I've been under the weather and my mother-in-law has been faring worse. I return not with a music diary but with a gift giving diary. Although it is Christmas Eve this advice is not just for Christmas gifts. Gifts are wonderful things appropriate for other holidays, birthdays, and unbirthdays.
I have a large family and I was a math major as my family grew. It didn't take much calculation to figure out that even ten dollar gifts were unaffordable. Say we had seven of us around the tree opening presents. And say each person gave everyone only one present (which never happens at our house) We are talking seven people giving six presents each. 42 presents at $10 each is $420. Now that may not touch your Christmas budget but at the time I was a part-time student part-time employed with full-time financial responsibilities. $420 was not only impossible it never even made an appearance.
So we found Santa Claus everywhere. We went to flea markets and junk stores and best of all, library sales. This is when I learned to give the gift of used books.
Here are some of the advantages to giving used books.
1. Inexpensive. I buy used books for a quarter, fifty cents or a dollar all year long. When I buy a really nice book for a gift I sometimes go as high as three dollars. Yep, thats my upper limit. Really nice gifts for $3 or less. Affordable. And if I'm really broke or can't get out I already have shelves of books. I can shop at home.
2. No reciprocal obligation. I realize that most of my family will be giving me a present at Christmas. But sometimes when I'm out shopping a book screams a friend's name at me. I'll pick it up and wrap it for them knowing that I am not placing a reciprocal obligation on them. I even tell them how cheap I bought it when I give it to them. I am not concerned that they may feel an obligation to return a gift that they cannot afford.
3. Personal. If I know someone well enough to give them a gift I probably know their interests. I may even know their preference in reading. A well chosen used book says I know you and I love you. I think about you even when I'm shopping.
4. Regiftable. Whether read, glanced through, or unopened a used book is perfect for regifting. I mean that's what used books are for. Read them (or not) and pass them on.
5. Life changing. A correctly chosen book given at the right moment may change a person's life. Just try to think of some fifty dollar piece of plastic from Walmart that has that power. You can't.
6. Entertaining. Even if you don't give a gift that changes a life you might still give someone a few hours of entertainment. It's hard to beat that for a wonderful present.
I'm sure there are many more reasons to give used books. Please add them in the comments. Also post used books you have given or received that have changed a life or provided a few hours of entertainment.
DJ Hairy Larry presents Hairy Larry playing “The Blue Crane”.
01. DJ Hairy Larry Presents Hairy Larry
02. Something Blue – School – 29 second spot
Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear a brand new entry to the archives of Something Blue.
I’ve got a new album out called Hairy Larry Livestreams, 16 original songs performed live on my twitch stream.
A little bit over a year ago I started livestreaming on twitch. I called my channel Hairy Larry Practicing Piano. The first song I wrote for my stream was “Crates”, track one on the new album.
I started off playing for two hours three times a week but since then I’ve got that a little bit more under control with shorter performances. Recently I’ve even skipped a few days because of the heat. My approximate schedule is Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at 2:00 PM.
I have also been working with other musicians lately, once we even got Bebop Beatniks on the Twitch Porch. So instead of adding these performances to my schedule I let them replace a performance. Besides the setup time and the time spent playing the music there’s also a lot of time that goes into video and audio post production and then uploading and promoting the songs.
— Permalink
This is Hairy Larry inviting you to enjoy Something Blue every Saturday night at ten. This week we’re featuring Lunar Ticks and Miracle Orchestra. For more about the show visit the Something Blue website at sbblues.com.
Don’t miss Something Blue, Saturday night at 10:00 PM CST, at kasu.org.
Miracle Orchestra Live at Pearl Street Ballroom on 2000-04-20
archive.org/details/mo2000-04-20
Lunar Ticks Live at Park City Music Hall on 2022-06-11
archive.org/details/lunarticks2022-06-11
This version of "Blue Goose" was excerpted from the stream recorded on May 19, 2022. Hairy Larry's current schedule is Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 2:00 PM Central with weekend live performances to be arranged.
Last week on Inspired Unreality. Actual play at Eclectic Geekery.
Acorn People and Mister MistMeister from hairylarry's blog
On their way back from Mr Muffin's Second Hand Store Ari, Caper, and Clairen met Edge Bravestone, a cautious fighter. Caper said "Well met" and invited him to his hobbit hole for elevenses. They had a floral mix that, when steeped, thickens the air with love and tea infusing aromas from across the Four Marches.
Caper mentioned that he had heard of an interesting tree across the river in Wilken Woods and when everyone said they were up for a hike anyway off they went.
They took a short cut along the riverbank and soon were crossing the bridge and entering Wilken Woods, a magic forest. Ari and Caper had been to the tree before so Caper led the way, a little over a mile on the road and then a slight veer to the north following a barely used woods trail.
— Permalink
This version of "The Blue Crane" was excerpted from the stream recorded on May 19, 2022. Hairy Larry's current schedule is Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 2:00 PM Central with weekend live performances to be arranged.
— Permalink
This version of "Crates" was excerpted from the stream recorded on May 19, 2022. Hairy Larry's current schedule is Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 2:00 PM Central with weekend live performances to be arranged.
This version of “Blue Goose” was excerpted from the stream recorded on May 19, 2022. Hairy Larry’s current schedule is Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 2:00 PM Central with weekend live performances to be arranged.
This version of “The Blue Crane” was excerpted from the stream recorded on May 19, 2022. Hairy Larry’s current schedule is Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 2:00 PM Central with weekend live performances to be arranged.
This version of “Crates” was excerpted from the stream recorded on May 19, 2022. Hairy Larry’s current schedule is Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 2:00 PM Central with weekend live performances to be arranged.
Hairy Larry Guerilla Livestreaming Big Lake National Widlife Refuge on June 20, 2022 was recorded live. Hairy Larry’s current schedule is Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 2:00 PM Central with weekend live performances to be arranged.
Songs
00:00 Intro 00:16 Sail Boats 09:13 Talk about Big Lake 09:47 Blue Goose 21:12 Going Out To The Logo 21:20 African Violet 31:06 Reintro - Relogo 32:17 The Blue Crane 39:26 Thanks and Bye
Hairy Larry Guerilla Livestreaming Black Oak, Arkansas, on June 11, 2022 was recorded live. Hairy Larry’s current schedule is Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 2:00 PM Central with weekend live performances to be arranged.
Songs
00:00 Welcome 00:27 The Blue Crane 07:46 Talk 07:56 African Violet 18:17 Talk about Black Oak Arkansas 18:28 Low Earth Orbit 28:46 Talk about traffic 29:04 Malaysia
This version of “African Violet” was excerpted from the stream recorded on June 7, 2022. Hairy Larry’s current schedule is Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 2:00 PM Central with weekend live performances to be arranged.
From The Archives Of Something Blue June 26, 2022 DJ Hairy Larry presents Hairy Larry playing “The Blue Crane”. 01. DJ Hairy Larry Presents Hairy Larry 02. Something Blue – School – 29 second spot Thanks Marty, today we’re going … Continue reading →
Something Blue – Stones – June 25, 2022 This is Hairy Larry inviting you to enjoy Something Blue every Saturday night at ten. This week we’re featuring Lunar Ticks and Miracle Orchestra. For more about the show visit the Something … Continue reading →
From The Archives Of Something Blue June 19, 2022 DJ Hairy Larry presents Idle Americans playing “Too Rolling Stoned”. 01. DJ Hairy Larry Presents Idle Americans 02. Something Blue – Stones – 29 second spot Thanks Marty. Today we we’re … Continue reading →
Something Blue – Extra – June 18, 2022 This is Hairy Larry inviting you to enjoy Something Blue every Saturday night at ten. This week we’re featuring Brandon Moore, Charlie Hunter, and the Josh Roseman Unit. For more about the … Continue reading →
From The Archives Of Something Blue June 12, 2022 DJ Hairy Larry presents Caprice playing “Misty”. 01. DJ Hairy Larry Presents Caprice 02. Something Blue – Extra – 29 second spot Thanks Marty, today we’re hearing a jazz standard played … Continue reading →
Something Blue – Dizzy – June 11, 2022 This is Hairy Larry inviting you to enjoy Something Blue every Saturday night at ten. This week we’re featuring Yak Attack, Ryley Walker, and Hairy Larry. For more about the show visit … Continue reading →
Thanks Marty, this week we’re going to talk about my Guerilla Livestreaming Scenic Northeast Arkansas project. Sometimes I dig around in the archives and play a song recorded over ten years ago. Sometimes the archive was recorded just last week. … Continue reading →
Something Blue – Wolves – June 4, 2022 This is Hairy Larry inviting you to enjoy Something Blue every Saturday night at ten. This week we’re featuring The A-Beez, Mountain Goats, and Jerry Joseph. For more about the show visit … Continue reading →
From The Archives Of Something Blue May 29, 2022 DJ Hairy Larry presents Mike McLeod playing “A Hard One”. 01. DJ Hairy Larry Presents Mike McLeod 02. Something Blue – Wolves – 29 second spot Thanks Marty, this week we’re … Continue reading →
Something Blue – Waiting – May 28, 2022 This is Hairy Larry inviting you to enjoy Something Blue every Saturday night at ten. This week we’re featuring John Hamilton, Shugga Shane, Don Coenen, and Nathan Pope. For more about the … Continue reading →