Just a little cat humor for a Friday evening. You will find a whole series of Simon's Cat videos on YouTube. The "Cat Man Do" video really reminds me of our cat, Mars. He tries to wake me up every morning. Enjoy!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
little league update
This should tell you how the Little League travel team is doing! After two weeks of intensive training and practices, our local Little League is hosting the minor league tournament that began on Monday night and concludes tomorrow night. There are four teams, and each team plays every other team once. The team with the best record advances, and as far as I know, the rest of the teams will be "done." So as it turns out, our travel team is not traveling, but the teams we are playing are coming from all over, and these out-of-town kids are all taller than I am and they seem to have an endless reservoir of pitchers who throw 60 mph fast balls. Can you say human growth hormone?Seriously, our little guys, who have had little experience with baseball adversity this year, have faced two nights of "tough baseball." Last night they lost 7-1 and tonight it was an ever wider margin (I lost track, thankfully). Matt, who started every game during the regular season, and was a feature at first, second, third, and short, as well as getting some good pitching time, has been in the outfield and has been a sub - with just a short stint at first. This was a disappointment to Matt last night, but it gave us something to talk about. After all, it was an honor just to get selected for this team.
Tonight Matt went in to pitch, and he really was a gamer. He did a good job, threw strikes, and I think he'll see some more time tomorrow. However, since our guys lost their first two games, I think it is safe to say that tomorrow night may be our last night of baseball for the season. It has been good for Matt - the winning and the losing. I will look forward to some lazy summer nights with no baseball commitments in these waning days of summer. I think I can save the routine chants of "Here we go," "Let's go 1-2," "Nice cut," "Good Eye," and "Let's go Blue" for another year. The good news is, at age "nearly 10," Matthew is completely cheered up by an ice cream cone at the end of the evening and the thought of his upcoming birthday. Wouldn't it be great if more adults could be fully cheered up by the same? Let's work on that.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
loon haiku
the loon's call drifts in
through the mist and the ripples --
beautiful lake sounds
[I wrote this in 2005, and then found this video on YouTube taken in the Adirondacks in 2005!]
cyndi lauper - carey
Back in 2000, the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City was the site of a special concert, An All-Star Tribute to Joni Mitchell. A number of my favorite artists performed Joni's songs, including Richard Thompson, James Taylor, Cassandra Wilson, Shawn Colvin, KD Lang, and Diana Krall.One of the most outstanding performances (and so many were GREAT!) was by Cyndi Lauper. You can see the video on YouTube here.
I am also trying something out new today. I have toyed with the idea of subscribing to Hipcast to upload MP3s, and yet the idea of paying for a service that will require me to actually convert my CD tracks to MP3s is pretty overwhelming, since I really don't have enough time to devote to that project. My music collection is huge, and it would be a daunting task.
A number of the blogs I read use Hipcast, and I really do like it. I also read a blog (An Island Walk) that uses Putfile, and it has a free service, so I am going to give that a try first. Thanks to Kat, who sent this to me some time ago, I am going to include the MP3 of this great Cyndi Lauper performance: Carey.
I have a cassette tape of the concert, made from a videotape of the television program. To the best of my knowledge, this soundtrack is not otherwise available -- or readily so, anyway. So, enjoy this treat!
Note: When you click on a Putfile link, your browser redirects to Putfile, and it takes a moment to load the media. The song will play automatically. To go back to the blog, just hit the "back" button (or open up another browser window and call up the blog there so that you can keep reading with the music on in the background). If this works, I may be able to share music here and there as I make time to convert CDs, without depending on YouTube. Or who knows? I may end up with Hipcast eventually. Have a good day!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
crystal frontier - calexico
This one suits my mood for a number of reasons tonight. Perhaps you will like it too.
Ana from Niš
We were happy to host a friend from Serbia this past week. Ana is the daughter of Moma and Miliana in Niš. How did we come to meet Ana? Tom became acquainted with Moma, a dean at the University of Niš in Serbia, during a two-year faculty exchange program a few years ago. During that time, Tom went to Serbia three times, and Moma came to the U.S. at least once. While there, Tom grew very fond of Moma and his family, and he told them to come visit any time. As it worked out, Ana was able to get a Visa and travel to the U.S. this summer!Monday, July 7, 2008
if i didn't know any better - alison krauss & union station
Just like there are some books I would rather read and imagine than see the movie made of the book, there are some songs I would rather just close my eyes and listen to and imagine than see a music video that doesn't fit in my mind. I am reminded that I really need to finally get an MP3 software like Hipcast so that I can post MP3s sans videos on occasion. This would have been one of those times.This is a song off the 2004 "Lonely Runs Both Ways" album by Alison Krauss & Union Station. The song was actually written by John Scott Sherrill and Mindy Smith. I love this CD, and was reminded of it today when Kat at Keep the Coffee Coming posted another great song from the album (Wouldn't Be So Bad). I actually listened to If I Didn't Know Any Better on repeat mode because it perfectly conjured up an image of someone reluctantly falling in love, against their better judgment, with someone they should not. (Great literary theme for an English-major-type like me.)
When I went searching for this song, I was initially going to post the official Alison Krauss video for the song. I really didn't like it. It didn't fit, and was "all about Alison." So I selected this one with imagery from Pride and Prejudice . . . a much better fit (but still not as good as one's own imagination.) Feel free to listen without watching:
Sunday, July 6, 2008
down to zero - joan armatrading
I am having a hard time believing that my lovely vacation week is over. I'm also having a hard time believing that this song is nearly 30 years old! Back by popular demand, one of your favorites and mine, (well, mine anyway) . . . is Joan Armatrading live at a German TV Studio(Studio L in Cologne) on 15th Feb. 1979. This seemed appropriate for tonight.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
shameless plug
We have another blogger in the family. Tom has started a new blog, entitled The Belize Zoo Blog, and if you have a moment to check it out, I encourage you to do so. It is a work in progress, with more links and posts expected soon from the current authors, and some prospective authors who have been invited to participate. He outlines his interest in Belize, and specifically, in the Belize Zoo in his welcome post.You may remember that Belize is actually behind the start of this blog. I started a blog initially to share photos and journal entries from our January 2007 class trip to Belize with Tom, his colleague Steve, and 16 college students. You will notice I have a Belize category label in my list of categories on the right. I enjoyed blogging so much after that trip, that I kept going, and that was the beginning of the story.
Anyway, I think you will enjoy The Belize Zoo Blog @ http://tbzblog.blogspot.com/! Please send along the address to friends who may have an interest. Thanks.
[*Remember, you can click on the image to enlarge the map of Belize. We initially stayed near San Ignacio (near the Guatemalan border), and then we went to Belize City, and then to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. What a great trip that was. ]
play that funky music
Friday, July 4, 2008
happy 4th of july

The Declaration of Independence is really quite an amazing document. To read the text, click HERE. I learned in my legal issues course that the Constitution does not, perhaps purposely, mention the equality of all men, and the Declaration in fact does. The U.S. saw many, many years pass before federal legislation extended rights to women and to people of color. According to Tom, Garry Wills in his book entitled, Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America, discusses the fact that Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address posits that the Declaration of Independence is the true founding document of the United States, not the Constitution. If we think about it, "Four score and seven years ago . . . " from 1863 is 1776. I just did the math.
When do we think about these things, really? I will put the Wills book on my "to read" list, as true patriotism seems to be lost in a fog these days. It would be nice to contemplate original truths at their sources rather than passively listening to the rhetoric that abounds in the media these days. What does it mean to be patriotic? What are the values of this country? What are the things that are worth fighting for? The true values upon which the U.S. was founded are worth celebrating. They are not concerned with greed, but rather, the opposite of avarice. They do not require citizens to relegate others to a subordinate position or to dominate, but rather, the they celebrate self-governance and independence. These are ideas worthy of contemplation and honor. Have a great day.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
serendipity - in reverse
I was telling my mom today on the phone to be sure to read my "4th of July" blog post tomorrow. I wrote it last night (7/2) and queued it up as a "scheduled post" on Blogger so that if I am too lazy tomorrow to post first thing, it will automatically go out at 8 a.m. EST on 7/4. She told me that the Declaration of Independence was actually written on July 2nd, and publicly read on July 4th. Because of that, the commemoration of Independence Day has since been on the 4th of July. I didn't know that!waves - the watson twins
Today I was listening to the NPR song of the day by The Watson Twins, and I really liked it. I heard a bit of Beth Orton in the song, and could hear the folk/pop/country influences. I went to their web site and the Wikipedia site for the duo and learned that they have covered Neil Young on an album entitled, Cinnamon Girl - Women Artists Cover Neil Young for Charity, which is pretty neat. My most recent music post was Neil covering the Beatles. All the little connections make my brain happy.From The Watson Twins' MySpace page:
Chandra and Leigh Watson, identical twin sisters, were raised in the sprawling southern city of Louisville, Kentucky. As children they began singing in the church choir and it was there they discovered a passion for music and an innate ability to harmonize. In 1997, The Watson Twins pulled up stakes and moved from Louisville across the country to Los Angeles. They found their place in the music scene of Silverlake; a neighborhood that cultivated artists such as Beck, Elliot Smith, Silversun Pickups, Rilo Kiley and more. It wasn’t long before The Watson Twins found a circle of “like minded” musicians and formed Slydell, a popular band in the local music scene. In 2006 Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley) and The Watson Twins released Rabbit Fur Coat, on Conor Oberst’s label, Team Love Records. Rabbit Fur Coat was an unheralded sensation.
Anyway, here's a gentle, breezy song for you today, entitled "Waves," by The Watson Twins, off their first full-length album, Fire Songs. [Click on the song title above.] Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
beach bliss
On Friday, we traveled about 5 1/2 hours to South Jamesport, New York, which is on the bay side of the north fork of eastern L.I., to meet up with some college friends for the long weekend. Our group, 11 this year, stayed at a very nice family motel right on the beach. This might be redundant, but the name of the resort was "Motel on the Bay." It was clean and well-situated for a group like ours.
a day in the life - neil young
Not too many would attempt to cover this complex and chaotic Beatles song. According to a number of web sites, Neil Young has added this performance to his European concert tour. Neil does the piece justice with his intense guitar playing. Granted, I know not everyone will like it, but I sure do. This is a recent performance in Spain at Rock in Rio Ciudad del Arganda Rey Madrid (June 27, 2008).
“I saw the news today, oh, boy
Four-thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall”
I love that verse.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
haiku fun

Thursday, June 26, 2008
coyote - joni mitchell
Inspired by a post from Ralph at http://daysoftransition.blogspot.com, here is a very nice performance of a song off Hejira. This is a live performance with The Band for The Last Waltz.


