For some reason I feel like writing with a Canadian accent. My father was Canadian. He called the Montreal hockey team the "Cana-dee-aans". And he would end a sentence with "do you see?" or eah? We had a back yard hockey rink when I was a kid in New Jersey. We'd had a few pretty cold winters strung together for a few years. My dad had terraced off the back yard to make a level grass court. He would flood it in the winter with hot and cold water from the house. It wasn't very big but we had some little hockey games and lots of neighbors came over to skate. My dad could really skate. He had played a few seasons of semi pro when he was young and it was in another world. On our little rink I don;t remember him ever skating forward, except once when I asked him to just go fast. He just ran across the rink on the toes of his skates. He was 56 years old then. Later when I was in junior high, he taught me rifle shooting. And he was a pilot too. He was long out of that by the time I started flying. But it seemed he added a lot of input and influence and encouragement to my flying career. When I started flight instructing I think he was proud of me. He had instructed during the war in the civilian program. I wasn't thinking of a career really. I was 22 years old and assumed I was immortal and knew everything. But my father used to tell me flying stories and they always had a moral. Usually a safety warning. But when I got that instructor rating he gave me his professional advice. He told me there were only three ways to make money in aviation. And instructing wasn't one of them! Get into crop dusting (he called it spraying); sales; or the major airlines. That's it son. He taught my brothers and I how to play chess. We kept trying to change the rules and make it more fun and play war with the pieces like toy soldiers. He would not let us do that. He made us be quiet and respect the game. We would also try to just take each others men in a sloppy chess battle. He would have none of that either. Either go for the checkmate or he puts the game away. Put the game away. When we got rowdy he used to say "put it up". He would sometimes play harmonica and sing old songs. Really old songs. We would sit by the fireplace and sing songs. But my father would only want to hear the old ballads.
My older brother has been playing chess for 56 years. He's been a rated player for maybe 25 years. He got the bug from Dad.
My younger brother played guitar and sang ballads professionally for many years and is still in the music business. He got the bug from Dad.
I'm the pilot. I got the bug from Dad.
I have a sister too. She is the oldest. The first born. She is like our mother. Very sweet, kind, gracious, sympathetic, tender, beautiful. But Mom wouldn't have had the drive or focus or will to go to law school and become a successful attorney. Sister got that from Dad.
It's almost 2AM. What shoud I do Dad, keep sitting at the computer?
"Put it up!"
LLITTY :::::+:::::
Friday, August 3, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
111 Days To Go
A heat wave. A stalled economy. A drought. A deadlocked congress. This is like something of an an ancient mariner's epic. There was a lot of political jazz to listen to during the Republican primary. It was fun. Now we're just waiting for something, anything, to happen before November. I know a way to spice it all up! Tell you at the end of this post. The next pseudo- event I guess is Romney picking a VP. But the short list isn't really very interesting. What if Romney picked Chris Christie? I know, I know, Christie wouldn't do it. I'm saying what if. It would then be a great ticket. All you would have to do then is switch the candidates position so that Christie would be the nominee and Romney the VP. Then of course Christie would want to pick his own VP and it sure as hell wouldn't be Romney. Then Romney would be off the table and Obama would be defeated. In a piss poor economy the incumbent is pretty easy to beat. But you simply need a good candidate. Romney just isn't that good. He might just win anyway. But why not play it safe and put a better guy up against Obama? Is it too late? I don't know how a "brokered convention" works. But it would sure be exciting. Imagine a Republican challenger with the core and the moderates behind him. With an aura of excitement about him and the wind at his back. Then you could win. Not maybe win.
It's amazing to me how polarised the electorate is now. And more so every year. I think Obama is a polarizing force. Because there is a bloc of folks who will never ever ever vote for Obama. No matter what. They simply hate Obama. Part of it is race of course. But Hillary Clinton as a candidate was the same way. With conservatives you have an unbending stance. In a previous blog post I was sniffing around this concept of division and the line drawn in the sand of polarization. I said things like "haves and have nots". "Democrat vs Republican" Liberal vs Conservative". I want to go one little tiny step further.
I want to say: "those that believe everything can be boiled down to "right or wrong" "Yes or no".... VS "those who don't know because there are too many variables"
To me, conservative thinking is religious thinking. There are no grey areas.
Liberal thinking is making up your mind on a situational basis.
I pick on conservatives. But I know that one definition of a conservative is "A Liberal who has just been mugged!"
I'm very curious about an issue in the upcoming election campaign. My big questions are: Will the Democrats play the religion card against Romney? Is it a cheap shot to do that? Does a candidate's religion get a free pass? Exactly how wacky is Mormonism? If it is really wacky, could it hurt Romney? Wacky or not, could an attack backfire on the Democrats? Can it be the Dems haven't thought of this?
I think there is a special team in the Obama camp that is working on this Mormon thing. I think they are holding back. I think they have recruited disgruntled Mormons who had to escape from the religion and want to tell their bitter tale. The team is accumulating data that will shock us all. Maybe they want to explode it in October.
I have a blog post myself about the Mormons. It's called "Utah" from Sept. 2010. I was at the "Temple Square" in Salt Lake.
And last night I Googled up the Mormons and found these claims: Of course I don't know if they are true!
If you get married in a Temple you have to get naked.
God lives at a star called Kolob.
You wear special underwear 24-7.
The underwear has the logo of the Free Masons on it!
Some of the ritual sacrements are the same as the Free Masons.
Joseph Smith was a known con man before he became the prophet.
The Mormans have a living prophet that is exalted as a god.
There are 12 disciples the living prophet is the head of.
When a man dies "sealed" as a Morman he has his own planet in the afterlife with thousands of women at his command (this is so better than 70 measly virgins)
Joseph Smith dictated the Book of Mormon while reading golden plates which no one ever saw. He stayed behind a screen when he dictated. The guy writing it down decided to test J.Smith and claimed to have lost the previous page to see if J.Smith would then be able to dictate the exact same words from the golden plates. J. Smith got very angry about the page being lost and said that God was angry and that a different place on the plates would substitute because God was omitting the original page!
And there is more and more and more. Maybe it's a low blow. But I hope the Dems go for it. And I thought Romney was boring!
LLITTY ::::+::::
It's amazing to me how polarised the electorate is now. And more so every year. I think Obama is a polarizing force. Because there is a bloc of folks who will never ever ever vote for Obama. No matter what. They simply hate Obama. Part of it is race of course. But Hillary Clinton as a candidate was the same way. With conservatives you have an unbending stance. In a previous blog post I was sniffing around this concept of division and the line drawn in the sand of polarization. I said things like "haves and have nots". "Democrat vs Republican" Liberal vs Conservative". I want to go one little tiny step further.
I want to say: "those that believe everything can be boiled down to "right or wrong" "Yes or no".... VS "those who don't know because there are too many variables"
To me, conservative thinking is religious thinking. There are no grey areas.
Liberal thinking is making up your mind on a situational basis.
I pick on conservatives. But I know that one definition of a conservative is "A Liberal who has just been mugged!"
I'm very curious about an issue in the upcoming election campaign. My big questions are: Will the Democrats play the religion card against Romney? Is it a cheap shot to do that? Does a candidate's religion get a free pass? Exactly how wacky is Mormonism? If it is really wacky, could it hurt Romney? Wacky or not, could an attack backfire on the Democrats? Can it be the Dems haven't thought of this?
I think there is a special team in the Obama camp that is working on this Mormon thing. I think they are holding back. I think they have recruited disgruntled Mormons who had to escape from the religion and want to tell their bitter tale. The team is accumulating data that will shock us all. Maybe they want to explode it in October.
I have a blog post myself about the Mormons. It's called "Utah" from Sept. 2010. I was at the "Temple Square" in Salt Lake.
And last night I Googled up the Mormons and found these claims: Of course I don't know if they are true!
If you get married in a Temple you have to get naked.
God lives at a star called Kolob.
You wear special underwear 24-7.
The underwear has the logo of the Free Masons on it!
Some of the ritual sacrements are the same as the Free Masons.
Joseph Smith was a known con man before he became the prophet.
The Mormans have a living prophet that is exalted as a god.
There are 12 disciples the living prophet is the head of.
When a man dies "sealed" as a Morman he has his own planet in the afterlife with thousands of women at his command (this is so better than 70 measly virgins)
Joseph Smith dictated the Book of Mormon while reading golden plates which no one ever saw. He stayed behind a screen when he dictated. The guy writing it down decided to test J.Smith and claimed to have lost the previous page to see if J.Smith would then be able to dictate the exact same words from the golden plates. J. Smith got very angry about the page being lost and said that God was angry and that a different place on the plates would substitute because God was omitting the original page!
And there is more and more and more. Maybe it's a low blow. But I hope the Dems go for it. And I thought Romney was boring!
LLITTY ::::+::::
Friday, July 13, 2012
Friday the 13th
In our day to day lives it seems we rarely step back from ourselves. And say "hey wow, this is summer, and it's a nice day". I had a really nice day today because I spent some quality time with wife. Breakfast on the deck with the barn cats. Later in the day, upstairs in the office with the window unit running long and hard, dripping water on the butterfly bush below and keeping us cool. I had some leftover pizza from Papa Johns and I'm not supposed to have that. It's a lotta carbs. I wound up falling asleep for a 90 minute nap. The nap was more like a hyperglycemic coma. When I awoke the sun had eased off on the windows and I didn't know where I was or whether it was morning or evening. I shook off my sore back and went downstairs. Wife said "I thought you were going to Denton tonight". I said something like "Yes I am going, where is it I'm going again? She said it was maybe too late now, but there was a car meet I had talked about for Friday the 13th. I started begging her to go with me, but alas, she had things to do, and didn't want to change out of her grubbies and wanted to visit and feed critters.
It was a bit too late. I rallied and threw a foldable canvas chair into the VW. And my decaf and a water.
There was no time to even rinse the car with the hose. It was dusty from the ramshackle garage it hides in.
Next thing I knew I was rattling along on highway 16 for the remaining 15 miles to Denton. The windows were down and the summer air was warm, but not hot.
When I got to main street there was no missing where the cruise-in was. About 20 street rods, customs and restorations were lined up along the main drag of this little town. Beautiful. A big bake sale. A big inflateable movie screen ready for dark, all the shops open, an ice cream truck, a hot dog stand. It's like something from the fifties. The car guys have greasy hair, never too long, and they smoke cigarettes. The car girls have short shorts and makeup. The guys and girls are like me. Not young.
I ease the Beetle into a fine parking place. Between an Orange Super Bird, and a black circa 1963 T-Bird. I wander around and and it's just so nice that I wish wife had come along. I got to look at all the cars before they started leaving. I bought a fine salad and set up my chair in front of my car and the outdoor movie was beginning. Like a drive-in! It was Tim Allen, Star Trek, Star wars... or something. Space, Comedy, Drama. I didn't stay to the end of the movie. But I did stay until I was the last classic car.
The Bug seemed to like the cool ride home. It went along without complaining. I enjoyed the cool not cold night air and left the windows open.
There was no gate to drive thru. No entry fee. No trophies given out. No announcements from a loud speaker. No hot sun. There was an outdoor movie. On my empty passenger seat there was placed a dash plaque and a flyer. Not a flyer for another car show someone is trying to get me to. A flyer from this cruise-in, as a souvenir. My thanks to the Town of Denton. You guys know how to do summer.
And Friday the 13th.
It was a bit too late. I rallied and threw a foldable canvas chair into the VW. And my decaf and a water.
There was no time to even rinse the car with the hose. It was dusty from the ramshackle garage it hides in.
Next thing I knew I was rattling along on highway 16 for the remaining 15 miles to Denton. The windows were down and the summer air was warm, but not hot.
When I got to main street there was no missing where the cruise-in was. About 20 street rods, customs and restorations were lined up along the main drag of this little town. Beautiful. A big bake sale. A big inflateable movie screen ready for dark, all the shops open, an ice cream truck, a hot dog stand. It's like something from the fifties. The car guys have greasy hair, never too long, and they smoke cigarettes. The car girls have short shorts and makeup. The guys and girls are like me. Not young.
I ease the Beetle into a fine parking place. Between an Orange Super Bird, and a black circa 1963 T-Bird. I wander around and and it's just so nice that I wish wife had come along. I got to look at all the cars before they started leaving. I bought a fine salad and set up my chair in front of my car and the outdoor movie was beginning. Like a drive-in! It was Tim Allen, Star Trek, Star wars... or something. Space, Comedy, Drama. I didn't stay to the end of the movie. But I did stay until I was the last classic car.
The Bug seemed to like the cool ride home. It went along without complaining. I enjoyed the cool not cold night air and left the windows open.
There was no gate to drive thru. No entry fee. No trophies given out. No announcements from a loud speaker. No hot sun. There was an outdoor movie. On my empty passenger seat there was placed a dash plaque and a flyer. Not a flyer for another car show someone is trying to get me to. A flyer from this cruise-in, as a souvenir. My thanks to the Town of Denton. You guys know how to do summer.
And Friday the 13th.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Flight Engineer
Everything at North Central Airlines was amazing. They actually had one of their airliners decked out as a cooperate style aircraft with a luxury cabin. This was for the Board, and the top execs. It was a Convair 580. The paint job was in the North Central colors. But very subdued. Just some modest thin stripes. And the Mallard Duck logo not on the tail like the line 580's, but discreetly on the forward fuselage by the main door. The pilots assigned to fly the cooperate 580 were regular line pilots. The duck logo was the most recognized in the industry. The duck had a name. "Herman".
I had applied to most of the major airlines. This was in 1978. I wasn't getting interviews. My resume was pretty much the story of a light plane pilot. I had lots of hours. But only my DC-3 time set me apart from the CFI's with college degrees. You had to be in a three piece suit. You had to have your log books, You had to have a four year degree. You had to have an ATP. You had to have your hair cut. You had to know somebody. You had to have the "Flight Engineer written" passed. I had everything. Except I didn't know anyone. And airlines like Delta and American were hiring military pilots with "Jet Time". Not civilians like me.
There was a company called "Flight International" doing different things. Charters. Government contracts. Overseas endeavors. One day I saw a little tiny ad in "Trade a Plane" or "AOPA Pilot" or something. The ad offered a Flight Engineer Rating for $2995. From Flight International in Atlanta. Must be a missprint. I thought. Don't get me wrong, in 1978 $3K was a lot of money. But an FE Turbojet rating usually went for four times that. Well it wasn't a missprint. Flight International had lost it's VA approval and could no longer train the veterans that were getting the airline jobs. So they needed cash. And they had the waiver which allowed the Flight Engineer ticket to be issued without the student ever being in a full blown motion simulator. I got my FE "ticket" . All my "simulator time" was in a "procedures trainer". One that Delta used to get their students ready for the real simulator. This "paper trainer" was the meat of the course. I had to take the "oral" from the FAA in Atlanta. I had to do a "walk around" with the school examiner. This was the same day as my checkride in the B727-100 which was a Federal Express aircraft. My hop around the pattern in the engineers seat was a blur.
I updated all my applications with my new FE rating. The interview offers started coming like crazy in the mail. There was no e mail. There were no cell phones. I went to nine interviews in 1978. World, Braniff, American, Delta, Northwest, Federal Express, United, etc. Now I had the interviews, but no offers.
It's true, I didn't know anybody. But somehow I seemed to fit with North Central. I had done a lot of flying out of Ypsilanti, next to Detroit. I was used to seeing those 580's and DC-9's with the duck on the tail. I was tired of the cattle calls and three piece suits and WWII aircrew selection tests. When I went up to Minneapolis I had shed the polyester. I had my blue wool blazer which was probably the only piece of quality clothing I owned. The moment I got on the DC-9 at BWI, I could tell that this airline, North Central Airlines, was different. Everyone was nice. Everyone was recommending to me that I come to work there, because it is nice. And there was a big merger coming. Southern Airways will merge with North Central bringing to the party it's fleet of DC-9's and it's Atlanta hub. The new airline would be called "Republic".
Downstairs at headquarters my personnel interview went fine. Upstairs even better. Just me and the Flight Ops guy. In the empty company board room. After a few pleasantries he said "Lloyd, tell me about the DC-3." So I did, and he told me about his first job at North Central. As co-pilot on the DC-3. I listened. North Central retired it's highest time DC-3 and donated it to the Ford Museum in Dearborn where it still resides.
As I rode home from Minneapolis to Baltimore with my positive space pass, I knew this was the best interview I had ever had. North Central had just ordered it's first 727's. They weren't on the property yet. I had a turbojet engineer rating. North Central had just begun service to DCA out of Detroit and Minneapolis. I was from Washington, DC. All the Captains I would fly with at North Central had flown DC-3's. I had a DC-3 type rating. North Central was hiring a lot of civilian pilots due to the 580's and the operating into smaller towns like Hibbing, Oshkosh, etc. I was a civilian.
Up in the loft of my hanger in a box gathering dust is the wall style, rotary, yellow, kitchen phone from my parents house. The phone on which I was offered employment as a pilot with North Central Airlines. The same phone that ten years before I had been called on to tell me that I had passed, on the final try, the third and last chance try, the exams to complete the Spaatz Award. This was the completion of the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program. This would be comparable to "Eagle Scout".
Why did I save that phone? Because I'm a pack rat? Yes I am. But I'm sentimental.
I had applied to most of the major airlines. This was in 1978. I wasn't getting interviews. My resume was pretty much the story of a light plane pilot. I had lots of hours. But only my DC-3 time set me apart from the CFI's with college degrees. You had to be in a three piece suit. You had to have your log books, You had to have a four year degree. You had to have an ATP. You had to have your hair cut. You had to know somebody. You had to have the "Flight Engineer written" passed. I had everything. Except I didn't know anyone. And airlines like Delta and American were hiring military pilots with "Jet Time". Not civilians like me.
There was a company called "Flight International" doing different things. Charters. Government contracts. Overseas endeavors. One day I saw a little tiny ad in "Trade a Plane" or "AOPA Pilot" or something. The ad offered a Flight Engineer Rating for $2995. From Flight International in Atlanta. Must be a missprint. I thought. Don't get me wrong, in 1978 $3K was a lot of money. But an FE Turbojet rating usually went for four times that. Well it wasn't a missprint. Flight International had lost it's VA approval and could no longer train the veterans that were getting the airline jobs. So they needed cash. And they had the waiver which allowed the Flight Engineer ticket to be issued without the student ever being in a full blown motion simulator. I got my FE "ticket" . All my "simulator time" was in a "procedures trainer". One that Delta used to get their students ready for the real simulator. This "paper trainer" was the meat of the course. I had to take the "oral" from the FAA in Atlanta. I had to do a "walk around" with the school examiner. This was the same day as my checkride in the B727-100 which was a Federal Express aircraft. My hop around the pattern in the engineers seat was a blur.
I updated all my applications with my new FE rating. The interview offers started coming like crazy in the mail. There was no e mail. There were no cell phones. I went to nine interviews in 1978. World, Braniff, American, Delta, Northwest, Federal Express, United, etc. Now I had the interviews, but no offers.
It's true, I didn't know anybody. But somehow I seemed to fit with North Central. I had done a lot of flying out of Ypsilanti, next to Detroit. I was used to seeing those 580's and DC-9's with the duck on the tail. I was tired of the cattle calls and three piece suits and WWII aircrew selection tests. When I went up to Minneapolis I had shed the polyester. I had my blue wool blazer which was probably the only piece of quality clothing I owned. The moment I got on the DC-9 at BWI, I could tell that this airline, North Central Airlines, was different. Everyone was nice. Everyone was recommending to me that I come to work there, because it is nice. And there was a big merger coming. Southern Airways will merge with North Central bringing to the party it's fleet of DC-9's and it's Atlanta hub. The new airline would be called "Republic".
Downstairs at headquarters my personnel interview went fine. Upstairs even better. Just me and the Flight Ops guy. In the empty company board room. After a few pleasantries he said "Lloyd, tell me about the DC-3." So I did, and he told me about his first job at North Central. As co-pilot on the DC-3. I listened. North Central retired it's highest time DC-3 and donated it to the Ford Museum in Dearborn where it still resides.
As I rode home from Minneapolis to Baltimore with my positive space pass, I knew this was the best interview I had ever had. North Central had just ordered it's first 727's. They weren't on the property yet. I had a turbojet engineer rating. North Central had just begun service to DCA out of Detroit and Minneapolis. I was from Washington, DC. All the Captains I would fly with at North Central had flown DC-3's. I had a DC-3 type rating. North Central was hiring a lot of civilian pilots due to the 580's and the operating into smaller towns like Hibbing, Oshkosh, etc. I was a civilian.
Up in the loft of my hanger in a box gathering dust is the wall style, rotary, yellow, kitchen phone from my parents house. The phone on which I was offered employment as a pilot with North Central Airlines. The same phone that ten years before I had been called on to tell me that I had passed, on the final try, the third and last chance try, the exams to complete the Spaatz Award. This was the completion of the Civil Air Patrol Cadet Program. This would be comparable to "Eagle Scout".
Why did I save that phone? Because I'm a pack rat? Yes I am. But I'm sentimental.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Good Morning
I have blogger's block. Either I can't write, or I simply haven't done anything to write about. Yes all winter I did little to occupy myself. But when Spring came, there seemed to be a flurry of activity. I bought a "light sport" aircraft. Not a new $150K "light sport". An old classic $20K light sport. Last Friday I flew around a bit in my "new" old airplane with a mentor who is an instructor to get "checked out". While I was trying to figure out how I was going to pay for that airplane; this last weekend I went to two car shows. I took my beater VW to a Kent Island car show on Saturday. Then Sunday I took my beater TR6 to a car show in Easton. I tried to rest up from that. Then on Tuesday I left for Asheville driving. Driving wife's car fortunately.. It is sweet. Then a couple days in A-ville. I got to play on the stage at my buddy's Cantina and I sang a song called "Motorsickle Bill". Drove home through the mountains in gorgeous weather. One short night's sleep and went to New Jersey with my buddy while he picked up his car. Again gorgeous weather. Road trips over, and ready to fly the little "Luscombe", but now the weather is stormy. And I'm getting behind on the mowing.
Today I woke up with nothing planned to do. Of course I have a lot of things I could or should do. But there was nothing I had to "go" to and no time to be somewhere. It's a stormy Tuesday with no agenda. The sun keeps peeking out at intervals. I could try to wax that little plane for Saturday's Horn Point Fly-in. If it doesn't get too wet there are a lot of chores. I have correspondence I should attend to. The hangar is a complete mess. And lots of other projects. Wife would like a yard of mulch for her new garden.
I liked the way my wake up went this morning. When I got up I wasn't compelled. I was wondering what I might wind up doing today. I didn't expect I'd be writing to you. I didn't expect to see the sun. I like it this way. It's less stressful. They say not getting enough sleep may be the cause of the obesity epidemic. So I wrote to you. Now what shall I do? I'm leaning toward getting that mulch and maybe a cheeseburger on the way home. I'm to be very busy Friday and Saturday. But tomorrow......and hopefully for most days... nothing planned. I don't think I'll shave, but I guess I better get dressed.
Peace you guys. LLITTY ::::+::::
Today I woke up with nothing planned to do. Of course I have a lot of things I could or should do. But there was nothing I had to "go" to and no time to be somewhere. It's a stormy Tuesday with no agenda. The sun keeps peeking out at intervals. I could try to wax that little plane for Saturday's Horn Point Fly-in. If it doesn't get too wet there are a lot of chores. I have correspondence I should attend to. The hangar is a complete mess. And lots of other projects. Wife would like a yard of mulch for her new garden.
I liked the way my wake up went this morning. When I got up I wasn't compelled. I was wondering what I might wind up doing today. I didn't expect I'd be writing to you. I didn't expect to see the sun. I like it this way. It's less stressful. They say not getting enough sleep may be the cause of the obesity epidemic. So I wrote to you. Now what shall I do? I'm leaning toward getting that mulch and maybe a cheeseburger on the way home. I'm to be very busy Friday and Saturday. But tomorrow......and hopefully for most days... nothing planned. I don't think I'll shave, but I guess I better get dressed.
Peace you guys. LLITTY ::::+::::
Monday, March 26, 2012
Spring Fever
Perspective. All of our relations with others start with this. All of our insights about anything start with this. I always forget to remember perspective. Life has a way of slapping me when I let myself get lazy about it. We had zero snow this winter on Delmarva. But they got hammered in the upper midwest. I read an article about a guy who was lucky to survive after being stranded in snow drifts in his car. He stayed in his car for something like three days, and was found and rescued by some pretty skilled responders. So one day the guy is driving along on a snowy day thinking about his agenda. His itinerary. The next day he has been trapped for 24 hours and his fuel is getting low and he is likely going to die. Sitting in his car with a wholly different perspective. A week ago I was having a series of wonderful days in the sunshine. Mowing. Smelling wild onions. Thinking about my upcoming trip to Asheville to hang out with the pros from Dover and sing at an "open mike" at the pub owned by one of the pros. A trip so good, I was forgoing a shot at Lakeland, Fla. The place all aviators want to visit every early spring. But before I even packed my bag for Asheville something happened. I found I had no energy and I laid down to rest and found it harder and harder to get up. This went on for two days. Then on day three my gastro- intestinal system went awry and I had a real bad night. In the middle of the worst I was delirious. And I was stumbling trying to get to the bathroom. I wanted water. Water. I had a bottle I was trying to fill from the sink. But I couldn't wrangle the bottle top. I pulled a towel rack off the wall. I knocked everything off a shelf. Everything off the sink. I made it back to my bed in a cold sweat and took my pitiful little sips from the water bottle. I was lying carefully still, hoping the nausea would not come back. The sweat was drying and the fever was breaking. I was moaning (because I'm a big baby) and as I sipped a little more I got the feeling that the worst may be over. I had lost the cough which had kept me awake for two nights. And I fell asleep. When I awoke it was daylight. And indeed, I was better. And I had a different perspective. The guy who wanted that water in the night had had a little lesson in the hierarchy of needs. New perspective. So what is important? The world is right side up again. My wife is well and reading with her dog in the next room. The news from son in California is good. He just got over being sick. And is well.
Health and happiness to all of you. LLITTY :::::+:::::
Health and happiness to all of you. LLITTY :::::+:::::
Friday, March 9, 2012
Just a Quote
I haven't posted in so long my own blog wouldn't let me in without a new password. And I'm so blocked creatively that I have to just repeat something I didn't write. Actually, I'm not blocked creatively. I've written about a dozen songs in my mind lately. And a score of marginally clever blog posts also in my mind. It's the writing them down that I am blocked from doing. So this is a rant about God. What a shock. But I didn't write it. I quote Daniel Dennett. Here we go:
"Why do people care so much what other people believe about God? I believe that the center of the Earth consists mainly of molten iron and nickel. Relative to other things I believe, this is a pretty big and exciting fact. Just imagine: there's a ball of molten iron and nickel nearby; it's about the size of the moon and a lot closer; in fact, it's between me and Australia! Lots of people don't know this, and too bad for them-- since it's quite a delightful fact. But it really doesn't bother me that they don't share my belief, or my delight. Why should it matter so much whether others share your belief in God?"
LLITTY :::::+:::::
"Why do people care so much what other people believe about God? I believe that the center of the Earth consists mainly of molten iron and nickel. Relative to other things I believe, this is a pretty big and exciting fact. Just imagine: there's a ball of molten iron and nickel nearby; it's about the size of the moon and a lot closer; in fact, it's between me and Australia! Lots of people don't know this, and too bad for them-- since it's quite a delightful fact. But it really doesn't bother me that they don't share my belief, or my delight. Why should it matter so much whether others share your belief in God?"
LLITTY :::::+:::::
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