Good morning.

I missed "Sopranos" entirely. Got to figure out whether "Joe from Cincinnati" is worth signing up for HBO. It's sure to get some comments from local surfers.

Fake families can take on lives of their own. This spring, I got to see all six hours (no commercials) of "The Best of Youth", an Italian miniseries that required surprisingly little effort at reading subtitles and an equally surprising lack of need to suspend disbelief as actors go in age from about 18 to 55.

A good deal of the past half-century was traumatic for Italy (Florence's great flood, Red Brigades, Mafia, etc.) and the "Best" is tangled up in it all. Soap opera, perhaps, but of the highest order.

Ambiguity? Haruki Murakami stories.

Japanese anime?

Lebanese politics?

"Play around you lose your wife
you play too long you lose your life"
Danny O'Keefe

I believe the Food Network show will be called Cookin' wit' Tony.

...and on the episode where Emeril is a special guest, everyone hits the floor when he exclaims, "BAM!"

All I know about popular culture I read here.

Like many, I'm not into TV any more, just got out of the habit when I was in grad school and never went back. Reading's more fun anyway.

That said, I'm still glad I've got the boodle to keep me sorta in the loop about the latest. I'll never be hip, but at least I know enough not to be stupid.

I can appreciate a post-modern approach to drama, especially now that post-modern is old enough to feel sort of old-fashioned. And to some extent I think people should respect the screenwriter enough not to argue about whether his ending was "correct." It's HIS ending, after all.

However, I prefer my stories to have satisfying endings, like a Dickens novel or a Hollywood movie. Real life provides all the ambiguity and uncertainty that I need. I appreciate artists who create imaginary universes where things make sense, in at least a general way, and where stories come to a conclusion.

I haven't seen any of the Sopranos--heck, I haven't even seen any of the Godfather movies (I read the original book.) But this is what is great about the internet: I can post my opinion about something I know nothing about, and the Washington Post will host it on their server forever.

I was trying to compose a comment about the Outlook article--reminded me of New Journalism, which is also kind of old-fashioned now, but still fresh in its way (because freshness is one of its characteristics). Made me think of Hunter Thompson and Tom Wolfe, but without their sometimes irritating excesses. (Think Thompson, post-rehab; Wolfe with his ego under control--speaking of imaginary universes...) Good going, Joel. I still miss Rough Draft, but this is good stuff.

Thanks Karen. I miss Rough Draft too.

I've yet to screw up the nerve to read my email. I'll probably blog about red meat tomorrow but today I can't stop thinking about and believin' in the Sopranos. (In the newsroom, a lot of people are outraged by the cop-out ending, fyi.)

Is the Sopranos something like the 'Godfather' in that it took on this mythic quality with guys? Or is it its fan base equally spread across the genders? Just curious.

Dave, you made me laugh. Small is relative. Its just aunts and uncles of the groom, which means 35, and the brides family, whose entire family including second cousins with all the removeds is 34 or 36, and 6 very close friends. For some, this version of very small is large, but in my family this is peanuts, almost uncivilly small, mrdr's too. Some family members are thinking it's close to rudely small. We don't do vast overblown but the sheer number of family would numb your mind.

Some day I'm going to take a picture of my family tree and post it. It has not been updated since the 80's. It was scary then, and would knock your socks off now beyond the shadow of a doubt.

In the Tony show I watched, David Hyde Pierce won for best actor in a musical and a bunch of horny nineteenth century teenagers that sing Duncan Sheik songs got Best Musical.

Every year the Tony awards are opposite the NBA finals, so I joke that I am the only straight guy in America watching the Tonys instead of hoops. With the Sopranos finale on as well, I must have been the only person anywhere trying to decide whether Cynthia Nixon or Felicity Huffman had the lower cut gown.

Oh, but it wasn't a cop-out -- the newsroom should have a far more finely honed sense of irony and suspense than that.

I'm completely with you that the finale was great, Joel. About 20 minutes in I realized that Chase had zero intention of tying things up, and that was the brilliance of it -- a slight variation on the Larry David "no hugging, no learning" ethos of "Seinfeld," but far less smug. A big, giant, double-barrelled middle finger salute to everyone who thought this would turn into a classic, Mario Puzo-style mob drama.

One of the most enduring parts of "The Sopranos" is how it almost revels in the mundane parts of everyday life -- and the grind of the mob life. Allowing the possibility of that, along with all the messy, untied loose ends, to continue is just genius.

(However, schlocky though they may be, Journey was never really a "hair" band -- they all had bad hair and clearly didn't believe in the use of hairspray, unlike those Motley Crue guys.)

My kid (who's been here visiting a few days) went to a friend's house to watch the Sopranos finale. He said it was "pretty crappy - they didn't really do anything". Guess the metaphor and artistry was lost on him. I've never seen it - don't have HBO.

dr, sounds like it's a good thing your family is in Canada, where you have lots of room to spread out.

I'm another who hasn't seen a single episode.

Glaucoma test pilots might like this:

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/francis_sedgemore/2007/06/reefer_madness_revisited.html

Howdy! I also never saw The Sopranos, but I enjoy living vicariously through the Boodle discussion. I am intrigued by yesterday's suggestion that the final blackout represented an ending from Tony's viewpoint, signifying that he was assassinated after all. It is much more fun to analyze and speculate on meaning and intention when you've never seen the object of the discussion. Perhaps I should join academia after all. . . .

The cat is either Christopher or Adriana.

Did no one notice the obvious Godfather refernce at the beginning of the episode where tony walks around eating an *orange* in the safe house with carmela? oranges signify impending death of course (think don corleone with the bag of oranges etc) So that, plus the tangential recollection of bobby's warning from the boat ("you won't even know it's happening when they hit you") all add up to the fade to black being tony getting whacked as we see through his eyes the diner characters? no???

Did no one notice the obvious Godfather refernce at the beginning of the episode where tony walks around eating an *orange* in the safe house with carmela? oranges signify impending death of course (think don corleone with the bag of oranges etc) So that, plus the tangential recollection of bobby's warning from the boat ("you won't even know it's happening when they hit you") all add up to the fade to black being tony getting whacked as we see through his eyes the diner characters? no???

Add me to the "never seen it" list. The cost/benefit of adding HBO to our Dish Network subscription doesn't work out.

I liked the Red Meat kit, especially the explanation of the connection between the extra-long primary season and the stalemate in Congress. One solution would be to require sitting members of Congress resign if they plan to run for President, but that probably creates some nasty fallout in itself.

And I missed the "large wedding" discussion, too. One way to cut the cost of the wedding is to not have it in the DC area. Raysdad and I got married in my hometown. Everything from food to flowers to photographer was less than half the price. And it enabled many of my older relatives to attend.

You and Shales both missed the metaphorical "circle of life" onion rings.

It's okay. Over time, we all slip a little.

So, to all the people who were upset with the ending, I wonder if you watch American Idol? I'm no fan of the show, but you'd have to be living in a cave to know nothing about it. Seems to me that every year, people cry that the wrong person is chosen (except for the first season, where we all know how kindly history has treated Justin). Either way, people are outraged at the outcome of REALITY television. What ending would satisify 100% of the population? Would it really be in line with everything we know about Tony for him to snitch? Do you really want to see the most fully realized, coolest villain in the history of television killed off just because you knew it was the last episode?

Shakespeare's audiences expected dead bodies on the stage at the end of the play, didn't they?

The Sopranos cost/benefit analysis becomes much more favourable when you check out the DVDs from the library. Of course, this means I'll have to wait until 2019 to watch the ones that everyone else reserved ahead of me.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmetaphorical circle-of-life Onion Rings.

Hi, guys. A quick drop-in. Had to go to a funeral out of town the first part of last week, so got behind in everything. Joel, enjoyed the red meat article. Put me in for never having watched Sienfeld, American Idol, the Sopranos, and virtually every sit-com since All in the Family. I am kind of hooked on the CSI's, though. Still like the Vegas crew best, though the impiled relationship between Grissom and Sidle just doesn't work. And why do Caine and Delko keep reminding me of Crockett and Tubbs?

Aloha, you out there? Happy Kamehameha Day.

I didn't get to see the last episode, or any of the last season. But I started watching from Day one. I really enjoyed it most of the time. I have some Sicilian friends back in Bawmer that make a evening out of the show. You know sort of dinner and a show.

My all time favorite episode is when P****, not sure if I can say his name is a fish and tells Tony he is working for the Feds.

I don't want to sound like I avoid all hype. I have watched a few CSI's in my time (according to mrdr, every single time one plays - he's getting a complex)but I'd really rather watch Law and Order or Miss Marple. I like a good murder mystery in books too.

Gerarlow Wilson freed. Prosecutors vow to appeal.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Teen-Sex-Case.html

That would be Genarlow, sorry!

Couple of things:

First, nobody seems to have commented on Meadow's assertion that the criminal justice system is biased against Italian Americans and that that's one reason she's decided to practice public sector law.

Does anyone see this as at least a suggestion that the future of "protection" for "connected" Italian Americans may shift from the mob to the legal system? And that women will have a significant role in this change?

Second, I think that at least part of Chase's master plan was to thwart all of the betting on the finale.

What is a Wolly Mammoth?

We have cable, but not the premium cable that includes Sopranos. When it was shown on regular cable we watched the first two seasons, then missed a couple episodes. So we stopped watching, but would like to catch up with DVDs someday.

I'm also waiting for Rome Season II to come out on DVD.

On weddings, it's all about the reception. Were it not for hosting a party, my thoughts are that even the inflated wedding industry prices are bearable, in the circumstances. But per person dinner plus, plus, plus...yeouch.

It's not about the destination. It's about the Journey.

The last episode was a cop out. We pay HBO to thrill us and give us a story line that we can like or dislike. For the most part we all enjoyed Sopranos. Chase then cuts the ending for us to make up? If I want to day dream I do that on my own time, I watch HBO Sopranos to watch a scripted fantasy life. I don't need a philosophical message from Sopranos, I can read Greek philosophers for that. Also, Tony is not a sociopath...he obviously cares about his family, the nature of his business involves killing. If he's a sociopath than I guess we all are, I mean we support a war in Iraq and people are dying there, does that mean we're all heartless? Bottom line, cop out ending that was far from brilliant and closer to stupid.

Wally Mammoth is available as a boodle handle...

I can't recall if this came up before. Maybe everyone who cares, already knows this. While reading the May issue of Physics Today, I learned that Joan Baez' father, Albert V. Baez, physicist, developer of X-ray optics, pacifist, and professor at some dinky little college in Claremont, CA that may have been founded by a Star Trek character (time warps were involved), died in March.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Baez

It seems that Joan and her sister Mimi did not fall all that far from the tree. The whole family was/is dedicated to peace activism. Joan and her mother (Big Joan) were arrested together at some demonstrations. Albert made career choices that avoided military research, and reached out to help the Mexican-American and Mexican communities (he and his family immigrated from Mexico when he was 2).

I was recently listening to the Diane Rehm show in an hour devoted to "Cat's Cradle," which repeatedly referenced the character of a scientist divorced from the practical consequences of his actions, with much discussion on whether this is an accurate portrayal of real scientists (Joe Palca stuck up for us, thank you). And, of course, Albert Einstein is an example of a brilliant scientist who, despite his social conscience, also was rather famously self-centered in his personal life. What I read of Albert Baez, today, suggests that it is not impossible for the same person to be both highly accomplished and a decent human being. Good for him, and good for us.

I would be vewwy, vewwy careful around wobbly mammoths Yoki.

i'm soooo glad about the Genarlow Wilson case and i hope they don't appeal! i just watched the cnn video coverage of them finding out about the ruling and it's quite emotional.

d'oh! the state attorney general filed an appeal! POOOOHHHHHHHH!!! that is ridiculous!

BC mentioned from the last kit that his family is close to the subject matter of The Sopranos. I have relatives by marriage who simply will not speak about such matters, and really detest the mafia treatment in books and media. I also recall hushed stories of an event in the mid 1970s in Southern California. Apparently, four cars in one surburban driveway ended up this way: 1) all four tires in each car slashed and 2) windshields bashed in.

No police were called; children were told to never mention the incident. Within six months the family moved away, not because of a threat so much but to leave behind the shock and distancing of the neighbors. Years later, the strongest statement made was "leaving Sicily in the 1920s and later Pittsburgh in the 1960s saved this branch of the family much grief."

One patriarch eventually read Puzio' book _The Godfather_ but refused to see the movies. Another family member wrote to Robert DeNiro about the _Analyze This/That_ movies, saying that the topic was not funny and that his Italian ancestors would not be proud of him, etc.

This family liked Puzo's beloved, but unpopular book: _The Fortunate Pilgram_ based in part on Puzo's grandmother.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fortunate_Pilgrim

So Chase decided to pull a Whedon? Good for him.

In case there are no Buffy or Angel fans out here let me sum up:

Angel Series Finale the characters were all about to face a horde of thousands likely to die in their final (likely) fight against evil. The last line, "let's get to work" with the swosh of a sword as we go to dark.

Buffy Series Finale the Hellmouth is closed the main characters escape, only to realize they've completely changed the world and their lives of always fighting evil and need to decide where to go from there, with all kinds of possibilities of where to go (though now living on as a Season 8 in comics, woo-hoo!).

Sometimes its better to leave it to our imaginations as to what happens. Is it better think of Tony as being dead? Or is it more fun to think of him as still out there whacking his enemies? Isn't that what fanfic is for? Good fiction can live on forever.

Error: have you seen how Davidson's Super Aguri dealt with the groundhog on turn 37 in Montreal yesterday? As I looked at the little thing getting airborne I thought; that will make Error's day. Robert Kubica, one of my favourite pilot, has just walked out of the hospital and gave a press conference BTW. The lucky b@stard is on crutches, but still.

Perhaps because the Grand Prix was in Montreal Davidson is sure that he hit a beaver. It wasn't, but it would have been funny if quite a bit more damaging to the car. I could see the headlines: Patriotic beaver throws itself in front of cars to give local flavour to Montreal Grand Prix.
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=39554

It was like the ending to John Sayles' Alaska film "Limbo," in which you don't know whether a bush pilot will save or kill the stranded family. To my taste, those endings are completely unsatisfactory. The notion that not knowing matches what happens in real life doesn't apply, because art isn't real life.

Tim,
Joan Baez performed at Cindy Sheehan's Camp Casey, and stayed on several days past her scheduled departure date, IIRC. It was the only time I heard this icon of folk music sing in person, so Googled Baez because of my interest--because she sang one song so capably in a foreign language, and mentioned in the Boodle at the time of the August 2005 protests at Camp Casey both that her dad was a physicist and her Mexican roots.

Didn't know Mr. Baez died recently. If you missed the weekend's news, Sheehan is selling her Crawford property near the Bush compound to an a Los Angeles media personality, radio talk show host Bree Walker, who plans to make to keep the property available to protestors, if need be or if and when the time comes--whatever.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-sheehan10jun10,1,4825821.story?coll=la-headlines-nation

I can authoritatively state that a Wolly Mammoth is a device used in the construction trades for the installation of particularly thick gypsum-board suitable for large interior spaces that require sound-proofing and signficantly enhanced durability -- your high school cafeterias, your CIA conference rooms, your basic X-Men-style Danger Room training facility. That sort of thing.

The Wolly Mammoth, preloaded with massive quantities of powdered gypsum (plaster of Paris Hilton) and mighty reels of thick brown Kraft paper, is placed on the prepared floor, while the structure is framed up around it. Insulation and electrical wiring is installed. The Wolly Mammoth (an entirely autonomous device developed under numerous government grants to iRobot corporation) is then fired up as the control rods are withdrawn from its nuclear reactor core. The Mammoth (as it is called for short) then begins to lay down mighty planks of drywall upon the floor, fabricated just-in-time, which it then lifts with its Super Spatula Lifters (patent pending). The giant drywall sheets are lifted up to the wall and "whacked" into place (professional parlance) as thousands of heat-treated nails are nearly-simultaneously fired into position from numerous super-compressed air-pressure powered Gatling guns, affixing the drywall in place. Operating with uncanny robotic precision, the Mammoth already will have prepared cut-outs for the various preinstalled electrical punch-out boxes, generally fitting to within a tolerance of 0.1 inch, simplifying tasks for the crews of specially-bred and -trained wiring monkeys, of which the less said, the better. Upon completion of basic wall installation, the Wolly Mammoth reconfigures itself to race haphazardly about the room, installing drywall tape over all seams at unbelievable speed. The Mammoth, after taping all the seams and spraying several laminated coats of drywall mud over all surfaces (using techniques adapted from the inkjet printer industry) then saws out door openings and installs serviceable doors to allow entry by human workers and the afore-mentioned wiring monkeys (of which the less said, the better). Early experience taught that the Mammoth's obstacle-avoidance hardware-software complex never has been quite up to snuff, which is why standard Mammoth-operation nowadays refrains from installing doors until completion of drywall installation, to avoid inadvertent pedestrian intrusions.

Its work completed, the Wolly Mammoth is stuck in position -- it is, after all, Mammoth, too large to fit through any proper doorway. The Mammoth thus enters its last operational mode. Locating a seismically-stable portion of the floor (active testing of the floor takes place throughout normal operational phases), the Mammoth jackhammers a path into the floor and descends beneath the Earth's surface, there to slumber, banking its nuclear fires until it is called forth once more for repairs or major renovations. Some initial operators were unaware of this final operational stage and unwisely employed a Mammoth in second-floor installations. This error is now virtually unheard-of. Users who wish to make an upper-floor installation nowadays use a Mammoth to work within cavernous multi-floor rooms, which later have separate floors installed within.

If your building was constructed or renovated in the last 10 years and includes a suitable space, it is probable that a Wolly Mammoth lurks beneath your floor. To locate it, use a standard hardware-store Geiger counter or seismic-sounding equipment. Whatever you do, however, do not stand above the Mammoth den (as it is called) and say three times in the space of ten seconds "renovate, renovate, renovate." That will reactivate the Wolly Mammoth. It is best to be elsewhere at that time, or at least, to have a clear escape path in mind.

zilliah writes:

'...the tangential recollection of bobby's warning from the boat ("you won't even know it's happening when they hit you") all add up to the fade to black being tony getting whacked as we see through his eyes the diner characters? no???'

The problem is that at no point in the final scene do we see a gun. We only see men who might conceivably be gunmen. The tension is ramped up by the short cuts, to Tony, guy at the bar, Meadow outside, etc...But if we are to think that the black screen is the end of Tony's conscious life, surely there would have been one more telling cue from the director. Instead he left it ambiguous. Sure, I thought, initially, that Tony got whacked, in front of his family (they don't kill the family members, we are reminded by Tony earlier), and that Chase didn't show it out of a kind of restraint -- that he got coy for the first time ever -- but my friends said, no, they survived, and the menace was in our imagination. So I don't think you can say that one thing definitely happened. It's an open question.

>Error: have you seen how Davidson's Super Aguri dealt with the groundhog on turn 37 in Montreal yesterday?

SD, good grief I'll have to go back to tape for that one! I must've been popping another Corona or something. Thanks for the head's up.

Glad to hear Kubica is OK, that was extemely scary. Funny, I was thinking the folks tuning in who aren't usually fans got an interesting show. More crashing and safety cars made it look closer to a NASCAR race than F1. I mean jeez, FOUR safety cars in a sport where they don't usually even do full-course cautions? Wowsers.

And Super Aguri passing Kimi in the Ferrari? Now I really believe anything's possible.

Gully Foyle is my name
And Terra is my nation
Deep space is my dwelling place
The stars my destination

Completely off topic, but the Korean church at the end of my street has just put up a huge, colorful sign that says "Let My People Go!" protesting treatment of North Korean refugees in China (leading up to Beijing Olympics).

It directs people to this website...

http://www.kccnk.org/letmypeoplego2008/

Hmmm.

Sci Tim reminds me that all should know the best way to soundproof any room: simply add another layer of sheetrock. This entails removing any crown molding, finding the studs, putting up the new added sheetrock, finishing and painting. It is however the best method for soundproofing.

ScienceTim, I am pleased to hear of the significant advances in construction. However, the final hibernation stage of the Wolly Mammoth leaves me with a question. What happens to the wiring monkeys? Or is it better to say less about them?

...but the room eventually becomes no larger than a jewelry box.

But it's a very QUIET jewelry box. And you really ought to put back the crown molding when you are done.

Well, I posted something on the 10thcircle regarding Red Meat, with some guest blogging from a fellow Boodler:

http://www.10thcircle.com/10/?p=187

Red Meat: it's what's for dinner now, but it won't be forever.

I've been to the Circuit Gilles Villenuve several times over the years, and never fail to spot a couple of groundhogs wandering onto the track.

I'm gratified that Dreamy Lewis Hamilton won his first race, and from pole, no less.

Hey, not only did the Super Best Friends Aguri pass Kimi, Takuma passed 2-time world chanpion Fernando Alonso in the McLaren Mercedes, too. Around the outside.

Nice.

I had my heart in my throat when Kubica had his accident, that was a big hit in a bad spot. Thank goodness the guy's OK and talking about getting medical clearance to run the USGP at Indy this upcoming weekend (when you have a big accident with a concussion, you need the FIA medical staff to sign off.

Oh, the Sopranos...?

bc

Sorry, I forgot to mention:

Dick Cheney is a big doo-doo head.

For God's sake, Foyle, please stay calm, and don't think about the PyrE.

I'll help put you out, if you need it.

As far as soundproofing goes, what ever happened to old fashioned egg cartons nailed to the walls, in classic garage-band style?

bc

That Sopranos thing reminds me of a story.

Thee was a newly-promoted detective once investigating a shooting murder. He had heard (this is before Snopes) that the last image a dying person sees is imprinted on their retina. So he asks the lab guy in the coronor's office if he could recover that image, hoping to see who the shooter was. The lab guy says he's not sure that's possible. The detective says to try anyhow. So the lab guy thinks awhile, and then has an inspiration. He selects the film he needs, sets up the shot, and snaps the camera.

He drops off the photo in the detective's office. "I think I have a shot of the very last thing the victim saw." And walks away.

The detective opens the envelope, pulls out the photo, and filling the frame is a picture of the end of a .32 caliber slug.

So, who should get the role of Gulliver Foyle in the possibly-upcoming movie?

Good post, Jumper. Please forgive me, but it reminds me of a cute adolescent joke. Goes like this: What's the last thing that goes through a bug's mind when he hits your windshield?
.
His butt!
.
I said it was cute. I didn't say it was, you know, funny.

I've watched most of the first 3 seasons on the regular cable (CTV? A&E?) and liked it quite a bit. Walnuts had me in stitches in every episode. I'm sure I've met the guy while I was dating a very pretty Eyetalian young woman back in the late seventies. Her family was into bricklying, not "waste management" but all the caracters of the Sopranos were there.
I'll have to look have a look at the DVDs for last 3 seasons I guess.

bc, Alonso sure had a bad day. He went through, not around, turn no.1 4 times, got a stiff time penalty because he was running out of gas then got passed by a Super A. He said his tires were shot. I say feh. He'll come back.

I like it, CowTown!

>Around the outside.

YES! That was a real eye-opener for me. Probably for Alonso too.

Regarding the wiring monkeys: the less said, the better. I am trying to say less all the time. It's in the court order.

I have only ever seen one episode of the Sopranos. Thus, I have nothing of substance to add to the on-topic discussion. But surely mob operations could have been improved with the involvement of physicists. I'm just, you know, just sayin'. Also, maybe some wiring monkeys.

A long time ago, Mario Cuomo said the Mafia was just a myth. Didn't exist.

I worked with a guy from South Bawlmer that worshipped mobsters. He had all the Scorcese/DeNiro/Whoever movies. He know the names of all the real life gangsters and how they died or how long they still had on their sentence. He followed the Mafia like other people followed baseball.

He was also always bragging about the "fell off the truck" deals he was being offered.

Not being a fan, but I think one of the conceits of The Sopranos was that the guys had watched all the mob movies and life was imitating art.

Jumper,
J. Edgar Hoover didn't think the Mafia existed either.

I hope "The Sopranos" makes a whole lot of money. It seems unlikely that James Gandolfini can ever find work again without some expectation that he really is playing Tony Soprano in hiding from former mob confederates. Self-parody awaits.

yello, "worshipped mobsters" I don't understand that, and it is why I tend to stay away from Mob related movies shows.

What is there to like?

This explains a lot:

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/shaking_off_amnesia_gonzales?utm_source=slate_rss_1

>What is there to like?

Well, there is a certain amount of style involved. And frankly, if you were to meet some of these characters socially you'd find them very charming.

dmd, I can see what there is to like, in a vicarious way: the fantasy of power, of complete freedom to act. The fantasy that you flex a little muscle, and you get things your way. It's the same fantasy of potency that got us into Iraq -- you imagine that you have such power that you can compel obedience. Nobody ever sees himself as the little snitch who gets rubbed out. Nobody ever sees himself as evil -- at worst, a noble and tragic character brought down because he dared to fly too high. Nobody ever imagines that the puny "civilians" caught up in your power fantasy might have guts and willpower to resist. I admit, it's the same thing that I like about the Romans and the Mongols. The ruthless and implacable pursuit of a goal, once decided upon. The imperviousness to human weakness. It's very appealing, but only at such a distance that the details of individual human lives are not distinguishable.

The only mobster I ever knew was Meyer Lansky. He was a generous donor to a non-profit organization I worked for in South Florida. He lived in Hallandale, a town in south Broward County immediately north of North Miami Beach, but maintained several residences through his associates.

Rent "The Mexican" if you want a variation on the Gandolfini as Mobster typecast.

Good description, ScienceTim, but note, dr, the masculine tense. It ain't a woman's world. Not that we don't crave power, but the Mafia model hasn't been very welcoming.

I always advise business-minded male law students to go into practice as a consigliere for street gangs, setting them up in legitimate enterprise to get rid of all that excess cash. None have yet taken my advice, but I still think it is a good business plan. Of course, the consequences for bad counsel are dire.

I meant StorytellerTim, of course.

I'm not a "Sopranos" watcher (don't watch that much TV, don't have HBO to begin with), but I did immediately think of John Sayles' "Limbo" when I heard of the conclusion. When I first saw "Limbo" I did feel like hitting someone, but as time went by I realized I kept thinking about those characters far more than would have happened if it had a conventional resolution.....

>the fantasy of power, of complete freedom to act

Either that or they just don't like to hold down a regular job.

Or maybe it's the same. :-)

Good evening, friends. It has been a long day. I really like this kit, JA, good job.

I started watching the Sopranos when it first came on HBO, and I fell in love with Tony. I know, it's odd, but he was at a funeral in this particular espisode, I don't know if he whacked the person or not, but Tony had on these black sunglasses and the man just oozed macho. I mean I thought, this is one tough, good looking dude. And I knew it would be a hit from just those first episodes. I saw the one where he took his daughter to check out the college, and left her there while he killed a man. Yet I think the scene with the ducks kind of humanized him. I don't know, I just liked this guy. And he is not a great looking guy, just with the sunglasses he looked really, really, good. Perhaps the music added to that hype.

I did not see it last night. I stopped watching it after a couple of shows, don't know why, just did. I think that was a fantastic ending. I don't think anyone wanted to see Tony get whacked, although we know he deserved it.

I guess the guy I asked about last night, the one with the sleek hairdo, and the jazzy clothes got whacked. Still can't think of his name. Not the fat one, but the other one. And not that one with two shades of hair color.

If I had the money I would pay someone to fix the other washer in our laundry room. It took me four hours to wash and dry my clothes. Management will not fix the machine.

It's raining here, but we so need it. Hope your day was good. The g-girl and her mother are still here. I think they want to come back home, but we don't have a home to go back to.

God loves us so much more than we can imagine through Him that died for all, Jesus Christ. Peace.

Nice piece BC and Lit, I Really like the F-Plan Diet

"The F-Plan Diet -- Originally named because of it's focus on fiber, it can
clean out a lot of old smelly crap. Its name has morphed to mean what's likely to be
muttered by an entire political party on the morning of November 5, 2008."

The only way to provide true closure for a series is to destroy the venue in which it takes place. The station is sold. The war ends. They get off the island. (Wait a minute.) Lacking such a definitive, and highly artificial, finale, the best one can hope for is a conclusion absent too many loose ends.

For if a series ends with puzzles introduced by the writers and not resolved, there will be trouble. (Imagine the bloodshed that might occur if "Lost" were to abruptly conclude with a blackout.)

As it is The Sopranos join such hallowed series as "Cheers" and "The Cosby Show" in leaving it up to each viewer to imagine What Comes Next.

Although, I must admit, it would have been just a little cool to show Joe Pantoliano's character Ralph, Cifaretto, wake up and say, "What the Ford kina dream was that?"

I also would like to personally thank the producers of "The Sopranos" for reinvigorated the myth of the dangerous Italian.

It has made my professional life far simpler than it might otherwise have been.

Or, J. Edgar Hoover SAID he didn't think the Mafia existed.

I've seen the "the Mexican" and Tony plays a gay guy that whacks people for money. Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts star in this flick. I still liked Tony, although he played a gay guy. There is just something about him. I don't believe they could have found a better guy to play Tony in the Sopranos.

I didn't care much for the Sopranos ending last night, but now that I am hearing all the complaints today, I am now convinced that it was the perfect ending. Folks are taking this way to seriously.

I saw that clip this morning-- increasing my total Sopranos viewing total to around 5:30 minutes.

IMO, the cat was carrying a bomb, and it was a reference to the viewer-- a cat may look at a king.

So, I think after seeing the clip that intent was that the viewers got whacked.

You know, everybody who could sing to the feds, maybe including Tony, got rubbed out from a bomb outside on the sidewalk, so the mysterious cameraman/witness got whacked by the blast behind him from the window.

Whether Tony was whacked or not, we'll never know.

For true crime buffs, the present organized crime trend and threat in DC is actually believed to be a large hispanic gang with as many as 10,000 members worldwide.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec05/gangs_10-05.html

Now Bc has confessed all, we know better than to start a land war in Asia or go up against him when death's on the line.

Dave, it would be even more perfect if all those soprano fans were verklempt.

Easier said than done, Wilbrod. What you're forgetting is that bc now knows that you know that he knows that you know that he knows that you know all of the foregoing.

From THE ONION...

Craig Kilborn Ready To Return To The Daily Show

June 9, 2007 | Issue 43•23

LOS ANGELES--Former late-night television personality Craig Kilborn announced Monday that he has decided to return to the show he says he made a household name.

"Jon Stewart's been doing a real fine job filling in for me while I pursued my other projects, but I think it's time for me to take back the reins," Kilborn said in an interview with E! Monday. "Sure, The Daily Show's gotten a little slow, but there's nothing wrong with it that couldn't be fixed with a little of Craiggers' old 'Five Questions' magic."

So, it's inconceivable that bc could possibly fail then, SoC.

Hi

I'm back-boodling and CP's comment mentioning the Analyze This movie reminded me of a time I almost crashed my car because I couldn't stop laughing long enough to hit the brakes.

A local movie theater was showing that movie. They didn't have much space on the sign, so they didn't space the words. The Y was missing from the sign. I slowed down to switch lanes when I saw the sign advertising "Ana1 Zethis"

Ahh, yes, it's unfortunate the word "analyze" contains that word, but perhaps not surprising that it's developed such Freudian connotations. Ahem.

I spotted this old article from 2004 that discusses the difference in perspective of the fundies and the moral pagans.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-156003076.html

This reminds me of some stuff I once read in a sociological context.

It went something like "external and internal controls"-- like the difference between a person who doesn't punch somebody out because he knows it's illegal to... versus a person who willingly challenges somebody else, knowing his friends will grab him and hold him back, so he can get his point across without actually getting in a fight or restraining himself emotionally.

This last administration has shown the problems that develop when you give those emotionally unrestrained people power without sufficient oversight.

And maybe we need to be tighter about that from now on.

From the Soprano's discussion on WaPo today. Good points, if correct!

Alexandria, Va.: So here is what I found out. The guy at the bar is also credited as Nikki Leotardo. The same actor played him in the first part of season 6 during a brief sit down concerning the future of Vito. That wasn't that long ago. Apparently, he is the nephew of Phil. Phil's brother Nikki Senior was killed in 1976 in a car accident. Absolutely genius!!! David Chase is truly rewarding the true fans who pay attention to detail.

So the point would have been that life continues and we may never know the end of the Sopranos. But if you pay attention to the history, you will find that all the answers lie in the characters in the restaurant. The trucker was the brother of the guy who was robbed by Christopher in Season 2. Remember the DVD players? The trucker had to identify the body. The boy scouts were in the train store and the black guys at the end were the ones who tried to kill Tony and only clipped him in the ear (was that season 2 or 3?).

Absolutely incredible!!! There were three people in the restaurant who had reason to kill Tony and then it just ends. This was Chase's way of proving that he will not escape his past. It will not go on forever despite that he would like it to "don't stop." Not the fans!!! Tony would like it to keep going but just as we have to say goodbye, so does he. No more Tony and I guess we are supposed to be happy that Meadow didn't get clipped as well (she would have been between the shooter and Tony) since she is the only one worth a crap in that family.

dbG - That's a startlingly well-informed analysis. I must admit my own knowledge of The Sopranos is either second hand or gleaned from what I could cram into our three-month trial period of HBO. I stand in awe of your expertise.

That's the thing, I guess, about these "DVD friendly" shows. They have so many layers and so much detail that they reward folks who really pay attention.

I guess we've come a long way from "Who Shot JR."

Very subtle, dBG.

Did the cat have any reason to whack Tony, dbG? Did he knock over a pet shop? Kill his old owner?

>Or, J. Edgar Hoover SAID he didn't think the Mafia existed.

He also said he was perfect size 10 and wouldn't consider wearing a floral on any occaision.

Only because Joel specifically asked for reactions to the final episode, I will throw in my two cents, be they worthy of that small sum:

If you have followed the dialogue on Slate of Timothy Noah, Jeffrey Goldberg and (yes) Brian Williams then I don't have a lot more to add. I think they have done a great job this year discussing what is probably the best season (or part season) of shows since the first year. Just as the semifinals of the NCAA tournament often produce the most monumentally fought games, the next-to-last episode of this show was maybe the best ever; action, plot, etc., moved a frenetic pace that could only be accomplished by the best pros in the business (next to David Chase, Terence Winter had a huge hand making the show as fun as it was).

I fully expected to be disappointed by the last episode; people's expectations are just so great for the "final episode" (admittedly hyped to the max by HBO). Television cannot deliver what a two/three hour movie can in unexpected drama and never has in any other famous final episodes of beloved shows (e.g., Seinfeld).

I would use the word "fidelity" if I had to describe the way the last episode ended. I guessed in my feeble way that the end would be some kind of "eternal return" of a circular universe. The series starts with Tony having a panic attack that leads to therapy in which Tony tells Melfi of the maturing ducks leaving the nest. She suggests that the panic attack is a result of his fear of losing control of his family (given his "occupational duties," this is more than whether his kids will be e-mailing from college). My guess was that the series would end with his familial concerns being seemingly relieved (the final scene has everyone more or less together) but, because of his "occupational duties" the panic attacks would start again, showing he could never escape who he was and did (or something to similar effect).

When I heard the Journey song last night, though, I had one thought: Chase is about to ford with us. I can't believe anyone who has been watching this show did not know this. I mean, fording Journey.

The whole series was dedicated to two things: (i) giving the finger to expectations and (ii) producing richly textured stories, the likes of which have never been seen before on television. It would have been incredible to me that a "typical" series ending would have occurred and I guarantee that the vast majority of people would be howling at such a result.

As many have noted, the ending allows the characters to live on in our imaginations. It also allows a movie or later series, should we be so lucky. The menace suggested at the end (and the warnings from his attorney) also represents the living hell in which Tony will spend the rest of his life.

I don't get the crybabies. The last episode is a shout out to all of us locked in behavior patterns we should change. It is a shout out that what is important in life is not the dot at the end of the sentence but to make that sentence as useful to the rest of us as possible. It is a shout out to quit worrying about how a fictional television show ends and start worrying more of the morass our current leaders have placed us in.

But it's alright ma, I'm only sighing.

bill everything said "morass."

Tee hee.

bill everything, I thought that was brilliant -- and I don't even *watch* The Sopranos! :)

***

"Maturity of mind is the capacity to endure uncertainty."

-- John Finley

TBG, everyone knows you can see "morass" on HBO!

Waiting for a new kit in which we analyze such higher matters such as who whacked Ophelia. I back Queen Gert for that one.

Once again, Joel has decided to use our offtopic comments against us so we are on-topic.

I am depressed. Where's the anarchy, folks?

Wilbrod, I didn't confess to *nuthin'*.

bc

...But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you, bc.

Hey, Boodle. What a day. No computers at work, and no phones. Read the new Michael Connolly Harry Bosch novel "The Overlook" in one day (it's shorter than any other Bosh novel). Pretty good. (I'm not bragging when I say I knew halfway through the reason for the murder in question, and who was in on it. You will too. But that isn't the point; it's always cool to watch Harry work. And there are some nice turns and points.) Taking an old Robert Crais novel, "Indigo Slam," starring the redoubtable Elvis Cole and no doubt Joe Pike, to work tomorrow.

I had my cuts on "The Sopranos" last night, and agree with Bill Everything's analysis above. A lot of people who haven't watched the show have commented on it, but I think one thing should be added: that was eight years of some of the finest ensemble acting that's ever been on telesision. There were entire shows --three in a row for Edie Falco, when Tony got shot -- where one actor or another has put on clinic in great acting. Christafuh was great, and so was Drea de Matteo, and Gandolfini, of course, and the kids. Joe Pantoliano, Steve Bushemi, the gay guy, Bobby, Tony's sister and mother, Phil, Paulie, jeez, the list goes on and on --and the thing was, the performances were seemless. Even if an episode was "just OK," as opposed to "pretty good," there was not a single moment when the acting ever slipped, or anybody "phoned it in." Not once. Ditto the writing. Always outstanding.

As a blogger I am legally obligated to post about The Sopranos. Here is my take and what show they better not pull that crap on:

http://livebythefoma.blogspot.com/2007/06/strange-endings.html

I figured posting on your blog and this blog would excuse me from any further obligations in that regard, Yello.

heeeelllp. i've got that journey song stuck in my head.
someone please give me a better tune cootie.

A Chevy commercial is using "American Pie" - uh oh, that's not better, is it? Let's see - L.A. Woman by the Doors?
Are you a lucky little lady in the City of Light
Or just another lost angel...City of Night
City of Night, City of Night, City of Night

U2's Beautiful Day?
See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by clouds
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the Bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light and
See the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out

It was a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
Beautiful day

\\ I've been to the Circuit Gilles Villenuve several times over the years, and never fail to spot a couple of groundhogs wandering onto the track. \\

I've always thought animals are hardwired to sense danger but I guess they can only sense it if it comes from something living, like, another animal. A couple of days ago I was driving on the road that leads to my driveway. I saw 3 pigeons pecking on the road with intense concentration. They completely ignored this metallic monster barreling down the road towards them. I bet they were having this conversation :

Pigeon # 1 : There's a big monster thing coming towards us!
Pigeon # 2 : What monster?
Pigeon # 3 : Let's dare her. I say she won't run over us.

I weaved off the road to avoid running over them.

Pigeon # 3 : See, I told you!

Good morning, friends. I'm up and moving about, always a good sign. Since today is my BIRTHDAY, I thought I would start early. As one get older time becomes very important, the fact that one has some is indeed a blessing.

I've said my prayers, and thank God for another birthday and many other things. And of course, my friends here at the Achenblog.

Eugene Robinson's account of the love shown our President is somewhat humorous, if not just a tad sad.

And the protection of our Attorney General fits that category to some extent. When a nation compromises it justice, nothing good can come from that.

The fact that some people seem to be in an uproar about the Sopranos' ending is speaks volumes about our society I suppose. Are they upset because they didn't get to see Tony get whacked? Is it the blood and guts that failed to materialize that's got them in a snitch or just the fact that the public might have to do a little thinking of its own, and finish the plot. And in finishing the plot, lay open their frame of mind and thinking and see that in reality it is really us.

Well, as always I enjoy talking to the folks here. Somehow I don't think I add anything to the conversation. I have no witty response, no words that have not been said before. No wisdom to impart. Nothing new to bring to the conversation. At some point it does get old, does it not?What will keep the Achenblog fresh and new, full of jewels to be fetched? Where is the Achenblog heading, what feat will it perform and what path will be found in it. Will the Achenblog roar to the front with sound and fury only to limp to the back with a sigh?

It doesn't really matter, does it? We are family here, and family stick together no matter what. The draw is the unity. The together-ness, the learning, the nuggets of ties that bind. And the fact that although we are a cyber-family, it's very much a realtionship and not a silly opportunity. Thank you, Joel Achenbach. Thank you, friends, one and all.

Have a great day, folks. I will try and enjoy my day. We got a little bit of rain, every little bit helps.

Morning, Mudge, Slyness, Martooni. What's up, Scotty, and all. *waving*

God loves us so much more than we can imagine through Him that died for all, Jesus Christ. Peace.

Happy birthday Cassandra! Sending you best wishes for a great year. I always enjoy your posts and look forward to reading about your thoughts amongst the other Boodles. Have a great day!

Thanks, Aloha. And thanks for reading. Sometimes just feel out of place, but that isn't just here, most places. I think I just feel comfortable reading and doing what I do, as far as my work with the church and the kids. Have a good day, Aloha.

Happy Birthday, Cassandra!!! *Snoopy dances and a fax full of sunny, cool weather* :-)

Spent most of yesterday with various doctors and physical therapists... Dang Achilles tendonitis... *SIGH* But I'll live.

Happy birthday Cassandra! You have me for company regarding feeling out of place. I enjoy reading your posts. Your comments are very insightful. I learn a lot from this blog.

Take it easy with that Achilles tendon, Scotty. Hope you get better soon.

I'll live, rain forest, thanks. :-)

And I think the separation of powers might live, too...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/11/AR2007061101135.html?hpid=topnews

:-)

And metamaterials science is alive and well, too..

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/12/science/12invis.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

:-)

Many Happy Returns of the Day, Cassandra.

'Morning, Boodle. Happy birthday, Cassandra. The best gift I can give you at the moment would be the health-threatening belly-laugh you'd get if you saw me, of all people, doing the Happy Snoopy Dance for you. The mind boggles. It's even enough to drive any tune cootie from anybody's head. So just think of me doing a combined Snoopy Dance and Grover Wave, and if that doesn't put you into asthmatic attack, it should pretty well carry you through the day. Love ya.

Mudge

Happy birthday, Cassandra!

RDP, Wilbrod, I'm sorry I didn't make it clear that the post I included was not written by me (except for the 1st sentence). I thought it was interesting that the poster, whoever s/he was, had picked up on all those little threads.

Green shirt today, Ivansmom.

Just sayin'.

Happy birthday, Cassandra, and I hope you have many more happy ones to come!

Snuke, yeouch. Hope the pain goes away quickly!

I'm with you, Cassandra, about not having wit or wisdom to contribute. You, OTOH, have much common sense and the ability to go straight to the heart of the matter, whatever it is. It is a great gift. God's blessings be upon you, my friend.

'Zat the guacamole shade of green, 'Mudge?

:-)

Happy Birthday Cassandra!! I always look for your comments for the common sense and gentle humor they bring. Have a wonderful day.

Happy Birthday Cassandra!!!

Happy birthday dear Cassandra, happy birthday to you. (I've driven the cats out of the room with my singing, but the good wishes are sincere.)

I have capitulated to Mr. F's wishes and am on my way to town to by the little air conditioner. He is very lucky that the forecast is for very hot (for here) temps while I'm in Tampa for a week. I can't expect my pet sitters to open/close windows and blinds to take advantage of the cool nights and to stay ahead of the sun. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Heard a quote from the president this morning, paraphrasing-people who voted against the immigration bill aren't doing what's right for America. Made me cringe, because even though I support its passage, he's lost the moral authority to pull out the un-American rhetoric and will only tick people off. Too bad that even though the campaign is in full swing the election is still a long way off. Time to check in with the backwards Bush clock. Here's the link again
http://www.backwardsbush.com/

Cassandra -- happy birthday, dear friend. God bless and keep you.

I mentioned you the other day in my class, when challenging my students to read the newspaper, closely. I said that I knew someone who read the newspaper religiously for both content and meaning, then checked the information against her great good common sense.

I shall call this--ta DAH!-- the Cassandra Challenge....your wisdom and the wisdom of the original Greek Cassandra of Troy fame. However, that Cassandra had no listeners. You, dear Cassandra, have listeners here: the boodle-panions.

Happy birthday Cassandra. Thanks for bring up the thought of "we are a family; family stay together." If the time stamp is correct, you have more time today compared to people wake up and start the day. May you have a blessed day and many more to come.

Cassandra: Three cheers for you! Happy birthday--I hope it is very special.

I wish I had time to do a real sky report this morning because it was beautiful today but we have software issues at work so I gotta get goin'--

Happy Cassandra's Birthday to everybody!

That reminds me, it's also my parents' anniversary today--they passed number fifty a few years back but I don't know the exact number for today. They get messages through this boodle regularly, so I'll just say Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad, while I'm passing out the good wishes.

Now to work!!!

Frosti -- may I mention a bit of your gardening tale (s) in my new blog? I can share with you before "going public"...will keep you hidden dear friend....I don't even know your name...funny.

I want to type "Gertrude J. of the North" and mention the white and blue combo....

I agree with you, Joel, re: the Sopranos. Like others, I initially cursed Comcast when I thought the cable had gone out, then decided that Chase had devised an odd cliffhanger to leave open the option of a movie. After such a tension-filled last scene, I originally felt an emotional let-down and shortchanged by the lack of closure, but I eventually decided the ending was brilliant. Fans can forever debate what happens next, but ultimately, nothing happens, because David Chase "whacked" his own show. Just cut it off, killed it mid-scene, prompting fans to plead in frustration "don't stop." Pure genius.

Happy Birthday, Cassandra! Keep cool.

In my humble opinion, I think you are all wrong. The story was about us. It was about the hopes and fears of modern life. There is no redemption because we are in the middle of it. We can't know how it gets resolved. And whatever endings we hoped for whether it was for Tony to go on a mobster, get killed, or flip to the feds was about us how we are, how we see life. Chase captured life in the Sopranos and he gave us the only ending real life can give us ambiguity and uncertainity.

In my humble opinion, I think you are all wrong. The story was about us. It was about the hopes and fears of modern life. There is no redemption because we are in the middle of it. We can't know how it gets resolved. And whatever endings we hoped for whether it was for Tony to go on a mobster, get killed, or flip to the feds was about us how we are, how we see life. Chase captured life in the Sopranos and he gave us the only ending real life can give us ambiguity and uncertainity.

In my humble opinion, I think you are all wrong. The story was about us. It was about the hopes and fears of modern life. There is no redemption because we are in the middle of it. We can't know how it gets resolved. And whatever endings we hoped for whether it was for Tony to go on a mobster, get killed, or flip to the feds was about us how we are, how we see life. Chase captured life in the Sopranos and he gave us the only ending real life can give us ambiguity and uncertainity.

In my humble opinion, I think you are all wrong. The story was about us. It was about the hopes and fears of modern life. There is no redemption because we are in the middle of it. We can't know how it gets resolved. And whatever endings we hoped for whether it was for Tony to go on a mobster, get killed, or flip to the feds was about us how we are, how we see life. Chase captured life in the Sopranos and he gave us the only ending real life can give us ambiguity and uncertainity.

Gesundheit.

:-)

Happy Birthday Cassandra

Cassandra- Have a lovely birthday! Your lovely spirit graces the boodle and you deserve the sweetest of birthdays.

Mornin' all...

Happy Birthday, Cassandra -- sending my best long-haired furry-faced hippie hugs your way.

Today should be interesting. I get to wear a suit and tie (and it's not even for a wedding or funeral). My AA sponsor "volunteered" me to be the lead speaker at a meeting this morning. I've shared my story in meetings before, but it was more of a one-on-one thing or in bits and pieces through group discussions. To share it from the podium is a whole different ballgame. To be honest, I'm kinda surprised to have been asked to do it -- they usually only ask people who have at least 6 months to a year of sobriety under their belts. But my sponsor thinks I'm ready, so I'm willing to give it my best shot.

Time to trim up the fur and shine my shoes.

Peace out, my friends...

almost forgot... today makes 78.

:-)

Good goin' martooni!

Congrats martooni. Good luck on the speach (me I'd be a nervous wreck).

martooni;

Just remember all your imaginary friends are in the audience, listening intently.

:-)

Happy Birthday, Cassandra! As to having no wisdom to contribute, I can only say I disagree.

Congratulations Martooni. You are an inspiration.

it's a beautiful day ... in the neighborhood, a beautiful day...
oh wait, wrong cootie *trying to visualize snoopy dancin' mudge*

cassandra:
happy birthday to you
happy birthday to you
happy birthday dear cassandra
happy birthday to you!

martooni, good going, keep it up!

ok, time to get some coffee...

Now here's an interesting collision of sports, college and the Internet...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/more/06/11/blogger.ejected.ap/index.html

Oh, dear. *hiding my eyes* I have visions of poor Martooni going up before his AA meeting and telling them part of his support group and his biggest fan club is...[wait for it; you all know what's coming]...a couple dozen imaginary friends.

"Hi. My name is Martooni and I'm an alcoholic. But I haven't had a drink in 78 [?] days now, thanks in part to all my invisible imaginary friends. No, I'm not having delerium tremens. See, there's Mudge, the 900-year-old shop steward, and Scotty, who has something to do with nuclear material; and bc, who races cars, and Cassandra, an old black woman who is our house chaplain, ...no, I'm perfectly fine, you don't have to call the guys with the canvas jacket, really...and Joel, who's a nationally renowned political reporter and humorist, and Loomis in Texas, who is related to Richard the Lionhearted, and a bunch of Canadians including Yoki...no, I said Yoki, with a "k," not Yogi like the bear...really, I'm fine, well, those straps are a little tight...and Cow Town, and Ivansmom in Kansas ...no, she doesn't wear read shoes and doesn't have a dog named Toto...so far as I know...and ...hey, where are you guys taking me?...and ScienceTim who goes up to the top of a volcano in Hawaii to look at stars and black holes and stuff...and Padouk, who is named after an exotic hardwood...have I mentioned Slyness?...and Wilbrod, the gnome, whose dog, Wilbrodog, often boodles as well.....

CP, love the term "boodlepanion." I think we need to incorporate it into the official lexicon and AchenFAQs right away.

Still no computer; I'm camping at somebody e;se's desk, and now have to sign off. Don't know if I'll be back today or night.

As Martooni says, peace, out.

Wonderful martooni!

Happy Birthday Cassandra, hope you have a fantastic day.

Good luck Martooni, I have no doubt you will give an inspiring speech.

Didn't mean to sound snotty yesterday, just have little tolerance for violence, I usually have to skip any violent parts in books and movies. Also grew up with the Mafia as a fact of life in my area, a sort of vague dark cloud I knew existed but only experiences of the outmost fringes.

Remember Martooni, quit moving your feet, keep your chin up, and pick out a spot on the back wall to stare at if you get nervous. Choose one or two friendly faces to make eye contact with, in case anyone notices you're staring at a blank space on the back wall. And remember, you look great in the suit.

Cassandra, move your feet! Birthdays are opportunities to dance. I hope it's a very good one.

Martooni, don't forget the paper clips

Happy birthday, Cassandra.

We're all thankful for your presence in the Boodle.

I know you're going to have a great day.

Martooni, good work, sir.
Triple digits coming up in no time.

bc

I absolutely hate talking to small groups of people about something on which I am supposed to have expertise. This is because (a) I usually haven't done my homework until right beforehand, and (b) with a small group, you can't speak impersonally. Large audiences of, say, 50 or more, seem intimidating at first, but generally they will permit you to move right along with what you planned to say, instead of grilling you like a fish. I like to let my eyes drift over my audience until I get to an area that I haven't looked at recently. Then, I pick one person, and look straight into that person's eyes for a few beats. It gives me the impression of directly connecting to my audience, and gives me a chance to gauge whether what I am doing is really working -- am I getting a smile or a laugh at the moments that I intended? Am I getting rapt concentration? Does the person look perplexed and seem to need a more complete explanation?

Good work, Martooni, you dang hippie. Keep it up.

Wow. Happy Birthday, Cassandra, and remember that you, like all of us, make important contributions to the Conversation. Maybe your g-girl will draw you a picture to celebrate.

Martooni, you go guy! Enjoy the talk -- you know they will.

Mudge, you SAY you're wearing a green shirt. I noticed that reference the other day too. Yeah, it is easy to make these claims over the Internet.

I do wear red shoes. Sometimes.

Gosh, have I really not watched the Sopranos for EIGHT years? How time flies. . . there's no virtue in this, you understand. It was all purely timing. Ivansdad said good things about the acting.

Cassandra, my very best wishes to you for your birthday. You would be surprised how often I think of your conversation on mercy on the day of the Massoui sentencing. It was just a few words, but they echo across all the days since.

And Martooni, I am so glad. Whenever I say that, I feel a little pollyannaish, but well some things, I'm just darn glad about. Good luck with the speech.

Martooni, the suit looks great and I'm sure you'll do fine.

You might want to include a little PowerPoint to help things along. In the words of Tom Lehrer, "I have here with me a modest example:"

http://norvig.com/Gettysburg/sld001.htm

Happiest of birthdays, Cassandra. I couldn't possibly improve on the image of Mudge doing a combination Grover wave/Snoopy dance.

martooni, congrats on another tick-mark. And I hope the group will find your story as inspiring as we do.

Byoolin, that one still cracks me up.

At least Al Gore turned his powerpoint into an oscar-winning documentary. You get a sense if Ol' Al had been Lincoln's multimedia director, he'd have put lots of pictures in, including a funky graphic of America with the level of deforesting since Columbus, followed up by the level of felling of soldiers over the country.

He'd tell Lincoln to stand and deliver from his notes. And it would have worked.

I think Martooni could do a similar flow-of consciousness powerpoint illustrating his journey in metaphorical terms.

A shot of a horse halfway inside a building.
"Once a horse walks in the bar, of course, all that's left afterwards is a horse's a**, and that's how I was."

Only better. Cassandra, happy birthday. June birthdays are awfully nice, you can have a birthday picnic or BBQ, or a nice porch-out with friends.

It beats being snowed (or iced) in or enduring rainy days for your birthday more often than not.

If I only posted here when I had something new, fresh, and scintillating to say, I'd... what? Why should I EVEN consider the possiblity that my posts sometimes aren't all that? (grin).

Your comments are a bit more valuable than you may feel this morning.

byoolin, thanks for the reminder. I have a 'thing' Thursday and am building the presentation all this week. My mantra will be PowerPoint is for the smaple data pics only.

CP, have you posted your blog address and I missed it? Eagerly waiting input.

Going to S'nuke metamaterial article-- Am I the only one who wonders if W. wears rose-colored contracts with a negative refraction index?

byoolin, that PowerPoint hits me right between the eyes. I gotta do better, when I make my next presentation on fire station location...;-)

Use graphics of a lost dalmatian, fire stations and fire hydrants on a grid of the city to illustrate where everything is.

And don't forget the radii to show the area covered by every fire station ;)

(leash the dalmatian to the fire station and extend the dog and leash to the end of the radius)

And in the "Day Late and a [Pound] Short" category:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/12/AR2007061200599.html?hpid=moreheadlines

*SIGH*

FYI, you can find the text of the Blair speech here:

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/tonyblair/story/0,,2101076,00.html

There one line that's very English:

"...not to have a proper press operation today is like asking a batsman to face bodyline bowling without pads or headgear."

Um, that's what I always say, too....

Thanks everybody for the happy birthday wishes. And Mudge, just the thought of you in that pose, I'm still laughing. That is so cool.

You'll be fine, Martooni. Congratulations on your days and many, many, more.

Happy Birthday Cassandra!

Martooni, you're doing great.

re: public speaking, I suspect there's several others here that do more public speaking than I do. My objective is normally to avoid the times that require public speaking. Because you're a musician, I suspect you don't really have as much fear of public speaking as a lot of people, but here's my two cents.

A few people have mentioned the tip of speaking to only a couple people. This works. In practice, when I first did any presentations, I would pick just one person, and then switch to someone else once comfortable. Note to jw if you're lurking: do not do this in front of a judge.

If you have difficulty with your voice in public speaking, here's a tip (maybe best not to experiment with this right away). Lower your voice just a notch (note the lack of musical training here)- it will slow you down and make your presentation clearer. Heck, it might even add some Doo Doo Head-esque "gravitas" (but maybe that's not that appealing).

Many people do the podium death grip. This doesn't look great, but it is better than looking like a person is drowning. If a person can limit it to one had and wave the other one around, that is better.

Notes and reading can fluster even experienced presenters. The ideal, if you have notes, is have just headlines (in large enough font to read easily from two feet) to keep you on track. Especially when the topic is one you know well, just using headlines is best to make the presentation natural.

I'm waiting for it now--www.news2me.com (the URL may even be open, I didn't check).

Coverage on celebrity stories limited to 5 minutes per cycle. *Real* news the rest of the time. I think it'd have a following.

Does Gene know about this??

http://clear.uhwo.hawaii.edu/wein.html

:-)

"lou dobbs on acid" is now a googletres. If I keep this up...

Happy birthday, Cassandra!

Joel, since Austrailia won the Cricket World Cup recently, I don't know if Blair's line is strictly English anymore.

Could be very Aussie (pronounced 'Ozzy').

bc

It belongs to both. The "bodyline" bowling strategy was introduced by England to counter the stronger Australian team in a series played in 1932-3 in Oz.

Thanks for all the support, my imaginary friends. My lead went pretty well (at least everyone *said* I did good without rolling their eyes or laughing). Talk about a humbling and cathartic experience, though. Nothing like airing your dirty laundry in public. It was a little touch and go when I got to the more emotionally challenging parts (hard to speak with a bowling-ball-sized lump in your throat), but I managed to maintain my composure and slog through.

I will say, though, that I do *not* miss having to wear a suit and tie every day. I clean up pretty good, but I still believe neckties come from the same twisted fashionista-masochist mind that came up with the brassiere, tightie-whities and the corset.

I *heart* your last line there martooni.

FYI, the history of ties is that it was Charles 1, or some Louis or other but it dates back to that period who created the darn things, and we keep them now for...?

I got to the Weingarten Chat to late to send in these links, but then again he never responds to anything I send in...

http://www.whatsyourtype.com/images/keyboard_black.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/ClavierLinotype_20041006-163300.jpg

And I still don't understand that chest thumping thing.

That chat just made me realize that the cents key isn't even on the keyboard, one of those things I just have not really contemplated before and odd I also realized I kinda miss the margin release key.

Martooni your last line is funny, my older daughter was agast recently when she discovered her dad owned a few pairs of tightie whities, "Mom I thought for sure her wore boxers or something". We all had quite a laugh about it when I shared the story with him.

CP-I am honored that you would include my garden foibles in your blog. Please post a link. I am leaving for Tampa tomorrow at a most inopportune time garden wise. Too hot to do anything with Chez Frostbitten south except instruct Mr. F on what to do as weather allows. He is lucky to stay ahead of the turf, but seems to have learned how to distinguish daylilies and liriope from weeds. Allowing him to do anything in the yard has taken a lot of heretofore undiscovered good character on my part. A former Mr. F became a "former" in no small part because of an unfortunate deadheading incident.

Martooni-Tell the truth, were you able to get through it by imagining the audience wearing foil thongs. Just sayin'! Congrats.

I recently revealed the existence of my imaginary friends to a retired high school science teacher (so old she taught me). It slipped out that I had been watching SciTim in the "observing room" and I had to say enough that I wouldn't seem even odder than usual. I did exercise good OPSEC though and said as little as possible even avoiding the term Achenblog.

dmd, that's better than having to explain that dad goes commando.

bc

bc, my husband takes great delight in teasing the girls and attempting to embarrass them, I would bet that topic will come up at some point.

Back to editing but here is a link to the garden blog that is one part flowering and round and another part pointy....sort a.

www.minxterbloom.squarespace.com

What is OPSEC?

¢

OPerational SECurity or Open Platform for SECurity

LOL, bc, LOL.

Oops Meant to type Operations security

Okay, I have had enough of this senseless prejudice. I have observed a growing expression of online disgust, the only place people discuss such things, disgust I say, regarding "tighty-whities."

First of all, who are all these women and girls who maintain an opinion on men's undergarments? Underwear is something that is eternally hidden by clothing, or it is in the process of transition to/from the body. I do not parade in my underwear -- why would I want to? I am not a stripper, nor am I a model for underwear catalogs or Men's Health (publications which I maintain are not targeted at women, anyway -- nor, I suspect, based on skimming the photography, are they targeted at men who are especially interested in the fashion evaluation of women, if you get my drift). So, it is no one's business but mine what I should choose to wear beneath my clothing.

Secondly, what is the issue with tighty-whities, anyway? I wear them. I have always worn them. Although I have not always restricted myself to white. They are comfortable and keep everything pretty much where I want it to be. Boxers strike me as completely pointless -- they provide no support or "strain relief", and they put extra fabric down there that can roll up, get bunched, and otherwise annoy me. Wear 'em if you want to, but who are you to question my choice in underwear? Maybe if I had Buzz Lightyear underwear, or SpongeBob, that might be different.

There seems to be some kind of fashion-related nonsense that makes it popular to proclaim that "grown men" wear boxers. Is this because grown men are presumed to be fat slobs who cannot fit within form-fitting underwear? Or is this some idiot attempt by men who fear sexual inadequacy, claiming that one is equipped in equine fashion and thus cannot be successfully contained within the close-fitting confines of puny jockey shorts? I will just say: I do not find this to be a problem. Read this as you will. I say, it is my manifesto: I wear my tighty-whities with pride and anatomical control! Long live modern stretch fabrics! Huzzah!

Very spirited defense of tightie whities SciTim. Think the boxer craze intensified when the young ones decided it looked cool when you had 3 - 5 inches of them showing above your jeans.

I wear boxers over briefs but not under pants, and I never go commando.

Weasel Squeezers is available as a blog handle.

(I am so ashamed. However, I have four brothers. I shall invoke that mitigating shelter.)

Hey, apropos of absolutely nothing and as off-topic as one can possibly be, if anyone can use a manual of "government basics" translated into Vietnamese I have one. It covers things like the two-party system, federal & state l