What the Heck, Eh?
Well, now; I am back on here, yes, I see me, and my original stuff is still here. I rather like this format, do not remember why I stopped coming here. I think it was because I forgot it existed. I keep telling myself, one day I will learn how to write. SO I keep practicing. And that is what this is--practice.
I haven't changed much since I was here last ( let's see, that seems to have been 2015 ). I still love ABBA, and The Ventures, and lots of different music. My guilty secret musical like is Lady Gaga, once I discovered there was a fantastic voice behind all the hoopla and glitz. For playing, in the few minutes I can anymore, I still prefer Fender instruments and equipment. I have played others, among them Rickenbacker and Gibson, but always come back to Fender. It's a preference, and a psychological thing: I just think I sound better using Fender. I don't, but, since I only play for myself now, I don't care.
If you've seen me, you can tell I seldom pass up a meal, but, I do have my favorites. Pasta, specifically spaghetti with tomato sauce -- meat optional, not necessary -- heads that list. I like my meat and potatoes, and most vegetables. I like my steaks rare, my burgers medium rare, and my vegetables steamed. I like my taters prepared almost any way but McDonald's french fry way. Pizza is not high on my list; I'll eat it, but, unless it's pineapple, bacon, green peppers, maters, and onions -- I won't enjoy it. Just a fact: it's the way I am.
Oh. And salt---goes with almost anything.
I know a lot of facts, most of them unrelated to each other, and I have a lot of opinions. Like most Americans, I try never to let a good fact interfere with a good opinion, but I seem to have found it increasingly difficult to do that. I figure it's my age. I saw a article recently that proclaimed there is no such thing as suffering from old age anymore. I am the fact that proves that theory incorrect. I was born in 1949. That makes me....older than I thought I'd be when I was a lot younger than I am now. It also has enabled me to do a lot, see a lot, observe a lot, and learn a lot. Some of what I learned sunk in. Some--never will. Mostly, that is due to a lack of interest on my part. I used to think that made me a individual. It doesn't. It lumps me in with most humans, actually. If we cannot develop a interest in something, we won't learn it's relevance to our lives. Or, non-relevance, as the case may be.
I have a increasing interest in our Nation's politics. Not because I like it, but because of the effect it has upon me and my life, my family, my neighbors, friends, my own likes and dislikes. Like it or not, I am a part of a society. I have to conduct my life within the guidelines of that society, and by ignoring how that is done, I was sentencing myself to letting people whom I don't agree with make the laws I have to live by. Whoa, Nellie; let's rein that team of horses in and start to get involved! I'm never going to serve in any civil service office; one must be able to speak publicly, something I have never been very good at. I like my swear words and puns too much. I could never run under the aegis of any party platform; if I disagree with something, I say so, and if I agree, I say so. I'd spend most of my campaigning likely getting my opponent elected, if I liked their plans better than mine. However--I find I can no longer simply ignore politics and trust that all will be well.
If nothing else, the election of the 45th U.S. President and the continuing shitstorm of that disaster shows why ignoring won't work. I no longer trust the basic intelligence of the voter; we have become quite the stupid society.
On a side note: I still hate politics.
I have always loved Halloween. It is my favorite holiday. Despite the fact it falls at a time of year I detest ( the reasons for that, of course, have nothing to do with what the day has become, but, that is another tale ). In recent years, my joy in that day has decreased considerably. There are many reasons for that, among them are the increased commercialism, the removal of decent horror in film and literature, and my own failure to find something within it to truly excite the fear I so fondly recall feeling as a child. That feeling of trepidation, of discovery, of something that will go 'BOO' around every dark corner. It has been years since I felt anything even close to that, and the reason it was so enjoyable was simple; it wasn't real. I'll mention, for me, it has nothing to do with gore and blood, something seemingly so prevalent in modern 'horror' films. It has to do with suspense, with the effect the situation produces in your mind, your imagination. Honestly, right now, every day life in America gives me plenty to fear, without using my imagination. Halloween, and anything it offers, pales in comparison to having a psychopathic mental deficient in a position to just launch nuclear strikes in a tantrum fit, with no one able to stop him.
Something I also still love: laughter. I tend to find humor in many different places, and will go out of my way to make myself laugh ( sometimes to the dismay and even detriment of friends ). I derive pleasure from enabling others to laugh. However, again, here, I have definite boundaries. I like suggestive humor, but, that doesn't mean I enjoy hearing expletives being overused as a tool for getting laughter. I have a personal feeling that the age of great comedic artists and actors has passed; those I consider truly great could make me laugh at anything, even things I found uncomfortable or were based in philosophies I did not agree with. Sarcasm is one of the greatest of comedic tools, but carries with it a great danger; the danger of arousing anger and hatred rather than laughter. It should never be used by the faint of heart, for it has many sharp edges that can cut the user as well as the target. My favorite humor is the self deprecating kind; we must be able to laugh at ourselves to truly be able to enjoy laughter at all. My opinion, of course, since that is what works best for me.
Thanks to the wonders of film and recording, I can still enjoy many of those I consider to be the best. The Marx Bros. W.C. Fields. Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. Abbott & Costello. Burns & Allen. Buddy Hackett. Joan Rivers. Robin Williams. Rita Rudner. Johnny Carson. The Smothers Brothers. Bill Cosby. Rowan and Martin. Steven Wright. And the best of them all--George Carlin. Many others, whom I enjoyed greatly and who had profound influence upon my life and how it developed. Jewels I enjoyed in film and television: The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Barney Miller. Night Court. Mork and Mindy. Cheers. Men Behaving Badly. Are You Being Served? Mrs. Brown's Boys. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. QI, hosted by Stephen Fry ( have not seen most recent, hosted now by Sandy Toksvig, but I am betting it is just as good ). All of these have provided me with hour after hour of laughter, and will continue to do so.
Winding up. That is me. It is, in a capsule, who and what I am. I don't care a whit if anyone agrees with me or not, likes me or not, or changes their own minds about anything over anything I say. I enjoy helping out, and usually will if I can, and if I am asked. But always be careful when asking me how I am, or what I think of something, because I will let you know. I will also let you know if anything you say has provided me with information that might change my own mind. I don't like change, but I know change is inevitable. Somehow, I have always adapted; well, usually. I don't believe anything is set in stone. Even stone.
And you may hear me say I miss the 'good old days', but, what I am really saying is, I miss being young. Because I grew up and lived during a portion of those 'good old days' and I can tell you: they weren't always that damn good. Just different. And not something I'd rush to go back to. Thanks for reading if you made it this far, and if you did: could you tell me just what in the Hell I meant? I'm dying to know.
I haven't changed much since I was here last ( let's see, that seems to have been 2015 ). I still love ABBA, and The Ventures, and lots of different music. My guilty secret musical like is Lady Gaga, once I discovered there was a fantastic voice behind all the hoopla and glitz. For playing, in the few minutes I can anymore, I still prefer Fender instruments and equipment. I have played others, among them Rickenbacker and Gibson, but always come back to Fender. It's a preference, and a psychological thing: I just think I sound better using Fender. I don't, but, since I only play for myself now, I don't care.
If you've seen me, you can tell I seldom pass up a meal, but, I do have my favorites. Pasta, specifically spaghetti with tomato sauce -- meat optional, not necessary -- heads that list. I like my meat and potatoes, and most vegetables. I like my steaks rare, my burgers medium rare, and my vegetables steamed. I like my taters prepared almost any way but McDonald's french fry way. Pizza is not high on my list; I'll eat it, but, unless it's pineapple, bacon, green peppers, maters, and onions -- I won't enjoy it. Just a fact: it's the way I am.
Oh. And salt---goes with almost anything.
I know a lot of facts, most of them unrelated to each other, and I have a lot of opinions. Like most Americans, I try never to let a good fact interfere with a good opinion, but I seem to have found it increasingly difficult to do that. I figure it's my age. I saw a article recently that proclaimed there is no such thing as suffering from old age anymore. I am the fact that proves that theory incorrect. I was born in 1949. That makes me....older than I thought I'd be when I was a lot younger than I am now. It also has enabled me to do a lot, see a lot, observe a lot, and learn a lot. Some of what I learned sunk in. Some--never will. Mostly, that is due to a lack of interest on my part. I used to think that made me a individual. It doesn't. It lumps me in with most humans, actually. If we cannot develop a interest in something, we won't learn it's relevance to our lives. Or, non-relevance, as the case may be.
I have a increasing interest in our Nation's politics. Not because I like it, but because of the effect it has upon me and my life, my family, my neighbors, friends, my own likes and dislikes. Like it or not, I am a part of a society. I have to conduct my life within the guidelines of that society, and by ignoring how that is done, I was sentencing myself to letting people whom I don't agree with make the laws I have to live by. Whoa, Nellie; let's rein that team of horses in and start to get involved! I'm never going to serve in any civil service office; one must be able to speak publicly, something I have never been very good at. I like my swear words and puns too much. I could never run under the aegis of any party platform; if I disagree with something, I say so, and if I agree, I say so. I'd spend most of my campaigning likely getting my opponent elected, if I liked their plans better than mine. However--I find I can no longer simply ignore politics and trust that all will be well.
If nothing else, the election of the 45th U.S. President and the continuing shitstorm of that disaster shows why ignoring won't work. I no longer trust the basic intelligence of the voter; we have become quite the stupid society.
On a side note: I still hate politics.
I have always loved Halloween. It is my favorite holiday. Despite the fact it falls at a time of year I detest ( the reasons for that, of course, have nothing to do with what the day has become, but, that is another tale ). In recent years, my joy in that day has decreased considerably. There are many reasons for that, among them are the increased commercialism, the removal of decent horror in film and literature, and my own failure to find something within it to truly excite the fear I so fondly recall feeling as a child. That feeling of trepidation, of discovery, of something that will go 'BOO' around every dark corner. It has been years since I felt anything even close to that, and the reason it was so enjoyable was simple; it wasn't real. I'll mention, for me, it has nothing to do with gore and blood, something seemingly so prevalent in modern 'horror' films. It has to do with suspense, with the effect the situation produces in your mind, your imagination. Honestly, right now, every day life in America gives me plenty to fear, without using my imagination. Halloween, and anything it offers, pales in comparison to having a psychopathic mental deficient in a position to just launch nuclear strikes in a tantrum fit, with no one able to stop him.
Something I also still love: laughter. I tend to find humor in many different places, and will go out of my way to make myself laugh ( sometimes to the dismay and even detriment of friends ). I derive pleasure from enabling others to laugh. However, again, here, I have definite boundaries. I like suggestive humor, but, that doesn't mean I enjoy hearing expletives being overused as a tool for getting laughter. I have a personal feeling that the age of great comedic artists and actors has passed; those I consider truly great could make me laugh at anything, even things I found uncomfortable or were based in philosophies I did not agree with. Sarcasm is one of the greatest of comedic tools, but carries with it a great danger; the danger of arousing anger and hatred rather than laughter. It should never be used by the faint of heart, for it has many sharp edges that can cut the user as well as the target. My favorite humor is the self deprecating kind; we must be able to laugh at ourselves to truly be able to enjoy laughter at all. My opinion, of course, since that is what works best for me.
Thanks to the wonders of film and recording, I can still enjoy many of those I consider to be the best. The Marx Bros. W.C. Fields. Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. Abbott & Costello. Burns & Allen. Buddy Hackett. Joan Rivers. Robin Williams. Rita Rudner. Johnny Carson. The Smothers Brothers. Bill Cosby. Rowan and Martin. Steven Wright. And the best of them all--George Carlin. Many others, whom I enjoyed greatly and who had profound influence upon my life and how it developed. Jewels I enjoyed in film and television: The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Barney Miller. Night Court. Mork and Mindy. Cheers. Men Behaving Badly. Are You Being Served? Mrs. Brown's Boys. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. QI, hosted by Stephen Fry ( have not seen most recent, hosted now by Sandy Toksvig, but I am betting it is just as good ). All of these have provided me with hour after hour of laughter, and will continue to do so.
Winding up. That is me. It is, in a capsule, who and what I am. I don't care a whit if anyone agrees with me or not, likes me or not, or changes their own minds about anything over anything I say. I enjoy helping out, and usually will if I can, and if I am asked. But always be careful when asking me how I am, or what I think of something, because I will let you know. I will also let you know if anything you say has provided me with information that might change my own mind. I don't like change, but I know change is inevitable. Somehow, I have always adapted; well, usually. I don't believe anything is set in stone. Even stone.
And you may hear me say I miss the 'good old days', but, what I am really saying is, I miss being young. Because I grew up and lived during a portion of those 'good old days' and I can tell you: they weren't always that damn good. Just different. And not something I'd rush to go back to. Thanks for reading if you made it this far, and if you did: could you tell me just what in the Hell I meant? I'm dying to know.
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