Our Private Dance

Of all things in this life
That I'll never be
Is a dancer, for I've been blessed
With two left feet.

Should a time arrive when
The two of us walk amongst
The beauty of the woods
Just one time I'd like to try and
Dance with you.

We won't need an accompaniment
Of an orchestra or a band
We'll have the music of the ages
To help us glide our steps.

The wings of the butterfly as she makes
Her journey home.
The whine of the mosquito as she searches
For her nightly meal.
The buzz of the hummingbird as he lands softly
Searching for his nectar in the lillies of the field.

The cicadas singing their high-pitched song
Looking for their intimate encounter that
Perpetuates their life cycle.
The crickets chirping out
To set our feet into rhythm.

Our arms embracing as our eyes
Gaze deeply into each other
Communicating a closeness
A bonding
A sensation like no other.

A dance with purpose
A dance with daring
A dance shared by two special friends
The music:
Never-ending.

A Conceivable Concept

Last night one of those strange little quirks happened to me. For the second time since I began blogging somehow I managed to erase an entire blog right before it was finished. There it was, and then, there it WASN'T! Lost forever somewhere in the vast space that is called the web, never to be found again. To say I was upset would be an understatement, because quite frankly, I was pissed off!

It occurred to me at that time, that there was no way that I was ever going to recapture the essence of what I had written. It was lost forever, never to be returned to its original intended form. Then something else occurred to me at that time which is the reason for this blog in itself. Now before you go off and finish reading thinking you're reading the meanderings of someone who is smoking something really good here or maybe has nipped one too many shots out of a bottle of Crown, give this a chance, because I'm sure after you read thru it you will see the point I'm trying to make and shake your head in amazement at the profoundness of what you've just read.(Okay, maybe the last part is just wishful thinking on my part, but at least give this entire blog a read, ok?) Besides, it's shortly before 8 am and I haven't nary a thing to smoke or drink at this early hour, and I'm barely thru my first cup of coffee.

Writers expound upon us the wisdom of their with as they produce different articles of literature for us to read. Some spend mere minutes, others spend vast hours. Some like myself do it for the pleasure of releasing words from the mind, others do it to make their livings. Has it ever occurred to you that you are indeed NOT reading what they had originally intended for you to read?

I submit to you that a writer never, ever completely gets down on paper the original idea he had began his quest to write. For whatever reason, it never completely makes the trip from his mind to his hands and comes out in the same form it had originally intended to be. Consider this statement as I continue typing and you continue reading. As you just read this past paragraph, how many different thoughts crossed thru your mind? Doesn't the same thing happen to a writer, regardless of how absorbed he is in what he is writing? As his fingers move his pen or pencil or type out his words on typewriter or word processor, his mind wanders, and during those wanderings he has no control over, his words come out somehow different than they were originally intended. Therefore, what he writes is not what he had planned on writing. It has changed, mutated and become something different even though in many cases the intent has remained the same, the words have not stayed the same. Hell, in some cases the entire concept of a single sentence has mutated beyond what he had actually started to create.

Now, with this thought in mind, does it occur to you at all that what we are reading and in sometimes paying big bucks for isn't what had started off at its inception and we are reading merely a partial form of an originally intended work? So, are we paying a partial price of this piece of mutated literature because it isn't what was intended at its inception or are we being overcharged? Or, for that matter, is what we are reading better than originally planned and we're paying a premium on top or it's original intended price?

So, now that I've expunged this theory of mine, which I think is actually a matter of fact moreso than it is a theory, did I actually get it explained to you the way I had intended to or are you merely reading a mutated form of what I was trying to explain to you? The answer has to be obvious to you if you've read every word up to this point.

So consider now, as you continue to read these words and your mind continues to travel from thought to thought which you have no control over, consider that every great book you've ever read, every poem you've ever been fascinated with or even an article out of a newspaper or magazine is indeed NOT what the author began writing but rather is a mutated form of what it was supposed to be and not at all what it was going to be when started.

Mind boggling to say the least, or maybe because of its appearance here it should be considered mind-blogging!! And try and consider even further that what you just read, every single word, sentence and paragraph was actually NOT what it had originally set out to be. This even further boggles the mind if you ponder it long enough.

With that being said and for those of you who made it thru this entire blog, thanks for reading probably, oh, I don't know, maybe 70% of what I had intended to write to begin with. Or actually, maybe it was more like 106%, I can't be sure, because my mind was wandering while I was writing this and I can't be exactly sure at this point.

Can you?

Actually, this came out better than what I had originally written last night.

Or at least I think it did, I can't be sure because it didn't actually stay the same as I wrote it down....

Hmmmmmm.....

A Satisfying Emptiness

A journey into words unfolds
As I try to bring into the light
The hurt and the very
Anger
Kept hidden in my heart for so many years.

We shared a special closeness
that was foreshadowed by an intense
Emotional unrest on your part
And I watched as the years went by
And you did your mental damage
Time and time again
To the seed
I had nurtured.

As the years rolled by us
You kept yourself and those in your life
Continually in our hearts
Yet all the while continuing to
Harbor
The evil spirit of animosity
Towards one so special in my heart.

Like a weak-willed soul, I tried to look past
This idiosynchrisy and try and acheive
An acceptance
In an effort to hold onto
This bond that had held us together
For so very, very long.

As happens in life
Sometimes
The catalyst that held this heavy weight
Between us, bore down with a burden
That required nothing of you
Yet you seized the moment
And in a fit of glory shared only by
You,
You fired it directly like an arrow
Into mine and my soulmate's hearts
Leaving a gaping wound in us both
Relishing in the orgasm of your self-fulfillment.

You have driven the final wedge, the final blow, and the ultimate
Exit of our bond.
As you live your life
As a legend
In your own mind
I hope this fulfillment of self-serving
Climax
Has been worth the price it has
Created.

You have become nothing in our hearts and
Nothing in our lives.
Yet I doubt you feel any loss
Because in your life
You only need to be fulfilled by yourself.

And you have always done that so very
Well.

and the purpose of this is?

Yes, it's already happened to me on a few occasions, and as I browse around different blogs I notice an increasing number of cases of spam being left in the comments section. Even using the precautions blogger has set up, it still a case of someone barging in on your space and taking it up with useless and worthless tripe after you've taken a piece of yourself and left in down in words. Obviously the first course of action is to never, and I mean NEVER travel to the spam site that info has been left behind for. Secondly, promise yourself to never under any circumstance buy from any one of these spammers. Thirdly, I think blogger should give us the means to irradicate same said spammers from trashing up our blogs. The present method does no good.

Now, with that said and me feeling a bit relieved of spam induced tension, I'm off to Indiana Downs for my first visit to the world of horse racing.

Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!

Two Glorious Weeks

As I make this latest entry, my wife and I have started our favorite two weeks of the year, namely our October vacation. Even though our travel plans don't include any out of state travel this year, we still have plans and are going to be doing the best to renew our relationship with each other for the next couple of weeks.

I received disturbing news this last Friday when medical tests have shown that I have not only carpal tunnel syndrome in both arms, but I have degenerative arthritis of the spine. I guess this means I'm going to have to adapt my lifestyle somewhat, but other than that, I plan on being the same guy I've always been. I must admit it's harder to sit at the computer now and make these entries, but I still feel the need to release these words...

Anyway, two wonderful weeks of vacation lay before us, two romantic getaways are planned and our first trip to Indiana Downs also await us. Though the fall colors are a bit late arriving this year, you can be assured we'll be making a few sightseeing trips as well.

This will probably be my last post for the next couple of weeks, so until I return to the real world after vacation, let me just say that I will be back shortly after some badly needed R and R.

As always, I wish each of you Peace!

Cold Beans Don't Hit Me

Your words, empty of truth
they promise so much yet deliver so
Little

You profess such alliegance
You deliver only lies

I gave you the essence of my being
I was there for you
When Mother Earth left you alone and
Needing

In return
You gave me emptiness
An empty heart
An uncaring soul
Which you still deliver without
Pause and without any
guilt

Each time I think you are reaching out
To me
I find you continue to live the lies
You have lived thoughout your
Existence
Yet try and blame on the one you
try and pass off as
Soulmate

Your phonyness
Is only emplefied
By your lying heart and
Your uncaring soul

You've had the chance on occasion
to fool with my heart
But now, my elaborate fool
You get the chance never again

Lie to others but leave me alone
the truth could literally bite you on the ass
And you wouldn't feel a thing
Much like I feel with your words now
After over three decades
of
Lies.

We CLEAR!

Remembering Summer Heat, Part Two

The biggest thing, I tried explaining to Jay, was that "lighting" was the biggest necessity to having a good show, even though basically Summer Heat was really providing music for people to dance to. At this point, all Summer Heat really possessed for lighting were a couple of boxed panels that had colored floodlights in them. The lights were blue and green and red, and that was it. They stayed on, the colors kind of mixing, but basically just putting a bit of dark colored light on the stage.

I told Jay I had found some flash buttons at a local hardware store. All you had to do with these flash buttons was put them in the socket before you put the bulb in, and the button caused the lights to flash off and on. These were purchased out the band's fund almost immediately. I also told the band that they couldn't go wrong if they had a good strobe light, but they were so expensive back then, and even though they thought a strobe light was a great idea, they balked when they priced one.

The next dance the band played was at a small venue in town that was sponsored by the local Boys Club that was called the Peppermint Cave. I helped them set up their equipment that night and told them how forward I was looking to add my "special effect" pipe smoke to their performance of "Fire" that night. That was when they told me that the Peppermint Cave was "smoke-free." Therefore, that night, I was there mainly to help set up and tear down. Running the lights consisted on plugging them into the socket and letting them blink off and on. Right away I could see this wasn't going to be one of my favorite places to be with the band.

A few nights later The Chalets were playing the Community Building again, and on this particular night I got a chance to really take a look at the equipment the band had. One of the guys, and damn but the years have taken the memory away of which one it was, but he had built this power box with outlets and switches on it that ran the bands lighting system. The Chalets not only had similar boxlights like Summer Heat's, but they also had a homemade strobe light. The had built a wooden box about three and a half feet square and about 10 inches deep that had a bracket built in the center of it that contained a fan motor. Instead of it having a fan blade, it had a large circular piece of cardboard with a small hole cut in the outer perimeter of it about 4 inches wide and 7 inches long. Mounted at the back of the box was a white floodlight. The fan was hooked up to one outlet and switch in the switchbox; the floodlight hooked up to another outlet and switch. The result was this fan motor whirling the cardboard around in a circle, only letting light go thru the hole. The large wooden box had a hole cut in a door that allowed the light to come out only at the top whenever the hole in the cardboard passed over the light. The result was an absolutely amazing and inexpensive "strobe light."

We immediately started asking questions of the band as to how long it took to make this. The guy that made it said it was a weekend project he had done himself. I asked him how much he would charge us to make us both the control box and the strobe. His answer was startling! He'd be more than willing to sell us these! With a unanimous vote of the band(no, I didn't get a vote since I wasn't a true member of the band), Summer Heat became the owners of The Chalet's strobe light and control panel. I was given the crash course on how to hook things up and how to run the controls by The Chalets, and Summer Heat gave me the job of being their special effects specialist! I was more than elated, to say the very least.

The next week the band once again played the Peppermint Cave. Not only did I get to help set up the stage with the band that night, I also got to hook up the lights for the first time to the new control panel and I got to set up the strobe light for the first time. That evening when Summer Heat played, they had not only flashing colored lights, but they had the strobe light they had wanted for a long, long time.

I experimented that night running the lighting, making sure to shut off the box lights when I ran the strobe light, and making sure not to overdo the strobe in an effort to avoid overkill of a great special effect. This would be the first night that I started getting a routine down to the bands repetoire. I would get better each and everytime they played, and I would be a part of Summer Heat every night they played after that. Even though I was never actually a member of the band itself, I became a fixture with the band. I even came up with a name for my job as their lighting director. The name was one I came up with that I never forgot and one that got Jay laughing each time it was mentioned.

I called it "Simulated Stimulation.

to be continued.....

A Time Of Renewal

For a few short weeks each year, we enter the early fall season. In my case, this is one of the very few times of the year that I feel totally alive! The crisp fresh air that breathes in and out of the lungs so well, the beautiful fall foliage, the reds, the golds and yellows, the oranges. It's a time of year that I look so forward to each year, knowing that it's only going to last for a few weeks and then the onset of my least favorite time of year follows that as winter rears its ugly head.

Years ago my wife and I spent our fall vacation time camping. Since we gave up camping eight years ago, we have found new ways to spend our time, most of it still spent outside. We normally take a trip to Tennessee or Virginia or North Carolina, but this year because of the oil companies greed in gouging the American public with ridiculous oil prices, we have decided to forget about travelling out of state and spend our time right here in good old Indiana and enjoy what our home state has to offer us in fall activities.

The nice thing about this time of year for us is that we take an entire two weeks off from our jobs, we spend the entire time together and enjoy each other's company the entire time we are off from work. This time is quality time, time well spent, and time that we invest in each other and in our marriage. And since it's our big vacation every year, I tend to find myself wishing summer away in anticipation of the arrival of October.

For those of you who find these words and read them, it is my wish that you use this wonderful season of the year as a time of renewal and fulfillment. Enjoy autumn to its fullest extent, because it won't last that long!

Peace!

Is It Any Wonder?

Have you ever seen this?

I thought I had years ago, but then after careful consideration I realize that what I had seen at the time was not the same thing as this is. Usually I keep it out of direct sunlight, although I've heard that if you filter the sun's rays thru amber tint it won't hurt it at all, although I couldn't verify if that is actually true or not.

Some people I've heard in back alley rumors keep theirs under a tarp, which I can't understand because it seems to me like if you were at all proud of it, you'd keep it out in plain view so you could share it with others, maybe even gloating about having it in your possession to begin with. You just have to keep the sun off it, that's the main thing.

I've never seen this for sale on eBay, although I can't imagine why not, except for the fact that it's actually very rare and hard to find. I've even gone as far as looking thru Yahoo to see if you can find any new ones out there, but obviously as you can probably tell, they don't make them anymore, least wise, not like this one. And they do say the older ones are the best ones.

I've heard of some dating back to before the Boston Tea Party. Can you imagine that? I know this one isn't that old, you can tell by the color up at the top edge on the right. However, some people seem to think that takes away from the stellar beauty of it, but to me it seems to intensify it! I mean look at this, take a good long, hard look, if you can, because frankly, it's hard to keep looking at it for very long. Makes one afraid of the old myth about blindness.

Anyway, I'm not trying to make you jealous, well at least not overly jealous. I just happen to be proud that I have this one and I can't help but want others to know that I have it. We've upped our security system here at home, adding those digital locks with the basically impossible code to break, and after talking to our homeowner's insurance agent, he put a rider on our existing policy to make sure it was covered. Hell, you can't just have this without having insurance on it. You have to protect your investment, you know?

And I am proud, and proud without being a gloating SOB about it, too. If I was able to share this with a few of my close and personal friends, I would, but looking at it realistically, you can be assured I don't even share this with my family. Hell, I can't because there simply isn't enough to go around. Actually most people understand, and I'm hoping you do too.

Thanks for being my friend and for sharing in my joy. It makes me feel very special to be able to share this with you, even if it is for just a moment and out of the direct rays of the sun. Besides, isn't that what friends are for?

Bless you for being so special!

A Step From The Norm Neatly

I can't find my way
Alone in the
Dark,
I need someone to guide me.

The fear wells up
Inside me at
Night.
Please,
Won't you come and sit beside me:

Desolation....

Memories Of A Less Troubled Time

Years ago, more than I care to think about, no one had ever heard of a designated driver! That's not to say that there weren't such people that stayed away from the booze all evening long, but it just wasn't something that was really ever talked about.

During those times it was not uncommon for my wife and I to have a houseful of company on a weekend night and an absolutely amazing amount of alcohol be consumed. And while most of our friends drank as much as they wanted, I don't think there were a lot of people that left and hit the road three sheets to the wind.

We did have a friend one night decide he could stomp on a two by twelve plank and break it half, only to find out that this particular plank was bullheaded and had no intention of letting him have his way. Thus, a tetnaus shot and thirty-seven stitches later after an hour or so in the local emergency room rounded out the evening of fun and excitement.

Then there was the night one of our crowd was bragging about all the pot he had smoked and how it never affected him. The next weekend our same small group of people got together, loaded up a pipe with the contents of a Lipton tea bag and watched same said individual get stoned on his ass as the rest of us laughed behind his back, amazed that anyone, anwhere and at anytime could ever get even a mild buzz of of good old Lipton Tea!

One of group belly crawled upon a poor unsuspecting couple one evening that were parked up at the top of our hill and in the heat of passion they didn't hear the air being let out of their tires. Another couple a few weeks later parked in about the same spot were shammed by our group as we each wore a blanket around us and over our heads and walked towards their car chanting out loud like a group of "Satanists." I don't recall ever seeing anyone getting their pants on and taking off any quicker than I did that night.

We had one night when all of us beer drinkers decided to drink screwdrivers instead of beer. We each spent the evening with the blender nearby mixing vodka and orange juice. When our friend the tea smoker showed up, we convinced him to join us and drink screwdrivers with us. And we were nice to him that evening, too. We mixed his drinks the same as ours, two fingers of booze and the rest of the glass filled with orange juice over ice. Oh, did I fail to mention that while our drinks all consisted of two fingers of vodka per glass, his glasses someone received two fingers of Everclear alcohol! All one hundred and ninety proof! Needless to say, this young man felt pretty rough on Sunday morning from all reports, and to this day, unless he's reading this now, we never did tell him what we had done.

There are countless other tales and adventures and misadventures, but the point being, we all had a good time, made some wonderful memories, and put no one at risk on the highways. We provided a safe haven for our friends to get rowdy and have a good time without putting anyone at risk.

I wouldn't change any of that for anything in the world and given the chance I would do it all over again.

So, What's Next?

Anyone who drives has got to be wondering just what is going to happen next with the price of gasoline. Gasoline has gone up more in price in the past few weeks than it has in years. If you think I'm exaggerating, think about this for just a moment.

Just a few weeks back gasoline jumped over the $2 a gallon mark for the first time. That infamous date was March 29th, 2005. As of today, a mere 5 months later, we have travelled thru the $2 range and gasoline in certain places in central Indiana today has crested the $3 a gallon mark.

Listening to the price analysts on radio and tv today is like trying to listen to a lawyer. Part of this price increased is supposedly based on advance fear ratio. Excuse me, but what in the bloody hell is that?

Does that mean people are getting worried about gas prices so the oil industry goes ahead and jacks up the price because of these fears? What a crock!

And of course, the oil barons are also taking advantage of the serious hurricane damage sustained in the Gulf of Mexico to add even more to the price of a gallon of gasoline. The sad thing is, nobody, nowhere seems to be doing anything about it.

Naturally the president will do nothing, mainly because of his investments in the oil industry. He is no doubt going to profit handsomely thru this time of overinflated pricing. The funny thing I can't seem to get over here and that no one can explain to me is that the gas prices are being jacked up on gas that was already paid for months ago! How can something that has already been paid for go up because of recent events? Can someone explain that to me in plain unvarnished truth? I think the answer is an obvious no!

My own take of this accelerated trip thru the $2 range and into the $3 one is quite simple. We keep the prices in the current $3 range for a short period of time, lower back down into the mid $2.70 range, and people will think they are getting a bargain once again, even though they are really getting shafted while the oil industry continues to show the largest profits in history.

I talk to a lot of people, and very few I talk to have done anything to curb their driving to less miles. Most continue to take trips, make numerous trips that could be consolidated into one trip, and they continue to fill up and not raise any hell about it.

Not here. This year, instead of my wife and I taking our normal out of state vacation in October, we're merely staying close to home and do some local sight seeing rather than drive thru 5 to 7 states and make numerous stays in hotels along the way.

Our nation is slowing bankrupting itself, thanks in part to the increase in crude oil futures. My trash hauling company is adding a fuel recovery charge to each stop they make on their trash runs. As I see, they are going to add on a charge of $1.75 per stop, per week. So, if they stop in my neighborhood, they are now going to make an extra $17.50 a week, in my neighborhood alone. In my opinion, they are merely using the extra price per gallone of fuel to pocket a larger profit on their services. And yes, I am looking for another company to haul my trash.

Heating oil and gas supplies, both natural and LP, will be higher this winter than ever before. People on fixed incomes will either have to turn down the heat or find more money to pay their bills. I hate to think of the people who will be freezing to death, literally, this coming winter.

President Bush doesn't hesitate to use "terroism" as a reason to invade countries and wage war, yet he is allowing the oil industry to hold the American public hostage while the fat cats continue to get fatter, he himself among them.

Now I know I've gone and pissed some of my regular readers off with what I've written here today, but I think it's something we all need to take a look at. This situation isn't going to get any better. And if you think it is, take a moment today to write today's date down and put it up somewhere, along with the current price of gasoline from the station where you normally buy your gas and check back with it and keep record in the weeks to come.

It could be that gas might make an even quicker trip thru the $3 range and make a speedy journey into the $4 range before it subsides a few cents. But it should be interesting to watch. And should gas move into the $4 a gallon range before it starts sliding in price, I bet it gets there quicker than it did for it to go from $2 a gallon to $3 a gallon.

Drive smart, readers, slow down and consolidate your trips. Car pool if you can and find things closer to home to do. Quit using as much gas as your do right now, and hopefully someday the truth can come out and something can be done to stop this madness!!!

Remembering Summer Heat, Part One

Back during the mid to late '60's, a common activity that took place regularly were teen dances at the Rush County Fairgrounds Community Building. Live bands from around the area and sometimes from Ohio would come, set up on a makeshift stage on the south wall of same said building and begin playing music for Rush County youth to dance to. These dances normally began around 8 pm and last until 11pm. A usual turnout of around 100 to 150 was normal, and along with the presence of youth there was always the presence of local law enforcement as well.

I recall back in 1968 attending my first dance at the Community Building, presented by then hot tune am station WIBC-AM. DJ Jim Shelton emceed an Indianapolis band called "The Sons of Summer." They were actually a quite talented band of young men varying in age from their late teens to early 20's. Myself and a couple of friends attended, and as big a lover of rock music as I was back then, I was instantly hooked. For a buck and a half we were not only entertained by the band and Jim Shelton, but we got to watch various foxy ladies gyrating to the music that was obviously being played way too loud, but wouldn't have sounded as good if it had been turned down.

I was fortunate to see "The Sons" on several occassions, and even managed to get to know Jim Shelton on a personal basis thru another friend of mine who was quite a talented drummer. I eventually got to work for Jim on a few occassions by taking posters around Rush County and advertising for upcoming shows that he held. The pay wasn't much, a few dollars and free admission to the dances, but it was the music business, and at that time in my life, music was where I wanted to spend my life!

WSAI-AM out of Cincinnati held a couple of dances there, with several bands playing the three hours. I vividly remember a group called the Gory Oatly and a Cincy band called Love Train that had a gorgeous lead singer, and if memory serves me correctly, Love Train was the only band that played there that boasted a female lead singer.

Other times, the dances held were by more local groups, from Shelbyville or Connersville. One band that played innumerable times were the Chalets from Shelbyville. I got to know several members of the Chalets, Mike Davis, Rocket, Jack Hignite, and we became friends that always enjoyed seeing each other whenever they came to town to play.

Also back in 1968, Rushville itself had a few local bands trying to make a name for themselves. A couple were pretty much forgettable, namely Innovation and Care. One band, though, that really rocked and comprised solely of Rushville natives was Summer Heat. These guys were great! Another thing about the local bands was that they only charged a buck a head to get into their dances.

Summer Heat was comprised of lead singer Jay McGinnis, lead guitarist Mike Clarkson, bass guitarist Denny Dawson, and drummer Jim Smiley. All of them were well-known, popular teenagers and all very talented!

I remember at my second Summer Heat dance, they had a table set up in front of the stage with this huge speaker in front. Since I've never been a talented dancer at all having been blessed at birth with two left feet, I generally spent my time in front of that speaker listening to their music full bore! On this evening in question the band began playing their version of Jimi Hendrix's classic, Fire. As Jay belted out the words, I sat down on the speaker table and took my pipe out of my mouth and began blowing into the bowl of it, forcing this huge cloud of smoke up towards Jay and the band. If you've never seen anyone blow thru a tobacco smoking pipe backwards, it's quite a sight to behold. The amount of smoke resembles that of a small forest fire. It's huge, very blue looking, and yes, it really stinks like hell, too!

Anyway, Jay became so engrossed with this neat "special effect" that he and the band added a couple of extra rounds to the song, extending it way past its normal length. As soon as the song was over, the band took a break and Jay came down to talk to me.

He told me that he had seen me coming to the dances for a few months and was wondering who I was, so I introduced myself. The smoke was still hanging in the air and he laughed and told me how cool that had been to be singing a song called Fire with all that smoke unexpectedly filling the stage. When I told him that it just seemed right to do it when they started playing the song, he told me I had a good idea and asked me if I had anymore ideas the band might use.

What I didn't realize at that moment was how important an effect this band was about to have in my life for the next couple of years.

This was going to be the first of a great many nights spent with Summer Heat.

A lot of memorable nights....

to be continued.....

Congrats, Rushville Rocket!

This past Sunday's Brickyard 400 was not only one of the most exciting Brickyards ever, but it was very special to those of us who are dyed in the wool Tony Stewart fans. This is, after all, the one track Tony has always dreamed of winning at. That dream finally came true for him at long last.

A new track surface seemed to allow for more passing than is usual at the famed 2 1/2 mile rectangular track. Not only more passing in the field this year, but more passes up front. Instead of the usual game of follow the leader after the first handful of laps, this 400 miler gave lots of exciting track action for the Nextel Cup fans.

I made my usual trek for both Friday and Saturday action again this year, even though Friday turned out to be a day of no more than sitting in the stands and trying to wait out the rain. Sitting under the protection of an awning over our seats proved to be just what we needed, as we sat for over 7 hours, hoping that Nascar would at least make an attempt to dry the track.(Even after the rains finally came to a halt in the early afternoon, it was apparent to those of us faithful that Nascar had no intention of really trying to get the track dry. Within a half hour of bright sunshine returning to the Speedway, the announcement came around 3:10Pm that all track activity scheduled for that day had been postponed.

So, again early Saturday morning, we made our dash to our favorite seats down in turn 1 and waited for action to begin as the thousands of fans began to pour in. After a few rain delayed moments within minutes of practice starting, Nascar allowed the two one hour practice sessions to become on lengthened two hour session. Honestly, it was one of the best pre-qualifying practices I have ever attended. The break between practice and actual qualifying, however, was long and drawn out, with no track activities in between to occupy the interest of the fans in the stands. This was okay, however, because it allowed several trips down to the concession area where several bloody marys and a few Crowns and Coke were purchased and consumed, along, of course, with the some several Coors Lights I happened to bring along.

With qualifications set for 3 pm, the crowds never really started looking for seats until, oh, let's see, about twenty minutes before qualifying started. I can't tell you how many people actually thought they were going to get those choice seats, but from all the people I watched make the climb up to the top of the stands and the look of bewilderment on their faces when they found no empty seats, the number was huge!

An action packed two and a quarter hours of qualifying followed, setting the field for Sunday's running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. And as much as I would have loved to have been in attendance the following day, my wife and I decided not to pursue that venture, and we rode home with a friend of ours and settled for watching the race on NBC. After all, we didn't have to get up real early to make the trip to Indy, pay outrageous prices to park and fight the crowd of people or the jam of traffic that snarled its way towards the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, we didn't have to stand in line to go to the bathroom, and we didn't have to fight the crowd getting out of there, either. We sat in our living room and watched the race unfold before us on our large 60 inch television and had a view of the entire race better than any seat at the Speedway would have allowed us to have.

My biggest regret, however, was not being able to see Tony cross that finish line ahead of everyone else in person. My couch has the imprint of both of my hands that I left after watching him retake the lead, and then again when he saw the checkered flag wave ahead of everyone else. I shared in his joy and in the joy of the tens of thousands of his fans as he won a race at the track he had always dreamed of winning a race at. My wife and I watched his Polish victory laps, we watched him climb the fence along with his crew, and we watched him receive his trophy and the traditional kissing of the bricks at the start-finish line.

To see Tony win at the track that his luck has never held out for him on, was such a glorious thing to behold. And now that Tony has risen above the beast that has kept him out of Victory Circle on so many occasions, both in Nascar and the IRL, I sincerely hope it is the first of many victories for him at the famed Brickyard.

This is what Tony has wanted for so long, and now that he has made this achievement, hopefully that second championship awaits him at the end of this year's Nextel Cup season.

My heartiest congratulations once again to Tony Stewart, the Rushville Rocket!!!

What Does It Take To Keep This Nonsense From Continuing

Okay, okay, I know, this is flat out going to piss some people off, but if you stood where I stand every single day and see what I see each and everyday I'm at work, you'd understand my position and my opinion and why I'm taking up space on the web to pitch my bitch here.

I consider myself and good and considerate driver and other than my occasional trips above the speed limit by a few miles per hour, I basically obey the traffic laws for the most part. This is probably one of the reasons the following rant gets me going like it does.

The problem?

U-turns!!!

Everyday I'm at work I see this illegal nonsense go on, over and over, all day long. It wouldn't be such a bad thing, but face it folks, where I work the street is narrow, angle parking on one side of the street and parallel parking on the other, with not quite a lane and a half of right away for two way traffic to maneuver thru. All day long, regardless of the amount of traffic on this narrow street and regardless of how narrow the street has become because of cars parked on both sides, I see u-turns made regardless of the safeness of them being done all day long.

Drivers in Rushville have got to be some of the rudest drivers anywhere in the realm of central Indiana, and this foolish practice only adds to the danger of doing this stupid and ignorant practice. Near-collisions are a daily occurence, and to make matters worse, no one, including most of the local law enforcement even cares!

Now I know for a fact that I don't see every single occurence of this reckless act, but, I do see a lot of it, and I'd dare say I personally see at least a dozen to a dozen and a half incidents per day. I've seen children nearly run down by idiotic drivers who are simply too damned lazy to drive around the block, turn around, and park without the needless act of making a reckless u-turn. I've seen old people nearly run down. I've seen senior citizens who have enough trouble walking with the aid of a cane nearly plowed under the wheels of massive four wheel drives.

The thing that bothers me the most? No one seems to give a shit that it's going on.

I've contacted the mayor's office; he's never returned my calls.

I've contacted a former mayor who promised to check into the problem; nothing has ever been brought to my attention that anything has been addressed about this problem.

I've talked to 2 current city councilmen who assured my they would address the matter; Nothing has ever been done to stop this from becoming a deadly situation, which it most certainly will one day.

Face it, it's an illegal practice! It combines two illegal practices: Driving left of center and reckless driving. I see names of people arrested for these two legal infractions in the newspaper each and every week, yet idiotic drivers do it each and everyday in front of my place of employment countless times a day, yet you never read of anyone being arrested for it.

Is it going to take the death or serious injury of someone, most likely a young child or a senior citizen before someone finally takes the bull by the horns and starts enforcing a law that is already on the books!!! Give me a break, folks! It shouldn't take something like this to get something done.

I had one intelligent soul come into work one day and complain to me that a young policeman had stopped her at 5:30 in the morning and warn her that what she was doing was illegal and she could be arrested for it. Not only did she have the audacity to argue with same said officer of the law, but she continues to do this same illegal practice each and everyday she comes to do business with me. This same woman claims to be a good God-fearing Christian woman! Apparently she believes her God thinks it okay that she drive like a freaking idiot!!!

If anyone who reads this is guilty of what I've written here and this pisses you off, GOOD!!! You deserve nothing better than being arrested for each and every damned u-turn you've ever made in this area in question. I sincerely hope the time comes when you do indeed get ticketed and have to pay one hell of a fine. Trust me, if it keeps someone from being seriously injured or worse, it was worth every damned dime you had to pay for your fine.

I seriously hope someone, somewhere gets the message and something can finally be done.

ah, technology

Again, another strike against me posting has occurred.

My computer has browser problems which has kept me off the net for the past three weeks. I'm on a borrowed computer as I type this, knowing that I can't be on here long enough to make a regular posting. Hopefully the beginning of next week, this can be rectified, as I take my computer in to be checked out and more importantly cured of its present possession by "spyware."

More blogs are coming, I assure you.

Thanks for continuing to check back and for bearing with me thru yet another crisis of modern technology.

In the words of the California gov:

I'll be back!

What If?

Back in August of 1969, a lot of things changed in my life. Not all of these things were good changes or positive changes, but they are changes that made me the man I am today, so I would have to say that I don't believe I would change anything that I've done because it would have some adverse effect on who I am.

One of those things that happened back in August of '69 however, was not of my doing. It was the doing of both of my loving parents, God rest their souls.

Word began circulating during the summer of '69 that a large rock festival was going to be staged in rural New York, and that for three days there would be huge name rock bands performing live and that the atmosphere would be one of peace, love and music. Being a lover of all three of these things, immediately a group of us started talking about getting the cash and the transportation together and heading off to the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair.

The big problem I hadn't considered was the fact that I was only 17 years old, and the chances of my folks letting me go were about as likely as discussing nuclear theory with a carrot. And try as I might, God love them both, the answer was an undiscussable "NO!"

So, as friends of mine took off the second week of August for the trip of a lifetime, yours truly sat home in boring Arlington and listened to reports on both radio and tv on the events taking place in New York. No one, including the promoters were prepared for what actually happened. As you probably know all these many years later, the expected daily crowd 50,000 turned out to be close to ten times that amount, the show became a free concert instead of a huge money maker, torrential rains turned the area into a major national disaster area, and those that attended had their lives changed forever.

So, many times over all these years I have asked myself, "What if I had gotten to go to Woodstock, where would my life be now?"

Obviously, there would be a lot of things different now, because truly, indeed, lives were changed for those who attended the largest group of people ever assembled anywhere in the world!

Would I have been one of those who partook of the infamous brown acid circulating thru the crowd, and if I had, would I have lived, been changed emotionally and spiritually, or would I have been turned into a vegetative zombie?

Would I have met new friends who would have influenced my life? Would I have simply never returned to my home and maybe took refuge against the draft in Canada like so many of us had threatened to do shortly before our 18th birthdays?

Would I have become a roadie for one of the bands that performed, because I had always wanted to be a part of music in that capacity?

Would I have met a special woman who would have become a special love interest that kept me from meeting the other women who would later become a part of my life and would I have more than my one son because of this and would he indeed not have become a living human being at all?

Would I have never met and married my wonderful wife and had this fantastic marriage I've been so blessed to have had for the past 27 and a half years?

No one can answer these questions, no one can ever tell me what would have been and what would have never been, because frankly, that seems to only happen in Frank Capra movies.

I do know, though, that as pissed as I was back in 1969 when my parents put their feet down collectively and told me that in no uncertain terms that I was not going to go to Woodstock, today I thank them both from the bottom of my heart, because, honestly, I wouldn't want my life to have taken any other direction other than the one it has taken for the past 36 years!

Thanks Mom and Dad, all these years later for being the loving, caring and wise folks you always were and for "Just saying NO!"

New Blog Coming Soon

Once again, to those of you who are my faithful readers(still can't get over that fact, but I love the thought) I just wanted to leave a quick post this evening to let you know that in the next couple of days I will be making a new entry here. Sorry again for the lengthy delay between posts, but as you are aware, there's been a lot going on here that has taken an emotional toll as well as a lot of my extra time. Hopefully this new posting will get me back in your good graces. Thanks once again for your understanding and patience.

Peace!

In Response

A faithful reader(I didn't know I had any, honestly) remarked to me earlier this week that they missed me writing over the past couple of weeks, and I explained to them that something had come up and kept me from posting. With that in my mind, I'd like to address my absence the last two weeks.

Firstly, I did have a week vacation that I spent doing a lot of running up to the Speedway for some R and R. That, wasn't, however, the reason I didn't write.

A serious family matter came up, which I won't go into here. What I will address is the profound effect it had on me. Quite literally, I thought I was going to lose it completely.

When something happens to a loved one, it's a personal and a private matter. It's not something that needs to be brought out into the open, thrown into one's face or something that even needs to be discussed. All the "good intentions" aside, if you don't know the whole story, even though you think you do, simply keep your mouth shut and mind your own business. If I need your input, trust me, I'll ask you for it.

Someone had the audacity to bring this subject up to me. Whether it was out of genuine concern or if it was actually meant to try and rub my face in it, well, it doesn't matter. Like I said before, it was a serious and personal matter, and no one, and I mean NO ONE, had all the facts.

My family is my world, my family is my life, and to have someone try and cause emotional hurt to me and mine is inexcusable. Trust me, we had enough on our minds and we sure didn't need any more to worry about.

The good news is, we're moving ahead, one day and one step at a time, and we're doing it as we always have, as a family. Mistakes have been made, and trust me, we ALL make them, and we don't need anyone reminding us that we do, because like I said, we all make them. Some of us just have a little more class than others.

With that said, I thank those of you who have given us your support and prayers. We appreciate you all more than you'll ever know. This chapter in our life is moving ahead, and with God's help, which He's so richly blessed us with so far, we'll get thru this problem and learn from it in the years to come. Besides, those miracles we sometimes think never happen, do indeed happen as I found out earlier this week. Thank you, Jesus!

I'm proud of my family, each and everyone of them, and I hope someday that I can have them just as proud of me as I am of them.

The writing will continue....

Common Courtesy(A Dying Art)

More and more with each passing year, I'm discovering that people are becoming less and less courteous, in more ways than one. One of these areas I notice a lot, since I work daily with the public, is tact.

Anyone who knows me has to be aware of just how much of a kidder and a joker I am, but I do my best to never, ever, hurt anyone's feelings with my remarks. I sure wish I could say that I am paid the same respect in return.

I have been shaving my head daily for the past five years, simply because it's an easy way to hide hair loss. Hey, if you don't have any hair on your head, it sure makes it hard for anyone to tell just how far that hairline has really receded. My skin is pretty tough, so I can take the occasional kidding or snide remark from someone I know really well, but you know, I hear this crap everyday, several times a day, from people I barely know, or some I've never seen before.

When I was growing up, my folks taught me that if you can't say something nice to someone, it's best not to say anything at all. I've remembered this throughout my life, and I don't think I've ever intentionally said something to belittle someone publicly or to hurt their feelings. At least 4 or 5 times a week, I have to put up with the intelligent soul covering their eyes, talking about the horrible glare my bald pate is causing.( They seem to think this is an orignal statement that I've never heard before. I got news for them:ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!) Some call me baldy, some ask me why my head shines so much; the list is nearly endless, but trust me, after 5 years, and working with a lot of thoughtless idiotic comments, I've pretty much heard it all.

This week, a septugenarian customer asked me if I used Simonize on my head to get that tremendous glow I was giving off. Now, since I was not waiting on this intelligent soul, but was in the middle of a transaction with another customer and another clerk was actually waiting on her, I did the most repectful thing I could think of: I ignored her!! I was thinking to myself, this was the best course of action to take, because by acting like I didn't hear her, she would think twice about her senseless and rude comment and not repeat herself.

Wrong!

The customer I was waiting on gave me a look and shook her head, as if to say, "What a dumbass!" I winked and smiled back at her. Anyway, I heard her tell the other clerk, "Oh, shoot, he didn't hear me." Now I was positive I had done the right thing.

Wrong again!

As soon as I finished with my customer and she started walking away, the older lady with the questionable intelligence once again uttered, "Excuse me, do you use Simonize on your head to make it shine like that?" She looked out at the two remaining customers who had yet to be waited on, both of whom ignored her. She looked back at me, awaiting the comment I was going to make.

Oh, the things I wanted to say to the woman! First of all, I almost remarked to her, "Any just why do you want to know? Do you have an area of your body that you would like to have shine like this?"

Or, " Why yes I do, but it won't do your wrinkles any good, so don't try it. You have far too many and they're all way too deeply imbedded in your skin."

But, I didn't. Mom and Dad's teachings held fast, so I simply replied, smiling as I did so," No, ma'm, I just sweat a lot!" And I kept smiling and stared her dead in the eye for a long time.

I think I got my point across to her, because she gathered up her items and made her exit. My co-worker looked at me, shook her head, and started waiting on her next customer, commenting about how rude and thoughtless that remark was.

My point here is simply that people don't know what common courtesy is anymore. They make comments without thinking, only wishing to be cute, when actually a lot of times they not only hurt someone's feelings but they make total and complete asses out of themselves.

Case in point:

About ten years ago one of my favorite customers was at the window, talking to me. She is such a warm and wonderful Christian woman. I love this woman so much, they don't make them any better than her, I assure you! While we finished our transaction and our visit, a woman she knew came in as did a couple of other customers. Becky beamed with her one of a kind smile and spoke to the woman, who so graciously greeted her with, "Oh, God, Becky! You're so fat!"

Talk about wanting to "reach out and touch someone." This woman doesn't know how lucky she was that day, because I really did want to reach out and touch her, over and over again until she lost conciousness. But sweet, wonderful Becky only smiled and told her she knew she had been gaining weight, all the while the tears welling in her eyes.

Another time, another older customer of mine was just walking up to the counter, and I was so thankful, because this rude and obnoxious old fellow was just getting ready to walk away from the counter. As he turned around to see who was coming up, she spoke to him which gave this intelligent soul his chance to be "ass of the month."

He looked at her and spoke, and then added, "I didn't know your daughter was married."

Marjorie replied, "She isn't married, Bob."

To which he replied, quite loudly I might add, "Well, she's pregnant!"

And again, another classy comment from a well mannered woman, that this idiot didn't comprehend. All she said back in reply was, "Well, yes she is and she's sure not the first single woman to have a baby, either."

I could go on, because idiocy seems to run rampant in this day and age, and after 26 1/2 years on the job, man, have I heard some doozies! Trust me, you don't want to hear them, because some are a lot worse than these.

My point is, think before you say something to someone. They have feelings, folks, and those feelings in some cases hurt very easily. In other cases, some of these people just really might reach out and touch someone, and that someone might be you. Show intelligence when you speak, and when you do kid someone, do so without trying to hurt or embarrass someone, because if hurt or embarrassment is involved, it's not kidding and it sure as hell isn't funny!

And for the record, no, I don't Simonize, I don't use Nair, I could care less if the glare is that blinding to you, that's what sunglasses are for. Yes, I have hair, but after five years I don't know where it's growing and besides, it's no one's business by own. Yes, I grow a pony tail with my shaved head, and the reason why I do that I shared with another intelligent soul at Wal-Mart one day when he asked me what the ponytail proved, I told him it was a sociological experiment. When he asked what that was, I told him it was to see just how many people thought my hairstyle was really any of their business....

Funny thing, he hasn't asked me since.

Must have been all those people that laughed when I told him that!