Christmas 2024

 For several reasons Christmas this year is going to be the bleakest I've ever had. If there's ever a year to have the so-called "Christmas spirit" and not much else, this is it. 

 I did a lot of music therapy things in nursing homes over the years and I always felt for the elderly people, of which I now find myself one of, who were alone at Christmas. Although I'm not in a nursing home I'm pretty much by myself this year.

 Maybe I'll find the meaning of Christmas and maybe I won't, but I'm grateful that I can be happy for others. I'm not trying to say I'm some great guy because I suck right now more than at any point in my stupid life, but at least I can feel something for others. 

 I never had kids but I can imagine reliving the joy of Christmas through your children's eyes. That's so cool. I hope the kids get a bit more out of it than just the idea of getting presents. 

 I'm beyond thrilled for my mom, that is if my belief system is true. Although the 25th is almost assuredly not the actual birth of Jesus, it's still when it's celebrated. Heck I guess every day is Christmas in Heaven. 

 I can relate to people who are old and mostly alone, and I can be happy for people who have family and friends and have get-togethers and such. BTW if you do celebrate and haven't done so already, fire up A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guarldi Trio. That music is Christmas. 

 I can think back on Christmases that were happy, and to those who'll be having a great Christmas this year I say Cheers! Merry Christmas, if applicable. Enjoy responsibly. 

More Idiot Arrows

 Here our attention is drawn to a white Honda. Even though it takes up most of the screen, I guess we need a big red arrow to show us where to look. Gosh I might've missed it otherwise. 

Quote of the Day

"[The music industry] is darker than most people could imagine. If you look at the lyrical content of songs being played on the radio, it's incredibly dark, immoral and anti-Jesus. When I saw the number of songs and videos that lean in that direction I knew it couldn't be an accident." - Kira Fontana, former vocal coach turned Christian 

Things My Mom Said

 Like most people who believe in God and the afterlife, the last few years of her life my mom started talking about the people she was looking forward to seeing again in Heaven, if indeed it exists. 

She'd go down the list of departed family and friends. But the thing she mentioned way more often was that she couldn't wait to see our Chow Frakka again. I certainty can't blame her. Frakka was a great dog. 

 The story of how mom and Frakka bonded is touching, and they became big buddies. When we got her we were her 4th or 5th owners. She'd been shuffled around from New York to Florida to Georgia or wherever, but she settled with us in the end. We loved her and gave her a good home.

 I have to mention that some people think Chows are inherently mean but that's bullshit. There's no such thing as a bad dog, only a bad owner. Frakka was a sweetheart, and some of the sweetest dogs I've ever met have been Pitbulls. 

 Having said that, she was the baddest dog on the block, which she reluctantly proved. She never once started a fight with another dog or even growled first, but all the male dogs on the block apparently felt that it was their duty to try to take her down. 

 About every couple-dozen times I'd take her for a walk, one of the neighborhood dogs would approach her from behind with their ears pinned back. Just for kicks I'd tell them they were making a big mistake, but of course they couldn't understand me and probably wouldn't have stopped if they could've. Can't say I didn't try to warn them.

 Within thirty seconds she'd have them on their back with their throat in her mouth, knowing she could snap it if she wanted. She never did of course but she'd hold them down long enough for them to get the message, and then release her grip. 

 It only took one lesson per dog and they never messed with her again. It reminded me of Kwai Chang Caine in the Kung Fu TV series. People felt compelled to try to kick his ass too but he'd have them on the floor in seconds without breaking a sweat.

 I really hope mom got her wish. She must've said it 250 times. It says that in Heaven the lion will lie down with the lamb, so I doubt she'll be scuffling. Mom and Frakka...together for all of eternity...that's a supremely beautiful thought. Give her a pat for me. 

 

 

The Last Thing Doug Did on Planet Earth

My buddy Doug unexpectedly passed away this past Summer. We're still processing it and months later I still automatically start to call him about something almost every day. Doug was loved. 

 Doug was a force of Nature. He came up with some of the dangdest and funniest shit I ever heard anywhere. The hardest I ever laughed in my entire life was one night when he told me the story about a crazy ex. 

 We were laughing and crying and hugging each other, pretty much holding each other up, and I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe, and I was literally thinking that I might die laughing. 

 I remember thinking what a way to go, and thinking why not. I should've died years before that when I came up on a pack of wild dogs out in the woods. Getting eaten by wild dogs would've been brutal but epic, and so would dying laughing. They say laughter is the best medicine. I'm still feeling the side-effects...I get a smile every time I think about it. 

 He went quickly. He had a mild heart attack and it turns out he had heart problems. He was in the hospital waiting on more tests. He was on morphine so he wasn't feeling any pain. He didn't have to go through a long illness or anything. It's really not a bad way to go. 

 If the belief system we shared is true then right now Doug is in paradise. He and my mom were big buddies and I know they've enjoyed catching up, when he's not spending time with his own mom. Hopefully his dog Tea is there too, with the rest of our animals. 

 In the perfect closing to Doug's life, the last thing he did in this world was to make a joke about his penis. I couldn't have scripted it any better. 

 A friend was with him at the hospital and that was good. Doug had slid the curtain closed to use the urinal. After a minute or two his friend asked if he was okay. He replied: "I'm fine. Nothing to see here." He was of course referring to his penis. A second later he was gone.

 Doug had an interesting but challenging life. He enjoyed himself to the fullest, and I know that because I was with him for a good chunk of time, but like most of us he struggled to make ends meet. I can say for certain that he enjoyed penis jokes until the very end. 

 If our belief system holds true then his struggles are over, for all of eternity. How great is that? Douggie Dang has made the grade. Good for him. I'm still here. He's the lucky one. Hopefully we'll catch you on the flip side. Thanks for the laughs buddy. 

 

Drumming and Health

 Over the years I've talked about how good drumming is for health. I'll start telling someone about it and they'll usually say: "Well, it's good exercise." That's true, and it's one of the most fun ways to exercise that I know of, but it's more than just exercise.

 Drumming is great exercise and although there are more strenuous forms, they don't have the same level of benefits as drumming does, especially when it comes to the immune system. It's a mind/body connection in my opinion. It's primal and it's hardwired in our brains, again in my opinion.

 I've told this story before but it still blows my mind. About a year after my dad had a stroke and I'd been keeping an eye on him, I was at Sam's getting a script filled for him. I decided to test my BP while I was waiting. It was 270/190, which is five points away from where they quit measuring. 

 I thought it was the machine so I took it again with the same results. The pharmacist noticed and took it manually and got the same numbers. He told me that I was about to fall over to the right with a heart attack or to the left with a stroke. 

 He wanted to call an ambulance but I got someone to come pick me up. My dad was taking a low-dose BP med, and I took 1/4 of a tablet, but that's all I did med-wise. 

 I got some organic dark chocolate, some Hibiscus, went and patted some animals and stared at aquariums, all of which lower BP.  I hadn't been playing drums much, and I knew that drumming lowers BP, so I got on eBay and found a guy who could ship an e-kit overnight. 

 I set up the kit the next day and played 7-8 hours. Six days later my BP was 112/68. Except for that tiny bit of a pill I took plus the chocolate and stuff, all I did differently was play drums. My BP was textbook, and I still had a cig in one hand and a salt shaker in the other. 

 About a week ago a friend of mine decided to get a drum kit. I was really glad to hear that. I told her she'd have a blast and I sent her a link to an article about the health benefits of drumming. She was impressed. 

 I'm going to give her lessons, but in the meantime I told her to start paying more attention to the drums when she's listening to music. She said that the first time she sat down to play she was grinning from ear to ear. She's been tapping around for a couple hours each day for almost a week.

 This morning she sent me a photo of her BP reading. She's been having problems with her BP creeping up over the last few months and she didn't want to take meds. She was blown away but it's been proven many times by actual science (SCIENCE).

 The great thing about it is that no talent is required. As long as you're moving your hands in somewhat of a rhythmic manner, you'll get the same benefits as a professional drummer. Isn't that cool? 

 Studies have shown that even if you just bang on a cardboard box for an hour or.more, two to three days a week it increases your T-cell count (immune system) more than anything they know of. How about that? 

 You can lower BP by taking meds, which can have very bad side-effects, or you can try diet and exercise, and specifically drumming. 

 The side-effects of drumming are that it causes uncontrollable grins, lowers BP, anxiety and stress, can cause an increase in popularity, is great exercise and who knows...you might like it so much that you join a band and see the world. You might even get laid. Them's some good side-effects. Grab some sticks and get swingin'. You're welcome. 

Hey Siri...You Listenin'?

It's amazing how so many people believe the bullshit without thinking for themselves...even asking simple questions we ALL should ask, like "Does this make any sense?" It's a major obstacle to waking up, but I won't give up. 

 I'm helping a friend move and I was at his house the other day. He asked Siri to look something up for him. He was talking about how great Siri is. "As long as you don't mind Siri listening in on your life" I said. "Naw, man" he replied. "It only monitors when you speak to it." Is there anything flawed with that thinking? 

 "If Siri's not listening all the time then how does it know when you address it?" I asked. Should I have used "she" and "her" pronouns? "Well, somehow they have it figured out" he said. "Think so?" I asked.

 I told him that it wasn't that big of a deal since all our devices are listening in on us, even our TVs. He didn't believe it. "It's in the fine print" I said. "We give them permission when we agree to the terms." He didn't believe that either. So often we tend to think that if we don't believe it then it can't be true, but of course that isn't the case.

 A few minutes later something happened that if it didn't change his mind it hopefully got him thinking for himself instead of automatically accepting the "Official Narrative" as gospel, and that's the first step to waking up. 

 His wife and I were discussing meatloaf variations, and within two minutes she started getting ads for meatloaf recipes, featuring ingredients like Heinz ketchup and Stove Top breadcrumbs or whatever it was.

 Her mouth fell open. "I think you're right" she said. "I think so too" I replied. "I never get meatloaf ads. I haven't made it in ten years" she said. "And there you have it" I smugly replied. 

 Hubby was still not convinced, and said that it could just be a coincidence, which is true, but which I don't believe. He did get quiet for a moment and tilted his head in thought. It's a start. Who knows...he might just find himself waking up one day. He's on his way.