yeah...what I said and what

they said....

Real Time with Bill....

Had Nicole Wallace trying to defend repug voter suppression efforts equating a vote ID to an ID to rent a movie at blockbuster or rent a car....hmmmm...pretty sure that right to vote is a constitutional right whereas renting a flick is a private commercial transaction. I would also posit that renting a car would legitimately require some collateral consideration. So, sorry Nicole...doesn't pass the smell test.

Baseball Gods..

Have spoken....but really?....the Yankees AND the Phillies in the 1st round?...Really! And quite simply, that's why baseball is the best of games....you cannot predict it.

Thinking of Getting the Band back together...

Stay tuned...really..coming back ok?

Alan Simpson...

is quite a douchebag, isn't he?

Bash Much??

I get a ton Obama bashing emails from right wingers most of whom are good friends but the funny thing is that I don't recall any of them having even a passing previous interest in politics....kinda weird huh?

Great White off San Onofre

Me my Shark and I from Chuck Patterson on Vimeo.

Yankees v Angels

85 and not cloud to be seen.....nice!
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These Days....

seem awfully familiar lately...Greg Allman and Graham Nash.

Marathon Day Here in LA...

kinda cool and overcast so perfect weather for running a marathon but the course has changed again so this race does not have a consistant personality like Boston or NY. There is talk about changing next year to a more "LA" experience course with a start at Dodger Stadium and finish at the Ocean....now that has possibilities...

Take 5 Baby...

watch to end or you will miss great, great show...

North Country Girl

I didn"t know they mae videos back then but they made them better apparently...

Nanci Griffth

singing Townes Van Zant...enough said...oh yeah its good.

Tom Russell...is so good

so listen and enjoy...

A little live Marshall Tucker

Hiatus Over

I'm back...probably not a big deal but for any frequent visitors but it will give something other than links to look at.....contributors???? anyone????>>>>Bueller????

winter waves in cali.jpg

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Catalina Island

From Manhattan Beach pier....80 degrees and sunny....nice.
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What a Dick...

Happy New Year..

Surf or Ski???

Today in LA where you really can surf and ski in the same day. Couple of feet of new snow and sets of waves up to 14 ft. Pictures taken without moving my feet.
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Big Wave Surfer...

in Australia....via Washington Monthly and Boston Globe

CA Sunset Greetings

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Sand Sculpture Greetings

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Marathon Blogging..

I have been fooling around with some long weekend runs and toying with the idea of running the LA Marathon in March....unfortunately, that particular race is now in May...Doh! I blame the republicans the nefarious bastards...

Anyway, a friend suggested looking into the Catalina Marathon which happens to be held in March (at least so far) and since I love Catalina, it is an idea that appeals to me.

The rub is that the race is considered one of the best marathons but also in very top as challenges go. Is it hilly you might ask? Oh yes, it is hilly. How hilly? Well something like 19 miles of hills that are mostly up.

Hmmmm, that certainly changes the equation somewhat. Best leave the decision to later time but the elavation chart below should give a pretty good idea of what one would be up against. You can click to enlarge...

Stepbrothers is a pretty..

stupid movie but there are some funny parts if you are into juvenile humor and Will Ferrell almost always delivers some memorable scenes.... The job interviews in tuxedos scenes are classic and this is part of it...

Caught a bit of Hulkster Ted's

Senate address for which he received a standing O from his colleagues....seems inappropriate since he is a convicted criminal. No matter though, his career is fittingly down the "tubes" now.

Very Impressive..

win for Obama and for the Dems. A few quick observations about last night..

• Bill Bennet on CNN telling me the country is "center-right". Uh, Bill...shove it.
• David Gregory on MSNBC telling me that Obama should be worried now that he won? What a douchebag...how about giving it a day Dave?
• Suprising moment...McCain's concession speech was pretty gracious and seemed sincere...good thing he didn't try that during campaign.
• Palin was just about crying during above...boo-fucking-hoo.
• Obama's speech was about as good as it gets...touching moment telling his daughters they can bring a puppy to the White House. (apparently they have been trying to convince him to get one for some time)
• Anyone else see Bob Shrum as Bozo the Clown and W.C. Fields love child? That guy has the biggest reddest nose I have ever seen...what a honker.
• Heard alot about the Dems needing to reach across the aisle to Repugs...really? I don't see it that way. Only reason to reach across certainly to far righties would be so they can clearly see you giving them the finger.

A Local Rightwing Nut...

hung Obama in effigy as part of her holloween display...classy, classy person her. Check the article and my letter to the editor below...


Your front page Oct. 30 story about the McCain supporter hanging Barrack Obama in effigy was troubling to say the least. Her choice of imagery is stunningly offensive to most Americans with even a passing familiarity with our nation's history. For Ms. Castaneda to contend that she was unaware of the negative racial undertones associated with her display is hardly believable. Even so, it is not hard to see why most of the country has turned against politicians that seek to reduce politics to the lowest common denominator so to avoid even a cursory examination of the real issues we face today

Ms. Casaneda and similarly uninformed voters are reduced to citing demonstrably false talking points about bibles and flag pins that only highlight their embarrassing ignorance. Fortunately, this election cycle has proven to be worthy of discussions more focused on serious policy differences instead of the type of nonsensical issues Ms. Castaneda seems to prefer. I highly doubt that she would be able to correctly identify any actual policy positions on either side of the political spectrum. Sadly, that is emblematic of the right wing elements of the republican party that can only offer divisive and meaningless slogans instead of actual ideas that might in fact be helpful to the electorate.

I wonder if as a matter of principle or perhaps in protest if Ms. Castaneda will return the proceeds of the Obama tax cut she is almost certain to receive?

Hey Joe...

...not the Jimi Hendrix version...

See more Thomas Haden Church videos at Funny or Die

Who could have...

predicted that the fat chick was lying about the whole thing...Boy, Obama campaign dodged a bullet on that one!

Turns out that she's just another sad, pathetic college republican loser....she undoubtedly has a lot of company these days...funny thing is...that now she will also be shunned by the very people she was trying to martyr herself for...ironic ain't it?

Sonny...

my black Lab passed away this week. He lived 13 years which is a long life for a dog I guess. It doesn't seem that long to me right now though.

He was a good soul... smartest dog I ever spent any time with and most people who saw him in action marveled at his abilities. He used pool toys as tools to retrieve balls and other objects out of the pool at our house. Let me repeat that...he used tools. I always thought that was something amazing.

He was very disciplined in that he would not pass thru a doorway or over a curb without permission...I think that was most impressive to friends visiting our house that did not know Sonny..because he would stand at an open door without entering the usual chaos inside...so many people would remark that Sonny would not cross that threshold and found it incredible.

He once jumped into our pool that contained no water at the time when the concrete was being redone....into the deep end after a tennis ball. Funny thing is that while he was a great swimmer and enjoyed doing it, he rarely actually jumped into the pool after balls and whatnot....he'd go down the stairs and ease it in to the water and then swim after whatever was needing retrieving....yet he jumped into an empty pool that one time...maybe a special tennis ball or something...weird.

He was so great with kids...you could trust him with all children 100%. I'm pretty sure needles in his eyes would not have provoked this dog. Every single person who met this dog loved this dog. Even people who were not "dog people" were enamored of Sonny because his attributes were so endearing...he was a big strong guy but such a sweetheart that all who met him had a positive and memorable experience.

I think my fondest memory with Sonny was hiking with him in the snow on a old logging trail in Big Bear, CA. He loved running in the snow....hauling ass way out in front and then running back just as quick to make sure I hadn't gone missing or left him behind. Now he has left me behind in a way and the missing will be of a different kind.

Sonny (the Lab) 10/05/95-10/12/08

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Does John McCain...

think that autism and downs syndrome are the same thing? Sure seemed like it last night.

No Matter...

what happens at tonights debate, you can bet that Bob Sheiffer will have tired arms from carrying all that water for McCain.

Palin...

in one sentence last night said the following..."say it ain't so Joe, there you go again and doggone".

Are you effing kidding me? Why can't the country say just this once...thanks, but we'd rather vote for the smart guys this time.

Is middle America so damn insecure that they would rather entrust the country to white trash bumpkins than admit that smarter people will probably do a better job than dumber ones?

Is that so hard?

TBOGG...

has the best nickname for the slow Sarah P...

Flailin' Palin

It's just right.

Funny..

Funny - The best video clips are right here

I think I could make..

that shot....


Amazing Trick Shot - The funniest videos are a click away

10 Min..version of..

I know you Rider by Seldom Scene...totally worth the time...

Nanci with Adam Duritz of Counting Crows..

not live though..

Tom Russell crowd pleaser every time...

The fighter working his way up the coast of Cali....

Classic Guy Clark and friends..

Robert Plant..doing Bob..

Johnnie and Bob..

Johnny and Bob..

Pat Metheny...

not live but a great song for sure...

A little Leo..

Good Answer Sarah.....

One of my takeaways on the Palin interview was the exchange on her comments about Iraq being a task from God. Could we have misunderestimated Sarah?...who would have guessed that she was so well versed in the speeches and writings of Abe Lincoln that she can pick one right off the top of her head? The thing of it is though, if her statement was in her words "a repeat" of Lincoln, wouldn't it be proper to cite Lincoln as the author? Just saying...

Oh yeah, since she is such a Lincoln buff, someone might want to ask her what other Lincoln passages she favors? Might make her head explode but should be good fun.




GIBSON: You said recently, in your old church, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God." Are we fighting a holy war?

PALIN: You know, I don't know if that was my exact quote.

GIBSON: Exact words.

PALIN: But the reference there is a repeat of Abraham Lincoln's words when he said -- first, he suggested never presume to know what God's will is, and I would never presume to know God's will or to speak God's words.

But what Abraham Lincoln had said, and that's a repeat in my comments, was let us not pray that God is on our side in a war or any other time, but let us pray that we are on God's side.

Barney Fife...

knows the preamble to Constitution as well as Sarah Palin knows the Bush doctrine....not too much.

John McCain...

asserted today in a brutal interview that Sarah Palin knew more about energy than anyone in the United States....think about that for a minute.

That statement alone should disqualify him for office. Pathetic...just pathetic.

See the whole mess here.

Sarah Palin...The Earmark Queen..

Alaska is 1st in the nation per capita for earmarks received by over a 2-1 margin. Now you can call that fact whatever you want and put lipstick, a funny hat and a fake nose on it but it's still gonna look like Sarah Palin.

Note to Obama campaign: You might want to mention that while Sarah Palin was against them before she was for them, it may be that maybe she is only against earmarks in other states because she clearly wants them all for herself.

Repug Convention...

Here is some funny shit..

I wish the Democratic Party had the courage” to pick a woman, said Kimberly Myers, a retired transit worker in Pittsburgh who supported Mrs. Clinton in Pennsylvania’s primary and said she now planned to vote for Mr. McCain.

We should all get behind the Palin candicy....

If you are..

ok with the Palin pick...not only should you be ashamed and embarassed but also prevented from voting.....

She would be the President if McCain keels....

Not exactly Lyndon Johnson.....get me?

OK...Cindy McCain...

has had on that ridiculous sling, then a brace and now what seems to be cast on her arm. Am I the only one who doesn't buy the story that a super-duper enthusiastic supporter injured her arm whlle shaking her hand??? WTF?

C'mon now....somptin is up wit dat.


pic via
www.dependablerenegade.com

Elitist is the narrative...

that the Repugs want to pin on Obama....funny thing is that 90% of their target audience probably can't spell it never mind define it.

Jorma..enough said...

The guy is creepy in this..

but I had a beer with Mick once and he was nice dude...good stuff here...

This Just In...

Yankees might have a chance...need a loss from Boston and MN tomorrow....sweep in NY vs Boston...maybe a plane going down here or there and we're right back in it...seems plausible, no?

This Just In...

Biden...

in my opinion is a good choice. He's tough enough to punch back and enjoy it. The guy's entertaining too...It's not his quote but I've heard him say it referring to politics...

"It ain't beanbag pal"

A little...

Tanita goes a long way...

Obama would....

be well served by applying some of Nils' verse to his campaign. It fits right down to the mother line...

BTW...didn't I mention that you would never hear from that crazy old bat as soon as McCain got the nomination..

Hacienda Brothers...

Country Soul they call it...

Cry Like a Baby is always a crowd pleaser...

mastercommander.jpg

From movie of same name
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3 masted schooner.jpg

Hard to see clearly but impressive up close.
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2 ships.jpg

Next to each other
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good ship.jpg

Circa early 1800's
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USSLane victory.jpg

WWII vintage ship in San Pedro part of Tall Ships weekend.
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Very Short..

note about MTP today...old lizard Broder says Russia/Georgia is a win for McCain because he mentioned Russia a few weeks ago.....Wow, awesome that he didn't refer to them as USSR...Dean Wormer forgot the unpleasant lobbying connection McCain Campaign continues to have to Georgia but hey...he's the Dean so whatever the "Brode" says, goes...right?

Broder is a McCain ball licker anyway you slice it.

More Townes...

and one of my favorites...

Here's the real deal from Townes..

Haven't seent this before and I've been looking....good find by whoever dug up..

weird posting...

prob...going on but I'm gonna add the orig to the Nancy to the right cause it seems to be blocked over one another...a repost to be sure but










Valley is a classic Townes Van Zant tune being done justice here...That is Steve Earle sitting next to Nancy..

At a certain point...

you have to say this effing guy is nuts....Laird Hamilton...the Big Kahuna of big wave surfing...local guy who lives in Manhattan Beach and married to Gabby Reese...guess he likes tall...

Dueling Campaigns...

I hope that the Obama guys are keeping their powder dry because in my opinion they hit like girls so far...

Best Commercial...

1952 Vincent Black Lighting..

is well done also by Reckless...Richard Thompson owns the song but Del McCroury has a good version as well...

A litle Reckless Kelly for...

some your enjoyment...posted to the right but I didn't want any interested party to miss...Wicked Twisted Road...

Onion Field revisted...

Out in Catalina, I had a interesting encounter with the daughter of one of the police officers that was the subject of a non-fiction book by Joseph Wambaugh called "The Onion Field". I was way off on the dates on my previous reference. The event occurred in the 60's and was written in the 70's. Short version is that 2 officers were kidnapped and one killed in an onion field in Bakersfield, CA.

My brief conversation with the daughter of Karl Hettinger began with a "where ya from?" her Bakersfield reply prompted a "oh onion country!" comment from me which led us eventually to the terribly unfortunate life her father led after his ordeal. She was a pretty nice lady but you could tell the conversation brought out some sad memories. She basically had lost her father before ever really knowing him pre-kidnapping. The wikipedia quotes below sum up her own description.

Hettinger suffered severe emotional trauma as a result, and people who knew him said he was never the same afterwards. He was forced to resign from the LAPD in 1966 after committing some acts of petty shoplifting and developing a drinking problem. Later in life, Hettinger was appointed to serve as a Kern County supervisor; he died of a liver disease in 1994 at the age of 59.

Onion field

Is the name of a book and a movie about a terrifying ordeal and ultimate murder back in the 80's and tonight I met the daughter of one of the principal characters....more to follow.
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IMG00226.jpg

Costa Rica in the rain but a nice break at Jaco Beach.
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Costa Rica..

is a pretty amazing place...rainforests and surfing culture all mixed in with 3rd world vibe...friendly peeps and beautiful landscape...even so reality creeps and word of Bobby Murcer"s passing has just reached.

A true gentlemen, a true Yankee who will be missed by those who were lucky enough to enjoy his observations about the game...

R.I.P. Bobby

Does this Guy...

remind you of John McCain trying recall his votes in the Senate or what?

Does This Guy..

remind you of Barney Fife trying to recite the preamble to the constitution or what?

If anyone needs me...

just write me c/o the Beatle Bar in Jaco Beach CR...adios suckers...

Going to...

Costa Rica next week and hope to enjoy some of the local activities....looks nice.

I've seen Jorma...

for going on 30 years now...and I gotta say, I think he was better when he was "lets say younger"....

Long Time No Post...

so I've been saving this one...Hot Effing Tuna with Papa..

I couldn't care less...

about Gays getting married, which they are....all over CA today thanks to a recent State Supreme Court ruling but anything that pisses off conservatives soooo much has to be a good idea in my mind.

IMG00208.jpg

From the Starlight Room atop the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in SF.
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sflatenite.jpg

Hanging with a great band in sf.
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IMG00208.jpg

Sf
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j.foleys.jpg

Johnny Foley's Irish House where every bar stool is taken by mid afternoon. Classic.
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the rock.jpg

Alcatraz......not hard to see why no one ever escaped.....looks pretty scary.
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jeter.jpg

Jeter base hit in the 6th.
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unionsquareblogging.jpg

Having a cold one on a hot day in SF looking at the St Francis where Squeeky Fromm tried to take down Gerald Ford. Yanks in OK tonight....I'll keep you posted.....
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I don't know who...

took this photo...but it is reminiscent of old time baseball when the photogs were actually on the field...great, great shot.

Not Great Audio...

But this dude has potential...Albert Castiglia...bluesman from FLA.




If you don't watch to the end you'll miss some amazing shit.