Category Archives: Popular Culture

A Benefit Of Being Back In LA

If I were still living in Boca Raton, I wouldn’t have been able to drive up to Hollywood (the one in California, not the one south of Fort Lauderdale — I could drive to that one whenever I wanted, but why bother?) last night for drinks and sushi with Iowahawk, Iowahawk female-confrere-in-hotrodding, and Armed Liberal at Yamashiro. The former looks just like his picture, except they don’t allow dogs in the restaurant, so he had to smoke something else in his pipe. It seemed to be pretty high-octane stuff. It would actually explain much of his output. He also turns out to be both a gentleman and a scholar. No pictures, though — the pipe is very shy. Beer and old fashioneds were consumed, politics was discussed, last year’s electorate and the current leadership of the country were bewailed, other bloggists who had the effrontery not to attend were gossiped about brutally.

A good time was had by all. And by “all,” I mean of course, at least me. It’s at least conceivable that my drunken table-top fandango-kabuki may have put off my table-partners and some of the other patrons.

But it seemed like a great idea at the time. This morning, with the cat stomping around? Not so much.

[Update mid-morning]

I suppose that I should put out a standard disclaimer: The descriptions of some of the events and people in this post may have a truth value of somewhat less than unity. It is (sort of) an Iowahawk post, after all. Let’s just call it fake but accurate. If it’s not true it should be, and anyone who didn’t have a good time didn’t deserve to. That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it.

Busy Weekend

We’re making a big push to get more moved into the house this weekend, including setting up an office for Patricia and the guest bedroom, and starting to straighten out the garage. I also have to clean the gutters, even though the leaves aren’t all down yet, because there’s a Pacific storm coming in on Tuesday or Wednesday of indeterminate strength and rainfall.

I did watch the Michigan game yesterday, though. In the past two weeks, I think they’ve gone from being the worst 4-0 team in the country to the best 4-2. They’re only two turnovers away from being undefeated, and if they hadn’t had so many last night, they’d have beaten Iowa handily. The defense is actually starting to look better, which gives me some hope for the rest of the season, if the quarterbacks can figure out what color jerseys they’re supposed to be throwing to. Also, I see that the Lions are off to a good start on the new losing streak to break their previous record, with a loss to the Steelers today.

Annoying

As a “rocket scientist” (I hate that phrase), I wish that everyone in the media would stop saying that NASA crashed a “rocket” into the moon. A rocket put it into space, but what crashed into the moon were spacecraft (though they had small rocket motors on them). I don’t actually even like the term “rocket” for a launch vehicle. It’s like calling a car an “internal combustion engine.”

Tigers And Twins

Tied in the bottom of the eighth. Detroit, and Michigan could sure use a win here for morale, given their economic straits.

[Update a few minutes later]

Whooooaa. The Tigers are roaring. Top of the ninth. Men at first and third, no outs, with Polcanco one and one.

[Update]

Dang. Ordonez must have hit into a double play (I’m just following a game track). It’s the bottom of the ninth, still tied. The pressure is on the Detroit pitcher to keep the game going.

[Update a few minutes later]

Well, the pitcher(s) (they made a change in the inning) did their job. It’s the top of the tenth.

If the Tigers lose this, Ordonez, despite the fact that he got them here, will be the goat. It was theirs to win in the ninth, and they choked.

[Update]

OK, Detroit got a run in the top of the tenth, breaking the tie. Now it’s all up to the defense. Unfortunately, the Twins got a triple in the first at bat…

[Update]

Well, they’re tied again, with runners at first and third, with one out. The Twins may be about to put the Tigers out of their, and our, misery.

[Update]

Well, Detroit keeps it alive, and gets out of the inning.

[Update]

Top of the twelfth, and the Tigers have the base loaded, with one out. If they can’t win now, they don’t deserve to.

[A few minutes later]

Bases loaded, and once again, they stranded everyone. And I can’t find TBS on DirecTV.

[A few miutes later]

OK, I found TBS on channel 247, but contrary to reports, it’s not showing the game.

[late update]

Well, it looks like Detroit played true to form, and let the Twins have it in the bottom of the twelfth, by a run. At least fans don’t have to torture themselves figuring out how they’ll screw up next.