Weather spots to watch...

Hey there weather fans, boy has it been busy. Sometimes I get to watchin the radar to much and forget to post about it. Above is Tropical Storm Ingird. She finally got her stuff together to be called a tropical storm. From what I am reading is there is enough wind sheer to make this storm pretty weak over the next 3 or 4 days, but if it survives after Tuesday it may make a break for hurricane status and get some. So we will keep a eye on it.
Here is what is left of Hurricane Humberto. What is freakin amazing about this hurricane is how it came out of nowhere to be a hurricane. It took less than 18 hours, something like 14 hours to form and roll. Droppin rain all over Texas and now LA. I know there are naysayers about global warming, but we have seen some flip shit crazy hurricane action in the past five years. For cat 5's there have been 27 since reliable records have been kept in 1944. We have had 8 in the past 5 years. Thats a spike. That is some serious property damage and loss of life. Plus some damn fine at 4's, remember Andrew? I was on the ground in south FL 12 hours after Andrew rolled over. Complete devastation. But what gets me is how fast these things are intensifying. Look at Felix this year, it was a tropical depression and 30 hours later one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded. I know you don't want to hear global warming, but what else can be the answer? There is nothing we can really do about it. Mother nature is gonna slap our asses all she can. She has no mercy. What kills me is no one wants to have this debate. No one wants to get ready for it. For the next 20 years, the gulf and east coast are gonna get pummeled. You better be ready for it. Don't kid yourself into thinking it aint gonna happen, cause it's already started. The proof is in the data folks. Weather should be unpredictable, when you start to see patterns emerge, that means something strange is afoot at the Circle K.

All you need to know about this day in history...

1960 OPEC was founded. And the screws started to turn no much longer after that. Of course some say they are our friends. Depends on who you ask really. I don't hear anyone givin shout outs to Venezuela.

Hey check out this little factoid,

Pittsburgh is the runaway leader, with 34 percent of the women living in the Steelers' market identifying themselves as fans. Green Bay was second with 29.4 percent, but no other market surveyed had even one-quarter of its women identify themselves as fans. Buffalo was third with 23.7 percent, followed by Cincinnati (22.8 percent), Kansas City (22.4 percent), Jacksonville (21.7 percent), Baltimore and Boston (21.5 percent) and Denver, Tampa-St. Petersburg and Washington, D.C. (20.9 percent).

What makes that so? I have no idea. Up until the rein of Big Ben, there weren't that many hotties in the Steelers playbook, but I'm a guy, what do I know. Maybe some women have the hots for Lambert or Bradshaw. I DO know it aint the new mascot. What is that all about? Maybe its the polka chants, or the bratwurst. Who knows? Girls just love the Steelers. Except my girl. She is a die hard Ravens fan. Which brings some tension to the house twice a year, or maybe 3 times a year. Man and how uncomfortable is it for the winner? And it really sucks if your team loses that last game of the year...cause next year is a long way away. And the winner can sit on that for a while. GO STEELERS!

Weather Spots to watch...

Alright here is the wide view of the Atlantic sat shot today. Take notice of that Tropical Storm Humberto down there over Texas and NOLA. If that thing was out in the water a little more, hurricane for real yo! And notice that tropical depression #8 out in the Atlantic. Stuff is startin to roll off the African continent now. Keep your eyes on the the weather.

Impressionism Art

I am a sucker for impressionism art. I can get down with most every kind of art out there, Calder's mobiles, Picasso, graffiti, or even a good deal of photography. But my love is centered on impressionism. It represents all that art means without having to scream it. Call it the quiet rebellion of art. See impressionist wanted to break out of the rigid mold of what defined art up until that point. As with any artist, the original impressionist were looking for a fresh, new way to express themselves. So I am going to start a little showcase of impressionism art and those artist that started the movement. Today I posted a favorite painting from Edouard Manet. This was painted near the end of his life, so it's not typical of what you expect from an impressionist. You know the great outdoors, great use of color, large landscapes. But this small still life shows a master of his craft. Manet doesn't get the hype of Monet, but dude rocks as good if not better than most. Enjoy!

The Golden Arm Yesterday, Johnny Cash today...

Yep, the man in black passed away today. You know the best memories I got of Johnny Cash songs weren't those growin up listening to him while mom played his stuff. It was this summer i worked at the beach in OC, MD washing dishes. I was fresh out of the army and didn't have anything on my mind except doing mindless work and trying to forget the last 3 years of service. I got a dishwashing shift in the morning at this hotel and had a bunch of Irish kids and a couple Scottish kids working with me. We got on very well together and the next thing I know, we are drinking it up after work at Coins or Pirate COve, but we would get flamed hard and someone would bust out "Ring of Fire" or "A boy named Sue" and we would get down on it. Arms locked, beer flyin, full on song. Man were those fun ass times. So those turned out to be my best Johnny Cash memories. I am going to leave you with the following: RIng of Fire from 1968. Thanks for the memories Johnny.

The Day in History...The Golden Arm passed away.

I am not old enough to have watched Johnny U play during his career, but I have watched hours and hours of film with the man. Talk about a sports icon. Hell he was way more than that. Dude was Baltimore. If you kid needed a ride home from school, or just throwin back some brews at the corner bar, Johnny Unitas was the man. Cool under pressure, a real leader of men, a man of sacrifice. When my wife and I go to Ravens games, it is paramount we pass the Johnny U statue and touch those black high tops. Johnny U, gone but never to be forgotten.

Hey what can I say, all you need to know about today is we were blessed with the birth of Harry Connick Jr. Thats right and no stinkin terrorist attack can take that from us. But sadly that is what most of us will remember. And why not. What a shocker that was. World Trade Center crumbling to the ground in scraps. You know why it was such a shock? Cause the only thing that we thought could do that was aliens from another planet. Still if I got to think about aliens and all that, I just throw in a copy of Harry's cd Star Turtle and get all glassy eyed with some good wine and the thoughts of aliens just flow my friend.

And now I will leave you with the brightest of stars that was born on this day, D H Lawrence. The man, the myth, the legend. If you read, and by reading I mean stories, poems, hell it can even be letters to friends, Lawrence was the man. I can make a damn good argument that he is probably the best all around writer ever. EVER. If you want to debate that, let it fly. Dude had legs and could write words that roll off your lips like a wet lovers kiss. Read the following poem called Silence...

Since I lost you I am silence-haunted,
Sounds wave their little wings
A moment, then in weariness settle
On the flood that soundless swings.

Whether the people in the street
Like pattering ripples go by,
Or whether the theatre sighs and sighs
With a loud, hoarse sigh:

Or the wind shakes a ravel of light
Over the dead-black river,
Or night’s last echoing
Makes the daybreak shiver:

I feel the silence waiting
To take them all up again
In its vast completeness, enfolding
The sound of men.

How good is that? hmmmmmmm? Make you think about those other events of the day at all? See DH saw another war upclose, WWI. That harsh reality changes a man. Changes how you see the world, changes your degrees of innocence.

Peace out amigos...enjoy the life given to you, for you know not when it could be over.

Cool weather post...

Just a look at whats going on in the Atlantic. NOAA and the internet is a deadly combination for the information junkie....

Witness to History...

Alright, its Sunday and I am running through the usual routine, except I got my football on. So I am ironing tomorrows wears when my wife comes in to get me to see something on tv. She didn't disappoint. It wasn't some killa football play from the Giants Cowboys game, but the opening of the MTV VMA's. And the opening act was Britney Spears. Boy o boy. That may go down in history as the musical act that couldn't. It was like she didn't even try. From a career perspective, that may have been the nail in the coffin...alright looking around the world for some historical perspective? Way back in 1897 George Smith was arrested in Britain for drunk driving. He was the first person to be arrested for drunk driving. After 110 years, I can honestly say the problem has gotten worse...but back in 93 on this day, The X-files opened for business and we began the search for truth, but also we began to trust no one. Still as far as scifi goes, X-files was and still is freakin brilliant. Reruns come on TNT at like 5 am and sometimes I will wake up and lie there in bed trying to get my shit together...and there it is in the background. That shit grabs me. The other day it was the episode about the FBI trying to control people with cable tv. That shit screwed me up for a week. And I still trust no one...for your sport nugget, Mickey Mantle crushes a 643' home run over the right field roof in Detroit. No steroids, no HGH, just some big ups. Dude people get all giddy when some one hits it 475' in this day. Man a 475' homer would get you the top play of the day on Sportscenter. 643'? ssssssst please....I could talk about how The Beatles album Revolver hit #1 and stayed there for six weeks, but who cares when on this day in 66 Neil Diamond released Cherry Cherry? Check out all that crazy collage action. Ok you can stare at it another minute, then you have to get your ass back to work. Looking at that is worse than looking at a dollar bill and trying to find that damn spider everyone keeps talking about. Or is that on the twenty? Hold on, maybe its on Paul's face. Crap here we go again....and so you get your weather history in perspective, Hurricane Gilbert kills 300 in Jamaica back in 88 on this day. We are in the peak of hurricane season. Were you watching that tropical storm Gabby down off the Carolinas this weekend? Probably not. You better get it in gear jack. Grab batteries and a radio, some water, cans of beans, learn how to cook for 4 on a single burner camp stove or you to will become a statistic...Today we got the fans man. Born on this day was Arnold Palmer. Happy 77th Arnie. You are the man...and for your balance we lost Burgess Meredith back in 97. Dude was a classic actor. Ever see Grumpier Old Men? The second movie in that line? Holy crap you have not seen it? You need to see it. Take special care to watch the out-takes at the end. So funny. Plus he was Rocky's trainer. What more do you want from the guy?...and give it up for Canada cause on this day back in 39 they declared war on Germany. See thats what I like about those damn canucks, they have no problem joining a good fight. They jumped in WWI before we did, and they started feeding the germans lead way before we did in WWII. And everyone wants to act like they are a bunch of maple leaf lovin peaceful wannabe Americans up there when thats sooooo far from the truth. Those guys and gals are some tough bastards. Long cold winters, big ass bears, and you ever encounter a wolverine?
Those things are like the worst raccoon you ever met on steroids. Lets just call them mini-bears. Hey if your ever flyfishing and a wolverine wants the stream, let him have it. Aint no use arguing with them cause those damn things are fast. Plus they have no qualms about kickin your ass.

Weather spots to watch...updated Saturday morn...

The last post before the weekend...this is 99L and it looks like its starting to form into a tropical something or the other. Keep an eye on it because there is a chance it will effect us by Sunday or Monday. Worst case a cat 3 slams into the Carolinas and makes its way here and reaches us a cat 1 or tropical storm. Best case scenario, we get a bunch of rain from the jumbled remnants of 99L. Keep and eye on it. See you cats on Monday...

Update: 99L is now Subtropical Storm GABRIELLE. So now you know who your looking for! It would have become a tropical storm, but it couldn't figure out how to organize itself and ended up with two centers, not one and thats why it is a subtropical storm.

Seeker of Truth by e e cummings

seeker of truth

follow no path
all paths lead where

truth is here

I never thought Cummings got his due as a poet. I know that sounds ridiculous to those of us who actually read poetry, but it is the truth. The average person knows Poe or Shakespeare, but what of the greatness in between.

Seeker of truth, follow no path. How true is that? Paths are laid by people to lead you where they want you to go. I never feel as free as I am when running in the woods. Just wondering, looking at what I may come across. But then what is truth? When did the definition of truth become so skewered? So hallow? All paths lead where? Not a place I care to be, most assuredly. I hate being bound to other people's agendas. It's hard not offending someone these days, but people need to revisit the definition of acquaintances and friends. I can count my friends on one hand, I have many people in my life that I consider acquaintances. They are not the same class of people. Friends help you move, acquaintances will invite you to a birthday party or a house warming party so they can get a gift out of you. See when you understand the truth about life, you can see that.

Today in History...

Alright, today in history we lost a phenomenon. Straight up. Tupac Shakur is shot several times in Las Vegas, Nevada, after attending a boxing match. Shakur was riding in a black BMW with Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight when a white Cadillac sedan pulled alongside and fired into Shakur's car. Knight was only grazed in the head, but Shakur was hit several times. He died in a hospital several days later. That's how the academic world of history will remember those events. Most of white bread America is glad he's gone. They were scared of the fact that their spoiled suburbanite brats were listening to Tupac. Oh the agony! Ain't that a kick in the pants? But look at the facts 11 years later. Tupac still is a force in rap, millions think the man is still alive, his lyrics and poetry are the subjects of college classes, and his legend still grows. I could write 20 pages on why he was important, but that aint gonna bring him back. God bless ya. You can bet your ass I will drink a 40 and listen to "How long will they mourn me" a couple of times tonight. But hey it aint all doom and gloom on this day, Buddy Holy was born on this day, so there is your balance...

In other places in history, WWII was warming up. The Nazi's bombed London for the first time today back in 1940. This would eventually play out in the Battle for Britain in the skies over the UK. One of the turning points of the war cause if the Brits would have gotten rolled, Europe might still be talking schnitzel and wondering where it all went wrong...

Man I gotta point out that today in 01, Training Day was release. That movie kicked some ass, got Denzel an Oscar, and made Antoine Fuqua the man. If you haven't seen it, go rent it. You will not be disappointed, especially if you like the cops and robbers stuff...

Ahhh and for all us sports freaks out there, today is when it all began. ESPN starts broadcasting today back in 1979. da da dun da da dun......

Alright peace out and enjoy that weekend people...

Weather spots to watch...

Okay, Felix has died with some grace and it didn't do as much damage as it could have. At last count 39 died, most of them from Honduras. The sat image shows the Felix remnants. The thing I want to point out is the band of clouds hanging out off the Carolina coast, known as 99L, they haven't formed into a tropical anything yet because there has been some decent wind sheer on them for the last couple days, but the wind sheer is going to drop tomorrow and there is a good possibility that 99L could slowly form into a tropical depression over the next few days. Watch it. Really watch it. It is close to home and could be on us fast. Get you supplies together. Water, batteries, food for three days. Gas in the car. Do it.

Summer Haiku

temperature comforts
animals harvest food stuff
savings for cold days

This Day in History....

Today was when Little Willie rolled of the production line to kick of the next phase on the battlefield, tank warfare. No need to say the original isn't still the best. This joker was the first step, now we got the M1 Abrams that can roll 60 mph and shoot her 105 mike mike on the run with killa accuracy. Hurah for modern technology. That wasn't the real highlight of The Great War tho- today was when the first battle of the Marne bogged down and made WWI the stagnant death trap it was on the western front. Just be happy your ass didn't have to fight in that war. Bloody hell of a mess....now it's time to give it up for President McKinley, who was shot on this day. He died a week later. What gets me is he told his Secret Service boys to go easy on his assassin, Leon Czolgosz, a laborer from Cleveland who fell under the sway of charismatic leaders of anarchy such as Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman, and Gaetano Bresci. WTF? Dude he shot you, your boys should have pummeled his ass with bags of rocks. Freakin anarchists always wantin to cause chaos....unfortunately more lives were taken at the 72 Olympics today also. See terrorism has been around for decades and we didn't give two shits about it cause it didn't happen here. So much for that. Eventually crazy people with bombs and guns will get everyones attention.

Okay, how would you like to be the wife of Ralph Waldo Emerson and have his buddy Henry David Thoreau move in with you? Well that's what happened on this day back in 1847. That makes for some interesting dinner conversation. I bet none of it was soup questions either....

And I bet no one saw this coming, today was the last time Jimi laid licks to his upside down left handed guitar. Freakin genius. But the Germans got to see that performance out in Fehmarn, Germany. Hey that's not all with those arrogant bastards...in '49 the Allied Coalition gave them Volkswagon back. WTF? Didn't you guys see all that money coming or what. I blame the British. Hell yeah the British. Uptight bastards. Hey, I can prove the British have no sense...in 1996 there number one hit was "wannabe" by the Spicegirls. Why they turned those hell spawns loose on us is no mystery, misery loves company after all. Hell we aint much better cause our asses were listening to the "Macarena" at the time, shit we weren't just listenin' to that shit, we were livin it. Some of us still are. GIVE IT UP PEOPLE, that shit was like a decade ago! Shit you think that was fucked up, we got Foxy Brown on this day, but we lost Ernest Tubb. That shit aint fair y'all. I loves me some Ernest Tubb tunes. It's all good tho- Roger Waters was born today too. And that kinda makes up for Foxy Brown. Right?

Last of all, or least of all, how ever you want it, our man W said this 5 days before 911, "The only time to use Social Security money is in times of war, times of recession, or times of severe emergency." Some trifecta huh? All right peace out yall.

I'm nobody! Who are you? by ED, gotta lover her.

'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you -- Nobody -- Too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd advertise -- you know!

How dreary -- to be -- Somebody!
How public -- like a Frog --
To tell one's name -- the livelong June --
To an admiring Bog!


-Just a little ED (not erectile dysfunction) for your today.

Where?

Where do we get the ideas that make us so? Is that so important? The written word, maybe a film, or a song, are those the ideas that we defend? How did we get to that point? As we move steady ahead in to this grand future of ours, we find that our voices are small, weak, and sometimes meaningless. Our ideas, our values come not from ourselves anymore, but are imports if you will. They are ideas passed down like a family car or an older siblings clothes. When did we stop making our own ideas?

Look ahead. Take a peek. What do you see? More of the same, probably. Another battle of ideology, another point defended for the home team. Can the concepts that define a team really apply to our lives? Will you have that persons back? To quote a famous radio personality, you are who you roll with. Are we supposed to feel good about the battles we win? Should we? I don't anymore. I got no love for these fuckers, there's no need to be friends.

Can that work? Can that work under pressure? The demands of your life dictate the battles you fight. These fights, these battles, rarely picked or determined by your own actions involve you none the less. What are you fighting for? Honor? Dignity? Truth? Justice? Love? Everything listed are admirable concepts to defend or build your concepts of right and wrong, black and white, actions and hesitations on. Very admirable indeed. People will hold you up as an example of what it means to be right, correct, or any other words you want to drop in along those lines. Do you believe it? Is it enough to feel like that?

Where...where does it leave us? Where do we go? Can these questions ever be answered? The journey of 1000 miles begins with just one step. I am weak. I never thought I could make the journey, but I continue to make a step everyday. There is life and there is living, both are not the same. I tossed my life to the wayside long ago. Living for the others in my life is so much easier. I never got the emotions, the love I get now from living for the others in my life. I write this for me and those who find it interesting to read. That is how it shall remain for sometime.