Things are PEACHY

I got my second box from Harry and David's "Fruit of the Month" club. A Labor Day treat fit for a king!


The box contained only the most select Oregold Peaches!

These things look great!


Yum!

It was a good peach. Next month...pears!

Boon Fly Cafe

We went to Napa today with our friend Kelly who is visiting from New Jersey. Napa is the land of the Boon Fly Cafe', a new restaurant that is part of the Carneros Inn. Didn't make it to the boon fly this time but word on the street is they have a good breakfast.

We went to several wineries on this trip. Started off at the traditional Sebastiani in Sonoma.



As usual, there was some good stuff to be had at Sebastiani. Then it was off to a tour of Frog's Leap in Rutherford/Napa. Frog's Leap is "by appointment" only and we had made one several months ago. Their tour was much better than there wine though it wasn't bad. The Zinfandel was the best (the Cabernet Sauvignon was sold out)



The next and final winery was Pine Ridge on the Silverado Trail. Pine Ridge is always a nice treat. It was release day for their 2002 Cabernet Franc and they were tasting a variety of French cheeses as well. We got to taste a 1985 Andrus Reserve Cabernet Saubignon which was cool.



All in all, a fun day. To top things off we got back in time to see 3 quarters of Georgia Tech's victory over Auburn!!!

Saturday

I'm at the local coffee shop Baristas and there is a picture of Yuki up here. They took it a few months ago and hung it up. Somehow, the place is supporting the new Humane Society that's coming here. Also new in Kearney, Cold Stone is about to open and Ruby Tuesday is being built not far from my house! Bring on the chain restaurants and 4 dollar ice cream! I met my friend Nicole here and we spoke Spanish for over an hour. Good practice. Practica buena!

Draft night / Labor Day / Jerry Lewis Telethon/ Harry Potter

Draft night was last night. All told, I don't think my team is so good but I guess you never know. There are 12 people in my league and I drew selection #10. Bah!


BN
D. McNabb
(Phi - QB)

D. Davis
(Hou - RB)

A. Boldin
(Ari - WR)

D. McAllister
(NO - RB)

D. Bennett
(Ten - WR)

L. Coles
(NYJ - WR)

R. McMichael
(Mia - TE)

W. Dunn
(Atl - RB)

B. Griese
(TB - QB)

T. Calico
(Ten - WR)

M. Faulk
(StL - RB)

D. Staley
(Pit - RB)

D. Northcutt
(Cle - WR)

D. Akers
(Phi - K)

Tampa Bay
(TB - DEF)

Labor day weekend should be nice. I'm on call so I'm not leaving town which will me lots of fun time with Yuki. I'm hoping to see some movies, catch up on some sleep, watch some US Open, and work on editing. Despite the family tradition, I do NOT plan to tune into the Jerry Lewis Telethon.

I got the new "Death Cab For Cutie" release. It's pretty good although I think it's the kind of disc you got to listen to a few times to get into more.

I've finishied Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince! I know who the Half-Blood Prince is. I know who dies in the end. I'm eagerly awaiting book 7 and to find out if there will be more after it. I've now started on Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. Looks like it'll be pretty good and the Divinci Code was enjoyable and quick.

Reno Trip, Old Chicago Prize, other junk

Reno trip was productive if not all that fun. I spent frantic time with Winter which is always interesting if not exactly relaxing. I managed to have dinner with Robert and Stef though I'd have liked to spend more time with them. I did sleep in Sacramento 3 nights out of 4 so that saved me a buck or two. I got my first prize on the Old Chicago World Beer Tour. I drank 10 beers (over 3 or 4 months) to earn a deck of cards. Dad had his 65th birthday. I failed to send a timely gift but he should look for a box sometime soon. I got the new cd by "The New Pornographers" and give to good marks. Definitely some very good spins! I also pre-purchased the new Sara Mcglothlin remix disc on account of I really like her stuff. Yuki is a happy animal.

During the trip to the left coast, I went to Monterey, California. It was very cool. Home of Steinbeck's Canary Row. A very neat area. Robert, if you've never been you must make a weekend trip of it with Stef. I ate at a Mexican place where you can see the sea otters playing on the rocks. Awesome view.

In breaking news there is a Christian group that wants the "theory of gravity" taught in many grade school text books to be replaced with the idea of "intelligent falling".

Also, scientists who used decades' worth of earthquake data to study the planet's center say their information proves decisively that Earth's core spins faster than the outer crust. Along side this new discovery, President Bush feels people should also be told that the core doesn't spin faster than the outer crust.

Reno Bound

I'm headed for Robert's neck of the woods tomorrow. I got the Mini Cooper. It's totally fun to drive! I'm really gonna dig it. I've been eating the first installment of my 5 month Harry & David fruit of the month club. Delicious nectarines!!! Yummmm!!!
I had pizza in Chicago at Genos East. Very good stuff! The pies can be ordered online and shipped all over the US. Treat yourself to a thick Chicago pie!

Fantasy Draft Results

2005 Beagles Draft Picks
* - still need to pick up a kicker at some point

Pos Player
QB David Carr
QB Kerry Collins
RB Shaun Alexander
RB Kevan Barlow
RB LaMont Jordan
RB J.J. Arrington(r)
RB Eric Shelton(r)
WR Rod Smith
WR Ashley Lelie
WR Marcus Robinson
WR Santana Moss
WR Antonio Bryant
WR Reggie Brown(r)
TE Dallas Clark
TM Seahawks

Eagles...or Beagles

08.20.05 - Lake Tahoe, NV
Venue: Harveys Outdoor Amphitheater
SOLD OUT

While the weasel will be driving home in his new Mini Steph and I will be on our way to Tahoe to see the Eagles . . . that's the band the Eagles. Not a pre-season football game featuring the team from Philly. We got our tickets off of eBay so cross your fingers that they are good. They look like they are...they are still connected together and one has a green ad on the back while the other has orange. Seems like they would be harder to duplicate in that form.

I've been preparing for the fantasy football draft which takes place tomorrow as well. This is the Pittsburgh Fantasy Football league which my team, The Beagles has won twice including last year. This year is likely to be quite challenging given that I have the last draft pick.

I'm buying this on Saturday

It's an '03 Mini Cooper with 33,000 miles! I had been lowballing some ebay motors auction minis to no avail. The dealer contacted me on this one and we talked $ for this and for my civic trade. We finally hit common ground. I'm picking it up in Illinois this weekend. A little risky, but hey, it's the car I want at the price I want and it still has a year of warranty. Whee!

Mullins' Mix

Thanx to Danny Mullins, who taught this to my late brother Dave back in the 1960's.

Combine old-fashioned Tide laundry detergent, gasoline, and warm water in equal volumes; use about a cup of each in something like a small plastic bucket. Mix for a minute or so; it should look about like white gravy. Wet the bike and slop the mix on it with a paintbrush. I usually avoid the painted surfaces of the bike, but brush liberally on wheels, engine, forks, etc. Let it dry completely, then hose it off with a pressure nozzle. Repeat for extreme cases.

Dad and Carol go to Minnesota and other points north.

We spent a little time in Chicago. I'm a Frank Lloyd Wright fan,
and we saw several of his houses in Oak Park, a neighborhood
of Chicago where Wright lived and worked 1890-1910.
We had a good hot dog for $3 and a nice room in Oak Park for
just $150 per night.

I was born in Hollandale, Minnesota, currently home to about 300 souls.
We had a cool one at Slick Willy's, a nice downtown tavern in Hollandale.

The house in Charles City, Iowa where I lived in 1946.
It is pretty much the worst house in town.

Carol at Garrison Keeler's digs in St. Paul

We also did the Mall of America, where I walked into
all four Gap stores.

Desolation Wilderness, California - August 7, 2005

I decided to take the beagles hiking in Desolation Wilderness which is the name attributed to the Sierra Nevada Mountains immediately Southwest of Lake Tahoe. Beautiful country.

NOTE: Photos are from my Nikon D70 - click on any of them for a few screen view.

Fast facts:
Total trip time: 11 hours
Total hiking time: 7 hours
Total hiking distance: 10 miles
Vertical Feet Gain: 2000

We left at 8:20 in the morning and made it to the Vikingsholm parking area and started our hike at 10:20. Vikingsholm is an interesting place. An small island in Emerald Bay, it is quite unique. We had to park there because parking in and around the Eagle Lake Trailhead was crazy with nothing available.
Here's a picture of the island with the castle. This is the only island in Lake Tahoe.

So the hike begins and it is very crowded as expected for the first mile or so to Eagle Lake. There was a forest ranger at the lake who kind of harrassed me about the beagles and about having a permit. I was clean and the beagles were legal so we continued our journey after a brief stay at Eagle Lake. The next mile or so up to the Bayview Trail junction is meaty - the hike begins at 6600 feet and climbs to 8220 during this initial 2 mile portion.

I was still debating my route with basically three options: follow Bayview and essentially head back, the Velma lakes or Dicks Lake. It was too early to turn back so we continued on and I decided to head towards Dicks Lake. The beagles were doing well. Here's a snap of them along the journey.
Having never been to Dicks lake before I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was a bit surprised to see a far number of snow fields which was kind of exciting. I made it a stretch goal to visit one of these snow fields, knowing that they often appear closer and easier to reach than truly meets the eye. Here's my first view of snow fields.



We started to get hungry so we stopped for lunch around 1pm. It was an exciting meal purchased the prior afternoon at Trader Joes. Jerky, Clif Bar, cookies and dog biscuits.

As we began the descent towards Dicks Lake I saw it! A snow field that seemed to be reasonably close. I decided to screw the lake and head off the trail for the snow. I piled some rocks up to mark the trail and took off. Here's the snow field after about 15 minutes of "off trail" hiking.



I'd been deceived on the distance and how hard it would be. The beagles and I were literally jumping from boulder to boulder and this is one of the first times I've seen Kodak actually scared. I considered turning back on several occasions but decided to plow on.



Made it! It was neat to see how fast the snow was melting. The temperature was in the 70's. I threw some snow on the beagles and quicly turned around for the journey back. I had no idea where the trail was (my rockpile idea was a complete failure) and it took me us about 30 minutes of random hiking to finally stumble upon a creek which we follow back to the trail. It's kind of a scary feeling to be roaming around in the wilderness. I had a map and compass however and new generally where I was. Four hours into the hike I found the trail and we headed back. Here's one of my favorite snaps from the area:



The beagles were beginning to show some signs of wear so we stopped twice for decent breaks. The hike back down the Bayview trail features the best view of Tahoe. Ranger seemed to be infatuated with the awesome view of Emerald Bay and Lake Tahoe as well.



All in all, this is it was a fun and relaxing hike. The last time we had done this was a vacation day post 9-11. Certainly more peaceful thoughts this time.

Dad Quoted

"We've tried to put together a system that meets the basic needs, basic services that need to be met in the city," Copeland concluded. "So we tried to devise routes that cover the hospitals, cover the shopping areas, cover the basic services. We tried to cover areas that would be quality-of-life areas."

Not everyone who was present at the sparsely attended meeting agreed that the city needs a transit system.

"When I moved to Jonesboro in 1970, the sales tax was 3 percent; now it's 8 percent," said Richard Tangeman. "The demand for public services goes hand in hand with more taxes and bigger government."

Tangeman said friends and family should help those who need transportation. "This place is a town here -- we're not your mom and dad."

The '86 Honda Magna

Here are a couple of snaps of the '86 Magna a friend of mine snapped up for $800 this past week-end. The bike is in reasonable shape I think. We're going to do the general maintenance this week-end. Dad - if you could post the recipe for Mullin's Mix it would be appeciated. Steph isn't a huge fan of the bike but I really don't plan to ride it on the highways out here. Strictly a back road cruiser type bike.

Concert review

We're there getting a beer and some nachos when the show starts. As I assumed, Brian Adams was going first. I found a good seat in the right infield to enjoy the show. Adams was playing his guitar and there was a drummer. No other band. He was playing some song I'd never heard. Adams is like 3 songs in and he STILL hasn't done one of his hits. I start screaming "DO SUMMER OF 69!!'" He continues to do songs I've never heard of. Then he announces he's going to do one more song. Huh! He's been playing for like 25 minutes! "DO A HIT!!" I scream. He does some lousy cover song. I feel screwed and ripped off. BRIAN ADAMS SUCKS!! I go for another beer and discuss the disappointment with the beer guy. Oops. Turns out that guy wasn't Brian Adams but some local warm up act. The guy wore blue jeans and a t-shirt and had the Brian Adams look. No wonder those people around me had been looking at me funny.

Then Def Leppard takes the stage!!! We crowd the mosh pit and it's close to 2 hours of the best band to to come out of the 80's! Fantastic! If you ever get a chance to see these guys. GO! THEN Brian Adams actually takes the stage. Some guy behind me is screaming "Fuck Canada"! Brian fires up and really put on a great show! This guy is really good. He did tons of his hits...including Summer of 69'. I remember when Adams played the then new pyramid in Memphis and some guy fell from the upper stands and died.

I picked up this awesome vintage Def Leppard T-shirt too!

-Bill

Tonight; Def Leppard and Brian Adams!

Should be a rocking 80's good time!

Something to Bookmark

Wikipedia is a good web-based encyclopedia where you can cull some useful information. One of the neat things about this web-pedia is that it is mainained by the world's population. You can tweak or add anything you want. Here is what it has to say about Kearney, Nebraska. I added the sentence about the Arch...we'll see if it stays...or if someone removes it later :)

Kearney is a city located in Buffalo County, Nebraska. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 27,431. It is the county seat of Buffalo County6. It is the location of University of Nebraska at Kearney. Kearney is also the location of the Museum of Nebraska Art, home of the state's official art collection. A more recent addition to the Kearney landscape is the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument spanning Interstate 80. The city was named after nearby Fort Kearny (sic), a United States Army outpost along the Oregon Trail in the middle 19th century that was itself named after Stephen W. Kearny.
[edit]

Geography

Kearney is located at 40°42'3" North, 99°4'52" West (40.700731, -99.081150)1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.0 km² (11.2 mi²). 28.4 km² (11.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.96% water.
[edit]

Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 27,431 people, 10,549 households, and 6,160 families residing in the city. The population density is 964.6/km² (2,498.5/mi²). There are 11,099 housing units at an average density of 390.3/km² (1,010.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 95.18% White, 0.63% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.68% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. 4.08% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 10,549 households out of which 30.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% are married couples living together, 9.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% are non-families. 28.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.37 and the average family size is 2.96.

In the city the population is spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 23.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 27 years. For every 100 females there are 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $34,829, and the median income for a family is $46,650. Males have a median income of $30,150 versus $22,366 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,713. 13.4% of the population and 7.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.8% of those under the age of 18 and 8.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Tom Tom Go!!!!

I was looking over some pictures I've taken over the last year. Here's one taken in Orlando as I was making my way to Tampa. As you can see, Tom Tom Go, the GPS device was on the job. You can see the crazy Mickey Mouse shaped telephone poles.

Night Night Lexi

We sold the Lexus yesterday and it is nice to be down to 2 cars again. We sold it to a lawyer and his wife in Sacramento for $15K which was a fair price for both of us and certainly met our expectations for what we had hoped to get out of it. It was right in line with Kelly Blue Book. We had talked with the Lexus dealer a week prior and they had offered us $11k on the spot claiming "all used cars are in Fair condition". The Lexus guy also, under his breath, recommended that we sell it ourselves and we would do much better.

Pokie the dog to meet maker

I had a trial today versus a man who failed to confine a vicious dog named Pokie. This dog ended up biting a 3 year old child riding his bike with his mother. I was successful and getting the death penalty for Pokie. Sad because I like dogs, but necessary. Reminds me of the time "Jet" the dog, who belonged to the Nortons across the street, bit me. I was standing in our yard and Jet came over and bit my arm. I also remember when our neighborhood was terrorized by that nasty Great Dane from the Lilly's neighborhood. Robert and I both had a few narrow escapes with that dog. I remember Mom shooting it with a bb gun when it would come around. As I recall it eventually ended up biting C.C. Siderinko and getting put down.

Bill eats a Six Dollar Burger

My friend Mullins has been raving about these things lately. I ate one when they first came out and got sick. This time, I did it without the mayo and it was a good eating experience. If you want to see more photos of the six dollar adventure, go to my homepage. There's a link to the right.

Bad News Bears spells bad news for moviegoers

I saw Bad News Bears. BIG mistake. This thing was barely watchable. The only reason I went was because I like Billy Bob Thornton. He had some good lines but other than that this thing sucked like few other films. DO NOT go see it. DO NOT rent it. DO NOT go anywhere near this dog.

Neil Diamond

Some friends of mine have an in for free tickets to the Neil Diamond concert in Omaha this coming Tuesday. SWEET CAROLINE! Looks like I'm going to see the last great American showman live and in person!

What I'm Listening to Right Now

Kind of a Blue Man Group meets Electronica sound.

livestock adds realism to layout

I added a cow as suggested and I think you will agree it really helped. While I was at it I added a hood emblem to my 1992 Ford Taurus. (taurus gets brontosaurus you dig?)

a picture of some trains

dad takes picture

here it is

a train set

Mom files lawsuit

I'm helping Mom sue a guy in small claims court. She filed the case today. The jerk's name is Scott Redden. He was to put siding on Mom's house for $4000. He took $2000 up front and then never showed up to do any work. After he was in clear breach of contract for failure to perform, Mom asked for her $2000 back. He said he didn't have it. He spent it. He's going through a divorce and it's a real tough time. Asshole. I talked to him today on the phone. Same sob story. The court date is set for September 15th.

HOT HOT HOT

We've had a full week of 100+ degree days in Sac. and the forecast calls for it to continue through next week too. The beagles aren't too happy with the heat.

I resent that remark!

My Civic Si has 160 horses under the hood! So the 'Stang only has like 3 times the ponys, nowhere near that outlandish 4x number you were talking about!

Mustang Cobra SVT Prototype

One of the cool things we did on our recent trip to Michigan was get to drive a 500 horsepower prototype Mustang Cobra. Here is a snap or two of the auto. The thing accelerated like no car I've ever been in with about 4 times the horsepower as the weasel's Civic. Other people on the road would kind of get scared and intimidated just from hearing the engine...and with good reason.

Steph and I both drove the car, which was being worked on by Jen's boyfriend's company.


Here's another snap of Steph enjoying the auto.

Harry Potter / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Photos from my exciting adventures leading up to the release of the new Harry Potter book are up on my website! There is a link to the right of this post (click Bill's Homepage) to find them.

I saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory today. It was pretty good. I like Johnny Dep and the movie had that special dark Tim Burton look to it. Go for Dep's performance as Will Wonka. I may go see The Wedding Crashers tomorrow. A movie also getting good reviews on the whole.

She was Potter night!

I have a friend who works at the Waldenbooks in the mall so I helped out with some pre-Potter festivities. And of course got the book at midnight! I got an early opportunity to see the boxes of the new book before the public release.

She's Potter Night

Debating whether to take my camera and head to Borders tonight. Assuming they will be open selling the latest Potter book. Steph says she will NOT be going with.

Hung jury

Hung jury. Mistrial. New trial next month.

Still no verdict

It's 2:30 and the jury has been deliberating all day. Two notes sent out indicate a deadlock. Instruction from the judge: continue deliberations. We could have a hung jury, but that's better than a "not guilty".

Jury Trial

My stabbing jury trial went really well today. The jury has deliberated for close to 2 hours and quit at around 5:30 and will continue tomorrow morning at 9:00am. I was happy with my performance so win or lose it was good. It's a tight case which is why it went to a jury trial in the first place. We'll see how it turns out tomorrow!

Dad's Plastic Man dream

Give up hope Dad. It's never going to happen.

Fantastic Four

I saw the Fantastic Four movie. I have to say I did enjoy it maybe in large part because I used to read the comic book as a kid. It may not be the best of the super hero movies but it is pretty cool nonetheless. As for you Dad, seeing this movie may be the closest you'll ever get to realizing your dream of Plastic Man coming to the big screen.

The Fox, The Hound and The Bluebird

We were walking the beagles yesterday on the standard short walk and I heard a blue bird squawking like no tomorrow. I glanced in the direction of the bird and there was a fox just standing there in the lawn looking at us. After looking at the fox for a minute we took off. The fox turned around shortly thereafter and then I saw that bluebird take a dive towards the fox as they are sometimes known to do.

Message from the future

Is this terrible vision from the future what WILL be or what MAY be? I am transformed into a cyborg bent on world domination. All while video chatting with Mulliins over Sunday morning black coffee!!!

So Much to Blog...

I've got lots of stuff to blog and will try to get it up this week-end. Here's the first...As you are probably all aware - the rare and though extinct Ivory Billed Woodpecker has been discovered in Arkansas. Here is the link to see the story and the confirming video. Hard for me to tell the flying bird is an IBW but the bird folks say it is so.

IBW Video Link

Steph's turn

Since Dad is putting random pictures of me on the blog, I figured Steph should have her blog photo debut. Here's a snap of Robert, Steph, and the Dak from my recent trip to Sacramento.

Father knows wurst

I am testing my ability to post a picture. This one is old news but just for test.

Here is new news: Yesterday I bought a 42" plasma TV at Sam's for $2500. It is
a Phillips. McCloud had spent weeks researching the matter and bought this one
for himself so I just did the same.

I am working at the house in Bay this week.

Dr. Good Guy

The various names for knock offs of the soft drink Dr. Pepper have always interested me. Sometimes Robert, for reasons unknown, refers to actual Dr. Pepper as "Pheeb". Coke has a knock off called "Mr. Pibb". Wal-Mart's fake Dr. Pepper is called "Dr. Thunder". I've seen another knock off in the local Sunmart grocery store that simply goes by the name of "Doctor". For awhile, Pepsi was putting out a version called "Dr. Slice". Sometimes Will speaks of another clone of old called "Dr. Nut".
Well this weekend in Arizona I came across "Dr. Good Guy". F$%&ing crazy man!!!!

More Phoenix

Here I am with my friends Dan and Mitsuko. We were eating at a place called Cave Creek Coffee. Cave Creek might ring a bell because the Cave Creek complex wildfire continues to rage and has been in national news. We could see the smoke and roads near the fire were all closed.

More on Dad's Guacamole (It ain't Mission Brand)

Backstory for those who don't know: For a Mexican themed Super Bowl party, my Dad bought Mission brand guacamole dip. Upon inspection, he discovered that there was NO AVOCADO in the guacamole dip. Instead it was full of things like hydrogenated oils and food coloring. Dad wasn't happy. (Here's a link to an article about these awful dips http://www.newstarget.com/002702.html )

Anyway Dad, this weekend in Phoenix my friends and I ate at a great Mexican place. We ordered guacamole dip and a man came and made it in front of us using real avocado!!! The dip was great!

Rick Springfield / Ingram Hill Concert

We all went to the Muskegon Summer Celebration last night to see Rick Springfield. Opening was Ingram Hill, a band from Memphis with potential.

As for Rick, it was a mixed bag. He didn't seem to be "on" at the beginning of the show but definitely improved about 1/3 of the way in. The audience, most of whom, in our section only were aware of 1 Rick Springfield song....yep, Jessie's Girl started getting a bit restless. Steph and Jen commented that they're parents "looked like they were sitting in a hospital" which seemed appropriate. As a Springfield fan, I enjoyed hearing some of the old standards including Love Somebody, Affair of the Heart, Human Touch and Don't Talk to Strangers. He sprinkled in some of his new stuff which people couldn't quite relate to but you've certainly got to give the guy credit for still coming out with new material. He has a new album of cover songs coming out next week in fact.

Just before the first encore the DeBruyn family had had enough so we left with nary a song from the classic Tao album. Oh well. Next time, Steph and I vowed to drive separately :)

Snap of Rick and Barb from Rick's Retirement Bash 

My turn at bat: this is your father (or uncle) speaking.

I have it on good authority that Batman Returns (Keaton 1992) is the best bat-flick and that the new Batman: The Beginning is weak by comparison. To check this out, I went out and bought Batman (Keaton 1989) and Batman Returns. I then watched them in sequence, although I had seen both. These are both good flicks, and I agree with my source critic that K92 surpasses K89, mostly because Catwoman trumps Vicky Vale and DeVito trumps Nicholson. I will check out the new one when it comes to Betamax.

I saw the original War of the Worlds, made in roughly 1953, as a kid. I liked it a lot. It is one of the few flicks from my youth still memorable to me.

In Phoenix

My trip didn't involve blind kids, but I did manage to snag an emergency exit row. We ate at a great mexican place where the man made guacamole in front of us from fresh ingredients including avacado. I asked him where the palm oil was and he was confused. Dad would know what I mean with his tub of Mission Guac.

Muskegon or Bust

Steph and I headed to Michigan last night on the red-eye out of Sacramento. Just after "taking our ticket" as we were pulling into the economy parking lot a parking attendant employee flagged us down to ask..."are you looking to park?" the response, of course, was a rather dumbfounded "well - yes"

We were then on the plane bound for Chicago and in front of us were several blind kids (late teens) taking what seemed to be one of their first airplane trips alone. As we were deboarding one of these kids seemed to have lost her bag. A lady, trying to help while looking up in the overhead bins quizzed the blind girl, "Was it a black bag or a brown bag?" The girl responded quite cooly, "I don't know"

Made it to MI OK though - just a bit tired despite haven't slept most of the way.