Fearscape

Can Obama Escape the Taint of Blagojevich? - TIME

2008-12-10T10:37:00.007-05:00

The Taint... The Taint

Eyes hollow and face gaunt, having barely survived a brush with the filthy Bag of Blagojevich, and nearly losing an arm in a battle with the baleful Brown Eye of Blagojevich, our hero Obama Sunshine is reduced to skulking along the back alleys and gutters of Chicago in a hopeless bid to escape... THE TAINT OF BLAGOJEVICH!!!

the taint... it lingers

How Much For Your Wings?

2008-10-15T14:50:00.002-04:00

Good news you'll never hear(Hattip to Jonah @ The Corner):

The Iraqi Airforce graduates its first post-Saddam pilots.

Argghhh!: has the details of the happy event.

"One of the kids nudged me when a DV started getting passionate in his address, and was interrupted by a standing ovation:“He is saying that for the first time in our history, we are not doing things for one man, but we are doing it for all the people of Iraq. He is saying the US has showed us how, and we must not forget when we thank God every day, we must also ask him to bless the US.”"

Godspeed the day when the Iraqis can see their jets flying over head and feel the same sense of pride and security that I do when I see our boys.

Winter Rules!

2008-10-13T20:29:00.003-04:00

On a dark and rainy evening, a lone guitarslinger calmly walked in...

...Sat down and killed.

Johnny tore it up and left a wet and satisfied crowd. Not for the first time, I'll bet.

Edgar graced us with his silver sax on Mary Ann. A historic show. May they rock on forever.

Holding Fire

2008-10-08T10:11:00.004-04:00

Hotly the dragon weeps for lost opportunities.

McCain has turned in another maddening performance. With conservatives still wishing he had held his stand against the pork-and-crap-filled croissant that was and is the Bailout Bill, he ups the ante by making a Gov't buyout of failing mortgages the centerpiece of his economic policy. Somewhere Marx(not Groucho!) is smiling.

If that weren't enough, he has once again declined to nail Obama to his very recently past associates: Ayers, Rezko, Wright, not to mention Dodd, Frank, Pelosi, Reid, et al. The only possible reason I can see for McCain's forbearance is that he and his handlers believe that these charges will have a very short lifespan once leveled, and must be held back in the face of the public's rapidly shrinking attention span.

Caution, Senator: Keeping your powder dry will avail you nothing when all of your soldiers have abandoned you in despair.

Boo!

2008-10-07T16:01:00.002-04:00

Found this ghostly nightmare in the backyard. He told me it was about time I started blogging again. And then he ate my brains.

Review: Warpaint by The Black Crowes

2008-03-05T15:29:00.002-05:00

Warpaint, released March 4, 2008, is The Black Crowes’ 7th studio album and their first in seven years. In that time, they’ve seen the breakup of the band, solo projects, reconciliation, reunion, and the subsequent loss and replacement of their well-loved veteran keyboard player and lead guitarist. In the wake of all that drama, it wouldn’t be surprising if their comeback album showed signs of identity crisis, desperation, over reach, or simply fatigue. Fortunately, Warpaint is a solid Black Crowes album and one would be forgiven for thinking the band had been chugging along all this time with nary a pause.

The Black Crowes play in the sonic tradition of Rod Stewart/Ronnie Wood and The Band. Their formula is simple: a wooly, saturated rhythm guitar alternately sparring with and supporting the wailing lead singer and the wailing lead guitar (often slide guitar) over a rock solid blues bass guitar and drums rhythm section, with an organ and/or piano filling in all the cracks. It’s an organic, honest sound in evidence more on the Crowes’ first three studio albums than on their last three. In this, Warpaint is a welcome return to form.

Chris Robinson is in fine voice, continuing his stint as the High Hippie Brother Love, Preacher, Seeker and Prophet. He sounds relaxed, and seldom lapses into the shouting which has marred some previous efforts. Mr. Robinson’s lyrics retain his usual impressionistic flourishes, but for the most part are compelling and clear enough to follow without a lyric sheet.

The addition of Luther Dickinson (of The North Mississippi Allstars) nudges the Delta Blues back into the mix. To my ear Mr. Dickinson’s warbling slide work is a little less focused and a bit more tentative than the past lead guitarists, but is nonetheless excellent and overall quite at home on the album.

Warpaint is produced by Paul Stacey, who previously worked with Chris Robinson in New Earth Mud, and a couple tunes open sounding more like Mr. Robinson’s solo project than the Crowes proper. However, as I said before, Warpaint is a solid Black Crowes album, and compares favorably to the band’s best work. Any fan of Amorica or The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion will be very happy with this album.

Hillary X

2008-02-21T10:05:00.002-05:00

Faced with sagging poll numbers and the sick feeling that all of their machinations have been in vain, the Clinton campaign has announced an image makeover for their candidate. Details are sketchy, but the campaign insists that Hillary will lock in Texas voters and NRA members, recapture the African-American vote and blow Obama away. Stay tuned.

Unlikely Headlines

2007-11-20T15:10:00.000-05:00

Adult Stem Cell Breakthrough

NYT Reports Positive Iraq Story

Today’s big news has me feeling all optimistic and tingly inside. Dreamer that I am tho- I can’t help but wonder what giddy revelations tomorrow’s paper may bring. Just imagine:

Al Gore: Thanks for the Validation, Admits it was All Hooey

Oil Discovered to be Cheap, Plentiful
Answer to World’s Energy Needs

Early Firearms Training Key to Well-Regulated Society

Fetuses Actually Form of Pre-Children!

Employment Increases Self-Worth, Actual Worth

New England Republicans in Name Only

Lower Taxes Increase Revenues, Stimulate Economy

Polls Not Really News say 82%

Send Them Home!

2007-08-02T16:33:00.000-04:00

The young men and women of the Armed forces in Iraq?

...No, the Iraqi legislators.

I’m irritated (as I was last year) by all of the conservative solons(Mr O’Reilly et al) who believe it’s in the poorest taste for the Iraqi congress to close up shop and head home for a month while America and others continue to expend blood and treasure on their behalf.

Creating a full-time professional class of legislators is the last thing Iraq needs right now. Instead, keeping the bond between representatives and their constituencies strong should be a priority. Frequent extended trips back to the old neighborhood will help to keep both sides grounded in reality.

Furthermore, as our increasingly out of control federal govenment demonstrates: more law does not equal better law. I believe the US should instead follow the Iraqi model and return to part-time citizen led government. More time in session may make the lives of those in newsrooms easier, but it doesn’t make for better govenment.

Pinin' for the Fjords

2007-07-18T16:20:00.000-04:00

The Brazilian Blue shows the Norweigan Blue how it's done.

Dingy Harry’s Treatment Regime

2007-07-18T12:42:00.000-04:00

Harry Reid may have stumbled upon the cure for the Senate’s gloomy outlook. Studies have shown that the occasional sleepless night can snap depressives out of their funks. Look for a quick return to comity on the Senate floor.

Disc Golf Update

2007-07-17T18:01:00.000-04:00

Well the lure of disc golf has me snagged pretty good. Tho I'm hitting the course much less than I did last year. The price of gas and simple lost man hours has kept me coming home to throw in the schoolyard or park in my backyard. It's a pretty sweet deal, especially since I definitely need work on my fundamentals. The schoolyard is an elementary school that's more or less empty evenings. There's an extremely sandy oval track with playground within and a half soccer field on the end. I like to stand on the track and throw across the field towards the soccer goal on the far side. I used to make it 1/2 to 3/4 across, 150 feet tops. Now my throws are regularly exceeding 200 feet, flying past the soccer goal and flirting with the fence at the end of the field. I'm pretty psyched about it. Still, I'm committed to reaching 300+ before I'm satisfied.

Thought I'd post my current bag (all Innova DX, 'cept the Wizard):

Teebird 165g, brand new, overstable as heck
Teebird 170g, picked up used, was destroyed, I melted some of the gouges out of it, now it's usably understable, if not tournament legal, flips up from a hyzer, consistantly my longest disc
Viper 170g, lightly used, my reliable uber overstable, might get bumped by the new Teebird
Gazelle 172g, a little heavy for me, lightly seasoned, a control driver for windy days
Gazelle 168g, seasoned, my control driver, vies with the Teebird for length, envies my Rocs for comfort.
Roc 166g, well seasoned, trying for beat, but the new DX is tough! It's a Roc, it's what I'm teaching myself to play with.
Roc 167g, see above. Old DX, after frightening damage, seems to have toughened up. Maybe the trees are just softer.
Roc 168g, newer, keeping for headwinds.
Gateway Wizard S 168g, seasoned, putts and approaches, has same distance as my Rocs, but I avoid throwing it at anything but the basket.

So, all base plastic, which I like for the feel, and the organic way it ages. Also all stable molds, which keep me lovin the natural fade and away from bad habits. Blame Blake T and the crowd at Disc Golf Review for my good choices. Nothing by my own hand beat into a roller yet, waiting... waiting...

The discs I've picked up and are now in the closet are starting to pile up:

Champ Orc
Champ Roadrunner
Champ Shark
Champ Valkyrie
DX Wraith
DX Cheetah
X Challenger
D Banger GT
X Buzz

Anyway, that's the state of play. +13 personal best at Castle Hayne(oh, the shame!)

Not Dead Yet...Again

2007-05-14T16:39:00.000-04:00

Way too long since my last post. But there it is. This here's a place holder until I get back to it. Ciao!

Pine Tree at Twilight

2007-01-12T10:32:00.001-05:00

Pine Tree at Twilight
Originally uploaded by Duggatunn.

Back for a new year with a new feature! Me 'n the Missus got a digital camera for Christmas (Thank you, Nana!). Guided by Ken Rockwell's suggestion we picked up a Canon A540. I'll be posting photos here and at right (see sidebar) semi-occaisionally in furious bursts this side of never in keeping with the overall spirit of this blog. Enjoy.

Amidst the Gloom...

2006-11-09T11:37:00.000-05:00

...A light shineth: Closencounters Online Manga Is Back!!!

While trolling for online anime, I came across this gem by Tsuteru Shiba. It's very well drawn, very imaginative, and very Japanese. The first eight episodes are around 30 gorgeous full-color panels each, and if you have a slow system you can download an entire episode as an e-book. Tsuteru took a hiatus over the summer to deal with server issues amongst other things. I'm tickled pink he's back, posting two panels a week,-even if they're black and white. Actually the more traditional black and white looks pretty cool, I'm looking forward to seeing where he goes with it.

BTW if you've never read a manga- they read right to left, top to bottom, and young men have nosebleeds when they get overly "excited." Read in good health!

How to Change the Subject in One Easy Step:

2006-11-08T16:42:00.000-05:00

1. Announce the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense.

Wow. I hate to see him go. He was the Batman of the Justice League of Adults running the Gov’t. I suppose now he’ll be free to attend all of the “hearings” the Dems are planning. Attend and speak even more freely than usual. Should be entertaining.

Moonbats of the Right, Engage.........NOW!

2006-11-08T10:52:00.000-05:00

Just kidding.

Last night we saw the end result of a dissatisfied electorate. While in power, the Republicans snubbed their friends and made overtures to their enemies. For every conservative step forward, like the tax cuts and the judges, there was two liberal WTF steps backward like the education bill, the highway bill, the farm bill, and amnesty for illegals. Foreign policy was never properly sold or vigorously pursued enough to capture the right’s allegiance even as the left was in paroxysms of hysterics.

It wasn’t a winning strategy; depressing your base, and whipping up the opposition, and, as the polls predicted, the Democrats claimed the House and may have the Senate. Life goes on. I hope the Republicans take the right lessons from this defeat.

A small point that got me writing: K-Lo at The Corner posted a congratulatory letter from Michael Moore to his people. It opens:

You did it! We did it! The impossible has happened: A majority of Americans have soundly and forcefully removed Bush's party from control of the House of Representatives. And, sometime today perhaps, we may learn that the same miracle has happened in the Senate. Whatever the outcome, the American people have made two things crystal clear: End this war, and stop Mr. Bush from doing any more damage to this country we love. That is what this election was about. Nothing else. Just that. And it's a message that has sent shock waves throughout Washington — and a note of hope around this troubled world.

While Mr. Moore is welcome to his own conclusions as to what this election was about, I have to take issue with his framing it as “The impossible has happened.” What has happened was precisely the possible. Something more possible in America than anywhere else. So, it wasn’t a good night for my candidates or my point of view- it was a great night for democracy. This is exactly what makes America work despite its ideologically fractured electorate.

Back when President Clinton was tromping on civil rights-the FBI files, Waco, Texas, Elian Gonzales, etc.. and selling ballistic missile tech to the Red Chinese, what kept the kept the country from descending into armed revolt was the knowledge that whatever happened, President Clinton was going to be off the stage in 2 or 6 more years. When the Senate failed to find Clinton guilty of impeachable offenses, neither the east coast nor the west burned in protest. Why? Again, the system’s natural pressure release mechanism was at work. Don’t like the result? Wait a few years, vote for change.

So to have Mr. Moore open with “The impossible has happened.” at the moment the left’s Imperial Presidency canard is proved a sham is a particularly vile bit of demagoguery. This is the way the system works, Mr. Moore. Conservatives understand this. Which is why we won’t be riding our Moonbats back in to office in two years. Properly chastened, we shall return with sharpened arguments and a renewed commitment to our core principles. We will get power back, and back to saving your behind whether you like it or not. Cheers!

Gut Check Time

2006-11-07T11:33:00.000-05:00

Hit the polls early this morning. No line, I was number 76 at the station. I was thinking it was a sign of low turnout, but a friend told me we had 5000 early voters as of this past weekend. Now won't that make things interesting? No shenanigans at the polling station to speak of. Now, if I was a secular progressive troublemaker, I suppose I could say I was intimidated by being told to "Have a blest day" both by the lady handing out the ballots and and by the lady minding the ballot reader/box. Oh the Theocracy! Oh the Horror!

I happily hit the Straight Ticket for the Republicans, and voted nonpartisanly against all of the incumbent judges who just happened to be Dems. We didn't have any national races on the ballot, so my vote was more along the "civic duty" line than from a deep abiding passion for a particular candidate.

That said, I wouldn't mind seeing Al Roseman take out Julie Boseman. Mr. Roseman ran a tough, no apologies campaign I found refreshing. Ms. Boseman is a Democrat rising star in state politics, attractive, likeable, and probably far too popular to be knocked out, but now's the time to do it.

I am hoping in my heart of hearts for a massive repudiation of the pre-election polling. It hasn't reflected Republican turnout accurately for several election cycles, and I'm hoping this is the year it jumps the shark.

Hope you voted. Maybe in the next week or so we'll know who won.

Top 10 Alternative Punchlines to Kerry’s “Joke”

2006-11-01T13:19:00.000-05:00

The patrician John F. Kerry tried this out for an opener to some college kids at a stump speech for the Democrat candidate for Governor of California, Phil Angel-somethingorother.

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well.
If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq."

Although it looks like a gratuitous slap at the “grunts”, those poorly educated infantrymen cannon fodder with few prospects, the junior Senator from Massachusetts saw fit to clarify his remarks slightly: Anyone who isn’t a rightwing nutjob [I’m paraphrasing only slightly] can plainly see that this was a poorly executed barb skewering our notoriously ignorant and obviously mentally deficient Commander in Chief, George “Warmonger” Bush.

In the tripartite interests of elevating debate, sharpening rhetoric, and bringing the funny, I’d thought I’d offer these alternative punchlines. Mr. Kerry sets it up:

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well...

...If you don’t, you become a tool of a bellicose neocon cabal.

...If you don’t, your village will be missing their idiot

...If you don’t, you end up like Joe Lieberman.

...I pity da fool George Bush! Crazy redneck cracker. I pity da fool!

...If you don’t, you make Texas Tea instead of Lemonade when life hides your cheese.

...If you don’t, you choke on a pretzel. Who eats pretzels, anyway? The twisted! That’s who. And the Dutch. Pennsylvania Dutch. Who aren’t even really Dutch. That tells you something.

...If you don’t, you think Camus is a bovine dromedary. Like Bush. Get it? Bush is dumb.

...If you don’t, the terrorists of the world will not take you at your word and negotiate in good faith.

...If you don’t, you don’t realize that war is not the answer to the question of what is the answer of how does one pronounce a silent W? Not war! Bush eats boogers.

...And the only bush I trust is my own.

I offer these punchlines, humbly sure that they are funnier, more coherent, and less offensive to our brothers and sisters in uniform than the original. Help yourself, Senator!

Because, as they say: Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.

Who Knew?

2006-10-26T16:14:00.000-04:00

It's amazing how in the midst of a world of suffering, there are those who suffer in relative, if not actual silence. Scott Adams, the writer of Dilbert has been keeping something from us. Learn the bizarre, uplifting story in The Dilbert Blog: Good News Day . (Hat tip to The Corner)

Not SUBETE or Why I’m Not Buying a Silverado

2006-10-25T06:32:00.000-04:00

Say there’s no such thing as bad publicity? Hmmm. Well, I may not know publicity, but I know what I don’t like, and Chevy has pulled out a stomach-churning campaign the likes of which I can’t remember.

The first shot across the bow was the John Mellencamp “Our Country” ad. Ol’ Johnny Cougar is dolled up in his denim and boots, leaning up against a truck, beatin’ his box guitar next to some sort of agrarian open space. Now, Mellencamp is one of those sour-stomached midwest blue-stater in a red state malcontents, and like Springsteen, his patriotic overtures have been heavily laced with sarcasm(Born In The USA, Little Pink Houses), so to have him waving Old Glory a couple of months before the elections immediately rouses supsicion.

Anyway, Mellencamp launches into a "I see both sides of everything" song while the images run through the liberal history of America, the last 40 years. Rosa Parks, MLK, Viet Nam, Hippies, Nixon, Forest Fires, Katrina Flooding, the Beginning of Rebuilding. The cherry on the sundae was the doe-eyed 9-year-old boy looking out the door of the truck wearing a cowboy hat. This is Our Country? To whom are they trying to sell their trucks? Well, the short answer has to be Democrats.

Although it’s off-putting, I don’t really mind the blue-state appeal, as much as the “Let’s all get together and compromise and agree to see things our way” aspect of the commercial, so typical of the one-sided approach of the Dems. Did the marketing team really think that Republicans or conservatives would be seduced by a song that sounds sort of patriotic and a kid in a stetson? Uh....yeah. Why do you think they ran the ad?

The Our Country ad wasn’t enough in itself to get me writing: obnoxious, baffling, misguided, yes, but typical, par for the course. But last night, during the World Series, where the winners of the American and National league pennants play baseball(as in Mom, Baseball, & Apple Pie) Chevy ran Silverado commercials targeting Mexicans! If not Mexicans, then the very recently “immigrated”.

The Ads start with sepia-toned mini profiles of great Mexicans as children and the men they grew up to be. I remember Roberto Duran, the boxer, and another fellow who invented the Color TV. And these SUBETE men were SUBETE just like the SUBETE Chevy Silverado was SUBETE. What’s SUBETE? Damned if I know. I couldn’t make out the tag line either, I’ll assume it was in spanish.

So, the Chevy Silverado brings Mexicans a raft of shining heroes reflecting glory on all, and Americans get Mellencamp’s equivocation masquerading as hometown pride and the liberal litany of shame. Maybe it’s good business and maybe they have their reasons, but whatever Chevy’s sellin’, I ain’t buyin.

Keep Wilmington Smokin!

2006-10-19T06:36:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of the Wilmington Morning Star (paper only), I see the New Hanover County Health Council is pushing for an indoor restaurant and bar smoking ban. WWAY had the story earlier here .

May I say how much I’ve enjoyed living in one of the last backwards places that actually smokes? It’s a throwback to when people had bad habits other than excessive vanity and compulsive schoolmarm nannyism. Bourbon, Barbecue, Tobacco, Sunshine, Salt Water- none of them are completely good for you. But neither are any of them lethal in small amounts, nor unavoidable. Pick yer poison I say.

I don’t smoke. Most of my friends do. I have a fondness for their secondhand smoke and their company. I have lost friends and relatives “early” to smoking-related illnesses. Is it wrong for me to see their passing as a testament to their free spirits? They pursued their happiness in the way that they saw fit, and I saw fit to let them do it.

Some will accuse me of turning a blind eye to the nightmare of addiction. I say free will is stronger and more important. Smoking catches some, drinking others. Sex, food gambling, danger, exercise, lethargy, religion, video games, fantasy, power... addictions are legion, none improve the quality of life, but what a bland, tasteless life we face when we insulate ourselves from all which might do harm.

But What Of The Children? But you see, say the bluenoses, we’re worried about the health of nonsmokers, blameless souls, for whom the barest whiff of burning tobacco is like a greased chute to the grave? Example:

Erin Cummings with the New Hanover County Health Department said, "Don't expose yourself to it there is no safe level."

No safe level? Toxins abound. What keeps us all from dying from mercury or lead poisoning is the level of our exposure. So are we supposed to believe that unlike lead, mercury, arsenic, etc., tobacco smoke has no safe level? Have we really done the research on the lowest amount of second hand smoke to which one might be exposed and still live a long healthful life, barring unforeseen circumstances? Are we speaking metaphorically, perhaps? Philosophically? Dogmatically? It doesn’t seem to be rationally.

Should this ban pass, freedoms will suffer. I mentioned the pursuit of happiness earlier. This is also an assault of the freedom of association. Let the smokers and smoker lovers congregate, let the smoke-phobic do the same. Let the merchants serve who they will.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds @ Pleasure Island

2006-10-18T18:21:00.000-04:00

In celebration of our 7th anniversary, the lovely Donna and I took in The Fabulous Thunderbirds at the Pleasure Island Seafood, Blues & Jazz festival. What can I say? They were fabulous as advertised. Despite the coldest night of the year -so far- we enthusiastically enjoyed the show.
According to their website, we saw a newly retooled band, minus their veteran keyboard player and drummer. A few impressions:

Kim Wilson: The Tone. The Licks. He is what every Little Walter wannabe wants to be. And better. Makes me want to run to the woodshed. And the greatest laugh on stage. I hate to gush, and I wouldn't want to pick between him and Memphis Charlie, but he's that good.

Nick Curran: Rough Texas Rockabilly. A two-tone pompadour and striped shirt cue you to his refined sense of style. He appeared to be the main rhythm guitar man. His tone was raw, on the edge of brash, semi-hollow body into a bright Fender amp. (note:I can't vouch for his actual gear, too far away) He seemed to be a couple of steps edgier than the Jimmy Vaughan model, and sometimes it felt like it was him and the band, rather than the more integrated Kim Wilson features. However, when he sang, particularly when he sang, something special happened: it felt like the ghost of Stevie Ray was prowling off stage. That charisma, the deep voice, the balls-out attitude, the adult masculine figure missing from modern music, Nick's got it. I can't say if it will be with the Thunderbirds or another act, but Mr. Curran has a future on bigger stages.

Kirk Fletcher: The Smiling Assassin. Like the other side of Mr. Curran's Stevie Ray coin, Mr. Fletcher had the Albert King licks and tone down. Sweet, focused tone, swooping bends, dynamics a la Albert and then throw in some fat 64ths. We're talking music-school clean arpeggios, almost too pretty, but WOW! During his feature he got down on the edge of the stage like Freddy King (what's with all the Kings?) and after he made his point, relentlessly pouring notes forth, he stood back up, threw his guitar behind his head and rocked through the climax of his solo, longer than he had any right to be. Never missed a note. Didn't dance around. Just stood there, looking down at the audience(ladies), smiling. Yeah, he's a badasssssssss.

Long story short: See The Fabulous Thunderbirds. I did.

Another Classic Rock Station Ahhh-Ahhh

2006-10-18T05:38:00.000-04:00

The Hawk 94.5 has started its commercial-free introduction to to Wilmington airwaves. The first taste of candy is always free, doncha know.

Be still, my beating heart. A new place to hear:
The same 10 Fleetwood Mac tunes
The same 10 Lynryd Skynyrd tunes
The same 10 Eagles tunes
The same 10 Aerosmith tunes
The same 8 Steve Miller tunes
The same 8 Beatles tunes
The same 8 Tom Petty tunes
The same 8 Queen tunes
The same 8 Led Zeppelin tunes
The same 8 AC/DC tunes
The same 8 Van Halen tunes
The same 6 Bob Seger tunes
The same 6 Pink Floyd tunes
The same 6 Styx tunes
The same 6 Boston tunes
The same 6 Who tunes
The same 6 Stevie Ray Vaughan tunes
The same 4 Rush tunes
The same 3 Jimi Hendrix tunes

Hmm... Did I leave anyone out? Well, no. Not really... That’s pretty much it.
OK, throw in a sprinkle of Bad Co., Cars, Doobies, Frampton, Genesis, Heart, The Nuge, Thorogood, Yes, and ZZTop, rinse, lather & repeat... endlessly.

It may seem like a lot. But it’s not!!! Really!
At first it’s comforting. But it soon becomes maddening, you can’t get away from the same songs. Good songs. Great songs, even. But the same songs.

So now we’ve got three channels of ultra-homogenized cheez-whiz. Can the market bear it? Can the populace? Who will be the first to slip in the deep tracks(not piss-poor live covers of tunes repeated above)? Who will start the Rockabilly/Roots show? Who will play the tracks off the 2006 album of the artists whose ’76 album has provided endless hours of filler between the commercials(again, not gargly, poorly mixed live versions of the hits above)?

I hope Rock 104.5, The Bone 93.7 and The Hawk 94.5 find themselves identities which makes me switch to one of them for reasons other than avoiding the commercials on the other two channels, and give the voices in my head something new to sing along with.
Same old song and dance, indeed.

New Record For Front Nine! +6!

2006-10-03T05:56:00.000-04:00

Hit the Castle Hayne links yesterday after work for a little Disc Golf. I had one of those rounds that keep you coming back. It started with a bogey on one, but I managed to get through the front nine with four pars and only one double bogey for an overall of +6! My previous best is a +9. The funny thing is that I really didn't have any really remarkable throws, all bread and butter stuff. I did save par with a 20 footer on 5 which I was psyched about, and I had two or three good lies and outs in the woods, but I'd say the the good lay-ups were the defining feature of my half-round.

It's getting dark fast now. Pretty soon I'm going to be looking for lights to play under. But it was nice to have a tight nine near the end of the season. I hope I can keep my forehand through the winter!

Magic Potion Review

2006-10-02T05:45:00.000-04:00

I just picked up the new The Black Keys album: Magic Potion Friday. Having spent some time with it this weekend, I thought I'd give it a short review.

First the basics: Magic Potion is the Black Keys fourth album and their first on the Nonesuch label. They are a guitar and drum duo with Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney covering the guitar and drum parts, respectively. Comparisons with The White Stripes are legion, but the first track calls to my mind rather the first Gov't Mule album. Auerbach's fat, yet raw guitar tone and his laconic, almost relaxed phrasing bespeak a man who is deeply in love with the sound of his guitar and secure in his ability to stand and deliver the goods.

Speaking of standing(I was), I've never really been as aware of a guitarist standing while playing as I am with this album. It's hard to describe, but between the way he plays and the way the guitar sounds, you can tell he's standing. I believe players tend to play more in the pocket with the drums when they sit. The way Auerbach floats in and out of the pocket effortlessly reminds me of an old jazz or blues cat(or a boxer or tap dancer, for that matter).

The Blues do run deep through these tracks, though there's nary a twelve-bar. Much like Hendrix, they have appropriated blues idioms and made new music. Same words, new poetry. I suspect the more you like the old blues, the more you'll like what the Black Keys are doing.

Auerbach's vocals are nestled slightly behind the guitar and slightly in front of the drums. He occasionally uses delay effects and doubles his voice(hell, ya got 8 tracks on that there tape recorder!), but nothing that sounds gimmicky or would be out of place on a blues album. Sometimes the words can be hard to decipher, but fortunately deciphering them is worthwhile, as the lyrics are quite good. I consider it a bit of a feat to spend so much time in the neighborhood of the blues without sometimes slipping into cliché.

The drums, as I've said are in the background. However, Carney's contributions are always lively and positive. His ability to hang with the ebb and flow suggests he would be just as at home behind someone like Sonny Boy Williamson II, R.I.P., as someone like, say, Warren Haynes. And speaking of Warren, I could easily see Gov't Mule picking up any one of these songs for a full band treatment.

Magic Potion maybe a little to potent for mass consumption. I don't know the last time I put a CD in the Jeep's stereo and drove around actually feeling dangerous. I do know
I'm looking forward to picking up more of The Black Keys.

Kicking the Corpse: Disc Golf edition

2006-09-25T05:20:00.000-04:00

Time to nudge the ol' zombie blog into a shambling shuffle.

It's been a fair summer. So much has happened, So much I don't feel like commenting on. What's the point of writing, you say? I dunno.

Well, let's start with something less intellectual: disc golf. I've kept playing just about as dilligently as I can, and have experienced only oh, so modest improvements. I'm generally getting in 1-2 front nines after work and 18-27 holes Sunday morning, with field practice at the elementary school when I can fit it in. I've been scrutinizing www.discgolfreview.com and trying to absorb all the insights contained therein. What a fabulous site! Don't miss the forum.

Following the webmaster Blake T's advice, I've filled my bag with slower discs and lower-grade plastics to learn on. My bag currently contains: 2 DX Gazelles, new 166 and 172; 2 DX Rocs, one multi-purpose-battered, one midrange-I think it's the new DX-slightly-beat, both 166; One Discraft EliteX Buzzz, slightly beat 173; One EliteX Challenger, newish 172; One EliteX Soft Challenger Slightly beat 173; One battered Discraft Pro-D Banger-GT, 173.

To follow the philosophy of Disc Minimalism, I should be dropping the Buzzz and the Banger. I can lose the Buzzz when I pick up another Roc, no problem(If I can find another Roc! Everyone's sold out- Go figure!). I'm torn on the Banger. The Pro-D plastic does wear too fast, but the Banger was the only disc I had that would turn over on a short touch anhyser and stay turned over all the way to the basket. I would hate to replace it only to discover my touch anhyser's lost due to a technique issue- They ain't cheap! Also, since it wears so quickly, what says it won't lose that flight characteristic inside of two months? I'll probably just continue to pick up Challengers in various weights and hardnesses and move the Banger out.

Technically, the Gazelles are too fast for me, since I don't have controllable power over 200', but it feels good to have a true stable driver at least for field work.

My longest throw: 350' DX Wraith
Average 180' with throws from 160' to 200' fairly common.
Best round: +18 on Castle Hayne par 64 (old holes)
Average Round: +30 on Castle Hayne par 63 (new holes)
Putting: Anything outside of 6' is 30% at best. (Oh the shame!)

I can do an X-step, but my throws tend to only be 20' longer when compared to a standing throw. I'm obviously not getting the strength and snap out of my step. I can feel the occasional pull off my index finger, but nothing like the fingers snapping off the discs into my palms.
Other than a slight improvement in putting, my main cause for hope has been the improvement of my forehand thow. I can now throw my Rocs 50 to 75 feet of controlled flight, which is a lot better than 35 feet ninety degrees off-target.

Disc Golf has been an absolutely great diversion this summer. I have the power to hang with the guy's I throw with, but I don't have their control, which accounts for the 15-20 strokes I lag behind them. It helps to know that Castle Hayne is one of the hardest courses in the country. Whenever my technique "clicks" I should be ready to take on the world. I hope to be throwing 250'+ this time next year, and putting over 50% from 30'.

So, the blog ball's rolling again. More later maybe.

Long Dark Days

2006-06-23T06:33:00.000-04:00

I've been experiencing a noticible flattening of my faculties. I don't believe I've ever been the deepest of thinkers, but I seem to be spending more and more time at the shallow end of the pool, so to speak. In a rut, on a plateau, stuck in neutral, something like that. I haven't been writing- songs or otherwise- and it's bothering me. I'm on the search for some intuitive source of inspiration, a return of (to) my muse, and I hope I can keep it together until I get back on track.

Here's the latest song I've written of any note. It mostly feels good to me, but doesn't seem to resonate with the neighbor drunks. I'll let it hold my spot while I'm off on vacation next week.

Long Dark Days

By the light I see the season’s changin
North wind kickin away the haze
Winter seems more than passing strange when
The mockingbird’s mad caliope plays

I listen for the words I can’t remember
I feel for the notes that I can’t play
I wonder if the best of me’s left in December
I wonder if I’m gonna make it ‘til May

And the long dark days, dark days of Summer
All the vampires hate those long dark days

Hidin from the sun all through the summer
Hidin from the sun and those long dark days

I make my mark when the moonshine’s showin
When the tide’s turnin hard from phase to phase
I got a little spark and I got it growin
‘Til there ain’t enough night to hold the blaze

If I ever done somethin I can’t remember
If I ever said somethin I can’t say
I just burn the night down to its dying ember
And live to live down another dark day

And the long dark days, dark days of Summer
All the vampires hate those long dark days
Hidin from the sun all through the summer
Hidin from the sun and those long dark days

Don’t leave now the party’s just beginning
That straight and narrow road is a twisted maze
Hold on to your seat if the room is spinning
Blame the Devil’s friend for your wasted ways

Forget about the things you can’t remember
Revel while the night around you plays
Sweet havoc from June to the end of September
And damn the dawn’s unrelenting rays

And the long dark days, dark days of Summer
All the vampires hate those long dark days
Hidin from the sun all through the summer
Hidin from the sun and those long dark days

Peace.

Two Great Tastes

2006-06-16T16:53:00.000-04:00

Thanks to John Biggs and the good folks at Gizmodo for screwing with my head just before the weekend sets in. I'll never look at a Reese's Cup the same way again.

Shockolate Vault - Gizmodo

Letters from Loonville

2006-06-14T09:01:00.000-04:00

Well, the Whip has thrown down the guantlet yet again. He's opened up a window to his very personal wonderland and he's calling it Letters from Loonville . Imagine Mr Roger's Neighborhood with crackers and rampant chemical dependency. Call it gonzo journalism if it makes you sleep better, but it's more like Dragnet with a blues soundtrack- Just the facts, man. Just the facts.

Canes Win! Canes Win! Canes Win!

2006-06-02T06:08:00.000-04:00

Another trip the to Stanley Cup for the Canes with their win over the Sabres last night. I'm glad OLN is showing the series. I don't mind the less flashy graphics or the lack of a puck tracer either.

I started watching hockey back in Vermont mainly because it was on a lot. I like the no BS aspect of it. The commonsense acknolwedgement and acceptance of fights was pretty cool too. Old school, the warrior spirit and all that jazz. The way the goalie can become the star like a star pitcher is pretty neat, too. I remember Ron Hextall and Patrick Roy pulling of their superhuman feats, often against each other. Those guys were Gods!

Well, the Canes are going to the Cup! Maybe I'll start watching hockey again. Rock on, Canes!

So Where Are We Now?

2006-06-01T10:45:00.000-04:00

Obviously, it's been forever since my last post(text post below notwithstanding). Not in any particular order, here's what's been happening:

Yesterday I got my first birdie in disc golf! I was very psyched and it was the highlight of my best front nine yet- 10 over. On hole 6, a par three, my first throw got me halfway to the basket in the middle of the fairway. My second narrowly missed trees on the right, got low, hit a root four feet in front of the basket and skipped right into the chains.

Last night elation- this morning heartbreak. The double stamped bright orange champion Roadrunner 169 that I picked up for 10 bucks and was fast becoming my favorite disc wasn't in my bag. I must have left it on hole 9 when I putted. I can't believe I did it, but there's no other explanation. And yes, that was my first birdie disc. I sure hope someone calls with it.

Donna took a tumble across the street two weeks ago and has a badly sprained ankle. This has severely curtailed her exercise regimen and generally cast a pall over everything. On the plus side, we got her a pair of Crocs, the rubber-like clogs, and she says they're the best thing she's worn on her feet yet. They're so good, we picked up another pair of Croc thongs/flip flop/sandal type things for casual around the house.

I've been trying to pick up the slack around the house, but boy is there a lot of slack! I can definitely see how housewife can be a full-time job.

Speaking of slack, Dustin failed Gym this semester. Somehow just. can't. make. it. to...class...
So his summer is working at the Ocean Grill in Carolina Beach and taking makeup Gym. Whoo-hoo!

My music has definitely been hood-bound this spring. I'd like to get back into the night scene restaurants and bars, but finding the time money and energy to represent myself with a good front, I just don't know. It's sort of the same paralysis that hits me when I'm trying to find a job, fear of rejection maybe?

The Jeep still rocks! Best. Ride. Ever.

I'll save politics for later.

2006-06-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

Phone texting to my blog! A first! Now i can report from the scene! Hope it won't break the bank. We'll see!

A New Obsession

2006-04-13T12:19:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday my neighbor Wayne took me out to the very fine Castle Hayne Disc Golf Course. He was kind enough to let me use his old disc bag and five of his discs. Well, let's say it was love at first flight. I guess that's a little strong. My first throw stunned my cold tricep so badly my hand went numb. But the rest of the round was a lot of fun. I made enough nice throws to keep my mood light even as I finished out my +52 round. Coincidentally, that was what Wayne posted the first time he played.

So, diving into the web to see what I can see, I came across the very fine Disc Golf Review site. It helped me decide which discs to pick up to start my own bag. Last night I picked up an 169g Aviar Putter in the glow plastic, and a 172g DX Roc at Play It Again Sports. They're a fairly drab pair of discs, but it's all about how they fly, right? I can't wait to put them through their paces.

I also found a local disc golf club site: New Hanover Disc Golf . These folks seem very well organized and should be a great resource in the future. Hopefully they can get the bond passed to put a disc golf course in Arrowhead Park behind our house. That would be insanely cool.

I'll post my thoughts about the discs soon.

'Tis Spring!

2006-03-21T16:16:00.000-05:00

It's been good to see the return of the green. Even though I hear we're 6" low on rain for the year, the flowers poppin, the Bradford pears in bloom, the extra light night and morning, remind me how very very glad I am I took up residence here in the south. I'm already thinking about taking the doors of the jeep for joyrides around town and to the beach. 37 and windy tonight- but I believe...

New Year's Resolution

2006-01-06T14:17:00.000-05:00

No, the blog is not dead. Not officially, anyway. I've been going through one of my periodic dry spells. Part of it's seasonal, I'm sure. Of course, the fact that this blog has an audience of precisely one (according to Sitemeter) has not helped in the least.

A short summary of what's happened:

The new insulation has helped immensely during what has been thus far a comfortably mild winter.

Dave's hand surgery went well. He looks forward to going back to work in a limited capacity next week. My desire to do some recording during his recuperation has been unfruitful. I found recoding through my mackie 1202 mixer into the hifi VCR to produce a reasonably clean, warm sound. Using my Nady Condenser and my Shure 57 to make a pair of mono tracks, I was surprised that the 57 gave a much nicer sound, to the extent that I mixed the Condenser nearly out of the mixdown. Anyway, short story long, I haven't been happy with my material, what little I could bring to the tape.

Donna's Car, the 95 Buick LeSabre died on the way home from my folks on Christmas eve. The good news is we were only three streets away from home. The bad news is our savings have been dipped into to the point that we definitely won't be getting the new refrigerator anytime soon, and the car isn't running reliably yet. Tomorrow we'll make the white-knuckle ride to Pat's Auto in hopes of recovery.

Thank God It's Friday. Hope to write more frequently.

I Did Not Nominate That Woman, Miss Miers

2005-10-12T05:00:00.000-04:00

Dubya finally has his own "devil in a blue dress." The revolt of the GOP blogosphere is nearly complete. Nothing the president has done up to this point has had such an universally negative response on the web. Bloggers credit themselves with removing Trent Lott from the top spot in the Senate- will their influence once again win the day? -Or will the tempest stay in the teapot? I think the president has a mixed record on sticking to his guns. Barring some major distraction, Dubya's going to have a very long month defending Miss Miers. He's certainly left some of his other nominees to twist in the wind...

No Mas! No Mas!

2005-10-06T10:23:00.000-04:00

OK I give. I was holding out hope that Dubya's choice of Miers was evidence of some hidden strategery, But I can't do it any more. I think the pre-9/11 Bush has returned to depress and dehabilitate the conservatives. From
David Frum's Diary on National Review Online:

Their reaction to the nomination has been almost perfectly unanimous: Disappointment at best, dismay and anger at worst. Here's the tough truth, and it will become more and more important as the debate continues: There is scarcely a single knowledgeable legal conservative in Washington who supports this nomination. There are many who are prepared to accept, reluctantly, as the president's choice. Some still hope that maybe it won't turn out as bad as it looks. But ask them: "Well what if the president had consulted you on this choice," and the answer is almost always some version of: "I would have thought he was joking."

Dubya's done more for the country, both good and bad, than anyone expected. Nevertheless, his tendency to give ground where none is warranted, to compromise at the time when battle is required, demanded even, has been his greatest shortcoming. Whereas the union is strong, the threat of civil unrest a mere phantom, we need a true leader to stand firm and let the strength of his ideas sway the people to follow. We need a divider, one who will draw the lines of debate so stongly that our positions cannot be reconciled or compromised away. The president's frequent returns to the safety of middle ground do a disservice to him, his conservative constituancy and ultimately the country as a whole.

Blood Money

2005-10-05T09:44:00.000-04:00

I've never been a fan of red-light cameras. I've never been caught by one, so that's not the reason why.

These cameras are dangerous traps, preying on the drivers unfamiliar with the area. In Wilmington, the regular crops of new drivers include tourists, college students, and people coming to receive treatment at the regional medical center. These folks suffer not only from the tickets when they miss the very short yellow, but from the accidents that occur when the familiar drivers alter their behavior for this one intersection and stop short without warning for the short yellow.

I understand that the T-bone crash typical of running a red light can be truly horrific, but that does in no way give the government the green light to endanger it's populace with a product that causes a different sort of accident. The fact that these cameras are revenue generators just adds to the outrage. The government should not be making money from auto accidents, period. A community should be ashamed to have these vultures posted on their street corners.

100 Words or Les Nesman!: kahlua adhesive design

2005-09-29T11:38:00.000-04:00

My second submission to 100 Words… write what you know I always say.

Three months it waits. Quiet. Dark. A hangover hiding in a pickle jar. But today Bobby will reach into the back of the hutch and draw it forth, left hand gripping the green and black metal lid, the right cradling the white sea-bottom design of label adhesive. Once merely water, sugar, instant coffee and grain alcohol, but no more. A quick turn and ladle over the rocks, a taste for proof, the required kaleidoscopic visions of cocoa butter-tanned abdomens gyrating to opulent equatorial rhythms, the oil-back concoction into elixir transformed. Ahh, homemade kahlua. Bobby parties like a rich man tonight.

Think Pink

2005-09-29T09:19:00.000-04:00

Well, the great insulation installation is completed. 15 rolls of insulation, 4 days of going into the crawl space, 1 outfit washed 5 times. Maybe not everyone’s idea of vacation, but it should cut down on the drafts and hopefully the power bills come the long expensive winter.

The old insulation was R-7 and spottily applied. The new is R-19 and put up over the old stuff per the suggestion of a few experienced house builders. The insulation itself was a lot easier to handle than I expected. The old stuff was invasive, getting into and through clothes. I didn’t have a problem with the new stuff, though I did my best to avoid skin contact.

The biggest challenge was where the crawl space got tight with about 16 inches between the sand and the wood. Crawling was impossible, wiggling and rolling was the order of the day. Fortunately the tightest spots were under the living room and away from the vents where the spiders had made inroads. I only saw one black widow and a couple mousy brown tunnel spiders the entire time under the house. One ancient snake skin and the husks of some 5-inch millipedes as well. If I had seen any live snakes, the whole project probably would have been postponed.

No nightmares yet, though I was pretty sure at the time I had some in my future. We’ll see.

A Time To Rest

2005-09-19T13:39:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a week off from my "day job." I hope to clear the yard of hurricane debris and reinsulate the underside of the house. I'm off like gangbusters so far.

No, not really.

But what's a vacation for if you don't rest, right? I'll be in touch.

After the Storm

2005-09-19T13:24:00.000-04:00

Perhaps now is the time to emerge.

The thought flickered like far-off lightning. Darker thoughts followed.

As if it were that simple. As if a mere act of will, self-determination could cast off the slumber.
Seasons had to pass. Mountains rise and fall. Stars flare and fade.

For ages form had been a stranger to this consciousness, the blood in darkness mixed as water in water.

Sputtering attempts to awake had aborted as they began, pathetic, dangerous, exhausting. Better to wait. Better yet to be called. Still, the thought like far-off lightning flickered.

Perhaps now is the time to emerge.

Thar She Blows!

2005-09-14T09:24:00.000-04:00

Well, the blow is here. Surprizingly the power has remained on through some 40+ mph sustained winds. I’m thankful. The highest winds should be here sometime after noon, which is a lot more to my tastes than 2:00 am last night, when they were originally forecast.

Sent Donna off to work @ 8:00 am and was none too happy about it. So she’ll spend the peak of the storm at the rehab center instead of home. The life of a healthcare professional, I guess. At least she’l have generator power if the lights go out.

The wind is coming out of the North, which is typical for one of these tropical storms. Tucked into the sand dunes here in Marquis Hills , I like to think we’re sheltered from the strongest winds.

Is 9:15 too early for a beer? I think not.

100 Words or Les Nessman: Goes to the Fair!

2005-09-13T08:55:00.000-04:00

A breeze, thick with hay and elephant ears, whipped about our jeans. We stepped into the cage and sat hip to hip, holding our breath. The restraining bar came down hard on top of our legs and head over heels we were flung into the night.

The carney knew he had a couple of screamers and put the hammer down. The carney didn’t know my wife’s congenital birth defect made her unusually susceptible to concussion injuries and encephalitis. In a month she would be unable to walk to the mailbox.

Hoarse and dizzy, we kissed after we rode The Zipper.

Ophelia Pain

2005-09-13T07:17:00.000-04:00

The storms have just about wrapped the eyewall, and it looks like slowly, slowly Ophelia is coming into port at Wilmington. It will probably be a cat 1 at landfall, the sort for which folks 3 miles inland won't even board up the windows. I'm not planning to, anyway.

In all likelihood, Ophelia will be the anti-Katrina: the storm that breeds complacency. Everything will go according to plan, dozens of dime-store King Lears will raise their beers to the heavens crying "Rage! Crack, ye hurricanoes!" and consider themselves masters of their dominions.

All in all, I'm not worried, and it's just as well. I don't really have the wherewithal to weather worser weather.

Ophelia Blogging Begins

2005-09-12T05:44:00.000-04:00

Managed to spend most of yesterday not thinking about 9/11. I consider it a small personal victory. Not that I feel 9/11 should be expunged from the National consciousness- far from it- but since most of the 9/11 anniversaries have been more occasions for trepidation than for remembrance, it was nice to have a day without worrying when the other shoe was going to drop. Cheers to W and all the soldiers fighting the good fight.

Today has been pleasant so far, overcast and warm. The low visible clouds have been moving to the west at a steady clip all day. I always enjoy this sort of kinetic wind-up that occurs before a big blow. Ophelia looks so far to be as pale and sad as her namesake. Flooding rains should hit overnight, as the rain bands are training parallel to the coast. The worst wind at the center seems to be dry at the moment. I hope it holds that way until it passes. More later….

It Takes a Brit

2005-09-06T13:29:00.000-04:00

Sinister Piffle
Sinister Piffle
Sinister Piffle
Sinister Piffle

I read in The Corner Mr Hitchens used this phrase during one of the Sunday Snoozecasts. I can't get it out of my head. Brilliant. Simply brilliant. Distilled the Cirque du Sheehan to its essence. Long live freedom of speech!

Sinister Piffle

It's All Too Much

2005-09-06T05:45:00.000-04:00

The enormity of what's happened with Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Mississippi, Alabama, et al., has kept me from jumping into the fray with my two cents. It's easy to be glib in the face of the devastation. It's more comfortable to turn away and seek the escape of denial.
For now, I'm trying to keep a respectful distance, and an eye on the horizon. There but for the Grace of God...

Hot Dogs for Health!

2005-09-06T05:33:00.000-04:00

According to the AP c/o The Washington Times, NIH scientists are reseaching Nitrites as the latest cure fer what ails ya. Initial tests prove quite promising in stimulating circulation.
As an added benefit, deceased test subjects will last up to 8 weeks without needing refrigeration. (OK, I made that last bit up.)

Stay tuned for future stories on the protective benefits of sitting too close to the TV and eating Crisco right out the can!

I'm Only Sleeping

2005-08-05T05:11:00.000-04:00

Apologies to the fab ones, et al. Took a little nap, woke up, and July had passed me by. I've been feeling singularly uninspired to write as of late. Part of it, no doubt, the stress of getting up to write @ 5 AM. :) More likely, the entire process of self-talking-to-self tapping away unheard in the vast vast featureless expanse of the blogosphere has lost some of its charm.

What's new? Not much- Living without Claritin-D for the first time in years. Wanted to clean the system out for a while- until the next allergy season at least. It was less painful than I expected: a little sinus pain the first few days, a little lethargic, but that's about it. Easier than kicking coffee. No weight gain yet, slightly increased appetite, I'll keep an eye on it. Still below 200!

My biggest thrill is my new vehicle- a 2001 Jeep Wrangler SE 2.5L (4 cyl). It's the bare-bones model. No radio, No backseat, No AC, Soft Top. The only concession to comfort being the Automatic transmission. I got it last Friday and this marks my first week of driving. It' s been great! I haven't missed the radio much at all, with the wind blowing around me and the engine noise- If this is what the 4 cyl sounds like, I can't imagine the 6!

I'm psyched enough about it to be planning to do my own maintenance. First should be brakes, next the serpentine belt, next paint the flares, and then a good old tune-up. God help me please.

Less Is More

2005-06-29T05:53:00.000-04:00

Tuned into the President's Speech last night. I though it was nicely done. A couple bobbles, but not the kind that made him sound insecure or ignorant. And he had the confidence dialed in right so he sounded strong but not smug.

I also enjoyed the fact that he made his points, and moved on, so to speak. He didn't argue, defend or plead. He just laid the case out as he saw it, and left the other side to the other side.
I'm sure many editors are weeping in their cornflakes saying "Where's Guantanamo? Doesn't he realize Guantanamo is the lead story?"

Bush just had another Aircraft Carrier moment, honoring the troops first and foremost with dignity and wrapping himself in glory through it.

Right On, W!

Look out! Look out! Here come the Zombie Dogs!

2005-06-27T17:34:00.000-04:00

First it was hibernatin' mice. Now it's Zombie Dogs!

"SCIENTISTS have created eerie zombie dogs, reanimating the canines after several hours of clinical death in attempts to develop suspended animation for humans.
US scientists have succeeded in reviving the dogs after three hours
of clinical death, paving the way for trials on humans within years.
Pittsburgh's Safar Centre for Resuscitation Research has developed a technique in which subject's veins are drained of blood and filled with an ice-cold salt solution.

The animals are considered scientifically dead, as they stop breathing and have no heartbeat or brain activity.

But three hours later, their blood is replaced and the zombie dogs are brought back to life with an electric shock. "

With an insatiable desire for human flesh! Where's my shotgun?

Seriously, though, what an exciting time to be alive! or, er... dead.

Genius!

2005-06-27T05:07:00.000-04:00

Never fear the depletion of the ozone layer, or the consumption of oil reserves: The boundless ingenuity of man will always rise to the challenge. Doubters behold the genuis of the Buttered Cat Array and believe!
(hat tip to Jonah at The Corner)

Who Are These Guys?

2005-06-24T05:16:00.000-04:00

Blogger has finally added images to their blog function! Will it spur me to post anything other than bland narcissistic promo pics? NAH! Pretty cool nonetheless. (hat tip to LIFEHACKER)

So here'z me and my mate, Dangerous Dave, the duo also known as Dead Man's Shoes. He's the short one. Thanks to the lovely and gracious Sherry for the picture.

Has anyone ever told you...

2005-06-02T05:54:00.000-04:00

...You look like Henry Kissinger? Ben Stein over at The American Spectator has written a Pultizer-worthy rumination on the tragedy of Nixon's fall.

"Can anyone even remember now what Nixon did that was so terrible? He ended the war in Vietnam, brought home the POW's, ended the war in the Mideast, opened relations with China, started the first nuclear weapons reduction treaty, saved Eretz Israel's life, started the Environmental Protection Administration. Does anyone remember what he did that was bad?"

Undoubtedly the bull moose mother of all turds in the punch bowl of Deep Throat's coming out party. A brilliant piece of boat-rocking whose waves will be felt all over the country before the inevitable Watergate wrap-up books come out. Read the whole thing

REPUBLICANS BUCKLE

2005-05-24T10:08:00.000-04:00

AAARRGGGHHH!!! (thanks to Michelle Malkin)

Sometimes Tuesday feels like Monday. Here I thought we just about to re-establish some sense of Adult Oversight to the Senate, and we're right back where we started. Doesn't Frist have any sort of hammer to wield over his fellow Republicans? Where's the leadership? I knew that he was giving the Jellyfish way too much time to get their act together. I can't believe it.

My personal fantasy would be that Frist would say: It's all well and good that you folks have made your compromise, but we're having the votes, and if we can't get cloture, we'll just go through the point of order anyway, because IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO!!!

Ok, Gotta cool down.

DREAD WEAPON SYSTEM: Devastating, Jam-Proof, and Silent

2005-05-19T16:17:00.000-04:00

So much for my hiatus! As soon as I see something like
THIS I have to comment. Boy, am I glad they're on our side.

On the other hand, this takes us a step closer to that point where the military has total supremacy over the civilian populace. If, God forbid, we ever have to take up arms against our own government, this pretty much seals the deal in the Government's favor. When the right to keep and bear arms is rendered moot, what is our defense against tyranny?

Reports of My Demise...

2005-05-19T11:07:00.000-04:00

Been a while since I've put anything into the ole blog. I've certainly had plenty to write about, but the drive has been lacking. Short list:

Judicial Nominations: Frist finally grows a pair! Now proceeding to gut-churning slowmo period of talk and potential backslide until first vote, after which everything supposedly becomes clear and moves faster.
Music: I'm at sea. The thing I need to do is offer Dead Man's Shoes services to various local establishments. Thinking about it makes me want to go to bed. Nothing else is calling either. I plowed the Arts Festival proceeds into a rather fine compact mixer, A Mackie 1202-VLZ. I feel good that it's a sturdy, pro-level tool, like a Shure mic say. Finding the time and place to use it... well, that's mixed into the whole ambivalence mentioned above.
maintenance: The yard's a wreck. The house too. Dustin's graduations and attendant houseguests bearing down upon us. Did I mention wanting a nap?

Inspiring stuff, I know. Two weeks from Babydoll's new job as Activities Director for a brand new nursing home (Skilled Nursing Facility?). Don't know how much typing I'll get to in the next couple weeks, but here's a toe in the water.

Top o' the Heap!

2005-05-09T05:49:00.000-04:00

Well, it was a very successful weekend. Two gigs (paid!), and first place in the songwriter's contest on Sunday. I'm still recovering from the celebration. My biggest challenge at this point is translating the momentary success into long-term success, preferably in the form of regular, well paying gigs.

Got Pretty Good At Bein Myself...

2005-04-29T05:57:00.000-04:00

...Don't know who else I'd be.

Decided to pull back the gossamer veil of anonymity and post under my own name. The nom de plume conceit was getting tiresome. Forces for good in the community will cluck disapprovingly, but WTF, right? Onward and upward!

The Nuclear Option: Time for Rebranding!

2005-04-29T05:08:00.000-04:00

In order to grease the rails for Dubya’s eminently qualified nominees, I humbly submit:

“The Choice”
Liberal senators can’t bee seen as anti-“choice” right?

“Fristing”
A pre-emptory change based on the idea that no senator would want to admit to being “Fristed”

“The Crawford Smackdown”
An invitation to the Republicans to “Cowboy Up”

“The Undocumented Worker Protection Act”
See “The Choice” above. Truth in advertising is for chumps!

“Advise and Consent: XXXtreme!”
Senators from the porn belt are sure to bite. Also exploits red-state desire to be seen as “hip” and “with it” with the Gen-X crowd.

“The Clinton Legacy”
Weighing his options, Bubba might just decide this is the best way to get into the history books.

“Minority Nominee Assistance”
Of course, the minority in question is conservatives in the Judiciary.

“The Alternative Fuels Option”
Just a few greens on our side could tip the balance.

“The Wide World of Sports Rule”
It’s the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, baby. To the victor goes the spoil. Them’s the rules. Get yourselves elected President and you won’t have to worry about it next time.

“The Status Quorum”
Acknowledging the fact that the Nuclear Option is really just the way it’s always been done.

Music In A Land Of Yellow Death

2005-04-28T05:29:00.000-04:00

The true allergy season has inserted it's eagle claw fishooks in the sinuses of the faithful. Well, in my sinuses at least. I usually do just fine through the magic of a single claritin-D 12 hour a day, but for two weeks in the spring, the pain comes down. I'm not sure what gets me. Two weeks after the Dogwoods and Pines paint the town yellow with their clouds of vegetable love, the air is clear and I want to stick a plumbing snake up my nose.

This year's agony happens to coincide with a rather busy music week. I'll be covering Laura's seat at the Wednesday night Music at Water street. Hopefully I'll get Mr. T to help me out. Next Friday I'll be in a songwriter's showcase at WHQR. It hasn't been my most fruitful season. I hope I can measure up. And next Saturday is the much anticipated Airlie Arts festival appearance. All with post-nasal drip on vocals! Yeah boy! Don't get much better than that.

With A Name Like Lovewhip...

2005-04-28T05:15:00.000-04:00

I was sorting through my links yesterday, and thought I'd check the link to my friend Arthur "Lovewhip" Shuey's web site. I was promptly connected with a most un-work-friendly German/English porn site. I guess this thing happens now and then to the Whip.
I hope it was voluntary, and he was able to recover his site. Lotsa good stuff. Adult and intended for Mature Audiences in the old fashioned sense.

I've removed the link, despite the inevitable loss of traffic. They'll just have to make do, somehow.

Weekend at VA Beach

2005-04-25T09:52:00.000-04:00

Took a trip up to VA Beach, VA with Babydoll and the Folks. We went through Jacksonville and Washington on the way- a new route for me. I was impressed by how much of rural North Carolina looks the same in architecture and lay of the land. Several stretches of the trip felt nearly identical to stretches on the way to Fayetteville, or for that matter, Myrtle Beach. Just an observation.

Many of the bridges on the way provided spectacular views of large bays and rivers. The highlight of the drive, really, which was otherwise a trifle dull. I’ll be more inclined to try the small state highway route the next time we’re headed that way. Of course, I wasn’t the driver. Dad had that covered, and I had my old seat, back seat passenger side, watching the side of the road.

We went to see my brother, the Lutheran minister, his wife and daughter. It was a rare weekend that he wasn’t running the service, so he had a little extra time and energy for company. VA Beach is one God fearin’ town, let me tell ya. A church on every corner. Big ones, too! I’ve left my feelings of churchly repression pretty much back at college, but I could feel that old sense of alienation creepin back. I’m sure it’s not entirely the fact that my brother is connected to a remarkable intense congregation that generates the antipathy for me. It probably has to do with that old yankee sense of mindin yer own business, where the churches are everybody’s business in VA Beach. Wilmington feels positively secular in comparison.

Light Up My Life

2005-04-15T05:59:00.000-04:00

I can't wait for these LED Lights(via Transterrestial Musings) to become mainstream. Imagine the market for low watt, low heat indoor grow lights. It could revolutionize horticulture as we know it.

Life on the Coyote Trail

2005-04-13T05:35:00.000-04:00

This story (courtesy of Michelle Malkin's The Immigration Blog) prompted me to write my latest song. My natural inclination, I think like most americans, is sympathy/pity for the illegal immigrants, who brave desert passage and uncertain future for the promise of hard, low paying work and a better standard of living. However, the immigrants' story isn't the only one.

The question I keep coming back to is: Why aren't there jobs in Mexico to keep these folks home? Shouldn't folks with this much strength, daring, and work ethic be transforming Mexican society from the ground up, instead of filling the ranks of the underclass in the US?

Are You Kidding!!!

2005-04-13T05:25:00.000-04:00

I need one of these. Right now!

Call to Order...

2005-04-06T05:27:00.000-04:00

Went to the inaugural meeting of the Roots, Rhythm & Blues Association of Coastal Carolina last night. First order of business was to drop “Blues” from the masthead in order to avoid the perception of conflict or competition with the Blues Society of the Lower Cape Fear. Methinks the lady doth protest too much...

Regardless of protestations to the contrary, I believe the Blues Society will feel threatened. I also have no doubt that their insecurity will manifest itself in unsubstantiated smears, outright sabotage, and other forms of general unhelpfulness. It will be unfortunate, but of course, unavoidable given human nature.

As Scott Cable has outlined his vision for the new organization, the Association will be more focused on charitable aims than I ever percieved the old Blues Society to be. Maintaining the charitable impulse will be our greatest challenge once we get past the initial push. The folks who showed up last night certainly have the talent and stability to form a great musical organization. Whether the desire to give will survive the desire to simply play remains to be seen.

Hat’s off to Scott and Arthur for getting the ball rolling.

Turning the Page

2005-04-04T05:23:00.000-04:00

I’ve begun reading for pleasure(escape?) again. It started with picking up Stephen King’s Bag of Bones in December. Sunshine and me were in Logan Airport and anticipating long waits on the trip home from Massachusetts. Since then I’ve burned through a passel of King novels: Insomnia, Desperation, The Dark Tower epic I-VII. I took a detour through The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and just finished The Talisman and Black House, a couple Peter Straub/King collaborations.

It’s been fun, knocking off these huge novels, one or more a week. The reading is usually fast and easy. I do feel a bit compulsive about it- it’s one of those activities requiring little effort for much pleasure, like sex(masturbation, at least) and drugs, which have the high potential for abuse. But considering the empty intellectual calories I’ve been ingesting from television and the web, a binge on pop fiction/fantasy/schlock hardly seems the greater evil.

The most significant effect this reading has had upon me was re-awakening of a desire to write. I’ve written songs all along, but my prose has been little and infrequent as of late. The title of this blog is a small tribute to Mr. King. I’m grateful that reading his work has made me want to write again. Of course, his writers very often come to bad ends, but who wants to live forever- right?

Music Club Report

2005-03-31T05:44:00.000-05:00

Went to the Wed Folk Music Club at Water St. last night. Struck me as a good evening, boding well for the spring and early summer, at least. The restaurant and bar area were both reasonably full with people who seemed appreciative of the live music. The weather was perfect: 60s to 50s, light breeze, low humidity, and I think that helped.

Running the show, Laura was looking good, relaxed, happy. There were a couple older gents doing their best to stir the memories of all the Kingston Trio Fans. Their rendition of “I Don’t Give a Damn About A Greenback Dollar” played on shiny $1200+ Gibson 6 and 12 strings fit the cozy fraternal Bohemian Bourgeoisie atmosphere perfectly.

My selections for the night:

Tangled Up In Blue- A favorite of the proprietor
The Other Side- An original, Laura may play on her show this weekend (!)
City of New Orleans
The Beautiful People –original
Harvest Moon- for the couple in the corner –Not my Best Rendition
Unremarkable Me- Original-Trailer Jazz
Sardou Rd.- Original
Mister Brown-Original

Probably overstayed my welcome a song or two, but tempus fugit, caveat emptor, and all that jazz. Still got home in time to tuck Babydoll and Rocky in!

Before the towers fell

2005-03-29T05:26:00.000-05:00

It’s easy to put one person in the box. In fact that’s what the box does best. The current television media fixation with Terri Schiavo, the Pope, and Michael Jackson illustrates what a small screen the small screen is. Tens of thousands dead, tens of thousands living in oppression, rebellion, revolution rendered so many landscapes, backdrops different only in their state of flux, their pictures too big to encompass, their expanse too vast to contemplate.

It’s easier to focus on individuals. But as the camera draws in, in, in, the individual looms, and all matters become matters of self. The unrequited intimacy of celebrity coverage so closely mimics the actual intimacy of the mirror as to become indistinguishable. As television becomes our most flattering looking-glass we become most concerned with our own condition rather than that of our fellow man or all, in a word selfish.

Perhaps it has always been thus, but as the current narcissistic self-referential media maelstrom whips up, doing its damnedest to hide the many behind the one, I am more reminded of life before September 11, 2001 than of anything else. Are there more shoes to drop? Does pride goeth before a fall? I worry.

The Nostril Story

2005-03-27T08:15:00.000-05:00

The other day I was scratching my nose when, much to my surprise, one of my nostrils came off in my hand. I looked at it there. Looked kind of sad, really. Sort of like a pork rind with these twisted black aching allergic hairs sticking out of it. In a fit of spontaneity I popped it in my mouth and began to chew. It was wonderful! As salty and sweet as any sneeze, and those twisted black aching allergic hairs- they crunched like fried perch tails. And if you've ever had fried perch tails, well then you know what a deeply satisfying crunch that is.

While I was happily munching on my nostril, I began to wonder: Should I have my other nostril now, or save it for later? (While I'm eating nostrils and all.) Now I know some folks in this sad and sorry world who feel that the joys in life are so few and far between that we need to stretch them out, if only to break up the awful monotony. On the other hand, knowing myself as I do (and I do), there was the distinct possibility that if I didn't have that other nostril right then, I might never get to have it. I might lose it somewhere, like in the couch or at the mall, or worse yet- someone might steal it, while I was sleeping or in the shower with soap in my eyes, and then I'd be suspicious of my friends, wondering which one of them had taken my nostril- my last nostril! So, I decided it was best for myself, and all concerned, to have that other nostril immediately.

But when I tried to swallow my first nostril (which you recall me popping in my mouth earlier), those twisted black aching allergic hairs, resentful for having been stuck in my nose their entire existence, embedded themselves in the soft flesh of my throat, and grew thick and lush.

And as I laid down to avoid passing out from want of breath, I thought to myself, "You know, this is why you never do anything spontaneous."

Paradise Found

2005-03-24T14:22:00.000-05:00

It’s one of the truly beautiful days in Wilmington. The sky is baby-blue, what I believe is known as Carolina blue. I haven’t researched the origin of the term- I suppose in the age of Google it’s only congenital laziness which keeps me from doing so.

I never knew while living up in Vermont the positive effect sun and blue sky could have upon you. It’s quite a buzz. I’ve long felt that your local climate influences your attitude and outlook more deeply than anyone wants to admit. I wonder how quickly it marks you, how long it follows you around, like an accent? Rather than north and south, city and country, perhaps we should categorize folks meteorologically: 4 season vs. perpetual summer, wet vs. dry, overcast vs. clear?

Well, the most exceptional thing about this beautiful day in Wilmington is its utter commonness, particularly in contrast to the days of my former life in the Great Frozen North. Great day to be alive, and should be a great weekend.

Satellite Spectator

2005-03-23T12:42:00.000-05:00

I probably got hooked on satellite weather back when Hurricane Bertha hit. Since then, I've moved steadily towards Doppler radar imagery. Nothing I like more than to watch a storm come in on NOAA's local radar, and the wonder of seeing it rain just as that red and yellow blob reaches you on the map. Maybe it's just that infant pleasure of flicking the light switch: light goes on- Light goes off- light goes on- light goes off. But it might just be the affirmation of seeing yourself on the map. I gotta get one of those GPS devices.

New Music Society

2005-03-23T10:39:00.000-05:00

Some very worthy folks have decided to form a new music society for the Wilmington area. I'm wholeheartedly on board. Here's their call for members:

A formative meeting for a new cultural organization for area musicians and anyone with interest in supporting music as a community-building tool will be held on the UNC-Wilmington campus on Tuesday, April 5th, 7-9pm. Tentatively called, “The Roots, Rhythm & Blues Association of Coastal Carolina,” the group plans to encourage and assist performances of American music “from country to calypso, and to aid other not-for-profits through musical events and by generating community support and awareness of the positive impact of live music,” state hopeful organizers Scott Cable and Arthur Shuey. Topics to be discussed at the April 5th meeting will include organization name, board membership, meeting and event schedules, dues and nomination of acting officers. All individuals interested in blues, folk, C & W, jazz, soul, rhythm & blues, spirituals, reggae and other “American roots” musical genres are encouraged to attend the meeting. Planners also hope that existing local organizations, institutions, businesses and academies devoted to American music will designate representatives to become part of the planning process and governing body for The Roots, Rhythm & Blues Association of Coastal Carolina. The 7-9pm meeting will be held in Room 201 of Morton Hall, located between Crews Drive and the clock tower on the UNC-Wilmington campus, behind Randall Library. For more information about the organization’s meeting and goals, please contact Scott Cable, 371-1193 or Arthur Shuey, 343-9447.

Opening Night

2005-03-22T20:45:00.000-05:00

The Curtain Rises... The ultimate distraction and end of all useful endeavor? A fatally inconsequential amusement? Or a frame for the chaos? A prism for the future? Only time will tell...