I had a chance to catch this kid playing his cornet briefly over the weekend. Geoffrey Gallante was scheduled to play the National Anthem at Sunday's Royal's game. Not sure if he did or didn't since I wasn't at the game (maybe one of you Royals faithful can confirm).
But I did see him give a brief solo at another venue and I gotta say, kid's got chops. At 8 years old he can stand up and jam with the likes of Phil Driscoll, Arturo Sandoval, Wynton Marsalis and even Maynard Ferguson. He's definitely a talent to keep your eye on in the future.
Here he is crankin' out a little Herb Alpert and the TJB.
tagged: Youtube, Tuesday, Geoffrey Gallante, Herb Alpert, trumpet, musician, prodigy
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Reconoitering the 'hood
It's been about a month since I checked in with my neighborhood reconnaissance team.
I usually like to get a report every two to three weeks, so I was long overdue (an operative like myself needs to stay informed). So my primary assignment for Saturday was to stop by the intelligence HQ and get a debriefing on activities observed in the community.
Also, I got my hair cut while I was at it.
Anyway, the biggest news in the neighborhood is that local Irish pub O'Neill's is relocating from Prairie Village, across Mission Road, into Leawood. Rumor was that the owners of O'Neill's had been upset with Leawood city bureaucrats due to the difficulty of obtaining a liquor license for the new location. According to my sources, this rumor is just that. A rumor. Good thing too, because what's an Irish pub without a liquor license?
My agents also scoped out the exact location of the new O'Neill's. It's next door to Foo's (FTW!), in the spot at the end of the strip on the northeast corner of 95th and Mission. The storefront was previously occupied by kids' clothing store Chocolate Soup (RIP).
Judging from the reconnaissance photos, though, there's still a lot of work to do before the September opening.
The move is necessitated of course because Walgreens bought the building that O'Neill's and a couple of other businesses currently occupy.
Prior Attire, a consignment clothing store, is moving west to 95th and Nall where it will compete with a new store opened by large consignment chain Savers.
The Mission Animal Hospital will move around the corner to the space formerly occupied by a Blockbuster video store (RIP and good riddance).
Luckily, this is right next door to our local Planet Sub, so you can grab some snackage while your having your pet spayed or neutered.
As for the Walgreens, well no news yet on them. They are obviously moving into the neighborhood to compete with the CVS, which just opened it's new building across the street in the newly remodeled Ranch Mart shopping center.
The new CVS is an order of magnitude nicer than the old store, which was severely showing its age. I was in there the other day to pick up some allergy meds for the ladies in my life. The store layout, organization and atmosphere are all much improved.
But one thing that caught my eye as I was leaving the (newly repaved) parking lot was this pergola-like structure under construction in the back. It looks really interesting, like it would make a nice outdoor park or drinkin' bar. Not sure what it will be though. I'll have to assign one of my agents to look into it.
tagged: Johnson County, Leawood, Prairie Village, business, Ranch Mart, O'Neill's, Foo's, CVS
I usually like to get a report every two to three weeks, so I was long overdue (an operative like myself needs to stay informed). So my primary assignment for Saturday was to stop by the intelligence HQ and get a debriefing on activities observed in the community.
Also, I got my hair cut while I was at it.
Anyway, the biggest news in the neighborhood is that local Irish pub O'Neill's is relocating from Prairie Village, across Mission Road, into Leawood. Rumor was that the owners of O'Neill's had been upset with Leawood city bureaucrats due to the difficulty of obtaining a liquor license for the new location. According to my sources, this rumor is just that. A rumor. Good thing too, because what's an Irish pub without a liquor license?
My agents also scoped out the exact location of the new O'Neill's. It's next door to Foo's (FTW!), in the spot at the end of the strip on the northeast corner of 95th and Mission. The storefront was previously occupied by kids' clothing store Chocolate Soup (RIP).
Judging from the reconnaissance photos, though, there's still a lot of work to do before the September opening.The move is necessitated of course because Walgreens bought the building that O'Neill's and a couple of other businesses currently occupy.
Prior Attire, a consignment clothing store, is moving west to 95th and Nall where it will compete with a new store opened by large consignment chain Savers.The Mission Animal Hospital will move around the corner to the space formerly occupied by a Blockbuster video store (RIP and good riddance).
Luckily, this is right next door to our local Planet Sub, so you can grab some snackage while your having your pet spayed or neutered.As for the Walgreens, well no news yet on them. They are obviously moving into the neighborhood to compete with the CVS, which just opened it's new building across the street in the newly remodeled Ranch Mart shopping center.
The new CVS is an order of magnitude nicer than the old store, which was severely showing its age. I was in there the other day to pick up some allergy meds for the ladies in my life. The store layout, organization and atmosphere are all much improved.
But one thing that caught my eye as I was leaving the (newly repaved) parking lot was this pergola-like structure under construction in the back. It looks really interesting, like it would make a nice outdoor park or drinkin' bar. Not sure what it will be though. I'll have to assign one of my agents to look into it.tagged: Johnson County, Leawood, Prairie Village, business, Ranch Mart, O'Neill's, Foo's, CVS
Friday, July 17, 2009
Friday Blogthing: Harry Potter and the Half Lame Quiz
I'm probably the only person in the literate world that hasn't read a single word from a single Harry Potter book.
That doesn't make me special or anything. Maybe I just don't know what I'm missing. But after seeing some of the movies (I can't remember which ones, they're all the same to me), I just can't see myself investing the time needed to slog through the printed version.
But, in lieu of going to see the latest HP movie (I think it's called "Harry Potter and the Clever Marketing Campaign") I'm doing this lame-ass quiz.
tagged: Friday, blogthing, Harry Potter, character, quiz, blog, meme
That doesn't make me special or anything. Maybe I just don't know what I'm missing. But after seeing some of the movies (I can't remember which ones, they're all the same to me), I just can't see myself investing the time needed to slog through the printed version.
But, in lieu of going to see the latest HP movie (I think it's called "Harry Potter and the Clever Marketing Campaign") I'm doing this lame-ass quiz.
| Which Harry Potter Character Are You? |
Harry  |
Fun quizzes, surveys & blog quizzes by  |
tagged: Friday, blogthing, Harry Potter, character, quiz, blog, meme
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Bastille Day
I'm a day late with this, so sorry (like you care).
A long-time reader reminded me in an email that yesterday was Bastille Day. So happy prison breaking to all you French people out there.
Also that it was the blogiversary of this blog -- 4 years. I usually don't like to write (or read) blogs about blogging. It's all a bunch of self-referential bunk anyway, tales told by idiots and signifying nothing. So I'll keep this short.
Four years, roughly 1,100 posts, about 1,200 spelling and grammatical errors, lots of friends, acquaintances and comments.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by. Sorry you had to suffer through some of this dreck.
And now, do commemorate the occasion...
tagged: blog, Bastille Day, Rush, blogiversary, blogging
A long-time reader reminded me in an email that yesterday was Bastille Day. So happy prison breaking to all you French people out there.
Also that it was the blogiversary of this blog -- 4 years. I usually don't like to write (or read) blogs about blogging. It's all a bunch of self-referential bunk anyway, tales told by idiots and signifying nothing. So I'll keep this short.
Four years, roughly 1,100 posts, about 1,200 spelling and grammatical errors, lots of friends, acquaintances and comments.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by. Sorry you had to suffer through some of this dreck.
And now, do commemorate the occasion...
tagged: blog, Bastille Day, Rush, blogiversary, blogging
Moving the bar
When we moved into our current house a couple of years ago, it didn't take us long to discover O'Neill's.
Not like it was hidden or anything. It's just up the street from our house, less than a 10-minute walk.
We quickly became regulars. Not so much for the food -- it's good food, slightly above most "bar food" fare, but not out-of-this-world. And not only because of the proximity, although the quick walk is a definite plus.
I think it has more to do with the atmosphere. There's a full bar, but the place is friendly and very family oriented. And even though a majority of the clientele are, well, let's just say "retirement age," the place has always reminded me of what I imagined the Regal Beagle from Three's Company to be like. So it's got that nostalgic quality.
That's the background for why I felt initially shocked and dismayed when I saw the noticed taped to the front door of the restaurant when we went there for lunch a couple of weeks ago. It was a notice that looked sadly similar to many of the other "damn the economy's tough and we're going out of business" notices that you see a lot of these days.
Fortunately, while I was getting my harakiri knives ready, I read a few more paragraphs and saved myself the embarrassment of public self-disemboweling. Turns out, O'Neill's isn't closing for business, just relocating.
And the even better news is that they're moving across the street to the east -- a bit farther, but still close enough to walk.
Here's the text of the notice (just to put your mind at ease):
tagged: Johnson County, Kansas, Prairie Village, Leawood, O'Neill's, restaurant, food
Not like it was hidden or anything. It's just up the street from our house, less than a 10-minute walk.
We quickly became regulars. Not so much for the food -- it's good food, slightly above most "bar food" fare, but not out-of-this-world. And not only because of the proximity, although the quick walk is a definite plus.I think it has more to do with the atmosphere. There's a full bar, but the place is friendly and very family oriented. And even though a majority of the clientele are, well, let's just say "retirement age," the place has always reminded me of what I imagined the Regal Beagle from Three's Company to be like. So it's got that nostalgic quality.
That's the background for why I felt initially shocked and dismayed when I saw the noticed taped to the front door of the restaurant when we went there for lunch a couple of weeks ago. It was a notice that looked sadly similar to many of the other "damn the economy's tough and we're going out of business" notices that you see a lot of these days.
Fortunately, while I was getting my harakiri knives ready, I read a few more paragraphs and saved myself the embarrassment of public self-disemboweling. Turns out, O'Neill's isn't closing for business, just relocating.
And the even better news is that they're moving across the street to the east -- a bit farther, but still close enough to walk.
Here's the text of the notice (just to put your mind at ease):
After nearly a decade in Prairie Village, O'Neill's Restaurant & Bar has finalized a deal to jump east across Mission Road to Ranchmart North Shopping Center in Leawood.So crisis averted. We get to keep out O'Neill's, albeit another block away, and we get a new Walgreens (whatevs) to boot.
It will operate at it's current location at 4016 W. 95th St until August 22, ending its tenure there with a big party.
The new location will allow it just one more table in the restaurant/bar area but also enough space for a party room and an outdoor patio.
A mid-September opening is planned with nearly the same Irish pub décor as the current location and the same menu - from Irish pot roast to Bayou pasta to steak or codfish sandwiches to soups and salads.
"This is one of the best neighborhoods," said Brian O'Neill Schorgle, owner of O'Neill's. "O'Neill's will be the same as before but better."
Walgreens will take O'Neill's current space, going corner to corner with the new CVS pharmacy store under construction at Ranchmart South Shopping Center.
tagged: Johnson County, Kansas, Prairie Village, Leawood, O'Neill's, restaurant, food
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
YouTube Tuesday: Goldman-Suchs
So Goldman Sachs posted their earnings report this morning.
Thanks to you and the money that was contributed on your behalf by our government in the form of TARP and other bailouts, Goldman-Sachs posted a profit of $3.44 billion (beating analysts forecasts by nearly a billion and a half dinero).
So good job America, we've saved the company that destroyed our financial system.
To commemorate the occasion, here's part of an interview with Matt Taibbi (we've mentioned him before) one of the last journalists with any testicular fortitude. Here he discusses in part how ingrained Goldman-Sachs is in the running of our country (and other countries) with operatives placed high up in the Obama, Bush and Clinton administrations.
tagged: YouTube, Tuesday, video, Goldman Sachs, Matt Taibbi, economy, politics
Thanks to you and the money that was contributed on your behalf by our government in the form of TARP and other bailouts, Goldman-Sachs posted a profit of $3.44 billion (beating analysts forecasts by nearly a billion and a half dinero).
So good job America, we've saved the company that destroyed our financial system.
To commemorate the occasion, here's part of an interview with Matt Taibbi (we've mentioned him before) one of the last journalists with any testicular fortitude. Here he discusses in part how ingrained Goldman-Sachs is in the running of our country (and other countries) with operatives placed high up in the Obama, Bush and Clinton administrations.
tagged: YouTube, Tuesday, video, Goldman Sachs, Matt Taibbi, economy, politics
Friday, July 10, 2009
Friday Blogthing: The Humans Are Dead
One of the things that takes the sting out of the cultural toilet flush we find ourselves in is the knowledge that before we have a chance to self destruct in an orgy of welfare, entitlements and celebrity worship, we will be destroyed by our own robotic creations.
Of course, they'll keep some of us around to perform basic cleaning and maintenance. I for one welcome our new robotic overlords. Consider this my job application.
tagged: Friday Blogthing, robot, cyborg name generator, video, youtube, Flight of the Conchords, The Humans Are Dead
Of course, they'll keep some of us around to perform basic cleaning and maintenance. I for one welcome our new robotic overlords. Consider this my job application.
tagged: Friday Blogthing, robot, cyborg name generator, video, youtube, Flight of the Conchords, The Humans Are Dead
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Land of the slightly free and the home of the indebted
In our ongoing social/civic/economic discussion, Xavier Onassis, my second cousin twice removed and head of the International Organization of Bald Guys with Sunglasses and Goatees (IBGSG for short), made some valid points showing how the Obama administration is pushing our country closer to what the Founding Fathers had in mind.
I mean, the evidence is everywhere. Just look at the domestic spying bill Obama and his Democrats (and Republicans) have continually supported. It hearkens back to the "Spying on our own people is totally cool" clause of the U.S. Constitution written way back in 1787.
Then, of course, there's the babillion dollars we've spent bailing out businesses that, by all rights, should have been buried years ago. This is consistent with Thomas Jefferson's line in the Declaration of Independence where he writes "When in the course of screwing the country out of billions of dollars it becomes necessary to give those parties trillions more dollars for even more screwing activities..."
Also, I know all of the Founding Fathers were big supporters of huge taxes. They all believed that U.S. citizens should pay at least 55% of their annual incomes to the government, which they in turn believed should be the largest employer in the country. This was demonstrated by the Boston Tea Party, where patriots dumped boxes full of Tetley into Boston Harbor because they thought taxes were waaaaaaay too low.
Finally, the Founding Fathers were all about Americans sacrificing liberty for the illusion of security. I think it was Ben Franklin who wrote "If we restrict freedom to attain security, we will totally be able to raise taxes have huge inaugural balls and people will still kiss our asses."
So yes, XO. If the Founding Fathers were alive today, they probably wouldn't have their own blogs trying to call attention to the absurdity that our federal government has become.
tagged: government, Constitution, founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Obama
The current administration is ...making the painful and expensive, but necessary, investment into the social, legal, political, and physical infrastructure that facilitate our pursuit of the ideals that this country was founded on. ...With Obama at the helm, America may finally become the country it has always aspired to be.And I can't see how anyone could argue these points.
I mean, the evidence is everywhere. Just look at the domestic spying bill Obama and his Democrats (and Republicans) have continually supported. It hearkens back to the "Spying on our own people is totally cool" clause of the U.S. Constitution written way back in 1787.
Then, of course, there's the babillion dollars we've spent bailing out businesses that, by all rights, should have been buried years ago. This is consistent with Thomas Jefferson's line in the Declaration of Independence where he writes "When in the course of screwing the country out of billions of dollars it becomes necessary to give those parties trillions more dollars for even more screwing activities..."
Also, I know all of the Founding Fathers were big supporters of huge taxes. They all believed that U.S. citizens should pay at least 55% of their annual incomes to the government, which they in turn believed should be the largest employer in the country. This was demonstrated by the Boston Tea Party, where patriots dumped boxes full of Tetley into Boston Harbor because they thought taxes were waaaaaaay too low.
Finally, the Founding Fathers were all about Americans sacrificing liberty for the illusion of security. I think it was Ben Franklin who wrote "If we restrict freedom to attain security, we will totally be able to raise taxes have huge inaugural balls and people will still kiss our asses."So yes, XO. If the Founding Fathers were alive today, they probably wouldn't have their own blogs trying to call attention to the absurdity that our federal government has become.
tagged: government, Constitution, founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Obama
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
YouTube Tuesday: crash
Monday, July 06, 2009
Out of retirement
Like all of you, I was glued to the television box on Saturday and Sunday, watching the first two stages of this years Tour de France.
This year is notable since it marks the return to the race of seven-time winner Lance Armstrong after a three-year retirement. I know this to be the case because Versus, the network that has the Tour de France broadcast rights in the US (channel 55 on Time Warner Cable in KC) has plastered his face along with overly-emotional and melodramatic montages of his career all over their network.
I'm as big of an Armstrong fan as you'll find. I've followed his career since everyone thought he was the second-coming of Greg LeMond (turns out he made us forget who Greg LeMond was). I have mad respect for his achievements, overcoming cancer to become unquestionably the best cyclist in Tour de France history.
Still.
It feels a little uncomfortable to see Versus hitch their wagon to Armstrong's wheel like they have. I mean, I get why they're doing it. Let's face it, pro cycling isn't as big in the U.S. as, say, watching reality TV celebrity couples disintegrate.
Versus is using Armstrong's Q-factor to drum up interest in the race. They have advertisers and ratings to worry about. That's fair enough. I certainly don't want them to abandon coverage of the race in the future.
But I think they're missing an opportunity here.
There's a really, really good chance that Armstrong is not going to win the race this year. He's not even the second best rider on his own team (Astana) at this point. And if he doesn't win, will he be back next year? To me, he's never seemed like the kind of person to play a support role.
In the meantime, there are plenty of promising American cyclists that should be introduced and give the sport more of a foothold in the states. Armstrong's teammate Levi Leipheimer for example. And riders from the American-sponsored Garmin-Slipstream team Christian Vande Velde, Tyler Farrar, Danny Pate and one of my favorites, David Zabriskie who missed last year's Tour due to an injury.
The fraternity of Americans in the upper levels of pro cycling is still pretty small compared to Europeans. Rather than putting all of its eggs in the Armstrong basket, if Versus should played up all of the Americans in the sports it would encourage more viewership over a longer term.
tagged: Tour de France, Europe, cycling, Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Astana, Garmin Slipstream
This year is notable since it marks the return to the race of seven-time winner Lance Armstrong after a three-year retirement. I know this to be the case because Versus, the network that has the Tour de France broadcast rights in the US (channel 55 on Time Warner Cable in KC) has plastered his face along with overly-emotional and melodramatic montages of his career all over their network.
I'm as big of an Armstrong fan as you'll find. I've followed his career since everyone thought he was the second-coming of Greg LeMond (turns out he made us forget who Greg LeMond was). I have mad respect for his achievements, overcoming cancer to become unquestionably the best cyclist in Tour de France history.Still.
It feels a little uncomfortable to see Versus hitch their wagon to Armstrong's wheel like they have. I mean, I get why they're doing it. Let's face it, pro cycling isn't as big in the U.S. as, say, watching reality TV celebrity couples disintegrate.
Versus is using Armstrong's Q-factor to drum up interest in the race. They have advertisers and ratings to worry about. That's fair enough. I certainly don't want them to abandon coverage of the race in the future.
But I think they're missing an opportunity here.
There's a really, really good chance that Armstrong is not going to win the race this year. He's not even the second best rider on his own team (Astana) at this point. And if he doesn't win, will he be back next year? To me, he's never seemed like the kind of person to play a support role.
In the meantime, there are plenty of promising American cyclists that should be introduced and give the sport more of a foothold in the states. Armstrong's teammate Levi Leipheimer for example. And riders from the American-sponsored Garmin-Slipstream team Christian Vande Velde, Tyler Farrar, Danny Pate and one of my favorites, David Zabriskie who missed last year's Tour due to an injury.
The fraternity of Americans in the upper levels of pro cycling is still pretty small compared to Europeans. Rather than putting all of its eggs in the Armstrong basket, if Versus should played up all of the Americans in the sports it would encourage more viewership over a longer term.
tagged: Tour de France, Europe, cycling, Greg LeMond, Lance Armstrong, Astana, Garmin Slipstream
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