Subterranean Homesick Blues

You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows...

Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin'
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don't wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles

Bob Dylan -Copyright © 1965

The Fall of the House of Yankee

Poetic justice...

"What is left is a team of over-priced and under-performing fat cats. A team of poorly constructed all-or-nothing home run hitters who swing from the heels and think from the hip."

I could read these headlines all day long...actually, I have ! 

This is the year !!! 

1918 - 2004 Just Do It

I have to admit, I got a little misty when this came on after the Sox game last night.

I wonder what the Yankees version looked like ?

Bill Simmons - Red Sox Independence Day

This guy gets it...always has

"The top of the ninth yielded another insurance run of Gordon, who will be covered in blankets, duct-taped and thrown off one of Steinbrenner's yachts some time this winter. "

Imagery...Country style

She left the suds in the bucket, and the clothes hangin' out on the line.

Schilling's Gutty Comeback Sets Up a Game 7 for the Ages

"With the Knights trailing by two runs in the bottom of the ninth, Roy Hobbs, bleeding from a bullet wound, grimaces through pain as he steps into the batters box. We see a closeup of the blood on his uniform. Then we see close-ups of his teammates on the bases, Pop Fisher in the dugout, Iris Gaines praying in the stands, the relief pitcher Youngberry, the catcher and Hobbs. The crowd roar builds. Youngberry rears back and fires...

Hobbs swings and hits a long fly to right -- it's going, it's going, it's . . . a foul ball. The crowd slumps in disappointment. Dejected, Hobbs turns around and starts to trot back to home plate." - final scene of The Natural as reported on ESPN.com

You know what happens next.

SCHILLING'S PERFORMANCE WAS EVEN BETTER !!!!

Voteforsomething.com

Quick and easy way to see which way you should likely vote in November.

We ain't pretty...but we don't quit ! 

I wish I were like you...easily amused

Time, hooah...what is it good for ? Absolutely, whatever you decide to do with it

See how Americans spend their days....funny, hellish commutes aren't included.

Volcanocam

Mount St. Helens live

Ain't it pretty ?

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

"But all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time."

Game 1 - (10-7 Yanks) could've been worse

Call me crazy, but the loss last night by Sox was not as bad as it seemed. I mean, our pitcher could barely walk and we almost won the game. And that was by far the best Yankee pitcher on the roster. In other words, that was our worst possible outing and their best possible outing and it still came down to the final few outs.

The game would have been even closer if you take away a few "Manny Plays" in left...

Hopefully, Pedro can get it going tonight. I think he needs to plunk someone in the first inning just to get his juices going !

Greg Gagne featured on Advisor Today

Anyone else want to be "famous" ?

http://www.affinityinvestmentgroup.com

Three wishes

Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to
change those things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.

NBC adds 5-second delay to NASCAR coverage

The moral of the story...if you win the race, don't say sh*t.

Seems kind of silly to me to expect that I guy that just risked his life for 3 hours driving 150 MPH won't be a little emotional after getting out the car. If they didn't jam a camera in their faces the second the safety net drops from the window, they wouldn't have this problem.

With all that's wrong with the world...and broadcast on TV, does a little slip like this even matter ?

Let's Go Red Sox !

I just have a good feeling about how these guys are playing. They seem
loose and having fun...of course winning helps that too. Let's take the
game tonight and let the Twins and Yanks beat themselves up for the next
week or so.

NY Times Circuits

One of these days, I'll get one of my clients in this section !!

Look at the Grass fly !! Thanks for the trim Phil. Hope you like your new toy. 

Buzzzzz....seen flying through my garden. 

Happy 90th Grampa !! As they say..."may the good Lord bless you..." 

Alan loves Birthday Cake !! 

The Business Side of Stern

Howard Stern will be moving his broadcasting antics over to Sirius Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) once his deal with Viacom (NYSE: VIA) is complete at the end of next year.

Jim Davis - Boston Globe sports photographer

Some great shots here...lots of other great photos too.

What I'm reading...The Art of Breaking Glass

I'd seen this on the bookshelf at work for 4 years before I remembered to pick it up and take it home. I was always intriqued by the title. It reminded me of the scene in The Wall where the guys smashes up his room and then puts all the broken pieces together into some strange pattern.

Just started it a few nights ago...pretty good so far.

DAY TRIPS; Kerouac's Trail Before He Hit the Road

Free registration required:

NIGHT descends on the crumbling storefronts and tenements, falling in the space between buildings and shedding gloom over the rooftops. Beside the whirring traffic, the volunteer tour guide, Paul Marion, stands on the corner, holding a copy of Jack Kerouac's novel ''Dr. Sax.'' In a soft voice, Mr. Marion reads: ''The other night I had a dream that I was sitting on the sidewalk on Moody Street, Pawtucketville, Lowell, Mass., with a pencil and paper in my hand saying to myself 'Describe the wrinkly tar of this sidewalk.' ''

As economy improves, job dissatisfaction is on the rise

A man, his car, 15 years and counting...

It's the journey, not the destination. You're almost there Den !

WebShots

Some great looking photos here for purchase. Buy a few frames and call them your own !

Harvest Moon

Full Harvest Moon tonight, one of my favorite nights of the year. It's
almost as bright as day at 10:00pm at night. Too bad its raining out right
now and probably will be cloudy all night !!

Got Oil ?

This is how they find it.

Sweat....Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Is it in you ?

Da dum....da dum...da dum, da dum, da dum

Great white shark patrols Cape Cod...

An apple a day

Here's a great place to pick them !!

Mr Rogers posse'

See if you can match the characters with people that you work with....I can't get over a Lady Elaine Fairchilde look alike, sound alike here at SCI. It's spooky.

While I'm on the "When I was a kid" rant...

Aerosmith's "Greatest Hits" album was released in 1980 !!

Dream On
Same Old Song And Dance
Sweet Emotion
Walk This Way
Last Child
Back In The Saddle
Draw The Line
Kings And Queens
Come Together
Remember (Walking In The Sand)

I'm sure the producers (and the band) had no idea that they'd still be
around (and relevant) almost 25 years later.

Can you put out an Anniversary Edition of a Greatest Hits album ?

20 years since Lake Minnetonka

Purple Rain just was released as a 20th Anniversary DVD

Seems like only yesterday I took my 25 cents, hopped on the T to Dedham
Cinemas and watched this on the matinee.

Don't go away mad, just...

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go."
-Oscar Wilde

Jimi page....not to be confused with Jimmy Page

Amazing Race !

The Amazing Race finished last night...at least it didn't come down to a cab ride this time. I just think that's silly when you travel around the world and then lose because your cabbie took a wrong turn. I just couldn't stop watching this one, it's really put together pretty well. I also like that there isn't a "lot" of product placement and other commercial crap like there is on Survivor now.

The only disappointment was the location of the ending. It looked like just some random field in the middle of Dallas. Couldn't they have picked a place a little more extravigent or exciting....I mean they have 2 Emmy awards now, time to shell out some cash for the big finish.

I would like to see the behind the scenes stuff or somehow capture what the film crew has to go through to try and get all this stuff on camera. I'd also like to have them keep track of the days that they are away so we can identify with how long they are out there. Can't wait until next season, though ! I think Michelle and I would do well on this show....

All about birds

Cheep, tweet, caw...

What I'm reading...Caravans by James Michener

This is a really good book. I can't believe that it was written almost 50 years ago and it surprised me to read about so many things in Afganistan that are still happening today. I've realized that the way things are done over there are not likely to change anytime soon...especially by U.S. "help". - TK

"In this romantic adventure of wild Afghanistan, master storyteller James Michener mixes the allure of the past with the dangers of today. After an impetuous American girl, Ellen Jasper, marries a young Afghan engineer, her parents hear no word from her. Although she wants freedom to do as she wishes, not even she is sure what that means. In the meantime, she is as good as lost in that wild land, perhaps forever...."An extraordinary novel....Brilliant."THE NEW YORK TIMES "

Stadiums of the NFL...past present and future

New from Maine - Spud booze

Mainers hope to turn potatoes into vodka
By David Sharp, Associated Press Writer September 20, 2004
FREEPORT, Maine -- A farmer looking to add value to his low-priced potato crop has launched a business partnership in hopes of turning humble Maine spuds into high-priced premium vodka.

Black and White subway photographer

This guy needs to get out more. Interesting pics though...

Ocktoberfest starts in Munich

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - International squads of beer drinkers, leather-clad Bavarians and devotees of excess young and old converged in Munich on Saturday for the start of the planet's biggest beer festival, the Oktoberfest.

Milinocket based artist

If you've been to our house, you've seen some of her work.

Congrats guys....where you gonna put that trophy ? 

Members Only

Grey day in Waltham.

Just rode down an elevator with a guy wearing a Members Only jacket....didn't think there were still members out there.

Vitamin B works for me

Vitamin B
During World War II, soldiers were shipped off to battle with vitamin packets along with their rations. Researchers argued that workers taking vitamin B seemed calmer and were less likely to go on strike.

You know, I think they're right. It's just not the same day without my multi vitamin...

Cree makes LEDs in North Carolina

This is one of my clients...they make tiny silicon based lights called LEDs. Kind of like the thing that lights up on the front of your remote control, but 1,000 times brighter.

Someday, they say, these little wonders will make the everday lightbulb obsolete....

Today, they are the things that make your cell phone light up, the flash on your camera phone and the video screens at the Patriots games.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Nice catch ! 

Are you ready for some football ??!!!

Go Pats !!

No ! Try it...

The Power of No
It's an unanticipated legacy of the affluent '90s: parents who can't, or won't, set limits. Now a growing number of psychologists are warning of the dangers of overindulgence and teaching how—and where—to draw the line

Happy Birthday Alan !!

IF SEPTEMBER 9 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: . . . you have recently begun a new project that is likely to pay off by the end of the year, but the cosmos should shower you with opportunities and allow you to take giant leaps forward in February and March, too. Expect to enter a more romantic phase next April, May and June when important people could enter your life. A fresh outlook will restore your youthful vitality, and you have a promise that the coming year will be free of worries.

Nothing Doing

Sept 2nd Red Sox vs Anaheim

What a great night we had a Sox game on Thursday night !!

D-Lowe had his stuff working, we had great seats and the weather was
fantastic for watching the game!! It's amazing how fast the money goes when
you get there, though. Five bucks for a hot dog, six bucks for a beer,
five bucks for WATER...after "spending" $300 on tickets (alright, we got
these ones for free, but still...) you'd think they give everyone a free
ball or something. Lowell Spinners (or Portland Sea Dogs) here we come !!

Wind for sale

Wind from hurricane for sale on eBay
By Rachel La Corte, Associated Press Writer September 7, 2004

MIAMI -- For anyone who didn't get enough of Hurricane Frances as it blew through Florida, remnants of the storm are for sale. More than 170 items were listed on eBay's Internet auction site Monday, a day after the eye of the Category 2 storm came ashore.

The starting bid for Tupperware filled with wind was a penny. Photos showed Broward County residents running around with the containers "catching" the wind. Surprisingly, someone had already bid $10 for one of the four containers.

Work

"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." - Theodore Roosevelt

SmarTraveller

Don't leave home without it. *1 on Verizon Wireless cell phone.

Gibbet Hill Grill

Mmmmm....angus !

Indians Rout Yankees 22-0 in Epic Defeat

It's a beautiful thing !! "It wasn't just a rout, it was an epic defeat, the most one-sided in the 101-year history of the New York Yankees."

Stoneworks

I've heard from a very reliable source that this is the place to go for all things shiny.

Farmers Almanac predicts wild winter

Let's see what The Old Farmers Alamanac has to say later this year...Mr. Franklins' version has been around 214 years.

Pictures of picture takers

Interesting perspective. Other galleries too...

Golden Age Cartoons

For those of us who refuse to grow up.

Classic print ads

"When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer."

And, you're probably out of a job too.

For all those times when you *really* need to haul a 35ft camper 90mph

Diesel Performance Products introduces the Powershot 2000® propane injection system for turbo diesel owners who are looking for more power for towing increased mileage and throttle responsiveness out of their vehicles.

Pencil thoughts

What is it about writing in pencil that appeals to me so much ? Is it the sound it makes marking up the paper? The opportunity it affords to stop and sharpen your thoughts while you do the same to the instrument? Or, is it for the ability to go back and update or correct past mistakes ? Whatever the reason, I connect more with my writing and my thoughts to paper with a real wood, round #2.

Joke

One day a lawyer was riding in his limousine when he saw a guy eating grass.

He told the driver to stop. He got out and asked him, "Why are you eating grass?"

The man replied, "I'm so poor, I can't afford a thing to eat." So the lawyer said, "Poor guy, come back to my house." The guys then said, "But I have a wife and three kids." The lawyer told him to bring them along too.

When they were all in the car, the poor man said, "Thanks for taking us back to your house, it is so kind of you."

The lawyer said, "You're going to love it there, the grass is a foot tall."

Vision. You either have it, or you don't. 

Perspective 

Clear blue outside

The summer that never was looks to be quickly coming to an end. It's starting to get darker out sooner now. Maybe it will make it easier to get the boys to sleep before 9:00pm now !! The clear and cool nights make for great sleeping weather and most of the mosquitoes have come and gone. These are the days to breathe and enjoy. Until our days are filled with meaningful thoughts and more meaningful actions, the air, the sky and the promise of a better tomorrow will have to suffice.

Aluminum bottles keep beer colder

"About 40 percent of all beer consumed comes out of cans, 43 percent from bottles, and 8 percent from the tap, according to the Beer Institute, which tracks industry trends."

Swiss Army Knife with a hard drive !!

Finally, a keychain device that will let you open a can, cut a piece of string, file your nails, write a note AND store the latest copy of your resume !!

Wish

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.
        -Pink Floyd

Hungry ?

The International Federation of Competitive Eating, Inc. supervises and regulates eating contests in their various forms throughout the world.

All about the name...Boudreaux's Butt Paste Sells Itself

"Would you be talking to me if it was called George's Diaper Cream?" Boudreaux recently asked a reporter.

WAF - (Wife Acceptance Factor)

As far as I can tell, this trend has not caught on in Maine yet. God bless them...

Mangia Media - Pizza box advertising

"In their hands. In their homes"

In their expanding waistlines ?

Pretty cool idea. As long as the pizza isn't cold, overpriced or greasy...

Tangled

So now I'm goin' back again,
I got to get to her somehow.
All the people we used to know
They're an illusion to me now.
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenter's wives.
Don't know how it all got started,
I don't know what they're doin' with their lives.
But me, I'm still on the road
Headin' for another joint
We always did feel the same,
We just saw it from a different point of view,
Tangled up in blue.
-Bob Dylan

CVS launches one time use digital camera

"The CVS Digital One-Time-Use Camera with Picture Preview is the first to combine the most popular features of the fast-growing digital camera market with the wildly popular disposable format."

After you buy more than 4 of these ($19.99) you should just buy your own "real" digital camera. I guess this is good for people who don't like to commit. Not sure how this is going to fare...is it positioned as a cheap digital camera or an expensive disposable ?

You double your chances of getting crushed when you stand in the middle of the road.

If the shoe fits, buy the other one, too.

Ocean hurling rocks at England

No injuries have been reported, yet...also be on the lookout for Large Wooden Badgers hurling over the fortress wall.

It's better than looking at grafitti

Headline: Wall of subway tunnel is turned into a billboard for cruise line

Hmmm...how long before we hear of people getting seasick on the train ?

Dad's keys

My father had one of these on his keychain for as long as I can remember. The sound it makes clinking next to a set of keys still makes me think of him. This is a picture of a new one. The one that I have now is worn around the edges from years of use. I wonder how many carburetors were adjusted, screws loosened or beer cans opened with this small piece of metal ? It won't see nearly as much use now that it is mine, but I will treasure it just the same.

Phone camera art show

Hang ten !  

Captivate...there's no escape !

Captivate is a leading news and entertainment network broadcast to a highly desirable audience in a distraction-free viewing environment, in the elevators of premier office towers across North America.

Stamp yourself !!

An Original Way to Go Postal By Daniel Terdiman

Every year, the U.S. Postal Service receives 40,000 submissions for new stamp images and releases about 35 of them. But now, thanks to PhotoStamps, a trial service from Stamps.com formally announced Tuesday, the number of new stamps hitting envelopes nationwide could become nearly infinite.

The Amish are online !

...although they probably don't know it since they don't use electricity !

Doh!

Rolling Stone review of Electric Ladyland...yes it's THAT Stevie Winwood !

"....Then a live cut, which sounds as though it was recorded late at night in a small club, at one of the jamming sessions Hendrix is known for. It features Stevie Winwood on organ and Jack Casady on bass, and is called "Voodoo Chile." It begins with a very John Lee Hooker-like guitar intro, and keeps a blues feeling all the way through, although Hendrix's lyrics ("My arrows are made of desire/From as far away as Jupiter's sulphur mines") are a far cry from "Rolling Stone" (the Muddy Waters song that's an ancestor to this track, as well as a lot of other things). After some feedback screech, a listener says "Turn that damn guitar down!" and the track ends with Hendrix and a chick discovering that the bar in the club is closed. "The bar is closed?" she says unbelievingly." TONY GLOVER - Rolling Stone

J Wheeles...Swiss liaison visits Munich

I swear, I only had 2 beers officer...

Naked Gun

Frank Drebin: It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.
Jane Spencer: Goodyear?
Frank Drebin: No, the worst.

ThermalBaden

You just haven't lived until you've spent a few hours in a giant mineral water hot tub.
Ding!

NBA - Something is fundamentally wrong here

By Peter May Boston Globe August 8, 2004
The contrast could not have been more illuminating. Moments after watching Allen Iverson's 30-foot heave swish through to beat Germany, ESPN went directly to something called (I think) the And 1 Challenge. The name of the show is unimportant. What happened on the show drove home a painful point: What is happening to basketball in the US? All we saw for 30 minutes was Showboating 101.

Keg Wrap

Those were the days...think you could daisy chain 3-4 together ?

Trio Dreams Up Idea to Keep Kegs Cold

By THOMAS J. SHEERAN, Associated Press Writer

Same facts...different stories

Productivity Posts Slowest Rise Since 2002
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON - The productivity of American workers rose at an annual rate of 2.9 percent in the spring, the slowest increase since late 2002, the government reported Tuesday.


U.S. Productivity Stronger Than Expected
Reuters - Productivity of U.S. businesses rose at a swifter-than-expected pace in the second quarter but labor costs still gained at their fastest rate in two years, the government said on Tuesday.