Me Not Sure GPS Lady Not Crazy

So, I somehow left the atlas at home. I had a couple of google directions for different routes printed out but decided to trust the gps lady.

She took me through Tonto national wonderland or whatever it is called. Now I see a short jaunt up 77 would have hit I40, or Thee forty, if you prefer.

By the time I finally got to 40 I was talking like Tonto and ready to do something Tonto-ish. I don't know what that means.

It is possible I lost no time. I can't tell. I know I covered almost 750 miles today, and averaged a decent speed. I did not stop much, and when I did, it was not for long. My eyes complained, but held out until I found lodging that wasn't part of a casino emporium. Tonto no throw hard earned wampum in one arm bandit's mouth. Bad medicine. Tonto want to cut out him guts when bandit take money, give Tonto nothing.

One thing I will say, highway 60 is not short on really great scenery. Lots of snow covered mountainous canyon stuff. Snow covered plateaus, and platitudes.

I have no idea if I forgot something important when I left this morning. I do have the big amp that I am trading, some clothes, and a few other things. No tent. Too cold for that. I'm set if I need to make the car a short term dwelling though.

Remind me to raise hell with Subaru of El Cajon when I get back. It appears Gus, the mechanic, only replaced the top radiator hose, but I paid for top and bottom. The lower one is harder to see and I think he didn't do it. They always replace the factory crimp clamps with screw strap hose clamps. Ain't there on bottom hose.

I know they gave it to Gus because I heard the service writer say, I'm giving this one to Gus, pull it in his den of iniquity.

It'll be OK for now. But, I will insist they find a way to prove to me certain other items were done, which you can't tell from outside looking in. If I do this right, it could be a very good leverage item. I do not think this is standard fare for the other guys. Gus, however, is on my list and if it costs him his job, he would deserve it. It is all in writing what was requested and what he claims he did.

I am not one to go for firing people, but I have zero tolerance for intentional liars and thieves.

OK

Trying to beat it through Amarillo tomorrow before the snow hits.

Now that I revisit the maps site and add up the miles, I think Ms GPS Lady may have run me about 35 or 40 miles farther than need be. I refuse to believe it could be an more than that. Still, it may have cost time. I need that wire that hooks it up online to update her attitude and knowledge of modern roads. But this was by far the better way for less traffic, often 10 miles or more with absolutely no traffic, and for the better view.

The Spirit Hits

I'm almost in the mood to do backflips down the aisle of the Holy Roller Tabernacle Church of Imbalanced Sinners and Saints. The hope of seeing all the clan down in the FL keys, and some old friends along the way has finally sparked a bit of cheer in my heart.

I've accepted the fact that I won't get my house cleaned and spotless and totally uncluttered before I leave. I won't do the backlog of laundry--I'll be bringing the dirty clothes with me. There will be laundry facilities wherever I stay in Memphis, and in Tavernier.

I remembered to retrieve my Audix Fireball mic from my pal K, who owns the PA and practice place Copper Creek uses. I just leave the mic there most of the time.

This way, I can better experience the new amp when the trade is made in memphis, and I'll be set if a jam with the guys is possible. I know the bass player and drummer are up for it but G1, living a complicated life, may find it difficult to work in. Hopefully we'll all be able to play. He sounded really good last time, and as much as I have groused about him at times, it is not the same without him. I guess absence does sometimes make the heart grow fonder, even with cantankerous friends. Which of us that applies to probably depends upon the day in question.

Like Joel. Now there is a cranky dude. Yet, bright as he is, he would put that tag on me. Go figure. Another musician who plays stringed instruments, as well as little harp in days past. I figure it is a guitar thing--they just can't see that I am always right, and that my ego is justified, whereas their egos tend to cloud their world view.

Excitement is something I try to cultivate when I can. Age can make your outlook so dulled that you scoff at excitement and wonder. I think that is not the way to maintain vitality. I know I am less prone to feel those things than I once was, but I like to embrace awe and excitement when I can. It probably triggers some good brain chemistry.

When it comes down to it, I like this season. I'm all peace on earth, good will toward men, and especially, of course, toward women and wimmins. Not so much toward those who screwed up the language by taking universal pronouns absurdly personal. And maybe not toward those who continue to paste laff tracks in shows that have the potential of being OK on their own.

Maybe the eye scare has made me appreciate what I have a little bit more, and want to waste slightly less time than I do.

The Tourmobile is all set and ready to roll. I do like that car. When I get rich, I'l still probably drive that car or something Subaru. And maybe a Toyota FJ. It is FJ, isn't it? Well it is two letters of some kind.

The wind here is horrendous, so it looks like I'll have a hell of a head wind to start, unless it lets up soon.

Eye eye, Matey

So, Dr Pokeye says I passed the thumb in the eye test with flying colors and can resume normal activity. I didn't think to ask what is normal activity, but I did ask if there was any reason not to embark on a ballistic tour. He pretty much said to have at it, so I will.

Memphis friends expect me there on the 21st. It seems prudent to depart California sometime before that date.

It took being told that I've healed up splendidly for me to now feel like I am in trip mode. I consider myself fortunate in more than one way. They caught the eyes anomaly quick so they could fix it. I was able to pay them, although they would have worked just about any terms I could handle. And I was able to get the car maintenance up to date and find a way to take off down the road. I realize that the freedom and ability to take advantage of it are lucky things.

You never know what lies ahead, but for this moment, life is good enough. Some aspects of my existence to tend to confuse me a little but I probably should chalk that up to immaturity and being very slow to forget the sting some circumstances can bring. I'm like a guy who got burned by the stove so now I am overly cautious to the point that I am afraid to cook. Worse things befall people.

I wonder what I'll do when I get back. It doesn't seem like the status quo will be acceptable, or is acceptable, any more. When I consider the possibility that it may be as strange to be anyone else as it is to be me, I wonder how the world has managed to survive as well as it has. It certainly explains all the occupy activity, the political tangles, and other nonsense that hear about on the street. Those people just find it strange as hell to be alive and don't know what else to make of it.

Some people I know seem pretty content in a way that gives the impression that they do not find it strange to be who they are. This may take further study. Not sure how to measure it in the way I think of it. You can't really take their word for it because you'll get whiners and those who think we are talking victimization. Then they'll compete and the study will be totally bogus.

Clearly I need about a billion dollar grant to do this thing properly.

The Shining Gets a Laugh Track

This just goes to show how influential a laff trak can be. Here we see how a horror/psychopathic killer can easily be mistaken for a clip from a sitcom.
Now, I would watch this kind of show with a laff track, but in general, if a show has canned laughter, I skip it.

If something was written as a comedy and can't stand on its own without telling me when to laugh, then the producers either have no faith in the material, or they assume the target audience is a bunch of morons who won't know how to react.

Many shows cue you to laugh at things that really aren't very funny. It conditions people to think like shallow Hollywood trash balls who think bratty disrespectful kids and adults are the stuff of humor. There are too many of those in real life for it to have much worthy of laughter in slapping their smarmy faces on the screen.

The end.

Snakedocs

My old band, the Memphis Snake Doctors (snake doctor is a dragon fly--country slang) now have a new site: http://www.memphissnakedoctors.com . They used my graphics from the Sun Studio CD, and the MP3's are ones I recorded with them.

The tough part is seeing some of the venues they've played since my departure which I would have loved to play. Can't have it all. I am vain enough that I always hope they miss me. They said they did when I was in Memphis last summer and we had a little jam session.

Looks like I'll be there again next week, provided I get the all clear from Dr Pokeye tomorrow. I doubt there will be a chance to jam, but maybe there will be. I hope so. At an rate I plan to leave with the amp I used at that jam. I'm trading a very nice Mesa Boogie Blue Angel for it. G1 sold it to me at a bargain, and now I'm trading it back to him for the Bassman rig which is more primo for harp. It should all be OK.

If you go to the site, hit the "about us" link, and there you will find the mp3's you can stream. On Chain of Fools I am there but very much in background, which was appropriate on that song. On the others the harmonica is way more up front. The keyboard guy on Fools was very good. He's played with all kinds of names which I forgot.

I should not be reading and writing much yet. Just thought I'd give them some publicity here in case anyone is curious. And feed my own ego, since the crazy purple dragonfly stuff was what I drew, and the harp on the mp3s being mine warms my heart.

Now I know I am an ego maniac because I find myself wishing they had more pictures of me instead of the new guy, Gary. I'm in one pic which says something about Sun studio. Sad to be so starved for attention. My mountain group, Copper Creek, likes to post pictures of me on their facebook accounts, but I am not very big on FB. I think it is the devil.

Often, gossip which you may prefer not be there gets put out and in my odd life, it can be a bit troublesome at times. Even so, I wouldn't mind if we had more chance to play. Maybe in the coming year we will.

Old Movie Review

Two movies that I still like even today are El Mariachi and the amped up sequel, Desperado.

The thing about Desperado is I like the music as much as anything. It has that Mexican electric stuff going as well as the acoustic. Killer soundtrack.

So, for a really well done low budget flick, El Mariachi, and for a super surreal, Mexican shoot em up with great music, and Salma Hayek, who was fine as fine can be in ---damned nine is giving trouble again so I have to write it out -nineteen ninety five.

I think I would love to own the Desperado soundtrack. I'm a sucker for that Spanish sound.

Can't Play the Blues

Must be the time of year. I am finding that being in a situation which requires that I don't play my harmonica music makes me start jonesing for it.

That's just the way it goes. No way I am taking any chances. Sometimes it is smart not to push something. I've probably pushed it a little by reading when I didn't need to and using the computer right now, and a few times working I may have taken a chance or two. Soon as I realize it I back off.

I'm kind of happy at Christmas, so I wouldn't be playing the sad blues anyway. After years of people being trained not to expect anything I don't feel the pressure which depresses a lot of people. And I don't expect anything. It is a good time to appreciate friends, family, and life in the USA. Anything that is a reminder that it is OK to be kind is a good thing.

People who have known me long enough know if I have loose cash, I'll spend it on them, and if not I won't. They never know from year to year what I might do. You don't have to be rich to create a little fun. Besides, a lot of people of means have no wish for more trinkets anyway, so what's with these psychotic shopping events?

And I don't want anyone to feel like they have to give me stuff. It took a long time to figure out that most people do not care about all the gift routine, as far as insisting people give them things. It's a gesture and can be fun. When it is only a trade or some stressful way to prove something the point gets lost.

I can always use some coal, and I think a hickory switch would be cool. That's why I've been as bad as I know how. I was bad other years too but I never got the coal and hickory switch they promised to the bad kids. I don't get it.

So Far, So Good

Dr Pokeye checked things out and said I'm healing well. He also agrees with me that it is unlikely that my aggressive harmonica playing caused the eye situation.

He did, however, emphasize strongly that I need to avoid too much computer and reading, so I better listen. It shoud be all healed by this time next week. If so, then I guess it is road trip time. If not, plan B.

TV and Tool Reviews

Due to the fact that I live in the hills, have no cable or satellite, and the TV antenna pulls in two stations at best, none at worst, I get my movies and else on Hulu. There was some series I got so involved with that I paid the few dollars to get the whole thing. Now I forgot what it was. Probably something no one would guess.

So, I decided to check out this series, Once Upon a Time, by the same people who created LOST (picture those letters floating away into space). It is about a town where everyone is a fairy tale figure but doesn't know it. The mayor of the town is the poison apple witch from Snow White. A real jerk lady.

They switch back and forth so you can see what was happening in fairy tale land before the CURSE, which landed them all in Storybrooke, Maine, not knowing that they don't know. It appears that they take a few liberties in spinning the yarn, mingling characters who were in separate tales and such. It is really hilarious and engaging.

Rumpelstiltskin is named Mr Gold in his Storybrooke incarnation. He runs the pawn shop. And the town shrink--psychologist, I guess-is Jiminy Cricket. It goes on from there, but that gives a clue. You know it's good if Rumpelstiltskin is there with his pawn shop.

I must again give kudos to the Milwaukee random orbital sander. That thing has held up through all kinds of use and abuse. Work needed doing today and I am trying to avoid eye stuff, or things that might vibrate like a sander. So, I had help and one guy ran that sander all day. A good item and it wasn't very expensive. Mid to low double digits I think. Anyway, I was happy to see it performing so well.

My help today was superb. These kids never stopped, caught on quick and took initiative. What a relief. No way this work could have been done before my planned trip. I say kids, but they are maybe 19 or 20 or so. The housekeeper's son and his pal. Legal American citizens doing the work the late Ted K claimed we wouldn't do.

And who'd have guessed? The son started taking to me about neutrinos. Oh, you may not recall--Sally does---there was some neutrino talk here awhile back. Anyway, that is not what I expected from young punk California kids. It was very cool to see that they wanted to learn what was what and then worked like crazy until we were done. They didn't even take a lunch break when I took my breakfast break. I brought a breakfast sandwich with me because it was a hectic morning, and didn't hit a stopping point until midday. Those guys just kept trucking.

That age and circumstance may have had the rug pulled out in some ways, but don't think they are all lazy. Not the case.

Shop Review: Mufflers

So, someone had an issue with a Cherokee muffler. Searching on line, trying to avoid the heart of El cajon--traffic and madness--I found Ed Hanson's muffler shop in Spring Valley, not far from the Target and Edward's inemas (C won't light up) in Rancho San Diego.

Ed has a real deal business, the kind that made America 1st world back in the good old days. A clean, state of the art facility with sober, competent, good natured techs who also possess better than average verbal skills, technical skills, and sense of humor. It was like I'd stumbled into an alternate universe where good enterprises could thrive. Ed and his wife run the office, although Ed also hangs in the shop and does some work when the spirit strikes him. He speaks quite highly of his employees, as if they are the best ever.

They charged my friend $35 for a repair which I would have thought cost much more. No trying to oversell. It was bizarre. Ed's been in the business since he was a kid. His father was in the business. Somehow he has maintained the interest and pride it takes to have a shop that probably equals those in muffler heaven.

It's good to find places like that because you never know when you might need them. I went because I thought it might be a leave it there operation. And I wanted to get out of the house.

Now I know where to go for exhaust system needs. And I discovered another off the charts first rate independent business. You can't build and run a place like that in Cuba.