HISTORICAL MONTAGE


(click to embiggen this image)

Following from top to bottom,L to R,are some pictures that I rediscovered.1.Hippy chick on top of the winged horse fountain at UT at a anti war march I went to with my Dad in 1971,2.My Mom and my son at playtime while she was undergoing chemo-therapy for the cancer that would ultimately claim her.3.Mom and my son feeding the ducks at Zilker.4.Mom and Lancer,New york,1955.5.Mom and a friend in New York,my dad was a photo hobbiest and no doubt posed this shot.6.Me and Mom at our house in Joplin Mo. by the koi pond,we had just come home from church.7.Mom at a church in France,1962(?).8.Me and Dad in Homestead,Fla,1967.9.Me on the steps of that church in France.10.Dad and gunners mate in the navy,WWII.11.Wedding day for Mom and Dad.
It's alternately fun and sad to rediscover your history...I love these images,they allow me to go back in time.

A week + of ...
So last Wednesday, no wait, not this week's Wednesday but the week before, I had a really great day. Then Thursday rolled around and I fell into a funk that lasted until today. I don't know if it was hormones, the 100 degree weather, the usual crap at work, my dad's kidney cancer, or some anniversary of an event that I no longer consciously remember. But I haven't felt like blogging or doing much of anything beyond being grumpy. I could probably even blame it on allergies since those have been acting up, but I have a feeling that something was rattling around in the back of my head and well, whatever it was, it's finally cleared up. Cleared up enough that I could laugh at a conversation I had with the floor manager today at work. He asked me if I would do ticket auditing, but I didn't have to, he was just asking. You see, he thought I hated doing it and I replied, truthfully, that I didn't mind auditing so much ,but people think I do because I complain about the broken parts of the process. Anyway, this was amusing because people think I hate doing something that I actually don't mind doing and also because of the "if you don't wanna do it, you don't have to" aspect of it as if I would actually say "no" to doing something my employer asked me to do that didn't violate my ethics (and ticket auditing definitely doesn't qualify as a violation of ethics.) I realized that who I am and who these people think I am are two very different things and for some reason I found that to be very funny because, of course, I am just me and yet there are all these different versions of me floating around in other people's heads. And then I thought what if all these other versions of me actually existed and were running around doing things other than what I do like saying "fuck you, no, I don't want to do ticket audits." Well, maybe you had to be there in my head to get the laugh, but it really was amusing to me.

So the funk has passed and I spend a lovely evening on the front porch talking with Rob and my best friend LT. Whatever was bugging me is gone, good riddance, and life feels good again.

RIBS AND HOISIN SAUCE REMIND ME OF GOOD TIMES


When we used to do our monthly jams,I would smoke ribs with this sauce concoction,it's been years,but it still works well.

Slow smoked ribs with hoisin and dried minced onion.Tonight we had asian noodles and corn ,caroot and asperagras for sides.My mom taught me how to cook,and her legacy lives on.


Our neighbor joined us for dinner,Irene loves her Jen,so it was a no brainer,she (Irene) jumped out of the fucking car window when she saw her on her porch when I returned from the store.She is crazy about her Jen.


Good puppy....
It was a nice night...

MY SISTER CALLED ME TODAY

I haven't talked to her in a while,and for you few readers that have been with us from the beginning (we missed our 5 year blog-birthday by almost 2 months) my sister and I were estranged off and on for a variety of reasons since she was 16.We are close now,but circumstances have made it difficult to maintain regular contact.Anyhow,I get this frantic message about her birth certificate not being acceptable enough to get her a passport.(She is going on a much needed vacation which involves day trips into Canada,and you need the passport to go there now).She needed her adoption papers which I had to clarify some glitch.(Side note-my sister is adopted and she adopted her son,how fucking cool is that?).
I had to find them,and with Ann's help,find them I did.When we did our remodel,we moved almost everything to the back of the house and they were buried in a box that was buried under a shit load of other boxes.
I found some other stuff too.I found the original birth announcement for her from the local (Long Island) newspaper,and I rediscovered some old pictures.I gave her this one because It just said Celia all over it.She was and will always be daddy's girl,in my mind it belonged with her.I took a digital of it,but the original belongs in a frame somewhere in her home.



In spite of a less than linear passing of time,filled with conflict and confusion,I would do anything for my sister any time,any where.I think she knows that,I hope she does.
And is our Dad cool or what?Look at that dog,shit...look at that car.

DOWN HERE,WHERE WE'RE AT...THE SWEAT DRIPS OFF THE TIP OF YOUR NOSE

Dear Mark,
Here you go...enjoy.
Love,
Rob.
No,not the rock star,but my other buddy Mark,who is still in the game in Colorado.Back in the day we made tapes for each other,now it's cd's mailed 800 or so miles to a place I used to live for a short time.We talk on the phone about music and I burn him cd's and send them through the mail,like I used to send him cassettes.
I'd been telling him about Son Volt for years,and he finally got some on his own.Then the conversation turned to Wilco,he'd heard of them and had some of their stuff, but never made the connection that they were once collectively known as Uncle Tupelo.He hadn't heard a tupelo song ever...well!I can fix that.
So I burned him a shit load of Tupelo.And my favorite song.."screen door" off of No Depression is where the title of this post comes from.Once,long ago at a campout called the beat the heat retreat, LT and I pulled off the impossible,a spot on cover of this song,We'd never done it before or since,but I remember sitting by that fire and burning off a near perfect rendition of this song.It always brings a giant smile to my face.
I hope these cd's brings one to yours.
I couldn't find a decent version of Screen Door,but here's them doing Atomic Power from the same time frame...
Yee Haw!

NEW AND IMPROVED AND HALF THE WEIGHT

My tool bag was weighing me down,while it has a shoulder strap it still weighed 46 pounds.I was Johnny on the spot,I had it all,but I was slowly being transformed into Quasimodo the electrician.

(old new bag,half full)
So I busted out my old Klein bag and broke it down to the essential tools needed to get the job done.

(New old bag,completely full)

And,as fate would have it,today we found ourselves in need of items that were no longer present in my old new lighter bag.I also learned how much the other guys on the crew rely on me to have the stuff...several times today I was approached with "Hey Rob,do you have your" questions.And each and every time except for a request for my meter was met with-"it's in the truck in my other bag".
If I could bring myself to leave my tools on the job site,this wouldn't be a problem.But I have seen tool theft too many times-even from locked gang boxes to risk it.I can't afford to replace them,so I pack them back and forth daily.Truth be told these are mostly items the contractor should provide,but that's another issue entirely.
Hey!Wake up!I'm done....:)

GUS FRUH V4

Irene and I were off early this morning to gus fruh with a plan to take another trail to airman's cave.We crossed the creek bed at the trail head fork and were off.I spotted a potential good picture and busted out the camera...but the card was back home in my computer!(dumb ass).So it was back to the house to get it.I was so tempted to just stay home,but I sucked it up and we went back.For Irene it was like two hikes in one day,for me it was a stroll down memory lane.I haven't been on this trail in years.


I took this one laying on my back,I'm sure I looked goofy,but who cares.


Irene was digging it as well,new smells and lots of new places to mark.






Along this trail there are many little caves and overhangs that I'm sure are homes for the wildlife...Irene was very interested in this one.
Sunday must be bike day on gus,as there were many riders out.They were all very polite and courteous,announcing the side of the trail they were on and how many riders as they passed.All in all,a very nice Sunday morning hike.

WE WILL NEVER LOSE OUR REMOTE AGAIN



L-R: New remote,remote we used to lose all the time.

Other than our land of the giants remote,today was an exercise in frustration-mostly for Irene.I got up early for a planned hike and discovered the leash was in Ann's car.
In the parking lot where she works.Needless to say,Irene was bummed...nay...distressed that there was no hike in store.She laid expectantly by the door making the occasional grunty sound and giving me the stink eye.
She did get a ride to the store for bbq fixin's which means she will get her porch time later tonight.And there will be a extra long hike tomorrow.As much for me as for her.
later...

UMMMMMMM...CORN NUTS

Giant roasted corn kernals.Who'd have thought they could taste so awesome?

CONNECTION

I know this man who I met about 4 years ago when I first started working as an electrician.He worked at the supply house we went to almost every day and we would make small talk.We soon found out we had an affinity to the blues and guitars and just saw eye to eye on a number of things.Turns out he moonlights at the HEB I shop at to make ends meet.So,even after I left the job where he was I still got to see him and visit almost every time I went shopping.He is one of the coolest older black dudes I've ever met.He is warm and genuine,and there is an ease to our chats at the grocery that always bring a smile to my face.No matter what kind of shitty day I've had,if I get to shoot the shit with him at the HEB I always feel better.
I saw him tonight,and we spent a good 30 minutes talking about life in Austin in the 60's and the 70's.He grew up in Buda,about 20-25 miles south of Austin when it was nothing but farms and rural homesteads.When me and my family landed here in 1968,he was in his second year in the military.But we shared some common memories.Even in 1968,the nasty head of racism was still prevalent,and he experienced it first hand.From being the only black kid on his high school football team to working in a restaurant where the black employees weren't allowed to eat in the dining area.I related stories of being chased into the woods by rednecks determined to cut my hair off during that time.A different kind of hate to be sure,but still hate.
He related about hanging out at the armadillo world headquarters (where I spent my entire adolescence )and how cool it was that they (black folks) were accepted and welcomed in a world where most of the white people around rejected them.He thought that was cool.And he said despite the racial tension of the times,he had mostly happy memories of his early days.He learned about how and when Ann and I met,he shared his family history and we ended our chat telling stories about our children and bragging on our grand children.
I walked out of that HEB in awe.What a wonderful human being.Of course,I knew that already...but tonight it was underlined,in bold.
And just think,my original plan was to write about my new addiction to corn nuts...all flavors.
Go figure.

HOW WE FIGHT

So...100 nations got together in Ireland and signed an agreement to stop using cluster bombs...really awesome ordinance that can can kill the fuck out of your enemy in short order (isn't that the point of war?)by sending all manner of explosive shrapnel screaming across a large area and well,killing the fuck out of your enemy.
Of course the powers that be were not in attendance and have no intention of signing such a ridiculous measure that limits us and them in kicking some serious ass.
I think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have drug on for so long because everyone is concerned with sanitizing war and limiting collateral damage.Fuck that.If it's worth fighting,it's worth fighting to win.There are too many rules of engagement and protocols that hamper our ability to win or lose.Sure,it's horrible,war is meant to be horrible,and I believe that that horribleness is an integral part of what brings war to an end.
There should be one protocol only in war if you have to have one...win.
But now we have to deal with a bunch of pussy countries wringing their collective hands over the use of cluster bombs that the so called "super powers" still intend to use,further protracting the outcome of any given conflict.
If I get into a fight,rest assured that I am going to do everything in my power to kick your ass,by any means I can avail myself.I suggest you do the same.And it will be over quickly,one of us will be overwhelmed and give up.That's war.
It's not some old Star Trek episode where people willingly go into disintegration chambers when their number is up.

NICKED FROM CROOKS AND LIARS

If you follow the links from there,you can take the quiz to see if you can tell the difference between Bush and McCain,and the bonus round is a quiz to see if you can tell the difference between McCain and a slightly moldy carrot.Spoiler: The carrot wins.

No apparent blockage
At least none of the coronary kind. I had my treadmill stress test today and it revealed that although I am definitely a couch potato in terms of overall fitness, my heart is just fine and dandy. My prescription is to do light exercise two times a week and eat more fiber. In order to pull this off though, I am going to have to spend more money at the grocery store. For example, I love carrots, but only when they are fresh so I generally don't buy carrots unless I just happen to hit the store after a fresh batch has come in. However, even when the regular bin of carrots are long past their prime, HEB usually has a small selection of fresh organic carrots. I never buy them because they are so expensive. But today I realized that I was spared the $100/month or more cost of prescriptions or something worse like an angioplasty and the smart thing to do was to start investing money in better food so I don't have to spend it on doctors and drugs. So the next time I buy that expensive loaf of good fresh-baked whole grain bread instead of the tasteless 79 cent loaf of white bread, I can just tell myself "doctor's orders" and stop feeling guilty for splurging on foods that I love.

KNOCK KNOCK

Whose there?Just that guy who had to see you,and of course,I woke you up.But I had to see you,something told me and it told you too,cause you'd been thinking about me and Ann lately.
Irene and I imposed,and you were so cool about it.Sitting on your couch disheveled and foggy.But still,you had that twinkle in your eye.You played me a new song,about Mark.Very cool...it made me cry,but they were good tears.I needed to reconnect.
Good luck on your road trip,I hope it gives you what you need.Little sister.
thanks Ashleigh.

GUS FRUH TWO...EH,THREE IF YOU COUNT TWIN FALLS



This boulder has been here in this spot since I was a teenager.



It smells like flowers...



Beenz had a good time...



Cactus just pouring off a cliff.I remember when that was just one small growth,and now it's everywhere.I guess there's something to be said about growing up in one place.I've known that cactus for over 30 years.

MY GIRLS...

NASA Spacecraft Appears to Have Landed on Mars

Woo-hoo! It's one of those weird things I care about, what with being sat in front of the TV as a child to watch the moon landing. Story here .

Purpose
Some people are born knowing what they want to do with their life, others find it early on, some find it later and I suspect many of us never figure it out at all. For me it's been more of a process of weeding things out and doing what was right at the time, ever subject to change as time progressed. For example, I was a very talented pianist as a child. Everyone around me was pushing for me to be a concert pianist. But while I loved playing piano, I enjoyed it most when I was playing for myself. I never enjoyed performances and I knew instinctively that was not the road to follow. I gave up playing piano completely in my teenage years, but much later on in my life I ended up as the bass player for Wolves@th'Door and that's something that would have not have happened if I had not played piano as a child. And that's pretty much the story of my life so far - all the different things I have done, all the various jobs I have held, it all builds to where I am right now without any clear picture of where I'm heading. There's no single purpose there, yet I know it's all connected somehow. Those two years working fast-food at Wendy's were great preparation for my current job in a call center some 30 years later. Somewhere in all that chaos is an order and purpose, but unfortunately it's nothing I can put my finger on and say, "Ah-hah! This is why I'm here!" And maybe it's just that those of us who aren't called to any grand endeavor have a hard time recognizing that the little day to day things can be just as important. After all, the person that was stuck in the parking lot that you let cut in front of you isn't going to call you 20 years later to thank you for letting them be on time for the job interview that let them get the job that allowed them to come up with some world changing concept. They might remember the event and even mention it in their biography, but you'll never know that you were the one that changed the outcome of possibilities.

There's a bumper sticker that's popular around here that says, "Practice Random Acts of Kindness." Rob and I practice a similar philosophy in that we let people cut in front of us in traffic, give a bum a dollar or a cigarette when it feels right, open a door for someone or help a stranger out in some way; little things that we call getting karma points because we know that what comes around goes around. Does any of that make a difference in the long run? Are we changing the world? Maybe not, but who's to say our little action today doesn't positively affect someone that does manage to change the world later. I think that too many of us, myself included at times, wander around in life thinking that our lives don't matter, that we haven't made a difference and our existence is pointless if we haven't reached some pinnacle of fame or fortune. But I know there are people out there who have no clue that they had a life-changing effect on my life, nor would I ever be able to find them to tell them that. And I have to assume that somewhere along the line, I have done the same. And I would bet that you have too.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

I posted this at the online Austin Chronicle after my showdown at auditorium shores a couple of weeks ago.The comments are interesting.

Leash-Free Is Okay but Control Your Dog | open postmark
Dear Editor, There are many leash-free areas in Austin's parks, and I'm cool with that, providing you have control of your dog(s). This morning at Auditorium Shores my dog (leashed) was harassed by this chick's two dogs (loose). They were nipping at my dog and she made no effort to call them off. This encounter eroded to name-calling and screaming … yes, I am an asshole when you don't control your dogs. I am sick and tired of people who don't control their dogs in a public setting, ruining my walks with my dogs. You want to let them run free? Fine. Just make sure you have them under control and they don't terrorize other dogs. I've lived here all my life and I have to say this town sucks more and more every day. I can't walk my dog without the apprehension of being messed with by some entitled moron and their dogs. I'm buying some pepper spray for the next walk.

Rob Clattenburg


12 Comments | Collapse comments
Comments are listed in order posted

guest said... | hide/show
I partially agree with you...but why take your dog on a leash to a leash free area? I mean, usually dogs are in those areas to run around and play with other dogs. I suppose that you could teach a dog that its ok to approach dogs that are not on a leash and not ok to approach leashed dogs.

I've run into the same situation with my unleashed dog going up to a dog on a leash. I call her away if the person doesn't look like she wants them to sniff.

All i'm saying, is avoid the problem and walk on the other side of the lake. TRUST me there are many more leash required areas than leash free areas.
05-16-2008

leash or none by guest | hide/show
though there are leash free areas, sometimes you pass those areas while on the trail(s) with your on-leash dog. i think it makes more sense for someone to control their dog than to ask someone to walk out of their way and off trail to avoid a section that may or may not have an aggresive off-leash dog running around. i run into this problem often, especially when i first started training my dog. most people would respond with "he's friendly" but who is to say my dog is friendly? i have him on a leash. and not only that but if i am working and trying to train my dog, it's kind of difficult with dogs running up to him and trying to mount him or nipping at his feet when we're running. ask the pomeranian's owner how that went down. off-leash doesn't mean off the hook, responsibility is the owner's task, leash or no leash. 05-21-2008

guest said... | hide/show
So what you are saying....is that with miles and miles of trail around town lake, it is unreasonable to ask someone to avoid the 2 hundred yards that makes up the leash free area? I've never seen a dog there out of control in all the years I've been going. Sure they run around and PLAY with each other...but thats the point! I am so sick of you people that feel we need more regulations and more rules and more laws. 05-21-2008

Way to miss the point. by guest | hide/show
What he was saying is that even if a dog is off leash, in a leash free area, it should still be controllable by the pet owner. Anyone that can't control their dog through commands has absolutely no business taking that dog off leash no matter how friendly that damn dog is. 05-21-2008

What I meant to say by guest | hide/show
I meant to say off leash in a public area since any number of incidents could occur where the dog needs to be told to stop what he's doing immediately. 05-21-2008

guest said... | hide/show
Oh, so what he is saying is that I need to be near my dog at the park. So that if she approaches a dog that the owner doesn't want to mingle, I can call her away. Mind you, this is an owner that is taking his dog to an area set aside by the city for dogs to do just that.

Lastly, Rob, If you are in a leash free area and you pepper spray my dog when she comes up to meet your dog...we would have a problem.
05-22-2008

Rob must be a JRT owner or somthing. by entitled owner named rob. | hide/show
Dogs act strange when they're on a leash, it's un-natural when 2 dogs meet and start sniffing ea. other. When the owner pulls back on the leash because a strange dog approaches, don't be surprised when that leashed dog starts acting as nervous as the owner.

My mutt is far more behaved off-leash, they're dogs and they should be able to run around. If your dog doesn't respond to calls then it will probably just run away..

Dogs act like dogs, don't act surprised. If you are, maybe you should consider becomeing a cat owner.
05-22-2008

exactly what si wrong with people. by guest | hide/show
respect. ever heard of it? it's not your trail or park. and the point in it being a trail is so people can be on it. it's not the "avoid certain sections due to idiots" trail. you are what is wrong with the dog park, you have no idea how to own a dog or anything for that matter, you can't even control yourself. you act like it's your trail to do whatever you want. it's public, learn how to respect other people and maybe someday you'll get it back. 05-22-2008

lol by They suck! | hide/show
JRT (owners) are a special breed unto themselves. 05-22-2008

exactly what si wrong with people by guest | hide/show
How about respecting the VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF LAND that people are allowed to let thier dogs off their leashes to play. Here's your respect...you are fucking moron. 05-22-2008

Th'Rev said... | hide/show
To turn 100 yards of auditorium shores into a leash free zone while the rest of the park is leash on is the most asinine retarded thing the city could do.That's just fucking stupid.

My dog is well disciplined on or off leash,that's how she was raised.

And what kind of problem are we gonna have?If you can't control your dog I'm gonna spray it and if you get all asshole about it,I'll spray you as well.

Bottom line...control your dog-or I will.
05-24-2008

Preach Brother! by I.B.McGinty | hide/show
You got an Amen from me Rev. Irresponsible pet owners will never control their dogs ..hence the term "irresponsible". Pepper spray away to keep vicious dogs at bay. If the owner suddenly gets the urge to control you instead of his dog, he should remember that there is a concealed carry law that allows Joe Citizen to carry more than just pepper spray.

..bringin'in th'sheaves.

-I.B.McGinty
05-24-2008

BULL CREEK

One of the more popular (and populated) greenbelts in the city because of it's swimming hole appeal,Bull Creek is still a primitive place once you get about a mile in and go off the beaten path.We got a late start this morning and as a result there were more people there,we'll go earlier next time.



Irene as usual,had a good time.



Limestone and lichen everywhere...



The trails are solid limestone in lots of places...



Bull Creek,west of MoPac.



A nice waterfall.It's a bit farther from the house but still worth the drive.Irene is conked out,dreaming of woods and trails no doubt.