S.S. Minnow

Bouncing around in my head recently has been "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island." This is apparently the proper name of the Gilligan's Isle theme song. Truth be told, it's part of my around-the-house singing repertoire. In these (currently) free concerts, I perform only the second-season version, which gives due credit to the Professor and Mary Ann, rather than dismissing them with an anonymous "and the rest."

My point is not to link the plight of the castaways and our situation here in Aix. Really. I just want to relay a fun fact to know and tell.

The show's cognoscenti report that Sherwood Schwartz, who co-wrote the theme song, named the S.S. Minnow not after the fish, but after the 1961 FCC Commissioner Newton Minow. Angering Schwartz, Minow had called television "America's vast wasteland" and had give more programming power to the networks.

By the way, one of the original Minnows was found and sold not too long ago (sitcomsonline, gilligansisle.com )

Carcassonne

We took a weekend, a bus and a regional train to go to Carcassonne. It's a medieval walled city in a fabulous setting, filled with tourist-loathing tourist shops. You can walk over an ancient bridge and gawk at the imposing edifice on the hill above the river. The walled city is beautifully lit at night. The old city is the closest you can come, I bet, to evoking the atmosphere of the middle ages.



You can take a tour of the ramparts for 7.50 euros a person. Our tour guide was thoroughly unprofessional and downright slovenly in presentation and demeanor. But the tour is the only way you can get up on the ramparts. Even Frommer's travel guide hints at this, saying that the tour is "obligatory". So my advice is to take the tour but ignore the guide. You can wander around on your own once up there. (And don't believe any of many and contradictory signs about the times of the tours. Even if you do figure them out, you'll find they're inaccurate. You'll just have to ask at the ticket booth.)



We stayed at a very nice small maison d'hôte in the town of Carcassonne. La Maison Coste was quite acceptable ( http://www.maison-coste.com/coste-house-page-9.html ). It wasn't outstanding, but I'd bet we'd stay there again. Outside of the walled cité, Carcassonne doesn't seem to have that much to offer. Some of the streets are dark and a little creepy at night, with shadowy figures standing in the doorways between the old town and the medieval cité. The Canal du Midi is there, which I'd like to explore more, though.



I did have two fabulous cassoulet dinners at two restaurants we can recommend. Both were no-smoking and featured the regional fare of southwestern France. You'd do well to reserve for a Saturday night, as we did, even in the off-season at Auberge des Lices. Also, you have to walk down a small dark street in the old city to get there; it's a bit of a surprise when you do find it. We also enjoyed, maybe a little less, Brasserie le Donjon. But we'd go back there too.

Customer service in France, but with a smile

Sheila, a friend of ours from back home came to visit, and was on a mission for grapefruit-flavored sorbet from our local overpriced Italian gelato shops. At one of the most overpriced shops here on our street, Cours Mirabeau, she asked in French if the shop had any grapefruit sorbet. The guy behind the counter said "Non". She then asked in French, "Well, do you not have grapefruit sorbet today or do you just never have it?" The response came in English with a smile, "What do I --- know everything?"

Arlo Guthrie on Supreme Court

Have you considered that given the role of the US Supreme Court in George Bush's election, it's the group W bench?

Super Bowl XL

Instead of a Rolling Stones halftime show, I'd like to see the Steelers and the Seahawks imitate the toy players from vintage electric football games. I'd like to see today's mammoth players spin around in little circles and run off the field in arbitrary directions until bump against the stands.

A Rover Mission to New Orleans

Due to a gyroscopic error, the Mars Rover finds itself in New Orleans, testing for water and the potential for the environment to sustain life.

Bird Flu

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To infect the other side.

Ego-tourist

Picture this --- the contemporary Ego-Tourist.
Fat white guy in safari outfit. Lots of pockets with expensive digital devices.
He's talking on a multi-media cell phone.
He's an S&P100 Executive. Puffed out chest. Eyeglasses. Balding.
In jungle. Bearers all around.
People waiting hand and foot on him. Possibly shining his safari boots.