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.
Saturday, June 28, 2025
Music Friday: "Black Dog"
Monday, June 23, 2025
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.
Friday, June 20, 2025
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.
Thursday, June 19, 2025
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
Monday, June 16, 2025
Random Notes from a Crank
I know the Trinidad & Tobago national team is a weak side, but the US Men's National Team had a solid match against them on Sunday in the Gold Cup. As a Tottenham fan and as an American, I want Pochettino to succeed.
I like his brand of football.
But what is the definition of success for the USMNT?
Saturday's insanely expensive so-called celebration of the military/military parade for Moscow Don/President Adolf was a resounding failure in terms of what Adolf expected it to be.
The videos on TikTok and the truthful media coverage have been satirically ruthless about how pathetic and how poorly attended the event was.
So low energy...
So much like a guy with a small dick trying to compensate...
Tottenham hired Thomas Frank after sacking Ange. Of the options available, he was probably the best choice. It should be an intriguing transfer window.
I just hope we keep Romero and Son for at least another season. Ideally, I'd like to see Spurs extend Son for one more season, have this coming season be his last at the club, and sell him to whatever club he wants to go to for a decent fee.
I want to see Archie Gray playing in the 6 and the 8 positions. He's a midfielder. Playing as a right or left back or even as a center-back should be emergency option.
Sunday, June 15, 2025
Musing of the Moment: Father's Day Thoughts
Friday, June 13, 2025
Music Friday: "Everyday People"
Friday, June 6, 2025
Music Friday: "Change of the Guard"
I finally got around to grooving on the music of Kamasi Washington.
Here's the opening tune on The Epic.
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Modified Pasta alla Zozzona with Mushrooms
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Musing of the Moment: Ineptitude at Tottenham
Friday, May 30, 2025
Music Friday: "Subterranean Homesick Blues"
I've been driving a lot this week for a host of reasons.
This song was featured during the recent episode of David Fricke's show on SiriusXM when he had the lead singer of Little Feat on his program.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Random Notes from a Crank
I saw this on Bluesky and thought I'd share it.
What the hell is wrong with people in the United States of America to think this narcissistic, incompetent, fat-ass, moronic grievance merchant is the right person to be President?
I answered the daily questions from YouGov today.
Here were the three questions:
- Do you generally have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion of yourself?
- Do you generally have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the people you interact with regularly?
- Do you generally have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Americans overall?
Random Notes from a Crank
If you want to watch a solid documentary about the somewhat recent past, you need to check American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden.
The film starkly contrasts the Bush and Obama administrations. They had bin Laden trapped in the mountains, but for whatever reason, the Bush administration did not use troops to scoop up the leader.
Whereas when Obama had a chance to get him, and it was a risky call that his Vice President advised against him doing, Obama went forward on the special operation to take down what they found out to be bin Laden.
This contrast goes against the common thinking that the GOP is tough on crime and terrorism, whereas the leader of Democratic Party is one who ordered the takedown of the mastermind of 9/11.
Tottenham Hotspur won the Europa League, so there's been quite a party going on in N17.
I'm an "Ange In" guy, so the club needs to get it together and acquire some players that will make us competitive in the Champions League.
It's pretty simple. He won silverware for a club that hasn't won a competition in 17 years.
Get it done.
Friday, May 23, 2025
Music Friday: "Funny Vibe"
Thursday, May 22, 2025
Random Notes from a Crank
Friday, May 16, 2025
Music Friday: "Gild the Lily"
Monday, May 12, 2025
Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Dumbed-Down Pasta alla Zozzona
Random Notes from a Crank
Friday, May 9, 2025
Music Friday: "Buggin' Out" & "Check the Rhime"
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Musing of the Moment: Tottenham to a European Final
Tottenham beat Bodo Glimt 2 to 0 in the second leg of the semifinal with goals from Solanke and Porro.
Spurs are in the Europa League Final and will face Manchester United. It's a Premier-League Final.
The last time Tottenham was in a European final they faced another red-clad, Premier-Leage team: Liverpool.
My hope is the outcome is different in 2025.
Come On You Spurs.
Friday, May 2, 2025
Music Friday: "Bad State of Mind"
I've heard this song played on the SiriusXM station The Spectrum.
I immediately enjoyed the sound of this band and will probably be checking out their first two albums.
Treaty Oak Revival is a new band to me.
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Random Notes from a Crank
The Canadian Prime Minister, who has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Oxford, has a more realistic view of what's happening: "Our old relationship with the United States, a relationship based on steadily increasing integration, is over. The system of open global trade anchored but the United States, a system that Canada has relied on since the Second World War, a system that, while not perfect, has helped deliver prosperity for a country for decades, is over."
What's more menacing is how President Adolf tariff nonsense has strengthened China's position in the world economy. China is now importing soybeans from South American and getting its beef and pork from other countries.
I woke up in a pissed-off mood this morning because I was thinking about how the head coach of high school basketball team basically wasted my son's junior year. And to a certain extent, the head coach of the high school baseball team is doing something similar.
As I was driving to a baseball game yesterday, I caught the broadcast of the Barcelona-Inter Milan Champions League match, the first tie of two matches. It sounded like it was bananas.
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Musing of the Moment: Canada's Election as a Harbinger of Good?
Friday, April 25, 2025
Music Friday: "Bring on the Night/When the World Is Running Down You Make the Best of What's (Still Around)"
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Random Notes from a Crank
If you like this image, I got it from SheTraps.
Monday, April 21, 2025
Musing of the Moment: Oncoming Proposals to Improve Birthrates
- Do you know how expensive child care costs if the parents both work?
- Have you looked at how high rent is?
- Have you considered how expensive buying a new home costs?
- Do you know how expensive it is to raise a child?
- Do people have access to IVF?
- Do you know how expensive IVF is?
- Have you noticed that people are getting married later in life?
- Do you realize how many people are in student loan debt?
- How does parental leave work in the U.S.?
- Don't you even understand how tariffs work?
- Have you bought a dozen eggs lately?
- Do you realize how much the U.S. economy relies on Chinese imports?
- Don't you know how expensive health care is in America?
Friday, April 18, 2025
Music Friday: "Give It Time"
Thursday, April 17, 2025
Random Notes from a Crank
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Random Notes from a Crank
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Random Notes from a Crank
- Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan)
- Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania)
- J.B. Pritzker (Illinois)
- Andy Beshear (Kentucky)
- Tim Walz (Minnesota)
Sunday, April 13, 2025
Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Spicy Green Sauce
Friday, April 11, 2025
Music Friday: "Doors Unlocked and Open"
I listened to Codes and Keys this week. And here's a tune from that great album by Death Cab for Cutie.
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Random Notes from a Crank
The New York Times has a helpful article about simple moves one can make to remain healthy and live longer: "5 Science-Backed Longevity Hacks That Don't Cost a Fortune."
The article validates my daily practice of walking the dog. I could get back to doing dumbbell work on my upper body though.
And I'm a big fan of fresh fruits and vegetables.
"Training my brain to be more optimistic" isn't realistic though. I've been a grouchy 80-year-old man trapped in a younger body since I was a kid.
Regardless, one has to be concerned because I am currently in the drop-dead years for men that the comedian Bill Burr talked about in his most recent stand-up special on Hulu.
Burr has an appropriate take on Musk, his DOGE goons, and the cronies of President Adolf.
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Random Notes from a Crank
What he says above makes sense to me.
It makes me think about what my mentor in grad school said about "extra money." He said it's an oxymoron.
With what President Adolf is doing to the U.S. economy and the world's economies, that statement is clearly apparent.
Normally when someone says, "I know what I'm doing," that person is indicating they don't know what they're doing. Moscow Don is a case in point.
For no good reason, the current administration is going after international students in the U.S.: "With Secret Moves against International Students, Feds Spread Fear."
The complicity of the GOP to what Moscow Don is doing can be summed up in this image.
Monday, April 7, 2025
Random Notes from a Crank
I found an image on a social media site.
It says, "A straw man walking a red herring up a slippery slope on his way to the comment section."
It's true. Reading the comments on a newspaper's site will make you understand how stupid the average person is, which reminds me about what George Carlin said.
Friday, April 4, 2025
Unpopular Opinion: David Bowie Is Just Ok
Music Friday: "The Fourth Night of My Drinking"
Random Notes from a Crank
In not-so-surprising news, the travel and tourism industry is getting hit hard as hell because President Adolf has pissed off Canadians. The Washington Post's article, "Canadian Travel to U.S. Is Plummeting: 'There's a Lot of Anger,'" relates that fact with lots of details.
The consequences are going to affect two red states in particular: Florida and Arizona. There are estimates that there are going to be 4 million fewer travelers to the U.S. because of this anger and Canadian patriotism.
If I were Canadian, I'd just vacation in Mexico, Costa Rica, or Belize.
Also, I would think European travelers will be avoiding the U.S.
As the saying goes, FAFO, America.
Based on Moscow Don's tariff policies, if one were to buy say a Nissan Sentra, which would normally be about $22,000, it now would cost, at minimum, $27,280.
I wonder what percentage of automotive parts are made in China and Japan? A cursory search panned out that it's not as large of a percentage as I assumed: 9.5% from China and 9.4% from Japan.
However, 38% of automative parts come from Mexico, and 10% come from Canada. I'm assuming those are still subject to a 25% tariff.
As I drove over to get my car an oil change this morning, I saw that gas prices went up. In my little corner of the planet, gas is $3.39 a gallon.
61% of the oil we import comes from Canada, which is a country hit by 25% tariffs.
The one country not hit by tariffs?
Russia.
Moscow Don at work. Not really. He's golfing on my tax dollars.
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Random Notes from a Crank
As the author says, "demolition, today, is a perverse luxury of economies where materials are cheap and labor expensive. It is a ubiquitous part of the architectural cycle -- building, erasing, and rebuilding -- with thought to the reuse of old materials, or the environmental cost of creating ever new supplies of concrete, steel, and gypsum board."
As I am sure other left-leaning pundits have opined, if you are a Democratic candidate for a competitive House or Senate seat in the midterms, whether for federal or state office, you surely want to Elon Musk to campaign for sychophantic GOP candidate.
Or at the very least the Democratic candidate needs to show how much Musk donated to the GOP campaign.
The guy gets people angry and motivated.
Unfortunately, the actor Val Kilmer died. On one of the SiriusXM stations I listen to regularly, the host recommended the documentary about him simply titled Val.
I enjoy reading newspapers outside the U.S. to get a good perspective on things: "Trump Goes Full Gameshow Host to Push His Tariff Plan - And Nobody's a Winner."
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Random Notes from a Crank
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Salt-Pepper Seasoning for the Griddle
Friday, March 28, 2025
Music Friday: "End Times"
I've been listening to a bunch of albums by Eels this week.
Here's "End Times" from the End Times album.