After writing on a fairly regular basis, missing a couple of days makes it feel today like it’s been months since I last wrote. I wanted to write but I had nothing to say. Since returning from Scotland, I had my head down trying to get caught up on my different projects. Now that all the balls are back in the air, we have a few things to talk about. Lets get started then, shall we?

☞What better way to start than to present for your consideration this week’s song. The name of the band is Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and the song, 40 Day Dream. Edward Sharpe is the alter ego of Alex Ebert. The 11 piece band has a cultist feel to them with Ebert, not only their founder but their messiah as well. They are odd in a Polyphonic Spree kind of way but without the robes. But you can’t quibble with the music. Sonically, the music has soul and yet an indie feel to it also. I get the impression of Sly and the Family Stone meets the Beatles. I know odd but so are they. Have a listen, won’t you?

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☞Speaking of music, lets talk about the 10 ton elephant in the room; what the hell is Steven Tyler thinking? I want to start this conversation off by saying that there are three and only three great front men in the music industry today, Mick Jagger, Peter Wolf and Steven Tyler. We can argue this another time but Bono is terrific as is Billie Joe Armstrong but hey don’t compare to the aforementioned. Publicly, it all began after Tyler broke his shoulder falling from the stage at a Sturgis, SD concert. Then it came to light that his heavy partying may have contributed to his fall. Now, months later, Tyler reportedly has walked as the frontman of Aerosmith. Question: who was the last front man to leave his band and go on to the same level of success as his band? Daltry? Plant? Hagar? Wolf? It happens rarely. Sting and Phil Collins have enjoyed successful careers post band but neither left at age 60 as Tyler is doing. Drugs and alcohol aren’t known for facilitating clear thinking and seem to be the impetus for this impetuous move. What say you?

☞A week ago today, Tom Menino handily won reelection to his fifth term as Boston Mayor. I grew up with the Mayor. I was 15 when I worked on my first political campaign with him. Back then as now, he was a hard working and honest guy who loves the city. He pays attention to the details and if he ran for another unprecedented term in four years, I would vote for him again. You can make fun of the way he speaks but not of what he says. If Quincy Market was Kevin White’s legacy, then development of the waterfront will be Tom Menino’s. Guaranteed that only one of those projects was/is handled above board and without reproach.

☞This bit of news just sounds crazy. Would you believe that Dunkin’ Donuts lobbies the Federal Reserve? This from the Huffington Post: In a statement to the Huffington Post, Dunkin’ Brands emphasized the fact that its franchises across the country are small businesses, and said its lobbying is on behalf of its franchises and “our nation’s entrepreneurial spirit.” Since when did making donuts become this complicated? Further more, isn’t this precisely what the Fed should be thinking about without Dunkin’ Donuts ringing their bell?

☞One of the things that I noticed when I flew to Scotland 10 days ago is the pricing structure of flights. Moments ago, I received an email from British Airways touting extremely low fares from Boston to London. However, when I went to investigate further, it appears that while the flight price may be inexpensive, the add-on fees more than double the cost of the trip. Look at this math: fare from Boston to London round trip =$346.00 Fees = 387.24 for a total of $733.24.”Taxes, fees, charges and surcharges per person” are the extras and I think it’s time to break down their costs. Part of the cost, the largest part is a fuel surcharge. The fuel surcharge was instituted when jet fuel was at $4.35/gallon. Today it stands at $2.01/gallon. Have we seen any relief on the fuel surcharge? Don’t be silly. It’s no wonder that these flights are half full.

☞This is on the front page of AyeWonder.com but if you haven’t seen it, I wanted to repeat it here. What a very funny parody!

☞I know I must be missing something but why is Sarah Palin relevant? Come on. Someone tell me.

☞I redesigned the Monarchs House website when I got back from Scotland because I felt like the old site was just that…old. Have a look and let me know what you think. You can get there by clicking here.

☞And lets end with this week’s AWT quote of the week. Steven Tyler take note.

First the man takes a drink; then the drink takes a drink; then the drink takes the man.
~ Old Japanese Proverb

That’s it for AWT. Seems like I had a couple of things to write about after all. I wanted to post a video of my wife but she threatened bodily harm plus I always listen to her anyways.  <cough, cough>

Aye Wonder, Aye Wonder.
What about you, my lovelies?

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• Time for an AWT Good News Edition
• A New Decade AWT – I Feel Better Already
• AWT is on the Record
• The Decade in Review – The AWT version
• An Old Year’s AWT. The New Decade on its Way.