Time flies when you're having fun

Hello out there, I finally decided to sit down and do a post.
The trip down to Santa Fe was interesting, lots of wet weather.
We left town Thursday morning about 600. An hour and a half later, going over Soldier Summit outside Price, Utah, we had to go through a snowstorm that had 3-4 inches and was still falling. Observe:







The top picture is taken by my wife as we were climbing up into the active part of the storm, you can see the storm up the road.
The next two pictures are taken in the storm; the picture is not blurred, that is how hard the snow was coming down. Luckily it was only in the higher elevations, and we eventually came down out of it into wind and rain, which was with us most of the way. Around Chama, New Mexico, we ran into more snow, and a hailstorm with marble-sized stones that slammed down pretty good for a while. When we finally got into Santa Fe that evening, it was only lightly raining there.
Santa Fe isn't quite the town it was years ago; commercialism is slowly showing on all of the western towns that attract tourists. We spent a lot of our time just looking at stuff, taking a few pictures of architecture here and there. Didn't get around quite as much as I'd hoped. A lot of the area you have to get out and see on mare's shanks, and I'm not in the condition I used to be. The elevation is 7000 feet, compared to about 4500 feet here where I live, so I was out of breath a lot. A few years ago the thinner air wasn't as noticeable, but since my heart went bad, I haven't had the stamina I used to have. (On a side note, Friday was the third year anniversary of my heart going sour and requiring a stent.) There also seems to be some strange laws of physics there; it seems that every where you walked, no matter what direction, was always uphill; hiking around that place really kicked my ass.

Some of the more interesting stuff around the area is the old Spanish architecture; some of it goes back to the early seventeenth century.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is a good example of some old stuff there; it was originally built in 1610, destroyed during a revolt in 1680, and rebuilt in 1714. In the late 1800's, it was rebuilt, the only part of this church still existing is the Chapel of Our Lady, La Conquistadora.
This is a picture of the outside, which is undergoing some restoration at this time.



They allowed photographs to be taken inside, but flashes were forbidden, so the pictures are not quite up to the standards I usually prefer. These two are of the old part of the church, and the top statue of the Madonna is 380 years old. The lower picture shows her in a little more detail.





The Loretto Chapel and it's famous staircase is also interesting, and it is close to the previous church. You may want to look at the history and controversy surrounding it here. Here are some close up pictures of the famous stairs; if you know anything about carpentry, you will definitely appreciate the craftsmanship. I have taken it in two pictures; top and bottom, so that I could catch more detail.





There are quite a few museums and such in the area, but many of them don't allow photographs, so we couldn't get photographs of some of the stuff.

The food, as usual, was good, if you go to the right places. New Mexican cuisine is southwestern, but it is different from Mexican or Texan cooking. The spices are handled a little bit differently, and can be exceptional, if handled correctly.

We also stopped in on Taos over the weekend, but it isn't what it used to be; it has been changed over the same way that Boulder, Colorado got changed, everything being built around fleecing tourists.

The trip back was fairly uneventful; no snow, but a lot of rain and gusting wind. When we got home late Monday night, it was clearing up, but it had been cool and raining the whole time we were gone, so I have a jungle to clear up in my yard over the next few days.

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Today's playlist has a fair mix of older rock with a few wild cards; the top ten here are a good representation of what I've been in the mood for since we got back. Everyone familiar with these:

"Hold on Loosely" by .38 Special
"Gloria" by Laura Branigan
"Kind of a Drag" by The Buckinghams
"Misery and the Blues" by Maria Muldaur
"Maggie May" by Rod Stewart
"I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meatloaf
"Back to the Cave" by Lita Ford
"Prelude From Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007" by Andrés Segovia
"Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" by Judy Collins
"Legend of a Mind" by The Moody Blues

Where does the time go?

Seems like I just posted a couple of days ago, but it was actually almost two weeks. Had a good time for a couple of days up in Idaho visiting some people; a friend of ours had her graduation from school to be a RN. After the graduation there was some munchies and a lot of beer and other alcoholic substances. I made sure to go light; the next morning I was up at 6:00, watching the squirrels outside the window and listening to a lot of birds heralding the day.
Seems like I've been busy since then; trying to get things in order around here. There is always something around the house or out in the yard that is clamoring for attention.
My wife and I are going to be out of town for a few days; Thursday morning we will be driving down to the Santa Fe area. We probably won't be back until Monday evening. If I get any good pictures, I'll post them. We haven't been down there for several years, so I don't know how much things may have changed.

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Last weekend we drove out to visit with my mom on sort of a belated Mother's Day. Part of the day we looked over a lot of old pictures; made for and interesting afternoon.


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The Presidential Primary Circus seems to be in full swing now; the three clowns running are starting to get down to the kicking, scratching, and eye=gouging stage; we should be seeing some major shits torms in the next few months.

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Feeling a little nostalgic today; my playlist seems to be a lot of older stuff. Any favorites in the top ten?

"Ride My See-Saw" by The Moody Blues
"I Don't Know Where I Stand" by Joni Mitchell
"The River Is Wide" by The Grass Roots
"Leather and Lace" by Stevie Nicks
"Heaven Can Wait" by Meat Loaf
"Night Time Is the Right Time" by Ray Charles
"99 Luftballons" by Nena
"To Cry You a Song" by Jethro Tull
"Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole
"Walkin' After Midnight" by Patsy Cline

"I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in"

A few months ago, Allison Kraus (bluegrass singer and fiddle player) got together with Robert Plant and worked on an album. They also did a concert on TV. This is one of my favorites they did on the concert, but sadly it wasn't recorded on the album. For those who like Kraus, Plant, and blues, this is their version of the Led Zeppelin hit Black Dog.



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For some reason this cracks me up.



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The presidential campaigns get goofier all the time; it's a three-ring circus, and all three rings are full of clowns.

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Finally getting out of town for a bit; my wife and I will be leaving around noon Friday to go to Twin Falls, Idaho for a visit to a friend. We should be back sometime Saturday night. Been a few years since I've been up that way.

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Anyone know where the post title came from? Hint: it was the first hit song of one of the artists below.

Who needs new music with old familiar ones like these?

"Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top
"Africa" by Toto
"Brown Sugar" by The Rolling Stones
"Chicago" by Benny Goodman
"Bloody Mary Morning" by Willie Nelson
"Squeeze Box" by The Who
"The Story in Your Eyes" by The Moody Blues
"Career of Evil" by Blue Öyster Cult
"No More Words" by Berlin
"The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers

An event you don't want to miss

Black Gold Testicle Festival

Home grown celebration from the ranching and team branding community. 2008 will be the 8th annual. Friends and family do the cooking. T-shirts available at the festival and year 'round.
Location: Rodeo arena in Woodruff, Utah
Date: Memorial Day weekend and the first weekend in June

For those of you who like exotic cuisine, this should fit the bill. I've never tried them myself, but I'm always open-minded about cooking.

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Finally got my garden area tilled up; just in time for a couple of days of ass-kicking wind, and cold temperatures; might not get my stuff in for a few days. Been weeding like crazy; for some reason we have an amazing bumper crop of dandelions and sand burrs this year. If my herbs and vegetables grow half as good, I'll be overjoyed.

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Campaigns are getting a little more lively; Clinton is swinging away at Obama, Obama and his ex-pastor are taking turns pushing each other in front of the train, and McCain is sort of puttering around. I don't know of anyone who is voting for any of the candidates, they're all voting against someone. The promotions aren't as much of "My guy is best" as much as they are "My guy doesn't suck as much as the other guys". I guess you have to find some sort of relatively positive thing to say and go with it.

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A few people seem to like the floral photographs, and I enjoy taking them. The top two are from my front sidewalk; I tend to like my bulbs scattered a bit, rather than in formal designs.
The bottom one is some blossoms on my Japanese blood plum tree.











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Someone should have at least one or two favorites in this shuffle:

"I Can't Stop Loving You" by Martina McBride
"Turn the Page" by Bob Seger
"Who Will You Run To" by Heart
"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin
"Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer" by Nat King Cole
"Cruisin' With the Duece" by Quarterflash
"Tweeter and the Monkey Man" by The Traveling Wilburys
"Head over Heels" by The Go-Go's
"But You Know I Love You" by Kenny Rogers
"Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive

I'm still here

It's been way too long since I've done anything here; seemed to have a case of the blahs caused by the changing of the seasons; it always seems to knock my metabolism out of whack for a while. Hopefully I can get my act together soon.

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The presidential brawl has been interesting to watch; the Democratic candidates have been down in the mud and the shit kicking, gouging, biting, and kneeing each other fairly good on the news. I am getting the feeling that whoever gets the nomination, the followers of the other side will vote against them just out of spite by the time this is over. In the meantime, McCain is sitting on the sidelines, sniping on occasion. Basically, these two are digging up enough dirt on each other that McCain won't have to do it; I hope they realize that when the real campaign starts, then whoever wins the primary has to start digging up stuff on McCain and shifting gears to fight with him. Personally, I wouldn't want any of them voted in as dogcatcher, let along POTUS, but that's just my opinion, yours may differ.

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Talk about a fool's paradise; I have to wonder what rock he has been hiding under; anyone who thinks that Hamas is going to sit down and make nice with Israel is either uninformed or an idiot. Those groups hate Israel and have only one goal regarding it; the complete and utter distruction of Israel and the death of all the Jews. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to get a clue. To them, a peace treaty is something you use stall with while you're collecting pipe bombs and organizing people who are brave enough to murder children.

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We are starting to get something that looks like spring, only colder. I've been taking more pictures (this is starting to turn into a garden blog); hope I'm not boring you too much with these. The bottom one is a mourning dove; our neighborhood is full of them, and I usually have several in my yard at any one time. This one was a little shy, so I had a hard time getting a photo. I also have a couple of greenhead mallards (a drake and a hen) who come around now and then, but they get really uptight if I try to photograph them.












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No country music in the playlist today; everything else, though.

"After Dark" by Tito & Tarantula
"Lazy River" by Benny Goodman
"Maybellene" by Chuck Berry
"To Cry You a Song" by Jethro Tull
"Bye Bye Blackbird" by John Coltrane/Miles Davis
"Honey Bee" by Muddy Waters
"Kentucky Woman" by Neil Diamond
"Hey Lawdy Mama" by Steppenwolf
"When the Music's Over" by The Doors
"Crawlin' King Snake" by John Lee Hooker

A tag

Roberta X and Mike W tagged me with this:
1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4. Tag at least five more blogs with links.
5. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

1. That was fun, so now what?
2. A picture of me out rockhounding, one of my many, many hobbies.



3. Up above at first of post.
4. LeeAnn , Hammer, Becky, Labrat, and Elliot
5. Done

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A few people liked the picture of the mountains to the west of me. This morning I snapped a photo of the ones to the east; they are farther away, and a lot higher. The photo was not taken from my porch, as the view is blocked from there. Instead, I took it from the parking lot where I was doing the grocery shopping this morning. It is up in those mountains that the ski resorts are located.



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How many of these are familiar?

"Nice Work If You Can Get It" by Thelonious Monk
"Play With Fire" by The Rolling Stones
"Floating" by The Moody Blues
"Telstar" by The Tornados
"Born to Fly" by Sara Evans
"Mr. Tambourine Man" by The Byrds
"Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" by The Beatles
"Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison
"Pictures of Matchstickmen" by Status Quo
"Big River" by Johnny Cash/Kris Kristofferson/Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson

More snow on the way

From the Weather Service:

UTZ003>005-014-015-310615-
/O.CON.KSLC.HS.W.0007.000000T0000Z-080331T1600Z/
SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS-SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT-
GREAT SALT LAKE DESERT AND MOUNTAINS-SANPETE/SEVIER VALLEYS-
WEST CENTRAL UTAH-
406 PM MDT SUN MAR 30 2008

...HEAVY SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM MDT MONDAY...

A HEAVY SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM MDT MONDAY.

THIS WARNING IS FOR THE SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS...THE
SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT AND THE SANPETE VALLEY...THE GREAT SALT
LAKE DESERTS AND MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF I-80 AND FOR WEST CENTRAL
UTAH.

SNOW TOTALS OF 2 TO 10 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BY MONDAY MORNING. THE
GREATEST TOTALS WILL BE IN THE UTAH AND SANPETE VALLEYS AND ALONG
THE BENCH AREAS OF THE SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS.

Whoopee...

I keep wondering when the global warming thing is going to hit Utah; as usual we seem to be behind the times; so far everything is normal. It's snowed a couple of times since I last blogged; these two pictures were taken from my front porch.



The first one is a large pine on the east side of my yard, the other one is looking west toward the Oquirrh Mountains, about five miles west of me.

At least the flowers aren't minding the snow; crocuses and daffodils.



We'll be getting snow and cold rain at least until the end of April, in May I can start putting together my vegetable garden. I really miss the fresh tomatoes and such.

Some of my garden is starting to wake up; I cut some chives, parsley, and rosemary for cooking dinner today. My chard is starting to wake up, hopefully I will get some soon before it gets too warm and goes to seed.

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The presidential brawl seems to have calmed down for the weekend. I guess everyone needed a breather to sharpen their knives and start piling up some more shit for throwing later. Hillary and Obama seem to be concentrating on who can tell the biggest whoppers and throw the most dirt at each other. McCain seems to have a different strategy; he is letting those two flail away at each other while he kicks back swigging his Geritol® and waiting for the Democrats to burnout while beating each other over the head. And there doesn't seem to be anyone from either party that you can trust to give you an honest answer; they either blow smoke and tell you something that is different from what their past record shows, or they just ignore the question and try to misdirect. The only thing they all seem to have in common is that they're a bunch of assholes, and none of them is going to be that good for the country, so it behooves us to get some decent people in Congress and the Senate. Of course, Sam Clemens knew what a problem that was:

"Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."
- Mark Twain

“Washington is a stud farm for every jackass in the country.”
- Mark Twain

"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly American criminal class except Congress."
-Mark Twain

Will Rogers understood the problem also:

"There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."
- Will Rogers

"This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer."
-Will Rogers

"The difference between death and taxes is death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets". - Will Rogers

Just as true now as it was back then.

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According to my sitemeter, I've been getting quite a few hits from Korea lately. To those visitors: don't be shy, drop a comment if there is something you like/dislike about the site, or questions you have, I'd like to hear from you. I enjoy getting visitors from different countries; one of the things I like about the internet is corresponding with people from other cultures and walks of life. If you are visiting and have something to say, feel free; everyone is welcome here, all I ask is that you have manners and don't troll or spam the site.

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Any fans of this bunch of tunes?

"Back on the Chain Gang" by The Pretenders
"Tumbling Tumbleweeds" by Eddy Arnold
"Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
"Magic Man" by Heart
"Oye Como Va" by Santana
"Exodus" by Henry Mancini and His Orchestra
"Trouble No More" by Muddy Waters
"In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Peer Gynt
"Nickel Romeo" by The Bangles
"Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues" by The Charlie Daniels Band


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I really need to get organized

Thank you for all the greetings on my blogiversary. I've been fairly busy the past few days; had to help with some of the loose ends from my uncle's passing that I wrote about some time ago. It was a sunny day, but chilly. The wind never stops blowing at Camp Williams, where the veterans cemetery is located. His resting place is not too far from his older brother's (my dad).



There is something about them folding up a soldier's flag that always gets to me. This is my third veteran ceremony in the past two years (my dad and two uncles), and it always affects me the same way; a mixture of pride and sadness. Hopefully it will be a long time before I have to experience another.

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Spring keeps trying to happen, Easter was a fairly nice day, with sunshine and no wind.



This picture is my wife helping our great-niece find eggs at my mother-in-law's place. Little kids are such a hoot.

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I finally have flowers other than crocus, some hyacinths, violets, and daffodils have started to open.

Click to enlarge








The top picture is of a miniature daffodil, it is only an inch across.

The second is a patch of violets.

The last picture is a full size daffodil, it is about three inches across.

We'll still be getting snow off and on until May, but these flowers like cooler weather.

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Today's playlist is a good mix; the top ten are:

"In the Mood" by Glenn Miller
"Back Where You Belong" by .38 Special
"Always on My Mind" by Willie Nelson
"Happy Jack" by The Who
"The Good the Bad and the Ugly" by Soundtrack
"Who Can It Be Now?" by Men at Work
"Get Happy" by Benny Goodman
"A Real Fine Place to Start" by Sara Evans
"Born Under a Bad Sign" by Cream
"Dreamboat Annie" by Heart

Any favorites in that bunch?

Arthur C Clarke has died

British science fiction writer Sir Arthur C Clarke has died in Sri Lanka at the age of 90.

He came to fame in 1968 when a short story called The Sentinel was made into the film 2001: A Space Odyssey by director Stanley Kubrick.

Once called "the first dweller in the electronic cottage", his vision captured the popular imagination.

A farmer's son, he was educated at Huish's Grammar School in Taunton before joining the civil service.

During World War II, Clarke volunteered for the Royal Air Force, where he worked in the, then highly-secretive, development of radar.

I read his stuff quite a bit growing up, starting in 1959. At that time a lot of his stuff, especially short stories, appeared in magazines. He was one of the better writers for "hard" science fiction. Years later (1968, as a matter of fact)I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey when it first came out, and it was quite a show back then; I caught it in HD about a week ago, and it still hasn't lost any of it's magic.
When I started college in 1969, I was lucky enough to catch a lecture by him at the University of Utah; he was quite an interesting speaker, and talked about a lot of stuff that was sci-fi then, and reality now. I'll have to dig into some of my old paperbacks and reread some of them, I guess. I might even have the soundtrack to 2001: A Space Odyssey around here somewhere to crank up.

Where does the time go?

Looking at my records, today is the second anniversary of my blog. I find it hard to believe that I have been scribbling for this long. I don't blog everyday, and sometimes it is just fluff and chatter, but it gives me a chance to connect with other people around the world, and if some of them like what I have written now and then, I must be doing something right, even if by accident. I've only had about 15K hits in all this time, but to me it is more important that some of them were good people coming to comment or lend support in bad times, and laugh at the good times. For me the quality of the visitors is more important than the quantity, so I feel good about the hits I get, because I know most of them from their blogs, most of which are a lot better than this one. Thanks for the company, I hope I can get better over time.

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I notice a lot of the fellow gun owners are blogging about the Heller case before the SCOTUS today; most of them are doing a lot better job than I could, so I will leave that to them.

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From the looks of the presidential skirmishes, I think things are going to get a lot uglier before they get better. I've seen a lot of mud slinging in the past, but I think this campaign is going to have some of the worst back-stabbing, rumor-spreading, and downright shit-slinging that we've seen in a while. This will not be a pretty election.

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The top ten in todays playlist are older tunes, as usual. Some of them I would have to refer to as definite classics.

"Respect" by Aretha Franklin
"Night and Day" by Tommy Dorsey
"Walk on By" by Leroy Van Dyke
"Love Child" by Diana Ross & the Supremes
"Venus" by Shocking Blue
"Suspicious Minds" by Jessi Colter/Waylon Jennings
"Chitlins con Carne" by Johnny Copeland/Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Troubl
"Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
"El Gato Triste" by Chuck Mangione
"You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" by The Lovin' Spoonful

Sometimes life resembles a sitcom

LIBERTY, Pa. - A Pennsylvania man is accused of attempted bank robbery - and if poor planning were a crime, he might be charged with that, too.
Police say a man arrived at the Citizens and Northern Bank in the borough of Liberty on Thursday and waited in his car for about 20 minutes. Shortly after noon, he tried to enter the bank 100 miles west of Scranton wearing a ski mask and carrying a rifle. But the bank's Liberty branch closes at noon on Thursdays, foiling his plans.
The man fled the scene, but bank employees took note of his license plate number. A 28-year-old suspect is jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Reminds me of an attempted robbery that happened across the street from where I used to work some years ago. Some genius walked into the drive through section of the bank (he was on foot, no getaway vehicle), stepped up to the bulletproof window, and pointed a bow and arrow at them, demanding they send out the money to him. After the teller quit laughing, and realized that he was serious, they locked the doors, called the police, and the would-be robber was nabbed as he was running from the scene.

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Our preview of spring is over; we got a few inches of snow last night, but at least it was warm enough that it didn't stick too badly. The crocus flowers I had a few days ago don't mind the snow, they just bloom right on through it.





The tulips and daffodils are up, but it will be a few weeks before they will bloom.

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What kind of stuff is on your playlist/radio/player today? Mine is a mixture of country and old rock today. Top ten on the list:

"Unchained Melody" by Heart
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams
"Days of Wine and Roses" by Henry Mancini
"Possession" by Iron Butterfly
"To Cry You a Song" by Jethro Tull
"Flesh and Blood" by Johnny Cash
"Ribbon of Darkness" by Marty Robbins
"Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer" by Nat King Cole
"Perfect" by Sara Evans
"Mechanical World" by Spirit

Hope springtime gets here soon

For those who are still having snow in their area, you may like this picture my wife sent me that she got in an email.

Click to enlarge.









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The Momster has tagged me with a meme to list five things about myself.

1. I am afraid of heights. Being in an airplane looking out the window, or looking out the window of a tall building does not bother me, but get me three feet up a ladder and I feel queasy. Makes no sense, but that's how it works.

2. Some of my favorite condiments on a hamburger are sauerkraut and jalapeños.

3. I had perfect teeth until I was 48 years old. That year over a dozen went bad, and two had to be pulled. That was also the same year that my eyes went to hell and I had to start using reading glasses.

4. I enjoy target shooting, but have difficulty hitting flat targets. For some unexplained reason I can hit small objects easier than large circles on a piece of paper.

5. Unless I am ill, I have trouble sleeping more than 4 or 5 hours.

If anyone wants to do this meme, feel free.

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More old stuff on the playlist. Today's top ten are an interesting mix.

"San Antonio Rose" by Patsy Cline
"Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto
"Sunday Will Never Be the Same" by Spanky & Our Gang
"Something's Burning" by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition
"Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)" by Janis Joplin & Her Kozmic Blues Band
"The Streets of Laredo" by Eddy Arnold
"We Gotta Get Out of This Place" by The Animals
"Memphis" by Chuck Berry
"Don't You Feel Small" by The Moody Blues
"Me and Paul" by Willie Nelson

Most of these are probably too old for most of you to remember.

A preview of spring

The seasons are sort of odd around here; we have little or no spring, it usually just gets warm one day, snows some more, and then turns hot. This is usually somewhere between the last of April and the first part of June. I remember it snowing on June 4 one year, and then turning 85ºF the next day. Most years we get a bit of a slight thaw in January or February, but the last couple of years it has skipped this (global warming, I am told). This year the crocus flowers didn't open until the first part of this month, instead of in February as usual. Some of the violets have started blooming also. It makes it almost feel a bit like spring. For those in cold places, maybe some of these pictures I took a couple of hours ago will appeal to you.

Click to enlarge.







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Does everyone remember some of these oldies?

"With or Without You" by U2
"Stewball" by Memphis Slim
"California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & the Papas
"In the Mood" by Glenn Miller
"A Fistful of Dollars" Soundtrack
"Sweet Cherry Wine" by Tommy James & the Shondells
"Alone" by Heart
"I Touch Myself" by The Divinyls
"Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" by Waylon Jennings
"Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones

No, I haven't been abducted by aliens

I'm still here. Been a bit busy with stuff lately. To all of the considerate people who dropped by and offered support, I would like to thank you.
I've managed to dump a few pounds since I was last here, but that doesn't really mean a thing; you can lose a lot of water without dropping fat. The workouts continue.

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The presidential race is interesting; the Republicans have a goofy old coot, and the Democrats have no idea what they want yet. The catfight on that side is amusing; it would seem that the only thing they hate more than Republicans is each other. Personally, I don't care for either side, but I have noticed some things. Republicans disagree quite a bit when it comes to some things, but they usually find a way to organize and get their shit all in one ball when it comes down to a crunch. The Democrats seem to be divided up into a lot of factions that all want THEIR way or NO way; and they end up squabbling instead of putting up a united front. They weren't as bad when I was younger. Back then they were worried about minorities in general; these days each one thinks it is the one that should be running things, and that anyone else is stealing their thunder.
Both sides are trying for too much power, though; the Republicans want to legislate morals, and the Democrats want to legislate everything else. It never occurs to them that some of us just want to be left alone. The government is supposed to be servant, so why are they telling US what to do?

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Looks like South America is safe from war (at least for this week); the leaders of Columbia, Ecuador, and Venezuela have agreed to shake hands for now. Of course, they are probably running troops around behind the scenes; I think Chavez would like to have an excuse to "liberate" some of the surrounding countries from "the evil American empire" and incorporate them into his Marxist utopia.

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Seems to be a big rash of dumbasses shooting up crowds and then offing themselves. You'd think it would occur to someone to quit giving these idiots a big stage to go out on. They are basically suicidal people who want to be famous on the way out. Maybe the media should quit giving out their names; just call them a "nameless killer" and vilify them as the obnoxious jerks that they are. I don't care if someone wants to check out, just don't go dragging a bunch of innocent people into it so they can be famous when they go out.

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I see the debate has opened again on whether licensed CCW owners can carry on campus. Now they have several campuses that are arming their security people so that students can "feel safe". If you look at the situation, how is this better? The odds of an innocent person being shot by a police officer are higher than being shot by a person with a CCW. For a good essay on the subject of concealed firearms, you can't do better than to check out Nate's post on the subject.

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Enough ranting and raving (for now, anyway). It's time for a couple of hours of moldy oldies with which to get mellow. The top ten in the list are good ones:

"Walk Away Renee" by The Left Banke
"That'll Be the Day" by Buddy Holly
"Hey, Good Lookin'" by Hank Williams
"Lightnin' Strikes" by Lou Christie
"This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye
"Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition
"Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
"I Am the Walrus" by The Beatles
"House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals

Some of you might even remember a few of them.

Things good, and things sad

I seem to be pretty much back in form; I went in and did some light weight lifting and 30 minutes at 3.2 mph at an incline today without much trouble, so I should be back on track of losing weight soon. Thank you for all the encouragement and concern.

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You may remember I mentioned that I had to take my uncle in to the VA hospital; Saturday he went quietly in his sleep while taking an after-dinner nap.
I have been helping him for a couple of years now; he had a bad heart and lungs, and had to breathe pure oxygen 24 hours a day, so he couldn't get outside much or drive. I and my wife visited him every day, feeding his dogs, shopping, running errands, etc. Since he was family (my dad's younger brother), I felt a certain responsibility to help, that's what family does. He has some daughters, but they are all out of state. He had lived alone since his retirement from the Navy. He was a veteran of two wars; he did a hitch in the Air Force during Korea, and was over in southeast Asia during the Vietnam War while in the Navy.
Goodbye, Uncle George, you will be missed.

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Don't feel much like listening to lyrics today, so I have on my instrumental playlist, which is mainly jazz. I'd be surprised if anyone knew most of the artists, but some of the titles may be familiar.

"Over the Rainbow" by James Galway
"As Time Goes By" by Henry Mancini
"Bombay Calling" by It's a Beautiful Day
"It Just Happens That Way" by Mindi Abair
"Prabhati" by Ravi Shankar/Sir Yehudi Menuhin
"Farewell" by Patrick O'Hearn
"Words Unspoken" by Tim Weisberg
"Shenandoah" by Lorie Line
"For All We Know" by Dave Brubeck
"In a Stone Circle" by Ian Anderson

Something for the ladies

This looks like the perfect lamp for a woman who is reading romance novels. Find more about it here.















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Doing pretty well since my time at the hospital. The doctor said I can drive and walk around this weekend, but doesn't want me doing any weight lifting until Wednesday. I'm looking forward to time at the gym; this sitting around with my legs up is boring as hell.

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Any fans of this bunch of people? They came up at the top of today's playlist when I shuffled.

"Legs" by ZZ Top
"Lawyers, Guns and Money" by Warren Zevon
"Hold on Loosely" by .38 Special
"Understand Your Man" by Johnny Cash
"Career of Evil" by Blue Öyster Cult
"Wildest Dreams" by Asia
"Hellacious Acres" by Kris Kristofferson
"Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Take Me Home Tonight/Be My Baby" by Eddie Money
"Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams

I am tired...

An interesting day, to be sure.
Last night I had to take an uncle to the VA hospital; he has some problems with internal bleeding. Spent time there until 1:30 AM, when I was able to go home to rest, but was thirsty as hell, since I was not allowed any water after midnight.
7:00 AM saw me up, still thirsty and wishing for a cup of coffee. Got to go to the hospital, got a tube run up my femoral artery, and portraits of my wayward heart. From what they can tell, it looks like my stent is ok, and they can't see anything to get excited about at this time. I have a couple of pictures which I may post sometime in the near future. Not real exciting, however, since basically they look like gnarled branches in a fog. I think my biggest problem right now is getting rid of some of the excess lard I am packing around; that will do my heart more good than anything.
I appreciate all of the good wishes from visitors; when you are concerned about your health, you can use all the moral support available.

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Lots of older stuff on the playlist today, still a bit tired from everything.

"Hang on Sloopy" by The McCoys
"Harden My Heart" by Quarterflash
"I'm on Fire" by Bruce Springsteen
"Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" by Waylon Jennings
"Our House" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
"Goin' Through the Motions" by Blue Öyster Cult
"Born Under a Bad Sign" by Cream
"Woman, Woman" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap
"Nothing Is Easy" by Jethro Tull
"Sweet Dreams" by Patsy Cline

Bill would allow people to openly carry guns in public spaces

A bill quietly endorsed by a legislative committee would codify licensed concealed-weapons holders' ability to openly carry loaded guns in almost any publicly owned space in Utah, including university campuses, public schools, sports arenas and hospitals.
HB473 is sponsored by Curtis Oda, a Davis County Republican with a history of championing expanded gun rights and criticizing University of Utah policies he believes trampled those rights.
In recent years, U. officials have largely abandoned their opposition to concealed weapons on campus, but they have held firm on the "open carry" issue, contending current law requires that firearms allowed by concealed weapons permits must remain concealed if they are brought onto school grounds. They cite the potential disruption caused by public display of weapons.
"Universities are a small piece of this. It would permit anyone with a permit to carry that weapon openly anywhere in the state," said John Morris, the U.'s general counsel. "This appears very broad. It would actually have a dramatic impact."

I can already imagine the screams and general hysterics from the gun grabbing crowd already.

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No food or water tonight after midnight (who eats that late anyway?), none tomorrow morning. Hopefully my angiogram won't show anything scary that requires work on the part of the doctors. If all goes well I'll be home tomorrow afternoon. If not, I'll be there overnight.

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Just a lot of odd random stuff in the playlist today.

"Take the "A" Train" by Duke Ellington
"Ferry Across the Mersey" by Jerry and the Pacemakers
"Misery and the Blues" by Maria Muldaur
"Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project
"Chicago" by Benny Goodman
"Heat of the Moment" by Asia
"Everybody's Jumpin'" by Dave Brubeck Quartet
"Rebel Child" by Gretchen Wilson
"Stakalee" by Dr. John
"No Fair at All" by The Association

Any comments on this bunch?

For the gunny who has everything

The HCS-200 Ultrasonic Gun Cleaner offers the best cleaning & lubricating of handguns and revolvers available. Powered with Ultrasonics, the HCS-200 reaches all surfaces of the handgun including those that are hard to access by hand.

And if that is too small, maybe you need this.

W00t! I'm still alive (for now, anyway)

Haven't blogged for a few days, but I am still here.
First, I would like to thank everyone who dropped by and wished me well; I am completely recovered from my fall, other than some annoying scabs. Your words and good wishes were very much appreciated.
Next week I have to do some really obnoxious tests; I went to the heart doctor yesterday, and he is a bit concerned and wants to run a cardiogram. The past few months I had gotten a bit of a feeling of pressure on my chest if I over-exerted myself. The doctor says this is mild angina (if it was painful we would be really worried). For those who have never had one of these (most of you are too young and fit for this), it starts with getting a bunch of electrodes taped onto your body. Plus they inject you with a strange brew that artificially stresses your heart. Just sitting still when it hits feels like you are running an uphill marathon. While this is happening, you get to walk on a treadmill, which is very tiring while the stuff is jacking your heart around. They take a bunch of readings with an MRI machine, and then they look at movies of your heart beating. At the end of this, you feel like someone has kicked your ass for half the day. Hopefully they won't find anything serious. I'm going to see if I can get a copy of the picture of my ticker, just for the hell of it, but that depends on the technician administering the tests.

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Outside is a blizzard right now; fine snow coming down fast and sideways. Hopefully it won't be too bad when my wife gets off work to drive home.

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Top ten on today's playlist:

"Symphony No. 5: 3. Allergo" by Ludwig van Beethoven
"Rhythm of the Rain" by The Cascades
"Mama Told Me Not to Come" by Three Dog Night
"Pancho and Lefty" by Willie Nelson
"Groovin' High" by Dizzy GIllespie
"Walk on By" by Leroy Van Dyke
"Runaround Sue" by Dion
"Centerfold" by J. Geils Band
"This Ain't the Summer of Love" by Blue Öyster Cult
"Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel

As usual, there isn't much rhyme or reason to the list today, just a couple of dozen of things I felt in the mood for.

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Update

Got my procedure schedule for next week; I will not be doing a cardiogram, but an angiogram instead. This is where they open up the femoral artery in your leg and run a tube up it to your heart to check it out. I have had this done before when they put in my stent, so I know what it is about. It's possible I may need another stent, or there may be nothing at all wrong. I'm not looking forward to it but there is no use fretting about it until it happens.

Okay, I'll bite

This meme seems to be going around right now.

In 1952 (the year you were born)

Harry Truman is president of the US Elizabeth II becomes Queen of England after the death of her father, George VI First explosion of a hydrogen device takes place at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Christine Jorgensen becomes the first medically and legally certified transsexual US troops complete their pull-out from Japan Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected President of the US Sister Theresa becomes Mother Theresa and begins her charity work in Calcutta Rick James, Douglas Adams, and Liam Neeson are born New York Yankees win the World Series Detroit Lions win the NFL championship Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup Charlotte's Web by E.B. White is published

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

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Doing better physically; my knee is almost normal, but the pulled muscles have been very annoying when trying to do anything. Oh well, getting hurt is what reminds you to be careful.

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"Burnin' for You" by Blue Öyster Cult
"Bullshitter's Lament" by Blues Traveler
"Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen
"Those Were the Days" by Cream
"I Wanna Go Back" by Eddie Money
"Here Comes the Rain Again" by Eurythmics
"I'm Bad Like Jesse James" by John Lee Hooker
"Summertime" by Janis Joplin & Her Kozmic Blues Band
"To Beat the Devil" by Kris Kristofferson
"I Can't Hold Back" by Survivor

Let's summarize...

1. Britney is still batshit crazy.
2. Heath Ledger is still dead from an OD.
3. All the presidential candidates are lying hypocrites and backstabbers who will say anything to get elected.
4. American Idol is still irrelevant to...just about everything.

Can we move on now in the news?

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Thought for a bit I was going to take a chauffeured ride to the hospital this morning; went outside to get in my vehicle and slipped on some ice that was under the snow (it is snowing today); went down hard with all my weight right on one kneecap onto the cement. After a couple of minutes my head cleared and I was able to barely get up and go back into the house to sit for a bit. My knee is a little better, mainly just skinned and bruised, but I also managed to pull a muscle right below my belt buckle, (please don't ask how far below) and one in my lower back that is currently causing be to berate it in very colorful language. I had to leave to get things done, and since getting home I have been drinking coffee and favoring my knee for now. Things should get better, I hope, since I still have to clear the snow from the driveway and sidewalk. For the past 10 or 12 days we have been getting snow every other day, so this stuff is getting real old.

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More blues, rock, jazz, and country; this is the top ten on the shuffle:

"Stack O' Lee Blues" by Mississippi John Hurt
"Saginaw, Michigan" by Lefty Frizzell
"California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & the Papas
"One O'Clock Jump" by Count Basie
"Let's Live for Today" by The Grass Roots
"Who Can It Be Now?" by Men at Work
"Baby, Won't You Come Out Tonight" by Buddy Holly
"You Only Live Twice" by Nancy Sinatra
"Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood
"Foxey Lady" by Jimi Hendrix

Any fans out there?

Some people out there should like this

For people like myself who like both Heather Alexander and Battlestar Galactica, this is a fun video that I ran across.

The droid did WHAT on your breakfast?

I tend to like useful devices and gadgets; just the inner-geek in me I guess. There are some inventions that I find amusing, however.

The R2-D2 Peppermill


Evidently, you put in peppercorns, twist his head, and pepper falls out of his butt. I dread to think what they may do with C3PO and a ketchup dispenser...




















Handheld Sunbeam

A homemade flashlight that shine for four miles and gives you a sunburn if you leave the UV filter off it.
















For some reason this picture seems somewhat Freudian to me.
"My light saber is bigger than yours, Darth Vader!"


Incandescent Sculpture

Though quite expensive, these are actually sort of cool; you can imagine them in a room with lots of steampunk stuff.





















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Another half foot of snow during the night; I'll be glad when spring comes around in a few months.

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More moldy-oldies in the playlist.

"Understand Your Man" by Johnny Cash
"Rock Me" by Steppenwolf
"Hangman's Blues" by Blind Lemon Jefferson
"Little Deuce Coupe" by The Beach Boys
"He'll Have to Go" by Jim Reeves
"Too Much Talk" by Paul Revere and the Raiders
"Mean Woman Blues" by Roy Orbison
"Respect" by Aretha Franklin
"Eight Miles High" by The Byrds
"To Sir with Love" by Lulu

No thanks, I prefer Toll House cookies

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - It was lunchtime in one of Haiti's worst slums, and Charlene Dumas was eating mud.

With food prices rising, Haiti's poorest can't afford even a daily plate of rice, and some take desperate measures to fill their bellies.

Charlene, 16 with a 1-month-old son, has come to rely on a traditional Haitian remedy for hunger pangs: cookies made of dried yellow dirt from the country's central plateau.

The mud has long been prized by pregnant women and children here as an antacid and source of calcium. But in places such as Cité Soleil, the oceanside slum where Charlene shares a two-room house with her baby, five siblings and two unemployed parents, cookies made of dirt, salt and vegetable shortening have become a regular meal.

Though she likes their buttery, salty taste, Charlene said the cookies also give her stomach pains.

Is it just me, or is something wrong with a country where the people think nothing of eating dirt?

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We've been getting hit with snowstorms around here; had a half a foot yesterday, couple of inches last night, and we are getting predictions from the weather oracles that we may get storms Friday and Sunday. Hurray for global warming!

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Looks like I need to get into my heart doctor soon; the edema in my legs seems to have increased a bit, and my feet are looking somewhat large if I don't prop them up quite a bit during the day.

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My playlist today seems to have a lot of oldies in it; half of the top ten is from my later teen years. Can't seem to get interested in the newer rock music; I prefer old rock, old country, blues and jazz. If I'm doing a lot of reading or studying, I usually put on baroque music, nothing like Bach or Vivaldi to stimulate the mind.
Any thoughts or interesting comments on this batch?


"(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet" by Blues Magoos
"All My Life" by Howlin' Wolf
"In the Mood" by Glenn Miller
"3 O'Clock in the Morning Blues" by Ike & Tina Turner
"Seceret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers
"Cruisin' With the Duece" by Quarterflash
"Fresh Garbage" by Spirit
"I Know You're Out There Somewhere" by The Moody Blues
"Tube Snake Boogie" by ZZ Top
"Highwayman" by The Highwaymen