Mutterings for the oppressed, the hungry... and for Alvin

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter -- they're just words, well, at least some of the time they are. Today was the second full day of Spring? What does that mean? When it turned Spring, was there some sort of big change? All of a sudden the weather's gonna be different? Ha. The same could almost be said for New Year's Eve & New Year's Day. That has actual notable change, going from one month to another, one year to another, sometimes one century to another ... and whoa, sometimes even one millennium to another. But when you boil it down, if NYE is on a Wednesday, the next day is still Thursday. What's really so different?

The same thing with turning from Winter to Spring -- what's really changed? The first morning of Spring I think we were at about 7 below zero in the morning. This morning when I went to work it was a little warmer: -1° (about -18° C.) Almost an hour ago when I got home from work just after 9 o'clock tonight: 18 degrees (about -8° C.)

With the arrival of Spring, there hasn't been a change in the weather. No one has any extra spring in their step. The Communist government of China still oppresses Chinese citizens who oppose the human rights violations that take place there on a daily basis. Iran still wants to build nuclear weapons that they'll probably use to commit an act of genocide against Israel. And Islamic extremists still want to kill you and your family in order to cleanse the Earth of those who do not agree with their radical agenda for the Muslim people.

Meanwhile, for trying to help create peaceful, non-oppressive nations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and while giving more money to aid others than any other nation on the planet, the United States is the evil empire in the world. Hmmm.... [scratching head in wonderment at that one.] Happy Easter.

Unconscious Mutterings

a free association game -- I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Money :: It should always be used to help others in need. Sadly in American society so many people are more caught up in the selfishness of consuming goods they simply do not need while simply ignoring the suffering that takes place in the world. And interestingly, what they don't know is giving away money to make the lives of others better will actually bring more happiness than spending it all on self/family. I understand the need to pay bills and put food on the table ... but how often does that food have to cost several dollars per person when economically families can be healthily fed for just a buck or two per person? Is spending hundreds... or even THOUSANDS of dollars a year at Starbucks really important? Or why is a DVD collection more important than a village that doesn't even have clean water? Why is providing one child with the nicest of everything more important than an orphanage full of children, some of whom will end up in prostitution or scouring through a garbage dump for their next food to eat?

Blows my mind how wealthy Americans are, even those who think they don't have much ... in reality that have plenty yet millions upon millions of people suffer and die when money given to charities could help them. We don't wish to suffer like they do ... but why do we allow it?

Give today, to somebody, anybody, anywhere. Help an animal shelter, help protect an acre of land, help clean up a river, help support a summer camp for disadvantaged children or children with disabilities, help get needed medical care to rural areas of the world, help support an organization that gets girls off the streets and out of prostitution, help pay for a clean water well in an African village, help pay for the removal of landmines so kids can play without worry. Something. Anything.

2. Unhappy :: is how I can sometimes make myself when thinking about #1.

3. Joking :: is not what I'm doing when it comes to giving a darn about the atrocities that we don't care to see because it'll make us unhappy. Perhaps our unhappiness isn't what should put first because seriously, we generally have all we truly need ... what's the big deal then? But while I've been typing and while you've been reading, children have died simply because they don't have things that we pretty much, in general, take for granted, things like clean water, healthy foods, and simple medications to fight off simple diseases. I guess that's okay, though, as long as we're happy. Right? We can go about our lives seeking to undo our unhappiness while we go joking along through life concerned about a nicer, cooler cell phone or buying that summer home at the lake we've always wanted, or a sweet, new car ... because all those things, they're so important to our happiness, right?

Joking around is a good thing.

But a better thing is giving.

4. Chipmunk :: finally, something lighter ... like Chip & Dale or Alvin & The Chipmunks, which I don't think did too well at the box office, the new one with Earl.

5. Date :: going out

6. Slideshow :: pictures

7. Chicago :: "Windy City"



8. Lifetime :: Movie Network

9. Skid row :: ♫ 18 and life you got it, 18 and life to go ... i don't know the lyrics (nor do I care to) for whatever cheesy song that is by that incredibly cheesy "metal" hair band from the 80's.

10. Edward :: Van Halen



... now unlike Skid Row, Eddie VH has real musical talent. Well, I guess skid row does, too, but at least Eddie Van Halen's, well, cool.

why don't they wear pants?!

Brewers, Bucks, Badgers ... Cheeseheads ... Deadheads in Dane County 2/15/73

Two to three weeks ago someone requested this show ... and finally here it is! Hey, I might not git 'er done immediately, but I'm happy to take requests and I'll definitely git 'er done eventually. Besides, not posting it up lickety-split meant it got to marinate... yes, it sat around and got better! A couple extra weeks of aging will give any show some delicious added flavor. Trust me on this!

Actually what got done was Noah from Grateful Dead Listening Guide, he wrote a very cool review which I am pretty darn stoked to have below to accompany this download. Thanks, man! I hope others dig it and I hereby command them all: click on over to check out Noah's GD show reviews that he's been posting for a couple months now at his site. Bookmark and read regularly. Some great stuff there, I tell ya what!

Well, enough with the chit-chat. Ladies and gentleman, some mid-week, kinda sorta now end-of-the-week music to delight the senses... time to get on with the show...

Grateful Dead February 15, 1973 Dane County Coliseum Madison, Wisconsin

Soundcheck: Jack Straw, Box of Rain

1st Set: Loose Lucy, Beat It On Down The Line, Brown-Eyed Women,
Mexicali Blues, Tennessee Jed, Looks Like Rain, Box Of Rain,
Row Jimmy, Jack Straw, China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider,
Me & My Uncle, Bertha, Playing In The Band, Casey Jones

2nd Set: Here Comes Sunshine, El Paso,
You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man), They Love Each Other,
Big River, Dark Star-> Eyes Of The World-> China Doll,
The Promised Land, Sugaree, Sugar Magnolia

Encore: Uncle John's Band, One More Saturday Night

I remember heading upstairs to a friend's apartment and running into my buddy Fritz there. He had come over with the One From The Vault release (08/17/75) almost immediately after it came out (he was on the pre-order list), and was giving it a proper airing among friends. It was mid day, and the sun was shining in a hundred hues of orange and yellow that afternoon, seeming to rise (no pun intended) to the occasion. I was unprepared for what I heard. This was before I started collecting Dead tapes – my friend Fritz had been doing so since before I met him in the late 80's.

A week or so later I picked up a copy for myself. Was Jerry's ever-elevating solos in Eyes of the World something I imagined, or had he really started each solo section on a slightly higher note that the last one, lending an incredible growing sensation to the song? Well, it wasn't my imagination. And, while that release has more highlights than one can count, I was somehow transfixed by the quiet beauty of It Must Have Been The Roses. I played that track again and again.

One evening shortly thereafter, I was ready. I headed over to Fritz's place and proclaimed my desire to check out some of his Dead tapes. I told him the logical place for me to start was 1975, because I wanted to hear more of what was happening on One From The Vault. Crushed to learn that the band was actually on a break that year, he sent me home with about five tapes; four of them were from 1973, as Fritz was pretty comfortable with my musical leanings, and knew these would scratch my itch. Set two from Dane County 02/15/73 was one of these tapes.

To say that I imprinted myself on 02/15/73 would be an understatement. The tape went with me everywhere. Phil and Jerry's tandem transition from Dark Star to Eyes is forever burned in my ears. As is the case with many pinnacle Dead moments, I can recall exactly where I was when I first hear it – sitting in my car in the parking lot, not able to turn off the engine and go into work because of what was coming out of the car speakers.

Now the show sits on www.archive.org, and has been downloaded nearly half a million times. It almost figures that if you're reading this Grateful Dead show review, you've already heard the show. If not, what sweet pleasure awaits you.

The first set finds the band in fine form. They aren't quite at the level that would come later in the month, or in March, but none-the-less, there isn't a wasted song anywhere. Jerry, in particular, sounds very happy to be playing and singing. The energy of the set is good, until we get to China>Rider. Here, we simply ride a rocket into the stratosphere. This version sizzles, as many do in early 1973. Maybe it's because the energy leaps so high, but for explosions of power, this China>Rider can certainly be held in the same light as 3/28, 7/1 and 7/31/73 (others that I've always held up a sleeve for just such a "best China>Rider of '73" discussion). The shift in energy is unmistakable. While the Me & My Uncle that follows is fair, the Bertha cooks with the same energy of IKYR. Playin' In The Band, however, goes to a whole other place.

All Playin' In The Bands from February '73 have stiff competition trying to claim the title of best Playin' from that month. That title rests pretty firmly on 2/24/73's shoulders. However, this 2/15 version packs great energy and variety into its slender 14 minute frame. There is some fantastic interplay between Jerry and Keith wherein they are exchanging mirrored phrases no more than a beat long each. It produces a climbing effect, like tightly intertwined vines climbing on each other. Later, Keith is working a volume pedal under the band and his piano sounds more like a third guitar than keys. It's quite a surprise (I don't recall much, if any, volume work from Keith after 1972). Before it ends, there's more lovely interweavings; the band swirling in on itself like a large school of fish in a bait ball. Suffice to say, this Playin' deserves multiple listenings, and the battle for best of Feb '73 may be a multi-round bout.

The second set finds more glimmers of high energy. The debut of "You Ain't Woman Enough" features a piercing, white hot solo by Garcia. But this set, not surprisingly, is all about the Dark Star>Eyes>China Doll.

This Dark Star is less like a star and more like a comet; speeding past galaxy after galaxy, exploring the beauty of each. Some are spiral, some are elliptical. Some are double galaxies locked in a million year collision. Some are at rest, and others are being consumed by black holes.

In the 13 minutes leading up to the verse, we zigzag billions of light years to and fro across the universe. The song opens with more energy than you'd expect. There's the sense of dancing candle lights rising and falling. One of Billy's cymbals seems to be arching up and down passed its microphone, providing a wonderful phasing effect. Things mount, as Phil and Jerry angle toward more and more aggressive play. Then it's as if we've been at sea during a storm, and the rain slows, mist settles, and land appears along with sunlight. Things draw down. Jerry is working his volume knob, and he had Phil reach a glorious moment of harmony at just about the 5:13 mark.

Hearing Jerry and Phil converge into this cord for the first time, on what was probably the first 1973 Dark Star I'd ever heard in my life, left me done for. I think it was at that very moment that I began my journey as a tape collecting deadhead. Now I understood why one might want to hear every version of the same song played by a band. This one Jerry/Phil moment is terribly fleeting. They didn't even seem to acknowledge having struck such a perfect improvisational high. They certainly didn't milk it (the Dead never did such a thing). But it was a glimmer of perfection amidst an already sensational playing sequence.

The song continues deeper into the yawning chasms of deeply drawn out notes where tempo seems to sit down and rest. Then it rises back up into more of the loping, playful Dark Star jamming associated with 1972. All in all, by the time we make it to Jerry delivering the vocals, we've been to many different places.

The post verse space sets off on a beautiful deconstruction of music. It begins with wide sweeping vibrations of flowering notes, settling in the basin of empty space with Phil taking a solo. Bobby continues a bit of whisper silent string tapping for a bit, and then Phil works the crowd into a lather for about two minutes. He gets the entire house to begin clapping in rhythm, and together they are working a wonderful vibe. Then Jerry returns.

This passage from Phil's solo into Eyes Of The World hits you in much the same way as that lovely one note convergence back near the start of Dark Star, except this now goes on for well over a minute. Jerry and Phil are completely zoned in and working pure magic. Then splashing into Eyes? More than one's heart can bear. If we had to pick just a few "under two minute" passages of Dead music to go into a time capsule, this would be one of them.

Eyes (the second live version of the song, mind you) is awesome. Billy's tempo on this version is the mold from which all future Eyes would emerge. Even as the song's tempo picked up over '73-'74, this 2/15/73 version can be pointed out as an archetypical delivery. Knowing what Jerry was doing in his side projects since 1972, he seems to have penned the music for Eyes of the World as a personal outlet for the R&B/Soul lover in him that had been playing instrumental versions of Expressway To Your Heart for the last year or more. The song bounces and lifts you to your feet.

Jerry also sits back for a number of measures after each verse, holding off from his solo. This allows us to bathe in the simple groove of the new song. It adds a nice layer to the song structure. Jerry's solos then appear and take us on with them. After the final verse, as the band heads into the meat of the song's exploration, I'm struck by visions of tightly bound and layered planetary rings, slowly spinning in opposite directions under your feet. They pervade the soundscape here. The band members stretch in opposing directions, circle back to each other, and explode outward again. This fabulous interplay is delivered a deathblow by a classic cut of death – a reel flip deep within the jam. It is expertly stitched together on the circulating copy, so you barely notice it. But I remember a three second gap on my cassette copy from way back when. Ouch.

Upon the pickup of the new reel, we are moments away from the thematic section of the song that's in a 7/8 time signature. It's fun, but clearly still in a formative stage. The band wraps things us and wind down into the second performance of China Doll. It's a pistol shot at 9 o'clock (not sure when the lyrics settled into the 5 o'clock slot), and the song is extremely heart-felt. Jerry is in fine voice. His solo at the end of the song is sweetly rolled out. It flows back and forth like breezes through trees. A few "La La La's" and it's over.

The show rolls on, but the peak has come and gone. There's a nice Uncle John's Band nestled in the tail end of the show, but you'll come back for the China>Rider, Playin, and one of the quintessential Dark Star>Eyes of the year.

Noah at Grateful Dead Listening Guide

Source: Master Soundboard Reels>PCM>DAT>CD

Sound Quality: a good solid A, to many A+.

**For some mysterious reason, and I don't know if this is
from the original reel or due to someone doing something
after-the-fact, at about 4 min. into LLR, there's a boost in volume.
It's an annoyance at first but definitely a blessing.**

the Soundboard of 2-15-73 Madison is @ Archive for listening only

-or-

Download The Show Right Here

73-02-15 ~ 2-15-73 SBD setlist

2/15/73 Grateful Dead Madison - Part 1

Part Two - GD 2/15/73 Madison

2/15/73 Madison - Part III

2-15-73 aka 02-15-73 aka 2/15/73 aka 02/15/73 aka 73-02-15 320 kbps mp3 download and setlist

Dead Cool K9

I'm not too much into these meme dealies but last summer I did them for awhile when I had a broken leg. No running or hiking meant less music... and being fairly lazy, I didn't have much else to post ... or didn't feel much like posting anything else. For the most part I've stuck with Unconscious Mutterings which is fun to do ... but this looks like a good excuse to post something else up, at least every Tuesday...

Interpret the theme in any way you wish. You can write a story or a poem, show photos or videos, scan and post a picture you drew, just about anything. The choice is yours. Today's theme: Any part of (or place in) a house

My dog, Cassidy, the Super Samoyed, catching some upside-down Zzzzzzz's on a hot summer day on that spot of cold stone floor in my house when I was living in Missoula, Montana. There's an air conditioning vent right above his tail blowing down on him as well as a ceiling fan blowing overhead. With no direct sunlight, and this room about three feet lower than the whole rest of the house, this little area was the coolest place to be found and he LOVED it on those really warm days in the summertime. Smart dog!!

click to see bigger, if you wish

Running to The Enz

A few days away from Spring, it's a bright sun shiny day... with a temperature of 11° (-12 C.) Flowers popping up? Not quite. But the activity at the University was bustling even with the wicked cold weather -- first day back after Spring Break. For some warmer weather, where do students in Fairbanks go for Spring Break? Minnesota?

Tuesday Noon Run: 18 minutes 20 seconds

+3 sec · indoors ·

XXXXXXXX+++++++ 26 sec +++++++XXXXXXXX

Run Time March: 2 hours 24 minutes February: 3 hours 11 minutes January: 2 hours 56 minutes

The long slow climb from 18 to 19 minutes is clearly underway. I don't know why I just don't make each increase greater. Perhaps it has to do with music? The smaller the increments, the more albums I get to check out. Right? Maybe that equation doesn't compute properly. More than likely I'd still run the same amount of time. Hmmm....

In any case, only added 3 seconds this afternoon but it was a good run that I'm happy with. Rec Center at the University was amazingly uncrowded. Absolutely no clue when the weather'll be good enough for running outdoors again so I remain on the indoor track for the time being.

Running tunes from
the album of the day...

Split Enz

Mental Notes

1975 debut






Walking Down A Road
Under The Wheel
Amy (Darling)
So Long For Now
Stranger Than Fiction
Time For A Change
Maybe
Titus
Spellbound
Mental Notes

Prog rock is a long way from what I prefer listening to. So much of this first album from New Zealand's Split Enz has exactly that feel ... and I haven't been too thrilled the few times I've given this a listen. Reminds me of the horrific experiences of listening to (really) old Genesis. Back during that whole first half decade or so of the existence of MTV, back when they were actually focused on music videos, one of their earliest in regular rotation was for the song I Got You by Split Enz. Aside from that, I've had next to exposure to them but since I've always really liked that song, I knew someday I'd give their albums a shot. Someday finally came and well, I don't like their earliest stuff that much. Doesn't mean I won't push forward eventually with other albums of theirs. One song on here -- the title track, Mental Notes -- I'm guessing is the first track on a (chronologically ordered) Split Enz greatest hits best of collection. Very good tune, could listen to it a thousand times! Contrast that to other songs on here like Stranger Than Fiction and Spellbound and Time For A Change and what a difference there is. Just a world away from the title track as well as I Got You a few years later after Phil Judd was replaced by Tim Finn's brother Neil. That was, I'm guessing, when they really got a lot more famous than the early years.

Find a dload @ Ausrock

Ohhh Jerry Boyyyy...

Jerry O'Garcia!

My run with Polly Jean

Feeling lethargic is not allowed. Too easily the desire to just eat (and eat and eat and eat) and get fat can take over. I guess some people out there don't mind being a burden to America's healthcare system (all taken care of with socialized healthcare, right?!) but not me, I ain't gonna be a burden, they're not even gonna know I exist, well, other than the fact that I'm sort of already a part of America's healthcare system in that I do good within it, working for the people, doing a small part to get them medical help ... but NO, I ain't gonna get sick from being overweight, not even if some damn President decides to raise our taxes so we all pay for each other's medical bills.

NO!

So I run.

Sunday Night Run: 18 minutes 17 seconds

+6 sec · indoors ·

XXXXXXXX+++++++ 06 sec +++++++XXXXXXXX

Run Time March: 2 hours 6 minutes February: 3 hours 11 minutes January: 2 hours 56 minutes

I can never remember if the Rec Center at the University is open late on Sunday or not. For some reason it's not, maybe because it's presumed all students are in and studying on Sunday night?

Fine, so after I saw all the lights out there, I headed to the gym, the real gym in town, not that the Rec Center isn't a real gym, or doesn't have a real gym, it's real enough, but this, The Alaska Club, is a real gym gym... and the other indoor running track in town.

(I swear, if I was gonna build me a fairly large house, I'd ring it with an indoor running track. Hey, this is Alaska, such a weirdly designed home would fit right in!)

Good run. For some reason an 8:30 pm run after dinner on a Sunday, it just feels like the best time. I don't know why. Maybe after sitting home all day it's nice to get out for a bit, short drive there, nearly 20 minutes to get 'er done, short drive back. All showered, all clean, fresh log yet again thrown in the stove, a good night, feelin' fine!

This running, I tell ya what, it's freakin' addictive! Actually running sucks, it's the way the body feels afterwards that's addicting! Ahhh, good to be healthy!

Running tunes from
the album of the day...

PJ Harvey

Uh Huh Her

2004




The Life & Death Of Mr. Badmouth
Shame
Who The Fuck?
Pocket Knife
The Letter
The Slow Drug
No Child Of Mine
Cat On The Wall
You Come Through
It's You
The End
The Desperate Kingdom Of Love
[Untitled Track]
The Darker Days Of Me & Him

Been a long time since I've listened to Polly Jean from Corscombe, Dorset. Never really listened to an album of hers all the way through, so far as I know. But am familiar with her from the mid to late 90's. Not bad stuff. Not my favorite, she's quite the brooder, ya know; this ain't Shiny Happy People music by any means.

Not the best to run to. No good, strong fast-paced, high beats per minute tune which I like for the last 3 or 4 minutes. All rather slow which is okay, makes me cruise along at an easy pace without burning myself out. But nothing to really drive me at the end. Oh well.

Still a good listen.

128 kbps dload @ Rock On !!!

Mid-March Mutterings

While most of America slides into Spring, this small part of the United States... who'm I kidding, this huge part of America is in winter mode: rest-of-U.S.-style ... sort of. For about a week, for the most part, we've been stuck a few degrees below freezing. And that's about where we're gonna be for another week to come. So basically it's cold. It's brrr cold. It's certainly not brrrrrrr freakin' cold, but it's still cold. Working outside some of the time when the high temperature is 26° (-3° C,) well, that's a whole lot easier than working outside when it's -26, that's for sure!

I'll be sad when sub-freezing temps are for the most part gone ... but at the same time, I'm really lookin' forward to getting out for a hike, wearing a t-shirt when I go driving somewhere, and basking in the warmth of the sun. So much of the U.S. has that clearly in their sights but quite yet here. Eventually we'll get there. Twould certainly be nice to have some more fresh snow in the meantime ... what's been partially melting away is really lookin' grungy in places. Nothin' more wonderful than a nice fresh snowfall. Those might be behind us. Oh well.

For now I will enjoy the warmth from a new log in my wood-burning stove and have a go-around with this weeks...

Unconscious Mutterings

a free association game -- I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Paranormal :: Activity .. I ain't afraid of no ghost.

2. Alarm :: The ... band from Wales, big in the 80's

3. Operative :: Secret ... a spook, a spy, undercover, Bond ... James Bond ... although James wasn't/isn't really a spy, he was an Agent but sometimes he spied

4. Changing :: Times, They are A ... Dylan ... Bob Dylan

5. Framed :: for murder

6. Beer :: Homer Simpson

7. Referral :: job application

8. Unmasked :: without a mask

9. Movie star :: Harrison Ford

10. Handbook :: a guide ... Lonely Planet

Venkman, Stantz and Spengler

For all your paranormal activity needs,
who ya gonna call?

Running with An Eagle

Work. Work, work, work. A 12 hour shift here, a 12 hour shift there. Some weeks it feels like I have so much time off. Other weeks it feels like I've put 80 hours in. The real number's generally always the same: 36 or 48, give or take (always give) a little extra time on the clock. Monotonous but at the same time not. My schedule from one week to the next is rarely ever the same. And then my office includes an entire town of roughly 30,000 people. Never the same thing which suits me wonderfully. But at the same time I'm longing for something new. Ahhh well, that restless part of me, at least I know it's alive and kicking and I'm not content sittin' on the couch wasting life away.

Saturday Night Run: 18 minutes 11 seconds

+5 sec · indoors ·

XXXXXXXX+++++++ 49 sec +++++++XXXXXXXX

Run Time March: 1 hour 47 minutes February: 3 hours 11 minutes January: 2 hours 56 minutes

Straight to the gym after my shift was done tonight. I changed at work first as I absolutely hate gym locker rooms. I don't use them. When I walk in the front door of the Rec Center or the local Alaska Club gym, I put my bag aside, get my mp3 player ready, and hit the running track -- I'm in, I'm out, I'm on my way drivin' back to my house in no time. Tonight the same ol' thing. This, compared to work, is so unbelievably monotonous but at least the music's different every time.

Not a bad run yet again. Didn't add much time but that's okay. I was able to survive without the pesky thoughts of quitting because "it's so not worth it to be running." "Yeah, yeah," I tell that little devil on my shoulder. "Go away!" And I persist. It's still not really freakin' easy for me. Having that mild desire to eventually run a marathon, well, I must be insane. I can't even do 20 minutes without at least some minor difficulty. Make it successfully, sure, but like I keep sayin' -- this ain't easy. Still, these small runs are better than nothing. My body's holding up just fine and physically, aside from a mildly achy quad here, a minor stained hamstring there, I'm feelin' so damn good!!!

Running tunes from
the album of the day...

Joe Walsh

The Confessor

1985





Problems
I Broke My Leg
Bubbles
Slow Dancing
15 Years
The Confessor
Rosewood Bitters
Good Man Down
Dear John

Hmmm... solo Joe Walsh? Sure, this Drew Carey Show co-star (occasional guest star) and former resident of Montclair, New Jersey has got a couple hit songs that I'm very familiar with -- Life's Been Good and Rocky Mountain Way -- but what else has he put out over the years? This album would be my first ever introduction to the wider world of solo Walsh.

I'm not sure what to make of this collection of music from The Eagles lead guitarist. He's the lead guitarist, right? I'm not even sure but I think so. Anyway, being released in early '85, I believe, recorded in late 1984 probably, this really shows its age throughout. Problems to kick off the album starts with almost a reggae feel but evolves nice enough into not a bad tune. The next two tracks, I Broke My Leg and Bubbles, holy cow, just downright dumb. Almost Phish dumb. Slow Dancing could be on an episode of Miami Vice and I seriously wouldn't be surprised if it was! Dear John has gotta be one of the worst songs to ever close out an album. Another total lame-o. 15 Years seems to be an autobiographical song that just goes nowhere interesting. Rosewood Bitters, apparently a cover of a Michael Stanley tune, who apparently is a former Cleveland rocker and current DJ there, isn't bad, while Good Man Down is the most rocking tune on the album -- probably two of the only good songs on here aside from the title track, The Confessor. Spring ahead a dozen years or so and Bon Jovi's Dead or Alive has the feel of (part of) The Confessor. It's almost two songs with the first half being done with acoustic guitar before a strong drum beat kicks in and electric guitar replaces the acoustic for the end. It finishes rather abruptly, which is kind of too bad but it's a cool tune, a total after midnight on a cold and empty highway driving tune.

Overall an odd mix but then again Joe Walsh is odd guy. Maybe not the best place to dive into his catalog of albums but I'm glad I gave it a shot.

128 kbps dload @ Walldill

How can you Taste The Rainbow if you can't Buy The Rainbow?!?!

As far as I know, the percentage of children in America who are fat continues to rise. It's no wonder our Armed Forces can't meet their goals for recruitment numbers, too many teenagers are 230 pounds and addicted to video games and Doritos in high school. Those who wish for our military to be used only within our very own borders, and certain Berkeley council members, might approve but truly it's sad and just disgusting.

Now, I'm all for the removal of softs drinks from schools below the college level as well as getting rid of vending machines that dispense unhealthy foods. Not in the schools. Having them doesn't necessarily encourage the consumption of such "garbage" but it helps to contribute to this nation's obesity epidemic. Hey, if someone wants to get fat after they're out of school, so be it. But there ain't no need for schools to be an aid to that BEFORE then.

But I digress...

This gets you in trouble ►

This should not!
▼

But it can in New Haven, Connecticut.

Come on, if a kid wants his Skittles fix, and he buys a bag from another student in school, should he really get suspended for it? And bar him from taking part in an honors student dinner?? And take away his position in the student government?!?!?

You'd think he beat someone up or vandalized the principal's car or something...

HE BOUGHT SKITTLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There were a lot of days in high school when sitting down for lunch I thoroughly enjoyed a large bag of Skittles and a bottle of Jolt Cola. A little sugar fix to get through the rest of the day, that can be a very good thing and it hurts no one. To punish a kid for buying Skittles in school? Give me a break.

An Angelic Run ... sort of

What exactly is the ideal weather for me in mid-March? Spring's like a week away. Surprised in the least I would be if we have one more brief cold spell where the temp dips below 0 (-18° C) ... but for the most part, the really cold stuff is gone.

The cold stuff is still here, though. 25 (about -4° C) I think we got all the way up to today! Not bad compared to the 4 (-16) it was when I woke up.

Drove to the gym just over an hour ago in the snow. Probably won't accumulate much but it's cool to have it comin' down. Amazing the massive storms they get through portions of the Lower 48 ... we don't really get those here. There's snow completely covering the ground from October until April and we have many, many days where there's snow falling, but no huge storms. Instead we get -40 degrees and a week straight where the high temp is maybe -10.

Now March, almost mid-March, coming up on Spring. Sure, we've had 40 degree days (around 5 C) ... I've even worn shorts outside, no big whoop with a nice sweatshirt or light fleece jacket. But it ain't quite lookin' like beach weather is anywhere on the horizon. Not yet. Nope. And not there's even a beach here to go to in central Alaska... haaa!

The question that's popping into my head these past few days -- Do I Stay or Do I Go? Am I gonna remain an Alaskan?

Part of me will always be Alaskan no matter if I'm back in north Jersey, livin' on the Jersey Shore, up in New Hampshire or maybe western Montana again. I love this place. Fit in I mostly do, in my own way. Got great friends, some great co-workers, plus like 50% or more of the population I've had some interaction with because of my work in the community.

But I'm gonna stop there because I thought of typin' about moving actually not outside of Alaska but to a smaller village OFF the road-system somewhere. That would be 1,000 words alone and already I've meandered and rambled more than I had planned.

In any case -- it's lightly snowing, it's below freezing, it's most definitely not quite ready for daisies and new grass seed.

Wednesday Night Run: 18 minutes 6 seconds

+3 sec · indoors ·

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Run Time March: 1 hour 29 minutes February: 3 hours 11 minutes January: 2 hours 56 minutes

Sometimes music can really help a run be better and tonight that definitely was the case. My mind was so able to focus on the tunes without those crappy thoughts of how horrible running is. Cruised around the stoopid, monotonous indoor track yet again, achieving my time, only adding 3 seconds but twas a good run because I succeeded without any major difficulty. Hey, even with difficulty, so long as I finish, that's still a good run. Yeah, even when it's just downright horrible, because after I drive back to my house, get cleaned up, sit and relax, I'll be feelin' so good just as I am now!

Running tunes from
the album of the day...

Echoing Angels

You Alone

2007





I Will
You Alone
Let Go
Rise Up
Coming Back To Life
Living Inside Of Me
Hallelujah
Make It Better
Free
Move Me

Wow, Christian Music Today doesn't think too highly of this album. Sounds like Third Day, Building 429, Casting Crows and MercyMe. Nothing very original. Well, interestingly, the song You Alone climbed the Christian music chart ... maybe getting to #1? Maybe at least into the Top 3? HA! Showed them! Actually, I don't know the exact path of the success of the song ... but people liked it! What does that say to the person who wrote a non-flattering review? Is the reviewer right? Are the people foolish? I've gotta think if the people like it then it's considered darn worthy of praise. Huh?

Anyway, while maybe Echoing Angels doesn't have their own perfectly unique sound, in my opinion they help add to the stockpile of decent Christian music out there. I mean, when you consider how much decent music there isn't, well, it's kinda sad and one can get bored rather easily and rather quickly with only a certain number of bands who don't necessarily have a huge catalog of music. For me, to have this album to run to, a blessing. Love the music here. Not direct praise and worship as some Christian artists focus on, more lyrically ambiguous in their message. They're kinda loud, they rock on certain songs, yet those who aren't wanting to be pounded by praise for Christ song after song can dig what's here because Echoing Angels doesn't do that here, for the most part. A very good thing in Christian music.

128 kbps dload @ Música Cristã MP3

Phil Collins Has Grown A Lot Of Hair!

I guess a lot of youtubery ties into what I post ... but I hate youtube ... but maybe sometimes it ain't so bad ... just not a lot of it!

Every run I take at Face Value ... this one especially

Twelve hours of sleep last night.
Sometimes ya just gotta catch up.

Tuesday Morning Run: 18 minutes 3 seconds

+7 sec · indoors ·

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Run Time March: 1 Hour 11 minutes February: 3 hours 11 minutes January: 2 hours 56 minutes

Okay, it's official: I don't like morning runs. When the temperature is 15° (-10 C) it's not so bad compared to mornings when it's like -15 (-26.) The lower the temp, the lower the desire to drive to the gym. Warmer temps = not too bad.

Without a run yesterday, I needed to get my butt there today; no procrastination.

As I hit the track -- again -- it dawned on me how friggin' monotonous this is. Ho-ly crap. But I keep doing it. Why? It's important. It would be way too easy to sit around and get fat ... and unhealthy quite possibly to the point of diabetes and/or heart disease requiring hospitalization, maybe surgery, and daily medications not to mention a severe change in diet. Forget that.

So I run.

It might be the same thing over and over with all these cold temperatures in central Alaska ... but it's worth it.

Not too terrible this morning. A little tired. Maybe not as properly hydrated and fueled as I am when I run in the evening ... but I made my time. Not only did I achieve my goal for the day, I upped myself to the 18 minute level -- a minor milestone that I'm pretty happy with. Gonna take me forever (it seems) to get to 20 minutes ... but I ain't gonna quit!

Running tunes from
the album of the day...

Phil Collins

Face Value

1981





In The Air Tonight
This Must Be Love
Behind The Lines
The Roof Is Leaking
Droned
Hand In Hand
I Missed Again
You Know What I Mean
Thunder And Lightning
I'm Not Moving
If Leaving Me Is Easy
Tomorrow Never Knows
[Over The Rainbow]

Probably everyone in the civilized world knows In The Air Tonight that was the major single from this debut album from Genesis frontman Phil Collins. Man, I've been hearing that forever, it feels like ... and I don't get tired of it. I Missed Again is another from this album that had a video back in the good ol' days of MTV. And Tomorrow Never Knows, a Beatles song, I know from the Grateful Dead, of all places ... I don't think I've ever even heard by The Beatles! The rest (with the exception, of course, of Over The Rainbow) was all new to me. An interesting mix of boring and eh, not bad.

There's another pseudo kinda sorta Grateful Dead connection on this album -- Alphonso Johnson plays bass on much of the album. An even bigger name -- Eric Clapton -- shows up on the song If Leaving Me Is Easy. My question about that is -- why not give him a bigger part? Seriously, when listening more closely to the song, I could barely hear any nice Clapton guitar. Almost nothing... almost to the point his name doesn't even need to be in the liner notes. Oh well.

An interesting listen none-the-less.

192 kbps dload @ MP3 Mix by Jensenbrazil

Running with Madman drummers bummers and Indians in the [late winter] with a teenage diplomat...

There's something completely wrong here. I've seemingly lost an entire week? What the heck?! I'd say "What the hell" but the swearing's been cranked way too high lately. In tryin' to always be a better Christian, there's no damn place for swearing.

Anyway... last time I went for a run: almost a freakin' week ago?! Seriously?! So there it is -- I've lost an entire week. Just like that [in the snap of the fingers.] Great, I must say totally sarcastically. I wonder if Jesus frowns upon sarcasm. I've never thought of that. And right now I'm not worried about it too much. I suppose so long as it's not in a putting down kind of way. Hey, He'd probably use sarcasm today as a way to get His point across to certain people. Maybe? Why'm I typing so much about Christ all of a sudden? Yes, I should really devote more time to study God's word and the life of Christ, have strayed quite a ways from that in the past many months ... but that's not why I'm posting this post, yo. I'll save that for later. Yes, save it for later, always the right thing to... procrastinate!

Okay ... now I'm done with that.

Got my butt to the Rec Center tonight before they closed. Was really lookin' forward to gettin' a run in ... but twasn't until just a few minutes ago when I realized it's been half a day shy of one whole week since I last ran. NOT good. Absolutely positively way not good.

Sunday Night Run: 17 minutes 56 seconds

+7 sec · indoors ·

XXXXXXXX+++++++ 29 sec +++++++XXXXXXXX

Run Time March: - 53 minutes February: 3 hours 11 minutes January: 2 hours 56 minutes

For not having been in my running shoes for almost a week, I didn't do too badly tonight. Hydrated and fueled, not tired, added 7 seconds, almost up to 18 minutes, so close. Had to stop as soon as I hit my End Cue ... actually, I probably didn't have to stop, but I did, few seconds worth of stoppage time, bent over, hands on knees, gasping for normalcy. Even though I did that, still wasn't bad. Resumed moving within 2 to 3 seconds, walked a couple laps around the track, started feeling great within moments.

Back in the comfort of my house, showered, clean, resting... and feeling probably better than I have since my last run. To take 6½ days off was just idiotic and completely wrong. Can NOT allow that to happen!!! Must run!!! (with regularity.)

Running tunes from
the album of the day...

Bruce Springsteen

Greetings From
Asbury Park, N.J.

recorded: 1972
released: Jan '73







· Blinded By The Light
· Growin' Up
· Mary Queen Of Arkansas
· Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?
· Lost In The Flood
· The Angel
· For You
· Spirit In The Night
· It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City

There are no words from me for this album. It's perfection. Okay, so maybe I've got a few words. All of a sudden I'm wondering if there are Springsteen fans, casual fans, who like his music but don't care for his older stuff. Perhaps a few people like that? In my opinion this blows the crap out of Magic, Bruce's 2007 release with the E Street Band. That's it. I'm done. This is just one of the best rock and roll albums ever. Period. End of discussion. My roots are in Jersey and I dunno if that entitles me to have more importance than non-Jersey Springsteen fans... seems completely silly to think such a thing, but truly when I'm listening to some Bruce, I'm damn proud to have grown up in The Garden State. So many of the lyrics have got nothin' to even do with Jersey... but when I hit the Play button, right back there is the only place I wanna be. Maybe someday. This'll sounds absolutely insane to a lot of people but I actually miss the place! Even more so when I'm listening to Springsteen. Mmm... such good stuff!

	320 kbps
	Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.