Frankie's Dad

Hartford to Downtown St. Louis the Long Way (Again)

2012-02-23T18:46:00.001-08:00

Imported Garmin Route (02/23/2012) and more rides in Hartford, IL on MapMyRIDE. Find ride

Bike ride to St. Louis the hard way.

2012-02-16T16:55:00.001-08:00

Bike ride to St. Louis the hard way. (mp3)

Hartford to Downtown St. Louis the Long Way

2012-02-16T16:46:00.001-08:00

I rode a new route, today, to avoid riding what I am sure was a muddy stretch of my usual path along the east levee of the Chain of Rocks canal. Click here to see the route. On the map, click on Map Options and choose Satellite. You will see a little box in the upper right of the map that says 3D. Click on that box if you want to see a virtual flyover of the route.

Bike Ride to Downtown on Saturday, 11 February, 2012

2012-02-12T10:49:00.000-08:00

Imported Garmin Route (02/11/2012) and more rides in Hartford, IL on MapMyRIDE. Find ride

Late night downtown at the pub

2012-02-11T20:55:00.001-08:00

Late night downtown at the pub (mp3)

Hockey night in St. Louis

2012-02-11T16:25:00.001-08:00

Hockey night in St. Louis (mp3)

Oops.

2012-02-05T17:05:00.001-08:00

Oops. (mp3)

Well stated.

2012-02-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

Read here.

Listen to the Audioboo just below this entry.

2012-02-02T19:27:00.000-08:00

This is the coolest guitar in the world. It is a type of acoustic guitar known as a resonator.

Bikes and guitars

2012-02-02T16:02:00.001-08:00

Bikes and guitars (mp3)

Check out this beautiful owl

2012-01-29T19:01:00.000-08:00

I would love to see one of these birds.

Broadbandboo

2012-01-29T12:04:00.001-08:00

Broadbandboo (mp3)

Delta Blues Slide Guitar.

2012-01-26T18:21:00.001-08:00

If only I could play like this.

Blame the Cat.

2012-01-26T15:07:00.001-08:00

Here is the story.

Hit me baby one more timeboo

2012-01-26T15:02:00.001-08:00

Hit me baby one more timeboo (mp3)

Cool spoken word stories

2012-01-20T18:10:00.001-08:00

Cool spoken word stories (mp3)

Stephen King: brilliant.

2012-01-19T11:26:00.001-08:00

Stephen King: brilliant. (mp3)

Waterford(?)Crystal

2012-01-18T19:27:00.001-08:00

Waterford(?)Crystal (mp3)

Pub

2012-01-14T13:20:00.001-08:00

Pub (mp3)

Cold Jeff Fisher crab cakes

2012-01-13T18:13:00.001-08:00

Cold Jeff Fisher crab cakes (mp3)

St. Louis Zoo penguins go on field trip

2012-01-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

Cold

2012-01-12T17:46:00.001-08:00

Cold (mp3)

How to Play Knocking on Heaven's Door Solo 1

2011-09-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

This guy might take video games a little too seriously

2011-08-14T04:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't been here in forever.

2011-05-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

The last time I posted something here, President Clinton was chasing women around in the White House. With a cigar. I must try to think of something to say.

Bicycles!

2011-01-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

Todd Snider

2010-12-27T20:00:00.003-08:00

Hello?

2010-12-16T16:06:00.000-08:00

Anybody here? Hello...lo...lo...lo... Way too long. Knocking down the cobwebs. Watching Coyotes at Rangers. Go Rangers.

Grand Isle Louisiana and the Gulf Oil Spill

2010-08-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

Oil Spill

2010-08-26T19:31:00.001-07:00

Another Bike Ride to St. Louis 22 August, 2010

2010-08-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

One picture per mile with a bonus video!

Pakistan Flooding

2010-08-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Life sucks in much of Pakistan, with massive flooding, rivers swelling to fifteen times their normal size, homes washed away, millions of refugees, a growing epidemic of cholera and other forms of infectious acute watery diarrhea, a government that many believe to be duplicitous and corrupt, and a profound reluctance by Westerners to donate to people that live in a country where the United States spends time and money killing alleged terrorists with drone aircraft. If you want to help, a multinational and nonpartisan organization that is on the ground providing relief, the United Nations Refugee Agency, would be glad to accept your donation. Consider visiting the UN Refugee site here . Frankie the cat thanks you.

A bit of a fender bender

2010-08-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

Sunday's Nascar race was interesting, especially for the guy whose engine fell out.

Buddhism Sounds Cool

2010-07-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

As I struggle with the drudgery of daily work life, I contemplate the principles of Buddhism. That's right, Buddhism. No, I don't plan on living with Buddhist monks in Tibet for a year, but wouldn't that be a blast? If only I could take my cats with me. My pathetically amateur interpretation of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism is that to live is to suffer, that longing, greed, lust, and clinging to an impermanent life cause suffering, and that those desires can be overcome through meditation and acceptance of mortality. Combine that with the Buddhist principles of kindness and avoidance of hurting living things, and I'm ready to sign up. As for the monastic life of celibacy and avoidance of alcohol, I'm not ready for that commitment.

BP Tax Credit For Oil Spill Costs

2010-07-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

A Wall Street Journal article by Michael Corkery reported today that BP planned to claim a 9.9 billion dollar tax credit to partially offset its 32 billion dollar bill (so far) for the Gulf oil spill cleanup. According to BP CEO Tony Hayward, BP is following IRS regulations. Read the article, if you like.

My bicycle ride from Hartford, Il, to Hotshots in downtown St. Louis

2010-07-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

Did Oil Money Play a Role in a Murderer's Release?

2010-07-13T19:26:00.001-07:00

I don't know. Maybe. Frankie the cat says, "probably." What do you think? Read this.

tom

Finally, it's over. Let my bar life get back to normal.

2010-07-13T19:01:00.001-07:00

I haven't been able to get into my favorite bar or even my backup bars on several occasions during the past month, because of over-capacity crowds watching World Cup soccer matches that they could have just as easily been watching on their home TV's. I am as happy as these Spaniards that were videotaped celebrating Spain's championship-winning goal. Bar stool, here I come.

Pascagoula, Mississippi Mayor Speaks Honestly

2010-06-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

This mayor talks about the tar balls washing up on his beach and about the improbability of a temporary ban on deep water oil drilling. Paraphrasing, he says that the moratorium is a good thing, but that it isn't going to happen. It is something that the politicians will talk back and forth about, but in the end, they are going to drill because "that's where the fuel is." Click to listen.

We're Sorry

2010-06-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

Think about this, maybe. You know, if you want.

2010-06-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

I don't have any kids, so why should I care what happens to our species? The planet will be just fine without us. So what if we take out a few other species with us? That's what I think, sometimes. Other times, I think "Stop digging up and burning nasty stuff that the planet has safely buried." I have some allegiance to humans, for whatever reason.

We Are Humans, And We Did This. Click On The Pic.

2010-06-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

We are all responsible for what we have done to our planet, including the poisonous oil volcano in the Gulf. I hope that we don't make personal attacks against individual BP employees. It is the greed of corporate management, shareholders, and consumers worldwide that drives irresponsible deep-water drilling.

Tom

Methane: The Secret Ingredient

2010-06-18T17:06:00.000-07:00

An oceanographer from Texas A + M University says that the oil field that BP punctured and that is leaking into the ocean contains forty per cent methane, instead of the typical five per cent, according to an article on MSNBC.com. This methane may explain a lot, since a bubble of methane is what is believed to have caused the explosion of the oil rig that started this catastrophe, it was methane crystals that clogged up the containment vessel that BP initially used to contain the leak, and it may be methane that is causing the unusual situation in which large plumes of oil are staying beneath the surface where they can not be captured by skimming. Also, microorganisms feed on methane in the water, depleting oxygen, creating dead zones that kill nearly all life, including the organisms that biodegrade oil. For a dramatic account of the the ill-behaved well, it's enormous methane gas pockets, and the explosive result, see this article on cnn.com. Drilling for oil at an extraordinary depth at which no proven plans exist for containing a leak in an unusually poisonous oil field, in the ocean, is something that I hope we never repeat.

Tom

The Dubliner, Downtown St. Louis

2010-06-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

I was here, today, and I was impressed. It was a big place, with a huge horseshoe bar, an interesting menu, and four dollar pints from 2 to 6 pm weekdays. The bartender poured the Guinness just right, and it tasted good. When I go back, I'm going to have the Vegan Sandwich with vegetables and mushrooms. Stay tuned.

BP CEO Testifies. Please Click On The Picture.

2010-06-17T19:56:00.001-07:00

BP Cares About The Small People! What a Relief.

2010-06-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

Fire Vortex Occurs During Controlled Burn of BP Oil On 9 June, 2010

2010-06-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

A bunch of oil.

2010-05-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

2010-03-30 New 2010 Yaris

2010-03-30T19:05:00.001-07:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Bug Flies in Reporter's Mouth. PROFANITY ALERT!

2010-03-28T18:05:00.001-07:00

Reporter Goes Ghetto
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Penelope's Fort.JPG

2010-03-28T17:44:00.001-07:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Red-Tailed Hawk

2010-03-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

Geroge Carlin on Cats. WARNING! PROFANITY!

2010-03-01T17:00:00.001-08:00

Malcolm X

2010-02-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

Malcolm X interview on Chicago TV with Jim Hurlbut - Watch more Music Videos at Vodpod.

The Assault on Loveless Marriage

2010-02-16T21:11:00.000-08:00

New Law Would Ban Marriages Between People Who Don't Love Each Other - Watch more Politics Videos at Vodpod.

Mel Gibson Doesn't Like This Guy

2010-02-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

Mel Gibson Calls Reporter an Asshole - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Could You Care Less?

2010-01-30T17:07:00.001-08:00

Rejected Superbowl Commercial. Why?

2010-01-29T19:00:00.000-08:00

Apple Releases New iPad.

2010-01-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

Lightning Round History of Haiti

2010-01-18T19:13:00.000-08:00

Abortion Laws

2010-01-17T07:04:00.000-08:00

WARNING! This video contains profanity, but oh, it is funny.

2010-01-15T18:46:00.000-08:00

EMBED-Hitler Weighs in on the OBrien/Leno Controversy - Watch more free videos

Mac the Dog's Farewell Song, by Vic Chesnutt

2010-01-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

Yemen

2010-01-10T11:47:00.001-08:00

Daily Show: Sad Libs, Terror 2.0 by Yemen - Watch more Politics Videos at Vodpod.

Trading Trees For Greenhouse Gases?

2010-01-10T10:34:00.000-08:00

Does it make sense to let a power company in the United States pump an extra ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to reward the power company for paying someone in Brazil to not cut down a tree? Part of me just wants us humans to hurry up and poison ourselves out of existence so that the rest of the species can be rid of us.

2500 Miles in 2009, And a New Bike On the Way

2009-12-19T14:22:00.000-08:00

I broke 2500 miles on the bicycle, today, after riding 20 miles on the Madison County trails. I saw two other cyclists, a jogger, and a dog walker. It was a dark, ugly day with a solid gray cloud ceiling, a thin layer of slushy snow on overpasses, and a northwest wind. It was a day that made the world look gray-tone, like the sun had been snuffed out and wasn't going to come back. My current bike is a 2009 FCR 3. My new bike is a 2010 Giant Defy 1. The new bike is a road bike, meaning it is faster and supports a lower posture with the torso stretched forward, and it has narrower, higher pressure tires for less rolling resistance. It is the style of bike that you see cyclists riding who are dressed up in professional racing costumes. You know the ones, whose clothes are multiple bright colors and skin-tight from shoulder to ankle like Lance Armstrong. I won't be one of those people. I plan on making my old bike my inclement weather bike for days when there is a chance of rain or the pavement is wet or slushy, like today, and the new bike for everything else. Oh, and the old bike, with its wider tires, will be good for the gravel of the Katy trail, too.

People of WalMart

2009-11-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

Here is the People of WalMart link. Enjoy.

Bicycle Trip From Granite City, IL to St. Louis

2009-11-01T17:31:00.000-08:00

This was my bike ride on Sunday, 1 November, 2009. tom