DrW

Birdwatching As you can see from my life list of a bit more than 500, I do not take it very seriously (there are more than 10000 bird species). Unfortunately, my most interesting sighting I cannot even "count". 25 years ago, at the north end of Lake Conesus, I saw a Brewster's warbler, lovely little bird. However, Brewster's warblers are not a species per se; they are hybrids of blue-winged and golden-winged warblers. Model Railroads It started quite innocently when our son was born, but then Papa took over. We model our local railroad, the Santa Fe, during the transition period (late 1940s/early 1950s, when the railroads would run steam and diesel). Soon, I had to get a model of every locomotive the Santa Fe was running during that time. In many cases, mass-produced "plastic" models are available. If not, the only alternative is brass. Brass models of the last 30+ years are gorgeous and run very well. However, they are hand-made in very small amounts (I have locos of which only 10-50 models exist), which of course drives up the price. Under these circumstances, my wife will easily forgive me paying $600 for some birding binoculars.

Both eyes within the last 2 years, with excellent results. My ophthalmologist and I went for the "mixed" approach. The left eye was restored to full 20/20; the right eye was left slightly near-sighted to allow me to read without glasses. It is amazing how fast and how correctly the brain can decide which image to use. The only disadvantage is that I would need glasses for 3D.

Yes, this March, for myself. I had trouble breathing due to RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). My wife and I were just preparing to go to Urgent Care, when it got really bad and I thought I would be dying of lack of oxygen. Within six minutes we had a fire truck and an ambulance in our driveway, and about 10 emergency workers in our bedroom. Additional problem: Their oxygen tank had a malfunctioning valve, and it took them several minutes to get me the life-saving stuff.

I do not know your definition of a "rocker chick", but if you are looking for a woman who writes the lyrics and songs, sings and plays lead guitar, and is the frontperson of a (sometimes) hard-rocking band, I would nominate Kristin Hersh. No, her looks won't blow anybody away, but her musical ability should. Kristin started the Throwing Muses in the mid-1980s with her stepsister Tanya Donelly, and has since fronted a variety of bands, mostly trios, under several names. Some examples:

How much do looks play a role? Here is the (virtually unknown) Bevis Frond with Nick Saloman on lead guitar and vocals, and he writes most of their original songs. His guitar skills are extraordinary. Unfortunately, he looks like an offspring of the hunchback of Notre Dame. Would they have more success outfitted like Kiss or Cheap Trick? Or imagine Taylor Swift presenting these songs...

Another often overlooked gem: Kingfish. While they certainly benefitted from Bob Weir's presence in the line-up, the concert clips show that he was just one of the guys. The stars were Robbie Hoddinott on lead guitar, Dave Torbert on bass and lead vocals (he also wrote most of their original songs), and Matt Kelly on harmonica.

Interestingly, The Black Keys have an album named "El Camino", but the car is not mentioned in any song. The cover of the album does not feature a Chevrolet El Camino, but shows a rather decrepit Plymouth Grand Voyager.

Considering the ubiquity of Japanese cars, songs mentioning them are rare. Here is one by my favorite obscure band, the Scaramanga Six. Hanging 'round, 'cos there's nothing to do And I love you In your dirty Subaru In your dirty Su-ba-ru I'll do whatever you do 'cos I love you In your dirty Subaru In your dirty-dirty-dirty-dirt-

I like the band very much, and Lincoln is a nice addition. I can give you a Lincoln Continental, featured by Tony Joe White. Now the jailer had been a poor man And now his pockets were stuffed with money And he was sitting outside in a brand new Continental Lincoln With famous skirts on it

The thread title says it all. Let's find out which car brands are mentioned most frequently. I start with "Maserati GT (I Ain't Got You)" by the Blue Oyster Cult. I got a Maserati GT With snakeskin upholstery I got a charge account at Goldblatt's But I ain't got you

I wanna tell you how it's gonna be You're gonna give your love to me I wanna love you night and day You know my love will not fade away You know my love will not fade away Not fade away My love's bigger than a Cadillac I try to show you but you drive me back Your love for me has got to be real You're gonna know just how I feel Love's real, not fade away Not fade away

The world's a tiny blue-green ark Afloat in darkest space. And every creature lives his time And knows his special place And each of us is Noah With a life all in our care To keep against the darkness That's flooding everywhere

I like SF shows in general, but what put "Farscape" above all others for me was Gigi Edgley as Chiana.

Talking Head's "Girlfriend Is Better" which contains the line that gave Jonathan Demme's 1984 concert movie masterpiece its name "Stop Making Sense". And here a surprisingly competent version by the cover band "HeartByrne".