And I would be remiss if I didn’t shout out Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Truly the best care.

After spending the last fours days in hospital with the kiddo, I can tell you Covid is very much still a thing.

Can you believe that Depeche's Construction Time Again turned 40 this week?

The first Depeche album I ever owned was "The Singles 81->85" on vinyl. It's not an exaggeration to say that it changed my life forever. Every single song on that album is fantastic. But one song stood out head and shoulders from the others: Everything Counts. A song, to this day, that never fails to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. So, naturally, I wanted more of that and went looking for whatever album had that song.

You can make a solid case that Depeche Mode are one of the most influential bands electronic music has ever seen. They've left an indelible mark on the music industry with their innovative sound and thought-provoking lyrics. They've left a mark on me personally; they wrote the soundtrack to my youth. Among their impressive discography Construction stands out as a pivotal album that marked a real shift in their musical direction.

When you listen to their studio albums in order, you can hear this album is where everything changed. Construction marked a significant departure from Depeche Mode's earlier synth-pop sound, introducing a more industrial and experimental edge. The album's distinctive sound was partly influenced by the band's collaboration with producer Gareth Jones, who brought a fresh perspective to their creative process. Incorporating unconventional sounds like clanging metal and sampled industrial noises.

The great Synth Britannia documentary has a behind the scenes look at their use of samplers. I love that scene of Martin rolling the pebble along the track of a patio door. A sound that would be sampled and included on the song Pipeline.

The album paved the way for Depeche Mode's evolution into a band that was unafraid to tackle complex subject matter. The album's fusion of synth-pop sensibilities with industrial undertones influenced numerous artists and helped shape the trajectory of electronic music. When you listen to Ministry's Twitch, or even Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails you can't help but think they listened to Construction Time Again. A lot.

So Happy Birthday Construction Time Again, you hold a near and dear place in my heart. I'm going to listen to you again now. Loud.

Recently I passed my 17th anniversary of scrobbling to last.fm. 528,265 plays from 9,508 artists. One of the early Web 2.0 sites I still visit every day.

A thunderstorm rolled through last night. A few flashes of lighting to begin with, followed by thunder and wind. The heavens absolutely opened shortly thereafter and we got ALL the rain as far as I could tell.

It was just delightful. We're having some extreme heat this summer. A couple of our trees are having a hard time even with deep root watering. Thankful the lemon tree got a nice extra long drink. The desert just smells so great after a thunderstorm. Savored every minute standing outside taking in deep breaths.

Of course our back yard is a neighborhood debris magnet. So it was a different story this morning once I could see how much I was going to have to clear up. But we'll take it.

Behold, the winds of the North Pole blow once more. A fixed desert AC unit a joy. 🌵❄️

I've mostly ignored Taylor Swift except when I tell the kiddo to turn her music down. But credit where credit is due. This song is really good.

I have a new underwater robot fren. Go go little guy, make it clean.

I should really name him.

Inside Anglesey Abbey. Nice surprise being featured in Flickr's Explore last week.