I love this quote...

Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.
If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time.If you bike, pedal HARD... and if you crash then crash well.
Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done--a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old's nose, don't be disgusted if the Kleenex didn't catch it all... because soon he'll be wiping his own.
If you've recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you're eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven.
And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift

and as Warren Zevon once said ..."enjoy every sandwich..."

Our Fearless Leader

Christmas eve 1978. Living in a nice house in KC with two other guys. that's John Perucca in the background with his beautiful high school senior girlfriend Hattie.
Notice my shirt. Who knew? I think one of my friends should have probably said something about my look...like...man you are really ugly. Days gone by...sex and drugs and rock and roll...

KYLE RILEY 1950-2005

My bro, this is the way I will always remember you...not what you looked like the last time I saw you, ravaged, bloated, worn, and beaten down by chemo. Play one for me, bud will ya?

My family circa late 1976

This is the last picture that was ever taken of my dad. 3/5 of these people are dead. Look at the hair on that guy, huh?

Karl Malone Kicks Ass...

One of the greatest basketball players ever is a hero and a guy I wouldn't mess with. Neither did the feds. Read the story here:

Breaking Bonaduce

God help me, I watched two f&^king hours of this train wreck last night. This guy is a friggin lunatic. The "new" season starts with Danny getting out of rehab with a beautiful wife who won't sleep with him anymore because he had an affair. Roid rage personified. A train wreck I tell ya...but you can't turn away. I'm embarrassed.

11/11/05

I wanted to make sure that on this very special day in the Raley household, I posted something about the veterans of this country. Not only the veterans but the sons and daughters who never knew dad. I watched a show on the Vietnam Veterans Wall in Washington this morning and I cried for those whose father never came home. Most were too young, but one gal was eleven and she STILL couldn't talk about it. God bless all in the greatest generation, their sons and daughters and their sons and daughters who are now serving.
Do you ever wonder what might have been? What would have happened if...? I wonder what would have happened if JFK would have never been shot. Would the sixties as we know it existed? Vietnam? Civil Rights?
The same with Bobby. I think he would have killed Nixon in the election. What then? I was 12 when he died, I remember it as if it was yesterday...the names, Sirhan Sirhan, Rafer Johnson...

The Sandhills

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I travelled from Sidney to Scottsbluff to Alliance this morning. I left Alliance and travelled across the middle part of Nebraska through the Sandhills. It is so intensely awesome to travel some place where I have never been before. Literally miles and miles between houses and cars on highway 2. I saw a for sale sign for a ranch that had only 6200 acres. Bummer. In history class I always saw pictures of places like that

(even with the tumblin' tumbleweeds) but never thought I would ever see it in person. An awesome journey.

Broken Bow, NE

I must admit, this is one of the coolest places I have ever stayed. I thank my affiliate David Birnie for turning me on to the "Arrow Hotel" in beautiful (really)downtown Broken Bow NE. Not only does he oversee one of THE best classic rock stations I have ever heard but he has turned me on to this place. I can just picture people living in one of these apartments in the 50's and 60's. First class, very nice, a suite that is very fine and under $60. Tres cool.

My High-Tech Stereo(?)

Yes, I AM Mister Hightech. Hello and welcome to my world, a Marantz receiver dated 1973..


And a turntable circa 1972...


This Wollensak 8 track recorder would rival ANY reel to reel in it's day, and it still works...



Who needs digital? Music is music wherever you go...

Pics from the Road

The "Bad" River in northern Wisconsin.

The Budweiser Clydesdales Mizzou vs. Nebraska 10/2005

An original Pony express station, Gothenberg NE 11/2005


I have stations OUT HERE? cool.

November 8 2005

A fine day in central and western Nebraska, although I had to shop at Walmart twice. On the good side though, I had a Swiss Mushroom Runza. Runza's are awesome and I had fries and a soda to go with that. More time on the treadmill. I arrived in North Platte (conveniently located on the South Platte river) a bit early for my appointment so I went across the street to Merrick's Diner. I had a cup of coffee and a slice of blueberry pie. Who was the guy from Twin Peaks that liked pie? Kyle McLaughlanahan or somebody. Anyway, my mind went back to the time my mom managed a diner in downtown Moline, Illinois where I worked my friggin arse off. It reminded me so much of this place right down to the frying of the chicken for the afternoon special. Maybe the best $2.72 I have ever spent. In what other job would I find such bliss? None I know of.