It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Tax day around the South 40. Yeaaaaa! (not) Fortunately, I have a sharper mind than mine pencil whipping away at it. Still, it's no fun. How do you expect me to remember what I spent $24 on over a year ago? Have you ever met me? If so, you already know I haven't the foggiest what it was, but it was for work. I think. Pretty sure it was for work.

More fun was yet to come. I got home and decided I might as well put a bale of hay out before I went in and changed into my sweater and slippers. Bro-InLaw's Big Blue Tractor cranked right up and I grabbed a bale. When I got to the gate I didn't take it completely out of gear (rookie mistake) and stalled it. I hit the key and nothing. Hmmm. It's a little finicky sometimes so I double check everything. Neutral, check. Clutch in, check. Brake on, check. Hit the key, nothing.

OK, the cab still has power and all the lights work so the battery isn't dead. I try to jump the starter solenoid and get a few sparks but it wont turn over. I run jumper cables direct to the solenoid from my pickup. Nothing. My first thoughts are a bad solenoid or possibly even a bad starter. But I don't think it's the starter. We'll find out when I can get a mechanic (a/k/a Bro InLaw) over to look at it. BIL did make another offer to sell me the Ford 7710. Honestly, if I had a use for one that big I'd buy it because it's a helluva tractor. When you get it started.

This seems appropriate today

On The Radar: ESPN's 30 for 30 "Survive and Advance"

Laugh. Think. Cry.

I was never a huge college basketball fan, but I knew who Jimmy V was. He was pure. His infectious animated and articulated enthusiasm made Dick Vitale look like Droopy. He loved basketball, he loved his players and he loved the limelight. He loved life. His greatest gift was to make you realize how precious and fleeting a gift life really is.

ESPN has a fabulous pedigree with their 30 for 30 series, but they really raised the bar with their latest installment about the legendary NC State head coach Jim Valvano who led a squad of freshmen over national powerhouses like UNLV, Kentucky and eventually the famed University of Houston's Phi Slama Jama to win the NCAA National Championship in 1983. Jimmy said "My Mother who loves her 2nd son like no other took Houston and gave 8 points!"

Jimmy V's story is like a Greek tragedy. He guided a group of underdog underclassmen to the NCAA National Championship, becomes besieged with scandal and forced to resign, then is diagnosed with terminal bone cancer 2 years later. He was begrudgingly convinced to attend the fledgling ESPY awards ceremony by Dick Vitale and after being assisted to the stage by his old friend, Jimmy V gave one of the most moving speeches in history completely ad-lib. He waved off the telepromter warnings with "And that screen is flashing up there, 30 seconds, like I care about that screen right now, huh? I've got tumors all over my body and I'm worried about some guy in the back going, '30 seconds.'"

He announced the V Foundation which has to date awarded more than $100 to cancer research and died 2 weeks later.

Survive and Advance is more than an inspirational sports story. It's an inspirational life lesson. Even if you're not a college hoops fan, you'll be a fan of Jimmy V. You should strive to be like Jimmy V.

Survive and Advance is currently airing on the ESPN family of networks. Recommended viewing for the whole family.

Roadtrip!

I've been itching to go back to Las Vegas. I had planned on being there Halloween to take part in the giant costume parade, but work pre-empted that. Today I got a surprise in my inbox from the Stratosphere Resort and Casino. Seems they were pleased with a survey I took and offered me 2 nights free and 2 free tickets to their new show Pin Up starring 2011 Playmate of the Year Claire Sinclair.

Giggitty!

Took me all of 2 seconds to make up my mind. I called the Strat to book the reservations and to my delight they upgraded me to a suite. I like the way this is coming together.

I'm driving out again. Last year I took my SLK roadster and while it looked really cool, it wasn't the most comfortable car for a 2200 mile drive when you're 6'2". I now drive a C300 and it's much more conducive to a long trip, but I won't be able to cruise the strip with the top down. I can live with that. Considered taking the F350 which is rigged out for long trips but it would cost roughly the equivalent of the GNP of Ecuador in diesel. I'll take the Benz and 32mpg.

I plan on doing a better job of documenting the trip this time and doing some off the path exploring while out West. I've got a couple weeks to plan it out and decide what to investigate.

Rest assured you will see it all right here in beautiful South40vision.

On The Radar: Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

Not quite a sneak peek, just a promo for Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. But it is the first look we've had of his new show on a new network.

I heard Tony talk a bit about this during his appearance at Bass Hall. He said CNN has global resources no other network could match. He plans to exploit those resources and go much deeper off the beaten path than in his previous shows. If you've watched No Reservations you know he's been pretty far off the path already. It will be interesting to see what he finds.

The series premiers 8pm Sunday night April 14th on CNN.

EDIT: CNN has just released this promo with a peek at some actual episode footage.

Bad Mothershutyomouth!

Needless to say NSFW lyrics but kickass action! Umm, yeah, I watched it for the action...
That's the ticket!

If you like that, here's the prequel:

Sherman, Fire Up the WABAC Machine!

I grew up glued to the TV as a child, at least my Mother thought so. But compared to today's yutes and their media exposure I led a sheltered life on an Amish scale. Anyway, I have a knack for the obscure television reference (Really? We never knew...) but I was surprised at just how few of these 1960's "One Season Wonders" I remembered. Good Lord man, there were only 3 networks! How hard could it be?

I'm probably confused because some of the clips are in color and I never watched a color TV until 1973.



Gidget is a no-brainer, My Mother the Car is a reach and Captain Nice is the proverbial long shot. But I was actually a fan of these shows and surprised to find out they only lasted 1 season. Seemed longer to me, but back then a year was an eternity. The rest... neva heard of 'em. 2 outa 17 ain't so good.

I did do better at the 70's Lightning Round with 4 out of 9. CPO Sharkey is another no-brainer, it's Rickles fer cryin' out loud! Roll Out is totally obscure and The Bob Crane Show was just an excuse to have a bunch of college age actresses hanging around the set to take "shmile" pics with Bob in his dressing room between takes. But we didn't learn about that until later. Still, I remember all of them. The shows, not the shmile pics.


When Things Were Rotten was pure Mel Brooks genius and as much as I don't care for Dick Gautier he was perfect for the role and had an excellent supporting cast. POP QUIZ: What was Misty Rowe's claim to fame? NO Googling!

Unfortunately, Mel Brooks wit and 1970's TV Standards & Practices departments didn't mix well even though he was hired to recreate his success with Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles on the small screen. By the time the network censors were finished with the scripts the funny had been sucked clean from their marrow and the series was series was doomed. It was worse than watching Blazing Saddles on TBS. Mel stuck with the idea and finally morphed it into Robin Hood: Men In Tights. While not the most successful film in his repertoire, it made Mel millions. ABC... not so much.

I added a bit of bling to my F350 today

 Most people won't get it, but hopefully those that do will get a snicker out of it. First a quick history lesson (and as we all know that's always a good sign when telling a joke). The Powerstroke diesel engine Ford used until 2007 was built by Navistar who manufacture International trucks, formerly International Harvester who also built Farmall tractors which were in the movie Jayne Mansfield's Car with Kevin Bacon.

I know, it's a long way to go for a joke but I am the King of the obscure movie reference. 

I also have a long history with International Harvester and Farmall. After trading in his prized draft team my Grandfather bought a Farmall H and later a Super M. I plowed many an acre with that Super M standing on it's rear wheels well into the 1990's.

I also hauled many a load with an International Eagle. It was the nicest truck in the fleet and I got it as a reward for hard work from my boss. So you can see Cornbinders and I go way back.

I actually wanted a hood ornament off a Sightliner or Emeryville, but those things are rarer than rare. They had a face only a Mother could love.

I considered using one off a Transtar, but as you can see they fit a curved surface.

International pickup ornaments were also made for a curved surface. But they sure look cool!

Most of the Farmall tractor IH emblems are too small and would be out of proportion on the grille, plus to be completely honest they are cheap looking stamped metal. I settled for a happy medium and went for a billet aluminum receiver hitch cover that surprisingly turned out rather well other than being slightly off center thanks to the grid of the brush guard. The angle of the picture makes it look even worse but it's actually level with the Ford emblem.

Oh yeah, one last thing I forgot to mention. Before he switched to Ford, my Granddad drove International trucks. He switched in the early 50's after my Dad hit a mule with the truck head on late one night (The Godfather pales in comparison that scene from what I was told) and the Ford dealer made him a better offer on the trade-in. Free mule head removal?

Got the Google Reader Blues?

I've heard several people wonder what they were going to use now that Google is pulling the plug on Google Reader. When one door closes another one opens:

500,000 Google Reader users convert to Feedly

Feedly announced that Google Reader users would be able to seamlessly migrate their RSS feeds over to its service. The service even offers similar features to Google Reader, alongside its own special features. The service allows you to view your RSS feed in a condensed style (Title View) for those of you who have so many updates in your Google Reader feed that you have no time to scan through them individually.

Importing your Google Reader feed into Feedly is very painless. All you have to do is sign into your Google Account and Feedly will automatically sync your Reader’s feeds. You will have to do this before Google Reader is cut off on July 1st.

Sunset Texas Sunset

My feeble attempt at capturing a Texas sunset. I'm really pissed because I missed the perfect shot by 2 minutes as I ran in to get my camera. Still, it's a Texas sunset (ironically just outside Sunset, Texas) and that ain't bad.

WOOO!

You're an idiot and I'm going to kill you!

This apparently came out a while back and I just stumbled across it. A lot of folks are calling BS on it being real. Personally, I don't care if it was staged.  I'm not a Jeff Gordon fan, a Chevy fan or a Pepsi fan... but I haven't laughed this hard in years!

WOOO!

From our "What could possibly go wrong?" Department

Last October the Ukrainian Navy announced it's plan to arm dolphins with frikkin' pistols on their heads to kill enemy divers:

Dolphins were trained at Sevastopol for the Soviet Navy as far back as 1973. They were trained to find military equipment such as sea mines on the seabed as well as attacking divers and even carrying explosives on their heads to plant on enemy ships.
After the breakup of the USSR and division of the Black Sea Fleet into Ukrainian and Russian fleets, the dolphin training section and its specialists were given to the Ukrainian Navy. They were then used for civilian tasks such as working with disabled children, in order to keep the unit intact.
The killer-dolphins will be trained to attack enemy combat swimmers using special knives or pistols fixed to their heads, the source said. "We are now planning training exercises for counter-combat swimmer tasks in order to defend ships in port and on raids," he said.

What could possibly go wrong?

SEVASTOPOL, March 12 (RIA Novosti) - Three of the Ukrainian navy's “killer” dolphins that swam away from their handlers during training exercises probably left to look for mates, an expert said on Tuesday.
Ukrainian media reported earlier this month that only two of five military-trained dolphins returned to their base in the Crimean port of Sevastopol after a recent exercise.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry denied the reports, while refusing to confirm the navy makes use of dolphins, despite the frequent appearance in Ukrainian media of photographs of dolphins with military equipment strapped to them.

Sex crazed 007 dolphins, that's what.

SNL Recap

Tonight's cold open,  the memorial service for Hugo Chavez. Special guest mourner, Elton John (Timberlake) sang a completely true song about Chavez to the tune of Candle in the Wind. Capitalism killed Mars? He really said that.

Very funny.

Justin's monologue focused on his admission to the most ultra-exclusive club in New York, The Five Timers Club. Only those who have hosted SNL 5 times are allowed to be members.

I was really hoping they would recycle this bit. It's predictably funny and chock full of old friends. Paul Simon welcomed Justin to the club and introduced him to Steve Martin. Steve led him on a little tour where they met Dan Ackroyd who was forced to be bartender since he's only hosted once. Justin asked if they cut Ackroyd some slack for being an original Not Ready For Primetime Player. Steve Martin replied "Ha ha ha, You're adorable! Now let's keep the chit-chat to a minimum Danny."

Next they ran into Chevy Chase and waiter Martin Short (he's not a 5 timer). Justin suddenly realizes he's standing next to... The Three Amigos!

Alec Baldwin and Tom Hanks enter the room and invite Justin to watch current cast members Bobby Moynihan and Taran Killam fight barefisted to the death for their amusement. Candice Bergen, the first female member of the Five Timers Club also stopped by to ask the guys to please put the toilet seat down when they leave the bathroom.

Very funny.

The night's first skit, It's a Date, the only dating gameshow still on TV. Host Dirk Ellington (Bill Hader) introduced the contestants, Bachelorette Judy Peterman (Vanessa Bayer) and the hidden Bachelors #1 (Moynihan), #2 is actually a duo, Lonely Island (Timberlake and Andy Samberg) and #3 is actually another duo, George and Yortuk Festrunk, Two Wild and Crazy Guys (Dan Ackroyd and Steve Martin).  Bachelor #1 never had a chance.

Very funny.

Up next a street salesman for The Sausage Depot (Moynihan) meets his match when the street salesman for Veganville (Timberlake) shows up.

 "Bring it on down to Veganville!"

Very funny.

A fake commercial for NuvaBling jewel encrusted birth control. It's 70% effective at preventing pregnancy and 100% effective at gettin' dat swag on!

Very funny.

Justin Timberlake performed Suit & Tie with an appearance of surprise musical guest Jay-Z.

Weekend Update reminded us that tonight is Daylight Savings Time so the clock on your oven will be wrong for 6 months.  City Correspondent Stefon (Bill Hader) stopped by for tips on where to go this Spring.

Very funny.

The next skit was an evening with Caligula (Timberlake) who suddenly realizes he's an alcoholic sex addict and needs help. The Tales of Sober Caligula.  Instead of the drunken orgy everyone was expecting they got Game Night with iced tea.

First foul ball of the night. This could have been much funnier.

Up next from WLBZ Bangor, it's Maine Justice with Judge Marshal T. Boudreaux (Jason Sudeikis). A recycled skit about displaced Katrina victims that have taken over Maine much to the confusion of old time locals. The case involved Miss Deveroux (Kate McKinnon) and Mr. Goldstein (Samberg). The court was heavily in the favor of the displaced debutante.

Not the funniest skit they've done and I question the wisdom in recycling the bit just to relive Timberlake's role as Baliff Jessup.

The Three Amigos in full mariachi introduced Justin for his encore number, Mirrors.

The Digital Short was a movie trailer for the romantic date flick She's got a D!%k. Starring Justin Timberlake and a girl with a D!%k (Pedrad).

Funny.

The night's final skit was a commercial for Moet & Chandon with ex-pornstars (Bayer/ Cecily Strong/Timberlake). They can't pronounce it, but they can sure drink a lot of it.

Very funny.

Tonight's show unbelievably exceeded it's hype. The bar was set high for Timberlake and he nailed it. There were a couple low points but no real bombs among the skits. The numerous cameos were funny and in a couple cases (Three Amigos/Two Wild & Crazy Guys) very rare on-air reunions which makes this episode an instant classic.

A+

On The Radar: Family Band

Talk about a fascinating documentary! Family Band: The Cowsills Story is the true tale of 60's pop sensation family act The Cowsills and it's spellbinding. A bunch of "Navy brats" from Newport, Rhode Island hit the big time and all the trap doors that go along with it.

They were an "establishment friendly" counterculture band that was easy to market. Bubblegum psychedelic  How popular were they? In 1967, the Cowsills first MGM release, “The Rain, The Park & Other Things,” sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold record. This song would ultimately reach No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 in Cash Box and Record World.

One year later, the band scored another near million-selling hit with the song “Indian Lake,” reaching No. 10 on the charts and in 1968, the band hit No. 1 again with their version of “Hair,” a three-million seller which brought them a nomination for 16 Magazine’s Best Group of 1970. “Hair” was banned from Armed Forces radio in Viet Nam for being too controversial, while ironically Richard Cowsill was serving there.

This string of hits opened the door for other "family acts" to go mainstream like The Osmonds and The Jackson Five. The Partridge Family was directly modeled from The Cowsills. When Shirley Jones asked why the actual family wasn't used on the series, the producers told her "They can't act".

Man, were they wrong.

While everyone thought they were the blessed perfect family living a charmed life onstage, there was a dark story unfolding backstage. Drugs & alcohol along with physical and mental abuse. The film is like an intervention and recovery as told by the Cowsill children themselves.

It's a fantastic inside look at their lives. Then and now.

Family Band: The Cowsills Story is currently running on the Showtime family of channels and available at Showtime Anytime after that. Definitely worth watching.

Our Top Story Tonight

Generalissimo Hugo Chávez is dead.

I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done

I've always wanted to take a rail journey. It's possibly the most unvarnished look you will ever get of America. This story from Nathaniel Rich of the New York Times details the wonders still to be found by rail. How could you possibly find out that much about your fellow passengers on a 737 flight?

Growing up in the 60's when the jet age overtook the travel market by force, you didn't even think of going anywhere by train. That was crazy talk. Yet, all my life I was exposed to rail travel thru music, film and TV.  Can you imagine pulling off the sleeper berth party scene from Some Like It Hot in an airplane? It just wouldn't work. Hell, we even had it in a pop song that went classic with Arlo Guthrie's City of New Orleans.

How can you listen to this and not want to ride the rails?

The longest rail trip I've taken is from Ft. Worth to Dallas on the TRE. I tried to take a train from Seattle to Fort Worth when I was in the Coast Guard, but it cost over $1500 and took 14 days. Instead. I took a connecting flight thru San Francisco and got jacked by Air Marshals pre-9/11. But that's another story.

I also hopped a freight train from Federal Way to the opposite side of the Kingdome in Seattle after seriously mistaking which track it was going to take. I did an amazing 6 Million Dollar Man impersonation dismounting around 35 mph, but that is yet another story. I digress...

I plan on taking The Sunset Limited someday just to say I did. I've been to LA numerous times, just never by rail. It's kind of like a driving Route 66 thing. That's on my list as well even tho I've already covered most of it in bits and pieces, especially thru Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Just not Chicago to LA complete, which brings us back to rail.

Possibly the most famous passenger train ever is the Santa Fe Chief. It ran from Chicago to LA and boasted the finest of amenities. In an era when you had to enjoy being stuck in a box for several days from Point A to Point B, they actually tried to make you enjoy the experience.

The City of New Orleans and Sunset Limited are still around, but they probably won't be for much longer. The trip is much less luxurious and still overpriced. But the experience, along with the view, is still priceless.

SNL Recap

Tonight's cold open is a speech by President Obama (Jay Pharoh) about the sequester. In showing who the cuts would affect he brought on an air traffic controller (Cecily Strong) who explained now they have to watch a Doritos commercial on their screen before landing aircraft. Also "full body scanners are out, so please take a pick down the front of your pants and text us!" A border Patrol agent (Bill Hader) who explained now they have to let every 10th Mexican just run across the border. An Astronaut (Kate McKinnon) who explained now their space helmets no longer have glass, so now when they spacewalk they just have to hold their breath. The zookepper from the National Zoo (Jason Sudeikis) explained that now they will have to fire 3 of their monkeys and turn them loose on the street. "Good news is Ikea and Taco Bell have made very lucrative offers on some of the horses".  A USDA Inspector (Bobby Moynihan) then came on to remind the President that there will be fewer meat inspections and was quickly hussled off stage. The president also brought on some employees that will be permanently affected like an inner-city school teacher from Philadelphia (Aidy Bryant) who said "This is the greatest day of my entire life!"

Next an assortment of people that will be affected like sailors, police, construction workers and grants to Native Americans. (Taran Killam, Tim Robinson,Keenan Thompson and Fred Armisen) that coincidentally happened to resemble The Village People. Funny.

Tonight's host: Kevin Hart

Kevin's monologue was predictably hilarious. He explained the evolution of homeless tactics to steal your sandwich and went on to explain he didn't harbor any ill will from being turned down for an opening at SNL.

The night's first skit was The Steve Harvey Show. The subject as phobias, or pho-bi-as as Steve (Thompson) pronounced it. He welcomed guest Dennis Rains (Hart) to the show to talk about his fear of horses. Then psychologist Leslie Stiffle (Nasim Pedrad) came on to help by bringing a stuffed horse. Suddenly Steve had a fear of horses.

The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer (Sudeikis) was next. They went to the Vatican where reporter Erin Carbonal (Strong) reported white smoke and introduced new the Pope, 9 year old Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis (Hart). Blitzer said, "Wow, don't think anyone saw this coming!"

A fake Starbucks commercial for their home brewing system that confuses your name and order just like the real Starbucks.

A Barnes and Nobles crew meeting featuring Bobby Moynihan and Cecily Strong as two employees going off on fellow crewmembers. This is a recycled bit and it's still really funny. Hart unexplicably lost it and went full Harvey Korman when he had to fire Carl (Tim Robinson).

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis performed Thrift Shop.

Weekend Update welcomed Dennis Rodman (Pharoh) and Kim Jong-un (Moynihan) to talk about Rodman's trip to North Korea. Kim explained how they are best buds now. "He like Mark Walberg. I like bear from Ted!"

The proposed repeal of the Voting Rights Act triggered a "Really!?!" comeback with Kevin Hart sitting in alongside Seth Meyers. The SCOTUS thinks racism is over, really?? Hart listed several southern states he wouldn't go outside in after dark. "And to be honest I'd stay inside if it's really cloudy in Mississippi! Really!!"

A parody of The Walking Dead was up next with Rick (Killam), Carl (Pedrad), Daryl (Hader) and Maggie (McKinnon) running into a stranger, Lyle (Hart). After determining he hadn't been biten, the group huddles to make a decision on accepting into the group and a "Walker" sneaks up and bites the Lyle. They decide to accept him but tell him if he's ever bitten they won't hesitate to kill him. Lyle then begins to deflect all the observations that he's turning into a zombie into racist attacks even when he eats Maggie. Funny. I predict a recurrence of this bit. Pedrad as Carl was brilliant.

A parody of Shark Tank with self made millionares Kevin O'Leary (Sudeikis), Barbara Corcoran (McKinnon), Daymond John (Thompson) and Mark Cuban (Hader). First contestant Bryan McShay (Hart) pitched a company called We Put Sunglasses on Lamps-Crafters for those people who's lightbulbs are too bright. Unfortunately, the writing wasn't too bright in this case.

A fake commercial for the new "Z"-Shirt with Hart and Robinson as pumped up hip spokespersons. It quickly got drawn out as Hart started going thru the alphabet in order. "Is it an A-Shirt? Is it a B-Shirt?..." His partner walks off the set somewhere around L-Shirt or M-Shirt. They should have bailed on this skit at B-Shirt.

A voiceover audition in the recording studio pitted 2 people reading the same feminine copy for a Dove Chocolates commercial, a black man (Hart) with a loud urban voice and a white woman (Bayer) with a soft and flowery voice. They went with the black man.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis performed Can't Hold Us for their encore.

The next skit was at a funeral as mourners got up to speak. The first speaker was interrupted by a man that turned out to be his partner from the Z-Shirt commercial who picked up where he left off. "Is it a W-Shirt?"

The night's final skit was 360 News with Hal Sumner (Hart). They give you the news from every angle (with quick camera changes). Unfortunately Hal was rearended on the way to work and had to wear a neck brace. That made those quick camera swaps rough. Taking the brace off didn't help.

Overall this episode was lacking. Hart had constant problems with his lines (probably why SNL didn't hire him as a castmember) and the writing was flat. Let's hope things will be much different next week when Justin Timberlake hosts. The best I can give this show is a very generous B-.

Hey Donald

I seem to remember you saying you'd like to have a Gelenvagen. Well lookie what Mercedes-Benz has built for you!

Postcard from the Edge

• I haven't done one of these bullet point "Random Thoughts" style posts in a while. Thought I'd remedy that today.
• One Day At a Time's Bonnie Franklin has passed away due to complications from pancreatic cancer. She was 69. 
• AMC ran Airport and Airport 1975 back to back this morning. They should have stopped making those movies right there.
• Joe Patroni (George Kennedy) had an interesting career in those films. He went from Chief A&P mechanic to Airline CEO to "corporate liason" to Concorde pilot. All in the span of 9 years. He was also the only character to be in all of the Airport films.
• Gordon Keith has a very interesting column in today's Dallas Morning News. Unusually deep stuff coming from The Great Gordo. h/t Bag of Nothing
• I seem to have a knack for finding outdated parts prices online. Last month I bought a set of air springs and a set of high performance brakes for my F350. I paid over $100 less for each of them than current market pricing.  They also immediately changed the prices online after my purchase.
• Somebody in charge of updating websites is very unhappy with me, I'm sure.
• I conned my number crunching little sister into doing my taxes this year. She can squeeze two nickles together and make a dollar fall out. I told her "I got the looks, you got the brains". She agreed to do them anyway.
• She explained that I had been going about my recordkeeping completely wrong. Hey, it made sense to me.
• Houston, we have a problem.
• And finally... There may be some good news because of the sequester.

Fans Injured at Daytona

A spectacular crash as cars reached the finish line of the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway has injured at least 28 fans. NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Brad Keselowski punted race leader Regan Smith out of the way going for the win which triggered a multi car chain reaction. In the melee, rookie Kyle Larson's car was turned sideways at over 190mph, got airborne and climbed the safety fence striking a crossover gate and pole which sliced the #32 Clorox car in two. Debris traveling at near 200mph showered fans in the lower and midlevel seating as far as 80 feet vertically above the track.

Details are still sketchy, but reports have said at least 11 fans suffered trauma type injuries. Two were reported in critical condition. 14 of the injured spectators were taken to Halifax Medical Center at DIS, the rest were taken to other local hospitals.

One of the injured was Eddie Huckaby, 53, from Krum. Huckaby was hit with a piece of metal about 3 feet long and 18 inches wide. His leg injury required emergency surgery and he will be hospitalized for 48 hours. Huckaby's brother who was sitting next to him in Row 11 said "When the car hit, debris went everywhere. Tires flying over our heads. It was like a war zone."

He said his brother's leg was bleeding badly, but Terry used his belt to wrap as a tourniquet.

"I'm just thankful to God my 6-year-old granddaughter didn't come today, because she said, 'Paw-paw, it's too hot.' "

The brothers had planned to attend the entire Speedweeks, but Terry says out of respect to his brother he'll probably just watch the race at the hospital.



That tire and the suspension components bolted to it was estimated to weigh 150 lbs.

Developing.

Ocean's Fourteen?

Armed robbers have made off with a "gigantic" haul of diamonds after a rapid raid at Brussels Airport.

Disguised as police, they broke through a fence on Monday evening and broke into the cargo of a Swiss-bound plane to take the gems, estimated to be worth $50,000,000.

They escaped back through the same hole. Police later found a burned-out vehicle close to the airport.

Police are looking for at least eight men, a prosecutors' spokeswoman said.

Descriptions of the suspects included suave, handsome and Jason Bourne-ish.

Dead On This Day Still Dead

With song titles like "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now," "A Girl's Gotta Do (What a Girl's Gotta Do)" and "You'll Never Know", this really came as no surprise.

Sad to hear of her passing, but she was heading down a spiral path. The real tragedy is in the wake she left behind.

Mindy McCready, who hit the top of the country charts before personal problems sidetracked her career, has died. She was 37.

Waren Olmstead, the coroner in Cleburne County, Ark., said in a statement McCready died Sunday apparently of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound. An autopsy is pending.

Just last month David Wilson, McCready’s boyfriend and the father of her 9-month-old son Zayne, was found dead on the same porch where McCready's body was found. His death also was investigated as a suicide.

 McCready entered court-ordered rehab earlier this month after her father told a judge she was no longer taking care of herself or her children and was abusing drugs and alcohol. Her sons were put in foster care at the time, but it's not clear where Zander and Zayne were at the time of McCready's suicide.

In 1996, her "Guys Do It All the Time" hit No. 1 and its dig at male chauvinism endeared her to females. Her other hits included "Ten Thousand Angels," also in 1996, and her album by that title sold 2 million copies.

She would spend the next 15 years chasing another hit as personal problems began plaguing her in 2004. Her problems would include a custody battle with her mother over one of her sons, an overdose and discord in her love life.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/02/18/country-singer-mindy-mccready-dead-apparent-suicide/

SNL Recap

Tonight's cold open featured Jason Sudeikis and Cecily Strong as Carnival Cruise Directors on the Triumph trying to brighten the spirits of passengers. Ships comedian Reggie Davis (Jay Pharoh) broke down in the middle of his act, "There's dookie on the walls!!!".

Searching for good news to brighten spirits from the paper "North Korea tests nuclear bomb/ Pope resigns/ Remember the blade runner in the Olympics?" didn't turn out well either, but "Hey at least you're not part of the 4,00 people stuck on a nightmare cruise. Woops, That would be about us."

Next, mentalist Victor LaStrange (Bill Hader) asked for a volunteer from the audience and made him think he was a chicken. When brought out of the trance the passenger lamented "Dear God no. I'm back on this God forsaken boat. Turn me back into the chicken!!!"

The Cruise Directors then went down the list of areas on the ship that were now official toilets (including most of the ship) before introducing zoologist "Dan The Animal Man " (Bobby Moynihan) who walked on stage with a small skeleton "Who ate Koko?!?!?"

They also reprimanded sunbathers for spelling out KILL US for news helicopters before bringing on a crew member that does a mean Michael Jackson impersonation (Fred Armisen). "Let's hear it for The Captain, everybody!"

Funny bit. So far so good for what I expect to be a great show.

Tonight's Host: Christoph Waltz

Christoph's monologue focused on his Austrian heritage before displaying his singing abilities with "Smile, Damn You, Smile".

The first skit featured Waltz as Matt Montgomery, the host of America's Newest Gameshow. Contestants Donald Lattimer (Keenan Thompson), Patrick Vance (Hader) and Merideth Fine (Aidy Bryant) all told a little about themselves before they played "What Have You Become?". The game forced the contestants to look at the failed lives they've led.

For Round 2 they brought out the oldest living relative of each contestant to ask, "What have you become?". But Merideth turned the tables on the host and asked him "What have you become?". Matt was forced to admit he always wanted to be a dancer but his Mother forced him to go to Game Show Host school. He then tearfully tapped off the set.
Not the worst gameshow sketch SNL has done.

A fake commercial for retirement planning for Popes, Papal Securities. Waltz was very funny as actual Papal Securities customer Pope Benedict XVI

A housewarming party for Denny (Waltz) is the scene for the next skit featuring a drunk and annoying Tippy (Nasim Pedrad) that kept interrupting everyone's conversations with questions about what she missed in their stories. This skit needs some work, but they are definitely onto a new recurring character for Pedrad.

This week's digital short was a fake movie trailer for the latest Tarantino historical revenge movie, Djesus Uncrossed. Djesus (Waltz) is back and out for payback. Brad Pitt (Killam) is St. Peter who acts and sounds quite a bit like his character in Inglorious Basterds. Ving Rames (Thompson) is Pontius Pilate "I'm gonna go all Old Testament on they ass" (think Pulp Fiction) and Samuel L. Jackson (Jay Pharoh) is Judas Iscariot.
Very funny.

That was followed by a live commercial for the latest CD from The Jamarcus Brothers, Marcus and Darnell (Thompson/Pharoh) with music to make your body tingle. It also featured the 3rd Jamarcus Brother, Englebert (Waltz). "If you close your eyes you almost can't tell which one is the adopted white virgin."
Very funny.

Musical guests Alabama Shakes performed Hold On.

Weekend Update opened with the State of the Union. One of the funnier lines was about Ted Nugent being there and it making things very uncomfortable for Senator Muledeer. Next, the Carnival Triumph snafu and how vacationing couples will always remember that "A cruise was his idea".

Senator Marco Rubio (Taran Killam) stopped by to explain his awkward State of the Union Rebuttal. Very funny.

A survivor of the Russian meteor, Olya Povlatski (Kate McKinnon), also stopped by to tell how she had wished for the meteor to hit her and end their rotten lives in the remote mountain village. When asked if the blast broke the glass in her windows Olya replied "Glass? What you think I am, Queen? If lucky, I have cold blast of wind coming thru window."  Meyers then asks, "What if your not lucky?" and Olya said "Wolf's head!" Extremely funny.

ESPN anyalist Stephen A. Smith (Pharoh) stopped by to comment on the turbulent season of the Los Angeles Lakers. Smith then explained how he was a dear, dear friend of each and every Laker, but they had to give up their game and let Kobe win it. Good impersonation by Jay, but not nearly as funny as the other 2 guests.

Next a couples night out for dinner at Hotel Gansboort opens with 2 couples (Hader/Bayer) (Tim Robinson/Aidy Bryant) chatting as the 3rd couple walks in. It's their friend Louis (Waltz) and his new girlfriend Rajean (Fred Armisen). It's the bit from the Daniel Craig episode where bitchy, uptight Rajean goes orgasmic when you touch her just about anywhere. I thought it was funnier the first time and I didn't think it was very funny then.

This is suddenly like the Superbowl after the lights went out. A brilliant show is going downhill fast.

Perhaps redemption is at hand with Fox and Friends featuring Steve Doocey (Killam), Gretchen Carlson (Bayer) and Brian Kilmeade (Moynihan) and their take on the State of the Union address. When Gretchen complains that "it was a full frontal assault on our values" Kilmeade asks "You mean he wasn't wearing pants?" He didn't actually watch because there was a bee in his apartment.

They then played the speech backwards to reveal Obama is a Black Panther and going to smoke weed and listen to hip-hop after the speech.

They were joined by Ted Nugent (Hader) via sattelite to discuss his attending the State of the Union address. When asked what parts he didn't like, Ted replied "Allof it!" He then went on a rant about gun control and crazy people.

Next an expert from the UK Food Standard Agency, Chris Teigler (Armisen) came on to talk about the European horse meat scandal. When he explained that while culturally repelling, it would not harm consumers Gretchen steps in to offer "that it will make you run faster".

Before going to break they ran a few corrections from the previous hour. Among them "Zero Dark Thirty is not a diet soda", the T in BLT does not stand for Terrorism, Meteors are not coming to take your guns, at no time did the passengers on the Carnival Cruise ship become zombies, Marco Rubio did not bring pasta back from China, there are no Americans in the Bible, the kid on Modern Family did not start out in porn, and the similar names of North Dakota and South Dakota are not a coincidence".
Funny.

Alabama Shakes returned to perform Always Alright for their encore. I've never heard this band before but I'm very impressed. The lead guitar/singer Brittany Howard has a voice and presence that reminds me of Janis Joplin.

That gal can flat out sing!

The night's final skit was an office setting with Strong, Hader, Bayer, Thompson and Sudeikis as transcriptionists in a law firm. One of them (Strong) has a secret admirer that left a broken english note on her desk. In walks the immigrant Security guard Dimitry (Waltz) to try to explain perhaps it's a poorly worded Valentine and not a threat from a stalker. It quickly becomes apparent to everyone except Strong who it's from as Dimitry tries in vain to blame someone. It even included an uncomfortable photo of Dimitry leaning on a Lamborghini. This disturbs Strong even more because now the guy is also stalking Dimitry. Her conclusion is they must stay close to each other and keep a watch out for the stalker. Happy ending for Dimitry.

Then she finds another note on her desk and all it has is a picture of a black man's junk. At this point Keenan Thompson stands up and asks "OK, which one of you is responsible for doing this?"
Sweet and funny.

I had high hopes for this episode and for the most part, it lived up to them. The digital short was a classic and the only weak point was right after Weekend Update. The music was fantastic and Christoph Waltz was flawless as Host.

I give it a solid A.

On The Radar: History of The Eagles

This is simply a goldmine for classic rock fans. Part one follows the band from it's pre-roots thru their final performance with archival footage, private videos, studio tapes and lost interviews along with present day commentary from the members. Part two looks at their solo careers and reunion.

A personal favorite of mine was footage of Linda Ronstadt early in her career. I had a massive high school crush on her. Me and about 30,000,000 other males. 

The guys hold no punches. Nobody does throughout the entire film. Some of these guys genuinely don't like each other and it makes for interesting film. Watching this reminds me of "Almost Famous" with the tension, hidden agendas and outright anger between the band.

The road trips, writing sessions and tour stories are priceless. How they pieced together some of the greatest hits of the 70's & 80's is fascinating. Learn how Irving Azoff became the greatest manager in the history of ever.

If you're an Eagles fan it's a nostalgia fest. If you're not, it's still an intriguing true tale of rock 'n roll history. If Joe Walsh's story of fine dining with John Belushi doesn't make you laugh, there's something wrong with you. He also tells tales of trashing hotel rooms with Keith Moon. I'd party with that guy.

The 4 hour documentary airs in 2 parts this Friday and Saturday on Showtime. Also available on Showtime On Demand. It will be available on ShowtimeAnytime at a later date. 

Born on This Day, Still Dead

h/t Why Today Doesn't Suck

And you thought Edsel was a bad car name?

Back in 2002 when Volkswagen released their new mid-sized SUV, they were looking for a distinctive name that would stand out from the mundane SUV crowd and project the true essence of their new mid-sized  crossover. They chose "Tuareg" in honor of the nomadic African tribe that roamed vast areas of the Dark Continent unabated by the terrain for centuries. A strong and noble moniker.

Funny how things change.

There is a very strong rumor among Veedubphiles that the brand name is about to be dropped faster than a hot Edsel. Seems the SUV's namesake, the actual Tuareg people, triggered the coup in the Mali capital Bamako last year that was later hijacked by Islamist jihadists.

Not exactly good press for the brand name when you Google "2012 Tuareg".

With the French intervention in Mali, does this mean Peugeot will take the brand by force from Volkswagen? Wait... The French taking something from Germans by force?

What was I thinking?

Perhaps if it was a more popular SUV it wouldn't be a problem. The Porsche 911 didn't take much of a hit.

On The Radar (Literally)

Sweet!

Say it ain't so!

And they meant what they said!

As many of the faithful know, I'm a huge fan of Maker's Mark bourbon. I'm an official Maker's Mark Ambassador and have even had my name engraved on a barrel as it aged in the Loretto, Kentucky rack house. I bought the first bottle of it sold in Rhome, Bridgeport, Chico and Alvord when they went on sale. I'll also buy the first bottle sold elsewhere in Wise County when they go on sale. I know it's a weird hobby, but it's mine.

Then I got a disturbing email from Rob Samuels, they didn't make enough to cover increased demand (I swear it's not because of me) and now they are lowering the proof to stretch the supply!

Git a rope!

More from USA Today:


In an interview Monday, Bill Samuels Jr. said he failed to foresee a worldwide surge in demand for premium bourbon when he was still in charge of the brand about six years ago. As a result, Maker's Mark is being diluted to 42 percent alcohol by volume, from 45 percent, so more of the whiskey can be bottled to meet demand. That's a cut from 90 proof to 84 proof.

"I was the forecaster in chief around here. ... I must have been asleep at the wheel," Samuels said.

Samuels and his son, Maker's Mark CEO Rob Samuels, insist consumers won't notice the change when the slightly weaker bourbon hits shelves in the next few weeks. Even Maker's Mark's professional taste testers couldn't tell the difference, Rob Samuels said.


Rob Samuels, who succeeded his father in 2011, said Maker's Mark's growth over the last 1.5 to 2 years, along with the broader bourbon industry, was "significantly greater than we had ever experienced as a brand."

Citing statistics from a market research firm, Samuels said sales of Maker's to consumers grew about 18 percent in 2012.


Rob Samuels said the change will be permanent, and it should address any future supply shortages as the company works to make more bourbon.

In the last two years, Maker's Mark has invested $54.3 million in the Loretto facility to increase distillation and warehouse capacity, as well as make it more of a tourist attraction, according to the Kentucky Distillers Association.

Side note: Lower proof will not mean lower price for consumers, but it will mean lower federal taxes for Maker's Mark. Alcohol is taxed on proof, not volume.

SNL Recap

Back to live episodes! This week's cold open was on the Blackout Bowl and featured James Brown (Keenan Thompson) jumping back and forth with sideline reporter Steve Tasker (Taran Killam) and expert panel Dan Marino (Jason Sudeikis), Shannon Sharpe (Jay Pharoh), Bill Cowher (Tim Robinson), struggling for something to talk about besides Ray Lewis killing 2 people and promos for 2 Broke Girls while the power was out.

E for effort but it missed the mark.

This weeks host and musical guest, Justin Bieber.

Justin's monologue was focused on Black History Month and Valentine's Day. After passing out roses to a few lucky girls in the audience he finally picked one to bring up on stage and sing a love song to... Whoopie Goldberg.

The opening skit... The Californians. Forgive me but I like this fake soap that overdoes the SoCal blonde stereotype. Justin made an appearance as a runaway skateboard rebel caught sleeping in the garage.

Next, Justin plays himself backstage at Madison Square Garden with his manager (Jason Sudeikis) discussing new security measures like a team of Justin Bieber look-alikes (pretty much the entire SNL cast) that look and act exactly (nothing) like Justin Bieber. Not bad.

Justin: Two of them are black! They aren't going to fool anybody.

Manager: Yeah? Well neither are you Homie!

That was followed by a fake promo for spin-offs of spin-offs of spin-offs of reality shows on Bravo. Meh..

Whoopie Goldberg introduced Justin for his first musical number, As Long As You Love Me. He performed "unplugged" with an acoustic guitarist.

Weekend Update featured King Richard III's best friends from growing up (Fred Armisen, Vanessa Bayer) reprising their roles as the couple that whisper when they have something critical to say. Also making an appearance was Corey (Keenan Thompson), the one black guy in every commercial. He has to High Five every 12 seconds or he dies. Funniest bit of the night so far. Alll right!!! High Five!

A Grease type high school musical between the Greasers and the Pink Poodles featured Justin as a hunky confused teen trying to figure out why there were no actual puppies in her sweater. "They said she had sweater puppies! There weren't any puppies!" After singing his desire for her, he admits he's only 11. 

She's good with that. Me? Not so much.

The Miley Cyrus Show featured a growdup Miley (Vanessa Bayer) sporting a blonde crop cut hairdoo and bandleader/dad Billy Ray (Sudeikis) who made the whole band get matching hair. Her guest was Fan Club President Pete Defalco (Bieber) who was very stoked to meet her then went on and on how much better she was than that douche Justin Bieber. He managed to work in an apology for getting caught smoking pot in real life. 

Justin is a young guy meeting his girlfriend's (Nasim Pedrad)  parents (Sudeikis, Bayer) for the first time in the next skit. He also meets her older brother, Eddie (Taran Killam) who is a total jerk and keeps teasing him for saying "Glice" in a nervous moment. Beiber broke character for a minute during the berating from Killam. This inspired Killam to increase his tirate by screaming into Bieber's ear.

This week's digital short was a Justin Beiber Valentines video message detailing his plans for the two of you. It also introduced us to Taco (Bobby Moynihan). Taco's crazy. He said he was staying for the night and three months later... just get used to Taco. Justin also sends cellphone pics of his junk to Hillary Clinton.

Jason Sudeikis introduced Justin for his encore number, also done acoustic with piano accompanist, Nothing Like Us.

The recurring Inner city Booker T. Washington High was the setting for the final skit of the night. This year's Valentine's Dance theme, "Hooray for Abstinence". It featured Jay Pharoh once again as Principal Fry who was none too happy about some jive tom turkey spiking the punch with Extasy. He also warned students if they got shot with an arrow, it was not Cupid. "There's a Hobo with a crossbow out in the parking lot".

We also heard from the lisping head of the social committee Bryce Dunham (Bieber) who told everyone they should have attended the planning session if they didn't like the theme. Abshtinensh ish cool.

Principal Fry returned to lecture the students about releasing the frogs and turtles from the Science Lab. "There is currently an inter-species gang war going on on the dance floor right now! Amphibians and reptiles are killing each other to the tune of "Baby Got Back". Students, please do not wager on this exciting animal battle!"

That was the highlight of the night that was short on highlights. The writing was weak once again. The few funny bits were recurring ones that weren't necessarily tailored for Bieber. Probably for good reason because his acting skills are weak. While this week's show didn't completely suck like the Gabourey Sidibe episode last year, it was pretty flat overall. I'm not a Justin Bieber fan so I'm sure I missed a lot of the "OMG it's Justin" factor. 

I score it C- .

What's the easiest way to get a new Mercedes?

In Spain, it appears to be just take them.

During a press event near Montserrat, Spain a group of foreign journalists (mostly U.S.) were stopped and detained by the guarda civil trafico. Not for hot rodding the new 550 horsepower Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG or breaking traffic laws. It was for failure to produce an international drivers license. Altho it's only a technicality to have one (there's no test, it just confirms you have a license in your home country) the group of about 20 reporters were held in custody and 6 $100,000 AMG's were seized.

After several hours of negotiations between Mercedes and the local constabulary, the reporters were finally released but not the cars.

LINK

Meet the "Real" Sterling Archer

http://www.vulture.com/2013/02/archer-characters-real-life-models.html

The real life models are revealed for the epic FX animated series Archer. 

"Out of all of our characters, Archer looks the least like the actor voicing him. "

H. Jon Benjamin has some funny things to say about how people tell him that the show is ruined for them once they’ve seen his face. We even did a video based around this idea for the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival. The gist of it was that Archer is in a terrible accident and when he wakes up in a hospital bed, his roguish good looks are gone. He looks like the real-life H. Jon, and his world is irrevocably changed. 

Jason Fitzgerald has gotten the most mileage out of modeling for us. His friends even use his casting on the show as a pick-up line at bars. Archer makes the best wingman, even when he’s not there. Just knowing him is a panty-dropper. 

And if you're in a car wreck in Austin, beware.

It don't matter who's in late night, Johnny's still the King.

Just listen to the audience go ballistic when Johnny sat behind Dave's desk at the 3:05 mark. If only he had done 2 minutes of improv (and you know he really thought about it) it would have been golden. But, Johnny is wiser than us all and knew to always leave 'em wanting more. Anticipation is more powerful than gratification. But to be honest he could have done the entire show impromptu and we'd still want more.

This is only one part of a memorial to Johnny. I recommend watching the whole show. Dave and Johnny had a special connection. One slight problem, the segment with Doc Severinsen is missing due to copyright issues.

The Best Thing Ever To Come From Waco

Jennifer Love Hewitt

To quote Uncle Barky: "The network again hopes to lure viewers with a music video that basically is more suggestive than the series ever has been."

In reply... Who cares? And, why isn't this in HD???

OK, I'm Starting To Worry Myself

I just named an obscure 1948 movie by watching a 10 second scene (without cheating). It was The Naked City starring Barry Fitzgerald.

I promise to only use my powers for truth, justice and the American way. Unless I get on Jeopardy, then I'm cashing in!

For you Breaking Bad fans

Team S.C.I.E.N.C.E.

Like My Daddy Always Said...

Even a blind sow finds an acorn now and then. (a/k/a Sometimes you just get lucky.)

I've been wanting to add airbags to my F-350 to smooth out the ride. When I'm hauling a load, the springs will beat you to death because that's what leaf springs do. When I'm empty it's even worse. Airbags stop all that and turn a bucking dually into a Cadillac ride.

I'd been putting off buying a set since I had to spend so much under the hood a few months ago, but I decided to look around for prices again the other night. The rear set runs $350 - $450 depending where you look. Sometimes you'll find them a few bucks cheaper, but shipping usually evens it out. After searching eleventybillion websites and online catalogues I finally stumbled across a set for $259! I knew I had to be overlooking something because even with shipping it was under $280. But I couldn't find any loopholes so I bit the bullet and ordered a set.

Today I went back to look at the parts again and check the shipping status. To my surprise the advertised price had jumped to $340. Apparently somebody was lax in updating their online pricing and I got their attention. There is still one place that has them for $302 if anyone is looking and that's the lowest online price I found. But my order has processed and is on the way at the $259 price.

Looks like I have a shop project this weekend!

UPDATE: The parts arrived Wednesday afternoon. Talk about fast shipping!

Funny #Blackout Bowl Tweets

No One Shows Up To Tony Romo’s Super Bowl Party

Despite sending out over seventy invitations to friends, neighbors, and teammates, not a single guest showed up to the Super Bowl Party hosted by Dallas QB Tony Romo, it was reported Sunday.

“I don’t get it,” said Romo, standing along in his massive, empty living room. “I was expecting up to a hundred guests. I spent over twelve thousand dollars to redesign my living room into a giant entertainment center, complete with surround sound, cinema-sized screen, and oversized leather easy chairs. I did it all for this party. So where is everyone?”

Of the many guests who failed to show to the party, only a few offered Romo excuses for their absence.

“Jerry Jones texted me and said that he wouldn’t be able to make it because his grandmother was sick. Which surprised me, because he’s like, 70. I didn’t know his grandma was still alive. Also DeMarcus Ware said he’d have to skip it. Come to think of it, he also said that his grandmother was sick. Then I called Miles Austin to make sure he was coming, and he said that he was going to have to flake on me because his grandmother was feeling kind of…” at which point the QB trailed off and squinted thoughtfully.

When it became apparent that no guests would be showing up to the festivities, Romo switched off the television and began taking down the “Welcome to Romo-Bash 2013″ banner, as well as clearing away the enormous, untouched food platters he had set out around the home.

“I was up all night making this ‘snack stadium,’ where I constructed a whole football field out of chips, Twinkies, pretzels and stuff. Do you know how hard is to find Twinkies these days? Also, I sculpted a delicious tuna cracker spread into the shape of a football. I baked dozens of Lombardi Trophy shaped cookies. It was going to be an amazing feast for everyone.”

Added the morose signal caller, “I worked really hard on this. I’m so bummed right now.”

h/t PFM

Fort Wolters

What was life like at Fort Wolters in Mineral Wells back in the day? Here's a training film shot at Fort Wolters and Fort Rucker that will give you a taste.

I remember seeing squadrons of those training helicopters flying over our house when I was a kid in the 60's. It was cool watching them swoop in low on the horizon late at night over Lake Bridgeport. Between them and the B-52's out of Carswell, we had a constant airshow in the late 60's.

It's a long video and Fort Wolters is only featured early on, but it's worth checking it out if you're a history buff.