some like it hot, some not...       6.30.05

quick mention of guitar related linky goodness...       6.29.05
okay, not sure where yourstruly gonna be wandering in the month of August, but if possible, we'd like to think you'll find us in or around the Healdsburg/Santa Rosa, CA. area (Luther Burbank Center is closer to Santa Rosa) for the Healdsburg Guitar Festival, likely be bigger than ever, as far as "better" goes, well, we'll see. Whilst perusing the newstand el otro dia to locate a copy of Acoustic Guitar magazine (without any luck, btw, maybe on our next visit) we caught sight of Frets, and we seem to recall Frets being around, then gone, or was that just a dream; anyway, looks like they're back (or still around, whatever the case may be). This link takes ye to lovely examples of inlay work by William "Grit" Laskin, who will be at the Guitar Festival.

"lemminglike blend of hope, communal obligation, & cranial vacancy..."       6.28.05
ahhhh, that Anthony Lane (reviewing film for the New Yorker) has a way with words, that phrase utilized above could likely apply to much of human endeavour (like voting for president of the u.s. of a.) in general although in his composition that segment completes a sentence referring to our penchant for hieing ourselves off to see the latest that Hollywood has to offer, no matter how awful we suspect it will be.
and that Tom Cruise, whoa, he is really some kind of exceptional example of a complete asshole, no?
Did you see any of that recent business with Matt Lauer, Tommy going on about his (no doubt) comprehensive & all-encompassing knowledge of psychiatry, Matt's propensity for being "glib", Tommy's abhorrence of psychiatric practice in general. Fuck You, Tom Cruise, Fuck You Very Much. This dumbmonkey will be damned if he's going shell out his hard-earned dough to watch any film you are in, no matter how spectacular the special effects, they cannot do anything to diminish the collosal size of your ego nor the breadth of your willful ignorance. You and the rest of your fellow scientologists ought to do
the rest of us a favor, mind your own goddamned business and shut the fuck up! Please!
okay, been awhile since yourstruly has offered up a reading assignment so listen up, pay attention, there will be a quiz, but (whenever you're in the neighborhood, Binky...) el chango tonto is buying the brewskies, Ok? First up, from last Sunday's NY Times, Frank Rich's The Armstrong Williams NewsHour, and by the way, we are in a world of shit, don't you agree. This cad-ministration just gets creepier and creepier and, goddamn, we still got years to go, scares the living crap out of l'Marquis, yessssss it does. Ok, next, from the 6.27 issue of the New Yorker, more creepy shit (and very likely to get even CREEPIER when ol' whatzhizzface retires), this from H. Hertzberg, Watched Pot. Now we point ye in the direction of Raw Story, and we add a couple of links provided us courtesy the daily updates provided us via Shakespeare's Sister, ourowndamnedself taking the liberty to cut and paste from S's Sister's Daily Dispatch (you can get them too, Binky, just ally thyself with the fine folks standing proudly togther in the Big Brass Alliance):

Continuing on today’s blogswarm topic, Spoof News Editor JJ notes that the general who was cited in the recent Times article (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1669640,00.html) as having confirmed the secret air war, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, was nominated by Bush on May 16 as chief of staff of the Air Force. JJ wisely suggests that a confirmation hearing would make it difficult to dodge questions about the pre-war air strikes. Let’s start raising the issue now: Moseley, who served as the Combined Forces Air Component Commander for operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom needs to answer questions about his role in the “spikes of activity” that were allegedly designed to provoke Saddam.

See the following stories about Moseley’s nomination:
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123010533
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20050602-103607-2343r.htm
*****We Left Out RAW STORY Linkage Here*****
Other good stuff:
AfterDowningStreet.org: Downing Street Minutes to Hit House Floor
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/540

Axis of Logic: Why the American Press Remains Paralyzed
http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_18797.shtml

the long & winding road that...       6.24.05
is the NBA season (thought yourstruly was going all Beatles-ish on ye today, eh Binky-poo?) wound to a marvelous close last night, three well played finals games that were preceded by out & out blowouts, or approximations thereof. Early in the season we imagined the Spurs, Heat, Pistons somewhere in the picture; were pleasantly surprised by the dominating Phoenix Suns in the west, and we were rooting for them to get out of the west, unfortunately them Spurs put the kabosh all over that plan (we were imagining young Stevie Nash going head to head with his counterpart Dwyane Wade). Happy that Detroit could force a game-seven-for-all-the-marbles situation, and really, how can you not be happy for Robert Horry, and Manu (as Charlie B. is prone to shout "GINOBILI!!!), Tony & Timmy, Coach Pop (who credited Coach Brown for being hugely instrumental in Coach P's success). Now that the Zen-master is back in LaLaLand, perhaps we'll see the Lakers back in the playoff picture, although pretty damned unlikely they'll be anywhere near the conference finals, let alone competing for the championship, within a year or two. Two really good ballclubs, and three excellent ballgames to close out what seemed to be a San Antonio Sweep after the first two games. So once again ourowndamnedself faces the long post-hoops (collegiate & pro) season, although we do enjoy watching the occasional WNBA contest, baseball never provided the same degree of interest for us, well, not until the playoffs & the world series, depending on who was involved, but it is summer and time to get outside and play, no? Maybe, just maybe, we be visiting the A's in Oaktown, or the River Cats out in Sacto (stadium's just a hop skip & jump from the Amtrak station), whilst we back in the bay area environs.

the Wayfaring Stranger...       6.22.05
or "Egads, not Chico's Tacos again..."
hey dere, katz und kitteez, how ye be? Cooled off a bit yesterday, hell, it only got up to 96 or so, oh, so much cooler, had to contemplate getting a sweatshirt outta the old kit bag, okay so we might be fudging da trutt a bit... that C.T. reference made above? well, a perusal of the local fishwrap of record has a story (and we've all been waiting with baited breath for the damn thing, believe it...) on reasons why someone might decide to return to EPTx, our own reasons for hangin' out in the desert southwest having naught in common with any of these, but let's look at them one by one, okey dokey, pokey lokey?
alright then, allow us to preface the following by mentioning we bear no malice to those hard-working drones in the pay of Gannett Newspapers who labor at the E.P. Times, although we do wonder just how sizeable that survey sample was. Also, our opinion on the subject of Chico's Tacos is likely already obvious to any regular reader (and they droppin' like flies these days we gotzta say...), and now, without further ado or procrastinatory impulse: Numero Uno reason to return to El Paso, Tx. -- Chico's Tacos? sorry, Binky, not unless yourstruly happened to have been lost in a wilderness that provided nothing but nuts & berries to eat, perhaps the occasional fried grasshopper or cricket, but if Your primary reason to return to EPT from wherever you've wandered off to is C.T., well, we feel for ye, compa, seguro que si!
Now, s'far as Numero Dos is concerned, well, firstly ye gotta be blessed with a mamasita that enjoys laboring in a kitchen, particularly when it be hot in the desert, and not all of us are that lucky, although yourstruly is one of the lucky ones. Lately tho', and it has a lot to do with our reasons for hangin' out locally for the last little while, is that it's high time the Momz had opportunity to relax and let somebody else do the cooking for her, but, truth be told, we not about to prevent her from making her wonderful homemade tortillas any time she be inclined. Regarding Tex-Mex cuisine, well, l'Marquis has invested a bit of effort hereabouts of late to relate some of his experiences in search of yummy stuff to eat, whether it be Tex-Mex or part of our ongoing search for the pastrami sandwich of our dreams -- Note to Pals on the East Coast: Yes, Stumpy, MelliMel, & the rest of ye, we know that it awaits us there -- but, again, let's try not to wander far afield from truthfulness in this regard, there's plenty of excellent Mexican food available throughout the southwest & there might be a case that can be made for finding some of the least expensive examples of it on the border, yet, despite all this, yourstruly's aware of many El Paso expats that are quite happy being elsewhere, despite the allure of comida Mexicana on the border. Horale pues, Numero Tres! Good Weather - ? Okay, sure, if you enjoy plenty of sunshine, no argument. Personally speaking, after spending much of the last 3 decades of our silverbacked existence there, we much (MUCH!) prefer the weather of the San Francisco Bay Area, where we shall be heading off to very shortly, Binky-poo, so you better be ready for us. Yourstruly not going waste any more time on the subject of the weather here which can be pleasant at times, but on the basis of all-year round? Sorry, we'd rather be elsewhere and it wouldn't be one of the Top Ten Reasons we'd use to justify coming back to EPT, although we might feel very differently about that if we lived in, oh, say Northern Minnesota or, hmmmmmm...   Lubbock? Alright, next up, Cooking Out w/Family and Friends- shit, buddy, ye can do that anywhere. Numero Cinco- uh, did you say 'El Paso's Diverse Culture'? -- won't linger here, boyz und gurlz, might tempt us into our krankypants, but the culture here is hardly diverse, when one might more accurately utilize a term like that when describing, oh, say Berkeley, California? As for the 6th reason to return to EPTx, UTEP Miner Basketball & Football; babeee, when it's the only game in town, you got to make the most of it, you know? Numbero Siete- Laid Back Friendly Peoples; mind you, again, just our opinion but perhaps TOO laid back, as in apathetic and appallingly unconcerned with the State of the Union/World around them. Friendly? Hey, l'Marquis happens to be brownskinned, brown-eyed, dark-haired and can be mistaken for a native with no difficulty at all, even possess some small grasp of si, yo habla espanol but there likely be a few gringos out there who might take issue with this "friendly peoples" business. "The Way the Desert Smells in the Rain" -- well, that's certainly an improvement over the way it usually smells isn't it? Damn, got my kranky pants on and didn't even realize. No, allow ourowndamnedself to say, that it is only in the desert (and this is hardly unique to the particular portion of the Chihuahuan desert whereupon El Paso has laid itself out...) that one can scent rain miles away, and it is, without a doubt, a memorable sensation, one that is easily magnified by imagining oneself spending years in a place where rain is a Very Occasional Occurance, so it is bound to become something of a substantially realized memory when scenting rain in the desert. Numero Nueve- there are plenty of other places we can imagine being with a loved one (most of them indoors, between the sheets and --- Oops! that's a post for our other weblog -- subscription only, folks...) and in our entire five decades of existence, we would be remiss if we did not admit to fact that we have NEVER ONCE thought longingly of standing there on the cliffside locale of Scenic Drive alongside any of our past & future loved ones, nope, nunca, chicos y chicas, Nunca! Last and certainly least of any reason to consider giving up on living elsewhere, The Star on the Mountain. Just what is this sentiment in regard this waste of electricity supposed to signify. Maybe if you built small bunker nearby, filled with storage batteries & installed the requisite number of solar panels alongside the marvel that is this Star on the Mountain you might convince me. No, rather see La Hacienda as a going concern & the return of Taco Tuesday...
'nuff of that, right? Part of our reason to take issue with this item from the EP Times is related to our recently instigated and likely to be ongoing "Take the El Paso Times to Task for Being a Lousy Newspaper" campaign. Wrote a couple of letters recently, one this morning matter of fact, and believe me, Binky, there is plenty to take issue with as far as this particular newspaper in concerned, and yesssssss, we know they labor under the handicap of being one of those Gannett publications, but after awhile that excuse ceases to hold water. This criticism is also valid in consideration of the three primary broadcasters in the EPTx electronic media market; one gripe in particular, why is Weather featured every 4 or 5 minutes in the course of a half hour newscast, particularly when the weather visited upon the local environs is not subject to a tremendous degree of variability. oh shit, lemme just get outta here with a few closing items. First, l'Marquis would like to extend his genuine thanks to the kindness of Zed Lopez, he of fine Left Coast Weblogger effort, MemeMachineGo! for providing clueless folk like yourstuly with great weblogging tool. We speaking about the New York Times Link Generator which l'Marquis is taking advantage of whenever possible, although it pains us to discover that it does have some (admittedly minor) limitations, para exemplo, when attempting to use on these items from yesterday's NYT (items which, by the way, prompted our letter of complaint & outrage to folks at the EP Times...) Arts section: Frontline: "Private Warriors"; POV:"The Education of Shelby Knox", both worth watching, the Frontline piece in particular. Now we've in mind a letter to the local PBS outlet inquiring why the fuck they felt it in their viewing public's best interest to broadcast the POV show at 10 en la noche. Is this not stupidity, utterly & truly! Anyway, a couple more brief items to mention and we bid ye a fare thee well until the next time, all NYT linkage by and large: A Lawsuit Whose Time May Have Come, and Gone; Young Filmmaker Tells Hollywood It Can Wait; Choose: More Troops in Iraq Will (Help) (Hurt) --- in light of the information gained via that Frontline program mentioned earlier, maybe we should just outsource that entire Iraq/Afghanistan business, no? The canny ones amongst ye will have noted that the NYT LinkGen only worked on the third of those three links, some mystery to the alchemy involved no doubt.
From the Book Review section, Sunday 6.19, 'Doonesbury' at War, (goshdarnitall, didn't work there...)
okay then, just so you know, we rootin' for Big Ben Wallace & the boys from Detroit tonight...

the bastards...       6.20.05
oh yeah, after the years yourstruly invested on the killing floor of Khronikle Klassifieds, every laudatory mention of excellent work by many of the columnists and scribes toiling on a nearly daily basis to (these days) enhance the fortunes of Hearst Communications, the powers that be at the Khron have decided to leap upon the already WAY down the highway wagon of weblogdom with their effort labelled Culture Blog. Oh well, sumbitches think they got sometink worth visiting on a regular basis, well, we will be watchin', my pretteez, yesssss we will. One thing we are thankful for and appreciative of (btw, we be back in the bay area in a matter of weeks, consider thyself forwarned, Binky-poo) is their mention that BBC doc that we touched upon in our 6.14 post, The Power of Nightmares, is showing at the Roxie. Goshdarnitall, where will it be showing when yourstruly has his own shaggy, badass self back in Berkeley? pos, quien sabe, amigos...
yessssss, you right, Binky, we have neglected things hereabouts of late, main reason is that it's been TOO FUCKIN' HOT! Not sure, 'cause much of the grey matter is sufferin' heat related discombobulation, but it probably been a week of 100+ degree temps around here. It was 91 degrees at 10:30 last night, thank goodness there be a pool in the backyard, nuttin' like a bit of skinnydipping in the wee hours to cool oneself down enough to achieve a peaceful night of slumber. Hot, babeee. Remember, you got to stay outta the desert if you can't take the heat. Sure, it's a dry heat, but it is still HOT HOT HOT!
Just finished book we saw mentioned in the Sunday NYT book section a month or so ago, 102 Minutes, something very relevatory to us was the mention of just how much fucked-up-ness existed between NYFD, NYPD and related agencies attempting to respond to the events of that day in September. Can't help but wonder if that stuff has been remedied alongside with contemplating how many cities have similiar disfunctions in place between their emergency service providers. You know, l'Marquis would be willing to wager, wager large, that despite the mechanisms in place courtesy the cad-ministration, things are very likely still very fucked up in cities across this nation, large and small and only a fool would believe we are substantially safer & better equipped to deal with some similiar horror being visited upon us. Some amazing stuff in that book, katz und kitteez, and sometimes, well, you might have to wipe yer eyes a wee bit before you continue on.
okay, the rest of ye can leave now, only anyone with any interest in basketball, particularly the NBA finals, ought to hang in from this point on. HOORAY ROBERT HORRY! Man, that guy...   sheeee-it, what can be said. Those of ye who love the game know, this man lives for those moments. Sure, he might've missed a few shots now and again, but Robert's welcome to play on l'Marquis' pick up squad anytime. Fun to watch some of the post-game interviews on NBA TV (oh, and yessss, that was the best game of this series without a doubt), Duncan having a bit of fun w/Robert's rep during the regular season, Robert coming back & reminding Tim he should be making his free throws. Fine game, good fun, game 6 oughtta be a good 'un...

fuck the webbys...       6.15.05
far as yourstruly's concerned, best weblog ever: wood s lot;
muchisimas gracias to Mark for pointing the way to
The Lie of the Century

the ubiquity of desire...       6.14.05

gonna spend a little time with mention of some things we've read (or are reading) here recently; funny coinky-dinky kinds of items to begin with. Shortly after our last post, and still full of longing for the pastrami sandwich of our dreams, we picked up copy of July/August Atlantic, which happens to be just chock full of good stuff. As we began our initial perusal, in section labelled "The Agenda", comment bearing title of The New Nixon, espied the following para: If you are worried about the federal deficit (and you should be), ask yourself which would do more to improve the country's finances -- President Bush's latest budget or a pastrami sandwich. The administration made much of the fact the budget Bush proposed in Februatry was his tightest yet and was projected to reduce the deficit by half, to $207 billion, in 2010. What the administration did not make much of -- you had to look deep in the fine print -- is that the deficit would actually decline a bit more between now and 2010 if the Bush plan were not enacted and existing laws were just left alone. In other words, go with the pastrami. it is fiscally sounder, plus it's good with mustard and a dill pickle. To which we amend a hearty "Hear, Hear!".
Out of the pages of the Sunday NYT, three items, get 'em while ye can" Frank Rich's Don't Follow the Money; egads, can you imagine being afflicted with an obstetric fistula? The Illiterate Surgeon by Nicholas D. Kristof; lastly (for the moment...) something that appeals to the gadget freak/geeky aspect of l'Marquis' personality, Void the Warranty, a wee bit of something on Make Magazine. Okay then, when we picked up the Atlantic, we also picked up the July Harper's, and glad to see the current Index is available online, something we always find interesting, although what we really wished we could share with thee is "History" item (by Karl E. Meyer) entitled Forty Years in the Sand; What happened the last time freedom marched on Iraq, a concise look at the British Mesopotamian mis-adventure in the early 1900's. Perhaps this snippet will whet your appetite: In March 1916, Bell was called back to British military headquarters at Basra. There she was briefed on the war in Mesopotamia, the future Iraq, where at least 600,000 Indian troops had joined with a smaller British force in what was sourly dubbed by its fighters "The Bastard War". She wrote in a letter home that April, "We rushed into the business with our usual disregard for a comprehensive political scheme. [W]hen people talk of our muddling through it throws me into a passion. Muddle through! Why yes so we do -- wading through blood and tears that need never have been shed." And, by the way, that Bell referred to is a hugely interesting personage, Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, and someone could make an awfully fine bio-pic with her life story, wethinks.
Okay, so, yourstruly has lately been immersed in work of Seymour Hersh, and if you don't know who Seymour is, whoooboy, mebbe it's time to get your big fat head out of your ass, Binky. Chain of Command: The road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib, a good deal of which has appeared in the New Yorker magazine (like this, for example), put your library card to good use, katz und kitteez, and read the damn thing, will ya? What l'Marquis wishes he could provide for thee here and now is much of Chapter 6 "The Secretary and the Generals", matter of fact, if you find yourself able to read only part of Mr. Hersh's book (yea, verily, might be a tougher tome to wade thru for some than for others...) make sure you read that section; oh man, that Rumsfeld is a shitheel like no other and, mind you, he remains Secretary of Defense, which would piss me off hugely if that was our kid over there in the role of Rummy's cannon fodder. Another kind of coinky-dinky thing that occured since we began reading the book a week ago happens to be story in the week's NYT Sunday magazine, Interrogating Ourselves. Oh, back to that fucking Rumsfeld (Al Swearengen might be on hiatus at HBO but that hasn't prevented yourstruly from channelling him...), we know el residente hasn't got the balls to fire the cocksucker, but maybe, just maybe, one day he will have worn out his welcome in the Neo-Con lunchroom and el residente will have him make another road trip to bolster morale in Iraq, and maybe, you know, a dumbmonkey can hope, right, just maybe that plane of his will be taken down with an insurgents missle, and no, you know we don't want to see him killed,
just maimed, disfigured and out of a job. Talk about a morale booster...
so, we hurry & wrap this up so ye can get on with yer day. Out of the pages of Film Comment we learned of BBC documentary that we willing to go WAY outta our way to see (be sure to let us know if you know a time and place that such a thing be possible, as it not likely be 'round these here southwest desert/TexMex border environs), The Power of Nightmares, and now, as our mention of that kind of brings us round to the main thing we've been wanting to get to for a while now, buddy C.J. has certainly made recent mention of it, and ourowndarnself was pleased to join up alongside the fine folks allied at the Big Brass Alliance, and you can do it too, Binky, B sure to check out the Big Brass Blog and watch your email for excellent newsletter/updates from Shakespeare's Sister, ya don't wanna remain a total ignoramus, do ye Binky?

so, none of this should surprise any of us, eh?       6.08.05
at least those of us who've been paying a modicum of attention for most of our adult lives anyway. Crapola like this story in particular, we know the only concern for the environment the bushies & their ilk possess is in re how much cash it may be worth, how can they maximize their profits, alongside avoiding paying any taxes. Now we didn't link to the NYT story in that first link, but we'll have to here; Arms Fiascoes Lead to Alarm Inside Pentagon ("Something's wrong with the system..." -- oh, that Donnie Rumsfeld, such a perceptive guy...). Yah, that thing you hear said on occasion, you know, "we get the government we deserve", more truth to that than most of us want to admit, wethinks. Picked up a copy of G. Vidal's Imperial America from local public library last week, a collection of many of his essays from the last couple of decades. Lots of Gore Vidal stuff here; excerpted from Imperial America, State of the Union, 2004; Mr. Vidal certainly's pretty long in the tooth these days, his departure from this vale of tears will leave a substantial void. okayokayokay, enough of that for now. If you've stopped by here often enough in the last two months you might have noticed our inclination of late to discuss cheap eats in the nearby environs, and true, we have had an unnatural focus on tacos in most of the related postings (we recall that line by Better Midler in a movie of her stage show from some years back, something about had god not intended us to eat pussy he might not have made it look so much like a taco), and, well, you know, don't want to go on & on about tacos, perhaps bore thee to a fare thee well. Brother Ken and ourself were out on a drive some days ago, discussing related subject matter, specifically inability to locate a good deli in EPTx, and we came to the following conclusions: A. If you want a great pastrami sandwich, maybe you want it on dark rye, some sauerkraut on the side, maybe a really tasty cole slaw instead, whatever -- expecting to find it on the Texas/Mexico border, particularly in the EPTx nexus is asking too much of the goddess. B. On the other hand, If you want to find lots of pretty damned good, satisfying & very reasonably priced (downright cheap in many instances) tex-mex, well Binky, you are in the goddamned right place. C. Likewise, katz und kitteez, 'tis a pointless and tremendously dismaying exercise to seek out fresh seafood when you are one hell of a long way from any coast AND in the middle of a goddamned desert. That's why you go to Seattle, Portland or San Francisco (is our southern california bias showing again?), or maybe Maine or Boston if you happen to be on that other coast. Ahhhhh, but knowing these things does nothing to diminish our lust for a monster of a hot pastrami on rye, those delicous & decadently thick, juicy slices, atop that dark rye bread, with a memorably spicy mustard alongside and maybe a pickle (we prefer them a bit sour/spicy..) too.

"... has a small brain, and it's pretty much focused on food and sex...''       6.07.05
indeed, whilst this Freakonomics piece focuses on Capuchin monkeys, pretty much the same can be said for El Chango Tonto, particularly that line: ''You should really think of a capuchin as a bottomless stomach of want,'' Chen says. ''You can feed them marshmallows all day, they'll throw up and then come back for more.''; just replace marshmallows (not one of our comidas favoritas) with chocolate chip cookies, brownies, B & J's Chunky Monkey, carnitas tacos from Gordo's in Albany, well, you get the idea...
yourstruly really wants to get outta the habit of utilizing linkage to the NYT (amongst others out in the ether) largely because nowadays most of those links end up as dead ends and typically Pay-To-Peruse, so forgive us for utilizing them in the here and now, as, perhaps, we think some of thee might find them interesting enough to get them while ye can. Truly depressing item in the Times last Sunday, not just because of the overwhelming reality of it, but as that reality is buttressed by the knowledge that this kind of thing has been going on longer than any of us care to realize and has reached new heights of Rich-Folk Priviledge since that incompetent asshole in the white house has been in office: "Richest Are Leaving Even the Rich Far Behind", by David Cay Johnston. Otra cosa mas then we got to run off for the first of our morning errands. Don't know Craig Newmark from Adam (or Eve for that matter...) but have thought for a long time that we'd sure like to go to work for the guy. Item also from the 6.5.05 NYT: What eBay Could Learn From Craigslist

can you say "sunscreen"?       6.06.05
sure, we knew you could...
alright, that first week of June is now history, here's a brief discription of some of the fun & games had hereabouts. Local business trying to fill the void left by the demise of La Hacienda & in particular their Taco Tuesday, so they recently announced a Fifty Cent Taco Thursday complete with -- shudder -- Karaoke Fun. Okay, so yourstruly had nothing goin' on Thurs eve, decided to check it out, location is the Cliff Inn, small hotel near central EPTx, and we try to avoid being overly critical, but damn, they got to turn some lights on in that place, for one thing, and management better be glad they had less than overwhelming turnout as they were nearly unable to handle the dozen or so folks who did show up. Thought we made big mistake when first arriving, senior citizen couple at one table, one other gent sitting solo at another, but again, place was so damned dark, might have been someone else in there. Waitperson (gal in this case) was either new at the waitressing game or perhaps just out of practice, it took forever to order a draft beer only to find out they didn't serve anything on draft (wethinks she thought we was ordering Draft brand beer, quien sabe, you know...). Seems the original plan was you come in and buy a bunch of tickets at the check-in desk of the hotel for your tacos, and at fifty cents (!!!) each, man, you can buy a mess o'tickets, but as nobody told us (or anyone else it seemed) that was how it worked (and we stopped by the check-in desk, just to confirm the location of the Thursday taco extravaganza, which was in the Cliff Inn Lounge) the waitress took it upon herself to take your order for tacos (attempting to deal with bar orders simultaneously) then she would head to the check-in desk and acquire the correct amounts of tickets, return & present them to the Chef de Taco (small buffet arrangement with four heated dishes, two containing tortillas, one of soft corn the other of those preshaped taco shells--big demerits for preshaped taco shells, kiddos--and one of the others holding the ground beef mixture, the fourth containing barbacoa, a mexican style roasted beef brisket) who would prepare the requisite number of requested tacos, the waitress then deliver same to waiting guest, and whilst complicated, it didn't get hairy until a few more folks showed up, then it got kind of funny because some folks walked up to the Chef de Taco to place their order (so far unenlightened as to the requirement of taco ticket purchase from check-in desk), the waitress would be there trying to get someone's order filled and to complicate matters the table with the salsa, lettuce, cheese, tomato, etc. was right next to the Chef de Taco's buffet arrangement and did we mention how dark it was already. Not kidding, boyz und gurlz, that condiment table was in the darkest spot in the room (very nearly). Anyway, we already mentioned our dislike of preformed taco shells (served with the ground beef) but at Fifty Cents (!!!) per taco, well, we ought not to complain, right? The barbacoa was served on the soft corn tortillas, intended and likely initially warm when first served up, but cooling off fast while waiting for (either) the waitress to deliver same or while standing in the dark trying to figure out which condiment was in which bowl. Oh, if they had experienced the typical turnout you'd usually find at La Hacienda, man oh man, it might have gotten ugly in there. We didn't hang around for the karaoke, kidz, you didn't really expect that of us did ye? Four stars for the concept ("Goddamn", we thought upon our discovery of ad, "Fifty Cent Tacos! We are SO there!"), Two stars for execution (three easily attainable if they'd just turn on a few lights and tell people about buying the tickets prior to entry). Two Stars for the preshaped tacos, three for the barbacoa (which was pretty damned yummy and by this time we'd wised up to buying our own goddamn tickets and getting our own goddamn tacos and embelishing them our own goddamn selves and that's why we give 'em three stars 'cause El Chango Tonto knows how to do tacos, baybeee...). They could use another waitperson just to handle bar orders (and what is this "we don't serve any beers on tap" business? Anyway, until further notice, forget the Fifty Cent Taco Thursdays, that is unless you have vampiric inclinations and enjoy first hand experience with inadequacy and cluelessness which might mean you voted for Bush in both elections, eh Binky? alright then, that be it for now, might get back here later, want to make sure to offer up a tip of our ol' red fez to Gordon Coale,
particularly for directing us towards Joe Bageant

damn-O-lay, you mean it's no longer May...      6.02.05
egads, and there was SO much we wanted to accomplish 'fore June rolled around, ahhhh well...
tippin' da ol'red fez in the direction of Pat (wizard behind the curtain at Forty-two) T. today,
for pointing us in the direction of item from the Boston Globe, The "I" word;
then, really pronto quickly-like, a pair of goodies from the Sunday NYT book section:
A "Hyena in Petticoats" alongside V. Navasky's A Matter of Opinion

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