vibes

Stan Kenton - A Merry Christmas

I don't think that comp store sales are very valuable for entertainment categories. They're helpful for measuring the results of one or multiple retailers on the whole, but not as helpful at the product category level, especially in categories that are driven by the creation of new art, as opposed to technologically-driven. I think the major callout here is that people aren't buying what the industry is creating and trying to sell, which suggests that the industry is out of touch with consumers, among other things (shocking, I know).

I look forward to seeing something else on the air. Food Network is my favorite channel, and there's way too much Emeril. I don't find him at all entertaining.

It's also an English word with an Italian derivation.

Seriously. If the chick likes Chet Baker, then you tell her that's your dad or something. Sheesh.

Scoring. When my brother was in college, he had a friend whose nickname was "Score." So, they made a big sign out of Christmas lights that read "SCORE" and would flash it in the window when they saw him walking to and from class. This being one of the most religious universities in the country (BYU), the girls didn't take kindly to the sign and filed a complaint with the university. No more "score" sign.

I guess he really is dead then.

During my senior year of college, I had a job transcribing recorded telephone surveys. As I was dreaming one morning, I leaned over and punched the wall with my left hand. It was really painful, and my hand had bruises all over it. When I called my manager to tell him that I wouldn't be able to work for a day or two due to the hand situation, I could tell he thought I was full of crap. Seeing the hand certainly changed his mind, though. I think the punching thing runs the in the family. My mother told me that my father has punched her in the eye before in his sleep. And now that I think about it, I've kicked my wife pretty hard a couple of times in my sleep as well.

I had a dream the other night that I was in a run-down, closed psychologist's office. The psychologist had been murdered and the place closed down. I don't remember all the details, but over the course of looking around the office I discovered that the psychologist's name was Bev Stapleton, and that I had killed him. Anyone heard from Bev lately?

When I lived in Hong Kong, friends of mine loved to have their picture taken under the sign for Chik Fuk St., in the New Territories. It's pronounced "jick foke," but that somehow didn't make it into the romanization scheme. Probably best translated as "direct blessings/luck". My favorite weird street name in the US is Zzyzx Road, which is off I-15 in the Mojave Desert in California.

Uh-huh. You are aware [i hope] that someone who clicks on a post you made [and at random] might think your['re] a mental midgit? But, hey....you do what you think will sell your posts. I was just trying to help. Maybe this would have been a better question. Now it makes sense. I see. So good grammar equals shouting. Interesting. What would ALL CAPS mean, then? From Merriam-Webster's dictionary: grammar Main Entry: gram·mar Listen to the pronunciation of grammar Pronunciation: \ˈgra-mər\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle English gramere, from Anglo-French gramaire, modification of Latin grammatica, from Greek grammatikē, from feminine of grammatikos of letters, from grammat-, gramma — more at gram Date: 14th century 1 a: the study of the classes of words, their inflections, and their functions and relations in the sentence b: a study of what is to be preferred and what avoided in inflection and syntax 2 a: the characteristic system of inflections and syntax of a language b: a system of rules that defines the grammatical structure of a language So, what does using caps have to do with grammar? NOTHING.

I got bored at 540 grains. 10 grains per word seems so paltry, considering the fact that rice isn't that expensive.

Always English, even if/when I rarely speak it during the day. Dreaming, on the other hand, is a different matter. I have dreamed in most of the languages I have studied.

Interesting. I thought that I was just strange in that respect. I travel quite a lot on planes, and have a pair of Bose headphones that I enjoy on long flights. On the other hand, I do find the noise reduction mechanism to be bothersome to my ears. I therefore still use the iPod buds in most circumtances, despite the much lower fidelity. It is a strange feeling on the ears, something like an increase in air pressure. It does create ear fatigue. After a few hours, my ears feel very tired. It kind of pisses me off that these $300 state-of-the-art Bose headphones don't even give you the option to turn the noise reduction off when you don't want to use it. I would love to use the phones in my hotel room, for example, instead of the iPod buds, if only there was a way to turn off the noise reduction. The amount of noise cancellation employed will definitely have a noticeable effect on the user. I was discussing noise cancellation with my Thomson (Acoustic Research) rep a few years ago, and he said that they had come up with a pair of noise-canceling headphones that eliminated an extreme amount of noise across the spectrum, but that test users of the headphones had had problems with vomiting and equilibrium after wearing the headphones for a very short period of time. Increase in pressure is right!

That really sucks. I've ordered so many things from abroad and have never paid duties on any of them, so I'm not exactly sure how that would work in the US.

Who's actually shipping it? Is it a US firm or a UK firm? (Lots of Amazon UK sellers are shipping from the US and this attracts customs dues for Britain.) MG Since I bought it from Amazon UK itself (not a seller like Caiman), and since they're offering free shipping within the UK, I would assume it's coming from the UK and not the US. Yep- if you are ordering direct from amazon.co.uk then there is no way you should have to pay customs. That's right for Britain, but Vibes is in the USA. Bit hard to pay customs dues on US manufactured stuff being reimported, but... maybe you'll get away with it Vibes. MG If memory serves, I've ordered a few other things from Amazon UK and Amazon Germany, and I've never paid duties on any of my purchases. Among these purchases were the Tal Farlow and Basie Mosaics.

Who's actually shipping it? Is it a US firm or a UK firm? (Lots of Amazon UK sellers are shipping from the US and this attracts customs dues for Britain.) MG Since I bought it from Amazon UK itself (not a seller like Caiman), and since they're offering free shipping within the UK, I would assume it's coming from the UK and not the US.

Thanks for the Oliver Nelson info. I just bought one from Amazon UK for £32 shipped to the US--great deal!

If you buy Shure, don't get anything less than the 4 series or above. I've tried the E2s and E3s, and they have zero bass whatsoever. They do block outside noise extremely well without noise cancellation circuitry, and I see that as a benefit since noise cancellation technology sometimes makes me feel ill. After being disappointed with and returning E2s and E3s, I ended up ordering some Ultimate Ears super.fi5Pro in-ear monitors. Yes, they're a bit pricey, but they have excellent, balanced, detailed sound and they block exterior noise extremely well--very handy for the office or when traveling. Some details: http://www.headphone.com/products/headphon...-5pro-black.php

Kenny Dorham, Virgil Jones- trumpet Jimmy Heath-tenor Tommy Flanagan- piano Ron Carter- bass Connie Kay-drums Invitation Too Close For Comfort Ruby, My Dear (2 takes) The Sealer Poom-A-Loom Stella By Starlight Ruby None Shall Wander (2 takes) An excellent side, IMHO. Aha! With Virgil Jones! Zowie! Thanks. MG FYI, Virgil plays on two cuts. If you buy "Invitation", spend the extra $10-15 and get the Mobile Fidelity version that came out earlier this year. It's wonderful.

I've always found browsing the Naxos section at my local Borders a lot of fun. I've bought a few random things I'd never heard of here and there, and have found some gems. I'm positive I wouldn't have otherwise found this music without there being a Naxos.

Lemme guess: Target corporate on Nicollet Mall? Right now, dirty navy cords, a Hanes v-neck t-shirt (white) with a few holes in it, and scuffed brown leather oxfords. I like my wardrobe. Target requires suits, so no, but you're close. Care to try again? Man, it's been years since I've been within ten feet of any scene on Nicollet. US Bank? Wells Fargo? Honeywell? (the company, not the punk band) General Mills? I give up. Best Buy. Probably the least formal (thank heaven) of all your guesses, and all major companies in the Twin Cities, for that matter.

Lemme guess: Target corporate on Nicollet Mall? Right now, dirty navy cords, a Hanes v-neck t-shirt (white) with a few holes in it, and scuffed brown leather oxfords. I like my wardrobe. Target requires suits, so no, but you're close. Care to try again?

Marinated chicken thighs in Famous Dave's barbecue sauce + green onions + yellow onions + garlic + dijon mustard + white wine vinegar + pepper + sea salt for a day, then grilled them up for dinner tonight. I'm on a low carb diet right now, so I didn't eat anything else. Chicken was great, though.

I wear khakis/chinos to work on most days, usually with a button-up shirt of some kind, though not necessarily buttoned up. I've been awfully fond of my new boot-cut jeans lately, so I've been wearing those a lot to work (I can get away with this on Fridays or if I've purchased a "casual sticker"). I've been wearing t-shirts and shorts more recently than I have since I graduated from high school. That's probably a response to having to look a little nicer at work during the week. Haven't had a reason to wear a suit in many months, but enjoy wearing one if I deem it necessary.