Great production but very depressing. :-(

Just announced - The Beach Boys are playing at the 2020 New Orleans Jazz Fest
They are playing the first day, Thursday, April 23. Times for acts will be released in early March, I believe.
The Cowsills are also performing that day.

For those with Sirius satellite, there will be a short term Rush tribute channel starting tomorrow morning (12 Jan) on Channel 27.

There's a complete works of Jerome Klapka Jerome for my ereader for about 2 dollars and have downloaded it. 6000+ pages!

Okay I will see Wozzeck. However I can't see it on Saturday . The weather here is supposed to be severe. However, thank goodness , the theater will show a repeat next Wednesday afternoon so I'll go then.

Trying to decide whether to see Wozzeck at the HD broadcast on Saturday. I've seen the previews and it looks to be a fantastic production. But it also looks to be 2 hours of sheer depression. Do I want to do this?
Maybe I can arrange to go home after the opera and watch old Fawlty Towers or Fry and Laurie episodes to feel good again.

I joined the Shakespeare2020 group on FB and am presently reading and discussing "Twelfth Night."
 Looked at all the books I haven't read and decided to re-read Lewisohn's long book on the Beatles . It's the first of a supposedly 3 volume set.Who knows when volume 2 will be out. I had been following a hundreds page thread on the Hoffman Board but it got hijacked by a couple of knuckleheads and the thread was locked. Volume 1 covers the band from its beginnings to the end of 1962. I'll probably be long gone by the time the final volume gets out.

One other thing I noticed about the top 600 of the 60s, voted on by listeners:
There was one song that stood in the way of the Beach Boys dominating the top of the charts during the latter part of 1966.
That song didn't even make the top 600 list.
The song? Winchester Cathedral...

Beautiful picture.
I wouldn't know how I could go on without my fur babies. And they seem to enjoy being around me as well. They are family.

Well that's great that GOK got some respect (lucky 13 out of 2000 ain't bad).

For a change of pace I'm listening to the top 30 of the top 500 songs of the 50s.
Teenyboppers such as Frankie Avalon (Venus) but also great songs like At the Hop, Blueberry Hill, Yakkety Yak. Presently playing is Kingston Trio's Tom Dooley.

Thanks for finding that for RR. It was driving me crazy and it would be a few days before I'd be able to ask any family.

I'm listening to a countdown on the 60s satellite channel. The top 600 songs of the 60s as voted on by listeners. Listening on our satellite TV which has Sirius music channels (for those with DISH satellite it's channel 6006).

Didn't catch the first few hours so don't know what the lucky 600th song was. Picked it up in the lower 500s. Surprised at some of the songs there as why they were ranked so low. Wonderful songs (my opinion) such as Ruby Tuesday, Another Saturday Night, White Room. Penny Lane. Speaking of Penny Lane, Love Me Do (ugh!) was ranked higher!
Some nice surprises such as Vito and the Salutations' take on Unchained Melody, so different from the Righteous Brothers ' version.

As to songs BB fans would be interested in, The Regents' Barbara Ann was 512, and The Trade Winds' wonderful New York's a Lonely Town was 489. Away for a few hours of sleep, Dead Mans Curve was 308.

As for the BBs, shocking to hear WIBN at 484!
Be True to Your School was 453, Do You Wanna Dance 324. After waking up to All Along the Watchtower, Sloop John B was 293. Little Deuce Coupe 259.
Since they played a bit of DWB in one of the "teasers," I assume it Will be in there somewhere.

Will be listening throughout the day as I can while doing chores etc. Interesting to see people's music preferences and how they differ from mine.
So many great songs!

To add: Two songs back to back, how did they get in so high? The novelty song Mr. Custer ( "please Mr Custer , I don't wanna go") about one of the most boneheaded blunders in US history, was 255, followed by, In the Year 2525 (barf!)

Hope this link works.

catsoncatnip.co/blogs/cats/historical-figures-cats

One of my sisters is a huge Stevie Ray Vaughan fan. She showed me a video - one of the funniest music videos I've ever seen.
Vaughan left us WAY too soon. But his wonderful music lives on.

Video can be found online, under "Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Cold Shot (video)"

The song is very familiar but don't know what it is. A friend of my sister used to sing it a lot -that was many years ago .
Another one of my sisters , a vegetarian, asked me to donate to a charity (United Poultry Concerns) that is against the way poultry, particularly turkeys, are treated at the places they have to live out their not so nice lives. So I couldn't get myself to eat any turkey today . I ate shrimp and eggplant (aubergine) casserole.
I decided to send donations in each family member's behalf instead of giving gifts. I asked to not receive any gifts but did get one -a CD of Dr John performing with a big band.

2 Nola - I shall agree that Russians cook up best "Nutcracker". I played American redos - meh.

I like people who "push the envelope", look at things from a different perspective. There are lots of things I liked about Ellington /Strayhorn's take on The Nutcracker, but I do prefer the original.
I'm planning on seeing Tchaikovsky 's opera "Joan of Arc" which will be performed down here in February.

For many years a dance company down here would perform that Nutcracker each Christmas season. They didn't tap but used a bit of ballet with modern dance.
My favorite song from that is "Arabesque Cookie"

Might try to catch a "Nutcracker". There's one at a movie theater (think that's Bolshoi), several local productions, plus a performance from a Russian ballet company that comes here every year

Yes I saw it. Very funny!
Tabby reminded me of my dear departed cat, Shana. She got confused very easily and probably do what that cat did, ring either bell to get a treat.

I honestly don't think I can pick a favorite.
I got Fou Minou on July 1, 1982. There was a group of six week old kittens. All the others were very outgoing . Minou, a black and white ( "tuxedo") long haired kitty, was very shy. That's why I picked her. She and I became very close. She loved to play "fetch." I'd toss a little red rubber ball across the room and she would retrieve it and bring back to me. When I walked outside she would follow me. I probably could have put a leash on her and taken her for walks. She was a lap cat who curled up in my lap at night while I was watching TV or reading.
 On November 10, 2001 she indicated to me somehow that she was ready to leave me. I can't explain it. Anyway I spent the evening with her and she passed away in my arms around 0500 the next morning.
I found a shoebox to put her in. While walking out the door I encountered a mama cat and her kittens. All but one ran away, but one looked like it wanted to be friends with me. To make a long story short, this kitty was persistent in wanting to be with me. I took Mr. Fuzzy into my home. He was such a sweetie pie.He comforted me after Hurricane Katrina. He was so friendly  to visitors. He was best buddy with our dogs Honey and later, BooBoo. He and BooBoo would greet each other by rubbing noses and grooming each other. He was also a lap cat. But he mysteriously became ill and we couldn't find out the cause. He passed on and I still miss him terribly. I just don't have that same bond with the two cats I have now.
Anyway, no way could I pick a "favorite." They were both precious to me.

They have three distinct personalities. No way could I pick just one.
The one who's sick was the most independent. What bothers me is that she had become more clingy with me. As if she wants me to do something for her. Wish I could speak "cat."
I was thinking of getting another dog but can't do it now. I would have to wait until settled permanently at the country place.

Got out of the house yesterday afternoon and caught an abbreviated version of The Magic Flute at the movie theater, an earlier production by the Met. It was advertised as kid friendly. Didn't see any little kids but there was a fair sized group of teenagers there which was nice.
There were lots of puppets and flying birds. Great escapism.
I'm not an opera expert by any means. Don t know who did the "definitive " version of a certain character. Anyway, after the Queen of the Night's first aria (not the famous one, that came later) someone in the crowd shouted "Awful!" Didn't think she was awful, but what do I know? He made some further comments that were met by twitters from the audience. After it ended and as everyone was leaving the guy said, "Makes you appreciate (Maria) Callas." I thought it was hilarious. : -)

My other cat is 13. It would be too difficult to separate them where I'm at right now. I make sure that there's enough space between the spaces where they eat.
I think my cats would be scared of Santa .
They like to play but it's difficult to get toys for them . The dog is insanely jealous of I play with the cats even though I play "fetch" with his toys . I get toys for the cats and the dog chews them up.
So if I want to play with cats I try to use some strong or ribbon while the dog is preoccupied or is in the back yard .

A friend had recommended a book as a "pick me up, " so I'm reading it . It's A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen. Bowen, a street performer in the UK, befriended Bob. And as usually the case, adopted stray cats are the best. Bowen has written later books about Bob.

I had received a FB post about books from the 1920's that are worth a read. One in particular caught my eye - Giants in the Earth, by O. E. Rölvaag. It's translated from Norwegian  (I de dage). I'm a sucker for books about pioneers ( in this case, Norwegians settling in the Dakota territory ). Also like books about people trying to restore old farmsteads. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Hello I am trying to save one of my 2 remaining cats who is sick. Can't figure out what's wrong.
Could be partly old age - she's at least 16 1/2 years old. But Vet says her heart, lungs and kidneys seem to be okay.
Have spent several hundred dollars on tests.
Not sure when I can donate - will do when I can.

That was beautiful. I just finished listening to Kodály's Budavári Te Deum online, a favorite that I sang in a choral group long ago.

In the folk group I was in we had to sing in many languages, mostly Eastern European (because they were the most interesting music wise ).  Bulgarian and Russian lyrics were easy to memorize . On the other end , I found Romanian rather difficult, and yes, the hardest by far was Hungarian.