tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95434752011-12-08T01:30:12.213-05:00To Blog, or Not To Blog? Or... You've gotta leave some things to chance, or life's no fun!Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.comBlogger1481100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-48675248457360363202011-06-08T20:40:00.013-04:002011-06-08T20:53:12.793-04:00

These pictures and many more are all up on my Flickr account, but here's a peak at the newly-Christened Bluesmobile!..Jake was here visiting for the hristening, and we made our long-yearned-for appearance at the weekly Stone's Public House blues jam on Sunday night, May 29th. Here's the links to our 4-song set!Intro & Messin' With the Kid (music starts about the 3-minute mark:2nd song, Stray

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-91565410380937506402011-05-05T22:36:00.004-04:002011-05-05T22:54:11.437-04:00

Two years ago we started with this:And by last fall we had this:What's next? Stay tuned, the answer is only a couple of weeks away!

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-11737219147450918062011-03-01T16:35:00.004-05:002011-03-01T16:54:43.396-05:00

Last week I went to the Farpoint convention in Timonium, MD (just north of Baltimore), the winter "sister" con to July's Shore Leave of fame and legend. But I shouldn't have.It was actually The Momma's idea that we go to the con (which of course I normally don't bother with)... Adam Baldwin (Firefly/Chuck) was to be the main guest, along with Bonita Friedericy (also from Chuck, which if you're

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-13967437474522745862011-01-11T18:58:00.005-05:002011-01-11T19:01:42.174-05:00

Been a while and certainly been a helluva busy second half of the year! 3 weeks in Hawaii, and a return trip already to the Delta with Buster... what a blast! But for now, I wanted to share an old OLD video here that I finally got converted and posted to YouTube, a performance by me & Jake from 1983. Singing through live mics but with recorded music, a nonexistent cameraman and a 4th

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-21130509843194288952010-06-10T22:50:00.006-04:002010-06-10T23:04:10.940-04:00

Last week Jake & I made a blues pilgrimage we'd wanted to do for many years, spending 4 nights in the northern Mississippi Delta, the birthplace of the blues! We couldn't have had much better a time of it. We spent the week in apartments located directly above Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, MS and spent every night downstairs listening to - or contributing to! - some

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-13561623907292383892009-12-22T23:20:00.004-05:002009-12-22T23:30:22.146-05:00

Yup, been another long, dry spell... and only a quick fly-by post here! But for those that missed it, and before I lose track of them myself, I wanted to link in a set of videos.A couple of weeks ago I finally did something I'd been saying I should do for many months... packed up the harps and hit my local blues jam, a few miles down the road at Stone's Public House. I'd always been a bit

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-13204956067200499412009-10-13T17:04:00.005-04:002009-10-13T17:08:27.767-04:00

Remembering Paul Cooperstein... 10/7/2009. Friend and fellow Traveling Beerbelly. 10/7/2009. Shown here (on the left) with his brother Barry at the McAuliffe holiday party, December 2005.

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-74099602458046330312009-10-12T21:33:00.003-04:002009-10-12T21:39:55.042-04:00

Buster & I went to the harmonica blowout in New Hampshire this past weekend, couldn't have had a better time. The show featured Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia (from Sugar Ray & The Blue Tones and formerly a front man for Roomful of Blues), Billy Branch (Chicago legend!) and Lee Oskar.Fantastic show, each player taking a 4-song set before they all got together for a jam session to close it out. I

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-69757748587436706902009-06-07T20:10:00.001-04:002009-06-07T20:12:55.631-04:00

New photos posted (finally!) of the new Monaco. CLICK HERE.

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-31666498990048914282009-05-13T17:13:00.003-04:002009-05-13T17:17:46.779-04:00

Buster & I went and saw the new Star Trek movie last week, so it seems a good time to post my thoughts on it.When I talk about it I always find myself mentioning a short laundry list of things that I didn't like, but for the most part they didn't hurt my enjoyment of the film much. Buster & I both walked out of the theater loving it, and I was feeling very happy that "my" crew was back, and

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-941015699123177412009-04-23T20:06:00.006-04:002009-04-23T20:19:40.918-04:00

Okay, so I lost my muse... what can I say?  Anyway, in the meantime please do follow my Twitter posts (which can be accessed through the link to the right on this page), and of course my Flickr pages via the PHOTOS link!  I've posted a bunch of pictures from our recent Disney trip... an okay trip but it was for the most part very cold (yes, even by New England standards!) while we were there, and

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-22281472731903521632009-02-25T14:39:00.001-05:002009-02-25T14:39:47.043-05:00

Just touched down in Orlando, another Disney trip, this time with the family! Listening to Disney music on Disney Magical Express bus, en route to Polynesian. Watch Twitter feed for updates!

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-3542906235916359052009-02-23T23:14:00.003-05:002009-02-23T23:29:28.830-05:00

Boston finally has its own House of Blues again, after the original HoB in Cambridge closed about 5 years ago. This past Saturday night (2/21) they had their Grand Opening VIP Party, and though invitation-only (which is a shame) Jake & I were able to get in by way of a charity auction.So we made the show, and had a fantastic night! Friday afternoon Buster & I suited up and hopped in the

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-23071834859669754752008-11-10T23:49:00.004-05:002008-11-10T23:54:11.369-05:00

I still owe you a post or two about our trip to that incomparable blues mecca, Walt Disney World, last month ;-P .... we had a great time, and yes, we did find some decent blues while there! But for now I'll catch you up on my latest blues show.Last night I experienced a true slice of history, when I was privileged to see David "Honeyboy" Edwards performing at the Tupelo Music Hall in

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-86842592606786828292008-09-24T18:54:00.002-04:002008-09-24T18:56:17.852-04:00

Yeah, I know, I got "quiet" again... c'est la vie! But a quick note that I'm only two days away from this year's Blues trip... though this time it's a bit of a mash-up as Jake and I are off to visit my other passion, Disney World! We'll be focusing more on food, drink and music than the rides but I'm sure we'll have a great time.And yes, we expect to be at the Adventurer's Club for it's Last

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-42578073503664904162008-08-25T22:10:00.004-04:002008-08-25T22:27:10.008-04:00

Buster & I had a great time Saturday, when we suited up and drove the Bluesmobile up to the Blues'N Brews Festival in Westford, MA. I'd been in touch with one of the festival organizers and they had us drive right onto the field in the stage area to display the car and pose for photos throughout the day.Pretty much perfect weather... sunny, high 70's... but no cloud cover so the sun was a bit

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-47421869478900329142008-08-18T21:13:00.003-04:002008-08-18T21:19:10.128-04:00

Buster & I, along with my sister and her friend, went to see Buddy Guy and George Thorogood last night at the Bank of America Pavilion (formerly and forever more "HarborLights") in Boston.It certainly was a great show! My only "complaint", is Thorogood came on after Buddy. Don't get me wrong, I love Thorogood, but Buddy is after all a god. Still, it may be that Buddy didn't want to close, he

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-62566333765089652092008-08-04T19:15:00.002-04:002008-08-04T19:27:14.256-04:00

Saturday night, I finally saw The Blues Brothers perform live. After almost 30 years! Buster and I went to the Foxwoods resort in Connecticut for the show, to see Elwood and Zee Blues (Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi) performing in front of the Sacred Hearts Band.The show was electric. The moment the curtains went up the band blasted into a "Soul Finger" instrumental, the band members all lined up

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-85751595088717020532008-07-14T21:26:00.003-04:002008-07-14T21:30:20.340-04:00

Okay, so I still haven't gone through the pictures from the Bermuda trip! Soon, soon... I'll get to it!!In the meantime though, yesterday we took a ride into Harvard Square to hang out for a bit, so of course I stopped by the former Harvard Square HoB. Last I'd heard it was a BBQ joint, now though I found it to be a serviceable Irish pub, Tommy Doyle's. Here's some pictures, and a few more can

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-72186585234574314112008-07-09T23:37:00.005-04:002008-07-09T23:45:27.317-04:00

I know I need to get some vacation stories and photos up here, they're coming I promise! Been a very busy week since we got home and we haven't even looked at the photos ourselves yet, though we have at least got them downloaded from the cameras. Hopefully this weekend I'll make a start on them and get some posted by the beginning of next week.To follow up on my letter to WDW below, I did get a

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-33723176711061104202008-07-05T11:36:00.007-04:002008-12-09T05:43:42.987-05:00

1999:"...You will exit as a friend." An open letter sent to the Walt Disney Company, regarding the recent announcement of the impending closing of Please Island in Walt Disney World and, most significantly, the Adventurers' Club -I'm sure this is a waste of effort, and doubt very much it would ever be read by anyone of consequence, but I must state my feelings on this one. There was a time when

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-52109347156058044302008-07-04T10:45:00.000-04:002008-07-04T10:46:46.699-04:00

Yup, we're back home from our cruise. Overall good time though we all had some nausea issues, epecially Buster. Details and photos to follow in a few days after we get settled back in!

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-6533183911197506392008-06-28T09:45:00.001-04:002008-06-28T09:45:23.476-04:00

Uno's food for lunch,Outback Steakhouse for dinner;Now, more pounds I weigh.

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-45645988706611025772008-06-09T19:45:00.001-04:002008-06-09T19:48:52.803-04:00

Summer weather is finally here... after topping out around 60 degrees last Friday, we've been in the low to mid-90s the last three days with two more forecast ahead. Hail the Tiki the Bluesmobile's air conditioning is still running as strong as ever (and good that I got the belt on it replaced last month), didn't take long before the sweat was turning into icicles on the drive to work!Mostly an

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-10296417407328717592008-06-03T16:45:00.000-04:002008-06-03T16:46:33.388-04:00

It was a nice weekend, Buster & I hit the drive-in last Friday night (always fun going to the drive-in in the Bluesmobile!). Saw Indy and Iron Man, both of which I'd seen but Buster had some interest and even though my feelings for Indy have been documented, there was enough fun in it that I didn't mind seeing it again and it was more about going to the drive-in anyway! And Iron Man is great,

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-59313269375210508722008-05-29T02:38:00.004-04:002008-12-09T05:43:43.262-05:00

A toast to an old friend on a sad anniversary... Betsy's had a tough ride and it won't be any easier this week. Hang together, you're not alone!

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-75302053850322493342008-05-26T14:59:00.000-04:002008-05-26T16:48:51.107-04:00

Okay, so I saw Indiana Jones at the midnight show last Wednesday night... held off on posting this until after the weekend so's not to throw any biases out there! This is one of the two movies I've been really looking forward to this year ("Dark Knight" being the other one). And as I'd sen very mixed reviews ahead of time from the Cannes premiere at least I wasn't too disappointed.But overall,

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-66877145812842376732008-05-22T16:31:00.000-04:002008-05-22T16:32:47.342-04:00

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Road workers in a small New Zealand town got their wish granted when a woman stripped saying she was fed up with their wolf-whistles. The Israeli tourist was about to use an ATM in the main street of Kerikeri, in the far north of the country, when the men whistled, the New Zealand Press Association reported. She calmly stripped off, used the cash machine, before

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-6833399700411690252008-05-22T14:58:00.001-04:002008-05-22T14:59:29.137-04:00

I saw Indy IV last night, I'll post my thoughts after the weekend....

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-28722091099656820302008-05-21T19:48:00.001-04:002008-05-21T19:48:51.082-04:00

Okay, here's a pet peeve - During sporting events, why do so many advertisers think they can better sell their products by couching it in some ridiculous sport-related setting? Sure, if it makes sense, but.... as an example, I just heard a commercial for windows (not the software, mind you, the kind birds like to fly into!) and it was all ballpark sound effects, and a vendor going through the

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-41744149974643757012008-05-21T18:41:00.002-04:002008-05-21T18:42:14.902-04:00

Thinking about posting soon... Hmmm..... Gonna see Indy IV tonight, maybe that'll help! And Leo wants to hear one of our George Takei stories....

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-23952886309899532782008-03-10T20:26:00.003-04:002008-03-10T20:28:42.059-04:00

Haven't posted much over the winter, and don't have time to post much now, but just a quick hello... I had a comment from a friend I haven't heard from in many years (at least, I'm presuming that's the Carl that commented, good to hear from you if so!) and that reminded me I really should get back on the ball. We actually had a pretty uneventful winter though, apart from too much snow and all

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-87704486263244073652007-11-24T01:27:00.000-05:002007-11-24T01:48:24.253-05:00

Okay, so the FiOS picture is indeed great. And no real concerns with the internet yet though I'm still tweaking the wireless stuff. But as feared the Verizon DVR software, well, SUCKS! No nice way to put it. Still, it's functional, and since TiVo reportedly has a lot of problems working with Verizon cable boxes it still is the way to go, no matter how painful and limiting it is compared to

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-74284358174404243872007-11-20T21:40:00.001-05:002008-12-09T05:43:43.431-05:00

Just made a very tough phone call, when I called to cancel my TiVo service. I've been a loyal TiVo-ist for about 6 years now, but today we made the move from Comcast cable to Verizon FiOS (following in the footsteps of my friend Dog Rat!). The switch was fairly painless (despite a one-day delay in the scheduled installation), and as there have been a lot of reported problems with TiVo users

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-28348499787878712612007-11-19T20:18:00.000-05:002008-12-09T05:43:43.892-05:00

I had quite the post-vacation crash last month, and haven't been keeping up with the blogging thing. So some quick notes just to catch up a bit... I'll have a couple of different posts here in rapid (but "correctly" reverse-chronological order) succession.Most recently first, Buster and I put on the Blues suits (well, the concert-going version, no ties or hats!) this past weekend to see B.B.

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-88997224846161560522007-11-19T20:05:00.000-05:002008-12-09T05:43:44.537-05:00

The last weekend of October I journeyed to Missouri to attend my brother Jake's retirement from the Marine Corps after 20 years of service. I was there when he graduated as a raw recruit from Parris Island in 1987 so it was pretty emotional to be there for this. (And apart from Jake himself, I was the only one both at graduation and retirement!) It was an honor to attend, and a challenge...

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-47333369654382953032007-11-19T20:02:00.000-05:002008-12-09T05:43:44.708-05:00

And lastly in this series of catch-up posts.... RED SOX WIN THE WORLD SERIES!!It sure was different this time than that amazing sensation in 2004 when we broke The Curse. Not only was the 86 years of pent-up frustration (okay, for me personally maybe only 20 years at the time!), but I wasn't actually able to see a lot of the Series this year since it coincided with my trip to Missouri. I saw

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-21782113759295164972007-10-24T17:23:00.001-04:002008-12-09T05:43:44.882-05:00

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-18425652380144304732007-10-11T19:44:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:43:45.127-05:00

I've finally got myself settled in again enough to write a bit about our trip. This year's vacation was certainly a special one, as we toured many spectacular areas in and around Arizona. We flew in and out of Las Vegas, from where we rented an '07 Dodge Charger (no hemi, alas) that took great care of us for almost two weeks.Somewhere in northwestern Arizona.....We took tons of photos on this

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-20177241744092666922007-10-11T19:34:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:43:45.909-05:00

We started off on September 19th with two nights in Vegas' Mandalay Bay resort, and that was wonderful. We aren't into the gambling thing at all, we just wanted somewhere fun to stay while we got acclimated where we'd all have something fun to do. The Vegas House of Blues is in the Mandalay Bay resort, so my first beer of the vacation was of course served there. Not a great assortment,

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-54178689804792810982007-10-11T19:26:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:43:46.166-05:00

Saturday was a bit of a get-away day... I left Buster and The Momma in Sedona for the day and traveled south to Phoenix, where I met up with my friend Doc (who "winged in" from LA for the occasion) to see a Diamondbacks game at Chase Field. Always fun to see another ballpark of course! The Dbacks were playing the LA Dodgers, who had former Sox (amongst others) pitcher David "Boomer" Wells

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-3822407049928335742007-10-11T18:59:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:43:46.522-05:00

Monday was a Big Day for the vacation. That morning we left the condo fairly early and drove north again, to see the Grand Canyon! We had an overnight booked in a lodge at the south rim, so we'd have a couple of days to explore. With a 10-year-old, and with never having been there before, we weren't looking to go down into the Canyon this trip (alas), but we had a great chance to hike along

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-27406322155811309062007-10-11T18:49:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:43:47.028-05:00

Back in Sedona on Wednesday, we went to a place just north of town called Slide Rock State Park. A small rocky area of Oak Creek that runs through many smooth and slippery rocks, creating absolutely beautiful landscapes with many different colors... oh, and the rocks make for small rapids that act as natural water slides! If you can stand the chill, hop in and slide on down... Buster and The

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-62829675041969871562007-10-11T18:37:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:43:47.799-05:00

Friday the 28th, time to leave the condo - and Sedona - behind. Sigh! Next time we'll devote more days exclusively to Sedona. And yeah, we're pretty sure there'll be a next time, some year in the not too distant future! This time it was another loooong drive north, heading up east of the Grand Canyon, through part of the Painted Desert (uh, beautiful!) and back over the Colorado River via the

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-55677649325074207072007-10-10T23:20:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:43:47.947-05:00

Sunday it was, sadly, time to head back to Vegas in prep for our Monday evening flight home. But we managed one more side trip on the way... we hadn't been able to visit two other beautiful national parks out that way, Bryce Canyon and Zion, both in Utah. But we did find that it wasn't too far out of the way to at least drive through part of Zion on the way back, so that we did!It was

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-91207402530427851272007-10-10T23:13:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:43:48.105-05:00

We checked out of the Monte Carlo around 11am Monday, and my last order of business for the vacation was to check out the Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. This I did solo, which I'd later regret, but it was a fun take... a great little museum of props and costumes from the various Trek series and movies (going all the way back to the 60s), and two shows. The first - older - one was

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-83612552433222483702007-10-04T19:16:00.000-04:002007-10-04T19:17:45.099-04:00

We had an incredible time, now back and settling down into life again. Stories to follow over the next week or so I hope.

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-27443184837225910022007-09-17T21:20:00.001-04:002008-12-09T05:43:48.137-05:00

See you in a couple of weeks!

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-85353519795106951272007-09-11T20:58:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:43:48.389-05:00

Last Thursday evening we had our long-awaited, contest-winning tour of the Sam Adams Brewery in Boston. While low-key this was a lot of fun, as I was able to bring three friends with me for the tour, followed by dinner while we watched that night's Red Sox game on big-screen TVs.My brother Bob came with me, and also my friend Cap'n Ho. The Hey was going to go with us as well but got bogged down

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-69310182157149042007-09-11T20:25:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:43:48.576-05:00

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-62902293614732161462007-08-23T22:20:00.000-04:002007-08-25T14:47:13.893-04:00

Last Thursday (16 August) my Blues Brother Jake and I met up in Chicago for a blues pilgrimage weekend. (Jake and I are old Blues Brothers partners, brothers since 1980, though we're now separated by about 1300 miles and only see each other maybe once a year.) The plan was simple, hit as many blues clubs as we could in our 4-night stay. And the more local talent we saw, the better.Thursday

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-3188695422814559092007-08-14T16:36:00.000-04:002007-08-14T16:37:17.637-04:00

Ssshhhhh! I'm sleeping (apparently)........

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-86256277303525335902007-06-20T21:37:00.000-04:002007-06-20T21:38:51.785-04:00

A friend & I just took a brief break from work here and climbed up onto the roof... and saw "Atlantis" and the ISS zoom over! Not too often that we get a really good sighting opportunity this far north but they were at a near-90-degree elevation and not long after sunset, so they were very bright... one trailing the other by maybe 10 degrees of arc, taking about four minutes to cross the sky.

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-25010842932891878662007-06-18T17:47:00.000-04:002007-06-19T19:57:43.303-04:00

(Edited Tue.6/19 to add photos. More photos from this day available at my Flickr site!)A near perfect Father's Day yesterday! Buster and The Momma took me (well, okay, let me take them!) to a Brockton Rox baseball game. The Rox are an independent league team and Campanelli Stadium is one of my favorite ballparks to go to these days, very nice yet roomy and not overcrowded, with good food and

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-81068491762423949662007-06-01T18:11:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:43:48.767-05:00

There's been some controversy regarding a play in Toronto earlier this week, where Alex Rodriguez from the Yankees reportedly yelled - something - as he was rounding second behind a Toronto infielder lining up to catch an infield pop-up. Jays say he yelled "Mine!", so the fielder backed off thinking it was his teammate coming in to make the catch. A-Rod claims he just yelled "Hah!", hoping it

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-63135097574570455412007-05-29T23:17:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:43:49.016-05:00

My heartfelt condolences go out to our friend Betsy tonight. I just heard that Betsy's husband Jim passed away unexpectedly yesterday (Memorial Day). We've know them a long time and they're good people. Jim will be missed and both of you will be in our thoughts.(Jim playing with"Buster" when he was two... Buster was, that is, not Jim!)

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-30435617456689433782007-05-29T16:41:00.000-04:002007-05-29T16:45:02.088-04:00

It's obviously a fun time to be a Red Sox fan. We're 11.5 games up on second-place Baltimore, and better still 13.5 games up on the Evil Empire, with the Yanks now tied with the D-Rays for last place. There's actually been a couple of moments in the past month when I actually felt a twinge of sympathy for the Bombers, especially when they lost two pitchers that were hit by batted balls up the

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-85909736734097629092007-05-17T21:49:00.001-04:002008-12-09T05:43:49.560-05:00

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-76597791499261224682007-05-14T17:31:00.000-04:002007-05-14T17:32:57.220-04:00

Obviously I haven't been blogging much in recent months. Last year was a busy one with the resurrection of the Bluesmobile (Mark II) and the reunion of the Blues Brothers (with my brother out in the midwest). This year's been more peaceful, but it's been good so far.I'd mentioned some potential big Bluesmobile news in my last post......Never mind. We had a line on a former House of Blues

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-37068110036925250022007-03-26T18:48:00.000-04:002008-12-09T05:43:49.710-05:00

PS... I've added a couple of new photo sets to my Flickr account, one is a group of photos of Jake's 1975 Plymouth Fury, his ride out in Missouri... the other set ("Nostalgia Blues") is a fun little collection of our old Blues Brothers photos, from the 1980's.

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-86990380516343708702007-03-26T18:19:00.000-04:002007-03-26T18:22:49.551-04:00

Interesting weekend... thanks to The Hey, it looks like I'll be able to go to Opening Day at Fenway next month for the first time in three years! Yay!!! I'm doing something I tend to avoid doing, paying above face value, but it's been a long time and I couldn't resist. My thanks to The Hey for the opportunity and for doing the legwork. Should be a very fun season this year the way the Sox,

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-71343051085136916022007-03-10T15:35:00.000-05:002007-03-10T15:36:46.568-05:00

Winter finally caught up with the Bluesmobile Thursday night... after 4-5 days of high temps in the 20's, and lows in the low single digits with heavy wind chill factors, she wouldn't start for me when I went to leave work Thursday night (actually about 1am Friday morning). Cranked like a champ, but no fuel. Hoping it was a frozen fuel line (I'd filled the tank on the way in that afternoon) I

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-52202242624715600782007-03-08T20:15:00.000-05:002008-12-09T05:43:49.947-05:00

This leaves me almost speechless... For those that have read my posts from/after our Disney trips, you know this has been my favorite restaurant on the planet for about the past 20+ years! No, I don't think it likely I'll get there before closing. Have to book a trip to Italy instead....(From MousePlanet.com)Get your Le Originali Fettuccine All'Alfredo while you canIn news that will thrill some

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1170379068279593282007-02-01T20:17:00.000-05:002007-02-01T20:17:48.296-05:00

Just lost, as happens from time to time, my muse again for a while... hey, it's winter, alright?

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1165443815225096412006-12-06T17:12:00.000-05:002006-12-06T17:23:36.103-05:00

For the past week I've been closely following the story of James Kim and his family, who disappeared on their way home to San Francisco after celebrating Thanksgiving in Oregon. The family got stuck in snow on Oregon back roads and it was 9 days before they were found on Monday. Miraculously James' wife Kati, and their two young daughters, were found alive and in very good condition. James

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1164848951244284602006-11-29T20:06:00.000-05:002006-11-29T20:09:11.256-05:00

So I'm delighted yesterday to get my new DVD set of Star Trek: The Animated Series, the Filmation cartoon show from the early 70s that so many of us enjoyed as kids. The set is nicely presented, though I haven't watched the discs yet (the weekend's coming!). However, I'm reading the liner notes from the box set tonight, and these have got to be the funniest liner notes I've ever seen... though

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1164396391739234312006-11-24T14:22:00.000-05:002006-11-24T14:26:31.780-05:00

At left is the gift I received from Jake this week, a large-scale replica of the Bluesmobile II he put together from me! It started life as a toy Crown Vic, but Jake did the paints and markings, and fashioned the push bars and spot lights himself. This photo doesn't do it justice (I'll take some better ones this weekend when I dig out the "good" camera) but I had to share it. (That's a

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1164230589750434042006-11-22T16:18:00.000-05:002006-11-22T16:23:09.763-05:00

I've been watching the re-mastered classic “Star Trek” episodes the past few weeks, featuring the newly-rendered CGI special effects. For the most part I've thought the remastering was excellent, with clean prints and vibrant colors; the new CGI has been okay, but only just. Some shots looked good, some looked very flat. Until this week's episode, “Space Seed”. They have a much improved CGI

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1164070851005350252006-11-20T19:54:00.000-05:002006-11-20T20:00:51.023-05:00

Buster & I had a busy but very fun weekend. Friday night I took him to see B.B. King... a 3-hour concert is a bit much for a 9-year-old (even one who likes blues!), but B.B. is 81 now and probably won't keep touring much longer... with Buster old enough that he may actually remember this show it seemed a worthy adventure to let him see this blues legend! And yes, it was long for him and he had

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1162268247446024172006-10-30T23:15:00.000-05:002006-10-30T23:17:27.466-05:00

I've uploaded a bunch of our trip pictures from Disney World earlier this month to my Flickr site, here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bismo/sets/. Enjoy!

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1162007625562463232006-10-27T23:48:00.000-04:002006-10-27T23:53:45.573-04:00

Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals, on winning the World Series championship tonight! Two years to the day from when the Red Sox defeated them in the same ballpark, it was great to see them win in front of their home fans. Though I went into the Series rooting for the Tigers, only because theirs seemed like such a great story this year, clearly the way they played they had no business

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1161820434854568682006-10-25T19:35:00.000-04:002006-10-25T19:56:01.410-04:00

Okay, finally a chance to post some details from our recent trip to Walt Disney World (WDW). Unlike our last trip (in May '05), we left the computers at home, and lived for two full weeks with no internet access whatsoever... I'm happy to report we all survived just fine! I'll have a few photos through this post, and hopefully I'll get more posted to my Flickr site later in the week (stay tuned

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1161729514039258882006-10-24T18:38:00.000-04:002006-10-24T18:38:34.053-04:00

We've been back from our most recent Disney World trip for over a week now, I'll get some pictures and stories posted as soon as I have some free time! But yes, we had a great trip.

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1158525415360884362006-09-17T16:35:00.000-04:002006-09-17T16:36:55.373-04:00

I watched the revamped classic STAR TREK episode "Balance of "Terror" this morning, done with new special effects... basically I can take it or leave it, but at least they were true to their word and very respectful in how they changed the effects. No scenes were added (so I wouldn't expect we'd see the fleets in "Errand of Mercy", for instance), just replaced. Some shots looked very nice,

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1158448031215781822006-09-16T19:03:00.000-04:002006-09-16T19:07:11.236-04:00

B.B. King turned 81 today, and though he's slowed down a bit he still spends more days touring than most performers a third his age! Buster and I will be going to see B.B. in concert in mid-November, it'll be his first (and very possibly only) chance to see this legend before B. retires!

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1158192572919316742006-09-13T20:08:00.000-04:002006-09-13T20:09:32.930-04:00

I was attending a (very dull) business meeting at my company's Canton, MA facility this afternoon, and found that Davenport Avenue in Canton has been destroyed and built over by a new, still under construction condo complex.Davenport Ave is where we lived for 6-7 years back in the 80's, the days of our "wild youth". And our rented house on that old dirt road, #12, was definitely the center of

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1157585632649607732006-09-06T19:28:00.000-04:002006-09-06T19:33:52.660-04:00

NOTE: From this point forward I'm going to take to calling my son by his Blues traveling name, "Buster"... it's just easier to write and type than "C", surprisingly!Buster and I had a great time Monday (Labor Day) at the "Touch a Truck Day" event in N. Attleboro. This was a fundraiser for "Mothers Without Borders", where they brought in emergency vehicles (and were supposed to also have some

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1157069185682660832006-08-31T19:57:00.000-04:002006-09-07T21:03:11.380-04:00

I don't expect to be doing much video uploading, but I want to make sure I can... here's two videos from our Disney vacation last year (May '05) just to test the concept.First, The Momma's favorite performers from Epcot, Japan's Matsuriza drummers:Next, my faves, the Voices of Liberty from Epcot's American Adventure pavilion:This has been a test.... stay tuned for future posts.

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1156814737860222822006-08-28T21:18:00.000-04:002006-08-28T21:25:37.876-04:00

I can't help but notice that I'm still getting 100 hits or so each month, so I suppose I ought to try and get back in the swing of posting more often. That probably won't really happen until later this fall (after we're recovered from our next Disney trip in October), but hey, I owe ya something!It's been a busy summer, mostly nicely busy apart from another major car repair to the Saab (

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1153446013946415892006-07-20T21:38:00.000-04:002006-07-20T21:40:13.966-04:00

Hopefully I'll find some more but I've got a bunch of photos from the Shore Leave con posted now to my Flickr site. Enjoy!

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1153190448945610852006-07-17T22:28:00.000-04:002006-07-17T22:40:48.993-04:00

After months of anticipation we made it to the Shore Leave science fiction convention last week, and the trip did not disappoint. I haven't gone to the con for its programming in many, many years, and this was no exception, but the weekend remains one of the high points of the year for me each year. Mostly it's a chance to just Get Away... a break after many months of the daily grind. This

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1150669357875871522006-06-18T18:19:00.000-04:002006-06-18T18:24:29.303-04:00

I've uploaded new photos to my Flickr page, with pictures from last weekend's car show and yesterday's parade/ball game trip to Westfield. Both gigs were fun, the highlight for me was a chance to see Jake's father, Art, for the first time in I don't know how many years!

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1149724692728282112006-06-07T19:53:00.000-04:002006-06-07T19:58:12.746-04:00

Quick update - The Bluesmobile will get her public "coming out" parties this month. This weekend, on Sunday 6/11, The Hey (a.k.a. Mighty Mack) & I will be bringing the car to the Xtreme Street car show in Raynham, MA. This will be our first time "dressing" for the part since I painted the car... I'll take pictures I'm sure.Then the following weekend, we'll be in Westfield, MA driving in the "

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1149560430672284012006-06-05T22:14:00.000-04:002006-06-05T22:20:30.676-04:00

...Be very afraid. It's only about a month until our annual Shore Leave convention trip. I'm especially anxious to be going this year after the debacle of last year, when I did end up going but only for a very abbreviated and hectic 24-hour trip.Not to mention I haven't had a legit vacation since our Disney trip over a year ago. And not to mention that at Shore Leave this year we'll be

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1149038832744445302006-05-30T21:21:00.000-04:002006-05-30T21:27:12.756-04:00

I spent a good chunk of Memorial Day weekend finishing all the major work on the Bluesmobile... I've loaded some more pictures to the flickr album here! Only a few very minor detailing touches to do and then she'll be ready for her official "christening", hopefully as soon as next weekend.

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1147990837118290462006-05-18T18:17:00.000-04:002006-05-18T18:20:37.130-04:00

Yesterday "C" (a.k.a. "Buster Blues!) turned 9. I stayed home and we had a terrific family day, very fun yet very low-key. We went swimming, then out for a nice dinner at our favorite family restaurant, Pizzeria Uno's, then home to open presents. He'll have a small birthday party this weekend; I shouldn't and won't complain but for the life of me we couldn't get him interested in a "big" party

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1147989638651270652006-05-18T17:50:00.000-04:002006-05-18T18:01:34.056-04:00

Things have calmed down to some extent at work, and should continue to get better over the summer. Maybe I'll actually start updating this thing more often again! (But no promises....)Work on the new Bluesmobile has been going well, and you can see the latest "in progress" photos here.Most of the big work is done, excepting some large graphics on the roof, but there's a couple of days' worth of

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1143677898900121092006-03-29T19:13:00.000-05:002006-03-29T19:18:18.920-05:00

Another quick look at the Bluesmobile, now that Phase II has been completed....

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1137029118376348772006-01-11T20:28:00.000-05:002006-01-11T20:25:18.390-05:00

Oy - For the next few months (as many as four) I'll be doing much of the work of three supervisors at my office, as we look to replace a weekend supervisor and as our day shift supervisor is on maternity leave. This is keeping me mighty mighty busy and this week has been particularly tough! So forgive me if my blogging drops off again... not that I've been particularly reliable the past couple of

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1135730907937570702005-12-27T19:45:00.000-05:002005-12-27T19:48:27.950-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year, spending Saturday, Christmas Eve, at my parents' home in western MA as is our custom. It's always a very pleasant evening to gather with most of the immediate family and enjoy a holiday dinner and exchange presents... I think we may end up with more gifts Christmas Eve than on Christmas morning itself! But the highlight of course is spending the family time

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1134274149108398852005-12-10T23:05:00.000-05:002005-12-10T23:09:09.143-05:00

Richard Pryor died today.Now, I've never considered myself a Richard Pryor fan, per se, but I've usually laughed with or at him, I've enjoyed his work, and I've respected him. I liked - and hated - him in "Superman III". But never felt a huge personal connection with the man.But he was "our" generation. Though (and selfishly I'll say) happily still OLDER than me, in general I consider him a "

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1133679621419436052005-12-04T01:55:00.000-05:002005-12-04T02:00:21.453-05:00

Finally watched the latest version of "War of the Worlds", and surpringly (to myself) I'm putting myself in the group that LIKED it! I very much appreciate the homage to the original Wells (H.G., not Orson!) story here and liked that this BIG movie was told on the small scale of a single family's viewpoint. I've seen some of the criticisms and certainly don't disagree with all of them... the

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1132715399838159612005-11-22T22:05:00.000-05:002005-11-22T22:09:59.850-05:00

Halloween was fun - Like father, like son!C sure is an interesting kid, he's decided his favorite show now is "MASH"... it's one of my all-time favorites too but I wouldn't expect an 8-year-old to so readily take an interest in a show dealing with some sometimes heavy morale and ethical questions (especially in the later episodes), but he loves it and there's certainly some life lessons to be

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1131674924606369902005-11-10T21:10:00.000-05:002005-11-23T03:08:19.883-05:00

Yup, been a while... but hey, at least there's some news! Since the end of September I've been working on an eBay car purchase, which was finally consummated about two weeks ago. Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, allow me to present the new Bismobile!It's probably no surprise that I went looking for a new ride after my kvetching over several Saab repairs this spring and summer. Yet ironically

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1130373512036905912005-10-26T20:35:00.000-04:002005-10-26T20:38:32.050-04:00

Every now and then I realize that as worrisome as things are in America and in the world right now, there was a time when things were worse... a time when there was no debate over a government's actions, for instance, or over the extent our liberties could be restricted in times of trial.For instance, last weekend we rented a DVD of the 1943 theatrical serial films "Batman"... back in the

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1127873216868521822005-09-27T22:00:00.000-04:002005-09-27T22:06:56.880-04:00

It's been a tough summer and that's a big reason why I haven't been blogging much. The Momma's had some health concerns, that has also led to some fiscal issues as she missed a lot of shifts and she works per diem. And the money was tight after the Great June Car Saga.Oh, and guess what? My car is back in the shop again! Wouldn't start when The Momma left to go to work this weekend. So she

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1126828029544077272005-09-15T19:47:00.000-04:002005-09-15T19:50:04.186-04:00

B.B. King looks back at 80 years of blues (from Yahoo! News)

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1123127071373801312005-08-03T23:45:00.000-04:002005-08-03T23:44:31.380-04:00

Just busy with a lot of distractions lately, and no muse at a time when I have time to blog! Many things to say about James Doohan, the space shuttle, and baseball... if I get myself back in the writing groove. In the meantime keep hailing the Tiki for me....

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1121393777800964722005-07-14T22:15:00.000-04:002005-07-14T22:16:17.813-04:00

So, I made it to Shore Leave after all! I found I was able to make a very abbreviated trip down, a single overnight with no hotel reservation, mostly a quick trip down the road to have a few pints with some friends. Just throw a sleeping bag and an overnight bag in the car, grab some beer money and hit the road south. I had a great time, very low-key and relaxing but an opportunity to get

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9543475.post-1120612891194750712005-07-05T21:20:00.000-04:002005-07-05T21:21:31.206-04:00

We had a very enjoyable holiday weekend. Independence Day has become "our" holiday to host for my extended family, with my folks and siblings getting together for a late afternoon cookout at our place. We rent a fairly small but serviceable single-family house, and though small it's got a very nice, big yard in a great location.Our gathering was followed by an evening trip for most of us to see

Bismohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125189432229850401noreply@blogger.com0