Had a great family campout over the 4th of July weekend, fun and food for all. Neighbors had a live band that we could hear quite well hundreds of feet away. And the locals shot off fireworks till 1:30 in the morning.
Heh, quiet time is 4 am at our farm/campground.

The Disunited Empire of America

A couple of weeks ago PR added a comment saying 250 years is the average life span of empire. I guess we've arrived. The nation is locked in perpetual war against other countries and our own citizens. The constitution is ignored especially the bill of rights. The nation seems to be under the control of Israel as a bill works its way through congress to unite the US military with Israel's. The petrodollar is on its last leg as nations around the world divest of US dollars and bonds. We're not just a nation divided, we're an empire divided. Much more below the fold...

Afternoon folks!

Let's start this weekend off with a King-size bang... first up, an album from Albert King from his Stax period, then one from B.B. King accompanied by a bunch of rock musicians and studio folks in 1971. After that we have a live album recorded in the early sixties featuring a whole bunch of Chess records blues superstars. Following that is a disc of demos, outtakes and alternates from Little Feat's Last Record Album sessions. Finishing up we move into some prog rock with a live album from the band Curved Air.

Enjoy the tunes and have a great holiday weekend!

I spent 10 months, this past year, undergoing chemo and radiation therapy in my battle against cancer. It was the lowest point of my life. But I didn't let it break my spirit.

I made the decision early on that I would concentrate on the task at hand and avoid the depression that can so very easily set in under those conditions. The struggle ahead was as much of a battle with the disease that was attacking my body as it was a battle with the gloom and doom that could attack my mind if I allowed it. I couldn't control the disease but I could control my spirit. And it was that spirit that drove my will to not lose hope in that fight for my life.

To beat the depression within, I had to beat the depression without. I did this mostly by limiting my time on that great instrument of despair, the internet. I'd wake up in the morning, take a quick look at the news headlines and then find other ways to occupy my time. I diligently researched everything I could find about the malady I was facing. I talked with old friends and family on the phone. I forced myself to eat as much as I could. I spent a lot of time watching the birds at the birdfeeder. I did a lot of looking out the window in general, and contemplating. I practiced my dobro to keep my fingers nimble, stiffness being a side affect from the chemo. I slept, oh boy, did I sleep. But most of all I would stretch out on the recliner and watch my rather large collection of old documentaries, TV shows and old movies, mostly old westerns, one after another. It was cathartic watching the good guys beat the bad guys, and emblematic of my struggle to beat the cancer within.

Some American Songs

Coming up on 4th of July! I have been listening to some 'old' songs (we all know them, and were young when they were released) which really speak to me about America, and have all my life. This first one, The River, by Bruce Springsteen... well, it basically speaks about the life I was lucky enough to escape. And, boy, did I learn what he was singing about when I made my first trip across the USA from Santa Clara, CA to Philadelphia, PA in the 1980s. I was listening to this song, and others from Bruce's album, The River, as I did that long drive. And as I got closer and closer to the East Coast, to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Philly, New Jersey, and as I lived in Philly for years, everything Bruce wrote about became clear and understandable to me - a West Coast descendant of working class truckers and electricians, who has had a different life because of the early and continued support of her mother and father, and the brilliance and luck of her father.

The River:

Link to video on Youtube.