Reader’s Notebook, 12/3/19
A whole mess of books to share. I’ve been putting this off because I was having a hard time writing about a couple of them. I think you’ll be able to guess which ones as you work your way through the list. The Last Stand of Payne Stewart – Kevin Robbins This is an unlikely book for me to both…
Holiday Weekend Notes
It was an enjoyable holiday weekend at our house. Some highlights… KU Hoops I’ll break this out later, but the KU-Dayton game on Wednesday was a fine beginning to the holiday break. That game is an argument for why college hoops is better than college football. Two very good teams going toe-to-toe in the season’s earliest weeks and a loss…
Favorite Songs of the Decade: The 2010s
Well shit, I’m late. Last week I looked back and saw that I released my Favorite Songs of the 2000s on November 23, 2009. I was aiming to post this decade’s list on December 1 but when I saw that date, I figured I better get my shit together and drop this on your heads. Besides, I haven’t even started…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 34
Chart Week: November 6, 1982 Song: “Maneater” – Daryl Hall and John Oates Chart Position: #36, 4th week on the chart. Peaked at #1 for three weeks in December and January. I was hoping to turn on the local AT40 replay last weekend and hear a countdown from a Thanksgiving weekend past that would stir up some holiday-themed memories. Alas…
Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/48StHtBgPJiEe4nVkc5QUk?si=oenO8rCdSMm_3KO7KhYQxA “Love You For A Long Time” – Maggie Rogers. Another utterly delightful song from Maggie. “Motorcade” – Peggy Sue. This is a duo from London who are set to release their debut album in February. I love this first track, with its fun swing and driving tempo. “Champion of the World” – Coldplay. “Los Angeles, Be Kind” – Owl…
Car Troubles
We had an interesting Monday when it came to interactions with automobiles, both indirectly and directly. Things started with a bit of a bang. Just before we were heading out of the house to do school drop offs C yelled to us, “There’s a car on fire outside!” I ran to our front door and, sure enough, on the main…
Outnumbered
There are moments when the lack of respect I get in my house is unbelievable. Example: yesterday S and I used the relatively warm and dry afternoon to put up some outdoor Christmas lights. Part of our post-pool construction landscaping was adding seven Norwegian spruces to our backyard to provide some privacy. We decided to add them to our holiday…
Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3B5D23oC8mIzmew2WG5KCc?si=8la2MdB_SGOsWfc08bp5Fw “Lenox Hill” – Thyla. This here shit? This is the shit that is right up my alley these days. Driving, dreamy pop with a female vocalist. Wait until you see my Favorites of 2019 list… “Now I Know” – The Whiffs. This song has a serious late ‘70s/early ‘80s vibe to it. The rock music of that time that…
Some More Old Man Shit
As if the golf wasn’t enough, I have myself another old-man hobby. Or I nearly had another old man hobby, I should say. Back in July I saw an online ad for a watch sale at some random store. It wasn’t a store I was interested in, but I clicked through just to see what was available. The watch I…
Kid Sports: A Controversial End
We finally – FINALLY – wrapped up the fall sports season last night. It was a strange and disappointing ending. L’s basketball team’s first opponent in the City tournament was a team that was undefeated. All those wins came in very convincing fashion. We figured it was another team loaded with six graders who play year-round and we’d be lucky…