Duke Snider (1926 - 2011)

Posted: Monday, February 28, 2011 by Travis Cody in
5

Hall of Fame center fielder for the Brooklyn and later Los Angeles Dodgers, Duke Snider, has died.  He was 84.

That's a full life, but it's always a little sad when we lose the old timers.  It's even a little sadder when it happens right on the cusp of a new season.  Boys of summer indeed.

Duke Snider was part of the 1955 Brooklyn championship team along with other legendary Dodgers players like Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges, Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, Carl Erskine, and Johnny Podres.  Sandy Koufax and Tommy Lasorda were also part of that team.  The club was managed by Walter Alston.

Mr Snider hit .309 with 42 home runs and 136 RBI for the championship season.  He finished second in the MVP voting in 1955.  It's said that he missed out by one ballot that had teammate Campanella listed twice.  Rather than disallow the ballot, the BBWAA accepted it with the second Campanella vote left blank.


Mr Snider played for the Dodgers from 1947 through 1962.  He hit .295 for his career, with 407 home runs and 1,333 RBI.  He was a 2-time World Series champion, in 1955 and 1959, and played for the title four other times.  He was an 8 time All Star, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980 with 86% of the vote.  His #4 was retired by the Dodgers in 1980 as well.


Mr Snider is still the all time home run leader for the Dodgers, with 389.  He hit 316 of those out of Brooklyn and the rest after the Dodgers franchise moved to LA.  Mr Snider played for the Mets in 1963 and hit 14 home runs.  His final year was 1964, when he hit his final 4 homers while playing for the Giants in SF.

Edwin Donald Snider (19 Sept 1926 - 27 Feb 2011)
The Duke of Flatbush
"If Cooperstown is calling, it's no fluke.  They'll be with Willie, Mickey, and the Duke."
From the song Talkin' Baseball by Terry Cashman

Five on Friday Set 57

Posted: Friday, February 25, 2011 by Travis Cody in
16


It's the back beat.  That's rock and roll.

There's all kinds of different musical genres.  And they can be tough to classify.  Or one song can straddle several genres.

But the back beat.  That's rock and roll.



Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones


If you've never joined in, give it a try.  I know you've got some favorite music you'd like to share with the FoF gang.  Here's how to play along.

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.
2. Go to Playlist.com to make your Set of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the Set, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.
2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.
3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.
4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Go forth and enjoy music!

Linkage!

Posted: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 by Travis Cody in
3



Friday we played Five Degrees of Musical Progression.  You can scroll down to listen to my Set, and to follow Mr Linky to some other great progressions.  Today, I reveal how I put my Set together.

The first link is between all five tracks...they are linked by the them of love and some of its various aspects.

Track 1:  Show and Tell is a song written by Jerry Fuller, originally recorded by Johnny Mathis.  I've chosen the cover by Al Wilson (1939-2008), released in 1973.  Johnny Rivers' production company, Soul City Records, produced recording sessions featuring Mr Wilson in 1968.

Track 2:  Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancing) was a #10 hit out of Soul City Records for Johnny Rivers in 1977.  The song was distributed by Bigtree/Atlantic and produced by Mr Rivers.

Track 3:  Words is a song written by Barry, Robin, and Maruice Gibb in 1967, produced by Robert Stigwood and released in 1968.  The Bee Gees are one of a very small group of artists who are the copyright owners of their recordings.  Johnny Rivers is among that group of performers.

Track 4:  Good Morning Starshine is a song from the musical Hair, which Robert Stigwood produced for the British theatre in 1968.  The song was originally published in 1966, written by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, with music composed by Galt MacDermot.  The artist Oliver (1945-2000) took the song to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It reached #1 in Canada.

Track 5:  Silhouettes is a doo-wop song written by Bob Crewe and Frank Slay in 1957.  It was originally a #3 hit for The Rays.  The version I selected is the 1965 cover by Herman's Hermits, which topped out at #5 on the billboard Hot 100.


What's the link between Good Morning Starshine and Silhouettes?  


You don't know?


Well I'll tell you!


In addition to being an icon of American entertainment...songwriter, dancer, singer, jazz musician, manager...Bob Crewe produced both Oliver and The Rays, who first released and made a hit of the song Silhouettes.


Thanks so much to everyone for playing on Friday!  I really enjoyed what you guys put together.  We'll play again soon.  I'm thinking about a twist...like giving everyone the same jumping off song and then seeing where y'all go.

Here's a bonus!  Let's go ahead and break out the new Five on Friday spring banner.  I know we've still got about a month until 21 March and the spring equinox, but it's been cold and a bright shiny FoF banner just might be a way to take our minds off the lingering chill.  




As always, go forth and enjoy music!

"The beacons are lit..."

Posted: Monday, February 21, 2011 by Travis Cody in
17

The beacons of Minis Tirith!  The beacons are lit!  Gondor calls for aid.

And Rohan will answer.  Muster the Rohirrim.


OK, so it wasn't as dramatic a moment as in LOTR:  Return of the King, but we finally threw up the white flag.  Our Rohirrim came in the form of Paul the Terminex guy to deal with our NCELM problem.  


For those of you not versed in the issue, NCELM stands for nasty creepy eight legged monstrosity, or s-p-i-d-e-r.  For the last two years we've been using over the counter sprays and relying on the generosity of our neighbor to help.  But February isn't even over yet and we're still a month away from the spring equinox, and we've already had four of the creatures in the house.

I'm not talking the odd daddy long legs or the occasional critter no bigger than your average gnat.  I'm talking creatures with bodies as big as a quarter.  Add the legs and a few of them can carry off a small child.  These are big and black and...GAH!


That is not acceptable.  Think of the fear that takes your breath and makes your heart rate go up...then double it.  That's how afraid I am of s-p-i-d-e-r-s.  Pam isn't much better.  You'd laugh at us trying to kill them by drowning them in bug spray, because we're too afraid to get close enough to hit them with a fly swatter...or even a broom.


But when you laugh, I'll remind you of that thing that scares you like that...and tell you that it's going to happen to you frequently for at least eight months out of the year.  And I'll remind you that when it isn't happening, you'll be on guard against it happening so that the simple act of walking into a room in your house can cause unease.


Yeah, so we finally called Terminex.  Paul came on Saturday and he'll come once a quarter.  He sprayed the chemical around the outside.  Then he came inside and put some powder chemical in the most obvious entry points.  Then he left some sticky traps in some other high risk areas.

And he killed and removed at least two NCELMs he found.

Paul didn't make fun of me at all for being a guy afraid of s-p-i-d-e-r-s.  He even made me feel OK about the alleged NCELMs in the crawl space.  He said those are good bugs and they aren't the ones coming up into the condo.  They like dark and damp, and they are actually guarding the house against other kinds of bugs.

He's the expert, so I believe him.


We're not completely relaxed yet.  But we feel better knowing that we've done something to address the problem.  And if we still get NCELMs, we can always have the full chemical treatment inside.  We'd have to leave for a few days for it to dry.  But it's still an option.


I'm hoping it doesn't come to that, and that the quarterly treatment schedule will deal with them.

Five on Friday Set 56

Posted: Friday, February 18, 2011 by Travis Cody in
14


I was worried.  I didn't have Track 1 until very late.  But once I settled, the rest fell right into place...just like any good progression.

I even managed a theme that links all 5 tracks in my Set to one another, totally separate from what takes you from Track 1 to Track 2 and so on.  You can probably guess the theme...I didn't try to disguise it.

Now I thought about including my progression after the play list, but then I decided to hold off.  I'll publish it on Tuesday.

Can't wait to cruise around and see what the rest of you have done!

And now, I present Set 56, otherwise known as Trav's Five Degrees of Musical Progression, Volume 2.


Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones


If you've never joined in for the normal Five on Friday feature, give it a try.  I know you've got some favorite music you'd like to share with the FoF gang.  Here's how to play along.

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.
2. Go to Playlist.com to make your Set of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the Set, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.
2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.
3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.
4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Go forth and enjoy music!


 

From the Furry Files

Posted: Thursday, February 17, 2011 by Travis Cody in
9

Sometimes it's funny because it's completely unexpected.

Please to share snacks?

Ooops!  Cuteness threshold exceeded...sorry!

When in doubt, give hugs.

If hugs don't work, have a nap.

Five Degrees of Musical Progression

Posted: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 by Travis Cody in
4


Here's your friendly reminder.  We're playing this Friday, so you've still got plenty of time to build your progressive Set.

Click here for some guidelines.  

Oh...one thing I forgot to mention is that you can either post explanations for your progression with your Set on Friday, or you can hold onto the secret until next Tuesday.  

Have fun with it!

Zero tolerance?

Posted: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 by Travis Cody in
6

I'm not passing any judgment on Alberto Contador.  Only he and his team know whether he cheated by ingesting the banned substance clenbuterol, or whether he accidentally ingested it when he ate tainted meat as he claims.

I merely wonder what zero tolerance means.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) claims a zero tolerance policy for clenbuteral in athletes because it builds muscle and burns fat, even in small doses.  It is a clear performance enhancing drug and WADA claims not to tolerate it...non, nada, nein!

So what is it?  Does zero tolerance mean that it doesn't matter how the banned substance got into an athlete's system?  If it's there, are you guilty no matter how you say it happened?  Or does it mean an athlete gets to claim "I dunno how it got there" and side step responsibility for it?


Contador claims he didn't know his steak was tainted with clenbuterol.  OK.  Maybe he's only guilty of being kind of stupid to eat a steak on a rest day and not know where the meat came from.  You'd think an elite athlete would pay better attention, particularly when that athlete knows he'll be tested.  And why would a cyclist want to eat beef on a rest day when proteins can be so difficult to digest anyway?


Personally, that has always been the suspect part of this whole business for me.  A cyclist eats a steak the day before spending 4-6 hours on a bike climbing mountains.  Sure he does.


I'm all for fairness in justice.  I believe in the principle of presumption of innocence.  


I also believe in taking responsibility for yourself, and for paying attention to what is going on around you.  If you're serious about your ethics, take control of your training and every aspect of your life.  It's your career after all, isn't it?


So what does WADA consider zero tolerance in this case?  If the Spanish Cycling Federation decides to clear Alberto Contador and lift the previously imposed one year suspension from the sport, will WADA appeal the decision to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport?  

I think it has to.  No one disputes that clenbuterol was found in Contador's sample.  It was a small amount, and scientists differ on what the amount proves about how it got there, or whether it was even enough to give Contador any kind of performance edge.


According to WADA's zero tolerance policy, how the substance got there and how much there was should be irrelevant.  It was there and it is a banned drug.  If they don't appeal, then I say zero tolerance is meaningless. 

Take This Tune

Posted: Monday, February 14, 2011 by Travis Cody in
8


A few weeks ago, my pal Jamie from Duward Discussion reintroduced her wonderful weekly feature.  Take This Tune provides a musical prompt each week, usually a video with the song lyrics.  The task is to write something inspired by the song or something in the lyrics. 

Regrettably, this week Jamie announced that this is the final regular TTT prompt.  She'll bring it back occasionally at Duward Discussion, but its presence as a weekly feature has ended.  I've enjoyed participating because the prompts combine music and writing, two of my favorite things.

This final prompt is the song Red Dirt Girl, a song written by Emmylou Harris.  Jamie says, "This is a beautiful but terribly sad song about two girls with dreams.  One made hers come true.  The other completely lost her way.  Your challenge is to Take This Tune and tell us about choices and outcomes."

I decided some time ago that I would not let popular convention dictate my decisions.  I don't follow fashionable trends or fads, no matter what they are.  I don't take the popular position, or the position of the majority, just to get a win.

I think.  I research.  I discuss.  I match my morality against the options.  I try to apply tests of fairness and reasonableness.  I ask myself what I want, and how does the data support or deny that desire.

Then I decide.

The degree of importance of any choice doesn't really change my process.  You might not think that there is a morality question involved when deciding where to grab a quick bite to eat.  

You'd be wrong to think that.


The WinShape Foundation is the charitable arm of the Chick-fil-A restaurant franchise.  The foundation is on record actively supporting the denial of equal rights to the LGBT community.

We don't always know the morality inherent in an organization.  It may not be something that occurs to us on a daily basis.  But it's there.  When you know the nature of that morality, does it matter to you?  Does the knowledge of that morality, and its measurement against your own, impact your decision whether to spend your dollars?


What's the impact of a decision not to purchase from a company whose morality doesn't align with your own?  These companies employ people.  Can we separate the corporate morality from the jobs it creates?

If you eat at Chick-fil-A, does that mean your morality can absorb discrimination against gays?  If you don't eat there, does that mean your morality is indifferent to people losing their jobs?  


Should those questions even come up?


Sheesh.  What really is the price of a chicken sandwich? 

Of the people, by the people, for the people

Posted: Saturday, February 12, 2011 by Travis Cody in
9

Photo credit to Khaled Elfiqi/EPA
Perhaps it is inappropriate for me to use a phrase from the Gettysburg Address, a speech given by President Abraham Lincoln on 20 November 1863 to dedicate the cemetery for those who fell at the battle for Gettysburg in July of that year.  Mr Lincoln said in part, "...that we here highly resolve...that this nation...shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth."

I'm still trying to process events in Egypt.  I know what Egyptians have achieved has nothing to do with me.  Their protest has nothing to do with my way of life.  It isn't a cause for my own celebration.  Anything I write about what Egyptians have done can only sound patronizing or condescending, and I have no wish to sound that way.

Egyptians aren't all that concerned about what I think.  In fact, they'd probably rather I mind my own business.


I do know this...Egyptians have claimed Egypt for Egyptians.  It is a new birth of freedom and it is for Egyptians to determine what happens next.


I respect that.

Five on Friday Set 55

Posted: Friday, February 11, 2011 by Travis Cody in
11


Don't forget to work on your Five Degrees of Musical Progression Set for next week!

It's cold around these here parts.  But rather than dwell on that, I thought I'd pop out some fun spring and summer tunes to make you start thinking about warmer weather just on the horizon.

You can see it, right?

It's just over there.  No, over there.  A little farther...there it is!

Hang in there gang!  Entropy says every day must pass and spring will return.

In the meantime, here's some Jan & Dean.  They were a hit duo from around 1958 until around 1965, singing surf and car tunes.  They had a fun and frolicsome garage band sound.  The vocals were never great, but the tunes were catchy.  They scored at least 26 hits on the Billboard charts during their hey day.

Jan Berry (1941-2004) was critically injured in April 1966 when he wrecked his car.  He suffered brain damage and spent the rest of his life with minimal use of his right side, ultimately overcoming speech issues and drug addiction to return to performing.  Dean Torrance became a renowned graphic designer, creating iconic album cover art and logos through his company Kittyhawk Graphics.  Dean stood by Jan through all of his health issues was ready when Jan was to get back on stage.

The duo had a resurgence in the late 70's and throughout the 80's.  I followed them when I was in high school and they made the local county fair rounds backed by Papa Doo Run Run.  I remember they always put on a great show.


Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones


If you've never joined in, give it a try.  I know you've got some favorite music you'd like to share with the FoF gang.  Here's how to play along.

1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.
2. Go to Playlist.com to make your Set of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the Set, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.
2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.
3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.
4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Go forth and enjoy music!




Five Degrees of Musical Progression

Posted: Thursday, February 10, 2011 by Travis Cody in
3

Here we go gang!

Last month I had an earworm that turned into a full Set of songs that were linked by something or other.  I called it Five Degrees of Musical Progression, and I'm inviting everyone who enjoys the Five on Friday feature to play along.


Oh...if you've never tried Five on Friday, this would be a good time to give it a shot.  Click the link here to see the music for the original FDoMP post, and then click the link here to read how the songs were linked.  That should give you an idea of how this is done.


Standard rules apply, which means there are no rules...only these guidelines:

1. Grab the banner (that would be the nifty new one below), make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.
2. Go to Playlist.com to make your Set of five songs.  The basic idea for FDoMP is to start with a song and then let something about it lead you to the next, and so on until you have your five tunes.
2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.
3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set and try to guess your progression.
4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

I hope you join in.  You've got a week to put something together.  We'll all post our progressive Sets next Friday, 18 February.  Be sure to use this nifty graphic I designed too.


Now go forth and enjoy music!



Take This Tune

Posted: Tuesday, February 08, 2011 by Travis Cody in
7


My pal Jamie from Duward Discussion has reintroduced her wonderful weekly feature.  Take This Tune provides a musical prompt each week, usually a video with the song lyrics.  The task is to write something inspired by the song or something in the lyrics.


This week's prompt is the song Ain't Talking by Bob Dylan, from the album Modern Times.


Now I don't consider myself a Dylan fan, although I have tremendous respect for him as a poet and songwriter.  I thought that this was a great opportunity to sit down and work out a poem.


Funny thing though...I hadn't intended a sonnet, nor did I intend something quite so dark.  But such is the way of the words.


Kitties, puppies, bunnies is my mantra
When the big bad scaries infuse my dreams
With lavender and orange dahlias,
Twisting sweetness to malign travesty.
Morose is the hand that guides freakish tour,
Pointing the way toward spectral vastness,
And beings heard but unseen behind doors...
The ghoulish threat of mayhem and madness.
Engulf'd now in this panick'd mind's prison,
To become this corner'd lonely buffoon.
How came I to bend thought to these visions?
Just that one glance did I take at gray moon.
How came I to this persistent prowling?
Can no one cure me of this mad howling?




Yes Lana, I'm off to Google images of puppies...or perhaps Youtube for giggling babies.

Cue that theme music...

Posted: Monday, February 07, 2011 by Travis Cody in
2


Ssoon, my preciouss...yesss.  It returnss ssoon.

Season 12 premiers on 21 March.  The cast will be revealed on 28 February.


You may have heard that Derek Hough is taking a break, but plans to return in the fall.  So that's at least one person down from the cast I would send forth if I were Dancing King of the Ballroom.


May the Lords of Dance grant my wish for Ms Valerie to come dancing.

Five on Friday Set 54

Posted: Friday, February 04, 2011 by Travis Cody in
7


I did a tribute Set last year, and it would have made perfect sense to do a Buddy Holly Set today.  But I was compelled in another direction, and sometimes you just have to go with the compulsion.

Did you see that Mr Linky got spammed last week?  If it continues, I'll consider not putting it up anymore.  I've never figured out how to delete links from Mr Linky, so be sure not to click on anything that doesn't look like a real blogger participating in the game. 

To those of you living in areas getting heavy snow, I wish you a warm and snuggy weekend!



Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones




If you've never joined in, give it a try.  I know you've got some favorite music you'd like to share with the FoF gang.  Here's how to play along.
1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.
2. Go to Playlist.com to make your play list of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the play list, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.
2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.
3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.
4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.

Go forth and enjoy music!


Gone too soon

Posted: Thursday, February 03, 2011 by Travis Cody in
11

On this day in 1959, a small charter plane crashed shortly after take off from an airfield near Mason City Iowa.  Everyone on board was killed including Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and JP "Big Bopper" Richardson.

Buddy Holly was 22.  Ritchie Valens was 17.  And JP Richardson was 28.


The clip is from the 1978 movie The Buddy Holly Story, starring Gary Busey.  It was the first time I ever saw Mr Busey in a film role and I thought he was brilliant and deserved the Oscar nomination for Best Actor.  All of the actors in the film did their own singing, and Mr Busey actually recorded the soundtrack for the film live. 

This is the end of the film, showing the concert in Clear Lake Iowa the evening of the plane crash.  The Big Bopper is portrayed by Gailard Sartain.  Gilbert Melgar plays Ritchie Valens.




3 February 1959 is often referred to as "The Day the Music Died".  That phrase comes from Don McLean's song American Pie, which was partially inspired by the death of Buddy Holly.


But if you check the list of musicians, singers, and songwriters who credit Buddy Holly as an influence, I think a case can be made that the music lives on.  Among those are Paul McCartney and John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, and Bruce Springsteen.

Certainly Mr Holly's music stands up today as well as it did when he recorded it from 1956-59.  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.  Ritchie Valens followed in 2001.  JP Richardson is not an inductee, but his presence can be felt in the HOF in various exhibits honoring the trio.

A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.

But February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.

I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.
(From the song American Pie, written by Don McLean)

The word for today is...

Posted: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 by Travis Cody in
13

Busy!

Egads!  We had a weeks' worth of lull at work and then we got slammed.  It's good to have stuff to do, but dangit anyway!  It's knocked us on our heels just a little bit.

I don't have much else to tell you on this second day of February.  Yup...we're one month down in 2011 already.

Oh I know what I was going to tell you.  I had cause to use a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference today.  I was fixing my lunch in the break room, when two of my co-workers wandered in.  I heard something about "number of orders processed this week", and then the number 42.  

So I said, with just the correct amount of flair and flourish, "The answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything!!"

They both stared at me like I'd lost my mind.

It's a lonely feeling when you're the only one in the room who gets the HG reference.

**sigh**

And Douglas Adams (1952-2001), sage wit and creator of one of the funniest books you'll ever read, said...

"He attacked everything in life with a mix of extraordinary genius and naive incompetence, and it was often difficult to tell which was which."

"I love deadlines.  I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

"There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.  There is another theory which states that this has already happened."

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."

"For a moment, nothing happened.  Then, after a second of so, nothing continued to happen."

"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?"


Put some wit in your Wednesday!  And remember...Don't Panic!

So long, and thanks for all the fish!