I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like someone was driving a stake through my knee. It still hurts, but nothing like it did last night. It got me thinking about voodoo dolls. My grandmother had a voodoo doll of my grandfather (she was from Southern Louisiana and dabbled in that stuff). I don’t know how long she had it, but I’m assuming it was acquired after they separated in the mid-70’s. He eventually had penile cancer and had to have his junk cut off. I can imagine my grandmother driving that needle into the crotch of that raggedy doll.

Anyway, I hope nobody has a doll assigned to me and it’s just the result of a poorly-planned pivot.

rsmurphy wrote: Sat Aug 10, 2024 7:33 pm A good friend's father was admitted into out-of-state hospice care the other day. While she and her husband are away doing the things one does in this situation I'm taking care of their homestead and animals which dwell within. I've also been put on the spot. To wit:

Her: Any suggestions for mellow music to play in hospice room? Music playlist to die to? Mogwai, Sigur Ros...We had Stars of the Lid on for a bit, but my dad said it sounded to churchy.

I sent over Urban Driftwood from Yasmin Williams, and Pt. 1 to the Köln Concert and "I Loves You Porgy" from Keith Jarrett. Tried to think of mellow, beautiful, and pastoral music.

A challenging and ultimately loving thing to do is to be by your parent's side as they leave.

Bill Evans, anything from the 60s.

This is one of my favorite albums of all times. My Funny Valentine is a little sprightly perhaps.

enframed wrote: Mon Aug 12, 2024 9:02 am

dontfeartheringo wrote: Mon Aug 12, 2024 7:34 am
I have been discussing spending some time in the Loire Valley in La Charite. Wondered what anyone here's impressions of small-town life in France are. There are a bunch of musicians moving there. It's turning into a thing, I guess.

Curious why they are moving there to La Charite specifically. If it were me I'd stay between Angers and Tours, or maybe Nantes. Ultimately, I don't think you can make a bad decision as to where.

There's a guy, Scottish guy, who got there first. He was part of the big artists' colony that sprang up in Prague in like 1992. I dunno how much I can say in a public forum, but there are ways to expedite the artist visa process if you have an advocate and he has one kinda in-house. There's a houseboat recording studio. It's a two hour train ride to Paris. Seems hip as fuck.

Apparently, it's a big wine town, too, though that's not my thing.

https://www.france-voyage.com/tourism/c ... e-1831.htm

dontfeartheringo wrote: Mon Aug 12, 2024 3:28 pm

enframed wrote: Mon Aug 12, 2024 9:02 am

dontfeartheringo wrote: Mon Aug 12, 2024 7:34 am
I have been discussing spending some time in the Loire Valley in La Charite. Wondered what anyone here's impressions of small-town life in France are. There are a bunch of musicians moving there. It's turning into a thing, I guess.

Curious why they are moving there to La Charite specifically. If it were me I'd stay between Angers and Tours, or maybe Nantes. Ultimately, I don't think you can make a bad decision as to where.

There's a guy, Scottish guy, who got there first. He was part of the big artists' colony that sprang up in Prague in like 1992. I dunno how much I can say in a public forum, but there are ways to expedite the artist visa process if you have an advocate and he has one kinda in-house. There's a houseboat recording studio. It's a two hour train ride to Paris. Seems hip as fuck.

Apparently, it's a big wine town, too, though that's not my thing.

https://www.france-voyage.com/tourism/c ... e-1831.htm

Houseboat studio sounds awesome. As for wine, yeah well Sancerre is right down the street. You leaning towards doing it?

This entire time I thought her name was Anna Taylor-Joy

My severely alcoholic cousin has been in the hospital for several days, which is good because he hasn’t had a drink for almost a week (for the first time in over a year), but which is bad for several other reasons (c. diff., pneumonia, low oxygen, lung cancer going lymphatic) including the fact that he’s actually more cognitively ferkakte now than he was when he was drunk, and he’s saying and doing some weird and occasionally funny shit. But that’s not my little detail: my little detail is that some years ago he got a penile implant, and I don’t know if it’s broken or what but it’s erect ALL THE TIME despite the fact that he’s been so drunk for so long that he’s barely able to walk and soaked in his own diarrhea for months and has no possible likelihood of using it on anyone (I pray that I am right about this), and I guess due to short staffing I had to help the nurse change his full ass diaper, so today I have seen more of his horrible little boner than I ever wanted or needed to. That is my little detail for the day.

eephus wrote: Mon Aug 12, 2024 1:02 pm

rsmurphy wrote: Sat Aug 10, 2024 7:33 pm A good friend's father was admitted into out-of-state hospice care the other day. While she and her husband are away doing the things one does in this situation I'm taking care of their homestead and animals which dwell within. I've also been put on the spot. To wit:

Her: Any suggestions for mellow music to play in hospice room? Music playlist to die to? Mogwai, Sigur Ros...We had Stars of the Lid on for a bit, but my dad said it sounded to churchy.

I sent over Urban Driftwood from Yasmin Williams, and Pt. 1 to the Köln Concert and "I Loves You Porgy" from Keith Jarrett. Tried to think of mellow, beautiful, and pastoral music.

A challenging and ultimately loving thing to do is to be by your parent's side as they leave.

Bill Evans, anything from the 60s.

This is one of my favorite albums of all times. My Funny Valentine is a little sprightly perhaps.

Ben Webster or Coleman Hawkins playing ballads can be pretty comforting




and Kind of Blue is a classic for a reason

Moved my oldest daughter, an incoming freshman at Illinois State University, into her residence hall yesterday.

Was unemotional yesterday, focused on making sure everything went well.

Am a wreck this morning and am having trouble focusing on anything else.

enframed wrote: Mon Aug 12, 2024 4:25 pm

dontfeartheringo wrote: Mon Aug 12, 2024 3:28 pm

enframed wrote: Mon Aug 12, 2024 9:02 am

Curious why they are moving there to La Charite specifically. If it were me I'd stay between Angers and Tours, or maybe Nantes. Ultimately, I don't think you can make a bad decision as to where.

There's a guy, Scottish guy, who got there first. He was part of the big artists' colony that sprang up in Prague in like 1992. I dunno how much I can say in a public forum, but there are ways to expedite the artist visa process if you have an advocate and he has one kinda in-house. There's a houseboat recording studio. It's a two hour train ride to Paris. Seems hip as fuck.

Apparently, it's a big wine town, too, though that's not my thing.

https://www.france-voyage.com/tourism/c ... e-1831.htm

Houseboat studio sounds awesome. As for wine, yeah well Sancerre is right down the street. You leaning towards doing it?

I'm gonna go check it out when I can. Maybe in the Spring. A lot depends on what happens in November. I'd love to see a bunch of other musicians make a commitment to buying a €95k farmhouse and start an aluminum beard rock outpost in the Loire Valley, but I'd also be happy to put a little studio in the barn and do remote sessions.

LOL, my browser history had 795 MB of cookies, with a 1 GB cache. Should probably rinse it a little more often.