Last Night...

...was exciting.  A little like this, actually:

This Evening's Excitement

So... there I was... sitting under the awning enjoying a cigar and a post-evening-meal whiskey G&T in the early evening, say around 1815 1845 hours. The weather was kinda gray but not at all threatening and sitting as I was, which is to say looking off to the southwest, I was completely oblivious to the maelstrom that was sneaking up from the northeast, directly behind the RV... and me. And then it hit me, almost literally, in the form of an orange-brown sky and a particularly violent gust of wind. "Uh-oh," thinks I, and I get up and peek around the RV and see DOOM bearing down on me... and rapidly, at that. I VERY quickly jumped up, unfastened the awning deflapper closest to me, lowered the awning strut, and quick like a bunny moved to the other side of the awning to do the same. Done. I then flipped the ratchet lever to retract the awning and... the ratchet jammed. The wind howled. I fought the ratchet lever... and nothing. The awning is still half-way down and the wind is increasing in intensity.  

It was a lot like that, actually... save for the fact the awning's ratchet didn't jam this time.  I manged to set a new world's record for rapid awning roll-up in that the thing was safely furled about 22 seconds after the first unexpected wind gust hit.  The wind was a little like this:

I say a little bit because we had steady 50mph winds with gusts of 69mph in the video above; last night it was only 40mph steady wind with gusts over 50.  Still and even, it provided more than enough excitement.  Storms literally come up out of NOWHERE in the these parts.  It pays to pay attention.

Later that same evening...

Bad sky!

Bad sky too!

A faint rainbow.

A Couple o' Things

First:  NatGeo has a slide show of vintage... which is to say WPA-era... travel posters about our National Parks.  A couple of examples:

I've been to both of these National Parks (i.e., Carlsbad Caverns and Arches) and the posters capture the gestalt perfectly, as do the others.  Recommended.

And then there's this:

Follow the logic of Chicago Sun-Times writer Richard Roeper in his column about the Chicago Blackhawks' bandwagon in the city:

A. Sportscasters and newspapers are claiming "the entire city" is rooting for the Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup.

B. After what must have been an extensive genetic screening process, Roeper "couldn't spot one fan who appeared to be a minority" at United Center. No, not even this guy (ed: photo at the "there's this" link above). Or Michael Jordan.

C. Hence, the "entire city" can't be rooting for the Blackhawks because there appear to be minorities in the city. And because, evidently, generalities in sports writing are no longer acceptable in Chicago media.

Read the whole thing and chase the links, if'n you're a hockey fan.  Or even if you're NOT.  It's that good.

Wyshynski brings to mind an evening once upon a time and long ago when The Second Mrs. Pennington and I were in a crowded elevator after a game at The Joe in Dee-troit, on our way from the arena to the parking garage.  When I say "crowded," I mean 25 or more people packed into a smallish elevator, the sort of occasion where you're glad to be among friends.  So, the door closes and the elevator begins ascending to the garage.  A drunken wag announces... out o' nowhere... "Wow.  We're ALL white people in here!"  There were a few guffaws but it was mostly embarrassed, self-conscious titters.  You hadda be there, Gentle Reader, to appreciate (a) the honesty and (b) the sheer weirdness of the moment.  

JLA, for the uninitiated, is on the river downtown in deepest, darkest Dee-troit.  And Dee-troit was described in the mid-'80s as "America's First Third World City," mostly because the city is 90% black... which is mainly because of the White Flight that happened after the 1968 riots.  It WAS unusual to be in downtown Detroit and to be surrounded by nuthin' but white folks.  Ah.  Memories.

Yet Another Quickie

Alternative title: just fillin' in the "Did you post today?" square.  SN1 sent along a lil article yesterday that I got a kick out of, the title of which is "A New Kind of Drunkeness; The greatness of gin."  The bits that me laugh:

By contrast, Old Man Drinks: Recipes, Advice, and Barstool Wisdom would be an appropriate present on the occasion of a 60^th birthday or a second divorce. Written by Robert Schnakenberg and beautifully designed by Doogie Horner, it features 70 recipes for cocktails, each preceded by a capsule history or concise tribute, as if to provide a seed for an inexcusably long night of sitting on a barstool talking shit. In explaining the origins the Monkey Gland, Schnakenberg finds occasion to discuss the sexual potency of William Butler Yeats. 

I find it interesting my second divorce occurred just a few short years before my 60th birthday. I'm not at all convinced the two milestones are unrelated, either.  But leave us not digress.  While there's undoubtedly much about gin in this article it's really a set of short book reviews masquerading as cocktail critique.  More than worth a read, though.

Speaking of second divorce presents... I prolly would have been much better off buying a copy of "Old Man Drinks," a case of Tanqueray (along with an appropriate amount of Schweppes), and ten pounds of limes rather than spending several thousand dollars on the Great European Divorce Tour.  But on the other hand... I'd have missed stuff like this:

Prague has some very stylish and lovely women.

That would be a Budweiser Budvar in the foreground... one of many... but we weren't counting.  All things considered, the GEDT was money well-spent.  But I still need a copy of "Old Man Drinks."  

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

A couple from Warren Zevon:

"Accidentally Like a Martyr"is from "Excitable Boy," Zevon's 1978 breakthrough album which also had "Werewolves of London" on it...probably his most famous hit.  Sadly so, coz he did SO much better stuff, and a lot of it.  "Desperados Under the Eaves" is from the self-titled album of 1976... my all-time favorite Zevon album and my all-time Zevon fave in the single song category.  I discovered Zevon in the '77 -'78 time frame and he's been a favorite of mine ever since.  I last saw him in Houston in 2000, a little over three years before he died.  That was a couple o' years before the mesothelioma diagnosis and he put on a hellaciously great show.

I don't understand why Zevon never achieved superstar status.  He seemingly had it all... good voice, adequate chops on his chosen instruments, brilliant writer, and a great stage presence.  He also assembled some of the best sidemen in the bid'niz at the time to play on his albums and all the cool kids on the El Eh music scene loved him (see: Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, various Beach Boys, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood and MANY others).  He also went through a whole helluva lot of addiction problems, which seems to be one way to achieve lasting fame in these United States.  But he didn't.  As a matter of fact, Zevon has been dead nearly seven years and has yet to be inducted into the R'n'R Hall of Fame (ptui!), while people who have NOTHING to do with rock 'n' roll have made it there.  There ain't no justice...

I Got Nuthin'...

... so you get a re-run, Gentle Reader.  Well I could talk about hockey (excellent game last evening - the 'Hawks played like the favorites they're supposed to be and Chrissy Pronger was a -5 on the night, which warmed the cockles o' my black lil heart) but only a couple o' you care.  But everyone likes...

Puppies

Apropos of nothing…except for the fact that there’s waaay too many frickin’ cat pictures on these here inter-tubes…here are a few pics of my late, lamented puppies. Late is an understatement: the last of these old ladies left this life back in 1996, well over ten years ago. I’ve been dog-less ever since, mostly because having a dog is semi-incompatible with my lifestyle. Yes, people who live in RVs own dogs. I’m more than aware of the fact. But a dog is a big commitment, and I tend to be commitment-averse these days. Let’s leave it at that… and get on with the biographies. 

First…FiFi La Bonne, otherwise known as The World’s Ugliest Dog. She was a mixed-breed terrier and was so damned ugly she was cute. She was also a hunter extraordinaire, and was one of the few dogs I’ve ever seen who could run down a squirrel and kill it. Which she did about two or three times a year when I lived in Michigan, always making sure to bring The Second Mrs. Pennington and I some sort of trophy from the kill. We really appreciated that, ya know. She was also quite adept at assassinating gophers and moles. The gopher-hunting wasn’t nearly as popular with me, as she tended to dig huge holes in my yard in pursuit of her underground quarries. When I say “huge,” I mean bomb-shelter huge. Large enough for me to drive my riding lawn mower into one of the holes and flip the mower over on its side. That huge.

I wish the above photo of FiFi in the snow was better… she had the strangest habit of burrowing in deep snow, and it was a hoot to watch. She’s pictured after coming up from one such snow-burrowing exercise. FiFi came to live with TSMP and I while we were in Oklahoma (around 1984, or so) and lived with us until 1996, when TSMP put her down due to complications associated with old age.

And then there’s Bōgus Dōgus, who was a Lab/Border Collie cross. TSMP and I got Dogus shortly after we arrived in England in 1980, and she was with us for 16 years. She was my favorite, even though she was TSMP’s dog first and foremost. That dog was crazy… in that she had this “thing” for food. The “thing” being she’d eat anything that wouldn’t eat her first. Anything. Everything. Including, on at least two occasions, an entire loaf of bread… snatched off the table once and out of a bag of groceries another time, and consumed within 45 seconds. The first time she wolfed down a loaf of bread I thought she was gonna explode from the resulting bloat and gas. I had to put her outside until the gas went away, for what should be obvious reasons. But not until such time as she laid at my feet… moaning, farting, and generally making life uncomfortable for everyone within ten feet of her.

This is also the dog who tried to commit suicide by leaping off a bridge in Wales. If we hadn’t had her on a leash she would have died in the fall to the river and it was a near-run thing, anyway. Have you ever tried to pull a strangling dog over a bridge railing? It’s not easy, Gentle Reader. As to why she jumped… I have NO earthly idea. I said she was crazy.

Lastly we have Fritzi Ritz, a German Shepard cross. Crossed with what breed is unknown, but a cross she was…and she was small for a Shepard. Fritzi had all the good traits of a Shepard… intelligence, loyalty, and beauty. She also suffered from hip dysplasia, which eventually got so bad we had to put her down. Fritzi was the alpha female, as might be imagined, and kept the other two dogs in line. The first pic was taken in Oklahoma, the second in Ferndale, MI.

Each dog was a mutt; I’ve never owned a pure-bred dog. Further, two of the three were “rescued” dogs. TSMP was active in a dog rescue organization when we lived in Oklahoma; FiFi and Fritzi arrived in our household via that organization. All three dogs slept in the bed with TSMP and me, and they each had their places…never varying position from night to night. You might think things would get a bit crowded, but it really wasn’t. They were very discreet Old Ladies, too, always being considerate enough to give us our space when it was time for TSMP and me to play. It's a great good thing dogs don't talk. Coz those dogs could have told some stories, Gentle Reader.

We'll prolly be back later on, with video or something else equally mindless and boring.  We've been leaving the significant and profound stuff to others lately.

Hockey Quickie

The Hawks are playing like the favorites at home... Bolland just scored off of Leighton to make it 2-0 Hawks with four minutes left in the first.

Yes!

I KNEW It Was Hot Yesterday...

... but I didn't think we were in record-breaking territory.  Turns out we were; from the National Weather Service in ABQ:

New or tied record high temperatures Saturday June 5th.

Site new record old record and year

Roswell Airport 110 106 in 1990
Socorro Airport 106 104 in 1996
Fort Sumner 103 99 in 1996
Albuquerque valley 102 100 in 2006
Albuquerque Airport 100 98 in 2006
Clovis 100 tied 100 in 1939
Santa Fe Airport 100* 96 in 2006
Gran Quivira ntl mnt 99 98 in 1996
Espanola 98 tied 98 in 1990
Albuquerque foothills 97 96 in 2006
Raton Airport 97 95 in 2006
Las Vegas Airport 97 93 in 2006
Grants Milan Airport 97 tied 97 in 2006
Ruidoso fire dpt 97 92 in 1996
Gallup Airport 94 tied 94 in 2006
Los Alamos Airport 92 89 in 2006
Chama y motel 86 tied 86 in 2006

* all time record high temperature for any day. But note only 28 years of data is available for the Santa Fe Airport.

Our local WX station... not of the  "official" sort... reported 102 yesterday afternoon.  But Hell, 100 is hot enuff, innit?  

We're cooler today what with it being only 90 degrees on its way to 97.  It's breezy, too.  We're tempting fate by having our awning down.  I think I'll fire up a stogie and get my old ass outside, G&T in hand, just to keep an eye on it.

Sixty-Six Years Ago

From this date last year...

Saturday, June 06, 2009

D-Day

Sixty-five years ago today. All images as captioned in the Life Magazine photo archives.

Tracer fire from many different ships lighting up the night sky over the English Channel during opening phase of D-Day, the Allied invasion of France. (no credit)

American B-26 Marauders with special D-Day markings make a bombing run over Cherbourg around the time of the Allied D-Day invasion of France. (Frank Scherschel)

Aerial view of American troops and tanks coming ashore as landing craft continue to unload on the first day of Operation Overlord, the invasion of France, aka on D-Day. (no credit)

Massive landing and deployment of US troops, supplies and equipment in the days following victorious D-Day action on Omaha Beach; barrage balloons guard against German aircraft while scores of ships unload men & material. (no credit)

Bodies of 8 American paratroopers lie outside the wreckage of their glider near Hiesville, France on the day of the invasion of Normandy, aka D-Day. (no credit)

Chaplin saying mass aboard HMS Scylla, laying at anchor off the Normandy coast shortly after the D-Day invasion of France. (no credit)

As always... click for larger. And spare a thought and a prayer today for those who made the ultimate sacrifice 65 years ago. There were many thousands who gave their lives for freedom on this day...

On-Line Shopping

We bought ourselves a new laptop Saturday... mainly coz we want to stay in touch with our friends and the inner-nets in general while we're off gallivanting towards the East Coast and points in between next month.  We've not seen a need for a laptop since our once and former laptop gave up the ghost three years or so ago. But there is a need now.  

We must keep up with the voluminous amount of e-mail we receive (heh), yanno? Unlike you, Gentle Reader, we do not receive tons of  "Jesus Loves You," "Little Kimmy Needs a New Heart/Kidney/Lungs/Spleen," "Precious Kitties,"or "Preserve Our Second Amendment!" and other assorted political tripe of various and sundry sorts.  

Nope.  ALL of our stuff is of the "must read" variety, which comes from cultivating friends and acquaintances with impeccable taste.  I mean there's essential stuff like the missives I receive from My Buddy Ed In Florida, a lot of which become blog-fodder.  Check that link if ya don't believe me, or there's this example:

A man watching golf on TV kept switching channel to a dirty movie featuring a lusty couple.

"I don't know whether to watch them or the game," he said to his wife.

"For heaven's sake, watch them," his wife said.  "You already know how to play golf!!!!!!!

See?  Quality stuff.  We don't want to miss that, nor do we want to find six thousand unread e-mails in our in-box when we return.  That would be too much for a gentleman of leisure to absorb.  Better we get them every day while we're on the road.

And we must POST, too.  I owe you that much, Gentle Reader.  Think of all the Happy Hours in strange and different places you'd miss otherwise!  And think of the road pictures you would also miss... like this:

Ain't that great?  But enough with the digressions and bogus rationales.  All y'all are smart enough to realize we just wanted a new toy.

So.   I recently became a Hewlett-Packard retiree, since HP acquired EDS back in 2009.  There are certain benefits associated with my new status, not the least of which include an HP employee/retiree discount.  And HP makes some pretty good laptops.  You can figger out the rest, I'm sure. 

Ah, but it was painful, trying to get this employee discount.  We'll cut right to the chase with this (I made some minor edits to remove typos, but you should note the highlighted bits):

06/05/2010 11:06:15AM Session Started with Agent (Julia A)
06/05/2010 11:06:15AM Buck: "Does this price include my HP (EDS) Retiree discount?"
06/05/2010 11:06:21AM Agent (Julia A): "Thank you for contacting the HP Home & Home Office Store Chat."
06/05/2010 11:06:35AM Agent (Julia A): "My name is Julia. I hope that you are doing well today, Buck." 06/05/2010 11:06:58AM Buck: "Thanks, Julia I'm fine and hope you are, too."
06/05/2010 11:07:11AM Agent (Julia A): "Yes, I am."
06/05/2010 11:07:49AM Agent (Julia A): "I understand that you are asking if your chosen HP product includes the HP EPP discount."
06/05/2010 11:09:05AM Buck: "Yep! I have another question, too. Does this laptop have a card reader that will read my camera's flash card? Which is... a Compact Flash config."
06/05/2010 11:09:31AM Agent (Julia A): "I see. I am happy that you considered purchasing an HP product. With HP, you are sure to get quality products."
06/05/2010 11:09:37AM Agent (Julia A): "I am willing to assist you."
06/05/2010 11:09:51AM Agent (Julia A): "By the way, do you have an existing account with us?"
06/05/2010 11:10:31AM Buck: "I'm pretty sure I do. My e-mail is (e-mail redacted)."
06/05/2010 11:10:54AM Buck: "I can give you my employee ID if you need that."
06/05/2010 11:11:14AM Agent (Julia A): "Don't you have an HP EPP account yet?"
06/05/2010 11:11:33AM Agent (Julia A): "I am referring to your HP Employee Purchase Program account."
06/05/2010 11:11:41AM Buck: "Once again: I THINK I do."
06/05/2010 11:12:02AM Agent (Julia A): "May I know your complete name, please?"
06/05/2010 11:12:12AM Buck: "Norman E Pennington"
06/05/2010 11:12:29AM Agent (Julia A): "Thank you."
06/05/2010 11:13:06AM Agent (Julia A): "Actually, I can see an account of yours here, but it is not updated or registered to our HP Employee Purchase Program yet."
06/05/2010 11:13:46AM Agent (Julia A): "In order for you to get an HP EPP discount, you should log-in to such account."
06/05/2010 11:14:05AM Agent (Julia A): "May I know your EDS email address?"
06/05/2010 11:14:16AM Buck: "Can you assist me with that? I tried creating an HP EPP account but got error messages stating an account already existed with my e-mail address."
06/05/2010 11:14:41AM Buck: "It looked like the ultimate Catch-22 situation. :-)"
06/05/2010 11:15:14AM Buck: "I'm retired from EDS."
06/05/2010 11:16:00AM Agent (Julia A): "I understand that."
06/05/2010 11:16:18AM Buck: "Ergo, no EDS e-mail addy."
06/05/2010 11:17:30AM Agent (Julia A): "The thing is we cannot create a new account of yours here since your personal information was connected to your EDS account."
06/05/2010 11:19:51AM Agent (Julia A): "It would be best that you call our Sales Center who can best assist you."
06/05/2010 11:20:31AM Agent (Julia A): "Please call 866-221-4553, and a Sales Representative will be able to assist you with your order placement and answer any remaining questions that you have. Their hours of operation are between 7:00 AM - 2:00 AM EST, 7 days a week."
06/05/2010 11:20:35AM Buck: "What? Let's review. (a) I tried to create an EPP account. I was refused because an account supposedly existed with my e-mail address. (b) I entered my e-mail address and clicked "forgot password." (c) I received an e-mail, clicked on the link and reset my password. (d) I entered the store and filled out a configuration for a laptop. (e) I only want to know if the price includes my discount. (f) Are we clear?
06/05/2010 11:21:47AM Buck: "OK, Julia. I'll call the Sales Center. Thank you for your help."
06/05/2010 11:22:06AM Agent (Julia A): "You are welcome."
06/05/2010 11:22:12AM Agent (Julia A): "Is there anything else I can assist you with today?"
06/05/2010 11:22:28AM Buck: "Nope. We're good to go."

Ah, well.  We called the Sales Center as advised and the deal was done in ten short minutes... with all discounts, as advertised.  And you, Gentle Reader, shall get your road pictures and other such terribly important info when we set out on the road next month.

I know you can't wait.

That Which Is Accompanying Happy Hour Today

Cherries.  Lots of 'em.  They made an interesting counterpoint to our beer today... and they were/are good.

I have a couple o' few memories of cherries-past.  There's this:

I brake for Cherries!

We did indeed brake for cherries.  This particular photo was taken during the Great Northern US Tour of 2000, wherein The Family Sam and YrHmblScrb set off from the Seattle area headed to the east coast across the top of these United States, mostly via US2 (we covered the western leg in its entirety).  This pic was shot somewhere in Washington state and we spent the evening after dinner consuming mass quantities of cherries around the fire at our camp site, whereupon Sam (SN2), daughter-in-law Alisa, and Granddaughters Numbers One and Two (in that branch o' the fambly) and I indulged in the usual, customary, and reasonable cherry-pit spitting contest.  A good time was had by all.

And then there's the non-illustrated cherry story from 1987 or there 'bouts, wherein The Second Mrs. Pennington, our neighbor The Lovely Miss Lynch (Kim), and I sat out on our patio in Birmingham (a Dee-troit suburb) and consumed mass quantities (gallons) of cherries and waaaay too damned much wine, to the effect of five or six bottles between the three of us.  Kim had just returned from a trip up to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where cherries were in season.  She brought back a HUGE amount of same and we ate every single one of 'em while drinking the wine... a nice Bordeaux if memory serves.  Miss Lynch weaved her way home... which, being next door wasn't all THAT far... shortly before dawn; TSMP and I stumbled off to bed around the same time.  I think.  

We could only HOPE the bright red contents in the toilet bowl on the following morning was just wine mixed with cherry residue and not blood.  I'm thinkin' that was a pretty good bet in hindsight, but I wasn't so damned sure at the time.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

Love is a stranger
In an open car
To tempt you in
And drive you far away

Hey!  That's ME Annie's talkin' 'bout!!

Need a ride, Little Girl?

The Bad Ol' Days

The audio is a lil murky, but stay with it.  There are some good shots of various aircraft leaving and arriving at Cam Ranh Bay... F-4s, C-130s, and a 707 or two, one in Pan Am livery... to entertain, as well.

"What the captain means is 'It's a fucked-up war!'"  Yes.  Yes it was.

H/T to Occasional Reader and former F-4 driver Virgil Xenophon.

Hot

If you click to embiggen you'll note that we New Mexicans really mean it when we say "But it's a DRY heat!"  That said... let me also say this: Gin and tonic season is well and truly upon us.  I see this sorta thang in my immediate future:

Two or three of 'em, even.  Last evening I sat outdoors nursing a single malt or two until the last vestige of purple-pink twilight had faded to black, which was nigh on to 2100 hrs.  I don't want to contradict myself by saying sumthin' like "this is my favorite time o' year."  But it sure as Hell is ONE of 'em.

Update, 1410 hrs:  We just had a momentary flash o' panic when we went to the Likker Locker, pulled out the Tanqueray bottle, and saw there was about ONE weak-ass drink's worth of contents therein.  "Oh, NO!" thinks I, having only recently returned from the Likker Emporium with a six-pack of Schweppes' Finest in hand.  I shoulda known better.  There was a new bottle (with a now recently broken seal) hiding in the back.  Mama didn't raise no fools.  

And now it's outdoors.  Cheers!

Grand Theft Video

Via Lex:

There's not even a whiff of "Heh" on this one, it's just TOO damned true.  I have nothing but utter contempt for the Hamas apologists and the Useful Fucking Idiots that buy into Hamas' propaganda.

That is all.

I Don't Think So...

OK.  It's cool.  Very cool.  Cool to the tune of a 552 hp V10, carbon fiber everything, and an... ummm... interesting exterior.  Behold the Lexus LFA:

The video is immensely entertaining, as are all Top Gear episodes (the track testing bits begin around 5:45).  I agree with J. Clarkson et al, tho:  not at all worth the $375,000.00 US admission price, and it's even pricier in the UK at £300,000.00... which translates to $438,953.53 at current conversion rates.  That's a lot o' lettuce, even for a garden variety lottery winner.

So... what's the appeal of an LFA when you could have one of these for much less than one third of the LFA's price, with 80 more horsepower, equal or better handling, and it's serviceable at almost any Chevy dealer?  Per Clarkson, the Zed-Are-One (bonus: some Caddy CTS-V bits thrown in, as well):

Saith Clarkson:  "Are you listening Ferrari?  This is a MAHsterpiece!"  Yep, Jeremy... agreed.  I know which one I'd have.

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

We've sung along to more than a few boozy choruses with this tune... and more recently than you'd might think, Gentle Reader.  The Amazing Rhythm Aces:

She kept saying, "I've never really done this kind of thing before, have you?"
Third rate romance, low rent rendezvous
He said, "Yes I have, but only a time or two"
Third rate romance, low rent rendezvous

Heh.  We're not sayin' we've been there, Gentle Reader.  But OTOH, we're not sayin' we haven't, either.  A third-rate romance is better than no romance at all, innit?

Scrapin' the Bottom o' the Blogging Barrel II

Am I the only one who's glad half and half is now sold by the half-gallon?

I hope not...

The View From Chicago

Just a brief quote to direct you to this Chicago Tribune piece by David Haugh on last night's game:

Clearly, the Flyers have no plans to abort this mission. For the second straight game, they dominated the third period and established the desired tempo. For the third straight game, the difference was one goal.

Any time the Hawks want to start acting like the favorites in this series again, fine by me. Any time the Hawks want to focus on attacking the Flyers more than answering their attacks, nobody will complain.

Yup.  What he said.  Yesterday I read another column in the Chicago press that said the Blackhawks have only brought their "C" game to this series so far, and that's the frickin' truth.  The Flyers aggressive forechecking last night seemed to leave the Hawks shell-shocked and I'm being kind here.  Philadelphia also won most of those critical battles in the corners and on the boards... in both the offensive and defensive zones... to the point where it really looked like the Hawks were intimidated.  I don't think that was my imagination, not when I saw any number of Hawks hesitate to get to the puck before the Flyers did (with the possible exception of Byfuglien)... it just happened too many times.  You can't win games if you're gonna play like that, to say the VERY least.

This series is getting more and more interesting as time moves on and tomorrow night is gonna be some kinda FUN.  This doesn't mean I'm backing off on my "Chicago in six" prediction.  I'm thinkin' Quenneville and his boyz might have received the message last night... but we'll see what we see, eh?

Today's Happy Hour Soundtrack

It's yet another early Happy Hour and this is part of our soundtrack...

Ah, yes.  Yes indeed.  We are "Into the Mystic" today in a big way... and in all sorts of different ways... but mostly of the reminiscent sort.  This tune invokes MANY fond memories of Former Happy Days and the women with which we spent them.  (sigh)

It'll be interesting to see how long this particular clip stays up on the Tube of You.  Mr. Morrison has some of the most aggressive lawyers I've EVER seen and he (they) are not at all tolerant of his music being posted anywhere other than on his official site.  Which is a shame, of course.  Van the Man has about as rabid a cult following as there exists anywhere and I seriously doubt that posting his music in various forms hurts his sales or income stream, in whatever form.  I think it's all about ego, of which the man has an overabundance thereof.  Or so I've heard.  But... the horn section on this tune?  Orgasmic.

Still and even... one would be hard pressed to name an artist... any artist... who has the longevity and the sheer prolific output of Van The Man.  He is my absolute favorite solo male artist and is on equal terms with Joni Mitchell for "Favorite Artist, Ever."  That would be in the solo category, just to be clear.  The Stones remain "The Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band in the World. "  Always and forever.  But Van?  He absolutely, positively defines the term "Blue Eyed Soul" regardless of his eye color.  The expression is just another euphemism for "white guys singin' the blues" or sumthin' like that.

We shall now pour our second beer and return to the Great Outdoors... "Under the Awning" division.  It's a beautiful day here on The High Plains of New Mexico.

Why I'm Rooting for the Hawks

Actually it's why I'm rooting against the Flyers.  If it were any other team from the East, save the Flightless Birds (ptui!), I'd be rooting against Chicago.  There are complex psychological reasons for this and not many of them are based on fact... it's ALL emotion.  The fact is I never root for either of these teams in the regular season; the Hawks are the Wings' traditional Central Division rivals and the Wings only play the Flyers once or twice in any given season.  So you would think I'd root for Philly, right?  Wrong, Bucko.

It's sports-hate.   Justin Bourne put up a good column on this subject yesterday and he hit a nerve.  Let's throw out a few quotes:

A while back, Bill Simmons did a nice job of putting words to the idea of "sports hate," (ed: read that - it's good) and it's long since been a favorite topic of mine. Its part of the reason the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals are so much fun.

To differentiate, real hate would be where you want someone to die in a fiery plane crash -- sports hate would be where you want someone's remote control plane to catch fire and crash into an athlete's face.

We need sports hate to feel invested in the games we're watching, or we wouldn't care half as much. It's the reason readers leave vitriol-laced comments calling opposing team's "whining divers" instead of saying "it's too bad somebody had to lose". Hating your opponent makes winning that much sweeter.

And for fans without a team contending for this year's Cup, sports hate is major reason to tune in. How fun is it to wish misery on names like Chris Pronger, Dan Carcillo, Scott Hartnell, Adam Burish, Dave Bolland and Dustin Byfuglien? I've got zero personal investment in the Finals beyond my predictions about the Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks, so I get to sit back and wish for Pronger's plus/minus to read like Tiger Woods played a municipal course from the middle tees.

Now we're getting there.  Chris Pronger.  Known to Wings fans as "Chrissy," coz it's de rigeur to disparage the object of your derision's manhood.  Always.  Even if he is 6' 6", weighs 214 pounds, and could kick your ass while laying on his death bed 40 years from now.  I (sports) hate Pronger, and it goes back to the 2007 Western Conference final, when he was the prime mover in this lil incident:

Holmstrom took 13 stitches in that incident, Rob Neidermeyer took a penalty, and Pronger was suspended for one game after the fact.  It was a dirty hit... the type of hit Pronger specializes in and gets away with a lot of the time... and worse, it was an elbow to the head.  The head shot, one of the worst offenses in the game.  Players can lose months of time due to concussions from head shots.  They suck and players that deliver 'em suck, too.  Big time.

Back to Pronger, or more specifically, the 2007 WCF.  The Wings lost that series to Anaheim... and it was close... who went on to win the Cup that year.  Pronger played a big part in the Wings' defeat and a large part in the Ducks' Cup win.  I hate Pronger, therefore I hate the frickin' Flyers, and there you have it.

So... back to Bourne.  Near the end of his piece he writes this lil beauty:

My ideal scenario involves Philly being down 3-0 in the series, and being tied in the dying minutes of Game 4. Pronger is the last guy back with the puck. He goes to make a breakout pass, his stick snaps, and he falls on the bottom half and gets winded. Meanwhile, Jonathan Toews picks it up and scores on that Pavel Datsyuk shootout floater move. Then the camera zooms in Pronger crying, so Eager shoots at towel at him to use.

For fans everywhere, sports hate is good. It doesn't need to be malicious; it's supposed to be fun. Pronger may be a great guy, but for those of us who get irritated by his antics, we get to pretend we know that he isn't.

So until I hear otherwise, I'm gonna sit back and hope he gets a flaming mini-plane in the face.

Heh.  Me too, Justin.  Me too.

Broadening Our Horizons XIX

We're callin' Happy Hour early today, mainly coz we're in something very much like a pissy mood.  And, contrary to popular opinion, drinking DOES help at times like these... if only to mellow out our crotchety old self.  There's a reason "Attitude Adjustment Hour" is another euphemism for afternoon imbibing.  A GOOD reason.

Another reason... as if I really needed one... is we received this beauty in today's mail:

That's a box of CAO Italia Novellas, whose main claim to fame is they feature Italian tobaccos.  That's a new one on me, because all the big manufacturers always tout their "Cuban seed tobacco," "finest Honduran tobaccos," shade grown Connecticut tobaccos, and so on and so forth.  But Eye-Talian?  Never heard that before.  We did a bit o' research before we popped for these guys, which were featured as Cigar.com's "special of the week" recently.  The guys who write inner-net cigar reviews generally gave these sticks a thumbs-up and that was enough for me.

We shall now retire outdoors and see just how right they were/are.

Some Hockey Stuff

First:  The Captain will return for at least one more year.  

DETROIT – The giant breeze that rolled up the freeway arteries leading out of downtown was the collective exhalation of a Red Wings’ organization relieved to know that one of the best players of this generation will be back.

Nicklas Lidstrom, who is widely considered the world’s best defenseman in hockey, will return for a 19th season, signing a one-year contract, the Red Wings announced Tuesday.

EVERY Red Wings fan on the planet breathed a sigh of relief this morning and most of us probably said a couple o' Hail Marys or performed whatever ritual their Deity At Hand demands in these circumstances.  Me?  I lit off three sticks of incense and placed them on the Gordie Howe/Stevie Y/Darren McCarty altar along with a Labatt's Blue, given as how I'm fresh out o' rice cakes, oranges, flowers, and other such appropriate stuff.  But I'm always stocked with quality incense.  It's a religious thang, yanno?  And it sure smells good in here this morning.

Second:  Furthering your hockey education is one of our most important goals (heh) here at EIP, Gentle Reader.  Many of you have mentioned in comments from time to time that you just don't "get" the game, while others of you have been downright rude about things... but we won't go there.  Understanding hockey is essential to enjoying the game as it is with all sports and most of life, in general.  So, to that end we offer "After the whistle -Want to know how an NHL postseason pileup works? Follow along with us."  Which is a step-by-step explanation of events when something like this happens:

Blackhawks defenseman Brent Sopel loses his helmet in a scrum in front of the Hawks' goal. (Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune / May 31, 2010)

That would be the scrum, also sometimes referred to as "a gathering of the clans."  It turns out there are rules for the players to follow, along with a certain sequence of events that always unfold when these things happen.  Long-time fans know these things... and understand terms like "chirping," "face-wash," "protected players," and other terms unique to hockey.  But the linked article provides some interesting insight and tips about the finer points of the scrum... like this:

Most of the immediate tactics in a scrum are meant to manipulate a player's ego to provoke him into drawing a penalty. Often, then, the most effective weapon in a scrum is the ability to keep your cool. "The trick is to not overreact to anything," says Pronger. "The game has become so much more about discipline, even in scrums. If a guy punches you in the head, you just have to take it and look at the ref and go, 'You're not gonna call that?' " Players often employ humor at this stage to keep their cool while sending their opponent over the edge. After a skirmish at the end of a 5-1 blowout in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, the victorious Habs' Michael Cammalleri stuck his tongue out at an enraged Daniel Carcillo of the Flyers. In these situations Ducks enforcer George Parros likes to announce, in a loud voice, that the guy he's tangling with needs to brush his teeth between periods because he has bad breath. "There's nothing worse than a guy who gets you and then starts laughing in your face," says Barnaby. "Guys still tell me, 'It wasn't the stuff you did, it was that smile afterward that made us want to rip your head off.' "

It's essential information, Gentle Reader... whether you're a newbie or a long-time fan.  

There was something else, too.  Lemmee think.  Oh, Yeah...  The Hawks are up 2-0 in the series.  Damien Cox speaks for me:

Blame the ice at the United Center if you want. It’s awful, and a muggy, rainy day in the Windy City on Memorial Day didn’t help the conditions.

But the hockey so far has been mediocre at best. A sloppily played Game 1, with 11 goals scored, was followed up by low-scoring but nonetheless sloppily played Game 2.

[...]

The best that could be said about Games 1 and 2 would be that they were both in doubt until the final whistle, with the Flyers pulling their goaltender in both games but unable to tie and create overtime.

That’s good tension, sure. But memorable? Not unless you’re cheering for the Blackhawks, now two games away from capturing their first Stanley Cup since 1961.

My only point of disagreement concerns Game One.  I thoroughly enjoyed that one despite the sloppy play... coz high scoring games are MUCH more enjoyable than a 2-1 "dueling goalies" kinda tilt.  But Cox is right for the most part.  

Chicago is pretty damned lucky to be up 2-0 in this series, given the nature of their defense, the amount of time the Flyers have spent in their zone, and the total lack of scoring from their Big Guns. Where's Kane?  Where's Toews? I can't say "where's Hossa?" coz he provided one of Chicago's two goals last night.  The Flyers, on the other hand, have been pretty danged good in this series, both offensively and defensively.  Antti Niemi is the only reason the series standing isn't reversed; he was stellar in goal last evening after a shaky start in Game One.  I'm thinkin' maybe The Hockey Gods are playing no small part here, too.  

You never shoulda done that, Richards.  I don't care what Sid told ya.