.... woke up this morning with an earworm that I haven't been able to shake all day long......
.... sure, it's a beautiful song.... and yes, the singer's voice is enthralling..... and yes, I'll even concede that the musicians are masterful with their interpretations & more than efficient in their delivery.....
... but honestly?..... having Harry Connick Jr. in your head for an entire day begins to get you a bit rattled about three hours in......
.... besides, we are talking about MY head..... so I imagine it wasn't all that great of an experience for him either.......
... but still, though.... I hope you enjoy what I've been whistling all morning.......
.... oh, and before I forget, this right here??...... ohhhh, there will be payback...... oh yes..... most definitely.....
.... whilst plowing through my usual morning reading today, I happened to read the following little tidbit in the March 2009 issue of Smithsonian.... check this out....
SPECIES HOT SPOT
Between 1997 and 2007, more than 1,000 species previously unknown to science were discovered in Southeast Asia's Greater Mekong region, according to a report by the World Wildlife Fund. That's about two new species a week. The Greater Mekong has the highest concentration of different ecosystems in mainland Asia, and the Mekong River supports more wildlife per square mile than the Amazon. Newly documented flora and fauna include.....
.... blah, blah, blah.... the article then went on to list some snakes, a bat, a millipede, and a bunch of flowers and stuff.... but, hey, that's not the point!!....
.... what IS the point then, you ask?.... well, how about two new species a WEEK for ten years!??.... good god, people, that's just amazing..... damn, I hope they find a Bigfoot.....
.... anyway, I'm sitting here picturing an army of pith-helmeted Cornell University grad students wandering around in the jungle picking up every little creature they see, sticking it in a jar, and then laboriously pouring over giant tomes back at base camp to see if they've found something new...... another day, another two species!....
Brittney: "WOW, Chad!.... I found a new kind of slug that only eats the right-hand side of wild Mekong bananas!.... What'd YOU find?"
Chad Gumprecht: "uggghhhhh.... I found a new kind of snake.... it's a pit viper, I think.... uhhhhhhggg..... I'm gonna call it Gumprecht's Green Pit Viper..... urgle urgle.... pity no one has any Gumprecht's Green Pit Viper anti-venom, though....*thump*."
... I jest, of course.... but as a rule, aren't there some things in a jungle that you're just not meant to go poking with a stick?.....
.... ahhh..... but that's just me being jaded, of course.... they are, after all, scientists...... and they're doing good work....... and hell, if I'd taken a different path early on, who knows?.... I might be out there wading through the Mekong flipping over rocks with Brittney & Chad.....
... but, good god.... two new species every week for ten years?...... that just blows me away....
Even though I've never met you, I can tell by your writing that you'd be perfect to be out in the jungle searching for new bugs!
I highly recommend that you read "The Search for the Pink-headed Duck," by Rory Nugent. And his book "Drums along the Congo," is also a great read to help satisfy your jungle fever. I haven't yet read his latest book, but I'm sure it will be as fascinating as his others.
Hell raised by DogsDontPurr on February 27, 2009 04:24 PM
Hmmm. One does have to wonder how this happened. Like -- extra hard work on some lonely scientist's part? Or perhaps Brittney and Chad (pith-helmeted, of course) just spent enough time out there and, lo and behold, species abound???
There's a research center in the GSMNP somewhere, Purchase Knob I think. Anyway, I read this article some time ago about how the staff did a little survey around the research center and were surprised to discover several species of flora and fauna, while not new to science, were thought not to be indigenous to that area. Called it a startling find.
This got me thinking about scientist. Mind you, I was trained by scientist and they were good ones for the most part but some are just totally daffy.
I mean these people hike into the deepest "Heart of Darkness" recesses of that Park looking for new critters all the time but never bothered looking in their own backyard. GEEEZZZ.....
Hell raised by Tbird on February 27, 2009 07:33 PM
I'll bet a lot of them are delicious, too.
Hell raised by Cappy on February 28, 2009 09:19 AM
.... The Missus and I spent most of the morning exercising three of my handguns at a nearby indoor pistol range... and a good time was had by all.....
... she preferred my little Beretta Cheetah .380.... both because of its pop-up breech loading system, AND because it was the lightest & had the least recoil.... and at 20 feet, she was quite accurate..... I preferred my Beretta Cougar .45 ACP, but hell, I'm a foot taller than her and outweigh her by 80lbs, so that kinda makes sense...
.... I did my party-trick near the end of our day, and issued headshots to the target (firing from a rest position) at the maximum distance.... about 50 feet...... for that, though, I used my Taurus PT92-AFD 9mm - a pistol that I have owned since 1991.... all in all, not a bad way to spend a Thursday morning.....
..... I will say this, though..... cleaning that damnable Cougar is a complete pain in the ass...... that whole "floating barrel" assembly is an exercise in balance that having hands slicked with gun oil certainly doesn't help.... but anyway, it is a beautiful piece of engineering..... I just hate putting it back together......
..... so, yeah...... all weapons have been cleaned and placed back into their usual nooks and crannies around the house.... and the smell of gun oil is thick here in the blogroom........
... my fingers are sore from loading magazines for two hours..... but all in all, things are just as they should be..... a day spent on the range is a good, good day......
I love to imitate my Dad and I when we went shooting. He gave me his .45, and like your wife, I'm not a big person. He kept yelling at me, "CENTER OF MASS! CENTER OF MASS!" and I kept yelling, "I'M TRYING!" and then after I finished the magazine we'd pull the target in closer and I'd say, "Crap. Did I even frickin' hit it?" and he'd pull it closer and say something like, "Yeah, I think you knicked the edge..."
It was really funny. I suck. Couldn't hit the broadside of a barn.
I want to clean a gun though. I've never done that.
..... what is it that you call those little grand birthright caveats that you sometimes see after a name?...... such as Eric, Esquire?........ or Eric, Gentleman?..... don't they seem just wonderful?...... I still get mail occasionally from The Bank of Scotland with regards to some overseas investments addressed to Eric, Esq.. ....
..... as for me, I just don't know what exactly they're called...... but whilst sipping my morning coffee just now, I happened to see one of my ancient ancestors in wikipedia - and he had the most remarkable little tail tacked on to his name according to a linked British Civil War's website.....
.... heh.... looks like at least one of my ancestors was a very, very naughty boy..... I mean, c'mon..... regicide??..... AND he administered The Oath of Office to Oliver Cromwell after Charles I's head had been separated from the rest of him......
..... I wonder if the title of "Regicide" can be passed down from generation to generation?..... I think it'd be kinda cool to start signing my official documents as Eric the SWG, Regicide.....
.... I woke up quite early today, and tired of the news immediately.... the false concern of the beefcakes and baby dolls nearly put me right off my coffee & English muffin...... so as you do once your fed up, you flick the channel...... just as I did.....
.... and a fortitudinous & fortunate flick it was, boys & girls...... for I found that "The Man of La Mancha" was just beginning....... good lord, I watched every single moment of it with a smile & a sip of coffee...... I mean, just check out this magnificent scene with Mr. O'Toole......
..... the Quote of The Day, gentle rubberneckers??..... ".. too much sanity may BE madness"..... indeed......
..... and added to the general romance of Don Quixote's tale?.... well, quite possibly the best love song ever written.... "Dulcinea"....
.... and the kicker?...... "The Impossible Dream"...
..... what a wonderful morning of music & thought.....
..... and it sure beat the hell out of watching The News....
.... I wandered into town to visit my friendly barberess, Eva, around lunchtime yesterday..... and she was, as usual, spry & entertaining..... herself getting on in age, she bounced around her elderly patrons snipping, combing, spraying, and massaging...... and in the end, each dusty old Southern Belle left satisfied (and quite buzzed from the cloud of hairspray fumes they'd just inhaled courtesy of Eva...)....
..... I arrived at my appointed time, of course.... but was still forced to wait for a bit while the thinning head of someone's Great Grandmother had the final touches performed upon it..... I picked up her purse for her as she struggled to manhandle her walker, and opened the door for her as she toddled out to her middle-aged daughter's Land Cruiser...... and then, as you do, I sat myself down in the old, faux-leather spinning chair for my three-dollar haircut......
..... I've written about a few of my trips to Eva's place in the past...... one here.... and one here...... and here, and here...... and it truly is a treat to sit and watch as Events Unfold at her business....... to be privy to the gossip and stories of those ancient Southern women, well, every single time is a gem......
.... today, though, there was little drama and even less gossip..... I'd planned on rushing back home anyway, so we were All Business......
..... instead, the drama today occurred once The Missus arrived home from work.....
..... I met her at the door, and she took one look at my 0-1.5" strawberry roan military fade and baulked noticeably...... I laughed.....
..... I took the rebuff in stride, of course, and went on through to make her a glass of wine...... but once we'd ensconced ourselves on the couch, she turned, looked at my bare noggin, reached up - almost as if to touch it - and said, "when, oh WHEN are you going to get a MODERN haircut!?".......
..... a modern haircut?!?....... good lord!...... what the hell is a Modern Haircut?....... I've had the same haircut for the past 18 years!!........ I'm thinking that a "modern" haircut is going to involve daubing some sort of "product" on my dwindling hair to create a "modern" man-scaped hair sculpture!....... and I'm just not sure that that'd be my style...... or lack of style, if you tend to lean that way........
..... sure, I can dress for an occasion when it arises.... I own lots of suits..... a tux...... hell, I even sport a silk Punjabi once in a while...... but day in and day out, I'm a boots, jeans, and tee-shirt guy....... the guy with short hair that doesn't even need combing....... so I can't help but wonder what wide, swinging tangent this "modern" haircut thing swung in on..........
... she must have been reading Cosmopolitan too much lately....... and become enamored of a meterosexual, or something...... I shall have to investigate and find out....... either way, the line "you look like you just stepped out of a Normal Rockwell painting" was uttered yet again..... as was, "you look like an extra for an old WWII film!".....
.... hey, who knew haircuts could be so unexpectedly controversial!?!......
I love close-cropped, high 'n tight, etc. on men. In most cases, anyway.
But, bottom line, it should be whatever the individual prefers for him/herself. IMHO.
Well, seeing as my Mr. Wonderful is in the Army, I don't exactly have any say in the matter of his hair.
As to yours -- I think the wife should get to have some say. How you take it and what you do about it, well, that's a whole other situation. Good luck!
One word hoss... Mohawk. You already use an umbrella in the sun, so, no big deal there eh'? You just know somebody is gonna photoshop a picture of you with a Mohawk... It's comin'. Tell Fiona that you asked for a "modern haircut" and that's what you walked out with... She'll be happy with your "do" after that...
Hell raised by RedNeck on February 20, 2009 08:25 PM
I have to disagree with Kath on this point. I don't think spouses should tell anyone or have any say in how one wears their hair, UNLESS it is requested.
My husband doesn't like my hair short... but quite frankly, I don't care. Its MY hair. I'll wear it any way I want. He no longer comments if he doesn't like it. He did that ONE TIME. Silence is golden.
And I don't tell him how to wear his either. He can cut it off, dye it, get a mohawk, wear it down to his waist again as he did in high school, and I just don't care.
I guess to me, telling someone or having say in how they dress or wear their hair is akin to changing them and I refuse to be part of that.
If my opinion is requested? Fine. Otherwise... not a damn word. His clothes, his hair, his deal. And it works both ways.
Hell raised by Jim - PRS on February 21, 2009 04:22 AM
Would that be Eva DeStruction?
Hell raised by Cappy on February 21, 2009 09:01 AM
... actually, y'all, I'll stick with the Norman Rockwell look...... it's clean, it's neat, and if feels pokey on my fingers when I scratch my head...... so, I'll not be changing soon......
First, watch out for fashion advice from Redneck... he may just show up at your door with one of those Buckeye necklaces if you start listening to him. ;-)
I'm with Bou on this one. How a person wears their hair and what type of clothes, etc is a personal choice. If asked I might (or might not) have an opinion. But except for my children, when they were young, I don't tell people how they should look (don't even tell my kids anymore - LOL).
I think your hair is fine as is, but that's merely my opinion. OTOH I have no clue... what IS a "modern hairstyle"? Really - I want to know. I want to know so I can try to picture you looking like that. ROFLMAO.
Hell raised by Teresa on February 21, 2009 11:12 AM
I think you have soft and lovely golden orange tresses. Your hairstyle is a timeless classic, like you.
Hell raised by Erica on February 21, 2009 06:39 PM
Norman Rockwell was a class act. May your haircut always reflect that and may your head never reflect.
Bob N. Head
CEO, Hair Club 4 Men
Hell raised by JihadGene on February 22, 2009 11:15 PM
..... 'The Golden Compass' is playing on HBO right now...... they're all quietly mumbling away about Demons daemons, and whatnot while I try to finish some work here in the blogroom..... it's an interesting distraction here on this windy, rain-flecked, overcast day...... demons daemons are not your usual daily fare..... well, at least not around here........
... evidently all of the characters have little animals that embody their souls.... and they follow them around wherever they go...... fireflies, puppies, kittens, monkeys, birds, etc..... Daniel Craig's "daemon" appears to be a snow leopard.....
.. I've always admired snow leopards..... majestic, mysterious beasts that they are..... almost sensuous in the way that they walk and stalk...... Daniel Craig?.... not so much....... besides, people keep telling me that I look like him, and that just freaks me out....... he's buff, sure.... but when I look in the mirror, I certainly don't want to see myself as quite that Craigy craggy..... then again, it ain't the age, right?..... it's the mileage...... so, yeah.... we have the same color of hair, I'll concede that......
.... while working here - with that movie on in the other room - I couldn't help but notice the life-size plastic Gila monster sitting atop my computer monitor gazing down at me........ I have a few, actually...... Jose, up there.... and Phil, over there on the shelf...... gifts all, funnily enough, from The Missus........
.... I made the mistake once of telling her - way, way back in the mists of time - about an Indian guy I was in The Corps with who once told me that he had went to a sweat out in Utah and saw my "spirit animals" in a vision....... he and I were good friends, and evidently he thought of me after having found his OWN "spirit animals", and felt the need to tell me all about it once he returned to our base in Alaska......
.... I thought it was interesting at the time, you know?...... wandering the mountains in winter, getting naked, throwing some sage on the fire, whacking yourself a few times with some eagle feathers, climbing inside a homemade sauna, a little chanting, and then letting yourself get dehydrated enough to start having hallucinations?.... hell, that's practically a blogmeet........ throw in some peyote, and I'd imagine it would be an absolutely GRAND time...... but anyway, yeah...... "spirit animals"......
..... I have two, evidently........
..... any guesses?..... apart from the Gila monster, obviously.....
But -- I don't get it for sure, do you mean it's supposed to be "of" you? Because then absolutely mine would be a chattering monkey. No, I do not think that's funny.
The daemons were one of the more interesting parts of Pullman's novels. The way they could change form while you were a child, but towards adolescence they would tend towards a final form and remain that way into adulthood, reflecting your personality. I found it interesting that the servant class in the books had dogs as daemons. Also intriguing was the fate of those whose daemon chose an aquatic form, like a dolphin, which forced them to choose a life in and around the sea.
As for me? Always kinda gravitated towards the bison, myself, but as a daemon the damn thing would tear up the house...
Hell raised by El Capitan on February 20, 2009 04:20 PM
I vote otter.
Hell raised by LeeAnn on February 21, 2009 10:22 AM
Mountain Lyin'.
:o)
Hell raised by Joan of Argghh! on February 21, 2009 07:28 PM
.....I read this earlier this afternoon, and I could not agree more...... as head chef cook and bottle washer around here, I run a pretty tight ship...... not that I am a clean freak at all, but I do tend to lean towards the "tidy"...... both bathrooms are cleaned every Saturday (due to the fact that my Mother is currently enjoying a standing invitation to Saturday dinner here every week)..... and the rest of the house gets a once-over every couple of weeks..... and every October before all of the bloggers arrive, the entire house gets a complete scrubbing.......
.... but as with any household, there are exceptions to The Rules.... as an example, the blogroom/manroom is hardly ever cleaned.... that said though, I really don't do much in the blogroom that will cause the accumulation of much nastiness...... I will say that there is an absolute beauty of a cobweb in the northwestern corner between the wall and the side of my gun cabinet - and it is off limits to all cleaning..... after 8 years of growth, it's practically a buddy of mine now..... and quite pleasant to look at while pondering various complexities - or when you're just of the mind to pause and wonder.....
.... the other exception is my kitchen sink..... you show me someone who'll let fungus grow in their kitchen sink, and I will show you an absolute waste of oxygen..... dishes in there overnight?... no problem... sure, I've been known to do that from time to time...... BUT, once a day my kitchen sink gets a complete scrub-down..... year before last, Santa Claus even brought me a sparkling new ceramic sink to replace the old stainless steel one..... I suspect that he did that hoping to curtail my sink-washing activities.... (I washed that damn stainless sink at LEAST three times a day because it just always looked dirty..).....
... El Capitan is right about another thing, as well..... it is simply Not Cool to visit someone's house and comment on the state of their baseboards.....
... anyhoo, go over and pat El Capitan on the back for not wanting to scrub too hard...... I suspect he needs a hug.....
Why? I taught myself to read... at the grand old age of three.
Wait... that is weird.
Hell raised by Elisson on February 17, 2009 01:19 PM
Many of our forefathers were homeschooled - I would bet that Andrew Johnson had a similar experience. Even a working mom like Johnson's can teach a kid to read - it really does not take seven hours a day as in public school today. Once he can read, he can do most anything - if he wants.
i don't know...all the pictures i've ever seen of him, he was old...old people just know how to do stuff...maybe he just asked the guy that taught himself how to write.
From my childhood reading I recall that Tarzan taught himself to both read and speak the language. If my memory serves me correctly, the language he learned was french.
This undoubtably served him well in his communications with.....THE FROGS.
Sorry, couldn't help myself.
Hell raised by Tbird on February 17, 2009 08:43 PM
off the subject:
The catfish is in the hospital in Savannah...his missus says something about his lungs being full of fluid..sounds like pneumonia
I taught my self to read too - but hell, it was the early 70's. Nothing good on TV!! ;)
Hell raised by Richmond on February 18, 2009 11:16 AM
actually i believe his wife taught him to read.
Hell raised by sarah on February 18, 2009 02:37 PM
Now that I think about it, I don't recall ever specifically being TAUGHT how to read. I remember there being books in the house when I was a tot, and I remember reading them and asking about this word & that one, but the actual teaching part eludes me.
Don't recall my parents reading to me much, either.
I might have picked it up from obsessive Sesame Street watching.
Hell raised by Harvey on February 18, 2009 08:37 PM
..... had to run to town a couple of days ago on a grocery run and decided to dip off the main road for some curves on the way back home..... here's the result.....
.... name that tune, anyone?......
..... goodnight, y'all..... I'm off to grill sausages and gaze approvingly at Sylvia's rear quarter panel.....
You know how Elisson's wife, SWMBO, gets car sick? I want to know if she watches this video if she gets the same sensation. Its like being in the passenger seat...
I can't name that tune. And it doesn't matter how many notes you give me. :(
That video and that song together could be a movie trailer. Nicely done.
Hell raised by Jim - PRS on February 16, 2009 03:42 AM
The trees are budding out, you are almost into spring. I am so jealous.
Great video
Hell raised by hoosierboy on February 16, 2009 09:00 AM
Andy beat me to the Band and the song . . . boo . . . Love me some Skynyrd.
Hell raised by Oddybobo on February 16, 2009 10:49 AM
That's the kind of road I learned to drive on. Partly bec. that's where we lived and partly bec. I think my dad was afraid to go out on a highway with me!!
Also reminds me how much I crabbed about living in the country when I was a teenager.
And, yes, sir, I posted this before, but the spamdog ate it.
Some how I think your wife's rear quarter panel is much nicer to look at.
Hell raised by Maeve on February 16, 2009 05:49 PM
This has been evaluated, and shall be added to Cappy's big playlist O'Travelling Music.
Hell raised by Cappy on February 16, 2009 07:05 PM
No idea on the tune - but it works! Tho I kept waiting to see the OMG TREE!! tree. Just sayin'... ;) I guess that's what I expect on curvy roads in TN these days... ;)
Hell raised by Richmond on February 16, 2009 09:14 PM
I envy those hills, those curves, and that drive...thankyou for a little trip to town Uncle E...were you going to pick up Curtis Lowe?
.... we arrived home just after midnight last night after having thoroughly enjoyed a Night Out at the Opera...... and really?.... there is no finer venue to watch anything than The Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, Tennessee....... the building is absolutely stunning inside..... and the theatre is truly, truly grand...... I can't even imagine what it must have been like to pay your nickel back in the day, walk into that magnificent foyer, climb the steps and sit back to watch "Gone With the Wind" or "Casablanca"....
... our modern movie theatres today are things of convenience & technology..... but a REAL theatre?.... the kind of theatre that folks visited in hushed whispers when Movies were King?....... well, they are Houses of Worship......
.... and from the brass front door to the gilded ceiling, they drip with an incredibly voluptuous grandeur..... not just for The Star, or The Film.... but for The Event........
.... and when you enter the Tennessee Theatre and take your seat, it doesn't matter if you are there for a concert by Buddy Guy, Tom Jones, Willie Nelson, or a production of antiquarian quilt-making techniques from southern Virginiana, you are in for one helluva show...... because you are THERE...... and that venue glows with a sense of pure, unadulterated entertainment..........
..... I've seen folk musicians, blues guys, rockers, and plays there...... and they all have been enhanced simply because of the wonderful building that held them.... but last night?...... well, it was opera...... and I loved it....
...... I did realize something, though..... something that I really hadn't imagined until I saw the first few numbers completed.......
..... see, when someone writes an opera, they don't just write the lyrics and the music to the songs that tell the tale of a story, they take it one step further........ I know that it shouldn't have, but it did - but the fact that the composers took the singing dialogue and scripted it to music as well - well, wow........ sure, there is wiggle room left for artistic interpretation by individual singers to do their thing, but to imagine that a composer took all of the dialogue from an entire story and set it all to His Musical Vision is just amazing......
.... anyway, I'm beginning to ramble....... but I will say this before I head off to the couch for a libation....... art exists in many, many forms..... from opera to quilting..... from gospel to heavy metal....... from sculpture to poetry....... from writing to public speaking........ art is the beauty that surrounds us every day - wherever we may be...... a photograph, a song, a thought that makes you smile....... a vibrato voice that makes your heart pound, or a sandwich On The Square that makes your mouth water in anticipation of every bite.......
...... embrace it all, folks..... gobble it...... chew it....... search for it........ and when you find it, swallow every morsel that you can get your grubby little paws on........... and then tilt your head back and smile........
.... .because, hey, that is what it is all about.........
I knew a man who'd cut a fart
And then lean back and call it Art.
I disagreed; it did not matter.
Museums bought his Fecal Splatter.
Displayed for an adoring crowd,
It would have made a Warhol proud.
Art, I suppose, is what you make it:
One can, in a Dutch Oven, bake it.
Hell raised by Elisson on February 15, 2009 03:43 PM
..... well, all is fine here........the storm passed without any great damage...... a few downed limbs and a few cuddly bird corpses scattered around the garden, but other than that, everything weathered our little bit of storm rather nicely..... but hey, that is always the way it goes, yes?..
..... tomorrow, on the other hand, should be quite interesting.......
... indeed, tomorrow The Missus and I are off to The Opera in Knoxville...... Verdi's 'Rigoletto', nonetheless......... My First Opera.....
..... nothing like watching a butt-of-every-joke mistakenly find the murdered corpse of his only daughter by accident on a Friday evening, eh?........... ahhh, I'm just being pessimistic, I know...... but still, the singing should be quite good....... and I'm actually quite stoked...... I mean, just check this out.....
..... so....... suit & tie?..... jeans & boots?..... Punjabi & sandals?..... or khakis, a button-down, and saddle shoes?....... cammies?....... ...... I mean, what does one wear to such a tragedy?.......
.... la donna e mobile?............ la blogger e mobile, evidently........
Speaking of daughters and operas - my daughter and her friends are planning a trip to Norman to the opera there. I think it is just a chance to get dressed up - a girl thang.
Damn'it Senior! You know it's against the UCMJ to show that much pasty white Marine to the world. Eric I don't know about this opera but a few years ago my daughter and I attended an evening of various music at the college we are both students at (cue redneck jokes about Dad driving you to school because you are both in the same grade). One of the performances was Figaro from The Barber of Seville. This rather diminutive Japanese gentleman with the most amazing baritone starts singing,my daughter turned to me and we both said "Bugs Bunny!" I guess I have raised her right.
Hell raised by Rey B on February 13, 2009 09:38 AM
Forgive my crassness, but Placido is like my opera equivalent to Neil Diamond. I see him in that tux, singing such sweet music, and I just want to molest the hell out of him.
You would probably enjoy Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore" (The Elixir of Love). I saw it done by the Regina Opera Company in Bay Ridge, and it was really awesome, especially if you're not into opera.
Hell raised by Erica on February 13, 2009 09:56 AM
Can't wait to hear your reviews. What a nice Valentine evening! Have fun.
(Oh, and please let us know what your final outfit -- nice word for a Marine -- selection was.)
I'm the Marketing Director for Knoxville Opera and wanted to let you know that "anything goes" as far as attire for the opera. We want you to be comfortable!! You will see everything from jeans to evening wear, so it's up to you! We hope you enjoy your first opera experience, see you there!
Hell raised by Deborah on February 13, 2009 03:10 PM
Remember it's on Friday the 13th! Better to stay at home in your Underroo's and watch that crap on PBS! Drink lots of red wine too!
Hell raised by JihadGene on February 13, 2009 04:07 PM
Glad to hear the winds didn't mess things up too much. Enjoy the opera. I've never been to one, but have thought about going to one. Then I realize all the other things I could do with that money I would have to spend on tickets, and usually end up buying some trinket or the other.
Hell raised by Evilwhiteguy on February 13, 2009 04:17 PM
La Donna é Mobile today, Doctor Atomic tomorrow. There's hope for you yet, m'boy!
Wear what you like. A kilt is just fine.
Hell raised by Elisson on February 13, 2009 05:18 PM
Wear the James Bond deal man... You almost looked good in that picture...
Hell raised by RedNeck on February 13, 2009 08:14 PM
Wear your ghillie suit. Folks'll just think your wife brought along her hydrangeas. If they get curious she can just tell'em that a night out and good music makes you bloom earlier....and remember. It ain't over till the fat lady sings.
Hell raised by Tbird on February 13, 2009 08:48 PM
I have been to various Broadway plays, ballet, etc, and one Opera. I was nervous at first... they'd not be singing in MY language, but I absolutely loved it.
I love going to the Opera and now that my kids are older, I'm going to try to go more often.
I had a neighbor across the street who loved Opera. He'd be in his garage rebuilding an engine, with some Opera blaring from his garage stereo. I thought he was kind of a nut at first... but no more.
.... it's been unseasonably warm here today.... and the sky has cast gloom since daybreak.... boiling with black, grey, and those tornado-ish yellow/green clouds, the roar of the wind through the trees moves from a low moan to a deep, unearthly growl.....
... sitting here now, the last hangers-on of the leaves that made it through the winter are now being violently snatched from the tree limbs.... they don't fall to the ground, though........ they're ripped off quickly and disappear horizontally deep into the woods....
.... Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Wind Advisory, and a Tornado Watch are all in effect at the moment....
....... so fasten your seatbelts, folks.... it's gonna be a bumpy night.....
Yeap...warm here to, but it's blowing about 45 steady...wind advisories and all that. Stretch doesn't do well in that much blow...funny to watch though. Seriously, had to put him on a leash to take him out to do his business.
Hell raised by Michele on February 12, 2009 01:56 PM
We had high winds today. They blow.
Hell raised by Cappy on February 12, 2009 07:28 PM
Off topic.
Just read that James Whitmore had gone under.
Fine actor.
He was SOME in BATTLEGROUND.
His one man show WILL ROGERS was outstanding.
Spent WWII in the CORPS.
You may have heard. If not, thought you should know that an Elder member of the Tribe had passed through the Gates.
Hell raised by Tbird on February 12, 2009 08:57 PM
..... I've never been a huge fan of fish..... sure, I'll eat it from time to time, but I don't actively search it out on a menu very often..... and shrimp?.... tasteless little beasties that - were it not for them being a wonderful conveyance for cocktail sauce - would hardly ever be on my menu...... same goes for clams & oysters..... deep-fried with plenty of lemon juice & cocktail stuff?..... oh yeah.... otherwise?... not so much.....
... lobsters and crabs are a different story, though.... and I can eat roughly my weight in snow crab legs or lobster tails..... there's just something wonderful to be said for cracking a beast's joints, wrenching limbs from carcass, and digging out it's flesh that just makes me smile..... and the smell of melted dipping-butter has tweaked my inner Tasmanian Devil since early in my childhood....
.... my goodness..... sitting here thinking back, I reckon that - even though I don't like fish that much - I've still managed to do my fair share to thin out their global population over the years.... I've eaten mackerel, shark, tuna, trout, catfish, haddock, cod, tilapia, monkfish, eels, sardines, flounder, anchovies, halibut, swordfish, bass, sea bass, crappie, bluegill, pike, and grouper..... I've eaten them fried, sautéed, boiled, baked, raw, smoked, pickled, steamed, and grilled..... hell, I even ate a sea cucumber once.....
..... anyway, I bring all this crap up only because it was announced tonight that we're having mackerel for dinner......
.... damnation, folks..... mackerel.....
..... I believe that I was scarred early in life when I caught a whiff of a can of sardines that my Grandpa was scarfing down one hot summer day long-ago....
..... but, damn..... mackerel....
.... mackerel is a fish's fish..... tiger striped, torpedo-shaped, oily, and as fishy as they come.... think of a halibut & its flesh - fresh, firm, sweet, clean & fragrant.... and then imagine the absolute opposite in every way, and you've got a mackerel.....
.... that said, I'll still eat it.... and I'll likely enjoy it..... for it did, after all, die for the benefit of my Omega 3's..... and I'll think of it as it swam happily with its friends in the warm, gentle waters off the coast of Spain.... I may even raise a glass in honor of the sacrifice that it made all those weeks ago as it was smoked, filleted, and vacuum-sealed....... I may even bow my head and mutter a little prayer as I lick my lips in anticipation of nibbling her smoky, salty, oily flesh.....
..... but I certainly don't look forward to smelling the bastard bake for fifteen minutes.......
My intake of fish is limited to crab cakes, which usually I don't really, really like after I get them. The whole fish thing is just -- ick. And then all those bones -- ick.
And so many people tell me how wonderful it all is -- ick. I was pressed into eating som mahi-mahi one time -- just taste it,
just taste it -- ick. Same thing with salmon.
My dad used to eat sardine sandwiches -- sardines on toast. Extra ick.
Macherel is an acquired taste I guess,,,sort of like crawdads!! *L*
Hell raised by Michele on February 9, 2009 07:12 PM
What? No goldfish?...
Rookie.
Hell raised by RedNeck on February 9, 2009 07:26 PM
Never been a fish fanatic myself but I will make an exception for sauger. Up there with walleye naturally cause they're kin. Best fresh water fish there is I think. The "sports" fisherman can run themselves ragged makin' big money catchin' large mouth bass if they want. I've never eaten a large mouth that was worth a damn regardless of how it was fixed.
Salt water be different. Lotta salt water fish and shellfish I'll chow down on.
Tbird's right on. He left out the part about freezing to a jon boat seat, below a dam and in the boils, in January, no less, on the Tennessee River to catch the damn things.
Mackerel? Fresh, maybe. God damn bloody fish. As is the way with most fast, pelagic species. Clean them fast and soak them in milk for a while. It tends to take the fishiness away. I've eaten my weight in fresh Spanish Mackerel caught off the pier at Ship Island.
But tinned? Yea Gods, man. You must have not cared for the way your kitchen smelled. Cuz it's damn sure gonna smell like complete ass now.
Hell raised by bitterman on February 9, 2009 08:30 PM
.... thank you, Kath..... we seem to be on the same page.....
..... GuyK?...... word, brother...... WORD.....
... Michele?..... hey!..... I would MUCH rather eat a bucket full of crawdads and one mouthful of mackerel!.....
..... Redneck?..... now, why would I eat my little cousin's pets?..... honestly.....
.... Tbird.... sauger?.... good god, man..... that pike I 'et was bony enough!....... a sauger would only be MORE bony!..... you are definitely a glutton for punishment....
.... and bitterman?..... on behalf of all those withing driving distance of The Great Tennessee River, you have my condolences.........
Part of an all-you-can-eat sushi extravaganza. Superb.
They say fish is brain food. I'm not sure whether it's helped my brain any, but I'll eat fish any time. Breakfast, even! This morning, whitefish and baked salmon salads. Mmmmm, good.
Hell raised by Elisson on February 9, 2009 09:31 PM
... yeah, but you've eaten whale, Elisson....... that revokes your rights as a "normal person".......
Try lighting a vanilla candle before, during & after you prepare the fish. It will keep the fishy smell at bay.
Hell raised by DammitWomann on February 9, 2009 10:09 PM
We may have to start calling you a mackerel snapper... then again mebbe not. LOL.
I like many types of fish, not shrimp though since I was a kid and my next door neighbor was boiling some and it smelled horrible - I still remember that when the little beasties show up on a plate. Heh.
Love Crab and scallops though. Yum.
Hell raised by Teresa on February 9, 2009 10:44 PM
BITTERMAN: I duck hunted years before I fished for sauger. Insanity=Insanity be it after fish or fowl.
I have started grilling fish lately, particularly mahi-mahi. However I once made the mistake of using fish sauce to make a Thai dish. Talk about smelling up the whole house!
After reading all this, I could really go for a pile of crab lefs right now...
Hell raised by Craig T. on February 10, 2009 07:14 AM
I like the sound lobsters make when you drop 'em in the pot.
I grew up near Galveston, and we'd go fill coolers with the crabs we caught. Then we'd clean there on the beach. It still pisses me off to have to pay for crabs. But since I'm allergic to iodine, I shouldn't eat them anyways.
However, I do love salmon!
Hell raised by holder on February 10, 2009 08:23 PM
I grew up near Galveston, and we'd go fill coolers with the crabs we caught. Then we'd clean them there on the beach. It still pisses me off to have to pay for crabs. But since I'm allergic to iodine, I shouldn't eat them anyways.
However, I do love salmon!
Hell raised by holder on February 10, 2009 08:24 PM
Wow - and with you I agree. Fish is generally a vehicle for tartar sauce for me. Unless it is crab or lobster - YUM!! Hope the mackerel went well - you are much tougher than I am...
Hell raised by Richmond on February 10, 2009 09:28 PM
Baked?
We boil em here and make a stew out of them. It really helps to get all the other odors out of the house too...
As for Oysters, Raw is the only way to go, unless you are at Hooters in Omaha, now that was a bad move on my part...
PT
Hell raised by P'cola Titan on February 11, 2009 09:54 PM
I'm not a big fish fan either. I hate shrimp. But I love crab. When I was a kid, we would go to Eastern Shore Maryland and catch blue crab with chicken necks. We'd boil them up until they were brick red and then crack and clean them. What a feast . . . makes me wanna go crabbin!
Hell raised by oddybobo on February 12, 2009 01:48 PM
Good Lord. Sam ain't right... thankfully, we knew that already. ;-)
Jim Croce was fantastic! I'm almost 48 and I can remember hearing about his death on TV and radio. Whenever I stumble onto a rare night of drinking and kareoke, that song is usually one of the ones I bellow into the microphone, along with Judas Preist's You Got Another Thing Comin', The Who's Behind Blue Eyes, and Charlie Daniel's Uneasy Rider!
As an accomplished guitar player of over 36 years myself, I can attest Jim Croce never really got the credit he deserved. Many of his songs are comprised of cords and variations thereof not often used in most music. If he hadn't died.., WOW!! Think about the music we missed out on! Patsy Kline as well. I'm a metal and blues guy, but I like other stuff, too. As a musician you have to appreciate all of it. By the way, I really like the way your blog is layed out. Come visit my boring page sometime. Later.
Hell raised by snottydog on February 9, 2009 10:06 AM
Loved Jim Croce -- but now I have that darn song stuck in my head.
.... this afternoon at 2:00pm, the 1939 classic, "The Four Feathers" is airing on Turner Classic Movies....... if you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and pop the top on your favorite beverage, don your pith helmet, and settle back onto your couch for the afternoon.....
I wish your commenting software would remember who I am...
Did you see the Four Feathers remake? 2002 with Heath Ledger as Faversham & Kate Hudson as Ethne. It wasn't as clean a narration as the 1939 version, but it had its moments.
IMDB says there's a made for TV version with Jane Seymour as Ethne. I think I'd like to see that!
Hell raised by El Capitan on February 9, 2009 01:26 PM
..... today has been a laid back day here... The Missus is feeling a bit under the weather & spent the entirety of the day on the couch (with the exception of moving to the kitchen table and whipping my ass at Scrabble) in her pajamas....... still, though, it was a beautiful day - but cold............
.... anyway, since I don't much feel like writing tonight - and Elisson & The Maximum Leader both seemed interested in last night's dinner here, I guess that I should pony-up and share my meager recipe......
Ingredients:
1 large onion - minced finely
1 green bell pepper - sliced, cored, and made generally edible
1 package of Pepperidge Farms "Hot" Italian sausage - skinned and halved
1 packet of sliced mushrooms
1 tblspn of Worcestershire sauce
1 tblspn of ground black pepper
1 packet of Colman's Sausage Casserole mix
1 can of beef broth
300ml (1/2 pint) of cold water
.... so basically, I just mixed the Colman's powder with the 1/2 pint of water and whisked it up nicely...... then, I skinned the sausages, halved them, and placed them in the bottom of a casserole dish...... I then minced the onion (using a little whirly-bladey thing that I got for Christmas) and scattered that on top of the resting sausages..... then I added the sliced green pepper and the mushrooms....... dusted the whole thing with a few good scrapes of black pepper and a lashing of Worcestershire sauce
... the little Colman's sachet called for 1/2 pint of water...... but upon adding the water to the mix, I found that it didn't quite cover all of the ingredients....... so I added another 1/2 pint of beef broth....... and then covered it & baked it at 350 for an hour and a half......... at that point, I backed off the heat and let it cook another 3 hours at 250.........
..... it looked like almighty hell when I dished it out onto the plate.... but, damn, it was tasty..........
My daughter got her scuba certification in Cozumel, but she had trouble with getting sea sick upon surfacing. The scuba guides were British. One of the guides told her that if she took dramamine, she would do better – in fact, she could eat sausage and still not get sick at sea. The other guide said, “Sausage! Why sausage?!” Now, anytime someone says something strange, Jesse mimics the Brits and says, “Sausage?!”
...... my morning visitors, ladies and gentlemen.......
... mmmm...... backstrap.....
.... today has been an absolutely beautiful day here at The Compound...... clear, crisp, barely above freezing with a sky the color of a robin's egg.....
.... and tonight for dinner?.... my Scottish sausage casserole..... mercy.... it's hard to have fun in a place like this, but I sure try my bestest......
.... nah, Cappy...... I only have a very sharp knife and a lot of firearms..... but, alas, no sausage grinder........ tonight's sausage feast was pure pork..... and any deer depicted here ended the day completely unharmed during the making of this blogpost.....
When I was in Texas last June, I tried to chase one to make friends with it (I had the intention of hugging it around the neck, though I didn't have my hopes set very high, rest assured).
The dumbass couldn't figure out how it got separated from its momma on the other side of the fence so it was running back and forth like in a carnival game.
It's nice how you framed it in the arc of your outdoor lamp.
better put some grain out for Bambi. The way the emperor is trying to screw up the economy you might be making Bambi stew by this time next year. I don't have any deer but I am keeping the treerats and Doves fat...just in case
Scottish sausage casserole sounds great. My version would involve a lot of sausage cloaking a base of oatmeal...and a few glasses of single malt to make the whole thing look appetizing. Mmm-mmm good!
Hell raised by Elisson on February 6, 2009 01:20 PM
Elisson, Sausage and oatmeal??? Is that a real dish? Oh, my.
Due to the EMPORER as he's now been titled, I get to spend my days on unemployment trying to regain my foothold in the disapearing job market! Life's just PEACHY!!!
Hell raised by snottydog on February 9, 2009 10:44 AM
..... do those guys at 'MonsterQuest' ever actually find evidence of anything, or is that show simply the biggest tease since that whole Joel/Maggie thing on 'Northern Exposure'?..... I mean, giant eels in The Great Lakes?..... a giant octopus lurking out in the Pacific?...... Big Foot supposedly sighted in nearly every state?.... a friggin chupacabra in Texas?....... after an hour spent watching that crap, they never, ever find it!.....
... Jesus Christ, it's worse than spending 1990 to 1995 waiting for Joel to get Maggie damp enough to mount on prime-time TV......
... having said that, though, MonsterQuest is not without its moments..... for instance, I just overheard some bespectacled expert say, "the oceans are our last great wilderness.... with depths exceeding 30,000 feet, 97% of our ocean's & seas remain unexplored.."
.... 97%.... great, holy Mother of God, people..... why are those idiots hiding in the bushes in Saskatchewan, living on stale peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, and waiting in vain for a 9-foot Big Foot when there could be GODKNOWSWHAT swimming around in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?!?....
.... I know that I'm a bit excitable tonight, and I apologize.... it's just that I have always been a fan of all creatures, great and small..... sure, I hunt them & enjoy eating the occasional one, but I do love to learn about them as well..... I'm the guy who always gets the video bonus questions on 'Cash Cab' about critters.....
... even when I was just a pup, I wanted to be a zoologist..... (an aspiration that was quashed when I first caught sight of an elephant taking a dump at the Knoxville Zoo, but that's for another time.)..... but now?.... I can still see a spotted jungle cat and say, "ooohhh... that's an ocelot!"..... I've even been known to stop while channel surfing and surprise The Missus by saying, "wow!.... what a beautiful Malaysian Honey Bear!"..... her: "WTF is a honey bear?"......
.... so, yeah..... I know a bit about the animals that roam around this planet we share...... and while I am absolutely in love with the whole idea of Stanley wandering around Africa and the whole "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?", those days have passed now...... but I still do love the idea of wandering a jungle - clad in the finest khakis - just to see what is around the next corner....
.... but you know what?..... whatever I found?.... it most certainly isn't going to be a damnable Big Foot, Yeti, Vampire, or chupafriggincabra.....
... the mind boggles, truly....... and I suspect that - in all honesty - the vast oceans are the only place left on earth where we might find ourselves wandering around, exploring, and have the Honest Chance of double-checking our digital camera and screaming, "what the FUCK was THAT?"..... and "that" being a real something that we've never seen before.......
.... but then again, I haven't spent much time in California..... so I might be wrong on the digital camera thing.....
Oh yes, you'll definitely see things you've never seen before in California! Come on out, and I'll take you to Venice beach. There's definitely some unusual wildlife there. "What the FUCK was THAT?" would be putting it mildly!
Hell raised by DogsDontPurr on February 4, 2009 08:43 PM
Vague shadows and possible movement, guy shouting, "oh, look, did you see it, right there, right there" -- uh, no, sure didn't see any monsters! (Or anything else, thank you very much.)
Much more into Mythbusters. Those guys have some fun!
California, the final frontier. Home of Pelosi, Boxer, and Feinstein...Larry, Moe, and Curly too!!!
Hell raised by JihadGene on February 5, 2009 12:36 AM
I'm pretty sure the bespectacled dude said that 97% of the oceans were unexplored... but that's a mere typo... the point is made...
There are more things between heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy, but I'm pretty sure chupafriggincabras are not amongst them... nor are zombies... but we humans must have our myths. Leviathan lives! And I have eaten of his flesh.
Hell raised by Elisson on February 5, 2009 09:47 AM
... nice catch, Elisson..... like I said, I was excited last night and didn't pay attention......
Oh I wish I had enough patience to sit through those things - if only to end up with a blog post. But really about 10 minutes into the show, I want to throw things at the tv. Since that's a rather expensive way to show my displeasure and does nothing at all to remove said shows from television - I just don't watch them.
Hell raised by Teresa on February 5, 2009 02:20 PM
I got it on good authority. Female Bush Pilots ain't easy.
I've heard stories about big animals wandering the woods. Mostly cats, big black cats. I've talked to people who swear they've seen them. Okay, but animals leave spoor and in all my years in the woods, I ain't never seen a pug mark bigger than a bobcat's.
Though, there was a time on a muddy creek bank when I thought I'd struck dinosaur sign or the biggest damn wild turkey in the world. A few minutes later I busted out of the woods on a road in front of some guy's house. There was an Emu standing in his front yard. Well..there went my fifteen minutes of fame.
Henry Morton Stanley? Hell, he survived Shiloh. I figure everything he did after that was on borrowed time.
I've seen some odd stuff turn up in my camera, but it's usually after a visit to WalMars.
I've rarely made it through an entire episode of MonsterQuest. Now, Mythbusters... those guys have way too much fun. And I'll take Mike Rowe doing a Dirty Job any time I can.
Hell raised by LeeAnn on February 6, 2009 07:16 PM
Have you watched any of the BBC's Blue PLanet series? Sir David Attenborough (my hero) has the coolest job on the planet! Every time they filmed, it seemed they identified a new species. And the part where they found the LAKE at the bottom of the Pacific- complete with waves and tidal action- Holy Sheep Shit, Batman!
Hell raised by Holder on February 6, 2009 08:17 PM
..... the snow is slowly melting around here.... and I have a huge pot of spaghetti bubbling away on the stove..... and courtesy of ceiling fans and central heating, the entire house smells of warm oregano, basil, garlic, and parmesan......
... I logged on earlier to check my email and just happened to notice that my sitemeter has ticked up to 776,776.... and since that is a pretty cool looking number, I figured I'd snoop around and see who ole 776,776 was....
.... a Googler, of course..... a poor, lost soul who searched for "Ogden Nash Tibet" and found his proverbial Pot O'Gold happily perched at the end of this rainbow....
..... so to you, gentle Googler, I offer you a "you're welcome..... I am most happy to be of service..."
Congrats on the BIG numbers. You do have a great site. I always leave it with a smile on my face and chuckling. That's a GOOD thing. Thanks for the venue.
Hell raised by DammitWomann on February 4, 2009 12:17 AM
At least you get googled for "Ogden Nash Tibet" I get googled for "assless chaps"!
:)
Hell raised by Oddybobo on February 4, 2009 09:30 AM
.... well, The Blizzard of 2009 hit here earlier in the day.... and most of it has already melted away as of 5:30 this evening.... still, though, it was fun while it lasted....
..... I sat in the living room and watched it fall for a while - and then snuck out to the deck and hid under the eaves of the house.... by then everything was covered by about an inch of heavy, wet snow..... it was just below freezing, so I didn't stay long...... but I did stay long enough to be reminded of a sound that I had forgotten..... the sound of snow..... or lack thereof........ with no wind, the flakes came down in the most perfect vertical angle.... absolutely straight down..... and with their size and heaviness, you could actually make out the tiny crunch that each one made as it joined with its buddies....
... no rustling of ground-leaves..... no wind whistling through the bare limbs.... no traffic..... even the birds were quiet - and likely hiding somewhere trying to keep warm and dry..... no noise except for the quiet sound of snowfall...... .damn, I had forgotten how a wet snow like that sounded until today...... we haven't had the ground completely covered in four or five years - until today.....
..... my old 1890 copy of Chamber's Encyclopedia describes the climate of Tennessee as "both mild and delightful." ...... and after an afternoon like this, I have to say that I agree wholeheartedly...... just enough snow to give you a taste.... and the rest'll be gone by noontime tomorrow..... mild & delightful sounds just about perfect.....
Man, up here, ... we refer to moments like that as the time the "White Death" arrived. Don't get me wrong, we have plows and salt, but I don't think that there's anybody, weathermen included that know what or when do use 'em on.
Also, our state shut down for an inch. When we get just an inch, it just PITA... cleaning off the truck in your "business attire" isn't all it's cracked up to be.
If it'd melt up here by 12:30 the next day, I might not be so jaded, but hell, it doesn't. The stuff up here drops, thaws, refreezes, and feels like you're driving over a "holy road", and in fact, you are, you just can't see the holes 'cause they're buried.
I'll give you this though, I've never heard the sound of snowfall. It's kind of like rain... Some people have the good since to come in out of it, and others, get wet. Don't believe me? Ask mom... she and dad left about two weeks ago for Carolina... 'cause they could.
Hope everybody on your end is well, regardless of weather.
Oh, one more thing, look up the climate of Ohio in that encyclopedia and see if it's as nice to Ohio as it was to Tennessee... I bet not.
Hell raised by RedNeck on February 2, 2009 10:18 PM
As lovely as it is to actually see big fat softy flakes falling, just that gentle hisssss -- I'm reminded instead that I have to try ONCE AGAIN to figure out the remote starter on my car, then giving up on that and pulling on boots to go out and start the car.
Back in the house, finish getting ready and then off to work. Oh, fun. (Thank goodness for heated seats and heated outside mirrors.)
Yes, it is snowing here this morning. No, it will not be melted today or tomorrow.
But, yes, it is pretty on the trees.
