youtu.be/LQ82BX0hG… “Clampdown” - The Clash youtu.be/6kJ2S9Bas… “Johnny Appleseed” - Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros Joe Strummer would have been 63 today. Here are two songs that sum up the second and third phases of his career about as well as any. “Clampdown” is an absolute blowtorch of a song. It is roughly four minutes of righteous fury; a warning to either jump on board or get the hell out of the way.
A very busy couple of weeks. I thought I was alone in trying to cram 857 activities into the finals days of summer break, but it sounds like that’s par for the course for the modern parent. Glad I was not alone. We hit approximately 83 different parks over the final two weeks of summer. Parks we had been to before this year, parks we had not been to in years, and parks we had never visited before.
youtu.be/KSM0lLbVY… “Queen of Peace / Long and Lost” - Florence + The Machine WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS NUDITY A very artsy, very long video for one of the best tracks on Florence Welch’s latest album. Not sure I get the visuals,[1] but the opening song is fantastic. And rumor has it the segment for “Long and Lost” was shot in one take. Single-take videos/scenes are always fresh. Check the comments.
(Note: I wrote this last night while watching the Royals play Detroit. The R’s were up 4–2, Edinson Volquez was cruising along, and a sweep of the Tigers seemed imminent. Then an infield single, a walk, and another infield single to open the top of the 8th launched a 4-run Tigers rally that helped them salvage the final game of the series. As with K-State football two years ago, and Iowa State basketball last year, my jinx powers are strong.
This morning, the alarm went off at 6:20. I roused the girls about 10 minutes later, they shuffled down for breakfast, then back up to get dressed. We cut tags off of new pairs of shorts, found skirts that fit correctly, and laced up new shoes so they were nice and tight. Snacks and lunches were packed, book bags loaded up, and obligatory pictures snapped. The school year has begun.
youtu.be/9f06QZCVU… “Summer of ’69” - Bryan Adams I heard this song yesterday and it seemed perfect for this weekend, our last one before school begins next week. A moment of nostalgia on all the fun stuff we’ve crammed into the last two months. Granted, Adams was looking back at slightly different subject matter than the girls and I will think of when we think of the summer of ’15. Man, is it a great sounding song, with that gorgeous, chiming second guitar that was a huge influence on Ryan Adams’ self-titled album of last year.
Up, Up, & Away - Jonah Keri Keri’s first book, The Extra 2%, was destined to disappoint. Its focus was the small market, small budget Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays and their rise to become perennial contenders in the American League East. That was a problem, because it was impossible not to compare it to Michael Lewis’ Moneyball, his look at a small market, small budget team’s rise to prominence. As good a writer as Keri is, he’s not in Lewis’ class, and Moneyball is one of the all-time great sports books.
Some week for Your Kansas City Royals! Let’s review. Last Sunday they acquired Johnny Cueto from Cincinnati then went out and beat Houston ace Dallas Keuchel to get a series win against a possible playoff opponent. Monday they flew to Cleveland and pounded the Indians in game one. Tuesday they made another trade, grabbing Ben Zobrist from the A’s. That night, behind a clutch homer by Eric Hosmer and perhaps the best defensive play you will ever see, edged the Indians and Trevor Bauer 2–1.
Finally getting the backlog cleared out. Some more tidbits about the rather excellent summer movie lineup of 1985. 14 Blockbuster Facts About the Summer Movies of 1985 I’m not sure why, but I’ve enjoyed Tiger Woods’ fall. I don’t get it because I absolutely loved him in his prime. It’s not like he was Lance Armstrong and cheating and lying about his performance constantly through that run. He was just being a dog in his personal life, something that I almost expect from professional athletes.
youtu.be/hqf7DxBAu… “False Hope” - Laura Marling If the year ended today, this would be in my top 10 for songs of the year. Possibly top 5.
A week or so behind, and a lot of long reads to share. Thus I’m going to split the offerings into two posts. The longer articles will be listed below. The rest will be shared tomorrow or Friday. First, Maciej Ceglowski wraps up his tales of traveling through the New Madrid earthquake zone. Confronting New Madrid (Part 2) Keeping it in the earthquake genre, Kathryn Schulz wrote this frightening accounting of how devastating a Big One in the Pacific Northwest could be.
Holy shit! Normally this time of year, Royals fans are begging general manager Dayton Moore to sell off the team’s most valuable free-agent-to-be to bring in more prospects for the future. Two years ago, it was Ervin Santana. The Royals kept him and went on a tear through August and September that saw them fall just short of making the playoffs. Last year it was James Shields. A week after the All-Star break the Royals were floundering and it seemed like the smart move to sell Shields and hope 2015 might finally be the year.
Eleven years ago Saturday, we welcomed our first daughter into our family. Which is totally an amazeballs thing to say. Eleven freaking years. Seriously? How in the hell did that happen? M. celebrated in a very M. way: stretching it out and keeping as much attention on herself as possible. Now that’s not exactly fair. She didn’t ask to have her birthday celebration span three days (with more to come today).
youtu.be/bpz2AWu4P… “Cuts You Up” - Peter Murphy When seminal Goth band Bauhaus broke up in the early 80s, its members went two ways. Daniel Ash, David J, and Keith Haskins went mainstream with their new band Love and Rockets. But former lead singer Peter Murphy continued to make darker music that, while not pure Goth, certainly was aimed more at the college/alternative/modern rock audience. This single, released in early 1990, was Murphy’s biggest solo hit.
Some catch up on general summer notes. Monday was our annual trip to the 4H fair where the girls’ cousin shows pigs every year. As usual, they had fun walking through the buildings and viewing the pigs, cows, goats, sheep, and rabbits. No poultry this year because of the avian flu thing and the horses were not shown on Monday, so it wasn’t quite as comprehensive a view of farm animals as in the past.
Turns out we did have some storm damage after all. We arrived at the LVS Saturday, ready to greet 12 friends for 26-ish hours of fun, and our power was still performing erratically. Some circuits worked, some did not. Those that worked seemed to be humming along at half-voltage. The fridge was running, but not cooling at all. I plugged in the blower to clean up leaves and twigs and could barely get any juice.
As I mentioned in my camping/All Star game post, the girls and I had to make a trip Thursday morning. It was a trip that began with a tremendous amount of stress and worry but ended up being only mildly annoying. We headed down to the LVS. Not to boat or swim. Or even meet a contractor to do something cool to the house. Rather we were checking on it to make sure it was ok.
A couple more Song of the Summer contenders this week. youtu.be/2jhRtybGY… “Dreams”- Beck Whooo boy! I’ve never been a huge Beck fan but this song grabbed me the first time I heard it and refuses to let go. And in typical Beck fashion, it’s just quirky enough to make it stand out. In the absence of an official video, this oddball collection of clips from the 1970s Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader movie seems perfect.
Normally this time of year, I’m sharing my thoughts on the MLB All Star game. In fact, it’s kind of a tradition. You can look it up in the archives, even! This year I was really looking forward to the All Star game, what with Royals fans highjacking the voting and sending four starters and Mike Moustakas to Cincinnati. Throw in Ned Yost and his coaching staff, plus Yost’s picks Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera, and it was going to be a night to celebrate the Royals’ fantastic October run and terrific first half on the national stage.
When news first broke, about a year ago, that KU would be representing the United States in the World University Games this summer, I was pretty pumped up about it. KU basketball in the summer, extra practice for the team, and a chance to get new players adjusted to the KU system before official practice even starts? What’s not to like? Who knows, maybe the summer work would sway a key recruit or two to select KU over a rival school.