Battles With Boredom

They Might Be Gypsies

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing They Might Be Gypsies perform at the Bethel Town Hall. They Might Be Gypsies is a gypsy jazz band, the cornerstones being father and son Greg and Aidan Ryan.

The Ryans are each very accomplished guitarists, but Greg went out of his way to display the talent of his teenage son on several occasions throughout the evening as they performed. The band included a standup bass and drummer, and I’ve been told they will arrange themselves in various configurations, performing as a duo or up to a quintet, depending on the venue.

The concert, which was sponsored by the Bethel Historical Society, featured covers of songs by Django Reinhardt and others, as well as original tunes. I especially enjoyed the guitar work, which reminded me of Mexican Mariachi style music.

The band will be recording their second studio album later this year, and I’m looking forward to it’s release.

Park Here. No, There. No Wait, Here!

Several years ago (I forget how many, maybe five), I received a letter from Bethel’s Town Manager. It stated that people who parked overnight in the public parking lot (myself included) were to park their cars on one side of the lot on specified nights, and on the other side of the lot on other nights, e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday, the east side, other days the west side. This made perfect sense to me and, being a good law-abiding citizen, I did just that.

Two winters ago, I found a note on my windshield from the Town Manager, asking for my help. It requested that I always park my car on the west side of the parking lot during the winter to make snow removal easier. While this did not make sense to me, being a good law-abiding citizen, I did just that.

This week, the head of our town’s road crew requested, through a verbal conversation with a third party, that I move my car and not leave it in the same spot overnight after a snow storm. Being a good law-abiding citizen, I am confused.

Slow Carb Diet – Week 3 (For Real This Time)

I totally got my weeks mixed up. Here’s a quick snapshot of my “progress” on the Slow Carb diet. Unfortunately, the results are not nearly as impressive as I’d hoped. In fact, given the numbers, there’s really no progress to speak of! My upper body definitely feels tighter, so that’s good, but I was hoping to see my body fat % and BMI drop at least a little by now. Adding the kettlebell swing every other day (I’m up to 40 reps now, after starting at 20) is also causing some development. I’ll have to sit down with a tape and measure myself again to see if there’s any noticeable changes there. If, after a couple more weeks of slow carbing and kettlebelling, I don’t see a change, I will probably move on to something else.

I’m Back In the Land of Snow, With a New Diet!

Winding up ten weeks in Brazil, I returned home two days ago to a load of snow, and a few revelations. Continue reading I’m Back In the Land of Snow, With a New Diet!…

People Don’t Like Change (Examples Given)

People don’t like change, even when it is clearly, even painfully, obviously for the best. Continue reading People Don’t Like Change (Examples Given)…