Naming the Baby

As you’re well aware, Gentle Reader, I refer to the “not long for my driveway but not quite Dearly Departed” family bike as “The ‘Zuki.” I got to thinking…would it be right and proper to refer to the moto lust-object-in-waiting as The ‘Zuki, as well? Once she arrives, that is. Would she resent being called by the name of my former flame? Even if I added an unwieldy “II” as a suffix? And if she were offended, would she become a passive-aggressive sort and take out her resentment on me in ways too horrible to contemplate? Motorcycles can be temperamental sorts, ya know. It pays to stay on their good side. I know I did something to piss off The ‘Zuki to make her show me her ass on two occasions, but I never figured out exactly what. Digression.

So I decided the new ride must have a new name. I’m kinda attached to ‘Zuki. Since both current and future moto-ladies originated in Toyokawa, Japan they are Nihonjin, by definition. So what would be wrong with calling the new baby “Zukiko?” (Japanese women’s names all end in –ko, as in Junko, Satchiko, etc.) Nothing, I thought…but let’s google it, just to make sure. And I found this (pdf-alert):

Goddesses Of Earth
By DameonUzumaki

Now Zukiko, was rather quiet. She never spoke often, but would when she had to. Her hair was a silky, beaming gray. Zukiko loved music... Lullabe... Pop... or even Ballet. To show her love of music, was a very skilled flute player and wore a shirt that had a line of notes to Beethoven's own "Moonlight Sonata". She was blessed with the gift of the Wind Goddess. She was rather smart, her friends always asked her for answers. Zukiko also played music with the power of her wind.

Now is that serendipitous, or what? Of course, Zukiko is also the name of a Cambodian gay guy in Phnom Penh looking to “make friends”…or, as he puts it “je cherche les mec pour faire des conversasion et surtout faire la relation stable et durable.” Whatever.

“Stable and durable.” That’s the sort of relationship I want with my Zukiko (The Goddess of Wind).

Oh. No bean jokes, please.

A Great Beginning...

Here’s a brilliant site for those of us who are in love with the language: World Wide Words. Michael Quinion, the site’s author, has quite the resumé, and here’s just a small part of it:

These days, Michael concentrates on writing World Wide Words and providing citations and advice for the Oxford English Dictionary. He also wrote a third of the entries for the second edition of the Oxford Dictionary of New Words and for a while compiled a weekly New Words column in the Daily Telegraph. His dictionary of affixes, Ologies and Isms, was published by Oxford University Press in August 2002.

World Wide Words provides etymologies for words and expressions such as protologism, balls-up, and the phrase seemingly on everyone’s lips these days… carbon footprint. Great and good stuff, this!

(h/t to one of the denizens of Castle Argghhh!!! who pointed us to Beyond the Pale… an expression whose origin I thought was rooted exclusively in the tsars’ geographical imperatives to Russian Jews…but now stand corrected. There’s English-Irish there, too.)

Ed Douhatshek of the Toronto Globe and Mail has become a daily read. There are a lot of hockey columnists out there, but Ed is rapidly becoming my favorite. Mitch Albom, of course, is still Numero Uno in my book, but Mitch has branched out…he’s now a best-selling author and a generalist…no longer “just” a sportswriter. But, back to Ed. Here’s his take on last night’s Anaheim – Vancouver tilt:

ANAHEIM -- In time, they may reflect back on a National Hockey League season that far exceeded expectations -- to a divisional crown, a trip to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and the certainty they not only have a franchise goaltender, but he is signed for another three seasons.

Accordingly, there were a lot of positives to emerge from the Vancouver Canucks' 2006-07 season on the whole, but that offered little consolation in the immediate aftermath of last night's one-for-the-ages 2-1 double overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks in the fifth and deciding game of their best-of-seven Western Conference semi-final series.

With the win, the Ducks move on to face one of their ex-coaches, either the Detroit Red Wings' Mike Babcock or the San Jose Sharks' Ron Wilson, in the next round. The Canucks, meanwhile, will watch it unfold from the comfort of their couches and condos, where they can ponder how the formula that worked so well in the regular season -- play goalie Roberto Luongo and play him again and then play him some more -- wasn't enough to win in the playoffs.

The term “one for the ages” is certainly apt. Even if you don’t live in BC, or even on the Left Coast. I found myself pulling for the Canucks even though I knew in my heart of hearts they were doomed. The Ducks were just too big, too fast, and too talented. Luongo, like Calgary’s Kiprusoff, kept the Canucks in the series a lot longer than they deserved. The guy is a great goaltender and hockey fans will be seeing a lot of him in April, May, and (eventually) June in the future. Bet on it.

So…IF the Wings prevail against the Sharks they’ll face Anaheim in the Western Conference final. And that, folks, will be a series…the Stanley Cup final will be just a formality after the Western final…the winner will already be crowned. Take that to the bank.

I forgot to link this oh-so-appropriate guidance for young men earlier this week: The Man Code (h/t: Morgan). Two pearls of wisdom therein:

12. Before dating a buddy's "ex", you are required to ask his permission and he in return is required to grant it.

16. A man must never own a cat or like his girlfriend's cat.

There’s no corollary to #12…but there should be. Something along the lines of “it’s justifiable homicide if you take a (former) friend’s life for messing with your woman wife. Or you may severely injure him, whichever is appropriate.” Just sayin’.

Oh…and about cats: S’true, that. I know from experience.

My ambivalence about “current events” and politics in general continues apace. That doesn’t mean I’ve withdrawn altogether, as I’ve mentioned before, it just means I’m only semi- or tangentially interested, at best. Still and even, I caught a (very small) bit of the first Republican candidates debate and came away less than impressed…mostly with the sound-bite format and lack of depth in both questions and responses. It wasn’t long before the Weather Channel seemed a lot more interesting and relevant than the “debate.” {click}

Peggy Noonan has a pretty good comment piece on the debate over at the WSJ…and here’s an exceprt:

This is a piece about Thursday night's Republican presidential debates, but first I would like to note that the media's fixation with which Republican is the most like Reagan, and who is the next Reagan, and who parts his hair like Reagan, is absurd, and subtly undermining of Republicans, which is why they do it.

[…]

They should stop it already, and Republicans should stop playing along. They should try instead a pleasant, "You know I don't think I'm Reagan, but I do think John Edwards may be Jimmy Carter, and I'm fairly certain Hillary is Walter Mondale."

[…]

If we view the proceedings in vulgar and reductive Who Won, Who Lost terms, and let's, Mitt Romney won, Rudy Giuliani lost, and John McCain is still in. The moderator, Chris Matthews, seemed to think he was on "Hardball" and had to keep the pups, punks and rubes--that would be the candidates--in line. He cut them off--"Congressman, that's time!"--and occasionally hectored. One of the stars was the buzzing clock. It interrupted all thought.

And that’s just for starters. Good stuff, that. I like Peggy Noonan. As for the candidates themselves? Feh. Or…in other words…it’s waaay too early to tell.

Today began in a classical music sorta way…a not-too-infrequent break from my usual rock-pop mindset. I took my morning coffee on the verandah today (well, the first two cups, anyway), enjoying the early morning’s gentle breezes before they turn into the forecasted gales. While enjoying the relative quiet of the morning…everyone’s gone to work, the kids are off to school…it hit me that the moment was supremely right for Beethoven’s “Pastorale.” So… a quick hop, skip, and a jump into El Casa Móvil De Pennington, along with a brief shuffling about in the CD repository, and the sweet strains of the “Pastorale” were drifting out over beautiful La Hacienda Trailer Park. Followed up with Copland’s “Rodeo” and “Appalachian Spring,” and then by Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.” Wow. A great beginning to what I hope will be a great day.

So far, so good.

Got an Appropriate Rainy Day Quote?

Coz I need one...a rainy day quote, that is. In the meantime I'll just ramble, if it pleases you. And even if it doesn't...

Wow. This is news!

The News Corporation, owner of the Fox News Channel and The New York Post, has made an unsolicited $5 billion takeover bid for Dow Jones, publisher of The Wall Street Journal.

Dow Jones confirmed today that it had received the offer and said that the Bancroft family, which controls the company, was evaluating the bid. “There can be no assurance that this evaluation will lead to any transaction,” the company said in a written statement.

But some members of the Bancroft family were already mobilizing against the bid. Four hours after Dow Jones made its first statement, it issued a second communication saying that some family members and their trustees planned to vote “shares constituting slightly more than 50 percent of the outstanding voting power of Dow Jones” against the deal.

I don’t have a problem with either Rupert Murdoch or his media empire. But, given my druthers, I’d prefer Dow Jones remain independent. Just sayin’.

Here’s The Journal’s extensive report on the subject, including two very good “at a glance” graphic profiles of both News Corp and Dow-Jones.

“Religion of Peace,” once again. The following was said during a sermon…

Sheik Ahmad Bahr, acting Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, declared during a Friday sermon at a Sudan mosque that America and Israel will be annihilated and called upon Allah to kill Jews and Americans "to the very Last One." Following are excerpts from the sermon that took place last month, courtesy of MEMRI.

Ahmad Bahr began: "'You will be victorious' on the face of this planet. You are the masters of the world on the face of this planet. Yes, [the Koran says that] 'you will be victorious,' but only 'if you are believers.' Allah willing, 'you will be victorious,' while America and Israel will be annihilated. I guarantee you that the power of belief and faith is greater than the power of America and Israel. They are cowards who are eager for life, while we are eager for death for the sake of Allah. That is why America's nose was rubbed in the mud in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Somalia, and everywhere."

[…]

The Hamas spokesperson concluded with a prayer, saying: "Oh Allah, vanquish the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, count their numbers, and kill them all, down to the very last one. Oh Allah, show them a day of darkness. Oh Allah, who sent down His Book, the mover of the clouds, who defeated the enemies of the Prophet, defeat the Jews and the Americans, and bring us victory over them."

If they’re so damned “eager for death,” then I suggest we accommodate them. Or, in other words… “Crank up the Enola Gay!” And I haven’t even been drinking (yet).

Remember: These are the guys the Euro-Weenies want to reestablish aid to/for, in the form of direct monetary support.

“When it becomes possible to re-engage with a national unity government…we could then hopefully resume support to the Palestinian Authority, ministers and ministries and agencies from which we have had to distance ourselves in the last year,” she said.

Although officials from EU member states indicated that Ms Ferrero-Waldner’s comments were premature, her statement highlights a growing divergence between the EU and the US and Israel.

Premature back in February when the above article was published, that is. One wonders if public statements sermons delivered by Hamas politicians in powerful positions have any affect at all on Euro-policy. I suppose we shall see, eh?

Game Four of what is shaping up to be the Wings’ most epic battle in the 2007 play-offs begins at 2000 hrs MDT this evening. Day before yesterday I said that if Monday’s game was close it would still be a series. Close it was, with San Jose taking the win by virtue of a 2-1 final score. The game shouldn’t have been either close or lost…had the Wings continued as they began. Detroit came out flying in Monday’s game, completely dominating the Sharks.

The Sharks were a bit rusty to begin their first home game in 12 days, and Lidstrom capitalized with a power- play goal on a slap shot from the blue line midway through the first period. The Red Wings captain hadn't found the net since scoring in each of the first two games of Detroit's first-round series with Calgary.

San Jose, which jumped to early 2-0 leads in both of the series' first two games, was in full retreat well into the second period, when the fans booed their team's inept power play. After leading the league for much of the regular season, San Jose's power play went 1-of-5 to drop to 4-for-42 in the playoffs.

It looked like a solid performance by the Wings…and at the end of two periods I thought it was in the bag. But the third period was all Sharks…and they deserved the win. Still and even, it was close. We have a series, folks, and a damned good one, too. Let’s hope the Wings re-discover the intensity they showed during the first period on Monday night…they’ll need all that intensity and perhaps a bit more to prevail in this series. I think it’s there…

No motorsickle riding today, I’m afraid. Looks like it’s gonna rain all day. But that’s OK. We need it. I did take the bike out for a putt yesterday, and it was moderately good. I’m still holding my breath where my back pain is concerned, however. The pain has been fairly constant since this past Saturday and shows no signs of letting up. I found some Flexeril I had rat-holed from a previous bout of back pain and am taking that, in addition to the Aleve. It’s beginning to look more and more like the problem just might be another ruptured disk… While the quality of the pain isn’t severe in its intensity, the location of said pain is all too telling, i.e., in my lower back just above my hips…with the occasional twinge felt in my right thigh.

Lord, I hope I’m wrong about this…

Today's the Day...in More Ways than One

It looks like today’s the day… I’m 98% sure I’ll pick up the bike today. All I’m waiting for is confirmation from the lovely Wendy at Zia Power Sports that she’ll be around this morning to pick me up and take me to The Big(ger) City^TM. You read that right: I’m getting picked up by the dealership. That’s the sort of service that wins friends and influences people. Too bad it’s so rare these days.

I missed it the first time around, but when I booted up the ‘puter this morning I was prompted by the good folks at the Googleplex to check out their April Fools joke. Pretty funny! But OTOH, don’t we all know someone who prints out all their e-mail? I used to know folks like that…

It’s begun…and I’ll bet there are more than a few people dragging their butts into work today in Dallas (Vancouver, too):

VANCOUVER (CP) - The relief outweighed the exhaustion after Henrik Sedin scored with 1:54 left in the fourth overtime period Wednesday to give the Vancouver Canucks a 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars in the opening game of their NHL Western Conference quarter-final series.

[…]

The overtime lasted 78 minutes, six seconds. The longest overtime game in NHL history was 116:30 when Detroit beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0 back on March 24, 1936.

[…]

The game started at 7:11 p.m. local time and didn't end until 12:35 a.m.

That’s a lot of hockey, folks! Pity the poor Dallas fans: the game was on the Left Coast, to begin with. And then 78 minutes of overtime, after the regulation 60 minutes? That means it was over at 0235 hrs, Dallas time. Then add in the fact that the Stars scored twice in the third period to force the overtime… and you have tired and disappointed Stars fans. Oh, well. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of folks. Stars fans are...ahem..."ate up." Just sayin'.

Detroit plays its first game at 7:00 p.m. tonight (this afternoon, for me).

The Detroit Red Wings have had trouble as a high playoff seed in recent years. The Calgary Flames will look to take advantage - again.

A No. 1 seed for the third straight season, the Red Wings look to avoid another quick playoff exit as they host the Flames on Thursday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series.

Detroit won the Stanley Cup in 2002 as a No. 1 seed, but suffered a first-round defeat in 2003 as a No. 2 and was the top seed last year when it was stunned by Edmonton in the opening round. In 2004, Calgary ousted the Wings, who that year won the first of back-to-back Presidents' Trophies, in the second round in six games.

I hate it when the write-ups begin this way, and they always do…when it comes to the Wings and the playoffs. (It could be worse. I could live in Toronto. Heh heh heh… But seriously, this article in the Toronto Sun says most of what there is to say about the NHL playoffs. Good stuff.) More on the Wings playoff woes from ESPN:

But we think "upset" is a term that should be banished, at least in the West. There are many who believe Detroit, again the top seed, is in for a rough ride with eighth-seeded Calgary. And the Red Wings could be. But with the Flames sporting Miikka Kiprusoff, Jarome Iginla and Dion Phaneuf and 96 regular-season points, would it really be an upset? We think not. The Western Conference is home to six of the top eight point-getters in the NHL. The Flames' 96 points are more than three Eastern Conference playoff teams.

A classic case of “the truth hurts” if I ever saw one. Be that as it may, I’ll be parked in front of the Tee Vee with a cool Fat Tire and a bag of popcorn at 1700 hrs sharp! New bike or not…

A legend passes… Kurt Vonnegut is dead. I loved his writing, even though I hated his politics.

His experience in Dresden was the basis of “Slaughterhouse-Five,” which was published in 1969 against the backdrop of war in Vietnam, racial unrest and cultural and social upheaval. The novel, wrote the critic Jerome Klinkowitz, “so perfectly caught America’s transformative mood that its story and structure became best-selling metaphors for the new age.”

S’true, that. “Slaughterhouse-Five” was certainly transformational for me.

RIP, Mr. Vonnegut.

Today’s Pic: An old bike pic on new bike day. The Yama-Hammer at the Continental Divide in Yellowstone. I anticipate posting more than a few pics similar to this in the coming months. Except there will be a blue V-Strom front and center…

May, 2000.