This Looks Like Fun

That's the new Cadillac ATS, billed by GM as a 3-series killer.  There's a full review (and more video) here... and this is the bottom line:

Overall, then, the plusses outweigh the minuses. The 2013 Cadillac ATS looks great, is tightly constructed inside and out, rides brilliantly and does so at a price that’s highly competitive with the high-flyers in its segment. That it’s from a US brand and doesn’t spare the toys are factors that will undoubtedly appeal to many as well. BMW’s “ultimate driving machine” reputation was an ambitious target for Cadillac to choose, and that the 2013 ATS comes so close in many ways should be a huge wake-up call for rivals and buyers alike.

Hmm.  Mebbe I shoulda waited a couple o' months.  OTOH... Nah.  I like my car The Tart and I may even love it her after a bit.

Tonight's ADWH Soundtrack...

Delbert...

Like a macho man, I said I'll fix it myself
I can tell already I'm gonna need some help
Now I gotta get it worked on
I gotta get it worked on
Yeah, I'm gon' have to get me some professional help

[...]

I went down to New Orleans to see Miss Laroux
She said You're too far gone there ain't a thing I can do
But you better get it worked on
Better get it worked on
I can give you a number of someone to call

D'ya still have that number, Del?  I have a friend that might could use it.

Apropos o' nuthin'... I've discovered the best way to drink this Bulleit stuff is on the rocks.  I never took my scotch with ice, bein' sumthin' of a traditionalist in this space, I only took it neat or with a splash o' water.  But ice and bourbon seem made for each other, in that the ice mellows out the burn and makes bourbon a rather pleasant drink.  Last evening I took my first dose neat and the second with a splash, the results of which were less than impressive.  Tonight's a different story and I think this stuff will grow on me.  I can't wait for the rye to arrive...

What? Already?

Yeah, summer ain't over and we're already getting the seasonal Fall beers.  Like this:

We're ten days ahead of where we were last year at this time, or mebbe I was ten days behind last year.  I dunno about you, Gentle Reader, but I'm ready for Fall.  I've had enough of this triple-digit temps thang for a while.

Yup!

No doubt... and Curiosity began sending back hi-res color pictures yesterday.  Let's hope Curisosity's pics are as stunning as Opportunity's... who's still on the job and doing GREAT work.

Tonight's ADWH Soundtrack...

Pat Travers, covering Johnny Winter...

Apropos o' not much... it's HARD switchin' over to corn after 30 years of drinkin' single-malts and better blends (of late).  I'm beginning to wonder about the wisdom... if any... behind today's fit o' pique.  But, Hey!  It's all good.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

James McMurtry...

Beer cans to the ceiling
ashtray on the floor
laundry on the sofa
need I say more
I walked out with my hair wet
I caught one awful cold
should have been more careful
should have done like I was told
I can't believe it
how could it be
just like you said could happen
so it did to me
Just when I might have seen the light of day
I crossed my eyes 'til they stayed that way

(chorus)
I keep my distance
as best I can
living out my time here in Never Never land
I can't grow up
'cause I'm too old now
I guess I really did it this time, Mom

Mom would understand... she never did grow up, either.  

Those Manhattans are goin' down easy this afternoon.  We shoulda took pictures, but we were more concerned with gettin' down to it than doin' that artsy-fartsy thang.  But wait!... there's this from the interregnum:

That would be just before we set out on Round II, which is comin' up as soon as we put this post to bed.

Prosit!

Update, 15 minutes later:  Well, OK... if you insist.

Once again: Prosit!

Resistance

I'm just in from a run out to the Class VI store on Cannon Airplane Patch and was shocked at the price increases on Scotch... so much so that I refuse to resupply at those prices.  Johnnie Walker Green sold at $44.00 last week and is now $54 and change; you can find it at Amazon for $47.10.  JW Gold is worse... it's up to $84 freakin' Yankee Dollars a bottle now.  Aiiieee.

Which makes me wonder... what's up with the Class VI?  They're supposed to be cheaper than the civilian market and they are, if I shop locally.  But not on the net.

So.  We're gonna be bourbon drinkers... and that would be Bulleit bourbon... for a while, at least until I sort out my options.  I see a Manhattan in my very near future.

It's Early, But...

... we've already had our LOL moment for the day, courtesy of G+.  That would be this:

I MIGHT know the girl, if one considers sharing a bed for the best part of 23 years "knowing."  Yeah, in that biblical sense, too.

They Call 'Em "Tramp Stamps"

I wonder why...

―:☺:―

In other news...  I have a sneaking suspicion that today is NOT gonna be a nice day.  Why? 

Our humidity... at 50%... is well and truly above the "but it's a DRY heat!" point, which adds fuel to my not-a-nice-day fire.  I KNOW it's gonna rain today, mainly coz I washed the cars yesterday.  That's good for most of us...especially the ranchers... but not so much fer me.

Tonight's ADWH Soundtrack...

Leon Russell, with a tip o' the hat, a nod, and a wink to Hank...

There was a time...

Well, Yeah

From the Usual Source for such thangs...

More like yer basic moron in the last panel, no "oxy" about it.

―:☺:―

We stayed up quite late watching all the Curiosity stuff on the NASA Channel, right up until the point they went off the air (live) around 0200 hrs MDT.  The first press conference was seriously entertaining teevee... there's nothing better than watching giddy nerds celebrate success.  With one downside: Obama's science and technology adviser guy got top billing at the press conference and like all liberals... even liberal nerds... he HAD to get political, going on about how Obama was committed to space exploration, how Obama tweeted about Curiosity, Obama this, Obama that.  OK, guy... just STFU now, please?  His time at the podium was limited, thankfully, and I'm glad the NASA/JPL guys got him on and off quickly.   As I said, the rest of the press event was seriously good stuff.  I could do with more of this kinda thang and much less politics in my life.

The rest of the night/early morning wasn't as pleasant.  I'm normally and thankfully devoid of any sorts of physical ailments, but last night I had a case of indigestion from the depths of Hell and I can't really figure out why.  By that I mean I didn't eat anything spicy or unusual, so this was a semi-surprising event.  A good handful of Rolaids finally put an end to the issue.  I got to sleep around 0400 hrs but it was touch and go there for a couple o' hours.

Curiosity Has Landed

Shot of my teevee... JPL post-landing celebrations.

I've been watching the Curiosity landing on the surface of Mars for the past hour.  I was MOST impressed as the event unfolded; the atmosphere within the CalTech JPL went from quiet, apprehensive, and tension-filled professionalism to unbridled joy and pandemonium when Curiosity settled down and sent back its first pictures from the surface of Mars.  From the link:

A chorus of cheers and applause echoed through the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Sunday night after the most high-tech interplanetary rover ever built sent a signal to Earth. Minutes earlier, it had been in a harrowing plunge through the thin Mars atmosphere.

{...}

The arrival was an engineering tour de force, debuting never-before-tried acrobatics packed into "seven minutes of terror" as Curiosity sliced through the Martian atmosphere at 13,000 mph.

I hope you caught it, Gentle Reader, coz it was the ultimate "ya hadda be there" sorta moment.  It reminded me of the moon landings back in 1969.  Really... THAT big.  We've landed on Mars... Mars!  (OK, it ain't the first time we've put rovers there but it's the biggest, so far)  And ain't that America?  Hell Yes!

Wimmen I Wanna Hang With

And you know there may be MORE.

Tonight's ADWH Soundtrack...

Steve Winwood...

Oh, I've been sad
And have walked bitter streets alone
And come morning
There's a good wind to blow me home
So time is a river rolling into nowhere
I will live while I can
I will have my ever after

The finer things keep shining through
The way my soul gets lost in you
The finer things I feel in me
The golden dance life could be

Heard on Pandora this evening... I defined a Steve Winwood station a couple o' days ago, seein' as how (a) I love the guy's music (and I think he's one of the most under-rated artists of our generation) and (b) most of what I have o' his work is on vinyl and currently resides in SN2's basement.  I could have sworn I had this particular album on CD but I can't find it.  I strongly suspect "Back in the High Life" might have left with The Second Mrs. Pennington when she decamped all these years ago, but I can't be sure.  I really should have written down all of the CDs she took (like about a third of the classical inventory) but I didn't.  I kinda-sorta had other thangs to think about.  At the time.

Wherein We Join the 20th Century

Yeah, I know... it's the 21st century.  Bear with me.  I'm a BIG fan of those bag-meals and they're a staple for what passes as cuisine at El Casa Inmóvil de Pennington.  One feature every one of those meals has is this instruction: "Empty contents into a 12 inch non-stick skillet."  Well, we didn't HAVE a 12-inch... or any other size... non-stick skillet in our kitchen inventory, so we made do with a standard ten-inch aluminum skillet of the stick variety, oiled generously with a couple o' tablespoons o' olive oil for non-stick properties.  That was life as we knew it until two weeks ago, when we splurged and dropped 20 Yankee Dollars on a high-zoot Mirro 12-inch non-stick skillet.  Like this:

Buying that skillet might just be the smartest purchase I've made in the last couple o' few years.  I love the thing... it cooks well, and more importantly, clean-up is a BREEZE.  The skillet has yet to see the interior of my dishwasher as I can clean it up in about three minutes and set it on the counter to dry.  I couldn't say the same for the old stick-skillet, as I usually had to let that sucker soak overnight before attempting to scrub it.  I loves me some technology, even if I'm ten years late to the party.  Or longer.

Oh.  What was in the skillet?  This:

Shrimp scampi in garlic sauce with linguine.  Dinner was completed by the addition of a large salad and a vintage Dr. Pepper.  Dinner's done, as is the cleanup, so I think it's time to retire to the verandah and take the evening air.

Live!

I bought some new music last week... Peter Green's "Blues Don't Change" and the Tedeschi-Trucks Band's "Everybody's Talkin'."  I batted .500 in the effort, much to my dismay.  Mr. Green didn't disappoint (as usual) because his latest is a cover of old blues tunes and there ain't a clinker in the bunch.  Susan Tedeschi's latest outing is one I'll prolly give away, assuming my blues-aficionado grandson Sean will take it.  The issue?  This two-disc set is a LIVE album and I violated... or forgot... my dictum about NEVER buying live albums before I hear 'em.  Most of the cuts on "Everybody's Talkin'" are way too long, descending into the depths of 70s rock band extended jams excess.  And I mean EXCESS, as in Allman Bros "At Fillmore East" Mountain Jam excess (that track was one whole side of a two-disc vinyl LP, back in the day).  I find most live albums fall into the "excess" category so I tend to avoid them... except when I forget.  Like last week.

Don't get me wrong: I love Ms. Tedeschi and I'd go see her in a heartbeat.  Bein' at a concert for those long jams is entirely different than bein' in yer living room or even in yer car.  Ambiance, bay-bee, ambiance.  Drugs might have sumthin' to do with that, too.  Or did.  Mebbe.

While we're on about live albums... there are two exceptions to the rule.  The first is the aforementioned "At Fillmore East" which has some incendiary guitar work by legendary Brother Duane, the other is the Stones' "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out," which gets my vote for the best live album of all time.  That CD lives in my car, which is where ALL the great music I own ends up.  There ain't a bad track on that album and the performances are picture-perfect, both in duration and expertise.  All live albums should be so good.

Oh.  Don't get me started on the Grateful Dead.  Yes, I own a boatload of the bootleg series (Dick's Picks).  Yes, their signature style is the interminable riff-jam.  Yeah, I like it.  Remember what Emerson said: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."

Saturday

In honor of the Olympics... an oldie:

But it's a goodie, innit?  It's slim pickin's at the viral vid sites today.  We went to our third string provider for what you see above and you'll note it's been around for-freakin'-ever (over five million views!).

―:☺:―

Apropos o' not much... our fears didn't materialize yesterday, as it never even got to 90 degrees after the rain.  I went out and had a couple o' beers and a cigar on the verandah after posting my update to the "rain" post and it was very comfortable outdoors... with a few more passing cloudbursts to enjoy, even.  After Dinner Whiskey Hour was most enjoyable, as well, beginning at around 80 degrees at 1830 hrs and dropping into the mid-70s by the time I returned indoors.  That was a nice lil break, but it's back on our heads today—104 is the forecast.

98 Degrees and PISSING Down Rain

Our temps began dropping as the storm moved in; it was 102 about 15 minutes before the storm hit... and it hit HARD.  I love the rain, and The Deity At Hand knows we NEED it, but it's gonna be right miserable once the rain stops.  A couple o' snaps:

Notice the street in the background of the first shot... four minutes into the cloudburst and it's already flooding.  The second shot is just a grab-shot of the wake kicked up by a passing pickup.  The temp dropped ten degrees in as many minutes once it began raining in earnest, but THAT won't last.

Update, ten minutes later.  It was over almost as quickly as it began.  Here's a shot o' the 17th Street Canal and Inter Intra-City Waterway...

Our temp has begun to climb already.  Aiiieee.

Dog Days Upon Us

Didja ever wonder about that term?  Wonder no more (I loves me some Wiki!).  And they are well and truly here.  We stretched ADWH out until 2330 hrs last evening and checked the temp as we came in from the verandah, just for grins and giggles.  It was 89 degrees at that hour.

We did something we almost NEVER do, given it's gonna be another hot one today (forecast: 108), and that would be setting our alarm phone for 0700 hrs this morning, all the better to get out and about before the broiling begins.  And we did... hitting the streets around 0800 hrs to run our errands (we had to get caffeinated first, yanno?), which we completed in about an hour and a half.  It was nice to run around town in The Green Hornet with her top down and Mick serenading the locals with a suitably loud rendition of Loving Cup, which I'm most certain all within earshot appreciated.  Or not, about which I truly don't care coz it was for me, anyhoo.  So we're done, what with having unloaded our groceries in the relatively cool temperatures of 85 degrees and having received our minimum daily requirement of al fresco motoring.  I'd forgotten how good it feels to get up with the rest of the world.

―:☺:―

And then there's this from My Buddy Ed In Florida...

He didn't like my casserole
And he didn't like my cake.
He said my biscuits were too hard.
Not like his mother used to make.

I didn't perk the coffee right.
He didn't like the stew.
I didn't mend his socks 
the way his mother used to do.

I pondered for an answer,
I was looking for a clue.
Then I turned around and smacked the shit out of him . . .
Like his mother used to do.

******************************

I love a good poem, don't you?

Heh.  I loved every little thing both of my wives did, always... and even most of my girlfriends, too.  My Mama didn't raise no dummies.

Tonight's ADWH Soundtrack...

Nina Simone...

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me.
Yeah, it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me, ooooooooh...
And I'm feelin' good.

No...it's a new night.  It's also 94 freakin' degrees outside, and the sun went down over 45 minutes ago.  But, Hey... it only feels like 90.  We are feelin' good, in spite o' thangs, and we'll only feel better as the full moon climbs higher into the sky and the night wears on.

So there's that.  We've got our refill and now it's back out to verandah to continue as we've begun.