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Welcome to my home page! In case you don't know me, I am a birder living on the edge of the Big Thicket of Southeast Texas. This page is dedicated to my various non-birding interests (to peruse my birding pages, go to Birds West). |
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| THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS... |
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CARTOONS! I love cartoons! They break rules, shatter conventions, and slaughter sacred cows with sledge hammers. The Simpsons, King of the Hill, South Park—even Beavis and Butthead—are all refreshingly uninfected by the cowardly political correctness that permeates the rest of television (including the deceptively titled Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher—blah!). To better understand the world of cartoons, check out The Cartoon Laws of Physics. |
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| The Simpsons is one of the cleverest satirical shows on television. There are a LOT of Simpsons sites out there, but you will find this page of Simpsons links a good starting point. Maybe you can even solve the mystery of Springfield's location. Or not. |
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King of the Hill was created by Mike Judge, who is also the mastermind behind Beavis and Butthead. Fox has an official site for the show, and there are plenty of unofficial ones, too. Set in the mythical town of Arlen, Texas, it is a strangely familiar slice of suburban life. If you haven't already, you really ought to meet the Hills, Luanne, Boomhauer, Dale Gribble (exterminator & bounty hunter), and the rest.
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MUSIC "Life," as Edward Abbey once said, "without music would be an intolerable insult." My personal taste in music tends to be anachronistic, obscure, and grimly rustic. Here are a few of my favorites: |
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| The Ozark Mountain Daredevils have been a favorite band of mine since the 70s. This is the cover of what I consider to be their hillbilly magnum opus, "The Car Over the Lake Album." A&M Records has never released this album on CD, but the band recently acquired the right to license and reissue their A&M albums, and it is finally available! Hurrah! |
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| Michael Nesmith (Nez) is a former member of The Monkees (he was the one wearing the tuque). Since then he has had an eclectic career as a writer, recording artist, and video pioneer (some credit him with discovering the music video!). His post-Monkees discography is a lengthy one; my personal favorite is his 1992 album "Tropical Campfires." It's the perfect mood music, whether you are watching the sunset by the Rio Grande, or the jungle glistening by moonlight. These days you can visit Nez at his Videoranch. Oh, I almost forgot. His mother invented liquid paper. |
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| If you like your rock with a little twang and a lot of reverb you will probably enjoy Southern Culture On the Skids (SCOTS), a hillbilly surf band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Led by guitarist/songwriter Rick Miller and featuring the vocal talents of bassist Mary Huff, SCOTS is a musical shotgun blast aimed at white trash culture & cuisine. For a real treat go to one of their live performances, and be ready when they start tossing out the fried chicken! |
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| They Might Be Giants recently won a grammy for "Boss of Me," the theme song of Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle," but they (John Linnell and John Flansburgh) have been recording albums since the mid 1980s. Their music always manages to defy convention and expectation, with a penchant for puns and interesting lyrical allusions. Who else would record songs celebrating mammals, metal detectors, and the unappreciated contributions of President James K. Polk? You can hear their music online or call Dial-A-Song at 718-387-6962 (a regular Brooklyn phone number, no additional charges). For more information go to www.tmbg.org. |
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Crayon is an acronym for "Create Your Own Newspaper." It's fun and easy to do. Personalize your online news service. You can even name your own paper! |
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Bob Childs recently introduced my friend Jolene and I to the world of kite flying, and we love it! Now, when it's too windy for birding, we just get out our kites. Check out Bob's "Wheels of Doom." |
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Want to know what's happening in the sky? Visit Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences. |
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| Here are some sites
with nifty tools for building your own web pages: The Free Internet Database - All kinds of downloadable free stuff (fonts, graphics, etc.) for use on your own personal web pages. Free Graphics - More fun stuff. Spot's Gif Archives - A great resource for creating your web pages, with lots of animated gifs. Follow Spot! |
...at redknot@worldnet.att.net
