News From The Old Country

My old friend PhotoLady got a gig covering the Dali Lama. I wonder what his friends call him. Dali? Maybe something like Biff. Anyway, that's only minor compared to hearing that at least one ex band member says they miss me and my fired up way of playing (paraphrasing), it's not the same. PhotoLady ran into one of the guys and his wife, so that's where that came from. Fun knowing my replacement probably falls short. That could have gone either way. For all its faults Memphis has some very good harp players. I've never seen so many really good ones in one place anywhere else. It is fun having friends in high places.

It is more fun have friends in high up on the map places. Once again I am flying my new favorite airline up the coast to the other best city by the sea. It seems these places are at the two extremes, one on the north corner, one on the south corner. Same side of the box, though. We went west, young man, by golly. I finally have license plates so I guess I'm really here. Good number letter combo. Very acceptable numbers. I memorized it easily because it all fits and makes sense. License plates don't always do that.

Soon, I get to make that journey north, anyway. Just a week plus a day or so. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I stole that line from Casa Blanca. It is a great line and quite apt.

I'm really hoping this health care debacle falls flat. The idea of being fined for not having insurance is spooky. Surely you can pay as you go or opt to die of appendicitis or whatever. If you can afford the fine you could probably afford the stupid insurance. If you can afford neither and refuse government help, then I guess the rumors of jail time and a bigger fine may have some truth. Back to the days of Dickens and debtor's prison. How quickly people went from understanding the goal of being free of such intrusions to thinking everyone's business is their own. I do not know how I will be able to deal with it if it comes into action, or many other plans in the works. Either I get rich quick, or I find ways to dodge the jackboots out to save me from myself.

Oh well. I know a bed I can hide under once I manufacture the bridgework to hold it up off the floor. Perhaps a secret compartment, or apartment, can be designed into the structure, just in case times get dicey. But that's another story