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You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / Friday Night Open Thread

Friday Night Open Thread

by John Cole|  May 8, 20097:37 pm| 271 Comments

This post is in: Cat Blogging, Cooking, Movies, Open Threads

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Dinner was excellent, and the mushrooms turned out great. I actually made two marinades (one with lime juice and one with balsamic) as suggested in the comments below, and then ended up using neither. I just washed them, brushed them with a little olive oil, cooked them, and then tasted one to see which marinade would be better, and decided all it needed was a little sea salt and some pepper. Very good. Summer food rules, especially since so much of it is light and healthy and I’m always trying to make it so there is less of me to love. Apparently too big to fail only works for the banks.

At any rate, not much going on at the Cole homestead tonight or this weekend. I was thinking about going home to take mom out to dinner since my father is in Reno, but when I called my mom to ask, she said “That is ok, I have lacrosse games to watch.” I wish I hadn’t already mailed her a card.

Tomorrow I am renting a rototiller and plowing up the plot I have cleared for the garden, and I suppose I need to finalize what I am going to plant. I might go see Star Trek this weekend, as well.

Finally, I have been on the receiving end of a vicious assault the entire time I have been writing this:

Also, the Pens and Caps are on, and it is about to get brutal, as Ovechkin just intentionally destroyed Gonchar’s knee, and will probably be beaten to a bloody pulp.

What is on the agenda for you all?

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Previous Post: « It’s a gentleman’s sport, you know
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Reader Interactions

271Comments

  1. 1.

    TenguPhule

    May 8, 2009 at 7:39 pm

    t. I actually made two marinades (one with lime juice and one with balsamic) as suggested in the comments below, and then ended up using neither.

    *shakes fist*

    Damn you, Cole!

  2. 2.

    JenJen

    May 8, 2009 at 7:40 pm

    What TenguPhule said.

  3. 3.

    TenguPhule

    May 8, 2009 at 7:40 pm

    Finally, I have been on the receiving end of a vicious assault the entire time I have been writing this:

    Tunch is channeling Palpatine?

  4. 4.

    robertdsc

    May 8, 2009 at 7:40 pm

    Stay home and play Metal Gear Online for PS3, then go to sleep to get ready for work in the morning.

    I’m a big Star Wars guy, so Star Trek doesn’t do anything for me.

    Tunch iz king!

  5. 5.

    Betsy

    May 8, 2009 at 7:42 pm

    Low key evening tonight, working (boo) much of the weekend, and then taking mom out to dinner at the Hungry Mother Sunday. Anyone in the Boston area, if you have a semi-special occasion (it’s expensive, but not on the level of aujourd’hui or something) I can’t recommend it highly enough. I had one of the best meals in my life there a few months ago for my birthday, and I’m excited to have an occasion to go back.

  6. 6.

    Mr. Stuck

    May 8, 2009 at 7:43 pm

    Reds and Cards and cincy jumps out to a two run lead in the first. Hates the Cards, Cards is number 0.

  7. 7.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 7:47 pm

    @Betsy: I googled their menu, and the cornmeal catfish and grilled rainbow trout both sound amazing. Although, tbh, anything is good with andouille sausage in it.

    Also note that the steak entree features ramps.

  8. 8.

    JenJen

    May 8, 2009 at 7:47 pm

    @Mr. Stuck: Hey! Are you a ‘Natian, or just a Reds fan, or just a Cards hater?

    Oh, my… Alan Keyes Letter from the Notre Dame Jail! He’s totally out of his tree, this loon.
    http://images.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/05/08/keyes_arrest/ForgiveAlanKeyes.pdf

  9. 9.

    KRK

    May 8, 2009 at 7:48 pm

    Those photos don’t exactly scream “vicious assault”; seems like another anti-Tunch smear.

    Your mom preferring TV lacrosse to dinner with you is at least a step up from her preferring to be dead. So you’ve got that going for you.

  10. 10.

    Betsy

    May 8, 2009 at 7:53 pm

    @John Cole:
    Heh, when I was out for my b-day with my mom, stepdad, and boyfriend, everyone at the table except me ordered the catfish. I recall it was highly regarded.
    I had the one veg entree on the menu, and was made indescribably happy by the fact that the chefs put as much creativity and thought into it as they did into any of the meat or fish dishes. It was sublime. So often at “nice” restaurants, the one veg dish is essentially grilled vegetables or pasta primavera. Which I could make at home for a hell of a lot less than $20 a plate.

  11. 11.

    JL

    May 8, 2009 at 7:56 pm

    Tunch is looking so healthy. The new diet must really appeal to him. I just finished The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and have mixed feelings about it. The story tugged at you heartstrings but I thought that it was too long.

  12. 12.

    Mr. Stuck

    May 8, 2009 at 7:57 pm

    @JenJen:

    Are you a ‘Natian,

    Don’t know what this means,

    but I’m a Reds lover, and a Cards Hater,
    And git my lovin on the ruuuuun

  13. 13.

    JK

    May 8, 2009 at 7:57 pm

    John,

    Excellent coverage this week of Republicans’ latest manifestations of Obama derangement syndrome and the latest disinformation efforts of journalists like Jeffrey Rosen and Nick Gillespie, plus the Pentagon’s removal of that IG report.

    Keep up the great work.

    BTW, what is your favorite studio album by Little Feat?

    Damn you Alex “A-Fraud” Rodriguez. Let’s go Orioles.

  14. 14.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 7:58 pm

    @Mr. Stuck: She is asking if you are from Cincinnati. You use full sentences, so I doubt it.

  15. 15.

    TenguPhule

    May 8, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    She is asking if you are from Cincinnati. You use full sentences, so I doubt it.

    Oooo, burn.

  16. 16.

    AhabTRuler

    May 8, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    Tunch is looking so healthy.

    Definitely. He’s still a big boy, but his fat rolls no longer have their own features (y’know like a moonscape, or a golf course).

  17. 17.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 8:01 pm

    @JK: I really don’t care for their studio stuff too much. I generally just like live music better, unless the recording is terribad.

  18. 18.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 8:05 pm

    @JL: Oh Gad. When I went down to Sullivan’s Island a couple of friends were all over me to read that NOW. I honestly can’t recall the last book of fiction I’ve read, number one. And two…I don’t need animal heartbreak “fiction”. And three, it would cut into all the brain-cell eroding time I waste here.
    So I’m hearing you say I can continue to not read it?

  19. 19.

    TenguPhule

    May 8, 2009 at 8:05 pm

    He’s still a big boy, but his fat rolls no longer have their own features (y’know like a moonscape, or a golf course).

    Features nothing, they were working their way up to independent sentient lifeforms.

  20. 20.

    TenguPhule

    May 8, 2009 at 8:07 pm

    And three, it would cut into all the brain-cell eroding time I waste here.

    Balloon Juice, cheaper then beer and more amusing then bongs.

  21. 21.

    JenJen

    May 8, 2009 at 8:07 pm

    @John Cole: Wow, real nice, John! That’s definitely the last time I patiently explain to you how to make a delectable marinade that you don’t even end up using.

    Don’t worry, I’m not so petty as to unload my rich arsenal of West Virginia jokes on you.

    In other news that doesn’t involve insulting your own devoted commenters, this new Wolfram Alpha search engine is going to be the shizz. Can’t wait.

  22. 22.

    JK

    May 8, 2009 at 8:07 pm

    @John Cole:
    OK

    Tonight, Keith Olbermann includes the CBS golf analyst, responsible for that insane remark cited by Doug in the previous post, in his list of Worst Persons in the World.

  23. 23.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 8:08 pm

    @John Cole: Here you go. Found this last night, actually.
    Check out my Bonnie and Emmylou. Babies!

  24. 24.

    Cat Lady

    May 8, 2009 at 8:09 pm

    Tonight in SportsHub (TM) USA a/k/a Boston you need picture-in-picture-in-picture.

    What color do you call Tunch? He always reads a little pinkish or peachy, like he was white once and got thrown in the wash with the red towel or something. Or is it my monitor? Whatever, I totally love his vestigial devil horns.

  25. 25.

    Krista

    May 8, 2009 at 8:10 pm

    What the hell is that strange-looking thing between your monitor and your framed Steelers stuff? I’m trying to figure out if it’s a computer speaker or a really elaborate lamp?

    The mushrooms sound like they were excellent. We’ll be doing some grilling this weekend. We just got a new barbecue last week, although we made the classic mistake:

    Me: do you think the box will fit in the Taurus?
    Him: Sure, I’d say it’ll fit.
    Me: Me too, and if it doesn’t fit in the trunk, surely it’ll fit in the back seat.

    A half-hour and much cursing later, we have the entire barbecue out of the box, and stuffed into the car, with the now-destroyed box in the back seat.

    Oh well — it was worth it. There’s a kickass pork shop about a half-hours’ drive from here, and they have these marinated capicola steaks that would make you weep, they’re so good.

  26. 26.

    BethanyAnne

    May 8, 2009 at 8:11 pm

    I think I’m going to put some levels on the new Horde drood I recently rolled. Maybe I can hit 20 this weekend.

  27. 27.

    Ned R.

    May 8, 2009 at 8:12 pm

    In re Trek — seeing a later evening showing at the local IMAX tonight. As someone whose mom loved the original series and who pretty well grew up with the earlier movies, TNG etc. — DS9 lost me after a bit and after that, eh — I don’t care about continuity, ‘the original spirit’ or whatever. Just give me a good film!

  28. 28.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 8:12 pm

    @JenJen: Has he accused you of causing your dead dog to eat himself to death to get away from you yet?
    You’re still golden, JenJen.

  29. 29.

    CaseyL

    May 8, 2009 at 8:14 pm

    Very busy evening for me.

    First I’m going to an Artwalk in Greenwood (a north Seattle neighborhood) with a friend I used to work with.

    Then, I’m driving north to eat dinner cooked by my foodie friend, after which the two of us come back to Seattle to see Star Trek (11:00 show), which I have fought like mad* to be completely unspoiled for.

    Tomorrow I sleep in. Hope to sleep in. Or at least as much as Ariel will let me; she’s used to very early breakfasts.

    *Have avoided all reviews, blogs, and conversation about it, to the point of actually sticking my fingers in my ears and singing LALALALAICAN’THEARYOU.

  30. 30.

    Mr. Stuck

    May 8, 2009 at 8:15 pm

    Oh, Cincin (natian) . From Middletown originally, grew up in Kaintuck. Still have kin in SW Ohio and once lived there in my twenties.

    But am also a Browns fan, which usually gets the lions share of Cole’s petty insults. Next season though, just wait’ll next season, he’ll be sorry..

  31. 31.

    JenJen

    May 8, 2009 at 8:15 pm

    @Laura W: Excellent observation. But give him time, just give him time.

    I mean, honestly, to be from WV and talk smack about Ohio? Really? Really!?

    @Mr. Stuck: Our beloved Reds are up 5-0! Too bad they’re not as good as that professional baseball team they have in West Virginia. Oh, wait…

  32. 32.

    Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse

    May 8, 2009 at 8:16 pm

    @Krista: I thought it was a bong at first, but now I think it’s some artsy pencil holder.

    Edit: Now that I’ve embiggened the pictures, I have no idea. It’s awfully shiny and intricate and metallic. An Art Deco mic?

  33. 33.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 8:19 pm

    @JenJen: I only hurt the ones I love.

    @Krista: Speakers. Harman Kardon SoundSticks

    @Laura W: Sometimes I think Dennis Leary has it exactly right. Pig Pen, Lowell George, Keith Godchaux, Brent Mydland, all dead way too young, yet Bon Jovi keeps on trucking.

  34. 34.

    Krista

    May 8, 2009 at 8:20 pm

    @Comrade Mary: as long as there isn’t a wetsuit hanging nearby, we should be able to rest easy.

  35. 35.

    icedfire

    May 8, 2009 at 8:22 pm

    I’m at work so I can’t watch the game.

    Can someone give me details on the hit? I feel a tremor in the force, as though millions of bandwagon Pens fans rise up from their parents’ basements and took to the Internet in rage.

  36. 36.

    Krista

    May 8, 2009 at 8:24 pm

    John: Well, aren’t you the fancy-pants, then? :)

    @JenJen: awww….he loves you. Are you feeling all verklempt?

  37. 37.

    The Cat Who Would Be Tunch

    May 8, 2009 at 8:29 pm

    I should’ve been staring at the horizon and watching the sunset from 35,000 feet. Ahh well.

    @John Cole: Hmm, Logitech G15 Keyboard and Razer mouse? (Dammit, I seriously need to stop obsessing over PC hardware).

  38. 38.

    JL

    May 8, 2009 at 8:31 pm

    @Laura W: Benjamin Button is the movie about a baby who is abandoned because of his appearance. He looks like an old man and ages in reverse. It was amazing to see how they tied the story together but it was a tad to forrest gumpish for me.
    The book that you would have trouble reading is Marley and Me. It was about raising and loving a destructive Yellow Lab. I had a golden like that.

  39. 39.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 8:33 pm

    @JL:
    EMBED-The Curious Case of Forrest Gump – Watch more free videos

  40. 40.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    May 8, 2009 at 8:37 pm

    What is the difference between sea salt and salt? Or is that just another way for arugula-eating Democrat party members to show their contempt for average people?

  41. 41.

    JK

    May 8, 2009 at 8:37 pm

    @Laura W:
    That was a great clip.

    Sometimes I think Dennis Leary has it exactly right. Pig Pen, Lowell George, Keith Godchaux, Brent Mydland, all dead way too young

    Also too young to die: John Lennon, George Harrison, Frank Zappa, Brian Jones, Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Keith Moon, John Bonham, Joey Ramone, Joe Strummer, James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon, Phil Ochs, Janis Joplin, Laura Nyro, and Sandy Dennis.

  42. 42.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 8:38 pm

    @The Cat Who Would Be Tunch: I moved the Barracuda out of the shot so I wouldn’t get too flamed.

  43. 43.

    Little Dreamer

    May 8, 2009 at 8:38 pm

    @JK:

    latest manifestations of Obama derangement syndrome and the latest disinformation efforts of journalists…

    The ODS is really odious!

  44. 44.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 8:40 pm

    This awkward family photos site rules. This is my favorite.

  45. 45.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    May 8, 2009 at 8:41 pm

    Hahaha. I just looked more closely at those pictures because of Krista’s question. At first I thought “it doesn’t look like kitty is doing anything wrong”. Then I realized he’s sitting on John’s mouse pad.

  46. 46.

    Little Dreamer

    May 8, 2009 at 8:42 pm

    @JL:

    Benjamin Button is/was a Capricorn?

    We’re old when we’re young, and we de-age as we get older. ;)

    As you can tell, I happen to be one of them.

  47. 47.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 8:42 pm

    @JL: Oh Shit. I KNEW that. I went to pee and I kept thinking about your title and I knew I was thinking of the wrong book! Not Marley and Me. What is that book that is all the rage with Oprah and her minions about dogs and a farm and they all DIAF in the end!
    OOPS. Major spoiler alert there! But I heard it is a long and taxing book, so you’re all welcome.

  48. 48.

    JL

    May 8, 2009 at 8:43 pm

    @John Cole: OMG, that was hilarious. Thank you for posting it.

  49. 49.

    A Ghost To Most

    May 8, 2009 at 8:43 pm

    @icedfire:

    The hit was hardly intentional (John is homering). It looked to me (and Craig Laughlin) that Ovie was trying to lay a shoulder into Gonchar, and his knee flexed a bit as they collided. They gave him two minutes, and it looked a marginal call at that. It was hardly an intent to injure; just another typical Penguin fan overreaction (like death threats).

  50. 50.

    Krista

    May 8, 2009 at 8:45 pm

    Then I realized he’s sitting on John’s mouse pad.

    Well, really, what were they expecting when they named the thing a “mouse”? Cats already love plunking themselves down upon whatever it is you’re focusing upon, so when you then create a small object that you move around erratically and name it a “mouse”, you’re really just begging for trouble.

  51. 51.

    JL

    May 8, 2009 at 8:45 pm

    @Laura W: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I bought that book at the thrift store where I volunteer and still haven’t read it yet.

  52. 52.

    JK

    May 8, 2009 at 8:48 pm

    @Little Dreamer:

    The worst thing about Obama derangement syndrome is that it’s only going to get worse from this point forward.

    The 2008 presidential campaign was simply spring training for Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, and Michelle Malkin. Obama’s 4 year term in office is the full season.

  53. 53.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 8:50 pm

    @JL: Well, now you see how easy it was for me to confuse the two:

    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

    And look! Now you don’t even have to read the Sawtelle one!
    What else can I help you with tonight, JL?

  54. 54.

    JenJen

    May 8, 2009 at 8:50 pm

    @John Cole: I’m still mad at you, but for more awkward photo fun, check out Sexy People. For example, is this hair even possible? And I’ve never really understood the let’s-look-like-we’re-sitting-in-a-brandy-snifter genre.

  55. 55.

    TX Expat

    May 8, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    I know this isn’t so PC, but I’m getting drunk as hell tonight. I just finished the last final of my first year of law school and it was a bitch. I am currently listening to the Dandy Warhols, drinking a beer, eying the bottle of scotch that I am soon to dive into and doing a balancing test:

    1. If I were to commit a tort on my Con Law professor, how would I do it and would it be worth it (now that I’m a third of a lawyer, I really think my criminal skills have greatly improved)

    OR

    2. Should I just steadily drink and play around on Rhapsody til I finally pass out from drunkenness and exhaustion (been pulling 14-18 days for the last 3 weeks)

    Thoughts?

  56. 56.

    Little Dreamer

    May 8, 2009 at 8:53 pm

    @JK:

    The 2008 presidential campaign was simply spring training for Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, and Michelle Malkin. Obama’s 4 year term in office is the full season.

    I could be wrong, but I truly believe that in 7 years and 7 months (4 years? No way! Not in THIS environment, go long!) all of those loudmouths will find their names on a homegrown terrorists list. ;)

  57. 57.

    gbear

    May 8, 2009 at 8:54 pm

    John, Have you ever seen this photo? Russian Nesting Tunches.

    Another question: I’m about to hit senior discount in a few months and AARP has started sending me mailings again (I joined for a year when I turned 50 and thought pretty much everything they stood for sucked). Is there any good reason to join AARP?

  58. 58.

    freelancer

    May 8, 2009 at 8:55 pm

    Sometimes I think Dennis Leary Bill Hicks has it exactly right. Pig Pen, Lowell George, Keith Godchaux, Brent Mydland, all dead way too young, yet Bon Jovi keeps on trucking.

    Fixed. Leary lifted the bit about good musicians dying and bad ones still around DIRECTLY from Hick’s first album.

  59. 59.

    Little Dreamer

    May 8, 2009 at 8:58 pm

    @TX Expat:

    Oh, I love Rhapsody, unfortunately I can’t afford it right now. I am hoping my library will still be intact when I return to it (my library has survived a couple of short absences already). There’s nothing like having just about every single album/song on earth (with the exception of The Eagles, Bob Seger, and a few other blowhards who refuse to allow access).

  60. 60.

    JenJen

    May 8, 2009 at 9:00 pm

    Whoa!! From JC’s “Awkward Family Photos” comment and link… I’ve never seen this photo of Dubya, Laura and the Twins before.

    Yikes! Awkwardly patriotic?

  61. 61.

    Krista

    May 8, 2009 at 9:00 pm

    @gbear: Oh, what a neat photo! They do look like Tunches. (Although Tunch looks more like the nesting cat with all of the other cats inside of it.)

    Oof — I swear to god, feeling and seeing a baby kicking you in the midsection has got to be one of the freakiest things ever. It’s amusement tinged with a bit of “this is a total John-Hurt-in-Alien moment, isn’t it?”

  62. 62.

    The Cat Who Would Be Tunch

    May 8, 2009 at 9:00 pm

    @John Cole:

    And what makes you think you’d get flamed for your choice in PC hardware? Running a blog on politics? Pffft!

    I take it you do a bit of gaming here and there. Considering all the people you and your co-posters have been mocking since November, have you ever played Bioshock? You really should if you haven’t. I think it’d give you all sorts of inspiration for future blog posts.

    Oh yeah, those family pics are a hoot. *shakes head* Why, people, why?

  63. 63.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 9:02 pm

    BTW- My grocery store is now carrying Homestead Creamery milk. I had forgotten how good milk could taste.

    Also, Knudsen’s Black Cherry Juice is amazing.

  64. 64.

    SammyB

    May 8, 2009 at 9:03 pm

    Gotta rest up tonight because tomorrow is a very big day. Game 5 Hawks – Nucks. GO CANUCKS GO!

  65. 65.

    gbear

    May 8, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    @John Cole:

    I really don’t care for their studio stuff too much.

    Gaaaahhh!! Sailin’s Shoes, Dixie Chicken and Feats Don’t Fail Me Now are GREAT records. Only a half-step away from being live albums.

  66. 66.

    gnomedad

    May 8, 2009 at 9:07 pm

    @Little Dreamer:
    Ha ha, a Balloon Juice metablog, excellent! Thanks!

  67. 67.

    Nicole

    May 8, 2009 at 9:07 pm

    Thank you for awkwardfamilyphotos. I now have a site to go to when FuckYouPenguin is not posting new stuff fast enough for me.

    Tomorrow is International Migratory Bird Day. I know this only because it means I have to work this weekend.

    I was virtuous and went for a run this evening, which means I can now celebrate my virtuousness with Blue Moon.

  68. 68.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 9:08 pm

    @John Cole: I was hoping this thread would take the inevitable Dairy Queen turn. I got this today.
    Barring any other choices at SavMor (aside from Chunky Monkey, which is always a solid backbencher), I decided to give it a second chance based on your enthusiasm. Plus, there’s cinnamon.

  69. 69.

    JenJen

    May 8, 2009 at 9:08 pm

    @TX Expat: Congrats, TX! What, no wild 1-L parties tonight, though?

    @Laura W: Hey!! I just tried that flavor yesterday… not my favorite, though. Would you believe the corner BP has a better Ben & Jerry’s selection than the Kroger does? It’s true. It’s where I first discovered Americone Dream, and I haven’t looked back. I owe an apology to Phish Food and One Sweet Whirled, for they have been forsaken.

  70. 70.

    JK

    May 8, 2009 at 9:10 pm

    @freelancer:

    EXHIBIT A: Denis Leary Vs. Bill Hicks PART 1/3
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INarE1WraFA

    EXHIBIT A: Denis Leary Vs. Bill Hicks PART 2/3
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWaJDF-3YhY&feature=related

    EXHIBIT A: Denis Leary Vs. Bill Hicks PART 3/3
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucJ3M4mcetw&feature=related

    Radar Online once had a great article about comedians stealing material from other comedians. I regret that I didn’t discover Bill Hicks when he was alive. It appears that Leary lifted a lot of material from Hicks. On the plus side, Rescue Me is one of my favorite tv drama series of the last few years.

    @Little Dreamer:

    I hope for the best but I’m more than prepared for the worst. Unfortunately, there are no liberals or progressives in the media who have as large a megaphone as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, and Bill O’Reilly to push back against their bottomless cesspool of lies.

  71. 71.

    gbear

    May 8, 2009 at 9:10 pm

    @Krista:

    feeling and seeing a baby kicking you in the midsection has got to be one of the freakiest things ever.

    Don’t make me pull this pregnancy over!!

    PS: That Bush family photo looks like W is about 20 minutes away from being pulled over for DWI. but then most of his photos from back then have that look.

  72. 72.

    mt

    May 8, 2009 at 9:11 pm

    Agenda: No major mistakes. Navigate the Mother’s Day minefield with extreme caution. My Mom is gone but wife/mother of kids takes this event seriously. Card won’t do. Screw Hallmark. Will review Cole’s grilling solution. I smell victory.

  73. 73.

    Tattoosydney

    May 8, 2009 at 9:13 pm

    What is on the agenda for you all?

    A slightly chilly Autumn day here. Cleaning out my fish pond in preparation for new planting. I ordered a crapload of native water plants, in the hope that if I plant them all, some of them (and perhaps some fish) will survive the depredations of a hyperactive Australian red cattle dog…

    @Laura W:

    Given the scary psychological similarity between our dogs, tell me, does Leah stick her feet in her water bowl when she’s hot and (with evident delight) stamp all the water out, and peer at you longingly until you fill the bowl up, so she can do the same thing again a few times? Too cute.

  74. 74.

    TX Expat

    May 8, 2009 at 9:13 pm

    @Little Dreamer:

    Yeah, I love Rhapsody, too (obviously) because I like how they do that thing “if you like this band, here are their influences and here’s some more you might like.” That’s how I came across The Sounds.

    After having worked in a Seattle nightclub during the early ’90’s, I got used to listening to the “latest, greatest, most indie group” EVAH. But I find that a lot of stuff I listen nowadays is old country so it’s fun to listen to stuff I listened to as a kid. Or new stuff, too.

    It is annoying that they don’t have Radiohead, so I have to go to my I-Tunes library for that which kinda sucks the fun out of the whole Rhapsody thing. At least the Stones have all their stuff on there – oooh next round of songs!

    I can play around on that site for hours – love.it.

    Here’s another fun site that I just discovered today: http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager

    It tracks the popularity of names over time, so this is also a good distraction (my name peaked in the early ’70’s after Dr. Zhivago came out)

  75. 75.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 9:14 pm

    @JenJen: It could be the Pinot Grigio talking (shaddup JenJen!), but he was sorta hot in the day! I can totally see why Laura thought she could tame him. Wonder how she’s doing with controlling him now? Ha.

  76. 76.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 9:14 pm

    @JenJen: Oh my.

  77. 77.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 9:16 pm

    @Tattoosydney: No.

  78. 78.

    Tattoosydney

    May 8, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    Listening to the end of the world.

    Warning: involves shaving, ballroom dancing and boys kissing.

  79. 79.

    freelancer

    May 8, 2009 at 9:18 pm

    New Dollhouse tonight, Wash is Alpha!

    After that, I’ll probably combine TX Expat’s (Congrats, BTW) and Robertdsc’s ideas: A nice domestic PA and MGS4 (single-player).

  80. 80.

    TX Expat

    May 8, 2009 at 9:18 pm

    @JenJen:

    Yeah, my classmates are going to a GIF tonight (free drinks), but I live in a city that has no public transportation or cabs that are susceptible of hailing. Sooo, since I don’t want to crash on someone’s couch or get a DUI (which would make it difficult to be admitted to the bar), I’m kicking it at the house. Maybe the roach I tried to kill (chased him around for 20 minutes) last night will show up again so I can project my dissatisfaction onto him.

    Thanks for the good wishes!

  81. 81.

    Left Coast Tom

    May 8, 2009 at 9:19 pm

    @gbear:

    PS: That Bush family photo looks like W is about 20 minutes away from being pulled over for DWI. but then most of his photos from back then have that look.

    Some of his White House attempts at speeches left me with that impression. I never believed his claim that Jesus healed his untreated alcoholism…he seemed to me to slur his speech excessively at exactly those times when the shit was hitting the fan.

  82. 82.

    JenJen

    May 8, 2009 at 9:19 pm

    @John Cole: Ha! I almost linked that one. Nice class ring!

    That site just gives and gives. Awwww. Poor thing. Bless.

    @Laura W: Hey, I didn’t say a word! But you still gotta try that J Pinot Gris. As far as the Dubya photo goes, there was a funny comment on that site; someone said, “OMG, I think I could totally hit that!” To which another replied, “Me too, with a f’n sledgehammer to the face.” :-)

    @TX Expat: Right on! And you’re making me miss Rhapsody something fierce, too. Got any guest passes or coupons to offer up? ;-)

  83. 83.

    Tattoosydney

    May 8, 2009 at 9:19 pm

    @Laura W:

    Hmmmm. Another Pedro oddity to add to the list.

  84. 84.

    Tattoosydney

    May 8, 2009 at 9:20 pm

    An actor out of work.

  85. 85.

    Krista

    May 8, 2009 at 9:23 pm

    @JenJen: Oh my.

    Oh, that is seriously, seriously…wow. There are no words.

  86. 86.

    Comrade Kevin

    May 8, 2009 at 9:24 pm

    This evening I had marinated skirt steak for dinner, am now watching Rachel Maddow, then I will watch Jeopardy! and the A’s vs. Blue Jays.

    Also, Woodbridge Sauvignon Blanc. Yes, I know you’re supposed to drink red with beef.

  87. 87.

    freelancer

    May 8, 2009 at 9:24 pm

    @ JK

    I found him a week before my 21st bday, he’d already been gone many years. I love his response to being asked about No Cure for Cancer:

    “On the theft of his material by Denis Leary: ‘I have a scoop for you. I stole his act. I camouflaged it with punchlines, and to really throw people off, I did it before he did.'”

  88. 88.

    Little Dreamer

    May 8, 2009 at 9:29 pm

    @JK:

    Remember they’ve been working on that arrangement for about 25 years. The fact is they got so big and so rude that now they are imploding because they can’t hide their brand of crazy, it’s so wildly distributed that they can’t hide from it now. They created monsters out of those who grasped their philosophical ideals and felt for the beginning of their tenure listening to the hate machine that is was all just all comedic jabbing – now they own the anger, the hate, and the responsibility for inciting violence and treasonous talk. Their demise will be broadcast widely, that only helps us. ;)

    We don’t need people on our side as popular as their commentators, we only need to not be them. ::laugh::

  89. 89.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 9:30 pm

    @Comrade Kevin:

    Also, Woodbridge Sauvignon Blanc. Yes, I know you’re supposed to drink red with beef.

    Nonsense. You drink what you love with what you love to eat.
    Unless you are seriously married to that wine, look for the Beringer 2007 Pinot Grigio. Under $10 for the 1.5 liter. Pretty darn good!

  90. 90.

    TX Expat

    May 8, 2009 at 9:33 pm

    @JenJen:

    Ok, just looked around (through email and other things), but no can do.

    Make you a deal, though, when I switch genres I’ll post a youtube video, how’s that?

    Here’s the song I’m listening to right now:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mgjZK46_uw

    So ironic “heroin is so passe” considering that they are frightful heroin addicts or were back when I used to see them…

  91. 91.

    Zuzu's Petals

    May 8, 2009 at 9:36 pm

    I wish I hadn’t already mailed her a card.

    Ahem… still time for flowers, dear.

    Of course, there’s always this.

  92. 92.

    demimondian

    May 8, 2009 at 9:37 pm

    @John Cole: More than that, his orthography reflects a functional primary education (at least through third grade). That rules out most of Ohio, all by itself.

  93. 93.

    Comrade Kevin

    May 8, 2009 at 9:37 pm

    @Laura W:

    The Woodbridge was $10.99 for the 1.5L; I think my local grocery store carries your suggestion too, I know they carry Beringer.

  94. 94.

    Library Grape

    May 8, 2009 at 9:37 pm

    WIN by Keith Olbermannn on torture tonight: “When are Republicans going to realize that this is not first about party? It is about the traducing of our national character and the selling out of our principles in what was a phony, ineffective pretense of protecting those principles. If a Democrat is also culpable, then they can go to Hell too.“

  95. 95.

    AhabTRuler

    May 8, 2009 at 9:39 pm

    @John Cole:

    Sometimes I think Dennis Leary has it exactly right. Pig Pen, Lowell George, Keith Godchaux, Brent Mydland, all dead way too young

    Damn, Welnick still can’t get no love? That’s just cold.

  96. 96.

    JenJen

    May 8, 2009 at 9:42 pm

    @demimondian: Again with the Ohio-bashing? I guess the Election Night glow has worn off for the Balloon-Juicers. I know for a fact you all had momentary feelings of affection for the Buckeye State right around 9:25 pm eastern that night. You’re welcome!

    @Library Grape: Saw that, and actually cheered!

    @TX Expat: That is an awesome deal. What’s next?

  97. 97.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 9:43 pm

    @Comrade Kevin: This one may be 10.99 as well, but I seriously doubt you would not enjoy it (Negatives! Confusing me!) if you are OK with Woodbridge SB.

  98. 98.

    Tattoosydney

    May 8, 2009 at 9:43 pm

    @Laura W:

    Cleaning music.

  99. 99.

    demimondian

    May 8, 2009 at 9:49 pm

    @JenJen: Some of my best friends are from Ohio. In fact, my grandfather taught at Ohio Wesleyan for several years. How could I possibly have anything against that (flat and unfit for human habitation) wasteland, or for the (human-animal hybrid) “persons” who live there?

  100. 100.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 9:52 pm

    Ohio drivers are also the worst drivers on the planet.

  101. 101.

    demimondian

    May 8, 2009 at 9:54 pm

    @JenJen: May we have a moment of silence for the place this recording was pirated…if not for the place it describes.

  102. 102.

    Rosali

    May 8, 2009 at 9:54 pm

    Keyboard cat came into my life this week and he just keeps cracking me up.

  103. 103.

    Little Dreamer

    May 8, 2009 at 9:55 pm

    @John Cole:

    Only if you’re nowhere close to New Jersey.

  104. 104.

    Irony Abounds

    May 8, 2009 at 9:56 pm

    I saw the Star Trek movie this afternoon. Keep in mind I only have seen the original cast series/movies, so I’m not the best to judge, but I give it a B+. Perhaps they tried to be a bit too cute in some of the characters, especially McCoy, but it was a worthy effort.

  105. 105.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 9:57 pm

    @Rosali: choking…on…dinner….

  106. 106.

    WereBear

    May 8, 2009 at 9:57 pm

    I’m eating leftovers from a work potluck, we have them every couple of months for birthdays. The finale will be the homemade maple cheesecake, which I was able to abscond with.

    (New York Maple!)

    The devoted James Bond has been a fluffy ball of worry as I finally kick the flu that had me down for a week. I came home from work and crashed right through the cat’s dinnertime, and Mr. Bond discussed this annoying turn of events with the Spousal Unit for an hour until dinnertime finally arrived, but didn’t get me up.

    I went to the doctor, who theorized I was actually fighting off two or three different viruses, confusing my immune system. And couldn’t do anything for me. I consider how public health funds have been cut and I blame the Bush Administration. People have been complaining for a couple of years now that their flu shots no longer work. Maybe the virus pool has gotten all roiled up.

  107. 107.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    @Tattoosydney: Ya know what’s weird, TS? I am music linked out all of a sudden. It feels like almost every thread lately has become a music link thread, and I am just spent. I have nothing left to give.
    SHIT! I can’t even think of a “I’m so spent I have nothing left to give” song to link you to.
    Edit: BILL MAHER TIME! I actually managed to remind my own self tonight. Yay me.

  108. 108.

    AhabTRuler

    May 8, 2009 at 10:00 pm

    Look, the whole “worst drivers in the country” argument has been rendered completely moot. Anywhere that has cellphone drivers has the worst drivers in the world.

    Edit: Oh, and in any case, the drivers in Puerto Rico are the motherfucking worst.

  109. 109.

    Nicole

    May 8, 2009 at 10:02 pm

    Ohio drivers are also the worst drivers on the planet.

    I think this is true. I worked in Ohio for two months and I was a TERRIBLE driver while I was there. I don’t know what was wrong with me. I don’t drive that badly anywhere else. I think it must be Ohio.

  110. 110.

    Wini

    May 8, 2009 at 10:03 pm

    @TX Expat: Congrats!! Feels good, huh?

    I finished exam #3 of 4 about about hour ago… and I’m taking the rest of the night off (it’s been a looooong week).

  111. 111.

    JenJen

    May 8, 2009 at 10:06 pm

    @demimondian: Yeah. I’m not from Akron.

    @Little Dreamer: I mean, really.

    Y’all haters. We’re not gonna secede, either. We’re going to stick around just to piss you off. ;-)

  112. 112.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 10:06 pm

    @AhabTRuler: I like Welnick, but I was really much more of the Mydland era, and a lot of my favorite songs are from the Pig Pen/Godchaux era.

    Here is a concert I will never forget- July 1st 1992 at Buckeye Lake with Bruce Hornsby at keyboard and with the Dead sharing the stage with the Steve Miller band. I just got out of the Army and back from Germany a couple of days before. I’ll never forget the airy Steve Miller notes floating up over the hills. I had a picture of me after the concert that I lost a while back, but basically I was wearing a white dead tie-dye that looked doubly dyed because after three years of German beer, all I could stand was Guiness in the states, and I had spilled it all over my shirt over the course of 10 hours.

    Never forget that show.

  113. 113.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 10:07 pm

    @JenJen: Yer MATT is on Maher tonight.
    Sort of a Win Win for us tonight, huh? My Larry and your Matt!

  114. 114.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 10:09 pm

    @Wini: GO WINI GO!
    You’ve been working hard for as long as I’ve been reading this site, which is more than I can say for “some” of us. (OK, me.)

  115. 115.

    Colonel Danite

    May 8, 2009 at 10:10 pm

    Star Trek on IMAX. 2 tickets= $27. Worth the price of admission.

  116. 116.

    TX Expat

    May 8, 2009 at 10:12 pm

    @JenJen:

    How about some David Bowie?

    Quicksand: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjsHlUhYIEg

    By far my favorite Bowie song!

  117. 117.

    Tattoosydney

    May 8, 2009 at 10:12 pm

    @Laura W:

    Ya know what’s weird, TS? I am music linked out all of a sudden. It feels like almost every thread lately has become a music link thread, and I am just spent. I have nothing left to give.

    I know what you mean. I was hunting for something upbeat for asiangrrlMN the other night, and found myself scouring my Ipod for some inspiration, but there was nothing.

    Oh well, we’ll have to let our musical reservoirs fill up again.

    In the meantime, “My first dictionary” is quite wonderful, and a little disturbing.

  118. 118.

    Comrade Kevin

    May 8, 2009 at 10:13 pm

    @Laura W: Taibbi?

  119. 119.

    JenJen

    May 8, 2009 at 10:14 pm

    @Laura W: Oh SHUT UP! For some reason my DVR still records it at 11:00.. tell me it repeats at 11:00. Please. You know how I feel about Matt. This is like the best Friday ever!

    @John Cole: Buckeye Lake? However did you survive the drivers?

    @TX Expat: Awesome. But for me, “Heroes.” And “Ziggy Stardust.”

  120. 120.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 10:15 pm

    @Tattoosydney: Your pretend-wife has a voracious, insatiable, music link appetite. You might want to look into pills for that.
    ;-)

  121. 121.

    TX Expat

    May 8, 2009 at 10:16 pm

    @Wini:

    Yeah, it does feel good. Here’s hoping I passed everything

    I’m off to my brother’s house on Monday for some pool/beagle/margarita/baseball game therapy. Can’t wait!

    You should take the night off, girl, you work hard! I can’t imagine trying to do this while working (even doing a part time program). I can honestly say that I’ve never studied so hard to feel so stupid. Sigh…

    I hope you get to take some time for yourself before the insanity starts again!

  122. 122.

    Wini

    May 8, 2009 at 10:16 pm

    @Laura W: Au contraire, my friend! Your ads/website prove otherwise :-)

  123. 123.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 10:17 pm

    @JenJen: It repeats at 11. Naomi Klein too, on her bday! Taurus? All the smart people are Taurus. (Just in case Fuckhead is lurking. Heeeyyyyyyi!!)

  124. 124.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 10:18 pm

    @Comrade Kevin: Yes. Sorry. I’m just accustomed to referring to him as: “JenJen’s Matt”.

  125. 125.

    Tattoosydney

    May 8, 2009 at 10:19 pm

    Your pretend-wife has a voracious, insatiable, music link appetite. You might want to look into pills for that.

    I appears so. It’s relentless. Who knew that women could be so demanding?

  126. 126.

    demimondian

    May 8, 2009 at 10:22 pm

    @Tattoosydney: I’m so…glad…that you linked to that site. “My first dictionary” brightened my day.

  127. 127.

    Little Dreamer

    May 8, 2009 at 10:23 pm

    @JenJen:

    Well, then I think you need a time machine, because I haven’t been in that area of the country in 20 years. ;)

  128. 128.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 10:23 pm

    @Tattoosydney:

    Who knew that women could be so demanding?

    Now now, you know better than to generalize and stereotype.

    BTW, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z0h_c9eH-8
    In on the edit!

  129. 129.

    JenJen

    May 8, 2009 at 10:24 pm

    @Laura W: He’s just the perfect combination of man. Speaks fluent Russian, played semi-pro basketball, writes his ass off, and is the best wise-ass political commentator going. I mean, c’mon, the Michele Bachmann comment, am I right, girls?

  130. 130.

    Tattoosydney

    May 8, 2009 at 10:25 pm

    @demimondian:

    I like “reticuloendotheliosis“.

  131. 131.

    The Cat Who Would Be Tunch

    May 8, 2009 at 10:26 pm

    @AhabTRuler:

    I raise you any country in the Arabian peninsula or the subcontinent.

  132. 132.

    TX Expat

    May 8, 2009 at 10:29 pm

    @JenJen:

    Yep, those are cool, too. But “Under Pressure” with Queen is the shiznit! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtrEN-YKLBM

    Oh Freddy Mercury how I miss you!

    True story, I was at a party in Austin back in the early ’90’s when that Vanilla Ice monstrosity was popular and an individual at the party was under the impression that Vanilla Ice had come up with that sample on his own. I opened my mouth to gently correct this misapprehension, but instead found myself ridiculing this poor creature unmercifully.

    Then moved to Seattle during the Grunge years and found myself on the receiving end of that same kind of treatment when I didn’t know who The Fastbacks were. I believe the kids call it karma…

  133. 133.

    Tattoosydney

    May 8, 2009 at 10:32 pm

    BTW, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY?

    Um. Made you watch boys kissing?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z0h_c9eH-8

    OMG. That opening sequence deserved an Oscar, or an Emmy or something …

  134. 134.

    demimondian

    May 8, 2009 at 10:32 pm

    @Tattoosydney: Yes, that was awesome. I liked family/pretend, voting for “pretend”, because I thought it was more subtle.

  135. 135.

    Left Coast Tom

    May 8, 2009 at 10:34 pm

    @John Cole:

    Ohio drivers are also the worst drivers on the planet.

    I grew up in Michigan, so I’d be more than happy to agree.

    But having seen LA drivers in Mammoth during snowfall…you should be grateful for Ohio drivers! LA drivers can slide jeeps sideways into snowbanks under conditions which should be OK for 2-wheel-drive. They skid with tire chains on. I cringed at SF Bay Drivers in Tahoe during Christmas and Presidents Day, but they’re wonderful in comparison.

  136. 136.

    demimondian

    May 8, 2009 at 10:43 pm

    Got myself in trouble today at work — got described as “the place where tired old euphemisms go to die.”

    I mean, just because I pointed out that it wasn’t the “sleeping” part of “sleeping around” that upset someone’s partner…

  137. 137.

    Tattoosydney

    May 8, 2009 at 10:44 pm

    @TX Expat:

    But “Under Pressure” with Queen is the shiznit!

    Undoubtedly. (I also have a special, previously secret and slightly shamefaced devotion to the camp bombast of “The show must go on“. )

  138. 138.

    JK

    May 8, 2009 at 10:45 pm

    @freelancer:

    I saw Denis Leary perform in 2005. I thought he was great, but this was before I knew about the controversy of him allegedly stealing material from Bill Hicks. Because Hicks died in 1994, I’d like to give Leary the benefit of the doubt that his 2005 performance consisted solely of original material.

    My knowledge of the Leary/Hicks scandal consists solely of the material in the YouTube links I cited in my previous post. If Leary’s plagarism was truly as flagrant as these clips suggest, I’m shocked that he wasn’t completely driven out of show business and permanently blackballed by the entertainment industry.

    Wikipedia entry for Bill Hicks says Ron Howard may be making a biopic on him possibly starring Russell Crowe.

    @TX Expat:

    Great Bowie song.

  139. 139.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 10:48 pm

    This is a pretty odd Real Time.

  140. 140.

    Laura W

    May 8, 2009 at 10:49 pm

    eh.

  141. 141.

    Comrade Kevin

    May 8, 2009 at 10:54 pm

    @John Cole: I was planning on watching it when it comes on at 10 PM Pacific time, is it worth it?

  142. 142.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 10:58 pm

    @Comrade Kevin: Yes.

  143. 143.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 8, 2009 at 11:04 pm

    Two songs you have never heard and probably should have:
    Jose James – Desire (Moodyman Remix)

    N.O.H.A. – Balkan Hot Step

  144. 144.

    AhabTRuler

    May 8, 2009 at 11:07 pm

    @John Cole: Yeah, but he did die “before his time” so the least you could do is list his name with the others.

  145. 145.

    JK

    May 8, 2009 at 11:11 pm

    @JenJen:

    That was a brilliant takedown of Michele Bachmann. The Democrats need to pull out all the stops to defeat this whack job in 2 years.

  146. 146.

    Steeplejack

    May 8, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    @JenJen:

    Gosh, that doesn’t look like Texas in the background of that photo. If I didn’t know better, I would almost say it’s some old-money, white-bread enclave in New England or someplace like that. But that’s crazy talk.

  147. 147.

    freelancer

    May 8, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    JK,

    There’s a pretty big segment in his Biography “American Scream”, because he and his buddy Kevin Booth were in Waco during the Branch Davidian fiasco and they almost left the town and drove straight to LA from TX after Bill heard No Cure for Cancer. Hicks was pretty pissed.

    And in the comedy, theft is really the big no no, but there are some people who come across the same jokes through linear thinking, similar trains of thought. Izzard has a bit about Easter and bunny rabbits similar to Hicks’, but its different because its his own. There are a few hacks that comics don’t like to perform in front of because they worry about being lifted. For instance, Robin Williams (who is famous for it, but he’s such a manic stream of consciousness performer, he’s not especially hated) 2002 Live special ripped off Hicks and Izzard’s Easter Bunny bits.
    Everybody hates Carlos Mencia. (see Southpark’s Fish Sticks ep)
    Leary only put out one more, less funny comedy album, then focused on acting. I don’t hate the guy, in fact, I think the best part of No Cure for Cancer was where he tells the story of how his brother shot him in the face with an arrow when they were growing up.

    Russell Crowe as Bill? eh, I’d need to See it, but he’s definitely got the temper down. Ron Howard has my permission to direct it, but only because of Arrested Development, the guy knows funny.

  148. 148.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 11:20 pm

    People do not appreciate how good Rescue Me is.

  149. 149.

    Steeplejack

    May 8, 2009 at 11:21 pm

    @Nicole:

    Tomorrow is International Migratory Bird Day. I know this only because it means I have to work this weekend.

    Saw a funny headline in the dead-tree version of The Onion in the break room at work today:

    “Area Bird Creeped Out by Birdwatcher”

  150. 150.

    Thankovsky

    May 8, 2009 at 11:32 pm

    @John Cole:
    I need to watch more of that. I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve seen. A friend of mine is a former New York cop who worked with the FDNY a lot, and he says they got the dynamics down perfectly in that show.

  151. 151.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 8, 2009 at 11:32 pm

    Well, son of a bitch. Had a flat earlier today (Caught a nail) and in the process of changing the tire I twisted off one of the frozen lugs. Pulled the drum, pressed out the old stud and pressed in a new one then replaced the tire. Fine. Now it’s several hours later and my lower back is singing to me and the tune sucks. One of the delayed rewards of spending thirty years in jobs that involved Lifting Very Heavy Things + being over sixty.
    The worst thing is that I can’t tell in advance what’s bad to do and what isn’t. Just put some stuff away in the pantry and it’s no problem but if I fart and blink my left eye simultaneously I’m just about on the floor.
    This too will pass.

  152. 152.

    LD50

    May 8, 2009 at 11:33 pm

    Radar Online once had a great article about comedians stealing material from other comedians. I regret that I didn’t discover Bill Hicks when he was alive. It appears that Leary lifted a lot of material from Hicks. On the plus side, Rescue Me is one of my favorite tv drama series of the last few years.

    Krusty the Clown: “If this is anyone but Steve Allen, you’re stealing my bit!“

  153. 153.

    Steeplejack

    May 8, 2009 at 11:37 pm

    @Rosali:

    I love Keyboard Cat! And yet I feel slightly ashamed.

  154. 154.

    JK

    May 8, 2009 at 11:38 pm

    @freelancer:

    There’s a clip on YouTube where Hicks is in Waco discussing the standoff. I’m still surprised that the powers that be in the entertainment business basically gave Leary a free pass for his lifting of Hicks’ material.

    I haven’t made an extensive study of plagarism in comedy, but I suspect if I did exhaustive research, I’d find that a lot of my favorite comedians lifted from others.

    I once read an article while Mort Sahl accused Woody Allen of plagarizing his material for Annie Hall. Subsequently, I found a Mort Sahl routine on YouTube that bore a strong resemblance to a scene in Annie Hall.

    @John Cole:

    I still like Rescue Me a lot, but I think its quality dropped off somewhat when the characters of Johnny Gavin and Jerry Reilly were written out of the show. I was deeply disappointed to learn that actor Daniel Sunjata is in actuality, a 9/11 conspiracy theorist.

  155. 155.

    John Cole

    May 8, 2009 at 11:40 pm

    @Dennis-SGMM: Why do you blink when you fart?

  156. 156.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 8, 2009 at 11:41 pm

    @LD50:

    Krusty the Clown: “If this is anyone but Steve Allen, you’re stealing my bit!”

    I was at high school in LA in the mid-sixties when Allen was hosting the old Tonight Show. Allen in turn was taking from Ernie Kovacs.

  157. 157.

    TX Expat

    May 8, 2009 at 11:42 pm

    @Tattoosydney:

    No need to be shamefaced! That video is awesome although I bet Freud would have a lot to say about it. But who cares about him anyway, right? He was just a sexually repressed coke addict with all kinds of issues rattling around in that psyche of his. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.

  158. 158.

    Wini

    May 8, 2009 at 11:43 pm

    @John Cole: Ooh – I do, I do! Just watched the last 2 weeks’ episodes on the DVR.

  159. 159.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 8, 2009 at 11:43 pm

    @John Cole:
    If I don’t blink my eyes burn.

  160. 160.

    CT

    May 8, 2009 at 11:43 pm

    Just caught the last half inning of Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS on ESPN Classic-that was a nice 1:3 scale model of Barry Bonds the Pirates had in left field. My apologies for raising the specter of Sid Bream hobbling around third on his stroke cane.

  161. 161.

    Steeplejack

    May 8, 2009 at 11:47 pm

    @Laura W:

    I am music linked out all of a sudden. It feels like almost every thread lately has become a music link thread, and I am just spent. I have nothing left to give.
     
    Shit! I can’t even think of a “I’m so spent I have nothing left to give” song to link you to.

    “But, Lord, when I looked in the sand I saw only one set of footprints.”

    “That’s because Steeplejack was there to carry you through your dark time. Oh, and he said to tell you, God, you’re heavy.”

  162. 162.

    Montysano

    May 8, 2009 at 11:49 pm

    Just got back from the grand opening of the studio/gallery section of our local Flying Monkey Arts Center.

    Here in Rocket City, a local guy built up a genetics research company and sold it for $200M or so. He’s a science geek and doesn’t seem to care about cars or houses or traveling or fancy toys. Instead, he bought this old factory in a blighted part of town and turned it into an arts center, and did a helluva job. It’s now become so popular that it’s self-supporting. There’s even talk of a New Urbanist development in the area.

    He was hanging around tonight, grinning big and enjoying what he’d done. Well done, Mr. Hudson.

  163. 163.

    JK

    May 8, 2009 at 11:49 pm

    @LD50:

    Steve Allen was one of a kind. He did an interview with Frank Zappa that may be Zappa’s earliest appearance on tv. In the segment, Zappa is demonstrating how he makes music using a bicycle. Allen also had Miles Davis perform on his show, Jack Kerouac read from On the Road, and Lenny Bruce perform.

    In later years, Allen became affiliated with groups railing against the growing vulgarity on tv. I’ve always wanted to find an interview with Allen from that period to see if his views on tv vulgarity led him to change his stance towards Bruce whose work he promoted decades earlier.

  164. 164.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 8, 2009 at 11:54 pm

    @JK:
    Allen was also the co-composer of Gravy Waltz.

  165. 165.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 12:01 am

    @Dennis-SGMM:

    I was at high school in LA in the mid-sixties when Allen was hosting the old Tonight Show. Allen in turn was taking from Ernie Kovacs.

    I’m a big fan of Allen and Kovacs, though I’m a little disappointed with Allen’s sweeping dismissiveness of rock music.

    In January, PBS aired Make Em Laugh, a 6 hour documentary on the history of comedy and they inexplicably omitted any mention of Kovacs.

    The documentary has several big omissions (in addition to Kovacs), but it’s still worth seeing for diehard comedy fans.

  166. 166.

    AhabTRuler

    May 9, 2009 at 12:07 am

    @Tattoosydney: Yeah but this is the most difficult one to watch, and not just because it isn’t one of the stronger Queen songs.

    This isn’t much better (the song is, Freddie isn’t).

  167. 167.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 12:07 am

    @Dennis-SGMM:

    If I don’t blink my eyes burn.

    I think you’re doing it wrong.

  168. 168.

    Indylib

    May 9, 2009 at 12:12 am

    @Krista:

    I swear to god, feeling and seeing a baby kicking you in the midsection has got to be one of the freakiest things ever.

    That turned out to be one of my favorite things about being pregnant.
    You should see it with twins who are competing for space in that confined area.

  169. 169.

    HitlerWorshippingPuppyKicker

    May 9, 2009 at 12:13 am

    @JK:

    Steve Allen also wrote some interesting stuff about religion and morality.

    He was a very bright guy with widely varied interests.

  170. 170.

    Mr. Stuck

    May 9, 2009 at 12:18 am

    @Steeplejack:

    I think you’re doing it wrong.

    Depends on wind direction, dinner, and relative humidity.

  171. 171.

    Ruemara

    May 9, 2009 at 12:18 am

    Make 5 more pieces for my jewelry line, create the designs for my new animation, dig up the next 2 garden plots for the melons and add support struts for the beans and squash. and work on the damn 2nd bathroom. It’s a full life and in the evenings, i play wow.

  172. 172.

    Betsy

    May 9, 2009 at 12:24 am

    @JK:

    That was a brilliant takedown of Michele Bachmann. The Democrats need to pull out all the stops to defeat this whack job in 2 years.

    The Democrats should be contributing to her campaign fund. Nothing, but nothing, makes them look reasonable, respectable, and trustworthy like the rantings of Michele Bachmann.

  173. 173.

    slag

    May 9, 2009 at 12:26 am

    Tunch looks good! Sadly, my cats won’t let me come near them with the Furminator. They hate it.

  174. 174.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 12:31 am

    @HitlerWorshippingPuppyKicker:

    He created a series for PBS called Meeting of the Minds where actors portraying historical figures from different time periods take part in a roundtable discussion with Allen serving as the moderator. It was a great show and I wish it would be released on dvd or re-aired

    I consider Allen a renaissance man considering the impressive roster of guests he showcased on tv and the number of topics he wrote about in his books.

    It’s regrettable that so much of the early tv work of Steve Allen, Ernie Kovacs, and others was never preserved.

  175. 175.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 12:36 am

    It’s regrettable that so much of the early TV work of Steve Allen, Ernie Kovacs and others was never preserved.

    Wally Cox as Mr. Peepers!

    I believe Steve Allen was a pretty good pianist. Also.

  176. 176.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 9, 2009 at 12:38 am

    @Mr. Stuck:
    I had a sardine-avocado-radish salad for dinner. Maybe that’s it.

  177. 177.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 12:39 am

    @Betsy:

    I hear where you’re coming from, but I think this is a bit of a double edged sword.

    On the one hand, it’s a good thing to have political opponents who can be easily dismissed as delusional.

    On the other hand, cable tv news shows are often drawn to the most eccentric, off-the-wall personalities like Bachmann.

    I’m troubled by the prospect of Bachmann developing a cult of personality and getting a bigger and bigger platform where she can disseminate her nonsensical views without getting challenged to defend them.

  178. 178.

    Mr. Stuck

    May 9, 2009 at 12:40 am

    @Dennis-SGMM:

    Yup

  179. 179.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 12:42 am

    @Steeplejack:

    Part of me wants to hold out hope that someone somewhere has many of these treasures and that I simply have not had the good fortune of finding them.

  180. 180.

    Betsy

    May 9, 2009 at 12:43 am

    @JK: Fair point. And unfortunately, people on the fringe sometimes have a way of moving the whole discourse to the right or left, just by expanding the boundaries of what’s reasonable. The crazier the outside person is, the more reasonable the person just on the inside of them sounds, even if that was the person who sounded crazy the day before.

    (Forgive me if that was so incoherent that *I* sound crazy.)

  181. 181.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 9, 2009 at 12:49 am

    @JK:
    Would that it was so. Any of the recording of Kovacs and Allen was on kinescope. Most of the kinescopes were simply tossed within weeks.

  182. 182.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 12:56 am

    @Dennis-SGMM:

    Thanks for bringing me back to reality.

    At least I can hold out hope of tracking down concert performances of various rock and jazz musicians from the 1960’s and tv broadcasts from the 1960’s and 1970’s.

  183. 183.

    burnspbesq

    May 9, 2009 at 1:00 am

    I completely get where John’s moms is coming from. This is the best weekend of the year for lax fans – EIGHT games on television. My DVR will be working overtime while I am flying to Colorado for my niece’s wedding.

    Oh, and I saw the most obnoxious bumper sticker in the history of the universe on Pico Blvd. in West LA tonight:

    “I live in California, where the sky is Tar Heel Blue every day.”

    I don’t approve of violence against women, but the driver of that car was very close to getting run off the road, dragged from the car, and punched in the face.

    Go Devils!

  184. 184.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 1:00 am

    @Betsy:

    You were perfectly coherent. I’m going to keep a champagne bottle in storage and hopefully open it to celebrate the political defeats of Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin.

  185. 185.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 9, 2009 at 1:02 am

    @Tattoosydney: Wait a minute! I see my name is being taken in vain. You knew when you fake-married me that I had insatiable appetites. Since you can’t fulfill one of them, the very least you can do is keep me supplied with endless musical links. How like a man to blame his fake wifey for his premature ejaculation.

    On the other hand, you posted that yummy video of the two boys kissing, so all is forgiven (the song is great, too). Plus, I will listen to “Good Luck” again and again, so you’re off the hook. For now. I know you guys need time to reload.

    @Betsy: No, no, no, no. A little part of my blackened soul dies every time my local wingnut speaks. If she is re-elected, I may fade into nothing.

    @JenJen: I like Matt’s wit, but I am with Laura W in this case. Larry is yummy since he’s lost some of his blase coolness. I will have to watch Ed’s show on-line to watch Larry.

    As for my weekend, take dad to the airport in seven hours. He has an economic conference in DC. I told him if he gets to meet Obama, I will be TOTALLY jealous. If he meets Geithner or Summers, not so much. He will miss my intellectual crush, Paul Krugman by one day upon his (my dad’s) return to Taiwan.

    Then, tai chi and watching sports tomorrow.

  186. 186.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 1:06 am

    What is on the agenda for you all?

    Worked the part-time gig tonight (big chain bookstore–wretched pay but health insurance), got home about 11:00 p.m. I work the same shift again tomorrow night, and then my belated weekend (Sunday-Monday) begins. My other job is feast-or-famine software/Web project stuff, schedule flexible, work at home. That’s cool. But did I mention feast or famine? Hence the part-time gig with insurance. Also must allow quality time for my extended midlife crisis.

    I can’t go straight to bed when I get home from the store. I’m too wired. So that means haunting the dead threads at Balloon Juice and having a drink or two. Currently Mount Gay rum and tonic, big twist of lime. Gots to have that tartness to offset the sweet of the tonic water. Occasional extended song-surfing on YouTube if lured over there by Laura W. or TattooSydney. Damn you both! The latest truffle I rooted up–“My Ever Changing Moods” by the Style Council.

    This weekend I will put the finishing touches on my computer repair/involuntary upgrade project. Will end up with a better machine–1TB hard drive, much better graphics card, upgrade to Vista (okay, we’ll see how that last one pans out)–but I didn’t really want to spend the money right now. But when your hard disk gives up the ghost, what are you gonna do?

    I feel the urge to do some big cooking thing, or something food-related. I have been jonesin’ on hummus lately and buying a lot of it at the store. Maybe I’ll cook up a pound of garbanzo beans and make a huge homemade batch. Mmm . . . more garlic, please!

    I’m pet-sitting a friend’s four parakeets, and I feel guilty when I get home late and they are snoozing peacefully. I put a cloth over their cage and try to keep the noise and the lights down to a minimum. Feel like I’m a teenager sneaking in late and trying not to wake up the parents. But do they let me sleep when the sun comes up at 0600 hours? Fat chance. Little bastards.

    That is all. For some reason I have a sudden urgent need to look for the YouTube video of Dion doing “Abraham, Martin and John” on the Smothers Brothers show. Excellent solo acoustic guitar work, which surprised me.

  187. 187.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 9, 2009 at 1:09 am

    P.S. Tunch cannot possibly be at all evil. He has the sweetest face EVER. Ok, I can’t even type that without giggling.

    P.P.S. I do not like Star Trek or L.O.T.R. Am I permanently banned?

  188. 188.

    Ruemara

    May 9, 2009 at 1:13 am

    @asiangrrlMN:
    We can’t ban you, but we can marvel.

  189. 189.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 1:15 am

    @JK:

    Part of me wants to hold out hope that someone somewhere has many of these treasures and that I simply have not had the good fortune of finding them.

    I am not optimistic, because I think a lot of the early stuff was shot on videotape and then taped over or simply thrown away. Desi Arnaz’s genius move was insisting that I Love Lucy be shot on film, thus ensuring its preservation. At least that’s what I read somewhere.

    It’s not like early films, which were shot on film to begin with and at least have a chance of still existing somewhere. Although I also read that something like 60-80 percent of all the movies made before 1940 have been lost. Maybe not such a big loss, when you consider that before the ’50s films fulfilled the TV role–cheap, disposable entertainment. But there are some gems that got thrown out with all the junk, e.g., von Stroheim’s full version of Greed. I’d love to find a print of that in my great-great-uncle’s attic someday.

  190. 190.

    Thankovsky

    May 9, 2009 at 1:16 am

    @JK:
    Don’t celebrate that! Those two are manna from heaven! I couldn’t imagine a more-potent image of the decline of the GOP than those idiots. They’re the perfect lightning rods. I love, love, LOVE ’em.

  191. 191.

    Soylent Green

    May 9, 2009 at 1:21 am

    A Japanese specialty:
     
    Sexy girl dolls with guns.

  192. 192.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 9, 2009 at 1:27 am

    @Ruemara: Well, you can marvel at this. I don’t like Star Wars, the Stones, the Beatles, reality television, or WoW. What the hell, I don’t drink either beer or wine. I don’t care for steak. I don’t eat much pork, either. I don’t have cable. I have never seen The Sopranos, nor do I have any desire to see it.

    Whew! It feels good to get that off my chest.

    Thankovsky, then you can have ’em.

    Soylent Green, those dolls are J.I.N.O.

  193. 193.

    burnspbesq

    May 9, 2009 at 1:32 am

    @JK:

    Have you seen any of the “Jazz Icons” DVDs? Unreal. European TV broadcasts from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, meticulously restored. Coltrane, Monk, Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Ella, Duke, Lionel Hampton, and many more.

  194. 194.

    Thankovsky

    May 9, 2009 at 1:33 am

    @asiangrrlMN:
    LOL, ah, well, I said I loved them – I DIDN’T say I loved them more than my current non-entity Congressman, to say nothing of my caricature of a governor who can’t pronounce the name of the state. ;)

  195. 195.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 1:34 am

    @Rosali:

    “I like turtles.” Also.

  196. 196.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 9, 2009 at 1:34 am

    @Thankovsky: No backsies! Michele Bachmann is yours.

  197. 197.

    Thankovsky

    May 9, 2009 at 1:37 am

    @asiangrrlMN:
    Okay, but I can’t promise I’ll return her in one piece. :p

  198. 198.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 1:38 am

    @Steeplejack:

    You’re right. Dennis-SGMM expressed the same view in an earlier post.

    I was browsing in the gift shop of the Museum of Television and Radio in New York 15 or 16 years ago and I recall seeing some compilation videos of Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows for sale. About 20-25 years ago either WNET or WLIW aired several episodes of the Ernie Kovacs Show. If I were industrious enough, I suppose I might be able to track down these broadcasts.

    I’m with you on wanting to find that full length version of Greed.

  199. 199.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 1:40 am

    @Steeplejack:

    P.S. Picked up Pratchett’s Guards! Guards! today, largely on the basis of the comments here. First chapter is funny but a little Pythonesque. I am worried that this could get tiresome over the long haul. But I will stay the course. I think the last book I totally bailed on was Saul Bellow’s Herzog. [Shudder]

    Cole: I found this neat and Tufte-worthy chart that helped me decide where to start. Apologies if one of the hard-core fans already pointed to it.

  200. 200.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 9, 2009 at 1:40 am

    @Thankovsky: Even better. Maybe you can fix her up the right way.

    Now that I have foisted my local wingnut off onto you, I’m going to bed. Good night!

  201. 201.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 9, 2009 at 1:40 am

    @JK:
    It’s sad, The only reason any of the shows were kinescoped was for the purpose of delayed broadcast or distribution to remote places like Alaska. Once their intended purpose was fulfilled they were surplus.

  202. 202.

    Dick

    May 9, 2009 at 1:46 am

    As Mr. Cole contemplates what to do with his weekend this is in the NYT. This is what happens in war. War like the invasion of Iraq that Mr. Cole enthusiastically supported.

    BAGHDAD — Iraqi officials and civilians called Friday for the death sentence for a former American soldier who was convicted of a crime that pressed at the worst extremes of the complicated and often fraught relationship of Iraqis and the American military: the rape of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl, and the killings of her and three members of her family.

    Mr. Green was charged with being the instigator, moving the girl’s parents and her young sister into a back room while two of the soldiers raped her. Mr. Green shot the family members before raping the girl and then shooting her repeatedly in the head and trying to set fire to her body.

  203. 203.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 1:46 am

    @burnspbesq:

    Have you seen any of the “Jazz Icons” DVDs? Unreal. European TV broadcasts from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, meticulously restored. Coltrane, Monk, Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Ella, Duke, Lionel Hampton, and many more.

    I’m not familiar with this series, but I’d love to check it out. It sounds very, very enticing. I’ll Google so that I can get more info on it.

    A few weeks ago my local PBS network re-aired a half hour Miles Davis performance that orignally aired on CBS sometime between 1958 and 1960.

    It has Miles playing with John Coltrane as well as Gil Evans and his orchestra. Their performance of So What is the greatest version of that song I’ve ever heard.

  204. 204.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 1:46 am

    @burnspbesq:

    Have you seen any of the “Jazz Icons” DVDs? Unreal. European TV broadcasts from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, meticulously restored. Coltrane, Monk, Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Ella, Duke, Lionel Hampton, and many more.

    I’m not familiar with this series, but I’d love to check it out. It sounds very, very enticing. I’ll Google so that I can get more info on it.

    A few weeks ago my local PBS network re-aired a half hour Miles Davis performance that orignally aired on CBS sometime between 1958 and 1960.

    It has Miles playing with John Coltrane as well as Gil Evans and his orchestra. Their performance of So What is the greatest version of that song I’ve ever heard.

  205. 205.

    Thankovsky

    May 9, 2009 at 1:47 am

    @asiangrrlMN:
    Well-played, asiangrrl…well-played.

  206. 206.

    Anne Laurie

    May 9, 2009 at 1:49 am

    Tomorrow I am renting a rototiller and plowing up the plot I have cleared for the garden, and I suppose I need to finalize what I am going to plant.

    As long as it includes tomatoes, you can’t go too far wrong. Find a local garden shop that sells transplants, unpot the little buggers into your rototilled dirt, and set up a support system at the same time. I like the newfangled aluminium ‘spirals’, but anything sturdy enough to hold the growing fruits up away from the wet ground & where you can inspect them for picking at peak ripeness will work. Yes, it looks a little odd when the 6-inch, 8-leaf seedlings are peeking out from under a 5ft. cage, but take my word that you don’t want the aggravation of trying to thread a half-grown vine loaded with green golfballs around/into your trellis in late July!

    Annual public service announcement: If you have a spot that gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight — a deck, a driveway, a wide windowsill — you can grow your own tomatoes. And yes, unless you have access to a superlative farmers’ market, the taste difference between homegrown and commercial tomatoes really IS that exceptional. If (like me) you are green-thumb-challenged, it’s not hard to find gourmet/heirloom seedlings relatively cheaply (5 bucks for a ‘brand name’ well-grown plant in a 3″ pot here in the Boston area, or 3 bucks for a six-pack of little sprouts). Pick the biggest container you can manage, make sure it has good drainage holes, mix in some Terrasorb with your topsoil/planting mix/whatever if you’ve got some, and make sure the whole thing doesn’t dry out on hot/sunny days. Then stand back and watch your tomatoes grow. Fertilizer, in my experience, is appreciated but not essential — it will improve yield, and some people say flavor, but in my experience too many commercial mixes encourage leaf growth rather than more/better tomatoes…

    Oh, and John, I sent you an email. Apologies for not replying sooner — you succeeded in dumfounding me!

  207. 207.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 1:52 am

    @burnspbesq:

    European TV broadcasts from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s [. . .].

    Coltrane, “My Favorite Things.”

  208. 208.

    Viva Brisvegas

    May 9, 2009 at 1:54 am

    Just saw Star Trek and I’d rate it A-

    The movie has all sorts of problems, but it’s also probably the most cinematic science fiction film I’ve seen since Empire Strikes Back.

    Go see it, the wider the screen the better.

  209. 209.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 1:56 am

    @Dennis-SGMM:

    @Steeplejack:

    @burnspbesq:

    The more I think about what treasures have been lost the bigger bummer it becomes.

    The guests for the first episode of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson included Joan Crawford, Tony Bennett, Mel Brooks, as well as a brief introduction of Johnny by Groucho Marx.

    It least with YouTube and other services some treasures are materializing. In the time I’ve been searching YouTube, I’ve seen things that I never knew existed.

    If I had more initiative, I’d try to find mailing lists or message boards where people who collect this ephemera congregate.

  210. 210.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 1:59 am

    @JK:
    In the 1970s there was a feature film released called something like Ten from ‘Your Show of Shows’, which might be available on DVD. I saw it in a little art house in the Garden District in New Orleans. The sketch I remember liking the best was their takeoff of From Here to Eternity, in which Caesar (several times) ended a comment with the statement “. . . because that’s the kind of guy I’m.” Then later Imogene Coca kills with “. . . because that’s the kind of guy he’s.”

  211. 211.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 2:01 am

    @Steeplejack:

    OUTSTANDING.

    I put this right up there with Miles playing So What with Coltrane and Miles playing Footprints with Hancock, Williams, Carter, and Shorter.

    I know this sounds crazy, but I read somewhere that children’s show host Soupy Sales had a number of big name jazz musicians perform on his program.

  212. 212.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 2:06 am

    @Steeplejack:

    Thanks very much, I’ll add that to my list of items to track down.

  213. 213.

    Tony Alva

    May 9, 2009 at 2:12 am

    FEED THAT POOR THING!!!! He looks like a concentration camp victim. Geez….

  214. 214.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 2:14 am

    @JK:

    Outstanding.

    Amen. When I first found this on YouTube I was flabbergasted. I realized that I had just assumed that artists at a certain remove in the past–before the Beatles, say–were just unavailable on video. This was a revelation. I would love to find a video of Coltrane’s 10-minute take on “Greensleeves”–the highlight of what came to be known as my “Christmas mix CD from hell.” Ahem.

    I am playing this again now (“My Favorite Things”). I love it when it goes all piano and bass at about 2:10. Lord.

  215. 215.

    Anne Laurie

    May 9, 2009 at 2:16 am

    P.P.S. I do not like Star Trek or L.O.T.R. Am I permanently banned?

    No, you’re just too young to appreciate them {grin}. Srsly, I was in high school when the first Star Trek series appeared, and just having ANY kind of visual-media science fiction that included female characters and non-Caucasians really WAS that much of a big honkin’ deal for us not-white-boy geeks! Same thing, slightly different audience, for LOTR — Tolkien was the JK Rowling of the early 1970s, “proof” that a big sweeping epic fantasy could be written for grownups, *smart* grownups even — that the genre could be demanding & sexy & not just pablum for kiddies. Even then, those of us learning High Elven and inventing phan phiction knew, in our hearts, that ‘Wagon Train to the Stars’ and JRR’s endless flowery paragraphs of landscape description didn’t necessarily rise much above mediocre, but they gave those of us who already loved “speculative fiction” new platforms and new ways of finding our fellows. (Kinda like political blogging in the years 2000-2008, really.)

    It’s one of those phenomena, like the Deadheads, where You Hadda Be There at just the right time and just the right age. You know that polite, glazed expression your mom gets when you try to explain why the CLAMP studio changed the whole orientation of anime fans, or why Robotech is practically not the same artform as Loly-goth and Magical Girl? Or how even ‘respectable’ people under 30 can use the phrase ‘skin art’ unironically? We’re just the wrong demographic, is all…

  216. 216.

    burnspbesq

    May 9, 2009 at 2:21 am

    @Steeplejack:

    Oh, yeah. That’s the earlier of the two performances of “MFT” on the Jazz Icons DVD, with Eric Dolphy. Great stuff, but I actually prefer the other version – McCoy just KILLS, and the group is almost telepathically in sync after four years of playing together.

  217. 217.

    OriGuy

    May 9, 2009 at 2:21 am

    It looks like two hours of Meeting of the Minds is available on VHS.

  218. 218.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 2:23 am

    @Steeplejack:

    I’d love to find Greensleeves as well, but I have no idea if any such performance on film exists.

    I’d also love to find a video of Oliver Nelson performing Stolen Moments. I’m doubtful however, any film of Nelson exists because he never achieved the level of fame as guys like Coltrane, Monk, Miles, Dizzy, and Bird.

  219. 219.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 2:25 am

    @JK:

    Ten from ‘Your Show of Shows’:

    IMDB.
     
    Amazon.
     
    At least a starting point.

  220. 220.

    burnspbesq

    May 9, 2009 at 2:29 am

    Here’s another taste from the Jazz Icons DVD series: Wes Montgomery playing Coltrane’s “Impressions.”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXvdU7f-q7I

  221. 221.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 2:35 am

    @OriGuy:

    This is terrific news. Thank you very, very much for passing it along. Very grateful to see another Steve Allen fan on Balloon-Juice.

    @Anne Laurie:

    It’s one of those phenomena, like the Deadheads

    That’s a great analogy. I once missed attending a lecture from a writer who was speaking on the similarity of fandom among Star Trek fans and Grateful Dead fans.

    This is the best part of any open thread in weeks – A confluence of some of my favorite passions –
    Classic Jazz Musicians, the Golden Age of Televison Comedy, Star Trek, The Grateful Dead, JRR Tolkien

    Just waiting for a fan of the Godfather, the Sopranos, or the Beatles to check in.

  222. 222.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 2:39 am

    @Steeplejack:

    This is a very good start indeed. Thanks very much.

    @burnspbesq:

    You are really hitting the jackpot.

  223. 223.

    burnspbesq

    May 9, 2009 at 2:46 am

    @JK:

    Thanks. You got me in the mood.

    Think I will listen to “Giant Steps” while I finish packing, and then call it an evening.

    Have a great weekend, everyone.

  224. 224.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 2:50 am

    @Anne Laurie:

    You know that polite, glazed expression your mom gets when you try to explain [. . .]? We’re just the wrong demographic, is all . . .

    True dat. I have lots of yoot coworkers at the bookstore, and I find myself in these conversations all the time. I try not to be old Mr. Buzzkill, but sometimes I can’t resist saying something like: “Jesus, your ‘greatest band evah’? They just found an old Farfisa chord organ in somebody’s basement and they’re channeling late-period Nuggets riff rock. Get over it!”

    I actually love this song (and video), but I can’t think of another example, so I’m throwing in the Caesars’ “(I’m Gonna) Kick You Out.”

    Farfisa–check.

    Trippy guitar–check.

    “I’ve been playing for three whole months” drumming–check.

    Mama likes.

  225. 225.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 2:53 am

    @burnspbesq:

    Before my recent hard-disk breakdown, I think I had a YouTube link to the other version, but this was the one I came up with in a quick search tonight. Awesome music.

  226. 226.

    tripletee (formerly tBone)

    May 9, 2009 at 2:56 am

    Just got back from a late showing of Star Trek. I thought my affection for Trek had been permanently burned out by that last abomination of a Next Generation film, but it came roaring back within the first 10 minutes of the new film. There are things I could quibble with, but overall it was a blast. They really hit it out of the park with the casting, and I was surprised by how respectful they were of the original mythos. Somehow I had gotten the idea that this was going to be more like a clean install of a new OS than a reboot of the existing series, but they came up with a fairly clever way of tying in to the existing continuity while still leaving themselves a clean slate to use for future stories.

    Also, Zoe Seldana.

  227. 227.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 3:02 am

    @JK:

    “Stolen Moments.”

    Holy shnikeys, you hit a nerve there. That’s my all-time favorite jazz song. I have a mix CD that is nothing but different versions of “Stolen Moments.” It opens with the canonical Oliver Nelson version from The Blues and the Abstract Truth and ends with Ahmad Jamal’s unbelievable piano trio version from The Awakening (a great album from end to end).

  228. 228.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 3:07 am

    @tripletee (formerly tBone):

    Thanks for your review. I’ve seen several interviews with J. J. Abrams and I confess to being somewhat put off by his statements that he was never a fan of the original Star Trek series. I had difficulty imagining how someone could do justice to a story which he did not originally embrace.

    @Anne Laurie:

    Are you planning to see the new Star Trek film this weekend?

  229. 229.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 3:15 am

    @burnspbesq:

    Wes Montgomery, “Impressions.”

    Frakkin’ awesome. Thanks for pointing me to that. My thumb hurts just looking at it.

  230. 230.

    J. A. Baker

    May 9, 2009 at 3:15 am

    Tunch: proving that cats are at their cutest when they’re asleep.

  231. 231.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 3:18 am

    @Steeplejack:

    How many versions of Stolen Moments are there? The only thing I’d prefer to Nelson’s studio version would be Nelson performing the song live with the same musicians appearing on the studio version.

    One of the downsides of YouTube is the fact that so many great videos simply disappear into the ether. There used to be a video of Oliver Nelson’s original studio version of Stolen Moments but it has vanished.

    Other videos I miss from YouTube are original studio versions of Questions 67 & 68 by Chicago, And it Stoned Me by Van Morrison and Jigsaw Puzzle by the Rolling Stones. Someone posted Jigsaw Puzzle as music for a videogame but the sounds of the game drown out the song.

  232. 232.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 3:30 am

    @Steeplejack:

    That’s my all-time favorite jazz song

    Given this fact, would you know if Oliver Nelson’s original studio recording of Stolen Moments, has ever been used for any feature film soundtrack?

  233. 233.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 3:46 am

    @JK:

    [. . .] used for any feature film soundtrack?

    Just off the top of my head, Sprout–a surfing movie, oddly enough.

    This soundtrack is kind of interesting. (I own it.) Check out the other songs, e.g., Tommy Guerrero’s “By Fist and Fury.”

  234. 234.

    Tattoosydney

    May 9, 2009 at 4:00 am

    @asiangrrlMN:

    yummy video of the two boys kissing

    It is lovely, isn’t it?

  235. 235.

    Ned R.

    May 9, 2009 at 4:01 am

    @tripletee (formerly tBone):

    Also, Zoe Seldana.

    Yes, my friend.

    Less hyperpsyched than you but essentially agreed on it being v. enjoyable. I’d be happy with more films from this bunch.

  236. 236.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 4:05 am

    @Steeplejack:

    Thanks for the info, I’ll try to track down the soundtrack as well as the film itself.

  237. 237.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 4:39 am

    @JK:

    How many versions of “Stolen Moments” are there?

    Well, I’ve got 15 or so on my mix CD–don’t have it at hand right now–and there are a lot more than that. I’ve got Oliver Nelson, Ahmad Jamal, Lee Ritenour, the Caribbean Jazz Project, Chris Walden, the Turtle Island String Quartet, Stanley Jordan, Booker Ervin, Freddie Hubbard and some others. There’s a really cool no-word-singing version by UFO (United Future Organization) from the anthology Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool, but I can’t find an audio link.

    One that I don’t have that I’d love to get is a long version by the Clark College Jazz Ensemble circa 1980-85. I used to live in Atlanta and always listened to WCLK, the college’s excellent jazz station. (I still listen occasionally via the Web. Check out “Jazz After Hours” from midnight-5:00 ET weekdays or “Serenade to the City” 9:00 p.m.-midnight weekdays.) For a while they were playing the jazz ensemble’s long version from an album they released, with everyone in this big band taking a solo. But somehow it worked. “Stolen Moments” can lend itself to a long, leisurely interpretation. No cowbell, thankfully.

    The only thing I’d prefer to Nelson’s studio version would be Nelson performing the song live with the same musicians appearing on the studio version.

    Good luck with that! As you said, Nelson was not super popular even back in the day, and that was a big ensemble for that session. Can’t believe anyone would have been moved to put it on video. Not that it shouldn’t have been, of course!

  238. 238.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 4:57 am

    @JK:

    I posted a good-sized monograph on the various versions of “Stolen Moments,” but either it went to moderation (too many hyperlinks?) or it got shredded. I saved the text, so if it doesn’t show up tomorrow morning after daylight I’ll try to post it again.

    I’ve really got to go to bed. The parakeet mob is going to be screeching at me in about an hour. Rapture.

  239. 239.

    CaseyL

    May 9, 2009 at 5:38 am

    Just me, checking in at 2:30-ish a.m. my time to tell you all YOU MUST SEE the new Star Trek movie. I am so jazzed about it I’m already trying to figure out how soon I can see it again.

    Boy Howdy, did JJ reboot this franchise. It kicks all kinds of ass. The principles are all terrific, but Pine as Kirk and Quinto as Spock are revelations.

    The dialog is smart and snappy, the characterizations manage to be fresh and sharp while still true to the characters as we know them, and the visuals are amazing.

  240. 240.

    Michael D.

    May 9, 2009 at 6:57 am

    just washed them, brushed them with a little olive oil, cooked them

    Good on ya!

  241. 241.

    Krista

    May 9, 2009 at 8:04 am

    Glad to hear all the good reviews of the Star Trek movie — I’ve been intrigued by it, but DH is doubtful. Maybe I’ll have to drag his ass to it sometime in the next while. It’s been ages since we’ve seen a movie in the theatre.

  242. 242.

    R-Jud

    May 9, 2009 at 8:28 am

    @Krista:

    It’s been ages since we’ve seen a movie in the theatre.

    We’re making it our first post-baby date tonight based on all the raves we’ve been reading. We’re neither of us big on Star Trek, but the idea of seeing something that is fun though not stupid appeals to us. Plus, popcorn for dinner= win! Between this and the Bean sleeping for a sold 7 hours two nights in a row, it looks to be a nice weekend.

  243. 243.

    harlana pepper

    May 9, 2009 at 8:41 am

    I dunno, but if I were you, I’d plant some catnip in that garden o’ yourn.

  244. 244.

    harlana pepper

    May 9, 2009 at 8:44 am

    aaahhhh!!! i can see the lil orange thingies on toppa his widdle haid! eeeeee!!! (so cute)

  245. 245.

    Krista

    May 9, 2009 at 8:59 am

    Between this and the Bean sleeping for a sold 7 hours two nights in a row, it looks to be a nice weekend.

    7 hours! Sweet! And yes, I’m a big fan of movie popcorn for dinner (although I may have to forgo it if we go — my glucose levels are higher than the doc would like.)

    I’m also wondering if the new X-Men movie is going to be any good. It’s kind of hard to lose when you have both Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in tank tops, but if the movie’s really bad, all the pretty in the world won’t help.

  246. 246.

    demkat620

    May 9, 2009 at 9:02 am

    @Krista: Going to the movies sent me in to labor with my first child.

    True story.

  247. 247.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 9, 2009 at 9:08 am

    @Steeplejack:
    Steve Allen is on several compilation DVDs available at Amazon.
    Maybe better: searching Steve Allen on YouTube yields a wealth of clips.

  248. 248.

    Laura W

    May 9, 2009 at 9:29 am

    @Dennis-SGMM: Re. your back:
    Blame Bacchus.

  249. 249.

    Dennis-SGMM

    May 9, 2009 at 9:34 am

    @Laura W:
    I deserve that!

  250. 250.

    Montysano

    May 9, 2009 at 9:44 am

    @R-Jud:

    Between this and the Bean sleeping for a sold 7 hours two nights in a row, it looks to be a nice weekend.

    As a parents who are gobsmacked to be celebrating a 21st birthday this weekend, let us assure you that it all goes by very quickly. But I do remember that first sweet time when I said “Your mother and I are going out; we’re not sure when we’ll be back. There is food. Don’t set anything on fire”.

  251. 251.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 10:32 am

    @Dennis-SGMM:

    I was pleasantly surprised to find some Ernie Kovacs dvds on Amazon. There’s also some Mort Sahl LPs and CDs.

  252. 252.

    mt

    May 9, 2009 at 11:05 am

    Waffles. Going to town with WAFFLES. Life is good.

  253. 253.

    Church Lady

    May 9, 2009 at 11:10 am

    Going to see the youngest graduate from high school this afternoon.

  254. 254.

    mt

    May 9, 2009 at 11:17 am

    Congratulations Church Lady. I’ve got a ways to go before I can post that milestone.

  255. 255.

    tripletee (formerly tBone)

    May 9, 2009 at 11:26 am

    DH is doubtful. Maybe I’ll have to drag his ass to it sometime in the next while.

    Do. It’s definitely worth seeing in the theatre – though fair warning, the first scene may turn you into a blubbering wreck if you’re suffering from any pregnancy-hormone emotionalism.

    You can safely skip Wolverine, though. It’s crap, even by silly summer superhero movie standards. Also, no Zoe Saldana.

  256. 256.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 9, 2009 at 11:29 am

    @Anne Laurie: I’m thirty-eight, so I’m hardly a spring chicken. I remember seeing Star Wars when it first came out, and I was not impressed. I am just not into Sci Fi. Plus, I don’t like movies (American ones) in general.

    tripletee, I looooove me some Wolverine, but I was planning on waiting until I can get it on Netflix, anyway. Hugh Jack. Eh.

    Let the banning begin!

    @Tattoosydney: Yes. Very. More like that once you’ve recovered!

  257. 257.

    JK

    May 9, 2009 at 11:43 am

    @tripletee (formerly tBone):

    Were you a bigger fan of Star Trek The Original Series or The Next Generation?

  258. 258.

    wasabi gasp

    May 9, 2009 at 12:24 pm

    @asiangrrlMN: I also saw Star Wars as a young’un when it first came out and it completely fascinated me. This didn’t turn into any further appreciation of science fiction, but it did make, to this day, the 20th Century Fox theme as much a part of Star Wars as the Star Wars theme itself.

    And now, that’s what fascinates me, for a few moments, each and every time a 20th Century Fox film begins to roll.

  259. 259.

    wasabi gasp

    May 9, 2009 at 12:29 pm

    @asiangrrlMN: Also, I would have pegged you as being much younger as well. Something about the chipper peppiness of your posts, like you might be roller skating or something while writing them.

  260. 260.

    JenJen

    May 9, 2009 at 12:39 pm

    @Steeplejack: You know, I would ask my Republican friends all the time, “So, how come George W. Bush is the only member of that entire family to speak with a Texas drawl? Don’t you think that’s a little strange considering he went to, like, Andover and Yale?”

    Nobody could ever answer. Huh.

  261. 261.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 9, 2009 at 12:39 pm

    @wasabi gasp: Thank you, I think. What you call chipper peppiness, others have called angry, bitter sarcasm. I think I like your definition better.

    As for Star Wars/Star Treks, I think the problem is that I love books. I love them in part because I have a very vivid imagination, and movies inevitably disappoint. I much prefer foreign films, especially British ones. Yup. I am definitely an effete liberal.

    I’m watching Larry O’Donnell on Ed Show, and he’s hawt. Man, I love the way he makes the rightwingers’ heads explode. Hee hee. He makes them see so fucking stupid. Well, more than they already make themselves seem.

    JenJen, oooh, that’s a good one. I’m going to use that. Did you see your beloved Matt is the subject of this morning’s open thread?

  262. 262.

    wasabi gasp

    May 9, 2009 at 12:46 pm

    It was a compliment.

    As far as books go, at that time, I found Star Wars blew Hop on Pop out of the water. ;)

  263. 263.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 9, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    @wasabi gasp: What the hell is Hop on Pop???????

    I should have used the Google first. Did. I am not a big Dr. Seuss fan, either.

  264. 264.

    Steeplejack

    May 9, 2009 at 12:55 pm

    @JenJen:

    Word. I used to live in Texas, and there are plenty of natives who don’t speak as “Texican” as Dubya does. I wonder if he’ll lighten up on the accent now that he’s retired.

  265. 265.

    wasabi gasp

    May 9, 2009 at 12:58 pm

    @asiangrrlMN: I take back the roller skates. :P

  266. 266.

    JenJen

    May 9, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    @asiangrrlMN: I did, I did! Always nice to start the day with a little Matt Taibbi!

    He didn’t get much of an opportunity to be hilarious on Bill Maher last night. When you’ve got the “Family Guy” creator on the panel, well, he just kind of sucks out all the oxygen. I doubt I could be funny sitting across from Seth MacFarlane.

    @Steeplejack: He and Laura didn’t waste any time getting rid of that show-farm in Crawford, that’s for sure.

  267. 267.

    Andrew J. Lazarus

    May 9, 2009 at 1:27 pm

    Back to food. I am visiting my family in DC soon. I can get morels in California for $20/lb. Is this cheaper than DC would have?

    Also, we get Mexican-grown ramps here. Maybe I’ll try them. Unfortunately, I’m the only carnivore in my house right now, so no steak with.

  268. 268.

    tripletee (formerly tBone)

    May 9, 2009 at 2:57 pm

    Were you a bigger fan of Star Trek The Original Series or The Next Generation?

    Never had a big preference one way or the other, really.

  269. 269.

    Studly Pantload

    May 9, 2009 at 4:29 pm

    Was fortunate enough to see the new Trek flick at the old restored Cinerama theater here in Seattle. I tell you, IMAX theaters wish they were the Cinerama. Anyhoo, the flick kicks butt, and seems to be a set. up for the installment or two, a la Wrath of Khan. Great cast, great chemistry, and some serious blowing up of shit.

  270. 270.

    CaseyL

    May 9, 2009 at 7:00 pm

    Hey, Studly – I was at the Cinerama too! 11:00 show.

    Interesting that you say it was better than IMAX, since the friend I was with was a little miffed that we weren’t seeing on IMAX. I wouldn’t mind seeing it a 2nd or 3rd time that way, but preferred Cinerama for the maiden viewing :) IMAX is too big; you can’t see the whole screen at once, and moving one’s head back and forth to take in everything is distracting.

  271. 271.

    Dayv

    May 11, 2009 at 1:43 am

    Dinner was excellent, and the mushrooms turned out great. I actually made two marinades […], and then ended up using neither. I just washed them, brushed them with a little olive oil, cooked them, and then tasted one to see which marinade would be better, and decided all it needed was a little sea salt and some pepper.

    You win at portobellos, sir.

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