Viva la Vida ... 7 Moose a-eating

I've been so unmotivated to keep up with much in the news of late. Ignorance is not a good thing. I kinda sorta wish I'd sit and make a point here about something but yada yada yada, I'd rather watch Seinfeld or The Simpsons or kick back with a Grateful Dead show in my ears... such as 6-4-77 Inglewood which I was lovin' this morning before work. Hmmm... was Jerry Seinfeld ever on The Simpsons? I don't recall and I'd rather not take the time to look it up. But if not then I wonder why not. Hmmm... now this is interesting stuff!

Actually it's moose who are interesting. Maybe interesting is the wrong word? They're common here but tonight was the first time along this particular little local trail that I've seen as many as 7 in under an hour. 7 moose a-eating while I ran right by. Each time my attention level sprang up to a Level 1,700 compared a usual 85 or so out of a 100. Moose aren't bears but they sure can kick the crap out of you if they perceive you to be a threat to them. In one spot along the trail, within a fairly open stand of birch trees, I saw two or three youngin's just munchin' on some brush. I was cruising on by at the time, not about to stop and gaze at the wildlife, and I knew Mama Cow Moose was surely nearby but I never saw her. With only about 50 meters or so of tundra between me and the little ones, Mama coulda been anywhere. I don't think moose attacks are very common but they can happen. Running with music (on a trail) in Alaska -- sometimes (usually) not so smart.

Then again, I'm not exactly Young Einstein, am I? Close maybe... at least a Young Edison. Or not. Damn him, I was gonna invent the light bulb!

65° and overcast at 9:45pm ... quite warm!

Friday Nite After Work Run: 21 min 22 sec

+7 sec

XXXXXXXX+++++++++ ·June 42:37· +++++++++XXXXXXXX

Run Time May: 4 hours 46 minutes April: 3 hours 51 minutes <-failed to pass March March: 3 hours 57 minutes

7 moose in total on this, my 2nd run in 6 days of June so far.

2 runs in 6 days = bad.

Felt pretty good out there but distracted for sure... Random Thoughts of a Specific Smoky Nature kept running through my head plus the music, body systems checks, this & that... and then the moosey wildlife not to mention the always needed watching for a bear. An interesting run, to say the least.

Body feels good, though. At 65 degrees (F) it was way warm out there and that sucked away some of my energy. By the time I hit my end cue [placed at the end of my running playlist,] holy moly was I so thankful that I didn't have any more steps to take at faster than just walking speed. I nearly stopped to bend over to catch my breath, hands on knees for a moment... but resisted and walked on. Since I didn't do a turn-around somewhere on the trail, I had about a thirty minute stroll back up to where I started from. At least I would be running any more!

Great now, okay then, I made it, added 7 seconds, still (slowly) working my way up to a half hour! Might be a year at this pace... but I'll get there.

Running tunes came from this album o' the day...
	Coldplay Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends 2008
Life In Technicolor Cemeteries Of London Lost! 42 Lovers in Japan / Reign Of Love Yes ... Chinese Sleep Chant Viva La Vida Violet Hill Strawberry Swing Death And All His Friends

Not being one who keeps up with new music and/or listens to the radio, I barely even know who this band is. Coldplay, from London, I guess has been on the scene for a bunch of years, this being their 4th studio album. And kind of interesting, who's their producer here? The legendary Brian Eno has stepped in to help give this album a "more abstract" and a "more visual" element to it. Okay. With this being the first album that I've heard from these guys, that doesn't mean much to me since I can't compare to other songs... but prior to reading that I could pretty much feel Eno and know that what's here does indeed have a different feel to it than your garden variety "alternative" nowadays. Prog rock, I even thought... but it doesn't go that far. Another thought about this, which isn't so flattering -- a lot of it is really close to Adult Alternative. That's not necessarily bad... but it lacks any serious edge while shooting for being artsy... Eno-ish.

find a dload @ Musiteka

Viva la vida or death and all his friends 320 kbps mp3 download

Video Time - "Viva La Vida"

Some Miles for the Morning Miles

I'm so far behind today. Kinda blissfully lost... and it's not weird... and it's a pretty good and really nice thing!

2nd order of business...

Where's the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Hospital?

Perhaps in the hamlet of Montrose in Westchester County, New York, not too far north of the City? That's one FDR Hospital.

Could there be another in a place called Banská Bystrica?

Where?

Banská Bystrica, Slovakia.

Pretty cool. I'm not sure why... but pretty cool. On the other hand, is this American colonization? U.S. Out Of Everywhere!!! NOW!!! (???) Should the "evil empire" keep to themselves?

Anyway... I had a great time on the trail this morning!!

Monday Morning Hike... just over 2½ hours

At 3 in the morning when there's daylight in the sky and you've just woken up, what to do? Wait... if it's 3 in the morning, is it still daylight? Hmmmm... ponder ponder ponder... I s'pose because 24 hours constitutes a day and 3 in the morning is part of the day, then light in the sky at 3 a.m. can surely be daylight... right?

Anyway... METS WIN!!! Great game on ESPN last night/yesterday evening. Immediately after I crashed, just after 8 p.m. and I was sleepin' like a baby. Woke up at like 3 a.m. and thought, Hey, How About A Hike? I mean seriously, just because it's 3 in the morning, why's that a dumb time to go for a hike!? It's not dumb, is it? Perfectly logical... right? Not like it was dark. So I went for a hike.

And a great hike it was. Okay, so it wasn't in the Sierra Nevada or the Rocky Mountains, or even in the Appalachians, but with my boots going one step in front of the other on a trail, it was a pretty good hike!

I love that I've got a trail right down at the end of my road. It's not necessarily in the wilderness since it's right here on the edge of town... and since it's some sort of old, abandoned dirt road, it's not truly a hiking trail... but it meanders across fields of tundra, through stands of trees, along a few streams, up and down a few gentle slopes... and so it works for a hike of a few hours without having to drive anywhere! For me it's practically heaven-sent!

I headed on out for... geez, I forget exactly how long now... at least 2½ hours, upwards of 3 so not that long but not a brief stroll either. Not a soul to be seen and other than my boots on the ground, not an artificial man-made sound to be heard... until I played some music, that is. Big, grand, breathtaking hikes usually mean no music... but with this local trail -- that I've been on a couple hundred times due to not only hiking on it but running on it, too -- music helps make it better. It's nice to be out there to think, to get some fresh air, to get some light exercise... but also nice to enjoy some tunes!

And this album was my 40 minutes of Trail Tunes...
	Miles Davis In A Silent Way 1969
Shhh / Peaceful In A Silent Way / It's About That Time

I definitely don't listen to jazz enough. I definitely need more Miles Davis in my musical diet! It's just that certain music, like jazz and reggae, is not good for running. But now that it's hiking season, I can have more time to Press Play on great stuff like this.

One of the best aspects to this, at least in this Deadhead's opinion, is how much In A Silent Way resembles Space from a Grateful Dead show. It's no wonder Phil Lesh, or someone in Phil & Friends, decided to incorporate that into a show a time or two (I forget when but I'll make it a point to try to listen to it eventually which means it'll get mentioned here.)

The music throughout these 40 or so minutes is nothing less than great. I could sit for hours with this on Repeat. Since I am not a musician nor do I know much about jazz -- I only know what I like -- I'll let the following review speak volumes about this album...

Recording in February 1969, Miles Davis seemed to pick up the vibe of what was going to go down that crazy summer. It was a tumultuous time as the sixties came to a close. First came the Manson Family, then the murder during the Stones' Altamont show overshadowing the na've utopia of Woodstock. With In a Silent Way Davis seemed to sum up the dying of the light as the war and violence took over from love and peace. Certainly his most somber record since Kind of Blue , it was a reflective record that would bridge the gap from one of the greatest quintets in jazz history to the most controversial era of Miles Davis' work. In a Silent Way is a foreboding and deeply meditative record that has an almost spiritual quality. Following on his first real plunge into jazz-rock fusion on Filles de Kilimanjaro , the quintet's last record, In a Silent Way was a real head twister. Following Filles' blues- rock-jazz ideology, Davis really pulled together the methods that he began with on the previous release. But the change was the low-lying, almost silent feel. Gone were the funky up-tempo tracks, replaced with two long tracks with sparse arrangements that relied more on atmosphere than any of Miles' earlier records. Holding onto Tony Williams, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter from the quintet, Miles added future fusion gods Chick Corea and John McLaughlin, as well as Dave Holland (filling Ron Carter's shoes on bass) and organist/pianist/composer Joe Zawinul. In a Silent Way tackles the tone palette of Kind of Blue , setting into an electric fusion. Opening with the subtle and quiet “Shhh/Peaceful,” the record begins a soothing adventure, led by Zawinul's trippy drops of organ. Slowly the track picks up with Williams doing double time on the hi-hat throughout. But McLaughlin is the major soloist, and what would become his signature guitar chops softly intertwine throughout. Finally Miles and Wayne take the stage and fill the holes in with killer solos that rival some their best work from Miles Smiles and Nefertiti. But the B-side with “In a Silent Way/It's About that Time” opens with silence and Williams continuing where he left off - a continuing groove would be played to dreadful bore on On the Corner three years later. The track really shifts as the jam of “It's About that Time” takes off and builds into some classic Davis/Shorter playing that really lays out what is about to come on Bitches Brew. The tracks eases off again and goes back into “In a Silent Way.” Without hearing this overlooked gem, many fans of jazz have missed out on one of the genre's most original and all-encompassing works. The record has recently gotten the full treatment with Columbia/ Legacy's Complete Sessions box set and it continues to prove how vital it is to the Davis catalogue. The record is an essential piece to understanding Miles and where jazz was heading. Its mix of rock and fusion point to Remembering Jack Johnson (rock) and Bitches Brew (fusion). Two important notes are the emergence of Joe Zawinul and the editing and production of Teo Macero who would both be focal points in the movement of Miles' music. Zawinul's presence on organ gives the record its otherworldly feel, but the groove and layout of the record are credited much to Macero's time at the knobs. His splicing and rearranging would become instrumental in the emergence of Miles' sound especially on Bitches Brew and On the Corner. Building and peaking the long tracks so that their flow was consistent and maintained the ideology of the piece. In a Silent Way is a one of kind record that mixed the late-'60s pop and underground movement into the jazz realm. On this record Miles began to hook into the late '60s sounds that flowed from the jam bands in San Francisco. No more is that more evident that in the otherworld-like organ of Zawinul. Starting with Filles the groove of Jimi Hendrix really started to take shape in the work that Miles began 1968. This is best shown on disc one of the Complete Sessions. The opener ”Mademoiselle Mabry (Miss Mabry)” has its foundation based on Hendrix's “The Wind Cries Mary.” Through Macero's production and Miles utilizing the same musicians would bare similar but ever- evolving grooves with each release. They would never make a record like it again, an absolutely timeless work that proves that Miles Davis and crew were some of the most innovative thinkers in modern music. by Trevor MacLaren, All About Jazz

find a dload @ Jazz Archives

Not quite a date with Botticelli's niece... but still pretty cool

Tis a strange thing not knowing what's happened in the world over the past half a day. Half day? Half a day? I must've been absent that day.

Since 9/11, it's seemingly been a part of me to know what's big in the news. I don't know why this is. If I'm home and not reading or listening to music or watching a movie or The Office or The Simpsons or whatever (which isn't often) then the news is on. When I'm here on the internet -- the news is on... actually not always, like now; sometimes I like the silence to help me get the thoughts through the fingers and onto the screen without distraction.

But in general, no matter what my situation is (working, traveling, whatever,) I want to have a news source in my hands, in my ears, in my eyes, something, to know if a nuclear war has started... or, since that's highly unlikely, if a terrorist attack has happened, something that's going to change the world in some rather significant way. Obviously, considering there've only been a few such events since and including 9/11, this tremendous "need to know" isn't that that important. Still, I want to be a person who is aware of what's going on in the news, things that affect us on a national level, things that affect human beings on an widespread level in Costa Rica or Brazil or Romania or Iran or Myanmar or anywhere.

Most often, what can I do about it? Nothing. So what does it matter if I know? And if a terrorist attack happened, wouldn't you somehow know anyway? Not necessarily.

This afternoon I watched the Cubbies on ESPN. Good game, an exciting comeback win for the Cubs. While I watched, I made some hamburgers to put in the freezer (a lot more work than just forming patties what with the ground up walnuts and steel cut oats mixed with dried parsley and black pepper and red pepper flakes, an egg with some Worcestershire sauce and milk, plus the super-minced onion and garlic with olive oil ... ohhh yeah, that's the good stuff. I had one hot off the grill (no ketchup, just onion and lettuce) and even after being frozen, they ain't bad.)

Anyway.... wow, talk about being distracted, I don't need the TV on for that! Anyway... watched the game, made burgers, grabbed a needle and thread and sewed a small hole in some shorts, more watching the game, yada yada yada... hopped in the truck and drove an hour and 15 minutes out to Chena River Rec Area, hiked for 3 hours, drove the hour and 15 minutes back, showered and here I be. Now it's just after 1 in the morning and I haven't had the news on since around 2:30 in the afternoon. What's happened in the world since then? Nothing, I hope. Sure, lots and lots of stuff has happened (something bad happens just about everywhere and all the time) but nothing major, I hope. The world could be on fire or taken over by Tim Burton's attackers from Mars, for all I know.

Being out of the news loop for so long (close to a half a day... or a half day) somewhat bothers me. How do people live their lives not giving a damn at all about the world around them? Talk about crap that boggles my mind. People live their lives so self-absorbed -- they could tell you who won American Idol or the plot twists in Lost (holy crap, there are fan sites galore for that show) but which senior U.S. senator was recently diagnosed with cancer, or which nation Iran wants to wipe off the face of the Earth, or the name of the country that is so tremendously suffering because their "government" doesn't want outsiders to help victims of a horrible cyclone that struck there, these things, important things, real things, they have no clue about.

Wow, the rants they are in me! I wasn't expecting all of this to come out of my head tonight. People just perplex me more than than they please me.

Interestingly, I fully support a person's right to be ignorant and uncaring and so wicked self-absorbed that they don't even know who their own mayor is ... but that just doesn't seem right to me.

Anyway... I had a GREAT hike tonight... last night, technically, but I'm still awake and I only got back to my house an hour and a half ago... so it feels like tonight still. Anyway, it was a good day off from work! I don't put in a bazillion hours a week (44 on average) and sometimes work consists of sitting and watching Baywatch while waiting for a call... but a lot of the time it's quite taxing and so having a good amount of time off (36 hours) between shifts, that's pretty sweet. Love the time to rest and/or seek out something nice to do like... like go for a hike in the wilderness! Great way to forget all about the crap in the world and enjoy life for awhile!!

Tuesday Night Hike

It was a good thing, nay, a very good thing that I packed me some stuff one should take along on a day hike. This was my second trip out to Angel Rocks this year and holy smoked salmon, Smokey The Bear, as the sun dipped further and further below the horizon, so did the temperature.

I pulled into the parking lot at just about 8:00 p.m. and within a minute or two I was at the trailhead and on my way. The weather was gorgeous -- mid-50's and a partially cloudy sky. The stroll up to Angel Rocks allowed the sun to hit me just as it was sliding down below the horizon. In my long-sleeve hiking shirt, the rays of sun warmed me right up. On down the trail I went. After a good 45 minutes or an hour or so of hiking, I made my turn around in the hot springs parking lot. The sun by now was well below the horizon... well below according to how far it dips below the horizon this time of year at such a northern latitude. Sunset: yes. Darkness: no. Warmth of the day going bye bye: yes. A frigid "night" approaching: fast!

In no time at all I went from being a little bit warm in long-sleeves to needing a light fleece jacket. Some mighta gone with hat and gloves, too but me no wimp, me man, me take it! I did have hat and gloves in my backpack, just in case, as well as the zip-on pants legs of my hiking shorts and thermal underwear if need be. One twisted ankle could have stranded me out there overnight. I'm not sure if there's cell phone reception out there but oh wait, I don't have a cell phone anyway! Actually I do have one for work which isn't mine but it's in my possession; I could have brought that for a just in case moment but carrying a cell phone hiking I'm generally against, unless it's up Mt. Hood or something where you could get reception in the event of impending tragedy. Then again, that's not exactly hiking, that's mountaineering. Tonight out along the Chena River was just hiking. Still... emergencies could arise. Ugh... I'm getting myself into the cell phone while hiking debate. Don't wanna go there now.

Coldness set in and at one point on the way back down the trail, when I stopped to grab a granola bar (and have some water) I checked the tiny little thermometer keychain dealie on my backpack -- 36° (about 2 C.) I was so surprised. Low 40's is what I was thinkin -- not mid-30's. Mannn... wow. That's just like 50 or 60 miles east of Fairbanks. I'm not surprised now, after the fact -- it gets that cold at night here, even this close to June. It's just something I haven't totally gotten used to yet. Ooops, using the word "yet" kinda makes it seem like I probably will get use to it as more years here go by... but I'm not so sure that's gonna happen. My mind is often elsewhere, meaning not in Alaska but in New England or Jersey or somewhere else Outside. Maybe I won't even be here this coming winter? Don't know.

Anyway....... the cold on the trail made it interesting. While I had my fleece jacket on combined with warmth generated from hiking, my legs in shorts did just fine. I resisted the gloves so my fingers were chilly, my face was nearing freezing, but for the most part -- energizing and refreshing, that's what it was! I was alive!!!

Hell yeah!

I don't know how I did it but my time on the trail was just about at 3 hours even. After an hour+ drive back and another listen to the music below, here I am at like 2 something in the morning. Sleep soon? Not sure. All I know is my dog's happy I'm home and now sleeping on the floor a few feet away, Nelson, Constanten and Flast are once again coming out of the speakers, and life ain't too bad at this moment.

Hopefully the world around me is still there. I'll get the news on soon.

Tunes...
	Dead Ringers 1993

256 kbps
	Dead Ringers (1993) - Part 1 Dead Ringers (1993) - Part Two

if you want, you can click to listen and/or dload @ 128 kbps
	Deep Elem Blues
	--Great American Music Hall, Dec 1992
	Mountains Of The Moon
	--The Wetlands, NYC, May 1993
	Rosa Lee McFall
	--Lone Star Roadhouse, NYC, May '93
	Slidin' Delta
	--The Rafters, Crested Butte, Colorado, Feb 93
	Cumberland Blues
	--Garton's Saloon, Vail, Colorado, Feb 93
	Truckin'
	--Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, British Columbia, Feb 93
	When I Paint My Masterpiece
	--The Rafters, Crested Butte, Colorado, Feb 93
	Deal
	--Garton's Saloon, Vail, Colorado, Feb 93
	Dark Star
	--La Luna, Portland, Oregon, Feb 93
	Gotta Serve Somebody
	--La Luna, Portland, Oregon, Feb 93
	Knockin' On Heaven's Door
	--Oregon County Fair, Veneta, Oregon, July 1992

The question is -- why? Why not just listen to the real thing? My answer yet again (as I have asked this question before to albums kinda like this) -- curiosity.

from inside the liner notes...

Dead Ringers Got It Covered

How do you explain it when a bunch of San Francisco musicians get together and perform sets that predominantly feature Grateful Dead cover material? Well, there's no explaining it... but people love it!

In an era when more bands are trying to shake the "tribute band" stigma, Dead Ringers are breathing new life into some of the greatest music that has emerged from the psychedelic scene. The band's nucleus consists of Barry Flast (Kingfish), Tom Constanten (Grateful Dead), and David Nelson (New Riders, Acoustic Garcia).

With regard to the choice of material they've selected to perform, the original idea was to try to stick to the Golden Age material from Workingman's Dead, Aoxomoxoa and earlier, since TC and Nelson were on those records.

TC remarks, "We didn't learn it from the sheet music and off a record. We were in there when it was being constructed and when it was built, and furthermore, we know who we are, we don't have anything to prove. We don't have to play like somebody."

Very cool bunch of tunes! Knockin' appears to be an Aud or a Matrix source but it's inclusion is worth it -- a tribute to Bill Graham who died tragically the previous Fall.

Cumberland is pretty smokin', it was a first set closer and you could tell that wanted to go out on a rockin' note.

Truckin' might be the stand-out tune, at least for me. It's the longest song here and they head off into some pretty nice jam land.

Other musicians include: Brian Godchaux, fiddle on Deep Elem Blues and Barry Sless on lead guitar and pedal steel throughout the whole disc. Many know Sless from Phil Lesh & Friends as well as the David Nelson Band. Great guitar player who adds so nicely on Deal and his pedal steel is just beautiful on so many songs here.

TOM CONSTANTEN (Piano/Vocals), was the keyboardist with the Grateful Dead from 1968 till 1970, contributing some classic tracks to "Anthem of the Sun", "Aoxomoxoa", and "Live Dead" before leaving to pursue a solo career (which included: albums with the Incredible String Band and Moby Grape; live shows with Robert Hunter, Janis Joplin, Zero, David Crosby & Stephen Stills, Dan Hicks, John Handy, and many others; four solo C.D.'s... "Nightfall of Diamonds" on Relix Records being the most recent).

BARRY FLAST (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar) was one of the original keyboardists of Kingfish (replaced by non-keyboardist Bobby Weir in 1975), rejoined the band in '77 just in time to help record and tour behind their second album "Live 'N Kicking", then left again, rejoining a third time in '80 only to watch what was left of Kingfish evolve into Bobby and the Midnites! Barry was then the driving force in re-organizing the group with Matt Kelly after the untimely death of founder Dave Torbert in 1983. he has contributed vocals and/or keyboards to four of the five albums Kingfish has released, and has worked as a session player with Jerry Garcia, Poco, Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul & Mary), Country Joe McDonald, Kim Carnes, Garth Hudson & many others; his songs have been recorded by artists like Bob Weir, Janis Joplin & Paul Butterfield, Paul Stookey (to name a few); and he's performed with Country Joe and the Fish, Bob Weir, Maria Muldaur, Hot Tuna, Rick Danko, Papa John Creach, John Cipollina, George Thorogood, etc.

DAVID NELSON (Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Mandolin, Lead Vocals) goes back in Dead history further than anyone on the planet. David, Jerry Garcia, and Robert Hunter made up the Wildwood Boys, a 1962 bluegrass group that was the seed that eventually flowered into the Grateful Dead. In 1967, David, along with John Dawson and Dave "Pre-Kingfish" Torbert formed The New Riders and continued with them until 1983 (along the way, he sang the lead vocal on their biggest hit "Panama Red"). His trademark guitar work was showcased on Grateful Dead albums "American Beauty", "Workingman's Dead", and "Aoxomoxoa". In the mid-80's, he appeared once again with Jerry Garcia in the "Almost Acoustic" Band and broke house attendance records at the Lunt-Fontaine Theatre on Broadway in New York City (and was captured on C.D. and released a few years ago!)

The Ballad of Zoooma The Hiker

One Friday Zoooma had off from work.
He decided, Hey Man, Chop Some Wood;
You Ran Low This Winter, For Next Winter Get Prepared.

So on a day off from work, Zoooma worked.

What's up with that... man?

During a brief pause to rest his weary arms,
all that splittin, and ax swingin, you know,
it makes a person kinda tired,
Zoooma's sittin down on a log,
and after grabbin' his bottle of water,
over walks Cassidy the K9 to say
Hi Man, Pet Me a Bit While You Ain't Busy.

So after some pettin and some drinkin of that water
and some rest that was oh so surely needed,
Zoooma said to himself,
he said Self, You Done In The Past Hour
More Than You Thought You'd Do Before September!
Way To Go -- Now Go On, Go Do Something Fun.

So Zoooma said back to himself,
he said Hey Man, You're Right,
Damn Straight, Biotche, I'm Outta Here!

So the day, or actually just an hour,
of gettin a head start on next winter's wood supply,
with a smile that came to an end.
Productive it was but now twas time
to lace up them hiking boots and head on out
for some of that real wilderness enjoyment.

This is, after all,
A-freakin'-laska, right?

So a hikin Zoooma went
and a hikin' Zoooma he did enjoy.

And that there be The Ballad of Zoooma The Hiker.

Or in other words... words that aren't coming from the folk singer in me... man, what a great day! Well, at least a great evening.

I don't know what possessed me to chop wood when normally I wouldn't start that job until the last minute almost, September 1st at the earliest. But I chopped. One tree on the property was down from last Fall so I started there. Some chainsaw work later, I was ready to split logs. Swinging that ax over and over and over is just not fun. Hey, but the more I do now, the less work when the weather turns cold again in a few weeks... no, no, no, we've got at least three months of spring & summer left before that happens.

At some point, though, I had decided I'd had enough; I was going hiking.

Easily I could have taken off on local trails and paths along the river here in town. I kinda wanted more so I headed east, about 60 miles down the Chena Hot Springs Road to Chena River Recreation Area. There's a great trailhead there. A person can so easily wander off into the wilderness... and never be heard from again... or enjoy a nice hike. Either/or. I chose the latter... obviously or I guess I wouldn't be typing this.

In the parking lot I hopped out from behind the wheel at just before 8 p.m.

Angel Rocks was my main destination, a relatively short hike away (about an hour.) Through the evergreens and over the rocky ground, with the Chena River rushing nearby, I made my way up through the lower hills to this cool spot where giant slabs of granite rise from the ground like kings.

There's another trail here, saved for another day, that heads off to a spot (The Tors) where the rocks are just like this but even bigger, like buses, no... like... what's bigger than a bus? Like a ferry so we're talkin massive here.

Anyway, this time it was just the Angel Rocks for me. Since that would have been a tiny hike for a long round-trip drive, I wanted to walk on some more and stay out there on the trail awhile.

A couple hours further is the Chena Hot Springs Resort so in that direction I headed. Turned around before I got that far but along the ridge and through the trees, what a great trail it is to be hiking on.

Unfortunately no music. Locally around Fairbanks I feel more confident that I can hike with music while not listening for bear activity. Out here I probably could have because while I'm up on a mountain ridge, bears are down near the river... usually... but there's no guarantee of that. A bear attack is so unlikely but it could happen. While I'm at peace with dying... my dog would wonder what happened to me so that would suck. So no music sometimes. That's okay. On a trail that not so spectacular and I'm just there for exercise and to enjoy being outside and moving, music helps make that time better. But when I've got a great hike like this, no music is perfect!

Anyway, that was just sweet. To get there and back it was nearly 3 hours of driving for only a couple hours of hiking, but absolutely worth every cent in gas money. Interestingly I could have stayed all night with there being daylight at midnight and 2 am and 4 am... but with work tomorrow which is now today, essentially, for more people it's now Saturday, I could not stay... not that I brought enough gear with me anyhow. So back I am, pulled into my driveway around 11:30, showered and now pondering some sleep.

An hour of chopping wood is a LOT of work and I now know -- never do that before hiking! That combined with the hike has got me now feeling like perhaps I should've stayed the night at the hot springs to soak my bones in the soothing waters. Ahhh well, Say Goodbye To Chena Hot Springs, say hello, Mr. Advil.

Driving tunes & my album of the day...

	Billy Joel Songs In The Attic recorded in 1980, released in 81
Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) Summer, Highland Falls Streetlife Serenader Los Angelenos She's Got A Way Everybody Loves You Now Say Goodbye To Hollywood Captain Jack You're My Home The Ballad Of Billy The Kid I've Loved These Days

Been a freakin' long time since I've listened to Billy Joel. Freakin' long. I originally thought this was a studio album that I'd use for running but nope, a live album culled from performances in 1980. Apparently Mr. Billy wanted to re-introduce his newfound fans to some of his older material (but performed by his current band) and that's the basis for this collection.

I've never heard many of these tunes so that was a new experience. Others I dig like Say Goodbye To Hollywood and Miami 2017... although Miami 2017 is sort of a sad one now, even though it's got such a great (musical) feel to it; Billy played that after 9/11...

"Seen the lights go out on Broadway
I saw the Empire State laid low
And life went on beyond the Palisades"

"I seen the lights go out on Broadway
I saw the ruins at my feet"

Some lines that have gained a new emotion meaning to Billy Joel and to so many.

Pretty good album, though. Soft rock's not my thing but it's not all soft rock... this is New York rockin', in a way, okay, not like The Ramones NY rockin... but still, this is classic rock that the best classic rock radio stations in the country loved playing... and hopefully still do if they've got any soul.

find a dload @ Gustavoeo

How about a Video?!
Billy Joel & Marlee Matlin (with Oscar The Grouch)
from 1988 -- "Just The Way You Are"

Never done this before...

Normally, in months past, I'd have gone for a run right after work. Shift's over at 9 p.m.-> change clothes-> to the gym or the University, either one for their indoor track.

Yesterday, man, I was beat... but as soon as my shift was through, I still had it on my mind to get a run in as soon as I got back to my house to change. Good weather, eager to get that bit of exercise in, been a couple days, legs feeling like new again after getting used to this different running surface (outdoor trail vs. indoor track) ... but apparently it was sleep that I needed.

I was so ready to change and head out the door... laid my head down for 2 freakin' minutes and that turned into like 4 and a half hours. Zoinks! So I blew it...

or did I? After a dream of leading a Mexican futbol team of zombie E.T.'s to victory against the Smurfs at Iwo Jima (or something like that, I can never remember my dreams,) I snapped awake just like that (imagine snapping your fingers real quickly and loudly. Try it. Good, yes, like that.) Awake I was... at 1:45 o'damn clock in the morning. A feeling erupted of being quite pissed off at myself... but a glance out the window confirmed that the idea I instantaneously had is an idea I should set into motion -- I was still going to go for a run!

Why not? It was close to 2 a.m. but it was not dark. The sun wasn't exactly up... or all the way down, but there was light in the sky. Yah, mon, if there was a 7-eleven here, or a Dunkin Donuts, I could've driven on down without my headlights on to grab me a Slurpee® or a Boston Creme (or 3.) Mmmm mmm... but we don't have either of those establishments here which is probably a good thing because I could eat Dunkin D morning, noon, and night and not even care. Me and food...... just a bad combo when all I wanna do is keep eating when something's soooooo darn good.

ANYWAY... light in the sky there was (and still is an hour later now,) enough to see where you're walking without needing a flashlight... so I ran, I ran so far awaaaa-ay-ay. I just raaaa-aaa-an, I ran all night and daaaaaa-ay-ay. Or something like that...

First time I have ever gone for a run After Midnight.

Low 50's and another beautiful nite (morning) for a run!

Tues Nite/Wed After Midnight Run: 20 min 35 sec

+6 sec

XXXXXXXX+++++++++ ·24 sec· +++++++++XXXXXXXX

Run Time May: 3 hours 22 minutes April: 3 hours 51 minutes <-failed to pass March March: 3 hours 57 minutes

Well, I've already chronicled everything leading up to my run... that was interesting. I could've been on the trail for like 50 minutes -- 20 minute run out, 30 minute walk back -- but instead I hit a wide grassy clearing on the trail and turned around to run most of the way back. Was only outside from 1:50 until 2:20 -- just about a half hour. The whole time the sky had just enough light to allow me to see the ground sufficiently, every rock, every dip, every incline, never missed a one... had to pay much closer attention than normal, but no problem.

A quick shower and here I am. When I woke up earlier I was alive with energy. I'm not sore or anything now but I'm feeling good..... and a bit tired, probably because I wasn't well-rested for my run. I'm in that limbo region of thinking I could stay awake for awhile, thinking I oughta sleep now for awhile. My mind and body can't seem to come together on a decision. Ahhh well -- I ran, that's what counts!!!

Running tunes came from the album of the day...
	Galaxie 500 On Fire 1989 [1997 re-release]
Blue Thunder Tell Me Snowstorm Strange When Will You Come Home Decomposing Trees Another Day Leave The Planet Plastic Bird Isn't It A Pity Victory Garden Ceremony Cold Night

Listening to this band for the first time in my life (about a week ago) was... sort of a let down. What kind of music is this? It's alternative rock, yes, I knew that. What sub-genres? Dream Pop, Slowcore, Indie Pop, Shoegaze, College Rock and Lo-fi Psychedelia. What the heck is "shoegaze"? I didn't even know.

Creating a playlist for running with all these tunes was not easy because there's nothing here with a fast pace. A tune with over 65 beats per minute just ain't on here. What does that mean? All kinda mellow. When running I like to finish off with 3 to 4 minutes of something on the fast side. Not here. I did my best, though.

First couple listens several days ago, I wasn't too impressed with this critically acclaimed (in the UK) album. Again, like with so much music -- it's good but it just didn't do much for me. However, I listened again on my run and it's playing right now and I must say that I'm beginning to really dig the genius in a lot of these songs. Reminds me somewhat of a Charlatans UK album I used to play sometimes during late night drives... that's what this is, great late night driving music when you're awake but you just wanna chill to something kinda mellow.

I thought I'd maybe never give this another listen but it's on the fence... maybe I will someday.

find a dload @ Rock On

Video Time!
"When Will You Come Home"
which just happens to be, I think, the best song on here.

It's Beginning To Feel A Lot Like Springtime... Monk Is In The Air

First Hike of The Year... Finally!

I have a label for hiking and I could easily click it to find out when my most recent hike was... but I ain't gonna, would depress me too much. Well, probably not depress me but I'm still not gonna find out -- just gonna look ahead.

It's been awhile... I'm pretty certain, Jane Curtain, that it was last year. Again, not gonna think about it -- just gonna look ahead.

Twas a fine day, a fine day indeed. Beautiful sweatshirt weather tonight. With temps in the mid-50's, it's sweatshirt weather for some people all day long. I love this!

Had another outdoor backyard hamburger and hot dog hoedown to go to this evening... actually this was hamburgers, moose burgers, hot dogs, and reindeer sausage. It was a local Habitat for Humanity group outing to get to know others who will work on projects this summer here in Fairbanks and also in a couple remote villages in the bush. When people have homes that are so run-down, it's nice to get them into something that doesn't give them worries all the time. I feel like I'm the odd man out, in a way, not being someone in construction full time like most of these people. Ahh, no worries, I know my way around a hammer and nails just fine. Home repairs I am quite able to get accomplished with having to dial the phone for someone to come do it for me, thanks. I might not have the technical expertise that many Habitat volunteers appear to have, but I love lending a hand in whatever way I can.

The hamburger hoedown wasn't a beer party version that could last quite a few hours into the night so I was outta there before it got too late. The plan was to hit the trail but not for a run... for my first hike o' the year, baby!

I had my mp3 player loaded and ready to play some tunes... this post was almost gonna be titled -- Almost Went Hiking with Thelonious in San Francisco. I've heard of a lot of bear activity lately... being Spring they're eagerly looking for food. I didn't want to be food... so I paid music-less close attention as I wandered along a stretch of the Chena River. My first hike wasn't long, about an hour and a half and wouldn't ya know it, within 30 minutes, a wicked smell arose from the brush... something rotting... something that not too long ago lived and breathed and walked along just as surely as I was. The carcass I never saw but probably a young moose that became dinner for a grizzly and her cubs. Good idea to go music-less. I'd hate to be dessert!

After awhile I turned around and headed back, my feet clearly feeling two or three spots where I'm not used to such an outing in my hiking boots. Running shoes my feet are perfectly used to... but this is new, at least new right at the moment. Now, if I can work more hikes into my week, my feet will adjust and I'll be good to go for the summer!

I love that this far north in the hemisphere one can, as I did tonight, set out on a 90-minute hike at 10 o'clock at night and be back before dark. That's just sweet.

These almost were my trail tunes...

The other day Sugar Mag, who might be the nicest person on this whole interweb dealie... or maybe in the world! put up a cool post with some jazz videos -- Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Wynton Marsalis, and Louis Armstrong with Johnny Cash -- and that post inspired me to start listening to more jazz... daddy-o. There's so much that I'd love to get into my ears... so little time. This one's been sitting and waiting for me to Press Play... so this, and only this, is what I'll be doing as soon as I click Publish.

	Thelonious Monk Alone In San Francisco 1959
Blue Monk Ruby, My Dear Round Lights Everything Happens To Me You Took The Words Right Out Of My Heart Bluehawk Pannonica Remember There's Danger In Your Eyes, Cherie (Take 2) There's Danger In Your Eyes, Cherie (Take 1) Reflections

Solo piano is something I don't think I have ever listened to before this album. I started listening a little bit before Publishing this post and right off the top, Blue Monk is so beautiful... it's really taking me back in time, quite awhile ago, to when I was just a wee little Zoooma child... I'm remembering visits to my Godfather's in Hartsdale, Westchester County, New York, about an hour drive from where I grew up in northern New Jersey.

There in my "Uncle" Frank and "Aunt" Muriel's apartment, during dinner and after when they played bridge and had espresso with my parents, there'd be some quiet background music, from a radio station that played music just like this. Wow. Just wow. I'm so glad I decided to give this a spin! I love remembering Frank & Muriel back in New York. Spent every Christmas with them on the Hudson... but that's a whole nother remembrance for a whole nother day. For now this is just a slice of heaven!

here's the liner notes, from The Thelonious Monk Website:

This is an album created, you might say, by stripping things down to the essentials: a bare hall, recording equipment and one highly talented musician. When that musician is THELONIOUS MONK, it should not be at all surprising that the result is as intriguing and challenging a program as you could hope to get from any jazz combination of any size.

This remarkably creative pianist has often been considered "alone" (sometimes correctly, sometimes not) during the course of a still-expanding career that spans all of modern jazz. Ihelonious was of course a focal point of the "be-bop" revolution of the very early 1940s and he has remained a major force ever since, both through his own work and by his influence on others. There were years when much of the public, most critics and even some musicians left Monk alone, either admitting that he baffled them or claiming that he was merely an over-legendized eccentric. But by the late 1950s, there was widespread recognition of his unique talents (for examples: first place among pianists in the Down Beat Critics Poll and second in their Readers Poll in both 1958 and 1959), and he remained musically alone only in the sense that so highly personal an artist and composer must always remain somewhat apart and totally understandable only (if to anyone) to himself.

Being "alone" in the specific sense of recording by himself is of course a somewhat different matter, but not too different This is Monk's second album of this kind; the first ("Thelonious Himself" -- RLP 12-235) having been recorded two and a half years earlier, before the current acceptance of Monk began to take hold. In the notes to that LP, I commented that it is not always easy for other musicians, no matter how skilled or sympathetic, to "grasp fully or execute perfectly the intricate and demanding patterns that Monk's mind can evolve," so that one special attraction of a solo album is that it presents the pianist in a self-sufficient vein, offering an opportunity "to hear Thelonious as he thinks and sounds when he has chosen to be, temporarily, complete in himself." All this certainly still holds true for 1959 solo Monk, particularly since his now being a much bigger name than he was early in 1957 is both less surprising and less distracting to Thelonious than it is to just about anyone else. Actually, circumstances combined to add several extra degrees of aloneness to this recording, and to make it perhaps an even more striking example of an artist looking into the depths of himself. Monk was making his first visit to San Francisco (a second solo album had been planned for some time; the coincidence that Thelonious and this writer were both in the West Coast city at the same time brought it into being there). In a long, empty meeting hall - acoustically quite good, but rather bizarre-looking, with Monk sitting onstage with banks of ancient, ornate chandeliers for background. In a strange city - when photographer Bill Claxton drove him to various landmarks (including the cable-car setting of the cover photo) during a break in the session, it was Monk's first real view of San Francisco. And, although personal matters generally don't belong in liner notes, it might also be relevant that Thelonious had just had to leave his wife behind in Los Angeles, recuperating from major surgery; and that the first recording session came the afternoon after the opening night of his engagement at the Black Hawk - when, due to varied confusions not of his making, Thelonious had been the only member of his quartet on hand for the first two sets.

To what extent all these varieties of aloneness are reflected on the LP is an open question. What is clear is that Monk is in a predominately lyrical and introspective mood, with quiet emphasis on the blues and also with flashes of his characteristic wry humor. Some of the selections make for interesting comparison with previous recorded versions: Pannonica is now less 'tough', more richly a ballad than in the original quintet version on "Brilliant Corners" (RLP 12-226); Blue Monk is more subdued than in the on-the-job quartet effort on "Thelonious in Action" (RLP 12-262). The latter is one of three blues included here, the other two being new ones: Bluehawk, and Round Lights - this last in honor of those chandeliers! Ruby, My Dear has always been a ballad (he had most recently recorded it with Coleman Hawkins on "Monk's Music"--RLP 12-242), but seems still deeper and firmer as a solo.

The other of his own tunes is the appropriately-titled Reflections; and then there are four standards, two of which (Everything Happens and You Took the Words) are old favorites of Monk's, the sort he often plays solo at the start of a set in a club. Remember is a rather affectionate analysis of the Irving Berlin warhorse. But There's Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie, a 1929 number associated with Harry Richman, is something else again, an unplanned-for and unlikely inclusion. Thelonious came across it while leafing through a folio of old standards, recalled it, and proceeded to have a ball with it, exploring it in search of Monk-ish chords, and generally justifying his comment that "they won't be expecting something like this from me."

find a dload @ Jazz à Gogo

How about a Video?!
(nothing here this time)