ENTERTAINMENT and SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY: The power of music!

CULTURE/SOCIETY and SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY: R.I.P. Steve Jobs

MY LIFE: A Visit To Peculiar Missouri, Part 1: Drives And Responsibilities

I don't why, but this post is taking me forever to write. Just can't seem to find the time. So I'm dividing into 3 posts. - OlderMusicGeek

We hop off the Peculiar exit, looking forward to seeing what this town, that we had passed many times but never visited, had to offer to us.

We had seen the sign each time we went down to visit my mom in Arkansas. “Peculiar so-and-so many miles”. Okay, it didn't actually say “so-and-so many miles”, but I don't remember the exact figure!

But my daughter and I became fascinated by the idea of a town called “Peculiar”. And I determined that one day we would visit it.

Well, the years rolled by and we never did visit it. If we were coming from my mom's home in Arkansas, we just wanted to get home. And sometimes, I was meeting my mom and her husband at the halfway point between my home and theirs in Clinton, Missouri, to either to drop off or pick up my daughter who was visiting for a couple of weeks. And Peculiar was only an hour or so from Clinton, and we didn't feel like stopping our 8- to 9-hour drive again after so short a time.

So year after year, the town of Peculiar was noticed... but ignored.


Then finally one year, I took down my nephew as I was going down to pick up my daughter.

I have to say, though, he has no understanding of the responsibility of the passenger on a long trip – which, of course, is to talk to the driver and keep them awake. I tried talking to him, but all I got back were monosyllables.

Thank the god, I had a boom box hooked up to my iPod playing all my alternative rock, punk, Cajun, bluegrass, big band, as well as other music. I would have fallen asleep without that music and massive doses of Diet Coke. And unfortunately, all that Diet Coke, of course, meant a number of potty stops. I am in my mid-40s!


Well, we still passed the town of Peculiar on the way down and met my mom, her husband and my daughter in Clinton.

Usually, we just eat at the McDonald's there in Clinton. But my nephew has celiac disease and can't eat certain kinds of food, especially wheat-based products. Turns out there really wasn't anywhere in town where he could eat.

So we said our good-byes, and my nephew headed off with my mom and her husband, and my daughter obviously headed off with me.


And as we headed to the car, it hit me.

“Hey, are you that hungry? Or can you wait an hour?”

My daughter gives me a bit of a look. “I'm not really that hungry. Why?”

I smile. “Well.... I was thinking we could eat in Peculiar.”

“Oh, we're going to eat in Peculiar! I can wait!”

A Visit To Peculiar Missouri, Part 2

MY LIFE: Trivia Games Of The Mind

I don't know about you, but as I get older, I find my mind playing more and more trivia games with me. And, of course, rude mind that it is – and my mind can be very rude! - it doesn't even ask me if I want to play.

So I was sitting there innocently at work doing quality control on data entry – yes, I know, exciting work. Which is why I have to have my music with me. If I forget my iPod, I take a 9 o'clock lunch to go get it! But that really has nothing to do with our story. Just an exciting tidbit of my exciting life I was throwing at you. I swear, if I wasn't getting a sex change, I'd be one of the most boring people on this planet!

Anyway! I'm at work listening to music, when I was trying to remember some of the punk rock and alternative rock I had on my old hard drive before it died. And for some reason, I remember this song “Last Nite”. I can kind of remember how it goes and some of the lyrics, but I can't remember the name of the band. I know they're The S-something.


Now normally, I would just google this, but our work has a really strict policy about internet usage. Almost any site having remotely to do with social networks is blocked. Even a local TV channel's site is blocked because we were picking up too many viruses from there. Of course, these rules don't stop me from using the internet, just careful about when I do use it.

And I wasn't ready to use it yet. I still had a couple of other resources.

And I turned to one of my cubicle mates. He was one of the trio of trivia experts in our department. I being another, and a data entry tech being the third. The third member of the trio wasn't a huge music fan. He liked well enough and could answer some general music trivia questions, but he wasn't one of the people you go to about music.

Now, my cubicle mate was into music quite a bit. Not as much as me of course, but more than almost everybody in the department. And as I said he was part of the trivia trio in our department.


So I tap his shoulder, he takes off his headphones, and I say, “I need help. I can't remember this name of a band. I know they had a song called “Last Nite” and it's spelled N-I-T-E. And their name starts with an S. They're The S-Something. They're a guitar-oriented alternative band from the 90s.” They're actually from the 00s, but anyway....

Then more information came to me. “And part of the lyrics was 'last nite she said'. And there's something about grandma doesn't know and UFOs don't know. And on their second album they sing something about the end having no end. And they've had 3 albums that I know of.”

“Oh, and I think their first album is called “Last Nite”.” It wasn't. If my mind is going to play trivia games with me, I wish it would play fair with accurate information.

My cubicle mate thought for a while. “Those lyrics sound familiar. Could you sing part of it?”

I smiled. “Um, I could, but you still probably wouldn't recognize it.”

He smiled back. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Then he added, “Well, dang, now I want to know who it is.”


Fortunately, I still had another ace up my sleeve. We have a second music fanatic in our department. But don't worry, she's about 25 years younger than me, so there's little overlap between us.

In fact, a couple years back, I was tried to impress her, show her that I didn't just listen to music from my time, the late 70s to mid 80s. I rattled off a bunch of "new" bands i was listening to.

And she said, and I quote... and yes, I can quote her because I'll never forget what she said! “Oh, yeah, the 90s, that was good music. I listen to some of that stuff when I was a kid.”


So anyway, I went to her cube but she wasn't there. So I left a note. Fortunately for once, I thought ahead and let her know what it was about, so she wouldn't worry and wonder why she was being summoned to the quality control cubicle. Figured she'd be a bit annoyed worrying about why the q.c. people to see her and find out it's just to name a band.

Well, I couldn't wait any longer. I broke company rules – shhh! - and looked up the lyrics on the internet. The band's name came right up.

The other music fanatic showed up shortly after that. She was kind of laughing. She asked if we figured it out and said we had, but gave her the information I had anyway.

And right away she said, “The Strokes?”

“Yep. Where were you when we needed you?”

She just smiled and kind of shrugged. And I just kind of shrugged at my slowly deteriorating mind and its stupid trivia games.

ON ANOTHER BLOG: "MUSIC: What's On Michelle Obama's Ipod?" on OlderMusicGeek's Stupid Entertainment Stuff (just click here)

ON ANOTHER BLOG: "MUSIC: My Most Played Music On IPod For February 2009" on OlderMusicGeek's Stupid Entertainment Stuff (just click here)

HUMOR: The Results of The Name That Tiolet Contest Are In

The results of The Sneeze's Name That Toilet Contest are in. Here's a link. - OlderMusicGeek

best comments -

What a crock of Shatner.
This opens up a realm of possibilities for new Priceline dot com advertisements.
Posted by: FTN at March 3, 2008 01:18 PM

Congrats on the new toilet and its name (I voted for Shatner but preferred the ineligible "iPood"). Still, though, you should have bought this: http://www.airpoo.com/
Posted by: JMK at March 3, 2008 01:14 PM

I really liked The Event Horizon also, but that name is probably more appropriate for a state-of-the-art stainless steel toilet at a science centre. When you sit down it projects stars on the toilet stall walls and tells the story of the origins of the universe, featuring the voice of Morgan Freeman.
Posted by: maija at March 3, 2008 03:12 PM

I have a suggestion to display THE BEST NAME FOR A TOILET EVER.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c36/porcupine_/williamshatner.jpg
Frame it. It's pretty classy.
Posted by: Jenna at March 3, 2008 06:40 PM
I suggest you have the name with Shatner's face etched on the inside of the bowl so you have something to aim at
Posted by: joebuck at March 3, 2008 08:12 PM

If you got this into a shirt.... I would love you more. How about
"I rode the Shatner!"
Posted by: Miggy at March 3, 2008 08:50 PM

a link to the results and all the comments

ENTERTAINMENT and POLITICS: George W Bush and His Ipod

This was originally publish in OlderMusicGeek's Stupid Stuff, but I moved to here on July 27, 2009. - OMG

I got this from BBC News. - OlderMusicGeek

George W Bush is a fan of country music and classic rock, but he also likes "a little bit of hard core and honky tonk", his iPod playlist suggests.

His 250 songs include country greats George Jones and Alan Jackson, but also My Sharona by the Knack.

Mr Bush has an aide download music for him and listens to it while mountain biking, the New York Times reported.

Rolling Stone journalist Joe Levy called the playlist "feel-good music. The Sex Pistols it's not."

"It's safe, it's reliable, it's loving," Mr Levy said.

"One thing that's interesting is that the president likes artists who don't like him," he added.

WHAT'S ON THE FIRST IPOD
John Fogerty: Centerfield
Van Morrison: Brown-Eyed Girl
Stevie Ray Vaughan: The House is Rockin'
The Knack: My Sharona
Blackie and the Rodeo Kings: Swinging from the Chains of Love
Country stars Alan Jackson, George Jones, Kenny Chesney
Classic rockers Eric Clapton, Robert Palmer, Bryan Adams

That group includes former Credence Clearwater Revival singer John Fogerty, whose baseball anthem Centerfield is on the iPod.

CCR's anti-Vietnam war song Fortunate Son is not, Mr Bush's cycling partner Mark McKinnon said.

"If any president limited his music selection to pro-establishment musicians, it would be a pretty slim collection," Mr McKinnon told the New York Times.

He advised against "psychoanalysing" the playlist.

"It's music to get over the next hill," Mr McKinnon said.

Mr Bush's daughters gave him the iPod for his birthday last July.


What should George Bush listen to on his iPod?

Nothing. He shouldn't be listening to music on an I-Pod while biking. He should be listening to the traffic or the sounds of nature depending on where he is. Biking is sound experience as it is. The music of the chain and the hum of the wheels is what he should be listening to.
Daniel Gwyn, Montreal, Canada

Time to ditch the iPod then! Just lost its 'cool' status forever!
Geoff, Preston UK

Who cares? It's his iPod, let him enjoy whatever he wants to listen too. Last time I checked no person had a collection based on what they believe.
Gabriel Asseily, London, UK
(Amen to this - OlderMusicGeek)

[No you won't fool] The Children of the Revolution by T.Rex
rz, NH, US

Good for him. How about some Celtic rock to get the blood pumping? And to all the sarcastic lefties, get off the computer and get some exercise, maybe you'll lose some weight and improve your mood.
Tim Seeley, Manitoba, Canada

English for beginners!
Gerard, Dublin

A link to the original site