The upshot was that the neurologist is more confident in her diagnosis & wants to continue the drugs/rest/physical therapy route. She doesn't think disk surgery is warranted at this point but she wants the neurosurgeon to make the call. Back to him next week after he sees the results. Last time I saw him he wasn't anxious to cut, though he was "not impressed with these disks."

It's impressive -- to me -- that the neurosurgeon wasn't rushing into surgery. Some do, you know. It's like they have a serious jones to slice and dice, regardless of the patient's status/preference.

Have you had steroid injections? I understand those can be very helpful.

Anyway, I'm still on disability with no clear idea when I'll be back at work.

That's frustrating. I feel your pain. Literally (though lower back/left leg/numb foot, not upper back/arm/numb hand). Though it sounds good that your pain is notably less.

You were looking quite well for a man in pain, Joe, though you were clearly pushing yourself. Cut that out, would you?

Just got the Monk/Coltrane as a Hannukah gift to self. (One for you, one for me...). Can't wait to bust it out.

Rappers in Bakersfield? (Windows Media Player File)

[link]

Boy, was I productive last night. Not only did I make and bake about 4 dozen cookies as well as making Czech Christmas Bread from scratch, I was rushing back and forth to my laptop in order to digitize the Mancini mix tape I made years ago. I digitized and edited 26 tracks in the midst of all that baking somehow. Amazing. But I just realized I don't have any of the Breakfast at Tiffany's stuff on here nor the theme from The Great Race. I might download Tiffany's from iTunes Music Store but if I want the main theme from "The Great Race", I'm going to have to set up my laptop near the turntable again.

Don't mind me. It seems I'll just continue serial posting. I just noticed that the iTunes Music Store has licensed All Music (Media) Guide reviews. I wrote a number of reviews for AMG in the late '90s. I read the contract before signing it. It was a horrible all rights contract but I was unemployed, on disability and pretty destitute at the time, so I took it. Whereas reviews that were licensed by MSN and others still left the writer's credit on, the iTunes Music Store instance I'm seeing doesn't. It's one thing for me not to get residuals for work of mine that has been resold. It's another thing entirely not to be credited with it. I don't know if any of the reviews I've written have been licensed by Apple (I wrote about stuff more obscure than they generally have), but if it shows up I'd be mildly interested in seeing if there's a case there.

Son of a bitch! They have at least one of my reviews. Uncredited.

Oh, Spidra! That sucks!

And Hec, I did NOT know there's a song titled "(I Feel Like a) Dictionary" Where? Who? How?

And I would be quite grateful for a little Roger Miller. "My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died" has been a constant unsolvable earworm for the past couple of weeks ...

Hi erinaceous!

Here's my Mancini in roughly chronological order. I think the chrono order is interesting in order to see his development, but I think I'll also try to work on a mood order.

1. Cha Cha for Gia
2. Four Girls in Town
3. Peter Gunn (Theme)
4. Main Title (A Touch of Evil)
5. Flashing Nuisance
6. Tana's Theme
7. The Boss
8. Robbin's Nest
9. March of the Cue Balls
10. Lightly Latin
11. Big Noise from Winnetka
12. The Blues
13. Mr. Yunioshi
14. Something for Cat
15. Hub Caps & Tail Lights
16. Latin Golightly
17. The Big Heist
18. Loose Caboose
19. Baby Elephant Walk
20. The Pink Panther Theme
21. It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasere)
22. A Shot in the Dark
23. Bistro
24. Charade
25. The Royal Waltz
26. They're Off!
27. Push the Button, Max!
28. The Great Race March
29. He Shouldn't-a, Hadn't-a, Oughtn't-a Swang on Me
30. Cold Finger
31. Pie-in-the-Face Polka
32. The Old College Try Cha-Cha
33. Frish-Frosh
34. My Cousin From Naples
35. Congarocka
36. Midnight Cowboy (Theme)
37. The Hawaiians
38. Pineapple Pirates
39. Music for a Japanese Bath
40. The Streets of Chinatown
41. Pink Panther '78
42. Thar She Blows
43. Hong Kong Fireworks
44. Pink Panther '78 (Reprise)
45. King's Can-Can
46. Cat & Mouse

Mancini's Greatest Hits was my first LP purchase when I was 10 (using my lawn mowing money). I could not believe one man could be so genius as to have produced "Peter Gunn," "Pink Panther Theme" and "Baby Elephant Walk."

"Something For Cat" might be my favorite nowadays though. Perfect drive-your-convertible-to-Palm-Beach music.