DELICIOUS APPLES...OR NOT...

Sure, they're red, they look delicious...but who really decides? I've had Delicious apples that were less than delicious. Conversely, I've had delicious apples that weren't called Delicious. So isn't that really false advertising...?

HOCKEY

Tampa police officer who was slain last week by a nut with a gun (boy, when is the NRA going to lose their hypnotic hold over the people & government of this country??). Saturday, Phyl & I went to the Lightning fan fest, which this year was held in conjunction with a charity hockey game. Donations were given, and jerseys and memorabilia auctioned off to benefit his family. Current & past Lightning players played on two teams with memebers of the TPD hockey time. Everyone wore number 12, which was CPL Roberts jersey number on the TPD hockey team.

A good time was had by all, and some good came out of it too, judging by the bids on the items I saw, plus the boxes and jars stuffed with money from the fans.

And of course, it was good to see Phil Esposito, Brian Bradley, Stan Neckar, and Pat Jablonski again after all this time they've been retired. And of course Dave Andreychuck, ex-Lightning captain from the year of 'the CUP'.

Looks like the team is pumped this year, maybe we'll make the playoffs; maybe Phyl & I will get to see a couple of games this year.

RIP: TED KENNEDY

At age 77, the last of the doomed Kennedy brothers. Yeah, he didn't get assassinated like his brothers (Bobby should have been President!), but his shot at the presidency was ruined by his fuck up when Mary Jo Kopechne drowned. But he soldiered on, an icon of the American political system. Sorry to see you go so soon.

And now you can play football with your brothers again...

SAY WHAT?

Yes, this is a real sign. I took the picture myself. Now, I'm pretty sure the guy who made the sign (or at least the one who bought it) knew what he was going to use it for...but...isn't a hump what your dog does to your leg? Or back in the day, wasn't a dry hump what you did to your girlfriend with you both fully clothed?

Either that, or you're supposed to get out of your car and...well, you know...

TILAPIA (GESUNDHEIT)

So last night at Publix I decided to try some fish from the nice lady who cooks on Wednesday nights at our Publix and gives out samples. It was tilapia in lemon sauce of some sort, and turns out it was really tasty. Now, I don't eat fish, not since about 1960 when I walked into the kitchen at our house in the Phillippines, right after the cook had brought home a lapu-lapu and left it sitting on the counter; big, green and ugly...and right about eye level for a 7 year old! Needless to say, after walking in on that, I gagged on dinner that night and haven't eaten fish (tuna doesn't count) ever since. But last night I was feeling adventurous so I had a piece and really enjoyed it. So after years of my Mom telling me I should eat more fish, maybe I'll end up ordering some at a restaurant sometime, because Phyl sure won't make fish - she doesn't like it either. Anyway, it looked pretty much like the pic below, much nicer than the lapu-lapu ever did...

WOODSTOCK

Well, by the time I got to Woodstock, we were half a million strong...but I didn't. Unfortunately, at age 16, my Mom & Dad weren't going to allow me to go, event though Charlie from Caldor had a plan all worked out by which to get there. Of course, he didn't make it either. (Strangely enough, 4 years later, after moving to England, coming back to CT to college, and then dropping out - I worked for Charlie's dad at a Manpower job installing a tennis court - small world!) And now it turns out that Max Yasgur's("I'm a farmer"(loud cheering)) brother lives in Polk City, the next town north of here. And he didn't even go to Woodstock, neither did Max's sons.

But a generation defining event nonetheless, no matter how we (and the world, for which we held so much hope) turned out 40 years down the road...

...I'm still proud to be one of the 'Woodstock Generation.'

THE FIRST POLITICIAN??

An archeological team, digging in
Washington DC , has uncovered
10,000 year old bones and fossil remains
Of what is believed to be the first

Politician.

RIP: LES PAUL

1915 - 2009

One of music's true greats passed away this week. Electric guitar pioneer, sonic experimentalist, entertainer and dedicated musician, Les Paul laid the foundations of rock'n'roll with his innovative design ideas and adventurous spirit.

If anyone, the true father of rock music of any electrified type...

Rock on Les, rock on...

RIP: HANK THE CROCOSAURUS

At the ripe old age of 47. Yup, poor old Hank, who lived at Jungle Island in Miami Fl; found dead at the bottom of his pool.

Look at the size of him...20 feet long, 2000 lbs!!

Sure wouldn't have wanted to run across him walking by some lake in Florida, that's for sure!!

So, Hank, have a good time in Croc heaven doing whatever crocs do there...

BE FORWARNED

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes...

 So let that be a lesson to you...

TODAY'S QUOTE

I read it on the internet, it must be true...

BEER NUMBER 650

Courtesy of Old Chicago Pasta & Pizza, home of the World Beer Tour (110 Brews!!). Very nice one, this was, reminiscent of an English Bitter, but served colder. Very tasty. And one beer closer to finishing the World Beer Tour; which would probably be done if I lived closer to where the restaurant is located here in Florida (only 1 - boo-hoo). But I've made oit to the playing card prize, and working on 25th beer prize.

Hey, it's ALL good!

1ST TOUR 10th beer: Custom Deck of WBT Playing Cards 25th beer: WBT Clip-on Watch and Compass 40th beer: Old Chicago Bottle Opener 55th beer: WBT T-Shirt 70th beer: WBT Travel Mug 85th beer: WBT Baseball Cap 100th beer: WBT Travel Cooler 110th beer, Tour Completion: WBT Sweatshirt and your name on the Wall of Foam!

HAIR (NOT HAIR)

Twice now I've seen the new Broadway cast of Hair Doing a song on TV. The first time they did 'Hair' & the second time they did 'Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In'. Just not buying it. While watching the numbers, all you could see were actors playing the parts of hippies.

Now, on my 16th birthday (1969), Dad took me to NYC to see Hair on Broadway, and I always remember the cast l0ooking like (almost) normal people. You actually saw people dressed like them when you went around your daya to day ordinary life, and so it seemed while watching the show that you were watching real people doing their thing.

And I wonder, do they do the nude scene at the end, or does today's moral climate rule out something like that in a Broadway show? Will this show even last?

Or will it be a case of Hair today, gone tomorrow...?

ELLIOTT'S LOVE GRASS

Yeah, really...apparently a Florida native ornamental grass. Now, if it was really my love grass, then you'd be able to smoke it...hahaha

COUNTRY MUSIC & KEVIN COSTNER

In the paper today, news of a fierce thunderstorm with heavy winds that popped up during a country music festival in Alberta Canada. 1 person killed, 75 injured as the stage collapsed just before Kevin Costner and his band (say what!) were about to perform.

Which seems to me proof that God doesn't like country music...

or perhaps he can't stand Kevin Costner!!

BOOK OF THE DEAD...PLUS

Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child: Being a further tale of the woes of the N.Y. Museum of Natural History, apparently the unluckiest museum in the worl, judging by the series of novels that began with Relic and continues down to this one. Though actually, the books are really about Special Agent Pendergast and his adventures, some of which have to do with the Museum. This one continues the intertwining of Pendergast's twin evil brother and how he's getting revenge on his brother.

But, to digress, the pivotal scene of this book happens on the volcanic island of Stromboli, which I happened to see from a ship while returning home from the Phillippines in 1961. I recall the ship sailing towards this volcanic island, which was smoking at the time, and seeing a flow down the side running into the ocean where it steamed up. Apparently that was the Sciara del Fuoco, the Slope of Fire, where the volcano has been flowing constantly for pretty much the last 3000 years!!

So that was prettty neat, especially at the age of 8, and even thought I didn't really' get it', it sure was cool to see, and strange to run across it in this book read 48 years later.

Small world, eh?