Taxes are due when?
Crap.
Crap.
So I'm sitting here listening to Radio Paradise. A song comes on that sounds pretty good, like I'd like to hear more from this group. Turns out it's Porcupine Tree, and the song is Mellotron Scratch. I'd heard another song of theirs a couple of days ago (Heartattack in a Layby) and I had the same reaction to that one. I did a little searching and listened to some samples of their music and kind of liked it, but I'm not convinced enough yet to buy an entire cd. I was thinking that they sound an awful lot like Yes, and perhaps I should dig some Yes out to compare. In the meantime, the next song comes on, and it's Heart of the Sunrise, by Yes! Having now the opportunity to hear them back to back, I just might take a chance on a Porcupine Tree album.
So, listening to Yes, which I haven't done in probably years, reminds me of a story.
[Flashback music and wavy lines play here.]
It was 1991, and Yes is on tour in support of their Union album (not their best by a long shot, but still they were on tour). I got hooked up with tickets from Ed at BMG, and we head out to the Patriot Center with my friend Larry, and one of his other friends, to see the show. Great show! After it's over, we go backstage. My goal is to meet Jon Anderson, whose singing I have really enjoyed for years, both with Yes, solo, and with other artists.
Turns out Jon Anderson is painfully shy. The most I see of him is when he pokes his head in the door of the hospitality suite, then he backs out quickly. I spend the evening talking with Trevor Rabin, Chris Squire, Alan White, and Rick Wakeman. (Yeah, I know. Sucks to be me.) Rick Wakeman is totally cool. We ended up talking for quite a while, and he was asking me questions about what I did, music, and retailing. When he found out I worked for Tower Records, he backed up and bowed at me in that "I am not worthy" way. Pretty funny.
Larry and his friend are not big on schmoozing, so they had made themselves scarce. When it was time to head out and we hooked up again, I asked them where they had been. What had they been doing for the last 45 minutes?
Sitting on the loading dock talking with Jon Anderson.
That's my Yes story.
So, listening to Yes, which I haven't done in probably years, reminds me of a story.
[Flashback music and wavy lines play here.]
It was 1991, and Yes is on tour in support of their Union album (not their best by a long shot, but still they were on tour). I got hooked up with tickets from Ed at BMG, and we head out to the Patriot Center with my friend Larry, and one of his other friends, to see the show. Great show! After it's over, we go backstage. My goal is to meet Jon Anderson, whose singing I have really enjoyed for years, both with Yes, solo, and with other artists.
Turns out Jon Anderson is painfully shy. The most I see of him is when he pokes his head in the door of the hospitality suite, then he backs out quickly. I spend the evening talking with Trevor Rabin, Chris Squire, Alan White, and Rick Wakeman. (Yeah, I know. Sucks to be me.) Rick Wakeman is totally cool. We ended up talking for quite a while, and he was asking me questions about what I did, music, and retailing. When he found out I worked for Tower Records, he backed up and bowed at me in that "I am not worthy" way. Pretty funny.
Larry and his friend are not big on schmoozing, so they had made themselves scarce. When it was time to head out and we hooked up again, I asked them where they had been. What had they been doing for the last 45 minutes?
Sitting on the loading dock talking with Jon Anderson.
That's my Yes story.
In the course of doing some website work for a parish, I have talked on the phone with Kate a couple of times. When I was at her parish doing some training I noticed that she had a WMVY sticker on her computer. WMVY is probably my favorite radio station. So now every time we talk we compare good radio stations that we can listen to online. I have suggested to her WAPS, and she has suggested to me KLCC.
On Monday she told me about Radio Paradise. She described it as a station where you can make your own playlist. It's not. (Perhaps she was thinking of Paradise Radio, which seems to be mostly dance music, or Pandora, where you can create your own "station".) I tuned in to Radio Paradise, and I must say it's fantastic!! It's a streaming-only station, and they play a very eclectic mix of music. The best part is that about 50% of it is from artists I've never heard of before. And another 25% is from artists I haven't heard in a long time, or deeper cuts from artists I have heard of.
To give you an idea, here is their playlist for an hour this morning:
9:35 am - Cake - Mahna Mahna
9:32 am - Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hell
9:31 am - Erin McKeown - The Taste of You
9:27 am - Beatles - Two Of Us
9:25 am - The Cure - 2 Late
9:19 am - U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name
9:13 am - Eluvium - Prelude For Time Feelers
9:09 am - Thirteen Senses - Do No Wrong
9:06 am - Guided By Voices - Learning to Hunt
9:03 am - The Wailin' Jennys - Take it Down
8:58 am - A Perfect Circle - The Noose
8:52 am - Blue Man Group - Mandelgroove
8:48 am - Dave Matthews Band - Minarets
8:43 am - Los Lobos - The Town
8:39 am - David Sylvian and Robert Fripp - God's Monkey
So if you have some time, tune in this station. Well worth it!!
On Monday she told me about Radio Paradise. She described it as a station where you can make your own playlist. It's not. (Perhaps she was thinking of Paradise Radio, which seems to be mostly dance music, or Pandora, where you can create your own "station".) I tuned in to Radio Paradise, and I must say it's fantastic!! It's a streaming-only station, and they play a very eclectic mix of music. The best part is that about 50% of it is from artists I've never heard of before. And another 25% is from artists I haven't heard in a long time, or deeper cuts from artists I have heard of.
To give you an idea, here is their playlist for an hour this morning:
9:35 am - Cake - Mahna Mahna
9:32 am - Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hell
9:31 am - Erin McKeown - The Taste of You
9:27 am - Beatles - Two Of Us
9:25 am - The Cure - 2 Late
9:19 am - U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name
9:13 am - Eluvium - Prelude For Time Feelers
9:09 am - Thirteen Senses - Do No Wrong
9:06 am - Guided By Voices - Learning to Hunt
9:03 am - The Wailin' Jennys - Take it Down
8:58 am - A Perfect Circle - The Noose
8:52 am - Blue Man Group - Mandelgroove
8:48 am - Dave Matthews Band - Minarets
8:43 am - Los Lobos - The Town
8:39 am - David Sylvian and Robert Fripp - God's Monkey
So if you have some time, tune in this station. Well worth it!!
40 Years Ago
Friday, April 4, 2008
9:20 AM
by bill
Whenever April 4 rolls around, I think about the story I heard several years back on the radio show "This American Life". Originally aired on 6-22-01, I think I heard it on a re-broadcast a few months later. Still it never fails to bring a tear to my eye. Here it is, in short:
A dad and his 4 year old daughter are talking about Christmas, and what it means, how it is a celebration of Jesus' birth. They get a children's Bible, talk about Jesus' life and teachings, and she keeps asking "what was that phrase?" Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
A little while later, they were driving past a church with a big crucifix outside. Daughter asks "Who is that?" Oh, yeah, the rest of the story. After explaining that it was Jesus, daughter asks what happened. Dad says, "He ran afoul of the Roman government. Jesus' message was so radical and unnerving to the prevailing authorities of the time that they had to kill him. They came to the conclusion that he would have to die. His message was too troublesome."
About a month later, daughter was off school and dad took the day to hang out with her. They see a drawing of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the newspaper and she asks "who is that?"
Dad: It's Martin Luther King, Jr., the reason you are not in school today. Today was his birthday, we are celebrating his life.
Daughter: Who was he?
Dad: He was a preacher.
Daughter: For Jesus!?
Dad: Yeah, he was, but there was another thing he was famous for. He had a message.
Daughter: What was his message?
Dad: He said you should treat everybody the same no matter what they look like.
Daughter: Well that's what Jesus said
Dad: Yeah, I guess so.
Daughter: Did they kill him too?
A dad and his 4 year old daughter are talking about Christmas, and what it means, how it is a celebration of Jesus' birth. They get a children's Bible, talk about Jesus' life and teachings, and she keeps asking "what was that phrase?" Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
A little while later, they were driving past a church with a big crucifix outside. Daughter asks "Who is that?" Oh, yeah, the rest of the story. After explaining that it was Jesus, daughter asks what happened. Dad says, "He ran afoul of the Roman government. Jesus' message was so radical and unnerving to the prevailing authorities of the time that they had to kill him. They came to the conclusion that he would have to die. His message was too troublesome."
About a month later, daughter was off school and dad took the day to hang out with her. They see a drawing of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the newspaper and she asks "who is that?"
Dad: It's Martin Luther King, Jr., the reason you are not in school today. Today was his birthday, we are celebrating his life.
Daughter: Who was he?
Dad: He was a preacher.
Daughter: For Jesus!?
Dad: Yeah, he was, but there was another thing he was famous for. He had a message.
Daughter: What was his message?
Dad: He said you should treat everybody the same no matter what they look like.
Daughter: Well that's what Jesus said
Dad: Yeah, I guess so.
Daughter: Did they kill him too?
I came across this great site last night. It is part of the Washington Post, and it allows you to track your (and everyone else's) congressperson and senator. You can learn information like how many votes did that person miss, how often did they vote with their party, and how did they vote on key issues (and every issue as a matter of fact). The more you drill down, the more information is there, including biographies and district demographic data. Fascinating!
Congress Votes Datatbase
Congress Votes Datatbase
ESPN has been showing soccer recently (within the last couple of years - or at least that's when I found it). But not just soccer, football. Real football. They've been showing the UEFA Champions League playoffs and championship. And, Fox Sports has been showing English Premiere League football.
The games are usually shown on Tuesday afternoons, so it's nice to sit down for a while and watch a good match. Today, they were broadcasting the Manchester United v. Roma UEFA match. I was hoping that they would be showing that game.
I am a ManU fan, as much as I can be from the States, where I rarely see them play, and am still trying to figure out the complex league system. I don't know anything about any of the teams, but I like ManU, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal. I kind of suspect that liking ManU is like someone from outside the US having an interest in baseball and deciding to be a Yankees fan. The Yankees are probably the biggest marketed team and therefore have the biggest headlines, and have had (I will grudgingly admit) good teams over the years, and have won the World Series enough so that "everyone" knows their name.
It's probably the same situation with ManU. Still, I'll stick with them until I know better.
Ellen says she will continue to root for the Aberdeen Dons.
Oh, yeah, Manchester United won the match 2-0.
The games are usually shown on Tuesday afternoons, so it's nice to sit down for a while and watch a good match. Today, they were broadcasting the Manchester United v. Roma UEFA match. I was hoping that they would be showing that game.
I am a ManU fan, as much as I can be from the States, where I rarely see them play, and am still trying to figure out the complex league system. I don't know anything about any of the teams, but I like ManU, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal. I kind of suspect that liking ManU is like someone from outside the US having an interest in baseball and deciding to be a Yankees fan. The Yankees are probably the biggest marketed team and therefore have the biggest headlines, and have had (I will grudgingly admit) good teams over the years, and have won the World Series enough so that "everyone" knows their name.It's probably the same situation with ManU. Still, I'll stick with them until I know better.
Ellen says she will continue to root for the Aberdeen Dons.
Oh, yeah, Manchester United won the match 2-0.
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