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Junkyard Rust

2011-03-15T01:45:00.002-05:00

"Virginia Avenue"

2011-03-15T00:08:00.000-05:00

"Well, I'm walkin' on down Virginia Avenue
Tryin' to find somebody to tell my troubles to"

Remember Winston?

2011-02-28T00:38:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about Winston Rand. I met him a few years ago at a Mothership BBQ meetup of Nashville bloggers and there was just something about him that I liked. He passed away not long after on June 28, 2008. His blog doesn't exist anymore, but below is a post he wrote on June 10, 2008 titled Can't Go Back.

It wafts across my consciousness like an ancient dream, but it was very real and just a few decades removed. It now seems a world away, but it’s only a couple of hours drive. Going there now is to travel back in time, to the formative years of my youth and my coming of age. So much of it remains untouched by the passing of years. Yet it is in enough ways different that it is no longer home.

We did not appreciate it then, but growing up in the ’50s in Huntingdon was about as close to ideal as anyone could hope for. It was small town USA with a tree-lined Main Street, where everybody knew everybody, where house and car doors were left unlocked with never a problem reported. People had values. The school, along with several Christian based churches, provided the social hubs for most of the population. People worked hard but enjoyed life and took a day off on Sunday. Most merchants also closed shop on Wednesday afternoons, a practice that now seems odd. I never knew or thought about why — that was just part of the natural order of things.

The population then was around 3,500 but we liked to call it 5,000 because that sounded so much larger. The Court House, situated on a knoll where Highway 70 intersects Highway 22, remains as it was then, a permanent sentinel keeping watch over the town, and an effective speed-bump in the center of town. Thru traffic and townsfolk alike had to literally drive around the Court House to get through town. U.S. Highway 70 was the main East-West route across the state, so there was a lot of Memphis to Nashville traffic, including 18-wheelers, that cursed and smoked and spit their way around Court Square. The Interstate Highway System was just getting underway, would be years in the making, and would miss Huntingdon by about 20 miles. The bypass, similar to the ones that would encircle every small town eventually, had not yet been thought of.

On a recent visit with my remaining family there, I discovered that a traffic light had been installed where the bypass intersects Highway 70 on the west side of town. This is not a flashing yellow caution light, or a flashing red stop then proceed with caution light, but a full-fledged light with green, yellow, and red lights that work on a timing mechanism. Prior to this, Huntingdon proudly claimed to be the largest town in the country without a stop light.

In the 1950s, all commerce in town was huddled around Court Square or within a couple of short blocks on the spokes coming into the Square. The only bank in town, a couple of general stores, or department stores as they preferred to be called, one jewelry store, a florist, two insurance agencies, a grocery store, the obligatory cab stand — pool hall combination, and three car dealers, one to represent each of the great American automobile manufacturers. And, of course, the churches — one each of Baptist, Church of Christ, Methodist, and Presbyterian, all within shouting distance of the Court Square.

In the ’70s and ’80s, as the town grew, new strip shopping centers opened on the east side of town, right along East Main, or Highway 70. When the mecca of Walmart was established, smaller merchants sprang up around it, as if to suckle the rich flow that would follow. Downtown began to wither. Stores changed hands. The jewelry store became a card shop, the Post Office became offices when the new one was built out on the edge of town. Even the doctors’ offices moved out to stand sentry around the new hospital. Some of the churches moved to the ourskirts of town and erected new buildings. Like so many other little towns across the country, especially the ones missed by the interstate highways, downtown Huntingdon was changing. It was beginning to die.

There were enough stubborn merchants that held on, determined to not let the town wither into obilivion, as had happened with others around it. Stores came and went, sometimes coming back again. The couple of cafes in town changed ownership, changed names, moved to a different building, changed menus, and somehow managed to survive. Some of the small mom and pop shops were able to retain enough of their loyal clientele to withstand the merciless marketing onslaught of Walmart. Bob’s Dairy Bar out on the edge of town had disappeared after Bob died at a too early age, and was eventually replaced by the usual assortment of McDonalds, Hardees, and Wendys. The local bank was swallowed up in the bank merger mania that started in the ’80s, but the main local office continued to anchor the same downtown corner on Court Square.
The aluminum foil plant that had arrived in the late ’60s continued to grow and provide stable employment and a strong economic base for the town. As the population grew and the bypass was completed, Walmart moved from their original location to a huge new Walmart SuperCenter across town. After the bumpy turn of the century, an old department store that anchored the Court Square across the street from the bank was taken over and rebuilt as The Dixie, a first class performing arts center for the region. The name derives from Huntingdon’s claim to fame, Dixie Carter, who grew up in Huntingdon as I did. As a senior, Dixie played first chair trumpet in the school band, while I sat as a shy freshman in the clarinet section, sucking on my reed, slobbering on the stage floor, and peeking over my sheet music at Dixie. She went on to entertainment fame as Julia Sugarbaker of Designing Women. I went on to post stuff that nobody cares about in this blog.

Daddy died in early ‘95 and Mom is in a nursing home only a few blocks from where her house, now someone else’s, sits. Most of their contemporaries are either gone or in nursing homes. My brother and family are still there — never left. He retired from the aluminum plant a year ago and his wife just hung up the teaching tools after a long career. Some of my old school mates are still around, all looking much older/fatter/balder/grayer than I do, of course. We’re having a class reunion this fall and it will be interesting to hook up with some that I have not seen or thought about in 30 or 40 years. Going back now is a bitter-sweet experience. Of course I visit with Mom at the nursing home, go by Daddy’s grave and say howdy, visit with my baby bro, and occasionally see someone who I recognize or who remembers me. Driving around town always impresses me with how little the town has changed, while reminding me how very much it has changed.

I leave and head out Highway 22 toward the interstate, realizing once again that I can’t go back.

Explorers

2010-11-09T18:10:00.001-06:00

It's a Book

2010-10-19T20:45:00.002-05:00

Adam Gopnik reviewed It's a Book by Lane Smith and my kids and I are looking forward to reading it soon.

Mother and Son

2010-10-13T21:30:00.000-05:00

Personalities

2010-10-07T00:37:00.000-05:00

Who is this kid anyway?

2010-10-02T00:51:00.000-05:00

Why is he dancing with my daughter? Does he even have a job? A dad deserves to know these things.

At Her Big Brother's Wedding

2010-10-01T23:43:00.001-05:00

A Cute Story My Son Wrote

2010-09-24T13:01:00.002-05:00

Saving My Sister

Once upon a time I was at the pool. It was fun until my sister started drowning. I had to save her. I swam under water. I looked for her.

When I almost went up I spotted her. I swam to her and grabbed her. I saved her. It was amazing. Everyone shouted hooray to me. I saved her. I was happy.

Sick Day

2010-09-22T22:56:00.001-05:00

Maybe Writing, Definitely Typing

2010-09-22T01:22:00.000-05:00

"Sunshine makes us gloomy." - from The News from Lake Wobegon

I'm up late tonight listening to Garrison Keillor via iTunes. I've gotten behind on listening to podcasts and am taking this time to catch up. Speaking of catching up, it occurred to me a few minutes ago that I used to read a fun blog called Dad Gone Mad once upon a time and somehow forgot about it. Visiting him just now I see that not only do I have many posts to peruse but he also has a serious book out entitled Rage Against the Meshugenah. It reminds me that my wife wants me to pursue turning a bedtime story that I made up for my kids into a children's book for those who might wish to buy such a thing for their kids. Why not, right? Even if no one outside of this household cares, it would be cool to go through the process of finding out. And in the end, at least my kids will have a book dedicated to them on their bookshelves.

I don't know if this is any good or not, but I like it.

2010-09-22T00:24:00.000-05:00

My Most Peaceful Moment

2010-09-15T14:36:00.002-05:00

Honolulu at night from my balcony

2010-09-10T23:30:00.002-05:00

The Princess and Her Bodyguard

2010-08-29T00:46:00.001-05:00

Nearing the end of summer.

2010-08-27T22:11:00.000-05:00

He with the expressive eyes.

2010-08-19T22:57:00.000-05:00

When he's at his fastest of Tasmanian Devil-like moments, it can be easy to forget about what he's like when he's at his most contemplative. The reward is in knowing more. He's very bright and perceptive and with a well-timed query, he can stop the noise of the world and bring me into his kindest of souls and most loving of hearts.

And she wins.

2010-08-19T22:32:00.000-05:00

To her, I paraphrase Kevin Spacey in Glengarry Glen Ross: "Will you go to sleep?"

To me, she quotes Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast: "No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

And we'll read Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon as we fly over the Atlantic

2010-08-19T22:14:00.000-05:00

I came home early tonight and got to enjoy a bit of quality time with my kids. While walking the dog and talking with my tag-along daughter, a plane flew over our heads. Ari gasped with delight and remarked, "I just can't wait to fly in a plane and go to Paris someday."

I love that kid and I hope more than anything that her Paris dreams eventually come true.

Nights and Weekends

2010-08-19T00:29:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I feel like an absentee dad. I sleep in the same home with my wife and kids, but I don't see them very much. In the mornings, there's the bustling about of everyone getting ready for school so my quality time with my family is reduced to frantic conversations regarding lost shoes. "Well, where did you leave them?" "I don't know." "Just hurry up and find them. Time is of the essence." We like that phrase because it rhymes with bioluminescence, the big word that the kids and I love that we know. Thirty minutes of getting ready and they're in the van and off to school and I'm back to bed for part two of my nightly sleep.

Sometimes I get a Saturday or a Sunday off, but those are rare. The hospitality industry needs industrious me the most on the weekends. Happy to be employed and grateful for the health insurance, I obligingly clock in promptly for each and every shift, missing my family but conscious that my time in uniform and nametag is all for them, for us. Still, it smacks hard when I'm aware that my own case of arrested development, doing a job best suited for college kids and retired persons, continues to earn a paltry sum toward this family's modest budget. I appreciate that I've got it better than many, but my kids just know that they miss their dad.

Forgive me. I'm just ruminating tonight that I've got to figure out how to become the man I want to be. My wife and kids would like to see me more often. For them, I'd like to find a job that pays more and has me home at nights and on weekends. This has always been my desire, of course, but it was made especially clear that my absence is having its effects when my five-year-old daughter made a passing comment to me the other evening on a rare evening off. "Daddy," she asked. "Do you sometimes wish you didn't work nights so that your kids wouldn't miss you and be sad?" Oh, the power of a simply asked question. Oh, the guilt. I shared what she said with my Twitter friends and learned that even the 9-5ers have endured similar guilt-inducing moments with their kiddos. We do what we must and we know it's for the greater good. If only it was a tad easier for the kids to understand.

The 50th State Is Where I'll Be

2010-08-04T00:45:00.001-05:00

I'm staying up late and studying up on Hawaii for an upcoming trip I have planned. It's a strange event to consider given my near constant hermit status, but it's a very generous all-expenses paid gift from my mom and I'm grateful for the opportunity. The plan was originally for she and my brother to go, but she recently had hip surgery and won't be able to make it. At first, I considered declining her offer, overwhelmed at the prospect of going to Hawaii while struggling financially here at home. I was gently nudged into saying yes by several friends and loved ones who threatened to kick my butt if I said no.

So here I am downloading surfing podcasts and reading trip reports online. I even have the bus schedule printed out. My brother and I will be staying at a nice resort in Honolulu called the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa. For some reason, it's been awhile since I've enjoyed taking pictures. With this trip in mind, I'm feeling motivated to learn how to get good shots again. Lately it's just been lazy iPhone pics of whatever while the Nikon sits lonely on its shelf.

Thanks to my mom for giving me her ticket. As always, I'm humbled by her generosity. She's recovering nicely from her surgery and I'm sure that she'll be able to make the trip herself next time around.

Ninjas On The Side

2010-07-31T11:24:00.000-05:00

I'm admittedly a purposely understated kind of guy, but I think I'd love to have something like this on the side of my Cube. Instead of ninjas, however, something involving Star Wars would be what I would want.

Speaking of Star Wars, I just learned that the 501st Legion's Midsouth Garrison group will be at Clarksville's Governor's Square Mall today from 1:00 to 5:00. Support Make-A-Wish and get your picture taken with a stormtrooper.

Family Resemblance

2010-07-31T10:21:00.000-05:00

My daughter at age five looks just like I did at age five.

Here's me at age forty. Let's hope she starts to take after her mom at some point between now and the year 2045.

I'll find it after I pay up.

2010-07-31T02:06:00.000-05:00

I don't often lose track of the library books I borrow, but I sure do lose the ones that cost thirty bucks or more to replace. Charles Bukowski's Open All Night is the one that got away this time.

Beach

2010-07-31T01:27:00.000-05:00

Watching Trains

2010-07-09T22:06:00.000-05:00

Beach

2010-07-07T01:14:00.000-05:00

Her big sister calls her Panda Butt

2010-06-07T20:35:00.000-05:00

While pondering whether or not to blog anymore...

2010-05-29T23:23:00.000-05:00

My daughter poked at my belly this morning and asked, "Daddy, are you sure there's not a baby in there?"

That's a good blog post right there.

Princess Ari

2010-05-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

"Some babies do that."

2010-04-23T08:35:00.001-05:00

My Sammie has this thing that she does. When she gets mad, she has a tendency to lose her breath. There's this silence instead of a cry and the cry doesn't come. Instead, she simply reaches and reaches for the cry, but fails and then passes out. I've witnessed it twice and I think that Paige has, too. Sammie's pediatrician assures us that we shouldn't worry and that "some babies do that." After she passes out, she'll start to breathe again and everything will be fine.

My second and most intense experience with this was last night. I put her into her swing so that I could have my hands free to tend to something routine and insignificant. She started to fuss and instead of picking her up immediately, I thought I'd give her a minute to adjust and maybe I could get done whatever it was I was trying to deal with. Instead of the cry, however, there was just that pained silence from my little girl. I saw her struggle and I lifted her from her swing. No sound. She was losing color in her face and I felt that conflict between panic and remembering what the doctor said. Remembering tips and tricks I'd heard before, I blew in her face to startle her back to consciousness. It didn't work though and she went blue in the face and limp in my arms. I continued to desperately blow in her face and call her name and she finally came back around but probably no thanks to my efforts. My Sammie was still a bit dazed and it wasn't until a minute or so later when she started crying that I was no longer worried. Just like her doctor said. Some babies do that.

My question to anyone reading: Have you ever experienced this? Sammie is my fourth baby. I've never seen this before and, of course, there's nothing scarier as a parent than to deal with this scenario. "Some babies do that" isn't a phrase that makes it much easier either. Since blowing in her face to startle her didn't seem to work, are there other tips for helping her catch her breath before she passes out again? Making sure she's never, ever unhappy again will be one solution, but probably not something I can count on.

Listening to Brett Rosenberg

2010-04-20T11:59:00.000-05:00

I got a new favorite bunch of songs that I'm listening to this morning. Brett Rosenberg, recommended by The Joiners on their site, is exactly perfect for the new music I needed to find. Listen to his muxtape recordings in full here. Here's hoping you dig it. Have a nice day.

The Musical Saw

2010-04-01T21:50:00.000-05:00

A melancholy mood snuck up on me tonight. Lucky for me, I can complement that mood with appropriate music played with the perfect instrument: the musical saw. It's used yearningly and woefully on The Black Rider's "November" by Tom Waits. It's also the instrument of choice by the man billed simply as "Tried To Escape" in 1991's wildly eclectic and imaginative Delicatessen, featured below.

Words by Ari

2010-03-25T22:56:00.001-05:00

Arianna's not settling down to sleep as she should so I go in and lie down next to her, silently reading The New Yorker on my iPhone and hoping she'll finally close her eyes and go to sleep.

"Are you reading inside your brain?"

I look at her and nod, saying nothing.

She then asks, "Is it too much for your mouth to talk?"

I love that kid and her way with words.

Outside the Frist

2010-03-20T15:24:00.001-05:00

Disney for my kids, quiet time for me.

2010-03-15T17:46:00.003-05:00

The cat's out of the bag. The initial plan was to not tell the kids
that they were going to Disney until their mom entered the park's
parking lot. Instead, since it was likely they'd find out anyway, they
know now. Boy, are they excited.

They've never been. Josh is six and Ari is five. As into the whole
princess thing she is, this is likely a dream come true for her. Her
mom signed her up for some kind of thing that is special for kids like
her. I forget what exactly, but it involves princesses.

I wonder what Josh will love most about it. The last time I went to
Disney, Pete from Pete's Dragon was in the parade and he waved at me.
It might have been a general wave to the crowd, but I'm pretty sure it
was specifically to this boy that he waved.

While the family enjoys their time in Florida, I'm here enjoying a
very quiet apartment. I unplugged the television and all other
unnecessary appliances as soon as they drove away. This in hopes of a
lower electricity bill and also just for the heck of it.

I might go watch some animated and live action shorts at the Belcourt
tomorrow. Come along if you like.

My cursed mellifluous voice.

2010-03-14T20:21:00.001-05:00

Texting with my wife who knows me so well. I'm in green.

Sissy and Me

2010-03-03T11:36:00.000-06:00

An excerpt from Caitlin Colford's Sissy and Me:

"I watched my mother destroy my best friend, a friend who took the pain away from my heart and tucked it inside her own. Sissy was diagnosed with bi-polar depression after Daddy moved out of our house and into his own. My mother said feeling sad was in our blood and not to worry."

Read the rest here. She also writes at The Rumpus.

Thanks to Holly for sending me a link to Caitlin's work.

Glorious Glorious

2010-03-03T11:12:00.000-06:00

The Joiners have a new record coming out in a month or so. You can hear "Harder Than It Looks" and three other great songs from it at The Joinerhouse.

My early opinion? This is their best yet. Goosebumps listening to "You Love."

Makes my day.

It's After Midnight. Here's A Paragraph Or Two.

2010-02-28T01:25:00.002-06:00

Big thanks to my mom who knows me well and gave me a calendar with pictures of trains to hang on my wall. I'm up late and sipping Sam Adams Black Lager and listening to Rain Dogs and Swordfishtrombones and Frank's Wild Years. I've got regrets that make me want to turn back the clock thirty years and I've got regrets that make me want to turn it back a day, but forward is the only way we get to go. One way forward and twenty-four hours a day, the great equalizer among us.

My son woke me from a nap this afternoon singing "16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six." Well, not the song, but that title line. I had been singing it earlier in the day while making his lunch and I guess he was paying attention. Maybe I'm more influential than I know. Speaking of Tom Waits and his songs, I'll share a quick confession, a sacrilege possibly among fans. I never cared for "Tom Traubert's Blues." It's good enough a song, but I never got why so many people who dig Waits seem to have that at the top of their list of favorite songs by him. It's grand and sweeping and melancholy as all get out, all good qualities for a song that resonates, but I get more out of "Time" and "Innocent When You Dream" when needing that signature Tom Waits song fix.

While I'm telling the Internet that I think about things, here's a line that I liked from the New York Times piece titled Depression's Upside:

If depression didn’t exist — if we didn’t react to stress and trauma with endless ruminations — then we would be less likely to solve our predicaments. Wisdom isn’t cheap, and we pay for it with pain.

I'm a wreck, a mess, and a misfit in so many regards, but a man with "endless ruminations" sounds so much better. Some nights, I don't figure I've got a chance at all in figuring out whatever it is that I need to figure out. Here's to the theory that I'm buying some wisdom by ruminating all the damn time. I sure hope so.

That said/written/blogged, I'm off to bed. I hope I dream about trains.

On Depression

2010-02-27T21:27:00.000-06:00

Two very interesting articles on depression that I read this week:

Head Case by Louis Menand in The New Yorker and Depression's Upside by Jonah Lehrer in The New York Times Sunday Magazine.

Good luck, bicycle guy.

2010-02-22T19:50:00.000-06:00

I wonder if my wife will let me read this to the kids.

2010-02-20T12:00:00.001-06:00

iPhone apps

2010-02-19T00:35:00.000-06:00

My wife and I love our iPhones. So do our kids. Ever since they saw us playing games on our phones, they want to play, too. We should have never let them see that iPhones are cool. Ari loves the glow hockey game (anything hockey is cool with her) and Josh likes Labyrinth. I saw tonight that Kottke linked to a list of good games for kids. I play Madden NFL and the rest of my apps are mostly camera or news related. The big hit for me is Words With Friends.

If you have an iPhone, what are some apps that you think I would like? Extra cool if they're free.

Randomness on the Internet

2010-02-09T01:20:00.000-06:00

I don't own a webcam so I haven't visited ChatRoulette yet, but Sam Anderson's piece on it in New York Magazine is a very fun read.

The part that made me laugh out loud:

One person had the courtesy to give me, before disconnecting, a little advice: “too old.” (I’m 32.) A girl with heavy makeup looked terrified when my image popped up on her screen—I actually felt guilty, a few rounds later, when the engine of randomness threw us back together and she had to look at my face for another excruciating half-second.

Poor Sam. I'm forty and would likely get the same reaction from all of those young and cool twenty-somethings who typically use the site. One thing that the writer did like about it was its randomness and lack of filters. You see the face of a fellow user on a webcam and if you aren't interested in chatting, you click "next" never knowing who'll pop up. You might not (except in the above example) ever see the same person twice.

When I first started using the Internet—remember WebTV?—randomness was what it was all about. Message boards and football stat sites, chat rooms and websites that I'd read about in Wired Magazine were among my most visited online destinations. One site (I forget the name) was created solely to take you to random websites at each click of a "next" button.

Now it's just Facebook that everyone is on. In the lobby where I work, I see dozens of business travelers a day working and killing time on their laptops while they break between meetings or wait for business associates or airport shuttles. For the most part, it's just Facebook that I notice on their laptop screens. I met a mature traveler recently who was very serious when making sure with me that her guest room would have wireless Internet service. I assured her that it did and she excitedly remarked that she had been on the road since early that morning and hadn't been able to check her friends' Facebook status updates. I smiled and asked her if she was on Farmville, too. "Yes!," she laughed. "I am so addicted to it."

We use the Internet now with so many filters and feeds, following and friending and sharing and pinging. It's all great and I get a kick out it, too. While I probably won't be making my way over to ChatRoulette anytime soon, I would like to explore beyond the social networks more often and maybe stumble across some of those interesting gems that are surely out there. Now where's that old website that used to do that for me?

"May I assist you with your funny shaped suitcase?"

2010-02-08T15:29:00.000-06:00

I'm a bellman. I'm skilled in the art of stacking luggage onto carts and assisting guests to their rooms. I'm good with suitcases of all brands (Briggs & Riley, Lark, Hartman, Samsonite, etc.) and I know just how to handle ice chests and duffle bags, extra pillows, box fans and Kroger bags. The only challenge is sometimes convincing a traveler that my way will probably work out best. They know best how it all fits into the trunk. I know best how it will all fit onto the bellcart. I've dropped two items in fifteen years of doing this. Both times, I was not the person to stack the items.

The first drop was a tin of cookies. It fell from the top and crashed down with a clang onto the marble floor, announcing to the entire lobby that all eyes should be on the bellman. Upon impact, of course, the lid popped off, cookies scattered everywhere, and the aforementioned lid just rolled around comically for what sounded like forever. The second drop was a six-pack of beer that had been added to the cart when I wasn't looking. Right on the edge and ready for exit as soon as I made my first turn. Six bottles of Budweiser on the floor, five of which survived with no damage done. One, however, wasn't as lucky and gave me a nice little mess to clean up. As I recall, the cookie family was pretty cool about it and my tip seemed to arrive unaffected. The Bud drinker also was nice and I remember that she tipped extra generously after we replaced her dropped beers with a six-pack of our own.

On the subject of luggage, I saw a Style Bubble post in Google Reader about some very interesting luggage designs by Sarah Williams, graduate of MA Fashion Artefact. I think I'd enjoy learning how to properly stack some of her elegant work onto a bellcart. Click here to see how they look when opened.

Winter

2010-02-08T14:56:00.000-06:00

We party harder on Easter

2010-02-07T08:02:00.000-06:00

iPhone Post

2010-02-05T10:52:00.000-06:00

It's been brought to my attention that I don't blog much anymore. Have
I run out of things to say? Maybe I have.

How are you?

Late Night Photo Shoot

2010-01-15T13:10:00.000-06:00

Watching Brother

2010-01-11T23:38:00.000-06:00

Bird, Watching

2010-01-03T21:17:00.000-06:00

Observances and Discoveries

2009-12-30T02:02:00.000-06:00

There is that appearance of calm and of peace across the water at the dam. The sky above it appears as quiet and still as I drive home in those soft, early minutes of everyone else's tomorrow. I, too, from some distance seem to have the same qualities on display. Better to observe from afar.

[Three paragraphs of navel-gazing deleted. You've been spared. Instead, happier stuff...]

While listening to the Vic Chestnutt station on Pandora tonight, I discovered the wildly hypnotic voice of singer-songwriter Jose Gonzalez. I'm hooked and am in full dig-up-and-listen-to-everything-he's-ever-done mode.

My shift was long and difficult tonight, but in a rare moment of fun I met a photographer who absolutely captivated me with his tales of taking pictures out in Rocky Mountain National Park with his infrared lens. He's also the photographer who took so many of those great shots of U2 during their stunning Red Rocks show in 1983. You can see his pictures at gwigler.com. I'm very much in awe of his talents and I wish him nothing but the best. He's a great guy.

Thanks as always for stopping by to read whatever it is that I write.

Serenest

2009-12-19T09:34:00.002-06:00

Apps for my birthday?

2009-12-18T00:47:00.001-06:00

A month or so ago, my lovely wife informed me that there were refurbished iPhones available to us for only $49.99 each. I'm the skeptical sort and pressed her for any details that might reveal it to be a too-good-to-be-true deal. The more we looked into it though, the more it looked like a legit and good idea. "Refurbished" doesn't scare me as long as there is a warranty and looking at its specs proved it to be quite the suitable upgrade from my current No Internet cell phone.

Still looking for a reason that this was too good to be true, I questioned whether or not we could afford the data plan. Again she reassured me that it was a good idea. This phones with Internet was pretty much the same monthly cost as our current ones without. The only issue now was patience. I qualified for an upgrade, but she wasn't due for one until December 18th. Cool enough. I could wait until my birthday for us to make the order online. What better day anyway to get me what I wanted so much. All of those apps! gpsAssassin! And all of that other stuff that makes it so cool to have an iPhone.

Then came the 16th of December when we checked the AT&T site again. Out of stock. Figures. No iPhones for us. At least not right now. I suppose we can just keep checking the site and jump at it if and when they're available again. It's just as well maybe. We're pretty poor these days and I imagine it's got to be pretty hard to garner any sympathy for that while possessing cool iPhones.

As it is, we're happy with what we have. I just thought it was funny.

Not too ugly for forty, just sleepy.

2009-12-18T00:20:00.003-06:00

I promise to smile a bit next time.

No Title. Nope.

2009-12-16T12:39:00.000-06:00

So Cool, So Apt (And Sadly, Just A Short Clip)

2009-12-16T12:20:00.002-06:00

Salvation

2009-12-14T01:22:00.000-06:00

Samantha's First Christmas

2009-12-13T00:55:00.000-06:00

Christmas is coming

2009-12-06T10:31:00.000-06:00

In Trouble

2009-12-05T09:48:00.000-06:00

My brother

2009-12-04T18:51:00.002-06:00

Almost the perfect family Christmas photo.

2009-12-03T21:17:00.001-06:00

Dude's got muscles!

2009-12-03T15:37:00.001-06:00

She often asks her mom when we can get on a plane and go to Paris

2009-11-29T11:22:00.000-06:00

Peace and Love

2009-11-27T02:32:00.000-06:00

It's the day after Thanksgiving and I'm thankful for many things. Not the least of which, I'm thankful for everything my mom's ever given to me, starting with life and ongoing.

Glitter and Doom, purchased

2009-11-26T09:55:00.000-06:00

I didn't know too much about it. I did know that it was a double CD and so I expected that I might have to pay upward of $24 for it. The second CD is comprised solely of Waits talking to various audiences and sharing his tall tales. Nice and somewhat funny, but mostly, eh. The perfect stuff is on the first CD. Live performances from his Glitter and Doom tour of 2008.

The good people at Grimey's are selling it for only $9.99 (yesterday's price anyway) and it is an absolute must-have for any Tom Waits fan.

Glitter and Doom

2009-11-25T09:40:00.002-06:00

1. Lucinda / Ain't Goin Down (Birmingham 07/03/08)
2. Singapore (Edinburgh 07/28/08)
3. Get Behind The Mule (Tulsa 06/25/08)
4. Fannin Street (Knoxville 06/29/08)
5. Dirt In The Ground (Milan 07/19/08)
6. Such A Scream (Milan 07/18/08)
7. Live Circus (Jacksonville 07/01/08)
8. Goin' Out West (Tulsa 06/25/08)
9. Falling Down (Paris 07/25/08)
10. The Part You Throw Away (Edinburgh 07/28/08)
11. Trampled Rose (Dublin 08/01/08)
12. Metropolitan Glide (Knoxville 6/29/08)
13. I'll Shoot The Moon (Paris 07/24/08)
14. Green Grass (Edinburgh 07/27/08)
15. Make It Rain (Atlanta 07/05/08)
16. Story (Columbus 06/28/08)
17. Lucky Day (Atlanta 07/05/08)

I'm watching The Wrestler again tonight and remembering this

2009-11-24T21:34:00.001-06:00

Bowling

2009-11-21T23:14:00.000-06:00

"she needs lots of love"

2009-11-21T13:14:00.000-06:00

Happier Things

2009-11-17T01:12:00.002-06:00

I have yet to create a Pandora station that plays French pop music the way I want. No matter how much Serge I put in there, it keeps giving me back lots of '50s American tunes. AccuRadio, however, has a few stations devoted to various subgenres within French Pop: femmes, monsieurs, pre-1960s, and sixties and beyond. So far, the pre-1960s category is perfect for my weird ears.

I don't know how to blog anymore. We link, right? Well, here's the funniest thing I read all night: Makes The Dog Mad. Thanks to the always wonderful Newscoma for that little ditty. She was at this year's Artrageous and I wish I was, too. My only time attending was either in 2000 or 2001. A hotel guest gave me a couple of tickets and my girlfriend and I had a fantastic time supporting the cause and dancing (badly, in my case) to the music.

Thanks again (and again and again) to my mom for generously buying me a car so that I don't have to walk everywhere anymore. Now it's up to me to use this new "mobile device," as Nissan likes to call it, to acquire a second job and bring in a bit more bank for the family. I'm also looking at the Hands On Nashville site a lot more and thinking of ways that I might be able to be better involved in things that help the community. I'm no longer limited to what's in walking distance and that's a very good thing.

I just hope that I can figure out how to make a bit (read: a lot) more money in this world so that I can better provide for those so close to me. Speaking of close to me, here's a pic I like of a kid named Sam.

Shaniya

2009-11-17T00:31:00.000-06:00

Forgive the melancholy. Forgive me coupling simple songs to sickening news stories. Usually I don't pay much mind to reports of missing children, but I clicked and read this story and, well, you know. The world can be beautiful and it can be ugly as hell.

Goofing with Picasa

2009-11-14T15:32:00.000-06:00

Sibling Dynamic

2009-11-13T11:14:00.000-06:00

Duck at Percy Priest

2009-11-13T08:10:00.000-06:00

Holley Maher and Pol Buckingham at French Quarter Cafe

2009-11-13T08:07:00.000-06:00

I took my hermit self to French Quarter Cafe on Wednesday night to hear the lovely Holley Maher and her band. Man, I miss doing stuff like that on a regular basis. I know her songs from her myspace page and think she's a terrific songwriter. Live, however, there is that magic of watching it all come out for just that one special room of music lovers that cannot be equaled by clicking play at home.

Playing the whole "sounds like" game, I was reminded of a sound somewhere between Aimee Mann and Lily Allen, but heavier on the Aimee Mann.(I just searched for Holley Maher on YouTube and the top clip is her own arrangement of Lily Allen's "Smile.") Give Holley Maher a listen and better yet, support her live shows when you can. Her songs are wonderful.

One delightful surprise from my night out was hearing earlier act Pol Buckingham. This is what I love about Nashville. On a night where the CMAs are being held just across the river with their big ticket artists and high production performances, it's a guy on stage with one guitar and no band around him playing for a $2 cover who absolutely knocks you out and makes it obvious that you're at the best gig in town if you're hearing him sing.

I found myself thinking of John Gorka while hearing his rich and warm voice. I also found myself asking someone for his name. Talent this good you want to learn more about. So I wrote "Pol Buckingham" on a bar napkin and ensured that I'd hear his "2000 Square Feet" and "Afraid" again as soon as I got home. It's great stuff.

My thanks to Holley and Pol for sharing their talent and to French Quarter Cafe for booking them for their awesome, weekly PB&JAM (every Wednesday). Listen to good music for only a $2 cover with two-for-one PBRs, and peanut butter sandwiches for cheap.

On Dirt

2009-11-12T17:38:00.001-06:00

Chelsea Hotel

2009-11-11T08:10:00.000-06:00

Enjoy a nice 15-minute video about the Chelsea Hotel. Embedding disabled, but click here to watch.

Natural Habitat

2009-11-04T00:13:00.000-06:00

beautiful here

2009-11-02T22:55:00.000-06:00

Costumes

2009-10-31T20:29:00.000-05:00

I found a bunch of photos on a disc

2009-10-31T17:08:00.000-05:00

615 Church Street

2009-10-31T12:57:00.003-05:00

Her First Hockey Game

2009-10-29T22:59:00.001-05:00

At home, she talks like she loves hockey but when it's on TV she loses interest quickly so we suspect that it's more that she wants to be the girl who likes hockey than she is the girl who likes hockey. The moment of truth came tonight when we were given a couple of free tickets to the Predators game. Um, that hockey talk? It seems that it might be the real deal.

Our first dad-daughter outing in a long time, she was positively giddy riding down the interstate in the back seat. I told her what I knew about the game. (Not much.) She asked me if I was sure I was going the right way because we were going to be late for the game if I wasn't.

Once there, we enjoyed a nice walk from the library parking garage to the Sommet Center. Walking among the many Predators jersey-outfitted fans, my girl remarked, "There sure are a lot of lucky people seeing hockey tonight." We entered the arena and it was like she had been there before. Instead of being a shy kid in a crowd in an unfamiliar place, she was focused and in charge. When I'd slow the pace to look around, she'd pull me forward. "It's already starting, dad."

Still, I wondered just how much of the game she'd enjoy. With it being a school night, we'd be exiting after the first period. Would she last even that long? We entered Section 306 for our seats but I decided to go out and around to the other entrance closer to our seats. Holding her up as I walked away, my back to the ice, my daughter kept her head directed to the action, hungry for any glimpse of the real thing. Finally in our seats, there was no question to her intention to take it all in.

She asked me that very basic question first: "When will they fight?" I quickly texted that to my wife, but was scolded by my little hockey fan. The crowd was clapping and I was not. She called me on it. We cheered together and we chanted "Let's go, Predators" along with the rest of the crowd. Imagine if we sat in Section 303. Some of those chants wouldn't play as well at school for her the next day.

We left at the end of the period and she was giddy the whole way home. I'm still not sure if she'll watch any games on TV, but I think it's my duty as her dad to secure tickets for some more Preds games for her. Thanks to my wife's friend who gave us the tickets tonight and thanks to our friend and blogger, Jane Q. Public, for giving her a really cool Predators t-shirt. We had a perfectly awesome time.

Devil in my Cube

2009-10-23T01:00:00.000-05:00

"What's He Building In There?"

2009-10-23T00:21:00.000-05:00

Jacksonville Zoo

2009-10-22T12:06:00.000-05:00

Fernandina Beach 3

2009-10-22T11:15:00.000-05:00

So Dreamy

2009-10-22T11:04:00.000-05:00

Following Holley Maher on Twitter, I smiled to watch this video that she shared:

Fernandina Beach 2

2009-10-20T23:30:00.001-05:00

Fernandina Beach

2009-10-20T20:14:00.001-05:00

Sam

2009-10-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

Cube Fun

2009-10-19T12:28:00.000-05:00

My mom wrote recently that she thought of Star Wars stormtroopers when she saw the Nissan Cube. I hadn't thought of that until then, but I can totally see a couple of stormtroopers driving this around. Put some snow tires on it and they could race around the ice planet Hoth while dodging Wampas.

Regarding my earlier post about advertising on it, a friend offered up this:

Fun times. Thanks again to my mom for ensuring no more long walks to and from work for me. It's a joy to drive this car.

59-0

2009-10-19T11:35:00.001-05:00

Just yesterday morning my wife and I were talking about the Titans. I made a point about their then 0-5 season. I stated that even though so many players and fans complain that the team doesn't get much media attention for wins and winning streaks, the nice thing about that is that they also don't get much of that attention when they lose. For example, more people were talking about the 1-4 Raiders than our winless professional football team.

Then yesterday's game happened.

Holy crap, what a beating that was. At least it was a family fun game in that when my kid asked me to play with him with his Star Wars men at some point during the third quarter, I was more than happy to oblige. At least the Rebels on the ice planet Hoth took down a few AT-AT Walkers in their struggle against the evil Empire. The Titans did absolutely nothing against "Darth Hoodie" and his snowtroopers. (Too much metaphor?)

So we're back to wondering what can be done to fix this team. Actually, I don't have to do the wondering. I've got work and family and those nice things to hold my attention. As for the fix, here's as good an idea as any: I Have a Serious Proposal for my Home Team.

Delivered Expressly by El Camino

2009-10-07T09:32:00.002-05:00

Here's my new car, courtesy of my generous mom. If I was to advertise on the side of the Cube, what would be the perfect product? I keep thinking of a tiny milk truck when I see it.

Oldies Music and Vacation News

2009-10-06T01:25:00.003-05:00

Julie London sings "Mad About The Boy" and I sit in my wife's favorite chair while she and the rest of the family sleep peacefully (I guess) in their beds. I'm on a Sinatra kick again and Pandora must know. After Julie London? "Come Fly With Me" by Frank, thank you. I picked up a live recording of a Sinatra concert from 1957 (I think) from the library today. There was so much delight in driving home tonight listening to him as I crossed the dam under a soft and cloudy sky. He might have been a bit drunk ("I'm up to here in Crown Royal.") as he seemed one sip past buzzed from time to time. I look forward to listening to the rest tomorrow.

Speaking of Sinatra and singers of his era, I recently rediscovered WAMB over at 99.3 on the radio dial. I used to listen to it on 1160 AM back in the early nineties when a friend turned me onto Tony Bennett. For the last couple of weeks, it's been WAMB that I've been enjoying the most on local radio. I just wish that they had a larger playlist of songs. It would be nice to not feel like I've heard absolutely everything from their library after such a short time of listening to the station.

Have you picked up a copy of Nashville Retrospect yet? It's the best new thing I've found. It's a monthly paper with news stories from Nashville's rich history. Pickup locations are here.

In family news, I'm hoping that things will work out for our upcoming vacation. I requested time off but was second on the request list to someone else. He generously agreed to postpone his vacation so that I could go, but there's still the matter of one day that no one can help me with. I'm on the schedule and if I can't get that day off, then one part of our vacation will be affected. Suffice to say, my wife may leave for a girls' weekend four hours south of us while I stay home for a few days with the kids. Then she'll drive back so that we can all drive approximately nine hours south to Florida for the family vacation. This seems like too many extra miles on the car, but now that I think about it maybe it's not. If we went to Florida first and then she drove north for some hours for her girls' weekend and then back to Florida afterward... Well, point made. This way, she'll be able to drive the new car down and back and then we can drive the van to Florida. In this scenario, I'll be watching the kids by myself. In the preferred scenario, I'll be watching them in Florida with in-laws around to help. No biggie either way. If it's here that I stay, I welcome any and all family and friends to come visit. Just don't be surprised if I go to take a nap when you arrive. After you watch my kids, you can whitewash my fence. There's nothing cooler. Tom Sawyer and I swear.

Thanks for reading this far. Enjoy this picture of some Skyline Chili. Yum!

Third From The Left

2009-10-04T23:21:00.000-05:00