01/31/06

Blogging, 1805 style

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"Captain Clark thought himself somewhat bilious and had not had a passage for several days. I prevailed on him to take a dose of Rush's pills, which I have always found sovereign in such cases, and to bathe his feet in warm water and rest himself."

—Captain Lewis, 27 July 1805, The Journals of Lewis and Clark, Chapter 15.

Posted at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/31/06

The moon--a 4 billion year old desert

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From The Smell of Moondust, third installment [1] [2] of Science@NASA's Apollo Chronicles:

How do you sniff moondust?

Every Apollo astronaut did it. They couldn't touch their noses to the lunar surface. But, after every moonwalk (or "EVA"), they would tramp the stuff back inside the lander. Moondust was incredibly clingy, sticking to boots, gloves and other exposed surfaces. No matter how hard they tried to brush their suits before re-entering the cabin, some dust (and sometimes a...

01/31/06

Gay cowboys ride roughshod

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Brokeback Mountain leads the herd, with eight Oscar® nominations... as announced this morning in Beverly Hills.

Posted at 08:13 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/30/06

Wendy Wasserstein: 18 October 1950 - 30 January 2006

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[New York Times article]

Sad news indeed. In 1989, Wasserstein became the first woman in history to win both the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize for the same play, "The Heidi Chronicles":

"You look so bored, you must be very bright."

The play also provided an important breakthrough in the careers of Glenn Close and Meryl Streep.

Posted at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/30/06

Inbox: a difference of opinion

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A reader identified only as "Somebody" from Palm Springs extracted several quotes from some of my postings, and commented upon them: "By the time John Guthrie McCallum settled his family here in 1884, it was called Palm Springs." Wrong. McCallum called his settlement Palm City. It was only later deemed Palm Springs. "In the early 1800s, the Spanish named it Agua Caliente ('hot water')." Wrong. The Spanish arrived in 1769. "The traditional Cahuilla Indian name for this...

01/30/06

Yesterday was Ma's birthday

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My mom used to prep me for spelling bee competitions, many years ago. She was pretty good, too: we made it to the national finals twice in a row. Since then, we've had our ups and downs, but... well, y'know. So please join me in a toast: "Happy belated birthday, Bev!"

Posted at 08:13 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/27/06

Year of the Pooch

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Sunday marks the beginning of Chinese Lunar Year 4704. But I just know I'll be writing 4703 on my checks all next week. <rimshot>

It's the Year of the Dog. But which dog? Poodle? Chow Chow? Shih Tzu? Pekingese? (Or is it Beijingese these days?) Since nobody has specified, I'm arbitrarily declaring 4704 to be the Year of the Inscrutable Chihuahua.

Rowf.

I had a bizarre dream last night. Half a billion Chinese people...

Posted at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/27/06

Path of the Bighorn

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The Path of the Bighorn® public art project was launched in February 2003 to raise public awareness for the endangered Peninsular Bighorn Sheep. There are now over 100 Bighorn sculptures placed at various locations throughout the Coachella Valley. Some of them were hand-painted by such celebrities as Chevy Chase, Cher, Tony Curtis, Phyllis Diller and Sidney Sheldon. How many have you seen?

Posted at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/27/06

Snowbirds

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Seasonal residents. Winter wanderers. Sun seekers.

Snowbirds are people who move from cold places to warm places during the winter. Our valley's population temporarily increases by almost half, due to Snowbirds.

But the Snowbirds are also Canada's precision aerobatic team. They're headquartered in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

So be careful not to mix up your "Snowbirds" references.

What's your favorite formation? Mine's Canada Goose to Grande flèche...

01/26/06

Internet (and blogs) supposedly invented by Russian in 1837

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References: 1, 2, 3, 4:

"Houses are connected by means of magnetic telegraphs that allow people who live far from each other to communicate. [...] The thing is that many households here publish such journals that replace common correspondence. Such journals usually provide information about the hosts' good or bad health, family news, different thoughts and comments, small...

01/26/06

Whatchawannadothisweekend? (26Jan06)

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Tonight: don't forget Villagefest, 6pm-10!

Friday: Paul Anka performs at the McCallum, 8pm. I just took a look at some of his song titles: Put Your Head On My Shoulder, Tell Me That You Love Me, Tonight My Love Tonight, I Don't Like to Sleep Alone, Love Me Warm and Tender, You're Having My Baby, Say Goodbye. What a sweet...

Posted at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/26/06

Welcome home, Mr. President!

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Former President Ford returned to his Rancho Mirage home yesterday, after a 12-day hospitalization for pneumonia. Ford is 92, born on July 14, 1913. The only other Presidents who survived into their nineties were John Adams (90), Herbert Hoover (90) and Ronald Reagan, who lived to the age of 93 years and 4 months. Here's hoping Gerry starts feeling well enough to go for the record!

Posted at 08:16 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/25/06

Wall-To-Wall Shag

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Have you read last week's Shag (a/k/a Josh Agle) interview?

We're all getting really excited, because the February Palm Springs Life magazine will contain a whole bunch of new Shag illustrations. This talented artist is surfing the crest of a retro lounge/tiki revival that's inundating our pop culture like a tidal wave.

Posted at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/25/06

Saturn at opposition

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According to SpaceWeather.com, it might be worthwhile to point your telescope or binoculars toward the east on Friday evening a few hours after sunset, at about 8pm. Saturn will be at opposition then, and the view should be spectacular.

Space (and Saturn) wallpapers:

Posted at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/25/06

Signs of Life: Hump

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Wednesday is Hump Day...

...and we've got the street sign to prove it.

[more signs]

Posted at 08:09 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/24/06

Palm Springs Writers Guild

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The Guild is a nonprofit corporation supporting published and unpublished writers of the Coachella Valley.

At their next regular meeting, on Sunday, February 5, Author-Humorist Larry Wilde will lecture on "When You're Up To Your Eyeballs in Alligators." Wilde has written 53 books that have sold over 12 million copies. The monthly Guild meetings are open to the general public.

To hone your writing skills—and help develop the skills of others—various critique groups meet once a week. And there's even a short story contest ($15 to...

Posted at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/24/06

Inbox: charm and intelligence

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Well, it's not technically the ol' Inbox, but Lynda Keeler at Palm Springs Swings recently noticed TDQ and said nice things about us, so... well, you know how it goes: if someone compliments your cologne, that person naturally seems more charming and intelligent.

And that's why we're recommending that you go visit the charming and...

Posted at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/24/06

Blooker Prize

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This coming Monday is the contest entry deadline for the first $2,000 Blooker Prize (by contrast, Britain's £50,000 Booker Prize is in its thirty-seventh year).

According to the Blooker website: A blook is a book with content that was developed in a significant way from material originally presented on a blog, web-comic or other website. This material includes the website's characters, themes, ideas or outline that ends up getting published as a printed book.

Posted at 08:12 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/23/06

Still feisty after all these years

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Former mayor Frank Bogert (PSL covers: 1963, 1983) is a cowboy through and through. He's on a book tour these days, so you might be able to catch up with this active nonagenarian at the

Posted at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/23/06

Pete Townshend, rock-star blogger

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The Who's Pete Townshend is blogging a serialized novella, The Boy Who Heard Music. He says the serial will run for 23 episodes, ending on February 25. He's also uploading song demos onto the blog, in mp3 files.

According to his bio, Pete's 60. It's nice that he's taken up a hobby and is staying out of trouble.

Posted at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/23/06

PS: the early years

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The traditional Cahuilla Indian name for this area was Se-Khi ("boiling water").

In the early 1800s, the Spanish named it Agua Caliente ("hot water").

By the time John Guthrie McCallum settled his family here in 1884, it was called Palm Springs. There were 76 Native Americans living in town at that point.

McCallum started buying up land and later organized "The Great Auction," on November 1, 1887. 137 parcels were sold, and the Village's growth seemed well on its way. But in 1893, disaster struck. First, it rained for 21 days straight, resulting in the Big Flood.

And when it stopped raining, it really stopped raining... for eleven long years of drought.

Less than a dozen of the new settlers stuck it...

Posted at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/20/06

Milton's opus reduced 2 txt msg

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The Daily Telegraph (UK) recently reported that Paradise Lost has been successfully shoehorned into a mobile-phone text message:

"Devl kikd outa hevn coz jelus of jesus&strts war.p'd off wiv god so corupts man (md by god) wiv apel.devl stays serpnt 4hole life&man ruind.woe un2mnkind."

The translation, approved by Prof. John Sutherland, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, reads: "The devil...

Posted at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/20/06

Tim Berners-Lee started blogging. Finally.

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Yes, the Web's creator now has a blog... and 455 comments in response to his first posting!

If you keep adding salt to a glass of water, the saline mixture is eventually unable to hold any more crystals. But when you heat up that solution, more salt can dissolve into the liquid. After removing the heat and dropping in one last grain of salt, the supersaturated concoction quickly deposits its burden onto the newly-added seed crystal, which magically grows before your very eyes.

In the blogosphere, concepts frequently germinate in a similar way, expanding by accretion around certain kernels. Irresistible

Posted at 02:11 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/20/06

Krassner keeps 'em (and himself) in stitches

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Desert Hot Springs resident Paul Krassner co-founded the Yippies, along with Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. From 1958 to 1974 (and 1985-2001), he published The Realist, which led People magazine to call him the "father of the underground press." He immediately demanded a paternity test.

After Krassner edited How to Talk Dirty and Influence People, author/comedian Lenny Bruce...

Posted at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/19/06

Joseph Wambaugh's cake, and eat it too

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Author Joseph Aloysius Wambaugh, Jr. and his wife Dee live in Rancho Mirage. Joseph was born on January 22, 1937, so he'll be turning 69 on Sunday.

Happy birthday, Detective!

Wambaugh was an LAPD officer for several years before becoming a full-time writer. In fact, he was still on the force when two of his books, The New Centurions and The Blue Knight, were...

Posted at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/19/06

Tahquitz

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Tahquitz Canyon was closed for nearly 30 years. Since it has now been reopened to visitors (entrance at 500 West Mesquite Avenue), this might be a good time to reexamine the ancient Cahuilla Indian legend:

According to stories that have been told and retold for generations, a shaman named Tahquitz ("TAH-kwish") once developed supernatural capabilities and practiced them with good intent. However, he was eventually corrupted by his own power, until he became downright dangerous. He was subsequently banished to this canyon, where he remains to this day. In fact, some members of the local Agua Caliente tribe...

Posted at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/19/06

Whatchawannadothisweekend? (19Jan06)

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Tonight: don't forget Villagefest!

Friday: At 4pm, Kitty Carlisle Hart celebrates her 95th birthday by performing at the Annenberg. Her website claims that she's "the oldest working woman in show business." Sounds about right.

Saturday morning: the Desert Film Society is screening

Posted at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/19/06

Life in a retirement community is a lot like being back in high school

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The Boston Globe recently published an article entitled Fast Times at Brooksby High, and it sparked a debate at the local coffee shop. Some folks who are contemplating retirement think it's healthier to continue living in age-integrated communities, alongside young families with babies and people past ninety.

But I argued that age-restricted communities are a great idea. In fact, I can't believe it took this long for the wife and me to discover 'em. We snuck into a "55-or-better, active adult" development awhile back, circumventing the minimum age requirement by getting my 57-year-old buddy to co-sign the lease. We decided to buy one of those...

Posted at 08:13 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/18/06

Section 14

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...is at the heart of Palm Springs.

It is the source of the mineral hot springs for which this town was named.

It is also one square mile of the ancestral lands of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.

During the 1800s, the odd-numbered square-mile parcels were given as incentives to Southern Pacific Railroad, while the Cahuilla got the even-numbered parcels.

Section 14 was also unofficially used as a post-WWII African-American and Latino squatters' reservation until the city bulldozed it in 1966.

It is bordered by Alejo Road on the north, Ramon on the south, Indian Canyon on the west and Sunrise Way on the east.

Understanding the dynamics of this mysterious...

Posted at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/18/06

Frank Bogert's back in the saddle

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Local luminary Frank M. Bogert, former mayor of Palm Springs, was born on January 1, 1910, in Mesa, Colorado. And according to Peppertree Bookstore, he's "a raw-boned piece of the past who rode into this desert in 1927 and fast became a legend. Bogert's inimitable straight-talking, unpretentious manner helped create Palm Springs, shaping events that led to the town's evolution from main street village to cosmopolitan desert resort. Beneath his ten-gallon hat, rugged facade and salty humor is a thoughtful man with a breadth...

01/18/06

A boy and his trousers

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By now, you've surely read about the eBay leather pants listing (scroll down when you arrive) which has generated so much interest during the past few months (3,173,568 is the current counter total). But you may not know about the seller's blog, which details the amount of attention he attracted. Here are some excerpts from his eBay description:

You are bidding on a mistake.

We all make mistakes. We date the wrong people for too long. We chew gum with our mouths open. We say inappropriate things in front of grandma.

And we buy leather pants.

[...] I have not worn these...

01/18/06

Moon under Indian Canyon, 7:59am

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The moon was peeking out from over the mountains behind Indian Canyon Drive a few minutes ago (click thumbnail to enlarge). It was WAY too charming; I couldn't resist snapping a pic.

Today's high temperature is expected to be 73°F/23°C.

Yes, it's true: on Groundhog Day, we pray for six more weeks of winter.

Posted at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/17/06

Inbox: a certain social event

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Geez Louise, we've been hearing a lot of gossip about... well, let's just call it "a certain social event" held over the long weekend. Frankly, I'm surprised that such lowbrow shenanigans could take place at such a high-class affair. The next time you people decide to act up like that, please make sure I get an invitation. *grin* And if anybody out there wants to dish some serious dirt, I've been...

Posted at 03:28 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/17/06

Now it can be told: the Shag interview

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I caught up with Josh Agle (a/k/a Shag) at m modern last Saturday night. He was in town for only a short time, between his fourth gallery show in Tokyo and an upcoming one in Australia. His book signing event was about to start, and the circumstances seemed very hectic to me: many people chattered excitedly while looking at his paintings, and a camera...

Posted at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/17/06

Namaste, redux

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Ramesh Avadhani from Bangalore just sent this lovely note: "Do you know the feeling, while watching a movie, that this man or woman is really nice, even though you haven't met him or her? That's what I felt about Kashmera when I saw her movie Yes Boss. I would say Brad did the right thing by marrying her within two days of meeting her! Alan, you seem to have the gift of covering the unusual and the enchanting. I look forward to reading more of your reports."

Posted at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/17/06

The Legend of Al Capone

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Palm Springs Life recently threw a launch party at Two Bunch Palms for the new Art+Culture magazine. The gathering was a lovely catered affair, with live music, and some of the artwork was on display in the Al Capone Suite.

That's where I first learned about the connection between Al Capone and TBP. Some of their staff even claimed that Big Al had built a secret underground automobile tunnel for quick escapes, but I guess nobody's been able to find it.

Great tale, though. Read

Posted at 08:41 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/17/06

Uptown Palm Springs, 7:57am

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This was the view on Palm Canyon Drive a few minutes ago, near the end of my commute (click thumbnail to enlarge). As you drive to the west, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains loom larger and larger until they enfold you. Spectacular.

Today's high is predicted to be 72°F/22°C.

Winter is not too bad out here.

Posted at 08:06 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/16/06

Blogging for all ages

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Bloggers are young. Everyone knows that. It's a truism.

Then how do we explain AARP's Blogosphere 101 - Older Bloggers List? Well, I guess we could say it's a collection of musings from people in the 50- to 80-year-old bracket, who discuss their RV travels, or age discrimination, or coping with the inevitable loss of loved ones, or what it's really like to get older.

Sometimes they write, in clear, ringing tones, about experiences from their younger days. And there's nothing quite as textured as a teenybopper story, told from the perspective of someone who has already experienced several decades of ever-after.

Oh yeah life goes on
Long after the...

01/16/06

Who doesn't love a good scandale littéraire?!

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Q: What do these "authors" have in common: James Frey, JT Leroy, Thomas Chatterton, James Macpherson, Ern Malley, Clifford Irving, Forrest Carter,

Posted at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/16/06

Namaste!

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Palm Springs investment banker Brad Listermann met Indian film star Kashmera Shah on the Internet, and the couple eventually turned their unusual love story into a screenplay. They were kind enough to spend a few minutes with me on Saturday night, just before the world premiere of their movie, My Bollywood Bride:

How did you two find each other online?

Kashmera: I found him! My friend was...

Posted at 08:35 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/16/06

King holiday

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Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929.

At age 19, he was ordained as a Baptist minister in Atlanta on February 25, 1948.

At age 34, he delivered the "I Have A Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963.

At age 35, he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway on December 10, 1964.

At age 39, he was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.

Today is the 20th anniversary celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; Congress established the third Monday of January as a national holiday in 1986.

Posted at 08:07 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/14/06

Mumbai (Bombay) to Palm Springs

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I spoke with the wife-and-husband creative duo Kashmera and Brad (later: the photo has been moved to the interview), just minutes before tonight's world premiere of their film.

[Details--and a sound clip--will be posted on Monday morning, but here's the advance buzz: My Bollywood Bride was so enthusiastically received that it's been added to Best of Fest, with an encore screening on Monday afternoon!]

Twenty minutes earlier,

Posted at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/13/06

Wallpaper/highlights

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Bored with the background wallpaper image on your computer's desktop? Then try one of ours! First, left-click one of these links: Palm Springs 1965 aerial view or P.S. desert flowers or El Mirador or

Posted at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/13/06

Inbox: sampler

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David from Fair Oaks writes: "Nice blog - interesting stuff!"

Anne from Montana writes: "Love your blog! It's like having a hip friend in Palm Springs -- I'll never have to worry about picking a bad restaurant while in town."

Fran (

Posted at 02:01 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/13/06

Inbox: Doris from Rancho Mirage

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The lovely and talented Doris took the time to send us a message from her lovely and talented computer in Rancho Mirage.

She definitely deserves our gratitude. Okay, all together now: "Thank you, Doris!"

Doris thinks we should offer desktop wallpaper background images with Coachella Valley themes. Wow, that's an excellent idea, Doris. Why didn't *I* come up with it? In fact, my boss is now very likely to be wondering the same thing.

So watch this page for further developments. We should be able to upload some pix by late afternoon.

And the lovely and talented Doris will probably take over my job on Monday.

Posted at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/13/06

El Mirador

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In 1928 the El Mirador Hotel was built for $750,000, providing accommodations for 300 guests. The rich and famous often vacationed here and many celebrities considered the hotel to be their second home. During World War II, it was transformed into Torney General Hospital, serving wounded soldiers. The El Mirador made a hotel-biz comeback, starting in the 1950s, but it's now the Desert Regional Medical Center.

DRMC's Byzantine Spanish Colonial tower, rising...

Posted at 09:10 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/13/06

Triskaidekaphobia

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...first appeared in 1911, formed from the Greek "treiskaideka" (thirteen) and "phobos" (fear). Eight decades later, some fear-obsessed shrink coined "paraskevidekatriaphobia" (although Word Spy implies that it might have been stolen from an earlier usage) using the Greek "paraskevi" (Friday), "dekatria" (thirteen? again? those wacky Greeks need two words for 13?) and the standard workhorse "phobos." Then there's "friggatriskaidekaphobia" ("Friday" comes from "Frigga," the ancient Scandinavian fertility and love goddess).

But why do these people want to pretend their new words have instant credibility,...

Posted at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

01/12/06

Whatchawannadothisweekend? (12Jan06)

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Friday: listen to the sublime Budapest Festival Orchestra play Wagner, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky over at the McCallum.

Saturday AM: run 5K for the Desert Paws charity (DesertPaws.org)... but we'd better not hear that you were doggin' it. ;-)