Author: DOuG pRATt

A ‘Cul de Sac’ in Hill Valley

Maybe you’ve heard that Marty McFly is auctioning replicas of his famous back-to-the-futuristic Nike sneakers, to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Another fundraiser for the MJ Fox Foundation is Team Cul De Sac, named after the delightfully fanciful comic strip by Richard Thompson, who has Parkinson’s. A book is in the works, full of contributions from many different artists, including a painting by Bill Watterson, of the Cul de Sac character Petey.

When the book is published, the original art will be auctioned. Here’s a video preview.

Five years

I haven’t written anything for a week, which is a rather sorry lead-in to today, being five years since I started this weblog. Five years was the time between the Beatles coming to America and the Let It Be rooftop concert. This past week I’ve been reading and running and thinking and ripping CD’s in WMA lossless format, to be played on the super-sounding Logitech Touch. This screenshot is from the free Windows application that works with the free Logitech music server software.

Here’s a photo Rolling Stone magazine posted that really knocks me out, man.

There’s George Harrison, in his Beatle suit, September 1963 (possibly early October), at the height of Beatlemania in England, but he was in New York, unknown and anonymous! I wonder if anybody who saw George that day at the Empire State Building recognized him 4-5 months later when the Beatles arrived in New York?

Irene and the blustery day

I’m self-deploying myself as an emergency response team, and I just completed a check of the perimeter. A lot of leaves and small branches are down, but knowing that Hurricane Irene hasn’t reached NYC yet, and watching the trees blowing here, hundreds of miles north, I can see the possibility of catastrophe in the making. I’ll consider us lucky if we only lose power and Internet access.

Update: It’s almost 3 in the afternoon and I think we may be through the worst of it. The rain has let up and the wind is dying down. There are lots of branches in the yard and I went outside to collect the biggest of them.

Obama to be deported to Kenya!

Here in Massachusetts, Obama was arrested for drunk driving and he’ll be deported to Kenya. It’s true! The story is at this link.

[Officer] Krishtal said he was on Waverly Street headed toward South Street when his police car was cut off. Krishtal pulled the SUV over around 7:10 p.m. Obama failed several field sobriety tests and was arrested. At the police station, Obama failed a Breathalyzer test, registering .14. The state legal limit is .08. Obama was charged with driving under the influence of liquor and driving to endanger. He was also cited for not using a turn signal. Obama has a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement warrant for his arrest. ICE has previously ordered him to be deported back to Kenya.

Well, there you have it. The truth about Obama. Onyango Obama. He’s a drunk from Kenya, here illegally, and so back he goes.

Update: The other shoe has dropped on this story. Onyango Obama is reported to be the half-brother of President Obama’s father.

Say Goodnight, Irene

Hurricane Irene promises to cause us a lot of trouble here. I’ve been trying to line up some roof repairs and tree removal, and after this weekend it will probably be months before I can get the work done, because contractors will be busy dealing with the storm’s aftermath. I just hope a tree doesn’t come down on the house.

I have a summer tradition of taking Eric to a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park, and I have tickets for Sunday afternoon’s game, but because of the storm it’s been moved to 5 tomorrow. With any luck it will be over before Irene arrives.

Update: It’s Saturday, there’s a rain delay for the first game of the day, and from the way it’s coming down I’d be surprised if the second game is played. Even if it is held, I don’t know if I’m going to risk driving to Boston.

Update: I went outside to make sure the storm drain was clear, and there’s no way I’m driving into Boston, because there’s no doubt that Irene is here. I’m listening to the radio to see what Major League Baseball is going to do. If they say play ball, then I’m out 250 bucks.