Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 87
Chart Week: July 15, 1989 Song: “Buffalo Stance” – Neneh Cherry Chart Position: #20, 16th week on the chart. Peaked at #3 the week of June 24. I have always been fascinated by the details of how songs are made. There’s the initial inspiration. The writing and recording process. How a song is mixed and produced. Whether it goes on…
The Social Media Landscape
A few notes about the state of social media. About three weeks ago I was struck by how Twitter seemed to have settled down. While there were still plenty of minor issues, the major blowups that had been endemic since the Tech Toddler’s arrived had decreased. That’s not to say I was a happy user. The elimination of third party…
Weekend Notes
Kid Hoops A weird weekend for L and her teammates. We were in Bloomington for this week’s games. While that seems close it also involves navigating a shit-ton of construction and means we’re in the car for nearly three hours each day. Saturday we opened with an easy win. In fact, I’m not sure we’ll ever have an easier win.…
Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5pQfHtV9GNASYz4fcoQk3E?si=65486104c98548dc “The Window” – Ratboys Every time I type this band’s name, my devices autocorrect it to “Batboys.” You would think I’ve typed their name enough over the years that my various Apple OSes understand that, yes, I really mean Ratboys. Given that their up-coming album seems like it is going to be excellent and I will be writing about…
Reader’s Notebook, 7/12/23
Small Mercies – Dennis Lehane According to my master reading list, it’s been eight years since I had read a Lehane novel. Which doesn’t seem possible, until I realized he’s only released one new novel in that span. This story takes place in the summer of 1974, just before the city explodes when forced busing to desegregate Boston’s public schools…
Weekend Notes
It was an extra-long weekend featuring many hours in the car. Hoops in the Lou L and I drove west to St. Louis for her first out-of-town tournament of the year. The hoops were good. We went 3–1, winning the championship game by nine thanks to a 9–2 run in the final minute to put away a game we were…
Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0kjXEX04LoIbf75aTfp648?si=6a9b1e0b47324656 “Police On My Back” – The Clash I watched like my 60th documentary about The Clash this week and dove into their music for a bit after. I maintain they are the greatest cover band of all time, taking songs by other acts that were already great and elevating them as they made them their own. Here’s a perfect…
Thursday Links
Good news for those of you with video game collections: you will soon be able to buy an actual new game for your Atari 2600! ’Mr. Run and Jump’ will be the first official cartridge for the Atari 2600 since 1990 Not sure I buy this writer’s argument, but it is an interesting counter to the conventional wisdom about season…
Weekend Notes
A lot to get caught up on after a long holiday weekend. July 4th Our standard family pool party for the Fourth of July. Almost all the locals were over for a daytime gathering. I smoked rather than grilled burgers for the first time and they turned out pretty good. All the young ones were well behaved, and it seems…
Independence Day Playlist, 2023
It is my fifth year offering a playlist to celebrate the day in my own, unique, musical way. There are two new songs this year, one of which I can’t believe took me five years to add.