The End????

Nope.
Not gonna happen.
Y2K, all over again.  Relax, Boys and Girls - haven't we all got enough REAL shit staring us in the face every day, to worry about Doomsday coming, or more likely NOT coming?

Wait a minute - what the hell was that??!!?!?


!seibaB  wolleF ,lla retfa gnorw saw I ekil skool ti - tihs ,hO
!!nekorb eb ot smees ygniht-bewediwretnI sihT


........ebyam ,yltrohs eroM


**}elkcuhC livE{**

Ain't No Cure For The Yuletide Blues

{Cue Mormon Tabernacle Choir}

Wreck the halls with Barry's Folly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la 
It's Bush's fault, come on get jolly
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la, la
Don we now our alternative-lifestyle apparel
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la, la, la
As we sing this Hope-n-Change carol
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la, la, la

Burn the Constitution for us
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la, la, la
Tax the drums, and rape the chorus
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la, la, la
Fiscal cliff, so where's the pleasure
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la, la, la
Can not change such horrid measures
Fa-la-la-la-la, la, lah, laaah, laahhhhhhhhh..............

The Greatest Generation

Pearl Harbor; the treacherous incident that "awakened the sleeping Giant."  The "Giant" in question was of course the United States of America.  Our entry into WWII changed the world forever in many ways, both good and bad.

My parents were of the Greatest Generation, and taught both my brother and me innumerable lessons of great value; personal sacrifice and perseverance being the two most important.  Both have served me well to date, but both are played out against a world backdrop that's radically different than the world of the 1940's.  Looking at the Arizona Memorial above, my mind's eye superimposes the remains of the Twin Towers atop the sunken hull in Pearl Harbor; I can truly relate to what my parents endured, in other words.

I just wish today's generations would show a little more backbone when dealing with our modern problems; their inability or refusal to do so makes a mockery of that great sunken hull and all that it stands for.  Item: just as we entered WWII, the Greatest Generation faced a Moslem terrorist threat identical to today's climate, but they dealt with the problem swiftly and effectively, rounding up a bunch of known terrorists and executing all but two in the group.  The corpses were further degraded with gallons of pigs' blood, before the two survivors were released with a stern "this will happen to the rest of you lot if you don't get your shit together NOW."  It was a good 25 years before the Moslems felt bold enough to challenge the interdiction.

It bothers me no end that the US could hardly respond to a world conflagration today the way we did during the Greatest Generation's heyday immediately post-Pearl; we simply don't have the same manufacturing and/or military infrastructure now that we had then, let alone unanimous patriotism, passion for Liberty, personal fortitude, iron resolve, etc. etc. As such, a theoretical WWIII would not augur well for us, IMHO.  Oh, the situation can be corrected provided we have both the heavy patience and strong incentive to do what needs to be done {like the GG did}, but positive changes won't happen overnight; this isn't an "instant gratification" issue.  And I very much fear today's society is too far gone on said instant gratification.

The Greatest Generation wasn't like that at all - they achieved their goals the right way through hard work, fierce determination, a clear focus, and much personal sacrifice, including the Ultimate one.  After Pearl Harbor, they stoically endured both the Holocaust and the equally horrible dawn of the Nuclear age, drawing courage and incredible strength solely from their convictions, period.  And after WWII they labored for the rest of their days  to ensure that the hard lessons they learned would pass down to their offspring.  How ironic that the Holocaust has morphed into Constitutionally-protected genocide {30 million abortions annually}, and the nuclear threat has morphed into the more subtle but equally-devastating conditions implied by today's rampant political correctness / entitlement mentality.  

Was the Greatest Generation's hard work and true selflessness - symbolized by that sunken hull in a lovely Hawaiian Harbor - all in vain, in the long run?  The jury's still out, but I for one am not about to let the final answer be "yes," if there is any possible way I can help it.  It's the least I can do, given all that went before.

I Honor the Arizona every day of my life - how 'bout y'all?

More shortly............

   

Voodoo Child, Seventy Years On

Seventy years ago today, our world was graced by the birth of a true Virtuoso and genius; the one and only James Marshall Hendrix.

Regular readers of both this blog and my old MySpace pages will already know how I feel about the man and his legacy.  Even though he was only with us for 27 years - and has been in that "other world" he prophetically sang about for 42 years - his legacy and influence are still very much a vibrant and vital part of my life.

This fact was driven home HARD to me yesterday evening.  As I mentioned in my Turkey Day installment  last week, I've much to be thankful for, and yesterday I again celebrated the fact the best way I knew how - by having a good old "power-play," just like I regularly did during the salad days.  What's more, James Marshall figured quite prominently, and was actually the "accompaniment" for the bulk of my blitzkrieg.  Although I trotted out my still-up-to-scratch chops frequently in public this past summer, none of those blows came within a country mile of the intensity of yesterday's exercise.

Quite simply, I "got back to where I once belonged."  I'm talking the exact same mindset I had during my first ten years as a working musician; the music and what you can do with it is what's important, period.  And there's zero time for any extraneous non-musical bullshit, to boot.  As such, I unleashed a good ninety minutes' worth of sustained attack that easily qualifies as some of my best work to date.  The audience who witnessed consisted of my Lady Sheila, and her two "kids" Buster and Tippy.  All and sundry were totally blown away by it, much to my surprise and embarrassment.  

Oh, they've heard me on a good tear many times since July, but nothing like yesterday's little banzai.  Each tune I played was a "blank slate," even though I've done every one countless times previous, both in public and private.  And it's this very approach that is the essential link between JMH and myself.  Playing a given song differently each time was Jimi's stock-in-trade, and has long been my mindset as well.  Although I began to drift away from the principle somewhat during the malaise of the last four years, I finally got my head together again yesterday - and the results were pretty damn sweet, let me tell you.

For her part, Sheila could only shake her head in amazement, smiling brilliantly.  Even the kids knew something was up; both came for brief visits during my outburst, and both left with tails wagging furiously, despite all the incredible racket Uncle Chris was happily making.  Like my late beloved Sam, Buster and Tippy are totally cool with the music, and both seem to understand the pleasure it generates.  The pair were instantly in my lap as soon as I finished.  Sheila understood it all perfectly of course, and I'm quite sure the return to my root-mindset will rub off on her in due course.  Hell, it already has to a degree; I've noticed her starting to pick up on the basics of the concept in her own playing during the past several weeks, although at this stage it's more "happy accident," rather than a serious skill-set addition.  Time and much practice will make it so though, methinks.

As for me, yesterday's blow is an excellent harbinger of things to come; the re-discovery of my youthful "extraneous bullshit attitude" will be applied to many other non-musical areas of my life in the weeks and months immediately ahead.  More I will not say now, but rest assured y'all will be hearing some happy news in due time.  I'd like to think that wherever Jimi is right now, he's also smiling brilliantly and giving me a solid thumbs-up; I certainly felt his strong presence with me yesterday, if nothing else.

Which ain't too bad a way to honor the Lad's Birthday, no?

More shortly Boys and Girls; in the meantime, please join me in celebrating Jimi's Birthday in proper style:

Thankful For..........

Two things; one material, the other Ethereal.

The material side is easy enough:

And the Ethereal?  Well, in the simplest vernacular it's the Love Of A Truly Good Woman.

Both have kept me alive {and sheltered / fed / looked after} most of this year; and both have enabled me to continue taking care of business despite overwhelming odds most of the time.

For all of this - and a hell of a lot more - I am well and truly Thankful that God has Blessed me so.  Going forward will be just that much easier for me, thanks to the wonderful bounty I've reaped this year.  Hard work paying off, and all that sort of mess, comprend`e - vous?

Eat your ever-loving heart out, Norman Rockwell - the 2012 Warm-Fuzzy-Powerball jackpot is MINE this year, dig?

Happy Tyramine-overdose Day, Fellow Babies!!!

More shortly.

The Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields. 

- - - - Canadian Lt.Colonel John McCrae, 1915.

May God Bless and Keep ALL our Vets, past, present, and future.

"Thanks" is simply inadequate for the services - and sacrifices - rendered by our Military from day one.  My personal gratitude knows no bounds.

More shortly; have a pleasant Armistice {Veteran's} Day, Fellow Babies...............

Hope & Spite

"Voting's your best revenge."
"If Romney wins, we're gonna burn the place down."
"We're gonna raise taxes on the rich by six trillion!"

Ad nauseum.

No more re-hashing the obvious, boys and girls.  The choice for tomorrow is painfully clear.  Four more years of liberalism / socialism running amok - or a significant swing away from such falderal.  The left's behavior in just the last three weeks - where the above quotes source from - is all the proof one should need as to why Barack Hussein Obama and his ilk all need to be FIRED.  

It's finally in our hands now - let's git 'er done!!!