Jasmine Blooms

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Originally uploaded by banj.

Wow! You should smell this!! It's a obvious sign of spring! We planted this two years ago. Ms. Banj says we put it in the ground last year, but (shhhhhhh) she doesn't know....In 2003 we added this to our herb/veg garden in the front of our house. It has come out early. Have you ever smelled fresh jasmine blooms? Oh my gosh! Nothing like you have every smelled before, and it's loaded to the gill with more to come! We grow and harvest many herbs, I'm in love with this plant. "That's gay" you may say, for a big brawny guy to appreciate? Maybe you might think so, but no. The Lord's bounty. Welcome the warm weather and the renewal!!

LCD, Plasma, DPL, or Flat Screen

I've been looking at televisons. Yes, it is time, time to replace the steam powered 1995 model 25" Zenith with no available imputs except for the composite.

It's seems like the pricing on tube flat screen televisions are dropping rapidly. Fry's Electronics has on display, a 37" Sony Vega. This behemoth is priced...are you ready...$899. Thats gotta be somewhere in the range of $500-$700 less than the same TV was a year ago. Pricing is good, so what's the problem?

Problem is, I don't know what to buy! Do you go with a nice 32" Panasonic or Toshiba with SVideo, component, RCA inputs, pay under $400 for it and then upgrade to an HD set in a year or two? Or do you go with something like a tube type HDTV ready 30" set that's around $750 and sports an incredible picture with every input and output that you could want? Or then again howabout that Sony that is so big it could fill your peripheral and make the hockey puck look the size of a dinner plate?

If you are shopping, better look around. It's a tough choice right now.

Grammy Awards

Did you watch the Grammy's? I am always amazed at some of the pop and R&B artists that win each year. Myself being involved in music and having been most all of my life, I always see a number of winners or nominees that I've never heard of.

So got any opinions on this years winners?

BLUEGRASS MUSIC!!

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Originally uploaded by banj.

i'm going to probably rant. So if you hate blogs with radical posts about crap you couldn't care less about, you probably should move on. If you are interested in music AT ALL, then please read on...

Bluegrass music began as it's current form in the 1930's, as Bill and Charlie Monroe made their own progress in the country music scene with Billl joining the Grand Ole Opry with the bluegrass boys in 1939.

Most people view bluegrass as "hillbilly" music, but the truth is that much of todays new country and even R&B and blues came from the the 1800's banjo, fiddle and guitar tunes that ulitmately today is known as bluegrass music.

I get frustrated as fans talk about Texas music, or good ole country music or pop and R&B and how they appreciate the "artistry" in it, but deny the significance of from where it came. I have known many mainstream musicians who have played bluegrass for the first time and realized that it was much, much, much more intricate than they ever realized. There is much freespace to take into consideration and the harmonies and architecture of the music in general is very difficult. Some just blow it off as being backward.

Remember the "unplugged" era? Everybody and their dog were recording uncut versions of their music. No, it wasn't necessarilty bluegrass, but much of it followed the raw sound of the music and it showed who had the talent outside of the studio and who didn't.

Here's a cd cover of some very good, driving and currently released bluegrass. It's Josh Williams. He's in his early 20's. What an artist! Pick it up or download a song or two from "Itunes" or your fave music site. Then listen real goood....Great stuff!

Ok, I'm done.

Gigapixels!

I find myself more and more looking for cool stuff and posting it for others. I would love the feedback with your thoughts...

This is coolest thing. This guy has developed a megapixel digital cam that is incredible. Take a look at this article in Wired magazine. I think photography will get better than we ever imagined. This gigapixel stuff will soon be sold at Best Buy.

Alison Krauss and Union Station

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Originally uploaded by banj.

Is this not cool? They're coming to Dallas. Actually Grand Prarie in March. I love this photo because it's taken obviously at an NHL game. I'm not sure when. It looks like Detroit and Nashville. If you didn't already know, it's AKUS.

Kasey Chambers

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Originally uploaded by banj.

Do you know this chick? She's got it goin on. A new album out in the U.S. (she's from down undah). "When I grow up I wanna a baby...I'm gonna name him after Ralph Stan-ley." Pretty cool stuff huh? I picked up the cd last week. She sounds like she's 12, but obviously she's not. Check her out. If you are a Dallasite, 95.3 the Range plays her stuff in rotation. Better than that, if you like stuff that really doesn't have a genre label, you'll like her. I do.

State of the Union Results

The following are excerpts from the State of the Union address by President Bush:

"The state of our union is confident and strong," the president told Congress, diplomats, military officials. “One of America’s most important institutions — a symbol of the trust between generations — is also in need of wise and effective reform. Social Security … on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy. And so we must join together to strengthen and save Social Security," Bush said.
“Fixing Social Security permanently will require an open, candid review of the options … I will work with members of Congress to find the most effective combination of reforms. I recognize that 2018 and 2042 may seem like a long way off. But those dates are not so distant, as any parent will tell you. If you have a 5-year-old, you’re already concerned about how you’ll pay for college tuition 13 years down the road. If you’ve got children in their 20s, as some of us do, the idea of Social Security collapsing before they retire does not seem like a small matter. And it should not be a small matter to the United States Congress," he said, offering to hear any serious proposal that is suggested.
President Bush also said that he would support a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage"Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges.
"To build a culture of life, we must also ensure that scientific advances always serve human dignity, not take advantage of some lives for the benefit of others ... I will work with Congress to ensure that human embryos are not created for experimentation or grown for body parts, and that human life is never bought and sold as a commodity."

The U.S. economy finished 2004 with its best performance in five years despite slowing in the final stretch. Economic growth clocked a 4.4 percent increase for all of last year.

It seems to me that he has his head in the right place. I like this president. I like him alot. I think he's the best thing this country has had going in many years.

W!

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Originally uploaded by banj.

Tonight is the President's State of the Union address. I ask you to stay informed, whether you like him or not, by taking a gander at what he has to say about our Social Securty plan. It should be the signature topic of tonights address. This 40 minute speech before Congress will also include a few domestic and of course international issues. Take part in the listening, there will be a pop quiz at tomorrows coffee pot, I guarantee. This address to you, the citizenry of this great nation begins at 9 p.m. EST. That's 8 for you Dallas folks! Get em George...

Snow or Rain?

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Originally uploaded by banj.

This was the scene on my way home this afternoon, about 4:50 or so. We have a forecast for up to 4 inches of snow tonight beginning around midnight. Dallas is expecting less. It's pretty wet right now. Will snow stick? I don't personally think so.

The chili was good tonight. I think she's a better cook than I am. Maybe it's just because I don't have to put the meals together that it tastes better. At least that's what she says.

I lit a fire and chilled. I needed this....