Freemasons feat Katherine Ellis - When You Touch Me

It's raining...all...day...long...again

Well, we have had two months worth of rain in two days. Nashville will have lots of cleanup to do. Roads are washed out, houses have floated away, two-story houses are underwater, railroads are washed out as well. It will be interesting Monday. It should be clear and naturally I can't resist going out and snapping some pix so I'll have something to show.

That's our apartment building, with a tree through the second window utility stairs. The tree was on enough of a slope that when the ground became supersaturated it slide. Fortunately the building stopped it from sliding down to the pond, which may have made a messier cleanup. No apartments were damaged, although I think our container garden may be a casualty. We will rebuild it. I need my salsa garden.

It's raining...all...day...long...

The cats are extremely displeased and are protesting the lack of sunnyness by napping on things we need to use. After all, we are their human companions and the source of all things, including nom.

Over there > Loki and Leo in an undispleased moment

The last year has been crazy

I have decided this will be my primary way of sharing the random wreckage of thoughts that come into my head.

Posting will be irregular at first, but I'm working at putting some organization back into my life. Spinal Fusion (not a musical group) really slowed the old gray matter down.

It finally happened - I'm slightly mad!

I'm putting all my effing blogs in one spot - and you're there right now. You see, my life is a circus of doctors appointments (my adamantium endoskeleton is coming along fine), looking for work, family hilarity, catching up on reading and cleaning, sorting and listening to music. So I'm going to do stuff here, which means there won't be too much structure to the blog, just a bunch of random brain farts and word salads, juxtaposed with things that make some sort of sense in my mind. Results may vary. To celebrate, I shall leave with this:

Meh

Since Gumby Syndrome (aka Ehlers Danlos Syndrome) has been the bane of my existance lately, posting is going to be haphazard until everything settles down, which should be sometime later this week. Or next.

I'm on a Who kick again.

I think Love Reigns O'er Me is one of the best songs ever written. The Who is almost taking up as much space in my CD folders as Queen. I'm not sure why, but I tend to listen to more Who in the colder months. I'm sure if I were to go back and psychoanalyze my life I'd figure out why that is.

Whatever the reason, Quadrophenia is just as good now as it was then. Yeah, I was around the first time. I drove my family nuts with all my albums, the black lights, the Easy Rider poster that took up half my bedroom wall, and the gauchely beaded closet door. I had a really groovy bedroom. I really miss the psychedelic posters; I may someday start collecting them again. I'll pass on the inflatable furniture and Yardley "Canterbury Blue" lipstick this time around. Maybe a few inflatable pillows here and there, to really bring on the nostalgia.

I had this dream last night.

Innuendo is not my favorite Queen song, but it is my favorite Queen video. It was a strange dream, but if any movie about Freddie Mercury comes out and it's named Innuendo I will definitely go see it.

Did you see KISS on Letterman last night?

They performed Modern Day Delilah; it's a good hook for the CD. I have been a KISS fan since they started. It's been a long time, twenty years, since they have come out with a new album. I am really thrilled the drought has ended. Sonic Boom came out yesterday, and by this weekend I (hopefully) will have added it to my collection.

I'm still waiting on the details for the Nashville gig; as far as I know it's October 28 at the Sommet Center. I want tickets soooo bad, but finances are iffy.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - New Release

OK, it's great! I could use lots of words and describe the sounds, the clarity, the great mini-documentary...but it would soon just become so much yada, yada, yada... Just buy it already!

I also have Let It Be (with mini-documentary) and Revolver (with documentary), but my favorite has always been Sgt. Pepper.

Song Lyric Brain Blast #3

Yeah, it's been longer than I planned to get back to the SLBB, but here's your lyric for today. Don't forget to put on your sunscreen.

I’m so sick and tired of sitting talking to you

Yeah that’s right

You never tell me anything

that I wanna know ’bout your life.

The answer for SLBB #2 is All the Young Dudes, recorded by Mott the Hoople.

Song Lyric Brain Blast #2

While you're waiting for your latte, put you thinking caps on and fetch the song title to this lyric. (Do you really want that apple fritter? Really?)

And my brothers back at home with his Beatles and his Stones
We never got it off on that revolution stuff

Yesterdays answer: Smoke on the Water, recorded by Deep Purple.

Song Lyric Brain Blast #1

How's your brain today? How's your "music lyric/trivia/shouldn't you be working instead of wasting time at this lame website" mojo working?

This is how this works. I put a lyric fragment, you guess the song and the band. You get extra credit if you know who wrote it.

There's no prizes - hey, I'm no radio station!

They burned down the gambling house

It died with an awful sound

Funky Claude was running in and out

If you know the lyric, show off and post the answer!

It's has been a very long time...

I do have a nice newly overhauled shoulder to show for it all. I'll scribble much more tomorrow. A little each day and I should be back to "normal" soon. And I use that term very loosely."

It's an outrage! Dark Side of the Moon did not make Time Magazine's 100 Top Albums!

OK, I'm a bit over the top on that outrage thing, but it is a huge oversight! (I'm still screaming inside though - I don't want to scare the neighbors.) But Time really made a glaring mistake here.


So why am I so outraged? Aside from the fact it's one of my favorites, I'm not going to get personal, I'm just gonna give you so hard facts. So here goes:

The album cover to the left is an icon in itself. Who doesn't know that is the cover to Dark Side of the Moon? It's on t-shirts, posters, patches and probably a lot of things I can't think of at the moment!

As a concept album it is absolutely brilliant. It deals with so much within the realm of our existance, both good and bad. The songs have become classics, especially Money, Us and Them and Time! My personal favorite is The Great Gig in the Sky. It also solidifies electronic music as a permanent fixture of much rock music.

Plus, there is that really cool sychronicity between Dark Side of the Moon and the Wizard of Oz. I have tried that, and believe it or not it does work, especially at the beginning of the movie. Hint: play it three times, back to back for the full effect and pay attention to the Wicked Witch of the West and Glenda, the Good Witch are confronting each other...you'll enjoy it! You'll have some leftover Pink Floyd at the end, but that's definitely not a bad thing.

I'm no musical scholar, but I do know what I like, and I know DSOTM should have been included in Time's Top 100 Album list

If you'd like to vote on which albums should have been included, here is the link. The other excluded albums that you can vote for are:

• The Band, Music From Big Pink


• Jay-Z, Reasonable Doubt


• The Doors, The Doors


• Superfly, Curtis Mayfield


• This Year's Model, Elvis Costello


• Dusty in Memphis, Dust Springfield


• Appetite for Destruction, Guns N'Roses

Our troops: good and bad

The Bad:

I hope their commanding officers see this and discipline these miscreants appropriately...like having them run behind a truck for their water ration.



I looked for something that would our men and women in Iraq doing things that were noble, but all over the web I could find nothing. If you have a video of Americans helping the Iraqi people, please post it to YouTube and let know about. I am keeping a spot open for you!

The Good!

What parent with a sick child won't understand this?



I'm sure there are videos of our troops helping Iraqis, but where are they? It seems all that gets posted is the negative stuff.

I am definitely against the war, but I know somewhere in Iraq, we must be part of something good. Please, if you are a troop serving in Iraq and have a positive video, please post it online to YouTube or another site so I can embed it here. And be sure to let me know!

Peter Gabriel Given "Man of Peace" Award

Peter Gabriel was given the Man Of Peace Award on November 17th in a ceremony in Rome. Peter has been active in promoting world peace and human rights for years. The ceremony was part of the Seventh World Summit Of Nobel Peace Laureates, which is a pretty awesome group, you have to admit. Past recipients include Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), Boomtown Rats leader, Band Aid and Live Aid organizer Bob Geldof and Italian actor Roberto Benigni (Life is Beautiful - one of the best movies EVER!).

The Gorbachev Foundation,lead by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. and the city of Rome sponsor the annual event.

So that's what Gorby's been up to! I have to admit, I'm surprised.

Magic and Hope

Sometimes I come across something on YouTube that is absolutely magical. This is an ad for the Peruvian Cancer Foundation. It is a wonderous ad.




When you buy your gifts this season, please remember to send some love and money to those organizations who help find cures for illnesses that our loved ones, or even complete strangers, are affected by.

We're back to rock and roll, babies!

For a long time my mojo was impaired, but it's on the way back. I personally credit The Who for that. Endless Wire helped lure out from under the safety of the little blue blankie I've been hiding under. Bipolar disorders sucks. Medication helps, but sometimes I go full-out Linus and crawl under the little blue blankie (which is soft and heated, and all so tempting).

Anyway, let's get on to the subject of Endless Wire. It is The Who's strongest album in a couple decades. When Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey get together, the earth moves, mostly because of effect of all the dials being turned up to 11. Their collaboration is always exquisitely good.

Not all the songs rate high on my scale, except for Pick up the Peace. It's like someone started to write a good sond, then got distracted by the pizza delivery. That's a shame because I think that if this song had been fleshed out it would be very, very good.

In Fragments, musical shades of Baba O'Reilly and Won't Get Fooled Again sets the stage in the beginning that brings a nostalgic touch before leading into a new classic.

There are some really brilliant songs here, though: Man in a Purple Dress is simple in its orchestration, but Daltrey's singing is sublime and the lyrics are have a restrained but rightous anger to them. His voice just gets better as he gets older.

Mike Post Theme has a grittyness to that is intriguing.

In the Ether is a "cold, rainy day walk in the park after your partner broke up with you and you don't want to let go" song.

Black Widow's Eyes Great vocals, and lyrics that get kind of scary. It was inspired by the Beslan school massacre, and does a good job of bring back the bad memories, if your remember Beslan.

Two Thousand Years has a theological theme, believe it or not. And it's very good.

God Speaks of Marty Robbins is a classic. "Wake up and hear the music. Wake up and hear the music play. Wake up and hear what the people say." Of course I'm very biased, being a huge Marty Robbins fan.

It's Not Enough Love is so problematic at times, especially when whatever you do is never enough. I think we've all been there, so I won't say any more.

You Stand By Me Sometimes love stays strong and keeps you whole. Beautiful song. Short and sweet, but not syrupy.

Sound Round Well if this isn't classic Who I don't know what is. And I like the little surprise at the end! (Well, if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it? And listen hard, it really is a quick surprize.)

Unholy Trinity, a song about three neighborhood kids, leaves the listener unsatisfied. It sounds as if more needed to be said, then the damn pizza got delivered.

Trilby's Piano is one of the standout songs. It's song of unfullfilled love. Sad, but beautiful song.

On my scale to 1 to 10 (1 being "You have got to be kidding, I'm not buying that crap" to 10 being "Buy it, buy it, you gotta have it NOW!" I'd rate Endless Wire a solid 8. For a Who fan, this is a great addition to your collection, but The Kids are Alright and Quadrophenia will probably get more play.

It's Social Studies Time!

OK, my babies, it's time to do some serious politicking. These are all races in which the candidates below have done a bad, bad thing: Check them out, and if one of them is in your district, and find out what their opponent stands for. And for crying out loud:

VOTE ON NOVEMBER 7TH! IT'S YOUR RIGHT!

--AZ-Sen: Jon Kyl

--AZ-01: Rick Renzi

--AZ-05: J.D. Hayworth

--CA-04: John Doolittle

--CA-11: Richard Pombo

--CA-50: Brian Bilbray

--CO-04: Marilyn Musgrave

--CO-05: Doug Lamborn

--CO-07: Rick O'Donnell

--CT-04: Christopher Shays

--FL-13: Vernon Buchanan

--FL-16: Joe Negron

--FL-22: Clay Shaw

--ID-01: Bill Sali

--IL-06: Peter Roskam

--IL-10: Mark Kirk

--IL-14: Dennis Hastert

--IN-02: Chris Chocola

--IN-08: John Hostettler

--IA-01: Mike Whalen

--KS-02: Jim Ryun

--KY-03: Anne Northup

--KY-04: Geoff Davis

--MD-Sen: Michael Steele

--MN-01: Gil Gutknecht

--MN-06: Michele Bachmann

--MO-Sen: Jim Talent

--MT-Sen: Conrad Burns

--NV-03: Jon Porter

--NH-02: Charlie Bass

--NJ-07: Mike Ferguson

--NM-01: Heather Wilson

--NY-03: Peter King

--NY-20: John Sweeney

--NY-26: Tom Reynolds

--NY-29: Randy Kuhl

--NC-08: Robin Hayes

--NC-11: Charles Taylor

--OH-01: Steve Chabot

--OH-02: Jean Schmidt

--OH-15: Deborah Pryce

--OH-18: Joy Padgett

--PA-04: Melissa Hart

--PA-07: Curt Weldon

--PA-08: Mike Fitzpatrick

--PA-10: Don Sherwood

--RI-Sen: Lincoln Chafee

--TN-Sen: Bob Corker

--VA-Sen: George Allen

--VA-10: Frank Wolf

--WA-Sen: Mike McGavick

--WA-08: Dave Reichert

And yes, I am a Democrat, and proud of it. I am particularly offended by the treatment Harold Ford, Jr is being treated by the Corker campaign. If you live in Tennessee, get the facts before you cast your vote!