tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:48:03 +0000http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/blogger.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)Blogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-4196886708976853712Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:41:00 +00002008-07-08T13:48:03.908-05:00SkiddooRingtonesTurkey in the StrawAll right, for many years I've wanted to add music files to my website, from my collection of musical arcana. Trouble is, I never had an easy setup to burn from records, and now that I do, my turntable went bust--and speaking of putting things off, I've been meaning to replace it with my "last turntable" for 20 years now. And what's the use of posting mp3 files that someone else has already http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2008/07/ringtone-alivio.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-9163830425717069416Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:42:00 +00002008-06-09T09:00:33.974-05:00moviesanimationCartoons"kung fu panda"Took the boy the the movies for the first time in months, and we went to see Kung Fu Panda.I can admit to liking it much more than any previous animated product from Dreamworks. The Cartoon Brew blog invited comments from those who saw it (SPOILER ALERTS!), and I posted mine. Here they are, too, because why am I filling up other people's web pages while neglecting my blog for months at a time:http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2008/06/ranting-raving-kung-fu-panda.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-6812844934880292229Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:20:00 +00002008-03-31T12:26:12.297-05:00We've been busy bringing one of these into our lives: http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2008/03/sorry-for-delay.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-4441869365441081495Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:02:00 +00002007-12-21T10:13:00.809-06:00This American LifeworstFool's ParadiseSound OpinionsRhino RecordsmusicWFMUChristmasRather than another rant about the general awfulness of selection on radio stations that go "all Christmas songs" before Halloween, let's check out some links to favorite aural treats:"Sound Opinions," NPR's rock'n'roll talk show, is scheduled for a visit from DJ Andy Cizran, who each year presents a collection of found vinyl Christmas oddities. The show airs Friday, Dec. 21, and a podcast shouldhttp://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2007/12/few-of-my-favorite-holiday-sounds.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1871051838509708670Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:29:00 +00002008-03-31T14:14:25.899-05:00batmobileGeorge BarrisWe visited here to help relatives with the antique fair on Sept. 29. Of course, there's only one thing I really wanted to see: Volo Auto Museumhttp://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2007/10/quick-photos-volo-auto-museum.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-4478477620762324639Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:22:00 +00002007-10-16T14:50:18.327-05:00crosswordsTVgame showsSurprise and disappointment this past weekend, as Barb and I got someone to watch the boy Saturday while we headed into Downtown to audition for "Merv Griffin's Crosswords." Yep, another game show, the last one developed by the Mervster.I had spotted an ad in the Tribune's TV page inviting aspiring contestants to call or go online to get one's name in the hopper. Well, I'm a big aspirer. I http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2007/10/crossed-out.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-8574329435057753863Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:51:00 +00002007-08-02T11:41:41.285-05:00pork queenPopcornclass reunionGalvaSchallerI started this blog with a post from my 25th high school reunion back in 2002. So I went back last month for my 30th.Schaller, Iowa is in a typical rural area where female 4-H members still aspire to be named Pork Queen at the county fair each summer. Yet each year it becomes more of a promotional thing as family farms are swallowed up by giant hog raising factories. The various county pork http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2007/08/another-class-reunion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-8609691804676205766Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:31:00 +00002007-08-02T10:46:11.139-05:00cicada(A quick catch-up) What was more amazing about the cicadas than their appearance was how fast they disappeared. A few news stories about the mess their dead bodies were leaving behind, and then—gone. Guess those birds and other bug-eating critters did a very efficient job, not to mention the fact that dead insects dry out pretty quickly. Many of 'em probably just disintegrated. Interestingly, http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2007/08/cicadas-r-gone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-4007775379086189992Mon, 11 Jun 2007 20:24:00 +00002008-06-02T15:18:26.770-05:00cicada As of this week, the li'l bugs are swarming. This is some video (actually audio) taken during lunchtime from work.At home, we don't have as many, but we have lots more fat, happy birds. In nearby Homewood, where Dixie Highway has several trees planted along its downtown stretch, the constant traffic apparently keeps the birds, so the bugs are swarming like sparks at a campfire. In our area,http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2007/06/cicada-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-6924873994967780112Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:33:00 +00002007-04-25T12:46:05.613-05:00stampsHumphreyvice presidentpresidentRanting about Star Wars stamps as I did below made me think about the topic of who has and who hasn't been honored on a U.S. Postage Stamp. What group of people is guaranteed to be placed on a stamp? Only deceased U.S. Presidents. Gerald Ford gets one in July. Clinton, Carter and the Bushes each get one after their time on Earth is done. It's tradition, so no kvelling about the appropriateness ofhttp://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2007/04/not-stampworthy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-628117063019735339Mon, 02 Apr 2007 16:03:00 +00002008-07-08T11:18:18.901-05:00Classic RockWhat I learned TodayDavid BowieDavid EssexThis comes from the fine radio show "Mint," which, regrettably, is being pulled from the BBC 6 schedule: Herbie Flowers is someone you've heard, if you've heard classic rock at all. He's a session bass player who started out playing tuba on cruise ship bands in the early 60's, and began to pick up the jazz bass. During a stopover in New York he discovers the new trend of electric jazz, and startshttp://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2007/04/what-i-learned-today-2-herbie-flowers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-1164128852432778608Fri, 30 Mar 2007 17:05:00 +00002008-06-02T15:20:04.951-05:00stampsastronautsStar WarsBefore I was a comics, Star Trek and beer geek, I was a stamp collector. So I still keep up with new issues and buy cool ones to address my mail. And I know some of the rules about who can be honored on a stamp.The primary rule has been that no living person is honored on a US stamp. Traditionally, they waited until someone had been dead for ten years before putting out a stamp, except for U.S. http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2007/03/i-vote-for-old-vader.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-9201593221035314544Thu, 22 Mar 2007 17:19:00 +00002008-06-02T15:57:08.812-05:00Chicagopolice brutalitybarsJohnny CashClick here, while the link is active, for the raw footage of the overserved Chicago cop beating up a bartender:http://video.nbc5.com/player/?id=83968(c) 2007, WMAQ. All rights reserved.Without the voiceover of a news reader narrating the story, we find out that the beating ends just as the jukebox finishes playing Johnny Cash' "Sunday Morning Coming Down."Somehow eerily appropriate. http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2007/03/check-out-this-video-on-nbc5com.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-5412929712493628641Wed, 21 Mar 2007 18:59:00 +00002007-03-21T14:07:54.240-05:00malwaredevilinternetIf I have dreams all the time, like some say, I don't remember 99% of them. But last night was the exception. I dreamed I was surfing the Web and I stumbled upon a new web site. It started installing software that kept asking me for personal information. My address, my Soc., my phone number, passwords, names of my family, all that. Somehow I realized this was the Devil's personal web address, andhttp://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2007/03/strange-dreams.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-6827169683451809305Thu, 22 Feb 2007 19:13:00 +00002007-02-22T14:18:53.787-06:00LoulieSpike JonesVampiraWhat I learned TodayI want to try and start a little feature that I may be able to update more often than I am now (my Super Bowl rant is still coming, trust me). In the course of wandering the internet, I pick up lots of halfway interesting facts. Some are answers to questions that have been in the back of my mind for years. I call this What I Learned Today Back in 1959, the inestimable Spike Jones produced an http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2007/02/what-i-learned-today-1-loulie-jean.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-115774132685187955Fri, 08 Sep 2006 18:43:00 +00002007-01-25T10:17:00.407-06:00cancer colonor; Up Mine!Okay, this is the kind of information may save your life, etc., but when it first happens to you, it's a bit unsettling.I have suspected my doctor just likes to order tests and push pills on me for every least little thing. Yes, I am carrying about 100 lbs. more than I should, and I'm flirting with diabetes and a heart condition, but it seems that every time I see him, I have to add http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2006/09/my-first-cancer-scare.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-115746184703434863Tue, 05 Sep 2006 13:02:00 +00002006-09-05T08:37:51.786-05:00Considering we only caught the last half hour of the MDA telethon, why do I want to comment on it? Especially, why am I pushing off other posts I wanted to write in order to do this? Partly, I guess, because of the great comments on the telethon that Mark Evanier provides. My comment is that what with Jerry having mellowed out considerably in his autumn years, there's one thing that consistently http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2006/09/love-network.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-115638558739783836Thu, 24 Aug 2006 01:55:00 +00002006-08-23T21:37:23.193-05:00Catchup time. Should have written this a month back because I actually have a Mickey Spillane story. Rather, it's a story that Spillane told a lot, but it hasn't had much currency on the web yet. So here it is. I saw Spillane at the 1995 Chicago Comics Convention (or as it's now known, WizardWorld Chicago. What was he doing at a comics convention? Well, it's well documented that Spillane got his http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2006/08/i-spell-my-name-danger.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-115272149967988512Wed, 12 Jul 2006 15:18:00 +00002007-04-17T22:03:28.392-05:00Star WarsYes, I do understand the rules of blogging. You've got to keep posting fresh stuff every day or so. Then people will come to read, then maybe they'll click the ad links. Maybe when we move to a new house I can find the time.But now, I must finally make time to post this bit of personal news: I've been published! Yes, I not only play a writer on the blogosphere, but I do it in real life! And http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2006/07/published-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-114977154112111444Thu, 08 Jun 2006 12:20:00 +00002008-06-02T15:22:14.298-05:00PopeyeBest news I could get on my birthday yesterday was the announcement that all parties concerned have finally reached an accord that will allow the complete library of classic Popeye cartoons to come out on home video, starting sometime next year. Be it known that except for a few shorts which slipped into the public domain, there has never been a legitimate home video release of the Popeye shortshttp://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2006/06/sailorman-returns.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-113934317962626188Tue, 07 Feb 2006 19:55:00 +00002006-02-07T14:15:31.330-06:00This came from a thread on cartoonist Scott Shaw!s excellent Oddball Comics forum. I'm turning it into an e-mailable post. If this comes back to your in-box a year later, I'm to blame.So, which writer was most concerned about his reputation after his death? Charles Dickens? Walt Whitman? Mark Twain? Ernest Hemingway? or Bob Kane? Now, to be fair, some of the authors' simple markers are next to http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2006/02/in-death-i-leave-my-resume.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-113889872841839578Thu, 02 Feb 2006 16:39:00 +00002006-02-02T13:58:11.816-06:00Today, over one thousand morning jocks will be playing drop-ins of dialogue from the movie Groundhog Day. Five hundred of them will play the same piece of dialog over and over after every song or commercial. We get it. The movie was about a guy forced to live the same day over and over. It's already been thought of. So come up with something new. And replaying your entire show the day after http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2006/02/attention-radio-djs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-113656024607713524Fri, 06 Jan 2006 14:30:00 +00002006-01-06T09:10:46.086-06:00Wednesday morning at work, all three newspapers sold in our dining room -- the  Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times, and USAToday—had the story that the 13 miners trapped in the West Virginia coal mine had been rescued. I saw these after driving to work, hearing that there had in fact only been one survivor.I thought at the time that these were, after all, the suburban editions, which had to be printedhttp://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2006/01/headlines-after-deadlines.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-113440899728325272Mon, 12 Dec 2005 15:21:00 +00002005-12-13T09:51:08.966-06:00Richard Pryor is on an odd personal list of performers whom I like or admire, but I don't possess a single copy of their work. There are many reasons why I haven't bought a Pryor album. At first, it was because I just didn't enjoy hearing the kind of language he used on his routine (that's, there's little prude hidden beneath my Rabelaisian exterior). Then, when I was in college and playing http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2005/12/but-mr-pryor-doesnt-know-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3091512.post-113413789355391094Fri, 09 Dec 2005 14:10:00 +00002005-12-09T09:52:12.546-06:00Those reading this blog in the far distant future on Archive.org may remember Chicago's Rush Hour Blizzard of 2005. Planes sliding off the runway, snarl-ups all over the place. I found myself trying to get from Downers Grove to Park Forest during the worst of it.I had already needed to stop off for an oil change along the way, so I finished that while still on Ogden Avenue in Downers (Click the http://mcdermot3.home.mindspring.com/blog/2005/12/set-sail-that-day-for-five-hour-tour.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (M McDermott)