The National Humanitarian Award

 The new week has arrived!  For those impressed by such things, this will be our first full week of Autumn.  The temps are cool at night, but during the day they're forecasted to climb up into the upper 60s (F).  That's fine.  Soon the leaves will be changing colors as they prep to fall from the trees.  This means, at some point, I'll be posting a picture of my golden ginkgo.  

Lunch was fun with my friend Betsy.  We talked quite a bit about politics, and then more politics, and then a bit about The Body Under Ice, about how gossip, in itself, is almost a character in the new book.

My neighbor's lawn is looking more and more like a field.  They have a problem, I suspect, that being they've decided to sell the house 'as is.'  They have a contract a potential buyer would need to sign excluding them from anything and everything.  I haven't seen it, but my neighbor across the street has, (his mother's a real estate agent), and he pulled out of the deal.  I gather the contract implies there are major problems, meaning even a house flipper is going to wait until their asking price hits rock bottom.

President Biden honored Sir Elton John with an award this weekend.  The National Humanitarian Medal.  Good for Elton.  I will admit that watching this clip did bring a tear to my eye.

Not a lot happened this past weekend in the political arena.  On Friday, the House GOP revealed a veiled commitment to... well, nothing.  E. J. Dionne, as well as many others have called it horseshit (my word).  They listed a Republican laundry list of what they claimed were problems without providing a single clue as to how they were going to solve them.  This really was nothing more than empty bluster.  How do I know?  They did it on a Friday.  Politicians, in particular, prefer to have bad news released on Friday because they know the weekend tends to dilute the issues.  You don't release good news on Fridays, that happens on a Monday when the news cycle has 5 full days to glorify it.  These Republican dumb shits knew this was going to go over as well as a soggy pancake with everyone except their MAGA base.

Finally, because on 64% of all the Italians eligible to vote actually did vote, the country now has a female version of Donald Trump.  From what I know of Italian politics, that's not going to last too long.

Now Serving

 Sunday has arrived.  I've just finished eating my breakfast: oatmeal with peanut butter, almonds, and honey.  Yum.  I do have to work today.  Not so yum, yum.

Yesterday business was very steady, almost constant, which is good.  Many of the stores in the district have not been as busy as they were.   The Covid pandemic has moved to being endemic.  Here in the US there are between 700 and 800 Covid deaths every day, most of them being unvaccinated Republicans.  They will never learn.

I don't know if I mentioned it, but Biggie was running around with the stuffed T-Rex yesterday.  That's a big improvement.  Both sitting down and stairs are still difficult.  He has a Vet appointment for the end of this month, so I'll ask if increasing his dosage of gabapentin will help.

And I'm am slowly getting a YouTube channel up and running.  Right now it's called The Writer's Block.  I'm still working on things like camera location, and microphone placement.  And I can't decide if I want to film myself, or stay off camera and just narrate.  Being the quietly shy, unopinionated, and rather reclusive person that I am, this is a big decision.

Elton John's 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' show in Hershey is less than 2 weeks away.  I'm thinking that for this show I might buy myself a pair of twinkling eyeglasses... just to fit in, you know?  Or... neon would be pretty freaking neat!

And, of course, it seems that rarely a day goes by when some tasty tidbit of bad news falls regarding the GOP and the Republican Party.  Not that bad news isn't percolating for the Democrats.  The Washington Post published an article on Hunter Biden which was factually incriminating, not nearly as terrible as the insurrection, but red meat, none the less, on which the Republicans will pounce, and then wag at their base.  To combat this, the January 6 Committee needs to start dropping slabs of red meat the Centrists and Progressives can chow down on.  The only way to bury a bad headline is to dish out a serving of something juicy as hell; serve the MAGAs a piece of their own pie, but serve it a la shit.

The Jewel

 Golly Gee!  I did really sleep in the morning!  An hour and a half, and I'm rather proud to say I did not wallow in the blankets.  I'm blaming the dogs.  They didn't get up.  Nope.  Just laid there snoring after the alarm went off.  I mean... what else was I to do?

My shoulder's feeling better, still hurts, but so far no popping.  I'd be willing to bet I strained it while put several cases of 12" x 24" tile up on the shelf.  They weigh about 50 lbs each, and lifting them 3 feet off the floor to slide onto the shelving is no easy task, especially when you're not 22 years old anymore.

For those interested, Lily is walking around the house with an orange and fluffy squeaky duck in her mouth.  Quite often, that seems to be a highlight of the moment for her.

And I did see this bit of the NHS (National Health Services) with Elton auditioning for a Covid vaccine spot.  This man is a jewel... so is Michael Caine.

The editing is continuing for The Body in the Loch.  The first 2 chapters were combined into 1; I threw out about 2000 words.  That's fine.  They were unnecessary.  The writer who can't cut words is more concerned about his words then he is his story.

Yesterday was the first day of Trump's 2nd impeachment.  Congress sat through a horrifying 13 minute video which was carried by the major networks as well as most cable news networks.  While I don't believe that asswipe is going to be convicted, that video continues to build on America's anger.  The number of Republicans abandoning the party is unprecedented.  His party will stay with him because without his base, they are nothing.  The ugly truth for them will be that even with his base... they are nothing.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go make banana walnut pancakes and douse them with gallons of maple syrup.

Vacation Entry #4 Farewell Yellow Brick Road

So, on the last day of my teeny, weeny vacation I went to see Elton John in Philly.  Had I used my infinite wisdom, I would have purchased the tickets when the went on sale, I didn't.  As it was, I paid a much higher price than their Face Value.  IT WAS WORTH IT!
Our seats were great!

Almost 3 hours of music and memories.  He told about how when he and Bernie were just starting out without any real hit to their names, their producer called to tell them a singer was covering one of their songs on her album.  The singer:  Aretha Franklin, and she recorded "Boarder Song," a song he doesn't do often in concert.  We heard it last night!  He did a number of songs which aren't normally on his set list, like "Take me to the Pilot," the song that launched his career when he played it at the Troubadour in LA back in 1970.  He played "Indian Sunset" from "Madman Across the Water," a song he rarely plays in concert.

You'll notice his piano moved from one side of the stage to the other so everybody got so seem him perform.  All of his hits were covered... oh, and there was a lot of thunder and lighting  and fog introducing "Funeral for a Friend."

Without a doubt, this was one of the best concerts I've been to.

Traffic, however, was not so kind:  rush hour going into Philly and then construction as we left.  It took over half an hour to cover the three miles leading to the Conshohocken exit.  Son of a Bitch!

Today will be a rest day.  

Oh, and I need to get my ass on my bicycle since I didn't get a ride in yesterday.

Vacation Entry #1

Slept in the morning.  Got up, made coffee, read the news.  Fun stuff.
In Cumberland County, Republicans still won more races, though not as many as usual.  This area is Uber Conservative.  Lisa Grayson lost.  She was the only faux Democrat on the ballot as far as I know.  Kentucky now has a blue governor Virginia went Royally Blue.
My brother and I are driving down to Philly on Friday to see Elton John and the Wells Fargo Center.  It sits where the Spectrum used to be.  I saw a number of concerts at the Spectrum, include, back in July of 1976, Elton John.  This might be what they call going full circle.
The bar of Dr. Squatch soap lasted me for 10 showers, which means I'd use about 4 - 5  bars a month.  That's pricey.

Rocketman and other stuff

Okay, so what can I say, it's Monday and I slept in...  and they is half over... okay, it's not half over, it got my ass out of bed around 0715. When you normally get up between 0430 and 0500 that's late.
I saw "Rocketman" last night.  It is very, very good and far more dramatic than I was expecting.  Even though Taron Egerton looks nothing like Elton John, it takes about 4 seconds after he makes his grand entrance at the beginning of the film to convince you otherwise.  One of the things I find amusing is the brouhaha about the sex scene and how it might be cut in order for the movie to get a PG-13 rating.  The language alone guaranteed "Rocketman" was going to be rated R.  Elton likes to swear... a lot.  This is also not a 'linear' biography, the songs are not in sequence, rather, they are used to emphasize an emotional moment.  Oh, and in case you're wondering, Egerton can sing, his vocal chops work quite well with the music.  Isn't it nice to go see a movie about a legendary rock star and the lead actor sings all of the songs.  One final note on this great film, I really did love that devil costume and how it was used.

Did the Idiot Jerk do anything yesterday?  It's rare for him not to fart out some stupid shit, even on a Sunday.
Tomorrow I have to go back to work.  Crap.  For 2 whole days.  I like this 2 days on, 2 days off schedule.  Once the car is paid for, this is what it's going to be like.
Finally, E3 started yesterday in LA.  That's when publishers announce upcoming games.  The biggest splash was made by the studio CD Projekt Red.  They gave us a release date yesterday for their next big game, Cyberpunk 2077... and the announcement was made by Keanu Reeves.  I can not wait.  A word of warning, there is language in this trailer.

Take me Home

So,  I was off yesterday.  It was nice.  I didn't have to go anywhere or do anything, though I did.  There was a lot of relaxation going on.
Today I'm off as well, only I have to do stuff today.  But yesterday?  Nah. 
I did go see "Kingsmen, The Golden Circle."  What a hoot!  Julianne Moore as a drug dealing villain named Poppy, Channing Tatum in blue boxers, Taron Egerton asking "do I look like a dick," and Elton John (that's right, Sir Elton John) saying "get the fuck out of my room... get the fuck out of my room," are just a few of the bright spots in this film.  There's a lot of graphic novel action, but then that makes sense since the series is based on a graphic novel.  There were moments when I laughed out loud.  That's right, there's a lot of humor in it.  Let's see, there's Halle Berry, and Beau Bridges, and Colin Firth, and Mark Strong, who usually plays heavies, singing John Denver.

"West Virginia, blue ridge mountains....."

Of course, the political humor is rollicking as well, in which the minority party has finally realized that an even smaller minority group of haters really wants to put their establishment gonads in a vice and crank it as tight as possible.  That's right, Mitch McTurtle is getting his nuts squeezed, in fact, this minority group that he, himself, encouraged, wants to rip them right out of his scrotum.  And this even smaller minority party seems to have little, if no interest, in putting forth any kind of sane legislation, all they want to do is spit out their insane hatred.  They don't even realize they are drowning in their own venom, but then why would they?  They were bred for their bitterness, spoon fed their anger, by a higher power for the soul purpose of devouring the Republican Party.  This is their Karma.

And, as far as I'm concerned, the only thing that would have made "Kingsmen, Golden Circle" more enjoyable, would have been to have Mark Strong sing his John Denver tribute naked:  Country Roads, take me home.

Elton, post concert

So, I wen to see Elton John last night at the Giant Center.

This is the 5th time I've seen him in concert, the last time was some 30 odd years ago.  The only issue I had, and it was minor, was with the start time.  When I bought the tickets from TicketMaster the start time was 7:30 so that's what I put in my calendar.  Three days ago I received an email from TicketMaster reminding me of the show and listing the start time as 7:30, the start time on the ticket itself, however, was 8:00.  We got their early, and waited.  The show actually started around 10 minutes of 8.

His first song is probably my all time favorite - Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding.  I'm proud to say that way back when I pledged Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, I played that for my audition piece.  I can probably still play it, if I want... with mistakes most likely. 

 Seeing him perform it live was great!

He played 2 songs from Madman Across the Water, Levon and Tiny Dancer.  The audience reaction to Tiny Dancer was,,, amazing, high pitched squeals of delight, what you might expect if it had been 16,000 gay men in attendance and Ryan Gosling had suddenly stepped on stage and started to strip.

There were lots of songs from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, including the title track.  

And he was very loud, in fact louder than I was expecting.  You could feel the floor vibrating, and when he played his way through that lovely lesbian love song All the Girls Love Alice my Aqua Fresh water danced around in the bottle as though a T-Rex was approaching, which was very, very great!  From Tumbleweed Connection he played another of my favorites Burn Down the Mission, and from Don't Shoot Me (I'm only the piano player) Have Mercy on the Criminal and Crocodile Rock (his encore).

A fun time was had by all!  Even the balding, middle-aged guy in front of me who was definitive proof that some white guys just can't dance.

Paint, politics, and Elton John

I'm on the 2nd day of a 4 day vacation, well, make that 2 vacation days and 2 days I requested off.  I'm painting the living room.  The chandelier arrived yesterday, chrome and crystal (real crystal) and really, really shiny.  I like it.
Monday I get to go back to work and deal with our new scheduling system.  It's shit.  Full-Time hourly associates not have a fixed schedule, being either opener, mid, or closer, and while I'm not supposed to be used a filler... you guessed it, I'm the filler.  This means my schedule is... shit.  When the opener has days off, I open, same thing with the mid and the closer.  According to SOP this is not supposed to happen.
On the political side, the debates are Monday night.  I'm not watching them.  I never watch debates.  They're expecting the largest audience of all time, mostly because a lot of people will be tuning in to watch some sort of political blood sport.  Trumplodites are praying for Don to figuratively slap the shit out of Hillary, and they will be upset if that doesn't happen.  The same thing goes for the Hillary supporters, they want her to smack him down over and over again.  People want to see a grudge match where punches are thrown and blood splatters way outside the ring.  The only thing missing is the bell... wait, they may actually have a bell to announce the end of the round.
On a lighter note, I'm going to see Elton John this evening.

We're sitting in Section E, Row 19, seats 1 and 2, which should be pretty good seats.  I checked the pricing out on Ticketmaster Wednesday and, should I want to sell the tickets, I could get about $400 a piece.  Not selling them.  I've seen Elton John 4 other times, including the Philadelphia show in 1976 where he came on stage dressed like the Statue of Liberty.  Those were the good old days, weren't they?

April Snow & Elton John

Well, today is not only my big paint sale (!), I also have off, so I'm not going to be there for the 'not so record breaking' sales.  This doesn't mean they're not going to sell, paint, they are - it's a damn good sale, however this morning when I let the dogs out at 0530 it was snowing.  We ended up with about 3 inches of the heavy white stuff, an even though it's melting faster then the Wicked Witch of the West in a hot tub, this is just not painting weather.  My plans for this dreary day are to do a couple of loads of laundry and play Fallout 4.

April snowers bring May flowers

Yesterday I ordered my tickets to see Elton John when he comes to Hershey in September (yes, I live about 12 miles from chocolate land), and that was rather... interesting.  My brother wanted to go along, but since he and his family are getting back from vacation on 9/23 he asked if we could go on 9/27 when Elton is up in Allentown.  Everything was fine, until it came to trying to get the tickets.  PP & L Arena (in Allentown) is a 'partner' with Ticketmaster - which means it isn't really Ticketmaster, and their website kept locking up, or I'd get a message saying "no tickets available," and that ever popular "website is not responding," and when I did finally get through the only available tickets were behind the stage and running around $209 each.  "To hell with this shit," I said, and popped back to Ticketmaster where I got seats on the Floor, in Row 19 and paid a lot less then $209 each.  Oh, and my brother isn't going, but that's life, isn't it?

Here's another snowy picture I took from my front porch.  Can you see the green leaves?

Gold Standard

A few days ago I was slightly chastised for getting two song titles wrong in a piece I'd written about musical artists who have failed to create a standard.  Aw, well, that's life, I'm not perfect.  Rather the mute, or nullify my point, my error did more to emphasize the fact that the songs are... forgettable.  It's a bit embarrassing about the Elton John song, since I've seen him in concert 4 times and he's played that one song each time.  However, we do forget.  This is what time does.  We either forget it or remember it.  This is how standards are created.  For those who don't know what a standard is, Webster defines it as "a musical piece of sufficiently enduring popularity to be made part of a permanent repertoire."  

Anyway, since I get to talk to quite a number of people every day, I decided to do a little survey.  From a list of several artists (Prince, Elton John, Madonna, Billy Joel, and Bon Jovi), I asked 72 people which song they remembered the most. Seventeen people said they couldn't think of a single song. Bad news for Billy Joel - he didn't get any votes.  Prince got 2 for "Little Red Corvette."  Bon Jovi got 8 for "Living on a Prayer." (?)  Madonna got 14 votes for 3 different songs, "Like a Virgin," was her number one vote getter with 7.  Elton John got the most votes with 48, however that's misleading.  Nine people voted for "The Circle of Life," but 35 more just voted for "The Lion King," which is a movie.  That's right, if you just count song titles, Madonna beats Elton John by one.  Does that mean one of her songs is going to be a standard?  Of course, the answer is no. I suspect having your song attached to a hit movie, and a Disney movie to be more precise, increases the probability.

In fact, thinking back on all the popular music written, there probably is only one true standard and that was song by a teenage girl a long time ago in a little movie called "The Wizard of Oz."

So, I'm wondering if anything out there can ever even compete with this?  Or did Judy Garland set the all time gold standard?    I suspect we'll have to wait 75 years and see how well that song from Frozen does.