RIP Mitch Mitchell

Mitch Mitchell, drummer for the Jimi Hendrix Experience died yesterday, apparently of natural causes...kind of early at 61, but an autopsy is in the works, supposedly. He held a reliable creative relationship with Hendrix, and according to many sources, he often was the only member of the group in the studio with Hendrix when he was working out ideas.

Les Loken - WWII Vet

My grandfather's stories are similar to this vet who was filmed talking about the war before he died...Grandpa Schley has a detailed memory and certainly the stories mean a lot to me, personally, but it's still great to see and hear everybody talk about the war...whether it's Les or anybody else.

A bright spark might corner the market in this year's girl.

I've recently been listening again to Elvis Costello's This Year's Model and been thinking...

Best Pop-Rock Record EVER. Period.

Common Courtesy RANT

Today on the freeway I was cutoff [and subsequently flipped off] by a dude in a clunker that ended up going SLOWER than me after he passed me. The stupo actually sped up to like 85 mph and then as soon as he was in front of me, he slowed to like 60 mph! So I passed him and went on my way and he continued to go about 60 mph. Not sure what that was about. I had thought maybe he was getting off on an exit or something, but nope, stayed in the lane for a long while. I had thought he went slower just to be a jerk, but the guy wasn't around me for long, he just came up and then passed me to go 60!

But that brings me to my general post. What's the deal with courtesy on the road? It doesn't seem like anybody pulls into the other lane when there are emergency/enforcement vehicles on the shoulder. Do these people honestly have no idea what it's like to do the shoulder thing? I've only done it a few times when my car has broken down, but imagine if you do this on a regular basis. Get some class, people!! But common courtesy isn't just an issue on the road.

Plus, the whole cell-phone thing at the counter in a gas station!! What is that?!?

Other common beefs of courtesy...the parking lot issue. Take an xtra 20 seconds and realigned your vehicle! And stuff like recently...you're sitting near a cooler, you reach down to get a bottle of drink, and a person shows up and says, "yea, can I have that please." THE LAST ONE! WTH?

People are so unapologetically un-peaceful to each other, to their own neighbors and community members, it's no shock we have wars. We wage war locally all the time...even to our friends and loved ones...to the faultless guys driving cars on the freeway.

I know my life could be a lot worse, but these are the kind of little things that start to drive a typically courteous person to angry passive aggressive rants on the internet. NEH.

I'm supposed to just MAN UP, right? Whatever. I don't wanna end up like all those guys on the way to becoming Bill Foster.

The Obama Years

Although for many this may be considered fact-lessly speculative, and some may even consider it naive-ly premature, I believe today marks the first day of the next phase of American social reality. My hope is that Tuesday, November 4 will be the historical moment that historians will note as when 20th century views of American society became the 21st century views of American society.

It is with all my hopes and prayers that this is the entrance into a new era of American history and one we will look back on as historically significant as the Gettysburg Address, the passing of the 19th Amendment, the New Deal, D-Day, the signing of the Civil Rights Act and later Americans with Disabilities Act. Many of us have long hoped for certain social realities to change, but I have faith that this will become the tipping point.


Of course we have a long way to go to make America as great as it can be, but like president-elect Obama stated in his speech...

"For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow."