Friday, March 15, 2024

Music Friday: "Northern Attitude"

I've been on a Noah Kahan kick lately. 

So here's "Northern Attitude."  



Thursday, March 14, 2024

Musing of the Moment: Interesting Facts/Trivia

For the holidays I got book of factoids titled Interesting Facts for Curious Minds: 1572 Random but Mind-Blowing Facts about History, Science, Pop Culture and Everything in Between

As I read the book, I noted these facts/trivia I found most interesting, and I'm sharing them in this post. 

They are below, and I'm quoting the author, Jordan Moore, word for word. 

  • Cuban dictator Fidel Castro was a pragmatic leader. One of his best-known quotes is, "A revolution is not a bed of roses."
  • Panama may be a small country, but Manuel Noriega was able to build a personal fortune of $300 million as its dictator from August 12, 1983 to December 20, 1989. He built his fortune through drug smuggling, CIA contracts, bribes, money laundering, and fraud.
  • If you really don't care about something, you "couldn't care less," not you "could care less." The latter implies you still have some caring to do. 
  • The once common dog name "Fido" came from the Romans. The name is derived from the Latin word, fidelis, which means "loyal." 
  • An average dog's hearing is four times better than a human, but the part of their brain devoted to their sense of smell is about 40 time larger than ours. 
  • Although the ancient Egyptians didn't name most of their breeds, their texts and reliefs show they had basenjis, salukis, and greyhounds. 
  • When your dog kicks his hind legs after relieving himself, it isn't a weak attempt to cover the poo. No, Spot is merely marking his territory with the scent glands in his feet. 
  • Although dice games preceded the Romans, the Romans were the first people to bet on dice. The Romans called double 'ones' -- 'snake's eyes' today -- a 'dog throw.'
  • Up to 20% of the American population may be allergic to the chemical nickel. This could be big considering that nickel is a major components in smartphones. 
  • The 1980 arcade game, Pac-Man, originally came out in Japan as Puck Man. The name was changed when it was realized how vandals could have fun with the word "Puck." 
  • The Atari 2600 console hit the stores in 1977. It was a big step up from previous game systems because it used separate cartridges for each game. 
  • The lyrics of the nursery rhyme "Ring around the Rosie" are a bizarre mystery. Many believe it refers to a bout of the plague where people carried bouquets of flowers and herbs to smell while walking in public, while others think it refers to a pagan ritual. 
  • The bean bag chair was invented in 1968 by Italian Piero Gatti, Cesare Poolini, and Franco Teodoro. Its popularity peaked in the late 1970s. 
  • As Charles Darwin (1809-1882) developed his theory of evolution, he also invented the modern office chair by adding wheels to make a swiveling chair. 
  • The Ancient Greek mathematician Pythogoras (ca. 570-495 BCE) is best know for his theorem but he was also a mystic who led a commune. 
  • The opposite sides of traditional dice always add up to seven. You can throw the dice as much as you want, but it's always the case. 
  • According to the "birthday problem," 23 random people can be placed in a room and there's a 50% chance two of them will have the same birthday. 
  • Tamales are an ancient dish dating back at least 5,000 years in Mesoamerica. The word "tamale" is derived from the Nahuatl/Aztec word, tamali.
  • The Carthaginians reportedly catapulted pots filled with venomous snakes onto the ships of the Pergamon navy during a battle in 184 BCE. 
  • Greek Fire was an incendiary, napalm-like weapon used by the Byzantine Empire from 672 to 1453. The ingredients and process to make Greek Fire remain a mystery. 
  • In  the 500s BCE, the Greek colony, Sybaris, in Italy, passed one of the earliest known noise ordinances. It prohibited tinsmiths and roosters form the city limits. 
  • Hallucinogenic psilocybin mushrooms were taken by many different American Indian peoples as part of religious rituals. The Aztecs even referred to one species as the "divine mushroom." 
  • In the 1980s, ethnobotanist Wade Davis claimed that Haitian Voodoo zombies were created by a combination of tetrodotoxin from a pufferfish and bufotoxin from a toad. They were then "reanimated" with a natural drug, datura.
  • Englishman Thomas Crapper (1836-1910) didn't invent the toilet, but he did improve plumbing by inventing the "U-bend" trap. It prevents liquids and gasses from flowing back into the toilet. The actual invent of the flush toilet can be traced back to a British man named Sir John Harrington who, in 1596, devised a mechanism with a cord that, when pulled, flushed away waste with a rush of water. 
  • A survey revealed that the average woman hasn't worn $550 worth of clothing they own or about 20% of their wardrobe. Interestingly, shoes are the number one unworn item. 
  • Islam has traditionally viewed dogs as "unclean," so they aren't very common pets in the Middle East. Cats were kept by Mohammad and considered "clean." 
  • Contrary to common media portrayals, most burglaries take place between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Professional crooks strike when homeowners are at work or school.
  • "Molly Pitcher" is the legendary name of either Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley or Margaret Hays. The story is that "Molly" carried pitchers of water to Patriot troops to cool the canons during a battle in the American Revolution. 
  • Warrior goddesses were not uncommon in the ancient world. The Greek goddess Athena, the Assyrian goddess Ishtar, and the Egyptian lioness headed goddess Sekhmet, were all martial dieties. 
  • No US state uses wind as its primary source of electrical power. But it's the second source of power for Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Kansas. 
  • "Forest bathing" is a form of natural mental health therapy where a person simply spends time in forests. The activity is officially sanctioned by the Japanese government, which calls shinmin-yoku.
  • A single cottonwood tree can release 40 million seeds in one season. The seeds can then float through the air for days, much longer than any other type of seed. 
  • In the Keynesian view of modern economics, low unemployment is more important than low inflation. Government spending is encouraged to keep employment levels high. 
  • Simon Bolivar (1783-1830) was South America's George Washington. Bolivar drove the Spanish from northern South America to become the father of the nations of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Bolivia. 

Friday, March 8, 2024

Music Friday: "This Ain't It"

Weathervanes is one of Isbell's best albums. Back to rocking out. 

And here's one of the many fine tunes on that album--video and live from Des Moines. 



Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Spinach Artichoke Dip

This is a variation of a recipe I got from The Washington Post. It's damn good. 

Ingredients

  • 2-3 TB of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 can of quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  • 1 package of frozen spinach, thawed and chopped
  • 1-2 TB Dan-Os garlic seasoning
  • 1 ts red papper flakes
  • 1 TB of Smoked paprika
  • 1 package of cream cheese (8 oz.), softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup of sour cream
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Process
Heat the oil  in a cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat and add in the chopped spinach and artichokes. Add the seasonings with some salt and pepper. Saute for 8-10 minutes until most of the liquid is sweated out of it. 

Turn off the heat and add in the the cream cheese and cheeses and stir thoroughly, so it's evenly combined. Add in the sour cream until it's evenly combined. Taste the mixture and add in salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed. 

Get the broiler going in your oven and put the the skillet on the middle rack in the oven and broil for 5 minutes or so. 

Friday, March 1, 2024

Music Friday: "Doctor My Eyes"

Jackson Browne is such a great musician and songwriter. I got turned on to his stuff again after watching him perform on Austin City Limits. 

Also, I think this would be a good tune to play after an umpire makes a bad call. 

Friday, February 23, 2024

Music Friday: "Life Is Grand"

I listened to a lot of Camper Van Beethoven in the late 80s and early 90s. 

Here's what might be described as an anti-alternative anthem amongst the angst of the Reagan-Bush administrations. 

The second video has better sound quality, fwiw. 



Saturday, February 17, 2024

Random Notes from a Crank

On Valentines Day, YouGov had its three daily questions focus on love and relationships and such. 

The first question was, "Throughout your life, how many people have you been in love with?" Here's how the percentages broke down when I took the survey:

  • 0, 4%
  • 1, 17%
  • 2, 24%
  • 3, 19%
  • 4, 9%
  • 5, 4%
  • More than 5, 10%
60% of respondents said either 1, 2, or 3 partners. One factor I think in play is the first person you love and how breaking up with them makes you more rigorous in falling in love after the first person broke your heart. That's why I checked 2. 

As for these "more than 5" people, I think they need to be more rigorous with their loving. 

This week I finished rewatching all six seasons of Northern Exposure, which is now available on Amazon Prime. It's my favorite TV show of all time. At the end of every episode, you have a good feeling at the end--except of course the final episode when I was sad the series was over. 

The show was way ahead of its time. From my knowledge, the series has to be one of the first to have an openly gay couple in it. And the show started questioning Maurice's sexuality from the second episode after he gets mad at Chris for bringing up Walt Whitman's homosexuality. 

One of my favorite episodes is the one in which Maurice has a fancy dinner party for the 25th anniversary of his radio station, the one titled "The Big Feast." Ron, one of the gay men in the series, raises a toast to Maurice by saying, "You're a bigot and a homophobe." 

Friday, February 16, 2024

Music Friday: "Homesick"

After watching his performance on Austin City Limites, I've gotten into Noah Kahan's music lately.

Here's a great tune from Stick Season.

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Random Notes from a Crank

In the February issue of Harper's, they provided some excerpts from The Notebooks of Sonny Rollins, the great jazz saxophonist. Here are some entries to spoke to me: 
  • Another good day to think and be thankful for.
  • Ask Charles: Is it about eating and putting a roof over your head? Is that what life amounts to?
  • I have at times wanted and wished for time to stand still at particular moment. If it would all stay this way this would be heaven. But of course (reality) the other side of the whole soon reappears. Things are never constant. Disaster is coming. Disasters are coming. 
  • Forgive everyone everything. 
  • What other people think of you is none of your business. 
  • No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up. 

Here's an interesting gifted article from The Washington Post: "The Remarkable Power of Holding Hands with Someone You Love."

The article reminds of a bit by Chris Rock in one of his more recent specials where he talks about how he'll do all kinds of sexual stuff with a woman with no personal attachment, but if he holds hands with her, then he gets emotionally attached. 

It's been a long time ago since I had gotten under the weather. I think the last time I got sick was maybe in 2018 or 2017. I survived the pandemic without contracting Covid (as far as I know), and this past weekend I got brought down by the common cold. 

Friday, February 9, 2024

Music Friday: "ICU"

I'm a big fan of Phoebe Bridgers. 

Here's a tune of hers. 

Thursday, February 8, 2024

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Salmon Loaf

I found a recipe for salmon loaf on the InterWebs and modified it a little. It's pretty easy to make, but you need to create some kind of dill- or lemon-based sauce to put over it. 

Ingredients

  • 1 can of canned salmon, drained and flaked
  • 1 cup of dried breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 1/4 cup of diced onion
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • Juice of half of a lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Couple of dashes of liquid smoke (you could substitute smoked paprika)
  • Smidge of Old Bay seasoning
Process
After draining the salmon and flaking it, cook down onions in a little bit of oil. In a big mixing bowl, add the everything and mix well. 

Grease down a sheet pan and with your hands mold the mixture into a loaf. 

Put it into a 375-degree oven on the middle rack and bake for approximately 40-50 minutes. The loaf should have at least an internal temp of 165 degrees. 

Friday, February 2, 2024

Music Friday: "Use Me"

This week I've been listening to this album quite often. It's Lean on Me: The Best of Bill Withers

Enjoy.

Friday, January 26, 2024

Music Friday: "Grief Is Only Love" & "Cuckoo"

The lead singer of American Aquarium put out his top ten or twenty list of best albums of 2023 a while back, and the album that was number one was Steven Wilson Jr.'s Son of Dad

So I picked it up, and I like it. I'm not a person who automatically gravitates toward county-like music, but Wilson Jr. is more Americana music, and you can tell he has a wide background in types of music. 

Here are "Grief Is Only Love" and "Cuckoo." 



Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Random Notes from a Crank

Watching Northern Exposure with all its Red Hook beer advertising reminds me of one of my favorite breweries. I drank my fair share of Red Hook ESBs and Long Hammer IPAs. Strangely enough, I drank lots of Red Hook, a beer made in Seattle, when I lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I've never seen it around these parts, unfortunately. And now they have all kinds of interesting IPAs that I can't get my hands on.

I searched for it on Binny's website, and all I got was squat.

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that show, Northern Exposure. It has to be my favorite TV series of all time. I'm so glad Amazon made it available on Prime.

Because of a possible "wintry mix," the schools around here did not have have classes. All it did was rain. The silliness of people who aren't used to snow...

I've seen a trend recently of mid-size cities or larger cities making people their area's poet laureate. When did this move of laureating poets in places like Mobile and Mufreesboro start to happen? 

I'm not against it or anything. In fact, I like it because it supports the artistic community, but I'm just wondering when this trend started. 

Who started the laureating fire? And where else will it spread to? 

NPR has an interesting article out about the "Nones," who are apparently the largest group in the US in regard to religion. I fit into that group because I'm a highly skeptical agnostic.

The article is "Religious 'Nones' Are Now the Largest Single Group in the U.S." 

The good news to me is that this group is growing and they are likely to be liberal.  In addition, apparently Evangelicals is a group that's shrinking. More good news. 

Friday, January 19, 2024

Music Friday: Where You Lead

I'm working from home on this snowy Friday, and I'm listening to my iPod on shuffle. This song came up. 

So enjoy.