Last Wednesday in January 2014

For today’s music trivia contest, I had a group lined up but I did not think many people would know of them, so I just skipped over them and went down the alphabetical list to the next group.  Today’s featured band formed in 1988 and I became aware of them in the early 1990s. I think I read about their drummer, Aaron Comess in Modern Drummer magazine during one of my many business trips to Colorado most likely. This four-member American alternative rock band became popular during the Grunge days of rock and still continue today to put out good music. Songs such as, “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues”, “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” and their biggest hit, “Two Princes” got lots of airplay during the 90s  on American airwaves.  Albums such as, “Pocket Full of Kryptonite” and “Turn it Upside Down” were commercially successful.  Can you name this American alternative rock band?

I do not like many cops. Not all cops. I’m sure the majority of them are good, honest, good intentioned individuals. I’m talking about the cops with the holier than thou attitude. The ones who use their badge, uniform and authority figure for stroking their own ego. These are the cops who give all cops a bad reputation, the dreads of our society. Sorry if you are one of the good cops or are married to a good cop. But I remember from my military days, the cops were the biggest drunks, losers and incompetent people allowed to be in the service. If you could not qualify for any other job, you could always be a cop.  By no means would I ever want to be a cop. It is a thankless job filled with hazards and resentment. That is why cops were always Irishmen or of Irish decent.  Way back the Irish were the low men on the totem pole.  They only got the jobs nobody else wanted to do.  Cops and fire fighters were the jobs nobody wanted to do. Hazardous jobs with low pay and no great benefits until the unions came along.  Anyways, I just would be better off if I never spoke to a cop ever again, except maybe one of my brother-in-laws who is a retired cop. I need to just stay away from them from now on and I will be better off in the long run.

I did find out some great news today. My alimony payments are finally over!  I was very surprised that they actually stopped on time and I did not have to try to get it corrected after the fact.  I was quite concerned that it actually worked as it was supposed to and stopped on time without additional leg-work and follow-up on my part.  That is the way it usually happens with payroll systems. If you don’t specifically follow up on some things, then you lose out on money you should have in your pocket. Anyway, now I can start making some serious payments on my ever-growing Visa card bill. It has amassed quite a balance over the past 2 ½ years and I need to get that balance down to zero prior to my retirement at the beginning of next year.  I also have a small loan with a balance of several thousand that I need to pay off before then also.

I guess my photo never came through yesterday, did it?

Just a short one today…

Bark Less and Wag More!   Until next time… Be good!

- cb

The last Tuesday of January 2014

Today’s music trivia is an American singing duo formed in the 1960s that was introduced to me at a young age by my oldest sister, Barbara, that had a hugely successful career before they broke up in 1970. Their vocal harmonies were unparalleled during the 60s but due to their rocky relationship and artistic differences, they went their separate ways.  One half, the singer/songwriter, went on to a very successful solo career. Their many, many hits included, “Cecilia”, “Mrs Robinson” (used in the soundtrack for the movie, “The Graduate”), “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” and “The Sound of Silence”.  Reuniting many times for brief concert tours over the years, including a free concert in Central Park in 1981, can you name this American folk singing duo?

I had some technical difficulties yesterday with trying to post my blog entry, so it finally went out earlier today.  Some day I hope to have it all worked out, but I somehow doubt I will ever get that process down pat, ya know? It does get quite frustrating at times but after trying for an hour or so yesterday, I just had to let it go and try again another day. I finally got it figured out, for now, hopefully.

I tried about ten times to call the Verizon Wireless help line, but the automated system couldn’t read my number correctly, the piece of crap. I finally got to speak with a person who was very helpful, thank goodness. My Hotspot MIFI internet connection was not working properly and I had had enough of it, so I was calling in for tech support, which I frequently do for electronic equipment operations. This guy even gave me his email address so I can contact him directly, which is nice! Finally a helpful and good customer service representative for once! J

I have been exploring some new music for free lately using the Rdio App on my iphone.  It is a cheap way to check out new music without investing your hard earned cash for a CD before hearing the music. I saw a video on You Tube that had a song I liked so I pulled up the CD on Rdio and gave some of the music a few minutes while I listen to what it has to offer. Now I need to figure out how I can download this music for free to my ipod library. Getting good music for free is a good thing for the consumer.

I should of explored this all when Napster was going on about ten years ago.  All kinds of peeps were getting all their music for free back then.  I have never bought any music off of the internet. All my music in my ipod libraries are from CDs I actually purchased, some I purchased multiple times due to damaged, scratched or lost CDs. I guess I am still Old School when it comes to purchasing music. Also, I actually listen to all of an album when I buy them. Those songs were produced and recorded by the artist or a reason, so I try to listen to all them. You never know what you might be missing.

I wish some of you guys and gals would start writing a blog page every once in a while.  It would be nice to have some kind of dialog going on here.  It is not hard to set it up, I mean, I did mine on my first attempt not even planning on penning one. I just knew I would receive a bunch of negative feedback from my posts on Facebook, so this way I write what the heck I want and if someone does not want to read it, they can opt out at any time. I can speak politically, religiously (or in my case no-religiously), say what I think, post my views, tell people off, congratulate someone, make fun of someone, honor someone, show respect for someone, show my feelings… and do what the heck I want. It mainly was developed for a way for Snoopy, Linus and myself to keep in touch when we go on our exploration of the USA. When we are out there using mostly back roads and camping out in the middle of nowhere as much as possible, we want to keep in touch as much as possible, to a point. This way we can share the experience with you guys, Our Beloved Peeps! J  By then I hope to know how to download and insert photos into this blog because we plan on taking lots and lots of photos to document our travels. A Picture is worth a hundred words!

Good grief, I am attempting to insert a photo Snoopy and my chubby self had taken at the Annual Tavern Pet Holiday Photo Night. I am hoping it works out okay, then, I can actually say I accomplished something useful today and I’ll have some experience inserting photos! J

Okay, we are going to close out this blog post for today. Let un know if you can view the photo or not.

As Snoopy says, Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb

Last Monday in January 2014

Today’s music trivia is one of Rock & Roll’s best three member Canadian band of all time. Known for their killer lead guitar licks, awesome drumming (Arguably the best rock drummer of all time) and unique voice of their lead singer (you either love it or hate it), these guys continue to tour and release albums on a regular basis. A little known fact is that the drummer (who writes basically all the lyrics) has been riding his motorcycle to every gig for quite a few years, here in North America and on other continents as well.  Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 (what took so long?), this band continues to rock the dump even after over 40 years of playing kick ass music.  In fact, their guitarist gave his famous three minute, “Blah, blah, blah” speech at their induction ceremony, which they were honorably introduced by The Foo Fighter’s, Dave Grohl. Well known as big baseball and hockey fans (They are from Canada), they even named one of their albums, “Fire on Ice”. Songs such as “Spirit of Radio”, “Limelight”, and “Tom Sawyer”, this band has a very loyal following of fans attending their concerts, no matter the state of the economy. One of my all-time favorites, can you name this awesome three-member Canadian Rock & Roll band?

Today I was reading an article and I heard a term that I never heard before.  This article was written by the drummer of today’s Music trivia and he mentioned the term, “Shunpikers” which means, “Those who avoid all major roads”.  He was saying that when he rides his motorcycle to his gigs, that he takes the back roads and no major roads, sort of like what we plan on doing on our US Tour next year.  We want to avoid all major roads if possible, so I guess we will be considered Shunpikers.  As we mentioned before another term, “Boondocking” is camping anywhere without paying or paying very little to camp and not in a campground.  So I guess we will be Boondocking Shunpikers. That term sounds just too funny!   Sounds like a good name for a rock and roll band! J

So, in general, I know where I’m going, but not how I’m going to get there! I believe each and everyday we will decide which direction to travel and then most likely change it on the fly. We will be spontaneous and flexible on our daily route to travel, but events and festivals may dictate our flexibility or lack of. Somebody once said, “Don’t leave spontaneity to chance.” Some days to attend a festival we may need to be steadfast in our travels in order to catch some scheduled event, so we need to take that into account before totally winging it and throwing all your scheduled plans out the window.

I continue to have issues with my internet access, Facebook, and just doing general tasks on-line.  Sometimes it won’t load a photo and sometimes it just takes forever.  I spend good money to have the best internet access (MIFI) and the best electronic equipment such as Apple products, and ut just pains me that things just don’t work seamlessly. I need to get proficient with all this technology before my road trip next year. I’ll be depending on some of this gear to get me to places, give me internet access for information, and for us to post our regular blog entries. I have so much to learn in such a short period of time.  I still do not have my auxiliary battery system operation down pat yet. Snoopy is depending on me to be her Information Technology (IT) support person since she has no thumbs! J  I do think she thinks I’m her butler. Spoiled puppy!

I was texting with a friend, and she said something at the hotel’s buffet had too much cheese.  That is unheard of I thought.  Isn’t that like saying, there is too much crispy bacon here. How can someone with a conscience actually say those words to anyone? WTF is going on here? Someone please wake me up from this nightmare!  J

Okay… time to head for home.

The Snoopburger says… Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Today’s music trivia is an English-born British singer/songwriter with Scottish ancestry is known for his distinctive raspy voice becoming popular in the late 1960s and the early 70s with The Jeff Beck Group and later with Faces.  He launched his solo career in 1969. His music ranges from Folk, Soul, R&B, Blues, New Wave and also Soft Rock. Selling over 100 million records worldwide, in the UK he had 62 hit singles including 31 that reached the Top Ten, and in the US having 16 Top Ten singles and 4 of them reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. A former grave digger and avid football (soccer) player and fan, he still kicks out autographed soccer balls into the audience from on stage during his concert performances. Can you name this artist who has become an iconic musical celebrity and is still performing today?

Mike (Dwight) Mattox guessed yesterday’s trivia contest by answering Robert Palmer correctly.  A first time winner of our contest, even though we know Tim B had this one easily identified.  I owe you one!  Thanks for playing, guys!

I am determined to get this blog posting process learned and to be able to use all of it’s capabilities.  I’d like to know how to post a photo or meme if needed.  Right now it is pissing me off severely and I can’t seem to do anything with it. Wow… I finally got in to my blog page to make a post that needed to go out.  I need to figure this out soon because I am wasting way too much time dealing with these issues.  Some days I just hate computers and technology!

I have about a year to learn all I can about my Apple products such as my iPhone5S, my MacBook Air and all their software operating systems.  Many of the tasks I attempt to perform should be relatively easy, but no so much for me I guess. Some days I have no problem with using them, but some days it is just impossible to get anything accomplished in a timely manner.  It does get quite frustrating after 10 minutes of failing to make any progress trying to perform a simple task.

Snoopy says, Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb

Tribute to my friend, Phil White

Dear (Doctor) Phil White…                                                                          Jan 24, 2014

Is been about a year since you left us all behind and went to the big house in the sky.  In a very short time you became one of my best friends here in El Segundo and Southern California. You always welcomed me with a smile and a joke.  I still say you looked like a cross between Lewis Black and Burl Ives.  I remember long ago I asked you what I should call you, and you turned to me and said, “Doctor has a nice ring to it!” From then on we greeted each other as Doctor each and every time we saw each other. 

Your uncanny ability to tell joke after joke amazed me to no end.  You touched so many people that you have no idea. Even at your memorial gathering, there was so many people that attended that I was amazed. I wanted to get up and say a few words about you, but you know I would of never made it through without tears streaming down my face.  We both shared that trait, that we really love our friends. I only knew you for several years but we bonded right from the start.

Each time I had a shot after you left us I toasted to our friendship and to you! The night you and Toni ganged up on me and I had 6 or seven shots lined up on the bar in front of me I’ll never forget.  You guys really got me that night.  I could barely crawl into the back of my VW Bus, “Linus” to sleep it off in the parking lot. Man, those were some good times!

I still have your voicemails in my phone when you took care of Snoopy when I was out of town and I can’t bear to erase it because I still like to hear your voice and I expect you to walk through the door at the tavern at any moment. You spoiled my dog, Snoopy and she expects to see you whenever she smells a cigar. She misses you as much as I do I suspect.

Why did you have to leave us so soon? I guess there is a reason for everything… and I guess God needed a straight man for his jokes? 

Thanks for being my friend when I really needed one.  We all miss you and wish that you can now Rest in Peace, my friend.

I’ll see you on the other side, Doctor!

Your friend,

-  (Doctor) Michael J.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Today’s music trivia is a performer who is probably known more for one of his MTV videos more than his great music.  He had women all dressed in black knit dresses, with black hair, pale faces, bright red lipstick and heavy eye makeup, resembling the popular 1980s artist Patrick Nagel, all lined up behind him just dancing back and forth.  He was known for being a sharp dresser since he always wore a suit and tie when he performed.  His solo career and his stint with the 80s super group, “Power Station” along with Andy Taylor and John Taylor of “Duran Duran” recording a couple of albums together. Hit songs such as “Doctor doctor”, “Simply Irresistible” and “Addicted to Love” got lots of airplay in the 1980s and early 90s. Can you name this now deceased British singer and artist?

Time to rant for a moment. Don’t you just hate when someone leaves you a voicemail message to call them back and they don’t tell you what they wanted?  This happens all the time to me and it begins to piss me off after a while. What the heck did you want?  Did you need some kind of information from me?  How can I get that info for you when you don’t tell me what you need from me? So I need to call you back so you can tell me, I need this from you?  I make it a point not to call people back. They call me up and say, “Hey, why didn’t you call me back?”  I then ask, “What did you need from me?  You didn’t say so I figured it was not that important.”  Leave a meaningful voicemail and then I’ll call you back and provide that info to you. Otherwise I guess you get what you get.

My neighbor a month or so ago saw my motorcycle just sitting outside my apartment not running and asked me if I wanted to sell it. I responded that I never thought about it. He stated that he is not doing anything during the day since he is out of work on disability and he has time during the day to work on it and get it back running and on the road. He said he could use a motorcycle and asked me how much would I sell it for? Off the top of my head I replied, “I guess maybe five hundred dollars?”  He said he would like to buy it but he would need to make payments on it, maybe a hundred dollars at a time. He has been a pretty good neighbor for the most part.

Recently at my local watering hole I was talking with a young friend of mine who said he wanted to buy a motorcycle and I somehow mentioned the deal I had made with my neighbor.  This friend said he would buy my bike since I have not heard anything else from my neighbor nor received any cash so far. I think sometime last week I told my friend to come by my place and check it out. I never heard back from my friend and I just saw my neighbor who mentioned the motorcycle once again. Then I get a text not two days later saying he wanted to come buy my bike. I felt bad when I told him that my neighbor already has dibs on the bike. I don’t want to go back on my word with my neighbor who asked about the bike first and I also felt bad for my friend. I recommended to my friend a bike shop that sells used bikes at reasonable prices but he never responded. I guess me may be pissed at me, which I am sorry for. I guess I need to speak with my neighbor about the motorcycle and see what his status is and try to clarify all of this up soon. Sorry guys… I know we can work it out.

Good grief, my dog Snoopy continues to get into things and make a mess.  She steals food and even drinks that I have not given her whether it be an entire pizza or something that had food on it, whether it be a food wrapper or napkin. She gets a hold of whatever it is and tears it up. She even steals used Q-Tips and tissues that I have used from the bathroom trashcan. A friend said Snoopy just want things with my smell on it and the food things are self-explanatory. For instance, I came home from work yesterday and she had taken the Styrofoam cup with lid and straw from off the TV tray and tore it up, spilling it all over the place. I swear some days she is going to make a mess and I am going to send her off to never-never land.  It gets old cleaning up her constant mess. I have thought about making a sign and taking a photo of her and posting on Facebook to shame her as I have seen other dog owners do. I know she knows that she did something wrong. I need to break her of this bad habit.  Anyone have any suggestions besides dog-proofing my place each and every time I leave, which gets old after a while? 

Okay, I ranted about voicemails, motorcycle selling and about my dog, Snoopy and her issues… I guess I should get this blog posted for today…

We have a special blog post coming up later this week!  Make sure you check it out! 

As Snoopy continues to say… Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb