September 23rd, 2016

Lumela; U zuhile cwang’i?! (A Lozi “Good Morning”. Lozi is mostly spoken in Southwestern Zambia.) 

We had some rain this week in in San Diego. Chewy was confused. He thought it was an episode of his favorite TV show, “My Sprinklers Have Gone Crazy!”. He was running around the yard getting soaked barking at the bushes where he assumed the water was coming from.

This week I learned some stuff:
• Our Trusty Saturn Vue needs to take her first emissions test this year. Of course, it would have been less expensive had I actually read the registration information sent to me.
• I learned about Living Trusts and how important it is to have one if you own property or have kids
• By the time you read this I will be on my way back from Sin City. I am heading out to catch up with Lori and Randy who are working on their bucket list this week. I am driving over on Thursday and will spend the night and return the next day.

Website Update
• I added a new soup recipe for you folks this week. I enjoyed a big week of cooking.. Spanish night, Chateaubriand, escargot over the weekend…and this week worked on my Meatloaf and a new soup.
• I added another quote or two to the UJT Kitchen Drawer.

Writing and Painting Update:
• Still working sketches. At some point, I will have to actually get paint on the paper to meet some of my goals.

Weird-Stuff-O-Meter:
• I saw Gary Johnson and his running mate on 60 minutes this week. I was impressed. They make a good case and both seem preferable people to the bat shit crazy geezer and the alternative who seem to enjoy their death embrace a lot more than any of us who have to watch it are. I am still troubled with the whole Libertarian, “ Once we get the taxes dropped and the government out of our business, a miracle occurs and all the reasons we have these government agencies get met by the milk of human kindness” part. But listening to these two gentlemen was a lot easier than living through the spewing of the alternatives.

Music Update:
I got to see the State Farm Neighborhood sessions celebrating Dave Mathews Band’s 25th anniversary back home (for them) in Charlotte. The show was a lot less DMB music that in was about all of the stuff the band does for Charlotte through their Bamaworks foundation. If you can I would suggest you try to see it. I also got to see a cool YouTube with Bob Weir sitting in with DMB.. and he played real good:) Check it out: The Maker – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1OwOTITLjk

• Paul Simon – Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard — From the Vinyl !!!! – A completely silly song by a gifted artist who is not above self indulgence.
• James Taylor – Walking Man – From the Vinyl !!!! This song was written about James’ father shortly after he passed away. I have always loved it. I hope you do too.
• Hall and Oats – Heart of Rock and Roll – This one is a m4p file so you might have to fiddle with it. A sweet fun song that makes me smile … I hope you appreciate just how tight this one is.
• Dan Fogelberg – Souvenirs – From the Vinyl !!!! Just a pretty song, sung pretty by a good soul.
• Cold Play – Talk— I liked this one from the first moment I heard it. These boys are special.
• Bruce Springsteen – Spirt in The Night – From the Vinyl !!!! From his, “Greetings from Ashbury Park” LP. I remember listening to this the first time with my old friend Mark Muller. I was solo very impressed. I know somewhere out there Mark’s heirs have a pristine album preserved in a clear plastic sleeve lovingly slipped on before my eyes the day Mark bought the record.
• Bruce Hornsby and The Range – Mandolin Rain – From the Vinyl !!!! Its been a couple years since this one was featured on UJT radio. This one comes from his iconic, “The Way It Is” album.
• Dire Straits – One World — From the Vinyl !!!! I am not familiar with any Dire Straits songs that I don’t at least admire but this one is soooooo musically pure. For once, even as good as Mark Knofler’s guitar is impressive, the bass and harpsichord are really the show stealer on this deep cut.

That’s it… Do the best you can; Laugh every chance you get; And always remember … The best is yet to come! 

As always, thank you for being my friend! 

James