Weblog 94

November 25, 2007~ 7:15pm
Ah......it's over. The traditional, true American holiday when the innocent, hapless native Americans shared their stores with the earliest arrivals on this continent, and for that kindness, were rewarded with genocide, smallpox, and eventual humiliaton in the form of carved effigies placed in the front of tobacco joints. And like most families getting together at this time of year to share their noise-- mine is no exception: there were good points...there were bad points, but yes...gather, we did.



I for one, am glad to see the last tailfeathers of that iconic bird, fading into the brush. Let's face it- the turkey is one ugly animal- with leftover skin hanging obscenely over its beak and shaking, for all the world, like a misplaced set of fowl testicles. They are aggressive, pea-brained things and I suppose it is only right we should slaughter and eat them-- I mean, what else are they good for?



So, HAPPY BELATED THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE! Now the TRUE American tradition of pilgrimages to the mall, surliness and greed can begin to build in all bosoms, as we await the commemoration of the coming of the savior. Aren't we just the most family-oriented, religious barrel of inbred monkeys imaginable? LOL!!!

I tried to get into Blogger to post in the wee hours of the morning- and long into this afternoon- but my image host was down. (Just between you and me- if I lose this one I'm calling it quits with putting anything up on the net. I'm just plain worn-out with fussing around with free sites- and I'll be damned if I pay one filthy sou into a paid account, because they go down just the same.)

In another life, I will have my own online network with my own servers and no assh*les allowed. No pornography, no pretension, NO SELLING A DAMN THING- just trying to reach the most honest, albeit higher parts of human nature that are out there buried amidst the junk. We can dream.....oh yes we can.

And the sky's the limit...




November 27, 2007~ 10:00pm



My world (and believe me) you are welcome to it. Just this first bump of holiday extra fuss and visiting has me down with either a cold or a full-blown sinus infection: the voice is scratchy and going fast. I expect to be whispering by tomorrow- at my loudest. Babysat my two grandchildren this evening directly after work. Little Bill was hacking just like me- (and come to think of it, he was on Thanksgiving and the days leading up to it when his Uncle Matt was staying there with his brood, and I visited daily.) Matt's boys- the other 3 grandsons, seemed fine, but who knows what plagues we carry. Come to think of it, two co-workers were doing the same thing today, so I can't actually pinpoint where the virus entered-- but it's definitely here despite the extra vitamin C, zinc and ©Zicam. (Just more collateral damage of the damned holiday season. LOL!)

So 'BYOK' (BRING YOUR OWN KLEENEX) and don't be shy, stop in. Hack your head off-- I'm already infected. We can sign to eachother when the vocal chords become irritated enough to stop working and vibrating altogether, or we can play Hangman or Tic Tac Toe....carols are definitely out. Oh "IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE!" she said- running like an ass through the snow, screeching and squeaking like Jimmy Stewart in his weird, pre-adolescent, voice-changing range.....find me a bridge. Point me to it. Just don't ring any damn bells.

With these clogged ears, I probably wouldn't hear it anyway.




November 29, 2007~ 8:45pm
There is something vaguely tacky about a white man trying to be black. I listened to Rosco Mann yesterday- (one of his many, many aliases in the course of his musical career) being interviewed on NPR along with his lead singer and center stone in the crown of his band, the Dap Kings. To say he gushed about just how soulful was his lead singer, would be putting it mildly. Worship would be more like it if worship had callused knees and its eyes rolled back in its head.

This called to mind the tackiness of Vanilla Ice trying to rap, looking ridiculous at it- back in the late 80's. I think Mr. Mann was casting about for an identity and happened upon Sharon Jones and thought, "THAT'S IT! I'LL BE BLACK!"

Sharon was OK during the interview. She was unpretentious, unschooled, peppering her answers with lots of "I ax him" and "I juss give it whud I got" and obviously supremely happy with the attentions of the band's founder, but the trouble with my perception of her started with her being questioned about her touted stint as a guard at Riker's Island.

I'll be the first to say that's a pretty impressive bit of bio if you're presenting yourself as one tuff mama, but she went on to add that she was involved in a car accident shortly after she started to work there. Months of paid 'medical leave'- whose end she fought bitterly- and upon being forced to come back to work or be fired, she did return-- wearing a back brace and a neck brace (LOL!!!)-- and promptly fell on the job the first day, which qualified her for months and months of 'comp time'- as she put it. So out of two years employment on the state of New York's tab, Miss Jones worked six. (She said she was advised by her lawyer to just quit. Oh yes....yes there are always lawyers in these cases and she must have made full use of hers.) Six months for two years pay. In the words of her hero James Brown......."GOOD GOD!"

What I do everyday is prepare claims for orthopedic braces. I see a lot of 'comp' claims and auto claims- and I also know that those patients are some of the craftiest, surliest 'workers of the system' out there. Hearing that bit of her personal history gave me a whole new perspective on this funk-and-soul singer.



I'd say it's fortunate that the public took to Ms. Jones and her promoter as they have. I'd say she'd have a pretty hard time keeping a day job. Both of them-- Jones, and her pasty soulblocked promoter wearing the Blues Brothers glasses, are very lucky to have found a niche that allows them to play-act and get paid for it. Lord knows, they may be talented-(though I heard nothing special in the sound bytes presented, and I LOVE Aretha and other soul singers)- but oh Lordy, I do hate scam and flimflam. And if that picture shows someone with a history of back and neck problems.... I'll eat your Stratocaster!





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