Sunday reading

Here's two weeks of reads I found to be interesting ...

Baseball ...
a 'Good citizen's' spot in Cubs' lore secure ... When the Cubs got rid of Kerry Wood last week, I was a little susprised given the strong season he'd had. Then again, the Cubs should've gotten rid of him years ago. But even through all of the injuries, he was a good personality to have around.

Politics ... from the day after the election ...
a A new morning in America
a America turns the page
a Shift in tone will bring a watershed for nation
a Nation crosses hopeful bridge
a Now, Promises to Keep, and Divides to Be Bridged
a Obama and America
a No Time for Laurels; Now the Hard Part
a For Many Abroad, an Ideal Renewed

More politics ...
a Light in November ... I became a fan of Kathleen Parker a couple years ago, but her stuff during this election cycle has been wonderfully entertaining.
a A Moment for the Ages, Many Years in the Making
a Finally, a Thin President
a Sitting on top of the world
a Thinking of Good Vibrations
a 'Renegade' joins 'Twinkle,' 'Rawhide,' 'Lancer' on list of Secret Service code names
a Obamas just like us except ...
a 10 most viral videos of the campaign
a What's up with Obama's Sox hat?
a For Obama and Family, a Personal Transition
a The Election Lives! ... This is a good one about the yet-to-be-decided Senate election in Minnesota.
a Tolerance fails T-shirt test ... Astonishing is one word to describe this one.

The Internet & media ...
a Google at 10: Searching Its Own Soul
a Election’s Over, So What’s Next for the Cable News Channels?
a Freaky hologram on CNN recalls 'Star Wars' ... Who wasn't saying this after the election?!
a In Era of Blog Sniping, Companies Shoot First
a Remember Me? The One With the 'O' Button?
a The Monitor embraces its future - a digital one
a Rejected Tribune Front Pages ... My friend Liz tipped me off to this one. My favorite is definitely the WHOOPS. page.
a We are not bemused. Or are we? A word's dueling meanings

Music ...
a Elvis mystery solved! ... and how the Tribune solved it.
a Shawn Colvin: Wild Child, Now 52, Finds Fun In Her Music
a Van Morrison discusses 'Astral Weeks,' which he'll perform at the Hollywood Bowl

TV ...
a Flagging ‘Heroes’ Attempts Self-Rescue
a In Its Final Season, 'ER' Is Embracing Its Roots
a 'How I Met Your Mother' fans await big reveal day
a Talking Obamas, Huxtables with Bill Cosby

Entertainment ...
a Fanning is a big girl and a big star now

Life & other stuff ...
a Toy Hall of Fame points to new addition: the stick
a Massive waves a mystery at Maine harbor ... This is fascinating.

Phoebe's Playlist

Here’s another post I’ve been wanting to write for weeks - months even.

Not long after Kates and I learned she was pregnant, I began delving deep into our music collection for the perfect playlist. Naturally, music is a huge part of our lives, and we hope it will be a big part of Phoebe's …

Perfect being the key word, the construction of this playlist turned into a tedious, obsessive process. I am a perfectionist after all, and when I really want something I'm gonna go after it whole-heartedly, not moving to the next task until the one at hand is complete. I'm digressing ...

Also noteworthy is that the making of this list only spanned what I have on CD and digital formats. Imagine what it would’ve been had I broken into my vinyl collection or my boxes and boxes of cassette tapes, and taken the time to record those songs into a digital format …

There were some tough cuts along the way -- Johnny Rivers' "Swayin’ to the Music" being one of them -- but they had to be made in order to keep the playlist to a good number - a two-CD set if you will. Then, some more cuts were made after Phoebe’s birth, because some of the songs I had chosen were gender specific. I toiled long and hard to get the right songs with just the right lyrics and just the right sound.

In the end, it proved to be exactly what I had set out to do ... It's a marvelous collection of music, comprised of the artists we love, singing the songs we love. A lot of the lyrics are pretty appropriate and meaningful, and there’s a couple really good cover versions on this list.

I rocked Phoebe to sleep using it tonight ...

So here it is, Phoebe’s (Lullaby) Playlist … Phoebe’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Playlist is forthcoming.

(Songs are in order and titles are linked to their lyrics - where applicable - for your perusal …)

Disc One

1. Thirty-Something Main Theme … It is a quintessential theme for adulthood, and I think it’s one of the sweetest instrumentals ever composed.
   
2. Here Comes the Sun (Bob Khaleel) … Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter. This was the first song Phoebe heard when we turned on the iPod after her birth, and I was holding her for the first time.
   
3. April Come She Will (Simon & Garfunkel) … And while I was holding her for the first time, I rocked her and repeated gently "April come she will!" Phoebe’s due date was April 10, but there was a time we thought she was going to arrive in March, and even then we thought she was going to be a boy. I badly wanted to use this beautiful song on her playlist.


4. Sweet Thing (Van Morrison) … Had to get a Van Morrison song on the list. And “Sweet Thing” is a sweet song.
   
5. I Will (The Beatles) … Simple, sweet melody. And it’s The Beatles.
   
6. Night Swimming (REM) … An old-school favorite of ours and probably our favorite REM song of all. Kates and I were unanimous about adding it to the list when it came on the iPod while we were driving home one night last winter.
   
7. I Don’t Want To Live On The Moon (Shawn Colvin w/Ernie) … We adore Shawn Colvin’s music, and here she’s singing with Ernie - need we say more? We’ve long loved this song and the night we heard it live will always be a cherished memory … (Hear the song (with a really bad Ernie voice) and watch the video here.)
   
8. Windmills (Toad the Wet Sprocket) … Another old-school favorite of mine that’s perfect for mellowing out …
   
9. Homebird (Foy Vance) … Much of this song’s beauty lies in its sound. (Hear it here.)
   
10. ‘Til Kingdom Comes (Coldplay) ... "For you, I've waited all these years / For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come."
    
11. Ice Cream (Sarah McLachlan) … Another longtime favorite.
    
12. Gotta Have You (The Weepies) ... It's no coincidence there's a lot of Weepies music on this list. We've been listening to them a lot for the last several months.
    
13. The Luckiest (Ben Folds) … If you know me at all, you know Ben Folds' music is something deep and special to me. Still, I didn’t start to fully get the sentiments expressed in “The Luckiest” until last fall.
    
14. World Spins Madly On (The Weepies) … Sort of a dark song. But it’s The Weepies and, like “Homebird” much of its beauty lies in its sound. (Hear a sampling of the song here.)
    
15. Songbird (Eva Cassidy) … Christine McVie’s original for Fleetwood Mac is a gem, but Eva Cassidy’s voice brings another dimension to it that makes the song even more beautiful. (Hear it here.)
    
16. Love Has a Hold On Me (Amy Grant) … This one was on the cutting board, but after a strong vote of approval from Kates, I kept it on the list.
    
17. Imagine (Avril Lavigne) … I wanted to add “Imagine” to the list, and out of all the versions out there I settled on Avril’s cover because she’s current, Kates and I love her music and her version has a sweet, childlike, girlish vibe to it.
    
18. Answer (Sarah McLachlan) ... I will be the answer / At the end of the line / I will be there for you / While you take the time / In the burning of uncertainty / I will be your solid ground / I will hold the balance / If you can't look down (Hear it here)


19. All Through The Night (Shawn Colvin) ... A beautiful, prayerful lullabye


20. Lullaby (Dixie Chicks) … This one is heart-achingly beautiful.

Disc Two

1. Sooner or Later (Michael Tolcher) ... This is the edgiest and most upbeat song on the playlist, and it could've easily gone on the Rock 'n' Roll, but there's the gentleness in the lyrics, and the parental sense of wanting to see your daughter succeed, made this song too hard to pass up.


2. Everything (Michael Buble) … A recent hit, this song was another one of those that would’ve made our Soundtrack for the Last Nine Months.


3. Song For You Far Away (James Taylor) … I had to get some James Taylor in there, and this was the one to get in.
   
4. The Heart of Life (John Mayer) ... I hate to see you cry / Laying there in that position / There's things you need to hear / So turn off your tears and listen
   
5. Keep It There (The Weepies) ... The thing I love about this one is the way the lyrics read like a nursery rhyme, and the melody is beautiful, too. For the purpose of this playlist, it's my favorite Weepies song.


6. Northern Sky (Nick Drake) … Nick Drake's stuff is one of a kind, and this is one of those that gives me chills every time. (Hear it here.)


7. Sunrise (Norah Jones) … Sunrise, sunrise / Looks like mornin' in your eyes (Hear it here.)


8. Love Song (Treat Williams) … A great cover of a great song I discovered just a few months ago. The cover version, not the actual song.


9. Somebody Loved (The Weepies) … Sun turns the evening to rose / Stars turning high up above / You turn me into somebody loved


10. Blackbird (Sarah McLachlan) ... It's Sarah McLachlan's angelic voice on one of the most beautiful Beatles songs around.


11. Stewart’s Coat (Michelle Branch) ... Just give me many chances / I'll see you through it all / just give me time to learn to crawl.


12. All the Pretty Li’l Horses (Shawn Colvin) ... Hush-a-bye / Don't you cry / Go to sleep, my little baby.


13. Let It Be (Brooke White) … Like “Imagine,” it was important to me that this song also made the list. Brooke White charmed us big time this year on “American Idol,” and after her amazing rendition of the song, it seemed only appropriate to add her version. (Watch it here.)


14. Never Saw Blue Like That (Shawn Colvin) ... Sung at our wedding this song has as much meaning to Kates and I as any on this list. (Hear it here.)


15. A Cold Wind Will Blow Through Your Door (Bill Ricchini) … As Kates and I were driving up and down the state’s eastern coast after my grandfather died last Easter, this song seemed to come on every time we turned on the iPod. I couldn’t resist putting it on Phoebe’s playlist. (Hear it here.)


16. I’ll Say I’m Sorry Now (Shawn Colvin) ... For everything I do / That will tear into you / Let me say I'm sorry now


17. Last Sunset (Glen Phillips) … A gentle gem from the great Glen Phillips, former frontman of - do you know? - Toad the Wet Sprocket. (i.e. one of my all-time favorite bands and the artist behind the “Windmills” song above.)


18. Stars (The Weepies) … A dreamy, good lullabye. (Hear it here.)


19. What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong) ... A classic that needs no explanation. (A nice clip here.)


20. January Rain (David Gray) … Another sweet, sweet instrumental - this one conjures up warm visions and dreams, and gives Kates and I the chills every time.


21. Lullabye (Billy Joel) … This one made Kates cry a couple weeks ago as she was rocking Phoebe to sleep to the song. Take a look at the lyrics and this one explains itself. It's perhaps the most perfect song on the list, and the perfect way to end it. (Hear it here.)
    

Sunday reading

Some of the stories that caught my eye this last week ...

In the news...
a Plane hit home of parade victim ... poor woman.

On TV ...
a 'SNL' sitcom '30 Rock' is right address ... Seriously!? Has he seen the other TV shows?
a Couric Is in an Unfamiliar Place — 3rd ... and she'd better get used to it.

In Music ...
a Mann of the Hour
a Fleetwood Mac guitarist hits midlife with intensity
a Colvin Re-Emerges After Depression

Baseball ...
a Sponsorship deal calls for White Sox to begin games at 7:11 p.m. ... what'll they think of next?

Checking out some music

...So I've never been big on libraries. In fact, I'm not a big book reader. Magazines and newspapers -- I'm all over 'em. Not books, novels.

Then Kates -- who looooooooooves libraries and books -- mentioned to me how much I might enjoy checking out some music from our neighborhood library ...

I took her up on it and got myself a library card, and checked out a handful of CDs several weeks ago, although initially the selection wasn't as wide and up-to-date as I had hoped ...

Nonetheless, craving for some new stuff, or at least some things I hadn't yet heard, I went back the other night amid some other errands. ... Perhaps all the good stuff was checked out last time I went, 'cause on this night, once I got started I couldn't be stopped!!! ... and before I knew it, I had an arm full and had to stop ... our library won't let you check out for than 10 CDs at a time ...

... I came away with...

... Paula Cole: This Fire ... I got it on a cassette tape in high school and remember loving it, although I haven't listened to it in awhile. I thought it might be fun to pop it into a CD player and revisit it ...

... Ace of Base: The Bridge ... same circumstance as Paula Cole ... that and 'Lucky Love' is one of my all-time favorites ...

... Barenaked Lades: Maroon ... great rock album!!

... The Beautiful South: Painting it Red ... Thanks to a cohort, I got hooked on Beautiful South in college, and dubbed a couple of their other albums on to a tape. Their lyrics are pretty smart and humorous, and their pop folk sound is os so fun to listen to. I popped this one in last night and it was just as good as I had hoped ...

... Clay Aiken: Measure of a Man ... yeah, yeah, yeah. Say what you want. But I liked 'Invisible' when it was on the radio and I'm curious what the rest of the album sounds like ...

... The Cardigans: First Band on the Moon ... I've always liked 'Lovefool' and I've always wondered what the rest of their stuff sounds like. Now I'll find out ...

... Shawn Colvin: Whole New You ...have looooooooooved Shawn Colvin for as long as I can remember. Kates and I had a friend sing one of her songs at our wedding, and I count seeing her last summer as one my dreams come true.

... Paul McCartney: Chaos & Creation in the Backyard ... I previewed this one at a Border's store when it came out last year and wasn't blown away, but I'd like to spend a little more time with it ...

... David Bowie: the Best of Bowie ... I've never considered myself a Bowie fan, other than 'Changes,' but when I popped this one in the other night, I was surprised at how many of his songs I knew and like ...

...Dido: Life For Rent ... I purposely saved this one for last. Among the CDs I checked out, this was probably one of the ones I thought I'd be least interested in. Yeah, I like what I've heard from Dido before, but I just wasn't overly excited about listening to this CD ...think again!! I'm listening to it again now for like the third, maybe the fourth time, and can't get enough of it!! Perhaps it's the fact I've been in such an exhausted, stressed-out state-of-mind this week, and I'm find these meoldies and music soooooo soothing, the lyrics soooo comforting and compelling (particularly the fourth track, 'Mary’s in India'...). But then again, I'm pretty sure I'd love it no matter what state of mind I'm in. It's an amazing album ...

From tornado alley to 'Suicide Alley'

Let the end of summer begin … Kates goes back to school Monday, so we’ve decided to go all out this weekend. This afternoon I met Kirk Hinrich at the Racine Boat Show (got him to sign my KU basketball … Go Jayhawks!), then Kates and I hooked up and went to the Milwaukee County Zoo for tonight’s A La Carte event, although the real reason for going was to see Shawn Colvin (left) …

We might not have made it there had we had the fate that our fellow Wisconsinites experienced last night. I mean, we’ve had a drought this summer and we needed some rain and all, but sheesh! ...Yesterday afternoon the downtown was as dark as a night sky and we got dumped on for about 30 minutes straight. The afternoon sky cleared up and gave way to the sun at some points. But after supper, as I was driving to Blockbuster with a list of movies for the weekend, I noticed the incredible, gargantuan, dark orange and red cloud bearing down on the city from the west. The sky was turning pink and it was like nothing I’d seen before. All I could think of was 'War of the Worlds' and some alien creatures dropping out of the sky ... I wished I had my camera.

I got our movies and by the time I arrived home, Kates was on the phone with her mom and hearing the news that her grandma and some relatives survived one of the hardest hit areas, a tornado that went through their small town of Viola, apparently obliterating some 70 homes, lots of tress and the old feed mill in its path.

By the time the storm came east and reached us and the Milwaukee area, it’s strength had diminished substantially and we just got a good lightning storm as it passed on over Lake Michigan. When we turned on the local news they were giving reports of people finding papers and debris in their yards some 60-70 miles west of where it started in Stoughton. Unbelievable!

Reader: ahem! …Mr. Horns, sorry to interrupt, I can learn everything I want about tornados by watching the Weather Channel --

Mr. Horns: Oh yes! The Weather Channel! Splendid piece of television, isn’t it? It’s one of my mother’s favorites --

Reader: Yes, but Mr. Horns you were about to tell us about Shawn Colvin. How was that?

Yes. Sorry. Shawn Colvin. ... but for more on the tornado go here!


For my musical side, a dream come true tonight. I fell in love with Shawn Colvin’s music the moment I heard ‘Sunny Came Home’ hit the radio airwaves in the spring of ‘97. Her soothing music helped me through many stressful weeks in college and I haven’t stopped following that adoring, unmistakable, rough, yet soothing alto voice since.

Seeing her tonight -- for a cheap $9.75 adult admission into the zoo, I might add -- was everything I’d hoped it would be. Like an intimate MTV Unplugged or VH1 Storytellers performance, Colvin played to a diverse outdoor crowd of about 200 people on a small stage tucked at the furthest outskirts of the zoo grounds. A clear sky of stars and the full moon hung over as the zoo animals and full grown trees surrounded us.

No band. Just Colvin and her acoustic guitars. And that soothing alto voice.

Her set lasted almost two hours and included an encore of four songs. She wasted no time pleasing the crowd, delving into Shotgun Avalanche and mixing in a lot of old favorites with new tunes, and even taking requests from the crowd. Almost the entire show appeared made of whatever the heck Colvin felt like playing, which only added to the intimacy of it. She was barely halfway through the show when she told the crowd she wasn’t gonna wait any longer to play her most popular song -- an obvious intro to ‘Sunny Came Home’ -- adding that she didn’t care to save it for the end like other artists might and she wanted to play it before too many of her younger fans got sleepy.

She kept going with several more from her Grammy-award winning masterpiece, ‘A Few Small Repairs,’ including ‘Wichita Skyline’ and ‘Mona Lisa.’

Colvin charmed the crowd again when her ‘G-string’ broke and repaired the string as she conversed with the crowd about things to do in the area and a tangent about taking her 7-year-old daughter to Disney World, buying her a Belle dress that caught the eye of ‘The Beast’ -- thus Colvin joked she’s been brainwashed by Disney and has had to buy her daughter everything Disney since. The crowd was later treated to the cuteness that is Colvin’s daughter, who pranced onto the stage and playfully whispered some things into her mother’s ear. Callie, as Colvin introduced her, eventually whirled around toward the crowd and bounced back off the stage.

Taking more requests and keeping the young ones’ interests, Colvin also played a for-sure charmer from the Elmopalooza album, ‘I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon’ (although Ernie wasn't with her). And of course, Kates and I sang adoringly to every word in one of those concert moments you hope you never forget … The classic Colvin tunes seemed endless -- ‘Trouble,’ ‘Tennessee,’ Diamond in the Rough,’ ‘I Don’t Know Why,’ 'Matter of Minutes' and ‘Whole New You.’ And later a comical encore request of ‘Tenderness on the Block’ that Colvin muddled through and admitted she had forgotten the words. No problem -- the crowd helped her pretty well.

… A night to remember.