MY PRIMARY BLOG
My Twitter
My Blog List
-
It takes a lot of practice - A friend asked: “If you had the chance to ask three different people (living or dead, famous or not) ONE question… who and what would you ask?” The one req...4 years ago
-
Teach the Young: A Frank-ly Kind Act - This story was brought to my attention by our esteemed alumnus, Roger Green. This is the story of youngsters thwarted in their initial forays into small bu...5 years ago
-
Faded road markings cause concern - Q: Can someone at New York state tell me why the DOT doesn’t use a better reflective paint when the lines are painted? It appears the paint used has no ref...6 years ago
-
FTC-IRS Initiative Aims to Make it Easier for Consumers to Report Tax-Related Identity Theft - The Federal Trade Commission and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are teaming up to make it easier for consumers to report tax-related identity theft an...7 years ago
-
Double and last - Hi all members of our ABC-Wednesday-family. This will be the last birthdaypost on this url... because in 2 days ABC Wednesday will move to http://abcwed...8 years ago
-
Your Signed Books and Artwork Just Got Harder to Sell in California - From Eureka Booksellers On September 9, 2016, California Governor Jerry Brown signed AB1570 Collectibles: Sale of Autographed Memorabilia into law. The ...8 years ago
-
Alan Moore's Twilight Proposal - Introduction by Alan David Doane: Honestly I didn't intend the irony, but this week's FMF, looking at Alan Moore's never-published Twilight proposal, also ...13 years ago
-
-
People I Know
-
MAGAt Fear - While it’s true that some MAGAmericans are simply stupid, I have a different perspective regarding the most of them: *They're scared.* Humans are not ...1 month ago
-
From Fashion Design to Healthcare? It’s Possible With the SUNY Apprenticeship Program - Tasharea Leconte is a Direct Support Professional (DSP) Registered Apprentice who completed her apprenticeship in December 2024. For Tasharea life has ne...2 months ago
-
Tottenham vs Eintracht Frankfurt 11/04/2025: Cuộc chiến căng thẳng tại London - Trận đấu giữa Tottenham vs Eintracht Frankfurt 11/04/2025 hứa hẹn sẽ là một cuộc đối đầu đầy kịch tính và hấp dẫn. Với sự cạnh tranh khốc liệt ở cả hai giả...5 months ago
-
In memoriam: Jan Galligan - I am posting a link to Jan Galligan's online obituary for any and all who may have known him or read the items published here that he contributed to. RIP...7 months ago
-
Concert Review: Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba at UPH 2/16/24 - When Bassekou Kouyate asked “Are you happy?” at Universal Preservation Hall Friday, he knew the answer. Everybody was, both in the audience and onstage. ...1 year ago
-
Freezing Cold March For Dr. King - Plus the politicized Census, police hiring shortfalls, ornamental apple trees and the mayor’s image cloaking device5 years ago
-
Eagle Scout Project - Rutherford neighbor Krish Soni is getting started on his Eagle Scout project on Saturday, October 26. He will be labeling storm drains in the neighborhood ...5 years ago
-
February Thaw - My friend Phil and I have a tradition of meeting outside his building and going for a walk around his block once a month. Last Wednesday was a great day fo...7 years ago
-
Kellyanne Conway named UAlbany graduation commencement speaker - Kellyanne Conway, the pollster who organized the election campaign of President Donald Trump, has been named by the University at Albany to be its keynote ...8 years ago
-
Do You Write About Comics? - Trouble With Comics is looking for new voices. Please help us find them.10 years ago
-
We’re Off On An Adventure! - Just now, Marge and I are doing a bit of adventuring. The next adventure will include a whole new online reality and presence for me and my work… See you i...10 years ago
-
It Changes - Living with Lupus and Fibro and Asthma is often not so much 'one day at a time.' It is much more like one fifteen minute segment of time - at at time. This...12 years ago
-
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye… - Well, kids, this is it. I’m leaving first thing tomorrow morning. My visits home will be few and far between, and when they happen, they’ll be exclusive...12 years ago
-
-
Spring is here? - As far as the pro peloton goes, it’s on! I watched the Tour of Flanders today, and it was one of the best races I’ve ever seen. “Looking back, you get a b...14 years ago
-
Modern Types-Ronald Searle,Geoffrey Gorer - With the recent attention given to Ronald Searle's 90th birthday and new interview,I decided to look at one of his books. The book is titled Modern Ty...15 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Eclectic Folks
-
Nigel would’ve been 61 - Today my Nigel would’ve turned 61, and to many people that would be a shoulder-shrug birthday. If Nigel was still here, it would probably be exactly that ...19 hours ago
-
Leadership in Action: How Margarita Howard Drives HX5’s Rapid Expansion - Margarita Howard’s leadership has been instrumental in guiding HX5 through a remarkable expansion, achieving a workforce of over 1,000 employees. […]1 week ago
-
tips, dumps, fly-tipping, fly-posting, post no bills - On my way home from work, I pass the windowless side of an end-of-terrace house, on which this sign is posted: [image: Sign: No fly-tipping / Enforcemen...2 weeks ago
-
5th August - Maiden voyage! - Yesterday we collected Gloria, as we have decided to call her. The weather was dreadful to start with but the sun came out for our trip to Goathland. ...3 weeks ago
-
July Photo Challenge: Self Care - We’re officially half past 2025 now! As years go, it’s not been a great one so far. PJ’s photo prompt for July was Self Care. Since the year’s been sort of...4 weeks ago
-
The Day I Saw an Angel Fly - I haven’t been this unsure of the world and my place in it since the 80s in Manhattan, as I watched my dear ones getting sick and dying in the first pandem...5 weeks ago
-
AmeriNZ 419 – My bumpy ride - Two months later, and I’m back. I begin by talking about sad news that, for some unknown reason, I didn’t mention last time. Next, I update what I talked a...3 months ago
-
This is The End (a follow-up) - I wrote yesterday about my possibly retiring this space in favor of migrating all of my blogging to ForgottenStars.net, because of Reasons. I am now pul...3 years ago
-
-
Sunday Round-up - Wash your mouth out In these ultra-hygienic days, Russian artist Yulia Popova has come into her own by making models of foodstuffs out of soap. What makes y...5 years ago
-
Where We Remain Undeveloped - One implication of the Son of God being born as one of us is that the fullness of God was present in the undeveloped state of a baby, which further means t...5 years ago
-
The long, LONG saga of Mia's new chair - I've been wanting to write about Mia's new chair for a while, because it's something that we hope will help her out a lot. However, I didn't want to write ...6 years ago
-
Tough Day - A few weeks ago, I turned 38, and I am still under the scrutiny of strangers in public. One would think that once you're out of grade school, middle school...6 years ago
-
-
Retro Y'all - Been doing a lot of jumping lately, but feel I don't have much to show for it. Oh well. At least I'm still getting my clothes on the right way. Seriously...7 years ago
-
Spring is in the air. - After a few wonderful, sunny days we are back to a somewhat grey and rainy day. Yesterday all doors back and front, were open all day long. The central he...7 years ago
-
U is for UNDER and UP - I had no idea what to post for this week's celebration of the letter *U*. It took a lot of looking through all my photos to come *UP* with an idea. So ...7 years ago
-
Song of the Week: "Whispering Your Name" - I just got this into my head a while back. This is Alison Moyet, from her 1994 album *Essex*, one of my favorite albums which I discovered because of Becca...8 years ago
-
No parallel - Get a good look at these: Whence they came: After seeing that incredible glow-in-the-dark Zac Posen dress that Claire Danes wore at the 2016 Met Gala, Lori...8 years ago
-
ABC Wednesday: The Importance of Being Bored - When I was growing up, you being bored was your problem that you were responsible to rectify. As children we learned never to be bored- or at least not t...8 years ago
-
Parenting Tips - Posting for the first time in a while to share some parenting advice. So last year, one of my twin daughters mocked a handicapped kid at school, grabbed a ...8 years ago
-
Save Up to Half! - This has got to be my new favorite classic comic book ad. Accordions? Was there a really enough demand for accordions to place a half-page ad in, of all th...8 years ago
-
Happy Purim!!!! - My rendition of The Purim Somg by Alison Faith Levy. Here is Alison! Visit her website alisonfaithlevy.com9 years ago
-
Berowne's 294 - (Also for Three Word Wednesday and ABC Wednesday: "S" is for "shrewish") No quiz this week. Instead I got to thinking about the enigmatic play we dealt w...9 years ago
-
A phony and a failure - After watching part of the clown show the other night it's a safe bet none of these guys or girl is capable of running anything. It looked more like a...9 years ago
-
Age is a State of Mind, Somewhere Near Nebraska - What a year it has been! After surviving the odometer rolling over to 40, I had a year of sabbatical. That gave me plenty of time to think about my mid-lif...10 years ago
-
The End of a Long Day - You know those days where all you really want to do is change into your pajamas and curl up on the couch while you decide which comfort food would mak...10 years ago
-
Choosing Blogs To Comment On For Effective Backlinks And Networking - Choosing a blog to comment on should never be taken lightly. These tips will help you make the most of your time and effectiveness of your backlinks. Th...11 years ago
-
#Freaking Out -AND! - Calmly completely freaking out about my move. AND! I quit smoking. I feel this qualifies me to have an opinion on how to do it. So I am calmly completel...12 years ago
-
Gaze Upon My Works and Snicker, Part 53. - [image: DP700-F365028] Another quickie sketch at work, because I wanted to draw Pandora A in a white fuzzy hat (no, I don't know the name for them) and a b...12 years ago
-
Year in Review: My favorite music of 2011 - It's that time of year, so here my picks for my favorite music of 2011, in alphabetical order: Beirut, “The Rip Tide” Sometimes sad is good, and Beirut do...13 years ago
-
What? No Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs? - Some people are just so clever and creative. It's sickening. All seriousness aside, please click through and check out this awesome series of drawings of ...14 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Comic Book Links
-
Today's Video Link2 hours ago
-
-
Bloggin'9 months ago
-
-
-
Free Comic Book Day 20187 years ago
-
This Blog8 years ago
-
Stardoll 1: Secrets & Dreams11 years ago
-
I'm Just a Broadway Baby11 years ago
-
-
Media Blogs
-
How US restaurant chain Cracker Barrel became a Maga lightning rod - Financial Times - 1. How US restaurant chain Cracker Barrel became a Maga lightning rod Financial Times 2. Cracker Barrel took down Pride page after rebrand fi...2 hours ago
-
Cops now watching Florida's painted-over Pride crosswalks - [image: The Pride crosswalk outside Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, before its erasure] Florida sent workers in the night to paint over the Pride stri...4 hours ago
-
Found Word OTD: ELOTUV - Ok, confession, I play some of those dumb merging games to pass the time, but hey in this case, it taught me a new word! VOLUTE Takes a front hook of ...1 week ago
-
Hidden Dangers Lurking in Cafes - There’s something undeniably comforting about stepping into your favorite café, smelling freshly brewed coffee, and The post Hidden Dangers Lurking in Ca...1 week ago
-
The Wedding Finger - “Call me crazy, but I don’t think my sister’s new mother-in-law was happy about the wedding.” (submitted by Erin) The post The Wedding Finger appeared fi...4 weeks ago
-
Episode 326: The WGA Strike - One by one, Ken goes over the many issues the WGA is fighting for and why they’re important. He also gives an overview of the situation and how it might...2 years ago
-
The dopamine jail of joke Twitter - I’m home from vacation and the Planet Funny promotional engine is slowing down. (There’s still one last signing at Powell’s City of Books in two short week...7 years ago
-
It’s a Wrap, Syracuse, NY 2017-2018 Golden Snowball Champs - Syracuse Wins The Golden Snowball Snow Contest Congratulations Syracuse, New York on winning the 2017-2018 Golden Snowball snow contest. Syracuse is once a...7 years ago
-
Rex Smith: The spy who came in with a Trump tale - The phrase was chilling. Omitting the contemporary names, it evoked Cold War plots peopled with brusque patriots icily staring death in the face: “Ex-Spy G...8 years ago
-
2016 Emmy Awards – By The Rules - [image: emmys]Or as it should probably be known: the night that a broadcast network gives up three hours at the start of the season to honour cable and str...8 years ago
-
Mom Has Stacked Dinner Party Roster - GOLDEN, CO—Their eyes widening in amazement as the 43-year-old rattled off the names of heavy hitter after heavy hitter, impressed members of the Dreesh...9 years ago
-
Play reveals how Paul got Fixing a Hole from Mal Evans - The play "Beatle Mal," based on Beatles roadie Mal Evans, was performed for one night only in Liverpool, Sept 28th. In the play, it is revealed how Paul go...11 years ago
-
Week 17 NFL Picks - Last week’s 10 wins leaves me with 153 wins. Weak season. Sorry. Week 17 picks NFL Picks Away Home Chicago Detroit NY Jets Buffalo Tampa Bay Atlanta Caroli...12 years ago
-
Coverville Countdown 2012: Nominations Begin NOW! - It’s that time of year again! Time for you to nominate and vote for your favorite covers, and for me to spend the last few shows of the year to line them...12 years ago
-
Obama’s speech coverage on NPR - What were the people at NPR thinking? The coverage of President Obama’s speech on National Public Radio on Wednesday was just awful. I’ve never minded anal...14 years ago
-
-
-
Politics, Policy Blogs
-
Entire UN Security Council Except US Says Gaza Famine 'Man-Made' as 10 More People Starve to Death - Every member nation of the United Nations Security Council except the United States on Wednesday affirmed that Israel's engineered famine in Gaza is "man...5 hours ago
-
How much does Fox News whine about Gavin Newsom? We did the math. - Fox News is having a hard time with California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tweets mocking President Donald Trump, and new research shows the network has spent ho...6 hours ago
-
SLOT GACOR LGOLIVE YGGDRASIL GOLDEN FISHTANK 2 GIGABLOX - Pengen ngerasain sensasi main di akuarium penuh ikan warna-warni? Golden Fishtank 2 Gigablox dari Yggdrasil di LGOLIVE adalah slot gacor hari ini yang ba...3 months ago
-
Ellsberg’s “Desperate Proposal Pattern” - by Thomas Reifer At the height of global demonstrations against Israel’s radically disproportionate response to the horrific October 7, 2023 terrorist atta...1 year ago
-
2PP132 – 16 May 2020 - This episode was delayed, yet again, because Arthur didn’t have enough time. Anyway, here we are—were? Today’s chat was about the changes to New Zealand’s ...5 years ago
-
How to take care of your hair this winter - During cold weather, doing less to your hair will benefit it more.7 years ago
-
My New Venture: Top Flight Family - You may have noticed that you haven’t heard much from me lately. That’s because I’ve been quietly working on new passion of mine, a digital media startup o...9 years ago
-
First blog post - This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started t...9 years ago
-
‘I’m a verb’: An MTA worker responds to criticism of Leslie Jones’ Ghostbusters role - By Arturo R. García The most hopeful — and poignant — commentary surrounding Leslie Jones’… The post ‘I’m a verb’: An MTA worker responds to criticism of...9 years ago
-
10.15.15 MUSLIMS & TPP - This article originally appeared in the 10.15.15 issue of Metroland Buried under all the hoo-hah about the debates and Lamar Odom was a significant cour...9 years ago
-
The Long-term Consequences of WLS - Rich & Heather's Story - My name is Rich, but I may be better known to some of you as richie79 of the UK who used to post prolifically here on Big Fat Blog and elsewhere in the F...12 years ago
-
-
-
This Is Not A Joke - A new ball game - with tasers. Hat-tip : The Volokh Conspiracy According to The Daily Caller, Eric Prum, one of the founders of Ultimate Tak Ball, said, “I...13 years ago
-
THIS BLOG NOW MOVED. Follow the link below. Thank you! - THIS LINK TAKES YOU TO THE NEW SITE, SAME BLOG Please join me and subscribe over there. Thank you for following my work and writing.13 years ago
-
-
-
-
Websites to Which I Contribute
Page Rank
Check Page Rank of your Web site pages instantly: |
This page rank checking tool is powered by Page Rank Checker service |
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Monday Meme; Oh, It's Tuesday
1. A month before it happens you're told you're going to lose your memory. How do you prepare for it and do you attempt to regain what you've lost?
Why does this remind me of the movie Memento? Anyway, some sort of redundancy- notes in the house about work, church; notes at work about home, work. Plaster my blog URL all over the place; maybe the reading will remind me. Label pictures of important people.
2. How do you describe your outlook on life?
"Life is a carnival, believe it or not."
3. You fall in love with your soulmate, decide to get married, and then find out that person is going to die soon. Do you marry them anyway?
Absolutely. (But here's the thing about soulmates: I've never believed that there's only one.)
4. What are three of your favorite ice cream toppings?
I like strawberry, hot fudge, and Cherry Garcia.
5. Is there one article of clothing you love to wear no matter how out of style it is?
Only one?
6. Is there one color you wish would go away in fashion?
A color? Well, there DOES seem to be a notion in some circles that "orange is the new black". More than that, though, most fashion is dumb, cyclical, and no reflector of most people's real bodies.
7. What's the first department you head to when you go shopping in a department store?
Increasingly, I hate going into department stores, particularly when they're in malls. That said, when someone drags me there, I end up hanging out in the record/CD section.
8. How far away do you live from your parents?
772.62 miles from my mother, according to Mapquest.
9. Growing up, who was your favorite cartoon character?
Popeye the Sailor, who got me to eat spinach when I'd eat no other vegetable, save for peas and corn.
10. You plan a romantic evening and everything goes wrong, including the fancy dinner you burned. What do you do?
Smile on the outside, sulk on the inside, then order Indian food, apologizing profusely.
11. What's the last thing you bought at the store?
I bought cottage cheese at the grocery store.
12. Have you ever walked out in the middle of a movie?
No, but I came very close with Fellini's Satrycon.
13. What celebrity do most people say you look like?
No one has ever compared me to a celebrity. The high school science teacher at Albany High School, who I don't know.
14. Is there any piece of jewelry you always wear?
I wear my wedding ring. That's it.
15. Have you ever tried to pick someone up?
Maybe in college, but it most certainly was unsuccessful.
16. What's the one thing you always manage to lose on your way out the door?
It's never the same thing: sometimes it's my keys or my wallet, or a list my wife gave me of things to pick up.
17. Out of these creatures which one are you most afraid of:
A.) Snakes
B.) Spiders
C.) Rodents
Snakes. It's the slither thing.
18. What's the last gift you bought for a friend?
A pass for a massage.
19. Do you ever buy people things for no reason?
Occasionally, when the item "speaks" to me.
20. What's your favorite way to spend a lazy summer afternoon?
Reading, listening to music on the stereo.
***
Saw the Australian Prime minister practically in tears over the death yesterday of "croc hunter" Steve Irwin. Scott conveniently posted this yesterday.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Labor Day 2006

Stealing from myself. You all right with that?
***
We went away to visit the in-laws this weekend. Love them; HATE traveling on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, primarily because EVERYONE else is.
Attended this baseball game Friday night in Oneonta. Although it doesn't show up in the box score, the Oneonta pitcher made a critical mental error in the second inning. The Ironbirds runner was 35 feet off first base, but instead of going towards the runner, the pitcher threw to first base. By the time the first baseman threw to second, the runner was safe at second, and later scored the first Ironbirds run.
***
It occurred to me that I had a contest, nobody entered, so nobody won. That only means I'll have to come up with a better contest next time. Meanwhile, the answers:
1. Angelina Jolie's uncle wrote a #1 hit that came out in 1966. What was it? And who performed it?
Wild Thing, written by Chip Taylor, Jon Voight's brother, and performed by The Troggs.
2. Based on the number of seasons it was broadcast and its audience size, 60 Minutes is the #1-rated program of all time, according to Brooks and Marsh. What's #2?
Gunsmoke, 1955-1975.
***
I'm hoping for actual content tomorrow.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Passion
"Regret The Error reports on corrections, retractions, clarifications and trends regarding accuracy and honesty in the media." This is a GREAT site, so great that I've added it to my weblog, in the News/Opinion section. Check out the Error/Correction Roundups.
Save The Catskill Game Farm. The Game Farm, maybe an hour from here, is a place I've visited maybe a dozen times, starting when I was three, but probably not in the last decade.
ADD's blog about Criminal by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, because he really has nothing else to do.
The relaunch of Journalista: The Comics Journal weblog.
Bush's Last Day. And I don't mean Billy Bush, who irritates during the Emmy pre-show.
An interesting Next Blog find: Fear Allah as He should be Feared: ISLAMIC ARTICLES AND QUOTES
ARTICLES
Music to Soothe the Savage Searcher: Classical Music Databases and Web Resources by David Mattison, Access Services Archivist, British Columbia Archives, Royal BC Museum Corporation
Greg's news from around our bizarro world. So bizarre, in fact, that I just had to respond.
Yet, I have no cogent response to the Katrina anniversary. Go read A Failure to Communicate: Politics, Scams, and Information Flow During Hurricane Katrina by Paul Piper, Librarian, Western Washington University and Miguel Ramos, Library and Archive Paraprofessional, WWU
Another Katrina piece: The New Blaxploitation by GayProf
The amount of nicotine in a cigarette has increased steadily over the past six years. Here's the full report. This is disturbing news, yet not particularly surprising.
Lefty offers up free music, a great mix he put together, and directions to download free music by Christian artist Derek Webb. "[The album] Mockingbird has been somewhat controversial in the Christian community because it doesn't tow the conservative line."
Stealing a couple paragraphs from Blotto drummer F. Lee Harvey, I mean, distinguished intellectual property lawyer Paul Rapp:
The Cato Institute, the extreme right-wing conservative-to-the-point-of-libertarian think-tank issued a policy report titled Amateur-to-Amateur, The Rise of a New Creative Culture. In the piece, a couple of Cato scholars make the case that copyright law, as presently configured, exists primarily for the preservation of the entrenched "copyright industries," and that the arrival of the Internet and digital media have made these "copyright industries" less important. The conclusion is maybe the time has come, as it has come before, to take a hard look at our current regime of copyright laws.
The study looked at what’s been happening on the Internet, and discussed the theories of John Perry Barlow, the ex-Grateful Dead lyricist who in the early '90s began publishing tomes about digital media, the Web, and the end of copyright as we know it. Barlow has been mocked, ridiculed, and marginalized relentlessly by Big Media for years. One copyright newsletter I get constantly refers to him as a leader of the "anti-creator crusade." The Cato study concludes that Barlow was pretty much right.
***

Saturday, September 02, 2006
Work to do QUESTIONS
The U.S. Bureau of the Census projects that by 2030, 20.8 percent of upstate New York's population will be aged 65 and over, a share still slightly higher than for the nation as a whole.
In our September issue of Capitaland Quarterly, Deputy Business Editor Eric Anderson will take a look at the implications an aging baby boomer population will have on the Capital Region. And we'd like to hear from you.
If you are approaching 60, we are interested in learning about your plans for retirement, about other ways you might be adjusting your lifestyle and how you arrived at those decisions. Please respond before Aug. 30 to help us meet our deadlines.
Thank you for participating in the Times Union Reader Network.
Got a call indicating the fact that they're interested in using an expanded version of my response. Here's the original:
"I went back to graduate school at age 37, started working a librarian at the age of 39. I'm now 53, and I have a 2-year- old daughter, which means I'll be 69 when she graduates from high school. And then, presumably, she will want to go to college.
Retirement just doesn't seem to be part of my mindset right now."
Which, of course, means that, on this Labor Day weekend, I'd like the same questions to you, even if you're not approaching 60:
What are your plans for retirement? When? At what age? Will you relocate?
What ways might you do to adjust your lifestyle? Smaller house or an apartment or condo?
What went into those decisions?
(If you don't mind): How old are you?
Friday, September 01, 2006
Shamus quotient
1. Informal, conversational style. I like when the author is blunt and honest. Website "articles", written like a magazine product review, sound too clinical and leave me cold.
Well, you know, like I write, like, like a REAL HONEST-TO-GOODNESS PERSON!!! Like, don't I? Or am I too erudite?
2. I like people who use their real names more than those who use pseudonyms, and I like pseudonyms better than pure anonymity. (The difference between the last two being mostly how long they’ve been using their pseudonym.) I’m unlikely to read something from a never-seen-before pseudonym. Nothing wrong with that. Some people are private. Just not for me.
Lessee, my name is really George Rowan and I'm a CIA operative. Nah, as hero Popeye has said several times, "I yam what I yam."
3. No ads. Banner ads are better today than they were seven years ago. During the dot-com boom, the internet was lousy with blinking eyesores and faux-dialog box traps. Those are still around, but anyone serious about holding an audience usually goes with something a bit more subtle. Having said that, even diminutive Blogads bug me. So, I tend to gravitate towards the ad-free sites.
This Shamus fellow sounds like a Commie. No ads? Where is his sense of capitalism?
4. I prefer dark lettering on light backgrounds. This didn’t used to be a problem, but as I decay into toothless old codgerdom I find white-on-black harder and harder to read. When I look away I see the horizontal bars burned onto my vision for a while afterwards, and that just can’t be good.
Well, as much as I'd like my site to alternate between yellow on white and purple on black - VERY readable combinations, don't you think? - I too have readability issues. In truth, there are very interesting blogs out there I just don't read because it's too much of a pain to SEE them.
5. I prefer to read what adults have to say, and I’m not talking about age here. I’ve found quite a few videogame blogs that are a wasteland of juvenile flames and trash talk. Yeah kid, your guild 0wnz me. Good for you. Be sure to put that on your resumé.
If you've been reading my blog for any time now, you KNOW I only talk about the latest videogames. Nothing else seems to interest me. Take THAT, Lefty!
6. I like one-author blogs better than group blogs, but only because I like to know who I’m reading. I’ve never seen it done, but I would actually enjoy a group blog if each author had a little icon or something at the top of the post, similar to what I do with categories. I really can’t stand blogs where I have to look to the end of a post to know who I’m reading, since that’s the first thing I want to know.
Hamilton: Eh.
Joe Frank: Double eh.
Reynolds: What they said.
Actually, I think I've used an anonymous contribution once, and I have another available in case I ever need a fill-in issue. (Fill-in issue - how very comic book.) Once or twice out of 720 posts is a pretty good percentage, I think.
7. I like some info about the author. I don’t need an autobiography, but I at least like to have some idea of the age and gender of the author. I hate hunting around for clues like oblique references to their spouse and children (or absence thereof) and trying to extrapolate who the author is from that.
I am very mysterious. You wouldn't know that I have a wife and a daughter or that I'm a librarian, a Christian, or black. Well, here's something I really DON'T think I've ever told you: I'm 5'11 3/8" tall, right-handed, and I hate anchovies.
So, I think I have pretty high Shamus Quotient, FWIW.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Top ten television comedies
10. Sports Night: watched religiously. Would have ranked higher if it could have stuck around a little longer.
9. All in the Family: groundbreaking stuff. But it went on too long, as Logan noted.
8. Frasier: erudite humor mixed with occasional madcap fun. (Miles ironing his pants is one of the great pieces of TV, all sans dialogue.)
7. Barney Miller: the first year, they tried for Barney to have a home life, complete with a wife (Barbara Barrie), but it never jelled. After that, it found its own voice. I never was a big Fish fan (BTW, to the best of my knowledge, Abe Vigoda is still alive,) but it was the guest stars and their reaction to the cops that really worked for me.
6. Taxi: Reverend Jim was my favorite character, but it was a great ensemble, with Judd Hirsch's Alex holding the center.

5. WKRP in Cincinnati - is this show as funny as I remember? As much as I appreciated Venus Flytrap and Johnny Fever, and, O.K., Bailey Quarters, my great appreciation was for Les Nessman, he of the imaginary walls and flying turkeys. If the rights to the great music originally associated with this show could somehow find clearance, I'd buy the season DVDs in a minute.
4. Cheers - I wasn't quite as fond of it after Diane left, but I warmed up to Rebecca in time.
3. M*A*S*H - probably would have ranked higher, maybe even #1, if it had gone when Radar did. I watched those first seven or eight seasons even in reruns, but not the last three or four, which start repeating itself. B.J. falling off the fidelity wagon - touching. B.J. THINKING about falling off the fidelity wagon a few seasons later - boring.
2. The Mary Tyler Moore Show - it wasn't Mary so much as Lou "I hate spunk" Grant, Murray's savaging Ted Baxter (often without Ted knowing), full-of-moxie Rhoda, and the sweet-seeming yet savage Sue Ann Nivens, played by Betty White.
1. The Dick van Dyke Show. This is why the show is the gold standard: it lasted five years, not too short, not too long. It had a near perfect mix of work life and home life. It had Richard Deacon of Binghamton, NY, my hometown, as Mel Cooley. It had the superb Carl Reiner, the original choice for Rob, BTW, as the egotistical Alan Brady. It has segments I haven't seen in decades I still can remember, such as son Richie's middle name: Robert Oscar Sam Edward Benjamin Ulysses David, or ROSEBUD. It had an ottoman in the opening, which Rob either trips over or dances deftly around. And it had Mary Tyler Moore in capri pants.
Just missing the cut:
The Andy Griffith Show: Another show that went on too long. The first five years with Andy and Don Knotts as Deputy Fife were quite great. Strangely, broadcasting in color also hurt its appeal of the small town quality of Mayberry.
Seinfeld: I really liked this show early on, when REALLY was about nothing (getting lost in the parking garage, e.g.) Of course, it had classic episodes such as "The Contest." Elaine's bad dancing, Kramer's entrances. But there was a point when I started finding it tiresome (the glee at Susan's death, the whole NY Yankees thing).
The Bob Newhart Show: This is the one with Bob as the shrink, as opposed to Newhart, which was Bob as the Vermont innkeeper. The earlier show won out because of the better supporting cast (I found Julia Duffy's character often shrill). Bob's particular way of playing off people is a rare gift. Of course his latter show has the best TV ending ever, but it was inspired by the earlier show, and by Bobby in the shower on Dallas.
Arrested Development: I didn't start watching it from the beginning. Actually, I tried and didn't particularly enjoyed it. Then I tried again at the beginning of the second season and it clicked for me.
I Love Lucy: Probably saw it TOO often in my youth.
Soap: over the top zaniness. I loved the dummy.
Friends: it was rather uneven over the years, and there were periods I just gave up on it, only to be drawn back.
The Associates: a very funny comedy with Martin Short that was on for too short a time.
Almost anything with Dabney Coleman.
Any number of shows I'm probably just forgetting.
***
Daniel Schorr, who covered Watergate for CBS News, and delivered a eulogy at Frank Zappa's funeral, turns 90 today. One of my media heroes, he is still a working journalist for NPR.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Xena and her friends
When my sisters were old enough to share a room, my father built a couple walls out of the hallway which became my bedroom, of sorts. To compensate for that tiny space, he agreed to paint, right on the ceiling, whatever I wanted. What I wanted was the solar system. The sun was the size of a large beach ball, and the other planets were done to scale. I used to "look at" this part of the galaxy every night before I went to bed for about ten years, until I went to college, and then my parents subsequently bought another house.
The initial changes that were proposed for the solar system didn't bother me at all. Many things that I "knew" as a child have been altered with new discoveries.
The proposed definition: A planet is a celestial body that (a) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (b) is in orbit around a star, and is neither a star nor a satellite of a planet.
What I Knew/What I Know Now
Mercury - had 0 moons/still has 0 moons
Venus - had 0 moons/still have 0 moons
Earth - had 1 moon/has 1 moon
Mars - had 2 moons/has 2 moons
Jupiter-had 12 moons/has 61 moons
Saturn-had 9 moons/has 31 moons
Uranus-had 5 moons/has 21 moons
Neptune-had 2 moons/has 11 moons
Yet, I do have some disappointment. Ceres, under consideration as a planet, continues to be cosmic debris in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The recently found 2003 UB313, which the discover, Caltech researcher Mike Brown, has dubbed Xena (yes, after the warrior princess) remains just some other heavenly body.
And Pluto, dear Pluto, once a real live planet is now - well read this:
"The [proposed but rejected] definition entirely misses the key element of a solar system object, namely its role in the formation of the solar system," David Charbonneau, a researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said. "There are eight fully formed planets. The other objects - Ceres, Pluto, Charon [Pluto's moon], [Xena], and hundreds of thousands of others, are the fascinating byproducts of the formation of these eight planets." Thus, Pluto, controversial since its discovery in 1930, had its planetary status on the table again, and lost it. Pluto is merely a "fascinating byproduct".
I suppose it's for the best. There would have been at least 53 planets, by Mike Brown's count, had the newdefinitionn taken hold. Imagine the learning curve in school textbooks if THAT hadoccurredd. It'll still be complicated.
But think of all the ruined mnemonic devices:
My very exciting mother just served us nine pizzas
My Very Easy Memory Jingle Seems Useful Naming Planets
My Very Energetic Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pickles
Men Very Easily Make Jugs Serve Useful Nocturnal Purposes
My Very Elegant Mother Just Sat Upon Nine Porcupines
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Peas
Mark's violet eyes make Jane sit up nights pining
Actually, the last one can still work. No pining, though.
***
Chris Black on Pluto (August 26)
***
My sincere condolences to my cyberbuddy, near-twin Gordon on the passing of his father this week. My thoughts and prayers are with you, Gordon.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
This Will Be The Last Time
Still, there's a woman in my office that I'm at least mildly jealous of. She got to see the Beatles LIVE. She got tickets through a local Catholic church group, and went with her friend, with their mothers as chaperones, on a bus to Atlantic City on August 30, 1964. Check those ticket prices!
From Jackie DeShannon's website:
BEATLES FIRST AMERICAN TOUR (August 19 - September 20, 1964)
This was the first real Beatles concert tour of America. Consisting of 32 shows in 34 days, The Beatles wound up breaking attendance records as they appeared at major arenas throughout the U.S. and Canada. On the bill with The Beatles was the Bill Black Combo, the Righteous Brothers (backed by The Exciters), and Jackie DeShannon.
The Beatles song list for this 1964 tour:
Twist and Shout**
You Can't Do That
All My Loving
She Loves You**
Things We Said Today
Roll Over Beethoven
Can't Buy Me Love
If I Fell
I Want To Hold Your Hand
Boys
A Hard Day's Night
Long Tall Sally
(**-For some shows, The Beatles would open with I Saw Her Standing There, delete She Loves You, and close with Twist And Shout).
August 30: Convention Hall Atlantic City, New Jersey: Three days after the Democratic National Convention was held here, The Beatles played one concert here. Over 19,000 Beatles fans attended the concert which started at 8:30 p.m. After the show, the Beatles left the hall in a laundry truck, as leaving by limousine would have been impossible.
Sure, the Beatles were far away and difficult to hear over the screams, but still...

What put me in mind about that is the fact that TODAY is the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' gig at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, which turned out to be their last concert performance. The opening act line-up included The Remains, Bobby Hebb, The Cyrkle and The Ronettes, without Ronnie Spector. The set list was:
Rock and Roll Music
She's A Woman
If I Needed Someone
Day Tripper
Baby's In Black
I Feel Fine
Yesterday
I Wanna Be Your Man
Nowhere Man
Paperback Writer
Long Tall Sally
And, of course, after that concert, they were pretty much finished as musicians.
Monday, August 28, 2006
The Fantasy Company

I recently spent $12.95 for Comics Journal #277, the 30th anniversary issue, initially because an old FantaCo bud, Tom the Mayor (not to be confused with Tom, the owner) sent me this e-mail:
I do not know if you keep in touch with the comic biz, but in the latest issue of "The Comics Journal", they have an article on the black and white comics boom of the 1980's, and they show the cover to "Sold Out" #1, where a character named Roger Green is hunted down by the color police. Poor fellow is probably still in the color concentration camp. Wasn't Steve McQueen in the "Great Escape", based on that Green Fellow?
Gee, I co-wrote that story, yet I don't remember THAT aspect of the plot, but it HAS been 20 years. The artist, BTW, was John Hebert, not John Herbert, as indicated in TCJ.
As it turns out, there are other very interesting things in the magazine, including a piece on the late direct comics distribution guru Phil Seuling that will be VERY useful in the future.
Then, last week, I had breakfast one morning with Mitch Cohn. I worked with Mitch at FantaCo from 1980 until 1983 - he started there a year earlier - and later worked for him at his Midnight Comics store in Albany in the early 1990s. For FantaCo, Mitch edited the excellent Deja Vu and Gates of Eden as well as the Chronicles magazines dealing with Daredevil and the Avengers. (I did the ones for X-Men, the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man.)
Mitch is a middle school English teacher in New York City, and he looks remarkable similar to the guy I last saw about a decade ago. He was in town visiting folks, including our old FantaCo colleague Rocco. Right after I saw Mitch, I happened to walk past 21 Central Avenue, which had been a music store, a couple other things, then some sort of religious center after FantaCo, but had been most recently boarded up. The boards were down, the door was open, and it appears that some new retailer was cleaning up the place in anticipation of yet another venture.
So, it's been a FantaCo kind of week. FantaCo was started on August 28, 1978, and closed 20 years later, but given the fact that I worked there for 8.5 years, it remains in the DNA.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Please Come to Boston
My now ex, Zoe, and I were in Boston on Flag Day, 1991, when, pretty much at the last minute, around 5:30 p.m., we decided to go to Fenway Park and see if we could score a couple tickets to the game starting about an hour and a half later. We held little hope, for the game featured the pitching duel of Red Sox's ace Roger Clemens (whatever happened to him?) and the California Angels' one-handed wonder Jim Abbott. Surprisingly, not only did we get seats, we got GREAT seats right behind home plate. I'm thinking that someone must have turned in tickets at the last moment.
What I remember about the game is that California was ahead early, Clemens spent too much time keeping Dave Winfield on first base, and that the Red Sox came back to win. The box score of the game is here.
Afterwards, we went to the Howard Johnson nearby, where we stayed. We decided to go down to the hotel bar to get a couple drinks. It was fairly busy, with several people trying to gain the bartender's attention. At some point, he acknowledged that he saw me and stuck up his index finger in the "just a minute" fashion. But what eventually became apparent is that people who came after me were being served, but I was not. And people who came after them were being served, and I, standing in the front, still was not, only being given "just a minute". The "interesting" thing about this that only he, I and someone carefully observing the scene would be aware of what was going on. Also, he never didn't serve me, he only hadn't "gotten around" to serving me. Any claim of discrimination would have been very difficult to prove.
What I felt was a deep volcano of rage, the kind of furor that if I had had a baseball bat, I would have been sorely tempted to smash all of the glasses hanging over the bar. Of course, I really wouldn't because 1)I could have hurt an innocent, and 2)I would have been arrested, a black man gone crazy for "no reason". Or I could have started yelling, demanding service, but that, too, would have likely make me look as though I had wanted preferential treatment.
Zoe and I left the bar, and I complained to the night manager of the hotel, who recommended I write to the day manager. I did write him, and also my credit card company, but never got any satisfaction.
I've been to Boston subsequently, had a good time, didn't have any difficulties. But GP, the Boston form of racism, indeed, the Northern form of racism, tends to be far more subtle, more clever than in there was in the South in the 1950s and 1960s. In fact, from what I can gather from folks I know in the South, folks with racist attitudes have adopted the more subtle forms of discrimination from their Northern brethren (and sisterern). So, GP, keep that gray filter on those rose-colored glasses.
***
Jim Abbott, motivational speaker.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
The Lydster, Part 29 Girlfriends

From the pictures I've shown, you'd think Lydia was a bit of a loner. Untrue.

One of the benefits of three trips to Binghamton is that Lydia got to see her friend Kay, twice there and actually once in Albany. Their mothers are great friends, in each other's weddings (as was I), and the girls are only a couple months apart, so I think the mothers really wanted the girls to bond, and it appears that they have.

Of course, that only goes so far. When we were at our house, I was reading stories to them when Kay got on my lap. Lydia sulked. So I had to put Kay down, put Lydia on one lap, THEN put Kay on the other. And occasionally, there were sharing issues. But they seemto really adore one another.

I've never been sure: is this a hug or a chokehold?

Lydia with three of her five-year-old cousins at the Olin family reunion.

This picture in response to those who claim that I only show my daughter smiling. (But the picture at the top happened soon after this one.)

Don't mess with this child.
Love you, daughter of mine.
***
Before we had Lydia, the Kix cereal registered trademark used to bug me. But now, "Kid-tested, Mother-approved" is starting to really offend. It maintains the stereotype of the caring mother and absent father. Feh.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Another Pleasant Valley weekend, featuring Ms. Julie Hembeck
The next day, we went to visit Fred, Lynn and Julie. Well, we tried. How does Dutchess County have two such oddly named streets, with one a Road and the other a Drive? Anyway we eventually got there, talked, and ate and swam. Fred and I blathered about obscure television shows and even more obscure music. He played for me a great cover of the entire Revolver album that he had gotten from MOJO magazine, performed by various artists that were unfamiliar to me.
Self-portrait of Julie, stolen from her father's blog of August 25, 2005
Julie goes through music phases; currently, she is listening to Elton John and especially David Bowie. The most notable thing about Julie's language is her use of language. She has a near-constant use of "emo", as in "that's so emo." Emo I know what that is, but don't quite understand it in context. I managed to have totally missed the term 420, but Julie assured me it, at least with her and her friends, does not refer to drugs, even though the original meaning did, but rather something that's sort of funny. I do recognize that the language is fluid.
Julie did a very good caricature of me, which I should scan one of these days.
Anyway, it's Julie's 16th birthday today. Happy birthday; it was great to see you. Oh, and your parents, too. Glad we didn't get to see the bat.
***
I was playing The Best of Elvis Costello this week, in honor of his 52nd birthday today, and I was thinking:
*I wonder how Diana Krall, one of my wife's favorite singers, is feeling these days?
*Some days, the last line in the chorus of Oliver's Army reflects how I feel about work.
*Lots of his early songs could be done in different styles and would work. For a long time, I have thought (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding could/should be done as a doowop song. Really.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Emmys (in August?) QUESTIONS

O.K., if you care about such things, you've already kvetched about who has NOT been nominated, so my questions for today are about the Emmys this Sunday, hosted by Conan O'Brien:
1)Who do you want to win?
2)Who do you think will win?
3) You may also indicate who SHOULD win, but I haven't seen enough to answer that.
Outstanding Comedy Series
Arrested Development, Fox
Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO
The Office, NBC
Scrubs, NBC
Two and a Half Men, CBS
I watch The Office and Scrubs and watched Arrested Development. Will they give another award to a now-deceased show? Maybe, but I hope not.
WANT: Scrubs. Or The Office.
WILL: Curb Your Enthusiasm
Outstanding Drama Series
Grey's Anatomy, ABC
House, Fox
The Sopranos, HBO
24, Fox
The West Wing, NBC
With its lead actors not nominated, I think the Sopranos are a mortal lock.
WANT: 24, which really shocked from the first episode this season. I know this despite the fact that I didn't actually WATCH it, except for about 24 minutes, but did read about it regularly.
WILL: the Sopranos
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race, CBS
American Idol, Fox
Dancing with the Stars, ABC
Project Runway, Bravo
Survivor, CBS
Don't much care.
WANT: Amazing Race, since the Browns like it.
WILL: American Idol, more popular than ever.
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
The Colbert Report, Comedy Central
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Comedy Central
Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC
Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Real Time with Bill Maher, HBO
The Presidential roast really lifted Colbert's visibility.
WANT: Colbert
WILL: Colbert
Outstanding Miniseries
Bleak House, PBS
Elizabeth I, HBO
Into the West, TNT
Sleeper Cell, Showtime
I saw none of them.
WANT: ?
WILL: When in doubt, guess HBO.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Kevin James, The King of Queens
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Steve Carell, The Office
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men
Since my pick, John Dorian, is not here, let's go with
WANT: Steve Carell
WILL: Steve Carell
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Christopher Meloni, Law and Order: SVU
Denis Leary, Rescue Me
Peter Krause, Six Feet Under
Kiefer Sutherland, 24
Martin Sheen, The West Wing
Will there be one last send off, for West Wing, or the dying character from Six Feet Under?
WANT: Kiefer Sutherland
WILL: The pity vote splits, and it's Sutherland
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Stockard Channing, Out of Practice
Debra Messing, Will & Grace
I stopped watching Old Christine after a few episodes, Out of Practice after the pilot, two others years ago, and never saw Kudrow.
WANT: Lisa Kudrow
WILL: Debra Messing
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Geena Davis, Commander in Chief
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under
Allison Janney, The West Wing
Please let it not be Alison Janney AGAIN.
WANT: Kyra Sedgwick
WILL: Mariska Hargitay
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Will Arnett, Arrested Development
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Sean Hayes, Will & Grace
Oh, throw A.D. a bone.
WANT: Will Arnett
WILL: Jeremy Piven
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
William Shatner, Boston Legal
Oliver Platt, Huff
Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos
Gregory Itzin, 24
Alan Alda, The West Wing
WANT: Gregory Itzin, pretty much out of pity. I read a TV Guide article how he goes golfing with Dennis Haysbert who played assassinated President Palmer on the show. They LIKE Palmer, but not Itzin's character.
WILL: Imperioli, to give an acting award to the Sopranos.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives
Jaime Pressly, My Name is Earl
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Megan Mullally, Will & Grace
DON'T Want: a swan song award for Mullally
WANT: Jaime Pressly, the Earl's ex, who became better defined as the season progressed from a one-note schemer to a much richer character
WILL: Pressly or Hines
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy
Blythe Danner, Huff
Jean Smart, 24
While Wilson's supervisor of interns is a great character, I'm leaning towards Smart's portrayal of the Martha Mitchellesque portrayal of the First Lady. In the last episode, she gave a LOOK after her husband was taken into custody that told volumes.
WANT: Smart or Wilson.
WILL: Smart
What are YOUR thoughts on these or any of the other categories?
***
CBS Sunday Morning did a story this past week on the new Lassie movie coming out this month
"Lassie Comes Home: Lassie is the quintessential screen heroine: strong, courageous and devoted. Now, like so many great stars, Lassie is making a comeback. Producers are hoping modern moviegoers will sit -- and stay. CBS News' Cynthia Bowers reports."
For More Information: The original, unabridged, edition of Eric Knight's "Lassie Come-Home" is available through amazon.com, as are many of the Lassie movies & TV shows.
Jon Provost
Canine Companions for Independence
Joan Neidhardt & Cathy Schmidt's Lassie Fan Club
Dr. Jeff Werber
The official Lassie movie
It also showed this parody clip which I found on YouTube, which you may have seen. (I hadn't.) Since I've never done one of these before, I may be doing this a bit redundantly.
If that doesn't work, try this.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
And It Appears to Be a Long Time...and Still Here

Frankly, I'm surprised.
I'm surprised I missed David Crosby's 65th birthday ten days ago.
I'm surprised that David Crosby REACHED his 65th birthday. Apparently, so is David Crosby. In a Cox news article in anticipation of the CSNY concert this past weekend in Saratoga Springs, Crosby is quoted as saying,"I didn't think I was gonna live past 30. Gotta remember, I was a junkie - junkies don't live. They just wait around until they die. So I had no expectation of being this age."
Anyway, I've been playing his music of late, as is my habit with birthdays of performers, and I almost always forget one: the 1999 Live at the Wiltern by CPR. (The Amazon listing is here.) This is a somewhat jazzy disc by a group consisting of Crosby, Jeff Pevar, and James Raymond, a biological son of Crosby that David didn't know about until a few years ago. Here is a review of the 11/10/1998 concert, which also featured percussionist Steve di Stanislaw and bassist Andrew Ford.
Most of the reviews of the 2-CD set fall into two categories. Fans of CPR really like the first disc, which is primarily tunes from the first CPR studio album, but don't really enjoy the second disc. Fans of Crosby's older music tend to find the first disc unfocused and a little boring, but are intrigued by the remakes on disc two of tunes such as Almost Cut My Hair, Eight Miles High and Ohio. I find myself in the latter camp.
But what I really wanted to talk about is the acting career of David Crosby. I saw him on a Roseanne episode, but I remember him best as Chester, the recovering alcoholic on The John Larroquette Show, the AA sponsor for John Hemingway (Larroquette). Crosby appeared four or six times. I thought season one, with that quirky theme by David Cassidy(!), was a great dark comedy. But by season two, the powers that be lightened it up, dropping Crosby (seems as though his character died, but I'm not positive). It is generally considered to have "jumped the shark" after that one great, Crosby-enhanced season.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
At the Mike: Wallace

I've been watching Mike Wallace for probably 40 years, certainly for the duration of 60 Minutes, which started in 1968. So, I was rather interested in this story from NPR that I happened to catch on the radio that suggests that Wallace, Barbara Walters and Larry King, for three, don't know how to interview very well.
Then I thought about the interview Wallace did with the head of Iran recently, and I realize that, at least in that instance, the critic may very well have been correct. Wallace's schtick got in the way of getting actual information. One tends to remember the questions from his interviews more than the answers he gleans. I recall one interview with Ayatollah Khomeini when he suggested that others - not himself - thought of the leader (Arafat?) as a "lunatic".
I suppose I oughtn't to pick on an 88-year old man, who indicated in this audio clip from 12/29/2005, "I wouldn't know what else to do" if he weren't working, though he's supposedly semi-retiring.
Mahmood Ahmadinejad's blog, available in Farsi, English, Arabic and French.
***
The death of Bruno Kirby last week bothered me for so many reasons:
* He was in two of my favorite movies, The Freshman and Spinal Tap.
* He was in several movies I enjoyed, such as Harry/Sally, City Slickers and Good Morning Vietnam.
* He was fifty-frickin'-seven years old.
(Didn't know he was in the pilot of the M*A*S*H TV show.)
Monday, August 21, 2006
Monday Meme 8/21: Ice Breakers
***
Found at the July 07, 2006 post here.
Ice Breakers
We've all been there. Those gatherings where you don't seem to know anyone well. You're trying to make small talk and that usually means questions. What do you ask? How do you answer?
1. How do you respond when asked "So, what do you do?"
I say "I'm a business librarian at at quasi-governmental agency." Anything to work the prefix quasi- into the conversation.
2. What about the classic "Where are you from?"
I used to have a rude reply to this, but now I just say "from Binghamton, NY." If they're from NYS or nearby, this means something, but if they're from south of the Mason-Dixon line or west of the Mississippi River, they hear New York, and invariably think "New York City", which is about 200 miles away.
3. What other questions are you frequently asked at parties and other gatherings and how do you answer them?
"Is that REALLY your daughter?" "Yes."
If someone at the party knows I was on JEOPARDY!, that person will almost invariably tell the new person that I was on the show, which leads to:
"Were you REALLY on?" "Yes."
"What's Alex Trebek really like?" "He did the rabbit-ears things with his fingers behind my back. I saw him on a monitor."
"How did you do?" "I won one game, and came in second the second day."
Considering this happened almost eight years ago, this conversation happens at least a half dozen times a year, and I never initiate it.
4. Are there any questions or topics that make you cringe?
No, but there are topics, usually home improvement, where, once the conversation is launched, someone in the midst of renovation, e.g., will tell a detailed 15-minute blow-by-blow; I've faded out by minute four.
5. What is your strategy for breaking the ice?
Usually to look for the person who seems out of the loop. Another tactic - be useful - offer to open the wine bottles or bring in additional chairs, for instance.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Hiatt Hits the Big 5-4
John Hiatt turns 54 today. I don't know about you, but I always think of musicians as older than I am, or more recently, considerably younger. But Hiatt is essentially my age. I suppose I could have waited until next year to write this, when he hits the double nickel, but what the heck - I'm still bummed that I missed seeing him this summer, for FREE, because of my wisdom tooth extraction the day before.
I have no better way to indicate how much I love the music of Hiatt than to indicate that I've seen him live once (and would have seen him again this year), I've put together compilation discs of songs written by him and covered by others, and I own a majority of his output. To wit:
1979 Slug line NO
1980 Two bit monsters NO
1982 All of a sudden NO
1983 Riding with the king LP
1985 Warming up to the ice age CD
1987 Bring the family CD
1988 Slow turning CD
1989 Y'all caught? CD
1990 Stolen moments CD
1992 Little Village CD
1993 Slug line/Two bit monsters NO
1993 Perfectly good guitar CD
1994 Hiatt comes alive at Budokan CD
1995 Walk on CD
1996 Living a little, laughing a little CD
1996 Master series best of NO
1997 Little head CD
1998 Greatest hits and more NO
1999 Greatest Hits The A&M Years '87 - '94 CD
2000 Crossing Muddy Waters CD
2001 Anthology NO
2001 The tiki bar is open CD
2003 Beneath This Gruff Exterior CD
2004 20th century masters: The millennium collection NO
2005 Master of disaster CD
2005 Chronicles 3 CD box NO
2005 Live from Austin TX NO
About 60% of his output. I'm missing some of his early, unfocused work, and some of the other stuff I don't have is duplicative.
My favorite John Hiatt songs:
1. Shredding the Documents from Walk On. Faux Beach Boys harmony, name-checks Larry King and Oprah.
2. Have a Little Faith in Me from Bring the Family. And the remixed version on one of his greatest hits album, with more orchestration, is definitely NOT an improvement.
3. Perfectly Good Guitar, title track. Reportedly really ticked off Pete Townsend, who has been known to smash one or two.
4. I Don't Even Try from Riding with the King. Used to listen to this on the late, great Q-104. I love how the intro line echoes Smoke on the Water.
5. Lift Up Every Stone from Crossing Muddy Waters. I first heard this on an episode of A Prairie Home Companion on a co-worker's 35th birthday, right after his party in Albany, while driving towards Poughkeepsie, my co-worker's hometown. The song has a gospel feel.
An NPR story on Hiatt. Julie Hembeck, someday, you'll appreciate the music of John Hiatt.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Don't Play That Song! QUESTIONS

A couple work moves ago, my fellow librarians at the time developed rules about what we could and could not play around each other. This was one librarian's list:
Music I never want to hear again as long as I live
Celine Dion
Brian Setzer
Mariah Carey
Bob Dylan
Sheryl Crow
BROOOOOOOOOOCE
(Southside Johnny, too, while we're in Joisey)
Air Supply
Another list:
Joni
Janis Joplin
Liza Minelli can be tough
no Cher in the house (not that there's ever been any)
and, in deference to your favorite band, absolutely no Klaatu
List #3:
Neil Young
Willie Nelson
My list? Nothing. There were no artists that I couldn't have taken, at least now and then. There is some atonal John Coltrane I can't listen to for very long, but none of these folks had any. (For that matter, I don't think we had any Celine Dion, either).
Whereas, there were people we could play that no one would object to:
Lyle Lovett, the Beatles, and Bonnie Raitt immediately come to mind.
So my question: in your house, in your workplace or in your car: when you hear what songs, or artists, do you change the station or scream, "Turn that thing OFF!"? What songs, or artists, are almost always acceptable to a cross section of your family or colleagues? Julie Hembeck, please answer this query.
***
TV Land has been doing a series of Top 10 lists, most of which I've ignored. But for some reason, I did watch Top 10 Musical Moments on TV this past Wednesday. A rather predictable list; the vague "MTV Unplugged begins" wouldn't have made my list, though Nirvana on Unplugged, a "bubbling under" choice, might have. And the ONLY value of actually watching the thing, rather than just getting the list from the site is this little tidbit, about the guest on the Smothers Brothers show who passed out into Mickey Rooney's arms during the Who's explosive performance. (It was Bette Davis, and she did perform on the show.) Moreover, the irritating thing about the program is that the 10 p.m. EDT show actually began at 10:04:30; I find that be generally true of that network at night, so if you're TiVoing, you may want to record the next show as well.
***
LIBRARIANS IN THE MOVIES: An Annotated Filmography.
Friday, August 18, 2006
What Do We Know?
This week, someone at work asked me what the derivation of the term "golden sombrero" in baseball was. I knew what it MEANT, but why that term? It's hockey's fault, according to the Wikipedia:
"In baseball, the golden sombrero is a slang term used to describe a player's dubious feat of striking out four times in a single game... The term derives from "hat trick", a hockey term for three goals that was applied to baseball as a term for three strikeouts. Since four is bigger than three, the rationale was that a four-strikeout performance should be referred to by a bigger hat, such as a sombrero." There's more about this topic here.
One of my racquetball buds was trying, and failing to tell this joke:
A man went into his doctor's office to have a vasectomy, wearing a tuxedo. The doctor asked, "Why are you wearing a tuxedo to your operation?" The man replied, "I figure if I'm going to BE impotent, I'm gonna LOOK impotent." (Say it aloud - it makes more sense.)
Anyway, he was failing in his joke telling because he couldn't remember the word vasectomy. It happens - the word just doesn't come. He was trying to describe it and said, "You know that thing that you have to kill your sex drive." And while we got what he meant, another of my racquetball guys quickly noted that, in fact, a vasectomy doesn't kill the sex drive.
One of the things I need to relearn again and again (and again and again)is the fact that what I think passes for "Everybody knows that!" doesn't necessarily apply.
Case in point: last week, the racquetball guys were BSing, as they are wont to do, giving each other a hard time, when one said, "Well, even a busted clock is right twice a day." Another of the guys, who was in his 30s, laughed heartily at this, so hard, in fact, that I said, "Surely you've heard that one before?" He laughed, "No, I haven't. That's really funny!" O.K., then.
***
I was reading the articles about the new Census data released this week, which the Albany mayor has been complaining about an undercounting of the city's population. I don't really understand the problem, because the "group quarters" (dorms, group homes, prisons) are not counted, and weren't scheduled to be counted. They won't be counted in the future either if the Census Bureau budget gets cut, which may very well happen, based on preliminary legislation.
One of the pieces that I read showed the growth as a percentage of white, non-Hispanic people in only two states, West Virginia and Hawaii. In the latter case, white people are a growing minority population.
***
In some music exchange I was in last year or early this year, someone included Led Zeppelin's The Lemon Song. This piece touches on my general ambivalence about uncredited stealing by the group, though in fact I have at least a half dozen of their albums.
***
Mark Evanier posted a video link about Post Crispy Critters, a cereal from the 1960s, and even before the video ran, I remembered the punchline: "the one and only cereal that comes in the shape of animals!", music and all. What an extraordinary waste of my brain power.
***
GUIDANCE FOR AIRLINE PASSENGERS from DHS. In its latest airline security restriction, the FAA has banned all people from flights. Which is the satire?
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Quick Reviews
ALBUM: Adieu False Heart, Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy. I was really looking forward to this album, especially after hearing them perform on a Prairie Home Companion in June. I LOVE the Cajun tunes, usually with Ann as lead and Linda as harmony vocals. And the unexpected cover of "Walk Away Renee", originally done 40 years ago by The Left Banke, really works. The other songs I enjoy as well, and they're growing on me more with every listen.
BOOK: I got this e-mail from the author asking me to write a "short review of a new Christian ebook called Land of Canaan: Ancient Hope for Future Peace by Paul M. Kingery". It turns out to be a 649-page PDF about the coming Apocalypse, using not only citations from the Book of Revelation, but Old and New Testament texts as well. First, I did not read it all. Second, I'm not much into this sort of book, with all of what I would consider its proof texting. That said, you may want to skim through it to see his argument that seems to suggest global warming (chapter 13) and the recent (current?) Middle East conflict (chapter 6 and elsewhere). I was also stuck how, in the last days, "Jesus will return to a high mountain refuge in what is now being called Kurdistan, near the banks of the Tigris River." If you don't know your world geography, that's Iraq, folks. After a 30-page index, there are nearly 20 pages of photos in and around Dohuk, Iraq, where, presumably, the Lord will be coming back.
TELEVISION: The Tonys. Do I mean the awards that were given out on June 11? I do. Carol and I FINALLY watched them over two days this week, and even though I remembered some of the winners, it was still fun to see the production numbers. Also, Jersey Boys' John Lloyd Young, the "Frankie Valli" character, who recently signed a TV contract, and who was ABC News' Person of the Week back a couple months ago for going from being a Broadway usher a year ago to a Tony winner, gave the sweetest acceptance speech about himself and his father.
MUSICAL: Beauty and the Beast, Park Playhouse, Washington Park, Albany, NY August 12. This venue of free summer performances has been the grounds for more traditional musical theater (South Pacific last year, Camelot, West Side Story). The Disneyfication of Park Playhouse, emphasized by Park Playhouse II's two-week production of Aladdin, Jr. this year (based on the movie Aladdin) makes me nervous. That said, it was a fine show, especially the vocal skills of the Beast, played by John Anthony Lopez, who I knew a few years ago, and briefly, as the tenor soloist in my church choir. I always think the ensemble gets short shrift in reviews, so I'll say they were quite good, and versatile. Still, I hope for more traditional fare next summer. This show ends Sunday.