My Thermos

I'm a big fan of bands that can take a song and make it their own, and I think Gov't Mule does that better than any band I know. It's always a joy to see what nuggets they pull out and give the Mule treatment. I've seen them do everything from Wasted Time to I'm A Ram to In The Court of the Crimson King, but I especially love when they pull out the She Said She Said / Tomorrow Never Knows Jam.

It's probably one of my favorite Beatles songs and the Mule version is just a killer. I was just mentioning this song yesterday in Nat's Tuesday Tunes about favorite covers of Beatles tunes, so I thought I would share this clip from 3-17-00, just about a month before my first Mule show.

Enjoy!

Boy, do I have bad timing or what. Here I am posting a BYOBO from Sir Paul just one day after he celebrated his 66th birthday. Should I have done this yesterday as a birthday tribute - sure I should have. But as it is, perhaps I can be the first to wish him a happy birthday for next year.

In any case, here is a list of some of my fave Macca songs. I've decided not to include Wings stuff as that is a list of it's own, and there is no way I could limit to just 15 with them piled in.

I think you'll find some surprises here, and if you're not familiar with them, I encourage you to check them out (clicky the linky in the list) and let me know what you think.

So once again inspired by Nat at Mini-Obs, the idea is the same as always:

Pick one of your favorite bands / artists and list 10-15 songs by that band / artist to compile your own best of compilation.

So here goes - The Best of Paul McCartney as compiled by me: Continue reading "Build Your Own Best Of - ... »

Since it's inception, My Thermos has always just been a place to share stuff about me. I've never had a formal theme or agenda here other than the general Thermos motif - basically things I like = hot and things I don't = cold.

In an article I wrote the other day I talked about how I like to present alternatives to the norm, to challenge folks to think differently, and encourge people to make informed choices. I got to thinking about what I've written since I started here, and I realized that is really what the content of My Thermos is about - because that is what I am about.

I like to think I bring a different slant to things, that my opinions might just be different enough to get people to think about their own, and that what interests me might just spark something in someone to lead them on to a discovery of their own. Whether it's introducing new music, or recommending great songs from your old favorites, pointing out cool sites and interesting things I find on the web, or sharing my own unique perspective on family.

I tend to think in song lyrics - I've always liked this one:

Different eyes see different things,
Different hearts beat on different strings.

Lifeson / Lee

I think it fits my philosophy quite well.

Anyway, a while back I bought the domain name ondifferentstrings.com and was planning on starting a blog for entrepreneurs there. It was to be for those who have stepped away from corporate America and working in alternative work environments, those who are redefining their own success.. I really get to address a lot of this on Web Worker Daily now though so the project got sidelined.

The My Thermos name has served me well but it has led to considerable confusion, and has always had me worried about getting some sort of cease and desist from the very real Thermos Corporation.

So with the confluence of the above events, could it be time to retire My Thermos and let it evolve into On Different Strings? I can leave things as they are and just put the new bit of creative energy I am feeling into some changes here. I can rename and redirect - put a new coat of paint on things and move forward or I can leave this up as an archive and start fresh in a new home. I could maintain both but not sure what would get posted here rather than there. I am like 7th or 8th on the first Google results page when you search for Thermos. Maybe I should sell?

And what of jamminestjams - a domain which was to hold my music blog.

How do my readers feel? Your Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

Come on - I expect to hear from all three of you...

SB

I heard the outstanding original ZZ Top version yesterday and was reminded what a great tune it is. So in honor of what is payday for most folks, I thought I would post this great Gov't Mule version of Just Got Paid to revive my Friday / Muleday offerings.

Warren just slays on that slide - it don't get any better.



SB

I originally wrote the following in an email this morning but in thinking about it, I decided it might be worthy of a bigger audience (you know, the 3 of you that read me, rather than just the one person in the email thread.) It has been modified a bit to fit a larger context.

One of the things that really bothers me is when things become de-facto standards, even though they really might not be the best option for everyone. When choices are minimized and options ignored, people are making their decisions blind.

For example, WordPress has become the standard blogging platform even though there exist other very worthy options like Serendipity, Injader, Drupal, etc.. Could these have better served some folks? Probably. Did they consider them? Probably not.

Ask people about web based small business Contact Management and everyone is quick to talk about Highrise, which is indeed a fine product. Is it the best choice for everyone? Could something like BatchBook be a better option?

I think this same sort of thing can apply to music as well. Folks gravitate to "greatest hits" packages full of popular singles and radio fodder. Is Stairway to Heaven really the best Led Zeppelin tune? It's believed to be true, and so it perpetuates - at the expense of Tea For One or Nobody's Fault But Mine. Great songs that people don't hear because certainly Presence isn't as good as IV because, well, because the masses have decided that it isn't.

It's a challenge sometimes to fight this flow but I think it's worth it - and I try to do what I can to support those folks who take on that challenge. I try to do dilligent testing of solutions before I use them personally, and before I recommend them to my clients. I try to dig deep and offer some alternatives when I do get around to writing a BYOBO piece.

Presenting options and challenging the status quo is a goal of mine. I urge people to dare to be different, dare to go against the grain, and not just for the sake of doing it, but rather to make intelligent and informed choices. It's to your benefit to do so.

SB

Here are some of the things I have added to my idea bin to write about over the last couple of days.

Fantasy Baseball Update - So I lost. To the team that was 0-9. HRs and RBIs were non-existent and a couple of pitchers brought me negative points. This week is going a bit better. It's a long season.

Bring Your Own Best Of - I'm working on them, sort of. Meanwhile check out Nat over at Mini-Obs, she has posted a bunch of them. I might start with replying to those as some of her choices are a bit different than mine would be.

Alanis Morissette - Still not a fan of that "thing" she does with her voice, but I did find her surprisingly interesting and insightful on Howard's show today. My walkaway from the interview "secrecy vs. privacy" - talk amongst yourselves...

Blizzard of '78 - Really dug their first album. Got word that the new CD is in mastering so hopefully that means a release soon.

Entrecard - I haven't dropped cards in a week. I wish I had time. I don't. I still read a lot of sites I found there via RSS though.

Top Chef - After a couple of weeks of catching the repeats on Saturday while I'm working at home, I seem to be a bit more interested in this than I would like to be. I won't say I'm obsessed, but I will say that if Lisa wins there will be hell to pay.

Weather - We've had a lot of rain of the torrential variety and tornadoes virtually minutes away. Scary stuff over the weekend. Now it's just damn hot.

Idiomag - A tremendously cool online music magazine site I signed up for ages ago and am just now taking the time to read. Excellent stuff. Here's mine - you can make your own as well.

Thanks for hangin' in there with me - our normal programming should return soon.

SB

Another week plus and still no new posts.

I swore I would never let this blog languish, but alas it seems to be starting. Free time has been minimal and when I do get the chance, I've been using the time to prepare content for WebWorkerDaily. They help pay the bills so my poor Thermos here is being neglected.

But I did want to share my Fantasy Baseball results for last week as they were outstanding. I posted a league leading 758.5 points and defeated my opponent by a resounding 75 points. So at the end of week 9 with a 5-4 record I take sole control of 3rd place, 3 games behind the leader.

This week is going well already so I feel confident that I'll once again be victorious and putting a nice winning streak together.

So there you have it, at least it's something you know. I do have a BYOBO post in process but they are pesky and always take longer than I would like. If you really miss me, come check out my work over at WWD.

Cheers,
SB