My boy Cosmo (1997-2009)

We had to put Cosmo down yesterday after 13 years. His breathing limited him to being able to sleep for no more than a minute and then he would wake up gasping for air. 5 years ago he was diagnosed with this nasty cancer in his nasal cavity. He had 3 arthroscopic surgeries to clear it out and it worked for about 8 months to 1.5 years each time.


Cosmo's vet/surgeon, Doctor Dave (what a great guy) said that most dogs do not even make it through the 1st surgery, especially the anesthesia, yet my boy Cosmo made it through 3 of them. He's our miracle dog!


Cosmo had the biggest, the best and the most incredible personality and the sweetest disposition of any dog that we have ever met or owned. People were drawn to him immediately and he was not shy. Everyone fell in love with him at first site. I feel as if we just lost a child here and I have cried more over the past 48 hours over him than my entire life combined.

I remember waking up in the mornings after we first got him (and for many years after) with him on my chest licking my face as if he was trying to say "wake up Daddy, its a new day let's go have some fun". And boy did we. Cosmo loved riding in the car and going for walks. I can see him now strutting up to the car with that big fuzzy tail wagging a mile a minute.


I first noticed that his breathing had gotten to the point that I could tell that the cancer was back at about 4AM Wednesday morning but it didn't get to the point until the next day that I was prepared to take him in.

That afternoon, left work for a long lunch and cried all the way home. For some reason we didn't take him in and I took the rest of the day off from work.


We took him on a ride, took the camera with us and had the best day with him. He actually looked/sounded like he was better that day. Shelle Belle says that he did that for us, so that we would have one of the best days of my life to remember him. And it was! We bought him his favorite: an ice cream from McDonald's. I took tons of photos and videos of him and while not being mentally ready to watch them today, I KNOW they are awesome!

We miss him so much and this thread is for my boy, Cosmo.

he's such a cool little dog...

Regards,

52media UPDATE: We're not back, just still here!

Thanks to many folks at the Artist Area Bulletin Board, my online family of some of today's most talented, innovative and outspoken Indie artists spread throughout the world, I decided to continue on with the ole bastard, 52media and had a friend keep our domain active and get this blog out of mothballs.

That friend, Barry Z, owns www.1usa.com and you can check out his Indie ISP (one of the few that are left) by clicking on www.52media.com in appreciation of him "being there" for me during these tough economic times.

I've been posting online since 1991 and LLC'd 52nd stream media, unltd. in 1999 here in Kentucky. I gave my ex-lawyer like 49% of it for about $40 work and gas money for going to the state capital and registering it for me. Fortunately, he's a lawyer and an asshole like all lawyers are, so he gave me back the company 4 years ago after the smell of potential money wore off for him. Back in 2004 I placed 52 in mothballs due to economics of our primary focus, streaming media, just got out of hand and I could not afford to continue with my dwindling savings, yet 52 is still hanging out and doesn't owe anything to anybody, which in this economy is a good start, I guess.

Well, this past week I was speaking with the CEO of company and he was telling us about a 10 MB fiber connection that he just installed at their office. This got my wheels spinning and I asked him if he would like a dedicated ShoutCast radio station filled with some of today's finest unsigned artists which promoted his company and their unique and affordable rural high speed Internet solutions 24/7 utilizing the bandwidth that he was already paying for and he said YES!

While nothing is set in stone yet, this gives me hope that someday soon the old bastard, 52, might get a new life!

I'll keep you all posted.

Thanks for listening.

Regards,

Thomas-
52nd stream media, unltd.
Louisville Kentucky
My music Blog
My damn music
five2media at yahoo.com

AABB A&R Spotlight: Paul Heaton

First posted @: www.artistareabb.com

Mr. Heaton is one of those songwriters/performiong artists, like Elvis Costello, that I call Country Artists and get lambasted for it. IMO true country discusses real life written by real people its that simple. That's where both of these artist's lyrics and philosophies mirror the country greats, so unlike today's county stars, its obvious to me, just not too many people agree with me, yet...

Paul's written some of my top 20 songs, one in particular just hits the spot for me cruising 70+ MPH in my new vehicle:

The Beautiful South - Prettiest Eyes

What a beautiful, classy and wonderful pop country song huh? The sentiments just hit the spot for this 40 year old. Paul's been a staple of the English music scene since the 80's and deservingly so! I'm blown away that he's never had success here in the US and this is my tribute to one of the world's finest songwriters alive. He's released 2 solo records this decade that I just found out about because US media sucks. His latest has many elements of his first band, so any old fans will love it like I did, after first listen. Enjoy..

Regards,
Thomas William-
Founder
52nd stream media, unltd.
www.52media.com
502.263.9879

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Paul Heaton Cross Eyed Rambler Review
BBC Review
"Intelligent, humorous and adult but ultimately quintessentially English."

Chris Jones 2008-07-07

Finally throwing in the hat with the Beautiful South in 2007 has seen Paul Heaton really have a proper think about a solo career it seems. Whereas his previous album under the Biscuit Boy (a.k.a. Crackerman) alias suffered from a lack of focus (and too many producers) Cross Eyed Rambler has no such problems. The album can only be described as displaying Heaton in rude health. Following the faintly creepy 78 crackle of the title track opener, I Do bursts out of the traps like a band led by someone half his age. Maybe he's finally getting sick of all these Northern whelps stealing the thunder he raised back in the good old real days of indie.

Sure, there''s a hint of nostalgia fitting to his increasing years (the a capella days of The Housemartins gets a little reprise on the chorus of The Pub), but overall the new band (and it is a band, called The Sound Of Paul Heaton) of Tom Chapman, Brian Edwards and Steve Trafford makes Cross Eyed Rambler a boisterous bag of real rock. It may not be the 'new direction' that many have talked of - it's still jaunty enough to avoid any full-on Stooges comparisons here - but it's certainly ballsier than we had any right to expect.

There was always a touch of young fogyism to Heaton's work. Here it's given full throat on the loping Everything Is Everything. A suitably grumpy coda to a fine record. Elsewhere, subject-wise, Heaton's not straying from the things close to his spiritual heart. Small town attitudes (A Good Old Fashioned Town), political leftism (God Bless Texas) and love in the REAL world (The Ring From Your Hand), but buoyed up by such irrepressible grooves it's all very palatable. Not only does it signal a proper fighting chance for a solo career for 46-year-old Heaton, but it's also good news for those who found The Beautiful South's material a little too sweet and soft round the edges. And while there's even room for a south-of-the-border twang and torch on Deckchair Collapsed, in the end this is local music for local people: Intelligent, humorous and adult but ultimately quintessentially English. And all the better for it too.

source

Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers "Stadium Arcadium"

"28 songs and it doesn't suck. The Red Hot Chili Peppers come full circle with a mammoth double disk". rolling stone

I agree completely. The Red Hots seemed to have pigeon-holed themselves as the godfathers of the extremely boring rap-rock movement of early 00's, think LimkB, 'nuff said, and this was an important record for them after 2 really fine efforts on more traditional pop - rock: californication and by the way.

With Stadium Arcadium, they distanced themselves from the 'alternative' pack in a magnanomous way and I've recently heard radio DJ's call them 'classic rock' because this record incorporates more Hendricks as usual, but it also has moments of Sabbath and dare I say it the Bee Gees. This IS also their third decade together as a band so I do agree, 'classic' is a perfect word for the record.

While I think the individual members are very talented in their own rights, their x-factor is John Frusciante, a student of music history and a genuine songwriter of immense simplicity.

That in itself is where most artists lose it. The one that comes to mind is yngwie malmsteen. His schtick is to play faster than any other artist out there and his music sounds stale, over anaylized and forced because of it.

John Frusciante takes his sweet time to build each song with the simplest of melodies and he knows his way around dynamics. Sometimes its just a 3 note lick to accentuate the vocals or bass while other times he can blister you ears with his knowlege of theory in a Randy Rhoads kind of way. Regardless, this kid knows where to place his notes and as Mozart did over 200 years ago, he places them in the perfect spot.

Talked to a CSR outta India Today

I called to pay our car bill by phone tonight and while we were waiting for our approval (their computers were down) we got to talking to our CSR. She was from Mumbia India.



We traded recipes, she gave us her favorite Dal and we gave her our Soup Beans and Cornbread and somehow we got got to the subject of what we make for a living

She told us that she makes 18,000 rubee's a month and she only gets paid once a month. Thanks to our friends @ finance.yahoo.com/ we found out that...

Currency Conversion Results
Symbol Indian Rupee Exchange Rate U.S. Dollar
INRUSD=X 18000 Oct 27 398.31823

That's a little more than our car payment...Flo


Downtown Mumbai

Current mood: shocked
Category: Travel and Places

NetFlix Wishlist Suggestions

We thought of some more movies we would like to suggest to help build your NetFlix wish lists tonight.


1) Sweet Dreams www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...id=1018371

2) Blue Sky www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...362686_0_0

3) King Kong www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...022392_1_0

Note: OK, we're on a Jessica Lange kick, she's awesome, sue us


4) Reversal of Fortune www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...d=60004511

5) Dead Ringers www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...331020_0_0

Note: OK, we're on a Jeremy Irons kick as well, he's so perfect at playing bizarre / funny roles, well worth your time



6) League of their own www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...eid=691124

Note: Excellent true story, great directing and Madonna actually acts in it, kinda.



7) Miami Blues www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...d=60030307

Note: one of the funniest comedies ever



8) Regarding Henry www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...d=60029917

Note: Harrison became one of our favorite actors with this role



9) White Palace www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...id=1119306

Note: a very entertaining relationship movie set in St Louis MO of all places



10) Chaplin: The Movie www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...416273_0_0

Note: excellent bio on one of the first stars of stage and screen (wow I sound a little like Ebert here...haha)



11) Murderball www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...d=70021128

Note: Sundance award winning documentary on an eXtreme quadriplegic sport, looks inspiring



12) Dracula www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...kid=147042

Note: one of our childhood favorites, excellent movie – weird eyes



13) Flirting with Disaster www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...232706_0_0

Note: Stiller is Stellar in this one with an incredible ensemble cast



14) Nashville www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...985693_0_0

15) Gosford Park www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...d=60021796

16) The Player www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...456666_0_0

17) McCabe & Mrs. Miller www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...999491_0_0

Note: Robert Altman, the king of all star casts and social / political commentaries



18) Red Dawn www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...eid=896678

Note: Another great ensemble cast from the 80's kinda like the Breakfast Club but with guns



19) Taps www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...882572_0_0

Note: Penn and Hutton basically started out their incredible careers with this one



20) Drug Store Cowboy www.netflix.com/MovieDisp...eid=462211

Note: Another ensemble cast in a dirty yet entertaining look at the life of junkies


We hope these look interesting to you. Let us know what ya think….Flo

endnote: these movies are not our top 20 movies in no way shape or form, while they are terrific, they represent movies that we would like to see or haven't seen in a while and would like to view ASAP. Our top 20 will be posted shortly if there is enough interest.

Found it: X Marks Spot for Jimmy Buffett?

Found it.....

Quote: Memo to Parrotheads: Cheeseburgers in paradise, no problem; drugs in France, well, that's another story...

Jimmy Buffett was briefly detained this week for allegedly having 100 tabs of Ecstasy in his luggage during a trip to the French Riviera.

Per French media reports, the "Margaritaville" mastermind's private jet landed at Toulon-Hyeres International Airport for the start of a vacation in the posh resort town of Saint-Tropez.

But instead of finding his lost shaker of salt, customs officials turned up what they claimed were illicit drugs. Airport officials were quoted in local reports saying the 59-year-old Buffett had more 100 tabs of Ecstasy with him.

He was not arrested, however. Instead, he paid about a $400 fine and was allowed to continue on his way.

Buffett's publicist did not immediately return a call seeking comment Friday. But in a brief interview with the New York Post, the rep disputed French newspaper accounts, saying customs officials had found only 20 pills and claimed it was medicine prescribed by a physician. The spokeswoman did not disclose what the pills were nor did she elaborate on why the entertainer was forced to pay a fine.

The Grammy winner's latest disc, the country-flavored Take the Weather with You, hits stores next Tuesday.

source: yahoo news

Jimmy Buffet Busted for Ecstasy???

I heard it through the grapevine he got busted, couldn't find the story but found his reply to what happened, it's pretty funny all these geezers getting busted lately (see Willie Nelson some pot and mushrooms a few weeks ago), do you believe Jimmie's vitamin excuse'???

=================================

What happened? A message from Jimmy Buffett...
POSTED OCTOBER 6, 2006

I have tried over the years, to live below the radar when it comes to the "celebrity" thing. I see what I do as just a job, a really fun job that has opened the world, its people and places. However, I seem to still have a way of causing commotion now and then.

In Toulon, we arrived at the private terminal to leave and were moving through security, when my captain informed me that we were being ramp checked by French customs and some plainclothes guys. This is nothing new but what was strange was that the search was being conducted as we were leaving - not as we were arriving. No big deal - I thought. I found my bag and opened it up and they went right for a little pouch which contained my prescription medicines which was sitting on top of my clothes, not the most secretive part of my bag. I don't know about you, but at a few months away from turning sixty, I carry a few prescriptions, including a B vitamin supplement, called Foltx.

Well, that's the one that deflated the party balloon for when they examined them you could see a heart on the pill. "Ecstasy," they said. I have never taken it and couldn't tell you the difference between a hit of ecstasy and Excedrin PM. My vices these days consist of boat drinks, beer, wine and the occasional hot fudge sundae. I hadn't even opened the bottle, because my secretary had made a mistake and had sent the wrong prescription. I don't use Foltx any more.

I knew Foltx was a vitamin supplement not a love drug. I paid the fine, gathered my bags and my friends and as soon as they opened that door, I walked, rather rapidly towards my plane and flew out.

In Toulon, the stern faced authorities couldn't take the truth as the simple answer to a few simple questions, trying to turn vitamins into ecstasy. In these days and times, the truth sadly gets lost in the gossip at an alarming rate.

In the end, I will just chalk it up as being something that will happen if you have an adventurous soul and live a nomad life. I will, as my old hero Mark Twain put it, be "lighting out into the territory". The great old humorist Lord Richard Buckley used to say in one of his routines that humor is the absence of terror and that terror is the absence of humor. It seems there are too many people in the world intent on building fences, not bridges between cultures and fueling misinformation with heightened suspicions and senseless interrogations. I never was, nor do I ever intend to answer to or become one of those people. I will take my cue from Lord Buckley and keep on singing and laughing. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

- Jimmy Buffett
Over the Atlantic and on the way home

margaritaville.com/JB_statement.php

Sweet French Pop

I just found 2 french pop bands that remind me of Lennon and McCartney respectively. Enjoy...Flo


reXen
Listen to "Waiting for An Answer"
www.myspace.com/rexen


The Gostins
Listen to "Alright"
www.myspace.com/gostins

Frank Zappa Rules

I just noticed this weekend that a Zappa plays Zappa show is in town, his family and invited guests (Vai, etc.) are touring playing the old standards, gawd I wish I could see that!!!

I first heard him in the late 70's and as a kid 'got' his sense of humor immediately. The musicianship on his albums was both incredible and quirky. What a personality. He worked with John Lennon on 1/2 an album, that is cool as hell in my book. I bought his girl's "Valley Girl" 45 in fact, bought that song as well as "Yellow Snow" and "King Tutt" (Steve Martin) at the same time. I recorded an original song in the early 90's with a Zappa Freak band called the Naked Entrepreneurs called "Waiting for the Bus" I should dig out for you all sometime.

Gawd I miss singles....Flo

eBay Address

If interested the for my first eBay Auction goto:

eBay: Day One Update

I told a friend about my entry into the eBay world and he said that he's opening a store in a week or two and he'll give me a better deal than QuikDrop, I'll let you know how it goes.

Is it a way to make a little off junk in your home or are can you start dealing in the stuff after a few succeses and make a business out of this? Like any business, if you do your due dilligence, it may payoff in the long run.

Myself, I'm just getting rid of junk my mother saved for me from my childhood that's been in my attic for 6 years and I have a lot of it, she's a packrat. We're in a 'less is more' stage these days plus we need the extra income pretty bad. I just started Sunday at this so who knows how its going to turn out, I'm am positive we'll going to make something off of the hours of research I've put into it over the last 3 weeks, so anything will be great, if its worth me pursuing it as a side-gig, the jury is still out...Flo

Well I'm Ebaying

For starters its a...

LOT OF VINTAGE STAR WARS FIGURES w/ WEAPONS 70's NR! but hey, ya gotta start somewhere right??