pump

I've got nothing interesting to offer this fine evening. I've spent the last few hours working on the picture below. This will not bring you any enjoyment, but it is the latest, if not the greatest, addition to the world of pumps. There you have it. I'll work up some killer new material for tomorrow, so prepare yourself to be entertained.

Borrrring Boooook talk

I am reading the Confessions of Max Tivoli. Not long into it... about the fourth or fifth word, I feared that I was reading about Benjamin Button. I have no desire to read about Benjamin Button. I have no plans to watch Benjamin Button. I've stuck with it. Now on page 86, I am convinced that I am not reading Benjamin Button. All that said... I think the concepts are way too similar... I never could have followed through with the story if I were Andrew Sean Greer.

I'm trying to read authors who appear on the jackets of books that I like. So far it has been with mixed results. Next up is Michael Chabon... he better not disappoint. Me. I will say for sure that Chabon's website is a big lump of a disappointment.

I've been given reading suggestions from some of you... none of which I am finding in the local 'brary. The search continues.

I've also gone with writers's's influences to find other authors. It got me Haruki Murakami (great) and also got me Muriel Sparks (the book I read was nothing special, not one of her acclaimed works... I'm left wary, very wary).

Some of the classics may get a look shortly. I feel drawn to some of the non-classics by the writers of classics. I read Moby Dick voluntarily when I was younger... and I think it is what turned me off of reading for a couple decades, so I'm going to be cautious as I venture in that direction.

Now, I have to go learn about a marxist/socialist/fascist/communist/nazi health care plan and get a primer on death panels. Bye.

Capital!

Today, continuing on the side road theme, I drove through the denim capital of the world. If I hadn't seen the sign, I wouldn't have known it. I'm not 100% sure of the title's legitimacy. I'm not even 10% sure. The only denim I saw was my pants, that's why I'm not convinced. I intend to do some research on the topic soon. But not really soon.

The challenge of the qwerty keyboard is alive and well tonight as I type with my thumbs in the backyard. The upside is that at this point my texting skills with two thumbs is not much better than my one thumb skill set, so I'm freed up to pet a lazy black dog. This is agreeable to both parties.

Tonight I saw the constellations reveal themselves one star at a time. - the tragically hip

Right now that constellation would be the great triangle. I'm waiting for Orion to return, who, as the easiest cool weather cluster to spot, is one of my favorites. Cassaeopia (spelling currently under review) is another favorite. I've never much cared for the dippers, dumbed down underlings from the Ursas . They are pedestrian and predictable. I sound like an astronomy snob, but I only know enough to make me dangerous. Which, come to think of it, most certainly classifies me as a snob - an unrefined, under-informed, denim-clad, stargazing snob... There are worse things I could be.

Yes! Lucky me just saw a shooting star. Some snobs have all the luck. Time to close it on a high note, back inside for some iced tea and a snack.

Night night.

Goat Boy

I saw a boy walking a reluctant goat.

This is why it is good to drive the back roads - you don't see boys walking goats while driving on the interstate. Drive on a road without a blue and red sign and you get a much more entertaining trip. Boys with goats. Goats with boys.

"Reluctant goat" may be redundant. A boy walking his willing goat, now that would be something to see.

No Charles Kuraltian nostalgiarama about back road Americana to be had here, just the quick mention of a boy and a goat. And why? Well, I would hope that if you saw a boy walking a goat, you'd tell me about it too. Blog unto others.

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Correction:

Yesterday's poliblog had a word choice that needs revisiting. I was thinking that "Hillarian" Listening Tour might be could be replaced by "Hillarious" Listening Tour depending on my mood. Thoughts or concerns can be directed toward the editor.

Reflection:

I appreciate people reading what I write. I think reading offers a sense of accomplishment and activity for the reader that other media do not offer. Do you feel that you're actively doing anything when watching a movie or listening to a song? I don't. Sometimes a song can grab you and affect you, but it doesn't need you like the written word does. The word-reader relationship has a unique dynamic all its own. Bloglas McBlogland does not take that to as deep a level as some, but there is a relationship of which you (reader) are a part. Go team!

Did I mention I saw a boy walking a reluctant goat?

Debate Rebate

The lasting effect of the 2000 presidential election is that from now on there will be groups who claim the sitting president is illegitimate. "Birthers" are simply the latest (and lamest) version.

Obama got elected to office by convincing everyone that he would change the tone and the way business is done in Washington. Thus far his strategy to accomplish this has been to let congress try to solve things. Please, please, please... grab the wheel, grab the reigns, grab something and articulate some renewed sense of direction. Do it Wednesday. Good, bad or indifferent - left, right and/or center, make your case. The recess has been a mess, perhaps just democracy in action with all its flaws, warts and smells, but these congress people have been out defending or attacking undefined goals and legislation. I would have preferred an Hillarian (Clintonian is taken already) listening tour to the town halls... it may have been more productive and less destructive. Pulling the plug and death panels have defined the debate... how could such a well-oiled message machine that put Barack in office be so absent and impotent now? "We've got to fix health care" is a little too broad, really. Policy! Define and enact. Simple, but not easy.

Why Afghanistan and foreign policy in general is hard for us: Ideologues on both sides can't accept that democracy shouldn't be on the fast track everywhere, whether accomplished by force or reasonable discourse. Americans don't understand it. I don't understand it, and I don't like it, but I'm pretty sure it's the case. I think this goes back to our youth and naivety (or naivete, si vous preferez) as a nation. It's a noble perspective to have but doesn't make for easy, clear cut decision-making (do you think China grapples with foreign policy issues like we do... I don't think so). Still, decisions are required. We've lost the definition of our goals in Afghanistan, much like the ever-shifting mission in Iraq. I wouldn't want to make these choices, but some tough ones need be made. Policy! Define and enact. Not so simple, not so easy.

Whew, I think I'm all over the place. I'm not arguing for Obama to take any certain position here, just to take a position. Then, and only then, we can argue about the merits. Debate about floating generalities is a waste of energy and inevitably leads to partisan rancor and town hall madness. Though, without the town hall meetings, we all would have missed out on Barney Frank saying, "Trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table... I have no interest in doing it."

Some good did come of the recess after all.

If I was to have a conversation with a dining room table it would be with one made by George Nakashima. Always cool stuff, butterfly dovetail keys, big freeform shape made of walnut and a variation on the Conoid Chair with solid back to sit in while talking to the table. Yeah, that would be all right.

Saturday Indulgence

Bear with me as I report on sport with this sports report.
Thoughts, statements, fragments and moments as seen through orange-colored glasses by a man in an orange-colored shirt.

Over 45,000 in attendance. First snap in the shotgun for SU clears Greg Paulus by at least ten feet. That snap would have been good from fifty yards out. Team gets down 14-3 early. Battles back. Defense plays inspired...uh ... defense. Tackles are made on ball carriers. Team scores points. SU leads at halftime. Defense stays tough in second half, allows some big pass plays, but only gives up field goals. Over the last four years, SU has been no better than 101st in defense, they were much improved today. Paulus, who was touted for his smarts, showed it on all but the last play, an unnecessarily risky throw into the end zone that was picked off in overtime. He got away with a couple other balls that should have been intercepted. He had two or three drops on third downs in the second half that would have kept drives alive and may have lead to a score that may have won the game which would have lead my post today to simply be TITLE: 'cuse wins BODY: 'cuse wins LABELS: 'cuse wins. Normally, Syracuse burns all of it's timeouts in the first quarter... on first down plays, after tv timeouts, while on defense (and those are not the three ways they do it, it is a full description of each timeout event). Today, they only had one disorganized moment where they had to waste one. There were false starts and some holds, but nothing as ugly as the last several years have produced. If there had been no halftime break, I think Syracuse would have won by ten, but the halftime adjustments by Minnesota killed the Orange flow and resulted in the loss and the current sorrow that now clouds around me like a dark, damp sorrow cloud.

Grades:

Overall: 98 - They played with heart and intensity.

Defense: B+ (Much improved - good tackling - two takeaways - need better pass rush - linebackers, not just safeties, need to make some tackles)

Offense: 3/5 stars (Resilient - good play calling - running backs are solid - O-line not as dreadful as usual - terrible on third down (see drops) - skill players made plays, someone needed to step up and make one more - Paulus looks ok, needs a little more pocket patience, but you can't blame him too much for bailing out early)

Special teams: Satisfactory (punting game was so-so - freshman kicker hit 2/2 fg's - one big return, otherwise, not much spark, no game changers - coverage was fair on all but one kick)

Next week they go to Happy Valley. Not going to be pretty... Penn State is ranked #9, but it should be watchable. It shall be watched.

Friday, September 4, 2009

"The windows can stay open tonight, hopefully the fans will create enough white noise that the canine sleeping team won't hear their friends and enemies barking in the distance...which triggers the bark alarm which triggers the be quiet, dogs alarm which triggers the bad night's sleep alarm."

All too true last night. The fan was on low and white noise was not sufficient. Some distant dog found something to warn the neighborhood about at 3am. Our dynamic duo let rip with some fierce barking to pass on the message. Luckily I was able to fall back asleep. Unfortunately the refalling asleep happened more than three hours later. Don't feel sorry for me... I've got it covered.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, may officially be my least favorite phrase, especially when altered to be What happens in (insert anything) stays in (insert same anything). I'm not sure what the process is to make it official, but I'm ready to sign on the dotted line, attach my seal and get it notarized. But, I hand it to the tourism crew out there for finding a catch phrase that is pervasive, invasive and possibly persuasive. I still prefer "Wha happened?" But that is probably more suited to Peoria, IL or Richmond, IN.

Syracuse game starts in fifteen hours. Huzzah.

At 9:00pm brown dog shuts down. Curls up on the couch starts his night's sleep. He's game to get up and run outside or play and tug and wrestle in an instant, but he's pretty well conditioned to call it at nine if nothing more exciting is in the offing. He's pretty relieved when you ask him if he wants to get in house, formally ending the day. He's come a long way, baby. Once a scared biting little menace, now (at this moment anyway) a creature in a peaceful state of snooze. Love the dog. Love the ridiculous brown dog.

RuT RoH 2

I was all prepared for tonight's offering to be exclusive video footage of the storied and cherished version referenced by Blogadier General (See comment in "Comment Section", September 2 post RuT RoH. Sadly, the only Coalition video of RTRH is from the first garage concert, which was played early in the first set. And the first was the worst. The taping of the second garage concert was cut short due to short battery life, and the "good" version of RTRH went un-videod. More precisely, it was cut short because none of us were savvy enough to think to plug the video camera in, rather than using the battery. Learning this important AC-DC lesson was both a blessing and a curse during the Coalition's 1994 World Tour. The blessing was that all shows were taped start to finish. The curse was that all shows were taped start to finish, and available for review. Post show analysis was a lot like football coaches grading game film and seeing who did what and how well. If I remember correctly, we generally graded out pretty poorly. And I assure you, I remember correctly.

All of which leads me to nothing else of substance. I am tired. I will retire and read me some novel, which currently is Any Human Heart by William Boyd, about which I have mixed feelings. The title sounds like a Hallmark Channel Original Movie, happily it doesn't read that way.

I slap black dog on the butt and give a scratch or two. She pants then slumps away to her corner behind the IKEA chair. One of those chairs with the curved wood and matching ottoman. We've got the black cushions on it. She'll curl up on the ottoman or in the chair during the day and pretty much disappear. But sometimes you can still smell her. She continues to pant. Another day is in the books.

RuT RoH

Words are very
unnecessary.

Feevuh

Playoff Fever.

That's what I'd have if if I lived in a town with a minor league team about to go to their league's playoffs. But, no team and no playoffs means, you guessed it, I don't have playoff fever. My commitment this year to see more minor league baseball was a rousing mixed bag. By my count I went to four games. Four different cities. Three different leagues. Probably the biggest thwarter of increased baseball action was a rerouted and rescheduled trip to Ohio. I had devised a plan to see a game on the way to Akron, a game in Akron and then a game on the way back. Driving turned to flying, killing the to and from games. Then flying turned to delayed flying, which did away with the remaining option. At least the planning was there. Next year I'll plan to have more success.

Fall Fever.

I have this. Cloudy again today, never made it out of the 70's. Actually a chill in the air this morning. 60's tonight. So good. Autummmmmmmmmn mmmmm good. Just opened all the windows and put the ceiling fans on high to air out the summer stink. Recirculated dog smell needs to decirculate and exit, forthwith. The windows can stay open tonight, hopefully the fans will create enough white noise that the canine sleeping team won't hear their friends and enemies barking in the distance. Another risk of the open window is that some scent will waft in from a wandering cat or other passing critter setting off the nose alarm which triggers the bark alarm which triggers the be quiet, dogs alarm which triggers the bad night's sleep alarm.

*****

As I sit outside under mosquito attack, it occurs to me that there has never been a mosquito cast as villain in any comic. Or more precisely, any comic I can recall. A quick Googling offers nothing of substance. I see a mosquito as bad guy in the Super Mario Brothers video game, but that's about it. It seems like a near universal pest, I wonder why it hasn't cracked through to the mainstream. Mosquito - carrier of disease, ruiner of picnics, nuisance of the mountain hike, buzzer of ears, drawer of blood. Is it too easy? That hasn't stopped anyone before. Even the Tick made it... hmmm. Interesting. Or not.