July 28, 2008
Cool twangy Brit humor Led Apple goodness
A few cool tidbits that I've stumbled across during the past few weeks. Not claiming any of this is new, but it was new to me ...
Shameless -- This might be the coolest thing I've ever seen on TV. Part soap, part British comedy, totally hilarious and always off-the-wall. At times, even I'm appalled and offended. That ain't easy to pull off. Kudos to Sundance for having the balls to air it in the U.S.
Mad Men -- I stumbled across this in the iTunes store when I was looking for something to download to my iPod to ease a mind-numbing flight to Montana. It worked. The second season just started on AMC, but I'm only about half-way through the first season, thanks to my iPod and Apple TV. It hooked me with the Pete Campbell character. It would have been so easy to make him the stereotypical oily villain, but the writers gave his character complexity and actually manage to make you feel sorry for him at times. It's also amazing how different today's world is from the 1960 Madison Avenue setting of the show. The characters are constantly drinking and smoking in a creepy patriarchy that makes you wonder how anyone ever came to idealize the '50s and early '60s. Great stuff.
Hayes Carll -- I've been hearing his stuff on WDVX and never seemed to be able to catch his name. During a drive from Crested Butte to Denver, "She Left Me for Jesus" came on XM's X Country station and I caught his name and realized he's the one who also sings "Good Friends" and "Chickens" of WDVX fame. I've been downloading his stuff ever since. Twangy-ass country goodness.
iLife '08 -- I resisted buying this upgrade for a while but finally broke down when I wanted to synch photo libraries between my laptop and desktop. I didn't realize how much cooler iMovie is in the upgrade. They've finally taken the same approach with iMovie that iPhoto has been taking almost from the start. It allows you to create a library of all your video. That alone was worth the price of the upgrade.
Led freakin' Zeppelin -- I loved these guys when I was a kid, but I grew tired of them and drifted away. My rediscovery came from the strangest of places -- John Baker. I never thought Zeppelin would be his thing, but he's a total convert, preaching the gospel of Plant and Page while sipping a Cold Smoke microbrew. I was dubious at first, but then I burned a few of their CDs, including a copy of "Jimmy Page & Black Crowes Live at the Greek" and "How the West Was Won." (To show how far I'd drifted from Zep, my iTunes library had only Led Zeppelin III in it.) I'd forgotten how good this band could be when they were hitting on all cylinders. Total rock. I even had to dust off my air guitar ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2008
Jesus got soul
Posted by Bob Benz at 8:17 PM | Comments (2)
June 14, 2008
Straight talk from Bug
straight_talk.jpg
Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz
Emma (aka Bug) hops up and down in front of John McCain's Straight Talk Express in Memphis recently. Anita took this shot while she, Lara and Bug were doing the Memphis tourist thing, complete with plenty of Elvis and barbecue.
Posted by Bob Benz at 10:22 AM | Comments (1)
May 23, 2008
Odds and sods ...
A few gems I found while staggering around the Internet today:
I know I've read something great when my first reaction is "I wish I'd written that." So is the case with Rosie's post today on Smokey Mountain Breakdown. In a note about her recovery from a serious ailment, she manages to not only invoke Monty Python but reels off this incredible paragraph at the end of her post:
"I hobbled up to the guinea enclosure and left the door open for them. I can't risk another fall and am limiting my outdoor activities for the time being. So--I can't haul their water and feed to them. They marched past the house this morning--waking all and sundry at the crack of dawn and then went down the mountain. Not sure if they were here long enough to bond. Hopefully they'll be back to roost this evening after filling up on ticks in the woods. Or they may just stay down there, slaves to their tiny tiny brains, wondering where they came from and how they got there."
That's writing, folks. Damn, I wish I'd written that.
I've always suspected that vodka is vodka is vodka. Regardless of how pricey it is, the nuance from one vodka to another is largely a study in brand. Via the Consumerist, we get this amusing BusinessWeek validation of the point. The bottom line: Save your money and go for the cheaper stuff. Even hardcore vodka drinkers can't tell one from another.
Summer's here, and it's grilling time. At least for civilians. I grill all year round, rain, sleet, dark of night. Gizmodo offers this guide to tricked out grills. Even though they omit my weapon of choice, the Big Green Egg, it's still worth a look.
It's probably bad form to direct you to one of my own posts here, but this note I put on the Maroon Ventures blog this week is a pretty amusing look at what happens when a carnivore and tofu collide. Not a pretty sight ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 7:26 PM | Comments (1)
March 15, 2008
Feds pop Popcorn ...
Looks as if moonshiner Popcorn Sutton is having more problems with the authorities. Also interesting is that Popcorn's daughter is squaring off with some of his admirers in the comments section of an earlier post I did on Popcorn.
Posted by Bob Benz at 9:55 AM | Comments (1)
December 2, 2007
New digs, same old desecration ...
After a considerable soul searching and tears, we have decided it's only right to hold our 18th annual Desecrate the Tree party this year despite Evel Knievel's recent demise.
Evel would have wanted it that way.
So while our tree won't jump the Snake River Canyon or the shark, we promise it will feature all the excitement and death-defying tinsel you've come to know and love. And as an added bonus this year, we'll be holding the party in our stately new digs.
Here's the official invite.
Who: The Benz and Edge's
What: Our 18th annual Christmas tree desecration party, in which assorted stooges put homemade, stupendously cool decorations on our unsuspecting evergreen. We have only one rule: You CAN'T buy the decoration. It's gotta be homemade. Also, remember that children and vegetarians are invited to the party. Ornaments should be rated "G" or "PG." Sara Schwabe's Yankee Jass Band will once again amaze and astound us with musical feats of derring-do.
Where: 2035 Hidden Cove Lane. Pellissippi to Northshore exit. West on Northshore. Left at first stop sign. Through flashing yellow light. Left at next stop sign onto Early Road. Hidden Cove is the third road on the right. There's a lighted Hidden Cove sign that you can't miss. We're on the left, at 2035.
Lost? Call 288-0496 or 604-7731.
Important: No valet parking this year, but we ask that you be respectful of our neighbors and don't block driveways, etc., on Hidden Cove Lane. Our driveway is steep and creepy. Don't drive down into it. If Evel couldn't handle the Snake River Canyon, you're not ready for our driveway. Park up on the street and walk down.
When: Saturday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. Children and vegetarians are welcome.
Why: Why not, wise guy?
How: Make your own decoration. We'll have beer, Spiney's infamous margaritas, non-alcoholic beverages and vats of steaming green chile. Extra beverages and/or food will be welcome but aren't required.
Posted by Bob Benz at 5:13 PM | Comments (5)
October 28, 2007
Popcorn Sutton's moonshine still
My friend Tom and his cohort are working on a documentary about disappearing Appalachian lifestyles. They took this photo of legendary moonshiner Popcorn Sutton and his still. Apparently, the still blew up shortly after this photo was made.
In addition to the photo, Tom also gave me a jug of moonshine that was from the last batch before the blast. Popcorn signed the bottle in his usual ornery way: "Popcorn Sutton said Fuck You. July 2007."
Apparently, old Popcorn is a bit of a prick. When I Googled him, I turned up this blog that his daughter created. Amazing.
I haven't sampled this batch of 'shine, but the last time I got into Popcorn's wares it was a real treat. He might be an asshole, but he makes great moonshine.
Posted by Bob Benz at 12:03 PM | Comments (19)
September 15, 2007
Video tour of the house we're selling
With help from YouTube and my digital camera, I put together this video tour of the house we're selling at 11517 Hardin Valley Road in Knoxville, TN. For an overview of the house and photo tour, click here.
Here's the video tour ...
The Entrance
The view of the house as you pull in the driveway with shots of the detached garage, the pond and the kitchen door entrance.
The Kitchen
Upon entering, you see the kitchen with views of the counters and Jenn-Aire range/convection oven that was purchased in 2004.
The Great Room
From the kitchen, you can see into the great room, which features vaulted ceilings and lots of space. A rounded kitchen counter connects the kitchen to the great room, and it can accommodate barstools.
The Green Room
From the great room, we go into the green room, a two story space with lots of windows that would be ideal for a fountain and plants. We kept a demented parrot there who inflicted the damage you can see in this video. We can negotiate how to handle that ...
Hallway, Half Bath
If you turn right after entering the kitchen door, you'll go down this hallway, which leads to the master suite. There is a half-bath off the hallway with very cool wallpaper called "She's Too Fat for Me."
The Master Suite
As you enter the master suite, you'll see a fireplace that we converted from propane to natural gas. When we ran the gas line there, we also ran one to the wood-burning fireplace in the fireplace room in case you want to convert it to gas. This view of the master suite includes a look inside the spacious closet, which includes a built-in ironing board. Above the closet, there are two 50-gallon hot water heaters that were replaced in 2006. There is always plenty of hot water, even when you fill the jetted tub.
Master Bath
Entering the master bath, you'll see the jetted tub, glass block shower stall, two vanities and glass block windows next to the tub. It's a great place for a few potted plants. The vanities are on opposite sides of the bathroom, which makes it easier to maneuver in the mornings.
Fireplace room
You enter this room from the great room, and this takes you into the original part of the house, which was built sometime before the 1890s. It was extensively renovated about 15 years ago, with the kitchen, great room, green room and master suite all being added new at the time. The old part of the house includes the dining room, the fireplace room and two bedrooms upstairs. The fireplace is fairly small but draws very well. We opened it up when we moved into the house and later ran a natural gas line to it. It's wood burning now but can be converted easily. (CORRECTION: In the video I say we think the book case is original. Not true. The previous owner, who renovated the house, sent me a note saying the bookcase was taken from a house on Gay Street that was torn down in 1991.)
Stairway, Bedrooms
This view takes you upstairs to the west and east facing bedrooms. The east bedroom has a great bay window that overlooks the pond. Both bedrooms offer fantastic views of swallows that nest under the roof of the front porch in the spring.
Upstairs Closets, Bathroom
The upstairs bedrooms share a common bathroom. Each has a large, walk-in closet
The Screened Porch
This was one of our favorite parts of the house, and we spent many evenings there watching the sun set over the pasture next door.
Backyard
This is a view of the landscaping on the west side of the house, the cedar fence that encloses the back yard (which is about 3/4 of the 1 acre lot) and the deck on the back of the house. This is a very child and dog friendly place. The grass is pretty brown due to the drought we had this summer..
Detached Garage
This is an outside view of the detached garage. The garage doors where added new in 2006 and the entire house and garage received new gutters at the same time. There are two bays for cars and a separate area that we used as a dog run. It has a dog door that allows the dogs out into a chain-link fenced area. They don't have access to the entire yard, just the kennel area. They also have heat and air conditioning inside. There also is a view of the stairs that lead up to the room above the garage.
Garage Bathroom, Sauna
This is one of my favorite parts of the house. In the room above the garage, there is a full bathroom and sauna. We used this area for an exercise room, so it was easy to work out, sauna and shower right there.
Front
This is a view of the front of the house, which is a pretty typical 1890s farmhouse. There still are a few in Hardin Valley that are original. This one is original in the front half (with extensive updates) and new (25 years old, actually) in the back half.
Posted by Bob Benz at 9:08 AM | Comments (3)
September 9, 2007
Video of the great room
Here's video I shot of the great room at the new house. It starts with a shot of the kinetic artwork that Lara bought me for Christmas and pans around the great room, featuring stunning shots of Sydney the Cockatoo along the way. Not terribly exciting, but a good look at the new place.
Posted by Bob Benz at 11:20 AM | Comments (1)
July 30, 2007
Our new house
After a long search, Lara and I finally found a lakeside place here in Knoxville. We've made an offer that was accepted, and we're scheduled to close Aug. 27. We're excited, and it's a really cool place. It's on a deep water cove on Fort Loudon Lake west of Knoxville, and the house seller is the architect who designed it. Best of all, it has a dock and plenty of privacy even though it sits on only 1 acre.
This year's Christmas party is going to be a hoot ...
This photo is a crappy MLS aerial picture of the dock. The house is up a fairly steep, wooded hill. More photos here on my Flickr page.
Posted by Bob Benz at 7:06 PM | Comments (4)
Hop into the fast lane ...
Don't ask me how, but I ended up with four tickets to the NASCAR race at Bristol in August. I've put them on E-Bay, and you can bid on them here.
Posted by Bob Benz at 6:59 PM | Comments (0)
July 1, 2007
Cool stuff ...
Several interesting tidbits that have been building over the past several days/weeks:
- Bottoms up: Got into some moonshine Friday night, and it was great stuff. A friend of mine is working on a documentary about disappearing Appalachian lifestyles, and one of the people they're profiling is Popcorn Sutton, an infamous moonshiner. My friend had the presence of mind to buy a jug of Popcorn's finest, which Popcorn even signed for him. It really was amazing. Not the wince-inducing turpentine most people think of when someone mentions moonshine. Check this out for a great photo of Popcorn.
- Financial bliss: When I switched to a Mac at home, the only regret I had was not being able to find decent financial software. MS Money, which I liked pretty well on PC, wasn't available, and Quicken, which I eventually settled for, simply sucks. It's clearly a PC program that was puked over onto the Mac platform. Last week, I stumbled upon iBank. After poking around with it for a bit, I've dumped Quicken and made the switch. It's designed for OS X and behaves accordingly. Only two complaints thus far: It doesn't allow you to have "twice monthly" automated transactions, but I found a workaround for that by scheduling two monthly transactions, one of the 1st and one on the 15th; and it is a little goofy when you go to assign categories, forcing you to back out to the category option if the one you want to assign doesn't already exist. Minor issues, compared to the supreme kludginess of Quicken.
- Jazz find: They played a tune from Michael Blake's 2002 recording "Elevated" on the public radio jazz show this week. Loved it. Told iTunes to fetch me a copy. I've been listening to it non-stop. Definitely worth picking up a copy.
- Jerry's Newfs: Read Phil Lesh's biography several weeks ago. Some interesting inside stuff about the Dead's early years, but the most interesting fact I found in the book was that Garcia had a pair of Newfs that he swam with during one of his attempts to get clean and fit.
- Let's get passive aggressive: I've been having great fun reading Passiveaggressivenotes.com on a daily basis. Some of the notes posted on there are a total scream.
- Who: The Benz and Edge's
- What: Our 16th annual Christmas tree desecration party, in which assorted stooges put homemade, stupendously cool decorations on our unsuspecting evergreen. We have only one rule: You CAN'T buy the decoration. Also, remember that children and vegetarians are invited to the party. Ornaments should be rated "G" or "PG." Also, we'll have a reprise of Sara Schwabe's Yankee Jass Band. It was very cool last year. Should be even better this year.
- Where: 11517 Hardin Valley Road. I-40 to Pellissippi Parkway (toward Oak Ridge). Take the Hardin Valley Road exit off Pellissippi Parkway. Go left at the light, onto Hardin Valley. Go about 2.4 miles, past the elementary school and Steele Road on the right. Our house is the third driveway on the right after you pass Steele Road. We'll have it lit up, but watch closely. It can be tough to spot. Map Lost? Call 691-7731 or 604-7731.
- Important: We will have valet parking to avoid a repeat of The Stuck in the Mud Incident of 2000. You can either pull into the driveway and your car will be parked, or you can park at Sims store (near the elementary school, right before Steele Road) and you will be driven up to the party.
- When: Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. Children and vegetarians are welcome.
- Why: Why not, wise guy?
- How: Make your own decoration. We'll have beer, Spiney's infamous margaritas, non-alcoholic beverages and vats of steaming green chile. Extra beverages and/or food will be welcome but aren't required
- Who: The Benz and Edge's
- What: Our 15th annual Christmas tree desecration party, in which assorted stooges put homemade, stupendously cool decorations on our unsuspecting evergreen. We have only one rule: You CAN'T buy the decoration. Also, remember that children and vegetarians are invited to the party. Ornaments should be rated "G" or "PG."
- Where: 11517 Hardin Valley Road. I-40 to Pellissippi Parkway (toward Oak Ridge). Take the Hardin Valley Road exit off Pellissippi Parkway. Go left at the light, onto Hardin Valley. Go about 2.4 miles, past the elementary school and Steele Road on the right. Our house is the third driveway on the right after you pass Steele Road. We'll have it lit up, but watch closely. It can be tough to spot.
Map?
Lost? Call 691-7731 or 604-7731. - Important: We will have valet parking to avoid a repeat of The Stuck in the Mud Incident of 2000. You can either pull into the driveway and your car will be parked, or you can park at Sims store (near the elementary school, right before Steele Road) and you will be driven up to the party.
- When: Saturday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. Children and vegetarians are welcome.
- Why: Why not, wise guy?
- How: Make your own decoration. We'll have beer, Spiney's infamous margaritas, non-alcoholic beverages and vats of steaming green chile. Extra beverages and/or food will be welcome but aren't required.
Now Playing: O Tannenbaum from the album A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi Trio
Posted by Bob Benz at 9:32 PM | Comments (11)
February 2, 2004
Just ducky ...
A hunter friend recently graced us with a few ducks, which I promptly marinated in cayenne, black pepper, red wine (a cab), tamari and lemon juice. I then offered this sacrifice up to the BIg Green Egg with a liberal helping of mesquite. A few hours later, the smoker surrendered two of the best ducks I've ever eaten. These guys were much better than the farm-raised ducks I occasionally buy at the local store, and they came with the added bonus of an occasional shotgun pellet.
Now Playing: WUMB - Folk Radio
Posted by Bob Benz at 8:48 PM | Comments (0)
January 5, 2004
Dolphins evolve opposable thumbs
Joannie spotted this piece in the Onion, one of my favorite online sites. Jonathan Swift would be proud of these guys. Still some of the best humor/satire on the Internet. I don't know how they keep it up. The theme of this particular story is particularly appropriate here on opposable-thumbs.com. Maybe we can get a dolphin as a guest blogger ...
"HONOLULU–In an announcement with grave implications for the primacy of the species of man, marine biologists at the Hawaii Oceanographic Institute reported Monday that dolphins, or family Delphinidae, have evolved opposable thumbs on their pectoral fins.
"'I believe I speak for the entire human race when I say, "Holy fuck," said Oceanographic Institute director Dr. James Aoki, noting that the dolphin has a cranial capacity 40 percent greater than that of humans. "That's it for us monkeys.'" ....
Posted by Bob Benz at 8:52 PM | Comments (2)
December 22, 2003
Red Bull, tequila and Christmas trees
Our annual tree party was a great success last week. My parents showed up, a wonderful surprise. And we had folks from all over the map in attendance. I'll post a few photos later, but I didn't have time to take pictures during the party. If you have any, I'd love to get copies to post here. Just send me an e-mail.
And there was a moral to this party: Don't mix Red Bull and tequila. Or you'll end up like poor Glenbot.
Posted by Bob Benz at 8:29 AM | Comments (1)
December 10, 2003
O Tannenbaum ...
Well, our marriage has once again survived the annual quest for the biggest Christmas tree in Knoxville.
After deciding the specimens at Suzi's Groovy Garden are too small or not "just right," we drive up Kingston Pike to a lot near Stir Fry Cafe. There it is. Standing ever green in a shaft of light, waiting for us. We walk straight to it and stake our claim. After the guys at the lot struggle mightily to get it to my truck, trim the trunk and then load it, Lara and I cart it home.
"I hope it doesn't come out," she says.
"It won't," I say, Grinchly arrogant. "I've strapped that sucker down in a major way."
Fifteen miles later, when we pull into the driveway, the tree is still there. Christmas Miracle No. 1.
Now it's time for Spiney and I to wrestle this 14-foot green behemoth out of the truck, into the house and then plant it in a stand.
This is where I tend to go GrinchBob.
And Lara is afraid. Very afraid. She doesn't want a repeat of last year, when there was plenty of hollering and shouting and one wayward spaniel got trapped beneath the tree as it was dragged across the floor. It was several hours before Crystal forgave me for that ....
But after several years of this, we have a method. This time, I use every microgram of patience I have (yes, it is measured in micrograms with me; patience is not my strength) to wait for Lara to go into the house, move furniture, corral the critters and prepare for the tree's majestic entry.
Now we're ready. We roll it up and over the side of the truck. Then I start dragging it by the trunk, toward the door. At this point, it's a momentum game. Just keep dragging until it's in the living room.
Next, we have to get the thing upright and in the stand. That's the real challenge. But after a bit of scheming and my final concession that yes, maybe Lara is right and we need to cut off more lower branches, we get the tree hoisted and in its proper place.
No divorce lawyers. No psychologically scarred spaniels. No GrinchBob. Christmas Miracle No. 2.
Don't forget, our tree decorating party is Saturday. Here's the invite.
Posted by Bob Benz at 8:23 AM | Comments (2)
November 30, 2003
Big Green Eggs and Apples
I have two new toys in my playpen.
The first is the Big Green Egg.
It's a very cool charcoal grill/smoker. I've been playing with it non-stop for about a week and am totally impressed. When I first started reading about it, I thought there was a lot of hype infused in the descriptions and that this humble egg couldn't possible live up to egg-spectations. It has. And more. The natural charcoal lasts a long time, as promised, And meat tends to emerge from the grill with egg-squisite moistness (OK. I'll stop talking like Vincent Price/Egghead in a Batman episode.)-- The second toy is a Mac G4 Powerbook. We have a Dell laptop and docking station that we were using for our home computer. But it just wasn't fun to use. I've been hearing so much about OS X that I decided to give it a whirl. So far, I'm impressed. Mac isn't the promised land. I've spent more than a few hours hooking things up and getting my Airport wireless connection to work with the PCs in our house and, most importantly, with Tivo. But now we're turning the corner. I remember the first time I saw a Mac. It was in the art department at the Birmingham Post-Herald in 1986 or '87. I think it was a Mac SE. And we were mesmerized by it as our staff artist put it through its paces. At the time, I was using an Amstrad word processor at home. The Mac really impressed me, and by the time we moved to Albuquerque, I bought the first of two or three Macs that I owned before jumping to PC, mostly to be compatible with the rest of the world. The G4 is very cool on the compatibility front. Most of the setup problems I've been having are related to the PCs. OS X is fast and user friendly, as advertised. We got the 12-inch PowerBook and a 20 inch cinema display. Que bonita.
Posted by Bob Benz at 7:39 PM | Comments (10)
August 1, 2003
media matters ...
Hit a triple with the three CDs I bought last weekend, and "28 Days Later," the zombie film I went to see, kicked ass. I love it when a plan comes together.
-- 28 Days Later: I saw the version with the alternative ending. Not surprisingly, I like the bleaker approach better. But I think it better fits the nature of the film. I also was amazed at how much it pays homage to Romero. The shopping spree harkens Dawn of the Dead, with all its shopping mall antics. The captured zombie and military angle are very similar to Day of the Dead. And the alternative ending brings a bleakness that Night of the Living Dead invoked. But 28 Days still goes its own way. I particularly like the whole rage thing, and the fast-moving zombies really are creepy. Not sure what effect they used to capture that, but it worked.
-- "Electric Bath," The Don Ellis Orchestra. This CD is awesome. Stumbled across a piece on Ellis and decided to check him out. He plays a lot of off time signatures -- 5/4, 7/4, 19/4 -- and gives jazz a dip in psychedlia that's really interesting. I'll be buying more of his stuff.
-- "Chinatown," The Be Good Tanyas. These three women are incedible. I have "Blue Horse" already and fell for it immediately. This CD is just as good. Great version of Townes Van Zant' "Waiting Around to Die," and the originals are really solid, too.
They can play.
-- "The Three Pickers: Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs." Another winner. Scruggs, to my mind, is the father of bluegrass music (and he was way cool on the Beverly Hillbillies). Alison Krauss also appears on a few tunes. Very nice. And thanks to Tivo (all praise Tivo) I also found a "Great Performances" of this show, so I got to see the video, too.
Posted by Bob Benz at 8:31 PM | Comments (1)
Posted by Bob Benz at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)
March 2, 2007
Far Side in Estonian ...
As I was paging through some of the Estonian papers that Ragnar and Kristjan left behind, I stumbled across a Far Side cartoon in Estonian. Tried to find a web translator to tell me what's going on but could only find dictionaries and I didn't have the patience to piece it together word by word.
How's your Estonian?
"Miks sa seda tegid, Biff? Ma tean küll, et autode tagaajamine on sui veres - aga milleks seda teha presidendi limusliniga?"
The image is a female dog talking to a male dog on telephones like the ones they use in prison visiting rooms ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 10:35 AM | Comments (1)
March 1, 2007
Cyberdemocracy ...
We had a few Estonians in town this week to look at our web operation and exchange ideas. In addition to lots of interesting online discussion, Kristjan, who works for the Eesti Ekspress weekly newspaper, told us that he had voted in the Estonian parliamentary elections just that morning. He promptly pulled out a voter ID card with a chip in it that he passed around, explaining how we was able to log in on the Internet and securely cast his vote in the elections.
I guess this shouldn't be too surprising. After all, these are the folks who launched a "singing revolution" to free themselves of Soviet rule. Since then, they've taken democracy and capitalist ideas and completely embraced them. When Lara and I visited Tallinn a few years ago, we were struck between the vast contrast between signs of the decaying Soviet Empire and the still-solid Estonian structures that date back hundreds of years.
Another interesting side discussion we had was about the Estonian language. It's a difficult tongue, linguistically related to Finnish, and Ragnar, Kristjan and I were talking about whether Estonian would be able to survive in a 21st century where the world is contracting. A stock market burp in Shanghai rattles Tallinn and New York. How can a lanaguage with only 1 million native speakers manage to thrive and surive? I hope it does.
More
-- Here's a link to Ragnar's paper, the daily Eesti Päevaleht. Both publications are owned by AS Ekspress Grupp. I met their CEO, Hans Luik, when I spoke at the World Association of Newspapers conference in London last fall, and that's how Ragnar and Kristjan's trip here originated.
-- Here's a link to some of my posts about Estonia from our trip over there, and here are some photos from that trip.
Posted by Bob Benz at 8:58 AM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2007
A fish tale ...
Those who know me well know that I have an unnatural affection for McDonald's Filet-O-Fish. This usually manifests itself late at night after I've had a few drinks, but I've also been known to indulge my Filet addiction at lunchtime. My most recent bout was during a 5 a.m. rampage in Las Vegas, but there was no Filet-O-Fish to be found. I had to settle for fried oysters. It wasn't the same ...
So it was with delight and submarine satisfaction that I found this story in USAToday about the birth of the Filet-O-Fish. Turns out, it was born the same year as I, and it was created to pander to Catholics who were trying to observe their Lenten rituals. Very cool. There even is a "Filet-O-Fish Facts" sidebar.
Posted by Bob Benz at 5:12 PM | Comments (2)
January 15, 2007
Donate to a good cause
Joanne's nephew Noah is battling Leukemia and Joanne is planning a hike to raise money for the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. If you are looking for a great cause to donate to, here's your chance ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 8:18 PM | Comments (0)
January 7, 2007
Dreaming of a white trash Christmas ...
So while I was at the park yesterday morning, watching to dogs loop wide orbits through the wet grass, a pickup pulling a trailer full of Christmas trees sputtered in. A redneck hopped out, dumped the trees and went on his merry way. Clearly, the world is his trash can. I didn't get a look at the license plate (it was hidden by the trailer, which had no plate), but It was hard to miss the Jesus/fish license plate on the front of the truck.
I guess that's one way to put the Christ back in Christmas ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 11:30 AM | Comments (0)
December 9, 2006
The fiendish stupidity of chickens
While reading Tom Bissell's profile of director Werner Herzog in Harper's Magazine, I came across this Herzog quote in one of the footnotes, which had my laughing out loud during a flight to Albuquerque ...
"Look into the eyes of a chicken and you will see real stupidity. It is a kind of bottomless stupidity, a fiendish stupidity. They are the most horrifying, cannibalistic and nightmarish creatures in the world."
It didn't end there. Here's Klaus Kinski on Herzog, as quoted from Kinski's autobiography: "I absolutley despise this murderous Herzog. ... Huge red ants should piss into his lying eyes, gobble up his balls, penetrate his asshole, and eat his guts."
Very cool. Great profile, too.
Posted by Bob Benz at 7:06 PM | Comments (2)
October 31, 2006
paidContent.org on the London conference
This one is my favorite, especially Snake's comments at the end. Pretty amusing ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 7:58 PM | Comments (2)
October 23, 2006
It's a 'Burgh thing
It always bugs me when someone spells Pittsburgh (as in PA) without the "h" at the end, but I never knew there was a long, amusing story on how Pittsburgh got its h, lost its h and recovered its h. Amazing ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 1:16 PM | Comments (1)
September 8, 2006
Tree party date: Saturday, Dec. 16
Just a heads up: This year's tree party will be Saturday, Dec. 16. We're hoping to have Sarah Schwabe and her Yankee Jass band again this year. For out of town folks, let us know if you plan on coming to KnoxVegas for the festivities. We have lots of room ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 7:31 PM | Comments (1)
September 1, 2006
A man of steel till the end ...
Generally I've found Morning Edition's StoryCorps project to be pretty hit or miss. The oral history project roams the country giving normal people a chance to tell their stories.
This morning's segment was a definite hit.
In it, Ken Kobus tells the story of his steelworker father, who toiled in Pittsburgh's J&L works. The part that really got me, though, was when Ken described his father, dying of cancer and on morphine, making odd motions in his bed.
The doctors where befuddled, but Ken figured it out right away. He told the doctors: "He's makin' steel. He was opening furnace doors and he was adjusting the gas on the furnace and traps. "I could see, I could see what he was doin'."
Reading it really can't do this justice. Go to the NPR page and listen to it. Amazing stuff.
Posted by Bob Benz at 9:24 AM
July 9, 2006
Fine whines at 520
Dennis Perkins, who has been our wine guru for a few years now, has a blog that's worth checking out. With post titles like "Stick your nose in it" and "Let's do some acid," it's totally amusing -- and informative -- stuff. Just wish he'd post more often ...
And while you're at it, check out Knoxville520, which is hosting Dennis' blog. It's one of the latest online projects Scripps has launched, featuring assorted and sundry entertainment options in mighty KnoxVegas. Cool stuff.
Posted by Bob Benz at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)
January 3, 2006
Pastoral sunset ...
I took this photo with my new camera, a Cannon EOS Digital Rebel. Very cool camera. It's pretty hard to take bad pictures with it, though I still manage. In addition to the camera, I also got a 17-85mm zoom lens with it that rocks. Nothing like a little gadgetry ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 9:03 AM | Comments (0)
December 18, 2005
The only way to shop ...
Lara and the Benz Women pose with their bounty on the Day After Thanksgiving. They rented a limo to help them terrorize the stores and merchants of Knoxville, to considerable success.
Posted by Bob Benz at 7:01 PM | Comments (0)
Christmas party pictures ...
Sara, Lara and LBJ get into the swing of the tree party. Lots of photos here. Video here.
Posted by Bob Benz at 1:37 PM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2005
Photo of the year vote
Time is allowing readers to vote for photo of the year, and they're including a really moving shot from the Rocky Mountain News called "Heading Home." It's a photo of a soldier's coffin being unloaded from a commercial jet. You can see the jet's passengers watching from the plane's windows. The look on their faces as they realize it's a soldier's coffin brought tears to my eyes the first time I saw it in the special section the Rocky ran. Check it out.
I'd never tell you which one to vote for, but go to Time, take a look at the candidates and cast a vote.
Posted by Bob Benz at 8:56 AM | Comments (0)
December 4, 2005
A belated tree party invite ...
Wow. It's already December. And I haven't sent out the invite for our annual tree party. And it's less than a week away. Well, without further delay, here are the details:
Now Playing: Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern) from the album "Jingle Bell Swing" by Miles Davis; vocal by Bob Dorough
Posted by Bob Benz at 6:48 PM | Comments (4)
November 20, 2005
Lara bugs out ...
Lara's new job gave her a case of new car fever, which she used as an excuse to secure a VW beetle, which she's long coveted.
Not surprisingly, Spiney opted for the aquarius blue version. Hmm.
I keep a gorilla mask in the glove compartment that I wear when I have to be seen in it with her ...
I've posted a few photos of her in the new car on my Flickr account.
Posted by Bob Benz at 7:45 PM | Comments (8)
October 23, 2005
Adventures in multimedia ...
I'm teaching an online journalism class at Ohio University this quarter, and I asked the students to build a multimedia project.
I didn't know what to expect, really. Most of them have little or no experience, and I just wanted them to experiment a little and see what they could do and what tools are available for building online news presentations.
For this assignment, I asked them to do a first person or personal piece and didn't put a lot of restrictions on them. It could be as simple as a few blog posts or as complex as a video story. I was pretty impressed with the results. Click here to take a look at what they turned in.
Posted by Bob Benz at 3:31 PM | Comments (0)
August 28, 2005
Only in New Orleans
This, from an AP story about hurricane preparations in New Orleans:
"We're choosing the best of two evils," said Bryan Steven. "It's either be stuck in the hotel or stuck on the road. ... We'll make it through it."
His wife, wearing a Bourbon Street T-shirt with a lewd message, interjected: "I just don't want to die in this shirt."
Only in New Orleans.
Batten down the hatches, Big Easy. I hope you find some way to dodge Katrina.
Posted by Bob Benz at 7:04 PM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2005
Cool bunk on Boing Boing
Boing Boing has been on a roll recently, featuring several fascinating posts ...
1. A birdwatcher saw a praying mantis snag a hummingbird, and posted photos to prove it. My feeder has been drawing a lot of hummingbirds of late, so this was particularly fascinating.
2. A video ode to the American hillbilly. It's a long download, but it's worth the time. Sadly, I feel as if I'm living this some days, all the way down to the soundtrack of Deliverance playing in the background.
3. Details about a zombie flashmob in San Francisco. Where else?
4. And last but not least, instructions on how to put an elevator in express mode, allowing you to skip all those annoying stops between you and your destination. Haven't tried this yet, but I intend to ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 7:39 PM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2005
Lara takes aim ...
During a recent blogger party that Michael Silence threw, Lara was telling Les and SayUncle how much she'd like to fire a gun. Needless to say, the prospect made me immensely nervous. Lara. Guns. Hmmmm. Maybe I should sit this one out.
So Les and SayUncle set up a shooting lesson for her. And I decided to tag along to see how it went. She took to it quickly. The guys gave us a gun safety course before we went out on the range and they explained each gun to us and gave us tips on shooting straight. We didn't do badly for novices.
Lara started with a .22 but quickly became enamored of the .357. She's now determined to go to the range on Tuesdays, which is Ladies Night (women shoot free) and try various guns to find the right one.
I uploaded several photos from Sunday, including an odd shot of Michael Silence shooting a .22 with a silencer on it. Some headline writer could have a blast with that.
Much thanks to Les and SayUncle. We had a great time ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 6:51 PM | Comments (4)
March 26, 2005
My living will
I realize this probably won't hold up in court, but it still serves as a public declaration to everyone who knows me that I don't want to be kept on life support when it makes no sense to do so. The moral here: If in doubt, pull the plug. This crap in Florida really freaked me out. This should leave no doubt of my wishes ...
ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVE
I, Robert John Benz, being of sound mind and at least 18 years of age, declare that:
(1) END-OF-LIFE DECISIONS: I direct that my health care providers and others involved in my care provide, withhold, or withdraw treatment in accordance with the choice I have marked below: (Initial only one box)
* [X] (a) Choice NOT To Prolong Life. I do not want my life to be prolonged if (1) I have an incurable and irreversible condition that will result in my death within a relatively short time, (2) I become unconscious and, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, I will not regain consciousness, or (3) the likely risks and burdens of treatment would outweigh the expected benefits, OR
* [___] (b) Choice To Prolong Life. I want my life to be prolonged as long as possible within the limits of generally accepted health care standards.
(2) RELIEF FROM PAIN: Except as I state in the following space, I direct that treatment for alleviation of pain or discomfort should be provided at all times even if it hastens my death:
____________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________.
(3) OTHER WISHES: (If you do not agree with any of the optional choices above and wish to write your own, or if you wish to add to the instructions you have given above, you may do so here.) I direct that:
Not applicable_______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________
(4) PRIMARY PHYSICIAN -(OPTIONAL).
* I designate the following physician as my primary physician:
_________________________________
(name of physician)
_______________________________________________________________________
(address) (city) (state) (zip code)
_________________________________
(phone)
OPTIONAL: If the physician I have designated above is not willing, able, or reasonably available to act as my primary physician, I designate the following physician as my primary physician:
* _________________________________
(name of physician)
_______________________________________________________________________
(address) (city) (state) (zip code)
_________________________________
(phone)
(5) DONATION OF ORGANS AT DEATH - (OPTIONAL).
Notwithstanding my previous declaration relative to the withholding or withdrawal of life-prolonging procedures, if as indicated below I have expressed my desire to donate my organs and/or tissues for transplantation, or any of them as specifically designated herein, I do direct my attending physician, if I have been determined dead according to Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 68-3-501 (b), to maintain me on artificial support systems only for the period of time required to maintain the viability of and to remove such organs and/or tissues.
* [X] (a) I give any needed organs, tissues, or parts, OR
* [___] (b) I give the following organs, tissues, or parts only.
* [X] (c) My gift is for the following purposes: (strike any of the following you do not want)
o (1) Transplant
o (2) Therapy
o (3) Research
o (4) Education
In the absence of my ability to give directions regarding the use of such life-sustaining procedures, it is my intention that this declaration shall be honored by my family and physician(s) as the final expression of my legal right to refuse medical or surgical treatment, and I accept the consequences from such refusal.
I understand the full import of this declaration and I am emotionally and mentally competent to make this declaration.
I execute this declaration, as my free and voluntary act, on this 26 day of March, 2005, in the City of Knoxville, County of Knox, State of Tennessee.
/s/______________________________________
Robert John Benz
Posted by Bob Benz at 7:00 PM | Comments (4)
February 19, 2005
The Digital Crossing Chile Cookoff and Hootenanny
Some things just can't be described with words. Hop here for photos of what I'm guessing will become an annual event. Too bad LBJ crashed the party.
Posted by Bob Benz at 8:13 PM | Comments (0)
January 1, 2005
A perfect start to the new year ...
During my recent time off, I've been venturing farther than Melton Hill Lake for hikes. For our New Year's Day hike, Lara, Xena, Ozzy and I drove up to Frozen Head State Park and hiked to the waterfalls. It was fantastic. Sunny. Warm. We had a great, relaxing start to 2005. Here are a few photos that I took while I was up there.
Our only incident was when I was letting the dogs run off their leashes, and they went charging toward a trio of rednecks, scaring the poor folks pretty badly. I tend to forget how big Xena is, and when she comes charging down a trail at you and you don't know for sure if she's friendly, it can cause alarm. The woman, clutching a little yappy dog and sporting a magnificent bouffant 'do, was clearly perturbed, but the kid and husband survived their encounter with the wild dogs of Frozen Head, so no harm was done. I promptly leashed the dogs and we continued on our way.
On Thursday, I took the dogs up there and the place was deserted. It was wonderful. About five minutes after we entered the woods, we saw two white-tail deer loping up the hillside, and later that day, we saw an entire herd, maybe 6 or 8 of them, crashing through the woods to get away from us. Watching those white tails bounce through the woods was truly sublime.
It's going to be tough returning to the work grind on Monday ...
Now Playing: I Shall Be Released from the album "Music from Big Pink" by The Band
Posted by Bob Benz at 7:38 PM | Comments (3)
December 13, 2004
Shakin' the tree ...
I know I say this every year, but this year's tree party was the best ever. We had attendees from San Antonio, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg (that's in Pennsyltucky, you know), Virginia and KnoxVegas descend on our evergreen. The hit of the party, though, was Knoxville's own Sara Schwabe and her Yankee Jass Band.
Words really can't describe the mayhem that resulted.
We had trolls.
We had LBJ.
And we had a hell of a good time. Pictures don't lie.
If you want a little taste of what was going on, check out this video clip. (Quicktime, 2.7MB)
We also had some insanely cool ornaments, ranging from Red Bull in all its frenetic beauty to flu shots to a cheese sandwich with an image of Jesus on it. We also had the ghost of Christmas past, compliments of my favorite ghost hunter.
I can't wait for next year ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 9:04 PM | Comments (4)
November 30, 2004
It's time to tie one on our Christmas tree
It's that time of year already. Time for the annual Benz and Edge Tree Extravaganza, complete with rampaging Xena yells, disgraced evergreens and assorted holiday absurdity.
This year's party features a special treat. Music by Sara Schwabe and her Yankee Jass Band. It's gonna be way cool. Be there or be square.
Here are the details ...