Random discoveries

1) After watching our Woodstock DVD last night, I was reminded of the incredibly ignorant words coming from the stage microphones between sets. The stupidest was when somebody was pointing out the army helicopters which were landing nearby to deploy a medical team to care for those among the half million attending who had gotten sick, or overdosed, or injured somehow. "They're with us this time, man, they're with us!" As if the United States Army had ever been against them. Sure, some officers were likely to make snide comments about hippies in those days, but nobody in an army helicopter would have been deployed against American citizens just because of hair style or choice of music.
There were other stupid comments about how well this was all working - and it is true that it was amazing that that many people could sit together for three days without anyone attacking another or committing violent crimes. But it was also true that the only reason they had water to drink or food to eat was that emergency services were coming to their rescue, bringing food and help in response to what was, in truth, a disaster area.
I was also astounded by the utter lack of talent or skill on the part of Canned Heat. Listen to that guitar solo, and compare it to performances by Ten Years After, The Who, Jimi Hendrix or Carlos Santana. It's like comparing a little kid playing chopsticks on the piano to the guy in Legend of 1900.
Tickets were $18 in advance for all three days, which is $75 in today's money.
They told the local authorities they expected no more than 50,000 people attending the event.
There were two deaths during the festival: one was a heroin overdose, the other was a guy in a sleeping bag who got run over by a tractor.
Also, the bass player for Jefferson Airplane was one ugly dude.

2) Pringles' Onion Blossom Chips are awesome, assuming you like Onion Blossoms or their many imitators. They taste so much like the onion blossoms that you have to eat a couple, maybe three, before you can get past the shock.

3) Many people who you think are for Obama are not. Many who still are, are going to be very very disappointed in the next four years. He isn't going to be as good as they expect, because he can't really do the things they think he promised to do. And he isn't going to be quite as bad as his detractors expect - unless he turns out to really be the anti-christ, in which case he will be worse instead. This was an election year, and hyperbole was at its usual level for such a time. But you never know.