No Ulterior Motive

DIMINUENDO AND CRESCENDO IN BLUE…

Have you ever played in a band, and with all due respect, I’m not talking about your conventional high school or grade school band? I mean, have you ever seriously played, in a band, for money? Do you know how and what it feels like to play a guitar, a sax, a piano, an acoustic … Continue reading »

WE THOUGHT WE’D LIVE FOREVER…

As time passes, I often remember you and me and all the fun we had when we were kids. I can’t prove it, but I think you were about two years old when I found you. I was a cocky eight-year-old then. From the way you acted and looked, I decided you had been a … Continue reading »

WHERE HOLLYWOOD ZOMBIES REALLY CAME FROM…

A few days ago I read Daphne Prost’s very funny article COULD THE ZOMBIES ALL JUST DIE NOW? PLEASE? For your enlightenment, her website is http://daphnepropst.wordpress.com As I read her article, I suddenly realized where Hollywood got the idea for a zombie. The idea grew from many years of Hollywood moguls observing our “leaders” in Washington … Continue reading »

BIG BAND JAZZ, SWING MUSIC… IT’S AN AMERICAN CREATION…

JAZZ. SWING. BIG BAND SWING. BENNY GOODMAN, GLENN MILLER, COUNT BASIE, DUKE ELLINGTON, LOUIS “SATCHMO” ARMSTRONG, AND I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO LIST ALL THE GREAT ONES OF JAZZ that make Jazz, Swing, Big Band Swing the enduring and feel good art form it is. From the thirties and forties, this music was and … Continue reading »

GERONIMO AND A GERMAN IMMIGRANT…

A few days ago I read a blog about Geronimo, a Chiricahua Apache warrior. The article is titled GERONIMO AND THE APACHE—THE TALIBAN OF THE WILD WEST? It was published on WordPress, 12-6-12, by NH Mallet, his website is THIS IS WAR (http://thisiswarblog.wordpress.com). As stated in his article, the United States government pursued Geronimo throughout … Continue reading »

DO YOU WANNA DANCE ? I SAID, DO YOU WANNA DANCE ?

I’m tired of people exhorting their armchair quarterback opinions about politics and the economy. I want to talk about something the politicians can’t screw up. Well, maybe I should say, they haven’t screwed it up YET… Do you know what Boogie-Woogie Music is? What about dancing to Swing Music from the forties and early fifties? … Continue reading »

I’VE HAD IT UP TO MY HARD DRIVE…

I think iPhones, IPADs, laptops, smart phones, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, hot zones, Facebook, Twitter, video games, texting and video surveillance (hidden or otherwise) are making people obsessive compulsive information gatherers, whether they really need the information or not. These devises have morphed into our security blankets. When was the last time you left home without your … Continue reading »

THE ULTIMATE VIDEO GAME AND YOU BETTER NOT SCREW UP ! ….

What is the ultimate video game? If you caught a glimpse of the pictures or the videos below and then guessed flying an F-18 for the United States Navy’s Blue Angels, you’re right. At least to me it’s the ultimate video game. What makes this the ultimate video game? The pilots cannot make a mistake, … Continue reading »

DESIDERATA… SOMETHING THAT’S DESIRED AS ESSENTIAL…

Written around 1920 by Max Ehrmann, some are familiar with the poem Desiderata and some are not. Many times, and in several languages, the words of this poem have been recorded. When you hear this poem, you’ll know what inspired writing is all about. And not surprisingly, in 1971 it won a Grammy for Best … Continue reading »

WHY CAN’T CONGRESS WORK 50 WEEKS A YEAR LIKE THE REST OF AMERICA?

Shortly after I published my last article, HEAR YE! HEAR YE! 55 YEARS IS LONG ENOUGH…, I decided to get a few more concerns off my chest … As far as I’m concerned, left-wing, right-wing, Republican, Democrat, Independent, Tea Party, Libertarian, or The Greene Party, etc., most of these candidates just want make sure they’re … Continue reading »

HEAR YE! HEAR YE! 55 YEARS IS LONG ENOUGH…

I know, this article will have the same impact as me standing in my backyard and hollering help to the world, but I got to say it… HEAR YE! HEAR YE! The purpose of this article is to get as many people as possible to vote in every election and to follow 2 simply rules … Continue reading »

EVEN THE PEASANTS SWING THEIR PITCHFORKS TO A GOOD BEAT !

Even the peasants swing their pitchforks to a good beat… Today, no social commentary, no stories, no who shot John, just some great music. A good beat that will hopefully make you say what James Brown is famous for screaming, “I FEEL GOOD!” Turn up the volume to get the full blast value of this … Continue reading »

THIN AIR CAN BE A MIND ENHANCING EXPERIENCE….

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I visited our grand-kids, our son and daughter-in-law in Denver, Colorado, the mile high city. During a side trip into the mountains, we visited a child’s indoor interactive playground, in Beaver Creek, Co. (altitude approximately 8,500 feet). While I enjoyed watching the kids having a blast, I … Continue reading »

A MOUNTAIN GORILLA CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE WONDERFUL KIND…

WARNING: THERE IS NOTHING OFFENSIVE, GRAPHIC OR REPULSIVE IN THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE OR VIDEOS… Except for a visit to a zoo, when was the last time you had a close encounter with a gorilla? I know, that’s a silly question, but I couldn’t resist asking… Please remember, the gorillas in these videos are really … Continue reading »

A MUSICAL EARTHQUAKE WITH AFTERSHOCKS CHERISHED AROUND THE WORLD…

ALERT : TURN THE VOLUME WAY UP ! All over the world in the 50’s, millions of kids experienced a musical earthquake of the highest magnitude. This earthquake came from the rich musical soul of a changing and growing America. That soul, that passionate emotion, was, and still is, rooted in songs, rhythms, and melodies … Continue reading »

THE 2 MOST FEARED WORDS IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE ARE…ASSEMBLY REQUIRED !

One of the most dreadful, frightful series of words in the American language, in any language, is “ASSEMBLY REQUIRED”. Several days ago my wife decided to replace the coffee table in our den. A few days later she called to tell me she finally found a coffee table she really liked. I said, Fine, but … Continue reading »

100% CONTROL…IT’S NOT TOO LATE…A BUNT…1 REASON…FOG..NOT FOR ME…

I don’t know how you feel, but I’ve decided, the only thing in my life I have 100% control of is my integrity. When we were in high school, college, starting our first job, moving away from dad and mom into our first apartment or house, or getting married, why did some of us let … Continue reading »

DON’T HAVE A HIGHLAND GORILLA, OCTOPUS OR SQUID…

When I get an email and in the signature block I read: ‘Sent from my IPHONE’, or ‘Sent from my BLACKBERRY’ (or something similar) I want to gag. It’s as though the sender wants to impress me that they have the latest “Magic Bullet” communication device, or their device has some inherent charm or revelation … Continue reading »

IT’S KNOWN AS THE GRAND CANYON…

If you haven’t seen it, in person, it’s known as the GRAND CANYON. Once this spectacular, ever-changing, vivid event of nature is witnessed the most smug person is even stunned by its beauty and magnificence. My wife and I visited the Grand Canyon in September of 2010. Although my wife is not a big fan … Continue reading »

THROW RUGS, 1 ORIGINAL THOUGHT AND A PARACHUTE…

****** * * * * * * * * * * I suggest in the interest of improving home and office safety, all throw rugs, regardless of size, color, thickness or shape, should be outlawed! They’re cute, till someone trips over one. No, I … Continue reading »

SANTA CLAUSE, EXCESSIVE HAPPINESS AND OTHER STUFF…

Dr. Patch Adams is right; everyone on this planet needs a life long dose of excessive happiness, and I mean everyone. * * * * * * * * * * * * * No later than the night before Christmas Eve, I will have a large sign in place on my roof, with neon … Continue reading »

THE WORD BLOG IS UNSANITARY…

No disrespect intended, but I don’t like the word “BLOG”, I’m sorry. Say it, “BLOG”… It doesn’t even have a decent sound. It sounds like the name of some disease, or a monster from a class B movie. I guess one day, a long time ago, someone was writing about all the wonderful things the … Continue reading »

A STICK SHIFT AND SHOELACES…

The shoelace is one mankind’s greatest inventions, right there with the wheel, the zipper, the ballpoint pen, the tie clip and false teeth. I checked; it was around 2000 BC when the first evidence of shoelaces showed up in the timeline of man. Back then, moccasins were the footwear of choice. However, moccasins had a … Continue reading »

MY LOCAL TV NEWS PROGRAMS ARE ANNOYING, AT BEST !

Why are 2 news anchors and 1 “on the scene reporter” required to report 1 news item? One anchor begins the report and 2 sentences later the other anchor continues the story. Then one of the anchors says something like, “Let’s go live now to our reporter Joe Doe (or Jane Dane), on the scene…” … Continue reading »

FATE IS NOT NICE WHEN YOU’RE IN A HURRY

Fate has never been nice to me when I needed to get somewhere in a hurry. A couple of weeks ago, running late for an appointment, I showed up at the first intersection just as the green light changed to yellow. I waited with a dilapidated dump truck in the lane next to me, a … Continue reading »

WHO’S THE GREEDIEST… POLITICIANS OR WALL STREET ?

The “OCCUPY WALL STREET MOVEMENT” started in New York City a few months ago, 3 blocks away from the real Wall Street, to protest the greediness of our big corporations. In less than 30 days the “OCCUPY WALL STREET MOVEMENT” had gone international. Time will test its endurance. On the other hand, as far as … Continue reading »

I WAS THERE FOR THE 1ST REAL REALITY TV…

You should know my oldest son is a talented photographer and, to prove it, he’s won his share of awards and takes his cameras with him almost all the time. A few days ago he took this picture in an airport on his way to boarding a plane. That evening he emailed me the picture. … Continue reading »

TRUST ME WITH MORE THAN YOUR OLD PUSH AND SHOVE LAWN MOWER

When I graduated from 8th grade in 1957, my parents gave me a Wirgin 35mm camera. Included were 2 rolls of black and white film, I think they were 24 exposure rolls, a shiny brown leather custom fitted cover with a matching leather strap and a collapsible flash attachment with 6 flash bulbs that looked … Continue reading »

OUR ATTIC NEEDS A LAXATIVE

If you don’t have an attic, don’t read this. If you have an attic, I hope your attic doesn’t need a laxative as bad as mine. Going into our attic is not a trek for a beginner. I told my sons, “Never go into our attic alone. Always take me with you; I’m afraid something … Continue reading »

A PAINT BALL GUN…WHO DO YOU TRUST? WHO DO YOU RESPECT?

A couple of days ago, someone put the barrel of a paint ball gun to my forehead and screamed, “You better tell me who’s gonna be on the ballot in the presidential election, or, you’re gonna be purple. And, don’t get cute, either.” I told’m “Rick Santorum, Barack Obama and, maybe, Ron Paul. The really … Continue reading »

EVEN IF YOU’RE INNOCENT…

There was a short news piece on the national news several evenings ago about an individual asking for a DNA test to be completed on himself so he could be exonerated and finally be released from prison. So, I was curious to find out about exonerations, and the following are some things I discovered. A … Continue reading »

“…FOR ANOTHER $1,000.00 I’LL SHOW YOU HOW TO…”

The other day I went to my new car to get the owner’s manual to find an answer to a question about the built-in navigation system. I dreaded trying to find my answer in that stack of books, booklets, pamphlets and flyers. Finally, I gave up. And yes, I actually weighed it on my bathroom … Continue reading »

THE DEFINITION OF THE WORD POLICTICIAN IS UNSETTLING

At best, the definition of the word politician is unsettling. Definition number 2 for the word “politician” in the dictionary that came with my computer is “a person who acts in a manipulative and devious way, typically to gain advancement within an organization”. Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, page 911 (copyright 1983), has for its … Continue reading »

OUR SONS AT 3 AND 6

Back in 1976, can’t remember the exact day, a sunny summer day for sure, Billy was 3 and Jay was 6. I watched them playing in the backyard; you know those silly games little boys play. You never know what’s next. Boys, you sure know how to make us hold our breath. We like to … Continue reading »