Sunday Hangover: Tennessee

It got pretty smoky in the fourth quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium last night. 

I enjoyed seeing that even though I'm no fan of second-hand smoke. 

What a pick-six at the end of the first half. I had a feeling they were going to pass at the goal-line because Greg McElroy kept talking about how they ran the ball over 90% near the goal. 

And Zabien Brown ran it back for a score for 99 yards. That was a feat of glory. 

Ryan Williams reemerged as a playmaker this game, which was good to see. He and Bernard led receivers with five receptions each. 

Miller played in the game, which was a bit surprising because he suffered a concussion against Mizzou. However, Alabama couldn't do much on the ground until later in the game when Daniel Hill played quite a bit. 

Hill needs more work at tailback. 

Ty Simpson had another solid game. He wasn't spectacular, but he was dang good. 

Overall, the Tide held a very good offense to a mere 20 points. That was a welcome sight.  

Next up is a trip to Columbia to take on the Gamecocks of South Carolina. They're unranked, but they are dangerous. 

Music Friday: "For What It's Worth"

With all the protests that happened in DC and now the ones in Chicago and Portland, this song seems appropriate. 

I will say that the Portland Frog is an inspiration. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Because it's hard to trust anything President Adolf's administration says about the economy and in light of how they are no longer putting out economic data, the Washington Post has an interesting article that shows how the economy is doing poorly based on some significant signs. 

Some of the signs are cardboard boxes, Hamburger Helper, and thrifting. 

Check out "Recession Warning Signs to Watch: Goodbye Lipstick, Hello Hamburger Helper." 

The New York Times has a great article on Nick Offerman: "Nick Offerman Woodworked His Way to Playing the President." 

I'm intrigued by the series Death by Lightning. 

I'm tired of the saying, "Chef's kiss." Just stop saying it, people.

And I feel the same way about "it's been a minute," but I think I've bitched about that stupid verbal construction before on this blog. 

This political cartoon by Clay Jones sums up the kind of people who are ICE agents.

 

Sunday Hangover: Mizzou

I had to watch the game on Sunday night because Mrs. Nasty and I went to visit our oldest kid in Carbondale in celebration of their birthday. 

That opening drive against the Tide was not good at all. As Coach Saban once said, Mizzou "ran through our ass like shit through a tin horn." 

Alabama responded although it took a while for the offense to get its stuff together on that first drive after some help from the Tigers because of a taunting penalty and an offsides.  

Ty Simpson had a solid day despite the sack that caused the fumble in our territory at the start of second half. He had 23 completions on 31 attempts for 200 yards with three passing touchdowns to Riley, Horton, and Hill. 

I am really liking how Isaiah Horton and especially Lotzeir Brooks are developing in the offense. 

Mizzou has a very good rushing defense, so it's no surprise the Tide had some difficulty at times in the run game. Overall though, Alabama gained 125 net yards on the day but no touchdowns in the running game. 

However, I liked seeing Daniel Hill get more work as possibly the second running back. He's a load.

That drive in the third quarter needed to end in a touchdown, not a field goal. It would have if Simpson wouldn't have gotten stepped on by his lineman. 

One aspect of the Tide's defense that has to improve is pass rush. Per Jesse Palmer, Alabama is last in sacks in the SEC. That stat has to get better. 

One aspect I liked of this game though was that the Tide's defense forced two fumbles. They just didn't recover either of them. 

In addition, Hubbard and the freshman Lee had an interception each, and Lee would had one earlier in the game if he just would have held on to the ball. He had an outstanding read on the pass. 

The pass rush is going to be severely hindered in the next game versus Tennessee because the Vols get the ball out of the quarterback's hand so quickly. 

Music Friday: "Song for the Dead"

I've been watching some TikTok video clips of a drummer doing intros of rock songs, and one of the ones this week was a drummer doing the intro of this song, which is a great tune. 

And now since I watched that one, the algorithm is pushing all kinds of drumming videos. 

Here's "Song for the Dead" by Queens of the Stone Age. 

Random Notes from a Crank

This political cartoon from Gary Markstein what happened in D.C. and what is now happening in Chicago and Portland. 

I'm loving all the TikTok videos showing all the goofiness that is meeting the ICE agents in Portland. The satire runs deep.

The way this administration is going we might as well put a Hitler mustache on the Statue of Liberty. 

And very few people believe this government shutdown is the fault of the Democrats  unless you're full-on MAGA. The GOP hold the Executive branch, Congress, and the Senate. They created this nonsense based on LIES. 

I recently finished a biography of Napoleon. It was a good read. 

He was a brililiant general, and some of his battle tactics are still studied to this day. 

His downfall was not listening to his advisors who told him to wait to invade Russia. And by the time he came back from Elba to engage in the Battle of Waterloo, he was past his prime. 

President Adolf has Napoleonic tendencies. 

Sunday Hangover: Vanderbilt

In the age of transfer portal, programs like Vandy are making smart moves, which makes sense because it's a great academic institution. They have smart people. 

It was tied 14 to 14 at the half with Alabama doing a no-huddle, touchdown-scoring drive right before the half on a pretty pass to Bernard. 

The Commodores didn't score in the second half. 

Jefferson stripping Pavia deep in Tide territory and the interception in the red zone were huge plays for Alabama's defense.  

Simpson slung the ball around after suffering his first interception of the season. He threw for 340 yards with touchdowns to Williams and the aforementioned Bernard. 

The announcers touted how good the Vanderbilt defense had been against the rush. 

The Tide looked great running the ball with Miller. He toted the rock 22 times for 136 yards. 

That's a good sign. The Tide just can't have to pass the ball all the time. They need to run more effectively and not just exclusively with Miller. 

LB Justin Jefferson had a day: 14 total tackles--9 solo and 5 assists. 

There was one set of downs when I got upset with OC Grubb because the calls got too cute. It was the series that petered out when they ran Bernard in the wildcat. All they needed to do was run the ball in a traditional way or let Simpson do his thing. 

The one wrinkle I really liked was letting Proctor run the ball in a short yardage situation. Let the big man eat. 

Diego Pavia had some smack talk that got some attention. He said, "But we just gotta play within the white lines. If we do that, if we play our game, it won't be close." 

It was close at halftime. 

He was halfway right. It wasn't close at the end: Vanderbilt 14, Alabama 30. 

Vanderbilt is a tough team though. They have an offense that is difficult to defend because of the need for extreme eye discipline. And our secondary, as Greg McElroy showcased during the broadcast, did a poor job of fitting gaps in run game in the first half. 

Next up is a road game against the Missouri Tigers. 

I'd like to see Proctor working as a really fullback. 

Music Friday: "Southtown Girls"

One of the albums I listened to this week was Boys and Girls in America by The Hold Steady. 

Here's the final tune on that fine album. It's a song that has always stuck with me.

My son and his girlfriend broke up recently. She treated him horribly for way too long. He needs to find a girl who treats him nicely and cares for him, not a mean narcissist.  

Sunday Hangover: Georgia

Ty Simpson was on fire in that first half. He ended the day with 24 completions on 38 attempts for 276 yards and two touchdown passes and a run for a touchdown. 

It was impressive how the Tide was able to convert third downs repeatedly in the first half. 

With how good the offense was in the first half, it sputtered in the second, and Alabama relied on a resilient defense to win 24 to 21 in Athens. 

The play below was something to behold. Earlier in that half, they had Proctor running in motion, but there was a false start, so we didn't get to see what that play was. 

I want to see him work as a fullback in short-yardage situations. 

It was a great win for the Tide. 

However, I am very concerned about how the Tide is not running the ball effectively. That part of the offense needs to improve.  

Music Friday: "Blue Train"

Here's a tune from one of the most heralded jazz albums of all time. 

Music Friday: "Northern Attitude"

One of the albums I listened to this week was Stick Season. This song is one of the tunes that gets played a lot from the album. 

I'm wondering when this dude is coming out with a new album. 

Random Notes from a Crank

In a not surprising move, the goons working for President Adolf are removing pictures of slaves' scars from being whipped by their slavemasters: "National Park to Remove Photo of Enslaved Man's Scars." 

it's just another aftermath of white supremacy running wild. 

Robert Ariail's political cartoon is a good summation. 

The Washington Post has an interesting article that talks about tree coverage in cities. It's interactive in that you can put in the city in which you live and see the tree coverage where you live. 

It's "Which Cities Have the Most Trees? See How Yours Stacks Up." 

In the town I live in, the percentage is 29.2%. Below are the previous towns I've lived in. 

Where we lived previously, in St. Louis, it's 32.8%

Tuscaloosa, Alabama comes in at 39.6%

Kansas City, Missouri has tree coverage of 34.1%. 

Kirksville, Missouri is only 20.9%. 

My hometown of Waterloo, Iowa is at 23%. 

The thinking goes, which is somewhat backed by scientific studies, that more trees is better for everyone involved because of shade, oxygen, and better mental health. People tend to be in better moods in a green environment. 

Today when I was driving to work, I saw an older lady walking with a stroller. It had a dog in it.

The absurdity of it all. We recently got a little dog, who is a Cockapoo, and he's taking walks right away. 

Dogs are not babies. 

Sunday Hangover: Wisconsin

Ty Simpson and the Alabama offense shredded Wisconsin yesterday. 

Simpson had 24 completions on 29 attempts for 382 yards and four touchdowns. He looked outstanding. 

Of the pass-catching touchdowns, Williams had two, Horton had, and Bernard had one along with a rushing touchdown. 

Simpson, unfortunately, was the leading rusher on the day with 39 yards. The Tide only gained 72 net yards on the day, which is a concern. 

Although one of the commentators said that Wisconsin has a very good defensive line, Alabama needs to run the ball more effectively, especially with a visit to Athens, Georgia looming in two weeks. 

The top two tacklers on the defense were Lawsona and Jefferson, which makes sense. And Bray Hubbard had two outstanding picks. 

We're still really missing nose tackle Tim Keenan and starting running back Jam Miller. 

I hope they'll be ready to play versus Georgia. 

Music Friday: "Tank!"

This past week I bought the soundtrack to the animated TV series Cowboy Bebop. 

Here's the famous song for the opening of the series. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I guess one of advantages of living in a small town is that you're likely not to serve on jury duty. 

I got summons last month, and I was supposed to be ready to serve on jury duty the past two weeks ending this Friday. I didn't have to show up. 

As a Vikings fan, I had some dark thoughts running through my mind for the first three quarters of the Monday Night Football game. The McCarthy era did not get off to a great start for that portion of the game. 

As fantasy football GM who drafted Jordan Mason, I was happy to see that guy running hard. 

The touchdown by Aaron Jones was bittersweet because the team I was playing started Jones. Before the TD I was winning. After the TD I lost. 

In not surprising news, the reading skills of possible incoming college students is at an all-time low: "Reading Skills of 12th Graders Hit a New Low." 

I don't understand the statement by the Education Secretary at the end of the article. She's just a flunky of Moscow Don. 

Reading and learning by reading is one of the joys of life. It is one of things that make life worth living. 

I've watched lots of videos of farmers complaining about how they're going to lose their farms because of tariffs. But I don't know about the veracity of these videos. 

I do know I wouldn't want to be a farmer who grew a lot of soybeans because China isn't buying any from the U.S. 

I wish the political cartoon was reflective of reality. But I don't know. Most of these idiots are still supporting President Adolf.

Sunday Hangover: Louisiana-Monroe

Some team had to be the collection of poor bastardsto take on the Crimson Tide after a debacle poor showing in Tallahassee. 

Yes, it was only Louisiana-Monroe, but the team looked like they had their pride hurt. They played angry and motivated. 

Simpson went 17 for 17 passing, threw TD passes, and added a rushing TD. 

Both lines manhandled the Warhawks. 

Mack and Russell both looked solid as back-up quarterbacks. They had some zip on throws for sure. 

Running back Kevin Riley got the most touches as a back with 11 carries while Richard Young and AK Dear had a touchdown apiece. 

The receiving corps did well, but the guy that stood out to me was Lotzeir Brooks because we haven't seen much from him. 

Next up is a home game versus Wisconsin.  

Music Friday: "Hope for the Night Time"

Over the past few years, I have been checking periodically if Benjamin Booker has come out with any new music. 

I really enjoyed his first two albums. 

I checked again this week and discovered he came out with one this January titled Lower. 

The new album is different than his guitar-oriented first two albums. 

I've been listening to the new album this week and am shining up to it. 

Here's the final tune on the new album. 

Random Notes from a Crank

The anti-vaccine stupidity will be infectious. Literally.  

And it's appropriate that Florida is leading in stupidity by ending vaccine mandates: "Florida Says It Plans to End All Vaccine Mandates." 

This political cartoon by Clay Jones sums up what's happening at the CDC. 

I'm with Lucy. 

I bought some plums from my local Aldi. 

I know Dr. Pepper does not contain plum juice, but its plum-like flavor has made it the second most popular pop in the U.S. 

It's surprising that plums aren't that popular. They're tasty,

As a bourbon drinker, I'm intrigued by the offerings by Holladay. I remember when I used to live near that area in Missouri, and I traveled to Weston back when it was the McCormick distillery.  

But I have a hard time buying a bourbon over forty bucks. It's just booze, man. 

My hope is that there are fewer bourbon enthusiasts in the future and supply leaps ahead of demand. 

Sunday Hangover: Florida State

This game started out as positively as an Alabama would have wanted it to. The Tide marched down the field on a long sustained drive that ate up over half the first quarter. 

Ty Simpson looked good, and we were running the ball. 

For the next 2 quarters the Crimson Tide defense looked confused, took bad angles, seemed unprepared, and got distracted with Florida State's eye-candy offense. The offense was equally inept. 

I like to think the defense would have looked at how Gus Malzahn runs his offenses. He's been around a long time, and there's tape out there of how he runs his show. 

By the time the Tide started getting its collective shit together, they had to go for it a number of times on fourth down. 

There were a number of notable blunders. The two unnecessary roughness penalties were just flat-out stupid. And on a crucial fourth down play, instead of throwing a bad pass to Williams, Simpson could have easily run for a fourth down. 

Florida State played well. Or should we just call them Transfer Portal State University? They had a revamped team based on the portal. 

In contrast, Alabama didn't lose anyone in the portal and only brought in a handful of players. 

It didn't help that the Tide didn't have its starting running back, left guard, and nose tackle playing in the game. Those missing in action made a difference. 

If a team is going to lose, it's better to lose early. 

However, the performance yesterday afternoon doesn't not inspire confidence in me that this team will make the playoffs. 

I hope they prove me wrong.   

Music Friday: "Birdhouse in Your Soul"

I heard this song this week when listening to the 1st Wave radio station on SiriusXM. 

I've always enjoyed the goofy brilliance of They Might Be Giants. 

Random Notes from a Crank

The Washington Post reports that the National Guard troops deployed for "crime" are cleaning up parks by getting rid of graffiti and trash and raking leaves: "National Guard Troops in D.C. Add Sanitation, Landscaping Duties." 

This move simply shows how President Adolf's "crime emergency" is just another example of his lies and bullshit and misuse of resources. 

I was surprised that the Vikings traded for Adam Thielan. But I guess he's probably close to retirement and might want to end his career with the team he started with. 

In a special election for an Iowa State Senate seat, a Democrat won in what I assume is usually a red district: "Democrat Caitlin Drey Wins Iowa Senate Special Election, Breaking Republican Supermajority."  I enjoyed what the DNC Chair said: "Iowans are seeing Republicans of who they are: self-serving liars who will throw their constituents under the bus to rubber stamp Donald Trump's disastrous agenda - and they're ready for change."

I am going to have to use the phrase "self-serving liars" more often.  

As is easy to expect, the Daily Kos reports that "Of Course Conservatives Are Being Weird about Taylor Swift's Engagement." 

The current administration is possibly going to depress sales of EV vehicles even though EV vehicles are being bought in other countries in the world: "EV Sales Are Booming in America--For Now." 

The big stupid bill killed the EV tax credit. 

Random Notes from a Crank

The BBC has an interesting article about the world's safest countries: "Five of the World Safest Countries for 2025." The article also provide the top ten but just features the top five in detail. 

There were some surprises for me. Neither Norway nor Sweden are in the top ten. Ireland was a bit surprising to me, but Denmark and New Zealand are usually in the top ten of most lists of countries where people are happy and safe. And I've heard good things about Portugal. 

This week's Existential Comic is a good one. It's a commentary on imperialism and the rationales people have used for conquering countries: "The Philosophy of Julius Caesar." 

The character asks a great question of Caesar: "How do you justify it philosophically?"

James McMurtry is a great songwriter. On his most recent album, The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy, he has a song about Pinocchio as an adult: "Pinocchio in Vegas." 

Today is National Dog Day. Treat your dog/s right. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I've never been an avid watcher of South Park, but the show is doing some outstanding work this season taking on President Adolf and his lackeys. 

This week's episode is wonderful satire of many topics, but my favorite part of the episode is how the characters are so reliant on ChatGPT, how stupid people are about how great it's supposed to be. 

My favorite part is when the wife pitches a business idea of turning fries into a "salad," the the AI says it's a great idea. 

I'm reading about the darker side of AI via the following book. 

After reading about the exploitation and the shit jobs people are doing for the tech companies and billionaires, you better think differently about how great AI is. 

The Micah Parsons situation with the Dallas Cowboys is bizarre. Since I am watching the Netflix documentary about the Cowboys in the 90s, the situation seems reminiscent to the Emmitt Smith holdout decades ago. 

Music Friday: "You Get What You Give"

I've always liked this song. 

It was on the radio this week when I was driving around and doing some errands. 

It's a music video set in a mall. Remember malls? 

Random Notes from a Crank

 

I got this meme from "Eat the Rich" on FB. It's appropriate. We only have so many natural resources and probably way too many unnatural ones.  

In my job I have to work with first-year students, who are usually 18-year-olds. Their inability to use the basic "attach file" function of email is astounding. Yes, I know how that statement makes me sound old as Hell. 

As reported in The New York Times, the enrollment of international students has steeply declined. President Adolf's hurdles have turned us into the United States of Xenophobia. Here's the article: "Trumps Tactics Mean Many International Students Won't Make It to Campus."

I dislike the statement, "It's been a minute." People try to make it sound funny, but it just sounds stupid. 

This political cartoon by Nick Anderson is relevant to how President Adolf is trying to sugar coat the reality of slavery as presented by the Smithsonian. 

Musing of the Moment: My Fantasy Football Draft

I took part in our league's annual fantasy draft at Buffalo Wild Wings on Saturday. 

I've been in this 10-team PPR league for a good while. And I'm pondering how I did. 

Since it's an ESPN league, they send you an email afterward with a draft grade. I got a B. 

I wasn't thrilled about the draft spot I got, which was 7th. I would have preferred 9th or 10th. 

Regardless, I usually just draft the best player available, and with the seventh pick, I drafted Lamb and picked Josh Jacobs in the second round. It's a snake draft.  

I'm a homer for Alabama players, and I had Jacobs last year when I won the league. 

In the third round, I went with Kenneth Walker because it sounds like the Seahawks are going to be run-heavy this season, and when he's healthy, he's good. 

I have never taken a quarterback in the early rounds, but there was Jalen Hurts sitting there as my best available. I also wasn't thrilled with the RBs and WRs in that part of the draft. 

I picked DeAndre Swift in the fifth round. We'll see how that pans out.

Even though I don't have to have a tight end in my league (we have three WR/TE spots with one Flex spot), Kittle was there, and he's one of few healthy pass catchers for the 49ers right now. 

In the seventh and eighth rounds, I picked Ridley and Jameson Williams, respectively. I'm hoping Ridley breaks out with Cam Ward, and I like Jameson. 

In ninth round, I went with Olave, who had a down year last season because of concussions. Someone has to catch passes in New Orleans. 

I possibly reached for Jordan Mason in the next round, but Aaron Jones rarely plays a full season, and I'm hoping Mason takes over the starting job. 

I snatched Egbuka in the eleventh, and if he breaks out like some pundits think, he could be a great value. 

I got some good news today that Daniel Jones is going to start Week 1 because I selected Pittman Jr. in the twelfth round. Supposedly Pittman has a good rapport with Jones. 

After that I nabbed Charbonnet to handcuff Walker and Drake Maye in the next round for the hell of it. 

Then in the next-to-last round, I picked the Seahawks D, which I've already dropped for the Cardinals D in Week 1. I usually stream defenses. 

And I finished it out with Alabama alum Will Reichard. I'm also a Vikings fan. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I need someone with a culinary and scientific mind to explain to me why chili seems to taste better as a leftover as compared to when you make it. 

Sometimes that seems to work the same with red sauce. 

Watching the X-Files makes one remember the terrible stylistic blandness of mid-90s American sedans. 

Well, the meeting of Moscow Don and Putin went as expected. 

President Adolf is still trying to get the taste of Putin's cock out of his mouth. This comic by Clay Bennett sums it up. 

This week's Existential Comic about William James is pretty good: "William James and the Train Robbery." 

As is expected, Moscow Don doesn't know what the hell he's talking about: "Trump Said the US Is the 'Only Country' that Uses Mail-In Voting. That's Wrong." 

I'm still waiting on the release of those Epstein files, bruh. 

Music Friday: "Owner of Lonely Heart"

One of the people I follow on TikTok does videos on how a band's song is put together and produced. 

He did an outstanding video on "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears. 

Last night as I walking the dog I watched a video of him breaking down how "Owner of Lonely Heart" was arranged. Really interesting stuff. 

I never bought any CDs from Yes, but I did enjoy this song that was in heavy rotation on MTV back when they actually played music videos. 

And like the fellow said on the video, now I cannot unhear the cow bell in this song. 

Random Notes from a Crank

The other day I watched a commercial that touted "pre-tariff pricing." I suspect we might see more of that kind of advertising in the future. 

Here are some statistics from the July and August Harper's Indexes:

• Percentage of Americans who fear that they or a loved one will be deported: 19
• Portion of Americans who say they have recently delayed a major purchase because of tariffs: 1/3
• Who say they have cancelled such a purchase entirely: 1/4
• Percentage of Americans who said last year that foreign trade represented an opportunity to grow the U.S. economy: 60
• Who say so now: 81
• Average number of instruction hours that it takes to become a lawyer in the United States: 1,250
• To become a licensed hairdresser: 1,500
• Number of excess deaths projected to occur by 2040 if cuts to foreign aid remain in place: 25,300,000
• Portion of people worldwide who say they would contribute 1 percent of their income toward combating climate change: 7/10
• Of Americans who say they would do so: 1/2
• Percentage of Americans who said that the Bible was "true" in 2016: 36
• Who say so now: 48
• Portion of Americans who regard religious leaders as trustworthy sources of medical information: 1/3

I'm surprised the fear of someone being deported is that low. I thought it would be higher. However, maybe the stat reflects the percentage of the Latino population in the U.S. 

Fucking tariffs. 

81% saying that foreign trade is a good thing is reinforced by President Adolf's stupid policies. 

The number of projected deaths because of lack of foreign aid is mind boggling. 

Too few Americans care about climate change. It's embarrassing. 

Regarding the Bible being "true" and trusting religious leaders, way too many people believe in magical thinking. Imbeciles.

Two of the biggest scams in the U.S. is how much ministers get paid and that churches don't get taxed. 

The nonsense Moscow Don is doing with Washington D.C. only strengthens my feelings that both D.C. and Puerto Rico need to become states. 

Puerto Rico has a larger population than these states: Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nebraska, Idaho, West Virginia, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Maine, Montana, Rhode Island, Delaware, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, Vermont, and Wyoming. That's 18 states. 

D.C. has a larger population than two states: Vermont and Wyoming.  

Music Friday: "Fear Is the Mind Killer"

Jesse Welles is a great fellow to follow on TikTok. Recently he put out a satirical protest song about ICE agents. 

Here's "Fear Is the Mind Killer." 

Random Notes from a Crank

Per the article in The Washington Post, unemployment is up: "U.S. Unemployment Claims Rise to Pandemic High." 

President Adolf is Making America Unemployed Again. 

On the long drive back from Fort Morgan, Alabama, the mind wanders. So I got to thinking about old-school classic rock bands and artists. 

I've sometimes thought about if I had to pick only one band/artist out of these options, which one would I choose?

• Beatles
• The Who
• Rolling Stones
• Jimi Hendrix
• Led Zeppelin
• The Doors

I grew up listening to all of these bands/artists, and they undoubtedly influenced subsequent bands I followed as I ventured headlong into alternative rock in the 80s and 90s. 

Of those six, I think I've probably listened to The Who, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix the most. 

It's a silly mental exercise, but if I had to pick one, I guess it would be Led Zeppelin. 

Speaking of which, there's a good documentary on Netflix titled Becoming Led Zeppelin. 

It's worth a viewing. 

Musing of the Moment: Celebrating Son Hueng-Min

Last night I watched this video of all of Son's goals for Tottenham. 

It's sad to see Son go to LAFC, but after ten years at the club, it sounds like he wanted a new challenge. 

I think he has at least of couple of solid years in him for the Premier League if he were to stick around. 

To my mind, I think he'll tear up the MLS because he got overplayed in this past season because of all of the injuries with Spurs. But he's going to Los Angeles, which has a huge Korean immigrant population. 

He's my favorite Spurs player. 

He stuck around and won a trophy for a club. 

COYS

Random Notes from a Crank

I haven't chimed in yet about the eventual cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, but the fact he's getting his show taken away is ridiculous. 

He has the highest-rated late-night show on TV. 

Two days before he found out he was losing his show he criticized Paramount for caving to bribing Trump so they can get its media merger. 

Here's a comic that was in Saturday's Washington Post from Tom the Dancing Bug. 

I'm surprised Bezos is letting this cartoonist do his thing since he attended President Adolf's inauguration and is trying to limit the coverage of opinions in what was an esteemed paper. 

Meanwhile, Congress passed a budget that adds to the deficit/national debt and simply helps rich people and corporations. 

And Adolf's tariff's are unlikely, as the authors of "Trumps Global Tariffs 'Victory' May Well Come at a High Price," to do what he purports them to do: "But history tells us that his overarching aim - to return production and jobs to America - may meet with very limited success. And America's long-time trading partners, like Canada and the EU, could start looking to form economic and political connections that bypass what they no longer view as a reliable economic ally." 

Jobs aren't going to return to the U.S. because of these stupid tariffs. Our trading partners are going to find more stable countries to trade with. And prices for Americans are going to go up because of tariffs. 

I'm glad I bought a half of cow over a year ago because apparently beef prices are high as hell. 

And eggs haven't gone down.  

Music Friday: "South Texas Lawman"

I recently discovered that James McMurtry has a new album out titled The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy. 

I haven't listened to it thoroughly yet, but here's the second tune on the album. 

Random Notes from a Crank

As I get older, I worry about how my brain is working. 

So when I got onto The Washington Post during our vacation here in Fort Morgan, Alabama, a couple of articles jumped out to me.

The first one is "Want to Keep Your Brain Sharp as You Age? Science May Have a Recipe." 

It's pretty clear that the Mediterranean diet is something to aspire to. I get regular exercise walking the dog weather permitting, but I could also go back to using dumbbells. 

And in this dark time during the administration of President Adolf, "7 Short, Simple Science-based Ways to Add Joy to Your Life" is worth a read. 

The phrase "little earthquakes in the mind" reminded me of this song by Tori Amos. 

Being down here in the Deep South has reminded me about how so many southerners drive way too damn slowly.

Way too many drivers are camped out in the left lane and driving slowly and clogging up traffic. 

Music Friday: "War Pigs"

Ozzy Osbourne died recently. 

He's an icon of course, and I occasionally listen to the Ozzy channel on SiriusXM radio. I grew up in that era of hard rock/heavy metal. 

For me, I liked him best as the lead singer of Black Sabbath. 

So I present to you "War Pigs." 

Musing of the Moment: Golden Hami Melons

I shopped at Aldi the other day, and there was this melon I'd never seen. It's a Golden Hami melon. 

From my vantage point, it looks like a football-shaped cantaloupe. And I like melons. 

I cut it up this afternoon, and it's colored like a cantaloupe. However, it tastes more like a honeydew. 

It's like a cantaloupe and a honeydew got busy and had a baby. 

Music Friday: "Don't Stand So Close to Me"

Here's a classic tune from The Police. 

I cannot fathom how high school teachers hit on and sometimes sleep with their students. Disgusting. 

And yes, I know the song is based on Lolita by Nabokov. But still. 

Musing of the Moment: Bark Box Adjusting to Tariffs

 

We got my dog's bark box the other day, and this was the message we got because the toys and treats were not in a box. They came in a bag. 

My hope is that more companies make similar moves in regard to Moscow Don's tariffs to expose the stupidity of his economic policies. 

Random Notes from a Crank

The comic above makes a lot of sense. I got it from The Atheist Vanguard on FB. 

As inflation worsens, all signs point toward the U.S. economy suffering stagflation. Read all about in the article by The New York Times: "U.S. Inflation Accelerated in June as Trump's Tariffs Pushed Up Prices." 

And as reported in The Washington Post, the shaky economy and tariffs are seriously affecting the travel plans of Americans: "Americans Are Downsizing Their Summer Vacations." 

If you're interested in a bit of satire, surprisingly from USA Today, check out "I Saw the New Liberal Superman Movie and It Gave Me a Woke Mind Virus." 

Of all the things that the MAGA faithful should be mad about in regard to the doings of President Adolf, they're really concerned about the release of the Epstein files? 

Those are some bizarre priorities. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Blue Cheese Dressing

This recipe is simply a small variation on the recipe in The Joy of Cooking. 

I've had a patch of garlic chives in my garden for over a decade, so I added chives, and I used white wine vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. 

Ingredients

1 cup of mayonnaise (I prefer Duke's)

1/2 cup of sour cream

1-2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

2 tablespoons of chives

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

4 ounces of crumbled blue cheese

Process

Whisk together everything except the blue cheese in a mixing bowl. Fold in the blue cheese and move to some manner of dressing container. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Cajun Sausage and Veggies

I made up this dish with what I had lying around. I used my Blackstone griddle.

Ingredients

1 lb. of turkey kielbasa but into half moons 

1/2 head of cabbage

1 cup of cauliflower florets

1 cup of broccoli florets

1 small yellow onion, diced

Avocado oil 

Brickstone Cajun seasoning

Process

I put the griddle to medium heat and dumped all the ingredients, added some oil, and added seasoning. 

Cook it for a while, flip the ingredients from time to time, add oil and seasoning as you go, and it's done in about 20 minutes. 

Music Friday: "History of the Future"

I enjoy some good psychedelic rock. I finally got around to getting Freak Out! by the Mothers of Invention. 

And I realized I hadn't kept up with the newer releases from The Black Angels. 

Here's a tune from the band's 2022 album Wilderness of Mirrors. 

Music Friday: "Stop"

Since it's the Fourth of July, I thought I'd share a song that epitomizes American exceptionalism and arrogance. 

Music Friday: "Black Dog"

On TikTok there are some channels that have various people listening to tunes and getting their reactions. 

The ones I've seen the most often are people reacting to System of Down's "Chop Suey!"

But today, and I'm late with this post, I'm going with Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog," which is also featured in such videos. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I read an article in Mother Jones about Rep. Maxwell Frost: "Why Maxwell Frost Wants Democrats to 'Get Caught Fighting.'"

Later that day he was on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He's sharp as hell. 

When he turns 30, he needs to run for the U.S. Senate to kick out one of the GOP douche bags in Florida--hopefully that penis-look-alike Rick Scott. 

Lately I've become irritable about the drivers where I live. They drive so damn slowly. 

So this past weekend I was in Muncie, Indiana for a baseball tournament, and the drivers around there might be even morse. 

People were driving so slow, especially around corners. It's like I was in the Deep South again with all these slow-ass drivers. 

What's the deal with people calling sports stars/personalities by their first names? My in-laws do this with professional golfers they follow. Or most notably they use when they talk about Caitlin Clark. They call her "Caitlin" in casual conversation. 

I just find that weird because using the first name connotes a personal connection. 

Well, the U.S. under President Adolf is back to bombing brown people because of "weapons of mass destruction." 

We've seen that move before. The president's poll numbers are in the crapper, so the administration gets into some kind of military intervention based on shoddy intelligence. 

There are some consequences here. First, Congress is the only entity that can wage war, not the Executive Branch. Moscow Don has basically involved us in a war because he's just doing what Israel wants. 

Second, one can assume Iran is going to react in various ways, whether it's related to the Strait of Hormuz or sleeper cells inside the U.S. doing terrorist activities.

The Trump administration is making America poor and making American less safe again. 

Music Friday: "Horses"

They've been playing this tune quite a bit on SiriusXM The Spectrum. I liked the song and decided to purchase his album, Middle. 

Here's "Horses" by Jesse Welles. 

Random Notes from a Crank

 

I saw this image from the Radical Centrist on FB. I thought I'd share. 

If you were to make a Venn diagram of these assertions, that Venn diagram don't hunt. 

I don't understand why Tottenham Hotspur appears not to be showing any interest in the Canadian striker Jonathan David. 

He's a free agent. He's two-footed. He's productive. He's in his mid-20s. And there's no transfer free. I think he's a fabulous player. 

In a recent YouGov daily survey, 50% of people polled said "Yes" to this question:"Would you ever vote for a third party or an independent candidate?" I said Yes to that question. I'd vote for one for sure if the candidate was viable. 

The third question was "Do you think a third major political party is necessary for the United States, or are the Democratic and Republican parties enough?" 55% answered "A third party is necessary in the U.S." Only 20% agreed with "The Democratic and Republican parties are enough to represent Americans." 25% were "Not sure." 

Mother Jones has a solid short article that describes the importance of preserving and probably expanding wetlands: "The Economic Case for Preserving America's Wetlands." 

As the author relates, wetlands work like sponges, so they can prevent the massive flooding events that are only going to be more frequent because of climate change. Unfortunately, under the the administration of President Adolf, I doubt many projects like the one in Raleigh are going to get going.  

A frightening article in that same issue of Mother Jones is one about Clearview AI, a facial-recognition tech company whose founders have ties to right-wing extremists, Holocaust deniers, and Neo-Nazis. 

Check out "The Shocking Far-Right Agenda behind the Facial Recognition Tech Used by ICE and the FBI."

Here are some interesting statistics from the June "Harper's Index":

• Percentage by which tourism to the United States is projected to decrease this year: 9
• Percentage increase this year in seizures of eggs being smuggled into the United States: 48
• Percentage increase last year in the number of U.S. households that owned chickens: 28
• Factor by which the word "notable" appears more frequently in AI-generated sentences than in those written by humans: 13
• By which the word "esteemed" does: 120

I'm surprised the decrease in tourism is only projected to be 9%. I thought it would be in the high teens.

I'll be on the lookout for "notable" and "esteemed."