Fidget

She's not the smartest of dogs, nor is she the most obedient, but she has a heart of gold. Photo by Pavel Wlosok.

PRINCE!!

And only twelve dollars. I remember he was wearing high heels, and he jumped off a huge speaker cabinet, landed on his feet and kept on dancing. Wow. Just wow.



The warm-up act was Vanity 6. It was the "1999" Tour, if I remember correctly. I did a bit of research on the internet and see that the songs he likely played were: "Controversy," "Sexuality," "Lets Work," "Do Me Baby," "Lets Pretend We're Married," "How Come U Dont Call Me Anymore," "Lady Cab Driver," "Little Red Corvette," "Dirty Mind," "International Lover," and "1999."

Upside Down

Lying in bed the other night, drinking decaffeinated coffee and working on a sudoku, I had no idea that I would soon have to be dealing with deputy sheriffs, state troopers, shocked drivers. I probably should have figured as much when I heard the screech of tires followed by a loud thud.
This is what I saw in the front yard.

Amazingly, the driver, who was wearing his seat belt, walked away and was not seriously hurt.

But I don't think he will be driving this car any more.

So, kids, the moral of the story is SLOW DOWN. Surely what happened was that the kid was going way too fast around the curve, he drifted into the other lane, a car was coming, he overcorrected, lost control, the ditch sent him flying, and the car rolled.

I didn't finish the puzzle, much less the coffee.

More photos of Tyler and me playing saxophones

By hook or by crook, I managed some studio time at the U's fancy schmancy studio (Randall, one of my students, is a music production major). I played piano on a tune I wrote ("The Mitten," a.k.a. Mary Ellen). Wells laid down some electric bass, Randall did the drumming, and Tyler and I put the saxes over the top of it. The sax playing was last Tuesday. Tyler did the soloing, and I played harmony on the head. Randall set it up like I was talking to my criminal brother during visitation at the prison. "Tyler, you're blowing like a moth*^f**k%r, but why'd you have to rob that bank?"

Granted, I look pretty cool in this photo, but I wish I had the chops to back up the look!
This man DOES have the chops. He blew some sweet stuff that night!
Thanks, Randall, for setting this up!

Monday Night at Guadalupe Cafe (11-3-08)

Me and Tyler

I was looking forward to the jazz jam at Guadalupe. I practiced, so as not to make a fool of myself, called almost all of the tunes ("Freddie the Freeloader," "In a Sentimental Mood," "Doxy," "Chelsea Bridge," "Cantaloupe Island"), brought charts for everybody, and played about as well as I am capable. Mary Ellen just lost her dad less than two weeks ago, so the fellas also played Horace Silver's "Song For My Father." Everybody was sounding good, especially Tyler and Preston, on guitar. But hardly anybody was there to listen. Oh Well.

Muck

...was a nickname given to me by one of my basketball mates back in the late 70s. I don't remember the provenance of the tee shirt. I still play that Gibson Grabber Bass once in awhile. Photo courtesy of Jim Dandy.

Pittsburgh

I went to Pittsburgh for a conference at Duquesne University. Here are a few photos that I took while I was in town. I like the contrast between the old church and modern skyscrapers. Duquesne is a Catholic School. There are crucifixes in every classroom. And this guy is hanging around outside. An actual photo of aliens teleporting themselves down to earth. You may see weird things if you get up early. Taken from my hotel room. Three dummies. On the left, Franco Harris, making his "immaculate reception" in a playoff game against the Raiders back in the seventies. On the right, George Washington, who was, like, president or something and is on money. No comment on the dummy in the middle.