Category: My Life

The 2016 Seattle And Bumbershoot Trip – Part 1

September 10, 2016
ArtBumbershootComedyFamilyFriendsGrandkidsMusicMy LifeSeattleTravelVegan
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spaceneedleIt’s our annual trip to Seattle for the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival. We go every year, since 2001, making this our 16th year in a row. And we love it more than ever. And this year our granddaughter Josephine went with us. Also traveling, our friends Cal, Laura, Mama O, Aunt Sam, and Margaret.

I’ll post some pictures soon, but first, here’s what we did on our trip.

Sunday August 28th

We took the blue van to the airport and then flew Southwest Airlines to Seattle. Once there, we rented a car and drove to Ocean Shores on the Washington coast. On the way we stopped at Chipotle for lunch. We checked in to Worldmark Mariner’s Village, our home for two nights. After a quick trip to the grocery store for supplies we relaxed back at the condo. We saw deer on the lawn and the field below our balcony.

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Our Latest 58 Music Items

March 7, 2016
MusicMy Life

Record_PlayerHere is the latest music update. Some of these were new, some were used, most were cheap. Do you love any of these? Hate any of them? Or are you just confused?

Read all the way to the end and then leave me a comment!

ARTIST – TITLE – FORMAT – SIZE – COUNTRY – COMMENTS
Prince – HitNRun Phase Two    CD    5    US
Chvrches – The Bones Of What You Believe    CD    5    US
Sumner, Eliot – Information    CD    5    US
Murphy, Peter – Ninth    CD    5    US
King, Elle – Love Stuff    CD    5    US
Bowie, David – Blackstar    CD    5    US
Bowie, David – The Next Day    CD    5    US    Two CDs and one DVD
Bowie, David – The Deram Anthology 1966-1968    CD    5    US
Airborne Toxic Event, The – The Airborne Toxic Event    CD    5    US
I Blame Coco – The Constant    CD    5    US
Wombats, The – The Wombats    CD    5    US
Zevon, Warren – Sentimental Hygiene    CD    5    US    Two bonus tracks
Be Bop Deluxe – Unforgettable Tune    CD    5    Unk    Bootleg
Thenewno2 – You Are Here    CD    5    US
Thenewno2 – Thenewno2    CD    5    US
Mates Of State – Our Constant Concern    CD    5    US

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David Bowie – RIP

January 17, 2016
MusicMy Life

bowies

One of the truly greats has passed on. David Bowie has died too young at 69.

There was no one like him. So innovative, such a talent. Any one of his personas would be worth celebrating but he did so many different things so well. He is already missed and will be missed for a long, long time.

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Yeah. What’s So Funny About It?

December 24, 2015
MusicMy Life

Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. All that and more. Yeah yeah yeah. But whatever you believe, I still have one question, thanks to Elvis Costello, The Imposters, David Letterman, and Nick Lowe. What the #$%^& is so funny about Peace, Love, and Understanding?

Here’s Elvis hosting the Letterman show, introducing himself and his band The Imposters and performing this classic Nick Lowe-penned tuned. Not a holiday song but what better time to hope for peace, love, and understanding.

 

 

Hope you find all three of those things.

If not (or if so) you can leave me a comment…

Shop for Elvis Costello | Nick Lowe | David Letterman

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Our Latest 27 Music Items

November 7, 2015
MusicMy Life

Record_PlayerHere is the latest update. Some of these were new, some were used. Do you love any of these? Hate any of them? Or are you just confused?

CDs and DVDs/Blu-rays are listed first, then vinyl, then 8-tracks! Yes, you read that right! Read all the way to the end and then leave me a comment!

ARTIST – TITLE – FORMAT – SIZE – COUNTRY – COMMENTS

CD/BLU-RAY

Beatles, The – 1+    CD    5    US    CD plus two Blu-ray discs and book
XTC – Oranges And Lemons    CD    5    UK    CD plus Blu-ray
Prince – Hit N Run Phase One    CD    5    US
Parker, Graham – Mystery Glue    CD    5    US    Autographed
Parker, Graham – Official Bootleg Box    CD    5    US    Autographed
Metric – Pagans In Vegas    CD    5    US
New Order – Music Complete    CD    5    US
Mullins, Shawn – My Stupid Heart    CD    5    US
Hart, Beth – Beth Hart & The Ocean Of Souls – 1993…    CD    5    US
ABC – The Remix Collection    CD    5    US
Bowie, David – Day In Day Out – Radio Broadcast 1987 Au    CD    5    Unk
Sheeran, Ed – 5    CD    5    US    Five CD Eps
Squeeze – A Round And A Bout    CD    5    US
Wilson, Ann – The Ann Wilson Thing! #1    CD    5    US
Carlile, Brandi – Live At Benaroya Hall With The Seattle S    CD    5    US
Jethro Tull – War Child    CD    5    US    Seven bonus tracks

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Pictures From The 2015 Seattle And Bumbershoot Trip

October 26, 2015
ArtBumbershootComedyFoodMusicMy LifeSeattleTravelVeganVegetarian

Bumbershoot 2015 logoHello again, family, friends, and everyone else. The pictures from our 2015 trip to Seattle for the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival (and much more!)  are now online! We had a great time and so did our friends. Take a look at the pictures!

If you are thinking of going in 2016, let me know!

If you have any questions, just ask. And leave a comment if you want….

2015 Seattle and Bumbershoot photos

What we did on the 2015 trip – part 1

What we did on the 2015 trip – part 2

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The 2015 Seattle And Bumbershoot Trip – Part Two

September 15, 2015
ArtBumbershootComedyMusicMy LifeSeattleTravel

space needle tooWait! You should read part one first.

Already did that? Then let’s continue with our Seattle and Bumbershoot trip for 2015…

Sunday September 6

After a leisurely morning, we went for lunch to Veggie Grill, a chain of vegan restaurants that we’ve loved in many cities now. This was the downtown Seattle location and, while the food was delicious, it was more remarkable that Karl and Betty came with us to eat. Why? Well, Karl is a notorious carnivore but he humored us and even found a tasty sandwich that he devoured. A win for the veg people! Then we headed out to day two of the Bumbershoot festival. The first act that we saw was Eliot Sumner and her band. All through the set I kept thinking that she sounded a lot like Sting (in a good way) and that the music was a bit Police-like (later police, not the earlier reggae-incluenced stuff). It was uncanny how much she sounded like him. We were right up in front and Petra managed to get the set list and had Eliot autograph it! As we walked to the stage for next act, I googled her and discovered why the resemblance. She is Sting’s daughter. Doh! It was not mentioned on the web site, in the app, or anywhere, but true nevertheless. Moving on, we watched part of set by Mikal Cronin. His music is kind of power-pop, a bit jangly, and while not bad we soon ventured in search of the next act.

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The 2015 Seattle And Bumbershoot Trip – Part One

September 15, 2015
ArtBumbershootComedyMusicMy LifeSeattleTravel

spaceneedleIt was time for our annual trip to Seattle for the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival. We go every year, since 2001, making this our 15th year in a row. And we love it more than ever.

I’ll post some pictures soon, but first, here’s what we did on our trip.

Wednesday September 2

Nine of us were headed to Seattle this year, eight from Sacramento and one from Portland. We had various flights and ways to get there. Karl and Betty were taking the same flight, in the late morning. They came to our house and we took the Blue Van (Super Shuttle) to the airport. We took Southwest to Seattle, a quick and smooth flight. Once at the Seattle airport (SEA/TAC), we caught the convenient Light Rail and a bit later we were checking in to our condos at The Camlin.

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The Book I Read: Gone Girl

July 31, 2015
BooksMy Life

gonegirl

This book, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, has been a best seller for a few years now and I finally found a copy of it used. So yes, I am behind the times, but yes also, I did read it!

It was a great read and I could hardly put it down. She has a writing style and a story that pulls you in. There were plot twists in the best way. If there was a flaw in the book it was the ending, which was ok but not great. But the rest of the book WAS great and I recommend it.

From the description on Amazon:

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

I’ve already gone out and bought another book by Ms. Flynn, and I even bought this one new!

What do you think? Leave me a comment!

Buy Gone Girl now

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The Book I Read: The Storyteller

June 30, 2015
BooksMy Life

Jodi Picoult The Storyteller

I’ve read a couple other books by this same author, Jodi Picoult, (Nineteen Seconds and My Sister’s Keeper) and I enjoyed them both. She has a sharp knack for rich and engaging characters and for what moral choices they might make in difficult situations. Well, this book is that and more.

“Everything changes on the day that Josef confesses a long-buried and shame­ful secret and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor.”

The story is set in the current day and the protagonist (Sage) is a modern young woman, but much of the story centers around an elderly man (Josef) she meets and the difficult request he makes of her. It turns out he was once a nazi working in concentration camp and a large chunk of the book takes place there in war-time Germany.

Life under the nazis and in the camps was awful beyond imagination and the harrowing narrative doesn’t shy away from that at all. I said “Whoa” and “Holy crap” out loud a few times and was moved by the characters and their gripping situations. At times it was a bit of a difficult go, with the terrible things that happened, but at the same time(s), it was so absorbing that I couldn’t put it down. This is a really good book and I do recommend it.

Have you read this book?

What do you think? Leave me a comment!

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Our Latest 63 Music Items

June 28, 2015
MusicMy Life

Record_PlayerHere is the latest update. Some of these were new, some were used, some were gifts, a few we burned. Do you love any of these? Hate any of them? Or are you just confused?

CDs are listed first, then vinyl! Read all the way to the end and then leave me a comment!

ARTIST – TITLE – FORMAT – SIZE – COUNTRY – COMMENTS
Hozier – Hozier CD 5 US
Hart, Beth – Better Than Home CD 5 US Deluxe Edition
Carlile, Brandi – The Firewatcher’s Daughter CD 5 US
Hicks, Dan – The Most Of Dan Hicks And The Hot Licks CD 5 US
Morrissey – Your Arsenal CD 5 US
Lennox, Annie – Nostalgia CD 5 US
Eurythmics – 1984 CD 5 US
Queen – Forever CD 5 US
Merchant, Natalie – Natalie Merchant CD 5 US
Sheeran, Ed – X CD 5 US Five bonus tracks
Sheeran, Ed – + CD 5 US
Jethro Tull – Minstrel In The Gallery CD 5 US
Jethro Tull – Under Wraps CD 5 US
Armatrading, Joan – Classics Volume 21 CD 5 US
Etheridge, Melissa – A Little Bit Of Me: Live In L.A. CD 5 US Bonus DVD
Etheridge, Melissa – Live CD 5 US Promo
Prince – NPG-TV: Channel Two 1989-1993 CD 5 Unk Bootleg
Bowie, David – Fame In Werchter CD 5 Unk Bootleg
Bowie, David – Boy Could He Play Guitar CD 5 Unk Bootleg
Bowie, David – The Lost Beeb Tapes CD 5 Unk Bootleg
Harrison, George – Beware Of Adkco! CD 5 Unk Bootleg

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The Book I Read: The Beatles – A Hard Days Write

May 12, 2015
BooksMy Life

Beatles Hard Days WriteAre you a major Beatles fan? Not just liking their music, but wanting to know a lot more about it. If so, then this thorough but easily-readable book is just the thing. The author, Steve Turner, takes a look at every single song that they wrote and the story behind each song. Some song explanations take less than a page, others a few pages. Most of the song stories are quite interesting and informative If you wanted to know about any (or all) of their songs, then start with this book. It reads so easy but it is packed full of Beatle knowledge. I really enjoyed it.

Every song they wrote is represented here, up to and including the ones on the Anthology albums. It’s all chronological so you also get a sense of the increasing complexity and maturity of their music as time went on.

OK, yes, I know the picture here is the german version but believe me I read the English version. The German cover was a better graphic so I used that one. I got this book in the bargain books section of Barnes and Noble. So run down there and get one!

Buy it now/more info

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Record Store Day 2015

April 18, 2015
MusicMy Life

IMG_4270.JPG

Today was Record Store Day, one of my favorite holidays. I was busy part of the day, but I still managed to go to a couple Dimple Records stores. You can see in the pictures that I did a little damage, not too bad. Three David Bowie picture discs, a Brandi Carlile/Lone Bellow split 7″, a Wesley Stace (John Wesley Harding) LP, a Ting Tings 7″ (on colored vinyl), a Jimi Hendrix 7″, a Pickwick 7″ (on colored vinyl), the new Annie Lennox CD, two Live promo single CDs, and a Morrissey CD that I didn’t already have for some reason. Nice haul, eh?

What do you think? Feel free to leave a comment!

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The Book I Read: Bowie – Loving The Alien

March 6, 2015
BooksMusicMy Life

Bowie Loving The AlienAs you might have noticed, I read another David Bowie bio recently. I enjoyed that one, but this one is better.

Christopher Sanford, the author, is very thorough. And I do mean very. I learned so much about Bowie by reading this book. I will say that the author is not just a Bowie fan-boy, he offers an extensive portrait of the star, warts and all, through all of Bowie’s personalities and personas. Bowie is no saint and that is made clear here. On the other hand, he is a musical superstar, deserved so, and that is made clear too.

From the Amazon web site:

Based on interviews with family members, colleagues, lovers, and the previously silent William Burroughs, this unsparing yet evenhanded biography guides the reader through the many personas, crises, and musical metamorphoses of David Bowie—also known as Davy Jones, the Laughing Gnome, Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, the Thin White Duke, a drug-addled grandfather of punk, actor, art aficionado, political activist, one of rock’s most resonant icons, and a totem of modern pop culture. Nowhere else is the man and musician so convincingly deconstructed and so compellingly humanized.

My biggest regret about this book is that chronologically it ends at 1997, with the “Earthling” album. I enjoyed the book and would have liked to know more about the later years and the subsequent albums.

That said, this is a really well-written and comprehensive book about David Bowie and does a great job of chronicling his life and music. Recommended.

More info/buy now

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