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The Ecq Review

“I Am Not Your Negro” ****

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Both me and my wife Lanna were blown away by the preview. Thought of paying $5 to rent it but it came free on Amazon Prime.

It started with an idea from James Baldwin for a movie about 3 civil rights leaders who all died in the 1960s in their 30s: Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Medgar Evers. I had no idea they were all so young. All younger than I am now.

The documentary talks a lot about James Baldwin’s very realistic and still literary voice.

I have read some of his essays and they are still strikingly modern even 50 years later.

African American History is American History. As is Native American history, both are shameful. There is no reason for white to be considered better except to gain power. It’s absurd and shameful. And absurd that white supremacy with Donald Trump is still winning elections. Race baiting has been part of America since the colonies. 400 years of African Americans all the way back to 1619 in Jamestown.

So much wealth made on people as property, so many lives lost.

Absolutely necessary viewing. Although not easy to watch.

I need to read more of James Baldwin. ****

Burning CDs

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I have so, so many on iTunes.

Sometimes, I wonder why.

It’s actually a lot easier today in a lot of ways to just use Spotify or something on your mobile devices.

It’s probably why a lot of young people aren’t buying CDs at all.

Which makes me sad in some ways.

I grew up in the 80s during a time when young people, especially young men bought a ton of stuff. CDs, books, LPs, stuff.

I feel like in the digital age of Kindle and Spotify, it’s probably a lot easier to move.

All those books and music and comics and … really adds up.

But, although I liked my Samsung CD burner it wasn’t very durable. Died after a couple years. And I’m not burning nearly as many CDs these days.

I got a new one today and burned the American Idiot Broadway soundtrack and a Bruce Springsteen bonus record from Born to Run. Also the last 2 CDs from a Bo Diddley compilation that was the last thing my old CD burner got through before stopping working at all.

Interestingly, the one in my old laptop was very durable.

But, internal CD-Rs aren’t even part of computers anymore in the cloud age.

And, I feel like I could use a little CD player. If nothing else to play along with for the bass and guitar lessons in my Hal Leonard books.

Do you still burn and buy CDs?

Star Fluxx

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We used to play Fluxx a lot, but we haven’t recently.

I even had a session at SnowCon, a gaming convention in Orono, Maine a few years ago with all the Fluxxes we had.

It’s a fun game.

Starts with one draw, one play and gets more complicated.

There are a bunch of different versions. Fluxx, Eco Fluxx, Zombie Fluxx, Monty Python Fluxx and even Stoner Fluxx (the weakest I’ve played) and Cthulhu Fluxx (which I have not played). I have also not played Oz Fluxx and a few others.

Each one has a theme this one was kind of Space/Star Trek.

Lots of the Keepers (you win with keepers for goal which keep changing) in this version had extra rules which was fun.

Like with Captain you could steal other’s keepers like Doctor and Engineer.

There are also creepers that can cause you to lose the game or win with some conditions.

Fun stuff, but we won’t ever play it as much as we do Dominion.

I would give Star Fluxx like ***. I think Zombie Fluxx and regular Fluxx are better. And I am just not into Fluxx as much as I used to be.

I think Dominion and Splendor are going to stay our main games, but I got this a while back and it was nice to open it tonight.

Learning to Read Music

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Since my bass lesson last Wednesday, I have been practicing less. Because I am intimidated by the bass and treble clef and reading music.

But today after work, I gained some courage and finally started the Hal Leonard Guitar Method Complete Edition I got for Christmas in 2015. I also have the Hal Leonard Bass Method Complete Edition I got this Christmas.

They really intimated me, because I find learning music scary.

I am not sure why.

It just starts with 5 lines and 4 notes between the lines. It’s really not that much.

I know what whole, quarter, half and eight notes are.

I can do it.

Ad spending that 90 minutes going on the guitar through the first 4 higher guitar strings is great practice. As was writing the notes down on a piece of paper to look at them.

I find I remember things better when I write them down.

It’s a start of a wider world.

I also missed playing with my guitar as I have been concentrating on bass.

I definitely think it will take me a while to figure out the notes in pacing enough to count time. But I think I will get there.

I also think I might want to try some guitar lessons with bass. Although I wonder if that is too much.

Music makes life richer. As I listen to the absolutely fabulous Bo Diddley on my iTunes.

Celebrity Detox ***1/2

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I flew through Rosie O’Donnell’s book “Celebrity Detox.” I read 90% of it yesterday and finished it today.

She decided to decline fifty million dollars and quit her talk show.

She wanted to spend time with family.

She knew she had enough, and needed balance.

And she even started a business with cruises for gay families.

The book talks a lot about her experiences in a year working for “The View.”

I understand very well now why she isn’t in the public spotlight.

And hearing her side of her ridiculousness with Donald Trump, makes me wonder even more if he can be an effective president.

To be all up in a tizzy from a six minute segment on the View, which I found through the magic of YouTube is so incredibly sad. I have no idea how someone who gets all riled up from this can deal with the challenges of being President of the United States.

It’s a very good book, a super fast read and I am so happy Rosie O’Donnell found balance in her life. May we all learn to have enough.