Category: Uncategorized
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Last Jazzcast 2015
As I was going through my 2015 music, I saw that I had a lot of jazz that had not made it onto a podcast this year, so I hastily put this last jazzcast for 2015 together. Some of these albums made it to many “Best of 2015” lists for the year, but this is…
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War on Xmas
I know that I’m supposed to be the leader on the War on Christmas (seriously – consumerism isn’t the reason for the season – I’m definitely anti-shopping), but I say “Merry Christmas” to people. I say it for one good reason – December 25. On my calendar it says that December 25 is Christmas, and…
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Christmas Decorations
Do you put up Christmas decorations? Have you had them up since Thanksgiving (or worse, before)? I’m not a Christmas decorations person – the Snoopy doghouse effect is beyond me. What’s worse is the blow ups (at least tell me you don’t have blow-up decorations). What is Santa in the bathtub supposed to represent –…
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A Little Older, A Little Slower
We’re not getting any younger. I spent yesterday morning at a remembrance for someone who died recently – it’s becoming more and more regular among people I know. As we get older, we start to lose our parents, aunts and uncles, and then co-workers and friends. At first, losing friends can be a surprise, but…
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Refugees
Refugee:a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. When did America turn into a scared nation? Most look at 9/11/2001 as the date, and we certainly have shown ourselves to be frightened little children since then, but there has always been a yellow streak…
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Setting aside the obvious
I’m beyond figuring out how the world works, or why there were attacks on France (and Lebanon). I’ll let wiser minds than mine figure out who to kill in retaliation (that will surely stop the violence). I had a very good weekend. Friday night my wife and I visited our son, where we ate a…
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It’s been warm
An unusually warm late October and early November had me thinking. I remember that it was very warm in October of 1979, as I went swimming in the ocean on my birthday (the water was still very cold). So it happens, just not with any frequency. I also remember snow on my birthday, and last…
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M Train
Last night I finished M Train by Patti Smith. What a great book. The main focus of the book is a shambling diary of the year 2012, but touches on much more, especially her marriage to Fred “Sonic” Smith of the MC5. It’s just a wonderful book full of coffee, TV detectives (USA Network’s The…
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Happiness is a Warm Gun
When I was a kid, I had an impressive array of toy guns. Pistols, rifles, and sub-machine guns. We played war constantly – I was the yellow peril, I played many Germans, and I was a good guy. We literally spent hours and hours with toy guns in our hand. I lived in rural Maine…
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Bring Back That Sunny Day
How appropriate – it’s going to rain all day, with heavy rain predicted (“It’s a Hard Rain that’s gonna fall”). Today’s special podcast looks at weather. We start with a stormy forecast, then see the clouds move in. From there we have a lot of rain before ending with the sun – there’s always the…