about effing time

There were five, and now here's the follow on... Somewhere there was discussion of eleven, but I don't think that "selling your house before moving and paying rent", meets the 'so much fun' criteria I'm throwing out. Damn good advice, but meant for a more serious list.

Old Crow Medicine Show...Live - I don't know where to begin. My initial worry is that I'm doing a disservice to Slobberbone, but I'm not...apples and oranges. You will NEVER in your life have as much fun as you will at an OCMS concert. I'll personally refund any monies spent if you find yourself bored and/or left wanting at their show. These are guys named Ketch, Critter and Willie and they play what's known as NewGrass...bluegrass updated (just a little) by young folks with strings. I first saw them in SanFran last Fall, then London in November (lots of making out!), and again in the Tenderloin area of SanFran in May. The May show was the first 'bar' show that Sarah's ever been to...she bought the CD and t-shirt! If a 16-year old girl can hang out with me and be transformed then I know I'm right. 'Wagon Wheel" has usurped Springsteen's 'Thunder Road' as my all-time favorite song.

The Current, Minnesota Public Radio - MPR brought the Current (KCMP/89.3) to indie format almost a year ago. You can stream online and listen to the best playlist in radio...with NO commercials. KEXP out of Seattle has a similar format but the DJs aren't quite as polished. The Current online represents everything that can be good about music, online surfing, and lazy days...what technology should be.

Drinks at Mr. Toad's Library in Omaha - So many years ago that Todd, Skip, Jeff and I used to sit at Toad's before shows at Howard St. Tavern. The Old Market holds so many memories but for some reason sitting on the 'patio' at the corner of 10th and Howard holds up the best. The library is still there, the patio is always full, and maybe that's why it rings so strongly with me. Howard St. Tavern closed about 15 years ago, some of the Market has changed, the city's music scene is different, but Toad's is still gold. My strongest memory? Todd Wagner ordering us Campari and sodas while we sat at the bar and moaned about where our lives were going. We've survived wherever we've been and now we both seem to be off to nursing school. Funny.

The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam - Here's a list that's nearly impossible to sort: The Orsay, the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Louvre, the Van Gogh, the Miro, the Uffizi...but the Rijks is the best for me. Barring Bottecelli's 'Primavera' and 'Birth of Venus' in Florence, I have everything I need in Amsterdam. The Dutch Masters are my favorites and the half-dozen Vermeers make up for Italy. Throw in the Jan Steens and Rembrandts and I'm VERY happy. The dif between the Louvre (too damn big), the Uffizi (too many annunciations), and the Rijks, is that the you can live with just a piece of the Rijks, no need to feel compelled to do it all. I'm very comfortable going in for an hour, leaving, coming back a few days later, and not thinking ever feeling there's much I haven't seen. Can you really argue with Dutch still life? I didn't think so...

and finally,

Sunday mornings - It's really a myriad of stuff that makes Sundays what they are: the season, the paper, the location, who you're hanging with, that end of the weekend feeling. Much like Labor Day, I think Sunday marks the final stage of a long something and beginning of another. Rules state that nothing overly important can be done before noon...nothing. The smell of coffee in the air, the NYTimes crossword throwing you a sideways glance, the windows open (spring, summer, fall) or the fireplace going (winter), and those hours padding around in pajamas or sitting on the sofa. Ah, Sundays....

There you have it. It's my list and I'm sticking to it.

t