- Keep An Open Mind Or Else - McCarthy
- Nothing To Be Done - The Pastels
- This Time There Is No Happy Ending - Television Personalities
- Sex Sum (Amen) - The Vaselines
- Love Crushing - Fetchin' Bones
- My Babe - Dr. Feelgood
- After The Goldrush - The Flaming Lips
- Isn't It A Pity - Galaxie 500
- Ever Fallen In Love - Fine Young Cannibals
- Working Class Hero - David Bowie
- On Broadway - Neil Young
- Honky Tonk Women - The Pogues
- Can't Find My Way Home - Swans
- A Change Is Gonna Come - The Neville Brothers
- 500 Miles - The Hooters
- Gimme Some Truth - The Wonder Stuff
- Political World - Bob Dylan
- Me and You (Against The World) - Joe Jackson
- Monkey Gone To Heaven - Pixies
- Here Comes President Kill Again - XTC
- Jack Ruby - Camper Van Beethoven
- Made Of Stone - The Stone Roses
- The Good Life - Fire Town
- The Last Honest Man - Stan Ridgway
reflections, ruminations, ramblings and rants on music, books, beer, politics, technology, media, family, etc, etc. from a retired old man, music collector, librarian, political observer, technology geek, veteran, history buff, beer enthusiast, sci-fi fan, obsessive mixtaper and former DJ. I've also gathered writings from the past several years posted in various social media platforms. This blog has become an editing tool for my writings and everything here is a work in progress.
Monday, August 24, 2026
Open Mind - Songs 1989 FV
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Nice Salmon Dinner
Becky made a wonderful salmon dinner tonight. We also had some delicious fresh corn on the cob. It really has been great this season. Some leftover rice from the other night rounded out the meal. So good.
It was a very strange day today. It was supposed to rain all day but then it rained hardly at all. It seemed to go up and around or below us but there were only a few short showers.
Well, it was a good day for this meal.Saturday, August 22, 2026
The Russia House - A Novel
The Russia House - John Le Carre, 1989. I also recently read this wonderful espionage novel that I picked up while browsing the Canisius College library. This was a good spy thriller and love story that takes place in Moscow during the early geopolitical changes of the glasnost and perestroika period that led to collapse of the Soviet Union. I enjoyed this book very much. I was also interested in the detailed descriptions of the daily life and culture of living in Moscow during those days of blatant corruption.
This is the 8th novel of John Le Carre that I've read.
I should watch the Sean Connery film of this book.
Sausage & Pasta Dinner
This evening Becky cooked up our leftover sausage, peppers and onions with some pasta for a very tasty meal. It was a very efficient use of leftovers and we also had some of that great French peasant bread to go along with it. That was a yummy meal.
Friday, August 21, 2026
Fools Gold - Songs 1989 FV
- Fools Gold - The Stone Roses
- Vanishing Point - New Order
- Mixed Emotions - The Rolling Stones
- Garden Of Earthly Delights - XTC
- Cosmic Thing - The B-52's
- Nature Thing - Close Lobsters
- Contact - Big Audio Dynamite
- Star - Erasure
- Now You're In Heaven - Julian Lennon
- Like A Prayer - Madonna
- I'm Not Satisfied - Fine Young Canibals
- Let The Day Begin - The Call
- Come Anytime - Hoodoo Gurus
- Action Speak Louder Than Words - The Fuzztones
- You've Got To Choose - The Darling Buds
- This Time There Is No Happy Ending - Television Personalities
- Prisoner Of Love - David Bowie
- Wave Of Mutilation - Pixies
- Blues From A Gun - The Jesus & Mary Chain
- Revival - Eurythmics
- Freedom Train - Lenny Kravitz
- Back To Life (However Do You Want Me) - Soul II Soul
Pork Sausage Dinner
Tonight Becky made us some pork Italian sausage. We've mostly had chicken sausage recently and it's been some time since we've had pork sausage. This was delicious. We had some nice boxed rice along with freshly sauteed peppers and onions.
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Dinner @ Cafe 59 then Songbird
This evening Becky and I decided to go out for some dinner to Cafe 59. We had wanted to go there recently but got stuck in some traffic and then couldn't find a nearby parking space. That was a Friday evening and we ended up at JT's. This time we avoided the traffic construction mess on Main Street and looped around to Franklin where we found a parking space right outside the restaurant.
The restaurant was very quiet since it was early on a Thursday. We got our favorite table at the window in the dining room. I had their Harvest Wrap which is one of my favorite items on their menu along with a Community Works Let's Go Pils draft. Becky had a Chicken Finger Classic sandwich. She also had a Weilhenstephaner NA beer. It was a wonderful dinner with great service as usual.
We had said our goodbyes to Katie, Todd and the kids in the morning. They left about a quarter after ten after getting up a little before nine. Todd is really good at packing the car and the kids made a good effort getting ready quickly.
After we got back from the restaurant we decided to go for a walk but then also realized it was Thursday evening and the Farmers Market would be happening at the Martin House so we walked over there. It was a happening scene as usual but there was also a monthly concert on the Martin House grounds featuring a Fleetwood Mac cover band... Songbird. There was a sold out crowd for that concert. After we checked out the Farmers Market we walked around the Martin House and were able to get into the concert area from the back end of the grounds. We found a place to sit along a window ledge to check out the band. They were not very good overall. Well, the band was bad but the vocalist was no Stevie Nicks and she sang lots of clunkers... over and over. We did not stay very long and then headed back out the way we came in before walking down the street again to loop around back to our house and some time to relax. Back at the house you could hear that cover band in our backyard with clunkers and all.
More Selfies
As always the kids wanted to take some selfie pictures with me on my phone. It's become a regular thing. We had a wonderful week together with them staying at our house the whole time and of course it ended with a selfie session. We did individual ones and then some group shots.
Saturday, August 15, 2026
Buffalo Zine Fest
We went down to the Buffalo Zine Fest down at Book Arts. It was the 4th annual event although this was the first time we probably even knew about it. That's because Todd's brother's wife was a participant coming in from California to attend the festival.
Friday, August 14, 2026
At the Zoo
We spent a few hours at the Zoo today. Becky and I walked over there with Katie and the kids. They had a wonderful time as usual. It is so nice having the zoo just a couple of blocks away. The kids have their favorite exhibits and they seem to especially like the reptile house and the rain forest building.



















