Some idiot put Chromosome 11 in the "pornography" category of StumbleUpon. Why would anyone do that? The only offensive thing I can see on the main page is the "Shit I Wrote" blog description. I'd hardly call that "pornography". Hell, in this day and age the word "shit" is barely offensive. No doubt the classification will drive traffic to the blog, I'm not looking to piss off a bunch of horny bastards looking for something that just ain't there. I don't know how (or if) it will affect my general StumbleUpon topic status. Oh, well. I don't know why I bother to worry about it. It's not as if it's overrun with traffic anyway.
8.31.2009
8.30.2009
8.29.2009
Feeling pretty cruddy today. My left ankle hurts and I don't even know why. My vision is all screwy like it sometimes gets. I don't what causes that, either, but I've given up on optometrists and ophthalmologists. I'm thinking the problem may well stem from the daily Ambien I take, but as awful as things may get, I will NOT be giving that up. Oh, no, buddy.
And to top it all off I've been really beat up by a spell of depression that's kicked in over the last few days. Or perhaps I should say it's kicked up a few notches from it's usual level. Having a hard time enjoying the things I know I love. Feeling a little paranoia and wanting to engage in as little social activity as possible. Tired. I snapped a potential Facebook profile photo a couple of days ago and was just blown away by how run down and haggard I looked. Like I hadn't slept in a week. Lot of muscle tension in my eyebrows and lower forehead. Some really bad headaches in the mornings at least every 3 or 4 days. Dry mouth while I'm sleeping...at least I may know the reason for that: a side effect of the lithium I'm on (and probably of the other two as well). My wrist is a bit sore from mowing the lawn yesterday, as well.
I know, I know...I sound like a hypocondriac. Trust me, it's all there and it's all real. And I didn't come here to complain, though I guess that's what it sounds like I'm doing. Only wanted to get a post in while I was in the mood.
And to top it all off I've been really beat up by a spell of depression that's kicked in over the last few days. Or perhaps I should say it's kicked up a few notches from it's usual level. Having a hard time enjoying the things I know I love. Feeling a little paranoia and wanting to engage in as little social activity as possible. Tired. I snapped a potential Facebook profile photo a couple of days ago and was just blown away by how run down and haggard I looked. Like I hadn't slept in a week. Lot of muscle tension in my eyebrows and lower forehead. Some really bad headaches in the mornings at least every 3 or 4 days. Dry mouth while I'm sleeping...at least I may know the reason for that: a side effect of the lithium I'm on (and probably of the other two as well). My wrist is a bit sore from mowing the lawn yesterday, as well.
I know, I know...I sound like a hypocondriac. Trust me, it's all there and it's all real. And I didn't come here to complain, though I guess that's what it sounds like I'm doing. Only wanted to get a post in while I was in the mood.
8.26.2009
8.25.2009
Snatches of Pink
This is an autographed 8x10 glossy promotional photo of Snatches of Pink (click on image to enlarge). SOP were (are?) a criminally overlooked three piece band that rose from the ashes of the Athens/Chapel Hill scene that sort of dried up when REM left. Their drummer, Sara Romweber, was originally a member of Let's Active, a side project of producer Mitch Easter's. SOP was a real change-up from that group, with it's cowboy punk leanings. Their first album, "Send in the Clowns" was a shotgun blast from start to finish, with the notable exception of the whiskey drunk ballad "Time Done Gone", which sounded like a Stones song recorded in the wee early hours of the morning when Keith and Mick were wasted to the point of barely keeping their eyes open. Snatches second album, "Dead Men", was in many ways even better than the debut. "Look Away" confirms vocalist Michael Rank's uncanny knack of channeling Keef. Lousy promotion and weak record sales are partly to blame for why I haven't heard anything more from the band, even though they did release two or three other records since "Dead Men". I don't think Sara hung around for too long after that one, and, since she was one of the main reasons I liked the band, I didn't bother with them. I've heard samples since then of the post-Romweber records and to be honest I wasn't all that impressed. You take away one member of ANY BAND and the dynamic is lost. Sara currently plays shows with her brother Dexter, who got his start with another lost Chapel Hill act,Flat Duo Jets. I don't know what ever happened to the other guys, but I hope they are successful, because they were awesome talents in their own right.
8.24.2009
"Lord of the Flies"
Another moldy oldie.
"Lord of the Flies"
(Inspired by a huge fly that was bothering me in the cellar when I first wrote the song)
Lord of the flies
Lord of the night
Lord of darkness
Lord of light
Lord of light
Lord I believe you
Are the Lord of the flies
But I have not received you
I have not offered up my life
To the Lord of the flies
How still the ground beneath you holds
The secrets of the age
But will they still believe in you
When you lay them in their graves?
You hold the darkness like a mirror to your face
To show the Way
Lord of the flies
Are you coming tonight?
Lord of darkness
Will you leave me behind?
Leave me behind
Will you leave me behind
You're the Lord of the flies
"Lord of the Flies"
(Inspired by a huge fly that was bothering me in the cellar when I first wrote the song)
Lord of the flies
Lord of the night
Lord of darkness
Lord of light
Lord of light
Lord I believe you
Are the Lord of the flies
But I have not received you
I have not offered up my life
To the Lord of the flies
How still the ground beneath you holds
The secrets of the age
But will they still believe in you
When you lay them in their graves?
You hold the darkness like a mirror to your face
To show the Way
Lord of the flies
Are you coming tonight?
Lord of darkness
Will you leave me behind?
Leave me behind
Will you leave me behind
You're the Lord of the flies
"Runaway"
I just spent the last 3 hours working on a new song. It's called "Runaway"... I call it "new"...actually the words have been around since 1997 and the music is just something I've had laying around for a few years that I never got around to writing lyrics for. They merge together nicely, words making up for any deficiancy in guitar playing and vice versa. Yes, that's right. This is not one of my typically absurdist Bambo Syndicate projects. Just yours truly playing a very rudimentary guitar mixed in with a slew of vocal tracks. I've done some preliminary mixing and it's shaping up to really sound good, if I may say so myself.
Though I'm not sure how well the lyrics will hold up without the music, I am nevertheless still going to post them here. On "Chromosome 11", too.
"Runaway"
Throughout my life
A few things I have found
There are some who'll lift you up
There are some who'll drag you down
There are some who'll make you wonder
What you're still doing in this town
And they're never satisfied
Until they see you in the ground
And they're never satisfied with anything they see in the mirror
And they always wonder why they have to sleep alone
And they're never pacified, no matter what you give 'em
Just like runaways that are never going home
It's easy to sleep and hide
Hide under sheets all night
In Dreams you forget
What you've been shown in the Light
Crosses burning to the left
Hanging tree to the right
They're selling their souls
To the darkness
To the darkness of the white
And they're never satisfied with anything they see in the mirror
And they always wonder why they have to sleep alone
And they're never pacified, no matter what you give 'em
Just like runaways that are never going home
Though I'm not sure how well the lyrics will hold up without the music, I am nevertheless still going to post them here. On "Chromosome 11", too.
"Runaway"
Throughout my life
A few things I have found
There are some who'll lift you up
There are some who'll drag you down
There are some who'll make you wonder
What you're still doing in this town
And they're never satisfied
Until they see you in the ground
And they're never satisfied with anything they see in the mirror
And they always wonder why they have to sleep alone
And they're never pacified, no matter what you give 'em
Just like runaways that are never going home
It's easy to sleep and hide
Hide under sheets all night
In Dreams you forget
What you've been shown in the Light
Crosses burning to the left
Hanging tree to the right
They're selling their souls
To the darkness
To the darkness of the white
And they're never satisfied with anything they see in the mirror
And they always wonder why they have to sleep alone
And they're never pacified, no matter what you give 'em
Just like runaways that are never going home
What's going on around me? Not a whole lot. Here's what I see...
Directly in front of me, of course, is my laptop computer, a Sony Vaio that was pre-loaded with the Vista operating system. People from all over complain about Vista. They must be needing something from their computer that I don't need, because I like it just fine. A lot more so than Windows XP. My Vaio is a decent model...not their highest end product, but surely no bargain basement bare bones computer, either. It's done me well in the year since I first bought it...unless you count the DVD capabilities. It stopped reading DVD discs a few months ago. I don't know what's up...friends say maybe need a new driver, but I'm clueless as to which particular one I should install. And it won't read the Acid Music program disc...thankfully I don't need it to use the studio, but the loops on there were good and I certainly had not exhausted that library. I'm up a creek if something happens to the program that's on my hard drive. If I don't have the problem taken care of by then, I guarantee you it will go straight to the shop if my Acid program bites the dust.
In the near distance over the top of this computer screen I can see out television, which is a 40-something inch screen LCD HD model that I bought at the same time I purchased this computer. Other than cars it represents the biggest chunk of money I've ever spent on a single item...I think I paid about $1300 for it, tax included. Took a little time to get used to the larger screen. When I first hooked it up I was disappointed that the HD channels weren't as crystal clear as what you see in the stores. I've since come to realize that store models are calibrated extremely proficiently to look as good as they do...I could probably achieve the same effect but it require hours of work and study on my part and/or a significant investment paid to a "professional" who would come in and twiddle it's knobs. Things ain't like they were in the old days, playas. So I just got used to the look, which, it must be noted, is definitely better than regular television sets (a dying breed, to be sure). It's got a feature called "Intelligent Sensor" that's supposed to automatically adjust the set when there are changes in the room lighting. I guess it works okay. I can barely tell the difference.
Beneath that, on a nice marbled glass stand, is my Samsung home theater system. This component has given me much grief. Though it sounds pretty good playing a DTS 5.1 DVD, I KNOW it could sound better, and as for playing CDs through it...no way. All those Dolby HQ effects and shit they've added for CD and iPod playback are just wasted as far as I'm concerned...although I must confess that I don't have an iPod and I haven't tried using my mp3 player with it...could well make all the difference in the world...but I kind of doubt it. About a month ago it stopped reading discs so I had to box it up and send it back to the manufacturer for repairs...I was very lucky because the warranty expired just a day or two after they recieved the product. Now it's working just about as good as it ever has. My wife likes the home theater well enough, but she hates how I've just let the front and rear speaker wires hang down the walls on their respective corners. I told her I'd do something to hide them, maybe get some of that goopy "tacky" stuff and affix them to the walls. That was probably my only real plan, but alas, it was made a year ago and I still have not bothered with it. I guess the wires don't bother me all that much and the wife has given up on my remedying the situation.
Also on the stand, beneath the bottom left corner of the tv, is a DVD box set collection of "Gilligan's Island"'s 3rd season. I have all three of 'em. I used to watch that show all the time...every day when I came home from school I would turn on the tv, watch "Gilligan" and fix up a couple of "bread sandwiches" (nothing but bread and that ain't no lie). The DVDs are pretty cool, but I must confess that the "dumbness" quotient is much higher than I remember it being.
On the bottom shelf of the tv stand (which, incidentally, only has three levels) is a small photo frame that holds four pictures. Three of them are of my son, taken when he was probably 6 years old. In the fourth window is a piece of light brown paper with the initials B.J.C. embossed across the front. This frame belonged to my aunt Imogene and was given to us after she died (not all that long ago, actually). She had no children of her own and always loved my boy. In fact, when she passed away she left him a really nice, big chunk of money for his college education.
On top pof the coffee table in front of me...3 remote controls, a candle stand, a plastic sandwich bag, a small pipe, a purple Bic lighter, a 34 ounce cup from Jack Griffith's convenience store (just under half full of Dr. Pepper and slowly melting ice), a copy of "The Beatles Anthology" (the perfect coffee table book, IMO) and finally the most recent issue of Rolling Stone magazine. The Beatles are on the cover of that one, too, with a story called "Why the Beatles Broke Up". I haven't read it yet, though I'm sure I will in the coming days. I've already read a couple of the other stories in this one, and they were both great. They reminded me of why I subscribe to the magazine even when they offend me so often by putting talentless pop music phenomenoms on the cover so often. Not much to complain about this time.
On the wall to my right hangs a photo of my dad, who passed away 10 years ago. It's a very good picture of him, all decked out in a black suit jacket and cowboy hat. He did like to wear a cowboy hat, that's for sure. He's got that good natured smile on his face that won him a lot of friends at the coffee shop. This is one of the only portraits we have hanging on our walls, but it seemed fitting to include this one, since so much of what made this house so special was a result of his work.
Alright...that's enough of this for now. I'm gonna fiddle around with the Acid and try to make some simple demos of three or four new songs I'm working on...not Bambo Syndicates songs, but more traditional singer/songwriter fare.
Directly in front of me, of course, is my laptop computer, a Sony Vaio that was pre-loaded with the Vista operating system. People from all over complain about Vista. They must be needing something from their computer that I don't need, because I like it just fine. A lot more so than Windows XP. My Vaio is a decent model...not their highest end product, but surely no bargain basement bare bones computer, either. It's done me well in the year since I first bought it...unless you count the DVD capabilities. It stopped reading DVD discs a few months ago. I don't know what's up...friends say maybe need a new driver, but I'm clueless as to which particular one I should install. And it won't read the Acid Music program disc...thankfully I don't need it to use the studio, but the loops on there were good and I certainly had not exhausted that library. I'm up a creek if something happens to the program that's on my hard drive. If I don't have the problem taken care of by then, I guarantee you it will go straight to the shop if my Acid program bites the dust.
In the near distance over the top of this computer screen I can see out television, which is a 40-something inch screen LCD HD model that I bought at the same time I purchased this computer. Other than cars it represents the biggest chunk of money I've ever spent on a single item...I think I paid about $1300 for it, tax included. Took a little time to get used to the larger screen. When I first hooked it up I was disappointed that the HD channels weren't as crystal clear as what you see in the stores. I've since come to realize that store models are calibrated extremely proficiently to look as good as they do...I could probably achieve the same effect but it require hours of work and study on my part and/or a significant investment paid to a "professional" who would come in and twiddle it's knobs. Things ain't like they were in the old days, playas. So I just got used to the look, which, it must be noted, is definitely better than regular television sets (a dying breed, to be sure). It's got a feature called "Intelligent Sensor" that's supposed to automatically adjust the set when there are changes in the room lighting. I guess it works okay. I can barely tell the difference.
Beneath that, on a nice marbled glass stand, is my Samsung home theater system. This component has given me much grief. Though it sounds pretty good playing a DTS 5.1 DVD, I KNOW it could sound better, and as for playing CDs through it...no way. All those Dolby HQ effects and shit they've added for CD and iPod playback are just wasted as far as I'm concerned...although I must confess that I don't have an iPod and I haven't tried using my mp3 player with it...could well make all the difference in the world...but I kind of doubt it. About a month ago it stopped reading discs so I had to box it up and send it back to the manufacturer for repairs...I was very lucky because the warranty expired just a day or two after they recieved the product. Now it's working just about as good as it ever has. My wife likes the home theater well enough, but she hates how I've just let the front and rear speaker wires hang down the walls on their respective corners. I told her I'd do something to hide them, maybe get some of that goopy "tacky" stuff and affix them to the walls. That was probably my only real plan, but alas, it was made a year ago and I still have not bothered with it. I guess the wires don't bother me all that much and the wife has given up on my remedying the situation.
Also on the stand, beneath the bottom left corner of the tv, is a DVD box set collection of "Gilligan's Island"'s 3rd season. I have all three of 'em. I used to watch that show all the time...every day when I came home from school I would turn on the tv, watch "Gilligan" and fix up a couple of "bread sandwiches" (nothing but bread and that ain't no lie). The DVDs are pretty cool, but I must confess that the "dumbness" quotient is much higher than I remember it being.
On the bottom shelf of the tv stand (which, incidentally, only has three levels) is a small photo frame that holds four pictures. Three of them are of my son, taken when he was probably 6 years old. In the fourth window is a piece of light brown paper with the initials B.J.C. embossed across the front. This frame belonged to my aunt Imogene and was given to us after she died (not all that long ago, actually). She had no children of her own and always loved my boy. In fact, when she passed away she left him a really nice, big chunk of money for his college education.
On top pof the coffee table in front of me...3 remote controls, a candle stand, a plastic sandwich bag, a small pipe, a purple Bic lighter, a 34 ounce cup from Jack Griffith's convenience store (just under half full of Dr. Pepper and slowly melting ice), a copy of "The Beatles Anthology" (the perfect coffee table book, IMO) and finally the most recent issue of Rolling Stone magazine. The Beatles are on the cover of that one, too, with a story called "Why the Beatles Broke Up". I haven't read it yet, though I'm sure I will in the coming days. I've already read a couple of the other stories in this one, and they were both great. They reminded me of why I subscribe to the magazine even when they offend me so often by putting talentless pop music phenomenoms on the cover so often. Not much to complain about this time.
On the wall to my right hangs a photo of my dad, who passed away 10 years ago. It's a very good picture of him, all decked out in a black suit jacket and cowboy hat. He did like to wear a cowboy hat, that's for sure. He's got that good natured smile on his face that won him a lot of friends at the coffee shop. This is one of the only portraits we have hanging on our walls, but it seemed fitting to include this one, since so much of what made this house so special was a result of his work.
Alright...that's enough of this for now. I'm gonna fiddle around with the Acid and try to make some simple demos of three or four new songs I'm working on...not Bambo Syndicates songs, but more traditional singer/songwriter fare.
8.23.2009
8.22.2009
"Stooge's Logic"
You never knew your stooges, did you?
Never paid your dues
Never brayed your lone wolf howl
Never even knew which moon to send it to
Sharp of razor not felt
As it cuts meat
Drawing no blood
You should have got to know them
Stooges have a lot to teach
When they wield the blade
To cut meat
The flesh is severed
And the lesson learned
You really should have listened to them
For now the time has come
When the blood becomes vital
The razor selfish, thirsty enough on it's own
All those little pithy ideas that run amok in your brainstormed heart
They do you no good
They cut no meat
The twinkling stars and light bulbs bursting in your imagination
As a new idea is born only to be cast into the furnace
Given up on, no chance
A dud
Third trimester abortion
Tapped it's head just as it poked it's way through the door
No need for another one
Defective products
It only wears you down
Sucking on the memory of the last one
That proved to be worth a shit
Born 25 years ago, already on it's death bed
But your's
Straight from your soul
Arranged on a plate with a charming garnish of parsley
Soul food from the ghetto
Where hungry mouths don't get fed
You'd think they would devour your gift
As their hunger burns
But rather to learn how to steal
But rather to learn how to fight
Than a single disgusting taste
Of anything you have to offer
From a mind
Soft and cushioned
Spoiled and molding
Too weak to ever understand what it means
To survive
Barely able to get by, this is what it's worth
All it's worth, and no more
Something you might have known
Had you learned something from stooges
How to cut meat
Never paid your dues
Never brayed your lone wolf howl
Never even knew which moon to send it to
Sharp of razor not felt
As it cuts meat
Drawing no blood
You should have got to know them
Stooges have a lot to teach
When they wield the blade
To cut meat
The flesh is severed
And the lesson learned
You really should have listened to them
For now the time has come
When the blood becomes vital
The razor selfish, thirsty enough on it's own
All those little pithy ideas that run amok in your brainstormed heart
They do you no good
They cut no meat
The twinkling stars and light bulbs bursting in your imagination
As a new idea is born only to be cast into the furnace
Given up on, no chance
A dud
Third trimester abortion
Tapped it's head just as it poked it's way through the door
No need for another one
Defective products
It only wears you down
Sucking on the memory of the last one
That proved to be worth a shit
Born 25 years ago, already on it's death bed
But your's
Straight from your soul
Arranged on a plate with a charming garnish of parsley
Soul food from the ghetto
Where hungry mouths don't get fed
You'd think they would devour your gift
As their hunger burns
But rather to learn how to steal
But rather to learn how to fight
Than a single disgusting taste
Of anything you have to offer
From a mind
Soft and cushioned
Spoiled and molding
Too weak to ever understand what it means
To survive
Barely able to get by, this is what it's worth
All it's worth, and no more
Something you might have known
Had you learned something from stooges
How to cut meat
8.21.2009
Okay, it's been some time since I put up a REAL post here. I've been too busy playing Farkle and UNO on facebook...okay, that's not all, but I definitely do waste far too much time doing those things. I've been a "Pro Member" in the Farkle game for a couple of weeks and that means I can play against other people instead of trying to get the most points in 10 rounds. The competition has always been what makes the game fun for me, and it's cool that I'm playing against people from all over the world. Same with the UNO game. Chat boxes in both games so you can find out where your opponents are from and do the typical emoticon-laced chatty chat with them.
Still downloading a shit load of music from all the music blogs I've found in the last several months. Some real treasures. Slade's "Slayed?" album...the Monkees' "Music Box" 4 disc set, some comedy albums that I used to have, like Cheech & Chong's "Big Bambu" and "Wedding Album"...I've downloaded so many complete operas it isn't even funny.
You say, "Jimbo, isn't it illegal to download this music? Isn't it morally unacceptable? Aren't you guilty of depriving artists their livelihood?" To which I say, "It isn't so black and white as all that." Here's what I mean.
I'm 47 years old...I get a Social Security Disability check once a month, out of which I spend 95% on rent and the utilities bill. Sure my wife makes enough money that we can live moderately comfortably, but she doesn't download OR buy music. My point being that even if I WANTED to pay for all the music I listen to (which I do) I couldn't, because I don't have the money and don't have the means to get the money for that purpose. So basically the ONLY way I'm going to be able to hear this music, probably 99% of which I am already familiar with, is to download it, burn it to CD and then delete the files.
So that brings up this point...situation as it is, do you think the musicians/artists would have a problem with me hearing their music? I mean to say would they want their work to be heard by as many people as may appreciate it? Or do you think they only want it to be exposed to people who can afford to pay for it? What are their intentions in putting it out in the first place? As an artist myself I can say that getting the music out there to the people should be the prime motivating factor for any band. Usually when the goal is money you wind up with shit music that the discerning listener won't enjoy or want to listen to in the first place. My situation, as it is...no, I don't think I'm doing anything that's morally unacceptable. Illegal? Oh, well. Marijuana is illegal, but that won't stop me from using it if I really NEED it. Not that I NEED to have all this music...I just wanted to point out that sometimes laws are stupid in certain circumstances.
Furthermore, there is a vast majority of files I download that are records that I once owned (read: already paid for) but, for one reason or another, had to sell. And sold for pennies on the dollar to used record stores who marked them up to get at least a 60% profit. I've paid for that music...or I should say, I've already paid the record companies for the right to "own" that music. All I really sold was the storage medium (vinyl, cassettes, 8-track, etc.). The music is mine and always will be, so I don't feel at all guilty about reclaiming it. Maybe that's a deluded way of looking at things, but it makes sense to me.
There's really no way of policing it, who it's okay for and for whom it should be considered a crime. Make no mistake, I think music SHOULD be paid for, but only by those who can afford to pay for it. That's where it should become a moral issue. On a personal level. Of course the RIAA could care less about individual circumstances, so I can only cross my fingers and hope that I don't end up being one of the poor schmucks they pick out of the pool to make examples of. If you are reading this, RIAA folks, I am sorry. If it's any consolation to you, I've come to the point where I've decided to slow down considerably. I've almost built my collection up to the point where it was before I was forced to sell all my records. At this point I have a hard time even finding the stuff I once had. So let's just let it lie, okay? No one is hurt and I'm sure the bands will be glad that someone's still listening.
Still downloading a shit load of music from all the music blogs I've found in the last several months. Some real treasures. Slade's "Slayed?" album...the Monkees' "Music Box" 4 disc set, some comedy albums that I used to have, like Cheech & Chong's "Big Bambu" and "Wedding Album"...I've downloaded so many complete operas it isn't even funny.
You say, "Jimbo, isn't it illegal to download this music? Isn't it morally unacceptable? Aren't you guilty of depriving artists their livelihood?" To which I say, "It isn't so black and white as all that." Here's what I mean.
I'm 47 years old...I get a Social Security Disability check once a month, out of which I spend 95% on rent and the utilities bill. Sure my wife makes enough money that we can live moderately comfortably, but she doesn't download OR buy music. My point being that even if I WANTED to pay for all the music I listen to (which I do) I couldn't, because I don't have the money and don't have the means to get the money for that purpose. So basically the ONLY way I'm going to be able to hear this music, probably 99% of which I am already familiar with, is to download it, burn it to CD and then delete the files.
So that brings up this point...situation as it is, do you think the musicians/artists would have a problem with me hearing their music? I mean to say would they want their work to be heard by as many people as may appreciate it? Or do you think they only want it to be exposed to people who can afford to pay for it? What are their intentions in putting it out in the first place? As an artist myself I can say that getting the music out there to the people should be the prime motivating factor for any band. Usually when the goal is money you wind up with shit music that the discerning listener won't enjoy or want to listen to in the first place. My situation, as it is...no, I don't think I'm doing anything that's morally unacceptable. Illegal? Oh, well. Marijuana is illegal, but that won't stop me from using it if I really NEED it. Not that I NEED to have all this music...I just wanted to point out that sometimes laws are stupid in certain circumstances.
Furthermore, there is a vast majority of files I download that are records that I once owned (read: already paid for) but, for one reason or another, had to sell. And sold for pennies on the dollar to used record stores who marked them up to get at least a 60% profit. I've paid for that music...or I should say, I've already paid the record companies for the right to "own" that music. All I really sold was the storage medium (vinyl, cassettes, 8-track, etc.). The music is mine and always will be, so I don't feel at all guilty about reclaiming it. Maybe that's a deluded way of looking at things, but it makes sense to me.
There's really no way of policing it, who it's okay for and for whom it should be considered a crime. Make no mistake, I think music SHOULD be paid for, but only by those who can afford to pay for it. That's where it should become a moral issue. On a personal level. Of course the RIAA could care less about individual circumstances, so I can only cross my fingers and hope that I don't end up being one of the poor schmucks they pick out of the pool to make examples of. If you are reading this, RIAA folks, I am sorry. If it's any consolation to you, I've come to the point where I've decided to slow down considerably. I've almost built my collection up to the point where it was before I was forced to sell all my records. At this point I have a hard time even finding the stuff I once had. So let's just let it lie, okay? No one is hurt and I'm sure the bands will be glad that someone's still listening.
A new look...
You might notice a few changes around here. I finally broke down and decided to use the New Blogger layouts & gadgets on this blog. I was kind of tired of the design on the Chromosome 11 blog, which was basically a hacked Final Sense template. I'd thought about moving shop to WordPress and actually got to the point where I'd imported the blog there. It didn't take too very long before I realized I wouldn't like it, so I experimented with the original one at blogger, wanting to see what I could do with the new layouts, which I haven't messed with much in the past. I was under the impression that you could do a lot more with a classic template blog if you knew even just a little HTML (which is about all I know...a little bit). No doubt you can, but after seeing a lot of music blogs that were employing the new layouts I was impressed with how "clean" they looked. Stream-lined, I guess would be a good term. Not cluttered, like mine was. That was the main reason I switched, plus I liked how I could change background/text colors and sizes so easily. It would be nice if they had a few more fonts to choose from, but that's no big deal. And the blogroll feature is AWESOME!
So I hope you like it...and I hope I don't get tired of it soon, wanting to re-design again...I mean, I put a LOT of work into the last design, what with all the links to the bands/artists in the "music I like" list. I've got a few things left to do here before I will perfectly satisfied (mainly a couple of links lists). But it's coming along nicely.
So I hope you like it...and I hope I don't get tired of it soon, wanting to re-design again...I mean, I put a LOT of work into the last design, what with all the links to the bands/artists in the "music I like" list. I've got a few things left to do here before I will perfectly satisfied (mainly a couple of links lists). But it's coming along nicely.
8.19.2009
8.18.2009
False alarm
Okay, never mind. Anyone who saw yesterday's blog about changing your "Chromosome 11" bookmarks to the new Word Press address, don't bother. Word Press sucks so hard it's not even funny. So I will continue to maintain the blog at http://bipolarconfessional.blogspot.com . If it's any consolation I've done a complete overhaul of the design and I think it looks a lot better. Furthermore, as I think I eluded to yesterday, I'm hoping to post a lot more material there. Perhaps the new look will be an inspiration.
So what are you waiting for? Dig in to the shit.
So what are you waiting for? Dig in to the shit.
8.17.2009
Chromosome 11 has moved
I've moved my song/poetry/prose blog, "Chromosome 11" over to WordPress, so if by some miniscule chance you have it bookmarked you might want to update that now.
Nothing against Blogger...I just wanted to try out WordPress and see how it compares. Time will tell. I think I'm going to try and do some more creative writing, which I will post here, as I have done in the past. Chromosome 11 has always been an archive for that kind of fare, so it makes sense to open up shop in a new location.
So if you get a hankerin' for that kind of shit, swing on by and visit...
Nothing against Blogger...I just wanted to try out WordPress and see how it compares. Time will tell. I think I'm going to try and do some more creative writing, which I will post here, as I have done in the past. Chromosome 11 has always been an archive for that kind of fare, so it makes sense to open up shop in a new location.
So if you get a hankerin' for that kind of shit, swing on by and visit...
8.16.2009
My 14 year old son has a serious aversion to having his picture taken. I'm sure he has his reasons, but I don't understand them, because he is a very handsome young man. I think he'll regret it when he's older. I wish I'd had a lot more photos taken when I was his age. I don't think I was averse to being photographed, we just didn't have the money to buy that expensive Polaroid film our camera used.
No matter...here are a few that I was able to dredge up from the archives. In all but one or two of them I'm just about the same age as my boy is now. give or take a year.
This is one of my all time favorites. What a defiant gesture! Such a rock star, convinced that I already was one! Check out the American flag on the wall behind me. And the bulletin board...all those little black and white squares are pictures from the movie "The Exorcist" that I'd culled from various movie magazines. Mostly shots of Linda Blair. When I moved into the bigger bedroom I couldn't take the bulletin board with me so I just pinned 'em to the wall. It looked awful, but I loved it. Ditched a few of the "Exorcist" pics but kept adding more and more of Linda. Oh, and I have no recollection of who painted the lovely horse portrait. Don't know how we got it or where, we (my brother and I) thought it was real cool, though. It IS cool! I wish I still had that thing today, I'd frame it and hang it in the living room.
^^^^^^^^^^
At Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City Missouri with my dad, brother and uncle Jim.
^^^^^^^^^
I never wore a cowboy hat. The coat was my mother's. The green, red, white stripe shirt was kind of uncomfortable. The white pants...well, you just don't see those around much anymore, do you? But what a pose, folks. What a pose.
^^^^^^^^^^
My brother and I sitting on the porch. Basically the one thing I like most about my appearance when I was in my early-mid teens was my hair, and to my way of seeing I think it looks pretty damn cool here. Not meaning to be vain in any of this, after all, the times have been long gone history and I sure as hell don't look like that anymore. You can see my mom's "rock garden" in front of the porch, complete with ceramic cactus. She used to walk down old dirt roads collecting rocks she thought were pretty, she'd put 'em all in a bag then bring them home and arrange them in the rock garden. Pretty cool Nowadays the area is cordoned off by old lumber beams and filled with hard soil ugly as sin.
^^^^^^^^^
One of my best friends (at the time), Randy and I jumping from the back of my dad's old Ford pickup truck. I'm sure my brother took the picture and I'm also sure I told him to catch us in mid-air. Which he obviously did. I don't remember what year that truck was from...We had it when I was only a kid, so it couldn't be any older than early 60's. I'm thinking it was quite a bit older than that, even.
^^^^^^^^^^
I was going through a serious "Beatles phase" when this was taken. Notice all the pictures of the Beatles I have tacked to the wall behind me? You can tell they're ripped from some magazine. You can't hardly see the album I have in my lap, but it's "Yesterday and Today". Peace, brother!
^^^^^^^^^^
Here's a testament to the morbid sensibility I exhibited even as a young kid. This was taken while on vacation in Arkansas (I think...it may have been in OKC, in my aunt & uncle's back yard). My brother and I found this dilapidated car. I told him to snap off a picture of me laying on the hood as if I had just been run down. Who knows why I placed the flowers on my chest...
^^^^^^^^^
Now this one's kind of odd. Of course I post it here because I think the hair looks really great :), but check it out...my dad is grilling up some barbeque, but he's wearing a coat. You just don't barbeque in the cold, do you? And there I am, standing outside with a thick shirt on, but no shoes. I won't even mention the hilarious high water pants because they have nothing to do with the enigma of cooking out on a frigid day.
^^^^^^^^^^
Clockwise from top center: yours truly, my grandmother, my cousin Andy, my mom and my dad. You can't really tell from the photograph, but I'm wearing a black fishnet tank top! I loved that shirt! You just don't see people wearing those anymore. Too bad.
^^^^^^^^^^
A follow-up shot from the morbid car crash series. I had this small cut of something on my leg and it had been bleeding...I thought, how cool would it look if I laid down in the front seat of this junker and try to look like I'd just been in an accident (reflecting on it now I am amazed at how truly creepy this all is). Probably had something to do with the song "D.O.A." by Bloodrock that was a favorite at the time.
^^^^^^^^^
Okay, here's the last one, and once again I include it because I think the hair is so kick ass...crazy thing, at the time I HATED my hair. But just LOOK at this afro! Actually I think the effect was enhanced by pressing the back of my head up against the wall. No matter. It's CRAZY!
No matter...here are a few that I was able to dredge up from the archives. In all but one or two of them I'm just about the same age as my boy is now. give or take a year.
This is one of my all time favorites. What a defiant gesture! Such a rock star, convinced that I already was one! Check out the American flag on the wall behind me. And the bulletin board...all those little black and white squares are pictures from the movie "The Exorcist" that I'd culled from various movie magazines. Mostly shots of Linda Blair. When I moved into the bigger bedroom I couldn't take the bulletin board with me so I just pinned 'em to the wall. It looked awful, but I loved it. Ditched a few of the "Exorcist" pics but kept adding more and more of Linda. Oh, and I have no recollection of who painted the lovely horse portrait. Don't know how we got it or where, we (my brother and I) thought it was real cool, though. It IS cool! I wish I still had that thing today, I'd frame it and hang it in the living room.^^^^^^^^^^
At Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City Missouri with my dad, brother and uncle Jim.^^^^^^^^^
I never wore a cowboy hat. The coat was my mother's. The green, red, white stripe shirt was kind of uncomfortable. The white pants...well, you just don't see those around much anymore, do you? But what a pose, folks. What a pose.^^^^^^^^^^
My brother and I sitting on the porch. Basically the one thing I like most about my appearance when I was in my early-mid teens was my hair, and to my way of seeing I think it looks pretty damn cool here. Not meaning to be vain in any of this, after all, the times have been long gone history and I sure as hell don't look like that anymore. You can see my mom's "rock garden" in front of the porch, complete with ceramic cactus. She used to walk down old dirt roads collecting rocks she thought were pretty, she'd put 'em all in a bag then bring them home and arrange them in the rock garden. Pretty cool Nowadays the area is cordoned off by old lumber beams and filled with hard soil ugly as sin.^^^^^^^^^
One of my best friends (at the time), Randy and I jumping from the back of my dad's old Ford pickup truck. I'm sure my brother took the picture and I'm also sure I told him to catch us in mid-air. Which he obviously did. I don't remember what year that truck was from...We had it when I was only a kid, so it couldn't be any older than early 60's. I'm thinking it was quite a bit older than that, even.^^^^^^^^^^
I was going through a serious "Beatles phase" when this was taken. Notice all the pictures of the Beatles I have tacked to the wall behind me? You can tell they're ripped from some magazine. You can't hardly see the album I have in my lap, but it's "Yesterday and Today". Peace, brother!^^^^^^^^^^
Here's a testament to the morbid sensibility I exhibited even as a young kid. This was taken while on vacation in Arkansas (I think...it may have been in OKC, in my aunt & uncle's back yard). My brother and I found this dilapidated car. I told him to snap off a picture of me laying on the hood as if I had just been run down. Who knows why I placed the flowers on my chest...^^^^^^^^^
Now this one's kind of odd. Of course I post it here because I think the hair looks really great :), but check it out...my dad is grilling up some barbeque, but he's wearing a coat. You just don't barbeque in the cold, do you? And there I am, standing outside with a thick shirt on, but no shoes. I won't even mention the hilarious high water pants because they have nothing to do with the enigma of cooking out on a frigid day.^^^^^^^^^^
Clockwise from top center: yours truly, my grandmother, my cousin Andy, my mom and my dad. You can't really tell from the photograph, but I'm wearing a black fishnet tank top! I loved that shirt! You just don't see people wearing those anymore. Too bad.^^^^^^^^^^
A follow-up shot from the morbid car crash series. I had this small cut of something on my leg and it had been bleeding...I thought, how cool would it look if I laid down in the front seat of this junker and try to look like I'd just been in an accident (reflecting on it now I am amazed at how truly creepy this all is). Probably had something to do with the song "D.O.A." by Bloodrock that was a favorite at the time.^^^^^^^^^
Okay, here's the last one, and once again I include it because I think the hair is so kick ass...crazy thing, at the time I HATED my hair. But just LOOK at this afro! Actually I think the effect was enhanced by pressing the back of my head up against the wall. No matter. It's CRAZY!^^^^^^^^^
8.12.2009
Here are a few more photos of my hummingbirds. Actually took these a week ago. I've been meaning to post them since then, but haven't done much at all on the blog lately. Hope to post more in the future, but for now, please enjoy these bird pics... I've got at least four of them flittering about now, but I don't know that I'll shoot any more photos. I don't think they like it.
8.08.2009
Another bizarre "conversation" playing Farkle of Facebook last night.
From the photo of my opponent I could see that she was probably very young. I decided I wasn't going to use the chat feature until she says, "What, aren't you going to talk?". So I say, "hi", and that's it. Then she wants to know why I don't want to talk to her. So I said something about my wrist hurting when I type, hoping she would take the hint and just let me play in silence. But then she says "that must hurt" or something like that, "I hurt my shoulder once. Have you ever hurt your shoulder? It really hurts."
So I said, "yes it does, my dear". Maybe I shouldn't have said "my dear", but it was completely innocent, I swear. I wouldn't have thought it would scare anyone (if that's what happened). I mean, come on, I don't care about your shoulder, right?
Next she asks me how old I am. I typed in the numbers 4 & 7, and nothing more. She responds, "I'm 15"...like I didn't know she was just a kid. I didn't know what to say so I typed the first thing that came into my head, "I have a son who is 14"..just trying to point out the age difference and actually hoping it would discourage her from chatting further.
I thought it was very strange, though, when she asked if he was single... I didn't have anything to say to that so I passed.
The game was progressing okay, I guess, though a bit slow because she was taking up too much time chatting. We were about neck and neck with each other at around the 5000 point mark when she says, "Don't you think this is awkward?" HUH??? Which is basically what I said. "You know what I mean," she continues, "you've got a son". Once again, HUH!!!!! So I reply, "I don't know any such thing...I'm just here trying to play a game."
A monumental breakdown in communication, caused, for all I know, by generational language confusion, prompted her to close the game... Which was just fine with me. I was more creeped out than she could ever have been, and that's no lie.
In retrospect I see the logic in her responce, though I honestly don't feel that I gave her cause for alarm. Better to be cautious with any stranger. But I hate to think that people would take me for a dirty old man just because I'm 47 and the person on the other end is only 15...I didn't match us up, in fact I think she was the one who intitiated the game and invited me. It creeped me out that she was so adamant about chatting. I didn't want to and should not have, even though the only reason I did was because I thought she was offended that I wasn't.
Oh well...I'll forget the whole thing soon. Which is why I wanted to make this post, so that one day I'll be able to look back and know that there are some things in life that are just going to make you scratch your head and say, "whatever".
From the photo of my opponent I could see that she was probably very young. I decided I wasn't going to use the chat feature until she says, "What, aren't you going to talk?". So I say, "hi", and that's it. Then she wants to know why I don't want to talk to her. So I said something about my wrist hurting when I type, hoping she would take the hint and just let me play in silence. But then she says "that must hurt" or something like that, "I hurt my shoulder once. Have you ever hurt your shoulder? It really hurts."
So I said, "yes it does, my dear". Maybe I shouldn't have said "my dear", but it was completely innocent, I swear. I wouldn't have thought it would scare anyone (if that's what happened). I mean, come on, I don't care about your shoulder, right?
Next she asks me how old I am. I typed in the numbers 4 & 7, and nothing more. She responds, "I'm 15"...like I didn't know she was just a kid. I didn't know what to say so I typed the first thing that came into my head, "I have a son who is 14"..just trying to point out the age difference and actually hoping it would discourage her from chatting further.
I thought it was very strange, though, when she asked if he was single... I didn't have anything to say to that so I passed.
The game was progressing okay, I guess, though a bit slow because she was taking up too much time chatting. We were about neck and neck with each other at around the 5000 point mark when she says, "Don't you think this is awkward?" HUH??? Which is basically what I said. "You know what I mean," she continues, "you've got a son". Once again, HUH!!!!! So I reply, "I don't know any such thing...I'm just here trying to play a game."
A monumental breakdown in communication, caused, for all I know, by generational language confusion, prompted her to close the game... Which was just fine with me. I was more creeped out than she could ever have been, and that's no lie.
In retrospect I see the logic in her responce, though I honestly don't feel that I gave her cause for alarm. Better to be cautious with any stranger. But I hate to think that people would take me for a dirty old man just because I'm 47 and the person on the other end is only 15...I didn't match us up, in fact I think she was the one who intitiated the game and invited me. It creeped me out that she was so adamant about chatting. I didn't want to and should not have, even though the only reason I did was because I thought she was offended that I wasn't.
Oh well...I'll forget the whole thing soon. Which is why I wanted to make this post, so that one day I'll be able to look back and know that there are some things in life that are just going to make you scratch your head and say, "whatever".
8.05.2009
My hummingbirds
I took a few pictures of my hummingbirds yesterday afternoon. I hope to catch them with some different angles in the next few days. There are at least three that come to my feeder, but I could only catch two this time around.
8.03.2009
Ed Bassmaster
This is the funniest guy I've seen in a long, long time.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, ED BASSMASTER!
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, ED BASSMASTER!
8.01.2009
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