This week's topic comes from Lin in Mainz Germany.
Blues
Blues Clues
The St Louis Blues
Memphis Blues
Mississippi Blues.
Blue Monday
Blue Bayou
My Blue Heaven
The Moody Blues
Blues from an Airplane
Suite Judy Blue Eyes
The Blues Magoos
The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock and Roll
Now we're getting somewhere. The Blues gave birth to rock and roll. Kids in the UK listened to American bluesmen and women and fell in love with the songs. They repackaged the music and put their own spin on it and the British Invasion was on. Legendary bluesman Big Joe Turner got it all going here in the USA. Here are a few examples - sit back, relax and enjoy.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Monday, November 9, 2015
American Sniper/San Andreas/Southpaw
Ah the joy of Pay-Per-View and On-Demand movies via cable. This past weekend I managed to watch a triple-feature composed of the above named movies. One of the reasons I do not venture out to the movies often these days is I have an excellent home theater system and movies tend to appear on cable within 6 months - typically.
American Sniper excited the right-wing here in America like no movie in recent memory. Every right-wing pundit was singing the praises of the film and whart a true American hero the central character of the movie was. I guess they saw a different movie then they did. I saw a strong anti-war movie that clearly demonstrated how devastating war is for the participants and their families. Bradley Cooper gave an outstanding performance as Chris Kyle - the most prolific sniper in US military history. Clint Eastwood offers a very clear look at the effects of war on participants and their family. I was very familiar with Kyle's story as he was killed in Texas when I lived there. I encourage anyone who has not seen this film to do so. It is excellent. Easily 5-stars out of 5.
San Andreas is what I affectionately call a popcorn flick Just sit back and relax with the beverage of your choice and a big bag of popcorn. Be prepared to have your senses assaulted by this special effects extravaganza. Check belief at the doorway to the kitchen as realism is a foreign concept in this one. This movie captured every known preconception folks have about earthquakes. I was particularly interested in this movie because I lived on the San Andreas fault for over 30 years that I* lived in California. Jokes about "the big one" were a regular occurrence. Occasionally there was a moderately big one - the last being the 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta quake the year the A's and Giants played each other in the World Series, October 17, 1989.
The affable star of this movie - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was even born in Hayward - my home base for most of the 30+ years I live ion the Bay Area. Needless to say, The Rock saves his ex-wife and daughter in spite of the odds against him. I rate this one a 4 popcorn bag out of 5 movie. Sit back, relax and enjoy the effects. It's a fun one.
Last up is Southpaw - a boxing movie. I do enjpoy a good boxing movie. The best performance in this movie is by Forrest Whitaker - one of my favorite actors. Jake Gyllenhaal as the "hero" is OK but guilty of overacting and trying too hard to show how good he is at his craft. The story is completely predictable. It is almost saved by the boxing scenes - they are very well done. They rival the original Rocky for their excitement and action.
If you're a fan of boxing films you'll probably enjoy this one. I rate it 2.5 gloves out of 5. It certainly beat mowing the lawn.
American Sniper excited the right-wing here in America like no movie in recent memory. Every right-wing pundit was singing the praises of the film and whart a true American hero the central character of the movie was. I guess they saw a different movie then they did. I saw a strong anti-war movie that clearly demonstrated how devastating war is for the participants and their families. Bradley Cooper gave an outstanding performance as Chris Kyle - the most prolific sniper in US military history. Clint Eastwood offers a very clear look at the effects of war on participants and their family. I was very familiar with Kyle's story as he was killed in Texas when I lived there. I encourage anyone who has not seen this film to do so. It is excellent. Easily 5-stars out of 5.
San Andreas is what I affectionately call a popcorn flick Just sit back and relax with the beverage of your choice and a big bag of popcorn. Be prepared to have your senses assaulted by this special effects extravaganza. Check belief at the doorway to the kitchen as realism is a foreign concept in this one. This movie captured every known preconception folks have about earthquakes. I was particularly interested in this movie because I lived on the San Andreas fault for over 30 years that I* lived in California. Jokes about "the big one" were a regular occurrence. Occasionally there was a moderately big one - the last being the 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta quake the year the A's and Giants played each other in the World Series, October 17, 1989.
The affable star of this movie - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was even born in Hayward - my home base for most of the 30+ years I live ion the Bay Area. Needless to say, The Rock saves his ex-wife and daughter in spite of the odds against him. I rate this one a 4 popcorn bag out of 5 movie. Sit back, relax and enjoy the effects. It's a fun one.
Last up is Southpaw - a boxing movie. I do enjpoy a good boxing movie. The best performance in this movie is by Forrest Whitaker - one of my favorite actors. Jake Gyllenhaal as the "hero" is OK but guilty of overacting and trying too hard to show how good he is at his craft. The story is completely predictable. It is almost saved by the boxing scenes - they are very well done. They rival the original Rocky for their excitement and action.
If you're a fan of boxing films you'll probably enjoy this one. I rate it 2.5 gloves out of 5. It certainly beat mowing the lawn.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Weekly LBC post - Sleep
This weeks topic comes from our resident Dame Quixote - Padmum. Sleep. It's something we all need and do.
Sleep has typically always come easy for me. Oh sure - there have been occasions when I have been unable to sleep and they do happen a bit more often as I age but I have been a good sleeper most of my life.
Wikipedia says "Sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, inhibition of nearly all voluntary muscles, and reduced interactions with surroundings" That works for me. The best part of sleep for me is dreaming. It's when I get to interact with my late wife among other things. I sweem to have little or no trouble remembering dreams - good or bad,
And then there is my sleeping partner of the last several years - my 60+ pound basset hound/collie mix Ginger. She has her own dreams chasing something or other nearly every night. She seems to enjoy that.
Need a break from the rigors of daily life? Try a nap. I find my attitude about naps in general has changed as I age. I suspect my grandkids are sleep experts. They have the uncanny ability to sleep the day away with regularity. I don't recall having that ability at their age.
That's my take on this weeks LBC topic, save for this last musical addition.
Sleep has typically always come easy for me. Oh sure - there have been occasions when I have been unable to sleep and they do happen a bit more often as I age but I have been a good sleeper most of my life.
Wikipedia says "Sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, inhibition of nearly all voluntary muscles, and reduced interactions with surroundings" That works for me. The best part of sleep for me is dreaming. It's when I get to interact with my late wife among other things. I sweem to have little or no trouble remembering dreams - good or bad,
And then there is my sleeping partner of the last several years - my 60+ pound basset hound/collie mix Ginger. She has her own dreams chasing something or other nearly every night. She seems to enjoy that.
Need a break from the rigors of daily life? Try a nap. I find my attitude about naps in general has changed as I age. I suspect my grandkids are sleep experts. They have the uncanny ability to sleep the day away with regularity. I don't recall having that ability at their age.
That's my take on this weeks LBC topic, save for this last musical addition.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Gray hair - LBC post
This week's LBC topic comes to us from Ramana. Gray hair. That stuff most men happily shout "better gray than gone!".
My hair started turning gray at about 18. It started with my sideburns - just touches of gray. Cool! I could order drinks in bars and restaurants from then on. And so I happily ordered Zombies and Singapore Slings along with beer. Coors was my favorite - after all, I did grow up in Pueblo Colorado. Well - allegedly grew up any way. My international beer quest began shortly thereafter - what the heck - it's always beer:30 somewhere!
The hair is a genetic gift from my mother's family - the Higgins' of New Mexico. We've all been blessed with manes of white hair. That'd be the Cadillac of gray hair IMHO. In fact when I reconnected with my great-aunt Blanch about 20 years ago, she looked at me and started laughing and proclaimed "You have to be Butch - laughing loudly. You're fat, have psoriasis and white hair. Your knees will go bad too. You're definitely a Higgins." The last time she'd seen me I was a normal 9-year old kid.
The genes make it tough to say I've earned every one of my white hairs but I'll say it anyway. And if gray hair is a sign of wisdom then I am a bloody genius. Ahem. OK -not so much. But until I trimmed my beard down to next to nothing just about every little kid looked at me in awe from Thanksgiving until Christmas. I've often wondered if that is why I never fell into that Happy Holidays political correctness trap here. It has always been and always will be Merry Christmas to me regardless of my religious views (or lack there of).
What eles is there to say about gray/silver/white hair? Well - Helen Mirren sure does rock it - as do James Brolin an Mark Harmon but I think I'll see what the other LBC bloggers think.
See ya next week - same bat time, same bat channel for another LBC post. And who knows what may show up between now and then.
My hair started turning gray at about 18. It started with my sideburns - just touches of gray. Cool! I could order drinks in bars and restaurants from then on. And so I happily ordered Zombies and Singapore Slings along with beer. Coors was my favorite - after all, I did grow up in Pueblo Colorado. Well - allegedly grew up any way. My international beer quest began shortly thereafter - what the heck - it's always beer:30 somewhere!
The hair is a genetic gift from my mother's family - the Higgins' of New Mexico. We've all been blessed with manes of white hair. That'd be the Cadillac of gray hair IMHO. In fact when I reconnected with my great-aunt Blanch about 20 years ago, she looked at me and started laughing and proclaimed "You have to be Butch - laughing loudly. You're fat, have psoriasis and white hair. Your knees will go bad too. You're definitely a Higgins." The last time she'd seen me I was a normal 9-year old kid.
The genes make it tough to say I've earned every one of my white hairs but I'll say it anyway. And if gray hair is a sign of wisdom then I am a bloody genius. Ahem. OK -not so much. But until I trimmed my beard down to next to nothing just about every little kid looked at me in awe from Thanksgiving until Christmas. I've often wondered if that is why I never fell into that Happy Holidays political correctness trap here. It has always been and always will be Merry Christmas to me regardless of my religious views (or lack there of).
What eles is there to say about gray/silver/white hair? Well - Helen Mirren sure does rock it - as do James Brolin an Mark Harmon but I think I'll see what the other LBC bloggers think.
See ya next week - same bat time, same bat channel for another LBC post. And who knows what may show up between now and then.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Bulk buying - LBC topic
Buy more, save money. That's the credo of discount warehouse companies like Costco, Sam's Club, Winco and many others.Costco is in fact one of - if not the most admired retailers here in the good old U.S.A. They offer goods and services ast hugely discounted prices and pay their employees quite well.
So - do you really save money? Well sure - as long as you use the goods and services before they spoil/expire. A deal isn't much of a deal if half of the food spoils. For that reason I no longer belong to any wholesale warehouses - I am not in the market for things they sell that would benefit me - furniture, computers, etc. In fact I doubt I will ever buy another computer at retail - they are about half price at the local pawn shop - lol. Someone's misfortune saves me a bunch, a sad but true fact.
I will confess to having ultra-large packages of toilet paper and paper towels but most grocery chains offer those things as well as milk and bread as ;loss leaders to get you into their stores. That is normal retail.
As one who enjoys cooking I find it more beneficial to shop more often - including daily - to ensure I cook with the freshest possible ingredients.
So - bulk buying can be a good thing if you are smart about it. Buy things you can reasonably expect to use and enjoy the savings. Or spend the savings on more stuff. The choice is yours.
So - do you really save money? Well sure - as long as you use the goods and services before they spoil/expire. A deal isn't much of a deal if half of the food spoils. For that reason I no longer belong to any wholesale warehouses - I am not in the market for things they sell that would benefit me - furniture, computers, etc. In fact I doubt I will ever buy another computer at retail - they are about half price at the local pawn shop - lol. Someone's misfortune saves me a bunch, a sad but true fact.
I will confess to having ultra-large packages of toilet paper and paper towels but most grocery chains offer those things as well as milk and bread as ;loss leaders to get you into their stores. That is normal retail.
As one who enjoys cooking I find it more beneficial to shop more often - including daily - to ensure I cook with the freshest possible ingredients.
So - bulk buying can be a good thing if you are smart about it. Buy things you can reasonably expect to use and enjoy the savings. Or spend the savings on more stuff. The choice is yours.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Family size LBC post
There's an old saying that says you can choose your friends, not your family. It is not completely accurate as my experience shows.
Most of uou know my last name is an adopted name as my mom remarried when I was about 8 years old. My birth father's last name was Brooke. My original birth certificate listed that as my name, In Colorado when you are adopted a new birth certificate is issued and so my current birth certificate lists my last name as McConvey.
It was only a few years ago that I first saw a picture of Paul Wesley Brooke. All I knew about him was my grandmother hated him and my mother has lied to me about him for years, telling me he died in the seventies. So I started looking in to him a bit. Turns out he was not a particularly good man - apparently a corrupt cop who spnt a fair amount of time in prison. And upon checking with several Brooke family members - my family members in reality - they effectively told me to pound sand - two of my actual first cousins said to never contact them or anyone in the family again - to them I do not exist. So in two families the supposed family size is somewhat inaccurate.
In the real world I was 9 when my, mom and my step dad (though I only refer to him as my dad) had my sister. Shortly thereafter we packed up and moved to California. Once there two additional kids, both brothers although one died before he turned one. So I have a brother 11 years younger than me and a sister 10 years younger than me. My folks had a built-in babysitter. We lived in a nice neighborhood, with lots of kids and friendly families. In truth my extended family size was 20 or so. The bigger the better as far as I am concerned,
I did my time as an only child back in Pueblo. Although I have nothing but fond memories of my time in Colorado, I think the family dynamic in a bigger family is more interesting. There is always something going on. And although in my case the age difference made a difference as kids, my brother, sister and I are close and we have each others backs.
Size matters to me. I enjoy larger families regardless of skeletons in the closet - something most if not all families have. Or at least a black sheep or two.
That's my take on this weeks LBC topic. Time to see what the others have to say -
see ya next week, same bat time, same bat channel for another LBC mash up.
Most of uou know my last name is an adopted name as my mom remarried when I was about 8 years old. My birth father's last name was Brooke. My original birth certificate listed that as my name, In Colorado when you are adopted a new birth certificate is issued and so my current birth certificate lists my last name as McConvey.
It was only a few years ago that I first saw a picture of Paul Wesley Brooke. All I knew about him was my grandmother hated him and my mother has lied to me about him for years, telling me he died in the seventies. So I started looking in to him a bit. Turns out he was not a particularly good man - apparently a corrupt cop who spnt a fair amount of time in prison. And upon checking with several Brooke family members - my family members in reality - they effectively told me to pound sand - two of my actual first cousins said to never contact them or anyone in the family again - to them I do not exist. So in two families the supposed family size is somewhat inaccurate.
In the real world I was 9 when my, mom and my step dad (though I only refer to him as my dad) had my sister. Shortly thereafter we packed up and moved to California. Once there two additional kids, both brothers although one died before he turned one. So I have a brother 11 years younger than me and a sister 10 years younger than me. My folks had a built-in babysitter. We lived in a nice neighborhood, with lots of kids and friendly families. In truth my extended family size was 20 or so. The bigger the better as far as I am concerned,
I did my time as an only child back in Pueblo. Although I have nothing but fond memories of my time in Colorado, I think the family dynamic in a bigger family is more interesting. There is always something going on. And although in my case the age difference made a difference as kids, my brother, sister and I are close and we have each others backs.
Size matters to me. I enjoy larger families regardless of skeletons in the closet - something most if not all families have. Or at least a black sheep or two.
That's my take on this weeks LBC topic. Time to see what the others have to say -
see ya next week, same bat time, same bat channel for another LBC mash up.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Changing changing, ever changing!
I'm baaaaaaaack! My blogging exile (self imposed) has ended, for better or worse.
The past several months have culminated in my moving from Texas to North Carolina - Time for a major life change. I now live in a small 3BR2BA mobile home in a small trailer park in a place called Conover. Just me and my trusty hound Ginger. It's the first time in over 45 years I have been alone. So far -
My son intends to open a food truck in the area. I will be helping with web stuff and marketing. Sean bought a big 5BR fixer upper and is currently stripping and sanding hardwood floors. My little trailer was move in ready but since I only brought clothes, I have been busy making purchases to furnish the place.
My first impressions of NC are it is easily one of the most beautiful states I have seen - and remember - I lived in Hawaii. NC is right up there.
Maybe I'll do some travelogue posts like Marie does when she is out and about in Ireland.
So now it is on to the next chapter in my life. What's done is done - yesterdays over my shoulder but I can't look back for to long. There's just too much to see waiting in fron of me and I know that I just can't go wrong.
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