Music – Page 7 – Keith Robertson

Week in Review – July 9th, 2023

“Those are some strong bones!”

We joined Lisa and friends for a birthday pool party at her home near downtown Dallas on Monday. She has a very modern home and recently added what Diana describes as the perfect backyard pool. I enjoyed meeting several new folks, particularly Mark Mundy, who hosts an Americana radio show on KNON, the local community radio station.

https://www.knon.org/texas-renegade-radio-friday/

We had a lazy day of rest on July 4th, my first as a citizen of both sides of the Independence activities. Denny taunted me with this picture and the caption, “This is what a patriot wears and does today.”

Diana went with me for my two week post-operation visit on Wednesday. The first thing the Physician’s Assistant said was, “My, you have some strong bones!” Apparently Dr. Haslam had to work very hard to get the screws out and was constantly worried that they were going to break. Hopefully this leg trouble is mostly behind me now. I should be pain free in less than a month. I do have to wonder how the thing broke in the first place if the bones are so strong. The Cooper Clinic bone density test also said I had the bones of a 25 year old man.

I watched the “Blackberry” movie on Wednesday evening. Just a crazy story of how the two friends started the company, made it huge, and then ran it into the ground by following bad advice to manufacture in China, and discounting the iPhone threat. One of the two friends sold all his stock at the peak and is secretly one of the wealthiest folks in Canada.

The early rounds of play at Wimbledon are usually the most entertaining. Andy Murray and Stefano Tsitsipas provided a very entertaining match. Murray was looking strong but the 4th set was delayed until the next day because of the curfew. He came out flatter the next afternoon and sadly exited the tournament.

We watched the new season of “The Lincoln Lawyer” on Thursday night, before Alicia called to torture her mom. We enjoy the show.

I dropped Diana at the airport on Friday, and sat back to enjoy the empty, quiet house for a bit.

She worked with Adamo and the crew to complete another crazy Dali puzzle.

I decided to catch up on my growing stack of New Yorker magazines over the weekend, rather than dive into a new book. This article about Larkin Poe, a Southern rock band fronted by two talented ladies, reminded me of watching them at Gretna Fest earlier this year.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/04/17/the-ministers-of-the-lap-steel-revival-tour

My favourite album changes from week to week. “Duke” by Genesis was my go to this week. I think this was the later line up at their peak, particularly Tony Banks keyboard playing.

The last two songs, “Duke’s Travels” and “Duke’s End”, have always struck me as something like the opposite of an overture, weaving together elements from all the prior songs. I love the dual drummers:

https://open.spotify.com/track/0H52iIUgADZnStfXURJq3Z?si=b5c9e0eab79c459e

That starting point took me to another favourite from Genesis, “Wind and Wuthering.” This was the last album to feature Steve Hackett on guitar. I think his contribution to the overall sound was really missed in future offerings.

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

Week in Review – July 2nd, 2023

“Goodbye Penelope, and a lot of other stuff”

Monday was a sad day. I took Penelope for an inspection requested by Rick, a prospective buyer. They found a couple of issues, but nothing too bad. Rick and Lisa came over and closed the deal on Monday night. So sad to say goodbye to my companion of over 10 years. Logically, it was the right time to sell, with almost 80,000 miles and about to lose a lot of resale value. Emotionally is a whole different story. The whole sales process was very quick and smooth. Hoping the same for our house.

Tuesday was packing day with the movers. I owe a huge amount to Diana for getting everything organized and for all the packing she did. I was very little help at all. We got so fortunate with the moving company we chose. Keith, Fernando and the crew were wonderful.

At one point in the day, Diana appeared at my office door and I could tell she was in some kind of emotional state. Always a bit scary. Turns out Fernando had just found the very valuable and sentimental jewelry that she “hid” when we had the bathroom remodeled. She thought it had been hidden in the pocket of one of my suits, but didn’t remember which and hadn’t told me about it. We were pretty much resigned to the fact that if it didn’t show up as we were packing clothes, then it was likely gone. Fernando found it on the floor next to one of the wardrobe boxes she packed – apparently it had been in the pocket of some of her clothing. What a blessing that it was found!

Something else that was uncovered – Diana’s birth announcement. She thinks her Mom hand drew it all. The C major triad with the three names is great.

I also found this penguin that Olivia drew for me many years ago:

Wednesday was loading for storage day. The truck was half full by 10am, good news given the heat outside. Keith and crew were all over it.

Thursday was a partial day of rest from moving activities. Diana had Janelle over in the evening and broke news of the move to her. She couldn’t break herself away from her picture sorting crusade for too long. Days of poring through albums and stacks to determine what she can’t live without.

The painters started on Friday morning. All the colour is gone, to be replaced by “Worldly Gray.” That’s the colour of the family room and kitchen, and now the majority of the rest of the house. Rodrigo, Maria, and Jesus did a great job and were very kind. They will finish up on Monday.

I sold the pool table on Saturday morning. That turned out to be a lot more than anyone was expecting. Those 3 slates that make up the bed are very heavy. Cesar and his buddy spent 3 hours breaking the table apart into manageable pieces. What a lot of work!

The house is very empty now. Here’s the calendar for the first part of the move. It’s funny to think that we just made the move decision on June 11th.

While the guys were battling the pool table, a work buddy, Sean, was building a garage. Some folks just have a load of hidden talents. I can’t imagine taking on securing those roof trusses.

I was able to catch up on some backlogged New Yorker magazine reading while the painters were busy. This article on the multi-year development that ended up yielding my favourite, the CrunchWrap Supreme, tickled me.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/04/24/taco-bells-innovation-kitchen-the-front-line-in-the-stunt-food-wars

I also enjoyed this article about a man who teaches elephants to play various instruments and records their orchestral performances. There’s a lot more to it – this guy is a psychology professor during the day, and a big part of the downtown New York avant garde music scene at night.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/04/03/david-sulzer-profile-neuroscience-music

I wasn’t able to start a new book this week. Hoping to make it to the library tomorrow.

I enjoyed this song from a band I haven’t heard of:

And this one from a band I know well. Those old Faces albums with Rod Stewart really are classics:

And another one from an artist I don’t hear too often that caught my ear:

Coexist peacefully with patience and kindness for all!

Fortnight in Review – June 25th, 2023

“These screws need to come out”

We made a big decision shortly after my last post. Have you heard? We’re listing our house and moving to New Orleans. We love our home, but it’s just so boring and such a long drive to things we like to do. We’re looking forward to spending time with our friends in the city we love.

It’s been a complete whirlwind since we made the decision. We hired a realtor, organized a moving company, contracted with a painter, and packed innumerable boxes. Diana has been a beast with the packing and I haven’t been a ton of help due to my leg surgery – more on that shortly.

On Monday, Diana was upset that the under-sink garbage disposal hadn’t been replaced while she was in California. I rarely use it, and so hadn’t even thought about it. Never mind – a quick order from Amazon and I was ready to tackle replacement. Not having done this before, I made sure to read all the instructions carefully. The flange from the old disposal didn’t accommodate the new one – ugh. I just couldn’t figure out how to get the old one off. Youtube to the rescue – there’s a hidden spring clamp inside the assembly. Ahh – two seconds later and it was off. Now it was time for problem number two – the replacement unit is too fat for the space available. Back to Amazon and a new unit showed up before 6pm. That was quickly installed and all is working well for now.

I decided to have the screws removed from my femur. They’ve been in there for over three years and continue to hurt every day. Enough! The orthopedic surgeon required several tests to be completed through my regular doctor before operating. Should be easy enough, I thought. Never that easy. Four phone calls later, the doctor had the instructions on what was needed. So, I got to spend a happy couple of Monday hours waiting for an EKG and some blood tests.

Tuesday brought the final pre-op test – a chest x-ray. I was all clear for surgery the following Wednesday.

Thursday brought my final pre-op appointment at the orthopedic office. All clear and ready to go. We also met with a listing agent who will help us to sell the house. She wants all the clutter and personalization gone from the house before she has some staging done and takes photos. So now we’re in mad dash packing and sorting mode.

We awoke on Friday to the horrendous news of a tornado that destroyed much of Perryton, TX. It arrived with no warning and wiped out big swaths of Main Street and other areas. Just devastating.

https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/16/perryton-tornado-storms/

Finn turned 30 a week ago on Saturday. We took him to Drake’s Old Hollywood in Dallas for dinner. What a wonderful new place. Beautiful old school design and wonderful food and service. We started with lobster escargot – like escargot but with lobster, puff pastry and garlic pesto. Finn said the appetizer meatball was the best he’s ever tasted. Diana and Finn both had the Chilean sea bass and loved it. Then the sparkler topped chocolate mousse. I think Finn had a very nice time. He just told us some big news a few days ago – he has a girlfriend that he really likes and they also celebrated his birthday.

We celebrated our 6th (iron) anniversary when we got home – letting Finn have the dinner be just his celebration.

Dr. Neffie (she just completed her PhD) and her fiancée Shaun came over to visit us on Sunday. Diana made one of her famous meat and cheese platters and we enjoyed some mini sliders from the grill. I really enjoyed chatting with Shaun – I can see why the Dr. likes him so much.

After a long wait in bed at the surgery center on Wednesday morning, I was finally wheeled to the operating room around noon. Can you believe the size of the screws that were in there? Here are before and after x-rays.

Apparently bone had grown around the screwheads, causing the pain that I’ve been experiencing.

Wednesday was also Timmy’s 60th birthday. He celebrated with his lovely family in Philadelphia.

Diana worked miracles, putting in 14 to 16 hour days of packing and sorting. The first truckload left on Friday – all donations to the women’s shelter and other charities. Now on to the stuff that’s going into storage while we show the house. It’s a lot of stuff, and includes all of the pictures on my office walls.

I posted Penelope for sale on Facebook Marketplace on Friday afternoon, and wasn’t sure what to expect. Immediate interest. I showed it to a guy on Saturday afternoon and he seemed very interested. More to come next posting. I did find this entertaining picture of the day I bought her, a little over 10 years ago. She’s been such a good car.

Quite the storm came through on Friday night. We had several branches come off the huge oak tree in the front yard. No major damage, thankfully.

Will likes to post about his dining adventures on Instagram. He tried the Bywater restaurant in Los Gatos and appears to have really enjoyed it. It’s operated by David Kinch who owned Manresa for many years.

“1 Dead Attic – After Katrina” by Chris Rose was my book this week. A shocking collection of articles that Rose wrote in the aftermath. These are tremendously well written by someone who lived through the early days of recovery in New Orleans. Chris was married to our friend Kelly at the time this was published (Kelly actually self published it and remembers how successful it was financially) and it’s interesting to read her account of the impact all of this had on his mental health and overall physical wellbeing.

Here’s an online summary:

“Celebrated as a local classic and heaped with national praise, 1 Dead in Attic is a brilliant collection of columns by an award-winning Times-Picayune journalist chronicling the horrific damage and aftermath wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2006. “Frank and compelling…vivid and invaluable” (Booklist), it is a roller coaster ride through a devastated American wasteland as it groans for rebirth. Full of the emotion, tragedy and even humor—which has made Chris Rose a favorite son and the voice of a lost city—these are the stories of the dead and the living, of survivors and believers, of destruction and recovery, and of hope and despair.”

Here’s a quote about New Orleans:

“The experience of everyday life here is magnified by emotional intensity and creative reverie, yet also reduced by the heat, humidity, and altitude to its most basic and primal elements: Food, shelter, and the Saints.

You can regulate our smoking and regulate our music and – hard to believe this day has come – you can even regulate our go-cups.

But you cannot regulate soul. You cannot legislate funk. And you cannot pass an ordinance that makes us ordinary.

The best things about us will never change.”

So well said!

“If there was no New Orleans, America would just be a bunch of free people dying of boredom.” Judy Deck.

From the article “The First Time Back 9/7/05”:

“Riding my bike, I searched out my favorite places, my comfort zones. I found that Tipitina’s is still there, and that counts for something. Miss Mae’s and Dick & Jenny’s, ditto.

Domilise’s po-boy shop is intact, although the sign fell and shattered, but truth is, that sign needed to be replaced a long time ago.

I saw a dead guy on the front porch of a shotgun double on a working class street, and the only sound was wind chimes.”

From “Life in the Surreal City 9/10/05”:

“There are men and woman from other towns living there in tents who have left their families to come help us, and they are in the park clearing out the fallen timber. My fellow Americans.

Every damn one of them tells you they’re happy to be here and every time I try to thank them, on behalf of all of us, I just lose it. I absolutely melt down.

There is nothing quite as ignominious as weeping in front a soldier.

This is no environment for a wuss like me. We reporters go to other places to cover wars and disasters and pestilence and famine. There’s no manual to tell you how to do this when it’s your own city.”

From “Don’t Mess with Mrs. Rose 2/21/06”:

“I’ve always had a particular fascination with people who steal stuff that obviously belongs to kids.

Anyway, my wife, she’s like me: a little raw. A little roughed up by all of this. With all that can go wrong around here on a minute’s notice, she’s in no mood to let her day be ruined by a punk, a bad guy, part of the problem.

So she unfurled a bloody tirade against this guy, who may or may not have been armed but was so stunned by her fury that he babbled some lie about “That guy said I could borrow it” and she continued with her furious but rather persuasive diatribe.

She grabbed the bike. He got off and walked away.

“Moseyed,” she tells me.”

That would be Kelly, and I do not mess with her.

I have many other dog-eared pages, but that’s enough for now.

Here’s a beautiful, relaxing piece of music:

And I think that’s a good way to end.

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

Week in Review – June 11th, 2023

“TV, Sports, and Music”

I neglected to share a couple of poignant pictures from last Sunday – the 30th anniversary of the death of Sebastian Campagna (Diana’s father.)

I like that you can see Diana’s reflection in the first, and yes, that’s one of Amy’s evolving memorial tributes on the table. I can’t remember the correct name for it.

This is as far as Diana got on the torturous Dali puzzle that Adamo bought for her. He definitely gets some sick pleasure out of seeing her struggle away for hours with the challenging ones. I think she has an idea on how to get him back with a Lowry one.

Here’s an interesting sight on the deck at Clorinda’s home. Finn got a kick out of it as his nickname for the store manager at work is the “Big Turkey.”

I watched an entertaining series on Apple TV – “Bad Sisters” is set in Ireland and definitely involves a lot of local humour.

I picked my D up at the airport on Tuesday evening, bringing an end to my ten days of bachelorhood.

There’s an excellent documentary on Leonard Cohen out now. Simply called “Hallelujah”, the film focuses on the album containing that iconic song, that was never released in America. The record executives didn’t think the songs were commercial or good enough. Wow!

The Jeff Buckley version on the amazing “Grace” album, first brought notice to the original song. It’s interesting to hear how that recording came about. Buckley was first discovered when participating in a celebration of his father’s (Tim Buckley) music at St Ann’s cathedral.

http://www.fuelfriendsblog.com/2006/07/15/jeff-buckley-channels-his-father-st-anns-church-april-26-1991/

The lady who organized the show introduced him to “Hallelujah” via the John Cale “I’m Your Fan” version. The song really got some attention when it was used in the original Shrek movie.

I highly recommend the documentary.

On Wednesday, I watched the NBA finals. The series between Denver and Miami was tied 1-1. Miami showed a lot of promise at home, but ultimately, Jokic was just too much for them. Denver won the series later in the week – the first title for that franchise.

Continuing with sports – on Thursday I watched the ladies French Open semi-final, featuring Swiatek (Poland) versus Haddad Maia (Brazil). I don’t care too much for the long shot rallies that typify ladies tennis, but the second set tie-break was very exciting. On Friday, we were treated to two great sets of men’s’ tennis, before Djokovic ultimately overpowered Alcaraz.

I know, a relatively boring week when I’m talking about TV shows, movies and sports most of the time.

I finished up “Foregone” by Russell Banks. The last third really dragged for me, disappointing after the initial positive impression.

My next book was “Our Man in Havana” by Graham Greene. I’ve enjoyed everything from Greene that I’ve read, and wish I’d come to this book sooner. I thought it was fantastic. Some of the best dialog that I’ve ever read. It speaks volumes that this tale from 1959 still reads like a current novel. Here’s the online plot summary:

“MI6’s man in Havana is Wormold, a former vacuum-cleaner salesman turned reluctant secret agent out of economic necessity. To keep his job, he files bogus reports based on Charles Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare and dreams up military installations from vacuum-cleaner designs. Then his stories start coming disturbingly true…

First published in 1959 against the backdrop of the Cold War, Our Man in Havana remains one of Graham Greene’s most widely read novels. It is an espionage thriller, a penetrating character study, and a political satire of government intelligence that still resonates today.”

The latest release from Tipitina’s record club showed up on my door step this week. Always an exciting event. The new record is solo Dr. John from 1984. Back when jazzfest was held in the Riverfront park, there were after shows aboard a riverboat. This is a live recording from one of those shows in 1984. Just the Doctor and a stand up piano. This is a great album that I’ve been enjoying all week.

Here’s a Youtube show from Rick Beato that details why “Xanadu” is Rush’s best song. I can see you rolling those eyes, Diana :

There’s a lot of interesting commentary in there.

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

Week in Review – June 4th, 2023

“Silly doves”

This has been a very quiet week at home – not a lot to report on.

The only interruption to my peace was from the idiotic doves that seem to come and visit every year about this time. A few years ago they built a nest on top of the patio speaker above the door. They attempted to reprise that stunt while we were gone. I ultimately had to take the speaker down as they just wouldn’t give up on dive bombing in to take their spot atop it. Undeterred, they decided to try the other speaker. So annoying. I took that speaker down as well and have had the ceiling fans on all the time. That seems to have done the trick. They can no longer perch on the fan and have their meetings about where to try and nest next.

I did venture out a couple of times. First for lunch at Mexican Cactus and then for Sunday lunch at Tacodeli. Their migas royale platter is so good, and a great value.

Massimo and Luciano had their final baseball game and are quite proud of their medals. Sweet pictures, and I’m confident they were back to beating up on each other a few minutes after these were taken.

It seems the weather in Pacifica has been pleasant, even suitable for D to sunbathe on Friday afternoon.

Speaking of sunbathing, Anne just sent a picture of her new backyard pool. Denny must be so pleased.

Diana and Alicia hosted Will, Christine and Adamo’s crew on Saturday evening. Will took Adamo and the boys for a spin in the fancy BMW M2, and they watched the whales at sunset from Adamo’s home. I hear that Alicia made some yummy tacos.

My book this week was “Foregone” by Russell Banks. Sadly, I have not heard of Banks, who has published many well reviewed books. The good news is that I have a lot of new titles to explore. Here’s the online summary:

“At the center of Foregone is famed Canadian American leftist documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife, one of sixty thousand draft evaders and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid serving in Vietnam. Fife, now in his late seventies, is dying of cancer in Montreal and has agreed to a final interview in which he is determined to bare all his secrets at last, to demythologize his mythologized life. The interview is filmed by his acolyte and ex–star student, Malcolm MacLeod, in the presence of Fife’s wife and alongside Malcolm’s producer, cinematographer, and sound technician, all of whom have long admired Fife but who must now absorb the meaning of his astonishing, dark confession.

Imaginatively structured around Fife’s secret memories and alternating between the experiences of the characters who are filming his confession, the novel challenges our assumptions and understanding about a significant lost chapter in American history and the nature of memory itself. Russell Banks gives us a daring and resonant work about the scope of one man’s mysterious life, revealed through the fragments of his recovered past.”

I haven’t quite finished the book yet, and have really enjoyed what I’ve read so far. The structure of the tale, bouncing from present day to memories in alternating paragraphs kept things interesting.

Another discovery – “China Girl” by Iggy Pop. I read that Bowie and Iggy wrote this together, and this version was released before the massive Bowie hit. It just needs the wonderful Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar licks.

My final discovery this week: Songhoy Blues is a desert blues music group from Timbuktu, Mali. Very interesting sound.

And closing out this posting with this gorgeous song from Ry Cooder.

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

Week in Review – May 28th, 2023

“Happy Birthday to Us”

Alicia chauffeured us from San Luis Obispo on Monday afternoon. Grammie was glad to see everyone. She’s been asking about our arrival for several weeks now.

I received a hilarious video of Campbell and Molly doing karaoke with the Texas relatives, back in San Diego:

Another birthday for me showed up on Tuesday. They just keep coming! I received a lovely song from the New Orleans group in Roatan, Honduras. Denny reported it was very nice but very hot and humid – something coming from a New Orleanian.

The little monsters all made me lovely birthday cards that they delivered to Grammie’s:

Hand made cards really are so special!

And then there is this hilarious card from Patty and Brent. Where do they find these?

The boys and Melanie gave me a gift certificate to La Costanera in Half Moon Bay. This is a wonderful Peruvian seafood restaurant. Caroline and Clorinda joined us, and Clorinda certainly enjoyed the food, consuming more than anyone else. It was nice to see her enjoying things. The only thing not readily consumed was the green mocktail that we chose for her. The restaurant is located by the marina and offers great views.

I had picked out a few interesting things on the menu before going, and ended up sampling most of them.

The ceviche sampler, mushroom empanada, pulpo and elote were all delicious.

We got to watch Massimo and Luciano compete in a baseball championship game on Wednesday evening. The game was tied 15-15 at the end of regular innings. They had a heartbreaking loss in the extra inning.

A walk by the beach on Thursday offered pretty flowers and great views of several pods of migrating hump back whales. After the walk, I used the Dinosaur’s gift certificate from Caroline to buy one of their yummy Portobello sandwiches.

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/whales-spotted-san-francisco-bay-area-coast-18121919.php

Andy and Jude joined us on Friday afternoon and we enjoyed listening to music and telling stories. Always so fun to visit with them.

On Saturday it was time to cede Birthday Week privileges to Alicia. She had requested a 70s theme, and Diana did a great job of coordinating flower colours and decorations to that request.

Diana whipped up some of her delicious jambalaya – an ideal dish for a party where folks show up over several hours.

I invited Sean to join us since his wife has been gone for several months, taking care of her Mom.

We had a great turnout and I think Alicia enjoyed herself very much.

Here’s my favourite birthday picture – three generations:

Diana was finally able to sit down, relax and snuggle up with Yeti.

Sunday was a travel day for me. Time to head back home to McKinney and an empty, quiet house for a week or so.

My book this week was “Solar” by Ian McEwan. Here’s what The Guardian had to say about it:

“Solar is a sly, sardonic novel about a dislikable English physicist and philanderer named Michael Beard. He’s a recognisable Ian McEwan type, a one-dimensional, self-deceiving man of science. We have met others like him before in McEwan’s novels – such as Joe Rose, the science writer who narrates Enduring Love, or Henry Perowne, the brian surgeon protagonist of Saturday – but none is quite as repulsive as Beard. Perhaps McEwan should have written against expectation by choosing as his protagonist a scientist who has a profound artistic sensibility in the model of his friend Richard Dawkins, or an artist who is articulate in the language of science, as McEwan is himself. As it is, he remains a determined binarist; what continues to interest him are stark dichotomies, the clash and interplay of stable oppositions. Repeatedly in his fiction he sets reason against unreason, science against art, the mind against the body, technology against nature.

Beard, who we are encouraged to believe won a Nobel prize in physics as a young man for something called the Beard-Einstein Conflation, is a short, fat, balding, much-married man of immense bodily appetites and scant self-discipline. He rapaciously consumes food, women and drink, with little regard for the consequences. He’s a resolute short-termist, fearful of commitment and of becoming a father, living for the here and now. His behaviour is a local example of the more general problem of human over-consumption: just as Beard devours everything around him, so we are devouring our world, with its finite resources and fragile ecosystems.

The trick of the novel, its central comic turn, is to make Beard, the greedy, selfish uber-consumer, an accidental expert on anthropogenic climate change. Through his expertise as a physicist, and then his opportunism in stealing the research ideas of a graduate student who works with him at an institute in Berkshire known only as the Centre, Beard is engaged in a programme to create cheap renewable energy through a process of artificial photosynthesis (you’ll need to read the book to be filled in on the science).

McEwan’s great gamble is to narrate Solar, which is in three parts and spans nine years, from 2000 to 2009, entirely from Beard’s point of view. Some of this is satisfying, especially the pithy scientific elaborations: McEwan, who has a precise, technician’s vocabulary, has swotted up to PhD level on physics, just as he did on neurosurgery for Saturday, musicology for Amsterdam and molecular biology for Enduring Love. None of this extracurricular learning feels perfunctory, especially when compared with, say, a novel such as Martin Amis‘s The Information. In that novel, disquisitions on infinity, black holes, dwarf planets and astronomy felt imposed on the narrative rather than being intrinsic to it. In Solar, the physics never feels forced or unearned but rather is embedded in the deep structures of Beard’s consciousness. We see the world just as he does, in all its cold reductiveness.”

I kept having a nagging feeling that I’d read this book before. A search of all the blogs says that wasn’t in the last 7 years. Maybe I read an excerpt somewhere – the ending certainly seemed familiar.

I think The Guardian is a bit harsh on the one-sided, unlikeable nature of Beard. I did enjoy the satirical tone, but didn’t find it particularly comedic. I certainly didn’t chuckle at any part of it.

Not too bad of a read, but far from McEwan’s best – which in my opinion is “Saturday.”

I heard this Aretha classic on the radio, and had to look up who was drumming. Of course, it’s Bernard Purdie, and it turns out the song was built up from his drum pattern. I didn’t know he was Franklin’s musical director for 5 years. So good!

Here’s the angelic voice of the late Jeff Buckley, recorded in a tiny club. Such a talent.

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

Week in Review – May 14th, 2023

“NOLA Residency Week 6 – the last week”

Denny was moving slowly on Monday, so we picked up Sean and Sheri for the afternoon. We made a stop at Octavia books so that I could pick up Kevin Griffin’s “The Greatest Song.” He gave a talk and played some songs last Thursday when we were having dinner at La Petite Grocery. I was sorry to miss the event, but happier to have dinner with the group. The book talks about how to ignite your creativity, using songwriting as an example. Griffin is the lead singer for Better than Ezra, and was in town for some performances between jazzfest weekends.

Sheri was hungry so we drove over to the Columns to get some snacks before they stopped serving lunch. It was very pleasant to get some quiet time to really catch up with the Meeksies. I worked in a couple of quick work calls from the lovely garden tables.

After lunch, we did a brief driving tour of the mansions in the Garden District, including a gander at John Goodman’s place.

Denny and Anne regrouped and met us at Hungry Eyes for dinner. I was so happy to get some more of that wonderful seafood curry and roti bread. Mason, the owner, was quite happy when I told him I couldn’t get enough of that dish. We challenged each other to guess the 80s songs that were playing on the patio.

After dinner, we continued that theme at the condo, playing Kahoot music trivia. I won the first round with D and then failed on the extended second round.

Tuesday, sniff sniff, was our last day in New Orleans. During the day, I watched “The Last Five Years,” a Bowie documentary that Sean had recommended. It was quite good.

Diana had organized a final oyster Happy Hour with the girls – adding Merry Lee and Lynn to the normal group.

Kenny and Denny organized the boys event at Cooter Brown’s. Not quite as fancy with classic bar food and pitchers of beer. I added Jeff to the usual group, and he seemed to have a lot of fun.

We will truly miss all these great friends.

Pack up and drive on Wednesday were very smooth. Not much traffic and none of the bad weather we were worried about. We were back in McKinney about 8pm.

The rest of the week has been uneventful – a few morning walks, some time to relax and read. We did pick up suits and dresses from the tailors, and are preparing for the wedding next week.

This crossword clue made me chuckle. Taking me back to a Crowded House show several years ago, where Diana asked me what “No Mosheing” meant.

Will had a good night at a Warriors versus Lakers basketball playoff game, while I watched on TV.

My book this week was “Network” by L.C. Shaw. I picked this up randomly at the library and hadn’t read any reviews or recommendations. Here’s the online summary:

“A pulse-pounding, page-turning thriller involving corruption, secrets, and lies at the very deepest levels of government and media.

“This is mandatory reading for any thriller aficionado.”—Steve Berry, New York Times Bestselling Author

A shadowy group is manipulating society—and they’ve only just begun.

Late one night, investigative journalist Jack Logan receives a surprise visit from U.S. Senator Malcolm Phillips at his New York apartment. Disheveled and in a panic, the senator swears that he’s about to be murdered and pleads with Jack to protect his wife Taylor, who happens to be the only woman Jack has ever truly loved.

Days later, Phillips is found dead in a hotel room in Micronesia, the apparent victim of an allergy attack. While the nation mourns, Jack and Taylor race to find the one man who knows the truth. As they’re pursued by unknown assailants, their desperate hunt leads them to the Institute, an immense facility shrouded in mystery that has indoctrinated a generation of America’s political and media power players. Led by the enigmatic Damon Crosse, the Institute has its tentacles everywhere—but Taylor unknowingly holds the secret to the one thing that Crosse needs to carry out his plan.

Taking readers on a thrill ride from the back halls of Congress to the high-rise offices of Madison Avenue and a remote Greek island, The Network is a provocative, pulse-pounding novel that dares to ask the question: who’s really in charge?”

I agree this was a quick paced, page turner. The premise was just a bit too far fetched for me to really enjoy it.

Here’s something different from the new album from The National:

And a classic from Freddie King:

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

Week in Review – May 7th, 2023

“NOLA Residency Week 5 – Sean and Sheri, and jazzfest Week Two”

Monday was a quiet recovery day. I had the Board Audit Committee meeting in the afternoon – all smooth and pretty dry.

I caught an early flight Austin on Tuesday morning, arriving at the office just as the Board Meeting started. This was our most productive meeting yet, and we finished early in the afternoon. I got checked into the hotel and then met our executive team at Comedor for dinner. I really love this restaurant and was pleased that Tim had chosen it.

Such creative preparations of steak tartare, octopus, and bone marrow tacos.

I flew back to New Orleans on Wednesday morning, entertained to see an outpost of the Saxon Pub at the airport. I arrived back in time to make a lunchtime visit to the chiropractor.

Sean and Sheri arrived at Denny and Anne’s cottage after midnight on Wednesday. We all met up for a delicious early dinner at La Petite Grocery on Thursday evening.

The food was better than ever – blue crab beignets appetizer and then my favourite – alligator Bolognese. The group was fired up and ready to go after dinner. We started with a stop at DMACs – apparently there was an entertaining band playing – I ended up sitting outside and chatting with some locals. Back to the condo to freshen up and regroup. Then Denny talked us into the Soul Rebels in the tiny back room of Le Bon Temps Rouler. We ended up getting our cover charge back as it was way too packed to even get to the back room.

Denny wasn’t giving up yet – there’s an excellent Papa Mail ska show at Chickie Wah Wah. Okay, okay, it’s Sean and Sheri’s first day – let’s do something crazy.

I’m so glad we opted to attend – the music was excellent and the place wasn’t crowded at all – even seats and tables available.

We arrived home around 4am – it’s been decades since that happened!

The Ogans and Meeksies were real troopers on Friday, making it back out to jazzfest, and reporting an excellent closing show by Jon Batiste. We took it easy in the morning and then enjoyed our typical Friday afternoon on the porch of the Columns. Alex, Laura, Kenny and Kara all joined us over the course of a pleasant couple of hours.

Saturday was a very rainy day and called for inside activities. We started with lunch at the Cochon Butcher’s shop – a counter service sandwich shop. The food was excellent and I can see why Denny’s been suggesting this place for a while.

After lunch, we made a visit to the Sazerac House – this is a very interesting and free museum about the Sazerac drink and associated other liquors. Highly recommended way to pass an hour or two – the building has been beautifully restored.

Denny suggested catching a bit of Mashaiya Lake at the 21st Amendment bar, before heading back Uptown. I always forget about this place and their typically solid musical offerings.

Some entertaining people watching ensued back on the Magazine Street balcony. A new white Rolls Royce pulled up and parked in front of the Buffalo Exchange thrift shop. I suspected a musician in town for jazzfest, but didn’t recognize the lady who exited the back door to head inside. Also didn’t recognize the man who joined her about 20 minutes later. He didn’t look like a chauffeur and didn’t open the door for her on return. Just interesting that she rides in the back while he drives. This is how we pass our time on the balcony…

On Saturday evening, Denny had arranged for us all to see Low Cut Connie perform at Gasa Gasa on Freret street. This is a small club and it was sold out. The piano player and lead singer was a terrific showman and we thoroughly enjoyed the show. Kind of a cross between Gerry Lee Lewis and Brian Setzer.

We made a relatively early night of it, knowing we were headed to jazzfest to set up camp in the morning. This time we used the normal entrance and I made a quick beeline for the area where I wanted to set up an expanded camp for everyone joining during the day.

The main stage opened with guess who? Low Cut Connie again. From a tiny club to the huge stage. They really got the early crowd going.

Diana walked 8 miles on Sunday – definitely the most solo rambling she’s ever done. Must be getting comfortable after so many visits. She found herself standing in front of Kenny and Anne at Fais Do Do, with none of them noticing initially.

Galactic put on a strong show in the early afternoon main stage slot. Greg and I enjoying the songs they played from the classic “Coolin’ Off” record.

Then it was time for a 2023 jazzfest highight. Mumford & Sons were joined onstage by Trombone Shorty and Jon Batiste for “House of the Rising Sun.” One of those moments that only happens in New Orleans:

Diana made a lap around the track to see Tom Jones perform a few classics at the Gentilly stage, followed by Melissa Etheridge in the Blues Tent. She got there just in time to enjoy “Come to My Window.”

We regrouped with Trombone Shorty closing out the festival, as he has for several years now. It took a while to exit and rejoin the crew for pizza at Midway on Freret Street. The 2023 edition of New Orleans jazzfest is in the books!

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

Week in Review – April 30th, 2023

“NOLA Residency Week 4 – Patty and Brent, and jazzfest Week One”

We decided to get some errands out of the way early in the week, before Patty and Brent joined us on Wednesday. Monday started with a walk and run in the park, followed by a run through Denny’s Erhardt car wash, and a visit to a very busy Trader Joes in Metarie.

Anne joined Diana for 75 cent oysters at Basin Seafood, a short walk from the condo. Denny and I joined a little later and enjoyed some great snacks. We all hung out for a while back at the condo, and then Diana and I finished the evening with the latest episode of Succession.

Tuesday began with a visit to the chiropractor for both of us. My back is feeling much better now. I had been wanting to try a restaurant named “Queen Trini Lisa”, located in a neighborhood that it’s best to visit for lunch rather than dinner. This is a highly rated Trinidadian place. Queen Trini Lisa greeted us and had a wonderful personality. I loved the “Doubles”, chickpeas in an excellent bread, and the jerk chicken. Denny joined us a bit after we arrived and got settled.

We collected Patty and Brent from the airport on Wednesday morning, and our first activity was a walk down Magazine Street to Tito’s, a place specializing in piscos and ceviches. We sat outside and enjoyed the great weather. I was happy to find that they still had the “special” – scallops with loads of parmesan and butter – yum!

From Tito’s, we rambled over to the Columns, passing Denny’s favourite dive bar on the way.

Diana and Patty made a delicious jambalaya for dinner.

Lunch on Thursday was at Mais Arepas. Another restaurant that Denny recommended visiting during the day time. I think he exaggerates, as the neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying. Everything on the menu is gluten free, so Brent could go nuts. The menu is described as Colombian Creole.

The staff were so welcoming and the food fantastic all around. Ceviches and arepas just outstanding. This is high on my list for my next New Orleans visit.

Next stop, the French Quarter. We began with a stroll down Royal Street. Patty and Brent found several galleries with art that was just their style. There really is a lot to see on Royal – the beautiful art and antiques such a juxtaposition with the tourist fare, a block away on Bourbon Street. We walked down to Jackson Square and then over for a view of the mighty Mississippi.

We walked over to Jean Lafitte’s and finished with a stroll down Bourbon Street.

Diana was anxious to share some oysters with Brent, so I relaxed while the group went around to Superior Seafood for oysters and frozen French 75s. That’s the “instigator” look on McD’s face.

For dinner, we walked to Atchafalaya and had a wonderful meal with great service. This is such a classic New Orleans restaurant, both in the menu and the setting in the neighborhood house.

Friday was Day One of jazzfest and we were excited to share the experience with Patty and Brent. We had a drink at the Seahorse Lounge, trying the Gentilly entrance for the first time. Patty got a new sunhat and we entered and set up at the Gentilly stage.

One of the first acts at Gentilly was Jon Papa Gros and his excellent band. Here’s “Hurricane”, the great Levon Helm song:

Diana took Patty and Brent to explore the art market area. They wandered back through the Jazz, Blues and Gospel tents, getting a great flavour of everything on offer. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss closed out Gentilly. A bit nuanced and mellow for the big stage, but I did enjoy a few songs, like “Rock ‘N Roll”, the Zeppelin original:

The “instigator” made a repeat appearance – this time trying to get folks to dance with her:

We decided to make a lap around the track to check out Wu Tang Clan with the Soul Rebels (brass on stage but not really heard in the mix), and Lizzo. Patty and Diana enjoyed venturing into the fray at the main stage to see some Lizzo:

Our exit was smooth and we were soon back at the condo enjoying some Theo’s pizza. The reviews on their gluten free crust were positive.

Saturday was a mellow day – a light lunch at Rum House, followed by a walking tour of the Garden District. Then it was time for Patty and Brent to head to the airport. There was some shoe shopping prior to departure, and surprisingly no purchases made.

It was back to the fest on Sunday. This time we used the Trafalgar entrance to get us closest to the main Festival stage. Entry was smooth, with a bit of a winding walk through the extensive stables area. That winding walk was a lot more painful after a full day of sitting out in the sun. Courtney and Bob were staying with Denny and Anne (friends from High School with Anne) – they were a hoot. Diana was entertained to find our neighbour wearing the same shirt.

The cashless food and drink operation had been a disaster on Friday, so Diana got the delicious trio before the lines grew. This was the first thing we ever ate at the fest, and it’s still as good.

We wandered over to Fais Do Do stage to catch the Creole String Beans, after setting up camp. Derek was seated with his baritone sax – we found later he had a foot injury.

Next was Congo Square for Cha Wa. This was one of my favourite performances and I think Diana liked it also:

Then back to the main Festival stage for Gary Clark Jr:

And finally, Tedeschi Trucks Band, a major highlight for me. They just play at a whole different level than most bands. Here’s “Take Me as I Am”, a terrific example of Susan’s vocal prowess:

“Just Won’t Burn” is a great example of Susan’s guitar skills and vocals together. A great way to finish out week one of the fest.

I agreed to walk around to Gentilly with Diana on the way out to catch some of Kenny Loggins final tour. He finished with the classics, including “Danger Zone” and “Footloose.”

The six of us tried the new restaurant, “Hungry Eyes”, after the fest. This is a brand new place near the condo, operated by Mason Hereford of “Turkey and the Wolf” fame. It has an 80s theme, hence naming it after the song from Footloose. We sat in the “neon area” and enjoyed some delicious snacks. The seafood curry with roti bread was amazing – I’ll be back for that again soon.

Plenty of music already and no time for reading, so we’ll skip those sections this week.

Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!

Week in Review – April 23, 2023

“NOLA Residency Week 3 – Chief Kenny Retires”

Monday was a quiet day of chilling out after all the activities of the Harvey visit.

Activity levels picked up on Tuesday morning. Diana joined the tennis clinic, winning a lottery ticket for some kind of competition. We went for a walk in the park after the clinic, and McD was quite animated, telling me about a great shot she made, and all about the drills. Unfortunately she stopped quickly on that great shot and hurt her quad a bit – seems to be recovered now.

I asked Denny and Fred who I should see about my back hurting. “You need the tiny German, next to the coffee shop on Oak Street.” Fortunately Dr. Beaumont was able to see me as soon as I finished my lap of Audubon park. The tiny German is shorter and smaller than Diana, but was able to move me around very effectively, providing immediate relief. I was quite impressed with her – chiropractic adjustments, needling, and pulsing electrodes – all in the same visit.

We started to watch a new show on Tuesday evening – “The Last Thing He Told Me” is based in Sausalito in the houseboat community, and is off to a good start in the first few episodes.

Wednesday also started with a walk in the park. I think Diana did a 3 or 4 mile run while I walked. She’s really hugely back into running again. My back was almost pain free. We ran into Kara doing a workout in the park with Josh on her day off. She came over to sunbathe with Diana after all that exercise.

I stopped by Cherry Espresso while they sunbathed – great coffee and a very cool converted fire house building.

Tim and Dee were raving about Oofos flip flops during their visit – “super comfy and therapeutic”. I had to order some up and try them out. They arrived on Wednesday afternoon. Not quite the right fit for McD.

Kenny and Kara came over in the early evening. We wanted to give the Chief his retirement gifts before walking to Osteria Lupo for dinner. He was quite delighted with the gifts.

Denny and Anne joined for dinner. Osteria Lupo is a restaurant by the Costera folks (Spanish tapas place that we went to for dinner one New Year’s Eve) that opened a couple of weeks ago and is a short walk from the condo. The food was amazing and the restaurant very modern and nicely outfitted. Black truffle arancini, crab pasta, and some great wine.

What a great meal with good friends! There might have been a wee sing along session on the balcony after dinner.

Thursday began as usual with a walk and run in the park. Then we both went to the chiropractor – yes, I was so impressed that Diana decided to try and get her aches and pains treated too. Dr. Beaumont said that I was a lot easier to deal with than Diana. Apparently one leg is an inch shorter than the other and the pelvis has adjusted to compensate for that. I think she gave Diana some pain relief.

After our sessions, we walked down to Seafood Sally’s and met Kenny and Denny for Happy Hour. $1 oysters for Diana – such a deal compared to anywhere in Texas or California.

Kenny ran through his potential stand up comedy routine for his retirement party on Friday evening. We gave some helpful input on which jokes might not work with a large audience, and which should be earlier and later in the set. Hilarious stuff. The patio at Seafood Sally’s was really pleasant on a warm, sunny afternoon.

After Happy Hour we walked down to Jacques Imo’s to say hello to Debra. Kenny has been on a mission to organize an annual “Bookerfest” at the Maple Leaf next door. James Booker is a famous piano player from New Orleans that we all love – he passed away many years ago. He asked Debra for Hank’s (the owner of the Maple Leaf) phone number. “He’s right here at the bar – I’ll introduce you.” We enjoyed the entertainment of Kenny pitching his idea to Hank. I believe it was well received.

Friday was the day of the big retirement party. Diana and I walked over to the Columns for a pre-party drink and enjoyed the lovely porch.

The party was in the back room of Monkey Hill – so named because it’s close to the Monkey Hill at Audubon Zoo – the highest point in the city of New Orleans. Denny and Anne did a great job of organizing things – banners, food that Debra donated from Crabby Jack’s (Jacques Imo’s catering business), hats, and musical entertainment. Diana took these pictures before the festivities cranked up.

First up was Valerie Sassyfras. I had watched her performance on America’s Got Talent and thought this was going to be ridiculously silly. This picture is Kenny, in Booker shirt, explaining something to Valerie. Live and in person it was actually quite entertaining. Here’s a video with the girls joining Valerie for “Girl’s Night Out.”

After all that silliness, The Tin Men arrived to play some straight forward great New Orleans music. I loved their set. Here they are with “Such a Night.”

I enjoyed getting to see a few folks that I don’t see very often – Greg and Colleen (pictured here), Randy and Amy, Paul and Michelle, Tres and Party Phil. Greg has the perfect New Orleans accent and is a true Southern gentleman.

A highlight of the evening was Kenny and Kara’s kids, Ian and Nina, giving speeches for their Dad. Such great offspring.

Kenny had an absolute blast at his party. Mission accomplished.

I met Alex at Peaches for record store day on Saturday morning. This is an annual event where independent record stores release one of a kind and rare recordings until they sell out. I was greeted at the door with an offer of a beer and pizza – umm, not at 9am, thanks. I picked up a Status Quo album that Mum and Dad gave me as a Christmas gift many years ago. Who knows where that original version is now. Not familiar with Status Quo? They are a classic power trio, and were the openers for Live Aid in 1985 – my first day working for Gearhart. I still remember being invited to my boss, Howard Dunn’s, house for the festivities. Here’s the performance:

Alex, on the other hand, must have bought twenty albums – quite the large box that he toted out of there.

Some fun people watching was available from our balcony after record store day. The Buffalo Exchange was having a sidewalk sale for Earth Day. All items were $1 and the proceeds went to an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee. So funny to watch a hundred folks dig into boxes full of used clothes.

Alex invited us over on Saturday afternoon for a bourbon and scotch tasting event on his patio. We also sampled some of those twenty new albums. He subscribes to something called Flaviar, which sends 3 test tube samples of bourbon or scotch along with detailed tasting notes.

Denny, Anne, and Gary joined us for the tasting. I suggested that, after each trio of tastings, we all discuss what we liked about each whisky. That went really well until Denny complained that it was getting too much like a book club. “But I like book club,” I complained. We continued with the discussions and I think everyone really enjoyed the event. Thanks for sharing all those Alex!

After the tastings we enjoyed some yummy po-boys at Bourree around the corner. Our buffalo cauliflower was delicious.

On Sunday, we enjoyed a quiet brunch at Justine in the French Quarter. This is the sister restaurant of the wonderful La Petite Grocery, next to the condo. My shrimp and grits were delicious – the mushrooms adding a nice extra flavour. Diana enjoyed her steak tartare and would have liked a bit more seasoning.

After lunch we walked to the “Mostly Rock and Roll Gallery.” This is owned by a friend of Andy and Jude’s. They are Clorinda’s perfect neighbours in Pacifica. Steve also lived in Pacifica for many years. He was visiting New Orleans a year or so ago, met Ben Jaffe of the Preservation Hall Band, and moved shortly after.

His photographs are excellent. Many of them are from Live Aid – closing the circle on my earlier discussion about Status Quo. We had a lovely chat with Steve – he gifted Diana some pictures he had taken in Pacifica – including a gorgeous sunset. Here he is with Diana in his shop:

We stopped by Kenny and Kara’s home on the way home. Kenny showed us the spot where he plans to hang his plaque – we approve. We always have such a good time chatting with those guys.

And another perfect New Orleans week is in the books.

Speaking of books – I made very little progress on “The Nightingale” this week. We’ll pick that up again next week – maybe.