More Elba than Austerlitz

Here, on 2 Dec, I normally celebrate Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz as a kind of glorious celebration of life...but this year for me things are bad enough that I cannot celebrate anything.

More cool F&G Magic!

On Election Day....

Vote! Like Ginger and her mother Lela...

An Excellent Fan Video!

The True Fourth Marx Brother....Gehrigo

for those who love it...

Your Casablanca cast in a publicity photo.

Chicken Broil!

Every year around this time... Manchester has their huge chicken broil....which seems to occur during the time Ann Arbor is also having it's Art Fair.  For years, Miki and I have talked of going....but this year we actually did so!

This is my plate...I'm already attacking the chicken!  Chicken, cole slaw, chips, roll, radishes(!) and a drink.... a good deal, set in a huge field with a band playing also.

Miki, eating and helping out Sabina...

I think Noah is laughing at the idea of eating radishes...

Sabina, staring at folks bringing in more food... note the people leaving their boxes of chicken dinners....

At least it isn't...Muskrat Love!

Ginger in the crazy '70s!

mmm.....Steamship Round!

Very near my house there's an excellent place for all sorts of sausages, bacon, etc. named Biercamp, and Friday, my friend Mike and his brother went with me there for the excellent beef sandwiches....complete with onions, pickles and a horseradish mayo....man, I could have had several!
When you come to A2...don't miss them!  (I especially love the bacon!)

pics taken by Mike!

Can I have coins made?

Looney Week!

Let's see....I lost power for the better part of 2 days.....no phone, no online, nada! 
They decided to rip up the road in front of my house.....
When I tried to escape....Giant Cloudbursts would show up just to say, "Nope, you're stayin' home!"
The weather was beastly, and by the end of the second day....I was pretty messed up, dizzy and nauseous... no matter how much water I was drinking!

On top of that...I still several demons to slay as well!  Oy!

But I'm here....

Tweet O' The Day

"I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned."

--  Marla McErlane

Hat or Radar?

Ginger's The One!

One dances....the other tried to!

They All Laughed

Today is the 75th anniversary of the release of the Fred and Ginger picture "Shall We Dance."  I don't have as much material on this film as I do earlier ones like "Top Hat", but this does have a Gershwin soundtrack, and some cool numbers.

Here's a nice shot of Ginger rehearsing the song for "They All Laughed", which I think is my favorite song from this film!  "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" is the more famous number, and it is interesting, but geez, there's only so much even they can do on roller skates!

Here's both the song and the wonderful dance that flows from it.  Take it away, F&G!



It also includes the beautiful song "They Can't Take That Away From Me."

And the very cool final scene where Fred dances with a pack of Ginger clones, having to find the Real One hiding in there somewhere!....But Love and Dance will out....

Despite this picture, Ginger and director Mark Sandrich didn't get along very well, and after this film, she had him specifically banned for working on one of her movies again! Sadly, he passed away just 5 years later...

Not my favorite film of theirs, but still many beautiful moments!

Girl with Hat

Stop hiding Ginger....

How far we've sunk

I don't watch Washington Journal on C-SPAN every day, but I do check in fairly often.  One of the great virtues of C-SPAN to me is the strong attempt to show all sides, liberal, conservative and every flavor thereof.  But in the last few years, I've noticed how many of the callers on Washington Journal no longer believe this.  They are totally convinced that the OTHER side owns C-SPAN and is spinning everything in their opponents direction.  Nothing convinces them otherwise.  When challenged about this, people seem to feel it is evil that anyone who feels differently from themselves deserves a right to speak at all!    Madness!  It's no wonder people can't seem to work out their differences.

Whew!

Boy, it's been awhile since I've actually written an actual post!  It's a funny thing this writing....your head will let you know when it needs to come out.  But posts lurk on the horizon....and they'll show up here.  Watch this space!

Hey Joan!

See you in two weeks, right?

The joy of Altan

As has been my want for over 20 years now, I went to see the wonderful Altan with the redoubtable Mike Perini last night.  Just in time for a new album to emerge, the Poison Glen!  I got in a brief interview about it with lead singer/fiddle player Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh:  (excuse my video quality!)



Mike also got in some nice pictures as well. A great evening, and just the thing I needed!

Mairead and I in the Ark

The band on stage.  We're right up front 2 feet away...

Mairead and Ciaran Tourish in full double fiddle action!

A bit of color from 1939

 Fred and Ginger -- in color! -- in a scene from 1939's Story of Vernon and Irene Castle. (no sound!) I believe this is Ginger's camera....

I suppose I should have thought of this...

But you'd think that WWII would yield at least one of these....

It started with bread....

...but it ended with apple strudel!  Thanks Metzger's for the weiner schnitzel, the spatzen and the red cabbage too....

Complete with Birthday candle in the whipped cream!

A good birthday indeed, special thanks to both Mike P  and Ray C.

We start the B-day....with Bread!

My friend Mike and I just raced down to the Zingerman's Bakehouse....because of the price of this little beauty (Sourdough) on my birthday is....free!  (Well....Mike had to get something!)  So I thought I'd share it with you before cutting it up!

The birthday is not tomorrow, but Tuesday....

Some are making a big deal out of it...

Others wait at the bar....

uh oh...can't have everyone in red, right?

I can't seem to stop the trend....I'll have to suffer and go with the flow...
 

Ginger even....


I'll let you know how it all works out!

Listening in....

Is Ginger trying to tune in the game?  Some rave?  A mystery....

Nope....not till the end of the month!

Sorry Ginger.....my birthday will be soon, so please be patient!