Don’t bother calling the John Laws … they know where I am, even if you don’t.
It’s been a long week, and bloggery has gone walkabout, along with cycling, running, thoughtful meal selection, preparation and consumption, feline management, etc., et al., and so on and so forth. Nothing to be concerned about, just busy busy busy and largely disconnected from most of the tools of my former trade.
With any luck at all I should be back in the saddle tomorrow.
In the meantime, consider this post what my fellow bloggers call an “open thread,” suitable for discussing/debating whatever happens to be floating your boats.
I’ve had those weeks too. In fact, the last week….
I have been in the boat with Khal and Patrick. Other than a jam session last Saturday and shopping, I haven’t left the house much. We don’t GO anywhere, not even to Tucson.
At our public library’s used book store, I bought a copy of “America The Beautiful In The Words Of Henry David Thoreau.” It was like new save no dust jacket. It’s a beautiful book, printed in the US by a small publisher in Wisconsin on quality paper. In is cloth bound. I forgot what a pleasure it is to just hold a book like this. And, I am rediscovering Thoreau.
Take your time and enjoy not being digitally connected. It’s good for the mind.
Since this is an open thread I’ll offer something interesting that happened to me.
I stepped in it recently and made the mistake of saying I wanted the return of the Fairness Doctrine. I know I may not know everything about it and am not a broadcaster. But saying I’m an idiot who knows nothing isn’t going to win my mind. What I wasn’t prepared for, but should have been, was the piling on by people whose sole purpose appears to be to attack those who think having a policy that was in existence 40+ years ago might be a good thing. One account was even named after saying goodbye to the Fairness Doctrine literally. One mention, without a hash tag, and these jokers came out of the woodwork. I got more responses to that than I have any post. And that was a reply to another person’s post. So, I blocked a few and that made matters worse. It appears this was a targeted effort. I decided I’d be nice and offer an olive branch by saying that if this was the only place we differed – me wanting the return of an old policy – but we were all on the same page of wanting the Orange thing and his mini-onions of Set in prison – then they should just leave it go and I’d leave them go and we’ll all be okay. Well, multiple replies to that specifically NOT letting this go convinced me they are not legit but really are working for someone/thing the purpose of which is to divide people on “the left.”
I’d heard of this but never experienced it before – maybe a little taste of it when I mentioned years ago I didn’t like Hillary’s corporate history and Goldwater history on Facebook when I was on that platform. This now, is targeting people on BlueSky.
Well, don’t try to convince me now there isn’t something fishy up here. I’ll see today if things die down. I’ve said my peace and hopefully others will see my side, regardless of whether you disagree on this bit of history.
Which brings me to one other suggestion, check out Stuff You Should Know’s podcast on How Russia Shapes What the World Thinks and their two older podcasts on the flawed Fairness Doctrine (Did 24-Hour Cable News Kill America? and Selects: How the Fairness Doctrine Worked). It’s a good podcast in general on so many subjects and the two hosts are good actors in general even if you sometimes disagree with them or they miss a few things.
The Fairness Doctrine is a double edged sword alright. My issue with it frankly is giving any Trumper 1 second of time to refute or “explain” the latest crimes of the administration. Or in cases when thousands of medical practitioners agree and state that Worm Brain is full of shit-why give him any air time? Equal time assumes that people can sort out the wheat from the chafe but that is clearly NOT the case in weak minded America. As Bogart said in the African Queen, “and that’s all I have to say about that” as he nursed a hangover from hell.
Yes. In practice, it ended up working out but we were a much more unified media landscape then, let alone it only applied to radio and can’t *in it’s current form* to cable, internet, etc.,* let alone it give a fascist admin another weapon. I view it more like what Josh and Chuck ended up expressing in their podcast. However, we’d have to get back to a democracy with some form of built in checks and balances for things to work.
Didn’t Forrest Gump say something like that too? A romantic escapade between Bogart and Hepburn with Houston watching still disturbs me. Of course, then there’s Rooster Cogburn.
The digital dung heap is vast, and the diamonds it contains are few. You are looking at a diamond now.
🙂
Herkimer?
I zenned the shit out of my summer. Tai Chi with the Silver Sneakers, coaching middle school volleyball, and then our every-other-year retreat to a literal secret beach (shhhh …. it’s “Secret Beach” on the maps apps).
https://maps.apple/p/AHsP5NTXUa-ziI
On July 15th, I was the chillest motherfucker on the planet.
And then we came home to a voluntary unforced error, tearing down our bathroom to the studs and starting all over.
I could bore you with the deets, but let me just summarize with this singular observation: Every jag-off who showed up with a laser screwed up everything they touched, and everyone with a carpenter’s pencil tucked into their grout/caulk/mud-encrusted trucker’s hat simply eye-balled their work and it was spot-on the first time.
Anyway … two week project … currently on week six … and we know once they measure for glass, that step alone is a three week turn-around … so, yeah, shoot me now.
If I get down to the studs, I’m in creative heaven. That’s because I’ve started the project finally. In my case, and if I’m doing it, the job will likely take at least 6 weeks. I take my time on projects like that. I’ve got at least one bathroom I could do that to now, but I think I’ll wait at least until March of 2029 before I break walls on anything like that. Here’s to hoping that you are in shower heaven in a week or two.
Here’s to wishing you a pleasant trip back to normal complacency POG. I hope the captivity wasn’t too extreme. I understand that part time work as an airline caterer can sometimes be difficult, but to be sealed and caged incognito with a junk food addicted loser of some country might get a tad bit uncomfortable. Did the buffoon want to drive the catering truck again?
Every time I think of this I’m reminded of the Addams Family movie where someone accidentally bakes the cake with the girl inside. I’m sorry if I just insulted girls.
All my projects usually take 2 weeks. I work an hour or two then let it sit for a few months then knock out several days and over the course of a year or so I’ve spent about 2 weeks working on it. My picket fence is in its second year. In my defense it’s been unbearably hot and the mosquitoes keep my kinda anemic.
I’ve been pretty religious about going to the gym this summer. I do a core class on Mondays and a kettle bell class on Wednesdays. And I will do a spin class on Fridays if the weather is bad. The heat as mentioned above just does a number on me if I try to go for much of a ride. One thing I like about the core and kettle bell classes is it’s full of old ladies with a few old guys and 30 something moms thrown in. A nice mix. Some of the old ladies are pretty fit and hard to keep up with. When I started a few years ago I was pathetic. But gradually I’ve worked my way up to not being embarrassing. I stay in the back row as I’m tall and the view is better but I keep my eye on the front row as those ladies are the A Team. If they’re swinging a 20lb kettle bell then so am I. A trip to the chiropractor may be necessary after.
I’ve been playing my guitar again after letting it sit for a while. I found some songs with interesting chord progressions that I like to sit and figure out. One song I am struggling with has a pretty 4 chord progression that has got me stumped. I think I’ve got the chords mostly but there are some pull offs that I can’t make work with the way I’m playing the chords. Tonight I watched a few videos on YT of people playing the correct chords but not the right way with no pull offs. One guy I think has it right but he’s using open D tuning and a capo. Shit like that pisses me off. Still it’s a fun exercise. The song is Katey Musgrave’s Slow Burn.
Carl, you are way ahead of me on guitar. I assume you are finger picking it. What key are you in?
I love listening to good guitar picking but my attention span to play something myself hasn’t really ever been stable enough to practice on a guitar long enough to play anything. I’ve probably posted it before but I really enjoy listening to a couple of relative new pickers: Hayden Pedigo and Yasmin Williams
https://www.npr.org/2023/11/13/1211880682/hayden-pedigo-tiny-desk-concert
https://www.npr.org/2021/10/19/1046415242/yasmin-williams-tiny-desk-home-concerts
Keep up the picking Carl. I really appreciate a person practicing their art and becoming more proficient over time.
A, ?, G, D
Those are the basic chords but they have some jazzy twists to them
I think it is Asus2, Em, G, and D for the verse, and D, Asus2, Em, and G for the chorus. Some fills at the end of every line. That is a catchy progression, and I think James Taylor used it on “Fire and Rain.” I am just a chord strummer using thumb and fingers and a pick. Also do a little alternate bass note picking. Slow progress since I don’t practice enough!
https://www.e-chords.com/chords/kacey-musgraves/slow-burn
That sounds right but it’s where the chords are on the fretboard that matter. I’m still working on it.
Now I know you are ahead of me. I can do some barre chords using the E, Am, and A fingering and slide the C7 chord up, but most chord shapes above the fifth fret are still a mystery to me.
I picture chords like a box of crayons. The first box you get only has about 12 primary and secondary colors. Then you get the box of 256 colors and it blows your mind. I could never wrap my head around the theory of those jazz chords, why one works better than another. I’m pretty much stuck at major 7th chords and maybe a 9th or a Jimi Hendrix 11th chord on occasion.
As for another deflection thread, I was wondering POG, that perhaps you were preoccupied and had decided to start last minute training for the Leadville 100. Wouldn’t that be delightful. Minimal training and years way beyond being able to just show up and even complete it with a slow time. Perhaps if there was a Leadville 20 with tasty green chile stew and a cold IPA at the finish line. But I do hope that the weather down there has cooled a little to allow you to get out for some type of cardio exercise – Maybe even swimming in a community pool.