Saturday morning, and after two days of lounging about and mostly under cover bed time, I am very ready to move on. Especially since it appears that I have begun to take on, what in our household we refer to my newly discovered doddering walking style, the ‘Joe Biden shuffle’, as my own. However, my body hasn’t quite caught up to my mental wish list.

Our weather too has been crappy with thunder and wind storms, plus I can’t forget the rain. In that light, please re-read my coffee reference card and this time first hit the audio track below to gain some additional mood. Enjoy:

For each of my three readers who might, beyond all odds, be keeping track of my Fitbit activity progress scorecard – this has been the worst week in four years. I thought you deserved to know.

But, even with all of this going on – a Happy Mothers Day to all the ladies. This afternoon we’re (the ‘Nati gang) are going out for ‘Drunch’ (same as Brunch only in the period between lunch and dinner). We’re gathering at something called Oakley Kitchen. This is a food hall where spaces are made available to start-ups to test their acumen, and acts like a food court in reverse. Various restaurants are in the middle with patio seating and seating around the perimeter. Plus, as expected, yes there is a bar.

The idea is very cool. The removal of the weighty barriers to enter the market, renting a space and building out a new location, here companies can prove the demand for their product or concept and grow their business prior to the normal massive upfront costs normally incurred.

Pops and more Pops (part ‘deux’ – the adventure) – from last week was as good as we had hoped it would be; starting with music from Cincinnati’s own, the Isley Brothers. We had a stage full of musicians begin the performance with Isley’s “It’s Your Thing.” By the way, that number was first recorded at the old King Studios which is less than a mile from us.

Rather than me trying to detail the adventure Broadway star and one of our Pops concert soloists, Brian Stokes Mitchell, shared, I’ll let him explain – it’s much better than anything I could do:

As you’re aware, one of our favorite local groups is the husband and wife team going under the name; Over the Rhine. What they shared was just how moved they were to be performing with the Pops in Music Hall. When years ago as a young couple they lived in a small apartment about six blocks away and in the shadow of Music Hall; an area which until recently was a pretty rough part of town.

Also, they shared that while living in that little apartment they had a standing gig at Sudsy Malone’s — closed in 2008. Sudsy Malone’s was a Laundromat which served beer and had space for ‘punk’ and ‘metal’ bands, even a stage for karaoke (do two loads of laundry and the show was free – genius!).

When feeling crappy – and crashing immediately after dinner also had me wake up at some very strange times. The other morning I woke up at shortly after 1 o’clock. Turning on the TV I ended up watching our four returning astronauts land in the middle of a pitch black Atlantic Ocean. I then woke up at an early morning hour, and again turned on the TV to watch a Space X rocket launch, leaving to place another batch of Starling satellites. This whole space thing is becoming so common that it’s almost like watching a Greyhound bus trundle down the highway.

Keep those feet moving – Since I am cutting these Ramblings short, let me at least get your Saturday started with a SHOUT. Listen to comedian Sinbad introduce The Isley Brothers perform “Fight the Power”:

Fini (a massive ‘Fini’) –
• Happy Mothers Day weekend

• Today in 1945 Germany signs an unconditional surrender ending the WWII fighting in Europe.

• This past week back in 1994 Channel Tunnel linking England to France was opened. About 10-years later I left Paris’ Gare du Nord railroad station for England traveling through the channel tunnel. Ahh, for the memories.

• Reflecting on what all we have become so totally accepted and standardized; what all we have become so totally dependent on. Think mobile phones, digital cameras, all our travel. All our digitized storage from precious art to literature. The ability which allows this to happen and become commonplace is absolutely dependent on the integrated circuit. Yet the concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, was first published by Geoffrey Dummer in 1952 (a mere 70 years ago).

Best till next weekend, stay safe, stay healthy; and keep on storming the castle.

Pray for Peace.

Dirk