Is this reality? Seriously, I'm asking...

Reading the papers, watching the news, however you get your "what's up world?" fix - do you feel like you are living in the Twilight Zone?

I wouldn't install a new faucet without the ability to shut off the water so I don't get soaked and waste water. However, oil is being drilled by companies who had no clue that maybe they might someday need to clean up after a catastrophic failure. BP had no frakkin' clue about how to handle the oil spill. And now politicians simultaneously want more drilling, but still don't want any sort of oversight for the oil companies when they do drill. They don't want the federal government to interfere with commerce, but now that there's a crisis, they are crying out for - yeah, you guessed, a strong federal response.

People want freedom of religion, unless you are Muslim, in which case, you are a terrorist and don't deserve to be in the Greatest Nation in the History of the World™. And if you are an atheist or agnostic, that goes for you too. Apparently, there are quite a few people for whom "freedom of religion" means they get to impose their religion on everyone else.

The unemployed are being told they should get a job, and that unemployment benefits are so great people actually want to be unemployed to get all that money. Kind of like a lupus patient saying "that new drug for my lupus that costs a hundred dollars month after insurance and gives me diarrhea and stomach ulcers is so great, I love having lupus and I hope I never get well!" (Note: I have lupus, I'm on that drug, and I don't like having lupus. I don't want it.)

The unemployed are unemployed because they can't find a job because THERE ARE NO JOBS! Which of explains why a certain party (which I am NOT a member of) stopped unemployment benefits: the unemployed are having too much fun!

We need new public works programs, the type that helped us survive the Depression. And politicians need to remember we are their bosses, and they should get packing because lots of them won't be rehired in the fall. We, their employers, aren't pleased with their job performance. Yup, they'll join the ranks of the unemployed. Until they are hired by a lobbying firm. Or former "corporate constituent".

It's now time for the A/V club presentation on one of America's finest justices: Thurgood Marshall.

I want to make some rock and roll and need advice.

Don't know where to start. My lumbar fusions surgery seems to a big fat happy success! There's still minor things, like getting the SI joint to behave, and keeping the inflammation at bay. I am taking less pain meds, and I have much more energy and clarity of mind.

What I don't have is a job. I didn't think I'd be feeling well enough to start looking until October or so. Having been an administrative assistant for 20 years for various companies, I could go back to that. But I am wary of doing that.

You see, before The Fall in 2000 AA work was all I had ever done, aside from waitressing, clothing and jewelry sales. Since I was sidelined for (let's not beat around the bush) ten frakkin years, my life has changed, my body has changed because of the complication of The Fall. So here I am, starting over.

What do I do now? I don't know. I am at the midpoint of my life (53) and have great skills for an AA, but I want to do something else now. I have a drive to do something else different. I have a degree in Geography from Temple U (Go Owls!) but I inner self has decided it needs to get out more. So what's all that nonsence mean?

Well, I have a drive to make music. The problem is I don't play any instruments and can't sing. All that, I'm sure can be dealt with if someone wants to take on a 53 years old female student that likes blues rock, glam, bluegrass and really would like to learn bass, although I'm open to more. I'll put right out front I'm a Queen, LedZep, Pink Floyd, Joan Jett fan. But what to do with all this?

What instrument/s would be good for me to learn at my age? Has anyone out there in the tubes start playing instruments late in life, and what did they choose? I'm leaning towards bass myself, then guitar, keyboards, drums, lap harp, dulcimer and who knows what else might be appropriate.

No one in my family plays, except my husband, who really hasn't touched a guitar in years.

On the other hand there is urban planning and hazard mitigation.

And it all takes money and/or crazy planning and/or dumb luck.

What I need is someone to chat about this midlife career change. Interested?

This is the problem posting late at night when my mind in benedryl kookie mode. I'm open to any comments, and I do live in Nashville, so maybe something will come this way.

I have no desire to become a rock star, I just want to rock out and have a fun time.

Ushta, babies.

The short film BP doesn't want you to see - from YouTube

This is from the point of view of fishermen affected by the BP spill.

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.