So I went out and bought speech recognition software for my iMac. And am using it to dictate this blog. I've no idea what's going to come out, I hope looks pretty good. Because the software cost a lot.

I'm about to go for a walk with my two dogs Vinyl and Moon. Every night at about nine o'clock, they start to get a little bit restless, and start lobbying me to take them for a walk.

So I get up and put moon on her leash and head out the door walk around the neighborhood. Vinyl, he doesn't need a leash - he is well trained.

Hope this came out okay and I will talk you against an.

The Mellocast Adventure

I was asked to appear on a podcast this week. It is for and by Mellophone players. This pleases me to no end, as I am a fan of the podcast, which is run by Al Perkins. Al is the guru of all things mellophone, and his podcast is a hotbed of mid voice activity.

For those of you who don't know what a mellophone is, it is a rather obscure instrument, rarely used off the football field. I love the Mellophone and own three or four. I played Mellophone in Marching Bands (High School and College) and recently as a member of the San Francisco Renegades Drum Corps.

If you want to hear it, you can download it using iTunes or by heading to www.mellocast.com

Bad News, Good News

The US government (and the media) have suddenly discovered that Nelson Mandela, Nobel Peace Prize winner is listed as a terrorist. Can't come to the US without special permission. Oops.

The former leader of South Africa was put on the list 30 years ago and never taken off.

I think we can clear him to come in. He's 90 years old after all.

And then there's the story of Sara Tucholsky, a baseball player for the Western Oregon University. At bat against rival Central Washington University, Tucholsky achieved a goal she had been striving for throughout her career. She hit a home run. Out of the park. Gone, baby, gone.

But that's not the story. Rounding first base, Tucholsky tore a ligament in her knee and fell to the ground. She crawled back to first base and waited, hugging the bag in pain, while her coach consulted the umpire. A substitute runner could take her place, but she would have to stay at first - no home run.

Hearing this, Central Washington player Mallory Holtman, a career home run leader in her conference, asked if she and a teammate could carry Tucholsky around the bases.

And that's exactly what they did. They carried Sara Tucholsky, stopping to let her touch each base with her good leg.

Perhaps there's hope after all.