Greatest song of all time

I got to thinking a while back (then promptly forgot it) but, "what is the popular song of the last Century?"
I dont know why that popped into my head on the way home but it did.

I have my favorites but I'm curious what others there might be offered.

Father's Day 2007

When I was younger I was like so many in that I believed my dad could do pretty much anything. I was a kid but in my mind my dad was invincible. I always knew that he had the answers when I had questions. I just took it for granted that it was the way it was supposed to be.
As I grew I came to realize that my hopes and dreams were wrapped up in becoming a man like my dad. I didn’t was to BE him but I did want to be LIKE him. I wanted to be a great Dad and husband.
One of the things I have always admired about Dad was that when ever he looks at my mom he still sees the lovely young bride he married 50 years ago. It’s been that way pretty much all my life. I always knew that no matter what, Dad loved mom.

No one ever told me how hard is would be.

As I grew older I thought my young impressions of my dad were silly and childish. I thought I realized that no man could do all that I thought he could.
Like all young men who reach majority and think they know all there is to know about everything, I assumed that I had just been duped into believing my dad was invincible.
I still loved my dad but I sort of took him for granted.

When I turned 28, I married the woman I am still married to and hopefully will be to the day I die. I close my eyes and I see her turning to come down the aisle and I remember thinking, “I’m not going to make it up the aisle to meet her halfway. I’m going to faint and collapse. SHE IS SO BEAUTIFUL!”
I still see her that way 18 years later. Still young, still stunning, I’m still not worthy of her.
It was at that point I began to understand my dad.
That night I became a dad. I inherited my lovely daughter from Linda and I began to realize that she expected me to always be right and always have the right answer. She turned to me for things that mom’s cannot provide. I did my best hoping she wouldn’t notice that I sometimes was flying by the seat of my pants.
Once that sank in, I began to understand the wonderful bond dads have.
We ARE always right and we always have the correct words when something goes wrong; (At least in the eyes of our children). They turn to us asking for things we know we cannot provide but we somehow do it anyway.
It is a heavy burden but one that I gladly bear. We always try not to abuse that privilege because we don’t want to have our children take us for granted.

Looking back over the last 18 years of my life I hope I have been as good a dad to my daughter as mine has been for me. I did the best I could at the time.

Thanks Dad, Happy Father’s Day.

A blast from the past

This was all we listened to in 1978.
Hearing those opening riffs brought back memories of driving onto our HS campus with a buddy's stereo cranking so loud that the windows were shaking.

SURRENDER!!!!

Huh?!?

Soprano's finale.

Huh?

What was that all about?

UPDATE:
Well after much discussion over the last week most have come to the conclusion that Tony got whacked at the very end and thats why it just went black.
David Chase has played it coy all week so it seems that we are left to our own devices to decide whether T actually got his in the end or if there was some other explaination. Given the level of forshadowing all season it seems to make sense that he would pull the plug in such a way that there could be no sequel as a "Sopranos" without Tony is nearly impossible to imagine.

Another one of life's little mysteries

This ought to be amended to include the phrase, "and it's incredibly stupid too!"

This was a magnet on the refrigerator in our condo at Kiawah Island. KI is 20 miles south of Charleston so there are alligators in nearly every body of fresh water larger than a bathtub. This place is positively crawling with them. In the lagoon (pond) outside our condo there is one named Wally (my wife named him and when we inquired if he already had a name the naturalists at the Nature Center said as far as they knew he did not so he is now officially "Wally-gator"). Wally is about 8 feet long and pretty much lord of the pond. When he swims under the foot bridge, he looks up at you with a malevolent stare as if to say, "if you fall in, you're lunch!" All around the island are these signs which state the same as the magnet.

DON'T FEED THE ALLIGATORS!
DON'T HARASS THE ALLIGATORS!
DON'T SWIM IN THEIR PONDS!

You know they have to post these because,

PEOPLE HAVE DONE SO!

I mean, come on, how stupid would you have to be to harass an 8 foot long carnivorous lizard? They aren't smart enough to be afraid of humans and when they get that big the become pretty bold. I am told that they really don't have any natural enemies other than bigger alligators and haven't evolved that much in millions of years.
From what the guide at the nature center said, they can out run a human for about 20 yards but only in a straight line as they aren't really build for turns out of water (so that old saw about "serpentine, serpentine!" makes sense if they are chasing you.) When one crosses paths with people, the Fish and Wildlife guys have to come out and move them to uninhabited areas which these days are getting harder and harder to find. If they actually attack a human they are usually destroyed as they cannot take the chance that Wally or Wilma or whomever might actually acquire a taste for human flesh.

It seems that perhaps a better solution would be to post a sign that says:

SWIM AT OWN RISK.
HARASS ALLIGATORS AT OWN RISK.

POND CONTAINS HUNGRY 8 FOOT LONG
CARNIVOUOUS LIZARD WHO WOULD LOVE TO
BITE YOUR SILLY ASS AND CARRY YOU UNDER
THE WATER TO FINISH OFF LATER.

IF YOU GOLFERS GO AND GET DRUNK AT THE
19TH HOLE AND THINK YOU CAN OUTSWIM WALLY
FEEL FREE TO TRY.
WE AREN'T ABOUT TO SAVE YOU IF YOU DO.

THAT LAUGHING YOU WILL HEAR AS HE PULLS YOU UNDER
WILL BE US ON THE SHORE AS WE CHALK UP ANOTHER ONE
TO DARWINEAN EVOLUTION WHILE YOU REMOVE YOURSELF
FROM THE GENE POOL!

A bit more southern hospitality and cuisine

Jestine's Kitchen. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/221984/restaurant_review_jestines_kitchen.html

Its the kind of place that doesn't usually garner the kinds of reviews it does. They serve southern "comfort" food. The owner is the hostess (at least at lunch) and is usually running from one table to the next "just checkin" on how your pork chops or fried chicken or meatloaf sandwich is. Yes, its that kind of comfort food, the kind that you don't eat if you are watching your waistline, the kind that the low country seems to specialize in. We have visited Charleston 6 times in 8 years. We found Jestine's the first time by word of mouth from a local. We have been back every visit for lunch. I can heartily recommend the pork chops, the fried chicken and the shrimp creole. Linda says the meatloaf is awesome.

And afterwards you must have dessert. This year we split that southern delicacy, "nanner puddin" (Banana pudding). I am not partial to bananas but this was pretty good. If I lived here I would probably grow fond of them and perhaps even that other southern speciality, sweet tea.

just a thought before heading into Charleston

I ran across this while waiting on the wife.
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/column.aspx?UrlTitle=clinton_something_has_to_be_taken_away_from_some_people&ns=AmandaCarpenter&dt=06/04/2007&page=full&comments=true

Only in America can a wealthy socialistic Democratic candidate for President state that you would be better off if you gave them more money in taxes so they can give it back to you rather than you keep it and spend it how you wish.
Translation: you are too stupid to know what is good for you.

A Hearty recommendation

Rose Bank Farms Cafe - http://www.rosebankfarmscafe.com/
Simply the best, most civilized example of New Southern Cuisine in the Low Country area of Charleston that we have eaten. Every visit here is punctuated by a visit there and we have never been disappointed.
I cannot say enough.
The speciality is anything with grits. Yes, I said GRITS! Until you have had shrimp, scallops, sausage with red-eye gravy over buttered grits you cannot say you have had real food.

An update of sorts

Oh boy are we sore, yesterday we rode about 10 miles down to the Kiawah River inlet where after years of fruitless searching, Linda finally discovered Cibola. SAND DOLLAR CITY!

If you know Linda she was as giddy as a 9 year old on Christmas. We found about 25 sand dollars in about as many minutes. Had we decided to hang around we probably could have found 25 more but we ran out of places to carry them (they are notoriously fragile when dry - 2 broke on the ride back to the condo).
After the bike ride we headed back for naps and later lunch when we decided to take a walk on the beach before dinner. While walking we met a nice couple from Cincinnati who shared our love of Kiawah. They two had been here about 6 or 7 times over the last 7 or 8 years. We walked nearly 4 miles with them on the sand. Tropical Storm Barry last weekend dredged up all sorts of flotsam and jetsam on the beach much of which was truly sharp. I was walking barefoot due to some incipient blisters and stepped on a sharp shell. Ouch, puncture wound. I am all hobbled now sitting here with coffee in hand.

I learned a new lesson yesterday. When you are on vacation and attempting to relax, you should not pack books which when read, make your blood pressure go up.

RULE No. 242 - If you want to relax on vacation, don't read political science books! find something light and airy that isn't taxing like, "Walking across Egypt - Clyde Edgerton" - http://www.amazon.com/Walking-Across-Ballantine-Readers-Circle/dp/0345419073/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/002-5373043-8615240?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181051562&sr=8-2

Southern authors are truly different beasts. They have a different view of life and a different way of relating. Much more relaxing than Mark Steyn - http://www.amazon.com/America-Alone-End-World-Know/dp/0895260786/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5373043-8615240?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181051643&sr=1-1

Oh well, at least we are in paradise (small "p").

We are here

After two days of driving and having to endure torrential rain today along with 5 countem! 5 traffic-at-a-standstill jambs on I-26, we are ensconced at our condo on Kiawah Island.

Photos to make you swoon with envy to come later.

UPDATE:

Now that Tropical Depression Barry has passed, THE WEATHER IS FANTASTIC!

Its going to be sunny and mild all week.

More photos to come in the coming week.

Including the RETURN OF WALLY GATOR!!!