Middle Aged Grooming

You know you're Middle Aged Man when you cut the inside of your ear lobe - shaving. Or say, when you find that you now require reading glasses to shave. Shown: that tricky up-under the reading glasses eye brow trim.  Some times I seem to feel & remember the full wieght and circumstances of my life and times that brought me to where I find myself now.  Other times, I still seem to be looking out of the eyes and mind of my youth. Like Billy, in Slaughterhouse Five, who frequently became "unstuck in time".  I often have this fleeting wonder as I wake, where and when I'll be when I open my eyes.   One of my Grandaughters just celebrated her fourth birthday today. Happy Brithday, Zoe!

Aaron's night out

Last evening, the Fam went to McDonald's. That's unusual. Nutrition, Economics, yada, yada.

Aaron's elementary school was having a "Mc'Teacher's Night". His school teachers were there, busing tables, selling cookies, etc. The school is to get 20% of the night's take. Happy Meals Everywhere! There was running(back and forth to the play ground thing), and screaming(none in pain or fright though), There were flat screen monitors on the wall, playing Disney Channel(i-Carly).  He had a great time. We had a good time. It was...ok, no, better than ok.  ON one level, I should be concerned that A: It's McDonald's - WITH our school. Big Corporate McDonalds. Hmmmm......B: Um, Cholesterol. Ah, well, perhaps once in a great while won't send us all to early graves or Hell, aye?

working on a boat, rock reviews 101

This is the last one. Gel coat is a bitch. I've been working on gel coat, learning how to coax a factory like finish onto a basically messed up hull. For about ten years. If I haven't got it down now, I'm not gonna.  I can get some good results.It just costs me too much. Too much time, makes it very hard to make any money. a repair job is only worth so much.  Too much worry, Is this gonna work?  Did I just create a lot more trouble for myself?   Is this going to be done in time for the owner's schedualed departure?

Still, there are times, when all one can do is sand it, see what you've got.  And that's a good time, sometimes. It can be very Zen-craftsman feeling.  While I'm doing that, I like to listen to music on the headphones as I go.   Some of those tunes, from the 70's, the 80's , 90's and even now are timeless classics. More than that, they are, as someone said,  Instruments of Truth.

Yesterday, at  one point, I had called up some mid Seventies Steely Dan. Countdown to Ecstasy.  Boston Rag. Walter Becker on guitar, Donald Fagen, keyboards.  Musically, technically, and lyrically, these two guys create a powerful team. To me, a fifty something father, grandfather, continuing rock devotee, regular guy(mostly), this is music my children and grandchildren need to know.  More important history than who did what to who back when. To that end,  I'm thinking of a series of reiviews, or possibly just relistens of old and new music. We'll call it Boomer Music 101.

This is not one of those.  I  don't have time today to get into that depth on one.  But just for kicks, go to the link below. Watch. Listen.  NO, really, LISTEN....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifjVRdzapx4

 I'm going to hope here, that you are a person who is capable of being moved by music. Not just the lyric message, but the sound, the POWER IN THE SOUND.  Can you find some Indescribable Wow of something true in a guitar solo, a keyboard rift, a rhythm beat?  Check out the guitar solo towards the end of Boston Rag.

How can a sound,  a simple or complex set of vibrations, translate in our brains to impressions of memories, emotions, feelings we can relate to as very deeply personal and yet as universally experienced as any part of the human condition.



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