Slippers

I was looking for some stuff under my bed and found a pair of slippers. I don't wear slippers. I don't know why I own them. My daughter saw me pull them out and look at them questioningly.

"Daddy, why don't you ever wear your slippers?" she asked.

"Because, I don't want to fall down," came my response.

She looked at me like I'd lost my mind.

"They don't call them 'slippers' for no reason, right!?" I continued. She paused, thinking.

"Daaaddddyyyyyyy!" came the realization.

Then she punched me.

MudGyver

I had to solve a small predicament this morning. I dropped my work keys into a storm drain. It was a quick fix though 'cause I've got mad skills.

With countless episodes of MacGyver etched into my brain, I simply went to the office wire binding machine and stretched out the wire creating a hook at the end. I slid it between the slats in the grate and pulled the keys out in less than 10 seconds flat. I didn't even get dirty.

I felt very MacGyver. So I found this list on Wikipedia...And... wow! Some of these MacGyver tricks were actually tested out by Mythbusters. Talk about mad skills.

Life's Lyrics 10 - How the Day Sounds

San Diego based musician/producer Greg Laswell has a debut song out. I like it a lot and have it on continued repeat whether in my car or on my iPod right now. It is a laid-back, alternative take on what I like about Coldplay…. And of course, the life’s lyrics…..

Who would have ever known this
Could be this easy, oh
I was a long, long way off

And just like that it’s over
Every thing that I knew of love
I was a long, long way off

And I think I like how the day sounds
Like how the day sounds through this new song

Thank you for opening a window
Sky is clear as my mind is now
I was a long, long way off

Journey and welcoming the sun in
It’s much brighter than the night at end
I was a long, long way off

And I think I like how the day sounds
Like how the day sounds through this new song

Gig in Santa Cruz

Austin, Texas has produced a ton of musicians over the years with many of the most notable finding a home in my CD player and now my iPod. At the top of my Austin list would be Shawn Colvin, The Arc Angels, Meat Puppets, and Poi Dog Pondering. And I think I might even own some Austin Lounge Lizards, Robert Earl Keen, and maybe even some Joe Ely (at least I’ve heard him play with John Hiatt a couple of times). In the guitar genius realm, Eric Johnson and Stevie Ray Vaughan would rank highly in my personal musical “Austin influenced” catalog.

And now, they’ve all been upped. Last week I was escorted (and smiling the whole way there and back) to a show in Santa Cruz to witness a master of the six string and a burgeoning blues legend, Monte Montgomery.

Actually, “blues” only forces a label on him. That is only a place to start as his style is bit more melodic with elements from other influences. As a singer and song writer his music is polished and I like his lyrics, albeit a bit predictable at times.

The place Monte Montgomery rocks is with his guitar playing. Strapping on and plugging into a seriously beaten up, battered acoustic guitar he commands a fluid, harmonic cascade of notes. One minute he can be floating with more harmonics than thought possible then he kicks into a near metal-guitar attitude with a rhythmic touch to simply rock out with flying fingers.

John McLaughlin, Al Demiola, Paco De Lucia, and even Pat Methany all hold a place in my heart for the way they play the guitar. They are jazz, though. Monte Montgomery holds that same mastery in the rock/blues world.

It should be noted, I was equally impressed with the tight, soft rolls from the drummer and the thumping virtuoso bass playing. His band was worth the show, too.

I'll be looking for more west coast Monte gigs in the near future. And I'll smile all the way there and back again.

Scratching the Itch

Greek author Plutarch: What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.

Since I started blogging (Mudholer and this one) nearly four years ago, I’ve tried every once in a while to stop and take stock of it all. This afternoon it hit me that in the short time I’ve been creating words on a screen this blog thing has sort of permanently etched itself into my identity to the point where I find it a necessary itch in need of a constant scratch. It’s safe to say I love writing it. Hell, I better love it if I’m going to bang away at a keyboard some nights in the a.m. side of midnight. No doubt I'm addicted to the liberation of self-expression.

I also think writing a blog forces one to observe life with a constant awareness of being in the moment. I could care less about the anonymous internet surfers (although I do get kick out seeing from where they lurk and what they read). No, I've gone down this life path having made (most) of my own choices. And I simply chose to remain immersed in writing about it because it provides me a release, both the positive and the negative.

Life is interesting and hard and fun and full of stuff to get through. But here, in this blog thing, I can articulate my demons and loves however I see fit. Then I can take a step back and laugh. Because, quite amazingly, my issues and observations seem rather trivial once I've posted them into cyberspace.

My experiences are not necessarily unique. I'm exploring poetry out of a love. Who hasn't done that before? I post song lyrics blended with fiction to hide the obvious. Who hasn't read that kind of thing before, either? No, I write because my thoughts might amuse others in my life who know and read my blog. Anyone else is just a bonus.

Life has come at me quickly. But overall, I have a good life. I share it daily with friends and family, close by and far away. And, thanks to the blog, I get to scratch a creative itch and ya'll get to read, and perhaps, comment/participate. Thanks for reading....

What I Did on my (Two Day/ADD Induced) Summer Vacation

Most people can completely relax beside a large body of water with just a bottle of sunscreen, a towel, and a book. Some of us master the art of Doing Nothing. Others relax by racking their bodies with muscle pain by trying to water ski, wake board, and getting flung around at 50 mph on a flame colored tube thingy with a driver madly trying to throw you like snarling bull at the rodeo.

I managed all of the above. I’m not so sure I wasn’t a bit ADD while taking it all in. But let me explain ...

I found myself with some friends at a big lake near MudHole. Boats and Personal Water Crafties (Jet Skies). Floatation devices with beer holders. Coolers chocked full with plenty of ice. Delicious picnics at the end of the dock. New and old favorites on the boat stereo. Fabulous BBQ’d dinners. Crazy, hilarious card games. Needed naps in the sun. Needed naps in the shade (because of the naps in the sun). Diving, swimming, and other water sports. Moon light cruising with wine and cheese... Thus, my summer vacation in a whole two days.

But I only mention ADD because I think I had a touch. As a master of the art of Doing Nothing, I was a bit confused with this syndrome. I say this because it took me a little bit to get into the groove which is not like me at all. I left a few loose ends undone before heading out to the lake. So, I started out in a bit of a funk. But it didn’t last long once my feet dipped in the cool water and my hand held a fresh beverage with a lime.

I guess the other ADD part was in how I had a standing and pacing issue on the dock/boat landing. And that is just not like me. I felt relaxed, I really did, but still acted a tad restless. Part of it, ok ... most of it, was due to muscle pain from the skiing and tubing. I had a fear of lying down. Because if I was going to get prone and sprawled out (aka relaxed) at the end of the dock, I wasn’t so sure I was going to be able to get up again without help and that was going to be embarrassing. As it was I audibled enough grunts and groans to prove to everyone I didn’t do this ski/tube thing much.

The weekend (My Summer Vacation) was much needed. I longed for my own lake in Northern Michigan as the sights and sounds were reminiscent of my childhood summers. It was memorable and I do hope to go back again soon.

Book Review

Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield

I don’t usually do book reviews. Ever, actually. But I was given this book from one with whom music is a central theme between the two of us. It is our time. It is part of the connection and attraction.

I find it difficult to imagine anyone reading this book not being profoundly moved. Well, wait, I take that back. I’ve met people for whom music is simply background noise. Music is not noise, but I’ve lived with that knee-jerk reaction to turn down the volume. Those people don’t listen to music. They consume it. I doubt those people ever made a mix-tape for anyone.

Music is how I live. And it has been far too long a time since music has been this important to my being. It feels good again. It has mended my soul. And this book highlighted the reason. Love. Music is how you love. How you hurt. How one copes. Music is finding solace. It is a bridge through the stuff.

I’ve been making mix-tapes again. Well, burning CDs, actually. My car is full of them. I’ve given the gift of music and lately received the gifts in return (from people I have yet to even know very well or have a formal introduction … which is soooo cool, by the way).

If you’ve ever had a crush, a friendship, a lover, and made a tape for them this book is for you. If you ever loved and lost and had songs help get you through, then this book is for you. If you’ve had music you couldn’t listen to again because it hurt too much, this book is for you. If music is the soundtrack of your life, it is exemplified in this book.

Music is love. Read this book.

Kids of Tomorrow ... I Hope

I get comfortable, no doubt. I like my daily routine. But, then time does this all of a sudden thing and takes on jet propulsion and I’m suddenly transported into a new dawn. I like that, actually. I’m not afraid of change. I endorse change. However, there is always a period of adjustment and that can be both enlightening and frightening.

I watch my parents struggle with changing technology. I don't want to be them. I fear that frustration. So, I keep up with the now. Constantly. I think. I hope.

This is a simple concept really. And I’m sure to be slapped upside the forehead like the V-8 commercials, but this time thing continues to escape me and I hate the catch up mode. I’m not at the forefront, obviously. But it occurs to me, and illustrated rather simply, that by the time one finishes high school there is a completely different world out there.

My example ... I was talking today with a recent high school graduate who is a month away from embarking on his freshman year of college. He is the son of a co-worker and I’ve been asked to provide him with enough work to keep him busy through mid-September. In other words, I’m providing busy work so that he has some college spending money (aka, beer money). I relish that idea. He is my data base flunke and learning a whole new computer system in just a few weeks.

However, in our daily conversations it has occurred to me that today’s high school seniors were born prior to the internet. Now they master it. How mainstream has the internet and email become in our lives now? Come to think of it, wireless technology didn’t even exist when he was born. And I’m not sure I could deal with being chained to an outlet with my laptop at all. Cell phones, then, looked like walkie-talkies because they weren’t of the digital variety yet. Now, I can hold the world in my pocket.

Consider all the political changes since 1991 (which was yesterday, am I right?). Music was just becoming mainstream on CDs and leaving vinyl in the dust heap. Now we have MP3s. HD tvs on flat screen have just come about in the last quarter of their lives. Etcetera, etcetera, etc. And I think things are gaining speed exponentially, not just in a nice upward bar chart curve in a power-point presentation (and when are those going away?).

My point is meant to be simple, actually. None of us live in the world in which we were born. I’m not saying run out and endorse the 8-Track and Beta Video tapes of today. But, we shouldn’t raise our kids to think in the now. Technology is getting faster, again exponentially in form. They need to be educated in critical thinking. Math is good. That, thank goodness, is still a constant (for now). Music, or the arts in general, is essential. Creative thinking is today’s martial arts.

The concepts of tomorrow are no doubt complex. If, as a parent, I wait for the schools to catch up, it simply is not the education they require to succeed. So … I encourage to obtuse. Think differently. Artistically. Encourage the out of the box. Because. If I parent for today’s world, they might not be prepared for tomorrow.

Light for Tomorrow

Light should be personal. Our own. Mine.
Its spectrum not influenced or touched
by the hands of others. Resigned.
Ours. Beyond us, not a shared clutch.

I come to you with all that I bring.
Mad with light. Etching deep shadows.
Let them all see it here. To those I sing,
who need to peek into our tomorrows.

Yet it is early. It is our dawn.
And I know not all of this light.
From where it derives. All redrawn.
I ask no explanations of night.

Tomorrow, when true light is just this,
no more dark obstacles to stumble,
just a beam from our lips. A kiss,
light-speed, play, and a tumble.

Denver SPEED

I saw this in a movie about a bus that had to SPEED around a city, keeping its SPEED over fifty, and if its SPEED dropped, it would explode. I think it was called..."The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down".
-Homer Simpson, "The Springfield Files"

I had a chance to ride the Denver Light Rail system this evening. What a world-class system! One of the best I’ve experienced.

I’m leaving Denver and heading home soon. And I must say, it has been years since I last visited Denver, but I will be back again as I was impressed. Very impressed with what Denver is doing.

Oh. It was fast, too.

Game Plan

As the French say, game birds taste best at the point of the gun. - Jim Harrison, Author, Poet

Food is a great literary theme. Food in eternity, food and sex, food and lust. Food is a part of the whole of life. Food is not separate. - Jim Harrison, Author, Poet

Above quotes from an article in today's (Aug. 7th, 2008) NYTimes Arts section

I’m no food writer or much of a restaurant critic in any way. I pretty much try most things and eat just about anything. But every once in a great while, a meal can transcend into an experience.

Along with a couple of close food and wine geek friends, we made the trek up to a place outside of Denver called The Fort (just beyond the famous Red Rocks Amphitheater).

It was an expansive place that at first had the look of a roadside tourist trap with accompanying teepee and fire pit. However, upon closer review the place was done with a finite attention to detail. It is an adobe replica of an 1830’s fur trade fort and has been serving indigenous food as from the days of the early west. Looking through all the photos in the center hallway, there was a picture of the official 1997 “Summit of the Eight” dinner hosted by President Clinton with Tony Blair, Boris Yeltsin, Helmutt Kohl, Hashimoto and the others (of which I can’t remember all the other names at the moment). So, I knew I was in the right place.

We were all seated to a table with a vast view of the Denver skyline at sunset. Although the scenery was beautiful, I was much more intrigued by the first course menu and the little arm wrestling (none) it took to get me to order a drink called the Trade Whiskey. It was a concoction and a shot of fine bourbon, red pepper, tobacco, and black gunpowder. I can’t say I’ll order it ever again, but it was an enjoyable, albeit one-time, experience.

While sipping the Whiskey, we all agreed on a shared appetizer of Rocky Mountain Oysters, Lamb Riblets, Braised Bison Tongue, and Peanut Butter Stuffed Chile Peppers. We oohed and aahed to the food along with a French Sauvignon Blanc (name escapes me now, too). I particularly enjoyed the tongue on a thin, toasted baguette slice.

I was torn between the unique venison cut or the Game Plate. I chose the Game Plate as it consisted of Buffalo Tenderloin Fillet Mignon, some Elk Chops (St. Vrain), and Quail. And we all seemed to substitute the Asparagus Bisque in place of the green salad. Good choice, by the way.

With wine geeks at the table, it was decided the above to be served with a nice French Bordeaux.

The service was kind and prompt. The wine was decanted properly. And our neighbor table treated us to an event by adjourning home in a helicopter from the grass heliport just outside and over the rock wall beyond the deck.

Undoubtedly, we will be talking about this meal again. And, for years to come, I’m sure.

Blogging Lite

I am attending a national conference for a professional organization of which I belong. So, I am in Denver this week. Needless to say, blogging will be minimal over the next few days.

However, I am getting quality fodder for posts, no doubt.

Forgiveness

I was struck by an editorial in the local paper today. The article dealt with a local CHP Officer who is now wheelchair bound due to a traffic accident. The gist is that he has forgiven the person responsible. The paper was commending the officer for such compassion.

They went on to include this list from Dr. Fredrick Luskin, the Nine Steps to Forgiveness. I, like the newspaper's editorial board, feel compelled to repeat the list here. Every single step is worthy of looking further into the soul and contemplating how I now deal and live today with my own issues. This is a good list.

1. Know exactly how you feel about what happened and be able to articulate what about the situation is not OK. Then, tell a trusted couple of people about your experience.

2. Make a commitment to yourself to do what you have to do to feel better. Forgiveness is for you and not for anyone else.

3. Forgiveness does not necessarily mean reconciliation with the person that hurt you, or condoning of their action. What you are after is to find peace. Forgiveness can be defined as the "peace and understanding that come from blaming that which has hurt you less, taking the life experience less personally, and changing your grievance story."

4. Get the right perspective on what is happening. Recognize that your primary distress is coming from the hurt feelings, thoughts and physical upset you are suffering now, not what offended you or hurt you two minutes - or ten years -ago. Forgiveness helps to heal those hurt feelings.

5. At the moment you feel upset practice a simple stress management technique to soothe your body's flight or fight response.

6. Give up expecting things from other people, or your life , that they do not choose to give you. Recognize the "unenforceable rules" you have for your health or how you or other people must behave. Remind yourself that you can hope for health, love, peace and prosperity and work hard to get them.

7. Put your energy into looking for another way to get your positive goals met than through the experience that has hurt you. Instead of mentally replaying your hurt seek out new ways to get what you want.

8. Remember that a life well lived is your best revenge. Instead of focusing on your wounded feelings, and thereby giving the person who caused you pain power over you, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you. Forgiveness is about personal power.

9. Amend your grievance story to remind you of the heroic choice to forgive.

The practice of forgiveness has been shown to reduce anger, hurt depression and stress and leads to greater feelings of hope, peace, compassion and self confidence. Practicing forgiveness leads to healthy relationships as well as physical health. It also influences our attitude which opens the heart to kindness, beauty, and love.

It does, indeed, feel good to forgive.