Sunday, June 19, 2005
father's day / air show / all kinds of stuff
Today is father's day--- my dad is 81 years old, and still hanging in there really well. He doesn't wear glasses, his hair hasn't turned gray, and most of the time he looks about 20 years younger than he is. He's also got all of his mental abilities still. Way to go, Dad! (Even if he does drive me insane sometimes. And vice versa). He lives just 5 miles down the road from me, so I spend a lot of time with him on most days.
My dad and I have radically different approaches to life..... he loves to putter around in the outdoors (his favorite place to be is perched on top of a riding tractor/type lawn mower), whereas I find lawn and garden work to be a most tedious way to spend one's time. But yet we get along pretty well most of the time.
My own idea of outdoor fun is to play music really loud to a crowd of enthusiastic people, or maybe to go hiking or swimming for a couple of hours. That wouldn't turn my dad on to any great degree. He likes to work, mow, garden, rake, sweep, hunt, and fish. I doubt if he's been on a "hike" in 50 years. He'd find it pointless. I also tend to stay indoors a lot more if it's cold or rainy. He doesn't mind weather difficulties at all. He just bundles up, and out he goes. In the dead of winter, he'll be sitting in his pickup truck, happily smoking a cigarette and reading the morning paper. I asked him once why he didn't just go in and read. He said "Well, you can't just stay indoors all the time. Ceilings are boring. When I look up, I'd rather see the sky."
Yesterday, my dad bought tickets for us (my sister, brother, and myself) to see the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds air team. They did a show in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Of course since it's father's day, we're supposed to be buying tickets for him, and not the other way around, but that's not the way he does things. He did allow all three of us to buy him dinner tonight, though. That was cool.
Speaking of the air show, it was a hot, clear day--- perfect weather for flying, I suppose. What those guys do in an airplane is nothing less than stunning. There was a pre-recorded speech at the beginning, calling them the true heroes of America, and I believe it. They are. They're trained not just for the purpose of doing these shows--- although they do about 50 of them a year--- but for piloting fighter jets. I mean, let's face it--- I'm no military public relations person by any means, but we couldn't feel secure in this country without a LOT of protection, and these guys and girls are the ones doing it.
The previous night--- Friday, June 17--- I played at the Edelweiss outdoors. A complete contrast to last Friday. This time, it was rockin'!! I had a smallish crowd of around 15-20 people, but most of them stayed until after midnight, and they loved the tunes. Coolness! By the way, my best song is rapidly developing out to be "Evil Ways" by Santana. This has long been one of my favorite songs to be played live--- every band does it differently--- and I can do a really good keyboard improv to it. My version of it usually lasts between 5 and 10 minutes long, while I'm jammin' away. I love it! Usually the people do too.
Ehhhh well there's more news, but I gotta quit typing.
Oh shoot--- before I forget: happy 50th wedding anniversary to my long-time friends Marlene & Fred Noyes!! For about twenty years, Fred was the bass player / manager for the Southern Comfort band, Madison's BEST variety-party band all through the 1970s and 1980s, and even into the early 90s, at which point they finally called it quits. It's hard to imagine any other band ever doing what they did. Despite the fact that he was about 20 years older than the rest of the band members on average, Fred could rock out with the best of them--- and he was willing to play *anything*, regardless of his own personal taste in tunes--- everything from Sinatra, to hardcore blues, to Hank Williams, to Bruce Sprinsteen, to Chicago, to the Georgia Satellites, and even Van Halen.... and the Southern Comforts did it all not only very well, but better than any other band could have done the same material. They never "copied the record" but put their own unique spin--- usually harder than the original--- on every song they ever did. A cover band they might have been, but to my ears they were the embodiment of the word "original".
So.... happy anniversary to Fred and his life partner Marlene. And rock on, both you guys!
My dad and I have radically different approaches to life..... he loves to putter around in the outdoors (his favorite place to be is perched on top of a riding tractor/type lawn mower), whereas I find lawn and garden work to be a most tedious way to spend one's time. But yet we get along pretty well most of the time.
My own idea of outdoor fun is to play music really loud to a crowd of enthusiastic people, or maybe to go hiking or swimming for a couple of hours. That wouldn't turn my dad on to any great degree. He likes to work, mow, garden, rake, sweep, hunt, and fish. I doubt if he's been on a "hike" in 50 years. He'd find it pointless. I also tend to stay indoors a lot more if it's cold or rainy. He doesn't mind weather difficulties at all. He just bundles up, and out he goes. In the dead of winter, he'll be sitting in his pickup truck, happily smoking a cigarette and reading the morning paper. I asked him once why he didn't just go in and read. He said "Well, you can't just stay indoors all the time. Ceilings are boring. When I look up, I'd rather see the sky."
Yesterday, my dad bought tickets for us (my sister, brother, and myself) to see the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds air team. They did a show in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Of course since it's father's day, we're supposed to be buying tickets for him, and not the other way around, but that's not the way he does things. He did allow all three of us to buy him dinner tonight, though. That was cool.
Speaking of the air show, it was a hot, clear day--- perfect weather for flying, I suppose. What those guys do in an airplane is nothing less than stunning. There was a pre-recorded speech at the beginning, calling them the true heroes of America, and I believe it. They are. They're trained not just for the purpose of doing these shows--- although they do about 50 of them a year--- but for piloting fighter jets. I mean, let's face it--- I'm no military public relations person by any means, but we couldn't feel secure in this country without a LOT of protection, and these guys and girls are the ones doing it.
The previous night--- Friday, June 17--- I played at the Edelweiss outdoors. A complete contrast to last Friday. This time, it was rockin'!! I had a smallish crowd of around 15-20 people, but most of them stayed until after midnight, and they loved the tunes. Coolness! By the way, my best song is rapidly developing out to be "Evil Ways" by Santana. This has long been one of my favorite songs to be played live--- every band does it differently--- and I can do a really good keyboard improv to it. My version of it usually lasts between 5 and 10 minutes long, while I'm jammin' away. I love it! Usually the people do too.
Ehhhh well there's more news, but I gotta quit typing.
Oh shoot--- before I forget: happy 50th wedding anniversary to my long-time friends Marlene & Fred Noyes!! For about twenty years, Fred was the bass player / manager for the Southern Comfort band, Madison's BEST variety-party band all through the 1970s and 1980s, and even into the early 90s, at which point they finally called it quits. It's hard to imagine any other band ever doing what they did. Despite the fact that he was about 20 years older than the rest of the band members on average, Fred could rock out with the best of them--- and he was willing to play *anything*, regardless of his own personal taste in tunes--- everything from Sinatra, to hardcore blues, to Hank Williams, to Bruce Sprinsteen, to Chicago, to the Georgia Satellites, and even Van Halen.... and the Southern Comforts did it all not only very well, but better than any other band could have done the same material. They never "copied the record" but put their own unique spin--- usually harder than the original--- on every song they ever did. A cover band they might have been, but to my ears they were the embodiment of the word "original".
So.... happy anniversary to Fred and his life partner Marlene. And rock on, both you guys!
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
The Jackson Verdict
Well, that train-wreck of a media circus out in California is finally over, and Michael Jackson was found to be completely..... well, not exactly "innocent", but "not guilty" in the legal meaning of the term. I was very impressed with the jury members who spoke for interviews. Seems to me that they did their job conscientiously and tried as best as they could to follow the judge's complicated instructions. They also made a decision, early on, to ignore Jackson's celebrity and reach a verdict as if he was any ordinary person. I think they succeeded.
Interestingly, several of the jurors were still troubled by Jackson's bizarre behavior with young boys, and they all but said outright they felt he had probably molested SOMEONE, somewhere along the line. But the jury felt there was simply not enough evidence to convict him of this particular case. (I didn't think there was, either.)
I think this is a good example of how this country's judicial system is supposed to work. And it did work. In any alleged crime, the prosecution has the burden of proof. There has to be legal evidence to convict--- just a gut feeling isn't enough--- and the phrase "beyond a reasonable doubt" really does have meaning. I'm glad it does.
Now, what about Michael Jackson? He has already made a statement, via his lawyer, that he won't be sleeping with any more boys. Well, that's a good start anyway. He should have known better than to do that in the first place. Let's hope he keeps that promise.
If I were Jackson's manager / advisor, here's what I would suggest he do, if he wants to recover his health, his sanity, and his career:
1. First, he needs to get some therapy, some psychological help. Whether this molestation occurred or not, it's pretty obvious by now that he's a very troubled, damaged person in too many ways. He's got to learn to live in the real world, and understand the values and concerns that normal people have. His reputation as a bizarre freak is really dragging him down.
2. He needs to lie low for a while. No interviews or public appearances. Just spend a few months "taking care of business." From the rumors I've been hearing about his financial state, there's a lot of that to do. Make a budget, and stick to it. Sell the unnecessary junk. (Maybe even sell Neverland).
3. Ne needs to begin salvaging his music career, what's left of it. I think the guy is talented, so this is do-able, even if won't be easy. First thing I'd have him do is go to Europe. Not a good idea to start a comeback attempt in the U.S. And I'd have him do some concerts. They don't have to be multi-million dollar extravaganzas with fireworks and electronic effects, either. He should let the raw musical talent take precedence. If Bruce Springsteen can just go onstage with a guitar and a small rock band and do his thing, Michael Jackson can scale down a bit too. The "King of Pop" nonsense has become too over-the-top.
4. If he succeeds in Europe, then I'd have him come back to the states. But he needs to act more like a normal person, be seen in normal places, wearing normal clothes. Obviously he's not the blue-jeans type..... Justin Timberlake can go around in jeans with a hole in the knee. Michael Jackson probably couldn't. But he doesn't have to get himself rigged up like a mannequin either. There must be a middle ground. Maybe a fashion consultant could help. But he has to get the perception of being somewhat "normal", otherwise forget it.
5. He should not mention children, kids, childhood, any of that stuff. People don't want to hear the word "children" and "Michael Jackson" in the same sentence any more. And I don't blame them, because neither do I. It sounds really icky at this point.
6. At this point, I'd slowly have him begin doing some performances here in the States. Record an album, or do some shows, or get involved in production or management or something. But I'd tell him to keep it on a normal human level.
Ha ha..... I've always had dreams of being a manager!! Actually, several years ago, a couple of guys in Madison who were writing songs and starting a band once asked me to be their manager, for real. And if they'd had enough material, I would have done it. But they only had about 5 songs completed, and that just wasn't enough.
Interestingly, several of the jurors were still troubled by Jackson's bizarre behavior with young boys, and they all but said outright they felt he had probably molested SOMEONE, somewhere along the line. But the jury felt there was simply not enough evidence to convict him of this particular case. (I didn't think there was, either.)
I think this is a good example of how this country's judicial system is supposed to work. And it did work. In any alleged crime, the prosecution has the burden of proof. There has to be legal evidence to convict--- just a gut feeling isn't enough--- and the phrase "beyond a reasonable doubt" really does have meaning. I'm glad it does.
Now, what about Michael Jackson? He has already made a statement, via his lawyer, that he won't be sleeping with any more boys. Well, that's a good start anyway. He should have known better than to do that in the first place. Let's hope he keeps that promise.
If I were Jackson's manager / advisor, here's what I would suggest he do, if he wants to recover his health, his sanity, and his career:
1. First, he needs to get some therapy, some psychological help. Whether this molestation occurred or not, it's pretty obvious by now that he's a very troubled, damaged person in too many ways. He's got to learn to live in the real world, and understand the values and concerns that normal people have. His reputation as a bizarre freak is really dragging him down.
2. He needs to lie low for a while. No interviews or public appearances. Just spend a few months "taking care of business." From the rumors I've been hearing about his financial state, there's a lot of that to do. Make a budget, and stick to it. Sell the unnecessary junk. (Maybe even sell Neverland).
3. Ne needs to begin salvaging his music career, what's left of it. I think the guy is talented, so this is do-able, even if won't be easy. First thing I'd have him do is go to Europe. Not a good idea to start a comeback attempt in the U.S. And I'd have him do some concerts. They don't have to be multi-million dollar extravaganzas with fireworks and electronic effects, either. He should let the raw musical talent take precedence. If Bruce Springsteen can just go onstage with a guitar and a small rock band and do his thing, Michael Jackson can scale down a bit too. The "King of Pop" nonsense has become too over-the-top.
4. If he succeeds in Europe, then I'd have him come back to the states. But he needs to act more like a normal person, be seen in normal places, wearing normal clothes. Obviously he's not the blue-jeans type..... Justin Timberlake can go around in jeans with a hole in the knee. Michael Jackson probably couldn't. But he doesn't have to get himself rigged up like a mannequin either. There must be a middle ground. Maybe a fashion consultant could help. But he has to get the perception of being somewhat "normal", otherwise forget it.
5. He should not mention children, kids, childhood, any of that stuff. People don't want to hear the word "children" and "Michael Jackson" in the same sentence any more. And I don't blame them, because neither do I. It sounds really icky at this point.
6. At this point, I'd slowly have him begin doing some performances here in the States. Record an album, or do some shows, or get involved in production or management or something. But I'd tell him to keep it on a normal human level.
Ha ha..... I've always had dreams of being a manager!! Actually, several years ago, a couple of guys in Madison who were writing songs and starting a band once asked me to be their manager, for real. And if they'd had enough material, I would have done it. But they only had about 5 songs completed, and that just wasn't enough.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
where is my audience??!
Last night was a bummer. I've been really trying to develop my keyboard "act" (it's all cover tunes, but what the heck)--- but last night was my first gig where NOBODY showed up. I mean, there was no point in me even setting up my equipment. The only people in the bar were four employees, and they were about ready to shut down and go home for the night. That really does nasty things to a musician's ego.
By the way, the place where I've been playing most is a cool little German restaurant/bar in Victory, Wisconsin called the Edelweiss. It's sort of like a small-scale version of the Essenhaus in Madison (is that place still around?) What I like most about Edelweiss is that their outdoor beer garden is totally rockin' and beautiful. I love to play outdoors there, which I've done two times already this summer. In fact, here's a picture of it.
By the way, the place where I've been playing most is a cool little German restaurant/bar in Victory, Wisconsin called the Edelweiss. It's sort of like a small-scale version of the Essenhaus in Madison (is that place still around?) What I like most about Edelweiss is that their outdoor beer garden is totally rockin' and beautiful. I love to play outdoors there, which I've done two times already this summer. In fact, here's a picture of it.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
general stuff
There was a news article today about mental illnesses. Since I know a couple of people who suffer from such dysfunctions, I'm sort of interested in the subject.
It seems that the rate of mental illness, although now beginning to flatten out somewhat, has been steadily on the rise since the 1950s. Now this is kind of thought provoking.... I mean just consider the implications of that. We treat an awful lot of mental illness by throwing medication at it. And apparently the medication does seem to work a lot of times; okay, fine.
But if the rate of mental illness rose all those years, then it would seem pretty obvious that--- unless everybody's brains suddenly dysfuncted all at once--- something other than biology or chemicals is at work here. Why were there such a greater percentage of mentally ill people in 2000 than there were in, say, 1940?? Maybe such illness is caused, or exacerbated by society, and not brain chemical imbalances?!
I've also been reading some interesting studies that indicate the brain is a lot more "plastic" than previously thought. People who are mentally ill, like say with depression, might indeed have a chemical imbalance going on. But now the evidence suggests this imbalance might not be biological in origin. It might be the RESULT of decisions they made, or things that happened to them, instead of the CAUSE of such decisions.
It also is kind of scary that the rate of teen depression is so high. Teens today feel a sense of pressure that they apparently didn't decades ago. So like, what's up with all that? It isn't good. There seems to be a greater all-around level of unhappiness and stress and anger and dis-satisfaction in people today, at least compared to how it used to be. And we're gonna have a harder time succeeding as a society (and individually) if that keeps on being the case.
I guess I've been pretty lucky--- I've never had any kind of mental illness. Never suffered from depression, or bipolar, or a substance abuse problem, or an eating disorder, or ADD, etc. etc. I'm not saying I'm "normal" (which would be extremely boring)--- but other than being a very poor housekeeper and having a tendency to procrastinate, I'm pretty much all there mentally; rational, emotionally on an even keel, and basically a content person. I don't go off the deep end, or on weird tangents.
But there are plenty of people who aren't healthy inside their heads or their emotions, and I feel bad for them. I've known a couple of people who had SERIOUS, life-impairing mental illnesses, and it would be awful to suffer like that. If it's society itself that's causing some of these problems, we gotta figure out a better way.... not just to treat such illnesses, but to prevent them from happening in the first place.
On a completely unrelated topic--- a lot of press has been written about the recent Supreme Court decision to keep a federal ban on "medical" marijuana, despite the fact that some states have allowed it. I'm no pot smoker, and I have real serious doubts about its medicinal value. BUT...... um, isn't this a "states" issue?? It bothers me that the Feds can overrule state decisions on something like this. In fact, it strikes me as being unconstitutional. In fact, it *is* unconstitutional. And that has nothing to do with a debate for-or-against marijuana. It's basic legal facts. The dissenting Supreme Court Justices agreed with me too, although the majority of the court went along with the Federal ban.
Okay, before I go, I gotta mention at least something about music. It's a necessity in this blog!
Top 40 these days pretty much sucks, but there are two good songs currently popular that I really like. Jesse McCartney, "She's No You" has a cool guitar lick to it (especially in the beginning), and kind of a moody evocative feel. Nice job. And the Caesars have a 60s-organ-based song called "Jerk it Out" with a STRONG backbeat and groove, and a great chord pattern. It's nice to hear a genuine rock-n-roll tune that you could actually dance to!! Both songs are good summertime "fun" pieces of music.
It seems that the rate of mental illness, although now beginning to flatten out somewhat, has been steadily on the rise since the 1950s. Now this is kind of thought provoking.... I mean just consider the implications of that. We treat an awful lot of mental illness by throwing medication at it. And apparently the medication does seem to work a lot of times; okay, fine.
But if the rate of mental illness rose all those years, then it would seem pretty obvious that--- unless everybody's brains suddenly dysfuncted all at once--- something other than biology or chemicals is at work here. Why were there such a greater percentage of mentally ill people in 2000 than there were in, say, 1940?? Maybe such illness is caused, or exacerbated by society, and not brain chemical imbalances?!
I've also been reading some interesting studies that indicate the brain is a lot more "plastic" than previously thought. People who are mentally ill, like say with depression, might indeed have a chemical imbalance going on. But now the evidence suggests this imbalance might not be biological in origin. It might be the RESULT of decisions they made, or things that happened to them, instead of the CAUSE of such decisions.
It also is kind of scary that the rate of teen depression is so high. Teens today feel a sense of pressure that they apparently didn't decades ago. So like, what's up with all that? It isn't good. There seems to be a greater all-around level of unhappiness and stress and anger and dis-satisfaction in people today, at least compared to how it used to be. And we're gonna have a harder time succeeding as a society (and individually) if that keeps on being the case.
I guess I've been pretty lucky--- I've never had any kind of mental illness. Never suffered from depression, or bipolar, or a substance abuse problem, or an eating disorder, or ADD, etc. etc. I'm not saying I'm "normal" (which would be extremely boring)--- but other than being a very poor housekeeper and having a tendency to procrastinate, I'm pretty much all there mentally; rational, emotionally on an even keel, and basically a content person. I don't go off the deep end, or on weird tangents.
But there are plenty of people who aren't healthy inside their heads or their emotions, and I feel bad for them. I've known a couple of people who had SERIOUS, life-impairing mental illnesses, and it would be awful to suffer like that. If it's society itself that's causing some of these problems, we gotta figure out a better way.... not just to treat such illnesses, but to prevent them from happening in the first place.
On a completely unrelated topic--- a lot of press has been written about the recent Supreme Court decision to keep a federal ban on "medical" marijuana, despite the fact that some states have allowed it. I'm no pot smoker, and I have real serious doubts about its medicinal value. BUT...... um, isn't this a "states" issue?? It bothers me that the Feds can overrule state decisions on something like this. In fact, it strikes me as being unconstitutional. In fact, it *is* unconstitutional. And that has nothing to do with a debate for-or-against marijuana. It's basic legal facts. The dissenting Supreme Court Justices agreed with me too, although the majority of the court went along with the Federal ban.
Okay, before I go, I gotta mention at least something about music. It's a necessity in this blog!
Top 40 these days pretty much sucks, but there are two good songs currently popular that I really like. Jesse McCartney, "She's No You" has a cool guitar lick to it (especially in the beginning), and kind of a moody evocative feel. Nice job. And the Caesars have a 60s-organ-based song called "Jerk it Out" with a STRONG backbeat and groove, and a great chord pattern. It's nice to hear a genuine rock-n-roll tune that you could actually dance to!! Both songs are good summertime "fun" pieces of music.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
update (finally!!!)
Well, if anybody out there is still reading this blog, sorry for the long absence. I've just been so doggone busy. Helping out my dad and my aunt every day and playing music out (and getting paid for it!!) every weekend. My primary venue is a very cool little German restaurant/bar in Victory, Wisconsin. They have a small outdoor beer garden that's awesome in the summertime. It's on the Mississippi River, and at night the owner has it all lit up with colored lights and flowers.... it reminds me of Vitense Golf course at night. Excellent place for playing music. I'm even singing a little bit, God forbid. I really need a singer to work with sometimes, but until I find one in this area, I'm all I've got. Hopefully I'll get better as time goes on. My Yamaha keyboard has some excellent guitar sounds programmed into it, so the lack of a "real" guitar player doesn't bug me too much, but the lack of a singer sometimes does.
The couple of people who have either commented on here, or sent me emails about the blog.... thanks!!! If more people are reading this, send me some feedback!
I promise more updates, more frequently. Promise promise promise!!!
The couple of people who have either commented on here, or sent me emails about the blog.... thanks!!! If more people are reading this, send me some feedback!
I promise more updates, more frequently. Promise promise promise!!!
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Keeping Up with the Times
When I was a kid, I knew quite a few older folks (age 60-plus) who were always bemoaning the modern era. Life as they knew it hit its peak when they were around twenty years old, and to hear them talk, it had gone downhill ever since. They didn't like any music or movies or television shows created after 1950. I swore to myself that I would never, ever get like that. For the rest of my days, I vowed, the best time in life would be the present, and I'd be with-it and hip and "modern" until I was 80.
Well, it's getting a little harder for me to do that. Example #1: cell phones. I seem to be the only adult person in the United States under age 70 who does not own a cell phone and (worse yet, talk about being really unhip) has no particular desire to own one. Sure there are occasional times, particularly when I'm driving somewhere, that it would be nice to be able to call somebody---like if I need directions to where I'm going. And I do realize it's a nice safety backup, like if you're hiking alone in the woods and a tree should fall on you or something. "Who you gonna call?" indeed. Without a cell, you're sunk. But you know, I've survived just fine without a cell phone ever since I graduated from high school--- back in the day--- and I think I'll survive a few more years too.
By the way, the main reason why I don't own one is the price. I pay $100 a month to my regular land-line phone company for a package deal of telephone service, DSL internet connection, and cable TV. I really don't want to add another $35 per month or whatever it costs for a cell phone subscription. And I don't want to spend $50 or $80 for a one-time calling card to use one of those Wal-Mart type cell phones either. It just isn't that critical to me. Those calls are about 25 cents a minute.
Text messaging and picture-phones....ehhhh, I can do without those too. My version of text messaging is e-mail. Old-fashioned, but hey it works, and once you've paid for the internet connection, it's unlimited messages for free. And the picture phones, while it is undeniably cute that they can take (and e-mail) photos on the spot, have absolutely dismal picture quality. What are they, like 1.2 megapixels or something? Forget it. If I'm gonna take pictures, I want them to be crisp and clear and look like they were taken with a camera, not a telephone. Jeez, am I starting to sound like Andy Rooney or what? My God. Old-timer alert, Old-timer alert!!!
Let's see, another example. Laptops. I've tried to type on those things, and hey, sorry for being unhip and locked down to one location when I do my computing, but..... I'll take a big ol' desktop PC any day. The picture is clearer and brighter, the sound is better (subwoofer and all), and the keyboard is 600 percent easier to type on. Do I need to take a computer with me? Nope.
Getting away from technology--- food-consumption issues. I've been reading many articles saying that Pepsi, Coke, and other similar cola drinks are on a decline. More and more consumers are drinking fruit-based beverages or just plain water. (The concept of buying water in a plastic bottle when you can get it out of the tap for free still remains mind-boggling to me). Even when people do drink colas, they want weird flavors..... Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, Coke with Lime..... bleahhhhh. I'm an old-fashioned guy: I take fully sweetened, fully caffienated coca-cola and nothing less!
I'm also not into the trendy "exotic" foods--- people just love to go eat at a Thai food place, or buy papayas at the grocery store, or stock their spice rack with all kinds of flavors that I couldn't even pronounce, much less eat. But I can't help it.... my taste buds just automatically connect with midwestern/Americana foods like hamburgers, french fries, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, casseroles, and jello. My favorite restaurant, other than Wendy's, is Old Country Buffet. That pretty much says it all right there.
However, I will also say this: I seem to be one of the very few people in this country who isn't battling a weight problem either. I've been 125 pounds (at 5' 8") all my adult life, with scarcely an ounce more or less than that. If anything, I'm about 25 pounds underweight. Can't help it. I eat everything I want, as often as I want, as much as I want, and that seems to keep my weight at an even keel. I can't even imagine counting calories or watching fat content (I drink whole milk too). So the sugar content in colas don't bother me at all, but I can understand how they do bother people who are trying to keep their weight down.
Let's see, what's another "hip item of the day" whose appeal escapes me? Reality shows. I think MTV's "The Real World" started off the whole trend of reality shows in the early 1990s, and I did watch the first season of that. But after that, ehhhh..... my own life is real enough for me. If I want escapism, I want actors and drama/comedy fiction.
Hmmm..... I guess I'm just an un-trendy kind of guy. But I still keep tryin'. And I will still never complain about modern life.... not if I can help it anyway!
Well, it's getting a little harder for me to do that. Example #1: cell phones. I seem to be the only adult person in the United States under age 70 who does not own a cell phone and (worse yet, talk about being really unhip) has no particular desire to own one. Sure there are occasional times, particularly when I'm driving somewhere, that it would be nice to be able to call somebody---like if I need directions to where I'm going. And I do realize it's a nice safety backup, like if you're hiking alone in the woods and a tree should fall on you or something. "Who you gonna call?" indeed. Without a cell, you're sunk. But you know, I've survived just fine without a cell phone ever since I graduated from high school--- back in the day--- and I think I'll survive a few more years too.
By the way, the main reason why I don't own one is the price. I pay $100 a month to my regular land-line phone company for a package deal of telephone service, DSL internet connection, and cable TV. I really don't want to add another $35 per month or whatever it costs for a cell phone subscription. And I don't want to spend $50 or $80 for a one-time calling card to use one of those Wal-Mart type cell phones either. It just isn't that critical to me. Those calls are about 25 cents a minute.
Text messaging and picture-phones....ehhhh, I can do without those too. My version of text messaging is e-mail. Old-fashioned, but hey it works, and once you've paid for the internet connection, it's unlimited messages for free. And the picture phones, while it is undeniably cute that they can take (and e-mail) photos on the spot, have absolutely dismal picture quality. What are they, like 1.2 megapixels or something? Forget it. If I'm gonna take pictures, I want them to be crisp and clear and look like they were taken with a camera, not a telephone. Jeez, am I starting to sound like Andy Rooney or what? My God. Old-timer alert, Old-timer alert!!!
Let's see, another example. Laptops. I've tried to type on those things, and hey, sorry for being unhip and locked down to one location when I do my computing, but..... I'll take a big ol' desktop PC any day. The picture is clearer and brighter, the sound is better (subwoofer and all), and the keyboard is 600 percent easier to type on. Do I need to take a computer with me? Nope.
Getting away from technology--- food-consumption issues. I've been reading many articles saying that Pepsi, Coke, and other similar cola drinks are on a decline. More and more consumers are drinking fruit-based beverages or just plain water. (The concept of buying water in a plastic bottle when you can get it out of the tap for free still remains mind-boggling to me). Even when people do drink colas, they want weird flavors..... Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, Coke with Lime..... bleahhhhh. I'm an old-fashioned guy: I take fully sweetened, fully caffienated coca-cola and nothing less!
I'm also not into the trendy "exotic" foods--- people just love to go eat at a Thai food place, or buy papayas at the grocery store, or stock their spice rack with all kinds of flavors that I couldn't even pronounce, much less eat. But I can't help it.... my taste buds just automatically connect with midwestern/Americana foods like hamburgers, french fries, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, casseroles, and jello. My favorite restaurant, other than Wendy's, is Old Country Buffet. That pretty much says it all right there.
However, I will also say this: I seem to be one of the very few people in this country who isn't battling a weight problem either. I've been 125 pounds (at 5' 8") all my adult life, with scarcely an ounce more or less than that. If anything, I'm about 25 pounds underweight. Can't help it. I eat everything I want, as often as I want, as much as I want, and that seems to keep my weight at an even keel. I can't even imagine counting calories or watching fat content (I drink whole milk too). So the sugar content in colas don't bother me at all, but I can understand how they do bother people who are trying to keep their weight down.
Let's see, what's another "hip item of the day" whose appeal escapes me? Reality shows. I think MTV's "The Real World" started off the whole trend of reality shows in the early 1990s, and I did watch the first season of that. But after that, ehhhh..... my own life is real enough for me. If I want escapism, I want actors and drama/comedy fiction.
Hmmm..... I guess I'm just an un-trendy kind of guy. But I still keep tryin'. And I will still never complain about modern life.... not if I can help it anyway!
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
itunes sucks--- i can't even download the thing
Okay, so I finally decide to get into the whole "itunes" craze. Might be nice to legally download high-quality music files, right? So I went out and bought a $15.00 "i-card" good for 15 songs at 99 cents each. Sounds like a good deal. But I can't even download the program that gets you into the song catalog!! I've tried, like, three times now and I keep getting an error message that says "error connecting with service manager" followed by another error message that says "Failed to install GEARAspiWDM service". Nowhere on the itunes web site does it give any email address or help line where you can call or write or communicate with them..... so now I've got 15 songs paid for, and I can't even look at the catalog. I'm pretty computer-literate too, but this one is a mystery that I can't solve.
On a happier note, it's always cool to hear a "forgotten" old song that makes you remember how good it was. Case in point here: last night I heard Rod Stewart singing "People Get Ready" (1985 or so?)--- awesome tune! I haven't heard it in years. Very bluesy and with a country-lonesome-nighttime train-whistle-sounding guitar (provided by Jeff Beck, who had worked in a band with Stewart 15 or 20 years before).
Other news: I just got a PA system for my keyboard, due to a few outdoor gigs coming up. It sounds awesome, although it's not stereo (which I didn't realize until after I'd bought it). Oh well, for $300, you can't expect super-duper stuff. Now I'm looking for a singer to work with me occasionally. But since most of the people who might be reading this are in Madison, I guess none of them would be available!!
On a happier note, it's always cool to hear a "forgotten" old song that makes you remember how good it was. Case in point here: last night I heard Rod Stewart singing "People Get Ready" (1985 or so?)--- awesome tune! I haven't heard it in years. Very bluesy and with a country-lonesome-nighttime train-whistle-sounding guitar (provided by Jeff Beck, who had worked in a band with Stewart 15 or 20 years before).
Other news: I just got a PA system for my keyboard, due to a few outdoor gigs coming up. It sounds awesome, although it's not stereo (which I didn't realize until after I'd bought it). Oh well, for $300, you can't expect super-duper stuff. Now I'm looking for a singer to work with me occasionally. But since most of the people who might be reading this are in Madison, I guess none of them would be available!!
