HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM PERU - WHAT?

Yes, you read right. SAXOMAN is blogging live from Peru. What? Yes, I am enjoying the holidays and the warm summer time in Peru. Now so far I have seen more fireworks exploded on Christmas eve than I could ever have imagined and eaten lots of good food as SAXOMAN is taking full advantage of the Peruvian cuisine. Now there are some things that take getting used to like keyboards without a @ for some odd reason (whats up with that?) and the occasional cold shower that will wake you up in a hurry! My blogging may be a little sporadic as I am at the mercy of hotel computers and internet cafes. Anyway, I will be blogging as soon as I can. Oh yes, I am also watching the Simpsons in Spanish too. HAHA

60 FREEWAY FIASCO AND SAXOMAN IS THERE

Now for those of you that live in the Southern California area you may have heard or seen footage about the fuel tanker that caught fire on the 60 freeway recently. Now how was SAXOMAN involved in this major accident? No, no SAXOMAN didn't cause this accident but was very close to this whole situation. You see I was at work in my car and taking my daily lunch time nap. All of a sudden my deep, restful slumber was interrupted by the sound of helicopters buzzing overhead. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and got out of my car to see what was going on. There I saw three helicopters hovering over the 60 freeway. What is going on I thought. I went inside and hopped on my computer to see that a fuel tanker had caught fire and the off ramp just prior to where SAXOMAN gets off to go to work was being burned. I then see that they had closed the freeway in both directions! What? So for the next several days SAXO had to take alternate routes and alternate freeways to get to and from work. The problem was that everyone else had to use these alternate routes as well! Auuuggghhh! Anyway, I managed to survive several days of inconvenience and now all is back to normal.

SONG OF THE DAY - SUN

This weeks Song of the Day is a classic funk gem from 1976 from the group Sun. The song of the day is titled Wanna Make Love and is from their debut album of the same name. This song is probably best remembered for it's catch phrase "Come flick my bic". Now I don't know if this was a national hit or not but it sure was popular in good old Pasadena way back in the day. There were many other great tunes on Sun's debut album as well. Not hip to Sun and their hit Wanna Make Love? Well check it out and hip up!

PINK OR LAVENDER - HUH?

Pink or Lavender? What? Yes, this is the question the wife asked me recently while we were at the store. You see women for some reason don't like to use soap and think body wash is much better for your skin. Jeez, why can't I just use the same soap that I've been using for 30 years? So on top of the wife having both of us use body wash, she also feels we should wash our skin using a "pouf" instead of a washcloth. A what? Yep, see the photo to see what a pouf is cuz I had no idea what the hell this was. Jeez, as I write this I can feel the testosterone draining from my body. I have visions of my many readers exiting this blog for fear of SAXOMAN partaking in a serious man card violation. I thought to myself that you may as well snip off my testicles while you're at it too. Jeez! HAHA! OK, so back to the pink or lavender question. So as we were at the store the wife wanted to buy new poufs and for us to each have our own. What? Matching poufs? Are you kidding me! So as we viewed the slim selection, you guessed it! Pink or Lavender were my only choices! What? No wonder these things don't come in manly colors because these things aren't meant to be used by a man! So as my wife asked this question I heard a girl nearby snickering at my predicament. Pink or Lavender! How do I get into these things? I just shrugged my shoulders and said "Lavender, I guess...." I mean it has to be better than pink right? Right? Fellas? Hello? Is anyone out there?

PHILIPPE'S - A LOS ANGELES INSTITUTION

Home of the french dip, Philippe's is an L.A. institution not to be missed. Now yesterday SAXOMAN and the wife were in Chinatown (What! Again?) and we were deciding on where to eat. I said, "Hey, let's go to Philippe's". Just a block and a half from Chinatown the wife and I strolled over to enjoy an enjoyable French dip sandwich. Philippe's is also a short walk from L.A.'s Union Station as well. Now you can have pork, lamb, roast beef or turkey and I can honestly say every sandwich I have tried has been a winner. Now I know there is some debate as to who actually created the French dip and Philippe's is one of the places that claim this. Now I personally do not know who the creator was but in the meantime I will enjoy the sandwiches from whoever makes them. Now with a variety of sides to choose from you can pick and chose as you like. They also make their own mustard and I can tell you to use sparingly as it is as hot and spicy as Japanese wasabi. This will clear your head fast! Not hip to Philippe's? Check it out the next time you are over that way!

DRIVING A STICK SHIFT

I remember many years ago when I had to first learn to drive a stick shift. I was working in the kitchen at a hospital and they needed me to be able to drive the company truck to the opposite side of the facility to deliver food. One of my co-workers had the task of showing me how this was all done. Seeing as I had never driven anything but an automatic transmission before, I knew this would be quite an experience. I remember my initial attempts did nothing but stall out the truck. “Push the clutch in!” my co-worker yelled at me. I then had trouble learning the proper amount of clutch to be let out and the truck would start buckin’ like we were on a mechanical bull. HAHA! My co-worker would continue to yell (coach?) me. “Push in the clutch! Now let it out slowly! No, too fast! Slower! Foot on the brake! Give it some gas!” and on and on it went….. I remember him just putting his face in his hands and shaking his head. HAHA! Now eventually I started to get the hang of this and my shifting became crisp and clean. I would then enjoy my brief excursions to the other side of the facility. With the radio blasting and me leanin’ hard towards the center of the truck (gangster lean) I was a site to behold. Now eventually I ended up getting several cars after this that were stick shift and enjoyed winding out the gears and downshifting as well. Another memorable experience in the life of SAXOMAN. HAHA!

HO HO HO - JAMES BROWN STYLE

Yes my many readers it's that time of year again. Time to pull out that Christmas music and get in the holiday spirit. Now what does SAXOMAN play to get the holiday feeling? Why none other than the Godfather of Soul singing his classic hit Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto (from the album pictured). What? OK, now maybe not an international hit and not known by all but a favorite of SAXOMAN. So with that being said, check it out and hip up! P.S. I recently saw where there is a cd titled The Complete Recordings of James Brown's Christmas Music. I gotta get it!

CLOTHES THAT LAST FOREVER

Have you ever had some clothes that just never seem to wear out? I mean, why can't they make more clothes like this? Now I have to say that there are two pieces of clothing that I own that just never seem to wear out and I have worn these for years. Now I'm sure if my wife got wind as to how long I've had these clothes she would quickly dispose of them but for now I'm safe. Now one is just a simple short sleeve polo shirt and the other is just a simple ribbed tank top. How long have I had these? I dunno.....all I know is that these never lose their shape, never fade, and still don't have any holes in them. What's funny is when I wear the polo shirt at work someone will always say "nice shirt" HAHA! So in the meantime SAXOMAN will keep on wearing these as long as possible.....

REST IN PEACE

Usually this blog deals with my endless supply of nonsense and music/movie picks. I'm sorry to say that this post is one of a more serious nature. I'm sad to say that the other night was a very tough night for SAXOMAN and family. Our beloved cat of almost 17 years passed on. Our cat Flakita (aka Flacka or Flackies) was the nicest, friendliest cat you could ever hope for and was never any trouble. While other cats of ours ran and hid whenever company was over, Flacka would come out and socialize, rub against people and look for anyone to pet her on the head. She was a great cat and will be sorely missed. I guess we were lucky to enjoy her for as long as we did as most cats do not live to the age of 17. Now for those that don't have pets they wonder how someone can grieve so much for a pet. All I can tell you is that Flacka was a big part our lives and we will always be remembered fondly. Rest in peace Flakita!

LATIN JAZZ CD PICK OF THE WEEK = FRANCISCO AGUABELLA

This weeks Latin Jazz CD Pick of the Week is another winner from master conguero Francisco Aquabella titled Cubacan. I picked this cd up recently for only $5 and it is a real winner! Funky latin rhythms and scorching solos make this a must have for you latin jazz lovers. Now I currently own three other cd's by Francisco and they are all winners. Not hip to Francisco Aguabella? Then check out one of the many tracks from this great cd.

FUNK CD PICK OF THE WEEK - MANDRILL LIVE

This weeks coveted Funk CD Pick of the Week is titled Mandrill Live at Montreux 2002. OK, now don't think that SAXOMAN has created a new category but just felt this is where this funky cd belonged. This live cd captures Mandrill at their best gettin' funky with all of their hits. Now if you love the cd you can also get a dvd of this great performance as well. What? Now what prompted SAXOMAN to revisit this great cd was a recent e-mail from one of the founding members of Mandrill! What? Yep, one of the founding members is an avid reader of this blog. I kid you not. Now maybe I do have more than the 2? or 3? readers that I think typically follow this blog. Anyway, I've always wondered why every year I see the same groups at the L.A. County Fair (War, Tower of Power, Average White Band) but never see Mandrill playing the Fair. I dunno.......my guess is that the venue is too small. Anyway, not hip to Mandrill? What? Then check them playing their funk classic Fencewalk from the Live at Montreux dvd and hip up!

JAZZ CD PICK OF THE WEEK - JIMMY SMITH

This weeks Jazz CD Pick of the Week is by the great Jazz organist Jimmy Smith. This cd is simply titled "Standards" and is a simple trio of organ, guitar and drums. Now I have to confess that for quite a while I had steered clear of trio recordings. I always felt that something was missing, like a sax or trumpet. But this? This is a smooth as satin and as soft as butter. Jazz musicians interacting at the highest level. With Kenny Burrell on guitar and Donald Bailey on drums this recent purchase was a pleasant surprise. Now I have to say I've been a fan of Jimmy Smith for quite a while and currently own 11 of his cd's (mostly the Blue Note releases). The recordings he did with Stanley Turrentine are must haves for any jazz lovers collection. Anyway, here's one of the many great tracks from this cd. Check it out and you will know what SAXOMAN is talking' about.