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. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Modified Pasta alla Zozzona with Mushrooms

This recipe is a modification of the "Dumbed-Down Pasta alla Zozzona" I made recently. 

I cut the bacon and added garlic and mushrooms. 

Ingredients

1 lb. of Italian sausage

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 egg yolks

1 egg

1/2 cup of Parmesan-Romano cheese

A healthy amount of cracked black pepper

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1 package of fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1/2 cup of dry white wine (I used a Chardonnay)

1 bottle of pasatta (I used the Rutti brand)

1 lb. of penne pasta (use the tubular pasta of your choice)

Process

I used a Dutch oven for this dish, but if you have a very large saute pan, that will work too. 

I cooked the pasta and then drained it while doing this. Reserve some pasta water in case you need to thin out the sauce a bit. 

Set to medium heat, add a little extra virgin olive oil, add in the onion and bay leaves, cook the onion for roughly ten minutes, and add in the sausage. Cook the sausage thoroughly. I broke up the sausage with potato masher and mixed the sausage and onion together.  

Add the wine, set to high to burn off the alcohol, then move the heat to just under medium heat 

Add in the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for a minute or two. Take out the bay leaves and add the sliced mushrooms. 

Add in the passata and do a low-key simmer for approximately 15 minutes. 

Combine the egg yolks, egg, cheese, and a ton of freshly cracked black pepper. Mix thoroughly. 

Add the pasta into the Dutch oven. Thoroughly mix it in and cook for approximately 5-10 minutes. 

Taste to see if you need to add salt and pepper (I added a little of each). 

Take the Dutch oven off the heat and mix in the egg-cheese mixture. Serve. 

Musing of the Moment: Ineptitude at Tottenham

It's June 3rd, and over ten days after Tottenham won the Europa League, fans like me are not sure if Ange is still the manager, and there appears to be a shakeup with the board. 

It's ridiculous. 

After winning the Europa League and then finishing the season with an unfortunate loss, the chairman of the ENIC board Daniel Levy went on vacation. 

He went on vacation during a time when other clubs are taking advantage of this new mini-transfer window. 

Other clubs are signing players while there's silence in N17. 

Ineptitude. 

Ange In. 

Levy out.

Why did I have to choose a Premier League club that is so poorly run? 

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. 

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?

With the first question, I chose "somewhat favorable," which was the highest percentage at 46%.

With the second, I chose "somewhat unfavorable," which was only 8%. The highest percentage was 55% for "somewhat favorable." 

With the third, I chose "very unfavorable," which was only 7%. The highest percentage was "somewhat favorable" at 45%. And "somewhat unfavorable" was 24% and "very favorable" at 16%. 

A lot of people in the U.S. won't get this reference, which concurs with my "very unfavorable" choice for the third question, but Americans are Panglossian. 

They lack self awareness. 

And as George Carlin famously said, think about how dumb the average person is and then consider how many people are dumber than than the average person. 

People who back into parking spaces think they're better than everyone else. 

I was at one of my local grocery stores the other day and was reminded of how lazy people were. [In Seinfeld voice] What's the deal with people not returning their carts to a cart coral and just leaving them in at the entryways? 

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. 

Music Friday: "Funny Vibe"

I woke up this morning and had my coffee while watching a video on YouTube. 

I thought about what song to feature today, and for whatever reason "Funny Vibe" came to mind. 

Here you go. 

Living Colour is such a great band. 

Random Notes from a Crank

As was expected, Moscow Don's foolish economic policies have made the economy worse because of his stupid tariffs and the amount of debt the U.S. owes to all kinds of countries: "Markets Rattled on Concerns about U.S. Debt." 

This is what the U.S. gets when the country votes in a moron who bankrupted a casino.

The GOP says they care about budget deficits, but when they get the White House, the deficit increases. 

They only seem to care about the deficit when a Democrat is in office. 

I recently purchased some chia seeds because I've been reading about the health benefits of eating them. People suggest using them with yogurt. 

I've moved from the high-sugar yogurts to something much healthier. I'm going with Greek yogurt with fruit intermixed, and I add some honey for a bit of sweetness. Then I will sprinkle in some chia seeds. 

Here's what Healthline says about chia seeds: "Chia Seeds 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits." 

Tottenham Hotspur won the Europa League yesterday. #COYS

I'm intrigued with which new players will join the club to bolster its squad because of the Champions League competition. 

Music Friday: "Gild the Lily"

I had heard this song quite often listening to the SiriusXM Spectrum channel. 

Come to find out that the new album by Billy Strings is a double album - twenty songs in total. 

Here's "Gild the Lily." 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Dumbed-Down Pasta alla Zozzona

I subscribe to Sip and Feast on YouTube, and this is a variation of his recipe. I don't think I've ever seen guanciale around these parts of east-central Illinois. Hell, I rarely see pancetta around here. 

And since I only see pecorino romano at Aldi on occasion, I just had to use parmesan. 

And before I watched the video, I had no idea what the heck pasatta was. I was able to acquire that via the InterWebs. 

If you want a truly Roman version of this dish, check out "Pasta alla Zozzona - The Secret Roman Pasta I Can't Stop Making." 

After we ate this today, the comment I made to Mrs. Nasty was that if I had to add anything to this dish, it would be mushrooms. I don't know if that would be a sacrilege or not. 

Ingredients

4 slices of good bacon, cut into small pieces

1 lb. of Italian sausage

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 egg yolks

1 egg

1/2 cup of Parmesan-Romano cheese

A healthy amount of cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1/2 cup of dry white wine

1 bottle of pasatta (I used the Rutti brand)

1 lb. of penne pasta (use the tubular pasta of your choice)

Process

I used a Dutch oven for this dish, but if you have a very large saute pan, that will work too. 

Place the bacon into the oven and render it. Pull it out and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. 

I cooked the pasta and then drained it while doing this. Reserve some pasta water in case you need to thin out the sauce a bit. 

Set to medium heat and add in the sausage. Cook halfway through and add in the onion. I broke up the sausage with potato masher and mixed the sausage and onion together. 

Add the pepper flakes and distribute them for a minute or two. 

Add the wine, set to high to burn off the alcohol, then move the heat to just under medium heat, and add the Passata. 

Combine the egg yolks, egg, cheese, and a ton of freshly cracked black pepper. Mix thoroughly. 

Set the sauce to a low-key simmer for approximately 15 minutes and add the pasta. Thoroughly mix it in and cook for approximately 10 minutes. 

Taste to see if you need to add salt (I added a little). 

Take the Dutch oven off the heat and mix in the egg-cheese mixture. Serve. 

One of the aspects of this dish that surprised me is that it does not call for any garlic at all.  

Random Notes from a Crank

As I can attest to, gardening is good for people from a physical and mental standpoint. The New York Times has a nice little article about the subject: "Why Gardening Is So Good for You." 

As much as I hate weeding, especially flower beds, I enjoy seeding and planting new crops. 

However, there are benefits of digging in the dirt. 

I'm in the midst of watching the Netflix documentary Turning Point: The Vietnam War. It's a good documentary. It's not as good as the PBS documentary by Ken Burn and Lynn Novick, but it's solid. 

As I was watching the third episode "Life Is Cheap," I had the idea or rather the question of whether anyone has ever written speculative novel that narrates what would have happened if Bobby Kennedy would not have been assassinated and would have become President in 1968. 

I guess what I'm looking for is perhaps some positive speculative fiction. 

At an antique bazaar we went to on Saturday, I bought a movie poster for Ferris Bueller's Day Off, easily one of the best comedies of the 80s. 

The poster inspired me to watch the movie yesterday, and it was excellent. 

The one scene in which the teacher talks about the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act that launched the Great Depression and George W. Bush's description of "voodoo economics" is relevant. 

Music Friday: "Buggin' Out" & "Check the Rhime"

One of the albums I listened to this week was The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest. 

Here are two standout tunes from this opus. 

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. 

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. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Lots of things are going to get more expensive. 

A bunch of idiots are counting on Moscow Don to make some deals that help the U.S. and bring business and industry back to the United States. The New York Times has a good article on this nonsense: "A Flashing Economic Warning and a Sharp Political Jolt." 

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. 

Based on the highlights, it was. 

I don't have a team I'm rooting for in that competition, but I certainly want PSG to beat Arsenal. 

Musing of the Moment: Canada's Election as a Harbinger of Good?

The New York Times reports that the Liberal Party of Canada won the election this week, so the new Prime Minister is Mark Carney. 

See "Mark Carney's Liberals Win Canada's Election. Here Are Four Takeaways." 

As polls have shown this week, Moscow Don's approval rating is in the crapper. 

The Democrats need to take advantage of this goon's failings, overreach, idiocy, and mismanagement to take the House back in 2026. 

Get it done. 

Music Friday: "Bring on the Night/When the World Is Running Down You Make the Best of What's (Still Around)"

Sting's Bring on the Night live album is one of the albums I listened to this week. 

Back when I had this album on cassette, I played the hell out of this opus. I have always been a huge fan of the Police and Sting. And this album is great. 

Random Notes from a Crank

In a FAFO moment, the current administration is denying disaster relief to ruby red Arkansas, which is surely a stinging rebuke to his former press secretary who is the governor of the Natural State. 

If you like this image, I got it from SheTraps. 

Apparently, President Adolf and his goons want to eliminate FEMA and leave relief funding/repairs to states and local governments. I'm not sure how that's going to work. That idea is as illogical as his dumbass tariffs. 

The Guardian has a good article about it: "Trump Denies Aid for Arkansas after Storms That Killed More than 40 People." 

Ah, the result of GOP Complicity...

Some Chinese folks on social media are doing some good work: "For China's Trolls, 'Chairman Trump' and "Eyeliner Man' Are Easy Targets." Check out the video of the "Chinese Trump." 

I've been using a 50/50 white vinegar and water mix for cleaning for years. The BBC has an interesting article about the benefits of using vinegar: "'Its Strength Is Its Simplicity': The Benefits of Cleaning with Vinegar." 

Archeologists found a skeleton that provides proof that gladiators had to fight large mammals: "A Roman Gladiator and a Lion Met in Combat. Only One Walked Away." So all those movies about gladiators have some proof about depictions. 

Musing of the Moment: Oncoming Proposals to Improve Birthrates

I've read a number of newspaper articles about how the current administration has plans to boost the birthrates in the U.S. There's even talk about giving mothers a $5,000 "baby bonus" after they have a kid. 

How you gonna fund that, bro? 

I don't get the fascination with improving the birthrates in the U.S. But I do think that their proposals and plans are not probably going to address the reasons why birthrates have been declining in the U.S. for quite a while.

To expose some of the factors that probably affect the U.S. birthrate, I'm going to ask some simple questions, and as you read these, please do so in your head with a snarky tone:

• 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?

Actually, if the U.S. went to universal health care like every other modern, industrialized nation in the world, that move might actually improve the U.S. birthrate. 

Instead, we have one of the most expensive health care systems because of health insurance, medical, and big Pharma lobbyists pimping owning politicians in D.C. 

Music Friday: "Give It Time"

I've gotten into the band Goose over the past year or so. I listen to their live performances on the SiriusXM station Jam On, and this tune from their album that comes out next week has been featured on the Spectrum channel. 

There are two videos here - one official for the song and then a live performance. 

Random Notes from a Crank

After watching Elizabeth Warren's appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, it's pretty clear to me that she is the President of the United States that the country should have had. 

She was my first choice, and Kamala was my second choice. 

Thursday's word of the day on my word-of-the-day calendar was "superbity," which is a noun meaning "haughtiness or arrogance." That's a new one on me, but it's a word that can applied to current conditions in the U.S. for sure. 

I saw a guy on Tik Tok talking about a "joke going around the White House this week." It's "What do all the universities that Trump is targeting have in common? Baron didn't get into them." 

It's probably true. He's attending NYU.

The Washington Post has reported on the proposed cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services: "Internal Budget Document Reveals Extent of Trump Program Cuts." 

Apparently they plan to eliminate Head Start, and there are severe cuts to the hospitals in rural areas. As the article states, "Rural programs formerly under the Health Resources and Services Administration appear to be hard-hit. The rural flexibility grants, state offices of rural health, rural residency development program and at-risk rural hospitals program grants are listed as eliminations under AHA." 

Rural America, FAFO. You nitwits voted for this idiotic goon. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Rachel Maddow covered the imbecility of the Secretary of Education extensively in one of her shows, but the marketing gurus took it a step further with this Instagram post. 

That's some pretty good satire right there. 

I happened upon an interesting article from the BBC that talks about how people are using brewers spent grain. They're experimenting will turning it into food products and an alternative to leather. Check it out in "How Beer Sludge Is Being Turned into Vegan Milk and Leather." 

My word-of-the-day calendar shows that today's word as "mala fide," which is an adverb or adjective meaning "with or in bad faith." That word sums up a lot about the current administration in D.C. 

My club, Tottenham Hotspur, have a huge away game tomorrow. 

As much as I like Ange, if he doesn't win it all in the Europa League, I think he's going to get sacked. 

The team went through a dreadful spell for about three months when they had all kinds of injuries, but with the way he has turned again or criticized the fans, I don't think he'll survive for next season. 

But I hope to be proven wrong by him winning a trophy and Spurs doing well in the remaining games in the Premier League. 

Random Notes from a Crank

In the wake of all kinds of deregulation from the Adolf administration, the U.S. is set be a hell of a lot less safe and more polluted: "Inside Trump's Plan to Halt Hundreds of Regulations." 

I saw a clip from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart talking to Rahm Emanuel about who will become the next leader of the Democratic Party, who will become the next presidential candidate. 

Emanuel seemed to think that the next leader will be a governor, which got me contemplating which governors would be good choices: 

• Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan)
• Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania)
• J.B. Pritzker (Illinois)
• Andy Beshear (Kentucky)
• Tim Walz (Minnesota)

I'd be fine with any of those people. Beshear is the only person from a traditionally red state.

The notion that other countries "stole" American jobs is asinine. The ultra wealthy and greedy corporations moved those jobs to other countries because they didn't want to pay U.S. workers what they deserved and didn't want to follow sensible environmental regulations. Instead, they wanted to employ sweatshop cheap workers in foreign countries. 

Moscow Don and his cronies are defying court orders. We are in a constitutional crisis. 

President Adolf has bankrupt this country morally and ethically. And don't forget money. The guy who somehow got a casino to go bankrupt is fleecing Americans because of his stupid tariffs and his dumb economic policies like tax cuts for the wealthy. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Spicy Green Sauce

I got the basis of this recipe from a guy on YouTube who does good work, Sip and Feast. I modified it a bit according to my taste. 

Ingredients

1 cup of sour cream

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

1/4 cup of diced yellow onion

3 cloves of garlic 

Half of a lime, juiced

1 Serrano pepper, seeds and membrane removed (or pepper of your choice)

1/2 cup of fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of Penzey's Salsa seasoning

Smidge of Penzey's Justice seasoning 

Process

It's pretty easy. Put everything into a blender. Blend until smooth and transfer to squeeze bottle of some sort. 

I original recipe called for a jalapeño, but I don't have any of those, so I used a Serrano. 

I might try this with a Caribbean Red Hot habanero I grew last summer. 

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. 

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.

I especially like the rant on his podcast. 

In bizarre news, the person nominated to be oversee the Bureau of Land Management under the Department of Interior withdrew because people found that she wrote a letter that was highly critical of Moscow Don's lies about the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol. 

She stepped down because they found that she was critical of the lying autocrat, by being disgusted at what happened on Jan. 6th. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Back in the 90s I was an avid reader of the work of Henry Rollins, and I listened to spoken-word performances. 

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. 

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.  

In areas that are likely to be hit hard by tariffs, the Canadian government has an ad campaign that is trying to educate dumb Americans. The New York Times has an interesting article about this move: "Canada Drops the Gloves in the Tariff Spat, Makes Its Case on U.S. Billboards." 

I hope the Democratic Party does something similar. 

Regardless, the last paragraph of that article is hilarious: "'Normally, Canadian fans come down on buses,' she said. 'I hope they know we like to have them. They sure are nicer than Philadelphia fans.'" 

Oh lady, travel and tourism to the U.S. is definitely taking a hit.

I saw that Soundgarden has been nominated three times for the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame and has not gotten in. That's a travesty. 

Vote for Soundgarden.

When we visited the Hall of Fame years ago, I think that was the year after Pearl Jam got in. And I remember this video playing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" in which Prince just totally shreds. It's a great solo. 

Prince was a genius and an underrated guitar player. 

And then there's this. He brings the funk even better than the original. 

When we lived in St. Louis, Mrs. Nasty went to one of his concerts. I should have gone too. 

I need to reacquire Sign O' The Times. That's a great album. 

Happy National Beer Day. 

Unpopular Opinion: David Bowie Is Just Ok

One of the girls I dated for a while in high school was a huge fan of David Bowie.

Critics and fans often describe him as a "genius" and consider him one of the best and most prolific musicians of all time. 

I never really felt that way at all. I never bought any of his albums. His music was all right I guess, but it never moved me. I mean the Ziggy Stardust alterego was interesting I guess. 

But I've never been a huge fan of pop music except for some of the alternative stuff in the 80s and 90s. 

So as for David Bowie, he's just ok. 

Music Friday: "The Fourth Night of My Drinking"

Yesterday I listened to quite a bit of the Drive-By Truckers. 

Here's a gem from The Big To-Do. 

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. 

Random Notes from a Crank

The Washington Post has an interesting article up about how the building industry should learn from the work of the ancient Romans: "These Old Roman Buildings Could Unlock How to Build in a Warming World." The basic premise is that you can reuse a lot of building materials rather than destroying everything from a previous building and dumping it in a landfill. 

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."

Random Notes from a Crank

The word on my Word-of-the-Day calendar on Monday was "claque," which is a noun meaning "1. a group hired to applaud at a performance 2. A group of servile flatterers." 

The second definition is a good word to describe the GOP and its complicity in what Moscow Don is doing. 

The Athletic had an article about the use of "torpedo bats" in MLB. It'll be interesting to how pitchers adjust to these bats. Here's an article by the AP: "Torpedo-Shaped Bats Draw Eyes after Yankees Hit Team-Record 9 Homers in Rout of Brewers." 

I wonder whether metal bat manufacturers are going to experiment with similar designs. 

At work I noticed a packet of Domino's red pepper flakes lying on the stairs I climb every time I come into work. It's been there for at least two weeks. I'm waiting to see how long it takes for someone, the custodian or someone else, to pick it up and throw it away. It's like an ad hoc sociological experiment. 

The folks at Existential Comics are doing some great work. Check out "The Frog and the Scorpion from a Rational Point of View." 

Hit the link and follow them. I look forward to their new comic every Monday. 

I watched an old documentary about Thomas Jefferson on my local PBS station last night. It's the second episode. He takes office as President, so it covers his two terms. 

It also brings up the speculation about Sally Hemings, and a number of historians in the documentary say that Jefferson probably didn't have sexual relations with her. 

Time has proven them wrong. Monticello does history right with the site's "The Life of Sally Hemings." 

Two summers ago the Nasty family visited Monticello and Charlottesville after spending a great deal of time taking in the sights of Washington D.C. We visited Mount Vernon on our way there, which was a lot of fun also. 

If you're into American history, I highly recommend visiting Monticello. In retrospect, I should have bought some of the site's seeds that come from the mountaintop mansion and grounds. Jefferson was obsessed with gardening. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Salt-Pepper Seasoning for the Griddle

I got a griddle over a year ago after my grill went kaput. When I got the Blackstone, I also got the griddle paraphernalia that comes along with it. 

So I have one of those stainless shakers to use for whatever I want to put into it. 

Here's my initial recipe that I may modify on down the line. 

Ingredients

2/3 cup of fine kosher salt

1/3 cup of black pepper

1 TB of onion powder

1 TB of garlic powder

1 TB of Penzey's Justice seasoning

1 ts of Penzey's roasted garlic

1 ts of sweet paprika

1 ts of Penzey's smoked paprika

Process

Mix it all together thoroughly and put into a shaker. 

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. 

Random Notes from a Crank

This example is just a small segment of the economy, but the small companies are likely to hurt most by President Adolf's tariffs as noted by this article in The Washington Post: "Craft Distillers' Hit Hard as Tariffs Mix with 1930s Rules for Alcohol." 

The Nation had an interesting article about renewable energy. I had no idea that the country of Uruguay was so forward thinking with green energy. 97% of their energy comes from renewable source. Check out "Going for Green: Uruguay's Renewable Energy Revolution." 

This week a Democratic candidate was elected in a special election in a red district in Pennsylvania, which I hope is a harbinger for Democrats winning some midterm elections in the House. James Malone won the seat in a district described by the local media as "Republican-leaning suburbs and farming communities." 

Now people are looking ahead to the special elections to replace the House seats of Gaetz and Waltz, two goons of Moscow Don. There's hope I guess: "'Tide's Turning' for Dems in Florida as Special Election Reveals 'Buyer's Remorse' among Trump Voters." 

I don't think the Democratic candidates will win in those special elections. Florida is the crazy limp dick of America (see its shape). The fabled Florida Man meme is out there for a reason. 

And it's safe to assume that Florida Man votes MAGA. 

Random Notes from a Crank

The strip from today for Rabbits Against Magic has it right. 

The MAGA hat should be referred to as a "Ku Klux Kap." 

Moscow Don and his minions are calling what's happening to Tesla dealerships "domestic terrorism." No, it's vandalism. 

Domestic terrorism is what happened on January 6th. 

Or what one of Moscow Don's supporters did to protesters in Palm Beach County. That move, albeit at a slow speed, is reminiscent of what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

What a jackass. 

In related news, Tesla sales are dropping like a lead balloon in Europe as reported by The Guardian: "Tesla's Europe Sales Drop Nearly 45% amid Row over Musk's Trump Links." 

I follow the US Men's National Team. They had a terrible week by losing to both Panama and Canada. I thought Pochettino would take them to another level, but I hope these are just growing pains.  

Poch's comments after the game basically related that it's better for them to find out what they need to work on now rather than later. At least this summer the coaching staff should have a full month or so to work with the players they select for the Gold Cup. 

Musing of the Moment: Bourbon in the Movies

I was watching Bull Durham before a March Madness game began today, and I noticed that in the pool room scene Crash Davis is drinking Jim Beam standard offering. That's not a good choice in my opinion, but the scene got me thinking. 

What other films feature bourbon drinking? 

I know the "Fast Eddy" Felson character (played by Paul Newman) drinks one of my favorite bargain borbons, J.T.S. Brown in The Hustler. 

And I vaguely remember John Wick drinking Blanton's. 

Other than those I couldn't think of others except maybe the Al Pacino character in Heat drinking Jack Daniel's Old No. 7. 

Uproxx has done the work for me though with this article: "The Most Iconic Bourbons Drinkers in Film History." 

Cheers to Four Roses, Wild Turkey, and Old Forester. 

Music Friday: "The Wreck"

This song came across yesterday as I was cooking and listening to my iPod on shuffle. Yes, I still use an iPod. 

Delta Spirit is a band I like quite a bit. 

This tune is the final tune on the band's Into the Wide album that came out in 2014. 

Musing of the Moment: Resistance Gardens

I'm a gardener, mainly a vegetable gardener. 

I saw a great post on Tik Tok that talked about how during WWII people planted "victory gardens" because of the war effort, and these gardens produced 40% of the vegetables people ate during the war. 

I like the idea so much that I got a Victory Garden t-shirt from Civil Standard a couple of years back except it's in light blue. 

Considering how much of our produce is imported from Mexico, some folks might want to start planting some resistance gardens. 

President Adolf's trade wars are madness. Plant a Resistance Garden. 

Random Notes from a Crank

President Adolf and his goons and charlatans are planning even more tariffs to happen on April 2 according to The Washington Post: "Trump Aides Prep More Tariffs for April 2 on Imports Worth Billions."

He's wanting to do something similar to the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which helped deepen the Great Depression. History often rhymes. 

Here's a political cartoon from Nick Anderson that shows what's going to happen. 

As expected, Putin is playing Moscow Don like a fiddle: "Trump-Putin Call Seen as a Victory in Russia." 

The only positive I can see from a trade war is that the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, among other such entities in Canada, have pulled US products from their shelves. I wonder if these moves could reduce the price of bourbon here in the US. 

The prices of bourbon are ridiculous. I used to be able to get all kinds of different bourbons at decent prices, but the flippin' hipsters have latched on to the liquor, which has driven up prices across the board. There are some YouTube bourbon guys who consider "budget" bourbons to be a bottle under $50. 

WTF?

There are some bourbons I used to be able to get on a regular basis, such Very Old Barton 100, Early Times Bonded, and Eagle Rare, that I can't find anymore. 

So if there's an excess of bourbon (supply), perhaps the demand will start getting met more effectively. Hopefully by me. 

Regardless, the hipsters need to become more interested in a different spirit, such as rum or gin. 

At the nudging of Mrs. Nasty, I've joined Tik Tok. I'm using my same pseudonym. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I've heard of French bread, and I've heard of Italian bread. But this is the first time I've had French Italian bread. 

What manner of culinary mash-up of this? They didn't even have the grammatical acumen to use an hyphen. 

I'm sure I've said this before on this blog, or maybe I just have thought it many times. I don't go to Walmart often, but when I do, I feel much better about myself. 

If you want to feel better about your body image or your sense of style, go to Walmart. You'll feel like a healthy and well dressed person. 

The New York Times did an interesting analysis. Apparently the retaliatory tariffs from other countries are going to hurt areas that widely voted for President Adolf: "Trade War Retaliation Will Hit Trump Voters Hardest." 

I think it's pretty clear we are headed to a showdown about the Constitution and about what the Executive Branch can and cannot do. I don't feel good about with the makeup of the Supreme Court. 

Perhaps this trend has always been the case, but based on my history of watching Reels, my trinity of jokesters is Norm Macdonald, Bill Burr, and Seinfeld (the TV series). 

I started watching Krapopolis on Netflix. Episode 11 that uses the Hydra to signify social media was a brilliant move. 

Music Friday: "Ride to Robert's" & "Crimson and Clay"

Jason Isbell put out a new solo album this week. It's titled Foxes in the Snow. 

I've listened to it a number of times, and I'm warming to it because I'm getting used to just him singing just with his guitar. 

It works, but I always prefer his more rock-oriented work. 

Based on my first few listens, these two songs are the ones that stand out to me at present.