Sinéad
When Irish women with distinctive voices who were successful in the 90s die, I’m required to write about them. The terrible news came Wednesday of Sinéad O’Connor’s death. It’s an understatement to suggest she did not have an easy life, so while a shock, this is also one of those deaths that can seem like a relief from all the…
Weekend Notes: Living That Buckeye Lifestyle
Three-fifths of our family spent the weekend in Ohio. You want details? I got details! Kid Hoops L and I went to Cincinnati for the final travel tournament of the year. We’ve never done well in these events but were looking forward to one last shot to prove ourselves on the national stage. We had six games, so I’ll keep…
Friday Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2047Kt9nPGFZzd1EM8QKuD?si=341e83d596374fda “Midnight Sunburn” – Dog Ears Big, crunchy, power pop for mid-summer. “I Need Ya” – Somebody’s Child If the Strokes were from Ireland, they would probably sound like this. “Forgiving Ties” – Deer Tick I had to triple check this wasn’t a lost Tom Petty demo that someone else had finished. “The Spiral” – Body Maintenance This is some…
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…