The Life

March 2006

03/31/06 7th Annual April Fool's Day Survey Results of the 2006 poll which names America's Most Foolish Individual: 1. [4th year in a row] Michael Jackson - 69% 2. Dick Cheney - 59% 2. [tie] Paris Hilton - 59% 3. George Bush - 57% 4. Tom Cruise - 54% 5. Tom Delay - 41% 6. Courtney Love - 41% 7. Robert Blake - 38% 8. Paula Abdul - 35% 9. rapper L'il Kim - 33% 10. Madonna - 32% 11. lobbyist Jack Abramoff - 32% 12. comedian Dave Chapelle - 29% 13. model Kate Moss - 27% 14. author James Frey - 26% 15. Oprah - 24% Posted at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/31/06 Celebrity encounter: Patrick Duffy & Johanna Head Patrick Duffy was scheduled to play in the same fivesome as professional golfer Johanna Head.When I asked if I could take his picture, Patrick laughingly pulled Johanna into the shot, too. [Click photo to enlarge.][more encounters] Posted at 03:25 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/31/06 Public art virtual tour: Flight Larger photo. Location: 1100 Bird Center Drive.By Damian Priour.Limestone and Glass, 1993.This is the last stop in our tour, for now. If we've missed any pieces, please let us know! And don't forget to check out Palm Desert's public art...[continue touring] Posted at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/31/06 Solar eclipse from space The crew of the International Space Station took this photo of the moon's shadow on Earth from 230 miles above our planet. The solar eclipse area (143Kb animation) was moving (805Kb animation) across the Mediterranean at the time (2:50am PST on Wednesday, March 29). [Image credit: NASA]Be sure to check out NASA's Eclipse home page and SpaceWeather's amazing gallery of eclipse images! Posted at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/31/06 America (including California) springs forward In most of the continental United States (you know who you are), Daylight Saving Time (not Savings) starts this Sunday morning at 2:00am local time.On Monday, we'll discuss those italics on the word most. Posted at 08:07 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/30/06 Rollin', rollin', rollin' I was doing some writing just before midnight awhile ago, when I slowly became aware of a persistent loud noise coming from outside the window. It sounded like a squadron of bombers in an old WWII movie, so I went out on the back patio to see if we were under attack.A thunderstorm was moving through our desert valley and the rainy sky was alive with lightning: air-to-air strikes, well above the first layer of clouds. It was as if an enormous group of high-altitude paparazzi were trying to photograph an earthbound movie star. The individual flashes weren't clearly visible, but a quick brightening would emanate from one segment of the sky, followed by another... and another... and another, in every direction, at one- or two-second intervals.There was never one big "boom," but... Posted at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/30/06 Celebrity encounter: Mary Hart Entertainment Tonight's Mary Hart is very cool. [Click photo to enlarge.]Many fans wanted to take photos, get autographs, shake hands, etc.It was bedlam.But Mary stayed calm in the midst of the clamor, and gave individual attention to each person.Then she stepped up to the tee, cracked a few jokes, and hit the ball long and true.What a class act.[more encounters] Posted at 03:13 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/30/06 Whatchawannadothisweekend? (30Mar06) Tonight: At 7:30 and 9:30pm, catch the Concert Series at Peter's, featuring "The Duke & Billy, the works of Ellington and Strayhorn." All that jazz and din-din, too!Friday: The Indian Wells Desert Symphony presents Hooked on Hollywood at 8pm. I'm pretty sure this does NOT refer to getting propositioned on Hollywood Boulevard...Saturday morning: From 8am to 1pm, it's the National Trails Day Celebration at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve. Hike your buns off!Saturday afternoon: The Indian Wells Arts Festival runs from 10am to 5:30pm. "200 award winning artists will set up their display canopies and artwork to create a unique artisan village." And I'm currently mulling a run for Mayor.Saturday evening: Senior Class Revue at 7pm. It's a "series of witty and touching... Posted at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/30/06 Public art virtual tour: The Naval Aviator Larger photo. Location: PS Air Museum.By Jeff Barber.Bronze, 1985.[continue touring] Posted at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/29/06 Public art virtual tour: Nines and Elevens Larger photo. Location: Demuth Park.Designed by James Jared Taylor, III (b.1958).Painted Welded Steel, 1999.[continue touring] Posted at 05:45 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/28/06 Moblog: undercover on location Much to my surprise, the casting agency called last Wednesday to offer me a one-day gig as a background extra. Fifty-four bucks for eight hours. Excellent. This means I might be able to drive right past the Payday Loan storefront next week. When I said that I was ready for my closeup, they told me to call an unlisted phone number at a specific time on a specific day. Very "covert ops." So today was the day, and I made the call. A disembodied recording recited directions to tomorrow's top-secret location, where a film crew will be working on UKWP (the Untitled Kevin Williamson Pilot project). Don't ask. If I told you where it is, I'd have to shoot you. "As always, should you or any of your I.M. Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your... Posted at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/28/06 Public art virtual tour: Machine Age Larger photo. Location: eastern end of Airport Entrance Road (Kirk Douglas Way).By Jean-Claude Farhi.Steel, 1994-99.[continue touring] Posted at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/28/06 Celebrity encounter: Tommy Smothers I just got back from the Kraft Nabisco Celebrity Pro-Am, part of a golf tournament that used to bear Dinah Shore's name. It's an annual competition that draws thousands of partying lesbians to conservative Palm Springs. If you ever have a chance to attend a screening of Where the Girls Are, an award-winning documentary that provides a lighthearted look at Dinah Shore Weekend, you'll get some idea of the huge impact of this cultural event.There were lots of celebrities on hand to celebrate, too, and their photos will be posted here during the next week or so.Tommy Smothers was one of my favorites. [Click photo to enlarge.] By the ninth hole, he had trained his fivesome to chant while he was putting: "Taw-MEE! Taw-MEE! Taw-MEE!" After trying (and usually failing) to sink his... Posted at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/28/06 Public art virtual tour: Le Compas de Vulcan Larger photo. Location: middle of Airport Entrance Road (Kirk Douglas Way).By Jean-Claude Farhi.Steel, 1994-99.[continue touring] Posted at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/28/06 Public art virtual tour: Forget Me Not Larger photo. Location: western end of Airport Entrance Road (Kirk Douglas Way).By Jean-Claude Farhi.Steel, 1994-99.[continue touring] Posted at 08:05 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/27/06 RV motorhome: vacation lodge on wheels According to a recent study of American vehicle-owning households, one in twelve now has a recreational vehicle. That's nearly seven million RVs. And many of those vehicles come to this valley for the winter.Some RV resorts can be quite fancy, featuring swimming pools and miniature golf courses, along with state-of-the-art fitness and computer centers. The RVs themselves are sporting more features, too: washer/dryers, satellite dishes, back-up cameras, or even hot tubs. Many now have slideouts: at the touch of button, the slideout moves a portion of the RV's exterior outward as much as three or four feet, to enlarge the living area.But I've saved the best news for last: the world land speed record for motorhomes is now 99.776 mph. Posted at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/27/06 Whitey Mitchell: words and music Palm Springs resident Gordon "Whitey" Mitchell [click thumbnail photo to enlarge] has had two amazing careers: one as a jazz musician, and another as a writer for TV/film/stage/etc. I recently caught up with this creative whirlwind and badgered him until he broke down and answered a few questions: You grew up in a talented family - what were some of the significant events of your childhood? Being fully potty trained: FREEDOM AT LAST! After that, I have fond memories of the extended family get-togethers, which were full of low comedy and questionable music. All Mitchells can sing. But, then again, we all have terrible voices. My brother and I both have CDs to prove it. Who were your favorite teachers? Mrs. Harrison, my fourth grade teacher, thought I was wonderful, and... Posted at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/27/06 Public art virtual tour: Charlie Farrell Larger photo. Location: entrance to the Airport.By George Montgomery.Bronze, 1998.[continue touring] Posted at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/24/06 Public art virtual tour: Frank Bogert Larger photo. Location: in front of City Hall.By Raymundo Kobo.Bronze, 1989.Frank's comment about the sculpture: "Every time I go by there, the birds have covered my face with white stuff. So I call the City Manager and raise hell. The funny thing is, there's a statue of John F. Kennedy about fifty yards away, but the birds never do anything on him. I guess they're all Democrats..." Read the rest of our Frank Bogert interview. [FYI: Frank is still alive, despite the horse-hooves-off-ground code.][continue touring] Posted at 03:08 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/24/06 Europe springs forward Daylight Saving Time won't arrive here until a week from Sunday. But throughout most of the continental European Union, DST begins this Sunday morning, at 1:00am UTC.In the 19th century, the "Prime Meridian" (longitude = 0 degrees) was established at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England, and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) became the time standard for British maritime navigation. In 1970, the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) system was devised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Based on GMT, but designed to be a worldwide standard, the ITU felt it was best to designate a single abbreviation for use in all languages. As a compromise, UTC was chosen. Actually, GMT is measured from noon, whereas UTC is measured from midnight. However, few use the noon... Posted at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/24/06 Celebrity encounter: Steve and Candace Garvey Last night, Steve Garvey and his wife Candace were at The Gardens, to participate in a Fashion Week runway show. Susan Stein, Fashion Editor of Palm Springs Life, was the host. According to Steve's bio, he's been married to Candace for over 17 years, and they have 7 children. [more encounters] Posted at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/24/06 Public art virtual tour: Desert Reflections Larger photo. Location: behind City Hall.By Phill Evans.Handcrafted Steel Dog Park Fencing and Entryway Gates, 1999.[continue touring] Posted at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/23/06 RIP: 255-year-old Adwaitya Zookeepers at the Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata (Calcutta) are in mourning today for Adwaitya ("The Only One"), a giant Aldabra tortoise. Zoo records say Adwaitya was born in 1750, but some have claimed his birthdate was actually in 1705. The zoo will use carbon-dating to determine his real age... then his shell will be preserved onsite.The average lifespan of an Aldabra tortoise is well beyond 100 years. Most of these animals are found on Aldabra, an atoll of four large coral islands in the Indian Ocean. This area has been protected from human interference, so 152,000 giant tortoises live there. Posted at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/23/06 Whatchawannadothisweekend? (23Mar06) Tonight: From 5-9pm, take an Art Walk on El Paseo: the second Art Walk in March! Includes El Paseo’s finest art galleries with artist receptions, special previews and more, featuring the latest in contemporary art trends to the classic masters and antiquities. I hear there's food, too! Yummy.Friday: Fashion Group International® of Palm Springs and Desert Communities presents Spring/Summer 2006 Trend Overview, a panel discussion and slide presentation of new fashion trends. 3-5pm, under the Event Tent at El Paseo & Larkspur. Are overalls coming back?Saturday morning: Southern California Indian Storytelling Festival, 10am at the Pavilion Auditorium in Sunrise Park. Storytellers were entertaining us long before TV. With less commercials.Saturday afternoon: Old World Renaissance... Posted at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/23/06 Public art virtual tour: John Fitzgerald Kennedy Larger photo. Location: center median in front of City Hall.By Alexander Rosenfeld.Bronze, 1969.[continue touring] Posted at 08:12 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/22/06 Desert flora: bougainvillea bracts up my nose The bougainvillea is a thorny, woody, flowering vine native to the Amazon rain forests in South America. It's named after Louis Antoine de Bougainville, a French military officer who discovered the plant in Brazil in 1768.Bougainvilleas are popular here in the desert's warm climate. [Click thumbnail photo to enlarge.] The actual flower of the plant is small and usually white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six leaflike "bracts," which take on the color associated with that particular plant—pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white or yellow. Another example of a bract is the red or white "flower petal" on your Christmas-season poinsettia.Bougainvillea bracts separate from the plant on a regular basis, forming either: (1) a... Posted at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/22/06 DNA nebula Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers have found an elongated double-helix nebula 300 light-years from the enormous black hole at the center of our galaxy. By comparison, Earth is 25,000 light-years from the galactic center. The research was published March 16 in Nature.The part of the nebula the astronomers observed stretches 80 light-years in length. [Click thumbnail photo for larger image.] The spots are infrared-luminous stars, mostly red giants and red supergiants. This false-color image was taken by the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer.A Delta rocket inserted Spitzer into Earth orbit on August 25, 2003. The telescope is designed to obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Most of this infrared radiation... Posted at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/22/06 Public art virtual tour: Help Is On The Way Larger photo. Location: in front of Police HQ.By Jeffrey Fowler.Bronze, 1998.[continue touring] Posted at 08:07 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/21/06 Santa Ana winds They're blowing.You can feel them swirling.As they ebb and flow, the air becomes almost still, then quickly picks up velocity. To be called Santa Anas, these warm, dry winds must have a top speed of 25mph or more... but they often gust to 50 or 60.October to March is the normal Santa Ana season. They blow from the east or northeast, below our passes and canyons. Although different meteorological scenarios may contribute to a Santa Ana event, the usual pattern involves a high pressure area sitting over the plateau between the Sierras and the Rockies. As the wind whips over the mountains and squeezes down through the canyons, it becomes compressed and warm. Warming air loses its humidity, sometimes dropping to less than 10%. So the inside of your nose becomes like parchment. According to... Posted at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/21/06 Tachevah "Top-down toolin' through Tachevah Drive."Say it 3 times fast. Go ahead. I dare ya.The name for Tachevah Drive was actually taken from a Cahuilla phrase: "ta che vah," meaning "a plain view." Posted at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/21/06 Public art virtual tour: The Batter Larger photo. Location: southeast end of the Library's parking lot, off Baristo Road.By Bill Arms.Interlocking Cut Steel, 1993.[continue touring] Posted at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/20/06 Salton Sea mud volcanoes Inspired by Janice Kleinschmidt's excellent article in this month's PSL ("Sea of Wonders," p.110), my wife and I made our own mud-volcano pilgrimage yesterday. [Click any of these photos to enlarge.]In 1876, Lieutenant E. Bergland visited these natural wonders and wrote: "The ground within an area of 200 by 500 yards is covered with large and small craters formed from the mud which had been thrown up into conical mounds. These mounds vary in height from 3 to 6 feet, and in diameter, at the base, from 5 to 20 feet. Some have large open craters, within which the hot mud can be seen constantly boiling and bubbling. At short intervals columns of mud are thrown up to the height of 4 to 6 feet, but no regularity in the pulsations could be discovered, nor did they occur at the... Posted at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/20/06 See you later, alligator... I'm off to check out Fashion Week El Paseo®! [Click photo to enlarge.] Posted at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/20/06 Recipe: Meggy-leves for the Vernal Equinox An equinox occurs when the day and night become equal in length. According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, this year's vernal (spring) equinox occurs right now, at 10:26am. [Universal Time is currently 8 hours ahead of Pacific.]In Hungary, the onset of spring is often celebrated with a delicious sour cherry soup, called "Meggy-leves" (MED-yuh lev-esh).This is my wife's recipe for the traditional Hungarian sour cherry soup, in a slightly-sweeter American adaptation. [Anikó recommends checking out a specialty store like Ernie's for authentic sour cherries.]Active preparation time: approximately 1/2 hour.Total preparation time: approximately 3 hours.Servings (when cold): approx. 4 to 6 - just under 2 quarts.Pour only the liquid from:> 32 ounces (approx. 2 cans) pitted Bing... Posted at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/20/06 Public art virtual tour: Daimaru XII Larger photo. Location: Convention Center.By Michael Todd.Steel, 1995.[continue touring] Posted at 08:13 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/17/06 Cattle call Moo. The IEFC fax reads: "We're hosting an Open Casting Call for a new Television Pilot filming in Palm Springs at the end of March to April. Looking for all types, 18 to 100, Men and Women, all shapes and sizes, to be paid background extras. Friday March 17th, 1pm to 7pm. Saturday March 18th, 10am to 3pm. Comfort Suites, 69151 E. Palm Canyon. Bring with you a small 3x5 photo (face shot) and a pen." So I climb the stairs to UKWP (the Untitled Kevin Williamson Pilot project). Mooo. Then we fill out our forms and wait. It feels like a long time, but some random snippets of conversation make the boredom almost bearable... Nice little old lady: "Morty, you're not a 40 Regular. You've always been a 44 Long." Nice little old man: "What can I say, Sylvia? I... Posted at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/17/06 Public art virtual tour: Desert Highland Mural Project Larger photo. Location: Desert Highland Park. Designed by Richard Wyatt. Acrylic on Stucco, 1997.[continue touring] Posted at 02:48 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/17/06 Recipe: Sajtos Rud is very tasty with beer If you're gonna drink fiery green liquids today, you might want to eat something that will help absorb the alcohol. It's called "laying a base."Note: After my wife Anikó finishes documenting a dish from her native Hungary, we look for the dumbest guy around (which is usually me), and see if he (me) gets confused during the preparation process. We figure if I can make something, anyone can. So rest assured this recipe has been certified bulletproof by our patented Dumb-Guy® testing procedure:Sajtos Rud ("SHY-toesh rood") [Baked Cheese Bars]8 cups of flour5 level teaspoons of salt1 oz. baking powder12 oz. butter32 oz. shredded cheese (Swiss and Cheddar, mixed to your taste)5 eggs8 oz. sour cream1/2 cup milk (optional)In an 8-quart mixing bowl, pour flour, salt and... Posted at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/17/06 Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig duit! Pronunciation: Ban-ack-tee na fay-la pawd-rig ditch. [Translation.]1737: St. Patrick's Day was first publicly celebrated in America.This holiday commemorates the death (on March 17, 461 A.D.) of the Catholic bishop who used a three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity concept to his converts.Some claim he drove the snakes from Ireland, but snakes were never native to that country. Maybe they meant politicians.♣♣♣ To heck with the snakes. Let's get drunk. Posted at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/16/06 Inbox: thanks for the links! It's high time we thanked the generous folks who have recently blogrolled The Desert Quidnunc and/or linked to us: Elena Dementieva (Russia), La Lecturess (eastern US), Fran Friel (Connecticut), Carnivorous Hippy (Oregon), and last—but not least—several sites right here in the Coachella Valley: Palm Springs Swings, Friday Fishwrap, Ron's Log, Heaven and The Frippery! Posted at 03:09 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/16/06 SCUBA breathing My brother is an experienced SCUBA diver. And he's obsessed with getting "max bottom time." In other words, he wants to spend as much of his dive as possible exploring the reef, wreck, or whatever else might be on the ocean floor. That's why he once taught me an old diving technique for breathing very shallowly, to keep from wasting precious air.For the past three days, I've been suffering from the mother of all colds. It's not bird flu, but it might as well be. I just want to crawl into a hole and die. Every time I suck in a lungful of air, my chest feels like it's being skewered with machetes.So I've been SCUBA breathing for three days: inhaling just enough air to keep from blacking out. If you see me stand up quickly, it's probably best to back off and allow me some... Posted at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/16/06 Whatchawannadothisweekend? (16Mar06) Tonight: From 4-8pm, take advantage of PS Museum's free admission to check out the Juried Exhibition. I've made some calls, and have been assured this is not at all like Jury Duty.Friday: Suzanne Somers performs at the McCallum, 8pm. Chrissy rides again!Saturday morning: The Sky Valley Emergency Services Open House kicks off at 8am. Enjoy tours and view equipment, including antique fire apparatus. Go to the swap meet, and get a free hot dog and soda. I'll go anywhere for a free wiener.Saturday afternoon: The Agua Caliente Cultural Weekend continues from 10am to 6pm at the Convention Center. Drop by, and soak up some cultcha.Saturday evening: At 6pm, Leo Marmol lectures on Pre-Fab Architecture at the Annenberg. What's not to love in the efficiency of factory-built houses?Sunday: La... Posted at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/16/06 Public art virtual tour: Circle of Life Larger photo. Location: Desert Regional Medical Center.By Myra Nelson.Bronze, 1995.[continue touring] Posted at 08:02 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/15/06 Beware the Ides of March On this date in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was assassinated. Other months have ides (days which were sacred to Jupiter, in the Roman calendar), but they usually fall on the 13th—except in March, May, July and October. Posted at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/15/06 PS Walk of Stars: Ray Patencio Ray Leonard Patencio, Agua Caliente Tribal Leader/Elder, was honored with the 267th star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars this morning, at 400 E. Tahquitz.Ray was born and raised on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation in Palm Springs and is a member of the tribe, having served in many capacities since 1967, including ten years as Tribal Chairman and ten years as Tribal Council Secretary.Ray is currently the Chairman of the Agua Caliente Gaming Commission, Chairman of the Agua Caliente Election Board, Member of the California Regulators/Commissioner Group, Member of the Canyon National Bank Advisory Board, Delegate to the Tribal/Gaming Association, Member of the Board of Directors of the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum and Treasurer of the Agua Caliente Museum Board. Posted at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/15/06 Fashion Week El Paseo Watch the best of El Paseo come alive during Fashion Week El Paseo®! Merchants will host in-store events from March 20-26 along Palm Desert's world-class shopping avenue. The calendar (street-wide events, and special events under the tent) has been updated and is available online at FashionWeekElPaseo.com. Designer Kevan Hall will make a special appearance to present his Spring 2006 Runway Collection.I recent chatted with Mr. Hall: click here to read (and hear) the interview. Posted at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/15/06 Public art virtual tour: Crouching Cougar Larger photo. Location: 1103 North Palm Canyon.By Steve Tyree.Welded bronze, 1996.[continue touring] Posted at 08:14 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/14/06 Google Mars Google Mars has just been released, to join Google Moon (click the + zoom button 4 times for a surprise) and Google Earth (which can show you our office building - on the left side of the street). Posted at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/14/06 PS honored by National Trust The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently announced the selection of its 2006 Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual list of "unique and lovingly preserved communities" in the United States. Our village is cited as a "desert hideaway that holds countless treasures of modern architectural design." [Details.] Posted at 02:21 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/14/06 2006 Weblog Awards The Bloggies were announced yesterday.We didn't win one. Maybe next year, when TDQ becomes eligible.We have our sights set on bigger game at the moment, anyway... Posted at 02:04 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/14/06 Public art virtual tour: Rainmaker Larger photo. Location: Frances Stevens Park.By David Morris.Cement and Steel Fountain, 2001.[continue touring] Posted at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/14/06 Native American Film Festival Tonight at 7pm, Camelot Theatres will host a reception and screening of the opening-night film ("Homeland") of the Native American Film Festival, which continues through the weekend. [Schedule] Posted at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/13/06 Uranus On this date in 1781, Sir William Herschel (1738-1822) discovered Uranus.There's a joke buried in there somewhere.Ol' Bill worked obsessively, and was immeasurably helped by his sister Caroline. She often took notes for him, and once, while he was grinding and polishing a telescope mirror for 16 hours straight, she placed bits of food into his mouth so he could continue uninterrupted. Posted at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/13/06 Woman Gets Beer From Her Kitchen Faucet Man-oh-man. I've dreamed about something like this several times. A clumsy plumber working at a bar in Kristiansand, Norway, accidentally hooked their beer hoses to the water pipes for Haldis Gundersen's apartment.If it had happened to me, the switch would have remained unreported for a very loooooooooooong time. Posted at 02:02 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/13/06 The thumb generation 1) The BBC claims that kids' thumbs are "getting bigger and stronger because they spend so much time texting and playing computer games." 2) WebMD says "BlackBerry thumb" might be the latest version of a 1980's malady called "Nintendonitis." 3) On June 27, 2004, 23-year-old Kimberly Yeo Sue Fern of Singapore set the Guinness world record of 43.24 seconds for typing a 160-character text message (26 words) in upper and lower case on a 12-key mobile phone. No "predictive text" functions (which auto-complete typed words) or other spelling aids were allowed in the competition. Note: Kimberly sends approximately 50 text messages per day to her friends and family. 4) On April 27, 2005, Finland's Arttu Harkki set another Guinness world record of 142.9... Posted at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/13/06 Public art virtual tour: Buffalo Narrows Larger photo. Location: Desert Fashion Plaza sculpture garden.By Woods Davy.Natural Stones and Steel, 1986.[continue touring] Posted at 08:09 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/10/06 Celebrity encounter: Elke Sommer When Elke posed for Playboy, many years ago, it was a magical day in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. I'm sure it was a magical day in other parts of the world, too, but I experienced it—along with several other teenage boys—in the schoolyard of Chelmsford Junior High. However, you can't say that kind of thing out loud, when you approach a world-famous actress/artist. In fact, I couldn't say anything. I just stood there holding my camera, dumbstruck, while she took off her sunglasses and raised the brim of her hat so that I could get a good photo (click image for larger version). Somehow, I managed to click the shutter and mumble, "Thank you, Ms. Sommer." As she softly thanked me, I became a teenager again, and she became one of the sexiest women I've ever met. [more encounters] Posted at 03:18 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/10/06 Pacific Life Open: ball boy Name: Zachary Councell (click photo to enlarge).Age: 13.Residence: Palm Desert.Education: Home schooled.Do you play a lot of tennis?A little.But you know the game pretty well?Yeah.Why did you decide to get involved with the ball kids program?Just for the exercise. And I thought it would be fun.Is this your first year?Yes.How many games have you worked so far?I think four.Have you worked any matches with famous players?I don't really know the players.Is there any player you'd like to meet?I can't think of one.Andre Agassi? Martina Hingis?Probably Agassi.He's pretty old for a tennis player - isn't he creeping up on forty?Yeah.Did you go through a training period?We have to attend three sessions, and they score us. We also have to pass a written test.What do they emphasize in those... Posted at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/10/06 Public art virtual tour: Agua Caliente Women Larger photo. Location: Tahquitz, E of Indian Canyon.By Doug Hyde (American, b.1946).Bronze, 1994.[continue touring] Posted at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/09/06 Celebrity encounter: Richard Karn Everything you'd want in a celebrity, and more: friendly, patient and good-natured. Richard was kind enough to take off his hat... then he flashed that infectious grin (click image for full-length photo). [more encounters] Posted at 03:18 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/09/06 Whatchawannadothisweekend? (9Mar06) Tonight: At 8pm, Emmy Award-winning comedian Dana Carvey will appear at the McCallum. Dana is best known for his hilarious impersonations and characterizations (like "The Church Lady"). Well, isn't that special.Friday: Katherine Siva Saubel will speak on "Ancient Cahuilla Culture" at 7pm in an Old Schoolhouse Lecture. The dog ate my homework - hope I won't get a detention.Saturday morning: Palm Desert Public Art Tour, 10am. It's sorta like our Palm Springs virtual tour, except they make you walk.Saturday afternoon: Between 10am and 5pm, you can catch a quilt show at the Pavilion Auditorium in Sunrise Park. Quilting doesn't get any better than this.Saturday evening: The Palm Canyon Theatre presents Sweeney Todd at 8pm. You might want to switch to an electric razor... Posted at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/09/06 Public art virtual tour: The Cahuilla Maiden Larger photo. Location: Indian Canyon, NE corner of Tahquitz.By Doug Hyde (American, b.1946).Bronze, 1997.Plaque: Dedicated January 19, 1998. Three Cahuilla sisters, fearful of the hot bubbling spring, saw a baby in the water. This Cahuilla maiden tried to save the baby, but they perished in a whirlwind down with the water of the spring. Her two frightened sisters ran to their father, the Medicine Man. He witched the spring with mosquitoes and they carried his power to the spirits of the water below. The next morning the body of the girl came up, but she was dead. Then our people/ancestors gathered, prayed, and offered nourishment. With that, they gained strength to no longer fear the spring, but respected its spiritual healing.[continue touring] Posted at 08:02 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1

03/08/06 Pacific Life Open: feeding frenzy We journalists are a hungry bunch. The Pacific Life Open organizers put together a press conference today, with the express intention of sacrificing the top-seeded women players to our ravenous cameras and tape recorders. Here's Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgian resident of Monaco, under the red line), doing her best to stay afloat:Things seemed a bit easier for Muscovite Elena Dementieva:Ana Ivanovic (Belgrade-born, Basel-based) sailed through the shark-infested waters easily: Posted at 03:23 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/08/06 Pacific Life Open: Dlouhy v. Vahaly I was hoping Lukas Dlouhy would prevail during his qualifying match this morning at the Pacific Life Open. He enjoyed swearing in his native language when his serves went awry: The spectators enjoyed it, too. Lukas came all the way from the Czech Republic to take his chances against players from the rest of the world. He must have been very tired after that long journey: Even though Lukas won the first set 6-4, his opponent trounced him during the second set - Lukas took only one game. That's when I began examining the snow on top of Mount San Jacinto: In the third set, things were not looking good for Lukas (he eventually lost), so I focused my attention outside the stadium, on the fake shadow affixed to one of the sponsor tents. It looked so realistic, I began to feel like a... Posted at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/08/06 Public art virtual tour: First Impressions Larger photo. Location: Indian Canyon, NW corner of Tahquitz.By DuRand Jones.Mural, 1998.[continue touring] Posted at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/08/06 Human signposts: Bobby Name: Bobby Anderson.Location: SW corner of Ramon and Date Palm, Cathedral City.Advertising: Liberty Tax Service (franchise owner).Time: Weekdays, 7-8am.Do you have any special moves?[Bobby demonstrates, while speaking.] Hopping, waving, running side-straddle, backpedaling, dancing carioca steps, jumping jacks, doing peekaboo around the light pole.What's been your strangest reaction?German tourists park their cars and come out to take pictures. They don't see this in Europe.Is this kind of advertising effective for your business?50-60% of our new customers have seen our wavers on the corner. It's a neighborhood marketing concept. [Jumps, waves and salutes to drivers turning left from Ramon to Date Palm. Gasps while talking.] I always salute the policemen and firemen. We'll talk in... Posted at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/07/06 Celebrity encounter: Harmon Killebrew Baseball Hall-of-Famer Harmon Killebrew was in a hurry to get to the next hole, and seemed very uncomfortable around his many fans (click image for larger photo). [more encounters] Posted at 03:39 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/07/06 Public art virtual tour: Lucy Ricardo from 'I Love Lucy' Larger photo. Location: Tahquitz, NE corner of Palm Canyon.By Emmanuil J. and Janet Snitkovsky (Russian-American; b.1933, 1934).Bronze, 1995.[continue touring] Posted at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/07/06 Human signposts: Marcus Name: Marcus Hall. Location: NE corner of Jefferson and 49th, Indio. Advertising: Lennar Homes. Time: Weekends, 10am-4pm. How long have you been doing this? A year and... three months. Do you have another job? During the week, I work at a casino. How long do you plan to do this? About one more year, just until I finish my Pre-Law Associate's Degree from San Bernardino Valley College. Do you drive a long way to get here? About 50 miles - I live in Redlands. Any strange reactions from passersby? A lot of honking, and some hand gestures. Do you have a specialty move? [Marcus demonstrates a fast 720-degree spin, followed immediately by a 360-degree flip.] Wow, that's great - I've never seen that! Do you have a name for it? Not really. It's sort of like a spin,... Posted at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/06/06 Celebrity encounter: Alan Thicke Alan's a very private guy, but courteous enough to pose for a photo. Although I might have been overly influenced by his first name, Thicke of the Night convinced me he was a genius... (click image for larger photo) [more encounters] Posted at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/06/06 Public art virtual tour: Chairman of the Links Larger photo. Location: Palm Canyon, SE corner of Tahquitz.By Jeffrey Alden Fowler. Bronze.[continue touring] Posted at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/06/06 Human signposts: Emmanuel If you take a weekend drive on surface streets in certain areas of the Coachella Valley, it's very likely you'll see several people holding painted arrow boards. Most motorists cruise right past these bearers of commercial tidings... but I decided to stop.Name: Emmanuel. Just Emmanuel.Location: NE corner of Washington and 41st, Bermuda Dunes.Advertising: Royal Palms Condos.Time: Weekends, 10am-4pm.How long have you been doing this?For like... a month? Month and a half?Do you plan to be doing it much longer?Probably for like... a couple more months?Do you have another job?Um... busboy?What's been the strangest reaction from a passing motorist?Like... honking? And some people flip me off?Really? That seems kind of unnecessary. Were you doing anything to provoke it?Nope. Just like...... Posted at 08:12 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/03/06 Celebrity encounter: Arte Johnson Arte has enjoyed a long and successful career, but my strongest memories of him are from those "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" appearances as a German soldier ("Veddy interesting...") and Tyrone F. Horneigh, the dirty old man who always hit on (and was subsequently hit by) Ruth Buzzi. Arte has never failed to make me chuckle. I walked downhill toward the green, preparing to ask: "Mr. Johnson, may I take your picture?" But before I could say anything, Arte cracked me up again, by striking this priceless pose (click image for full-length photo). [more encounters] Posted at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/03/06 Up, up and away Is it balloon season again?So soon?!This gasbag recently hovered about thirty feet above my car, just skimming the rooftops (click thumbnail photo to enlarge).So far, I've found six companies that do this sort of thing around here: Balloon Above The Desert, SoCal, Panorama, Great American, Fantasy and Dream Flights.Do you know of any others? Posted at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/03/06 Public art virtual tour: Standing Woman Larger photo. Location: 221 South Palm Canyon.By Felipe Castaneda (Mexican, b.1933).Bronze, 1983. [continue touring] Posted at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/02/06 Celebrity encounter: Robert Costanzo You could hear him coming a mile away. Laughing, cracking jokes, entertaining everyone within earshot. Robert is definitely larger than life, and tons of fun to be around (click image for full-length photo). [more encounters] Posted at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/02/06 Slurping blogs into books According to The New York Times (From Blogger to Published Author, for $30 and Up), Blurb.com will soon offer a free "Slurper" tool that automatically downloads and reformats the contents of a blog into a book.In unrelated news, Slurpee.com is now featuring a Numb In Public teeshirt. Posted at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/02/06 Whatchawannadothisweekend? (2Mar06) Tonight: Try the El Paseo Art Walk between 5pm and 9pm. If I don't do the Art Walk tonight, I've gotta take the Nature Walk on Saturday (see below). I'm getting a little chubby.Friday: Stomp is at the McCallum, 8pm. Stomp often. Stomp hard.Saturday morning: At 10:30am, you can enjoy a Spring Blossom Nature Walk in Andreas Canyon. From what I hear, you might even catch sight of a jackalope.Saturday afternoon: The Sandblasters sing barbershop harmony at 2:30pm in the Art Museum. My family once owned a dog named Sweet Adeline, named for her nearly-melodious howling.Saturday evening: The Oak Ridge Boys perform at Spotlight 29, 8pm. Be sure to wear your poo-kicking boots.Sunday: Jazz at the Living Desert features Roger Neumann and his ensemble, at 4pm and 6:15pm. Roger, over and out.Check... Posted at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/02/06 Public art virtual tour: Mosaic Bench Larger photo. Location: 155 South Palm Canyon. By Harvey Silverman. Mosaic Tile and Cement, 2000.[continue touring] Posted at 08:16 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/01/06 Desert wildflower watch The lack of rain this year might mean a reduced wildflower show, but if you want to find out what's blooming where, keep an eye on these three sites:Southern California Desert AreasJoshua Tree National ParkAnza-Borrego Desert State Park Posted at 04:07 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/01/06 RIV-044: Desert Inn Here's the last of two bonuses in our plaque series - photo of Riverside historical marker #044, located at 123 North Palm Canyon:On this site, in 1908, Nellie N. Coffman (1867-1950), her husband, Harry, and two sons, George Roberson and Earl Coffman, established a small health resort hotel, the Desert Inn. Her ability, determination, and charm extended the resort's reputation and people came from all over the world. In 1927, a modern hotel replaced the earlier structures. Nellie's love and charitable works for the community earned her the title of Mother Coffman. The hotel gave way to a shopping complex in 1967.How many historic sites have you visited? Posted at 03:05 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/01/06 Celebrity encounter: Fred 'The Hammer' Williamson Fred seemed to be quite impressed with hisownbadself (click image for larger photo): [more encounters] Posted at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments

03/01/06 Public art virtual tour: Sonny Bono Memorial Fountain Larger photo. Location: Mercado Plaza, 155 South Palm Canyon.Plaque: "In memory of Sonny Bono, as a mayor of Palm Springs 1988-1992 and Congressman of USA 1996-1998.By sculptor Emmanuil J. Snitkovsky and architect Raul Sosa."Bronze, 2001.[continue touring] Posted at 08:09 AM | Permalink | Comments