For Starters...

Hoo Boy…Is He EVER Gonna GET IT!!! Gerard writes an essay that’s just bound to draw withering fire from The PC Police…about The PC Police. Excerpt:

Short form of the correct political position: "Obama's race doesn't matter except when it does."

A strange position to take when you reflect that Obama's race and standing as an African American of no little poise and intellect is the single most powerful thing he has going for him. Indeed, to be clear, Obama's race is the only reason he's doing as well as he is at all. If we had a junior Senator from Illinois with a shade more than 2 years of experience in the Senate and with the name Ole Swenson running for President, he'd be running neck and neck with Dennis Kucinich and Kucinich would be kicking his ass.

Of course, you're not supposed to notice Obama's race except when noticing it causes you to adulate wildly and attempt dancing in the streets while writing big checks from your bottomless account at The National Bank of White Guilt. If this gets you off and tickles your fancies, get down. And while you're at it, write one for me. My account is overdrawn.

The subject of Gerard’s missive is the outrage! The Usual Suspects are affecting vis-à-vis Rush Limbaugh’s insensitive parody of Senator Obama. I use the term “insensitive” only because that’s how the Usual Suspects have categorized labeled Limbaugh in their current attack mode, when not shouting “Racist!” at the top of their metaphorical lungs. Mr. Van der Leun has the big brass ones required to even broach the subject of perceived racism, let alone discuss it at some length, and I recommend his essay to you. Highly recommend it, even.

Oh…and by the way…I stole the vid just below from Gerard. He uses it to introduce his screed on the housing bubble, also highly recommended. Ya get the feeling I like Gerard, do ya? You’re right…

On hockey today: My Sentiments, Exactly…

The Red Wings might just do something they haven't done in 10 years: Pull off a playoff upset.

Yes, upset. I know: The Wings are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. They came into this series with home-ice advantage. And they are the Red Wings. How can the Red Wings be the underdog? Was it an upset when King Kong beat Godzilla?

But through two games, San Jose looks like the better team. It would be really hard to argue otherwise. We still need to see another game or two before we can reach a definitive conclusion, but at the least, the Sharks are the Wings' equal.

You might have a tough time seeing the Sharks as the bully, but think of it this way: the NHL has changed so much that San Jose's teal sweaters almost seem like classics.

The Wings fell behind 2-0, which seems to be company policy these days, and the way they played, it felt like 4-0. But they came back and gutted out a 3-2 win. It was far from a dominant performance, but the Wings probably won't dominate a single game in this series. They aren't that kind of team any more, and the Sharks are too good.

Read the whole thing, if you’re into hockey. If you’re not, well… you don’t know what you’re missing tough luck. I almost turned Saturday’s game off when the Sharks scored their second goal to go up 2-0. Detroit looked demoralized, The Joe was silent, and my heart was beginning to break. But, I stayed with it and I’m glad I did. SN2 rang me up about 20 seconds after Cleary (my new best-est hero) scored his second short-handed goal of the play-offs. After Sam and I compared notes and exchanged superlatives (re: Cleary) I told him about being depressed about the Wings and their chances… up until that point in time…and he replied something to the effect of “I figured as much, which is why I didn’t call until now.”

A lot will be revealed tonight in the Shark Tank. If the Wings are blown out it’s as good as over. If they lose and it’s close, it’s still a series. If they win convincingly in their first game of this playoff season in San Jose’s house…where the Sharks play exceedingly well…then it’s an upset in the making, as Mr. Rosenberg notes. I’d be tickled pink if the last possibility comes to pass.

Today’s Pic: A Blast From The Past…SN3’s first haircut, nine years ago this month. This is but one of the eleven pics I took, being the Proud Papa I was. Here he is perched upon Mom’s lap, on the wise recommendation of my barber, whose name I cannot remember. It has been nine years, after all.

April, 1998. Perinton, NY.

Rainy Day...Dream Away...

Some VERY Good News to Start My Day…as seen and commented upon at LGF and The Captain’s Place (here: Turks Protest Islamic-rooted Government and here: “More than one million rally in Turkey for secularism, democracy”). I’ve been following the Islamist/Secularist political drama unfolding in Turkey at the moment (in as much as one can follow events in Turkey from a US vantage point), and am heartened to see the Secularists aren’t taking the Islamist threat lying down. The Good Captain notes that “The situation looks ripe for a civil war or a coup d'état.” I don’t agree on the Civil War thing, but I DO agree about the coup d’état. The Army has issued a warning to Mr. Gul, and their track record is such that Mr. Gul had best take their warning seriously. Those guys simply don’t play around. As long as things (political things) are going well…read that as a secular government, as Atatürk intended…the Army stays in the background. But let things get out of hand, as the current situation has all the signs of doing, and the Army will move in… suddenly and over night.

The military has had a record of intervening in politics. Indeed, it assumed power for several periods in the latter half of the 20th century. It executed coup d'etats in 1960, 1971, and 1980. Most recently, it maneuvered the removal of an Islamic-oriented president, Necmettin Erbakan, in 1997.

The wiki doesn’t talk about the coup of the mid-to-late 50’s. The first time I ever saw tanks in the street was when I lived in Turkey (in Ankara, the capital) as a teen-ager, around 1958. It was a sight that was simultaneously intimidating and confidence-inspiring. And it’s a sight one never forgets…believe me.

The Army is a much better alternative than Shar’ia…and the secular Turks know and understand this. Let’s hope the Islamists do, too.

In Today’s “What Does This Mean” category…I had three visitors searching for “aieeee” today. Three! Both of you Frequent Readers may remember I thought it was sorta funny that someone had stumbled upon EIP after searching for aieee a week or so ago. And now today, three more.

IP Address 122.168.18.98 (Unknown Organization)
Time of Visit Apr 29 2007 3:15:06 am
Last Page View Apr 29 2007 3:15:06 am
Referring URL http://www.google.co...hl=en&q=aieeee&meta=
Search Engine google.co.in
Search Words aieeee

IP Address 59.95.98.120 (NIB (National Internet Backbone))
Time of Visit Apr 29 2007 6:15:03 am
Last Page View Apr 29 2007 6:15:03 am
Referring URL http://www.google.co...ay&btnG=Search&meta=
Search Engine google.co.in
Search Words solutions of aieee 2007 helded on 29 april 2007 Sunday

IP Address 59.180.111.36 (MTNL CAT B ISP)
Time of Visit Apr 29 2007 7:44:32 am
Last Page View Apr 29 2007 7:44:32 am
Referring URL http://www.google.co...=Google Search&meta=
Search Engine google.co.in
Search Words aieeee

India. Therein lays the answer. Aieeee, in its other incarnation, isn’t an exclamation at all…it’s an acronym that stands for “All India Engineering/Architecture Entrance Examination (AIEEE).” Ya just gotta follow those links! But a minor mystery remains: Why four “e’s” in all the searches and not three?

And by the way…if you’re interested in what these folks are testing for, the syllabi for the entrance exams are here. The mathematics syllabus is particularly interesting. Can you imagine your average American high school grad taking that test? Me neither.

No motorcycle riding today…thunderstorms and high wind are the orders of the day. I’ll stay in and watch the weather. After all, discretion IS the better part of valor.

Speaking of motorcycles and stuff…I’ve been popping lots of Aleve since Friday. I evidently pulled a muscle in my lower back while righting the bike in that San Jon parking lot. I absolutely, positively hate this feeling…due in no small part to the fact that I slipped a disk back in April of 1998, with back surgery as a result. Ergo, any time I get back pain I think catastrophic thoughts. I don’t want to go through that experience ever again…and that’s the understatement of the day!

More On Wind-Generators

Dame Jenny of Floyd sends along these pictures of wind generators taken near Elida and House (both small communities to the south and west, respectively, of P-Town) just to illustrate the size and scale of these wonderful machines. Pretty cool, eh? And by the way...that's a Saturn Vue parked under the tower in the first pic. These towers are massive in height!

The first pic reminds me of those old joke post cards from the Southwest (in color and setting) that were everywhere during the 40's and 50's...you know, the ones with the gigantic outsized rabbits, jackalopes and the like. Except this pic is REAL.

We were talking about the size of these things in the comments yesterday and my “best guess” was the height of a wind-generator “…is at least 50 feet.” Well, so much for my best guess…which was waaay out of the ball park! As Jenny notes, that would be the diameter of the typical prop in the installations around here! The towers themselves are hundreds of feet high…General Electric manufactures systems with tower heights from 200 feet and up. Their larger systems have a rotor diameter of 104 meters…that’s 338 feet! Imagine the tower height for that baby!!

I’ll be back later…assuming the line of thunderstorms advancing on P-Town doesn’t knock me off the air. It's Sunday...and Yucca Telecom is slow to restore service outages on the weekend. A lightning strike on one of their towers could knock me off the air for hours and hours....

Putting Our Wind to Use

Today’s Pics: Yesterday was the first time I’d been up San Jon way in about two years or so. Normally there’s little or no reason for me to head in that direction as there are other, more direct routes to places I want to be, such as ABQ or Santa Fe. So it was with a great deal of surprise I noted the “sudden” emergence of a large-scale wind farm right there on the edge of The Cap. “Large-scale” means there are perhaps 50 of these towering wind generators…which is my best guess, as I didn’t do an actual count. Construction is continuing, also. I noted several large cranes in the area and more wind generators in the process of rising above the New Mexico plains.

Actually, I’m a bit surprised the installation didn’t begin sooner, as there are few better locations in the US of A for a wind-farm. We DO have a lot of wind in this part of the world…to state the obvious.

Wind farms fascinate me. I think they’re beautiful in a geeky sort of way…an array of towering, largely silent, electricity producing giants standing watch on hill sides and escarpments. As I said, beautiful in a "form and function," geeky sort of way.

Yesterday, near San Jon…which is visible five miles in the distance in the second pic.

The Mom of ALL Embarrassment

That’s my fairing in the photo above. Asphalt is much harder, and rougher, than plastic. And plastic is expensive ($150+, per side), as are turn signal assemblies ($51). So, a parking lot tip-over runs you (me) over two hundred Yankee dollars. I was afraid this was gonna happen, eventually. Just after buying the bike I noted that my 30-inch inseam and the bike's 32-inch seat height weren’t exactly a good fit. Today it came to pass in a large gas station/convenience store parking lot in San Jon, in front of God and everybody at least 15 people.

I was astride the bike, backing it out of a parking space and lost my balance as I began my turn to straighten the bike out and ride away. And then…Ker-rash. Sprawl. Two guys came out of literally nowhere and helped me pick the bike up, each asking repeatedly “Are you OK? Are you OK?” Well, yeah, I am…physically. Now could you please help me find a large rock to crawl under? How utterly frickin’ embarrassing. My pride is hurt a helluva lot more than my wallet will be, lemmee tell ya. I haven’t dropped a bike like that since 1969, but I’ll save that story, which was much more embarrassing (and funny, in retrospect), for another time.

The rest of today’s ride was mediocre, at best. The winds got quite a bit …uh…brisker the further north I rode, and by the time I dropped off The Cap they were quite strong. Just before my lil parking lot adventure happened, a guy walked by and said “pretty windy day to be riding, isn’t it?” Well, yeah, now that you mention it, it is. But it wasn’t as bad as this past Tuesday. I was able to hold a steady 70 – 75 mph, with the occasional burst above 80 (or so…actual speeds have been redacted to protect the guilty). The ‘Zuki makes a wonderful sound on her way to red line…mostly induction noise (what with noise laws stifling the exhaust sound of each and every stock bike), but undeniably a V-Twin sound. I love it. It’s seriously addictive, that sound. Not to mention the acceleration. So I won’t.

Just two brief hockey notes…The Wings lost their first game of the second round…at home…last evening. Shocking. More shocking: San Jose scored two goals in 24 seconds during the second period, and that was it for the scoring. The vaunted Red Wings offense was somewhere else Thursday night, even though they outshot San Jose, 34-19. {sigh} Yet another hot frickin’ goalie for the Wings to solve. But it’s the playoffs, and the playoffs are just full of hot goalies.

Wow. I never thought I’d read something like this:

There were thousands of empty seats at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday. The Wings gave the official attendance as 18,712, but I suspect they meant limbs.

[…]

It was the worst environment for any pro playoff game I have ever attended in this state, for any sport. It was so quiet you could hear the puck drop -- and that was before the Sharks took a 2-0 lead. It was a mid-January atmosphere at the end of April -- and the Wings gave a mid-January performance.

Between the second and third periods, I went online to find tickets to Game 2. Just my luck: I could get 12 seats together in Section 225B. Unfortunately, I can't possibly find 11 friends who want to spend $90 a pop to sit in the corner of the upper level (and pay a $5.75 "convenience charge" for the privilege).

Of course, if my buddies don't mind standing, they can pay $77 each -- plus that same $5.75 convenience charge. (Whoever heard of a convenience charge to stand up?)

Ninety-frickin’ dollars for nose-bleed seats? Seventy-seven for standing room? No wonder there were “thousands” of empty seats (just a slight exaggeration). I wouldn’t pay those prices, either. Not even during my salad days. Come to think on it, I didn’t pay those prices…not even close. Of course it’s been over ten years since I attended a game at The Joe. But, still…

UGGG-GLLEEE! That’s the only word to describe these Forgotten Jerseys. Another phrase that comes to mind is “What WERE they thinking?” And to think Wayne Gretzky almost wore one of these (that putrid purple Kings jersey). Actually, I think The Great One saw those jerseys before he was traded from Edmonton and told LA “Change the uniforms or I’ll retire rather than play for you.” The Kings had new uniforms that very same year. Thanks, Wayne.

And believe it or don’t, I’m not watching any of tonight’s games. I’m just not in the mood.

All in the Family...

Today’s Pic: The first pic was purloined from SN1’s blog…Grandson Sean astride Buck’s new ride, which is really red, not orange as one might could think by looking at the pic. SN1 tells me his digital camera didn’t fall immediately to hand yesterday when it was time to take Baby’s First Picture… so the cell phone camera was deployed, necessity being a Mother, and all that. The bottom pic is more color balanced, what with being taken by Professional Photographers With Expensive Equipment.

Nice looking scoot, eh? It’s one of Rusty Kowalski’s famed Ninjas, in the budget-friendly 650cc size. It’s powered by a water-cooled, fuel injected, parallel twin and is much more ergonomically correct than full-bore sporting Ninjas. It’s received great reviews, too.

The inevitable question(s) will soon arise, since both SN1 and I just bought bikes in the 650 class: Which is faster? Which handles better? And so on… Answers just might be provided in June, as I’m planning on riding the Suzuki up to Utah for granddaughter Monique’s graduation. Buck and I just might go riding together, once or twice. There are some pretty kewl roads in his neck of the woods.

Speaking of riding…today is a LOT better, weather-wise, than yesterday. The wind came up yesterday afternoon while I was finishing up the chores, i.e., giving El Casa Móvil De Pennington and the Suzuki wash jobs. El Casa Móvil is bright and shiny and all ready for a fresh coating of bird poop. Such are the hazards of being docked under a large tree. But I digress. The ‘Zuki is all bright and shiny, too, and whispering to me through the window…”Let’s ride…Let’s RIDE…”

So…It’s off to San Jon and the only respectable twisty-turnies within two hours of here…about six relatively tight turns in a 1.75 mile stretch. I’ll ride about an hour an a half to get there, all for about three minutes of sporting riding. But I’ll do it two or three times. Up and down. Rinse. Repeat.

More about that after I return…

An Explanation and Other Stuff

So. After putting up that out-of-focus quasi-biker pic yesterday I said “I may be back later with News of the World. And I may not.” “Not” won out, as you can plainly see. There are reasons for this and, not so coincidentally, the dearth of political-oriented posts at EIP these last few. Firstly…I’ve been a bit…um…pre-occupied with the new acquisition. Second, I’ve been having great difficulty reading and digesting the news coming out of Washington, Iraq, and other points around the globe. Not because the concepts are difficult to absorb and understand, but because it’s all so danged depressing. Enter Lex (from yesterday):

In my heart of hearts, I want to believe that all of the politicians that the American people have in their wisdom elected to offices of great national prominence have the best interests of the Republic at heart. That, while they may disagree from one side of the aisle to the other on the “how” of the national enterprise, the “what” is consistent. That we might disagree upon means but not ends. That the country comes first, especially in a time of war, especially beyond our borders.

This is a dream I have.

Sometimes it’s hard to sustain.

It’s that list bit about the difficulty in sustaining the dream that’s infected me and caused me to withdraw from the fray. I read the news these days and my immediate reaction is “Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot??” followed nearly instantaneously by “What are they THINKING?” And then I shake my head slowly from side to side, literally, and move on to something less heart-rending, like hockey (less heart-rending for the moment, I might add). Because there are only so many ways one can disagree (politically) and express that disagreement, and I’ve just about used them up…all of them. And Mom always said “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” That’s me and politics, of late.

I should add that, in spite of all the doom and gloom inferred in the foregoing, I believe we’ll survive and even prosper. The news is forever bad, catastrophe is just around the corner, and the next corner, and the next, and it has always been so…will ever BE so. The country and I survived both the Cold War and Vietnam, minor miracles if one believed the apocalyptic news and dire predictions of those by-gone days. Somehow we muddled through.

But today’s crises seem different, more existential, than those of yore…as if the possibility of incineration via a tit-for-tat exchange of nuclear warheads launched from North Dakota and Kazakhstan wasn’t existential (it was), or the falling dominoes of South East Asia wouldn’t somehow relegate us to Third World status (they didn’t). Nukes in the hands of terrorists is another ball of wax entirely; Iraq as the locus of global terrorism is a distinct possibility should we fail in our efforts there, as is Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and so on…ad nauseum.

And our the Democrats answer is to withdraw? More to the point, the Democrats’ political posturing and egregious displays of Bush Derangement Syndrome, while simultaneously offering us nothing substantial (or even trivial…because there’s…well…nothing) in the way of strategy or tactics to replace what they so stridently oppose is worrisome. To the frickin’ MAX. Sometimes it’s very hard to see how we’re gonna muddle through this one, especially given the terminal ignorance, willful obstructionism, and lack of alternatives offered up by the “loyal opposition.”

But I’ve said all that before. And now I’ve said it again. I get tired of saying it. And so I’ve withdrawn from commenting on the madness. Just thought you’d wanna know.

Now…all that said…here’s some politics, in a way…

As a commenter at LGF sez: “Wow! A flying pig moment for sure.” And what’s that “When pigs fly…” comment all about? Just this: "The Israeli-Hezbollah War of 2006: The Media as a Weapon in Asymmetrical Conflict." The title is a bit innocuous but the content is incendiary, saying outright that the media became a “fiery advocate” for Hezbollah.

Of course, the Right pointed this out all along…this blog (a minute point of light in the ‘sphere, to be sure) is filled with examples and links from that time…and I was especially critical of the Beeb’s reporting, which insulted my intelligence while simultaneously turning my stomach. No mean feat, that. All ya gotta do is read the archives from summer of last year. But now Harvard, I repeat…HARVARD… has given its imprimatur to a report that essentially vindicates what the Right has been saying all along: that the media has been cheerleading for the terrorists. Hell, it’s beyond cheerleading. According to Marvin Kalb, the media were part and parcel of Hamas’ war effort. It’s not that big a leap to further extend the thought that the media support other terrorist organizations and states, such as Syria and Iran, if you so desire. It ain’t that hard to do. And I’m not talking about al Jazeera, either. Can you spell N-Y-T? I thought you could.

Full text of the report, in pdf format, is available here. It will be interesting to see/hear what the Left is gonna say about this, if it says anything at all. I’m predicting crickets.

Hockey…The conference semi-finals began last evening, with easy-looking victories going to Anaheim and Buffalo (emphasis on the “looking;” nothing is easy in the play-offs). Both the Ducks and the Sabres are heavily favored in their series, what with being the number two seed in the West and the number one seed in the East, respectively. Detroit and San Jose begin their series tonight, as does New Jersey and Ottawa. Just for grins and giggles, here’s how the major sports guys predict the Wings will fare (hat tip to Kukla’s Corner for the links)

Canadian Press: Sharks in six.
ESPN (Buccigross): Sharks in seven.
Toronto Globe and Mail (Eric Duhatschek): Sharks in six.
Toronto Globe and Mail (Tim Wharnsby): Wings in seven.
NBC Sports (Clement): Wings in seven
NBC Sports (Hull): Wings in seven.
NBC Sports (Ferraro): Sharks in six.
The Hockey News: Two analysts…one sez Sharks in seven, the other says Wings in seven.
TSN (Canada): Maggie the Monkey (Det), Bob McKenzie (SJ), Darren Dreger (Det), Darren Pang (Det), Jeremy Roenick (SJ), and James Duthie (SJ)

I think I have enough fingers to get this right…eight say San Jose, seven say Detroit… six if you exclude Maggie the Monkey, who went 9-6 in her predictions last year (which was FAR better than YrHmblScrb did). Exclude Maggie at your peril. ALL say the series will go at least six games; ALL agree that the Wings – Sharks will be the most entertaining series in the second round.

The bad news is Detroit is suffering from injuries to two KEY players…Tomas Holmstrom and Brett Lebda. Helene St. James:

The Wings drew admirers headed into the playoffs because of their depth -- but six games in, that has dwindled. Holmstrom is nursing a cut left eyelid, and while he's officially day-to-day, that can mean anything from a Game 2 return to missing two weeks. Brett Lebda is dealing with a sore right ankle, though he should return during the series. His injury further depletes a defense that saw Niklas Kronwall suffer a fractured sacrum in his pelvis March 30, which will keep him out through mid-May. That has left Kyle Quincey to play on the third pairing.

Hard to say which is the greater loss…Lebda is sorely (no pun intended) needed on the blue line, what with San Jose’s potent offense (Thornton and Cheechoo, just to name two). The Freep’s columnists are split on the outcome of this series: Four (including Mitch Albom) say the Wings win; one (St. James) says Sharks. All predict six games or more.

Wow. This series looks to be one for the ages… Here’s hoping that (a) my heart holds up to the end and (b) it won’t be broken again. It begins this afternoon at 5:30, my time. Fat Tire, popcorn, and the aspirin are ready!

Wow, again. It’s calm outside, as I type. Perhaps the day will be right for riding. Or performing long-neglected RV maintenance, such as washing the danged thing. And the bike needs a wash, as well. The day looks like it has potential for all three of these things. Let us pray…

Today’s Pic: Grandaughter Angelina (AKA, affectionately, Goo Goo) and Argus, the longtime canine companion of The Family Sam. Argus desperately wants in the kitchen, Angelina can’t make up her mind whether to let him in, or not. He eventually made it in…

Brunswick, Maine. June, 2006.

I Lied...

I said I wouldn’t…but…what the Hell. Me. Leathers. Yesterday morning after returning from The Big(ger) City ^TM.

For some strange reason the auto-focus didn’t work all that well (read that as: not at ALL) when I took the pictures, of which there were four; three have since been deleted. That just NEVER happens, but in this case it’s good for you, Gentle Reader. Soft-focus is an old trick aging movie stars and us lesser-lights use to conceal the ravages of time upon our once oh-so-beautiful visages. Or, in my case, an “interesting” face that Mom, for one, loved.

I disassembled myself before I transferred the pics from camera to computer and I wasn’t gonna re-assemble myself to get an in-focus pic. It’s more work than you might think to get into this get-up. And it was getting hot.

And now I must go out to Cannon Airplane Patch. I’m out of key consumables and need to make a commissary run. In the car. The Winds From Hell are still upon us.

I may be back later with News of the World. And I may not.

Kinda-Sorta Interesting

The strangest link I’ve ever gotten…Linguistics Division. I chased up a “Referring URL” link in Site Meter this morning from the “ee” domain, thinking “ee?” Where’s “ee?” Turns out it’s Estonia, and the link is to last night’s post. Screen shots below. (While we’re on it, ain’t babelfish grand?)

It doesn’t take much to get a link out of this blog…as far as I can tell, the sole reason I’m linked is I included an oh-so-brief reference to the Baltic Sea last evening when I mentioned the color of the old Beemer. Must be a bot...but a pretty sophisticated bot, especially for a blog.

But…I wish I could read the blog. Lotsa news articles about Estonia, a country which intrigues me for their amazing and rapid economic success, world-class IT infrastructure and famously-beautiful women (work safe—unless your work place has something against bikinis).

Now there are a few reasons to link me. Beats talking about the color of my old car.

Back in a bit…

Better Late Than...Well, Late

Beautiful. I stumbled across “New Mexico,” by photographer Philip Greenspun (whose home page is worth a look, too), while I was chasing a Site Meter link from another googler looking for pics of Portales. Excellent photography…and the comments are illuminating. There are a LOT of folks out there that wish they were where I am. Well, in the same state, anyway!

Oh, My…yet another quiz.

What wise quote fits you?

Your wise quote is:"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months" by Oscar Wilde. You are a very sarcastic person with a sharp tongue. You may not be the one always talking, but your mind is nevertheless criticizing. You tend to have a cynical view on life itself and be somewhat withdrawn with who you really are. Society now is in your eyes corrupted and you wonder how the world will survive. And people are in your mind very ignorant and blind to the reality. Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

I like the results of this one! Oscar Wilde? Not so much. But the gestalt of the thing IS the thing, nu?

This one just might be the closest yet. I tend to be just a lil bit sarcastic at times, yet try to keep it in check. And yeah, the world is going to Hell in a hand basket and most people don’t see it. Come to think on it, the Ol’ Man felt the same way. I’ve become my father, sorta. Same attitude, but without his accomplishments.

Just a little quirky thing I meant to blog, but forgot until just now. My new bike doesn’t have a petcock on its gas tank. This is the very first bike I’ve owned without one, and that fact drove me nuts the day I took delivery…I looked all over the bike for the danged thing and came to the conclusion that it just wasn’t there. The bike does have a gas gauge, though. Petcocks have become an anachronism, I suppose. I’m not sure if this is a good thing, or a bad thing. Oh, and another thing…the bike is fuel-injected. Another first, for me.

While I’m on the subject…taking delivery of the bike was an “interesting” experience. After signing all the paperwork I was accompanied to the service area by the sales manager. She attached the temporary plate to the bike and then watched as I did my walk-around. I checked various nuts and bolts for tightness, inspected the oil filter area for leaks (and tightness), eyeballed the wheel alignment, checked the chain tension…and, to keep the litany down to a manageable level, just performed a general inspection. I only asked one question: “How do I open the seat?” The answer wasn’t obvious, and the sales lady didn’t know. I figured it out, noticing there was a key receptacle just below the tail light. Insert key, twist, seat pops up. Simple. The sales lady thanked me once again for my business and walked away after that, leaving me and my new bike alone together for the first time. I suited up and rode off…

I couldn’t help but contrast this non-ritual with the most amazing delivery experience I ever had, and one that’s not been matched since. That most amazing experience was at BMW’s Delivery Center in Munich. The Second Mrs. Pennington and I took delivery of a 1983 320i there in the fall of 1982. In Baltic Blue…just like this one. Yeah, it looks gray. I thought so, too. But if you've ever seen the Baltic Sea, you understand. Most accurate, those Teutons!

After presenting ourselves at the front desk of the delivery center (where we were signed in), we were escorted into an office where a BMW employee… fluent in English… walked around from behind his desk, introduced himself, and then sat back down behind his desk after we were seated. He verified our identities (passports and other assorted sales and delivery-related papers) and finished processing our paper work. This took all of about 15 minutes and was quite pleasant and efficient. The signing of the paper was concluded with a crisp “So, are you ready to take your new car?” Hell, Yes! Let’s GO!

We were escorted out of his small office and across a rather large area resembling a showroom, with various Beemers sitting around in all their glory. On the far side of the showroom were two sliding glass doors that opened into a spotlessly clean garage area, where our new baby was sitting, along with several other cars. We were met at the door by a middle aged man in a white lab coat. The paper processor introduced us, by name, and informed us Mr. Herr I-Forget-His-Name was going to “introduce” us to our new car.

And introduce us he did. He demonstrated every feature on that car, and I mean every single one…including popping both hood and trunk, showing us where the dipstick was, just to cite one example… demonstrating the oil level was indeed full, in the process. He showed us the fuse box. He showed us the spare, and the jack, and demonstrated how to remove and replace each. He showed us how to tune the flippin’ radio, how to operate the sun roof, adjust the seats…in short, everything imaginable. And then he asked if we had any questions. I had none: the briefing and walk-around, which lasted the better part of 45 minutes, had been more comprehensive than any I’d ever had, before or since. TSMP, honor-bound as she was to never let an opportunity to ask questions pass her by, had a few, which were handled politely and with aplomb, even the one or two eye-rollers (on my part and my part alone).

The ritual ended with the signing of a delivery form, we were handed maps and detailed instructions on how to reach the autobahn (after being discreetly asked if we were leaving Munich right away), and we were out the door. Literally, accompanied by hand waves of good-bye and shouted exhortations to “Enjoy your new Beh-Emm-Vay!!” And we did…from that moment on and for ten years hence.

I marveled about that experience for months, if not years. It was extraordinary. And that was for a bottom-of-the-line Beemer. Lord only knows what hoops they jump through if you buy an expensive one… It’s been a while since I thought about that experience, but taking delivery of my bike brought it back into focus. Bright, sharp focus.

Desolation Row

Just a quick placeholder post… I have to get ready to go over to The Big(ger) City^TM as I have a service appointment for the ‘Zuki this morning. It’s not gonna be a fun ride; the temp is 46 degrees (with a wind chill of 40) as I write. I hate riding in the cold…but at least it ain’t raining.

Back later this morning or early this afternoon, depending. “Depending on what?” you ask? “Mostly on when I feel like it,” sez I.

Today’s Pic: Another shot of that abandoned bar, this time from the rear. What a sad sight, eh? Dylan’s “Desolation Row” kept playing in my mind as I wandered about the premises on Sunday. Not all that appropriate, I know, but kinda-sorta…

A Minor Disappointment

My leathers arrived about 20 minutes ago…and they’re too big, as I feared they would be. Not waaay too big, as in "return them for a smaller size" too big, just a lil bit big… geeky-looking, in other words. I don’t quite swim in them, as Mom used to say, but there’s definitely room for my street clothes under the leather. And that’s my habit, anyway. I’ve always worn street clothes under my leather. Leather is HOT, especially in the summer. I shed it immediately after getting off the bike, and it just wouldn’t do to wander around nekkid, now, would it? The authorities frown on that sort of behavior.

The things are heavy, too…both in construction and weight. There’ll be no road rash should I unload while wearing them. And they have built-in armor, which is nice. The wonders of modern technology never cease!

So, anyway. I suppose, in a perfect world, I should send them back and get the next smaller size. But…one has to balance the hassle of waiting two weeks (or more) to return the product and receive a replacement vs. the benefits of a better fit. I’m opting to skip the hassle. Just don’t laugh if you see me on the road.

No pics. I can’t compete with SN2 in that category…I’m not even gonna try.

Old But Not Dead, Like Some Things

So. I put 200 miles or so on the bike yesterday, riding down to Roswell and back…the ostensible purposes being (a) to put miles on the bike; (b) have lunch in Roswell; and (c) do a little “styling and profiling” on the Main Drag in Alien-Town. Mission Accomplished.

I woke up this morning feeling old…quite old. I’ll spare you the detailed litany of complaints; suffice it to say I’m sore. My back hurts. The fleshy area of the thumb on my right hand is sore. My left thigh feels like it spent a few hours with Saddam’s rubber-hose wielding thugs. (ed: I thought you were gonna spare us? Oh, shaddup—you know there’s more.) I’m obviously out of riding shape; the corollary to that thought is “getting old really sucks.” I digress.

Not only am I not in great physical riding shape, my general riding skills need a bit of buffing, too. Not the safety-related skills…those are fine, thank you. Head on a swivel, front brake covered in traffic, situational awareness A-OK, and all that. Nope…it was in those rare moments (twice, I believe) when I had to set up for a corner that I found myself being a bit tentative… having to adjust my line once or twice while in the corner, experiencing a bit of difficulty judging the appropriate entry and exit speeds, and all that. Not that there are all that many corners in this part of the world to begin with. I need to head north on my next trip to reacclimatize myself with riding in the twisty-turnies. I’m rusty, and that’s putting it mildly. Once again, I think age may be rearing its ugly head. I’m a lot less bolder than I used to be.

But it was great fun. I’ve reached the magic 500-mile threshold; after I get the bike its 500-mile service tomorrow (hopefully. Another story, that.) I’ll be free to see what it feels like to wind that sucker out all the way to its 10,500 rpm red line. One thing I will tell you: the bike will do 100 mph, and easily, too. It was still pulling hard at a little over 7,500 rpm when I hit 100 (briefly, very briefly) on one of those lonely “you can see forever” stretches of road between P-Town and Roswell. It should go without saying the weather cooperated yesterday. It was a little breezy, but not the life-threatening sort of gales we experienced this past week.

Today’s Pics: New Mexico used to have a patch-work of wet and dry counties in the way-back. One of the fixtures from that day and age is the county-line bar…and there are numerous examples —all dead now— of that phenomenon dotting the New Mexico landscape. Here’s one such…the county-line bar about a mile over the Roosevelt-Chaves County line on US 70 south of Kenna, NM.

I’ve been by this deserted old road house at least 20 times and never stopped to take pics until yesterday. As you can see, the most prominent feature is the B – A – R mounted on a 40-foot (or so) tower over the building. That sign, which I imagine was done up in bright red neon back in the day, is visible for miles before you get to the bar. And…not to put too fine a point on it…this unnamed bar is literally in the middle of freakin’ nowhere, about 30 to 35 miles south of P-Town.

I can also imagine what it must have felt like on a summer Saturday night back in 1958 or so…cruising south from Portales in your ’55 Chevy convertible with the top down, warm breeze in your hair, laughing, telling bad jokes, anticipation building, seeing the B - A - R sign glowing in the distance and then… Pulling into the crowded parking lot…getting out of the car…walking into the bar… hearing Hank Williams (Senior, thank you) on the juke box… watching the heads turn to see who just arrived. Shouting "Hey!" to your Buds, and the odd girl or three. Dancing. Brawls. Marriages made, marriages broken. I could almost smell the beer and the Crown Royal as I walked around the sadly-broken premises. Ah…the stories…the stories!

(Didja read the caption to the bike pic? Yes, that fairing/tank combo does make you look fat. Don’t ever let anyone photograph you from that angle, ever again.)

All Hockey, All the Time...

…for the moment, anyway. Indulge me.

Let’s quote Alanis Morissette: “And isn't it ironic... don't you think…”

On an innocent-looking play at 4:23 of the second overtime, the Wings' Johan Franzen ended a dramatic game by skating into the Flames' zone, moving across the middle and catching goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff leaning the wrong way, with an overpowering slap shot to the top corner, glove side.

Up until then, Kiprusoff was brilliant, stopping 52 of the first 53 shots he faced.

Franzen's goal gave the Red Wings a 2-1 victory and a 4-2 win in the series.

The Red Wings, the Western Conference's regular-season champion, move on the second round to play against either the San Jose Sharks or the Dallas Stars. The Flames go home after dropping out in the first round for the second consecutive season.

So…where’s the irony, you ask? Franzen was the recipient of those ugly slashes by Calgary back-up goalie Jamie McLennan at the end of Game Five. And then he (Franzen) gets the OT game-winner the very next night. OK, it’s not irony…it’s poetic justice. I’m getting ahead of myself by jumping to the end before I’ve even begun.

What a game!

Scoreless at the end of one. Iginla scores at 3:09 in the second and my heart sinks…the team that scored first in this series had won every game up to this point. Play continues, the Wings literally pepper Kiprusoff with shots but none go in the net…until Lang finally connects with just a little over three minutes left in the second. Game tied, my heartbeat goes down to a more reasonable 95 beats per minute. Third period…up and back, up and back. Brilliant shots and more brilliant saves, on both ends. Cleary rings one off the post with a minute and 18 seconds left in the period…and I mean rings it: CLANG! …and the game should be over. But it’s not…we go to the first OT.

Six minutes and change into the first OT Calgary’s Conroy draws a double-minor for high-sticking Tomas Holmstrom. Holmstrom is cut and helped off the ice…and doesn’t return to the game. (Note: The CBC announcers said he’d been taken to the hospital. The high stick was dangerously close to Holmstrom’s right eye, but there’s no additional info available today. I certainly hope he’s OK. Even though I was saying "Bleed, Tomas...Bleed!" immediately after he was hit. You understand, if you're a fan.) Detroit fails to convert on the resulting four-minute power play. The Saddledome goes nuts and Big Mo seems to shift in Calgary’s direction. And then Lang takes a penalty and my heart beat accelerates to a scary pace. The Wings kill the penalty. Calgary’s Langkow coughs up the puck to Datsyuk in the Calgary zone with four seconds left in the period…Datsyuk takes a point-blank shot in front of the net, Zetterburg swoops in and pokes at the rebound, the puck edges toward the goal line… and Kiprusoff makes another other-worldly save. Once again, it should have been over. But it’s not.

Second OT… Franzen ends it with a beautiful shot over Kiprusoff’s shoulder four minutes and 23 seconds into the OT. And I’m in shambles, but happier than I’ve been in a long, long time. SN1 and I celebrate over the phone. I’m too stoked to go to sleep and stay awake for the next two hours.

What a game!!

And now for something completely different: I’ll be rooting for Dallas tonight. The reason(s) should be obvious.

A follow-up on the Calgary team ugliness at the end of Game Five in Detroit…Christy at Behind the Jersey has everything you need to know about that. And I do mean everything! The bottom line(s)… Calgary back-up goalie Jamie McLennan gets a five game suspension (moot point, eh?), coach Jim Playfair is fined $25,000.00 (US), and the team is fined $100,000.00. Here’s Christy:

It’s not that $125,000 will make a difference financially to those involved, but at least it sends some sort of a message (even a weak one) that the play Calgary displayed late in the game yesterday was not acceptable and will not be tolerated by the NHL.

It’ll probably hurt to write those checks…but I’m sure the first-round exit hurts a helluva lot more. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of guys. Snark aside, Kiprusoff played exceptionally well. There may not be a hotter goalie in the play-offs so far. From that Globe and Mail story linked above:

The Red Wings out-shot the Flames by a two-to-one margin in the series (it was 237 to 113 after regulation ended Sunday night); Kiprusoff kept games far closer than they had a right to be.

And ya gotta respect him for that. If not for Kipper the series would have been over in four.

Back in a bit…

(Photo credit: The Detroit News)

Update, 1333 hrs: You really should read this column from the Calgary Herald, singing the praises of Nick Lidstrom. That's the Calgary Herald...

While Miikka Kiprusoff dragged his Calgary Flames around for six playoff games, a much more subtle, equally impressive show of domination was being exerted by Nicklas Lidstrom.

The Detroit Red Wings captain was matched against Calgary captain Jarome Iginla throughout this Western Conference quarter-final series.

Apart from the fact Lidstrom's team won four times and Iginla's side twice, there's a small mountain of evidence that supports the quality of Lidstrom's performance.

Read the whole thing...

Bad Weather; Bad Sportsmanship

It was a hard night in the Texas Panhandle. From the Amarillo Globe-News:

Wes Reeves, spokesman for Xcel Energy, said that at 9:15 p.m., 14,000 customers in the Texas Panhandle were without power "and that number is likely to grow."

Jose Garcia, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service in Amarillo, said his office received "easily a half a dozen and probably more" reports of tornadoes.

Tornado reports began in Deaf Smith County and that same line moved north-northeast into Hartley County, where twisters were reported near Channing and west of Dumas in Moore County.

"Those same storms have moved to the north-northeast, producing tornadoes in Hartley County near Channing," Garcia said.

The NWS also received reports of heavy rain, high wind and hail as large as baseballs in various spots in the Panhandle.

I just happened to tune in to Amarillo’s Channel 7 yesterday afternoon after the hockey game and spent the next four hours or so watching the superb real-time weather reporting by young meteorologist Nick Bender. I haven’t seen such high-quality and useful severe weather reporting since I left Oklahoma City back in 1985 (think: the legendary Gary England). Mr. Bender was on-camera for about four hours straight, delivering updates, warnings, and advice in a most professional manner. Portales is on the fringe of Channel 7’s viewing area and it’s a comfort to know these guys are this good.

Oh…we got not a single drop of rain in all that heavy weather. Again.

Speaking of hockey… Wings win, 5-1. Game six is in Calgary tonight, and it will be a doozy! But…about yesterday’s game… This past Friday I wrote:

The Wings simply need to get their special teams into the game and quit giving Calgary the gift of the power play, which is the SOLE reason the Flames have tied this series.

The Wings did just that yesterday afternoon, and Boy Howdy were the special teams ever effective! Calgary was 0-8 on the power play, while the Wings scored not one but three power play goals…and added two short-handed goals, one of which came on Daniel Cleary’s beautiful penalty shot. Penalty shots are rare during the regular season and almost unheard of during the playoffs. Cleary’s goal was the Wing’s first-ever successful penalty shot during the playoffs, and the first playoff penalty shot taken by the Wings since 1988. Chris Chelios scored the other short-handed goal. Not bad for a 45 year-old guy appearing in his NHL record 22^nd playoff season.

The game got very ugly late in the third period. From an AP report:

When the Flames knew they'd fall behind 3-2 in the first-round series, they weren't satisfied with just some scrums and trash talk.

The lopsided game took an ugly turn with a few minutes left when Calgary backup goalie Jamie McLennan slashed Johan Franzen in the midsection.

"It doesn't belong in hockey," said Franzen, who said the slash shocked him more than it hurt.

The slash might lead to a stiff suspension from the NHL, which gave the Islanders' Chris Simon a 25-game suspension for viciously swinging his stick last month.

McLennan didn't talk to reporters after the game.

"I think the league will take a look at a few things that happened," Zetterberg said.

Flames star Jarome Iginla got into the act, with hooking and cross-checking penalties with 43 seconds left with aggressive stick work.

"It was really about getting some fights going at that point to keep our energy up and carry some anger into the next game," Iginla said with several new stitches over his left eye. "We're not going away."

Further… The comments thread to this Toronto Globe and Mail article are telling:

Fast Eddie from Lakeshore Ont., Canada writes: As a Calgary fan, I am totally embarassed of their conduct in todays game. Phanouf, McLennan and Iginla should hang their heads in shame for the show they put on at the end of the game. If you cant beat Detroit fair and square, and lose like sportsmen, then you deserve to be put out of your misery fast. Now I hope Detroit ends it on Sunday. Shame on the Flames.

Mike Mike from Calgary, writes: Man... Flames did let down their fans not only on a scoreboard but also with their conduct. I don't mind hard hits, good old fight... but trying to injure other players with your stick, elbows or sucker punches (Langkw) is totally disgraceful. And for anybody saying that Crosby whines a lot - take a look at Iginla. Hope Wings can wrap it up tomorrow.

Those are Calgary fans commenting, and they are absolutely, positively correct. I’ve never seen a team lose their composure and discipline so quickly and so completely. And while the AP politely referred to Iginla’s “aggressive stick work,” the reality was Iginla used the butt-end of his stick in a blatant attempt to injure. The NBC play-by-play guys opined that (a) if the NHL reviews the tapes and, (b) assuming the butt-ending is visible, then (c) Iginla should be suspended as well. I agree, once again. There is NO room for behavior like that in the NHL or any other sport, for that matter.

I imagine the Wings are just totally p!ssed off. Iginla’s tactic has backfired, and a fired-up Wings team should end the series this evening. This is gonna be interesting…

Today’s Pic: More bad skies, taken mid-afternoon yesterday. As noted above, it was all show and no go in P-Town, but Hell On Wheels in the Panhandle. The view is looking NNW, towards Amarillo. The pic is deliberately under-exposed to capture the cloud detail.

Tragedy

Blue Angel down… From the Beaufort (SC) Gazette:

A Blue Angels pilot was killed Saturday afternoon after crashing during an air show at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

Witnesses said the F/A-18 Hornet appeared to be in control before it plummeted below the treeline at about 4 p.m., crashing near a heavily populated area off Laurel Bay Road near Shanklin and Pine Grove roads. Parts of the plane hit several houses, according to witnesses.

Witnesses said it was Blue Angel No. 6 that crashed. The No. 6 plane was piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis of Pittsfield, Mass. Authorities wouldn't release the pilot's identity, but a friend of the Davis family confirmed the Massachusetts native had died, according to The Berkshire (Mass.) Eagle.

[…]

"It would be inappropriate to speculate what might have caused this incident," said Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Walley, the squadron's right wing who flew in the No. 2 jet in the show.

[…]

Former Blue Angels pilot and Pensacola City Mayor John Fogg called the Saturday afternoon crash of a U.S. Navy Blue Angels jet a "tragedy," according to the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal.

"The whole nation is impacted by something like this," said Fogg, who flew the No. 3 slot and No. 4 slot in 1973 and 1974 for the Navy's precision flying team, according to The Journal.

More information and Blue Angels background information here. Commander Davis was the 24^th Blue Angel killed either in training or during an air show since the team was formed in 1946.

Our prayers and condolences go out to the family, friends, and team mates of Lt. Cmdr. Davis.

h/t for the Beaufort Gazette link to Lt. Col. Patrick.

Update, 0908 hrs. Fixed my bad reference. Thanks to the anonymous commenter who pointed this out.

The Short Saturday Post

A link… I’ve been waiting for quite some time now for a “killer” Air Force blog to pop up in the blogosphere…someone to give Lex a run for his money when it comes to writing about the ins and outs of military aviation, well-told war stories, and just high-quality writing, in general. Perhaps I’ve set the bar too high, because if there’s one thing I know about life it’s this: most people can’t write. That may be especially true about the military. I digress yet again. But here’s an Air Force blog candidate: chic[k] pilot. Chick Pilot riffs on Tantor’s rant about the (sorta) new USAF Memorial and the difference between the Blue and Green Air Force(s). Both are good reads. Tantor, by the way, works in the Puzzle Palace, is ex-USAF and an ex-aviator, to boot.

Good Buddy Michele took me to task in the comments yesterday about failing to mention Danny Wegman’s Famous Food Stores has won another award…this time from the Food Network. As I told Michele…Wegmans is the one thing I miss most about Ra-cha-cha, aside from my friends. This statement isn’t arguable: Wegmans is the best damned supermarket chain in the entire world. Just in case you didn’t chase that Wiki entry, here are just a few fun facts about Weggies:

· Wegmans won the 2007 Food Network Award for Best Grocery Store.^[5]

· In March 2007, Wegmans was ranked No. 5 in the BusinessWeek Top 25 list of "Customer Service Champs".^[6]

· Wegmans has been named one of the "Top 100 Companies to Work For" in America by Fortune magazine every year since the inception of the list in 1998, ranking No. 1 in 2005 and No. 2 in 2007.^{[7][8][9][10]} The 2007 list brought Wegmans up to No. 2 from No. 5 in 2006.^[11]

· Consumer Reports magazine ranked the chain as number one in its survey of the top 54 supermarkets in the United States for 2006.

As if having their own Wikipedia entry isn’t enough, Wegmans also has a local wiki in Ra-cha-cha. Here’s an excerpt:

Wegmans is not just a supermarket, it's an experience. Open 24 hours a day, with shuttle service to and from your car, it offers fresh local and worldwide produce, a pharmacy, florist, enormous deli, wood fired bakery, patisserie, submarine sandwich shop, fromagerie, organic/health food sections, butcher, fish monger, and sushi chef- as well as a plethora of delicious pre-cooked meals. Depending on the location there might also be a full Chinese food bar, salad bar, chicken wing bar, pizza shop or Godiva. The store specializes in delivering a wide selection of high quality goods at low prices. You can find $399.00/lb truffles and vine-ripened tomatoes to star fruit and plantains; Camembert to aged cheddar; orange roughy to king crab legs; bagels to Foccacia; Budweiser to Speights; egg rolls to filet mignon; Ceasar salad to rotisserie chicken; fruit tarts to organic yogurt. In short, if it isn't stocked by Wegmans, it isn't worth buying.

Now there may be a specialty market somewhere that comes close to Wegman’s in terms of service, selection, quality, and all that stuff; it’s possible, maybe even probable. And…don’t even mention Whole Foods, puh-leeze. WF is over priced, over-trendy, and over-patronized by the Birkenstock crowd. Wegmans is for real people, not frickin’ fruit-and-nuts organic hippie wanna-bees. (Hmmm. Did I over do that last?) I only wish Wegmans didn’t limit themselves to the Northeast, coz P-Town sure could use a one. Understatement, that.

There, Michele. And yeah…I think you should start your own blog, while we’re on it. You have a…uh…rather unique point of view, Girl!

Bad weather in store today…at least according to the WX Channel:

Southwest winds will continue to increase through late morning to 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 50 mph starting over the higher terrain of the central mountains and adjacent east slopes and over the lower Rio Grande valley. The strong winds will then spread over the eastern plains by early afternoon. By late morning and early afternoon wind speeds could reach 30 to 40 mph with gust of 55 mph especially over the central mountains and adjacent east central high plains. Wind speeds will decrease during the evening.

With thunderstorms!! The dry line is sitting right on top of the NM – Texas state line, or right on top of us. Oh, Goodie.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood...

SN1’s 2Q2007 post is up… “Advice for My Son.” Rumor has it there may be another post hard upon the heels of this one. SN2 told me he was going to update his blog as well, in an unrelated conversation we had yesterday evening (“I DO have the time, now.”). Mirabile dictu!

So. It’s now two-out-of-three. All even and headed back to Hockeytown. It would be easy to resurrect the Ghosts of Playoffs Past, wring my hands, rend my garments, and start collecting ashes and the odd sack or two. But I’m not gonna do that. The Wings simply need to get their special teams into the game and quit giving Calgary the gift of the power play, which is the SOLE reason the Flames have tied this series. The Flames would be competing for tee times right now if not for their power play goals. Detroit can change this, and they’ve proven they can score on Kiprusoff. Easier said than done, perhaps. But it can be done. As George Michael sang: Ya Gotta Have Faith.

But some things go the way you want them to: Dallas (finally) won in OT last evening to stay alive (Vancouver leads the series 3-2). It seems strange to actually be rooting for Dallas, but that’s the case. I’d rather the Wings play Dallas than San Jose…

All the other playoff series are pretty much going according to plan, with the exception of NY sweeping Atlanta. Pittsburg is out, and Anaheim eliminated Minnesota last night. And the game to watch tonight is Nashville vs. San Jose. I’m pretty danged sure the Sharks will celebrate in Nashville tonight, what with momentum on their side…not to mention a 3-1 series lead.

NHL history is not on the Predators' side either. Of the 214 teams that trailed 3-1 in a best-of-seven series, only 20 rallied to win the series (9.3 percent).

OK…so Dallas was down 3-1, you say. True enough, but Nashville ain’t Dallas, now, is it?

Interesting…and scary: ‘I found Saddam’s WMD bunkers’ by Melanie Phillips in The Spectator.

It’s a fair bet that you have never heard of a guy called Dave Gaubatz. It’s also a fair bet that you think the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has found absolutely nothing, nada, zilch; and that therefore there never were any WMD programmes in Saddam’s Iraq to justify the war ostensibly waged to protect the world from Saddam’s use of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.

Dave Gaubatz, however, says that you could not be more wrong. Saddam’s WMD did exist. He should know, because he found the sites where he is certain they were stored. And the reason you don’t know about this is that the American administration failed to act on his information, ‘lost’ his classified reports and is now doing everything it can to prevent disclosure of the terrible fact that, through its own incompetence, it allowed Saddam’s WMD to end up in the hands of the very terrorist states against whom it is so controversially at war.

You may be tempted to dismiss this as yet another dodgy claim from a warmongering lackey of the world Zionist neocon conspiracy giving credence to yet another crank pushing US propaganda. If so, perhaps you might pause before throwing this article at the cat. Mr Gaubatz is not some marginal figure. He’s pretty well as near to the horse’s mouth as you can get.

[…]

‘The problem was that the ISG were concentrating their efforts in looking for WMD in northern Iraq and this was in the south,’ says Mr Gaubatz. ‘They were just swept up by reports of WMD in so many different locations. But we told them that if they didn’t excavate these sites, others would.’

That, he says, is precisely what happened. He subsequently learnt from Iraqi, CIA and British intelligence that the WMD buried in the four sites were excavated by Iraqis and Syrians, with help from the Russians, and moved to Syria. The location in Syria of this material, he says, is also known to these intelligence agencies. The worst-case scenario has now come about. Saddam’s nuclear, biological and chemical material is in the hands of a rogue terrorist state — and one with close links to Iran.

Scary on a couple of levels…first and foremost, WMDs in possession of the very same people we SO wanted to keep them away from. And scary because it’s another example of incompetence on the part of the bureaucracy running this war. And I’m getting pretty danged tired of the latter. Ms. Phillips only adds fuel to my smoldering fire. Oh, and lest we forget: Ms. Pelosi et al thinks we should talk to Assad and the other asshats. Good grief. (Play those last words as you will.)

Apropos of nothing, Mr. Gaubatz was a special agent in the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI). That’s what My Old Man did…but I can’t tell you any stories, other than the fact the Ol’ Man spent many a day away from home in various “exotic” places during the 50’s, when we lived in Paris. This sounds like a bad spy movie, but I remember many, many nights when there would be a knock on the door in the dead of night or in the wee small hours (we didn’t have a phone, virtually no one did in early post-war France), followed by the sounds and smells of Mom fixing breakfast and/or coffee while Dad packed and the “driver” cooled his heels in the kitchen, making small talk with Mom. And then he’d be off, sometimes for a couple of days, sometimes for a couple of weeks. Those were trying times for my mother, and it showed.

In the end, Dad never said one single word about what he did. Not one… Kinda like Omertà, only stronger.

Around the Neighborhood... Virtually Speaking

All Swift Boat Vets, all in one place… John Hinderaker, while engaging in a battle of wits with the unarmed, posts all the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads from the 2004 presidential campaign in one place. I think I should build a small shrine to the SBVT guys, because without them we just might would have had to endure a Kerry presidency. One shudders at the thought.

(h/t: Chap)

The Winner in Today’s “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” category: Iran Exonerates Six Who Killed in Islam’s Name. Not just “Iran,” but the Iranian Supreme Court. Spot-on commentary by McQ at the Q and O blog. I have nothing to add other than “What he said.” Well, that and “Aren’t you glad you’re an American?”

George Will writes a provocative op-ed in today’s WaPo on the subject of the legal drinking age. An excerpt:

McCardell thinks that, on campuses, a drinking age of 21 infantilizes students, encouraging immature behavior with alcohol and disrespect for law generally. Furthermore, an "enforcement only" policy makes school administrations adversaries of students and interferes with their attempts to acquaint students with pertinent information, such as the neurological effects of alcohol on young brains. He notes that 18-year-olds have a right to marry, adopt children, serve as legal guardians for minors and purchase firearms from authorized dealers, and are trusted with the vote and military responsibilities. So, he says, it is not unreasonable to think that they can, with proper preparation, be trusted to drink.

I agree. Mr. Will also revisits the age when America had a patchwork of “legal drinking age” laws. I’ll offer one piece of anecdotal evidence that a lower drinking age, while no guarantee of responsible drinking, at least familiarizes the young with alcohol and the pitfalls of over-indulgence.

When The Second Mrs. Pennington went off to college back in 1974, the legal drinking age in Michigan (her home state) was 18. And, without going into great detail, TSMP was familiar with the ins-and-outs of social drinking, including the effects of abuse. Her roommates, on the other hand, mostly came from states with a drinking age of 21. The difference in the attitudes towards partying was marked and visible between TSMP and her roomies. To quote TSMP…going out to the bar “was no big deal.” Been there, done that…in other words. Disregard for the moment, if you will, the obvious multiplicity of “other factors,” such as personality, upbringing, values/morals, and all that. My point is there is no substitute for first-hand exposure, warts and all. Today’s younger generation doesn’t get that exposure (for the most part), and they’re poorer for it.

Read the whole thing…

Michael J. Totten takes his readers for a wild ride (quite literally) in Iraqi Kurdistan, specifically Kirkuk, with numerous excellent photos. And in so doing touches lightly on the issue of the Kurds and the Turks. Mr. Totten’s sympathies are clearly with the Kurds, as are those of most Americans. We shouldn’t ignore both sides of the story, however. Turkey has legitimate complaints against the PKK, and those complaints continue to fester and just may boil over into something that could get out of control, and rapidly. It’s the Middle East…what’s new?

For the record: I’m a BIG Turkophile (a word I just coined, and one which MS-Word promptly rejected), in case you haven’t noticed.

Today’s Pic: Another of those “interesting skies” photos from day before yesterday. This is another view looking SSE from El Casa Móvil De Pennington.

Today’s weather still isn’t what I would call “bike-friendly” due to the ever-present wind. While it’s certainly warm enough to ride, the combination of persistent gusty winds, coupled with a (minor) threat of rain is enough to keep the bike covered. For the moment, anyway. That could change at any point in time...

It's Hump Day!

Interesting Skies in P-Town

First things first… Calgary won last evening, 3-2. The Flames are back in it, although it was a near-run thing. Calgary definitely plays better at home, to their fans’ great relief. The Saddledome was a literal sea of red (the Flames’ home colors) last evening…so much so that I told SN1 during the game that I thought Calgary must make as much off jersey sales as they do on ticket sales. It was an amazing sight. But…I digress.

Jarome Iginla (who finally scored after a five-game playoff drought) and Miikka Kiprusoff were the keys to the Flames’ success. Calgary’s game improved (although Detroit out shot Calgary… barely … by 30-28) while Detroit’s game fell off by just a little bit, including taking six penalties to Calgary’s four. The Detroit penalties hurt… what with two of Calgary’s three goals coming on the power play… while the Wings failed to convert on their power plays. The Wings’ game wasn’t off by that much, mind you, but the Flames definitely outplayed them and were the more intense team. But then again, the Flames had a lot more to lose. Going down 3-0 in a series is a deep, deep hole to claw your way out of…

So. We have a series, now, don’t we?

The Pens are in a 3-1 hole after losing last night to Ottawa , as is Dallas after their 2-1 loss to the Canucks. Both teams are goners from my perspective. The most surprising game of the evening was New York’s 7-0 drubbing of Atlanta, who are now down 3-0 in that series and in serious danger of being swept. I mentioned yesterday that I’d rather watch the NY – Atlanta game than the Sens – Pens…and sure enough… Atlanta, the number three seed in the East, has been totally humiliated by number six seed New York. The Rangers have simply owned them. That’s surprising in one respect, as the Rangers were pretty much on the bubble for the last month of the regular season. But not so surprising in another…the Thrashers were struggling towards the end of the regular season. It’s all about peaking at right time. The Wings know all too well about that.

Apropos of nothing…Ya know one of the things I like about hockey? Even after 20+ years of following the sport, I see something new every so often. And last night it was this:

A pane of glass behind Kiprusoff was dislodged with 10 seconds left in the second period, so the time was added to the third period.

I’ve never seen that before. It usually takes six or eight minutes to replace broken “glass.” Rather than make the players and fans sit through the maintenance only to play the remaining ten seconds in the period and then adjourn to the locker room, the refs made a pragmatic and wise decision. The last ten seconds of the second period were played at the beginning of the third. The teams gathered just outside the Calgary zone at the beginning of the third period, the puck was dropped, ten seconds of play ensued, the horn sounded announcing the end of the “second period,” then the teams switched goals and the puck was dropped at center ice to begin the “real” third period. Trés bizarre, but also very interesting. Not to mention amusing.

The well-dressed motorcyclist…This would be SN2 in his new leathers. All color coordinated and ready to go. Assuming of course, that the bike shop finishes the minor surgery on the RD that’s been in progress for well over a week now. Rumor has it the patient will be released today. And a good thing it is, too, as SN2 wants to take his Nebraska motorcycle license test today. Hard to do that without a bike, innit? Ah…but the good folks at the Bike Hospital have offered Sam a demo bike (demo bike? What a concept!!) to use for his test if the RD isn’t ready to go. And that’s a good thing.

It seems like every third moonbat in the USA, and several from overseas, were drawn to comment on this article in the WaPo:

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), the most liberal of the Democratic presidential candidates in the primary field, declared in a letter sent to his Democratic House colleagues this morning that he plans to file articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney.

Ah, looks for all the world like a ploy to increase contributions to Kucinich’s quixotic presidential campaign, and the moonbats are rising to the bait (to mix a metaphor). The article, while quite brief, includes the text of Kucinich’s “Dear Colleague” letter. It’s the comments to the post/article that are both amazing and amusing. Assuming you have a droll sense of humor.

Today’s Pic(s): Interesting skies. We were semi-surrounded by heavy weather yesterday but most of the severe storms were to the north (Clovis) and east of us, around Lubbock. Still and even I thought it was touch and go for the longest time yesterday, what with the high wind, ominous looking skies, and lines of t-storms on the WX Channel’s radar tracks. But nary a drop of rain fell in my lil corner of the world. Clovis got wet, as did Cannon Airplane Patch, but not P-Town.

April 17, 2007. Right here in P-Town.

Mostly Hockey, with a Little Site Meter Weirdness

News/politics: I’m not gonna go there. Not today—except to say my heart goes out to the families and friends of the people killed at Virginia Tech in yesterday’s mass-murder. What a sad, sad, story. We’ve had more than enough of this stuff, yet it keeps on happening. I’m simply at a loss for words, beyond thinking what everyone else is thinking: “Why?”

Hockey… I watched three…count ‘em: three! …games this past Sunday, which was perilously close to Hockey Overload. But not quite. I’m not sure exactly where the limit is before I go into overload, but it ain’t three games. The Wings’ game was best (of course), followed by Dallas – Vancouver (Dallas lost in OT). I’m rooting for Dallas in this series, mainly coz I think Dallas would be the easier team to beat should the Wings advance to the Western conference finals…disregarding all the other possible permutations.

The Ottawa – Pittsburgh game had potential but turned out to be a bit of a snoozer. I was hoping to see some of the patented Sid The Kid fireworks, but there wasn’t anything exceptional. Good, most definitely. Exceptional, no. On the whole, though, I’m beginning to believe all this best-player-since-Gretzky stuff. Crosby IS good. But he and his line mates aren’t quite good enough (yet) to save this series. Ottawa should win in six, maybe less.

There were two games available to me last evening and I watched them both. The Sabres – Islanders series is shaping up to be a real dogfight; the Isles are giving the Sabres much stiffer resistance than Lindy Ruff (and the rest of the Sabres) anticipated. Last night’s game was close, but Buffalo prevailed, 3 – 2 to take a 2-1 series lead. The outcome was in doubt right up until the very last seconds of the third period. Be that as it may, I gotta go with the Sabres in this series; they lead the series 2-1 and should win in six.

I tuned into Nashville vs. San Jose with great anticipation. This series might turn out to be the best quarter-final in the West and it’s been marked with lotsa bad blood and rather nasty play between the teams.

San Jose and Nashville are tied 1-1 in their Western Conference quarter-final heading into Game 3 tonight, and perhaps no other post-season matchup has featured as much controversy and open contempt between competitors.

[…]

Heading into yesterday's games, no two teams had combined for as many post- season penalty minutes. San Jose and Nashville have amassed 186 penalty minutes through their first two meetings, where goals and fists have been traded in equal measure.

But last night’s game was much more subdued…there were only 20 penalty minutes, with Nashville taking 14 of the 20. San Jose outplayed Nashville in nearly every category—e.g., shots: 41-20; hits: 37-27—and where it ultimately matters most, the scoreboard (3-1). This series could go either way.

Tonight it’s the Wings again, preceded by game four of the Sens – Pens series. I’d rather watch the Rangers vs. the Thrashers, or even the Dallas – Vancouver game, but those games aren’t options for me. None the less, simply having two games available is cause for wonderment. After all, I am living in New Mexico…not exactly a hotbed in the hockey world.

So… if the Wings win tonight it’s all over save the shouting crying (assuming you live in Alberta). And the good folks in Calgary know it.

I have a minor issue with Site Meter I’ve been meaning to rant about mention: SM doesn’t display the results of image searches in the “Search words ranked by Visits” section of the metrics. This simple fact obscures the number and frequency of site visits from folks looking for something quite specific by omitting all image searches from the search engine metrics. In my case it’s a serious dilution, but I have no way of tracking it. As an example, lately I’ve been getting approximately three or four hits per day from people doing this image search (and variations on that theme), and this one, too. From Finland, no less! And once in a great, great while, I’ll get a hit from an image search like this:

Time of Visit: Apr 16 2007 2:26:03 pm
Referring URL: http://images.google...0%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
Search Engine: images.google.com
Search Words: profile sexy oldmen

Why, thank you, Ma’Dear! At least I hope I can call you “Ma’Dear.” One would hope that search is from one of those (prospective) eastern European mail-order brides…otherwise one shudders to think of alternative possibilities.

And speaking of alternative possibilities, it’s time for an EIP semi-regular feature… “Fun with Site Meter,” or… “Weird Searches that Bring Folks to EIP.” You gotta keep in mind: Every single one of these searches resulted in a visit to the blog, however brief it might have been. Let’s begin with these two from today:

Time of Visit: Apr 17 2007 3:26:26 am
Referring URL: http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&q=aieeee&btnG=Google%20Search&meta=
Search Engine: google.co.in
Search Words: aieeee (You hit paydirt, Sir/Madam. My favorite term of alarm!)

Another of the occasional hits from semi-bizarre sex searches, such as this:

Time of Visit: Apr 17 2007 1:21:34 am
Referring URL: http://images.google...hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff
Search Engine: images.google.com
Search Words: lompoc sex (The image was an aerial view of Lompoc Air Force Station…)

One of my favorites are these five variations on a theme, plus one that might be associated (one visit, each)…

woah-oh oh-woah-oh-oh-woah woa...-woah-oh-oh techno song lyrics
woah, woah, woah, woah techno lyrics
woah woah woah wa de da baby techno song
woah techno
woah oh oh oh techno
"hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo" techno lyrics

What am I missing here? I’m certain there’s something I’m missing…

And finally…lotsa hits for people looking for “stuff” about P-Town, including…

portales sucks
portales sex
portales rehab
portales nm sexy wives
portales nightclub
portales dog pound pics
portales bubba
portales aliens
porn portales

A few of these hits were directly from P-Town, most weren’t.

And that’s it for this installment! Of course, all the links above are available to be browsed in my Site Meter, which is open to the public. If you care. And I cannot, for the life of me, imagine why you would.

Today’s Pic: Yet another bike pic. Scraping the bottom of the barrel, we are. This tells me I gotta get out more…

Last Thursday.

Waiting for Godot UPS...

Mike Fay, one of my absolute favorite milbloggers, gets world-wide recognition from the Beeb. Frequent and occasional readers of “Fire and Ice” know that Mr. Fay has been branching out of late, what with finishing his first sculpture and working to make the National Museum of the Marine Corps a reality. And what does a slide-show on Auntie’s site do to your traffic? Take a glance at the illustration on the right!

BZ, Mr. Fay. You more than deserve it!

(h/t: Lex)

You may have missed the successful resolution of “the other” British Navy hostage crisis, what with all the riveting and supremely important stuff going on these days. But IowaHawk will bring you up to speed:

The former captives' ordeal began Tuesday, when the British destroyer HMS Chamberlain was conducting joint training exercises with the US Navy at Great Lakes Naval Training Station on Lake Michigan, just north of Chicago. According to insurgent naval commander Chuck Sorenson, the vessel strayed into Lutheran territorial waters.

"Oh yah, dey were totally on the Wisconsin side," said Sorenson. "I was tossin' some empty driveway patch cans out dere in my storage shed and I could see 'em out dere on da lake, big as day."

Sorenson's account was disputed by British Minister of Defence John Reid, who pointed to GPS records locating the destroyer 20 miles southeast of Kenosha. Whether or not the ship was in technical violation of Wisconsin territorial waters, Cambridge University Midwesternologist Geoffrey Pickering said the Navy was ultimately at fault for failure to recognize local culture and customs.

"Straying anywhere near their waters would be seen as a provocative act," said Pickering, writing in London's Daily Mail. "These are a proud and fierce people, who jealously guard their walleye spots."

What is not in dispute is that the Chamberlain was quickly surrounded by a flotilla of up to a dozen blown Hemi bass boats and party pontoons. Captain Colin Puddeley radioed several frantic distress calls to the MoD Mobile Command Centre in Waukegan, but the staff was away at a mandatory diversity training seminar. Surrounded, the crew surrendered. The Chamberlain was scuttled, but not before insurgents ransacked its stores of weapons and porn DVDs.

"Fighting back was not an option," Puddeley explained after this morning's release. "These men were brandishing Leinenkugel and deer scent. Resistance would have ultimately led to anger, misunderstanding, and potential unpleasant confrontation."

Read the whole thing…

A Hostage to UPS…that would be me. I’m stuck in El Casa Móvil De Pennington whilst waiting for deliveries of the various and sundry motorcycle-related items I ordered off the ‘net that (hopefully) will require my signature to complete delivery. It doesn’t help that today’s weather is a lot better than it’s been over the course of the last few days. Speaking of which…

My ride yesterday was a semi-white-knuckled affair. I took off yesterday afternoon for parts unknown in spite of the wind. Bad decision. It’s no fun to ride in gusty wind conditions, especially when that wind is directly abeam your (intended) path. I encountered several gusts yesterday that seemed to lift the wheels right off the pavement, although the truth is somewhere short of that...but only by the tiniest of degrees. I had to keep my speed down to 65 mph or lower; any higher than that and the wind made things just a lil bit too “uncomfortable.” So…I cut the ride short. All told I put about 125 miles on the bike this weekend. It needs more…much more…than that. The weather will change, UPS will come and go, and I’ll be free to get with the program. But, Dang!! I’m SO impatient!

Today’s Pic: Both of you Frequent Readers may have noticed the appearance of a new commenter here at EIP going by the rather cryptic handle of “hickmanma.” That’s my Bud and Partner-In-Crime Michele, from Former Happy Days back when I was with Ed’s Famous Data Company in Ra-cha-cha. The pic on the right is the Lovely Michele (on the right), along with the equally lovely Leslie, another EDS’er who shared Michele’s (and mine, of course) fondness for Rochester’s better watering holes. And dives. One of Michele’s lasting claims-to-fame (and she has many!) was running the famous legendary “Thursday Nite Distribution List,” an e-mail list that at one time had hundreds of members. The sole purpose of the Thursday Nite list was to announce the gathering place for our weekly “off-sites,” which were attended by anywhere from three to 50 thirsty EDS’ers looking to socialize and just generally have a good time. You simply cannot imagine how much I miss those occasions. It’s a gaping hole in my so-called-life.

Just thought I’d put a face with a name…

(Photo credit: Michele.)

Fallin' From Grace...

Just in from a quick blast out to the base and back (as I began writing this)…I was seriously short on some key consumables and the commissary is closed tomorrow—thus: shop today or wait until Tuesday. At any rate, it’s a beautiful day…59 degrees in a cloudless sky and more warmth to come. Needless to say, it was a top-down ride out to the airplane patch and back. With Joan Osborne blasting comin’ in, comin’ in loud and clear…so it’s a natural that she should have the...

Song of the Day

Song: Dracula Moon
Artist: Joan Osborne
Album: Relish
Year: 1995 (but listened to during ’98 and onwards)
Source: My Stuff

Makes Me Think of & etc.: The Second Mrs. Pennington. Read the lyrics…

Where are the bones on that one
What if the cure is worse than the disease
Serve me up some pretty, pretty people
Serve me up somebody I can believe

Don't feel sorry for me
I hate that look on your face
You say, just let go
You say, come back home
I say, I'm just fallin' from grace

I'm naked in a hotel room
My station comin' in, comin' in loud and clear
I'm makin' out with my one true love
I'm makin' this hotel room disappear

Stop feelin' sorry for me
I hate that look on your face
You say, just let go
You say, come back home
I say, I'm just fallin' from grace
I say that like fallin' from grace

You never know it to look at me
A Dracula moon
See love come down any way you want to
Doesn't ask for your permission
Open up your arms and we will break you in too(two?)

Stop feelin' sorry for me
I hate that look on your face
You say, just let go
You say, come back home
I say, I'm just fallin' from grace
I say, I'm just fallin' from grace...
Just fallin'
Just fallin'...

I'm smooth and heavy all over the world
I'm smooth and heavy all over the world

I’m also watching the Wings play Calgary. It’s the end of the first intermission and the Wings are up, 2-0…outshooting Calgary 22-7 in the first period. This is only Game Two, I keep telling myself. But the Wings are looking SO good!

And here comes the second period…

Back after the game. Maybe.

Update, 1250 hrs: Second intermission, Wings up 2-1. Calgary looked MUCH better in the second period, scoring a fluke power play goal...a carom off of Chris Chelios' chest that Hasek had no chance on. Overall, the Flames seem to be a LOT more motivated, they're winning a few more battles along the boards and are getting more quality scoring chances. Kiprusoff is playing a strong game...once again, if it weren't for his goaltending the score might be 4-1 at this point. Hasek, for his part, is looking good but hasn't faced near the same number of shots as Kiprusoff (Detroit outshot Calgary 12-3 in the second). The third period will be interesting...

Update, 1355 hrs: Wings win, 3-1 to take a 2-0 series lead. I don't think the next game will be this "easy" once the series moves to Alberta... But one hopes.

And now it's time to go for a ride!!

T'is The Season

You may or may not be aware that hockey is Canada’s national sport (pretty much... one can’t forget curling, of course. That’s a joke…) So, it should come as no surprise that some of the better coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs is coming from the Canadian press. By “better coverage,” I mean not only the game summaries, but idle speculation, rumors, commentary, and the color pieces. In the realm of color it don’t get much better than this:

It is a time for insanity, but not time yet for the depths to which the madness of superstition can sometimes sink and will very likely sink somewhere, on some team, before the four long rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs are through.

The first time the Senators reached postseason play back in 1997, they threw their faith not in their coaches, not in the crowd, not in their goaltender — but in a tiny wooden Buddha that forward Tom Chorske had picked up in a San Francisco souvenir shot.

"Buddha Power" became the clarion call of those young Senators, the equipment manager charged with making sure Chorske carried the tiny statue around in his shaving kit as the inexperienced team took the Buffalo Sabres to seven games before losing the final match in overtime.

[…]

The coaching staff once tried to bring an end to a regular-season slump by holding a séance in the trainers' room, complete with candles to help them call on the ghosts of One-Eyed Frank McGee, King Clancy, and Fearless Frank Finnigan. It didn't work.

One goaltender — and we shall spare him the humiliation of using his name — refused to change his underwear during one playoff run that, perhaps fortunately, came to a quicker-than-expected end.

And there’s some funny bits about the young’uns trying to grow play-off beards. Speaking of which, one wonders what it’s like to be 18, 19, or 20 years old and playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Not to mention making mega-bucks. Sheesh…if you win the Cup you’re not even old enough to drink champagne out of it…legally. Details, details.

You may be wondering why I didn’t write about the Wings’ domination of Calgary the other night. It was simple oversight and the excitement of having that new toy…which, of course, tends to relegate other things to subordinate positions in my personal hierarchy of Things That Matter. But hockey matters. So much so, in fact, that I’ll delay my (planned, weather permitting) ride tomorrow until after the game, which begins at 1100, my time. But I digress.

The Wings looked great Thursday night, or perhaps their greatness was a function of Calgary’s suckage. And Calgary did suck, mightily.

Given the opportunity to change minds about their underachieving ways in 2006-07, the Flames mailed in yet another road apple in Game One of the series with Detroit. The scoreboard said 4-0 after two, but it could just as easily have been 10-0 if Miikka Kiprusoff hadn't done his best Lance Burton. Can you say no-mentum? Knowing they had to stay out of the penalty box, the Flames took two tacky fouls in the first 6:49. Knowing they had to prevent a quick start from the Wings, they fell behind 2-0 in the first 8:36. Knowing they had to get pucks on Dominik Hasek, they pelted him with just 12 in the first two periods and 46-20 in all. Pretty much the road template all season. Forwards not coming back. Crucial faceoffs lost. Hitting a dirty word.

Or, in the words of the Calgary Sun: “Let's not mince words -- the Flames were humiliated.”

The Flames are supposed to be physical, but the Wings out-hit them, 37-36. You may not think that’s a lot, what with the count being almost dead-even. But for a team with a reputation of…uh…being less than physical (and that’s being kind), the stat is good, no…great…news. And things will only get better for the Wings once Bertuzzi is back in the line-up. Still, and even…

Thursday was Game One of a seven-game series. As Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press sez:

I don’t doubt Game 2 will be a different story. The Flames aren’t as bad as they looked in Game 1, and they’ve got to feel like they let Miikka Kiprusoff down; the guy saw 46 shots – ridiculous for a regulation playoff game. But the Wings established themselves with Game 1 in this series, showing they can beat Kiprusoff and showcasing themselves as the more physical team.

What she said. Some folks are predicting yet another upset and early exit for the Wings. Not me: Wings in six. What would you expect me to say?

Today’s Pic: Keeping with the bike theme, here’s my buddy Lee and one of his three bikes, just before he hit the road on his way back home to the Oregon coast. Lee owns a VMax, a Ducati (model unknown, or at least I forgot which flavor of Duck it is), and the pictured VFR-750 Honda…which is categorized as a sport-tourer. He was certainly loaded up, wasn’t he? But then ya gotta take along some stuff if you’re gonna ride from Oregon to Houston and back…

June, 2006.

AIEEEE!

It's raining! My new bike is getting WET!

The horror, the horror...

(PS: The bike cover was shipped yesterday. Or so I was told, via e-mail.)

Oh! The Places You'll Go... (I Hope)

Via Lex: Iraq: A Place of Ambivalence. Forget, for a moment, that the HuffPo is one of the watering holes for liberals (with a token conservative or two to satisfy the Diversity Mandate) and chase this link. Ms. Durkin has written one of the best pieces on the war in a long, long time, perhaps ever. And it’s sort of non-partisan in that she takes both the Right and the Left to task. But especially the Left. I don’t think you’ll read anything better today…

Dead Man Walking: Boris Berezovsky. Given the unseemly habit Putin’s opponents have of dropping dead lately, one can only surmise Mr. Berezovsky has risen to the top of Tsar Vlad’s hit list. Coz of stuff like this:

The Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky has told the Guardian he is plotting the violent overthrow of President Putin from his base in Britain after forging close contacts with members of Russia's ruling elite.

In comments which appear calculated to enrage the Kremlin, and which will further inflame relations between London and Moscow, the multimillionaire claimed he was already bankrolling people close to the president who are conspiring to mount a palace coup.

"We need to use force to change this regime," he said. "It isn't possible to change this regime through democratic means. There can be no change without force, pressure." Asked if he was effectively fomenting a revolution, he said: "You are absolutely correct."

Yow. If nothing else, Mr. Berezovsky has a pair. A BIG brass pair. Let’s hope he survives. Not all that sure about the violent revolution angle Mr. B is talking about, but it's obvious (to me) that ol' Vlad is out of control. And that's not good for anyone, especially the Russians. Change is needed.

I’ve not written about L’Affaire Imus, considering it to be a tempest in a teapot and a rather minor one, at that. Personally, I think the guy’s a senile old idiot, but that’s just me and my opinion. As it’s said…we all have ‘em. Opinions… and other things, too. None the less, I’m OK with Imus losing his job…purely on “employment at will ” grounds. NBC and CBS may do what they will; it’s the way things work in America.

What I’m not OK with is this: the Usual Suspects smelling blood in the water and advocating action that is beyond the pale.

But as Media Matters for America has extensively documented, bigotry and hate speech targeting, among other characteristics, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and ethnicity continue to permeate the airwaves through personalities such as Glenn Beck, Neal Boortz, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, Michael Smerconish, and John Gibson.

Smerconish and Savage, perhaps, those guys are borderline (and sometimes over it) objectionable. But the others? That’s a frickin’ bridge too far. But then again, I suppose the First Amendment only applies to those folks with the proper credentials. If you happen to be conservative, or controversial, you should be silenced…but I digress. There’s a reason conservatives sometimes refer to those on The Left as “The Perpetually Offended.” Case in point…Media Matters takes offense at this:

Substituting for host Bill O'Reilly on the April 4, 2006, broadcast of Westwood One's The Radio Factor, nationally syndicated radio host Michael Smerconish repeatedly discussed "the sissification of America," claiming that political correctness has made the United States "a nation of sissies." Smerconish also claimed, several times, that this "sissification" and "limp-wristedness" is "compromising our ability to win the war on terror."

Well, Hell! A spade’s a spade, like it or not. I agree with Mr. Smerconish on this point. Political Correctness is the bane of our existence. Literally.

I recommend going to Media Matters just to see the PC mindset at work. “Know Your Enemy Opposition” and all that.

An anonymous commenter suggested (I think) names for the new bike yesterday… “Blue Wasp? Chrome(less) Strom? Cobalt Cheval?” And they’re all pretty good, doncha think? But let me say this about that…

I’m not normally in the habit of naming my vehicles. No other vehicle in my past has had a name, other than the Miata. As a matter of fact, the Green Hornet was named by a close friend of mine and it just sorta stuck. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with giving your ride a name…not at all. It’s just that I never was given to it. Well, except for that frickin’ SAAB I owned, and the assigned names (many and varied) for that vehicle aren’t printable in a PG-rated blog. I hated that frickin’ car…

Speaking of things automotive I hate… I just glanced out the window at the bike and was immediately offended…to the max…by the existence of not one, not two, not three, but FIVE of those damned legal-department mandated “warning” stickers on the bike. Two on the fairing. One on the tank. One on a frame member. One on the swing arm. And that’s just the left side and top of the bike, Lord knows there’s probably three more on the right side. They are all white with a large orange band at the top that sez “WARNING!” I’m not gonna go outside and get the actual verbiage because (a) it’s cold outside and (b) I’d have to get dressed. It ain’t that important. Suffice it to say they warn me of sh!t I already KNOW, as should any human being with at least a fifth grade education.

My bottom line is those offensive stickies thoroughly detract from the bike’s otherwise clean appearance, like canker sores on a beautiful woman. And it pisses me right OFF. “First we kill all the lawyers…” Overdue, that. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

I’m (sorta) glad I’m older. It’s 47 degrees outside (with a wind chill of 40) as I write. A mere ten or 15 years ago I’d more than likely suit up after posting this and go for a ride, cold be damned. Ah, but nowadays the need to be comfortable exceeds the desire to go out and put the new scoot through its paces. Which is a good thing, in more ways than one. First and foremost, a cold rider is a distracted rider, a distracted rider doesn’t pay attention, and a lack of paying attention whilst riding can get one seriously dead.

Wisdom. Where have you been all my life?

Today’s Pic: She looks just a little bit evil here, doesn’t she? I know it’s the angle of the headlights in the fairing, and that said, I think I’d have preferred the traditional round openings. These look a bit like an anime illustrator had a hand in the design. Not all that pleasing, but I suppose I’ll get used to the thought of it, given it’s a view I’ll rarely see. As for the subject matter of Today’s Pic…Well, what did you expect?

Mission Accomplished

Well, here's my baby!! It's a semi-miserable day here (for riding), what with the wind blowing at about elebenty-lebben mph... I rode the entire way back from Clovis at about a five degree list and (almost) made a couple of "unprogrammed" lane changes in the process.

Thank GOD it warmed up before I made the ride home. It was 47 degrees when the oh-so-kind Bike-Lady picked me up this morning; it probably was near 60 when I hit the highway between The Big(ger) City^TM and P-Town. I was just a wee bit chilly, but nothing serious.

It runs well. I haven't taken it above 6,500 rpm yet; I hit 85 once or twice on the way home but mostly held it at an indicated 75 mph. I love the riding position! Just frickin' perfect, it is! It's a bit of a bear to push around, but once I get used to it things should be fine. Under way it feels light and "flickable." Just how flickable remains to be seen, tho. Commend me on my restraint, please. The red line is 10,500 rpm, and I held it to no more than 6,500. I think I'm growing up.

I had to go to three bike shops to get a lock...none at the Suzuki store, ditto Honda. Finally found one at the Harley store, and that's a good thing...coz there was only ONE other possibility (in Clovis). So I now have an H-D logo-ed Kryptonite brake rotor lock, which probably cost me ten bucks more just for the Harley logo. And I bought a pair of Tony Lama boots from Joe's Boot Shop (That would be the "world famous" Joe's Boot Shop, thank you very much ). I got my old Red Wings (boots) out of the basement storage last evening and they were covered with mold...which is nature's way of telling me I really ought to replace boots I've owned since 1978.

Tomorrow will suck worse than today (weather-wise)...cold and rainy is the forecast. It'll be a day or two before I put any serious miles on it. But, Hey! It is what it is. No matter... the bike is parked right under my window so I can stare at it in the way a 14-year-old boy stares at the cute blonde in English class...with one key difference: she's mine. All mine.

Today's the Day...in More Ways than One

It looks like today’s the day… I’m 98% sure I’ll pick up the bike today. All I’m waiting for is confirmation from the lovely Wendy at Zia Power Sports that she’ll be around this morning to pick me up and take me to The Big(ger) City^TM. You read that right: I’m getting picked up by the dealership. That’s the sort of service that wins friends and influences people. Too bad it’s so rare these days.

I missed it the first time around, but when I booted up the ‘puter this morning I was prompted by the good folks at the Googleplex to check out their April Fools joke. Pretty funny! But OTOH, don’t we all know someone who prints out all their e-mail? I used to know folks like that…

It’s begun…and I’ll bet there are more than a few people dragging their butts into work today in Dallas (Vancouver, too):

VANCOUVER (CP) - The relief outweighed the exhaustion after Henrik Sedin scored with 1:54 left in the fourth overtime period Wednesday to give the Vancouver Canucks a 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars in the opening game of their NHL Western Conference quarter-final series.

[…]

The overtime lasted 78 minutes, six seconds. The longest overtime game in NHL history was 116:30 when Detroit beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0 back on March 24, 1936.

[…]

The game started at 7:11 p.m. local time and didn't end until 12:35 a.m.

That’s a lot of hockey, folks! Pity the poor Dallas fans: the game was on the Left Coast, to begin with. And then 78 minutes of overtime, after the regulation 60 minutes? That means it was over at 0235 hrs, Dallas time. Then add in the fact that the Stars scored twice in the third period to force the overtime… and you have tired and disappointed Stars fans. Oh, well. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of folks. Stars fans are...ahem..."ate up." Just sayin'.

Detroit plays its first game at 7:00 p.m. tonight (this afternoon, for me).

The Detroit Red Wings have had trouble as a high playoff seed in recent years. The Calgary Flames will look to take advantage - again.

A No. 1 seed for the third straight season, the Red Wings look to avoid another quick playoff exit as they host the Flames on Thursday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series.

Detroit won the Stanley Cup in 2002 as a No. 1 seed, but suffered a first-round defeat in 2003 as a No. 2 and was the top seed last year when it was stunned by Edmonton in the opening round. In 2004, Calgary ousted the Wings, who that year won the first of back-to-back Presidents' Trophies, in the second round in six games.

I hate it when the write-ups begin this way, and they always do…when it comes to the Wings and the playoffs. (It could be worse. I could live in Toronto. Heh heh heh… But seriously, this article in the Toronto Sun says most of what there is to say about the NHL playoffs. Good stuff.) More on the Wings playoff woes from ESPN:

But we think "upset" is a term that should be banished, at least in the West. There are many who believe Detroit, again the top seed, is in for a rough ride with eighth-seeded Calgary. And the Red Wings could be. But with the Flames sporting Miikka Kiprusoff, Jarome Iginla and Dion Phaneuf and 96 regular-season points, would it really be an upset? We think not. The Western Conference is home to six of the top eight point-getters in the NHL. The Flames' 96 points are more than three Eastern Conference playoff teams.

A classic case of “the truth hurts” if I ever saw one. Be that as it may, I’ll be parked in front of the Tee Vee with a cool Fat Tire and a bag of popcorn at 1700 hrs sharp! New bike or not…

A legend passes… Kurt Vonnegut is dead. I loved his writing, even though I hated his politics.

His experience in Dresden was the basis of “Slaughterhouse-Five,” which was published in 1969 against the backdrop of war in Vietnam, racial unrest and cultural and social upheaval. The novel, wrote the critic Jerome Klinkowitz, “so perfectly caught America’s transformative mood that its story and structure became best-selling metaphors for the new age.”

S’true, that. “Slaughterhouse-Five” was certainly transformational for me.

RIP, Mr. Vonnegut.

Today’s Pic: An old bike pic on new bike day. The Yama-Hammer at the Continental Divide in Yellowstone. I anticipate posting more than a few pics similar to this in the coming months. Except there will be a blue V-Strom front and center…

May, 2000.

War Story

I’ve been a bit distracted this morning…which has delayed posting...but the distraction has been very pleasant. An old friend, workmate, and partner in crime (as in late nights at the bar) just happened to google my name last evening and found EIP, and thus…me. We’ve exchanged 12 e-mails (I’m counting both hers and mine) since last evening, including four this morning. Catching up is great fun! I can add another notch to the “bennies of blogging” gun…

Now about that war story...

Blog buddy Morgan posted a truism in the comments to one of my recent bike posts: “Dress for the slide, not the ride.” And at the risk of being redundant: “Truer words were never spoken!” Up until the last motorcycle I always…repeat: always…rode in full leather. As did The Second Mrs. Pennington. In my case it was a one-piece set of black 60’s-vintage English road racing leathers I bought second hand in 1968 (don’t laugh). I wore those leathers for over 20 years and only stopped wearing them because they were destroyed (totally) in the event that made me give up bikes for ten years. I tempted fate when I got back into bikes back in 1999—I didn’t replace my leathers; I simply wore Levis and my trusty, beloved USAF A-2. (I could digress at length about my A-2, but I’ll resist.) No more. New leathers are at the top of my “must buy” list. Now, about that event…

I was living in Detroit, it was around 1986 (or so), and I was riding a Suzuki GS-700 at the time. My in-laws lived in Harbor Beach, MI, about three hours north of Detroit in Michigan’s Thumb. My proxy daughter was visiting us at the time, and we (TSMP, our proxy daughter Robin, and good friend and neighbor Kim) decided to head north for the weekend to visit TSMP’s parents.

Slight digression... When I say “proxy daughter,” I mean a friend, not a relative. We met Robin when she was a student at the DoD high school in High Wycombe, England, back in 1981. The high school was a boarding school for kids who lived at bases that didn’t have a high school of their own, and there were many such bases. TSMP worked at the school for a brief period and enrolled us in the Proxy Parent program, which was designed to provide the boarding kids a place to go…in a family environment…to get away from the dorm. Robin was our proxy daughter, and we became fast friends. Robin is no stranger to bikes, and was my accomplice on the Mad Sunday adventure in the Isle of Man. Yep, she was on the back of the LC when we crossed Mt. Snaefell at well over 120 mph. (End of digression)

So. Back to the tale. We decided Robin and I would take the bike and TSMP and Kim would drive up in the car. The route is all freeway from Detroit to Port Huron, but after that it’s a well-maintained two lane road that skirts the shores of Lake Huron all the way up to Harbor Beach. Robin had never seen the Great Lakes before so we stopped at nearly every roadside turn out after Port Huron to gaze upon the lake, at Robin’s insistence. We fell behind TSMP and Kim by about 30 minutes as a result.

I was cruising along at 70 mph about five miles south of Harbor Beach when it happened. And it happened QUICK, as these things usually do. There was a sedan in the left lane about three car lengths in front of us. All of a sudden the driver turns left, right into our path, with no warning whatsoever. I grabbed all the brake I could, the bike swung left…hard…and we impacted the rear quarter panel of the car, doing about 60 – 65 mph. I heard Robin scream “NOOO!!” just as we hit. I was catapulted over the car’s trunk and impacted about 15 feet beyond the car, rolling, tumbling and sliding an additional 40 feet or so. I didn’t think I was ever going to stop. When I finally did come to a halt I lay there for 30 seconds or so, wiggling my fingers and toes and then running my hands up and down my legs to check for pain. There was none. I jumped up and ran back towards the car…

Robin wasn’t so lucky. She didn’t fly over the car as I did; she hit the rear quarter panel full force and dropped like a stone. The impact broke her femur in two, but without a compound fracture. Robin was conscious and in great pain, crying about her leg, but seemingly otherwise intact. The driver of the car, a 17 year-old girl, was out of the car and standing over us saying “I didn’t see you! I didn’t SEE you!” over and over and over. Fortunately for us, the residents of a near-by house had heard the impact, looked out to see me cart wheeling down the road and had immediately called the Harbor Beach ambulance service. They were on the scene in about ten minutes.

In the mean time my back had stiffened up and I couldn’t stand up straight. The pain intensified and was excruciating by the time the paramedics arrived. (It turned out I had two compression fractures in my lower vertebrae.) So…the ambulance pulls up, two paramedics jump out carrying what looked like plumbers tool boxes full of medical supplies. They were amazed that there was no blood, no road rash, no abrasions, no nothing except for Robin’s broken leg and my back pain.

To make a long story shorter, we were loaded up into the ambulance and taken to the Harbor Beach hospital, where we were met by TSMP, Kim, and TSMP’s parents. The one doctor on duty took care of Robin first, setting her leg and getting her ready for a transfer to the Bad Axe hospital, where she would have further surgery to put a surgical steel rod in her leg. But…at least we were alive and wouldn’t carry terrible scars for the rest of our lives. My compression fractures healed quite nicely, except for the slipped disc I experienced a few years later, an injury I’m certain was related to the accident but cannot prove. And the lawsuit was settled out of court. In our favor.

That accident was enough to make me give up bikes for ten years. I took away a couple of lessons from the experience, the first being you can do everything right and still get hurt on a bike…it’s the “other guy” you can’t account for. The second was an object lesson about the value of full protective gear. I’m not gonna roll those dice again, this time. Full leather saves skin, and lots of it.

Today’s Placeholder…

This is pretty funny (the incomplete screen cap on the right - there's more) and perhaps useful, to boot. And there’s much more at Miss Cellania’s place including some good jokes and more than a few mild, yet thoroughly amusing, links. (Miss Cellania’s link is work-safe, unless your boss/workplace takes umbrage at racy jokes in print. There are NO graphic images!)

h/t: Morgan. How DOES he find all this good stuff?

Rough Night, Explained

(sub-title: Buying That Bike)

I alluded to having a rough night last night in today’s placeholder post. It was only rough in the sense I just could not get to sleep; there weren’t any physical maladies or anything. Just “simple” insomnia, something I’m rarely, if ever, troubled by. One of the…um…skills I learned in the Air Force is the ability to grab forty winks whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself. I’m adept at sleeping on chairs, desktops, couches, in cars, or barroom floors (but not airplanes) and at anytime, seemingly. But sleep just wouldn’t come last night. I laid myself down around 2230 hrs or so and tossed and turned until 0100 this morning, when I gave it up…and got up. I stayed up until Washington Journal came on at 0500, and then hit the hay. Successfully.

It’s only minutes past noon as I type and I just poured my second cup. I feel for all the world like I have a hangover (minus the headache)…out of sorts, off-balance, and viewing the world through a fuzzy felt screen. Today will not be productive in any way, shape, or form.

SN2 and I had a fairly long conversation last evening about…you guessed it…bikes. I waited until about five minutes into the conversation before I told him about the V-Strom (a supremely odd name for a bike, nu?). Sam was in transit from Maine back to Offutt AFB, having gone home for the holidays. As he was in travel mode he hadn’t had a chance to read the blog and had no idea I’d suffered a bout of temporary insanity. He was surprised, even after all the lobbying he did to get me off the dime and buy another scoot. So, we talked, mostly about the how’s and why’s of yesterday’s purchase. I’ll recap the conversation, for the (blog) record.

Sam suggested the Suzuki to me last week, having read about it in a Motorcycle Buyers Guide he bought recently. I googled the V-Strom at his suggestion. I spent at least four to six hours reading everything I could find about the bike, and was impressed with the fact there were few, and I mean VERY few, negative comments from both the pros (the guys who write for the moto-mags) and people who own the bike. Secondly, the V-Strom is what one would call a mature design…it’s been around for three model years now, and most of the kinks have been worked out. I began thinking “Hey! This bike fits…it would be perfect for all the things I’d want to do, should I get back in the saddle.”

The next thing that happened was I read Lou’s post about Toby buying his bike. I looked at the pic Lou posted and thought “Man! Toby sure looks happy!” And that was the tipping point. I had already read up on alternatives to the V-Strom (and Toby’s Kwacker was one) and had systematically eliminated each of the other bikes I considered.

So the die was cast. I knew I was gonna buy the bike before I even left for The Big(ger) City^TM yesterday. I called my broker after I got out of the shower and initiated the process of transferring money between my 401k and my “working” account to buy the bike. Then I got dressed, put my checkbook in my back pocket, and headed out.

Buying the bike was easy. I’m sure the sales manager at the bike shop thought I was nuts, as the purchase, from beginning to end, took about 30 minutes. She didn’t have to sell me on anything, and I didn’t want her to try. The only fly in the ointment was I failed to get exactly what I wanted. The V-Strom comes in two versions, with and without anti-lock brakes. I wanted the ABS version. Of course, there wasn’t one in stock at the Clovis Suzuki store. As a matter of fact, there’s exactly one new V-Strom with ABS in all of New Mexico, and that bike is in Albuquerque, and that bike had a deposit on it. No problem, says the helpful sales manager… “we’ll check Texas.” Same story, different state. She found one ABS-equipped V-Strom in Midland, made the phone call and got the same story: it’s sold. When I asked why she had no ABS-equipped bikes, she replied she thought they wouldn’t be any demand for them. Same story with the other dealers, she said. I’ll bet she orders bikes with ABS next year…

Somehow I feel last night’s bout of insomnia is related to buying the bike. I’m not suffering from buyer’s remorse… not consciously, anyway. Sub-consciously, perhaps, but I really doubt it. No…I think it’s because there’s a lot to be done in the few short days before I take delivery. Not the least of which is finding a way to get over to Clovis to pick up the bike. I think I have a line on the solution to that problem, but there’s more. I need to buy a few things to get well and truly ready to ride again: rain gear, a set of leathers (Aieee! Sticker shock! And these are cheap inexpensive), a bike cover, a new lock, perhaps a tank bag, and various other things that haven’t occurred to me. Yet. I kept my old helmet, but I might replace it with something “spiffier.” But I might not. In the meantime there’s lots of ‘net surfing on-line shopping to be done.

I’d best get to it.

LGBP Ver 1.01.1

Today’s Pic: Ah, Spring…and the frickin’ birds are back. It seems like they’ve upgraded their systems over the winter. Here is pictorial evidence of the deployment and use of Laser-Guided Bird Poop (LGBP—version unknown but I suspect it's release one), in which an avian bombardier missed the exact dead center of the Green Hornet’s hood by mere inches. Oh well, the car was gonna get dirty today, anyway. We’re under a strong wind advisory and the air is filled with flying dust. And LGBP, too. So much for washing the car yesterday.

I had a rough night. More about that when I’m back in the usual few.

I Did It...

I pick it up Thursday or Friday, depending upon when the money is transferred from my 401k into my working account.

In blue.

Oh, BOY!!

Space Blog, Progressive Patriotism, and Fever

The blog from space…literally. And lots more, too, including some very cool vids. The meat of the blog is in the archives, which detail (and lo, the details!) the preparation and training prior to launch. There are no postings from space, yet.

Charles Simonyi, the former Microsoft software architect and current billionaire, is now the fifth civilian ever to be rocketed into space. (He's on his way to the International Space Station onboard a Soyuz spacecraft that took off from Kazakhstan on Saturday.)

This is what a spectacularly successful career in the IT industry (Xerox PARC and Microsoft) will get you. Well, that and 25 million Yankee Dollars…

Just about the coolest site I’ve seen recently, suitable for kids of all ages! (That’s a hint to SN1 & SN2.)

Chris Bowers writes an interesting essay on progressives and patriotism at MyDD. Excerpts:

Allegiance to a fixed cultural identity is fundamentally at odds with a progressive worldview. Over the past two years, I have written about this at great length in articles such as Maybe It Is A Battle Of Civilizations, Try Something New, and The End of the 1960's? Differing concepts of the value of identity form one of the core differences between progressivism and conservatism: pluralism vs. cultural supremacy, and fluid identity vs. fixed identity. Since progressivism highly values both pluralism and fluid identity, the long-standing, dominant use of the term "patriotism" described in the paragraph above clearly becomes a difficult term with which ideological progressives can self-identify. How is it possible for someone to value both pluralism and fluid identity while simultaneously self-identifying allegiance to a fixed, idealized--even absolutist--cultural identity? That is not very easy, and does not come without a lot of internal tension and self-contradiction.

[…]

In fact, America was founded on exactly the opposite principles: no national religion, no national language, no national media, no national ethnic identity, welcoming borders, and freedom from being forced to cohere with larger cultural norms. We even fought a civil war over this idea, and pluralism won out. (Can the civil war be accurately described as a fight for the cultural distinctness and superiority of, and resulting need of independent sovereignty for, nineteenth century southern white culture from the rest of America? I think it can.) American patriotism is thus the opposite of patriotism in many other countries, and thus in no way causes a self-identification contradiction for progressives. Theocons and anti-immigration cultural supremacists will of course disagree, which is why they regularly argue for things like America being a Christian nation, for keeping brown people out of the country, for mandating prayer in public schools, or making English the official national language. They believe in, and want everyone to cohere with, a discrete and distinct cultural identity for America. Quite frankly, I can hardly think of anything less American and, within an American context, less patriotic than all of that.

I’m no theocon (defined here) and I’m not an “anti-immigration cultural supremacist.” Yet I disagree, especially with Bowers’ allegations that us cultural supremacists (I do admit to being one of those, without the anti-immigration modifier) want to “keep brown people out of the country” and “mandate prayer in public schools.” BS—pure and simple. Allowing prayer is different than mandating it, Mr. Bowers. Prohibiting prayer in schools is the de facto law of the land these days, and is that somehow “better” than allowing prayer? I don’t know of a single conservative—not one—who wants to keep “brown people” out of the country. I know a lot of people, on the other hand, who simply want our existing immigration laws enforced…equally and fairly. And, making English our official national language ain’t such a bad idea. It’s the key to assimilation, and I was always taught (and thus believe) assimilation is what makes America The Great Melting Pot, and it’s the key factor in making our diverse culture work.

On the other hand, Mr. Bowers goes on a great deal about pluralism, about which The Wiki has this to say:

Pluralism is, in the general sense, the affirmation and acceptance of diversity. The concept is used, often in different ways, in a wide range of issues. In politics, the affirmation of diversity in the interests and beliefs of the citizenry, and so political pluralism is one of the most important features of modern democracy. (emphasis in the original)

I don’t disagree with The Wiki, and I’m wholly in favor of pluralism, as described above. I do, however, disagree strongly when pluralism morphs into identity politics, which appears to be the ultimate outcome of the whole diversity “thing” we’ve experienced over the last two decades or so. The key is in knowing when to stop. And that is precisely the point where most liberals fall down. They don’t know when to stop, thus the transformation of pluralism into identity politics which is most often based on rejecting America’s “mainstream culture,” rather than accepting it. It’s pretty damned hard to be patriotic when you don’t like America, isn’t it?

On the whole, Bowers writes an interesting essay even if he lets his dislike of conservatives, and his hyperbolic, misinformed attacks on same get in the way. I’m glad Mr. Bowers considers himself patriotic, and I’m most certainly glad he loves our country. Mr. Bowers is very, very big on this pluralism thing (follow the three links in the excerpt posted above and you’ll see). And that’s all well and good, assuming he considers conservatives to be part of that plurality. I’m not sure he does.

The pressure…the PRESSURE! It’s getting out of hand. SN2 is putting the ol’ RD back on the road (as noted elsewhere on the blog) and is running me HARD about buying another bike. Then I learn that SN1, with d-i-l Erma egging him on, is actively bike shopping. Lou’s partner in crime just bought a Kwacker…pic here. What’s a guy to do?

Well, for starters, I just might go over to The Big(ger) City^TM today and check out one of these:

A Suzuki DL-650 V-Strom. Dual-purpose. Fast fire-roader. Competent street bike. Fever.

Sheesh. I thought I’d outgrown this sh!t.

The weather ain’t cooperating, either. It’s supposed to be 70 today, although we got off to a chilly start. With fog, believe it or don’t. I’m oh-so-ready to get back to “normal,” whatever that might be, in addition to WARM. Coz it sucks to ride in the cold, yanno?

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to you and yours!
(I stole this photo from the White House web site. NO kidding...)

A Quick Tour of the 'Sphere and "My Environment"

An interesting deconstruction of an AP article by John Hinderaker at Power Line entitled “Media Bias: How It Works.”

Yesterday, in an interview with the Associated Press, one of the world's leading weather experts, Dr. William Gray, blasted Al Gore for perpetrating global warming hysteria. Since Dr. Gray is generally recognized as the world's leading expert in the science of forecasting hurricanes, this is news. But let's examine how the AP handled it in the article that resulted from their interview.

[…]

Gray is implicitly depicted as a crank; he "rails." Note that the hysterical and ill-informed Gore never "rails." Further, Gray "has long railed," which suggests that, rather than being a consistent critic of an unproven theory, he is a tiresome eccentric whose views have been heard and discounted.

Instructive, and one of the reasons why “keeping abreast of the issues” is much more work than it should be. There isn’t much, if any, hard news published by Big Media that can be taken at face value. One must question, evaluate, and seek other points of view before making up one’s mind. But then I guess it’s always been this way. It just seems worse these days…

Beating back stupidity in Colorado… I’m a lil late to this party (as usual), but there’s reason to hope all is not lost in America. I’m not going to reconstruct the chain of events surrounding the statue of fallen hero Danny P. Dietz, Gunner's Mate Second Class, United States Navy. Ms. Malkin has already done it and provides relevant citations and links.

Petty Officer Dietz, a Navy SEAL who was killed in Afghanistan, was awarded the Navy Cross for actions “above and beyond.” The flap arose because a proposed statue honoring PO Dietz in his home town of Littleton, CO, depicted him carrying his M-16. The Peace-At-Any-Cost crowd didn’t like the war-like implications of the statue, suggesting that a “peace dove” would be more appropriate:

"We're continuing to try to spread our message," Cassidy said. "The message is not against Danny Dietz, his family or the war. It's location, location and the audience that will view it."

..."A statue of a soldier holding a child would send a better message," said Calvin Freehling, a Vietnam veteran from Indianola, Neb., who e-mailed The Denver Post. "An automatic weapon doesn't signify protection. It signifies violence. I'm 64 years old now, and I'm tired of violence."

Ann Levy of Denver, who calls herself a "peacenik," would like to see Dietz's sacrifice honored in a different way.

"They should be putting up a peace dove instead," she said. "The question is do we stand for peace or do we stand for war?"

Common sense prevailed in the end, thankfully. Read the whole thing if you haven’t been there yet.

Just Sayin’…over at Reason Magazine:

Environmentalists constantly reference the scientific consensus that human activity is changing the global climate.

"You have the strongest consensus we have seen in the science community about global climate change since the conclusion that tobacco caused lung cancer," asserts Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) president Kevin Knobloch. Greenpeace also argues, "There is, in fact, a broad and overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is occurring, is caused in large part by human activities." And Friends of the Earth has gone after Exxon Mobil because it "has repeatedly attempted to undermine the scientific consensus on climate change and actively resisted attempts to limit carbon dioxide emissions through law."

Clearly when it comes to climate change, environmentalists righteously wrap themselves in the cloak of scientific "consensus." They excoriate scientists and others who doubt that man-made climate change will necessarily be disastrous, accusing some of being essentially paid liars for the fossil fuel industry. But for many environmentalist groups not all scientific consensuses are equal. Consider the case of genetically enhanced crops.

There are lotsa good links above, and in the rest of the article. The article is much more about GMOs [genetically modified organisms] than it is about anthropogenic climate change. Still and even, the point is well-made about “scientific consensus.” Doom-and-gloom mongers can’t have it both ways, now, can they? But it certainly appears to be that way…

And last, but certainly NOT least…an essay entitled Dealing with Leftists who "Support the Troops" over at American Thinker. Excerpt:

One of the biggest problems we conservatives have always faced is language. Conservatives all too often allow liberals to bamboozle us into arguing issues on liberal terms.

For example: why are we even discussing the "war in Iraq"? What is going on now is not war, but reconstruction. Or more precisely, providing military security for Iraq's social, political and economic reconstruction. The war was clearly over at "Mission Accomplished", and we quickly pulled our major hardware presence from the arena.

[…]

So when a liberal says to me that (altogether now) "I support the troops, just not the mission", I don't lie to them anymore.

And one particular conversation I recently had with a liberal went like this:

"I support the troops, just not the mission"
"Nice patriotism."
"That's mean!"
"It's the truth."
"You can't question my patriotism!"
"Then stop saying unpatriotic things!"
"Just because I question the President doesn't make me unpatriotic!"
"No... but trying to subvert his constitutional authority and foreign policy just because you disagree, does."
"You make it sound like I'm a traitor."
"How would your behavior be different if you were?"

That usually stops them right there, at least for a moment.

But last Martin Luther King Day, I received a gift of inspiration. I finally found a way to make a liberal understand. I'm not sure if I changed his mind, but he hasn't mentioned it since.

Read on… It ain’t a foolproof way to disconcert those who “support the troops but not their mission,” but it’s the best I’ve seen lately.

Today’s Pic(s): Photo Number One is what I euphemistically call the verandah…it’s where I take my morning coffee and the odd cigar/single malt/Fat Tire in the evenings, now that the weather has (hah!) warmed up. Not today!

Photo Number Two is the way El Casa Móvil De Pennington looks, as we speak.

Just… you know… for the record. About ten minutes ago.

April Showers Snow?

The weather is today’s Big Story here at El Casa Móvil De Pennington (Dang, Gibson, I did it again! Sorry!). I awoke this morning, fired up the coffee, turned up the heat, and opened the shades to gaze upon a tableau much more suitable for January than April. I’ve not been out and about in a physical way yet (because it's frickin' cold...as you can see), but it looks like we received about an inch of snow. I fell asleep last evening to the pitter-patter of sleet on the roof; it’s obvious the sleet turned to snow some time in the middle of last night. And there's more on the way.

I’m glad I’m stocked up on all manner of consumables; there’s no reason (or need) to venture out on the roads today. That’s a good thing!

Back in a bit…

Dang...

…forgot the obligatory weather post. Our 36-hour forecast, above. It’s not gonna be a nice weekend here on the High Plains… As Kris said yesterday: "Spring, my a$$!"

Also forgot to mention the beloved Wings clinched the division title last evening by virtue of gaining a single point (overtime loss in a shoot-out) in a game against Chicago. They can win the West if they win against Chicago tomorrow afternoon. Things aren’t looking too good for the Wings, injury-wise. The Dominator was out last night with an injury, as was Nick Lidstrom.

I worry.

Odds and Sods

Now this is pretty danged funny…

My Good Buddy Greg in Detroit (among others; Greg just came to mind first) was always semi-amazed during “snappy repartee” with TSMP when she would glare at him suddenly and say something to the effect of “You better watch it. I’m PMS’ing and I don’t think that’s funny…” She never was one to hide anything, that woman.

(hat tip to Fuzzy Bear Lioness posting at The Flight Deck)

A good article about Number 19 at NHL.com…

Once Yzerman joined hockey’s most exclusive club – Stanley Cup-winning captains – he became a hero for hockey fans everywhere, not just in Detroit. Suddenly, it seemed almost overnight in many quarters, everyone understood how special a player, and a person, this Yzerman guy was.

Late in his career, Yzerman was revered as much by opposing fans as he was by the Detroit crowds. Players across the League also understood they were in the presence of greatness. Today, it is impossible to find anyone with a bad word to say about Yzerman.

Actually, the only time anyone ever said anything bad about Stevie was when he put the puck in the net. Those words would have come from the opposing team’s fans and perhaps the opposing team’s goalie and/or a defenseman. Something like “That frickin’ Yzerman! I can’t believe he did that! Again!”

I’ve written once or twice in the recent past about Site Meter and its problems, or my perception that SM is having problems. There’s a place where you can get information about the “state of the service,” if you go look. True to form, I didn’t search long or hard enough to discover it until just recently. And yeah, there were problems. There’s a quite lengthy discussion about last month’s issues and the actions taken to resolve same. But, as my experience indicates, the problems have been fixed. Site Meter has been working as advertised for the past week.

I’ve not written about Madame Speaker’s ill-advised sojourn in Damascus and other points east. There’s been SO much written on this subject, much of it unfavorable (as might be expected). Today’s op-ed in the WSJ pretty well sums up the situation. In part:

Meanwhile, Speaker Nancy Pelosi made her now famous sojourn to Syria, donning a head scarf and advertising that she was conducting shuttle diplomacy between Jerusalem and Damascus. If there was any doubt that her trip was intended as far more than a routine Congressional "fact-finding" trip, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Tom Lantos put it to rest by declaring that, "We have an alternative Democratic foreign policy. I view my job as beginning with restoring overseas credibility and respect for the United States."

Americans should understand how extraordinary this is. There have been previous battles over U.S. foreign policy and fierce domestic criticism. In the 1990s, these columns defended Bill Clinton against "the Republican drift toward isolationism and political opportunism" amid the Kosovo conflict. But rarely in U.S. history have Congressional leaders sought to conduct their own independent diplomacy, with the Speaker acting as a Prime Minister traveling with a Secretary of State in the person of Mr. Lantos.

Yes, Congressional Republicans have visited Syria too. But Ms. Pelosi isn't some minority back-bencher. Without a Democrat in the White House, she and Mr. Reid are the national leaders of their party. Even Newt Gingrich, for all his grand domestic ambitions in 1995, took a muted stand on foreign policy, realizing that in the American system the executive has the bulk of national security power. He also understood he would do the country no favors by sending a mixed message to our enemies--at the time, Slobodan Milosevic.

It’s worth the read.

Speaking of Madame Speaker…I’ve had several hits this past week like this one: nancy pelosi leg photos (taken directly from Site Meter). Talk about perverts… That’s SICK! (note that the googler clicked into EIP based on a comment Lou made about a photo of my Mom...)

Another good read: Michael J. Totten on Kurdistan and the Kurds. It’s long and it’s certainly not a sound bite. The back story, if you will, to “The Other Iraq” (a 29-second video that’s been widely played on American TeeVee).

Today’s Pic: SN1 in the cockpit of a MiG-29. Taken last month at Nellis AFB, NV. (USAF photo)

"Nine Nineties in Nine" and Other Things...

Well, the check’s 1040’s in the mail. And, wonder of wonders, I’m getting a refund. This is highly unusual for me, as I’m philosophically opposed to giving the gubmint a free loan. I don’t mind paying my fair share of taxes, far from it. But I always abide by the contract and usually pay the amount owed near the date due and not sooner. I think… no, I’m sure… the reason I overpaid this year is because I hit the ol’ 401k harder than I usually do, and as a result withheld more taxes on my distributions than I should have. The fact that I’m getting a refund complicated the preparation process, which is to say I ran the app three times before I was satisfied I hadn’t made any errors.

{sigh} Dang, but I’m glad that’s done. For another year, anyway.

C-SPAN is in re-runs during the congressional recess, what with no witch hunts committee hearings and the like to broadcast… and that’s not a bad thing, not a bad thing at all. Case in point: Last night The SPAN broadcast a 90 minute “conversation” between Newt Gringrich and Mario Cuomo that happened on February 28^th at NYC’s Cooper Union (two-plus hour Real video here, third item down). The day before the conversation, Mssrs Gingrich and Cuomo published an op-ed in the NY Sun entitled “Come to Cooper Union.” An excerpt:

We believe it is important that the 2008 campaign be different. While the re-creation of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates may be impractical in today's world, there is ample evidence to believe the American people would welcome a return to a more substantive issue-driven dialogue instead of the current banal horserace politics. By comparison to the presidential race of 1860, there are many more vehicles for Americans to not only observe the dialogue but also actually be part of it.

In 2004, the rules governing the general election presidential debates ran a full 32 pages. Lincoln's 1858 letter to Stephen Douglas challenging him to debate contained two sentences. Lincoln's only insistence was "perfect reciprocity, and no more."

Tomorrow evening at the Cooper Union we hope to provide at least one model — there are more — for the kind of discussion needed in 2008.

We're throwing out the current play book and having a 90-minute dialogue about America's future.

Our hope is that this kind of in-depth, unrestricted, but civil conversation will once again become the norm. To that end, we are inviting all the presidential candidates, Democrats and Republicans alike, to come to Cooper Union and to present their vision for America — just as Lincoln and several of his fellow White House aspirants did in 1860.

We believe that the simple act of bringing candidates and their supporters together in the same room will take at least half the poison out of our political system because the candidates would have to be less strident and more persuasive in their presentations. This will require more thought, more creativity, more substance, more solutions — and a whole lot less rhetoric.

Wow. WHAT a concept, especially the thought contained in the last paragraph! If I was forced to name the single most important thing needing fixing in our body politic today, it would be to remove the poison. We’re rapidly approaching the point (if not already past it) where BOTH sides absolutely cannot hear what the other is saying, doesn’t want to hear what the other is saying, and spends 90% of its available time playing “gotcha” and demonizing the opposition. And yeah, I’m a “little bit guilty” in this regard, as well, but at the risk of tooting my own horn, I’m less guilty than, say, Ann Coulter or several right-wing bloggers I could (but won’t) name. I’m sure you know who they are.

If you’re thinking I was much more than impressed by Mssrs Gingrich/Cuomo last evening, you’re correct. I hope and pray the other candidates will buy Mssrs Cuomo and Gingrich’s proposal to hold “Nine Nineties in Nine.” Here’s Mr. Gingrich:

If you believe, as I do, that there is an opportunity for a better political dialogue now and in 2008, then I need your help. I issued a challenge at Cooper Union to those who are running for president asking them to take a pledge which can be summarized as follows.

"If I receive my party's nomination for President of the United States, I pledge to participate in nine, ninety-minute dialogues in the nine weeks before the general election with my opponent. In the Lincoln-Douglas style, I will agree to debate my opponent with only a time-keeper, and to insist upon no rules. I understand it will be just me and my solutions and my opponent with theirs."

Tim Russert from Meet the Press stated in the Great Hall at Cooper Union that he would ask every presidential candidate if they would agree to nine ninety-minute debates in nine weeks. I am asking you to do the same. When a candidate asks for your support, ask them if they will take the Nine Nineties in Nine Pledge.

What he said. Rudy Giuliani has taken the pledge. I hope ALL the candidates do so, as well. But I’m pretty pessimistic about the chances of this proposal. It simply makes too much sense, and sound bite politics is much easier than actually engaging your opponent (and the electorate) in meaningful exchanges. But…hope springs eternal. Read more on “Nine Nineties in Nine” here.

Courtesy of Lou…another new milblogger in the Sandbox. I meant to post this yesterday, but was overcome by events too lazy to blog. In any event, it’s better late than never…Desert Flier is written by LT Carl Goforth, a trauma nurse in Ramadi. Drop by his place and wish him well!

Wow… it got pretty danged cold, pretty danged quick, didn’t it? While I’m not freezing or shoveling snow here on the High Plains, my furnace IS getting a minor work out. Doncha love Spring?

Today’s Pic: Yesterday I posted the last group family photo ever taken and noted that SN2 and d-i-l Alisa had two additions to the family since that pic was taken in 1997. Well, here are those two young ladies…grand daughter Ava on the left, Angelina on the right. And let me tell ya…Angelina is a pistol! SN2 and Alisa have their work cut out for them, in spades.

Brunswick, Maine. June, 2006.

Things to Do...

Light posting this morning. I have a couple of things on deck that preclude my usual routine. First and foremost: the techs from Yucca Telecom will are supposed to be here within the hour to install the on-prem equipment for my two-megabit fiber connection. Interesting, that. The actual fiber isn’t scheduled to be put in the ground until next month at the earliest, June at the latest. The drill, as explained to me, is the required equipment will be installed and then I’ll be “notified” when my connection is activated. More will be revealed shortly, I assume.

Second: time marches on— in its inexorable way —and the Ides of April draw nigh. I’ve been looking at the unopened Turbo-Tax 2006 box sitting on my desk for nearly two weeks now. I’ve resolved that today is the day I actually install the software and “do” my taxes. Taxes aren’t nearly the pain they used to be, back in the day when I actually made real money. Nonetheless I always wind up owing My Favorite Uncle a few bucks. Last year I wrote the gubmint a check for five whole Yankee Dollars. I’m anticipating worse this year.

Apropos of nothing, but I thought of Lex when I saw this last evening. Immediately. I wonder if his desk looks like this? (Too bad they’re out of stock. I’d wear one. Really.)

Today’s Pic: From the Former Happy Days archives…the last group family photo ever taken. From left to right, by row, beginning at the top: SN2, me, SN1. Daughter-in-law Alisa, The Second Mrs. Pennington holding SN3 on her lap, daughter-in-law Erma holding grandson Sean on her lap. Grand daughter Anastasia (SN2), grand daughter Amanda (SN2), grand daughter Felicity (SN1), grand daughter Natasha (SN1). SN2 has since added not one but two daughters. Rumor has it he and Alisa are working on building a girl’s basketball team.

Rochester, NY. June, 1997.

Back when time and circumstance permit…

Once Over Lightly. Very Lightly...

Can one billion Chinese—or at least those with ‘net connections—see your blog? Go to the Great Firewall of China and find out. EIP is visible, I’m happy to say. God Only Knows the Chinese are just chomping at the bit to hear what an ol’ geezer in New Mexico thinks about motorcycles, hockey, and the weather. But, strangely enough…a few do. Not a day goes by that I don’t have a visitor or three from Beijing, Guangzhou, or Shanghai. Strange, that.

Hat tip to Mr. Crittenden, who has this to say:

I’m happy to report that for the moment this site can be viewed in the PRC. Therefore, I would like to state that I consider the ruling class of Chinese communists to be a pack of hypocritical, corrupt, murderous pigs who should by strung up by their ankles. Excuse me, I should say “faux communists,” because all they’ve been for a long time are thieves without even the wretched fig leaf of that perverted ideology. The sooner we have our war with them, the better, as they are doing everything they can to arm up, and they are up to no good. Also, they engage in predatory trade and labor practices, and as much as I like buying cheap stuff at Wal-Mart, I don’t need it that bad.

I don’t think he’ll be visible all that long…

What he said:

I had intended to write something about the British / Iranian situation, but like so many other things today there’s really nothing to say, because the simple statement of facts contains the essence of the problem, and elaboration is just whittling the wind.

“Whittling the wind.” The man can turn a phrase, can’t he? But…I’m much more than gratified to find a kindred spirit blogger with thoughts similar to mine about news items today. And yesterday. And the day before…

Of course the foregoing doesn’t mean I’ve stopped reading “the news.” I’ve cut back, to be sure, but I still read. And while we’re on about the Brits, VDH put this up at The Corner today:

We were all waiting for the final shoe to fall: It is America's fault. And sure enough the Independent headline blaming us came in on schedule. The story line was predictable: We apparently tried to detain those masterminding the Iranian efforts to kill Americans in Iraq, then "botched" this illegal effort at getting "legitimate" diplomats, and thus left the poor British to sweep up the mess. So Bush — not lax officers, insane rules of engagement, or Iranian perfidy and aggression —did it after all.

Anyone who’s spent any amount of time, say 30 seconds or so, reading The Independent won’t be too, too terribly surprised. After all, a paper who employs the (I can’t think of an adjective that’s both descriptive and suitably vile, insert your own) Robert Fisk as its Middle East correspondent shouldn’t be taken all that seriously. And what do I have against Fisk? Oh, just things like this:

"I can't help wondering today how many of the innocents slaughtered in Haditha took the opportunity to vote in the Iraqi elections -- before their "liberators" murdered them."

What a freakin’ twit.

Today’s Pic: The ugliest bird I’ve ever seen. Sometimes you see things you just don’t quite believe, and such was the case with this bird. He/she/it simply fascinated me.

In a park somewhere in Houston. April, 2000.

Awash in Nostalgia

Memory Lane…BIG Time! I went looking for a pic of my ol’ RD-400 to illustrate a comment to “Late Night EIP” and stumbled upon this site. Oh, My…Oh, MY… That could easily be me, open face helmet and all, back in 1978.

The “Yamaha Tree” pic is oh-so-interesting, as is the 1977 RD-400 brochure, from which the pic for this post is taken. I owned four RDs over the course of my motorcycling career…two RD-350s, the aforementioned 1977 RD-400, and an RD-350LC (the “LC” is for Liquid Cooled). The LC was a willing accomplice in the most thrilling, gonzo, insane, and unique motorcycle experience I ever had: riding Mad Sunday (video here) in the Isle of Man during 1982’s TT week. “Mad Sunday” is when the authorities make the road across Mt. Snaefell one-way and allow anyone to ride it at any speed they desire…once the police clear you through (think “breath check”). I hit 130 mph (indicated, and maxed out) on the LC…and it was perfectly legal. You really need to watch that vid… I should note things have changed, apparently. Back in ’82 there were no cars: bikes only.

SN2 is in the process of putting the RD-400 back on the road, as we speak. I loved that bike and still do, as a matter of fact. Back in its day there wasn’t much, if anything, that could touch it on a twisty back road. Even today it would keep up with all but the best rider/bike combo.

“Of course, you could just pay attention and drive.”

What he said.

While I’m never gonna be in the same boat car(s) as Mr. Leno, I agree with his well-made point. And no, I am not a Luddite.

More here and —most especially— here. (via Insty, with the hit tip to Chap)

Didja see Lex’s April Fools post? It got me and most everyone else, as well. Although a few folks claim they weren’t hooked… I almost believe ‘em.

Late Night EIP

A lot of new music has made its way into El Casa Móvil De Pennington in the past month or so. Most of it isn’t necessarily new but rather falls into the category of “new to me” and/or CDs to replace an album in my long-lost (not really lost; just in storage) and greatly lamented vinyl collection. The one exception is Carlos Santana’s "All That I Am," which is a misnomer if I’ve ever seen one. I’m a BIG fan of Carlos; both "Supernatural" and "Shaman" seem to reside permanently in the car Green Hornet…and that is a high compliment, indeed. “All That I Am” is destined to go up on the shelf and rarely, if ever, come down. There’s just one track that I’d call “catchy” ("My Man"), and that’s due more to Mary J. Blige than Carlos. A major disappointment, this. "All That I Am" isn’t, in a word.

But…it gets better. “A Twist of Motown” is a bunch of…you guessed it…Motown covers by Big Name soft-jazz artists like Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, and Bob James, just to name three. Deliciously smooth and wonderfully arranged jazz takes on Motown standards such as “Never Can Say Goodbye,” “The Tracks of My Tears,” and “Just My Imagination.” Which is not to say these arrangements would ever, could ever, supersede the originals. Nope, far from it. It’s just a very pleasing album. In the “for what it’s worth” department… there are only four customer reviews on Amazon, but every single one is a five out of five. Amazing, that. On the other hand, I’m half-way expecting to hear one of these tunes as background music for “Your Local on the Eights” any day now.

Two other recent acquisitions include “Martin Scorsese presents The Best of the Blues” and “The Rolling Stones Project,” another collection of jazz covers, all Stones this time. The former is quite good (I’ve rarely, if ever, met a blues album I didn’t like), the latter a (minor) disappointment. One saving grace on “The Rolling Stones Project” is Norah Jones’ breathtaking reading of “Wild Horses.” Nothing… repeat, nothing… will ever eclipse the Stones’ version of “Wild Horses,” but Jones comes as close as one could ever get. As I said, breathtaking. I’ve loaded this CD into the player and put “Wild Horses” on repeat and listened to it six times in a row. It’s that good. “Waiting For A Friend” also deserves favorable mention, as well.

But…I saved the best for last. The new addition getting the most airplay is “Echoes,” a two-disc, 26-song best-of collection of Pink Floyd. While the collection is heavy on cuts from “Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall,” there’s enough variety from the other albums to make this collection more than worthwhile. What’s MOST impressive, though, are the seamless segues between cuts from disparate albums. As an example, the last four cuts on disc one are arranged into one flowing piece reminiscent of Abbey Road’s second side (An obvious vinyl LP reference. If you only own the CD you won’t “get it.”). The segue goes like this:

“Money” (from Dark Side – 1973)
“Keep Talking” (from Division Bell – 1994)
“Sheep’ (from Animals – 1977)
“Sorrow” (from Momentary Lapse of Reason – 1987)

That’s a time span of 21 freakin’ years…and the songs all fit together like one piece. Of course, that could be taken as a left-handed compliment…i.e., “I like PF, but the songs all sound the same”… but it’s certainly NOT intended as such. And the songs do NOT sound the same. As if I had to say that… The customer reviews at Amazon are worth a read, if you have a mind to go there.

There’s one drawback to listening to a lot of Pink Floyd, much like listening to a lot of Led Zep: it makes me one want to do drugs. And lots of ‘em. (Insert smiley-face here)

Anyway. Radio Paradise has taken a back seat in my listening habits of late. For good reason. (Note: you can click each album cover for the larger version)

A Harley I could see myself on…favorably reviewed. Unless your name is Buck, Sam, or (perhaps) Dan, you don’t…can’t… understand the magnitude of the statement I just made. Buells are an exception. Those bikes are better described as “powered by Harley-Davidson.” Along with “lust object.”

Ah, Spring! And an Ol’ Geezer’s thoughts turn to…motorcycles!

Such A Beautiful Day!

So. A pretty good game: Detroit wins, 4-1. The Dominator just missed getting his eighth shut-out on the year by letting in a goal with less than two minutes left in the game. Oh, well.

Detroit looks to be playing well, but all is not well with the team. Specifically: injuries. Nick Lidstrom sat out today’s game with lower back problems, but he’s expected to return shortly. Much more worrisome is the loss of defenseman Niklas Kronwall, who will probably be out for the rest of the season. Detroit is struggling with these injuries:

The Wings also will be missing defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom for today's game against the Blue Jackets. Lidstrom has a lower back strain, but isn't expected to miss an extended amount of games.

Defenseman Brett Lebda has missed the past three games with a concussion, but will return to face the Blue Jackets today. Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg has been out with an inflamed disk, though general manager Ken Holland expected him to play in a couple of games before the playoffs start.

Forward Tomas Kopecky, out since Dec. 14 with a broken collarbone, learned earlier this week that his injury hasn't completely healed. The Wings decided not to chance further injury and decided Kopecky would not return to the lineup.

[…]

"The playoffs are about adversity," Holland said. "We obviously have gone through some bad luck here recently."

Injuries, and dealing with them, test the mettle of any sports team. It’s particularly heartbreaking for the Wings to see so many injuries, so close to the play-offs. But the good news is the Wings are stepping up and playing well through the adversity. The fact the Wings are the beneficiaries of a “favorable” schedule (read that as: weak…one more game against Columbus, two against Chicago) for their remaining games helps a lot, too. The odds are pretty good the Wings will win the West, if not the President’s Trophy.

The play-offs begin next week. I am SO stoked!

My ‘net connection has gone wonky on me this afternoon. So this is all ya get, as surfing is painfully slow at the moment. I may or may not be back today. The weather is just so danged good at the moment (71 degrees, bright sunshine, and light winds) that I’m gonna get out in it… Later for the ‘net!

Today's Pic

Posting will be delayed today. I’m feeling quite like the pup in the picture: “Life is Good.” This is the ex-GF’s dog in his usual place…stretched out on the hearth.

Me, I’m at my semi-usual place for this time of day (assuming I get up later than usual, of course)…drinking my second cup of coffee at the desk. But I’m doing something sorta unusual…watching the Wings play Columbus. It feels oh-so-strange to be watching a hockey game while drinking my morning coffee. But Hey! ANY hockey Red Wings game, at ANY time is a good thing.

Ergo, Life is Good.

I’m taking the opportunity to put up today’s pic during the first intermission. No score yet. The pic was taken at the ex’s place in February, 2004. I’ll be back after the game.