Tuesday, September 30, 2008
It's Snowing...
The Last of the Summer Tomatoes
A little dicing, a little spice mix, a couple of hours chilling in the fridge, and we have SALSA, baby!
Encore's All-Day "Rifleman" Marathon
It's hard not to love this show. Simple moral tales with lots of good-old American violence. Chuck Conners plays the archtypal square-jawed hero. Paul Fix is Micah, the well-meaning but useless sheriff. And Johnny Crawford is McCain's sensitive son, Mark. The tales are all one-dimensional, but never cartoonish. McCain's rifle is incredibly cool. But the best part... the part I never tire of, is that one moment at the end of every episode where the theme song rises to a western crescendo.. then, for just a second, it stops, suspended momentarily in time, before jaunting to its finale. It's my second-favorite all-time musical moment, after the very slight piano flourish that follows the line "I'm no prophet" in Carly Simon's
Monday, September 29, 2008
From Bloomberg
I'm not sure I like the implications of this:
"The S&P 500 sank to its lowest level since October 2004 as all 10 of its industry groups tumbled at least 4.2 percent. Campbell Soup Co. was the only stock in the benchmark index for U.S. equities to advance."
"The S&P 500 sank to its lowest level since October 2004 as all 10 of its industry groups tumbled at least 4.2 percent. Campbell Soup Co. was the only stock in the benchmark index for U.S. equities to advance."
How Bad Is It?
Hard to say, but until today I'd been of the opinion that things were MUCH worse than anyone in power was letting on.
Today was the first time we stepped very publicly to the edge of the abyss.
And it's scary as it is, but there are signs it might be even worse than we suspect.
For instance, last month, U.S. imports from Japan dropped by FIFTY PERCENT.
That is mind-boggling.
There's also (and I can't find the cite or the actual percent, dammit) the alarming number of people who used their stimulus money to buy guns and ammo.
And the number of banks that are crashing in places like Belgium, Holland, Iceland and elsewhere.
I am not a fan of Sarah Palin - other than in that unhealthy watch-the-car-crash kind of way - but I will say this for her: she is the only lawmaker on the national stage who has - either from courage or stupidity - used the word "depression" when discussing the economy.
Then there's this email I read about two weeks ago:
Barack Obama will win this election.
But it doesn't matter.
The United States economy will completely collapse within 32 months of his inauguration.
The days of living like a king on your McDonald's paycheck will be over.
Complete Zimbabwe-style inflation followed by theft, murder, rape, starvation and suicide streaks like you could never have imagined will ensue.
Unplug the Internets, turn off your cable, hang up your car keys.
You're going to die.
At the time I thought it was crazy stuff.
I still do.
But not quite as much.
More Lightfoot LIVE
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The Noise Outside My House
This is what we've been hearing all day long for the past 6 months. It's construction going on behind those houses across the street. They are re-making Rockwood Field. I am sure it will be great when it is finished, but at this point I'm pretty tired of all the noise every day.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Paulie's New Orleans Blues & Jazz Festival
This was AWESOME, but not for the reasons you might think. It was awesome because it reminded me of an old beer commercial from the early 70's where a bunch of guys cruise the city in a cab, looking for a nightclub that's "the" place to be and it turns out to be in a neighborhood you'd never expect around a corner where there are no indications that something awesome might be lurking. As far as I know, the party was only promoted on blog pages and by word of mouth, and while the rain limited the turnout a bit it also eliminated any potential trouble. So as a result, the event felt like a bunch of cool people getting together for an afternoon. It had the perfect vibe. I even brought my dog. I came back later in the evening and things were still humming along nicely. Paulie says there will be a second festival next year. I can only hope it will be as laid-back and cool as this one was.
The OTHER, other Worcester
Occasionally you will read an article online or in the T&G about Worcester's relationship with our sister city across the pond, Worcester, England. My understanding is that it is a connection that has been a little rocky at times, but that we're now trying to show the Brits a little of the attention usually needed to foster such a civic relationship.
What you don't usually read about, or hear about, is New England's other Worcester: Worcester, Vermont. That Worcester occupies an area of 38 square miles and has a population of 902 people. It's about 15 miles north of Montpelier.
I pass though Montpelier a couple of times a year. I think I'll try to make a stop in the other Worcester next Summer.
What you don't usually read about, or hear about, is New England's other Worcester: Worcester, Vermont. That Worcester occupies an area of 38 square miles and has a population of 902 people. It's about 15 miles north of Montpelier.
I pass though Montpelier a couple of times a year. I think I'll try to make a stop in the other Worcester next Summer.
Scooby.
Paul Newman, 1925 - 2008
"That that poor girl put her trust into the... into the hands of two men who took her life. She's in a coma. Her life is gone. She has no home, no family. She's tied to a machine. She has no friends. And the people who should care for her - her doctors... and you and me - have been bought off to look the other way. We've been paid to look the other way. I came here to take your money. I brought snapshots to show you so I could get your money. I can't do it; I can't take it. 'Cause if I take the money I'm lost. I'll just be a... rich ambulance chaser. I can't do it. I can't take it."
Friday, September 26, 2008
Kings of Highland Street
"Wine" For Dogs
I love dogs as much, if not more, than the next person. But this is just stupid.
Was Wall-E Here?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
David Burwick 2nd Shift Renovations
Looks like sewer work or new water lines or something.
Traffic is being detoured up Beacon Street and over Ionic Ave.
Brunch at Armsby Abbey
Worcester's leading terroir restaurant.
Check out the fare:
Corn Chowder, made with corn from Tougas Farm and big chunks of potato and bacon.
And the farmhouse brunch slate: locally-made or grown apples and peaches, local cheeses and honey, bread and jam.
ROBOTS!!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Biggest Problem With Plans to Redevelop the North End of Main Street
What are you going to do with THIS monstrosity?
AT&T's Switching Facility. It's a giant faceless concrete block that completely destroys the human flow along the street, but what are you going to do? Tear the place down?
AT&T's Switching Facility. It's a giant faceless concrete block that completely destroys the human flow along the street, but what are you going to do? Tear the place down?
Dreamcast, Rediscovered
We got a new TV a few months ago, to replace one that had suddenly stopped working (Costco's original return policy is - or was (it has since changed, but we were grandfathered in) - the greatest thing in all the western world), and, in rearranging the room to accomodate the new set, my teenaged son discovered the old Sega Dreamcast. Now, it's suddenly the coolest item in the house, and I have come home on more than one occasion to find all these kids in the back room playing Virtua Tennis, with the new Nintendo Wii lying silent and forlorn. Kids are strange.
Coes Pond This Morning
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The Telling Room
"Greater Portland's Community Writing Center"
Kind of a cool idea. Worcester could use a place like this.
Kind of a cool idea. Worcester could use a place like this.
Monday, September 22, 2008
MetLife Blimp Along Route 146
The Connecticut Children's Museum's Sperm Whale
It fires off a blast of cool water spray every four minutes. What kid wouldn't love it?
So, Apparently the Emmy Awards Have Gone Downhill in the Past 20 Years
I haven't watched the Emmys since at least the mid-80's, but I tuned in for a little bit last night. Three things struck me:
1. It wasn't funny. The bit between Ricky Gervais and Steve Carrell was funny and that was it.
2. It looked cheap. I remember the Emmys as being kind of a lavish event. This looked like something you'd see thrown together at the Centrum's convention Hall.
3. OH MY GOD.. WHY WOULD ANYONE PUT ALAN SUES THROUGH THAT?? THE MAN IS 82 YEARS OLD.
1. It wasn't funny. The bit between Ricky Gervais and Steve Carrell was funny and that was it.
2. It looked cheap. I remember the Emmys as being kind of a lavish event. This looked like something you'd see thrown together at the Centrum's convention Hall.
3. OH MY GOD.. WHY WOULD ANYONE PUT ALAN SUES THROUGH THAT?? THE MAN IS 82 YEARS OLD.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
01602 Weirdness
So I'm driving off my street the other day and there's this car, at the top of my street, door open, airbag deployed.
NO ONE AROUND.
No idea where the driver was. It was just the car, sitting there in the middle of the day, seemingly crashed and abandoned.
stArt On The Street 2008
