• Friday Vid

    OK, wanted to slide one more thing in for the week. This delightful video of how crabs exchange shells should make your day.

  • Friday Playlist

    I’m all set to unleash my Favorite Songs of 2018 list on the world early next week. As was a tradition on my old podcast, I’ll offer up this appetizer: a playlist of my #1 song of each year going back to 2004. I always offer the disclaimer that I do not update these lists. A few of these songs…

  • Another View of Shepherd

    I’m in the midst of my annual re-reading of Jean Shepherd’s A Christmas Story. If I’m not mistaken, this is the 10th-straight December I’ve reviewed the collection of short stories that much of the movie was based on. Every year I think, “I should go back and listen to some of Shepherd’s radio shows or read a biography of him.”…

  • Song and Dance

    A couple Christmas entertainment links to share this morning. I had been kicking around the idea of writing about my least favorite Christmas songs. Alexandra Petri decided to take that to a whole other level and rank 100 Christmas songs. A few of these I’ve never heard of and I think she leaves out a few that get played a…

  • Finally!

    Man am I excited to finally be writing this post. Yep, after six long, painful, frustrating, maddening, inexplicable months, we finally freaking sold our old house! We closed on Friday, so it’s really real this time. “Wait, what?” I can hear some of you asking. “I thought you sold it already?!?” Nope. Astute readers should recall that we thought we…

  • Friday Playlist

    https://open.spotify.com/user/224aiwksicafjldlua6nnpo4y/playlist/05vFwBpOdx80juaTDV90Kw?si=_YAOcPI-Q8OSU0iffEYGkg “Hire” – Girlpool. I don’t know much about this band. This song made Steven Hyden’s November Mixtape, and he says they make lots of perfect songs, so I may need to check them out. This track has a heavy Elliott Smith vibe to it. “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You) – The 1975. I’m not sure that there’s…

  • Reader’s Notebook, 12/6/18

    Although we’ve been in the new house nearly six months now, and I’ve read over 20 books over that span, I don’t know that I have a favorite reading spot. Or at least I didn’t until about a week ago. We have a sunroom that had been my spot, but it’s also just off the kitchen and you can hear…

  • D’s Notes

    It’s been one of those weeks, so far. Nothing big going on, but lots of little things. Each time I pause and think, “I should really post something to Ye Olde Website,” I either don’t have time to sit down and focus or I’m at a loss for topics. Thus time for a reader-favorite D’s Notes posts! GHWB Four years…

  • Friday Playlist

    November 30. This is when my music listening patterns begin to change. I’ve been listening to some Christmas music, but not as much I have in the past. I think I’m waiting for December 1 to really dive in. This week has been largely devoted to rounding out my Favorite Songs of the Year list. But more about than in…

  • Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 18

    Chart Week: November 15, 1986 Song: “Human” – The Human League Chart Position: #2, 10th week on the chart. Peaked at #1 the week of November 22. I only got to listen to a few minutes of the local countdown two Sundays ago. I felt obligated, though, to write about it as that was the last old AT40 we will…