This is the first post from my new phone. It's definitely not as easy as the lap-top, but I'm sitting in the Secretary of State waiting to renew my liscence and registration, & I have miles to go before I sleep as it were.
Vacation:
So as the previous post suggested, I went to Ohio w/ Tish, Courtney, & Brenda. We had a great time. Tish & I went through a shit-ton of booze, we went paddle boating, & we spent a lot of time around the fire. It rained a lot on Thursday, but other than a few puddles in Courtney's tent all was fine. I suppose the low point was sitting through Al in & the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakwel. They had an outdoor movie theater which was fun & brought back all sorts of memories of being 7 & camping @ Disneyworld. The, we saw Mary Poppins & Blue Beard's Ghost. Alvin & the Chipmunks 2 was no Mary Poppins.
We also got to see the birth places of Presidents Grant, Hayes & Harding plus some cool Underground Railroad stuff. On the way home we got to eat @ Crackerbarrel... I had the Reuben & a cup of chili. Not to mention, I got to play the peg game. That's always sweet! I will post some pics from .y computer later... I was also gonn do a Gold Cup wrap-up, but this blogging from my phone bullshit is bullshit. I think I. Done for now. Stay tuned for more later.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The Portsmouth Spartans & Other Southern Ohio Oddities
I'm leaving tomorrow morning for a little camping trip. I'll be going w/ some old Grad School friends (Brenda, Courtney, & Letitia) to the Shawnee State Park in Portsmouth, OH. I don't know if a pre-trip itinerary is really blog-worthy, but it's been a slim month for Drifting into Deep Water so I'm going w/ it.
I haven't seen Brenda in years. She's coming in w/ her kids from VA later in the afternoon tomorrow. Courtney, who's now living in LA will actually be coming down w/ her kids from Cleveland. Tish & I are both flying solo as it were (w/o kids)so we're riding together. The more direct route is to take US 23 through Columbus & down to the river, but drives don't get much more boring than the one from here to Columbus so we're gonna head down to Cincinnati & then cut east along the river. On the road, we may need to hit the Neil Armstrong Museum in Wapakoneta. You can see it from I75 & I've wanted to stop there for as long as I can remember. How many times have I driven through Wapakoneta? I would guess about 30 times. Other ridiculous tourist traps along the way used to include the giant butter Jesus north of Cincinnati, but I don't think it was ever rebuilt after the untimely lightening strike last year.
A still existing item just north of Cincinnati is, of course, the world's largest horseshoe crab in Blanchester. Why it's in OH & not some place near the ocean where horseshoe crabs are more common, I don't know, but I really like horseshoe crabs, in fact, they're 3rd on my list of top-ten crustaceans, so it might be worth seeing.
Central OH also features many other world's largest stuff, so if we take US 23 home, maybe we'll get to see the world's largest corn field* in Dublin, OH, the world's largest pumpkin in Circleville, OH, & the world's largest apple basket in Frazeysburg, OH. There's also the option of seeing the world's largest cheese wheel, cuckoo clock, crystal ball, or loaf of bread in the great state of Ohio too. ironically, I'll be taking the world's largest trouser snake on a tour of Ohio these next fee days, so if you're in the Portsmouth, OH area & would like a peak, let me know. Admission is a bit on the pricey side, but you won't be let down. Unfortunately, it's a sort of Mystery Spotesque attraction based on a lot of smoke & mirrors.
Oh, & of course, the Portsmouth Spartans... the team that after 2 seasons moved to Detroit & became the Detroit Lions. I hope there's some sort of plaque or statue commemorating the team. If not, we might have to settle for the Indian Head Rock in the Portsmouth/Ironton area before it's given back to its rightful owners... the good folks on the other side of the river in KY.
*As a side note, I'm kind of interested in the people who would go to see the world's largest corn field. It seems like it'd be hard to appreciate it just from standing on the side of the road. You wouldn't really be able to see a whole lot & even if you could, I would think that all large corn fields look the same. However, in Dublin, there's a catch. it's actually a field of giant 6' cement ears of corn. That's worth seeing! Unless, like the trouser snake, they're really just 6" w/ a lot of smoke & mirrors. That'd be a big let down.
I haven't seen Brenda in years. She's coming in w/ her kids from VA later in the afternoon tomorrow. Courtney, who's now living in LA will actually be coming down w/ her kids from Cleveland. Tish & I are both flying solo as it were (w/o kids)so we're riding together. The more direct route is to take US 23 through Columbus & down to the river, but drives don't get much more boring than the one from here to Columbus so we're gonna head down to Cincinnati & then cut east along the river. On the road, we may need to hit the Neil Armstrong Museum in Wapakoneta. You can see it from I75 & I've wanted to stop there for as long as I can remember. How many times have I driven through Wapakoneta? I would guess about 30 times. Other ridiculous tourist traps along the way used to include the giant butter Jesus north of Cincinnati, but I don't think it was ever rebuilt after the untimely lightening strike last year.
A still existing item just north of Cincinnati is, of course, the world's largest horseshoe crab in Blanchester. Why it's in OH & not some place near the ocean where horseshoe crabs are more common, I don't know, but I really like horseshoe crabs, in fact, they're 3rd on my list of top-ten crustaceans, so it might be worth seeing.
Central OH also features many other world's largest stuff, so if we take US 23 home, maybe we'll get to see the world's largest corn field* in Dublin, OH, the world's largest pumpkin in Circleville, OH, & the world's largest apple basket in Frazeysburg, OH. There's also the option of seeing the world's largest cheese wheel, cuckoo clock, crystal ball, or loaf of bread in the great state of Ohio too. ironically, I'll be taking the world's largest trouser snake on a tour of Ohio these next fee days, so if you're in the Portsmouth, OH area & would like a peak, let me know. Admission is a bit on the pricey side, but you won't be let down. Unfortunately, it's a sort of Mystery Spotesque attraction based on a lot of smoke & mirrors.
Oh, & of course, the Portsmouth Spartans... the team that after 2 seasons moved to Detroit & became the Detroit Lions. I hope there's some sort of plaque or statue commemorating the team. If not, we might have to settle for the Indian Head Rock in the Portsmouth/Ironton area before it's given back to its rightful owners... the good folks on the other side of the river in KY.
*As a side note, I'm kind of interested in the people who would go to see the world's largest corn field. It seems like it'd be hard to appreciate it just from standing on the side of the road. You wouldn't really be able to see a whole lot & even if you could, I would think that all large corn fields look the same. However, in Dublin, there's a catch. it's actually a field of giant 6' cement ears of corn. That's worth seeing! Unless, like the trouser snake, they're really just 6" w/ a lot of smoke & mirrors. That'd be a big let down.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
"Dark Star"
If you've got an hour and a half to spare and want to spare it by learning about our favorite song, check out this video: an in depth analysis of "Dark Star." Some of you might feel that an hour and a half dedicated to "Dark Star" might be a little much, but there are those of us who have dedicated a lot more time than that to this tune over the years. This guy, Dave Frank, is a jazz performer and lecturer. He spends this episode focusing on the version from Live Dead... & it seems like a good one to pick. He's also got episodes about Bill Evans, Frank Zappa, The Marx Brothers, Charlie Parker, & Keith Jarrett if you feel the need to watch more. Then you can read "The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock" & submit a short essay comparing the lyrics of the songs to Eliot's phrasing in the poem. Enjoy!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Lady Gaga's Sax Player?
I've seen Bruce Springsteen twice: once during a solo acoustic performance @ an Obama rally & once w/ the E-Street Band @ the Palace when selling books for Nicola's about a year & a half ago. (Here's the old Visions of Ypsi post about that night to refresh your memory... & mine.) That night, the book on hand was Big Man by the big man, Clarence Clemons. I never got to meet him but his people were really nice... & the show was fantastic (if a little canned). Along w/ playing w/ Springsteen & appearing in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure & on an episode of Diff'rent Strokes, he plays on a couple songs on Gaga's newest album, apparently. However, I'm not certain that that's enough to have the MTV article about his stroke (he suffered a stroke yesterday) mention Gaga before Springsteen. That's ridiculous. Do their fans/readers really know so little about music that they need to open w/ Lady Gaga? Give me a break. Now, I've never been a huge E Street Band fan, but let's give respect where it's due. Speaking of music (although this band hasn't suffered any strokes recently, knock on wood) Deep Space is playing @ the Crossroads Bar & Grill again this weekend. It would behoove y'all to come out & see them. My first Deep Space Six show was in March of 1996. Maybe yours should be in June of 2011... better late than never. We'll keep the Slayrides flowing for you. Oh, & in other non-stroke related music news, Dylan is playing Meadowbrook on August 7th... he only sounds like he had a stroke. Who's in?
Saturday, June 11, 2011
An Obligatory Post? Not Quite
So often, when talking about blogging, I hear people say they feel they're letting people down if they don't post on a regular basis. I know I don't have that problem because I don't have many readers to feel let down. On the other hand, I've also heard people say when they've gone a while w/o a post, they're less likely to post again. That's never been an issue here either, but I suppose sooner or later it will be. Each post reminds me that the time will come when there are no more posts; the time will come when I'm no longer a blogger. What this really means is that each post reminds me of my own mortality & brings me one step closer to realizing my death. Sein-zum-Tode is how Heidegger would have described it... being towards death.
That means we, as bloggers, must celebrate the little things like Aiden's Little League game. He was walked his first time up today & got a force-out at third base later. Earlier this week, he & I went camping @ Bishop Lake in Brighton w/ his class. It way well have been my first adult camping experience sans booze, & I didn't expect sleeping on the ground w/o a little buzz would be easy, but I slept really well. We had a good time, but it was cut a little short due to the rain. I met some of the parents of his classmates, & they're pretty cool. He was in a skit about the Greek Gods, he played soccer, baseball, & kickball, & we played some poker @ the tent. All in all, it was a good time.
Before camping, he & I went down to Ford Field to watch the US beat the Canadians 2-0 in the 1st match of the Gold Cup Group C group stage. It was an awesome time. We had fun taunting the silly Cannucks who made the trip across the border. Based on previous tournament experiences, I imagine they were just happy to be there. Although, I would say they went a bit far when they started singing a song about Tim Howard's (the US Goalie) Tourettes. I'm not always the most PC when it comes to soccer-related taunting, but that's going a little too far. Aiden was a little concerned about our use of certain words beginning w/ "F" & "S" but I made it clear that basic societal language norms aren't followed when attending a soccer match. If I can't yell things like "We've got Clint Dempsey, the one & only Dempsey, & you've got fuck all nothing!" then, what's the point of going?
In about an hour, the 2nd match of the Group C group stage will be starting. The USA will be playing Panama. It should be a good time. Although, I imagine the game itself won't be very good. It should be a walk in the park for the USMNT. (That's the hip Internet way of writing United States Men National Team, for those of you not in the hip Internet know). Tomorrow, Verde has a game @ 3:00... come on out & cheer us on.
That means we, as bloggers, must celebrate the little things like Aiden's Little League game. He was walked his first time up today & got a force-out at third base later. Earlier this week, he & I went camping @ Bishop Lake in Brighton w/ his class. It way well have been my first adult camping experience sans booze, & I didn't expect sleeping on the ground w/o a little buzz would be easy, but I slept really well. We had a good time, but it was cut a little short due to the rain. I met some of the parents of his classmates, & they're pretty cool. He was in a skit about the Greek Gods, he played soccer, baseball, & kickball, & we played some poker @ the tent. All in all, it was a good time.
Before camping, he & I went down to Ford Field to watch the US beat the Canadians 2-0 in the 1st match of the Gold Cup Group C group stage. It was an awesome time. We had fun taunting the silly Cannucks who made the trip across the border. Based on previous tournament experiences, I imagine they were just happy to be there. Although, I would say they went a bit far when they started singing a song about Tim Howard's (the US Goalie) Tourettes. I'm not always the most PC when it comes to soccer-related taunting, but that's going a little too far. Aiden was a little concerned about our use of certain words beginning w/ "F" & "S" but I made it clear that basic societal language norms aren't followed when attending a soccer match. If I can't yell things like "We've got Clint Dempsey, the one & only Dempsey, & you've got fuck all nothing!" then, what's the point of going?
In about an hour, the 2nd match of the Group C group stage will be starting. The USA will be playing Panama. It should be a good time. Although, I imagine the game itself won't be very good. It should be a walk in the park for the USMNT. (That's the hip Internet way of writing United States Men National Team, for those of you not in the hip Internet know). Tomorrow, Verde has a game @ 3:00... come on out & cheer us on.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Gold Cup Post #1
The Gold Cup, the bi-annual CONCACAF championship tournament, started yesterday in Dallas w/ Mexico & Costa Rica both winning their respective matches 5-0 (against Cuba & El Salvador). Today, we have Group B in Carson, CA w/ Jamaica playing Grenada & then Honduras taking on Guatemala. The 2nd match should actually be pretty good. Tomorrow, we'll be going down to Ford Field for a nice Group C double header. First up will be Panama v Gaudeloupe before the big USA v Canada match. I haven't been to a US Men's Team match since the Gold Cup Final in 2007 @ Soldier Field when the came from 1-0 down @ the half to win 2-1. My other forays into USMNT support include a few matches in Columbus 10 or 12 years ago.
I have a feeling that tomorrow's match will have a slightly larger US fan base. Four years ago, we were in the vast minority, but playing Canada, a team whose best days seem to be behind them... like back in 1986... but I'm sure they're be a nice crowd from Toronto & Windsor. not to mention, our family friend, Clive, whom I haven't seen in a few years. He was a coach of mine in Petoskey & is now a big-wig w/ the CSA. There's even talk that he might be able to get us into the official Canadian Box. We'll see if they're let a few crazy Yanks in there.
I have a sneaking suspicion that many of you, dear readers, will also be attending the game. I suggest a pre-match drink @ The Elwood, say 5:00ish??? Sign up if you're up for a drink... & feel free to post your conflicting pre-match plans for everyone else to see too. For instance, if you're going to Cheli's pr something, that could always work too. I'll be picking Aiden up from school & then meeting up w/ my Dad, @ which point, we'll head downtown & meet up w/ Liz & Dan. I hope to see you all there! And be sure to check back here tomorrow for team news before the match.
I have a feeling that tomorrow's match will have a slightly larger US fan base. Four years ago, we were in the vast minority, but playing Canada, a team whose best days seem to be behind them... like back in 1986... but I'm sure they're be a nice crowd from Toronto & Windsor. not to mention, our family friend, Clive, whom I haven't seen in a few years. He was a coach of mine in Petoskey & is now a big-wig w/ the CSA. There's even talk that he might be able to get us into the official Canadian Box. We'll see if they're let a few crazy Yanks in there.
I have a sneaking suspicion that many of you, dear readers, will also be attending the game. I suggest a pre-match drink @ The Elwood, say 5:00ish??? Sign up if you're up for a drink... & feel free to post your conflicting pre-match plans for everyone else to see too. For instance, if you're going to Cheli's pr something, that could always work too. I'll be picking Aiden up from school & then meeting up w/ my Dad, @ which point, we'll head downtown & meet up w/ Liz & Dan. I hope to see you all there! And be sure to check back here tomorrow for team news before the match.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Comments, Cruise, & Chronicles... but not in that order
In lieu of anymore Bob Dylan posts, I want to take a moment to talk about the Tom Cruise marathon. I've only watched a couple more since my last update (Valkyre & Jerry Maguire [we'll get to some reviews after I've seen a few more]). I had to take a little time off over Memorial Day to watch some pretty painful WWII films as per my usual Memorial Day celebration. One of them takes place on a sub & stars James Garner (that one was actually alright). Another featured George Peppard, Sophia Loren, & Paul Henreid... it sucked ass. The capstone of its shittiness was the bombing by the Germans of an English Nuclear Power plant. (They didn't exist until the 1950s.) The third of the films was a stock tank battalion movie w/ no one I'd ever heard of. It was a good time before going to watch Barcelona treat ManUre like a bunch of silly children though. I'm trying to remember which English team it was that was able to beat Barcelona in London. Hmmmmm... maybe you ManUre fans could refresh my memory in the comments section.
Speaking of the comments section, that's the real issue I logged in to discuss today. A couple weeks ago, I spent a little while talking w/ some fellow bloggers about the lack of comments, why comments have gone down, & what that means about blogging. It was suggested that w/o the interaction of the comments, it's not really a blog. However, we can't forget that blogging started as an on-line version of journaling or diary keeping. Diaries have always been seen as a private thing, to the point where people even come up w/ spells & incantations to protect their privacy. That said, most people who blog, myself included, aren't doing it as a private act, & we're certainly not doing it in a vacuum. This means we need to consider why the comments have decreased over the years. Most people seemed to think that it was due to Facebook. At 1st, that seemed like a reasonable explanation. As comments are left on the Facebook or Twitter pages where links are provided, they are then divorced from the actual post which means historical archiving of the post w/ the comments becomes much more difficult. On the other hand, it's impossible to demand that people place the comments in the actual comments section for 2 reasons.
1) They just don't listen, & I've tried.
2) More importantly, the blogging/comment programs seem to be making commenting more & more difficult. I tried to comment on a blog the other day, but it wouldn't let me. There was a time when anyone could comment. After that period, logging in was easy. Now, each blog seems to have it's own hoops through which people need to jump.
If the lack of comments is to bring about the end of blogging, most of the blame needs to fall on the shoulders of the very code upon which the blogs are based. That said, I'll try again... leave the comments in the comments section rather than on facebook.
The commenting problem has a certain downward spiral aspect to it... just like The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles which I've sadly been watching this summer. When George Lucas released them on DVD, he re-edited the 1 hours episodes into feature length films by joining them in twos & putting them in chronological order. They were then released in 3 multi-disc sets. Each set contains 8 or 10 films... I'm 4 films into the 3rd set now. The first set follows a 9 year old Indy around the world w/ his family as he has adventures & learns about world culture meeting people like TE Lawrence, Teddy Roosevelt, & Tolstoy. The second set sees a 16 year old Indy enlist in the Belgian army & fight in WWI in Europe, Africa & Arabia where he meets people like Mata Hari, Albert Shweitzer, & Kafka. The third set follows him from the end of the war though some college adventures where he meets people like Al Capone, Edith Wharton, Paul Robeson, & John Ford. They're fun movies w/ a silly educational bent to them. Each one includes a series of documentaries about the people & places. Overall, it's a pretty cheesy series that never really goes anywhere, but since I'm almost done, I figure I should see it out. The one I'm watching right now, The Treasure of the Peacock's Eye, is a nice adventure in the traditional Indiana Jones style... he & his war buddy set off in search of ancient treasure & a series of narrow escapes ensues.
Speaking of the comments section, that's the real issue I logged in to discuss today. A couple weeks ago, I spent a little while talking w/ some fellow bloggers about the lack of comments, why comments have gone down, & what that means about blogging. It was suggested that w/o the interaction of the comments, it's not really a blog. However, we can't forget that blogging started as an on-line version of journaling or diary keeping. Diaries have always been seen as a private thing, to the point where people even come up w/ spells & incantations to protect their privacy. That said, most people who blog, myself included, aren't doing it as a private act, & we're certainly not doing it in a vacuum. This means we need to consider why the comments have decreased over the years. Most people seemed to think that it was due to Facebook. At 1st, that seemed like a reasonable explanation. As comments are left on the Facebook or Twitter pages where links are provided, they are then divorced from the actual post which means historical archiving of the post w/ the comments becomes much more difficult. On the other hand, it's impossible to demand that people place the comments in the actual comments section for 2 reasons. 1) They just don't listen, & I've tried.
2) More importantly, the blogging/comment programs seem to be making commenting more & more difficult. I tried to comment on a blog the other day, but it wouldn't let me. There was a time when anyone could comment. After that period, logging in was easy. Now, each blog seems to have it's own hoops through which people need to jump.
If the lack of comments is to bring about the end of blogging, most of the blame needs to fall on the shoulders of the very code upon which the blogs are based. That said, I'll try again... leave the comments in the comments section rather than on facebook.
The commenting problem has a certain downward spiral aspect to it... just like The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles which I've sadly been watching this summer. When George Lucas released them on DVD, he re-edited the 1 hours episodes into feature length films by joining them in twos & putting them in chronological order. They were then released in 3 multi-disc sets. Each set contains 8 or 10 films... I'm 4 films into the 3rd set now. The first set follows a 9 year old Indy around the world w/ his family as he has adventures & learns about world culture meeting people like TE Lawrence, Teddy Roosevelt, & Tolstoy. The second set sees a 16 year old Indy enlist in the Belgian army & fight in WWI in Europe, Africa & Arabia where he meets people like Mata Hari, Albert Shweitzer, & Kafka. The third set follows him from the end of the war though some college adventures where he meets people like Al Capone, Edith Wharton, Paul Robeson, & John Ford. They're fun movies w/ a silly educational bent to them. Each one includes a series of documentaries about the people & places. Overall, it's a pretty cheesy series that never really goes anywhere, but since I'm almost done, I figure I should see it out. The one I'm watching right now, The Treasure of the Peacock's Eye, is a nice adventure in the traditional Indiana Jones style... he & his war buddy set off in search of ancient treasure & a series of narrow escapes ensues.
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