Cosmic Future Groove/Rose City Reads/Voice of Harold

Always interesting to see what sort of things the kid likes. Unexpected recent passion: Cosmic Future Groove Vol. 2. I did not expect my son to want to listen to 70s library disco over and over again, but I am not complaining. Today after the bath he mentioned that he would like to have a time machine so he could go to the 70s and listen to this music. He has been warned that the 70s also include "Muskrat Love." I think he thinks I'm joking about that being a real thing.

Because I cannot refuse a good segue: I had a chance to stop by the Friends of the Library's new book store Rose City Reads the other day. I picked up Toni Tennille: A Memoir because I had to. Will report back. Anyway: While the cheapskate in me misses the low low prices and beat-up library discards of the former Title Wave, the joy of discovery is still there, and a lot closer to me no less.

Sick boy. Lots of library Bluey DVDs. Sometimes things that are popular are good.

We've been reading old Childcraft stories at bedtime. One must tread carefully around some of the dated racial attitudes etc., including "The Five Chinese Brothers," yikes, but in any case that got the R.E.M. song of a similar name stuck in my head, quickly to be supplanted by the far superior "Voice of Harold," and my thanks go to rschreck for syncing up the song with its source material, the liner notes from the Revelaires' The Joy of Knowing Jesus:

Little stereos

At a Happy Valley yard sale last summer*, I picked up a very cute little vintage Realistic/Radio Shack stereo amplifier. I wasn't sure if I would have a USE for it, but it was only a couple bucks and it had the best aluminum knobs.** So I picked it up and found a place for it in my bike bags among my other finds.

Today I realized I wanted to give it a shot. Turns out it works super well (once I worked out all the dust from the potentiometers by sweeping them back and forth), and it looks pretty good. I picked up some super cheap speakers from the Mormon thrift store down the street, and for the price of a Costco pizza***, I'm in business.

I have set up so so many stereos over the years. Always a new apartment, always a new garage sale receiver, always fiddling with the speaker wires. Wires all over, my perpetual condition. Today I got out my wire strippers and triumphantly did some wire stripping. It is so satisfying. I could never be an electrician, but stripping speaker wire feels pretty good.

*Of course I went to a gazillion garage sales in this beautiful and bland suburb by e-bike, it was great, see my write-up from 2023
**I know, I'm a pervert for liking knobs and buttons so much
***RIP gluten, I miss you