I Don't Always Write Blog Posts....

I do not always have a song in mind when I take my morning shower. If you have noticed that there are some days when I do not mention it, either I forgot to add it into the blog post, or, more likely, no song came to me at that early hour. Today, though, I was thinking about 'All About That Bass' by Meghan Trainor. Her version, though, made me think of the arrangement by Straight No Chaser where they compare the basses and the tenors in the group. Much more fun for me.

I took some cough medicine last night that must have made me sleep more deeply, because I woke up 27 minutes late this morning. As I was getting ready, I glanced at the clock and the following thought occurred to me. 'I am still in a state of deshabille at a time when I am normally arriving at my desk.' Why did I think of that wording and not a more normal wording such as 'getting dressed'? I wish I could explain it, but I don't know, either.

Well, we purchased our 'new' car yesterday. It's a 2010 Nissan Xterra. No, I did not drive it today because I have not yet affixed the temporary registration sticker yet. It is insured, so it will become a car for one of us starting Monday. It looks like this... except it is silver and not wrecked.

Today's calendar entry from the 365 Stupidest Things Ever Said calendar. I want to blame it on autocorrect, but I don't know if that is true or not. The calendar does not mention if it is an Orthodox rabbit or Reformed.
RABBIT TO OFFER FIRST SHABBAT SERVICES
newspaper headline

If you live in a state where they observe Daylight Savings Time, this Sunday begins the savings. Do not forget to reset your clock. If you want your clocks as accurate as possible, you should wake up at 2am and reset them exactly then. Otherwise, you could wake up at 12:30am and your clock already says 1:30am. Think of the confusion.

I did not find anything to share in my normal sources. So, I will just go back to the stories I save in email for these types of slow-news-story days.

Let's start with two more of the songs where George Martin influenced the Beatles.

Yesterday
Mr. McCartney first played Mr. Martin his classic torch song during the group’s Paris residency in January 1964, so the producer had plenty of time to mull how to handle it. The group may have considered it, at first, as simply a ballad that would get the full-band treatment. But when Mr. McCartney decided to record it, during the “Help!” sessions in 1965, Mr. Martin proposed that Mr. McCartney accompany himself on an acoustic guitar, with a string quartet taking the place of the other Beatles. Mr. McCartney had his doubts: In his view, string arrangements on rock records were suspect. But Mr. Martin played him some recordings and sat him down at the piano to show him what could be done. In the end, Mr. McCartney was convinced, and Mr. Martin — typically open to the group’s ideas — worked out his quartet arrangement with Mr. McCartney present. Mr. Martin has said, in fact, that one of the arrangement’s highlights — the descending cello line, after the lyric “I’m not half the man I used to be” — was Mr. McCartney’s idea.

Strawberry Fields forever
“Strawberry Fields Forever,” the first song recorded for the sessions that produced the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album, had as difficult a birth as any song the Beatles and Mr. Martin created. Lennon wrote this psychedelic dreamscape while filming “How I Won the War” in Almería, Spain, and recorded demos of all kinds — on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, with and without keyboard overdubs — before taking it to Abbey Road on Nov. 24, 1966. That night, the Beatles recorded a simple, short version with harmony vocals and a Mellotron approximation of a slide guitar, but they junked it two days later and started again, recording a tougher, tighter version with Mr. McCartney playing a fluty Mellotron introduction. Lennon didn't like that one either, and asked Mr. Martin to write an orchestral score. Mr. Martin responded with a hard-driven chamber score for brass and cellos. He sped the piece up, and moved the song to a higher key so that he could use the vibrant sound of the cello’s lowest open string. On Dec. 8, the band and its symphonic friends recorded this third version, which also boasted a raucous timpani part, played by Mr. McCartney, and an Indian zither, played by George Harrison. Lennon liked it, briefly, and then he didn’t. He told Mr. Martin that he enjoyed both the band’s version and the chamber version, and envisioned a combination. Mr. Martin protested that the two were in different keys and at different tempos, but Lennon knew the extent of his producer’s magic, and said, “You can do it, George.” As it turned out, the key and tempo changes worked to Mr. Martin’s advantage: by slowing down the orchestral version and speeding up the band take, he found common ground without making either sound too unnatural. If you listen closely, you can spot his splice exactly one minute into the song.

I saw this display of beer and it reminded me of a current news story. Did you hear that they are replacing the actor who plays 'The Most Interesting man in the World' for someone younger to appeal to millennials? Yup, it's true, but they will be sending him out in style.

Snapchat worth saving.

And some chalk art. How can those creative types even envision these scenes?

Bad Pun Dog makes a return today. His typically bad joke reminds me of the TV program Little Big Shots, hosted by Steve Harvey. Did you see it? I think the first episode and a new one are being replayed Sunday. If you remember the old Art Linkletter shows and liked them, I am certain this series will be equally clever. Why did I think of that when I read this comic? One of Steve's guests was a spelling champion at age 4 or 5. Amazing. The longest word he spelled was .... I don't even remember, but Steve said 'He just spelled mononucleosis in the volcano'.

Time for a Clarity of Vision fix for Friday.

And now, sadly, it is time for saying goodbye. To you. To the week. To today's blog post. All good things must come to an end.  So, enjoy your weekend. Enjoy time with loved ones. Enjoy the blessings God has given you. See you next week.