A Clock...er, Milestone?

This is the thousandth post to The Clock.

Usually, an effort of this magnitude and longevity is undertaken to waste the valuable time of countless people, not just the happy few.

Even more amazing to ponder is how many years we put into this before the first fart jokes appeared.

Begun in late 2004, The Clock has lasted nearly as long as Grover Cleveland's two non-consecutive terms as President.

Here's to a thousand more posts!  *clink* 

November Story

Choose wisely, America. Here's a visual aid:

Missives

Rex: You asked about this place once or twice. I've eaten there twice now (a breakfast and a hamburger) and I'm still undecided, but I like the sign.

Rocky: Did you know that Phineas Newborn, Jr. did not pronounce his name like the protagonist of "Around The World In Eighty Days" but rather as "Fine-ass"? I did not either.

Marquis: Don't worry, we can catch "Warrior" at the Penn...or in Roppongi...

Feral Boy: Your free "vision package" should arrive shortly!

***

New Direction(s)

I started a new blog because I needed somewhere to post a piece I wrote about the demise of Borders, and my old blog wasn't it. Then I started writing a longish piece about baseball, and that wasn't Zero-Sum World material either. So I'm retiring Zero-Sum World for the time being. (If Detroit Noir 2 happens, it'll be back.) In the meantime, I'm linking to the new blog under Diversions. For now, it's called New Directions, but that'll probably change. I was thinking, Hey, writing longer pieces about a variety of things -- it's a new direction, like a jazz album circa 1960! But it's also, a friend pointed out today, the name of the "group" on the TV show Glee -- which explains the traffic to my blog, but is also unfortunate. So we'll see.

I've written about Borders and the movie Drive. The baseball thing is still in draft.

News Caption of the Day

True Story(ies)

I’ve bought & given away a few copies of David Grann’s book The Lost City of Z without reading it myself, thinking I would read it someday soon but not feeling any particular hurry.

In Costa Rica last month, Friday spoke of how much she’d enjoyed the book, and I made a mental note to move it up in my (non-physical) to-be-read pile.

Returning home, I found the April 4 New Yorker in my mailbox, and a brand new story by David Grann -- about a political conspiracy/murder -- in Central America!

(The video is spoiler-filled for anyone who hasn’t read the article.)

I finished the article and tried to check The Lost City of Z out of the library the next time I was there, but all copies were out, with waiting lists.

 I remembered seeing another book by Grann in bookstores -- a paperback compilation of his magazine reportage, I believed -- but the library had no other titles listed for him, and I couldn’t remember the title of the book. (Pathetic, what eight years out of the book business has done to my mind.)

A few days later I happened across this Slate piece:

What do you know? I’ve been reading and recommending Grann since the beginning of The Clock.

***

Most-viewed posts on The Clock:

If it doesn't fit, you must acquit --- 1,130 Pageviews
(Feral Boy, Mar 7, 2008)

Beck's Record Club: Velvet Underground & Nico---  97 Pageviews
(Stoner, Aug 14, 2009)

Plymouth Tavern Pays $4.5 Million --- 41 Pageviews
(Stoner, Oct 30, 2008)

Entire Planet Awash in Unmitigated Gall ---17 Pageviews
(Stoner, Jun 24, 2010)

(Who in the Hell is Kemp?) --- 15 Pageviews
(Feral Boy, Sep 19, 2009)
Note: Numbers for this entry inflated by the author himself, by his own admission, while repeatedly searching for drink recipe contained therein)

****

"Ah! Now I understand taxation!"

This is the canniest political ad I've seen in years...because Michigan residents really, really like their potato chips.

I'll be very surprised if Mike Bouchard is not our next governor.

(Docked a point for the generic bag. Why not BetterMade?)

....

Thank You

Thanks to everyone for the calls and the flowers.

I'll get back back to posting crap about movies and semi-famous young women shortly.

Or, wait...Is that what I do? Maybe I'll rethink my life first.

.......

Attention: Rocky

“Fat Possum is always being criticized for being disrespectful, or for not being reverent, in our marketing and publicity. Fuck it. Old blues men are supposed to be bad people. “ --- Matthew Johnson


This month Fat Possum is selling most CDs and LPs for $10. That includes the Hi Records reissues, Rocky, if there’s any Al Green you still need to pick up.

Bing

Another new mayor for Detroit.

Next: Rick Mahorn, Chief of Police?

Letting Others Do The Work For Me

The swine flu has made it to Belize, but it may not be the worst of their problems...(see story at very top of page)

From Fat Possum Records:”We are thrilled to announce that we have licensed the entire Hi Records catalog, which includes Al Green's best work, O.V. Wright, Ann Peebles, Ace Cannon and Otis Clay, among many others. We've already made several of the albums available on iTunes and we have physical copies in production. In addition, we'll be releasing some of the catalog on vinyl.”

And, a deep thought for the day.

(Sorry, no cooperation from Blogger -- mouse over text to find hyperlinks...)

New Diversions

Being linked to The Clock would seem to be a death sentence. This Blog Is Overrated, the new blog from Julia Lipman of the sublime Ann Arbor Is Overrated, was last updated in August. Luc Sante just posted over the weekend, after an absence of similar length, but only to give notice that his blog was not dead but rather on the injured list.

Anyway, I've switched out to four new diversions. Best of luck to:

Design Observer. via Very Short List, discussion of all things design.

David Bordwell, via Feral Boy. Often interesting film blog. Check out this entry.

Strange Maps. Updated near daily. Who doesn't like maps?

Zero-Sum World. Self-absorbed wannabe writer keeps it short, usually.

If there's any place you'd like to direct the group's attention on a daily (weekly) basis, let me know.

Random Observations

I spied a great bumper sticker the other day:

At Least The War On The
Middle Class Is Going Well

Another morsel: this morning, channel-surfing while laid up with stomach flu, I caught the second half of Sideways on FX. In one scene, in place of the slur "asshole", the network dubbed in "Ashcroft."

Diversions

Know of a site everyone might enjoy?

Slap an url in the comments if you want to add something to the links.

Cease and desist...

"It is what it is."

It is not what it was. It is what it never should have been.

The phrase is hereby banned from public life in America. You have been warned. Those who ignore this edict will be challenged, asked to define terms. ("Uh, WHAT is it -- this thing that it is?")

In the beginning, back in the mists of time earlier this decade, perhaps this was meant an expression of almost zen-like acceptance. A Gertrude Stein moment of satori. Now it is a watchword for complacency and sloppy thought, an off-the-shelf excuse. I will abide it no more. I refuse to record it or perpetuate it.

Grammatical variants offered with ironic intent should be tolerated.

from McSweeney's

Things an
Overbearing Mother
Might Say to a Son
Just Waking From
a Coma.
BY MARK TUBEN

- - - -

"You just don't look as rested as I would have expected."

"It's funny how they say that, because, when you think about it, there really is no way to make up for lost time."

"Meanwhile, I haven't even had a chance to sit down."

"Dogs are strange that way. They seem sad, but then you realize it's just the hunger. I don't think he even noticed."

"At least you didn't have any work to miss."

"To be honest, I think she had already made up her mind."

"I preferred your hair the other way."

"You missed the best episode of Wings, and then it was canceled. But that was years ago."

New Clock FAQS Answered

1) MacGyver will be restored as soon as a functionality issue is cleared up.

2) Yeah, I don't know when that'll be.

Update

I'm going to update The Clock to the beta sometime in the next week.

I'll send an email before it happens, and everyone should receive another email from Blogger, asking you to register once more.

A Word From The Administrator

I haven't switched The Clock over to the "new" Blogger yet because it did not, in beta, allow for "team" blogs.

I may have time next week to try it again.

In the meantime, sign in to the "old" blogger - if you are offered the option - when attempting to post.