A great weekend.

Spring has finally deigned to arrive, and it appears to be a pretty good one. Saturday I rode in the Cycle Into Spring, a group ride put on by the same people who do the Tour de Troit in the fall. Whenever I think group rides are a waste of money, I think of the police escort and the wonderful feeling of rolling through under the red lights. Worth $25, in my opinion. Ten bucks extra bought lunch: Three sliders and two sides from Slow’s, the barbecue place.

All in all, a perfect morning. I’d planned to go to the Eastern Market early, but even at 7:30 a.m., the freeway exit was backed up for a quarter mile. I ducked out and opted for breakfast at the Jefferson Avenue IHOP, where one of Alan’s colleagues had to submit to a full body search to be seated after midnight one night when the tunnel was backed up.

No body search. In fact, hardly any other customers. But it made for a nice early breakfast. IHOP — the classics never change.

And the ride was quite nice. I went with a friend, who stayed to my right and kept the blind side filled with a friendly presence. Twenty miles in three hours. It was a cinch. Then sliders, then home, then a nap. And that’s what I call a Saturday.

How was yours?

I would have taken some pictures, but I’d recently edited this column, and am thinking you don’t always have to take a picture to prove you were there.

Although sometimes you have to take a picture. This is Jerry, who helped us get the mast up:

mast

The wind vane at the top of the mast got whopper jawed in the raising, so Jerry went aloft to straighten it out. This was a new one. Brave Jerry. We tipped him.

Do I have some bloggage? I do:

The Atlantic photo blog delivers again. Great pictures.

A video of a wolf pack howling. Those of you who have cats — I’m interested to know how they respond to this.

What is going ON with this episode of “Mad Men?” If you have a clue, share.

Posted at 12:30 am in Detroit life |
 

61 responses to “A great weekend.”

  1. LAMary said on May 20, 2013 at 1:16 am

    I just watched Mad Men 1.75 times and I don’t know what it’s about. Don’s having a nervous breakdown maybe? What was the deal with the lady who robbed his watches? And that Dr. Feelgood guy? What the hell.

    205 chars

  2. Bowditch said on May 20, 2013 at 2:56 am

    Hmmm. Single spreader, no lower shrouds, fractional rig with jumper struts. Could be a Lapworth classic design, but the head foil is unusual, unless you’re racers. I remember hauling myself up a similar-sized mast for the same reason, a few boats and many years ago. These days, my younger and much more agile Transpac crewman dons the climbing harness, while I grind the winch and belay.

    Haven’t been commenting lately, but very thankful that your macular issue appears to be resolving apace.

    500 chars

  3. David C. said on May 20, 2013 at 6:30 am

    How are the clipless pedals working out for you, Nancy. I took my second fall with them yesterday and I’m starting to wonder about how well they work in the hurly-burly of normal traffic/life. My fall was in the life category. I made the mistake of riding along Lake Winnebago when the lake flies were hatching. I rode into a cloud of them and they lit on the front and inside of my glasses. In the panic of being blinded I didn’t think to unclip and went over. I’m thinking of only using them in more controlled situations like organized rides.

    545 chars

    • nancy said on May 20, 2013 at 8:06 am

      I’m loving my clipless so far, but I do use the platform side when I’m in a stop-and-go situation. I’m sure the fall is coming, and I hope it won’t be too bad.

      159 chars

  4. Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on May 20, 2013 at 6:49 am

    The Mad Men episode grew on me. Like a hallucinogenic mushroom. We’ve gone from alcohol in quantity to Roger’s LSD to casual pseudo-medical use of, um, stimulants; the assassinations, and the growing sense that the war in Southeast Asia is even more savage than is usual, the White House that is not yet known to be taping itself during midnight boozy tearful anti-Semitic rants . . . and if you didn’t get the opening scene with poor Ken Cosgrove, go find a copy of DeLorean’s “On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors.”

    It was an unstuck time, and the icon in the opening credits isn’t Draper so much as it’s establishment man, falling from the heights of certainty to . . . cocktail hour.

    695 chars

  5. Dorothy said on May 20, 2013 at 7:30 am

    Played the video just now before I left for work. Lucy was sound asleep, but startled a little at the 1:03 mark in the video. But I don’t think she startled due to the howling. She simply turned around, arched her middle a little, and resettled in the opposite direction to lean her head, again, up against the scratch box she’s lying next to. She never turned her head in the direction of the laptop, i.e. the howling wolves video.

    436 chars

  6. nancy said on May 20, 2013 at 7:58 am

    Bowditch: It’s a Sea Sprite 23. Good eye!

    129 chars

  7. nancy said on May 20, 2013 at 8:03 am

    As for “Mad Men,” I seem to remember around that time, seeing casual references to so-and-so — usually a rich, famous so-and-so — getting “B12 shots” for energy, exhaustion, etc. Amy Welborn found this reference to a Dr. Jacobson who catered to elite New Yorkers. I think it’s reasonable to assume the shots were only negligibly vitamin-enriched, and mostly plain old speed.

    459 chars

  8. Deborah said on May 20, 2013 at 8:16 am

    Get ready for a gross out: in Sunday’s NYT Styles section the article about January Jones said she ate the placenta after the birth of her son Xander, in a smoothie of some sort.

    I’m in Santa Fe so I was able to watch Mad Men, I’m going to have to watch it again to make any sense of it.

    291 chars

  9. brian stouder said on May 20, 2013 at 8:28 am

    Deborah – this story was in our newspaper this weekend, and the Albuquerque dateline made me think of you

    http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-albuquerque-mom-kidnapping-pursuit-20130517,0,3528300.story

    And the fact that it was a fearless, dauntless, and fully engaged mom kind of choked me up a little

    326 chars

  10. basset said on May 20, 2013 at 8:29 am

    I thought Dr. Jacobson might have been the Beatles’ “Dr. Robert,” but that apparently was someone else:

    http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/doctor-robert/

    Never seen “Mad Men,” we don’t get whatever cable channel it’s on and we’re about to cut back to an even smaller plan… no need to pay for “Bridezillas” and Mexican soccer, then not watch it.

    351 chars

  11. Dorothy said on May 20, 2013 at 8:40 am

    I watched half of Mad Men last night before I succumbed to sleep. I missed the very beginning because I was brushing my teeth. I put it on while I had my toast and orange juice before my shower today, and the morning light enhanced the viewing. Last night I was convinced it was a huge dream episode. But I agree – that was mostly just speed in that syringe. There’s a recap at Entertainment Weekly already: http://tvrecaps.ew.com/recap/mad-men-the-lost-weekend/

    464 chars

  12. Maggie Jochild said on May 20, 2013 at 8:44 am

    Referring to your weekend column, even the geek of geeks at XKCD have succumbed to GeoGessr: http://xkcd.com/1214/

    115 chars

  13. coozledad said on May 20, 2013 at 8:49 am

    For those of you who don’t have a placenta handy to make smoothies, here’s the next best thing:

    Chewy summer cooler

    4 and 1/2 cups lime sherbet
    2 tablespoons lime juice
    1 beef tongue, cut into lengthwise strips
    2 or three strawberries

    243 chars

  14. Maggie Jochild said on May 20, 2013 at 8:55 am

    Re the wolf pack video, I was impressed with the reaction of my 11-month-old newcat, Scout. She leaped up from a nap and came to stand beside me with alacrity, wide-eyed and searching the room with her far vision. I think she was hearing echoes bounce back, from her tracking behavior. Way fun!

    297 chars

  15. brian stouder said on May 20, 2013 at 8:57 am

    …and I bet it is called the Cattle Canker-Sore Sour Sundae

    60 chars

  16. Judybusy said on May 20, 2013 at 9:51 am

    I called the dog in to listen to the wolves. She had absolutely no reaction. Me, I got the shivers, thinking what it would be like to be a hunter/gatherer, out in the woods, listening to that….

    195 chars

  17. Dorothy said on May 20, 2013 at 9:52 am

    Maggie that sounds cool! I’ll try to play the wolves again when Lucy is awake and livelier. She was in the middle of sleeping when I played it this morning so it’s no wonder she didn’t react.

    193 chars

  18. Heather said on May 20, 2013 at 10:29 am

    RE the article Nancy edited, there is a famous essay by Susan Sontag, “On Photography,” about exactly that topic — ruminating on the sense of remove that a camera may cause, or whether you experience something less fully when you are looking through a lens.
    http://www.susansontag.com/SusanSontag/books/onPhotographyExerpt.shtml

    330 chars

  19. brian stouder said on May 20, 2013 at 10:57 am

    Abraham Zapruder (for one example) proves the point about experiencing something less fully, as do all those great combat journalists who disregard their own safety as they record (one way or another) events.

    Non sequitur: I confess that upon first seeing Nancy’s photo of the man hanging from the yard-arm, I winced. Looking again, I could see he was not hanging by his neck, so that was good.

    397 chars

  20. Charlotte said on May 20, 2013 at 10:59 am

    It rained here! Woo-hee –my backyard garden rain gauge was full at 1.24 this morning — as much moisture as we’ve had all year. Was so dry we were worrying about forest fires, and more important, not finding any morels! I can feel them out there — growing.

    No cats here for the wolf video but my dogs have been stupendously unimpressed by both wolves and coyotes howling at the cabin. I keep trying to impress upon them that those are professional canines, and they need to watch out, but all these goofy elderly dogs have in their brains is bunny! must chase the bunny! where’s the bunny?

    601 chars

  21. coozledad said on May 20, 2013 at 11:00 am

    This guy wants to take credit for killing Breitbart, but it was The White Goddess, obvs.

    Most folks reviled him, when they sobered up
    And saw their worst selves, spluttering, mean.
    Some smiled sadly and dared not speak their love
    In their minds, the shouty man a glove
    They dreamed one day they’d glide right into
    That towering moronic ego.

    It became a virtue to unsay
    He was a filthy vulture in a racist way
    when seeing his volcanic head erupt
    Cocaine fueled and Chablis-fucked.
    Whose towelboy’s boat was primed for rape
    Whose sloping brow was as thick as any ape.
    Whose eyes were pale as a mountain albino
    On his mama’s settee, fingerpicking her banjo.

    And now every spring, smut peddlers beg us pardon
    The loathsome Mother who gave them a hardon.
    And rut in a cheerless obsequy

    But we are gifted, even to remember
    That rawest of blowhards, with so huge a sense
    Of his belief in his magnificence
    Who worked the idiots into blinding foam
    Whose God murdered him while he staggered home.

    1235 chars

  22. Deborah said on May 20, 2013 at 11:06 am

    Heather, speaking of Susan Sontag and photography, Annie Leibovitz and Sontag were life partners. There was an exhibit at the Georgia OKeeffe art museum here in Santa Fe recently of Leibovitz’s photos of artists, writers and other notables dwellings. It included photos of their studios, bedrooms, places they worked. It may sound boring but it was fascinating. apparently according to a docent at the museum it was something that Leibovitz and Sontag had started to do together, visiting these places and then Sontag got sick and eventually died so Leibovitz continued on her own. It is called “Pilgrimage” and there’s a book about it http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_7_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=pilgrimage+annie+leibovitz&sprefix=Pilgrimage%2Cstripbooks%2C262

    797 chars

  23. Connie said on May 20, 2013 at 11:17 am

    Charlotte, hope you find those morels. So far all my husband has come home with is ticks. Multiple times.

    107 chars

  24. brian stouder said on May 20, 2013 at 11:27 am

    Connie – and I promise, I’m NOT laughing about your husband’s ticks (now there’s a straight-line!), much

    104 chars

  25. Prospero said on May 20, 2013 at 11:33 am

    n my view, the last two Mad Men episodes have shown DDraper descending into psychosis. His %0 Shades behavior with the Dr.’s bimbo wife (and believe me, I’ll call Don a bimbo as well) last week was totally bizarre, and his stalking and wheedling and depressive behavior this week is downright scary. He sure didn’t need that buttload of dexadrine disguised as designer B12. I remember that from a Time story in the late 60s or early 70s.

    And who in hell was the old black lady home invader? She put me in mind immediately of Ruby Dee as Mother Abigail in the TeeVee version of The Stand. She sure as hell didn’t raise Don, or she would have known him by another name. Then I thought of the long-suffering surrogate mom for Sally and her brother, whose name I can never remember. The maid was Carla, and I have to think that had she not been ripped from Sally’s life, Sally would seem less like one of the Villlage of the Damned (the 1960 Brit, Hammer?, version, not the cheesy John Carpenter remake) psycho kids. Entirely affectless, to a spooky extent.

    Here’s a lot of info about the B12 shots:

    http://www.datalounge.com/cgi-bin/iowa/ajax.html?t=9127435#page:showThread,9127435

    I remember it pretty clearly because it was alleged that Jack and Jackie Kennedy were Dr. Feelgood clients. Apparently, this has been confirmed.

    Wolfpacks howling have always reminded me of Whale pod individuals “singing” to each other. Wolves don’t attack people any more than cetaceans do (well dolphins do, but with the exception of Moby Dick and Gregory Peck, I don’t think whales do}.

    Oh. and I just noticed that there is a streaming link to the full version of Village of the Damned at IMDb. Great movie.

    1707 chars

  26. LAMary said on May 20, 2013 at 11:38 am

    My dogs hear coyotes all the time and they pay attention but they don’t get too worked up. Fire engine sirens are another thing. Max throws his head back and does a full on howl. I haven’t organized the cats to sit and listen to the wolves yet. Getting all three of them in one place is like herding…you know.

    311 chars

  27. Connie said on May 20, 2013 at 11:47 am

    Well then Brian I won’t tell you where one of them was because you would surely laugh then.

    91 chars

  28. brian stouder said on May 20, 2013 at 11:53 am

    NO! NOOOOO!!!

    See – now I feel guilty for my (speculative) laughter!

    72 chars

  29. Prospero said on May 20, 2013 at 12:47 pm

    Living with wolves.

    98 chars

  30. Prospero said on May 20, 2013 at 12:58 pm

    Edroso makes a mockery of the GOPer slime machine, and invents a wonderfully useful new verb: to malkin.

    204 chars

  31. Julie Robinson said on May 20, 2013 at 1:13 pm

    Intimate Ticks sounds like the name of a rock band, as does Cattle Canker-Sore Sour Sundae. Seriously though, yeeouch!

    The wolves made me think of one of the Little House on the Prairie books, where Pa spends the whole night patrolling with his rifle as wolves howl outside. I would have made a lousy pioneer.

    I looked at the Atlantic photo blog just long enough to know I needed to save it for tonight, when I can give it justice.

    We saw the new Star Trek movie yesterday, and it’s a great popcorn flick. I’m not a Trekkie and haven’t seen that many of the originals, so maybe those folks will feel differently. But, as a general summation, it seems there are some reliable plot points:
    1. Tasers are great; fists are better.
    2. It is required that someone dangle off a building/ledge/spaceship.
    3. Why is there always a problem with that darn warp drive?

    All that aside, Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain is magnificent.

    944 chars

  32. James said on May 20, 2013 at 1:55 pm

    I can never remember his name, so I usually come up with Benedict Cumbersnatch.

    79 chars

  33. Sherri said on May 20, 2013 at 2:07 pm

    I’ve seen all of the Star Trek movies, and most of the various TV series, so I guess I qualify as a Trekkie, and I didn’t like the new movie. It had its moments, and I love Benedict Cumberbatch, but I like him less as an action super anti-hero, and I wish they had done something other than basically remake the second Star Trek movie, only with more explosions and less heart.

    377 chars

  34. Dorothy said on May 20, 2013 at 2:08 pm

    I love me some Benedict Cumberbatch. The series finale of Sherlock Holmes was magnificently mind-blowing. Can’t wait to see how they explain it in the next season!

    165 chars

  35. Julie Robinson said on May 20, 2013 at 2:18 pm

    Sherri, points well taken, except I can’t remember the second movie or who played his character last time around (trying for no spoilers). Your criticism is true of almost every movie these days–going for the big special effects over plot/characters to make them more accessible to non-English speaking countries. That’s what makes it a popcorn movie for me.

    Cumberbatch’s ability to spit out speech with clarity and resonance is reason enough to enjoy him. Combine it with his quirky physicality and it’s a total win for me. And when are they gonna show that next season of Holmes? Hasn’t it been forever?

    611 chars

  36. Prospero said on May 20, 2013 at 3:05 pm

    I was a fan of all the StarTrek TeeVee series, rabid about the original when the network bailed on it, but I’ve never watched any of the movies. I even liked Captain Janeway, and Voyager had the benefit of introducing spectacular Seven of Nine, played by Jeri Ryan, a brilliant character study and superb eye candy. Hawk (Avery Brooks) as the captain on Deeps Space Nine, with Rene Auberjonois as the shapeshifting security chief Odo, beautiful Nana Visitor and equally beauatiful Alexander Siddig made for an excellent show that was also very well written. The two newest movies seem very well cast, so worthy of consideration. Sylar as Spock is a brilliant bit of casting. The television ad trailer makes it appear that major characters plunging from terrifying heights is a major plot aspect.

    I was talked into watching Vikings and I’m glad I was. Amazing battle scenes, great characters, gorgeous scenery, extraordinarily eerie original music. It’s also reminiscent of SoA for me. But a lot noisier. And an amazing female lead that is badass enough to make Gemma and Tara cower.

    1087 chars

  37. Sherri said on May 20, 2013 at 3:09 pm

    It has been forever since the last season of Sherlock. The problem is that both Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman were busy off doing big feature film projects, like Star Trek and The Hobbit, so the third season didn’t even start filming until a couple of months ago. I hope that PBS doesn’t make us wait several months after the BBC showing like they usually do!

    360 chars

  38. brian stouder said on May 20, 2013 at 3:22 pm

    Honestly, leaving aside news and comment from Rachel and Lawrence, and F1 racing, the best thing on TV (to me) is The Voice!

    Last surprisingly-good movie I caught was the Wizard of Oz prequel; next movie I’m motivated to see is the Johnny Depp Lone Ranger one, when it hits dvd

    280 chars

  39. Brandon said on May 20, 2013 at 3:35 pm

    What is going ON with this episode of “Mad Men?” If you have a clue, share.

    I wouldn’t know because I was watching the season (series) finales of The Cleveland Show and Family Guy. If anyone else saw them, what did you think? Donna’s ex-husband and mother getting together and adopting a Chinese baby. Cleveland, Jr. on the pole. Then “Roads to Vegas” and the country club episode.

    It’s too bad The Cleveland Show was cancelled. It had a vibe all its own: not as raunchy as American Dad!, not as intense as Family Guy.

    571 chars

  40. Scout said on May 20, 2013 at 3:47 pm

    My cats were spectacularly unimpressed. I think they’re on to the world of YouTube. Well, actually, the youngest one did yawn, stretch and walk to the front screen door to see if the ruckus was coming from the yard.

    I’m skipping over the Mad Men posts because I’m still trying to catch up with last season on NetFlix. It’ll be next year before I get to where you all are now.

    378 chars

  41. MichaelG said on May 20, 2013 at 3:52 pm

    Benedict Cumberbatch – wasn’t he Pope or something.

    Basset – the 500 does indeed have three women entered but only one of them, Katherine Legge is a Brit. Ana Beatriz (not to be confused with Ana Beatriz Barros, professional babe)is from Brasil as you noted but Simona de Silvestro is Swiss.

    295 chars

  42. brian stouder said on May 20, 2013 at 4:22 pm

    And Katherine gives an entertaining interview, too; quite polished

    66 chars

  43. Deborah said on May 20, 2013 at 5:19 pm

    I finally played the wolf video for my cat and she sat there clueless, not interested in the least. But some of the neighbors dogs started barking, could have been a coincidence though.

    The upstairs neighbors who just moved in have lost their ferret, we are expecting it to show up in our laundry vents. Creepy!

    314 chars

  44. Jolene said on May 20, 2013 at 5:34 pm

    Am watching news from Oklahoma. A guy on TV is saying the tornado that blew through Moore, a town of 50,000+, is the worst tornado in recorded history. Winds of more than 300 mph. Pretty amazing.

    195 chars

  45. Deborah said on May 20, 2013 at 5:53 pm

    OK the ferret has been found, thank goodness, it was behind a bookcase in their apartment.

    It may rain here as a result of the storms they’re having north and east of us. Glad to have rain as northern New Mexico needs it badly, just sorry to hear about the horrible storms in other neighboring states. Drought conditions here are making it so that they have bans on open fires all around. We haven’t even been using the grill outside in the yard.

    Glad to hear that Charlotte got rain up in Montana.

    And Brian Stouder, I forgot to mention earlier that I had read about that possible aborted kidnapping in Albuquerque, I can imagine how the woman must have felt thinking that her daughter had been snatched. Albuquerque is not my favorite place at all, unfortunately you have to fly into the airport there from Chicago, it is really an ugly place, not at all like Santa Fe. If you have ever watched Breaking Bad which has been filmed in Albuquerque it shows it to be as bereft as it is.

    995 chars

  46. MarkH said on May 20, 2013 at 6:48 pm

    Brian @19 – he isn’t hanging from any yard arm. He’s on a line hanging from a crane.

    Forty years ago this summer is when I learned to sail, one of the best summer expeciences of my life. Lived in Annapolis, MD working a construction job. My brother-in-law and sister had an old wooden Dutch-built 32′ sloop. Built in 1955, it was called Temptress. Many boats have been called the same, of course, and George was convinced it was a proposed class of sailing boat. I was sick when he sold it four years later. I’ve only sailed once in the last 30 years, but that summer I went up the mast in the boatswain’s chair twice to fix the light. Single college student, 21, spending the summer on Chesapeake Bay and prowling the Annapolis area bars on the weekends…those were the days.

    Simone is the class of the distaff entries at Indy this year. She’s earned the moniker “Iron Maiden” and should do well with Chevy power this year.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/sports/with-simona-de-silvestro.html

    Danica is relegated to the distraction bin at NASCAR and Simone will overshadow her as a driver. Not taking away from her or Sarah Fisher’s driving abilities, but neither were destined to be champions. I know, I know, Danica had some top 5 finishes, led Indy and won an IndyCar race in Japan, but… She had top equipment and Fisher deserved the same in order to prove herself.

    This catfight with Milka Duno (IndyCar’s Sofia Vergara) was one of my favorite Danica moments.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LXDEPrIr9I

    1532 chars

  47. MichaelG said on May 20, 2013 at 7:18 pm

    I agree, MarkH. Simona is the class of the woman drivers and will be a genuine competitor this year. Poor woman spent a season in purgatory last year driving that stupid Lotus. Sarah Fisher was a lot better driver than her record shows. She was simply unable to get into any good equipment. She was about five years too soon. Milka Duno was a joke and didn’t belong on the track. For me, the jury is still out on Danica. I think she has smarts and ability. The team is having car problems this season so far. Look at how poorly Stewart’s been doing. Too bad for her she left Andretti just when the cars got good.

    I saw an ad on NBC this AM for their presentation of the Monaco F-1 race this weekend. It was heavily and loudly backed with rap stuff. Who in the world would associate rap with F-1? Talk about incongruous.

    836 chars

  48. Deborah said on May 20, 2013 at 7:28 pm

    My daughter, who comments here as Littlebird learned to sail a few years back when we first moved to Chicago. My brother in law is a world class boat racer, I was astounded when I Googled his name one time and found out just how many races he has won. He lived in Chicago way back and learned how to sail there. A few years ago he bought a super dooper sailing vessel in Chicago and we got to go out on Lake Michigan on it, it was most uncomfortable because it was built for racing not hanging out, you had to perch on the edge if you wanted to sit “on deck”, everything was minimalized to reduce weight. Anyway he was kind enough to get Littlebird connected up with a boat that raced locally, very low key beer can races, and she got to crew for awhile. She learned a lot, it was a great experience. My brother-in-law lives in Southern California and ships that boat all over the place for races, it is mind boggling how much it costs.

    936 chars

  49. Prospero said on May 20, 2013 at 8:06 pm

    Ray Manzarek has died.

    My favorite Doors keyboard part, by a mile.

    Danica Patrick made a mistake goiing to NASCAR. Although I’m sure it made her a carload of cash, at places like Daytona in stock caqrs it’s always going to be the whole field of good ll’ boys vs. the little lady.

    570 chars

  50. MarkH said on May 20, 2013 at 8:53 pm

    Wow. Manzarek is dead. He WAS the Doors, or so declared Jim Morrison at one time.

    Can’t disagree about Soul Kitchen, Pros. But then that whole debut album can stay in the que long time.

    Then there’s this from the Smothers Brother, 1968. Definitely interesting, but a nadir nonetheless. The Nelson Riddle orchestra backing? Srsly?? And check out Robby Kreiger performing with a black eye and the listed various explanations. Densmore was a very tight drummer, definitely underrated.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PECk9A-07Pw

    533 chars

  51. MarkH said on May 20, 2013 at 8:56 pm

    SIMONA, of course, MichaelG. Damned editing (or lack thereof).

    And, while we’re on it, Smothers BROTHERS.

    108 chars

  52. basset said on May 20, 2013 at 9:08 pm

    MichaelG, make that four women, not three… the other Brit is Pippa Mann. I passed right over Simone de whatever.

    Pros, Danica’s earning potential is much higher in NASCAR – more races, larger audience, it’s like pro wrestling on wheels and if she fits the storyline, which she does, they’ll make sure she gets into the races.

    I never thought much of the Doors… always figured they were kinda like the Grateful Dead in that image counted for a lot more than actual writing or musicianship.

    499 chars

  53. PhoenixRising said on May 20, 2013 at 9:16 pm

    On the blind side: I found that the mirror clipped onto my sunglasses helped a lot with using one eye.

    My cousin lost her left eye at 4 (lawnmower hit debris) and she was full of helpful tips on products to see what’s on the left during my recuperation period.

    Happily I’m back to 20/15 in the post-surgical eye. Which makes me a lucky melanoma patient indeed. But the mirror rocked. Kept me from involuntarily dragging the left eye across the lid, under the patch, which hurt like hell.

    493 chars

  54. Deborah said on May 20, 2013 at 9:45 pm

    The Doors had a concert when I was a young teen in Miami, FL where Jim Morrison supposedly did something obscene. To this day I’m not sure what it was, I was not at the concert so didn’t see it first hand. Maybe he masturbated? Anyway many (many) years later my husband and I went to Morrison’s grave at Pere LaChaise cemetery in Paris and what a trip that was. Lots of Parisian young people hanging out there, pot smoking, memorial “giftings” which there was a dumpster full nearby. We actually went back there a couple of times on different trips to Paris, have pictures of ourselves at the grave each trip, but now it’s gone, as his remains are in the US somewhere or at least I think I remember reading that.

    712 chars

  55. coozledad said on May 20, 2013 at 10:06 pm

    There’s a section on the (bootleg?) recording “Woke up this morning and found myself dead” where Jimi Hendrix introduces the rest of the musicians playing at some wildass druggie party. Hendrix is the sane one here. When he gets to Morrison, he says “That’s Jim Morrison on the uh, Jim Morrison on the uh…”

    I haven’t heard that album in a while, and I can’t remember if Jimi ever says “vocals”.

    399 chars

  56. Deborah said on May 20, 2013 at 10:19 pm

    The videos of the Oklahoma twisters remind me of the recent road trip Littlebird and I made from Chicago to Santa Fe, wow we went right through some of those now devastated areas.

    All I can think of is how the Christianist think of this regarding why and how God let it happen to this area. Sorry to be so small minded, but it’s what comes to my mind.

    354 chars

  57. coozledad said on May 20, 2013 at 10:29 pm

    Obama deployed the National Weather Service to sprinkle tornado seeds over the states that didn’t vote for him so he could get busy setting up FEMA camps to force three hundred pound white women to use contraception.
    He does this with mind control, delegitimizing the opposition by making them appear to be brain damaged.

    323 chars

  58. MichaelG said on May 20, 2013 at 11:19 pm

    God, Cooz. And because of the seeds, the tornados have spread beyond the trailer parks.

    You’re right, Basset. I forgot Pippa Mann. She do keep a low profile and she received zero coverage on TV over the weekend. I think it’s going to be a fun race.

    254 chars

  59. Dexter said on May 21, 2013 at 12:28 am

    Ray graduated from DePaul and headed to LA.
    Ray was haltingly contemplating his future when a friend told him UCLA had a film school. A bell sounded in Ray’s head and he enrolled. He was surprised to see a dude he had met on Venice Beach in his classes, and the two of them decided to form a band, The Doors was chosen as the name.
    At a party Ray saw John Densmore and introduced him to Jim, and soon the band had a drummer. John had a friend named Robby, who was a known great guitarist. Robby joined, the journey began.
    Jim Morrison was a poet for the ages. Robby and John were great complements to The Doors sound. Ray was not a world class musician, but he had great technical and song-organization skills: he knew the beat, he knew when to expand, he really glued the thing tight and together.
    The Grateful Dead and The Doors were as far apart as here and Jupiter. Deadheads were trippy and cool, lovable and happy, stoned and travellers. The Doors fans had fans that were sincerely moved and connected to The Lizard King (Morrison) and his words. Say, you were a Deadhead and someone started some stuff with a bunch of you, bad-mouthing Jerry Garcia. Deadheads would just chill the creep out one way or another, peacefully. Say some nasties about Morrison to a bunch of devotees and prepare to get your fucking teeth rammed down your throat by a fist. The Doors fans were more individually devoted to Jim Morrison and The Doors.
    Deborah, Morrison didn’t masturbate or expose his genitals, but he surely did fire up that Miami crowd.
    http://www.doors.com/miami/one.html

    Rest in Peace, Ray Manzarek.

    1629 chars

  60. Jenine said on May 21, 2013 at 9:53 am

    Speaking up belatedly in defense of Albuquerque. Yes it’s got rough edges. But it has a little of everything. It’s a sprawling mess of a city that grew with little or no zoning at all. Now they’ve come up against some limits (no more water on the west mesa, sorry!) and there is just a hint of restraint in the development. But like any big city it has villages within it. Everything from organic raspberry farms to hardbitten poverty pockets. Albuquerque will never be beautiful but it is sometimes breath taking (ice crystals shining on the Crest) and often charming.
    Santa Fe by contrast is small and beautiful and hides its poverty better.

    645 chars