B.B. King & U2 - When Love Comes To Town - CLIP

In April 1989, when it was announced that Irish rock band U2 was recording a new song with legendary blues artist B.B. King, many people, myself included, were surprised.

 Although both U2 and B.B. King were already highly accomplished in the rock and blues fields, respectively, the pairing of the two acts at first seemed somewhat incongruous to lots of music fans.

Powerful, moving, melodic and joyous are just some of the words I can use to describe "When Love Comes to Town." With a pounding backbeat, driving bass line and top-rate vocals, this song is definitely my favorite U2 song.

Through the years, B.B. King has collaborated many of the rock music world's most well-known artists. In 1971, the B.B. King in London album was released. On that album, he worked with Ringo Starr, Steve Marriott, Alexis Korner and lots of other prominent musicians.

In 2005, the B.B. King & Friends: 80 album was released. The album features collaborations with a large number of popular musicians from a host of genres. 

Take a listen to the phenomenal rendition of "Rock This House" that B.B. King recorded with Elton John and his band in Las Vegas. B.B.'s energetic vocals and precision guitar-playing are well-matched by Elton John's high-energy, rocked-out piano-playing. 

When B.B. King and Joe Cocker teamed-up on a song named "Dangerous Mood," the result is a rowdy and energetic, yet sophisticatedly-written blues song. Mr. King and Eric Clapton perform a blazing rendition of "The Thrill is Gone" on the "80" album, and the version of "There Must be a Better World Somewhere" that B.B. and Gloria Estefan perform is soulful, sultry and outstanding.  

Wayne's World?

For several years now, I've been purchasing and eating different varieties of Utz potato chips. On a fairly regular basis, Utz introduces new varieties of chips. A couple of weeks ago, I acquired these two new styles of Utz chips at a store in Hartford, but I haven't seen them anywhere since then.

The Smokin' Sweet chips have a great flavor, but their kettle texture makes them very hard and crispy.

The fried dill pickle potato chips are not bad, but definitely unusual. I'll bet they would make a good combination with tuna salad sandwiches. These chips make me think of "Wayne's World," and someone baked with the munchies eating a whole bag at a time. Having seen WW numerous times, the fried dill pickle chips seem like a product that Wayne and Garth would embrace.

For Consistently Outstanding Donuts, the Bakery at Big Y, Bishops Corner-West Hartford is the place to go.

Do you ever become bored with the same old, unidentifiable-fruit jelly that inhabits your jelly donuts?

Last night, I acquired three donut specimens from Big Y at Bishops Corner. Their lemon-filled, and apple-filled powdered sugar, JELLY DONUTS were as mellowly-sweet as ever, and the chocolate frosted,/multi-colored shot variety was, like always, highly satisfying.

Here is a delicious, apple JELLY DONUT from Big Y, Bishops Corner, West Hartford. These ample orbs are lightly dusted with confectioner's sugar, and stuffed with a not-too-sweet apple filling.

For several decades now, I've been trying donuts from different spots across Connecticut, and the ones served at Big Y are consistently the best I've found.

As opposed to other major supermarket chains who sell only pre-made donuts, at Big Y, the donuts are made fresh every day. In addition to their wonderful donuts, Big Y also regularly The bakery at the Bishops Corner Big Y is, in my opinion, one of the best bakeries in the local area. If they don't have exactly what you're looking for on hand, there's a good chance they'll custom-make it for you.

A special, free-standing donut and muffin case with see-through windows is in place close to the bakery counter. Normally, there are glazed and chocolate frosted donuts in the case, as well as mixed berry, apple and lemon-filled donuts. Sometimes, Big Y has their delicious blueberry jelly donuts in-stock, as well as old-fashioned and cinnamon-sugar varieties.

An ample supply of cellophane paper pieces are on hand, for grabbing the donuts you want out of the case. Another excellent feature is the self-serve supply of waxed paper bags for holding the donuts and  muffins.

Also, a thumbs-up to the Bishops Corner Big Y bakery for the jelly donut that I got there recently. The donut  contained a lightly-sweet jelly that looked like a hybrid of blueberry and blackberry. The flavor of the jelly donut, though, tasted like an combination of blackberry and apple.

Even though the donuts at Big Y are larger, better-tasting and less-greasy than those served at a famous donut chain, but they're also less-expensive. Go figure. 

 

While I'm unsure of the regular price of Big Y's donuts, the price on my receipt read $0.99c each. Whether you have a casual relationship with donuts, or you're a real afficianado of the sweet treats, the incredible fresh donuts from Big Y in-store bakeries are worth making a special trip for.  

Hubba Hubba.

What a Relief

Updated in August 2022

This is a three-foot by two-foot, wood and plaster of Paris 'Relief'' that adorns the lobby of my landlord's office. Previously, it was all white, and in the newer photo, it is still in the under-painting phase. Unfortunately, I don't know who originally constructed the relief, nor how old it is, but it sure is interesting and lots of fun to paint. Altogether, I'll probably spend about a month working on it, when I'm not working on other jobs.

Well, the painting of the plaster of Paris relief took approximately seven and a-half weeks to complete. The project involved a lot of under-painting, and I've learned about some of the intricacies involved with painting three-dimensional objects.

The relief was painted on my apartment floor, with big plastic tarps spread underneath and around it. As seen in the above photo, more than 20 tubes of paints were hanging-out on a tarp on my floor for weeks.  

Running Red Lights on Farmington Avenue Endangers Everyone

Trying to save a few seconds by running red lights at the corner of Farmington Avenue and South Whitney Street seems to be standard behavior for lots of drivers these days. This is especially true for drivers heading west towards West Hartford.

It can be nearly impossible for eastbound drivers to turn left onto Whitney Street, particularly during afternoon rush hours. Putting a directional arrow on the traffic light at that corner could improve the traffic situation that now exists.

Years ago, Triumph-chopper-motorcycle-builder-extraordinaire Larry Poulin and I were talking about the crazy traffic situation on Farmington Avenue, and he said the problems come from having too many entrances and exits situated in a 1/4-mile strip of mostly commercial properties.

Just a few nights ago, a woman in a black SUV blatantly ran the red light after the light had changed. I had started walking through the crosswalk and she drove on the wrong side of the road while running the red light. Not only did this woman almost hit me, but she also gave me the finger. Go figure.

Driving in Hartford can be quite challenging. That's why my Miata is usually sitting in the garage. Having safe and efficient traffic signals and intersections can be a big step forward.

Quite often, I work at my home office desk on weekday afternoons. Because the venetian blinds are usually up and open on a nearby window facing Tremont Street, I regularly see the traffic patterns out there.

In my estimation, weekday traffic on Tremont Street has at least doubled, if not quadrupled, since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. At some points in the afternoons, there are 10-12 vehicles per minute traversing the quiet side street.

It's not just the amount of traffic that I notice, but it's the way they're driving that startles me. Thankfully, the City of Hartford installed speed bumps on Tremont a few years ago. The distance from the speed bump closest to my building fits roughly eight houses and apartments. Just by listening and watching, it looks like driver after driver is traveling at very high rates of speed in that short distance.

When a line of vehicles forms at the stop sign, almost invariably now, at least one of the drivers will begin beeping their horn at another driver. It's hard enough for people to get out onto Farmington Avenue as it is, being obnoxiously impatient only makes things worse.

A few times recently, I observed people operating cars in Hartford that have no license plates. What are they thinking? What if they're sitting at a red light, and a police cruiser pulls up behind them?

 

1.5 Oz of Chocolate-Mint Decadence

If you're a fan of dark chocolate and mint, this candy bar is highly recommended. The label looks great, and the funky-green part of the bar reminds me of foods that astronauts may eat in outer space. Not too sweet, with a nice balance between the chocolate and the mint. The TV advertising campaign was quite successful; this is the first candy bar that I've purchased in a couple of years.

Here are a few pertinent details regarding the Kit Kat Duos Mint & Dark Chocolate candy bar.

Size

The net weight of the standard-sized Kit Kat Duos Mint & Dark Chocolate candy bar is 1.5 ounces.

Appearance

The first thing that attracted me to the Kit Kat Duos Mint & Dark Chocolate candy bar is the predominantly black and pastel, mint-green label. Being a huge fan of dark chocolate and mint, separately and together, I knew I would like this product as soon as I saw it.

Kit Kat bars are made by Hershey, and have been available in the U.S. since 1970. On the Hersheyland website, the very-cool-looking green mint coating is called mint creme. The mint creme gives the bar a somewhat futuristic look, like something the Jetsons might be munching-on. 

Flavor

Because the top half of the Kit Kat Duos Mint & Dark Chocolate candy bar is coated with the mint creme, and the bottom half is coated with dark chocolate, the balance of chocolate and mint is well-balanced.

Nutritional Facts

Each 1.5 ounce Kit Kat Duos Mint & Dark Chocolate candy bar contains 210 calories per one-package serving. One bar contains 12 grams total fat and 0 mg cholesterol. There are also 20 grams total sugars and two grams of protein per serving.

This new treat is the best chocolate-mint combination since the introduction of Girl Scout thin mint cookies. Ha

The Cowsills- Indian Lake, 1968....Lyrics Provided!

Ever since I was a kid, I've been a big fan of the Cowsills musical group. The Cowsills is/was comprised of members of a family from Rhode Island named Cowsill.

During the late-1960s, the Cowsills had several very popular hit songs. These include "Hair"        , "The Rain, the Park and the Other Things" and "Indian Lake." 

Watching "Frasier" While Vacuuming Can Be Hazardous To Your Vacuum Cleaner

No matter how long you've been utilizing a product, it's very easy to space-out and make some type of mistake while you're using it. Such was the case when I emptied the dust cup on an awesome, black Eureka vacuum cleaner recently.

My Father gave me the lightweight, Eureka vacuum cleaner as a gift ten or twelve years ago, and I'd always made a point of reinstalling the dust cup after emptying it. On the night in question, I emptied the dust cup, but then stopped to watch "Frasier" more closely on the nearby TV set. "Frasier" is one of my favorite shows, and I watch it regularly.

I must have assumed that I put the dust cup back in, so I turned the vacuum cleaner on, and the sleek machine began making a very loud, high-pitched sound. Immediately, I shut it down, then turned it on again, only to have the machine make the same awful sound again.

                                          

After unplugging the vacuum cleaner, I happened to notice the dust cup sitting on my kitchen counter, next to the waste basket. Duh.

Although I have since acquired an excellent, Black & Decker canister-type, upright vacuum cleaner, I still miss the Eureka. Later today, I hope to do some vacuuming. Vigilance will be necessary with emptying and reinstalling the canister and filter, and I have to do it when "Frasier" is not airing.

Updated in August 2022

The other night, I was watching an episode of "Frasier," and I started to think about how funny and freaky it would be if, for one day, I dressed and talked exactly like the Frasier character.

For instance, I patronize the Burger King restaurant on Farmington Avenue at least once or twice a week, sometimes more. If I were to go in there in a tweed,  three-piece suit, and explain to the cashier that I wanted to satisfy my gastronomic urges, she would probably freak.

At the corner bodega where I purchase Drake's cakes and Utz potato chips, I regularly utilize "Spanglish" wherein I speak a blend of 50% Spanish and 50% English. If I was speaking Spanglish in Frasier-mode, it would probably be the funniest thing they'd heard in a long time.