Dmitry

Did he just knock his tooth out with the mallet?

I was still hoping that for that outrageous kind of money, Jimmy would throw in a charcuterie board and a bottle of organic sauvignon blanc (properly chilled, of course), but... WHAT'S INCLUDED IN MY TICKET PURCHASE? Unless otherwise noted, at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club your ticket price only includes admission to the event. Dinner and drinks are not included but are available for purchase at your ticketed seats.

Ahh, but that $140 is for a dinner and a show!

Wanted to see Charles Lloyd Trio at Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club in Portsmouth, NH, then I saw that tickets are $150 + "fees" (whoever invented these "fees" is certainly an American). https://jimmysoncongress.com/event/charles-lloyd-sky-trio-w-brian-blade-larry-larry-grenadier/ https://www.ticketmaster.com/charles-lloyd-sky-trio-featuring-brian-portsmouth-new-hampshire-06-02-2024/event/01005F64FBA1928F?_gl=1*12kbf1p*_ga*MTE2MjYxODQwNy4xNzE0NDI0NjI0*_ga_2Y88BWCYNL*MTcxNDQyNDYyNC4xLjEuMTcxNDQyNTIyNC4wLjAuMA..&_ga=2.86074520.122370848.1714424624-1162618407.1714424624 Truth be told, and not to harp on Jimmy's, they "keep it real": aside from the regular $150+"fees" tickets , there are $15+"fees" tickets, but you get to see Charles Lloyd on video monitor, and sit behind two or three walls and pretty much just be in the same building as him and the band. I have never had to pay $150+"fees" for a jazz show, and have only seen ticket prices like that at the JALC (not even close in hipness as Jimmy's in Portsmouth, NH, I know). Looking at the menu for you and a companion, you are out $650-$700 for show and dinner. And when you walk out of the club, you are still in Portsmouth, NH, not in Cannes or Monte Carlo or San Remo. Portsmouth, NH....

Took out the Ruckus for the first time yesterday. Battery died over the winter (forgot to connect the trickle charger), but the foot crank started her right up. This has been a particularly nasty New England Spring. We aren't known for romantic Spring seasons anyway, but this one is the worst in my memory: cold and rainy.

I mostly buy art books. I also check out many books from our excellent public library system.

If we read the description: The is the rare original RVG-stamped deep groove “P”-pressing of John Coltrane “Blue Train” on the NY 23 label (Side 1) and West 63rd label (Side 2) of Blue Note BLP 1577. The playing surface is in new condition, with a beautiful luster; perhaps played once. The laminated West 63rd St. cover is exceptional condition – clean throughout; the back slick shows norman age toning and a 3/8” x 1” stain at the lower right corner. Personnel include Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. $3000.00 Bidding started at $3000. He was confident it would go a lot higher.Also dig the Norman age toning reference. I bet William the Conqueror would appreciate the Coltrane connection.

Just closed, a magnificent exhibition at the Worcester Art Museum, Rembrandt: Etchings from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. I went three times. I will probably not see a collection like this again.

Sonny Rollins Quartet - TENOR MADNESS, Prestige PR 7047. 1964 pressing, blue Trident labels. RVG etched in dead wax. Matrix / Runout (Side A runout): RVG PRLP-7047-A 2 AB Matrix / Runout (Side B runout): RVG PRLP-7047-B ⇧ LP looks and plays VG+, with no skips and no clicks. The typical less than amazing 1960s Prestige vinyl, background rustling noise only audible between tracks. Vinyl is shiny, with light surface scratches and discoloration not affecting play. Sleeve has edge wear, minor stains, is intact and is VG+. Ultrasonically cleaned not using caustic chemicals and vacuumed on Loricraft, placed in a Japanese antistatic sleeve and a clear mylar outer. A very nice listening copy mastered by Rudy Van Gelder. $95 post paid in the USA.

https://observer.com/2023/12/the-zone-of-interest-movie-review-one-of-the-years-best-films/

That's interesting to me. Almost thirty years back, when I was in professional school at NYU, a hands-on National Board exam needed to be passed in order to progress to graduation. The organization administering these exams strove for impartiality, and the people overseeing these exams were hired from outside. Many of them were retired professionals in the same field I was learning. I spoke to one of them at some length. He, obviously seeing that I was an immigrant, made a suggestion to change my name to an "American" one. He said that his father changed their family name to...Carter from their original Italian name. The Italian Carter was from Ohio and of swarthy, Mediterranean appearance. Speaking with gravitas, he assured me that the only way to succeed was to blend in. I can absolutely see that an Italian kid in a waspy area in the 1940s would have a tough time. Just like it would be otherwise... I remember a scene in the Untouchables, where Sean Connery's character grilled Andy Garcia's, as to who he was. Garcia said his family name was Stone. Connery called him a wop and that he wasn't fooling anyone with that name.

He was remarkably memorable in the short role of Bobby Bacala Sr. in the Sopranos. His portrayal of a person dying from lung cancer is enough to make anyone quit smoking.

I didn't know he was Italian. What a pseudonym for a boy from Corona. Burt Young sounds like a Jewish radio broadcaster. I wish they'd asked him why he chose a name like that.

Just returned from a trip Istanbul-Riga-İstanbul-home. An enormous variety of mopeds/motorrollers/scooters in Istanbul. Many are Chinese and, I'm assuming, local products, a lot of sundry Hondas. I spotted this Chinese Ruckus knockoff. Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul is a fascinating city, the most vibrant and diverse place I've ever visited...the markets, street cafes, a million of well-fed cats and tens of thousands of street dogs resting wherever they see fit, Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern, Bosphorus at night, the twirling dervishes accompanied by traditional instrument virtuosos, TopKapi and its incomparable armoury, the most beautiful women in surreal, Cleopatra-like makeup...what a place!

Bingo! You nailed it!

I bought an expensive ($300) modular helmet by HJC. I was going to get the one with Bluetooth, but my friend who rides big motorcycles advised against it. He has one like that and prefers not to switch on the Bluetooth and just listens to the road. I also bought a light mesh jacket with elbows, shoulders and back armor plates. I have to admit that just riding around the neighborhood after work, even if it's just a couple of miles is a wonderful feeling that I can't compare with any other. It's not just relaxing...I need to think of other ways to describe it.

Jesus Christ Superstar

@mjazzg Yes, I do remember him. Old Reading now, eh. Are they making any promises to get back into the Championship? Shame they got relegated.

Great advice, thank you. Some may think it’s an overkill to even wear a jacket in addition to the helmet while riding a 35 mph scooter, but I will definitely look into that. I just read an article about various types of helmets and a quote stuck in my head (no pun intended), “A ten dollar head deserves a ten dollar helmet.” I find the following statistics very informative. The average speed of a motorcycle prior to an accident is 29.8 mph, 21.5 mph at the time of impact, and in only 1/1000 of cases is speed approximately 86 mph at the time of impact Interesting reading here, don’t know how true it is, but why not? https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/little-known-facts-about-motorcycle-accidents-31124

Andy Carroll played for Villa or WH or team with similar purple and blue shirts? Striker, beard? ( testing my memory purposefully without resorting to Google). What is his story now?

What is the club? And yes, Championship is crazy this season. Several very strong clubs will be battling for promotion. In the US ESPN+ televises many Championship matches for just $10/month.

Season has started for Leicester City with two wins, first in the Championship, over Coventry, and then in the League Cup over Burton Albion. We have a new manager and four new players. We lost James Maddison (amazing footballer and club favorite) to Tottenham, Harvey Barnes to Newcastle and Yuri Thielemans to Villa. Our new manager Enzo Maresca was one of the Man City coaches under Guardiola for the past several seasons, including the last, treble one. Usually the stadium chants are just a background noise when watching on TV, but the Burton match was in a smaller venue, and I could hear some seemingly spontaneous nasty shit sang acapella. Hilarious!

That does look like you're sitting on a picnic cooler. I like the styling! If that compartment is waterproof, you actually could fiill it with ice and beer!!! Your machine is way more advanced than the Ruckus. You have a fuel injector and cool useful gages, R has a carburetor and just the speedometer and odometer.

You are lucky! What happened, how did you get injured? I will go to Razee next week to try on some helmets and riding gear. It's only a 35 mph-capable moped, but I'm sure the vast majority of accidents involving motorcycles happen at lower then highway speeds, especially with the inexperienced riders.