tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145061592009-11-07T20:15:12.288-05:00A Medieval Court Jester's Guide To ThomfooleryThe Foolnoreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-41578012056776901962009-10-15T23:07:00.004-04:002009-10-16T09:27:34.840-04:00

No, this isn't an episode of Stargate SG-1 although it's just as exciting and just as bizarre. This is CERN's new super duper pooper scooper...The Hadron Super Collider. The New York Times had an excellent article about it here but it's basic premise is that this huge particle accelerator may yield some of the biggest scientific discoveries about the universe we've ever seen. It may also portend

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-1457776492688495652009-09-07T22:28:00.002-04:002009-09-07T22:35:59.365-04:00

I'd originally planned to grab a couple of tools in the garage. On my way I noticed how dark and forbidding the sky was getting as a sizable thunderstorm rolled in. I looked up and there was one of my sunflowers, looking past it's prime and a little shopworn. It's the end of summer and nearly the end of it's life. It's like it knows. It is waiting for the end. The end of the day, of the summer.

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-57905559504044668232009-08-07T22:11:00.006-04:002009-08-08T23:25:25.411-04:00

Those who know me already know that I'm many things. I'm a SAG actor, tennis player and part time writer. Tonight I had the pleasure of indulging in a guilty pleasure... reruns of the 1960's TV show I Spy with Robert Culp and Bill Cosby. In 1965 these two guys were the epitome of cool. They oozed it from every pore. And when I think back about all the things that interest me they all begin and

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-87588442963500564732009-07-18T23:00:00.003-04:002009-07-18T23:10:48.873-04:00

It's hard to believe that you've been gone for two years old buddy. Your water dish is still here in the dining room. You know, just in case you get thirsty. Part of the lilac tree that gave you shade broke off during last year's windstorm but it's growing back quickly. That shady spot where you used to watch the world go by is still there if you want to visit. And I rebuilt the back porch so

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-67024533343778861882009-07-18T21:10:00.003-04:002009-07-18T21:44:49.998-04:00

This may come as a shock to those who know me as an ardent aficionado of Jaguar motorcars but long ago I was just as taken by Alfa Romeos. I once owned a 1968 Alfa Coupe which accompanied me through some of the happiest years of my life. You just can't understand the euphoria that an Alfa, a Pioneer car stereo and The Electric Light Orchestra can bring to a young man's life. I wrote about that

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-91946423338173585142009-06-11T08:03:00.003-04:002009-06-11T08:08:48.074-04:00

The peonies are mine, the verse is by Shakespeare...O, and I, forsooth, in love! I, that have been love's whip,A critic, nay, a night-watch constable,Than whom no mortal so magnificent!This wimpled, whining, purblind, wayward boy,This senior-junior, giant-dwarf, Don Cupid,Regent of love-rhymes, lord of folded arms,Th' anointed sovereign of sighs and groans,Dread prince of plackets, king of

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-91195876204719235352009-04-18T10:40:00.008-04:002009-04-20T01:42:08.166-04:00

In New York City there is a very special ship, an aircraft carrier, that is tied up to the docks on the Hudson. My very life was made possible because a fellow who served on this ship made decisions which delivered him safely out of harm's way. That fellow was my father and he served on the Intrepid through the fierce blitz of kamikaze attacks during World War II. They called it The War In

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-52614014771238521712009-02-08T22:08:00.003-05:002009-02-08T22:15:21.716-05:00

We do discriminate against them, right? If I have a co-worker that makes the same salary as I do I'll notice that they pay less in taxes because they have kids. Additionally, they will receive social services that I won't receive. Their kids will also take care of them when they're old wheras I will have nothing. In other words, the government is subsidizing them with my tax dollars to construct

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-67893909882464557922008-11-17T16:58:00.004-05:002008-11-17T17:04:09.459-05:00

Have you noticed how while doing this internet discourse that when two dissenting opinions converge the presumptive victor will unveil their haymaker with the word "Um"?"Um, I hate to tell you this pal but you flush the toilet AFTER you pee-pee." Or words to that effect. The word "Um" presumes to telegraph something that every dolt on the planet knows...except the guy you're arguing with of

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-9192502607391546402008-10-28T08:02:00.006-04:002008-10-28T11:48:36.287-04:00

We wouldn't see this on late night talk shows these days with the tendency to steer everything toward "cool" or the prized commodity of edginess. The late night hosts these days will only allow the guest to be mildly serious for a moment only to get back onto the track of FUNNY ALL THE TIME! as soon as possible. That's why I loved Johnny Carson. Like a great dancer he'd allow the guest to lead us

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-89210359744037165482008-10-20T19:37:00.003-04:002008-10-20T20:11:43.698-04:00

The Return of the Deadly Mantis! My new best friend is a praying mantis that I rescued from my back porch. I saw him sitting there right under the kitchen door step. I picked him up and put him on the nearby rose bush in the hope that he'd find something to eat or at least make a loooooooove connection. I came back an hour later to find him right in my path again. I thought that maybe I should

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-4189106394258415182008-09-24T19:21:00.003-04:002008-09-24T19:34:31.738-04:00

This guy was a surprise, a late bloom that stupefied me yesterday morning. I don't know why this one took so long to come to fruition but I was glad to see it. I had been feeling a little morose lately due to the demise of my sunflower forest. They'd had their time and while they once soared to great heights I can now feel that their time is past and a seasonal change is almost upon us. This one

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-5105839101722489252008-08-30T23:10:00.004-04:002008-08-30T23:22:24.223-04:00

Once again I find myself barely able to contain my dread and to say that I tread softly around these beasts would be an understatement. Many are over ten feet tall with seed heads 9-10 inches across. It was in the first week of June that I planted them along the walkway in my backyard. Three months and many gallons of water later I find that my mutant army is ready. Ready to maim. Ready to kill.

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-41919715803623793542008-07-27T22:51:00.003-04:002008-12-11T12:25:24.485-05:00

Six years ago today you walked out the door and didn't come home. I had to go to Monterey to fetch your car the next day. You passed away in a spirit of joy but I never got to say goodbye. My only solace is that you were smiling, beaming at me as you drove away. So much has happened since you left but one thing always crosses my mind when I watch TV...you'd have loved watching golf on HDTV.

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-19721928040996865312008-07-25T20:16:00.003-04:002008-12-11T12:25:24.951-05:00

On PBS this evening there was a program that sort of defies description. I guess one could call it a kind of travelogue where music is scored around beautiful aerial shots of the United States. It was called Tim Janis: Coastal America. I'd seen this program before but not like tonight's broadcast in high definition. The episode devoted to Big Sur was magnificent and inspiring. Fifteen year old

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-84154462971799035502008-07-15T06:59:00.004-04:002008-12-11T12:25:25.224-05:00

Has it been that long since I've been able to run my hands through your fur? Or to rub your ears? Where has the time gone? Are you still here? Did you notice how I keep your water dish full in case you come home? This is still your home.

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-54636026796801730402008-06-07T11:13:00.004-04:002008-12-11T12:25:25.414-05:00

"You talked to who? Jerry?" "Oh my God" I exclaimed. I haven't talked to Jerry since my junior year in high school in 1972. But here was my old friend telling me he'd just re-established contact with our one-time classmate. "And you did just happen to get an e-mail address, right?" I asked. My friend replied in the affirmative and within seconds I too had the info. This would be fun. I always

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-22745282536015178792008-04-10T17:37:00.002-04:002008-12-11T12:25:25.600-05:00

A certain tree I know is counting it's blessings as we speak. This one for instance. He had the misfortune of planting his roots too close to some brickwork on my property. In a year's time the roots would have destroyed the foundation of the brick wall so I knew the young tree had to go. But rather than just cut it out at the roots I decided to transplant this sapling into a spot where it

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-10730129011341987612008-01-29T17:34:00.000-05:002008-12-11T12:25:25.815-05:00

Advent. The irony is delicious. Advent is the name of the computer speakers that I use on my upstairs desktop computer. They're quite up to the task of handling my music with nice highs and midrange and a modest if serviceable low end. The original Advent loudspeaker was introduced in the early 1970's to compete with Acoustic Research, specifically the AR-3a which had a stranglehold on the

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-20777258254240865662007-12-15T21:11:00.000-05:002008-12-11T12:25:26.070-05:00

I spent yesterday watching an old movie. The day was rainy and dreary, perfect for screening one of my favorite movies of all time...Chariots of Fire. I'll let Wikipedia tell you the story of the film HERE. I'd planned on getting a few things done around town that day, one of which was returning some materials to the local public library. Upon entering I found it quiet and slow which I half

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-18559854316183486502007-12-06T10:50:00.000-05:002008-12-11T12:25:26.734-05:00

I stopped cleaning the right-side rear window in November of 2005. Maybe something in me started to horde what remained left of our life together, maybe I just got lazy. It was in that November that I took Jackson to Schiller Park for a romp with all the other dogs. It was chilly and overcast, typical for this time of year but Jackson looked handsome as he posed in

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-366224280895468612007-10-30T17:42:00.000-04:002008-12-11T12:25:26.987-05:00

My local ABC affiliate here has begun broadcasting reruns of the original Star Trek series from 1966-1969 much to my pleasure. While not a "Trekie" in the formal sense I do consider myself a bit of a sci-fi aficionado. But there's a problem in Star Trek World and it goes to the core of our essence, values and character. It involves the doctoring of history and the replacement of our most

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-36157100316356479692007-10-12T16:44:00.000-04:002008-12-11T12:25:27.377-05:00

One thing I look forward to during autumn is the return of the praying mantis. I always see a few this time of year and I can't help but stop and marvel at them every time one catches my eye. The first one I saw this year was in the vicinity of my garage door. I needed to open the side door to enter the garage but I could see that he/she was very near the doorjam so I had to be careful so I

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-105971178813032252007-08-12T00:40:00.001-04:002008-12-11T12:25:27.876-05:00

They stand like Titans, looming over all in their domain who dare to venture near. Some of them tower a full nine feet high and if one is foolish enough to get too close they will find themselves doomed as their vast powers become apparent much too late for redemption. I found them at my local Kroger, a product of an entity called The American Seed Company. On the front of the packet of seeds it

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14506159.post-44136962602078287202007-07-17T19:01:00.000-04:002008-12-11T12:25:28.848-05:00

It never happens according to schedule or when you think it should be convenient. And in Jackson's case this couldn't be truer. I mean, one tries to make arrangements for the inevitable but somehow, someway, the wheels come off. Death is never easy for some reason and it always confounds our plans even though we know it's coming. I had run into Jackson in January of 1999 when my then girlfriend

The Foolnoreply@blogger.com14