@Big_Al thanks for sharing that! That was a very nice news spot. I saw somewhere else that the Germantown location was closing and initially confused it to mean that the business itself was closing. Fortunately that’s not the case!!

Some comedian -Pryor? - once said that cocaine was God’s way of telling you that you have to much money. This piano may indicate the same.

Darn. I like his stuff less now that I know that.

Not exactly a bloom, but we emerged from winter this week and I found this little tree. Yikes! [image: IMG-5311.jpg] It’s a dwarf weeping Altas Cedar. It came through the winter of ‘24-‘25 just fine, but the cold snap this winter may have killed it. What? Don’t cedars grow in Alaska and stuff? Nursery guy says it’s probably fine - that it will drop the brown needles and grow new ones. Sure enough, the branches are still pliable so maybe there is hope.

@Rontuner I like using sharpening stones. Started with cheap Amazon wet stones and moved to diamond stones because they’re cleaner and last longer. I’ve seen the rolling ones and have no doubt that they work great for sharpening up a kitchen knife that has gotten dull and needs a touch up. Try to do much more than that though, and they’re going to be very slow. Then there’s the whole tradition/craftsmanship thing. “Romancing the stone”, if you will.

I'll read this! I couldn't sleep, at all, last night. It was insomnia, not a disturbance in the neighborhood. (My neighbors on their best behavior). So, I took two naps today. I had to do it. But how will I get to sleep tonight? And then tomorrow we have that stupid time change, meaning it will be in effect tomorrow morning.

Where's the drummer emoticon when you need it?

Apple and justme were the two people who welcomed me to the old Coffee Room so many years ago. It's been quite a trip since then. Big Al

@Steve-Miller said: @Mik said: Bad Bunny. Kennedy Center. The stupid never stops. The “Bad Bunny Kennedy Center” does have a nice ring to it… What did I miss re Bad Bunny and the Kennedy Center?

Great stories! Thanks!

I wish you could send us some, Andy. Apparently, the extreme lack of humidity is exacerbating allergy conditions (mine is a severe allergy to mold I developed when I was 29 in New Orleans and now made worse because the house molded after Hurricane Milton caused the roof to leak water in the house and in the walls). Allergy medications aren't stopping the symptoms now and my nose hasn't stopped bleeding along with producing constant mucus along with constantly coughing up mucus. It feels like a chronic upper respiratory infection after happening for months. I heard today the lack of humidity might be a partial explanation. I've scheduled an appointment with my Doctor for next week.

I can't follow this. RFK, Jr. Is deranged. He has some good ideas in general and some good analyses of the beuracracy related to the COVID debacle but his rides on Epstein's plane and his complicity in the actions of this administration render him entirely unfit for office.

He's said he's sending ground troops. Or at least I think I recall that. He says something new every ten minutes. An official of his government said, "Turkey is the new Iran." At least, I think it was his government official. It could have been an official in Netanyahu's government. They sound the same same. I'm not being snarky. What happened to the old Iran? Is it not still there? Demanding Iran surrender unconditionally shows a complete disconnect from reality.

Ugh. Thanks for the reminder.

This is why we had the New Deal. The FCC is a shadow now of what it used to be. Sad. I keep telling people CNN, CBS, Fox, et. al. are state media. The same is true of broadcast. The same is true of print. The argument I hear back is that they have, "prestige." Well, they might have it. Legitimacy, not so much.

It's hard to tell. One with leverage is one too many.