Flime ties!

Whoa! Where does the time go? I had a few busy days, and the next thing I know it's a few days later. Go figure. . . .

I got to see a concert by Jonathan Reischman and the Jaybirds on Tuesday, and that was sublime! There's nothing like bluegrass music played by a group of incredible musicians to get your feet tapping and blood flowing. And these guys are great! For me, those bluegrass harmonies can carry me away, and they sure were doing that.

Some bad news came in the emails today: the Houseplant Picture Studio, who have put up a site that was at least a bit of an inspiration to me to get this little blog rolling, are closing up shop in a couple of days. They have also been a source of rare and wonderful music files, and at least on my part they will be sorely missed.

I listened to a couple of Democracy Now programs on a long driving trip, and I truly admire their insightful and informative work. It can get depressing as hell, but it is worth listening to. These are some dark days for our republic, and it really is important to stay informed, which the MSM is doing a rotten job at. Democracy Now! is a great alternative, and they even podcast so you can download the shows to listen to them at your convenience.

Lately I have been watching both The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, and I have to say that, while I still love The Daily Show, I think the Colbert Report has been surpassing it as far as progressive satire goes. Jon Stewart still can hit the nail on the head, but he seems to be striving for some sort of frat boy sarcasm which at times is very annoying. He almost seems to want to discourage any real examination of the issues by making them sound so uncool and boring. I don't get the point of this, other than as a way of seeming so "cool" as to be above participating in the democratic process. Maybe that's not his intent, but it is coming across that way to me.

Stephen Colbert, however, is incredibly dry and laser sharp as a take off of the pompous right wing host. And when he has a serious guest, he manages to stay right in character, and yet still make some pretty biting comments. Both shows are still worth watching, but I think The Report is turning into a more effective satire.

So there's a bit of a catch up. I'll get back in the swim of things soon. Too much is going on to miss out on it!