cryptique

Wayne Thiebaud rules. More on Thiebaud:

I think the song's length was inspired by how long it takes to get through one of Jane Smiley's books. Which is to say, about four times longer than the average book. I've met Jane Smiley and I like her personally (and even a few of her works), but I'm not sure I can ever forgive her for the several hours I could have spent in far more enjoyable ways than slogging through The Greenlanders.

I have no big problem with those. They're a little ... brash. But I like where they were going with the design, even if they didn't quite end up with the optimal result. And seriously, what does Oregon know about hideous? They did this:

Earlier in the second half we were still on our way back to Ann Arbor from the west, driving in sunshine and wondering what the hell the radio commentators were talking about. When that particularly violent storm blew through we sat in our living room and watched out our picture window as the huge trees across the street strained to remain upright in the heavy winds. It was pretty terrifying, actually. We live a mile west of the stadium, so I'm sure they were getting the same winds over there.

Maybe if she'd moved it to Kentucky...

Someone looked like a nincompoop, but it wasn't Jules.

You see stink bombs, I see comedy gold.

Well now ... I will "fess up" that I enjoy a Billy Bragg show more than a Wilco show. Crazy, I know -- just a guy with a guitar and a heavy accent -- but seeing Bragg in a small venue (e.g., The Ark here in Ann Arbor) is way more fun for me than seeing Wilco in any venue they play these days, no matter how good my seats are (and I'm usually down front). I still make a point of going to see Bragg any time he plays nearby, but (more fessing up) I have skipped about half of the Wilco shows that have taken place within a hundred miles of me over the past decade. I've been a Bragg fan since the m

I understand it ... but as it applies to Wilco, that ship has long since sailed.

No S.E. Michigan date. Hardly surprising, given how many people showed up to their last one, but still...

I'm in for Ann Arbor. I saw the HTH lineup in '93 (and Louris/Olson in '09), but I haven't seen this lineup.

My high school girlfriend was huge into him, so when he came through town on the tour for that album (1985?) I got tickets. It was a far better show than I had expected.

I've heard "Time Spent in Los Angeles" on a local radio station every so often, but last night they played "Coming Back To A Man." Glad to hear them getting any airplay at all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOAJn8h6VAI

The television car incident was absolutely shameful. Despicable. One wonders whether charges could be brought against the driver, who apparently disobeyed instructions from the tour director prior to the crash. Hoogerland's legs were mincemeat. Here's a photo (it's pretty rough, so I figured a link was better than just posting it here).

This. Credit unions rule. If you're not happy at your credit union, find another credit union.

Nobody buys music any more.

With all the crashes yesterday, it's amazing that no one aside from Brajkovic was forced to abandon. (Christophe Kern bowed out, but not due to a crash.)

I think I heard Contador's name mentioned exactly once during today's stage. Very odd.

I'm quite pleased with my Canon PowerShot S90. It's a point-and-shoot, but also offers full manual control for people who are photographically inclined. My only complaints: -- No optical viewfinder (this is becoming a rare luxury on inexpensive cameras) -- Video is not HD and you can't zoom while taking video -- It's a little slow Of those, only the lack of viewfinder has ever truly bothered me. Battery life is surprisingly good, image quality is good, the optical zoom goes up to ... I think 5.3x? ... but the digital zoom results in unexpectedly clear photos in most circumstances, a

And so it begins...

I'll be watching. After Andy Schleck's issues at the Giro it'll be interesting to see whether he's got good legs in France. If so, maybe he can get the better of Contador this year. What's the over/under on Cavendish stage wins?

Now yer talkin'

I didn't know Deborah was dead. (It's the Trinity killer's sister, not Dexter's.)