Speaking of Ted Lasso, I ran across this column the other day. We have Apple TV+ free because of device purchases, and although it isn’t always super easy to find shows on the TV app, I didn’t struggle as much as this writer did.
However, it has sucked that so many friends who I think would absolutely love the show haven’t watched it, either because they don’t want to add another streaming platform to their monthly bills (Totally understandable; I wouldn’t have paid for it.
Me, just over two years ago:
Kansas football always finds a way to disappoint. I’d love to be surprised this time. And, My basic philosophy for KU football these days is that it can’t get any worse. Never stop being you, KU football! Since Les Miles arrived in Lawrence there have been rumors. Rumors about his health, his emotional investment to the program, his cognitive abilities. There was the curiously frequent turnover of offensive coordinators.
Compared to other recent weekends, this past one was pretty laid back for us. It helped that there was no KU game.[1]
The biggest factor in the lazy weekend was that my latest round of balance therapy really triggers my vertigo, and Sunday I spent almost the entire day on the couch giving my body a break. My therapist said making the vertigo kick in is the best way to speed the re-training of my brain, so I’m going to trust it was a good thing that I was worthless yesterday.
open.spotify.com/playlist/…
“Change Kills” - The Pack a.d. I swear I shared a track from these ass-kickin' Canadians last week, but I guess not. I just discovered them last week, which is a pity since they are apparently on a (permanent?) hiatus. Last year they released it was fun while it lasted, and announced that they were done touring and, likely, recording. I have to say, the album is a pretty amazing way to say goodbye.
If you’ve had more than one roommate in your life, you’ve likely had at least one bad roommate experience. Sometimes they were just minor annoyances that added up over time. I had a couple roommates who went through a “refuse to do dishes” phase. I reached the point where I had a plate, bowl, cup, and set of silverware that I would wash and hide so I could always have something to eat on.
A couple weeks back I alluded to a health procedure I was about to go through and promised to share details down the road. I just wrapped up my seventh visit to a health care professional over the past two months, have an idea what is going on, and can finally give you an update on what’s going on with my body. Sometime last fall I started feeling “different.” I was having frequent headaches, my vision was often funky, I was always tired, I had weakness in my legs, and had occasional spells of vertigo.
College basketball and lots of reading slowed down the visual media I consumed last month. Or at least compared to the past two months. Still some solid recommendations if you’re looking to add to your watch lists.
ZeroZeroZero Another entry in the gritty series revolving around the drug trade and its ramifications on society genre. This might be the bleakest damn show I’ve ever watched. Lots of wicked violence - including one of the most gruesome deaths I’ve ever seen (out of the corners of my eyes) - lots of good people getting sucked into horrible situations, intra-family murder, and a truly psychopathic character that I won’t soon forget.
It’s March! That means Daylight Saving Time and brighter evenings are two weeks away, astronomical spring is three weeks away, and Madness in right around the corner. We had snow on the ground 27 of 28 days in February. There are still piles in parking lots and other areas that were packed up following our big storm two weeks ago. But the last of the snow on most lawns melted Saturday afternoon as we had back-to-back days in the 60s.
open.spotify.com/playlist/…
“Strangers” - ACTORS Ooooh, this is some good shit! Just expert dark, post-punk that sounds straight out of the transition from the ’80s to the ’90s. Sounds a little like…
“Cuts You Up” - Peter Murphy …ACTORS definitely took a page out of the Peter Murphy/Bauhaus book. Since that book was written 30-35 years ago, it comes off as homage rather than ripoff. This song is a jam. If I made a mix tape of my favorite songs from my freshman year of college, this would be on it.
Chart Week: February 16, 1980 Song: “Coward of the County” - Kenny Rogers Chart Position: #3, 14th week on the chart. This was the song’s chart peak.
One of my complaints about the old American Top 40s that I listen to is that only a small selection of the total library of shows gets played. If you listen often enough, you’ll quickly hear repeats of the same shows. With something like 18 or 19 years of programs to choose from, that seems hard to do.
I’ve spent a lot of time messing with this little tool, which shows you how any shape you draw would float if it were an iceberg.
Iceberger
Go head, fuck around with it for a bit. It’s fun to discover shapes that flip over to find their most buoyant position.
It was a very busy weekend for sports, so let’s get into it.
KU Hoops Five wins in a row! My big concern about this winning streak was that three of the wins came against K-State and Iowa State, the two worst teams in the Big 12. Was KU’s better play just a function of their opponents? Or was the second half of the Oklahoma State game that began the streak a sign that it would play against better teams, too?
[open.spotify.com/playlist/...](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3CpuKpZT1Zc5OrhfFYXZV0?si=G81pG8LLT5a8d-bM-3i9tQ)
"Couch" - PONY
Some pretty good pop-punk. That opening riff sounds like it came from the first Clash album.
"Richie Sacramento" - Mogwai
This veteran Scottish act wrote this in tribute mostly to the late Dave Berman, but also to all their musical contemporaries who have passed in recent years.
"River" - Akron/Family
Sadly news broke late last night that Miles Seaton from the band Akron/Family had passed.
Normally when I see videos like the one I share below, I’ll watch a few minutes and then move on to something else. But I was absolutely mesmerized by this video of a boat traveling the waterways that connect Rotterdam to Amsterdam and watched the whole thing. Multiple times.
I have a medical procedure coming up that I’ve already attempted once and was unable to complete because of a bit of an anxiety attack (more on that in a couple weeks).
Our girls are all back in school today. Quite a few area schools either delayed or cancelled again, but we are on a normal schedule.
The mechanics of snow days are very different now than they were for my generation. Remember having to sit by the radio or TV, breathlessly waiting to hear your school’s name be read out, or to see it scroll across the bottom of the screen? I recall several days where I was ready to go to school - dressed, bag packed, coat on - and stood in front of the TV until the last possible moment to see if “Raytown Consolidated School District No.
Our long weekends got a little longer thanks to about nine inches of new snow yesterday. C and L were home Friday and Monday thanks to St P’s traditional President’s Day break, while M was just home Monday. All are eLearning today, although L had her assignments done in about 40 minutes and is currently playing Fortnite.
This was the biggest snowstorm we’ve had something like seven years.[1] It was nice for it to happen on a day when the girls were already out of school.
open.spotify.com/playlist/…
“You Don’t Own Me” - Pale Waves This song reminded me of something I’ve heard before…
“You’re Not the One” - Sky Ferreira …perhaps this. They aren’t exact matches but have some serious shared DNA. I wonder if Sky Ferreira will ever put out another album.
“Show Me Love” - Robin S “Show Me Love” - Robyn Unlike the previous two tracks, these songs sound nothing alike. But with the same title and like-named artists, they’ve always been joined at the hip in my head.
Three new books to share.
Lives Laid Away - Stephen Mack Jones Jones’ second August Snow novel. Once again the former Detroit cop gets sucked into a case that goes far beyond the neighborhood he’s attempting to revitalize. In this case it deals with rogue ICE agents, sex trafficking, and racist biker gangs.
If that seems like a lot, I think you’re on the same wavelength that I am. This book was not nearly as enjoyable as the first in the series.
Songs: “Sweet Caroline” - Neil Diamond. Peaked at #4 the week of August 16, 1969 “Take Me Home, Country Roads” - John Denver. Peaked at #2 the week of August 28, 1971 “Smoky Mountain Rain” - Ronnie Milsap. Peaked at #24 for two weeks in February/March of 1981
A different kind of RFTS post today. Rather than breaking down a song (or songs) and its place on the Billboard chart, this is a story about one of my kids with a pop music connection.