Frank Gutch Jr: Christmas and the Doppler Effect Plus Notes and Coffee (er, Cherry Slice)

It is almost Christmas and, as usual at this time of year, I am looking backward.  It hasn’t always been this way but the older I get the more it is,  As a child, like most children, Christmas was a fun and magical time, but to most children all of life is.  There is something about the young— they have hope and fascination for the simple things and are able to see the joy in watching ants or slugs or anything alive just live.  They wonder about the varieties of trees and why fish lay eggs and frogs too— so many eggs!  In the first grade, I used to walk way out of my way when coming home from school just to walk by the mill pond up the hill because of the clumps of frog eggs clinging to the reeds and grasses along the edge.  They were teaching us about life in school and had a fishbowl with a handful of fertilized eggs and, class by class, the teachers would have us file by once a day to see life’s progress.  To a six- or seven-year old there was pure enchantment at watching the eggs go from embryo to tadpole to frog.  No one else seemed to pay much attention, but children were enthralled.  Children, in fact, know way more than you think just because they pay attention.

Frank Gutch Jr: It’s Gone, Man… Real Gone; Plus Notes That If You Blink, You Might Miss

 

I know, I know.  I was the one screaming the loudest and the longest about local news hyping first the Microsoft system upgrades and the the latest iThing of the moment, but this ain’t no news program and I am promoting this for a reason.  I try to get you guys interested in music, which isn’t always easy, and the I have to listen to the “there ain’t no good music anymore” and “it’s all been done before” excuses.  Well, here we are, then.  I have some music for you which not only precludes the music that was good before good became bad, but it’s on sale.  That’s right.  Until October 2^nd, Real Gone Music is pumping some of my favorite music, this time not of the day but of the past.  Sale items are CDs, folks.  Whether you like them or not.

Frank Gutch Jr: Brock Zeman: Six Degrees of Separation; Save the Carleton; Revisiting the Sacred Cow Syndrome; plus Notes…..

The name doesn’t have the rhythmic cache of Biff Pocoroba or Phil Villapiano, but it has its own feel to it.  Brock.  How many people have you met named Brock?  I’ve known a couple.  Well, one.  I’ve heard of a couple, though.  Zeman.  He’s the first one I’ve ever noticed.  I say noticed instead of heard of because as sure as the rains down in Africa (apologies to Toto— the band, not the dog), I will now meet a handful of Brocks and damned if every other person will be a Zeman.  I know.  Never met a girl named Debbie until I dated one, then every other new girl I met was a Debbie.  I’m ready, though.  I have practiced and have at least ten or so unique greetings for the Brocks and Zemans about to be unleashed on me.