Word of the Day: Maelstrom

Greetings to our blog readers in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Vietnam, hopefully, your bosses have given you some break time at your human rights violating garment manufacturing centers, and domestically, we would like to welcome those of you from Alaska, Oregon and Montana: Three states we've never been to.

Today's 'Word of the Day' is maelstrom, which we gather might be Norwegian in origin. Here is what Wikipedia defines as maelstrom: "A very powerful whirlpool which can take in everything around it. Example: Harry was caught in a maelstrom when his found him found him in bed with her sister."

Presidential Quotes, John Adams

Our quote from John Adams, America's second president who was made more famous by actor Paul Giamatti's portrayal of him for an HBO mini-series, reflects some irony as his son John Quincy Adams became prez too:

"I must sudy politics and war so that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy."

We gather that today John Adams is busy fly-fishing in Montana and Wyoming with Dick Cheney (yes, that is a joke).

The Return of Friday Night Tweets: Bad Night to Deliver Pizzas in Raleigh, NC

The three images above are of: 1) Soap actress Nadia Bjorlin of "Days of Our Lives" fame (she is apparently not on the show right now, but she has come back twice); 2) Police officers in Troy, Montana, and 3) Local televangelists from Reidsville, NC, we are actually using their image to go with a tweet about Kansas. We do have to thank friend and fellow blogger Chris Knight as he used the image of the Men in Grey on his blog initially. We believe this two tv preachers are associated with the very radical Rev. Johnny Robertson from Martinsville, Va.

Let's go:

1) Nadia Bjorlin @RealNadiaB: "Happy Friday! First day off summer and I'm off to Vegas!"

2) Raleigh News @RaleighNews: "Two pizza delivery drivers robbed minutes apart in Raleigh."

3) The Denver Post @Denverpost: "Ironman triathlon coming to Boulder in August 2014."

4) Wall Street Journal @WSJ: "Montana is the first state to require police get a warrant before tracking a suspect through a cell phone."

5) The Seattle Times @seattletimes: "Got big plans this weekend? Beware of traffic impact
from Saturday's Rock 'N' Roll Marathon"

6) Rolling Stone @rollingstone: "Gun nuts, anti-abortion zealots and free-market cultists are leading Kansas toward disaster."

7) ABC 11 WTVD in Raleigh, NC @ABC11-WTVD: "Report: 2 cannons raised from Blackbeard's ship."

http://www.nadia-bjorlin.com

http://www.visitmt.com

http://www.visittopeka.us

http://www.theknightshift.blogspot.com

Special Quote of the Week- Ernest Hemingway

Today's quote of the day is from Ernest Hemingway (1835-1910), the great American novelist who penned such classics such as "The Sun Also Rises," "Old Man and the Sea," "A Farewell to Arms," and many other books we should read.

Hemingway's house, which is a museum in Key West, Fla, is apparently quite the tourist destination though it might be a bit of a haul from places like Wasilla, Alaska, Provo, Utah, Billings, Montana, and other places we like to make fun of (actually we hear Billings* is quite happening, and Hemingway did spend some time in Idaho though right now we don't have time to see exactly when that was and as it is, we've borrowed enough info from Wikipedia on this blog).

Here is his quote; I wonder if Dr. Seuss was ever made aware of Hemingway's sentiment:

"A man's got to take a lot of punishment to write a really funny book."

*- Billings, Mont., is home to the historic Carlin Hotel built in 1910.

Quote of the Week- Walt Whitman

Today's quote of the day is Walt Whitman (1819-1892) as National Poetry Month comes to a close.

Like Robert Frost, whom we quoted on our other blog, Whitman has two museums dedicated to him. Whitman's birth place in West Hills, NY, is a museum that is open to the public. There is also the Walt Whitman House, his last place of residency, in Camden, NJ.

Both museums would make for a quite field trip for students at Belgrade High School in Belgrade, Montana (a real place!).

There are also several high schools named for Whitman in the United States, including Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland. The school where Alan Goodwin is principal and the Vikings are the school nickname is the alma mater of many famous people, including film director Spike Jonze ("Being John Malkovich" and "Where the Wild Things Are").

A different Whitman quote that the one used here is actually at the start of Joseph O'Neill's much-acclaimed 2008 novel "Netherland." I was surprised to find that the Irish writer is actually half-Turkish, as am I!

Here is the quote from Whitman:

"I find no sweeter fat than sticks to my bones."

Announcing a Very Big Sale

My mom is having a HUGE moving sale at her former residence, located at 456 Ingal Blvd., Salem, Va. 24153 (we are using the zip code in case you want to Mapquest it; I think Bethesda, Maryland, is about five hours away as is Fayetville, NC---we really want people to come out in droves for this thing, seriously!).

Among the low-end items for sale are a pennant with King Kong hovering over the World Trade Center, a Captain Tennile vinyl record with their hit song "Love Will Keep Us Together" (it didn't belong to me) and a children's wind-up toy of a monkey playing a drum that might actually be older than I am.

The high-end items include an exotic Indonesian puppet, several antique lamps (we think), depression glass (hmmm....I should have asked mom to confirm all this), a nice couch and a huge big-screen tv.

There will also be lots of tools, but I'm not sure if those should be classified as high-end or low-end items. And, there is a cute, antique "Pinocchio" children's book as well as some novels which I actually found time to read, like "American Psycho" by Bret Easton Ellis.

Should you reside in Provo, Utah, which is 30 hours and 21 minutes from Salem, Va. (we did confirm this!), you can always fly. I think Delta Airlines would have the best route.

But, we know you will probably settle for watching "Antiques Roadshow." The episode which is reportedly airing in most markets tonight was taped in Billings, Montana. Assuredly, that town is even farther away from Salem than the folks in 84601 (zip code for Provo, Utah).

For more information, you can go rickandvick.com which will hopefully have an update on the Big Sale during the week.

My mom also sells antiques and collectibles at Duke's Antiques Mall in historic Lexington, Va.

I guess now mom will have to take me out to eat at Applebee's for doing all this!


PS: We forgot to mention that the times for the Big Huge Sale are Friday from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Pilates

Today, we continue our summer jobs series with a look at the field of yoga/pilates instructors (well, I suppose one would be quite talented to be able to do both!).

Our feature city is Trenton, NJ, and as it happens the suburb of Medford, NJ, which we hope is a Trenton 'burb, offers both yoga and pilates classes at The Yoga Center of Medford, including a pilates mat class from 8-9:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Those of you residing in that area can call the center at 609-654-9400 for more info than what we can provide here.

But, we can tell you that pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates of Germany around World War I. 11 million Americans practice pilates, which is usually done barefoot or with special pilates shoes (we can not make this stuff up!).

The aim of the exercise is to strengthen and develop torso muscles and breathing techniques. It is said to be a great exercise for pregnant women.

UPDATE: Ay Karumba! We forgot to mention our High School of the Week when we posted this a few hours ago. The school is Belgrade High School in Belgrade, Mont. We choose Belgrade because we chose a Serbian beer (Belgrade is the Serbian capital) for our 50 Beers Around the World entry on Sunday.

Of course, high school students shouldn't drink beer, but they probably couldn't find that brew anywhere in Montana any how!

The nickname for Belgrade High School is the Panthers. It was 74 degrees in Belgrade, Mont., yesterday. We have no idea what the weather is like there today.

We would like to blame the oversight on Joe Murphy, the intern for "Yes Weekly" in Greensboro, NC, but he not only does nothing for us, but he also has no idea who we are!

SIDEBAR: My good friend Jason Garnett is showing several cool movies at The Shadowbox Cinema, his micro-cinema in downtown Roanoke, Va., this month. They include the vintage French New Wave musical "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" (1966) with a very young and very hot Catherine Denevue. She once said that women who kill have issues with their fathers. Hmmmmm.......?! That screening takes place on Aug. 25, and admission is five dollars.

Additionally, The Shadowbox will screen the 1931 Charlie Chaplin classic "City Light" on Aug. 27. "Caddyshack," a movie celebrating its 30th anniversary, on Aug. 28 and the ever demented Japanese shock horror film "Audition" on Aug. 30. Bring your kimonos!

Prices and showtimes vary. Check the cinema's web site theshadowboxcinema.com for more info.

50 Beers of the World- St. Pauli Girl (Germany)

The subject of today's entry St. Pauli Girl is actually an export-only beer which can not be found in its native Germany!

The beer is part of the Beck's brewery in Bremen, Germany. St. Pauli Girl was established in 1857, and it was first introduced to American markets in 1975.

The current spokes-model for the beer is Slovakian model Katarina Ven Derham, who we understand is more attractive than your high school prom queen in her prime.

We expect that one can find this German brew at Tiny's Tavern, which is located at N. 24th Street in Billings, Montana, as well as at Riley's Bar in Radford, Va., home of Radford University (my alma mater). Riley's web site promotes Thirsty Thursdays. Somehow, I doubt they have any Iranian beers (yes, that is the ultimate oxy moron, isn't it?!).

Things We Learned on Twitter Today- Ozu Film @ IFC Center

Those interested in seeing the little-screened 1937 Yasujiro Ozu film "What Did the Lady Forget?" who live in the New York City area can see the film at the IFC Center located at 323 Sixth Avenue according to the cinema's Twitter page.

The IFC Center tweeted that they have added screenings at 11:00 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. from Friday-Sunday to accomodate demands to see the gem.

Ozu (1903-1963) who directed "Tokyo Story" is considered to be one of Japan's best filmmakers along with the late Akira Kurosawa. The film at the IFC Center is about an affluent medical professor and his bossy wife. Like most Ozu films, it deals with contemporary life in urban Japan.

SIDEBAR: The Russians Are Coming to Montana?! Well, the Russian-emigre rock band The Red Elvises (based in Santa Monica, Calif.), perhaps best known for their song "I Am a Closet Disco Dancer" will be playing many dates around Montana (yes, we're very jealous!). The tour de Montana starts with a show at the Machinery Row in Great Falls on July 29. It concludes with a show at Montana John's in Phillipsburg on Aug. 9.

The Red Elvises also play at the Silver Dollar Saloon in Butte on Aug. 1 before heading to Bozeman to play at the Zebra Cocktail Lounge on Aug. 3. Currently, the band is getting to play in Seattle at The Tractor Tavern on Saturday.