Reader’s Notebook, 6/29/21
We have a house full of guests this week. My brother-in-law and his family from Boston are staying with us. So far that has meant lots of pool and play time as we’ve dodged the daily thunderstorms. It’s also C’s first real week of summer after wrapping summer school up last week. In a few hours I’m going to go…
Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7uF5mMF2vKbAqTfGSc6iDP?si=936bf6aa771a455d “Nashville Girls” – Janet Simpson This was about to drop off my current music playlist when I realized I had not shared it with you. Which is a huge error on my part, because it is a hell of a song, filled with swagger. “Inside My Head” – Lost Ships I love songs like this that have a variety…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 58
Chart Week: June 12, 1982 Song: “Fantasy” – Aldo Nova Chart Position: #32, 12th week on the chart. Peaked at #23 for two weeks in May/June. I only caught a few songs of this countdown, but I tuned in at the perfect time. I’m guessing I had not heard this jam in a long, long time. Which is a damn…
On Packed Weekends and Golf
Decent weekend in our house. I watched a lot of golf, thanks to the US Open being played on the West Coast. Which is always the best. The girls were even moderately interested since we stayed right off the course during our visit to San Diego two years ago. I watched some Euro championship soccer. I watched some F1. L…
Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5U27plJPrIhtDG71gbci5k?si=9d33b49628be4dc4 “Solar Power” – Lorde Oh good Lord(e)! Our New Zealand queen has returned in a major way. An almost instant Song of the Summer, one that arrives with a rather controversial album cover. Her album art makes me feel uncomfortable, so I’m just avoiding it as much as possible. YMMV. “the angel of 8th ave.” – Gang of Youths…
Early Summer Catch Up
Mid-to-late June is my favorite time of summer. It’s usually not too hot yet, or if it roasts for a day or two the heat will eventually break and you’ll have a stretch of pleasant days mixed in. The rhythms of the summer are still developing and the season holds seeming endless promise. At least that’s what it felt like…
Friday Playlist
It’s been a few weeks since we’ve had a proper playlist. The new music has dried up just a hair and I haven’t had much time to devote to what is available over the past couple weeks. I’ve hacked together something to keep you occupied for a half hour or so, including two amazing videos. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6oe7cH8xXzXb43aUaPh49h?si=c61d522bd99e4347 “Evergreen” – Bendigo Fletcher…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 57
Chart Week: May 12, 1979Song: “In the Navy” – The Village PeopleChart Position: #5, 9th week on the chart. Peaked at #3 for two weeks. I wasn’t old enough to “get” the Village People when they were at the height of their powers. I was 6–7 years old during their brief moment at the top of the pop culture pyramid.…
A Disturbance in the Force
Before I get to our next Reaching for the Stars entry, I realized that I first need to share some disturbing news in the AT40 world that has radically changed my life. The local station that played American Top 40 on Sundays for at least 12 years has stopped airing the show. A week after we returned from spring break…
Reader’s Notebook, 6/7/21
My reading pace slacked off significantly over the past month. I only finished three books in May, and none of them should have taken more than a couple of days. Because of that, the first two books in this entry don’t get very good recaps as it has been too long since I finished them to write anything terribly coherent…