The Cure came out with a new album this year, and I'm told it's quite good.
I had the album Disintegration at one time, but I lost it somewhere along the way of life. So I bought it agin this week.
Here's one of the "hits" from that opus.
This blog will host my ramblings about life. To be a bit more specific, I'll probably focus on these subjects: music, sports, food, the everyday beauty of life, and the comedy/tragedy/absurdity of our existence. That about covers it.
The Cure came out with a new album this year, and I'm told it's quite good.
I had the album Disintegration at one time, but I lost it somewhere along the way of life. So I bought it agin this week.
Here's one of the "hits" from that opus.
I didn't realize Father John Misty had a new album out this month until this video came across my recommendations when I went to YouTube.
I haven't bought the album yet, but I'm likely to do so soon.
A victory in the Iron Bowl is always a welcome outcome. The Tide beat Auburn by a two-score margin.
Milroe had a three-touchdown game on the ground with 104 net yards. Jamarion Miller had 84 net rushing yards, and Haynes chipped in with a touchdown run.
Bernard had his best game of the season with seven catches for 111 yards.
One of the real positive trends in this game is that Milroe was targeting the tight ends more than he has in the past. If you go back and analyze past Sunday Hangover posts over the years, one consistent complaint I have had was that the Tide offense needs to pass to tight ends more often.
They did in this game with a total of 8 catches: 3 to Dippre, 3 to Cuevas, and 2 to Ouzts. And if I remember right, there was a pass each to Dippre and Cuevas that could have been touchdowns if they brought in the passes.
The defense gave up some yards but foiled the Tigers when they had their chances. I was worried because Lawson is out for the rest of the season, but I think Jefferson did a fine job as the defensive play caller.
And Jihaad Campbell showed why he's likely to be a first-round pick. He led the team with 9 total tackles in the game.
Next up is the great unknown because the likelihood of Alabama making the 12-team playoff is low.
Over the past few years, I have brined turkey before roasting it.
Here's the recipe I've used. I use an old baseball bucket with lid to brine the turkey and keep it out in the garage since it's cold in late November around these parts.
Ingredients
5 bay leaves
A healthy smidge of peppercorns
5 garlic cloves
1 small onion chopped roughly
1 1/2 cups of kosher salt
1 cup of light brown sugar
5 quarts of water
Process
I put one quart of water in a pot and dump the brown sugar and salt into it. Heat the water to melt the sugar and water. Let it set for a while and then add the water into the bucket and the other water into the bucket. Place the turkey into the bucket and seal with lid.
Brine it from anywhere from 12 to 24 hours.
The Tide have a way possibly into the SEC championship and certainly into the playoff, and they shit the bed. Jesus H. Christ.
I haven't watched the game, and I don't think I want to, but I followed the score on my phone as I played Glow Bingo last night for the local booster club.
I kept watching the score of the game and wondered, "Why the Hell aren't we scoring on these guys?"
From a cursory look at it, Milroe didn't play well at all with three interceptions, one of which was a pick six.
Maybe Alabama can get its shit together against Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
Gods, I hope so.
This morning I'm listening to R.E.M.'s Fables of the Reconstruction, one of the band's great early albums.
"Feeling Gravity's Pull," "Driver 8," and "Can't Get There from Here" get a lot of attention from that album, but I was reminded today of how much I like this tune.
The much ballyhooed Death Valley was not all that deadly.
Jalen Milroe was a one-man wrecking crew against LSU last night. He had four running touchdowns and 185 net rushing yards on 12 rushing attempts.
Miller was the leading receiver, which is kind of a surprise. But Alabama had a lot of designed plays for the running back.
On defense the Tide gave up way too many yards on first down for my liking. However, they didn't give up a touchdown until garbage time in the fourth quarter.
Lawson and Campbell had excellent games. Lawson had that crucial interception, and Campbell had the strip-sack after Alabama failed to convert on a fourth and short.
If the defense can play like they did last night, the Tide might have some chances if they make the playoffs.
There are three games left with a home game versus Mercer, a trip to Norman to play Oklahoma, and the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa.
Don't screw this up, Alabama.
After the results of this Tuesday, this song seems appropriate.
"The battle's been lost. The war is not won./ An addled republic, a bitter refund."
Keep fighting for what's right and all people's rights.
It's been a while since an Alabama defense had a shutout. I'd like to see more of them.
Sure, Mizzou had some guys out and the Tide knocked out their starting quarterback, but it was good to see a number of three-and-outs yesterday.
I've always been an advocate of having a strong running attack, and that's what we got in this game with Alabama rushing for 271 net yards. Miller had two touchdowns, Haynes had a phenomenal run for a TD, and Milroe had a rushing touchdown.
The passing game was more modest, and it seems Milroe is still trying to force it to Williams. Bernard had a solid game as the leading receiver with five grabs.
The second bye week comes at a good time to get players healed up before the trip to LSU.
This song was playing on the SiriusXM Pearl Jam radio channel when I drove to work this morning.
Great album all around.
I am decidedly a left-leaning person politically, but one of the many good aspects of having a subscription to The Washington Post is that George Will writes opinion columns for the newspaper.
Sometimes I agree with him. Sometimes I think he's off his rocker because of his belief in traditional conservatism.
Recently he had an interesting column that's worth your time. It talks the changing demographics in the world and how immigration, which he gets to at the end, is probably a good thing for the U.S.
What a concept.
Here's the article: "Amid Shrinking Demographics Worldwide, the U.S. Needs Immigration."
I was doing errands this afternoon, and this tune came on the Sirius 1st Wave channel. The song that preceded it was "Kiss Me on the Bus" by The Replacements, a band I rarely hear played on any of the SiriusXM stations.
But I've always liked this tune even though the band XTC is not a group I followed back in the day. Great tune though...
Another game down to the wire.
I don't know what to make of this team. I had a good bit of optimism about the Tide's chances this year, but if they cannot put away the Gamecocks, I don't know what to think.
Sure, Carolina's two defensive ends are very good. However, we should have one of the best college offensive lines in college football who should be able to handle them. Carolina does have a good defense though.
The safety of Milroe's making made him look like a freshman out there.
The defense has to shore up what the hell is going on really quickly because they play Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday.
I got the new album from Gary Clark Jr. when it came out, but I began listening to it more often this week after I watched his performance on Austin City Lights from this season, which is their 50th season.
Here's the opening track from JPEG RAW.
I had a hell of Sunday and not just because Alabama had a terrible loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon.
They simply had a great game plan they executed, and once again the adjustments in the second half by the defense were not good enough.
It was a perfect time to play the Tide after a great win versus Georgia the Saturday before.
The team was resting on its laurels and thought they would just steamroll the Commodores like they always have.
As the cliche goes, "That's why they play the games."
The honeymoon with DeBoer is officially over.
I've been listening to a lot Josh Ritter this week, especially "Thin Blue Flame." I'm sure I've featured that song before on a Music Friday.
So I'm featuring this tune from The Animal Years, the second song on that album.
I have not listened to Ha Ha Tonka in a good while. Here's a good tune from their album Lessons.
What a difference a healthy starting offensive line makes.
The Tide traveled to Madison and blew out the Badgers with lots of big plays. They scored on plays of 31, 26, 34, and 37 yards.
Milroe accounted for five TDs, two of which were of the rushing variety. Those two long passes to Williams and Bernard were just beautiful deep balls.
They seem to be calling more designed running plays for Milroe with the backs working as a lead blocker along with pulling linemen.
I was frustrated with the defense at times because Wisconsin had some good running plays, and they're still really green in the secondary.
The starting LBs, Lawson and Campbell had 12 tackles apiece followed by Moore and Sabb with 11 and 10, respectively. The DE Overton had a great game. He was a massive force against the run and in the pass rush.
Two good signs were there were no turnovers, and the Tide only had four penalties. The number of penalties in the first two games were inexcusable.
That was a frustrating three and half quarters of football to watch last night.
With a reshuffled offensive, the Tide did not look good at all. With the starting left guard playing left tackle and the back-up right tackle starting, it was a flag fest with the right tackle picking up four holding calls by himself.
There were two touchdowns that were called back because of penalties.
And that was just in the first half.
In the second half, Alabama had three fumbles that put the defense in tough positions on the field.
Once the starting right tackle Pritchett came into the game, everything seemed to click. And the Crimson Tide pulled away.
I'm concerned about the trip to Madison to play Wisconsin, especially if Proctor is still out.
Before I bought the new album from American Aquarium, I was growing Cherokee purples. They're a heirloom variety of tomato that I've never grown before, so I tried them.
Finally here in early September some of them are turning from green to the ripe color. I'm hoping they taste good. I've been wanting to make BLTs with my homegrown tomatoes all summer.
Here's the tune about, well, a lot of stuff.
Over twenty years ago I grew Caribbean Red habaneros when I was a grad student at the University of Alabama.
It wasn't until this summer that I grew another Caribbean Red because I had never seen any around these parts in East-Central Illinois. I found the plants at a local place over in Mattoon, the family owned and operated de Buhr's Seed & Feed.
The Caribbean Reds are twice as hot as a regular habenero. I made some salsa for my wife today, and I could tell a difference once I tested the sales to see if I got the seasoning right.
The Caribbean Reds have more of fruity/citrusy quality than regular habaneros from my tasting.
Regardless, I will be growing them again next season if de Buhr's has them again.
My home state of Iowa has become what my nephew, who is a political consultant, describes as "cold Alabama" from a political standpoint. It's been a red state for way too long in presidential contests, but I realized recently that Mississippi is more progressive than the Hawkeye State in one way.
The Magnolia State allows medicinal marijuana, whereas Iowa does not allow it. Good Gods, even Missouri allows recreational use of cannabis.
I'm not a smoker of the Mary Jane, but weed policies seem to be a bellwether of political leanings. And Iowa is going in the wrong direction.
Out of nowhere, which was a surprise to fans and pundits, Tottenham signed Wilson Odobert as a winger in the transfer window. The young Frenchman is likely to play on the right wing behind Brennan Johnson.
If the window is closed for Spurs, it's been a good one. However, I'd like to see them sign a center back who can also play left back because I assume Ashley Phillips will go out on loan somewhere even though I think Ange should keep him around with the first team.
One of my friends on FB called attention to that American Aquarium had a new album out this year, The Fear of Standing Still.
Here's one tune from that new album.
The big news over the weekend was that Biden is no longer running for President.
And the Democrats, surprisingly, put their support around Kamala Harris quickly.
I have been surprised about the speediness of the support because historically the Democratic Party usually isn't that organized or disciplined. That's more of the modus operandi of the Republican Party that has become the brain-dead GOP.
So in the presidential contest, we have a convicted felon who cannot even run a hot dog cart in the state of New York who is also a convicted sexual assaulter versus a former prosecutor and Attorney General.
Who is the "Back the Blue" cohort of voters going to vote for?
The answer probably isn't what it should be.
As Rage Against the Machine sang, "Those of those that work forces/ are the same that burn crosses."
Possibly not literally but figuratively...
But in some cases literally.
The race-based dog whistling has already started with Moscow Don's allies calling Harris the "DEI candidate."
More of that shit is coming.
It's unfortunate that this great musical artist passed away in 2020.
Here's a sold album from his 2008 release The Good Life.
I've featured a tune from this guy's album previously, but here's another fine cut off Stephen Wilson Jr.'s album from last year.
On a mainly weekday basis, I've been posting definitions from the Dictionary of American Slang, which was published in 1967, in alpha order on my FB feed.
Today I was on the letter M in the alphabet, so I posted this definition from the dictionary:
"meatball meat ball n. 1. A dull, boring person; an obnoxious person; anyone regarded with disfavor, esp. one of flat or uninteresting character; a creep, a drip, a square, a wet blanket. 2. A tactical signal flag bearing a black dot on a yellow field; also, the Japanese national flag. #. A swelling of or on the face, cause by a blow in fighting. 4. In baseball, any pitched ball that can be hit readily by a given batter. v.t. 1. To strike someone with a fist. --ism n. 1. Anti-intellectualism; the state of willing ignorance or mediocrity. 2. A state of, or instance demonstrating, decreasing standards of integrity, ethics, intelligence, and individualism in culture, politics, education, and the like; democratic rule by an uneducated, non-thinking majority."
I'm particularly fond of the term "meatballism" because I think it properly describes the U.S. for quite some time. It's an anti-intellectual country, and it's been like that for centuries.
The amount of willful ignorance is astounding, and the if you follow politics for any amount of time, the "decreasing standards" will make you depressed.
I think the U.S. is currently engaged in "democratic rule by an uneducated, non-thinking majority."
I guess there are glimmers of hope though with the Labour Party coming back into majority power in the U.K.: "How Ken Starmer Overwhelmed Britain's Conservatives."
And over in France, Macron's gamble to call an election turned out better than expected since left-leaning folks flocked to the polls and put down the right-wing idiots trying to take power: "France Electioin Results: Far Right's Rise Suffers Unexpected Blow as Left Surges."
But what does this mean for November?
At least if you're going by a flash poll by YouGov that I took today Trump hopefully is in trouble. At the time I'm writing this post, 36% of people polled think Moscow Don is mentally fit to be President, 5% think he was mentally fit to be president in 2020 but is no longer mentally fit to be president, and 54% believe he was not mentally fit to be president in 2020 and is not mentally fit today.
At least on that last answer, Biden only clocks in at 31%.
In better news, the people polled were asked about their opinion of the GOP's "Project 2025," and 53% have a very unfavorable opinion of it.
The biggest challenge before Biden is that he has to hit the swing states hard since we still live under a system that relies on the idiocy that is the Electoral College.
This tune got played on shuffle on my iPod this morning.
If it were updated for today, I think Sting would include misinformation, lies, and bullshit because of the InterWebs. Or maybe that's being too direct about matters.
The song is from my favorite album of the band, Ghost in the Machine.
A good while ago I tried this Branston spread that British people apparently like. I didn't care for it. It was way too tangy and root vegetal for my taste.
On the Interwebs I read that people recommended using the spread on cheese sandwiches. I tried that concoction, and it wasn't good.
When I think of a sandwich, I usually associate that lunch staple with some kind of deli meat, not just cheese. Yes, I know how American that statement sounds.
Lately I experimented with cheese sandwiches to good effect. Pick your favorite slices of cheese (I've tried Muenster and Havarti so far) and make a sandwich. However, the way I like it is to use sriracha mayo of some variety on both pieces of bread. It pairs well with the cheese and bread as a solid condiment.
Tottenham's away kit got released recently. You can see it below and read about it on Footy Headlines.
My only question is why Nike went with the kind of strange-looking v-neck. Why not just do a regular v-neck? I don't understand.
If I were to get a Tottenham jersey, I think this would be the one I would get. However, the damn thing costs $95. That figure is astounding.
This is one of my favorite songs of my son's current girlfriend.
I was reminded of it when it was played in between innings of my son's travel baseball game today.
As pop songs go, it's a solid tune.
This song was, for whatever reason, in heavy rotation on a couple of different SiriusXM radio stations I listen to.
You might as well enjoy it too.
The Washington Post has an exclusive report about police officers sexually abuse kids and get away with it. Please read this gifted article titled "Abused by the Badge."
No one should be above the law.
In other news, the ignoramuses who are members of the Southern Baptist Convention oppose in vitro fertilization, and a majority of the voters think women shouldn't be preachers. Check it out in "Southern Baptist Convention Votes to Oppose In Vitro Fertilization."
You can't reason with stupid.
I've been thinking of this song lately, especially the line "Jefferson, I think we're lost."
When I'm walking my dog on campus, I sometimes think of this song when we're walking by the north entrance of the library because there a number of mature Sycamores there.
So here you go.
I want a new album from this fine musician.
Here's a tune from his last album, which was outstanding.
Good news for renewable energy. The Washington Post reports that "Huge Wind Farms Use Much Less Land Than You Might Think."
The article relates something that I've seen here in the Midwest: wind farms and agriculture work together just fine. So I'm a bit perplexed how the article is that ground breaking unless you live on the East coast.
The article does talk about how turbines could work with existing structures such as roads and other non-agricultural land.
And they're also reporting that "A Small EV Tax Credit Change Makes Going Electric More Enticing." Where was this up-front $7,500 discount when I was shopping for a new car last year?
Watching The X-Files reminds me of the lousy designs of sedans that Ford and GM put out in the 90s. Ugly vehicles.
One of the great skits on SNL was Celebrity Jeopardy.