Childrens do learn...

...and the President doesn't.

Pet Peeve #352

It annoys me to no end when someone will take a two-week trip to another country, and then he or she considers himself or herself an expert on the country or some minor aspect of the country. I know it shouldn’t, but it does. Btw, I’m not referring about G’s blog about a recent trip he and others took. His entry made me crave Europe and has me looking at flight prices to destinations anywhere. It makes me think that the people who irritate me, the expert two-weekers, only travel to brag about it when they return home. I’m sure I’ve done it, spoke a little too boastfully about a trip, (unintentionally?) and if I have and it bothered people, I apologize.


Hey friend, I just returned from a weeklong trip to Berlin. The wifey and I spent a day at the zoo studying wild polar bears. They are magnificent creatures. Did you know that pregnant female polar bears den up in the fall after feeding heavily in August and September? During our expedition, we observed a male polar napping in the July sun. Fasinating, I tell you. I feel that I have become closer to the animal and now understand them on a level unlike anyone else in the world. From now on, I will always refer to them as ‘my beloved polar bears.’

Ashes and Snow

I stopped by ArtFuel Inc. the other day to talk to Sarah Peacock about tattoos. She showed me a recent piece that she did based on one of the photos from Gregory Colbert’s (No relation to Stephen, I think) collection called Ashes and Snow

All are sepia and umber in tone, and Colbert had spent thirteen years filming and photographing elephants, whales, birds, wild cats and other animals in such places as India, Burma, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Namibia, Egypt, the island of Dominica, Tonga, and Antarctica.

I think this collection has been out for a couple of years or more(?), but they are new to me.

A Tuesday Poem

The Face of Love

she has one of them
like a very famous
nobody
her mother was good looking
and drove a convertible
her father a drunk
they invited me to their home
several times
they went over my shoes
looked at my pistols
they had lovely affairs there
the grandmother
was hard of hearing
and wore a disfigured cameo
she told of days gone
when she rode an Arabian to the Landing
to meet the boat
there would he books and cologne from Paris
material and perhaps a piano
and no counts from New Orleans
as the story goes she married one
it turned out this way
and the legend continues
blood and starlight in the river
African violets and capes
Chopin and back roads
and her granddaughter was just like him
silent and cruel
always taking her beauty rest
and her best friend's
friends

Close in.

~Frank Stanford

© Ginny Stanford

Disclaimer

This is a personal blog and sometimes relates narratives from my daily life. When the anonymity of those referenced is compromised by reader’s comments, the post will be deleted at my discretion.

Vedder, Penn and Rose go 'Into the Wild'

On a side note, I haven't seen the movie yet because this town sucks for getting movies. Dragon Wars and Balls of Fury are playing but not Into the Wild. WTF?

He gets an A in assholery

Reporter: Mr. President, back to your grade point average on holding the line on taxes.

Bush: I thought you were going to talk about the actual grade point average. I remind people that, like, when I'm with Condi, I say she's the Ph.D. and I'm the C student and just look at who's the president and who's the adviser. But go ahead. . . .

Watch the video here

Another one bites the dust

"Floyd Landis lost his expensive and explosive doping case Thursday when arbitrators upheld the results of a test that showed the 2006 Tour de France champion used synthetic testosterone to fuel his spectacular comeback victory, The Associated Press has learned.

The decision means Landis, who repeatedly has denied using performance-enhancing drugs, must forfeit his Tour de France title and is subject to a two-year ban, retroactive to Jan. 30, 2007.

The ruling, handed down nearly four months after a bizarre and bitterly fought hearing, leaves the American with one final way to possibly salvage his title — an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

If Landis doesn't appeal, he'll be the first person in the 105-year history of the race to lose the title because of a doping offense."


Oh, Floyd. Vous avez cassé mon coeur. J'ai cru et ai tiré pour vous, mais maintenant je dois vous abandonner. S'il vous plaît. quelqu'un réhabilite le cyclisme.

Joe Zawinul

In keeping with today’s theme of music, I bring the sad news of the passing of a jazz great, Joe Zawinul. Zawinul is famous for playing with the band Weather Report and writing the Cannonball Adderly song, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. He was 75 and died of cancer in his native country, Austria. Below is a video of Buddy Rich and his Band playing Mercy, Mercy in Berlin, 1970.

Into the Wild

I’m looking forward to seeing Sean Penn’s adaptation of Krakauer’s Into the Wild. The early reviews are favorable and revisiting the book, in my mind, has peaked my adventurous spirit again. I have no idea what that means but don’t be surprised if I decide that I want to try to swim the English Channel or climb Kilimanjaro. ;) I love the book and as a bonus, Eddie Vedder has done the soundtrack, which seems fitting. As JV, over at 77 Santas pointed out that one of the tracks, Hard Rain, is a bit “lo-fi” and I agree, but am in love with the song regardless and now the soundtrack. You can listen to a streaming version of it here. Warning: there is an annoying woman saying "music on demand" before and after every track.

The movie opens September 21. So if any of my ILM friends would like to join me, holla.

Headbangers Ball

With T blogging about Metallica and a birthday looming in the near future, I got to thinking about my youth (oh sweet, debaucherous youth, where did you go?) and some of the music at the time:

Alice Cooper - Raise Your Fist and Yell (Drove to Fayetteville from ILM to see AC in ’87 with some friends. The car broke down and we ended up taking a cab for some 50 miles to get to thte show.)

Anthrax - Among the Living, I'm the Man (EP) “"We've got real def rhymes and fresh new jams/And ya think we got egos but we're just hams…” (Pure poetry.)

Black Sabbath - The Eternal Idol (Definitly not the Sabbath of pre-’87 and that’s probably why this record escapes my memory)

Carnivore - Retaliation (Who?)

The Cult - Electric (Everyone should have this in their collection. Good ol’ Rock n Roll)

Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium (They cover Wall of Voodoo’s song “Mexican Radio” on this one. I still think that it is an odd choice, but whatev…)

Death - Scream Bloody Gore (The godfather record of Death Metal.)

Def Leppard - Hysteria (No other 'metal' record was produced better than this one, in my opinion and the first record with the Rick Allen after he lost an arm.)

Dio - Dream Evil (I saw Dio this year too, Charlotte and I was amazed that this guy who stands about 5’4” could have the voice with the power of Pavarotti on steroids.)

Dokken - Back For The Attack (Dokken filmed their video for ‘Dream Warriors’ in ILM. The band that I played in at the time practiced in some storage sheds that were next to the movie studio. Some guy from the studio bought us 3 cases of beer to stop playing while they were making said video, and then later, George Lynch stopped by.)

Frehley's Comet - Frehley's Comet (Saw Ace opened up for Alice Cooper in Fayettville)

Grim Reaper - Rock You To Hell (hee hee)

Guns N’ Roses – Appitite for Destruction (My favorite band of the time. This cassette never left my possecion. Saw G N’ R open up for Motely Crüe this year. See mullet picture above.)

Helix - Wild In The Streets (The band I played with at this time opened for Helix at The Mad Monk in ILM. I was 18.)

Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 1 (Need I say more?)

Judas Priest - Priest...Live! (First song I learned to play was Priest’s “Livin’ After Midnight” which I believe I heard on a commercial recently, intrumental.)

Kane Roberts - Kane Roberts (Who?)

Keel - Keel (Also so opened up for at The Mad Monk)

King Diamond - Abigail (That dude can scream, isn’t that right grandma?)

KISS - Crazy Nights (The third time I saw Kiss was on this tour. They were also my first concert. 1979. I was…9.)

Loudness - Hurricane Eyes (My friends that are half Japanese liked them.)

Mötley Crüe - Girls, Girls, Girls (See Gun N’ Roses)

Motörhead - Rock 'n' Roll (I love episode of the Young Ones with Motorhead.)

Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King (The title of this album made me want to be a Viking, still does.)

Twisted Sister - Love Is For Suckers (I had a Twisted Sister hat!)

W.A.S.P. - Live...In the Raw (Wasn’t Tipper Gore leading the PMRC at this time?)

Whitesnake - Whitesnake (Here I go again….)

The Great Sally Smits

testing out embedding music. enjoy.

I am

tired b/c I couldn’t sleep last night.

thinking about Hannah’s brother and sister b/c they are so awesome.

looking fwd. to playing tennis over the weekend. I'm so going to kick t's ass. :)

pissed off at this video. So mush so, I tracked down one of the asshole’s myspace page.



still deciding what to do with the information.

undecided on what to have for dinner.

not wanting to grade.

happy that Top Chef is on tonight.

My Dad

turned 75 today. He smokes a pipe, walks 2.5 miles every morning, watches the sun set every evening and runs a successful engineering firm.

Not long after India's independence in 1947, and the country divided into Pakistan and India, my dad(15+/-?)and part of his family fled. They boarded a boat in the Karachi harbor, spending days and days barely moving (lack of wind) on the Arabian Sea. Eventually they landed in Gujarat, India and settled in tiny village called Mota Asota and then Jamnagar.

What's left of my dad's house in Mota Asota, India.


Jamnagar, India

Tropical Storm Gabrielle...

...is sitting off the coast and kicking up a little surf. A few pics from the end of my street:

A cycle tour without a map is like new potatoes without the smell of mint…

For your enjoyment (maybe some of you, but definitely not Mamie)here is a short film (in 2 parts) about cycle touring in England, 1955. Somethings about riding in a group hasn't changed, but I wonder how these folks are having such a good time without Ipods, cell phones, cars and fast food joints. If you are into old bikes, you'll like the video that much more.

Balls

This video is of my nephew, Travis. It happened some years ago and I was lucky enough to see it live and now, thanks to America’s Funniest Videos and my brother sending it in, we can all see it. I have to admit, I think my favorite part is the audience clapping at the end of the video.





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Everywhere Like Such As Maps

Perhaps, if I used Everywhere Like Such As Maps, my bike trip would have worked out.

Random Myspace Comment

guess who called me and lives like 10 mins from my house?..Uncle Mark..u guessed it sister!!!..talked til the wee hours of the morning, til the sun came up..then he tried to have phone sex with me..and his fiancee grabbed the reciever and said "not again!" and hung up on me while i was tryin to find the lotion. what a btch

In Presidential News

Bush ordered to submit DNA for paternity test. Rumor is that he fathered Miss. Teen South Carolina.



Bush covers U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday.

Tattoo You

I'm a fan of tattoos and even have some, but holy crap:

So it’s Saturday, early evening,

and I’ve done very little. Let's see, I've watched TV, took a nap, goofed off on the world wide webs, watched TV and figured out a few things:

1. They should just stop the men’s US Open now and give it to Federer
2. App. State beat U. of Mich. It what might be the biggest upset in college football history.
3. It’s been a tough pageant season. Rattler vs. Pageant Contestant
4. You will never find me posting on the ‘Missed Connections’ section of Craigslist, but I do like reading them.
5. I need some sort of window coverings for my bedroom if I want to continue taking naps in the middle of the day.
6. I’m out of oatmeal.
7. I’m still annoyed that Wilco songs are on car commercials.
8. Ten years ago this weekend, I was camping at Stone Mountain, Ga.
9. I want to look into taking a Spanish class at Centro Latino.
10. I need to eat dinner now, before my gig at Heck of a Peck, but there isn’t any food here. Nikki’s sushi it is….