Reader’s Notebook, 9/30/21
After a six-week-ish lull, my pace of knocking out books has picked back up. I’ll likely finish another book later today, but wanted to go ahead and get this out. Missionaries – Phil Klay Klay’s second work about modern warfare is his first true novel; Redeployment was a series of short stories based loosely on his service as a Marine…
Some Sports From the Weekend
My sports weekend was a little more compressed than normal. We hosted several of M’s friends and their families Sunday evening, so we spent a lot of time prepping for them and then enjoying their company. Friday night was CHS’ homecoming. We went to dinner with a couple other families and by the time we walked in, the Irish were…
Friday Playlist
No long essays about how old music makes me feel this week. I do write a little more about most of these songs than I usually do, though. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1EnYwdzLt7XAvHneeIa6rp?si=6322b695f8114d0a “Waste Your Time” – Jackson+Sellers Jade Jackson says this song is about those final moments of a toxic relationship, when you are reevaluating everything you’ve been through and realize it wasn’t…
Thursday Links
Finally worked through my Instapaper account to find some things I’ve saved to share with you. Dave Holmes Visits 1988 to Pay Respect to Casey Kasem’s Last True American Top 40 Countdown Someone posted this piece to the AT40 Facebook group I’m a member of. It comes from right after Casey Kasem died back in 2014, but I still enjoyed…
When It Is Hard To Watch
There are constant reminders that we live in crazy-ass times. Times where simple differences of opinion aren’t allowed and every debate has to be A Whole Thing. Times where civility has disappeared from discourse and it rapidly transitions into vitriol. Some of you know my wife has a second job, taken to support my blogging career. Not really. Taken, truthfully,…
For Those Who Celebrate…
…Happy Holiday
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 62
Well piss. I swear that I’ve posted this about three different times over the past two days. Obviously I’m losing it. Chart Week: August 25, 1984 Song: “Breakin’…There’s No Stopping Us” – Ollie and Jerry Chart Position: #34, 13th week on the chart. Peaked at #9 the week of August 4. I love musical origin stories. Especially ones where a…
Friday Link
I need to run through my Instapaper account and collect some more good reads to share. To tide you over, here is one that made me laugh out loud from McSweeney’s. Wake Up Sailors, Scurvy is a Hoax
Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3vr4vLNbPtAzVOUANrWWv5?si=19a6709a82ae4219 “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” – The War on Drugs with Lucius The title track from the upcoming TWOD LP. It is the brightest, shiniest, poppiest track the band has ever done. Naturally I love it. Lucius provides a very nice vocal assist. “This Enchanted” – Hatchie Harriet Pilbeam recently signed with Indiana label Secretly Canadian, and this is…
Fall Kickball Wrap Up
Another kickball season is complete. L’s team was supposed to make up three games that had been rained out. One school never responded to multiple messages from our coach about a reschedule date. It’s the team L kicked six homers in one game against a year ago, and we’ve generally beaten them like rented mules since third grade. So I…