Monday, February 22, 2021
It was a very busy weekend for sports, so let’s get into it. KU Hoops Five wins in a row! My big concern about this winning streak was that three of the wins came against K-State and Iowa State, the two worst teams in the Big 12. Was KU’s better play just a function of their opponents? Or was the second half of the Oklahoma State game that began the streak a sign that it would play against better teams, too?
Friday, February 19, 2021
[open.spotify.com/playlist/...](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3CpuKpZT1Zc5OrhfFYXZV0?si=G81pG8LLT5a8d-bM-3i9tQ) "Couch" - PONY Some pretty good pop-punk. That opening riff sounds like it came from the first Clash album. "Richie Sacramento" - Mogwai This veteran Scottish act wrote this in tribute mostly to the late Dave Berman, but also to all their musical contemporaries who have passed in recent years. "River" - Akron/Family Sadly news broke late last night that Miles Seaton from the band Akron/Family had passed.
Thursday, February 18, 2021
Normally when I see videos like the one I share below, I’ll watch a few minutes and then move on to something else. But I was absolutely mesmerized by this video of a boat traveling the waterways that connect Rotterdam to Amsterdam and watched the whole thing. Multiple times. I have a medical procedure coming up that I’ve already attempted once and was unable to complete because of a bit of an anxiety attack (more on that in a couple weeks).
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Our girls are all back in school today. Quite a few area schools either delayed or cancelled again, but we are on a normal schedule. The mechanics of snow days are very different now than they were for my generation. Remember having to sit by the radio or TV, breathlessly waiting to hear your school’s name be read out, or to see it scroll across the bottom of the screen? I recall several days where I was ready to go to school - dressed, bag packed, coat on - and stood in front of the TV until the last possible moment to see if “Raytown Consolidated School District No.
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Our long weekends got a little longer thanks to about nine inches of new snow yesterday. C and L were home Friday and Monday thanks to St P’s traditional President’s Day break, while M was just home Monday. All are eLearning today, although L had her assignments done in about 40 minutes and is currently playing Fortnite. This was the biggest snowstorm we’ve had something like seven years.[1] It was nice for it to happen on a day when the girls were already out of school.
Friday, February 12, 2021
open.spotify.com/playlist/… “You Don’t Own Me” - Pale Waves This song reminded me of something I’ve heard before… “You’re Not the One” - Sky Ferreira …perhaps this. They aren’t exact matches but have some serious shared DNA. I wonder if Sky Ferreira will ever put out another album. “Show Me Love” - Robin S “Show Me Love” - Robyn Unlike the previous two tracks, these songs sound nothing alike. But with the same title and like-named artists, they’ve always been joined at the hip in my head.
Thursday, February 11, 2021
Three new books to share. Lives Laid Away - Stephen Mack Jones Jones’ second August Snow novel. Once again the former Detroit cop gets sucked into a case that goes far beyond the neighborhood he’s attempting to revitalize. In this case it deals with rogue ICE agents, sex trafficking, and racist biker gangs. If that seems like a lot, I think you’re on the same wavelength that I am. This book was not nearly as enjoyable as the first in the series.
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Songs: “Sweet Caroline” - Neil Diamond. Peaked at #4 the week of August 16, 1969 “Take Me Home, Country Roads” - John Denver. Peaked at #2 the week of August 28, 1971 “Smoky Mountain Rain” - Ronnie Milsap. Peaked at #24 for two weeks in February/March of 1981 A different kind of RFTS post today. Rather than breaking down a song (or songs) and its place on the Billboard chart, this is a story about one of my kids with a pop music connection.
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
With the Super Bowl out of the way, here are some more sports notes from the past few days. Kid Hoops L’s team had a big game Saturday. Her team played the squad they were tied with for second place in their league. Looking at comparative scores, it seemed like the teams were pretty evenly matched. We were going to have our best player. Things looked good. Then we got stomped.
Monday, February 8, 2021
Some thoughts on Sunday’s Big Game The Game I was certainly surprised by the result. Even though I had watched Tampa’s defense stifle Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers, I never expected them to do the same to Patrick Mahomes and all of his weapons. That was a ferocious, courageous performance by the Bucs’ D. They got consistent pressure to Mahomes, something every other team the Chiefs played this year struggled to do, while still bottling up Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.
Sunday, February 7, 2021
There’s been a discussion in my Twitter feed today about whether Super Bowl Sunday is an overrated sports day. I’m 100% on board with this take. The actual sports side of Super Bowl Sunday kind of sucks, as the game is always secondary to all the other things that surround it. The parties, the pregame show, the halftime show, the commercials. Unless your team is playing, the football is kind of a letdown.
Friday, February 5, 2021
The first playlist of February. The sun is coming up a little earlier every morning and staying up a little later each evening. Sure, the windchill is going to be well below freezing for the next week, but with the added sunlight it’s time to start thinking ahead to spring’s arrival. open.spotify.com/playlist/… “Brisbane Radio” - Stephen’s Shore I always associate strummy Aussie music like this with spring, for some reason. So this song arrives at the perfect time.
Thursday, February 4, 2021
We have reached the point in our home where college is not some far-off thing in our kids’ lives that we are casually planning for. It is approaching rapidly, and we are beginning to think much more seriously about the concept. M took the PSAT in the fall and ever since has received daily multiple brochures and letters from colleges. At first she was thrilled. The modern touch of the school creating a custom URL that included her name was an especially flattering.
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Chart Week: January 21, 1984 Song: “Undercover of the Night” - The Rolling Stones Chart Position: #20, 11th week on the chart. Peaked at #9 for two weeks in December and January. This edition is more about how I listened to the song than the song itself. Although there will be some song trivia before we’re done. 1983 was a big year on my Classic Christmas Gifts post list. That was the Christmas I received, among other things, a Pioneer SK–111F boombox.
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Movies and Shows The Witches A movie L picked for us to watch New Year’s Night. Roald Dahl stories are always wacky and this one did not disappoint in that sense. Very weird and maybe/likely offensive at times? I’m not sure, but I get how some folks were offended. B Backstory: The Tale of T’eo Remember when we only had completely insane stories a few times a year? Now that they seem to happen almost daily we don’t get to really dive in and enjoy them the way we once did.
Monday, February 1, 2021
This weekend was a little different that other recent ones. No football, for starters. I also avoided the KU game, mostly because other plans kept me from seeing the beginning and by the time I had a chance to fire up the TV, several friends told me not to bother turning it on. It was also our first significant snow of the year. We only got between 3–4 inches Saturday night (and then another inch last night), but that was enough for the girls to get outside with a few of their cousins Sunday to build a snowman and play for a bit.
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Deacon King Kong - James McBride My To Read list is always in flux. I’m constantly adding books, like any good reader should. And also culling books, figuring if a title has been on the list for a few years and I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet, odds are I never will. The list tends to grow a lot in December, when various Best Of lists hit the internet, and I make additions that seem to be earning universal acclaim.
Monday, January 25, 2021
Some sports notes while waiting on an ice storm to arrive. NFL So the Super Bowl is Chiefs vs Buccaneers, just like we all thought. Seriously, I’m questioning a lot of what I’ve thought about football the last 20 years this morning. I was not alone when I believed, back when the regular season began, that Tom Brady would struggle in Tampa while the Patriots would continue to win with Cam Newton at quarterback.
Friday, January 22, 2021
Phil Spector died last week. To say he leaves a complex legacy is an understatement. He crafted some of the most unforgettable songs ever, and created a sound that will forever be synonymous with his name: The Wall of Sound. But he was also, by many measures, a horrible human being. He ruined the life and career of his one-time wife, Ronnie Spector. His wildly erratic behavior put the lives of people around him at risk.
Thursday, January 21, 2021
When banging out my most recent Sports Notes post, I overlooked one very important local story. Which may have been a good thing because there was another very important local story that broke yesterday. Looks like I better bust out an Indy edition Sports Notes post! Pacers Make a Big Trade Anyone who follows the NBA knew a James Harden trade was close last week, it was just a question of where he would end up: Brooklyn or Philadelphia.
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Some notes from the sporting world. KU Hoops First back-to-back losses in Big 12 play in eight years, first Big Monday loss in 18 games. Neither of those are a surprise. Against both Oklahoma State and Baylor KU looked utterly overmatched early. Overmatched for sure in the athletic sense, KU looking slow and bound to the floor where their opponents raced up and down the court and flew for dunks and blocks.
Monday, January 18, 2021
A busy start to a new year of reading. Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man - Emmanuel Acho These are a series of essays by Acho, a former NFL player and currently a talking head on Fox Sports, to help white folks understand people of color a little better. It is light and breezy, at times almost too light and breezy. But the title is accurate: for things to get better in this country, those of us in the white community need to have some uncomfortable conversations and accept that we need to make sacrifices in all aspects of our lives for change to come about.
Friday, January 15, 2021
open.spotify.com/playlist/… “Start All Over Again” - Candy Opera This sounds straight out of the early ’80s New Romantic movement, with a few modern flourishes. Which makes total sense as Candy Opera got their start in the early ’80s Liverpool music scene. They plugged along for about ten years, split up, and went their separate ways. Then, three years ago, they reformed. They put a new album out last fall and it was filled with majestic pop like this track.
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
This is the best thing I’ve read this year. What the Hole Is Going On? The very real, totally bizarre bucatini shortage of 2020. Rachel Handler looks into the mysterious shortage of bucatini. It is hilarious and fascinating. I have to admit, I don’t think I had ever had bucatini before I read this. Magically I found some this week and made the Bucatini all’Amatriciana recipe Handler includes in her piece.
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
In my final piece of 2020 business, here are the last three books I read for the year. These put my total at 59 books for the calendar year. I know this sounds dumb, but I was disappointed with that number. I’ve read that many books in a normal year. Surely in a pandemic year I should have knocked out a few more. Oh well, a goal for pandemic year #2, I suppose.
Monday, January 11, 2021
I think the first ever Super Wildcard Weekend was a success. Wall-to-wall football in the midst of a pandemic and winter weather felt right. We got mostly competitive games book-ended by the Colts blowing a winnable game and the Browns shaking off decades of failure and pulling off one of the wildest upsets in recent memory. Some Indy-focused thoughts from the weekend. Colts When your team loses a close game, you spend the time afterward picking through dozens of little moments that could have changed the outcome.
Friday, January 8, 2021
After taking nearly a month off from sharing new-ish music, it’s time to start getting caught up. So an extra-long playlist this week, filled with recent songs and a few classics. open.spotify.com/playlist/… “Funny Farm” - The Hold Steady A late 2020 treat, and THS has a new album due out on February 19. That day is going to be a motherfucker for new music. Right now there are four albums out that day that I am very excited about.
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
A special playlist is in order this morning. There are plenty of other songs about this fine state that I’m guessing came from folks not happy with what went down in Georgia last night, thus they have been left behind. Hell, some of these may make no sense in the context of the election, Jay Farrar comparing his impending estrangement from Jeff Tweedy to a Civil War battle, for example. Nonetheless, a few songs about the state of Georgia.
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
A lot of material to get through, so strap yourselves in. The Holiday Shit Classics: Elf, A+ National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, A A Christmas Story, A Die Hard, A+ A Charlie Brown Christmas, B South Park: Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo, A The Office, see here New: Holiday Baking Championship Lorenzo and Juliana were the most impressive competitors all season. Lorenzo is crazy talented for his age, and always taking his baking interesting angles.
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
A lot of sports to get through, so let’s tackle the biggest issues of the day in no particular order. CFP Alabama crushing Notre Dame was no surprise. As an Indiana Catholic school parent I don’t hate Notre Dame nearly as much as I used to. I don’t mind them winning, but still take some pleasure in their losses. One day that fan base will wake and realize it isn’t 1977 anymore.