I've had it, folks. I've been looking at alternatives for a few weeks now, and had determined to take my time and do the switch when I have EXACTLY what I want, but I've had enough now. What's the point of spending time and effort to write things just to find out that few if any can actually be read? I'm changing tactics now. I'm going to use a "stopgap" blog. I've been playing with it for a couple days, and it is nowhere near what I want, but if people can read it, then it will be better than what I have. I think that having what I really want is going to require building it myself and getting it hosted independently, which will take time since I'm a newbie at this code stuff. In the meantime, however, it means that I can write without wasting my time.

Adding insult to injury, there is still no help on the "Help Forum". Someone mentioned a class action suit, and the same "helper" who wrote that insulting and rude post to all Blogdrive users (the one I posted a few weeks ago) is laughing up a storm about it. I'd like to know, Mr. "Sinister Ninja", what the fuck is so funny about a company charging for a service that they don't provide. What is so stupid about signing up for a service, upgrading it to a premium account, and then expecting it to work? "Routine maintenance" and "resynching the servers" doesn't work as an excuse for OVER TWO MONTHS. I stopped reading your blog because it became a bunch of pissing and whining about your girlfriend breaking up with you. Now I can see her point. She probably wanted something that WORKS, just like Blogdrive users do. And just like us, she probably got tired of weak excuses and snottiness.

Starting with tomorrow's Thursday Thirteen, and going on until further notice, here is the new location for Under the Bridge.

Normally, I'm not a car guy. Cars are things to get you from one place to another, and it really stops there for me. If you have to have a muscle car or a fancy sports job, I tend to think that you might be compensating, knowhatimean? As a result, I'm not a racecar guy either. Watching a bunch of good ole boys driving 500 miles in a circle while advertising weak-ass beer and cigarettes is not my idea of an afternooon well spent. So it was a little strange that I got up early Saturday and headed out of town to the racetrack.

The difference is, though, that I was not going to watch. I was going to drive.

It's something that my new boss, who seems to know how to have a good time, arranges every couple of years for employees and clients. Who would be insane and stupid enough to let me drive a racecar? The good people at Sandia Speedway in Albuquerque, that's who.

We had to be there at 8:00 for training, without which we would not be allowed to drive. I made sure I was there early, even though I had left the directions on my desk and wasn't entirely sure where it was. When some guy passed me like I was standing still, I figured I should  follow him. The only other things on that stretch of mesa are a detention center and a landfill, and he wasn't driving like he was going to either of those.

Once we had all gathered and signed in, we went to the tower for training, which we figured would be long and involved. Ten minutes later we emerged having looked at a map of the track and with the knowledge that curving when the track curves is a reliable policy. We also had some idea of how to do that without going splat, but that was kind of vague at that time. They then took us on a tour of the track in regular street vehicles. This was not just an oval track. There were about 7 curves of varying sharpness, including one hairpin 180. It looked a little intimidating.

The next step was to ride in the racecar as a passenger, with a pro at the wheel. I got into a green Miata, got strapped in with my helmet on, and the driver said "Is this your first time?"

"Yes", I said.

He said "It's my third", and took off.

How fast we went was determined by me, conveyed by thumb signs. My thumb pointed up the whole way. He started out slowly, but when he saw that he wasn't freaking me out and I was digging those turns, he opened it up a bit. Here's the thing - I was glancing at the speedometer and he was traveling at normal speeds. It was the environment that made it seem fast. I mean, 40 MPH is not fast...... unless you're in the middle of that hairpin 180. Then it's pretty damn zippy. And 60 doesn't seem that fast, until you see that next curve jump up on you and you're suddenly in it. On some of those curves, I could feel my vertabrae seperating a little, although I was strapped in like a mummy. It turned out, also, that it was only the driver's third time... in that particular car. He had plenty of Nascar experience.

I heard several people saying that the drive around in the Mustang was pretty sweet, too, so when everyone had had a turn I jumped into that one, too. I wasn't strapped in this time - just a regular seatbelt. I didn't feel the same way as before, though, because it was a different type of ride. We were going just as fast, but the Mustang was smoother, and had maybe a little more pickup. The Miatas seemed ballsier, though, like being in a real racecar instead of a street rod, which is what that Mustang really was.

Then it was time for the instructors to get into the passenger seat and let us drive. This took a lot longer, even though fewer people drove than rode, for two reasons. First, once we started driving the lines became a bit less orderly. Secondly, we tended to drive slower than the pros did. It took a while for me to get into a car, but when I did it was a different Miata, and I was with Soren, the guy who taught the class. We drove out to the edge of the track, waited for the high sign, and took off.

I'm pretty happy with the way I handled the car. While no one had any acccidents, there were a couple spins and lots of fishtailing being talked about. I did neither, but I wasn't just going slow, either. On the 180 I didn't look at the speedometer - the track commanded my attention completely at that point - but I think I took it at at least 30 a few times. I know I was hitting 60 on the main straightaway, which is about what the pro did. It was something that took getting used to, though, because it is a very counterintuitive way to drive, especially if you were hammered with the defensive driving as a teenager like I was. I mean, my dad was VERY conservative, so the idea of accelerating during a turn and not watching your lane usage is like trying to eat without chewing. Yet, that is how it is done. Coming to a curve, you brake first (if you need to) and get on the outside, then cut across the lanes to be on the inside during the curve, then let the curve carry you to the outside again, accelerating the whole time. After a couple laps, the instuctor got me to fight my lifelong training enough to do it right. Not only did the curves go more smoothly, but I was able to get around the track much faster as a result. That 180 became one the easier curves, once I shut off my programming and bonzaied through it in the proper manner.

And what a rush! I can see why people get addicted to this, although I still wish people like my former best friend with his Corvette would keep it off the interstate. The track is where this kind of driving should be. Still, I can see adrenaline as being a very effective "gateway drug". I was all pumped up, and if he hadn't told me to stop after about seven laps I'd probably still be out there. I could have gone again, but the second run line was running very slow, and I had other things to do, like writing this while it was still fresh (Posting had to wait until I got the photos). When I was done, the boss had lunch waiting there from one of the better barbeque places in town. Before getting out, Soren gave me advice for next time - stay off the clutch. Next time, I won't feel a need to take it so careful around those curves. No sir. And there WILL be a next time, yessir.

This is going to be a great place to work.

Well, it can't really be said that there was a clear winner in the poll that just wrapped up, the one where you pick the decade you'd live in if you could travel back in time up to 100 years. The 60s, 70s, and now were all tied for the favorites. It seemed that few people were willing to travel past that with which they are familiar.

Almost every objection to going back in time dealt with technology. We may not think highly of modern culture, but we sure like our toys. I'll admit, modern toys are nice, and if I did go back past the 70s, I'd miss the stereo equipment the most.

There were a couple people who voted for the first decade of the 20th century, but did not leave comments. That's too bad, as I would have liked to know what attracted them to that decade, but made the next decade such a flop.

While the Jazz Era would have lots of party advantages, it also had lots of syphilis. Between that and polio, I don't think I'd want to go back past the 40s. The 40s themselves had some fine music, women were dressed sexy with those great hairdos and the real stockings, and you'd have an opportunity to buy lots of land in Las Vegas at a very low price. The 50's had the birth of rock and roll as well as some of the best jazz ever, Miles Davis' band in particular. The 60's..... ah, one with forknowledge could have a great time in the 60s, especially if one live around Haight Ashbury. If I went to the 70s I could see a lot of my favorite bands perform, and even record them. If I chose to do this, I would at least go that far back. What would be the point in watching the 80s and 90s happen again, when they are so fresh in memory?

So my point is, I don't have a point. So there. New poll is in the sidebar.

BTW.... The remaining quiz answers have been posted below. I was really surprised that no one recognized the Richard Dreyfuss line, but even more surprised that someone got the Jimmy Stewart line. Way to go, Eden! That is, in my opinion, one of the funniest films ever made.

Awhile back, O'Tim posted a movie quote quiz in which I performed horribly. Emotionally scarred by this humiliating defeat, I will now have my revenge! Ha Ha! um... Ha!

In this contest, you do not name the movie the quote is from, but the name of the actor who said it! And without Googling or Yahooing or any of that searchy stuff, either..... ya knows it or ya doesn't....... hee hee.......hee.....oohhhhh, my precious...........

I've been crashing a pity party for Kurt Cobain lately, and I admit I'm not bringing any sunshine to the gathering. Not that sunshine would be appropriate for this particular gathering ........ we're talking Kurt Cobain here, not Red Buttons. Suffice it to say that I'm not exactly in line with Koz's description of me.

That would, no doubt, be due to my lack of sympathy. I've never felt as much sympathy for suicides as for the people they leave behind. In some cases, it's because I think they were selfish, like in the case of my friend Jeff. He had a family. He had lots of friends. He had three (count 'em) three children. His choice - and choice it was - wasn't unavoidable. I've certainly been down and out, to the point where I considered it, but only for one minute. I thought about the people who depended on me, not to mention the kitties, dog and snake that depended on me, and decided that I was obligated to persevere. Whether I lliked it at that moment or not.

I know, I know...... what about mental illness? Do we always know this is the case, or is it a handy way to offer an excuse? I think it is frequently the latter (much like alcoholism is often used as an excuse for stupid drunken behavior), especially since I've heard other excuses for Cobain's suicide. I think the stupidest was that he heroically killed himself because the music industry was "misusing" his music somehow. The person saying this crap was not lucid enough to say how that worked. Anyway, I'm sure the people making millions off of his memory in his absence are sorry they didn't treat him better. It's exactly the kind of whiny nonsense that you'd expect from someone who considers this whiner to be their generation's "voice."

It's interesting that generations only have "voices" when they're teenagers, and quite loud enough on their own. It's also interesting to note that at that time of their lives, when the "voice" is at his peak,  they are too young and inexperienced to have anything to say. Why doesn't anyone listen to us? Because you're young and dumb, that's why. The same reason no one listened to my generation when we were thirteen.

I mean, look at my generation. What was our big protest song? I Can't Drive 55. Ooh. There's some landbreaking stuff. Was Sammy Hagar the "voice" of our generation? There's an argument for having our generation spayed and neutered if I ever heard one, and I said as much at the time (can I get a witness, Hillbilly Tim?). No, I never heard anyone in my generation say we had a "voice", or even express the need for one.

I don't think that the next generation had anything deeper to contribute. Hell, they're less politically involved than MY generation was, and we were a bunch of lazy ass beer swilling doobie toking sucks. The last generation with anything real to say was in the 60's, for all the good that did. This youthful idealism doesn't hold. You graduate. You go to college and get a job, or just get a job. You start dealing with the daily grind. The bills. The wife/husband. The kids. The house. You still care about changing the world, but you're busy. You can change the world after you get the kids to bed. Ah, but then you need to unwind a little. You can change the world after CSI:Botswana or whatever the fuck. But then you're tired, and you have to work tomorrow, and little Artie has soccer. You'll change the world this weekend. After cleaning the gutters.

And you'll get older, and quieter. The younger ones won't want to know what you've learned. They're too busy trying to tell YOU what's up, and how things should be. No one's wiser than a 13 year old.

This is the same for every generation. The wars continue, the inflation, the crime, the music, everything. Only the technology changes. Life goes on as always, but the picture gets better.

So the "voice of your generation" was a marginal guitarist (let's face it, he was no "Slash") and heroin addict who was too weak to overcome his trying existence as a millionaire idol of millions. This is considered to be okay because he was mentally ill.

Good choice.

 

I was strolling across the Louisiana State fairgrounds in April of 2001, digging all the sights, sounds, and smells of the Jazz and Heritage Festival. I was having the time of my life. I was pleasantly buzzed, stuffed to the gills on crawfish, and learning more about music than I'd ever before learned in one weekend. As I walked along, I heard a beautiful ruckus coming from one of the side stages. This band was really jamming! Everyone in it was obviously putting their all into it, and the guitar player was really going for it. I stopped and found the stage, determined to watch the rest of the set and find out who it was. To my disappointment, that only lasted about four more minutes - I'd gotten there right at the end. When I asked someone nearby who I'd just discovered, she gave me a look that said she knew just from the question, let alone my northern inflections, that I wasn't a local, and said "That's Anders Osborne".

Within ten minutes, I owned his Ash Wednesday Blues disc.

Born in Sweden and coming to America via almost everywhere, Anders Osborne has become an indelible part of New Orleans. His style reflects the gumbo that is the richest music scene in America, by my reckoning. Take one part blues, one part jazz, one part rock, and sprinkle with funk, and you've got his band. This week you'll hear him with Doug Belote on drums, Tim Green on sax, and Kirk Joseph, an original member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, on sousaphone. That alone makes this band a bit unique. No one sounds quite like Anders.



I haven't had the fortune yet to see an entire Anders Osbourne show. He doesn't seem to do the southwest. He tours but also spends a lot of time writing songs, many of which  done by others such as Keb' Mo', Johnny Lang, Sam Bush, and Tim McGraw. When performing, he makes it clear that it is the song that is the focus, not him. While he's a terrific guitarist, his live performance isn't a series of solos. Tim green probably does more soloing in the boots I have than Anders does.

This weeks selection comes from an October 23, 2002 performance at a venue that, by my reckoning, seems to get a LOT of great shows - the State Theatre in Falls Church, Va. This show also featured Big Chief Monk Boudreax (the guy in the feathers below) but he isn't on stage yet during this song. This song is called Burning on the Inside, and features some interesting interplay between the guitar and the sousaphone. I hope you'll tell me what you think of it. Here it is.



In two weeks: One of the projects he embarked on in his 37-years-so-far career was an attempt to record music with monkeys.

Trolling the Underground will have to be late because of technical issues. The last two days it's been practically impossible to upload pics or write long passages. Things were just moving too damn slow, and some of the utility pages wouldn't even load! Today I have work and then school (yes, a Friday night class. Am I dedicated, or what?), and I'm doing some under-the-table work tomorrow morning. Plus I have a buttload of homework to do this weekend as well. I was trying to get it done ahead of time, like I did with the Thursday Thirteen. Rat bastids. Anyway, I know it's overdue. So there.

Without Googling (or any other internet searching - I'm watching!) name the TV shows that had theme songs performed by these artists..........

1. Johnny Western
2. Mike Post (two answers that I know of)
3. The Grateful Dead
4. John Sebastian
5. Frankie Laine
6. The Who
7. Barry Manilow
8. Jan Hammer
9. Johnny Rivers
10. Al Jarreau
11. Inner Circle
12. Jose Feliciano
13. Joey Scarbury

Answers as they come.

1.  Have Gun Will Travel (I saw this name in the credits, and that's where I got the idea for this quiz.)
   
2. Hill Street Blues (Paula)  It seems there are many more than just 2. Rockford Files (Eden's Husband) Magnum, P.I.G. and many others.
   
3.  Twilight Zone - 80s (O'Tim) How'd I know he'd get this one?
   
4. Welcome Back, Kotter (O'Tim)
   
5. Rawhide! (Frankie also sang the theme songs for Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and Blazing Saddles) 
6.  CSI (Dawn)
7.  American Bandstand (Eden's husband. Let me guess.... Nod?)
   
8. Miami Vice (O'Tim) 
9. Secret Agent 
10. Moonlighting (O'Tim) 
11. COPS (Dawn)
12.  Chico & the Man (O'Tim)
    
13. The Greatest American Hero (Miss Cellania)
    

It had to happen on hump day. Two days later, I could have made a poll of it.

Reading the news today, I of course noticed the execution of serial nutjob Danny Harold Rolling (the name itself bugs me..... if you're going to use your middle name as well, then be formal enough to use your full first name. WTF is Danny Harold? That's like me calling myself "Joe Patrick the Troll".) Normally, I'm uncomfortable with the death penalty because I feel that one innocent (there's that word again) person executed is one too many. When we KNOW the person is guilty I'm a bit less sympathetic, although I think keeping him around and making his life farooking miserable on purpose would be  better from a punishment standpoint. I'm not interested in debating that, though, because I'm more interested in the way he went out. Singing.

I don't think I've ever heard that one before. You usually hear about the constant pleas of innocence, or the nervous tittering, or the hubris of Gacy's "Kiss my ass." The first thought I had when I saw that was, of course, "What song????" Unfortunately, they didn't say, but suggested that it was a hynm. That's a disappointment to me, because these last minute conversions  bug me. The time to find Jesus was before you raped the girl and chopped her head off, asshole. That would have been infinitely more helpful. But also, I'm disappointed because it isn't really memorable. I'd have preferred something like Muskrat Love or Walking on Sunshine. Maybe How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria (and then he could look at the guard and say "Ooh! Ooh! Let me up! I have a dance that goes with this!). Or, if the absurd isn't for you, there's always Folsom Prison Blues or Highway to Hell.

I, myself, would sing Deep Purple's "Highway Star", complete with the guitar solo, done note for note in "doo doo doo"s. Imagine my headstone:

Well, as many of you have pointed out to me, my blog has has accessibility issues for several weeks now. It's worse on the weekends, but happens throughout the week. The so called "help" forum has had people explaining all along that the servers are being updated, and that if we're patient we will have a bigger, better, more reliable service to show for it. They also told us that they will be finished making these "improvements" very soon, in fact.

As you know, this has been going on for at least three weeks. Many of us feel that the S.S. Very Soon has, in fact, sailed.

I noticed that no one commented about anything on Saturday, and thought that either the problem was back or those last few posts didn't have much longevity. Could happen. Then I spent Sunday morning drinking tea and changing the poll (below and in the sidebar). When I noticed that it didn't post, I knew. So I went back to the forum to see what's up, and here is what I found. This is a post from one of the "helpers". He's not a paid tech or representative of the company, he's a "volunteer" who serves in place of an actual liason to the company. He's one of those who has been giving us the news on the updates all along. I'm not going to post his name, as he's been around here before and I used to read his blog, and don't want to start anything personal. However, this is the message posted from Blogdrive's "volunteer liason", so to speak.

As has been explained before to any who'd paid attention, the cause of these issues is the resynchronization of servers and related maintenance to Blogdrive's data center. This is not a case of any Blogdrive administrators, owners, volunteers or likewise not caring. Quite the opposite, in fact, as attempts are being made to actually improve service. It is a bit of a growing pain to experience posts and updates showing up, then disappearing, etc. but it does happen.

I assure you, and I don't see what is so difficult in accepting this unless you are a total idiot, that no one at Blogdrive, either it's owners, employees, or volunteers, are keeping your entries from showing on purpose. No one is avoiding the problem, and perhaps the people who demand to speak to the owners should stop their lengthy ramblings, emails, trouble tickets, and yes, even phone calls, all for something that EVERYONE KNOWS is being worked on. I'm personally happy NOT to see Helpee, CBG and the likes in here all the time explaining what's going on, or engaging squeaky wheels and being prevented from doing what everyone is bitching about in the first place- trying to fix the problem. All is being done to end any inconveniences, and while it may seem frustrating to be told, again and again, to have patience, I promise you it is not as frustrating as saying it. If it's so appalling to you to be told the same thing over and over, stop asking the same God-damned questions.

Well, isn't that charming? The way I see it, I may not pay much for the service, but I do pay for it. When things aren't working right, I deserve real information and real deadlines. I don't deserve to be strung along.

Furthermore, I certainly don't deserve to go into a "Help" forum and be told to hold my farooking water.

If Blogdrive cannot provide the service it is charging for, people will leave. Customer retention requires, at all times, communication. This is not communication.

The fact that the person posting this tirade is not a paid Blogdrive rep is meaningless to me. Blogdrive allows him to moderate the help forum so that they don't have to pay someone to do it. That makes him officiall enough in my eyes.

So the question is this - can anyone, in good conscience,  recommend their blog service? I know we all have issues sometimes. Blogspot seemed to have one yesterday, as well. But are they this frequent, with such little regard for the customer? I want to know who does not think their provider sucks.

Because I'm just not there anymore.