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This is very uncommon. It’s the middle of the afternoon and I caught a coyote traipsing across the yard…
Here’s as much detail as I could wring out of that picture…
We really shouldn’t be seeing this kind of activity. Maybe delicious bunnies are scarce and they’ve turned their attention to delicious tourists.
– bob
Friends,
As of very, very early this morning, my new nephew arrived in this world. From what I hear, everybody’s doing fine and young master William has all the requisite bits in place. Even in the right places!
I’m now that much more uncle-y! Ain’t it grand?
Your pal,
– (uncle) bob
Friends,
It was a lovely day here on the Hill today. The nice thing is that I could actually enjoy the day as this flu thing begins to abate.
– bob
P.S. Here’s another picture. Imagine if you ask a dog “would you like for me to take your picture?” and the dog says “no, not really.” Enjoy!
Friends,
A Riverside County jury, after deliberating far longer than I would’ve required, has convicted Raymond Lee Oyler of murder and arson. Future resident of hell, Oyler, was found guilty of starting the Esperanza Fire, killing five firefighters and burning down homes. The penalty phase of the trial is anticipated to take up to four weeks to complete, but once again, I can speed up the process!
Let’s look at the facts: he’s been proven to be fond of fire, he looks down a lot, and we can really do without this guy hanging around. That’s right, I’m recommending exacting brutal vengeance! Either I’m recommending it, or the cold medicine is. You be the judge!
Your best pal in the whole (now brighter) world,
– bob
Friends,
Folks at work have been playing hot potato with a fun little illness that has rested on my doorstep. Low-grade fever, hacking cough, headache.
Good times!
I feel like I’ve been gargling with splinters. Like I’m wearing an inside-out spiky dog collar. Some at work say this thing has plagued them (oh crap, I used the “p” word) for over two weeks now. Yippee! I’m on day three.
– bob
Friends,
As is her wont, our staff meteorologist has been scouring these vast internets to bring you the latest weather news. Here she copies and pastes the latest from the Paper of Record:
12:10 p.m. Monday, March 2, 2009
It is arm and cloudy today. Today is predicted to be mostly cloudy with highs in the low 60s. Tonight is predicted to be cloudy with a slight chance of rain and lows in the low 40s.
Our doyenne of drizzle asks, “what is this arm they speak so highly of?”
An explanation could take a while…
– bob
Friends,
You surely know by now that the domestic automobile industry is in shambles, with players scrambling for any advantage. General Motors has taken to raiding their employee pension funds, for example. Ford has mortgaged its headquarters building on top of the blue oval logo itself. Chrysler, the company that bought American Motors, has been seeking a partner. Renault, the firm that helped finally kill American Motors in the first place over two decades ago, has recently rebuffed Chrysler’s advances. So what is Chrysler to do?
They will have to team up with a well-known brand, famous for its quality and workmanship. A company that Americans will instantly associate with value for money and attention to detail. Clearly, that partner is Fiat!
Oh. Uh oh.
– bob
Credits: Photo courtesy Auto Express magazine, via Kausfiles. Thanks Mickey!
Friends,
Every now and again in life something unexpected happens that brightens your day. You find a five dollar bill in a coat pocket, the report on your latest physical shows that you’re in better shape than you had any right to expect, maybe the local menacing vagrant holds a door open for you. Me? I have apparently ordered tickets on Delta Air Lines [sic]:
Thanks for the purchase!
Booking number: ES8H3APD
You will find attached to this letter PASSENGER ITINERARY RECEIPT of your electronic ticket.
It verifies that you paid the ticket in full and confirms your right for air travel and luggage transportation by the indicated flight Delta Air Lines.On board you will be offered:
– beverages;
– food;
– daily press.
You are guaranteed top-quality services and attention on the part of our benevolent personnel.We recommend you to print PASSENGER ITINERARY RECEIPT and take it alone to the airport. It will help you to pass control and registration procedures faster.
See you on board!
Best regards,Delta Air Lines
The sender of this message, shown as support@delta.com is actually somebody else whose address I won’t reproduce. Why? Because he’s too benevolent, of course. Attached to the email was a helpful Passenger Itinerary Receipt in the form of a ZIP file. Normally I would be suspicious and not open that file, but this is Delta Air Lines after all! Sure, I hadn’t even ordered these tickets, but aren’t you curious to know what exotic destination they’re sending me to? Besides, I have a booking number, don’t I?
What could possibly go wrong?
– bob
Friends,
Today is Ash Wednesday, the day that some say is the international day of volcanic eruptions and forest fires. It could be related to cricket in some way (whatever that is. -ed). All I know is that certain individuals will be traipsing around my workplace today with smudges on their foreheads placed there by the CEO himself. Better than a boot mark on the buttocks, I’d say.
Get out your Swiffer and enjoy!
– bob
Friends,
Today is Mardi Gras, the last day before Lent begins. I, for one, will be whooping it up by making pancakes. Yup, I’ve completely gone off the rails. Is there nothing I won’t do?
– bob
P.S. It’s also worth mentioning that Abe Vigoda (who is not dead, so just stop it. – ed) turns 88 today, and the calendar used today by most people except kooks and Pope Gregory XIII haters was invented by Pope Gregory XIII on this day in 1582. So happy birthday Mr. Vigoda and happy birthday Time. You both don’t look a day over infinity.
UPDATE: Had to replace the photo and the link. The old one was getting blocked for some reason.
UPDATE II: Changed the pancakes link to point to a Wikipedia section on Shrove Tuesday. You’re welcome!
Friends,
Today marks the 376th birthday of English member of parliment, naval administrator (no, not that one), and diarist Samuel Pepys. Considering that his meticulous diary-keeping documented the Great Plague, the Fire of London, and the second Anglo-Dutch War, Pepys could be thought of as the father of modern blogging, except without the “B” (the “WE” is silent, dig?).
Happy birthday Sammy! You’re not as famous as Arianna Huffington, but you’re more famous than Markos Moulitsas Zúniga. Nicely done!
– bob
Friends,
There are a couple news tidbits today that seem related somehow. First is the devolution of General Motors (or american leyland if you prefer. – ed). Saturn dealers and owners received notice that the brand won’t be killed, but GM won’t be making any cars for the subsidiary after 2011. “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here,” might’ve been an appropriate closing line. Now the Saturn dealer network is banding together and looking for another manufacturer to make Saturn-branded cars for them.
Also in the news is word that Saab, the Swedish GM subsidiary, has applied for protection from its creditors. Before GM bought Saab in the 80s, the company, frankly, made cars for nutjobs and retired college professors in Vermont (same thing. -ed). The word down on the street in Trollhaetten is that Saab would like to be spun off from the mothership. If they do spin off in the next year or so, they might start looking around for a dealer network in the United States to take over North American sales. If only some group had the floor space, a good reputation with customers, and the ability to move quirky, low-volume cars…
– bob
Friends,
This is one of my favorite photos. I’d played on the G&H Pools team for a few games in their ’73 season when I broke my arm at school. My teammates were thrilled, considering my roughly .025 batting average and the mountain of unforced errors I’d racked up during my time in right field. This shot was taken very soon after I’d parked my skinny butt on the DL that year.
Dad took time off work for the photo shoot and you can tell. Work boots, pack of smokes in the breast pocket, lit cigarette in his hand. Me? Oversized glove (didn’t help), vinyl cleats with plastic spikes that were so high as to make me wobbly during normal walking (running was nearly impossible), utilitarian Toughskins, and my jersey number obscured by the sling.
That number was thirteen. Surprised?
There’s at least one more photo floating around. The fabled “rookie card” shot. Once I find it, I’ll put it up here and on Facebook.
– bob
Friends,
The weather up here in my little burg, the village that makes the gods smile, has been atrocious. Cold, to below freezing, but warming to melt the mess to a sloppy goo. People in other, sloppier parts of the world have experienced worse, but I haven’t. This is the biggest pile of mess that I’ve seen since I’ve been here. It’s lovely though in a weathery sort of way. Imagine if you will that you’re in Southern California and you’re able to experience four actual seasons. It’s true here.
The government of this once great State of California will soon kill our way of life with extreme prejudice (and taxes). In the meanwhile, please do what you can to come to this currently fine place and enjoy all we have on offer. Next month it’ll be gone. Or very expensive.
Your best pal in the whole world,
– bob
It looks like the “best radio on radio” is going down the Chapter 11 route. I read about this yesterday and cancelled my subscription before it was cancelled for me by a bankruptcy judge. Sure, everything might end up well, but I thought it’d be neat to hold on to my cash. Ever since the merger, I’ve increasingly disliked the service. XM subscribers have screamed and yelled about the cuts in their favorite programming. I was a fan of the old Sirius straight-ahead blues station that went away in favor of a BB King-branded channel. The new jazz station stinks more often than not. Their “college” station has become more commercial.
Goodbye, satellite. Hello, podcasts.
I guess that’s what’s killed them, hasn’t it?
– bob
UPDATE: In other satellite news, SATELLITE CRASH!!!1one!1!1!!