Disclosure Day - A Film

I watched this Stephen Spielberg film this past week streaming on Peacock. I broke it up into three parts over three days and watched it on my laptop sitting at the kitchen table. That seems to be my usual way of watching movies these days.

I did enjoy this science fiction UFO film although it certainly wasn't Spielberg's best or even close but it was entertaining. However, I thought the ending was a little disappointing. I guess I thought something was going to happen besides the announcement that UFOs and aliens were real. I think I will watch it again sometime.

UB Neurosurgery Visit

I had my regular follow up visit with the UB Neurosurgery department a couple of weeks after getting having my 24 brain scan. I sat there in the examination room for about 10 minutes looking at the scull on the table while waiting for someone to come in.

I met with the PA and she went over the scan with me. I'm getting older and as I approach being 75 my doctors are all getting more concerned. The PA will discuss my scans with Dr. Siddiqui and she thinks he will want to have me get an angiogram which I have not had in many years. Probably 20 or more. I had been fine with the CTAs from Roswell Park but the angiogram is much more detailed and because I'm older and there have been indications of a couple of small aneurysms they would want to check them out and keep a closer look at my brain.

So some time over the next couple of months I will meet with Dr. Siddiqui and probably in the Spring I will have an angiogram done at Great Lakes Imaging. 

Back in the late 80's and 90's I had several angiograms done and they were procedures that I needed to spend an overnight in the hospital. I asked about that and I was assured that these days that scan is an one day in house procedure. I'd get it done in the morning and I would be home two or three hours later. Of course they have to consider my MH issue so I'd probably be the first person of the day having any kind of procedure... very early in the morning.

Voting By Mail

Becky and I voted by mail this week. We filled out the ballets and Becky took them over to the post office and dropped them off. We considered taking them to a ballot drop-off stations at one of the community centers but decided on using the post office.

We are not going to be home to vote on election day because of the family wedding in Philadelphia that week and we had also considered going to an early voting place. Then we decided to just get it over with and vote by mail.

Suddenly now the orange turd thinks it is ok to vote by mail. He has been railing against it for years now despite his own voting by mail. By the way, isn't it against the law for felons to vote? But now he is all for voting by mail because he thinks his magat base doesn't want to vote on election day because he is not on the ballot. Dumb as... with a B.

I'm also reminded that the first time I voted by in 1972 was by mail from a Navy ship overseas.

Multiverses: An Anthology of Alternate Realities

Multiverses: An Anthology of Alternate Realities by Preston Grassmann, editor, 2023. I enjoyed this collection of science fiction stories about alternate universes. Some were great while others were all over the place. 

U2 - Kitchen Listening

I've been reading Bono's memoir over the past few days so it is fitting to listen to some U2 and today I started out with some early albums. It's fun hearing these again. I haven't listened to them in quite some time. I hear individual songs scattered on mixes but not these entire albums one after the other.

It's also interesting hearing this music at the time I'm reading about it's creation which includes the process and the inspiration.

This set:

• Boy, 1980
• October, 1981
• War, 1983
• Under A Blood Red Sky, 1983

Herbie Hancock - Kitchen Listening

Today I played some Herbie Hancock albums  starting off from his jazz fusion days with the 1973 Headhunters album and then Man-Child from 1975. I followed that with his Maiden Voyage album from 1965 and then closed with a live album from 1977.

I enjoyed this set of music very much and I've always had a fondness for Herbie Hancock and all of his permeations throughout his career as a solo artist and sideman for various other jazz musicians.

This set:

• Headhunters, 1973
• Man-Child, 1975
• Maiden Voyage, 1965
• V.S.O.P., 1977

Dinner @ Coles... Oktoberfest and a Walk

We went down to Coles for dinner tonight and they had their special Oktoberfest Menu. It was a treat. I had their Pork Schnitzel which included spatzle egg noodles, the special mushroom gravy, braised red cabbage. It was delicious. I also had a couple of hefeweizen beers on tap.

We sat and enjoyed our dinner.

Becky had a chicken caesar salad wrap.

We got there about 5:15 and stayed for a little over an hour. The place was jumping but it was a Friday evening.

We left our house a little early because we wanted to go for a walk down in that neighborhood before dinner. We parked in our usual spot on Bird Ave and instead of walking over to Elmwood Ave we went the opposite way down Bidwell Parkway and crossed Elmwood near Potomac. We walked over to Claremont Ave and followed it all the way up to Forrest Ave. It was a beautiful walk. Then Forrest over to Elmwood and then on to Cole's. 

House of Sand and Fog - A Novel

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III, 1999. Picked this book off a shelf in the house and started reading. Took a couple of weeks and finished it today. I enjoyed it. An interesting story with some incredible characters. This was the second book I've read from this author.

There's a film of this novel and I should probably check it out but couldn't find it streaming anywhere for free at this time.

Tom's Night Chill

This is Tom's Night Chill mix. I've started off this mix with some women jazz singers following the lead song from Dido. These are remixes of classic numbers and Tom really liked these tunes when I played them for him. They were part of the Verve Remixed series of albums.

Then this mix follows my usual assortment of late night chill groove remixes that includes lots of familiar tunes but the remix versions.

This is a lot of stuff that he would not be allowed to play on his stereo at home but he loved. His wife complained that the jazz mix I made for his visitation wake did not have Ella Fitzgerald and other female jazz singers but I specifically put together an instrumental mix of background music to be played while people gathered around talking. I specifically did not put any vocal songs on that mix. I wonder what she would think of this mix. Probably hate it like most everything else Tom loved.

Tom's Night Chill

1. Dido - Here With Me (Chillin' With The Family Mix)
2. Ella Fitzgerald - Angel Eyes (Layo & Bushwacka Mix) 
3. Nina Simone - Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair (Jaffa Remix)
4. Billie Holiday - Don't Explain (Dzihan & Kamien Remix)
5. Sarah Vaughan - Summertime (UFO Remix)
6. Astrud Gilberto - Who Needs Forever? (Thievery Corporation Remix)
7. Royksoop - So Easy
8. Massive Attack - Teardrop
9. Groove Armada - Remember
10. Zero 7 - In The Waiting Line
11. Air - Kelly Watch The Stars
12. Alphawezen - Into The Stars
13. Easy Star All-Stars - The Great Gig In The Sky (Dubphonic Remix)
14. Bob Marley & The Wailers - No Woman No Cry (Ambient Dub Mix)
15. Carlos Santana & John McLaughan - A Love Supreme (Bill Laswell Remix)
16. Miles Davis - In A Silent Way (DJ Cam Remix)
17. Archie Shepp - Blues From Brother George Jackson (Mondo Grosso Next Wave Mix)
18. Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Mission Impossible (Charlus De La Salle Mix)
19. Curtis Mayfield - Freddie's Dead (Blaze Roots DJ Mix)
20. Laurie Anderson - O Superman (M.A.N.D.Y. Vs. Booka Shade Remix)
21. Anita O'Day - Sing, Sing, Sing (RSL Remix)
22. Carman McCrae - How Long Has This Been Going On (MJ Cole Remix)
23. Gotan Project - Last Tango In Paris
24. Meredith Monk - Dawn (DJ Spooky Remix)
25. Science Dept. and Erire - Breathe
26. Thievery Corporation - Lebanese Blonde
27. Feist - Mushaboom (Mocky Remix)
28. Terry Riley - In A Sea of C (DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid Remix)
29. Courtney Pine - Everyday Is Everyday (Malak-I Remix
30. Juan Carlos Formell - Agua Bendita (Thievery Corporation Remix)
31. Goldfrapp - Lovely Head
32. Tosca - Honey (Supatone 1 Dub)
33. Nina Simone - Feelin' Good (Joe Claussell Remix)
34. Billie Holiday - Billie's Blues (Daniel Y Remix)
35. Sarah Vaughan - Fever (Adam Freeland Remix)
36. Massive Attack - Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto Remix)
37. Britney Spears & Giorgio Moroder - Tom's Diner
38. Sia - Chandelier (Plastic Plates Remix)
39. Amiel - One Step Ahead
40. Easy Star All-Stars - Time (Groove Corporation Remix)
41. The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize? (Scott Hardkiss Floating In Space Remix)
42. Radiohead - Climbing Up The Walls (Zero 7 Remix)
43. Epic - Delorian
44. Boards of Canada - Roygbiv
45. Saint Etienne - Summerisle
46. Luna - Bonnie and Clyde (Clyde Barrow Version)
47. Susanne Sundfor - Fade Away (Maps Remix)
48. Kings of Convenience - The Weight Of My Words (Four Tet Remix)
49. Moby - God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters
50. Sigur Ros - Staralfur 

Hot Tuna - Kitchen Listening

Played some Hot Tuna today. Four of their early albums and the first two were live recordings. I didn't realize I had 15 of their albums in my collection. We both enjoyed having these albums playing on the stereo throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

Becky and I saw them perform at Asbury Hall about ten years ago. It was a wonderful concert. I also saw them in the early 1970's.

This set:

• Hot Tuna (Live), 1970
• First Pull Up, Then Pull Down (Live), 1971
• Burgers, 1972
• The Phosphorescent Rat, 1974