everything that's on my mind

Reading update

Having read far fewer books over the past several years than I would have liked, my goal for 2010 was to try to read a minimum of 3 books a month, or 36 books for the year. I should finish number 20 in the next day or two, and should be able to knock out number 21 by the end of the month. That would put me right on track, so hopefully I can do so and then keep it up for the last 5 months.

Anyway, here’s what …

Now playing: early summer edition

I have only downloaded a few recent releases since my last “now playing” post. With the recent death of Ronnie James Dio, I’ve actually been downloading some of his early albums via eMusic, albums which I owned in high school (on cassette.) I’ve managed to get his two albums with Black Sabbath (Heaven and Hell, Mob Rules) and his first two solo albums (Holy Diver, The Last in Line). Those four are his best work by far, in my opinion, and all four are excellent. Dio …

I need a reason why

In his song “I Remember (It’s Happening Again)”, Griffin House sings about war, including the tragedy and suffering it causes. In the song’s final verse, he sings of a friend who is “fighting for our country” in the middle East, and near the end says, “I need a reason why.”

Everyone has felt that way at some point, and not just about matters of war and it’s justification. Injustice and suffering exist in abundance in our world. We see it every day in the news or in our …

Now playing: spring 2010

I’ve already amassed a lot of music less than five months into the year, and May in particular has already been a monster month, with several outstanding new releases. I’m also looking forward to June releases from The Gaslight Anthem and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. And maybe even Ozzy’s newest. But for now, here’s most of what I’ve been listening to recently.
 

 
Something’s Coming – Ty Tabor (2010)
While I’ve been somewhat disillusioned by the newest releases from King’s X (still good, but not great), Ty’s solo stuff …

The rumors of Duke’s demise have been greatly exaggerated

It’s been a couple of days now, but finally I’ve had the time to put this down. I started blogging in 2005, and so I’ve been waiting nearly five years to write this post.

The Duke Blue Devils are college basketball’s national champions. Man, it feels good to say that.

There has been much talk about the so-called decline of Duke in recent years. After LSU ended J.J. Redick’s last hope for a title at Duke in 2006, they did take a small dip the following year. …

What I’ve been reading

The last few years I’ve complained at year end about how little I’ve read. I’m a slow reader to begin with, so back 7 or 8 years ago when I used to read at least 30 books a year (and sometimes 40), I was pretty thrilled. But more recently, I’ve been well below those kinds of numbers. In 2008, I read 17 books, and then last year only managed a dozen.

This year, however, I have managed to get off to a great start. At the end …

Last 1 standing

The natural order of things in the basketball universe has been restored.

The Duke Blue Devils are returning to the Final Four.

All of the college basketball pages had their polls up at the beginning of the tournament, asking “Who will be the first #1 seed to lose?” The answer was overwhelmingly Duke. Many didn’t feel they even deserved a #1 seed, and granted, Ohio State and West Virginia could just as easily been a #1 instead of Duke. But now, with 61 of the 65 teams having made …

Now playing: something new

Finally I’m getting around to the new music post I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. I’ve not bought a lot of new music that’s been released in 2010, but here’s most of what I’ve been listening to so far from the new year.
 

True Believer
Matthew Barber
(2010)

I discovered Canadian singer-songwriter Matthew Barber on eMusic (thanks to Scott‘s suggestion) a couple of years ago, and his last album Ghost Notes almost broke my top 10 for 2008. On his newest, released a couple of weeks ago, Barber again has created …

Let the madness begin…

The games tip off in a few hours and I’ve yet to fill out a bracket. I didn’t even look at the bracket as a whole until this morning. It’s been a busy week, and I hope to fill out a bracket in full this morning. Until then, I will go ahead and submit my final four.

I’ve been seeing a lot of the picks by various heads on TV, and Tony Kornhesier has had several guests each day on his radio show laying out their picks. …

Now playing: something old

Here’s a look at some of my new music for the year so far. First are a group of albums (mostly from last year) that I didn’t get around to downloading until December or after the new year.
 

Strict Joy
The Swell Season
(2009)

After the success of their debut album and, later, the film Once, I wondered if Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová would be able to build on that success or if this album would fall short and disappoint. I had no need to fear, for they very well may …