OU

Still excited that this little guy got accepted to the School of Aviation at The University of Oklahoma!

 

Sooner Bound

 This guy will be going to the University of Oklahoma this fall!

Armchair Theatre

I bought this album on cassette in the summer of 1990, the summer before my junior year of high school. It was a bit of an impulse buy because I wasn’t planning on buying it when I went to Sound Warehouse that day. It wasn't even on my radar. But a newly released video from the record was playing on the store monitors and the song caught my attention. The video had George Harrison and Tom Petty in it and I figured anyone who works with those guys must be pretty good. I hadn’t even yet connected Jeff Lynne to ELO. 

So I bought the tape. It is a great album, not a filler track on the whole record. This should have been a bigger seller, but it's tough for 50 year old rock stars to break through on the teen oriented pop charts, even in the early 90's. I would listen to this tape on my panasonic knock-off walkman as I sat in the back seat of the car as my parents drove us in the back Kansas state highways as we moved away from my beloved home of Overland Park and out into the country. 

Eventually my cassettes would be neglected as I moved on to CDs and then eventually to iTunes and then to streaming. I kind of forgot about this record. I didn't hear it for almost thirty years. Then I accidentally stumbled upon it on Apple Music the other night. Listening to it took me immediately back to 1990. Amazing the power of music. I could see the Kansas wheat fields passing by from my car window in the dark, the only illumination coming from the little red LED light on my portable cassette player as my parents drove us around because everything in south-central Kansas is far away. 

It holds up, this record. Great stuff.

The Truelove

The Truelove by Patrick O'Brian. The 15th volume of the Aubrey-Maturin series. It took me awhile to get into this particular story. I found the first half a bit pedantic. It was good, just not as engaging a plot as other entries in the series. The story really gets going in the second half and the book wraps up well. I really enjoy this series. Only five more to go! I usually only read one or two a year. Maybe they'll carry me off into retirement when I complete the series!

Solo and Ensemble

He’s been playing piano a long time. Now he's a senior and this past weekend he earned Division 1 ratings on both the piano and saxophone at the UIL Solo and Ensemble Contest. He will perform both the piano and saxophone pieces at the State Solo and Ensemble Contest in Austin this May.

I Could Go Modal Era As Well

 

No Name

No Name by Jack White. I have been looking for this album since it came out in July with no success. Multiple visits to my regular four record shops with no luck. But my son had to go to Penders Music in Denton to get sheet music for a solo competition tomorrow. Apparently the only music shop in DFW that had it. I used the trip to Denton as an excuse to stop by nearby Recycled Books and records to record dive and struck gold! Sounds even better on vinyl than streaming. 

This Machine…

 Tribute to Woody Guthrie. 

Cold!

It is really cold outside. I wish I could stay in bed. But gotta go to work. 

Casa Pollastro

 A pretty good restaurant. 

Big Sleep Redux

The other day I was watching one of my favorite movies, The Big Sleep. I've seen this movie probably twenty times over the past 35 years since I first saw it when I was in high school on some grainy VHS tape. 

But something was different about this viewing and I couldn't quite place what the difference was. For example there was a scene in the D.A.'s office with Bogart's character, several cops and the District Attorney. They laid out the progress of the notoriously complicated case. I had no memory of this scene. Their conversation helped shed light on the convoluted plot and for the first time I began to grasp the basic plot line. I began to think I had slept through this scene over the years. How had I missed it?

I also picked up other little details that I hadn't noticed before like Marlowe discovering an intruder had entered through a kitchen window. Little things, little details. Then near the end of the film, Regan's wife looked different than I remembered. Keep in mind it hadn't been that long ago since I had seen this movie. I'm pretty sure I had seen it in the last year. I wondered if I was experiencing early on-set symptoms of dementia or forgetfulness. 

And when the movie was over I seemed to remember there had been a restaurant scene with a conversation between Bacall and Bogart filled with innuendo. But that scene was not in the movie I just watched. I began to think maybe I had mixed this scene up with another Bogart-Bacall movie. 

The next day, after reading some articles online about The Big Sleep I discovered the truth.

There are two versions of this movie! 

The movie was filmed in 1944 but they held off on release in favor of war movies. They did release the initial film (the version I watched the other day) to military personnel serving overseas. But then news broke about the real life romantic affair between Bogart and Bacall. To take advantage of the public's fascination of the affair the studio re-shot and added some scenes that highlighted the romance between the two fictional characters. They eliminated the scene in the D.A.'s office as being too lengthy and "boring." Regan’s wife was re-cast because the original actress was unavailable for re-shots. 

So I wasn’t going mad. I had never seen the original cut before. My DVD copy has both versions, one on each side of the disc. I had just haphazardly put the DVD in the player not realizing there were two versions. 

So which version is better? Well, overall I’d say the 1946 theatrical cut is a better film. But, the original ‘45 cut is actually easier to follow. But it does lack some cracking scenes and banter between Bogart and Bacall. Personally, I’d like to see a combined version. Keep all scenes that don’t contradict the story or cause continuity issues. Keep the D.A. office scene. It is expository but it helps explain what’s going on. I’ll need to re-watch the ‘46 version again to see which Regan wife actress was a better fit. And I would keep the little scenes of Marlowe searching Geiger’s house and discovering the open kitchen window. I liked those little details.

Both versions are great. I’m just glad my confusion wasn’t due to losing my mind.

Wildness

I picked up this copy of The Practice of the Wild by Gary Snyder at the City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco a few years ago. I have been re-reading it the past few weeks as it brings me a modicum of peace during chaotic times. 

Oh!

 This was not staged. 

Rise

 Two days later had soufflés at Rise 

Drivin to Dinner

 Driving to my wife’s birthday dinner 

Wake up Cat

 She wants me to wake up 

Accolades

Saturday was a big day for us as Ava got a Superior One Rating at her first ever high school choir competition. And Jackson was accepted to the aerospace engineering program at the University of Texas. 

Presentation

 Presented today 

With Friends Like These…

The other day my “friends” came to support me before Super Bowl weekend dressed in what they say are the alternate uniforms of the KC Chiefs. Jerks all of them! Go Chiefs! 

Gotcha

Last night we celebrated this light in our lives. She wanted to eat at Olive Garden and see Sonic 3. 

 

Lifters

The Lifters by Dave Eggers was written for 10-12 year olds. It took me awhile to become invested. But by the end there was a lot of hope infused with the story and we can use a lot of hope these days. I do think the story transitioned rather abruptly. But not a bad read. Not one of my favorite Egger’s books. But not bad. 

This Machine

In honor of Woody Guthrie and in recognition that the fascists are indeed taking over things as we speak. 

Lolas

 Lola also missing my wife. 

Theena

Athena not happy Mom is at a conference and she’s stuck with me. 

Record Diving

Yesterday I did some record diving at Good Records in Dallas. I found one of my favorite releases of 2024. Nite Owls by JD McPherson. Splatter vinyl, autographed sleeve, and a gate fold cover. This is a great record, one of the best rock and roll albums of the 21st century!

 

Luka Gone

 Mavs just traded Luka. Wow. 

Eggs