Music Friday: "Exodus of Venus"

Elizabeth Cook is a musician I haven't listened to much lately, but she has a new album out that has received good reviews. I'm going to have to check it out. I really enjoyed her previous album, Welder. 

Anyway, here's the title track of the new album. 

Music Friday: "The Watermelon Crawl"

The Nasty family went to Six Flags "St. Louis" with another family yesterday. We didn't get back until 11:30 pm or so. That trip and the fact my kids had their big conference swimming meet today is why this post is late. We left way early in the morning to travel to Effingham, so my son could be there for warmups at 7:15 am. 

While we were at Hurrican Harbor at Six Flags yesterday, this song was played. I hadn't heard it in ages. It was a regular tune on a jukebox at a certain tavern I frequented in college. 

Enjoy the cheesy country music. 

Random Notes from a Crank

We spent a week in Orlando for a national dance competition my daughter's squad was competing in. One we went to Typhoon Lagoon. One phenomenon I noticed there and at the local swimming pool this summer is that some men wear underwear under their swim trunks. I don't understand. Men's swim trunks have liners in them. What's the point? Are some guys ball sacs so sensitive that they have to wear underwear to swim? 

On a positive note, going to a massive waterpark like that one can make a person feel better about their body image. 

The GOP Convention starts today. I expect it to be ridiculous. 

Speaking of ridiculous, this short article, "Republican Platform Declares Coal is Clean," should have been put out by The Onion, not Grist. You could accuse the RNC of plagiarism. 

My family and friends of our family have recently gotten into geocaching. I enjoy it. It gets me outside and walking and exploring places. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Leftover Pasta Bake

Here's a simple dish I made for my family tonight. It uses leftovers. 

Ingredients
2-4 tablespoons of butter
3-4 cups of leftover shell pasta (rotini, ziti, and other such pastas would work)
1-2 leftover grilled chicken breast/s
3 tablespoons of diced yellow onion
1/2-3/4 cup of freshly grated cheddar
Health dose of Parmesan
Salt and peppar to taste
Healthy smidge of Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle 

Process
Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet on medium heat, dump in the onion, and sauté for 5 minutes or so. Dump in the leftover pasta, stir to coat the pasta, and then add the leftover chicken breast. Cook for five minutes. Set the skillet aside and top the concoction with the cheese. 

Bake in the oven for roughly 10-15 minutes till the edges get crispy and the cheese melts gloriously. 

Music Friday: "No Excuses"

I've been meaning to write at least a Random Notes post based partly on my vacation in Orlando, FL. But I haven't yet. 

Regardless, no excuses. 

Music Friday: "See a Little Light," "Dreaming I Am," and "Stand Guard"

Bob Mould has a new album out called Patch the Sky. I plan to buy it soon. 

In lieu of his new work, here's some of his old solo work. I featured his old solo stuff more than a few years back if you want to check that out too. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Amid all the gnashing of teeth because of Clinton's emails, the whole deal reminds me of the millions of emails that were conveniently deleted during Generalissimo Dubya's regime: "The George W. Bush Email Scandal the Media Has Conveniently Forgotten" from Salon & "Bush Advisors' Approach on Email Draws Fire" from the New York Times. 

Which leads me to this satirical take about why certain people dislike/don't trust/hate Hillary Clinton: "All the Terrible Things Hillary Clinton Has Done - In One Big List." 

Regardless, both cases make me think about how the justice system is rigged for wealthy individuals with connections. 

Nontheless, I'd rather vote for the Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson than Trump. 

My favorite candidate is Jill Stein, Green Party presidential candidate, but I'm still voting for Hillary. 

I'm behind on getting some new music. The Avett Brothers and Sarah Jarosz have new albums, and I'm intrigued by the new album by Sarah Watkins. 

This article will make you think differently about the hot dog. But why do the good ones taste so damn good? 

I've only read two of of Philip K. Dick's novels, The Man in the High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, both of which I enjoyed immensely. I had heard he had a troubled background as many artists do, and a new book uncovers his troublesome life. "Philip K. Dick's Divine, Amphetamine-Fueled Madness" sheds some light on the author. It's adapted from the writer's full-length book. 

This morning I was looking at a piece of art from another troubled artist, Jackson Pollock. 

Music Friday: "No Shirts, No Shoes, No Knuckleheads"

I'm a regular watcher of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. 

Last night they debuted Colbert and Simpson's song being played on the Waffle House jukebox at the restaurant Colbert frequented in Charleston, SC. 

Here's the first time they played it.