Dinner at Jack Rabbit

This evening Becky and I had a very nice dinner at Jack Rabbit's on Elmwood Avenue. This was our first time there after we couldn't get into our first choice Coles. 

We sat in their upstairs backroom which was very fancy in a hip way. We sat next to the piano.

I had their fish fry which was huge and very good although the coleslaw and noodles which were so-so. Fries were good. I had a Guinness on tap and then later a lager from 42 North Brewery. Becky had a chicken finger snack wrap.

We had a wonderful and interesting time hanging out with Mary Ellen earlier this afternoon and after her visit we decided to go out for dinner. She was talking about getting a fish fry to bring home to her sister and that made me want a fish fry too. I haven't had one in a while.

Our plan was to go over to Coles. We parked in our usual spot and walked down the street to the restaurant. It was about 5:30 and didn't look to busy. We saw plenty of empty tables but the staff person said reservations only. Apparently there was an event at Buff State and the folks were all coming to Coles for dinner. She showed us the list of reservations. All of those tables would be full by 6 pm. So we got turned away and then walked down the street to the Jack Rabbit restaurant.

This was our first time going to dinner at this restaurant. We tried once before a few months ago on a Saturday evening when we couldn't get a table at Coles but they were full too. This time there were plenty of tables for two available.

It was interesting to be there again because over the years this had been one of our favorite go to restaurants and bars when it was JP Bullfeathers. Bullfeathers closed in 2015 in a complicated legal and family situation. They were originally supposed to refurbish the restaurant into an apartment building and construct a new restaurant someone else on Elmwood Ave. Nothing turned out and the building was empty for several years until the new owners over the summer of 2019. Then of course the pandemic came along before they could get their new restaurant going. Eventually they did and they renovated the building along with having a live music venue.  We had been wanting to get over there but just wasn't motivated enough until recently.

They really did a great job with the renovation and it's hard to believe it's the same place we spent so much time at over the years. They really expanded the restaurant into the second floor that hadn't been used previously by the restaurant. That is where we sat this evening. They also expanded down at the lower level which back in the day was the Wine Cellar. Now there is a bar and dining room down there. The main bar area has been very nicely improved along with the patio.

Definitely a place we will go to again. I'd like to sit in that main bar area for a meal sometime.

Mary Ellen Visit

Yesterday Becky's friend Mary Ellen called. It was a funny call because we were messing with Becky's phone at the time trying to access a message when suddenly there was Mary Ellen on the line. She was in town and wanted to come by and see us. So we set it up for her to come by for lunch today.

Mary Ellen lives in Texas near Dallas. I haven't seen her in many years although Becky has met her at a coffee shop when she has been in town recently.

We had a nice time hanging out at home. We had some sandwiches in the kitchen for lunch then sat around the living room talking. Then Becky took her upstairs to her studio where she got very excited over Becky's work that she has been getting ready for her show. Then we sat around and talked more.

Mary Ellen hung out with us for about three and a half hours. From 1 pm to 4:30. Then she had to go to her sister's house but first she planned to stop to get a fish fry dinner on the way.

She was in town taking care of some legal issues having to do with the death last year of one of her sisters where a niece has been trying to take over the estate. Complicated and awful.

Becky and Mary Ellen go back to when they worked together as waitresses at the Upstairs Downstairs restaurant on Elmwood Ave in the early 80's. Mary Ellen also made Becky's wedding dress. 

Little Feat Live - Kitchen Listening

One of my all-time favorite live albums has been Little Feat's Waiting for Columbus which they released in early 1978. I went out and got this double LP shortly after that. We played this crowd pleaser a lot in our house on Seymour Street. I had seen this band a few years earlier with John in 1975. 

Today I put on the expanded double CD version of the album which came out in 2002 and of course I had to have. Recently in 2022 the record company released a super deluxe 8 CD version which is actually a collection of several live shows from that time period. I don't think I need that but I could listen to it on Spotify.

I also put on their second live album Live from Neon Park which is a double CD released in 1996 which I hadn't listened to very much over the past nearly 30 years. Certainly not as much as Waiting for Columbus. It was nice hearing it following the first album and made for an interesting morning and afternoon of live Little Feat.

We had it on while doing a little cleanup around the house before Mary Ellen comes by for a visit tomorrow.

Atlantis The Lost Continent - Film Favorites

Film Favorites: Saturday Matinee Random Pick #5. Atlantis, The Lost Continent, 1961. George Pal, dir. 

I was 10 when I first saw this in the theater around the corner. I really like this movie and saw it many times over the years. I was fascinated with the idea of a lost continent and unknown ancient lost civilizations.  

I also went to see any movie that George Pal had anything to do with. He was the early standard for special effects.

Bob Dylan's Chronicles Volume One - Book Shelf

Book Shelf post #168 on Bluesky. Music Memoir. Chronicles Volume One by Bob Dylan, 2004. Another Dylan post.

I read this book over the summer of 2005. I've read a few books about Dylan over the years but it was very fascinating to experience his story with him telling it. I really loved this book and have been very disappointed to be waiting 20 years for the next two promised volumes. I guess writing a book for him is harder than writing great songs.

We still have his music and there are still plenty of books about his life and music but I wish he would get motivated to write those other two planned volumes of his Chronicles.

I've previously written about Reading About Dylan here.

Club Paradise - Film Favorites

Film Favorites #36. Club Paradise, 1986. A wonderful vacation comedy in a fictional Caribbean island banana republic with a great cast including Robin Williams, Twiggy, Jimmy Cliff, Peter O'Toole, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, etc. Loved it. So 80's.

Neil Young Stories - Kitchen Listening

Listening to some later Neil Young this morning. Mostly acoustic and solo. Story telling about many different issues... social and political. And of course some romance too. These albums I listened to today were from 2014 to 2016. I hadn't given them a listen in a while and not together as a group probably ever. The Storytone album was actually a 3 CD set. These albums were on the stereo all morning and into the afternoon.

Most of the music was stripped down and acoustic. Some of it was a little rough around the edges. The A Letter Home album sounded like it was purposefully recorded on a cheap cassette player. 

Overall a very interesting music kitchen listening session with Neil Young.

• A Letter Home, 2014
• Storytone, 2014
• The Monsanto Years, 2015
• Peace Trail, 2016

High Fidelity - Film Favorites

High Fidelity came out on film in 2000. I had read the Nick Hornby novel around the same time. I probably read the book after seeing that the movie was coming out. I wrote about the novel here

I don't think I saw this film in a movie theater and probably saw it on HBO or another streaming service as soon as it was available. We just don't got out to the movies anymore like we did for so many years. Now when we go out I'd rather go see live music and have dinner somewhere. There are plenty of movies to watch at home.

But I did really like this film and the cast. In particular I liked the Jack Black character. I also liked the lead character's mixtape obsession and his loads of rules for making mixtapes. 

I enjoyed the TV series on Hulu while it lasted.

Nothing Has Changed - David Bowie Kitchen Listening

Kitchen Listening. Nothing Has Changed: The Best of David Bowie, 2014.

Spent a nice afternoon giving this 3 CD box set a listen. An amazing collection in reverse chronological order makes for an interesting listening perspective.

Blade Runner - Film Favorites

Film Favorites #34. Blade Runner, 1982. Science Fiction. Ridley Scott, dir. Inspired by the 1968 Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep which I've read a couple of times. Saw this movie a few times too.

Music & Rhythm - Vinyl Spins

Vinyl Spins #85. Best of Music and Rhythm – Various Artists, 1983. 

I got this during my 80's bar DJ years when I was always looking for unique compilation LPs like this one. Lots of interesting music to play on this record. Mostly reggae related and world music. 

You can see the red dot on the album which means I got this at Home of the Hits/Play it Again Sam's on Elmwood Ave. There were always interesting albums available there and with a very knowledgeable staff to advise.

Posted this to Bluesky.

The Vikings - Film Favorites

Film Favorites #33. Saturday Matinee. The Vikings, 1958. Another son of Ragnar. Always liked those old seafaring adventure Viking movies. I also like streaming the many new TV series that keep coming out.

The Terminator - Film Favorites

Film Favorites #32. The Terminator, 1984. Science Fiction. James Cameron dir. A classic... and only four years away.

JT's with Val

Earlier this evening Becky and I went out to dinner at JT's with Val. We picked her up at her house and got to the restaurant for our 6 pm reservation. She had been there once before for brunch with Nina. 

It was a Friday night and the restaurant was crowded... especially the bar area. We had a nice table. I started off with a large glass of Tuscan red wine. Becky had a regular pinot grigio and Val had a pinot noir. The food and the service were wonderful as usual. I had a Chicken Cutlet Parmesan Alla Vodka. Becky had the always great Rigatoni Bolognese and Val had the Chicken Cutlet Salad Milanese. Of course we had to have some gelato for desert while Val had a very nice large carrot cake.

Overall a very fine time. We had been hoping to take Val out to dinner for several months and we're glad we were finally able to do it. She has had a hard time this year with the relatively sudden passing of Bobby and her getting used to living alone. She also had knee surgery recently which she recovered very nicely.

Swiss Family Robinson - Film Favorites

Film Favorites: Saturday Matinee Random Pick #7. Swiss Family Robinson, 1960. Saw this a few times back when double features changed twice a week at the neighborhood theater.

Soylent Green - Film Favorites

Film Favorites: Science Fiction. Random Pick #9. Soylent Green, 1973. A dystopian future police detective murder mystery with a weird ending.

Jesse Colin Young - RIP - Kitchen Listening

Last night while browsing online I saw that Jesse Colin Young had passed away. He was 84 years old. I first heard his music in 1967 when he was with The Youngbloods and had that monster hit Get Together. I saw them in concert back in the late 60's and I saw him perform solo later at the folk festival and at either the Main Point or the Bijou Cafe.

I really liked his music and used a number of his songs on mixes over the years.

So today I put on some of his music. I started off with his double CD best of and then went to a few of his albums both with the band and solo.

In my collection 

• The Youngbloods, 1967
• Elephant Mountain, 1969
• The Best of The Youngbloods, 1970
• Get Together: The Essential Youngbloods, 2002

His solo albums

• Song for Juli, 1973
• Light Shine, 1974
• The Best of Jesse Colin Young, 2005 (2CD)

Phase IV - Film Favorites

Film Favorites: Science Fiction. Random Pick #8. Phase IV, 1974. One of my most shocking Sci-Fi movies. I saw it the week it was released and only knew it was based on an H.G. Wells story. I was a college film major at the time.

The H.G. Wells story was Empire of the Ants, 1905. Phase IV had an alternate ending that was recently released for the 50th anniversary of the film. I need to see it.

Darby O'Gill and the Little People - Film Favorites

Film Favorites: Saturday Matinee Random Pick #3. Darby O'Gill and the Little People, 1959. Disney's Irish leprechauns. Our neighborhood movie theater would show this every Saturday afternoon close to St. Patrick's Day back in the day. First movie I ever saw with Sean Connery.

Irish Soda Bread

Becky made some delicious Irish soda bread today and of course we had to have some right out of the oven. 

She made some last year around St. Patrick's Day but this one was even better. She tweaked the recipe a little bit. She made it a little sweeter and left out the caraway seeds. Added a few more raisins. 

We'll have some more for breakfast tomorrow morning.

A Summer Day in March

It certainly felt like a summer day today. It was sunny and 72 degrees. I was out in the backyard doing yard work. Cleaning up from the winter. No jacket. ln the early afternoon I spent some time in our backyard cabana doing some reading and listening to music. It was very warm in there. Nice. But by the late afternoon the temperature rose to about 88 degrees. I was ready to put in the screens and open the windows. I went back out there in the evening for a bit as the temps in there lowered.

There were lots of people going through the neighborhood wearing shorts and t-shirts. Spring fever.

I was tempted to rearrange the cabana for summer. Not yet.

Gutter Cleaners Today

Our gutter cleaners came by today and took care of our roof gutters which were overflowing with leaves, nuts and pods mostly from the catalpa tree next door.

They did a good job and were fast too.

This company also does our window cleaning every year. We've been happy with their service although this year it would have been better if they had been able to clean our gutters earlier like in the late fall instead of the early spring. The gutters were full and caused the ice buildup along the side of the house this winter. Well, it's done now and the cleaners had a beautiful day to do it.

A Boy and His Dog - Film Favorites

Film Favorites: Science Fiction. Random Pick #4. A Boy and His Dog, 1975. A Bluesky post.

Loved this weird kinky black comedy flic back in 75. Don Johnson... yikes! Post-apocalyptic America in 2024. Recently watched it yet again.

Ristorante Lombardo for Dinner

This evening Becky and I finally were able to use the gift certificate for Lombado's that Katie and Sean gave us for a Christmas gift. We were going to use it in January but we got sick and Becky got covid. Then in February there was all that bad weather and ice. We just didn't go out very much at all. 

But then this week we decided to get to Lombardo's and I made the reservations for 6 pm. We had a wonderful time with a great table. The restaurant was crowded but not too much.

I started off with a red toscana and Becky had a glass of rose. We split a delicious honeycrisp salad. My main dish was their Tagliatelle Bolognese veal, pork & beef ragu while Becky had their Continental Shrimp Scampi. Then we shared a dish of chocolate gelato. I also had a glass of Moretti Lager.

We had  that gift certificate for $150. We gave it to the server when she came by with the check and was surprised and amused that the check was for $152.50 including tax. It was a fantastic dinner and overall evening and we gave her a $30 tip. So our cost was $32.50. Thank you Katie and Sean.

Gorgo - Film Favorites

Film Favorites: Saturday Matinee Random Pick #2. Gorgo, 1961. A monster "like nothing you've ever seen before".  I was really big on seeing monster movies at the theater around the corner on Saturday afternoons as a kid. Double features too.

I loved this movie as a kid and thought it was so cool capturing a big monster but then finding out that it was the little one and the really big and mad mother was coming to the rescue destroying everything in her path. And then just walking back to the sea with her little one at the end. Awesome.

Posted on Bluesky.

New Shoes Today (Sneakers)

Becky and I went over to Kohls today and I got some new shoes. Well, actually sneakers which is what I mostly wear these days. I tried on several pairs that were both slip-ons and regular lace sneakers. Mostly black. I ended up with a pair of Sketchers black slip-ons. $65 which is not too bad these days.

We then looked around at other stuff and for me I was looking at pants and underwear. I'll come back soon and get a couple of pairs of jeans, a pack of underwear, a couple of t-shirts and maybe a couple of regular shirts. It's been a while since I did any shopping for clothes.

Chris Isaak - Kitchen Listening

Spent some time today with one of my favorite singers and played five of his albums while in the kitchen sitting with my laptop. This was Kitchen Listening #14 post on Bluesky.

Becky and I have always enjoyed listening to Chris Isaak since we discovered him in the late 1980's. He is quite the character too. He sings these very sad songs but he can be very funny and amusing too.

• Silvertone, 1985
• Chris Isaak, 1987
• Heart Shaped World, 1989
• San Francisco Days, 1993
• Forever Blue, 1995

Other albums of his in my collection:

• Baja Sessions,1996
• Always Got Tonight, 2002
• Mr. Lucky, 2009
• Live at the Fillmore, 2010
• Beyond The Sun, 2011
• First Comes The Night, 2015

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Film Favorites

Film Favorites: Science Fiction. Random Pick #3. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956. 

A Bluesky post.

Don Siegel, dir. Another movie that jolted me as a kid. Truckloads of pods! Liked the later remake too.

Jimmy Smith Retrospective - Kitchen Listening

Kitchen Listening #12. Retrospective - Jimmy Smith, 2004. A nice late afternoon and evening with this 4 CD compilation set coving his Blue Note years 1956-1963.

I could listen to Jimmy Smith on the organ all day.

Posted on Bluesky.

Solar Powered Backyard Today

The past couple of days have been very nice to hang out in our backyard cabana room doing some reading and listening to music. It was 78 degrees in there when the sun was shining. Solar powered.

Today I was out there in the afternoon and then again after dinner until sunset.

It was very nice yesterday too and the temp got up to about 72 degrees in the cabana. I spent a little over an hour reading and listening to some Clapton and CSN&Y.

Looking forward to the rising temperatures this week. It may get up to 70 outside and at least in the high 60s. We had a nice walk in the zoo earlier today.

A Walk to the Zoo

It was a beautiful day and we decided to take part of our walk to the zoo. We were there around lunch time and it wasn't very busy but the folks who were there all seemed to have very small children with them. Older kids were in school.

We walked around for about an hour and spent some time in the Rainforest Exhibit building. Overall we had a very nice time. Then walked home and got some lunch.

My leg felt fine from the fall on the sidewalk yesterday and didn't bother me during our walk around the zoo although my right hand was still a little sore from my landing on it during the fall. It also got better throughout the day.

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor - Film Favorites

Film Favorites: Saturday Matinee Random Pick #1. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor, 1958.

A Bluesky post.

Ray Harryhausen. Loved this movie as a kid but those skeletons and that giant cyclop gave me nightmares.

Sonny Stitt - Kitchen Listening

Today I played some Sonny Stitt in the kitchen. Sonny Stitt on the stereo this evening from my collection. Four albums from the early 60's. Much better than watching the news.

• Soul Summit, 1962
• Stitt Meets Brother Jack, 1962
• Boss Tenors in Orbit, 1963
• Stitt Plays Bird, 1963

Posted on Bluesky

Fell on a Walk

Becky and I went for a walk today after lunch. It was a beautiful day, sunny and almost 50 degrees. Walking down our street there was a breeze and I took my hat out of a pocket to put on and while messing with it I tripped over a raised piece of the sidewalk down near the corner of Jewett. I fell. I went down quickly and thankfully was able to break the fall with my hands. I did hit my right knee. I got up and realized nothing major was injured. Both of my hands were a little scrapped and sore and my right knee was also scrapped which I could feel without looking at it. But overall I didn't feel to bad and I wanted to continue our walk.

We walked our two block by two block usual walk and I didn't feel any discomfort aside for the scrapped hands. The knee felt fine walking. When we got home I sat down while we evaluated my injuries. My hands were a little red but the skin was not broken anywhere. My right knee was scrapped in a couple of places and felt a little tingly. Becky put some disinfectant cream on my knee and my hands too.

I was lucky. I went down hard but didn't get really hurt. I need to be much more careful walking and paying attention to the sidewalk. This is actually the first time I fell on my own. The time I dislocated my shoulder on a walk was due to the kids running underfoot. This time it was just me not paying attention to where I was putting my feet. Weird that it was on such a nice day after all those times we walked around the neighborhood with ice everywhere.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Kitchen Listening

I had a very nice entertaining morning listening to some Rahsaan Roland Kirk on the kitchen listening stereo. I played the two disc compilation Does Your House Have Lions: The Rahsaan Roland Kirk Anthology, 1993. It was fantastic. I hadn't listened to it for quite some time. It sounded great.

He was an amazing jazz artist. I saw him perform one time in 1974 a few years before he passed away. I can't remember if I saw him at the Main Point or Bijou Cafe but I certainly remain the blind musician with all the horns.

Letterboxd Again

A few years ago I set up an account on the film database app Letterboxd. Sean had recommended it and it looked really interesting. I created a list of films I've seen and started adding to it. I put a couple of hundred movies in but then sort of lost interest or got busy with something else. Letterbxd is time consuming.

Earlier this week I started working on that list again. I now have over 2,400 films in my list. I also created some other lists... Science Fiction, Monsters and Saturday Matinee. We'll see how that goes.

It's sometimes hard to get around in the database and not easy to navigate by menus. Like where is the list of films by year?

Also way too many ads and it's kind of expensive to pay for the premium service without the ads.

Vinyl Spins - Circle's Paris Concert

Vinyl Spins. Paris Concert - Circle, 1972. Anthony Braxton, Chick Corea, & Dave Holland recorded live on ECM Records. A great album that I never get tired listening. Got this album in 1976 after seeing Braxton & Holland live. Amazing.

Posted on Bluesky.

Cheese Rigatoni Soup

Becky made some wonderful delicious cheese rigatoni soup today.

It's going to be some nice leftovers too.

Vinyl Spins - Air Lore

Vinyl Spins. Air Lore - Air, 1979. A favorite I want to always listen to anytime. An incredible album of improvisational free jazz versions of Jelly Roll Morton and Scott Joplin by an amazing trio. Familiar sounding but really out there.

I read a review of this album in Downbeat when it was just released in 1979 and went right down to the nearby record store and grabbed it. Made a lasting impression.

Posted on Bluesky.

Chamber Music Concert - Quatuor Van Kuijk

Tonight was a Buffalo Chamber Music concert at Kleinhans. It was a wonderful performance by the Quatuor Van Kuijk along with Parker Ramsay on Harp. The quartet performers were French and Dutch guys. 

The program was very interesting especially with the added harp. There were also a couple of pieces of solo harp. There was a very exciting Mendelssohn String Quartet and a couple of nice Debussy compositions and a couple other French composers. Overall a very good night.

We missed the last performance because of the weather and we were just recovering from bad colds. The next concert is the last of the season next month.

Chicken Cutlets & Rice

We had a nice dinner this evening of chicken cutlets and rice along with some delicious home style peas and carrots. Becky sure does know how to make some seriously good chicken cutlets. It's a regular dinner and that's great.

Rachel's Resistance Zines

Katie and Todd's sister in law Rachel has put together an online publication. They are very creative and very funny. Right on target too. Looking forward to reading more as they come out.

The issues so far.

• First Issue 
• Second Issue
• Third Issue
• Fourth Issue

Blackout Friday

Yesterday was Blackout Friday. An economic blackout. No buying anything for the day unless it was a local business. We didn't buy anything and even avoided online sites where there might be the possibility of clicking on ads. Nothing.

Not sure if this will mean anything to the magas but it does feel good to do something... or not do something. Will it work. It will be hard to gauge the economic impact of a one day action.