Clearing out the Clutter

Tuesday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  It seems like it's been forever since we hung out.  How was your weekend?  What's the plan for this week?  It's supposed to be fairly nice weather today, though it's a little dreary right now.  Make yourself comfortable, grab a nice medium DD, and let's kick off this shortened week with a little Tuesday Clutter.  Sound like a plan?  Excellent, here we go...

Before we get to today's headlines, I have to say that Mom Clutter and I had a nice day at Fenway Park on Sunday.  The weather was terrific, our seats were great (loge section behind home plate), and we sat next to Jenny Dell's aunt and uncle for some bonus randomness.   Clay Buchholz had his strongest outing of the year, Adrian Gonzalez hit a three-run home run in the 7th inning to give the Red Sox the lead, and it was all good...except for the part where Alfredo Aceves blew his first save opportunity in at least a month, and the Red Sox lost 4-3 to the Tampa Bay Rays.  Other than that small part, it was a nice day at the park.

Jenny Dell has friendly relatives.  (pic via boston.3432.com)

The Red Sox recovered from that loss, though, and beat the Detroit Tigers 6-4 yesterday.  Boston got the benefit of a blown call for once, as the first base umpire ruled that a pitch Mike Aviles swung at in the 2nd inning was a foul tip, and that it hit the ground before going into the catchers mitt, so it wasn't strike three.  That was definitely not the case, and the Red Sox took advantage, as Aviles went on to hit a single and start a three-run drive.  There was some concern when Dustin Pedroia came out of the game after jamming his thumb on yet another great diving play, but it doesn't sound like it's a serious injury.  Felix Dubront was strong, going his usual 6 innings, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia continued to be on a roll, hitting his 9th home run of the year.  So, Boston is back at .500 once again, and all they have to do for a winning record now is beat Justin Verlander tonight.  No sweat, right?

Salty taking care of business again.  (pic via sports.yahoo.com)

I didn't realize Big Papi recently gave his seal of approval to Bobby Valentine. 

The Boston Celtics seemed to be getting called for technical fouls every 30 seconds last night, and I think one of them was for sneezing.  They were such blatantly bad calls, that even the announcers were commenting on the poor job the referees were doing.  I expected "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase to come out at some point with his usual cackle that "everyone's got a price."  Make fun of pro wrestling all you want, but at least the WWE admits it's pre-determined entertainment.  However, even after you remove the poor officiating, the Celtics still couldn't keep up with the Miami Heat and lost 93-79 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.  Hopefully they'll find a winning strategy for Game 2 in Miami on Wednesday.

Did the Million Dollar Man get to the refs? (pic via facebook.com)

Looks like the GOP is starting to realize what a mess they're going to have on their hands if the U.S. Supreme Court throws out the Affordable Care Act.  The general public will be irate if they lose features like preventing discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, insurance companies will be angry if they're not allowed to spread that risk out via a mandate, and the Tea Party extremists will be furious that they're even discussing any of this.   Perhaps they should have thought of some of this before they launched their assault on the law to begin with?

Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson finally cuts to the chase:  Mitt Romney is a habitual liar.

It will be interesting to see what's the fallout from the sudden resignation of the NH House GOP leader.  Representative D.J. Bettencourt resigned after it was revealed that he falsified extensive documentation about a law school internship he claimed to have had working for another state representative, even though he only actually worked one hour in that role.  Bettancourt tried to postpone his resignation until the last day of the legislative session, June 6th, but it was made clear to him that was not a viable option.  Will voters remember this incredible dishonesty in the fall?

Sunday might have been the most disturbing Mad Men so far, as women were treated figuratively and literally like whores for the entire hour.  The interactions between Don and Joan continue to be some of the strongest acting on the show, but I was squirming for most of the night as the men were generally cruel to the women all night.  Cheers to Peggy Olson for deciding she'd had enough and taking a job with a rival agency.  I will say that the scene where she gave her notice to Don was also well-acted.  You felt like these two had been through the wars together, and that there was great respect, but watching Don's face as he realized Peggy wasn't negotiating for a raise, was moving television.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have Rowan Atkinson (known to many for his roles on Black Adder and Mr. Bean) take us out with some impressive air drumming for today's, "Clip of the Day."

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  It's going to be a warm one out there, so try to stay cool, and make sure to come back again for more fun soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.

Classic Clutter: Memorial Day Clutter

Originally published: May 30, 2011

Hi everyone,

We're going to skip the news roundup today.  Clutter Headquarters is a sauna, and BDH and Little Buddha asked me if I'd take them swimming, so we're going to head out and try to cool off a bit.

I hope you're all enjoying a nice medium iced DD today, and let's have the Dixie Chicks take us out with today's "Song of the Day."  This one goes out to all of the soldiers, and their loved ones, who've sacrificed so that a guy with a big head and his blue dog and miniature Buddha can write about whatever randomness we find interesting.  I'm not sure that's what they had in mind, but it's incredibly appreciated.  Happy Memorial Day, and we'll see you back here again soon.

 

 

Sunday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  How's your weekend going so far?  Last night was quite the exciting evening in Boston sports.  It was the kind of night that makes it hard to get to sleep.  Thankfully, BDH and Little Buddha were kind enough to make an extra strong pot of coffee this morning, so help yourself to a medium DD, and let's both wake up, and clear out a little Sunday Clutter.

I was lucky enough to grab a free ticket to last night's Red Sox courtesy of my friend Sean.  I knew it was a right field box seat, but I admit to being caught a little off-guard when the usher brought me down to the front row.   The thing that struck me most about it is that home plate looked about three miles away.  Adrian Gonzalez played right field last night, and I was hoping we'd be best friends by the time the game was over, but no such luck.

That's okay, though, because things turned out pretty well anyway, as the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2, thanks to a pinch-hit walk-off home run by Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  It was a scoreless pitchers duel between Josh Beckett and David Price, until the Red Sox scored a run in the bottom of the sixth inning.  That lead held for roughly 10 minutes, and Beckett gave up two runs in the top of the seventh, which was irritating, but hey, he gave up four hits and two runs in seven innings, so you can't complain too much.  The Red Sox started their comeback in the 9th with a walk from Daniel Nava, who advanced on a Nick Punto bunt, and then came Salty, and 30 seconds later, all was right with Fenway, as the Red Sox worked their way back to a .500 record again. It was so much fun, Mom Clutter's going with me today as we watch Clay Buchholz try to get Boston to a winning record.

 Can you spot last night's hero?  (pic via newstimes.com)

What else happened last night in Boston sports?  I know I'm forgetting something...this is embarrassing...oh I remember, the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 85-75 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.   The Celtics are now heading off to face the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Conference finals tomorrow.  Cheers to the C's.  Anyone who told you they thought this team was going to go this far at the beginning of the season is lying.  They're playing with house money at this point, but if there's any chance that the Big 3/4 can have one last moment of glory that involves taking out LeBron James and company, that would just be swell.

Will Facebook have its own browser?

Mom Clutter has a copy of this picture hanging on her refrigerator door, and three years later, it still tells a powerful story:

(pic via nytimes.com)

Conan O'Brien demonstrated the importance of being an educated voter by taking the U.S. citizenship test on his program.  Apparently the test is much like Clutter, a blend of usefulness, randomness, and silliness, with a few pretty girls thrown in for good measure:

 

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt from the band Extreme sang the national anthem before last night's Red Sox game.  (This is the second time I've seen Cherone live.  Van Halen 3, anyone?)  That explained why Extreme's song, Hole Hearted was playing during batting practice, and it's also the reason why it's today's, "Song of the Day."

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  It looks like it's supposed to be another nice day, so enjoy yourself and make sure to come back soon.  BDH and Little Buddha are always looking for someone to play checkers with (I think they're tired of beating me so often.)  Until then, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.

Saturday Clutter

Hi everyone.

Welcome back.  Come on in.  What's the plan today?  It's supposed to be a hot one out there.  Thankfully, the Clutter Tree is providing such great shade.   Part of me thinks I should put in the a/c today, but another part wants to wait just a little longer.  I can always put the fan right on BDH and Little Buddha if it really gets too warm.  We'll see.  For now, help yourself to a medium iced DD, and let's clear out a little Saturday Clutter.

A winning record continues to elude the Boston Red Sox, who fell 7-4 to the Tampa Bay Rays last night.  Jon Lester continues to struggle with any consistency this year, giving up 7 runs (including 3 home runs) in only four innings.  So far, Felix Dubront seems to be the only consistent starting pitcher on the Red Sox staff.  Not that he's the best pitcher, but you can generally count on six innings/100 pitches/four runs from him.  Everyone else is a total crap shoot. 

The highlight of the game was having birther/Fenway enemy Luke Scott drilled in the leg in the 9th inning.  That sent both teams out onto the field in a general bout of silliness.  The Rays completely overreacted to such an extent, you'd think third baseman Evan Longoria had been drilled in the head in Game 7 of the playoffs.  I've always said I'd love to see Joe Maddon manage the Red Sox some day, but his post-game comments were just over-the-top:

“We don’t initiate anything, I promise you that. I’d like to believe we handle ourselves in a classier manner than that, I believe that we play the game properly. There’s no vengeance in our soul, there’s none of that crap.

“But we will respond to others that do attempt to do it to us. I promise you that, too.’’

Take a deep breath, big guy.  In any case, there's clearly some bad blood here, and it should make the rest of this weekend series interesting.  I'll be at Fenway tonight and tomorrow, so I'll let you all know how it plays out.

"I'm lost, which way is first base?"  "It's right there, you moron." (pic via washingtonpost.com)

On the other hand of town, it's time for the Boston Celtics to show what they're made of this year and finish off the Philadelphia 76ers in tonight's Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

As Boston Mayor Tom Menino tells Senator Scott Brown to move on from Elizabeth Warren's heritage, it really is striking how hard Brown is pushing this story to distract from the fact that he really doesn't want to talk about anything else, like his voting record, perhaps.

President Obama and Mitt Romney are in a heated battle to show who's got the bigger budget scalpel, thus totally getting the issue wrong at a fundamental level.

Try as hard as they might, the SEC just couldn't seem to find any evidence of fraud at Lehman Brothers leading up to the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history, thus leaving the current tally of financial executives prosecuted by this administration at a grand total of zero.  Anyone who says crime doesn't pay is a fool.  It pays beautifully, as long as you're wearing a nice suit and tie, and go for an astronomical amount of money.

In completely unsurprising news, it appears that the original estimates of how much radioactive material was released in last year's plant accident in Japan were off by 250%.

For 22 years, I figured Marty McFly went on to lead a happy life, but really, that's not how that would have played out at all.

Former adult movie star Jenna Jameson was arrested for suspicion of a DUI after hitting a pole with her car.

Jenna Jameson.  (pic via go4celebrity.com)

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Yes, things probably didn't go well for Marty McFly, but as today's, "Clip of the Day" shows, it really could have been worse for him:

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Try to stay cool out there, and if you're going to tonight's Red Sox game, let me know if you want to grab a beer first.  Otherwise, you know you're always welcome to hang out with BDH and Little Buddha.  Either way, let's do this again soon, okay?  For now, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.

Friday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  Happy Friday, and start to the long weekend, to you all.  I thought there was supposed to be some sun today, but I don't see it anywhere.  Hmm..maybe later?  In any case, BDH and little Buddha just made a fresh pot of coffee, so help yourself to a medium DD, and let's wrap up the week with a little Friday Clutter.

I don't know what to do with myself on nights when the Boston Red Sox aren't playing.  I kept reaching for the remote control last night, ready to turn the TV on to NESN, and then remembered they had the day off.  It was all so confusing.  Thankfully, the confusion ends tonight when Jon Lester tries to bring Boston to a winning record against the Tampa Bay Rays. 

While we're waiting for the Red Sox game to start, let's take a moment to applaud Alfredo Aceves on the terrific job he's done as Boston's closer.  He was thrown into the role at the last second, due to Andrew Bailey's thumb injury, and it looked a little rocky right at the beginning, but he's settled into the role and been dependable ever since.  You have to wonder if Bailey should automatically get that job back once he's healthy.

Taking care of business.  (pic via zimbio.com)

Curt Schilling's video game company has laid off all of their employees.  All justifiable criticism of Shilling aside, hopefully the staff will be able to find new employment soon.

President Obama hit the campaign trail in Iowa yesterday, reminding voters that the GOP doesn't know the first thing about fiscal responsibility.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) files legislation to penalize those who renounce their U.S. citizenship to avoid paying taxes.  The response of conservatives is to compare Schumer to Hitler and praise those who carry out this fundamentally unpatriotic act. 

I admit it, I want to hear more of the details about Bill Clinton and the adult film stars in a hotel in Monte Carlo.

Are scientists on the way to creating a male birth control pill?

I bought a bottle of mouthwash that has the words "no mess cap!" prominently displayed across the label, so guess what happened the first time I tried to use it?  That's right, don't tell me what I can't do, CVS

Give the Miami Heat credit, we were ready to call them chokers a few days ago, but they kept it together long enough to knock out the Indiana Pacers with a 105-93 win last night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.  Hopefully the Boston Celtics will see them soon.

The Steinbrenner family denied a rumor that the New York Yankees are for sale.  It got me thinking that George Steinbrenner's death is one of the main reasons that I don't have that same personal loathing of the Yankees that I used to.  That, and the 2004 World Series, including the historic playoff comeback against New York.  Of course I still root for them to lose every game, but it just doesn't have the same passion that it used to.  There's almost no one over there to personally dislike anymore, except for A-Rod, of course. 

How are the reviews for Men In Black 3 so far?

Oh, oh, oh, we've got new Doctor Who!  The BBC aired a new mini-episode yesterday that was the winner of a writing contest for schoolchildren.  Can you imagine how exciting it would be to watch a script you wrote for your favorite program actually come to life?   There's still some time left to go before the start of the new season, but this will do for now.

 

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  The Rock of Ages movie is coming out in 10 days, and I still can't process the idea of Tom Cruise singing, "Here I go Again" by Whitesnake, so instead, let's have the London cast perform it instead as today's, "Song of the Day."

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you as always.  Have a great long weekend, and feel free to drop in whenever you like, because there's always new randomness to examine, and more coffee to drink.  Until next time, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.

Thursday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  A happy Thursday to you all, and it looks like it's going to be a sunny Thursday as well.  What's the plan for the upcoming long weekend?  It looks like I might make a couple of trips to Fenway Park, which is always a good thing.  BDH and Little Buddha want to go with me, but they'd have to sit on my shoulders in order to see anything, and that seems like I'd just be asking for trouble.  However, let's not get ahead of ourselves.  There's randomness to be dealt with first, so help yourself to a medium iced DD, and let's clear out a little Thursday Clutter.

The Boston Red Sox finished their run of 20 games in 20 days with a 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles.  Any day where your 7-8-9 batters go 6 for 9 with three home runs is a day you want to take advantage of.  The win brings Boston back to .500 again (22-22), and they'll enjoy a much-deserved day off today before the Tampa Bay Rays come to town tomorrow.  The big question is who plays right field, because no one thinks Adrian Gonzalez should take that job, right?

It's interesting to hear that Bobby Valentine talked at his post-game press conference about catcher Kelly Shoppach being unhappy with his playing time.  That's not something Terry Francona would ever have mentioned in public.

Boston Globe baseball writer Nick Cafardo says David Ortiz has earned a two-year extension from the Red Sox, and Clutter wholeheartedly agrees.  Big Papi has clearly demonstrated that he still has plenty in the tank, and he's worth about as much to the team off-field as a club ambassador as he is at the plate.

Give the man his due.  (pic via bosoxinjection.com)

The Boston Celtics once again couldn't close out their playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, losing 82-75 in Game 6 last night.  Game 7 is Saturday in Boston.

There's a way to avoid taking the economy off a cliff if Congress is interested.

Mitt Romney says he'll get the unemployment rate down to 6%.  Funny that he doesn't mention that's already expected to happen.

Colin Powell to Mitt Romney on foreign policy:  "Come on Mitt, think."

Frito-Lay is jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon.

Wall Street banks made $170 million underwriting the Facebook IPO, and they might have made as much as $450 million on the stock's price drop.  It may be legal, but it still smells.

Remember when the new 10-year NFL labor deal was going to bring nothing but peace, joy, rainbows and lollipops to the players and owners?  Not so much.

Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons acknowledged that he's gay.  I'm more thrown by the fact that the 39-year old actor is older than I am. 

Happy 20th anniversary to the grand-daddy of reality television, The Real World.

The Rock's upcoming movie, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, has been pushed back from this summer to March 2013.  Paramount Pictures says it's because they need more time to make the movie ready for 3-D.  Others might say it's because there was little buzz for the movie.  Either way, that puts Joe right in the heart of next year's Wrestlemania hype machine, so I imagine we'll be hearing a lot about it from The Rock on Monday Night Raw next year.

Who's going to tell him the movie's delayed?  (pic via wrestlinginc.com)

Now that House is done, I'm giving Fortysomething another shot.  I don't know, seeing Hugh Laurie as a doctor who is befuddled by life isn't quite doing it for me, and Benedict Cumberbatch is pretty restrained so far.  There are some funny moments here and there, but the first two episodes didn't exactly fly by.  There are only four more, though, so we'll see what happens.  I'm thinking Black Adder will be next.  In any case, it's nice to finally be putting my Netflix subscription to use for the first time in many months.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have Hugh Laurie and his longtime friend and comedy partner Stephen Fry take us out with today's, "Clip of the Day," featuring a sketch from Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball.

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Enjoy the rest of your day, and feel free to come back later, if you like.  There's no Red Sox game to watch, but BDH and Little Buddha are always up for company.  Until next time, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.

Wednesday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back to Clutter Headquarters.  How are you?  It looks like we're expecting more rain today.  That's a drag, though the Clutter Tree is clearly loving it.  It looks like I'm in the middle of a forest as I look out each of my windows and see almost nothing but full dark green leaves everywhere.  It's such a relaxing sight.  (Have I ever mentioned how much I dig this tree?)  Anyway, it's time to get to work.  Help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out a little Wednesday Clutter.

A winning record continues to elude the Boston Red Sox, who lost 4-1 to the Baltimore Orioles last night.  Felix Dubront had his best start of the year for Boston (6 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 9 strikeouts), but the Red Sox bats just couldn't do anything against Brian Matusz, who only gave up 2 hits and also struk out 9.  The one run came off of a Kevin Youkilis blast in the 4th inning, and that was the fastest I think I've ever seen Youk run around the bases.  Someone was clearly excited to be back in the big leagues.  It's certainly disappointing to lose a game, but hopefully the Red Sox will quickly shake this one off and start a new winning streak when Daniel Bard takes the mound tonight.  Who knows, they may even grab a winning record before June.

Big Papi welcomes Youk back.  (pic via palmbeachpost.com)

Red Sox outfielder Cody Ross went on the disabled list with a broken bone in his foot, but he thinks he could be back sooner than expected, which would be great, because no one wants to see Adrian Gonzalez in the outfield for a long stretch.  It's amazing that Boston has seven outfielders on the DL right now.  I'll start stretching and waiting for the phone to ring if this keeps up.

You know that supposed big spending binge that Mitt Romney and the rest of the Republicans like to claim President Obama's been on while in office?  Yeah, not so much.  It's remarkable how the big spenders of the last 30 years have all been Republican presidents.

The White House invites the Speaker John Boehner and the rest of the House GOP to hold the economy hostage again and see how well that works out for them in an election year.

An interesting question going forward is, how will the GOP deal with the fact that, "their voters are white, aging and dying off?" It shouldn't really be a problem, given their strong record on women's issues...I mean, their strong record on immigration...wait, I mean, their strong record on equality...hmm, what are they going to do?

Former Ronald Reagan official David Stockman disputes Mitt Romney's claim of being a jobs creator.

So, apart from a flat opening, a loss of 18% in the first three days, and reports that the underwriter shared confidential negative information about the company beforehand, the Facebook IPO has gone off without a hitch.

Condolences to the family and friends of Nathan Bihlmaier.  The body of the missing Harvard Business School student was pulled out of the Portland Harbor yesterday.

He may have done more to contribute to laziness than any other person in the history of the world, but RIP Eugene Polley, the inventor of the remote control.  Polley was 96 years old.

House creator David Shore answers a few last questions about the show's series finale.  Could we see a return of Doctor Gregory House somewhere down the line?

I know, it's not even June yet, but does anyone want to see The Great Gatsby at Christmas?  A movie starring Tobey Maguire doesn't yell "must-see" to me, but if you buy the ticket, I'll go with you.

 

Best wishes for a speedy recovery to actor Michael McKean.  The Laverne & Shirley/Spinal Tap star suffered a broken leg and some other injuries after being hit by a car yesterday.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Tenacious D has returned with a new album (and there was much rejoycing throughout the land), so why don't we let them take us out with today's, "Song of the Day." (Note:  This clip features Val Kilmer's most powerful performance in years.)

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you as always.  Enjoy the rest of your day, and let's do this again soon.  In the meantime, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.

Tuesday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  Sorry we're a little late today, damn real world getting in the way.  It's pretty dreary outside, so BDH and Little Buddha made the coffee extra strong today.  Help yourself to a cup, and let's clear out a little Tuesday Clutter.

Don't look now, but the Boston Red Sox are settling into a groove.  They made it back to .500 (21-21) after beating the Baltimore Orioles 8-6 last night for their 9th win in their last 11 games.  The win also moves them into a fourth-place tie with the New York Yankees (hey, you gotta start somewhere.)  The offense was led by Big Papi's 10th home run of the year.  On the downside, Clay Buchholz still looks pretty lost/unsteady on the mound, and giving up 6 hits, 5 runs, and 4 walks in 5 1/3 innings isn't going to help.  Perhaps he should come up with an injury or better yet, take a trip down to Pawtucket for a while to try to get his head together, and Andrew Miller (or Aaron Cook in a few days) could fill in for him in the meantime.  Thankfully, the bullpen continues to be solid.  Next up, it's Felix Dubront's chance to get the Sox over .500 for the first time this season.

It's a drag that Red Sox outfielder Cody Ross will be out six to eight weeks with a broken foot, but you have to wonder if that opens up a spot for Will Middlebrooks to stay with the club once Kevin Youkilis is ready to return to third base?

The Boston Celtics rebounded nicely from their Game 4 collapse against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 101-85 win in Game 5.  It took them until the second half of the game to establish and maintain a lead, but hopefully they'll take that momentum into Game 6 on Wednesday and close this series out.

It was time for House to call it a wrap, but the show really had a hell of a run for most its eight seasons.  Last night's series finale featured a fake death (which is a common event to Doctor Who and Sherlock this year...hmmm), and it was one last chance to enjoy Hugh Laurie at work.  Now, I suppose it's time for me to work my way through Laurie's back catalog.  Do I start with Black Adder or A Bit of Fry and Laurie?  I have to go with Black Adder, right?  I do still have Fortysomething to get through.  Maybe I'll start with that to see how he got along with Benedict Cumberbatch. 

What's next? (pic via diariofemenino.com)

Mitt Romney has made his time at Bain Capital his primary argument for why he's qualified to be President, so of course his record there will be subjected to scrutiny.

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Secretary of State Ken Bennett are now locked in a heated battle to show who is the crazier Birther.   Arizona residents should feel great about how much of their taxpayer dollars are being wasted on this silliness.

Facebook is already making changes to the Timeline format.  They haven't forced me to switch over to the current Timeline yet, so maybe they'll be on version 3.0 by the time that happens.

The Oklahoma City Thunder took care of business and ended Kobe Bryant's season, beating the Lakers 105-90 last night to finish their playoff series.

Dwight Howard finally got what he wanted, as the Orlando Magic fired head coach Stan Van Gundy.  No word yet on whether Van Gundy will go back to his original profession (adult movies), using his birth name, Ron Jeremy.

 
(pic via hoopsjournal.com)

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  I was taking care of my neighbor's dog for the last week (BDH was jealous at first, but I explained to him that he'll always be the favorite, and he's been fine since.)  The dog is a golden lab named Lola, and she could not have been a sweeter/more well-behaved pooch.  We had a great time hanging out, and the week flew by, so today's, "Song of the Day," is in honor of my new four-legged friend:

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Enjoy the rest of your day, try to stay dry, and come back again for more fun and randomness soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.

Monday Clutter

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,
I'm a woman's man: no time to talk.

The best news the Boston Red Sox could hear these days is that Josh Beckett is pitching with a chip on his shoulder.  Beckett followed up his last good start with another strong performance, going 7 2/3 against the Philadelphia Phillies.  Adding to the fun, the pitch that caught Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the ear on Friday seems to have knocked some power into his bat, as he hit his second home run in two days, and the Red Sox beat the Phillies 5-1.  Now it's up to Clay Buchholz to try to get the 20-21 Red Sox back to .500 against the Baltimore Orioles tonight.  Don't look now, but it seems that things are ever so painfully slowly starting to come together.

Stay angry, and everything will be just fine. (pic via tauntongazette.com)

Kevin Youkilis came through big time for Bridget Johnson, the daughter of longtime Red Sox coach Ron Johnson, who almost died in an accident involving her horse and a car in 2010.  Cheers, Youk.

It doesn't sound like Dice-K is coming back any time soon.

Breaking News:  Mitt Romney still having a hard time winning over conservatives.  Highlights at 11.

The Obama campaign's attacks on Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital were criticized by Newark Mayor Cory Booker.   It seems unclear if Mayor Booker understands exactly what a surrogate is supposed to do, though he is already trying to do damage control.

The Lockerbie bomber died yesterday at age 60 from prostate cancer.

Why is the NASDAQ "embarrassed" about Facebook's IPO?

More cell phone coverage on the T?  Great, more annoying conversations to have to listen to.

David Lee Roth insists Van Halen is just tired, not breaking up:

 

RIP Robin Gibb.  The Bee Gees co-founder died yesterday at age 62.

In case you hadn't heard, Will Smith is making the promotional rounds for his new movie, Men in Black III.  He's getting some press for other reasons, but I think the big story of his adventures is his return to his Fresh Prince of Bel-Air roots:

 

As this article says, Community without Dan Harmon is like Mad Men without Matthew Weiner.  What's the point?

Tim Tebow's people had a picture of him with some of the cast of the Broadway version of Rock of Ages taken down?  Lame.

I taped the finale of Sherlock so I could watch the Family Guy season finale instead.  Long story short, that was a bad decision.

I did, however, see Mad Men, which was a strong episode.  I forgot what happened to Paul Kinsey, and it turns out life isn't going well for him after being let go in Season 3.  The highlight, though, was the extended scene between Don and Joan, where the two had tremendous chemistry.  Don also gave a speech to his co-workers about securing the Jaguar account, that even I'm ready to work on the pitch now:

"Last year at this time, whether you knew it or not, the survival of this company was on the line. I look at the faces in this room who have given their all to this tenuous recovery, and I say, prepare to take a great leap forward. Prepare to swim the English channel and drown in champagne. There are six weekends between now and the pitch. We are going to spend them all here. We are going to celebrate Christmas here. We are going to ring in the New Year, together. And in the end, we will represent Jaguar, and it will be worth it. Every agency on Madison Avenue is defined by moment they got their car. When we we land Jaguar, the world will know we've arrived."

Yeah, let's go win that business!

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Clutter is not a big disco fan, but I think we should let the Bee Gees take us out with today's, "Song of the Day," because it really is hard not to tap along to the song, and we could use a little fun on this overcast day:

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you as always.  Enjoy your day, and come back later if you like.  You're always welcome to watch the Red Sox with us.  BDH and Little Buddha did a food shopping over the weekend, so we have snacks.  In any case, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.

Sunday Clutter

sail away, sail away, sail away
sail away, sail away, sail away

Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  How was your Saturday?  Wasn't it just beautiful outside?  I took BDH and Little Buddha out for a long walk so they could get some fresh air.  Today looks like it's shaping up to be another nice day, but we've got work to do first.  Help yourself to a nice iced DD, and let's clear out some Sunday Clutter.

The Boston Red Sox had David Ortiz at first base, Adrian Gonzalez in right field, and Jarrod Saltalamachhia behind the plate a day after he got 12 stitches to fix his ear.  That sounds like a mess waiting to happen, especially since pitcher Jon Lester didn't have his strongest stuff, but each of those guys contributed to a 7-5 Boston win over the Philadelphia Phillies last night.  Oh, I almost forgot, we also had a play of the year from last night's center fielder Ryan Sweeney, who made a diving catch that would have been a challenge even for Jacoby Ellsbury.  Now let's see if Josh Beckett can continue to pitch with a chip on his shoulder today.

Kevin Youkilis should get his starting job back whenever he returns to the Red Sox for a number of reasons.  The question will end up becoming, how long will he keep it?

I don't understand why the New England Patriots seem to be sticking it to wide receiver Wes Welker during contract negotiations, unless it's just because they can.  Welker has earned a longer deal for more money, and then some, but it's as if the team wants to make an example out of him, and it just serves as a reminder that NFL players have almost zero leverage.

Mitt Romney claims that he's created 100,000 jobs and that 100,000 jobs have been lost in the auto industry under President Obama.  You're 0 for 2, Mittens.  Care to try again?

Even Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) has no use for the birther movement in Arizona.  McCain said President Obama will remain on the state's presidential ballot, even though Secretary of State Ken Bennett said he might remove him unless he's given further proof of Obama's citizenship.

Take your company public in one of the biggest IPO's ever, then marry your longtime girlfriend.  Yeah, just another week in the life of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. 

NPR examined what's next for Facebook, now that they've gone public.

Following President Obama's lead, the NAACP took a step forward with its endorsement of same-sex marriage.

Noted psychiatrist, Dr. Robert Spitzer, apologized for his study on a gay "cure."

Kristen Wiig never did much for me on Saturday Night Live, but they gave her a classy send-off on the season finale:

 

Many of the Community cast members expressed their sadness on Twitter at the firing of the show's creator, Dan Harmon.  Not surprisingly, Chevy Chase was not one of those members, but he's probably got no idea that Twitter even exists.

The end of House is almost here.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Someone was blaring Enya's, "Orinoco Flow" in their car right outside my window last night.  (I know, it's hard to believe anyone would blare Enya, but I'm telling you, it happened.)  I suddenly found myself singing, "save the whale, save the whale, save the whale," but a quick review of today's, "Song of the Day" indicates that's not right.  See for yourself:

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Enjoy the nice weather, and come back for more fun soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.  (Save the whale, save the whale, save the whale...)