Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Friday, October 27, 2017
THE FRIDAY FUNNIES
Do you know what today is?
It's Fri . . .
It's Fri . . .
Uh, yeah, thanks for that.
But today.
Today is Fri . . .
O.K. I give up.
Let's get on with the Fri . . . Funnies.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
TBT - TIME WITH FATS
The first celebrity interview I ever conducted was with the man who died Tuesday - Fats Domino.
It was in about 1961, I'd guess, and I was doing my "Bruce on the Loose" gig as a rock and roll disc jockey at KCJB radio in Minot, North Dakota.
I don't remember much of the details but apparently our radio station had brought Domino to do a show and there came an opportunity in the afternoon to interview him live on the air.
I normally worked the night shift, signing the station off the air at midnight, but on this day I was working in the afternoon, replacing the regular dj who filled that space.
Someone from higher up in the food chain suddenly came into the control room and told me to call such and such a number and talk to Fats Domino at his hotel room.
So I did it.
He was very nice and cooperative with a young radio announcer's inane questions.
All I can remember is listening back to the tape we made of the interview.
I would ask a question, he would answer it, I would intone a serious "I see", and he would sort of grunt, in a high-pitched tone, "un-huh."
I still recall thinking that entire interview consisted of "I see" and "un-huh", over and over again.
For someone new to the business it wasn't my most shining hour.
I did get better over the many years in broadcasting, I think.
Rest in peace, Fats, and thanks.
I don't remember much of the details but apparently our radio station had brought Domino to do a show and there came an opportunity in the afternoon to interview him live on the air.
I normally worked the night shift, signing the station off the air at midnight, but on this day I was working in the afternoon, replacing the regular dj who filled that space.
Someone from higher up in the food chain suddenly came into the control room and told me to call such and such a number and talk to Fats Domino at his hotel room.
So I did it.
He was very nice and cooperative with a young radio announcer's inane questions.
All I can remember is listening back to the tape we made of the interview.
I would ask a question, he would answer it, I would intone a serious "I see", and he would sort of grunt, in a high-pitched tone, "un-huh."
I still recall thinking that entire interview consisted of "I see" and "un-huh", over and over again.
For someone new to the business it wasn't my most shining hour.
I did get better over the many years in broadcasting, I think.
Rest in peace, Fats, and thanks.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
LEMONS! CAKE!
SWMBO made a cake from a new recipe we just found recently.
It's a fragrant Lemon-Spice Visiting Cake, courtesy of Dorie Greenspan in the New York Times.
It uses ground cardamom, ground ginger and lemons, among other things.
The baker didn't have any ground cardamom but she did have some whole that she ground up with a mortar and pestle.
In the end she said I hope we don't like this because it's a pain in the rear to make.
We loved it.
Maybe I'll have to buy some ground cardamom.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
COMPETITION
Apparently it's my own fault.
I allowed it to happen.
I kind of wish I hadn't.
It's about my window directly in front of me looking out onto the bird bath.
You see, our cats don't get to go outside.
Oh, Blackwell will violate that rule if he gets a chance to sneak past us.
We call him our escape cat.
But he has a fascination with the great outdoors and can spend long periods of time at a window.
And then there's the single-minded love he seems to have for me.
At least that's what SWMBO believes.
He does follow me around the place, seeking a lap whenever I sit down.
So he began jumping up with a quick stop on the edge of my desk to sit in the window in front of my computer screen.
I allowed it to happen.
I kind of wish I hadn't.
It's about my window directly in front of me looking out onto the bird bath.
You see, our cats don't get to go outside.
Oh, Blackwell will violate that rule if he gets a chance to sneak past us.
We call him our escape cat.
But he has a fascination with the great outdoors and can spend long periods of time at a window.
And then there's the single-minded love he seems to have for me.
At least that's what SWMBO believes.
He does follow me around the place, seeking a lap whenever I sit down.
So he began jumping up with a quick stop on the edge of my desk to sit in the window in front of my computer screen.
He stays there as long as I am tap-tap-tapping away on my keyboard.
I had to call his name to get him to turn around for the photo above.
He gazes at the yard, chitters at some of the birds though not all of them, and maybe dozes in the sun.
Well the desk I work at is quite small and he occasionally uses my arm as a launching pad.
This morning I got tired of his presence and chased him away.
But he was lurking, preparing to jump up again.
So I needed something to block his path.
And I found it.
The Guard Panda!
Blackwell sulked off to his spot on SWMBO's bed.
At least for the time being.
P.S. He missed a great show when three, count 'em, three fat doves all arrived at the bird bath at the same time.
I'll bet his mouth would still be watering.
Monday, October 23, 2017
REALLY?
Spotted on a short walk near my house.
What, one wonders, IS a sanitary sewer?
I wouldn't think any sewer is really sanitary.
Maybe those big ones in the movie "The Third Man" which starred Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles among others.
Welles played a mysterious post-World War Two crook (Harry Lime) in Vienna and sneaked around the city using the big underground sewers.
But I digress.
Checking with the All-Knowing Google I learn that a sanitary sewer is a system of underground pipes that takes kitchen and bathroom waste from homes and businesses to a wastewater treatment plant where it is filtered, treated and released.
Apparently it is so-named to distinguish it from a storm sewer, which carries rainfall and other drainage.
So there you are.
Now you (and I) know probably all we ever wanted to know about sewer systems.
And now, to lighten the mood a bit, here's the theme music from that movie, played on the zither by Anton Karas.
Some other time I'll explain what a zither is.
And now, to lighten the mood a bit, here's the theme music from that movie, played on the zither by Anton Karas.
Some other time I'll explain what a zither is.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
ON THE RIVER
Today brings us another thrilling episode in the Exciting and Fabulous Adventures of the BRD (Beautiful Rich Daughter).
This time it's kayaking on the Verde River in Central Arizona.
Yes the BRD (center above) and a gang of her pals actually did get those watercraft into the water.
It was all to mark a birthday of one of her cohorts, the indefatigable Susie.
This time it's kayaking on the Verde River in Central Arizona.
It was all to mark a birthday of one of her cohorts, the indefatigable Susie.
The BRD said it was a five mile excursion marked by a high wind.
That was NOT evident in the pictures I saw.
It looks pretty placid to me.
Of course, maybe the hurricane force winds and rushing rapids prevented the photographer from taking pictures during those rough times.
The BRD said if she hadn't been working out prior to the tour she might not have been able to get back and would have died on a sandbar . . . not the kind of bar she would like to die at.
So paddle fiercely, Gayle, show us your best stuff!
Saturday, October 21, 2017
TOM MIX COUNTRY
Tom Mix, a cowboy movie star in the early third of the 20th Century, has quite a history with the area where I live in Arizona.
But let me tell you a little of Mr. Mix's history.
He was born in Pennsylvania, enlisted in the army during the Spanish-American War but never went overseas and was declared AWOL after failing to return from a furlough, during which he married his first of five wives.
He went to Oklahoma and kicked around as a bartender and other odd jobs before finding employment with a huge ranch that had its own touring Wild West show.
Mix performed as a horseman and expert shot and won rodeo competitions in (surprise!) Prescott, Arizona, just beyond Glassford Hill from where I live.
Mix launched his movie career in 1909 and appeared in nearly 300 movies in his lifetime, all except nine silent films.
In his off-screen appearances, Mix was a dapper dresser, usually seen wearing a huge white ten gallon hat.
Mix bought a ranch in Prescott and competed frequently in what is known locally as "the world's oldest rodeo", winning a bull riding competition when he was 40 years old.
A number of his films were shot in the Prescott area.
It is said that along with the ladies, Tom Mix was fond of drink and that may have led to his demise.
After spending time visiting a friend in Tucson, Mix was speeding north toward Phoenix in his 1937 Cord automobile.
He was unable to stop when he encountered a barricade where a bridge had been washed out by a flash flood and when his car flipped over, a suitcase full of money and jewelry struck and killed him.
There's a plaque and monument at the site.
But let me tell you a little of Mr. Mix's history.
He was born in Pennsylvania, enlisted in the army during the Spanish-American War but never went overseas and was declared AWOL after failing to return from a furlough, during which he married his first of five wives.
He went to Oklahoma and kicked around as a bartender and other odd jobs before finding employment with a huge ranch that had its own touring Wild West show.
Mix performed as a horseman and expert shot and won rodeo competitions in (surprise!) Prescott, Arizona, just beyond Glassford Hill from where I live.
In his off-screen appearances, Mix was a dapper dresser, usually seen wearing a huge white ten gallon hat.
A number of his films were shot in the Prescott area.
It is said that along with the ladies, Tom Mix was fond of drink and that may have led to his demise.
After spending time visiting a friend in Tucson, Mix was speeding north toward Phoenix in his 1937 Cord automobile.
He was unable to stop when he encountered a barricade where a bridge had been washed out by a flash flood and when his car flipped over, a suitcase full of money and jewelry struck and killed him.
There's a plaque and monument at the site.
He was 60 years old.
The area where his ranch was is now part of a planned community where the BRD's Beau Jack lived for many years.
(Much of the history in this post is courtesy of Wikipedia.)
Friday, October 20, 2017
FRIDAY FUNNIES
Is it really that time again?
Why yes, I believe it is.
Wow! Does that make your head hurt too?
Let's dance quickly and blithely along then and get away from it.
I think it's time once again, Gentle Readers, for some more signs of the times.
Brace yourselves.
Why yes, I believe it is.
Wow! Does that make your head hurt too?
Let's dance quickly and blithely along then and get away from it.
I think it's time once again, Gentle Readers, for some more signs of the times.
Brace yourselves.
Just remember these wise words from someone who has made mistakes in the past.
All right Gentle Readers and aficionados of Internet humor (or humour) everywhere, let us all go out into the world and have a fahntahsticly fine weekend.
And always remember to keep laughing!
Here, kitty-kitty . . .
Thursday, October 19, 2017
THURSDAY NIGHT DINNER
Oddly enough, no photos exist of tonight's meal.
I prepared about half of it.
Pepper Steak (steak au poivre) that I grew to love at a French restaurant (Restaurante Pierre) when we lived in Guadalajara, Mexico.
I learned to make it at home.
Tonight's meal was accompanied by a baked Russet potato topped with butter and sour cream and salt and pepper, asparagus, and a wonderful mixed salad, courtesy SWMBO.
She doesn't love steak like I do (though she does love this preparation) so it's a rare treat.
A little red wine, after aperitifs of whiskey and water and vodka and water, and (for me) an after touch of Sambucca straight up.
She topped her meal off with a bit of Death by Chocolate ice cream.
Do we dine well?
Yes, I think we do.
(Sorry for the absence of pictures.)
I prepared about half of it.
Pepper Steak (steak au poivre) that I grew to love at a French restaurant (Restaurante Pierre) when we lived in Guadalajara, Mexico.
I learned to make it at home.
Tonight's meal was accompanied by a baked Russet potato topped with butter and sour cream and salt and pepper, asparagus, and a wonderful mixed salad, courtesy SWMBO.
She doesn't love steak like I do (though she does love this preparation) so it's a rare treat.
A little red wine, after aperitifs of whiskey and water and vodka and water, and (for me) an after touch of Sambucca straight up.
She topped her meal off with a bit of Death by Chocolate ice cream.
Do we dine well?
Yes, I think we do.
(Sorry for the absence of pictures.)
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
AN UPDATE
It's been awhile since I have updated y'all on my wife's progress since she broke her femur (thighbone).
Monday marked the four-month anniversary of the fall on our (new) back patio.
Tuesday was the anniversary of the surgery that implanted a titanium rod from her hip to her knee of her right leg.
It's been a long haul but today I can report that she went to a doctor appointment, then we went to lunch and then to a lengthy grocery shopping excursion.
Judy/SWMBO left her walker at home for the first time and used only a cane and occasionally my arm to ambulate.
She did use an electric cart in the grocery store but that has predated her fall and even I have occasionally used one.
These old bodies sometimes aren't made for walking.
Then I told Judy about a young mother I had seen in the grocery store.
She was slim and lithe and at one point noticed the laces on her high-top sneaker were loose.
She didn't bend over . . she raised that leg and calmly tied the laces while standing like a flamingo and carrying on a conversation with a store employee.
Some days the amazing wonders of youth are just a bit much to take.
Monday marked the four-month anniversary of the fall on our (new) back patio.
Tuesday was the anniversary of the surgery that implanted a titanium rod from her hip to her knee of her right leg.
It's been a long haul but today I can report that she went to a doctor appointment, then we went to lunch and then to a lengthy grocery shopping excursion.
Judy/SWMBO left her walker at home for the first time and used only a cane and occasionally my arm to ambulate.
She did use an electric cart in the grocery store but that has predated her fall and even I have occasionally used one.
These old bodies sometimes aren't made for walking.
Then I told Judy about a young mother I had seen in the grocery store.
She was slim and lithe and at one point noticed the laces on her high-top sneaker were loose.
She didn't bend over . . she raised that leg and calmly tied the laces while standing like a flamingo and carrying on a conversation with a store employee.
Friday, October 13, 2017
FRIDAY FUNNIES
All right, Gentle Readers, once again it is Friday and having recovered from my Computer Disaster Week, let's see if we can find something to smile about.
Granted, with disasters coming day by day it isn't easy but let us charge into the breach, flags flying and courage foremost.
That's it, Gentle Readers.
Now let's all make a decision to get outside this weekend and have a(n) hilariously fine time (leaving desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones behind.)
And always remember to keep laughing.
Here, kitty-kitty . . .
LAZARUS RISING
Once again I surface.
It must have been all those kind thoughts expressed by y'all.
Just when I was about to give up computering for good an old friend, Lori Down the Block, revealed that she and her husband Rick had a computer for sale.
I bought it.
I'm using it now though I have a lot to learn.
Cross your fingers that I may get the Friday Funnies published this week though it IS Friday the 13th!
It must have been all those kind thoughts expressed by y'all.
Just when I was about to give up computering for good an old friend, Lori Down the Block, revealed that she and her husband Rick had a computer for sale.
I bought it.
I'm using it now though I have a lot to learn.
Cross your fingers that I may get the Friday Funnies published this week though it IS Friday the 13th!
Thursday, October 12, 2017
R.I.P.
The Catalyst's old PC apparently died in its sleep last night.
Further details when they are available.
Get outside and enjoy the sunshine, Gentle Readers.
Further details when they are available.
Get outside and enjoy the sunshine, Gentle Readers.
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
OH GAWD
Another trip to the computer doctor today.
Side note: I asked him where he picked up his computer skills.
He said, "Oh, I've been doing it all my life."
I said, "Whenever someone tells me they're having computer problems I ask them if they have a 9-year-old in their neighborhood."
My computer doc said "I was that 9 year old. Always taking stuff apart and then putting it back together."
I got the first part of that but must have missed the second.
Anyway, my machine went to sleep earlier today, then wouldn't wake up.
Computer doc put a new power supply in it but said he was worried about how hot the processor was running.
(He also said a lot of other stuff that I didn't have the faintest hint of understanding but this time I just let him talk.)
And then I asked him the important question.
How much is this going to cost me?
I got off pretty easy but as I was leaving he, with a worried face, said "I'll pray for your computer."
Oh, great.
Now I'm really worried.
But, as the familiar saying goes, "this too shall pass."
I just hope my computer will outlive me.
There's another familiar expression: "I'm too old for this shit!"
Side note: I asked him where he picked up his computer skills.
He said, "Oh, I've been doing it all my life."
I said, "Whenever someone tells me they're having computer problems I ask them if they have a 9-year-old in their neighborhood."
My computer doc said "I was that 9 year old. Always taking stuff apart and then putting it back together."
I got the first part of that but must have missed the second.
Anyway, my machine went to sleep earlier today, then wouldn't wake up.
Computer doc put a new power supply in it but said he was worried about how hot the processor was running.
(He also said a lot of other stuff that I didn't have the faintest hint of understanding but this time I just let him talk.)
And then I asked him the important question.
How much is this going to cost me?
I got off pretty easy but as I was leaving he, with a worried face, said "I'll pray for your computer."
Oh, great.
Now I'm really worried.
But, as the familiar saying goes, "this too shall pass."
I just hope my computer will outlive me.
There's another familiar expression: "I'm too old for this shit!"
Monday, October 9, 2017
TRU (SILLINESS)
Yes, I know, it's silly.
So let me explain.
SWMBO, the BRD and I were enjoying a Sunday brunch at the historic old Hassayampa Inn in Prescott yesterday.
The BRD has been having some eye surgery and was wearing these mah-velous pink sunglasses.
Now I'm a sucker for colorful eyewear so at one time she had taken them off and laid them on the table.
I immediately grabbed them and tried them on.
Ooooohh, talk about seeing the world through rose-colored glasses!
The BRD said "Andy Warhol!"
I responded with "No, it's Truman Capote!"
SWMBO prompted the BRD to take a photo and I put on what I considered my imitation of an aging Tru, as he was known to his friends.
As I said at the beginning, it is silly.
But we can be a silly family.
How was YOUR weekend?
Sunday, October 8, 2017
I'M BACK!!!!!
No, it was not a health issue.
Judy and I are just fine.
It was TECHNOLOGY!
In other words, my computer took sick.
But after several days in the hospital, it's back and working better than ever.
Sorry about missing Friday Funnies.
The computer technician was very good.
Except, those guys speak a different language than anything I've ever heard.
So, I have things to do and things to learn.
I'll keep you posted.
Yeah, I missed you too.
Judy and I are just fine.
It was TECHNOLOGY!
In other words, my computer took sick.
But after several days in the hospital, it's back and working better than ever.
Sorry about missing Friday Funnies.
The computer technician was very good.
Except, those guys speak a different language than anything I've ever heard.
So, I have things to do and things to learn.
I'll keep you posted.
Yeah, I missed you too.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
TUESDAY TRAVELS
The BRD and her Beau Jack have taken many trips . . to Cancun, to New Orleans, to California, to Rome, to Key West.
You get the idea.
They like to travel.
But one of their trips a few years ago has me confused.
By way of preface let me tell you that Beau Jack's favorite footwear is a pair of cowboy boots.
I can probably count on one hand the times I've seen him in any other type of shoe.
So try and explain this.
In 2014 the traveling twosome went to Hawaii.
As one of their adventures while there they took a horseback ride along the Kona Coast.
Natural place for cowboy boots, right?
You get the idea.
They like to travel.
But one of their trips a few years ago has me confused.
By way of preface let me tell you that Beau Jack's favorite footwear is a pair of cowboy boots.
I can probably count on one hand the times I've seen him in any other type of shoe.
So try and explain this.
In 2014 the traveling twosome went to Hawaii.
As one of their adventures while there they took a horseback ride along the Kona Coast.
Natural place for cowboy boots, right?
Let's get a closer look.
Yup.
Those are sneakers encompassing Beau Jack's feet.
O.K., cowboy, let's head 'em down the trail!
Saturday, September 30, 2017
BLACK CATS
I was surprised the other day as I was sitting at my desk to look up and see Blackwell not only outside but walking along the wall at the back of our property.
I was alarmed because he is not allowed to go outside and we have to be careful around open doors because he is nevertheless known as our Escape Cat.
But then as I was about to rush outside to try to retrieve him I got a better look.
It wasn't Blackwell but a visitor we had not seen before with longer hair.
I called to him and he stopped and gazed at me for a moment as I got one blurry picture shot through a screen window.
I was alarmed because he is not allowed to go outside and we have to be careful around open doors because he is nevertheless known as our Escape Cat.
But then as I was about to rush outside to try to retrieve him I got a better look.
It wasn't Blackwell but a visitor we had not seen before with longer hair.
I called to him and he stopped and gazed at me for a moment as I got one blurry picture shot through a screen window.
I think regular readers of this blog will see the resemblance to Blackwell but he was right behind me, enjoying a patch of sunlight.
Since I've been opening my window and putting up the shade he is either up on the shelf behind my computer monitor helping to monitor the birdbath or, when the sun shines in, enjoying the "warm spot" on the floor.
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