papsrus

First no-hitter in 36 years. Cubs now have a baker's dozen.

Happy birthday man. You should treat yourself to a little trip over to the Trop this week ... As they say in these parts, have a good 'un.

Hah! You amuse me with your trivial little worries. I'm still the low score on this IQ test. ... ... The fact that I'm apparently a few points above the average for all the morons who've ever taken it is no solace, and the whole debacle remains a public humiliation from which I'll recover only slowly over time ... or until someone has the guts to admit they got a lower score.

OK, the Buckeyes are road kill once again, and with that the Big Ten looks mediocre ... again. (I know, it's just one game, but ... 35-3 ??) USC looked like they could do anything they wanted against OSU. It's their's to lose, looks like. Georgia struggled against SC, so that's a setback for a squad many had pegged as the best team in the country. I think some of these SEC teams are starting to believe the hype. Careful. Still have to go out and prove you're the best conference. But ... a Florida vs. USC matchup would have some serious pyrotechnic potential. Would love to see that. Loved the USF Bulls beating Kansas on a last-second field goal. They made some defensive adjustments at the half that the Jayhawks apparently couldn't figure out until it was basically too late. And in the I-Can't-Stand-Either-One-Of-These-Teams Bowl, I guess Notre Dame blowing out Michigan has some satisfaction in it. Plus Weis got taken out on the sidelines. Someone should tell him you gotta keep your head up on the sidelines.

That's great news.

The ferocity of these storms really gives you pause sometimes. I've never heard anyone who decided to ride one out say anything other than, "Never again." When Charlie hit near here a few years ago, some co-workers found themselves directly in the shit when the storm took a sharp turn and made landfall. They were literally hiding in closets under mattresses as the roofs of their homes were peeling off. They definitely suffered some scares that took quite a while to heal. Hope folks here got the hell out of the way.

Here's the list for the Mosaic: Arista AL-4032 New York, Fall 1974 - 1 LP Arista AL-4064 Five Pieces, 1975 - 1 LP Arista AL-4080 Creative Orchestra Music 1976 - 1 LP Arista AL-4101 Duets 1976 - 1 LP Arista AB-4181 For Trio - 1 LP Arista AL-5002 The Montreux/Berlin concerts - 2 LPs Arista A2L-8602 Alto Saxophone Improvisation 1979 - 2 LPs Arista A3L-8900 For Four Orchestras - 3 LPs Arista AL-9559 For Two Pianos - 1 LP I've only heard the Montreux/Berlin concerts, which is fantastic, and is enough to convince me this will be a great box. But the titles alone indicate this will also include a pretty wide swath of music -- everything from solo pieces to orchestras. I would guess someone who is not real familiar with Braxton's music will find something here to enjoy, and other things less ... accessible (I don't like that somewhat snobbish expression, but I guess it comes down to that ). But as with any Mosaic, you probably can't go wrong strictly from an investment point of view. Should the music not suit you, you'll be able to recoup the purchase price without too much trouble, I'd think.

Ordered over the past week or so: 1. Blue Mitchell - The Cup Bearers 2. Blue Mitchell - Blue Moods 3. Ornette Coleman - At the Golden Circle Vol. 1 4. Anthony Ortega -- On Evidence 5. Anthony Ortega - New Dance 6. Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Toure - Talking Timbuktu 7. Bruce Cockburn - Salt Sun and Time 8. Bob Dylan - Bringing it all Back Home 9. Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns 10. Fred Anderson - On the Run: Live at the Velvet Lounge 11. Fred Anderson - Back at the Velvet Lounge 12. Fred Anderson - Timeless: Live at the Velvet Lounge 13. Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio - Live at the River East Art Center 14. Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio - Africa N'Da Blues 15. Pepper Adams - Hollywood Quintet Sessions 16. Pepper Adams - 10 to 4 at the 5 Spot 17. Zoot Sims - Down Home 18. Lester Bowie - The 5th Power 19. Leaders - Slipping & Sliding 20. Mary Lou Williams - Free Spirits 21. Mary Lou Williams - The Zodiac Suite

So the explanation from Percival is that his back tightened up. ... ... Screw that. It's the same old story with him. Free passes to first base for everyone, next thing you know the bases are juiced and your 3-run lead is hanging by a thread. Damn! ... Maddon was pissed when he went to yank him last night. Pissed! And I don't blame him. If Percy's back was tight, he should have pulled himself out of the game right away, and certainly he should have bailed before loading the bases! I thought Pena was going to slug him. ... "When I'm the weakest link in the bullpen, its a pretty good bullpen," Percival said. "I'll get some treatment tomorrow and it'll be OK. It's nothing." It's nothing huh? Great. Thanks ... for almost blowing it ... again ... for the umpteenth time. At this point, I'm inclined to agree with Thom Keith. Sometimes a closer is like the prevent defense in football. Some wild-ass arm that you're just praying can get the ball somewhere in the vicinity of the plate without hitting the batter. I'd much rather the Rays go with the closer-by-committee deal. Or at the very least, keep Percy on a short leash. Much shorter than allowing him to load the freakin' bases every damn time he gets in a game. Jeez! /rant OK ... off to kick some Yankee ass now ...

Who are these guys and why did I just watch their honeymoon video?

Percival .... Fuck! ... can Maddon let it go already. The guy is a heart attack every ... freakin' ... time. Forget it. He's done. There are better arms in that bullpen. I know there are because he's the only one who has no clue where the plate is. None. Yeah, yeah, Rays win. But he was a whisker away from blowing that game. And they're going nowhere except home in the playoffs if Percival gets anywhere near a mound.

Good luck to you, and everyone in the path of the storm.

Wait a minute. I think I see one now. ...

Hey! We were sold a bill of goods here. Today was supposed to be it. Now we find out this fancy schmantzy black-hole machine was just tested today? No real black hole stuff going on for a few weeks ... maybe months? Big disappointment. Have they at least made a bad movie about this? ... Dang!

Yeah, full price here is around $29 for one CD. BTW I got the Shihab at 18.99 from Dusty. A steal! I'm sure someone can explain this, but ... since CDs are apparently cheaper in the U.S., why not buy them here? If you were able to buy several CDs from one source and have them shipped as a single order (presumably cutting the cost of mail a bit) wouldn't this be more cost-effective?

Getting some of the outer bands here now, I think. Sheets of rain. This one looks a little nasty, too.

It's very dark here. Should I be worried?

All I gotta say is ... whew. That was a huge win. Rays are assured of heading to NY with the AL East lead now. And that's huge, given the way they've been letting it slip away lately.

Fantastic! ... Love the Anderson-Bankhead shot. Very nice, thank you for posting.

At least you folks have co-workers who listen to music. My co-workers are now all pretty much lifeless zombies predisposed to periodic and unpredictable outbursts of rage due to overwork in the wake of repeated and increasingly severe cutbacks. Anyone listening to music would draw rapier-like stares of contempt from anyone within earshot. I'm usually late arriving.

Funny -- out of the blue I ordered "Bringing It All Back Home" today. He still has hair? ...

I'm a little surprised, pleasantly so in one sense, at the lack of interest in high quality gear here. On the one hand, it's refreshing to see that folks don't require a lot of sophisticated equipment to enjoy great music. But on the other hand, there is a certain level of sound quality that, once achieved, allows the listener to "hear" things in the music that they may miss on a lesser system. I know this was definitely the case with my listening. And it may partly be a function of just getting older and, frankly, the fact that my hearing may not be as sharp as it once was. But I'm playing CDs that I haven't listened to in a while on my new system and I'm thinking: "No shit ... hadn't heard it quite like THAT before." My 2 pesos.

Publications generally have guidelines about this. But basically, if someone is paying you to write for them, they may not want you to go spreading your hard work around for free. OTOH, they might quite like it if you spread links around pointing back to their publication (unless they use a crappy server because they've downsized, in which case everyone involved ends up pissed off eventually.)

Just tried. Seems so.

Well, I just acquired the first decent system I've owned in probably 30 years. Cambridge amp and CD player, Klipsch speakers. Nothing outrageous, but it certainly makes a big difference in what I'm hearing, at least. Am I an audiophile? Hell no. I don't know shit about the equipment beyond the basics. But am I someone who now appreciates a certain level of clarity in listening? Yes, I am.