2/27/12

A Cake For A Birthday

In recent years I have ventured into  uncharted waters . Now and then I announce to the high primal that I’m taking over the kitchen and dinner will be on me that evening. I must confess that so far I’ve only wet my toes. The menu is pretty much restricted to ‘soul food’. The high primal does not mind as long as it’s a night off for her and I don’t put a lot of bucks down the garbage disposal.

Early on, after my demonstration of some degree of culinary skills , she urged me to tackle baking. Being an accomplished diplomat, she pointed out that my technical training was well suited to baking a cake. Not wanting to admit that some of my technical projects actually ended up in failure, I finally succumbed to the challenge. ForSt. Valentines Day - 2008 I researched recipes for a Tiramisu cake. Word had it that this type of dessert definitely needs the preciseness of an engineer. The cake was a success or so I am told. For the past four years , I have been reminded that I should repeat my Tiramisu success.


Will it be tasty?
Let it be known that for my daughters birthday I decided to try baking a cake again. This took a lot of courage since my daughter is a darn good baker. My choice was a chocolate cake - using an organic mix no less.  Everyone enjoyed it - even this blogger. Holy cow, another success!

I’m not going to wait another four years to bake again. At my age this is not an option. Easter is coming up. How about some zeppole? Not healthy. Taste good though. We’ll see.

2/24/12

Can Spring be far behind

Just as a funk was getting the best of me ( I actually began to wonder whether or not this blog was relevant), I gazed out the window and glory, glory, hallelujah, and two hoorays, two finches were at my feeder. I had not seen a finch out there since last November. So what? Amidst all the garbage that is going on in the nation and world, its refreshing to realize that there are  some beautiful things to look forward to - Spring for instance, with its birds, flowers and yes, baseball.

 Obviously I did not ditch this blog. Is it relevant? Not really, but if I measured everything by relevancy, life would end up being pretty dull and  there would be little left to chirp about ( could not resist that). As for blogging, I need to remind myself now and then that after all, blogging is not for sissies (that last one might make a good tweet).

2/22/12

Campaigning Made Simple

Yesterday I wrote I wouldn't strike another keystroke about Campaign 2012. Call me a flip flopper but I couldn't resist this short course in the basics of campaigning.

CAMPAIGNING 101:

  1. Always accuse your opponent of stealing your yard signs, especially if you don't have any.
  2. End every speech with 'God bless America'.
  3. As often as possible, wear designer jeans - preferably worn at the knees ( this will prove that you pray several times a day).
  4. As often as possible appear in public sans a tie. Make sure that your collar is unbuttoned otherwise you will look like an Iranian politician.
  5. Be sure to find evidence that your opponent is a flip flopper even if you have to make it up.
  6. Remind everyone that you are dedicated to keeping America strong.
  7. Talk about family members who were immigrants, even if you have to go back five generations. Be sure to state that they got here legally and learned to speak English.
  8. Get a Facebook page but do not post on your wall.
  9. Get on Twitter but do not tweet.
  10. Above all, get a wealthy patron.

2/21/12

An Atheist For POTUS?

Browsing the Internet sometimes is akin to walking in a forest. A forest can be full of surprises. Now and then an interesting rock appears.  Curiosity may lead to picking up the rock only to reveal a serpent spewing venom. This Politico news story link, Franklin Graham: 'Assume' Obama is Christian', at least to me, was like picking up that rock. Franklin Graham in this interview did everything but say outright that Obama is not a Christian. According to Graham, even Romney may not be a Christian - he's sort of borderline but still a good man ( Obama did not get even a 'still a good man' nod). In Graham's opinion, Santorum certainly is a Christian and so is Gingrich. Ginrich told him he's a Christian so it must be so. Obama says he's a Christian but who is going to believe a Muslim - that is what Graham imlied. Graham is another one of those individuals who have been forgiven for their transgressions and now have a direct line to God. The problem with that line is that it has a lot of static.  I'm sick of all this interjection of religion in our politics. I would welcome an atheist or an agnostic in the office of POTUS. At least I would not deny them that office.

While I'm ranting, I might as well express my disappointment with Campaign 2012. It is much too long, the candidates lack integrity, there are too many billionaires in the background waiting to buy the presidency. It is not worth another keystroke. When November rolls around , I will cast my vote for Obama who in my opinion has more character in his little finger than all the Republican wannabes put together. I will vote for him because of his positions. Religion will have absolutely no input on my choice for POTUS.

ed note: I like POTUS. It is much more formidable than President of the United States.

2/16/12

Keeping My Memories Alive

I listen to WKHR-FM 91.5 quite a bit. True to its motto, ‘Keeping your memories alive’, the music played on this station continually takes me back decades - a lot of decades. I can’t get enough of listening to the music making of the big bands- Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James. Listening to Frank Sinatra belt out a song gets the memory bank open for all kinds of recollections. The inimitable music and voices of Louis Armstrong and Louis Prima is still a treat. Jazz? Dave Brubek or George Shearing and their combos together with a touch of Scotch provides for a foot stomping evening. What better music than that from a Rodgers and Gershwin musical comedy to fill me with nostalgia. WKHR has been catering to the Greatest Generation for over forty years

While keeping my memories alive this morning, I couldn’t help but wonder how much longer a station like WKHRwill continue to exist playing music of the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s. There must be a rapidly shrinking audience for this vintage music. My children are not ‘spring chickens’ but the WHKR programming holds no listening attraction for them. I also wondered when the music of the Gay ‘90s was last played on the air waves. For that matter it appears that music of the Roaring Twenties and radio have parted company. I’m not upset that my radio does not blare out music of the nineties ( nineteenth century nineties that is) or the twenties. I’m sure that when my kind of pop music disappears from the air waves, the Baby Boomers, X Generation and what have you, will not miss it. I return their music appreciation by deploring Rock, Rap and the shouting and screaming which pose as an excuse for music. If that makes me a music snob, so be it.

I realize that as long as I have a shelf to store CD’s or an iPod or MP3 I can preserve any kind of music I like for as long as I like and play it to my heart’s content ( with ear buds if necessary) . Now the iPad, Kindle and Nook are here to further enhance going back to the past with music. But that’s not the point. When music disappears from the radio, a statement is made. The way of life that that music represented becomes history. That way of life becomes a curiosity. That way of life is not relevant any longer. If I’m still around when my pop music is stilled on the air waves, I will play my stored music knowing that time has passed me by.

Before I’m accused of generation warfare , I must take refuge in one field of music that has existed on the air waves for generations and will continue to exist for generations to come. Classical music has stood the test of time. I and my children and grandchildren share the music of Beethoven, Mozart, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Gershwin. The operas of Rossini, Verdi, Mozart, Puccini, Wagner will continue to live on. Classical music provides common ground for people of all ages and cultures. Fortunately in this area we have FM stations such as WKSU and WCLV to keep that music alive and yes to keep our memories alive.

Which reminds me. Clevelanders lament the failure of their sports teams to win a national championship. They should rest easy in knowing that we have an international champion in The Cleveland Orchestra. But I digress.

Sometimes I wonder if keeping memories alive is healthy. My youth also had its bad moments which I would rather forget. Some say that dwelling on yesterday is a disease of the old. No cure is available except death - I prefer not to cure the disease but to nurture it and even now , learn from it.

In the background I can hear Sinatra singing “ I Did It My Way”. So I did, so I did. Time to turn the radio off.

 

 

2/13/12

Prepping for Valentine's Day

The high primal loves the Westminster Dog Show. We have never had a dog although we do have a grandog whom we love very much. So what does all of this have to do with Valentine's Day. Well, as a dutiful husband I suggested to the high primal that we should celebrate Valentine's Day by going out for a nice dinner ( at our age that's as wild as the celebrating gets). To my amazement she reminded that the dog show finals are on Valentine's Day and she didn't want to take a chance on missing any of the show.

 Tomorrow it will be off to Heinen's to pick up a take home Valentine dinner, a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates. This all makes sense for two octogenarians. We watched Puppy Bowl VIII on Super Bowl Sunday. The dog show on Valentine's Day should just about convince our children that we have actually gone to the dogs.

 I'm betting on the wire hair dachshund to win Best of Show. The high primal says that he is no match for me. She also reminded me that on the news this evening there was a story about a husband who wrote a love poem a day for the past 75 years. Holy cow, there is still time to get started.

Roses are blue
Violets are red
Color blind I am
But I do Love you


ONE DOWN AND 26400 TO GO!

 The wire hair dachshund is still looking good. Can't wait for Valentine's Day.

Put a 'rubber' on it - a rant!

Contraception has suddenly become an all consuming issue in Campaign 2012. Only in America! Brought to you by your neighboring Republican Party and the Catholic Church. All I can say is put a ‘rubber’ on it. Whatever happened to the freedoms fostered by the First and Nineteenth Amendments. It seems that there are forces at work who would have us keep women barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen during the day (shoes must be worn when cleaning the churchs' altar) and screw them to death at night with the help of Viagara and Cialis. End of rant!

2/11/12

Platforms are meant to stand on

I had a dream - make that a nightmare. In that nightmare, I was running for President of this great Republic. I found myself using all kinds of political cliches. Here' a sampling:
  • I support free enterprise- the enterprising rich get a free pass on taxes
  • We need to return to Reaganomics-  'trickle down economics' is good for the  rich - it will make them richer. When they piss on the masses there will only be a trickle because of enlarged prostrates.
  • I will bring transparency to government- What you see is what you get.
  • I'll get the country moving- Probably to Canada.
  • We need to keep America strong- During my first day in office, I will sign an executive order requiring health insurance companies to provide free gym memberships for all Americans. Illegal aliens will get memberships for a small co-pay.
  • The American Dream must become a reality for all- I will legalize LSD. All employers must provide free LSD in their insurance plans.
  • We are a Christian country- All atheists, agnostics and non - believers will be sent to Guantanamo.
  •  We must conserve energy- I will sign an executive order mandating a two hour afternoon siesta for all workers. The unemployed can sleep as long as they like. 
  • I will be a 24/7 President- except when I'm running for re-election.

Trickle Down Economics

 The term 'trickel down economics' must be a cliche. It has been overused to the extent that only an economist knows what it means and sometimes I think that even economists do not have a clue. My best guess is that it's good for the very rich - it will make them richer. When they piss on the masses there will only be a trickle because of enlarged prostrates. The end result is that another cliche ' The 'American Dream' will go down the tubes. Some say that trickle down economics does work. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer proving once again that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

2/7/12

Obama and the Bishops

Dear Mr. President:

It has come to my attention that you have angered the Catholic Bishops with your regulation requiring that all employers provide for free birth control medication in their health care policies. As a result the Bishops are mounting a campaign to deny you a second term.

It has also come to my attention that you are seeking some sort of compromise which will salvage the Catholic vote. You and I both know that Catholics are damn good customers of birth control pills. I really don't think that too many Catholics who supported you in 2008 will desert you this time around.


Still if you are that concerned about the Catholic vote and you want to get those Bishops off your back, I believe there is a way out without making you look like a flip flopper or worse yet a weakling.

As you may have heard, Romney is bad mouthing you as being against religion. Here's how to kill two birds with one stone ( please do not take that literally).

Let your regulation stand but sneak in a qualification that I'm sure the Bishops will like. Simply qualify the regulation to state that if the employer is the Catholic Church, the health care insurance it provides to employees must provide for free contraception devices for all employees except Catholics. Of course this means that upon employment, persons must declare their religion. That may cause a little flak with the ACLU but it will be past November before anyone can get the Supreme Court involved.

Just think, you will be lauded for the respect you show for religion. Romney will have to dig up some other untruths about you and Catholics can still have their birth control help and free at that. You don't understand the latter? I suspect that most Catholic employees in a church facility will opt for non-practicing Catholic rather than ten mouths too feed.

It's worth a try. If you decide to trash my proposal, I urge you to stand your ground. The more you compromise the more you look like a Conservative. Two Conservatives running for the Presidency in November would be unconstitutional.

Sincerely,

Tony

2/5/12

Supper Bowl Sunday?

I can remember when Super Bowl Sunday was all about football. The newspaper the past few days has told me otherwise. It seems that today is more about food than it it is about clobbering the quarterback. Judging from the recipes that have been printed and the displays at the supermarket, today is the day to gorge ourselves on chili, chips, dip, kielbasi, dogs and for the timid indulging in some salads will do. Super Bowl Sunday has become Supper Bowl Sunday.

Sometime during the day we'll be asked to view some entertainment consisting of some loud mouths gyrating on a stage and hoping that there is a wardrobe malfunction - the publicity would be priceless. Speaking of priceless, the football competition has been displaced by a commercial competition. Some corporation today will be crowned as the sponsor of the cutest or most outrageous commercial - I can hardly wait to turn it off.

As if to tempt me to participate in Supper Bowl, the weather today is gorgeous. It's warm enough to do some grilling outside and pretend that I'm tailgating. There's no way I'll succumb to temptation. It will be a cold day in hell before I drag the Weber out of the garage in February to cremate some sausages.

This is probably making me sound like a curmudgeon. If so I've succeeded in getting my message across. Super Bowl Sunday no longer holds the glamour that it did in my younger days. It has something to do with how violent the game of football has become and how obnoxious the practitioners have become. I know, it also has something to do with how old I have become. No matter, on this Supper Bowl Sunday I will have supper or perhaps more properly dinner as usual. Around the time of the game, the high primal will be tuning in to "Downton Abbey". I'm pretty sure I will be joining her. There is nothing like watching a foreign film on Super Bowl Sunday. I hope there are some subtitles. A spot of tea would also be nice.


( Asked the high primal what she thought of this post. Her response, "It's cute". Now what the hell does that mean? It's not humorous for sure. It's not clever for sure. I did not intend for this post to be cute. I hate "cute" - with the exception of Betty Boop. Maybe I should watch that cute football game after all.)

Epilogue:
Ended up watching PUPPY BOWL VIII with the high primal and had a blast. My only disappointment was that a Miniature Schnauzer was not in the line up. Downton Abbey also proved to be a winner.

2/2/12

On Groundhog Day

Wednesday, February2nd, 6:00 am. I stirred in my bed after a restless night. For some reason or other, all I could think of during the night was that the morning would bring some important news. It could not have anything to do with the Republican presidential primaries. Florida capitulated to the Republican establishment yesterday. It was much too early in the month for any important Cleveland Indians news unless the Dolans decided to have some mercy on the fans and sell the team. I did dream that banks raised their interest rates on savings to double digits. No sooner had they raised the rates the dream turned into a nightmare. The banks failed and the FDIC funds somehow or other ended up in Pakistan. I awoke with a start , glanced at the clock - 6:15 am. I had to get some sleep but now I was tormented with thoughts of what the day had in store for me. I popped a Tylenol Night Time and tried to get a little more sleep. I read somewhere that a good night’s sleep was important and I wasn’t about to try and disprove it.

Suddenly the alarm clock shrieked 7:30 and the sun came crashing through the blinds. I awoke with a start, turned off the f--king clock and rolled over in bed. The blazing sun pleaded with me to get up. Dutifully I finally got out of bed, not realizing that I was getting out on the wrong side. I carefully planted my feet on the floor and slowly raised my weary body. When I managed to get my eyes completely opened, I could not help but stare at the wall. There was no mistaking about what was on the wall. My shadow filled the wall. Oh shit, six more weeks of winter! Back to bed, maybe tomorrow morning will bring better news. I can use the sleep.