Although I won’t be doing a Tribute to Dean Martin anywhere in my two sets (as the post title might imply), I will be playing live at Pizza Hut on I-40 (on the east-bound service road, between Coulter and Bell) in Amarillo (Centrally Located Between Two Oceans!™), on Wednesday, August 27th, from 10 PM to midnight. If you’re in Amarillo, I’d appreciate it if you’d stop by. Hopefully, this will be the first of many bookings in the Panhandle area.
Archives for 2008
Biden his time…
So after all the hype, all the speculation, and all the waiting, Biden’s the guy. Most of the pundits are asking the question “What does Biden bring to the ticket.” While that’s a question that certainly bears asking, I’d much rather go the other way, and ask “what does Biden take away from the Dem’s chances in November?” Fortunately, Biden is a known quantity – after all he was a candidate for President twice on his own – most recently this year.
In no particular order: [Read more…] about Biden his time…
A Musical Question.
As I’ve mentioned here before, I’m working on something that I’m pretty excited about. I still can’t say too much about it (I’m in the midst of submitting patent and trademark applications) but I can tease you a little bit with the name of the company. What I’d like to get is some feedback, particularly if you’re a musician (especially a fretted instrument player). In particular, I’m looking for information from individuals suffering from G.A.S. – Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.
The name of the company is GuitarFurniture, and you can visit our “coming soon” website at guitarfurniture.com. Without giving away too much, we’re going to be building fine furniture for your guitar. Our theory is that if you’re gonna spend $3,000 and up on a guitar, you’d be inclined to spend a little more to get a really great guitar stand for your instrument, instead of one of the typically cheap stands sold at most music stores. [Read more…] about A Musical Question.
Six of one…
When I was a kid, things in politics seemed much more simple. Republicans were the party of small government and low taxes. Democrats were the party of big government and big taxes. If you were for personal responsibility, you voted GOP. If you thought government had all the answers, you voted Democrat. Today, it’s not that easy. The GOP has been largely taken over by the RINOs (Republicans In Name Only), where conservative ideals and big government (and big government spending) have learned to peacefully co-exist. The Dems have been bushwacked by the lunatic left, with the George Sorros/MoveOn.org/DailyKos/Huffington Post crowd holding it hostage. [Read more…] about Six of one…
How to start each day with a positive outlook.
[Editor’s note: Mrs. Digital forwarded this to me, and I liked it so much I thought I’d share it with you.]
HOW TO START EACH DAY WITH A POSITIVE OUTLOOK
1. Open a new Word file in your computer.
2. Name it ‘Barack Obama’.
3. Send it to the Recycle Bin.
4. Empty the Recycle Bin.
5. Your PC will ask you: ‘Do you really want to get rid of ‘Barack Obama?’
6. Firmly Click ‘Yes.’
7. Feel better?
GOOD! – Tomorrow we’ll do Nancy Pelosi!
The “D” word.
Not to call the late George Carlin on his math, but there are a lot more than seven words that are unacceptable in polite company. I’m not talking about “cusswords.” No, those are fine on pay TV, and most have made their way into the lexicon of free TV and the networks. No, I’m talking about those Words That Shall Not Be Uttered. Some of these words are so inflamatory that even uttering them is taboo. Take the “N” word, for instance. (Of course, the “N” word is only verbotten if you’re a WASP. It’s apparently perfectly acceptable to use if you’re black.) Or the “F” word – again, it’s apparently okay in a movie, but not okay on basic cable. Then there’s another class of words – words that have become weapons. These are words that have become marginalized, with meanings that are narrowly-defined…words that are used to label opponents, verbally tar and feather them, within an inch of their (public) lives.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you “Discrimination.” [Read more…] about The “D” word.
CAUTION: Student Drunk Crossing.
College Students and alcohol have historically gone together like mac ‘n cheese, Abbot and Costello, and livers and cirrhosis. Stories about binge drinking seem to imply that this is something new. Nonsense. In the 20’s it was bathtub gin and speakeasies. Back when I was in school (late 70’s, for the record) it was beer by the pitcher at our local pizza parlour, or the infamous Jungle parties at the KA house. Drinking is nothing new. Neither are its effects. Recently, a number of college presidents have opined that lowering the drinking age (back) down to 18 would cut down on drinking. I have a few thoughts about that. [Read more…] about CAUTION: Student Drunk Crossing.
Slow News Day.
I was all set to write about all the exciting things going on in the world of politics today. And then…suddenly…nothing happened. (But it happened suddenly!) It must be difficult to be the news editor at one of th 24-hour news networks on a day like today. Most days in fact, I suspect the news biz is a lot like what they say (“they” being the Van Patten family) about pilots – long stretches of boredom, punctuated by a few moments of sheer exhileration and terror. Trouble is, the newsies still have time to fill – and fill it they do, mostly with low-cal filler, tripe, trumped up stories, and navel gazing. Even my personal fave, FoxNews, does far too many breathless stories on the fate of ___________ (insert the latest tragic dissapearance, murder, or sensational trial). Currently, it’s the missing toddler, Caylee Anthony. Like most of the rest of the country, I suspect she’s no longer alive, and that her mom had something (if not everything) to do with it. Still, we live in a country where you’re presumed innocent, so we must let the justice system take it’s own course. Not the news media, of course. They’ve got time to fill, and just because they have no real news upon which to report, they’ll just find a way to stretch what they’ve got to fill the time available. [Read more…] about Slow News Day.
Obama’s Saddleback Shuffle.
As a part of my agency, we own a teleprompter. Teleprompters are marvelous devices – even someone who can’t memorize their own name can look into the camera lens and read a script. It’s a great invention, but what it can do is to make someone who can act – but can’t think on their feet – seem as though they are something they are not. That’s why debates and interviews can be so revealing. And so it was at the Saddleback Church event. We’ve already learned that Senator Obama can give a great speech. We knew that at the last DNC convention, where he first emerged on the national stage. But giving speeches might help get you elected, but they won’t do much for you when you are being judged on your ability to make decisions that can affect the future of the world. [Read more…] about Obama’s Saddleback Shuffle.
A little blogging news.
I’m a big fan of blogging. Part of it is that I’m a writer – copywriting, techincal writing, correspondence, you name it. (Mrs. Digital keeps bugging me about writing the next Great American Novel. We’ll see.) Anyway, I’ve been gratified by the responses I’ve gotten, as well as the ever-increasing number of people that are reading my blog. Blogging is a lot like anything else you do – the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. One of the things I’ve learned, is that if you put a little work into promoting your blog with the blog aggregators and social networking services, you’ll dramatically increase the number of people that know about your blog – and if it’s any good, the number of people reading it. [Read more…] about A little blogging news.