GA Russell

I hear her fairly often on Sirius on the 40s channel. I like her. RIP

After some sleuthing, I have determined that the Mail Recovery Center (aka the dead letter office) for packages sent from Massachusetts is in Atlanta. Their phone number is actually an area code 202 number (Washington, DC?). That lady transferred me to Atlanta, which gave me a voice mail message (and would not allow me to leave a message) to call Customer Affairs at 800-275-8777. That lady told me that she is "in the Western United States", and she gave me a case number, which is more than my local post office has done in my calls to them since New Year's Eve. However, when I asked, she refused to say that they would contact the Atlanta MRC to determine if my package is there. By the way, my local post office refused to give me a phone number for the MRC or help in any way in that regard. I do not feel that I am any closer to finding the package than I was December 31, except now I know that someone else besides my local post office is doing something (although probably not more than contacting my local post office!).

The record companies agreed to pay 90% of the demand. That appears to me to be a great victory for the artists.

I don't get cable tv, so I listened on the radio. Before the game I favored Oregon because the Pac 10 hadn't won a national championship in my memory. But the announcer Tirico was so obviously enamored with Oregon, I found myself pulling for Auburn. It was as if Oregon was the only undefeated team in the country and therefore deserved to win.

Happy Birthday 2011 Andy! Where have you been for two months?

Rub it in, Morganized!

I requested a refund this evening. It has been a month today since I placed my order.

Cookie Gilchrist has died. He was a great one, but I hope now he has found peace. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/former-cfl-and-afl-star-chester-cookie-gilchrist-dies-at-75/article1864501/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cookie_Gilchrist

Happy Birthday 2011 Patricia!

Happy Birthday 2011 7/4!

The little girl who was killed by the Tucson gunman yesterday was Dallas Green's granddaughter. http://www.foxnews.c...ing-politician/ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/baseball/former-phillies-managers-grandchild-killed-in-arizona-attack/article1863082/

TBW, I am confident that Amazon will arrange for a refund if I demand it. But I don't want a refund, I want the music. martini, my problem is that the USPS claims that it was delivered Dec 20. So it is my word against theirs. ***** Here's one I don't think has been mentioned yet: The Debut Records Story (4 CDs) - $9.50 http://www.amazon.com/Debut-Records-Story-Various-Artists/dp/B000000XB7/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3030IPF70YHI8&colid=RVSBV717YT9

I think that all of the leagues make a mistake by having small divisions. It makes meaningless the concept of being in first place. In the NFL, I would have only two tables, one for each conference. I would eliminate the home and home scheduling and interconference games, and maximize the number of teams each team plays each year. Then, I would just take the top teams for the playoffs, with the better teams hosting each game. When the Redskins played the Rams this year, they said that it was only something like the seventh time the two teams had played since 1950. Considering that they are both in the same conference, I think they should play every year.

medjuck, I was planning to read the Fletch books in the order that they were written. According to Fantastic Fiction, the second was Confess, Fletch. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/gregory-mcdonald/ I have had the pleasure of meeting two of the authors mentioned at book signings. James Lee Burke was a real nice guy. James Ellroy was polite and cheerful. Ellroy signed a cassette of his White Jazz which I gave to my brother-in-law for his birthday. I enjoyed Ellroy's Hollywood Confidential, and I'm planning to read another of his this year. James Lee Burke is another who has the reputation of getting into high gear a few books into the series. He is very highly thought of now.

Elmore Leonard's The Switch features criminals who listen to Groove Holmes! Peter's recommendation of Robert Crais reminds me that he is someone who I gather is very good. I plan to read one of his this year too.

Paul, you mentioned Ross MacDonald, but you didn't mention Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. I revisited them in 2010, and read Hammett's Red Harvest and Chandler's The Long Goodbye and a collection of short stories called The Simple Art of Murder. All terrific. Years ago I enjoyed Fletch by Gregory Mcdonald, and I plan to read the second in the series in 2011. I found each of Robert B. Parker's Spencer books to be a little bit inferior to the one before. I read them in order, and quit after about ten. As I recall, the first four were excellent, so start with the first, The Godwulf Manuscript. I did not think that Michael Connelly's third Harry Bosch story The Concrete Blond was very good, but he is very popular, and apparently his fans feel he got better after that. A few months ago I read the second Adam Hall Quiller spy novel called The Ninth Directive, which I enjoyed very, very much. I plan to read the third in the series sometime this year. Finally, the 87th Precinct stories by Ed McBain were a favorite of my dad's. I've never read one, but I plan to read the first, which I think is called Cop Hater, sometime this year as well. PS - I read a short story by Russell Atwood last year called East Village Noir which I enjoyed. He has written two novels, and I hope to read Losers Live Longer soon.

Happy Birthday 2011 Clifford!

Ryne Duren has died. He was one of the first bubble gum cards I got, back in '59. I remember the aviator glasses. I later got aviator sunglasses just like his because he looked so cool. Bill Veeck claimed that when he was with the Browns, he persuaded him to throw a wild pitch while warming up to scare the batters. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/baseball/former-mlb-all-star-pitcher-duren-dies/article1862322/

Jim Duncan has died. He was the coach of the Grey Cup champion Stampeders in '71, the year that Leon McQuay fumbled. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=348293

Wolfgang's Vault now has the Maynard Ferguson Orch at Newport 1960.

Notwithstanding the debate about when the century began, and the fact that I have included eleven years in the decade, does anyone have ten nominations?

Medjuck, I'm sure you'll recognize it when you hear it: http://www.youtube.c...zg&feature=fvsr

Usually when I see a gossip site on the internet, I've never heard of anybody. At least at this site, I've heard of a few of the "stars"!

Saskatchewan named Greg Marshall its head coach today. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=348132 ***** Hamilton promoted Khari Jones to offensive coordinator today. http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=348112