Nice paint job

The national pastime

I was in the customer lounge at the Jiffy Lube, watching a baseball game on the television. The batter hit a long ball down the third base line; the left fielder scooped it up and made a tremendous throw to catch the batter at second. "Great play!" I said. The young man at the register looked at me with incredulity. "You think baseball is exciting?"

I replied, "Yeah. About every fifteen minutes there is five seconds of excitement."

Old music played by young kids for old people

The Pleasant Grove High jazz band playing at the Elks Lodge No. 6. I later complimented the pianist on his playing and how he had memorized all the arrangements. He confessed that he didn't read music.

Professional music

A beautiful wall mural on J Street

Bunny in a bunny mask

Go to this guy's show! Oh. Too late.

Someone really looooves Tinkerbell

Pie worship

The current illustration for News & Review

Piano hotel

Find out more at the World Association for Ruined Piano Studies website.

Please do not touch piano and drums

Because piano and drums lead to dancing, and dancing leads to fornication.

Another mural from the same school as below

My former teacher

Back in 1984-86, I studied piano work with Del Fandrich. He was a fine rebuilder trying to become a piano designer. Recently, he spent four months in China and Korea redesigning the entire line of Young Chang pianos. He's a legend!

I saw him today at a seminar he was giving in town. People came from Seattle and San Jose to see it.

Daily drum circle near Espresso Metro

This is the hallway of a school

I'd like to meet the artist.

This appeared to me in a nightmare.

Then I cut its head off. Now I use it as a potholder.

Another Basye cartoon

Someone parked a fridge in my favorite spot

I hate when that happens.

Martha Stewart's taco.

If you go to the Willie's Burgers on Arden, you are discerning fellow who likes his tacos tied up with a bow. However, if you go to the Willie's Burger off Broadway, you are a grease junkie with no self-respect.

A Paul Basye cartoon

My cover in an honor box

From PostSecret

Makes your pens fascinating and incomprehensible

Many people glue things to their pens to keep others from stealing them. This person attached the characters from Lost. But wouldn't that make people want to steal them more?

My customer has a signed photo of Floyd Cramer

Who, you say? He's only the greatest country piano player of all time.

He's a giant who has influenced practically every professional pianist.

Read the hilarious cover story

You know you’re a Sacramentan when …
100 miscellaneous things that define us and the Sacramento region.

Because I learned to play the piano...

...I got to attend a party with a champagne fountain.

Another bird in wreath

For the third straight year, birds are nesting in the wreath on our front door.

Does anyone know what business this is?

The building is at 1900 L Street.

A nice Jasper Johns knock-off...

...by one of Paul Basye's students.

House with a face

If I were a skateboarder...

...I'd want to ride these ramps at the UC Davis Medical Center. (Also the perfect place to get a skateboarding-related injury treated.)

Missed photo

I drove an hour and a half to tune a piano in Grizzly Flats, CA (post office is only business in town). On the way back, I missed the chance to photograph a hand-lettered sign that said: NOT MY COWS.

While tuning in a church...

...I noticed that bits of the Body of Christ had fallen inside the piano.