Time to talk a little music. I recently received some Best Buy gift cards as part of a promotion by my local cable company to sign up new recruits. I went to BB yesterday to look for a way to spend the cards. I ended up going through their music CD section. I'm not exactly up on modern music, but I am familiar with at least some music from the last tweny years. Unfortunately, the stuff I like doesn't seem to be all that popular. So, missing from the sales racks was Porcupine Tree, a group I discovered by listening to library CDs. They're british, and are kind of a psychedelic prog rock group. They're also quite current as they have a new CD coming out in September. Some of their stuff is amazingly good. There are comparisons to Pink Floyd, but I'm not sure how accurate that is. I also enjoy Kaiser Chiefs, another british band that is decidely more into britpop. They were apparently considered to be the "next big thing" in britain. However, judging from the number, or lack thereof, of CDs at Best Buy I would assume they are not a big deal in the States. Other groups I've stumbled across in the last year or two and enjoy are: Fleet Foxes (I bought their CD yesterday)- mellow psychedelia; Blitzen Trapper and Band of Horses- kind of folk rockish; Dream Theater- heavy prog rock, incredibly skilled, but not quite my cup of tea- I did buy the Greatest Hit (that's the name) CD yesterday; Arcade Fire; The New Pornographers- an unfortunate name choice, but some tasty tunes; Belle and Sebastian; Doves; some Panic at the Disco; The Coral; Rumble Strips; and several more that I'll add when I think of them!
Music is a major interest of mine. I have no musical talent, but I sure do enjoy it! A few years ago I had some beginner piano lessons. From that I learned where the keys are and a lot of chords. But I found that age 56 is not ideal for learning a musical instrument. So, I just play for fun and don't subject others to listening to me. But I still want to be a rock star!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Gay Marriage
My purpose here is not to state whether or not gay marriage is a good idea. I do, however, think there are some interesting issues regarding the idea that I haven't seen addressed very often. In my experience it seems that people who promote gay marriage tend to treat marriage somewhat less seriously than those who oppose gay marriage. Generally, my more liberal friends are quite supportive of it. However, they are more likely than my conservative friends to have cohabited with a lover outside of marriage. They are also more likely to have given up on a marriage through divorce than my more conservative friends.
This all leads to the question of why marriage exists in the first place. There's a wide range of opinion about this, obviously. A good argument could be made that the best reason for it is to provide stability for children who are created from a relationship. Conservatives probably would view it this way. Some would argue that the chief reason for marriage is to provide someone with a partner. However, I don't know that people are really monogamous by nature, so I don't know that we really need a partner.
If marriage is for the purpose of giving someone a partner, then fine. Gay people should have a right to a "legal" partner too. There should be no discrimination. But if marriage is best justified as a way to encourage fathers to not abandon their children, then the rationale behind gay marriage is less apparent.
Having a mechanism to provide people with partners may be less compelling than having one that encourages involved parenting. Liberals acknowledge this through their behavior. Many see nothing wrong with living together outside of marriage. In other words, they see no great need to "legalize" the relationship and are comfortable "partnering" without government or religious blessing. My guess is that many liberals wouldn't really care if the institution of marriage eventually faded away completely. For that reason, it seems that they are being somewhat hypocritical in their demands regarding gay marriage. They are demanding that people have a right to partake in something they don't really support or believe in in the first place. (I realize there are a lot of liberals who do value marriage. I'm generalizing here).
So, is the institution of marriage still a viable idea in this post-modernist age? Interesting question, I think.
This all leads to the question of why marriage exists in the first place. There's a wide range of opinion about this, obviously. A good argument could be made that the best reason for it is to provide stability for children who are created from a relationship. Conservatives probably would view it this way. Some would argue that the chief reason for marriage is to provide someone with a partner. However, I don't know that people are really monogamous by nature, so I don't know that we really need a partner.
If marriage is for the purpose of giving someone a partner, then fine. Gay people should have a right to a "legal" partner too. There should be no discrimination. But if marriage is best justified as a way to encourage fathers to not abandon their children, then the rationale behind gay marriage is less apparent.
Having a mechanism to provide people with partners may be less compelling than having one that encourages involved parenting. Liberals acknowledge this through their behavior. Many see nothing wrong with living together outside of marriage. In other words, they see no great need to "legalize" the relationship and are comfortable "partnering" without government or religious blessing. My guess is that many liberals wouldn't really care if the institution of marriage eventually faded away completely. For that reason, it seems that they are being somewhat hypocritical in their demands regarding gay marriage. They are demanding that people have a right to partake in something they don't really support or believe in in the first place. (I realize there are a lot of liberals who do value marriage. I'm generalizing here).
So, is the institution of marriage still a viable idea in this post-modernist age? Interesting question, I think.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Blah
It's mid-August. The sun is starting to lose its intensity. The days are starting to get shorter. The air seems more, oh, yellow somehow. And I'm down. For some time (like over 40 years) I've been convinced that I must suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Of course, they didn't call it that 40 years ago. But I knew there was something "wrong." I don't know if there's some biological change that occurs as a result of the shortening days, or some other explanation. For example, I love summer. I know that summer is coming to an end and perhaps that knowledge is enough to make me feel "down." In any event, I am.
On a happier note, I was able to celebrate my daughter's birthday over the weekend. She's 23 (!) and was down here from North Dakota to visit me and others.
What's with the Twins?? Their pitching is just abominable. Today, Francisco Liriano had another horrid outing, giving up 7 runs in 2 innings. The team is scoring runs, but there's no way they're going to be competitive without better pitching. Joe Mauer is back on one of his tears. Unbelievable! He's hitting .380 again.
On a happier note, I was able to celebrate my daughter's birthday over the weekend. She's 23 (!) and was down here from North Dakota to visit me and others.
What's with the Twins?? Their pitching is just abominable. Today, Francisco Liriano had another horrid outing, giving up 7 runs in 2 innings. The team is scoring runs, but there's no way they're going to be competitive without better pitching. Joe Mauer is back on one of his tears. Unbelievable! He's hitting .380 again.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Lazy Sunday
Alright, so not a lot of excitement today. Church was interesting. A young man, whom I assume is a helper to our youth pastor, gave the sermon. He's a natural. Good sense of humor. I wish I could recall the sermon. This isn't his fault, but is a fairly common phenonenom for me. Oh the joys of getting older! After church I did have the chance to chat with some friends, and that was fun.
Then, it was time to visit the wonderful world of realty. Not reality. Not close. I looked at potential new digs for me. I've been thinking of moving for some time now, as my home is much too big for me. So I checked out five townhomes/condos closer to the Twin Cities.
The spread of desirability vs. price is interesting. The most expensive townhome was the least desirable, IMHO. The first rule (these days) for home sellers should be: remove all smoking stench from the home! There are far more non-smokers than smokers, and non-smokers (like me) are really turned off by that smell. I won't stay in a hotel room with that smell. Why would I consider buying a home that stinks! The realtor blamed it on a houseguest of the owners, but the owners should have forbade the guest from lighting up.
I checked out five places and liked two of them. One of them, a condo, has a fabulous view of the river. In fact, I think it might overlook the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The other, a townhome, overlooks a highway, although it has an attractive garden/pond in the foreground. The townhome has a great layout except for one large problem: there are no bedrooms on the main level. I have a knee replacement and need another, so it would be nice to have at least one bedroom on the main level of whatever home I get. The problem with the condo is the cost. $650 a month for association fees! Wow! So, I'll keep looking while keeping these two in mind as comparison pieces.
The Twins have fallen back to their losing ways after yesterday's blowout win. They lost 8-7 in a game they had a good chance to win. Pitching failed again. This is very frustrating to see. The Central Division is extremely weak. It's the Twins' for the taking. But they just can't seem to get it together. Sad.
On the exciting news front, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is back on primetime. I tried to get on that show when it was last a primetime hit. I made it through the telephone questions and then had to stay home one Sunday awaiting a call to go to New York. It never came. I don't think I'll try again as I'm not quite as sharp as I was back then.
Does anyone out there know how to get stain off off aluminum siding?
Then, it was time to visit the wonderful world of realty. Not reality. Not close. I looked at potential new digs for me. I've been thinking of moving for some time now, as my home is much too big for me. So I checked out five townhomes/condos closer to the Twin Cities.
The spread of desirability vs. price is interesting. The most expensive townhome was the least desirable, IMHO. The first rule (these days) for home sellers should be: remove all smoking stench from the home! There are far more non-smokers than smokers, and non-smokers (like me) are really turned off by that smell. I won't stay in a hotel room with that smell. Why would I consider buying a home that stinks! The realtor blamed it on a houseguest of the owners, but the owners should have forbade the guest from lighting up.
I checked out five places and liked two of them. One of them, a condo, has a fabulous view of the river. In fact, I think it might overlook the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The other, a townhome, overlooks a highway, although it has an attractive garden/pond in the foreground. The townhome has a great layout except for one large problem: there are no bedrooms on the main level. I have a knee replacement and need another, so it would be nice to have at least one bedroom on the main level of whatever home I get. The problem with the condo is the cost. $650 a month for association fees! Wow! So, I'll keep looking while keeping these two in mind as comparison pieces.
The Twins have fallen back to their losing ways after yesterday's blowout win. They lost 8-7 in a game they had a good chance to win. Pitching failed again. This is very frustrating to see. The Central Division is extremely weak. It's the Twins' for the taking. But they just can't seem to get it together. Sad.
On the exciting news front, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is back on primetime. I tried to get on that show when it was last a primetime hit. I made it through the telephone questions and then had to stay home one Sunday awaiting a call to go to New York. It never came. I don't think I'll try again as I'm not quite as sharp as I was back then.
Does anyone out there know how to get stain off off aluminum siding?
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Fun Saturday
It's been a very fun Thursday/Friday/Saturday. My wonderful "girlfriend," Karen came to visit me and "hang out." We saw Hitchcock's North by Northwest Thursday night at the beautiful Sheldon Theater in Red Wing. We've each seen it many times but we still get a kick out of it. So very 50's! The theater itself is wonderful. The interior is classic, with rich red colors, and a balcony. The movie projector could use a little oomph, as the light output is less than optimal. However, the ambience makes up for it. The theater has been running a Hitchcock perspective for most of the summer. Next week is as good as it gets: Psycho! I can't wait!
On Friday I worked and Karen kept very busy with visiting friends and going to the Mall of America. We had a good dinner at a brand new little restaurant, Potters on Main in Red Wing. We also got to watch six great Frasier episodes over the weekend.
Today we started the day with a workout at the Y after some early aerobics. I have been very remiss about exercise lately, and it was nice to get back in the groove. We had a good lunch at a new Italian restaurant, Provenzano's, and then went to see the new Meryl Streep/Amy Adans movie, Julie and Julia. It was actually pretty decent. I'd give it 7 stars, and I'm not easy! Meryl was her usual tremendous self, and Amy is one of the most appealing actresses around. The story didn't get in the way of those two. And it made me hungry! Unfortunately, I've been satisfying that hunger a little too much this weekend.
After Karen headed for home I hit some balls (without much success) and watched the Twins destroy the Tigers, 11-0. Their brand new (as of yesterday) pitcher, Carl Pavano, was terrific as he pitched 7 shutout innings. Joe Mauer was his usual incredible self, hitting a first inning two-run homerun. Denard Span went five for five! This win was critical as we were 5 1/2 games behind the Tigers going into the game. A loss could have been a dagger to the heart.
Well, that's a wrap, except to point out that Karen is wonderful!
On Friday I worked and Karen kept very busy with visiting friends and going to the Mall of America. We had a good dinner at a brand new little restaurant, Potters on Main in Red Wing. We also got to watch six great Frasier episodes over the weekend.
Today we started the day with a workout at the Y after some early aerobics. I have been very remiss about exercise lately, and it was nice to get back in the groove. We had a good lunch at a new Italian restaurant, Provenzano's, and then went to see the new Meryl Streep/Amy Adans movie, Julie and Julia. It was actually pretty decent. I'd give it 7 stars, and I'm not easy! Meryl was her usual tremendous self, and Amy is one of the most appealing actresses around. The story didn't get in the way of those two. And it made me hungry! Unfortunately, I've been satisfying that hunger a little too much this weekend.
After Karen headed for home I hit some balls (without much success) and watched the Twins destroy the Tigers, 11-0. Their brand new (as of yesterday) pitcher, Carl Pavano, was terrific as he pitched 7 shutout innings. Joe Mauer was his usual incredible self, hitting a first inning two-run homerun. Denard Span went five for five! This win was critical as we were 5 1/2 games behind the Tigers going into the game. A loss could have been a dagger to the heart.
Well, that's a wrap, except to point out that Karen is wonderful!
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