Dr. John's Journal

Quote of the Day

2012-01-29T19:43:00.003-07:00

Boy, I wish more people thought the way John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2004) did, based on this quote:

"I react pragmatically. Where the market works, I'm for that. Where the government is necessary, I'm for that. I'm deeply suspicious of somebody who says, 'I'm in favor of privatization,' or, 'I'm deeply in favor of public ownership.' I'm in favor of whatever works in the particular case."

Brand New Springsteen Song

2012-01-27T12:13:00.001-07:00

The Boss has a new album coming out in March, and the first single was released this week. Here's the video of "We Take Care of Our Own," kind of a throwback to the same sentiments he once expressed in "Born in the USA."

Yet More Friday Family Blogging

2012-01-27T12:11:00.002-07:00

Natalie and Tom at Hunter's Creek last Tuesday. When I took this I commented that it was a blog-worthy shot, so I think they would've been disappointed if I didn't get it up here.

Soup Diary 120127

2012-01-27T07:47:00.004-07:00

I'm happy to report that my last cup of soup on my current travels turned out to be the best cup of soup encountered on the entire trip. It was Chicken Poblano at the Grapevine Restaurant, a favorite spot. In fact, going in I anticipated ordering the French Onion Soup, a reliable standby, but when I heard the server utter the word "poblano," I knew I had to try it. The reason for that is that several years back, it was a cup of Sweet Potato Poblano Soup at Fables Cafe that registered as perhaps my all-time favorite, though I'm willing to consider the possibility that it's exquisite flavor has been enhanced by memory and perhaps a little wishful thinking. Nonetheless, in all the time since, it wasn't until this week that I came across another soup that shared the Poblano name, and so I had to try it. It did not disappoint-- a nice creamy, peppery broth with chunks of chicken, black beans, I think some celery and very tiny shards of the titular poblano chiles. It was outstanding. So now, the bar of excellence has been re-established (or re-affirmed-- I think this experience proved that my memories of the sweet potato variety were in fact accurate), as I set out on the next stage of my soup tasting mission.

More Friday Family Blogging

2012-01-27T07:43:00.003-07:00

I think Dad must've been babysitting Natalie when this picture was taken. The evidence: the doll on the table next to him and the gate in front of the stairs. Heck, maybe Natalie took this picture?

Friday Family Blogging

2012-01-27T07:39:00.003-07:00

Did Gramma burn herself on something hot? Or maybe get caught by the photographer with her hand in the cookie jar (metaphorically speaking)?

Friday Philosophy

2012-01-27T07:30:00.002-07:00

This item from Credo by the noted psychologist Erich Fromm (1900-1980) deserves some consideration:

"I believe that none can "save" his fellow man by
making a choice for him. To help him, he can indicate
the possible alternatives, with sincerity and love,
without being sentimental and without illusion."

Classic Girl Group Sound

2012-01-26T11:13:00.002-07:00

I think this goes back to 1964, and it represents (to me) the epitome of the girl group sound that was soon to fade as the British Invasion kind of took over the charts. I tend to think Phil Spector is a tad overrated, but this is a true masterpiece, and he likely deserves as much credit for it as the Ronettes:

Toonerville Thursday

2012-01-26T11:02:00.008-07:00

Gee, I hope these aren't repeats (I'm without my usual source of strips to share at the moment). Even if they are, they're probably worth another look, right?

A Thought for Thursday

2012-01-26T10:45:00.004-07:00

There's a great lesson to keep in mind from this quote from the Tom Stoppard play Jumpers:

"The National Gallery is a monument to irrationality! Every concert hall is a monument to irrationality! And so is a nicely kept garden, or a lover's favour, or a home for stray dogs! ... if rationality were the criterion for things being allowed to exist, the world would be one gigantic field of soy beans!"

Classic Song

2012-01-25T14:13:00.002-07:00

Just about everybody's seen (or heard) this one, but I enjoyed revisiting the tune when it popped up among my recommendations on YouTube, and figured it's worth a post here:

The Last Books I Read

2012-01-25T13:38:00.003-07:00

Somewhat by chance, I recently picked up two books to read that were awfully similar in topic, thesis, and format. They are oral histories on, respectively, the MTV and ESPN cable TV networks. Both are quite fat and loaded with testimony from all manner of folks involved with the two enterprises (managers, production folks, on-air personalities, athletes, musicians, critics, etc.), each of which can claim considerable impact on American culture over the past thirty years or so. What was kind of funny was that I was looking forward to reading the ESPN book, but thought I'd only scan the MTV story, and it turned out to be the other way around. I found the story of music television much more compelling and consequential than the story of sports television. To start with the latter, the best parts there were about the creation of the so-called Big Show starring Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann in the nineties (of which I was a big fan), and the various ways that Olbermann ticked everybody off. I found myself skipping long sections about negotiations for NFL broadcasting rights, the NBA, and NASCAR. Some of my antipathy for the book is because I was a big-time viewer of ESPN back in the nineties and early oughts, and remember reading about or actually seeing a lot of what is described here. It was a lot of old news. On the other hand, I was never really a big MTV consumer-- I think the only thing I ever watched with some regularity was Beavis and Butthead, also in the nineties, so much of this material was new to me. I'm also inclined to think that while ESPN has had a huge impact on society, it's influence is more superficial than that of MTV. In fact, while it's easy to see how MTV has shaped even sports in recent years, I don't think that there's much reciprocity there. Certainly a lot of the visual style of contemporary sports on TV owes something to music videos, and clearly the influence of hip hop style on sports (especially basketball) would be unimaginable in a non-MTV universe. I guess you really need both sides of this story to understand how television (and especially cable television) has evolved and effected the broader society since the 1980s, so both books are worth a look, but I certainly enjoyed the MTV story more.

Wednesday's Words

2012-01-25T13:33:00.003-07:00

I've had plenty of opportunities the past few weeks to indulge in this delight, as defined by the great chef Julia Child (1912-2004), and sadly they are about to become much less common for the next few months:

"Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly
one of life's primal and most innocent delights, one that
is both soul-satisfying and eternal."

Cool Song

2012-01-24T21:37:00.001-07:00

I really like the debut album from the group Wild Flag. Here's another great song off that lp:

Five Random Pictures

2012-01-24T21:13:00.005-07:00

Today I came across a memory card that I haven't looked at before, at least not since I took the pictures (some of which go back more than a year). These were shot on my little pocket Canon which I carry around when I don't feel like lugging my DSLR, and some of what I look for when I have this camera in hand is quick "sketches" that amount to experiments with composition or lighting, or sometimes both.

None of these have been edited, though some would probably benefit from a little work. But I thought I'd go ahead and post them because I think they look kind of interesting.

These were all taken in Western New York, starting with the top shot at Artpark; next a photo taken at the graduate library at the University of Buffalo (where they seem to be removing big chunks of the collection; the light pole in front of my mother's house; and the new science building looming over the construction trailers on the Main Street campus of UB.

This last one was taken at the Italian Festival on Hertel Avenue last summer-- a gondolier posing in front of a model of the Tower of Pisa.

A Tuesday Thought

2012-01-24T14:40:00.002-07:00

This strikes me as an incredibly astute observation from the journalist and broadcaster Edward R. Murrow (1908-1965). It's one of the reasons it's so hard to generate much trust in public figures:

"Except for those who think in terms of pious
platitudes or dogma or narrow prejudice (and
those thoughts we aren't interested in), people
don't speak their beliefs easily, or publicly."

Cool Kinks Video

2012-01-23T19:20:00.003-07:00

I remember this song being a show stopper during the Kinks concerts I saw in the late seventies. The video created to go along with the lyrics is pretty good too (fun to see how many faces you recognize):

The Last Movie I Saw

2012-01-23T18:50:00.002-07:00

My Week With Marilyn, directed by Simon Curtis features a really nice performance by Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe. It's a decently told story of how Monroe went to England to star in a movie with Laurence Olivier during the period of the mid-fifties when she was a star but not yet an icon, and much of the story revolves around her insecurities in living up to the roles being thrust upon her, both in personal and professional terms. Judy Dench is also quite good. To be honest, I saw this a few days ago, and its already fading from my memory. It was an enjoyable enough way to spend an evening, but in the end it was somewhat lightweight and just a tad too broadly drawn for my tastes (betraying the story's origin as a play, perhaps). I thought Kenneth Branagh was well-cast as Olivier as well. What was it that Abraham Lincoln was supposed to have offered as a diplomatic response to a request for a review of a book he'd read? "People who like this sort of thing (celebrity biography; backstage expose; coming-of-age story; etc.) will find this the sort of thing they like." But aside from Williams' surprisingly effective turn in the lead, I have a feeling I'll have forgotten even seeing this after another week or two.

Monday's Quote

2012-01-23T18:47:00.003-07:00

I don't know if this is true (or anyway, always true), but it's worth thinking about. From the pen of the satirist Jonathan Swift (1667-1745):

"The latter part of a wise man's life is taken
up in curing the follies, prejudices, and false
opinions he had contracted in the former."

Remember These Guys?

2012-01-22T12:39:00.001-07:00

Devo is still around, as is evident from the album they released back in 2010 (I almost wrote "last year"), and still as interesting as ever. Here's a song off that album:

Sunday Funnies

2012-01-22T12:25:00.003-07:00

Gluyas Williams was one of the great slice-of-life panel artists of the mid-twentieth century. Unlike counterparts like J.R. Williams, Clare Briggs, and H.t. Webster, his was less a small town perspective-- his style was definitely more urban (not to say urbane). These few examples of his work will give you some idea of his style.

Quote of the Day

2012-01-22T12:11:00.002-07:00

Here's something to reflect upon, from the pen of philosopher William James (1842-1910):

"All the higher, more penetrating ideals are
revolutionary. They present themselves far
less in the guise of effects of past experience
than in that of probable causes of
future experience."

Cool Song

2012-01-21T14:26:00.001-07:00

Here's a song that's getting close to twenty years old-- which is a little hard to believe. Still sounds totally fresh to me:

Saturday Morning Cartoon

2012-01-21T14:11:00.002-07:00

Here's an old cartoon that seems real familiar to me, though I can't for the life of me think of where I might have seen it. Probably on the Commander Tom Show, or maybe Rocketship 7 (two local programs hosted by guys who otherwise did the weather reports on the six o'clock news).

Saturday's Quote

2012-01-21T14:05:00.002-07:00

I like this line from the French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944):

"How could there be any question of acquiring or
possessing, when the one thing needful for a man
is to become - to be at last, and to die in
the fullness of his being."

Cool Song

2012-01-20T21:04:00.001-07:00

I've featured clips of the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain here before, and here they are again, applying their special talents to a Talking Heads classic:

Yet More Friday Family Blogging

2012-01-20T20:52:00.003-07:00

Still no formal quiz, but if anyone wants to speculate on what it is that commanded the attention of Sally (in the background taking a picture), Tom and Andromeda, feel free to offer some guesses in the comments section.

Soup Diary 120120

2012-01-20T20:38:00.003-07:00

Longtime readers will recall that my soup obsession (if you can call it that) began when I started ordering the exotic soups offered at a place called Fables, which is a cafe located inside the Buffalo and Erie County Library. At that time, they had a chef (or maybe chefs) who were true artists, and I could count on regularly encountering something out of the ordinary in both selection and taste. A year or so ago, the place changed hands, and it just hasn't been the same. They still offered soup every day, even multiple varieties; but more and more it was standard fare, both in selection and taste. This past week, I was in the library doing research on three separate occasions, and on only one of those day did they offer something that hinted at the glory days of the past. The other two times, I didn't even bother ordering anything (I have little confidence that their minestrone, tomato basil or chicken rice will be all that worthwhile). It's sad. But I have to say that the one soup that did tempt me, the Greens and Beans and Chorizo, turned out to be pretty good. It actually reminded me of the classic bean soup I used to get years ago at a late, lamented eatery known as Bagel Brothers. There wasn't actually much Chorizo in the cup I had, but that was okay with me as it's flavor was evident enough in the broth, the beans, and the kale (I think, maybe spinach). Fables is not what it once was, but then, what is? As long as I can at least occasionally count on a good cup of soup there, I'll be happy.

More Friday Family Blogging

2012-01-20T15:03:00.004-07:00

Theresa and her two girls-- hard to believe this was taken over two and a half years ago! Where does the time go?

Friday Family Blogging

2012-01-20T14:59:00.004-07:00

I wish this one was a little sharper-- it sure seems like everyone was having a good time in this shot. That's Ben, Thomas, Natalie, and Sara, with Gramma in the background.

Friday Philosophy

2012-01-20T14:53:00.002-07:00

A lovely sentiment from the author of many maxims, Francois de la Rochefoucauld (1613-1680):

"It appears that nature has hid at the bottom of our hearts talents and abilities unknown to us. It is only the passions that have the power of bringing them to light, and sometimes give us views more true and more perfect than art could possibly do."

Cool Song

2012-01-19T16:54:00.001-07:00

I'm not really all that into motorcycles, so the video here does nothing for me. But I really, really like the song-- definitely one of my favorite Lou Reed tunes. Check it out:

Toonerville Thursday

2012-01-19T16:39:00.002-07:00

For a change of pace, here's an animated version of Toonerville Trolley produced by the Commonwealth Pictures studio back in the mid-1930s's. Fontaine Fox had been producing the strip for close to twenty years already at that point, long enough to build up a substantial fan-base for the likes of the Skipper, Katrinka, and the terrible tempered Mr. Bang (all of whom appear here). Enjoy:

A Thought for Thursday

2012-01-19T16:29:00.002-07:00

A comment on aging, from the noted man of letters Clifton Fadiman (1904-1999):

"To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry on its dull wall-existence by the arbitrary timetables we have drawn up in consultation with those permanent commuters, Earth and Sun. But we, unlike trees, need grow no annual rings."

A Classic Tune

2012-01-18T17:50:00.002-07:00

From one of the greatest rock albums of all time, Forever Changes, here's "Alone Again Or" by Love:

Another Day at the Beach

2012-01-18T16:53:00.004-07:00

For some reason I seem to go to the beach more often in winter than summer. It's a surefire system for beating the crowds (and letting dogs run loose). So a couple Sundays ago. I went with Tom, Sally, Natalie, Ben and Andromeda up to Fort Niagara State Park on Lake Ontario. These pictures were taken there. That's Sally scanning the ground for shells and porcelain fragments above.

The weather was actually pretty mild, even with the wind blowing in off the lake. But you can definitely tell from the leafless trees framing Natalie, Ben and Andromeda that it was still winter.

I wonder how long that tree has been leaning into the pounding wind and water? I wonder if it'll still be there the next time I go?

This is one I'd like to work on a bit, to see if increasing the contrast of those shadows on the sand would make a difference. But I think it looks pretty good as is.

Words for Wednesday

2012-01-18T16:47:00.003-07:00

An interesting comment from the noted mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947):

"Familiar things happen, and mankind does not
bother about them. It requires a very unusual
mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious."

Classic Tom Lehrer

2012-01-17T17:33:00.002-07:00

As long as I mentioned Tom Lehrer a couple of posts ago (today's quote), I thought it only right to also include a video clip of his work. This may be his most famous song (though there are certainly other contenders):

The Last Book I Read

2012-01-17T16:55:00.004-07:00

Back when I was in high school I somehow stumbled upon the Village Voice, which might be considered the granddaddy of the alternative press in this country (probably not literally true-- but not too far off the mark either). Initially, I was mainly interested in the film reviews of Andrew Sarris and rock criticsim of Robert Christgau, but as I became at least a semi-regular reader I began to develop other favorites among their stable of writers in that period, including among them: Nat Hentoff (mostly on politics and civil rights, occasionally still on jazz), Alexander Cockburn (on politics and media), Jack Newfield (local politics), Geoffrey Stokes (who took over Cockburn's media beat and also wrote wonderfully on food as "Vladimir Estragon"), and James Wolcott on television and music. My conception of life in the Big Apple was largely shaped by what I read in the pages of the Voice in the late seventies (along with a slightly more romantic version built up from reading the complete works of O. Henry). When I was offered a job in NYC in the early eighties, I jumped at the chance more because of my desire to explore places like Greenwich Village than because of the career opportunity. I only wish my experiences had been as deep as those Wolcott writes about in this book, which recount his own arrival as a nineteen year old in the city (about a decade before me) and the various cultural scenes he participated in as he began his rise in the world of New York publishing (working not only at the Voice but also the New Yorker, Esquire and elsewhere). His glimpse behind the scenes at the Voice is fascinating, as are his lengthy remembrances of his friendship with film critic Pauline Kael, the emergence of punk at CBGB's on the Bowery, and how he fell in love with ballet. In all cases his distinctive voice is evident-- one that combines a fluid exposition dotted with allusions (seemingly picked at random but always relevant) with an obvious graciousness towards his subjects whether they be friends or foes (this is not a score settling tome in any way, though one gets the sense it could have been if Wolcott were the kind to hold a grudge). I guess the best thing I can say about the book is that, much like reading the Voice back in the seventies, it makes me want to go back to New York and discover it all over again (though I'm well aware it's no longer the same place). By the way, you can catch Wolcott's current writing (some of it at least) at his blog at the Vanity Fair site. It's definitely worth a regular visit.

A Thought for Tuesday

2012-01-17T16:45:00.002-07:00

One doesn't necessarily expect deep insight from what passes for satire today. But things were a bit different back in the sixties, which is when Tom Lehrer (b. 1928) said this:

"I'm sure we all agree that we ought to love
one another, and I know there are people in
the world who do not love their fellow human
beings, and I hate people like that!"

Great Song

2012-01-16T21:37:00.002-07:00

I heard this song on the radio today, and what an unexpected treat it was (probably the first time I've heard it over the airwaves since way back in the mid-eighties). In the wake of their recent breakup, R.E.M.'s early days have been getting a lot of retrospective attention, and deservedly so. I actually heard this for the first time when they appeared at Springfest (or was it Fallfest?) at the University of Buffalo a month or so before Fables of the Reconstruction came out-- what a dynamite show they put on that day, one of the most memorable I've ever seen.

Cat Blogging

2012-01-16T21:07:00.003-07:00

I don't normally put up that many pet pictures here, but Montana was such a good sport posing for me the other day as I was played around with a new-ish lens that I use primarily for portraits, and this shot turned out so good, that I just had to share.

The Last Movie I Saw

2012-01-16T20:35:00.004-07:00

I really enjoy it when an actor commits to a part so fully that by the end of the film it's impossible to imagine anyone else playing the role. Charlize Theron, who could have easily opted to be typecast as a glamor girl from day one in her career, deserves a lot of credit for taking on characters who have few, if any, redeeming features, as she did in her Oscar winning performance for Monster. That's also the case in Young Adult, directed by Jason Reitman and written by Cody Diablo (the team responsible for Juno a couple years back). In the new film, Theron plays a writer of books for teenaged girls, and is so locked in to the kind of personas defined by high school cliques that she can't recognize that she herself no longer inhabits that world. So, suffering from writer's block, she returns to her hometown on a mission to win back her first sweetheart, though he is now a decidedly settled, married dad. Theron really throws herself into making her character's pursuit of the past unsympathetic, with no little lapses or actorly "winks" to signal that she's really not so bad. Because we're so conditioned by moviemaking conventions, we may want to believe that she's not totally beyond redemption. But when that redemption doesn't come in the end, it rings true, and you don't feel like you've been cheated of something-- it's a deserved failure, because by that point you get that Theron's icy demeanor was much more than a mere facade. She really does seem to dislike virtually everyone with whom she interacts, many of whom presumably had a hand in shaping how she turned out (e.g. her parents and other old classmates). You could argue that she makes an exception for the character played by Patton Oswalt, a tragic victim of high school hazing who manages to bond with Theron-- but that bond seems largely defined by their mutual dependence on alcohol, and maybe a momentary transference of Theron's self-pity onto someone else. It's definitely a dark story-- funny in spots, but not exactly a comedy. For me it worked because it remained true to the proposition set up from the outset-- that Theron was a deluded narcissist-- and they cast an actress who was not only able, but comfortable in fully exploring that condition.

Monday's Quotation

2012-01-16T20:27:00.002-07:00

A prescient insight from over fifty years ago, as delivered by the great detective novelist Raymond Chandler (1888-1959):

"It is pretty obvious that the debasement of the
human mind caused by a constant flow of
fraudulent advertising is no trivial thing. There
is more than one way to conquer a country."

Cool Song

2012-01-15T09:37:00.002-07:00

As much as anything else, this is the sound of the eighties to me. The True Believers released only one album back then, but it represented a rootsier style that I found much more engaging than the new wave and hair metal stuff that dominated MTV. This was one of the best songs off that album (and by the way, Alejandro Escovedo-- one of the main men in the True Believers-- continues to make great music, so you might check him out too):

An Annual Tradition

2012-01-15T09:19:00.002-07:00

Every time I visit my hometown, we have to play a little kickball, and neither cold air, snowy grounds, nor dark of night will interfere. Admittedly, those conditions meant we had to make do with a skeleton team (Ben, Natalie, and me), and the game lasted for only one "batter." But at least we got out there! And Natalie celebrated the occasion by 0plopping down to make a snow angel.

Sunday Funnies

2012-01-15T09:07:00.003-07:00

After the first significant snow of the year here the last couple of days, this strip from the great Bill Watterson seems particularly apropos with a new week dawning.

Sunday's Quote

2012-01-15T08:57:00.002-07:00

My experience is exactly that expressed here by James Michener (1907-1997), and completely agree with his conclusion:

"Public libraries have been a mainstay of my life.
They represent an individual's right to acquire
knowledge; they are the sinews that bind civilized
societies the world over. Without libraries, I would
be a pauper, intellectually and spiritually."

Cool Song

2012-01-13T18:21:00.002-07:00

Here's a band I wish I had gotten a chance to see live-- the Blake Babies. The audio fidelity on this clip isn't perfect, but "Sanctify" is one of my favorite songs by the group, and this has a bonus tune as well:

Yet More Friday Family Blogging

2012-01-13T18:03:00.003-07:00

For Christmas, someone I know received as a gift a disguise kit that included several fake mustaches. Based on this photo, can YOU tell who that someone was?

The Last Book I Read

2012-01-13T17:39:00.002-07:00

Rick Bass is something of a cult figure among my literary-inclined Montana friends, but I never read anything by him until I picked up the novel Nashville Chrome (encouraged by one of the aforementioned friends). I can fully appreciate why he's a favorite, as the strengths of this book are considerable. He is especially good at developing how his characters are shaped by their kinship with the natural environment out of which they grew. In this particular story, which fictionalizes the career of real-life musical family the Browns, those roots are in the forests worked by their lumber milling father, deep in rural Arkansas. The story might be summarized as an accounting of the consequences suffered the farther they drift from their home, in terms of both physical and intellectual distance; though not emotional, or maybe better to say spiritual-- that seems to be the bond that is ultimately the strongest. It's a compelling story, that plays out particularly in the yearning of elder sister Maxine to somehow return to the spotlight years after the act has broken up, the victims of changing tastes but also perhaps the erosion of their gift of a sweet harmony that was itself a result of how in synch they were with the place where they grew up. My only quibble with the book (and it's kind of a big one for me) is that in telling the story of the Browns, Bass dramatically exaggerates their success for no apparent reason. He has them scoring multiple number one records, garnering numerous Grammys, and most preposterously, competing with Elvis Presley as the biggest act in the world at the end of the fifties-- none of which seemed essential to the telling of his story. I suspect Bass is aware of the problem, as he offers a rationalization (somewhat unconvincing to me) for it in an afterword. To be honest though, that wouldn't be a big deal for most readers, if they even noticed; but having done so much research into that era of pop music history, each time he dropped a whopper I winced. That was part of my reaction, so it's included here in my comments, but all things considered, it shouldn't be a factor in determining the book's worth-- which is considerable with regard to its core themes.

More Friday Family Blogging

2012-01-13T08:01:00.002-07:00

That's Maria on the left and Sara on the right-- I don't know the name of the doll in the middle.

Friday Family Blogging

2012-01-13T07:57:00.003-07:00

Raechelle looks like she has something on her mind in this picture. I wonder what it was?

Friday Philosophy

2012-01-13T07:48:00.002-07:00

I tend to agree with this statement by the Nobel winning novelist Doris Lessing (b. 1919):

"All political movements are like this — we are in the right, everyone else is in the wrong. The people on our own side who disagree with us are heretics, and they start becoming enemies. With it comes an absolute conviction of your own moral superiority. There's oversimplification in everything, and a terror of flexibility."

Cool Song

2012-01-12T16:34:00.002-07:00

We seem to be in the midst of a new folk scare, what with acts like Fleet Foxes, Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, et. al. getting lots of attention in the pop music press. Here's a contender for spot near the top of that list: The Head and the Heart. Good stuff:

Toonerville Thursday

2012-01-12T14:52:00.004-07:00

This week, for our visit to Toonerville, we have a panel featuring Aunt Eppie Hogg. Also, for a bit of a change, here are reproductions of two cards that were used as part of an advertising campaign for Coca-Cola way back in 1930, employing characters from the strip:

Thursday's Thought

2012-01-12T14:40:00.002-07:00

Today's comment comes from the British writer Rebecca West (1892-1983):

"Everyone realizes that one can believe little of
what people say about each other. But it is not
so widely realized that even less can one
trust what people say about themselves."

Great Song

2012-01-11T14:57:00.002-07:00

I've been reading James Wolcott's memoir of New York in the seventies, and the scene at CBGB's is prominently featured, as is the band responsible for this song. The video portion was concocted much later, but it's pretty interesting too:

Pictures of Butterflies

2012-01-11T14:43:00.004-07:00

The Museum of Play in Rochester has a wonderful hothouse garden which doubles as a butterfly sanctuary. Here are a few photos I took on my recent visit there with the Caufields.

I think that butterflies are among the most photogenic of creatures, and it was a great opportunity to try my Macro skills (which I don't tend to use very often).

It certainly helps that the plants and flowers are every bit as colorful as the mariposas.

Okay, these last guys are not butterflies, but they were there too, and were much more cooperative in holding a pose.

Words for Wednesday

2012-01-11T14:18:00.002-07:00

A keen insight from the mind of novelist Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007):

"A first grader should understand that his or her culture isn't a rational invention; that there are thousands of other cultures and they all work pretty well; that all cultures function on faith rather than truth; that there are lots of alternatives to our own society. Cultural relativity is defensible and attractive. It's also a source of hope. It means we don't have to continue this way if we don't like it."

Classic Song

2012-01-10T17:55:00.002-07:00

Ben E. King's original recording of this song is one of the great vocal performances in all of rock history (I think), but John Lennon's remake from the seventies is darn good too. Here it is:

Soup Diary 120110

2012-01-10T17:35:00.003-07:00

I've been eating a lot of soup over the past few days, and most of it has been rather good. I had a nice hot cup of Chicken Dumpling Soup down in Canton, Ohio; a cup of potato cheddar in Erie, Pennsylvania that was just a bit too cheesy for my taste; and-- I'm not sure if this counts but it was so good it deserves at least a mention-- some Brunswick Stew (three meats: beef, chicken and pork!) up in Lewiston, New York. But the hands-down winner of best soup of the weekend was without a doubt the beef barley I had in East Aurora, also NY, at the east End Pub. The irony of this is that they had three options that day, each of which I'd had in the recent past (the other two were French Onion and Potato), so I was expecting just some more of the same old, same old ordinary soups, the likes of which you find anywhere. But this turned out to be something special, with a perfect broth, copious chunks of pot roast with a smattering of appropriate vegetables (onions and carrots) and just enough barley to make the name credible. Yum, yum. It clearly was a concoction that the cook spent some time perfecting, and I sure appreciated it. Tom and Ben had the Onion, and they gave it high marks as well. So, with my faith restored that there are in fact still some truly great soups out there, I'll continue to hunt them down, wherever that may take me.

A Tuesday Thought

2012-01-10T17:29:00.002-07:00

Franklin Pierce Adams (1881-1960) was a well-known newspaper columnist in the first half of the twentieth century. Based on this quote, he'd be perfectly up to date in the first half of the twenty first century:

"The trouble with this country is that there
are too many politicians who believe, with a
conviction based on experience, that you can
fool all of the people all of the time."

Cool Video

2012-01-09T20:45:00.002-07:00

I like this clip because a) it's funny, b) it's got a subtle (well, maybe not so subtle) anti-consumerism message, c) it rocks, and d) because it prominently features a statue of Foghorn Leghorn. Maybe you'll find some other reasons to like it:

The Last Movie I Saw

2012-01-09T20:21:00.004-07:00

It's not often that I wish that I had avoided a movie, but that is the case with Lars Von Trier's Melancholia. As well photographed and acted as it is, it is really depressing and that is probably the last reaction I want to have to a film (or really any artistic expression). It's essentially a story about the end of the world, and it seems somewhat open to a metaphoric interpretation where that really only applies to a couple of characters, two sisters named Justine and Claire. In the first half of the film, newlywed Justine gives in to what appears to be an all-consuming depression as her elaborate reception, planned and paid for by her sister and brother-in-law, plays out in the latter's fabulous country estate. Her unhappiness eventually renders her close to catatonic, and in the second half Claire tries to revive her even as natural catastrophe looms over the otherwise idyllic estate. Claire, unlike her sister, battles against the onslaught of despair, but in the end the fight is pointless and ineffective. I like to be challenged by movies, and I've nothing against an unhappy ending, but this movie just seems to wallow in bleakness, and frankly I've got no use for that, no matter how pretty some of the shots are. I haven't bothered with any of Von Trier's movies since Breaking the Waves, which had a similar effect on me fifteen years ago. I think it's safe to say I won't be bothering with anything else he comes up with in the future.

A Quote for Monday

2012-01-09T19:56:00.004-07:00

Something to think about from the great encyclopediast (if that's a word) Denis Diderot (1713-1784):

"What is this world of ours? A complex entity
subject to sudden changes which all indicate
a tendency to destruction; a swift succession
of beings which follow one another, assert
themselves and disappear; a fleeting
symmetry; a momentary order."

Great Song

2012-01-08T19:29:00.002-07:00

I always liked this song by Gordon Lightfoot. He's a guy who had a great voice that went especially well with the lyrics he wrote. This is from his peak (popularity-wise anyway) back in the mid-seventies:

Sunday Funnies

2012-01-08T18:48:00.004-07:00

Winsor McCay was one of the earliest masters of the comic strip medium, and an incredibly imaginative illustrator as well. Later he was a pioneer of animation on film. His most famous creation was undoubtedly Little Nemo in Slumberland, a full page color Sunday strip depicting the dream world of the titular Nemo. Here are three great examples of that strip-- and be sure to click on the images to see them in much larger dimensions, in order to fully appreciate the fine detail work.

Late note: apparently Blogspot (the host of this blog) has changed the way they do images-- clicking on them no longer enlarges them for easier viewing. Sorry about that. You likely won't be able to read these strips (the lettering is illegible at this size), but hopefully you can still get a good sense of its artistic qualities.

A Quote for Sunday

2012-01-08T18:38:00.002-07:00

I think this comment by George Orwell (born Eric Blair,1903-1950) is as applicable today (perhaps with a lengthier list of "-isms") as it was when he wrote it in 1949:

"I always disagree, however, when people end up saying that we can only combat Communism, Fascism or what not if we develop an equal fanaticism. It appears to me that one defeats the fanatic precisely by not being a fanatic oneself, but on the contrary by using one's intelligence."

Great Band

2012-01-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

I really like the group White Denim. Here's a tune from their recent album that I hope you like-- very mellow and atmospheric:

Saturday Morning Cartoon

2012-01-07T21:01:00.002-07:00

I can;t remember if I ever posted a Roadrunner cartoon before. If not, it's long overdue; if so, it's probably time for another. So here's a good one:

Saturday's Quote

2012-01-07T20:57:00.003-07:00

Today's rather poetic observation comes from the French mathematician Henri Poincare (1854-1912):

"If nature were not beautiful, it would not be
worth knowing, and if nature were not worth
knowing, life would not be worth living."

Classic Hollywood Magic

2012-01-06T19:49:00.002-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted a clip pf Fred Astaire. Here's a really good one. Pay close attention-- there are only a couple of cuts in this scene, and the whole thing was done years before anyone imagined using computerized special effects. It's a great dancer/athlete making a mechanical trick look seamless and almost effortless.

Yet More Friday Family Blogging

2012-01-06T19:45:00.003-07:00

Folks, I'm putting the quiz on indefinite hiatus. I haven't had enough players (and absolutely no winners) in going on two months, so I'm going to shelve the feature for the time being. But I will convert the open slot to another weekly family picture. So this week, here's a real classic of my Mom and Uncle Charles, which I'm guessing was taken in the yard at their childhood home in Titusville. Maybe Mom will provide a few more details in the comments.

Soup Diary 120106

2012-01-06T19:32:00.004-07:00

I've fallen behind on soup diary entries over the past couple of weeks. The main reason is that I haven't really had anything worth writing about, just a series of uninspiring cups of bland broth, usually with chicken, or flabby vegetables or too much cheddar-- something hot to start a meal, but little else. But yesterday, I went to Fables for the first time in almost five months, and that (as you may know) is where my soup fetish was born. I was so psyched to be there for lunch, that I even ordered the "duet" of soups-- two cups, so I didn't have to choose between the two options that I had never before tried! They were Beef Burgundy Barley and Meatball Brodo. Sad to say, the Beef Burgundy was pretty ordinary, no more flair than a can of Campbell's Beef Barley (though it was clearly homemade). maybe if there had been more than two tiny chunks of meat mixed in with the copious barley kernels it would have been more of a treat. The Meatball Brodo was better-- a mildly piquant broth with tender meatballs (more than two) and savory leaves of spinach. If it wasn't quite up to some of Fables more legendary offerings, it at least allowed me to leave the table with a degree of optimism about my next visit. And in these troubled times, that's something, isn't it?

More Friday Family Blogging

2012-01-06T19:27:00.002-07:00

Multiple Niks seemingly caught in a web of reflections at the Museum of Play in Rochester. what a cool place! Last week was my first visit since their evolution from the old Strong Museum (which I recall had a decidedly historic bent, including a display of old toys). Now it's almost totally interactive and fun for visitors of all ages.

Friday Family Blogging

2012-01-06T19:09:00.003-07:00

As Marenka embarks on the next stage of her professional career, let's all think back to where it all began: didn't we all read inevitable success all over that face?

Friday Philosophy

2012-01-06T19:00:00.003-07:00

A worthwhile observation from the noted monk Thomas Merton (1915-1968):

"Do not be too quick to assume your enemy is a savage just because he is your enemy. Perhaps he is your enemy because he thinks you are a savage. Or perhaps he is afraid of you because he feels that you are afraid of him. And perhaps if he believed you are capable of loving him he would no longer be your enemy."

Cool Song

2012-01-05T14:20:00.001-07:00

Here's another artist I recently checked out after seeing his album pop up on some year-end lists. The guy's name is Kurt Vile, and (to me) this is a really nice sound:

Toonerville Thursday

2012-01-05T14:07:00.002-07:00

If only Katrinka had been around to help the Skipper get over that hill-- the other passengers could just sit back and enjoy the ride.

A Thursday Thought

2012-01-05T13:54:00.002-07:00

An insightful comment from the former Senator from Minnesota and occasional presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy (1916-2005):

"As long as the differences and diversities of
mankind exist, democracy must allow for
compromise, for accommodation, and
for the recognition of differences."

Webb Wilder Wigout

2012-01-04T16:27:00.002-07:00

Here's one of those guys who deserves to be a much bigger star than he is: Webb Wilder. The song is a remake of the garage-psych classic "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night," originally by the appropriately named Electric Prunes:

A Walk in the Woods

2012-01-04T16:00:00.005-07:00

The weather around here has been unseasonably mild, which is a great excuse to get outside and take some pictures. These shots are from a stroll taken a couple of days ago with Sara and Ben at a place called Stiglmeier Park in Cheektowaga.

We were hoping to see some deer, which on past visits were all over this place. But no such luck this time. So my goal was to try and create some interesting compositions out of the trees and streams.

Like the pictures from the beach a few days ago, I'll probably go back and try to punch these up a bit through editing, but I think the untouched versions look pretty good. They certainly give you an idea of what it was like walking around the woods that day.

Later in the day, it finally started to snow, and so my next set of pictures will likely feature some of the white stuff (assuming the temperature doesn't start climbing again).

Words for Wednesday

2012-01-04T15:07:00.002-07:00

I like this quote from author Norman Mailer (1923-2007) though I think it applies to everyone, not just writers.

“The writer can grow as a person or he can shrink. ...
His curiosity, his reaction to life must not diminish.
The fatal thing is to shrink, to be interested in less,
sympathetic to less, desiccating to the point where
life itself loses its flavor, and one’s passion for
human understanding changes to weariness
and distaste.”

Classic Sound

2012-01-03T17:29:00.002-07:00

The Jacklords were one of the biggest bands in Buffalo NY circa 1990. The lead singer was a classmate of mine in the graduate history program at the University of Buffalo, while the bass player was a co-worker at Record Theater (where I had a part-time job). Unfortunately, they only made one album before disbanding, but here's a cool relic from their heyday:

The Year That Was

2012-01-03T16:58:00.002-07:00

The Joy Formidable

I remember as a teenager waiting anxiously to listen to the Top 100 countdown at the end of every year on one or more of the local Top 40 radio stations. I'd set up my little portable cassette recorder next to the speaker, trying to determine the best spot to place the microphone to record something listenable from among all my favorites of that year. Do radio stations even bother with such year-end events anymore, now that virtually every song is instantly available "on demand?" Well, whether they do or not, Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover (magazine and website) has put together such a program, and I had more fun listening to this than I have to any similar program in probably forty years. If you'd like a nice summary of some of the best music to come out in the last year, you should check it out too.

A Thought for Thursday

2012-01-03T16:49:00.002-07:00

This one's a bit long, but it's worth a read. It's from British historian Tony Judt (1948-2010):

“Something is profoundly wrong with the way we live today. For thirty years we have made a virtue out of the pursuit of material self-interest: indeed this very pursuit now constitutes whatever remains of our sense of collective purpose. We know what things cost but have no idea what they are worth. We no longer ask of a judicial ruling or a legislative act: Is it good; Is it fair; Is it just; Is it right; Will it help bring about a better society or a better world? Those used to be the political questions even if they invited no easy answers. We must learn once again to pose them. The materialistic and selfish quality of contemporary life is not inherent in the human condition. Much of what appears 'natural' today dates from the 1980s: the obsession with wealth creation, the cult of privatization, and the private sector the growing disparities of rich and poor. And above all the rhetoric that accompanies these: uncritical admiration for unfettered markets, disdain for the public sector, the delusion of endless growth. We cannot go on living like this. The little crash of 2008 was a reminder that unregulated capitalism is its own worst enemy: sooner or later it must fall prey to its own excesses and turn again to the state for rescue. But if we do no more than pick up the pieces and carry on as before we can look forward to greater upheavals in years to come.”

Cool Song

2012-01-02T21:55:00.001-07:00

The Monkees singing about the Beatles (among other things). Mickey's scatting is almost close enough for jazz:

Pictures of the Beach

2012-01-02T21:17:00.003-07:00

Actually, beaches (plural). I spent a good part of the first day of the year in a couple of Lake Erie parks, along with Sally, Tom, Natalie and Andromeda. These are a few of the pictures I took.

It was a blustery, but not very cold day, perfect beach weather in the sense that hardly anyone else was out at either Wendt or Evangola, which meant that Andromeda could run around freely. But it also makes the images appear a bit bleak.

By the way, these photos are totally unretouched as I don't have access to my usual editing software. I'm not sure I would have done much to fix them, but I likely would've employed some cropping and lighting adjustments.

I don't know who that dog is-- he just suddenly appeared in the corner of my viewfinder as I snapped this shot. There's a tiny black dot just down the slope from the trees on the right-- that's Tom and Natalie way off in the distance.

Of course, no visit to the beach would be complete without a spare-tire sighting. Look for these to be reposted eventually, with some selective editing. Maybe I'll do a before and after comparison.

A Monday Quote

2012-01-02T21:06:00.003-07:00

Well what do you know-- based on this quote from Thucydides (460 BC-395 BC) it appears that conspicuous consumption has been around for a really long time:

“The superior gratification derived from the use and contemplation of costly and supposedly beautiful products is, commonly, in great measure a gratification of our sense of costliness masquerading under the name of beauty.”

A Great Way to Kick Off the New Year

2012-01-01T17:48:00.002-07:00

Actually, a great song to kick off just about any day of the year-- if this doesn't pump you up, then something's amiss. Jason and the Scorchers covering Bob Dylan in a live clip from 1984:

Sunday Funnies

2012-01-01T17:45:00.003-07:00

Here's a little philosophical perspective on the holiday celebrated today, courtesy of Bill Watterson (speaking through his characters Calvin & Hobbes).

A New Years Day Quote

2012-01-01T17:39:00.002-07:00

This probably goes without saying, but I couldn't have said this any better than the Victorian poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892):

"Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true."

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T17:35:00.002-07:00

Here's hoping that all those reading this enjoy a happy, healthy and productive New Year! With a little luck, perhaps 2012 can turn out to a banner year for everybody.

Cute Song

2011-12-31T15:51:00.002-07:00

Two fine young actors performing a duet on a classic old New Year's song. Enjoy:

Saturday Morning Cartoon

2011-12-31T15:23:00.002-07:00

I could not find a New Year's themed cartoon to share, but this is pretty good. It's the first appearance of Tweety Bird, and a couple of cats based on Abbott & Costello:

A New Year's Quote

2011-12-31T15:20:00.002-07:00

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) knew what he was talking about in this quote (amongst other things):

"Be always at War with your vices,
at peace with your neighbors,
and let each New Year find you
a better person."

Eighties Pop Memories

2011-12-30T17:57:00.002-07:00

Anyone else remember Terrence Trent D'Arby? This single was huge back in the late eighties, but I don't recall him ever following up with anything else. Great stuff, in any case:

Friday Family Blogging Quiz

2011-12-30T17:38:00.002-07:00

Let's see if we can't get the weekly quiz rolling again with this (I think) easy question: who is sitting to Nick's right (your left) in the above picture? A tiny portion of said individual is visible if you look hard enough. Put your guesses in the comments section and (with a little luck) we'll announce the winner next week. Good luck!

Soup Diary 111230

2011-12-30T17:24:00.003-07:00

Ben and I stopped in at a local eatery last week while Christmas shopping, and they had a lunch buffet of salad, pizza and soup which we both decided to have. The pizza was pretty good (they had a nice Buffalo Chicken variety with blue cheese in the mix), and the salad bar offered a nice variety of veggies and toppings, so no complaint there. Since it was Friday, one of the soup options was New England Clam Chowder, which I avoid as a rule, which left me with the second, unmarked choice. I mention that it was unmarked, because frankly, I still don't know what exactly it was. It was evidently something vegetarian, as I detected no sign of beef, chicken or any other kind of meat. I guess it could have just been Vegetable, but it wasn't like any other straight vegetable soup I've ever had, including as it did beans and okra. The latter made me think it was some kind og gumbo, but doesn't gumbo automatically have meat? It was an Italian restaurant, so maybe it was a variation on minestrone, but there did not appear to be any beans (don't let the stock picture above fool you). Whatever it was, it was suitably hot and wet, and the ingredients were not overcooked, so it satisfied. I'd sure like to know what it was though. Next time I'll have to ask the waitress.