Chuck and Laura have purchased a catamaran, and we have gone sailing twice. The first time we got caught in a storm that rolled in quickly and unexpectedly, and we ended up having to beach the craft and walk home in the rain after being rescued — perhaps unnecessarily — by the diving boat of [...]
Archive for March, 2009
Sailing
Posted in Travel, tagged sailing, Travel on March 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Pool Music
Posted in Ipods, Music, tagged Bahamas, Chuck Berry, Connie Francis, Elvis Presley, Ipod, Jerry Lee Lewis, Music, the Coasters, the Four Seasons, the Singing Nun on March 24, 2009 | 1 Comment »
We are down in the Bahamas visiting our good (and generous) friends Chuck and Laura Pisciotta. They are graciously hosting us at their lovely second home near Freeport, and we have had a wonderful time. Yesterday we were sitting out by the pool on a bright sunny day and were listening to the trusty Ipod [...]
Bad TV: The Jeffersons
Posted in TV, tagged Bad TV, The Jeffersons, TV on March 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
When I was a kid, I really liked All in the Family. It was a very popular show, of course, but also was legitimately funny and edgy. I was kind of amazed it was on TV. So, I was kind of conditioned in advance to like the All in the Family spinoffs. Maude was a [...]
The D.C. Effect
Posted in Politics, tagged Congress, D.C., Politics, Washington on March 22, 2009 | 1 Comment »
This story about Sen. Chris Dodd – http://www.connpost.com/oped/ci_11959016 — tells a familiar story that seems to happen with distressing frequency. An individual gets elected to Congress and leaves his home state, hobnobs with lobbyists, interest groups, and other politicians, decides that the job is a pretty sweet gig and focuses intently on getting reelected, raises [...]
Bad TV: Gilligan’s Island
Posted in TV, tagged Bad TV, Gilligan's Island, TV on March 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I know this show is popular with a lot of people — I just can’t understand why. Leave aside the premise that a boat the size of the Minnow could survive a tropical storm and be swept to some faraway South Sea island, Leave aside the improbable combination of cast and crew members (why would [...]
And Another Helpful Development . . . .
Posted in Politics, The Economy, tagged stimulus, Wall Street on March 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This story — http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=7122282 — will just add another layer of scrutiny for companies that have accepted TARP or stimulus funds. They now know they can expect to have their bonuses and “retreats” examined and their tax status reviewed, and I think that, as public attention continues to focus on how bailout money is being [...]
Bad TV: Family Affair
Posted in TV, tagged Bad TV, Family Affair, TV on March 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
My sisters loved this show — I’m not exactly sure why. All I know it is that when they had control of the TV and our family had to watch the show, I could never figure out what kind of show it was supposed to be. Was it a comedy? If so, why was it [...]
The Sandwich Story
Posted in Family, Politics, tagged Family, Great Depression, Politics on March 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Gramma Neal was a pretty rock-ribbed conservative. For reasons lost in the mists of time, she despised Franklin Roosevelt and loved Wendell Willkie. At some long-ago family get-together, she and my Great-Uncle Grover — who was married to one of Grampa Neal’s sisters — got into an argument about politics, and she became so angry [...]
Happy Birthday, Mom!
Posted in Family, tagged Family on March 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Our blog host keeps tracks of dates using Greenwich mean time, so it is officially March 20 — which means I can officially wish my mother a happy 79th birthday. Agnes Neal Webner turns a sprightly 79 today. Happy birthday, Mom! May you have many, many more!
Waltzing Gets Maligned
Posted in Humor, Reflections, tagged Humor, language on March 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Recently I heard someone say something along the lines of “If So and So thinks he can come waltzing in here and do that . . . ” and it made me wonder why waltzing gets singled out in that way. The context always makes it seem like the person in question has a bad [...]
Unnecessary Withdrawals from the Credibility Bank
Posted in Politics, tagged Congress, economy, Family, President Obama, Wall Street on March 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I’ll make one last point about the current economic problems and our governmental responses to it, and then I will leave it be for a bit. My grandmother used to say that you have only one chance to make a good first impression. If you were going out with a girl on a first date, [...]
Dick Dale Is Awesome
Posted in Music, Music videos, tagged Dick Dale, Music, Music videos, surf music on March 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Russell and I were talking about surf music at dinner tonight, and Dick Dale is the undisputed king of surf music. So, a bit of Dick Dale on the blog seems like a good idea. With the volume cranked and a warm breeze blowing as you drink a cold beer, Dick Dale is awesome. If [...]
The Constant Challenge of Technology
Posted in Reflections, tagged Technology on March 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This link – http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/17/america/jury.php — is to an interesting article about how juror Blackberry and internet cell phone use is causing problems during trials. It demonstrates, once again, that new technology will affect our institutions in unexpected ways, and that it is very difficult to completely anticipate, and address in advance, every potential impact.
The Buck Back
Posted in sports, Work, tagged Gambling, sports, Work on March 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I am not a gambler, and I long ago stopped participating in the standard NCAA tournament pools. Too often, the team that I picked to win it all got knocked out early, and my chances of winning went up in smoke. About 15 years ago my friends and I invented an alternative approach, called “The [...]
Bad TV: F Troop
Posted in TV, tagged Bad TV, F Troop, TV on March 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
F Troop is one of those shows that was made during the 1960s and somehow stayed on the air for several seasons, despite being remarkably and consistently unfunny. The show revolved around the “antics” of the troop of soldiers at Fort Courage and a nearby Indian tribe. Sergeant O’Rourke ran an illicit moonshine operation with [...]
