May 14, 2007 12:04 AM Filed in:
Now Playing
Here's
a small gem that has aged quite well in the 30-some odd years since
Cat Stevens gave it to the world.
Apr 27, 2007 08:44 PM Filed in:
Day To Day
Cellist
Mstislav Rostropovich Dies At 80
By Martin Steinburg and Maria Danillova
MOSCOW - Mstislav Rostropovich played the cello with grace and
verve — and lived his life offstage the same way. His death
at age 80 takes away one of modern Russia's most compelling
figures, admired both for his musical mastery and his defiance of
Soviet repression. Read More...
Apr 20, 2007 08:00 PM Filed in:
Fun &
Interesting
In
the interest of saving all of us a little time, here's something
from Bruce Feirstein of Vanity Fair, the
All-Purpose Public MEA CULPA. I
don't know about you, but I think it looks pretty darn useful. Now
I don't have to lose anymore sleep being concerned about all those
badly behaved celebrities out there. Good night!
Read More...
Apr 18, 2007 06:20 PM Filed in:
Day To Day
Hello,
tater.
It’s been a funny week here, and so I thought I’d sit
down and have a bit of a chat with you. I’ll just pretend
that your smiling face is there across the table from me and that
all is well in the world. I like your smile, tater. It can do that
for me. So I guess the obvious place to start is Virginia Tech,
isn’t it? It’s not everyday here in the U.S. that we
get a monster on a rampage who manages to kill some 30 people and
then himself. It’s all anybody can seem to talk about, and it
certainly is all any of the media outlets seem to know is going on
in the world this week. It’s a tragedy for sure. There is no
denying that. My heart goes out to the families and the friends of
all those lost in the senseless killings. Life is a beautiful
thing, but it can also be brutal and unpredictable. It can be
short. Best not ever take it for granted. But there is something
about all of this that is disturbing me greatly, something besides
the tragedy itself.
Read More...
Apr 06, 2007 06:36 PM Filed in:
Stories For A
Friend
The
coffee is good. It's strong, and it's hot, and the aroma of it
fills the air at the small table by the window. Warmth. Comfort.
Shelter from the storm. All very good things in Life. Things to
embrace and enjoy whenever you are lucky enough to come across
them. Living can be tough enough on a day to day basis. No need to
make it any harder than it needs to be.
Outside
the big window the wind blows the rain sideways. The town's streets
are empty except for the occasional truck stopping at the light,
windshield wipers going, waiting for the light to change green to
go. It's cold and raw for a late summer day. Read More...
Apr 01, 2007 06:36 PM Filed in:
Stories For A
Friend
It’s
been some time since I’ve actually sat down to write
something other than a short comment or pithy summary of some play,
movie, or some such thing. I used to write all the time. I'd write
letters and keep a journal. I'd write sometimes just to sort
through my own thoughts and see where they would lead me. That was
a good thing. Read More...
Feb 28, 2007 04:45 PM Filed in:
On The Road
Another place I would love to visit someday in the not too distant
future is Savannah, Georgia. I can't remember when it was I first
became curious about the city, but I do remember reading a long
time ago that Savannah was one of the few large cities of the Deep
South to escape major damage during the Civil War. Because of this
good fortune much of the original ante-bellum architecture still
stands in the city along with many of its original parks and public
squares and of course many ancient and majestic Live Oak trees
covered with spanish moss. It seems the perfect place to take a
small step back in time and experience a little southern
charm.
Read More...
Feb 24, 2007 02:12 PM Filed in:
Day To Day
My sister absolutely LOVES taking personality tests. She gets a
real kick out of it, and enjoys seeing how her results change over
time. When she finds one that is especially fun to do she always
send me the link so I can play too. Here's her latest find, a
drawing test I'm gonna call
My
Mountain.
It's a very easy to use click and draw site where they ask you to
draw your image (a simple one!) of a mountain. Once you're done
they ask you a handful of questions (multiple choice) about your
mountain, and then based on your answers they give you a quick and
breezy snapshot of your personality. Fun! And they actually came
pretty close on me. Not a perfect snapshot, but not too far off the
mark either.
Anyways, just thought I'd share the fun so you can play too!

Cheers,
JB
The
results of your analysis say:
You
tend to pursue many different activities simultaneously.
When misfortune does happen, it doesn't actually dishearten you all
that much.
You are a thoughtful and cautious person.
You like to think about your method, seeking to pursue your goal in
the most effective way.
You like following the rules and being objective.
You are precise and meticulous, and like to evaluate decisions
before making them.
You have a sunny, cheerful disposition.
Feb 18, 2007 01:24 PM Filed in:
Now Playing
Gordon Bok has
been singing songs about the Maine Coast for many, many years now.
It's a traditional way of life along the coast, working the sea and
always respecting the ultimate power and inevitability of the
forces of Nature. Many of his songs tell stories that have come
from generations of families living that seafaring life. As one
reviewer put it, "The music of Maine folk singer Bok is like a
universe unto itself, a roughhewn land filled with hardscrabble
people, rascals in high places, and a natural world that is both
cruel and kind, deadly and nurturing. Gordon Bok sings of drunken
fisherman, the last dreams of drowning men, and the gentle sound of
neighbors helping neighbors. Some of the songs are happy and even
sweet, and some of them are not, much as Life itself."


Here
is a very small sample of the vast collection of music that Gordon
and his many musical friends have kept alive and flourishing for us
over the years. Just point your nose into the wind, give these
tunes a listen, and see if you can't taste the salt in the
air.
Saben The Woodfitter
Banks Of Newfoundland
I'se The By
Living On The River
The Sea Wife
How Can I Keep From Singing
Peter Kagan And The Wind
Little Fishy
Feb 18, 2007 12:24 PM Filed in:
Fun &
Interesting
Even
people who don't care for sports seem to get a kick out of Charles
Barkley. The former NBA superstar was recently voted into the NBA
Hall of Fame, and he was also voted one of the 50 best players to
ever play the game. These days Charles hosts a sports broadcast on
the TNT network that is as much about sit-down comedy as it is
sports, and the biggest laughs this week have centered around a
challenge foot race that Sir Charles is going to run against a 67
year-old NBA referee named Dick Bavetta. Dick took umbridge at an
on-air comment Charles made about his age, and even though Charles
said "I have nothing against old people. I hope to be one someday,"
the two men have agreed to settle matters on the basketball court
by running a race. The winner gets $50K donated to the charity of
his choice. It's all in good fun, and thanks to YouTube here are
some fun clips for everyone to enjoy and join in on the
laughter.
The Hype
The Interview Part 1
The Interview Part 2
And, finally, The Race!
Watch 'em while they last. Have fun, everyone.
Feb 17, 2007 11:06 AM Filed in:
On The Road
There
are a lot of places I haven't been, but that I'd like to visit
sometime just to check out; San Francisco, Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Savannah, Georgia, Iceland, The Canadian Rockies, Mount
Kilimanjaro, Tortuga and the Caribbean in general, and a big chunk
of New Mexico as well (Albuquerque, Taos, and Santa Fe) to name
just a few. So when I see interesting articles about some of these
places I sometimes stash them away somewhere just to remind myself
of possible future adventures to look forward to. When I first
started working on Little Delving I meant to share these bits and
pieces with you, Read More...
Feb 11, 2007 12:52 PM Filed in:
Fun &
Interesting
Over
the past 10 or so days a few towns in upstate New York have been
getting a LOT of snow, around 100 inches. And according to the
National Weather Service they may be in for an additional 6 feet
over the next few days. Yikes!
The National Weather Service said Parish — about 25 miles
northeast of Syracuse — reached a milestone early Saturday
with 100 inches of snow during the past seven days. That was pushed
to 110 inches by early Sunday with fresh
snowfall.
Unofficial reports put snowfall totals at 123 inches in Orwell and
131 in Redfield, but the weather service said those numbers
included snow from a storm a couple of days before the latest run.
All three towns are in Oswego County.
The region is located along the Tug Hill Plateau, the snowiest
region this side of the Rocky Mountains. It's a 50-mile wedge of
land that rises 2,100 feet from the eastern shore of Lake Ontario.
It usually gets about 300 inches — roughly 25 feet — of
snow a year.
The hamlet of Hooker, near the boundaries of Jefferson, Lewis, and
Oswego counties, holds the state's one-year record with 466.9
inches, about 39 feet, in the winter of 1976-77.
No complaints about Chicago winters from me!
Feb 02, 2007 07:39 PM Filed in:
Day To Day
Helmet Size 37: But What Happened To Those '85
Helmets?
Even bronzed, lions prove difficult to measure.
Erin Edmister learned this atop a ladder Monday, when he struggled
to wrap a measuring tape around the manes of the two statues that
guard the steps of the Art Institute of Chicago.
"His ears kind of stick out 3 to 4 inches, depending on where you
start," Edmister barked below to a co-worker who scribbled down the
measurements.
"Nine feet, exactly, across the belly," he declared, while
measuring the South Lion, formally titled "Stands in an Attitude of
Defiance."
The North Lion, "On the Prowl," patiently awaited his
fitting. Read More...
Jan 22, 2007 07:19 PM Filed in:
Day To Day
You
know, as the years go by I seem to end up farther and farther away
from my closest friends. Now usually it has more to do with me and
my gypsy ways than anything else (I do have a habit of loading up
the wagon and rolling on to greener pastures every 6 or 7 years or
so,) but it's not always me moving away, sometimes they're the ones
picking up and moving on. I've also been lucky enough to meet some
wonderful people when I was wandering far from home, and with these
friends we just start off at a distance. And then sometimes it's a
combination of the two that takes somebody far away. Case in point,
Laura! Read More...
Jan 14, 2007 12:20 PM Filed in:
Day To Day
For
my see-stirrr,
Happy
Birthday!!!
Enjoy the par-tay! 
Jump In The Line
No Woman No Cry
Yellow Bird
Brown Eyed Girl
I'm sorry, hon, I could not find clips of Copacabana or Plaza
Sesamo on such short notice. Maybe next year,
Jah?
Jan 07, 2007 11:49 AM Filed in:
Things Medieval
"Hwæt! Listen!"
Imagine if you can the distant past, a time some twelve centuries
ago. A cold and dark mid-winter's night. Outside the wind blows
sharp and biting. Inside the bonfires are built high, smoke
spiraling upwards, flames reaching into the air, fighting to keep
the cold winter at bay and aid the sun's feeble dawning to come.
The mead flows freely, and inside these walls the warmth of many
bodies holds each of us close together like family, like
tribe.
Read More...
Jan 01, 2007 11:23 AM Filed in:
Fun &
Interesting
In The Sky! A Bird? A Plane? A ... UFO?
United Airlines denies its workers filed reports about saucerlike
object hovering at O'Hare
It sounds like a tired joke--but a group of airline employees
insist they are in earnest, and they are upset that neither their
bosses nor the government will take them seriously.
A flying saucerlike object hovered low over O'Hare International
Airport for several minutes before bolting through thick clouds
with such intense energy that it left an eerie hole in overcast
skies, said some United Airlines employees who observed the
phenomenon. Read More...