Roger's Dozen Things - 6/9/06

These are twelve things that have caught my attention this week:

1. Lydia's illness. Generally speaking, she a very charming child, even when under the weather. But this recent pink eye/cold/fever/cough/runny nose/itchiness/insomnia thing made her uncharacteristically cranky.

Meanwhile, I've missed work Friday, Monday, came in late on Tuesday and Wednesday, when I was supposed to be training our new interns. Fortunately, she's somewhat better now, though she still has a cough which precludes me from sleeping through the night. Edit, 9:05 a.m. Nope, I'm home with her again.

2. There was a wonderful story about DMC of Run DMC, which featured Sarah McLachlan, on the CBS Sunday Morning this past week, 'I Am Who I Am': Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels And His Long Journey To Self-Awareness. The print version is here, but it doesn't do the story justice. When my wife watched it, she got teary-eyed, and I seemed to have gotten something stuck in my eye... (Imagine pictures of Darryl and Sarah; the Blogger curse strikes again.)

3. I finally got to watch the CMT special on Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger sessions. I loved the joy of the music making process. He seemed to, in some cases, take a familiar song, e.g., "Oh, Mary, Don't You Weep" and sing what might otherwise have been the tenor part in traditional four-part harmony, and make it the melody line. Or so it seems to me. (Think Simon & Garfunkel's The Boxer- compare what Paul and Art sing on the chorus.) I've GOT to get that album. And Lefty went to see him!

4. TV shows with a strong lead character. Commander in Chief- yeah, the three producers in one season really screwed it up - and the last episode EVER is this Wednesday, so I'm looking to watch something new to watch besides JEOPARDY and the news this summer. I'm going to try The Closer with Kyra Sedgwick on TNT. A marathon session of last season will be on TNT Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (EDT), and then the Season 2 opener will be on Monday at 9 p.m.

5. The last The Office - yeah, it was three weeks ago, but I just saw it! I loved Michael's ménage, and especially loved the ending. Also saw the last Scrubs, and the last bit threw me a curve.

6. Mowing the lawn: actually, I don't care - I'd just as soon hire goats - but my wife does, and with all the rain, it's been difficult to get to it. A hand mower becomes useless once the grass hits a certain height, so I got to it on Tuesday just in time. It usually takes less than a half hour, but this time it took over an hour.

7. I've been thinking about songs for Kelly's Songs of Summer Mixed CD exchange, assuming she accepts me. There are LOTS of songs, but I'm TRYING not to be too clichéd. Damn, and I really LOVE Summer in the City by the Lovin' Spoonful. I used to play the bass line on the piano when I was a kid.

8. I enjoyed the songwriters post that Tosy put up this week.

9. Julie Hembeck draws Fred Hembeck. A great likeness, Julie.

10. Things in the news: That idiot Ann Coulter. Did I mention the word idiot?

There's also a local murder story in which a young man is accused of killing his father and brutalizing his mother; you simply cannot live around here and NOT know about it. His attorney's request for a change of venue seems understandable, given this.

11. "Doc" Rivett, who I saw just last month at the annual meeting of the Friends of the Albany Public Library. He was retiring as president, and he took his sweet time starting the meeting, I thought. He fell that very day, May 18, was admitted to the hospital, and died Tuesday. (Did he fall BEFORE the meeting?) Now I feel especially badly, over his passing, but also for being so impatient with an 87-year old guy.

Oh, I told my wife Billy Preston had died. She thought I said Billy Crystal. It lead to a very weird conversation, especially the bottom line, which was that she didn't know who Billy Preston was. Ah, these young people.

12. Got new music from Lefty, which I'm enjoying. He does this Top 10 every week, which I won't be doing, but thanks, guy, for the inspiration.