Midnight Rendezvous - Evening Mist FV

Midnight Rendezvous is the last of the Evening Mist mixes in this group. There were ten of them. This one is mostly new age and film soundtracks.

Midnight Rendezvous - Evening Mist FV

1. Midnight Rendezvous – Suzanne Ciani
2. Celtic Story – Jon Mark
3. Sumiregusa (Wild Violet) – Enya
4. Yellowstone Park (Rocky Mountains) – Tangerine Dream
5. Main Title Theme (The Last Emperor) – David Byrne
6. Theme From “The Mission” – Ennio Morricone
7. George Gershwin: Summertime – Anne Akiko Meyers
8. Moanin’ at Midnight – Maya Beiser
9. Let The Happiness In – David Sylvian
10. Distant Village – Michael Brook
11. Crockett’s Theme – Jan Hammer
12. Sadness Part 1 – Enigma
13. Just Wave Hello (Ford Global Anthem) – Charlotte Church
14. Breathing Below Surface – Jesse Cook
15. Stella – Andreas Vollenweider
16. The Promise – Michael Nyman
17. Rose (from “Titanic”) – James Horner
18. First Light – Brian Eno & Harold Budd
19. Revelation – Shambhu
20. Your Good Name (from “Monsoon Wedding”) – Mychael Danna

An Interesting Question... MAGA Dystopia

Why Do Liberals Think All Trump Supporters are Stupid?
By Adam-Troy Castro

An anguished question from a Trump supporter: “Why do liberals think all Trump supporters are stupid?”

The serious answer: Here’s what we really think about Trump supporters — the rich, the poor, the malignant and the innocently well-meaning, the ones who think and the ones who don’t ...

• That when you saw a man who had owned a fraudulent University, intent on scamming poor people, you thought “Fine.”
• That when you saw a man who had made it his business practice to stiff his creditors, you said, “Okay.”
• That when you heard him proudly brag about his own history of sexual abuse, you said, “No problem.”
• That when he made up stories about seeing muslim-Americans in the thousands cheering the destruction of the World Trade Center, you said, “Not an issue.”
• That when you saw him brag that he could shoot a man on Fifth Avenue and you wouldn’t care, you chirped, “He sure knows me.”
• That when you heard him illustrate his own character by telling that cute story about the elderly guest bleeding on the floor at his country club, the story about how he turned his back and how it was all an imposition on him, you said, “That’s cool!”
• That when you saw him mock the disabled, you thought it was the funniest thing you ever saw.
• That when you heard him brag that he doesn’t read books, you said, “Well, who has time?”
• That when the Central Park Five were compensated as innocent men convicted of a crime they didn’t commit, and he angrily said that they should still be in prison, you said, “That makes sense.”
• That when you heard him tell his supporters to beat up protesters and that he would hire attorneys, you thought, “Yes!”
• That when you heard him tell one rally to confiscate a man’s coat before throwing him out into the freezing cold, you said, “What a great guy!”
• That you have watched the parade of neo-Nazis and white supremacists with whom he curries favor, while refusing to condemn outright Nazis, and you have said, “Thumbs up!”
• That you hear him unable to talk to foreign dignitaries without insulting their countries and demanding that they praise his electoral win, you said, “That’s the way I want my President to be.”
• That you have watched him remove expertise from all layers of government in favor of people who make money off of eliminating protections in the industries they’re supposed to be regulating and you have said, “What a genius!”
• That you have heard him continue to profit from his businesses, in part by leveraging his position as President, to the point of overcharging the Secret Service for space in the properties he owns, and you have said, “That’s smart!”
• That you have heard him say that it was difficult to help Puerto Rico because it was the middle of water and you have said, “That makes sense.”
• That you have seen him start fights with every country from Canada to New Zealand while praising Russia and quote, “falling in love” with the dictator of North Korea, and you have said, “That’s statesmanship!”
• That Trump separated children from their families and put them in cages, managed to lose track of 1500 kids. has opened a tent city incarceration camp in the desert in Texas - he explains that they’re just “animals” - and you say, “well, ok then.”
• That you have witnessed all the thousand and one other manifestations of corruption and low moral character and outright animalistic rudeness and contempt for you, the working American voter, and you still show up grinning and wearing your MAGA hats and threatening to beat up anybody who says otherwise.
• What you don’t get, Trump supporters in 2019, is that succumbing to frustration and thinking of you as stupid may be wrong and unhelpful, but it’s also...hear me...charitable.
• Because if you’re NOT stupid, we must turn to other explanations, and most of them are less flattering.

Adam Troy Castro is a writer and author of the Gustav Gloom novels.

From The Progressive Populist, March 15, 2020

Covid Positive

Becky was not feeling well the past few days but not real bad. Not enough to stop us from going out last night for dinner and an art opening at Hallwalls. I had also been having some cold symptoms like a runny nose and a little coughing but not consistent or intense. So today Becky had a bad headache and decided to take a covid test. We had one pack but it was old and was expiring. She took it anyway and tested positive. She figures she must have contacted it earlier in the week while she was out doing a lot of shopping. We both have had all of our vaccinations and booster shots.

I went out to the drug store and got some cold medicine and a fresh covid test kit. Becky tested again to make sure and once again she tested positive. I also took a test but came out negative. Becky spent some time in bed trying to feel better and when she was downstairs she wore a mask to protect me.

She went to bed early tonight and I am heading up soon but going to the guest room to sleep.

Last night we were out at a crowded art opening. Becky didn't feel bad at the time. Maybe just a little cold symptoms which is how I felt. We both talked and interacted with a lot of people.

Love and Marigolds - Evening Mist FV

Love and Marigolds. A Evening Mist mix of new age, soundtracks and classical music.

One from a series of mixes put together in these times of trumpian nightmare as a way to relax and take one's mind off the MAGA dystopia at least when not reading a book about it. 

Love and Marigolds - Evening Mist FV

1. Love and Marigolds (Monsoon Wedding) – Mychael Danna
2. Once Upon a Time in the West – Ennio Morricone
3. Love Theme from Blade Runner – Vangelis
4. La Gradisca E Il Principe (Amacord) – Nino Rota
5. Andalusian Dream – Suzanne Ciani
6. Chandelier – Paula Kiete
7. Faded Love – Maggie O’Connor
8. Philip Glass: In Liquid Days – National Sinfonia
9. Vivaldi: La Folia – Madness: Concerto grosso – Apollo’s Fire
10. Bach: Cantata 208: Schafe konnen sicher weiden – King’s Consort
11. Rosetti: Concerto in D Minor for Horn and Orchestra – Michael Thompson & Richard Watkins
12. DuFay: Missa “Se la face ay pale”: Credo – Cut Circle
13. Gershwin: Porgy and Bess, Act 1: Summertime – Maya Beiser
14. Ennio Morricone: Gabriel’s Oboe from The Mission – Anne Akiko Meyer
15. Tallis: Videte Miraculum - Vespers Respond – ORA and Suzi Digby
16. Envelop – Kaitlyn Aurelia
17. Faure: Requiem, Op 48: In Paradisum – Laurence Equilbey
18. Always Returning – Brian Eno

Battle of the Bird Feeder

The squirrels have been going crazy trying to get into our bird feeder this winter. The other day one of them did actually get the three small clamps off the cover and he was sitting there chowing down on the birdseed. I chased him away and went down to the basement looking for a better clamp. I did find a couple of large c-clamps and brought one up to attach to the bird feeder. That squirrel sat in the tree watching me mess with his lunch. The new c-clamp is now working good to keep the squirrels out of the birdseed.

There were not many black walnut dropping from our trees this fall. That's how the cycle goes sometimes. Only one of our trees had the usual amount of nuts this year and that means the squirrels are hungry this winter.

They really have been trying hard to get the birdseed from our bird feeder and the neighbor's too. It's kind of entertaining watching them try to compete with the birds for the seed but we put the seed out there for the birds... not the squirrels.

Hallwalls Opening

We just got back from the Hallwalls opening a little while ago and we were exhausted from all the socializing. It was very crowded and we knew a lot of people there. The show was also very good and diverse. The opening reception was from 7 to 10 pm. We got there a little after 7 and it was mobbed. We were also very lucky to get a parking space on the street directly across from the gallery. We never try their parking lot which was full as usual.

The gallery space was jammed with people. There were nine people exhibiting so that meant there would be a lot of folks coming to the opening. We got very tired and left the gallery a little after 8:30. There a lot of people coming in as we were leaving and someone was very happy to get our good parking spot.

Dinner @ Cafe 59

This evening we went out to dinner. A date night. Before heading over to Hallwalls for an art opening. We had been considering several other restaurants but with the way the weather had been and the need to be somewhere else later in the evening we decided on one of our old standby restaurants... Cafe 59 on Allen Street.

So at around 5:30 pm on a Friday night it was crowded but not too much and we were able to get a table no problem although a lot more people came in while we were dining. The menu is amazing with diversity but tonight we had a couple of our favorites. I had a Harvest Wrap which I really love with roasted turkey, dried cranberries, field greens, gorgonzola, red onions, candied walnuts and some nice balsamic vinaigrette. It included a side of delicious potato wedges. I had it with a draft of Rare Vos from Ommegang Brewery. Becky had a chicken finger sub which she loved along with those potato wedges and a NA beer. I had a second beer... a Let's Go Pils from Community Beer Works before we left a little before 7 to go to Hallwalls.

When I Try - Evening Mist FV

When I Try. These Evening Mist mixes still keep coming. They are sounding good for our kitchen listening. I've put them on Spotify too.

When I Try - Evening Mist FV

1. When I Try, I’m Fool – Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
2. Hide and Seek – Maya Beiser
3. Murder Ballades: Young Emily – Eighth Blackbird
4. Zinc (Zoe Keating Remix) – Terry Riley
5. Stromboli – Suzanne Ciani
6. Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major – Yo Yo Ma
7. Barber: Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 – Kronos Quartet
8. Symphony No. 39 in E Flat, 3. Menuetto (Allegretto) – Berliner Philharmoniker
9. Brahms: Piano Quartet #3 in C Minor, Op. 60, 3. Andante – Emanual Ax, Yo Yo Ma and Isaac Stern
10. Concerto No. 4 in G Major, II. Andante – Oliver Dohnanyi
11. Purcell: Dido and Aeneas, Act 3 – Joyce DiDonato
12. Piano Trio: II. Andante molto semplice – Lincoln Trio
13. 4. Allegro ma non troppo – Piu allegro – Emerson String Quartet
14. Oboe Concerto in C, 1. Allegro molto – Douglas Boyd
15. Tigrane: Aria “Sussurrando il venticello” – Elizabeth Watts & The English Concert
16. Symphony fantastique, Op. 14, II. Un bal – San Francisco Symphony

David Lynch RIP

I was very saddened to hear of the passing of David Lynch today. He had a large impact on the popular culture of much of my adult life. I have seen all of his films and of course his amazing television series Twin Peaks. I also have a couple of his albums in my music collection.

I wrote a student paper on David Lynch in 1977 while in the film studies program at Temple University after viewing Eraserhead at the TLA Cinema on South Street in Philadelphia. The class instructor was very excited about the feature film from this filmmaker and talked about seeing some of his earlier short films.

A few years later I would see it again in Buffalo at the Allendale Theater and then The Elephant Man too. I was very excited when he came out with his version of Dune in 1984 although I was a little disappointed in the film's deviation from the book which was one of my favorite science fiction novels. But I did enjoy the film and watched it a couple more times over the years. 

I really liked his next film Blue Velvet and I would go on and see all of his films following it including Wild at Heart, Lost Highway and The Straight Story. I especially liked the Twin Peaks prequel Fire Walk With Me. The 2001 film Mulholland Drive was really good as was Inland Empire in 2006 which would turn out to be his last feature film. The last thing of his I saw was the revival series Twin Peaks: The Return from 2017. He would also make more short films but I never saw any of them. 

He was also involved in several music projects over the years. He released a couple of albums which I have in my collection... Crazy Clown Time from 2011 and The Big Dream from 2013. 

Twilight - Evening Mist FV

Twilight. Another mix in the Evening Mist series of classical and new age mixes. They just keep coming because I'm really enjoying putting these together. They are based on a mega mix series I did a few years ago. These are the hour and a half Final Version mixes. Interesting having Bach, Puccini and Mahavishnu Orchestra together on the same mix.

Twilight - Evening Mist FV

1. Twilight in Galisteo – Ottmar Liebert
2. A Lotus On Irish Streams – Mahavishnu Orchestra
3. Sever Years in Tibet – John Williams
4. Agnus Dei, Adagio Op. 11 – Laurence Equilbey
5. Verses – Olafur Arnalds
6. Brahms: 4. Con moto – Emerson String Quartet
7. La Mer – Suzanne Ciani
8. Ave regina coelorumm III – Cut Circle
9. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #5 in D, 2. Affettuoso – Herbert  Von Karajan & Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
10. Handel: Water Music Suite No. 2 in D Major, II. Alla Hornpipe – Bohdan Warchal
11. Bach: Orchestral Suite #3 in D, 2. Air “On The G String” – Roderick Brydon & Scottish Chamber Orchestra
12. Puccini: Turandot – Non Piangere, Liu! – Jose Carreras & Vienna State Opera Orchestra
13. Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-Flat, I. Allegro maestoso –
14. 2. Adagio – James Weaver
15. Haydn: Piano Sonata #60 in C, 2. Adagio – Emanuel Ax
16. Bach: Concerto in D Minor for 2 Violins, 3. Allegro “Double” – Yehudi Menuchin & Festival Chamber Orchestra