This and That

Well after being awake at an abnormally early time for me of either 536am or 636am depending on whether or not the instrument of time-keeping had been sprung forward; I managed to catch a few more zzzzs a little later in the morning.

I now know officially that I am up and at 'em as I am drinking my first of many coffees that I will be having today. In my world, having that first cup of coffee is a simple joy. It is just right. I am not sure how to describe it in any other way except to say that it is just so. I've noticed especially since I moved down here over 10 years ago how many people do not drink coffee in the morning. They'll go for sweet tea or coke or mountain dew or maybe just water. I can't see joy in that. LOL. Somehow I don't think that would be bring me a small moment of joy in the morning as that first coffee does for me. I may be wrong for the others but I don't think I am.

Anyways last night for a bit Harrison aka H was with his friend Eean aka E down at E's uncle place in Anderson. They had been there since late Friday night so I had the house to myself for almost 24 hours which was nice. Well not quite by myself as Jynx Jinx made her presence felt on several occasions. She did this my plopping her big body right on my chest as I was watching MLB TV yesterday afternoon or as I was napping on the couch. Or by going on one of her sneezing jags where she will sneeeze and sneeze and sniff and sniff until whatever it is that caused the major event in her life has stopped bugging her. Or by meowing to let me know that this poor cat is starving. If you have ever seen Jynx Jinx you would be quick to realize and assert the fact that this cat has never been short on food. LOL. I need to set up my scanner and get a picture of her as proof. Anyways suffice to say that she is rather well-fed. I think she is just paranoid!

So eventually I decided to make some pasta for myself and for H & E if they were going to make it back from Anderson. You know I've never been to Anderson. I've been to the Jockey Lot down there on I85 but I am not sure if that qualifies as being in Anderson. If it does, it therefore means that I have been to Anderson. Let the pigeons loose! If not, the next time I head south on I85 I will stop in somewhere in Anderson grab a coffee or a bite to eat and then knock that item off my bucket list. LOL!

Back to making pasta. Stay on track Schlewing! So I made a small batch of sauce. It isn't exactly homemade but I do add ingredients to whatever bottle of sauce I am using to make it seem homemade. Typically I am adding a combination of ground beef, hot italian sausage, red chili peppers (the spice not the band), bay leaves, garlic, onion salt or powder and whatever else catches my eye in the kitchen. None of the quantities are ever measured so sometimes the sauce is meatier than other times or sometimes it is spicier than other times. All in all though it is pretty good I think. H concurs as he tells me that this is one of my better meals per his not so sophisticated palate. LOL. I made it with fusilli pasta. I actually had to look up the name. I have always thought of it as a corkscrew pasta. I guess one can see where H gets his food sophistication. The acorn doesn't fall too far from the tree. :o)

So anyways as I was preparing this sauce and pasta I finally started on a small project that I have put off for over a year. I am terribly disorganized at home and at the office. The manner in which I keep things sorted is truly atrocious. This could be paperwork. This could be pictures and mementos. It could be bills to pay or ignore until they have to be paid. It could be tax papers. It could be investment documents. It could be clean clothes or dirty clothes for that matter. It could be books and magazines. It could be CDs and cassette tapes. Geezus I just realized how much more disorganized I am than I thought I was as I started listing these things. I need help! LOL. Hmmmm perhaps I should refer to this as a large project. I have lots of them to do in my life and home. Lots of 'em.

So as the fusilli pasta was cooking on the stovetop I started putting all of my pictures in one container of sorts. These pictures have been loosely placed in different boxes since my move into my home in September 2009 and kept in my garage or bedroom. Or they were placed in different shoeboxes also kept in my garage and my bedroom. Two months ago, maybe three months ago I bought a plastic container to put all these pictures in a central place. Well I finally started to do this last night.

Cue the smiles! Cue the tears!

In between smiling and laughing at some of these pictures especially at various stages of Harrison's life; there were moments of intense sadness when I saw pictures of my parents or more specifically my Mom. She was by no means a saint or the perfect parent but she was my Mom and last night I missed her terribly.

One of the pictures that caused the waterworks to flow was one that was taken at Mom and Blaine's apartment on July 31, 1999. The picture was taken the day before I moved down here on August 1st,1999. I am sitting down in a chair having a bad hair day. LOL. I had some hair back then. My Mom is standing behind me giving me a hug of sorts. Looking at the picture transported me back instantly to that morning when it was taken. On one hand it was a day that I was "leaving" home for good (more on that perhaps in later blog) and on the other hand it was the day that my life became a bit more simple (more on that another time perhaps). Either way I started to cry looking at the picture and I am sniffling away as I write this down now. It's sad but at the same time remembering Mom is good. Putting it out here feels good as well.

I forget sometimes how much like I writing. How much I like expressing things in this format. Anyways it is time for my 3rd mug of coffee. It has taken 2 mugs to write this. It is a lot easier to read the finished product than to write them that's for sure. :o)

Triumph - Magic Power

Well 16 hours later since my last little bit of writing and I am back on YouTube listening to songs that I have down as favorites and then this wonderfully inspiring song by Triumph starts loading. The track is "Magic Power" released way back in 1981. It's funny that so many of the songs that I love, that touch me, that make me happy, that make me sad are over 20 years old. It seems to be statement against what is being produced and marketed out there these days. Anyways I am rambling off the point once again. LOL. Back to Triumph and "Magic Power".

"Then you hear the music and it all comes crystal clear. The music does the talking, says the things you want to hear." Isn't that what a song is supposed to do? It is supposed to touch you in a way that you can probably not express in such a way on your own. It's amazing that some songwriter out there knows your thoughts, knows your feelings, knows your humanity.

"The world is full of compromise, the infinite red tape...But the music's got the magic, it's your one chance to escape". That is exactly what I need a song to do for me sometimes. It allows me to feel the magic and allows me to escape the compromise and the infinite red tape (aka BS).

I'm so grateful for so many people that write and perform these three to ten minute pieces of music that help me on a daily basis. They help me smile. They help me cry. They help me feel. They have the "magic power".

Bob Seger "Turn The Page" 2004

I woke up an hour or so ago after falling asleep on the couch and decided to surf the net for awhile before calling it a night for a second time. As is usually the case I have to be listening to music while surfing and I decided to check out some videos on YouTube. You find some absolute gems on this site. This morning's nugget is a version of "Turn The Page" from Bob Seger's long overdue induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

The song is instantly recognizable from that opening wail from the saxophone segueing into "on the long and lonesome highway east of Omaha". I think that a sign that a song is a true classic is when it touches not just my generation or even the one before mine but the one that follows. If you happen to check Harrison's Ipod you will find the version from Live Bullet on it. I remember him telling me that the Metallica version didn't come close and that they should have just left it alone. I agree with the sentiment but at the same time Metallica released "Garage Inc." as a tribute to the songs and music that heavily influenced them. You have to give 'em props for that.

What is it about this song that makes it so memorable besides the understated musicality? The lyrics are about being on the road night after night. It isn't something that I can really identify with but going a little bit further you realize as you sing along or "playing the star again" that for about 5 minutes you become Bob Seger, you become a tired rock'n'roller, you become the lyrics. That is the true beauty of this song. You're driving down the highway, the song is playing full blast on the stereo and "echoes from the amplifiers are ringing in your ears".

I heard that Bob Seger is touring this summer. Sounds like a plan.