"To Everything..."

Turn, Turn, Turn...

There is a season,

Turn, Turn, Turn...

And a time to every purpose under Heaven...

A time to be born, a time to die...

A time to plant, a time to reap...

A time to kill, a time to heal...

A time to laugh, a time to weep...

Who would ever have thought I would have learned about a book in the Bible from The Byrds...???

Anyway...

Yesterday, February 22, was the 18th anniversary of my Dad's Death... things like this linger with me..

Infant Daddy

14 yo Daddy

I love you, Dad...

I am so glad you are not here to see

what this family has become.

Valentines Day was Ground Zero of the mess that was to change my Life...

Elsewhere...

Yesterday was National Margarita Day... but I didn't write or participate...

However... 

Today...

I received some terrible news...

It's about my Buddy, Scooter...

He's dying...

My last post about him was earlier this month

and you can find it

HERE.

He has a blood clot that is blocking one of his ventricles...  the doctor is of the opinion that Scooter would not survive the surgery necessary to remove the clot.  He has been placed in Hospice Care... He doesn't have long to live...

... and I am devastated...

I took this photo of Larry not too long ago...

I think it reflects his whimsical nature...

I asked his family  if he wanted me to drive 

down and spend time with him...

He said, "No"...

As hard as it would be for me, he is preparing 

for the more difficult, uncertain journey...

So... I went to my favorite Margarita place today... 

and in honor of Larry...

Drinks For Scooter

I ordered two margaritas...

the waiter looked at me...

"two, señor??"

"Oui... two..."

One for me... One for Scooter...

... but I knew he wasn't going to be here this time.

So... I am waiting for a phone call...

I love you, Scooter...

You're my pal.

~shoes~

"Love Stinks..."

Yeah Yeah...

It's not that I am really Anti-Valentine's Day...

Sometimes, I just like being difficult...

Imagine that...

I guess it's kinda like being a 'contrarian' in the stock market... just taking an opposing position as to what everyone else is doing...

For some reason, Blogger won't accept the imbed code for this video... so just click HERE to see and hear the video...  

I've never been good at relationships...  I think I am a nice guy and all of that, but for some reason, they just haven't ever worked... lasted.

Of course, nothing last forever...

I'm sure that it doesn't help any that on Valentine's Day, back in 1996, my Dad suffered a stroke... and died 8 days later... If you have read any of my previous posts about this and the resulting train wreck that became the next year and a half of my Life, you know that I recognize this date as the onset of all of that mess.

... and on that note, when I was leaving work yesterday, my stalker was parked in the faculty parking lot... and drove off as I exited the building. Odds are she's been watching for some time... and I just have let down on my vigilance...

I have to be more aware of my surroundings...

I will wear my shoes and tie to work today...

Happy Valentines Day...

Really...

~shoes~

"Crazy Wimins..."

Or...

WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

Look.. on a good day, I'm a fairly average person...

Average looks...

About the nicest trait I have going for me is that I am a nice guy...

... I do have my Mother's beautiful eyes.

But that is it.

I  don't perceive myself to have ego issues...

I've held my job at the university for twenty-five years...

I've received a few honors along the way...

I like bow ties and  cowboy boots...

... and cowboy hats and fedoras.

I have a great deal of fun with the way I dress.

I'm nice to people.

Anyway, my stalker is back.

Saturday, I was leaving my house to go shopping... I needed to run some errands.  As I'm walking to my vehicle, I notice this car driving by... and it's her.  I've written about her in the past.

I go ahead and get into my vehicle... and look... she has stopped at the four-way stop sign just down from my house... and is just sitting there.  So... I am waiting for her to drive away... and she just sits there.  Finally, I decided to leave and drive the opposite direction.  She is still at the stop sign when I reach the intersection where I want to turn.  This really annoys me to no end. I thought I was rid of her.  Has she been watching me... following me... keeping tabs with me the entire time?

Rose, the stalker

'Two and a Half Men'

I am angry about this.

I don't necessarily feel victimized by this, 

but I am greatly uncomfortable.

I am going to start paying attention to what is happening around me... and start taking notes... and documenting with my phone camera.  My next step, I guess, will be to consider a restraining order, if she is indeed following me.  Sure, there are a ton of reasons why she could have been driving down the street where I live... but there isn't many reasons as to why she would sit at the stop sign and watch.

If I feel this compromised... and I'm a guy, I can only imagine what a woman must feel when this kind of mess happens to her.

There is more to this story, but this is enough for now... I am still processing the other event.

~shoes~

"It Was Twenty Years Ago Today..."

Sgt Pepper taught the band to play...

They've been going in and out of style...

But they're guaranteed to raise a smile...

Well...

As usual...

... I'm calling bullshit on that...

because...

... it was 50 years ago tonight that The BeaTles appeared on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' for the first time!

See...there was this band from England... from Liverpool...

Stu Sutcliffe, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, 

Tommy Moore, George Harrison

(L-R)

... and contrary to popular opinion, they were not an over-night success...

These guys had worked hard at plying their trade...  learning their licks.

Pete Best, George Harrison, John Lennon, 

Paul McCartney, Stu Sutcliffe

(L-R)

These guys spent a great deal of time playing various clubs... and traveling to Germany, where they actually started earning critical acclaim.

Stu Sutcliffe

Original Bassist

The band had two different members at this time... Pete Best on drums, and Stu Sutcliffe on bass guitar.

Pete Best

Original drummer

In the photos at the beginning of this post, one can see McCartney posing with guitars... not his bass.  1962 seemed to be a pivotal year for this group... Stu Sutcliffe died from a brain aneurysm... and Pete Best was unceremoniously fired from the band.

In 1961, a young fellow by the name of Brian Epstein sold himself to members of the band... convinced them that he could take them to the 'next level'... and the members of the band believed it... they hired him.

Epstein and The BeaTles

These guys did quite well under his leadership... Epstein was playing Hell finding a studio that would sign his band to a recording contract... Epstein eventually met this fellow...

George Martin

Martin worked at a recording studio and had been introduced to Epstein.  It was Epstein's zeal that convinced Martin to sign them to a contract... even though every other British label had declined them.

If there was one person that was critical to the success of this band... this group of musicians... it had to be George Martin.  In the earliest recording sessions, Martin did not care for Pete Best's drum work... and recommended he be replaced.

Martin was a classically trained musician... and was able to 'hear' changes that needed to be made to their recording efforts.  It was Martin's idea to add strings to 'Yesterday,'... something to which McCartney was opposed.  It was also Martin's idea to use a piccolo trumpet solo in 'Penny Lane'... McCartney hummed out the melody he wanted... Martin transcribed it, and they hired a classically trained trumpeter, David Mason, to record it...

In all of the rhetoric about a so-called 'fifth BeaTle'... if there was indeed one, it was George Martin.

Anyway... I've digressed...

Fifty years ago tonight... The BeaTles were on American TV for the first time... and things haven't been the same.  If you weren't alive then, you can't understand.  That's about all I can say about it.

We Americans were only three months removed from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy... political turmoil... brink of nuclear war with the Soviet Union... racial strife...

... and here these guys come a long...

... and I fall in love with music and guitars...

It appears that the powers that be have become possessive of
the Ed Sullivan videos... This clip is  from December, 1963...

Need I tell you how quickly this 50 years has passed?

I feel old...

Hell... I AM old...

Peace...

~shoes~

"The Sunshine Came Softly..."

Through My Window Today....

So... I'm sitting... reminiscing... and for some reason, 

Donovan ran through my mind...

He was a flash in the pan for a short period of time...

or so it seemed.

But what GREAT music he recorded!!!

This was one of my mostest favoritest Donovan songs.

"Sunshine Superman"

Critics claimed he was trying to be another 'Dylan'...

I didn't buy it.

Did you know that Jimmy Page was a session guitarist on this song?

And what about this one?

"Mellow Yellow"

"They Call me Mellow Yellow..."

What an incredible time to be alive and experience this great music first hand!!!

And then this one...

"Hurdy Gurdy Man"

AUGH!!!!

TURN IT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It  just seemed that at this time one great song after another was being released by some of the most talented musicians...

Tell me about your favorite musicians...

Please...

~shoes~

"Scooter..."

Scooter

I've written about my buddy, Liam Larry,aka Mageever, aka Scooter, aka Lars, aka a ton of other names, aliases, and made-up names he has used down through the years....

When I took the photo above... and later showed it to Scooter, he was disappointed... because he said he was sure he looked more like Brad Pitt...

Brad Pitt

Not Liam Larry

Uhhh... no, Scooter... you don't look like Brad Pitt.

I inherited Scooter back in January, 2006, when another friend of mine at work died.  He and Scooter were lunch-mates...  I guess, given that the lunch pool had dried up, he decided he would see if I would go to lunch with him from time to time...

He came by the office one day... I really didn't know him that well... and asked if  I wanted to go to lunch... I wasn't able to because I already had plans with my daughter... and I asked for a rain check...

So, the next week he comes by the office... and asks again f I wanted to go to lunch... and on this day, I wasn't able to because I had plans with my son... 

Not Liam Larry but definitely 

something he would do...

Liam Larry just went into a mini-tirade... he said that he knew I didn't want to get to know him... that I didn't like him... and just raged like a twat...

... and I told him....

OKOKOKOKOK

GODDAMMIT

IWILLGOTOLUNCHWITHYOUTHENEXTTIMEYOUASKME!!!!!!!!!

So.... the VERY next day he comes into my office...

... and wants to know what excuse I have on this day to not go to lunch with him...

and I tell him NONE... get your crap and lets go...

Goofy bastard...

Well... Scooter is in trouble...

He was admitted to the hospital just the other day with congestive heart failure...

... and today, Thursday, February 7, just about right now (7:15 AM, he will undergo surgery to replace a faulty heart valve (from 2 1/2 years ago) and hopefully be able to correct a problem with his aorta...

I'm worried for Larry... 

he's my buddy...

I'm praying for you, Scooter...

Get well so we can go get more margaritas...

~shoes~

PS:  Recent text messages I have received from his sister...

*dink* 
Larry has two young attractive nurses bathing him right now...
*dink*
He is smiling a lot...
*dink*
What a way to go...