Arrowhead West

 Greatness. 

Two Men...

I randomly picked this 2008 album from Wynton Marsalis and Willie Nelson to listen to on the way to work this morning. It had been awhile since I had played "Two Men and the Blues" and I was instantly reminded how joyous this record is. Recorded in January 2007 and released over a year later in 2008 this album brought together two of my favorite artists from different music genres. I would have never put these guys together and it was a fun surprise when the album came out. These two work so well together. It was recorded live and those who were there certainly got the treat of a lifetime. Greatness.

The Golden Age

The socks are undefeated. The Super Bowl! Trust me, real Chiefs fans don’t take this for granted. And with the real possibility of some key players retiring or going elsewhere this could be it for awhile. The AFC West is about to become more competitive. But as long as Mahomes is around they might have a fighting chance. 

Winter Recital

Winter Recital. Jackson performed Etude No. 10 “Octaves” op. 25 by Chopin

Look

 

Win or lose tomorrow…

Late Believer

Always a good day when the newest issue of The Believer arrives. This issue actually got lost in the mail and after contacting McSweeney’s they were good enough to send me a replacement for the lost issue. Always good reading. 

The Current Long Term Reads

 

I actually have two long term reading projects going on at the moment alongside my normal readings. One is T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom which I began a few weeks ago. Lawrence of Arabia is one of my favorite movies and I had purchased the book several years ago but never gotten around to it. It's a thick work so that may have discouraged me in the past. But the chapters are short which make it a perfect candidate for a long term read reading one chapter a day. Since starting these long-term read projects a book's length is no longer quite a intimidating.

I have been surprised how different the reality of Lawrence's exploits are from the movie. I expected some artistic license and changes for dramatic purposes. But the movie is almost unrecognizable to the historical narrative. I'm only a quarter of the way through the book so maybe it will soon match the movie's plot much more closely, but I doubt it. Much of the work is tedious re-hashing of military history in great detail. Lots of names of battles, officers, and Arab leaders. But as soon as you become completely disillusioned by the pedantic pace you come across a chapter of great poetry and observation. Those chapters keep you coming back. 

I'm also reading my way through the Essays of Montaigne during breakfast each morning on my Kindle. I am finding the essays surprisingly enjoyable. I've had these on my Kindle for a long time and they looked like a good candidate for my breakfast time reading, each essay being fairly short and perfect in length to read while I eat my cereal. Despite being 500 years old I find Montaigne's essays relatable and topical to the issues of our day. He's funny and engaging. I'm enjoying them greatly. He wrote a lot of essays so it will take awhile. I'm in no rush.  

So far here's how I rank the enjoyability of my long term reads (since I started this project in 2019)...

Swann's Way by Marcel Proust 

Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon

Ulysses by James Joyce

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

The Race for Timbuktu

I've always been fascinated with the mysterious West African city of Timbuktu. I came across this book in a library sale in Balch Springs, Texas. The author, Frank Kryza, lives in Dallas and has written a very detailed and interesting history of two 19th century explorer's quest to find the fabled city. It's often a gruesome tale and I was glad to read of their exploits from the comfort of my living room. A good, historically accurate and rollicking read.

Cat in a Bag

She stayed there for a long time. I think my wife could take her shopping and she might actually like it. 

Wide Right

 

And just like that The Chiefs are in the AFC Championship Game for the sixth year in a row. Keep in mind that from the time I was born ( a long time ago ) until 2018 the Chiefs had only made one AFC Championship Game. In 1993. They lost to Buffalo in Buffalo. So yeah, I don't take these things for granted.

Road Conditions

 Still cold but the roads are not bad 

Every Year

 

Also True

 

The Marches

I found this extremely delightful to read. It did bog (no pun intended as Stewart did encounter many bogs on his journey) down a bit in the middle but ends poignantly. Such a good read. Rory Stewart is an excellent writer and describer of landscapes. A diplomat, wanderer, former Member of Parliament, Professor at Yale and Harvard, his CV is fascinating. But this is a very human memoir that focuses on a son and his father in the ancient middle lands between England and Scotland.

A Snow Day

 A nice snow day. 

Snow!

And it’s still coming down!

Cold Out There!

Well, last night Chiefs-Miami game was one of the coldest games in NFL history. Got to -7 during the game, -27 windchill. I’m glad the Chiefs won. It was fun watching from the comfort of home. 

Clowning

This week I was the beneficiary of “The Clown.” This is passed from teacher to teacher and you have to display it prominently in your classroom for a week before moving it on. Supposed to be a major award. 

Coaching

 

Only the Cleveland Browns would fire both these guys. 

Wow. Both Saban and Belichick retiring the same day (and Pete Carroll too!) Although Belichick might continue coaching elsewhere. Sixteen titles between NS and BB. Doubt we’ll see that again any time soon. 

True Story

 

Winds of Texas

Big wind storm blew in Monday night. At 3:00 am I heard a loud crash on the roof and this terrible banging noise repeating over and over. I ran outside into the maelstrom to find my attic exhaust fan ripped off the duct. There was nothing I could do in the middle of the wind storm, fortunately it wasn't raining. But I had to hear that turbine banging and banging the rest of the night. The next day I climbed up and found the turbine in terrible shape. Screws shorn away and bearings missing. I will have to replace it, an easy enough job.  But the wind was still blowing and the roof still slick. I just pretended I was on Everest. I made a cardboard cap for the duct. Put two thick plastic bags on top of the now covered duct and taped it down tight. That was a mighty wind.

Lazin’

 

17!

 

Walking

 Walking was actually a long form lecture that Thoreau wrote before publishing it in book form. Not bad. I liked Walden better. He makes some tenuous connections between walking and the betterment of human society. Some of his arguments have merit. Other arguments seem a bit performative.

1-6-24

 Happy Birthday Dad. I miss you every day. 

Post-Christmas Tsundoku

My post-Christmas Tsundoku has gotten out of hand. And I have a gift card to Half Price Books as well! I'm actually excited to get to it!

Break

Don’t bother the cats during Winter Break. 

 

DB5

Believe it or not I had never in all my life put together a Lego set. Until today. Bought plenty of Lego’s for my kids over the years. Messed around with random bits here and there. Helped my kids with particularly gnarly bits. But I had never had put together my own set. My wife got me James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 for Christmas.

Back Country

Well yeah, I actually began reading this work of poetry in 2023 but I just finished yesterday. Gary Snyder is one of the greats. I always find reading his works restful and calming. 

Books Read 2023

 Happy New Year! Looking forward to many more good reads.