Stefan Wood

Y'know Jim. I didn't want to say anything, but when I saw you guys play up in Baltimore I did raise an eyebrow when you were doing this Liberace move on the keyboard, in an attempt to disguise the fact that you were switching cds in the sound system behind you. I should have known -- Joe and Randy not only sounded like Grant Green and Ben Dixon, it WAS Green and Dixon!

Calling on the grapevine to see if anyone has this cd, for sale or otherwise: Waterloo - First Battle PM me if so.

Wow. A lot of old fart comments in this thread.

I've ordered lots of things from Caiman -- imports and domestic, rare and not so rare. Never had a problem, and quick shipping.

No, I went to CarMax in Dulles VA mid January. Great service and helpful in determining my options. Did the extended warranty on the car, but it is in great shape. I have heard 6 cylinder engines on the Camry have had timing belt issues, but not the 4 cylinder, so I went for that. Loving it so far. Nice leather seats, automatic (as opposed the manual that was on the truck), sunroof, power everything and a real stereo system. Cup holders too! ABS, and airbags all over the place.

Update. Bad news - truck was declared totalled. Good news - got a nice Toyota Camry from Carmax. Painless! So far, my insurance company has been great. Still waiting for the hammer to come down, but so far so good.

Beleive it or not, the Smithsonian has a large collection of Joseph Cornells. It is a nice exhibition in the American Art museum that has been rrecently renovated and looking great! I have to toot my own horn and say check out the National Gallery -- there is a big Jasper Johns exhibition of his important works from 55-65, a great diptych show (called Prayers and Portraits), and a show that I just completed, Paris in Transition - a collection of photographs from 1850s to 1920s.

I guess Mosaic will fill in the reissue scene for some of the major labels -- a market that could be fiercely fought over between the smaller niche companies.

Here, go to this site. This is in my opinion the best source for deals on ipods or anything else Mac related: Deal mac

I'm waiting on two orders from yourmusic, placed between the holidays. I think a lot of people bought before the price raise, so that might be a reason why orders are taking longer.

I still have cdrs from burns I made 10 years ago that still sound fine, no skips. On crappy media (generic Circuit City brand).

I picked up the Naruse box from amazon uk. The remastering is excellent -- real solid black and white photography. The booklet is thick and filled with essays on the director and the films. Each one has audio commentary, but not much else in terms of dvd extras. Repast is very good -- his style reminds me of Ozu. A worthwhile purchase! EUREKA is also planning on issuing 7 Mizoguchi films this coming year, which is great.

I will be a high tech and business phone at first until the prices eventually drop. $600 is too steep.

Thanks. I'm back at work, and though I had a few anxious moments, I'm good. I never received any points for the incident. It's up to the insurance companies to assess now. I'll get a loaner tomorrow. My girlfriend is shaken up but is back at work as well. I've been talking to her every day since. All is well.

Thanks Allen -- The problem is the police have me written up as at fault. Perhaps that is not of concern to the insurance companies. I will mention it to them when I talk to Geico today.

A BIG learning experience. Thanks guys. All is well.

The Chico Hamilton set is one of the worst and most disappointing things I've ever heard in my entire life. If you ever come across one, you should absolutely not waste your money. Contact me so that I can make sure it is disposed of properly. And I'm of the opposite opinion. This is one of my all time favorite Mosaic sets.

I don't normally post personal matters, but I had to get this off my chest. I got involved in a nasty car accident yesterday. I was driving; my girlfriend was my passenger. It was a gorgeous day, like late May, blue skies and all. We decided to go to a park off of the Potomac River, Great Falls, but it was so crowded, we ended up going to one of the locks along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, that also runs along the Potomac. Walked together for a couple of hours, and had a great time. Got into my truck, which was in a parking lot that was close to the main road. You have to back out and turn parallel before entering the road, which is what I did. I let the oncoming traffic go by. When the road was clean, I was going to move when I saw two cars come down the road. I let them go, then turned. I never saw the third car. It struck my truck on the left corner, barely missing the driver's door. Both vehicles ended up towards the right side of the road, but we were now both inoperable, as my wheel was crushed and his had a flat. We were all shaken up, but most importantly, no one was hurt. When we all calmed down we talked and the other couple were nice people -- I got tips on a better insurance company from the wife, and made nice with their pet bulldog, Killer! The cops came and were all professional -- I got the citation, because in DC, Maryland and Virginia law, there has to be some accountability. I got off light with a failure to give right of way. I was able to see my girlfriend off - her brother picked her up. She has been very supportive and understanding. I've just been upset because I have never been in a situation like this, and at how close it came for someone to get hurt. I have everything squared away with my insurance company, and the truck is in the body shop. I made mention in another thread where I was looking forward to the New Year, where I would be less hard on myself and enjoy life a lot more. I have gone through mild depression and loneliness in the past, and I felt that I have come a long way from that. When something like this happens you question everything about yourself, but I think I can work my way through it. Again, what's most important is that everyone is safe. Just a nasty end to a beautiful day.

I'm looking for: Quella Vecchia Locanda's "Il Tempo Della Gioia" and their self titled album Maxaphone "Maxaphone" Thanks!

Got volumes 3 & 4 in the mail yesterday. Thanks!

James Brown's "Startime" when it first was released. Blew my mind back then, and still does today. One of the best box sets available.

Can't you make an electronic payment for the minimum over the weekend? Check this out - I have a Bank Of America bill due 12/31. Says right there on the bill: Payment Due Date: 12/31/2006So I go to make an online payment & it says thta the payment will be credited Jan 2, since 12/31 is not a business day. Fuck that. I'll pay by phone, take the hit on the fee, and be done with it. Nope. Same deal. Make it on 12/30, get credited for 01/02. I'm talking to some CS zombie and I ask him straight up - Define "Payment Due Date". "That's the last day you can make your payment and not have it considered late." "So why is a payment made before the Payment Due Date going to be considered late?" "Because the Payment Due Date falls on a Weekend" "So it's not really the Payment Due Date then, is it." "Yes, it's still the Payment Due Date." "So you're telling me that words on a piece of paper have no real meaning then, right?" "No, that's not what I'm saying." "You're a liar, aren't you." "No sir, I'm not. Is there anything else I can help you with?" "Yeah, you can get your head out of your ass before it gets stuck there permanently." Click. There's no grace period?

Yup, they are now $6.99!

I'll be seeing this. His movies have been mixed bags as of late. House of Flying Daggers was nice, but the plot fell apart 2/3 way through. Strong visuals. Hero is actually a movie that has grown on me over time. I thought it was okay at first, but gets better on subsequent viewings. I miss the small budget films from the 80s. Lon, if you like those mentioned, check out the Banquet and the Promise. I think both are flawed films, but look stunning and have some great moments.

Breathlessly awaiting boxes 3 & 4. I don't know why, I am still only halfway through the first box!!!