Winter skipped us this year. We had some early cold weather in November, and it has dipped down into the thirties and forties on a couple of occasions, but for the most part it has been quite temperate. This week is mostly in the seventies during the daytime and the fifties and sixties at night. Good for the budget: we haven’t had to run either the heat or the A/C much for the past few months.
Elton John was one of the first rock musicians to catch my attention. I bought everything he released as it was released. I’ve seen him in concert at least a half dozen times in three different countries. Eventually I sort of burned out on him. I still like the albums he’s releasing, but I don’t listen to his older albums much any more. This week, I was listening to the new Elliott Brood album, Days Into Years, on iTunes as I worked in the morning. A fine album. I’m a big fan of their earlier Ambassador album. Then iTunes moved on and suddenly I was in Elton John territory. Blue Moves. Ah, there was a fine album. I remember buying it in the mall in Campbellton when it came out. I let it keep going. Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Piano Player. Man, I got a kick out of Elderberry Wine. And going: Then the demo version of Aida (which comes next because it’s called Elaborate Lives). Then the Elton John album. Wow. I think I’m just going to let it keep on going as I work on this book deadline. It’s an odd way to listen to a discography: Alphabetically by album title.
I don’t often pitch products, but when I like one, I don’t mind mentioning it. Especially when it’s free. I find the Twitterific app to be vastly superior to the web interface for Twitter. For most things like that (e.g. Facebook), I use the web browser on my iDevice. However, I like the way Twitterific is laid out and how it integrates all the various kinds of entries (retweets, mentions, direct messages) in the timeline, using color to differentiate among them.
It’s been a slow week for TV, which is good. A couple of episodes of Alcatraz on Monday night. The show is falling into something of a rut, in my opinion. We found out what the warden had hidden in his double-locked room in the bowels of the prison and it was kind of meh. Doc got the stuffing beaten out of him a couple of times and took it like a comic store employee. No, he actually took it like a guy who was used to getting beaten badly by homicidal maniacs. I read a rumor that it was on the verge of cancellation after its poor showing on Monday night, getting beaten by NBC of all things. Who watches NBC?
On the other hand, Justified just keeps on getting better. The “dropped bullet” scene a couple of episodes back was fantastic, and it paid off doubly in this week’s show. First, Raylan got to tell the story, and it was well received by the cops who were questioning him. “Deputy, that might be the coolest thing I’ve ever laid ears on.” Raylan spoiled it a little by saying he heard the dialog on an episode of the Johnny Carson Show, but still. And the bullet itself was used as evidence against Raylan. Poor Gary. Poor actor playing Gary. We have good news: we want you back for a couple of episodes. The bad news: well…
The show did a great job of building up tension. Quarles’ machinations came at him from a few different directions all at once, like one of those horror movies with the walls that keep closing in. Raylan managed to slip out from under all of that a little too easily, but it was fun to watch, especially when he realized the potential significance of the attempted break-in of his car.
I have to wonder how many times Sammy has had someone stick a gun in his face, because he seems pretty used to it, quite frankly. Last week it was Raylan and this week Quarles. You have to think that Wynn Duffy is reconsidering a) his hair stylist and b) signing up aboard the S.S. Quarles.
Here’s my prediction: Quarles’ gun IS going to jam when he uses it against Raylan. First they showed him oiling it up so it won’t jam, and then Sammy makes a point of asking him if it ever has.
Tonight on Survivor: Apparently something awesome during tribal council. A game changer.
