Skull Ring (with Mods?)

[ ]When I was a little kid I had a skull ring and I loved it. It was shiny steel or whatever and it had red rhinestone eyes. I don't remember where I got it but I had it a long time. I've always halfway wanted to get another one and I search occasionally They're either too expensive or gaudy. So many of them have Day-of-the-Dead or Egyptian scrollwork, or are trying to look mean, as if a skull needs that, or are stylized or whatever. It's amazing how so many people can take something so elegant as is and completely fuck it up. I just wanted a simple skull that was somewhat anatomically-correct, and didn't cost a fortune. [ ]I found this one for a steal on eBay. It came from Thailand and took a while to get here but for the price it was well worth the wait. He's .925, with purplish stones that I guess are fake rubies. He's actually making a bit of a face, with his right eyebrow down, which is exactly the same face I make when my Bullshitometer goes off or someone farts or whatever. It's very subtle and you almost don't notice. I dig it. [ ]I got it as a pinkie ring, but it's about half a size too big, and not big enough for my ring finger. I have duct tape on it now but I need to get it resized. I'm guessing it's probably around three grams of silver, giveth or taketh, and it's hollow behind the skull. I was wondering what else I could do to it, if anything, as long as it was getting resized, if I can do that easily. Short of replacing the stones with real rubies, which would cost 20X more than the ring itself, I was thinking how cool it would be to somehow make it glow, and I may have an idea. I bought my first Luminox watch back in around 1994, and I've bought another one since. They're dive watches and excellent quality to begin with, but what makes them special is that they glow in the dark, but not like traditional paint, and they don't ever have to be charged. [ ]The numbers, the tiny dot on the movable dial and the hands are fitted with tiny glass tubes filled with Tritium gas. Tritium is radioactive, which accounts for the glow. It glows completely on its own for around 25-30 years. It has a half-life of around 12.5 years, and the glow gradually fades after that. That should hold me until well-after I'm dead, at the rate this world is going anyway. It looks badass in the dark. The numbers and second hand glow green, and the minute hand and dot on the dial are orange. Having the minute hand a different color makes telling the time in the dark a breeze. The tubes are tiny. The one in the dot is maybe 2mm, and the one on the minute hand is maybe 5-6mm. The glass tubes must be sealed while the gas is pressurized, plus they're tiny, so the process is fairly complicated and expensive. [ ]I was wondering if they sold plain Tritium tubes and sure enough they do. I checked eBay first, and a single tube less than half an inch long and 2mm wide is going for around $35 with shipping. All the ones I saw came from China. Maybe China is the Tritium capitol of the world. Then I remembered a place called Aliexpress. They sell everything for really cheap. They have the same thing for about $18 shipped. It's 12mm in length, and I'll have to measure but I think it would just fit in the hollow part, and right behind the eyes. If it's too long I could get two smaller ones, but I think it just might squeeze in, and I'm sure a jeweler could add a fitting or just glue it in. Heck I could probably do it myself with some UV-glue or something. Actually it'd be best to tape it in place with a piece of thin metal tape. There's a gap on either side of the jaw where light would show through, and tape would fix that. The amount of radiation is miniscule, and certainly waaaaay less than your phone, but that would take care of any stray juice. [ ]This ring really isn't all that much cooler than the one I had when I was a kid, although it's sterling. Having a ring with eyes that glow in the dark...now that'd be some shit, and for less than $20, why not? It'd have tripped me clean out if I'd had s skull ring with glowing eyes when I was a kid, and I'm sure I'd still dig it now. If I got it modified with glowing eyes, alls I'd have to do then would be to find somebody groovy that I could show it to...in the dark...but I'm just a-dreamin' again. Oh, well...cool is cool, and being a badass by yourself is better than not being a badass at all I guess.

Bumper Sticker of the Day

Anomalies

There's a woman on YouTube who lately has been focusing on strange anomalies happening on webcams all over the world. She has a family and a garden and all that but she spends a lot of time looking at skycams and recording stuff, and her subs send stuff too. When I first found her channel I thought she was tripping, and seeing things in ordinary rain drops or whatever. Like people are so quick to say "Lens flare!" when someone takes a photo of anomalies near the Sun. I thought "Bless her heart, she's tripping-out," but then I got to thinking about all the freaky anomalies we've been seeing on satellite imagery and such, so I watched a few more of her vids, with an open mind. I'm a skeptic first and you have to be, and Rule #1 is to try to debunk something, but at the same time if you don't truly have an open mind, and not just say you do, there's no point in even looking into anything weird. Just call it bullshit and go about your day. That's cool. [ ]It also occurred to me that I've also been watching skycams myself over the last several years, and I've seen plenty of water drops, ice, snow, mud, bugs, lizards and even the occasional bird who lands on the camera and looks straight into the lens, which is awesome, but I hadn't seen anything like what she was catching. Then I saw some things that most definitely weren't water drops. I started taking screenshots of some of her vids because what she was showing was pretty amazing. She goes live when she catches something so people can see it in real-time. She had several things showing Devil's Tower, and what looked like a formation of bluish orbs above it. Those weren't raindrops. It wasn't raining. [ ]I'm not sure where or when the above image is from, but it's recent. It looks like it could just be camera noise or a glitch or possibly radiation, but again all these things are fairly recent, and quite different from the raindrops and bugs I've ever seen anyway. I kinda like this image, no matter what it is. It looks like a school of interplanetary catfish. Most of them are going faster than the speed of light, so their bodies are elongated, but a couple of them have banked at a 45-degree angle and dropped to sub-lightspeed. They're going on a scouting mission maybe. She's also captured several objects streaking across the sky at incredible speeds, and they aren't birds, planes or Superman...or water drops. I've gotten several screenshots of some of that stuff and it's pretty compelling. This is a random image and I just like it. [ ]The kicker is that YouTube just deleted all but a handful of her vids without even giving a reason, and that's new. Censorship marches on. As a certain "genius" told me when I mentioned YT censorship a few years back, "YouTube can do anything they want. It's their platform." Right, Captain Obvious, we know that already, and that's not the question. WHOM are they deleting, and WHY? Genius, my ass. If it was just some middle-aged woman pointing her phone at the computer screen, and doesn't understand the concept of getting a cheap tripod and turning her phone horizontally, and she's just filming raindrops, why should they care. They're losing ad revenue by deleting her vids, and it's obvious that most people would think she's lost it anyway and it's pure comedy. Why would her videos be deleted without a peep out of YT? To most people I'm sure it looks like Mister Rodgers' Neighborhood on acid. Any way you slice it it's entertainment. Why delete it? She's sweet as pie, but I know that doesn't count. [ ]But a much bigger kicker is that when these anomalies appear on these skycams and satellite feeds, those parts, like what she captures, are scrubbed from the archives, and the timestamps match perfectly. That should tell you something. It does me. People know things are going to be scrubbed so they basically pull up these sites, hit record and record them 24/7, so they can go back and see what they catch, and what's scrubbed. I have screenshots from some of her vids that were taken down. Many times something is happening in real-time and the feed will cut, which almost never happens when nothing's going on. I've also got lots of images of all sorts of crazy things in space, and I'll pou a few up. It's stuff that's mostly been scrubbed. Again, I wonder why...and speaking of why, why should YouTube care in the least about some woman looking at raindrops and saying they're plasma beings, and that clouds are really cloaked UFOs and all this crazy-sounding shit, if there's not something to it? There's no other reason in the world. Wake up. More to come...

Sticker of the Day

Something I've Got to Try: The Auric Illuminator

[ ]Rarely do I endorse something before I've tried it, but this stuff sounds like it could be the best fifty bucks you ever spend, that is if you still listen to CDs or DVDs. The name alone is cool enough but supposedly it's nothing short of incredible. It consists of a special pen with light-absorbing ink, and a gel that allows laser light to enter and leave the disc more easily by cutting down on the scattering of light. You make a thin stripe with the pen on the inner and outer edges of the disc, which would be equivalent to the lead-in and lead-out grooves on a vinyl record. You coat the very inside and outside edges with the gel. If nothing else it makes the CDs look badass. They look rodded-out with black pinstripes. They say it works too. They say it's legit as shit. [ ]One guy said he cried after hearing the difference in his CDs. He A/B'd a treated CD against an mp5 copy of a vinyl recording on a Mac, and he couldn't tell the difference. That's impressive, and I'd never heard of an mp5 before. I'm assuming there's little or no compression with an mp5. He was literally going to spend $6,000 on a new CD player, but after treating his CDs he decided he didn't need it. The stuff costs $49 plus tax and shipping, so he saved roughly $5,940. Not a bad return on a non-investment as it were. Just to make sure he wasn't tripping he called his go-to stereo expert to bring over his "reference" CDs which he uses to test stereo systems. One was the soundtrack to a musical and the other was the Rambo soundtrack. That's funny, but apperently it's this well-recorded orchestral score that will really test a system. His preamp alone cost 50K, so it's probably safe to say he knows what good sound is. [ ]The guy treated the Rambo CD and his buddy freaked-out. He thought he'd been tricked and was looking around for hidden equipment. It completely blew his mind to hear the difference that basically drawing on the edges of a CD made. He demanded to know what the product was, expecting it to cost ten times as much. It does sound like a pittance if it's as good as they say it is. He said it was akin to reducing wow and flutter on a tape deck, or tracking-issues on a turntable, which is a good analogy. It makes sense. Any light interferes with laser light, causing it to scatter and become less focused. It's science (SCIENCE). I love it when science (SCIENCE) comes in to save the day. Dude went on and on about the stuff and had to make himself quit once and then started up on it again, and the video was mainly about the $6,000 CD player. It didn't even mention the stuff in the title. I was clickbaited on finding how the hell a CD player could cost six grand, but I'm really glad I found out about this stuff because I want some. [ ]It workd on DVDs too apparently, although I haven't heard that talked about but I'll check it out. Just for CDs alone it'd be great, but if it improves DVD quality anything like it apparently does for CDs, then that's a great bonus. It treats, or "enhances," according to the website, 200-400 discs, which is less than two bits per, even at low range. I'm surprised it doesn't cost a lot more, except that maybe CDs and DVDs have been largely replaced by streaming. I still like the physical products. For one they aren't compressed, and if the power is out you can still listen to CDs on a battery player (using rechargeable batteries and a solar charger of course). I don't have a stereo rig, much less a 50K preamp, but the difference should be noticable with good headphones. [ ]What a simple and logical idear. You might get similar results using a Sharpie and clear nail polish, but for $50 why fuck around? CDs are way more fragile than what they were touted to be when they first came out. The guy I recently mentioned who owns a record store in Hong Kong, and who rated the sound of vinyl as vastly superior to CDs...I wonder if he knows about this stuff. Someone should hip him to it. I'm still bummed after seeing that chart, and how much of the original sound is lost between the master tapes and the final products, especially CDs. Even a little bit of improvement would be huge, and a dramatic change should be a downright thrill. If it made dude cry to hear the difference in his CDs then it must be damn-sure worth $50. I gotta have it. I recently got all six seasons of Northern Exposure on DVD, and some of the scenery is beautiful. If it made that look better on the big Vizzio I'd love it. But CDs are the deal. [ ]I gotta try this stuff. Dude claims that ordinarily the laser beam can stray a lot, causing distortion. I watched a bit more of the video to see if by chance he tested it on DVDs but he didn't, but he was still going on about the stuff. He said it didn't sound like a digital copy of vinyl, it sounded like VINYL. I don't know what the dude in Hong Kong would have to say about that, but I'd sure love to test it out. Dude was so into it that I thought he was going to pop a woody, and then when Mr. Stereo came over and he freaked out too...I bet they both had boners. I can see getting a boner for vinyl...the aroma alone does it for me, but rarely do you hear of people getting boners over ordinary CDs, even Rambo CDs. Well, I take that back...some guys do get boners for Rambo CDs, but that's different. [ ]Dude said the stuff was so great that he wanted to peddle it in the streets, just so people could find out about it. I can dig that, and I'm taking him at his word. It's a steal. Boners for CDs? I'm in. Heck, if I ever run across a Rambo CD at the thrift store I'll snag it right up.

The Biggest (Natural) Ass in the World

[ ]"I don't like big butts and I cannot lie...this big butt makes me want to cry." That'd be my version of that song. I guess Sir Mix-a-Lot would dig this sister. Beg pardon, I don't know her name, but now I do know her ass. Some things you can't unsee. As far as I know she has the biggest natural duke on the planet. I could be wrong, and I don't know if Guiness came a-knockin' for the "World's Biggest Ass" category, and there are bigger natural asses on huge women, and augmented asses these days out the wazoo, but as far as ass-to-body ratio I think she wins. She's proud of that ass anyway. She calls it "bum," and that's exactly what it does to me...it bums me out. [ ]Don't get me wrong...I may be a "breast man," whatever that may say, but I love the whole package, and a pretty rear is a part of that. There's nothing worse than a bony-butt woman, but I'd take that over this monstrosity. A little extra "curve in the derrieruve" is never a problem. I worked with, and briefly dated, a sweetheart, old soul, goddess, funny person, friend and Robosister named Laura. My buddy Jack called her "The Ass of God." He was correct. Speaking of, I have to tell this story yet again. One night I was out with my homegirl Cay, and we met up with O' at a club, to see my favorite local band here ever- the Cast. Their singer (they all sang) and flautist Libba had a very shapely rear, but it came naturally from running and working out every day. She's a fit sister. [ ]The Cast was known for their brilliant use of what I call the "secret weapon" in music- dynamics. They'd be roaring along at full volume and then they'd cut it on a dime and drop down to a whisper. O' and I had a rare night off, and we had a big buzz going, to the point of slurring our words. Bless her heart, Cay agreed to stay sober-ish and drive us both home. We were sitting right by the side of the stage, giving us a perfect profile-view of Libba. The place was packed to the gills and people were standing in the back and even on the stairs, and the band was crankin'. As usual I gave her rear the customary glance, and that duke absolutely seemed to be defying gravity, especially when she'd strike her "Ian Anderson" pose when she played flute, and sort of prop herself up on one leg. As Sam Douglas would say "It was a eyesight to see." it really was. [ ]It was a loud room and the band was playing full-blast and I had to shout to O' to be heard. I leaned over and slurred "Maaaaaannnnnn..." "Whaaaaaaaaat..." Slurred O' back. Just then the band throttled-down 75% and dropped to a whisper, but with my delayed reflexes due to alcohol I couldn't stop with them, and I shouted, in a suddenly-quiet room, "You could set a martini on Libba's ass." The whole place cracked up, including the band. They had to lay-out and vamp through a verse before they could quit laughing enough to sing. Libba was a great sport about it, and she worked in into the show. She leaned back and turned her head and looked down at her rear and made a "Not bad" face and then cracked up. She took it as a compliment, and she didn't get "offended" like the snowflakes today. They'd have me removed from the club. Back then everybody thought it was hilarious. Good times. [ ]Anyway those are a couple of my "ass" stories. I do love a pretty tail but there's a limit, and my Ass Limit chart won't go high enough to even register this monsterous ass. I'd recalibrate but it might make me hurl. An inch or two of extra cushion for the pushin' as they say, is fine, but anything much more becomes grotesque, but to each his, or her, own. Some ladies (?) get implants that make their asses unthinkably huge. I realize some guys dig it or they wouldn't do it, but thinking about giant asses makes me queasy. It really does. Sister became ass-fascinated at an early age. One interview said she "dabbled in injectibles" as a teenager, but since then she goes about it naturally. She does strenuous exercises and lifting every day, mainly squats and variations thereof, and that's not a joke. She's a celeb, but to me it's a freak show. [ ]She even has a special diet, to give her ass the building blocks it needs to be the best that it can be. She eats lots of fried eggwhites and meat, and she says she's always planning her next meal while she's cooking that one. She looks great from the waist up. From the waist down I'm out. It looks like a "Fart Tuba" and I bet it sounds like one too. If I see a woman who attracts me I can instantly feel the changes in my body and attitude. It's a nice sensation, and hardwired in. I don't know what all chemicals are released in that situation but I'm guessing Endorphons, maybe some Adrenaline, and possibly even some Oxytocin (Nature's Ecstacy) for good measure, but whatever it is it works. When I see an ass like this I don't get that feeling at all. It turns me completely off and it turns mystomach too. They say that we're all "a little bit gay," which I say is just more bullshit propaganda, but when I see dat ass I can almost see logic in that statement for a minute. That's a joke, but I just can't pict and watch it work. Like she could slap it, and it'd send ripples across that ass like a boulder in a duk pond. That might be entertaining. Or not. ure having sex with her. Good thing I don't have to. You can forget about doggy-style. Well, that's about as far as I can let my mind wander before I have to lasso it and drag it back to reality. Yeesh. [ ]Big butts may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they're trending, or at least they were before you-know-what hit last year. I huess like many other elective surgeries that were cancelled or delayed by the bug, ass-augmentations declined in some circles too. But there's plenty to go around. If I ever need to make myself throw-up I won't have to take Ipicac. I can just hop on YouTube and watch a few Monster Ass vids and that'll go the trick. BTW I'm not attracted to gargantuan breasts either, although that's a thing too, but better those than a bubblebutt. At least sister is doing it naturally, but that doesn't make it any less repulsive. You'd see her sitting in a movie theater and from the waist up you think she's hot, but from the waist down she could get stuck in her chair. Where would she even put her popcorn, or Milk Duds? It's just wrong. I do also have to give credit to Sir Mix-a-Lot- he took a universal thing and ran with it and turned it into a classic hit song. It's kinda catchy. Love the groove, not the opinions. [ ]The only cool thing I see about an ass this huge is that maybe they could get somebody like the Slo-mo Guys, and film that thing in ultra-high-speed. Like maybe she could slap it. It'd send ripples across that ass like a boulder landing in a duck pond. Other than that I'll have to pass on that ass, but to each their own. Like Whatshisface said, the problem with the world is that half of it can't understand the pleasures of the other half. That's so true, thank God. Well, thanks for reading, and don't let the door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya. And as I always say, "Have an ass day!" THE END.

Co-Quote of the Day

"Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night, 'til wine inflame them." - Isaiah 5:11

Co-Quote of the Day

"I woke up this morning and I got myself a beer." - Jim Morrison

"Robin's Package," or "They Don't Call Him the 'Boy Wonder' for Nothing" (click to enlarge, lol)

[ ]This cracked me up. I'm a hardcore Batman fan and trivia is always cool but I didn't hear about this until recently. As you can see in the photo Robin's tight tights left little to the imagination. Back in the early days of the original TV series people noticed, and somebody, I think maybe it was the Catholic Archdiocese, objected to seeing Robin'e worm, and either sued or threatened to boycott sponsors or whatever it was. I never looked below their Utility Belts thankfully and so I never noticed a bulge, but apparently a lot of people did, and from this photo, which happens to feature a pose that would best show off someone's goober, I can see how people picked up on it. Robin, aka "The Boy Wonder," and now I can see why, was played by Burt Ward, and Batman of course by Adam West. [ ]After the uproar the execs scrambled to try to address the package problem, and things got crazy. First they tried taping it down and squishing it in between his legs by using duct tape. They ran strips down from his stomach to his business, ran it through his legs and pulled it up from the other side. Ouch. After a day or two of filming he said "Fuck this" and so they had to come up with another idear. Adam West used to stuff socks and things into his tights just to get a rise out of everyone in the studio, and they say that one scene was filmed while he was augmented, and it made it past the censors and execs and everybody. I don't know if that's really true but I do hope it is. You'd think it'd be all over YouTube if it really happened. Maybe it is. Maybe he stuffed a pickle into his tights during filming when Robin was taped-down, to compensate for the Dynamic Duo's collective loss of pride. Who knows? [ ]What happened next is supposedly 100% true. They came up with these pills that were supposed to shrink his penis. Yikes. Needless to say, Mr. Ward was quite hesitant to take them, but after much cajoling, threatening, bribery and such he agreed. In about three days he woke up in a panic. The pills were actually making his dick smaller, apparently noticeably-so. Supposedly he stormed into the office and scattered the pills all over someone's desk and stormed out. I can't say I blame him. I wonder what the hell was in those things. A smaller penis in three days? No thanks. They relented and quit trying to make his dick go away, and simply shot his closeups from the waist-up from then on. One story goes that the gals in the studio chuckled a bit during the times Robin was taped, but they missed seeing his package and were glad to see the tape go. I bet they were also glad he stopped taking his goober-shrinking pills. That's like a man's worst nightmare. "Where's my DICK?!!!??" I don't reckon those Shrink-a-Dink pills ever came to market. That's worse than any villian Robin ever had to deal with (ZOK!). [ ]The above image is hilarious and I can see how certain people got all in a pickle over it. If I were Adam West I'd probably be stuffing my tights too. He didn't much like being upstaged by his sidekick, the Boy Wonder. Holy boner, Batman! I guess it also says something about Adam's package by what they DIDN'T have to do to him. Good thing he didn't take any of Robin's "cocktail frank" pills. He'd be like "I sure do need to pee, but I can't find my dick. CUT!" Who knew Robin's dingdong could cause so much of a stir? That was quite a subplot. In a show that was practically a cartoon it's funny to have something so real. "ACTUAL SIZE" as they say. We always thought that Robin was called the "Boy Wonder" because of his legendary crime-fighting abilities but now we know that wasn't it at all. It's a comedy within a comedy. I love it when things have layers.

Things I'm Not Totally Cool with Around Here

[ ]I recently mentioned the downstairs neighbor, and what a cool cat he was. That's true, but after talking to him it dawned on me that he's the same guy I mentioned last year, who had apparently lost it to some degree and was trying to chop down a huge 50' pine tree with an ax. Luckily I managed to talk him down without having to call the cops, although it was touch-and-go for a minute. When he calmed down he seemed completely nice and normal and he didn't seem to be the least bit drunk or high, which I actually thought was weird, because people don't generally do things like that. { ]The night that happened was dark and he was wearing a hoodie and I didn't get a good look at his face. Soon after that he had a wicked fight with his girlfriend. She was screaming bloody murder and I heard two bangs that were so violent they shook the walls. I was picking up the phone to dial 911, and literally pick something up that I could swing at someone and go downstairs, because I thought someone's head could've been banged against the wall, but then he yelled "CUT IT OUT!" and thankfully it stopped. I was coming back from a walk a bit later and saw her pass by dragging two huge suitcases and that's the last I saw her. The reason I didn't connect that it was that guy is because he apparently flipped out a little after she moved out, and he went back home to Chicago for a while. The unit went dark for a couple of months and I thought maybe he'd moved. [ ]I got to thinking about it and from what I remembered the facial hair matched. He was very well-mannered and well-spoken, just like the night when he calmed-down after I thought he'd lost his mind, for the rest of the evening anyway. He'd gone from doing something out-to-lunch to perfectly normal, like nothing odd had happened. Like I said he was "awake," and I DON'T mean "woke." We got to talking about spiritual things. I didn't mention this before because most people don't believe it and would think it was crazy, and fair enough, but it means something to me and it ties in with the other incidents. [ ]He said he didn't believe in "God" per se, but he believes in some sort of higher power, and he definitely believes in unseen things, or in his case, seen. He said he's had a "shadow friend" since he was a kid. Alarm bells went off as he told the story. Some say the shadow thing is demonic and I'd not disagree, although I don't know if he sees it that way...probably not. He said the "shadow being" made its first appearance when he was around three I think he said, and it scared the shit out of him at first but they've since become "friends," and it's been with him ever since. He said it still scares him sometimes, and when it "gets inside him" he sometimes gets aggressive. [ ]What I witnessed the night of the ax would bear that out. I passed by the poor tree today. It has a 10" hole in the bark and it's dripping sap all the way to the ground. He was a maniac one minute but calm and rational the next. That freaked me out a bit and made no sense. I did have to talk him down but then he was totally cool. Maybe I talked the shadow out of him too. Several times I've heard him slamming doors and the other day he was screaming shit at no one in particular...unless maybe it was his shadow buddy. Speak of the Devil I just took a walk break and saw him outside. He smiled and waved and said hello and was as nice as he could be. Anyway he said his friends can see the change come over him sometimes and it spooks them. I guess so. He said that when "it" takes him over it makes him say his name differently. His name is Kobe, and normally he says it like the baller, "KO-bee," but when the shadow is driving he pronounces it "Ko-BAY." Whatever...sounds like a "mulitples" deal to me. That's never good, and can be a sign of some sort of early abuse. Not good. [ ]He said that sometimes the thing follows him and other times it hangs out and waits for him to get home. How comforting. I asked him if it was downstairs right now, and he said "Uh-huh." Great. Some people will automatically say he's just plain looney-tunes, and that demons and all that are a load of crap, and I get that. It does sound crazy. But from what I've read for decades and actually experienced myself once or twice, I think there's something to it, and nobody can prove that the spirit world isn't real any more than I can prove it is. Although my beliefs do enter into it, I form my opinions as to whether it's real or not strictly on observations, nothing more, nothing less. [ ]I've mentioned this before but I can't remember if I actually published the post, but some nights I feel a "darkness" that seems to just drop over the area. I noticed it not long after we moved in. My friend Jerry lived here for two years and moved out the month before we moved in. He lived by the entrance and the main pool and hot tub, and back then they were happening all year long and he got to know lots of people. I mentioned it to him and asked if I was just imagining things and he said "Oh, no. It's there man. I thought you might feel it." Jerry's not overly-religious, and this stuff's not as big of a deal to him as it is me, but he believes in God and the Devil too. He told me that lots of Pagans, witches and even some Satanists live here, and the energy is real. [ ]Something really weird happened here on October 30th, about three months after we moved in. I was about to go for a walk and I'd just gone out the door. A woman in her early-20s came down from the floor above and passed me. If I had to describe her I'd have to say that, minus the pointy hat, she was the best (and smokingest) definition of "witch" I'd ever seen. She was about 5-8 ot a bit taller, with straight black hair to her waist, and it appeared to be her natural color, green eyes and she was wearing a black dress and heels. Jet-black. Her dress was really nice, and thin. It appeared to be cotton, my favorite, and it hugged every nanometer of her body like it was made for her. Speaking of, I'd grade her body as a solid VFWSHN, or "Virtually Flawless Without Seeing Her Naked." She was remarkable, and I just thought maybe she'd stopped by a friend's on the way to a Halloween party, but then it got weird. [ ]She walked down the steps and right by me as I was closing the door. She looked right at me and I smiled and said hello, but she ignored me and kept walking. Oh, well...maybe sister was having a bad day. But when she got to the end of the breezeway she stopped and turned and stared back at me. I thought maybe she was waiting to ask me something but she just stood there glaring at me as I approached her. It really wasn't a friendly look, and I "vibed-out" on it right away. I held her gaze and walked toward her. "Is there something you need?" I asked. She scowel and said nothing. "Do I know you?" No response. By then she'd been staring at me long past the point of normal. Don't get me wrong...I've had women stare at me for a while, but usually they either want to do me, or they're really mad at me, or they're blasted on whatever, but never have I been stared at with a look of such negativity. She looked like she truly didn't wish me well at all. If there's really such a thing as the "Evil Eye," that was it. When I got even with her I looked at her and said "Maybe I DO know you." I think she may have gotten my drift, if she's the real thing, that is. [ ]As I passed she turned and watched me go. It was beyond obvious by then. And I get pranks and shit like that, not to mention it was almost Halloween, but that wasn't normal. What was a drag was that she was really fine, and I mean exceptional. At first when I saw her staring my mind foolishly flashed for a second to thoughts that she was staring at me for one of the aforementioned reasons, and preferrably the first. Maybe she had a "daddy" thing, or in my case a granddaddy thing, and maybe she was up for a little game of Hide the Salami or whatever, but that wasn't the look I was getting at all. Curses! She kept staring for a long time as I walked away. She got her money's worth out of that Mojo session or whatever the fuck it was. She didn't appear to be drunk or high but it's possible I guess, but even so, people don't stare like that if they're not trying to prove a point or send a message, or so I think. [ ]I rounded the corner still wondering WTF that was all about, and here she cam driving by in her car. She had her window down and she was going as slowly as the car would go and still be moving. She had the same unwelcoming look on her face, and she turned her head as far as she could, even when she was past me. I almost expected it to turn a full revolution or two, like in The Exorcist. Actually that'd have been interesting. She drove as close to me as she could and stared at me without blinking. I smiled and said "Have a nice day!" and I blew her a kiss. After all she was hot. Very. But mostly weird. [ ]So, what's the story? Elephino, but I have my opinion. Certainly you could say she was drunk or high, but again that doesn't usually induce evil staring contests for no reason. She was walking perfectly down stairs in heels and on a wooden walkway. Her eyes were clear, and very beautiful too. She wasn't wasted. It was early in the day, plus she was driving. No guarantees, but I think she was dead-sober. You could say it was some sort of disorder that makes people stare, but I didn't get that vibe at all. I mentioned it to a friend who has a double-master in Psychology and works with kids and young adults with all sorts of issues, and she said that if someone stares at someone else it's usually not with malice. It does happen, but it's rare and those people are watched more closely. She asked me if the girl wanted to jump me and I told her sadly no. You can bet your boots I've ended up leaving a Halloween party with more than one sister who was dressed like a witch. Not this time. [ ]If you generally rule out those things, then you still have to ask "What the fuck?" and "Why me?" Indeed, why me? What'd I do? I'm not saying she's a witch, but practicing witches very much do exist, whether some people think there's anything to it or not. Some say that a true witch can spot a "Christian" from a mile away, and usually much easier than the other way around. That witchy-woman sure gave me the hairy eyeball, but I looked right back into her eyes the whole time. If she's the real deal then she knows that the name of the one I serve is greater than that of the one she serves. It doesn't mean she can't fuck with me, and that she did, even driving out of the way just so she could drive by and stare at me some more. Most curious. [ ]Maybe she was just having a really, really bad day and I was just the closest target. Maybe she was just going to a Halloween party and was practicing being unfriendly and fucking with people. Maybe she simply had me mistaken for somebody who fucked her mom or whatever, and she was mad at the wrong guy. Maybe she's really a serial killer, or maybe she just hates men. That's some serious hate if so. Maybe she was completely whacked-out on dope or in the middle of an alcohol blackout. Maybe she just damn didn't like me. She sure got my attention. I say she was the real deal and trying to hit me with that Hoodoo that she do so well. Between the feeling I've gotten a few nights and after Jerry telling me that actual witches live here, it's totally possible. If so ahe did a damn good job of trying to psych me out, but she was simply letting me know that she hated me because of whom I serve. [ ]Whatever the case she didn't scare me but the creep factor was off the charts, especially when she drove past me staring like the kids in that classic movie "Village of the Damned." I did say a prayer, in case she was really what I thought she might be, both for protection and that maybe she'd have a change of heart one day. It couldn't have hurt. What a shame...she was fine. So to recap, there's a rare but powerful feeling of evil here every now and then, there was a possible witch who hyper-scoped me and maybe tried to cast a spell on me, and for good measure there's a possible "shadow being" that lives right below me. It's Halloween all fucking year around here.

How to Get Rid of a Narcissist

[ ]I watched a video about narcissism yesterday. It's a black dude I really like, and his is one of the first channels I found back when I was trying to get a handle on what I was dealing with. He helped me a lot. He was doing a livestream with a former member of the R&B group Dru Hill. I think it was Woody Rock. They were old-school and I actually liked a couple of their tunes. It interested me that he'd be the guest, since many musicians are narcissists themselves. He was different. [ ]It turns out that there were two narcissists in the bend, one a "covert" (the most dangerous kind) and one an overt or "grandiose" narcissist. Boy howdy I can relate. I recently cut ties with one of each. In trying to figure out what he was dealing with he ran across my dude on YouTube, and established contact. He seemed to be a great guy. Unless he was actually a narcissist himself, and totally bullshitting with every word he spoke, which I seriously doubt, then he is a good dude. In fact one of the few silver linings about narcissism is that narcissists select their victims among people who truly are good people...kind, loving and empathetic. He claims to be a "Christian," and he said the right words that indicated that his faith is genuine and not just talk. Narcissists, since they're superior to everyone and everything in the Universe, are completely unable to submit to ANY authority, including God (and Spellcheck, in the case of my ex). To me, above God there's no other. To the narcissist there's none above the narcissist. They can fake it all day long but in the end it's a lie, like everything else they say. There was a kind look on his face that narcissists don't possess and can't fake genuinely- a look of true happiness, honesty, love and peace. They don't have those things in their life. [ ]Dude told his story and he was talking about his dad, who'd recently run into a narcissist himself. After dude's mom died his dad was dating a woman who treated him horribly, and more than that he knew that clearly something was wrong with her and wanted to put a name to it. Right on, sir. Knowledge is power. He was talking to his dad about the situation, and told him that he was probably dealing with a narcissist, and pointed him to some info. His dad had his "A-ha" moment, and proceeded to kick the woman out. I was reading that and mentally pumping my fist. They got into a huge fight but instead of taking it into another room she wanted to have it out in front of the son. They say any publicity is good publicity and that definitely holds true for narcissists. You could be praising them (unlikely) or saying that they're heartless, soulless, vile pieces of shit, which they are, but they don't care which. Good or bad it's all the same thing to them...food. [ ]Luckily for his dad she agreed to scoot when he told her to hit the bricks, but she tried to get her money's worth and then some, by bitching him out until her last breath, but he was ready for her attack and he cut her off beautifully. She said "You don't care...you'll have somebody here tomorrow..." "Tomorrow?" his dad replied, and picked up his address book. "I'll have somebody up in this bitch TONIGHT! Now grab your shit and go." I love it, and that's exactly how you should deal with it. As Barney Fife would say, "Nip it...nip it in the bud." Barney was a soothsayer in an old TV show. I don't know dude's dad but he's my hero, and I bet I'd love him in real life. If my beliefs hold true then maybe one day I'll get to congrat him and shake his hand...in the proverbial GREAT BEEEEEEYYOONNNNNNNDDDD...EEYYOONNNNNDDDD...YOOONNNDDD...ONNNDD...NDDD...DDD...DD...D...D..D. I do hope so anyway. We'll just have to wait and see. Meanwhile, should there be any doubt whatsoever as to how to get rid of a narcissist, that's how you do it. Have a nice day.

Don't Quit Your Day Job, Buddy

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[ ]I just sat through over half an hour of one of the worst "singer-songwriters" I've ever heard. Why? I have no idea. Is it a case of late-onset Latent Masochism Syndrome or something? I sure hope not. Is it the need for penance? I don't think so but that's what it felt like. Maybe I kept hoping he'd get better, or maybe it was just a car-crash fascination with seeing something really bad and uncomfortable. That's pretty sick I guess but some things are so bad they're good. I kept thinking "Why are you doing this, bro?" [ ]A guy I kinda know was going live on YouTube, and the guy was on his show. He was already playing when I got on, so who knows how long the whole thing lasted. I caught three tunes plus long instrumental interludes. Bless his heart, the interludes were actually really cool and probably the reason I stayed so long, but the songs were bad. Really bad. People in the chat were being nice to him and very patient, but you could virtually feel people squirming in their seats. I sure know I was. [ ]The host came on after the first song (that I heard anyway) and interlude and tried to politely thank him and get back to his show, but dude was just getting started. After the first song he noodled on chords for a good while. He was playing some cool suspended-type chords and some decent fingerpicking. He got quieter as the host came in and it seemed that the concert was over, but it was a false alarm. The guy went on to play two more songs and two more interludes. It was very kind of the host not to fake a technical problem or cut the stream entirely and start over. Bless his heart too. [ ]His songs had, let's say a spiritual bent to them. He was singing some shit about how if everybody was called Up Yonder, they'd have to wait on him because he still had shit to do, and he was "in the band." Huh? If he was really in a band they must've REALLY needed a guy. I'm not sure I'd go see that band. Actually, maybe I would. If they were all that bad it'd be entertaining. If you ever wanted to relive your wilder years and drop some acid, that'd be the time to do it. You might have to bolt like lightning and hit the woods, but it'd be an interesting experience. [ ]After the second tune and instrumental-interlude he faded again, but it wasn't over yet. The host came on the screen and made a heart shape with his fingers. That was all the energy he had left. It was touching. He was hoping dude was finally wrapping it up after twenty minutes, but no cigar. He went from the jam into another tune, sort of like the Grateful Dead but not really the same at all. He was singing some shit about how they wanted to publish one of his songs and pay him a lot of money, except they thought it was a funny song and they got his message all wrong, but he was going to give all the money away anyway. WTF? [ ]The last song had two chords...one, two. I wouldn't exactly say that he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket but his singing wasn't great. He was flat, and when he'd get to a good part and really belt it he got flatter. He was singing about a song deal gone bad but he would've given the money away because money wasn't what he was about. He was playing two chords back and forth with no variation, and he was flat. It damn sure made me want to pick up the guitar. There aren't many people I sing better than but at least I can stay on pitch, and I reckon I could learn two chords and play them with some sort of semblance of rhythm. [ ]I could sing about shit that didn't work out and how my shit was serious but they thought it was funny, and I'm not about "Show me the money." That would be hilarious. I may have to film that whole thing, just to prove it exists, and maybe to learn that song about how shit went bad but he was still a philanthropist. I should do it. Gotta start somewhere. I'm bored shitless anyway. I'm not sure what the title is but I could name it "I Didn't Get the Money 'Cause They Thought It was Funny." I could really make it my own. "They almost used my song, but they got it all dang wrong. Didn't get my big payday, but I'd'a give it all awaaaaaay (anyway)." I don't know why I never thought of recording an album of all dorky songs. Dorkrock. Just for fun I make up real "tear in your beer" Country songs in my head. I'm sure I could come up with lyrics for plenty of Dorkrock tunes. A new genre...maybe it's time. [ ]Maybe there was a reason I watched that guy for so long. Maybe I needed inspiration to start a new brand of music- Dorkrock. It'd sort of be a mixture of Country, Rock and Peewee's Playhouse. If I wanted to do it right I'd hire some badass players and secretly learn some kickass and popular tunes but play Dorkrock as long as you could get away with it, but if people started booing and the club owner was about to go ahead and pay you to leave early, you could switch gears and bust out a killer rendition of "Whipping Post" or whatever. That would be fun. "I thought I had a record deeeeeeeal...it made my baby squeeeeeeeeeal." I can see it now. Now it's just a matter of what to name the band. Normally I'd say "Rock on" but this time I'll say "Dorkrock on." Have a nice day.

The Santa Zone

[ ]Isn't this interesting? This shows flight paths over the North Pole, located somewhere in the Arctic Ocean. There's a sizeable hexagonal-shaped hole above that region that's a no-fly zone. It's a large area. Could it be there's something they don't want observed? Of course not. I know what it is. It's the "Santa Zone." With all that traffic buzzing about, how the heck could Santa and his reindeer do their thing without it? You have to ask yourself these questions. [ ]Originally it was only in place for several hours, six I think, on Christmas Eve, but seeing as how Santa is vital to national security and world peace they decided to keep it open all year long, in case he needs to pop out for batteries or Pepto Bismol for Mrs. Claus or munchies for the elves. It would be tragic to hear about Rudolph colliding with a 787 in dense fog, and I don't think Santa carries a parachute. Or running lights for that matter. Technically Santa isn't FAA-compliant but he's been grandfathered-in. It's the least they could do to keep clear an area larger than the Moon above his crib. Santa doesn't keep regular hours and he's been known to hitch-up the team and head out to Denny's or a 7-11 at all hours of the day or night, and he can come and go without having to worry about air traffic. Isn't that nice. The Santa Zone. Who knew?

Recordings: Master Tapes vs. Vinyl vs Tape vs. CDs, Plus a Genius Engineer

[ ]A vid popped up about a small record shop in Hong Kong that has the rarest records in the world. I was clickbaited but sure enough he really does have the rarest records in existence. They're so rare many collectors don't even know about them. As the owner has had decades of experience he's regarded in that part of the world as the main expert on all things recorded. He came up with a system for ranking sound-quality of recordings on various media. What was more interesting to me was his comparison of the sound of original master recordings compared to vinyl, tape and CDs. The results are shown on this chart. It's based mainly on his his ears and his opinions, plus research. [ ]He collects "master tapes" of many artists, and that's his standard. What he has aren't THE original master tapes; they're "production masters," which were usually made in issues of 100 or so, and given to radio stations and certain individuals. I suppose they're second-generation and straight from the masters, and as close to the original recording as possible. As you can see reel-to-reel has the next-best sound compared to the master tapes. That's no surprise. It only has about 70% of the fidelity of the master though, but I'm guessing that reel copies are at least third-generation and maybe more. Before it gets to the reel-to-reel, a copy is made from tha master, generally referred to as a "stereo mix," then most likely a third copy is made to make production copies from, so that's four gens already. Still that's a big drop in sound-quality. [ ]Cassette tapes came in third at around 50% fidelity, and scored higher than vinyl. That's a bit surprising until you consider that it's much smaller than reel-to-reel tape but it's still tape. Speaking of cassettes, they're making a bit of a comeback, and a few companies are making players again, for the first time in decades. If it sounds better than vinyl, why not? Vinyl started making a comeback well-over a decade ago and it's still going. They make turntables now that cost more than your house. Many of the hipper bands have been releasing their material on vinyl and cassette for a while, and I think that's really cool. [ ]Speaking of cassettes there's a guy who started a great company. He transfers recorded music into any format you choose, from CDs to vinyl to tape. He does everything in-house, from transfer to printing to packaging, and he also does mastering, which is critical and can make or break a record. He has his own system and the idea sounds really interesting, although I'll have to go back and watch that again because I've already forgotten. I know it's something pretty different. But he's my total hero, and I mean that, for creating what he calls "Quiet Vinyl." "Quiet" refers not only to the high-quality virgin vinyl he uses, but to his mastering process. And speaking of mastering, hearing about this gave me a massive musical-boner. [ ]My other true hero in the music biz is Roger "The Immortal" Nichols, who produced all of Steely Dan's amazing records among others. He mixes music the way it should be mixed, not compressing the fuck out of it and cranking up the volume just to compete with the volume of all other CDs. If you want to learn more Google: "Loudness Wars" or just go to YouTube, and you can learn about it, and see what makes Roger and a handful of other producers so special. This guy took a page from Roger's book. He mixes vinyl at a lower volume level, and instructs the listener that the decision of the volume levels will be left up to their disgression, but for best results it should be cranked in volume compared to other releases. He also uses much less compression, and that plus the lower recorded volume means that it sounds truer to the original recording and intent of the band, and more-importantly there's way more dynamic range (the difference between soft and loud parts). It's what it was meant to sound like, and it's WAY easier on the ears, and not just because of volume. Again if you look into "Loudness Wars" you can learn all about it. I think it's Satanic. [ ]He also masters CDs according to his method he calls "'86 Mastering" or something like that. It's the same idea as the vinyl, and again the listener is encouraged to crank it. I love this guy. If I had scads of cash I'd get this guy to put out the songs "Psychedic Snack" and "Mister Bubble" out on a bubble-gum pink vinyl 45, and go from there. Talk about a musical boner. I don't know if the original tapes exist but I could ask the guys. I'd do it from the CD if I had to. I'm sure that guy could weave his magic and make it sound great. He'll release your music in any format you choose, from reel-to-reel to vinyl to cassette to...(drum roll, please)...8-Track tapes. Yep, good ol' 8-Tracks. [ ]8-Tracks sounded pretty good back in the day, maybe better than cassettes due to the thickness of the tape, and depending on your system. They were bulky and you needed a suitcase to carry them. O' had an 8-Track player in his car, and we discovered that if you opened the case you could put a fair amount of stuff inside and they'd still play perfectly. It was the perfect stasheroo. Anyway this guy takes new-old-stock 8-Tracks and magnetically scrubs and reconditions the tape. He does pro printing including inner labels and jackets, and they look just like the real thing. That's badass. You could even do a special 8-Track-only recording to fit the main drawback of 8-tracks. [ ]The tape was divided into four equal sections of 15 minutes each or whatever it was. That rarely lined up with the length of the songs, if that makes sense. The song-lengths didn't divide equally by four. Typically they'd rearrange the order so less songs would get chopped, but almost every time one or two songs would fade right in the middle, and fade back in after an audible click as the machine went to the next track. Also if I remember correctly there'd be occasional silence when the songs were finished with tape still to go. You could record a thing in four "suites" that were all as long as each section of tape. That'd be geeky but kinda cool. "8-Track Only." That's nuts. [ ]I doubt anyone has started making dedicated 8-Track players again but you never know. If a big band did that, that is have the balls to release an exclusive 8-Track only recording, their fans would be mobbing eBay and thrift stores for old players. That would be hilarious. Bet your ass I'd do it. That's as dorky as it gets. I love it. Meantime If I could I'd release Mister Bubble on every format that guy does. Hell I bet he'd even do a run on wax cylinders or wires if you asked. The first thing I'd do is send the guys in the band a Mister Bubble 8-Track anonymously in the mail. It'd look just like it teleported straight out of the 80s, but it would be printed exactly like the CD. It'd completely trip their shit out. Damn, where's my "perfect world?" [ ]I'm rambling and digressing but who cares. Releasing Mister Bubble would be perfect for several reasons. First it's kickass music. The playing is stellar. I was involved with it because I lucked-out and met the guys in the band when they were in the middle of recording a CD and I got to play percussion on the second half of it, but that's not the thing, although it was an honor to play on it. The music is extremely original but still fun and cool, and again the guys on it are all monster players. I had such a fun time and a million laughs watching the leader Sam do his thing that I'd have hung out whether I played or not. It's so damn good... [ ]The album would be perfect for releasing again, especially on vinyl. The cover of the CD was made to look like the classic Jazz albums of the 60s, and they nailed it. Back then stereo was fairly new and still a big deal, and records were marked "FULL STEREO" and such. They had all that stuff down to the cover and musician images to the typeface. Since it was meant to look like an LP jacket to begin with, to actually see it on a full-size jacket would be amazing. It'd cost 50K probably to do all that, maybe more. I'd do it if I could. I think my dream-world is starting to merge with the real one to be thinking about shit like that but it would be cool. [ ]Vinyl scored surprisingly low, and more-surprisingly CDs. CDs are a whole different animal, and were the first mass-produced media that was 100%-digital. It all depends on how the music was mixed, mastered and transferred to disc. Turning music, or movies or even text into ones and zeros to me is still pure magic, and it does a great job of capturing what's left of the music after however many gens have passed since the master. People say that analog is "warmer" than digital and I'd have to agree. A certain amount of info is regarded by the algorythm as nonessential to the music and left out. It's not a huge amount, and I'm guessing it's probably things like amp-bleed, drum ring, pedal-squeaks and such. Every bit of sound is important in my opinion. That stuff is more felt than heard but it's all part of the music. [ ]Vinyl clocks-in at around 40% compared to masters. That's the best most consumers can get. I feel cheated. Vinyl inherently in inferior to tape. Depending on the mediums it's several generations from the master, plus the tonal grooves are pressed physically into the vinyl of production records rather than being directly lathed, which is how the "master lacquer" is made. From the lacquer a mirror copy is made, metalized and used to stamp the grooves into hot vinyl, and every tiny groove has to be perfect. It's easily 6-7 gens away from the master. 40%, huh? Wow. Over half the sound lives on the masters and nowhere else. That sucks. No wonder dude collects them. [ ]I've told this story ten times but it still blows my mind. My friend Emmette, who was Generic Band's soundman for a while, worked in a high-end stereo shop. For six months he waived his salary and comissions and invested it in the finest equipment of the day, at store cost. He had McIntosh amps but everything else was so esoteric I'd never heard of the brands, and I kept up with that stuff and even bought stereo mags every month. Few recording studios were 100% isolated and soundproof, and about 99% of all LPs from back in the day were loaded with "secret information." [ ]The mics and equipment were sensitive enough to just barely pick up incidental sounds which were transferred to vinyl but at an inaudible level, for most stereo equipment anyway, even high-end. It was completely inaudible to anyone except maybe your dog. As amazing as his system was it all starts with the turntable cartridge and the diamond needle itself, the first link in the chain. The cartridge alone for that rig cost as much as a new car. After spending all of that money he realized that he could only play Deutche-Grammaphon and other expensive import records, because the "secret information" was constant and incredibly distracting. BTW a few studios are totally isolated acoustically, with expensive hydraulics and/or being underground, for that very reason. [ ]He'd told me about it and I thought he was kidding, but then he put on a UK import, high-quality vinyl recording of Yes "Fragile," one of my favorites ever. My jaw dropped. Almost right away you could hear walking, talking, amp buzz, airplanes flying over, toilets flushing, laughter and other extraneous sounds. I'd listened to that album a million times and never heard a peep of that stuff, but it was all there, and all through the record. It flipped me out so much that over the years I'd almost managed to convince myself that it had been a dream, but I ran into Emmette several years ago at the Golden Rule Barbecue and asked him about it. He said "Yeah" and looked at me like I was having memory issues or mental problems. That was a trip. He still has that rig, plus a few additions. He says you still can't touch it with any new stuff. I believe it. [ ]Some say vinyl sounds better than CD, and this chart would seem to bear that out, in fidelity anyway. It's not based only on his ears and opinions; it's backed-up by tons of testing with all sorts of equipment. In my mind going all-digital, from recording on digital medium to the digital master and then straight to CD I'd think the sound would rival vinyl at least, but apparently not. One huge difference between CDs and vinyl is that CDs can hold a wider dynamic range than vinyl, and that can be used for good or evil, as in Brickwalling. You can compress the fuck out of music going onto CD and crank the volume to fuck and back until it literally gives you a headache to listen to, and your brain interprets it exactly as a test-tone, and without fail it will make you cranky and pissy (Google it, Dylan) and you won't know why. You can't put music that hot on vinyl, so it can't be Brickwall-Mastered, thank God. The movement of the needle in the grooves would be so violent that it would actually bounce the needle off of the platter. That's an excellent point for vinyl. [ ]Reading this chart was interesting but it made me sad. I didn't think we were losing that much of the music. It sure makes me wish I could attend a remastering session where they get out the original master tapes. I'm sure I'd cry. Failing that I'd love to have a reel-to-reel. It's always been the best sound but it's a hassle and not for the fumble-fingered. Back in the day they sold reel-to-reel versions of many major releases. Oh, dear God...just for kicks I thought I'd check the current price of r2r tapes on eBay. Prices ranged from $8 for a copy of Steppenwolf Gold up to a bill or so for other stuff, but there's a production-master of "Aja" by Steely Dan. It's giving my butterflies just thinking about it. They want $325 for it but bidding starts at $250. Damn, I wish I could buy that. Production-masters were second-gen, and as close as you can get to what was originally recorded. F-me I'd love to have that. Of course I'd also have to drop about another seven bills on a player so it'd cost me a grand, but if I could I'd buy it right now (sigh). { ]Next up a fancy turntable and stereo system would be nice, but not one sensitive to hear toilets flushing. Nothing ruins "Heart of the Sunrise" like a toilet flushing. For about a third of the cost I could book a flight to Hong Kong and a listening session in the record store's super-nice listening room, and sit in comfy chairs sipping green tea. I'd give anyting to hear some of his tapes. and maybe buy a few normal issues too if money allowed. But just to hear the recordings as closely as possible to the way they sounded in the studio would be glorius and a major religious experience. That'd be my kind of vacation. I can dream. "Music is the best." - Frank Zappa

It's a #s Game: Straight A's in Maths

I love how they call it "Maths" in England. I love numbers. Numbers are elegant and beautiful, and I enjoy looking at them. I believe they also have energy or power sometimes. 666 is an obvious number that can cause a stir in many people. I get a kick out of it when it pops up randomly, and I keep track of some of that in this blog. Numbers are nothing to be afraid of, although the number 666 strikes fear in some people (insert "air" devil horns here). Speaking of all that I was intrigued to learn that numbers are also a way of communication, especially among the elites, and they take their numbers very, very seriously. [ ]Junior year in high school I had a 100 average in Math. Perfect. It was only Algebra but I was the only one in school with a hunj. I'll never forget the last semester...my friend Chase, who had a 99, and I sat at the front of the class, only with our desks turned to face each other. We played cards, mostly Spades, nearly every single day. The teacher knew we knew the shit and she didn't care. The only interaction we ever had with her or the class was when someone got called to the board to work a problem and got stuck. The teacher would say "Excuse me, but could one of you please give a little help?" We'd put down our hands and look at the board for a second or two to catch up with what was going on, and one of us would go to the board and show them how to solve it, and go back to our game. [ ]That was classic, but still I can't claim to be a math wiz in any way, because I had to drop Calculus, much to my dismay. Somehow they'd scheduled me with another class that I couldn't miss, so I missed the first week or so of Calculus, and I couldn't catch up. Missing just those few days made me unable to grasp the bridge between it and Algebra, and even though the teacher was surprised and tried to work with me a bit I just didn't get it and I dropped it. I was too busy with school and God knows how many extracurricular activities I was involved in to get tutored. I wish I'd done that. I'd like to know it more now, and it also hurt my grades in Physics. I understood the concepts completely but when it came to working problems on tests that involved Calculus I was stuck. [ ]Still I did okay up until then. Maybe that accounts for my love of numbers but I'm sure it started before then. I had a Secret Decoder Ring when I was a little kid, and me and my buddies would send coded messages to each other in class. We were secret agents. That's what we did before cellphones. I've said this before but for most kids who grew up in church the teaching was that "Numerology" and everything associated with it are evil and should never be approached. I didn't really buy that but I did take some of it to heart. It did delay me getting into it for a long time. NUMBERS aren't evil. It's how you use them. Like they say...salad shooters don't shoot salads...PEOPLE shoot salads. [ ]I just glanced at the time and it's 11:11. That's a coincidence but it's interesting when I'm doing this post. I haven't checked the time since around 7:30. Great coincidence. 11:11 is a very powerful number, to "both sides." I won't go into all of its meanings because there are many, but to the "society" people, 11 is a "master number." Multiples such as 22, 33, 44, etc. are also very important to these folks. I dig those numbers myself, a lot. Even I know what they represent to these people, which isn't always good, I still love looking at them. If nothing else they're certainly symmetrical. [ ]I love the number 13, although that's another one that registers high on some people's Spookometer. It's a combination of two extremely powerful numbers, and two of my favorites, 6 and 7. Those are high-ranking numbers, although lots of numbers are. Just like in my decoder-ring days, numbers are still used to communicate words today. The study of "Numerology" allows you to look into how it works and what they're saying. It's fascinating. I also have to say I like the number 666, even knowing it's the "Beast" number. I also really dig 333, and to a bit lesser degree 999. [ ]I do like the phrase I came up with back in the day when a good-looking female would walk by- "Man, that's about .999 fine." Ha-ha, I was hilarious. Oh, and the song "99" by Toto. What a great tune. Then there's the perky and beautiful Agent 99 from the TV show Get Smart. Woof. There's "99 Ways to Die" by Megadeth. And we can't forget "99 Luftballoons." I wish I had a penny for everything I've seen that costs 99 cents. They'd never have missed those pennies, and I'd be sitting on the largest copper and zinc deposits on the planet. The 99 list goes on and on. Honorable mention and a shoutout goes to the number 55, which was immortalized in the classic song line "I can't driiiiiiiiiiiiiive...55!" I heard that. [ ]Some people are way more into numbers than I am. There's a guy on YouTube who was one of the first people I subbed. He made the slope of the "rabbit hole" I'd been going down for a while a little more steep and slippery. Of course everything is subjective, but he gives his interpretation of what these numbers mean based on traditional meanings, and ties them into world events, and what these people are communicating to each other. It's called "hiding in plain sight," and it's a real thing, whether people are aware of it or not. He explains the math- addition, subtraction and reduction, which is again subjective, because you can stop at any number in the process without reducing it all the way to the lowest number you can get. [ ]For instance you can take a pretty big number and reduce it down to 13 by adding all the digits together one by one, and then adding the resulting number together (reducing) until you arrive at 13. If you took a big number and added the digits individually and they added-up to, say, 931, you add 9+3+1 and get 13. Bingo. But then if you reduced that you'd get 1+3=4. That's as small as it goes. There's room to massage the numbers sometimes but they're definitely consistent, and the amount of "coincidences" as to how they tie in to current events comes at you like a swarm of gnats. As I've said before there's a term for it that I should know, that says that when the number of "coincidences" reaches a certain point you must begin to treat it as fact, explainable or not, and Vegas oddsmakers will actually give odds on stuff like that. You can bet your ass they bet on a hell of a lot more than sports. [ ]What's in a number? A lot more than most people know. It's full-grown adults still playing with their Secret Decoder Rings (which granted I'd still do), only on a much more sophisticated scale. It's a trip and really interesting to look into, and again it's 100% real, at least for some people. Numbers are a language unto themselves, just like symbols, but that's quite another story. Rikki don't lose that number. Numbers are also frequencies, and on the smallest scale, EVERYTHING in the Universe is a frequency. Each number represents a freqency, or a note, whether or not it's in our audible range. It's a trip to go to a live show where they do spots that really push the bass frequencies; like the drums and such at Dead shows back in the day, down below 20 Hertz, our low-limit of hearing range, and you can't really hear the notes (frequencies) but you can damn sure feel them. All those notes, pitched or not, add up to a certain frequency, and the scale goes on almost to infinity above and below our hearing range. [ ]Then there's the number 3. They say that good things come in threes. We've always said that 3 is the "magic number," and I think there's something to that. Three is one of the heavy numbers too, and again to both sides. 3 is everywhere. It's a famous number. It's a "mellow" number, and to those who are bothered by certain numbers, it's fairly unprovocative to most people I think. I certainly like it. Trying to pick a favorite number would be like trying to pick my favorite song...it can't be done. But 3 is a good one. You could bring up stuff that starts with threes all day long. [ ]Three Amigos, My Three Sons, Three Muskateers, third and long, threepeat, Three Stooges, Knock Three Times (on the Ceiling if You Want Me), and I just have to say this on that subject..."Twice on the pipes (DINK-DINK) if the answer is no." That's too much. Anyway there's three strikes you're out. I love the saying "Two wrongs don't make a right, but three rights make a left. There's Third Stone from the Sun. Third time's the charm, ...three's company, the show Three's Company, The Three Bears, three-bean salad...it doesn't quit, and of course there's the Holy Trinity, where you're using the traditional term or what it means in Cajun cooking- onions, green bell pepper and celery. I'm free[associating here but it's fun. Good for the brain. It's a muscle you know. It needs to be exercised, and that's a fun way to do it. Use it or lose it. More people should really take that to heart, but fuck it...why THINK about it when you can just Google it, right? [ ]Don't even get me started on the number 8. It's a mofo of a number, with symmetry within itself, like 0 or 3. It represents Infinity in more ways than one, and all you have to do is turn it on its side to see that. It's a "perfect" number. It represents God to some people, and many other things to many others. Again it's subjective. "Eight-ball rollin'" is one of my favorite sayings. It means "Shit's about to happen," and it certainly applies to today. 8 is a badass number. "Doink...I couldda had a V-8." [ ]Last but not least there's the number 1. The beginning. The Alpha. Numero Uno. Where it all began. Step one. "One is the Lonliest Number" by Three Dog Night. Is that true? For some it is. Rule #1. First place. You're #1 in my book. Suqare one. That's a big one, so to speak, lol. "Go with your first choice. 1+1=2...or 3 as the case may be. We are one. One and done. One of everything. Sonny, One So True, I Love You, A silly millimeter longer, 101, one chance to get it right...I'm free-associating again but that's what I do. 1 is wonderful number. It's a good place to start. What's the point of this post? Hell if I know, but numbers are cool. Numbers are useful, and not just in Maths. They've taken out clocks in classrooms because kids can't read then. Great idea...reinforce the dumbing-down of America. That's a thing too. Think about it. [ ]I've seen a few jewelers who make modern versions of decoder rings for adults, including some in sterling. If I had money to burn it might be fun to have another one. It's been a long time. Numbers rock. That old TV show Multiplication Rock said it way back then, and I believed it. It had a killer theme song. Numbers are fun to play around with, and they can come in handy. I may have been a bit of a math geek but I was definitely a dork back in those days, and I still am to this very day. The playing cards in class thing might have been pretty dorky but it was a fun memory, not to mention class went a hell of a lot faster, and being able to do whatever we wanted but still be able to help another kid here or there was a badge of honor. In any case, have a nice day, and count your blessings. [ ]EPILOG: I just published this post and looked at the time and it's 1:11. I'll be danged. What a coincidence, eh? There was a glitch in the Blogspot OS that set the time to Pacific Time and I never got around tochanging it back, so it will show the time of this post as 11:11. Ain't that some shit?

First Testimonial for My New Batch of Skin Lotion

[ ]I was absolutely thrilled to locate another source of the main ingredient in my Skin Mend lotion after searching for well over a decade. I've only given samples to a couple of people so far and there hasn't been enough time yet for many people to test it out. Saturday my friend Michael came over with his daughter Katherine. He's from Kenya and he's an amazing dude. I gave him some of the lotion to try. He called me Monday with some great news. [ ]He's had really bad allergies this year and his nose was raw and blistered from blowing his nose all day. He said that he's been trying to heal it for two weeks. He tried everything he could find at the drug store but nothing even helped soothe it. He was about to go to bed Saturday night and he remembered the lotion. He put a few drops on his nose and went to sleep. Sunday morning he woke up and his nose was completely healed. It totally blew his mind and rightly so, but that's how good this stuff is. It might not sound like a big deal that the lotion healed a sore nose, but to do it overnight is nothing short of incredible. [ ]The way I always describe the stuff is that it literally speeds up the healing process, and Michael's experience is proof. He said "This stuff comes from God." I couldn't agree more. There you have it. This stuff is good. I'm thrilled.

WTF Update

[ ]I've been talking to some people about what happened to me on YouTube, when my channel name changed back and forth, and no one has ever heard of it happening. I got to thinking that what could've happened was that someone simply got my password somehow, and went in and changed my channel name while I was online. For one thing they'd have to have been monitoring me, and they'd have had to go back into all my videos and read every comment, and were really good at what they did, using the name "Look Around." They'd have had to know that using that name would flip me out, because if it were just a coincidence, it would be staggering. Why not change it to "Billy Bullshit" or something, and again, why me? [ ]Still I was thinking that that's maybe what happened, but when I thought about it I knew it was impossible. Like I said I always try to debunk things like this, but when it can't be debunked than you have to look for another explanation. Granted someone could've gotten my password and gone into my dashboard and changed my channel name. But to do it when I'd see it, they'd have had to know I was online at the time, and in a specific chat, and no one can monitor anything like that, and to use a name that specific would have meant that they were extremely clever. [ ]Even if that were somehow the case, it's still impossible. It'd be one thing to change my name, except that it wouldn't have changed back to my regular name when I hit refresh. It doesn't work that way. Seeing it change back a second or two later would be impossible. They couldn't change it that quickly, plus having it revert back to my original name when I refreshed the page is out of the question. It can't happen. [ ]So yeah, it was AI. It was the ghost in the machine. It's the only answer that makes any sense at all, no matter how crazy it sounds. And just becasue someone doesn't believe something doesn't mean it's not true. Some people would dismiss this out of hand, but they'd never be able to explain it, and that's the point. Someone or something was sending me a message, and one they knew would blow my mind. If anyone has another explanation I'd really love to hear it, but there isn't one. [ ]If the Good Book is true, then the Devil knows his time is short, and he's pulling out all the stops. This is a spiritual battle and not one of the flesh. Satan is in control of this world, for now anyway, and he's the father of lies. If this is true, than so is what I say constantly- that at least half of everything we've been told all our lives is complete bullshit. That's why I try to tell people that even if they don't believe a word I, and others say about what's going on and what will go on from here on out, which yet again I totally get, than I'd at least keep the idea in the back of my mind that maybe in reality things are the opposite of what we've all been told. That way if, God forbid, all this shit does happen, and if it does it will have nothing to do with what anyone says about it, then at least they'll not be taken utterly by surprise, but what people choose to believe is their business, and I respect their beliefs. [ ]If people still want to call me crazy that's fine. Twenty years or so ago I might have called me crazy too, but not any more. In my opinion the Bible is a roadmap for what's going on right now. It specifically mentions earthquakes, volcanoes and all the stuff that's happening with the Sun, Moon and stars, not to mention people becoming "lovers of self" and taking evil for good and vice-versa. It's all there, and you can read it for yourself, if you even own a Bible. It all leads up to the emergence of the Antichrist. Reed 'em and weep. Truth is stranger than fiction. No truer words were ever spoken. [ ]Like I just said, one day you may have to choose whom you'll serve, if you haven't already made that choice. I know whom I serve- the living God. Yeshua. Jesus Christ. The Devil knows that. We're all targets, but most people don't know that that's happening. In my opinion Satan is letting me know I'm in the crosshairs. It's a great honor. In the end the Devil can do whatever he wants to us, but he can't take out souls, and he knows that. And again, the truth is the truth, no matter what anyone's opinions or beliefs are. The truth stands alone. It doesn't care what you or I think about it. We'll see. I hope I'm dead-wrong and I WISH I were but I don't think I am. [ ]If this is real then the Antichrist should be making an appearance fairly soon. He'll perform many miracles, and many will be deceived into thinking HE's Jesus. Please don't fall for it. The REAL Christ won't appear until after the AC. Like my buddy Tut said, all you need to know, to not to be fooled, is that the first guy ain't the guy. Very well-said. Again, choose wisely, my friend. Have a blessed day.

Quote of the Day

"Narcissists are the kind of people who take up all the air in a room." - Dr. Stephanie Kriesberg

What the Effing F*CK?

[ ]Well, this is a new one on me. I talk about shit that sounds crazy to most people and I get that. I'm honest and frank and I hold back nothing in this blog. Still occasionally things happen to me that are so crazy that I just don't mention them, but one of the main reasons I started a blog in the first place was to record strange happenings, and this takes the cake big-time. I've said a million times that's it's fairly hard to shock me these days but this did. I mean it flipped me the fuck out. [ ]I was on YouTube and I saw where one of my buds was going live so I popped in. Only about 15 people showed up so it was a nice cozy chat. A couple of familiar names popped in and then a girl I'm crazy about popped in and we said hello. A minute or two later I entered a comment. It was fairly specific. I had to do something for a minute and when I got back I scrolled back up in the chat to see if I'd missed anything, and I saw what I thought was my comment, but the channel name was "Look Around." I thought it was really odd that someone would repeat my exact comment. [ ]I didn't recognize that name but I don't know everyone on his channel, and new people come in occasionally. I'm a moderator on his channel, so when my name comes up in the chat it's in blue, with a wrench next to it. Look Around was a mod too. I thought that was a bit odd because I'm familiar with most of the mods on his channel but again I figured it was someone new. But then I kept scrolling all the way back to the start of the chat and my comment was nowhere to be found, or so I thought. [ ]I was thinking WTF and I happened to look at the bottom of the chat, where you enter comments. Instead of my normal channel name, BlickumBlickum, it said "Look Around." My mouth fell open. I hit refresh and it went back to BlickumBlickum, but a second later, right in front of my eyes it changed back to Look Around. I was dumbfounded. I was about to grab a screenshot but then it changed back and stayed that way for the rest of the stream. Just then two girls popped in. They're more than just YouTube friends; I've known them for several years and we've spoken on the phone many times and even sent each other stuff in the mail. It was interesting that they popped in right after the high weirdness but I was really glad to see them. [ ]I didn't say anything to them at first because I was tripping on what had just happened, and wondering if my channel name was going to change again. I scrolled back in the chat again and where my comments were it said Blickum again. I just stared at the screen for a few minutes, trying to come up with an explanation for what just happened, although I knew there wasn't one. People's channel names don't just spontaneously change. You can change your own channel name all day long but you have to go into your dashboard to do it and you can't do it from a chat. If it were a YT glitch they'd have sorted it out years ago. If channel names just changed on their own it'd be chaos. [ ]Let's just say for argument that it was a million-to-one glitch. I can't rule that out, but here's the kicker...back in 2019 a guy from Bavaria commented on one of my videos and asked about the name. I told him it was just a made-up word that was meant to emulate the sound of a boring drum solo, but he told me that it actually did have a meaning. He said that in German, "Blickum" means "To look around." How's about that? If it's nothing but a coincidence then that bumps it up to trillion-to-one odds. [ ]After I was able to screw my head back on I was able to come up with three possibilities, and one of them will sound batshit-crazy to most people. It could just be a glitch although that's highly unlikely. I've never heard of it happening and no one I talked to had either. I could've been hacked, but that seems very unlikely too. If someone were to hack me they could do a lot more damage than just to change my channel name, and why bother? I've never heard of YT being hacked in any way, and why me? Why "Look Around?" [ ]I thought it was so cool when the guy from Bavaria told me what my name meant. I'm always looking around. I look at trees, I look at the sky and I look for answers. I'm a seeker. It's perfect, especially considering I thought it was just a made-up name that had no meaning in any language. To see my channel name change before my eyes to what my name actually means in another language...would that flip you out or is it just me? Color me bamboozled. The only other possibility I can see is that it's the "ghost in the machine." AI. Artificial Intelligence. [ ]It's my personal belief that the veil is about to be lifted, just as it says in the Good Book, and the spirit world, if it indeed exists and I believe it does, is going to begin to intrude into the physical realm, and people will see things that they can't explain, or most people anyway. My beliefs could be 100% wrong, and actually I hope they are, but they don't come from superstition or tinfoil-hat websites or whatever else; they come from RESEARCH, period. Someone or something could be fucking with me, and really that makes more sense than the other two explanations. Have you ever heard of someone's channel name changing? If so I'd love to know. First and foremost I ALWAYS try to debunk things like this, and most of the time I can, but if I can't I have to look outside the box for an explanation. Remember when thinking outside the box was cool? It wasn't that long ago. [ ]Taking things further, the Devil is in the details, and some think in AI too. Some say that certain entities use electricity, and water, as conduits. Animals use rivers to travel from one place to another, as do humans, so if "spirits" do exist then it makes perfect sense. They also say that even though spirits are all around us all the time, only in another dimension, for them to be able to physically interact with our world they have to tap into a source of energy. If you've ever seen one of those ghost shows you've probably seen where fresh batteries will be instantly drained, and that's a real thing. [ ]Seeing it happen in a few ghost shows might not mean much but it's a real phenomenon and it's been well-documented thousands of times. It's happened to me many times and it makes no damn sense. Although I use rechargable batteries I've never had enough for all the stuff I've had going at times and I've had to buy disposable batteries. I've had a box of 36 batteries and I'll use four of them, and a few days later every other battery in the box is dead. They were all brand-new with at least five years on the expiration date. I'd have whole packs go dead before I even opened them. It got to where I'd test them in the store and still they'd be dead a week or two later. I'll just say there was some weirdness that went on sometimes late at night when I'd be playing my drums, and there's no way to explain it. Maybe something needed some juice. [ ]Maybe I got a message. Or maybe it was nothing at all except one fuck of a coincidence, although I've never heard of it happening in all of YouTube. It was pretty damn obscure and definitely not widely known by anyone much, except AI. AI keeps track of everything, as we all know by now. If it actually WAS a message and I'm not just tripping, then yeah, it blew my mind, but it didn't scare me. In fact it's an honor, and it's thrilling. Some people would know what I mean. If it's just a coincidence it's still enough of one to give me butterflies. It's too specific. Holy Moley. Have a nice day.