Heh...

What are the chances?

In the Air Tonight...

When I hear a Muzak (sorry, old school) version of Phil Collin's solo debut... I no longer THINK I'm old... I'm OLD!

(especially when it's followed up by a version of "It's Twilight Time").  

Too much fun!

Neighborhood place has open band nights on Saturdays, I've gone, but never played before.  Tonight, no bassists, and only one other singer (also keyboardist, drummer, and a guitarist). The owner knows me, and I was recruited for two sets. The first set was bass only, and mediocre as we were feeling each other out (and I may have been a bit too tipsy), by the second set, I was sober, in the groove, played bass and guitar... and even sang a couple songs. OMG, I haven't had that much musical fun in years. I must not have sucked too bad, because I was asked back, and the drummer and guitarist both asked for my number.  I'd never even played some of the songs before (We Jammin'(Marley)  Folson Prison blues (Cash), Wonderful tonight (Clapton), and a few others, I snatched a look before playing those songs at the tabs keyboardist had printed for lyrics). FPB was particularly fun, as I'd played guitar on the song previous (Cry Love, John Hiatt), and hadn't switched back to bass, the other guitarist and I traded licks on the fade out... It was a really long fade out. I even played a couple polkas! I hated Johnny Cash when I was younger, I'd never thought I'd have so much fun playing a song I used to loathe, but it all comes down to who you are playing it with (and how well).  Most musical fun I've had in over 30 years.  I now realize how much I've missed playing with other musicians.

My song since Jan 10 2015.

http://youtu.be/JKS8nJSsnzQ

Today is the day...

That I finally... really... understand "The Blues". 

Oh NO! I'm one of "those"...

Yep, I'm one of those blogs who's main source of hits is...

Can you guess?

The ubiquitous "next blog" button at the top of all Blogger pages. 

This was not always so, previously my top hits were for rants and/or reviews of stuff. For almost two years, my top visitor was Musician's Friend seeing if I had dropped my grudge yet. 

Oh how Facebook has changed things. I used to give up this blog for lent, now I give up Facebook. Yes, I may get more responces there, but when I see people I know lightly in meatspace, we have nothing to talk about as they know all my current chit-chat already.  People who came here a few years back were looking specifically for ME, or looking for some help concerning guitars or computers. 

Now it's mostly time-killers and bored non-social media-ites. So let's kick google's blogger rankings in the butt: Stay, read a couple posts, and even comment, I'll do the same back when I can. 

In the meanwhile... I should point out young people are leaving Facebook in droves to avoid... Their parents and grandparents! Apparently it's too much work for them to set up their security to block or limit their access to their pages... It's easier to leave. 

Too long...

It's been almost a year since my last post, and since that post for Mom; Dad went to join her in October. It's been a difficult four months, and I still don't feel right. So much has happened in the last few years it's quite overwhelming. When people say the word "mid-life crisis", there are so many stereotypes that come to mind. As I've found, it's really more about depression, apathy, declining health, and losing treasured family and friends... which together paradoxically, can drive you away from your remaining family and friends. 

Just five years ago, I could not understand or conceive why anyone would just walk into a bar alone and drink for hours on end. Now I know...

 I still haven't done it, but I understand the motivation now. They just want to escape, to block out the world... except it's not an escape, it's just an excuse to wallow in it.  You don't have to be drunk, or sit in a bar to be loaded up with apathy, self loathing, and self pity, you can do it just fine on your couch in front of the TV with a stock of comfort food, while being productive and doing housework, walking the dog, or just lying sleeplessly in bed. 

If you reach this point, you probably need help. 

I think I'm going to get some help. 

Mom

Mom

It's been three years now, seems like so long ago, and just yesterday.


....

I don't know what this is, but it's wrong.

A local muffler shop had this out in front today. I imagine it was at some point an inflatable advertising guy/thingy... but now, it's just wrong.

Wow... half of these are right on the money for a certain Hoosier I know.

Are you dating a loser?

http://counsellingresource.com/lib/therapy/self-help/loser/

Blogger confusion

So, I get an email from Google that I need to "Translate" my Blog to the "new" Blogger (or lose my URL) and asks me for a login that it forced me to change to my Gmail login  from over 1.5 years ago???
Just so it could do it again??? in the process (since I forgot the old login I no longer used) I had to password recover not only my old Blogger login, but my Gmail account as well.
Some things can be over-engineered guys.

Lenten Hiatus

Not that I've been posting enough to require the announcement.

Slackers...

So, I realize that the world needs slackers so that the rest of us can succeed... but that doesn't mean I want my daughter to date one.

So... Blago gets 14 years for doing what every politician does (lying), I think the "Occupy" movement should shift it's misguided gears to get every politician who lies convicted...

...but of course....then there won't be ANY politicians.

It would be a sure way to get and enforce term limits... work a term, get sentenced to a term :^D  :^D  :^D  ;^)

Could have been the worst week of my life...

If you asked me on Tuesday morning, I would have said it was... Still sucked, but good news and 10 tons of damage control by the Mrs and I won out...

Word of advice... Don't ever give your kids everything... Because in the end, they'll expect it.

We didn't, but clearly gave too much.
Be a parent first, and a friend second. Because at some point you'll have to stop being their friend to be their parent, but you can never stop being their parent.

Stock Market Fiasco

DJ down 391 points @ close.
If you haven't already moved your 401k into your fixed option... Do so ASAP.
Oh... Those schmoe's on the news who are saying the bond market is the only safe place to be... are LYING.
The bond market is in a bubble actually BIGGER than the housing one that put us here. Don't say I didn't warn you.

POP!

BTW... In case you haven't noticed... I'm BACK!

Look for the union FABLE...

Remember that catchy jingle from the 70's?

From thefreeonlinedictionary.com:
fa·ble (fbl)
n.
1. A usually short narrative making an edifying or cautionary point and often employing as characters animals that speak and act like humans.
2. A story about legendary persons and exploits.
3. A falsehood; a lie.

Union "brotherhood" is a Fable.
In "The City" it's definition #3.

Our Fine Union Leaders...

So...  (As reported in the news) Dennis Gannon and a host of other union muckety-mucks (including
my union B.A.) got a sweetheart deal from the Daley administration to get their city pension based on their UNION Job salary (pension based on a pay level none of them would have EVER reached in their former city jobs)....
To add insult to injury, Gannon and others were able to collect that pension while STILL WORKING for the union in the job that pension is based on! Yes they paid into to the pension, but rules were changed and favors were done that basically rewarded them for being union officials dealing with the city's unions when they had worked both for the city AND the union, in Gannon's case, at the same time (for one day to cut his deal).  This is something that in EVERY other way and shape would be against the City's ethics policy...which I know because the City drills it in my head every year with ethics training re-certification.
These are the same morons that agreed to (without a membership vote) give me 29 forced unpaid days off and took away overtime pay for the last two years (further under-funding the pension funds).
I think I'm gonna puke.

I can't believe one of these douche-bag double dippers actually had the nerve to hassle me for not paying the (voluntary) PAC (Political Action Committee) fee ($10 a quarter) when clearly the only action it pays for is getting themselves money and screwing the rank and file out of it.

While I make a good wage, in 17 years, I have NEVER received a raise of over $1/hour in a single year (for a single year). I've gone as long as three years with no raises (multiple times), and waited over two years (multiple times) to get minuscule back-pay raises due to their ineffectual contract negations.

This is what I pay $1200 a year in dues to be part of? In "The City" it's a SHAM!

Lenten Hiatus

Happy Paczki Day, see you in 46 days