gritty musings...Bright Shiny Pennies

We start this tale with the loss of the sole inspiration for the last blog. Laughter and distain for all things political, all things restaurant related and even old age and driving, shared with my best friend. Ted up and dies and with him goes the course for this last blog. "Bright shiny pennies"...how can I describe this next chapter in my sexagenarian life. The intention is to challenge myself to provide, positive, life affirming observations. I really don't know if that's possible and frankly the name might change to "dark, slimy underbelly" quite quickly. Those that know me know that this year has not been a great year for me. I was sick at Christmas and that malaise hung around well into the new year and resulted in a seemingly endless barrage of tests, that found nothing. By late March I had lost 50 pounds( a diet I do not fully endorse) and checked myself into the hospital on April 10th...I awoke on May 2nd. What transpired

Today is your memorial service.  Today your friends gather at historic Gracie's to tell tales, laugh and drink to your memory.  I worked for Gracie, thanks to you, sneaky Pete and Steve.  Its fitting, a legendary spot, to pay tribute to the man that inspired me and unknown others to go chase our dreams.  I loved when we cooked together and I found my passion, standing next to you.  You shared your love and unfathomably incredible knowledge of music with me.  I found Jason Ricci, Eric Lindell, Los Lobos and David Migden in our "MO, wait till you hear this moments".  I endured your love of all things Zappa and I survived Zappa torture.  To those unfamiliar with this, it involved the can, copious amounts of inhaleables and song after song of your archives. Songs stopped only by you, translating the nuances that a rookie like me, most certainly missed.  The only rescue was SuSu and her, "honey enough! his eyes are glazed over and he has to drive up the hill". We s

Saturdays are busy times here in United States of stooped... Do I attend my local KKK meeting slash picnic slash poetry reading...or do I head to my nearest "defend the confederate statue" protest.  I know I am free to go to my nearest gay neighborhood to throw rocks at the queers, but that is sooo last week. Maybe I'll just head down to Lowes and get some more bricks for my own wall to keep my yard from touching my neighbors. Yup six months into the reign of Trump and I am realizing I have so much more to do than watch college football or sit on my beach.  I used to read but now I just feel useless and well...liberal if I try to enlarge my world with  fake news or facts.  I can now sit and dream of the oil derricks that will soon  dot the horizon, bringing cheap gas to my "really great" American car.  I delighted in the nostalgic nature of my friend in Guam reliving " duck and cover" drills while waiting for the other really great( I don't know

So is it the end of days...am I over reacting to the apparent insanity that surrounds us all??.,.  I have friends, dogged Bernie supporters, who have rabidly attached them selves to the beauty and flawed attempt of the Vermont senators bid to lead us to the holy land of good sense and political reformation.  they see no difference between a Hillary presidency and a drumpf duck dynasty...But I do...and it is illuminating the decent of our nation in the pathos of the video millennium...Yet I sorta get the whole outsider thing..."He's not one of them"... i hear that alot and I relate totally to the frustration of a electorate so disconnected from those they elect, that they need, nay want a radical change in their government...but lets get this straight... this isn't Jimmy Stewart's, "Mr. Smith goes to Washington"...no underdog sent to battle the evils of Washington with virtue and honesty... this is Donald Trump..a philandering billionaire, whose shortcut

So is it the end of days...am I over reacting to the apparent insanity that surrounds us all??.,.  I have friends, dogged Bernie supporters, who have rabidly attached them selves to the beauty and flawed attempt of the Vermont senators bid to lead us to the holy land of good sense and political reformation.  they see no difference between a Hillary presidency and a drumpf duck dynasty...But I do...and it is illuminating the decent of our nation in the pathos of the video millennium...Yet I sorta get the whole outsider thing..."He's not one of them"... i hear that alot and I relate totally to the frustration of a electorate so disconnected from those they elect, that they need, nay want a radical change in their government...but lets get this straight... this isn't Jimmy Stewart's, "Mr. Smith goes to Washington"...no underdog sent to battle the evils of Washington with virtue and honesty... this is Donald Trump..a philandering billionaire, whose shortcut

So as the two of you that read this know, I am a lover of facebook...I know its cool to dismiss it..the food pics, the baby pics...the sharing of ones feelings from one moment to the next..But as I scroll through my daily feed, what I find stunning, absolutely breathtaking...is the secrets I find out about people,  secrets I never dared guess... I never knew.... Jeff loves trains...Susie is a clog dancer...Bob gave his 8 year a gun for his birthday...and many, many people think donald trump would make a great, not just a good president.   Now that is a jaw dropper.  I try to delve into their reasoning...he's a political outsider..he'll shake up the Washington status quo...he'll have the fate of the entire planet in his tiny, tiny, boyish hands...I am amazed that people don't see or remember his stupid tv show.. That he brought dick size to the debate floor...dick size??.that alone is enough for me to dismiss him out of hand.. I hated gdub...still do actually..but he