Enjoy your day!
Monday, January 30, 2006
Sunday, January 29, 2006
A Band Rediscovered
I had some rare free time on my hands so I decided to search a live music archive web site called Live Music Archive. The site is committed to providing the highest quality live concerts in a lossless, downloadable format and to preserve and archive as many live concerts as possible for current and future generations to enjoy. There are hundreds of Grateful Dead shows here and a couple months ago, the Dead wanted to cease the trading of their shows on this site, but have since relented. Grateful Dead backtracks on download ban
I kept this site in my mind and decided to check it out last night. The band that caught my eye while surfing the site was Little Feat, a band which played a nice mix of R&B, blues, country and rock and roll. In the 1970's, they were extremely popular here in the Washington DC area. I listened to quite a bit of two concerts, one from Liser Auditorium here in DC on August 10, 1977 and another show at the Orpheum Theater in Boston MA on May 13, 1977. DC was a great venue for Little Feat. The Warner Theater and Lisner Auditorium shows were always sold out. They had a lot of support here. It seemed like everyone I knew and hung out with at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda where I grew up was a fan of this band.
A couple of the songs from the Lisner show made it onto their 1978 live album Waiting for Columbus. I do recognize long time DC area DJ Cerphe's voice from WHFS giving the intro. The quality of the Lisner show isn't all that great, but it's definitely worth a listen.
The second show is a much better recording. It's amazing that an audience recording in 1977 could be this good. The music in this show is raw and explosive. It was great hearing old favorites like Time Loves A Hero, Oh Atlanta and Red Streamliner.
While I listened to them a lot growing up, I never got to see them live.
More information on Little Feat can be found here:
All Music and the band's official web site Little Feat Web Site
I kept this site in my mind and decided to check it out last night. The band that caught my eye while surfing the site was Little Feat, a band which played a nice mix of R&B, blues, country and rock and roll. In the 1970's, they were extremely popular here in the Washington DC area. I listened to quite a bit of two concerts, one from Liser Auditorium here in DC on August 10, 1977 and another show at the Orpheum Theater in Boston MA on May 13, 1977. DC was a great venue for Little Feat. The Warner Theater and Lisner Auditorium shows were always sold out. They had a lot of support here. It seemed like everyone I knew and hung out with at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda where I grew up was a fan of this band.
A couple of the songs from the Lisner show made it onto their 1978 live album Waiting for Columbus. I do recognize long time DC area DJ Cerphe's voice from WHFS giving the intro. The quality of the Lisner show isn't all that great, but it's definitely worth a listen.
The second show is a much better recording. It's amazing that an audience recording in 1977 could be this good. The music in this show is raw and explosive. It was great hearing old favorites like Time Loves A Hero, Oh Atlanta and Red Streamliner.
While I listened to them a lot growing up, I never got to see them live.
More information on Little Feat can be found here:
All Music and the band's official web site Little Feat Web Site
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Rookie Dad: Week 12
In the three months Benjamin has been with us, we have experienced all kinds different emotions as we learn to become a family together. This little guy didn't come with instructions, so both of us are learning more each day. Certain problems that used to take some of our time and energy sort of just disappear as Weena and I understand Benjamin's needs always come first. We'll eventually straighten out whatever needs straightening out at some point. I'd rather see Benjamin's smiling face when I get home than figure out which bills to pay when.
I do remember hearing David Letterman saying after his son was born "I could never imagine being a part of something that turned out so beautiful". Amen Dave.
Hard to believe he could go from this:
Benjamin: 3 hours old
To this:
Benjamin: 3 months old
Stay tuned for more adventures....
I do remember hearing David Letterman saying after his son was born "I could never imagine being a part of something that turned out so beautiful". Amen Dave.
Hard to believe he could go from this:
Benjamin: 3 hours old
To this:
Benjamin: 3 months old
Stay tuned for more adventures....
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Rookie Dad: Week Ten
Here's our little guy goofing off in his portable gym. Benjamin's very aware of his surroundings now and he's active and alert. He is ten weeks old today. My rookie season as a Dad gets better each day. I make my share of mistakes but I learn more and more each day. Weena has worked with children in the past and she has been wonderful with him.
One thing I'm good at is calming Benjamin down when he fusses. I'll hold him and sing to him. I've noticed he'll relax a bit, then the eyes shut and he'll fall right to sleep. Or so I think. Deep down he's telling himself "If I just shut my eyes, it will stop. My Dad cannot carry a tune".
We'll have our ups and downs as a family but the one thing I do have in the archive are the Dad-isms I used to hear my Father say when I was misbehaving. I'm sure I'll be breaking them out at some point in the upcoming years. Some examples:
"I've had it up to here with this behavior...."
"You think that's funny now, smart guy....."
"Wait until you grow up and have kids of your own..."
"I WILL turn this car around"
Post more in the comments section if you have them ;)
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Like Father, Like Son
Dad, circa 1962
Benjamin, Christmas Day 2005
Both of us have our mouths open. I have some teeth while Benjamin doesn't yet as he's just two months old when this pic was shot. I'm not sure how old I was when my Dad shot the picture of me. There wasn't a beer can in our house so I couldn't duplicate the shot Dad took. Right now Benjamin and I play a little game when I come home from work each day. Sometimes he has his frown on, so I give him a frown face back at him. We stare directly at one another for about ten seconds,then he breaks out into this big smile. Seeing this, I forget about my crummy day at work and the daily auto race on the Dulles Toll Road...
Benjamin, Christmas Day 2005
Both of us have our mouths open. I have some teeth while Benjamin doesn't yet as he's just two months old when this pic was shot. I'm not sure how old I was when my Dad shot the picture of me. There wasn't a beer can in our house so I couldn't duplicate the shot Dad took. Right now Benjamin and I play a little game when I come home from work each day. Sometimes he has his frown on, so I give him a frown face back at him. We stare directly at one another for about ten seconds,then he breaks out into this big smile. Seeing this, I forget about my crummy day at work and the daily auto race on the Dulles Toll Road...
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
A friend passes on....
This past Friday December 30th I was cleaning out some things in my desk at work before the New Year's holiday, vowing to come back to a somewhat organized work area to start 2006. While sifting through some things, I came across a business card of a former collegue from my days as a banker. On the back, he wrote the name and phone number of another collegue JP, who had moved into the Bethesda area after retiring. I looked at JP's name and number and made a vow to call him in the new year and possibly get together for lunch since he lived in Bethesda and I worked there.
Fast forward to Monday January 2 and I'm hanging out with my son Benjamin, reading something in the Post Metro section and while flipping through the obituaries to resume the article I was reading, all of the sudden I see JP's name. Holy cow! He had passed away at age 73 on that Friday when I was thinking about him! I was stunned and in shock. It had been awhile since I had spoken with JP and my instinct had always been to call and see how he was doing. Sadly, I was always "too busy", either at work or at home. I'm bummed I didn't follow up and now I'll never have that chance again.
I showed JP's obituary to Weena and I told her how I was thinking about him on the day he passed away and how coincidental this was. Weena told me it was JP's way of communicating with me to let me know to pray for him.
I'll tell you a little bit about him. I started work at Capital Bank near Farragut Square in Washington DC, Fall 1989. He was the bank's real estate lender and someone I was drawn to instantly because he reminded me so much of my Grandfather, who had passed away two years prior. Both gentlemen shared a love for baseball and just listening to JP's stories was like being around my Grandfather all over again. We became friends over time and would talk endlessly about the Orioles, Redskins, Terps and all the other local sports teams. He and his son sat in the same section and row at RFK Stadium for Redskins games as a couple of my friends. Every time I'd go to a Redskins game from '89-'96 I would make it a point to meet up at the game and talk sports with JP, his son and my friends. Looking back at those times and the time I worked with JP, I can honestly say he was one of the nicest and classiest persons I've ever met.
So those out there reading this, if there is a friend out there that you have lost touch with and have not spoken to in a long time, pick up the phone and call. It won't take long to say hey and you'll feel better for doing so. I wish I had done so with JP.
Fast forward to Monday January 2 and I'm hanging out with my son Benjamin, reading something in the Post Metro section and while flipping through the obituaries to resume the article I was reading, all of the sudden I see JP's name. Holy cow! He had passed away at age 73 on that Friday when I was thinking about him! I was stunned and in shock. It had been awhile since I had spoken with JP and my instinct had always been to call and see how he was doing. Sadly, I was always "too busy", either at work or at home. I'm bummed I didn't follow up and now I'll never have that chance again.
I showed JP's obituary to Weena and I told her how I was thinking about him on the day he passed away and how coincidental this was. Weena told me it was JP's way of communicating with me to let me know to pray for him.
I'll tell you a little bit about him. I started work at Capital Bank near Farragut Square in Washington DC, Fall 1989. He was the bank's real estate lender and someone I was drawn to instantly because he reminded me so much of my Grandfather, who had passed away two years prior. Both gentlemen shared a love for baseball and just listening to JP's stories was like being around my Grandfather all over again. We became friends over time and would talk endlessly about the Orioles, Redskins, Terps and all the other local sports teams. He and his son sat in the same section and row at RFK Stadium for Redskins games as a couple of my friends. Every time I'd go to a Redskins game from '89-'96 I would make it a point to meet up at the game and talk sports with JP, his son and my friends. Looking back at those times and the time I worked with JP, I can honestly say he was one of the nicest and classiest persons I've ever met.
So those out there reading this, if there is a friend out there that you have lost touch with and have not spoken to in a long time, pick up the phone and call. It won't take long to say hey and you'll feel better for doing so. I wish I had done so with JP.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Happy New Year!
Just wanted to take time to wish everyone out there a happy and healthy new year!
The Redskins beat the Eagles 31-20 today to finish 10-6 and more important, make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. They play at Tampa Bay next Saturday.
I like 2006 already.
In closing out 2005 we went to a New Year's Eve party at Weena's cousin's house. It was nice, people dressed up in costumes from the '60's and '70's and danced to the music from that time period. Nicely done. I was in a small room with a TV watching some of the Raiders and Giants football game and when that ended, we switched to ABC and New Year's Rockin' Eve. Around 11:40 PM EST I saw Dick Clark for the first time since he suffered a stroke in 2004. I don't know if he was on earlier or not but it was sad hearing his voice as this stroke almost took his life. Then I thought at how hard his rehab had to have been this past year and how cool it was he was even back on the air.
I'm 44 years old and have seen Dick Clark on tv for practically my entire life. American Bandstand, New Year's Rockin' Eve and a host of other shows and commercials too numerous to mention over his lengthy career. I think he probably wanted to show others it was possible to make progress after an event that came very close to killing him. From what I read, he turned down numerous appearances and interviews and chose to make last night his comeback.
No doubt Clark's return was encouraging for thousands who watched the show from their hospital rooms after suffering something similar. For that, I will salute Dick Clark's efforts and hope he gets stronger each day.
Happy New Year!
Bill, Weena and Benjamin
The Redskins beat the Eagles 31-20 today to finish 10-6 and more important, make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. They play at Tampa Bay next Saturday.
I like 2006 already.
In closing out 2005 we went to a New Year's Eve party at Weena's cousin's house. It was nice, people dressed up in costumes from the '60's and '70's and danced to the music from that time period. Nicely done. I was in a small room with a TV watching some of the Raiders and Giants football game and when that ended, we switched to ABC and New Year's Rockin' Eve. Around 11:40 PM EST I saw Dick Clark for the first time since he suffered a stroke in 2004. I don't know if he was on earlier or not but it was sad hearing his voice as this stroke almost took his life. Then I thought at how hard his rehab had to have been this past year and how cool it was he was even back on the air.
I'm 44 years old and have seen Dick Clark on tv for practically my entire life. American Bandstand, New Year's Rockin' Eve and a host of other shows and commercials too numerous to mention over his lengthy career. I think he probably wanted to show others it was possible to make progress after an event that came very close to killing him. From what I read, he turned down numerous appearances and interviews and chose to make last night his comeback.
No doubt Clark's return was encouraging for thousands who watched the show from their hospital rooms after suffering something similar. For that, I will salute Dick Clark's efforts and hope he gets stronger each day.
Happy New Year!
Bill, Weena and Benjamin
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