Edward

I belatedly thank you all for your well wishes. I bought three Mosaic sets earlier this year during a sale and I was able to keep my paws off of them up until my birthday. Now I am heading into the fourth day of an unplanned vacation. i have been swamped this past year and one half due to serious injuries sustained by my wife - NEVER take your loved ones or your health for granted. During this tiime, I have been extremely thankful for the joy and comfort that music brings to me. It is as though I am rediscovering a part of myself, even though I would much rather that things had remained the way that they were.

It's the ninth season, actually, unless you think that the pool really did not start until you won it in 2009. The winners for previous years are: 2005 - Conn 2006 - Edward 2007 - Noj 2008 - Conn 2009 - vajerzy 2010 - Aggie87 2011 - Noj 2012 - Aggie 87 and vajerzy (wimpy tie)

Aggie87 and vajerzy are the only two who should have any real interest in picking playoff winners - where are you, vajerzy? For fun, I pick the Colts to beat the Ravens (and to cover the spread - the Ravens are favored by 7) and the Seahawks to cover the spread (they are favored by 3) against the Redskins.

I pick the Texans and the Packers to win today's games. (I think that the current lines are the Texans by 4 and the Packers by 8. If we were to pick by the spread, I would choose both the Texans and the Packers to cover.)

I was pulling for you, Jazzmoose. As discussed at the end of last season, now Aggie87 and Vajerzy select the winners of playoff games each week until someone ends up ahead.

The Twilight Zone - The Complete Definitive Collection (28 DVDs) - $119.99 http://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Zone-Complete-Definitive-Collection/dp/B000H5U5EE/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1356889767&sr=1-1

Well, it all comes down to the Cowboys-Redskins game. As jazzmoose has never won this contest before, I am forced to root for Dallas . (BTW, it has not been lost on me that my performance in just about every season since winning it all in 2006 has mirrored that of my MLB team, the Dodgers - start strongly and fade quickly.)

The 6-CD Complete Columbia Albums Collection of Thelonious Monk will be a lightning deal today (11-26) on Amazon beginning at 5:01 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. If you have any interest in this set, put it in your cart IMMEDIATELY in order to reserve your copy. You will then have 15 minutes to decide whether or not you really want to purchase it and complete the transaction. (The 5-CD Original Album Classics boxed set by Dave Brubeck was a lightning deal last week and sold out almost instantly because so many people placed it into their shopping carts.)

I cannot stand when people use the phrase "In regards to ...", which is never correct and whose use, unfortunately, is pervasive in both spoken and written English. I also cannot stand words that were coined by idiots in human resources who were too lazy to consult a dictionary. Examples includes "incentivize" and "impactful" (the latter of which I have heard used by numerous sports commentators as well as the great Mitch McConnell).

Happy Monday Birthday, NOJ! I hope that you have a great day.

PM sent regarding the Chu Berry set

Happy Birthday! I hope that you are having a great day.

Congratulations, NOJ! You beat everyone (except Soulstation1) in the final week with your picking while drunk strategy. When the season started, I was afraid that Connoisseur series500 was going to claim his third season victory based upon very short term historical data (i.e., he won in 2005 and 2008). BTW, if you were bored enough to perform the calculations, you (and everyone else for that matter) probably think that I am an ass based upon the tie-breaker that I was pushing (my MNF picks turned out to be better than yours - my point differential was better in nine out of seventeen weeks and our point differentials were the same in two of the weeks). Honestly, though, I did not know that at the time - I have never put all that much thought into my MNF total points predictions. To avoid any unnecessary theatrics, I strongly urge that we all arrive at a consensus as to what the tie-breakers should be before the start of next season. Sooner or later, there is going to be a tie at season's end. Congratulations once again!

Agreed- I always hate the last week when doing pools. I think the pressure is all on you because this week is going to be like the last week of pre-season. Playoff teams sitting people, teams out of it seeing what they have for next year. Everyone behind you can take chances on the upsets- they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I suggest that any tie be resolved by having the tied leaders select the winners of playoff games, week by week, until one person has taken the lead - a "sudden death" playoff. To me, choosing a winner based on an individual's performance in any given week or weeks seems incredibly arbitrary. And I am not saying that because I have won only one week this season. Alternatively, we might select a winner by looking at the tied leaders' MNF points predictions. For example, if one person's MNF points predictions are off by an average of one point each week and the other's are off by an average of two points, then the first person wins - obviously the actual calculations would probably be a little more complicated. You're asking me to do math?? I'm hoping NOJ or someone else wins this out-right. It's YOUR pool (rhetorically) so a majority for tie-breaker would be nice. I'd like to hear from everyone. I'll ask some friends in other pools and see what they propose. I would gladly do the math if it came to it. As it is, I think that NOJ pretty much has this season wrapped up.

I suggest that any tie be resolved by having the tied leaders select the winners of playoff games, week by week, until one person has taken the lead - a "sudden death" playoff. To me, choosing a winner based on an individual's performance in any given week or weeks seems incredibly arbitrary. And I am not saying that because I have won only one week this season. Alternatively, we might select a winner by looking at the tied leaders' MNF points predictions. For example, if one person's MNF points predictions are off by an average of one point each week and the other's are off by an average of two points, then the first person wins - obviously the actual calculations would probably be a little more complicated.

Thanks, guys! My first birthday as a married man has been a truly wonderful one.

Amazon has now made available for purchase four more sets in the Capitol Vaults Jazz Series. Capitol Vaults Jazz Series The sets now available include: Dexter Gordon: $9.49 Bennie Green: $14.84 Bobby Hackett: $74.18 Andrew Hill: $13.55 Bobby Hutcherson: $13.55 Johnny Mercer: (available July 26th) Art Pepper: $18.06 Don Pullen: $9.49 Dizzy Reece: $13.55 Bud Shank & Bob Cooper: $20.77

Dexter Gordon Mosaic Select (labeled under the Capitol Vaults Jazz Series) for $9.49: Dexter Gordon Mosaic Select

Thanks, Chuck.

It is a steal, and Oistrakh is one of the greats, so there's nothing unrefined about it! I think these EMI mega-sets are exceptional bargains, but the problem for me is that they include wide selections of repertoire. At my (lowbrow) level of classical erudition/listening, I fear this could result in CDs that I seldom/never listen to due to duplication. The Oistrakh set arrived on Saturday and I have very much enjoyed listening to the first few discs over the holiday weekend. As to my reference to "refined" tastes, it was a very poor choice of words; I in no way meant it as a slight to any of the classical music lovers who frequent this board. In terms of appreciating classical music, I consider myself just above the level of "novice" - I have far better knowledge of major classical works than of which particular performances of those works are held in high regard. Accordingly, I was a little hesitant to post here as I recalled a past thread in which several members of this board were highly critical of a specific performance that I loved. At any rate, this set may prove of interest - I am not sure whether it has been previously mentioned - although Amazon does not currently have it in stock: Gustav Mahler: Complete Edition (Deutsche Grammophon; 18 discs; $49.57)

SecondSpin.com is offering another promotional code (SS4JULY) for 30% off a purchase of $30.00 or more that is good through today (July 3rd) only. Noteworthy items presently in inventory include: Joe Henderson - Milestone Years (8-disc set) - $16.99 (three in stock) Sonny Rollins - The Freelance Years (Complete Contemporary & Riverside Recordings; 5-disc set) - $23.99 (one in stock) Debut Records Story (4-disc set) - $7.99 (six in stock) Prestige Records Story (4-disc set) - $13.99 (two in stock) Riverside Records Story (4-disc set) - $11.99 (two in stock) Howls, Raps & Roars (4-disc set) - $7.99 (seven in stock)

I have found myself listening to more classial music lately in large part because it seems to be about the only genre of music that I can play while working from home and still be productive. That said, my taste in classical music may not be as refined as any of yours, but this 17-CD EMI set seemed to be a steal at $31.97 so I pulled the trigger: David Oistrakh: The Complete EMI Recordings

I agree. Last night, however, Amazon itself (for a very brief time, apparently) was selling the Beatles Mono Box Set for $99.99 - I purchased one myself.

Amazon is presently offering the Beatles Mono Box Set for $99.99, which I think is a pretty good price. Beatles Mono Box Set

I agree with your analysis. The Lakers have been playing poorly since the end of their nice 17-1 run after the All-Star break. Although the Lakers are an older team, age is not the reason that they are losing to the Dallas Mavericks. Bryant - 32, Bynum - 23, Gasol - 30, Odom - 31, Artest - 31, Fisher - 36, and Brown -25 VS. Kidd - 38, Marion, 33, Nowitzki - 32, Stojakovic - 33, Terry - 33, Chandler - 28, Barea - 26 Assuming that the Lakers do not pull off a miracle (and perhaps the NBA is due for one considering that, to date, teams trailing a best of seven series 0-3 are a collective 0-98 in those series), it will be interesting to see whether the Lakers decide that it's time to break up the team.