♫ Here I stand, pen in hand...♫

Metaphorically speaking, that is. About the only time I use a pen anymore is to sign my name to something.

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My shoulder quit improving a few days ago, now it just hurts worse. Went to the specialist today and got it checked out. It seems I have a bad rotator. From what we could see, not only is the cartilage bruised, I have several muscles that have torn loose from the rotator cup and are flapping away in there. Bottom line is that in a couple of weeks I have to go into surgery and get them re-attached. Oh joy. Following that, several months of physical therapy and awesome pain levels. I guess my summer is pretty well shot in the ass as far as doing much physical stuff. Oh, well, you have to do what you have to do.

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I don't know why everyone is so excited about the so-called "leaks" about the situation in Afghanistan; anyone with a lukewarm IQ has figured out all that info by now anyway.

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Trying to blog more often, but the pain in my shoulder has been interfering with my sleep; I'm lucky to get two or three hours a night, and that is broken up into an hour here, twenty minutes there, etc. When I go several weeks on little sleep I have trouble focusing on anything very long, so thanks for bearing with me.

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Since I am tired and somewhat ornery, I have been listening mainly to sixties stuff; it seems to cheer me a bit. These are all sixties or late fifties, so I don't know how many of you out there have even heard of most of them. Try to enjoy.

"Rhythm of the Rain" by The Cascades
"Monday, Monday" by The Mamas & the Papas
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by The Beatles
"Strangers in the Night" by Frank Sinatra
"I Am a Rock" by Simon & Garfunkel
"Downtown" by Petula Clark
"White Bird" by It's a Beautiful Day
"Runaway" by Del Shannon
"Season Of The Witch" by Donovan
"Good Morning Starshine" by Oliver







From the rock musical Hair.

No rantings on this post

This one is to wish a happy birthday to my wife.
She is the person who keeps me grounded, loves me in spite of my many faults, and takes care of me when I am down. She treats me better than I probably deserve, and doesn't give up when the going can get bad. To me, she is the most important person in my life, and I would be lost without her. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without her, and cannot imagine not loving her.
Happy birthday, Sandy.

For My Lady by The Moody Blues

I'm still here

Getting some movement in my right shoulder, finally. Right now I can move my arm almost a half foot in any direction. W00t! Should know in a few days if my shoulder is going to be alright, or will need surgery. Back is still complaining about the abuse, but the swelling in my jaw is almost gone, though it is still painful and has some large scabs on it. Seem to have a constant headache, also. I may have gotten a slight concussion, but since I didn't lose consciousness completely, I doubt it.
A word of advice: Don't get clubbed in the jaw, it hurts, and it's embarrassing to get your ass handed to you by a piece of wood.

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Looks like the nation's left wing has decided to copy the tea party movement that they have been complaining about for months. Seems to show a lack of imagination to me.

The groups involved represent the core of the first-time voters who backed President Obama -- including the National Council of La Raza, NAACP, AFL-CIO, SEIU and the United States Student Association.

Now there's bunch of thugs, crooks and losers; personally, I wouldn't trust any of that bunch. I expect that they'll be too busy with each group trying to hijack the party for their own agenda.

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Does anyone really care about a rich, spoiled, idiot who can't keep her shit together, no matter how many breaks she gets? I'm getting real tired of seeing her every time I try to read the news.

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Mostly old stuff here; some of you might remember it from when you were quite young.

"American Pie" by Don McLean
"Burnin' for You" by Blue Öyster Cult
"Alone" by Heart
"Time of the Season" by The Zombies
"Summer Nights" by Marianne Faithfull
"Songs to Aging Children Come" by Joni Mitchell
"At the Zoo" by Simon & Garfunkel
"Love of the Common People" by Waylon Jennings
"Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)" by Hombres
"Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer" by Nat King Cole

An old one of Waylon's from the late sixties. The lyrics are still valid in the modern world.



This one is here just because it was funny and quirky.



Not only did he have a beautiful voice, this song was one of my favorites from the early sixties because the lyrics draw such a good picture of summer fun.

Running a computer with one hand is a pain in the ass

Especially when you're right-handed and that's the one you can't use.
Yesterday I got to take a trip to the hospital for some x-rays; I managed to to trash my jaw, my back, and my shoulder, so I am here with my arm in a sling.
I'm supposed to get the use of my arm back in a couple of days (my shoulder won't move at all, and is one big mass of throbbing pain), but if that doesn't happen I will need an MRI and possibly some surgery. Oh, well, shit happens and life goes on. If I don't do a lot of commenting over the next few days, you know why.

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Any favorites or comments on this bunch?

"Moondance" by Van Morrison
"If I Had a Hammer" by Trini Lopez
"Overture" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
"Whipping Post" by The Allman Brothers Band
"Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys
"Teacher" by Jethro Tull
"Touch the Sky" by Tim Weisberg
"Hell in a Bucket" by Grateful Dead
"You Know What I Mean" by The Turtles
"Handle With Care" by The Traveling Wilburys

Happy Canada Day

Today is hundred and forty-third birthday of The Great White North.

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Looked in a bit at the confirmation hearings for the new Supreme Court justice.
What a joke. Not only is Kagan inexperienced, she can't even answer a question straight. She's even better at dodging questions and talking bullshit than the president who put her name out there.

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Another July 4 coming up; hope everyone is going to have a happy and safe weekend.
Seems like it isn't quite what it used to be, even when you take into account the rose-colored glasses that all children wear until they start seeing how the world works.
Fourth of July picnics were conducted a lot different than many do them today. Hamburgers and hot dogs that were grilled over charcoal, rather than the tasteless "healthy" hot dogs of today, that are cooked over propane. Homemade potato salad, pickled eggs, corn on the cob with real butter. People played games out in the yard, and then set off fireworks when it got dark.  These days the adults are watching TV, the youngsters are playing video games, and the teens have their iPods cranked up to the max and are busy ignoring everyone while texting like crazy to their friends at their own family get-togethers.

Picture of me (the taller kid) and the family over at my maternal grandmother's yard.  I was probably about 14 or 15 in this picture. Click to enlarge.













There also seemed to be more optimism back then; we had more confidence in our government and way of life, we waved the flag more, John Wayne was still making movies,  and people didn't complain as much about reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in school.
Like it or not, however, the world changes.  And for life to go on we have to work with those changes.  Much of that requires adaptation, we have to change or fall by the wayside.  But there are still a few things out there that don't need to change; people used to have more faith in their government, and were willing to do what was necessary to keep it.   There are some living here who hate this country, and are more interested in running it down than on making it great; they either sit around whining, or try to make it into a place that is not America, but some oppressive socialist state.  You expect this sort of behavior from the uneducated, but it is disturbing how much of our academics and politicians want to make us into a place where the government dictates how we live our lives, rather than leaving that to the individual.  The founders of this country would be up in arms again if they saw how things are at this point.
But enough ranting; as I said before, have a great and safe weekend, and at least try to squeeze in a little time to reflect on what a great country this is.

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Some old, some older. Any favorites in this batch?

"Yesterday" by The Beatles
"Blues' Theme" by Davie Allan & The Arrows
"For a Few Dollars More" by Soundtrack
"Good Times Bad Times" by Led Zeppelin
"Alabama Blues" by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
"Don't Walk Away" by Electric Light Orchestra
"Photograph" by Def Leppard
"Holy Water" by Bad Company
"Iron Butterfly Theme" by Iron Butterfly
"Behind Closed Doors" by Charlie Rich

One of their best, in my opinion.



I remember first hearing this in the late sixties; the first image that came to mind for me was a picture of the Winged Nazgûl of Lord of the Rings.



Does anyone else remember The Silver Fox?