I thought it was fitting that I finish the book “1776″ on Presidents day. I guess it would have been more fitting, had I finished it on Independence Day, but whatev. Presidents day is cool enough. I also hadn’t realized before reading this book, that I was born on the 200th anniversay of the battle of Pell’s Point. I would never have guessed that the book would be such a page turner. Most of the second part of the book takes place steps from where I live, as well as from where I work. So, as nerdy as I am, I couldn’t help but to try to imagine what it must have been like during the winter of 1776. Especially when I was running through Fort Tryon park last week. I tried to imagine what the battle at Ft. Washington must have been like.  I wondered if there were the remains of any fallen Patriots, Hessians or British buried somewhere in the park.  I suppose that my locale was part of the reason that my dad recommended (and sent a copy of ) the book to me. So, thanks again, dad.

I appreciated “1776″ so much, in fact, that I started McCullough’s “John Adams” on the train this morning. I’m sure that it will prove to be equally entertaining.

Piper had a very photoriffic (I just made that up) Valentines Day weekend. Reagan had a great visit with her on Friday, then our friends the McNeils came to visit her on Saturday. We were also able to spend several hours with her on Sunday evening. All in all, there were many many pictures taken, of Piper. So, if you are a fan of Piper’s and would like to check them out, just follow this link.

This is another one of those “post rock” groups that I was turned onto by a Base58 mashup. I’m not going to lie, at first they were a little much for me. At the time that I discovered them, I was neck deep into NYC hiphop. It didn’t leave a lot of room for new stuff to find its way into the playlist. Not to mention that I had my reservations when I found out that they have French origins (although currently based in the UK).  I can’t stand Nouvelle Chanson, or most other pseudo artsy French music. Anyway, I would throw on Stereolab, generally at night, when I just needed something on in the background. Something so that you could just marinate. After after doing this a few times, I started to hear some stuff that I really liked. I ended up becoming a huge fan. There are still some Stereolab songs that are over my head, that I can’t really get into. But overall, I really enjoy their sound. I hate to get all cliche and drone on about what an eclectic mix they have incorporated into their sound, but I guess that I just did. The problem is that they have a fairly broad spectrum encompassed in their sound, as well. Which made it difficult to choose a song to share. I finally settled on one called “Les Yper-Sound.” Press Play.

-Getting my photo credits on, again. Woo hoo

-Reagan just told me that there is a D train derailed up town. Not a good day, in NY for commuting. There was the plane upstate. There was the LIRR v. Car in Syosset. Looks like it is going to be a long commute tonight, since the D and the A share the same West Side Tunnels. Not the best way to start off a 3 day weekend. But I won’t complain. At least I’m not dead or derailed, yet.

You know how every once in a while you hear about some South American who saw Jesus or Mary in their tortilla? Well This morning we had a similar experience. Reagan cooked breakfast, since we were both awake early. This is a picture of Reagan’s egg:

Of course it doesn’t resemble any divine being, but I think that it sort of looks like the head of a Snork. What do you think?

I got out of work pretty early last night and was able to crack the seal on my multiple month run-less streak.  I did almost 7 miles. But to my dismay, my Nike Plus gadget was having all sorts of problems. I went on the website to try to troubleshoot it. I guess that other people had been having a similar issue, the first time that they tried to upload runs, after the new year. So I messed with it, and was able to get it to upload, but then it wasn’t showing up on my profile. So frustrating. Then I went for a quick workout this morning, after moving the car. When I synced it this morning, it worked. So I guess I just lost a run. I shouldn’t have really counted it anyway. It can be sort of like my practice/get back in the saddle, run. When I got back home, the clouds were breaking a little bit. So I went up on the roof and took this picture. I’m not really sure what my deal is, with taking so many sunset and sunrise photos lately. I guess I have just seen a lot of good ones, recently. I’m seriously trying to milk this warmer weather for all it’s worth. Hahahah

Shepard Fairey is back at it, producing artwork for a “good cause.” The image to the left, is for a World Wildlife Foundation campaign to get everyone to turn out their lights for an hour on March 28th. Lets hope that Shep doesn’t get in any trouble for this one. He has been going through some rough times lately, including being arrested last Sunday. In addition, he is being sued by the Associated Press, for infringing copyright.

The iconic “Hope” image that was created and distributed by Fairey, during the Obama campaign, was tracked back to an Associated Press photo taken by Mannie Garcia, on assignment  by AP. The AP is now suing Fairey, claiming copyright infringement. Can you image the can of worms that is liable to open? Anyone who has done a stencil, can now owe royalties to the photographer who produced the picture it was taken from? Is the guy who took the Andre the Giant photo that Fairey modeled his “Obey” campaign on, now going to come out of the woodwork demanding cash?

Fairey’s lawyers argue that there is no infringement, under the “fair use” doctrine. I feel kind of bad for the guy. I hope that he doesn’t lose this one. Can you imagine the kind of damages that he would have to pay? That “Hope” piece was EVERYWHERE. I hope that if he does lose, that the court at least takes into account the fact that the profit generated from the piece, was primarily used to print and distribute more copies.

Here is the AP photo and the Fairey piece, side by side. You be the judge.

Billy Bragg is one of those guys who you can tell is pretty cool, but you can’t tell exactly why. When I first heard his music, I thought it was hilarious. The biggest reason, was the heavy re-verb, mixed with the heavy cockney accent. He was a one man show. Just him and a electric guitar, sans effects (unless you count re-rerb). Eventually, I did get into his music. Mostly because people I respected, thought his stuff was so great. C. Burt was probably the person who introduced me to Bragg. In this picture, he is performing with Johnny Marr from The Smiths, who I was a huge fan of. Bragg is also referenced in Tim Armstrong (of Operation Ivy and Rancid) lyrics. In “The War’s End” by Rancid, Armstrong sings about the father of little Sammy the punkrocker, going into Sammy’s room and smashing his Billy Bragg record, because he didn’t want Sammy to hear that “communist lecture.” Even though Bragg’s lyrics are political, it wasn’t exactly Communism that he was preaching. Interestingly enough, Bragg was actually part of a group called the “Red Wedge,” which promoted the Labour Party. Anyway, I think that this song is so great. It’s called the “The Milkman of Human Kindness.” It is the first track from his “Back to Basics” album.  Give it a listen, if you feel so inclined.

For the second time in less than 30 days, I have woken up with a massive migraine. What is wrong with me. It isn’t like I haven’t had them before, but twice in such a short amount of time? I knew it was going to be a bad one, when I was moving the car this morning. I decided to bag going running, and see if a couple more hours of sleep would make it go away. To my dismay, I woke up a couple of hours late, with a much worse headache. So, I accomplished absolutely nothing today. Normally, if I stay home sick, I can at least logon from home and get something done. But I could hardly bear to even open my eyes until about 4:00 this afternoon, let alone stare at a monitor . So much for getting back into my running routine. I guess there is always tomorrow.

I took down the donate button yesterday. I didn’t want, what was supposed to be a fun experiment/joke, to be interpreted as shameless online panhandling. My apologies, if anyone was offended by the stunt.

I’m really feeling pathetic about the running situation though. I know that those who get up at 5 A.M. and go out in the 3 degree weather would probably read this and sneer at what a pathetic slouch I have been since October. Anyway, my fingers are crossed that the mild weather can continue for at least a couple of more days. Miracles do happen (I’m told). I’m going to charge up the nike plus band tonight, as a token of good faith (in myself).