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"I'm a thief and I dig it" - Jawbone - The Band - January 2025

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Yesterday, I posted about the death of the last member of The Band - Garth Hudson .  When the news came out, of course I immediately started to pick through The Band's catalog and reading everything I could online about Garth and The Band.  I've been spending a lot of time with that second album titled "The Band".   Garth Hudson didn't sing.   So, this post isn't exactly about him.  But...There's a song on there that has been on repeat for me the past few days.  It is sung by Richard Manuel (and I'm guessing was written by Robbie Robertson) and is on that second (the brown one) album named Jawbone.  Here it is embedded below.  I spent a little bit of time on YouTube and I couldn't find a live version, so this will have to do: After starting with a WEIRD intro (that's Garth's influence, right??), it really comes to life. Richard' Manuel has been described as having a "soulful" voice.  I'd say that is true on Jawbone. If thi...

And Then There Were None - Garth Hudson - The Band - January 2025

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Garth Hudson, the last surviving member of The Band died this week .  To say that The Band has had a profound impact on me is an understatement.  From Variety : After woodshedding with Dylan in West Saugerties, N.Y. — where Hudson served as recording engineer for Dylan and the group’s legendary “basement tapes” – the musicians stepped out as the Band on a stunning 1968 debut, “Music From Big Pink.” That album and the self-titled 1969 sequel established them as one of the day’s top rock acts. Here's a 'Get to know Garth Hudson' video from YouTube where the creator opens with: "I never thought Garth Hudson would be the last man standing of The Band, but here we are."

Pepperoni and Giardiniera Pizza - Chicago Thin Experiments - January 2025

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Wintertime is indoor pizza time around our house.  That brings with it a dilemma:  What style of dough do I make that satisfies everyone.  You see...Nat and the kids prefer what we call 'outdoor pizza' - something that is probably described as "Neapolitan-adjacent".  A higher-hydration dough that has a large (or at least 'larger') cornicione that is typically (or ideally) covered in Leopard spots .  Some might say'Dough-forward'.   I prefer something closer to Chicago Tavern Pizza and/or Bar Pies .  Thin, crispy and 'toppings-forward'.  I even like 'stunt pizzas' - like BBQ chicken and more recently....a Buffalo Chicken Dip Pizza (that...in my mind... Nat 'invented'.) Since I'm stuck using the indoor/kitchen oven, I have to either make a choice (make one dough or the other) or....make both.  This past weekend, I picked one:  Chicago Thin.  And....due to travel, I ended up making a same-day dough (not ideal).   The sam...

Winterscape - Chicago's Comiskey Park - January 2025

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As a result of some of my recent 'Spring' 'New Year' cleaning/uncluttering, I rediscovered this photo print of Chicago's Comiskey Park - the home of the Chicago White Sox from 1910 to 1990 .  This photo was taken (and the print produced) by my brother-in-law.  Not Equation Boy/Man, rather...the other one.   It shows the original pinwheel scoreboard, of course.  But, the unique perspective here is the snow.  Hence...the 'WINTERSCAPE' title.   This was stuck in our storage room - since we moved in back six/seven years ago.   It deserves to be displayed - so I'll give it a home.  Probably near the John/George Beatles print I have hung up.  

More Exotic Star Amaryllis Blooms - Mid-January 2025

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The Exotic Star Amaryllis bulb continues to bloom - now all the way until mid-January 2025.  I last posted about the Amaryllis' that we're growing was on January 1 - so a little bit over two weeks ago.  At that time, the first bloom had appeared on the Exotic Star, while the 'Double Dream' Amaryllis was still in dormancy.  Today....same situation.  Here, below, are a couple photos showing the Exotic Dream in bloom with the striped petals and candy-apple-green center. I like the 'dotted line' nature of the stripes.  You can see them in the close-ups below: The Double Dream is stuck - so we're (right now) hitting 50% bloom for the season. 

TGL Golf Sponsorship - Businessolver - January 2025

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There I was....wasting time as I sort-of watched the new TGL indoor golf league on ESPN last week.  I say 'sort-of' because...of course...I was two-screening things.  The golf was on the large screen and I was likely flipping through Twitter on my mobile.  But, when I looked up, I was greeted with a surprise:  see below for a photo I quickly snapped of the putting green with a sponsor on the boards in the background: That's West Des Moines-based Businessolver on the digital boards.  They're an HR Tech company that I 'touched' during my time at Edelman and has grown-up a lot in the past decade.  I say 'touched' because for a period of time, I looked after the account at Edelman .   That was YEARS ago. The work we did together was interesting and, I'll say that the leadership at Businessolver was wise to invest in thought leadership - specifically the Empathy study that they create annually .  The type of 'franchise' they've created with Em...

HALP. This is Real Life Now - January 2025

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This feels like one of 'those moments' in life.  I'm greeting this moment with mixed emotions.  Time is moving way, way, way too fast.  Stop growing up, please.  But, at the same time....I'm feeling somewhat optimistic.  This also has the potential to free us from some of the 'driving everywhere, all-the-time, all at once' lifestyle we are in the midst of currently.  I don't want to let go of those moments, though.   For now...please give us a little bit of grace and patience.  Thanks to the magnet from Top Driver...you'll know we're OUT THERE. This *is* real life, David .