Thursday, January 07, 2010
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Another round!
They come in shifts. This time for Christmas.Going to be tough sledding over the hillsand
through the woods to Granny's house.
Oh, wait. She's in a nursing home.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
White Christmas - oh yeah!
NWS: Winter Storm Watch...AND WILL LIKELY HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON SOCIETY.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Historic track @ Churchill Downs
Of all the places where a hoof meets earth, the race track at Churchill Downs in Louisville ranks among the most famous. The surface that hosts the Kentucky Derby and 800 other races each season gets more than its fair share of attention and care.
Managing the track at Churchill Downs is a multimillion-dollar business and the focus of daily conditioning.
The surface is considered "hard" by horse-racing enthusiasts, as are Belmont Park in New York and Pimlico near Baltimore, the three tracks that make up the Triple Crown of horse racing.
Churchill Downs keeps its track the same mixture of 75 percent sand, 23 percent silt and 2 percent clay. "All the material used here at the track comes from southern Kentucky," explained a track guide. "It's all stored in big piles here and mixed and added whenever it's needed.”
A hard surface makes for a fast track. Track technology is changing and new materials are in use at other tracks. For example, Keeneland in nearby Lexington, Ky., has a synthetic track. The mixture is a blend of sand, polyfibers and a tarlike compound, making for a much softer track.
"If you pick up a handful of the synthetic track and squeeze it, it'll crumble apart when you let go. If you squeeze this track material it'll stay in a clump
when you let go." the guide said.
Consistency is of even more value than texture. Churchill Downs wants the same track for every race so a horse taking to the field for the 2010 Kentucky Derby has the same track that Secretariat had in 1973 when he set a record of 1:59 2/5.
Trainers and owners all want the track to stay the same as they race their horses and watch training times. A surface that changes would produce inconsistent results from one run to the next.
Daily care of Churchill Downs includes leveling, adding water, harrowing and packing.
"We don't need to level the track every day, but the harrowing and packing is done after every race and after every morning workout," the guide said. "The harrows fluff up the top 3 inches of the surface and then the packers come along and pack it down to make it hard."
Without the constant harrowing and packing, the 1-mile track would begin to erode from underneath and that would lead to soft spots and possibly holes in the surface, creating a dangerous condition for horses and riders. Water is sprayed ahead of the harrows and packers to help keep the track mixture consistent.
"On a hot day they'll add 100,000 gallons of water. How much water is applied is determined by the speed of the tank trucks. When it's hot you'll see the trucks creeping along,” the guide said.
When it rains, the surface is packed so hard that water will stand on the track.
"It's still a hard track even when it rains. But that's the kind of track that often favors the long shots (horses not generally favored to win). Some horses just really like a muddy track and that's why we call them ‘mudders,’" the guide said.
A recent flood at Churchill Downs illustrated how hard and well-maintained the track is. Hurricane-like rain and wind swept through the Louisville area in August, leaving the track under more than 2 feet of water. When the water drained, the track was still there and needed only spot repairs, officials said. The attached museum, however, sustained significant damage and many of the artifacts will require careful restoration.
Managing the track at Churchill Downs is a multimillion-dollar business and the focus of daily conditioning.
The surface is considered "hard" by horse-racing enthusiasts, as are Belmont Park in New York and Pimlico near Baltimore, the three tracks that make up the Triple Crown of horse racing.
Churchill Downs keeps its track the same mixture of 75 percent sand, 23 percent silt and 2 percent clay. "All the material used here at the track comes from southern Kentucky," explained a track guide. "It's all stored in big piles here and mixed and added whenever it's needed.”
A hard surface makes for a fast track. Track technology is changing and new materials are in use at other tracks. For example, Keeneland in nearby Lexington, Ky., has a synthetic track. The mixture is a blend of sand, polyfibers and a tarlike compound, making for a much softer track.
"If you pick up a handful of the synthetic track and squeeze it, it'll crumble apart when you let go. If you squeeze this track material it'll stay in a clump
when you let go." the guide said.
Consistency is of even more value than texture. Churchill Downs wants the same track for every race so a horse taking to the field for the 2010 Kentucky Derby has the same track that Secretariat had in 1973 when he set a record of 1:59 2/5.
Trainers and owners all want the track to stay the same as they race their horses and watch training times. A surface that changes would produce inconsistent results from one run to the next.
Daily care of Churchill Downs includes leveling, adding water, harrowing and packing.
"We don't need to level the track every day, but the harrowing and packing is done after every race and after every morning workout," the guide said. "The harrows fluff up the top 3 inches of the surface and then the packers come along and pack it down to make it hard."
Without the constant harrowing and packing, the 1-mile track would begin to erode from underneath and that would lead to soft spots and possibly holes in the surface, creating a dangerous condition for horses and riders. Water is sprayed ahead of the harrows and packers to help keep the track mixture consistent.
"On a hot day they'll add 100,000 gallons of water. How much water is applied is determined by the speed of the tank trucks. When it's hot you'll see the trucks creeping along,” the guide said.
When it rains, the surface is packed so hard that water will stand on the track.
"It's still a hard track even when it rains. But that's the kind of track that often favors the long shots (horses not generally favored to win). Some horses just really like a muddy track and that's why we call them ‘mudders,’" the guide said.
A recent flood at Churchill Downs illustrated how hard and well-maintained the track is. Hurricane-like rain and wind swept through the Louisville area in August, leaving the track under more than 2 feet of water. When the water drained, the track was still there and needed only spot repairs, officials said. The attached museum, however, sustained significant damage and many of the artifacts will require careful restoration.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
More of this
"This is the unsustainable path we’re on, and it’s the path the insurers want to keep us on. In fact, the insurance industry is rolling out the big guns and breaking open their massive war chest – to marshal their forces for one last fight to save the status quo. They’re filling the airwaves with deceptive and dishonest ads. They’re flooding Capitol Hill with lobbyists and campaign contributions. And they’re funding studies designed to mislead the American people.
Of course, like clockwork, we’ve seen folks on cable television who know better, waving these industry-funded studies in the air. We’ve seen industry insiders – and their apologists – citing these studies as proof of claims that just aren’t true."
President Barack Obama...
Of course, like clockwork, we’ve seen folks on cable television who know better, waving these industry-funded studies in the air. We’ve seen industry insiders – and their apologists – citing these studies as proof of claims that just aren’t true."
President Barack Obama...
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Manifesto not so much
A bag of Cheetos, a can of Mountain Dew, out of the convenience store, into the car and off to work. The scene may sound outrageous enough for comedy but chips, pop and off to work is a common act in a national drama with food. Michael Pollan thinks the play is a tragedy and wastes no time making his points in his latest book, "In Defense of Food: an eater's manifesto."
Pollan is deeply cynical in the details defining his attacks on nutrition, food science, and the health industry. While well-researched and compelling, In Defense gets diluted by lazy claims deriding the industrial food complex. Yes, everything in the book has been said before and Pollan makes sure to reference his points.
References are only as good as the sources and conclusions only as good as the underlying arguments. Processed foods might not be good for us all the time. But it's hard to draw a distinction between a bag of chips and a can of pop for breakfast and a bag of flour from reading In Defense. If it's processed it's bad.
Pollan's lashing about tends to reduce the value of the central themes found in the book important to an enlightened and much-needed discussion about food and eating. We've arrived at a point where we're both "overfed and undernourished," food and eating are cleaved from culture, and that diet and nutrition fads substitute for actual healthy living are among the valuable broader points Pollan brings forward.
Let's take a quick look. Pollan talks about wheat and bread explaining that the milling process removes the nutritional value of the flour used to make bread. The effects of milling on flour are well known and Pollan is hardly providing a news flash. It was modern food science that learned how to return the nutritional value to the flour used in baking bread. The bread you buy in the grocery store today isn't like what grandma used to bake. Grandma wasn't providing for millions of people either.
In Defense struggles with economics by encouraging "those of us who can" to spend more time and money on food. That's nice. The burgeoning obesity problem and associated health issues Pollan attributes to food and eating are more pronounced among the poor and working class where cheap sugar and carbohydrates fill empty stomachs. The same groups also struggle with time. In the best of situations you have two people working, and if there are children involved, a meal of "mac & cheese" out of a box is the path of least resistance and lowest cost.
In Defense is a worthwhile read for the thinking it should stimulate. Leaning on it as an actual "manifesto" of managing the global challenges to food security is thin gruel.
Pollan is deeply cynical in the details defining his attacks on nutrition, food science, and the health industry. While well-researched and compelling, In Defense gets diluted by lazy claims deriding the industrial food complex. Yes, everything in the book has been said before and Pollan makes sure to reference his points.
References are only as good as the sources and conclusions only as good as the underlying arguments. Processed foods might not be good for us all the time. But it's hard to draw a distinction between a bag of chips and a can of pop for breakfast and a bag of flour from reading In Defense. If it's processed it's bad.
Pollan's lashing about tends to reduce the value of the central themes found in the book important to an enlightened and much-needed discussion about food and eating. We've arrived at a point where we're both "overfed and undernourished," food and eating are cleaved from culture, and that diet and nutrition fads substitute for actual healthy living are among the valuable broader points Pollan brings forward.
Let's take a quick look. Pollan talks about wheat and bread explaining that the milling process removes the nutritional value of the flour used to make bread. The effects of milling on flour are well known and Pollan is hardly providing a news flash. It was modern food science that learned how to return the nutritional value to the flour used in baking bread. The bread you buy in the grocery store today isn't like what grandma used to bake. Grandma wasn't providing for millions of people either.
In Defense struggles with economics by encouraging "those of us who can" to spend more time and money on food. That's nice. The burgeoning obesity problem and associated health issues Pollan attributes to food and eating are more pronounced among the poor and working class where cheap sugar and carbohydrates fill empty stomachs. The same groups also struggle with time. In the best of situations you have two people working, and if there are children involved, a meal of "mac & cheese" out of a box is the path of least resistance and lowest cost.
In Defense is a worthwhile read for the thinking it should stimulate. Leaning on it as an actual "manifesto" of managing the global challenges to food security is thin gruel.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Truck Farm
Maybe I'm a wee bit defensive about farming but I still think there's lots of room for creative, and even humorous, endeavor:
6:48 run time
6:48 run time
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Sunday Recession Garden Blogging
Peppers - oh, yeah! Tomatos - soon! Zucinni - in bloom! Beans, ah, well...
Friday, July 17, 2009
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
Melancholy
Endings and beginnings, pages turned, chapters closed, fresh starts, perils and opportunity…
It’s actually much harder than I expected sitting here now three days after the high school graduation ceremony and two days after the graduation party. I’m relieved the young man has completed this phase of his life and I’m happy for him to be able to move on to the next phase. This is good and wonderful and something he has earned in his own odd way.
But I’m sad, too. I’m going to miss him. The young man will be around but it won’t be the same. He has stepped onto a new platform where mom and dad aren’t the engineers and conductors they’ve been for the last 18 years. We hope he has what’s needed now to be able to take care of himself.
Times are tough. He has to compete for a shrinking resource base on several fronts. Much of what he has grown up with is going to disappear in his lifetime. Hopefully, he has the skills to adapt. There have been enough hard knocks in his life so he has a taste of adversity and should know how to make adjustments.
In an interview, the film maker George Lucas said his hopes for his children and people in general are to be able to take care of themselves, find some happiness, and one day to give something back.
Yeah, me too, George.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
10x12
Five tomatos, four peppers, two rows of beans and one hill for zucinni. The Great Recession Garden is in.Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Pirate update
The current pirate news story is exiting the stage with the safe return of the American hostage and the death or capture of the pirates. Greasy, creepy business and I think the pirates know the stakes are even higher now than before.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Pirates of the day
I don't have any romantic Hollywood notions about the Somali pirates. They're clearly tough, desperate and dangerous people into high-risk international crime. But I do have an odd admiration for their enterprise and their sheer defiance of power and authority.
The crazy bastards arm themselves to the hilt, climb into fishing boats, head out into the ocean 200 or 300 miles and forcibly seize passing ships. Everything about it is dangerous – everything. By press accounts, the returns are damn good certainly by pirate standards.
There's something honest about this crime. The pirates are willing to risk their lives in a grim, brutal face-to-face confrontation with their victims. Contrast the crime of modern piracy to that of the pasty weasels seated at computer screens on Wall Street bilking the public out of billions.
Pirates attack a ship knowing full well the attack can go haywire and knowing full well that the response to the attack is likely to bring on more direct firepower than a gun lugging pirate will ever be able to survive. Criminals on Wall Street not only get away with the fraud, they get rewarded for it – all without having to break a sweat.
Until such time as I see a Navy destroyer “come about” and head into the mouth of the Hudson River, I think I'll just keep my odd sense of admiration for the pirates.
The crazy bastards arm themselves to the hilt, climb into fishing boats, head out into the ocean 200 or 300 miles and forcibly seize passing ships. Everything about it is dangerous – everything. By press accounts, the returns are damn good certainly by pirate standards.
There's something honest about this crime. The pirates are willing to risk their lives in a grim, brutal face-to-face confrontation with their victims. Contrast the crime of modern piracy to that of the pasty weasels seated at computer screens on Wall Street bilking the public out of billions.
Pirates attack a ship knowing full well the attack can go haywire and knowing full well that the response to the attack is likely to bring on more direct firepower than a gun lugging pirate will ever be able to survive. Criminals on Wall Street not only get away with the fraud, they get rewarded for it – all without having to break a sweat.
Until such time as I see a Navy destroyer “come about” and head into the mouth of the Hudson River, I think I'll just keep my odd sense of admiration for the pirates.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Bread Alone
There was real fear. Something could go haywire at any time. The whole process could end up as a wreck and I was pretty sure that's where I was heading. At any point a nasty turn would doom the outcome.
“Oh for Pete's sake,” my daughter says. “What's the worst thing that can happen?”
“A big mess?” I reply. “Maybe a fire?”
“There won't be any fire. And what do you do with a mess?” she asks.
“Clean it up?” seemed the reasonable response.
“That's right – a mess. And we'll clean it up like any mess,” she says. “But it'll be good and there won't be any mess.”
The book Bread Alone by Daniel Leader and Judith Blahnik had put the fear of bread baking into me. Years ago I'd bake bread all the time and I didn't think too much about it. My mother used to bake bread constantly and I'd learned from her. Back in the day, mom used to do all of our cooking on a wood-fired stove including baking in the oven. It wasn't until 1966 that the kitchen was remodeled and a shiny new electric stove went in.
The urge to return to bread-baking strengthened over time. Ten years living in Kansas exposed me to the culture of growing wheat, the memories from my childhood remained strong, the increasing interest in local foods, fresh foods, organic foods all took root and finally, the huge upsurge in commodity prices and food in 2008-09 lead me to buy the book “Bread Alone.”
The book is touted as something practical. What it turns out to be is precise. You need to use spring water. It's important to have sea salt. The wheat must be organic and ground in a certain way. Temperature control is crucial. Your oven must be made correctly with the proper kinds of stone. An electric oven is useless and whatever lowly consumer-level oven you have must be fitted with proper baking stones.
I was scared. There was no way I could bake a loaf of bread in our kitchen. Bread Alone told me so.
Armed with courage supplied by my daughter we went ahead that day to bake bread. The outcome was in doubt: no thermometer, tap water, electric oven, regular flour, ordinary table salt, no baking stones... The process was doomed.
Yet, at the end of mixing and kneading and rising and kneading and rising and finally baking we ended up with a couple of loaves of whole wheat honey bread. Well, the crust was a little too brown. Okay, the interior was somewhat doughy. Yes, it had an odd swirl to the grain. Parts of it tasted good though.
What went wrong? Bread Alone was on the coffee table so we cracked it open. Temperature control was the big thing and when we interpreted our experience with what we read in Bread Alone it was clear we needed to make temperature adjustments when baking.
What about the rising part? Well, tap water is treated and that can affect the yeast. Hmmm. Maybe we didn't get the right bounce out of the yeast. And temperature control with the water helps with the yeast and with the mixing and all that's needed is a thermometer. Sea salt? Oh, never mind.
Organic stone ground wheat is big in Bread Alone. But give me a break. Getting exactly what Bread Alone calls for is hard, expensive and probably a mail order deal. And, not to mention, there in the chapters about wheat flour is a begrudging comment, “This does not mean you can't make these breads with ordinary supermarket flour!”
Bread Alone is a good read and if you have an interest in baking the book is a fine addition to your collection. There are recipes and plenty of instruction – precise instructions. You'll find some history and some stories and you'll find inspiration.
Along with the fear Bread Alone caused, the book also elevated my interest further and helped push me to take the next step and actually bake some bread.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Not just an omelet
One morning I'm making an omelet for Hockey Boy and it isn't turning out the way I want. So I tell him, "One day I'll make you the perfect omelet."
He asks what the perfect omelet would look like and I describe this symmetrical, evenly brown, moist and bubbling omelet I'd consider perfect. He considers and eats his somewhat mangled omelet saying it tastes just fine.
Tuesday morning, the spouse wakes me up telling me that sometime in the middle of the night, Hockey Boy cooked a "drop dead gorgeous omelet."
I've heard of things called "drop dead gorgeous" but never an omelet. "Shoulda took a picture," I mumble.
"He did," I'm told. And there you have it. A drop dead gorgeous omelet.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Bring on the gardens
That sod has been broken at the White House for a garden is some of the best news in the world. Last fall I turned over a patch of lawn in the back yard for a garden, too. It's my Great Recession garden.
We'd quit with the vegetable garden several years ago because we just couldn't manage enough time to properly tend the thing. With the baby of the family leaving high school this spring I felt it was time to give it another go.
Oh, it'll be no big financial savings. But fresh veggies from the garden? I'm sooo looking forward to summer.
We'd quit with the vegetable garden several years ago because we just couldn't manage enough time to properly tend the thing. With the baby of the family leaving high school this spring I felt it was time to give it another go.
Oh, it'll be no big financial savings. But fresh veggies from the garden? I'm sooo looking forward to summer.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Sunday, December 28, 2008
A 7-5 comeback win
The guys fell behind 4-0 to a U-16 team that should never get the upper hand. The U-16 team had better speed and early on our team seemed sleepy. But the advantage of experience and better puck protection paid off as the game wore on.
Watch a few plays:
Watch a few plays:
Saturday, December 27, 2008
12 in 12
With just a couple of days left in December 2008, icasualties.org is reporting 12 dead in Iraq. That's 12 in 12 - a sad note to the end of the year.
Way past time to put an end to this gruesome war.
Way past time to put an end to this gruesome war.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Back on the ice
For a game between bitter rivals things went pretty well. The refs called it tight, talked to the kids a lot and kept everything under control. It was a damn good game up until Hockey Boy decided to dive to save a shot, turned to avoid slamming his head into the boards and went in knee first.
Another trip to the x-ray store. He's fine but I know that knee is going to hurt like hell tomorrow.
Another trip to the x-ray store. He's fine but I know that knee is going to hurt like hell tomorrow.
 |
| From 12/6/08 |
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Later, Nov. 4, 2008
The polls closed and the verdict appears to be here - Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States of America. For now I'll allow myself some emotional indulgence. The pictures from Chicago are spectacular and inspiring.
This country has its moments of greatness and is certainly capable of many more on many fronts. There are no shortages of fronts for our greatness to show.
Let's have some fun tonight. Let's enjoy the moment!
There's lots of good work to look forward to tomorrow.
This country has its moments of greatness and is certainly capable of many more on many fronts. There are no shortages of fronts for our greatness to show.
Let's have some fun tonight. Let's enjoy the moment!
There's lots of good work to look forward to tomorrow.
Nov. 4, 2008 Ward 4 doors open
There were about 100 people waiting in line at 7:00 a.m. for the door to open at the polls. I was number 94.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
A McCain robo call
Finally, what? Six days before the election? Finally I get a McSame robo call! I've been hearing so much about them I was getting jealous. I told every one in the house that if we got one to leave it on the recorder so I could hear it.
These calls are famous and are going to go down in history as some of the worst slime used in a presidential campaign. And I was missing out.
Okay, so the call that I picked up was from the state republican party and not approved by McSame but at least they got around to my number. Unfortunately, I answered the call and didn't get it captured on tape.
But they told me how the dems are going to take away my guns and how I'd loose my rights and oh yeah, I'm going to be taxed to death.
And for a bonus, a few minutes later the phone rings again and it's another call from McSame! This time it's a real person who wants to talk to my spouse.
That was a short conversation!
Six days to go.
These calls are famous and are going to go down in history as some of the worst slime used in a presidential campaign. And I was missing out.
Okay, so the call that I picked up was from the state republican party and not approved by McSame but at least they got around to my number. Unfortunately, I answered the call and didn't get it captured on tape.
But they told me how the dems are going to take away my guns and how I'd loose my rights and oh yeah, I'm going to be taxed to death.
And for a bonus, a few minutes later the phone rings again and it's another call from McSame! This time it's a real person who wants to talk to my spouse.
That was a short conversation!
Six days to go.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Sunday, October 05, 2008
bailout bummer
Congress went ahead and approved a $700 billion (or so) bailout of the financial industry. There is no doubt in my mind that something had to get done but I question what did get done. Nowhere in the discussion was there any mention of actually addressing the basic issues underlying the whole mess.
What ever happens, until the people of this nation are willing to face up to the fact that greed is not self-regulating we'll keep repeating this same grim pattern.
What ever happens, until the people of this nation are willing to face up to the fact that greed is not self-regulating we'll keep repeating this same grim pattern.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Somebody has to go to jail
Gawd! You could see the train coming for a mile or more and you knew there'd be a wreck. Wall Street and its republican commandos have been on a global-scale criminal spree for years. The greed and the filth got so bad it actually got away from them to the point it's about to foul their whole nest and take what little there is of yours and mine along with it.
Somebody has to go to jail. Lots of somebodies. Fines, huge fines, need to be levied. New taxes on excess, fat new taxes on excess, must be enacted. And, a vigorous new police force must be fielded to billy club any bastard getting out of line from now on.
The republican regime existed for the sole purpose of comforting and protecting and aiding the most glided, vulgar, and insane class of hyper wealthy on the planet. The sickness of this excess is so bad, so purposeful that GWB can be thrown away like the dirty laundry he is. Why? He's delivered the billions and now his job is done.
Okay, so in the last few weeks he can throw a few more billion to his billionaire buddies before he goes out the door. Still: Mission Accomplished.
Jail time. Big time jail time. Now.
Somebody has to go to jail. Lots of somebodies. Fines, huge fines, need to be levied. New taxes on excess, fat new taxes on excess, must be enacted. And, a vigorous new police force must be fielded to billy club any bastard getting out of line from now on.
The republican regime existed for the sole purpose of comforting and protecting and aiding the most glided, vulgar, and insane class of hyper wealthy on the planet. The sickness of this excess is so bad, so purposeful that GWB can be thrown away like the dirty laundry he is. Why? He's delivered the billions and now his job is done.
Okay, so in the last few weeks he can throw a few more billion to his billionaire buddies before he goes out the door. Still: Mission Accomplished.
Jail time. Big time jail time. Now.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
August
August. Deep summer.
It's a month of warm days and cool nights; a time of in between. The corn is maturing but not yet ready for harvest, third crop hay is growing, tree fruits bounce on limbs soaking in the ripening sun, dust takes over from the mud in the lanes. Even the cows cud-chew a little more deliberately in August.
School is still out and there's time to breath for a minute. Summer fair season is over. It's August and a time of in between. This would be a great time to catch up if you could only hurry. But it's August and to hurry is too hard.
Time to sit on the deck. Time for a farmer's market. Time to let the lawn go one more day. Time to savor the last summer brews. And you should get the snowblower in for repair right now but winter seems so distant to be impossible.
August.
It's a month of warm days and cool nights; a time of in between. The corn is maturing but not yet ready for harvest, third crop hay is growing, tree fruits bounce on limbs soaking in the ripening sun, dust takes over from the mud in the lanes. Even the cows cud-chew a little more deliberately in August.
School is still out and there's time to breath for a minute. Summer fair season is over. It's August and a time of in between. This would be a great time to catch up if you could only hurry. But it's August and to hurry is too hard.
Time to sit on the deck. Time for a farmer's market. Time to let the lawn go one more day. Time to savor the last summer brews. And you should get the snowblower in for repair right now but winter seems so distant to be impossible.
August.
Friday, July 11, 2008
iPhone not so much
Recently, I shifted, or I'm trying to shift, from a Palm Pilot to an iTouch - iTouch is an iPhone without the phone.
Ho hum. While the iTouch is clearly nice for some things it' s not as business-ready as I'd like it to be.
Crucial to me are: contacts, calendar, and email in that order with contacts and calendar being the most serious of the three. The iTouch has all three and they all work okay. BUT. When it comes to sync time with a PC the glitches set in.
Oh ya, I'm supposed to be all MAC, right? That's actually one of the drawbacks to the iTouch. Once you enter the iTouch world you're in MAC land and don't think you're not. Sync of all the features is done through iTunes. iTunes may or may not play nice with non-MAC applications so in my case it crashes MS Outlook everytime I do a sync.
There's probably a fix but I have only so much time in the day. On top of that, the iTouch draws its power from the USB connection to the computer. That's okay except every time you connect the device, it crashes Outlook.
On the positive side, iTouch is a great device for music and probably for video and photos. While I do produce video at work I've failed so far to load any of my video productions into the iTouch. Sure, I'm missing a step but it's hardly intuitive. I've been handling media for a long time folks, and I don't want to have to puzzle over loading a device.
In contrast, my Palm never gave me any troubles with snyc. I had contacts and calendar on Outlook and in the system my employer uses. I could do email, some web browsing and it accepted video and audio and photos without a fight.
On top of that, I could slap a keyboard on the Palm and take notes at a meeting or do serious email communications. On the iTouch I'm stuck with that screen keyboard and my two thick thumbs. Sorry, that's good for a quick text message or a very short email but it's limited.
Those are my laments about the iTouch. Tonight I went rummaging about in my bag for the iTouch to find a contact and realized I'd left it on the desk at work. But there was the trusty old Palm and it still had my contacts. When I picked it up and turned it on it was there for me like a trusted friend.
Am I geting old fashioned?
Ho hum. While the iTouch is clearly nice for some things it' s not as business-ready as I'd like it to be.
Crucial to me are: contacts, calendar, and email in that order with contacts and calendar being the most serious of the three. The iTouch has all three and they all work okay. BUT. When it comes to sync time with a PC the glitches set in.
Oh ya, I'm supposed to be all MAC, right? That's actually one of the drawbacks to the iTouch. Once you enter the iTouch world you're in MAC land and don't think you're not. Sync of all the features is done through iTunes. iTunes may or may not play nice with non-MAC applications so in my case it crashes MS Outlook everytime I do a sync.
There's probably a fix but I have only so much time in the day. On top of that, the iTouch draws its power from the USB connection to the computer. That's okay except every time you connect the device, it crashes Outlook.
On the positive side, iTouch is a great device for music and probably for video and photos. While I do produce video at work I've failed so far to load any of my video productions into the iTouch. Sure, I'm missing a step but it's hardly intuitive. I've been handling media for a long time folks, and I don't want to have to puzzle over loading a device.
In contrast, my Palm never gave me any troubles with snyc. I had contacts and calendar on Outlook and in the system my employer uses. I could do email, some web browsing and it accepted video and audio and photos without a fight.
On top of that, I could slap a keyboard on the Palm and take notes at a meeting or do serious email communications. On the iTouch I'm stuck with that screen keyboard and my two thick thumbs. Sorry, that's good for a quick text message or a very short email but it's limited.
Those are my laments about the iTouch. Tonight I went rummaging about in my bag for the iTouch to find a contact and realized I'd left it on the desk at work. But there was the trusty old Palm and it still had my contacts. When I picked it up and turned it on it was there for me like a trusted friend.
Am I geting old fashioned?
Monday, June 16, 2008
Breathless summer
The next president gets the wreck the current goon caused: A hot war in the middle of a powder keg, an economy teetering at the maw of a major crash, and an environmental catastrophe like humankind has never seen.
Granted, not everything was caused by the goon; the environment has been in a steady burn for a long time. But nothing has even been tried to stop or slow the change and for the most part the problem has accelerated.
Corn futures today crossed the $8\bushel threshold and oil went close enough to $140/brl to just say it did. Still, the cake-eating continues.
I think we'll head to the polls in November a very angry nation. Maybe that means a change, maybe not. Anger and fear are hard to predict. But if there is any way to goon this democracy up I think we'll see it.
Goons.
Granted, not everything was caused by the goon; the environment has been in a steady burn for a long time. But nothing has even been tried to stop or slow the change and for the most part the problem has accelerated.
Corn futures today crossed the $8\bushel threshold and oil went close enough to $140/brl to just say it did. Still, the cake-eating continues.
I think we'll head to the polls in November a very angry nation. Maybe that means a change, maybe not. Anger and fear are hard to predict. But if there is any way to goon this democracy up I think we'll see it.
Goons.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
WTG Kiddo!
Four years and some big effort we were finally able to have that graduation party! In a couple more years we get to have another party to celebrate that M.S.!Celebrations are such good things. And nature gave us a day to remember with a neighborhood tornado and a power outage.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Filth in the mail
The salutation on the letter read: "Dear Fellow Republican."
That was enough right there to churn my gut but the rest of the letter went straight to the gutter. The whole thing was billed as the "2008 Census of the Republican Party." It explained the Republican National Committee was too poor to do a comprehensive census so they'd picked out "representative" republicans in various voting districts.
Another GOP fuck up. It'd be a cruel irony that I'd be representative of the GOP. If that's the case the stupid GOP is in even worse shape than I'd hoped and that'd be damn good news.
Basically, the sick bastards wanted me to fill out a 26-question survey and return it with some money. For my efforts I'd help prevent the election of liberal democrats who'd, "... gut our military...pack the judiciary...expand the federal government's power...and staff every federal agency and bureaucracy with cronies..."
We wouldn't want that now would we?
I read somewhere you can tell a lot about a government by the way it responds to a disaster like a hurricane. Not, of course, that we're like Burma or anything.
But I digress - not that I'm bitter. The 26 questions were all beyond the pale. Really, should we pass a federal marriage amendment protecting marriage as a union between a man and a woman? Should we fight democrats massive tax hikes? Huh? Should we?
The republican party has become a disease on the land. Its relentless attacks on liberty seem like treason to me but I guess I'm a lonely thinker there. But seriously, isn't there any way to make these dingbats just stop?
That was enough right there to churn my gut but the rest of the letter went straight to the gutter. The whole thing was billed as the "2008 Census of the Republican Party." It explained the Republican National Committee was too poor to do a comprehensive census so they'd picked out "representative" republicans in various voting districts.
Another GOP fuck up. It'd be a cruel irony that I'd be representative of the GOP. If that's the case the stupid GOP is in even worse shape than I'd hoped and that'd be damn good news.
Basically, the sick bastards wanted me to fill out a 26-question survey and return it with some money. For my efforts I'd help prevent the election of liberal democrats who'd, "... gut our military...pack the judiciary...expand the federal government's power...and staff every federal agency and bureaucracy with cronies..."
We wouldn't want that now would we?
I read somewhere you can tell a lot about a government by the way it responds to a disaster like a hurricane. Not, of course, that we're like Burma or anything.
But I digress - not that I'm bitter. The 26 questions were all beyond the pale. Really, should we pass a federal marriage amendment protecting marriage as a union between a man and a woman? Should we fight democrats massive tax hikes? Huh? Should we?
The republican party has become a disease on the land. Its relentless attacks on liberty seem like treason to me but I guess I'm a lonely thinker there. But seriously, isn't there any way to make these dingbats just stop?
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Sunday, March 09, 2008
What a country
The supermarket is a remarkable place. Organic bananas from Peru, Clementine oranges from Morocco, mango from Mexico, melons from Honduras, dates from Spain and the whole cornucopia of prepared, dried, frozen, canned and fresh foods from everywhere.
California has produced an excellent crop of navel oranges this season. Thank you California. Each one of those navels is a burst of sunshine on a dreary day here in March.
California has produced an excellent crop of navel oranges this season. Thank you California. Each one of those navels is a burst of sunshine on a dreary day here in March.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
An independent no more
Most of my life I've considered myself politically independent with strong Democratic leanings. Sometimes I've referred to myself as a "split-ticket" Democrat. If a candidate seemed to fit my perception of what I needed, that's how I'd vote regardless of party affiliation.
Forget that crap. On more than one occasion my split-ticket decisions didn't work out so well. My reasoning was always that "the party" didn't mean anything to me; I wanted representation. As I've grown older I've become more conservative in thought and deed. But I haven't stopped thinking.
So now I'm a Democrat. Period. Republican conservatism is a dead notion. Republicans killed it. All Republicans stand for is gluttony at my expense. The country needs to pull its head out of the arse of conservatism and begin investing.
My tax dollars are in exchange for services I expect to be delivered. That's the contract. In exchange for my money I expect representative, responsive government.
Without that contract with all of its citizens, this place is the Sudan with good soils. When Republicans shriek "No taxes, No taxes" over and over they're breaking the contract. Taxes are how we work together: fire, police, public transit, education, social security, Medicare...
Republicans are working to destroy all of that. At least that's what I see with my eyes.
Forget that crap. On more than one occasion my split-ticket decisions didn't work out so well. My reasoning was always that "the party" didn't mean anything to me; I wanted representation. As I've grown older I've become more conservative in thought and deed. But I haven't stopped thinking.
So now I'm a Democrat. Period. Republican conservatism is a dead notion. Republicans killed it. All Republicans stand for is gluttony at my expense. The country needs to pull its head out of the arse of conservatism and begin investing.
My tax dollars are in exchange for services I expect to be delivered. That's the contract. In exchange for my money I expect representative, responsive government.
Without that contract with all of its citizens, this place is the Sudan with good soils. When Republicans shriek "No taxes, No taxes" over and over they're breaking the contract. Taxes are how we work together: fire, police, public transit, education, social security, Medicare...
Republicans are working to destroy all of that. At least that's what I see with my eyes.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Long ago winter
That'd be a couple of kids out on a winter's day with popcicles. Young and not a thing to worry about!Monday, February 11, 2008
Republicans
If the Government is a car setting out to give every one a ride to work, then for 40 years the Republicans have been puncturing the tires, pouring sand in the gas tank, stealing the distributer cap, and, whenever they can get their hands on the wheel, driving it straight into the nearest ditch and then, pointing to the wreckage as the tow truck backs up to it, saying, See, this proves that people were meant to walk.
And they do this so that they don't have to chip in on gas.
Lance Mannion
And they do this so that they don't have to chip in on gas.
Lance Mannion
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Cold, snow
Feb. 10, 2008. It was -4 degrees with a -25 wind chill. Officially, we've had 75.5 inches of snow. The record for snowfall in a season will be broken tomorrow.
Pretty to look at but it's really getting old.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter is a hero of mine. What's not to love about a smart, honest, decent human being who became the joke brunt of every lousy conservative mouthpiece who could breath in syllables? It's nice to see this kindly old gentleman stand up for himself.
Go here> Jimmy Carter
Go here> Jimmy Carter
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Thanksgiving Eve
Day before Thanksgiving and I've taken off work. That's a good thing for me so I don't get too stressed out. Age has brought with it a few little thing that need some attention once in a while and reducing stress is on that list of things.
Balance is hard to find. At this point in my life a "career" isn't of much interest. What I need is a way to make a living. That I can make a living doing something I like, and something that helps the world along in some way, is icing on the cake.
The problem is you're always having to compete with people who are still thinking about self-advancement and think that means doing "whatever it takes." Working hard and putting in a lot of hours is one thing, screwing people over is another.
But who knows? Most of the time people are sincere. And there isn't anyone who enjoys helping others succeed more than me. A knife to the back isn't necessary. If you're a stand-up person I can find a way to get along and probably help you along, too.
Balance is hard to find. At this point in my life a "career" isn't of much interest. What I need is a way to make a living. That I can make a living doing something I like, and something that helps the world along in some way, is icing on the cake.
The problem is you're always having to compete with people who are still thinking about self-advancement and think that means doing "whatever it takes." Working hard and putting in a lot of hours is one thing, screwing people over is another.
But who knows? Most of the time people are sincere. And there isn't anyone who enjoys helping others succeed more than me. A knife to the back isn't necessary. If you're a stand-up person I can find a way to get along and probably help you along, too.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Too close
A few seconds, maybe only a heartbeat, a couple of feet difference and we'd be missing someone important in our lives. An instant or two is about all that determines life or death in most of our lives. Luck, divine intervention? Who knows?
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