Great American Things

Born in the U.S.A. (album)

Robin — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:10:15 +0000

Seven albums into his amazing career, Bruce Springsteen threw his devoted fans a curve. “What’s this?” they asked. “Radio songs? Hooks? Upbeat messages? Say it ain’t so, Bruce. But it was, and Born in the U.S.A. was both a critical and a popular success. For the first time, mainstream audiences tuned in to hear what [...]

D-Day

Robin — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 20:15:40 +0000

The size and scope of the D-Day operation grows more amazing as time goes on, and as the nature of warfare changes. In this age of guerrilla action, of drones and smart bombs and surgical airstrikes, it’s hard to imagine the invasion of some 200,000 troops at one time into the teeth of German [...]

Duck Dynasty

Robin — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:12:11 +0000

Duck Dynasty is definitely an acquired taste. When friends first mentioned it, I thought, That sounds way too redneck for me. Which is also how I felt when I watched it for the first time. Looked like the guys of ZZ Top had their own reality show. And then…it started to grow on me. The [...]

U.S. Coast Guard

Robin — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:32:57 +0000

Let’s say you’re a nitwit, and you decide it’s a good idea to sail a tall ship replica of the H.M.S. Bounty into Hurricane Sandy. You think you can “skirt the storm.” You and your crew would have exactly a .0000000001% chance of survival – if the U.S. Coast Guard didn’t exist. Instead, you have [...]

Disco Music

Robin — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:25:48 +0000

Oh, come on, loosen up. I know it’s been fashionable for the last 30 years to put disco down, and I was there with you for much of that time. But there’s no denying the vitality, the infectious beat, the cool dancing that characterized disco at its peak. I’m not claiming it’s great music – [...]

The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler

Robin — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:06:46 +0000

“Philip Marlowe here. This book was my first appearance in print. Of course, I’d been solving crimes in L.A. for years when this Raymond Chandler fellow thought me worthy of my own novel. Seems like wherever I go, trouble follows. People lie. Double-cross each other. Just an occupational hazard, I suppose. “The caper Chandler called [...]

Julia Roberts

Robin — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:02:46 +0000

Julia Roberts has been at the top of the A-List in Hollywood ever since Pretty Woman, and not just because she has one of the best smiles in film history. And while she’s undeniably pretty, she isn’t what you’d call a classic beauty. No, Julia has been a star at the top of the box [...]

Back to the Future

Robin — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:49:53 +0000

Rev up your DeLorean time machine, take it up to exactly 88 miles per hour, kick in the 1.21 gigawatts of plutonium power, and let’s go back to 1985 to remember Back to the Future, one of the most enjoyable movies of all time. Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Doctor [...]

Pacific Coast Highway

Robin — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:19:29 +0000

You probably recognize this as “the road in a thousand new car commercials.” The Pacific Coast Highway features beautiful winding roads that hug the rugged Pacific coastline, sometimes with rather steep drop-offs that advise strongly against drinking (or texting) and driving. The designation “Pacific Coast Highway” actually comes and goes along California Route 1 all [...]

Phil Mickelson

Robin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:49:42 +0000

O Phil Mickelson, how many times have we watched as you lined up to attempt a ridiculous shot, going for the ten percent chance instead of laying up and losing the one stroke? And when you fail miserably, we shout at our televisions that you’re an idiot. And when you succeed — and you succeed [...]