Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Yes! That Mungo Jerry.
Todd Snider - A simple bare version, probably closest to Bob Dylan's original
Grateful Dead In Paris, 1990 w/ Bruce Hornsby on accordian & Jerry on gorgeous vocals
Bob Dylan & Mark Knopfler
Neno Belan & Fiumens (From the Land of the Croats)
Wyclef Jean
Warren Zevon
Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil young & all of the other guitar gods of my younger days
Cat Power, Live in Paris, 2003 @ la Cigale
Dolly Parton w/ Ladysmith Black Mambazo
And probably my favorite, Leningrad Cowboys with the Soviet Army Chorus. The entire concert Leningrad Cowboys (a Finnish rock group) did with the Soviet Army Chorus is here. I've watched it a few times and blogged about it here. Worth it!
Can't explain why I never get tired of this song and its many variations. Hope you enjoy some of these posted; they're a drop in the ocean.
Labels: Recording Reviews
Monday, June 28, 2010
You Can Break My Heart, But Don't Be..
..stealing my gaccis. England bowed out of the World Cup, 4-1 to Germany in a game blessed with more abad officiating. Having broken many English hearts, they must have been relieved to find out that at least their underwear and some USA World Cup jerseys were found after being stolen.
The amaizng part of the story for me? There seems to be a special World Cup court that was set up. The thiefs, employess of the facility where the English team was staying, were not only caught. They were tried, convicted, and are already putting in their time. If only FIFA acted so swiftly with their referee related crimes, I wouldn't have to be making feeble excuses to my acquaintances that, contrary to what their eyes were seeing, that, yes, there actually was officiating goign on during the games.
The amaizng part of the story for me? There seems to be a special World Cup court that was set up. The thiefs, employess of the facility where the English team was staying, were not only caught. They were tried, convicted, and are already putting in their time. If only FIFA acted so swiftly with their referee related crimes, I wouldn't have to be making feeble excuses to my acquaintances that, contrary to what their eyes were seeing, that, yes, there actually was officiating goign on during the games.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Friday, June 25, 2010
World Cup Interest Has Crossed
different levels of species. Seems Paul the eight-armed fan has had an enviable record in predicting the success of Germany's team. So...next time you're placing a bet on the games, check out what the octopus is picking.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
The Road to Happiness is MUCH.....
Road Runner Funny Clip - Free videos are just a click away
.......BETTER than the destination. These would be the last parting thoughts of Slovenia's trip to and through this year's World Cup. May the team's trip in 2014 be just a touch longer.
And, may Croatia simply just get on the road.
(an older cartoon, but still a good one...Note! NSFW AND language NOT suitable for most kids)
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The SLOV...
AKS are in. All countries with names beginning with S-L-O-V are celebrating. The ...E-N-I-A-N-S, less so. The A-K-S, more so.
Everyone else? Time to refer to online atlases.
Italy? Unfortunately, received the boot. It'll be difficult, going forward now in the Wolrd Cup, giving the Oscar for best soccer dive since Italy's out of contention...for both the World Cup and for the Oscar.
Everyone else? Time to refer to online atlases.
Italy? Unfortunately, received the boot. It'll be difficult, going forward now in the Wolrd Cup, giving the Oscar for best soccer dive since Italy's out of contention...for both the World Cup and for the Oscar.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Pre-Big Game News (Deja Vu)
Well, prior to yesterday's games, when everything seemed possible, such as both Slovenija AND the USA going on to the next round, this post on Sleeping With Pengovsky was a hopeful harbinger of what was to come. Unfortunately, England, unlike the main British character in the linked story, was able to find the target and we all know what happened, as regards the next round of World Cup 2010.
England in. USA in. Slovenia....looking forward to Brazil in 2014.
NB: Mr. Pengovsky's site is always interesting. He occasionally has NSFW postings and his blog's banner is most certainly NSFW. As he put it a while ago...he is a Vital Man. But...the post I linked to AND the commentary that follows is most definitely worth the click.
Addendum: From Alcessa, a link to a Guardian story re. Slovenian Fan Reaction.
England in. USA in. Slovenia....looking forward to Brazil in 2014.
NB: Mr. Pengovsky's site is always interesting. He occasionally has NSFW postings and his blog's banner is most certainly NSFW. As he put it a while ago...he is a Vital Man. But...the post I linked to AND the commentary that follows is most definitely worth the click.
Addendum: From Alcessa, a link to a Guardian story re. Slovenian Fan Reaction.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
A Bummer and Not...
Slovenia is out of the World Cup.
@ 10:00 am EST, they were sitting at the top of their group.
@ 11:48 am EST, they were sitting 2nd in the group, ready to move on.
@ 11:49 am EST, Landon Donovan scored in injury time after the 90 minutes of regular game time had dissipated.
@ 11:49 am EST, Slovenia slipped from 2nd to 3rd and, thus, to out of this year's World Cup.
An incredibly steep fall in such a short time.
Well, if anyone were to score and deserved to score it was great to see Donovan do it. He was the most involved player of the game (most # of touches, 67, during the match) and, obviously, the Man of the Match (player of the game). A rakija to all of the Slovenian players for making it to the 362nd minute of World Cup play before being eliminated.
Not:
USA is in, in fact, they just finished at the top of their group!
What great games (from what I heard). Can't wait for the replays tonight.
So, in four years in Brazil perhaps we'll get a chance to see Slovenia again. And Croatia, of course!
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Which Rooney?
Slovenia - 1
England - 0
Rooney red-carded toward end of 1st half.
Nick Hornby drops Football for something less dangerous to one's nerves, like knife-throwing.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
June 23rd. A Huge Day.
Team USA v. Algeria
Slovenia v. England
If:
1) Slovenia WINS or TIES, the Green Dragons are into the next round.
2) USA WINS, on to the next round.
3) England WINS, on to the next round.
4) USA TIES, on to the next round if England LOSES or if England TIES but the Goal Difference favors USA.
5) Algeria WINS AND England LOSES or TIES, Algeria advances.
6) If ALL of the teams WIN or if they all LOSE, a BLACK HOLE opens up in South Africa and swallows 31 teams and all of the FIFA referees. France is the only team not swallowed as they've left South africa a long time ago. Some French citizens bellieve they never even arrived in the first place.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Not in the Cards
We've seen the last of France, Thierry Henry (and his hand) and the sartorially resplendent Raymond Domenech in this year's World Cup. Falling to the bottom of their group at no wins, France has departed the World Football Stage in a memorable auto de fé that has kept the team at center stage for the past 2 weeks in South Africa...a rather strange presence considering their incredibly poor play here.
Sounds as if the Little People, aside from being the bearers of secret and special coinage, have taken up some sort of Celtic Voodoo since November, 2010 . Strong voodoo it is, as France not only has played poorly but their entire team has gone dysfunctional in the last week. The team has tarnished the entire country...it'll be a long flight home for the Les Bleus...who will have 10 and 1/2 hours to be singing the Blues. Adieu!
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Monday, June 21, 2010
World Football & Roy Orbison Glasses
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Quelle Dram!
To be a referee in any sport, but particularly one as emotionally charged as Football, requires a prodigious amount of existentialism. G Cronk, from Bergen CC, notes that "Existential anguish is the result of an awareness of one's "total and deep responsibility" for oneself and for others; it is based on the fact that one must choose and act without proof of the correctness or value of one's choices and actions." He goes on to state that, ""Every man ought to say to himself, 'Am I really the kind of man who has the right to act in such a way that humanity might guide itself by my actions?'"
Death may be a direct result of what their eyes see and what their whistles expresses. An appreciation and a learned eye for the human drama is most necessary as dribbling, running, shooting, and acting are all wrapped together in a 90 minute (give or take 4 minutes) performance requiring a judicious eye. If a game plays out without mention of the referee nor his decisions, a rarity has occurred, the game's results are posted, and we move on to the next match. However, questionable decisions crop up like weeds and the 90 minute game takes on a much longer life. Tim Howard has it perfectly right, IMHO. In football, controversy sells. Do I hope that future games are cursed/blessed with questionable human decision-making? Absolutely! Decision-making by the players, by the managers, by the referees. This is what makes sports so interesting. It's not just the performance of highly tuned athletes that give events like the World Cup its shine; it's the human-ness of these same athletes, their support staff, and the "dis-interested" officials on hand. Together they form the conversation that always follows.
N.B.: A note to all Team USA fans who may still be upset with the bad call that denied the US the third goal that may have won them the game....re-check yesterday's game between New Zealand and Italy. Unlike Team USA, which played a brilliant 2nd half to salvage a tie against Slovenia (yes, my choice in the World Cup) but an incredibly bad and they-deserved-to-lose-just-based-on-that first half, New Zealand played an EXTRAORDINARY complete game, only to get "cheated" out of a deserved victory over a superior Italy due to theatrics of the diving sort. The Italians (who beat out Argentina for this type of thing, but barely) are well-versed in The Art of The Dive (How they did not make that list is beyond me). The referee of the NZ-IT game, Carlos Batres, seemed more like a theater attendee for a Broadway musical than an official at a sporting event, when he elected to award a penalty kick to the Italians after he witnessed Daniele De Rossi performing a Dive worth a 10. As an added and horrible joke, De Rossi won the man of the match award. Be sure to watch next year's Oscars; I'm sure he'll be up for some award there as well.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Sometimes, the Most Interesting Thing on the Pitch...
...is not the players. Keep your eyes open and peeled to the sidelines!
Labels: 20, 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Friday, June 18, 2010
It's Not the Size That Matters
In this year's World Cup, Slovenia has had the honor of being the smallest country qualifying for the competition. So, tiny is the key adjective the hapless and lexicon-less press has resorted to. Wish I could buy these scribes an adjective aside from tiny. I'm astounded when the Green Dragons take to the pitch to see that, size wise, these guys aren't tiny; in fact they tend to be the tallest players in that game. That (what I'd thought were) fine newspapers like the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal and news organizations like ABC can only come up tiny as their descriptive for this beautiful, exciting, and must-see country tells me how lazy these sit-on-their-broad-as-a-battleship-arses journalists truly are.
May they choke on their Roget's! That is, if they even know what it is.
For those of you new to this site, let me introduce myself. I originally came from a country once quaintly described by that "Titan" of sportscasters, Bob Costas as "Teeny, Tiny Croatia".
Bitter?
Nahhhhh, not moi.
May they choke on their Roget's! That is, if they even know what it is.
For those of you new to this site, let me introduce myself. I originally came from a country once quaintly described by that "Titan" of sportscasters, Bob Costas as "Teeny, Tiny Croatia".
Bitter?
Nahhhhh, not moi.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
England....Playing it Safe
England, feeling prickly after last Saturday's draw with Team USA, has opted to go conservative, putting Daivd (Calamity) James into goal, replacing the unfortunate goat (but all around gentleman) Robert Green. British fans, responding to the "If You Play, Play it Safe" campaign, donned skin-tight & English branded body condoms.
Half-time score, Nil - Nil against Algeria. Trying to figure out the higher math that England is employing in their calculated path toward the next round. After 2 games, Slovenia is on top of Group C with 4 points, followed by the USA at 2. At this rate, England will also be at 2 and Algeria at 1. With one more game left for all of these countries and England still pursuing the Play it Safe philosophy, it may be Slovenia and the USA in the next round..... Playing it Safe seems awfully dangerous to me but I'm no Newton.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
The Charlie Browns. Winners (Hope I'm not Jinxing Them)
My son, who has a 37.5% Croatian and 12.5% Slovenian blood mix can't help but call the Slovenians, the Charlie Browns. Yeah, yeah their true nickname is the Green Dragons. But...come on... The Charlie Browns? How can you NOT cheer for these guys?
Addendum, after the game:
1) Sorry Guys! I jinxed you!
2) Defense!!!! Why didn't you play with what brought you here?!!?
3) Team USA. Truly an incredible comeback and a well-deserved draw, although....
4)...if it wasn't for some truly atrocious officiating, Team USA should have won based on a beautifully crossed ball that was poked into the net but subsequently reveersed on an offside call. Coach Bradley and the boys should be truly and deservedly p.o.-ed. The referreeing was the worst since....oh, yeah, the previous game today where Serbia beat Germany, 1-0, while Germany played with 10 men for the majority of the game due to some out-of-this-galaxy referring.
So....who says football/soccer is a boring game? Hands up, please!
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Friday. Slovenija. Work.
Unfortuantely, here in the States, as opposed to other countries, it is not a National Holiday even though TEAM USA is playing Slovenija in the World Cup. So, it's dress down day today, so I thought I'd do the dress down to Slovenija day.
10:00 am EST. Fingers crossed. Hope that Team USA is still exhausted by their tie with England last Saturday. If Howard, Donovan, Deuce, and Gooch play up to expectations, it will not be a pretty day for the Boys from the Julian Alps.
For the Green Dragons, there's always hope, right? I'm still holding out for 1 - 0, Slovenija (...and then have Algeria beat England, thus still giving TEAM USA a chance for the next round).
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Thursday, June 17, 2010
It COULD Happen..
So, tomorrow, it may be possible for the Green Dragons to defeat Los Americanos.
How, You may Ask?
1) A Red Card is given to Tim Howard within the first 10 minutes of the match for the crime of playing exceedingly well.
2) The put-you-to-Sleep defense of Slovenija lulls the Americans such that they are strewn all over the pitch, curled up in deep dreaming-of-ice cream-slumber, allowing even the hapless Slovenian offense to score against the replacement goalie who, also, conveniently has shut his eyes to nap.
3) The game is stopped so that Bojan Jokic can correct the announcers' and Team USA's pronunciaiton of "Slovenija". While he is giving these lessons, the world tilts on its axis and the ball naturally rolls into the Team USA net. These lessons will continue until an insurmountable lead is achieved, say 10-0.
4) The constant buzz of the vuvuvzela has unhinged the mind of the bus driver of Team USA. The bus does not arrive until the game is 20 minutes into the 2nd half, giving Slovenija enough time to score 3 goals on the pitch manned only by 1 team. Much discussion of Brotherhood and Sharing during the first 65 minutes has prevented the team from playing more demonstratively and productively.
Other than this, a Nil-Nil draw is the best that Slovenija can hope for.
Addendum, barely related to this post, but it is a vuvuzela thing:
Folks, I think Philly and especially Philly fans get it in the ear wat too much. I did not mean that literally, as opposed to this Yankee fan who did opt to give a Phillie fan an earful. As any self-respecting Philly fan knows/remembers, it was in NYC (well actually Giants Stadium, NJ), where people were seriously injured due to stupidity of home-town fans involved in ice-ball fights.
(Oh...and that pelting Santa with snowballs in Philly thing that occurred in the last CENTURY???...even Santa agreed it was well-deserved).
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
He's Welcome
He is.
Wonder if his dad got his first name from this English player?
Just a tad different seeing a Honduran player running up and down the pitch with WELCOME plastered over his back. Wonder what the rest of his teammates, with their expected Latin American names think of their striker?
Reminds me of Rod Smart who made his splash in the defunct XFL with HE HATE ME on his uniform.
1-0, in favor of Chile right now over Honduras' frist game.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
He Who Blows.....
.... may turn out looking this! Yeah, yeah, there are other health hazards of the vuvuzelas as well. But come on, a little hearing loss is nothing when compared to returning home from South Africa with a rather grayish pallor and bat-sized ears, wouldn't you say?
n.b.: Picture captured from here. Tip-o-da-hat to Mr. Hassan Anmar for capturing the true horrors of excessive horn-blowing.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Monday, June 14, 2010
Thinking. Football Version Thereof.
..I swear.
If I hear one more comment from residents of Delaware as to how boring they thought all of the football/soccer games they (most assuredly only) watched (while channel-surfing), I will have to launch into how truly idiotic the (American) football games are wherein each offensive play (of 5 to 10 seconds) is followed by 3-5 minutes of huddled discussions, substituions, hanky throwing, and plugging-beer advertisements..which is then followed by the Mobius Strip of offensive play etc.
They REALLY don't want me to start that, do they?
Thinking on one's feet. Thinking while moving. Simultaneous Thought & Motion. That's what a real game's all about. Which makes football/soccer the most intense and interesting of games.
Except for hockey. The sport of geniuses with infinite pain threshholds.
Slow?!? Football/soccer is slow? What's with baseball then (which I love)? Here's my theory as to why World Football seems to lose its interest here in the States once kids are past high school.
Equipment.
There's a dearth of equipment in World Football. Perhaps if the players were armed with bardiches, halberds, or voulges, the sport would be more popular. Maybe if those Capital One guys formed an equipe, World Football would take off here in the States?
Or, maybe, it's me who should just take off? Eh?
Note Bene: Hmmmm, seems I went off on this topic 4 years ago. Just can't seem to hum a different tune.
If I hear one more comment from residents of Delaware as to how boring they thought all of the football/soccer games they (most assuredly only) watched (while channel-surfing), I will have to launch into how truly idiotic the (American) football games are wherein each offensive play (of 5 to 10 seconds) is followed by 3-5 minutes of huddled discussions, substituions, hanky throwing, and plugging-beer advertisements..which is then followed by the Mobius Strip of offensive play etc.
They REALLY don't want me to start that, do they?
Thinking on one's feet. Thinking while moving. Simultaneous Thought & Motion. That's what a real game's all about. Which makes football/soccer the most intense and interesting of games.
Except for hockey. The sport of geniuses with infinite pain threshholds.
Slow?!? Football/soccer is slow? What's with baseball then (which I love)? Here's my theory as to why World Football seems to lose its interest here in the States once kids are past high school.
Equipment.
There's a dearth of equipment in World Football. Perhaps if the players were armed with bardiches, halberds, or voulges, the sport would be more popular. Maybe if those Capital One guys formed an equipe, World Football would take off here in the States?
Or, maybe, it's me who should just take off? Eh?
Note Bene: Hmmmm, seems I went off on this topic 4 years ago. Just can't seem to hum a different tune.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Slovenija - Forward in All Directions
Team USA survived a horrible opening 5 minutes, tied the game, and almost declawed the Three Lions of England with a victory in their opening game. Both goalies in the game were spectacular. USA's Tim Howard single-handedly kept his team in the game and England's Robert Green was over-the-top honest regarding his devasting mistake in letting the US tie up the game (he also made his own spectacular saves in the game to keep the tie intact).
Early Sunday morning, Slovenija came through with a 1-0 victory over Algeria, thanks to (shades of deja-vu) a goalie error. The Algerians were at 10 men on the pitch at that point and Slovenia played apologetically for a while, seemingly embarassed to take advantage of their one man up position. By game's end, Slovenia was on top of their group, a place they should enjoy thoroughly before they encounter Team USA this Friday. But.. you never know. Historically, 86% of the teams that win their first match go on to the next round. While Slovenija is not known for their offensive prowess, defensively they're a wall so two ties in their next two games may do the trick. I pity Algeria as they face England next, a team certainly fit to be tied at this point. They'll be taking out their nation's frustrations on "Les Fennecs" (The Desert Foxes). This Friday, England 4, Algeria 1.
The Serbia-Ghana game yesterday, a 1-0 victory for the African nation, was a great game to see. Lots of offensive chances, much of the Slavic shoulder-shrugging by the self put-upon Serbs (who lost a player due to 2 yellow cards in the second half and then the game due to a penalty shot awarded based on a stupid hand penalty), and great dancing by the fans from Ghana. The Serbs played admiringly well after being cut down to 10 players and almost pulled out a tie. The Ghanians were strong to the attack despite a Gumby-like mid-defensive group. Ghana next plays Australia this Friday. The Aussies (Socceroos, they call themsleves...GEEZZZZ what a stupid name; I thought they would have dropped it from the last World Cup they played in....) were demolished by Germany, 4-Zip, on Sunday. A very, very embarassing display of football. I'd say Ghana over Australia, 2-0, which would almost guarantee Ghana's moving forward into the next round, a well-deserved advance in play.
I watched all of the games from the comfy couch of home. Except for the England-USA match on Saturday, which I shoe-horned myself into Stoney's Pub, the only English pub in Delaware. The small drinking establishment was packed, an 80-20 mix of Team USA fans to England fans. The former grew louder and more ignorant as the game and the beers flowed on. The latter grew glummer and more polite as England failed to put another goal past Howard after the first 5 minutes. I was there for the game without any particular allegiances. The level of football/soccer ignorance was depressing. I could not believe how patient, hospitable, and lacking in sarcasm the English fans were to some of the come-latelys in the joint. Better men (and women) than I, Gunga Din.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Men in Gači
Flags of many nations...thankfully not saluting.
Pic from Vanity Fair's World Cup (No Puns, please) 2010 Photo Shoot as put together by Annie Leibovitz.
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Those Wily Canadians
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Short-Lived Nirvana
Deirdre Foley-Mendelssohn posted this little bit in one of the cubbyholes of The New Yorker, titled, "The Trouble With Recommending Books". She is dead on, as she notes that when ..."friends recommend books—but usually based on their tastes, not yours, and then reading can feel onerous, like a book report crossed with a blind date". She links to a site, Biblioracle, set up by one John Warner, who provides a suggested book based on five books that you list. Unfortunately, a lot of folks liked this idea and Mr. Warner closed up shop on this enterprise. I did not include the link to his site as I became stuck in the Sargasso Sea of the Internet when I first clicked on the link. Treat this as a warning; unless you're running on a T1 (or faster) connection, you will be waiting a get-up-get-a-cup-of-coffee-bake-a-cake time before your screen unfreezes. His recommendations as well as some of the books listed by the folks asking for his recommendations were quite intriguing, if not downright mysterious. Just a shame that he ran out of fuel so quickly. His internet server of Biblio-Nirvana simply crashed.
It's a great idea, though and I'd suggest (as suggesting, as opposed to doing, is my strong suit) that Mr. Whisky Prajer consider taking on the role. He is a well-read kind of guy and a well-spoken opinionator of all things musical and literary. I've read some of the books that he has recommended and would most definitely rate highly his reviews of the tomes he's plowed through. Since he's across the border in Canada, he is out of reach of possible litiginous American readers who may sue for theft of time based on his recommendations. So, how about it WP? Ready to receive lists of the Last Five Books Read and render your opinion on the next book that should follow? I think you're more than up to the task!
It's a great idea, though and I'd suggest (as suggesting, as opposed to doing, is my strong suit) that Mr. Whisky Prajer consider taking on the role. He is a well-read kind of guy and a well-spoken opinionator of all things musical and literary. I've read some of the books that he has recommended and would most definitely rate highly his reviews of the tomes he's plowed through. Since he's across the border in Canada, he is out of reach of possible litiginous American readers who may sue for theft of time based on his recommendations. So, how about it WP? Ready to receive lists of the Last Five Books Read and render your opinion on the next book that should follow? I think you're more than up to the task!
Labels: 2010: Are We Recovering Yet?
Monday, June 07, 2010
Car Issues, the Manual Trans Kind
(From the New Yorker, June 14, 2010 Issue)
My beloved (and I do not mean that sarcastically!!) Camry is approaching 250k of accumulated mileage (that would be 400,000 km to everyone else in the civilized world) . Rust is beginning to be noticeable where it hasn't taken on the tinge of the natural red color of the car. The multiple belts are whining in the morning when I start the car, such that the Ever Loving Wife is labelling my early morning work departure a "getaway". She is strongly suggesting that my presence on our block (well, I mean, my presence in my car) is causing our family's goodwill to be tanking like the stock market. Divorce innuendos are tossed if I don't dump that other woman, my 1999 6 cylinder 5 speed manual Camry, soon. Like yesterday.
But what's a driving loving guy to do? Both Toyota and Honda have opted out of the 6 cylinder/manual trnasmission field. No Camrys. No Accords. I'm still a bit averse about approaching a Ford or (God help me!) a GM produced car to the point that I haven't even checked to see if they offer such a combo. I know Toyota's had their serious issues lately, but that 1999 Camry has been a treasure. It still has some pep although the driver's seat has sunk down so low that I feel like a low-rider...or an 80 yr old guy with my hands raised high up to manage the steering wheel.
I've been checking out alternative manufacturers and some used Beemers seem like possibilities...but that price difference? Well, the cheap guy within me is arm-wrestling the manual shift guy residing close by and I'm not sure who'll be slammed to the table first.
Maybe a nice bow on the 1999 Camry just may do it. Or, how about if I simply crank open the windows, crank up the stereo, and blast Kings Go Forth as I drive away each morning. At least, the belt-whining should be drowned out. I'm still shooting for 300k miles (480,000 km) on the car. Hell, I bought 60k tires when my baby was on 240k! I need to get my money out of those tires.
Labels: 2010: Are We Recovering Yet?
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Dancing Well-Dressed Marxists
Located on the cusp of Cambridgeport and Cambridge in Boston, a few blocks from a most superb Chinese restaurant, Mary Chung's (eat the food...buy the t-shirt), the Center for Marxist Education shares an entrance at 550 Massachussets Avenue with the Boston Dance Company and Le Couturier House of Alterations. A multiple self-improvement cornucopia of possibilities. The Mind. The Body. The Clothes. Now if they could just convince a mini home-improvement center to move in, this address may just be the perfect place to park oneself in pursuit of the Big Change.
Had to take this pic as we were strolling by the interesting places of business on this side of the Charles.
Oh, yeah. Not to forget. Best ice cream, well at least in Cambridge, MA, has got be Toscanini's. Continuous provision of new flavours and twist on old favorties. "Vienna Finger Cream" was a revelation on the crushed cookie ice cream family. There was a low hum of YUM! in the air as we queued up for our cones and our cups.
Labels: 2010: Are We Recovering Yet?
Slovenija, The teeny-tiny one? We'll see!
In a Saturday slow-news puff piece, on the first page of the NYT Sports coverage, Slovenija made the big time. True, the next day, the country would disappear from the coverage as Team USA's 3-1 victory over Australia, in their last warm-up match before the Saturday, June 12th first game against England, was plastered all over the place.
...but... for one short day, it was great to see Slovenija mentioned. Sunday's paper had the Slovenian goalkeeper Samir Handanovic profiled as one of the Young Guns of this year's World Cup. Sunday, June the 13th marks the team's first game in its group, Group C. They'll be playing Algeria, the other team in the group predicted to not make the next round.
Things should get interesting....
...but... for one short day, it was great to see Slovenija mentioned. Sunday's paper had the Slovenian goalkeeper Samir Handanovic profiled as one of the Young Guns of this year's World Cup. Sunday, June the 13th marks the team's first game in its group, Group C. They'll be playing Algeria, the other team in the group predicted to not make the next round.
Things should get interesting....
Labels: 2010: the year Croatia is NOT in the World Cup
