Today's post comes with the Standard Sunday Disclaimer: "The post title
is using the term 'potpourri' in the second of the two senses listed here. The post may also be rather short, although not necessarily so."
So, Yeah...
There had been rain in the forecast for both Thursday and Friday this week, but we dodged the bullet both days. Then came Saturday, 6:20 PM CDT:
The view from my patio at that hour.
In that wonderfully screwy way that midwest weather does things sometimes, not long after I took this photo the sun peeked through a gap in the clouds while it was still raining. Having sunshine AND rain simultaneously is kind of amusing, in a "Hope I get my ark built in time" sort of way. The National Weather Service called it "a line of strong thunderstorms," and warned that "nickel size hail and winds in excess of 40 MPH will be possible with these storms." And yet I still had to close my drapes for awhile to block the setting sun from frying my retinas. Awesome.
"Don't forget to mention the Tornado Watch."
Ah, yes. One of my favorite aspects of midwest living is the Tornado Watch that won't expire until hours after I plan to go to bed. Nothing makes for a restful night quite like worrying that your abode may be wrecked by a tornado while you sleep...
"Hey, man, I just do what I do. You want to go to bed, that's on you."
Things That Make Me Happy: Green Monster Edition
Last night my beloved Kansas City Royals snapped a two-game losing streak, beating the Red Sox 6-3 at historic Fenway Park in Boston. Although the Red Sox have been one of the worst teams in baseball the past two seasons, the Royals have struggled against them over that span. Last night's win was only their third in the last 13 games between the two clubs.
The Royals got six strong innings (6 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts) out of starter Yordano Ventura, who improved his record to 8-7, 4.64 ERA. The bullpen struggled, giving up two runs over the final three innings on three hits, three walks, and a hit batsman, but in the end closer Greg Holland recorded his 28th save, and the Royals assured themselves of no worse than a .500 road trip.
The decisive blow on offense was a three-run home run by All-Star catcher Salvador Perez (his 18th of the season) in the top of the 6th inning.
"Boom!"
The four-game series and the road trip conclude this afternoon, with Edinson Volquez (11-7, 3.20 ERA) taking on the Red Sox Eduardo Rodriguez (7-5, 4.48).
Mac and Cheese Update
You know you want me.
So it turns out that the Rapid Mac Cooker I wrote about here is definitely a keeper. It not only did a box of the classic Original just fine, it was also successful with a box of Thick 'n Creamy, and a box of Three Cheese. Highly recommended.
Doing a box of White Cheddar (the best variety other than Original) is what sealed the deal. Now the trick is just finding the White Cheddar variety in the stores. It is a little easier to find than it used to be when I lived in Atlantic, but only a little...
Until Next Time...
On August 23, 1912 Eugene Curran Kelly was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Those of us who enjoy musical theater, of course, think of him simply as Gene Kelly.
As it happens, my first encounter with Kelly was in a non-singing/dancing role. He played the wise-ass newspaper man E.K. Hornbeck (a thinly-disguised portrayal of famed Baltimore Evening Sun reporter H.L. Mencken) in the 1960 film Inherit the Wind, alongside acting heavyweights Spencer Tracy and Frederic March. It wasn't until much later, during my college years, that I discovered Kelly's career in movie musicals.
Today's send-off is Gene's solo performance in the title number from the 1952 film Singin' In the Rain, perhaps the most celebrated individual dance routine in the history of motion pictures. It is certainly appropriate considering the weather we've been having here lately! Enjoy...
From 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM today (all times local), protesters peacefully picketed outside of Planned Parenthood facilities across the country. (Got to love the alliteration, eh?) Count yourself fortunate if your local news media breathed a word of it. Just as usually happens with the massive annual March for Life rallies, both print and broadcast media outlets for the most part have got Planned Parenthood's back. Shocking, I know...
Thanks to the wonderful Mollie Hemingway for covering the protests all day today on her Twitter feed (@MZHemingway). She is on the side of the angels.
Just one of the dozens of photos she has posted this morning from all over the country...
One Reason I'm a Conservative
I don't ever want to be on the same side of any issue as this hateful, bigoted nitwit...
Because yes, of course Republicans kill black people for sport. What a tragedy of a human being you are, lady...
Things That Make Me Happy: Wideout Edition
Anyone who follows professional football is aware that last season my beloved Kansas City Chiefs went through all sixteen games (we missed the playoffs despite a 9-7 record) without a wide receiver catching a touchdown pass. Management took steps to address that problem in the off-season, releasing Dwayne Bowe and Donnie Avery, signing free agent Jeremy Maclin away from Philadelphia (and reuniting him with former Eagles coach Andy Reid), and drafting Chris Conley from the University of Georgia.
In their first home game of the preseason, Maclin caught a touchdown pass from Alex Smith, in a game the Chiefs hung on to win 14-13. It was a most welcome sight for this Chiefs fan, especially so since Maclin is a University of Missouri alumnus...
"Get used to this, Chiefs fans!"
I know it is just a preseason game, but Maclin did catch his TD pass against the Seahawks' first-string defense, one of the best units in the NFL last season. I doubt that I'll write much about the Chiefs until the start of the regular season, but this development seemed worth a mention...
Wild Kingdom Bed & Breakfast Update
All of my life critters of all kinds have found my voice non-threatening. When I was a young boy, I used to drive my mom crazy by talking squirrels in our yard into eating out of my hand (she was convinced they were all rabid). I've also been able to do the same thing over the years with chipmunks, deer, rabbits, feral cats, etc.
Just last Sunday, for instance, I went over to Holy Family Catholic Church on the west side of Council Bluffs to refill my holy water bottle (the tank at my home parish, St. Peter's, was empty), and as I walked along Avenue B toward the church I saw a squirrel in a tree. I wasn't in a hurry, so I stopped and talked to him for a bit. Instead of running away, he climbed down onto a low branch to get a closer look at me. If I had had some sort of treat to give him, I'm pretty sure I could have talked him into taking it.
It has been a bit different with the neighborhood birds, at least so far. When I go out to sit on my patio, I can sometimes get a couple of them to land on the thistle sock for a little while, and sometimes on the feeder, and when that happens they don't fly off when I talk to them, but it is still early enough in the process that they mostly just sit in the nearby trees and wait me out. Once in awhile one of the bolder ones will fly by and chirp at me, as if to tell me to go back inside so they can eat in peace. I don't take it personally.
As the fledglings struggle with their flying skills, every so often one of them will almost fly right into me as I sit in my deck chair before turning around and flying away (they also occasionally bonk into my glass patio door, but they're moving so slowly that no injuries have resulted).
I have learned that if I want to take any pictures of my guests while sitting out there, I need to use my Nexus 7 tablet rather than my Nikon Coolpix or my Moto X phone. With the Nexus 7 I am able to position the device in such a way that it only requires an almost imperceptible movement to get the shot. A couple of days ago, a finch landed on the patio railing and scrutinized me for quite awhile before grabbing a snack from the thistle sock. My voice didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. Progress.
"You know, you could really stand to lose a couple of pounds."
Thanks. I'll take it under advisement...
Say "Hello" to Veronica
One of the things about collecting is that every so often you stumble across something you have been pursuing just about the time you stop looking. I had wanted to add a guitar like Veronica to my collection ever since the first time I saw my hero Joe Bonamassa perform live (Stephens Auditorium at Iowa State University in Ames, March 5, 2011). At that time, one of Joe's concert guitars was a vintage Gibson Korina Flying V. I actually purchased a lithograph of him playing his...
When I first started shopping for the less-expensive Epiphone version of this guitar, I didn't realize they were planning to put this particular model out of production. When they did, new ones disappeared from the stores and online retailers. That only left eBay, and the used ones I could find there were for one reason or another unappealing to me. After a couple of fruitless years looking, I gave up the search.
But, as I say, sometimes the way you find a thing is to stop looking for it. Not long after I had moved to Council Bluffs last summer I was on a website looking for something else when I happened to find a seller who had a like-new '58 Korina V for sale. Fortunately for me, I was able to afford her at the time, and so she joined my collection. She is by far the least expensive electric guitar I own, but she certainly doesn't look inexpensive. I think she's gorgeous...
"Not going to mention how you pretend to be Joe when you play 'air guitar' with her?"
I think they know...
Until Next Time...
On May 4, 2009, just four days before his 32nd birthday, my hero Joe Bonamassa played the Royal Albert Hall in London, an evening he called "the greatest night of my life" at the time.
One of the extras on the DVD of the concert is Joe telling the story of how he began dreaming of playing at RAH after his father played him a record by Cream, and told him about the band's legendary final concert there almost nine years before Joe was even born. Joe was only 7 years old when he heard that record.
As you might imagine, after waiting for a quarter-century to achieve his dream, Joe absolutely killed it that night. Like so many of his fans, it was seeing the video of that performance that made me a fan for life. I have now had the pleasure of seeing Joe live six times, and hope to see more of his shows in the future. They've all been special in their own ways, but I shall never forget how electrifying it was to see him play for the first time, on that video. Today's send-off is the final song of the regular set from that concert (I wrote about the encore he played here). He's playing that vintage Gibson Flying V I mentioned up above, and it is a memorable performance indeed. I had never seen anyone use a theremin during a live show, for instance, and I was floored by what he did with it.
There's a moment near the end of the video, when you can see the look of sheer joy and pride of accomplishment on Joe's face as he raises the Flying V over his head while the audience roars its appreciation, that just gets me every time. Enjoy...
What do you mean, "cheesy"? It was a classic. And there were only three channels in those days, so we watched whatever was on. Don't be such a snob. Just because you're pissed that Ant-Mandid well is no reason to get snarky with me...
World-Class Stupidity
If I wished to do so, of course, I could fill this space with nothing but commentary on the remarkably stupid things that people do and say every single day. The internet is, among other things, a cornucopia of material in this vein.
"Not to mention all the dumb stuff you do and say every day."
Indeed.
Generally I try to resist that temptation. There are lots of other things I'd rather write about. Every so often, though, an opportunity comes along that is too delicious to resist (and yes, that IS a pun, as will become clear momentarily)...
In case you're not familiar, what Chick-fil-A is famous for is...
The world's greatest chicken sandwich combo
As an editorial on the issue in the Denver Post makes clear, the council is fighting a battle that has already been won. Conservative author and columnist Jonah Goldberg has likened this sort of behavior to the victors roaming a battlefield and shooting the wounded survivors of the opposing side. What's the point of it, really?
I suspect that, given the popularity of Chick-fil-A and the negative publicity the council is receiving, they will decide shortly to approve the lease, no doubt after cluck-clucking (yes, a pun) about how they have "made their point," and "taken a stand" on an issue that has, again, already been decided. Or perhaps it will take the threat of a lawsuit to make them do the right thing here. In any case, it is stupidity disguised as taking the moral high ground, and that always gets my goat.
It is unusual for this award to be given to an entire group of people rather than an individual, and Councilman Paul Lopez's claim that chicken sandwiches at the airport are “really, truly a moral issue on the city” made him a strong contender for a solo award, but in the end the fact that no members of the council opposed this nonsense made a group award necessary. Congratulations, Denver City Council!
My Kind of Logic
From the wonderful Randall Munroe webcomic xkcd, which you should read every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
...but I do include links in these posts for all sorts of legitimate reasons. Sometimes the link will take you somewhere where you can learn a little bit more about something, like the link to Gog in the first heading today. Sometimes the link is a way of getting you to visit a site I think is worth your time, or to help you if you decide you want to obtain a song, or a book, or some other thing I have written about here. Sometimes it is just a link to a definition of a word (I do use some unusual words on occasion).
My point is, those links are part of the content here, too, and I do spend some time trying to make them interesting and useful. If you don't click on them at least once in awhile, you're missing out on some cool stuff.
And just a reminder that comments, of course, are always welcome. I'd love to hear from you!
Until Next Time...
William James "Count" Basie was born on August 21, 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey. A child of musicians, Basie would become a towering figure in swing music and big-band jazz. The Grammy Award he won in 1958 for Best Jazz Performance (Group) was the first ever awarded to an African-American, and the first of nine Grammys Basie and his orchestra would win over the next 25 years.
Yesterday afternoon was not good. Once I had yesterday's blog entry finished and posted, I should have just taken the rest of the day to do enjoyable things: read for pleasure, listen to music, watch the birds on my patio, etc. But I knew that another Planned Parenthood video had been released, so...
First I read about it. Then I read some more. Then I actually watched the video. Then I spent much of the rest of the day trying to make some sense of what I had seen. And trying, unsuccessfully for the most part, to fight off the urge to weep...
I have lived a long time, and I have been an avid reader my entire life, so of course I have read many, many books. Only a tiny handful of them affected me so profoundly that I have returned to them again and again, re-reading their words and finding succor in them.
Historian Gertrude Himmelfarb's essay collectionOn Looking into the Abyss is one of that handful.
I have it on my Kindle, which makes it easier for me to re-read whenever I feel the need, as I did yesterday.
In the introduction to the collection, Himmelfarb speaks of how the Holocaust "stands as a rebuke to historians, philosophers, and literary critics who, in their zeal for one or another of the intellectual fashions of our time, belittle or demean one of the greatest tragedies of all time." The reality of the Holocaust, she reminds us, will overcome any attempts to "deconstruct" it, or to explain it away, or even to deny it altogether.
I believe that, in the fullness of time, the barbaric reality of the abortion-on-demand regime created in the wake of Roe v. Wade will be viewed not as a necessary element of political and social equality for women, but as a dark stain on our national character, equally as shameful as slavery, the treatment of Native Americans, etc.
I believe it is entirely possible that the Planned Parenthood videos might be the catalyst that finally forces the nation as a whole to face the truth of what we have allowed to take place for more than 40 years.
When I taught at Bishop LeBlond Memorial High School in St. Joseph,
Missouri (1995-2004), an annual event was our students placing crosses on the south lawn of our campus on
the anniversary of Roe v. Wade to symbolize the lives lost through abortion.
South lawn, Bishop LeBlond Memorial High School
They planted one white wooden cross for each one million abortions since 1973 (as of 2015, it would require 58 crosses). This area of the campus fronted Frederick Avenue, a main thoroughfare with a lot of traffic.
One year, someone was so upset by the display that they drove their car onto the lawn (late at night), knocking down as many of the crosses as they could.
I didn't really understand that level of hostility then, but now I think I have begun to get a handle on it.
As the angry reaction to the Planned Parent videos is showing, there are many, many people who sense the truth about what abortion is, but deeply resent any explicit reminders of it. Deep down, I believe their anger is rooted in guilt, in the knowledge of their own complicity in permitting the barbarity to become so commonplace, so normal.
And what of the people who continue to blithely dismiss any criticisms of abortion-on-demand? Himmelfarb had them pegged, too:
The beasts of modernism have mutated into the beasts of postmodernism--relativism into nihilism, amorality into immorality, irrationality into insanity, sexual deviancy into polymorphous perversity. And since then, generations of intelligent students under the guidance of their enlightened professors have looked into the abyss, have contemplated those beasts, and have said, "How interesting, how exciting!"
For those twisted souls who see only the "empowerment" of women in all of this, I really don't know what else to say. Dostoyevsky handled the issue this way in The Brothers Karamazov:
We must do everything within our power to help the progressives who blindly defend abortion-on-demand understand that, if we are to retain our humanity, the answer to this question must be "No."
I believe that persuasion can help those who don't see the truth. And I will continue to do my small part to help in that regard...but for now, at least...
Exactly. But it's okay, old friend...I'm pretty sure we'll both feel better afterward...
It was an odd game. The start was delayed more than 90 minutes by rain, and when the game began both teams wasted little time scoring. The Royals scored twice in each of the first two innnings, the Reds scored twice in their half of the 1st inning, and added a single run in the bottom of the 3rd. After that, though, both teams' bats went silent, and for the final six innings there would be no further scoring. In fact, the two teams combined for just four more hits between them the remainder of the game.
Newest Royal Ben Zobrist was 4-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI, and two runs scored. The decisive runs scored on a two-run single by All-Star center fielder Lorenzo Cain in the 2nd inning...
"Bang!"
Now it is on to Boston tonight to begin a four-game series at Fenway Park. Danny Duffy (6-5, 4.03 ERA) takes the mound against the Red Sox Wade Miley (9-9, 4.58).
Until Next Time...
At one point during his concert there in 2011, Irish singer-songwriter Kieran Goss was joined on the stage of the Grand Opera House in Belfast, Northern Ireland by American singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman. Today's send-off is their performance of Chapman's "Sand and Water," a song which never fails to move me to tears. Today feels like a day for tears.
Enjoy...and if you feel a tear welling up, don't fight it...
So, not much happened yesterday, except Hillary Clinton held this press conference and...well, I suppose she and her handlers are running out of lies to tell, so she's decided to play the "stupid" card, as in "I'm not smart enough to understand about all this computer and internet and email stuff." Or maybe she just thinks we're stupid enough to accept her story that her server somehow erased itself before she finally turned it over to the FBI. Whatever her thinking was, the press conference did not go well for her.
She is being investigated by the FBI and the Democrat-controlled Justice Department, she has clearly broken several laws, she has stonewalled at every turn, and only surrendered her illegal private email server after she had it erased. And yet she thinks questions about all of that are nothing more than a reporter trying to "make a point." She actually thinks that it is unreasonable for her to have to field questions about her behavior. She refuses to answer the simplest questions straightforwardly. Watch for yourself, and tell me why any rational person would not be reminded of Nixon's infamous "I am not a crook" speech...
And yet, roughly half the voters in this great country will continue to support her just because she's the Democrat in the race, or simply because she's a woman, or both. "Low information voter" is just a synonym for "Democratic voter," as it turns out.
"Relax. If she wins, it will probably give you a fatal heart attack anyway."
I can always count on you to look on the bright side...
Things That Make Me Happy: Never Say Die Edition
After a much-needed day off Monday, my beloved Kansas City Royals began a six-game road trip at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. It was a pitcher's duel from the outset. The Royals' Edinson Volquez gave up a solo home run to Reds shortstop Eugenio Suarez, the second batter he faced, but only gave up 3 more hits in his six innings of work. Reds starter Raisel Iglesias was even better, allowing only three hits in his seven innings.
When the Royals came to bat in the top of the 9th inning, they trailed 1-0 and were facing the Reds' All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman. The first batter Chapman faced was the newest Royal, Ben Zobrist (playing 2B last night)...
"Boom!"
...and Ben's solo home run tied the game 1-1. The Royals bullpen was stellar, allowing only a single Reds hit over the game's final seven innings. Thanks to a throwing error on an attempted sacrifice bunt in the top of the 13th, the Royals pushed across two runs, and closer Greg Holland recorded his 27th save in the bottom of the inning. Reliever Kris Medlen, who had pitched the bottom of the 12th inning, got his first win in the major leagues since 2013. His comeback from his second Tommy John surgery is going well so far...
"I'm just happy to be able to contribute."
The Royals are now 8-2 in extra-inning games this season, which leads the major leagues. They have won four straight and eight of their last ten games. Tonight they conclude their brief visit to Cincinnati, sending Jeremy Guthrie (8-7, 5.63 ERA) to the mound to match up with the Reds' Keyvious Sampson (2-1, 3.18).
Summer Job
At the end of my first year as a teacher in 1978, I decided to take a summer job (as many teachers do). It had been roughly a year since my first wife had died, and everyone seemed to feel that keeping busy would be better for me than sitting around my apartment (I have a tendency to brood and mope, sometimes).
My younger brother suggested I apply at the Worlds of Fun amusement park where he worked, and I was hired as a security guard (they called us "Rangers"). The job mostly involved walking the park to make the guests feel secure, dealing with the occasional shoplifter in one of the park's shops (taking them to the security office to await the police), chasing down the occasional fence-jumper trying to sneak into the park, and escorting guests off of the property for violations of park rules (mostly spitting from the Sky Hi gondola ride).
Zambezi Zinger
One of the best parts of the job came when the park closed each night. All of the Rangers would meet in the Africa section of the park (the section farthest from the entrances), and take a ride on the Zambezi Zinger roller coaster before beginning the final sweep of the park (to make sure all of the guests had departed).
There were other, bigger roller coasters in the park at that time, but the Zinger was the favorite of a lot of employees and guests because it didn't require you to wear any sort of seatbelt or lap bar.
Not long after I started working at Worlds of Fun in the summer of 1978, jazz musician Chuck Mangione released An Evening of Magic: Live at the Hollywood Bowl. I have always had a fondness for live recordings, and I was already a Mangione fan, so I bought the double-album (yeah, it was vinyl back in those days, kiddies) as soon as I saw it. When I first converted to CDs, and playing my music mostly through my computer or my iPod, it was one of the first albums I re-purchased. Highly recommended.
Today's send-off is a version of his Grammy Award-winning composition "Children of Sanchez," from his soundtrack for the film The Children of Sanchez. I still find it stirring even after 37 years. Enjoy...
One of the fun parts of getting old is that you get to bore people with references to pop culture stuff about which they are completely clueless. Not long ago, for instance, I told someone that her passionate argument on behalf of Donald Trump for president reminded me of this classic Rocky and Bullwinkle bit:
She had no idea what I was talking about. Her only knowledge of Rocky and Bullwinkle was the tedious live-action movie they made back in 2000. So sad.
Anyway, the point of the analogy was to explain how Trump supporters keep trying the same trick, reaching into a magic hat in an attempt to pull out the conservative candidate they say they want. Of course, what they actually pull out each time is something quite different.
I'm not convinced that the folks backing Trump right now want anything at all other than to blow shit up and burn shit down. Talk to enough of them, and you'll come away convinced that they have no idea what his actual positions are (or what the other candidates' positions are, for the most part). They just like that he's "a fighter," someone who "tells it like it is," someone who "never apologizes," etc. It isn't really a political movement at all, it's a temper tantrum, and Trump is the big baby in the high chair banging his spoon for attention.
Just like Bullwinkle, Trump supporters will continue reaching into the hat, no matter how many times they fail, no matter how many times we tell them "That trick never works."
...perhaps I should reconsider my decision to put off building an ark...
My parking lot, 10:00 AM
View from my patio, minutes before posting this morning
Wild Kingdom Bed & Breakfast Update
Sometimes you're just too darned tired to fly back to the tree after grabbing a bite to eat on the feeder, so...
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..."
"Someone who naps as much as you do shouldn't be poking fun at others."
Speaking of naps, why don't you go take one and leave me alone?
No Particular Reason
I just never get tired of poking fun at Apple's pretentiousness, is all...
Until Next Time...
The Woodstock Music & Art Fair was supposed to have concluded on August 17, 1969, but for a variety of reasons it had continued into Monday, August 18. At around 3:00 AM that morning a group calling itself Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young began just its second gig ever in front of a live audience. Those guys were all experienced professionals, of course, but none of them had ever played in front a crowd remotely this large. They were, as Stephen Stills wryly put it when he addressed the audience, "scared shitless."
Michael Wadleigh's Woodstock documentary featured the group's "Long Time Gone" over the opening credits, and "Wooden Ships" for an early sequence detailing the pre-concert preparations. He selected "Woodstock" to play over the closing credits. That makes it an appropriate choice for today's send-off, a fitting way to wrap up the little anniversary remembrance we've been having the past few days. Enjoy...
Much as I enjoy engaging in the rough-and-tumble of political and social controversies in this space and elsewhere, it can be a little dispiriting, sometimes.
I don't think most people could watch the Planned Parenthood videos, for instance, without suffering an emotional blow. I see otherwise-intelligent people spout the most absurd nonsense in defense of asshat Donald Trump, and I'm tempted to throw in the towel on politics. Everywhere one looks these days, it seems there is nothing but suffering and strife. It is easy to forget that there is more to life than all of that pain and anger, so today I'm going to offer some suggestions for how to cheer yourself up when it all gets to be a bit too much...
"You giving people advice on how to cheer up? Irony much?"
Shut your pipe.
It will seem like the most obvious advice imaginable, but sometime it is the obvious of which we need to be reminded the most. When I need to boost my spirits, I have several avenues from which to choose...
Raymond Chandler and friend
I have been a voracious reader my entire life, but when I just need to step back, relax, and read for pure enjoyment, I turn to the pantheon of mystery writers
I have embraced since I first encountered the genre as a college sophomore in 1972.
Chief among that pantheon is one of my writing heroes, Raymond Chandler. Reading Ray's thoughts on the writing process is almost as much fun as reading his fiction...
Movies and television shows can often be mere escapism, but the ones I tend to favor have something on their minds, too. Television shows like Justified or The West Wing give my mind plenty of exercise, as do my favorite films.
I could watch Fred Zinnemann's marvelous A Man for All Seasons once a week, for instance, and never get tired of it. Brilliant in every way, and profoundly uplifting...
"As it happens, I liked curmudgeons."
Music of all kinds provides not only comfort, but also inspiration. It is virtually impossible for me to stay depressed after listening to Beethoven's magnificent Piano Concerto No. 5 ("Emperor").
I own several recordings of it, each of them dear to me and special in its own right...
I know you did, maestro...
And, of course, if you can possibly manage it, spending some time outdoors (preferably somewhere you can enjoy a bit of solitude) can be a genuine tonic for the spirit. During my high school days, I would sometimes go here when I needed somewhere peaceful and beautiful to recharge myself...
There is more to life than one's own troubles, or the country's political squabbles, or the world's assorted crises. All of those things will still be there when you're done lifting your spirits. And you'll be much better-equipped to face them then, too...
Enough, Already...
Really tough to maintain a positive attitude when I look out my patio door in the morning and see this (again):
There are thunderstorms in the forecast for the whole week, so the cooler temperatures we're supposed to be getting will be a mixed blessing...
Things That Make Me Happy: Late Heroics Edition
The finale of the four-game series between my beloved Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (seriously, guys?) was the featured game on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. The two teams put on a fine prime-time show: A tense pitcher's duel between the Royals' Yordano Ventura and the Angels' Hector Santiago was tied at 2 after seven innings. The Angels took a 3-2 lead in the 8th inning when Kole Calhoun hit a solo homer off of All-Star Wade Davis, only to watch the Royals tie it with a 9th-inning rally, then win 4-3 on a two-out single by DH Kendrys Morales in the bottom of the 10th off of Angels rookie Trevor Gott.
"Sometimes a 'doink' is as good as a 'boom,' you know?"
The Royals took the series 3-1, and completed an 8-2 homestand. Now they have a much-needed day off today before embarking on a six-game road trip to Cincinnati and Boston...
Empathy is Key
From the hilarious comic strip Zits, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, which you should ready every day, as I do.
Until Next Time...
By the time they took the stage at Woodstock in the wee hours of the morning on August 17, 1969, Sly and the Family Stone had already enjoyed some chart success with their breakthrough album Stand! in the spring of that year. In particular, the song "Everyday People" had spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and finished 1969 as the No. 5-selling single that year. A second hit single, "Hot Fun in the Summertime," was released in late August to capitalize on the word-of-mouth following the group's electrifying performance at Woodstock. It reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, and finished the year as the No. 7-selling single.
As with the other two unforgettable performances I saw in that movie theater in April 1970 (namely the ones I wrote about here and here), what I knew of the band did not prepare me for what I saw on that huge 70mm screen. I haven't been able to locate a decent clip of the entire performance (an extended medley of "Dance to the Music," "I Want to Take You Higher," and "Music Lover") captured in Michael Wadleigh's Woodstock film (all the more reason you should just buy the dang movie), but the music alone is more than enough for today's send-off. When this segment of the film ended, the audience I was with sat in stunned silence. Simply an irresistible groove, one that still knocks me out 45 years after I first heard it. Enjoy...and if you feel like dancing to the music, go right ahead...
Today's post comes with the Standard Sunday Disclaimer: "The post title
is using the term 'potpourri' in the second of the two senses listed here. The post may also be rather short, although not necessarily so."
Big House
By August 16, 1969, Day Two of the planned three-day Woodstock music festival, the crowd had grown far in excess of the promoters' expectations, and in excess of the venue's ability to provide food, clean water, and sanitation. It was the quintessential hippie mess, in that sense...
As I mentioned yesterday, despite the stage pronouncement of Max Yasgur, Woodstock was not "the largest group of people ever assembled in one place." To take but a single contrary example, more people were in St. Peter's Square to observe the coronation of Pope Pius XII on March 12, 1939 (which was the first time a papal coronation ceremony had been held outdoors and made open to the public in nearly 100 years). Unfortunately, that sort of pompous self-regard and historical ignorance came to characterize the Woodstock Generation.
"But not you, though, right?"
Certainly not...
Things That Make Me Happy: Laugher Edition
My beloved Kansas City Royals had a "laugher" last night at Kauffman Stadium, defeating the Angels 9-4 (it was 9-1 heading into the 9th, but Luke Hochevar struggled a bit to close out the game). It has been awhile since we've had one of those. It was the team's second straight win, and they're now 7-2 on the current homestand. It was also their 70th win of the season. They continue to have the best record in the American League.
All-Star catcher Salvador Perez, playing for the first time after some days off to nurse a wrist injury, answered a solo home run by Albert Pujols in the top of the 2nd inning with a solo homer of his own to lead off the bottom of the inning. Before the Royals were done, they had sent 11 batters to the plate (Perez doubled in his second at-bat of the inning), scored 6 runs, and basically told the Angels it wasn't going to be their night.
Recent acquisition Johnny Cueto pitched like an ace again, cruising through eight innings of work. The Pujols homer was the only run he surrendered. Cueto's record improved to 9-7, 2.47 ERA (2-1, 1.80 since he became a Royal). Are we glad Johnny's on the team?
Johnny Cueto Royals Mascot Sluggerrr
Yes, yes we are.
Wild Kingdom Bed & Breakfast Update
In one of the more memorable scenes in Jurassic Park, Dr. Ian Malcolm (portrayed by Jeff Goldblum) scoffs when scientists working for the park tell him they have come up with a method to prevent the dinosaurs from reproducing on their own.
"Life," Malcolm warns them, "life...uh...finds a way." It doesn't really take much observation of the natural world (the actual one, not the phony Hollywood one)
to see the truth of the observation.
"Your point is well-taken, Dr. Malcolm."
Exhibit A is this sunflower. Apparently, a stray sunflower seed from my bird feeder somehow bounced all the way over into this little strip of dirt between the patio and the wall of my apartment's storage unit.
In a million years, you could never have convinced me that there was enough soil in that tiny space to sustain a plant like this, but here it is nevertheless.
I don't know if the guy who trims the grass near the patios will leave it alone (he uses one of those gas-powered trimmers because the mowers can't get close enough), but next time I hear him out there I'll ask him not to cut it down...
"You realize that keeping that thing around makes you a flower child."
Does not.
Until Next Time...
Santana wouldn't even have played the Woodstock festival in the first place had the event's organizers not sought the help of legendary rock concert promoter Bill Graham. Part of Graham's price for participating in the project was having the then-unknown San Francisco band added to the bill. When the festival took place, the band had finished recording their eponymous debut album, but had not released it yet. When they did, shortly after the festival ended, Santanatook off in no small part because of the buzz the band's Woodstock performance had generated. The album would eventually reach No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart. There simply wasn't anything like their fusion of African, Latin, and American blues music on the airwaves. And they made instrumentals cool again, which was most welcome!
The band's reputation got another huge boost when Michael Wadleigh's Woodstock documentary was released in the spring of 1970. There were only three or (arguably) four performances in the movie that can be called "unforgettable." I wrote about one of those performances here. Today's send-off is another one of them. Santana's performance on the big screen helped boost their second album, Abraxas (their finest work, in my opinion), all the way to No. 1 on the charts. Enjoy...
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