The Blog is Dead – Long Live the Blog

I am afraid that I will have to end this experiment in blogging.  It’s been fun for me, because I like to write and stay on the cutting edge of the Internet, but I realize now that this project was consuming way too much of my time, and often prevented me from doing other things such as reading, photography, and music.  I guess I just can’t “do it all.”  Thanks to all of you who have read this blog and responded to its postings.  Let’s stay in touch in other ways, OK?

Visit From Karen

Jan’s friend, Dr. Karen Hall, will be moving to New Mexico some day, but for now she’s making occasional visits to scope out the territory, decide on the best areas for her, look at property for sale, etc.  Here she is with Jan overlooking the Sandias from our West Bluff area in Albuquerque.  The rain caught up with us as we were walking home from here, but at least the ice cream we stopped for was good!

Bob’s Uniform

Here’s an example of Bob’s typical walking clothes for his daily walks in the summertime.  Compare this with his uniform for the winter in a previous post!

FOX News = Hate & Fear

After Senator Obama won the nomination, he and his wife gave each other a “pound” in front of the cameras. Fox anchor E.D. Hill called the act of celebration a “terrorist fist jab.”¹ Then last week, a Fox News on-screen graphic referred to Michelle Obama as “Obama’s baby mama”²–slang used to describe the unmarried mother of a man’s child. It was a clear attempt to associate the Obamas with negative cultural stereotypes about Black people, an insult not only to Michelle Obama but to women and Black people everywhere.

Last month, a Fox guest pretended to confuse Obama’s name with “Osama,” associating him with terrorism, which has happened before on Fox. But then she went further, stating that the assassination of both Osama and Obama would be a good thing.^3,4 It is unconscionable for an organization that calls itself a news network to advocate for the assassination of a presidential candidate.

After each of the incidents mentioned, Fox issued some form of weak apology. But what does it mean when you slap someone in the face, apologize the next day, then slap them again on the third? It means the apology is meaningless … story continues

Jenn and Alex

Congratulations to our niece Jennifer on her recent nuptials.  Jennifer is Jan’s ‘kid’ sister Kris’s eldest child, and lives near her parents outside of Chicago.  We flew out there this weekend for the small wedding and reception held in the groom’s parents’ backyard, and met up with Jan’s mom from NY, and Jan’s brother and wife from the Portland area, for a nice mini family reunion – our second one with Jan’s family in as many years!  Jenn and her lucky man Alex make a beautiful couple and we hope they will be happy together forever!  If you would like to see an album of pictures (about 40 more) I’ve posted to Kodak on the Web, just drop me an e-mail at n4bob@q.com and I’ll send you the link.

Somewhere, Red Auerbach is Lighting Up a Cigar

The Celtics are champions of the NBA once again – for the 17th time to be exact.  I’ve been out of touch with the C’s for a long time, but I was a huge fan in the Larry Bird era, and I don’t think I ever missed watching a Celtic playoff game during the 80’s.   I was following the Celtics this year only after hearing that Danny Ainge had paid big money for a couple of big name stars – Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen – to help turn the team around.  Well, DUH.  I guess that paid off for him!  They’ve played “lights out” all season long, and although they didn’t cruise through the playoffs, as I thought they would, they certainly showed their mettle in tonight’s winning game against the Lakers.  WOW !!!  Their defense was unbelievable.  Rajon Rondo was picking pockets all over the court.  And did you see that fall-away three point play by K.G.?  Amazing!  It appears that they simply would not be denied, because nothing the Lakers tried (did the Lakers try?) seemed to work.  Congratulations to the team and to Paul Pierce as the M.V.P. of the series.

Spamalot

Spamalot will go down in theater history as a classic – a classic spoof of Broadway musicals, of Camelot, of religion, of France, of England, of America, of heterosexuality, of homosexuality, of jews … and on and on.  The Monty Python boys are, simply, comedy and parody geniuses, the like of which we may never see again.  It was a thrill to be able to see the road company of Spamalot put on their show here in Albuquerque, after having seen it performed once before in Boston about five years ago.  Yeah, the tickets were expensive, but I think it was worth it.
“Always look on the bright side of life….”

Researchers Discover Details Smaller Than Minutiae

PASADENA, CA—  A team of Caltech scientists announced Monday that they have discovered a type of conversational detail smaller than minutiae, the class of particulars long thought to be the smallest possible building blocks of mundanity. “These tiny sub-minutiae, or ‘boredons,’ are so insignificant that they contain almost no information, useless or otherwise,” said head researcher Dr. Nathan Yang, adding that the conversationally inconsequential details naturally occur in elevators and other enclosed spaces containing high concentrations of vaguely familiar acquaintances. “At least six must be combined to make up a detail that even remotely approaches the declarative weight of a triviality, and more than 200 are required to compose a viable trifle.” Yang said that the basic unit of tedium remained undiscovered for so long because boredons are instantly forgotten as soon as they are heard.
  …The Onion, June 9, 2008 | Issue 44•24

Bushism of the Day

posted by Jacob Weisberg on Slate.com
Posted Tuesday, June 10, 2008, at 4:47 PM ET

“We got plenty of money in Washington. What we need is more priority.”—George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., June 2, 2008

Watermelon Mountain Jug Band

Nothing like a beautiful New Mexico late Spring afternoon in the park listening to some good old-fashioned jug band music.  Yes, you heard right, there’s a nationally known jug band based here in Albuquerque, and we got to hear them play and joke around with us on Sunday afternoon in Corrales, NM, just northwest of Albuquerque city limits.  The WMJB has been playing together since 1975, and they make some pretty great, tight sounding 1920s hillbilly music!  They play pieces as diverse as Old Dog New Tricks (a WMJB original), I’ve Just Seen a Face (Beatles), Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Beer on Every Corner, You Are My Sunshine, and I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart, and trust me – you ain’t heard any of these songs until you’ve heard them done in jug band-bluegrass style!  Bob learned how a washtub (gutbucket) bass makes music (he went up and asked during the break) – oh, and the band gets its name from the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque – which turn a watermelon color as the sun sets most evenings (sandia is the Spanish word for ‘watermelon’). 
Band Information

Bob Celebrates Birthday

Jan treated me extra specially for my birthday by having a sweet cinnamon cake with a candle in it waiting for me upon waking.  When we both got home from work, she treated me to a sumptuous buffet dinner at the Sandia Casino Hotel (pictured).  The buffets have everything from a cold drink, salads, and rolls, to a choice of entrees and veggies, and dessert – all for only $12.  Eat as much as you want!  After dinner, we went outside to the patio and sat in lounge chairs by the pool, sipping on a glass of wine, and watching the Sandia mountains (pictured) disappear into darkness as the sun set behind the hotel.  A very nice birthday indeed! (note – pictures not taken by me)

Scripps National Spelling Bee – Washington D.C.

This Thursday and Friday – May 29 and 30 – the National Spelling Bee will take place, and much of the final rounds will be televised nationally.  In particular, on Friday night (8 pm Eastern) the Finals will be broadcast on ABC-TV.  Albuquerque has a “favorite son” in the competition this year, and he is favored to do very well.  I wrote about him in an earlier blog post.  If you have no one else to root for, root for Matthew, OK?