July 29, 2010

For No One

Emmylou Harris performed a cover last night honoring Paul McCartney last night on Public Television. This isn't the actual performance of that night but I found it on Youtube. Beautiful song and beautiful cover.

Emmylou Harris 'For No One'.

July 28, 2010

The Courier~Journal

I just watched Sir Paul perform in the East Room of the White House after receiving the Gershwin Award for Popular Music. He sang Let It Be. Anytime I hear that song it reminds me of delivering newspapers. It seemed everytime my clock radio came on at five in the morning Let It Be would be playing.

The Beatles 'Let It Be' 1969.

July 27, 2010

Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson is a performance artist who I liked back in the eighties. I was reminded of her today when WFPK played a Laurie Anderson song.

From Wikipedia:
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson (born June 5, 1947) is an American experimental performance artist and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s. Throughout the 1970s, Anderson did a variety of different performance-art activities. She became widely known outside the art world in 1981 when her single "O Superman" reached number two on the UK pop charts. She also starred in and directed the 1986 concert film Home of the Brave.

Anderson has invented several devices that she has used in her recordings and performance art shows. In 1977, she created a tape-bow violin that uses recorded magnetic tape on the bow instead of horsehair and a magnetic tape head in the bridge. In the late 1990s, she developed a talking stick, a six-foot-long batonlike MIDI controller that can access and replicate different sounds.

On April 12, 2008, Anderson married longtime companion Lou Reed in a private ceremony in Boulder, Colorado.

Laurie Anderson 'Walking And Falling' 1981.

July 24, 2010

Creep, Crawl, Leap

Walking up the dark driveway and the English Ivy which lines it brushed against my leg. I thought something had me. We have a lot of the stuff and it takes some trimming in the summer months to keep it under control.

There's a saying that in the first year after planting English Ivy it creeps, the second year it crawls, and in the third year it leaps. The fourth year you awaken one morning and it will have you in a Full Nelson.

July 22, 2010

Krogerville

When my wife decides to do something for somebody, especially bake, she goes all out. We returned from the gym about 8:30.

"Barry, you need to pick up a few things for me at Kroger for that cake I'm making for so and so's birthday tomorrow."

She gave me a list:
Peach preserves
Unflavored gelatin
Lady fingers
Peach schnapps
Six peaches
Whipping cream
A Partridge in a pear tree (kidding)

It took me awhile to find all this stuff and didn't get back until 9:30. She'll won't be finished with the thing until 11:00, guarantee. There's a reason they call her Martha at her workplace.


July 21, 2010

AHA!

Last Sunday night wife went to her high school class reunion where they reminisced the evening away; the horses they used to ride to school, that sort of thing. I opened up an email a classmate sent her and attached were a bunch of picures.

In one there's wife hanging all over this guy. Who is this guy?

July 18, 2010

Forecastle Festival

The eighth Forecastle Music Festival was just held on Louisville's waterfront. It has grown to become a nationally known event. The Flaming Lips were the last band to perform on July 11th.

The Flaming Lips 'Are You A Hypnotist' 2002.

July 15, 2010

I Married A Sheet Nazi

My wife becomes a completely different personality when making up a bed. On those occasions when I'm around to help her do this chore, I've become accustomed to the military precision she follows. She expects nothing less than complete synchronization of me when I help. It's like a spell comes over her.

When we first married and I helped the first time, I suspected she was abused as a child when making up the bed which caused her to develop a dual personality to deal with the trauma.

I really have to be on my toes when we're putting clean sheets on the bed. It reminds me somehow of the flying Wallendas. We're on either side of the bed and when she tugs on her end, I must tug on my end at THE EXACT same moment. HUT! The corners must be military folded and sheet and or blanket must be the EXACT same length on either side of the bed. HUT!

One of these days I'll be able to help without a net.

Fifty-Five

This coming Tuesday I'll be fifty-five years of age. How did this happen?

Kinda depressing.

Picnic

I was staring out onto the yard at the darkened wet concrete and out towards the basketball court and the picnic tables surrounding it. They would be called out at any minute now.

The hard rain this morning was a relief, the low dark clouds blotting out the intense July sun. Now the rain was light and looking at the puddles being dotted I went back to my childhood, before I knew anything about bad choices, consequences, and the evils of the world. I miss those days of summer when we would play out in the pouring rain with not a care in the world.

Soon the sun came out turning the yard into an instant steam bath. The men came out for their one hour of recreation time. There was one with his back to the end of a picnic table, his hands gripping the top, his shoulders pumping up and down.

"Put down the picnic table, they aren't there for your deltoids."
"What else are we going to do with them?"
"Have a picnic."

The Beatles 'Rain'

Gobbling Ibuprofen

The evening before my "weekend" wife and I went to the gym and apparently I over did it on the weights. My left shoulder hurt like hell the next morning and today the pain was much worse. Tendonitis strikes again.

I hope it feels better by the time work rolls around tomorrow morning. My range of motion is practically nill.

July 11, 2010

Everytime

When I'm in the pool and aimlessly walking around looking at my distorted underwater feet, I sing to myself, everytime, without thinking about it, an old Police tune.

The Police 'Walking On The Moon' 1979.

July 8, 2010

Steely Dan Time

A tune for the times
Steely Dan 'Everything Must Go' 2003



It's high time for a walk on the real side
Let's admit the bastards beat us
I move to dissolve the corporation
In a pool of margaritas
So let's switch off all the lights
Light up all the Luckies
Crankin' up the afterglow
Cause we're goin' out of business
Everything must go

Talk about your major pain and suffering
Now our self-esteem is shattered
Show the world a mighty hidey-ho face
As we go sliding down the ladder

It was sweet up at the top
'Til that ill wind started blowing
Now it's cozy down below
'Cause we're goin' out of business
Everything must go

We gave it our best shot
But keep in mind we got a lot
The sky, the moon, good food and the weather
First-run movies—does anybody get lucky twice?
Wouldn't it be nice…

Tell me can you dig it Miss Fugazy
Now it's gone from late to later
Frankly I could use a little face time
In the service elevator
And if Dave from Acquisitions
Wants to get in on the action
With his Handicam in tow
Well we're goin' out of business
Everything must go

Can it be the sorry sun is rising
Guess it's time for us to book it
Talk about the famous road not taken
In the end we never took it
And if somewhere on the way
We got a few good licks in
No one's ever gonna know
'Cause we're goin' out of business
Everything must go

July 6, 2010

Forgiveness

I forgive the nitwit who pulled out in front of me today causing considerable wear on my brakes, which I had recently changed out.

I forgive people with different political or religious views than mine; It seems lately both can be interchanged, a dangerous trend.

I forgive people with political agendas which solely satisfy their own personal needs.

I forgive British Petroleum. I use the stuff.

I forgive my wife and myself for all the petty stuff we may argue about, real or imagined.

I forgive the makers of our dishwasher, which just went kaput after seven short years. I tried to fix it myself. (another dangerous trend)

I forgive companies who I suspect of age discrimination regarding hiring practices.

I forgive chauvinists, both male and female.

I forgive creationists who believe the earth is only 6000 years old.

I forgive people who forward me endless emails regarding the politics I should embrace, less I should be viewed as unpatriotic.

I forgive The Ugly American.

July 1, 2010

Old Profile Pic

I had this photo of a boy smoking a hand rolled cigarette as my profile picture and it occurred to me one day that it looked like a child smoking pot and I changed it.

As I recall the photo was taken in a small town in the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. Here is the photo uncropped.

Bug!

The other evening I was pouring a Coke and in the bottom of the sink was a live Cicada..a big one. I reached to get it out but thought wife would be in the kitchen soon and so I left it there. How it got in the kitchen sink, I haven't a clue.

While on the porch reading the paper I heard wife shuffle into the kitchen. I started the countdown 5..4..3..2..1. We have lift-off.

"OOOOOHHHHHH..Barreeeeeee!"

There was wife frozen in place, eye's wide, pointing at the kitchen sink. I retrieved the critter. I feinted a move. "Don't get close to me dammit, I'll bash your head in."

We've gone through this ritual countless times since we've been married. A little spider becomes a foot wide, a small cricket becomes an alien from another planet.