A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs

I found the most wonderful podcast – SO much better than listening to political stuff, a hole I was falling down:

This one for example is about Led Zeppelin; I’ve listened to 3 about Bob, 1 on Janis and 1 on the Stones so far. This one got me thinking about vocalists. There are clips of Robert Plant singing with some of the bands he was in before the Yardbirds; and at one point some producer was trying to make him into a “Tom Jones or Englebert Humperdinck”. In all cases he sounded SO different than he does with Zeppelin. It got me thinking about how Dylan had so many different voices over his career; and during the Janis episode, they had a clip of her very early on singing in a pure Joan Baez style. The voice is truly an instrument. Talented vocalists are those who know how to use it.

Honey Blonde

Although I was itching to do a blend, this combed so easily, I quickly had enough to make a solid.

Mexican Casserole

It was a thing of beauty!

But it was so bland. Gonna have to load the leftovers with hot sauce, salt, & cheese.

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by Alan Siegel

It’s about the SIMPSONS, but more than that, about the SIMPSONS’ golden era – the early to mid-90s. Because IT STOPPED BEING GOOD after that, people. Worst. Downfall. Ever.

But the SIMPSONS through most of the 90s was just awe-inspiring. I remember calling it “God”, which was ludicrous, but I remember distinctly actually saying that.

It was impactful. It was meaningful. It was really moving.

Yet this book… wasn’t that great. It was about the writers, and it was hard to keep track of all the different writers; I wasn’t made to care about them or even really like them much.

Stupid book!! Be more better!!

Blonde on Blonde (on Purple & Brown)

Been carding this new blonde color.

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by Barbara Kingsolver

Amazing writing! It just keeps coming at you. I could pull worthy quotes from every page. Such as: “My mind had only one thought in it as regards childhood. For any kid that gets that as an option: take that sweet thing and run with it. Hide. Love it so hard. Because it’s going to fucking leave you and not come back.” I felt like she wasn’t writing, she was channeling someone.

Solidifying

Funny thing is, when I was 12, I would have called this my least favorite color in the world. Yuck! Sick green!

Now it makes me so happy.

Do Me a Solid

Honest Gratitude

Not a humblebrag about how awesome my life is. Honest things I’m thankful as all hell for.

I’m thankful a pregnant 19-year-old went home for pre-natal care and birthed me all healthy-like, and did what she thought was best.

I’m thankful I didn’t get pregnant as a teenager.

I’m thankful that when I spun my car around 180 degrees in the rain on a BQE entrance ramp, nobody was coming up behind me, for the whole amount of time it took me to point myself right again. I think I had to make a K-turn on the ramp.

I’m thankful I set up that interview with the FRBNY and walked into that job.

I’m thankful I never spiraled down so low I couldn’t get back up again.

I’m thankful for the Kinks song “Better Things.” When things are bad, I know tomorrow, you’ll find better things.

Book Corner 2025.44

by Laura Ingalls Wilder (re-read)

I picked this up to re-read after reading something about the ‘problematic’ discussion of and portrayal of Native Americans, and the stripping of Wilder’s name from what is now called simply the Children’s Literature Award.

Indians play a prominent role in this installment of the Little House series. They are sometimes threatening and thieving. Ma, Mr. Scott, and Mrs. Scott are scared of them and full of dislike; but Pa feels that Indians are surely just ordinary folks who want to be left alone. Laura, about 6 or 7 in the book, is full of questions. Why is the family even here in Indian Territory?

This is a book about the 1870s. The characters have the attitudes of the 1870s. Pa and Laura are enlightened for their time.

I notice I have an expurgated version. When Pa talks Ma into resettling in Indian Territory, the original book said that there were no people in the territory; only Indians lived there. This was changed, appropriately, to say that no settlers lived there; only Indians lived there.