"INTERVIEW" ADVERTIZINE

Now, here's a great excuse for a magazine. Looks nice, printed on high quality
paper, only $3.50 per issue. But...

Start flipping through the pages...where's the table of contents?? Oh, here it is on page 60! Where's the rest of it...oh here it is on page 72! Finally, here's the letter column on page 92...and the first article on page 96!! A one pager, followed by another ad page.
So the first 97 pages of the magazine contain 93 pages of ads!!! And through the rest of the magazine,it's pretty much 50-50.

So out of a 216 page magazine, pretty much 152 pages are ads...send in your subscription now...

ANDREA DORIA

Was reading a article about the Andrea Doria, the Italian liner that sank off the coast of Massachusetts in 1956. It reminded me of a story my Mom & Dad told me when I was a kid. Apparently, when they went to Germany to adopt me in 1956, they sailed on the Andrea Doria to Europe. But they decided for the return trip that we would fly back rather than take the sea voyage. So, apparently, we may have lucked out by not being on the final voyage of the Andrea Doria!

As an aside, a diver who exploring the Andrea Doria, died in July of this year shortly after completing a dive to the wreck.

LAST 6 BOOKS READ

1) 2nd Chance by James Patterson & Andrew Gross: Second outing of the Women's Murder Club, as they go after the serial killer, Chimera. A good,solid read (I've always wanted to say that).

2) World Music:Africa,Europe,Middle East: A humongous volume(1of2!)looking at music from around the world, and showing how it interacts with music from other countries to make music an ever-changing,living thing. And you'd be surprised how many countries have bagpipes as an instrument! Wish I could find Vol.2, it's a tough read, but fascinating. It also has a guide to local music for those who want to dig deeper.

3) The Bad Place by Dean Koontz: Julie & Bobby avoid Candy, and it's no easy task. Another good Koontz read.

4) Dance Of Death by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child: More mystery than horror this time out with D'Agosto & Prendergast; pretty much carrying on from the last book. Not bad, but prefer more horror from these guys.

5) Flowers In The Dustbin by James Miller: Subtitled 'The Rise of Rock & Roll 1947-77', this gives a basic sequence of pivotal moments in rock; from Wynonie Harris singing 'Good Rockin' Tonight' in 1947 through to the death of Elvis in 1977. Nothing really new here, but a nice outline of rock history, showing the process of how it developed into what it is today.

6) Making The List by Michael Korda: A brief history of 100 years of American bestseller lists and how they developed. Many interesting little known facts abound; did you know that there was a fiction bestselling author in the early 1900s named Winston Churchill - no relation to the English statesman/author?
Well, now you do...

BAD DAY FOR FAMOUS ARTWORK

Found out today that two famous paintings were both stolen on this date.
In 1911 DaVinci's "Mona Lisa" was stolen, and was recovered four months later.
In 2004 Edvard Munch's "The Scream" (aaaggghhh!)was stolen, but hasn't been found yet.

So in 2097, if I was a famous painting, I'd be worried...

THOUGHT THIS WAS FUNNY...

...Of course, I think lots of things are funny. However, in the paper the other day was a correction notice that for 2 days in the last 2 weeks, the newspaper had printed the wrong 'Cryptogram' answers. But that's not the funny part.

To quote:"The correct answers are unavailable, though Ledger editors are still trying to identify the cause of the problem and locate the correct answers."

That would be, of course, instead of just doing the puzzle and getting the answers that way...

THE DOOBIE SENSE?

In the paper today: Haley Joel Osment, the "Sixth Sense" actor, was charged with DUI & marijuana possession. (Hard to believe he's 18!) Anyway, I thought the marijuana possession charge was interesting...

...I guess that's how he got to see dead people...

hahahahaha...the voice of experience!!??

MY TAKE ON "KILLER" KARR

Just a passsing thought...
So Mark Karr gets arrested in Bangkok on child sex charges and all of a sudden he's 'confessing' to JonBenet Ramsay's murder. Now, since Thailand is trying to reverse their infamy as a famous child sex country, they probably tend to crack down real hard on anyone they now catch. And of course, prisons in Asian countries are probably not the TV/Exercise/3-meal-a-day places tha U.S. prisons are...

So why not confess to something that will get you out of the country before you have to deal with the local criminal justice system?? If you're guilty, chances are you'll be in a better place than a Thai prison; if you're innocent what's the odds they'll send you back?

Just something to think about...

DR SPOCK (NOT THE ONE WITH THE EARS)

I was reading a book last nite about bestselling books. No, I don't know if it was a bestseller or not, but it's an interesting read. So one of the books mentioned was Dr Spock's Baby and Child Care first published in 1946, which has sold 23 million copies as of 2001. The reason I bring this up is that it reminds me of a story...
Long, long ago...

When Crystal was a baby and traveled everywhere in a stroller, Phyl and I went into the Woolworth's in the mall where we used to shop. It was a nice Woolworth's and was actually 2 stories with escalators. So, as usual when shopping in a department store, Phyl would do her thing, and I would do mine; which usually consisted of browsing the book department. This time in particular I had custody of the stroller with Crystal in it. Well, when Phyllis was done, she came by the book area and we walked out of the store. A little bit down the mall we stopped for some reason and for some reason we looked at Crystal and she had a paperback book in her hands.

Turned out to be the Dr Spock book and she was apparently drawn to it by the baby picture on the cover! So we kept the book(everybody shoud have a copy) and still have it as a memento of our shoplifting daughter.

ALZHEIMER'S

So I went to the neurologist yesterday about my foot pains. Very nice Oriental doctor. So we go through different questions about general health things, and we get to the short list of pills that I take. Along with eye pills and 81mg aspirin, I've also been taking Ginkgo for memory. So the doc askes me how it's working(with a smile on her face) and I tell her:
"I don't think it really helps, but I'm afraid to stop..."

Just in case...you know what I mean??

Of course, Dad's got advanced Alzheimer's, and in a home now, because Mom just can't take care of him anymore. She's moved to the same place, but apart, so she can still keep an eye on him without having to caregive 24/7 as she had been doing. The thing that really pisses me off is that my Dad was a very intelligent businessman (head of the European Purchasing Dept. for Mobil Oil in the 70s) and after retirement him & Mom played Scrabble, cards, kept active and ate healthy all the time. And they say that doing that is supposed to help stave off Alzheimer's.
Yeah, well, don't give up things you enjoy and change your lifestyle because of what modern medicine tells you, it may just be a crock of shit!!

So now he's 89 years old and doesn't remember much of anything; even last year when we visited and he was much better than he is now he had trouble remembering who Phyl & I were if we weren't right there with him.

Yeah, sometimes life sucks, and you can't even remember that much...

UNTOLD RICHES - NOT!!

Had a nice time Sunday tubing on the 'Lazy River' ,as we call it, at Cypress Gardens Adventure Park. Very nice on Sunday, not very crowded. So I discovered by accident that if you look through the bottom of the clear (rental) tube, you can see people's lost change on the bottom. Unfortunately, it's not real easy to grab because it's in 3 feet of water and it's usually at the spots where the current is the strongest. So try holding on to your tube,ducking underwater and grabbing at a sliding coin at the same time as the current is trying to move you along! Lotsa fun!
So I ended up with $1.03 in change, and had a good time doing it...hey - money is money!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE HULK

Hogan - that is. Yep, now he's the same age as me; just in slightly better shape than I am...

Got to meet him a nmber of years ago (10 - 12 maybe?) at the Bay Area Renaissance Fair in Largo Florida. Of course, he was there with his family and would probably have liked to be ignored, but he did give my son Corey an autograph and was quite nice about it. And let me tell you, it's hard to tell how big a man he is when he's with other wrestlers, but when you see him in person he is one large motherfucker!
He looks twice as tall as he does on TV.

So happy birthday Hulkster, and many,many more...

THE FISH FIGHT BACK...

Oh, yes they do.

In yesterday's paper a little article about a man riding his personal watercraft on the Suwannee River here in Florida. As he drove along, he was knocked unconscious by a 4 foot sturgeon that jumped out of the water and hit him. He was lucky that other people were nearby and able to keep his head out of water to keep him from drowning.

Boy, that's got to be embarrasing when you have to go to the hospital and tell them you were attacked by a fish...and not even a shark!

"Hi, I was slapped by a sturgeon, I need to see a surgeon."

BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER...

The first trademark in Britain was the Bass Pale Ale red triangle; first used in 1777.

A brewer is a man who brews beer...a woman brewer is actually a brewster.

Frank Zappa once said:"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer."

The first brewery in Manhattan openerd in 1623.

The word 'balderdash' once meant a peculiar combination of drinks,eg:a blend of beer and wine; now it just means trivial nonsense....(is that balderdash or what?)

The Australian food product known as 'Vegemite',(Men At Work:"He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich") is actually yeast extract left over from the process of brewing beer. It was first marketed in 1922.

"Beer & freedom do go together" Ivan Tinkov,Russian brewery owner

STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES

Scott Lake, which recently lost most of it's water due to sinkholes, has now had an outbreak of stupidity. Apparently, some kid took his parents Acura and decided to drive along the lake bottom. After getting stuck (duh!) he called some friends, one of who also got stuck in the mud (duh-duh!). Finally, someone called the Sheriff's Office so that a Deputy could come down and also get stuck (duh-duh-duh!). Eventually a tow truck showed up, and after managing a partial rescue managed - you guessed it - to get stuck!! So they got a bigger tow truck and eventually everyone managed to go home and live happily ever after.
At least until the original boy's parents get home from vacation and see what he did with their Acura!

And the cost of the tow truck work? Well, if the company owner hadn't been such a nice guy...$4000!!

QUOTE FROM WAYNE COYNE (FLAMING LIPS)

Just read this in Mojo Magazine from England. They had a Wayne Coyne
tour diary segment in which he wrote: "I think it's starting to occur to everyone that, after the next election, we could get someone who's worse. You see how mindless these religious fanatics are. You see how many of the there are in America and how powerful they are. Ozzy, protect us!"

Which is a scary thought that actually hadn't crossed my mind until now;
though I almost find it almost hard to believe there could be someone worse...

MORE AUTOGRAPHED CDs

Drivetrain by .38 Special: Autographed by Don Barnes & Donnie Van Zant, along with the rest of the 2006 band.

Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story: Autographed by Chuck Negron (keep hoping to find the rest of the guys amenable to autographs at some show)

Wayfaring Sons by Colin Hay: Autographed at an Orlando show, really nice guy, put on a grat show.

What You Hear Is What You Get by Bad Co.: Autographed by Brian Howe. He did a set in Clearwater that was part of a Charlie Daniels benefit show. We ended up sitting in the field next to a guy who was a good friend of Brian's, and when he came over to chat I got a photo and autograph. Real nice guy, it turns out he (at the time)lived around Ft Myers and was co-owner of Ft Myers Airport.

Live:The 1971 Tour by Grand Funk: Autographed by Mark Farner

Arlo Guthrie by Arlo Guthrie: What a great guy, always makes sure everyone gets an autograph at his shows.

Live At La Paloma by Spirit: Autographed by Randy California. I already had an autograph from Randy on the Twelve Dreams... album & Live Spirit cassette. I owned this cd from his 3 piece version of Spirit, and one day at the local Goodwill store found a $5 copy with his autograph on it! So, of course I couldn't resist and snatched it up.

Back From Rio by Roger McGuinn: Signed at one of the 3-4 times we saw him live. Man is just incredible on that 12 string Rickenbacker!

BBC Sessions by The Yardbirds: Autographed by Chris Dreja & Jim McCarty at their one year at Epcot Flower Power series. Wish they's have them back, it was such a great show.

Well, that's it for all my autographed cds, until I get some more. But I'll have to dig through my cassettes & vinyl and see what I have in that lot...
stay tuned...

MARTHA STEWART, ETC.

Happens to be her birthday today, she's 65 now. Don't really care, however...
Phyl's father used to be an exterminator in the city of Bridgeport,CT. Turns out
he used to spray Martha's house in Westport(?) on a fairly regular basis.
This when she was just becoming well known regionally, but it turns out...

She was a bitch even back then!!

On a different note, Lenny Bruce died on this date in 1966, and so did
Carolyn Jones (TVs Morticia Addams) in 1983. May they rest in peace.

AN ODD CENSORSHIP CHOICE

Was watching a program on TV the other day, a show called "Cleavage", which was
a historical/sociological look at...you guessed it - cleavage. Fascinating show, even showed the evolution of bras; apparently the first ones were just a cloth tied across the breasts.
But anyway, part of the show, they talked to some artists who drew/painted pictures of partially clothed women, some looking quite real, one who did a blue demoness type. Some were 40s style cheesecake paintings or drawings. The funny thing is, they actually censored the breasts on these pictures with large yellow stars over the nipples (and most of the actual breasts), so you couldn't actually see the cleavage they were discussing.
Now, granted this was on A&E network during normal viewing hours, but here comes the silly part...

Later in the show, they were discussing augmentation surgery, and actually showed part of an actual operation, during which you not only saw the breast, but even saw the nipple!

So, basically, it's ok to show the real things, but not the drawings of the real things.

It's a funny world, isn't it? (At least here in the U.S.of A.)

LAST 6 BOOKS READ

1)Yamato:A Rage In Heaven part 2 by Ken Kato: More space opera in a divided universe.

2)The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett: More adventures on Discworld. This one involves Rincewind the magician, Cohen the Barbarian(!), Twoflower the tourist and the multi-legged walking luggage. Funny stuff.

3)December by Phil Rickman: Dave & Moira & Tom & Simon regroup to finish an album in an evil stone abbey, but is that why they're really there?? And what does John Lennon have to do with it? I'll never tell, but if you like music related horror, then definitely read this one!

4)Gerald's Game by Stephen King: Jessie knows what it is, but Gerald doesn't show up much in this book(at least not alive). Pretty good King, and not a big fat overdetailed one.

5)Amazon:Ghost Tribe by Peter Benchley: I think this is the first in a series. Takes place in the 1600s; Pilgrims get blown off course and then pirates,cannibals & jungle beasts ensue. It's no Jaws, but a pretty good read nonetheless.

6)The Humanoid Touch by Jack Williamson: A 1980 sequel to a 1949 original
(The Humanoids)which I may or may not have read a long time ago. But as (probably)cash-in sequels go, it's not bad. Keth Kyrone struggles to find a way of defeating the Humanoids; human-like robots who serve mankind because "they know what's best for you", no matter what.

So there you have it; 2 really good ones, 3 good ones, 1 ok.

DAMNED IF YOU DO...

Sometimes you can't win for trying.
Statistics show that for decades, atmospheric aerosol pollutants have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching the ground, artificially lowering temperatures. Now, as many industrialized nations curb their particulate pollution, the cooling effect is dissipating...
potentially accelerating global warming...

...Damned if you don't...