Charlie over at Another Think shared this site which lists 50 things a man should be able to do, and also 50 things a man should never do. I thought they were nice lists, and got a chuckle out of a few of them. My one thought would be that yes, a man SHOULD be able to make a good scrambled egg. Those eggs, however, need not include tomatoes, mushrooms, or creme fraiche. Hey, I like all those things, and have got nothing against them in scrambled eggs. But to make a good scrambled egg, those things are all superfluous.
Yesterday, Rachelle posted on Facebook about some old photos of a Christian summer camp she attended, and that there were some shots of my beloved wife Susan in there, too. After some digging, I found this photo and I literally said “Holy crap!” This photo is of my wife back in the day:
In another installment of “Bill’s Youtube Videos He Watches Over and Over,” I bring you Joe Morello:
Joe was Dave Brubeck’s drummer for years and years. Here, Joe takes solo in the Brubeck classic “Take Five.” The original recording is fantastic; one might even say monumental. Like Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue,” Brubeck’s “Time Out” album is a Jazz album for people who aren’t into Jazz. You don’t have to be to dig this album. Anyway, here Joe offers a different solo than the original recording. Dig the one handed roll at about one minute in. Joe is a big proponent of what’s called the “Moeller Technique,” a way of snapping the drumstick and using the stick’s natural rebound to turn your arm into an engine, cranking out hit after hit after hit. Here Joe shows his tremendous finger technique, coupled with Moeller, to give us those super tasty one handed yummies. For non-drummers, it probably doesn’t look like much. No flash flailing, no rolling around tons of toms for days and days. But for those of us who know what he’s doing, well, we can tell you that little one handed drum roll is crazy hard to pull of.
At work, I’m the guy who deals with accounts payable. I’m the guy that gets the letters from the bankruptcy court that says: “This person is filing for bankruptcy. How much do they owe you?” I then tell them the relatively small amounts that are owed. Then, I’ll get a letter back, saying (in a sense) “The debtor can pay this much. He owes a metric butt ton to these other people. They’re going to get a pittance payment. You’re getting nothing.”
Today, I received a follow up letter regarding a business that went belly up. They owe my company $266.00. Though nothing is final, I’m sure I won’t see a penny of this. The follow up letter is letting me know of an upcoming meeting. The accounts for the company are asking for a shade under $409,000! The attorneys are asking for $575,000! And we’ll get nothing. I wonder how much the attorneys and accountants “wrote off” for this company…
You know, there are some distinct advantages to living in the country. After supper, Susan and I went for a walk. Julia rode her bike. After getting off the main road, we let the boys take turns riding their bike. We spent about 45 minutes at the Post Office, riding and running. We worked on tree climbing. We made silly noses out of maple seeds. After we got home, I took the boys on a short 10mph scooter ride. I think there may be ice cream in the future. Man, it’s great to be back in Spruce Head!
