When I was a graduate student in the early 1970's I decided to use "linguistic analysis" as my research methodology. My thinking was that this is what would let me more fully understand the meaning of philosophical concepts and constitutional issues.

After all these years my mind still picks… Read full post »

Eddie who?  Eddie Arnold.

He was arguably my favorite country singer "back in the day" when I was just coming out of high school in those "hippie dippy" days of 1969.  But I liked Eddie.  And I liked Chet Atkins.

And being a romantic sort--what else are you going to be… Read full post »

I saw an article this morning in my Yahoo News feed that some “experts” are “calling” the Presidential election outcome in some states and there won’t even be exit polling taking place in those states.

One of the states mentioned was California, where I live.  I&rsq… Read full post »

This has got to be the ultimate satire from a master of musical satire--Randy Newman.

 He has just released a song and video "I'm Dreaming of a White President".  What do you think?  Is this over the top?  Did he go too far?  Or is he tweaking the buttons and making… Read full post »

Just a quickie.  OS is full of errors.  It's virtually impossible to get here, post, read, comment or enjoy.

That's really too bad.

ERROR, ERROR, ERROR, ERROR, ERROR, ERROR, ERROR

That's about all we get anymore. 

 Hey! Who has the Major League Baseball all time record for errors… Read full post »

Tonight's the night.

Yep, it's the night for a "Blue Moon".  There won't be another one until the end of July in 2015.  So head outside, take a peek at the moon.  Think to yourself--damn that's a blue moon.  It won't be blue but it should be big.

And, listen to… Read full post »

A guy walks into his bank looking for a home improvement loan of $100,000.  That’s no big thing most of the time.  And it’s not an unreasonable amount. 

He sits down with a loan officer.  They discuss his plan.  They discuss his credit wo/… Read full post »

This political season, which by now seems to have been going on forever, is actually just getting started.  It’s as if spring training lasted a year and jumped right to the single-elimination, winner-take-all play-offs.

Things seemed to have crystallized with the anointing of Paul Ryan as… Read full post »

In case nobody else has noticed, the summer Olympics are over.  You know, I kind of got tired of hearing the theme music from “Chariots of Fire” every time there was a medal ceremony.  (I heard the music but didn’t watch the medal ceremony much because it got incessant and… Read full post »

I used to sell cars with some twenty-somethings who loved to go out after work and then regale me with stories of the “cougars” they had encountered the night before in one nightclub or another.

Being an old fart who definitely was home in bed by the time these guys ever… Read full post »

Tink's post on "blame Fred" took my mind in a goofy direction this morning and now I can't get this song out of my brain.

So what I'm going to do is put it in your brain too.  We can turn this into a Damn Tink Freddie Day:

 Note:  I wrote this originally on July 24, 2010--almost exactly 2 years ago.  Not much has changed.  And in light of what transpired a week ago in Colorado, perhaps it's still relevant.  Let me know what you think.

OK, I guess today’s the day that I’m going to re… Read full post »

OK, get the tune going in your head—you know that Olympic theme song that NBC uses at the beginning and end of every broadcast?  Right—you’ve got it going in your head.  But here, I’ll give you a little help with this:

Getting in the Olympic mood yet? … Read full post »

I can’t resist the temptation to climb up on the old soap box briefly today.  Earlier today there was an article published on Yahoo Finance’s “The Daily Ticker” about municipal bankruptcy declaring that it’s the “tip of the iceberg”.

In the article, Rich… Read full post »

This Weekend—We’re Watching the “Walking Dead-a-thon”

Now doesn’t that sound like a couple who need to “get a life”?  Maybe but we like “The Walking Dead” on AMC.  And Saturday and Sunday AMC is broadcasting about 24 or so hours worth of… Read full post »

I’m a big Jack Reacher fan.  I’ve read all 16 books which have come out in paperback by author Lee Child and I’m waiting for number 17.

Reacher is a character who is described as a 6’5” former Army MP officer who weighs something like 250 pounds.  He doesn&rsqu… Read full post »

Let this Jimmy Buffett tune and video of "The Night I Painted the Sky" play while you read:

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin is a terrific place to raise a family.  It’s a small city of 9,000 people about 35 miles North East of Green Bay right in the middle of the Door Penin… Read full post »

Come on, now. What’s important in a hamburger? It needs to have flavor and texture and moisture. It needs to be made of ground beef. Beyond that, there’s not a whole lot to it.
 

Don’t get me wrong. It took me years and years to get to the point where… Read full post »

Every kid who has ever done any running harbors an Olympic fantasy I think.  I know I did when I was in high school running the quarter.  Of course, I was also realistic enough at the time to know that it would take a miracle for me to ever make it… Read full post »

Yeah, I’m a little bit grouchy this afternoon (it’s 3 p.m. here on the West Coast).  For the last 2 weeks I’ve been sleeping solo because my wife has been off on a visit to her best friend in North Carolina.

So I’ve been keeping things going here and trying to… Read full post »

It’s amazing how the simplest ingredients lurking on the shelf in the refrigerator can turn into something fantastic.  That’s how Cheap Bastid came up with using Beaver Sweet Hot Mustard and mayo to create a simple glaze that’s out of this world good.

But…Before… Read full post »

You’ve just got to love it when the former governor of a major Midwestern state publishes a new book with the title of “DemoCRIPS and “ReBLOODicans: No More Gangs in Government”.

Ventura is, of course, the former Governor of Minnesota who won election there as an independent w… Read full post »

Here's just a little bit of silliness from 40 plus years ago when the Smothers Brothers ruled the airwaves (until they got kicked off the air for being "too political").

This is one of my all-time favorite "bits" of theirs called "My Old Man"--especially the verse that starts out "My old… Read full post »

I like Matt's suggestion.

So, let's have a little fun with it.  Today is hereby declared "Spam a Lot Day"

This was on Yahoo this morning.  It's a video of Mr. Rogers re-done and re-mastered and edited and all kinds of other good stuff including Auto Tune which really adds a different dimension.  (Auto Tune with Mr. Rogers is cool, with other "stars" it's just an excuse for not being able… Read full post »