in providing video and commentators who know whereof they speak. This year I'm going to try to only watch the evening recaps instead of the early morning live coverage.
OK. I have driveled. You go now. No trouble. Have a wonderful Sunday, please.
And then thought better of it. The blogosphere might be better off if reflection led to silence sometimes. I can point you to no examples but as a window into the soul, a quiet time can be the gently waving grass in the wind shadow of a tree in a furious storm.
But what the hell, you don't come here to read nothing (Well... Ed.) Shut UP Ed! Instead of quiet reflection, I offer some randomness that trickles like a stalactite-forming drip through the dark caverns of my mind.
1. Add to the stuff I like sambal oelek. Link goes to a Wikiped page on sambal generically. My father in law introduced me to this spicy delight and it was a home-coming on the hottening up front. I have always liked the hot peppers and other types of chemical warfare like wasabi and horseradish but sambal has that wonderful bloom of heat that acts like a taser on each taste bud. Give it a moment to let the initial edge of heat die down and every little papilla is just firing on all levels. Wonderful.
2. Michael Jackson. I'm glad my blogging partner did the main post on that one. I recognize his talent but I own and will not own any of his music. Billy Beck did a nice job of recognizing the good in the music. I will always be more partial to "Human Nature" and "Smooth Criminal" than the other big hits. It may be a blessing to him that his sad freakish life is now over.
3. Farrah. I hope she did not die in pain as her cancer is of a pretty vicious type. But otherwise, she made no dent in my world. Beautiful? Yes, absolutely. The iconic poster which meant so much to others always impressed me not with the obvious (the pokies) but that incandescent smile! I like good teeth and that picture is just dental perfection. Yeah, I know. Consider it a personal failing of mine.
Besides, I was always a Kate Jackson fan.
4. Have you seen the LED on the new Apple wireless keyboard? It's the most elegant thing I've seen in all LED light-dom. The green LED is not sitting exposed but is actually beneath the aluminum skin of the keyboard. The aluminum is then laser-pierced to let the ight through. Here is a 40X picture on Flickr. Better than I can take for sure.
The elegance of it is that when the light is off (on only when powering up and down), you basically can not even tell where it is unless you get the keyboard at an angle where the slight color change of the metal shows. And the laser drilling is at a slight angle so that the light shines toward the user as the keyboard is on, say, a desktop. Just very cool. If you have a friend with one of these, get a demo of it.
5. Wimbledon. I used to care about tennis. I was a huge Bjorn Borg fan (I was assimilated, ar! ar! ar!) back in the day but now ... I'm sorry where was I? Oh yeah. Just. Don't. Care. Anymore. I am, however, looking forward to the Tour de France and hoping that Lance doesn't embarass himself. Not that he would as he has a very good team around him and he is riding under probably the greatest team director in TdF history, Johan Bruyneel. Versus network's coverage of the race really should be recognized for its excellence in providing video and commentators who know whereof they speak. This year I'm going to try to only watch the evening recaps instead of the early morning live coverage.
OK. I have driveled. You go now. No trouble. Have a wonderful Sunday, please.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Now This Is A Great Joke
(And totally stolen from here.)
So Feynman and Heisenberg decided to take a road trip together, with Feynman driving and Heisenberg in charge of the map. Every so often Feynman checks with Heisenberg for directions
“Where are we?”
“Forty three miles out of Tuscon. Take a left at the next exit.”
This sort of thing continues for a while, everything’s going well, when suddenly Heisenberg points— “Look out! Cop car behind the billboard!”
Feynman glances at the speedometer. “Relax, I’m going 55 miles per hour.”
“Oh, way to go, bonehead,” says Heisenberg. “Now we’re lost.”
My take was "At the Physics Bar:"
Bartender: Is that your drink Dr. Heisenberg?
Heisenberg: I'm not sure.
(And totally stolen from here.)
So Feynman and Heisenberg decided to take a road trip together, with Feynman driving and Heisenberg in charge of the map. Every so often Feynman checks with Heisenberg for directions
“Where are we?”
“Forty three miles out of Tuscon. Take a left at the next exit.”
This sort of thing continues for a while, everything’s going well, when suddenly Heisenberg points— “Look out! Cop car behind the billboard!”
Feynman glances at the speedometer. “Relax, I’m going 55 miles per hour.”
“Oh, way to go, bonehead,” says Heisenberg. “Now we’re lost.”
My take was "At the Physics Bar:"
Bartender: Is that your drink Dr. Heisenberg?
Heisenberg: I'm not sure.
Trying It
This is just a test to see if I can post to PoW from the iPhone. Feel free to go about your business citizen.
UPDATE: From the desktop, I had to drop the text size here as I couldn't get the iPhone to format the post as I'd prefer. So the bottom line is that while I can post from the iPhone, it's not great way to do so.
And in other update news - the HempShake is delicious! And it has fiber. That is win - win for my aging protoplasmic pouch, by which I mean my body.
This is just a test to see if I can post to PoW from the iPhone. Feel free to go about your business citizen.
UPDATE: From the desktop, I had to drop the text size here as I couldn't get the iPhone to format the post as I'd prefer. So the bottom line is that while I can post from the iPhone, it's not great way to do so.
And in other update news - the HempShake is delicious! And it has fiber. That is win - win for my aging protoplasmic pouch, by which I mean my body.
What a week....
Sigh.
All that time spent holding up her poster with one hand...Every generation has their sweetheart, their fantasy girl. Farrah was certainly that for a lot of guys my age. She's certainly one of those celebs whose passing actually touches me.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Stuff! And, Surprisingly, Not From Amazon
OK, I have been shopping at the 'Zon. Coconut oil for popping popcorn, hemp protein shakes ("organic HempShake" in "berry pomegranate" which sounds rather delicious). But I have some friends who live in the wilds of Western Maryland who are afflicted with pests. So I've just ordered myself an air rifle: 1,200 fps, .177 pellets. I e-mailed an internet friend about the appropriateness of said combination to the problem at hand to which he replied "Oh HELL yes. Keep the range down below 25 yards and do your part, and the pellet will do its."
And it can work on skwerls too. Not in my neighborhood of houses cheek by jowl but there are other places to acquire the makin's for a nice Brunswick stew. I may report on the effects of the rig but it may be the better part of valor to just let the subject drop than befoul your imagination with any stories of the pluck required to hunt successfully.
OK, I have been shopping at the 'Zon. Coconut oil for popping popcorn, hemp protein shakes ("organic HempShake" in "berry pomegranate" which sounds rather delicious). But I have some friends who live in the wilds of Western Maryland who are afflicted with pests. So I've just ordered myself an air rifle: 1,200 fps, .177 pellets. I e-mailed an internet friend about the appropriateness of said combination to the problem at hand to which he replied "Oh HELL yes. Keep the range down below 25 yards and do your part, and the pellet will do its."
And it can work on skwerls too. Not in my neighborhood of houses cheek by jowl but there are other places to acquire the makin's for a nice Brunswick stew. I may report on the effects of the rig but it may be the better part of valor to just let the subject drop than befoul your imagination with any stories of the pluck required to hunt successfully.
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