mikeZellers.blog()

squirrel

P6290560.JPG, originally uploaded by mike_zellers.

this male squirrel was having quite a battle with some blue jays over berries in a tree.

full, uncensored version on members' site

to quote mr. ostenburg of ypsilanti

P6290491_2.JPG, originally uploaded by mike_zellers.

i'm bored - i'm the chairman of the board...
or to paraphrase a guy in the movie airplane - boy did i pick the wrong week to quit drinking...

how bored - i considered watching a lindsay lohan movie with my kids...

anyhow, i came back to my sanity and am working on pics i took lately of our kalililly,,, how do you like it...

looking for a good book to read - i have started several but nothing is holding my attention - the tunes i have down - henry kaiser's blue water ascent seems to perfectly match my mood

rt on npr

listen to a richard thompson concert on npr - this was recorded a few days after i saw him in cleveland... a nice way for me to relive one of the best shows i've seen...

i, perhaps, am the only one that cares...

did you know that roswell rudd recorded with sonic youth...
you know who sonic youth is, don't you?
you know who roswell rudd is, right?
my guess would be:
98% worldwide do not know or care about either...
2% know about sonic youth
<.1% know about roswell rudd...

thinking of the venn diagram between rudd and sonic youth fans, the intersection of the two groups would be approx 1/7 billion people on earth know and/or care about both....

hence the post title...i'm the one!

favorite four-legged friends...

P6240120_2.JPG, originally uploaded by mike_zellers.

willie and gracie (just a co-incidence) romping about...friends' dogs...

see full set of my favorite four-legged friends....

favorite four-legged friends...

P6240204.JPG, originally uploaded by mike_zellers.

the lovely gracie - friends' dog

favorite four-legged friends...

P6240099.JPG, originally uploaded by mike_zellers.

willie attacking my hat. i like to get way down on the ground to get interesting angles for photos. an effective strategy for flowers, trees, perhaps - not very wise for dogs - at least this one. i was pounced on by willie, and gracie (not pictured) and barely escaped with my life (not to mention virtue) intact...my hat didn;t fare as well - though i did retrieve it...

and yes, there names are will and grace - just a co-incidence....they are my friends' dogs...

favorite four-legged friends...

P6240167.JPG, originally uploaded by mike_zellers.

my friend's basset hound - willie - the facial expression says it all...

he inspired a joke that nearly all of us found hilarious yesterday....

willie walks into a bar. the bartender says, "hey, why the long face?"

(originally heard about celine dion)

favorite four-legged friends...

P6240056.JPG, originally uploaded by mike_zellers.

this is simba - perhaps the sweetest sentient being ever to walk the earth. i never understood how people got so attached to pets - but i do now - he's been my buddy for a fourth of my life!

happy birthday jerry!

today is my brother's b-day, and oddly enough - this morning at 1AM - the episode of law and order: ci that he was on aired on some cable channel...

if you want, send him a birthday email...

jzactor at hotmail.com

new site...

check out gina desantis' new site...

let me know if you have any issues viewing it on your computer...

all richard thompson; all the time...

well you can thank/blame richard thompson for my returning to blogging with a vengeance - first time i've been in the mood to *say* something publicly - as opposed to showing pics...

anyhow, the guardian gave the new record 5 stars...

and i'll tell you what - the first 3 people that post a non-spam comment to this post before midnight tonight (12:AM EDT 6/21) - i will send an itunes gift certificate to purchase the record - only string attached - must use it to get thompson's sweet warrior - yes, i am that desperate for comments... well, not only that - as many folks that are fans of semi-obscure music - the love for it burns inside - so much you have to share it....

*offer expired! sorry!*

richard thompson...

who other that came from the late 60's/early 70's musical era is still making vital music other than richard thompson - neil young and.... maybe dylan on a good day, likewise lou reed....

i've seen him perform twice.once last year, solo, all acoustic - and a few days ago - with a band...

both shows are on my short list of best concerts...two very different shows.

he has such a deep catalog of great tunes... although i am pretty familiar with his work - i still keep hearing gems of his i've never heard before...

i've never heard a better guitarist and his deep voice really grows on you...

the funny thing is, although many of his songs are described as dark - they don't feel grim - there's always hope - i think the beauty and intensity of his voice and guitar work supply that... and despite his reputation for "dark" songs - he is an engaging and self-effacing performer with a dry sense of humor...

he recently did a series of shows 1000 years of popular music - captured on cd and dvd...

and his soundtrack to grizzly man is a rarity - a soundtrack that is just as good on its own as an accompaniment to the film...

the concert monday was darn near perfect. his regular bass player was out due to a family bereavement - and the amazing pete zorn played bass along with another half dozen instruments - with a crew member filling in on bass on a few tunes - seeing zorn's mastery of all these instruments along with moving bg vocals was amazing...the drummer mike jerome was awesome - the band played such a range of feelings - punk like intensity to the quietest, mellowest folk (during which, i wished the drunk, former frat boys next to me would have shut up...) they played a number of tunes from the new cd - sweet warrior - which is an outstanding record....

i can't say enough about this musician and this show - wow...

thompson's website is awesome and gives great insight into this remarkable man/musician

user created bionicle video to frith, french thomson and kaiser doing an okinawan classic...

...or something like that...

copyright infringement has never been this much fun

it's official...

no chance of finishing thursday's lectures tonight - we'll by on youtube looking for rt videos... here from the great, but short run ill fated show hosted by david sanborn night music...

hey, there's great former letterman guitarist hiram bullock in the bg...
i saw one of the four or so shows he did with miles - incendiary - best performance of miles that i personally saw, iirc...

perhaps the only thing that could top the prev post...

byrne and thompson - psycho killer...

WTF?!

david byrne and richard thompson doing a medley that includes one of my favorite songs ever - ? and the Mysterians 96 Tears....

?!

i swear, i couldn't make up stuff this good....

g*d bless youtube...

i'm guessing if i look hard enough, i'll find my 3rd grade christmas pageant...

richard thompson....

i saw richard thompson last night - one of the finest concerts i've seen - maybe more details later after i awake...

kill. me. now.

the coffee shop that i am at is playing john parr's ST ELMO'S FIRE...

come to think of it, death is too kind a fate for someone who knows that john parr sang ST ELMO'S FIRE - his other *hit* was, of course, NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY

g*d knows what positive contributions i could make to the world were my brain freed from carrying such info....

g.jpg

g.jpg, originally uploaded by mike_zellers.

this and that...

my hero

my new waste of time

sopranos final episode = pinnacle of human achievement thus far...

sopranos finale - prediction...

my prediction: paulie walnuts will betray and kill tony...

oh yeah, and there's some basketball game today too, right?

summer home...

P6098891.JPG, originally uploaded by mike_zellers.

for those that knew me a long time, the thought of me camping would be like - ted nugent doing a benefit for peta - but because of some friends a few years back - me and my family are enjoying it - of course, we are still very much novices - no one will mistake me for grizzly adams yet. but if you recall, i camped last year to see richard thompson - and this summer we purchased a membership in a campgrounds about 5 min from home - pretty inexpensive and there is swimming etc - so this will often be my home this summer...being just 5 min from home is a great way to appease any anxiety i have about it....