Unknown Boy

I guy I know has the first name of UB. I asked him if his first name was Ulysses. He said no and that UB stood for Unknown Boy. He told me the story about his great-grandfather who was a slave in the south and it was fairly common at that time that black boys and girls who were split from their families and sold to another slave owner didn't come with their birth names and the owners simply wrote their names down as UB or UG. His great-grandfather's name was passed down to the UB I know.

Lyrics by William Chatterton Dix "What Child Is This?" set to the tune of "Greensleeves" written in 1580 possibly by King Henry VIII. Performed by the Moody Blues.

We went to Kroger last night so wife could pick up a few last minute things for Christmas. I was sitting in the car waiting and I saw this guy getting out of his car WEARING A HOODY, BOXER SHORTS, AND FLIP-FLOPS! It's 35 degrees outside and he's dressed like it's the middle of Summer.

A little while later this same guy comes walking back out of the grocery store with nothing....he didn't buy a thing.

What's up with that?

Eyeing My Back

She drew a lttle sketch for me, how she would cut it out, holding her pen like a scalpel. I imagined the blade slicing around the iris/scab left over from the biopsy, making it look like the green eye atop a dollar bill pyramid.

She told me to lie on my "tummy" like I was ten years old. I felt the pin pricks for for the numbing medicine. I thought of asking for a shot in my brain, it being election season.

I was a little kid again at my Grandparents pool in Florida, the sun beating down on my shoulders. I remember the rest of the evening being miserable, my back and shoulders had blistered from too much sun. My sister paid the ulimate price from cumulative sunshine.

I was at the doc's a few weeks ago and he stethoscoped my breathing, and said I had a suspicious looking spot on my back. The dermatologist biopsied it and said it wasn't a melanoma but wanted to carve out a perimeter just to be safe. I was suprised how much tissue they took.

It looked like a small uncooked Chicken McNugget.

Drive Home

Driving home from work, listening to the radio and Wilco's "Impossible Germany" came on. It's such a great song, great melody, great guitar solo and it's been awhile since I've heard it. I may have posted the live version a few months ago. This is the studio version. You don't have to listen to it..but I'd advise it.

Wilco "Impossible Germany" 2007.

Peace and Dignity

The peace and dignity of the Commonwealth of Kentucky was served today by the inauguration of our second term governor and therefore I was off work governing inmates that commited crimes against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Wife and I brought our 2011 Christmas Tree home. We decorated. There are three ornaments on it that were from 1931. They're the most ordinary but, I think, the classiest ornaments on the tree.

The Tip of My Tongue

We went to Hailee's Christmas chorus at church. We came early and once inside there were a couple of girls at a piano, one playing and the other singing. The piano tune sounded very familiar. It was driving me crazy trying to think of who it was. When the other girl started singing I knew who it was.


Adele "Someone Like You" 2011.

Let It Roll

I was reading and the TV was on some inane show and then I hear a song in the background that sounded familiar. It hit me...what a strange song to put on this idiot TV show.

Most everyone I knew had this three LP album "All Things Must Pass" by George Harrison. This was the first triple album released by a solo artist and in regards to the album's size, Harrison stated "I didn't have many tunes on Beatles records, so doing an album like "All Things Must Pass" was like going to the bathroom and letting it all out."

George Harrison "Let It Roll" 1970.

A Downer Post

It's getting so I brace myself whenever watching the news. The killings, pedophilia, burglaries, and thefts wear me down. In most of these crimes the root cause is methamphetimine, oxycontin, alcohol...take your pick of drugs which are grinding up innocent affected families and communities across the country.

Working at the prison a large part of my day is spent reading the crime narratives of the inmate's offenses. Some of the stories are horrible and sickening. Truth is always stranger than fiction. When I talk to the inmates, most are like anyone you'd see outside the prison fence. They don't have horns growing out of their heads or three eyes blinking at you.

When you're out in the world doing your business there are more people than you think who are looking for a chance to get something for nothing and could possibly use violence to get it. Never think it couldn't happen to you. Sad but true.

Commercial Time

Carvillion

Wife said it looked like a pavillion. We've been wanting a carport put on our house for ten years. It was beyond my capability to do myself so we hired it done by a friend/remodeler with few equals...he did the job right so that it looks like part of the house.

Low Jumping

What Happens At Papa's Stays at Papa's

Hailee spent the night last night. "Dancing With The Stars" was on. We watched and they were dancing the Argentine Tango. Hailee and I danced the Argentine Tango, wiggling our heads back and forth being silly.

I went to the kitchen and she tangoed up next to me and whispered, "Mommy thinks I'm in bed asleep."

Not a Simple Break

Noelle took a fall at her part time job Saturday off a two foot ladder jamming her femur into the tibia, shattering it so badly the trauma orthopedic doc said it looked like she'd been in a bad car accident.

Today she underwent a four hour surgery with a couple of pounds of screws and plates added to her anatomy. She'll be off her feet a month and it won't be at least until three months before she can walk normally again.

 Before

 
After

Twice in Ten Minutes

Driving home from my late day at work last week, St. Aloysius church on my right was lit up and the parking lot was full. I slowed down a little thinking a kid could dart out in front of me. What if that happened and I hit and injured or killed a child? I imagined it happening. The rest of my life lived out in alcohol soaked guilt. You see in the paper or TV about some poor person hitting a child. What makes me think about that sort of stuff?

I drive on and cut through the business park to Old Henry and catch a shadowy figure out of the corner of my eye, running towards my truck from my right. It's a deer and it runs in front of me. I slam on my brakes, narrowly missing it. The damned animal could've ruined my front end.

I Was Just Saying

There is a phrase which I've been hearing alot of lately and I don't know what it means. It's like a after thought piece of fluff which follows a statement. The statement is usually derogatory or off color about someone or something. The phrase is "I was just saying"... like what you said sounded stupid or insensitive and it just fell out of your mouth accidentally.

At work in the last month I've received alot of emails that were supposed to have attachments...like a Word or Acrobat document which aren't attached. The email will say something like "here are the monthly figures for September" and there's nothing attached. There follows an email which usually says "duh, I guess it would help if I attached the document." I've heard of separation anxiety. You could call this attachment aversion.

We have weekly AA meetings at the prison with my inmates of which I'm the staff sponsor. We had the usual guest speaker last week. "Hi guys, I'm John and I'm an alcoholic." "Hi John." This guy was telling about his road to addiction and at one point he said that his doctor said that if he didn't quit drinking was going to get "psoriasis of the liver."

The Kings of Leon

I love these guys.

Kings of Leon "Back Down South" 2010

Biting The Bullet

Wife and I bought a new car on Labor Day. It's a brand spanking new Mazda CX9. It took some getting used to, with all the gee-gaws, bric-a-brac, bells & whistles, and gimcracks, but I think we're both about to be CX9 certified.

Let me clue you in about getting a good price, go to this Consumer Reports websight. If you have chosen a make & model you can click on "build and buy" and they'll send it to local car dealer for that model in  your area. This costs fourteen dollars but I found it's well worth that small amount. We got the CX9 AT DEALER INVOICE. No fuss, no muss.

Three Dimensional Day

Everyone said last night I haven't posted anything to my blog lately. Truth is, I didn't think most even looked at this anymore. I took a few pics last night. Here they are.

Tough Luck Thomas

My sister-in-law's alleged killer was refused bond reduction today. He's still languishing in the Louisville Jail. Awww. I hope he rots until he's found guilty in his April trial.

Anchorage in 1879

I came across an old platte map of Anchorage, an old neighborhood just north of where we live. It was a place for the wealthy to live and play, founded who knows when. We go through Anchorage when we do our five mile walk.

Notice up in the upper left hand corner "Lunatic Asylum" and the little icon of the building. (You'll have to click on it for a bigger version.) They tore that building down around ten year ago. It's known now as Central State Hospital and the present version is about a mile down the road.

Cruisin the Aisles

Wife and I went to the grocery, our weekly Friday night thang. They're remodeling the Kroger and we're still trying to get a feel for it. Most guys don't like doing the grocery thing. I find it relaxing, sauntering up and down the ailes, pushing the cart (in Western Kentucky they're called buggies.) Going past the ever mysterious evaporated milk, the chic pet food they market to people's taste, and WHAT THE...? There's a can of Heintz SPOTTED DICK. I can't help but be juvenile about this and make a few remarks to wife.

I had to look it up...from Wikipedia: Spotted dick is an English steamed suet pudding containing dried fruit (usually currants) commonly served with custard. Spotted refers to the dried fruit (which resemble spots) and dick may be a contraction or corruption of the word pudding (from the last syllable) or possibly a corruption of the word dough or dog, as "spotted dog" is another name for the same dish with the use of plums rather than currants. Another explanation offered for the word "dick" is that it comes from the German word for "thick" or dick.

There you have it. I think one night I'll have a nice steaming bowl of SPOTTED DICK!

Sparkly

I washed my danger Ranger last night. Washed it real thorough, inside and out. On my way to work this morning I noticed all the vehicles I saw looked sparkling clean. Damn, I thought, must've been a mass thinking of like minds the previous evening.

After a few minutes I realized everything looked clean because it had been so long since I cleaned my windshield...duh.

In A Tizzy

Wife is running around the gardens snipping what blooms survived this broiling summer, readying flower arrangements around the house for my family who's coming tomorrow evening for supper. The cicadas were making their summer racket. I thought Radiohead's tune kinda went with this post.




















Radiohead  "Everthing In It's Right Place"  2000

Pop Goes The Harold

I found Harry Canary violated an emergency protective order and is now under the supervision of Ky Dept. of Probation and Parole and there was his latest mug shot. It won't be long now until he screws up somehow and turns up where I work.

Speaking of work...I received a promotion and raise July 18th. That's the exact month and day I started work in my previous job/life in 1998. I'm a caseworker now. If someone told me this would happen two years ago, I would've labeled you insane in the first degree. When I first started working at the prison I thought I might've been crazy to take this job. I really like it now...alot.

Birthday Eve

Thirty five years is a long time to look back and remember with clarity most things. I was talking with my brother on the phone last night and I told him I would write a post about what we and our room mates did on that day. We were talking about that day the four of us ditched classes at UK and drove to High Bridge.

Brad said he thought I drove since I was the only one with an intact consciousness. The rest were, shall we say, seeing glowing edges and happy trails on that brilliant spring day. I was part designated driver, part spirit guide.

There wasn't a whole lot to stand on crossing the bridge on foot. a narrow way to the left of the double train tracks. Hell, no one was supposed to be walking on the bridge anyway and if we were caught we'd most certainly be fined or at worst, taken to jail. There had been people killed walking on this bridge while a train happen to come along. Nah...this could never happen to us.

High Bridge was built in 1877 and at that time was the highest railroad bridge in the U.S. It is still in use today. It crosses the Kentucky River, 300 feet below.

We were about halfway across and my brother threw a large rock he was carrying for that purpose off the side. It fell..... and fell..... and fell. We lost sight of it just before it hit the river. We barely heard it. We continued to the other side and turned to walk back. We heard the train whistle when we were about midway. I could feel the panic well up. We all stepped up the pace, hoping we could make it back before the train came through.

The train appeared and we could feel the bridge rumbling beneath our feet. The tiny walkway was too close to the track and there was a step up to an iron girder but there was nothing to hold onto but a steel cable two feet out. There we were, our backs to the passing train, holding onto the cable for dear life, our feet bouncing around on the girder, looking out upon the 300 foot drop. It seemed the train went on forever.

The drive back to our apartment was a quiet one. I've never been so terrified before or since. I'll be fifty-six tomorrow.

I Gotta Get me a Pair of These

Quatro de Julio

Rain on Independence Day in Louisville. We're going out to car dealers today. Wife has Murano Fever.

Steely Dan 'Deacon Blues' 1977.

Julia's Ninieth Birthday Reception

Touch Down

Off work all week I've had alot of down time to help with my mother-in-law's birthday reception held this Sunday, getting the house ready for out of town cousin-in-law's I've never met before. They're from Mooreland, Oklahoma. I Wikied the place, a thriving metropolis of 1,190 souls located near the pan handle, tornado alley. They would've felt right at home if they arrived last night.

Louisville got hit last night with a few, one of which came damn close to us. I thought for a while that we wouldn't have to pay to have our backyard tree brought down after all. It was a nail biter. A few horse barns were demolished on the backside of Churchill Downs. The horse owners arrived to find horses wandering around like nothing happened. If you believed the news we had five tornados briefly touch down, all F1's and F-2's.

On the lounge by the pool today looking at the panorama of cumulus float by near the horizon while reading the thoughts of Harry Angstrom. I haven't read any John Updike since college. Love his style. Quote from Harry Angstrom in 'Rabbit Is Rich' ... "All in all this is the happiest fucking country the world has ever seen."

Van The Man

I was rooting around looking for CD's to change out my in the stereo in my truck. I came across a Van Morrison CD he put out in '83. I was at a party back then and the host had the latest Van Morrison album 'Inarticulate Speech of The Heart'. It wasn't opened yet. We pealed off the plastic and put it on the turntable.

Wow...I remember thinking this was the best music I've ever heard...I was at a loss for words.
I bought the album the next day and played it so much I wore it out.

Van Morrison 'Higher Than The World'  1983

Well Smell

Last night we were piddling around in the gardens and I smelled a very familiar smell.

"Do you smell something?"
"Yeah, it smells weird."
"Smells like marijuana to me."

It was the pungent sweet smell of weed and it lasted all evening long. Whoever was smoking it must've rolled up a baled size joint.

The Nerve

I lost some of my majesty about three weeks ago in a storm but I'm still capable, mighty, and can still see a fur piece, nodding in the wind to all my cousins.

When the sun made it's way three quarters around the great arc a man pulled in the black stripe and barry met him and they walked back to look up at me from all angles. The man would look up and write something on a paper and look up again, pointing at me.

The man and barry talked for awhile and then he left, leaving barry the paper he was writing on. I guess he was writing a book report about me. barry gave me a wistful look, then went back inside the house where my shadow casts long across the top.

Wah Wah

This post is for the purposes of bitching, whining, and moaning only.

First of all, part of the our backyard maple tree blew down. It crushed our deck, privacy fence, totalled wife's car, and messed up the front of my truck. We received a mega check in the mail from our home owners insurance yesterday and of course our premiums will most likely increase dramatically, as well as the car insurance. They're all blood suckers. You just can't win.

I'll have to do the repair/replace work myself 'cause lord knows any contractor will try and gouge us for every cent we have and do shoddy work to boot. I'll replace the wood deck with the synthetic Trex. I read where the Trex stuff is heavier than treated lumber..figures. Of course I'll pay through the nose for that stuff. My mother said don't work too hard or else I'll have another heart attack...you watch, it'll probably happen.

And if I have a heart attack there's another major price tag for a hospital stay. I pay buckets of money out my miserable salary for health insurance and what do I get? I'll tell ya what I get, I get iffy care from iffy nurses. The last hospital nurse I had on the 3rd shift had that glassy eyed high as a kite look. I was scared to death of her. I tell ya, I don't get any respect.

George Harrison  'Wah Wah'  1970.

Medication

Every morning I take all my pills.
I take a:

Statin
Beta Blocker
Blood pressure pill
Nitro pill
Aspirin
Plavix (Slick 50)
Multi-Vitamin

I then rattle off to work.

Son Volt   'Medication'   2005.

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

We sang this song in church this morning and I looked at the bottom of the page and it read, Words and Music by Thomas A. Dorsey. I immediately thought of the big band leader of the '40's but, after some research, I found that there was another Dorsey.

He was known as "the father of black gospel music" and was at one time so closely associated with the field that songs written in the new style were sometimes known as "dorseys." Earlier in his life he was a leading blues pianist known as Georgia Tom.

His first wife died in childbirth in 1932. Two days later the child, a son, also died. In his grief, he wrote his most famous of all gospel songs, "Precious Lord, Take My Hand"


Some guy on Youtube -- 'Precious Lord, Take My Hand'.



Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When my way grows drear
Precious Lord linger near
When my life is almost gone
Hear my cry, hear my call
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When the darkness appears
And the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet, hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I'm tired, I'm weak, I'm lone
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

Storm Damage

We had a storm blow through last night and we heard a whoooomp while lying in bed. About a third of our backyard maple came down and damaged our cars, crushed part of the deck, and damaged part of the fence. We were lucky in that it could have been much worse.

Tristan in The Talent Show

Tristan loves to watch Michael Jackson dancing videos, copying every move. Once he heard that his elementary school was having a talent show that was it...he had to be in it. He auditioned for the teacher and the rest is history.

Spring Fashion for the Well Dressed Detective

The Back Side of Churchill Downs

Friends invited us to a tour of the backside of Churchill Downs given by Elliot Shelton, a horse trainer and thoroughbred farm manager. He trained Derby also rans and one Derby winner, Super Saver.

Since it's less than a week before the Derby there was more of a crowd than usual; groomers, exersize riders, trainers, the media, and a class of future jockey's lead by Chris McCarron.

Racing thoroughbreds are exhilarating to see in person. They're huge, agile, beautiful animals. They each have their own personality.

This is Shackleford, one of the favorites to win the Derby

A Monday on Frankfort Avenue

My wife and I took an antique lamp to have re-brassed to H & D Brass today. H & D Brass is on Frankfort Avenue, a narrow road close to downtown Louisville on which train tracks run parallel along side of the street. On the other side of Frankfort are small shops, remodelled old homes, and restaurants. I supposed you could call it gentrified.

Back in the 80's I lived off Frankfort Avenue in an apartment complex called Belleau Wood. There was a famous WWI battle which took place at Belleau Wood along the Marne River in France in 1918. The apartments looked nothing like a battle field, but it was heavily wooded. Go figure.

We parked outside H & D Brass and I took the antique lamp out of the back seat. Wife said don't dare get hit by a car, it might break the lamp. We ordered a new globe and chimney and left the lamp there to be re-brassed. I asked the guy how old he thought the lamp was and he said around the turn of the century...maybe 1918...from France...along the Marne River.

On the way home we stopped at this place called Bluegrass Burgers to eat. There were a couple of women there al freso-ing and one was breast feeding her baby. We went inside and ordered and wife asked me if I wanted to eat outside. I said sure. The baby was done at the milk bar. The other woman had a baby too. We started talking with them and they were both mid-wives who worked mainly in a Amish community across the river in Indiana.

Photos and a Song From Easterland



      Marvin Gaye  'Wholy Holy'  1971