Hiatus, (confused shrug), and the mix for 5-19-17

Well folks, first things first. This is the last regular Friday of work for me until September. There will be a couple random posts over the summer I am sure, but the hiatus starts tomorrow.

Other news: The MS Ride went well. Had perfect weather. Starting temp was 62F with clear skies and no wind to speak of. I rode with my friend Kate. She was better prepared to ride than I was and hauled me along for the 45 mile route (I was really only prepared for 30 miles but with good weather and good company, much is possible). Here we are at about the 36 mile mark. Locals will know exactly where we are.

Kate and I at about the 36 mile mark of the 2017 MS Ride.

Love it or hate it: No idea how I got to this mix. I had three playlists that wouldn’t gel and so I mashed them together and started cutting. I think I got hung up on “Good Beat” but I don’t really know. Anyway, it’s 90s dance radio time! Yes, I know, there is no album info. That’s an error on my part but I’m not going back to fix it now.

Listen to and/or download this podcast! The Funkomaticjamatron Presents… originally mixed the week of 5.12.17

NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.

Song – Artist – Album
Something About Us – Daft Punk.
All Around The World – Lisa Stansfield.
Slave To The Vibe – Aftershock.
Colour Of Love [Smoove Version] – Snap!
Back To Life – Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler.
Move Your Body – Amber.
Be My Lover – La Bouche.
Say You’ll Be There – Spice Girls.
Good Beat – Deee-Lite.
Dreams (Our Tribe House Mix) – Gabrielle.
The Rhythm Of The Night (R.B.X. Euro Mix) – Corona.
Fascinated – Company B.
Tribal Dance – 2 Unlimited.
Get the Party Started – Pink.

Tomorrow, Yesterday, and the mix for 5-12-17

Tomorrow I am taking part in the MS Ride again. Currently I am the #33 fundraiser overall for the event. If you enjoy the weekly mixes, why not help bump me up in the rankings and donate? Some of you loyal readers/listeners have already and I do vastly appreciate it! Here is the donation page.

My back has been bothering me and it has made me a bit cranky. Is there more to say? No. I’m getting old and am aware of it. Next week I’ll talk about my forest of ear hair.

I’m glad the week is over. Everyone (including me) has the spring crazies and needs to get outside.

Had a very nice visit today from a former employee of mine. She was on the campus for an event and came up to the office. There are few things that lighten the load or cheer the day so much as an unexpected visit from a friendly face.

Yesterday (May 11th) Minnesota celebrated its 159th statehood anniversary. Happy birthday to my favorite state!

The Minnesota State Flower, the Pink Lady Slipper as seen at the Como Conservatory.

Listen to and/or download this podcast! The Funkomaticjamatron Presents… originally mixed the week of 5.12.17

NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.

Song – Artist – Album
Far Cry – Marvin Gaye – In Our Lifetime.
To Live and Die in L.A. – Wang Chung – To Live and Die in L.A.
Lonely Tonight – The Power Station -The Power Station.
Champagne? – Joe Satriani – Engines Of Creation.
Fly Like An Eagle – Les Paul & Steve Miller – Les Paul & Friend: American Made World Played.
Freeway Jam – Jeff Beck – Blow By Blow.
Slow Ride – Kenny Wayne Sheperd – Trouble Is…
Brave Beyond The Call – Walt Mink – Colossus.
All Messed Up – The Donnas – Spend The Night.
Daft Punk is Playing at My House – LCD Soundsystem – LCD Soundsystem.
Mysterious Ways – U2 – Achtung Baby.
From Your Mouth – God Lives Underwater – Life in the So-Called Space Age.
Welcome Back Victoria – Jesus Jones – Doubt.
Judas – The Verve – Forth.

Rant, directions, and the mix for 5-5-17

I’m going to start with a rant so skip to the next paragraph if that isn’t your style. First off I’m in a foul mood because of the vote yesterday in Congress to move ahead with 45s disastrous “health care” bill. You see those pictures from after the vote? All old white people celebrating. The greed, hatefulness, and vast hypocrisy of it is staggering. I would shout more about it but I have a strong suspicion that if you are reading this you are in the choir already. Second, there is a process my place of work does once every few months and yet my coworkers can’t figure the fucking thing out. They literally have a 9” x 13” piece of paper covered in wonderfully precise instructions and act surprised EVERY TIME when I point out they are doing it wrong. Plus side: This is the very last time this process happens on paper. Next time there will be a whole new set of questions but at least 1500 less papers to shuffle.

I like media studies so here is a thing that occurred to me just a few days ago. The marketing juggernaut that is Disney/Star Wars has new fodder these days. As such there are a lot more images and merch from the franchise around. One interesting side effect of merchandising the Star Wars movies is that on balance there are more images of evil than of good. My guess is that since the bad guys all wear masks, it is easier to license a mask than someone’s actual image (you know, a real human being’s face). I find it at least a little dark amusement that the push to make the most cash by a giant company normalizes images of evil as commonplace. Thought experiment: How much more often do you see Darth Vader or a storm trooper instead of Luke, Leia, Finn, Poe, Han, or Rey?

In a scant eight days I am taking part in the MS Ride again. If you enjoy the weekly mixes a good way to show it is to donate to my fundraising efforts. Some of you loyal readers/listeners have already and I do vastly appreciate it! My fund raising page is here. I am very pleased to say I have raised $878 so far.

Listen to and/or download this podcast! The Funkomaticjamatron Presents… originally mixed the week of 5.5.17

NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.

Song – Artist – Album
Mrs. Cold – Kings of Convenience – Declaration of Dependence.
Mrs. Jack’s Last Stand – Adrian Legg – Guitar For Mortals.
Miss Gradenko – The Police – Synchronicity.
Look At The Lady – Trip Shakespeare – Are You Shakespearienced?
Mr. Soul – Buffalo Springfield – Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield.
Mr. Bellows – John Mellencamp – Mr. Happy Go Lucky.
Mr. Nichols – Coldcut with Saul Williams – Sound Mirrors.
Mr. Jones – Elvin Jones – Poly-Currents.
The Gentleman Is a Dope – Count Basie & Sarah Vaughan – Count Basie/Sarah Vaughan.
Sophisticated Lady – Billie Holliday – Compact Jazz Billy Holiday.
Oh Lady Be Good – Benny Goodman – Rare Recordings: 1935-1936 [Live].
Tally-Ho, Mr. Basie! – Count Basie & The Kansas City 7 – Count Basie & The Kansas City 7.
Lady Day And John Coltrane – Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.
Little Miss Lover – The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Axis: Bold As Love.
Lady Cab Driver – Prince – 1999.
Blood, Milk And Sky (Miss September Mix) – White Zombie – Supersexy Swingin’ Sounds.

Eagles, Worries, and the mix for 4-21-17

In no particular order:

Went to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN, and the Owl Center in Houston, MN, last week. The bluffs area of southeastern Minnesota is worth visiting. It offers vistas no otherwise available in the state. The Root River valley is beautiful.

Not from this trip, but still and eagle picture I took.

Also visited the SPAM Museum in Austin, MN. It’s as much a gift shop as a museum.

I’m 21 cans of SPAM tall, I guess.

Spring has arrived. I’m glad to get back outside again on a regular basis.

Speaking of getting outside, I am taking part in the MS Ride again this year. If you enjoy the weekly mixes a good way to show it is to donate to my fundraising efforts. Some of you loyal readers/listeners have already and I do vastly appreciate it!

Sometimes I worry that people who I know online may die or otherwise vanish and I would never know and that makes me sad.

Prince died one year ago today.

Listen to and/or download this podcast! The Funkomaticjamatron Presents… originally mixed the week of 4.21.17

NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.

Song – Artist – Album
Spark – Lawrence – Ghostly Classics Ghostly Records Sampler.
Nara – E.S. Posthumus – Unearthed.
Well Balanced – Aural Float – Free Float.
The Cooling Tower – Twilight Archive – Ritual Fiction.
Free Senses – Saafi Brothers – Space Night, Vol. V [Disc 2].
Degenerates – Moby – Last Night.
1-800-288-Slam – Meanderthals – Desire Lines.
Autumn Leaves – Coldcut – Last Cool Blue.
Dreams – Modulate – Chill Out! The Techno Evolution Continues [Disc 2].
In Mind – Amorphous Androgynous – Tales of Ephidrina.
Influx – Higher Intelligence Agency – Colourform.

Poetry, Lows, and the mix for 4-7-17

My suspicion is that if you read this blog you already know its National Poetry Month. Below is a poem that I wrote some time ago (perhaps as long as three years). I’ve shopped it around but it hasn’t found a home so I’m going to share it here because I want to put it out into the world.

Directions to the House

Half the distance already gone
Unnoticed like autumn to the pines

Soften a moment by the plum trees
Our border-guarded neutrality

Turn towards the lake or the stream
So long as a choice is made

If the post box lays barren and forlorn
No blame lies with the postman

No more turning widdershins
The gravel lane runs true

There, half lit, the house open,
Fitful as one who naps too late

Digress into the warm night kitchen
To break our fast of each other.

Embed from Getty Images

In other news, I have had a new pattern show up in my blood sugars that I really don’t like. For the last few days I’ve had a low reading at about 8:30 am. Traditionally this has been the time for a shallow high (not a sharp peak but a slow build and decline). 8:30 am is a terrible time for a low blood sugar because the mind leaves you and starting your work day not being able to concentrate and accurately handle details is a very bad trip. I’ll have to figure out why this is happening and get it fixed.

Next Friday the office is closed for Easter. As such, no podcast.

Listen to and/or download this podcast! The Funkomaticjamatron Presents… originally mixed the week of 4.7.17

NOTE: New “The Funkomaticjamatron Presents…” podcasts are generally posted on Fridays. The show archives are around ten shows deep. Beyond that, if the link isn’t active, the mix has been deleted to make way for new material.

Song – Artist – Album
Forgatagban – Fonogeri – Letters From Home.
Right Now – Samantha James – Right Now.
Bodyrock (Rae & Christian Remix) – Moby – Bodyrock single.
Appreciate – Lemaitre – Relativity 1 EP.
Midnight Madness – The Chemical Brothers – Midnight Madness single.
The Road Goes On Forever (One Minute to Midnight Extended Mix) – High Contrast – The Road Goes On Forever single.
Come Into My World (Steve Anderson Studio Version) – Kylie Minogue – Kylie (Live in New York).
Mercury & Solace – BT – Movement in Still Life.
Mama Can You See Me Now (William Orbit Remix) – Sarah McGuinness – From Soundcloud.com.
Silhouette of Baska Voda – Carmen Rizzo – Romancia EP.
Everybody’s Wearing My Head – Deep Dish – George Is On.
Kireii (Darren Tate Remix) – Darren Tate – Horizons, Vol. 02.