Wmcmanus

Trying to avoid spoilers, but this post is really directed toward those who have seen the entire series... The pacing problems were part of the oddity of Season 2 relative to the rest of the series, but I sort of gave Season 2 a "passing grade" thinking that it would be better integrated in Seasons 3-5, but then it really wasn't. I felt that Beadie's character was much too thin and could have been used as a linking pin to better integrate 2 with 3-5; felt that they left a lot on the table in that regard. It's hard to "discuss" this here, given that many people on this thread have not seen the entire series. But had she been a more substantial character, she could have been of much use on the po-po side of things, which then could have made certain plot twists more palatable than the route the writers took vis a vis the pursuit of Marlo. That said, the way they took it allowed the homeless issues to be addressed, which was certainly credible given that's another aspect of the whole equation which had yet to be explored. Just thought overall that there was a big investment in the dock characters in Season 2 that never came back in a significant way to help move the story along.

This guy seems to like them. They even play loud! http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/first-listen-abyss-ab-1266-planar-magnetic-headphones/?utm_campaign=Hi-Fi%2B+Weekly+Emails&utm_medium=email&page=3&utm_source=email-139

Good question. Agree that it's hard to beat Waits on this, just for the sheer grit if nothing else. Thought The Blind Boys really hit it as well, and really liked the harmonica, but might just be because they were first. So I'd rate The Blind Boys and Waits as a virtual tie. Steve Earle's version is excellent as well, although perhaps a tad on the upbeat/happy side, so 3rd place. Then Neville Brothers 4th and DoMaJe 5th, but to be honest I thought they were all worthy and would have been happy with any of them for the whole series. Rotating them was yet another nice touch to this brilliant series. Will definitely watch it again one day once I'm several years removed from it.

Wow, what a shame. Although really, for the most part Season 2 is stand alone. Not entirely, but close enough.

Mad skillz!!! http://www.wimp.com/saloonpiano/

Just finished watching the series. Gripping. What can I say that hasn't been said? Wow. Agree that Season 2 was the weakest link, but still an amazing series overall.

Thanks, Tyll. Masterful as always. Will refrain and instead build more toys for everyone on the nice list.

Nice work, Mikey. Steve, that's a great find. WIth only 2000 miles and obviously garage kept, it looks brand new. Make sure to have it serviced carefully, checking for anything dry rotted, including the tires. The bug screen will come in handy at times, but not just for bugs. It can be a real vision saver if you ever get caught in a heavy rain and want to keep moving until you can find shelter. You can ride off the back seat like it's a street bike by leaning forward and ducking your head down under the bug screen, with your feet resting on the passenger pedals. Try it on the driveway sometime just to see if you can find a riding position that will help you in an emergency. Pulling off to the side of the road and waiting it out without any shelter is not much fun.

I'm sure you'll do much better, Steve! The funniest part is at the end. http://biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=41302

Just finished Friday Night Lights (series). Really got into it, and for more than just the football. Recommended. Now on to either The Wire or Six Feet Under. Haven't decided which will be first.

Happy birthday, O' large one!

Birthday + travelling = good times! Enjoy.

Nice, about Terry Francona. As good as he is as a manager, he's also an outstanding color commentator. I've always had the sense that he's a "good vibes" kind of guy, and that he's kept a healthy perspective. Far too many people in his postion get all caught up in how important they've become.

Enjoy! Birthdays are anniversaries of life itself. You have much to be thankful for.

Burgman 400 or even better 650, would be great. They both come with ABS which a big plus if you're going to be on highways with them. They're definitely well thought of. Believe it or not, there is now a 800cc scooter on the market as well, although at that point... just get a bike already!!! http://www.visordown.com/features/five-of-the-best-big-scooters/18082-5.html#historysub The Vespa GTS 300 series (there are 3 different models) are extremely well built as well, but may be somewhat power limited (but still rated for 80 mph). It just depends on how much you want to spend and how fast you think you might need to go to out of jams. It's always good to have some headroom in that regard. You want to be riding something that responds quickly boh in terms of acceleration and braking if you're going more than 40 mph. What I like most about Vespa is that there really isn't much plastic on them. That gives them extra weight which helps a lot in terms of balance and just giving a more "planted" smooth ride. I've bounced around on many different scooters of 125cc or less and none of them give me the same illusion of safety. It is an illusion though, because you're totally exposed when you're on 2 wheels without a cage. In any case, I think you'll need to whittle it down to whether you're looking for something in the 300-400cc range or the 500cc and above range. The 300-400cc range with give you some heft/weight/sense of safety, but will still be a fun ride for your day to day tooling around at lower speeds. It will give you enough power to be able to get out on the highway on occasion without being totally terrified, but would not be a good "cruiser" type of bike for long trips. The 500cc and above scooters are essentially medium sized motorcycles without the need to shift gears. Great for long trips and highway usage. They'll go 100mph. In fact, a large part of this market is represented by older guys who either never rode, or because of their physical limitations with their legs (blood sugar problems and such) just want to be able to ride without the fuss of a shifting. So I'd imagine that most of these big scooters would lose a little of the fun factor if you're mostly just running around town in them. Oh, and stay away from anything less than 200cc. At least in my opinion, I wouldn't feel safe on them (as in having confidence of getting myself out of trouble) on an interstate.

Great news, Steve! Mike, it's interesting how your kids are going in such different and yet equally positive and exciting directions. You must be proud!

^ This.

Back in the day when such an occurrence was extremely rare and completely unintentional and punks were nowhere to be found, let alone tolerated.

The Toronto Blue Jays have now won 8 games in a row, and will be facing the Baltimore Orioles this weekend... prompting this post by some Canadian dude on the Blue Jays forum that I follow: "Do you think the Orioles hitters will suck when they get a taste of Dickey, Wang & Johnson this next series?"

So young, so sad, an apparent heart attack. RIP.

Honestly, as I read the question, I immediately thought of the answer even before I could read it. So true.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxpyZtzvTJ0