Author: Roger

I'm a librarian. I hear music, even when it's not being played. I used to work at a comic book store, and it still informs my life. I won once on JEOPARDY! - ditto.

"A splendid time is guaranteed"

It was 20 years ago today: Sgt. Pepper came out on CD, honoring the 20th anniversary of the release of the Sgt. Pepper LP. I bought the LP sometime in June 1967 for $3.67 at W.T. Grant’s, and while I wasn’t immediately overwhelmed by the music – I was, eventually, especially “Getting Better” and “Fixing a Hole” – I did realize that the album was something special.

It was the cover, often parodied (see here, starting with 240) – but this will change as more titles are added) and all the cool stuff enclosed in the package, such as the sergeant stripes – I still have that sheet SOMEWHERE.) The lyrics actually being listed indicated that they were (gasp!) IMPORTANT.

With very few exceptions, it seems as though the idea of The Album – i.e., a collection of songs designed to be put together as a coherent whole – is endangered. If Sgt. Pepper were released today, would the individual cuts get downloaded, thus missing the impact of the coherent whole?

There have been few covers of songs from Sgt. Pepper, save for Joe Cocker’s classic rendition of “With a Little Help From My Friends”, that have really stood out for me. Recently, I was able to hear the MOJO recording of the package, which didn’t send me. Bill Cosby, on his “Hooray for the Salvation Army Band” album did a cover of the title tune, with female backup singers: strange.

One exception is the take of Sgt. Pepper by a group called Big Daddy. “With a Little Help from My Friends” as “Chances Are” by Johnny Mathis. “Mr. Kite” turned into Palisades Park”. “A Day in the Life” as a couple Buddy Holly tunes. And possibly my favorite, “Within You Without You” as a beatnik send-up. Good stuff.
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JEOPARDY answer from 5/15/2007 under YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED for $600: “Title of the 1965 Beatles No. 1 hit song that is a calendrical impossibility.” Response below.
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Am I going to be going to Starbucks to get the new Paul McCartney album on June 5? Well, it does sound intriguing, but I’d like to hear a review or two beforehand. Macca’s last album, 2005’s “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard”, which I have, was pretty good, so history would suggest he’s due for another dud. But I’ll keep a good thought. Here’s the first video. BTW, I have a copy of the Macca interview in the June 4, 2007 New Yorker.
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A link to the Smithereens’ “I Want To hold Your Hand. And another link, in case the first one goes away.
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J question: What is “Eight Days a Week”?

ROG

ROG

Introspection Memes

Your Intrapersonal Intelligence Score: 81%

Your Intrapersonal Intelligence is Very High

You’ve spent a lot of time introspecting, and it’s really paid off.
You are comfortable with who you are, and you have a life philosophy that you are happy to live by.
And you’re always re-evaluating what you believe. Because you learn something new about yourself each day!
Your Interpersonal Intelligence Score: 74%

Your Interpersonal Intelligence is High

You are definitely a “people person.” You enjoy spending time with others.
You instinctively understand people, and you are both a good counsellor and mediator.
However, there are definitely times when you’ve had enough. And that’s when you cherish being alone.


The last paragraph from each test is most definitely true.
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How many Captain Kirks does it take to change a light bulb?

ROG

More Light

This Sunday is More Light Sunday in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. So what is “more light”? “Following the risen Christ, and seeking to make the Church a true community of hospitality, the mission of More Light Presbyterians is to work for the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA).” But as it’s been the case in other mainline Protestant denominations, there are wide-ranging beliefs within the faith. As one article reads: “Will the religious conflicts about homosexuality be settled by compromise or schism?”

I was, for nearly 20 years, a United Methodist, another denomination having the same internal struggle. The Methodists’ Book of Discipline reads: “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The United Methodist Church.” Yet there are undoubtedly gay UM clergy. Indeed, on the season finale of the (fictional) Brothers & Sisters on May 20, the senator’s brother turns out to be a gay UM minister.

I don’t have a problem with gay clergy, or gay members of session or other boards. What I guess is bugging me is the fact that the denominations have rules of prohibition, yet it is well-known, by me, e.g., that the rules are ignored in some parts of the country. I guess I’d be more comfortable if the written rules of the denominations could be changed to become more inclusive, but based on the divisive nature of the issue, I can’t imagine that happening any time soon.
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I’ve been fascinated by the fact that my former church, indeed m, my former pastor, has been fighting with the city of Albany over rock concerts in the church basement. Now, the pastor has been suspended by the church hierarchy. While the newspaper says that the suspension is unrelated to the court dispute, a reasonable person could reasonably infer from the story that the suspension really IS about the court case. That inference would be wrong. I’ve talked to some members of the church; I’m positive that the suspension and the court case are unrelated. But since the church hierarchy can’t talk about the situation, based on privacy concerns for the minister, I can’t really fault the paper for not getting it quite right.

ROG

ROG

The Office


It occurred to me that our office recently “celebrated” our first anniversary at Corporate Woods.

You may recall that I complained bitterly about the move, but that I have said little about it recently.

Know that I still find it a soulless, inconvenient place. The good news is that they finally put our organization’s name on the signs at the 1st and 3rd floor elevators this month.

The phone system is still wretched, even though it was sold to us as a vast improvement over our old system. The power in the whole building went out recently.

And working in a cubicle is still stultifying.

Fortunately, I’ve taken up some hobbies…

And I’ve decided…

…to make the best of things…

…and put on a happy face.

And at work, I always write good.
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Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam on the TV series “The Office”, and incidentally, shares a birthday with me, injured her back after a fall on some marble steps. Best wishes to her on a speedy recovery.
ROG

ROG

Memorial Day 2007

Somehow Blogger did in the posts I wrote for the past three days. One was the post I did about Lydia, for which I just posted pictures instead. Yesterday’s post on the parenting question I decided to recreate, as it was relatively short. the third, of course, was this one. The problem, which others have experienced as well, is “being worked on.

The gist of the third lost post had to do with the tension of being largely a pacifist and opposing this particular war, for reasons best expressed here, with an appreciation of the sacrifices people in the military and their families endure. I’ve said it before, but it bears saying again: I don’t fault the soldiers for fighting in Iraq. I fault the leadership that put them there, ignoring prewar intelligence.

Someone on one of the Sunday morning shows, a family member of a military man killed in Iraq or Afghanistan referred to Arlington National Cemetery as a “beautiful awful place”, beautiful in the neatly arranged gravestones, awful in terms of what those gravestones represent.

Anyway, try to remember that today is not just “the unofficial beginning of summer” or the end of a three-day weekend.
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Kimberly Dozier, a CBS News reporter who almost died in Iraq a year ago this week (and two of her colleagues did perish) has a special tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 10 pm EDT called Flashpoint that I will watch.
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Charles Nelson Reilly died recently. Johnny B. packaged a video tribute so I didn’t have to.

ROG
Ramblin' with Roger
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