What’s on my mind tonight? (Last night rather)

I’m being followed on Twitter by a ton of blues musicians. One of them is bucketofblues1. Bucket of Blues is the album and the musician is Bobby Parris. His website has a 10 track album for sale. Each song is 75 cents. Or you can buy the 10 track album for $10. Multiplication FAIL, Bobby.

My Facebook friends have grown a bit over the past two weeks. I sense it tilting sharply to the right. That’s life I suppose, but some balance (and a few more like minds) would be appreciated.

The thuggish summer heat and barometer-defying humidity have finally hooked up (eharmony, perhaps?). The nuptials and impending moist honeymoon are a month or so late. There’s nothing like walking outside from an air-conditioned room and feeling like you’re pushing through the heavy blanket of a second birth ceremony.

The Science Network has a cool spot with what sounds like Prodigy’s Smack My Bitch Up running underneath. Ooo look. Who knew Cod attacked octopusses and “death-rolled” their tentacles the way an alligator kills its victim? I’ll never think of fish and chips the same way again.

OK. First things first. I’m not vetting this and going over it with a fine tooth editorial comb. Also, I have been in the Elijah Craig, so take this for what it’s worth.

What kind of society are we left with if we can’t trust journalists to draw coherent inferences. This from an AP “fact check” article regarding Obama’s primetime press conference this evening, emphasis mine.

OBAMA: “I don’t know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that. But I think it’s fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home, and, number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there’s a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately.”

THE FACTS: The facts are in dispute between black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. and the white police sergeant who arrested him at his Cambridge, Mass., home when officers went there to investigate a reported break-in. But this much is clear: Gates wasn’t arrested for being in his own home, as Obama implies, but for allegedly being belligerent when the sergeant demanded his identification. The president did mention that the professor was charged with disorderly conduct. Charges were dropped.

How the fuck do the dimwitted reporters writing this drivel arrive at Obama “implying” that Gates was arrested for being in his own home? Beyond being a prime example of yellow journalism, the inference is simply a baffling non-sequitur. And if writers can’t demonstrate a simple grasp of “if A = B, and B = C” logic, they shouldn’t be allowed to write. And the editors that let this shit through should have their favorite Cross writing instrument driven through their nutsacks (or ovary sacks, I’d hate to be accused of sexism).

It’s been eight months since 63 million Americans voted for change. If you listen closely you can hear the cacaphanous strains of “buyers’ remorse” blending harmoniously with the “I told ya so” chorus. As a pragmatist, I never bought season tickets to that concert series. But I will freely admit the one thing that truly bothers me about this administration’s grassroots approach. At the end of nearly every email they send, there is a simple, blood red button with white letters that encourage, if not outright demand you do one thing:

 
DONATE
 

For example:

Eric –

Recently, Vice President Biden stuck his foot in his mouth again. This time it required surgery to remove it. Thankfully, Joe’s covered by the same healthcare plan that provides hundreds of congressmen and women a safety net in these troubled times. If we’re going to pass legislation to ensure that every American has access to that same level of care, we must act now. Please do your part to help all the Joes across this great country.

DONATE
 

I like a good meme as much as anyone, but honestly I’m wiped. I gave to the campaign, and I am a patient person, but I need to see a bigger return on previous donations before I’m comfy giving up more of my finances. Make no mistake, eight months later I still support the administration and would vote the same way. Maybe we can make a deal. Hire my company to produce the compelling videos you need to win support for your healthcare plan. I can’t promise we’ll donate our services. But I can promise we won’t fill your inbox up asking for future work.

As part of a personal initiative to reduce my consumption of meat, I’ve begun observing “no-meat Wednesdays”. Being a meatatarian nothing tastes or feels like flesh, so it’s a challenge finding worthy protein replacements. Bold tastes and pretty colors help dull the pain. Today’s foodie entry succeeds on all fronts. At heart it’s a frittata, however, I use overeasy eggs instead of an omelette. And here’s the super time-saver tip of the day: The spinach, carrots, and onions were purchased from a grocery store salad bar. Pre-prepped and cheap. 
 
Continue reading “Overeasy Frittata” »

Last night I watched TNT’s third episode of Hawthorne, Jada Pinkett Smith’s (Exec Producer/Director) and John Masius’ (Exec Producer/Writer) new nursing “dramalet”. Yes, I made that word up. It’s the diminuitive form of drama. That isn’t meant to be demeaning in any way. I really quite like the show and almost blogged the first episode I saw. But while first impressions are lasting, it’s only fair to give a show a couple of episodes before forming concrete opinions (unless the show is Raising the Bar).

Continue reading “Hawthorne, TNT’s Colorful Primetime Prescription” »