tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59128376814158882392024-03-03T16:26:54.908-08:00Three Rights Make a LeftWhat I've pondered, experienced, and sometimes, learned in my 70+ years on Earth. This includes writing on teleprompters, computer software, music, guitars, playing guitar, politics, justice, human frailty, the world, Texas and anything else that I really think needs to be addressed.Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-60684195243902302282023-11-10T11:16:00.000-08:002023-11-12T16:21:55.315-08:00Obliquely Intertwining Lives<h1 style="text-align: left;">Obliquely Intertwining Lives</h1><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><i>The Butterfly is Flapping Its Wings</i></span></h4><div>This is adapted from a post I left on Mike Waggoner's Facebook page. Mike was a musician, promoter, and manager of Cowtown Ballroom. I would not describe us as "close friends", but our lives were strangely connected in sometimes surprising ways -- through music.</div><div><br /></div><div>We were both guitar players in Greater Kansas City -- for the folks that always ask me, "Oh, Kansas City... Missouri or Kansas?" You know, to me and any other Kansas City farmed kids, that's just a nonsensical question. All of us considered the entire metro area our playground -- you could drive down the middle of State Line (a street), cross the center line, and your driver's side tires would be in one state, the passenger side tires, in another. </div><div><br /></div><div>The first that I recall meeting Mike was at the 1966 Overland Park Battle of the Bands. His band, "The Outcasts", was pitted against my group, "The Bitter Ends". The event was held in the parking lot behind Sunflower Drug Store, which is just a stone's throw from Shawnee Mission West High School -- where I, and the other Bitter Ends attended. The winner was determined by crowd-noise level, a very precise measurement standard, and, because the audience was heavily stacked in our favor, The Bitter Ends was declared the winner... and we went home with $50! That's $12.50 each, for mathematically challenged readers... sadly, the rough equivalent of $100 in 2023 dollars. Sad, not because it was so little then, which is was, but because $100 is so little NOW!</div><div><br /></div><div>It's odd, when I think back, how tribal we were with bands. Living in Austin for the last 30 years, I've played with close to 100 bands, either recording or gigging. Not only that, but one of the first lessons one learns as a band leader is that, like a good football or baseball team, you need to have depth. Generally, three or four for each position that can step in a fill the role and still play at an acceptable level, which in a competitive environment such as Austin, better be pretty highly acceptable!</div><div><br /></div><div>But, in Kansas City of the mid-sixties, and as teenagers, we were in ONE band. It would be an act of treason to perform with another group, punishable by ostracism, at the very least. </div><div><br /></div><div>College broke up The Bitter Ends, although three of us went to KU. The fact is, I don't recall many Bitter End gigs, though I know these existed. But during the summer prior to my move to Lawrence, KS, I began playing with a band called The Illusions, consisting of my lifelong friend, Steve Hall, and soon to be bandmate, Jack Manahan, along with Larry Miller on bass -- another obliquely intertwined life with mine, but that's a different story.</div><div><br /></div><div>Soon after I had established my residence in Lawrence, and the school year was underway, Steve and Jack, along with bassist, Tom Burdine, asked me to join a new tribe. Jack, who grew up in Lawrence, provided a great place to practice in his family's den. I suggested that Bitter End rhythm guitarist, Larry Franklin, would be a good addition, as well. So was born The Upside Dawne. </div><div><br /></div><div>We were a good cover band -- at least, I think we were. At least we were good enough to play regularly at Lawrence's legendary Red Dog Inn, and good enough to be booked by equally legendary Mid-Continent Entertainment, owned by the legendary, Mike Murfin, and, most legendary of all, John Brown, who was a master of booking. This intertwinement is yet another story.</div><div><br /></div><div>But skip forward a bit...</div><div><br /></div><div>In 1968, three of the Upside Dawne tribe -- myself, Steve Hall, and Burdine (who had flunked out of school) replacement, the incredibly talented Paul Miller -- defected to form a new band which we called "Tide", hoping to avoid the confusion caused by the psychedelic spelling of "Dawn(e)". NOTE: This did not work.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tide worked a lot, thanks to the efforts of Steve Hall and a variety of others, including John Brown, and then, back to the original premise of this blog -- Mike Waggoner. I'm not sure how the association came to pass, nor really the timeline, but I know Mike worked for Good Karma Productions with, yes, legendary, Stan Plessar -- the driving force behind The Vanguard, Brewer & Shipley, Danny Cox, and Cowtown Ballroom. Mike also worked at Corinth Square Music (BTW, just about 1 mile from the state line... see?) which sold pianos, sheet music, and, most importantly to me, guitars! If only I'd had the money to buy that Mosrite Venture's model! Sigh.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was immersed in music and somehow never really got the connection between a band and business. Luckily, I had the association with Steve, who was not only an incredibly inventive and talented drummer, but who DID understand the necessity of treating a band as a business. So, I was innocently swept along by the tide (ironic?), innocently pretending it was all about the music and that, if you were good enough, it would all happen somehow. Duh... </div><div><br /></div><div>Our association with Good Karma, though not quite "official", brought us onto the concert opener playing field, with Mike Waggoner as our unofficial manager. Mike generally worked with Steve. My job was to write songs, and to show up and play guitar and sing. Between all the guys who seemed to understand the business aspects of band-hood -- Steve, Mike, John Brown, and a few others -- Tide got a lot of work and, since I thought it was all about the music, Tide was artistically satisfying. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mike can be seen in the Centron movie, "Fences & Gates", discussing some "plans" with Steve. Mike, wearing a Cowtown Ballroom t-shirt is talking about a "talent-scout" who will be attending a show. This talent-scout is later depicted as a smartly dress woman with a clipboard. In my humble experience, every A&R person at the time, looked a LOT more like Mike than this woman. Still, the role that Mike played was pretty much what he did in real life.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>My last contribution to the intertwining is this strange event, that to me, symbolizes the oblique relationship between the two of us. After the filming of "Fences & Gates", I was working at Centron in Lawrence in the early 80s. (This in itself is another story... for now, I'll just leave it at this.) </div><div><br /></div><div>I was trying to drum up business in the nascent music video industry. I had visited a few people around KC, a sprawling city even then. My appointments took me to North Kansas City, Raytown, downtown KCMO. I had about an hour before me next appointment in Lenexa. I was thinking about contacting Mike who had an association with several bands. But, I didn't know where he was living at the time, not even north, south, east, west, Kansas, Missouri... or even in still in Greater Kansas City, at all! </div><div><br /></div><div>I was driving randomly, and happened down a dead-end side street in Shawnee, KS, a suburb of KC. I was just about to turn around and who should I see, but Mike Waggoner walking out of a house and toward a car!!! REALLY... I just happened to drive randomly to his house!!! I can't even put enough exclamation points there. </div><div><br /></div><div>In addition, he said that he was in the process of moving and had only returned for a few minutes to pick up some remaining items. Now, if this had been a movie, then this odd meeting would propel one or both of us to international fame, or put us both in the Rock 'n Roll HoF, or break up a murder plot -- or something. But it was NOT a movie... it is a just true story and I'm at a loss to explain how things like this happen.</div><div><br /></div><div>In my opinion, every life on Earth is intertwined and we should be always aware of it. The butterfly is flapping its wings in Brazil.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0Austin, TX 78757, USA30.3568213 -97.7308072.0465874638211545 -132.887057 58.667055136178845 -62.574557tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-63693318304607569552022-04-24T13:35:00.000-07:002022-04-24T13:35:50.258-07:00Bread From the Baker - Pragmatic Liberalism<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">I had just read an op-ed piece in the New York Times from John Tierney and sat down to ingest a small breakfast topped with this statement:</span></p><p class="auto-style3" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; margin-left: 40px;"><span style="background-color: white;">“Hence his famous warning (Adam Smith’s) not to rely on the kindness of strangers outside your family: if you want bread, it's better to count on the baker's self-interest rather than his generosity.”</span></p><p class="auto-style2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">If one accepts Webster’s definition of cynic, “…one who believes that human conduct is motivated wholly by self-interest”, then this is a purely cynical statement. However, this thought has become tantamount to an axiom of neo-conservative logic – once the conservative debater, masquerading as a libertarian, reduces the argument to this point, he cries, “QED” and the discussion ends, at least in their minds.</span></p><p class="auto-style2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">Like many dangerous statements, the error of Smith’s admonition, propagated by Tierney, is subtle and elusive. Certainly, if not too much is put in this bucket, it will hold water. Let’s look at a simple thought experiment to see how the pail might leak when overloaded.</span></p><p class="auto-style2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">Suppose John Dough, our baker, can make 50 loaves of bread per day to serve his little town, and he offers them for sale to the populace. This population apparently can and does live by bread alone, and Dough’s output keeps the town alive and thriving.</span></p><p class="auto-style2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">One day, Mr. McDuck, the wealthiest person in town arrives at the shop early and offers to buy <i>all </i>of the baker’s wares for much more than the asking price! Why he does this is not important… he may be insulating his house with bread. Nor is the actual price differential important. What <i>is</i> important is that the baker considers <i>only</i> what he immediately sees as his self interest and acts upon this perception. In this case, he sees a highly profitable day for his business and turns over his entire stock of bread to McDuck.</span></p><p class="auto-style2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">The complications arise immediately. Dough’s daily customers arrive at the shop and are told there is no bread to be bought. Upon learning that Dough has sold his entire stock to McDuck, they call a town meeting. In the first order of business, it is decided that toilets will now be called “Johns” to discredit the baker. In the second order of business, the town’s residents decide to set up a baking cooperative with certain rules that will prevent such events as the one which triggered this meeting.</span></p><p class="auto-style2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">The new bakery sells bread comparable to Dough’s and because of the negative connotation of buying bread from the toilet, Dough’s bread goes unsold, his business quickly closes and John himself goes to prison for trying to break into the new cooperative bakery to steal bread for his starving family.</span></p><p class="auto-style2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">This story is simplistic… real life is much more complicated and potential consequences are much harder to predict. But Tierney, like many conservatives, confuses a pragmatic liberal viewpoint with altruism. Altruism is “…unselfish devotion to the welfare of others.” The <b>pragmatic liberal</b> view is <i>not</i> the opposite of self-interest, it’s just <b><i>enlightened self-interest</i></b>. Liberals believe that self-interest goes beyond amassing vast personal wealth and that the <i>real</i> bottom line can’t be measured simply in dollars and cents. Like our baker, we must tend to our community not simply because it’s <i>a</i> community – this would be altruism – but because it’s <i>our</i> community and our lives depend upon it. We must protect the environment not just because we love trees but because they’re our source of the oxygen which our lives depend upon! We favor programs to help the poor not just because Jesus told us to (even though, if you research it, he did!!!) but because where starvation and poverty exist, there lies discontent, the crack in the foundation that threatens our entire house.</span></p><p class="auto-style2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">Bemoaning the lack of respect for selfishness in modern society, Tierney states:</span></p><p class="auto-style3" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt; margin-left: 40px;"><span style="background-color: white;">“The result is an enduring political paradox: we no longer live in clans small enough for altruism to be practical, but we still respond to politicians who promise to make us all part of one big selfless community.”</span></p><p class="auto-style2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">If this opinion is true, then our concept of democracy is outmoded and impractical. If altruism is enlightened self-interest, and such “altruism” is no longer practical, then one cannot make enlightened decisions as a voter. In addition to those politicians who promise to make us one big selfless community, we might find politicians trying to sway our votes by scaring, threatening or lying to us, appealing to our prejudices, or, heaven forbid, bringing the “higher authority” of religion into the debate.</span></p><p class="auto-style2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">But, pandering aside – practiced on both sides of the political aisle – most policy arguments are efforts to convince voters that one direction is <i>more</i> in their own self interest than the other. Or at least it would be in our aggregate self-interest if they were!</span></p><p class="auto-style2" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">--Jim Stringer / May 2005</span></p>Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-48760008270271997082022-04-24T13:17:00.003-07:002022-04-24T13:29:20.692-07:00What is Faith to an AgnosticLate in the 19th century, the great thinker, Thomas Henry Huxley, eloquently coined the word, agnostic, and proposed an agnostic philosophy. He was attacked by both atheist and theist. One outraged Anglican cleric suggested Huxley should be called by his true name, “infidel.” Perhaps this simply shows that fundamentalism has remained unchanged through the intervening years. From the other side, atheists accused Huxley of indecision and lack of commitment. However, Huxley had at least one avid young reader who not only found his writing intellectually stimulating, but spiritually deep – an outline for an examined life. I still return to my little blue Huxley book as a reminder or to bolster my “faith” as some would their Bible or Koran.<br /><br />How can I consider agnosticism a faith? After all, the very word comes from Greek roots which mean “without belief.” Like that sorry-assed country song says, “You’ve got to believe in something or you’ll fall for anything.” Right?<br /><br />Wrong!!!<br /><br />Agnosticism as a philosophy or as a way of life is not absence of belief. Quite the opposite… it’s more like belief in everything! I accept the there are many things that I can’t know and that there are many equally plausible explanations for metaphysical questions. What is the purpose of life? What or who is God? Is there something that lives on when we die? What’s the true nature of the universe?<br /><br />I do have some a priori concepts – more like metaphors – which help me to sort things out. One of these is that my belief that the universe is like ripples in a pond -- changing, interfering, reflecting, defining patterns, and creating an existence. But I don’t know what the pond is or who threw the rock that started the ripples. And, I believe that each of us is like a thread in a very great and complex tapestry. What comprises the tapestry or the tapestry artist’s intent is as incomprehensible to me as is this essay to a silicon atom in the computer chip that’s helping me to compose it. These are not “scientific” theories. I can’t test them through experiment nor do they even satisfy the criteria to be called a hypothesis. I’ve just found these to be useful analogies and harmless imagery at worst. I certainly wouldn’t begin an evangelical movement and try to convince others that unless they also believe these things then they will suffer eternal torture! And I wouldn’t declare war on and try to destroy a general population that believed otherwise. I don’t have any rationale for believing I’m any more right that anyone else.<br /><br />Consequently, I bristle at the arrogance of Christians who think that I must just not know about their “truth” as they naively try to convert my heathen mind. <br /><br />The fact is, I know more about their Bible than many practicing Christians. And certainly, I know more about their thinking than they know about mine. I’ve read the Old and New Testaments, The Book of Mormon, The Teachings of Buddha, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Tillich. I’ve learned at least the rudiments taught by the Vedas, the Koran, and Wicca. All are filled with wisdom, history, poetry…. and a good measure of pure baloney! It’s wrong to suggest that those who adhere to dogma and conjecture are somehow endowed with a greater “faith” than I. Let me illustrate by example.<br /><br />Suppose a good friend recommends a certain record. You ask for a description and he replies that it’s impossible to describe, but he’s sure you’ll like it. If you have faith in your friend, you’ll buy the record based only upon his recommendation. My faith is similar to the record buyer. I don’t have to be told what or who “God” is, what the true nature of the universe is or what happens when we die.<br /><br /><br />What I know is that I’m inescapably part of the “universe” – that which is (which, by the way, is a fair translation of the name Yahweh, the biblical name of God.) My body, my mind, my past, my future are a small, but intrinsic part of that which is. It’s neither good nor bad – that which is encompasses everything -- all that we’ve sub-classed as good and bad. Furthermore, try as we might, we can’t pin down the “true” nature of the universe… it just can’t be done.<br />What we call knowledge might be defined as a description of a phenomenon, object or concept in the lexicon of an encompassing context. For example, we know what a “book” is… it’s a collection of words (a member of the super-set of word-things), printed (a member of the super-set of printed things) on paper (yes… we know what paper is and we get the point.) Each of the defining sets could, in turn, be described in the lexicon of its encompassing context.<br /><br />But, in order to adequately describe that which is, we’d have to use the encompassing context of that which contains that that is. We have no lexicon for that context – nor can we have. We must accept that it is what it is… period!<br /><br />So… my faith? I’m satisfied with the certain knowledge that I’m part of that which is. What happens when I die is whatever happens when I die. There might be things that hurt, things that make us sad, things that cause the grass to turn brown, things that make loud noises, things that smell like rotten eggs, things that make it hard to sleep… but these aren’t “bad” things. They’re just part of that which is. And so are we all.<br /><br />(NOTE: This article is reprinted on the site: http://www.apatheticagnostic.com. I'd encourage you to read some of the well thought out and enlightening articles on this web site.)<br /><br /><i>Originally posted on jimstringer.us in 2004</i>Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-62193609792124276282022-04-24T12:42:00.000-07:002022-04-24T12:42:03.057-07:00About Bathrooms<p>There are several things you need to consider about bathrooms and the need for these facilities. It may seem trivial to those who have not delved into the subject sufficiently, but I hope this discussion will help launch lavatorial learners on a path to a deeper understanding.</p><p>This discussion will deal only with "Number One" since Number Two is more complex and the mathematics would likely involve functional analysis. We can examine <i>numero uno</i> using only simple arithmetic, and at most, basic differential calculus which, in this case, is math related, but could also refer to a mineral deposit in a pitiful powder room.</p><p>There are three items that I'll attempt to quantify in this article: <br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>1) the urgency, rated on a scale from 0-10 (even though only 1-10 have practical use); </li><li>2) the rate of change of urgency also scaled from zero to infinity;</li><li>3) the acceptability of a restroom (public or private) also an integer from 0 to 10.</li></ul><p></p><p>So, let's dive in. Er... maybe not the right term, in this case, but let's begin.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">I. The Urgency Level (NTP=Need to Pee)</h4><p>0 - Zero is relatively meaningless, because, if your NTP == 0, then you're not really concerned with the availability of a depository for the non-existent, unless you're just one who like to be prepared. Otherwise, it becomes a simple existential concept.</p><p>1 - You don't really have to go and if, for example, you were asked to produce a specimen for, say, a lab test or a drug test, but you absentmindedly used the lobby restroom on your way to the lab -- and if it IS for a drug test, then this behavior is probably needs no explanation -- you just couldn't do it. This is a one on the NTP scale.</p><p>2 - You could possibly squeeze out a drop for the lab tech, but it wouldn't be a lot and you'd probably still have to go home, drink a lot of water and come back later, hopefully not absentmindedly using the lobby restroom on the way.</p><p>3 - This is the level at which one first, maybe subconsciously, becomes aware of the possibility, however slight, but the urge is not nearly strong enough to distract you from what you were previously doing, and, unless you're preparing to go in the car, in which case, remembering what your mother always told you, you go to the bathroom.</p><p>4 - It's still not quite a primary need in your life, but, yeah, you'd go if the Hulu movie was at a good stopping point. However, if it's not streaming (TV, that is), you'll probably just sublimate the need and go on with what you were doing. It still would be only a convenience at this point.</p><p>5 - You're entering the realm of needing to go. You might do it if you just happen to pass the bathroom, or if you're not going to have an opportunity for another hour or so. But, you're not going to stop the tennis match, volleyball game, softball game -- and you certainly wouldn't leave your cards on the poker table knowing your cheating friends would undoubtedly peek at your hole cards -- or, for that matter, any other group activity just so you can take care of business. </p><p>6 - OK... now you think you'd better start making plans. If you're in bed and it's a cold night, you'll try to hang on till 7, or 8. If you stop thinking about it, it just might go away.</p><p>7 - You're definitely going to take care of this before you start a new movie, sit down with another beer. You're actively scouting unknown territory for a suitable repository.</p><p>8 - This is now urgent. If you're driving, you start looking for a secluded spot on the highway. If you're in town, panic is just under the surface. Your mother's words, "you should have thought of that", echo through your mind.</p><p>9 - No more Mr. Niceguy (or Ms. Nicegal). Avoidance behaviors such as leg-crossing, crotch grabbing, and hopping may occur. It's hard to concentrate on anything else. You're reduced to a "need-to-pee creature" and nothing more. In the car, you might scout for an empty wider-mouthed water bottle. If you're in town, stuck in freeway traffic -- forget it, you're out of luck, and just accept that you're going to have to pee in front of a bunch of people you don't know, and will never see again, so, who cares?</p><p>10 - You create excuses for why your clothes are damp and hope your associates are stupid, your friends are in the same boat as you, or strangers -- who cares -- as with NTP=9, you'll never see them again. Many a good bum got his start this way.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">B. The Rate of Increase (ROI)</h4><div>Before we can discuss how Urgency relates to Facilities, we need to examine the concept of Rate of Increase (ROI). ROI may be calculated using the methods of functional extrapolation and differential calculus. If you're not hip to the trig trip, you can still use this concept.</div><div><br /></div><div>To determine the ROI, use some handy graph paper. Don't worry because you can make use of this later if no toilet paper is available. On the X-axis, chart the time, beginning with when your current NTP, say, NTP==3. The divisions can be 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, whatever. Small enough to be meaningful, but not so small that you run out of space of the page, in which case, you'll just have to start another page. I'll leave it to the reader to deal with this conundrum.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, on the Y-axis, plot your NTP, from 0 to 10 as explained in section A. If you're being sensitive to your body's needs -- and why would you lie to your body about its needs? -- urgency will proceed upward as time progresses. Connect the dots with the smoothest line or curve possible. </div><div><br /></div><div>Once you have significant data, you can determine your ROI. If you want to be scientific, then use functional extrapolation and approximation to create a function that somewhat accurately predicts Urgency at some point in the future dependent upon Time. We'll express this as "y = f(x)", where y is NTP and x is Time. If when you connect the dots, it's a straight line, you can pretty accurately determine how long it will be before you either compromise in your restroom standards, or you start your decent into bum-hood. Likewise, if the shape of the connected dots looks like an upside-down umbrella, then the mathematician extrapolates the function, y = f(x), takes the first derivative of the function at the current time and this number can be used as the ROI. The more "closed" the umbrella, the sooner you have to figure out what to do: rest stop, bushes, or goodbye polite life.</div><h4 style="text-align: left;">C. Facility Rating (FR)</h4><p style="text-align: left;">The Facility Rating (FR) is directly related to the Urgency. It's obvious that a restroom that is entirely unacceptable at NTP==3, may look like a desert oasis at NTP==8. FR has a simple numeric relationship to UL and that is FR = 10 - UL. It's that simple. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Here are some qualitative observations to go along with the numeric value.</p><p style="text-align: left;">10 - This rating is of no practical value because it relates to the UL-0. You don't have to go so why would you select this restroom except to admire the fine architecture. Or, maybe you just have that kind of inquiring mind? FR==10 is exceptional, spotlessly clean, probably has attendants passing out initialed hand towels -- with YOUR initials.</p><p style="text-align: left;">9, 8, 7 - An FR==9, 8, 7 corresponds to an NTP==1, 2 or 3. Since you really have no need, you can be very selective and choose from one of the following:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span> FR==9: The restroom in a private home, perhaps your own home. It is maintained in fastidious fashion: clean towels; full roll of soft toilet paper; pristine white toilet bowl with sparkling clear fill; mood lighting; current reading material (though this is not a requirement for the NTP scale.)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span> FR==8: The facility might be in the home of a family with one or more teenage children, but they have been well trained to urinate IN the toilet, not just in the general vicinity of the fixture. There may be a variety of personal items scattered about -- toothbrushes, combs, razors, etc. -- but generally no crack pipes, hypodermic needles, or actual filth on required surfaces. Towels are possibly just wet, used bath towels. Don't worry. Hands air dry quickly. Toilet paper is either sufficiently full, or a backup roll is in plain view.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span> FR==7: Examples of a facility at this level include: casino restroom; hotel lobby restrooms; restrooms in homes of bachelor friends; Buk-ee's Travel Centers. Don't expect these places to be featured in "American Restroom" magazine, but you don't need a tetanus booster before entering.</span></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span>FR==6, 5, 4: You have entered the realm of the needy, and you can no longer be a </span></span>connoisseur. You may have to opt for one of the following:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span> FR==6: If you have to lift the lid (if there is, in fact, a lid), you'll likely want to do this with a protective wrap of toilet paper (if there is, in fact, toilet paper.) On the plus side, a strong FR==6 will have running water -- maybe even hot and cold -- and some kind of blow drier. For women, you'll want to keep about a 2" air gap between you and the fixture, and you'll probably want to hold your breath. For men, this experience might serve as a reminder of why we don't put shoes on furniture.</span><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span> FR==5: Best illustrated by examples: abandoned filling station restrooms; facilities in public parks; turnpike rest stops; dive bar restrooms. Don't expect locks on the doors, gals. Men -- your lack of aim is what made these 5s what they are today.</span><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span> FR==4: Again, best illustrated by a single example: porta-potty at the fairgrounds. May be inhabited by swarms of flies, bees, or both. Nose holding is optional.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span>FR==3: Corresponding to an NTP of 7, you are beyond being selective at this level and you considerable widen your definition of a restroom/facility/bathroom. In this category: a tree away from others; a bush providing concealment; shoulder of the road with no cars in sight.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span>FR==2: Examples: a tree in the middle of the picnic (who cares who sees you); a bush that provides cover from the waist down, at least five feet from others; shoulder of a busy road.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span>FR==1: Examples: stairwell; gutter; alley; trash bin; parked car; fire hydrant (works for dogs); sidewalk; store entryway. At this level of NTP, the world is your restroom. </span><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span>FR==0: OK... you peed yourself, so there's no use in discussing facilities. You're not really fit for meeting the public and, to tell the truth, I don't know what you're going to do now. You're on your own.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span><b>D. In Conclusion</b></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;">If you really thought there would be any useful content in this diatribe, then apologize for deliberately wasting your time, which you can never recover. Too bad.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-10810588821064870922021-05-20T11:29:00.001-07:002021-05-20T11:35:00.717-07:00What Makes Me a "Liberal"<p><i>This is something that I posted as a reply to a rather bullying comment to another post -- but I hope you'll read it here. </i></p><p><i>I think this is not the time for bullying and name-calling. Think back to what you may have heard at sometime in your life: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand."</i></p><p><i>We'd better start looking at the bigger picture and we'd better do it soon. Emotional outbursts may "feel" good, but they don't solve anything.</i></p><p><i>Nobody "won" or "lost" this election. The only way in which we MIGHT lose is if we can't arrive at some common ground... if our election process is destroyed.</i></p><p><i>So... here's what I wrote earlier (edited a little) after he questioned how I can call my music "country" (by the way, I now call it "Blue Country"). I should probably call this, "What Makes Me A Liberal".</i></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I was born in Ft. Scott, KS -- a town of about 8,000 -- where my parents moved after my dad served 6 years in WWII. My mom was from Oklahoma, her parents were from Oklahoma and Texas. My lineage traces back about 400 years to a bunch of un-schooled, but hard working coal miners and farmers who believed in the ideal of this country. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My grandfather, James Rufus Butler, was sent out into the world when he was 14 years old, because his rural family in Palo Pinto, TX, was too poor to feed the mouth of someone capable of finding his own way. He lied to get a job working on the railroad gangs. Each time he would be anywhere long enough, he would check himself into a local school. He never earned a diploma that I know of, but he was one of the smarted and kindest men that I ever met, eventually becoming Central Office Chief (head guy) at AT&T in Joplin MO. He believed that poverty was no excuse for ignorance. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Of his children, Norma (the oldest) studied piano and was a spectacularly talented pianist and organist; my mom, Vivian Lawanda, also was a pianist who taught probably over 200 kids the basics of music and life; Jim Butler, was an entrepreneur and inventor who had several successful businesses based in Tulsa, OK; and Charles Butler, the youngest, earned his PhD in nuclear physics, and wrote one of the first published books on the basics of AI ("Neural Networks"). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In my immediate family, my oldest brother was the first to graduate college -- and he did so in a grand way, earning a PhD in theoretical physics with honors. I and my two other siblings also earned various college degrees.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My point is NOT to brag, but rather to illustrate that my background is very similar to many Americans who do not come from families with money. Some live in rural areas, some in cities. Where you live makes absolutely no difference. What matters is how you think, and how you treat others.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I respect anybody's well thought out opinions, but I don't like prejudice, bias or bigotry. I don't like bragging, entitled elitists, or the powerful badgering and making life difficult for the powerless.<b> I believe that we are best when we help those who need help, without expectation of return.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I play the music that I love -- the music of my Tennessee-Kentucky-Missouri-Kansas-Oklahoma-Texas heritage to make people happy, to feel good, and to enrich their lives -- for rich, poor, urban, or rural, liberal, and conservative, American and world citizens, and I will continue to do that as long as I'm able.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And if you want to troll, bully, hate, coerce or exploit -- any or all of these things -- well, I just don't have any room in my life for you.</span></p><p><br /></p>Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-1120982985976775262021-04-25T23:28:00.003-07:002021-08-27T10:41:35.515-07:00Lying Statistic and the Lying Politicians that Use Them<p> Ok... first, a disclaimer. I don't often expose this, because, for some reason, guitar players, and musicians in general, are not supposed to have brains. Though my own brain is probably not even close to the most educated in the musician sphere*, I do have a degree in Math/Computer Science, with a minor in Philosophy and emphasis in statistics. Advanced statistics is VERY difficult. The whizzes in stats become actuaries after passing a series of tests, largely known for their insane difficulty. I'm NOT a whiz... in fact, I fell asleep in statistics class and fell off my chair one day.</p><p>This blog entry doesn't touch on advanced statistics and you don't need more than a 6th grade education to understand this. In other words: Donald Trump -- just stop here. You'll be lost after this point.</p><p>Today, I'm writing about how <b>politicians</b> -- or their corporate sponsors -- <b>like to quote statistics</b> to support their spin of the day. However, in many instances, the exact same data used to tout their viewpoint also <b>can be used to support the exact opposite opinion</b>.</p><p>How does this work? As an example, I'm going to cite some hypothetical data on household income, and poverty levels.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>Example 1: Using "Average" and "Median" to determine income distribution</b></h4><p style="text-align: left;">Suppose your friendly neighborhood pundit enthusiastically announces that under the current administration, AVERAGE income has increased by 15%.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Well -- this sounds like the administration policies must be really wise and effective. But, let's deconstruct this to see how this is not at ALL a meaningful indicator of income distribution.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Suppose we're working with this data set (reduced for simplification):</p><p style="text-align: left;">Incomes of the population of Dullsville:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>SAMPLE 1: {$15,000, $16,000, $17,000, $17,500, $16,500}</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">Obviously, there are very few people in Dullsville, which flies in the face of experience. But it's pretty easy to calculate the <b>Average</b> -- you just add all the incomes together and then divide by the number of data items, in this case, 5.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">I've done the math for you -- sum of incomes: $82,000, 5 persons, $82,000 / 5 = $16,400.</p><p style="text-align: left;">OK.... this would appear to be a pretty income challenged town... an average income of $16,400, about $10,000 short of the poverty level for a family of 4. These people are most likely not eating very well. (Sadly to say, the yearly income of an earner working a minimum wage job @ $7.25/hr, 40 hr/week, 52 weeks/year is just $15,080. In order to achieve federal poverty level, a family with a single earner must make at least $12.50/hr.)</p><p style="text-align: left;">But let's make this addition to the data sample. The owner of the sweatshop where the other five persons in Dullsville toil in desperation, decides to move his home to Dullsville. His annual income is $14,000,000,000. Lets add this into our existing data set. Now, the "average" income is calculated to be $2,333,347,000 -- over 2 billion per family! Wow... now the town is one of the richest in the world! That tycoon can brag that <b>during his reign, the average income of Dullsville increased by over $2.3 billion</b>! (Lying bastard!)</p><p style="text-align: left;">Clearly, the statistic of Average Income is monumentally misleading -- in fact so bad that it's useless.</p><p style="text-align: left;">There's a second measure called <b>The Median</b>. This value is determined by ordering the data in increasing value -- smallest to largest. The median is the value in the center. If the number of data points is even, the two middle values are averaged to determine the Median. In the above example, before the Dullsville, Inc. magnate descends upon the town, the median income would be $16,500. The Median shows that there are as many data points below this value as are above it. With this simple data set, and before the addition of Mr. Dullsville, both the Average and the Median are really fairly accurate descriptions of the economic reality of Dullsville.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The problem with the Median as a measure is that, like the Average, wildly scattered data can seriously skew this measure of wealth. Let's say that four VERY impoverished families move to Dullsville... so the data set becomes:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>SAMPLE 2: {$0, $2, $3, $4, $10,000, $15,000, $16,000, $17,000, $18,000}. </b></p><p style="text-align: left;">Now, the <b>Average </b>income is calculated as $8,445.44. The <b>Median </b>is $10,000. Obviously neither of these tells us much about the income of Dullsville. Even if the tycoon of Dullsville's income is substituted for that of the previously richest family, the Average rises to around $1.5 Million, but the Median is remains $10,000. <b>Neither statistic is at all descriptive of the actual financial state of Dullsville</b>.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">How to more clearly interpret data</h4><p style="text-align: left;">Accurately interpreting data is VERY complex. This is why actuaries are the elites of statisticians. I think casinos also employ actuaries to keep their business in the black. <b>It's also very difficult to condense data such as income to a single value</b> that is at all significant and few people have the patience to digest anything at all complicated -- just ask Dr. Fauci. (If you're still reading at this point, <span style="color: red;">CONGRATULATIONS</span>... you're an unusual American!</p><p style="text-align: left;">But if we don't understand at least how statistics can be manipulated to deceive, then how are we to make informed decisions with respect to our votes?</p><p style="text-align: left;">To restate, <b>there IS no one number that can express a reliable measure of a data set</b>, but there are other figures that can be calculated and that can help to understand data.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The first of these is <b>The Range</b> of data. This is simply the difference between the highest value and the lowest value in a dataset. Clearly, knowing the range gives you a clue that can help to understand the spread of data. In SAMPLE 2 above, for example, the range is $18,000 (excluding the tycoon's income.) In SAMPLE 1, the range is a mere $2,500. From this, we can determine that the data in SAMPLE 1 is more consistent. So, possibly, the average and mean values are more indicative of a real measure.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A third compilation figure is <b>The Variance.</b> The variance is generally an interim step toward calculating <b>The Standard Deviation.</b> To calculate the variance, you first calculate the Average, then add together the difference between each data point and the mean (average) squared; then average this set of values. Here are the steps for SAMPLE 1 as I calculated the Variance:</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">VARIANCE OF SAMPLE 1:</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Average = <span> </span>(</span>15,000+16,000+17,000+17,500+16,500) / 5 = (82,000 / 5) = <b>16,400</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">2. Differences between each data point and the Average, squared:</p><p style="text-align: left;">(16,400 - 15,000) ^ 2 <span> </span>= 1400 ^ 2 <span> </span>= 1,960,000<br />(16,400 - 16,000) ^ 2 <span> </span>= 400 ^ 2 <span> </span><span> </span>= 160,000<br />(16,400 - 17,000) ^ 2 <span> </span>= 600 ^ 2 <span> </span><span> </span>= 360,000<br />(16,400 - 17,500) ^ 2 <span> </span>= 1,100 ^ 2<span> </span>= 1,210,000<br />(16,400 - 16,500) ^ 2<span> <span> </span><span> </span></span>= 100 ^ 2<span> </span><span> = 10,000</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>(Note that for the difference, I'm using "absolute values", that is, the minus sign is ignored. It doesn't matter, because a negative number squared is positive anyway.)</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;">3. Average of differences squared from Step 2:</p><p style="text-align: left;">(1,960,000 + 160,000 + 360,000 + 1210,000 + 10,000) = 3,700,000<br />3,700,000 / 5 = 740,000</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is abbreviated by the Greek letter, "<span><span style="font-size: 17px; white-space: nowrap;">σ</span><sup style="white-space: nowrap;">2</sup></span>" (Sigma squared). </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Then standard deviation, "<span style="white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">σ</span><span face="Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #296bc2; font-size: 13.3333px;">" </span></span> (Sigma) is the square root of the variance.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;">If this seems like a lot of ballyhoo just to calculate a number that seems no more informative than just average and median -- well, it's not for naught. Once you know the standard deviation, you can determine which values lie outside the standard deviation. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Let's take the example of the incomes of five families in Dullsville -- not including the tycoon. I'm going to do the math off blog -- you don't want to deal with this stuff, I know, which is how we got into trouble in the first place. But here's a summary of the calculations of the Standard Deviation of SAMPLE 1:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">OK... according to my potentially flawed calculation, the standard deviation is roughly $860. (I used the formula for calculating the standard deviation in a "Population"... this is when the data are the only values we're interested in. There's a slightly different formula for calculating Sigma for a sample from a larger population.)</p><p style="text-align: left;">Once we know the standard deviation, we can inspect the data and see which data points are within ONE STANDARD DEVIATION of the average. It my original sample, these would be the data points between $15,610 and $17,400 -- three of the data points, $16,000, $16,500, and $17,000, lie within one standard deviation of the average. In a typical population, a statistician would expect about 68% of data point to lie within one standard deviation. In my tiny population, it's 3/5 or 60% -- not too bad for totally trumped up (oops, excuse me) data.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">If I add back the tycoons exorbitant income, it will lie far beyond even the recalculated standard deviation -- so we spot it as an anomaly.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Likewise, for the data sample that includes extremely low values, the average and median values are equally meaningless. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">What does this mean in practical terms?</h4><p style="text-align: left;">Well, for starters, DJT repeatedly bragged that:</p><p style="text-align: left;">"... median household income is up $5,000 since I took
office"</p><p style="text-align: left;">We can see that this is a meaningless claim. We know that the divide between high echelon earners and the rest of us increased significantly, because of tax cuts that heavily benefitted higher incomes. The number of people in this group has increased -- the 1% is now the 1.25% or something like that. With a population of 300,000,000 plus people, this means that the number of gazillionaires has increased from 3 million, to 3.75 million. This moves the median significantly higher meaning the already wealthy have become even more wealthy. It does NOT mean that all American's incomes are $5,000 higher. In fact, it says absolutely NOTHING about the lower half of the population. To make ANY conclusion about the state of affluence in the general population, we would have to calculate the Standard Deviation and eliminate all those values that lie outside ONE STANDARD DEVIATION as anomalies.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Equally important for understanding the economic status of the general population, we would also discount the low values that lie beyond one standard deviation.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The overall point is that clearly, the ex-president -- and probably every president before and since -- have and will use statistics to support whatever point they're trying to make, fully knowing that mean and median are completely meaningless on their own. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Just a note -- all the increased income brags ignore one extremely significant point: inflation. Average income in 1970 was $52,000 (again, with the AVERAGE.) To purchase what at that time would cost $52,000 (say a house), would now cost $350,000+ (unless you're in Austin, in which case that house would cost about $1.25 million using the 25 year inflation on the proportional increase on estimated value of my own house as a guide.)</p><p style="text-align: left;">------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="text-align: left;">*The Big Brain Musician award most likely belongs to one of these:</p><p>Brian Mays (lead guitar of Queen), PhD in astrophysics;<br />Phil Alvin (lead vocal of The Blasters), advanced degree in math;<br />Dexter Holland (lead vocal, The Offspring), PhD in Molecular Biology;<br />Art Garfunkel, masters in Math;<br />Sterling Morrison (Velvet Underground), PhD in Medieval Literature <i><b>from UT, no less</b></i>!!!;<br />Milo Aukerman (vocal, The Descendants), PhD in Molecular Biology from USC;</p><p>And my all time favorite, (besides Leonardo Da Vinci)<br /><b>Charles Ives, </b>who founded and ran a successful insurance company, in the process advancing many innovation in financial services. This allowed him the freedom to write the music that he WANTED to, instead of the music he NEEDED to. He's one of my life models.</p><p>From the Wikipedia on Charles Ives ()<br />"<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Stravinsky" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0645ad; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Igor Stravinsky">Igor Stravinsky</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> praised Ives. In 1966 he said: [Ives] was exploring the 1860's during the heyday of<br />Strauss and Debussy. Polytonality; atonality; tone clusters; perspectivistic effects; chance; statistical<br />composition; permutation; add-a-part, practical-joke, and improvisatory music: these were Ives’s<br /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">discoveries a half-century ago as he quietly set about devouring the contemporary cake before the rest of<br /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">us even found a seat at the same table." </span></p>Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-17010316454449714562021-04-05T13:25:00.000-07:002021-04-05T13:25:43.342-07:00Hey, Millenials... oh, nevermind.<p> <span style="font-family: arial;">This writing is a reaction to this article from someone's web site:</span></p><p><a href="https://autooverload.com/40-uncool-things-boomer-wont-give-up/"><span style="font-family: arial;">40 Uncool Things that Boomers Won't Give Up</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Disclaimer: I know this author is trying (accent on try) to be funny -- and I'm as capable as any boomer of taking a little ribbing -- which is to say, if I were in the same room with this person, I'd step on their cell phone. And since they did not have a "comments" section, I'm forced to pierce their thin little skin with my rapier wit on my own blog site.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Before I proceed with my skewering -- at least my feeble attempt, given my advanced age -- I do want to make a generalization about articles like this, in all seriousness. To me, an attempt at satire that demonstrates, </span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i>...</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i>obstinate or unreasonable attachment to a belief, opinion, or faction; in particular, prejudice against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group</i></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px;">"</span></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">is, by dictionary this definition, "bigotry". </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you were to substitute, say, "Jews" or "Koreans" for "boomers" in the article, you'd see that this is not satire, good natured ribbing, or any other benign form of humor. As humans, we all do some incredibly silly things in the name of fashion: we wear stupid clothes because it's in-style; we listen to (or write, in my case) horrible music because it's "got that beat"; we proudly, and self-centeredly, announce that WE have answers that our preceding generations were ignorant of.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">To be fair (a principle that we Boomers ardently adhere to), the article in question (or whatever it is - article, rant, blog, phishing site, click bait) is attached to a web site called "Auto Overload" which deals with Le Mans, Ferrari, Maserati, racing, and other rich-person, energy wasting pursuits -- I don't think there's even a way to reach this except by the link that I posted. There's no writer attribution or or apparent editorial involvement.... so, I don't know who to address this to. (And, as a Boomer, who really doesn't give a crap what anyone else thinks of my likes and dislikes, I'll damn well end sentences with prepositions if I feel like it.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm going to admit, at this point, that I really have no intention to respond to each of the forty topics on that list. Rather, I've already stated my premise -- don't mistake writing that makes fun or demeans a specific group which, by the way, exists only in the mind of the would be judge, as humor or satire. It's just hate speech hiding behind a smile.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">PS... this was written one day before my 73rd birthday. In my day, we didn't have no fancy blog sites -- and we LIKED it that way!!!!! </span></p><p><br /></p>Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-86405381650047461922020-10-05T13:29:00.006-07:002023-11-12T17:36:42.018-08:00Trump "Hater"? Yes... I guess so<p><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This is reproduced from a post on Facebook. It's full of so many fallacies and so much misinformation, I felt like I needed to rebut this point by point. It's too much for Facebook, so I'm adding this just so my comments are on the record.</span></p><p><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Note that I've reproduced the original post verbatim. <b>"ME" is not me, Jim, but the original poster.</b> </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <b>original post is in red</b></span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">... <b>all my comments are in blue</b> (symbolism). Here's how it started.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Literally every conversation I've had with a Trump <b>hater </b>about the upcoming election:</span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: medium;">JIM: It's off to a good start, isn't it. Nothing to frame a debate like labeling your opponent with a highly charged invective -- "hater"? Can't I just disagree? This is the first sign that this original post is dishonest discourse.</span></span></span></p></blockquote><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hater: I can't wait to get Donald Trump out of office.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Me: Why?</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hater: Why?!?! Don't tell me you don't think he colluded with Russia!</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Me: According to Robert Mueller's exhaustive, multi-million dollar investigation, there was no evidence of that. But there was evidence that the Obama administration spied on him and his campaign using the FBI.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial;"><b> JIM:</b> Robert Mueller's exhaustive investigation, which clearly, you didn't bother to read. The reality is, the Mueller Report spends almost 200 pages documenting evidence of links between the Russian Government and the Trump Campaign. The report also states (direct quote)<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">:</span></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">"a] statement that the investigation did not establish particular facts does not mean there was no evidence of those facts."</span></span></i></div></blockquote></blockquote><p> <span> </span><span> </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I<span style="font-size: medium;">n addition, the Mueller Report says that (again direct quote):</span></span><span style="font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.95); letter-spacing: 0.5px;"></i></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.95); letter-spacing: 0.5px;">"...a Russian intelligence service conducted computer-intrusion operations."</i></span></blockquote><p></p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> The report goes on to say that this was directed against the Clinton campaign and this "service" was responsible for releasing stolen Clinton campaign documents. Also, Mueller found FOUR actions that satisfied the legal definition of obstruction, but he was limited by the Justice Department from filing charges against a sitting president.</span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hater: Well, he said he'd repeal and replace Obamacare. What happened to that?
</span><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: Well, he removed the tax penalty which removes the mandate. Congress now just has to move with it's replacement. He can't do it by Executive Order. You do know Obama had very little to do with the writing of the ACA, right?</span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">JIM: Fact is, no one really wanted to repeal Obamacare -- only 26% of American's opposed the ACA in 2016. The constant repetition of the opposition mantra has replaced the reality. I do not feel like the ACA is not faulty, but note that it was a highly compromised legislation after Republicans and a few scared democrats hobbled it.</span></span></p></blockquote><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hater: Well, he said he'd build a wall and Mexico was gonna pay for it. Haha. What happened to that?</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Me: They've built over 260 miles of new wall so far and he's renegotiated NAFTA costing Mexico billions of dollars that were given to them by Bill Clinton through the returning of jobs in America.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">JIM: Also a fallacious argument. First off, only about 40% of Americans favor building a wall, and even many original supporters have abandoned the idea after discovering how expensive, difficult and disruptive a wall would be. And it was an absurd statement that Mexico would pay, though they may soon want to build a wall to keep Americans out of Mexico.</span></div></blockquote><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hater: Well, that's not them paying for it!</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Me: BILLIONS. Did you think he literally meant Mexico was gonna write a check with "Wall" in the memo?</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">JIM: You know, he very LITERALLY stated this many times. He began to walk back his threats once he realized that his concept was flawed.</span></div></blockquote><p><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hater: Well, he's buddy buddy with Putin and Kim Jung Un.
Me: Getting along with your adversaries is not a bad thing. Or would you prefer he antagonize them? BTW, when was the last "test missile" North Korea sent Japan's way?</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">JIM: Really? He has constantly betrayed America's European allies, while giving comfort to those who would rejoice in our failure. He sidles up to these dictators because he envies their power over their populations.</span></p></div></blockquote><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hater: Well, he doesn't like the military! He called the dead soldiers "losers!"</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Me: You're referring to a report made from "anonymous sources" when over nine people who were with the President that have gone on record saying that it wasn't true? That doesn't send up any red flags for you? He's brought our Vets home and taken great strides, and put a lot of money into fixing the VA, ask any veteran you know. Funny way to treat people you think are "losers," don't you think?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> JIM: No so anonymous. He said ON TAPE about John McCain:</span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #050505; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">"He (John McCain) is not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured."</span></i></span></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Not at all hypocritical (sarcasm) because Trump, himself, wasn't captured and tortured. Oh yeah -- because he dodged the draft. I'd bet that at the time many of his contemporaries were slogging through Vietnam that he thought of them as losers.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And, following his pattern of accepting credit for anything and everything, he's claiming origination the the <span style="background-color: white;">Veterans Choice Program of 2014, clearly, not on his watch. What he IS responsible for is the Mission Act which effectively tries to dismantle the VA system. Ask any vet what they think of this counter-veteran attempt to privatize medical care for Veterans.</span></span></div></blockquote><p><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hater: Well, he got impeached for God's sake!
</span><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me: Yes, impeached by a partisan House and subsequently acquitted as there was no evidence that the President did anything wrong (no quid pro quo) in his communication with the President of Ukraine. BTW, you know Joe Biden actually admitted on national television to doing that exact thing while he was in office as VP though, right?</span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">JIM: And there was nothing at all partisan about the Senate acquittal? The Trump Whitehouse has taken so many questionable actions, that impeaching for simply the "Quid Pro Quo" incident, is like trying to establish Al Capone's criminal record by accusing him of stealing a plastic fork from McDonald's. </span></span></span></p></blockquote><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hater: Well he handled COVID horribly!</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Me: What would've you done differently?</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">JIM: A leader warns the population of the crisis, then attempts to get them on board with supporting potentially unpopular actions that will prevent further damage from the threat. Trump did none of this -- instead, attempted to fight the public health crisis by denying its existence. Take a minute and watch this: "<a href="https://youtu.be/wcc8ijALlgA" target="_blank">How Trump Lost Control of the Pandemic</a>". No one BLAMES Trump for the virus, but many, like myself, think it could have been moderated if the administration had hung with science over politics.</span><span style="color: #050505;"><br /></span></span></div></blockquote><p><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hater: He didn't close the borders in time.
Me: He announce travel restrictions on 1/31 and was called xenophobic for doing so, all the while Nancy Pelosi and Bill Deblasio were walking in Chinatown telling everyone to come on down, the water is fine.</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">JIM: He is so consistently xenophobic that this was a natural assumption. Also, by that time, the novel coronavirus had spread so widely that limiting travel from China (that's all his January proclamation affects) was throwing a meatball at a monster.</span></p></div></blockquote><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hater: Well, he refused to wear a mask.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Me: Here's a picture of him wearing a mask.</span><span style="color: #050505;">
</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #050505; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">JIM: This just has a totally hollow ring to it. We have all seen MANY more instances of Trump, his family, his followers, and associates, not only NOT WEARING masks, but ridiculing those who were adamant about masks. Masks don't protect us, the wearer, so much as the people who interact with us. So don't give me that -- "here's a picture" -- I don't even have the time to collect all the images (video and still) of Trump unmasked. His blatant disregard is fully supported by the recently erupted outbreak among those who have been in close quarters this last week.</span></div></blockquote><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">Hater: Well, that was too far after!
</span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">Me: After what? He had two of his experts on national TV every day giving updates and telling everyone to wear a mask?</span></span></p></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">JIM: His public flaming of Dr. Fauci (thank goodness for this man), and director of CDC (one of his appointees, at that) belies this. Trump, himself, should have gone on TV asking EVERYONE to help shorten the pandemic by wearing masks, and the other suggested actions of the medical community. Not doing this makes him a failure as a leader.</span></div></blockquote><p><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hater: Well, he said everything will be fine and this will end!
Me: Did you want him to run around screaming that the sky was falling?</span></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">JIM: No... but if you look at how EVERY OTHER PRESIDENT has handled a national crisis, you might get an idea of how we should expect a leader to behave. Leading is warning, assuring, advising. He just treated it as a political football -- and he fumbled!</span></p></div></blockquote><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hater: Well, listen to the way he talks! He's nasty! He's not how I want my President to sound.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Me: Ahhh. NOW we're getting somewhere. You don't like his personality. And everything you've mentioned up until now is because you don't like his personality.
</span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">JIM: You're right -- I don't like him. I don't believe we should expect a President to adhere to our individual standards. However, these traits are baseline: 1) Honesty; 2) Intelligence; 3) Respect for all (supporters and opponents); 4) Knowledge of and support of our Constitution; 5) Fairness. If you think Trump embodies these traits, then you've definitely not been paying attention. I don't think issuing policy by Twitter is appropriate. Let's regain some decorum. I, and many other Americans, are really tired of the Politics of Disruption. We have more in COMMON as Americans than those who profit from the division would like us to believe.</span></div></blockquote><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #050505;">
</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">So for you it seems personal and not about the job he's done.</span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So listen, if you want a President who will tell you whatever you want to hear, flip- flopping on every issue, not getting anything done his entire time while in office, but who sounds like a nice guy (even though he seems seriously impaired), then Joe Biden is definitely your man.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So, you end, like you began with a bunch of unsupported mud slinging. I don't want a President who says what I want to hear -- for example, I really would like to hear that the pandemic is over... that there is no more threat of nuclear war... that racial injustice is a thing of the past... that my children, and EVERYONE's children, can enjoy the liberties that I have. Also, do you not realize that Obama was blocked at every step by an self-confessed, obstructionist congress. At this point, I would vote for anyone that could bring a bit of civility back to government.</span></div></blockquote><p><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Feel free to comment, though I will not accept comments that are simply flames. No name calling. </span></b></p><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div>Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-60289313818988078282019-01-28T22:34:00.003-08:002020-10-05T11:23:42.409-07:00Legislative Targets for 2019<span style="font-family: arial;">OK... are you listening Congress? Here's what we need to do:<br />
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<span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;">1. Let's stop calling indigenous people "Native Americans" and start calling them "Americans". The rest of us will be called "Immigrant Americans".</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;">2. Let's pass a constitutional amendment that no branch of the government can purposely "shut down the government" just to get their way.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;" /><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span><span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;">3. Let's establish consequences for elected officials lying to the public -- I think public flogging would be appropriate, followed, perhaps, by tar and feathering.</span><br />
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<span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;">4. Let's pass a law that once and for all requires congressional districts to be drawn without regard to political advantage to one party or another. We should call this "The Respect for Votes Act".</span><br />
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<span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;">5. We need public financing of national campaigns or, at very least, full disclosure of contributions... and, also, the repeal of "Citizens United".</span><br />
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<span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;">6. We need new Voting Rights Legislation to repair what the Supreme Court decimated.</span><br />
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<span face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">I'm sure y'all can think of quite a few more. Send them through the comments section.</span></span></span>Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-51307127451525060752019-01-28T22:24:00.002-08:002019-06-09T01:42:11.246-07:00Compartments - Music and PoliticsI'm pretty sure that anyone who knows me personally has little doubt where I stand in the political queue... somewhere between the box office and the parking lot. If you stand on the north side of the line and face Mexico, then I'm not far from my car, as long as the box office is on the Pacific Ocean. Just testing your analytic geometry skills.<br />
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However, if you know me only from my musical performance, then my philosophy is, hopefully, nebulous at worst, opaque at best. This is no accident.<br />
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It's not for lack commitment. I started my political involvement by handing out campaign literature for Bobby Kennedy, poll watching for Eugene McCarthy, continuing through manning the phone bank for Obama. In between, many letters and phone calls to senators and representatives on both the state and federal level. I haven't done marching and demonstrating -- I'm just not a joiner.<br />
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When I'm on stage, I have one aim -- to entertain. Which is not to say that I compromise my integrity or hide my beliefs. You won't hear me playing Toby Keith, Lee Greenwood, or other jingoistic nonsense of those who pander to the Deplorables. But neither will you hear me incorporate overt liberal catch phrases into my lyrics. Either avenue is a cheap short cut.<br />
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I have written many songs that are complete escapist nonsense. Also, many country classics that I love are about as deep as a pie pan. Just entertainment -- that's all.<br />
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I'm ok singing lyrics that espouse traditional "conservative" values such as loyalty to family ("Mom and Dad's Waltz" - I owe my own parents a tremendous debt), honest spiritual beliefs (gospel music is the basis of much of the music that I love). Also, I sing and write songs about domestic violence. Such songs represent a long standing country tradition and the tunes I write or choose are about the tragedy and the futility, not the glamorization of these acts. At least one of my songs, "In My Hand", is both a "killin' song" and biblical! Two birds...<br />
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The songs that I'm most proud of are those that tell a story, including those killin' songs. I feel like the story told in "In My Hand" (which I also call "Adam and Eve with Guns"), is more effective at explaining my feelings about guns than a op-ed with a beat. "Bye Bye Bayou" is about a Cajun girl taking her life in her own hands and turning her back on social pressure... to me, this tale is more powerful than a non-fiction tome on gender equality recited over riffing guitars and fiddles. One sleeper is "The Right Direction" which actually contains the secret to enlightenment... all for the price of a tune! (Wow... THANKS, Jim!!!)<br />
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I've been told that writing with this paradigm does run the risk of my losing the listener. But I figure anyone who listens to my music is probably really smart, as well as beautiful and very nice.Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-78569388795626323232018-07-23T22:10:00.002-07:002018-07-23T22:10:44.621-07:00Today, I feel the reality, I feel so temporary.<br />
As if tomorrow was yesterday and so unnecessary<br />
because I have lived it so many times beforeRufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-2696651557262123772018-07-23T21:30:00.000-07:002023-11-12T17:50:46.719-08:00Just Try It... You'll Get It<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<i><b>This was originally posted in the facebook group, "Gigs from Hell", May 22, 2018</b></i></div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b>I've played something close to 10,000 gigs in my life (yes... I'm a geezer) give or take a few hundred. Given this volume of giggage, the amazing thing is that not more were horrors. Oh... there was that night in Topeka when the drunken club owner began shooting his pistol inside the cinderblock club. Or the night a drunk climbed up on the stage screaming in my ear, "Caught in a trap... caught in a trap" (he wanted to hear "Burning Love"). I've played gigs when I was almost too sick to stand up, including bouts of stomach flu. I accepted an induction into my state's music hall of fame when I had pneumonia. But I played and enjoyed it! </div>
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There is one night, though, that I feel like I should contribute to my blog. This is known as "My Gig with Billy Buck and His Kentucky Boys". (NOTE: I have changed to name in the event that the original "artist" is still around and still pulling this gig scam.)</div>
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I was called by a man with a pronounced "hillbilly" accent and asked if I could "fill in" for his regular guitarist. He said it would be all country standards, by which I assumed he meant Hank, Waylon, Ray, etc. I had done this type of gig hundreds of times and it seemed reasonable enough, particularaly since he said it would pay about $180. Because this circa 1980, $180 would be the equivalent of about $700 with today's inflation index. So... I said --- YES.</div>
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About 1 hour prior to downbeat, I arrived at the gig, an American Legion, or Moose Lodge, Elks Lodge... decent stage, and acceptable house PA for the time. I was the first responder.</div>
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A short time later, another musician showed up toting a Fender Twin and a telltale case on wheels -- clearly a pedal steel player. I introduced myself and asked him how long he'd been playing with "Billy Buck". He replied that he got the gig through the union local and had never met the "star". I shrugged this off... I'd played in many pick up bands. If the players were all pros, and the repertoire was truly standards, it would all go well -- in fact, these gigs can be great fun.</div>
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However, the next player to show up was a young guy who looked like he'd just come from pumping gas, grimy overalls and all, carrying an uncased Gibson EB0 with one string hanging loose. I posed the question to him about his experience playing with Billy Buck. He laughed a Gomer Pyle-ish laugh and said he'd never played with him... in fact, HE'D NEVER PLAYED BASS, or any other instrument for that matter. If I had packed up and left then, I would have missed the most truly surreal gig in my life.</div>
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A drummer and sax player completed the band. The sax player probably should have been chaperoned. He would not have been old enough to gain entrance to the club. I was so in shock that I don't recall at all who played drums.</div>
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Finally, around 10 minutes prior to downbeat, Billy Buck showed up. He looked like he'd been been reared by a wolf -- not a pack of wolves, but just one drunken, abusive, absentee wolf. Ragged cowboy hat, dirty pearl snap, shit-covered boots. At least his guitar was in a case and he did a decent job of tuning --the one thing that can totally make a gig intolerable is an out of tune rhythm guitarist.</div>
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So... we were ready to knock 'em dead. Billy Buck turns to the 16 year old sax player and said, "Kick it off with Stardust." Not a totally unreasonable start -- Willie had recorded his version back in 1977 so most country players knew this tune. I played it frequently with jazz bands that I worked with. BUT... the young sax player, looking like someone had just waved a coral snake in his face, blurted, "Stardust??? I've never head it!!!"</div>
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And Billy Buck replied with what I consider one of the most absurd lines ever uttered by a sentient mammal -- "Ahhh.... just try it -- you'll get it"</div>
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Yes... out of the blue, you're going to toot on a tenor sax that you barely know how to hold, let alone play. And you will, like the fabled monkey with a typewriter tapping out a Shakespeare play -- you will just happen to honk out one of the most timeless melodies ever rendered, Hoagy Carmichael's etherial line, "Stardust".</div>
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But of course, no, he did not by the heavenly law that protects the simple, lay down an enchantingly beautiful, note perfect rendition of "Stardust". Instead, he alternated between the three or four notes that he knew how to play, sounding like a goose with asthma, while I, sizing up the situation, turned up and began playing the melody line of the song. The steel player, also a seasoned hired gun, was up to the task... and quickly grasping that the bassist was not going to help on this -- or any song -- reached over and dialed the bassist's amp to zero.</div>
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Somehow we muddled through the remainder of the "song".... afterward, a woman in a floral print frock that might have fit her a few hundred donuts back, lumbered up to the stage, and for some reason addressing me, said, "That shore were purty... it didn't sound like 'Stardust'... but it shore were purty."</div>
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I have since that time wondered if the gig might have been fun -- and truly educational -- if Billy Buck had assembled a cast of pros instead of this downtrodden cast of "Kentucky Boys".</div>
Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-81811619225942168802018-04-14T16:01:00.004-07:002018-04-14T16:28:31.203-07:00Don't Listen -- Don't Watch -- Try READING!<br />
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I have a suggestion for both my fellow "Liberals" and my "Conservative" friends (and, yes, I do have them.) Stop listening -- don't listen to Limbaugh, Hannity, Alex Jones, Ed : Schultz, Thom Hartmann or any of the dozens of voices squawking their one sided diatribes. Switch off FOX News, CNN, MSNBC and the other thinly veiled heavily spun sources of party propaganda. I have a unique suggestion... don't listen -- don't watch.... READ!!!<br />
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Policy discussion really should have no party affiliation. There are many intelligent ways of viewing the world. None of these viewpoints can be arrived at by name calling, paranoid conspiracy theories, fear, and illusion.<br />
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<b>For those who identiby as Liberal (Progressive or just plain Democrat</b>), I want to suggestion these sources to better understand the intelligent Conservative Viewpoint:<br />
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1. <a href="http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/"><b>Outside the Beltway</b></a>: Self described as "...an online journal of politics and foreign affairs analysis. For the most part, our views are Classical Liberal (Jim's Note: libertarian, that is): a strong belief in free trade, limited government, and respect for human rights. We aim to have informed, polite conversation about the issues we find interesting."<br />
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2. <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/"><b>The National Review</b></a>: Granted, I most often disagree with their basic premises, but their articles are well written, coherently argued and respectful. <br />
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<b>For those who identify as Conservative (Libertarian or Republican)</b>, I heartily recommend:<br />
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1. <a href="https://harpers.org/"><b>Harper's Magazine</b></a>: As described on their website, "... the oldest general-interest monthly in America, explores the issues that drive our national conversation, through long-form narrative journalism and essays." Harper's includes not only political commentary, but poetry, short fiction, book reviews, and possibly the hardest crossword type puzzle on the planet!<br />
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2.<b> <a href="https://www.thenation.com/">The Nation</a></b>: Offered on the web as, "... the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">United States</a>, and the most widely read weekly journal of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressivism_in_the_United_States">progressive</a> political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis." Disambiguation -- Harper's is "general-interest" and The Nation is primarily commentary... both are the oldest in some sense of the word.<br />
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<b>For both Lib-Pro-Dem and Con-Liber-Rep</b>:<br />
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1.<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/"> <b>The Atlantic</b></a>: If you lean Liberal, you'll think The Atlantic is conservative. If you're conservative, you'll think The Atlantic has a liberal bias. I've subscribed to this magazine for the better part of 40 years when I could afford magazine subscriptions. This magazine shares with Harper's the honor of the hardest crossword on the planet.<br />
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2. <a href="https://www.economist.com/"><b>The Economist</b></a>: "The Economist considers itself the enemy of privilege, pomposity and predictability. It has backed conservatives such as Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. It has supported the Americans in Vietnam. But it has also endorsed Harold Wilson and Bill Clinton, and espoused a variety of liberal causes: opposing capital punishment from its earliest days, while favouring penal reform and decolonisation, as well as—more recently—gun control and gay marriage." Whether you perceive the articles in The Economist as left or right leaning, will tell you more about your own bias than that of the magazine.<br />
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As a general guide, if your source of political news spends more time talking about what the "other side" thinks, you are falling for the "straw man" rhetorical fallacy and your source is trying to manipulate you. If your source of political news make the opposing side sound scary, they're using <a href="https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/32/Appeal-to-Fear">appeal to fear</a>, and again, just trying to manipulate you. There is no absolute truth and there are many paths to happiness and prosperity. There's one sure path to chaos, and that's failure to communicate.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_magazines" target="_blank">This Wikipedia page</a> is a good guide to perceived bias in media. Check out your favorite sites.<br />
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Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-58407023370523321392018-01-15T00:20:00.007-08:002023-11-12T18:04:04.715-08:00A Set of Beliefs on Interesting Questions - A Response<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Just in case you're expecting <i>Buzzfeed, Reddit, or Gawker</i>, you're in the wrong spot. This is just a humble response -- maybe an extension -- to another humbly offered blog entry:</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://bigthickglasses.blogspot.com/2018/01/a-set-of-beliefs-to-interesting.html" target="_blank">Big Thick Glasses Blog</a></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I encourage you to read this entry... and to think about it. In fact, read it first -- otherwise, my blog won't make much sense.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There are no dancing babies (I really don't like the dancing babies), or cute cats (I really DO like cute cats.) But I think we spend way too much time mindlessly absorbing entertaining images and much too little time in looking inward.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I'm going to split this into two blog entries. The first, this one, will offer some extensions, challenges, and critique of BTG's (Big Thick Glasses) original post, one item at a time. The questions in this blog are BTG's. Here goes.</span><br />
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<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>Have we been visited by Aliens; are UFOs alien spacecrafts?</i></span></span></b><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">There has not yet been credible, tangible evidence to indicate that UFOs are alien spacecrafts. Photos are invariably blurred and likewise, videos. We're like the movie character that states some insane hypothesis then proves it with the observation, "There's no other explanation." In this case, </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">there are always many reasonable alternative explanations. </span></span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I'm inclined to agree with BTG's summation that it's unlikely that we've been visited by alien life forms, mostly for the reason stated that we're simply not interesting enough. We've barely progressed beyond hammering coconuts with stones, or hurling stones at one another -- we just have a machine to hammer the coconut and guns to hurl stones faster!</span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This said, when I think of our own curiosity which drives us to study, for example, sharks, I'm somewhat more likely to believe that an alien entity might be curious about this murderous, mentally inferior, albeit clever, society. However, I don't think they'd drive their flying saucers here on the intergalactic freeway. I would be more likely to believe that an advanced intelligent life form would have found their way around time and space.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><i>Are “Near Death Experiences” (NDEs) real?--i.e., are they an indication there is a life beyond this one?</i></b></span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">While I don't see any reason to doubt that NDEs are "real", I think there's considerable wiggle room when we think about what they are. They seem to be inspiring and, in some cases, life changing for most people who have experienced them. They are "something".</span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I had an experience recently while recovering from surgery. I'll preface this with the admission that I had taken pain medication -- Tramadol, some powerful stuff -- but it was a small dose and I don't think can be the sole agent of this phenomenon.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I had fallen to sleep in the recliner in our living room... the TV was on and I was alone in the house. I woke up and felt that I needed to visit the restroom. So, I got up from the chair and began the short trip to the bathroom... but halfway across the floor, I happen to glance back at the recliner and was shocked to realize that I WAS STILL THERE! Then, I was back in the chair, realized I must be dreaming and began trying to wake up -- but I could not. A this point, I began fearing I was actually dead and this was an NDE. I had to fight to wake up. All this occurred with the clarity of everyday experience and it left me feeling confused and disturbed. This experience, while NOT and NDE, was certainly "real", but as far as meaning, I don't believe there is any deep meaning. It was just interesting.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>Is there intelligent, conscious, advanced life in the Universe outside of Earth?</i></span> </b></span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Universe is so vast and our knowledge is so pitifully scant, I think we're hardly qualified to determine what is and what is not conscious, advanced life -- or even whether intelligence and consciousness has to inhabit a matter based structure. </span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">That there are humanoid beings with heads and eyes and arms and who walk around and communicate with words... this I doubt. Even just looking around our own planet, there are relatively few species that followed this evolutionary path. And, conversely, there are some REALLY strange paths that were taken in species that have survived for eons.</span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">In addition, the property which we call "intelligence" has been around for only a flash in cosmic terms. There's no evidence that it's stable in evolution. The principle of regression to the mean suggests that overall intelligence will diminish and, as an aggregate, humans will become stupider and stupider, as in Mike Judge's film, "Idiocracy".</span></span><br />
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<b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>Will the human race create AGI?</i></span></span></b><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I think it's inevitable that AGI (<b><i>Artificial General Intelligence</i></b>) will be created... but the machines themselves will do it. And, I'm not sure we'll recognize it when they do. Considering that we are only beginning to understand cognitive behavior in our fellow carbon based species on earth, I really doubt that we'll understand a silicon based consciousness that operates at a rate trillions of times faster than our own cognition. If this is going to happen, it will happen with the force of evolution and we'll be powerless to stop it.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i></i></span></span></b>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><b>Will we enter a post human phase where AGI machines and biological human bodies are combined in some manner (for example, like Star Trek’s “Cyborgs)?</b></i></span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> On this question... NO. There's just no evolutionary avenue that leads here. AGI machines would have no use for the "ugly bags of mostly water" as humans are described by an alien life force on Star Trek. </span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> <b><i>Is consciousness generated entirely within and by the brain, or is the brain (acting as an antenna) and picking it up from a pervasive consciousness “field” of some kind?</i></b></span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Professor Digby Tantum, </span>Clinical Professor of Psychotherapy, at the <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/">University of Sheffield</a>,</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">has been in the news recently for suggestion human brains are connected by a sort of WiFi which allows us to pick up considerably more information that we are consciously aware of. This, in itself, is not the consciousness field, but does help explain much "intuition" or the validity of first impressions.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">However, this story came to me from two persons, who did not know each other, and had never heard this story from the other. Both were daughters of mothers with whom they were closely emotionally connected, not always for the better. Both daughters' mothers died unexpectedly in the middle of the night. Both daughters said they woke at the time of their respective mother's deaths saying it felt like someone just snapped a rubber band on their neck. Clearly, this can't be scientifically verified as it would be impossible to collect a test sample, let alone to create a control group. It's disturbing, though, that both women described that experience so similarly.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Here's another anecdotal incident that suggests a strange interconnect. When I was in high school, I had a macabre dream that I was at a football game. I walked past the open backed bleachers and saw a person's detached legs... no body! I couldn't stop thinking about this strange dream. My second period class was Chemistry. I was seated just within earshot of two other students and heard their conversation. One student was relating a strange dream that under the bleachers of a football stadium, he had a found a BODY WITH NO LEGS. I was stunned... I had not told anyone about this dream. This was long before internet, or the 24 hour news cycle that might carry the story of such an actual event, and this certainly wasn't a plot line on "I Love Lucy". So... what happened here? I'll never know.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If there is a universal connection, I don't think it's "paranormal". It's just that we don't understand consciousness at all! We don't understand existence or our situation at all, so it's not surprising that we are ignorant of the consciousness WiFi, if it exists. If the human species can survive long enough, I think we will understand, and when we do, no understanding will be necessary.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">One more thought -- it's seems to me that the walling off of our individual consciousness is necessary for survival of the species. If we were intimately connected with all others -- if we actually could "feel" what they "feel", then it would not be possible to make the selfish decisions necessary for daily survival. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /><i><b>Is there a God (or gods)?</b></i></span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i></i></span></span></b>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I'm not sure what this means. No -- I don't think there's an interventionalist God... that prayers are like letters to Santa Claus... if you just pray hard enough, you'll get your bicycle or your team will win, etc. This is a childishly egotistical belief that the Universe will change just so your individual desires or needs can be attended.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i></i></span></span></b>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I don't think any sort of Omnipotent and Omniscient God is possible... if God is Omnipotent and Omniscient, then God can't be defined, because to define is to limit. A limited God can't be Omnipotent and Omniscient. So, God can't be defined, and therefore, I can't believe in something that can't be defined!</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i></i></span></span></b>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">All this said, I feel connected (see previous question) to the Universe in some non-verbal, intuitive, inherent manner, and that all is as it should be. I don't pray FOR things... but I often try to listen. It's amazing what you hear when you shut up.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><b>Is there life after death?; Does our consciousness continue on after our bodily death?</b></i><br /> </span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I don't know and I don't know that there's any way to determine the answer. The TV Series, "The AO", dealt with a "mad scientist" who was trying to establish contact with the afterlife by forcing NDEs on test subjects. It made for good TV, but not much of a real avenue of research.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I think Pascal's Wager is totally invalid. Belief in something such as God, afterlife, salvation, etc., is NOT a matter of decision. Just SAYING that one believes is much different that actually believing. A God that's worth believing in would certainly know the difference between the true believer and the gambler.</span></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Regardless, I think what happens after death is not a matter of belief. I think it happens to all who die... and it will happen to me, no matter what I make up to prepare for the event. It's very comforting to think of being reunited with loved ones.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Hell is clearly a concept concocted by early religious leaders to frighten ignorant adherents into following church doctrine without question. In the Bible, Jesus never once talks about eternal damnation. In fact, Gehenna, the Hebrew word from which "Hell" is derived refers to the place where Kings of Judea sacrificed children. It was also a term for the burning trash heap maintained outside cities in biblical times and into which executed criminals were thrown -- ergo, "burn in hell".</span></span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Personally, I've rejected organized religion and "The Church". I do think there's some value in these group insofar as they serve to help the poor, sick and disadvantaged. The evil done by the few -- the mega-church, televangelists, the cult leaders, and the cult of personality -- should not be expanded to condemn all churches. In my adult life, the only church that I have found satisfying is the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship which I attended for a few years prior to my move from Kansas to Texas. I couldn't find a suitable replacement in Texas and consequently stopped trying. I think a personal pursuit of spiritual growth is essential and an organization does little to advance this pursuit after a certain point... that point at which one must lead, not follow.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">... to be continued...</span></span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i></i></span></span></b>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span><b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i></i></span></span></b>Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-50493661281358786982017-08-07T22:30:00.000-07:002017-08-07T22:30:09.831-07:00Making Life Easier Part 2In case you did not read Part 1 of this series which explains how I'm a curmudgeon and have graciously decided to share the wisdom of my years with hapless young whippersnappers... well... I don't have time to waste, whippersnapper. Go back and read part 1!<br />
<br />
Anyone who travels on (or more accurately, parks on) Mopac, IH-35, or Austin's other "freeways" is familiar with several concepts: frustration, road rage, more frustration, stupidity, and more frustration.<br />
<br />
There is one question that no one can answer. Why does traffic on these "expressways" frequently come to a complete halt. Yes... occasionally, there's a reason. An accident has bottle-necked two lanes into one. A stalled car, or other road hazard slows traffic. Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-26666584981959702272016-12-12T09:10:00.000-08:002017-08-07T21:47:42.423-07:00"Pick It Up" - The Stories Behind the Songs<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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"Pick it Up": The Stories Behind the Song</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Baker's Half Dozen</b></div>
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Mickey Baker was, of course, a greatly influential guitarist,
most famous for his Groove Records hit, "Love is Strange", with
Sylvia Robinson. The song was written by Bo Diddley and features a nine note
Baker guitar lick.</div>
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By the time "Love is Strange" peaked on the charts
in November 1957, I had been the young, mystified owner of a Roy Rodgers motif
guitar for about a year. I had already learned all the songs in the book that
came with the guitar, "Red River Valley", "Home on the
Range", and a dozen others.</div>
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When I heard that rippin' Baker lick, I was pretty sure that
was the path for me. I wasn't sure how he made his guitar sound like that, but
I knew I could pick out that lick. I did and was on my way to what quickly
became an addiction to pickin' out licks.</div>
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Mickey Baker had another role in my development as a
guitarist. This influence came through his book, "Jazz Guitar I",
which I was given sometime around 1960. The book is not a "song"
based approach, but rather just presents dozens of chords, along with a good
explanation of why a G7b5b9, for example, is so named. Also, he shows
arpeggios, exercises, and some jazzy licks – just what young fingers need to
develop. The chords comped behind the solos in "Baker's Half Dozen"
are entirely comprised of chords I learned from "Jazz Guitar I".</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I Crossed the Line</b></div>
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A clear reference to "I Walk the Line", I intended
this song to be a tribute to the Cash style. The story is of a young person
who, in envy of material possessions, starts a long slide from which leads to
an apparent shooting that earns him a death sentence. It's an allegory for all
the decisions we make that "cross the line" and the consequences that
follow.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">You Could Have Fooled
Me</b></div>
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This is an implied "cheatin'" song. "I never
really loved you" is offered up to explain why the straying party feels
justified in the affair. The one who is left loses not only his home, but his
memories of better times – apparently, he was just deluded. Also, I wanted a
groove like "Silver Wings" and the band delivered a great one.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">This Time It's
Different</b></div>
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Gotta have the killin' song. Each year for Austin's annual
"Dead Sweethearts Ball", I've written a killin' song. I do not
subscribe to domestic violence – it's a terrible thing. However, it is fun to
write about from a safe distance. In this song, inspired by all those murder
shows on tv, I hope the first time listener is led to believe that "this
time he's not coming home" because he ran off with some barroom floozy.
Not so, we learn later in the song. The wronged wife follows and executes that
spouse and his lover. She expects to be caught and punished, but he just went a
little too far. This is Waylonesque two beat/waltz in the fashion of
"Amanda"… we love ya', Waylon.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pick It Up</b></div>
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I've always been an admirer of O'Henry style irony in a
story. In this song, I made up a character, Carl, who sells pencils on a
corner. He respects money – it's hard to come by – so much so that he'll chase
a runaway penny down the street. But when he uncovers a lottery ticket worth
$50,000, he becomes disdainful of the value of a penny and just leaves one
lying on the ground… and he pays a stiff price. There's a pretty clear moral to
this story – but the song ends abruptly ahead to disclosing this moral.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Deep Fat Fried</b></div>
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When I was young, almost all food was prepared by frying…
chicken, steaks, okra, potatoes. With the introduction of modern deep fat
fryers, you might be led to believe that all food is friable. I've played a
dozens of state fairs and have seen a dizzying array of deep fat edibles, from
funnel cake, to deep fat fried Oreos.</div>
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Musically, this song aurally references Merle Travis'
talkin' blues like "Smoke that Cigarette", or "So Round, So
Firm", with a little Travis-picked intro.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bartender, Tell Me</b></div>
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Overheard in a bar as I was setting up for a gig: "Hey,
bartender… where's the liquor store?" It just seemed like a button waiting
to have a coat sewn onto it…. so, I took it upon myself to write that song.
Also, this song is a recollection of how the lyrics of country tunes suddenly
take on deep meaning when you find that you're the flapper on the chicken wing
of love. </div>
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The groove of "Bartender…" is the result of a
study of Willie Nelson's early shuffles such as "Undo the Right"…
drums and bass settle into a nice shuffle, held in place by the piano. The
rhythm guitar hits evenly on every beat, as opposed to the usual 2-4 accents.
It's a difficult groove to establish and the entire band does a great job with
it.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Note to Self</b></div>
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Once again, if you listen to you audience, you'll pick up
some song titles. One night, during a gig with The Texas Hummingbirds, my
bandmate, Karen Poston, announced to the crowd that we would be back the
following week. I heard a disgruntled girl, clearly expecting something more
than the stripped down, "family singing" group that was the Texas
Hummingbirds, say a little too loudly, "Note to self: don't go."
Although the lyrics have nothing to do with drunk sorority sisters, her
calendar commentary became the hook line of the song.</div>
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That's not all, though. I've always remembered to
introduction to the early self-help book, "I'm OK, You're OK", in
which the author tells a story of a potential reader who refuses to read the
book, saying, "I ain't livin' nearly as good as I already know how."
The character in this story KNOWS better, but he's like dieter with a quart of
ice cream in the freezer… he just can't stop himself.</div>
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T Jarrod Bonta establishes the song's groove with a piano
lick similar to that in Gene Watson's "14K Mind". This is topped with
a little Les Paul inspired intro lick.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(Chicken Pickin') the
Hen, Pt. 1</b></div>
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This is the one song on "Pick It Up" that I didn't
write, but, in a way it's the inspiration for the entire project.</div>
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I first heard this song when I was surfing the web for tunes
that were issued on Stan Lewis' labels, Jewel and Paula. I found "The Hen,
Pt. 1" on YouTube and it just blew my socks off… a great B-3 led funky
tune with sax lead and a great jazz/blues guitar solo. However, there was no
clue as to the players except the mysterious Louis Chachere on B-3.</div>
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So I dug around for additional information – where it was
recorded, when it was recorded, and who were the other players. I had assumed
these were New Orleans guys… possibly associated with The Meters, or some other
well know funk-masters in a hired gun role.</div>
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Finally, I got a tip when I learned that Louis Chachere had
produced a single by a late 60s girl group called "The Trinikas" –
and that it had been recorded in Kansas City at The Cavern (recording studio),
the same studio in which I had recorded in 1970. A little further digging
revealed that Chachere had played regularly at a club in KC during that time.
The guitar player was none other than Calvin Keys, and KC veteran, Dwight
Foster played sax. The drummer was known only as "Woodchuck". I don't
know how let slip by the opportunity to hear this band at the time.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wrong John</b></div>
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Yet another club experience. Small crowd… I asked if John
was there and 12 of 18 people responded. But each was the WRONG JOHN. It has nothing
to do with selecting the correct restroom, by the way. Yet another parable
about fixing yourself before you think another relationship is going to do the
trick.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I Am, Therefore I
Drink</b></div>
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The Latin translation would be "Sum ergo Bebe" and
it just follows as a corollary to Rene Descartes' "Critique of Pure Reason…
I think therefore I am." I assume a little intelligence on the part of the
listener, since there's not a lot in this song. My favorite part is the bridge
which explains the many reasons a person might drink. We generally leave out
the coda when we play this live since the lyrics are too hard to remember.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It's Not What I Need</b></div>
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I bought at Fender Jazzmaster a couple years back, knowing I
really didn't need this guitar, but I'd always thought it was Fender's best
design. It wasn't really a bad choice, but the same mechanism that resulted in
inducting this guitar into my twang arsenal can lead us to eat/drink too much,
buy those impulse items at the store, get into questionable relationships and
so on… you get the picture? If not, listen to the song.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Barely Legal</b></div>
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"Barely Legal" was originally created for a Bear
Family compilation. The requirement was that each song had to have
"Bear" in the title. I don't know why it didn't end up on the comp,
but I think it makes a good addition to "Pick It Up".</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">That's What Friends
are For</b></div>
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I wrote this just because I thought it was funny. I wanted a
Carl Smith "Hey Joe" type tune. I often poll the audience after this
song to ask which men and which women can identify with this tune in which a
guy offers to look after his friend's sweetheart – his motives are
questionable. No one ever raises his or her hand. I tell the audience that this
confirms my hypothesis: "All men are liars, all women are angels."</div>
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Musically, this carries on the Tunesmith's groove, along
with a Maddox Brother's unruly studio mob hollering during solos.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pick It Up, Epilogue</b></div>
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This record was seriously delayed by an accident that left
me unable to walk for a several weeks… but I recovered, a little worse for
wear, but pretty mobile. Anyway… it's good to be alive.</div>
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-Jim Stringer</div>
Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-81409262692909224752016-12-11T23:34:00.000-08:002018-07-23T21:07:44.363-07:00Groove 101<h2>
Stringer's Groove 101</h2>
<h4>
These are songs that, to my way of thinking, really drive home the concept of "groove", and I think all players, beginner and experienced alike, could learn from studying just how this feel was created in each song.</h4>
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<h4>
1. "You Can't Sit Down", </h4>
Phil Upchurch. From the first trumpet screech to the last chord on the B3, this recording JUMPS!!! Everytime it listen to it, I get the same old chill that I got the first time I heard it. It sounds LOUD, and wild and yet extremely well played. I know every player in the band understood exactly what the objective was and did not have to be told how to achieve it. One of the my favorite things about the performance is that after the drum solo, the drums stop and the organ brings the band back in! Great turn around on the cliche.<br />
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<h4>
2. "Honky Tonk", Bill Doggett.</h4>
A masterpiece of understatement. Beginning with the most ubiquitous blues guitar lick of all time (da-DANG-da-DANG...), then a whole chorus of just the organ pumping chords beneath that lick. Billy Butler and Clifford Scott play scorching solos, paradigms of the genre, but the groove never gets in the way... always just drawing you further in. Most musicians lean too hard when they try to cover (or copy) this tune like they're sawing logs in the hot sun, when they should be sittin' on the porch drinkin' a big ol' mint julep.<br />
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<h4>
3. "Hideaway", Freddy King. </h4>
Once again, a masterful bit of understatement. Drummers -- this is what a back-beat double shuffle should be -- not a bunch of cymbals ringing, nor a snare drum resounding like colliding trains! I love how the piano punctuates, but never takes over the groove, which happens all too easily. And of course, there's the Peter Gunn straight 8's forced over the shuffle. A really brilliant band effort.<br />
<h4>
4. "Mustang Sally", Wilson Pickett and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section</h4>
Overplay can make a song into a cliche. But in my experience, there are few players that can capture the relentless, but subtle groove established by Roger Hawkins ever in the pocket, and never over the top drumming, enhanced by Jimmy Johnson's guitar riffing. I saw Wilson Pickett live several times and though his show had the energy of a tent revival, the traveling band could never quite match the subtle mastery of the Swampers.<br />
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<h4>
5. Love and Happiness, Al Green</h4>
A close call here... "Take Me to the River" is a great groove also, but I think this track is carried more by the song structure, whereas "Love And Happiness" stands on just the groove and is harder to reproduce in its delicate balance in tempo, interplay between Teenie Hodges riff, and Howard Grimes drums, smooth as an ice rink. Not technically part of the "groove", Teenie Hodges eight note intro lick, simple and memorable, sets up the whole song. Maybe guitarists should more often ask themselves, "What would Teenie do?"<br />
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
6. Rip it Up, Little Richard with Earl Palmer</h4>
My experience playing this song is that the drummer will start banging on cymbals -- because after all, we're rippin' it up, right. But Earl Palmer on drums is the key to this groove... he does it with his snare drum until, restraining from cymbals until the sax solo. Bassist Frank Fields and guitarist Edgar Blanchard, both Dave Bartholomew alums, pretty much follow Palmer's lead and create yet another relentless, yet restrained groove. Few bands have the discipline to apply themselves as one to create such a memorable groove. "Lucille" is a close challenger for this list, again, largely due to Palmer's incredible New Orleans beat. Also, Little Richard's piano is a strong contributor. Also, interestingly, The Everly Brother's version of "Lucille" is a contender largely due to the incredible ride cymbal pattern -- likely Buddy Harman. In addition, the track is adorned by a pedal steel solo!<br />
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<h4>
7. Cleanup Woman, Betty Wright, Clarence "Little Beaver" Hale</h4>
This track is such a great example of dividing the groove. The guitars and bass are rhythmically complex -- so the drums must be simple. I would listen to this groove played without any vocal or horn section for the entirety of the song -- it's that fascinating. Players who have tried covers of "Cleanup Woman" know how difficult it is to hold tempo throughout. If this gets even a tiny bit faster or slower, the dancability is ruined. Guitarists "Little Beaver" and Jerome Smith (KC and the Sunshine Band, believe it or not) establish the groove, but it would become tiresome if the drums didn't hold it down. Interestingly, Betty Wright recorded a lot of material, and though she has a beautiful voice with a 4 octave range, but she never recreated the magic of this track which though associated with her name, was not actually about the vocal, lyrics, etc.<br />
<br />Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-22327823562825654422016-12-11T20:20:00.002-08:002017-08-07T21:53:44.157-07:00How to Make Up a Story for Kids (and Grandkids)<div class="uiHeader uiHeaderBottomBorder mbm" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 11px/14px "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.5em; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
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How to Make Up a Story for Kids (and Grand kids)</h2>
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by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/TwangGuru" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Jim Stringer</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>on Sunday, April 4, 2010 at 3:59pm ·<span class="timelineUnitContainer" style="position: relative;"></span><br />
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<b>How to Make up Stories for Your Kids (and Grand kids)</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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I'm going to tell you how to make up stories for your kids, grandkids, etc., that they'll love and will forever etch out your place in their lives. In addition, these stories will put ‘em to sleep at bedtime, and keep them as quiet as a Packard straight-eight when in the car.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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I don't have an English Degree... never wrote a novel. My skills in this department were initially garnered from my Dad who told me similar bedtime stories when I was a kid, permanently damaging my mind, no doubt. I then honed this creative cutting edge with stories for my own three kids. Now I’ve extended into grandkids, nieces and nephews… even other people’s kids, so watch out.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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This is a recipe, or a template, not a fill in the blank. You have to make up the characters, plot, dialog, etc. It requires little or no skill, effort, imagination or intelligence… perfect for the average, worn out, nearly brain-dead working parent.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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<b>1. The characters</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
First and foremost, the characters are your kids. If you have two or more kids, they still need all to be in the story. It’s no harder for the most part.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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Second, each kid has an animal friend. My own kids had Morris and Nadine D’Taquinbunee (Rabbits of French extraction), Paul and Pauly Possum, Randy The Squirrel… grandson Cooper’s best friend is Alan the Alligator. They all live in the neighborhood and go to the same schools.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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Third, they meet others, most often elves or other animals. They are usually a little skeptical of these new acquaintances, but always make friends.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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<b>2. The Setting</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
It always starts in the morning at home. Main character decides to go to animal friend’s house to cook up some activity. The story may leave the home setting – if they do leave, then the more insanely removed from home, the better. One of my kids Morris and Nadine stories always started with a ride on a green Honda motorcycle to a little grassy spot where Morris and Nadine liked to hang out. Cooper and Alan the Alligator often travel on flying jet skis to underwater locales, other planets, etc. However the plots are always equally mundane. The Story ALWAYS ends with the kids saying goodbye to their animal friend, and always involve eating dinner, getting ready for bed and going to sleep. The stories don’t end (like “they lived happily ever after”), they just go to sleep and wake up the next day, in the next story.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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<b>3. The Plot</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
As mentioned in #2, mundane is perfectly fine. They may go to the bakery to get a donut, look for colored rocks, learn a dance, make up a song (I’ll have a future note on writing songs for your kids), build a fort… or any of the things your kids have actually done that day. In one of my recent stories for grandson, Mason, we went to Allen Field House at KU, just as we had actually done that day… but in the story, they asked him (and his animal friend, Ollie the Otter – he likes otters) to play on the team to take an injured players place. Of course, then they came home, ate dinner and went to sleep.<br />
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<b>4. Don’t be bound to outcome</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
Probably, you won’t even have to make up much of the plot… your kids will continually chime in with, “…and then they…”. Just go with it… repeat what they said and add another line like “…and you know what they saw?” They’ll probably tell you. It’s not Steinbeck.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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<b>5. Names</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
For some reason, animal friends in my stories often have alliterative names (Alan the Alligator, Ollie the Otter) and the kids seem to like that. However, the elves and development characters usually have more forgettable (you don’t have to remember them from story to story), but ridiculous names. Elves might be “Pffflllght” (Bronx cheer), Poohpocklenut, Ba-dip-ba-dip-ba-dip-Bill, or Jeeeeeeeeeeyum (say ALL the long e’s.) It makes ‘em laugh.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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<b>6. No-no’s</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
Nothin’ scary -- at least not really scary. The ghosts turn out to be friendly; monsters invite them home for Chinese checkers, etc.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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Nobody gets hurt unless it’s a scrape on the knee that your main character actually received that day… you get the picture.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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Nobody gets lost, at least not that they can’t find their way out of easily.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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Don’t moralize… you can work some good behavior into the plot, but these stories should be fun. They’ll spot the propaganda (besides the eating dinner and going to bed at the end of the story.)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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<b>7. Series</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
Kids also like continuity. The characters can remember things they did in other stories, meet some of the same characters, visit the same places, or draw on their experience from other stories. Repetition makes your job easier, and they’ll help you because they’ll remember every tiny detail!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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<b>8. Finally, some hints for props</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
My kids like motorcycles, bicycles that turned into jets, bicycles that turned into horses (particularly magic, talking horses), skateboards that turned into space ships. They also always like finding hidden things, no matter how mundane, although these everyday items often turn out to be magic.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<br />
Also, the kids like having things from their real, everyday life thrown in randomly. Like, Mason’s shirt gets wet swimming with Ollie Otter, so he puts on the new shirt his mom bought him that day.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
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The perk for you, the parent, is that telling stories to (with) your kids will make you closer… and they’ll like you a little more. Make your bedtime stories a little more boring and the kids will go right to sleep… make the car stories longer… you’ll have the quietest ride of your life. Good luck.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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</div>
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<span class="Apple-converted-space">--Reprinted from my original "note" on Facebook.</span></div>
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Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-19691859690201563592016-11-09T09:34:00.000-08:002017-08-07T21:57:18.023-07:00After the 2016 ElectionYesterday was election day and today, I'm immensely depressed. Songwriter that I am, I often find inspiration in loss -- and today, I'm inspired, therefore, I write.<br />
<br />
The results of the "election" verify what we've suspected -- our country is deeply polarized. It's hard to imagine a more clear cut choice that Trump vs. Clinton. The results clearly delineate the two sides and it's very evenly divided -- the popular vote was roughly 50%-50% with Clinton slightly ahead.<br />
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By examining the exit polls:<br />
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If you are a white woman with a college degree, you voted for Clinton, 51% to 43%. If you are a white woman with no college degree, you voted for Trump, 62% to 34%.<br />
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If you are a white male with a college degree, you voted for Trump, 54% to 39%. If you are a white man with no college degree, you voted for Trump 72% to 23%.<br />
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ALL other groups sampled, women and men, college or no college, voted overwhelmingly for Ms. Clinton.<br />
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For the record, I voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary, and in the general election, I voted for Ms. Clinton. Clearly, I'm out of step with my peer group -- college educated white male.<br />
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I have voted for the progressive candidate in every election of my adult life. I would follow this path again without question and I just can't understand why this is not, by a large measure, the majority position.<br />
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So... here's the subject of my rumination: why have I been so consistently out of step with the majority in my peer group?<br />
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The first clue lies in the fact that I'm writing a blog, unlikely to be read by anyone (other than myself when I look back to see how clever I am), and equally as unlikely to sway anyone's opinion. I should be out forming my fantasy football team (whatever that entails), making business deals to fatten my investment portfolio, shootin' some animals, spittin' on the floor, swaggering. Pretty large clue.<br />
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Second clue -- I have chosen for a large percentage of my life to study, write and perform a music often associated with uneducated, white men. I have a particular distaste for mass marketed music of the past 20 years. Only a musician who has chosen this trail can appreciate how isolated is this route!<br />
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And third, I'm 68 years old, three grown children, five grand-kids, one on the way... and still seeking relevance. One of the stunning revelations of aging -- not that your body and mind can fail, that you get wrinkled and saggy. Yes that.... but the isolation you feel from your culture. I don't "get" new music; most modern movies seem trivial and uninteresting; great new literature is seemingly non-existent. And conversely, younger people don't get my lyrics or my music; if they read my blog entries, they lose interest after a few sentences (ironically, if this applies to you, you'll never read this sentence); they've never even heard of the people who have shaped my life, or the events that swept me up and dropped me where I stand now.<br />
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So... I can't understand how this election was not a clear choice for Hillary Clinton. How could this result possibly follow in a society to which I belong.<br />
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And there's the last clue to the source of my feeling of isolation -- that I continually expect reason to prevail. That superstition, bias and prejudice will recede. That people will make choices based upon enlightened self-interest, anticipated consequences of their actions, and willingness to accept delayed gratification. That critical thinking will displace knee-jerk reactions.<br />
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That's why I remain, as always -- <br />
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Jim vs. Jim's peer groupRufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-39976818989481127452015-11-17T21:20:00.001-08:002024-03-03T10:28:14.623-08:00How to Lead a Band - Part IOK... I'm not Bob Wills, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, or Johann Strauss the Elder, nor even the Younger. I'm just a seat of the pants geetar picker who started his first band at age 12, and has been at it now for 64 years. If you're reading this after 2024, then add an appropriate number of years on to that figure... I assume that if you can read, you can probably add.<br />
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I've played probably close to 10,000 gigs plus or minus, both as leader and sideman, so this blog comes from the perspective of both. I've played for as many as 25,000 people, and as few as zero... that's right -- ZERO. (I'm not sure I like ZERO, but I'd far preferred the ONE GOOD LISTENER to 25,000 inebriated idiots, just for the record.)<br />
<br />
First, here's a few things that leaders should be aware of, followed by some things that sidemen should be aware of. If you're in a "band" and it's very democratic and no one is really the leader... enjoy your childhood. This is not the real world.<br />
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<h3>
For leaders dealing with sidemen (learned by experiences as a sidemen)</h3>
1. <b>Respect your band</b>. Sidemen are your peers... not your servants. Treat them with ultimate respect, listen to what they play, and enjoy!<br />
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2. <b>Sidemen are human</b> and like most creative people, have somewhat fragile egos. Don't confuse "professional" and "hey, I'm giving them money", with "needs no praise or encouragement." Express your appreciation first time and every time.<br />
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3. <b>NEVER NEVER NEVER</b>, no matter how badly deserved, criticize a player's performance in front of his peers and the audience. If you have a problem with a performance, address it privately. (This does not apply for certain substance induced behavior which needs to be addressed immediately... you know what I mean and you know the difference.)<br />
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4. <b>Hire great players who are good human beings</b>, then let them play -- no need to micromanage. Roots music is NOT Beethoven. It's fun to hear what great players -- specialists in their instruments -- contribute to your music. This doesn't mean you can't guide or shape... just trust that you're going to hear some great licks that you never would have thought of.<br />
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5. <b>Know your repertoire</b>. Everyone forgets a lyric now and again -- this isn't what I mean. I mean know the songs. For covers: who wrote it, what other versions have been recorded, the meaning of the lyrics, where it was recorded, who were the players. This doesn't mean you have to cough this up to the crowd before (or after) each song. But it's part of making it real... if you don't know this stuff, you're just regurgitating. For originals: when you wrote it, why you wrote it, when you recorded it, who recorded with you. You get the picture? If you're not inside the music, your band will be off in the pasture.<br />
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6. <b>Talk to the audience, not the band</b>. Yes... you need to be sure the band knows what song is up. Even a regular band often needs the key. Most of us in Austin play with at least a half dozen other bands, many times the same songs but in a different key, with a different groove, intro and all.<br />
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7. <b>Be sure your sidemen pay attention</b>. Lead the band -- be sure they know who has an upcoming solo... cue breaks when needed. Also, cue endings -- but, keep in mind, a good musician will guide the band musically with their outro lick, if it's not a rehearsed ending. Trying to cut off the band visually before an outro lick reaches its logical conclusions will almost <b>certainly</b> cause a train wreck.<br />
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8. <b>Make the band look good. </b>Often, an audience need guidance -- cue them in on the virtuosity that's happening on stage. When your band looks good, you look good.<br />
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9. <b>It's all about the song</b>. Yes -- I know there are charismatic stars who could sing the preamble to the constitution and make it sparkle. But, without fail, I'd rather hear a good band working well together. And, if you have good, appropriate repertoire, well ordered and well played, it'll work. If everyone plays "the song", it'll be great.<br />
<h3>
For sidemen (learned by experience as a band leader)</h3>
<div>
1. <b>Watch the leader. </b>It doesn't matter what kind of music you're playing -- symphony orchestra to garage band -- or, for that matter, garage orchestra. This is how you play together and all music sounds best when the musicians play together. I can't think of anything that irritates me more than having to holler to get the attention of a player who's lost in a daze.<br />
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2. <b>Commit. </b>Be there in your entirety. If you're dragging your gear out to a gig because you think it'll make you more attractive in the eyes of the opposite sex, your in the wrong business -- it might for a night or two, but the attraction is on the surface and wears off quickly. Nope... BE THERE. Stay connected to your bandmates emotionally. Make it happen! That's what makes it fun!<br />
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3. <b>The gig is not practice.</b> Know the songs, learn the lyrics, know your parts, know how to play those parts, know the melody, know the groove... or be quick to pick up.<br />
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4. <b>Dress for the gig.</b> Don't wear the clothes you wore to change your oil that afternoon. Show some respect for your audience... dress appropriately, but dress for the gig, not for couch. Miles Davis said he wanted his audiences to think he was special, so he dressed the part.<br />
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5. <b>Don't whine.</b> Keep your eyes off your watch. Don't complain about the leader's song selection -- just play it to the best of your ability. A player who complains just signs his own pink slip.<br />
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6. <b>Maintain your gear. </b>You were hired for the gig to make good sounds. Broken cables, noisy tubes, rattling speakers, and intermittent pickups do not make good sounds. It might be a good idea to step off stage and take a peek at how your gear looks to the audience -- if it makes you feel like you're looking into the shower in Bubba's trailer, maybe you should dig out the handy wipes.<br />
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7<b>. Don't show up drunk or whatever</b>! I once played a gig as a sideman alongside a player who was so screwed up that he sat down and went to sleep in the middle of a song! After the gig, he looked at me and said, "Are you playing tonight?" Believe me, this guy would never play another gig in my band. Everyone has their threshold... know yours and don't step over.<br />
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8. <b>Be musically flexible. </b>Rock and roll, jazz, country, bluegrass, and virtually all roots music is largely improvised... be ready to go with the flow. Even in non-improvised music, some nights the tempo may be slower or faster... the group louder or softer. Don't be so committed to your particular concept that you can't change to make the ensemble sound its best. Maybe your amp doesn't sound like you want it to sound... hey, just play the sound that it IS making.<br />
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9. <b>Listen.</b> Possibly the largest difference between poor or mediocre players and top notch players is the higher level player's ability to listen to the other players and to the whole group, not just their own part. Players who have not yet mastered their instrument will be so intent upon keeping it together that they don't hear the other players... they'll be too loud/soft for the band, or they'll determinedly pound on a wrong chord. They rush, drag, play inappropriate or out of genre parts, noodle over other players fills. So... just listen and be a contributing part of the whole.<br />
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10<b>. Make the leader look good. </b>I've done thousands of sideman gigs and I know some front people are egotistical, blathering idiots. (I've had my own moronic periods.) Still.. while you're on the gig, if you make the leader look bad, it winds up making you look bad, and pretty much like an idiot for taking the gig in the first place. Do your best... take it up with the leader when you're off the gig and/or don't take that gig again! A corollary -- <b>don't step on the leader's patter</b>. It may be stupid and you may have heard it every night for the last 10 years. The audience has NOT heard it as often as you have. Think about Steve Martin saying, "Excuse ME!" for the millionth time, to thunderous applause. You may be wittier... if so, get your own gigs. For tonight, just go with it.</div>
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<br />Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-57347586026075200362015-03-03T20:39:00.002-08:002015-03-03T20:39:45.644-08:00Part V - Some Life Lessons<h2>
Some Life Lessons</h2>
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<b>Action vs. Consequences</b></div>
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It's alarming that an innocuous action such as putting your foot down on, what turned out to be, a non-existent step, can be one of those before and after points in life. Although I expect to recover as fully as possible, nothing will ever be the same for me again.</div>
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Not only did I disrupt my own life, but also the life of my wife, my co-workers, and everyone that I am associated with socially an professionally. The ratio of consequence to action is extremely high -- very small action with huge consequences.</div>
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<b>Life Goes On</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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I'm almost like a ghost, dwelling in the world I previously inhabited. </div>
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I found replacements for gigs... and the gigs went on a scheduled. Different, to be sure, but the Earth continued to rotate.</div>
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My racquetball playing friends are still running and sweating. I'm sure they don't really miss my presence in any material way.</div>
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Everyone can be replaced -- and this is actually a relief in many ways. At this age, it's sometimes nice to know that life will go on.</div>
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<b>Betrayed by my Body</b></div>
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That knee always worked on steps before. And, I never developed blood clots in my lungs. I have felt my age for several years now -- minor aches and pains, night vision not so great, trouble remembering names. If you don't think this will happen to you, think again.</div>
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Still, I had the vague feeling of invincibility that most of us feel throughout our lives. Just because everyone else has things like cancer, strokes, heart attacks, Alzheimers, etc., it doesn't mean that I will! But I can't feel that way any more -- particularly after the blood clot episode.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I can bravely say that I'm not afraid of death -- I already feels detached from modern culture, I hate the political climate in our country and the world, and I feel satisfied with what I've done with my life, and how I've resolved my existential questions.</div>
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I do, however, have a dread of becoming a burden on those close to me; and this experience has given me a taste of what this would be like.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Loss of Independence</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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I can't walk unaided... I can't drive... I can't come and go at will. Thank gawd for Amazon -- I've had items as insignificant as a light bulb shipped to me, as brick and mortar merchants are inaccessible to me.</div>
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It's like being a seventeen year old, driving for a year, who has been grounded. The pain of the injury, surgery, and post op, is minor compared to the loss of independence. I know its getting better and I know I'll regain my independence, but it's painfully slow in coming. Each day is long, right now... I know as I look back on it, it will seem like a short episode.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Constantly Moving Goal</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Recuperating from this injury is hard for a goal oriented person. Imagine playing a football like game where the goal line was constantly moving. I can make estimates about my progress and what to expect -- but these estimates are elastic. Where you thought you might be in four weeks, turns out to be where you ARE at eight weeks. It's hard to plan ahead -- I've just decided to make only short range plans for the next six months. And by short range, I mean what I'm going to do RIGHT NOW -- not tomorrow, not next week, and certainly not next month.</div>
Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-18137296319935298472015-02-15T17:00:00.005-08:002023-11-12T18:51:37.028-08:00PART IV: Recovery and Hurdles Along the WayThis section will be in "diary" form and I've included this entry largely for my own perspective, though I hope it will be of interest to others who have had quadriceps tendon repair. It's just my own experience -- if there's anything I've learned it's that each individual progresses at his own pace.<br />
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<h4>
January 16, 2015 "Operation Day"</h4>
Early day -- 6:00am at the venue where my surgery would be performed: Texas Orthopedics in northwest Austin. I don't really remember much about this day other than they knocked me out and when I came to, I had a big bandage on my right leg. I had opted for a "nerve block", so I could feel absolutely no pain at the incision. Somehow, Dana managed to get me piled back in the car, and we picked up the prescribed pain meds on the way home -- <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocodone" target="_blank">Hydrocodone</a> for pain, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diazepam" target="_blank">Diazepam </a>for potential muscle spasms. I was pretty much out for the day.<br />
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<h4>
January 17, 2015 "The Day After"</h4>
I slept... the nerve block was still in effect so I didn't really need pain meds. However, I couldn't get up easily, though this is just something you learn as you go along. I actually had to have a PT person come out to show me such tricks as getting up out of a chair, going down and up a single stair (our house has TWO of these small steps.)<br />
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<h4>
January 18, 2015 "Fun (or NOT) with Diazepam"</h4>
The nerve block began expiring. Post op instructions said to try to stay "ahead of the pain". So... I tried. However, I soon learned that Hydrocodone and I do NOT agree on many things. I don't have the nausea that many people complain of, but did have the following: rash, itching, drowsiness, depression, and BIG time issues with NUMBER 2. Ouch...<br />
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When my leg began twitching, I added the diazepam to the mix. Turns out, I also experience many of the side effects of this drug, too -- particularly "impaired motor functions", "impaired coordination", "impaired balance", and, apparently a touch of the "anterograde amnesia", since I really can't remember much from the days I took diazepam.<br />
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Unfortunately, this kept me off my feet (on the walker) for a couple of days... who needs a setback at this point in recovery.<br />
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<h4>
January 26, 2015 "Learning to Scoot"</h4>
I had my first follow-up appointment with the Orthopedic Surgeon. They removed the staples and said the incision was healing well. My mobility at this point is still "light toe touch" on the walker.<br />
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Let me tell you... getting 20 feet on a walker with "light toe touch" is an athletic feat. My triceps will be good and strong after this, even if everything else is completely gone to pot.<br />
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The plan was to begin early PT around February 9. I was eager to continue down the road to rehab.<br />
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<h4>
February 2, 2015 "Pain in the Ankle"</h4>
I began having severe pain in my right calf. By Thursday, the pain was so intense that I had trouble making the 20 foot trip to the bathroom.<br />
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<h4>
February 5 - Feb 10, 2015 "Six Days on the Road"</h4>
The calf pain was worse... I called Texas Orthopedics. My surgeon's physician's assistant told me to go to ARA (Austin Radiological Association) for a ultrasound on my leg... N O W. So... we piled into the car.<br />
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I figured that they'd do a test... tell me everything was fine... go home and bite my lip. But... this is NOT what happened!<br />
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Instead, they told me that I had developed major blood clots in my femoral vein and multiple pulmonary clots. Serious stuff. They told me to go immediately to ER. We did, and I went from ER to ICU where stayed for the next three days.<br />
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I was first told that the pulmonary clots were the most dangerous and that they were planning to do a "procedure" to stick some sort of tube down my neck into my lungs, then pump a drug (something like <a href="http://attract.wustl.edu/details.aspx?NavID=93" target="_blank">this link</a>) to break up the blood clots.<br />
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However, after the radiologist reviewed the CT Scan, the physician in charge decided the pulmonary clots were too small to be dangerous and that they should perform the "tPA" procedure on my leg... let the body take care of the pulmonary clots.<br />
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They did something to desensitize my leg, and gave me some mild sedative. First in was a "portal" about the size of a coffee stirrer into a vein in the back of my leg. Through this, they threaded three IVs (or a XII -- ha ha) into the vein. One tube carried the tBA (the clot busting substance"; a second was an Ultra Sonic carrier -- high frequency vibrations; and, the third was a saline cooling solution to keep the Ultra Sonic motion from overheating my body. All this was guided in real time via an X-Ray display. When the tubes were all inserted, I could still see two of the captured images on the displays -- one of my hip joint, and the area in the femoral vein where the largest part of the clot resided. The other image was just below the knee, the portal insertion joint.<br />
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The attending physician, Dr. Poley, told Dana that I'd slept through the whole thing. I'm glad that I fooled them... I was awake for the whole thing!<br />
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From Radiology, I was moved back to ICU. Seton has some good staff... attending nurses (Travis, Josh), clinical assistants, and attending physicians (Dr. Kalyanaswamy... pronounced exactly as it's spelled) were really good, friendly, responsive to questions, and informative. This is good -- I was to keep my leg immobile for at least 24 hours.<br />
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Sometime during the night after this procedure, the insertion point began oozing blood -- not just a little bit. I mean it was pooling on the floor. The nurse on duty, Josh, was, I'm sure, alarmed. However, he immediately called the company that provides the equipment for this procedure, and managed to reach Dr. Poley. It turns out, although it's not what they intend, it's not unusual. Keep in mind, the insertion portal was like a coffee stirrer or small soda straw. So... .they just cleaned, changed pads under the leg, until morning when the redressed the leg.<br />
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Late in the morning or early afternoon, they opted to inspect the progress. I was taken back to the same (or similar) radiology lab, where they examined the blood clot. Once again, I was sedated, but awake, and I heard a round of "look at that!" from all the staff. Turns out, this was the GOOD response... the clot was largely dissolved and full circulation was restored to my leg. They pulled the entire apparatus out. Before closing the portal, the sent a "stint" up the vein (similar to how they do the heart thing), to help clean the vein. Back to ICU... until Sunday when they moved me up to the orthopedics wing for recovery. Much better... much MUCH better.<br />
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I still had a couple of days to spend in IMC (intermediate care) while they fed me Heparin, a powerful anti-coagulant, and monitored my blood by withdrawing copious quantities from a dozen or so pin pricks in my left arm.<br />
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I'm glad they were doing all this, but what I can tolerate five, six, seven... maybe even eight times... becomes REALLY irritating the fifteenth or twentieth times! Yikes... what do they do with all that blood?<br />
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Finally, on Tuesday morning, Dr. K (what they call Dr. Kalyanaswamy) came by... I asked when I might be released. She said, "This morning... in about an hour." I have to admit, it brought tears of joy to my eyes... I immediately called Dana. She was caught off-guard, but was equally as happy as I.<br />
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My advice... Seton is a really good hospital, and the people are very nice and seemingly quite competent. However -- DON'T GET STUFF THAT MAKES YOU WIND UP IN THE HOSPITAL. "Out of the" is a much better relationship to the hospital than "in the".<br />
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I'll be taking a blood thinner for probably 3 to 6 months, and this is not without issues. But this is a relatively new drug call Xarelto and doesn't involve dietary restrictions or constant dose monitoring and dose alteration like the alternative, Coumadin. Unfortunately, being new to the market and sold only under the brand name, Xarelto is also expensive.<br />
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A really proactive and energetic social services person at Seton, Emily, found me a card that would cover the first 15 days of Xarelto, for which Walgreens was asking $565. THANK YOU EMILY!!!<br />
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Walgreens, by the way, was less than helpful about anything. As a result, we had the prescription transferred to Costco where, as in every other aspect of Costco's operation, the pharmacy staff was very helpful. Also, for the same prescription that Walgreens would charge me $565, Costco would have charged about $300. So... next time you start to go to Walgreens, think twice. Go to Costco -- if you don't have a membership, GET ONE!<br />
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So... out of the hospital... .home... back to learning to walk again!<br />
<h4>
February 12 "Checkup"</h4>
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I had my first post-hospital appointment with my primary care physician. I had written down all my questions -- the most important of which was, "Can I re-start rehab on my leg?" The answer was affirmative... if I could have jumped up and click my heels, I would have. Oh happy day.</div>
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Possibly the most interesting aspect of my trip to Austin Diagnostic Clinic was getting from the car (Dana let me off at the circle drive entrance while she parked) to the doctor's office on the 2nd floor.</div>
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I told Dana that I'd meet her inside. My means of locomotion is a walker, an alternative to crutches which I just don't trust -- I mean, why not a pogo stick?</div>
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<br /></div>
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However, moving with a walker when you're restricted to "light toe touch" on one leg is physically demanding. You take a step on the good leg, then lift yourself fully off the ground with your triceps, lightly touch the toe, and quickly again support yourself on the good foot. Although I know much of my body has suffered from this whole event -- obviously, I have not been able to play racquetball -- my triceps will be powerful. Going the 200 or so feet from the entrance to the office was exhausting. Thankfully, Dana found a wheel chair and I got a free ride for about half the distance. There's got to be a better way, you would think.</div>
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<h4>
February 16 "Learning to Bend"</h4>
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For my visit to my orthopedic surgeon, I was rewarded by the loosening of my leg brace to 30 degrees flexation, and no lock on extension. And, the big thing... I can place full weight on the "bad" leg. Instead of hitching along on the walker, I can move normally -- the walker just serves as protection. I've been running laps inside the house -- currently trying to get 200 - 250 steps a day.</div>
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Also, I began Physical Therapy (PT) on February 20. I selected Austin Physical Therapy Specialists... I read good Yelp reviews, and the office is very close to my house -- within walking distance... er, if I could actually walk.</div>
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<b>March 1 and March 2 "Return to the Stage"</b></div>
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I played my gigs on March 1 (Jim's Country Jam) and March 2 (The White Horse). I refuse to use a walker to get into a gig. I had human crutches. Since I can walk reasonably well, albeit slowly, I just needed reliable support, similar to what's provided by the walker. My wife and I practiced at home for several days before the gigs.</div>
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Of course, the tricky part is stairs. At the March 1 gig, there is a flat path into the venue, but three relatively steep steps onto the stage. Going UP is easy -- good leg on the step, raise and plant the bad leg. Going DOWN is harder... bad leg leads and there's a tendency to flex and support with the weak quadriceps. This was a preview a feeling I'll probably fight for months, if not years, to come -- this is how my leg was injured in the first place... going down stairs.</div>
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The other challenge to playing gigs is that I have very little stamina. Even sitting on a chair, playing and singing uses considerable energy. As of March 3, after these two gigs, short as they were, I'm pretty exhausted. I'm playing only 9 shows in March 2015 as compared to 29 shows in March 2014. I'm not sure when I might feel like working more.... I'll just take it day by day.</div>
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<b>March 3 "Walk In PT"</b></div>
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Today was my fifth PT session. A session consists of:</div>
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1. Electro-stimulus. They attach four electrodes to above and below, on each side of my knee. A current passes between the electrodes that automatically contracts the muscles surrounding the knee. It feels much like allowing a pack of crazed, microscopic gerbils to run wild under your skin. It doesn't really hurt -- but it's a little disquieting. And it really does feel good when it stops.</div>
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2. Deep message of the quadriceps. Since the muscle is partially atrophied, this can be painful -- but I'm sure this is vitally essential at this point to prevent adhesion and to promote circulation.</div>
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3. Ankle Pumps. This is a seemingly trivial, but very important exercise. You just elevate your feet, dangle your heels over the edge of the support, and wiggle your foot. It helps to reduce swelling and to prevent blod clots -- I sure don't need any more of those! I'm doing a set of 30 at least twice a day.</div>
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4. Quad Sets. This exercise consist of flexing the quadriceps muscle, just short of the pain threshold. Again, I'm doing these daily, twice daily, 30 reps holding for 5 seconds each.</div>
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5. Squeezing ball between my knees. I don't know the name of this exercise, however, it's the one exercise that makes me feel a little lactic acid buildup -- a good burn.</div>
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6. Heel raise. Lay back, knee on the riser, high side at the knee -- lift my heel as high as possible, short of pain. It's pretty obvious what this is intended to accomplish, given that this is the primary function of the quadriceps muscles -- extension of the leg.</div>
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7. Laser treatment. This helps with the scarring from the incision. It gets a little warm, but it doesn't hurt and it seems to work. The incision is now completely healed. The scar will be there for life -- but it's just another of life's tattoos.</div>
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<br />Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-40566572791994197882015-02-01T08:24:00.002-08:002015-03-03T21:34:02.715-08:00Up to my Knees, Head FirstI've written a series of posts related to my recent knee injury. I wrote that for several reasons:<br />
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1. They'll explain what happened and why I'm absent from my gigs;<br />
2. They'll be a helpful resource to others with similar injuries;<br />
3. They'll be characteristically witty and entertaining to read, and not become known as "Stringer's Pity Papers";<br />
4. I don't really have much else to do while I've been lying around waiting for this knee to heal;<br />
5. And last, a chronicle for myself and family... the first three won't change much... the last two, I'll try to keep up to date.<br />
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<h2>
<a href="http://rufusotis.blogspot.com/2015/01/dirupting-quadraceps-tendon-dont-do-it.html" style="text: black;" target="_blank">PART I - What Happened</a></h2>
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<a href="http://rufusotis.blogspot.com/2015/01/part-ii-what-is-disrupted-quadriceps.html" style="text: black;" target="_blank">PART II - What is a Disrupted Quadriceps Tendon</a></h2>
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<a href="http://rufusotis.blogspot.com/2015/02/part-iii-getting-treatment-how-i-did-it.html" style="text: black;" target="_blank">PART III - Getting Treatment</a></h2>
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<span style="text: black;"><a href="http://rufusotis.blogspot.com/2015/02/part-iv-recovery-and-hurdles-along-way.html" target="_blank">PART IV - Recovery and Hurdles Along the Way</a></span></h2>
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<span style="text: black;"><a href="http://rufusotis.blogspot.com/2015/03/part-v-some-life-lessons.html" target="_blank">PART V - Some Life Lessons</a></span></h2>
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I would appreciate comments and reposts.<br />
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Thanks<br />
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--Jim<br />
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<br />Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-89976604490508476312015-02-01T07:54:00.000-08:002015-02-01T08:46:35.929-08:00PART III: Getting Treatment<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red;">How I Did It vs. How it Should Be Done</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I injured my knee on the evening of December 26, 2014. I had surgery to repair the injury on January 16, 2015... exactly 3 weeks.</span></div>
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All the authoritative sources say you should 1) be taken to the emergency room; and 2) surgery should be performed as soon as is possible. The tendons and muscles begin atrophy almost immediately and the repair becomes more and more difficult, and less and less effective!</div>
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So... what happened?</div>
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First... I'm an idiot musician -- the show must go on. I felt that I need to play the show at Belly Up, regardless of the fact that my role was a bit part. In my nearly 55 years of playing gigs, I can count on one hand that shows that I've cancelled because of health issues. I played my Hall of Fame show in 2007 with a 104 degree fever and walking pneumonia!!! In a snow storm!!! In sub zero weather!!! Geez... you get the picture?</div>
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Second... as I mentioned, I have a history of pulled muscles. I sort of figured that's what it was... I'd do the RICE treatment, limp around for a couple of weeks, and that would be that.</div>
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Third... we were 1800 miles from home looking at a 3 hour plane trip. We delayed our trip for a day (which cost nearly $600 for ticket alteration, extra car rental, extra hotel, etc.) to allow a trip to the Urgent Care Center... by that time, because of the excruciating pain and my inability to extend my foot, I knew this was not a pulled muscle. So... we went to a recommended Urgent Care Clinic in Mission Viejo... more about this a bit later.</div>
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Fourth... it was Christmas holiday and orthopedic surgeons apparently are orthodox observers of this holiday. Though I tried to get an appointment with my primary care physician (PCP), as of Dec. 28, the first appointment available was not until January 2 -- that doctor was on holiday. My PCP referred me to an Orthopedic Surgeon... the first appointment I could get was January 6. At that appointment, they set me up for an MRI on January 8... and I could not get the results until January 12. At that time they said I needed surgery ASAP... well DUH!!! </div>
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Ok... as many of you know, I quickly called about 100 people to find replacement geetar players, get the OK from bookers, etc. Everyone was, of course, very nice and I'm eternally grateful to my friends and colleagues who accommodated my sudden schedule change.</div>
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But... surgery finally occurred three weeks from the accident.</div>
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<b>How it should be done -- GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM</b>! This is a serious leg injury, one that if left untreated, can leave you permanently hobbled. I may not be young, but I tell you what -- I''m not ready for the now or EVER!!!</div>
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Now... I have to comment on the <a href="http://www.osofamily.net/oso-urgent-care/" target="_blank">Oso Urgent Care Clinic</a>, and in particular, Dr. Joy who examined my leg. I described my problem thus (reiterating much of what I've written on other pages.)</div>
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<ol>
<li>I injured my knee when I missed a step;</li>
<li>I heard a loud "pop" when my leg buckled;</li>
<li>The incident was accompanied by intense pain in the patella;</li>
<li>My knee was extremely swollen and discolored;</li>
<li>I could not extend my foot.</li>
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If you do a search on Google for "Quadriceps Tendon Rupture", you'll get millions of hits. Each one with list, almost literally, the symptoms I've described. However, here's what Dr. Joy, in his medical wisdom, told me: "It's bursitis."<br />
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Once my head stopped spinning around on my neck, I inquired, incredulously, "Correct me if I'm wrong, Doctor... bursitis is a chronic inflammation of the bursa in the knee.. it would not suddenly be brought on by a slip on some stairs, would it? I was FINE before this incident... these symptoms began simultaneously with my slip on the stairs."
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Dr. Joy was unshaken in his medical wisdom, even though his "diagnosis" was the equivalent of suggesting to a patient who had come in with a knife protruding from his chest, that he had acne. A little tetracycline would clear it right up.<br />
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As treatment, Dr. Joy wanted me to take a powerful steroid (methinks someone close to this situation might be taking a few too many of these, himself), and, thankfully, some Vicodin, to at least allow me to make the trip back to Austin.<br />
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Of course, what Dr. Joy SHOULD have said is, "Oh geez... you've ruptured your quadriceps tendon.... we need to get you to an emergency room, quick", or at least, "Oh geez... this looks serious and I don't really know what it is... let's get you to an emergency room."<br />
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Now... I realize I've named names, and left myself somewhat at risk. However, I have his written diagnosis and I have my wife as a witness. This is possibly the most irresponsible medical behavior I've ever personally experienced. Gawd forbid, my issue was not a stroke, or a heart attack... he might have diagnosed it as fatigue, or indigestion, depression, or who knows what. I have NEVER in my life levied blame against a doctor... what they do is difficult, and involves a certain amount of guess work. However, in this case, we have filed a formal complaint to the California Board of Medicine. Someone could die, next time -- my hope is taking the time to file the complaint my help prevent a needless death. No lawsuit, no damages... I just don't want this clearly incompetent "doctor" ruining someones life.<br />
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THERE... done with the vitriol. If you have a medical issue which requires "urgent care", I'm sure there are alternatives to the Oso Urgent Care Clinic.<br />
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<b>One again, how it SHOULD be done -- GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.</b><br />
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<b>Next up... PART IV: Recovery</b><br />
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Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912837681415888239.post-75966278112051218332015-01-31T11:52:00.001-08:002015-02-01T09:20:15.977-08:00PART II: What is a Disrupted Quadriceps TendonWay back in the old days, I was a sprinter, something you certainly would not guess from the present day body that I drag around. I was fast... fastest in the state the year of my graduation. I was offered various full ride track scholarships, but opted to attend the University Of Kansas which had offered me only a small stipend, having spent all the scholarship money on lightning quick, out of state runners. But, it's where my friends were going -- particularly the guys in my high school band.<br />
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The point of this aside relative to the topic of this blog is that I injured by right quad so many times that I had to drop out of track entirely. I'm no newbie to Quadriceps Injuries in general. However, I entered college in 1966 when we wrote with pens and paper, added and subtracted by "thinking" (or more accurately, by counting on fingers and toes) We avoided long division entirely, when possible. There was NO internet -- all research was done by thumbing through the library's card index, then scouring the cavernous building's shelves until you discovered that the sought after book was checked out. With any luck, you might get the information you needed in a few weeks.<br />
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So, I knew what my quads were -- and in particular, that they were the most important muscle to speed. A good sprinter's legs work like pistons. You plant one foot, then raise the alternate foot in a straight a motion as possible to near the buttocks. Then you swing the knee/foot/calf/upper legs as a unit forward and quickly extend the foot and plant it on the track, which the process repeats with the other foot. This process of tucking, swinging and planting is the key to every good sprinter's motions. Here's a YouTube video that shows at about 0:48 seconds in slow motion the process I'm describing.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/PH-3cHxXAK0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PH-3cHxXAK0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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That quadriceps fueled kick is, in a large part what shaves those 1/100's of a second off a sprinter's time that today divides the winner from the "also-rans". I was fortunate to be tutored in the science of sprinting by a pioneer in the field, <a href="http://gomatadors.com/genrel/020914_HoF_Release" target="_blank">Cliff Abel</a>, who later became head track and field coach at Cal State Northridge -- they fondly refer to him as "legendary men's track & field head coach". At the time, immature ingrate that I was, had no appreciation of his coaching talent. I'm glad he's been appropriately recognized by those more discerning that I was at that age.
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But back to ruptured quadriceps tendons.<br />
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I never ruptured a tendon during my running career. My injuries at the time were confined to "pulled muscles", or tears in the muscle fiber -- serious enough, but not, on their own, totally debilitating. This was all in a time before the now well known pulled muscle treatment acronym -- RICE: rest, ice, compression, elevation. In fact, I don't recall any treatment at all beyond rest and limping for a few weeks.<br />
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Also, I was complicit in that I didn't like excessive warm up, despite Coach Abel's admonitions. To make matters worse, our early season track meets were in the Spring, when temperatures in the region were often in the 40s, 50s or 60s, at best. (By the end of the season, you could iron pants n the sidewalk, but in March you wouldn't take off those pants to iron them!) Also, my muscles are a little too short for my bones, I guess... the muscles always seemed to be stretched a little tightly.<br />
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I'm certain that although I didn't suffer actual ruptured tendons, the fact that I DID have repeated torn quads also suggests that there was a trap being laid.<br />
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Quadriceps Tendon damage is often referred to a "runner's knee", "jumper's knee", etc. Those who are most prone to this injury are runners, volleyball players, basketball players... anything that subjects a bended knee to repeated abuse. When these athletes mature (that is get older... some never mature), their knees are most prone to tendon damage.<br />
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I've now learned a lot about the knee, and associated ligaments, tendons, cartilage and its general engineering. Had I studied this earlier, I might have done a few things that might have prevented this.<br />
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Heading up the list -- LOSE WEIGHT. When you use the quadriceps muscles to, say, climb stairs, you place the entire weight of your upper body (about 80% of your total body weight) on the quadriceps tendons. Here's a diagram of the apparatus:<br />
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<a href="http://jimstringer.us/blog_pix/Knee_diagram_colorized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://jimstringer.us/blog_pix/Knee_diagram_colorized.jpg" height="291" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, in order lift your self one stair step, you contract your Quadriceps Muscle, which pulls on the Quadriceps Tendon, which is draped over the Patella (Knee Cap), and pulls up on the Patellar Tendon, which is, in turn, connected to the Tibia (or Shin Bone)... sort of like the action of a backhoe loader where the hydraulic cylinders are replaced by tough little pieces of tissue called Tendons.<br />
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Probably as the result of a combination of my age, my "runners knee", fatigue, and poor warm up -- racquetball is famously hard on knees, too. This is article explains the nature of the injury much better than I can -- plus there's some good, grizzly, CSI type photos of an open incision with tendons and all: <a href="http://www.arthroscopy.com/quadrep.htm" target="_blank">Quadriceps Tendon Rupture</a><br />
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Another good read is Michael LaBossiere's "Quadriceps Tendon Rupture" blog... full of information, entertaining and well written.<br />
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Next up...<br />
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<a href="http://rufusotis.blogspot.com/2015/02/part-iii-getting-treatment-how-i-did-it.html" target="_blank">PART III: Getting Treatment -- How I Did It vs. How it Should Be Done</a><span id="goog_873511875"></span><span id="goog_873511876"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>Rufus Otishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916859989509921697noreply@blogger.com1