Friday Playlist

Nothing special about this playlist in advance of our spring break. Although it is chock full of great tunes. No playlist next week, as that is our fly home day. Hope everyone has a great week.

“Bonnet Of Pins” – Matt Berninger
Oh my! Often when lead singers of bands release solo projects, they use them as opportunities to explore new ground different than where their band normally treads. Not so here. This sounds almost exactly like The National. It isn’t just his voice or lyrics, either. The music is right in the pocket of a great National song.

“Something In The Air” – Lauren Mayberry
Along those same lines, this isn’t too far removed from CHVRCHES music.

“Chrome Dipped” – CIVIC
A slight tweak to their sound, but no less enjoyably heavy than their earlier, 70’s Aussie punk influenced songs.

“What Do I Know” – Deep Sea Diver
This was the first song that band leader Jessica Dobson engineered on her own. Rather than go back and fix what didn’t work, she kept many of the first takes of the various instruments. I dig the raw, live feel that gives this track.

“LA Runaway” – The Horrors
How many songs have been written about runaways in (or to) LA? Most by bands who wore spandex and had super teased hair, I bet. The concept works just fine with modern post-punk, too.

“Richardson” – Shura featuring Cassandra Jenkins
A gorgeous song with some lazy, summer day vibes.

“Relationships” – HAIM
Speaking of summer…the Haim sisters have a knack for making tunes that are perfect for the warmest days of the year, which are right around the corner, you know.

“A Few More Years” – Wings of Desire
I’ve been trying to figure out who this band reminds me of for a couple weeks. I keep drifting towards saying it is Ballboy, a Scottish band with a very particular sound. And there are definitely similarities between them, but it feels like some other band I can’t recall is a better match. Let me know if you figure it out.

“Drive That Fast” – Kitchens of Distinction
It’s been nearly four years since I last shared this 1991 classic, which is far too long.

March Media

A little earlier than normal so it doesn’t sit in the Drafts folder until we return from spring break.


Movies, Shows, etc

The Agency
Tuuuuuurific! I had read/heard raves for this and was waiting until S needed to get her next Taylor Sheridan fix on Paramount+ so I could watch it. It lived up to the hype. Now, there are some issues with the story, which got a little broad at times. But that’s a minor complaint. Tense, generally well written, good acting performances. Most of all, though, it is shot like a movie, more cinematic in visual presentation than most other spy shows out there. And the soundtrack was incredible. This felt like what Michael Mann always wanted to make, but often fell short off on the script side. And the big twist at the end worked in making me look forward to season two.

A

The Neighbors’ Window
I wasn’t sure which section to put this in. I watched it on YouTube, but since it won an Oscar it seemed right to elevate it. A wonderful piece of filmmaking. You can do a lot in 20 minutes if you want to.

A

Exploring New Zealand’s Wild Flavors, Māori Culture & Volcanic Hot Spring Cooking | DIRT
I’m also elevating this in status as they require a true commitment to watch now. New Zealand looks beyond spectacular.

A

The Hunt For Red October
Still holds up.

A

Lioness, season one
I took a chance on this as I had heard very mixed views on it from others. There are some big problems with the season. Midway through I was contemplating bailing as it was veering towards similar dumb territory as the Jack Ryan series. I wouldn’t say it totally saved itself but I did finish and didn’t feel like I wasted my time. Some of the dialogue though, yech. I lost track of how many times I knew exactly what a character would say. Like to the word. Nicole Kidman’s performance was kind of terrible. And her husband? One of the worst characters I can recall in a series like this. Debating whether to watch season two, as it got better reviews, but was also reviewed by a lot fewer critics.

B-

30 Rock, season one
While I’ve not watched them as much lately, reruns of The Office and Seinfeld are staples of my normal, casual TV time. If Parks & Recreation aired more often, I would gobble that up as well. I’ve rewatched Arrested Development, parts of Community and Scrubs. The one classic 21st Century (I know Seinfeld doesn’t fit that timeline) comedy I’ve never rewatched? Tina Fey’s classic. So this is super fun because of all those shows, it’s the one I remember the least well. I’m still in the midst of season one, but so far, so great!

A


Shorts, YouTubes, etc

How Tower Cranes Build Themselves
Obviously this works, but it sure doesn’t seem like it should.

Link Sar: The Last Great Unclimbed Mountain
On one hand, I’m fascinated by these climbs. On the other, when they look down from the tops of 3000 foot drop offs, I have trouble watching.

Robert De Niro Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters
Here’s one of the biggest ones of these you can get. And it is surprisingly great. De Niro isn’t always the most forthcoming or comfortable talking about himself, but he was terrific here.

John Cusack Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters
This is whack because there is no section about Sixteen Candles.

Why wasn’t France a part of the Holy Roman Empire?
Why was the Netherlands banned from selling Luxembourg?
Why did Europe obey the Monroe Doctrine?
I love this series. Good content and the subtle humor in the animations is terrific.

Inside This Home Builder’s Desert Hideaway in Far West Texas | Huckberry Homes
These never disappoint.

How an Architect Optimized a 400-Square-Foot Manhattan Apartment | Architectural Digest
My last apartment in Kansas City was about 400 square feet, so it was fun to watch this and imagine what could have been done with that space other than throwing a futon and a computer desk into it.

Up Close with Polar Bears – Sony FX6 Short Film – Churchill Manitoba
Super cool footage of polar bears followed by an interesting description of how it was made.

The Last Observers
Charming piece about another old school occupation that is being replaced by technology.

Cafe hopping in Lisbon, Portugal | best coffee & hidden gems
Living in Lisbon, Portugal | Typical day as digital nomads, life update + coffee, food & fun
M is going to spend the spring ’26 semester in Lisbon, so I started seeking out some Portugal content on YouTube. I think she will enjoy these millennials way more than I did. I stopped watching their stuff, but started a new playlist of other Portugal content I’m sharing with M and will watch on my own next fall.

Not the Typical Golden Route: 10-Day Winter Itinerary with My Family in Japan
Canadians in Japan, eh?

Every “I’ve Made A Huuuge Mistake” – Arrested Development
Can never watch too many AD clips.

The Heatwave Continues, Ireland 1976
Hilarious.

Creating Saturday Night Live: Cue Cards
Quite the process.

Your Spring Wardrobe, Simplified | Answering Your Spring Style Questions For 2025 | Ask Huckberry
Not all this fits my aesthetic, but I always appreciate their seasonal updates.

Alec Baldwin’s Impressions Of “The Godfather” Cast
Shame he’s a total kook, but I do admire the man’s talent.

55 Greatest James Bond One-Liners
Solid.

MUSCAT: OMAN’S ANTI-DUBAI CAPITAL CITY
Funny, I watched this randomly and suddenly I was getting suggestions for other vids about Oman daily. The algorithm is never shy about forcing you down a rabbit hole.

Matthew McConaughey’s Funniest Impressions
How had I never seen Matt Damon do this until now? Uncanny!

Top 20 Songs You Didn’t Know Were Written by Prince
I was prepared to slam this list, but there were actually seven songs on it I had no idea Prince was responsible for. Now, I had never heard any of them before. But I thought it might be 20 obvious ones.


Car Content

I Drive The Hyundai IONIQ 9 For The First Time! Full Tour & Initial Road Test Experience
Hyundai IONIQ 9 EV Road Trip To North Korea!
Ugly car, but glad Hyundai/Kia are pushing their EV offerings forward.

Rivian R2 vs NEW Model Y
I’ve Been Hard On Rivian Recently But Now Is The Best Time To Get One
How Rivian R2 Will DOMINATE
RIVIAN CEO ⚡️ RJ Scaringe on the electric future and unifying vision | Interview @ SXSW
The Rivian R3 Is Getting Closer & Here’s What I Want To See Make It To Production
What We Learned After Testing a Rivian R1T for 40,000 Miles
Only 25 months until I can get an R2. This space may just turn into a Rivian-stan section between now and then.


Photography

5 Tips for Photographers with No Time
Travel Photography on the Oregon Coast in Winter // Fuji X-T5
Travel Photography at Home in Seattle // Fuji X-T5
Travel Photography in Vancouver // Fuji X-T5
OUR LAST DAY ON THE OREGON COAST
5 Photos Show How The Ukraine War Changed
My Minimal Street & Travel Photography Setup for 2025
A Plea to all Camera Brands…
What I Learned Traveling With ONLY The Fujifilm 27mm
50mm Street Photography: Lisbon (POV)

Podcasts

Real Ones
I’ve dialed back my NBA pods, mostly because ESPN fired Zach Lowe last fall ending his twice-weekly show. But I still cycle through as many of The Ringer’s NBA pods as I can each week. This is, by far, the best. Howard Beck is a fantastic NBA writer and surprisingly funny when the other two get him ranting about something. Former NBA player Raja Bell is an AMAZING podcaster. Like outrageously good. Some folks don’t like Logan Murdock’s act, but I do, especially when he and Raja go back and forth. If you only have an hour to listen to folks talk about the NBA each week, this is the one you should pick.

Freedom!

A quick kid update.

L had her cast taken off this morning. Everything looked great. No swelling, no pain. The doctor said the incision and tendon anchor in her foot all seemed fine. When he had her rotate her foot inward, an action that triggered her pain pre-surgery, she could do so without limitation or pain.

She will be in a boot for the next six weeks and can finally put weight on it again. He wants her to keep the crutches handy for now, but she can transition away from them as she feels comfortable. She can take the boot off and get in the pool next week if she wants.

Biggest of all, she can take normal showers again! For the past five weeks she’s had to put a waterproof covering over her cast, then sit on a stool and be assisted by S to clean up. And, of course, her left leg hasn’t been cleaned since the morning of her surgery. When the cast came off today, she made a face from the odor. Not sure how the nurse kept a straight face. I ignored her invitation to come over and take a whiff.[1]

She’ll begin physical therapy soon after we return from spring break. There will be at least six weeks of that. The doc said that assuming she progresses as he expects, she’ll be able to start non-contact activities in early June.

The kid has been through a lot the last five months. With a few understandable meltdowns excepted, she’s done terrific dealing with it all. Better things are ahead, fingers crossed.

Also, Monday was the CHS basketball banquet. It’s a pretty chill affair. The team and families gather at school and there is cake and cookies, a slide show from the season, and the coaches talk. There were also awards, three selected by coaches, two voted on by players. Last year L won the Rising Irish award as best underclassman, selected by the coaches. Monday she won the Team Choice award for being a great teammate and leader, respecting coaches/referees/opponents, and for upholding Holy Cross values. Basically normal L stuff. Her teammates voted on this one, so I thought it was great that they recognized how she did her best to still be part of the team even when she was unable to play.

I am obviously hoping that she can return to form and be a contributing player next season. But stuff like this, which reflects more who she is as a person than an athlete, makes me prouder than anything she does on the court.


  1. Classes were dismissed early today because of a water main break. First thing she did was get in the tub to thoroughly scrub that leg.  ↩

Wednesday Links

Steven Hyden has a new megalist out, this one his favorite 100 indie rock albums of the last 25 years. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop, spending over an hour working through it while building a playlist based upon it to listen to over spring break.

The Best Indie Rock Albums Of The 21st Century, Ranked


I’m not a vinyl-head by any measure, but I try to stay up on music news and trends. Yet I was surprised to read about this business in Kansas that is helping to keep high-end vinyl records a viable product.

“What I’m all about,” he said, “is saving the world from bad sound.”

The Wizard of Vinyl is in Kansas


The Office turned 20 this week. Two pieces that honor that occasion.

‘The Office’ Turns 20: An Oral History of Season 1 From the Writers Who Shaped It
The Office’s 25 Best Cold Opens


Baseball starts for real tomorrow. I enjoyed this essay about keeping score.

…Sims does much of his own tracking, creating his primary reference materials as the events themselves occur. It’s a triangle of action: he watches it, he marks it down, and he talks about it. See, write, talk, see, write, talk. One corner of the triangle informs the other as the space between them gains texture. The past informs the present.

You Gotta Keep Score: Broadcaster Dave Sims on His Scoring Method


Another fantastic story about the legacy of Bob Uecker.

“He made everything better. Whether it was with his knowledge or his wit, his storytelling, just his voice, all of it. That was his gift, and he shared it with the world.

Bob Uecker’s Voice Lives On


I would be lying if I didn’t admit I wish this was a real thing and not a joke.

Steal My Tesla


Speaking of the current state of our country, this is a good site to check often to cut through the bullshit, half-truths, and straight up lies that dominate our news cycle. It calls out fools from all perspectives that spout nonsense. But one camp, for obvious reasons, gets called out far more often.

FactCheck.org


For a less neutral accounting of our descent into tyranny, bookmark this list.

LEST WE FORGET THE HORRORS: AN UNENDING CATALOG OF TRUMP’S CRUELTIES, COLLUSIONS, CORRUPTIONS, AND CRIMES

Reaching For The Stars, Vol. 110

Chart Week: March 24, 1984
Song: “Eat It” – ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic
Chart Position: #18, 3rd week on the chart. Peaked at #11 the week of April 14.

It’s been a while, and for that I offer my endless apologies. I still listen to at least part of an AT40 show every weekend. Over the past couple months I’ve started several drafts for new RFTS entries. However, each time I’ve lost enthusiasm while doing research and have let them die on the digital vine.[1] To be honest, today’s selection isn’t one I would have normally been interested in. But I was getting antsy about not updating the series, plus spring break is next week and the site will be on hiatus. It worked out that there is an interesting aspect of this song that relates to the greatest musical rivalry of the Eighties and made it worth writing about.

I never really got ‘Weird Al’. I admired his cleverness and ability to make such coherent parodies of other great songs. There is true craft to that. I also respected his total commitment to the bit that included mimicking the visuals – including clothing, dancing, and videos – of the original artists. His songs were always a little too goofy for me, though. Maybe it was because I never listened to Dr. Demento to develop the part of my musical brain that would connect with them.

Yankovic began making parodies in the late 1970s without any chart success. I remember hearing his 1983 singles “Ricky,” (Toni Basil’s “Mickey”) and “I Love Rocky Road” (Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll”), but neither cracked the Top 40.

His break came when he took on Michael Jackson’s mega-smash “Beat It.” I’ve written several times about the power of Jackson’s name in 1983–84. “Eat It” might be the biggest and best example of MJ’s influence. In only its third week in the Hot 100, the record was already at #18, and was the biggest climber in this countdown. Michael’s help could only take this song so far, as it stalled out at #11 a month later.

Although parody is protected under American copyright law, Yankovic always asked artists for their permission before recording his versions of their originals. For the most part he received clearance. That was true in this case; “Eat It” only existed because of Michael’s blessing.

“Michael Jackson wasn’t just cool about my parody of ‘Beat It,’” Yankovic told Billboard magazine, “but he also loved my version of ‘Bad,’ which was ‘Fat.’ He even let me use the actual ‘Bad’ subway set for the ‘Fat’ video. He was very supportive, which was huge with opening the doors with other artists. Because if Michael Jackson signed on, you couldn’t really say no.”

Well, one person said no.

Weird Al asked Prince at least four times for permission to cover one of his songs. Each time the Purple One declined. Al had an idea for “Let’s Go Crazy” based on The Beverly Hillbillies. For “1999,” he wanted to sing about dialing a 1–800 number that ended with the digits 1999. None of his pitches swayed Prince. Or, more likely, Prince just didn’t have a sense of humor about his own music. Maybe Al should have asked to do a straight cover rather than parody, as Prince loved for other people to sing the words he wrote. Or maybe if Al had been an attractive, ethnically ambiguous woman Prince would have signed off.

I’m not sure it sways their battle in any way, but score one for Michael over Prince here.

“Eat It” went to #1 in Australia, which is amazing. It has sold over 500,000 copies in the US. It was Yankovic’s biggest American hit until “White & Nerdy” hit #9 in 2006.

As I said, “Eat It” never did much for me, and still doesn’t. The video is funny, but I’m never going to seek the song out. I know a lot of other people like it a lot more than I do. So I’m genuinely sorry if this grade disappoints you. 5/10

Speaking of Michael Jackson, also on this week’s chart, “Thriller” checked in at #11 on its way down after peaking at #4. And Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me,” which featured Jackson on background vocals, began its three-week stay at #2.

 


  1. Real talk? I’m also verrrrrry satisfied with my most recent entry back in January. That was some good music writing. I’m still waiting for someone from Rolling Stone to give me a call.  ↩

Weekend Notes

A weekend mostly filled with basketball, the last time I’ll say that until late next fall.


Jayhawk Talk

What an appropriate ending.

KU had a three-point lead over Arkansas Thursday with just over 3:00 remaining in the game. In the following 90 or so seconds:
AJ Storr forced a bad shot early in the shot clock, missing. This came after a time out. As usual with Storr, Bill Self threw up his hands in disgust/disappointment after the play.

After an Arkansas miss, KJ Adams grabbed the rebound, turned to head up court, and crumbled to the ground, losing the ball. After another Arkansas miss, Hunter Dickinson threw a pass literally to no one. It might be the worst pass I’ve ever seen a third team All American make. Arkansas turned it into a layup that cut the lead to one.

Then DaJuan Harris tried to enter a bounce pass to Dickinson. Two pet peeves before we get to the result. For some reason this team insisted on throwing bounce passes into Dickinson all season, despite the fact he is 7’2” and not flexible or mobile. Then, Dickinson was posted up outside the lane rather than inside the paint. Despite being a massive human being, he rarely buried people deep into the restricted area.

Anyway, Arkansas already had two defenders on Hunter, and one easily slipped around him to intercept the ball.

And that, my friends, was pretty much the game. In the final 3:00+, KU turned the ball over five times. The game was right there to win with one or two decent passes or smarter shots. Instead, it was Arkansas who made the big plays late and ended the game on a 15–5 run. They went on to upset #2 St. John’s Saturday and are now one of THE stories of the tournament.

As infuriating as that long sequence was, it was probably an apt ending for a team that was a poor match in too many ways to ever to find a comfortable center. Every player had at least one major flaw. Several of them had a whole bag of flaws. Throw them together and there was never a strength on either end of the court that they could consistently play to. While in the moment what anger I could conjure up – and I have to admit if not for those last three minutes, I would have had zero anger about this loss – was aimed mostly at Harris and Dickinson, as I’ve said before this all falls on Self.

He coached a hell of a game. Switching to a zone against a young team with suspect shooters when the Jayhawks couldn’t stay in front of the Arkansas guards and wings changed the game. I completely believe that had KU made one more bucket to get the lead to 5 or 6, they would have won. Arkansas was flailing and frustrated. Other than Adams’ turnover, which was a result of him apparently blowing out his achilles, KU’s last miscues were more on their actions than anything the defense did to force them.

Like I said a week or two back, I was ready for this season and this mini era to be over. This team never earned any strong affection from me. They were too flawed, too mercurial, too emotionally flat. I’m not going to look back on a single moment this season and think, “That was awesome,” or dig through YouTube highlights late some night.

Of course, when you get what you want, sometimes the reality that follows is scarier. KU needs a big influx of talent to put around Darryn Peterson, Elmarko Jackson, and (please, Hoops Gods, please), Flory Bidunga. You would hope that Peterson would be a huge selling point, especially for shooters who can capitalize from him driving the lane and drawing defenders. But Self and his staff are batting around .200 in the portal the past four years. They need to hit a home run this spring, finding guys who can get to the hoop, fit in with the talent already in Lawrence, and, most importantly, mesh with Self.

And, you know what? Self might need to dial it back a touch with the transfers. They are going to fuck up, they will come in with bad habits, they will chafe at being corrected. Self doesn’t need to meet them halfway, necessarily. But relaxing a little so guys can figure out where they fit in and gain confidence in the process could go a long way for them actually having a clue what to do when conference and NCAA play rolls around. Maybe roll with their mistakes in November and December so they are fully integrated in February and March.

Self was once the king of spring, always finding ways to plug holes in his roster with leftovers and cast-offs. That mojo has gotten tarnished in the portal era. He needs to rediscover it and not miss on anyone he signs in the next couple months.

There have also been rumors that at least one assistant coach will not be back next year. We all know that Self is in the final years of his career, so he’s not going to add a young dude(s). I say bring Danny Manning back for one more run, turn him loose with Bidunga all summer, and watch Flory blossom in the fall.


Swings And Misses

It was hard not to watch players who could have been Jayhawks this year perform for other teams.

Zuby Ejiofor was fantastic in St. John’s loss to Arkansas on Saturday.

KU just missed getting Liam McNeely in his first recruitment, then there were rumors that Self passed on him after he de-committed from Indiana last spring, opting to focus on transfers. His size and shooting were exactly what KU was missing.

Riley Kugel was the first commit Self got last spring, but had academic issues that kept him from getting into KU. Mississippi State accepted him, and he scored 11 in a loss to Baylor. He didn’t have a great season, but he possessed a size and athleticism that was lacking among KU’s wings.

Labaron Philon had signed with KU, but the sides mutually agreed to part last spring. He struggled in Alabama’s two tournament games, but has so much talent his name is popping up in the lottery range in some mock drafts.

KU was a finalist for Derik Queen, although with Dickinson already on campus and Bidunga already committed, odds were never high he was going to be a Jayhawk. Still, one of his last visits was to KU so there was a chance. Hard to see where minutes would have come for him and Bidunga if they were both on the same team with two seniors also in the frontcourt.

Sports are full of What Ifs, especially after disappointing seasons. And they are generally dumb because you never know, right? Maybe McNeely blows out his knee if he comes to KU, or Philon never gets off the bench and is into the portal this week. But maybe McNeely is the perfect compliment to Dickinson by pulling the defense out to the perimeter, or Kugel has moments where he can’t be guarded and creates space for Zeke Mayo as the defense tries to pinch off his drives.


General Tourney Talk

This was, for the most part, a garbage-ass first week. Especially the first couple days, most games turned into blowouts early, or had 10-point margins going into the final TV timeout with no drama in getting to the end.

Sunday rewarded viewers for sticking with it. UConn battled Florida to the closing seconds, in what was the game of the tournament for about five hours. I have zero love for UConn, but that team plays its ass off, and Florida needed everything they had to get by the Huskies.

Later Sunday evening Colorado State and Maryland took that drama to a different level. In what was a great, back-and-forth game to begin with, CSU took the lead on a 3-pointer with just under four seconds to play. Then Derik Queen banked in a runner at the buzzer to give the Terps the win. Amazing finish to an amazing game.

Colorado State, man. They’ve put guys into the NBA in recent years, have a couple high transfers playing for other teams. And they were still one of the most fun teams to watch this weekend. If Nique Clifford had any eligibility left he would be getting a big bag from a Power 5 school. I hope he gets drafted and a chance to play at the next level. That’s a good ass program.

I loved Stan Van Gundy screaming about teams who insist on throwing bounce passes to big men. Maybe Self should bring him in as a special consultant. Or should have brought him in this year.

The Sunday schedule always sucks. Three games with exclusive windows to start the day, and Duke is always in one of these games. Then five games crammed into the evening, with one always starting super late. Seems like there’s a better way to stagger games and not have them lasting until midnight Eastern.

Every March there’s a batch of commercials that drive dedicated watchers of the tournament crazy. I DON’T FUCKING UNDERSTAND WHY GEICO BROUGHT BACK THE ‘LITTLE PIGGY WHO CRIED WHEEEE ALL THE WAY HOME’ COMMERCIAL. It is one of the worst ads ever made, forcing me to either mute or switch the channel the moment it comes on. Geico has tons of clever, funny ads. Why would they bring this one back and throw it in high rotation during the NCAA tournament?

I hate pretty much every Buffalo Wild Wings ad, too. The giant, doofus buffalo pisses me off.

I do like the Justin Bateman – Will Arnett ads for State Farm.

There sure are a lot of insurance ads, aren’t there?

My brackets stink. I have 11 of the Sweet 16 but did so poorly on day one I don’t think I can get into the money even if the rest of my picks work out. I’m 22/58 in one pool, 22/46 in another. At least I’m consistent.

I vaulted into first place in my player pool, and have six of eight players remaining. That lead is tight, though, so I need my players to keep winning and racking up the points.

Sports are dumb, by the way.


Weekend Visitor

M flew back to Cincinnati, a much easier journey than her trip down, Friday evening after a good week on Anna Maria island. She drove home Saturday for her first visit home since Christmas. It was good to see her. We took her out for sushi Saturday, she requested chicken white chili Sunday. The crappy, wet, chilly weather was perfect for a final round of chili for the season. She has five weeks of classes left.

And now we have four days until we fly to Florida for our week in the sun.

Friday Playlist

“Bang Bang Bang” – Sports Team
UK funsters making fun of Americans for our fascination with guns.

“Afraid of Guns” – Motorbike
Cincinnati funsters making fun of Americans for our fascination with guns.

“Death of a Giant” – Murder Capital
Irish funsters making fun of…oh, wait. Actually this song is about the band members being in Dublin on the day of Pogues leader Shane MacGowan’s funeral.

“777” – illuminati hotties
Sarah Tudzin takes her normal fuzzy, power pop sound in a slightly more shoegazey direction here. She never misses.

“Salome” – The Ophelias
Hey, another Cincinnati band! Something is going on down there. Not sure M is into indie rock but perhaps I should tell her to start checking out the music clubs.

“Debonair” – The Afghan Whigs
Might as well sidetrack for a moment to touch base with the kings of the Cincy indie scene, and one of the truly great songs of the 1990s alternative revolution. This ain’t about regret.

“Narc” – Cutouts
If Depeche Mode had made the theme song for The Sopranos, it might have sounded like this.

“Charm” – The Men
Oh hell yes, jangly, scuzzy, punk rock!

“Into Your Arms” – The Lemonheads.
This week’s The Alternative Number Ones entry, a true classic. It’s a 10 to me, just an 8 to Tom. But he’s younger than me and it hit him differently at the time.

I know few of you are Stereogum subscribers, so I pulled a few lines from his write up, which is one of his better ones.

When writing about The Lemonheads, you can’t avoid Evan Dando’s looks and personality. Breihan first describes Dando as “…a foxy airhead.” Which is about perfect.

This anecdote about Dando missing a show is amazing: “In 1995, Dando missed the Lemonheads’ scheduled set at Glastonbury because he was having a heroin-fueled threesome, and you almost can’t begrudge him that.”

A lifetime of drug use apparently has not marred Dando’s face: “At some point, he developed a bad Oxycontin habit and lost all his teeth. He still looks implausibly great, though.”

I guess he did finally kick the drugs. Or at least most of them: “He says he’s clean from all drugs except LSD. That’s a new one on me, but hey, whatever works.”

Finally, Breihan describes this song in this way: “It’s like a relentlessly affectionate golden-retriever puppy — still cute even when it’s chewing up your stuff and shitting on your floor.”

“Steppin’ To The A.M./The Gas Face” – 3rd Bass
These hip hop legends recently reunited on stage. Naturally there is (decent) video. The sound isn’t great but you get the point. Funny how the OGs don’t really change up their stage personas. The “throw your hands in the air and say ‘Ho!'” stuff. Prime Minister Pete Nice still rocking the cane was a nice touch, too. You can not imagine how excited 18-year-old, college freshman D was when The Cactus Album came out. Along with Paul’s Boutique, it was the golden age of legit, white boy rap. Then Vanilla Ice came and fucked that all up a year later…

Might as well share the original “Gas Face” video, too. PW Botha still gets the gas face, even in death.

NCAA Picks

I hate my picks.

That’s how I’ll sum up this year’s NCAA tournament. Which seems perfect for a college basketball season I have mostly hated.

Spoiled KU fan, I know.

As hard as I tried not to, I ended up going with all four #1 seeds to reach the Final Four. Which is an idiotic way to fill your bracket since it has happened exactly one time.[1]

Some people think Auburn is creaky and vulnerable based on their late-season lull. I see a team that was focused on one thing – winning it all – getting complacent late. Some people are screaming the “It’s March, that’s Tom Izzo time!” nonsense but I still don’t think Michigan State is Final Four good. Auburn is, frankly, more Michigan State than Michigan State is this year.

Houston has some injury issues, but if J’wan Roberts can survive this weekend, I think the Cougars roll into San Antonio.

Duke? Come on. They just blitzed the ACC tournament without Cooper Flagg in the last two games, and he’s coming back. Although the ACC kind of stunk, so we should maybe tamp the excitement down a notch or two. And they got the easiest, by far, route to the Final Four. As usual.

I really wanted to pick St. John’s out of the West. In fact at first I did. But I think Florida is the best team in the country, and as fearsome as the Johnnies are on defense, they can’t shoot, which will kill you in 2025. Seriously, a KU-SJU game Saturday could be an all-time brickfest.

I found it hard to pick upsets, too. I have BYU in the Elite 8, for some reason. I could also see them losing their opening game and blowing up my bracket.

I have Clemson and Illinois in the Sweet 16 in the Midwest, but those only require mild upsets. Otherwise my Sweet 16 is pretty chalky.

Yuck.

As for my Jayhawks, they should beat Arkansas tonight. Doesn’t mean they will, but they should. The Hogs will be missing their leading scorer and rebounder, but I believe he didn’t play in the exhibition game between these two teams, either. Freshman sensation Boogie Fland returns, but he’s missed two full months of action with a serious hand injury. He’s probably still fast enough, rust and all, to cook DaJuan Harris. But will he have the ball/finishing skills to match his performance back in October? The Hogs will be quicker on the perimeter, and have a mobile big man that can put Hunter Dickinson in bad spots.

But I think the Jayhawks will come together for two hours and dispatch the Razorbacks. KU 75, Arkansas 70.

That will bring Zuby Ejiofor and the Johnnies on Saturday. Like Arkansas, St. John will be much more athletic at every position than the Jayhawks. There is also that defense, the best in the country, which isn’t exactly an ideal opponent for a team that has clicked offensively only a handful of times across 33 games. This is not the KU team to pull the upset.

However, I did take Ejiofor in my player draft. It would somehow be appropriate if he played like ass and KU knocked off SJU.

Nah, the Hoops Gods are more about punishing my real team for whatever reason than my fantasy team. St. John’s 83, KU 70.

Florida over Houston in the championship game.


  1. That was a pretty good Final Four, with a fantastic ending.  ↩

Early NCAA Thoughts

Here we are, NCAA tournament time. The time of some of my favorite, non-family of course, moments of my life. And also some of my least favorite. I suppose that’s the good thing about KU’s relative mediocrity this year: if I genuinely have no expectations, there is only opportunity for good memories this week. I expect them to shit the bed, so anything other than that will be a pleasant surprise.

The Jayhawks didn’t do a thing in the Big 12 tournament to change how I think about them. Moments of brain-dead play, often from the most experienced players, against Colorado. Then the Arizona game was the exact opposite of when the teams played a week before in Lawrence. Instead of the Jayhawks controlling the game and the Wildcats making constant runs, even briefly taking the lead in the second half, this time it was Arizona in front and KU rallying. KU made the big plays late in Lawrence; Arizona was clutch in KC. Two pretty even teams playing two pretty even games over six days. Not that long ago this was a game that KU 100% would have won in Kansas City. This year’s team is on a different, worse, level, though.

Crazy that the Arizona game was the first time KU had worn blue in the Big 12 tournament since the 2008 championship game. And even then they only wore blue because of losing the regular season game vs Texas, and thus the tiebreaker when determining who the home team was for the regular season co-champs. This has been a truly glorious era of KU hoops, and this was just another bitter reminder of how the last two years have brought all that to a screeching stop.

As for this coming week, playing Arkansas might be the ideal draw for this team. But not for the reasons you think. The Razorbacks blew out the preseason #1 Jayhawks in an exhibition game back in October in John Calipari’s first game in Fayetteville. Hunter Dickinson didn’t play, and KU clearly didn’t run anything serious on offense. But that game pointed out flaws early, like the lack of shooting and athleticism, that were masked in early wins over Michigan State and Duke. Arkansas has their own issues between injuries and inconsistencies and perhaps some general weird vibes in the program. But losing to them, likely because the Hogs are more athletic and can exploit KU’s deficiencies, would be a perfect bookend to the year. I’m already fearing DaJuan Harris going 2–11 from 3 as Calipari happily leaves him wide open to shoot all night.

But beating them sure would be fun, and I think KU is the better team if focused. Do they have one good game in them?

Should the Jayhawks survive the Hogs another near-perfect storyline opponent likely awaits in St. John’s. I say perfect because that game will shine a bright light on the choices Self made two springs ago. He sacrificed freshmen Ernest Udeh and Zuby Ejiofor for Hunter Dickinson. I contend that was a decent gamble. He had Kevin McCullar coming back, Dickinson was an All American big, and you build around those two established players instead of two raw, rising sophomore bigs.

Udeh has struggled with inconsistency at TCU, although I contend he would have developed better had he stayed at KU.

Ejiofor, however, has been a true revelation this year. His offensive stats aren’t as good as Dickinson’s (17.6 ppg, 10.0 rpg vs 14.6/8.0) but he’s been red hot late in the season. Zuby shoots better from the field and is a better defender. He is a perfect match for Rick Pitino’s style and his teammates, where Hunter is clearly not a good match for the talent around him.[1] None of us know for sure if Hunter is a good teammate or not, but there always seems to be some cloud over the team that might lead back to him. Zuby seems like a guy everyone would love to play with.

Who knows, Hunter may dominate Zuby if the teams play on Saturday. And that may not matter as St. John’s is genuinely the better team. I’m kind of laughing at the thought of KU’s guards facing the Johnnies’ pressure. We have dinner plans Friday and I considered moving them to Saturday so I could avoid the KU game. Then again, it may be a cathartic end to this mini-run and worth my time even if it is ugly.

I’m sure there are some KU fans talking themselves into things finally clicking and the team making a run. I can’t do that. Even in this team’s best wins this season – Duke, Michigan State, Iowa State, Arizona – the team has never been fully locked in. When it doesn’t happen over four-plus months, it’s not suddenly going to happen when the tournament begins. A shame.

Please, never rank KU #1 in the preseason again.

As for the broader tournament, I’m really struggling to come up with interesting picks. It feels like the top 4–6 teams are CLEARLY the best teams in the country. I watched more of the SEC tournament last weekend than any other, and kind of fell in love with one seeds Auburn and Florida, and two seed Tennessee.[2] Those three teams are all loaded with talent and athletes and shooters and can guard. But each also has these awful lulls because they get out of control or play too fast or can’t create in the halfcourt or take ten terrible shots in a row. Then I look to try to find an upset over them and think of how bad Michigan State looked when they lost to KU in November, or how many injuries Iowa State is fighting, or how young Texas Tech is, etc.

I love Houston, but that team also seems to be lacking something that I can’t put my finger on. Maybe because they are a true program team, totally bought into their coach’s philosophies rather than loaded with obvious talent? Which probably means they’re going to race through the bracket with ease.

Naturally Duke got the easiest draw of any of the #1 seeds. Amazing how often that happens. Maybe Cooper Flagg will re-tweak his ankle this weekend and that will doom their efforts to get out of the east. I think that’s something America can get behind in this divided age.[3]

At the moment I lean towards picking all four #1 seeds, which is dumb. I feel like Florida might be the most talented roster in the country, but St. John’s is the most complete #2 seed. Naturally they are together. If KU wasn’t the #7 seed I would complain more about how the west is, by far, the stoutest region. But it doesn’t matter to us.

I’m going to sit on this a couple more days and offer my picks on Thursday.


  1. Bill Self’s fault, not his.  ↩

  2. Side note, why did ESPN used C+C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” so prominently in their coverage? The song is 34 years old. It was perfect for the 1991 tournament. A year which, coincidentally, Kansas and Arkansas played. But in 2025 seems weird to use it almost every commercial break.  ↩

  3. You know that you know who is pulling for Duke.  ↩

Weekend Notes

As I said Friday, last week was a very odd one around here, at least in terms of our daily schedules.

Monday was a normal day, although one third of L’s classmates were gone on their retreat. She did go in late after getting her stitches removed and new cast put on.

Tuesday had the same schedule, although this was her day to go on retreat. As it involved A LOT of walking, we excused her and she stayed home. We got in a good 30-minute, seated shooting session before the winds kicked up in the afternoon. Trying to lock that upper body form in.

Wednesday was SAT day for juniors. Seniors were excused, so C was home. Freshmen and sophomores had “unity days,” so L did dumb stuff with her classmates all day. They went in 20 minutes late and got out 75 minutes early. I guess that’s enough to count it as a full school day even if they weren’t actually in class.

Thursday? Normal day for all four grades!

Then Friday, for some reason, was the Indy St. Patrick’s Day parade.[1] Which CHS always takes the day off for so the band and several teams and student groups can march in it. Despite being a gorgeous day, C wasn’t interested in going to watch. And L wanted nothing to do with crutching around in the crowds.

Back to a normal, five-day week this week. However, after that, the next five weeks include one off for spring break and three four-day weeks. Weird times. A lot of days off when we’re paying tuition, too.

Last week was the most glorious weather week you could imagine, especially for this time of year. Every day it at least touched 70, Friday it rubbed up against 80. While it was breezy, the sun was out each day, making it feel more like late April. L spent her day home trying to get some sun. I certainly got some over the five days. Shorts and t-shirts every day.

I wrapped up the last of our late winter yard work. All the hydrangeas have been trimmed back, all the ornamental grasses cut down to the earth, any other stragglers cleaned up so the growing season can begin.

Then our first thunderstorms of the year Friday night/Saturday morning. I guess we had a severe thunderstorm warning sometime around 3:00 AM. The thunder certainly woke me up. There were even three tornadoes in southern Indiana. Then rain off-and-on Saturday and Sunday as the temperatures dropped. It actually spit snow several times yesterday.

This week will be your March typical rollercoaster. It is 26° as I type this Monday morning. It will be in the 70s tomorrow, then barely 40° on Thursday. Good times.


Kid Hoops

This weekend was the kickoff of travel ball season. There is always a huge event here in Indy that is normally spread across several venues in the suburb of Westfield. I think all the high school teams are confined to the Pacers Athletic Center, so L and I were able to go watch her team play twice as well as all of her CHS teammates, plus girls she’s played with in the past now on other teams. We spent five hours up there Saturday evening watching games. I had to tell the story of what was up with the cast on her foot at least 10 times.

Her coach let her sit on the bench during games. There are five new girls this year and it was funny to watch the ones she’s played with in the past kind of shuffle the new additions to the side so they could sit by L at the end of the bench when they came out of the game. She did a good job cheering and help coach.

Her team went 1–1 Saturday, then lost in the knockout round Sunday. It seemed like all the new girls fit in, from a basketball perspective. They all understand how to play as a team. Hopefully the coach can get them some gym time so they develop some chemistry. We’ll probably go watch them again, but I’m not going to spend $40+ every week so I can sit and watch my daughter sit on the bench in a cast. L might even go on a road trip with one of her best friends on the team and her mom.


Spring Breaker

M flew down to Florida yesterday for a week in the sun. It was quite a process to get there.

She and her friends boarded their plane on time in Cincinnati, then had to get back off a few minutes later. Airspace in Florida had basically been shut down because of a line of heavy storms moving through the state. After an hour or so they re-boarded, sat on the ground for a bit, then finally departed.

Once in the air, there was some adjustment of route but eventually they made it to Sarasota. She texted us and told us that no planes were being allowed to take off, leaving all the gates full. They were going to have to sit and wait until flights were either cleared to start taking off again, they were cancelled and planes moved from gates, or the storms passed so they could wheel out a portable jetway.

They sat for an hour until the storms fell apart and were finally able to deplane via the portable stairs. Stressful and aggravating but at least they made it. M said some friends were on a different flight that made it into Florida airspace before turning around and flying back to Cincy because there was no where to land safely. That would be awful. Not sure if those girls made it in later in the evening or are scrambling for a flight today. Looking at M’s flight route, it appears they may have been contemplating doing the same turn around, but luckily found a gap in the storms to get into Sarasota.

Hopefully the rest of her week is less stressful than the flight down.

I’ll get to college hoops tomorrow.


  1. Turned out to be a great decision, though, as it was 30–35° warmer Friday than today.  ↩
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