Winter On The Way

As the weather is turning colder, I changed the image on my computer desktop. Here you go:

This was about 5 years ago, in the Land-Between-The-Lakes area of Kentucky.  Sadly, I cannot remember exactly where.  I've studies the satellite images from Google Earth and looked around on subsequent trips to the area.  No luck.  If it looks familiar to any of y'all, let me know.  We drove from Murray KY, across LBL to Lake Barkley Lodge. 

Record Review: The Neil Diamond Collection – Neil Diamond

Rank: 222 (Rolling Stone Magazine’s November 2003 ranking of the Top 500 Albums)
I own this on CD


It often seems like a cop-out to include a hits collection in a “greatest albums” listing, but in this case it fits. At his best, Neil Diamond was (is?) a hit-maker, and this set covers his most successful period. This disc does a pretty good job of covering Diamond’s output from 1968 through 1972, including 12 of his 13 Top 40 hits in that span. It also includes 2 singles that missed the Top 40, and a live version of a pre 1968 hit.

 Neil Diamond is a member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (Class of '11), and deservedly so.

     1. Sweet Caroline – #4 in 1969
     2. Cracklin’ Rosie – #1 in 1970
     3. Song Sung Blue – #1 in 1972
     4. Play Me – #11 in 1972
     5. Brooklyn Roads –#58 in 1968
     6. Shiloh - #24 in 1970
     7. Crunchy Granola Suite – did not chart
     8. And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind – did not chart
     9. Holly Holy – #6 in 1969
     10. Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show – #22 in 1969
     11. Stones (live) - #14 in 1971 – #30 in 1970
     12. Soolaimon - #30 in 1970
     13. Walk On Water - #17 in 1972
     14. Cherry Cherry (live) – live version of hit from 1968
     15. I Am I Said - #4 in 1971
     16. Done Too Soon - #65 in 1971
     17. Morningside – did not chart
     18. He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother - #20 in 1970

Overall, this is a very strong collection from a specific window of Neil Diamond’s career. Personally I would’ve liked to have see 2 changes. Drop “And The Grass Won’t Mind” and “Morningside” in favor of 1970’s “Do It” (#36), and Diamond’s cover version of his own “I’m A Believer” (#51 in 1971). But it is still a worthy offering.

Gracie

Latest picture of my Granddaughter.  One of the many gifts for which I'm thankfull!

Take Your Pick

Songs starting with “pick”, from my iPod:

• Pick-Up – Brian Protheroe

• Pick ‘Em Up – Lynyrd Skynyrd (post-crash)

• Pick Me Up (Big Chicken) – John Entwistle

• Pick Up The Peace – The Who

• Pick Up The Pieces – Average White Band

• Pickin’ To Beat The Devil – Pure Prairie League

• Pickin’ Up The Pieces – Poco

For what it’s worth…

Fantasy Racing

Congratulations to Tony Stewart for winning the 2011 NASCAR Championship. Unfortunately, I didn’t do nearly that well in my fantasy league. 2011 was my 7th season playing fantasy racing (at Yahoo), and only the 2nd time I finished out of the top 10%. The other time was 2007, when I was changing jobs and basically quit mid-season. My scores, ranked:

• 2008 – 99th Percentile

• 2006 – 96th percentile

• 2010 – 95th percentile

• 2005 – 95th percentile

• 2009 – 94th percentile

• 2011 – 87th percentile

• 2007 - dnf

On the other hand, I paid less attention to NASCAR this year than I have for several years. So that’s my excuse, at least. Oh well, 3 months until Daytona…..

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

I was reading through a recent issue of Smithsonian magazine, and saw an article on Ralph Eugene Meatyard.  Who?  Turns out Meatyard was a "dedicated amateur" photographer from the 60's and early 70's.  I decided to check out my local library system, and found a book on Mr. Meatyard.  Very interesting stuff.  Most of his work is not my style, but it's all interesting, and some I quite like.  A couple examples hot-linked from the web:

Down On My Knees

So, yesterday was my Arthroscopy.  My first knee surgery since the late 80's.  Yee haw.  I guess it went OK, they were able to do some clean up of some of the issues.  Apparently there's some level of bone-on-bone, which can't be helped at this point.  PT starts tomorrow!

They gave us a couple sheets of images, here's one:

Not sure what it is, or if that's before, or after.  Or good or bad.......

The title refernces the song from Bread, btw.

Just What I Needed

Or should I say "Knee - did".  As in my knee did mess up.

So, I had an MRI last week, they actually gave me a CD with all the "stuff".  Not that it makes any sense to my eyes.  Bleow is series 5, image 5:

According to the report, "There is a radial tear of  the lateral meniscus posterior horn best seen on series 5, image 5; this is associated with a parameniscal cyst."

Antipodal

I saw something on the internet a while back about antipodal points, and finding the the region on the Earth's surface which is diametrically opposite to wherever you live.  Then going and photographing the place.  Well, I thought that was a pretty cool concept (however impractical in my non-globe-trotting life).  So I went to the link, entered my location, and found that my antipodal point is in the middle of the Indian Ocean!

In fact, all of the USA is opposite the Indian Ocean.  Except for a couple of tiny islands that are mostly uninhabited, there's simply nothing there.

Bottom line?
                                Nevermind.

So Ladies, Fish, And Gentlemen, Here's My Angled Dream...

Just a little Blue Oyster Cult for a Tuesday.  The title is from the song Subhuman, off the album "Secret Treaties".  Back the days before they became huge (with the release of "Don't Fear The Reaper"), we'd listen to Blue Oyster Cult and try to figure out the lyrics.  Back then, if you sent an SASE, they'd send you a computer printout of the lyrics, on tractor-feed green-bar computer paper.  We're talking 70's hi-tech.  And yes, I had 'em.  Not that it helped make actual sense out of the songs.  I still have a page of them.  They'd probably fetch a fortune on eBay if they were in semi-decent shape.  But who thinks of these things when they're 18 and things like the internet don't exist?

And we'll top it off with a photo of me, from '77 / '78 time frame:  I was so young!