Walk catch-up

Here's some pics from recent walks I've been tardy at posting.

Who needs Brown County?  There's more than enough color right here in Allen!

First wooly-worm sighting! Lots of brown = light to moderate winter (crosses fingers).

At the end of this road- invisible as usual to my wonderful camera- is our good friend Mr. Fox, who'd been just sitting in the middle of the trail when we blundered along.  He's getting big- probably a head of height on Scrappy!

The leaves are falling in earnest now, and many of the trees in these pictures are half bare or more.

NHFFL-Rangers go down

Before we start, a salute to the late Joe Frazier, a champ when boxing was worth watching.  Bob G. did a great salute to Smokin' Joe on his Tuesday post, and that's good enough for me.  God rest ye, proud warrior.

The Rangers just miss history this week, when both the Baltimore D (2 pts) and Matt Forte let them down and the Aquas claim their rematch 32-29.  A win would have made the Rangers our first ever 9-0 team.  The Aguas got Sunday night TDs from Rashard Mendenhall and Mike Wallace as they come back after blowing  a 20-0 early games lead.  The Greenwoods take the lead in the Purple div.s' last playoff spot chase with a 43-38 win over the Angels with the Elves outscoring them in the two night games 18-11.  Aaron Rodgers had 12 points; unfortunately for the Angels, two of those 4 TD passes went to the Greenwoods' Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings.  And the defending champs are now all but out of it; the KCAs fell to the Beagles 54-30, basically because of the 30 points from three Phillip Rivers-to-Vincent Jackson TDs.

The Gold div.  got a lot clearer this week with both top contenders winning to put 2 games between themselves and the rest of the field.  The Elks walloped Buzz 58-27 led by Willis McGahee's 15 and the two TD passes Rivers threw to the Green Bay D.  The B2s got balanced scoring to hold off the Ducks 34-27, tying the Elks at 6-3.  The Porkchops moved ahead of the pack at 4-5 with a 33-23 win over the Clock BBQs, the second straight week the CBBQs netted just 23 points (but got lucky to win last week).  The 'Chops pulled ahead on Rothlesburger's lone TD, and stretched it out on 8 from the Philly D.



Next week is the last cross-division games, with the Rangers looking to bounce back against the Clock BBQs; The Aguas testing the B2s; The Elks looking to join most everyone else in outscoring the Beagles; KCAs draw the Ducks; Porkchops and Angels hoping to win with others nipping at their heels; and the Greenwoods hoping to hold onto their spot by beating Buzz.

Do's and don'ts, new computer edition

Firsat of all, do take advantage of the help of wonderful and wise brother and sister in-laws.  Saves many headaches and hundreds of dollars.

Do watch and learn when you don't understand. There are more levels to this stuff than put tab A in slot B.

Do not be ashamed of the dust in your computer case.  No matter how bad it is, they've seen worse.

The wireless router will work much better if you plug in the modem.  Also saves money on buying new routers that will also "fail".

Forget to put accesories (example: plug in cords) in to boxes being returned as defective, so that you have a reason to call the returning party home just before you figure out there may well be no problem with the device.

Martin's first rule- if you look up how to do a thing on the internet, and it seems hopelessly complicated, look in three or four other spots- usually you'll find a quicker, easier way that actually accomplishes what you want.

Go take a break!  Go eat Chinese.  Crack up waitress the third time you hear glasses crashing all over by offering to join their football game.  Crack up the whole staff the fourth time by raising your arms and yelling, "Touhcdown!"

If you have multiple passwords to get a thing set up, (example- e-mail, since you've upgraded to Windows 7 and it no longer takes outlook express), Ask the experts which one goes where.

Nobody actually knows how to get the thin, needle-like object used to actually hit the reset.  It's all dumb luck.

If you change one part of a process (example, the outgoing port # on your e-mail, because that's what the old computer is set on), and later on, that process does not work (as in receiving messages works, sending does not), avoid three calls to various 24/7 help lines and say to yourself, "Hmm, perhaps I shouldn't have changed that one part (as in set the port back to default)."

If you are a NON-24/7 helpline, and youtell a customer to call back during normal business hours, do the right thing- take a couple extra seconds and TELL THE CUSTOMER WHAT THE NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS ARE!!!

If you are a 24/7 helpline, and you don't feel qualified enough/interested enough to help with the question, please say so. Do NOT switch on the "wait time is more than ten minutes" recording in hopes customer will give up.  At 10 PM on a Saturday night, you are fooling no one!

And most important, do NOT use sarcasm when you're angry, especially if your partner isn't especially adept at dealing with it when you're not.  Saves the "you got upset over THAT?" moment.

This morning, I listened to Charles Stanley give a message on letting God handle the battle.  Looking back on how many of these issues virtually solved themselves once we stopped trying to solve them, I wish I'd heard it ten minutes before we started setting things up.  An angel made sure the directions to the router were 90% Japanese so we failed to remember to put the power cord back into the box that was being rerturned unnecessarily.  An angel pointed out to us that the modem was running on a failing battery, and that might just be the problem with the router.  An angel helped Scarppy remain uncharacteristically calm and well-behaved despite chaos and growing frustration.  An angel made us forget about Mary and Jack taking dad's old computer just long enough for me to remember that we hadn't set up e-mail.  An angel tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me about the port thing before I had to spend more time- and likely money- on talking to Microsoft "during regular business hours", whatever they may be. Long story short, things bound up when we took them into our own hands, and loosened when we stopped and let ourselves br guided.  I know I have at least occasional readers who will say that "it's all coincidence".  To them I say, "I'm sorry, but I think you give coincidence too much credit."  Coincidence didn't create a universe out of expanding molecu-plasmic glop, and it didn't get this computer set up without wasted money, broken parts, or beaten dogs.  Some things require a loving God.

The great sixties countdown -the home stretch part one

Well, we're down to the top twenty.  Man, I'm gonna miss doing this!  Not to mention there are so many good songs that I just didn't fit in.  But every story has an end and this one is coming. Without further ado, #s 20-11.

20- This Guy's In Love With You, Herb Alpert, Peak position #1.  If you follow Time Machine, you saw the props this song got yesterday.  It was also the first song I (attempted to) dedicated to Laurie, many moons ago.  And the only song Herb sang on.



And for the uninitiated, that was karen and Richard Carpenter with the intro.  The man is smoooooth..

19- Scarborough Fair/Canticle, Simon and Garfunkel, pp #11.  A traditional ballad that may well go back to 1670 or beyond.  Like Hurdy Gurdy man, a Plague song as the herbs were carried to ward of the stench of the dead.  And the wedding song on The Graduate, for thosde old enough to remember.



18- Walk On By, Dionne Warwick, pp #6.  Last week, I talked about my "end of the world" songs.  Tied not by subject matter, but by a certain "feel" I knew no other way to describe.  This is the second-highest charting of those.  The horn in the chorus gives me chills.



17- Magic Town, the Vogues, pp #21.  This was a 45 we had, and maybe my favorite back then.  I can listen to this and feel the grooves it wore into my soul, wishing I too could find that place.



16. Caroline No, Brian Wilson, pp #32.  Did you not expect this one on MY chart?  Yet another, I think the fifth I've had, from Pet Sounds.



15- Last Kiss, J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, pp# 2.  I think this has got to be on everybody's sixties list.  I remember the instant reaction when Pearl Jam covered it years later- you almost stopped in traffic the first time you heard it.



14- Love Child, the Supremes, pp#1.  I think I mentioned on TM once that when I was itty-bitty I thought when they sang "worn, torn" about her dress, I skipped over the dress part and turned it into 'war-torn" and thought it was a Vietnam song. 



13- Wichita Lineman, Glen Campbell, pp# 3.  I love soaring strings, and this song is so evocative of the subject.  "And I need you more than want you/ And I want you for all time..."



12- Rag Doll, the Four Seasons, pp #1.  I go into a near-reverent silence at the first beats of the drum at the beginning.  That first harmony  induces catatonia.



11- Georgy Girl, the Seekers, pp #2.  Could I really get by without another dance with Judith Durham? I think not!



Next week, we step through the veil into the holy of holies- the top ten, on our last installment.  See you then!

Herman Cain Scandal Breaking News

With all the unsubstantiated rumours, innuendos, and obvious attempts by the DNC and Rick Perry to besmirch Herman Cain, I feel I can no longer be silent on the subject.

 20 years ago, I was a woman.  I know, hard to believe, but it's just as true as all the other accusations on the news.  The night I met Herman Cain, he patted me on the butt.  Then he gave me a piece of advice:  "With a butt like that, you should become a man." 

I took that advice and never looked back.  Thank you, Mr. Cain- your grope of my ass changed my life.

Step into my time machine week 80

It's November 4th, 1976.  The American people two days ago sang Song Of The South at the voting booth and elected Jimmy Carter; soon we'd be echoing Anthony Newly's performance on today's Mike Douglas show and singing What Kind Of Fool Am I?  At least, those of us that weren't singing the theme to the Muppet Show, which hit our shores just about a month ago. Today on TM, we'll be combining Where Are They Now with the week's high debut; find a song that was released recorded at the wrong speed; and not only find the connection between the 5th Dimension and Laura Nyro, but between Hall and Oates and Austin Powers!  Let's dive right in...

...with the song that was released accidentally made to play at 39 rpm rather than 45- Styx with Mademoiselle, which debuts this week at 100.  Oddly enough, the b-side, the AOR hit Light Up, was recorded correctly.  How's that for a difference between album and single?  Also coming in this week was the rather obscure Hall and Oates song Do What You Want, Be Who You Are at 96.  Now I kinda remember this (as I do many more obscure H&O songs), but the boys quickly learned that perhaps they should avoid using the BJ Thomas school of abnormally long titles after this.  Car Wash by Rose Royce also debuted this week at 94.  Now read that number dyslexically and you'll see our high debut hits all the way up at #49, which happens to be the magic number for the Where Are They Now segment of our show.  That song would be Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word by Elton John


Now we all know that Sir Elton is as busy as anyone in the biz, so I'm just going to leaf through a few highlights.  (and no, I'm not posting the "duck picture" again.)  You Grammy-addicted kiddies know he sang three duets with Lady Gaga on the 52nd award show, including his masterpiece Your Song.  He also was the entertainment at a surprising gala event last summer- Rush Limbaugh's wedding, which supposedly paid a cool million.  Only eleven days later, I saluted him for playing a concert in Israel that Elvis Costello and his little sheeple dropped out of because of Israel's treatment of the poor little Palestinians who were doing nothing but minding their own business and killing innocent people with rockets.    In September of last year he released an album collaboration with Leon Russell called The Union.  This became the highest charting album that Elton had had since Blue Moves (which is, ironically, the lp that Sorry came off of).  I listened last night to a cut from that album featuring Neil Young called Gone To Shiloh.  If you like historical-themed songs (think The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down), this was a fantastic tune, and you should youtube it.  Sir Elton just opened his Million Dollar Piano show in Vegas in September, and on October 8th, played his 3,000th concert.

And congrats to the four 35th birthday songs!  We do have two other birthday songs this week- Three Dog Night's Old Fashioned Love Song turns 40, and Simon and Garfunkel's Hazy Shade Of Winter turns 45 this week.  Blow out the candles...

For once, I have a "top songs of other years" segment where I even like the 1990's entrant!  The years we're up to this week are the 9s, and in 1999 the top song was Smooth by Santana and Rob Thomas from Matchbox 20.  It was near the beginning of its 12-week reign at the top.  1989 featured Tears For Fears at the top with Sowing the Seeds Of Love, and one can't go wrong with TFF.  1979's #1 this week was Herb Alpert's comeback hit Rise, which made him the first act to have a #1 instrumental AND a #1 vocal (1968's This Guy's In Love With You, which was also his LAST hit before Rise). 1969's top dog this week was the 5th Dimension's Wedding Bell Blues, which was written by Laura Nyro- who had also penned their last big hit, Stoned Soul Picnic.  Another song had been released, but was faring piddlingly when djs around the country began playing Wedding Bell Blues, forcing the record company to release it.  Did no one ever think to hire djs as A&R men?  We might have heard a lot more great songs on the radio that way.  Finally, this week in 1959 saw Bobby Darrin and Mack The Knife stroll off after a seven week stint at the top.

Oh, before I forget, the big mover was Hot Line, jumping 28 notches to 60 this week; the big dropper was You Never Find Another Love Like Mine, falling 15 to #67.

Coming into the top 40 this week were three songs.  At 35, a nine notch climb was my unknowing love, Yvonne Elliman, with the Barry Gibb-written Love Me.  Englebert Humperdink jumps 16 to #34 with After The Loving.  And up 10 to #32, speaking of the 5D, is Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis with You Don't Have To Be A Star.  And an almost but not quite shoutout this week to m'man Barry Manilow, whose title cut to This One's For You, slips from its peak at 21 last week to 23 this week.  "This one'll never sell, they'll never understand..."

That reminds me of how this was one of music's last big periods for me.  I had so many favorites climbing the charts right now- Nadia's Theme was at 16, The Rubberband Man at 18, I Never Cry at 24, Stand Tall at 29, Nights Are Forever Without You at 31, Livin' Thing at 54.  And a couple more up ahead, one of them the Bee Gees' Love So Right at 11.  After The Loving reminds me of how the chill was coming into the air, and Wham Bam Shang A Lang ending its top 40 run reminds me that the warm days were already gone.  Another year was dying and you couldn't save it- except through memories, like Time Machine.

2 songs come into the top 10, two go out. Falling were A Fifth Of Beethoven, from 5 to 19, and Magic Man, from 7 to 17.

The first top ten debut this week is ABBA with Fernando, up one to the leadoff spot.  Funny, because I had looked to see what was #1 in Australia this week and found a song I didn't know by Bryan Ferry- the only two weeks breaking up a 24 week run by ABBA with Dancing Queen and Money Money Money.  Up one to #9 is Kiss' Beth. Coming storming into the top ten at #8, up from 14, is Boston with More Than A Feeling.  Blue Oyster Cult edges up 1 to #7 with Don't Fear The Reaper.  Which brings us to #6 (and holding) and our six degrees victim.

She's Gone by Hall and Oates, as regular readers know was on its second life on the charts (hence its seat in the grandpa chair this week with 27 weeks on the chart), having reached #60 two years before, and being re-released after not only the success of Sara Smile, but that of Tavares' version of She's Gone, which hit #1 R&B earlier in the year.  Again, you regulars know that the song was off the great album Abandoned Luncheonette.  What you don't know, perhaps, was that the horn and string arrainger on this disc was a name you've heard before in this very segment- record exec and multi-talent Arif Mardin.  Mardin got his big break when he performed for Quincy Jones and Dizzy Gillespie during a tour in 1956, which had won him a Quincy Jones Scholarship to the Berklee School Of Music.  Here we veer off to see where Quincy himself was just starting, and he got a break in 1964 when he scored a critically acclaimed movie called The Pawnbroker (which starred Rod Steiger and included Morgan Freeman's first - uncredited- movie role).  For this movie he came up with, among other tunes, Soul Bossa Nova-  which you know better nowadays as the Austin Powers theme.

Back at the countdown, Muskrat Love jumps a surprising 4 to #5.  Former top dog If You Leave Me Now by Chicago falls 2 to #4. The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald washes ashore (yeah, I got a million of 'em) at #3 for Gordon Lightfoot, up 1.  The Disco Duck dances down out of the top spot to #2 this week, which means we have a new top dog-

Steve Miller with Rock'n Me!!!

Don't forget tomorrow is the penultimate edition of the Great Sixties Countdown, and be back here next time!

nhffl- purple gets clearer, gold gets muddier

The second week of second time through the division, and this week three teams managed a series sweep.  The Beagles just needed one Phillip Rivers TD to tie the unbeaten Rangers, two to win.  Rivers got Scrappy a two point conversion, and the Rangers stay unbeaten with their second straight one-point win, 28-27.  The Aguas did not keep pace against the Greenwoods; in fact, they very nearly saw their previous win reversed, losing 51-34.  Joke of this is, the 'woods got 51 points on a week when ALL FOUR WRs were on the bye, as well as deadweight RB Ryan Grant! Ray Rice (18), Matt Stafford (12), and Billy Cundiff (also 12)  made up for them.  Calvin Johnson got his third 9-pointer in 4 weeks for the Aguas, after starting the year with 4 straight 2-TD games.  The KCAs also reversed things against the Angels, winning must-win game #1 40-37.  The White Elephants had to hang on through a furious 18-point rally in the last two games after parleying 2 Steven Jackson TDs and a 15-point day for the Bengal D into a 40-19 lead.

The Gold Division games did nothing to sort the playoff picture, as they left all 6 teams within 2 games of the lead with 4 to go.  Both the Clock BBQs and the Elks completed sweeps of their opponants, though.  The Elks followed up an earlier 71-52 win over the Porkchops with a 44-27 win this time around. Three recent pickups- Scott Chandler, Victor Cruz, and (subbing for teammate Jahvid Best) Maurice Morris, all scored their first points as Elks, Chandler actually scoring twice.  The CBBQs eked out a 23-19 win over last week's division leader B2s, led by the first score they got out of Mario Manningham in 7 weeks.  And finally, Buzz got revenge on the State Ducks- last time, they scored 40 and lost, this tim they score 42 and win, 42-27.  The Cam Newton/Adrian Peterson combo have scored 15, 9, 15, 33, 12, 15, and this week 21 points since Newton replaced Sam Bradford as the Buzz starter.



Next week, the KCAs must-win tour continues against the Beagles; the Angels can get a BIG leg up on the third and final playoff spot in the Purple Division by completing a sweep of the Greenwoods;ter is a bit dimmer than last time, Rangers/Aguas II are up this week; the Clock BBQs must-win tour continues against the Porkchops; the B2s try to come closer to a division title against the Ducks; and the Elks do likewise against Buzz.