Music Week

Expanded blog post, March archive (in progress).

Tweet: Music Week: 38 albums, 7 A-list (+1)

Music: Current count 45738 [45700] rated (+38), 21 [26] unrated (-5).

New records reviewed this week:

• Joshua Abrams: Music for Pulse Meridian Foliation (2026, Drag City): [sp]: B+(**)
• Courtney Barnett: Creature of Habit (2026, Mom + Pop/Fiction): [sp]: A-
• Bonnie "Prince" Billy: We Are Together Again (2026, No Quarter/Domino): [sp]: B+(*)
• Asher Brinson: Midnight Hurricane (2026, AsherBrin): [cd]: A- [04-03]
• Owen Chen: Eternal Wind: The Ghibli Collection (2025 [2026], OA2): [cd]: B+(*) [04-03]
• Cyger & Butterworth: Plaid Pants (2024 [2026], Outrageous8): [cd]: B+(**)
• Flying Lotus: Big Mama (2026, Brainfeeder, EP): [sp]: B+(*)
• Tigran Hamasyan: Manifeste (2023-25 [2026], Naïve): [sp]: B
• Joshua Idehen: I Know You're Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got to Try (2026, Heavenly): [sp]: A-
• Grace Ives: Girlfriend (2026, True Panther/Capitol): [sp]: B+(***)
• Jamile/Vinicius Gomes: Boundless Species (2024 [2026], La Reserve): [cd]: B+(***) [04-03]
• Robert Jospé Quartet: The Night Sky (2025 [2026], self-released): [cd]: B+(*)
• The Paul Keller Orchestra: Thank You Notes: The Music of Gregg Hill (2025 [2026], Cold Plunge): [cd]: B+(**)
• Steve Kovalcheck: Buckshot Blues (2025 [2026], OA2): [cd]: B+(***) [04-03]
• Scott Lee: Greetings From Florida: Postcards From Paradise (2026, Sunnyside): [cd]: B+(*) [04-16]
• Roc Marciano: 656 (2026, self-released): [sp]: B+(***)
• Kristen Mather de Andrade: Sim Fin (2022-24 [2026], Ansonica): [cd]: B+(*)
• Mitski: Nothing's About to Happen to Me (2026, Dead Oceans): [sp]: B+(*)
• Model/Actriz: Swan Songs (2026, True Panther/Dirty Hit, EP): [sp]: B+(**)
• Beto Paciello: The Stoic Suite (2023 [2026], Moons Arts): [cd]: B
• RJD2 & Supastition: According To (2026, RJ's Electrical Connections): [sp]: A-
• Robyn: Sexistential (2026, Konichiwa/Young): [sp]: A-
• Marta Sanchez: For the Space You Left (2024 [2026], Out of Your Head): [cd]: A- [04-17]
• Dave Schumacher & Cubeye: Agua Con Gas (2025 [2026], Cubeye Music): [cd]: B [04-17]
• Aaron Shaw: And So It Is (2025 [2026], Leaving): [sp]: B+(*)
• Sideshow: Tigray Funk (2026, 10k): [sp]: B+(**)
• Kevin Sun: Lofi at Lowlands 三 (2024 [2026], Endectomorph Music): [sp]: B+(**)
• Tinariwen: Hoggar (2026, Wedge): [sp]: B+(**)
• Gregory Uhlmann: Extra Stars (2026, International Anthem): [sp]: B+(*)
• Underscores: U (2026, self-released): [sp]: B+(**)
• Johannes Wallmann: Not Tired (2024 [2025], Shifting Paradigm): [bc]: B+(**)
• Ben Wendel: BaRcoDe (2024 [2026], Edition): [sp]: B+(**)
• Xaviersobased: Xavier (2026, 1C/Surf Gang/Atlantic): [sp]: B+(**)
• Zel: Still Right Here (2026, self-released): [yt]: B+(***)

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

• Docteur Nico: Presents African Fiesta Sukisa 1966-1974 (1966-74 [2025], Planet Ilunga): [bc]: A-
• Bennie Green: Back on the Scene (1958 [2026], Blue Note): [sp]: B+(***)
• The Lawrence Marable Quartet: Tenorman (1956 [2026], Jazz: West/Blue Note): [sp]: A-
• Twisted Teens: Blame the Clown (2025 [2026], Jazz Life): [sp]: B+(**)

Old music:

• None

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• Paulo Almeida: Love in Motion (Dox) [04-24]
• Abate Berihun & the Addis Ken Project: Addis Ken (Origin) [04-17]
• Barry Greene: Giants (Origin) [04-17]
• Jared Hall: Hometown (Origin) [04-17]
• Kristen Mather de Andrade: Sim Fin (Ansonica) [03-01]
• Jim Robitaille Trio: Sonic (Whaling City Sound) [04-01]
• Yvonne Rogers: The Button Jar (Pyroclastic) [05-08]
• Fie Schouten/Vincent Courtois/Sofia Borges/Pierre Baux: Open Space (Relative Pitch) [03-27]

Daily Log

Got up around 11, and came down shortly before noon. I have a 2:20 appointment to get the car serviced at Eddy's, so that's the big deal today. I should do some shopping after that. Should be hot again today, but cooler (though still variable) for the next week or two. I didn't get hold of Tom James yesterday, so will have to do that today. Decided not to paint the carport roof, so we can proceed with fixing the railing, etc. Beyond that, I want to start sorting things, loading up the recycle kiosk, and carting things away. Still working on "4 questions." Music Week is on hold, although I could sneak it in if I choose to take a break. I'm not very happy with my numbering scheme for Substack pieces, as stuff keeps slipping.

Email (35 messages):

• Got a note from Rebecca Shoot, responding to email I sent back on Feb. 15. Apologizes for the delay. Invites it to participate in a "Town Hall for the ImPact Coalition on Strengthening International Judicial Institutions," today at 2PM. I have to take car out then. Not something I have more than passing interest in. Also: "I'm happy to catch up at further length following the vent, as well!"
• TomDispatch: Helen Benedict, Two Different Wars, Two Different Presidents, But the Same Lies. Come on! Sure, some of the same lies, but you have to give Trump credit for inventing some new ones.
• Lou Jean Fleron: "Today marks 74 years since Daddy's car accident that took his life three days later. I had an inspiration to pay tribute to him this year . . . so just sharing as I count my boundless blessings for family and friends I share this life with!!!! Sure is true for you preciosu cousins even tho I guess I never will be any good at staying in touch better!!!"
• RiotRiot: Sleater-Kinney's Call the Doctor Turns 30

Daily Log

Didn't sleep well, getting up shortly after 9. I read, or skimmed, or glanced at, the end of Nonzero, which tries to find God but doesn't do a very good job. I suppose one should be thankful that it's no better than it is. Didn't get any more written here during the morning, so I'm picking this up at 5:30. I wrote some on my "four questions" piece, which (I think) is coming along nicely (I suppose with the emphasis on "long"). We went to the tax place, which cost us $300 plus more money for State and Federal. We picked up Hog Wild on the return. I didn't call the roofer, but will tomorrow. Decision is not to do the coating on the carport. But I do want them to come out and glue down some curly edges. We can start working on the railing. I need to talk to Doug about that, and check the weather forecast. Hopefully we can find days that are neither too hot nor too cold, but most days recently seem to be one or the other.

Email (33 messages):

• M7.3 earthquake: Vanuatu.
• Library books renewed, now due April 16. I should take them back anyway.

Daily Log

Got up around 11. I was super-tired last night, so went to bed early, and got in decent time, but AHI was higher than usual. Laura wanted to watch a movie, and picked John Wick, about a mass killer who qualifies as a good guy because he was only driven to kill bad guys after they had killed his dog. Watched an episode of Mystery Road: Origin (season 2) after. I joined the movie late after finishing the first question in my Iran war piece. Second question, about Trump, should be easier. I'll work on that today. Other big thing I need to do today is to decide what to do about the carport roof. I can get a coating added for $400, which will greatly increase reflectivity, and as such will reduce surface temperature (perhaps as much as 40°F). I was leaning toward doing it on Friday, but today I'm leaning against it. How bad can it be to just leave it alone? Big advantage is: saves me one more thing to do before reinstalling the mini-split and the railing; over the summer I can get some actual data; doing it later is less ideal but practically no big deal. I'm going to spend some time this afternoon out there, thinking it over.

I'm missing the window to appeal the house appraisal. Deadline is March 31. We meet the tax person on Monday, and I take the car in on Tuesday. I've been trying to clean house. Stove top had some really bad burnt on material, that I'm having a very hard time getting rid of. Nothing is really working, including Barkeeper's Friend.

Email (8 messages):

• TomDispatch: Tom Engelhardt, Will Donald Trump Take the Planet Down With Him?

Daily Log

After TV — last two episodes of Deadloch — I worked on jigsaw puzzle until nearly 3AM, then stopped at computer, where all day long I've had a Mahjongg puzzle I couldn't come close to solving. After failing again, I started writing some more, and didn't quit until after 4, still probably two paragraphs short of answering the Netanyahu question, but pretty confident that I have an answer. Woke up at 7, then again at 10. Came down at 11, about the time the No Kings demo is supposed to start.

We went to the demonstration about noon. I was pathologically worried about parking, as Wichita has replaced its old meters with some new kind of networked system with commercial apps and such: something I hated and dreaded so much I had avoided parking there for well over a year. I spent some time doing my research, much as Astrid would have done, and got Laura's assurance that if we couldn't find a spot we could just go out to lunch. I offered a Plan B of dropping her off then picking her up when she was done. As it turned out, we were able to park where she expected, on 1st between Market and Broadway. The meters she remembered had been replaced, but aside from punching a couple extra buttons, all we had to do was drop in quarters. We then walked down Broadway to Douglas, and around the block, back up Market. She carried her "No Damn War" sign, and walked very slowly. Just judging from crowd density, it seemed likely that twice as many people came out this time as last. Most people had homemade signs, with "No Kings," riffs on democracy, and deprecations of Trump prevalent. Among the several hundred people I noticed, all were strangers. (This contrasts with some antiwar demonstrations where I knew more than half of a crowd of a couple dozen.) I didn't see as many costumes this time. (As I recall, the elephant I photographed back then was on the corner of Main and Douglas, which we didn't get to. Laura was ready to head off when I pointed out that Market would get us back to the car quicker.)

Afterwards, we went to George's for an expensive lunch. I recalled what Sylvia Fink used to say when she'd dig into a lobster or some caviar: "nothing's too good for the working class." No info on crowd sizes I can find, but estimates for Oct. 18, 2025 ranged from 4,500 to 10,000. We basically hit the milling around period, after the initial marches and before the speeches.

Daily Log

So tired last night I went up at 2AM, before Laura actually went to bed. Woke up upset at 8:30. Read some, tried to go back to sleep, and did until noon. Opened the file yesterday to start writing the 4 questions post. That's as far as I got, but I'll work some on it today. Tom James is coming over this afternoon, to talk about roof coatings. Cooled off a bit last night, after hitting 95F the day before. I have taxes scheduled for Monday, and the car for Tuesday. Those are my big three. I need to decide today whether to appeal the house appraisal, which has shot up $29,700 this year (+12.1%); $47,800 in two years (21.1%). Aside from writing, I should do some house cleaning today. Starts with sweeping upstairs.

Email (63 messages, including some left over):

• Substack: +1 free subscriber.
• Cuisinart: Joita writes back, apologizing for the delayed response, asking: "can you please send us a short video of the issue you are having the pedestal base?"
• Cuneiform: Two new albums by Janel Leppin, with Bandcamp codes. Redeemed and downloaded.

Daily Log

I spent a fair amount of time yesterday adding items to Sunday's Loose Tabs. After TV, I got too close to finishing the jigsaw puzzle, so had to back off and wait for Laura today. I took the time to update the website, pushing Loose Tabs over 25k words. Accordingly, I left the rest of yesterday's tasks undone. I need to pull my tax notes together this morning. Also schedule the car and decide what to do about the roof. And start working on the 4 questions post. In that, I'm bedeviled by just how to answer the "why did Netanyahu want to attack Iran?" question. Trump is relatively easy: all you have to do is push his buttons, which Netanyahu did. But why did Netanyahu even want to do something this stupid? My theory that it was all designed to trap the US into supporting Israel still makes sense, but this time they bit off more than they can chew. I may have to feature the hoary idea that Netanyahu is just scrambling to keep out of jail. To stay out of jail, he has to stay in power. And to stay in power, he has to keep the war going. After Trump forced his hand on Gaza, he desperately needed to open up another front. And that meant Iran.

I woke up shortly after 6. I tried going back to sleep, but had too much shit on my mind. Also, it was hot, and the mini-split is still disconnected and sitting inside, useless. It got up to 95F yesterday, and it's still March, so the roof is looming large in my mind. So I tossed and turned for a couple hours, gave up, got up, read the end of the first big section in Nonzero, then came down just after 9. CPAP showed just under 5 hours, 80 score. Today's going to be rough.

Email (18 messages, but it's early):

• RiotRiot: Ghostface Killah's Fishscale Turns 20
• David Bromwich, The Annals of an Empire in Free Fall: For nations that "aren't already US vassal-state," "there are only two choices: surrender or strengthen your military in anticipation of war."
• PS Economics: This Energy Shock Demands a Green Industrial Strategy (Mariana Mazzucato); The Real Fallout From Trump's Tariffs (Jun Du: "America's self-defeating trade policy has helped who it was supposed to hurt, and vice versa"); America's War, America's Recession (Desmond Lachman); Iran Is Sanctioning America (Simon Johnson).

Daily Log

Woke up at 8-something. Tried to go back to bed, and had a difficult time falling back asleep, but must have, since I finally woke up from a bizarre dream at noon. Logged 7.5 hours, and feel more rested than usual. Music Week posted yesterday, with a long bit on the DeSpain dinner, but nothing new on Oscars. Thinking today about the four questions piece. Big problem will be containing the background explanations. Hank has a vet appointment at 3:10, so that will take a big chunk out of the afternoon. Still have to work on taxes. Still nothing on roof estimates. Still need to take car in. Still need to work on house. Aside from two long posts, only thing I can point to is substantial progress on jigsaw puzzle.

Email (23 messages):

• Substack: new free subscriber (Matt Walston!).
• I got a GoDaddy support code (also on phone), in error.
• Sen. Marshall: Congress must pass the credit card competition act to bring down the cost of living.

Daily Log

Nothing interesting about sleep. Woke up around 10:30, and came down an hour later. I ran the cutoff for Music Week Monday afternoon, and started to write, mostly about Iran, then I moved on to cooking. Didn't get the latter done by TV time, and worked in jigsaw puzzle after that, so didn't wrap it up. Today should do it. Other things to do today: put my tax expenses list together; schedule routine car maintenance; try to get a quote for the roof coverings. Not much else to do. I've asked Laura to pick out quotes from Loose Tabs I can post on Substack Notes. I'll probably add some more links and comments, as I'm not in a big hurry to update with the new Music Week. I have other thoughts for Substack. Just not much energy. Playing Harriett Tubman again, and it's sounding better than it did last night.

Email (32 messages):

• Earthquake M7.6 Tonga
• TomDispatch: Rebecca Gordon, The American Gulag 2026
• RiotRiot interview with Elizabeth Nelson
• Nationwide Medical: I ordered another mask and cushions.

Music Week

Expanded blog post, March archive (in progress).

Tweet: Music Week: 46 albums, 5 A-list.

Music: Current count 45700 [45655] rated (+45), 26 [39] unrated (-13).

New records reviewed this week:

• David Adewumi: The Flame Beneath the Silence (2024 [2026], Giant Step Arts): [cd]: B+(***) [03-27]
• Tyrone Allen II: Upward (2024 [2026], Dreams and Fears): [cd]: B+(*) [03-16]
• Aymeric Avice/Luke Stewart/Chad Taylor: Deep in the Earth High in the Sky (2025 [2026], RogueArt): [cdr]: B+(***)
• Anthony Branker & Other Ways of Knowing: Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit (2025 [2026], Origin): [cd]: B+(***)
• Carl Clements and the Real Jazz Trio: Retrospective (2024 [2026], Greydisc): [cd]: B+(**)
• Daphni: Butterfly (2026, Jiaolong): [sp]: B+(***)
• Dave Douglas: Four Freedoms (2025 [2026], Greenleaf Music): [sp]: B+(**)
• Matt Dwonszyk: Live at the Sidedoor (2024 [2026], self-released): [cd]: B+(***)
• Kim Gordon: Play Me (2026, Matador): [sp]: B+(***)
• Simon Hanes: Gargantua (2024 [2026], Pyroclastic): [cd]: B+(**) [03-27]
• Alexander Hawkins/Taylor Ho Bynum: A Near Permanent State of Wonder (2024 [2025], RogueArt): [cdr]: B+(***)
• Steven Husted and Friends: Two Nights - "Live!" (2025 [2026], self-released): [cd]: B+(*)
• The Interplay Jazz Orchestra: Bite Your Tongue (2025 [2026], Bigtime): [cd]: B+(***)
• Javon Jackson: Jackson Plays Dylan (2025 [2026], Solid Jackson/Palmetto): [cd]: B+(*)
• Anna Kolchina: Reach for Tomorrow (2021-25 [2026], OA2): [cd]: A-
• Ladytron: Paradises (2026, Nettwerk): [sp]: B+(*)
• Julian Lage: Scenes From Above (2025 [2026], Blue Note): [sp]: B+(*)
• Brian Landrus: Just When You Think You Know (2025 [2026], BlueLand/Palmetto): [cd]: B+(*)
• Tom Lippincott: Ode to the Possible (2025 [2026], self-released): [cd]: B+(**)
• Lisanne Lyons: May I Come In (2022-24 [2026], OA2): [cd]: B+(**)
• Luke Norris: Moment From the Past (2023 [2026], self-released): [cd]: B+(***)
• Adam O'Farrill: Elephant (2024 [2026], Out of Your Head): [cd]: A-
• Meg Okura/Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble: Isaiah (2022 [2026], Adhyâropa): [cd]: A-
• Chenxi Pan: This Very Moment (2025 [2026], Origin): [cd]: B
• Poppy: Empty Hands (2026, Sumerian): [sp]: B+(*)
• Benjie Porecki: Faster Than We Know (2026, Funklove Productions): [cd]: B+(*)
• Reverso: Between Two Silences (2024 [2026], Alternate Side): [cd]: B+(***) [03-27]
• Joel Ross: Gospel Music (2026, Blue Note): [sp]: B+(**)
• Harvie S: Bright Dawn (2024 [2026], Origin): [cd]: B+(**)
• Walter Smith III: Twio Vol. 2 (2026, Blue Note): [sp]: B+(***)
• Yuyo Sotashe & Chris Pattishall: Invocation (2022 [2026], self-released, EP): [cd]: B+(**)
• Harriet Tubman & Georgia Muldrow: Electrical Field of Love (2023 [2026], Pi): [cd]: B+(***) [03-27]
• Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. 1 (2025 [2026], Blue Note): [sp]: B+(**)
• Winged Wheel: Desert So Green (2025 [2026], 12XU): [sp]: B+(**)
• Jack Wood: For Every Man There's a Woman (2026, Jazz Hang): [cd]: B+(***) [03-24]

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

• Docteur Nico: Presents African Fiesta Sukisa 1966-1974 (1966-74 [2025], Planet Ilunga): [bc]: A-
• Hank Mobley: Hank (1957 [2026], Blue Note): [yt]: B+(***)
• Lee Morgan: City Lights (1957 [2026], Blue Note): [sp]: B+(**)
• Tyrone Washington: Natural Essence (1967 [2026], Blue Note): [sp]: A-

Old music:

• Hank Mobley: With Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan (1956 [1957], Blue Note): [sp]: B+(**)
• Hank Mobley: A Caddy for Daddy (1965 [1966], Blue Note): [sp]: B+(*)
• Barbara Rosene With Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks: Deep Night (2000-01 [2001], Stomp Off): [sp]: B+(***)
• Barbara Rosene & Her New Yorkers: Ev'rything's Made for Love (2003, Stomp Off): [sp]: B+(***)

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• Atlantic Road Trip: Watch as the Echo Falls (Calligram) [04-03]
• Ryan Blotnick: The Woods (Fishkill) [04-17]
• Chicago Soul Jazz Collective: No Wind & No Rain (Calligram) [04-10]
• Paul Citro: Keep Moving (Home) (Calligram) [05-01]
• Caleb Wheeler Curtis: Ritual (Chill Tone) [04-10]
• Cyger & Butterworth: Plaid Pants (Outrageous8) [03-11]
• Bill Evans: At the BBC (1965, Elemental Music) [04-18]
• Robert Jospé Quartet: The Night Sky (self-released) [01-11]
• The Paul Keller Orchestra: Thank You Notes: The Music of Gregg Hill (Cold Plunge) [03-27]
• Freddie King: Feeling Alright: The Complete 1975 Nancy Pulsations Concert (Elemental Music, 2CD) [04-18]
• Michel Petrucciani: Kuumbwa (1987, Elemental Music, 2CD) [04-18]
• Ted Rosenthal Trio: The Good Old Days (TMR Music) [05-01]
• Paul Silbergleit Trio: The Stillness of July (Calligram) [05-01]
• Alister Spence: Always Ever (Alister Spence Music) [04-24]
• Cecil Taylor Unit: Fragments: The Complete 1969 Salle Pleyel Concerts (Elemental Music, 2CD) [04-18]

Daily Log

Came down about 11:15. I left Loose Tabs unposted last night, so that will be the first order of business today. Music Week can (and probably will) wait. Reading Robert Wright on the long term trends of civilization at this point when America's is in the toilet is, I suppose, somewhat reassuring. No matter how hard the Trumpists try to destroy independent, critical thought, it will survive, and come back to haunt them.

Email (18 messages):

• Semipop Life: Docteur Nico Presents Africa Fiesta Sukisa is the main one I haven't heard. I also followed the link to the Michaelangelo Matos mix, but have trouble crediting it as a real thing, so I didn't try to review or grade. Did sound fairly good.
• Toyota Owners' Intersection thanks me for membership, which will end if I don't fill out a survey. G notes that the program is "different from the general Toyota Owners Website or the Toyota Connected Services."

I tried adding the LanguageTool AI spelling and grammar checker to Firefox. Only way I could get it to work was by pasting text into its window. Even then I immediately ran into problems with text length. (Limit seems to be 10,000 characters. My Loose Tabs column is 164,836 characters. I think even the paid version has a 150,000 character limit.)

One alternative is Grammarly, which also works in Firefox. Requires sign up. Free plan capped at 150k words/30 days. Also fairly well regarded is Quillbot, billed as "the only AI subscription you'll ever need, with a bunch of tools. It has extensions to Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Word, but not Firefox; apps on iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows. Requires a sign up just to see what the pricing is. (Google says $99.95/year, up to $19.95/month.)

Loose Tabs

Pick up from file. Didn't get this posted Sunday (March 22) evening, so it will appear a day later. That will probably push Music Week back a day.

Daily Log

Got up around 10:30, but had to come down right away, so day is off to an odd start. Cooler today: 70F now, vs. 95F yesterday. I have quite a bit of material for Loose Tabs, and all day today to add things without having to postpone posting. Seems like that should be doable.

Email (8 messages):

• Christian Iszchak: mostly older stuff, but Buck Meek is new to me, and I haven't heard the Carsie Blanton.
• Project Syndicate: American Hegemony Is Collapsing Before Our Eyes; The Real Fallout From Trump's Tariffs; Is the Private Credit Boom Going Bust?; Trump's Iran Quagmire Could Sink America [Daron Acemoglu]; Iran Is Sanctioning America [Simon Johnson]; Who's Whispering in Your Chatbot's Ear? [Marc Faddoul considers all the ways that AI output can be influenced without transparency or accountability]; What the Iran Crisis Means for Middle Powers; Trump Is Spending Tomorrow's Security Today.
• M6.3 earthquake in Samoa Islands region.

Daily Log

Woke up around 11, coming down at 11:30. I cleaned up a bit, throwing away most of the leftover greens. I still have the arugula and tomatillos, so could still make those recipes. Cake is gone, but most of the rest of the leftovers remain. Last night I had pad thai from Oscars night, and added a couple game hen quarters. Did a lot of work on Loose Tabs yesterday. Will continue that today and hopefully will post whatever I have on Sunday. Should make a decision on the roof coverings next week. I also need to get my tax notes together, so we can schedule them next week. I also need to take the car in for regular service (postponed since January). After a cold spell early last week, it's gotten quite unseasonably hot here. Should moderate this week, but chances are this could be the hot summer we've been spared recently.

Email (13 messages):

• Substack "Days of Infamy": new likes: 1.
• Robert Wright: War Isn't a Zero-Sum Game. Good piece I need to add to Loose Tabs. I'm reading his Nonzero, which is a quick jaunt through world history using game theory to focus.
• OR Books What's Going Around This Week: Newspaper employment in 2000 stood at 425,000; now that's down to 78,000. Number of books published (with ISBNs) in 2025 jumped 32.5% over 2024, to more than 4 million books. Traditional publishers account for 642,242 (up 6.6%).

Daily Log

Woke up around 7, still dark, and had a rough time getting back to sleep. Dreams included a bizarre series of car accidents around us, which posed various questions of what to do next. Finally woke up again around 11. Resolved yesterday to do Loose Tabs before Music Week, so I set up that file. Substacks will follow more collection. I ordered some post-dinner things from Amazon: a cake turntable, a set of cardboard cake boards, a bag of maple sugar, some prickly pear syrup. Couldn't find the latter two, so I substituted brown sugar + maple flavoring for the former, nothing for the latter (although I did buy a couple pieces of cactus, I didn't do anything with them). The DeSpain cookbook is fairly cheap, so I might just buy a copy instead of copying all the recipes down (although at this point I'm not sure what else I want to try, other than as Laura suggested to put the cake into the rotation).

Email (59 messages):

• Mike Konczal: The Tax Trap Democrats Built for Themselves: "Democrats are trapped in a tax architecture George W Bush built in 2001. Now we're at war with Iran, a country he named to the Axis of Evil in 2002. He won."
• Tom James wants 100% of the money in the insurance supplement. Still trying to sort this out.

Daily Log

Day after the dinner. I slept for about two hours after dinner, roughly from 11-1, then got up and cleaned up most of what Laura hadn't gotten to. I struggled at Mahjongg, then finally returned to bed around 3:30. Woke up around 11, with over 492 minutes logged. Mixed feelings about the dinner. I seem to have pushed my limits, which is mentally exhausting and physically painful. Not clear today what I will do with the unused ingredients. We can probably give most of the leftovers away.

Undecided what to do today. Email (28 messages):

• My plate pic: will probably post on Facebook.
• Robert Wright: Lawlessness as the New Normal
• TomDispatch: Joshua Frank, The Nuclear Disaster You Weren't Thinking About: The Nightmare of Fukushima 15 Years Later.

Daily Log

D-day: cooking today. Woke up after 9, but tried to sleep more. 11:30 now, eating breakfast, almost ready to start. Got the cake, the chili, and the strawberry salsa done last night. Unboxed the grill, and pieced it together, although I think I missed something, as the top is loose on the stand. Warmed up overnight, so it's over 60F now, 76F by 3PM, so perfect grilling weather. Two things to grill: pineapple and jalapenos for another salsa, which should be done relatively early; corn, which should be done closer to dinner time. Lots of things to do. I don't have a clear plan, and the whole salads angle is not just up for grabs but probably going to be omitted. Main things to make sure I get done: the game hens, sweet potatoes/squash, corn, steamed fish, ganache for the cake, fry bread. I could see eliminating the squash, but prep is minimal, and it can go in the same oven as the sweet potatoes, so is pretty easy. I'll start working in a couple minutes.

Mike Poage had a medical emergency yesterday. No clear diagnosis, but I hear he's exhausted, and they probably won't make it. So the excess of food will be even more conspicuous.

Email (32 messages):

• Mike Konczal: Even Before the Iran War, There Was a Growing Inflation Problem.
• Robert Christgau: Film Comment: Notes from the premiere of the documentary "The Last Critic" at SXSW.
• Rodrigo Amado has a new album out.
• Substack: likes +1, new subscribers +1.
• Typo in my plate photo title: Despair plate (cookbook author is Pyet DeSpain).

Major overshoot in planning the meal, which I suppose should have been known ahead of time, but I wanted to encompass it all. I'll write it up tomorrow. When Janice & Tim arrived, I still had 30 minutes on the timer for the game hens and fish, and the fry bread was mixed but not fried. I suggested they could do use the time to do grill the pineapple and corn, which they did. Meanwhile, I fried the bread. Overall, the food was great. I especially liked the pineapple and corn, and was most dubious about the bread.

I was so tired I just laid down around 10, and was out until 1. I left what was probably a record huge mess in the kitchen. Laura cleaned some of it up. For some reason got rid of the pineapple. I still have almost all of the salad fixings. Will wait until tomorrow to decide what to do with them.

Daily Log

Yesterday's log ran on so deep I started writing today's last night. Just wanted to note that the shopping turned out to be a bit of a bust, despite spending a record-for-me amount in Dillons ($506). Thai Binh was closed. They'll be open Tuesday. Main thing I wanted to check there was quail. I went ahead and bought two cornish game hens at Dillons, which probably isn't enough but at least puts them on the menu. I rushed through Dillons, and didn't find a bunch of things: the raspberries that go into the quail marinade was a surprise absence; also no jicama, and no usable greens; no wild rice; no bison (not even ground, which is not what I need). But midway through the store, I had piled up lots of things, and lost track of what I was missing. By that point, I realized I would have to go out again on Tuesday, which means I didn't have to get everything today. So I skipped Yoder, and Mi Super Mercado Baratisimo. I will check them out tomorrow. May go out to Natural Grocers as well: last time there they had sunchokes, which is a possible dish on the menu. Grill came today. Should be easy to assemble.

Came down at 10:30. Sleep score was 95, ok for now. Big day ahead, starting with more shopping for dinner tomorrow. I want to get a fairly early start on that, which probably means going without Laura. Before that, I may start thawing out some things. Not sure what all I'll try to make today. I may try grilling the pineapple today, but should probably wait until tomorrow for the corn. The chili can be made today. I can start marinating the birds today, saute them early tomorrow, then roast them just before dinner. Steaming the fish can be done late. I have to look at the oven times for the squash and sweet potatoes (and sunchokes, if I find them). No decisions yet on salads. Bread will be tomorrow, but not sure whether to do it mid-afternoon or just in time. Cake should be done tonight, but may wait until tomorrow for ganache. Strawberry salsa should be done tonight. Pineapple too, if I get it grilled, but it's cold again, so I might want to hold off on that. Shopping may throw me some curves, so I won't be doing much until I get back. Nice not to have to think about anything else.

Email (26 messages):

• TomDispatch: Clarence Lusane, Racial Genetics Is Trump's Defining Worldview (Full Stop!)
• Sen. Roger Marshall: President Trump is Protecting Americans from Cybercrime. He's signed an executive order that "directs federal agencies to step up coordiation, strengthen law enforcement training, and pursue the most serious cybercriminals responsible for these attacks."
• Substack: +1 new subscriber.

Daily Log

Woke up around 11. Finished the second chapter in Nonzero, on how Adam Smith's "invisible hand" is better understood as an "invisible brain": increases in population, both total and density, reduce costs of transportation and communication (data), which allows for more division (and coordination, either directed or spontaneous) of labor. Makes sense, and places no requirements on genetic drift or other teleology. Next chapter is "War: What's It Good For?" Probably as a driver of technology, but at some point the answer reduces to Edwin Starr's: "absolutely nothing."

I spent most of yesterday in idle pursuits, watching TV, with a break to make pad thai for dinner. Laura rented the movie The Voice of Hind Rajab, Oscar-nominated for International Film, so we watched it. It was basically a real-time re-enactment of the call center in Ramallah that received a phone call from a 5-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza, who survived an initial attack on a car that killed most of her family, pleading for help, which couldn't arrive because Israel was just as happy blowing up ambulances as killing 5-year-old girls. The recordings were posted on social media, and became a sensation, and now a script. A very gripping movie, although I'm skeptical of some of the special effects, like the ability in Ramallah to track the route and movement (or lack thereof) of an ambullance in Gaza — probably an invention, but without it the lack of on-the-ground happenings would have been totally barren.

After that, I made dinner, while the start of the Oscars were being recorded. That took an hour or so, after which we wound up watching the entire show, fast-forwarding through commercials. Having written my notes in the previous day's Music Week, I had some idea of what was going on. Given that I hadn't liked, or in many cases hadn't seen, many movies last year, I didn't have any rooting interests. I'll refrain from saying much more here, but will probably add a section to Loose Tabs and comment there. Later that night, we watched two episodes of Abbott Elementary. After Laura went to bed, I watched two episodes of NCIS.

I woke up today thinking about the four questions approach for a second Iran war piece. Not sure when I'll start work on that, but I think it will work. I also printed out the shopping list for my Rooted in Fire menu, for Wednesday. We need to go shopping today, so I'll try to pick up everything I need. Some question marks on the list, but I figure the best shopping area is around Twin Lakes: Thai Binh has a Latino section, and I've been able to buy frozen quail there (but I don't recall it lately); there's a fairly large Mexican grocery store in Twin Lakes, which might help with some of the more obscure items (the salads are all based on unusual greens, also prickly pear); the Dillons is the most Latin-oriented in town; from there I can get to Yoder, which has some bison (and cornish game hens, if I can't get the quail); also need a liquor store for mezcal. Grill should come today. It's quite cold (24F), and may be for a couple days.

Email (30 messages):

• TomDispatch: Alfred W McCoy, How the Past Whispers to the Present in Iran
• Semipop Life: Top 60 albums of the Sixties. Maybe I should write my own?
• Substack post "Days of Infamy": likes: 1
• Wichita Public Library: 2 books renewed.
• Pitch (addressed to Christgau) for new hip-hop publication 8trackz (link broken, nothing in google).

Also some notes from Facebook:

• Mark Rosen has a Facebook review of the Christgau doc, The Last Critic, which just premiered at SWSX.
• Aragorn Eloff says "you have to feel sorry for the Frankfurt School," noting the recent death of Jürgen Habermas (who "spent his career served up a defanged liberal variant of their thought"). He also cites a forthcoming Verso book by AJA Woods, The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy: Why the Right Blames the Frankfurt School for the Decline of the West, which looks interesting. I find myself circling back to my early interest in Adorno, Benjamin, etc., so I might be ready for something like this.
• Tineke recommends a book by Anja Meulenbelt, The Shame Is Over: A Personal History, coming out in US soon: "The book that I felt gave me permission to love women without shame, or permission. 50 years ago. But that's not all there is to it. It became one of my most beloved books."
• Tom Carson: "'At last I am free of the tyranny of a cruel and insane master' is a description of waning sexual desire variously attributed to Sophocles and Tolstoy, among others, although everybody else may simply have been quoting Sophocles. This exactly describes my bliss at realizing I'm utterly indifferent to the Oscars even as a subject of cultural analysis, which kept me at the trough for several decades after I caught on that Oscar's notion of "best" wasn't quite as authoritative as, say, death in battle or a jury verdict."
• List of "largest cities in the world" topped by Jakarta (41.9 million) and Dakha (36.6 million), topping long-time leader Tokyo (33.4 million), New Delhi, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Cairo, Manila, Kolkata, Seoul, Karachi, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Beijing, Bangkok, Lahore (misidentified as China), Istanbul, Moscow, and Saigon (using some old names here, where the new ones haven't quite settled in (as they have for Canton, Calcutta, and Bombay).

On March 13, Tom Carson posted on Facebook that "Iran has been our sworn enemy for alost half a century. I'm glad Trump is finally getting rid of this menace, because 47 years of having my life disrupted by those batards i Tehran . . ." I took some offense before realizing he was kidding. Still, I commented, figuring I could plug my Iran war piece:

I opened up Facebook, thinking I'd post a link to my utterly humorless critique of the folly of war with Iran, but I saw this post first, and was easily take aback by your first line.

I now see that Carson replied:

Tom Hull, you may have read deeply enough to answer a question that's always perplexed me. I've done a fair amount of the reading myself, and I've *never* found an explanation for Hitler's decision to declare war on the US. Loyalty to his allies is a farcical motive; just ask Mussolini or the USSR, for that matter. His generals knew the Wehrmacht was grinding to a halt in Russia and even the rosiest victory scenario couldn't survive tackling *another* colossus just for the hell of it in mid-fight. The US didn't have anything Hitler wanted to seize; even for him, lebensraum stopped at the Atlantic and our Pacific empire was completely outside his interest or even basic knowledge. Everybody had a low opinion of American fighting skills, including most American generals, but the huge industrial and other resources we'd bring to bear were no secret by 1941. Yet every history and Hitler bio I've read treats it as an unremarkable decision, not an act of stark lunacy. You got any suggestions?

I wrote back:

None that I clearly recall, although I read Kershaw's "Fateful Choices," and that has a chapter on the war declaration, so might be worth another look. Your points are well taken. It may just be that declarations of war were something one did back then, as much to mobilize one's own forces as to alert the other. Japan declared war right after the Pearl Harbor attack, but delivered a message to FDR before which made clear their intent. The US was clearly aligned against Germany, and was sending fairly large quantities of arms. Hitler wanted to sink those ships, and he knew the US would reciprocate by declaring war, but he was a pro-active guy, so it makes some sense that he [thought he] should make the first move. The poll I cited about 97% support for war against Japan after Pearl Harbor also had support for war against Germany at 90%, so FDR wouldn't have had any problem getting his own declaration. That the US has been in dozens of wars ever since WWII without declaring war has colored our thinking, as has 80 years of relentless war propaganda.

I also added:

By the way, your comment that winning WWII was the worst thing that ever happenend to the US was one of the most profound things I ever read.

To a meme about "fiscal conservitism" I added:

I think you'll also find that 8 (or 9?) of the richest states lean Democratic (although within any given state, the rich trend Republican, and the poor trend Democratic. The deficits item is slightly misleading: the rate declined under Obama and Biden, not the total; Clinton only ran a surplus his last year. "Fiscal conservatism" isn't half what it's cracked up to be. Republicans only agitate for it when the president is a Democrat. While it isn't true that "deficits don't matter" (as Cheney said), moderate deficits are usually much better than none (pace Clinton). "Austerity" is to economics as "bleeding" was to 19th century medicine: a core for nothing that is more likely just to make matters worse.

Facebook comment from US Democratic Socialists:

The most important Oscar speech tonight wasn't about film. The director of "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" just said this from the stage: "You lose your country through countless small acts of complicity. When we act complicit when a government murders people on the streets. When oligarchs take over the media and control how we produce and consume it. We all face a moral choice. But even a nobody is more powerful than you think."

He was talking about Russia.

But the audience knew he was talking about America too.

David Ellison is buying CNN — Pete Hegseth said it will be "far better" when he does.

The DOGE deposition videos were removed from YouTube.

The Epstein files are sealed.

The Pentagon won't release a casualty count.

Countless small acts of complicity.

That's how you lose it.

A "nobody" is more powerful than you think.

Never stop connecting the dots. — Brian Allen

Facebook by Richard Gilman-Opalsky on Habermas:

I cannot claim that Jurgen Habermas wasn't a huge influence on me. My first major book offered a sustained critical engagement with his theory of the public sphere and its evolution from the 1960s to the early 2000s. My argument was that a better concept of the public sphere could be found in revolt, in the example of the Mexican Zapatistas, than in Habermas's theory. I also argued, against Habermas, that the public sphere could define better roles for itself than the legitimation of the state. I was originally drawn to Habermas because his early writings provided a way to think of politics from below, which was important to him in the shadow of the murderous German ruling class . . . He studied how capitalism undermined democracy in such a way that created space for the critique of capitalism in mainstream social science. When I attended his lectures, he was always underwhelming, except for one time when he called out a professor's neoliberalism at The New School . . . Anyway, Habermas has died, and I am reflecting on how my life's work began in a critique of his.

Daily Log

Woke up a bit after 9. Seemed like enough. Read some and came down by 10. Laura tells me she's rented The Voice of Hind Rajab, so we can watch it before the Oscars tonight. I posted Music Week last night, fairly late because I wrote up some Oscars movie notes, and wanted Laura to verify what we did and didn't watch. Turns out that she watched Weapons: liked it but didn't think I would, which is probably correct. We also watched Bugonia, which she liked a lot, and I liked a little. Suspending my realist prejudices, which I can allow for fiction (although I don't particularly like to), the point seems to be that the paranoid can be right but unbelieved and self-defeatingly hapless, while some alien force with the power to destroy the world can do so on little more than a whim. It may also say something about the fatalism of those who believe that all things can be traced back to genes, and therefore disallow the possibility of social and cultural adjustments overcoming bad genetic traits. So I found the end, with its tableaux of corpses struck down in quotidian acts, quite sad, even though I don't doubt that the bees will be better off without humans around.

Started writing up my menu/shopping list for Wednesday, but didn't get very far. Got a new keyboard, which I plugged into the "new" machine. After a moment of confusion, it started working nicely. It does have proper mechanical keys. The one I'm typing this on is considered mechanical, but the keys are about one-third the height, making it very easy to miss characters. In some ways, I like the feel, but it is leading to a lot of typos. Next step might be to swap the keyboards, so I get some practice on the new one. Not sure about going to grocery store today. If not, I may try to do all the shopping on Monday. No pressing writing jobs today, and no business, so I may actually get a restful sabbath.

Email (5 messages):

• Substack: +1 like (4 total).
• GoDaddy: got notice that tomhull.com autorenewed; had to manually renew notesoneverdaylife.com. Did, but didn't set it to autorenew. After confirming the order, GoDaddy sent another email telling me to "renew your expired products before you lose them."

Daily Log

Didn't actually post Music Week yesterday. I got distracted when I realized that I hadn't added any Music Week intros to the monthly archive files since August. Catching up wasn't terribly hard, but took time. I also saw that I hadn't updated the Streamnotes indexes since September. That's a bigger, and more grueling, job. I took care of October, but I'm still four months behind, and I probably don't want to put that much time in before getting back to writing.

Got up before noon today.

I've started reading Robert Wright's Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny. Wright seems to be some kind of theologian (his next book was The Evolution of God, and his forthcoming book on AI also references God in the subtitle), which seems likely to ensure some quantity of what I'll regard as bullshit. On the other hand, I'm attracted to his nonzero-sum game theory, and I find his newsletter to be very smart on US war policy, and not obviously wrong on AI. I also bought one of Acemoglu's books on development at the same time. I have some doubts there, but also thought the big-picture synthesis might prove stimulating. I might also add that in times when the news is so awful, it's not a bad idea to refocus on a longer time frame. I recall reading a lot of geology and paleontology after Rebecca died, and taking some comfort in vast stretches of time.

Goal for today is getting Music Week out. I'm thinking of a follow up on Iran based on key questions. I may try formulating the questions in the Music Week intro. Second thing I want to do is to write up a menu and shopping list for a dinner based on Pyet Despain's Rooted in Fire. I'm thinking I want to cook Wednesday, which should give me ample time to get it all together. In particular, the new electric grill is coming on Monday, and I'll have Tuesday for shopping. (I may need to go to the grocery store before then, perhaps today, so it would be good to have the list sooner rather than later.) I also have some housework in mind, but I'm less certain that I'll get to it today. The desk mess is slightly less today than a few days ago, but still has a long ways to go.

Email (10 messages):

• Substack stats: 156 views, 3 likes, no subscriptions.

Music Week

Expanded blog post, March archive (in progress).

Tweet: Music Week: 52 albums, 11 A-list

Music: Current count 45655 [45603] rated (+52), 39 [11] unrated (+28).

New records reviewed this week:

• Melissa Aldana: Filin (2025 [2026], Blue Note): [sp]: B+(**)
• Kal Banx: Rhoda (2025, Top Dawg Entertainment): [sp]: B+(**)
• Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore: Tragic Magic (2026, In Finé): [sp]: B+(*)
• By Storm: My Ghosts Go Ghost (2026, Dead Air/By(e) Storm): [sp]: B+(*)
• Ron Carter & Ricky Dillard: Sweet, Sweet Spirit (2026, Blue Note): [sp]: B+(*)
• Charli XCX: Wuthering Heights (2026, Atlantic): [sp]: B+(***)
• Steve Cohn/Billy Stein: Up From the Soil (2021-24 [2025], Hathor Music): [cd]: B+(**)
• The Cucumbers: As You Heard Me: Songs From "Hello George" (2026, Life Force): [cd]: A-
• Daggerboard: The Skipper and Mike Clark (2022 [2026], Wide Hive): [cd]: B+(**)
• Dead Pioneers: Po$t American (2025, Hassle): [sp]: A-
• DJ Eprom: We Are the Biobots (2026, JuNouMi): [sp]: A-
• Art Edmaiston & Chad Fowler: Memphis Mandala (2024 [2026], Mahakala Music): [sp]: B+(*)
• John Ellis & Double Wide: Fireball (2019 [2026], Sunnyside): [sp]: B+(**)
• Fakemink: The Boy Who Cried Terrified (2026, EtnaVeraVela, EP): [sp]: B+(*)
• The Femcels: I Have to Get Hotter (2026, Getting Hotter): [sp]: B+(**)
• Bill Frisell: In My Dreams (2025 [2026], Blue Note): [sp]: B+(**)
• Peter Furlan: The Peter Furlan Project Live at Maureen's Jazz Cellar (2025 [2026], Beany Bops): [cd]: B+(*)
• Heavenly: Highway to Heavenly (2026, Skep Wax): [sp]: B+(*)
• Imarhan: Essam (2026, City Slang): [sp]: B+(***)
• Jon Irabagon: Focus Out (2022 [2026], Irrabagast): [cd]: B+(***)
• Jon Irabagon and Dan Oestreicher: Saturday's Child (2023 [2026], Irrabagast): [cd]: B+(***)
• Lazy Californians: Back to San Francisco (2026, Angel Island): [cd]: B+(***)
• Shawn Lovato: Biotic (2024 [2026], Endectomorph Music): [cd]: B+(***)
• Mandy, Indiana: Urgh (2026, Sacred Bones): [sp]: B+(***)
• The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis: Deface the Currency (2026, Impulse!): [sp]: B
• Pat Metheny: Side-Eye III+ (2026, Ubiquity Music): [sp]: B+(*)
• Van Morrison: Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge (2026, Townsend Music/Orangefield): [sp]: B+(*)
• Quinsin Nachoff: Patterns From Nature (2023 [2026], Whirlwind): [cd]: B+(***)
• Negative Press Project: Friction Quartet (2026, Envelopmental Music): [cd]: B+(*)
• Angelika Niescier: Chicago Tapes (2025 [2026], Intakt): [sp]: B+(***)
• PVA: No More Like This (2026, It's All for Fun): [sp]: B+(***)
• Ratboys: Singin' to an Empty Chair (2026, New West): [sp]: B+(**)
• Ron Rieder: Compositions in Blue and Other Hues (2024 [2026], Meson): [cd]: B+(**)
• Brandon Seabrook: Hellbent Daydream (2026, Pyroclastic): [cd]: B+(*)
• Shabaka: Of the Earth (2026, Shabaka): [sp]: B+(*)
• Sleaford Mods: The Demise of Planet X (2026, Rough Trade): [sp]: B+(**)
• Squirrel Nut Zippers: Squirrel Nut Zippers Starring in "Fat City" (The Ballad of Lil' Tony) (2026, Music Maker): [sp]: B+(**)
• Karen Stachel, Norbert Stachel & LehCats: Live @ the Breakroom With Giovanni Hidalgo (2024 [2026], Purple Room Productions, 2CD): [cd]: B+(*) [03-20]
• Teen Jesus & the Jean Teasers: Glory (2025, Mom + Pop Music): [sp]: B+(**)
• They Might Be Giants: Eyeball (2026, Idlewild, EP): [sp]: B-
• Zu: Ferrum Sidereum (2026, House of Mythology): [sp]: B+(**)

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

• Kelan Phil Cohran & Legacy: African Skies (1993 [2025], Listening Position): [sp]: A-
• Marty Ehrlich/Julius Hemphill: Circle the Heart (1982 [2026], Relative Pitch): [sp]: B+(**)
• Grupo Um: Nineteen Seventy Seven (1977 [2026], Far Out): [sp]: B+(**)
• Abdallah Oumbadougou: Amghar: The Godfather of Tuareg Music Vol. 1 ([2024], Petaluma): [sp]: A-
• Ranil Y Su Conjunto Tropical: Galaxia Tropical ([2026], Analog Africa): [sp]: A-

Old music:

• Dead Pioneers: Dead Pioneers (2023, self-released): [sp]: A-
• Madonna: Madame X: Music From the Theater Xperience (2020 [2021], Warner): [sp]: B+(***)
• Madonna: MDNA World Tour (2012 [2013], Interscope): [sp]: B+(***)
• Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour (2016 [2017], Eagle): [sp]: B+(**)
• Masaka Kids Africana: Greatful (2021, Masaka Kids Africana): [sp]: A-
• Range Rats: Range Rats (1986 [2010], Mississippi): [sp]: A-
• Michael Hurley/Range Rats: Dead Moon Night (1986-2017 [2024], Mississippi, EP): [bc]: B

Grade (or other) changes:

• Buck 65: Do Not Bend (2026, Vertices): [bc]: [was: B+(***) A-
• Gogol Bordello: We Mean It, Man! (2026, Casa Gogol): [sp]: [was: B+(***)] A-

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week (actually last several, as I had fallen way behind):

• David Adewumi: The Flame Beneath the Silence (Giant Step Arts) [03-27]
• Tyrone Allen II: Upward (Dreams and Fears) [03-16]
• Anthony Branker & Other Ways of Knowing: Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit (Origin) [03-20]
• Asher Brinson: Midnight Hurricane (AsherBrin) [04-03]
• Owen Chen: Eternal Wind: The Ghibli Collection (OA2) [04-03]
• Steve Cohn/Billy Stein: Up From the Soil (Hathor Music) [2025-10-03]
• Matt Dwonsyk: Live at the Sidedoor (self-released) [03-06]
• Simon Hanes: Gargantua (Pyroclastic) [03-27]
• Alexander Hawkins/Taylor Ho Bynum: A Near Permanent State of Wonder (RogueArt) [2025-09-12]
• Steven Husted and Friends: Two Nights - "Live!" (self-released) [02-16]
• The Interplay Jazz Orchestra: Bite Your Tongue (self-released) [02-26]
• Jon Irabagon: Focus Out (Irrabagast) [03-13]
• Jon Irabagon and Dan Oestreicher: Saturday's Child (Irrabagast) [03-13]
• Javon Jackson: Jackson Plays Dylan (Solid Jackson/Palmetto) [03-27]
• Jamile/Vinicius Gomes: Boundless Species (La Reserve) [04-03]
• DeYeon Kim: Wellspring (TAO Forms) [05-01]
• Erica von Kleist: Picc Pocket (self-released) [04-23]
• Anna Kolchina: Reach for Tomorrow (OA2) [02-27]
• Steve Kovalcheck: Buckshot Blues (OA2) [04-03]
• Brian Landrus: Just When You Think You Know (BlueLand/Palmetto) [03-20]
• Scott Lee: Greetings From Florida: Postcards From Paradise (Sunnyside) [04-16]
• Tom Lippincott: Ode to the Possible (self-released) [03-02]
• Lisanne Lyons: May I Come In (OA2) [02-27]
• Quinsin Nachoff: Patterns From Nature (Whirlwind) [02-27]
• Luke Norris: Moment From the Past (self-released) [03-20]
• Adam O'Farrill: Elephant (Out of Your Head) [03-20]
• Meg Okura: Isaiah (Adhyâropa) [02-20]
• Beto Paciello: The Stoic Suite (Moons Arts) [04-17]
• Chenxi Pan: This Very Moment (Origin) [03-20]
• Benjie Porecki: Faster Than We Know (Funklove Productions) [03-02]
• Reverso: Between Two Silences (Alternate Side) [03-27]
• Harvie S: Bright Dawn (Origin) [03-20]
• Marta Sanchez: For the Space You Left (Out of Your Head) [04-17]
• Dave Schumacher & Cubeye: Agua Con Gas (Cubeye Music) [04-17]
• Yuyo Sotashe & Chris Pattishall: Invocation (self-released) [03-20]
• Chad Taylor/Aymeric Avice/Luke Stewart: Deep in the Earth High in the Sky (RogueArt) [02-09] *
• Harriet Tubman & Georgia Muldrow: Electrical Field of Love (Pi) [03-27]
• Jack Wood: For Every Man There's a Woman (Jazz Hang) [03-24]

Daily Log

Came down around 11:30. I've pretty much finished Imagined Communities: the last piece recounts the book's many translations, like an extended acknowledgments section, not uninteresting but far from necessary. I didn't manage to send the Iran war piece out last night, but it is certainly going out today. As far as I'm concerned, I'm done with it. The next step will be to catch up with the news as I add to the Loose Tabs folder. That will shake some more thoughts loose, and may yield another Substack piece. But I still have the unfinished chicken & dumplings piece in the NOEL folder, so I might revisit that before long.

Music Week also remains an open question. I still have half a dozen packages to unpack. I'll try to get that done today, after which I'll run the cutover. The introduction will offer a chance to reflect, so that will wind up determining whether it goes out today or tomorrow. I'm thinking I'll cook the native American dinner for Wednesday. Grill has shipped and should be here on Monday. I can shop on Tuesday, then start prepping. The dishes look to be pretty simple, but there are a lot to choose from. I'll write out a shopping list this weekend. Looks like I've put the roof off for another week, but some things might start moving then. It would be nice to have a few things organized in the kiosk for giveaway to dinner guests.

I might also note that after talking to the barbecue people, I re-read the Weber manual, and may have found the problem. There seems to be some sort of "excess flow safety device" built into the regulator that reduces the gas supply. There specify a reset procedure, but it is hard to see how it even works. Still, it is a good match for the problem (some but inadequate gas flow). With the new electric grill coming, I don't need to rush out and work on this. I still see the electric as a useful experiment, even if I get the gas grill back in service.

Email (35 messages):

• Mike wrote back about the "Infamy" piece: "I don't have anything significant to add. Still just all seems so incredible."
• Likes for my "Days of Infamy" post: 3.
• Robert Wright: Why Americans Should Root for Iran.

Daily Log

Woke up about 7:30. Couldn't go back to sleep, so I read some. Eventually tried again, and found myself waking from a dream after 11. Dentist appointment at 2, so not much to do until then. I sent a draft of the Iran piece off to a few friends. Only response I see is from Mike Hull, correcting my Roosevelt quote. I'll work on it after I get back, and should send it out today. I should also do a cutover for Music Week, possibly to post tomorrow. I've logged a bunch of unpacking, but still have more to go. Lots of records to report on. Also, collecting for Loose Tabs is like sipping from a firehose.

Email (35 messages):

• TomDispatch: Juan Cole, Trump ad the Return of the White Man's Burden.
• Introducing the Substack Recording Studio.

Dentist was rough. Took a long time to clean up the cement. I made various stops after that:

1. I went to Goodwill to check on possibly donating things. I wound up picking up a cheap book (Frank Rich: The Greatest Story Ever Sold). Looks like they will take jigsaw puzzles.
2. Yoder Meats: I wanted to check availability, especially on bison. They have ground, a roast, some steaks. No quail, but they have cornish game hens.
3. I stopped by Green Acres, but didn't buy anything.
4. I went out to Jim's Tire & Auto to see if they repair gas grills. They don't. They used to sell pellet grills, but didn't seem to have any of them either.
5. I went to All Things Barbecue. They don't do repairs either, but I talked to their salesman about how to fix mine. I got a couple of ideas, but not much confidence. I asked what to do with my old one, and he said maybe someone would pick it up for scrap. I looked at some new grills. They were very expensive, and none especially appealed to me.

I came back and looked at various grill options. I read a couple pieces, and looked at a lot of options, especially for electric. I decided to order a Cuisinart indoor/outdoor 2-in-1 unit. I like that it comes with a stand and a lid, and that the grill looks easy to clean. Doesn't have any bells or whistles, but right now I'm looking for something to do some prep for this Rooted in Fire cookbook meal. What I'm thinking of is a taste sampler of: venison chili, fish steamed in corn husks, maybe one of the bison dishes, a quail dish (sub. cornish game hens), grilled corn, squash, sunchokes, sweet potatoes, fry bread, a salsa or two, and mezcal chocolate cake. I'm not much impressed by the salads, or the soups. Not a great array of choices, but enough to make an interesting project.

Lots of tabs open for grill options, but no real need to go into them now. The one I bought is roughly equivalent to the George Foreman grills. Now that I look at it, there's a Green Pan for $160 that is similar, perhaps a bit bigger, with a temperature probe. Might have been a better pick. I'm also seeing a Cuisinart for $150 which is a bit larger and adds an extra tray to the stand.

Weber has two models for $329 and $399, and there are several more contenders in that price range. Those are both table-top units, but a stand may be optional ($110). Fancier is the Weber Pulse 2000, a wheeled unit at $1068. Another wheeled unit is, for $899, the Current Model G Dual Zone Grill. The cheapest of what we might call the console units is a Char-Broil Edge, for $500.

Searching also generates a lot of leads for what we might call grilling appliances, most designed for inside use, where they are reportedly smokeless (although some have smoking functions). They start under $100, but the one I was most intrigued by is the Ninja Woodfire 7-in-1, for $300. It's basically a fancy air fryer, with a smoker function added.

Daily Log

Came down at 11:20. I'm into the first appendix of Imagined Communities. The book proper ended with Benjamin's angel. The appendix starts with censuses, maps, and museums. Those concepts we largely take for granted, but they are key parts of Trump's nationalist project. My week is getting swalowed up by my Iran war piece. I did finally get some work done on it last night, including breaking it up under section heads, and adding a couple more notes. I'm thinking today I should insert a penultimate section, on possible longer-term consequences, especially about the failure in selling the war. I need to hold down prophesying, and at least allow for the possibility that Trump might get away with it. I do hope to be done with it today. Music Week will wait for another.

Email (23 messages):

• Mazin Qumsiyeh calls his post "World War III."
• Dub reissue of Mekons Horror.
• Xgau Sez: March, 2026. (Processed now.)
• Robert Wright: How Trump's war is backfiring.

Dan Weiss complained on Facebook about Xgau Sez, especially the question about "If you could invite yourself to join a band, any band at any time from recorded music's brief past, which would it be, what instrument are you playing, and why?" Christgau rejected the whole idea. I commented:

I thought the question was fair and the answer was fine. I'm reminded of Bill James' reaction to sportswriters who like to play up their insider angles. Bob, like James, is an outsider, and aware that gives him a distinct perspective (neither something to be proud or ashamed of). Of course, a critic who is actually in a band is going to have a different perspective. I have no problem with that, but I'm probably even more removed from the production of music than Bob is - and judging from his answer to the first question I was much less exposed to music while growing up than he was. Now that he's fixed up the Peter Perrett question on the website (admitting he's heard the album and rated it a B+, missing from the email release), the only q&a I really disliked was the live albums list (regurgitating his favorites and asking for an amen, to which he added yet another Monk reference), although part of that was the links made more work for me than the rest of the column combined. I've been listening to live Madonna since his CG, which isn't an improvement but an interesting recontextualization. And I frequently play Leonard Cohen, which is an improvement. And while most jazz is live, and therefore a different issue, if you have to go there, please mention Mingus (Antibes, Carnegie Hall). By the way, I did some research and found 17 questions since the previous XgauSez: some worse than those answered, but also some that could have elicited some serious thought. This column feels like a rush job, but given that I know him fairly well, I appreciate the spontaneity, and tend to over look the redundancy. On the other hand, I've only received 3 questions since Jan. 1: answered 2, ignored (so far) the one about me not reviewing Argentinian rock.

Daily Log

Woke up before noon. Came down around 12:25. I think I got to the end of the Iran war piece yesterday, but need to reread it today, and see what needs to be cleaned up. No work on Music Week. No interest, as far as I can tell. I still haven't done a lot of unpacking, but I do have a small tray to put the bounty, and I've started the day with a queue album, by Brandon Seabrook. Not enjoying it so far.

Email (26 messages):

• Substack Notes: link to "The Death of Spotify."
• TomDispatch: Mattea Kramer, Breaking Bread in Authoritarian America
• JJA 2026 Book Award Nominees and Honorable Mentions
• GoDaddy: tomhull.com set to auto-renew on 3/15.

Daily Log

Oh dear, it's Monday again. Time to plot out some practical work goals for the week: something I'm not prepared to do, or at least am looking forward to. Most urgent item is probably dealig with the remaining roof issues. I got a second letter back from Polyglass, so have some due diligence I can approach Tom James with. We also have the insurance settlement, which I still haven't figured out, but might just turn over to him. Only scheduled item is to get my crown fitted on Thursday (which could be moved up). As for writing, I'm still only midway through my Iran piece. I think that takes priority over Music Week, which is nominally due today. I also need to process Christgau's Consumer Guide. I've played nearly everything in it, including a revisit to Gogol Bordello which may still bump the grade to A-. I'll do the CG today, and get back to work on Iran. Music Week can wait. The roof can also wait until after Iran. Much good stuff in the Iran piece, but it is already getting long.

Email (16 messages):

• New on Substack: draft Notes, hide revenue stats, pin multiple posts, and more.

Daily Log

"Spring forward" so my usual 3AM bed time suddenly became 4AM. Woke up in a frustrating dream about trying to recommend a quality restaurant in Wichita. Read some, and came down at 11:40. I really need to buckle down on the Iran war piece today. I haven't posted the Consumer Guide notice yet, but have played the two African albums, which are good.

Email (10 messages):

Project Sydicate: Carolyn Kissane: Iran War is upending global energy markets; Carla Norrlöf: The long road to war with Iran; Michael Burleigh: Breaking up Iran would be catastrophic; Avri Shechter: Iran's energy-warfare strategy; Jun Du: A stronger work ethic won't fix advanced economies; Simon Johnso: What makes America strong? ("shows how immigration powered the country's econoic and geopolitical rise").

Daily Log

Woke up around 9:30, and came down at 10:40. Read Anderson about the separation of the Americas into multiple nations from 1760-1830, a "creole" process where the US is but one example among many more. I am again struck by the recency of such momentous changes, how fast they have occurred, and unconscious we remain of their impacts. The book puts much emphasis on print-language, from the invention of books in the 15th century to the proliferation of newspapers in the 18th. I won't be surprised to find that the driving force of democracy was literacy. Perhaps I should wonder whether recent anti-democratic currents aren't the consequence of increasing illiteracy? (Not that we are, strictly speaking, becoming illiterate, but that our literacy skills are atrophying, as new electronic media increasigly saturates our sensations, and substitutes for analysis.)

I worked on the Iran piece yesterday. I left myself at a juncture, raising the question why Trump didn't wait to be attacked. One can go several ways from there, and I need to figure out which is next. I could talk about:

• Deterrence, the notion of "peace through strength," which requires that one wait until being attacked to respond. Otherwise, all you're doing is collecting arms for intimidation, or what we call "projection of power."
• Vulnerability, the question of whether one can withstand, and thus afford, to be attacked. One might argue that times have changed, making society and economy more fragile, especially given more advanced weapons operating at higher speeds over shorter effective distances.
• The original question was about "selling the war," which Trump did not in any sense do. Why does this matter? Do wars need popular support any more? Do wars need political support? Clearly not to start, but to sustain? And what happens when they go wrong (as they always do)? Trump appears so convinced that striking Iran would be such a master stroke, a triumphant display of superhuman will power, that he didn't bother to build any sort of domestic or international alliance, preferring to keep the glory to himself alone. As such he's spared an all-too-gullible Democratic leadership much embarrassment, and ensured that blame will be his alone. (Well, and Netanyahu's.)

Probably more angles from there, but I should start writing there, not here.

Email (15 messages):

• Robert Wright: Iran and the immorality of OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. Good piece on Iran war, which segues comments on the use of AI for bomb targeting in Iran, and the corrupt axis between business interests, the military, and US foreign policy.
• Christian Iszchak: An Acute Case. One album here I haven't heard: Cory Hanson. More I have: Bill Scorzari (A-), De La Soul (**), DJ Love (A-), Elizabeth Nichols (**), From the Dirt (***), Monaleo (**), Todd Snider (A-).
• Robert Christgau Consumer Guide: Couple albums here I haven't heard: The Cucumbers (which I have in queue), Madonna, Masaka Kids, Abdallah Oumbadougou, Anderson .Paak, Squirrel Nut Zippers. Some I have heard: Aesop Rock (A-), Buck 65 (***), Gogol Bordello (***), The Paranoid Style (A-), Princess Nokia (***), Sunny Sweeney (A-), Charli XCX (**). Buck 65 and Gogol Bordello are probably worth another listen. Maybe XCX as well, or I could just quietly edge it up a bit to (***), which I can already justify.

Daily Log

Slept past 11:30. Came down at 12:30. Struggled with the early pages of Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities, but it started to get interesting with the discussion of book publishing, including the claim that about 20M books had been published in the late 15th century, and another 200M in the 16th. Publishing was an early capitalist endeavor, and the search for expanding markets spread from Latin to vernacular languages, from the Bible to secular works (for which the classics of Rome were intermediary). The notion of nations follows at some point.

Thinking more about my Iran war piece. I should start writing today. That also means I shouldn't flinch from collecting Iran war links for Loose Tabs, but that isn't the goal, just part of the process. On the other hand, I'll probably start with more EOY lists, just to get going. And I should do some unpacking now that I have somewhere to put the CDs, but again that will be a side show. In general, I intend to treat today as weekend (no business), but occupied (little if any housework).

Email (49 messages):

• Rodrigo Amado archive series album from 2019, with Joe McPhee, Kent Kessler, and Chris Corsano. Three tracks on Bandcamp.
• Chuck Eddy: "Finally, I'm pretty sure a war started. Unless it's either (1) been a war for 47 years and nobody thought to tell us or (2) it's not a war after all. Pretty sure I've heard the same people claiming both — how cognitively dissonant of them!"

On Facebook:

Elias Vlanton: This is actually a message for Tom, but related. What does he think of Benny Morris' book 1948: A history of the First Arab-Israeli War?

Tom Hull: I haven't read that Morris book, but it was important at the time, and his "Righteous Victims" is a good general history up to when it was written (1999). It is, of course, dated now, kind of like writing a history of the Third Reich up to 1937. Morris made a hard turn to the right after 2000, which left a bad taste, but he could have been on the right earlier and simply decided to brag about the expulsions rather than dissemble about them. Few on the right deny that history any more. The standard book on 1948-49 is probably Ilan Pappe's "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine." Tom Segev's books are good, especially "One Palestine, Complete" on the much-neglected British period. His "1967" is good on that pivotal year, which transformed the Israeli psyche from induced terror to pure hubris. Richard Ben Cramer's "How Israel Lost" (2004) is still in my mind the best book on the subject, although it too risks becoming dated. Max Blumenthal's "Goliath" (2013) was the first book to make clear how Israel was "breaking bad." Many more books I could mention, but it's hard for anyone to put it all together.

List of "US interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean after World War II:

• 1954, Guatemala
• 1961, Cuba
• 1964, Brazil
• 1965, The Dominican Republic
• 1971, Bolivia
• 1973, Chile
• 1979, Nicaragua
• 1983, Grenada
• 1989, Panama
• 1994, Haiti
• 2026, Venezuela

Daily Log

Woke up after 10. Started reading Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities, about nationalism. Didn't come down until 11:30. I have a dentist appointment at 2, so nothing much until then. I also have my library books to return. I should check on roof coatings, and maybe on auto sound. I had a list of places written out at one point. I'll probably have to reconstruct that. I thought about two Substack pieces yesterday, but didn't work on either. Instead, I just added a few lists to the EOY Aggregate. Waste of time, but I heard some pretty good records yesterday. Professor Longhair was still in the CD player today, so I just hit play. I should get four more baskets today or tomorrow, at which point I can start moving CDs.

Email (28 messages):

• TomDispatch: Maha Hilal: Why the Trump Administration Doesn't Just Break the Law, But Uses Legality (in a Distinctly Lawless Fashion).
• Sen. Roger Marshall: Trump Medical Transparency Initiative Could Save $1 Trillion. Marshall is a sponsor of the bill. Trump is just some guy lending his name to something he most likely doesn't understand. The potential savings are wildly exaggerated, but sure, more price transparency would be a good thing for consumers (and possibly their lawyers). But there's no reason to think that people, especially those who are gravely ill, will shop around diligently. And this mostly applies just to people who lack insurance, as most service pricing is already negotiated with insurance companies, who do have the detachment and incentive to shop around.
• American Dental appointment for March 12, 2 PM (crown fitting).
• Heard back from Steve Wadding at US Polyglass about roof coatings. Included some product data sheets.

Dentist work was pretty tedious, leaving me in a bad mood. After that, I went to library to return my books. I didn't find much else that interested me, and I found a few new pro-Trump books that were pretty repulsive. I wound up checking out two cookbooks: one on Native American and Mexican, which looked like it might be good for an interesting meal plan; the other was a huge America's Test Kitchen compilation, which looks like pretty good recipes for damn near anything I might ever want to cook. After that I went to a car stereo shop, which wanted $319 for a CD player, plus $195 to install it (which as far as I can figure out means securing it to the center column and plugging it into the USB port).

Then I went to WalMart, to have my glasses adjusted. I shopped a bit, and picked up two small folding tables: different designs, each better in different ways from the TV tables I initially looked at. I also got a thin pad for my chair, and some smaller plastic baskets. (The four I ordered from Amazon, which are large enough to hold two rows of CDs each, also arrived today.) I also got a bite to eat, filled up with Trump-inflated gas, and stopped by the grocery store. So I survived my ordeal, and got a few things done. I put oe of the baskets to work collecting recently played CDs that had piled up, and were keeping me from opening new packages. Still quite a bit unopened, but at least I have space in the demo queue for when I do.

Daily Log

Woke up at 10:30, dreaming that the house was being flooded. It started seeing some water in the floor. When I looked out, the street was a river, packed with cars and activity, everyone frantic. The water was rising, coming closer to the house, but not quite there yet, so I remained confused, as well as alarmed. I was relieved to get up. Then I read half of the conclusion to Furious Minds. The thing I find unfathomable is the sense of crisis on the Trump right: the conviction that the nation is doomed by nefarious liberal plots to control everyone, and that only desperate measures can save us from the impending doom. (They are, of course, fuzzy on whether the doom has happened or we can still be saved. Perhaps Trump's transgressions can be rationalized as CPR? — violent attack on a corpse in hopes of bringing it back to life?)

Of course, we on the left also tend to doomsaying that calls for radical change. But we have our reasons, which are based both in verifiable, measurable facts, and in well-established motivations (like profit, greed, and megalomania). And most of the time, we see these perils well in advance of catastrophe, and are willing to compromise on remedies (as long as they do help). Moreover, we can see our enemies as fully human, as sometimes ignorant, often ill-tempered people whose malign ideas are rooted in a human nature we can at least recognize and empathize with (indeed that we ourselves feel).

But the right often constructs mental images of enemies that are pure fantasy. The right depends on a notion of "pure evil" that in no sense exists in the world (even on the right, at least as intent, although "evil" is a convenient shorthand for much of what they do). Their charges ring hollow. Why, for instance, would anyone on the left want to use vaccines as a vehicle for inserting brain-control technology into the hapless masses? Even if you could do such a thing, why would anyone want to? Capitalists, maybe, but certainly no one on the left. We're the anti-capitalists, remember?

By the way, I suspect that much of what the "populist" right actually fears and despises is the "unseen hand" of capitalism, itself a nebulous and often mystical concept, driven further into delirium by the Manichaean mindset of their religion. Indeed, I wonder whether it's possible for someone who doesn't start from belief in a cosmology of good and evil to become so untethered from reality. I don't think that religion drives people to the right, but it does seem to propel people on the right to flights of fantastical extremism. They not only insist on their right to believe whatever they want — which contrary to propaganda is something most of us on the left fully respect — but they wish to wrap themselves up in a cocoon of fellow believers, intimidating, excluding, or even torturing and killing, all those who think differently. It makes one wonder how secure they really are in those beliefs, if they can't stand the coexistence of doubt. (I also question the value of those beliefs, if they cannot get along with others.)

Email (40 messages by 2:42 PM):

• Shock Hosting monthly invoice. I'm so happy with them that I welcome the bills (which are about $90/month less than my previous hosting company).
• Project Syndicate: America's Latest Middle-East Fiasco: "US President Donald Trump did not decide to go to war against Iran because he had run out of diplomatic options, or because an orderly regime change had become realistic, or because military strikes would neutralize any imminent security threat. He launched another US war in the Middle East — toppling a core campaign promise to his MAGA base — to advance his own personal and political interests. Iranians and people throughout the region will pay a high price, but so could Americans if Trump's lawlessness abroad advances his authoritarian ambitions at home."
• Nathan J Robinson: The Iran War Is Unfathomably Depraved: "Our media's sanitized coverage obscures the human toll. Are we able to confront the full sickening evil of what the US is doing?"
• Robert Wright: NZN Digest, some useful notes here on Iran war, AI, China, and the Nuremberg trials (where Nazi German leaders were charged first and foremost with aggression).

Daily Log

Got to bed late last night. Worked on puzzle, then got stuck on a Mahjongg. Slept straight through, and woke up after 10, just shy of six hours, so a 95. Read some on Christian Nationalism, then came down around 11. Put Leonard Cohen on, figuring I needed a break from The R&B Box. I wound up feeling fairly good yesterday, but I'm feeling rather unsettled now.

Big event yesterday was that the furnace faltered. I had no idea what to do, so I called Hanna, and they sent someone out late afternoon. It sounded like it was lighting, but then shut down quickly. Error code suggested it could not verify the flame, so possibly a sensor problem. Turned out to be the exhaust vent was blocked. And the reason for that was that the cover fell off during the tree work, and I put it back on wrong. Stupid mistake on my part, one I could have easily fixed had I took a look at it, and one I should have thought of given that it had happened once before (blockage then was leaves and crap, which I did verify wasn't the case this time). Cost us $150. Not sure whether to blame myself for not fixing it myself, or compliment myself for getting it fixed quickly. Laura won't fault me on that score.

I posted a backdated Music Week last night, along with some Iran war updates to Loose Tabs. We watched a Brazilian movie, Secret Agent, which was very long, hard to follow or sustain much interest in, although I suppose it made some sense in the end. Laura has an Iranian movie she also wants to watch, so I suppose I'm stuck with it today. I had thoughts about a Substack post, but now I'm thinking that I should perhaps sit this war out and start work on the Weird book. I'm getting lots of ideas from Furious Minds, although it's hard not to simply dismiss these people as stupid and/or evil. Still cold. I have dentist on Thursday, and may just lay low until then.

Email (26 messages):

• Hanna receipt: $150.
• Substack stats for February: 91 (+2) subscribers, 7 (-116) reads. "Most of your subscribers are coming from post footer calls to action."
• American Dental appointment confirmation: Thursday, Mar. 5, 2PM. They're also annoying me with texts to confirm.
• TomDispatch: Beverly Gologorsky, Power, What Is It? Or: Why Guns? From Personal Power to Autocracy in Donald Trump's America.
• New Substack subscriber.

I took advantage of the break to create a frozen version of my year 2025 rank file. I set the cutoff at March 1. This is earlier than last year's March 31 freeze date, but is more consistent with past practice. The frozen file ended with 1477 entries (compared to 1452 in 2024, 1708 in 2023, 1643 in 2022, 1440 in 2021, 1624 in 2020). While I've generally kept my nose to the grindstone, I've gone through patches in these years where I've felt like giving up or at least just letting myself slack off. The inconsistencies from year to year help quantify those periods. Two months in, my 2026 total is 56 records. Even if you do a "seasonal adjustment" and just drop January (which is normally dominated by previous year catch up) and multiply that by 12, you get to 672, which is less than half of 2025, or any other year this decade.

Daily Log

Slept a lot the last two days. Not sure about yesterday, as the clock had turned over before I got up around 2PM, but counting that overflow, I wound up with 663 minutes today. Came downstairs at 12:30. House was cold, so I checked the furnace. Flashing error numbers 13, which I think means that the lighting sequence thinks it failed so shuts down. When I listen to it, it sounds to me like it's lighting, but it turns off after a few seconds. I called Hanna to get service. Afterwards, it seemed like it did finally put some heat out, raising the kitchen thermometer from 66 to 67. Number 13 is still on. I'll wait for service. Meanwhile, I'm stting at computer, with an electric space heater on.

I'm feeling reasonably ok today. I still reserve the right to be grumpy and depressed. But I am thinking I'll postdate a February Music Week. I have a lot of unpacking/cataloguing undone, so I can skip that. I still haven't really looked at the war news. Laura tells me that Kuwait shot down three US F-15 aircraft. Also that they're worried about running out of bombs in 30-45 days.

Email (28 messages):

• Library: 2 books not renewed, so due March 5. I haven't read either.

Daily Log

Woke up about 7, with Chuck Berry songs in my head. When I sat up, I felt nauseous. I moved the trash can closer to my target zone. I felt some chugging and passed gas, but managed to contain myself. Temperature was 99.7F. I went to the bathroom, and read uneasily a bit. I came back to bed, and read a couple more pages, before going back to sleep. I slept until 2, with the same Chuck Berry songs. I got up, trudged back to the bathroom, read a bit more. I needed a shower, so I risked that, keeping it brief, chilling a bit despite the space heater. I started to feel heaves again, and considered lowering myself to the floor, but they passed. I went back to bed, but didn't try to sleep. Couldn't read much, either. Fever was up to 100.7F. After a while, I finished dressing and trudged downstairs, with my book and water. Finally took my "morning" pills shortly before 4PM. I made a lighter-than-usual version of my standard breakfast (yogurt with raisins, washed down with Diet Coke).

I realized that February was done yesterday, and that today would be March 1. My hopes for publishing a final Music Week in February dashed (although I could still post-date one). My hopes for putting out at least one new Substack newsletter were more completely dashed. Having taken acetominophen (at 7 & 3:30) and ibuprofen (just now), I'm not feeling terribly uncomfortable.

Email (10 messages):

• GoDaddy says notesoneverydaylife.com expires on 3/15.
• TomDispatch: Tom Engelhardt, The President from Hell on One Hell of a Planet

1. Little Peggy March, "I Will Follow Him"
2. Diane Renay, "Navy Blue"
3. Rosie and the Originals, "Angel Baby"
4. Fontella Bass, "Rescue Me"
5. Skeeter Davis, "The End of the World"
6. Barbara Mason, "Yes, I'm Ready" (1965)
7. Jody Miller, "Queen of the House"
8. Jeannie C Riley, "Harper Valley PTA"
9. Gale Garnett, "Sing in the Sunshine"
10. Kathy Young & the Innocents, "A Thousand Stars"
11. Kathy Linden, "Goodbye Jimmy Goodbye"
12. The Paris Sisters, "I Love How You Love Me"
13. The Toys, "A Lover's Concerto"
14. The Murmaids, "Popsicles and Icicles"
15. Lulu, "To Sir With Love"
16. Merilee Rush, "Angel of the Morning"
17. The Gentrys, "Keep on Dancing"
18. Bobby Fuller Four, "I Fought the Law"
19. The Grassroots, "Let's Live for Today"
20. The Human Beinz, "Nobody but Me"
21. Count Five, "Psychotic Reaction"
22. The Cowsills, "Rain"
23. The Castaways, "Liar Liar"
24. The Cyrkle, "Turn Down Day"
25. The Troggs, "Love Is All Around"
26. Bruce Chanel, "Hey Hey Baby"
27. Merilee Rush, "Angel of the Morning"
28. The Royal Guardsen, "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron"
29. Status Quo, "Pictures of Matchstick Men"
30. The Trashmen, "Surfin' Word"

Feb 2026

Apr 2026