Tuesday, November 29, 2005

So is this like a home run...

Or hitting for the cycle, or turning a hat trick, bowling a 300 game or what? Being the steady compact disc consumer that I am I bought an old Waylon Jennings recording, Dreaming My Dreams, used from Amozon.com, on cd. I bought that same recording brand new on an 8 track tape in 1974, bought it on a vinyl record at a flea market sometime I guess about 5 to 10 years ago.

I guess I have just lived too long or I like Waylon too much or something. Yeah that's what it is, something.

So much for being a cool cat...

Yesterday Mary sez, "your tight."

Cathy sez, "he has tests this week."

So much for my cool under pressure not give a damn devil may care bombs away gung ho durn the torpedoes remember the Alamo attitude.

Wait a minute, remember the Alamo, wasn't that a massacre? Hope these test don't go that way. Any way coming down to finals in a couple of week, I might be so tight by then I squeak.

Look for great blooms of creativity and important observations on this blog after that period of testing has passed.

Until then...squeak, squeak.

Sunday, November 27, 2005

St. Patrick's celebrates 75 years...


When I saw this today I thought it was too cool and I had to have a picture.

It is a quilt celebrating the 75th anniversary of St. Patrick's Catholic Church. It was quilted by Connie Baurie with contributions by Patricia Adams, Sr. M. Christine, O.P., Jo Ann Cope, Fredia Gratz, Mary Mijares, Dianna Mitchell and Fe Vann.

All the pictures quilted in represent some part of parish life, the cultures found here, the LaSalette Order of priest, the various buildings over the years, ministries and the Catholic School.

Even though I am a relative newcomer, having maybe been a part of the parish for only 17 years it really gives me a good feeling to be a part of the things represented in this quilt. Sometimes we want to run out and be a part of the next stylish trend to come along, we want to act like we have always been a fixture on the cool scene when really it can give a good feeling to get in on something that has been going on for a long time, see where we fit and pitch in for the long run, sticking with people that feel the same way through thick and thin, good times and bad. You know that in 75 years there have been good times and bad, but St. Pat's is still here.

If I'm lucky, eat right, don't smoke, wear seat belts and no one runs over me in my tin can car I'll be around when the 100th enciphering is celebrated.

Friday, November 25, 2005

Check out these pilgrims...





Yeah I know it's the day after Thanksgiving. We should have been deer hunting, watching UT vs. A&M, eating left over turkey or some other suitable pursuit. Instead me Morgan and Mary spent a couple of hours on Big Sam catching catfish.

A really great day, only the second time I have been fishing since school started and I think it is the first time for the kids since the beach this summer, they still had Spanish mackerel leaders tied to their poles. They were on top of the game though, I think I only put 3 keepers in the boat and threw back a couple too small.
Caught them about 25 feet deep, flats on the edges of the old river channel that runs through the lake on Danny King's Catfish bait.



These fish are swimming in our bellies right now, we cooked them for supper, had my mom out and Cathy took the rest to work for anyone that might be tired of turkey.

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Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Tim Graham 1955-2005

An old guitar playing friend of mine Tim Graham has passed. Our lives had gone different ways for the past 15 years or so and I am sorry that I let that happen.

I think may be the singer songwriter Lucinda Williams said it the best, "...why'ed you let go of your guitar, why'ed you let it go so far..."

See you on the other side buddy.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Oh, I forgot...

Rose and Juan's wedding anniversity, 2 years today.

Go to the Wallace photo link on the right to see pictures from that day.

Just a political comment...

I usually leave the political to other blogs. They do it so much better than me. I just have to comment on yesterdays story that Bush no longer thinks it is unpatriotic to oppose the war. This announcment came due to calls by congressman John Murtha for troop reductions. Murtha is a decorated combat veteran, not surprising to me that he does not like war. Most guys that have been in one don't.

I guess I almost let it slip by me that Bush thought I shouldn't say anything against the war. I thought being in a America, a democracy, that it was ok to speak up, to voice opinions, concerns and beliefs. I thought that it was the reason of forefathers arrived here, to be able to believe in what they wanted to without interference.

You can rest assured that this Thanksgiving I will be in church. I will thank God for my blessings, I'll pray for peace and when I leave I'll work for justice and do what I can to make sure that greedy power hungry men like Bush are never elected in this country again.

Monday, November 21, 2005

Music for the week...

Short week for me till the holiday here is what I will be listening to in the car:
Ry Cooder - Borderline
Ryan Adams - Demolition
Chris Whitley - Dirt Floor
Webb Wilder - About Time
Tailgators - Hide Your Eyes
John Hiatt - Pretty Good Guitar
The Go Mama Shirlees - All Purpose Wardrobe

Friday, November 18, 2005

It was a cold morning...

...but the catfish bit. Not exactly a whole wash tub full, but pretty nice fish.



Also saw these birds. I see them every winter on Rayburn lake. They migrate in and stay the winter, some type of stork or pelican. Wish I had a closer picture.

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New gigaw...

Added a site counter. This could be potentially embarrassing, just think, everyone will see how popular I am, could be not popular at all.

Not where I would really like it to be, kind of jumped on there as cozyed up to Dan-Danz but I will get it figured out, maybe after finals.

I think...


It was the Jefferson Airplane that asked the question:

"Have you seen the stars tonight?"

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

GoGol Bordello at Emo's...


Getting caught up on family reporting Cathy, Katie and Morgan went to see Cathy's favorite band, the guys that named this blog (help them out buy the cds solve the mystery) GoGol Bordello at Emo's in Austin a few weekends ago. Yours truly stayed home and studied. That's ok, it will pay off I've seen the a couple of times anyway.

Cathy now owns a "hoodie" with this logo. A hoodie is a big punk thing to have I have gathered. I don't have one yet. If you don't know what one is think back to sand lot football games played by frustrated jocks in their late 20s on cold Saturday mornings. Some guys will have on hoodies, hooded garments that match sweat pants and are usually the filthiest article of apparel there that morning. Punk hoodies are very clean.

Anyway if you haven't heard the music GoGol Bordello is a Gyspy/Punk/Ukrainian/Jewish/cabaret/combat/rock revolution. It's very loud music. Visual also. Got some girls in the band they play cymbals just like my daughter Mary. They also put on a show with bass drums and maracas.

There is also the lead guy Eugene. He is in a current movie "Everything is Illuminated" with the guy that played Frodo in Lord of the Rings. Frodo was at this show, Cathy saw him and said he was a little mini man, you could put him in your pocket. Any way if you see Eugene you will be glad his parents did not make him take medicine to make him behave when he was a kid.

Pictures taken by Cathy.

loaded bass player...


Here is what my new car looks like loaded up with my bass gear on the way to the state school gig.

If I ever need a bigger amp than this I'm playing in the wrong band.

Gig went well, downside was that the silver face Bassman head you see fizzed out on me. I have had it for 20 years, bought in a pawn shop. It was made sometime between 1977 and 1982 or so. It is always a hassle to find someone to work on old tube amps in Lufkin. I do have a line on someone to call, I just need to get a wiring diagram and thanks to the joys of the internet, looks like it will be easy to find one.

Was able to finish the gig by using my sansamp box through to the main system. A handy box to have, I would not gig without it.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Conversations with kids...

Had a conversation with a young man in the Taekwondo dressing room as we changed clothes before a workout the other day. He was about 7 and in fact he told me this was his age.

There is a certain way kids can be so mature at this age. He talked to me just like a little man even though I could tell from the markings on his belt he was new to the school and we had not met before. It is a shame that in a few hears the culture of our society will change him so that he will probaly not even notice the presence of an old guy like me. He is at an age where is mom is beautiful to him and his dad is a super human and it's ok for him to cry. In fact it is even expected that he cry. If I cry people say things like, "Good God man dry it up there, yes I know you need a hug but people are staring at us, there there," as if repeating the word there enough times will really make things better.

He is at an age where culture has not told him what shoes are cool, he don't see the people on one side of a difference in opinion as evil and feel that they should all be A-bombed on a deserted island some where, he has not had radio and tv tell him these shows and this music is good, must be because we have the same old shows and songs on demand 24/7, He has never been disappointed in himself because of in the way he acted regarding another human being and he has never had to work a weekend.

Later on he will change, be less confident like teenagers are sometimes, worried that they will make a mistake, hope they are not noticed while dying to be the star all at the same time and surly, knowing that he knows it all and that others especially the old can never possibly know anything of life. He will never talk to strangers in their underwear in a public locker room anymore.

So this mature little boy says to me:
"I'm 7, how old are you?"
I say," I'm 48, I'm 41 years older than you are, what do you think of that?"
"My dad is 64, my mom is 41,"
I say"Hmmm," and I think, lucky them.

Sunday, November 13, 2005

music for the week...

During the 3 hours a day I spend in a car commuting I listen to music. Here is what will be in the cd player this week:
Trailer Bride, Whine De Lune
Junior Kimbrough, All Night Long
Ian Moore, Ian Moore's Got the Green Grass
The Word, North Missipssi Allstarts and Robert Randolph
Jubilation, Great Gospel Performances
Steve Earle, The Revolution Starts Now
Matisyahu, Live at Stubbs
Flogging Molly, Drunken Lullabies
Booniay!, West African Funk Compilation
James Cotton, 35th anniversary Jam
Ali Farka Toure with Ry Cooder, Talking Timbucktu
Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Pink Floyd, ( I was at Best Buy for ink cartriges and could not resist, felt like space travel or something tonight.)

So hopefully these tunes will provide some inspiration. A little heavy on the blues side, but I'll deal with it.

If you have any of these titles in your collection, contact me, you have a music problem, you are out of the mainstream and I will help you further out to sea.

I'll try to make the tunes for the week a feature here everytime I roll over the car tunes for fresh.

Friday, November 11, 2005

Bicycle motor sounds...

Seems being so busy with school I have not had too much time to enjoy the fall. Yeah I watch the trees change color as I spend 3 hours a day in a car between here and Kilgore but I need to get out in the woods. One day I was close to the woods as we visited a nursing home in Kilgore. It was situated in a nice quiet sheltered wooded place. It was raining and the damp shadows looked so inviting. I wanted to squat on my haunches under a low hanging bush and wait for the rain to stop while looking at the kaleidoscope of leaf colors on the ground.

I would rather look at the leaves on the ground, fallen in random patterns than look out across some scenic divide at the fall colors still adorning the trees themselves. Something to do with the way we will all end up I guess, ashes to ashes, scattered to the universe. Take time to not think of theses deaths, but the way the colors intermingled, the reds and purples of the sweetgum, the brown oaks, a few rusty pine needles and the intrusive yellow of the piss ellum.

It was tonight, as I tried to rev my brain for some studying that the fall and boyhood memories collided. In the dark I rode my bike under and around the big oak in the drive way. A leaf lodged in the spokes of the wheel making a motor boating sound that would make a small boy smile. Well a small boy in the 1960s. I don't know if today small boys ever stick an old baseball card in their bicycle spokes, held by a clothes pin (what's that?) to make a motor noise or not. I don't think I taught my kids this and I remember doing it, but don't have a memory of who taught me to do it. I probably worn out many a collectible card doing this when I was a kid, if I had saved them I might not be working so hard now.

So anyway just a wreck in the old mind tonight, things hitting together, throwing off sparks, trying to start a fire.

Monday, November 07, 2005

Bill is ok...

Looks like my father in law is ok, don't know a bunch of details but the old cuss is still with us. Whoops, I forgot he reads this blog.

Here is a picture of him doing his thing, I'm sure you have seen him, you know the guy with the banjo.

Notice the distance between him and the spectators, don't want to get none of that stuff on ya now do you folks...

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Bill Cooney in hospital...

Cathy's dad, Bill Cooney is in the hospital in Conroe. He had an episode of low blood pressure today. Cathy just took off to go see about him.

Bill is a dixieland banjo player (please don't hold it against him) and recently took up electric bass. He is also an avid reader of this blog. Ya'll pray that he gets back in action.

Saturday, November 05, 2005

Bought two cars...


Went to Houston and traded in the PT cruiser on two slightly used 05 Scions. One has 13K and the other has 19k miles on it. Should pay for themselves pretty quick, I have been buying 10 gallons of gas a day myself, be great to cut that in half.

Mary hates it that we got two the same color. It was the only choice, they had 5 just like this. Actually Cathy's has some fancy wheels, mine does not.

Katie has one of these also she bought almost a year ago. Drives the heck out of it and I figured it would be fine for me. Hers is also gray, silver or what ever you call it.

This is a car that is marketed to the 20 something generation, hope I don't screw it up for them, but I want that 35 miles per gallon. 50 is the new 30, the older you will get... and all that.

Kept my truck, it is in good shape and we need something to pull the boat, haul stuff and so on.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Late Halloween Pictures...


Here is a picture of me and Tony at school.













Here is a picture of me dancing on Monday 10-31. The class dressed up in costumes and played bingo at an assisted living facility in Kilgore. After four tests this week I am not feeling so much like dancing.

Might go car shopping tomorrow. If I bought something that got 35 miles per gallon as opposed to the 20-23 I am now getting I would save about 10 bucks a day on gas. I buy 10 gallons a day for the four days a week I drive to Kilgore. Looking at saving at least 50 bucks a week.

If I wear the costume can I get a better deal?

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Fixed a link...

Fixed Dan-Daz's link, I discovered it was not working.

Hard days...

About the hardest day yesterday since I started school.

Up at 4:30, drove to Tyler to view ICU at UT Health Sciences. Ok, but at work I operate o2, pumps and monitors and stuff, so nothing really new.

Then it was a lecture and lab test on estim. Lab last 5 hours. Tough test, I think I did all right on lecture, I done know about lab.

Another lab on patient transferes today and then that lecture tomorrow.

That's the good news, only two more tests this week.
"...I know I've seen that face before," Big Jim was thinking to himself "Maybe down in Mexico or a picture up on somebody's shelf..."Bob Dylan from "Lilly Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
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