Sometimes A Horn, Is Not Just A Horn

Bowcraft Amusement Park
Route 22, Scotch Plains, NJ
1998

Pastor Ted Haggard is the president of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), the largest evangelical group in America. He is also founder and senior pastor of the 14,000-member
New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He formed and serves as the president of both the Association of Life-Giving Churches, a network of local churches, and World Prayer Team, the only real-time global prayer
network.

'This is it
It's time for u to go to the wire
U will hit
Cuz u got the burnin' desire'

He graduated from Oral Roberts University in 1978 and has received two honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees. He served as the American Vice-President for World Missions for Jesus, a German missions organization, and served as an Associate Pastor at Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which helped him plant New Life Church in 1985. Haggard and his wife, Gayle, have five children.

'U got the horn so why don't u blow it
U are fine (Fine)
U're filthy cute and baby u know it'

Ted Haggard (whose name is now starting to ironically starting to mirror his private life), one of the nation’s most influential Christian leaders, also admitted today that he had purchased methamphetamine from a gay escort in Denver — but denied that he ever had sex with the man.

'Cream
Get on top
Cream
U will cop
Cream
Don't u stop
Cream
Sh-boogie bop'

'Cream' lyrics ©Prince

•••

Prince: Cream
(Buy: Prince: Diamonds And Pearls)

Grace Jones: Private Life
(Buy: Grace Jones: Warm Leatherette)

A Good Day To Die

Ferry Terminal Ramp
The Other Side
March 10, 2003

No, really, this was the day that I thought it was over. Just for a second — but even for a second, it's not a good thought to have in your head.

On the island side, the guy in the photo walked into the cabin with his shotgun (or whatever kind of gun it is — I don't know guns from nothin') and, without saying anything to anyone, sat in the front seat with his back to all. I wasn't even supposed to be on this ferry. I missed the first boat and caught the second to get in a few hours. And now I was on the boat with five other passengers — one, bearing arms.

Short story shorter — I lived to tell the tale — but had to get a picture to show my friends and family or they would not have believed it. When the ferry docked, everybody let the 'Rifleman' exit first, keeping their distance (and I'm sure, like me, breathing a bit easier). I took out my camera and snapped this shot like I was Michael Moore hound-dogging Charlton Heston.

L7: Stuck Here Again
(Buy: L7: Hungry For Stink)

L7: Riding With A Movie Star
(Buy: L7: Hungry For Stink)

Bunny The Vampire Slayer

All Hallows Eve
October 1960

Parents, if you're going to do this to your children, consider leaving the camera at home. Isn't the fact that you're going to eat all of their candy (I mean c'mon, it's a 1 year old!), and get a real good laugh, enough?

Breeders: Theme from Buffy The Vampire Slayer
(Buy: Breeders: Son of Three)

Bruce Lenkei: Moonlight Zombie Dance
(Download Free: Two Zombies Later: Volume 2)

Diablo Swing Orchestra: Balrog Boogie
(Buy: Diablo Swing Orchestra: The Butcher's Ballroom)

Well, Blow Me Down

Windy Old Weather
The Rock
October 29, 2006

At least it's not raining (like it was last night). Windy old weather aside, today could not have been a more beautiful day. I hope tomorrow is just as sunny — the last boat to run off The Rock left at 8:45 yesterday morning — and from the looks of it, tomorrow may be a (gale) forced (wind) holiday. At least that's what the marine forecast says.

COASTAL WATERS FROM EASTPORT ME TO STONINGTON ME OUT 25 NM-
835 PM EST SUN OCT 29 2006

... GALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON ...

OVERNIGHT... W WINDS 30 TO 35 KT WITH A FEW GUSTS TO 45 KT...DECREASING TO 25 TO 35 KT LATE. SEAS 17 TO 22 FT...SUBSIDING TO 12 TO 17 FT BY DAYBREAK. VSBY LOCALLY 1 TO 3 NM IN BLOWING SPRAY.

MON... W WINDS 25 TO 35 KT WITH A FEW GUSTS UP TO 45 KT. SEAS 10 TO 15 FT...SUBSIDING TO 7 TO 10 FT IN THE AFTERNOON.

MON NIGHT... NW WINDS 25 TO 30 KT...DECREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT...SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 6 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT.

(Information via MaineHarbors.com)

Oh, well, hopefully Tuesday's seas will still have a little punch to them too — because, quite honestly, it adds a little more excitement to the morning commute.

Dan Zanes: Windy Old Weather (Buy Dan Zanes: Sea Music)

Down On The Farm

Fall Fowl
Aldermere Farm
October 23, 2006

The geese are getting ready for the 'Big Dance', and Goose has got the goods to send them off. Turn it on and dance around the room (or the field).

Goose: Black Gloves (Buy It!)

Deerhoof Season

'World Premiere' of Deerhoof's Milk Man: A Ballet
Waterman's Community Center, North Haven, Maine
October 23, 2006

'I'll take you to my dream land
Now you're mine
I'll take you to our dream land'
'Milk Man' lyrics, ©Deerhoof

The final performance of 'Milk Man: A Ballet' takes place tonight (October 24 at 7:30 PM) at Waterman's Community Center. Tickets are $5 adults/$3 students and seniors, and can be reserved by calling 207.867.2100 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The event is sponsored by North Haven Community School and North Haven Arts & Enrichment. The last ferry for North Haven leaves the Rockland Ferry Terminal at 5:15 PM. Be on it. You will never again be so entertained and awestruck for 5 dollars. (And, I'm telling you, you'll regret it if you miss it.)

Deerhoof: Milking (Buy It!)

Down With O.B.P*

\

*Old Back Porch (R.I.P)
October 21, 2005

The porch and the following song have little in common (other than the fact that a Rock Island friend of ours has been on Spruce's European Tour for about 20 days now). Oh, yeah, and our porch is now 'blown away' (hopefully to return, new and improved, next Spring!).

Bruce Springsteen: My Oklahoma Home (Buy It!)

Red Sky Morning

6:55 AM
October 17, 2006

Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66: After Sunrise (Buy It!)

The Answer, My Friend, Is Littered In The Sand

State (of Confusion) Beach, The Rock
Columbus Day Weekend, 2006

The Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup is an annual event 'all over the world to remove trash and debris—on land and under the water.' Each year, the children and, (almost no) volunteers of The Rock take a day (off from school) to head out around the island, clearing trash from the coastline, roads and trails—recording every piece of trash collected. This year, Cleanup was held on September 16, 2006.

Three weeks later, on a walk along the beach, I picked up 3 Clorox bottles, 4 Twisted Tea cardboard packages, 1 Miller High Life (nobody said people that throw their trash to the wind ain't got no class) package, 6 blue plastic cups, and 1 plastic ring holder (do they still make those effin' things?), along with an armload full of other choice left-behinds.

I was once told, a few years ago, that there were a few mothers on the island that would throw their blue glass into the ocean, so that their children would be able to find more of it in the future (Mothers of Inventiveness. Freak Out!). Our weekend drinkers, as you can see from the photograph above, helped support that cause, too.

Thank You, to all the students, volunteers, and coordinators who worked hard and helped to really make this year's clean-up on The Rock a success. And, to those that followed behind them to do their part—making sure that next year's International Coastal Cleanup will still be needed—Fuck You.

Nouvelle Vague: Too Drunk To Fuck (Buy It!)
Dead Kennedys: Too Drunk To Fuck (Buy It!)

Thanks Dawg!

DQ Napkin
October 2006

We watch out for our own. This Dairy Queen napkin was tucked into the seat of my motorcycle when I got off the ferry one day. No tickets. No hassle. And still, no registration. (I work on the mainland. The town offices are closed by the time I get back. I've got more excuses, but even I don't want to hear them any more.) And DQ Dawgy Dawg's just keepin' it real.

Richard Thompson: 1952 Vincent Black Lightning (Buy It!)

Blowin' A Gale

And the weather of Fall approaches.
October 1, 2006

First two boats got cancelled today due to gusting winds. That would be another advantage to the morning commute—working at home, by surprise.

EasyStar All*Stars: Exit Music (For A Film) (Buy It!)

Polly Is A Crackhead

Lutino (Buttercup yellow) Indian Ringneck Parakeet (Really, a parrot.)
Psittacula krameri manillensis
September 24, 2006

This bird should not be here, but, sat in the maple tree out in the front yard for over an hour, with something to say.

Coldplay: Yellow (Buy It!)
They Might Be Giants: Birdhouse In Your Soul (Buy It!)

Happiness Is A Warm Day. Bang, Bang. Shoot, Shoot.

Hunting Season
October 9, 2006

A Rock, Tuesday and Thursday night law enforcement, and guns.

Something's gotta' give.

The Matadors: Shotgun (Buy It!)
The Breeders: Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Buy It!)

It's A Bluebird Day!

The Harbor. The Rock.
October 2006

As much as I enjoy writing and posting, it's too nice to do more than this today. Get outside, while the gettin's good!

Emiliana Torrini: Sunny Road (Buy It!)
Talking Heads: This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) (Buy It!)

When The Moon Is In The Sixth House

Harvest Moon
October 6, 2006

Need I say anything else? I think not.

But The Old Farmer's Almanac does:

'This is the year's worst month for planets. Mars finally reaches conjunction and slips behind the Sun on the 23rd. By month's end, Jupiter will be difficult to view as it vanishes into the Sun's glare, as does Venus. Mercury is barely visible above the horizon, making its meeting with Venus from the 20th through the 31st challenging to view. The Moon is so far south that, when one day old on the 23rd, it sets before the Sun; the two-day-old Moon is equally impossible to see. These are the lowest, hardest-to-see crescent Moons in 18 years. Only Saturn is easily visible, but it doesn't rise until 2:30 a.m. The medium-intensity Orionid meteors add some sparkle to the sky on the 21st. Moon phase times are based on Eastern Time.'

(What the hell? The 6th wasn't too shabby.)

Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto : Fly Me To The Moon (Buy It!)

Bullie, For Me

Bullie.
Part of my life since 1961.

Bullie (if you can picture a little heart over the 'i' here) is perfect. This black fur beauty has a molded plastic face, pair of button-up high heels, lipstick, utters and horns. You wonder what kind of relative would give such a gift to a child. Whoever it was—I love them—and Bullie.

Her tag reads: 'A Jewel of a Toy by Bijou. Bijou Toys, New York, N.Y.' I can't find anything about them anywhere. If you have any information, drop me a line.

One Step Beyond

Big Old Maple
October 4, 2006

And thick of fog.

Prince Buster & The All Stars: One Step Beyond (Buy It!)
Madness: One Step Beyond (Buy It!)

Good Luck (With Your Future)

Uncle Gordon's Barn
Westport, NY
September 2004

September has flown by me with little consistancy in keeping up with my daily posting duties. I'm hoping that I'll have better luck in the future (it's coming on). Or at least in October.

Gorillaz: Clint Eastwood (Buy It!)
Leonard Cohen: The Future (Buy It!)

Monarch(y) in the USA

Danaus plexippus (which, literally, translated in Greek means 'sleepy transformation').
September 27, 2006

Ahhh, the lovely Danaus plexippus. I don't know what it's like in your neck of the woods, but here, the monarchs are wide awake and have transformed the woods and gardens of the Rock into a magical place.

"Adult Monarchs possess two pair of brilliant orange-reddish wings, featuring black veins and white spots along the edges. Their wingspan is about four inches, and they weigh less than half an ounce. Males, who possess distinguishing black dot (stigmata) along the veins of their wings, are slightly bigger than the females.

Each adult butterfly lives only about four to five weeks. But one of the many wonders of the Monarchs is the annual creation of a unique "Methuselah generation." As autumn approaches in their sites of migratory origin, a very special generation of butterflies is born. Unlike their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents -- all of whom had ephemeral lives measured only in weeks -- these migratory butterflies survive seven or eight months. In human terms, given our average life span of 75 years, this would be like having children who lived to be 525 years old!

This generation performs the incredible feat of flying from Canada and the United States to the center of Mexico -- after which they begin the northward journey again. Once they reach the United States, a kind of relay race begins: their short-lived offspring, with only four or five weeks to live, continue making the trek northward over several generations."

Enjoy 'em why you got 'em, for these beauties are on their way to a sweet little vacation spot down south.

And, if you dig the bugs, you have to get up to Montreal and check into the Insectarium. You will not be disappointed.

Booth and the Bad Angel: Butterfly Dreams (Buy It!)

The Autumn Lines Are Drawn

And the birtch is back.
October 2001

Toad the Wet Sprocket: I Will Not Take These Things for Granted (Buy It!)

Summer Is Ready When You Are

Photo © Scott L. Robertson/slrobertson.com

At The Gwinnett County Fair, Georgia, USA
Summer 2006

Ahhh, Fair food! (Not to be confused with Fair Food.)

I like all the different people.
I like every kind of fair.
In the crowd, you bet I'll be there!
Walkin' around,
Going nowhere.
Seeing sooey and saints, at the fair.
'Saints'—The Breeders

The Breeders: Saints (Buy It!)
Masters Of Reality: Tilt-A-Whirl (Buy It!)

Enjoy more of Scott L. Robertson's Fair photographs (and a large selection of other subjects) at his web site.

Wood4Sale

Wood4Sale Sign
September 2006

I'm not sure what it is that makes me most happy about this sign. Is it the 'Guy Formally Name Prince, then that Symbol, and then Prince Again' use of the number 4 for the word 'For'? (Yes.) Is it the fact that—even though your cord of wood will consist of 'Mostly Oak'—the sampler you will receive, may also include some 'maple' and 'Birtch'? (Of course.) Could it be that it looks like Danny, who I assume scripted and executed this wonderful bit of advertising, actually wrote $200 backwards first? (Yes, Yes! Okay, that one was definitely what first drew me to this sign.) Or, is it the fact that, even if I was considering buying wood for the advertised price, I'd have to find a way to get the wood to my house (since the price includes cutting and splitting, but it's 'Not Delivered'?

Yes, it was all of those things. 'Wood4Sale' Bonus Enjoyment: The fact that I got to pixelate (just like the music videos on the TV!) out Danny's number, just in case you got any bright ideas about going to pick up your own cord of wood.

Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood: Little Walter Rides Again (Buy It!)
Nat Couty & the Braves: Woodpecker Rock (Buy It!)

Meet The Mets! Meet The Mets!

The 1969 World Championship New York Mets
Of New York Town

As The 2006 New York Mets, once again, win the National League East Division. We don't care (nor should I even have to mention) that it took them 18 years to repeat this feat—let us just remember what happens two (as in 1969 and 1986) of the last four times that they have won their (1969, 1973, 1986, 1988) Division Championship.

BACK ROW (left to right): Equipt. Mgr. Nick Torman, J.C. Martin, Ron Taylor, Ed Kranepool, Don Cardwell, Donn Clendenon, Nolan Ryan, Art Shamsky, Jack DiLauro, Clubhouse Attendant Roy Neuer.

THIRD ROW: Jim McAndrew, Tommie Agee, Cal Koonce, Ken Boswell, Tom Seaver, Kerry Koosman, Ron Swoboda, Wayne Garrett, Bobby Pleil, Traveling Sec. Lou Niss.

SECOND ROW: Tug McGraw, Gary Gentry, Al Weiss, Cleon Jones, Manager Gil Hodges, Jerry Grote, Bud Harrelson, Ed Charles, Rod Gaspar, Duffy Dyer.

FRONT ROW: Trainer Gus Mauch, Coach Joe Pignatano, Coach Rube Walker, Coach Yogi Berra, Coach Eddie Yost, Asst. Trainer Joe Deer.

Bill Katz & Ruth Roberts: Meet The Mets!

Get Ur Pumpk' On

Gettin' Grown (finally!)
September 2006

This lone pumpkin survived 'The Great SlugFest Massacre of Aught Six' and is now getting ready for it's seasonal coming out party. Go pumpkin! Get Ur Freak On!

Missy Elliott: Get Ur Freak On (Buy It!)
Cee-Lo: Gettin' Grown (Buy It!)

What A Piece Of Man Is Man

Hugo, Man of a Thousand Faces
The Pumpkin(less) Patch, The Rock
September 2006

My nephew used to come to the house and exclaim, "Where's Piece of Man?" Knowing what was coming, I would go to Hugo's hiding place, take him out, and show him to my nephew who would, in turn, run screaming from the room. Piece of Man. Hugo. Any way you put it, Kenner (THE toy company of the 50's, 60's, and 70's, and sucked into oblivion by Hasbro in 2000) thought kids would love it.

Well, maybe they just want to know where he is at all times.

Radiohead: Creep (Buy It!)
EasyStar All*Stars: Paranoid Android (Buy It!)

Que Pasa, Pussycat?

Babette (aka Number One)
July 2004

Like all good bloggers, when in a pinch, I offer a pet. Te quiero.

Fishbone & Los Fabulosos Cadillacs: What's New, Pussycat? (Buy It!)

Meat Is Murder

PigBoy®'s Halloween

Pay the piggy back, back
Pay the piggy back
See the piggy, do the piggy,
Pay the piggy back

The Bees: Chicken Payback (Buy It!)
The Smiths: Meat Is Murder (Buy It!)

Tomb With A View

Cemetery overlooking Carver's Pond, The Rock
August 2006

Laurie Anderson: Pieces And Parts (Buy It!)
Laurie Anderson: Here With You (Buy It!)

But, I Heart SoapPets®

Warning Sign, Lawson's Quarry, The Rock
August 2006

With just two simple words, I find yet one more obstacle in the pursuit of my hopes and dreams (in the development of my all-natural, biodegradable, vegetable glycerin, pet-shaped QuarryBath® companions).

Big Mama Thornton: Hound Dog (Buy It!)
Cat Stevens: Where Do The Children Play? (Buy It!)
Martina Topley-Bird: Tennessee Stud (Live) (Buy It!)

Frickin' Frickles

Friday office lunch.
September, 2006

No shite! Dems is fried pickles!

Frickles. That's what it said on the Appetizer Menu. How could we not give 'em a try? Just the name alone made us order them. Cold Geary's and Frickles, please. Who could ask for anything more?

The Frickles plate was clean before our sandwiches hit the table.

Bon Appetite!

New Birth Brass Band: Fat Boy (Buy It!)
Beck: Nausea (Buy It!)

For 50 Bucks and a Case of Budweiser

Rocky Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador
Late August, 1998

For 50 dollars and a case of Budweiser, this guy took us on a four hour boat tour of Rocky Harbour, a sweet little town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, at the mouth of Bonne Bay, and just outside of Gros Morne National Park. By the end of our tour, he could barely tell us where we were, as we navigated our way back to town. It was one of the sunniest and funniest days in the three and a half weeks we traveled through the provinces.

The Pogues: Sunny Side of the Street (Buy It!)

Sailing Homeward

But first, dropping anchor (if you know what I mean) with the schooners off Swans Island.
Summer 2006

Heel y'ho boys, let her go, boys
Bring her head round now all together
Heel y'ho boys, let her go boys
Sailing homeward to Mingulay!

What care we tho' white the sea/Minch is?
What care we for wind and weather?
Let her go boys, every inch is
Wearing homeward to Mingulay!

Wives are waiting on the bank, boys,
Looking seaward from the heather.
Pull her 'round boys, and we'll anchor
'Ere the sun sets at Mingulay!

'Mingulay Boat Song', composed by Hugh Roberton (1874 - 1952) in 1938—a good 26 years after Mingulay lost its island community for good. But still, it's a beautiful island, with a beautiful song in its namesake.


Richard Thompson: Mingulay Boat Song (Buy It!)
Dan Zanes: Mingulay Boat Song (Buy It!)

Everything Is Broken

Arey's Cove, The Rock
January 2005

Broken bottles, broken plates,
Broken switches, broken gates,
Broken dishes, broken parts,
Streets are filled with broken hearts.
Broken words never meant to be spoken,
Everything is broken.

Lil Bob and the Lollipops: I Got Loaded (Buy It!)
R.L. Burnside: Everything Is Broken (Buy It!)

It's A Mighty Fine Ride

My Rock Island (Ferry) Ride
December, 2005

Leadbelly: Rock Island Line (Buy It!)

Wik-a-Wik-a-Wik-a, My Friend Flicker

My friend Flicker, R.I.P
November, 2005

Unfortunately, this feathered beauty got locked, or made it's way, into a summer residence and never made it out. But, even in death, the Northern Flicker has got the looks.

Check the Northern Flicker out, in life and sound, at my favorite 'College of Avian Knowledge'.

Syd Barrett: Birdie Hop (Buy It!)

Goddamn Right, It's A Beautiful Day!

Hurricane Sound
August 29, 2006

The Eels: Mr. E's Beautiful Blues (Buy It!)
Electric Light Orchestra: Mr. Blue Sky (Buy It!)

We're All Adults Here (Or, Let Me Double Entendre You)

Smith Cove, The Rock
Winter 2005

When is a rock, not a rock? When a song about a record, is not about a record.

Moose Jackson: Big Ten Inch Record (Buy It!)
Salt N Pepa: Let's Talk About Sex (Buy It!)

Piggy On!

Rockland Waste Water Treatment Plant
Late-Summer 2006

I don't know much (anything) about pigeons. But I do know, for a fact, that very few people have a tolerence for them. I like them (as did, according to random research, Yul Bryner, Gypsy Rose Lee, Queen Elizabeth II (although I doubt she actually ever touched any of them), and Roy Rogers). And so does the person that raises them at The Rockland Waste Water Treatment Plant. I have walked by this facility, every morning, for the past three years on the way to work—and Thursday, curiosity finally got the best of me.

I did not get a chance to meet the person who raises them, but Ron (that's what the name on his shirt read) gave me the nickel tour. These pigeons are big, boldly colored, and beautiful. I hope to go back again to talk with the breeder himself, and hopefully share it with you here. You'll be the first to know.

ROY ROGERS RIDERS CLUB RULES:
1. Be neat and clean.
2. Be courteous and polite.
3. Always obey your parents.
4. Protect the weak and help them.
5. Be brave but never take chances.
6. Study hard and learn all you can.
7. Be kind to animals and take care of them.
8. Eat all your food and never waste any.
9. Love God and go to Sunday school regularly.
10. Always respect our flag and our country.

Happy Trails, my friends, until we meet again. Probably , tomorrow.

Peter Kreuder: His Piano and His Orchestra: Birds of Paradise (Buy It!)
They Might Be Giants: Birdhouse In Your Soul (Buy It!)

He'll Bring You Down

Gnomie of Skin Hill
Late-Summer 2006

Gnomie just tells it like it is. If you ever step on his patch, he'll bring you down. He'll bring you down.

Jim Noir: My Patch (Mastered) (Buy It!)

The American Dream

K & KC En Regalia
Some time in the 70's

Another great photograph from the archives of New Jersey Rock.

Frank Zappa: Bobby Brown Goes Down (Buy It!)

Gotta' Have the (End of Summer) Funk

The Narrows
August 21, 2006

It's late August, and the crickets are out in full force. Year-round residents let out audible sighs of relief, knowing that their Summer-folk aquaintences are beginning the exodus back from whence they came. The grocery store will once again have bread, fish, and wine. It sounds biblical, but it's not—the folks 'from away' just seem to eat it all.

This sweet little ship, and it's captain, are one step closer to their home.

See you next year!

Grand Funk Railroad: I'm Your Captain (Closer To Home) (Buy It!, if you must.)

I Remember A Wink

Camp Winnebago Scout Reservation
Rockaway, New Jersey
Summer 1972

I had a camera. Two weeks of camp. And I got some blurry pictures. Oh, yeah, and a lot of great memories.

(Although for the life of me, I couldn't tell you the names of these kids.)

Cibo Matto: Beef Jerky (Buy It!)

Then, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Walking In Space

Penobscot Bay
August 18, 2006

Puffy clouds. Shuffle on random.

With the influx of Summer visitors to The Rock these last few weeks (months), I've taken to getting a secluded spot on the upper deck and unplugging from interaction.

Then, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Walking In Space, and Spiritualized®.

Walking In Space (Buy It!)
Spiritualized®: Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space (Buy It!)

Read It, And Weep (Unless You Own the Biz, Then We'll Read It, While You Reap!)

The Rock's $3.71 Co-Op Gas Pump
Date: Au'gas't 10, 2006

That's right, it says 3 dollars and 70 cents (and 9 friggin' tenths of a dollar!). Figure that to any nation average you hear about on television or the radio (Because you know they're not checkin' in with us out on The Rock!).

And it's been only thirty-something days and 29 cents since this last post. You know what—If you're going to eff me out of another effing penny for a gasoline price (that is leaping its way to compete with our Canadian peer's averages), then just call it three-seventyone and let's get it over with. Who I really feel sorry for are all those hard-working guys at Beepy McExxoTexConShellron's. I am sure that counting all that 'bank' is wearing pretty thin on them. It's wearing pretty thin on The Rock, too.

Harvey Danger: Cream and Bastards Rise
(Download the album 'Little By Little'here)!
Find out why you can do this, here.

(Nothing But) Flowers

Garden Dahlia
August 2006

Talking Heads: (Nothing But) Flowers (Buy It!)

I've Got a Bike, You Can Ride It If You Like

Rock Island Road
Summer 2005

Queen: Bicycle Race (Buy It!)
Pink Floyd: Bike (Buy It!)

Shine On Your Lovelight

The Amphibious Assault Ship USS Wasp
August 5, 2006

844 feet of tactical assault, guided missile destroying power that generates a total of 400 tons of steam per hour, with propulsion system developing 70,000 shaft horsepower, powering the ship to speeds in excess of 22 knots. Built using more than 21,000 tons of steel, 400 tons of aluminum, 400 miles of electrical/electronic cables, 80 miles of piping and tubing of various types and sizes, and 10 miles of ventilation ducting, for the comfort of the 1,075 crewmembers and 1,600 embarked troops. And for you bird lovers, it even has Osprey on it.

This paragon of United States muscle boats sat at the breakwater for four days while the crew got in some shore leave at the local festival (and a little local shagging), while the general public breathed a sigh of relief knowing that, at least, for four days, their lighthouse was safe from global terror.

Flaming Lips: The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (Buy It!)
Ramones: Blitzkrieg Bop (Buy It!)

The Great Architect (Office) of the Universe

Masonic Hall, St. Paul Lodge #82 (Built 1835)
Photograph taken in 1969

Having never had the desire to join an organisation of Freemasonry, I have no idea what goes on in an ornately painted, darkly shuttered place where a throne and kneelers are involved (aside from my six years in the Catholic school system). My boss insisted on having an exorcism performed before he let us move our office here to clear out any 'bad vibes' that may have remained behind. Now if we can only stop him from refering to himself as the 'Great Architect of the Universe' or the 'Grand Geometer', we'll be all set.

Extra Action Marching Band: Fat Sexy Guy Dance (Buy It!)
Thievery Corporation: Strange Days: The Doors (Buy It!)

Hit Me, Hit Me, Hit Me!

Mike C. (Sans rhythm sticks)
Some time in the 70's

Photo: Kevin Papa

Ian Dury and the Blockheads: Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick (Buy It!)
Ian Dury and the Blockheads: What A Waste! (Buy It!)

Wave Thou Art Pretty

The Sparkplug
Summer 2006

Patti Smith: Wave (Buy It!)