I was awakened at oh-dark-thirty by the sound of thunder this morning. That was almost two hours ago and it's still oh-dark-thirty outside, which is to say: DARK. And it's raining, albeit raining rather gently at the moment. You'll note from the pic that P-Ville is about to be assaulted by a significant line of t-storms that are currently gathering steam just off to our west. I swear… this has been the wettest summer I've experienced since I came to live here on The High Plains of New Mexico. All this rain could be annoying if I lived elsewhere, but one simply doesn't complain about rain… EVER… in these parts. The Ogallala Aquifer needs recharging, yanno?
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I'm gonna take the liberty of bringing something I wrote in comments to Monday evening's post up to the front page, to wit:
I probably should have chosen another title for this post... like "Blogging While Listening to Pandora" or some such. I wasn't really sloshed... just sipping a bit o' the malt whilst surfin' and listening to Pandora's Van Morrison station. The collection of vids I posted are all the result of having heard that particular tune on The P and then going searching for it on YouTube.And that is most certainly true. Monday evenings are just built for extended surfin' and listening to tunes… either that or curling up with a good book… and I opted for the former. Further… whereas I might have been feelin' good, I most certainly wasn't sloppy drunk. We rarely get that way in our Old Age, simply because we've finally learned our lesson: hangovers frickin' HURT. I'm pleased to report I awoke yesterday morning with a head that was both clear and free of pain.
I'm easily amused. :D
Yet another thing about Monday evening: Van Morrison must have some world-class lawyers. As noted above, I was listening to Pandora's Van Morrison station Monday evening, and I went looking for a couple of tunes by Van The Man, only to find there ain't NO Morrison-music on YouTube other than stuff from the Official Van Morrison site. Which: a shame. I always wonder about people… especially artists… who apparently don't "get" YouTube. My thoughts are an artist benefits from the exposure of embedded video and or recordings of his/her work and they lose NOTHING in the process. Where am I going wrong, here?
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In the "Get Off My Lawn!" Department… I went searching on YouTube for an obnoxious ad that's been in heavy rotation in my teevee market for about a month, with no joy. But you may have seen it… This ad, which is apparently directed at idiots, opens with a fake "CNN reports homes selling for $1,000 in some markets," (which is somewhat true, on the face of it… if you consider burned out crack houses in Detroit) before cutting to the words "PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT" in big-ass flashing red all-caps letters superimposed over a picture of a house and an equally large 800-number at the bottom of the screen. All this while an announcer drones on about the "tremendous" values in foreclosed homes… along with the exhortation that you should call this 800 number right now to get YOUR "free" list of homes. But the part that REALLY frosts me is the voice over that says "renters can call today, all others may call tomorrow." This ad has been running for well over a month… so one just HAS to ask when, exactly, does "tomorrow" come?
Get OFF My Lawn!
Heh.
ReplyDeleteI got a phone call from a survey company out of Philly yesterday. The biz has had the task of finding "those in greatest need of rental units" outsourced to them by H.U.D.. How do I know all of this? I had quite a nice little chat with the pleasant-voiced young female caller (which, I think, kind of threw her for a loop). I wanted to find out what kind of questions were being asked, but I blew that chance when I responded that we own our home to the first question. I tried to get her to start over -- even pointing out that our house has a rental unit in it, so couldn't we pretend that I live there and start over? She asked if I do live there and I said, yes, my furniture lives there. She laughed, but said that didn't count and that she was locked out by the computer at that point because of my original answer. She wouldn't even bite when I pointed out that she could get credit for an extra phone contact. Now I REALLY want to know what H.U.D. is looking for! But, I can't just "CALL TODAY!!!" as above.
Get ON my lawn, H.U.D.!!! (For just a little while, then leave!)
P.S. -- Van Morrison is one of my all-time favorites. I don't miss him when he comes to Jazz Fest.
ReplyDeleteWe as a nation are going to be in truly deep serious food supply-wise when the Ogallala Acquifer dries up in a quarter of a Century or so. Bad as things are, the real crime is in growing things not indigenous to the region that are not prime staples but rather rare luxuries like Pecan trees, just so the entire nation may experience Pecan pie 365 year-round (One of my all-time faves, btw) Growing up in the mid-west in the 50s Pecan pie north of the Mason-Dixon line was unheard of at ANY time of the year and was avail in the South only in-season.
ReplyDeleteNon-southerners weren't MEANT to experience the sublime joys of pecan pie--you should have to move to the South if you want to, God will punish us for this!
Buck, I listen to XM Radio about 9 hours a day and they have one of the worst advertisement rotations out there (even though they claim to be commercial free, they Lie, like our president) there is a couple that sells “business credit”. It’s a husband and wife team and the woman has the most annoying voice, at the end she gives their phone number 5 or 6 times in quick succession. It drives me nuts, not just the voice but didn’t we go through this whole economic crisis because of credit people did not deserve? I’d like to ball-gag both.
ReplyDeleteBTW:"Crash into Me" by Dave Matthew was a treat to listen to.
BT: Jimmy T sends.
Jimmy T: ahh, that song by DMB is a fave for me too. It's just to beautiful - all of it. The melody, the underlying tones, the lyrics. Sublime.
ReplyDeleteBuck - I agree about the weather this year. Wettest I've ever seen up here too. Though lately it's been dry and beautiful; heading into Autumn it usually is.
The upside of our wet spring and summer will be the autumnal colors - they will be spectacular and will last a long time.
And now that I can finally get back out with my camera and safely and confidently take pics - stay tuned for some new stuff at my place!
Moogie: Interesting story. And yeah, I can see where it WOULD be of interest to find out what HUD is doing in this space.
ReplyDeletere: Van. You're lucky to live in a place where he visits often. I'm thinking his touring days aren't long and am slightly amazed he keeps on going. Some of his recent stuff on YouTube is quite good.
VX: You're right about the Ogallala. FWIW... we have a lot of pecan trees in the area. As a matter of fact, my last girlfriend had one in her back yard. She loads up a huge tow-sack every year with pecans and takes it to Lubbock to a custom-shelling outfit. And I hear ya about pecan pie in the '50s. Mom was a Jawja Gal and made a convert out of Dad (he being a Yankee... I'm the product of a mixed-marriage) in that space. Nothing finer, etc., etc.!!
Jimmy: I'm SO with you on the credit thing... it's a major hot-button with me, too. Too bad about the XM ads; you have every right to complain since they charge you a monthly fee. And thanks for the comment on the DMB vid... the subject matter was just awesome, wasn't it? :D
Kris: That's some GOOD news about you getting out with your camera for Fall foliage pics!!
May have been the wettest summer for in town, but 20 miles west we could have used more. Or used it at a different time. This year's timing just sucked, but thankful that we will have a little something to cut. But at this point, rain isn't going to help Ogallala much. I know several farmers who keep having to cut off some of their pivot sprinklers just to have enough water to make a little alfalfa crop.
ReplyDeleteThese are scary times for the farmer. But yesterday's rain sure was nice. Good lazy weather to just veg in the house and watch TV.
But at this point, rain isn't going to help Ogallala much.
ReplyDeleteI read the entire article at The Wiki after I posted and it seems like the caliche layer in our subsoil is impermeable anyway, so there's little to no recharging from rainfall in these parts.
I'm sorry the timing sucked for you, Jenny. I was wondering about that...
But yeah, yesterday was QUITE nice, and the sun came out just in time for Happy Hour, too!