don’t ask me why, but i was watching Bill O’Reilly’s show early on Saturday. He all but declared her dead . His central reasoning was the perfect white family that awaited. It turns out, that was what she was running from….
this is news?
I just assumed that it was true. That you cannot teach an old dog new tricks.
I’ve been dog and cat sitting for my sister. She’s selling her house and is presenting it as "pet-free" to improve her chances, and the pets are with me. This entry is about Buster, the 12-year-old Bassett hound. The cat, Cosmo, only has 3 legs and something less than 9 lives left… he’s a whole story unto himself. Buster is the subject today.
Buster and I have struck mutual friendship of the last couple of months. I have a lot of time on my hands, and Buster has been primary benefactor. He’s brushed regularly; he is carried up and down stairs (too steep for old Bassett legs), walks, treats, and most importantly, he’s well loved.
Buster is not only a “good” dog; he’s a “smart” dog. Pavlov would have loved to have such a quick study. I’ve had to consider this every time I give Buster a new privilege. If I let him sleep in the bed two nights in a row, he expects that every night, and he’ll “talk” until you assist him, and his Basset legs, up on the bed.
The lower-right quadrant of my comfort is covered in dog hair. It’s time to get tough.
Anyway, I thought I’d take Buster’s smarts, and teach him to play dead. It only took 15 minutes, two dog biscuits, and lot of yelling as well as praise. Now, when I say “BANG,” and point my finger, Buster lies down, rolls on his back and waits to hear how he’s been a “good boy.”
It’s hard to deny evidence linking how closely related I am to my more primitive ancestors: the chimp, the orangutan, and other primates. I can feel their compulsions and their desires. All it takes is the site of a bunch of bananas and I just wanna pummel my chest. Or those more intimate times with another human, where we just as well could be picking insects off each other. Are we not supposed to share these ancient visions? Am I alone?
I mentioned my iPod before. Well, my accessories include, a rubber skin, car charger, and iTrip FM tuner. I’ve seen little FM transmitters in lieu of a wired connection. It’s been around for years for other portable players. The sound quality always suffered, in that short wireless trip, from the transmitter to the car antenna, only feet away. It came out muffled, and all crisp recordings would sound like a 3rd generation cassette tape copy. Anyway, I was charmed by the convenience of wireless, and hoped the technology may have been improved in the iTrip unit. However, the sound is no different. I’m going to try other frequencies (the default is 87.9 fm-and you have load software on your computer to enable the frequency menu) , but I imagine the quality will be the same.
Here is my point. Why? Why are we making this so hard on ourselves? Why don’t car stereos have an auxiliary input 1/8” stereo jack? I can’t imagine that it hasn’t been a suggested design. Are Sony, JVC, Kenwood colluding to stifle the convenience of portable players? Do they imagine more overall sales? Perhaps they’ve made millions on little FM transmitters and cassette adapters (remember those? they would fuck up your deck if used too much, and it also sounded shitty) I’m going to shop for a unit with this capability, or I’m going to wire it myself. I’m sure there are designs out there. I just think it should be standard.
OMG- this is my first blog. I always dreaded this day.
So, it is just that I have a situation that I suspect many are facing. I have just finished transferring every piece of music I have collected (and care to listen to) in .mp3 format (192 kbps). I am a recent convert to mac and itunes and a matching iPod, and I’ve found it a better way to organize your music. And now, finally, to my point: What the hell do I do with all my CDs?
They are sitting there… within spitting distance. If I leave them there, are they simply on display? Can I justify it, as a library, of liner notes?
I actually started this conversation with my friend, and fellow convert, Kevin. When this started, he had already converted, and I was in the beginning stages. In fact, I was there cherry picking from Kevin’s .mp3 library (highlights of my catch: Dylan, Depeche Mode, Soundtrack stuff, Marley, and Glenn Gould). Anyway, we were sitting in his apartment in New York, and he was staring at his shelves of CDs and wondering aloud “what next?” I argued for the liner note library. He wasn’t sold. I didn’t know if I agreed. I just like debate…
And now, I’m in the same situation, and I’m not sold either. I won’t leave them “on display.” I can’t bear sell them all. So, here’s my somewhat predictable plan: my favorite CDs and vinyl will go into storage (basement), and I may sell or give away the other CDs.
Meanwhile, I’m relishing the ability to put 7500 songs on shuffle. I still pause a couple times a day, when I hear a forgotten song, and have some cheesy feeling of thanksgiving. It’s a music nerd’s thanksgiving prayer.
I have no idea if that qualified as a blog.
Out.
steve
