Shawn

C.S.I. - season 2 One of those series I saw bits and pieces of over the years but never really watched. I always like having at least 1 police procedural/episodic series on the back burner when I feel the need to take a break from serialized. As much as I love all the fine TV series that are coming out now I still think there is a need for series that tell a complete story in a single episode. This show still feels fresh, it's very quickly paced and the editing is excellent, far-fetched to be sure but undeniably entertaining. I've always liked William Peterson and Marg Helgenberger as well. The series has been on the air so long that going back and watching season 1 and 2 they are still using Pagers!

Los Angeles during the El Nino powered storms this week.

Nada. But I did order a new stylus for my turntable so I'm looking forward to playing some albums that I have not been able to audition yet.

Beverly Hills, 1955

It has actually felt like December this December in California. I've worn my coat more this month than I did in the past 3 winters combined.

Watched the pilot episodes of Manhattan (will continue watching) and Quantico (will NOT continue watching). Also enjoyed rewatching some classic Avengers episodes from the first year they went to color. Emma Peel and John Steed always makes me smile. I've also noticed that many of the technical crew that worked on that series were also regulars at Hammer Films during that era.

"Storybook cottages" in Culver City, CA. You would imagine these structures being out in the woods somewhere, but in actuality they are a half block away from busy Venice Blvd.

Jazz related without being strictly "jazz". Panzerballett - Breaking Brain Special Providence - Essence of Change Snarky Puppy - Sylva

Giving this album another shot this morning and I must say I'm really enjoying it, think I'll be adding this one to the collection soon. Should I forfeit my "Jazz Cred" identification badge since I'm enjoying this album?

Turrentine is one of my all-time favorite players, he was a master. Thankfully I got a chance to see him at Jazz Alley in Seattle about 6 months before he passed away, I spoke with him briefly after the gig and he also signed a copy of my Comin' Your Way CD. One of my favorites:

Fringe - season one. Felt like revisiting this one, love spending time with Walter, Olivia, Peter and Astrid/Astro/Asterisk/Acid/Ostrich/Aspirin, etc.

I just took my 20 or so contenders for 2015 and compared it to the NPR top 50 list. Unsurprisingly there isn't a single shared album among them. Let me know what your definition of fun rock is and I'll see if I can help you out. The NPR list is abysmal in that area.

David Longdon (lead singer for Big Big Train) did audition for Genesis at one point, he basically sounds like a cross between Gabriel and Collins so that makes perfect sense. Their 2-part English Electric album is their best so far. They have a live blu-ray release (Stone & Steel) and a new studio album (Folklore) coming in the first half of 2016. The lead singer/guitarist/keyboardist from Norwegian band Beardfish (one of my favorites) has now also joined BBT full-time and will be featured on their new release.

I just discovered this group and have been playing their latest album for days. It is quickly becoming one of my favorites of the year. Perfect Beings, from Los Angeles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORqYgFNirdg

Freaks and Geeks.

Finished up Jessica Jones, damn good series and man did it get intense in the last half of the season! Hoping it gets renewed (and with the critical acclaim it's almost a guarantee). Now starting: The Man In The High Castle (Amazon)

Jessica Jones (Netflix) Watched the first 3 episodes and so far it's an excellent adult dramatic series that just happens to have comic origins, but is as far removed from the other superhero stuff as you can get. I've been a fan of Krysten Ritter since I saw her in Veronica Mars years ago, I'm glad she finally got a worthy vehicle for her talent. David Tennant was an inspired choice as the "big bad" for the season.

Orpheum Theatre on the left, Eastern Building on the right.

Suits - Season 1 Enjoyable legal series (though they rarely set foot inside a courtroom), nothing groundbreaking but a good cast and a fast pace keep it entertaining. Quite a few pretty ladies to look at as well.

And they aren't afraid to use it.

It's a little too early for leaves to fall off here in Los Angeles. It just dropped into the low 50s at night for the first time in months, it will be late November, early December before we get any moderately cold weather. The hottest months here are often September and October instead of July and August like the east coast. It also depends on the trees, you don't have the same kind of variety here as you have back east, you don't get much of a color change either. We often get wind this time of year as well and that takes care of the types of trees that lose their leaves. There really isn't a "fall" or "spring" here and I only wore my heavy coat about 3 days last "winter". Looking historically at weather in January in Los Angeles the average high temperature for the month is 68 and the average low is 48.

Just a few random shots around the neighborhood yesterday afternoon while I was on my lunch break. The fluffy clouds are kind of a rarity in Los Angeles so I always try to snap some pictures on days when they show up.

Generally? No. Occasionally I'll here something I'm okay with but I would never get in the mood for this style or feel the need to own any of it.