Ramirez Is Good Today

There are a lot o' good 'toons today at the Usual Source for such things; this was my choice for "best of."  Ya can't go wrong with Mr. Ramirez. 

Just Not Feelin' It

Obama's throwing bombs, Romney not so much.  I wish Romney WOULD throw a few bombs... and The Deity At Hand knows he has enough material... but it's still early days.  Romney needs to be smart about it, too... not like the latest dumb-assedness from the Obama campaign, i.e., "Romney might be a felon."   Yeah, and Obama might be smart, too.  There's about an equal chance of either premise being true.

So now it's off to the shower and then off to The Big(ger) City™ to see what it's gonna cost to fix The Tart.  Which is part of the reason I'm just not feelin' it today.

Update, approx 1415 hrs:  Aiiieee.  Both SN1 & SN2 were right and I was wrong... this ain't jes a lil $150 or $200 ding, it's a frickin' $724.50 MAJOR PROJECT, which means The Tart will be in the shop for three or four days or even a week, worst case.  It seems like the whole damned left side of the car will have to be disassembled, the bumper has to come off and the clear coat has to be re-sprayed up to and including the driver's side door.  So much for a lil ding.

I originally thought I'd get this fixed on my dime and save an insurance claim, but after speaking to USAA I've decided to claim it.  There's a possibility my deductible could be halved due to the hit and run nature of the damage, but I have to wait and see.  But $500 is still cheaper than $724.50.

Sigh.  It's always SUMTHIN'.

The Usual Saturday Post, My Liege

Curious: The Guardian didn't update their Viral Vids picks from last week.  So we went to (one of) the source(s) and picked two vids out of the Top 20, both of which are, strangely enough, ads.  One is cute and one is awesome.  First Teh Cute:

I think I knew that guy in the crown back in my working life.  Or someone very much like him.  Now Teh Awesome:

Bullet, indeed.  That's a pretty clever and well-executed ad, no?  The M5 USED to be my automotive lust object until the CTS-V came along.

We Can't Have Nice Things...

... because some asshat is bound to come along and f*ck 'em up.  Case in point:

That happened in the Wally-World parking lot last evening.  I couldn't have been inside shopping for more than 20 minutes and then I came out to find what ya see above.  No note, no apology, just a hit and run.  I figger that's prolly a $150.00 ding but we'll find out when we take The Tart over to our favorite body shop in The Big(ger) City™ on Monday.  

(sigh)  It's always SUMTHIN'.

How Bad Is It?

This headline sez it all: "U.S. Declares the Largest Natural Disaster Area Ever Due to Drought."  That's pretty bad.  Note:

The entire states of Arizona, Nevada, Texas, and New Mexico (save two counties in TX and NM), are still in drought... as is most of the southwest and Deep South.  I've never seen it this bad in my lifetime; I've only seen pictures of the Dust Bowl years, when it was worse.  Let's hope it doesn't get THAT bad again.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack...

... comes courtesy of Occasional Reader Loosy-Anna Andy who e-mailed us this:

In so doing he said...

Dude, I hope the BeeGees deal don't make you vomick!

But...

Looking at Rita is worth it for me.

Ab-so-frickin'-loot-ly.  I replied thusly:

Brilliant... and this shall be today's Happy Hour Soundtrack.  As far as the Bee Gees go... I'm one of only six living Americans who will admit to buying the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack.  That album was pure GOLD to the young Buck Pennington, in that it helped him get laid on numerous occasions in the way-way-back.  How Deep Is YOUR love?  Mine ran pretty deep back then... at least as far as quantity went.  :-)

Thank Ya!!  

I stand by that statement, for better or worse.

Teh Funny

My Buddy Ed In Florida sends the following along...

Jacob, age 92, and Rebecca, age 89, living in Miami, are all excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding, and on the way they pass a drugstore.  Jacob suggests they go in.  Jacob addresses the man behind the counter:  "Are you the owner?"
The pharmacist answers, "Yes."
Jacob: "We're about to get married. Do you sell heart medication?"
Pharmacist: "Of course, we do."
Jacob: "How about medicine for circulation?"
Pharmacist: "All kinds."
Jacob: "Medicine for rheumatism?"
Pharmacist: "Definitely."
Jacob: "How about suppositories?"
Pharmacist: "You bet!"
Jacob: "Medicine for memory problems, arthritis and Alzheimer's?"
Pharmacist: "Yes, a large variety. The works."
Jacob: "What about vitamins, sleeping pills, Geritol, antidotes for Parkinson's disease?"
Pharmacist: "Absolutely."
Jacob: "Everything for heartburn and indigestion?"
Pharmacist: "We sure do."
Jacob: "You sell wheelchairs and walkers and canes?"
Pharmacist: "All speeds and sizes."
Jacob: "Adult diapers?"
Pharmacist: "Sure."
Jacob: "We'd like to use this store as our Bridal Registry."

Heh.  There's a classic example of the wisdom one acquires in one's old age.  Except, perhaps, for the marriage bit.

This Just In...

... "this" bein' me, recently arrived back home after a re-stock run out to the Cannon Airplane Patch Class VI store.  Where I saw this:

Any doubt as to which demographic the distiller is aiming for?  I kinda like the ideer of bare-nekkid when it comes to skinny girls... and booze, for that matter.  When it comes to wimmen I'm more into "women of substance," but ya know what them sailors say about "any port..."  Still and even, I didn't buy any of this stuff, nor am I likely to.  I mean... tangerine-flavored vodka?  Besides that, it's pretty hard to beat Stoli when it comes to wōd-kah.

―:☺:―

We got a call on The Green Hornet today and I was pleased to hear the prospective buyer say he was looking at another Miata on Craig's List until they saw TGH, which they liked better.  I do believe there might be a reason for that.  I was kinda-sorta chagrined to hear the prospective buyer is looking for a car for his daughter.  I'll freely admit I was hopin' for a buyer who appreciates all the sporting aspects of the Miata... the sorts of things that have landed the car on Car & Driver's Ten Best list for the last 10 years or so... stuff like the buttery-smooth shifter, impeccable handling, communicative steering, yadda yadda.  But, Hey... girls can appreciate that stuff too, so I'll not be hasty to judge.

Bad For You

Well, yeah.  Every-freakin'-thing we like is gonna kill us... eventually.  But like Jim Morrison said: "Nobody gets outta here alive."  I don't worry about this sorta krep very much, if at all.  But I DO get a kick out of the "organic" people, tee-totalers, and risk-avoidance types... aside from bein' good for laughs they always make me wonder what in hell it is they do for fun.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack...

... without music?  What's up with that?

We were out on the verandah a few short moments ago and decided to capture the sound of a gentle falling rain here on The High Plains o' New Mexico.  It was (and still IS) quite pleasant out on the verandah and we shall continue as we've begun... as soon as we can post this video.  We could LIE and say we were listenin' to sumthin' like this during Happy Hour, but the truth is we were listenin' to one of the Strauss Boys' waltzes before and after the video was shot.

Yup... Day Three of our Classical Music Jag.  Ongoing, as we speak.  It's a beautiful thang.

You DIDN'T!

I did.  Last night.  I got kinda weepy about it, too.

A Couple o' USAF Items

From the Usual USAF Source, of course.  First, more on the Russkis at Red Flag:

More Details on "Nyet Flag": Russian news reports—and other news outlets that picked up the story last week—claiming that Russia would send fighters to an upcoming Red Flag exercise are "a complete fabrication," said Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Cassidy. Russia was indeed supposed to send "working-level observers" to last month's Red Flag-Alaska 12-2, but their participation was canceled "due to reciprocity issues," she told the Daily Report on July 9 without elaboration. Observers at this "unit leadership" or "worker bee" level normally watch the exercise in order to prepare for possible full participation a year in advance, she explained. However, Red Flag participation by actual Russian air force fighters and strike aircraft "was never considered," she said. And, "no further . . . observation/participation" by the Russian air force in Red Flag "is planned at this time," she noted. Nevertheless, a Russian air force one-star general did watch the June exercise as part of an executive observer program. The Air Force could not immediately say whether this was the first time a Russian air force general observed a Red Flag at any level.

—John A. Tirpak 

The photo as captioned at Air Force Magazine: "Here, Col. Marc Caudill (left) speaks to the head of the Russian air force, Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin, before Zelin's tour of an E-3 AWACS aircraft at the 2012 Singapore Air Show in Changi, Singapore, Feb. 15, 2012."

And then there's this...

Tiny Air Commandos Invade Hurlburt: Air Force Special Operations Command recently hosted its first-ever "Bring Your Child to Work Day" at Hurlburt Field, Fla. "Everyday we drop our kids off at daycare and kiss them goodbye in the morning," said event organizer Capt. Kristina Sawtelle in a July 9 Hurlburt release. She added, "This event takes the mystery out of what mommy and daddy do." The honorary air commandos began their day with physical training by running in formation with their family members. From there, it was off to the headquarters building for a pancake breakfast. The kids then rotated between an AFSOC command brief, an air park tour, and a battlefield airman exhibit showcasing special tactics gear. "I really appreciate that the command takes an interest in the families and makes them a priority," said SMSgt. Samel Brown, a security forces airman, who brought his five-year-old daughter Aniah to the June 29 event. (Hurlburt Field report by Rachel Arroyo)

Cute, eh?  No word whether or not the tykes were given KA-BAR training. 

Teevee

I'm missin' all that krep... coz the last time I turned on my teevee was for Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final (I watched Game Six on SN1's teevee).  That was on June 9th.  I don't think I'm missin' anythang, actually.

Tonight's After Dinner Whiskey Hour Soundtrack...

A cheesy cell-phone pic, me bein' too lazy to go get the real camera.

We were pleased to watch a storm roll into P-Ville this evening and dump some much-needed rain on our parched earth.  Not a lot, mind you, but enough to wet the streets, dampen down the dust, and render the air sweet and fragrant.  It was also enough to produce the rainbow pictured above after the storm had passed.

We're still on our classical music jag, this being the second day of God-Only-Knows how many.  I was reminded of this particular piece as I watched the rain come pelting down, even though I didn't hear it this evening...

Storms are almost always violent in the southwest and Grofé captures the essence of a southwest storm perfectly in "Cloudburst."  And so it was this evening... there was the proverbial calm before the storm, then heightened wind and rapidly dropping temperatures, followed close-on by pelting rain... rain of such force and violence that it renders conversation impossible due to its very noise... and thunder, of course.  All very, very entertaining from my safe and dry vantage point on the verandah.  And all too short, alas.  But we takes what we gets and we're grateful for it.

About my classical music jag... this could go on for weeks but I suspect it won't.  There was a time in the way-back when we went for about two years without listening to any pop or rock 'n' roll at all... only classical and jazz, with a little country and bluegrass thrown in.  That was immediately after the maid quit, when it seemed every goddamned pop/rock song I heard carried some sort of painful memory with it.  So we did what was only natural: we avoided the genres.  That was actually pretty pleasant, for as long as it lasted.

In Today's Mail

A nice touch...

It never hurts to thank your customers.  Note the stamp, too.  Pretty cool, no?

Hot! And Not.

People on the Right Coast really must feel this way.  As for us here on The High Plains o' New Mexico... it's bid'niz as usual.  Our high/low of 90/68 yesterday was very slightly warmer than usual (89/63), but not a lot.

―:☺:―

I about fell outta my chair when I read this (from the Usual USAF Source)... 

No Krasni Flag: Russia won't be participating in an Air Force Red Flag exercise this year, according to an exercise spokesman at Eielson AFB, Alaska. What? Russia at Red Flag? Several media outlets—including the Voice of Russia radio network's English-language website—ran stories last week suggesting Russia would indeed be sending fighters to a Red Flag exercise in October, either at Nellis AFB, Nev., or in Alaska. This would be an extraordinary first if true, and a watershed development in US-Russian relations. But, alas, no red-starred Flankers and Fulcrums will be populating the ramps at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Eielson, or anywhere else. Air Force officials told the Daily Report on July 6 that Russia had requested sending observers—not aircraft—to a Red Flag exercise this fall, but it won't be happening. While it would have been interesting to see those Sukhoi and MiG fighters at Red Flag—playing Red Air, perhaps?—modern Russian-designed fighters have already played in a Red Flag. In 2008, India brought its Su-30s MKI fighters to Nellis.

—John A. Tirpak

That would have been the very HEIGHT of stoopid.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

Dvorak's Ninth Symphony... fourth movement... which is just perfect for watching the thunderstorms gathering to our southwest.  But it's the  music we're on about...

It's oh-so-sultry outside at the moment and we're hoping these gathering storm clouds will dump some rain on P-Ville.  Note:

The storms are all around us at the moment, but our forecast sez there's significant hope for rain.  Like this:

Note the humidity: 24%.  That ain't Mrs. Hippy or Loosy-anna territory, but it's humid enough, Gentle Reader.  So much so that we've foregone the beer and are drinkin' G&Ts for today's Happy Hour.

Apropos o' that... I always flash back to Chiang Mai, Thailand and the pool at the Prince Hotel whenever I drink G&Ts.  We... about 40 close friends and YrHmblScrib... were in the habit o' buying Tanqueray and tonic water by the case back in Former Happy Days, Part One.  The staff at the Prince would keep us supplied with cut limes and ice as we lounged by the pool and indulged.  Those were some great good times, Gentle Reader... but it's one of those "ya hadda be there" stories in order for you to appreciate the full import of that which we speak.  We shall go no further, lest we incriminate the innocent.  Or the guilty, if or when it comes to that.

Oh So Briefly

Hopefully there won't BE another four years.

The Usual Saturday Post... But Better Than Usual

From The Guardian...

We've got everything from takeaway burgers to farmers, from boys' toys to classical music this week, kicking off with a flashmob for culture vultures – a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to celebrate the 130th anniversary of a Spanish bank (it's great that a Spanish bank has found something to celebrate!). Check out the faces of the crowd – this performance will twang a few heart strings …

Twang the heartstrings?  I guess!  A brilliant piece like this restores my faith in humanity.  Somewhat.   But then there's this...

THAT restores my faith.  You're culturally deprived if you don't recognize at least 75% of these immediately.  Me?  I'm about 93%... I didn't get some the later alt-rock riffs.  But I continue to work on that.

And finally...  Need to cool off a bit?  There's this:



The list was a whole lot better than usual this week.  I suppose sometimes it bees like that.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

Mick & the Boys...

She's so cold, she's so cold  
She was born in an arctic zone 
She's so cold, she's so cold, cold, cold 
And when I touch her my hand just froze
She's so cold, she's so goddamn cold 
She's so cold, cold, cold, she's so cold

Kinda-sorta reminds me of someone I useta know.  But we shan't go THERE... we'll just enjoy the tune, and the day... coz it's just beautiful outdoors.  It should go without sayin' but we'll say it, none the less: the very FIRST app I restored on my phone was Pandora, and we're relaxing with the Stones on this fine day.