Tubthumper

Big Changes Coming!  For Serious!!  Or not.  Anybody's guess, really.  Stay tuned.  Or not.  Heck, go hang out at Saying Yes, it would be better for you.

And although I have my disagreements with Obama, I thought these were pretty good (especially because they hit wingnuts where it hurts them)

Ideas Above Our Station

As will come as absolutely no surprise to anyone familiar with this blog or things I've written, or me; I tend to want to veer away from standard responses or things like typical tourist stops. Well, at least I used to.

I am spending a couple of days in St Louis, watching several dozen thousand future geniuses compete at the Edward Jones Dome in the FIRST Robotics competition. Walking down to Laclede's Landing to a brew pub for dinner yielded this (apologies for the crappy pic. I was hungry. And thirsty):

It reminds me of the frst time I visited St. Louis a fair many years ago, in the company of my horrible boss, going to an AIA convention. While he was away doing some seminars or something, I decided I would walk over to the Arch on a whim. God help me, I expected it to be cheesy.

Coming over a hill, the stainless arc fairly jumps out of the ground above you, looking more impossible with every step until you get close enough to lay your hands on the chilly stainless steel. Even then, you look up and are pretty much convinced it's a hologram or a crappy SciFi Channel special effect. That photo gives a fair representation of the unreality of the structure, even if the quality of the photo wouldn't convince Orly Taitz.

And then you can go in and see the videos showing the construction of it, which is still more unreal. 

And then get into one of the little capsules and go ratcheting up into the observation platform, 6 or 7 hundred feet above.

All told, it is an absolutely overwhelming achievement, and more so when you contemplate that it was done before computers, or (as the scary little soup can elevator ride demonstrates) even solid state electronics.

It was built at a time when Americans believed, no, KNEW, that they could accomplish any damn thing they put their minds to.  Dam the Colorado River, go to the Moon, fuck it, we ARE JUST THAT GOOD.

And now we debate going back to a time when we couldn't take care of our elderly or our children, because rich fucks refuse to pay their fair share. 

As I mentioned at another blog recently, even just from the standpoint of construction and sustainable buildings, we already have the fucking tools to solve these problems.

We just don't have the politicians.

And tomorrow morning, I will go to watch amazing robots DESIGNED AND BUILT BY HIGH SCHOOL KIDS, in the shadow of that unbelievable man-made wonder shining in the morning sun.  Why can't turdwaffles like Scott Walker and Paul Ryan and John Boehner, and, dog help us all, Obama, see the same damn thing?




Oh, and apparently, Snag has been here before me:

And, just for the halibut, here's summa them robots:

If You Go Hunting Rabbits...

It's one of the most mish-mashed pagan/Christian holidays, but hey, Happy Easter anyway:

Bonus for those who miss Meerkat Manor:

Conflicting Emotions

Zombie behaved badly, and does the Zombie Sorry Dance:

White Wine In The Sun (After Action Report)

There are two times in Louisiana; Meal time, and in between.

This is a brief photographic record of the not-in-between-time during our recent visit to New Orbleans.

First up, a bowl of gumbo at Montrel's Bistro.

Verdict:  Delicious.

Next, a shrimp po-boy at B&C Seafood, near the plantations:

Verdict:  Delicious.


Based on a recomendation from Matt who hangs out at Sadly, No, we stopped at a little hole in the wall called Mona Lisa's.  Paper tablecloths and crayons, and this Shrimp Alfredo (sorry about the lighting.  Also sorry that I ate most of it before I remembered to take a picture):

Verdict :  ABSO-FRIGGING-LUTELY AWESOMELY DELICIOUS!!!


Also, at the Mona Lisa, Mardi Gras Pasta:

Verdict: unverified, because SOMEBODY ELSE ATE IT ALL BEFORE I COULD TASTE ANY!!!~


Also, because it is the tradition, Gordon Biersch Brew Pub served up some Tasty Maibock and these Fish and Parmesan Chips:

Verdict:  If this is the worst meal I ate during this week, I AM IN HEAVEN.

The next day, we went to the Audobon Insectarium, which had the following insect dishes:

Verdict:  Indeterminate, because I was not prepared to eat bugs at that moment.  A miscalculation on our part, scheduling the Insectarium BEFORE the bar.  However, Wife Sublime reported that they were all pretty tasty.  didn't taste like bugs at all.  "Eat a lot of bugs on the farm growing up, did you?" I inquired sweetly.

Then we went to Napoleon House, where we got the Pimm's Cup and Sazerac shown below.  It was delightfully cool in the courtyard.  And did I mention these drinks?

Verdict:  WHOAH.

While there,  also based on the recommendations from a local, we ignored the lines of tourists at Central Grocery to try the muffaletta at Napoleon House.  Look at this:

Verdict:  oh.   Oh, my. I needed another drink to calm me down, then sent another down to make sure the first ones were making the muffaletta feel at home. The quick toasting to melt the cheese just took this over the top. Central whatnow?

After a day at the zoo, we went to another local's favorite called Reginelli's Pizza.

Wife Sublime's shrimp pesto pie:

Young Zombie's classic cheese with basil:

Mine:

That first one didn't fill me up AT ALL, so I got a second Classic (pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, onion, and green pepper) on a focaccia crust:

Verdict:  ...do I need to say it?

So, the final night, and based on the recommendation of a bartender at a neighborhood watering hole, we went to Cochon in the Warehouse District.  Look at this.  LOOK AT IT.

From the far upper left:  spicy mac and cheese; Wife Sublime's serving plate; fried alligator with chili garlic aioli;  shrimp-broccoli bake; my serving plate;  boucherie plate (large plate in the middle); and twice baked potato.  Not shown:  orange whiskey cocktail and Abita Turbo Dog.

Verdict:  (....droooling.....)

Also, that alligator had a bit of a bite.  GET IT?!?!?!!


Before heading to the airport and  after zipping through the French Market, we put this in our pie-holes;  shrimp-chicken-andouille jambalaya with whole wheat penne pasta:

...and shrimp etouffee with pocket bread;

Yes.  It was delicious.

Not a disgusting morsel in the whole five days, and that includes the bugs.  A couple less-than-stellar meals, maybe, but even so, I would maintain that you need to have a couple of mundane ones to really point up the high points.

And the weather was lovely, edging up toward warm and humid and quite the tonic from the hairball of a winter we just went through; and the tourists didn't start showing up until the  last night we were there, so notwithstanding the girl who rushed right by our sidewalk table at Lafitte's Blacksmith Bar to barf in the gutter the idiocy was minimized.

What a charming city.

New Orbleans

Went on a Dr. Tongue's House of 3-D Walking (Dead) Tour WooOWOOOWOOOO Scary Tour, and the guide said we would see ORBS.  What do you know, he was right!

In fact, I think HE was kind of orbish, hisself. This is the best photo I could get:

Also, saw a Certain House and the description reminded me of a Certain Book.

In all honesty, It kind of creeped me the fuck out, so I responded by protecting myself.  I got my zombie self ORDAINED!

Also, as you may see, I started a new bidness.  But this one, I believe, has a MUCH brighter future than that stupid architecture bullshit.  Plus, I get to cast curses.

Now I need one of those green drinks.

Several Shades of Why

Born Under Punches

David Byrne is kind of a dick:



In a good way.


Fuck Charlie Crist, and fuck his width.

The Song Remains The Same

I want to live in Oregon.

The Principle of Moments

Hey, know what?  I was thirty feet from a legend last night.

(gave enough of a shit to correct the width)

Robert Plant brought the Band of Joy to the Riverside, and we had floor-right seats, ostensibly labeled Row D, but on the side, they were the front row.  Right in font of the speaker hangs, which became very important.  Could see every line in his face.

Even though the band played several songs from That Other Band (I forget the name) and some old classics, there was little time for nostalgia. The band took the sound Plant and Krauss created on Raising Sand, and built it into a layered, complexly woven monument that conjured equal parts Roar and Whisper, landed on the solidly American foundation of blues and country.

And in front of all that, a man who looked "older than Jesus" (in Wife Sublime's words) but could still Roar himself.

Last week, I saw Bright Eyes with a very well done, complex light show presentation; comparably, this was minimalist, just a "Band Of Joy" backdrop.  But with music like this, what else would you need?

Helps, of course, to have a Rawk Gawd on the mic.

Although Plant is no diva.  He started introducing the band early, and let the other primary vocalists all take a song at various points while he faded into the shadows to sing backup or play harmonica.

Oh, let me tell you about those vocals for a minute.  Oh yes, do let me tell you about them.

On Raising Sand, Plant and Krauss' vocals wound around each other sensuously, taking turns holding each other up or joining in sublime anthemic chorus.  The vocalists in Band of Joy go so much beyond that.  To the point where just the four of them merely singing "Oooooohhhhhhhh" will send chills down your spine.  It may be less angelic than on Raising Sand, but more earthy;  while most reviewers of the new album were less enthralled with the combination of Plant and Patty Griffin, the combination, in tandem with Buddy Miller and Darrell Scott is best appreciated in a live setting, where the immediacy of their vocal collaboration and their ability to work with each other in the moment will remind you why people make music in the first damn place.

And the band was completely up to the task of interpreting the songs.  The old stuff from that Other Band was re-imagined to play to the strengths of the band, as well as reflecting the directions that Plant is interested in exploring.  Not to say it was quiet, oh my no NOT AT ALL.  Hell, they opened with Black Dog, and even recast as neo-bluegrass-alt rock stomp, it was all kinds of lively, even for the oldish crowd.

The band, particularly guitarist Buddy Miller and musician-of-all-trades Darrell Scott, strayed pretty far from the folk, country and bluegrass roots, delving DEEPLY into psychedelia and alt-rock drones; A single song could start out simple, start to build into a crescendo, which peters out and then leaves Plant muttering into the mic, suddenly erupting again into a noisy little freakout that culminates in all those beautiful voices raising a fucking ruckus.

And when the band is starting to concentrate on the noise and really lean into the song, they had a charming habit of all moving inward, and facing, each other; to really work from the individual cues, while Plant faded to the side with a bemused smile as he watched his band  really work together. 

Band of Joy, aptly named.  Maybe it didn't thunder like the old days, it's not the old days anymore, is it?  Even if he did sing a song that name-checked Mordor and Gollum, albeit with with a bit of irony.

And you know what happened?  I watched this wonderful band, fronted by ROBERT FUCKING PLANT,  play vital, visceral music both decades old and relatively new; the speaker hang fifteen feet in front of us blew in one ear and out the other, along the way tripping a few rusty old switches and like in some past cases, bringing tears of joy.  I once said that if music ever stopped bringing me that feeling, just bury me because I'm either dead or might as well be.

I'm not dead yet.

For those interested, the setlist.  I put my favorite parts in bold.

1. Black Dog
2. Down to the Sea
3. Angel Dance
4. Black Country Woman
5. House of Cards
6. Monkey
7. Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go (Buddy Miller vocal)
8. Silver Rider
9. A Satisfied Mind (Darrell Scott vocal)
10. Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down
11. Twelve Gates to the City/Wade in the Water/In My Time of Dying
12. Ocean of Tears (Patty Griffin vocal)
13. Please Read the Letter
14. Houses of the Holy
15. Ramble On
Encore:
16. Tangerine
17. Harm’s Swift Way
18. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall

Presence

well, heck, it's not Zeppelin, or even Plant, but it's of the right vintage:



otherwise, it's for Silent Mike.  Came up on the iPod today, and made me feel old in a good way.

Wish You Were Here

ahem....

STOP FOLDING TO STUPID RANDROID TEA-BAG BULLYING REPUBLICANS AND WORK ON GETTING SOME FOLKS ALL WORKING, YOU CENTRIST FAILDEM!  MOAR WORKING=MOAR REVENUE=REDUCE DEFICIT!!!  THERE'S YOUR LONG-TERM SOLUTION TO THE DEFICIT, YOU DWEEB!!

Perhaps you can ask your Secretary of State to introduce you to the work of her husband?

Hey!  There's an idea!!  Get an intern in a blue dress to the Oval Office immediately!!

...ahh, what's the use?  He'll just pre-emptively fold ejaculate.


HMPGF.  kittentime:

EDIT:  HEY BLOCKHEAD!!!  HERE'S YOUR DEFICIT REDUCTION PLAN!!


...look, if the wingnut teatards are gonna call you a Socialist even when you give them MOAR than they ask for, if you don't go for it, it doesn't matter whether thundra is right about what you want or not; the result is the same and you are this Century's Calvin Coolidge or Neville Chanberlain.  Welcome to History, motherfucker.

...don't say it thundra, I know how it's going to go.  But I am going to see Robert Plant tonight, and in the Better World that is going to be The Riverside Theater for several hours tonight, Obama will be a LEFT-center corporate stooge for a change.


MOAR EDIT:  Oh just, go read this.

Rage Against The Machine

FUCK YOU, KATHY NIKOLAUS.  FUCK YOUR PARTISAN PIEHOLE WITH THAT WISCONSIN-SHAPED AWARD THAT YOUR HANDS ARE NOT FIT TO HOLD. AND THEN SHOVE THAT AMERICAN FLAG RIGHT UP YOUR ASS UNTIL THE STARS ARE VISIBLE BEHIND THAT FUCKING SMILE AND THE TASSELS ARE HANGING OUT OF YOUR EARS.

So.  The twisted scumbucket from Walkersha in that picture is either guilty of felonious fraud, ethical lapses large enough to drive a mothballed Space Shuttle through sideways, mind-bendingly appalling incompetence, or all three.

She claims that an entire voting district was inadvertently omitted from their tally reports on Tuesday.  Somehow, an entire district showed up as ZERO when she reported it, and she did not find this worth looking at a bit closer before reporting results.

AND, when the votes for this putative district are tallied, it just so happens to put Prosser ahead by JUST ENOUGH to exceed the 0.5% threshold for automatic, State-funded recount.  Convenient, that.  Almost as if she waited until the reported results were firm before the final numbers could be determined.

This.

And this.

She keeps the results on her own, personal PC.  Without backup.  Without security.  Fuck what a fucking idiot.

Let's be clear here:  I do not know for certain that smirky McFuckingClerk up there knowingly committed election fraud, how could I?  But given the way the Republicans in this state and country are behaving, I certainly do THINK that is the case, oh my fucking yes. Given that this election is vital for their anti-Wisconsin, pro-corporate agenda to make any headway.

Fuck the Republican Party in Wisconsin.  They can't even fucking do FRAUD believably.

I fully expect Turdwaffle Walker to Imperially suspend any recount attempts, either by defunding the election commission or firing them.  Florida 2000 is a template, not an aberration.

OF COURSE she was near tears during the presser.  She knows that she is going to be the sacrificial lamb to retain Fuckhead Prosser's job and preserve Imperial Walker's reign.  She shouldn't worry; she will be re-hired by a Koch Industries shill in some lucrative make work position, but she also knows she will have to be publicly shamed first.  But things will turn out fine for this shitweasel of a County Clerk. I hear the $81,000 drunken college dropout's position is available.

Fuck YOU, Kathy Nikolaus.  Fuck you and you NEED to be fired on Monday.  Get your fucking dirty hands out of my fucking state, and don't touch the fucking doorknob on the way out.  Here, let me get you started by kicking you in the ass.


Driftglass and BlueGal mentioned something in their podcast this week, which is further reinforced in this Great Orange Satan post.  Her story partially hinges on the claim that she "forgot" to save the data in MS Access.  Of course, Access does not require you to save.

Substance McGravitas' annoying evenhandedness notwithstanding, GUILTY, GUILTY GUILTY!!!

hypnotic image by Substance McGravitas

Citizen Action of  Wisconsin is calling for Federal investigation.  On the day that the Federal Government shuts down.  Ooops.

At least Kloppenberg is starting with a demand for Open Records, which will be the first part of challenging this extremely suspicious and disturbing turn of events.  If the votes differential remains greater than 0.5%, Kloppenberg will need to pay for a recount; if so, I will post a link to donate towards this fund.  A recount will be the only way to drag any shenanigans out into the light. more...

Afterimage

In other anti-fascist news, Maine artist makes a statement:



What I love about this (besides the fact that he uses a Mac to do it, of course) is that the people on the side of liberalism are smart and funny.

A mural bomb. Rightwing cobnuggets think they can send things down the memory hole, but their base, the Teabaggers, can't even spell their signs.

As VS says, NELSON MUNTZ HAH! HAH!!

Absolute Dissent

Kloppenberg declares victory

Imperial Walker whines.

I guess Madison voters aren't Real Amurrikans.


Expect a recount.  But for one day, at least, The Walker-slapping is delicious.

And only a warmup.  Recalls start in about 60 days.

Fuck.

Meanwhile,  I can't make a fucking living.

Well, maybe tomorrow's election will provide source for optimism.

Maybe, but I won't hold my breath.

Oh fuck it, you know what I mean.


I need to go vote, then I will just sit and stare at this all day (courtesy Sadly, No and T&U):

Hey look MOAR meritocracy!!  Idiocracy here we come.  I hope I like the taste of Brawndo.

More and More of the Same

These findings do not surprise me. And yet the Marcellus Shale rapists will continue to tell the public that fracking and drilling presents no dangers to the Delaware River Basin or the water supply of rural communities across the Commonwealth. It's a lie that residents can no longer afford to believe.

Seriously, at some point it seems pretty fucking obvious: gas drilling is bad for America! more...

Light At The End

Is it just me or have things been kind of dour and difficult to swallow lately? From Wisconsin to Libya from Supreme Court rulings to bonus checks for Goldman's CEO, it just seems like a big cluster fuck lately. So I've been trying to find things to put everything into perspective. To do what I can for me, my community and my family.

Here's what I came up with so far:

I am moving into a new home in another state later this month. (No more 'Dumb belt!') Exposed brick in an urban environment will do me some good.

My cousin had a baby last week. A very long, likely to be a basketball superstar, adorable, healthy baby.

My grant proposal was accepted and I have an all expenses research trip paid to Israel next month.

I have another grant application in that has been short listed into the possible pool of applicants to be accepted. It will allow me travel to Kenya and stay for safari in August.

I will be in Zion and Arches by month's end.

Very soon I will have a much bigger role in the sweeping changes blowing across the industry I have been a part of for the last decade. (Wow, a decade!)

My fellowship calls for me to testify before Congress this year.

I am learning to play the violin and training for a marathon.

While we all have challenges and the world is nowhere near where I thought it would be a mere four years ago, or even two for that matter, it has its diamonds that shine brightly.

I have learned to take time to smell the flowers and re-prioritize my life. To not take for granted every moment I have left with some of my older family members. I've learned that I can exhaust myself politically but the GOP is hell bent on doing what they are going to do without regard to logic, reason or evidence.

So instead of wasting good energy, intellect and time on things that I am not able to change, I am spending time finding opportunities for myself to do the things I've always wanted to do and live each day like it's my last. Life has not been fair to some of you reading this and I know that. My hope is that you will see a light at the end of your dark tunnel very soon. You deserve that! We all do. more...

The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man

Pictures for thunderthundra.

Because I heard he likes butterflies and moths.

Hey!  Bright Eyes and Titus Andronicus tomorrow night!

and, because it came up on the fucking iPod:



Hah. Awesome mullets.

Still don't care enough to fix the widths. Perhaps I will pack up this crappy blog and migrate it to iWeb. If I don't just throw it up against a large supermagnet.

***interesting.  Must be Spring, or near as fuck all.  This zombie post is notably lacking in anger, misery, self-pity, and suicidal references. 

And the wheels go 'round and 'round

Without regard to the disrespect shown to women and rape survivors (It goes without saying.), it bothers me that this white male law maker seems to be incredibly concerned why women are having abortions. And not in the good kind of Pew Foundation way. Why does it matter what the reasons are that women are having abortions? Why as women do we continue to allow others and expect even of ourselves, to explain things.

I realized about a year ago that I no longer owe anyone any explanation. When I decline something, I simply say, "I am not able to do X." That's it. End of story and the show is over.

If I were in need of an abortion, I would answer when asked the reason for the abortion, "Personal." If pressed I would say, "It's a legal form of birth control. Do you ask men when they buy condoms why they are doing so?" No other medical procedure requires this kind of grandiose cross examination. When men are afforded the same interrogation for vasectomies, I'll consider if this Dragnet-style questioning is permissible in women seeking to end unwanted pregnancies.

I know, you've heard me rant about abortion time and time again. And yet, I seem to be consistent in my message while the anti-women crowd keep trying to play the hide the fetus under the shell game. At some point I would think these people have important things to do like go to their jobs and check-out the new local Starbucks and Whole Foods. more...