I'm gonna say it again

Given the floor wiping Kamala Harris gave the Kleptocrat at Tuesday’s debate, I was going to give you “Cathy’s Clown” for today’s earworm. All you’d have to do is change Kathy to Kamala and the Everly Brothers classic would be, well, classic.

But then the Kleptocrat booked a venue for one of his rallies in Tucson, Ariz., that got some attention. Tucson is pop-country-rock-classical-big band jazz-new age-folk-mariachi goddess Linda Ronstadt’s hometown and the venue is the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall.

Ronstadt’s not having it. Viz: the statement she released yesterday, with a few words for Vance, as well.

Before she retired in 2011, with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (later re-evaluated to progressive supranuclear palsy), Ronstadt build a stellar career in all the above-mentioned genres; she pretty well owned the last three decades of the 20^th Century musically.

I’ve been a fan since her Stone Poneys days; she’s essentially sung every stage and incident of my life. I can remember walking along Colorado Boulevard (the main drag in Pasadena) with tears streaming down my face as I listened to “Long, Long Time” and wallowed in the pain of a (lost) first love. I’ve cycled through “Different Drum”, “Tracks of my Tears”, “Prisoner in Disguise”, “Desperado”, “Farther Along”, “Heat Wave”, "Just One Look" and dozens more.

She’s also been an activist all her life—advocating against the Iraq War and for the environment, LGBQT+ rights, immigration policies and support for the arts.

In short—the woman is a goddamn national treasure and you can see this in statement and the photo she chose to accompany it.

In less than 48 hours, Taylor Swift and Linda Ronstadt lined up against the Republican ticket, two cultural icons, two “childless” cat ladies, two superstars joining Kamala Harris. And I am here for it.

So today we’re having “You’re No Good”—and you know whom we mean.

Crank up the volume.

  

©2024 Bas Bleu

 

Winning

You know how I like to capture vanity plates. I usually toss in a mélange of five to 10 in a post, but this one’s…different.

Here’s the plate:

Okay. But then—here’s the front and side of the car:

There must be a story. Perhaps more than one.

 

©2024 Bas Bleu

 

Salvation

I noticed this windshield sunscreen the other day while driving back from the glass recycling dumpster. So when I walked past it yesterday morning, of course I took a pic.

Then I noticed the parking violation.

Evidently Jesus doesn’t save you if you park like an idiot.

Seems fair.

 

 

 

©2024 Bas Bleu

 

The blessings of technology

Well, there’s an update to my adventure last week with Das Auto. My neighbor, who will be returning from a month in Turkey this weekend, asked me to take the Tiguan to his mechanic. (They’re local and also have a shuttle service.) The remit was to check the battery situation and do an oil change.

The gods of German engineering were with me yesterday morning, as the car started without needing to be jumped. I got it to the garage and came home via the shuttle.

Then the garage guy called to give me the estimate: around $470.

That’s largely because of the car's battery performance management system (AKA: computer). Apparently you can’t just swap out an old battery for a new one. No, you have to inform the BPMS that it now has a new battery, and program it to not overcharge what it thinks is an old one. That would fry the thing.

Well, my neighbor wasn’t happy about that. Had me call the garage where I take my Saab. (They told me the same thing about the BPMS, quoted a similar cost and added, for good measure, that they’re backed up on the German side of things, so they wouldn’t be able to get to Das Auto for several weeks.) Then he asked me to call the VW dealer to find out if the battery is still under warranty. Ah. It turns out that all VW battery warranties are for three years or 36K miles.

So, no.

Still waiting for my neighbor’s decision, but the thing is: there is no way anyone can get him, his wife and all the luggage they took to Turkey in my Saab. So I think he’s going to have to bite the $470 bullet before the weekend.

Also—I’m so glad my car is too old to have a computerized system around the battery. When it dies, all you have to do is pull out the old one and drop in the new.

 

©2024 Bas Bleu

 

Gratitude Monday: face of love

Last week I got a letter from my sister. It filled me with joy and broke my heart.

You have to understand that Penny taught the hearing impaired for more than 30 years. Her writing and thought processes were straightforward and clear.

This letter’s handwriting was shaky, and a couple of words were absolutely indecipherable. The line of thought was also unclear at times. Although she tells me she’s been out and about, which is core Penny—curious, inquiring and open—and I am so happy about that.

She closed by saying, “Bindi [her dog] says BARK! She will give you a face of love.”

I think she meant “faceful of love”, as Bindi is big on licking the moisturizer off your face and then lapping up a couple of layers of epidermis for good measure.

But I like the thought of being given a face of love. Bindi does have a heart painted on her nose (an artist friend painted this portrait).

To me, a face of love is like Penny—curious, open, accepting, encouraging. Laughing, savoring, thankful.

We can all use a face of love, and I personally am very grateful to my sister for sending one to me.

 

©2024 Bas Bleu