Pondering, Pondering

With all your infinite wisdom
How can you be so damned
Stupid?

Rest In Peace, Flatrock Grill

Not all friends that leave our lives much too early are people. Sometimes they can be places, such as businesses and such.

That's the case with the recently closed Flatrock Grill.

The Grill was my friend, my safe haven, my place to go and feel cared about and needed and appreciated.

Now it's gone, but will never, ever be forgotten.

Economic times and a lack of local support of this fine establishment contributed to its recent demise. Hard to imagine when a place such as this, with its fine food and awesome atmosphere, is gone now.

The owners, Brian and Alli Rodgers had a first class, top notch eatery here, folks. Great steaks, pasta and seafood, a really nice bar,a beautiful atrium which overlooked Riverside Park, plus a staff that was second to none were there all the time, each day they were open for business, but in these times, it unfortunately wasn't enough.

Bartender Walt, his wife Cassidy who was a server, Granny, as Alli's mom wished to be called, Megan, Greg, Rick, Shea, Christian(hope I spelled it right) and Ronnie, as well as others who had come and gone, were always ready with a smile to help make your visit a pleasant one.

In the past two years that my wife and I were regular customers, these folks all became an addition to our family. Whether we made reservations or just walked in off the street, whether they were moderately busy, slow, or packed in like sardines, we always received the best service and best food possible.

The Grill was a valuable sponsor to our Summer Concert Series at Riverside Park. They not only fed the daytime concert volunteers and sound technicians, but they always served a high class meal to both the opening bands and the headlining bands as well. They even fed the 85 member Carmel Symphony Orchestra two years ago, a mammoth undertaking, no doubt. They always wanted to do more for us, including providing us with ice backstage for our performers water and soft drinks.

Easter Sunday proved to be our final meal at the Grill, as Alli and Brian made the very hard decision to close that day. I can't imagine the emotions behind such a decision, and I can't imagine what it felt like to have your dream fall apart after trying so hard and investing so much time, emotion, hardwork and money into a business.

I'm going to miss going in for a cold beer, a nice steak or burger, and those awesome deep fried green beans that they served. I'm going to miss the visits and conversation with all those folks who worked there, and I'm going to miss celebrating our wedding anniversary and birthdays there, as well.

"Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone." The words from that song sing out to me each time I think of losing the Flatrock Grill, and I'm sure our community is going to feel the loss as well for a very long time to come.

Thanks to you all for the memories, the fun, the friendship and the great food.

I'm mourning the loss as well.

From The Bent Mind, Part Two

Political protest song I wrote from 1982. Had such a great tune worked out for this one, very reminscent of the 80's hair band type music and such, wish I could recall what it sounded like in my head. Anyway, doesn't matter, I loved the words when I wrote it then, and as I read them now, I still enjoy what I wrote over 27 years ago.


To Ronnie, While On Vacation

The winds of change are blowin',
We're tired of playin' their game
Stick to our battle, pick up your arms
'cause things can't stay the same.

We've taken the establishment shit for so long
They've blinded us so we can't see.
The rich man continues to rule this land
And they've stuck it up you and me.

Can't you see where it's headed?
Can't you see where we've been?
It's time to get down and boogie
This is one we've got to win.

They disguise their ruse so carefully
Enticing us with pleasures we taste
They take all our emotions to suit all their needs
And motivational resources become as waste.

Our money is spent on their wishes
They control us as we do what they please.
Wake up you damn fools, and get ready to fight,
We must wipe out this malignant disease.

Can't you see where we're headed?
Can't you see where we've been?
It's time to motivate in our direction,
Get down, we've got to win.

We need our soldiers to have perception
So they can see who we've got to fight.
It's the political disguise of the capitalist pigs
Making laws to their own delight.

If this cancerous condition keeps a movin'
In the direction we presently see,
There'll be no bill of rights, no constitution or declaration
And no longer a land of the free.

Can't you see how it's goin'?
Can't you see where it's been?
So tell me, motherfucker,
Don't you really want to win?

Stand up, take arms and be counted
Be ready to fight for a true cause.
This country of ours, is dying, my friends,
Let's fight troops and show them our balls.


Conceived January 2, 1982

Some Blasts From The Past/From The Bent Mind, Part One

During a recent spell of spring cleaning, my ever industrious and hard working better half happened upon a spiral notebook of mine from back in the early 1980's which was a collection of short stories and poems of mine cleverly entitled "Windy Feathers and Chicken Lips." Her finding this was like a reunion with an old friend you haven't seen in over twenty years. I thought it would be kind of fun to add a few of these ditties from years ago onto my page and let my Faithful Few see what I was up to all those many years ago. As luck would have it, I dated everything I wrote back then and I am really happy to be able to throw a few of these entries onto my page here from time to time. I used to sign everything at the end "from the bent mind of one...", then my name, and then the date. I will entitle each of these entries from time to time "From The Bent Mind" and add the date of the entry. Hope some of you will take the time and add some comments and let me know what you think of my bent mind from many, many years ago.

With that said, let's proceed with this first entry.


My "Good" Friend

You call yourself my good friend
A special one amongst the others
I placed so much of my trust in you
And then too late discovered.

As friends we should share good times and bad
The good outweighing the bad.
I've stood up for you, and too late I've found
That I've been cleverly had.

We laughed, we cried, we drank we smoked
And closer I felt we grew,
But your affection for deceit bore its fruit
And apparently our friendship is through.

I wasn't aware until too late
Of both the faces you wore.
And now that I know you, I can't help but say
That you're really one hell of a bore.

So take your lies on up the street
And go on deceiving someone else.
My advise to you, is direct, yet it's cool,
And that is simply, "Go fuck yourself!"

Conceived July 10, 1982

View Thru The Crown (Royal)

I've been so very pessimistic as of late. I try to find the positive, to remain upbeat, but pessimism keeps taking its reigns and leading me right back down the negative path.

Maybe I spend too much time watching the news or reading news or blogs that talk about the shape of our world today, but let's face it, our economic picture is affecting us all, each and everyday.

I talk to people while I'm working that are losing everything, their jobs, their life savings, their hope and their faith. Moods seem to be so down as lives take on new hardships never before encountered.

Businesses are closing, filing bankruptcy or simply disappearing at an alarming rate. The auto industry and all affliliated suppliers are in a quandry. The U S Postal Service is losing money at an alarming rate and talk of layoffs and eliminating one day of delivery a week is being discussed in front of Congress.

Businesses are relying on the government and the taxpayers to bail them out because of their dire financial straights and piss poor decisions, yet these same businesses that have taken bailout dollars to the tune of billions and billions are rewarding the idiots that ran their businesses down the tubes, stating they give them bonuses to keep them employed. Is it just me or is that the biggest crock of shit they've come up with yet?

I'm worried, I'm scared and I'm pissed! I stay with these same three day in, day out, and I wonder each day what the hell else is going to go wrong. Where is all this madness going to end?

I hear people already slandering our new president because he hasn't turned our economy around in the less than ninety days he's been in office. Amazing that it took years to get here but our new president is being judged because he hasn't solved this crisis in mere days.

Personally, I applaud the efforts President Obama has made so far and that I believe he will continue to make. I find it commendable that he is not hiding anything from the American people as did the president we had the previous eight years.

I applaud our nation for looking past race and electing a president based solely on his plans and his accomplishments and his ideals and for giving a man of his limited experience the chance to turn our nation back into the great and prosperous nation it was a decade ago.

I sit, I wait, I wonder, I worry and I get pissed, and I will for sometime to come and I hope very soon we see changes for the better occuring.

For now, another sip of Crown might make things look a little better.

And only for short time.

As Scarlet O'Hara once said, "After all, tomorrow is another day."