Wednesday, March 27, 2024

DISASTER!

My home county has declared a Disaster Declaration in anticipation of Eclipse Day on April 8th. 






Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Multitudes

 

Been listening to Multitudes by Feist a lot lately. Very powerful with layers of emotion and deep harmonic resonance. Highly recommend.

Monday, March 25, 2024

99

 

Recently my wife and I have been watching old episodes of Brooklyn 99 as a way to unwind from stressful days. We didn't watch it the first go around. It's pretty good stuff!

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Kane


Yesterday was a rare day when I found that I had the house all to myself for a few hours in the morning. So I popped some popcorn and put Citizen Kane in the DVD player. It was as great as I remembered. It had probably been twenty years since I had seen it last. And now, it resonates with the surreal cult of personality that has surrounded Trump the past several years. A 1941 movie with eerie prescience for the 2020s. 

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Totality


 Saw these at the Kaufman Walmart. Better get ready. 

Friday, March 22, 2024

The Eyes

 The Eyes and the Impossible is an all-ages book by Dave Eggers. This was a delightful read and I enjoyed the experience of reading it greatly. A tale told from the perspective of a wild dog who lives in a great urban park. Honestly, I'm not usually interested in these types of stories but I found this one evocative and emotionally wrenching at times. Eggers is a master of prose. The artwork was beautiful, the hard-bound book of great heft. I highly recommend this book.

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Blue Planet


Did I mention I got tickets to Weezer for their September appearance in town? I’ve seen Weezer three times live and honestly did not expect to pony up to see them in concert again. But, in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Blue Album, they are performing the entire album from start to finish live along with other faves. I’ve never heard them perform some of these Blue classics including my favorite Weezer tune, Holiday. Plus, the Flaming Lips! I've always liked the Flaming Lips. Their album "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" is an all time classic. So yeah, couldn't resist and snagged tickets.

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Got a New Hat

 
 
Last week we went to a thrift store near downtown, Dolly Pythons. I bought a new hat. A Charlestowne by Goorin Brothers for $30. They list new for $115 so I thought that was a pretty good deal. I've wanted an old fedora for some time. I've always liked hats and when I was a kid had a cheap fedora I wore as part of my Indiana Jones Halloween costume for three years in a row. 

But I was reluctant to get one in adulthood because I didn't want to look like a wannabe hipster. But now that I'm in my fifties I care less and less about what people think of my personal style. One thing I regret in life is that I sometimes I didn't feel free to be myself style-wise in fear of what others might say. With age, I worry about that less and less. If I want to wear a fedora...I'm going to wear a fedora.

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Montmarte

Montmarte: Paris's Village of Art and Sin by John Baxter. I'll read anything by John Baxter. He's a fantastic storyteller and narrator of fascinating history. He's written books on a lot of subjects but his series of books on Paris are my favorite. I finished this in two days. His stories are that compelling. And true!

Monday, March 18, 2024

Find!

$3.99 for one of the all time classics of jazz. Unscratched and unblemished. Half Price Books didn't know what they had! This live album by Erroll Garner is considered one of the greatest live recordings in jazz history. An old man who was subbing at Highland Park High School when I was working there in 2004 told me about it and loaned me his CD copy. It blew my mind. I've always kept an eye out for an original vinyl version and twenty years later found it last week.