Big Nut

Courtesy of the Illinois Congressional delegation.

Question of the Day

Is this what is called giving away content?

Today's Special

As opposed to this delectable Swedish version.

A Big Nut's Coronation

Here.

Like Rush Limbaugh, like Sean Hannity, like Bill O'Reilly, like Ann Coulter -- it's 99.44% shtick. Very lucrative shtick.

Without mentioning how his act has lined his pockets, Beck even seems to admit as much: I say on the air all time, ‘if you take what I say as gospel, you’re an idiot.'

But then I don't have much confidence in the critical thinking skills of his core audience.

Spring Break in Wisconsin

Saturday, March 28, 2009. 7:10 p.m.

Enough to shovel off the driveway and sidewalk this morning, but maybe I'll wait and see if it melts on its own. Or I could put Choreboy Eddie to work. (That request would receive a less-than-rousing reception right now, as The Weekend Night Owl probably went to bed just 5 hours ago.)

The Big Nut is Back Again

Roasted, toasted.

Two Rivers: A Look at the East Side

Even with the water tower in the background, this is a far from an iconic view of Two Rivers. For that, you'd need to include beautiful Lake Michigan in the view. Here we have three Cape Cod-style houses on 25th Street, east side (likely built on spec), just a block from where JoAnna's parents used to live.

Both of these houses have rooftop TV aerials. (The one on the left is obscured by tree branches.) You still see a lot of these in Two Rivers.

Now we're approaching the smallest house I've ever seen in a well-maintained, working-class neighborhood.

Some folks have more square footage in their walk-in closets.

But it's such a cute little house. (The porthole window is a nice touch.) I've always wanted to knock on the door and ask for a tour -- and then see if would be possible for me to stretch out on any piece of furniture.

Did they ask her to do a handstand?

Some vacation!

I'm Livin' It, Baby

Click here for 60th birthday gift suggestion.

Crybaby of the Day

Story found here.

Prooofredding is IMportnt

Part of the signature file of an email I received this morning.

Candidate For Mayor
Puttting People First

Paul & JoAnna

In front of the Washington House
Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Home of the ice cream sundae

Andy Nelson

Ready for his close-up.

Sisters

JoAnna and Cindy Richard

My wife and our maid of honor at our wedding nearly 23 years ago. Some of you are lucky enough to know how special the two of them are.

More of the Same

Driving home from Milwaukee today, a billboard on I-94 in Waukesha County grabbed my attention just after I had turned off the car radio.

Milwaukee's New 94.5 The Lake

What will we play next?

To me, this question sounded like a teaser for a deep and varied playlist, so I took the bait and gave the station a listen.

And what did I hear? A few bars of this song for the 3,000,000,000,000th time.

At this point, I didn't care what they played next. I turned off the radio -- and cursed myself (again) for not having an audiobook to keep me company.

Mine Always Pull to the Left, Curiously

Link to "punch line".

Today's Required Reading

Once again, New York Times Op-Ed columnist Gail Collins hits the nail on the head in "The Grievance Committee".

Excerpt: If John McCain were president, you can bet that we’d be getting outrage 24-7. McCain would be so angry that we’d be scared that he’d have a coronary or invade a new country. The New York Post would be running “Calm Down, Mr. President” headlines.

Except, of course, the whole reason we elected Barack Obama was because when the economy started melting down, Obama seemed sane and calm while McCain appeared to be a loopy visitor from the Planet of the Overwrought.

I hate it when we make irrational, contradictory demands of our president. But, it seems as if that’s what he’s there for.

Big Nut

Spotted by boingboing.......and numerous others, I'd guess.

Which Way Is Up?

In Baghdad, an offduty policeman accidentally killed the winning soccer goalie during a victory celebration.

The article notes that celebratory firing is a recurring problem.

Sen. Feingold Hosts Fundraiser for Kathleen Falk

Volunteer here.

Wisconsin State Journal endorses Kathleen Falk: "Kathleen Falk merits four more."

Hosted by Senator Russ Feingold and held at the Imperial Garden on Saturday, March 14, 2009.

Entertainment provided by the Raging Grannies. (Wasn't able to fit entire group into frame.)


Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz makes a strong point for Kathleen's re-election (while holding up Mark Opitz's head.)

We'll still be this happy on April 8 if we all work hard to re-elect Kathleen.

Kathleen makes a series of strong points for her re-election: transporation, agriculture, economy, enviroment.

Kathleen Falk and Amy Kortbein, candidate for Middleton's 3rd aldermanic district.

Sen. Feingold and Amy Kortbein.

Graphical Representation of the Day

Full story (and required reading) at the Daily Kos.

Another Bull's Eye From GraphJam

Stairwell by M. C. Escher

The Republicans Do Have a Plan!

Check it out here.

File This One Under......

.....Retiring Guy needs to get himself a life.

In a recent letter, Mom mentioned that she read the following hint in a magazine. Separate bananas so they won't turn brown so fast.

Time for a real-life science experiment, I thought, since this statement sounded counter-intuitive to me.

Over a 4-day period, I photographed 6 bananas: 3 of them separated, 3 of them in a bunch.

Here are the results.

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY 3

DAY 4



DAY 4 Detail

DAY 4 Detail

I'm no scientist, but separation seems to result in an accelerlation of the ripening process, if only slightly.

But I suppose the results must be disqualified as I used one of the bananas for Saturday's breakfast.

No MacArthur Fellows Program award for me.

I Love Leftover Chicken

Your latest installment of In the Kitchen with Retiring Guy.

And according to JoAnna and Eddie, it was my best-ever effort the first time around.

That's because I tried this great recipe. (Not one you'll find labeled Heart Healthy, I suspect.)

Ingredients:
Start with 3 to 4 pounds of cut-up chicken pieces.

Marinade:
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons finely minced onion
1 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon chili powder (heaping if you enjoy a little more zing to your chicken)

Crumb Coating Mixture:
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fine dry unseasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon chili powder (or 2)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Egg Batter Mixture:
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter


Preparation:
Wash chicken and pat dry.

In a container large enough to hold chicken pieces, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon juice, olive oil, onion, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 tablespoon chili powder.

Add chicken to marinade mixture; cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Oil a large baking sheet, such as a jelly roll pan or large roasting pan. Position rack in top third of oven.

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a pie plate or wide shallow bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, cornmeal, parsley, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

In another wide shallow bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons melted butter.

Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off excess, then dip each piece in the egg mixture.

Roll chicken pieces in the bread crumb and cornmeal mixture, pressing crumbs in to make them adhere.

Place chicken on baking sheet.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until chicken is golden brown and crispy. Chicken juices should run clear when pieces are pierced deeply with a fork.

I've tried a great variety of coating and batter mixtures, but I have never seen chicken come out of oven looking so luscious.

Not a Tennessee Titan

"Did he really say that?!"

Ring a Bell?

SOURCE

Road Trip!!

From Auburn, Washington, to Rockford, Illinois, in June 1951, when I was all of 20 months old. A distance of 2,000 miles. At the time, my dad served as pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church. (Front row, second from left in picture below.) Rockford, Illinois, is his hometown.

The trip was made at a time when the Interstate Highway System, the blue roads on the map below didn't exist. Its authorization was another five years away.

Dad, Mom (who didn't get her driver's license until 1959), and I traveled in a 1951 Chevrolet. (Picture it a forest green.)


Along the way, Mom purchased a few postcards on which she wrote brief descriptions of our trip. (Click below to enlarge.)

Guess I had quite the appetite!

Of course, I don't remember a thing from this trip, but I'm certainly having fun trying to picture it.

Tight Squeeze

As seen on Gilman Street, Madison, Wisconsin, 3/3/2009.