My Mug

Ari Ari Everywhere

Infectious Bezes

We got the H1N1 blues. Paige wrote about it here.

Two from Labor Day

My mom came over to visit today and was kind enough to bring me a big stack magazines: The New Yorker and New York. The piece in the latter on Annie Leibovitz was a bit of a wild read. It's old news now about her financial troubles, but it's really staying with me. I don't know much about photography, but people say that I have a good eye for it and I really appreciate their kind words. I enjoy it, however, I can't imagine making any money at it. So it's just my humble little pastime. Give me a day off from work and family obligations and all I want to do is walk around the city taking pictures of buildings, skies, bridges, railroad tracks, etc.

It's curious to me to think of Annie and the career that she has and then to consider how utterly in debt she is. Of course, I can't give her too much criticism for being bad with money. I'm bad with it, too. But according to the article I read, her irresponsibility with hers makes me look like quite the financial sage. I'd like to think that if someone wanted to pay me several thousand dollars for a photo shoot, I'd... Oh heck, I'd probably blow it.

Anyway, I'm home with a sick kiddo and his sisters on Tuesday while Paige is goes to Walmart to get new tires for the van. If anyone wants to pay me for pictures, that's cool. As the saying goes, the babies need shoes.

Have a nice day.

Monitors

At least I can listen to Mahler on Pandora at home

Nashville radio will soon have no classical music during the day. We almost lost jazz last year and I suppose its future is probably still uncertain. I'd be more upset about the change at WPLN if I didn't enjoy listening to Talk of the Nation so much.

My zen

Twitter

We dance to silly French songs

Feel Good Friday on Monday Night For You

I borrowed a CD from the library tonight entitled Cover The World: World Music Versions of Classic Pop Hits.

Track listing:

1. Albert Pla - "Walk On The Wild Side"
2. Mo' Horizons - "Hit The Road Jack"
3. Toure Kunda - "In The Air Tonight"
4. Tukuleur - "Africa"
5. Ladysmith Black Mambazo with Phoebe Snow - "People Get Ready"
6. Chris Ardoin and Double Clutchin' - "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher"
7. Les Go - "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)
8. Angelique Kidjo - "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
9. Fatal Mambo - "In The Summertime"
10. Yannick - "December 1963 (Oh What A Night)"
11. Ladysmith Black Mambazo with Des'ree - "Ain't No Sunshine"
12. Nenes - "No Woman, No Cry"

It's a very fun CD and my four-year-old daughter immediately broke out into a crazy dance when "Hit The Road Jack" came on. I recommend that you borrow it from the library as well. Put in your request and I'll have it back at my branch in a week or so for you. Better yet, buy it from the good people at Putumayo. They do a great job of getting great music to our ears.

On Adam Gopnik

The older I get, the more I find myself rereading the same books just for the pleasure of their beauty. Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon is the one that I go back to the most. My "moment of zen" today was a peaceful bath with opera on the radio and that very fine book in my hands.

Below is a clip of Adam Gopnik from Charlie Rose's green room: At the end he makes a very strong reference to the year 1910 ("such a strange moment in history").. I feel like I should know something about that but it went entirely over my head.

Demolition Derby

I've seen two demolition derbies in my life. The first one, my friend George who worked at the Mapco near my old record store on Nolensville Road, bought a car for cheap and entered it at the Nashville Fairgrounds. My buddies and I went to cheer him on for something different from our usual routine of going to 328 Performance Hall or Ace of Clubs to hear music followed by an hour or so dining at our favorite Waffle House talking about music.

Anyway, George's car never did start and he was pretty much toast from the beginning. As I recall, his car was eventually pushed up vertically against a tower of dirt until his car flipped over.and George spent the rest of the derby watching the goings-on while sitting upside down from the safety (?) of his vehicle. My friends and I (including George) had a great time, but for whatever reason we never went back for more.

Here are a bunch of pictures from the Wilson County Fair's demolition derby.

Wilson County Fair with the kids

Stay home with dad and you get your picture tooken

2:13 A.M.