maren

My ex-husband and I were extremely compatible musically! We met when a mutual friend asked me to write music for a play he and my "Future Ex" were co-writing. And soon after, we started a trio together: he alto, me bass (my apologies to Tarzan). We both had quite broad-ranging tastes -- and introduced each other to a lot of new things -- because of him I first heard Albert Ayler -- and "Ayler" became the middle name of our son, born almost 7 years after we first met. Well... Let's just say that because of musical compatibility I missed some "smoke signals about the inability to compromise" -- and raising a child is an endeavor where that ability is crucial... My current BF is another musical omnivore and a great musician -- I learn so much from everything he listens to -- even including sports talk radio! One thing I have in common with both of them, in addition to musical tastes, is a need for silence at times -- when the need appears, it's pretty pressing -- so it feels very natural to respect that need in others and have my need understood in turn -- that's one thing that's worked smoothly in most of my relationships (including friendships, bandmates on the road) with musicians. I gravitate toward people who feel like music is not BACKGROUND, you're putting it on to pay attention to it, and who share a need for silence at times (accomplished by an easy compromise -- if you need quiet and have another room to go to, you will; if not, the people with you will turn things off for a while).

Half-and-half, but not much. No sugar. NO FLAVORED COFFEES! Ewww! Cappuccino has too much milk. Espresso black. Or sometimes "macchiato" if I'm in a place where I KNOW they know that means "just a spot" of milk foam.

Happy birthday Mike, you youngster!

Sadly, appears to be true. The pianist Hank Johnson had been posting updates on (can I say it?) AAJ -- that Walter Perkins was being treated for cancer, then hospitalized with a stroke on Feb. 1, and passed away on Feb. 14. From Johnson's own website, posted shortly before Perkins died:

If you know anyone taking a drug called "hirudin" -- that's from leeches.

Say it ain't so! Here's the cake for the day AFTER your 99th:

Happy 26th, with love from couw & maren! (And thanks for the Tanqueray -- cheers!)

YIKES! My son's mother is headed that way, I'm sorry to say... Not that I keep buying more NEW stuff, but can't get rid of old stuff. Seriously, I need to find out if any medications help with this, because the sad thing is -- while my apartment looks better than her house, her DESK would be an improvement on my desk at work -- help! (No antique glass on my monitor -- just mounds of unfiled papers)

PLUS... many 7th & 8th grade girls may face yet ANOTHER bathroom emergency... I call it "number three." Or should I say, this policy is a bloody disgrace?

Will February 20 go into the record books? "Most members with a birthday at the same time!" Happy birthday, Milan!

Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Well, Chris and Patricia have spoken quite ably for themselves, but I'd just like to throw my support their way too -- I think it's a classic tragic example of Hyde winning out over Jekyll, or the downward destructive cycle of too many years of things like "Peruvian Marching Powder" and unexamined inner conflicts -- there WAS once a good guy there who had personal off-line friendships with Chris and Patricia, but that good guy became harder and harder to find, and the bad one -- well, as Peter Johnson said elsewhere: 'nuff said. I didn't find Chris and Patricia to be apologists at all -- they both called DEEP on a lot of things, to his cyber-face -- but rather people trying to give the benefit of the doubt to someone who had, in the past, been a friend.

You weren't the only one Patricia. And I thought very highly of you for raising the issue. My own personal inclination was to not grant DEEP the attention he seemed to be seeking, both because it seemed like he would twist any attention into gratification, and because it seemed he would end up being nasty to anybody eventually. Hence, his use of the "c" word (which I first saw today, because I've been offline most of the week) -- but he probably thinks it's a compliment. As for the very beginning of his appearance here -- I communicated directly with Christiern about that, again because anything posted on the Board just seemed like it would quickly become grist for the DEEP-mill. But the way DEEP was talking to Chris struck me as highly offensive, and not "just kidding." And finally, one point I did address on that 90-page thing was this identity question: Maybe WINGY(I STAY BOMBED) would like to weigh in on this subject... To which DEEP immediately replied:

Glad you're back, Tom -- best of luck with the job apps, and best wishes (again) to you, your wife and your dad.

And many happy returns! with love from couw & maren!!!

Buttermilk tastes salty to me, and yogurt doesn't. Buttermilk = don't want to drink it out of a glass, but like to substitute it for sour cream in soup/salad dressing kinds of recipes. fried chicken, pancakes...

TOTALLY agree -- hearing his tone live is like being forced to suck on a lemon -- actually, the lemon is VASTLY preferable. Not one hint of vibrato -- ouch -- can't even assess the NOTES he's playing because the tone is torture to me.

TOTALLY agree -- amazing movie!

ANOTHER cake, from maren & couw!!!

I agree with grey on this. Pulling the plug on the BNBB was one of the biggest bonehead moves I have seen a corporate type make. Wrote and told them so at the time. They will never get that genie back in the bottle. Thanks to Jim for all his efforts. This is a great place to be. This bears repeating: Thanks to Jim for all his efforts. This is a great place to be. Amen and Hallelujah!

In the Fotomuseum Winterthur

Didn't want to disrupt the black-and-white flow of the photography thread, but a few William Eggleston photos came to mind:

Maren, you had everything going for you and you just HAD to screw it up. Try again. [edited for divine typo] Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir. Happy 17th Birthday, Sir.