Happy 40th Birthday, Led Zeppelin II

I first obtained Led Zeppelin II in 1988, when I joined the Columbia House tape club (yes, tape). What’s not to like? “Whole Lotta Love,” “Heartbreaker,” “Ramble On,” “What Is and What Should Never Be.” It’s a surefire classic, and, upon its release 40 years ago today, it launched Led Zeppelin into the stratosphere.

Sure, their first album was something special, but was it beginner’s luck, could they build on their early success? Led Zeppelin II answered those questions with authority.

In 2007, I wrote, “for me the second album has never been about ‘Whole Lotta Love.’” It’s still true! While the first album featured the “urban blues” that were de riguer in England at the time, the second album expands the band’s horizons. Yes, “Whole Lotta Love” was a rip off of Muddy Waters, and “The Lemon Song” and “Bring it On Home” are clearly from the blues, but the rest of the album provides a better direction of where the band would go.

Maybe it’s a stretch to say the acoustical touches on “Thank You” and “Ramble On” would presage the third album, but these semi-popish rockers have their connections to “Going to California,” “The Rain Song,” etc. There’s no denying that “Heartbreaker” is the direct antecedent of “The Immigrant Song”, “Black Dog,” “Custard Pie,” and “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” It was straight ahead rock with all the pieces: A masculine, strutting vocal; Page’s gymnastics on the Gibson Les Paul (one of his defining solos, clearly); and the rock solid foundation laid down by John Bonham and John Paul Jones.

Led Zeppelin II isn’t my favorite Led Zeppelin album, although there was a time in the late ‘80s when it probably was. But, one can probably make a convincing case that Led Zeppelin II is the band’s most important album.

Regarding Obama's absurd Nobel

Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal:

Some Peace Prizes have been more roughly political, or had a political edge, and were of course debatable. Woodrow Wilson, self-infatuated after World War I, had little patience with those who foresaw that the Peace of Versailles would lead to more war, and did not understand or know the political realities and deeper nature of his own countrymen. And so his League of Nations flopped in America, the one place where it absolutely had to succeed. But--well, he helped end "the war to end all wars," issued his Fourteen Points, did try to make the world better. Ferocious Teddy Roosevelt, that progressive and bloody-minded man, worked hard to forge a truce and a peace between the czar's Russia and Japan.

More deeply into the political life of the 20th century, there were Jimmy Carter and Al Gore, and their Peace Prizes were what they were. But each man had a body of work; each had devoted considerable time and effort to a great issue. It was always absurd that Ronald Reagan, whose political project led to the end of the gulag and the fall of the Berlin Wall, and who gambled his personal standing in the world for a system that would protect the common man from annihilation in a nuclear missile attack, could not win it. But nobody wept over it, and for one reason: because everyone, every sentient adult who cared to know about such things, knew that the Nobel Peace Prize is, when awarded to a political figure, a great and prestigious award given by liberals to liberals. NCNA--no conservatives need apply. This is the way of the world, and so what? Life isn't for prizes.

Yet even within that context, the giving of the peace prize to President Obama is absurd. He doesn't have a body of work; he's a young man; he's been president less than nine months. He hopes to accomplish much, and so far--nine months!--has accomplished little. Is this a life of heroic self-denial, of the sacrifice of self for something greater, of huge and historic consequence, of sustained vision? No it's not. Is this a life marked by a vivid and calculable contribution to the peace of the world? No, it's not.

This is an award for not being George W. Bush. This is an award for not making the world nervous. This is an award for sharing the basic political sentiments and assumptions of the members of the committee. It is for what Barack Obama may do, not what he has done. He hasn't done anything.

In one mindless stroke, the committee has rendered the Nobel Peace Prize a laughingstock, perhaps for as long as a generation. And that is an act of true destruction, because it was actually good that the world had a prestigious award for peacemaking.

The members of the committee have also put the young American president in a terrible place. They make it look like all the talk of "The One," the heartthrob of the European elite, the darling of the international left, is true. They make him look prefabricated and inauthentic, an empty structure held up by essentially silly people. Which puts him at a disadvantage in his own country, because Americans don't really like it when flaky European politicians tell them how they ought to see him or the world.

Assuming the White House did nothing to encourage or lobby for the award, it is not Barack Obama's fault that he has been embarrassed by this honor. And it may possibly hold for him an unanticipated benefit. It may give him pause: Look what idiots my biggest international supporters are. I may have to rethink a few things.

How to redeem this? That is a hard question, but here is one idea. The president will deliver a big speech in Oslo Dec. 10: white tie and tails, a formal, bound statement. The world, as they say, will be watching. He should deflect the limelight. (Can he?) He should make his subject bigger than himself. (Is there a subject bigger than himself?) He has been accused of traveling through the world on an extended apology tour. That isn't fair, but the tag is there. How about an unapologetic address, a speech, with the world's elites leaning forward and listening, about the meaning of America? A speech that shows a grounded and sophisticated love for his country and its great traditions and history. Not a nationalistic speech, not a prideful one, but a loving one.

What are the odds Obama actually delivers such a speech?

Fearless Playoff Predictions

Twins vs. Yankees
Sure, the Twins did what they had to to get into the playoffs, but the start with a distinct disadvantage: After beating the Tigers at home in 12 innings, the Twins were rewarded with a late-night (I assume) flight to NYC, where they will take on the Yankees, the team with the best record in baseball. That's not a good way to start off a 5-game series.

While you can never count any team 100% out, I don't see how the Twins can win this series. Yankees in four.

Red Sox vs. Angels
The story line here is that the Angels always play well against the Sawx from April through September, but for whatever reason, come October, the Sawx completely annihilate the Angels.

But it ends this year. Call it the home field advantage, call it a hunch, call it karma or kismet, I think this is the year the Angels finally get past the Sawx...in five games...or maybe four.

Rockies vs. Phillies

As in 2007, the Rockies finished the regular season on a tear, and, like that year, draw the Phillies in the NLDS. That year, the Rockies steamrolled the Phills in three (unless I misremember), on the way to being swept in the World Series.

This is probably the toughest of all the series to call. The Phillies are of course the defending champs. The line-up is solid, and the pitching is good enough, even if it hasn't been as good as expected (see Cole Hamels). I see this series going five games. I see at least two extra-innings games. I see lots of plays at the plate, and I think I see the Rockies in five.

Cardinals vs. Dodgers

Which of my beloved Cardinals teams will show up in October: The one that steamrolled to the division title from late July to early September, or the one that limped to the finish line the last three weeks of the season?

The good news, for Cardinal fans, is that the "good guys" were 5-2 against the Dodgers this season. Sure, that may not mean anything in October, and the Dodgers can play potentially three games at home. The other goods news is obvious: Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals' starters for games one and two. Combined, they were 36-12 (the combined ERA is probably 2.50...I'm too lazy to calculate it). One of them should win the Cy Young this year (we shall see). While you never know what will actually happen, I feel really good about the Cardinals winning the first two games in L.A., because of these dominating hurlers.

As good as they are, however, the Cardinals "O" needs to find it's rhythm. Hopefully the two off days helped them rest up and refocus. But when you have Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday hitting in the middle of the line up; when Ryan Ludwick and Mark DeRosa play their roles; and when Skip Schumaker, Colby Rasmus, Brendan Ryan get on base and contribute, this offense can really roll.

The Dodgers' offense has it's own challenges, and they too didn't finish September with a bang...in fact, they could have ended up as the wild card. Like any team, they can pile up the runs, but I'm frankly not too concerned about their bats. A friend of mine who is a near life-long Dodgers fan, and who lives in SoCal, has zero confidence in the Dodgers going into the playoffs.

I'm cautiously optimistic that the Cardinals win in four games.

My favorite time of year...and I'm 2!

October has arrived, bringing with it my favorite time of year--Fall (although, technically, my favorite time of year is Oct 1. through Super Bowl Sunday).

This year, fall means the Cardinals are back where they belong, in the playoffs! Coincidentally, the Cardinal's resident ace, Chris Carpenter, hit his first career home run today, a grand slam! What a month.

The Cardinals haven't been especially sharp the last two or three weeks, so I'm not as convinced as I was on Labor Day...we shall see. Playoff predictions coming next week.

Oct. 1 also marks the 2nd Anniversary of this amazing blog :). I haven't been blogging very regularly lately, and I apologize for that. I'm sure all three of you have really missed it. As the busy-ness of "summer" retreats, perhaps I'll have more time. You can reminisce with my first entry. Wow, time flies.

And, finally, we've had a brief taste of crisp fall weather the last couple days, and I was able to wear my favorite sweater today. Life is good!

Find the right words

I wanted to share something I wrote for work on behalf of the company president. I hope you'll excuse this blatant self promotion, but blogs are, after all, an exercise in narcissism, no?

It all came together in about 90 minutes, thanks to the snow on the hills out of my window at work. I'm rather happy with it.

It may surprise you to hear that we are already seeing snow in Utah. Summer is behind us, fall is applying its colorful paintbrush to the Wasatch Mountains, and thoughts are turning to football and sweaters, and perhaps even the Thanksgiving turkey.

Utah is a great place to enjoy every season of the year. Our winters may last longer than some would like, and fall may not be as colorful as other places, but we experience every phase of Mother Nature’s glory. The dependable changing of the seasons is like a slow, steady metronome to which we adjust the rhythm of our lives.

We all have seasons in life that bring us storms and sunshine, flowers in bloom and fallow fields.It’s possible for us to be struggling in a winter of discontent even while everyone around us seems to be enjoying an eternal spring. Like the seasons themselves, this is natural. What we need to do is recognize when the storms of winter are heading for us, get through them as quickly as possible, and return to sunnier days. They’re always waiting, on the horizon.

The great thing about snow is that, eventually, it will melt. This means life-giving water in Utah. Chances are, the challenges of your winter will also lead to much needed benefits, once you reach spring.

Just what I needed to hear

The Dead Weather...definitely alive

Jack White has a new band...The Dead Weather. He primarily plays drums, and a little guitar. He's a fine drummer! Who knew?

They played The Depot in Salt Lake City on 8/18 and I got some pics and video...until security told me not to take video. The last clip here ends abruptly for that reason :).

The show wasn't very long, just a bit over an hour, but as tickets were $25 (plus $10 service charge, darn it all), I guess that's what one expects.

I was mildly disappointed on two counts: "So Far From Your Weapon" is one of my favorite tracks on the album, but the performance of it was less firey than I would have expected. It was relatively subdued compared to other songs. And, "3 Birds" is my absolute favorite from the album, but it wasn't performed. Maybe they have a hard time recreating it on stage.

It's really hard to describe this band and the show. Kinda power blues with a sinister edge to it...no-holds barred 4-piece rock and roll with plenty of fun. I'd love to see them again sometime.

Go see them, whatever it takes. I'm having a hard time not listening to the album over and over, and "Hang You From the Heavens" is now the default ringtone on my iPhone. Awesome.

Setlist (I wasn't sure on the covers, but this is from a previous show...seems like this is what I saw)

60 Ft Tall

Bone House

Hang You From the Heavens

You Just Can't Win (Them cover)

So Far From Your Weapon

I Cut Like A Buffalo

A Child of a Few Hours Is Burning To Death (cover)

No Hassle Night

Rocking Horse

Will There Be Enough Water?

Encore:

Forever My Queen (Pentagram cover)

Treat Me Like Your Mother

New Pony

Click on the photos to see larger images.

Alison Mosshart was amazing. She'd frequently
stand on the monitors at the edge of the stage and tower over the

audience. She is a pure entertainer, and despite Jack's

presence, I think she's the heart of the band. Wow.

Jack played guitar on one song, "Will There Be Enough Water."
On the album, he plays it acoustic, but this was electric...in more
ways than one! It started off as a rather mellow blues number
and I actually didn't recognize it until he and Mosshart started
singing. He really broke off a jaw-dropping solo, shredding
guitar strings as he went (literally). When he was done, he left theguitar on

the stage next to a monitor, producing waves of feedback, as they left the stage.

Incredible.

Unfortunately the lighting was never too bright when

Jack was playing guitar...but I think this is a pretty

gnarly pic the way it came out. Can I say gnarly?

Jack on the drums, Alison on guitar (this must
have been "So Far From Your Weapon", I think)

Thanks, guys, come again some day.

Achieving Beef Nirvana...

Nirvana: An ideal condition of rest, harmony, stability, or joy

A friend of mine shared a steak preparation method with my in June and, quite frankly, it has changed my life...or at least the way I cook. While I thank him for sharing it with me, full credit has to go to Jaden Hair and her Steamy Kitchen blog. This woman knows a thing or two about cooking. Check the blog and follow her on Twitter.

I've used her method three or four times now. I have just about applied it to perfection. As my best friend is moving (from Utah to North Carolina), I wanted to give him a memorable send-off: a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime filet mignon, never to be forgotten.

Getting the filet mignon took some effort. After going to four places Friday night, I was able to have the butcher at Smith's cut me two 11-12 ounce filets. And the price was outta sight: $9.50 a pound! These two cuts of meat were beautiful. Here you can see them with the coarse Kosher salt covering them. (If you try this method, DO NOT use table salt).

As Jaden's method outlines, you have to let the steaks sit. Check her blog for timing...plan on about 45 minutes. I probably should have used even more salt than I did, since these were 1 1/2 inch-thick beauties! (But, since they were tenderloin, I was dealing with something tender to start with).

Then, it was outside to the grill. I spread a little bit of butter on both sides of the steaks and then seared them, about two minutes each side. This is always a bit nervewracking for me, as I worry about searing too much or too little. Over all, I think I got it just about right today. Maybe could have gone a tad longer.

Then,I transfered the filets to the grill. My grill has four total burners. I had the two outter burners (far left and right) on low, and put the filets in the middle, finishing them off using indirect heat.

Are you hungry yet?

As the steaks were cooking, I also grilled up some pineapple, Tucano's style. The recipe for that is available here.

And here's the finished product. My special guest was a tad late in arriving, but since I was using the somewhat foolproof indirect grilling method, it all worked out!

Photography doesn't do it justice. 11 or so ounces and 1 and 1/2 inch-thick heaven!

So, was it nirvana? Was it perfection? It was mighty close. I'm happy to keep working at it. :)

Dessert was home made creme brulee. I should open a restaurant.

Rock and Roll Royalty...or something like that

Robert Plant was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire on Friday for 'services to popular music." I guess they couldn't have said "for living wildly, smashing up hotel rooms, and wearing tight jeans."

The CBE is one grade higher than the OBE (Officers of the Order of the British Empire) Jimmy Page was awarded last year.

"And another thing, Chuck: Why do we drive on the wrong side of the road?"

Plant with his three kids, Logan, Carmen, and Jordan

Geez, he has a big head.

Cards in 1st Place at the Half-way (or so) Point

I had hoped to write something in late May about the state of MLB at the 1/3 mark…But, life gets pretty busy around the Russell home, so I missed that by quite a bit. I’m settling for a halfway point update instead.

The good news, for me, is that the Cardinals are holding their own at 45-39, good enough for 1st place in the NL Central (for now). I’d really like to know how many wins they’d have if Albert wasn’t in the lineup. If I knew how many win shares he has earned so far, I could say. Since each win share represents a third of a win, if he had 21 win shares to this point (not out of the question), then the Cards would roughly be 38-46, or just barely ahead of Pittsburgh in the Central cellar, without him.

Did you know? Albert is now the all-time leader, for right-handed batters, in slugging %, OPS, and runs created per game. ALL TIME!!! Is that insane or what? He's 29! What will he accomplish with 10 (or more, we hope) seasons. He really does belong with the all time greats and could be the GOAT himself before he's done.

On May 1, Albert's line was .337 avg., 8 homers, 28 RBI, .457 On Base and 1.132 OPS (basically, his April). At the moment, it's .336, 31, 82, .462, and 1.197. He's on pace for 157 RBI (just about 1 per game) and 59 homers. Wow.

After a terrific April, the Birds have been up and down. Some games they play brilliantly, others they play horrifically, and sometimes Albert is the only one hitting (and even some of those they win).

I’m rather surprised the Central is so clogged, with only 7.5 games separating all teams, the smallest margin in the Majors. You get the feeling that if one team can win 10 in a row or 15 or 16 out of 20, that team would take control of the division. So far, no one has.

What do the numbers say? The Cards have the best run differential in the division at +20, but that’s only good enough for fifth best in the NL, and would be eighth best in the AL. Until recently, Pujols was the only regular batting over .300. Skip Schumaker inched over the line briefly, but is back to .298 at this very moment and Brendan Ryan is getting close at .297. After a very strong April for both, Chris Duncan and Ryan Ludwick have crashed to earth. The great news is that Colby Rasmus is really stepping up and making a strong case for Rookie of the Year. The bad news is that no matter who is on 3rd (right who's on first, but you know what I mean), it's an offensive black hole, nearly.

Despite a number of blow-out losses in recent weeks (remember the Colorado series? Ugh.), the Cards are 3rd in team ERA at 3.81. Isolating the bullpen, the ERA is 3.84, good enough for 6th. All Star Ryan Franklin has been tremendous in the closer’s role, notching a miniscule 0.84 ERA and 20 saves against only one blown save. He is definitely worthy of the All Star slot. I’m just surprised his beard didn’t get a separate invite. Like some of the batters, Joel Pineiro has reverted to form after a great April, but is contributing with a 3.39 ERA.

And then there's Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. When they are dialed in, the other team might as well leave the bats on the bus. It's too bad Carp missed a few weeks. It would be really something if he could really get rolling and win the Cy Young...Could happen...The Cards could have the MVP, the ROY, and the Cy Young. Wild.

On June 1, the Cards were 29-22, or 7 games over .500. As I write this, they are about to beat Milwaukee and...be 7 games over .500. Like I said, the team that can get hot and win 16 or 17 out of 20 could really control the division.

Other observations

• Since May 31, the Devil Rays are 20-11, getting back into the AL East race (although a recent 4-game losing streak doesn't help.
• The Dodgers are tough, and didn't seem to miss Manny at all. They are playing great ball.
• The Giants have really come on strong (21-12 since May 31 if they win tonight) . I'd have a lot more hope in Carp winning the Cy Young if not for a couple Giants pitchers.
• The All-Star Game next week will feature a lot of young players. Albert is the "old man" in the NL with 8 All-Star game appearances. Thirteen NL players are making their first trip to the Mid-summer Classic (10 for the AL).
• Texas is looking good. If they don't win the wild card, one of the AL East teams will.
• What's with the Phillies losing so much at home? And the Mets! Holy disaster.