Random Notes from a Crank

Because I watched The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, I learned about Emmanuel Acho's YouTube series "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man." Here's the first episode, and I hope there will be many more. 




An email recently notified me that my three-pack of Vikings masks will ship soon. I think my favorite is the top one. 

I hope the Vikings sign Kaepernick to be the back-up to Cousins. 

Tim Scott leading the GOP effort to reduce police brutality is like making Franklin solve everything wrong in the Peanuts world. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I heard something the other day that flannel shirts are coming back in style. Finally after toting around those shirts from Kirksville, MO to Tuscaloosa, AL to St. Louis, MO and finally to Charleston, IL I'm ready to unleash them on the fashion scene. 

Well, to be truthful, I've been wearing them from time to time all these years. I just didn't really care what people think. 

My daughter went up to watch the Purdue-Illinois game on Saturday. Since she's been indoctrinated correctly, she cheered against the Illini. Of the Big Ten teams out there, that would be probably the last team I'd root for. 

When I go to a store of some sort, when I ask for something, and the clerk/worker calls me "boss" it bothers me. If I go to one of local grocery stores and ask for something from meat counter, the clerk might call me "boss." I don't like it. The guy (usually a guy) says something like "Sure thing, boss" or "Right away, boss." I don't get the reasoning behind calling me "boss." All I am asking for is some meat from you. I don't need you bringing up a word choice that denotes some kind of out-of-whack power differential. 

It kind of reminds me of Marcie calling Peppermint Patty "sir" in the Peanuts comic strip. 

Music Friday: "Great Pumpkin Waltz"

I got busy yesterday, forgot about posting this, and then remembered to post later in the day. Then I went to a high school football game. I got home, watched some TV, and feel asleep on the couch. 

So I'm late. 

I was listening to an album from the Vince Guaraldi Trio yesterday, and this was one of the songs on the album. 

As a kid, I loved Peanuts. I would check out those hardbound versions of the comics all the time when I was in grade school. Snoopy was my hero even though sometimes I felt like Charlie Brown. 

But as Charlie Brown specials go, the Halloween one was probably my least favorite because I thought the Great Pumpkin premise was stupid. 

But it has a good song associated it. So here it is. 

The Great Pumpkin reminds me of the numerous times I've gone with the Nasty family to buy a bunch of pumpkins, spending a small fortune on gourds. 

Music Friday: "Linus and Lucy," "Calling Dr. Funk," & "On Green Dolphin Street"

Tuesday was a big day for new releases.

Take a gander at the new albums from these artists that came out this week:

• Bob Dylan, Tempest
• Dave Matthews Band, Away From The World
• The Avett Brothers, The Carpenter
• Calexico, Algiers
• Patterson Hood, Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance

And heck, next week there will be new albums out from Ben Folds Five, Ryan Bingham, and Band of Horses. 

Calexico's album is excellent, The Avett Brothers album is good, and I haven't gotten the Hood release yet.

I don't know if I'll get Dylan's new album. People love to say he's a genius. Other people contend he's overrated. Both might be right, but I lean toward the latter group. As for the new DMB album, we'll see. 

But I downloaded The Definitive Vince Guaraldi for cheap ($5.99 for 31 songs) yesterday, and I'm mad at myself for not having any of his stuff before now. 

Peanuts fans out there will recognize this first song below, but I've provided two other compositions for your enjoyment.