Who Wants Coffee?

Well, here it is: The coffee shop now inside the local public library downtown. It's call Cup and Chaucer, and with the exception of the oldies radio station playing over a small radio behind the counter, it's pretty swank-- that is for a canteen. Mind you before Cup and Chaucer if you were visiting the library and wanted a quick bite or snack even you had to cross the street to the only supermarket downtown. There you risked being preyed upon by every panhandler in a twelve block radius. And unless you like to have your groceries dusted off before you can open them, this place is off limits. Bleech! Enough about the grocery. The Jackson Madison County Library has really turned it on. There are computers covering the main reading room utilizing the library's free wireless network, and a complete online catalog. The audio/video section has been relocated upstairs and has lots more room among the periodicals. The New Book section is amply shelved with actual new releases and there's new furniture and flooring after the recent refurbishing. And now there's a coffee shop! Nice.

Recently when on the air with "Daybreak" I've been pretty vocal with my criticisms of the local library board. My fear has been (and maybe a little bit now even) that they will abandon the downtown library in favor of building a branch somewhere out North. I'm not sold on the idea of a North Branch, but my fears about running out on the downtown location have been somewhat diminished now that it's obvious all the changes and improvements that have taken place.

I've always loved and appreciated the local public library wherever I've lived. Before I ever started to kindergarten my parents enrolled me in whatever children's reading program was going on at the library in our town. I learned early on how the use the library (what's available and where). I remember being so proud of my first library card. Your local public library is a real treasure and an absolute privilege to you and everyone in every town. Ours is stepping up and is trying to stay relevant in a time where huge bookstore retailers are the norm and online book purchasing is a few keystrokes away. Visit your library people. Get a library card. Check out a book, a CD, a movie. Research your family in the Tennessee Room or sit and enjoy the latest New York Times or Wall Street Journal. Then grab a cup 'o joe in the latest and greatest at the downtown library.

The album: Obsolete to whom?

Despite declining sales, they're not going anywhere -- as an object or an idea.
By Philip Freeman September 20, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-freeman20sep20,0,509425.story?track=rss
Copyright 2007 Los Angeles Times

Java Blues

For thirty years 60 Minutes' Andy Rooney has had it in for the coffee companies. Even today he'll rail about the price of a can of coffee versus the amount inside. It seems to be ever changing. Now word comes that Starbucks is raising the price of their brewed beverages for the second time this year. This time it's not because of the price of coffee itself which is traded as a commodity, no, not that tired argument again. This time it's because of the price of dairy products. What? You mean the cream in my coffee? You've got to be kidding. It seems that there's an increase in dairy because of the increase in corn used for feed for dairy cows because of an increase in ethanol production which is causing an increase in the pain in my neck. But it's not just Starbucks. No. My favorite coffee shop Dunkin' Donuts, has also gone up on their prices too. Now before you start to think I'm taking this coffee thing a little too serious let me explain. I order my coffee black. If I want it sweetened I'll add a Sweet N' Low sometimes, but none of that triple, grande, soy, blah-blah, blah for me. No sir! Black. That means no cream! My coffee just went up nine cents anyway. I can see it now one day: Coffee--$6.29, with cream--$6.79. Andy's gonna love this.

Walking on the Moon

Their last album was in 1983. They broke up in 1984. And Monday night in St. Louis I finally saw The Police LIVE! I was in the sixth grade when their last single was on the charts. Almost a quarter of a century later there I was--and there they were. I have always loved The Police. Even before their swan song which is Synchronicity, I knew all the words to Message in a Bottle, So Lonely, and of course Roxanne. On the surface the music sounds so simple (it is a three piece band after all), but even an average ear can pick up the complexities in the percussion, the haunting loneliness in the chording, and the lyrical isolation. Their forays into reggae and thier use of the diminished minor harmonies are the signature of the Police sound. Nobody is near that creative today! The live show featured just The Police--no backup singers or additional musicians. They played for just over two hours with three encores. Were our seats the best? No. Were the acoustics in a hockey arena great? No. But it was The Police, and when you've waited almost 25 years to see your favorite band those things just didn't matter. It was great!

Setlist:

“Message in a Bottle”

“Synchronicity II”

“Walking on the Moon”

“Voices Inside My Head”

“When the World is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around”

“Don’t Stand So Close to Me”

“Driven To Tears”

“The Bed’s Too Big Without You”

“Truth Hits Everybody”

“Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”

“Wrapped Around Your Finger”

“De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da”

“Invisible Sun”

“Walking In Your Footsteps”

“Can’t Stand Losing You”

Encore one:“Roxanne”

Encore two:“King of Pain”

“So Lonely”

“Every Breath You Take”

Encore three:“Next To You"

Beach Living

I'm back from a week at the beach. A whole week down on the coast with nothing but swim trunks, flip flops, and a toothbrush. It's been several years since I was there last and I was amazed at the growth and development that has taken place. The Beaches still stretch on forever though. I had a conversation back home about remembering when there was nothing between Destin and Panama City Beach. Not so now. It can be tough these days to find a quiet little nook to sun and soak on the gulf coast. And it was good to see all the airbrush and tattoo joints still hanging in. The kids loved it! LOVED IT! We had a great time.

On the way back we detoured through Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I wanted my son to see Mecca. While we toured the Bear Bryant Museum on the U of A campus and got our fill of hero worship, I was reminded why I was never a Tennessee Vol fan; the sickening obsession of everything orange or orange related. Fanaticism is not an attractive trait. If I had to live in Alabama and put up with the same griping, complaining, defending, criticizing, loving, hating football fest that I have to here in Tennessee, I'd hate the Crimson Tide too. But as the old saying goes, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." Roll Tide!

The News/Talk WMD dodge ball team took a break while I was gone. No games were scheduled so now we're back to regular play on Tuesday and Thursday nights at Tigrett Middle School. Start time is 7 o'clock and there are several great opponents coming up. Check http://www.wnws.com/ for a complete schedule. Come out and support some terrific charities.

Radio fodder

Check out the new "Morning Show Goodies" feature over on the left column. It's got links to some of the things we talked about on this morning's show. It will be updated every day or so, so be sure to check in often for your dose of morning enlightenment. Then, every week or so we'll update the "What We're Listening To" and "What We're Reading" features. Real juicy stuff I know.

Summer's Coming!

Whew! Boy, sorry it's been a while since the last post. I see Bowers has really been keeping up with his posting duties as well. It's been extremely busy here at the station the last 6 weeks or so. We kicked off the Diamond Jaxx season, we elected a new city mayor, and are now in the middle of a school board vs county commission debacle, and summer's not even here yet. Another thing that has happened is my 35th birthday. This year I shared my birthday with Mother's Day. It was great. And amazingly enough 35 didn't really get me down. It's funny because I "felt" number 25. I sadly came to the realization that there were adults younger than me. It hurt. That was then though. Today I look at those same adults, the ones I silently envied in their post-adolescent new found adulthood, and say, "Ha! What do you know?" My cynicism is growing and I love it!

Anyway, the summer wind is beginning to blow and everyone's excited. The family is heading off on vacation next month. This will be the first real vacation for the kids and they can't wait. Neither can I.