Baby Born at Baseball Stadium

Hardly hard news here, but I liked this story, and its telling. Yes, I am biased.

Remember When E-Mail Had a Hyphen?

I checked my hotmail account tonight thinking back when I once logged in with anticipation that someone had sent me a letter. But e-mail is so late 20th century. No one does that any more. Even I don't pollute peoples' in-boxes with missives the way I once did. Now I type a few sentences on Facebook and consider it done. Sad.

Bedtime

I'll bury me in envy.
I'll sow the silly seeds.
They'll spring a thing of beauty.
And I'll not know what it means.
It'll be loud inside my head.
I'll shake as chaos clings.
I'll be almost free.
And I'll wake as echoes ring.


Or maybe I'll just set my alarm.

From the Archives

In my first job, for WMDT-TV in Salisbury, Maryland, we covered the NASCAR races in Dover, Delaware. You know this is from early in my career because you can still hear my "announcer's voice" in the narration. Oh, and Dale Earnhardt, Sr. won the race long before anyone had to distinguish between father and son.

I might have to wax my knuckles

I have not evolved as much as I thought if changing my car's air filter myself makes me feel so male. I went to get my car's oil changed yesterday, where they can't content themselves with that. The oil change place doesn't make money from changing oil for $18.99.

It makes money from pulling out your air filter, showing you how filthy it is, telling how much fuel mileage it costs you, and offering to install a new one for $29.99*. I declined.

I've changed air filters before. Not on this car but it can't be that complicated. So I go to an auto parts store, buy one for $14.99, and install it myself. Had I remembered that it would feel so satisying, I would not have waited 94,000 miles to do it.

Now, to the gym, where much grunting will ensue, then home to eat a raw steak with my bare hands and watch the Bourne trilogy.

*It also makes money from adding a dubious "shop fee" that makes the $18.99 oil change cost $23.51.

Blu-Ray Blues

I like my Blu-Ray player, I really do. It has Wi-Fi, Netflix, Pandora, YouTube and produces fantastic 1080p HD images with more detailed resolution than my eyes can see. But one thing I miss about my old DVD player was that it knew its job. I put a disc in it and it said, "I'm gonna play a DVD." Now I put a Blu-Ray in and the player asks if I want to go on the Internet.

Jackson Guitar For Sale - $299

Beautiful guitar that sounds as great as it looks. I'm selling only because it suits styles that I don't play much. This Jackson gives you speed, sound and high performance in a model that plays smooth and easy. It features two high-output Jackson humbucking pickups, reverse headstock, jumbo frets, and licensed Floyd Rose double locking tremolo system.

Here is a tune I recorded when I first got the guitar:



I simply haven't played it since then. It's in mint condition and includes brand new strings.

The tremolo system combined with the way the fingerboard flattens out as you climb the neck makes it perfect for effortless warp-speed shredding and super-wide string bends. The high-output Jackson pickups give you a full, rich tone while providing maximum overdrive and sustain. They also clean up nicely when rolled back, which isn't always true of high-output pickups.

The price is firm. Email me at johnmcq@hotmail.com if you're interested.