Sitting In A Bar With A Half-Baked Ranting Megalomaniac

"You call this liberty?!"
He stated a little louder than necessary
"They are taking away all of our rights man, all of 'em!"
His eyes flitted about wildly in his head
"It's all part of the New World Order, and we're all sheep!"

All I could think was
It is easy to rant, to rave
Against a government
That guarantees an individual 
The right to rant and rave

How loud would his voice had been
If this were the Soviet Union
In 1948?
Would he have cursed Stalin as readily 
As he curses his duly elected representatives?

Would he have stood with the refuseniks
In Leningrad, in 1970?
Would he have protested against the Gulags
In front of the Kremlin
Or even from a barstool?

"It's getting so a man can't do shit without being hassled!"
He said as he tried to get the bartenders attention
"They use anything as an excuse to deny a man a voice!"
He finished his drink while ordering another
"It's Brandenburg all over again man, all over again!"

Surprised by his reference to Brandenburg v. Ohio
I wondered if he would stand up for a woman
Who wished to wear pants in Afghanistan
Or wear her hair down
In Saudi Arabia

Would he challenge a man in Pakistan
Who had a vial of acid in his hands
With which he planned to punish his sister
For dishonoring their family
By choosing not to wed the man they sold her to?

Every coward dreams of being a hero
From the safety of the stands
Every self-anointed savior has the answer
And, if given just half a chance
Will gladly show the world the error of its ways

If Everyone Discovered What Truly Mattered

                     
Van Ronk sang of that ace in the hole
Though it didn't get much help from the river
        Tina Louise unhappy in her role
        She never wanted to be remembered as simply Ginger
All of us, we strive
Hoping everyday to feel alive
                                     Hoping everyday
                                     For a smile
                                     A kind word
                                     A thoughtful gesture
                                     A beautiful bouquet
                                     Something worthwhile
                                     An unexpected reward
                                     Long-forgotten treasure
                                     Heartfelt praise
                                     To be in style
                                     To be heard
                                     Above the pressure
                 Turn off that television set
                 Walk with your family through the neighborhood 
                 Say hello to the old widowed woman
                 Play some catch with the kids
                                                             Your life
                                                             Will never be
                                                             A life
                                                             Until you make it
                                                             One
                                              Demand more
                                                     From
                                                   Yourself

Boston 4/15/2013

      Quest Eternal by Donald Delue in front of the Prudential Center, Boston Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts is my single favorite city in the United States. The roots of this great republic I am fortunate enough to be able to call home are found throughout the Eastern Seaboard, but with the possible exception of Philadelphia, no city played a more crucial role in the American Revolution than Boston.  

Boston is so historically significant it should be a mandatory vacation destination for every American. Walking the Freedom Trail, visiting the Old North Church or Bunker Hill, and standing on the deck of the USS Constitution cannot be underrated. 

If Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love, then Boston is the city of freedom.

And today, at 2:50 EST, somebody, some monster, detonated two bombs that took the lives of three innocent people (as of 04/15/2013), and maimed over a hundred more.

Whoever this person (or persons) is will be found. Justice will be meted out. 

Justice will triumph, over anarchy, over madness, over zealotry, over the twisted desires of deluded psychopaths.

Heading Out For The Eastern Horizon

Driving along a quiet John Philip Falter main street
Through the lower intestine of the American stomach
Tree lined side streets fenceless yards clapboard houses
In the cemetary widows leave flowers for beloved spouses

Section after section of freshly tilled soil
Awaiting the seeding of wheat, the sowing of corn
The rows perfectly divided 30 inches apart
Just enough room for a man pushing a single-wheeled cart

Windmills creaking in the faint breeze
Ten crows rise up and race to the eastern horizon
A dog chases the flying shadows through the field below
Curlicue clouds above would have tempted Van Gogh

Storm-damaged billboard advertises fresh veg bles ahead
Fly on past the shuttered up stands
Roll down the windows to feel the warm country air
Drivers seat as comfortable as an easy chair

23 Ways To Say Maybe

                                                           Syracuse, New York

Can I tell you later in the week? I'm swamped right now
I might be coming down with a bug
Get back to me on that, I'll recheck my schedule
I think I have to work, but I'll let you know
Geez, family might be in town that night 
Call me at the end of the week I'll see if I'm free
I'm sorta committed to a party, though it's not that serious
I'll pencil it in, but I won't use ink
Depends on how far I get with the budget
Probably, but I can't make promises
The thing is, you can't rely on the weather
If it's in the cards I'll be there
Only if the cable guy is here before two
In an emergency I'm on call, so...
We'll flip for it - best out of five
I might have the car in the shop - transmissions acting up
That might be when I'm supposed to help my friend move
I can't commit right now - depends on how the day goes
My backs been acting up, so we'll just have to see
I'm almost 99% sure, but I won't know until Thursday
Weekends are tough for me - you know how it is
Is that a Sunday night? I might have to go in early Monday
I'll have to ask the Rabbi

Just In Case I Forgot To Say Thanks...

Sometimes the expression of appreciation offered at a given moment can feel inadequate at a later date. Such is the case for me regarding the thanks I may (or may not) have expressed to the various people who graced my life over the years and were more than just kind or friendly towards me. They are the people who I owe a debt of gratitude too that goes beyond the pale.

Writers dedicate novels to the people who inspired or assisted them, musicians usually add a "Without whom..." blurb on the inside cover of a CD, filmmakers are able to do the same at the end of the credits, and of course, all of the aforementioned get opportunities to publicly express gratitude at the various awards ceremonies.

I always read those thank yous as a kind of reverse eulogy. At a funeral people make statements about how much the deceased meant to them, and afterwards, at the wake, talk about how they had always wished they had told the deceased how much they really meant to them while they were still alive.

Well, screw that noise, I'm going to tell everybody I can think of just how grateful I am right here and now.

I'll start with an all-encompassing thanks to everyone I have ever had the pleasure to know. With very, very few exceptions, each and every one of you contributed to making my life the wonderful adventure it's been.

I've been struggling with the order I should list everybody, as I would hate to give anybody the impression they were less important to me than someone else simply because they are further down on the list.

Okay, I've been sitting here for going on twenty minutes due a horrible realization.

I can't remember everybody's full name. Hell, I can't recall a number of people by name at all. This is...bad. 

I'm going to have to rule out actually thanking people by name. I realize that is somewhat lame, but it's for the best, really. 

I'd hate to offend someone, anyone, when I'm attempting to express some serious gratitude, but with my piss-poor memory, it would more likely than not happen.

I thought about breaking it down into a family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. order, but that would be tricky in situations with people who are my friends and also co-workers, or acquaintances who are also family.

You probably know exactly what I mean.

I think I'll do this in chronological order, from my earliest memories until the present day.

Which means I'll start with my family. A infinite amount of thanks to my mother, of course, for doing everything she could with the extremely meager resources available to her. It took me a long time to realize what a shit I was when I was younger, and how much hell I put my mother through. 

Raising 6 kids, by herself, in an suburban ghetto...I will never be able to express enough gratitude towards her, ever.

My siblings, my 3 older sisters, my older and my younger brother, all have my undying gratitude as well, if only for not killing me while I slept. There were a number of occasions where most courts would have ruled such an action on their part as justified.

There are a lot of people I grew up with that I owe a couple of truckloads of gratitude to - my friends of course, the ones that made childhood fun, adventurous, and exciting - but I would be grievously remiss if I didn't thank all of their parents. 

The parents of my friends really did a lot to make my childhood bearable, not only for me, but for my Mom as well.

Whether it was taking me to the beach or fishing, camping, or to the movies - even to Disneyland on a couple of occasions - the parents of my friends invited me along and included me in on what most kids somewhat take for granted but I did not have available to me as one of six kids being raised by a poor single-parent.

The people who put together the San Diego Comic-Con and various Comic Book Store owners in San Diego (Comic Kingdom, Golden State Comics, Main Street Comics, that place on 8th & Broadway) also have my undying gratitude. They tolerated my little punk ass when they really did not have to (It wasn't like I was buying tons of merchandise from the stores).

Like most, I also have a lot of teachers I owe a debt of gratitude. From an adult perspective I now see how some of my teachers were just people doing a job, while others were truly interested in imparting not just an education, but life lessons as well. Whatever the case was for them, they all taught me something, and I am grateful for it. 

My coaches, esp. my Wrestling coaches, did much more for me than they could ever imagine. Instilling confidence in a kid who spent nearly every day of his teen years feeling like the Pillsbury Doughboy is something I don't think I can ever repay. 

The family that owned the carnival I worked for during the summers from when I was 14 until I left for the USAF, and all the guys I worked for and with on the Midway, looked out for me and taught me some of the more vital lessons every young man needs to learn, especially as a maturing teen. Big huge chunks of gratitude and thanks to all of you!

After basic, the USAF assigned me to a god-awful, isolated-from-everything-a-young-man-wants base in a barren desert in the Southwest. Fortunately, my compatriots at this bleak outpost were all great people. I spent four years of my life with some of the best people it has been my privilege and 
pleasure to ever know. Thank each and every one of you!

Leaving the AF and getting back to S.D. was tough going for awhile, but once again my family, my friends from childhood (and parents of friends), came through. Not to be too much of a sycophant, but all of you people are the absolute best! 

I also made some new friends, too, at college and at the various jobs I took. Big high fives to the students and teachers at Mesa, and my bosses and co-workers at every job I had - except for that one jerk at AG in Sorrento Valley (still would like to piss in his coffee). 

I ended up making my way to Alaska after a few years back in S.D., and it was again my good fortune to make the acquaintance of a ton of flat-out terrific people. 

I went to Alaska for many reasons, primary among them was to sober up and bring some semblance of order to my life. So many people helped me do just that I still have trouble comprehending how unbelievably lucky I got in making such caring, compassionate friends. I know a lot of it was of a pay-it-forward nature, but it escapes me how I'll ever be able to do the same for anyone.

When I left Alaska for Scotland, it was with a very heavy heart. I treasured the relationships I had developed in the last frontier. Mucho thanks to everyone who made it such a grand adventure.

Glasgow, Scotland is a fairly large city, easy to get lost in. But I still managed to meet some terrific people. I was there to learn more about art, about painting, and about myself, and I met people who helped me to do just that. Thank you all!

Back in the lower 48 after a decade, I made my way to Colorado. And here I remain. I again had the good fortune to chance upon some wonderful new friends. 

I've been here for 15 years now, living in the same house for nearly 13 of those. I've had 3 different jobs and have made great friends at each of them. Some of the people I first met when I took my first job in Colorado are still great friends of mine to this day. They all added to my growth as a professional and as a human - each and everyone of them, in one way or another. You people all rock!

My neighbors have become great friends of mine, and have done much for me. We actually add immensely to one another's lives, so thanks to all of you!

Rereading all of what I just wrote, it seems lacking a bit. Thanks is much harder to express than just by saying thanks. 

It may take another entry or two to adequately convey exactly how fortunate I feel for having been able to have had so many truly wonderful people in my life. 

I am one lucky Dude.

There's Plenty Of Room On The Friday Night Death Slot

Comedy-drama

With a stellar cast

Heartfelt moments 

And belly laughs

Gotta have a frustrated bachelor

With an overbearing Mom

Maybe a couple of friends

Named Bob and Tom

Works cleaning pools  

Hot tubs too

Lots of girls in bikinis

In the field of view

Throw in a crazy uncle

Maybe a gay priest

This is top ten material

At the very least

Set in the hills of LA

With oddball clientele

The nuts of California

Sitcom gold material