I Love Summer Solstice!

I like that in the Chicago area this time of year it is light out until 8:30. I sat outside tonight in what I hope will be numerous blues nights killing off some beer and listening to blues radio. I hope I don't get west nile. Anyway, I picked up more music and listened to more last week:

Snow Patrol: Eyes Open: Not as good as Final Straw, but good alternative rock

Minute Men: Double Nickles on the Dime: Brilliant Post Punk. Long Live D. Boon!

Elvis Presley: Elvis 30 #1 hits. Da King

Eric Clapton: Me & Mr. Johnson: The blues album purists were waiting for Clappy to make. I really like it.

Beer brought to me by Miller High Life Weather brought to me by Kristin Dodd

Coming soon: More Women of CNBC, Howlin Wolf, Bad Company, Loretta Lynn/Jack White

Road Warrior

So I went to give 4 presentations this week. 2 in Chicago, 1 in Madison WI and 1 in Elkhart IN. It can be daunting speaking and demoing in front of people, but I managed to do it. I enjoyed the trips and seeing Madison and Elkhart. I also enjoy learning new programs and an considered am "E-Pro Champion"

Coming soon on the MikePod: Eric Clapton/Robert Johnson, Oasis, Snow Patrol, Elvis, Minutemen.

I just finished Clapton The Autobiography: Interesting read from one of rock's greatest guitarists, but some details of his friendships seem to be kept close to the vest and glossed over like his friendship with George Harrison

Coming soon: Part 2 the Women of CNBC

On Message

For once I am actually blogging about Purchasing. We are rolling out a new web-based E-Procurement system in our firm and I am doing some of the training. I will go to 4 of our offices and do a 1-2 hour presentation demonstrating the system's functions. I will conclude with some live orders.

Because this post is not terribly exciting, I will throw in what is on the MikePod lately:

Snow Patrol-Final Straw- Well done pop/rock from 2004

The Greatest In Country Blues (3CDS) Great Collection of Acoustic early blues

Shemekia Copeland Turn Up the Heat Powerful Blues belter with a killer band!

Weekly Check in

Beer brought to you (me?) again by Heineken
News brought to me by Nancy Pender

Music by:

Beatles: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (mono Mix) Punchier version of the LP. The Beatles themselves attended the mono mix sessions, but not the Stereo

Quiet Riot: Quiet Riot I: Raw and underproduced debut from an LA Metal legend. You can see however how Randy Rhodes and Kevin DuBrow developed their skills in this genre

Led Zeppelin: LZ I, II, II, IV & Houses of the Holy.- 70's Masters of AOR.

CNBC gives me wood for 2 reasons: 1, the drama of the financial markets and the gorgeous women who work there. "Fast Money" was in Chicago on Friday, I should have gone

Women of CNBC part 1:

Maria Bartiromo: An uncommonly beautiful woman who has uncommon talent as an anchor/reporter. Does anyone care about Dylan's hair?

Erin Burnett: Beautiful woman who does a great "AFLAC" impersonation. Love the giraffe dress!

Trish Regan: Fresh faced beauty knows her stuff

Coming soon: Beatles Complete BBC Sessions, Quiet Riot II, Beck "Guero", Meat Puppets "Up On The Sun", Led Zeppelin and women of CNBC2.

This Week's Report

Beer provided by: Heineken

Weather forecast provided by Domenica Davis

This week's music provided by:

1) Beatles=White Album (Mono mix)- Different and punchier version than the current stereo CD available from EMI

2) Essential Texas Blues- Nice sampler of blues from Texas

Coming soon:

Beatles= Complete BBC Sessions

Beatles= Sgt. Pepper=Mono Mix

Sonny Landreth= Levee Town

The women of CNBC

Music/Beer

This week's post inspired by Tyskie Gronie Beer

On the MikePod the past week:

Eagles: Very Best Of Great collection from a great band

Honeyboy Edwards: Mississippi Delta Bluesman Excellent example of acoustic blues

Beatles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles_at_the_Hollywood_Bowl- Excellent document of Beatlemania even if they forgot the words and stepped away from the mics @times.

Coming soon: Essential Texas Blues

Beatles "White Album" (Mono)

Beatles "Complete BBC Sessions" (10 cds!)

MikePod Update/Pamela Harriman

Latest adds to the MikePod:

1) Albert King: Blues From The Road Great Live Album

2) Elmore James: The Sky Is Crying Great Collection from on eof the post WWII Masters

3) Johnny Winter: Blues In A Box Great Collection from a master guitarist

Coming Soon: Beatles @The Hollywood Bowl

We watched a PBS documentary about Pamela Harriman, a native Brit whose dick garage ways led her to become a large influence in the Democartic Party

Crash!

Hard Drive Crash that is. I came home last Saturday, 4/12 after work and my desktop would not boot up. After trying a safe mode boot, I had to reformat. I picked an option that creates a data file back up and was able to get my almost 2 years old XP Gateway to reboot. The only problem was that the back up file was 85 gig, leaving me just 6.25 gig. XP does not let you delete these files so using my Simplex portable HD I was able to restore everything with no apparent data loss. To get rid of the back up file, I nuked the HD today, 4/19.

That's why I do my back ups each Sunday. I now have over 110 gig of free space and things run better now. I may do a spring cleaning each year and nuke the HD on purpose each spring in the future.

Medical Emergency on the train

I was on the UP West line on Saturday afternoon and we were stranded in Maywood for 20 minutes due to a medical emergency. Thanks to my cellphone camera, here is the Mike report action. The ambulance came up the platform instead of the street. I never did hear what happened, I did see the conductor escorting people to ambulance via our car.

More Blues

Bessie Smith "Empress Of The Blues"

Son Seals "Living in The Danger Zone"

James Cotton "V8 Ford Blues"

Blogs of note

A couple of things I am viewing lately:

Office Freaks (For those who toil in cubicle farms)
Eric 2.0 Blog from the Zellsters
Philadelphia Will Do- Catch up on Alycia Lane news
Po Buckra- Ex Game Theory & Loud Family drummer Gil Ray's blog.

On The MikePod Week Of March 24 2007

New Pornographers "Twin Cinema"

Brian Wilson "Smile"

Classic Blues From Smithsonian Folkways

Blog update inspired by Coors

MikePod Easter Update

I am still on the Blues kick:

Muddy Waters "I'm Ready"

Muddy Waters "Electric Mud"

Jelly Roll Morton "Absolutely The Best"

Blues/Reading

I have been using my Griffin iFM to listen to local blues radio. On Fridays, I check in with WNIJ for Friday Night Blues I see they have a Saturday Night Blues Show I need to check out. There's also a Saturday Blues show during the daylight hours.

On Saturdays I listen to WDCB Blues Edition You hear all the great artists and some down and dirty stuff. I love it! There is nothing like having a few beers and exposing yourself to some great music.

The past couple of weeks I have been listening to a couple of Muddy Waters albums on the MikePod. The Real Folk Blues Excellent collection of Muddy's best Chess recordings.

I also have listened to a album credited to the Muddy Water Blues Band. This disc has it's moments but the sound quality overall is disappointing.

I have been reading another Richard Nixon bio, A Life In Full Fascinating account of our 37th president. A dry read and over 1000 pages, I like it a lot. Authored by Conrad Black who went to jail this week. He has 6 years to write something else.

Back up drives

I have had PCs crash and eat up data that for years I have been doing a weekly back up. Started with CDRWs in 1999. Moved to DVDRWs in 2005. In Fall 2007 I bought a 320GB Simplex portable HD.

I connect it @11:30AM each Sunday. I prepare/update my data and the software begins the back up @Noon and runs about 6 hours. I take the finished drive to work for the week away from the home PC. I even back up emails.

Hi Dan

A big hello to the audience of this blog. (Even my mother does not read it!)

Griffin iFM

Ordered & received a Griffin iFM for my 2G Silver Nano. I can listen to FM radio and control the music on the Mikepod. Nice to have the FM option, I think Apple should build this in.

I would also love to see an AM stereo tuner and maybe even HD radio.

Old Speckled Hen

Killed off a 4 pack of Old Speckled Hen. I bought this on the name alone.

Pretty good.

Diane Kruger

Yesh! I saw National Treasure Book Of Secrets. Can't make sense of the plot, can make sense of Diane Kruger. I can see the studio execs now, "...make damn sure that girl is in something lowcut and tight." Done!

Haapy Xmas/Merry New Year/Beer

Happy Xmas/Merry New Year. After 6 years of abstinance, I started drinking beer again. Tonight, I picked up Boddington's Pub Ale Yum. I had 2 pints and I think I should sleep well. I had a bottle of Tucher last week and slept good that night too.