Tag Archives: Rambling Ruminations

Letting My Fingers Do the Typing

20 May

I had this well-structured post ready to roll, but I am not feeling it. Honestly, it seems too mechanical, and I am in a more organic mood. It is a night to let my fingers move over the keyboard and type what comes out of them. It is like playing with a Ouija board. Put your hands on the pointer and see where the energy goes.

In college, my roommates and I decided to break out the Ouija board. It was going good for a while. We asked about the hot girls in our classes and if we had a chance with any of them. We asked stupid questions that college guys ask. Then, one of the roommates asked if the Devil was in the room with us. To make a long story short, we became convinced that our apartment was built on top of an Indian burial ground. Everyone ended up sleeping in the same room.

I think there is a Ouija board somewhere in the house.

Wait, it suddenly got quiet. My wife and stepdaughter had one of those competition shows blaring. I think it was The Voice. It could have been American Idol. Anyway, they turned it off, and things suddenly got quiet. It is almost an eerie quiet.

There is a video on my desk called Rock and Roll: The Early Days. I watched it when I was a kid, and it fascinated me. The rise of the first stars is followed by their fall. Next semester, I am teaching a class on the history of American music and knew that this is something I wanted to show. Unfortunately, it only comes in VHS format. Luckily, we still have VCR’s on campus that work.

The quotation bubble at the corner of the screen just turned orange. That means someone left a comment. I just commented on a few blogs, so it is probably a reply. I got into this blogging business to write and have found that I enjoy reading just as much. It is always good to leave a comment on a post that you find fascinating.

By the way, do you want to know how powerful blogging can be? In my last post, I complained about Nashville not having a proper amphitheater. The Tennessean just unveiled a rendering of Nashville’s new downtown amphitheater. Now, that is power.Amphitheater

I found out about that through my wife’s Facebook. A friend who read the post sent over the link and said I would like it. I do not have Facebook. I am convinced that the Devil my roommate asked the Ouija board about is the one who invented Facebook. Obviously, it does good things, but those only cover up the evil within. Do you know how many problems are started on Facebook? A bunch.

There is a local controversy going on as I type this. A well-known guy has been accused of taking $5 million from people through a fraudulent scheme. There are people on Facebook actually defending him and saying everyone makes mistakes. That is true. We all make mistakes. However, stealing $5 million from people you have known all of your life is not a mistake. It is a calculated crime. Wait, all of that is alleged.

Anyway, it is not my point to talk about an alleged crime. The point is that Facebook makes us too connected. I know it is hypocritical to say because I blog and am on Twitter, but I am going to say it. We were not meant to be that connected to everyone else.

I suppose that I am finished with this string of thought. I should get out of my office and pay attention to other people in the house.

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A Long Night in Old Nashville

16 May

This week, I have been attending meetings in Nashville, and the route to the meetings takes me by a lounge called Dad’s Place. As I passed by this morning, it brought to mind the longest night I have ever spent.

My friend Mac was in town for the evening and wanted to hit the streets. Mac is an old road dog who can stay out late and get up early. Honestly, I have never known how he does it. The only person I know who can hang with him is my friend Pig. Their routines would kill mere mortals.

When Mac said to meet him at Dad’s, I knew it was going to be a long night. I just did not know how long.

Dad’s is an interesting place, and I have no idea how to describe it. I suppose it would be a cross between an AARP meeting and a nightclub. One time, I saw two men in their 60s get in a fight over a woman. You can let your imagination go from there.

After a few drinks, we went to The Stockyard Restaurant, a Nashville steakhouse that is too high and too full of tourists. We did not go to eat. We went to spend some time in the Bullpen Lounge. More drinks were in our future, but the real treat was Tommy Riggs, the house singer. Tommy was a large man, but that did not take away from his voice. He was a great singer and entertainer.Tommy Riggs

I distinctly remember him singing a song that he wrote called “Love’s Last Stand.” I could not find his version on the Internet, but I found Donna Meade’s version.

Of course, Mac and Tommy were on a first name basis.

I have no idea how long we spent in the Bullpen, but I was worn to a frazzle. We had more places to go, though. Next stop, the historic Printer’s Alley. These days, it is a tourist area, but it has a seedy past of strip clubs and prostitution. Throughout its many transformations, one place remained a constant – Skull’s Rainbow Room. That was our next stop.Rainbow Room

It should be obvious that the Rainbow Room was owned by Skull, who always sat at the back bar wearing Hee Haw overalls and watching television. We walked in and Eddie, the house singer, was on stage. Guess what. Mac and Eddie were on a first name basis, too. We listened to Eddie sing and drank with him between sets. We were there forever, and lots of people came and went. One of them was the Undertaker. You know, the professional wrestler. We had a few drinks with him, too.

Like at the Bullpen, I have no idea how long we spent at the Rainbow Room, but I know that we closed it down. We helped them clean up. We helped them stack chairs on the tables. We turned off the lights. We shared a cab with Skull. He got in the front seat while Mac and I got in the back. Hold on, some girl got in the back with us. It is hazy, but I remember that she was goth and said something about how she could help me end the night in a great way. It would not cost that much money.

At some point, the girl faded into the darkness. I guess goth people can do that. We dropped Skull off at his apartment. It was not too many years later that Skull was robbed and killed at closing time. It is one of the more famous crimes in Nashville’s history.

One would think that the night would be over. It was not. We made our last stop at the Hermitage Cafe.Hermitage Cafe

It is like Waffle House but better. Then, we finally made it to the hotel and to bed. A couple of hours later, Mac was up and ready to go. I was ready to forget how bad I felt.

The longest night I have ever spent was forever ago. As I said, Skull is no longer with us, and the Rainbow Room is boarded up. Tommy Riggs has also passed away. I have often wondered what happened to Eddie. Did he find another club or go back home? I have also wondered what happened to that girl. Did she find another customer that night, or did she meet her coven around the cauldron?

Yes, it was a long night, but it was also a fun night.

 

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George Taylor, the Robinson Family and Me

13 May

As I mentioned in the last post, I was put under anesthesia. The medical staff stuck a needle in my arm; put oxygen in my nose; and said that I would soon fall asleep. For a few seconds, I laid on my side and stared at a monitor. I wondered if this was really going to work.

Then, I was waking up in the recovery room. Someone asked me how I was doing and brought a Coke for me to drink. The rest of the time was a little fuzzy. My wife came in, and we talked to the doctor. They loaded me into a wheelchair and took me to the car. As we drove home, my mind began to clear up, and a name came to my mind.

George Taylor.

You may not recognize the name, but you may know his story. George was an astronaut sent on a deep space mission. To complete the trip, he and his crew had to be put into deep hibernation.Planet of the Apes

At some point, their spaceship crashed, and they were awakened from their sleep. To make a long story short, they got out of the ship and discovered that they were on a planet controlled by talking apes. George Taylor was Charlton Heston’s character in Planet of the Apes.

I started thinking about George because he must have had the same feeling that I did. He was placed in hibernation and, in his mind, immediately woke up. However, time had continued. I did not wake up in a world ruled by monkeys, but I did wake up after some time had passed. An hour passed for everyone around me, but, in my mind, it was only a few seconds.

Then, I started thinking about the Robinson family. You know the ones – John, Maureen, Judy, Penny and Will. They were placed in deep hibernation for their trip to Alpha Centauri. Oh yeah, Major Don West was put in there, too.Lost in Space

Anyway, things went awry when Dr. Zachary Smith tried to sabotage the mission and woke them up.

I bet they felt the same way as George. John, Maureen and their brood fell asleep one second and woke up the next. Instead of apes, they had a terrorist and a screwed up robot on their hands.

I say all of that to say this. Going under anesthesia made me think about time travel. Would placing people in hibernation for years work? Would they feel like that only seconds had passed instead of years? Here is something else. Is being put under anesthesia a form of mental time travel? From my point of view, it only took a few seconds for an hour to pass.

I have no idea, but I know that I did not wake up with a bunch of apes hovering over me.

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The Blue Screen of Death

18 Apr

On Monday, I went into my office; took my laptop out of its carrier; turned it on; and saw a big blue screen. I poked and prodded the machine until I realized that it was not going to do anything else. That is when I called my nephew, who we all go to in our time of technological need and asked him what was up.

He said that I had come upon the Blue Screen of Death. That was fantastic news. I called my wife, and she suggested a computer guy who could take a look at it. I called him, and we had a clandestine meeting on the side of the road. With our vehicles parked close, I slipped the package to him.

He had it for a few days before coming up with a diagnosis. The computer was filled with viruses. He could clean it up but saw no reason for that. My laptop is obsolete. Cleaning it of the bugs would cost more than it is worth. It kind of reminds me of those death committees that people think the government is going to crank up. No longer a productive citizen? You do not need that hip replacement.

With that in mind, I went laptop shopping with my nephew. We went to the Apple store and got one of those newfangled Macs. This post is my first foray into this thing. There are some differences, but I think I will get the hang of it. I would include a cool picture, but I am not sure where it would go if I saved it.

Speaking of pictures. My old laptop is filled with pictures, documents and assorted materials. Hopefully, the computer guy can get that stuff moved over here.

For the past week, I have been without a laptop and have been amazed at how lost I have been without one. Now, I am almost complete.

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Bad Mood Rising

11 Apr

I am in a bad mood and have been for the past several days. I have not felt like blogging, and I, for sure, have not felt like talking to anyone. When I get in a bad mood, I tend to shut down. That is probably not the healthy way to handle things. Actually, I know it is not the healthy way to handle things. At least, that is what my old therapist said.Therapist

Last night, I tried what a lot of people do when they are in a bad mood or are stressed. I had a few drinks. I understand that it is supposed to be relaxing. Well, it may be for most people, but it is not for me. It accomplished two things. It made me have a terrible night of sleep, and it made me feel bad this morning.

Here is the dumb thing. I knew that is what it would do. That is why I usually only have one drink at dinner or something. I like the taste, but I see no reason to drink more and have these things happen.

Besides that, alcohol is a numbing agent, and I really do not want to be numb. I like the full effects of natural feelings. Happiness. Sadness. Anger. Bliss. Feeling all of those things to their full effect is living life to its fullest. I have always believed that numbing yourself to those things is cheating yourself.

I did not mean for this post to descend into a critique of ingesting adult beverages. After all, I like a glass of whiskey as much as the next person. I meant for it to be an explanation for why I have not written anything in a couple of days. Simply, I have not been in the mood. There are a few things floating around in my mind that will be coming soon. First, I have to get my mind right.

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What If Johnny Ringo and Bandit Darville Made a Porn Movie and Called It “Listoeia Dwnuwo Maexco”

24 Mar

Do you ever look at the Search Terms that pop up in your Stats and wonder a few things? Who looks this stuff up? How did they get to this blog? When did spelling get thrown out of the window? I just looked through the Search Terms from the past 30 days and saw a few that stood out.

I decided to list a few, but there will be some additions. I may have a couple of comments, but the real fun will be visual. I am going to do an image search of each one and pick out the best photo.

listoeia dwnuwo maexco – Understand?

So, this is what a listoeia dwnuwo meaxco is.

So, this is what a listoeia dwnuwo meaxco is.

what does dreaming about sailing into the sunset on a motorcycle represent? – It means that you have invented a new mode of transportation, the floating motorcycle. I suggest you get a patent.

Nice boat

Nice boat

funicello guns – Annette made a lot of beach movies, but none of them involved shooting her way through an amphibious invasion.

Not a gun in sight.

Not a gun in sight.

frank sinatra and jesse james – Now, those two would have had fun together.

Brad Pitt made a movie about Jesse James and was in a remake of a Frank Sinatra classic. That is as close as I can get.

Brad Pitt made a movie about Jesse James and was in a remake of a Frank Sinatra classic. That is as close as I can get.

johnny ringo porn girls – Why Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your porn ‘stache.

It is the safest picture I could use. I just do not know how it got in the mix.

It is the safest picture I could use. I just do not know how it got in the mix.

watch the porn version of smokey and the bandit – If this exists, then I must watch it while having a Diablo sandwich and a Dr. Pepper.

The movie he wishes he had made.

The movie he wishes he had made.

dickersonroadwhores – You have to be from Nashville to understand this one, but I guarantee the girls on Dickerson Road know how to put spaces between words.

Yep, that is what happens on Dickerson Road.

Yep, that is what happens on Dickerson Road.

tombstone az 1 square fot deed souvineer – I have always wanted a fot as a souvineer.

Just try not to end up six fot under.

Just try not to end up six fot under.

imbeciles poem – I am honored that someone has described the imbecility of the world in iambic pentameter.

I have to buy this book.

I have to buy this book.

Anyway, that was my “I cannot think of anything else so I will write this” post of the month. I promise that better content is on its way.

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Spring Has Sprung

22 Mar

Birds are chirping. Trees are blooming. Grass is getting greener. The signs of Spring have arrived.

People are coming out of their mental hibernation and becoming comfortable active in the outdoors. People are jogging in shorts and t-shirts. People who do not usually exercise are taking walks. People are examining their yards. People are getting their boats out and preparing them for the water. People are walking their dogs.

I saw a couple of people sitting on a small bridge in our neighborhood. Their dog was in the middle of the street spinning on its butt. It seems that every creature gets happier when Spring arrives. Even the flies are starting to buzz around.

However, all creatures, both two-legged and four-legged, should be cautious. Spring may have officially arrived, but the hand of the dead Winter may emerge from its grave in one last attempt to remain.Grave Hand

Later this week, it is supposed to snow.

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Remember: No Matter Where You Go, There You Are

4 Mar

I have been saying that line, or something similar for many years. However, it was not until today that I realized where I picked it up.

This winter, the South has been hit with some rough weather. There has been ice, snow and freezing temperatures. However, in this little pocket of the South, we have only gotten the cold air. No precipitation. People have been calling it the Snow Dome, a shield protecting us from the fate of others.

Whenever I read something about the Snow Dome, my mind goes to the 1980s and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, the second best movie in the Mad Max trilogy. Today, the Snow Dome failed, and ice descended upon us. I took to Twitter and blamed Aunty Entity for hiring Max to fight Master Blaster, an event that ended the Thunderdome era.Mad Max

That sparked some movie quote exchange between me and one of the Twitter folks out there. That, in turn, led me to discover that the saying I have been quoting all these years came from that movie.

Remember: no matter where you go, there you are.

When I use it, people usually look at me like I am crazy. However, I think it is a profound statement that means we cannot run away from ourselves. We all have problems and issues that need to be resolved. We have worries. We have stress. We have psychological aspects to ourselves that we would like to ignore.

Some people think they can get away from all of that by moving to another part of the world. Some people think they can get away from all of that by getting away from the people in our lives and throwing ourselves into the world of others. Some people think they can get away from all of that by losing themselves in an artificial high.

However, we cannot get away from all of that because it is all part of who we are.

No matter where you go, there you are. We cannot run away from ourselves and our internal problems. We can only face them and deal with them the best we can. Sometimes, like in my case, a good therapist is the answer, but that is not the only way.

Each of us is unique, with unique problems and unique ways of dealing with them.

Just keep in mind the wise words of Pigkiller, who I have unknowingly been quoting all of these years.Pigkiller

No matter where you go, there you are.

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I Could Write

12 Feb

I have a couple of posts rattling around in my mind, but I am not ready to write them. The right words have not appeared to me. Actually, they have appeared, but they have appeared at the wrong time. My best and most creative thoughts always come when I am in bed with my eyes closed. They bounce around and lead me into all kinds of directions. I should write them down, but I always remind myself to remember them when I wake up.

The words of the posts have come to me, but I am still not ready to write them. Instead, I have been looking around for something to inspire a post, and it is not happening.

I could write about the Snow Dome that is covering my area. This winter has been bitterly cold and parts of the South have had major snow and ice storms. We have not had anything. Every place around us has been hit, and we have stayed dry. The temperature and the precipitation have always come at different times. Not that I am complaining. A winter without snow is a wonderful thing. It is just weird.

I could write about how it is colder in the building I work in than it is outside. I know it is a big building, but there should be a little bit of heat. People walk around with coats on and hoodies pulled over their heads.

I could write about the FBI being in town. The entire story has not been released, but, a few days ago, a man opened up a package that exploded and killed him. It also put his wife in critical condition. When I heard about it, the Unabomber immediately jumped into my mind. He sent a package to Nashville that killed someone.

I could write about the porn movie that is was filmed in my neighborhood last year. However, I do not have the complete story – only bits and pieces from various sources who did not take part in the filming. I thought porn movies were filmed in mansions. It turns out they are filmed in regular houses, too.

I could write about cows. That is what I have been teaching about in class. Students have been hearing everything there is to know about cattle drives, cowboys, cattle towns and cattlemen. Before it is over, they will be eating more chicken.Eat More Chicken

I could write about Daisy Dog. She moved in when we got married and is a great pet. She always wants to hang around me because I am her favorite human. She licks a lot, but we all have our faults. Despite that, I am sure that I would be kicked out of the house before she would.Cancun 214

I could write about a lot of things, but my mind is filled with words for other posts. At some point, I have to get those words together and on this screen.

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Days Of Wine And Roses

9 Feb

Actually, there is nothing about roses in this post. I have been trying to find a way to steal that title for a while and finally figured out a way to do it. This post is entirely about wine and the growth of its popularity in the United States.Wine

Wine is everywhere. We have a wine fridge in the bonus room. There is a new store in town that focuses on wine. I have friends who are proud to wear the moniker of Wine Snob. I know a guy named Dave who makes homemade wine. Doctors tell us that drinking wine is good for our hearts. Restaurants have wine lists that match the wine that goes best with a meal. As I said, wine is everywhere.

I understand the love of what. However, I do not understand when that love began. Historically, the United States has been a nation of people who desire alcohol that is made from grain. Whiskey. Rye. Beer. Those types of things. This history springs, I think, from two places.

One, the United States was birthed from Great Britain and its tradition of grain alcohol. I am not an expert in the history of European agriculture, but I think grapes have always grown better in southern Europe. Great Britain was in a non-grape zone.

Two, Americans did not run into proper grape growing areas until someone figured out that it could be done in northern California. I am not sure when that started, but it was long after Americans had created a tradition of drinking something else.

I suppose that wealthy Americans have always consumed wine and saw it as a symbol of success. However, regular folks stayed mostly with the grains. This even became the focus on a presidential election. In 1840, William Henry Harrison was portrayed as a whiskey drinker who connected with the common voter. His opponent, Martin Van Buren, was portrayed as a drinker of wine and champagne, which meant that he was out of touch. Harrison won.

This is just one example of how American has generally been a grain alcohol nation, but there are probably others. As a student of the American West, I cannot imagine a cowpoke walking into a saloon and saying, “Give me a bottle of your house red.” Instead, I can imagine him saying, “Give me a shot of red-eye.”

Prohibition was a big event in American history. Alcohol was made illegal, but organized crime made sure it was available. I have read that an underlying reason for Prohibition was to take wine away from immigrants from southern Europe, but I have never seen a film of G-Men hacking through barrels of wine. It was illegal beer and whiskey that they were after.

This love of grains can also be seen in popular culture. Think back on some of those film noir movies. How many times did the detective or dame pour a glass of wine? How many times did they put some ice in a glass and pour some whiskey over it? I think about a movie called A Face in the Crowd when Patricia Neal goes to a bar and has a cocktail sitting in front of her.

It happened on television, as well. In the 1960s, a bunch of television homes had bars, and they were all filled with whiskey bottles. I can remember Darrin, or Derwood, getting a drink whenever the antics of Samantha and her fellow witches were driving him crazy on Bewitched.

I write all of that to say that wine is a relatively recent phenomenon in the United States. When did this happen? Why did this happen?

Did the economic boom of the 1990s make people want to grab wine as a symbol of success? The wealthy have been drinking it forever. What better way to prove economic success than to adopt a tradition sign of that success?

Was it the marketing of wine producers? Did they follow in the footsteps of the Ernest and Julio Gallo campaigns?

I know that people have always drank wine, but, at some point, it became the drink of choice for a vast number of people. Like with a lot of things, I have my opinion as to how that happened. It was not a booming economy. It was not an ad campaign. It was these women.Sex and the City

I know that the women of Sex and the City drank martinis and other types of cool drinks. However, the show also provided the idea that a stylish, successful woman about town knew her wine. This popular show introduced wine to a segment of the population that drives our sense of style, and that sense filtered to other segments of our society. Then, we Americans figured out that we liked wine. Apparently, we are not as crass as we are sometimes made out to be.

Am I crazy? Probably. However, the mass love of wine by Americans is a recent development, and it had to start somewhere.

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