Cryptical Envelopment

Furthur 10/4/2011 The Joint, Las Vegas, NV

2011-10-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

I: China Cat Sunflower > Minglewood Blues, Maggie's Farm, Cosmic Charlie, Welcome to the Dance > China Doll, Like a Rolling Stone > Casey JonesII: Golden Road to Unlimited Devotion > Viola Lee Blues > In the Midnight Hour > Viola Lee Blues > Why Don't We Do It in the Road > Viola Lee Blues, Weather Report Suite Prelude/Part 1 > Let It Grow, Stella Blue, Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the MountainE: Liberty

Furthur

2011-09-30T18:51:00.001-07:00

Phish - August 8th, 2011, Hollywood Bowl

2011-09-30T11:10:00.001-07:00

SET ONEDown With DiseaseCavernPossumCitiesPeaches En RegaliaKill Devil FallsLawn BoyTubeBack On The TrainWilsonAxilla ISplit Open and MeltBackwards Down The Number LineSET TWOCarini >Crosseyed And Painless >TwistPiper >Mike’s Song >JoyWeekapaug Groove50 Ways To Leave Your LoverHold Your Head Up >Weekapaug GrooveCharacter ZeroQuinn The EskimoENCOREStealing Time From The Faulty PlanJulius

Phish - 6.3.2011

2011-09-30T11:09:00.001-07:00

Friday, 06/03/2011DTE Energy Music Theater, Clarkston, MISoundcheck: The Joker [unconfirmed and possibly incomplete]Set 1: Wolfman’s Brother, Funky Bitch, Sample in a Jar, NICU[1], Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Tela, Chalk Dust Torture, The WedgeSet 2: Down with Disease[2] -> Fluffhead > David Bowie, Waste > Also Sprach Zarathustra > CavernEncore: Good Times Bad Times[1] Happy Birthday teases from Trey.[2] A Love Supreme jam.

“Education is being swept away in a tsunami of ignorance, a lack of foresight, and a love of the dollar”

2011-04-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

This is such a great letter, I had to share it. It's from yesterday's Las Vegas Sun.

Haight Ashbury, April 2011

2011-04-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

Denial

2011-03-03T20:31:00.001-08:00

The power of denial is very powerful. How can one person insist to believe something even when presented with overwhelming contradictory evidence? Is the truth really that scary?

Collective bargaining in Wisconsin

2011-02-19T12:35:00.001-08:00

5 states made collective bargaining illegal for teachers (w/ rank of ACT/SAT scores): SC=50th, NC=49th, GA=48th, TX=47th, VA=44th. Wisconsin ranks #2.

Something to think about.

Marley and me on Veice Beach

2011-02-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

moe. January 29, 2011

2011-01-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

Set 1: Queen of Everything, Blue Jeans Pizza > Mexico, One Life, Threw It All Away, That Country Tune > 32 Things

Set 2: Kyle's Song > Kids > George, Lazarus, Stranger Than Fiction, Buster > Kids

Encore: She Sends Me

Underwhelmed

2011-01-17T00:20:00.000-08:00

Do you ever get the feeling you're at the whims of mediocrity?

Phish - Live Bait vol. 3

2010-12-03T19:07:00.000-08:00

Included in this gem is a one hour Runaway Jim from November 29, 1997. A ONE HOUR RUNAWY JIM!!! Here's the part that's even better... IT'S FREE!!! Do yourself a favor and go to Live Phish and download this A.S.A.P.

Do NOT vote for Sharon Angle

2010-10-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

These tea baggers have no business in office. Sure, they do a good job of marketing the message that government is too big and the need to cut taxes, but the fact of the matter is the return to Reaganomics is a recipe for disaster. Remember what happened under Reagan? After 8 years, there was a stock market collapse followed by a big bailout. What happened under 8 years of Bush? A stock market crash followed by a bailout. Know what's going to happen if rebuplicans/teabaggers get elected? C'mon people!!! Wake up!

California Reduces Its Penalty for Marijuana

2010-10-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

Finally, a step in the right direction...California softens its view of marijuana.

A thought about underwater mortgages

2010-09-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

This is from Saturday's New York Times. Not sure it will go anywhere, but at least it's a start. I know if I could refinance with a lower rate, it'd give me a few hundred extra dollars each month to pump into the economy.

Phish at the Greek Theater, Berkeley California

2010-08-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

Thursday August 5th

Set 1: Possum, Wolfman’s Brother, The Divided Sky, Funky Bitch, Kill Devil Falls, Halley’s Comet > Sample in a Jar, NICU, Bouncing Around the Room, Run Like an Antelope

Set 2: Down with Disease -> Free, Alaska > Back on the Train, Maze, Joy, Tweezer -> Fluffhead

Encore: Loving Cup, Tweezer Reprise

Friday August 6th

Set 1: Chalk Dust Torture, Guyute, Ocelot, It’s Ice, Cities > The Moma Dance > Bathtub Gin > Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan

Set 2: Rock and Roll > Ghost > Mike’s Song > Simple > Backwards Down the Number Line, Show of Life, Seven Below -> Weekapaug Groove, You Enjoy Myself[1]

Encore: Good Times Bad Times

Saturday August 7th

Set 1: AC/DC Bag > Foam, Gotta Jibboo, Reba[1], Sleep Again, Army of One > Poor Heart > 46 Days[2] > Tube > Character Zero

Set 2: Wilson -> Light[3] > Twenty Years Later > Harry Hood > Theme From the Bottom, Also Sprach Zarathustra > Suzy Greenberg[4] > Slave to the Traffic Light

Encore: The Lizards, First Tube

interesting quote

2010-05-31T07:35:00.000-07:00

I came across this quote a while ago and thought it was interesting...

There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who won’t anymore, and who always will. So don’t worry about people from your past, there’s a reason why they didn’t make it to your future.

Keith Richards wants to be a librarian?

2010-04-04T12:26:00.000-07:00

“When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equaliser.”

Bob Weir on the Grateful Dead business model

2010-03-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

Bob Weir discusses the Grateful Dead business model

what's nine meters in English?

2010-03-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

Rick Sanchez is trying to figure it out

moe. 2.27.10 Las Vegas

2010-02-28T10:35:00.001-08:00

Set One:
Wicked Awesome, Wormwood, Stranger Than Fiction, Shoot First, She Sends Me,
San Ber'dino -> Sensory Deprivation Bank, Buster

Set Two:
Big World -> Ricky Marten -> hi&lo -> Californ-I-A -> Rebubula, Farmer Ben,
meat.

Encore:
Raise A Glass, Happy Hour Hero

In praise of cataloging

2010-02-24T08:43:00.000-08:00

Just read this blog post from Speaking of Information. . As a cataloger, I often feel unappreciated and undervalued. At least this blog post makes me think the contrary.

The praised cataloger, while working on the retrospective cataloging project, added a particular 1901 publication to our online catalog at some point during the project. At that moment, our copy of the book was exposed to the world through the miracle of the Internet. The staff member who sent me the email told the story of how our copy of that 1901 book had recently been requested through interlibrary loan by the library at Princeton. In the interlibrary loan system, only two U.S. libraries were shown to own the book: Harvard and our library. After the initial shock wore off, this realization offered a beautiful success story of the value of cataloging librarians and their efforts. On an average day in the back room with no one around, our cataloger clicked the save button to add a record to our online catalog. Little did she know at the time that because of her unobserved efforts our library was positioned to connect a library user a thousand miles away with a book not widely held in libraries.

The moral of the story? Work diligently, and never underestimate the value of your contributions–even (and perhaps, especially) if they come from the unassuming back room. Look around. There are more success stories just waiting to be told.

Winter Olympics

2010-02-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

This is going to sound more like a tweet than a blog post, but how can I be in the same time zone as Vancouver but but still get the games on tape delay?

NBC FAIL!!!

A few thoughts

2010-02-15T04:54:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about the Huntsville tragedy a lot this weekend and specifically the media coverage around it. As I suspected, the shooter was almost instantly labeled and quick conclusions were made. Do not get me wrong, I am NOT justifying her actions. My goal here is to say there were a lot more factors involved and it's a more complex situation than is being portrayed in the media.

What I want to throw out there is tenure process. The media barely touched on this. Tenure is a difficult and highly political process. It's a six year process! Six years! Can anyone imagine being on probation for six years?

I found two good articles from the Chronicle of Higher Education that articulated my thoughts over the weekend. The first article discusses the tenure process in depth. The second article discusses the atmosphere in academe.

I'll end on this quote from the second article

Having to add a faculty meeting to the list of places where I'm already afraid to be, i.e., air flights on planes loaded with enough jet fuel to fly coast to coast, or in a skyscraper in dense urban enviornment, means the places where each of us can truly feel safe shrank by one, yesterday.

Phish, November 18th, Cobo Hall, Detroit Michigan

2010-01-29T21:39:00.000-08:00

Set One

* AC/DC Bag
* Foam
* Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan
* Bouncing Around The Room
* Sample In A Jar
* Kill Devil Falls
* It’s Ice
* Horn
* Mountains in the Mist
* Poor Heart
* 46 Days
* David Bowie

Set Two

* Runaway Jim
* Down With Disease >
* Free
* Waste
* Taste
* Bug
* Wading In The Velvet Sea
* Mike’s Song >
* I Am Hydrogen >
* Weekapaug Groove
* Cavern

Encore

* Character Zero

Umphrey's McGee 9.16.09

2009-09-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

Set One	Prowler > Intentions Clear, Bad Poker, Professor Wormbog > "Jimmy Stewart" > 2nd Self, White Man's Moccasins, The Stranger
Set Two	JaJunk > Turn & Run, Pay the Snucka*, Uncommon > In the Flesh > Another Brick In the Wall > Raymond^, Slacker, Much Obliged
Encore	Dear Prudence, JaJunk

Excellent 2nd set, especially the Snucka>Uncommon>In The Flesh>Another Brick In The Wall. Can't wait to get this show from UMLive to hear this one again.

Ratdog 9.2.09

2009-09-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

I: Viola Lee Blues > Maggie’s Farm, Baby Blue, It’s All Over Now > She Says > Liberty > Viola Lee Blues
II: Stealin@, Mexicali Blues@, Friend of the Devil@, Two Djinn > Stuff > Stella Blue* > Viola Lee Blues* > Throwing Stones*
E: Gloria

An odd first set. Two Dylan songs followed by a Stones? Hmm… Never seen that done before. I did enjoy the Viola Lee Blues and hope that makes it into regular rotation. The highlights for me were the obvious nod to Jerry, FOTD and Stella Blue. Didn’t think Bobby could pull off Jerry songs so well.

Kindle

2009-07-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Nicholson Baker on the Kindle:

It was like going from a Mini Cooper to a white 1982 Impala with blown shocks

Granola

2009-07-24T19:12:00.001-07:00

Here's my recipe for granola:

3 cups whole oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup olive or canola oil

couple handfuls of cashews

Mix in a bowl and spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Throw in some dried fruit and peanut M&M's and you're good to go!

Woodstock concert's undercover lovers, Nick and Bobbi Ercoline, 40 years after summer of love

2009-07-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

Of all the images snapped during the original Woodstock weekend, one stands above all: a young couple huddled together in a blanket, standing alone in a sea of people lying on wet ground.

It's an enduring image of love, care and protection that earned iconic status through its placement on the cover of the original "Woodstock" album in 1970, as well as on the movie poster.

Forty years later, the couple in the photo - Nick and Bobbi Ercoline, both 60 - remain together. They married two summers after the fabled weekend, and they still live less than an hour's drive from the original concert site of Bethel, N.Y., and within spitting distance of where they both grew up.

Nick Ercoline works for the Orange County, N.Y., Department of Housing. Bobbi is a resident nurse at the elementary school in their hometown of Pine Bush.

The 40th anniversary of the ultimate hippie be-in, this Aug. 15-17, has thrown the Ercolines into the spotlight again - something they never expected or sought.

They say they remember nothing of the original shot, taken by Burk Uzzle. "We weren't striking a pose," Nick says. "We were as surprised as everybody to see that photo on the album cover."

They discovered it while at a friend's house listening to the album and passing around the gatefold jacket. First, Nick recognized the famous yellow butterfly staff in the left corner. "It belonged to this guy Herbie," Nick says. "We latched on to him that day because he was having a very bad experience. He was tripping pretty heavily and he had lost his friends. After I saw that staff I said, 'Hey that's our blanket.' Then I said, 'Hey, that's us.'"

Bobbi, then 20, wasn't overly impressed. "Woodstock was over and done with at that time," she says. "It didn't seem like a big deal. The only thing was that then I had to tell my mother I had gone. She didn't know. But by then, she didn't mind."

The two had arrived in the middle of the weekend, a rare feat given that all main roads were closed by then. "We were local kids, so we knew the back roads," Nick says. "About 5 miles away we abandoned this big white 1965 Chevrolet Impala station wagon."

The two didn't realize the impact their photo had until Woodstock's 20th anniversary, when the world's media began seeking them out. In fact, their memories of the original event have more to do with the scene than the music, because they were too far away to hear or see much.

"I remember the rain, the lack of toilets and the body odor," Bobbi says.

"I also remember an orange haze from the glowing lights of the stage. It was everywhere, lighting up the sky."

The pair had met only three months earlier, over Memorial Day weekend, at the bar where Nick worked. "This waiter brought this beautiful blond in one day and said, 'This is my girlfriend; keep an eye on her,'" Nick explains. "Every night she stood in front of me and we got friendlier and friendlier. Then one weekend he made the mistake of leaving her home while he went to the shore with the guys and he never told her. That was the end of that. And the beginning of this."

Despite all the time gone by, Nick says they still get recognized. "We were in Germany, and right when we walked into the hotel they knew who we were."

As to why their photo was chosen, Nick has a theory. "It's peaceful, which is what the event was about," he says. "And it's an honest representation of a generation. When we look at that photo I don't see Bobbi and me. I see our generation."

moe. 5.26.09, Pine Mountain Amphitheater, Flagstaff, Arizona

2009-05-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Set One:
Sensory Deprivation Bank -> Blue Jeans Pizza, Queen Of Everything,
Four, Crab Eyes, Happy Hour Hero, Raise A Glass -> St. Augustine

Set Two:
Zed Naught Z, Moth -> Dr. Graffenburg -> Yodelittle -> Zed Naught Z ->
Moth- > meat., Johnny Lineup

No encore: After meat. Al stated that there would be no encore, but
they were taking requests. Johnny Lineup was that request.

First off, Pine Mountain Amphitheater is a great little venue. Holds about 2,000 people, but last night it was rumored that only 500 tickets were sold and I believe it. It’s situated among huge pine trees and with the clear sky last night, had a great view of the stars.

moe. was great, as usual and culminated in a great second set. Chuck and Al were trading leads and complimenting each other like only they can do. Rob’s bass added an extra dimension which allowed the songs to really get out there. Can’t wait to hear the soundboards of this one.

Allman Brothers, 5.24.09 Red Rock Casino

2009-05-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

1. Don’t Want You No More >
2. It’s Not My Cross To Bear
3. Done Somebody Wrong
4. Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’
5. Woman Across The River
6. Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More
7. Leave My Blues at Home
8. Revival
9. Melissa
Set II
with Fireworks display
10. Melissa
11. End Of The Line
12. Rocking Horse
13. Statesboro Blues
14. Midnight Rider
15. Whipping Post
Encore
16. One Way Out

Derek Trucks was on fire. Arguably the best contemporary slide guitar player. Derek fills the void left by Dwayne and yet has a style all his own.

noobus maximus

2008-08-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

When someone is being the biggest n00b they could possibly be. Often used to insult inexperienced users when they fuck up big time while playing an online computer game.

2008-08-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

Ratdog 7.3.08 Las Vegas

2008-08-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

I: Tomorrow Never Knows > Playin in the Band > Jus’ Like Mama Said > Playin in the Band > Deal, K.C. Moan, Corrina, Last Time, Ashes and Glass > Stuff > Black Muddy River > St. Stephen > William Tell Bridge > The Eleven
E: Brokedown Palace

Jerry Garcia 8.1.42 - 8.9.95

2008-08-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

I was at the 7.9.95 show and for a moment was about 10 feet away from him. We all yelled "JERRY" and he turned around and waved and I remember his sallow skin and how worn out he looked. He died about a month later and is said to have died with a smile on his face. Maybe he was smiling because he knew of all the joy he brought to us. Or maybe he knew he was going to that great gig in the sky.