Month: July 2005

• OJ is in the news again. No, he didn’t find the real killers, but allegedly he’s been pirating satellite TV. A federal judge ordered “the Juice” to squeeze out $25,000 in damages to DirecTV. Interestingly, gloves were not mentioned, Mark Furman doesn’t work for DirecTV, and Johnny Cochran was unavailable for comment, as he is dead.

• “NASA Says Discovery Looks OK to Fly Home” – OK, but is there vacancy on the International Space Station? I’ll catch the next one… Jeez, NASA also said they had the falling debris thing fixed, right?

• It looks like we will have an energy bill passed this year. The House/Senate compromise version provides $14.5B in tax breaks including $1.3B in tax breaks for conservation and efficiency programs like credits for buying hybrid gas-electric cars and home efficiency improvements for stuff like solar. However, solar heated pools are excluded, so shrinkage will remain a serious threat. The bill doubled down ($2.6B) for the oil and gas industries. In related news, today Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell reported quarterly profits of more than $7B and $5B, respectively. Yeah, that “profits” and “billions.” Finally, it aims to double the use of ethanol (made from corn) in gasoline to 7.5B gallons a year by 2012. Hmmm… Ethanol… Corn… Hey, isn’t that-there corn grown in the red states?

  Of course Republicans and Democrats lined up to praise and pummel. Rep. John Dingell of Michigan pontificated, “It is not a perfect bill, but it is a solid beginning to developing an energy strategy for the 21st century.” Homeboy Ed Markey, senator from Massachusetts somewhat disagreed, “This bill is packed with royalty relief, tax breaks, loan guarantees for the wealthiest energy companies in America even as they are reporting the largest quarterly profits of any corporation in the history of the United States.”

  If we could just find a way to harness the wind produced in the US Congress…

• Is there any way for Teddy Kennedy to come around on Supreme Court nominee, John Roberts? I doubt it, but if Mr. Roberts ever bumps into ol’ Ted at some DC party, two words might help: “Teddy! Shots!”

Do you ever wonder why you like the music you, uh, like? When it comes to Jay Farrar and Son Volt, I think the roots of my musical taste buds go back to the early 70’s when I caught Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young at the late, great Boston Garden… It was one of my first concerts and it was during the time of CSNY’s live “Four Way Street.” The record and the show were filled with social commentary in the music and the banter. Songs like “Chicago/We Can Change the World,” “Southern Man,” “Ohio,” and “Find the Cost of Freedom” were written because the authors believed they could change the world for the better, or maybe they were just pissed off. After all, Richard Nixon lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. “Four Way Street” has gorgeous harmonies, thoughtful song craft and blazing guitar work by Stephen Stills and Neil Young. I also longed to find a “Cowgirl in the Sand.”

Jump ahead about 20 years and Son Volt released “Trace” in 1995. It was his first record since the breakup of Uncle Tupelo, and it floored me. Recently pal Jeff said he was “in a different place” back then, and that Son Volt’s new record wasn’t hitting him the same way “Trace” or the Tupelo stuff did. Today I wrote him a one line email: “Keep listening. It’s getting great.”

I do understand what Jeff means when he speaks of being in “a different place.” At this time ten years ago I was hurtling through the cold emptiness of space, hoping it would miraculously become warm and support life. I was tethered only by the life in the fingertips of my children and a soundtrack of new music including Son Volt.

It’s early yet, but I think “Okemah And The Melody Of Riot” might be the best Son Volt record to date. I love the rocking guitars of “Jet Pilot” and “6 String Belief ,” but whether he’s singing a ballad like “World Waits for You” or experimenting with a psychedelic folk on “Medication,” Jay Farrar delivers.

As the record cover illustrates, Jay’s a little pissed off. The art resembles the grenade gripping hand on Green Day’s “American Idiot.” Current events are covered on “Bandages & Scars,” “Endless War,” oh, and “Jet Pilot” is all about “Dubya.”

Finally, there are the words. As a songwriter, Jay Farrar never lets me down:

Don’t even get me started on the live shows.

Last week General Motors reported its core North American auto operations had a loss of $1.2B in the second-quarter. This was in spite of their “Employee Discounts for Everyone” promotion that generated strong sales.

Ford also reported a loss of $907M in its North American auto operations. The Wall Street Journal reported, “GM and Ford are suffering in part because demand for sport-utility vehicles, some of their highest-margin vehicles, has slumped in recent months as gasoline prices have risen…”

What I ponder in this is why a 2005 Ford Expedition gets a measly 12 miles a gallon when Ford’s Model T got 24 MPG in 1908! Why hasn’t the automobile industry made advances in fuel economy similar to advances made in computer processing power? The PC’s most of us use today have far greater processing power and cost a fraction of the old room sized computers of the 1950’s and 60’s.

It seems GM’s only strategy to reverse their slide is to extract concessions from the United Auto Workers. Good luck with that.

In contrast to the plight of the Detroit Dinosaurs is Toyota. On July 1st, they reported their best first-half of sales ever in 48 years in the US. They are succeeding with fuel-efficiency and good value in their products. Toyota is pushing the efficiency boundaries further with their electric-hybrid engine technology. They started with a smallish Prius, but now offers hybrid versions of the Toyoya Highlander SUV and the 2006 Lexus RX 400h.

So what’s the answer? I’d like to see more tax incentives for individuals and businesses who want to invest in green energy sources, including hybrid vehicles. By some counts, we’ve spent over $182B on the war in Iraq. How much progress could have been made weaning ourselves off of oil if that money was invested in alternative energy like hybrids, hydrogen and solar? There once was a saying, “as General Motors goes, so goes the nation.” I’m not liking the direction of either.

I keep a Word file creatively named “Blog Ideas.doc” where I keep interesting (to me) items for touting, flogging or just rambling. It’s now up to 15 pages, and like a garden in the heat of summer, it’s badly in need of weeding. So while I search for a last-minute vacation house on Martha’s Vineyard, here they are… the weeds of my mind.

• I know that upon their election, President Bush and Vice President Cheney had to place all of their investments into a “blind trust” in order to avoid any conflict of interest. I’m guessing their oil saturated holdings are doing pretty well under their watch.

• The music industry has been whining for some time about “illegal” downloading being the primary cause of their declining sales. The Economist has a different take: “Perhaps the decline in global sales is indicative of a far greater problem for the music industry— consumers simply think that many of its products are just not worth paying for.”

• The Sound of Music at recently turned 40 and remains timeless.

• Ever since that fake commencement speech attributed to Kurt Vonnegut a couple years ago, I’m wary of them, but this year, the speeches by Steve Jobs and Senator Barack Obama (IL) are worth a read.

• I lust for an HDTV, but maybe I should wait for HD3d. Companies working on the technology include Deep Light, Dynamic Digital Depth and Real D. Until then, I like the flat-panel LCD’s by and LG, but I’m leaning toward the Dell 42” Plasma. At this point plasma delivers more value in the flat-panel category.

• A friend recently touched my heart with this: “A young woman seeks acceptance more than anything; the person she is turning from is the open heart she seeks.”

• This is true: “All you need to write a book these days is a computer and an enormous ego. The ego is the key, as it must be able to withstand the punishment of hundreds of hours spent alone working on something that no one in the world cares about except the person who is taking the time to make it exist.” – LEAH McLaren, writing in Toronto’s Globe and Mail…

• Vacation rentals on the Vineyard are expensive…

Yeah, just turn your computer off and look into the eyes of someone you love. If that’s not an option, just go outside. Pick up a book and read. Go to a gallery or museum. Catch a matinee. Take a walk. Go swimming. Drive to that seafood place and have fried clams. Pick up the phone and call someone you can talk to. No, not IM chatting… Talking… Speaking… Conversing… It’s very refreshing, even if it requires you to engage in an actual human interaction… For me, it is quite ironic that my computer addiction problem is not to avoid human touch, but to feel it. I can’t tell you how many times a day I check this thing to see if email has arrived from an internet dating service. It’s pathetic. I should be out, doing things I like to do, or at least cruising the produce aisle. Maybe then the hand of fate can actually come into play.

Yesterday a good friend of mine called. We talked for an hour! What I heard was that he was spending so much time on the computer, it was adversely affecting his relationships. I wonder if all this wasted time is actual addiction to the computer, or avoidance of the people? Interacting with a computer rarely results in rejection or judgement cast in ones direction. We are in complete control. Unless of course Comcast goes out. Then complete and utter despair ensues.

While the computer has made many mundane chores simple, it has impeded our contact with each other. Paying bills is a good example. When I was a kid, my mom would send me down to the Greenwood Pharmacy to pay our phone bill. That trek included all sorts of dealings with friends, neighbors, dogs, and the young chick at the pharmacy. It was a social event. So many of those are now history because of the computer. I mean, what will the long-term social impact be of people not going to record stores? It can’t be good. And don’t even get me going on Crack(Black)berries…

Recently my mom called just to say hi and catch up. “What, you haven’t been reading my blog?” I’ve got to get off this thing, and I will… as soon as I check patheticloserlookingforlove.com one last time…

I’ve spent quite a bit of time in metal tubes over the years. More than most, but far less than some. This particular alumimum pipe is bringing me home from Chicago, one of my favorite cities. It’s been a good few days mixing work and play. One night our group ended up at Buddy Guy’s Legends club. It’s a touristy place, but a room that undoubtedly has hosted some smokin’ nights of the blues. A couple bands played while I was there, and while the musicianship was competent, the bands lacked the fire I’ve grown accustomed to. Actually, maybe I was lacking the fire. No, it was them.

I guess where I’m going with this is how music affects us. Why is it that some music makes us want to shake our ass or pump our fist, while having no effect whatsoever on a person standing right next to us? I once heard someone say music afffects us differently depending upon where we are in our life. Maybe that’s why Pink Floyd’s “Animals” is so soothing right now as it streams out of iTunes and into my unsettled mind. David Gilmour’s slashing guitar is calming me…. It’s ripping. Tearing it up. Settling…

Before this it was “I’ve Been Dying” by the Bottle Rockets. I remember the first time I heard this song. It was as yet unreleased when the band played it and other cuts from “Brand New Year” at the 1999 South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin. I think Jeff was there with me at the old Liberty Lunch. I remember being bummed when Brian Henneman announced they’d only be playing new songs. I wanted to hear the hits! It was 50 of the most intense minutes of music I’ve ever experienced and I didn’t know one song. Our bands were that way… the Killbillies… the Ex-Husbands… I never saw them do a bad show… At that time in my life, their chords rang through me like electric shock through a heart struggling to beat. I don’t know if I ever said thanks. Well, Animals is over. Time for some Ryan Adams “Rock n’ Roll” and more angst tonic…

OK, so I wrote that last night on the plane on short sleep. My apologies for the drama… Today my new Shure E2c Sound Isolating Earphones arrived from my friends at amazon.com. These things rock! In addition to outstanding sound quality, they come with these “wraps” of that memory foam earplug material that expands to block out most external noise. Great for my next tube trip…

I faced one of the toughest decisions of my life today. It involved the future of my first-born child. She’s been struggling with some of lifes challenges and that’s resulted in a challenge I’m not sure I’m up to. Early this morning I was presented the options and recommendations. My mind soon filled with conflict, fear and doubt. As I sat, in a daze, waiting and weighing, I was approached by a lawyer that had once represented me. Chris DiSesa is a great lawyer, but first he’s a human being. I never felt like I had to take a shower after meeting with Chris. He’s decent and honest. He was recommended by Jeff’s father-in-law, another human/lawyer. Guys like that give me hope for the profession. As I told Chris the options I was facing, he didn’t comment or advise (he couldn’t), but his facial expression at one of the options hinted, “don’t do it.” Thanks Chris.

Later, when the gentleman in the black robe asked me what I thought, I remember saying, “I love my daughter,” but not much else. He then spent fifteen minutes trying to help my little girl. He spoke of his relationship with his own father and how while he strongly disagreed with him back then, he now understands that the actions of his father were taken out of love and for his benefit. His words overwhelmed me and I wept in the back of the chamber. There were a couple female clerks that followed suit. Someone handed me a box of tissues, but hey, I have limits… He asked what she wanted to be in the future. “A lawyer,” came the immediate response. “Really? A lawyer. Why is that?” “I’m good at arguing.” Amen to that, my girl. I hope she heard him when he said the path to that future is forming now. Most of all, I hope she felt the love and hope that blanketed her in that room.

Back in March I read an article by Robert McCrum in the Observer titled, “Who are you writing for?” The piece considered many possible audiences and included a wonderful answer from Robert Louis Stevenson penned in his in “Travels With a Donkey.” Mr. Stevenson wrote, “Every book is, in an intimate sense, a circular letter to the friends of him who writes it. They alone take his meaning; they find private messages, assurances of love, and expressions of gratitude, dropped at every corner. The public is but a generous patron who defrays the postage.”

I have a few family and friends that read this space. Some occassionally take the time to comment on the content. Family and friends. I’m glad they visit and I know they understand the “private messages, assurances of love, and expressions of gratitude.” Today I found out my audience is a little broader than I previously knew. However, this little segment seemed to express bemusement and ridicule at the contents herein. That stung a little, but I guess criticism is invited when expressing in a public forum. I enjoy writing and this place is an environment to practice and improve. This is my reality… What’s yours?

I’ve been thinking about clichés lately. It started last week when I was just another face in the crowd at a meeting. Yeah, we all have our crosses to bear. Anyway, there was a guy telling us about “drinking our own Kool-Aid” and “eating our own dog food,” all in the same sentence! Man, that was more fun than a barrel of monkeys. These folks were in to help us see the forest for the trees so our stuff will sell like hotcakes, but I digress.

From what I’ve read lately, it is embarrassingly cliché to say, “I love your eyes” to a woman. I guess if a woman possesses eyes that speak, she’s probably heard that one before. Ok. Noted. What I’m wondering is why some eyes express “More than all the print I have read in my life*,” while others seem either dispassionate or even just a window to a vacant lot?
* “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman, from “Leaves of Grass,” which went on sale July 4th, 1855.

Yesterday I was flipping through a book illustrating the work of artist Edward Hopper. I like Hopper. Others may not. Perhaps they like Mapplethorpe or dogs playing poker. While Hopper’s images are aesthetically pleasing to me, there’s an unexplainable range of emotions I feel when looking at some of his work. These pieces express emotions that I can feel. They speak to me. Just like eyes.

Hopper brilliantly portrays scenes of Americana. From Brooklyn to Cape Cod, he places us in the frame of a simpler time. He’s also a master of capturing light and women. One of my favorite Hopper prints hangs in our living room. It depicts both beautifully. At least in my eyes.

Friday I had a lunch date. We met around 11:45 and were seated at one of the many empty tables. Before my butt was even settled in the seat cushion, a waitress appeared out a puff of red smoke and and quickly barked out the lunch special of the day. I smiled and responded, “No thanks. I had Mexican last night.” Now first dates are a little nervewracking on their own, but this one was going to be challenged by strange “external stimuli,” as they say in Chemistry class. Politely, my lunchmate indicated we’d not yet looked at the menu. The oddly familiar waitress said, “Oh, OK. Take your time,” but she seemed to be hovering as she dashed to and fro. In fact, my date remarked about the level of bustling in the place.

43 seconds later the anxious woman pounced again with pad and pen. The inevitable drink order ensued, followed by a rapid-fire delivery of “all the lunches come with salads, so do you want Italian or Creamy Vinegarette?” I tried to explain the situation, but I don’t think she was very accepting of my excuse and she stormed away. So here I am, sitting across from a lovely woman, feeling incredibly pressured to ignore her and focus on the menu. We did managed to squeeze some conversation in between the moments of intense server interrogation, but based on some of the questions, I wasn’t sure the chat was going all that well.

The tension was building and I honestly think our server increased the intensity of the booths overhanging light in an effort to force us to talk. Finally, she broke us and we ordered salads. She rattled, “The salads come with salads. Do you want them?” “Um… No thanks.” I think we both felt pretty startled by the abruptness of this woman. I mean, I just couldn’t help help but feel at any moment she was going to push a James Bond like “ejector seat” button and jettison us into the parking lot. When our salads arrived 13 seconds later, I had to ask for a Splenda again. The waitress was clearly annoyed.

It was so bad that neither of us really ate much salad and my date kept indicating she wanted to leave. I really wanted to chat, but was haunted by the thought that this woman was back in the kitchen with a giant hourglass plotting a way to get rid of us. Suddenly we both felt oddly sleepy, so I suggested we retreat to a coffee shop next door. I was relieved the response was very positive. Even though we were taunted on our way out, once we got into the coffee shop, we spent a couple hours pleasantly chatting. I imagine Dorothy’s nemesis turned about 8 tables during that time…