"The heck with the foo-foo, gimme the hooch!"

I've been spending the morning so far extracting photos and videos from three cameras. We discussed partying a little in 'comments' on this post, and I thought I'd share the tone of Saturday's all-day-and-into-the-evening bash with this short vid.

The driving force (and Force Of Nature!) behind Mrs. G's High School class's seemingly non-stop reunions is Hurricane Edie. More on her later. Her daughter (r) and her niece erected this mini-margaritaville in the early afternoon and served up regular and pomegranate (for the anti-oxidant value, no doubt...heh) margaritas. Let's just say things got a little more interesting thereafter! (Big shit-eatin' grin smiley face.)

When you shoot casual videos, you never know what's going to be on them. I have several, and I haven't watched them all yet. If they all caught priceless stuff like this, one thing's for sure: I'm never going to be invited to one of Mrs. G's class parties again.

On the vid you can hear the strolling musicians that were the afternoon entertainment of the fiesta-themed do. More on them later too.

Cathy eschews the Margaritas and goes for the Gold! Arroyo Grande Class Of '63 "We're Turning 65!" party, 9-18-10

Update:

The reunion committee got these guys on pretty short notice after they found out what a 7 or more piece Mariachi costs (a lot!). They squeezed us in on their way to another gig where they would no doubt stroll amongst diners and threaten to play unless the diners paid 'em off. Then they had to sneak the uniforms back into the hospital... They were extremely good-natured gents, and I have nicknamed them "Tres Bozos".

I panned over to try and catch Diane and Maxine line dancing, but they had quit. Margaritas needed freshening up, no doubt.

Mariachi trio "Tres Amigos" of Santa Maria play a traditional song at the Arroyo Grande HS Class Of '63 "We're Turning 65!" party on 9-18-10.

I'll put some more up Below The Fold in the next day or so. I got things to do. Lordy, do I...

Quote of the Day

Ol' Fez(in toto):

Just to be clear

Dabbling in Witchcraft in early middle-age is no big deal if you're a Republican (and frankly, the bizarre thing about that is, it is not all that bizarre at all -- especially compared to the rest of the Christine O'Donnell resume), but being a Community Organizer in your twenties is incredibly dangerous socialism if you're a Democrat.

Everything's broken ...

Gord and I have been saying this for more than 6 years. The pace of deployments, the rush to expand the military by taking anybody who could spell their own name, and the lack of a real mission or leadership would only serve to break our army. Seems the Army realizes it too:

...

The increase in drug abuse and bad behavior came at the same time that the Army enlisted thousands of recruits who in previous years would have been ruled ineligible because of drug or other criminal convictions. According to the report, nearly 20 percent of the soldiers who've enlisted in the Army since 2004 — perhaps as many as 10,000 — would "not have been eligible for entry into the Army before."

"I think we've got to understand that the force we have today is different from the force we had 10 years ago," said Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the vice chief of staff of the Army, who oversaw the study and is heading up the Army's response to it. "We've got kids that are going to have some behavioral health issues. The real hard part for us is to determine, 'OK, I am willing to help this kid with behavioral health issues, but how long can I help him? How long can I do that and make sure I have a force capable of doing whatever the nation asks it to do?' "

...

Sometimes it sucks to be right.

Great thanks to our pal Comrade Misfit for the link.

Athenae's pissed ...

At smug, rich assholes:

...

In the second place, in the second paragraph, really. You're really going to tell starving children to go blow because you're mad about your taxes. That's a thing you're going to do. The starving children, natch, having all kinds of influence in Congress, given how everybody's falling all over themselves to help THEM. Those are the people who can do exactly dick about your tax sitch, so I'm sure your brave moral stand will SO TOTALLY get noticed by our decision makers. Shit, stop giving money to politicians if you don't like how they behave, but Toys for Tots did nothing to you to deserve your contempt, and you're doing plenty to earn mine.

...

NY nutz ...

I know there are idiots in every bunch and it seems we have our share. The article starts with the line:

I wish that this were something out of the Onion, I really do.

...

Seems we have another nutjob (aside from the one running for governor) looking to 'represent' us:

...

That might sound bad, sure, but are we sure they're not exaggerating?

They're not. In fact, if the character of Russell's essay is representative, they're understating the situation. It lauds efforts of "scientists" like Arthur Jensen and others who have spent years trying to "prove" that whites are genetically more intelligent than black people. It describes an "optimal society" by quoting T. S. Eliot: "reasons of race and culture combine to make any large number of free-thinking Jews undesirable." It was so bad that it was republished with pride on the website of no less than David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

...

I knew we had a bedbug problem in NYC but compared to all the crazy cockroaches who are coming out of the woodwork, the bedbugs are less intrusive. They just wanna find something to eat. The nutjobs want to tell you what you can do there and what you can't.

Thanks to Mr. Philadelphia for the link.

Headin' In

Like Fixer, I'm a) burnt down to my socks, and b) so out of touch with what's going on that if today is the first day of the post-apocalyptic world I'll just think the bombed-out sections of the road could use a little work.

We're heading for home today. I'll be glad to get there. The old farts partied me into the ground and I need the rest.

See ya tomorrow.

Oh, the irony...

Ironic Times

Gainesville Orders Pastor Terry Jones's Church to Pay $200K for Security Costs Associated With Cancelled Koran Burning
Jones says he'll sell signed copies of his Korans to raise money.

Producers Ask FDA to Call High Fructose Corn Syrup “Corn Sugar”
Methamphetamine dealers want meth renamed “Vitamin M.”

Tea Party Reaching Out to Minorities With “DiverseTea”
Leaders hope to attract “coloreds, beaners, Orientals and Hebrews.”

But will they learn ...

Digby has a good post up about our hero, Alan Grayson's reelection strategy; completely opposite of 'normal' Dem thinking.

...

But his "counterintuitive" (for beltway strategists) experiment is the one to watch for progressives. He's done virtually everything we've asked of him, her's been an outspoken leader, he's pushed through difficult legislation, all as a freshman. If he can survive this coming slaughter, it's a big lesson for other Democrats.

The Dems should have figured it out after the '08 election but they never seem to learn that to win against Republicans is not to appease them but call them what they really are. Heartless, soulless motherfuckers.

The Dogs ...

I have no idea what went on in the world this weekend. Spending most of Saturday and Sunday on the road, plus getting the pups settled last night, I'm completely out of touch. The only thing I heard is that NYC traffic is gonna suck this week because of the blowhard fest at the U.N.

I'll get back in touch today ... I hope. It looks like the varmints are starting to get the routine around here. A couple of pics of the monsters from the Red Roof Inn, Erie, PA where we met Kathy and picked them up.

Ziva

Da Chooch

Puppy Pile!

Shot ...

Finally home with the girls and I'm shot. 16 hours of driving in 30 hours on 3 hours sleep last night. The dogs are going well, the puppy especially, with Da Chooch (the 18 month old) having some ... separation issues. I'll have pics up in the morning after I get some sleep.

AGHS '63

Just a blurb to show you what I had to suffer through at last night's opening bash of Mrs. G's reunion. Man, can those old farts eat! I ate two of those plus sidearms. Today is the test of fire. Food and drink all day. Mini-Mariachi this afternoon, Mexican buffet for dinner. Morituri te salutamus...

The event is being held on a working farm owned by one of Mrs. G's classmates. There are crops growing about fifty feet from where the grill is. The farm is 100 acres, which is pretty good size for being right in town.

More later if I'm able...

Click to embiggen

Saturday Emmylou Blogging

Busy day, big chicken dinner sluggin' me out, first night of Mrs. G's reunion get together. Not sure if I can keep up with these old farts, more later, zzzzzz....

Emmylou Harris ~ Not Enough

Thanks to 6hillsway, UK.

Yeah, it was us ...

You know, I have to go through life with the guilt (seriously) of what my people did to my wife's people. I don't like having Nazi Germany as part of my heritage but there ain't shit I can do about it. I wasn't born then and I take pride in the fact a book was written about how our town resisted Hitler and the Nazis.

Now the German Pope (didn't I tell you when he was appointed that you can't give Germans that much power) is blaming atheists for the Holocaust. I can't fucking win.

...

The leader of the Roman Catholic church concluded a speech, made before the Queen and assembled dignitaries at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, with the argument that the Nazi desire to eradicate God had led to the Holocaust and a plea for 21st-century Britain to respect its Christian foundations.

...

Dude, lemmie tell ya, the Nazis co-opted the Catholic church before Hitler became Chancellor.

Puppy Eve!

Heading to bed early tonight because we have to get up at Oh-So-Fucking-Early tomorrow to head out to Erie, PA to meet my pal Kathy and pick up our two new little monsters. I'm bringing the laptop with me and the local Red Roof says they have wifi, but so do cruise lines. I'll try to post but god knows what kind of bandwidth I'll have to work with. If you don't hear from either of us, consider it a weekend off at the Brain.

We'll be back Monday, at the least, Gord with stories of Mrs. G's reunion and me on our pupitude.

Ziva

Da Chooch

OMG! Oh Noes!!!

Elizabeth Warren might believe in ... social justice!!??? Good God, what is America coming to?

The Big Yawn ...

Burn what? Go ahead:

IN SCENES of calm bemusement not seen in the lower United States since John Scopes taught innocent schoolchildren evolution, it was reported yesterday that Pastor Terry Jones had given up on his plans to burn 200 Korans and was instead planning to incite atheists by soaking a gross of Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion in moonshine and putting a match to them.

Atheists, who hadn't been expected to come out in pick-up trucks with gun racks on their rear windows and circle his church with their engines revving like goaded Rottweilers, didn't.

...

Very funny. Thank god it's Friday!

Thanks to Erin for the link.

That's entertainment ...

D-cap hits the nail on the head:

...

The problem is Lewis is right. Most of this country could care less about the issues and would rather vote for someone that is "fun to have a beer" with or would be a good "roll in the hay." It doesn't matter that our previous beer buddy and current old man's wet dream both have a minimal grasp of reality, not one iota of worldliness and zero intellectual curiosity - they were (and are) very entertaining.

...

I must have said it a million times here. The American people have the attention spans of 3 year olds. Politics, like 90% of the crap on TV, is one big reality show. All that matters is who remains on the island in the end.

Boner Boehner Land

Nah, it ain't a 'pay-for-play' establishment in Amsterdam's Red Light District. It's about Johann van Oranje's* money connections.

...

Even among Washington Republicans, John Boehner stands out for his especially deep ties to corporate lobbyists. They've committed hundreds of thousands of dollars to his campaign, played at luxury golf resorts alongside him, even thrown waterfront bashes and warehouse parties on his behalf.

...

Yeah, he's looking out for the folks who live on 'Main Street'. Not ...

*"John of Orange" in Flemish.

Great thanks to Mr. Aravosis for the link.

Yes!

Finally, Barry did something for us progressives:

I'm going to come out of my blogging shell to praise President Obama for naming Elizabeth Warren to his team with a mandate to effectively run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Not only did he pick the best person to get the agency running, he's bypassing the mess that is the Senate appointment process. Strike one up for enthusiasm there ...

Personally, I didn't think he would.

Headin' out

Me 'n Mrs. G are heading out to the coast for a few days. Her High School class is having a "We're turning 65 party! Whee(ze)!". I won't turn 65 'til next Sunday, so I'm just going along as a stretcher bearer.

I'll leave you with a "how the fuck did we get into this mess?" piece by Robert Parry:

But how did the United States of America get here? How could the most powerful nation on earth with a sophisticated media that is constitutionally protected from government censorship have stumbled into today’s dreary place filled with such up-is-down commentary?

However, America’s decoupling from reality – and its disappearance into the swamp of unreality – began in earnest with the rise of actor and ad pitchman Ronald Reagan, who crafted a host of get-something-for-nothing policies that appealed to a nation that was struggling to adjust to a more complex world.

Yeah, America's a lot better at "Me first! Gimme! Gimmee! Now! Now!" than it is at 'complex'.

As a reward for wading through that and in case you missed it, here's a panel discussion in the wake of the teabagger primary victories that attempts to answer the question "How are the Democrats going to fuck this up?". Caution: John Oliver's final comment made me fall off the couch!

Also, Jon Stewart answers O'Donnell's question about masturbation, "...then what am I there for?". Heh.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Tea Party Primaries - Beyond the Palin
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

See yas.