It was 40 years ago today ...

... that the Beatles played their last concert ... 'twas at Candlestick Park.

There was a guy who couldn't go to the show. He gave his younger brother his ticket the following day. Years later, my mom met the brother at a bar (no, not like that). After discussing collectibles that eve and some continued negotiations over the following months, the ticket changed hands.

I have the ticket. Face value: $4.50.

Thanks, Mom.

I've got blisters on my fingers ...

Ok. So occasionally I obsess. Or maybe it's more accurate to say when something catches my interest, I don't lightly dabble.

Case in point, 2 weeks ago, a friend re-strung my mom's childhood ukelele and provided me with a quick lesson post-work. Now, I've never attempted a song on the uke, but 15 minutes in, I was roughing out 'Back in the U.S.S.R.' That's it, I was done for. That night, I started cruising eBay and 3 days later, the winning bid secured a koa wood concert uke to fuel my new-found obsession.

Mom's lil' soprano uke is resting again as I now have a ukelele of my own. My uke arrived last Wednesday and nightly playing has turned out to be the perfect way to wipe away the work day. As George Harrison once wrote about the uke, "you can't play and not laugh!"

Last night, I played, laughed and went to bed with blisters on my fingers ...

Get the Little Man Out of My Head ... or ... How I Became Addicted to Coffee

I realized something yesterday ... I should never, *never* start the day without coffee. I don't know how it happened. I mean, the day started as usual (with me running behind schedule) but then it just got away from me and the next thing I know, it's 11:30 am, there is no caffeine in my system and a little man is desperately trying to kick my eyeballs out of my head (ok, I'm just picturing him as a little man ... maybe more gnome-like ... or even a bit of an elf).

I discovered (or, rather, was introduced to) coffee when I was 9. My mom used to make stuff and sell her wares at holiday craft fairs (it was the '70s ... think macramé, decoupage and Christmas ornaments galore). At one particular craft event in Concord, it was insanely cold (December) so Mom determined we needed hot beverages. Unfortunately, the snack shack at the end of the community-center-turned-craft-boutique offered nothing in the way of a child-friendly, hot chocolate-like beverage. Mom (being clever) bought me a coffee instead and loaded it with several packets of cream-like powder substance and sugar. I think it was only a week or so before I was drinking my coffee black.

Coffee Black. Straight-up. Leaded. Regular ... except when in New York City. While visiting a friend in NYC several years ago, I discovered that to New Yorkers, "regular" means cream and two sugars. Suddenly my images of the tough New York crowd were shattered as I realized they drink their coffee the way I did when I was 9. But I digress ...

A true coffee junkie will drink coffee from almost anywhere. Pots of coffee at Farm Boys (now defunct), early-morning grabs at 7-11 or the local gas station, hell, even Starbucks. It's an addiction. But when times are good, you ride the java wave of Peet's or a good local roaster like Dana Street or Barefoot Coffee Roasters.

Today was a good day.

Of Muppets and Monkeys ...

Rockstar Report: Have to say, this week, Jill was just a bad rock stereotype. She would have been fine swapping for Janice in Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.

And Lukas ... dude ... Clint Howard and a howler monkey's love child.