Message Forum

Well, here we go again; "my" two football teams against each other. It's always the best game, because I am happy for whichever team wins; that means cheering for every TD, kick, field goal, tackle, stellar pass, stellar catch, and point scored. And I'm sad for whichever team loses: that means crying over every stupid call, fumble, interception, missed kick, missed tackle, etc. Maybe I should just leave the TV off, take a walk, and come back to see the post-game show. All I can say is "Go Niners! Go Pack!"

12/31/13 02:20 PM

#1452

Local teams; who to root for ? Being a Snowbird presents a quandary. For starters; once a cheesehead; always a cheesehead. Otherwise, it's for the Lions for summers in Michigan and the Cardinals for winters in Arizona. But, if either one plays the Pack....... And, if the Lions and Cardinals play each other; it's flip a quarter.

And, it would sure be nice to see the Pack get another Lombardi trophy.

01/06/14 11:49 PM

#1453

OK, the football season is over. The world is coming to an end. And I can now spend my days cruciverbalizing.

01/07/14 01:32 PM

#1454

Jim,

I didn't know that I was doing this regularly until I just looked it up. Thanks!

01/07/14 02:21 PM

#1455

Okay, Jim - you've got me on that one! It must mean either cross talking or crucifying people with words. Since it's not in any of my dictionaries, I guess I'll try Wiktionary!

I looked it up, and (not to give it away) cruciverbaiization is one of my favorite pastimes!

01/07/14 02:47 PM

#1456

We've been doing it for years!

Where else would one learn such indispensable words like "etui"?

01/13/14 09:57 PM

#1457

oo-ee-oo-aa-aa, ting-tang, walla-walla, bing-bang.

01/14/14 10:15 AM

#1458

The Witch Doctor said to me.

Reminds me of the unoffical theme song of the Security section at Ft. Devens. ' They're coming to Take Me Away '

Had to take the flag and wind chimes down, again Actually had them up for 3 days, since Christmas. 25 to 30 mph winds, gusting to 50. That's been the norm, here, for the last couple of months. Daytime temps are back into the low 70's; which makes up for some of the wind. But, the wind still gets to you; once in awhile.

01/15/14 09:32 AM

#1459

Thanks Lauren, for the Witch Doctor.

I finally moved to a place where I can get more than 2 radio stations. (County and Rap don't count.) That song got me to thinking about the music genre of our school years, where you could understand the music and you didn't rattle windows when you drove down the street. Anyway, here I can get a station that plays nothing but "our" music. As I was driving one day, they were playing "my" song, and I automatically reached up and turned up the volume. We all had our personal, crank up the volume tunes, and I thought I might throw it out to the class to name their one turn it up tune. Doesn't have to be our era, anything from Bethoven's 9th to Ice Dre T Dr whatever rap. How about it? In my case, I have every record my favorite band made - both of them.

01/16/14 12:09 PM

#1460

I don't know about a favorite song; but, the theme from Goldfinger was popular when I had my 1965 VW Bug. I had the only option available, the radio. The speaker was on the very far left side of the dashboard. If I had someone riding with me; and, the song came on the radio; just before the end of the song; I would turn the volume up, just a little. For some reason the location of the speaker concentrated sound; pitch and tone on the passenger seat. Because, whoever sat there always made a mad grab for the radio.

If I had been drafted about a year sooner; I'd have been one of the soldiers, in t-shirts; that were gassed near the end of the movie. They were all Basic trainees.

01/16/14 05:42 PM

#1461

Okay....for favorite crank-up-the-volume "tune" : J.S. Bach, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Best on organ, preferably a BIG one. A memorable experience - heard it in a small village church in Bulgaria...not only heard it, but felt the vibrations in every internal organ.

01/17/14 08:09 AM

#1462

Nancy,

I was more thinking along the lines of tunes to crank up while cruising Villard or Wisconsin Ave. (usually in Bill Gregorius's blue 55 Ford convertable.) However, I am totally on your side now and Public Radio is my station. My personal favorite would be "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks" by Wagner, mostly because we played it when I was in All City Orchestra.

My dream is to get one of todays "bitchin" cars with the super amps and seismic speaker sets and cruise the streets playing "Ride of the Valkyries " or "Night on Bald Mountain" at pacemaker rattling levels. Always good to hand down a little culture I say.

01/17/14 08:33 AM

#1463

Jim - great choice on the Valkyries! How neat that you were in All City Orchestra. I would have loved that, but didn't play an instrument that would have qualified (my parents provided accordion lessons when I was in grade school - how VERY MILWAUKEE!) Never heard a piece of classical music 'til I was a senior at Custer. Too bad we didn't know each other then - you could have given me a heads-up a little earlier.

01/17/14 12:13 PM

#1464

I actually HAVE cranked up my volume on my classical music when waiting at a light beside one of those cars that registers on the Richter scale. Somehow, though, I don't think they could hear my wimpy sound system over theirs. But at least I could hear MY music. I would LOVE to have the high-amp speakers and do a Classical Cruise down Foothill Blvd!

01/17/14 01:04 PM

#1465

I was a country fan (sorry Jim!) even back then and, as I was reading the previous entries, one of my favorites came up, "I Walk the Line." I was a Johnny Cash fan back then and still am. I really didn't have the means to cruise very much back then until a year or two after graduation. By that time, "Ring of Fire" would have been on the list. Anything by Duane Eddy, Sonny James, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, or Roy Orbison, would probably have made the list, too. I'm still a big country fan, but not much current country. Fortunately, we have a Country Gold station nearby.

Now, for the surprise, I would also have cranked it up for Glenn Miller's "Tuxedo Junction" or "String of Pearls." And I also like a pretty wide swath of classical music. I've got several thousand tunes on my computer and I often just let it run through all categories randomly as I'm working. The kids are always amazed when it goes from Vivaldi to Lawrence Welk, to Buddy Holly and Barbara Striesand, etc., etc. Ya! Polkas too! I actually listen to a couple of different NPR stations most of the time, but don't like Saturday opera. That's when it goes over to Country Gold. When we're in Wisconsin, my favorite station is still WTKM in Hartford, but when I was a kid it was a mix of WOKY and WMIL.

01/17/14 01:13 PM

#1466

BTW, these days, EVERYTHING gets cranked up, much to my wife's dismay, if I want to hear it. I use headphones a lot when she's home.

01/17/14 02:15 PM

#1467

Jeanne Zinser (Gottschalk)

Bill, that sounds like a heckuva great playlist! Jim, I still have my All-City Music Festival records, and whenever I get access to a record player, I really enjoy them. They were held every two years, and I have three records. And gosh - from orchestra to band to chorus - we were GOOD! Milwaukee had a fantastic music ed program.

01/17/14 03:17 PM

#1468

Bill: Even though I'm a trained classical musician, I'm with you on opera. I've never liked it, much to the dismay and chagrin of some people I used to call friends. In spite of the classical training, my musical tastes are quite eclectic...folk, big bands, golden oldies, easy listening (with Sinatra at the top of the list), Broadway musicals, and yes, even country...to name a few genres. I do, however, draw the line at hard/acid rock and rap (which I insist is NOT music but rhythmic speech).

Terri: I, too, have my All-City recordings. Haven't heard them in quite some time. And you're so correct...we WERE good!

01/17/14 05:23 PM

#1469

Jeanne Zinser (Gottschalk)

BTW, Jim..."Till Eulenspiegel..." is a composition by Richard Strauss, not Richard Wagner...same first name, same country, pretty much the same era, not the same person.

01/17/14 05:51 PM

#1470

John Ruhland

Bill, I like your music choices. I too like classic country. Really don't care for the new country stuff much. It all sounds the same to me. Screaming guitars do not belong in true country music. And I REALLY don't like Rascal Flats. To me the lyrics and melody, especially on their early songs, are too repetitive and "sing songy"(is sing songy a real music term??) As far as cranking the radio up: Most of the songs from the early 60's(Custer era), Glenn Miller(Oh Yeah) And ESPECIALLY the majority of Bob Seger songs----in particular "Night Moves" and "Old Time Rock & Roll"..........Windows down & volume up............LOVE IT !!

01/17/14 09:15 PM

#1471

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50IgzksUqpQ&feature=kp

Nancy - and the [Milwaukee] All City orchestra was the worse for lack of accordions.

Bill - one of my great wonders many last years is why the oldies stations never play anything by Duane Eddy.

Terri - don't have any All City recordings but do have my recording when the CONNtinentals played the Worlds Fair in Seattle - and the helicopter coming over low right at my bassoon solo.

Jeanne - I stand corrected.

And, for the true music aficionado:

01/18/14 07:39 AM

#1472

Thanks, Jim

(Wanna' hear me play "Lady of Spain"?)

01/18/14 12:02 PM

#1473

I've always been partial to Blues; especially early Blues. Today, I'll listen to just about everything except Polka and rap. Having almost 1,600 years of direct German ancestry; and, not liking Polka is heresy. But, that's life. My play list would be the Righteous Brothers, ( I'm tempted to say that " You've lost that lovin' feeling " is the unofficial theme song of the Vietnam War ) Ventures, Sandy Nelson, Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry, Ian and Syliva. I was really into folk music. I have a Village Stompers CD, too. A little Dixieland, Big Band, and Classical; but, very little Opera. If you really listen, most movie theme music is more classical, well semi-classical, than anything else. And, I agree that modern Country music is cookie cutter; unless you see the artist's name, it's hard to tell who it is. And, lastly, when did Western disappear from Country and Western.

01/18/14 02:13 PM

#1474