Top 10 Things Yesterday That Made Up for Losing an Hour Today:
(randomly ordered)
1) Nicole decided to make corned beef and cabbage for St. Pat’s and found a head of cabbage as big as mine.
2) We had an unplanned chat with our neighbor Shireen as we finished our and she began her walk.
3) We listened to classic reggae all day, but the highlight was taking in The Wailers’ stunning live-in-the-studio “Burnin’ and Lootin’.” Stopped us both cold as it usually does–a more frightening, intense, and real song I know not of.
4) It was chilly enough for it to be a perfect day to slurp ramen noodles for lunch.
5) At two different junctures, our cats (or more accurately, different units of our cats) seemed to form phalanxes for us. We were never in danger or on the attack.
6) My bangs had started tickling my nose, so Nicole gave me a perfect haircut. I had threatened to shave off my beard, but after 6-7 years the result might have been doughy and disturbing.
7) I read an exciting chunk of James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux novel Heaven’s Prisoners. How many are there, Hardin? I may have to read them all after all; this may be my favorite.
8) Donnie Harden Jr and I had another of our Facebook Messenger music gabs, this one about the crashes that claimed Otis and Skynyrd. We also turned over in our minds the complications of those Southern rockers.
9) After talking about it for months, we finally watched Anthony Hopkins’ KING LEAR. Hopkins and Jim Carter were stellar; Florence Pugh and Karl Johnson were underemployed. Also, the endings of the First Quarto and the First Folio were combined, which was either a stroke or a cop-out, I’m not sure.
10) Trying their oyster mushroom Cabernet ravioli and red gravy, we confirmed once again that Pasta La Fata is still the thing around here.
Extra credit: we pretty much fell asleep laughing through two episodes of Kim’s Convenience. And Tux was foiled in one of his ongoing attempts to block our goodnight kiss.
Streaming for Strivers:
Still celebrating the great jazz drummer Roy Haynes‘ 96th birthday up in here.
The Overeem Farewell Tour: Dispatches from the Public School Trenches 