These Days

SPIT AND POLISH: Last Wednesday's blog stated that ACES: The Premiere Northern California Golf Lifestyle Magazine will hit stands inside your favorite pro shop and high-end hotelier this summer. Editor/co-Owner Dennis Miller shot me a note, reminding me that the last week of May isn't quite summer. My bad, but even though it's early in the round, I'm taking a Mulligan on this one...Yes, and those of you who know were quick to respond. My friend Stacy Beintema who celebrated her 29th birthday for the 22nd time yesterday is in fact, the one and only Stacy Carmine, famed of song and story, who graduated from AVHS crosstown rival Foothill High in '77. That was the first graduating class from the now-perennial football powerhouse, whose gridiron program, by-the-by, has been led by former AVHS football and baseball standout Matt Sweeney for a quarter century. And no, loyalists of the Purple and Gold don't think of Matty as a traitor. When he wins (which is far more often than not) we simply refer to the school as "Amador West"...

POWER OF PRAYER: Good thoughts, a prayer, and a drop of oil to Cameron Carson of Thornton, Co., while he recovers from surgery for a torn achilles. There is an investigation looking into possible foul play by a rival ward, as the star power-forward's injury occurred just prior to the start of his stake's end-of-season tournament. I'd always heard the rumors about Church Ball being agressive, but c'mon guys. Hang in there Cam...On Saturday at a church Primary function, I noticed a young man about 8 years old whose face was scabbed from forehead to chin, and pulled him aside to inquire as to what had happened. He stated, matter of factly, "That's the blessing I got from falling off my scooter." Upon my asking how such a devilish injury could be looked upon as a blessing, the young lad smiled. Leaning in to whisper, he replied, "The next day at school, three girls came up and asked me if I was ok". Yesindeedee folks, Spring has sprung...

SPEAKING OF WHICH: Following the social networks' tiresome, whinny, bellyaching posts worthy of a 60 second Glenn Beck spot, coupled with the unusually low attendance in church on Sunday (both brought on by Saturday night's "springing forward" of our clocks by an hour), not a few Lounge Lizards have requested a petition be passed, eliminating the annual loss of an hour that could, should and would have been devoted to sleep. But not eager to give up the same skeepy-time interval gained in the Fall, IF's Ben Pickett suggests we lose the springtime adjustment, continue the fall resetting of the clocks, and every quarter century get an extra day off. Sitting next to Ben, fellow EQ member Matt Svedin clarified, "Yeah, a PAID day off!". Obviously not on the "management" side of the line of scrimage at the company football game...

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR: As I've opined here before, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke and will be as long as Rolling Stone publisher and Head "Suck-Up-to-the-Stars", Jann Wenner, is involved, but at least they got one thing right. At last evening's induction ceremonies from NYC, the Presentation Committee selected Carole King to hand out the Ahmet Ertegun Award to fellow songsters Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich, Jesse Stone, Otis Blackwell, and Mort Shuman. Deserving each, and a more appropriate presenter and quality songwriter than Carole there is not. See Jann, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while...The top honorees at the suaree included ABBA, Genesis, The Hollies, Jimmy Cliff, and The Stooges. I suppose a case could be made for Genesis, Cliff, The Stooges, and even The Hollies, but ABBA? You know the HOF is nothing more than a POS when these artists are placed among the historical elite while groundbreakers like Dire Straits, Chicago, Yes, Heart, Neil Diamond, and Stevie Ray Vaughn have yet to be invited. A couple of years ago sitting backstage at a show in Blackfoot, Idaho with CHICAGO keyboardist/songwriter/lyricyst/arranger Robert Lamm, I asked the renowned author of CHI staples "25 or 6 to 4", "Saturday in the Park", "Beginnings", etc., if he was ticked off the band had not yet been inducted. After a solid fifteen seconds of from-the-gut laughter, RL smiled and politely said, "No, not at all". 'Nuff said...

ANOTHER RAINY DAY IN NYC: AVHS Alum and tennis standout Marilyn Morrell Kristal finally arrived in the Big Apple for a vist and week-long tourista run with her twin daughters. However, following a 3 hour delay in CHItown, where her girls karmically spent an overnight in the terminal the night before (more delays), Mo was, as of her FB post at 9:07PM zulu time, sitting on the runway, waiting for another carrier to clear her gate so her plane could disembark. I love that city that never sleeps, and would love to go back again, but the more I hear about the travails of air travel, the more I think, I'll wait for the movie...

FROM THE SANDBOX: Former Denver Air Traffic Controller extrordinaire Dave Baratta dropped me a note yesterday from Abu Dabi, where he has taken on a two year contract to keep the big metal birdies of the UAE from crashing into one another. He writes: "...didn't even know about Lebanese food a month ago. But now I am pretty sure they put crack in the garlic paste! This stuff is INCREDIBLE. Picture a dog going after a pudding cup."...

NORTH TOWER BLUES: A little birdie tells me that there is work afoot to open a new music club/restaurant in Mill Valley, following the farewell of the Sweetwater, one of Marin's oldest and most beloved hangouts. Known as a top spot for breakouts and medium sized acts to work out bugs, it was, for more than 30 years, the place where well known Marin-ites like Bonnie Raitt, Huey Lewis, Jerry Garcia, Bonnie and Chris Hayes (former of the Wild Combo, the latter one of Huey's News-mates), David Crosby, David Grisman, Merle Saunders, Sammy Hagar and others would pop-in and sit-in with whomever was on stage. More info as the birdie chirps...

THE LAST WORD: Less than three weeks until The Masters tees off and still no confirmation as to whether or not Tiger Woods will be ending his self-imposed exile and make a run at another green jacket. I've been pretty much mum on this, until now: Tiger old boy, you screwed up, BIG TIME (truly, no pun intended). But son, you seem to have done what you've needed to do with your family, and I wish you all the best on that end. So, with that said, it is time to get off your duff, dust off the webs, and get back in the ballgame. Best way to put this behind you IS to put it behind you, and the best way to do that is do what you do best. And if that ain't enough of a reason, opening day at Augusta is my birthday, the Big 5-0. So just grip it and rip it, Big Daddy.