Music Friday: "Dan"

 I've been listening to Noah Kahan's new album The Great Divide a lot since it came out. 

One of my favorite tunes on the album is the final one titled "Dan." 

Random Notes from a Crank

 

I got 100 of these stickers of President Adolf the other day. Every time I get gas, I will be affixing them to gas pumps. 

Other people need to do the same. 

It's been over sixty days since the lunatic started the Iran War. Congress needs to take away his wartime power. 

The New York Times has a great article about the end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: "When 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' Goes Away, What Do We Lose?" 

I wonder what Colbert is going to do next. 

Young Americans don't have a good opinion of the economy right now: "81 percent of Young Americans Say Economic Conditions Are Bad or Terrible."

With terrible gas prices and inflation happening on all kinds of products, the average person is getting screwed. 

Music Friday: "Spanish Castle Magic"

 I'm on time for a change this week. 

For whatever reason, I have this song rattling through my head today. 

Music Friday: "Down Home with Homey"

 I'm late again. Damn it. 

Here's a classic tune from Uptown Ruler Soul Gestures in Southern Blue Vol. 2 by Wynton Marsalis. 

Music Friday: "The Great Divide"

I got so busy with matters yesterday that I forgot to put out a Music Friday post. So here's a Music Friday post on Saturday. 

I watched the Netflix documentary on Kahan this past week. It came out a couple of weeks before his new album comes out. 

Here's the single that has been played quite a bit. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Apricot Banger

In my most recent Random Notes from a Crank post, I brought up the cocktail of the Baltimore Bang, and I mentioned I might play around with the recipe. 

I did. 

I cut the lemon juice and upped the sugar a bit to highlight the apricot flavor more. I also wonder if a half ounce or an ounce of triple sec might make it interesting because the original recipe calls for an orange garnish. 

Or maybe adding some bitters to the mix? 

So here it goes for now.  

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces of bourbon (I use standard Evan Williams instead of crap like Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 or Jim Beam)

1 1/2 ounces of apricot brandy

1 teaspoon of sugar or half a teaspoon of simple syrup

Process

It's pretty dang simple. Put the ingredients in cocktail shaker, fill with ice, shake, and drain into a high ball glass or chilled cocktail glass. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I discovered a new (to me) cocktail that I'm taking a shine to. It's called the Baltimore Bang. 

I'm a huge fan of bourbon, of course. But I also love apricots. The current recipe includes 1 oz. of lemon juice, so I may experiment doing without the lemon juice to bring out more of the apricot flavor. 

But I'm also a fan of the classic Manhattan cocktail. 

I was recently alarmed by the high prices for blueberries. I was in my local supermarket, and a carton was over seven bucks. 

Apparently, there are a number of factors why they are so high right now: climate change, the lack of migrant workers, and shipping problems. This article from 2025 explains it all: "Why Your Blueberries Are Suddenly So Expensive." 

Also, a more recent article in Business Insider cites the Iran War as a major factor for higher grocery prices across the board.

And the New York Times has an article on just that issue because, as an expert says in the article, "Berries are often the first category where consumers notice fuel inflation. When fuel prices rise, those costs move through the supply chain almost immediately." 

Read all about in "Where Might the Iran War Hit Your Grocery Bill? Start with Raspberries."  

Other significant factors are President Adolf's stupid tariffs, a weak US dollar, and a lack of migrant workers to pick produce. 

The political cartoonist usually isn't this blunt with his work, but I like it. 

Jeff Stahler 4/9/26 GoComics.com

In what is great news, the dictator Orban lost his election to remain Prime Minister of Hungary: "Orban, Beacon to the Right, Concedes Defeat in Hungary Election." 

And the new PM Magyar plans to get back on the right footing and stop the propaganda machine that Orban created: "Hungarian Election Winner Magyar Vows to Rebuild EU Relationship after Stunning Defeat of Orban." 

Random Notes from a Crank

As expected, the Vice President's trip to negotiate with Iran was a total failure. 

And then President Adolf talked about blocking the Strait of Hormuz. How the Hell is that going to help anything? 

Meanwhile at home the cost of gas/diesel is driving everything up. 

Bill Bramhall 4/12/26 GoComics

In news not related to a stupid war the US is waging for no good reason, A-Day at the U of Alabama was Saturday. 

From the report I read from TiderInsider, the sophomore QB Keelon Russell had a solid day and stood out among the quarterbacks. 

I'm really interested to see which NFL team takes Ty Simpson. Will he be a first round pick? Teams have to love his footwork as a quarterback. He's so fundamentally sound but only has the one season to look at from a standpoint of experience. 

Music Friday: "One Thing At a Time"

I recently discovered that Courtney Barnett had a new album out this year. Its titled Creature of Habit. 

Here's the fifth track from the new album. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I"m guessing this so-called cease-fire in Iran isn't going to last. And what President Adolf has done is damage the credibility of the U.S. 

The New York Times has a great analysis of this situation in "A Cease-Fire for Now in Iran, but a Blow to American Credibility." 

As one expert states in the article, "There has never been a time when the United States was more distrusted, by both traditional friends and by rivals, as at the present."  

Here's a visual representation by Bill Bramhall. 

And here's a cartoon by Clay Bennett that sums up his war crimes and financial crimes while in office. He's grifting America for his own personal gain. 

Music Friday: "Grown"

I'm in a grouchy mood for a number of reasons today.

One song that consistently puts me in a better mood when I hear it is Isbell's "Grown," which is from his first solo album. 

Here's to getting in a better mood.  

Random Notes from a Crank

Existential Comics is back it again by taking down Plato through David Hume. The comic explains why people vote for imbeciles and take positions on issues without a lot of forethought. 

As reported by The New York Times, The U.S. is back to bombing civilians in Iran: "New U.S. Missile Hit Iranian Sports Hall and School, Analysis Shows." 

As a result of President Adolf "excursion" (sarcasm intended), gas prices are skyrocketing, especially the price of diesel that drives up the costs of lot of products because semis haul all kinds of stuff around the U.S. 

Inflation and possibly stagflation here we are. 

Making America More Expensive

And the idiotic attacks on Iran are simply going to create less safety for Americans because many terrrorist groups are aligned with Iran from a philsophical standpoint. 

Making America More Dangerous

Here are some interesting stats and figures from the March "Harper's Index":

• Portion of people detained by ICE between October 1 and November 15, 2025 who had a prior violent criminal conviction: 1/20
• Who had no prior criminal convictions: 3/4
• Port of U.S. small business owners who plan to hire new staff or otherwise expand this year: 1/10
• Who worry that their business will not survive the year: 3/4

The cost of diesel fuel is going to drive costs for everyone. So I see why business owners are worried. 

Music Friday: "Behind the Sun"

This week I watched the documentary about the Red Hot Chili Peppers that's on Netflix. It's titled The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother Hillel. 

It covers the period of albums that I got into the band--the albums I prefer. I don't have any of their albums after Blood Sugar Sex Magik. 

Here's "Behind the Sun" that featured prominently in the documentary. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Bourbon Chicken

After watching a video about this dish from America's Test Kitchen, I made it tonight with some modifications. 

It's called Bourbon Chicken, but it's very Asian inspired because of the use of soy sauce and ginger. I added peas since when they made it had no vegetables. 

Ingredients

2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup of diced onion

1/2 cup of soy sauce

1/2 cup of light brown sugar

1/4 cup of water

2 tablespoons of bourbon

1 teaspoon of sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1 cup of frozen peas

1 tablespoon of corn starch

1 tablespoon of grated ginger

2 cloves of minced garlic

2 green onions, chopped finely 

Process

Trim the fat off the chicken thighs and cut them into small pieces into a mixing bowl. 

In a glass measuring cup, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, bourbon, sesame oil, and black pepper. 

Microwave the sauce for two minutes and set aside to cool. 

Add two tablespoons of the sauce mixture to bowl of chicken and then add the tablespoon of corn starch. Mix thoroughly. 

Add some avocado oil to a skillet and heat to medium-high. 

Put the chicken and onion in and brown the chicken. Once the chicken is browned, add the ginger and garlic and cook for roughly a minute. Add the rest of sauce mixture, add the peas, and let the sauce simmer until it thickens some. Add in the green onions at the end. 

Serve over rice and enjoy. 

Music Friday: "Call to Arms"

I'm patiently waiting for the new album (in CD form) from Sturgill Simpson Johnny Blue Skies to arrive.

In the meantime, here's the final tune from A Sailor's Guide to Earth, which is one of my favorite albums of his. 

The lyrics are below the videos, lyrics that are highly relevant to what's going on. 

Lyrics

I done Syria, Afganistan, Iraq and Iran
North Korea. Tell me where does it end?
Well, the bodies keep piling up with every day.
How many more of em they gonna send?
Well, they send their sons and daughters off to die for some oil
To control the heroin.
Well, son I hope you don't grow up
Believing that you gotta be a puppet to be a man. 
Well, they cut off your hair and put a badge on your arm
Strip you of your identity. 
Tell you to keep your mouth shut boy and get in the line
Meet your maker overseas. 
Wearing that Kim Jong-Il hat, 
Your grandma's selling pills stat. 
Meanwhile, I'm worried I can't pay my fucking bills. 
Nobody's looking to up to care about a drone. 
All too busy looking down at our phones. 
Ego's begging for food like a dog from our feed
Refreshing obsessively til our eyes start to bleed. 
Serve up distractions and we eat em with fries
Til the bombs fall out of our fuckin skies.

Turn off the TV.
Turn off the news.
Ain't nothing to see.
They're serving the blues. 

Bullshit on my TV.

Bullshit on my radio.

Hollywood's telling me how to be.

Bullshit's got to go.