tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196783402012-02-14T13:12:32.028-05:00Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.comBlogger1271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-37105705236922157992012-01-26T23:40:00.002-05:002012-01-27T00:10:17.732-05:00

My prior blog post on "We Take Care of Our Own" has been translated in to Spanish and published by Point Blank Magazine in Spain. Enjoy!

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-71707867468898597452012-01-19T18:52:00.010-05:002012-01-19T22:45:39.825-05:00

A few days ago, an article appeared in the Hollywood Reporter. The headline read, "Bruce Springsteen's New Album Is His 'Angriest' Yet."Uh-oh.Bruce Springsteen is "liberal." When he goes off, self-described "conservatives" go wild. Laura Ingraham wrote a book called Shut Up & Sing: How Elites from Hollywood, Politics, and the UN are Subverting America. It was a best seller, even. I don't

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-64739311315860701822011-12-12T01:10:00.007-05:002011-12-12T01:38:34.344-05:00

The Frankel Jewish Academy put on "The Wizard of Oz" as its Fall show this year, and as part of the cast invited children ages 7-14 to try out for parts as Munchkins and Flying Monkeys. Elianna was all in, of course.Saturday night, on the way to dropping her off to prepare for the 2nd of the 3 performances, we had the following dialogue:Elianna: "Have you ever worn lipstick?"Dad: "Yes"Elianna: "

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-11109190314294471982011-11-09T23:06:00.006-05:002011-11-10T00:35:17.369-05:00

On Monday, I went to a lecture titled, "The Dirty Politics of Ancient Israel." The lecturer made various points, not least of which is that modern politics have nothing on the ancients. The key example: The greatest king of them all, King David. David rose to power by ruthlessly having all his political opponents -- real and imagined -- killed. At least, that was the thesis.There is a story

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-81489822292660825122011-11-05T11:06:00.006-04:002011-11-05T17:34:29.214-04:00

Sometimes, you might just need a fix. That was the first of Bruce Springsteen's two shows with Joe Grushecky here in Pittsburgh.Other times... other times, you might hope for something more than just a fix. You don't quite know what it is, just that you'll know it when it happens. And when it does, you just say, this is what I came for. That was the second of Bruce Springsteen's two shows

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-13295654053881896402011-11-04T01:22:00.006-04:002011-11-04T11:57:44.876-04:00

After a year of no Springsteen concerts, coming to Pittsburgh to see him play with Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers was a bit akin to getting a fix. Everything seemed exciting coming in. The Pennsylvania hills were as beautiful as any landscape painting I've ever seen, and of course the Sailor and Soldiers Hall in Pittsburgh is a gem.Having seen Bruce play with Grushecky 3 times previously

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-89048100851497242332011-09-29T14:15:00.006-04:002011-09-29T21:44:53.112-04:00

One month ago, it appeared as if the most interesting thing likely to happen on the last day of the season might be Adam Dunn's pursuit of history. The pennant races were dull, with clear leaders in every race. Little did anyone know...On September 9, the St. Louis hosted the Atlanta Braves in the first of a 3-game series. The Braves led in the wild card race by 7.5 games. Going in to the

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-25395311968307550152011-09-26T23:12:00.011-04:002011-09-27T11:42:14.300-04:00

A record was set tonight in Major League Baseball. It's a bit of a big record, though I'm supposing that the record-holder would just as soon not have it. And you wouldn't know it from that picture, either (that was a home run).In Chicago, the Designated Hitter -- and if ever there was a more ironic title, I'd like to know it -- Adam Dunn went 0-for-2 with a walk. For the year now, he has 66

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-75169941055885066592011-09-26T22:39:00.003-04:002011-09-26T22:53:17.500-04:00

In recent years, I have used this blog less and less frequently... but sometimes there are things, little things, I just want to remember. And if I just put it on facebook, I may never find it again.Tonight, I got home very late from work. Elianna was waiting for me. "Guess what?," she said. "Remember that spelling test I took??" "Did you get it back?" I knew she hadn't studied for it,

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-45516731942468716542011-09-05T21:48:00.008-04:002011-09-06T16:21:20.804-04:00

I'm not much for attending major political events, or going to see big-name politicians. When I was at grad school at USC in 1984, I saw two campaign appearances. At the first one, Walter Mondale had to answer some particularly obnoxious hecklers by bellowing, "You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. This is the school that produced Donald Segretti!" No, they didn't throw tomatoes, as Susan

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-44918105948871446762011-06-20T17:52:00.013-04:002011-06-21T00:39:36.737-04:00

During concerts on the Darkness On The Edge of Town tour, during "Growin' Up" Bruce Springsteen would tell a story about being sent by his priest to talk to God. It would go something like this: "... so I walk home, and try to figure out where I’m gonna find this God, you know, it’s like I don’t go to church... you know, I can’t go back there, I don’t know... said 'I know what I’ll do, I’ll go

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-37901434674448376312011-06-04T23:53:00.009-04:002011-06-05T02:29:35.510-04:00

For much of the last month, my commute companion has been Stewart Francke's new album, Heartless World. "Heartless World" was funded in part by a kickstarter campaign, in which fans who ponied up small amounts of money were promised an advance copy of the CD, and those who ponied up especially large sums were promised, "name it, we'll do it." I don't have much history contributing to things

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-75516129645824672122011-05-05T21:52:00.006-04:002011-06-04T23:52:58.047-04:00

Time was, seeing Neil Young was a very special event. Oh, I was never a Neil Young fanatic the way I am for Bruce, but I have many fond memories of seeing him live. He was one of the few major acts I saw while in college, back when he was touring behind Trans. That was nobody's idea of a great album, but it did yield a super-weird version of "Mr. Soul."Since then, I have seen Neil in several

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-72782306467046273102011-04-28T21:18:00.003-04:002011-04-28T23:26:47.221-04:00

Last week, we took a family trip in to New Jersey for the first time in more than a year. Being more of a last minute planner by the year, this time we did virtually no planning. But there we were, last Thursday, on a last minute power drive from West Bloomfield to Millburn.This led, by no means inevitably, to a pair of trips in the Manhattan on a very nice Friday. First, to catch up with Dave

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-86635883929488060052011-03-02T00:13:00.003-05:002011-03-02T00:19:00.365-05:00

A few days ago, an espn.com front page headline caught my eye. Under a big photo of Dale Earnhardt, was a caption announcing that it had been 10 years since his death.Ten years!! I’ll note that I’m not much of a auto racing fan, and to the extent I watched it, it was typically Indy Car, not NASCAR. I didn’t watch the race that day. But I remember that weekend.On February 16, 2001, we flew to

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-27611493711600469402011-02-26T15:59:00.003-05:002011-02-26T17:19:58.985-05:00

Last month, we (finally) upgraded our family cell phones to new feature phones that include keyboards, with plans that include texting. The following is Elianna's first text conversation, from the ski area we were at, back to Lori. She had asked to email, but I figured texts would be faster.

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-65497140424237095952010-11-12T00:16:00.002-05:002010-11-12T00:17:53.811-05:00

Elianna's latest.

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-59859130309677697652010-11-09T23:19:00.000-05:002010-11-09T23:19:52.612-05:00

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-84131145873535020652010-11-06T19:05:00.005-04:002010-11-06T19:15:20.297-04:00

Having not seen a Springsteen show since the end of the last E Street Band tour nearly a year ago, I figured I'd make it through a year without a show for the first time in this century. But then Joe Grushecky announced a pair of shows in Pittsburgh with his "special guest" to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the American Babylon album, and... I decided I needed a fix.Springsteen and Grushecky

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-68049269383721524342010-10-30T23:49:00.003-04:002010-10-31T09:34:57.992-04:00

Sometime after 1pm today, the audio for the upcoming release of The Promise leaked out to the internet, ostensibly via a Sony Europe website. Within a couple hours, thousands of us had the mp3s on our computers, and it was seemingly the spring of 1978 all over again... with better technology.Back then, I'd be in Sunday school at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York with a couple friends

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-73729004345245665172010-10-14T22:13:00.004-04:002010-10-14T23:11:48.624-04:00

Through the magic of bootlegging, I finally got a chance to watch the documentary "The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town" a couple nights ago. Then I watched it again Tuesday night, a little more carefully. It will be included, of course, as part of the Darkness On The Edge of Town box set next month.In some respects, this film is brilliant and indispensable. It presents a

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-38668827603681616592010-07-11T10:30:00.004-04:002010-07-11T21:29:51.152-04:00

She may just be in it for the golden dollars under the pillow, but creativity is what it is. Looking for responses from Toadstool Cottage! (and a spelling coach)2 Toadstool CottageFairylandJune 26, 2010Dear Fairy,I'm Elianna Orel. I have not ever talked to a fairy before and I don't know any fairy names, I just hope my letter gets to a fairy!A long time ago my brother said there was no such

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-20801179236542861012010-06-12T23:39:00.006-04:002010-06-13T02:43:48.568-04:00

I have a friend named Monty. He's a few months older than me, and he's dead.Not to be morbid, or anything like that, I just think Monty would appreciate putting that right out there first, a statement of basic fact. Today is June 13th. Today is Monty's 49th birthday and I'm going to write about Monty's life. Or, at least, a few small part of it. Monty had a lot of life.I first "met" Monty

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-58408119066580023252010-03-31T22:27:00.004-04:002010-04-01T00:47:36.995-04:00

Monday night marked the beginning of Passover, the celebration of the liberation of the ancient Hebrews from slavery. As has been the custom in Judaism for many centuries, we marked the first night of the holiday with a family seder. Over to the in-laws house we went, and also our cousins, to mark the occasion, drink our wine, eat brisket and matzoh ball soup and gefilte fish, search for lost

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-54689514415826432892010-03-31T20:54:00.001-04:002010-03-31T21:01:13.946-04:00

This blog is now located at http://mattorel.blogspot.com/. You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to http://mattorel.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-44550757364556436262009-12-22T22:47:00.003-05:002009-12-22T23:52:05.675-05:00

Cider pressing, that is.The season starts as the summer descends in to its 2nd half. The days are still hot, and tart juice explodes from the transparents on the early tree. Pressings must start late, else the wasps may make things impossible. In the heat, the juice cannot be allowed to sit too long. The kids help, sometimes friends or cousins or neighbors (that's Cousin Elise with Aaron and

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-41145401670545657422009-11-23T21:57:00.001-05:002009-11-23T22:01:22.374-05:00

As my friend Karen and I sat in the seemingly interminable delay on the Blue Water Bridge in to Canada yesterday, I realized that we'd miss the start of last night's concert. We still had 3 and a half hours to drive -- if there wasn't another delay crossing back in the United States to get to Buffalo. We hadn't been set on tickets until 3pm, so it was the best we could do. Karen and I went

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-62472204193381482972009-11-15T22:19:00.002-05:002009-11-15T23:14:42.606-05:00

GOOD EVENING OHIO!!It's national news, now.Check out the video clip.And, yes, tonight Milwaukee got "Good evening, Ohio," too. Guess he needs to write a new song. Call it "In Ohio." I even have lyrics he can use. He wrote 'em in Kalamazoo, Ohio.

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-33367850750033732812009-11-14T03:49:00.004-05:002009-11-14T04:21:14.969-05:00

When I was growing up in New Jersey, the state had a bit of an identity crisis.  It was the suburb of New York and Philadelphia.  When the Giants and Cosmos moved in to Giants Stadium, they kept "New York" as part of their name.  Bruce Springsteen helped change things for us; from his very first album he proclaimed himself to be a New Jersey man.Michigan, on the other hand, is a big state with no

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-88951546299401261972009-10-19T22:17:00.005-04:002009-10-20T02:08:50.948-04:00

Six years ago, Rush Limbaugh went on national TV and said, regarding Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb:Sorry to say this, I don't think he's been that good from the get-go. I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-10131291904599305452009-10-17T19:40:00.004-04:002009-10-17T22:58:10.836-04:00

20 years ago today. Has it really been so long?As I start this note, the clock reads 7:43pm EDT. In about 20 minutes it'll be the exact time.Me? I was in Section 9, Row 10. The ticket stub says so.During the summer of 1989, I began to realize that the best two teams in major league baseball were the two in the Bay Area, and that there was a good chance of a Bay Area World Series. When the

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-39083186341283436062009-09-26T01:37:00.003-04:002009-09-26T02:38:05.725-04:00

September 25, 200910 years ago this weekend, I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play a pair of shows in Philadelphia to mark Bruce's 50th birthday. Tonight, Bruce joined Elvis Costello onstage for a taping of Elvis's show "Spectacle," at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Not so much to mark Bruce's 60th, but to have an evening of talk and music in an intimate setting.First things first: The

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-49479775817141567632009-09-09T19:46:00.002-04:002009-09-09T20:46:38.452-04:00

I was about to call this one, The Beatles are Coming!!, but considering the prices involved, "Sale" seemed so much more appropriate. The links below show some -- not all -- of the major releases of Beatles stuff today. (Yes, the links all work, please use 'em to buy your Beatles stuff from Amazon!!). There are also various combinations involving t-shirts and even "collector's crate" editions (

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-21726313837484564832009-06-14T23:43:00.006-04:002009-06-15T00:41:21.637-04:00

WE DID IT!!Tour de Cure 2009 is in the books. For the first time, all of us did the ride. This morning in Brighton, Aaron and I participated in the 25-mile bike ride out of Brighton, and Lori and Elianna participated in the 10-mile ride. I am incredibly proud of both kids. For Elianna, it has barely been two months since she learned to ride a bike. And for Aaron, what a ride: All the hills.

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-28569177270951489282009-05-22T00:42:00.006-04:002009-05-22T02:35:06.625-04:00

When Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released one fine late fall day in 1979, I went with 16 of my closest friends in Millburn High School to a screening at Essex Green. We had to be there when Admiral James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise reunited on the bridge. And if the loving shots of the ship took too long, and if the movie itself was little more than a regurgitated TV

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-34973476547214481422009-02-03T22:58:00.010-05:002009-02-04T00:36:55.234-05:00

I tried my best this year to avoid all of the Super Bowl hype. Sure, I've been watching them at least since Otis Taylor made mincemeat of Bud Grant's secondary, but I have long since grown tired of all the pre-game festivities. So, I tuned it out. Even with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band finally on the bill as half-time performers, I did my best to ignore the details, paying only

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-84430052736758823372009-01-12T22:34:00.004-05:002009-01-13T00:17:27.864-05:00

Bruce Springsteen's "Working On a Dream" is due to be released on January 27. It finally leaked all over the internet today, so I've spent an some time with it this evening.Some of the early chatter I heard for this album was pretty bad. So... it's, it's, it's not as bad as that. How 'bout that? There are a few high points, and maybe at this point that should be enough.From the beginning. ok

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-18475077611132224622008-10-30T00:36:00.003-04:002008-10-30T00:43:53.195-04:00

My cousin, Andrew Horowitz, is a Certified Financial Planner and author of The Disciplined Investor: Essential Strategies for Success. We saw Andrew and his beautiful family last weekend, and after talking some finance in email, he sent me this gem last night:Bruce Springsteen’s Economic Wisdom

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-38332497029072253592008-10-08T21:39:00.001-04:002008-10-08T21:41:19.001-04:00

My better pictures from Ypsilanti are now up as a photo album at shutterfly. Go to http://ypsilantibruce.shutterfly.com to see the pics or slide show!

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-74581438230220708632008-10-08T01:41:00.004-04:002008-10-08T02:22:08.136-04:00

October 6, 2008:A year ago today I flew back from Philadelphia, having spent an exorbitant amount of money to see my first show on the Magic tour, my first show since my dad passed a month earlier. The E Street Band had its full original line-up, and played in an arena named for the mighty Wachovia Bank. It was 80 degrees outside, pool weather. The market crash had not yet begun, and the

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-89876000015665108352008-10-06T00:52:00.003-04:002008-10-06T01:36:40.270-04:00

I'm a sucker for going to see Bruce shows... even if they're far away and not really full shows.Today's performance at The Main Oval at The Ohio State University was one of 3 scheduled performances over this weekend, coinciding with voter registration drives in battleground states. Yesterday's was in Philadelphia, and tomorrow's will be in Ypsilanti.It was a beautiful Sunday, and for a change I

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-92209768229265043672008-09-20T23:29:00.003-04:002008-09-20T23:37:16.529-04:00

September 19, 2008:Thirty years ago today, my life changed a little.No, I wasn't there. I was up in my bedroom 20 miles away from Passaic's Capitol Theater, 7 months from having a driver's license, alone with my combo radio/tape recorder, listening quietly for the first time to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play live. I had gotten in to Bruce the summer before... well, the summer

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-19498435335075781442008-07-27T22:57:00.005-04:002008-07-28T00:46:50.110-04:00

Just like that, it was over. As an official sort of thing, anyway. In Jewish tradition, it is customary to be in mourning for 11 months after the death of a parent. Some traditions hold that it is 11 months from the date of death, others hold that it is 11 months from the date of burial, and yet other hold that it is 11 months from the date of death unless the burial is delayed by 3 or more

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-30793523103520455492008-07-22T22:01:00.003-04:002008-07-22T23:22:25.853-04:00

The days are long and hot. I've gone through the cherries, and the strawberries, and on to the red raspberries and now my hands and arms are sore from the prickers of the black raspberries. The snap peas grew, were snapped up and devoured. Lettuce, too. I've done battle with the mosquitoes to get to the summer apples. And still, no tomatoes! Waiting, waiting, waiting.Lori plants the seeds

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-69521085342065367562008-07-13T22:28:00.003-04:002008-07-13T22:54:14.148-04:00

Van Morrison doesn't make it to Detroit very often. He was here in 2006, and before then, I have no idea, but it was before I first came here in 1991. I missed that 2006 show, and determined to see Van Morrison perform sometime in my life, joined his mailing list so I'd get a notice on a pre-sale should he ever return. That night happened on Wednesday, and I didn't miss out this time. Though,

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-57437976700657989402008-06-12T00:27:00.002-04:002008-06-12T01:35:02.022-04:00

WE DID IT!!Tour de Cure 2008 is over. Sunday morning, Aaron and I participated in the 25-mile bike ride out of Brighton. This was an ambitious ride for Aaron; he'd never gone more than 15 before. And, it would be a special challenge, as predictions called for extreme heat.Everything in the basic setup for the right involves a bit of nerves. There's the fundraising, of course (and there's

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-35807869889187058952008-04-28T23:14:00.011-04:002008-04-30T07:09:06.717-04:00

April 27, 2008The afternoon before my father's funeral last September, our family met with the rabbi. He explained Jewish customs of mourning. I knew most of them, but there was one that was new to me: during the 11-month mourning period, it was prohibited to attend any performance of live music (unless required by profession). I immediately thought, I don't think I can observe that one.

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-56012606160316984512008-03-27T22:22:00.002-04:002008-03-27T22:26:58.809-04:00

My report from the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert in Columbus, March 24, 2008, as published on the official Bruce Springsteen website.Before the Cincinnati show, I told some friends that just once, I'd like to be "between the mics," that small portion of the front of the pit between Bruce and Steve. The lottery odds of that are rather small, of course, but last night my number

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-38670845432296879532008-03-27T22:10:00.003-04:002008-03-27T22:19:20.383-04:00

My report from the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert in Cincinnati, March 22, 2008, as published on the official Bruce Springsteen website.At just about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band left the stage, having just completed "American Land" before a nearly packed house at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. The crowd was loud and had been on its feet -- even

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-17364574108445421322008-03-11T23:38:00.002-04:002008-03-11T23:49:52.013-04:00

What does one do when a seemingly normal friend -- albeit one I've met in person only once, through more than a decade of email correspondence -- decides to climb Mt. Everest?Not that Monty can't do it, he's climbed mountains in the Himalayas before, and has had his share of near death experiences. But I'm aiming to see Monty out in Portland in August, so he better make it back it one piece!

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-65603584910652068712008-02-17T15:33:00.002-05:002008-02-17T15:36:49.823-05:00

It's mid-February, so I guess the New Year's greeting is a bit overdue. In recent years, I haven't written so much, but will make a short exception this year.For the rest of the New Year's greeting and the pictures, please go to http://matt.orel.ws/2007_album/.

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-29213951352137576332008-01-05T20:22:00.000-05:002008-01-05T20:26:33.233-05:00

In late 2005, I established an associates account with amazon, going primarily from my discography page. Any amazon.com sales generated by people navigating to amazon from my site generates commissions, that amazon eventually sends my way.As I noted at that time, anything that comes my way from amazon.com will be turned over to charity, on a quarterly basis, doubled by a match from me. All

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-22293783076497235152007-12-22T23:13:00.000-05:002007-12-22T23:27:31.357-05:00

From Elianna Orel and family.

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-38168354689182204452007-12-09T19:43:00.000-05:002007-12-09T20:18:53.995-05:00

"How many days until I can go skiing?" Elianna has been asking that question pretty much daily, for... well, ever since she agreed to take lessons the the Winter Walden ski school.Yesterday she told the piano teacher. She tried on the boots in the den, get in to the skis. She could barely contain her excitement. But today was the day. Up early, in to the clothes, equipment to the car, for

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-3995603194242626702007-12-02T14:46:00.000-05:002007-12-02T15:18:58.408-05:00

Lori and I took a rare night out last night, first snowstorm night of the year. She wanted to see "I'm Not There," but I just wasn't too keen on it. But then we saw that there were some "sneak preview" showings of "The Golden Compass" around the area, so we decided to catch one down in Southfield. For those familiar with the area, we were at Star Southfield, a 20-plex that's gone shockingly

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-33878105047754043232007-11-23T23:13:00.000-05:002007-11-24T00:30:58.584-05:00

Just a few weeks ago, when a seemingly extraordinary heat wave allowed us to keep the pool open well in to October, I wrote about a potential Thanksgiving Pool Party. OF course, I wasn't exactly serious, as we closed the pool just two days after the note... though it might have been warm enough to swim on Halloween.It wasn't warm enough to swim, but things stayed alove. Leaves stayed on trees.

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-28378586854692704862007-11-09T21:34:00.000-05:002007-11-14T00:26:34.347-05:00

A quick show, so a pretty quick review.The band is so tight now that they're wonderful every night, it seems. Last night's setlist certainly wasn't as exciting as Sunday night's in Cleveland, and perhaps I felt a few too many moments where Bruce was playing a role... but it's a really good role -- that of "Bruce Springsteen."The setlist highlight was "Jackson Cage," which I don't think I've ever

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-835608955751433272007-11-07T21:33:00.001-05:002007-11-07T21:52:38.575-05:00

In late 2005, I established an associates account with amazon, going primarily from my discography page. Any amazon.com sales generated by people navigating to amazon from my site generates commissions, that amazon eventually sends my way.As I noted at that time, anything that comes my way from amazon.com will be turned over to charity, on a quarterly basis, doubled by a match from me. All

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-83489606587201248622007-11-06T22:42:00.000-05:002007-11-10T17:27:59.017-05:00

One great thing about seeing many Bruce Springsteen shows is, the next show just could be the best yet. It's one of those euphoric feelings that comes from sharing the space during one of those evenings when all I can say is, "he's on fire." Tonight was one of those nights.As I was in General Admission, I arrived early for the "pit lottery." And, since the arena is connected by an indoor

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-85599246359723083902007-10-09T22:22:00.000-04:002007-10-09T23:45:22.763-04:00

Back in January, I wrote about the local weather. Seemed we were getting unusually warm weather for an extended period of time, and it seemed a bit... scary. For a period of more than a month, every day was warmer than "normal," most by a wide margin -- 10 degrees or more.Well, the early fall provided an encore of the heat. Today marks the 22nd consecutive day above normal, and the hottest

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-33636015333784919592007-10-06T23:56:00.000-04:002007-10-07T02:09:13.517-04:00

After my dad died, we flew in to New Jersey for the funeral and shiva. The rabbi got to the house a few minutes after I did, to go over the funeral as well as the traditions of mourning. He brought his low chairs for the family, and started talking. I knew most of the basics, no shaving or sex during sheloshim, stuff like that. Then he mentioned other “don’ts,” and got to “no live music for a

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-23078322547646193062007-09-30T10:26:00.000-04:002007-10-07T01:01:23.309-04:00

The song "Last to Die" was just broadcast on The Today Show Sunday Edition.On the initial mp3's that passed around earlier this month, I liked the song, didn't really love it.But live, it just slaughtered. Maybe it was different because the sound was so clear or the voice so upfront in the mix so I could understand the words, but it just seemed to me to be the most powerful damn thing I've heard

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-24748637986823845642007-09-23T23:35:00.000-04:002007-09-24T00:14:26.350-04:00

In late August, I received an email from an account manager at Special Ops Media in New York, asking if I might be interested in receiving a review copy of Patti Scialfa’s new album Play It as It Lays and post a review of it. It was a form letter, likely sent to anyone with a reasonably well-known Springsteen website. Nonetheless, having liked Patti’s first two albums well enough, not minding

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-83969008457433808122007-09-20T00:30:00.000-04:002007-09-20T00:33:13.741-04:00

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-73861934684303305502007-09-08T13:24:00.000-04:002008-01-19T21:37:48.594-05:00

It seems my last blog entry got noticed at Harp Magazine. Which means a couple things:Traffic went up; more than 100 visitors found the way via that magazineI get to see how other writers interpret what I had to say.The piece starts like this:Springsteen’s New Magic Album Leaked In Its Entirety OnlineFred MillsSeptember 7, 2007Despite stringent security precautions on the part of Columbia

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-26861328688201294182007-09-06T23:55:00.000-04:002007-09-23T23:53:10.583-04:00

I’m sitting here, trying to come to terms. So far as grieving goes, I’m somewhere between denial, anger and acceptance right now. Part of me wants to yell at my dad, “how could you have done this?” but then I remind myself that he’s the one who’s gone. People coming and going from the same house where I grew up. So many of the appliances and furnishings and even wall hangings have remained

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-7516468211523454092007-09-01T13:40:00.000-04:002007-09-01T14:48:13.221-04:00

Yesterday one of my best friends and I were having an email discussion on some things, including my ailing dad. He ended one email by saying, "it’s always sounded to me like there was as much affection as respect between the two of you and that is a very good thing. And he kept the Chevy."Yes, he did. Not that he kept it in perfect condition, but he did keep it.So I wrote back:Did I tell you

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-70568100749337323862007-08-12T22:24:00.000-04:002007-08-13T00:30:17.847-04:00

Well, old Mitch Albom finally pissed me off enough that I fired off a letter.I'll note, before getting to the letter, that Albom is hardly alone in devoting multiple articles to pontificating on the evils of Barry Bonds. Never mind that Bonds just set the all-time record, or that -- 3 years after the implementation of steroid testing -- he is having, by a wide margin, the greatest season ever

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-49861303896137051792007-08-08T00:21:00.000-04:002007-08-08T00:30:10.966-04:00

In late 2005, I established an associates account with amazon, going primarily from my discography page. Any amazon.com sales generated by people navigating to amazon from my site generates commissions, that amazon eventually sends my way.As I noted at that time, anything that comes my way from amazon.com will be turned over to charity, on a quarterly basis, doubled by a match from me. All

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-25258840882781972542007-07-30T00:26:00.000-04:002007-07-30T00:45:29.361-04:00

A couple weeks ago, Palace Entertainment did a quickie 2-day half-price sale on tickets to a bunch of concerts here this summer. So I picked up a couple shows. Tonight’s was the “B.B. King Blues Festival,” with B. B. King, Al Green and Etta James, and $10 a ticket for the lawn, parking included. Can’t beat that.The time was listed as 7pm, and with multiple artists on the bill, I figured they’d

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-50246485122259490892007-07-20T00:05:00.000-04:002007-07-20T00:17:29.803-04:00

Today's little experiement. Went out to www.travbuddy.com because I saw a link to it from another blog and thought it'd be cool. A few minutes later, my own map of where I've been (no separate entry for Hell, Michigan). So, here goes, my own map:

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-54340071213844230622007-07-12T23:27:00.000-04:002007-07-12T23:48:53.259-04:00

Last night we saw Bob Dylan at Freedom Hill Amphitheater over in Sterling Heights. The show was hot, though maybe not quite as much as the Palace show last November. Bob's been touring with he same band for several years now, and they were pretty tight throughout.Freedom Hill is about in a county park about 20 miles due east from our house. Surface streets all the way, and we managed to catch

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-77067628452452612022007-06-24T23:34:00.000-04:002007-06-25T00:00:40.912-04:00

A few days ago, I went to lunch with a former work team of mine. As it happens, the members of the team are all from India, and we chose an Indian restaurant for the occasion. Much of the conversation was light-hearted banter about foods and gardens; of course, being at an Indian restaurant, I could get all the explanations of the southern Indian cuisine being served (I passed on the mango

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-41042247756798091612007-06-06T22:26:00.000-04:002007-06-06T22:39:15.837-04:00

Aaron and I will be cycling in the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure fund-raising event one week from today, June 10, 2007. The Tour de Cure is a series of cycling events held in over 80 cities nationwide. We have joined thousands of others to pedal in support of the Association's mission: to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Aaron

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-90578316059976222932007-05-11T00:08:00.000-04:002007-05-11T00:12:39.948-04:00

This evening, Lori alerted me to an article she found at "weird science" on MSNBC -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16381098/?pg=9#Science_weird_061228.She tried to tease by asking, "why do you get that odor when you touch coins?," to which I quickly answered, "a chemical reaction."Her follow-up surprised me more: It's from iron in the coins!Here's the article text at msnbc:"That metallic odor you

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-21963593763125232222007-04-30T00:05:00.000-04:002007-04-30T01:07:31.088-04:00

Aaron with the winning carWhen I was 9, I joined Cub Scouts for a year. I don’t remember all that much about it. I started a coin collection as a suggested project. We went to a Yankees game at the old Yankee Stadium, and Bobby Murcer hit two home runs. The den leader showed us a tributary of the Rahway River that ran right through the basement of his house.The other thing I remember was the

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-64168399076667893162007-04-24T23:58:00.000-04:002007-04-25T00:19:43.688-04:00

7pm this eveningSpring finally arrived here last weekend. In March, we briefly considered skipping right by spring and on in to summer, then for most of April we skipped past spring the other way back to winter. The crocuses bloomed early and were eaten by a rabbit the next day. The cherry blossoms nearly bloomed two weeks early, and then nearly froze off the trees.The crocuses, the day before

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-12545817703108366672007-04-15T22:28:00.000-04:002007-04-15T22:58:18.906-04:00

Friday was my birthday. Born on Friday the 13th, and for the 6th time in the 45 years since, a birthday on Friday the 13th. The first wasn't until I turned 11, and I got sick that day, so I figured for a while that Friday the 13th birthdays might be bad.This year, it was dinner at the in-laws. Elianna spoiled the "surprise" Thursday night, when at dinner she blurted out, "we ordered a cake!!"

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-73772972040973353592007-04-06T18:18:00.000-04:002007-04-06T18:24:55.402-04:00

Note: This post originall appeared at http://hollerif.blogspot.com.Market research cited in an article in Monday's New York Times says that users of peer-to-peer downloading networks—BitTorrent, LimeWire, and the like—downloaded ten times more songs than users of "legit" download services like iTunes. More than 5 billion songs were downloaded from P2P source in 2006, as opposed to 509 million

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-10563135958803471512007-02-27T23:33:00.000-05:002007-02-27T23:57:52.394-05:00

(Aaron, age 3 days).February 27, 1997This is what I wrote, when I finally got home from a long, unplanned night in the hospital: http://aaron.orel.ws/aaron1.htmlIf you've never seen a C-Section performed, here is one word to help you picture it: ALIEN. "What does it look like, honey?" "Oh, Sigourney Weaver is going to show up any second now to fight 'em off, otherwise you look great!"February

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-36920761448512266202007-02-19T22:44:00.000-05:002007-02-19T23:19:34.588-05:00

Last month, when I wrote a post called "Global Cooking," our local area was in the middle of an astoundingly mild beginning to the winter. Eventually, we would reach 37 consecutive days of above-average temperatures, including 31 consecutive days at least 7 degrees above normal, 11 consecutive days without a freeze, and 6 days with a high or low at least 20 degrees above normal (2 with both).

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-69589041130601035702007-02-18T22:04:00.000-05:002007-02-18T22:24:00.928-05:00

In November 2005, I established an associates account with amazon, going primarily from my discography page. Any amazon.com sales generated by people navigating to amazon from my site generates commissions, that amazon eventually sends my way.As I noted at that time, anything that comes my way from amazon.com will be turned over to charity, on a quarterly basis, doubled by a match from me. All

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-36920994011083579262007-02-17T16:13:00.000-05:002007-02-17T16:21:56.640-05:00

As a loose rule, we try to exhibit some self-discipline with language around the kids. This has side benefits beyond the specifics of certain words -- including, of course, that what we say to the kids is bound to be repeated in situations where we might rather not have them repeated.Elianna can be particularly open. Last week when I picked her up at MyGym, she went in to her "jump!" bit, in

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-26252680246150581792007-02-02T20:45:00.000-05:002007-02-02T22:35:58.544-05:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a seeming snafu with the GM Card, in which cardmembers such as myself received trivial credits for something called "SHEA CLASS ACTION LIT. SETTLEMENT AWARD." It turned out that that was the result of a class action lawsuit against GM Card for slow process of payments, but most cardholders hadn't been informed of the settlement until they got their pennies.Not

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-44645466731337600092007-01-27T20:52:00.000-05:002007-01-27T21:10:42.666-05:00

A few days ago I received a forwarded message from Eli Smith of the radio program Down Home Radio. He hosts the show on WNYC radio in New York, along with Henrietta Yurchenco. The message read, in part:"My co-host on the show, Henrietta Yurchenco sent me down to the WNYC archives a while back where archivist Andy Lanset gave me the transcription of a program which Henrietta was the producer for

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-16226320184123318582007-01-23T19:57:00.000-05:002007-01-23T20:13:55.341-05:00

The things the children can say. I was out supervising the skiers last weekend, and called home. Elianna got on the phone. "What are you doing?," I asked her."Talking to you on the phone!"Later, at dinner she announced, "I'm full!" So, we said, she must not want dessert. "No, only the healthy part of me is full. The dessert part is empty."We went to the North America International Auto Show

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1169015215742178882007-01-17T01:20:00.000-05:002007-01-17T07:44:42.060-05:00

Winter finally started today. Our streak of days at least 7 degrees above normal ended last week at 31, and we ended up with 37 consecutive days above normal, altogether. Today was the first day of winter with temperatures below normal. We did have a nasty little ice storm Sunday night, took out a few pretty big trees around the neighborhood. I think it finally killed off the broccoli plants;

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1167966418677130072007-01-04T21:14:00.000-05:002007-01-04T22:49:52.053-05:00

Every day I've been back to work this week, at least one person has remarked something like, "at least it's not that cold outside," or "it's really nice out today!" To which I am usually responding something along the lines of, "no, this is bad, this is very, very bad." It's January and the ground in southeast Michigan isn't frozen. The broccoli plants are still alive in the garden, and still

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1166970170961516462006-12-24T09:12:00.000-05:002007-01-05T12:25:49.640-05:00

I love Love. That’s the short version of my review of the latest album to be labeled as “The Beatles.” And since the two living Beatles as well as the widows of the other two actually consented to this project, I suppose the label has some legitimacy. I love “Love.” I want to go to Las Vegas and see Cirque du Soleil perform “Love,” to see how the music and show weave together. Music has

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1166756780707174082006-12-21T21:23:00.000-05:002007-01-19T09:29:04.490-05:00

On December 6, I received a credit on a credit card statement: For "SHEA CLASS ACTION LIT. SETTLEMENT AWARD": -$0.05. Five cents! For what, I don't know, but I am 5 cents richer for being a member of the class. What class?After much searching, I have finally found out: It is for something called "Shea, et al. v. Household Bank (SB), National Association, OCSC Case No. OOCC12585." A

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1165813979100795442006-12-11T00:10:00.000-05:002006-12-11T00:12:59.116-05:00

Eleven days ago at this hour it was 63 degrees here in Southern Michigan. I got on my shorts, went outside, and picked broccoli. The plants are hearty, and they'd made it through the early frosts. The side shoots may not be much at the end of November, but... it's broccoli at the end of November. Even the few ounces that I picked were miraculous to me.I picked broccoli again yesterday.

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1165293754562741522006-12-04T23:34:00.000-05:002006-12-04T23:42:34.563-05:00

Mail programs are better, filters are better. At places such as gmail, I can open my mail relatively free from spam risk. Maybe not quite the same on my home account, but not too bad.So now the spammers are coming for the blogs. Seemingly out of nowhere, I'm now getting 3, 4 spam "comments" per day to various old blog posts. Invariably the ones about Barry Bonds and website traffic are the

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1162938124831991422006-11-07T17:15:00.000-05:002006-11-07T17:23:49.353-05:00

Just about a year ago, I established an associates account with amazon, going primarily from my discography page (http://bruce.orel.ws/discography.html). Any amazon.com sales generated by people navigating to amazon from my site generates commissions, that amazon eventually sends my way.As I noted at that time, anything that comes my way from amazon.com will be turned over to charity, on a

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1162606247175135872006-11-03T20:53:00.000-05:002006-12-21T23:48:28.836-05:00

Went to the Palace last night to see Bob Dylan, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had clued in to the pre-sale early enough to land 11th row seats, that always helps, though Lori's knee isn't good enough to let her stand the entire show.Some observations:His voice, recently described to me as now coming from a man with a stuck Harley-Davidson in his throat, sounded great. The Harley was humming

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1161499867595316372006-10-22T01:46:00.000-04:002006-10-22T02:55:18.823-04:00

I went to my 2nd ever World Series game last night. Like the first World Series game I attended, it was the first World Series game in the city in more than 2 decades. And, like the first World Series game I attended, the opposing manager was Tony LaRussa. And, like the first World Series game I attended, LaRussa's team routed the home team. That first game, back in 1989, is hardly remembered.

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1160712515551349112006-10-12T23:55:00.000-04:002006-12-29T10:01:03.740-05:00

There's a saying around here, goes something like this: If you don't like the weather in Michigan, stick around, it'll change.Of course, that doesn't always mean it'll get better. What had been a merely cool fall turned frigid this morning. I woke up to 36 degrees outside. Good thing I covered the plants last night, though I don't know if the covering held -- it was pretty windy out there.At

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1160113206573571972006-10-06T01:18:00.000-04:002006-12-26T20:18:32.213-05:00

Gotta hand it to Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN. In a column he wrote for espn.com today, Wojo writes: "The martyr -- who missed 31 games in 2006, had only 367 at-bats, couldn't field his position, hit 29 points below his career average and produced his lowest home run total (in 112 games or more) since 1991 and his lowest RBI total (in 112 games or more) since 1989 -- is at it again. "That's

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1159324681330312842006-09-26T22:32:00.000-04:002006-12-25T13:26:23.903-05:00

So the Giants went on a 10-game road trip, realistically needing to win 7 to have a decent shot of making a race of it. One game was rained out. In the 9 that were played the offense clicked well enough, putting up 51 runs, including 8 or more runs 3 times.But the woeful pitching became completely disastrous: The Giants surrendered 93 runs in the 8 games, including an astounding 26 first-inning

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1158647438713988762006-09-19T02:25:00.000-04:002006-10-06T07:22:49.963-04:00

Last Thursday (September 14), Barry Bonds had 4 plate appearances in a game against Colorado. The plate appearances were rather uneventful – a single in 3 official at bats, and a walk. The 6th inning single and the 7th inning walk both led to San Francisco runs; after the walk Todd Linden pinch-ran for Bonds. The Giants went on to win the game, 5-0.What was significant about Bonds’ 4 plate

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19678340.post-1158034108216467382006-09-11T23:59:00.000-04:002006-09-12T00:12:26.313-04:00

The G6 is gone, and so is summer, nearly. Last Tuesday, the time was up. One last weekend, the long weekend. Aaron's friend Timmy came over, and we had one last ride together. In the bathing suit, barefoot... better drive safely, 'cause I have nothing: no shoes, no wallet, no roof. It was cool out, just barely warm enough to ride with the roof down -- and the windows up. But Tuesday the sun

Matt Orelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16216172951304608707noreply@blogger.com0