Noticed this in the bathroom of a local boba shop.
There’s a debate raging at my work about us supporting a certain government “aliens” website, and this sign made me smile. We need more of this.
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Winter Warz
One of the best Wu-Tang Clan-era verses ever is from Capadonna on Winter Warz.
I’ve been on a Ghostface Killah kick recently and was trying to find my favorite song off of Ironman (my favorite Ghostface album), which featured the (Wu affiliate) Capadonna rapping for what seemed like forever. I couldn’t find it for a long time, though, as the track has been removed from Ironman on streaming services, but I just found out it’s on the Don’t Be a Menace soundtrack.
I used to be able to rap the whole thing back in high school. I’m glad I finally found it again.
Also, I found Kweli discussing the verse (it’s in his top 20 all-time).
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Black Milk, Judy Bailey Quartet, Telehealth, and more of my favorite albums from May 2026
Another good month of new music. Tina Edward’s Jazz-ish Jazz Club continues to provide a great source of discovery to augment my KEXP/Spotify/internet pipeline.
Black Milk – Ceremony
One of my all-time favorite rapper/producers. Nine albums in. Seems like he’s just getting better.
Judy Bailey Quartet – Colours
Amazing album. Originally from 1976 but just got re-released (?) and I got it through Jazz-ish Jazz. It’s incredible.
Telehealth – Green World Image
Something a bit different than my usual jazz/rap rotation. Some high-energy punk rock here.
Other albums that I’ve been jamming to:
- Heno & Oddisee – From Takoma With Love
- Blue Lab Beats – The Blue Lab Beats Show
- Jump Source – Fold
- Loukeman – Sd-3
- Jasmine Myra – Where Light Settles
- Joshua Idehen – I know you’re hurting, everyone is hurting, everyone is trying, you have got to try
Remember to support the artists you love, and if you want to peruse some of the previous new music posts from this year, do it!
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Finally got a long run in after a long break. Perfect day for it.
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Beginning bike maintenance
I took a beginner bike maintenance class a couple weeks ago through our local city Parks and Rec program. The instructor was 89-year-old Tom Martin, who is a local legend (see Tar Heel Traveler: Raleigh man pedals 200,000 miles on bike). Needless to say, it was great.
I had no idea going into the class who the instructor was or what to expect. I’ve just always wanted to know more about how to maintain my bikes. There were only three of us that showed up, and we had over 2 1/2 hours with him to ask questions and learn some of his techniques for maintaining his bikes. We went through a progression of items, starting with tires (how to change a flat, etc), chains, shifting components, brake components, and general cleaning and upkeep. We brought our bikes in, and he took a look with us. My bike didn’t really need too many adjustments, just a good clean, but we made some small adjustments to derailers and disc brake shoes on another bike.
I made a short list of things I need to pick up to start getting a level 1 toolkit together:
- Flat repair solution (aka patch kit, extra tire tube, frame pump/CO2 pump)
- Silicone spray
- Pareafin/wax-based cleaner and lubricant – Tom uses White Lightning
- Cleaning bushes
- Bike stand
I’ve gotten ahold of most of that now, and spent a chunk of time cleaning and tuning my bike today. It was gross but feels good to be on top of it now.
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Jalapeños!
Kav’s raised beds are going crazy and I am unreasonably excited about the jalapeño peppers that are on the way.
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Running in Istanbul
Travel running might be my favorite thing about traveling. Seeing a place waking up at 6:30am while weaving through unknown areas is not for everyone, I guess (my wife especially would not be keen), but I love it.
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Flea, Aaron Shaw, Blu & Exile, and more of my favorite albums from April 2026
This month was a bit of a blur. I went to Istanbul for a week. I was sick for a week. Music still kept me company. There were some pleasant musical surprises for me, in particular the three albums mentioned in the title. Flea!? So many great jazz and jazzy dance-adjacent instrumental albums this year, that one included. Enjoy, and let me know what I might have missed.
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