Test for Narcissism #38

We all know people with whom having a conversation is basically a one-way deal. With people who are pathological about it it gets tiresome and it's really not worth even trying to say much of anything. They don't care what you have to say anyway. They couldn't care if they wanted to. Their brains aren't wired for that.

These people are almost guaranteed to be narcissists. They have no empathy, so they're truly unable to care about anyone or anything unless it can be of some benefit to them, or worse something to exploit or harm. It's sick but they get off on it. 

If you say something they do pay attention because they're looking for a way to use what you say to feel better about themselves. They analyze what you say, and if they can't come up with a way to top your story or completely shoot down your ideas to make themselves feel superior, which they truly believe they are, they'll completely ignore you, although they heard what you said. 

They won't even look at you. It's so incredibly rude and disrespectful but with no empathy they can't put themselves in anyone else's shoes, so they don't understand how others see them and how bad they look. 

If they don't give you the silent treatment and can't find a way to imply that you're stupid, they'll just interrupt you. That really gets old. Their stories are crazier and their jokes are funnier and their everything else is better than yours. Okay then. 

It's really a pain but to some degree you have to feel a little sorry for them, since people who treat others like that are miserable inside, but you can't feel too bad since they know right from wrong and they know exactly what they're doing. 

You might as well save your breath for someone who actually cares what you have to say, and isn't constantly trying to top you or shoot you down, or ignores you or over-talks you.

 I know it's sometimes impossible to avoid these people altogether but limit your exposure. They're toxic people. They're energy vampires. All these symptoms should raise red flags. Guard your health. Stay away from narcissists. 

THIS HAS BEEN A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT. Have a nice day.

Kindness?

 This "influencer" Jeffrey Marsh is a perfect example of the "woke" agenda. Jeff-Bob has put out several videos telling people that they should disown family members if they voted for Trump. Say what?

 The very idea should be insane by anyone's definition but that's exactly what people are doing as we speak. Is much of the world losing its collective mind? I think so.

 He and Dylan Mulvaney are making millions talking this shit. If you disagree with ANYTHING they say, it's "hate speech." Bullshit. Telling people that they're "obligated" to disown their own famn damilies because their loved ones voted for a different clown than they did? In what world is that not hate speech? Oh yeah...Clown World (insert calliope music here).

 In the same paragraph he, or she said that his, or her people treat others with kindness, and a vote for Trump was a vote against kindness. That's utter horseshit. Is disowning one's family members an act of kindness in any way?

 And BTW, I'll happily respect and use whichever pronouns they choose. I've never had a problem in my whole life calling anyone what they want to be called. I guess I was "woke" before woke was cool. Ha-ha...HA-HA-HA. Sorry, I needed a laugh.

 Can you not see the blatant hypocrisy here? Where's the acceptance they want from everyone else...where's the tolerance? Hmm? Whom do these people think they're fooling? 

 They preach inclusivity, but it only applies to those who subscribe to their woke bullshit. They want us to accept their idea that there's 187 genders, or however many we're supposedly up to by now, but they sure don't want to Include people who say there's only two. More blatant hypocrisy? You bet. 

 Yet again anyone who calls this "hate speech" is a complete moron. I don't hate ANYONE, and that includes Jeffrey. I pray for these people every day. And no, I'm not a Trumper or a right-wing conservative or a gun-toting "Christian" or any of that. Don't blame me...I voted for Zappa.

 I believe in good and evil, right and wrong, light and darkness and God and the Devil. Although it's self-mutilation at best, I believe that people should be able to lop off or augment any body part they choose, but when they think they can change the very laws of Biology by how they "identify" on a given day...well, they can believe what they wish but it's a mystery to me. 

 Have the Biology books been rewritten to include all 187 genders? I doubt it but in Clown World I guess I wouldn't be surprised. Grab some popcorn...things are about to get really interesting.

 We've heard the phrase "Practice what you preach." These woke folks don't do that at all. It's more of a "Do as I say, not as I do" thing, and Jeffrey here proves it in his or her own words. Kindness? My white ass. Wake up, people. Don't buy into the bullshit just because it's trending. Woke is a joke.

Saint B

 I love this photo of B. With the coverlet around him it looks like he has a halo or an aura, or sort of like a painting of one of the saints. I showed this to a friend who's gotten to know him, and she's going to print a copy. She has a nice rig. Her printer isn't bad either, ark ark ark. 

 She commented on how photogenic he is. Lots of people have said that. He is a looker. It really is mind-blowing to think what a chick magnet he'd be if I were 40 years younger. 

 My friend who lives in Wilsonville where I was staying and has also gotten to know him calls him "Maybelline dog" because of his natural eyeliner. In his case it's guyliner.

 He makes friends easily. When we go to the vet he's anxious like the other dogs but he's so friendly that he goes around the waiting room and greets everybody. They love him and say he's one of their best patients. They said he looks happy. That's awesome.

 People who get to know him know that he's a special animal. Several people have completely fallen in love with him. They all think he has something extra going on, and some have called it angelic. 

 I agree. I could be wrong but I think God sent him to me to show His love for me. He's the only dog I've ever gotten from a breeder. It was about a 40-minute drive each way. I called to tell them I was on the way. They said that they had two male puppies left. 

 I didn't want to have to choose and I'd have wanted to get both of them, but by the time I got there someone had gotten the other one. I think he was meant to be my dog, no matter who may or may not have had a hand in it. 

 He was eight weeks old and cute as a button. I was the first human he'd ever seen besides the couple who raised him, and when he saw me he hid. He was small enough to hide behind a 10" throw pillow. I just sat down and waited for him to come out. A minute or two later he came out and just sat there looking at me like "We're cool." "You're coming with me" I said. As Hardy would say, "It was meeyent to be." 

These pics are from his first night with me. When I saw him sitting there with that look on his face I knew immediately knew he had Buddha Nature. Within an hour he'd become master of all he could survey. 

 He was getting sleepy by 9:00 so I went to bed early. At around 3am we were both awakened by a truly rank and pungent aroma that was powerful enough to wake us both up. We both farted in our sleep at the same time. It was pretty rugged. 

 I had some unusually heinous gas, and while puppy breath is one of the greatest aromas on the planet, puppy farts are a different story. The combination of the two farts was like chemical warfare or something. I woke up with a stankface and he woke up sneezing. That was funny. We bonded over poots.

 For the record his registered name is Doctor Octafer's Herbert Sherbert. His mother's name is Delilah and his father's name is Digger. He has a million nicknames. With the exception of nicknames like "Asswipe" and such, nicknames are terms of endearment. 

 He wags his tail so much that if I could harness that energy I could go off the grid. He's a goodwill ambassador. If he wasn't such a hellion and a life-support system for a nose, I might not even think he's a dog.

 He's a sweetheart, and that's an angelic quality. I don't suppose I can nominate him for sainthood but I can add another nickname to the list- Saint Bertram. He's a goodun. Bless his heart. 

'Bye Flies

I can't believe that these two flies have been here nearly the whole time we have. I mean I couldn't pick them out of a fly lineup or anything but I've never seen any more and they're always hanging out together.

 Steely Dan once sang: "Bold...daring...no flies on me." That hasn't exactly been the case with these guys. Occasionally they take turns divebombing B and me and they work as a team. In fact one of them just buzzed my ear, and the other one landed on my thumb. They don't push their luck with B too much because he's quick, but they're quicker.

 For reference purposes I'm going to call them Betty and Bro, after two black cats my gf Kelly and I had, and who were in turn named after two other black cats, a guy and his wife who worked at the crazy restaurant. 

 They made one final appearance right before we left. The door was open for twenty minutes and they didn't try to leave. This one didn't fly away even when I got a foot away to take this photo. They've gotten used to us and who knows...maybe they'll miss us. 

 I left them a piece of cheese and some chips, which should hold them until Spring anyway. Godspeed Betty and Bro, and Happy Trails 2U! Y'all are quick. 

 

One More from the Lake

 I've calmed down a little about leaving this place. I know it has to happen for now, but I'll be back. Someone put up some nice lights across the highway. This image came out a bit blurry but it looks a lot cooler than the one that wasn't. 'Tis the season. 

B is taking full advantage of the place for as long as he can. He one by one pulled things out of the garbage if they had one molecule of food in them. Finally he got tired of being systematic and so he knocked over the whole dang thing. He's a hellion. 

 I hope that wherever the wheel turns it drops us somewhere where we can put down roots for a while. I may be wrong but I do believe God has opened doors for me, and hopefully He'll open a few more. A tolerant woman would be okay too.

 God helps those who help themselves, and I'm willing to work very hard to help those doors open. I've certainly done it before. God is good. Happy Holidays!

Nature Boys

 I'm leaving the lake place in the morning and I'm packing up. I feel awful right now...almost physically sick. I'm feeling so many different things that I guess my brain doesn't know which chemicals to release so it just released them all. It's very uncomfortable.

 Part of it is not knowing what's next, but something feels wrong about leaving. There were a few other disadvantages to this place that I didn't mention. I never could get my drums down here, which would've totally changed things. We couldn't get much exercise because we were surrounded by water on two sides, a large fence and a highway on the other two. 

 I thought I'd be mobile three months ago but it didn't happen. Mostly I sat in the place all day long. Thank God for my dog. Speaking of B, I've mentioned it already but it's amazing how guilty I feel taking him away from here. He'll be fine but he loves it here way more than in the city. 

 I also had to go through losing my mom while I was here, and alone to boot. Again I thank God for my dog. For about three weeks after she passed I couldn't get more than two hours of sleep a night. I just stared at the walls all night long, and I was so ready to get out of here I couldn't stand it. Now I feel bad about leaving. 

 I think it's the thought of leaving Nature. I hate leaving the fresh air too. It's been very healing for both of us. I can easily feel the difference and so can B. We're both Nature boys. 

 I've mentioned this many times but it's been scientifically proven that our brains need some sort of a connection to Nature in order to function properly. I could've told you that without any scientific studies. It literally recharges our batteries. 

 My instinct is to stay right where I am, but I can't. I've got to get my shit together and for now that requires being near civilization. I do wish I could fill up a bunch of scuba tanks with the air out here, and breathe it when I get back to the city. 

 I hope I can shake this feeling. If I do get my shit together I'll definitely be getting back into Nature as often as I possibly can. I'll be apologizing to my dog the whole way back into town. Sorry dude! We'll be back.

Goodbye Sky

 B and I just went for our last good nighttime walk here at the lake. Tomorrow night will be cloudy and we're leaving Thursday morning. We had a good time. It's getting chilly at night but we love this weather. 

The neighbors had just put up Christmas lights. When B saw them he started barking like crazy. He's only barked at night here once or twice, like the night we got buzzed by a heron. I couldn't imagine what he was barking at until I got closer and saw the lighted deer. That was funny.

 Like I said he loves it here so much that I hate taking him back to the city, but I need to be around people again, at least occasionally. As long as B has me close by he's fine no matter where we are, but he likes being around people too. 

I'm going to Jumpstart my return to society Thursday night. A good friend of mine invited me to a party, and it's going to be a good one. These people are my true BFFs...people I went to school with or worked with at the crazy restaurant, and all of them fans of the bands I was in. They're good people.

  Next month I'm going to a fundraiser in memory of a friend of mine. Her best friend is a girl I dated many Moons ago, and she'll be there. It should be interesting. I think I still remember how to talk to other people. I've kept in practice by talking to my dog. He's a good listener. 

 At some point I'll be picking up the odd gig, if just filling in. I need to start making money again immediately but I'd probably be playing mostly for fun, although you never know what may come along. I'd have to whip myself back into shape in a hurry. If anything I'd play more simply, and I'm simple anyway. Simple is good. 

The cross I put over the door will be a nice souvenir of this place. It's appropriate because I believe that God likely had a hand in our being here. A dozen unlikely things came together for us to be here. I could've never imagined it, and God having something to do with it literally makes as much sense as anything else. 

 

 I'll miss the sky, the lake,  the clean air, the peace and quiet, all the creatures out here and the sounds they make, the kindness of the people here, the sister at the gas station and lots of other things, but like most people who make a living by interacting with other people, it makes more sense to be in or at least closer to the city. 

 

 I know I'll have some very interesting dreams because of staying here. I do know that it won't be as long before I get out into Nature again as it was before I came out here. I'm a Nature boy. So is my dog. Goodbye beautiful sky...for now. It's been good to see you.

Tattoo of the Day

This is badass. He'll never go gray.

 

Transfixed and Transported

My first experience with Steely Dan set the tone for my love affair with them, and explains why I'm such a fanatic. I think certain things absolutely were meant to be, and me being a Dan fan is one of them. I've told this story before but who cares? 

 When my friend Doug passed away unexpectedly a few months ago I lost half the readership of this blog as far as I know, so I'm taking to myself. It's good therapy for free. I think Doug would've liked this post. 

 The year was 1975, my senior year in high school and the year this record came out. It was the last few weeks of school and our church group had planned a trip to the beach as a last get-together before we all took off to college. 

 We'd just gotten a converted school bus, a Blue Bird I believe, and the church graciously allowed a decent budget for a stereo system. Since I was a music guy and knew a bit about stereo systems, I went to the stereo shop with my friend Jeff.

 We picked out a nice system that had a cassette player. Jeff was talking to someone he knew in the store so I walked around looking at land-based stereo systems. At the time stereo stores were big, and back then people actually got together to listen to music and nothing else. I miss those days. 

 They had various demo systems at different places in the store, and whatever LP was playing was leaned up in front of it. I was bopping around in general, checking specs and such, when I walked by one system and froze dead in my tracks. 

 

 The music literally captured me. I found myself staring at the jacket from the legendary LP Katy Lied, which is to this day one of my favorite record covers of all time. With its depth-of-field and subject matter,  presumably a Katydid, the cover photo draws you in, unless maybe you have a fear of insects. 

 But it was the music that grabbed me. It was Pop/Rock, but with the exception of artists like the Beatles, Police, Prince, Bowie and a few others, it had a level of sophistication and kickassness rarely heard in most of Pop music. It was love at first listen.

 The song Doctor Wu was playing. I was amazed by the unusual chord changes, the cool jazzy feel, making the complex sound simple and whatnot. It was so interesting and the musicianship just jumped out of the speakers.

 The vocals were incredible. The drummer was going apeshit on the outro, which was also unusual for a Pop tune. The drummer was Jeff Porcaro, and he instantly became my new favorite drummer. 

 The band was Steely Dan. I knew of them through the song on the radio about Jack going back and doing it again but that was all I'd heard. I liked the song but it hadn't hit me like Katy Lied. 

 I was effectively hypnotized. I was somewhere else, and not aware of where I was and probably who I was. I guess I was in Danland. It was wild how powerfully that music grabbed me. I was basically comatose. 

 I was brought back to reality by Jeff's hand waving in front of my face. He'd seen me standing there like a frozen dummy and he thought I was having a seizure. That wasn't the case but I was definitely seized by the music. 

 "I thought you might need medical attention" said Jeff. "I'm good man. Just listen to this stuff!" Jeff stood there listening, and a smile came across his face. He became a fan that day too. 

 I left the store with speakers in one hand and a copy of Katy Lied in the other. I couldn't wait to get home and listen to it. Thus began a beautiful friendship with the Dan that continues to this day. 

 I have to again mention another thing about them that always amazed me to the fullest. Whenever we went to a big party, we'd take turns playing DJ, and we'd spin vinyl of our favorite bands.

 I was a huge Prog head but I knew most people weren't. I'd occasionally sneak in a Prog rocker like Mountain Time by Gentle Giant, which wasn't really Prog, but mostly I'd stick to the stuff that people had at least heard of.

 The problem was that everyone wanted to hear what they liked, and alcohol made them all the more insistent. This group wanted heavy Rock; that group wanted singer/songwriter stuff; the other group wanted Top-40 and so on, and things could get heated at times.

 There was no way to please everyone...that is until I'd excuse myself and put on some Steely Dan. Those were some of the greatest Kumbaya moments I've ever witnessed...everybody there instantly became happy. 

 I felt like I was doing a great public service. I've always been a devout peacemaker if possible. Who'd have thought that you could instantly pacify 250 people just by putting on a record? No other band could do that. It was amazing.

 I can't say exactly what the mojo was but it happened every time. Maybe it was due to the fact that their music contained so many styles, like Rock, Jazz and Funk, it had something for everyone. Unknowingly the Dan were certified peacemakers. That's true power. It qualifies as a phenomenon. 

 It was like this peaceful cloud settled on the room. It changed the vibe of the toom instantly. Except for the times I went with my mom to nursing homes, where she'd sing and play guitar, and people who were total vegetables would snap to life and start singing and clapping and were even able to speak normally like nothing was wrong, I've never seen a better example of the power of music than when Steely Dan was played.

 Those are standout events, and to me, things like that are why we get involved with music to begin with. It's humbling. As Frank Zappa once said, "Music is the best!" Right on, Frank.

 I'd have gotten into Steely eventually but being instantly and totally bamboozled was a wild experience. Katy Lied has withstood the test of time and it could've been written yesterday. Some things were meant to be, and having the Dan's music in my life is one of those things. I'm very grateful.

Image of the Day

This was posted by one of my YouTube friends. YT has a community page where you can post photos, links and such. She says that it looks like a cowboy at a bar. My level of pareidolia is off the charts but I saw it immediately. It looks like he's slumped over drunk. That's awesome. Good one Michele. 

 

Syd's Synesthesia

You learn something new every day, and I'm a fool for a Rock doc. I'll watch a documentary about any band, even ones I never listened to. I'd watch a doc about the Banana Splits if they'd made one. Heck, for all I know maybe they did. I'll have to search. If they did I'll watch it.

 I was watching a thing about Syd Barrett, original guitarist and songwriter of Pink Floyd. People into "Classic Rock" history have likely heard about Syd and his misadventures.

 He was very reluctantly released from the band after he basically flew over the Cuckoo's nest. Syd was gifted but he blew a chip and only recorded one album with the band plus several singles and a few songs that were released on the next record.

 Syd fried his brain with acid, but according to several accounts by close friends who are still pissed off like I am, it wasn't his fault. He did take acid willingly, but apparently he was so entertaining when he was tripping that some of his "friends" helped him along by spiking his drinks with even more acid, to see how "out" he could get. That's uncool. That's so very uncool. 

 Like any powerful drug, exceeding the usual dose to a large degree can be extremely dangerous if not fatal. Lots of people took too much acid all at once and never completely returned from the trip. I've known a few myself. It's a very sad thing. 

 After a couple of post-Floyd solo albums that are brilliant, and a half-hearted attempt at a comeback, Syd retired from the music biz and moved in with his parents, gardening and having nothing to do with music ever again.

 He tried to live an ordinary life but the damage was done and he never recovered from his acid journeys. It's a horrible shame. He's gone now. I hope he eventually found peace. 

There's an incredible story about the time he just showed up out of the blue at the studio where Pink Floyd was recording Wish You Were Here. He wandered in and sat down without saying a word, and no one recognized him. I guess security was a bit lax in those days.

 He'd brought along a toothbrush and spent the whole time brushing his teeth in silence. I don't know if that's Rock & Roll but it's pretty out there. As if that weren't crazy enough, they happened to be recording the song Shine On You Crazy Diamond, which was a song about Syd. What are the odds?

 You can call it a coincidence all day of the week but I think that with things on that level of specificity there may be a bit more to it. That's heavy. Needless to say the band was shocked when they realized it was Syd, and most of them burst into tears.

 The doc said that when he wrote charts for songs he used colors instead of musical notes. I'd never heard that. How interesting. Syd had Synesthesia. I'm not surprised because acid can cause it, or at least enhance it.

 I've been to Dead shows tripping, and I could "see" the music coming out of the speakers. It seemed totally real and it made perfect sense. I think it's already there and acid just brings it out, but as always what do I know? I'm not a doctor. 

 Toward the end of his time with Floyd he was famous, or infamous, for doing things like going out onstage and playing a single guitar note for the entire show. Now that's Rock & Roll. 

 There's also an incident where he allegedly went onstage with a whole jar of hair cream in his hair, along with a bottle of crushed-up Mandrax tablets. Mandrax (methaqualone) was the British equivalent of Quaaludes. 

 I always thought that story was sus, and some years ago I read an interview by a member of the band who shot the story down. He said: "Syd would never waste good Mandies." I love that. 

 I'd love to see some of the charts Syd wrote and I wish I knew what chord went with what color. The doc said that to Syd, a C- Major chord was "obviously" yellow. Who am I to say that a C-Major chord isn't yellow?

 I hate that those evil assholes dosed Syd when he was already tripping heavily enough. Not only did they deprive the world of the unique music he'd have made more of, but they caused him to lose his beloved band, one that he formed. They should've been severely punished, but who knows...maybe they will be in the afterlife. Syd didn't deserve that. Rest in peace.

Lifelong Friends

 Friends come and go but lifelong friends are a different story- you can't replace them. I've bragged on my friends a million times and I treasure them, especially lifelong friends. Sometimes though we lose them too, and it can hurt.

 People have lives and families and work and all, but sometimes you're the problem. Maybe you don't have anything going on or you aren't any fun to be around any more or whatever, and slowly your friendship dissolves. 

 

 The way you know it's pretty much a done deal is that you realize that if you don't call them, you'll never hear from them because they've quit calling you. It sucks but it happens. 

 There's nothing you can do except to wish them well, know that you'll always love them and be grateful for the times you had. You have to let them go. It is what it is. 

Comment of the Day

I was talking to a friend the other day about some of our favorite singers, and Dan Fogelberg came up. He had a gorgeous voice and I thought he was a gifted songwriter. Longer is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard, and some people think it's the greatest love song ever written. 

 Way back in the Dark Ages when it first came out I played it for my mom and she loved it. She said: "God wrote that song." Although it was credited to Fogelberg I really couldn't disagree. 

 I've been thinking about my mom all day and her comment about the song popped into my head so I thought I'd give it a spin for old time's sake. 

 The first comment under the song was "The Lord wrote these lyrics." That was interesting and it brought it home for me. Maybe mom was right. Heck, maybe she and Dan are doing a duet right now. I do hope so. I love you mom. RIP Dan.

Quote of the Day

 "When exposing a crime is treated as committing a crime, we're being ruled by criminals." - Edward Snowden

ROFL/Johnny O/Fear of Reptiles/Goodbye Ed's

 My friend Bruce called last night after he'd sent me a link about a landmark pet store, Ed's Pet World, that's closing after half a century or more in business. It's a shame and it's the end of an era. I probably went there at least 350 times. Ed's a character to say the least. So was our friend Johnny Odess. 

 Bruce reminded me of a story I'd forgotten but was thrilled to hear again. I've been needing a good laugh. 

 He started telling me about one day when we all paid a visit to Ed's. As with any visit to a pet shop we were as stoned as possible. Ed didn't care. He probably was too. Ed was older and had been a real hippy. He was the last of his kind.

 I still remember the dank funkiness of the place...the aroma of fish water, sawdust and cedar shavings, animal dookie and the humidity.

 Bruce started telling me the story but he barely got past the part where we walked in before he started laughing. There was a room off to the side that served as a mini zoo, with snakes and all manner of exotic reptiles. 

 Bruce was trying to tell me the story but he couldn't talk from laughing. I heard him laugh but then he got quiet except for some squeaks and sounds as if he couldn't catch his breath. 

 He has MS and I thought for a minute that he was having some sort of attack or something. "Talk to me man" I said, but he couldn't reply. Finally I realized that he was literally helpless with laughter, so I started laughing too. We were both cracking up before he even told the story. It was great.

 We'd gone into the zoo section. There was a sweet older black women who was basically in there against her will. She had a fear of snakes but her daughter had dragged her in. 

 Johnny was wide open, and if he saw an opportunity to make merriment or cause a laugh he wouldn't hesitate. Johnny was a total hoot. We never knew what he was going to do, and that day he outdid himself.

 After several minutes of coaxing and cajoling, the daughter finally convinced her mom, bless her heart, to get closer to an aquarium which held a large green tree snake.

 Mom gingerly poked her head down toward the snake, which didn't move. "See?" her daughter said. "He won't hurt you." She hadn't figured on Johnny O. 

 Johnny got a look on his face...his trademark grin that let us know he was up to something. We braced for impact. As she inched closer to the snake, Johnny casually reached over and lightly brushed her hair with a fingertip. 

 She let out a scream that could wake the dead. She took off and ran straight out the front door. Johnny had a satisfied smile on his face and we were howling with laughter. That was classic. I'm glad she didn't have a coronary event. 

 Johnny went out and apologized to the poor woman. She laughed and playfully punched him in the chest. "Oh, YOU!" she said. Her daughter was still cracking up and she gave Johnny a high-five. 

 I doubt it did much to cure the woman's fear of snakes, but it made our day, and it made my night to hear the story again. For an older lady she could really move. Again, bless her heart. Johnny's too. 

The Lake Loon Adventure is Almost Over

 The Sun is about to set on my Lake Loon adventure. I've been living on Lay Lake out in the boonies for the last four months. It's had its ups and downs but having been cut off from Nature for years and then to be totally immersed in it was exactly what I needed. 

 The people here are genuine. They may not have all the money and the trappings that people in the city have, but they have something that money can't buy- peace and contentment.

 Many of them left B'ham, Alabam, where I grew up, to move out here to get away from that stuff, which is meaningless. They know the things in life that are truly important. 

 It may have something to do with the air out here. It's way cleaner than in the city and it's like medicine. My dog loves it here. There are totally different sights and scents and places for him to explore, but he loves the air out here too. He likes to just sit outside and breathe it all in. I can hardly get him to come back inside.

 What sold me on this place was that I can see the whole sky, which I was also mostly cut off from. I hadn't seen any meteors in over two years, which for me is nuts, but I've seen over a hundred, including the Perseid meteor shower, complete with beautiful choruses of frogs, crickets, coyotes, herons and all manor of other birds. 

We moved in in August and this was our first day. It was hot and when B saw the lake he jumped right in. He really seems at home here. The first night we sat out on the dock and listened to Nature. 

B sat there perfectly still, sniffing the air and occasionally tilting his head when he heard a new sound. He just sat there for two hours taking it all in. I've never seen him so contemplative for that long. It was funny.

We went into town, such as it is. The supermarket is old school and it's like going back in time. It's funny...the first time I went I was going out with a cart full of groceries, and I was standing in front of the exit door like a dummy, waiting for it to open, but they don't have automatic doors. 

 

 The neighbors and I have had some really nice chats and they invited me in for coffee and such. Who does that any more? I also have to say that they have some serious firepower out here. It's too far away to know who's shooting but they have lots of various calibers. I'd love to shoot some targets out here. I've heard several explosions that had to be at least half-sticks. Dang.

Here's a few images from our adventure. This is the view of the sunrise from the porch. Not bad. Here's a shot of the Moon from the porch. Not bad either.

Except for an occasional car on the highway, an occasional dog barking and all the Nature sounds, it's so quiet out here that it took my brain a few nights to recalibrate. The lack of general background city noise, plus where we were living, the occasional sound of gunfire, that wasn't target practice, the quiet was almost noisy. I loved it immediately but it was strange at first. 

The first night B basically froze in place and took in all the new sights, sounds and smells. I've never seen him stay still for so long. He was mesmerized. 

The sky was amazing. This was the "first star I see tonight." Actually it's Venus. 

The sunsets are beautiful and we've seen lots of them. 

Nights on the lake are nice too. Along with the distinctive disgruntled honk of herons flying by and many other bird sounds, fish jumping, etc., there's a chorus of frogs. Sometimes they croak in a polyrhythm of 2 against 3. I recorded it and if I had access to a studio I could add other instruments and make a song. I wish Doug was still here.

B developed a serious Chai tea habit.

Wildlife was everywhere. This is the male of a pair of herons. I've enjoyed them. 

B is into Nature too. If you look closely at the top right corner you can see the baby heron that he was looking at. Tap or click the image and you can see it.

Here he's looking intently at Daphne the duck. The first day here he was barking at her but after that he was fascinated by her. He'd probably have made friends with her if he could've. 

He never tried to go after her but he did steal some of the bread her people left out for her. I made up for it by buying a big bag of duck treats, which they actually make, consisting of oats, seeds and bugs. Heck I'd have eaten it myself. My dog sure would've if he could've.

Sadly Daphne passed away about a month ago. She lived for at least 14 years, which is longer than I might have thought a duck lives, and she lived as good a life as a duck can live. The couple who adopted her moved here 14 years ago and she was here when they moved in, so we know she was at least that old. 

She'd take off and swim across the lake like it was nothing, and among other things the lake is populated by 5' Alligator Gars. The couple who adopted her were too old to swim across the lake but they're two of the sweetest people I've ever met. They're animal lovers and sky watchers just like me.

 The first day Mr. B had never seen a duck up close and he felt like he needed to give her what for. It didn't even ruffle her feathers. The next day he quit barking at Daphne and he was cool with her, although he remained curious.

 I can't say 100% that he wouldn't have gone after her if he'd been off his leash but I doubt it. He'll see a squirrel and sometimes he'll try to take off. His intention is to catch it and possibly eat it. 

 

 It wasn't like that with Daphne. He never made a move toward her. Even when he was barking it wasn't his alarm bark or his let's go bark. It was his high pitched voice that's as much singing as barking, and it's hilarious. It's his wtf bark. 

To me some animals seem to have a little extra mojo or something...a vibe or an energy or an aura that's bigger than they are, and Daphne was one such creature. She was all over the place and in a different spot every day so she kept things interesting. She was a badass duck.

Godspeed, Daphne, and Happy Trails!

 

I put up a temporary cross with a tiny piece of Alien Tape, just because. That stuff works, for holding up little crosses anyway. God is good. 

I made about 350 Moongazers and I should've made more. These will be the Lake Loon edition. I hope I can find a new place to fire them. 

I love this photo. He's a sky-watcher like me. It's amazing how much he loves it here. I knew he would because he's always loved getting out into Nature, but he's in his element. I hate to take him back to the city. Kinda me too. 

The downside was cabin fever and being by myself for the first time. I had some visitors including a surprise visit that floored me, but mostly it's been just B and me. Aside from us these two flies have been here nearly the whole time. 

 It's just the two of them and no others. I've tried to shoo them out many times but they fly back in. Bert has tried to catch them a hundred times and he's quick but they get away. I guess I sound like some fool in prison who is so bored that he trains cockroaches, but I've gotten used to them. 

It was rough and still is losing my mom almost a month ago, being by myself. My dog knew I was sad and he paid a lot of extra attention to me. He's made friends with everyone out here. He's a jewel. 

Overall it's been an enjoyable time for me and my dog too. The clean air has done us good. We've seen and heard so many different creatures out here it's like Nature Bingo or something. 

 I'll always remember this place and I might rent it for a night or two in the future, maybe to watch a meteor shower. I'd like to be able to split the difference between the sticks and the city, and if possible I will. 

We've enjoyed our time, made some new friends, humans and animals both, 

and gotten some much needed r&r. Again I say God is good. The End. 

The New Insanity

if you doubt that the world is losing its collective mind, go to YouTube and search "lefties losing it." No matter what your party affiliation is, if you have one, you should check it out. It'd be hilarious if it weren't so disturbing. 

 People are getting divorced, disowning family members; women are swearing off men forever and worse. One deranged woman is sitting in jail with a $2,000,00 bond for "unaliving" her father with a climbing ax because he voted for Trump. When police arrived they found her clapping, and giddy with happiness. Authorities called her "unstable and dangerous." Ya think? Talk about hate speech. This is just the beginning.  

 It's deeply troubling. These people have no self control whatsoever. This is exactly why I don't get involved with politics to the degree that many of my friends do. It's "divide and conquer," which is A STRATEGY OF WAR. Believe it or not there's at least a dozen levels above the president in terms of who calls the shots in this world. 

 Whom do you think would have more influence...someone worth ten million or someone worth ten billion? The elite banking families and the military/industrial complex call the shots. If you think otherwise you need to do some research. 

 One of my main info guys was saying yesterday that as far as women swearing off men goes, we men should be happy, since it removes a good chunk of loonies from the dating pool. He's absolutely correct. 

 Nearly everything, from prices to rent to meteors to weather is ramping-up exponentially, and that includes insanity. As crazy as people are getting now, I believe it's going to get much worse. A certain book that was written 2,000 years ago said that this would happen. Coincidence? I think not. Have a nice day, but watch your back. 

Protest T-Shirt

I'm going to get a "protest t-shirt" to protest the new censorship. It's so ridiculous to have to use stupid words like "unalived," as if they don't know exactly what we mean. Nobody seems to have a problem with it, and that's sad. Then again this is Clown World, so I suppose we should expect it.

 I'm going to have a custom t-shirt printed. I'm going to find an image associated with the Grateful You-Know-What, and the text will say "Grateful Unalived." Since it's getting cold I think I'll get a long sleeve T. Only other dorks like me will get it, although my girl Marnie would get a kick out of it, and she's not a dork. Maybe it'll raise awareness. Maybe it won't.

AI's Progress: Dark Things

I've been following AI's progress as long as I've been blogging. Of course I can only observe what we're shown. I believe, like many others, that AI is light years ahead of what John Q. Public knows. I wouldn't be surprised if it's already self-aware. They tell us that hasn't happened yet but that it's a virtual certainty at some point. But is there a dark side to it?

 To me it's an amazing tool, and it's here to stay, for the time being anyway. I do know that it's way more involved in our lives than most people realize. It can be used for good; it's coming up with new medical treatments and all kinds of ways to help us by the minute, and I've used it myself, but I also think it has the potential to be extremely dangerous, and I do believe there's a dark side to it...very dark. 

 I'm not alone in thinking that way, and before you call anyone paranoid, consider that the person, civilian anyway, most involved with AI, Elon Mush, has warned about it. That's rather ironic but I listen to what he has to say. I might not agree on everything but I listen. He's a smart dude.

 Many years ago they were saying that one day we wouldn't be able to tell it from reality, and we're there. With programs such as Deep Fake and such they can create a video for example that looks perfectly real, although it never happened. That's not a good thing. 

 AI can scan a few seconds of someone talking, and produce a fake video, complete with proper mouth movements, inflections and everything else. They can make anyone say anything, and if they wanted to frame someone it's no problem. That's not a good thing. 

 The things my guys say about AI would truly blow your mind, but I won't go into them right now, because something just came up about AI that's truly disturbing. AI is now being used to create virtual "chylde p0rn." That's evil in most people's book.

 BTW don't you love how we have to self-censor these days, when they know exactly what we mean? It's a joke. To them it's the principle of the thing. It's CONTROL they want, and you can take that to the bank.

 Granted that in order for AI to create anything there has to be an imput; in other words you have to let AI know what you want it to do, but once it gets a basic outline it runs with it on its own. Does that mean that AI is inherently evil? Technically no, but it's open to debate. 

 I didn't watch the entire video that this image was taken from because I was starting to feel sick but I will at some point. I'm guessing that if and when people get caught with it, they'll try saying that since there's no real victim then there's no crime, and they'll probably get away with it. 

 This is disturbing and disgusting. It's not AI's fault that it was created in an evil world, but that doesn't say whether or not there was something dark to begin with. I know that sounds crazy to many people, but I can say, after looking into these things for over a quarter of a century that you can't rule ANYTHING out, no matter your beliefs or opinions. 

 If there's a shred of decency and if it's not too late, they'd alter the programming so that AI couldn't make that garbage, but I guess that can't be done. I wish we could eliminate the real shit too. That'll never happen, but we certainly don't need AI creating more, and possibly allowing people to watch it without consequences. 

 The thing is, it's susceptible to the laws of diminishing return. In other words most addictions get stronger with time. Some perv might start out with the virtual filth, move on to the real stuff, and the end result might be actual victims. They're also making lifelike robot babies, and they're not used for for wholesome purposes. It's unpleasant to talk about but people need to know this stuff so they can hopefully fight it. 

 We don't want to dwell on negative things but we absolutely need to be aware of them. There's still beauty, good people, sunsets, puppies and kittens and such in this world, but if you have a brain you know that overall it's getting more evil by the day. We certainly don't need AI making it worse. Stay vigilant. PROTECT OUR KIDS! Our kids are the future...future...uture...ture...ure...rr.

No More Men

 This woman is one of thousands across the country who, because of the election results, say that they'll never again sleep with a man. Many of them suggest giving up men forever and becoming "Thespians." Okay.

 When I see people like this I have to wonder if they're happy and at peace with themselves, and I have to think they're not. Why would you do this to yourself? The hair is one thing but that mouth...it reminds me of a Slipknot mask. Kissy face? No thanks.

 So she's never going to sleep with men again. Hey, her body her choice, right? Speaking for myself, and countless men who still appreciate decency, common sense and beauty, it's noooooooooooo problem. 

Comment of the Day

The comment of the day was left by yours truly. I was watching a video about a crooked, nasty and evil cop who latered-on a neighbor on the floor above hers. She claimed to have been tired after a long shift and went to.the wrong floor and into the wrong apartment by mistake.

The guy was sitting on his 

couch and she just blew him away, although she claimed she saw him standing up and thought he was an intruder. For the record her pathetic lies and Crocodile tears failed miserably and now she's doing 25 to life or whatever it is. 

 She was describing the moment she supposedly realized that she was in the wrong apartment, and she said that she looked around and realized that it wasn't her couch or her TV. Oops. 

 My comment was: "And you may ask yourself, this is not my beautiful couch...this is not my beautiful TV...well, how did I get here?" I couldn't resist. Talking Heads fans will get it. Ha-ha. 

The Worst Jokes in the World #4,639,523,235,632

Q: Why did the can-presser quit his job?

A: Because it was soda pressing.

Ba-Dop...PSSSHHHH! 

The Mothership Connection, and Other Stories

For my money there's only two kinds of music- good and bad. The record companies needed to categorize music so they'd know which bin to put it in, so we got all the genres and sub-genres and it got ridiculous. Emo begat Screamo, Punk spawned New Wave and there's fifty shades of Metal. 

 I love examples of almost every kind of music, from Jazz to Classical to R&B to Rock, with a huge love of Progressive, later shortened to "Prog," but if I had to pick only one style to listen to and/or play drums to for the rest of my life, it'd be Funk. 

 There's so much feeling in Funk. It encompasses elements of Rock and Jazz, but it's its own thing. It has a "groove" as deep as the ocean. The coolest thing about it to me is the sense of "implied swing." You can be playing a straight beat, as in "Boom boom bap, boom boom bap," but it has a dotted-eighth or Shuffle feel to it, as in "Ba-dop Ba-dop Ba-dop." It's not played, only felt.

 How it works is a mystery. As far as drumming is concerned, you're playing a straight beat but you're thinking Shuffle or Swing. It's a mind thing. They've actually done studies where the drummer will be playing one thing but thinking of another, and even though the other thing is not being played, the audience can hear it or feel it. It's extraordinary. 

 I have to mention one night when I was playing with an acoustic band called Noble Freeland. It was anything but Funk, but I'd try to inject some of that feel whenever possible. 

 We were playing at a local watering hole and it was packed. Some nights we'd outdo ourselves and take it to a different level, and for my money that was by far the most intense we ever played in all the years I played with them. 

 My good buddy Sam, a drummer-brother from another mother, was there. The whole room was dancing and the energy level was off the charts. I was playing a little stand-up rig with a small snare drum and tiny bongos and cymbals. 

 Something happened that night that I still can't explain. There was a different kind of energy in the room that I've never experienced before or since. I was standing on my tip toes and I felt like I was going to levitate, and maybe pass right through the ceiling and up into the sky. And no, it wasn't due to some substance...it was the Muse.

 At one point I did this fill on the snare drum alone. If I'd been playing a regular drum kit I'd have played the fill on the toms but I didn't have any. I was thinking about toms though. I happened to look at Sam when I did the fill, and his eyes bugged out. 

 I was talking to him on the break and he was still bug-eyed. He said: "Man, when you played that crazy fill, I heard toms!" I told him that I was thinking about toms. That was wild and it flipped us both out. That's music for you...sometimes there's something extra going on, and it can't be explained. In my book the Muse is funky.

 Sly and the Family Stone share pride-of-place in my Funk collection, and the tune Thank You (Fa Lettin' Me Be Mice Elf Agin) is ground zero for Funk, but it doesn't get any funkier that the band Parliament/Funkadelic, or P-Funk. If listening to P-Funk doesn't make you want to dance, you'd better check your pulse, because you may be on the way to meet your maker.

 There's not enough space here to say everything I could say about P-Funk, but aside from Sly and a couple others, they put Funk on the map. I got to see them live once and it was life-changing. They made Funk accessible to white people. Great music has no color, or expiration date. 

I'm reminded of one of the coolest things I've ever learned in life. Sherman Hemsley, who played George Jefferson on the TV show The Jeffersons, was a huge fan of Progressive music, and his favorite band was Gentle Giant. Any time I'm listening to them, if you happened to ask who my favorite band is, it'd be they. 

It warmed my heart to learn that. As you can see, his resemblance to GG's mascot is uncanny. I bet Mr. J was a P-Funk fan too, but the fact that Gentle Giant was his favorite band just floors me.

When I listen to modern "Black" music it makes me want to hurl. The vast majority of it, primarily Rap and Hip-Hop, is mostly sampled, Autotuned bullshit, with canned, ticky-tack drum beats. It's mostly just someone pushing buttons and calling it music. Then there's someone basically talking in rhymes on top of it. 

There's no way to judge the quality of the "singer" because they don't actually sing. Anyone could rap. Your grandmother could rap. As long as there's Autotune it's all good. You don't even have to stay in key. Autotune does it for you. If you ask me, that's the Devil in music. 

The record companies, mostly white folks, took the black people's musical heritage and shoved it straight up their asses. There's a scene in the movie The Blues Brothers where they're having a huge street party. There's a funky band playing and everyone's dancing, including little kids. Every time I see it I get tears in my eyes, because nobody listens to that kind of music nowadays. It's criminal.

I have a young black friend named Kent. He's a truly gifted musician. He plays trombone and sax but his main ax is the baritone horn, and he has one of the most beautiful horn tones I've ever heard in my life, and I've heard a lot of horns.

He used to be my neighbor and he'd come over to hang out. We bonded over music. It was interesting for an old white dude and a young black dude to be friends but we're friends to this day.

One night he came over and I asked him to play my drum kit. He'd never picked up a pair of sticks in his life but after playing around for about 15 minutes he could play the drums better than I could after six months. It was unreal. He knows where his gift comes from. The first time I heard him play, we both agreed that his talent is a gift from God.

When I met him he was listening mostly to R&B, but it's the modern stuff. I vastly prefer it to Rap and Hip-Hop and at least there's actual singing, and good singing at that, but most of it has canned drums and samples. It's just what they're playing on the radio so it's what people listen to.

Over the last three years or so I've gradually gotten him to appreciate old-school R&B, Funk and even "Cracker Rock," aka "White" music. I pointed out the difference between canned bullshit that was constructed track-by-track, with samples and fake drums, as opposed to music created by musicians playing together in real time, and reacting to each other. Music is supposed to be a conversation.

Now he gets it and he's listening to the good stuff. He played in the marching band in high school and still goes to competitions. I  hipped him to the legendary band Chicago, because for decades marching bands have covered their songs, due to the fact that they have a prominent horn section. Their music lends itself perfectly to marching bands. Now he loves them and I'm proud of myself. Right now I'm breathing on my fingernails and buffing them on my shirt.

I've tried to teach Kent a little about music history, and where it all comes from. There are famous old bands he's never heard of, but he's basically heard those bands through modern bands, because they listened to those old bands. He was able to see the progression from older to modern. That warms my heart too. Kent is a great kid. 

This morning I watched a doc about P-Funk. It made me want to shake booty. Then something crazy happened. They were interviewing one of the backup singers, and at the exact time I was thinking something, she said it out loud perfectly along with me, word for word. She said: "There will never be another band like P-Funk." I hear you, sister. 

So that's my story on implied Swing, non-existent yet existent tom-toms and the power of music. Stay funky, and shake that thang!