2 – Weeks Till …..

Happy Saturday – Really Happy! Do you realize that in just two short weeks our nearby harbinger of Spring will open. March 1, 2026, our Dairy Queen will start serving their ‘Blizzard’ complete with sprinkles. As the Duch would yell out; “hiep, hiep hoera” (hippity, hip hoorah).

Pressure? – In short order, it’s like we’re being slapped on one cheek and then the other. Yesterday it was that always worrisome (if you so believe) day of potential mishaps – Friday the 13th style.

Then today’s Valentine Day ballyhoo as so advanced by the dear people of Hallmark. As a ‘just leave me to get along by myself’ kind of guy it becomes more and more difficult to stay out of trouble. Happy Valentine’s Day.

C of C & M – you guessed correctly, the C of C & M does stand for ‘Corner of Chaos and Mayhem’. And, two days ago, the “nom de guerre” of our dear corner once again earned its name. Thursday Marcia had a ‘Lady sitter’ for me to run out to take care of some much-needed stuff. Heading home from Costco I got a call. The gist was that our street was closed since three Ambulances, seven Fire trucks, plus Police were scattered about the corner – seems that the third floor of our neighboring building was on fire.

I did manage to sneak on the back side of our drive and an hour later everything was back to normal. Fire had been called quickly, and they managed to contain the fire. Nice going and kudos to the folk professionals staffing our nation’s very first professional fire brigade.

And the Winner is – I am talking about the current Winter Olympics of course. No, not about any spectacular speed, loop, turn, half loop, or even a win which brought tears to the eyes of all those ever present experts.

I am talking about the winner of the best creative uniform for an athlete. First let it be said that Haiti only has two entries. These two won my ‘best of costume’ award for their kit, hands down.

What makes them even more special is that these outfits were hand painted, as stated in an on-line article, “hand painted by artisans with designs rooted in the nation’s heritage. Displaying symbols of resistance, even keeping the iconic image of the riderless red horse at the center.”

It was great – I am talking about last Sunday’s “Jazz@First” concert. The concert focused on the amazing (and amazingly long) career of Pat Metheny, and his long-term collaborator, Lyle Mays.

These concerts with the Phil deGreg trio are formed from players/instructors at the University of Cincinnati’s Conservatory of Music (CCM). Being teachers as well as performers means that their audience is handed a double ‘whammy’ – a great performance, and teaching moments with some wonderful background insights.

So, I learned that while Metheny is known mostly for ‘smooth’ jazz, it is his being raised and exposed to the music found in Kansas City (his hometown). Working with this prevalence of western and country music had him incorporate those sounds into his music. So, it’s not surprising that the sounds of bands such as Steely Dan can be found in his works.

At the concert, I recorded a piece written by Metheny, Bright Size Life, where this influence is clear. Enjoy a listen:

Marcia – had what can only be describes as her own “Hippity Hip Hoorah” moment when her Physical Therapist assessed the gains Marcia had made. Closing out her P.T. cycle it came time for Marcia to strut her stuff. The result being that Laura the therapist had Marcia park her walker and prance away using her cane. She did great!

Life is AMAZING!

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

Seniors are currently strategizing their final college selection. Our Presidents too went through that same cycle. Some became our POTUS with unlikely majors to prepare them for the role of Chief Executive. Which of these early career paths were taken by a President, 6 are correct, one is wrong.

1. Nuclear Physics
2. Teaching
3. Geology
4. Hebrew
5. Mortuary Science 1978
6. No Formal Education 1993
7. Mathematics

Last week answer – #5 -1978 & #6 – 1993