58 thoughts on “November 23, 2020: Wonderwall”

  1. For donating to CT public radio, we get this monthly magazine Connecticut, which usually contains a lot of CT schlock, lists of the best plastic surgeons in the state, etc.

    In this month's issue, there is a feature Ex Libris on small local booksellers across the state. One of them is McBlain Books in Hamden, which carries primarily non-fiction material in many languages. A current highlight is the 3-volume first edition of Richard F. Burton's Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to El Medinah and Mecca, at a price of $7,500.

    I thought the book sounded interesting, but this would be over the top, and also I'm not buying books in 2020. NBBW says, we'll it's pretty old, see if it's on Gutenberg. I found it there, and am already on page 74. An interesting read on how Burton sneaks into the Hajj.

  2. My beard has gotten past the point where I usually chicken out and trim it back. I've been using shampoo and conditioner, but I'm guessing I need to update my grooming regimen and invest in some sort of comb or brush. I saw a commercial for all sorts of products that seemed like overkill. Any tips?

    3. I'm running my hair and beard uncut since March, so I've been brushing once or twice per day and I'll use a fine tooth comb after showers. I just get whatever cheap conditioner is on the shelves and its working fine. Eating soup is tricky.

      1. I ordered some wash, oil, and a comb. It turns out that all my grey is in my beard, so shaving my head and growing out my beard is an even bigger change. I'm starting to suspect my dad was dying his beard all those years.

        1. I'm reasonably confident that I learned somewhere that grey/balding genes tend to come from the mother's side. So your dad might have been good to go, while your grey comes from that darn x chromosome.

          1. This is true, at least for me. But the gray in my beard is a wide streak down the middle and looks cool.

          2. Definitely not true for me. I'm not a vain man in general, but I have considered rogaine. I used to have wonderful rugby hair and I miss it everyday. But my forehead's getting bigger too, not just the thinning crown, and IDK if it's effective for that. And I can't have a flowing mane and a forehead you can project a movie on. Just looks weird.

            My maternal grandfather kept a nice head of hair all through his life until chemo, and even then he didn't lose it all.

            If he'd given me that hair it'd have been the nicest thing he ever did for me.

            1. a flowing mane and a forehead you can project a movie on

              Now I’m picturing present-day Jesse Ventura.

            2. I have a receding hairline and a bald spot in back. I also have not had a haircut since March. It's getting unruly, but most days I wear a headband that covers up the receding part and forces my hair back to cover the bald spot. #winwin

    5. I was thinking the other day that I hadn't heard anything about "No Shave November" this year. I guess that's because nobody's been shaving anyway.

    6. We may have to have a citizen beard contest around here. I won't win, as I have to at least trim it up a bit due to still seeing guests when I run food out to their vehicles. That, and I have one gray streak coming off the end of my moustache when I grow it out too much.

    7. All I do is trim it once a week and oil it every day after I shower. I clean up the neck with a razor about every 2-3 days. I’m saving a lot of money on blades and shaving cream.

  3. Did the virtual Mpls Moustache Run 5K yesterday. Awesome hat/moustache bling as usual.

    I just signed up for the Holiday Hustle (do 50K by Jan 1). Wed is Turkey Trot 5K. I need this in these COVID times.

  5. Someone pinged me on Twitter...back in March.

    Turns out I decided to put into dormancy my internet anonymity so I didn't see it until just today.

    2. guess that was your account then.

      thanks for dropping by. everything should be in mostly the same place. do you have any strong opinions on sandwiches?

    4. Actually you coming back fir one post to crow after Lady Gaga won her Oscar was a pretty decent mic drop.

      2. She freaking earned it too. Shallow is still an absolute banger. Best Best Song Oscar winner ever???

        1. Best Best Song Oscar winner ever???

          this seems like it merits extended discussion.

          The list
          wow, there are a lot of very recognizable songs. And a bunch of clunkers. And some that should have won but did not....

          some contenders:

          1930s: The Way You Look Tonight (Kern and Fields, 1936)
          1940s: When You Wish Upon a Star (Harline and Washington, 1940)
          1950s: Mona Lisa (Evans and Livingston, 1950)
          1960s: Moon River (Mancini and Mercer, 1961)
          1970s: The Morning After (Hirschorn and Kasha, 1972)/Theme from Shaft (Hayes, 1971)
          1980s: Fame (Gore and Pitchford, 1980)
          1990s: Streets of Philadelphia (Springsteen, 1993)
          2000s: It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp (DJ Paul, Juicy J, Frayser Boy, 2005)
          2010s: Glory (Common and John Legend, 2014)

          1. I’m still disappointed that Blame Canada lost to a Phil Collins song. Could have added one of the guys from South Park to the EGOT list.

          2. Hello? Over the Rainbow? Probably the most famous movie song ever. And ol’ Judy Garland sang the hell out of it.

            1. Written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harberg, “Over the Rainbow” was voted the 20th century's No. 1 song by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the National Endowment for the Arts—per Mr. Arlen’s Wikipedia page.

                1. I was shocked West Side Story wasn’t even nominated for a single tune even though it won multiple Oscars, including Best Picture.

                    1. I do note a nomination for a song from Little Shop Of Horrors, but given the selection, it makes me doubt it was in the Broadway show.

                      Where's Spooky when you need him?

                    2. Unless they are original for the movie, then no, they are not eligible. That’s why the newly-written song in Rocket Man won instead of any of Elton’s far superior older songs.

                      Edit: as already noted below. Guess I should have read further.

          3. I'd drop "Lose Yourself" into that conversation - my favorite Eminem song. And "Falling Slowly" from Once is a simply amazing tune. Really carried the whole movie. Not many songs can do that.

            1. "Falling Slowly" makes me weep.

              I do not recommend going through a rough relationship with someone in the UK while you live in Dublin, then watch "Once"

            2. FWIW:

              There was a debate as to whether or not Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who were awarded the Oscar in 2008 for "Falling Slowly", were in fact eligible. "Falling Slowly" had been released on two other albums – The Swell Season, Hansard and Irglova's duo project, and The Cost, by Hansard's band The Frames. The Swell Season was released in August 2006, and The Cost in February 2007, before the release of Once. However, the AMPAS music committee determined that, in the course of the film's protracted production, the composers had "played the song in some venues that were deemed inconsequential enough to not change the song's eligibility".[4] The same issue arose two years earlier with "In the Deep" from Crash, which appeared on Bird York's 2003 album The Velvet Hour after being written for Crash, but before the film was released. The current Academy rule says an eligible song "must be recorded for use in the motion picture prior to any other usage", so recordings released prior to the film will not disqualify a song as long as the film version was recorded before then.[3]

            3. I've never heard of this movie or song. Or at least had no recollection. In my defense, 2007 was a busy year for me.

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