Down Time..

I haven't blogged much lately. I guess I just need the time to rejuice and rejuvenate. My father once said..."The depth of a man is not found in good times, the depth of a man is how he answers bad times and what becomes of those answers". Great advice. I have also been a bit under the weather and think that has finally passed. It has also been "get caught up on the movies I have missed nights".
Monday night was "Walk The Line". This is story I knew all about. In my early years (pre-Beatles), there were three big artists in my household...Hank..Johnny and Bob Dylan. So, as Johnny's carreer unfolded, I knew all about his temptestuosness, his drug addiction and his consuming desire for June Carter Cash. This was an excellent movie. Well acted and carried my attention through the flick. Hard to believe that Resses and Jouquin sang the parts so well. Maybe a hair too long, but great entertainment. Raley's rating B+
Last night was "A History Of Violence". a fine thriller with my man Viggo playing a mild mannered restaurant owner in Indiana trying to deny his past as a mob guy in Jersey. When a kill or be killed incident happens in his reataurant, all of his back demons appear. This is an excellent movie with Maria Bello looking and acting awesome. Raleys rating B+ except for the ending which lowers it to a B. Tonight, it's "Batman Begins" and the new "Wallace and Gromit" movie. I'll let you know.

Gimme a Break...all day long

Enough..enough already with the same commercials shown ad nauseum through the tournament. Watching last night, I kept score...in 20 minutes we saw 18 :30 commercials. I understand advertising, I know the concept of "branding", but if I hear Coach K talk about "trust" one more time while shilling for Chevy or those two Applebee clowns again, I'm gonna hurl.

What A Week...

It looks like I picked the wrong year to quit drinking...
Well, what a week. Devastating news on Monday and as I looked to the NCAA tournament to take my mind off things, my bracket is shot. Northern Iowa...gone. Southern Illinois...gone. Could Billy Packer be right? Say it isn't so. I would like to personally commend my Iowa Hawkeyes for being the first 3 seed to be booted. As The Talking Heads once said...."same as it ever was...same as it ever was..". Hey, Steve Alford, you can leave now. You beat Ohio State but then get beat by Northwestern State, whoever the hell they are. Such a bunch of underachievers. Indiana wants you and the folks who went to Iowa don't.

My Lord

My Lord God,

I have no idea where i'm going
i do not see the road ahead of me
i cannot know for certain where it will end
nor do i really know myself, and the fact that
i think that i am following your will does
not mean that i am actually doing so
but i believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you
and i hope that i will never do anything
apart from that desire
and i know that if i do this, you will
lead me by the right road though i may
know nothing about it
Therefore will i trust you always
though may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.
i will not fear, for you are ever with me
and you will never leave me
to face my perils alone.

It was Almost 20 Years Ago (Damn)!

A fine ballot stuffing endeavor.
I'm all the way on the left at the bottom. There are only about 9 people left there from this picture.

Post Number 228

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends." --- Oscar Wilde

When I Find Myself In Times Of Trouble...

...Mother Mary comes to me. You know, its funny. Why is it that whenever we are dealt a bad hand or a challenge is thrown our way, we retreat into the comfort of God's grace? And isn't it amazing that God has Grace? Isn't that what separates Christianity from the other religions? The tenet of Grace. We are all forgiven. We are forgiven for our weaknesses. We are made stronger through the loving arms of our Father. This is the mystery of faith.

My prayer

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love, that has been given to you....
May you be content knowing you are a child of God....
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.

...And Just Like That....

It's Over. I am no longer employed by Learfield. This stuff happens fast huh? No need to go into particulars, let's just say this doesn't feel or look right.
I am not sure wha' happened, but it doesn't matter now. Anyone know of a gig for a decent guy who likes to work hard? On to the next chapter in my life. I made some good acquaintances there and I will miss those people. Of course, with any job, there are those that I won't miss. I wonder if any pro teams need an affiliate relations guy. I will probably not post for a bit, need to let things be.
Bummer.

Metaphysical Crap

I couldn't sleep last night (so what else is new?) and I got to thinking about what happens after you die. Where so you go? Do you go to heaven if you believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ? That's what the mystery of faith is about. But, what is in heaven? Your ancestors? Is there a heaven for Buddhists? Muslims? Could there be a chance to stand in front of God and say "Dear Lord, if you could just give me one chance to live one part of my life over again, I would do it differently"? If given the chance, where in your life would you like to go to change one thing? I think I know. High school. Instead of floating through, I would have paid more attention, gotten that degree and probably be teaching by now, hopefully with a Masters from somewhere. I also would wonder if God would allow us to go "exploring" through the universe. What's out there beyond Pluto or whatever the new planet is named? Are there more like us? Questions...questions.

oUr OwN OdDiTiEs

This monstrosity is just east of Kearney NE on Interstate 80. It is some monument to westard expansion or Lewis and Clark..no wait, they didn't go that way. OK, OK, it's a monument to Buffalo Bill or The Pony express or something

A Milestone

Over 4,000 hits on this website in less than 2 months. Who's reading this garbage anyway?

Pictures From the Road

A house in the middle of nowhere. It would take a special breed to live THERE.

The road to nowhere. The Sandhills NE.

Lots of migratory birds in one place in Western Nebraska

Lake Michigan as seen from Sturgeon Bay, WI. in early March

Random Musical Musings

Have you ever had a tune in your head that absolutely won't go away? I have had the same f%^king song go through my head for the last three days. Problem is, I HATE THE SONG! Probably my least favorite song from one of my favorite bands. "Faithfully" by Journey. Gag me with a pitchfork. Now, if it was "Of A Lifetime" or something from "Infinity", OK. But why that crappy song? Oh well.

Man, I have heard the Spin Doctors on the radio a lot lately. I wonder why.

Being out of "Classic Rock" radio for awhile has allowed me to enjoy some old worn out songs lately. I was driving back from Springfield and I heard "Turn the Page" by Bob Seger on the radio. I played that song to death and every time it came on, I would turn down the speakers in the control room. I enjoyed hearing it the other day. Only once, though.

Brush With Greatness Part 6?

Yes, that would be Vince Neil and myself. Uh, I'm the guy on the right...nice mullet.

Ben Stein's Memo

From my friend Kool Karl:
Ben Stein wrote this memo and read it on the "Early Show" right before Christmas this past year. Is anyone listening...anyone...?...Bueller?

Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important? I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife.
Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. If this is what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.
Next confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke, it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Poppy, Aspen and Jess

My girls and me. March 2 2006

Real Life Family Does The Simpsons Intro...

A real life family takes on the Simpsons intro...
and it's awesome. Click here.

Tommy Bolin

This guy had it all. He was one hot shot guitar player, had one beautiful, sweet and kind girlfriend and people were just starting to notice him. His obituary says it all ...click here
I first heard Tommy Bolin on the Billy Cobham LP "Spectrum".

I had never heard a guy play THAT fast and be THAT good. He played on two albums for The James Gang (took Joe Walsh's place)



and Richie Blackmore's place in Deep Purple

He took the place of two of the most famous guitar players ever (not bad).

I dated his girlfriend about nine months after he died. She was one of those girls that you knew you could never keep, but I enjoyed our time together and I think she did, too.
His first solo LP is a masterpiece...

and his second was a bit disappointing but featured his cult hit "Post Toastee"

"don't let your mind post toastee"... but he did.
My five favorite Tommy Bolin songs (I have excluded everything from "Spectrum", because that just wouldn't be fair)
1. "Savannah Woman" from Teaser. What a guitar player.
2. "Alexis" from The James Gang "Bang". Great song, great solo.
3. "Must Be Love" from The James Gang "Bang". Almost a hit song
4. "Wild Dogs" from Teaser. Intense wall of sound.
5. "Teaser" from Teaser. Motley Crue did a horrible remake of this song.
Right after he died, my friend Mike and I drove from the Quad Cities to Sioux City, saw his grave (it was still fresh), smoked a fattie and left. This past week, I was in Sioux City and with the help of one of my affiliates, found his grave...
Tommy is buried next to his mother and his brother. A very unassuming plot in Calvary Cemetary. I didn't remember where it was from so many years ago, so I asked a guy who worked there and he took me right to it. I thanked him and he said that about five or six people a year come and ask where it is.

My favorite quotes about dogs...

"Zelda" 1988-2004

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.-Anonymous

Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.-Ann Landers

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.-Will Rogers

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
-Ben Williams

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves
himself.-Josh Billings

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.
-Andy Rooney

We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made.-M. Acklam

Dogs love their friends and bite their ene mies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate.- Sigmund Freud

I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.-Rita Rudner

A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three
times before lying down.-Robert Benchley

Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog.-Franklin P. Jones

If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have
known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.-James Thurber

If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise.-Unknown

My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money.-Joe Weinstein

Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul -- chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!-Anne Tyler

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.-Robert A. Heinlein

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
-Mark Twain

You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'Wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'
- Dave Barry

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
-Roger Caras

If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your
pocket and then give him only two of them.-Phil Pastoret

Working at the Drive In Theatre

One of the coolest jobs I ever had was when I worked at the SEMRI (Silvis, East Moline, Moline, Rock Island) drive in located on 10th street in Silvis Il. I worked there in the summers of 1971 and 1973, when drive ins were the cool way to spend a Friday or Saturday night. Now, the SEMRI was different than the MEMRI because the MEMRI was in Milan, hence the anagram...

The SEMRI, MEMRI and three other drive ins in the Quad Cities were owned by Redstone Theatres (owned by gazillionare Sumner Redstone) and took a great deal of pride in what they did. In fact, they were sticklers about everything...attitude, cleanliness, and appearance (I had to cut my hair). This drive in held 800 cars and my first memorial day in 1971, "Vanishing Point" with Barry Newman was playing and the place SOLD OUT! The admission was cheap; two bucks or a carload for eight bucks. I lived about two miles from there and would ride my 10 speed there, do my job, then ride home every night very late (and I would weekly get stopped by the cops for curfew until they knew my name). My job from March until October consisted of a number of things...directing people into the right cashier lane in front. That was the place that I got to see a number of cool cars. Camaros, Challengers, Chevelles, GTOs, Barracudas and usually got into a conversation with a number of the drivers (and got a free look at some beautiful girls, hey come on, I was 15)! I patrolled the fence, to make sure no one jumped it, although in 1973, I found a hole in the fence and charged everyone a joint to come on in. I had quite the collection for later in the evening! Yes, I was the guy who would chase you down when I saw your friend getting out of the trunk and I was the guy that kept people from sneaking in the exit. One night, I caught a whole carload of people sneaking in and I told them that federal law required that I had to charge them double the admission price. They paid, I kept the 16 dollars. Working concessions were a blast, seeing these people come in the bright lights half asleep, high or JBF'd. Everything stopped at intermission, and you reported to the concession stand. There were fights and sometimes lines out the door. One of my favorite jobs was cleaning the lot the following day after a huge night. I found syringes, bags of feces,(those were fun in July and August) money (once I found a $50 bill, too bad for them), drugs, anything and everything you could imagine. I would set the radio up, get my trash cans and work for 4-5 hours during the day. My workday would be 12noon to 4pm cleaning the lot and then 6p-1 or 2a working the movie. All for $1.15 an hour in 1971 and $1.35 an hour in 1973. There were a few movies that would be released and then held over for a number of weeks. I remember when "Woodstock" came out, we played it for four straight weeks. I Know every line of dialogue by heart. "Live and Let Die" was another biggie. "Big Jake" sold us out over the WHOLE labor day weekend. I really enjoyed the gig but by then I got a 20 cent raise to join my mother in the restaurant business. The land it sat on is now a subdividion called "Semri Acres" or something like that. The name lives on. In the Quad Cities, the name SEMRI is legandary.

Favorite Time of the Year

It's called March Madness and I am hooked for the rest of the month






This is me dunking, BTW. (and then I woke up)






Who to root for and assure that team certain doom? As much as I hate Duke, they will probably win. Wouldn't it be great if a team no one expected to win, won? How about Nevada, Gonzaga? My older brother goes to church on the Gonzaga campus (yes, I have had Mass in that church, very cool). What about the Hawkeyes? Nah. Illinois won't get it this year. That's the cool part of March Madness, you never know. So who to root for? I sure like the teams from the Valley, but I am not sure. Northern Iowa? That would be great but, I don't think they have the guns to get by a North Carolina or Kansas. I will have more on this later.

Applebee's, North Platte Nebraska

I used to be a waiter. And a cook. And a busser. And a host. It's a tough job. Sometimes, when I am on the road, if they are a good candidate, I will engage a conversation with a waiter (or, more likely a waitress, hey, what can I say?). I met a young lady named Amber tonight, she was very perky and seemed happy. As the meal went along, I asked her a few questions...like "If you could go anywhere in the country for five days, where would you go?" "Hawaii" she said, with no hesitation. "I would take my husband on the honeymoon we never got to have." Very nice. After a return visit to the table; I asked her what she did other than being a waitress. "I went to school for awhile, but my husband just got back from Iraq and I wanted to spend more time with him, he came back pretty banged up." Whoa, I didn't expect that. Then to top it off, I asked her if she could have dinner with anyone she wanted dead or alive, who would it be? "My dad, he died in Desert Storm." Shit.
I now felt terrible. I never try and judge anyone, I can't imagine what it would be like to walk in someone else's shoes. She brought me the bill, it was $13.66. I left her a $13 tip. If Learfield doesn't cover it, I will.

Two down, who's next..? (an update)

Well, there's three. Dennis Weaver was just cool. I first remember him on Gunsmoke (a show watched religously by the Raleys) and then McCloud. My favorite performance of his was in "Duel". He played a guy on bad side of a trucker. Steven Speilberg's first film, if I remember correctly. He was 81.

Darren McGavin. This was a great actor. "Kolchak:The Night Stalker" was on for one season. I loved that show. He also had recurring roles in Gunsmoke, Dr. Kildare, The Virginian and more. He was 84

Don Knotts. Thanks, Barney, you were a bigger part of my childhood than just about anyone. I loved your movies, too. He was 81.

An Incredible Story...

An autistic manager of a high school basketball team plays in the last game of the year for a high school in Rochester New York. He hits six straight three pointers and scores 20 points in four minutes. I shed a tear watching this..
Here's the story.
Sports CAN be good.

Keith, Karan and Max

A very nice surprise last week when I found out my friend from 5th grade(65-66) Keith Freeman and his lovely wife Karan along with their son Max were in the area. A greater surprize was the fact they were going to be close to a town that I was going to be close to at the same time I was going to close to the town that they were going to be close to.(?) So, a meeting in the lovely village of Lasalle-Peru Illinois was on. They were going from the Quad Cities to Chicago. I was on my way from St. Louis to Wausau WI. Keith and I first met on Campbell's Island, East Moline,IL. Now, Campbells Island was NOT the most affluent part of the city. In fact, I would say that growing up there was a bit "challenging". It was a very rough part of town. Keith and I both "escaped", he before high school, me after sixth grade. Keith is a success in Orlando, has a beautiful wife and now, at the ripe old age of 50, has a 6 year old. He is a better man than I.


I remember one time playing football (yes, tackle footall), he hit me so hard, I blew a snot bubble in front of everyone. I.still.remember. Thanks, Keith!

Travellin Tunes Madison-Monroe-Beloit-St. Louis

On the CD player in my rented car...

Not one of their greatest but by anyone's else's standards, an awesome piece of work.


His newest hasn't clicked with me yet.


This is an old friend that I can't get tired of. Bought it after hearing it in a headshop in Moline circa 1974.

Food For Thought

THE MAN!
I was in a conversation the other day with a friend of mine and he said he thought that if Jesus were alive today he would be a conservative due to his opposition to abortion. I am a Christian man. I have accepted the Lord and believe he is my saviour and salvation. Yes, I am also a sinner, but I believe that Jesus loves ALL of us, regardless, as long as we stand before him and accept his message. I asked my friend if he was in favor of the death penalty and he said he was. Would Jesus be? Pro-life is pro-life. He thought that Jesus also said .."an eye for an eye". I am not a biblical scholar but I thought that was an Old Testament saying, long before Jesus arrived. I think Jesus said "turn the other cheek". Jesus also said something like...(see the beatitudes comment on this post)...blessed are the poor, the meek and the down trodden for they will inherit the Earth." I think he also said something about blessing the peacemakers, too. That doesn't sound like Washington to me, does it you? Yes, I believe in protecting the unborn, but then when they are born into poverty or unfortunate circumstances, we can't abandon them then, can we? I have no answers to the question, but I think MY Jesus is a tolerant, loving God that believes in mercy, grace and forgiveness. Forgiveness...I think that's what separates Christianity from the other religions. The act of forgiving. Anyway, I don't even think Jesus would be hanging on this continent. He'd be in Africa or somewhwere hanging with the AIDS patients, this millenium's lepers. BTW, do we really believe he was fair haired with blue eyes? Please. I think he probably was a bit darker and shorter than we think and with a black beard rather than brown. More swarthy, I guess is how you would put it; maybe like this...

Travellin Tunes

From St. Louis to Wausau to Sturgeon Bay to Fond du Lac tunage....

At one time, I thought this was a great album...it doesn't hold up well



High school days, another one that sounds dated.



What can you say, this one was his best and an absolute killer.


A classic album. Nuff said.



Rick Wakeman's first band. Mellow and sweet.

50 plus 5 days

I turned 50 on Friday. I am not sure how I feel about that. I am pleased on where and how my life has turned out so far. I have riches that no man should ever have, but then I keep thinking..why did I go to KC? St. Louis? What would have happened if I had stayed in the Quad Cities? Denver? How different would my life have been? What if I had stayed married to my first wife? Married Tammy? It boggles the mind to think how different the whole thing would have turned out. I figure I have 25 good years left. that's cool, but I remember my life 25 years ago. It seems like yesterday...